[System]
Title(s): Scion of the Ashbrands

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Rank: Fes

Objective for the Grail / War: There are several outward reasons. Chiefly, he is there to be able to reach the Origin for his family. Secondly, it is to test his own craftsmanship in a new environment, with new variables and possibilities. Thirdly, he wishes to gain some inspiration, some new "spark," that can further his craft to a greater extent.

Command Seal: It's basically a stylized stick figure. The head, the body, and the limbs are the three seals. When used up, it's essentially a reverse hangman game.

Personality: Usually, Christopher portrays the image of a methodical, careful individual, who tries to prepare for every possibility. To most individuals, he seems mild-mannered, and in the words of a certain someone, "polite enough." However, when pushed, he becomes somewhat frantic and unkempt, similar to a procrastinating student with a deadline looming over them. Though, just as when at the night before the deadline, the student does pull an all-nighter in the hopes of completing their objective, Christopher has the same foolhardy determination to finish what he sets for himself.

However, if that was all that there was to him, he'd never be an individual that would advance far in the Moonlit World. He genuinely loves his craft, and finds great satisfaction in completing a ritual circle, crafting a new part of a golem, or simply learning something new.

On a side note, he likes listening to music very much, and is capable of playing the piano because of not just the image he needs to portray, but out of simple enjoyment.

Bio: The Ashbrands are perhaps what you may call the "average" Clock Tower family. A somewhat respectable family of eight generations, they came into being after the Spanish Alhambra decree, as the Sephardic Jews fled from Castile and Aragon into other areas, such as North Africa, Latin America, and other European nations. Who would become the origin of the Ashbrand family took one such family in, and as thanks, was taught the art of golemancy.

As the Ashbrands sank deeper into the world of magecraft they became aware of the goal of all magi: the Origin. And so, they sought to obtain the Root through every aspect of what they were granted. From the simplest of things, such as creating the "body" of a golem, to the most important aspect of the discipline, breathing "life" into the chassis, they sought not just simple improvement of the parameters, but a sort of balance, of harmony, in how every single factor worked together to make a functioning golem. It was not enough to make the "best" golem, or to make the one "closest to approximating a human," but the act of creating "life" would be how they would achieve Akasha, in their eyes.

This was the family that Christopher was born in. One constantly fascinated with "creation of life" that even his birth was documented and carefully studied. One may think that resentment would breed under such conditions. However, under the careful tutelage and excellent care that his parents and caretakers gave him, he grew to love everything about thaumaturgy, and such a possibility was extinguished. After all, when one is able to withstand the agony of the activation of Magic Circuits, or the pain of the cut of a ritual knife, what is some discomfort if it is for the purpose of the art?

When he was old enough, he entered the Clock Tower with great enthusiasm to learn more of the art. However, he was not treated overly well at first, especially for his pursuit of formalcraft, with his "average" family and circuits being targets of the higher nobles in the Mage's Association. Rather than lashing out however, he simply saw it as another challenge in the name of magecraft, and crafted something of a "mask" that mimicked nobility, one that was the image of a mage. That was how he spent his years of magical education.

Of course, when he returned home, he fully focused on the core foundation of the family, golemancy. Just as his forefathers did, his eyes sparked in excitement when "creating," going every which way in working out a new song, and a new melody of beings.

---

Magic Circuit Switch: A pair of glowing eyes opening.

Number of Magic Circuits: C

Quality of Magic Circuits: C

---

Elemental Affinity: Earth

Magecraft: As an individual who completed his mystical education at the Clock Tower, it's a matter of course that he grew competent in the basics taught to every magus.

As a matter of making up for his mediocre circuits, he gained a greater than normal interest in the subject matter of Formalcraft, or Rituals in general. As he grew more and more proficient in the art, it steadily became a dependable part of his repertoire that supplemented his family's focus. While not a true master of the discipline, given enough time and the right materials, he is able to enact rituals that can mimic magecraft those of his rank and age should not be able to achieve.

Golemancy is where his true skill lies, however, as befitting one who bears the name of Ashbrand. He is proficient in making basic, earthen golems swiftly, and has a great amount of skill in making the traditional-style golems that come close to resembling humans, as the foundations of his magecraft. What his true passion is, however, is experimenting with different materials to bring about different results. Perhaps iron for a more durable frame, crystals and gems for more efficient energy storage and conductio, maybe even parchment for ease of inscription. Many failures occurred, but some-

Some have succeeded beyond his wildest imagination.

Crest: 8 Generations Old.

Weapons:

Tools of the Trade: Christopher has a general kit to work with, at the very essence of it. Within his luggage, he has things such as ritual knives, brushes and paint, reagents, and so on and so forth. He also packed some sets of clothes, a measure of the universal currency, gold, and some construction tools. Set aside, in a different and seriously secured container are some exotic materials and parts. Generally speaking, these are contained within valises and chests.

Azoth Blade: As a magus, it is a matter of course that Christopher has an Azoth Blade, one of the most basic and commonplace of Mystic Codes. His in particular was given to him by his father when he graduated from the Clock Tower, fine-tuned to him in particular, inscribed with various scripts and suchlike. It has all the typical functions of an Azoth Blade, with a great capacity for magical energy and amplification of such, among other things.

Seeker of Mysteries: Due to him seeking out better materials for his golems constantly, Christopher crafted personally something that could "seek out magical energy." A "magic compass," if you would. It would allow for him to find areas heavily saturated with mana, lost items that may be fragments of valuable artifacts, and things like it. Of course, it can just as easily find someone enacting a spell, if not adequately disguised or protected.

Armor of Terra: And of course, Christopher could hardly call himself an Ashbrand if he did not have a proper golem mystic code. It began simply as a protective suit, as one would use to keep oneself safe from dangerous temperatures and spills of toxic substances. Christopher improved upon this, as the areas he would delve into became increasingly perilous. Eventually, after many reinforcements and inscriptions, it became somewhat difficult to move in, and thus he "breathed life into it," giving it the beginnings of intelligence so it would "help" him move and suchlike. As he went to different areas, and worked upon different projects with steadily more exotic materials, only the bare chassis remained, and different materials would be added into the frame. Eventually, however, Christopher became weary of constantly upgrading and taking apart the suit-golem, and just thought "What if I could just make parts I could attach and detach as necessary to an extremely durable and receptive chassis?" And so it occurred. With the right configuration, the suit is capable of travelling anywhere, and working with anything, with Christopher safely ensconced in time.

Exceptional Benefit: One Week of Preparation Time. As Christopher is well-versed in formalcraft, as well as it being a core part of his repertoire, he realized that he could not enter half-cocked and rushed like a procrastinating student. Rather, he needed time to properly set up his atelier, to have a proper environment to summon a Servant, and stage his attempt on the Grail from. He knew that he would not be able to compete with those such as the Great Families in their preparations, but at the very least-

He wants to be able to present his skill as a mage to the best of his abilities.

[User]
Jack
Miyama Town

There was only one thing left to do for a Thief who had accomplished his goal.

Run.

Putting away the blade hastily, Jack watched it vanish into his pouch, no longer weighing him down or out in the open. A giant elephant burst onto the scene, further solidifying his resolve to leave. Jack would steal from the great Giant who lived at the top of the Beanstalk, yes, but only one item a day, for he knew better than to test his luck like so.

Without taking into mind the items that he could have picked up as further spoils.

Without thinking of aiding his impromptu helpers.

Without thinking of anything but survival.

Jack the Thief ran for his life, away from the flames and to his own master.

[Assistant]
Gatekeeper, Troilus, Miyama Town

The fire worsened. As the horn blasted, the flames leapt higher, and only continued to grow in strength, in pure power and terror.

Had they failed?

It wasn't long until the fire grew once more, into something truly horrifying. A lake of black fire, one that reached out towards Troilus, one that's fumes licked at the mind. The horrifying faces that stared into his eyes, radiating hatred.

Was this what the others had felt, as Troy burned?
He couldn't stay here. He couldn't die here, not under any circumstances. Even if they'd failed, that remained true.

Certainly, Troilus had failed. These weren't the actions of a hero, but of a scared child. He turned around, and began to flee the fire, moving faster than before.

Back towards Troy, back towards 'home'.

Leaving Miyama Town, entering Shinto town

[User]
The Worker of Living Stone, Scion of the Ashbrand
[Transit to Einzbern Forest Interrupted By Boss Fight!]

He was beginning to think that scouting in Miyama was… well, not cursed, but rather inadvisable. True, this was only the second time that he and his Servant came to this area in hopes of information, but an enormous, cursed fire that seemed to be eating its way through half of this city was more than enough to warn him.

But that wasn't enough to warn him of his Servant just… walking into the flames. Which then transformed the flames black. And that indicated that the fire had a binding element to it, reinforced by the various effects that kept on appearing in the flames.

As soon as he saw the billowing smoke and flames, Christopher had pulled out a few of his modules, shielding him from the heat and preventing any smoke from being inhaled. But he saw what happened to those who got caught, or inhaled the smoke. Driven insane by fear, cursed with ever-increasing grudges, and considering his Servant's Noble Phantasm, had their souls burned away with their bodies. Truly, he had observed worse, considering where he had gone to obtain certain materials, and what he had to do in order to possess them, but while he was a "magus," he was still a "human." And humans, well, they possessed empathy and sympathy, most of the time. While he certainly would not save anyone himself, he used some of his disposable golems to at the very least, get people out of their houses and guide them away.

Of course, through this course of action, he gained valuable data on what, exactly, his golems could withstand. ...And he couldn't resist gaining a few samples as well.

However, aside from that, he proceeded with Avenger's first suggestion. Now was not the time to harass and attack others. He saw two paths in the future. In one path, where the Heroic Spirits in this conflict were incapable, which was a possibility, the fire would rage and grow stronger, and would spread swiftly. In the other, at least one Heroic Spirit would have the capability to end the fire. And considering the size of the fire, it would have to be very, very powerful. Three things were needed to make a fire. Fuel, air, and heat. Remove any of them, and the fire would be gone. And to remove any of them on this scale…

Well, only an idiot or someone who was incredibly powerful would stay around in that particular state of affairs. Which was why he was on the other side of town, looking for a good spot to observe the fallout.

How he got here was rather… remarkable, all things considered. Avenger merely wrapped her arm around his waist after he was gathering his last sample, spoke some words, and they were here.

Now, where to go...

[In Shinto]


[System]
Well, you said full character sheet. Here he is.
Age: 17 (though he looks younger)

Race: Sheikah

Appearance:
Cricket is of average height and lean, with thick white hair and tawny skin. His eyes are his most striking feature, red and very expressive, with three triangles tattooed above and a teardrop tattooed below his left eye. His style of dress is distinctive, combining elements of Kokiri and Sheikah attire, mostly colored black with an extra scarf-like bit around his neck that acts as a half mask when necessary. Cricket's ears are pierced in three places each with small, simple gold rings. A brown hooded cloak covers most everything. This is good because he is generally covered with knives of various sizes, including two particularly large and nasty ones, very similar to Sheikah kodachi. The last two are worn openly.

Stats-
Hearts: 3
Strength: 4
Magic: 1

Inheritance:
Magic Boomerang – At this time, capable of stunning enemies and retrieving objects. Fast movement, long range. Always returns to Cricket, regardless of those pesky laws of physics.

As he gets better acquainted with the item, upgradable abilities may include manipulation of flight path, attacking multiple targets in one throw, and spontaneous generation of three such boomerangs.

Inventory:
Kodachi (2), Knives, various (8), Deku Nuts (20), Fiddle (in case), Traveling rations, Canteen

Rupees: 50

Cricket was born into a clan of Sheikah, living in secrecy in the forests near Kokiri lands. The two peoples were more than a little wary of each other at first, but over time they came to be allies. The Kokiri helped them adapt to the ways of the forest and attune their skills to their new environment, and in return the Sheikah defended their forest and taught them the ways of stealth and martial prowess. In these hard times, sadly, even the innocent must take up arms from time to time. As generations passed, the two cultures diffused, resulting in a more forest-running and musical clan of Sheikah, skilled in the use of Kokiri tools in addition to their own. Deku staves became an easy to make and use weapon alternative, and deku nuts became a staple product.

Cricket himself is rather musically inclined. He is adept with the harp, flute, and has particular talent with the fiddle, which he takes with him when travelling. Martially, he is skilled with one-handed, sharp objects, preferring speed and stealth to larger, slower blades. He has become quite proficient with Deku Sticks, using them in the same manner as rattan staves, as well. His main talent in combat, however, is thrown weapons. Growing up with the Hero's own boomerang, he trained with it from an early age. Throwing other weapons, or improvised weapons, came very readily to him. Knives, spikes, deku nuts, even rocks from the ground are deadly effective in his hands.

Like most of his clan, Cricket was trained to be a stealthy agility monster. He stays to the shadows when possible and out of close range unless absolutely necessary (or they don't know he's there). Cricket does not block, he dodges. He does not parry, he attacks the weapon. If the bad guy must be taken out, and there is no diplomatic solution available, he prefers it to be quiet, decisive, and in their sleep. His clan has won many battles this way, even before the enemy was aware a battle was taking place. Also, like many in his clan, Cricket is an accomplished acrobat; enough to incorporate elements into combat.

Now, about his name - For some odd reason, crickets seem to like him. He will often walk out into a clearing in the dead of night, sit down, and play short chirps rhythmically on his fiddle. A truly remarkable chorus of the little guys respond, creating an awe-inspiring nocturnal symphony. He is rarely without one or two on him, who appear to know when he needs to be quiet. They seem to take care of themselves. It is unknown why this phenomenon occurs, or if he has some kind of unconscious control over them. Regardless of why, it has served no actual practical purpose thusfar, aside from being fairly impressive and a little creepy. It earned him his public name. His birth name revealed only to his clan, maybe a trusted few.

Fun facts: Cricket rarely speaks, preferring to communicate with hand gestures, facial expressions, and occasionally his music. It's a shame, he has an angelic singing voice that few outside of his clan ever hear. He is multi-lingual, being familiar with Sheikah, Hylian, Ancient Hylian, and Sheikah hand signs. Further, he does possess a trace of Hylian in his bloodline, brought into his family by the very ancestor who passed down the Boomerang.

Cricket received a calling; a bit of wanderlust, if you will. Among his own people, he is just now considered an adult, and as such is allowed to explore the wider world. He is compelled to walk the path of the Hero, such as it is in this day and age, even if the means to the ends aren't always that heroic (in the classical sense). He believes that there is a great future ahead of him, so long as he follows these compulsions and gut feelings. Curiosity as to where this takes him next drives him forward.

[User]
Rida knew that the creature was almost finished now. She raised her hand as Greg looked back to her. He then jumped into the air quite high. He then came down spinning his beak aimed right at the Octoracka. "Remix his face." Rida said as Greg came spiraling right at the Octoracka drilling a hole right through the head and into the ground. A few feathers could be seen flying through the air due to Greg doing some molting lately.

After the feathers and dust had cleared Rida smiled as Greg came flying back to her in his now smaller form. Rida grabbed him and threw him into the air in celebration before catching him again and hugging him. "That was so good Greg! You get extra cucco feed tonight!" Rida said with a smile as she hopped up and down herself hugging Greg.

Cia meanwhile just watched Rida while straching the back of her head. "That kid never ceases to amaze me, she's so young yet so violent." Cia said as she released her Hook Shots from the Octorockas head.

[Assistant] Araris sighed, relived It is over., he took off his mask, instantly reverting to his original form. Now where in the hell did my sword get to? He wondered. He got up on the monster's corpse and walked on it to land. He raise his eyebrow at the messy end it had met. "Hey," He said jokingly to the girl, "Do you think its dead?" HE chuckled. "Man, coccos are scary."

[User]
With the attack of the Cucco the movement of the Octoroaka's long body ceased like the freezing of a river in the winter. The scarlet hue began to fade into a deep dark brown that rotted into black. For a brief moment it smelled terrible but then they body withered away, slowly shrinking into a tiny Octo which sunk into the water.

Then oddly enough it shot out projectiles from the water. However, these werent cannon balls. They were various boons!

Three full Heart Containers glistened like diamonds while two Strength bangles sat on the shore. Over in the calm waves was an ancient potion bottle which no doubt contained something beneficial to a magic user. How these rewards would be shared had yet to be decided.

"Wow! I've never seen a creature drop so many things at once! You'd think we just killed a legion of mosters for all that stuff! HHey Rida! Your Cucco is pretty awesome. How the heck did you train it to do that!" Viv was brimming with excitment but tthere were other matters to worry about.

Turning to see the one who wore that odd warrior mask, Viv waved. "HHey! That was realy awesome Of you to help. Whats your name? Im Viv from the Heroes Club. You are sooo getting recruited!"

[Assistant]
Rida gave a big smile to Viv as she held Greg. "It's not really training, Greg just knows what to do!" Rida said with a smile as Greg jumped out of her arms and quickly ran towards the man who had the fierce Deity Mask. In truth Rida and Greg had a sort of connected mind. They didn't always have the connection but it was there when they needed it. Greg meanwhile ran straight for the Araris and quickly started to rub on his leg. This confirmed the man as being a descendant.

Cia meanwhile just smiled at the two as she walked towards Pallus. "Good job kid!" Cia said with a smile to him. Cia had always seen Pallus as a sort of little brother and as such tried to look after him when she could. Though she saw most of the club as her family, even though she stunk at cooking she always tried to cook for them, yet always burned something no matter how hard she worked.

[User]
Viv Grabbed a Heart for himself while it seemed the others grabbed what they wanted. An amazing amount of rupees was just laying everywhere around the lake.

"What are we going to do about all these cannon balls? Wait... just how many are there?" He asked, seeing a good twenty just laying on the sand alone. He looked past the sand and saw the tall grass littered too. "Woah they are.. everywhere."

Viv crouched down, facing forward he started for a slow jog then made it a quick run. On that he flapped his wings and created lift for himself to get in the air. He flew higher up until he could see a little of the village. It was not looking good, small circles of various sizes were covering piles of wood. People were spread around, picking up their personal objects and wooden boards. His victory smile flipped like he did in mid air. Going back to the others he swooped to the ground.

"The village is totally wrecked." Viv said, feeling sick just thinking about all the people possibly injured or... dead.

(This assumes everyone got what they wanted based on what I read. Viv, Ulu, and Pallus got a Heart container. Rida and Araris get a Strength Bangle. Minadi gets the ancient magic potion. Rai and Cia get 100 1000 rupees each. The Party obtains 1 phase of character growth at the end of the chapter... which is now.)

[Assistant] Araris eventually found the hilt of his sword buried upright in the sand. He inspected the foot or so of blade left on it for damage, finding none, he sheathed it and walked back to where the rest of them where standing. He heard Viv and winced, looking around. "Yeah that battle really did a number on this place. Come on, lets get back to the club and make proper introductions before they make us pay for the damages." He said to Viv.

[User]
^^^^Rai^^^^

Rai looked around the village after the monster came down. He flew down next to the others and grabbed some rupees. The village was reduced to nothing but gravel. Important stores destroyed, homes knocked over, Rai had never seen so much destruction in one place before. He saw tat Viv was talking to the others who fought, he went up and pulled on his wing lightly to get his attention. "Hey Viv....Ummmm, what are we gonna do about the village? I mean it is destroyed, and I hope no one got hurt really bad. I don't know I tried to help but-" He stopped with a deep exhale of air and breathed for the first time.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

~~~~Ulu~~~~

Ulu looked around and saw all the destruction and carnage. People were picking up their belongings or what's left of them. He looked at his fellow guild members and gave them a genuine smile.

He approached his sister and swung his arm around her. "Well we broke the town again, what would mom and dad say. Well anyways how are you feeling." He said this with a sly smile.

[Assistant]
Breaking post-skirmish tension, a single note of rosin stringed music cut through the air, drawing attention primarily because of how out of place it seemed, circumstances considered. Another note followed, joined by another, and another; expertly strung together by skillful, dexterous hands. A cunning and soulful interpretation of the Hero's Song expressed itself through an intricately worked fiddle, filling the hearts of those listening with pride and hope.

The source of these dulcet tones, however, made some uneasy. A crop of white hair cascaded over long, pointed ears pierced in several places with small rings of worked gold. Eyes, intelligent and red hued, took in their surroundings, one of which bore a mark that few still remembered: Three black triangles over, and a single black teardrop underneath, tattooed permanently. These markings inferred the disturbing rumor that no, their people had not all departed the world. He was Sheikah. Ramming further proof of his heritage home to the now growing onlookers, no one seems to have remembered him entering the town, before or after the battle at the dock. It was as if he failed to exist until the first notes of his music caressed the souls of those nearby.

Slowly he stood, atop the rubble of a downed building, moving slowly and allowing all to see him. Such actions flew in the face of what was known about his people. They are not seen easily, and do not expose themselves to the light without good reason. Two obvious weapons girded his form, short blades common to his people, buckled over a mottled brown cloak. Dark clothing and boots peek from beneath his outer garb, contrasting his fresh, youthful features. Nimbly, still playing every note flawlessly, he descends the pile of ruined building, placing one foot in front of the other until reaching the ground. The crescendo of the Hero's Song swelled as the strange one closed his eyes briefly, feeling the moment, and abruptly stopped.

With practiced hands, he quickly put away his instrument and produced from the back of his belt a largish boomerang of nigh ethereal craftsmanship. A Relic of the Hero, without mistake. Holding it in a firm but non-threatening manner, he faced the recent combatants and brought his arms out wide beside him, allowing his cloak to open further and reveal his clothing more, a shadowy copy of Sheikah and Kokiri design, accented by several knife hilts strategically placed for ease of removal. He flashed a sincere, boyish smile, and nodded slightly at those around him.

The Hero's Song? The Relic? Maybe he was trying to communicate something, but he stood mute, warm expression despite his otherwise dark appearance.


[System]
22 y/o | Female | 5'9 | 148 lbs | Freelancer

❄

GrimoireAn aquamarine prayer stick. The fortune on it reads, in Chinese characters, 'Calamitous Fortune'. It's been repurposed as a hairpin.
InstrumentMoya-no-Yume – A dagger with a hilt long enough to be comfortably held in two hands. The construction of the handguard includes embellishments of carp and streams, while the fabric that wraps around the hilt is an aged indigo. The blade is unremarkable, but well-maintained.

GRADE: Bronze
KEYWORD: Dagger
DAMAGE TYPE: Physical
DAMAGE: D
SPEED: C
SENTINEL: E
SPECIAL: Frosted Sheen – Moya-no-Yume's blade is cold to the touch, and in warmer temperatures will exude a faint mist.
StyleImpermanence of Spring Snow – A modified variation of a shrine maiden's garments, featuring colors that evoke both the cold chill of winter and the vibrant colors of spring. Purple and yellow sashes secure a dark blue hakama around Klava's waist, while her bosom is wrapped in white cloth hemmed with magenta. Cerulean prayer beads hang from her neck, humming with spiritual power, and arcane tattoos are inscribed upon her arms to ward off the advance of evil.

Her footwear remain impractical, timber getas elevated like high heels, with a golden bell suspended within the soles. It's no longer impossible to move in though, and the sharper corners allow for better gliding.

GRADE: Silver
PHYSICAL: E
ARCANE: B
CHAOS: C
SPECIAL: Boreas's Caress – Klava's sashes, three meters in length, have some degree of prehensility and autonomy. While she is in motion, her sashes act to assist in her movements, snagging onto the environment or weaving together into temporary cushions to allow for sharp turns and quick deceleration or to cushion impacts. These sashes can be destroyed by an E-rank attack, recovering at the start of the next round.
Genre:Glacial Stream – The freezing waters that Klava eloquently manipulates to disarm and restrain her foes are but precursors to the glacier-sized mass she bludgeons them with when mercy is off the table.

GRADE: Silver
ELEMENT: Aqua
NOTES: [Freeze (2), Slick (2)] Damage (2), Restrain (4), Push (2), Extend (2), Construction (4), Craft (2), Mark (0), Blink (4), Bend (0)
SPECIAL: Rime Rose – Klava's ice is as clear as glass and as enduring as permafrost. Elemental constructs formed from her Genre counts as one rank higher.
LeitmotifGRADE: Bronze
SPECIAL: Meltwater Spring – Klava's body and clothing remain clean no matter how dirty her surroundings or what attack she's struck by.

22 | Female | Freelancers | Meltwater Spring
Moya-no-Yume | Dagger | Physical | Frosted Sheen
Snowdrop Vestige | Sangfroid Convention
Glacial Stream | Aqua | Rime Rose
[Freeze, Slick] Damage X, Restrain, Extend, Construction, Trap, Enhance, Mark, Blink, Powerful

DAMAGE: D | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: E | 750

PHYSICAL: E| ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 750

[User]
Marrie Knight

Marrie puked up from the smell and was glad that she hadn't eaten today. "When I heard 'catacombs,' I didn't think I'd have to go through the sewers..." she managed to mumble before blowing all the air out of her mouth and quickly closing it, hoping to get the fumes out of her. She glanced at Pac-A-Fist, considering whether to ask if they were coming with, but decided it wasn't worth opening her mouth for. She thanked the gods that the catacombs weren't synonymous with the sewers, shook her head 'no' at Pac-A-Fist's question, and went through the opening.

Sure, the Bates were likely to draw the snake's attention, but if they were headed the same way Marrie was, ultimately, then she'd probably end up fighting it. As soon as the smell went away she sighed at the thought, taking comfort in the thought that maybe it could talk and they could just work things out. But with the Bates being the way they seemed, especially the girl, that probably wasn't going to happen.

She touched the wall next to the entrance and placed a portal on it, just to be safe.

---

19 | Female | Freelancer | Misty Steps
Apex Predator | Dagger | Physical | Mirror Shine
Wind-Carved Glacier | Masking
Step of the Hurricane | Wind | Riding the Currents
[Storm (4), Flight (6)] Damage X (6), Slow Fall (4), Blink (4), Magic Sense (6), Heal (16), Portal (8), Rain (2), Bounce (0), If Foe (0)

DAMAGE: E | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: C | 750

Bronze Touch - Portal: -64

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 686

[Assistant]
Jacqueline Leroux
Jacqueline was once again being driven somewhere, mildly bored. Still, the anticipation of an oncoming battle was enough to prevent her from dozing off. Even though she'd prefer to occupy herself somehow, professionalism prevented it. Otherwise, she might have pulled out her phone to play Tetris, or something. As it was, she'd spent some time by inspecting the agents around her. She supposed, after their dinner, she knew Su the best. Valkyrie, Silhouette, and Wukong had been there on the previous mission, but she'd only briefly interacted with Valkyrie. Orion was the newbie, so she'd not even met her yet.

Maybe after this mission, she should try get to know some of the others. The tense awkwardness of this silence, where no one really knew another, and wasn't willing to make small talk – even if it would just be about mission related stuff – was annoying.

Thankfully, that was when Binky briefed them on the situation. The way Jacqueline understood it, they'd be taking the front entrance, which would have been too risky under usual circumstances, but would now be rendered safer due to the recently captured blood mage. Jacqueline wondered if the woman was getting paid, or if she was doing that just to exercise her arcane muscles. It seemed to her that Binky mentioned the back entrance just to make it a point that's where they would have had to go if they hadn't the blood mage. Well, that, and to relate it to the information about the Maverick henchmen being their direct competitors this time.

It was due to this supposition of hers, that she was entirely taken aback when the discussion of a vote began. "Quoi?" she expressed her confusion, in a rare occasion briefly falling back to her mother tongue. She shook her head, and looked from Valkyrie to Silhouette. "Who ever said anything about a vote?" though she'd glanced from one coworker to another, it was more or less a rhetorical question. Frowning, she thought back on what exactly Binky said. She realized that her words may imply a choice that was for them to make…But that was really unusual.

For one, Jacqueline didn't believe she or any of her coworkers present here (with the exception of Binky) had the kind of clout to make such a decision. It wasn't just a minor here-or-there alteration of a mission parameter either. It was the kind of judgement that carried political weight. If they went through Bastion, Maverick's new base in Pax, wouldn't they be basically announcing they were ready and willing to take the whole of Maverick on? That seemed a bit premature in her opinion. For another, asking them to decide now wasn't in accordance to the rule of TPO. Only the occasion was somewhat (though questionably) appropriate. The time and place…Well, if they picked the front entrance, and the blood mage was neither willing nor ready to assist, what would be the point of them being made to choose or going exactly there in the first place?

Finally, she looked towards Binky for clarification, raising her brows in wordless question. If they really were supposed to have the final start as to their entry point, she'd give her assent to a frontal assault. It was the more sensible option, for more than one reason.

---

---

Havoc | Great Axe | Arcane | Pry
Eternal Knight | Perfectly polished
Forged Arsenal | Earth/Metal | Fissure
[Quake (2), Mass (2)] Damage X (6), AoE (2), Enhance (2), Powerful (0), Dispel (6), Shield (4)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: D | 500

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 500

[User]
Ashley was filled with a mixture of eager excitement and nervous trepidation as the van made its way through the streets of Pax Septimus. Although she had run through a training course under Binky's supervision and recently taken part in her first field mission, alongside Agent Silhouette, this would be the first time she would be participating in an operation as part of a full G.E.M.I.N.I. team. Looking around the somewhat cramped van, Ashley glanced at each of her fellow agents in turn. She was already familiar with the green-haired Binky and the nightmarish (and endearingly studious) Silhouette, but she only knew the others from what she had learned from their personnel files.

On the more experienced side, there was the tough, no-nonsense Dragon Breacher and the equally imposing armored woman beside her, Agent Leroux, one of the rare few agents that didn't use a codename. On the more youthful end of the scale were Agents Wukong and Valkyrie, an interesting pair, to say the least. Where the former, simian-themed young woman looked like a bundle of fidgety energy waiting to be unleashed, the latter seemed to be taking a nap, as though she were utterly unbothered by the impeding mission. Perhaps the enormous gauss rifle propped up against her was the source of the young agent's lack of concern, Ashley reflected. It was a truly fascinating weapon, to be sure, and Ashley made a mental note to ask her teammate about it once the current operation had safely concluded.

That was about when the van hit a bump, and Binky used the attention-grabbing event to initiate a small pre-mission briefing. It was little more than a recap of what they already knew, but Ashley was thankful for the additional reminder. After all, one could never tell when an important detail might be forgotten. They had quite the challenge ahead of them, that much was abundantly clear, but dealing with threats like Justin von Carnage was the reason Ashley had joined G.E.M.I.N.I. in the first place. Thus, the Knight of Tomorrow was determined to support her teammates to the very best of her ability.

Binky concluded her briefing by offering to answer any questions, at which point Valkyrie and Silhouette spoke up, both agreeing that a bold assault upon the front door was the best way to apprehend von Carnage in a timely manner. "That sounds like the most logical course of action to me, as well," Ashley chimed in, before Leroux inquired what all this talk of 'votes' was about. Yeah, that was a bit odd, Ashley reflected, but she didn't feel that this was the right time to address such an admittedly minor bit of confusion. There were far more pertinent matters she wished to have some additional clarification on. "Um, what sort of barrier will this 'blood mage' be providing?" the Knight of Tomorrow inquired. "In particular, can our own ranged melodies and weaponry be fired through it? And can it be walked through, by us, or our adversaries?"

---

18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: D | 750

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 750

[Assistant]
22 | Female | Freelancers | Meltwater Spring
Moya-no-Yume | Dagger | Physical | Frosted Sheen
Snowdrop Vestige | Sangfroid Convention
Glacial Stream | Aqua | Rime Rose
[Freeze, Slick] Damage X, Restrain, Extend, Construction, Trap, Enhance, Mark, Blink, Powerful

DAMAGE: D | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: E | 750

PHYSICAL: E| ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 750

Of all the vehicles that had driven up to face the concrete barrier, there was one that stood out: a second-hand bicycle with a large bell and no light, the chosen steed of the Frost Maiden. Deciding to come to the party transformed this time around, Klava checked her reflection in Moya-no-Yume, ensuring that nothing was off, that none of the burn scars from her last run in with Sofron was still there. It looked good though. Perfectly clear and soothingly soft, with the charming plumpness of youth that all young ladies had. Ah, if only her Leitmotif persisted in her human form too, then maybe she wouldn't have to spend so much on her skin routine.

Well, she could also cut down on her love for food, but where's the fun in that?

Billy Black and the Mavericks all look suitably monstrous though, something that kept the freelancer on edge but only on edge. There was no point in stressing over what their enemies looked like, after all. The group that was actually invading was going to be freelancers and Maverick espers, so it was very much just a matter of 'attack things that aren't espers. And friendly faces were all around too! There was Fable, the surprisingly spunky but also 100% precocious kiddo, already putting on his approximation of a 'serious professional face, and there was ol' (well, no, it was pretty likely that Protector was actually younger than her) Pro, a hulk in a coffin of metal, bristling with restrained threat. Apollo must be somewhere as well, though she hadn't caught a glimpse of his dime-bouncing butt yet.

As she began her own stretches in preparation for vampire-asskicking, Klava asked the decisive question: "So, Billy, there gonna be on-site catering after this? That mansion looks like it could host a whole party, if ya catch my drift."


[System]
Age: 15

Appearance:

Wish: "I wish to travel beyond, and find what I seek." Her wish was granted, but she didn't specify when she was going to find what she sought after, leaving her walking the earth for the rest of her life.

Soul Gem Color: Red

Powers: Teleportation; Elise can instantly move to any location she either has in line of sight or has already touched with her body at least once. If she teleports into solid matter she doesn't die, but suffers greatly and gets thrown out into the nearest free space. She can also teleport other people and objects by touching them with her hands, with the same rules applying. However, she can't teleport other things into solid matter.

Weapon: A greatsword. Can split in half to two smaller swords and recombine back together.

Personality: Elise is always serious and determined in her actions, whether it is speaking with brutal honesty or tearing up her enemies in a rain of blood. She loves to fight, and her bloodlust only worsens when she gets going, making it harder for her to make conscious decisions in the middle of a battle. She hates weak people, civilians and soldiers alike, and doesn't waste any chances at berating them. She is proud of her fighting skills, and loves showing them off whenever she can.

However, despite all her abrasiveness, she has an honorable side to her, and respects others who have proven themselves as capable warriors to her, which is usually when they defeat her or otherwise impress her. Her trust is hard to come by, and she can be argumentative and skeptic about a lot of things. However, deep inside there is a vulnerable side to her that she keeps in check by focusing on her training.

Bio: Unknown for now.

Theme: Pugna Infinita

Other: Loves sour food, but can also tolerate sweet stuff.

[User]
Somewhere on the streets of Miso City's downtown

A long and wavy blond haired girl, dressed in a Victorian inspired dress walked the damp landscape of the concrete forest under an old British umbrella, in her free hand she had an antique looking book and was reading it while paying no heed to the crowd around her.

The busy looking adults, most of them underpaid salarymen trying to go back home safely, that ran frenetically under the dark canopy of clouds that hang high above their heads seemed to avoid her path in an almost unnatural way, never even sparing a glance towards the girl who was clearly out of her place, or better yet, not even towards the coat wearing white rabbit that she seemed to be following with the corner of her field of vision.

Actually, it was not the people's fault that they ignored the girl, they couldn't even see her at all because she was a bieng that, right now, existed on a realm totally different from theirs. Yes, she was a magical girl and the rabbit that she was following was one of the many different types of familiars that she could summon and control with the magic book that she had in her hands.

"So much negative energy, it's no wonder that a primordial had manifested itself here... good thing that someone has already taken care of it before it did any harm to the civilians, don't you think, Miss Tresspasser?" Emiri towards the other girl that was standing in the middle of crossing, right where the white rabbit had disappeared.

The girl was dressed in an exquisite green attire and held a species of sword and staff combo weapon in her hands, a magical aura reeked off the girl's body and her eyes had a confident glare shining on them. Emiri closed her book with a THUD sound just as the traffic lights began to indicate that they would switch from red to green in a matter of seconds. Emiri didn't had go any further, she had found her target for tonight, the second newbie magical girl.

"Pardon me for my rudeness, I'm Asuka Emiri, one of the senior magical girls that oversee this city. While your help in dealing with the primordials is more than welcome, we'd ask of you to do a formal introduction first. If you like we can even cooperate towards the greater good. Now, be a kind girl and follow me to where my friends are waiting, please?"

After finishing her speech Emiri turned her back toward the girl and began walking back in the school's direction just as the cars zoomed in between both girls, on the way there she contacted Akame to report her findings.

---

[Assistant]
Miyako sighed as the primordial vanished into naught but dust and ether, victorious in combat once more. She glanced about at the people walking by, unable to see the fight that had just occurred. That didn't stop her from striking a pose, spinning her weapon as she grinned. Even if no one could see it, she could be confident in her skill, ability, and in the fact that she had done her part to save these people. Sure, recognition would be nice, but she at least knew it to be true.

Glancing upwards, she checked the time to make sure that it wasn't beyond her normal schedule. She was a recent arrival here, and she couldn't worry her parents, or siblings, by being gone too long. It did mean that she didn't know the city that well, but she had to get out, had to secure some turf, see how prevalent the Primordials were. And by her reckoning, this place was a gold mine.

As a result, she wasn't entirely expecting it when she was suddenly addressed, and she turned her attention to the girl in a stuffy dress, with a book of some kind. And considering the way crowds seemed to flow around her, as well as the fact that they could see each other, that left her identity obvious.

"Yes, pretty good thing," Miyako agreed with a nod. "Not that it was much of a challenge." She was unmoving at the imminent light change, aware that such vehicles couldn't hurt her in this state. Instead, her attention was solely on the other girl.

A shrug then on her part as her presence was requested. It wasn't too much of a surprise that there were other girls in this city already. "Sure thing," she agreed nonchalantly. "I don't mean to butt in on your turf. You can cut the patronizing act though. I know what I'm doing." Until she knew more, she was not going to let herself be treated like she was some rookie magical girl, who had no idea what she was doing.

With nary a complaint more, she rested her weapon on her shoulder as she followed after Asuka, to grace this gathering with her presence. It couldn't hurt, and she had the time. It would at least be interesting.

[User]
Raindrops. The tears of the fallen. Elise's thoughts ran across the dark cityscape as she strolled through a plaza. She was just finished cutting one of the "primordials" The furry thing mentioned. They were a good challenge to her, and had plenty of blood to reap. They would distract her from pursuing her goal, but she wanted to have a bit of fun every now and then. There wasn't a better way to pass the time to her.

This city reeked. It was full of weaklings who either begged in the streets or used guns like cowards to steal from others. She's been here for a couple of weeks, and already she's seen plenty of things. She was sickened by it all. But there was something to Miso City that she couldn't help but feel attracted to. Maybe it was the sense of danger lurking around every corner, maybe it was the skyscrapers she could climb to the top and then jump off of, but nonetheless she would stay here until there wasn't anything left to fight.

While she was walking with her sword slung over her shoulder she heard someone talk to her. That was unexpected, since normal people shouldn't have even realized that she was there. She glanced over at where she heard the voice coming from, and on top of the light pole was another magical girl, just like her.

Elise lifted her sword from her shoulder with unnatural ease, and planted it on the ground. She placed her hand over it.
"First of all, I hunt wherever there are these 'primies', and I don't care if it's your turf or not. Second, I work alone. I don't split rewards with weaklings. They belong to those who earned them. And third, your dress is ugly."

Elise smiled smugly as she lifted her sword, prepared for any attacks that would be launched her way. And she believed she would attack; girls easily lost their temper when their attires were critiqued in any way in Elise's mind. Elise wanted to fight, but she didn't want to charge first; she had a better chance of winning when she checked her opponent's moves before countering.

[Assistant]
Rose was a little insulted when the new girl insulted her outfit. She however did not show it. She had to be like the water she used: calm, cool and collected. She looked down on the girl with disdain, this girl clearly was new to the stage. She should respect her elders. She thought up a response quickly and said, "Since we are going by the numbers, First, I do not care about your opinions on my dress. It is my personal preference. I respect your attire, repect mine. Can we at least accept that. Second, you are not in a position to survive a fight with me. I have total advantage."

Rose used her magic to summon up the rain water from the ground. The water solidified without freezing forming a set of stairs that almost looked to be made of glass the Rose casually walked down. She continued to monologue, "Second, You see, water is my element. This rain is giving me more than enough ammunition to throw around. Not to mention, You are already soaking wet from the rain. Thirdly, I am not sure thirdly is even a word. wordly. Nevermind, Third, I invite you to at least come to a gathering with me and the others. You have free will, you can chose then if you want to lend us your strength. If not, then you and I can find a nice level arena when it is not raining for a more fair fight."

Rose came to the same level as the broadsword wielding magic girl. She bowed respectfully then lied, "I am known as Rea Hargrove. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

[User]
Elise held her sword with both hands and her eyes locked on the younger-looking girl, who turned out to be a lot more patient than she assumed. It caught her off-guard a bit. Then she started using her magic, and Elise realized she could actually kick her ass right then and there if she wanted to since there was a lot of material for the girl to use on her, but chose not to. This girl wasn't just talking for show, she meant what she said. She was confident, and Elise respected confidence like that.

She made her sword disappear. She decided to go along with her, not because she was afraid of the girl, but because she was honestly intrigued at the chance of meeting other magical girls she could pick a fight with. Maybe one them will.

"Alright Rea, you got some stones. I like that. I'll take you up on your offer; might as well check out the competition in a single trip. I'm Elise."

[Assistant]
"I'm glad you two resolved your confrontation. Honestly, I can't understand why two Magical Girls would ever fight one another. You're both on the same side, right? I just don't understand."

The voice came from the side. Crawling along the walls, seemingly defying gravity itself, was the Contractor. It padded without haste, its expression dormant as always. As it moved, its body remained dry, as if all the surrounding water was avoiding the small, white creature.

It landed now on Rose's shoulder before turning its unblinking gaze on Elise. All Magical Girls knew the Contractor, the one who gave them their source of power. A being as enigmatic and mysterious as the Primordials they fought.

"Hello Elise Augermann. I never expected you to come to Miso City. But I'm glad you did! With your help, the number of Primordials that show up will be greatly reduced."

The Contractor titled its head and seemed to smile wider.

"We should get going. Your fellow Magical Girls are waiting."

Back at Miso High's rooftop, Akame received both messages from Rose and Emiri. She nodded in response, moving away to get the snacks ready. She had intended this to be a tea party of sorts to help break the ice. Tensions were always high with Magical Girls, for one reason or another. The Contractor was still on her shoulder, keeping its thoughts to itself.

Two Contractors in different places at the same time was not uncommon, though it was still a little unnerving for the newbies. Akame was the one closest to the Contractor in terms of understanding its ways. Even so, the fiery Magical Girl didn't fully grasp the whole of the Contractor's method and purpose.

Another thought for another time.

Moving inside the school building, Akame located the first room to her left and scanned for everything to be in check. A table, some tea, cookies, and cake, as well as a map of Miso City.

Perfect.

[User]
Rose was startled by the appearance of the contractor. She just did not sense his presence prior to his speaking. She did her best not to show it. When the contractor landed on her shoulder, she smiled and scratched the cat bunny creature's head. She could not tell if the contractor liked or disliked how she treated him like an adorable cat. "Hey, adorable, how are you? I did not expect you to show up here. Would you have stopped me if I had gotten into a fight with this young magic girl?" Rose asked the contractor. She then waved to Elise to follow her. She did not wait to see if Elise did follow. She walked away and lead the way to the meeting of magical girls.

After arriving to the school, Rose stepped inside. She made no effort to dry herself off from the rain. She did however pull all the water out of Elise's outfit as a courtesy. She discarded the extra water in a nearby trash bin. She did not say much until she got up to the meeting room. She smiles politely, "Akame, A pleasure to see you once again. Anything new happen since last time?"

@TheWindel

[Assistant]
Elise scoffed at the sight of the furball, and crossed her arms. The creature has been annoying her ever since she contracted, constantly popping out of nowhere and trying to be so goddamn cute all the time. She hated that.

"Hmph. Whatever." Elise eyeballed the thing with contempt. "Don't you have a more constructive use for your time, like recruiting new fighters? Ugh, I stopped caring already."

"Thanks," Elise said once 'Rea' dried her costume, and sneezed due to the loss in her body heat. "This better be worth it."

She followed the other girl into an empty classroom, and met a new girl who looked a lot older than either of them. She went next to the door she came from and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, keeping her eyes on the girl who seemed to have set this up. The young girl seemed to know this 'Akame', though she wondered at the big age gap between them. She spotted the treats and tea set on a table.

Does this girl really think she's gonna have some kind of lame tea party? Is she five or something?

Elise groaned, and then spoke to Akame. "Yo. Are there more guests coming? Cause so far this ain't much of a gathering. And what's with the tea party? You think it's cute to be wasting my time like this?"


[System]
Age: 16
Power: mystery
Bio: grew up on the streets.

[User] Down the dark streets of night walked a hooded boy with his head hanging low. He had just lost the person that meant the world for him. To think that she had even made it able for him to come here, after her death. He was supposed to come earlier, but he had been caught up with trafic and other stuff. He was now standing outside the building that was supposed to be his new home, hesitating to if he should knock or not.

[Assistant]
@YamiCuoreLaroux
Katherin nodded and allowed the other two to help her to her room. The housekeeper showed each child their room. She made sure that they had what the needed. Katherin was glad to have a quiet place to lay down. She had never had a room of her own. It was sort of an overwhelming. She laid on the bed once she found it and closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING
A bell rang through the building calling the kids to breakfast. The smell of bacon filled the house.

[User] Jacob had slept outside the door that night since he was nervous to disturb someone. He was now standing in front of the door again and took a deep breath. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. He was shaking a bit because the sun stil hadn't warmed up the morning yet. He could stand heat, but not coldness. He had heard a bell so the others were most likely awake. At least he hoped.

[Assistant] The housekeeper headed to the door at the sound of the knock. She hoped today wouldnt be as crazy as yesterday. She was going to have a hard enough of a time keeping up with the new arrivals she already had. She opened the door to see a boy there. "Come in. Go sit in the kitchen please."

[User] He tensed up at the sound of the door opening, but then he saw an old lady. She seemed nice and had a warm aura about her. "U-um... Okay..." he answered nervously and went in. He took off his shoes and looked around the room. It really had a homey feeling about it. It looked quite new despite how it looked outside, but he might be wrong since he had lived with an old woman that liked old things. He found a room that he thought was the kitchen and sat down.

[Assistant] Mystique woke up to the smell of bacon frying and hurried put on her nicest clothes before she brushed her long hair. Once her hair was brushed Mystique hurried down to breakfast. She a boy come inside with the housekeeper but she couldn't quite hear what the housekeeper said so she follow the boy to where he went. She walked into the kitchen where the bacon was being fried. She smiled at the new boy.

[User] Jacob saw a girl that seemed to follow him to the kitchen. She was like him, right? She smiled at him and he attempted to smile back. It probably didn't look very good since he forced himself to do it. He knew no one there and felt really insecure after all. He didn't attempt to start a conversation with her. He took a deep breath and noticed the smell of bacon. He almost started drewling at the smell.

[Assistant]
Mystique shyly walked to the young boy.
"Hi. My name is Mystique. I am new here. Are you new too? I think that bacon smells so good that I wish that I could have a whole plateful. What about you?"

[User] Jacob was surprised at how many questions the younger girl asked him. He became a bit pale. He wasn't used to talk to people since most just stayed away from him. "M-my name is Jacob... Just got here this morning..." He wasn't going to tell her that he spent the night outside the house. That would be really embarrassing.

[Assistant]
"Can I sit by you? I just came here yesterday. I have a room and a bed. I even have a new doll and new clothes. Do you have anything to play with." Mystique asked as she sat down next to Jacob.
"We could be friends, you know."

[User] He looked away from her and focused in order to pick up everything she said and register it. It seemed he never had time to answer anything. "No, I don't have anything to play with... But it doesn't matter wither way..." he mumbled. He wasn't sure why she would like to be friends with someone like him, but he thought that she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

[Assistant]
"Awww that's too bad." she looked at her doll. Then she remembered that she had an old rubber ball up in her room."I'll be right back." She hurried off to her room and took out the old red rubber ball and hurried back to the kitchen.
"Here is a ball for you so you have a toy. I have three more so its ok. Besides if we are to be friends, we need to share and help each other, right?"

[User]
@Diabolicalrhapsody

The boy looked away with a slight blush when the girl smiled and nodded in reply, a little unsure about giving or being given direct eye contact. Taking the tablet back carefully, he switched the voice back to the setting he usually used. "You're welcome."

The British accent he had become so used to hearing was oddly comforting after being unable to communicate as regularly even for just that afternoon. Perhaps he had become a little too dependent on the device, but it was just so much easier to have it around. "The rooms are just upstairs. I'll take you to them."

Turning back to the hallway, he slowly led them up to the stairs, trying to make sure that he didn't lose them on the way until he reached the upper landing. From there, he brought them down the dormitory hallway until he found two of the empty rooms still available. "These tow should still be open. We will be called to breakfast by the bell in the morning. Have a good night." Bowing his head slightly out of habit, he quickly left back down the hall to his own room to get ready for bed. The next day would likely be even busier, with the return to the normal schedule, so getting some rest sounded like the best idea in the world at the moment.

---

When he woke up the next morning to the sound of the bell, the dark haired boy blinked the sleep slowly out of equally dark eyes and noticed that somehow, he had gotten through the night without another nightmare. Shifting his head on the pillow to look over at the tablet sitting on the table near his bed, along with his bell, he stayed there thinking for another minute before getting up and starting to ready himself for the day.

Once again, he knew that he shouldn't keep the housekeeper waiting if he could avoid it. That was routine. He couldn't break it without permission.

[Assistant]
Aaron did his best to get settled into his new room. It was not fancy like it had. been at the estate, but that much was to be expected. He took a seat on his bed. When he finally got there, tears streamed down his cheeks. He had made it; his trials were over. Aaron wanted nothing more than to finally be able to settle down, after all that had he had gone through on the streets.

After calming down, he opened up his bag that had be slung over his shoulder all day, and actually all years. Inside were his books. He had used them to keep himself busy, and calm, when he was on the streets. Other than his sister, they were the only thing he had fond memories of. He took out his copy of Lord Byron's Don Juan, and read it for a little bit, until Aaron was ready for that much-wanted sleep.

Aaron woke up to the smell of bacon. He was glad to be woken to the smell of bacon. Aaron thought to dress himself, but he then remembered he was wearing his only clothes. A little embarrassed about how he must look, he slowly got out of bed and went downstairs.

[User]
[Leera]
Leera smiled after her little show of power, though felt considerably drained afterwards, and slowly started to drop towards the ground, just barely catching herself in a crouching position. Bironica came running over, kneeling beside Leera. "Are you okay?" Bironica asked Leera, already trying to grab her friend by the shoulders and lift her up. "Yeah yeah... I'm... alright." Leera said, almost about to push Bironica off, but didn't have the strength to do it. With Bironica's help, Leera stood up off the ground, and looked over at Josive holding both Leera's and Bironica's bags.

[Josive]
The orphanage lady, the one in charge Josive could only assume, announced demonstration was over for the day, and it was time to head off upstairs. Josive turned back towards Leera and Bironica, huffing over too them with his friends' three bags. "You didn't... have to pack so heavy ya know..." "And you... didn't have to... run from the orphanage... either." Leera managed to get out in-between breaths. "No no Leera, don't speak, you just exerted yourself... don't waste your energy more than you need to." Bironica scolded Leera, who simply rolled her eyes in response. "You two didn't have to come along at any point... neither of you received a letter, so you might just be sent back anyway." Josive said to his two friends.

The three of them walked after the crowd, following them up the stairs. "Well, goodnight ladies. See ya in the morning." Josive bowed to his friends, setting the bags at his feet and opening the door for them both. After they entered, he slid the bags in through the door, and closed it behind him before they could reply.

He walked off towards his own room, threw off his backpack, and tossed himself on the bed. "I could get used to this. My own room, my own bed... what next... my own meal?" he laughed to himself, before slowly dozing off and falling asleep on top of the covers.

[Bironica]
Bironica walked Leera over to the bed, setting her down on the side of it. "Alright, alright, I can take care of myself now." Leera waved her friend away. Bironica let out a small sigh, "Are you sure? I'll be right in the next room if you need anything." she said, standing up and slowly backing up for the door. Once she got there, she stopped, and waited for Leera to respond. She didn't. Bironica let out another sigh, and picked up purse, throwing it over her shoulder, and picking up her other bag, leaving Leera's bag behind. "Goodnight." she said, closing the door and walking next door to her own room.

Upon entering her own room, Bironica breathed in heavily, trying to smell the air insider her room. "Huh, no stinky cheese smell." she wondered to herself. She smiled, before leaping into the bed and grabbing the nearest pillow to terrorize. After she got her excitement out, she sat there for a few moments, taking in the room. It wasn't much... but it was much, much more than she had ever had. It would do nicely.

---

[Leera]
Leera woke up first, a change of pace in her life. It was usually Bironica who woke up first, all excited and hyper, ready to tackle the day with everything she got. But today, Leera was up first. She just woke up from a nightmare, a nightmare brought on from her dark powers... one outcome she had forgotten after not using her powers in a long time. She had already forgotten what the nightmare was about... but she didn't want to let it go. She wanted to remember what it was about, what made her so afraid... but she couldn't.

She shuddered it off, standing out of bed, and getting a quick change of clothes. After that, she opened her door and stepped outside her room, half-expecting Bironica to come jumping out at her. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. She slowly walked over to Bironica's room, and opened the door... to find her all cozied up in the blanket and all the pillows she could find in the room. Leera smiled a little bit, never having the chance to ever watch her friend sleep. It was adorable, almost like a puppy-dog chasing something in it's dream.

[Bironica]
"Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!" Leera screamed over Bironica, giving her friend a mighty scare as she leaped out from under the covers like a loose spring in the mattress. "WAH! OH! WHO? WHERE!" she screamed, holding a pillow in front of her like a shield from the attacking monster. Once she got a good look at the laughing-fit filled monster, known as Leera, she tossed her pillow menacingly at her, who didn't even blink at the horrible attack.

"Don't DO THAT!" Bironica yelled at her, scooping up the blankets around her and holding them tighter around her. "It gives me the heebie-jeebies... Bironica frowned at her friend, feeling genuinely afraid. "Ooooh, toughen up you! That was nothing." Leera bellow at Bironica, cross-referencing her nightmare as she said those words... but still not quiet remembering what it was about. "Come on, hurry up already. I'm never awake before you. Leera said to her friend, before walking out the door without her. "W-wait! I'm coming!" Bironica yelled out, quickly digging through her clothing and throwing something on as fast as she possibly could.

[Josive]
Josive woke up in his own bed, well rested, and refreshed. He leaned upwards, stretching after a few moments of just sitting there, then swung his feet over the ledge of the bed. He grabbed his book out of his bag, and quickly wrote down a quick draft of his dream, then closing it and setting it on the bed. He pulled out his little pouch out of his backpack, and put his book and pencil in it before zipping it up and leaving it on the bed. After getting dressed, he grabbed his book/pencil bag, tossed it over his shoulder, and walking outside his room.

The quick scent of bacon teased Josive in the opposite direction, but he continued onward towards his friends. By the time he reached them, he heard a bell ring off in the distance, signaling everyone else to wake up and come eat. "Good morning." Josive greeted, waving them after him and turning around to lead the way. "So, everyone have a nice sleep?" Josive asked his friends. He looked at Leera, who avoided his glare and question somberly.

"Oh, oh! I slept well! I had a dream, that I was outside the house, dancing with the grass!" Bironica leaped into the air with her enthusiasm. "Oh... wait... I did that yesterday. Nevermind! I can't remember what I dreamed about." Bironica giggled innocently. Leera grunted lightly, storming off ahead of Josive and Bironica. "What's her problem?" Josive asked. Bironica shrugged.

[Assistant] Katherin woke to the sounds of kids. It was a nice sound. Better than some of the sounds she had woken to in the past. She smiled as she climbed out of bed. It took her some time to get dressed. She had to learn where everything was kept and that would take time. She hoped that she didn't look bad. The bad thing about being blind was that she had no idea what she was wearing. She straightened her clothing and hoped for the best as she headed out of her room.


[System]
"Eventually there's a point where gaming becomes very advanced mathematics. Luckily, I'm also good at math."
Age: 19

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 115

Tomoko isn't by any means a tall person, nor a strong one. By no means is she overweight, but it's not going to really take more than one look to tell she has no interest in physical exercise. Similarly, other than keeping it cut short and combing it so she isn't walking around with bedhead, she makes no real effort to pretty up her simply brown hair either. Typical Tomoko fashion includes a green waist-length raincoat with frog eyes on the hood (her favorite), jeans, and green rubber boots.
Likes: Winning, video games, math, frogs, wet weather, minty foods, hot drinks, trying new things, being good at whatever she's doing, praise, competition

Dislikes: Losing, gambling, changing residence, gum, sour things, cold, luck-based games, haters, non-predatory birds, violence, salt, being ignored

Party Trick: Human calculator. Tomoko's brain uses the areas associated with speech to perform math. This means math literally comes to her as naturally as speaking; she's fluent in the language of numbers, one could say. She can solve ridiculous equations in about the time it would take anyone else to put it into a calculator, if not faster depending on the length of the equation.

Profession: Student at Shine City Academy, pursuing a programming major. Has also been starting to take to tournaments, considering the possibility of becoming a pro gamer.

Bio/Personality: Tomoko strives for greatness in everything she does, and it shows. When she's doing well she's high on victory, and when faced with defeat she quickly falls into apathy and the single-minded desire to claim her place at the top again. The life in her eyes and the spring in her step correlate with her win/loss ratio, or any winning/losing streaks she may be facing. Sometimes a losing streak can cause Tomoko to just isolate herself from everyone else, not leaving her room for days, weeks, or sometimes even months at a time. As long as she can pull a victory out of her hat though, rest assured she'll bounce back eventually.

This insatiable thirst for greatness stems from a very not-so-great past. Tomoko was and still is an extremely intelligent child, years ahead of other children her age in many subjects. However, at least from her perspective, this amazing brainpower of hers was being squandered and wasted by a nomadic lifestyle and the only school she ever knew being her homeschooling. Sometimes she'd get angry and run away. Other times she'd get depressed and lock herself in her room. When she was 12, eventually Tomoko had just given up. No more anger, no more sadness, no more anything really. On all levels except the physical, she'd accepted that maybe not all stars got to shine, and had completely shut down. For a time, she was certain that the scattered few video games she'd get on occasion were her only release from this wasteful existence.

For a time.

Part of the reason for her family's nomadic lifestyle was her mother having more than a little bit of a gambling problem. Whatever money was made quickly found its way into casinos, then underground gambling dens, and eventually lottery tickets. Well wouldn't you know it, one day Mrs. Kimura's existential losing streak had come to an end. Things started improving, and eventually Tomoko - 17 at the time - was able to finally enroll in a real school. Being able to compare her grades to other students and seeing that she was still doing better than more or less the entire school started to snap her out of her long depression. Finding more and more people to play video games with and ultimately besting all of them sealed the deal.

By graduation, she was back on top in grades, gaming, and in spirit. She moved on to get scholarships to Shine City Academy, certain of the path she wanted to take in life. A year later, we have the Tomoko of today. She can sometimes have random fits of anger or sadness, and she takes terribly to losing, but she can be a very thorough and helpful teacher to those not so good with games. She also likes to try and analyze a pattern in any given thing as often as possible, claiming that the whole world can be broken down into numbers, and that as long as she knows what numbers she's working with, she'll become unstoppable. This star is determined to shine.
As a gamer, uses the tag "Kerokero Kyuukyoku" (ケロケロ 究極, lit. "Ribbit Ribbit Ultimate".

In games, Tomoko's path toward determining a main begins with finding out who is in the highest tier, then finding out who has the highest skillcap among them. Once she's picked a main, however, it almost never changes.

Favored game type is MOBAs.

[User]
The soft chime of the store's doorbell rung throughout the small station as Kaori's second customer made her entrance, though with Kaori being in the back helping someone else, it would likely come as a surprise as to who had just come in through the door. The vagrant smell of flowers assaulted Ryoki's nostrils like a soft flame, as the colourful flower room gave off the feeling of a rainbow shining all it's glorious colours unto the earth. Looking about the store momentarily from the entrance, Ryoki noticed how there wasn't anyone tending to the shop, though seeing as the shop wasn't closed, she knew the clerk was likely off doing something or another. Noticing the bell at the front desk, the thought of pressing it entered her mind, however she ultimately resisted the urge. She didn't want to annoy the staff by summoning them, only to find herself browse the shop for a half hour...

That said, Ryoki decides to take a look around at all the beautiful flowers which she could purchase. She knew she could buy something with her family's money and buy the biggest, most beautiful flowers they had, however that wouldn't feel right. No, Ryoki was going to buy something for her parents with what she had and what she earned. Of course, she didn't have an awful lot of money to spare, but nonetheless, Ryoki was sure she could buy them something that was both somewhat inexpensive and beautiful. Well, it wasn't for certain, but she at least had to try. If worse came to worst, she could always change her gift to be something else. She didn't have to get her parents flowers. Though flowers would be ideal.

And so, whilst humming the tune of a new song in-the-making, Ryoki began to browse the innumerable flowers in which she could choose, hoping to find something that looked beautiful, smelled lovely and had a decent price tag... This was going to be a challenge...

[Assistant]
Algorithm

"Oooh?" Livius leaned forward with a grin that was even wider than before. Livius was an avid baker, as well as a dedicated cook. Although he definitely didn't seem to be the baking type, it was a hobby that he enjoyed enough to make it a job, as he worked at the Tiny Snowflake. He wouldn't think about leaving there, no matter how much he joked about it. He was comfortable with the environment and people who worked there. But he didn't give a thought about giving money to the competition.

"Magician?" He questioned, although not in an impolite manner. He leaned back, wondering how large the business and demand for magicians went. Was it a viable career? He didn't know, so he couldn't really judge. "That's interesting! I've never seen a magician perform." His parents had never bothered with such activities, or really even spending time with him outside of events that would help their reputation. Still, Zac's wording was enough to provoke his curiosity.

"Boooo." He pouted when Zac refused to fill him him, leaning back further in the seat in a moping manner. "Why tease me like that? How mean." He jibed, but sprung back into a gleeful demeanor quite quickly. "Maybe I'll see if I can get you somewhere. My boss knows a lot of venue managers who could possibly pull some strings." He offered. Livius wasn't against using slightly underhanded strategies in order to get what he desired, or in order to help his friends.

"Are you sure?" Livius leered at Zac's comment about the maid outfit. "I think it'd suit you just fine." Contrary to what Zac might think of his comment, Livius really wasn't joking.

[User]
"A Christmas present for a gardener!" The girl exclaimed. "We have lots of things for tending gardens! Flower garden, veggie gardens, herb gardens~" It almost seemed as though this girl was in her own little world, but then she addressed the blond. "Here, towards the back!" Amaya followed the cheerful red headed employee to the back of the store. "Decorations, how to books, tools, gloves, aprons, even sun hats! The ones with humming birds on the ribbon are my favourite." Hmm, there sure were a lot of things to choose from. At first she was overwhelmed, but then took a moment to wrap her head around what kind of person her secret Santa was. She loved being outdoors, and tending to plant life. However, Amaya had to remind herself that she was a college student and didn't have much space to do what she wanted. "Do you know what kinds of plants your friend tends to?" the young girl asked, "If you do it may help you narrow down some of your choices!"

"Well, first of all she's a college student who lives in the dorms, so she doesn't have much space to grow larger plants. I think something to do with flowers would work better." The brown eyed girl thought out loud. "Perhaps a potted flower. Oh, she really likes the color purple, so maybe a purple flower," Amaya was simply speaking the first words that came out of her mouth. During these kinds of times it helped her think, but sometimes made her look ridiculous because she was too deep into thought to apply common sense, or a different factor or what she was thinking about. "If I'm going to get her a flower, then I should also buy some things to help her maintain the growth of the flower." All of a sudden, an obvious thought hit her. "Oh! But it's winter isn't it? Aren't flowers out of season?" Amaya asked. She felt so stupid for not realizing it before.

[Assistant]
After finishing her chores (who could think that living alone would be so hard?) for yet another day, Iruka locked her dorm room and decided to take a short stroll to the nearest convenience store and buy herself a bento and a few other things that she was in need of (don't ask what, dumb!).

If, but only if, Iruka had a bigger budget to manage, she would go to Shine Junction and eat something on one of the restaurants there, but you can't expect a jobless/nearly broke student to be able to do that. Thus, Iruka sighed, resigned once again to rely on the marvelous wonder of microwave food. Once she had bought all she needed to and checked her phone to see that she still had plenty of time left for herself. What better way to kill it than on the arcade?

"Perhaps, I could play a bit of pachinko, who knows if I might win something?" At first, Iruka thought about playing mahjong, but there were too many younger children around the tables and it would be uncomfortable for a college aged girl to join them, so Iruka opted for another simple game. Following that, got herself some tickets and began to walk around the arcade, trying to find a free pachinko machine.

[User]
Another day in this city of his. Another day of mysteries and hidden truths, faded values and little white lies. Shrine City was many things, of course. Love, life, and luxury were a few of the many things to be found here. After all, with all youth of today, who could say any different?

Oliver took a drag of his cigarette, lifting up a photograph of a young woman who had came to him for a prior case, blowing smoke across the faded film. Such a young woman, with her curly brown locks and tender gaze that captured the soul with cognac colored eyes. He couldn't forget her, how she'd been looking for her boyfriend who had gone missing for a week after leaving for a fishing trip. He had just vanished, never returning her texts, all calls going to voicemail.

The detective thought it was the first of something serious in his long career of private investigation, getting his hopes up in preparation of what he thought would be a defining moment in his career. Yet, like so many cases before it, it resulted only in disappointment.

It turns out the boyfriend has sent his sweetheart and email stating he was in the next town, forgetting his phone charger and forgetting to call her on a payphone just outside the hotel he was staying at. Oliver had wasted his time over a lady who didn't check her emails, with the only thing bearing fruit of his efforts was an adequate sum of Yen with a USD equivalent of five hundred US dollars.

He took another drag of his cigarette.

Another dame he remembered due to her stupidity.

Ah well, there was always next time, he guessed.

"I've been cooped up in my office for too long," he muttered to himself, standing from his desk and rolling down the sleeves of his shirt. "I need some coffee, been a while since I had any." Buttoning down his vest, he combed back his hair, reaching for the coat rack and slipping on his overcoat. Not forgetting his tasteful fedora, he took another drag from his cigarette before snuffing it in the ash tray he kept on his desk, before taking another one out from his pocket.

He'd suck on it for now, and light it when he actually got to the cafe.

.......

It had been a quick drive for him, pulling into the parking lot in his Bentley Continental GT Convertible. He stepped out, and sauntered up the front entrance.

"Mochavine Bar and Cafe, huh? Interesting..."

Strolling to the bar, he placed a hand on the counter.

"I'll take a coffee. Tall. Black. No cream or sugar."

[Assistant]
Stratus. That was a name she was well familiar with. Somebody who came to the arcade just as much as Tomoko did, and was able to keep on square footing with her at all times. It wasn't uncommon for her to set a high score just above Stratus's, then return a couple days later to see Stratus had just barely gotten over her own high score. Whoever they were, they were an interesting opponent, always upping the ante just a little bit at a time. Today, like many days, Tomoko had discovered one of her high scores had been topped. And, as always, it was Stratus.

And, as always, Tomoko was not leaving this arcade until she took her #1 spot back.

Stepping up to a fighting game machine, Tomoko slipped a couple of tokens into the slot and started her game. As long as Tomoko didn't mess up, getting her #1 spot back would be a doable task by all means. Moving the cursor to select her character, she...

Tomoko messed up. She accidentally chose the character right next to her main. A garbage-tier character she had never played for that very reason. She wasn't winning this. No way. She had been defeated. Gently, Tomoko leaned forward and placed her head on the arcade machine, waiting for the AI opponent to put her out of this arcade run's misery. She would have to try again once this was over.


[System]
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Weapon: Hand axe [similar to hatchet, but more specialized in beating the crap out of something than chopping firewood]
Specialty: Party Tank [Boxing, Wrestling]
Semblance: What Is Hype May Never Die - Grows stronger and more durable in the presence of positive, giddy, or nervous energy. It's not like she turns into the Hulk in a social setting, but if she's with a friend or two cheering her on in a fight, she'll find that her blows come easier and the blows that hit her back seem like more of a dull ache than anything else.
Personality: A hot-blooded young girl with a zest for life, nights out, and a good scrap, Lauren is the epitome of a born leader with no resources to actually do anything. Growing up in a poor (poor poor) family taught her to make due with whatever help friends could offer, but in the end, only she could make what she deserved in life. Thus, a young girl who was more than happy to get loud in her parents ears grew into a bold, determined young woman who could feed off the energy of people around her and settle a situation as quickly as she could escalate it.

Quick to laugh, quick to zone out, quick to get riled up, and quick to forgive, Lauren naturally tends to be fidgety and addicted to energy. This makes her an exceedingly average and dreamy student until a team exercise rolls around.
Color: Hot white [effervescent, glossy white]
Emblem: A stick figure young woman with devil horns, twirling an axe between her stick hands.
Appearance:

When outside her uniform, Lauren gives the illusion of being an inch or two taller than her natural five foot eight, with a perpetual pep in her step and a brash loudness that seems to slightly puff her up.

Naturally dark-complected and built like a fighter, her favorite casual jacket emphasizes her build - long-sleeved, smooth white leather with a supportive gold-trimmed collar, cutting off just south of her diaphragm and exposing her (usually topless) rib cage and waist. On the back of the jacket, printed in similar burnished gold, is the word "WALLAHI" in jersey-block text. The word "BRUH" is written in the same text underneath it, where the number on a jersey would usually go.

Occasionally, when she wears it around her waist, she'll sport a black tank top in its stead.

Otherwise, her accessories are limited to half a dozen hemp bracelets up her right arm, a hair band worn around her left wrist, and an amethyst ring on her right ring finger.

[User]
"Much appreciated Sparks, Goodwitch." In the back of his head, Ben couldn't help but be a little surprised by how many seemed to have survived. Relieved, of course, but he's been expecting a much more grimm scene. Still, the cafeteria and the survivors were in good hands. JCL would have the lower level cleared and dealt with soon, which just left the residential rooms. Relatively close quarters, with no way of knowing what was in there. Lauren would handle that range pretty well (he knew first hand), but she was handling the survivors. Pretty damn well, too. Sangue wouldn't do as well in such a confined space, and she was busy...

...

Handling the survivors.

Left him and Amy. That'd work pretty well.

"Amy, c'mon. You and I are gonna sweep the rooms. Lauren, you and Sangue warm them up and hold down the cafeteria. Alright?"

[Assistant]
Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

There was a time in Bianca's life that not many people were aware of. She was young, just thirteen years old at the time and she had just ran away from home, it was the first time.

She must've looked like a fool. She was wearing a floral summer dress that may have caught many a stranger's eye. She was the only one wearing a floral summer dress where she had found herself. She was stumbling out of an alley, trying to find her way when Gratia had noticed her and helped her out. Showed her around a little, spoke to her. It was such a strange moment, Gratia too looked out of place but not for the same reason as Bianca. It was more or less like someone who was imprisoned – but was unaware of why.

Her wings fluttered in curiosity at the sour-faced girl. Bianca had learned as much as any young girl about poverty. But without first hand experience there was no truly understanding the depths of poverty. But Bianca was on the run and she felt as though she wanted to make an impact on the girl's life. When she finished conversing with her she took off her family ring and handed it to Gratia, telling her to keep it safe. It was one of the only moments in Bianca's life she could recall where it didn't seem like Gratia knew what to do or say, perhaps right now as well. She still remembered what Gratia had said.

"Thanks a lot… Birdbrain"

Bianca snapped back to reality, Gratia was taking the clothes off of one of the guards. Bianca knew what she planned immediately and nodded in her teammates direction. Forcing herself to stand, steadying herself against the cold concrete wall and using her wings to steady herself, though she found them to be much more noticeably cold than before – due to the lack of feathers most likely.

She prepared herself for the spare pair of clothes as Gratia planned. The man whose clothes were being stripped from his body groaned, but Bianca could tell Gratia hadn't taken the pressure off of him yet and as such he wouldn't be going anywhere. He caught Bianca's gaze and his eyes were like razors. He wanted her dead, obviously.

She flipped him the bird.

[User]
Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

Gratia ignored the groans of the Dodici thug as she pulled his suit off, taking extra care not to rip any of the material. It was a good suit, one that was far too expensive for her family or even her, with the lien earned from missions, to afford. Crime really seemed to pay, if the quality of the scum's clothes was any indication, but she knew that in the end, some bigger fucker would roll in and squash them into the dirt. It was a fucking unreliable life. She was indication of that.

After all, she was going to tear their bullshit to shreds.

"At least you bother to shower often," said the Mistralese huntress as she glanced down at the underwear-clad thug. "Turns out even the most insignificant of rats like you don't crawl around in shit all day. Fucking surprising, really."

She grabbed the thug's lighter and keys as well, pocketing them with little to no fanfare. For a second, she paused, almost in thought, before she quickly crossed the garage to where Vitoria's unconscious body lay. Like a useless doll, discarded by whatever a bitch of an owner once possessed her. Gratia's onyx gaze fell upon the Dodici scion, eyes filled with an almost unbridled disgust. She could ... so easily kill her. So fucking easily. But she wasn't going to.

She was just going to ruin her life.

Gratia roughly ripped some cloth off Vitoria's sleeves and turned back to the still conscious thug. She needed the criminal piece of shit alive for other things, but right now she could not care less about her utility except as a resource to shut the nameless thug up. With nary a care for protest, the Mistralese huntress used the cloth to tie a gag around the gangster's mouth, and to tightly bind his wrists together.

He would not be calling for help any time soon.

She allowed herself to look back at where Bianca lay, protected from the cold concrete by her chartreuse coat.

Gratia approached and dropped the newly acquired suit down next to her teammate.

"Want help getting dressed, or you fine with not being a fucking baby?"

[Assistant]
Gratia Mindaro – An Old Friend

Bianca knelt down picking up the suit. She took off her coat and attempted to dress herself as hurriedly as possible. She was, rather viciously wounded, welts covering much of her skin. She winced as she tightened the belt to keep her pants up. Her fingers nimbly but painfully worked with the buttons on the dress shirt, her skin was dry and cracked and her finger tips showed clear signs of struggling most likely from the chain that had bound her earlier.

She made eye contact with Gratia before glancing in Vitoria's direction. "I'm done being the Dodici's bitch." She said making her way over to Vitoria's motionless body.

She stood over her for a brief moment. If she had seen Vitoria on the streets she would've thought her to be a rather normal Mistralian noble. She seemed somewhat pretentious in her outfit and hair choice, but other than that – rather normal. Her eyes were rather kind when she was unconscious; it was something Bianca was admittedly taken aback by. She was used to insults, used to vitriol being spewed from the girl's mouth. She glared at the unconscious girl's fingers. They were dainty, delicate, each with the precision and dexterity to pluck a feather from a bird.

But perhaps that's not a great metaphor.

Bianca's foot met Vitoria's ribcage. Something snapped rather violently. Bianca's foot didn't wait to find out before impacting the rib cage once more. She sent a final kick to Vitoria's abdomen as the Dodici flipped over on herself skidding slightly on the concrete.

"Fucking Cosca." Bianca said quietly, returning to Gratia's side straightening her suit jacket as she did.

She sported a small limp, but she could walk on her own – which was important. The freedom of walking felt like an entirely new sensation after being chained up for so long. But she was still in rough shape – most certainly not in any shape to do battle against any would-be aggressors. Her skin was cracking and she was light-headed from rather extreme dehydration. When she regained Gratia's side she placed a hand on the concrete wall, awaiting her teammates plan.

[User]
Gratia Mindaro - An Old Friend

Gratia watched impassively as her teammate struggled to dress herself. She said not a single word as Nuit brutally attacked the unconscious Dodici scion. Her onyx eyes betrayed nothing. No emotion. She simply observed as the Faunus girl brought down her long-awaited vengeance upon those who had tormented her. It was ... in a manner, unnecessary and illogical, but people were never going to be fucking robots. It wasted some of their time, but she understood. She understood perfectly that Nuit wished to reestablish her independence, to reestablish her own sense of self, to no longer be some useless doll who could do nothing but cry under the tender ministrations of the Dodici family. And if that required some catharsis at the expense of some incompetent criminal scum, then so be it.

As long as Vitoria Dodici did not die.

She had other ideas in store for that woman.

The Mistralese teenager removed the car keys she had stolen from the other thug in the garage and clicked it, unlocking the doors to the car that she had originally been asked to escort. Those in the upper echelons were likely still expecting her to be an obedient little bitch and follow their every fucking order, but she had other plans in mind. Namely ones that involved tearing their entire organisation apart and grinding their puny little dick dreams into dust, but it would be useful to maintain the charade for as long as possible. It would make her job so much more convenient and efficient.

"Get in, birdbrain," she said, gesturing at the now-unlocked black SUV. "We're going shopping, because you look more fucking parched than a Vacuuan without a mouth."

She quickly moved over to where Vitoria lay, ripping off another set of fabric from the woman's sleeves and tying it around the wounds she had inflicted upon the little shit during their excuse of a 'fight'. That had been a truly pathetic showing from a supposed master criminal, but even the most well-dressed of braindead retards were still retards. They would be thrown into the madhouses and left in straitjackets all the same. However, it would not do for her to allow the woman to die. She could very easily be a good source of information.

If she didn't comply, then Gratia would fucking make her.

The girl picked up the Dodici scion upon finishing with the makeshift bandages, lifting the prone body over her shoulder with ease. The strength she had absorbed had yet to die down, and with zero care for the feelings of the gagged, wristbound and half-naked thug, she picked him up with her other arm, and began to walk over towards the SUV, where unlocked the door and dumped them in the backseat.

---

Shuai Taidan - Sticky Situation

"Oooh, is that your semblance?"

There was a sense of trly genuine wonderment in Taidan's voice, the prettyboy extraordinaire of the magnificent senior team known as KNVS widening his eyes behind his gas mask to get a better view (or at least, look like he was getting a better view; he was really just leaning his head in closer) of the floating eye-like object. It was a very interesting little thing, one that was definitely piquing his boundless curiosity.

"So this thingie observes, right?" he asked after a few seconds, tying in the shape of the semblance's manisfestation with the words his newest teammate had previously uttered. "Some sort of ... spying or tracking type power? Maybe a floating camera type thing?"

Another support-based hunter (if the hypothesis was actually right, duh) was good for the team. He wouldn't be alone anymore, and that was always pretty swell.

"No weapons, then?"

---

@Savato @Sho Minazuki @Onarax

[Assistant]
Lauren wasn't sure whether it was a commendation of her quick thinking around the survivors or Ben's way of keeping her out of danger. Cap had to know she was the best on the team at that kind of range, and her Semblance practically eschewed Grimm attraction. What was Desire going to be able to do with Unchained Fury, short of lasso any wounded, delirious survivors around?

She took a deep breath and smiled at the man she'd been tending to.

Made sense, tactically. Leaving Amy and Sangue together with the survivors would leave them both looking to the other for direction. Lauren provided a good commanding presence; she practically spoke for Ben whenever he wasn't around, and sometimes when he was. The two halves of the team could keep each other on lock.

Didn't mean she had to love the hell out of it. But she could let it roll off her shoulders.

"Take care, babe."