[System]
Age: 24
Gender: male
Race: Albmot (dwarf and dark elf)

His origin springs from a love story that is wordlessly fawned over by some and blatantly spat at by most in Abel's small dwarven village, where he lives with his father, Anton. His mother, to him, is nothing but a mysterious storybook character. His father was always one to exaggerate when he told stories, so he doubts that very much of what his father has told him about her is true. Abel's father is well known throughout the village as a humble, hard working, and good-humored dwarf.

His reputation was obviously tarnished when he returned one day from a long, arduous trading expedition with a pale, feeble looking child in his arms (feeble meaning he wasn't nearly as stocky and strong looking as most dwarven babes). Anton had always been Abel's saving grace, however. Abel had it in his mind that the only reason they tolerated him at all was because of how well liked his father was—as well as how fun it was to crack jokes about how the only reason his mother fell for him was because she likely had a blindfold on.

Nature:

Abel is a very independent young albmot who, weathered by years of upturned noses that were a good foot or two below his own, has grown accustomed to a life of solitude. This forced isolation has never stood in the way of his desire for companionship, however. Abel is very outgoing and inherited much of his father's good humor. He is perhaps a bit egotistical at times, but has never bruised easily- at least not on the inside. He possesses a sharp wit to match the sharp senses he inherited from his mother. Never quite impressed with the ridiculous stories surrounding "how the dwarves came to be" Abel is agnostic and can, at times, be quite cynical.

Looks:

Abel stands at a very "human-like" height of 5'7", quite stuck between his tall mother and his father, who could just barely get away with calling himself 5'1". Abel has pointed ears that seem a bit dulled in comparison to the few pure elves he's seen. He has light brown hair that is often tied at the nape of his neck in a short pony-tail with almond shaped eyes that are a light grey-green color. Although it was a term he was accustomed to hearing back home, Abel is by no means scrawny. He stands on a good middle ground. He isn't nearly as strong as some, but knows how to take a hit as well as return the favor. (That being said, mindless competitions of brute strength have never been very appealing to Abel. He prefers to think his way out of most situations.)

Class: Summoning

Being the "filthy mixbreed" that Abel is, friends were not a luxury he found himself in possession of. When he was 7 years old, Abel witnessed a young human mage summon a small beetle-like spirit just outside a shop he and his father were purchasing supplies from a few towns over. The boy extended a small hat to the crowd as the tiny beetle stood on two legs and spit fire into the air in the shape of a circle. Some members of the crowd stopped and dropped coins into the child's hat. Others stopped to ruffle the boy's hair and commend him for being such a skilled summoner at such a young age.

He immediately told his father of what he had witnessed. His father, being the kind hearted man he was, supported the idea and bought him several books to train with over the coarse of several years. At first, his desire stemmed from impressing the other dwarves with what a powerful summoner he would be. It wasn't until his first summon, when he was 11 years old, that he learned the true value of the skill. He couldn't make friends… but he could summon them.
Abel has made pacts with four different spirits thus far:

--Pavel (wood) : A Chinchilla spirit. Abel's first and weakest summon. He is completely useless in battle.
--Ruuti (wood) : A Maned Wolf spirit. He is very versatile and attacks quickly.
--Tiburtius (soil) : A Massive Mountain Lion. He is very strong and very stubborn. By far, Abel's most abrasive summon.
--Selin (water) : A Massive Vanilla Python. She is the largest and most powerful of Abel's summons. Abel has only recently acquired Selin.

Story:

Abel grew up in a small dwarven village whose name he would never dream of providing to a newcomer should he be forced to explain how dreadfully puny and crude it was. He spent his childhood days exploring the nearby forest with imaginary friends and eventually some of his summoned spirits.

He had virtually no friends growing up, although he often thinks of a dwarven girl named Abbygail whenever he thinks that to himself. His father was quite certain the girl, who was only a year or two younger than Abel, had a massive crush on him. She once left a batch of flat, rock-hard homemade cookies on his porch for his 6th birthday. He actually chipped one of his teeth while attempting to eat it. Later that day he took them to a nearby pond and skipped them on the water. Every year after that, the cookies reappeared, growing less hard and "skip-worthy" by the year.

By the time he turned 18, he actually looked forward to receiving them. That was the year he found the cookies stomped and smashed outside the door. Later that day he'd spotted her crying behind some crates in the market place with mud all over her frizzy red hair. He left her alone.

When he wasn't out exploring (something he often got the opportunity to do with his father being the local traveling trade merchant), he had his nose deep in a book. Knowledge was not an attribute that dwarves tended to emphasis and Abel gave up on trying to fit in at an early age. He was more-or-less an obedient son, if not a bit lazy when it came to helping out at times. He and his father tended to keep to themselves when they were around each other. They connected on very few levels. Abel never had much interest in learning how to arm wrestle or down 10 gallons of ale in under 30 minutes without barfing.

In spite of his filling the role as the village outcast, Abel refers to his childhood as being an overall pleasant one. He doubts he would have enjoyed spending time with the dwarves even if they had accepted him with open arms. He never imagined he would be staying in the dwarf village his whole life- not when there were so many other places to go.

Motive: Abel's father has passed away. With no further reason to stay in his dreary little dwarven village, Abel feels he must move on to bigger and better things. He considers himself to be a very adept young summoner and figured the King would be overjoyed to have him among his ranks. As he turned around for one last glance at his poor excuse for a home, he spotted little Miss Abbygail standing at the village gate with a small white handkerchief pressed beneath her big, rosy round nose.

[User]
Santa@BytheSpleen@taistelusopuli

Illumina froze as the beast leapt at her. Roll out of the way? Stab it? Come on brain work damn you!. Rolling out of the way seemed the best option, and really only viable option, before she lost her head in more ways than one. She didn't even notice Steven jumping in to attack the beast or Lyra firing her weird death beam again, without much more thought she rolled sideways out of the way, netting a large gash on her head and face. She didn't have time to check to see if it caught her eye, she was curently to busy on the ground clutching her bleeding wound and cursing in pain.

[Assistant]
Santa@BytheSpleen@Shikaru

The starving mountain cougar had no chance of surviving. It's paw reached Illumina's face tearing four deep cuts. Each surely leaving a permanent souvenir from the trip. The moment that happened and Illumina rolled, Steven's halberd hit the beast at the root of it's neck. The blade sank deep into the body of the cougar. At the same time when the lethal iron met the beast, Lyra's death beam hit it's side. The ink colored, snake-like projectile penetrated it's fur to devour all life that was left in it.

The lifeless, almost decapitated carcass hit the ground with the force of the halberd and Steven's blade sank few inches deeper. Blood streamed freely from the gaping cut that separated the body from the head. The cougar's fur began to take ash shaded color from the death beam.

Silence fell on the scene. Säätur found his way to a sitting position and turned to see the others. He froze on the spot.

---

"Was he alright?" The old man seemed to relax slightly but the gloomy concern remained on his face. "That boy was not home when the family woke up. They were afraid that he had been taken like his older brother."

The last sentence seemed like it escaped from the old man. He realized what he had just said and looked around confused and embarrassed. "I ... I shouldn't have said that. It is not my place it say more." The old man's voice slightly faded to a apologetic whisper as he turned his eyes towards the direction where Abel had pointed.

"Say, you had others with you?" The man kept his eyes fastened at the Rocky Gate in the distance for a moment more before turning his eyes back to Abel. "where are they now? You came here alone." The gloomy concern had not left his voice.

[User]
Immediately, Lyra ran towards Illumina before applying pressure on her wound. Forget Saaturn; her accomplice to-be was already hurt!

"Take Saaturn back to town, and get an apothecary or doctor!" she barked as she quickly unbuttoned her shirt before pressing the cloth on Illumina's wounds.

"If I didn't miss that time...it's all my fault! Dammit!" muttered Lyra under her breath as tried to lift the human's onto her lap, to avoid blood from spilling out. Truth be told, the idiot Saaturn was at fault, but then again, who was the woman that didn't drag his arse back to the town?

Who was the one who even entertained the idea of fighting a cougar without the proper attire and retraining?

It was the same thing all over again. More friends to be lost, more mistakes made.

At the very least, though, she had a corpse to work with.

[Assistant]
As Steven's halberd swung downwards, he saw the cougar launch its attack. Steven put in some extra strength into his swing trying to make it go down faster, but he could see that it wouldn't work. 4 cuts on Illumina's face. As the cougar's claws drew blood, its neck blossomed red as Steven bore down on it. Lyra's death beam entered its side and Steven's anger-fueled strike drove through the beast's neck, slamming its corpse into the ground. Blood sprayed from the open wound, coating his halberd in blood.

Steven wanted to curse more than anything, but his mind and upbringing prevented it. He panted there, halberd still in the corpse, feeling like he could've done more.

"Illumina-" Steven said, looking up to where she lay.

But as he looked up, he saw that Lyra was already attending to her. As Lyra barked orders at him, Steven forced himself to calm down.

He sighed, releasing the tension he'd accrued killing the lion.
No sense to beat myself up for it. What's done is done.

"It isn't your fault. It's fine. She's not dead." Steven said, taking his bloody halberd out of the lion's corpse. "I'll go as fast as I can, but I doubt Satuur will like it."

Steven walked quickly over to his discarded pack behind Satuur and rifled through it, looking for something specific.

"But we have no choice, so here." Steven said, tossing the mystery item to Lyra. "You'll make better use of this than I ever could."

It was a roll of bandages, given to him by one of his siblings. He was never very good at first aid, unfortunately, but he'd taken them because he thought they would come in useful. He still hoped they would.

"Keep her alive as long as it takes." Steven said, dropping his halberd by his pack. "I'll be leaving my stuff so I can go as fast as possible."

Walking over to where a traumatised Satuur sat frozen, Steven gently put a hand on his shoulder and talked to him softly.

"Satuur, I know this must be shocking for you, but I'm going to need to take you back to the village." He said to the shocked boy. "Do your best to hold on, because I won't be stopping before I get there."

Before the boy could protest, Steven picked him up by the shirt and put him up on his back.

"There could be more of those lions, but that lion looked pretty desperate, so it might be isolated." Steven told Lyra. "There probably aren't anymore, but be careful anyway."

Steven's expression was neutral but determined. The events that just transpired could be thought about later. What he had to do came first.

"I'll be back soon." Steven said.

Without waiting for anymore words, Steven bent forward and took off, sprinting towards the village. It was within shouting distance so he was sure he could make it. He had to. He'd already failed once, and he wasn't looking to fail again.

[User]
"Taken"? Abel wondered why the old man spoke so cryptically, but that was at least one mystery solved. Any mother would be depressed if her son went missing, wouldn't she? Nonetheless, the dumb kid shouldn't be running off without telling anyone-- no wonder she was worried sick. He wanted to poke a little further to find out more about the supposed kidnapper, but it was clear the old man wouldn't let any other details slip. If he cared enough by the time he reached the village, he'd have to remember to ask the mother herself-- assuming he can even find her.

"The rest of my party decided to take a break and help the boy search," Abel said, sounding a bit gloomy himself.

I elected to escort one of my comrades back to town because he was so damn anxious to get there, but then he decided he wanted to stay and left me. Of course, Abel wouldn't dare say this to the old man. It would only confuse him.

"I elected to scout ahead and make sure our rooms were prepared for the night," Abel shrugged, "We've been on the road for quite a few days and a hot meal sounds like heaven right about now. I'm certain my party will make sure the boy comes to no harm. If I see her, I'll let his mother know he's safe." He smiled reassuringly.


[System]
Appearance Description:
Kagura is a short girl with strawberry blonde hair with large red hair bobbles and cerulean blue eyes.
Her hair colour is blonde it is long in length, making it past her shoulders.

Height - 167cm
Weight - 61Kg
Bust Size - F
Age: 17

Year: 3

Reason For Joining: "It's not like I joined because I wanted to. The councillor made me do it. Out of all the other dumb clubs, yours' seemed the most entertaining. I can't wait to bust some myths like that weird american TV show. What?! N-n-no! I don't watch it! What gave you that idea?!"

Skills: Being who she is, Kagura is head strong and brave. She never gives up on an idea or goal once she has her mind on it, doing whatever she can to complete her goal. Kagura hates seeing her friends and fellow club members frown and make sad faces, she tries her best to keep the mood happy or energetic, to keep everybody's moral and hopes up. When Kagura ditches school, she normally visits the gym as to keep up her physical health due to her aspirations of becoming a world champion boxer, she has very high Stamina and Strength, but also can't handle pain very well and is prone to getting hurt easily.

Personality: Kagura is energetic and often gets into trouble, but she welcomes danger with open arms. She often gets into mischief with her friends in the popular crowd of the high school, normally she wouldn't be caught dead hanging around school doing activities, she thinks school is a waste of time and money and could be used for better things. Despite this, Kagura is by no means a ditzy moron, she is actually quite bright, but has many moments of stupidity which can be seen as cutesy or adorable behavior. Normally the cheerful or go getter of the group, she can become easily enraged or frustrated over trivial things, but tries to keep calm in serious situations. She can be stubborn and rude, but it's just a part of her Tsudere nature. She loves to play around a lot and is a bit on the rough side.

Biography: Kagura stems from a very cultured and prideful family, to which she despises beyond all belief. She prefers to mess around and have fun, doing what she wants and not what others tell her to do or how to behave. Despite the constant flow of culture being forced upon her, she normally breaks away from her Asian heritage and watches programs or movies from America or divulge in more Western society due to her keen interest in it and her dislike of her own upbringing. Kagura dreams of one day being a world champion boxer, although she would happily settle for national champ, she holds this dream close to her heart and takes most if not all of her opportunities away from school, at the gym, or enjoying a stress relief with her friends.

Her parents disapprove of her behavior, views on school and dislike of her heritage, they constantly remind her of how she should act and what she should be doing. To which she ignores them and does what she feels is best for her. Though her parents have never stopped their daughter, they try and push her into the right direction indirectly, by contacting the school, Miyama Acadamy, to keep watchful eyes on her and to make sure she stays out of trouble.

Relationships: [This will be added later on when all the characters have been accepted and will be updated as the story goes on]

Other: When Kagura is in a good mood, her hair will be up with her favorite cherry hair ties. When she is depressed she will let her hair be untied.

[User]
Takeshi walked with his schoolbag slung across his shoulders and his hands thrust into his pockets - deep. It wasn't that he was walking slowly because he was dreading something, but the things he had heard from some third years after he'd already dragged Shiro into it made him a little nervous. He brushed it off though, lifting his head and smiling, offering greetings in return to everyone who shot him one. Everyone was rushing to get out of school or to the first meeting of their club for the year. Takeshi grinned at them all, but inside he felt a little less sure of himself as he approached the door and turned the handle.
He'd asked Shiro to be there. He wasn't convinced she'd show up. Damn it.

Turning the handle and pushing the door open, Takeshi first stood in the doorway for a handful of seconds, the chill of the room assaulting his senses immediately and freezing him in his tracks. Perhaps the only thing that egged him on to speak was the girl with the blue eyes in the center of the room, just finished introducing herself as club president.
"Yo." He smirked over at the girl, gritting his teeth to stop their chattering. He shut the door behind him and walked into the afternoon sun, only to notice a flash of white in the corner of his eye. He couldn't mistake that colour anywhere.
"Shiro senpai. You came!"

The boy finally seemed more at ease, returning his gaze to the president. He looked her over. Tall, and quite serious. He wondered why a girl like her hosted a club like this. She didn't seem the type for practical jokes.
"Miyazaki Takeshi, at your service, ma'am." He offered a little bow, dropping his much heavier book bag next to Shiro's. No doubt trying hard to get a head start on subjects he wasn't very good at, like maths.
His amber eyes behind the spectacles glinted in the orange of the room's light. It almost accentuated their natural colour, giving them a catlike mischief about them. He grinned over at the girl now, only just holding his tongue from getting him immediately kicked out.
"Hiiragi-san, I look forward to seeing how this goes. Or shall I call you 'Prez', Prez?"

He looked down at Shiro, sighing awfully exaggeratedly before moving over to the chairs, pulling one of them out and setting it a little in front of the white haired girl, and another one for him, not sitting himself down just yet.

"And pardon me for saying, miss. Err...Prez. You're kinda cute to be running a club like this, heh. Not that that's a bad thing, but I expected someone..." He paused to choose his words carefully, "...more occult."

[Assistant]
Funny story was that Gael had almost forgotten about the Mystery Club by the time his classes ended. Without any particular goal in mind, he headed down the stairs to the school entrance, picked up his shoes from the locker, and was half-way to the fancy-smancy gates of Mayami Academy, when he realized that there were things to do back at school. Now the question was…did Gael really care about showing up in the first meeting?

No, he probably didn't, but it was nice to show his subjects some kindness, right?

Spinning 180 degrees, Gael headed back to school, marched up the stairs, and walked into Classroom A-013. Certainly, it was a fitting room for the Mystery Club, complete with a feeling of dread and disgust and heavily aged, moldy cheese. What a shifty place. Without paying much attention at all to the other plebs in the room, the tall, handsome second year walked to the back of the room and began to systematically open the windows, one by one, until a nice, afternoon breeze wafted through the mostly empty classroom. Not that it helped with the super dramatic edgy fear-feels that he was still getting there, but at least the abhorrent smell was pretty much gone now.

He pulled a desk over next, sliding it casually before him and then sitting on top of the table, finally paying attention to the other three that were present in the room. Two relatively nameless girls and Takeshi, who was making it painfully obvious that he had only came to the Mystery Club to get some of dat ass. Well, being direct was fine as well...

"Sup, Takeshi, White, Hiiragi," Gael said, with a toothy grin, "Name's Gael Ericsson. Or Ericsson Gael. Let's get along, yeah? And some Febreeze would be nice as well. This place still feels like shit. Feel sorry for the kiddos who have to take their classes here."

[User]
Kazuo Sanada yawned as he strolled down the hallway, seemingly abandoned this late in the day as students had already gone home, or have met up elsewhere for their own after school activities. He himself had just finished up his studies and homework at the library in preparation for tomorrow's classes, as he wanted enough free time tonight to laze around and relax after the club activities. After staying up late the previous night due to catching an interesting drama on tv, he was quite exhausted as the day was wrapping up. It'd be nice to get some early shut-eye tonight.

A soft sigh escaped his thin lips as he rounded the corner, tilting his head slightly as he tried to remember the exact location of where the club will be meeting. After spending two years at Mayami Academy, he still has a hard time remembering exactly where everything is. After all, it is a fairly big campus - big enough, in fact, to even incorporate things that are said to be 'other-wordly': The Seven Mysteries of Mayami Academy. And it is these 'Seven Mysteries' that the peculiar 'Mystery Club' will be revolving around, and is the club that Kazuo will be attending this afternoon.

One might wonder why a young man like Kazuo would be interested in such things that pertains to the occult and the supernatural, but the answer is quite simple: a believer or not, this was the club that interested Kazuo the most. Why not learn a thing or seven about your very own school before graduating and leaving it behind for good, especially if they do solve it, a wish would be granted by the Headmaster himself? It was also a bonus that he recognized some of the members as classmates and friends. And so he approached the classroom door with an open mind, giving a small, polite knock before softly swinging it open.

Despite the familiar faces that stood out to Kazuo, his senses picked up something more alien. It was a very subtle feeling, but still, he shivered a bit. Perhaps it was they way the afternoon sunlight provided the classroom with such an odd and surreal ambiance ; everything within the room looked so...dreamy...but kind of unsettling. Still, the sensation didn't really bother him so he focused on more important matters. Reaching a hand to fix his black headband that kept his long hair in a more presentable and charmingly stylish manner, he gave a small but warming smile to the occupants of the room.

"Wow, and I thought I was gonna be very early. But it's nice to see all of you here." He walked up to the small group, a hand casually clutching the straps of his pack loosely. "Shiro, Hiiragi, how were both of your days? That math exam was quite difficult huh?" Turning to Gael, he quietly and quickly looked the taller man up and down before flashing his signature, crooked grin. Kazuo had to look up with his sharp, hazel eyes just to make eye contact with the foreigner. "And you're Gael, right? Geeze, you're a year under me and yet you're so damn big. That's an international student for you." The boy chuckled before turning to Takeshi, whom he gave a small pat on the shoulder. "Why can't you be that tall, Takeshi? I'm sure Shiro would admire you then." He said that last part with a hand blocking his mouth from the other students in teasement. Though Takeshi is slightly taller than his senpai, that doesn't stop Kazuo from making fun of his kohai.

After the small greets to his peers, Kazuo took one more look around the room. He gave a small whistle of approval. "Yeah, this place definitely fits the whole 'Mystery Club' thing. The atmosphere is...pretty peculiar, isn't it?" He nodded to himself, as if answering his own question.

Now it's just time to wait for the rest of the members, he figured.

[Assistant]
The councilors room was sort of small, it wasn't so much as a 'room' but a shoe closet. Crammed with furniture and small radiator heater. Kagura sat on a really worn out chair and listened to the councilor moan and whine about her activity in the school.
"Tai-San, you should be more aware of your actions you know. Universities these days don't accept just anybody, and you had better pick up your act in-terms of misbehavior, its almost repulsive how you treat your teachers and other classmates."

Kagura had heard it all before, it was nothing new. He would rant on about how she's needs to stop trying to be 'popular' and focus more on her future. It had been the third time this week she heard this speech of his.
"Now, Tai-san, I must inform you that if your behavior does not improve, we will be terminating your education here at the academy."

Kagura shrugged her shoulders, she didn't care. In fact, she was happy to be kicked out, that way she wouldn't be tied down and could actually do what she wanted to do in life. But the councilor suddenly had an idea, a stupid one at that.
He picked up a flier from his desk, it was one about a new 'Mystery' Club that had reopened up, it was under new management. With a crooked smile the councilor got up and dragged Kagura over to the Club Meeting room. Along the way he explained to her, that if she participated in a club, not only would her attitude towards school improve, but they wouldn't need to expel her from the academy. Not that Kagura honestly cared.
Once the duo arrived, he shoved Kagura in the door and waved to the students in the room before going off to do something unimportant elsewhere.

Kagura looked at the other kids. She didn't know any of them personally, only that like, two of them were in class, or at least the same year as her. She wasn't entirely sure, she just knew she had seen them around. With a reluctant groan, Kagura tilted her head up.
"I'm here to join this club, not because I wanna, its just cause that dumb councilor made me. I probably won't even show up that often, so don't count on it."

Kagura could feel a strange aura, it made her feel anxious , but she stuck it out, trying not to show any weakness.


[System]
Age: 14
Element: Wind
Appearance:

Personality:
A bumbling, airheaded girl who always seems to have her mind somewhere else. She excessively wonders about all sorts of things and is prone to mindless wandering, often finding herself somewhere with no idea of how she got there. If she manages to keep herself focused, she's actually very knowledgeable.

She can be a good friend as long as you don't mind if she skips a beat or two of the conversation.

History:
The Andors have been scientists and scholars for generations. Lyra's father is a mathematician, and he had taught her the intricacies of numbers and logic since she was young. Lyra's mother--who named her after a constellation--is an astronomer, and has impressed on her a sense of wonder for the universe.

At a young age, Lyra seemed keen to devour her family's scholarly knowledge, but somehow she was also easily drawn to music. When she was seven years old, in an act of confidence that surprised everyone, little Lyra declared that she wanted to be a musician, not a scientist like her parents.

It was a family friend who first noticed that her affinity for music might not be superficial. He was studying the elements in secret, and found out that Lyra has a grasp on the element in which music flows: air. When he told her parents about this fact, they were less than thrilled. The magic of the elements, after all, seems so far removed from their logical sciences.

The same family friend suggested that Lyra be sent to the Elemental Academy, where she could learn about her power in peace without frustrating her parents. They still love her, but agreed that it was for the best, and sent her off.

Equipment: She plays the trumpet and the violin. She might absent-mindedly carry either of them around.

[User]
Lyra's mind was exploding, but in a good way. The hall was a thing of near-impossible beauty, with its naturally made seats and walls, but as soon as the speech started, her mind drifted back to what just happened back in the fountain. She couldn't remember all the faces who were there, not paying attention being exactly her forte, but he remembered the headmaster, and the voice of the second teacher sound familiar. She remembered Ms. Hargreaves, of course. Oh, if she had the time and the mind for it, Lyra would scramble all over her, asking her so many questions about the elements.

She couldn't really pay attention to their speech however. Her mind was still drifting back to what she saw earlier. A boy who was drawing in the air! A light elementalist, she guessed, who was able to rearrange electromagnetic waves in small space. He was crying earlier after the girl had started freezing (Lyra couldn't remember the girl either, but her voice was fresh in her mind), and-

And he's sitting right in front of her! Without thinking too much about it, she tapped the boy lightly on his shoulder. "Hey, hello," she whispered. "You're the one from the fountain, aren't you? The one who was drawing, in the air?" And then realising that it was probably rude to suddenly ask up how a stranger does anything, she added, "I'm Lyra."

[Assistant]
Zafiriel

"H-hmph, I'm out of here!"

Kanako's exclamation was left echoing in the almost deserted hallway moments after she had disappeared behind the corridor. Silas had lashed out at her, thus making her leave the scene. Zafiriel stood, frozen in a bow, staring at the direction Kanako had ran off to. She must have been upset, having embarrassed herself before a boy unknown to her. Firiel felt her pulse still thump against her temples. She closed her eyes taking in a few deep breaths, not realising she was still stuck in a bow. She secured her hands around her trembling feet.

"Um Zafi? What's up with the bowing? Why the tears?"

Suddenly her feet gave in. Firiel crashed on the floor. Through her long damp lashes, she saw Silas look at her with wide eyes – in great contrast to his reaction to Kanako only a minute earlier. Firiel shook her head vigorously. She wiped the last tears off her cheeks. Slowly, she raised her head to lock eyecontact with Silas, her face void of emotion.

Now is not the time to feel defeated. I have to explain myself. I have to. I don't want him to hate me. Please don't hate me…

As she lowered her gaze again, a ghost of Granfather's fuming wrinkly face flashed before her eyes. She felt as if she was sat in that vast room again, trembling under his burning stare, trying to make amends for shaming the name of Paolini. Only she was not in Paris anymore. This time, she was sat in a sooty hallway, sitting before a bewildered boy awaiting answer. Firiel had no idea how she should go about apologising to Silas. The only person she had ever had to explain herself to was Grandfather Paolini.

"I'm sorry, Silas. I di'nt meaned to… to… agir sans vergogne... Allez me pardonner?"

Will you forgive me? – Merde, that's not it. In English, Zafiriel!

"Can you… please, me pardonner?"

As she struggled to finish the sentence, tears hot as fire began to burn the corners of her eyes. She couldn't help sniffing. All of the sudden, the gates of her heart were opened again. Firiel could feel the uncontrolled fire wanting to burst out of her fingertips. Her whole body was pulsating like one human-shaped flame. She would surely hurt Silasi again if she stayed here a second more.

Faltering, she got to her feet, bowed one more time to Silas and ran. She ran and ran and ran, no destination in her mind she ran, guilt and shame chasing her in the form of a ghost of her Grandfather's face.

---

@Hammerman
Gonna bring her to the current timeline in my next post.

[User]
Zeke's hands itched. He really, really, really, really wanted to take photographs, but the teacher had told him to sit still and listen when he tried. He couldn't even draw, because he had to sit still. He had his head tilted back, watching the feathers circling around the ceiling. His fingers twitched, spots of light appearing in his lap out of habit.

The first speech, from the headmaster, was alright. He wondered who he'd have to share with. Hopefully they'd be nice and they could be friends. The second speech from the big teacher was loud. Zeke put his hands over his ears and he could still hear all the words. The last speech, he hoped, was a lady teacher who had a nice voice. He started looking at the ceiling again while she spoke.

A girl behind him tapped his shoulder, and he bent his head back a little further to look at her. "Hey, hello," she whispered. "You're the one from the fountain, aren't you? The one who was drawing, in the air?" She had blue, perfect blue, eyes, and red-brown hair. His left hand made a few dots of her eye colour. His right, her hair. "I'm Lyra."

"You're Viola," he responded, pointing at the instrument leaning against her and leaving a blue spot in the air. He wiped it away with a shake of the offending hand. "I draw," he agreed. "I also take photographs, but they say I have to sit still and not do either now. I have to listen."

Stygian

[Assistant]
The interior of the Audience hall was just as captivating as the exterior design of the academy. Vera was impressed with how the natural features of the hall blended so well with the man-made ones. It seemed more like an indoor garden than an Audience hall. It all felt very unfamiliar to her, however. It wasn't just the surreal, almost magical charm of the place, but it was also due to the fact that because of her background, she had little opportunity to be so close to nature. For her, nature and the outdoors had always been associated with dirt, grime, and contamination. This mindset had her uncomfortably trying to settle into one of the bush-chairs, and awkwardly shifting for awhile longer after she had finally taken a seat. She eventually felt compelled to sit still after realizing that a couple of students seated nearby had turned to look at her, noticing her apparent discomfort.

Hargor was the first to speak, providing the details about student accommodations. She liked how he took care to mention that the dormitories weren't like the Audience hall. Well, thank goodness for that. She wondered what her dorm mates would be like, if she even had any. She also imagined that the students' living quarters would be much smaller than what she was used to, though that might just a good thing, considering she'd have to keep her own place clean now.

Manilow was up next. Vera was beginning to think that the guy had a knack for making extremely umm... memorable, first impressions. It had first been that whole show at the fountain, and then he start his speech shouting out some threat? In spite of all that, including the loud, boisterous teacher having a rather questionable choice of underwear, Vera had to admit that the second part of his speech, when he had stopped yelling, was actually well-delivered, and even inspiring. Guess first impressions aren't everything. Too bad so much importance is placed on them, though.

Vera recognized Hargreaves when she stepped up to say some words of her own. It was intriguing to hear the elegant, graceful woman, who projected an outer image of what was expected in high society, speak about freedom and chaos. Vera was raised to believe that image was everything, that those who dared to be authentic would lose out, that it was important to impress others. It just didn't fit - the front that this teacher was putting up had no relation to what she was saying. Perhaps people weren't as simple as she thought, and that no two or more traits came as a package, but each individual possesses a unique and different combination of them. If what Hargreaves said was true - if there was no one at the academy who was going to tell her what to be, if they were going to let every student be themselves, Vera was going to take this opportunity to discover who she truly was, and to not be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.

Considering she had somewhat met the first three speakers before the ceremony, the earlier events were still playing in her head. That whole fountain experience had really been something. She had seen fellow students with rather rare and distinctive abilities, helped save a teacher's life, and witnessed another teacher's interesting lifesaving method. That other boy with longish black hair who helped out with her and Hargreaves though, she didn't get his name. She glanced around the audience, and spotted him sitting behind her. She gave him small wave and leaned slightly over her backrest.

"Hey there, I didn't get your name earlier," she whispered. "I'm Vera, by the way."

---

Xavier leaned back in his seat as he listened to the various speakers who took turns to address the new students. Apart from the first part, which had been completely expected of the gym teacher, he was admittedly impressed with Manilow's speech. Who would have thought that he was secretly a metaphor type of guy? In fact, that entire second half almost didn't sound like him at all. Strange, yet pleasantly surprising... Now that Manilow had mentioned it to the entire cohort, Xavier would be expecting that a few curious and overly-adventurous students would be trying to break into that shed throughout the year, not that it would be his problem.

He decided to pass when his turn came, gesturing for the next teacher to take their turn. He figured that the first-years had gotten enough motivation from Manilow and Hargreaves. This was assuming Reyes would have had anything motivational to say in the first place. Well, that would have been subjective. He shared Hargreaves' sentiments about daring to take risks yet not going too far with them. Accidents were understandable, but it seemed that there would always be at least one knucklehead in every cohort who would try to blow the lab up during his classes. Hopefully there wouldn't be any this year, but he'd save the lab safety talk for the first lesson.

[User]
Well, my name's from a lyre, and that's a violin, not a- OH! For a second there was a blue spot where the boy had pointed. It was so much more vibrant, so much more real, that it happened in front of her eyes instead of from afar. He quickly wiped it away with his fingers, as if wiping a stain from a glass, but Lyra was already transfixed. The boy was definitely a light elementalist. He didn't shine the same way Vera did, but his fingers did, in a way. They could change the movements of light, and he might not even realise how he did it, just like-

Just like what she was doing right now. Her violin was humming a little song. It wasn't loud enough to reach the front, where the teachers were, but just enough to gain her some odd stares from nearby students.

"Whoops. Ahh." She tucked the violin back and it stopped. "Sorry, sorry. Sit still and listen, right. Sorry."

She was going to sit back, and then a thought flashed by her. "Hey, I'd love to see some of your drawings! Maybe, later, when we're not supposed to sit still," he whispered to the boy up-front. And then she leaned back, continuing to fail at sitting still and listening as her mind drifted again.


[System]
James

"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid." -Jack Sparrow

---

---

Personal Information
Nickname:
Trickster, Cardmaster, Jay

Birth Date:
July 17, 1997

Age:
18

Gender:
Male

Sexuality:
Straight

---

In The Mirror
In Depth Appearance:
James has brown hair, dark brown eyes, and stands at 5'7". He prefers not to style or even brush his hair, letting it do what it wants, so to speak. His eyes are deceptively innocent at most times, but when he really gets serious, you can see it. He has a charismatic smile and several scars from monster attacks, although he mostly keeps them hidden. He's lean, but decently strong, with a runner's build. His hands are those of a magician, quick-moving and almost never still. His face is a handsome one, but when he gets angry, he looks downright frightening.

Clothing Style:
When he can, James prefers to dress sharply, usually in black pants, a white button up, and a dark blue vest. For his tricks, he usually rolls up his sleeves. When dressing sharply is a bad idea, he wears dark jeans, blue or green short-sleeved shirts, and occasionally a navy hoodie. No matter what else he's wearing, he always wears black running shoes.

---

Delving Deeper

Likes:
* Performing magic, usually with cards
* Pulling off difficult thefts
* Secretly, he loves Disney movies
* Hard candy, mostly mints
* Pulling the occasional prank

Dislikes:
* Cheaters, be it in a card game or a relationship
* People who can't take a joke
* Horror movies. He will not watch them
* Broccoli
* Calamari

Fears:
* Being trapped
* Spiders
* Failing when it's most important that he succeed

Habits:
* Card flourishing when he's nervous
* Eating quickly, so no one can steal it
* Locating all exit points

Personality:
♦ Confidence ♦ Showmanship ♦ Friendliness ♦ Wariness
James is, to all outward appearances, a confident, slightly cocky showoff. He's pretty friendly to almost everyone, but he only lets his guard down around the few he trusts the most. He always knows at least seven different ways to get out of any room he enters, and he makes sure that one of those exits are within his sight at all times. If you gain his trust, there's no better friend; if you betray his trust, you'll never regain it. He is also a master liar.

Background:
Until he was seven, James lived with his magician mother and his environmental scientist stepfather. A few days after his seventh birthday, however, both died in a car crash. Refusing to go into the foster system, he ran away three times but was always found and brought back. His fourth attempt, when he was fifteen, actually worked. He made his way across the country, performing card tricks and sleight of hand to earn a living. He turned to small-scale thievery when he was sixteen, using his magic skills to distract while he divested his targets of their wallets. Now, at eighteen years of age, he has come to Olympus Academy, almost entirely by accident.

Extra:
My favorite god is Poseidon; my favorite goddess is Hestia.

---

Godly Information

Godly Parent:
Hermes, god of travelers, merchants, thieves, and all those who live by their wits.

Relationship With Godly Parent:
James doesn't get along that well with Hermes. He's angry that the god let his mother die and never helped him. Hermes wants a better relationship with his son, but at the moment, James is still too angry with him to try.

Godly Abilities:
Persuasion - James can persuade almost anyone. Usually, this power/skill is used to convince people that he would never dream of stealing their wallet/watch/priceless work of art. It's gotten him away from several policemen and from those angry enough to take the law into their own hands.

Stealth - When he needs to be, James is one of the stealthiest people not currently employed by one of the multiple spy organizations. This is what lets him pull off some seemingly impossible thefts, and is also very useful for playing pranks. No one will ever catch him, and if they do, he'll persuade them that they must be mistaken.

[User]
Tara Niklos
Location; Party
Interacting With; Rozalia, Jonas Highwind, Dallas Relo ( @MiddleEarthRoze, @HereComestheSnow, @Plank Sinatra )

"Tch."

Muscles for brains. If that was a new one, Tara might have almost been impressed. As it was, being a child of Ares... Yeah, whoever this chick was, she needed to up her insult game. Calling a child of Ares "muscles for brains" was like calling a child of Zeus "needlessly stuck up" or a child of Poseidon "fish girl." At that point, you're just stereotyping, punching in the same spot thousands have before. It doesn't really hurt anymore. Her eyebrows went up as Jonas charged across the room, her hands sliding into her jean pockets. "Don't worry Jonas," she said, smirking slightly. "I don't hit children."

Her attention shifted to the girl, giving her a once over with her eyes and shaking her head. "Come back to bat in 5 or 6 years, honey. Then I'll fight you, I promise. Until then... You're not worth it. As Relo here has KINDLY pointed out-" The venom level in her voice went up a notch. "-I'm not being a terribly good bouncer right now. Last thing I need him to think is that I bully little kids instead of actual enforcement of the rules." She shrugged, looking back toward the three in the corner that Dallas had pointed out. "Besides, if the level of anger waiting to happen there is any indication, I'm about to be busy."

She flicked her eyes back to pint size piranha. "Honey, don't start the boobs thing. Please. That might wow Fred and Jimbo back at home but you're still a kid. Heck, I'm still young. Have your parents had the talk with you yet? The talk of avian and apiarian? You know, you're in an interesting stage of life, your body is changing in new ways... And I'm not really that comfortable explaining it to you."

She started humming something under her breath, but unless Roze was a rabid fan of ABBA she wouldn't know what it was.

[Assistant]
Zaheen Ibrahim
Location; In the Path of Oncoming Freight Train that is Tara
Interacting With; Rozalia, Jonas Highwind, Dallas Relo, Tara Niklos ( @MiddleEarthRoze, @HereComestheSnow, @Plank Sinatra, @Kaithas )

Zaheen wasn't big on parties. After all why should he be, the typical college party was an assortment of booze, sex and fights. When you mix all those problems with Demigods you end up with the proverbial up to eleven. Especially when it came to the fighting. As one can probably imagine, Zaheen wasn't a big fan of any of those vices. He didn't even drink for that matter, in part a result of his Islamic heritage and in part just the idea of the alcohol wasn't something he found particularly delightful. What use was there in slowing his mental facilities after all, it's hard to learn when one is drunk.

Which begs the simple question of why Zaheen was even here and simply put the answer was rather straightforward. He was here courtesy of one Jonas Highwind and one Dallas Relo.

My death will be there fault.

That said, while he may have physically been at Dallas' party, he took the opportunity to simply barricade himself in Dallas' room and turn his attention to more important matters. Namely his current Diablo speedrun. If Dallas' parties had one boon, it was the efficiency with which Zaheen found himself able to set new personal records in Diablo. Perhaps it was a result of the frustrations and annoyance with all the noise fueling his adrenaline, or perhaps it was borne out of a desire to finish the game before the end of the party so that he could start up a new campaign the moment Dallas and Jonas found themselves free.

Either way, Dallas' bedroom became Zaheen's personal sanctuary at times like these.

That sounded really weird.

Moving on.

And crap, I'm out of soda.

Again.

Forced to pause his game, Zaheen bravely unlocked the door and entered the purgatory that is Demigod parties. That sight that awaited was a familiar yet equally horrifying one.

Tara.

Pissed off.

To repeat.

Tara, daughter of Ares, pissed off and more so than the usual.

A L E R T

A L E R T

Alarms went off in Zaheen's head as he struggled to find a way to resolve the situation.

Maybe if I- yeah, that might- let's try it.

Raising a hand in greeting, Zaheen waved to the group. "Hey Tara, long time no see, Jonas and Dallas still giving you trouble?" Zaheen quipped with a laugh, "Mind giving me a hand a real quick? You're one of the few people to have beaten me in PvP, and I'm curious to see how you'd matchup against this new Diablo build I've been trying."

Looks like I won't be getting that soda.

[User]
Vivian Annabelle Corette

Location; Dallas's Apartment/The Party
Interacting With; Delilah Wells@karamonnom, Clarissa Price(Mentioned) @GoddessSophia

---

---

The children of the gods sure knew how to party. All around, Vivian could feel the energy being emitted from every single one of them. From the yells and screams of excitement to the body-pulsing and high-bass vibrato from the pounding music entered every single one of them as they each delved into their own party-like activity. There were some that were playing beer pong, some were dancing to their heart's content, and some were fighting. While the latter wasn't necessarily a positive vibes, Vivian could see the smiles on their faces. Obviously those were the children of Ares and Athena.

"Lilah, can't you feel it? The rhythm of the music adding to everyone's excitement; the dancing and the playing. Everything is so infectious," Vivian said, sounding almost intoxicated by whatever took over her.

Her body spun around several times, taking in the positive feelings. When she did, Vivian's body faintly showed a golden glow. Vivian truly was taking in all of the excitement from everyone and adding to her already upbeat mood.

As she took Delilah's hand, Vivian brought her brunette friend to a spinning motion, smiling nigh-infinitely. Each spin was met with a laugh from the daughter of Apollo. Whether it was just her or if Delilah felt the vibes too, Vivian was having the time of her life, being with her best girlfriend and enjoying the party to the best that she possible could.

As they roamed around the free space of the party grounds, Vivian came to a complete halt, no doubt causing Delilah going face first into her friend's back, "no way!" Vivian said, turning her head, and looking at Delilah with an open-mouth, surprised look, "look over there, Lilah!" Vivian said, half-forcing Delilah to look towards where the beer and alcohol assortments were at, "Clarissa Price already making out with some guy. " Suddenly, Vivian's persona turned into that of some gossiping teenager.

When Vivian turned her attention to the guy that Clarissa was macking on, she tried to figure out who he was. Vivian was a social butterfly, so she knew just about everyone at Olympus Academy. Even if they didn't like her(and vice-versa), she would know them at least on some level. As such looked at the currently locked with Clarissa's lips, she couldn't tell who it was. Granted, it was hard to determine who a person was by the side of their face, but even still; Vivian had no clue. The dark skin and the long, brown hair was as empty as Clarissa's kindness streak. SEriously, for as long as Vivian has had the displeasure of knowing Clarissa, she hasn't known the Daughter of Aphrodite to ever do anything nice for those who weren't her brother, The Platinum Prettyboy, Skye. So, to see her exchanging saliva with some skinny-looking, nigh-emo, caramel-skinned boy was an absolute shock for Vivian.

"I wonder who that is?" She asked Delilah in a hushed, almost-whispering tone, "doesn't look like anyone that I know." Vivian said, disappointed almost, "how about you?"

[Assistant]
James Oake
Location; The party
Interacting With; No one, but open

---

---

After receiving directions, James headed off towards the party, contemplating the tricks he was planning to play. Would it be better to insert himself into the party quietly, or make a dramatic entrance? One look at the moon convinced him. "Heh. The Moonlit Magician is coming." A smirk settled onto his face as he thought out his entrance, and a tiny bit of him wondered if his father would approve. He squashed that thought, however. What did he care what Hermes thought?

When he reached the apartment that the party was happening outside of, he wrote a note on a blank card and sent it flying through the air. His aim, perfected by years of practice, was spot on; the card flew between a couple of girls before hitting the wall by another demigod's face. The speed of the card ensured that it got stuck in the wall, and didn't fall to the floor. The note was rather simple, a single sentence along with KID's usual signature. I will be entering this party in exactly ten minutes. Kaitou KID~

After ten minutes had passed, he created an explosion of KID's usual pink smoke. As heads turned to look, he appeared when the smoke disappated, his back to the party, looking up at the moon. Then, he turned. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" He greeted them with a smirk and a bow. Just look at their faces! James loved the looks of surprise he gained from his getup, grinning on the inside, although his Poker Face remained unchanged.


[System]
Age:  28

Sex: Female

Nationality:  United States (of Irish/German descent)

Occupation:  Doctor / Former United States Air Force

ID no.: ES0186426

Bio:  Erica was born in Seattle, Washington to a pair of physicists. Growing up in a world of academic prowess and science, she took a particular interest in space travel at a very early age. During high school, she competed in robotics competitions, and entered college with interest in engineering. However, while working to tweak the mechanics of biomedical equipment that a local hospital was planning to improve in its laboratories, she discovered a whole new area of science: medicine. From that point forward, she pursued a career as a doctor, specializing in biomedical advancement (such as creating artificial organs, internal prosthetics, brain-mapping, etc.) During her residency, she made the decision to enlist in the Air Force, deciding it was the best way to continue practicing medicine while still being surrounded by engineering and staying close to aircraft advancements. It was through this that she was approached by NASA and the SpaceEX program, who were searching for individuals of various professions to begin the process of colonizing the moon. Having no family and no other commitments, she accepted.
Erica was within one of the later groups to be sent out, and while her main objective is to monitor the health of everyone else and run tests, she has also taken it as an opportunity to conduct her own personal studies, keeping a detailed record of the way the new environment interacts with human biology, as well as psychology.

Personality:  Erica was raised in a very strict household, and has no time for bullshit. She has a very strictly-business attitude to everyone she interacts with, and can at times come off as too serious, uptight, or even condescending. While she values human interaction from a psychological standpoint, she doesn't like to make small talk, and makes no time for it. Growing up very focused on her studies and academics, she isn't very well versed in the way of socializing, and although she has a strong personality, tends to keep to herself not only due to her analysis of others, but due to insecurity. She is also very much a stickler for the rules, and fails to see why people get upset when she calls them out for doing something they aren't supposed to. The way she sees it, they were all sent here for one purpose: Discovery. Their duty is simply to check things out and report back the results, for the future of mankind, rather than for themselves.

Other:  Nothing I can think of for the time being.

[User]
Casey yawned, the noise emitted high-pitched and almost strained as her arms came above her head. Slowly she brought herself to sit up in her bunk, examining the computer on a movable wall stand, the screen had gone into standby. Still half dazed and sleepy she brought up the display, eyes widening slightly as she read the time, shaking her head lightly from side-to-side: annoyed with herself for sleeping in and wasting time.

The majority of the Mission Specialists personal goals in research and study were in chemical compositions and study of lunar soil among other things. SpaceEX, the people who hired her and the science officers around EDEN also had specific missions for her, she had only been on EDEN six months now being among the last lucky few to gain a place living and working on the moon, pioneers, the first.

There were always stories being thrown her way of how horrible it was up here by a couple of people she worked closely with who had been on the station a lot longer than her. It was all just teasing, she was mostly sure. Her ambition and work ethic had not gone unnoticed during her time here either, she browsed down along the assorted list of numerous files, scientific research, neatly and efficiently sorted for sake of convenience. A lot of this stuff was research from when she simply worked for SpaceEX back on Earth, she didn't like to delete any of her work. Taking her hands away from the computer to brush her messy bed hair out of her face and bring her nails down along her thighs and shins, scratching the mild itch. She hopped out of the bed, quickly got changed and tied up her hair so she looked somewhat presentable. After quickly washing her face she felt ready to face the day and made her way out of her habitat, laptop tucked under one arm preferring it to the tablets while she had one she kept it down in the research bloc.

Casey was strolled through the corridors, tunnels and blocs of NE EDEN, making her way to the labs for experiments linked closely with her studies, she hadn't come across anyone until she heard footsteps and as she turned the corner saw someone who she thought she recognized in a hazardous materials suit. They apologized as he walked past and she suddenly recognized the voice, "Oh hi!" She uttered but wasn't sure if he had heard her as he seemed to be a bit hectic. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, still feeling heavy and carried on her way. She had only talked to him on a few occasions, namely in passing but he seemed nice.

Just as she came to LAB she ran into one of the science officers, she sighed and closed her eyes for a second, this guy knew how to get under someone's skin and Casey had gotten just a little bit of a creepy vibe off him which wasn't what bugged her about him but did't do any favor to his character. He stopped her to ask about studies, she politely stopped but hurried to get into the LAB and just work. Setting up her laptop on one of the free stands and and went to make herself coffee, this would be just what she needed. Once she had a cup she walked back over to the workstation and began to bring up files. A radio call distracted her, it was from Space EX officials back home so she left the coffee down to take it.

[Assistant]
Everything was going smooth as silk in the Cargo bay. "Alright Luke you got everything off?" the Co-captain Reggie said to him as he was messing around on his Uke. Luke yanked the Uke out of Reggie's hands, eyes squinting, then a smile creeped across his face, "Of course buddy, everything seems to be covered. Y'all heading over to Bay 9 for refueling I assume then back out?" Reggie laughed and put up a fake boxing stance, sent a few punches into Luke's arm, "You know it buddy. Got a few more trips to make back and forth. So I will catch you next time. Next time for you is..." he trailed off as Luke turned to see a young gentleman wondering around the workers with some paperwork. "Next Monday my boy, will be nothing but a mining shipment this time. So all the crew members will get some stick time on the fork lifts. Until then man, safe travels."

Luke put his logistics paperwork under his left armpit and began strumming Elvis' "Can't help falling in love" on this Uke as he made his way over to Julian. Trying to match his eyes to his he asked, "Here for a pickup?" The young man before him seemed like a very humble young man. Looked like this might be his first time picking up for his section, whichever that might be. As he waited for a response he heard a loud thud behind him. As he whipped around he saw that it was a couple of his crew mates messing around on the forklift and had sped it into a couple of boxes. Their eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights as they noticed Luke had saw them. "Unless you plan on paying for the fork lift as a gift for yourself to take home I suggest you start treating it with a bit more respect you dang chillrin. If you can't do it on your own I have no problem having some of the heavy mechanics come down here and schooling you on that machine again for as many hours as it takes" Finishing with a smile as the two of them apologized profusely. Turning back to Julian, clearing his throat he shot a smile his way, "Kids will be kids right?"

[User]
What was written in the studies didn't mean much to Tommy as he skimmed. A lot of the terminology used flew over his head but it was some study delving mainly into the links between environments and human biology and psychology. It was obviously related to EDEN and Tommy had some own personal philosophy and reflection on the matter but he was no psychologist.  "Excuse me, I'd prefer it if you didn't flip through classified documents." His attention shifted immediately to the Doc who was closing distance quick, he stepped back from the file as she took it up and shut it. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, no I was just checking everything here is alright." He replied with a friendly grin. "Faulty electrics." He elaborated, he never knew what to do with his hands when standing and always wound up sticking them in his pockets, otherwise he'd just fidget. "It's interesting, so it is." Tommy's right hand pointed towards the binder that Erica now held onto before pinching his nose and then going back into his pocket. "Any news with yourself?" He inquired, there wasn't anything worse than an awkward silence when it came to conversing, despite his reserved nature it was something that irked him. He'd personally never had any problems with Erica despite what many would see as an abrasive attitude at at times, Tommy liked a good character. He caught her look at his appearance and as her attention fell away from him straightening out her own coat he took a quick glimpse at his stained clothes.

"Did you hear? the new SPR is going to be tested this week." Tommy mentioned, trying to tribute her dislike of small talk by bringing it on to something more related to the main focus. Hackett had headed the team of a handful of fellow engineers who together through their variety of expertise conceptualized, designed and produced the first rover of its kind before everything the station was today had come to be. The 'SPR' he was referring to was the Specialized Pressurized Rover, allowing passengers to traverse outside the walls of EDEN without the need for a cumbersome spacesuit, that is until they have to disembark at least. He had been designated one out of four participants for the first round of outdoor testing which was really more of an excursion in the field of science as well,it was something he thought she might have been interested in. He took on a slight slouch and seemed more relaxed scratching idly at his stubble. As well as enjoying a good conversation, Tommy found it one of the most effective ways to kill time or delay doing something. Some days however there just wasn't much to do outside of basic routine and rounds, it could get a bit mind numbing on occasion.

---

[Assistant]
Ever the analytical one, Erica couldn't help but subtly observe Tommy's mannerisms and body language. Her reservation faltered a bit - it was clear he meant well and hadn't intended to pry. She needed to quit stressing over every little thing, no one here was going to cause any harm, and he and everyone else on EDEN spent every day doing exactly what she did: Going through the motions and trying to keep occupied. Of course there was much to do, things to be taken care of, machines to be operated and tests to be recorded. But at the end of the day... there was a lot of spare time. Even in their small community, every wing and bloc had more than enough manpower to take care of things and there wasn't much of a sense of urgency unless the situation called for it. Even in the medical wing, the majority of Erica's job was based on interviews and evaluations. It wasn't particularly exciting, and it was very rare for an emergency to occur. So it was nice, on occasion, to just interact. Erica knew that much of EDEN considered itself to be a "family" of sorts -- she had never gotten so close to anyone here as to consider them family, but at times, she understood the appeal considering that many of them had left real families behind on Earth.

She returned the grin tightly, clutching her binder to her chest and looking back toward the laboratory when he mentioned the electrical system. "Seems to be alright," she replied, "Just a power drop, nothing major, everything important switched to backup battery power." It was then that Tommy mentioned her binder, and her eyes widened. Clearing her throat and trying to remain unperturbed, she said, "Yes, honestly fascinating. We train and groom ourselves for months in preparation to come here and still the environment has some unanticipated effects. And no two people react to it the same, everyone experiences it a bit differently." She smiled, shaking her head and laughing a bit. "I could go on about it for hours honestly but I won't bore you with it." When asked about herself, all she could do was shrug. "Nose to the grindstone as usual. Been doing some research on dietary supplements to counteract the weight loss effect. Much as everyone exercises and eats around here, it's hard to keep up the muscle mass, so we've got people in the lab working on it. Just for something to do. What about you? Anything new?"

She found that Tommy was easy-going enough that she could speak with him fairly openly. To her knowledge, he'd never expressed any kind of judgment or anything similar in regards to her personality; As clique-y as things could get up here, there were some people, including herself, who didn't partake in that kind of thing. And she appreciated when others held themselves above that as well.

At the mention of the SPR, Erica lit up a bit, excitedly. "I did hear! That's wonderful! Are you excited to test it out?" Ever since coming to EDEN, she had been immersed in the medical world and had little time to focus on her other interests. Hearing about what was going on in the other wings kept her sane. A lot of the new technology in EDEN was discovered through trial-and-error and safety precautions were always taken to make sure no one got hurt in case of malfunction, but it was always fun to see things evolve from an idea to reality and all of the brainpower that went into creating it. The SPR had been in the works for longer than Erica had been on EDEN, and if all went well, it would be an exciting advancement in their abilities as far as leaving the base itself.


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): Mel
Age: 2,500 approx.
Gender: Female
Race: Silvan Elf

APPEARANCE

Face Claim (Actor/Actress They're Played By): Ehh, she's never really had an actress per se, it's a drawn picture that I found on google that I use for her but it's just perfect for her xD)
Hair Color: Straw blonde
Eye Color: Ice blue
Skin Tone: Quite pale-porcelain-ish
Height: 6 ft
Weight: No idea tbh XD I'm no good at working out weights lol let's just say she weighs around what she's supposed to for her height
Build: Slender and tall like all of her kin, well-muscled with a strong/sturdy frame overall
Weapons: Bow (which was once her father's, was passed on to her when she was old enough to learn to shoot), Rapier, set of elven fighting knives

Overall Appearance:
Appearance + "Casual" Clothing (ignore the sword and the magic mist stuff, she doesn't have that xD) :

Armor:

Arm guards:

Bow:

Rapier:

Daggers:

PERSONALITY

Likes: The stars/star watching, spending time with her family, killing orcs etc.
Dislikes: Orcs and other such evil beings, watching her loved ones sad/suffering
Strengths: An excellent and swift fighter with both bow and blade, fiercely loyal and devoted to her family and loved ones, will always stand up for her beliefs and friends
Weaknesses: Headstrong and stubborn, does not always listen to others' advice or orders. Often impulsive and rushes into things before thinking of consequences.
Fears: Surviving severe injury but not being able to fight or look after herself properly, losing Legolas or Thranduil, being unable to have her own children someday

Overall Personality:
(huge paragraphs oops sorry-have a basic breakdown in case you don't feel like reading the whole thing xD)
Sarcastic | Untrusting | Loyal | Sharp-tongued/snappy | Compassionate | Sensitive

Mel is a witty, fairly sharp tongued and often sarcastic individual, she is wary of strangers and will take quite some time to trust most she meets, though those who have a child-like innocence about them seem to find her trust a lot easier. However her tough exterior does hide a soft and loving side deep down. To her family and close friends she is devoted and gentle, and would do anything for them. Losing someone that she cares deeply for affects her more than most perhaps, and it would take her a good few centuries on most accounts to reach the point where she can accept it fully and "move on" from it as well as she is capable. Indeed she still feels melancholy at thoughts of her passed relatives but can push it aside if the situation calls for it. Her sense of duty is unparalleled to most, and many a Mirkwood soldier who has served under her command has been known to describe Mel as "hard headed and as determined and foul-tempered as a Warg keeping hold of the last scrap of meat at mealtime". Once she has a job to do, she will not abandon it for any cause, no matter the consequences, until the task is completed.

Mel is extremely wary of dragons and would sooner attempt to kill one than converse with it, regardless of whether it approached her in a friendly manner or not. She has seen the ruin and death that dragons can bring, and indeed she will never forgive the beasts for tearing apart her family, to ask her to befriend one will be met with only contempt, bitterness and hate on her end. Other than dragons, there is very little that sparks enough fear in her to reduce her to a blubbering mess, as Mel is a particularly tenacious individual which is to be expected from someone who has grown up in a forest which has been steadily taken over by darkness and evil. Having to slay and fight with nests crawling with extremely large spiders on a daily basis means it's not exactly a "good idea" for lack of a better way to phrase it, to be afraid of them. However, anything larger than those spiders which she has experienced in Mirkwood is highly likely to leave her rather bemused and more than slightly concerned, as she has never confronted any arachnid of a larger size before in her life. In regards to how she responds to fear, even when Mel is scared to death she is not the type of individual to stand there literally quaking in her boots, whimpering and bawling. Instead she typically takes on the "rabbit in the headlights" kind of approach and tends to completely freeze up, totally unsure of whether to run away or fight whatever puts her in that position.

While she is by no means a "damsel in distress", nor does she necessarily act like a "spoilt princess", however she does occasionally act at rather 'high and mighty' as some may describe it, because of her well-off upbringing. Mel isn't a tantrum thrower by any stretch of the imagination, but she does at times react to things which displease her by pouting and/or sulking and then proceeding to make some sort of snide comment on the matter. Snide comments and sharp remarks are something Mel is never short of, which may come as a shock to some as they would expect someone of her upbringing to be "polite and lady-like", though she is far from it. She is not inherently rude all the time, and due to countless lessons from her aunt and uncle in her younger years she is perfectly capable of acting in a civil manner to form treaties, alliances and other such things, and is indeed even rather capable of sitting in on many political matters and being rather persuasive towards her own or her kingdom's need and win the opposing party over - even if it bores her to death! She does not take lightly to insults towards either herself or her family or kingdom, and unfortunately it doesn't take much to get her riled up. Mel is not unknown to take a swing or two at someone who overstepped their mark with her, though for the most part she tries her best to keep herself controlled and will usually just respond in turn with some other cutting remark towards the person who started the whole affair.

BACKGROUND

Date of Birth: I actually haven't been able to work it out exactly just yet XD it's a couple decades before Legolas', though ;)
Place of Birth: Mirkwood (well, back then it was still Greenwood but yeah XD)
Family Relations: Ardor (father, deceased) Thranduil (uncle), Legolas (cousin)

[User]
Fili nodded and firmly placed his hands on his brother's shoulders to restrain him. Even Bard's daughters, Sigrid and Tilda came forward to help.
Meanwhile Bofur had snatched the last bit of athelas from the mouth of one of the pigs, but he was completely unawares of the Orcs stalking along the rooftops, looking for the dwarves.

Silent and dejected, Thorin tipped his palm horizontally and let the key fall to the ground, leaving with the rest of them.
"Wait!" Bilbo protested, trying to get them to stay. "You can't give up now!"

[Assistant]
"Menno o nin na honnen hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth", Maleficent chanted while putting the feverfew upon his leg, pressing it there tightly. She felt Kili jolt, but she had to do this for him, and she repeated as the fae desperately recited the chant with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes as she looked down at the young dwarf, watching him.

As the others were leaving, Bilbo stands by the mountain wall, alone. "Stand by the grey stone. When the thrush knocks, and the setting sun. And the last light of Durin's Day will shine", he turns from the wall while pacing. "The last light. The last light", he looks up and suddenly the moon appears from behind the clouds in the sky. He looks back at the wall and sees a thrush trying to crack open a snail, rapping it against the wall, then the moonlight hits the wall. "The last light!", he joyfully recalls.

[User]
Sigrid left the others holding Kili down as she heard a noise outside. She thought it was Bard or Bofur coming back. "Da? Is that you?" she called, though she screamed as suddenly an Orc appeared there, blade swinging towards her, and slammed the door shut on it, though the Orc only pushed it open again.
Shouting out loud, Oin picked up an empty bowl from the table where Bard had scattered the herbs and threw it at the Orc, having no other weapons to use. Bane quickly rushed to help him so that Fili, Tilda and Sigrid could stay near Maleficent and Kili.

The wall suddenly then revealed a keyhole shaped dent in the stone, and Bilbo gawked at it in amazement, pointing to himself before he suddenly yelled as loud as he could. "THE KEYHOLE! Come back!! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn!" frantically the halfling began to search for the key on the ground, though he couldn't see it anywhere. He shuffled his feet in agitation as he looked. "The key, where's the key..?!" he heard a loud clink and his heart sank as he watched the key bounce towards the edge of the overhang, though it was then that Thorin suddenly reappeared, his boot stepping on the string and stopping the key. The other dwarves weren't far behind him.

[Assistant]
With Fili joining in to fight them off, Maleficent shielded Kili with her dagger coming into play as she clawed an orc in the face with her sharp finger cuffs. Outside, Bofur is attacked by an Orc, and just as he's about to be killed, an arrow is shot from the back into the Orc.

Thorin begins to insert the key into the keyhole within the mountain wall, and unlocks it. Pushing it open, the company stares at it in awe for a moment. "Erebor", he gasped as he looked what just presented itself before he steps further inside. "I know these walls. These halls. This stone", he touches the stone wall as he walks further inside. "You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light" "I remember"

[User]
Sigrid and Tilda had ducked underneath a table, which Fili had turned over. "Stay down!" he told the girls, tackling another one of the Orcs as Tauriel appeared through the window to join in the fight.
Kili groaned loudly in pain, the wound stinging even more now with the feverfew herbs on it.
"You alright?" Mel asked Bofur, helping the dwarf to stand.
"...Fine, fine." Bofur nodded, a little confused as to why an elf would be here or help them.

Bilbo stared around him in awe, noticing a carving above the doorway. "And what's that?" he asked, pointing.
"The throne of the King." answered Balin.
"And above it?" Bilbo added.
"The Arkenstone."

[Assistant]
Legolas appears through the door, and began using his daggers to kill off the orcs, who were attacking the children. To get out of the ensuing chaos, Maleficent quickly and carefully moved Kili off the table, and to the bed nearby. An orc was about to hit her from behind, but she was quick to turn around and fend it off, to keep it away from the injured Kili. However, one of them manages to escape. "Oakenshield has gone!", he told Bolg in Black Speech, who was nearby. "Fall back! Regroup at the bridge!", the leader ordered as the orc pack retreats. "You killed them all", Bain gasped in astonishment. "There are others. Tauriel, come", he said to his comrade before beginning to leave.

"The Arkenstone. And what's that?", the hobbit asked them, a little curious now. "That, Master Burglar, is why you are here", Thorin told Bilbo from behind while the dwarves look upon him; he suddenly realized the task ahead of him.

[User]
Tauriel hesitated slightly, then hurried after him. "What about your cousin?!"

"Why are you here?" Bofur asked Mel warily as he tried to dodge around the she-elf.
"To help." Mel answered.
"If you wanted to help you'd get out of my way." protested Bofur. "I have to get back to Kili! He's wounded!"
"I know, and it's my fault. I'm sorry, let me come back with you. There will be more Orcs. I can fend them off." Mel offered. "They are after your leader, Oakenshield."

Balin walked with Bilbo to the beginning of the tunnel that led down into the main hall where the dragon was sleeping.
"So let me get this right, you want me to find a jewel?" the hobbit looked at him.
"A large, white jewel, yes." Balin clarified.
"Well, is...is that it?" Bilbo frowned. "I mean, I imagine there's plenty of those down there." he pointed down the tunnel as he said it.
"There is only one Arkenstone." Balin insisted. "And you'll know it when you see it."

[Assistant]
Kili was moaning in pain as Maleficent killed the last orc that was alive. "We're losing him!", Oin told the fae as she sheathed her dagger. In time, she finds Bofur arriving just in time with the Kingsfoil. The fae gasps in astonishment and relief as she takes it from him. "Athelas", she looks back at Kili before looking at the plant. This was the time to finally help, but she wasn't sure if she could do it right. She hesitated.

Legolas didn't have time to answer as they were chasing after the Orcs through Laketown, and kills a few during the pursuit.

"Right", the hobbit followed him before they stopped halfway down the steps. "In truth, lad. I do not know what you will find down there. You needn't go if you don't want to. There's no dishonor in turning back", Balin reassured Bilbo as there was slight fear being apparent. "No. Balin, I promised I would do this. And I think I must try", Bilbo sounded determined, which made Balin chuckle. "It never ceases to amaze me"

[User]
Tauriel sighed and shook her head as she raced after him, shooting down a few of the Orcs herself. She slowed her pace as she looked ahead and saw most of the Orcs riding away out of the town on Wargs. "Legolas!" she called ahead to him, trying to warn him. Bolg and two other Orcs had stayed behind, presumably to delay the two pursuing elves while the other Orcs got away.

Mel hadn't been far behind Bofur and she looked at Maleficent urgently. "Well, what are you waiting for Saeril? If you don't help him he could lose that leg for good!"

Bilbo turned back as the dwarf laughing confused him.
"What does?" he asked.
"The courage of hobbits." Balin answered as he nodded and smiled. He then turned and began to walk back to the others, though he stopped as he remembered something again and turned to look over his head. "Oh and...Bilbo. If there is...in fact, a live dragon...down there, don't awaken it." he advised seriously.


[System]
Rank (If applicable): Commander

Species: Sangheili

Appearance (for his armor, at least):
Height: 7'10"

Skills:Vael bears the title of a blademaster, and with good reason. He also has general combat experience befitting his many years of experience, and has a long history of leadership.

Preferred Weapons/Equipment:
* Type-1 energy sword
* Type-25 plasma rifle
* Type-57 carbine
* Active Camouflage

Background: Vael 'Virisusai is an old and experienced warrior, having already held the rank of major at the start of the Human-Covenant war. For him, the war had been an opportunity both to strive for the honor and glory of victory, and to serve the will of the gods. Early in his career, there was nothing that had set him apart from other ambitious Sangheili warriors. He did not have any particularly exceptional skills, nor an enlightened strategic mind. What he did have was the ability to survive, and to learn every lesson he could take in from every battle and skirmish.

Over the course of the war, every facet of Vael's skill as a warrior was honed to a fine edge. From simple aim, to his ability to keep a calm mind in the chaos of battle, Vael became a more and more deadly presence on any battlefield. Victories, and especially defeats, shaped his judgment and leadership ability just as much as his personal combat skills. Like many of his kind, he preferred to kill in close quarters, especially with a blade. In both fighting against the Humans and countless hours of training and sparring among other Sangheili, he learned the intricacies of using a blade in a variety of contexts, and against different opponents. Given his people's respect for swordsmanship, it was this accomplishment, perhaps more than the others, that most helped him to ascend the ranks of the Covenant. In the end, it was not accident, nor fate, nor genetics bestowing natural talent that created the warrior Vael became. It was pure, earned experience.

In the closing years of the Human-Covenant war Vael had ascended all the way up to the rank of Zealot, and in the final months, he had remained on High Charity after accepting an even more honored position. He was present when High Charity arrived at Installation 05…and present when the San'Shyuum wholly betrayed the Sangheili. Being stationed on the Covenant Holy City, he was a part of some of the thickest of fighting against Jiralhanae-led Covenant forces, then later the Flood as it infected the city. Ultimately, he did escape the parasite and went on to join the Fleet of Retribution to cleanse Earth of the Flood. From there, he took part in the Battle of the Ark, which finally put an end to Truth's Covenant.

Following the end of the war, many Sangheili returned to their homes, to their clans. Many of those allied with one faction or another, but Vael did not do so immediately. His life had been one of honor and war, but most of all service to a faith he now knew to be a lie. Shortly after the Battle of the Ark, he secured a small ship and simply…left. He was not seen in Swords of Sanghelios space, nor that of the UNSC. With the exception of a single re-fueling run on Squala, it was as if he had vanished from civilized space.

Then, after a year's absence, Vael suddenly returned to Sanghelios itself. He pledged his service and loyalty to the Swords of Sanghelios. Given his history, he rose quickly through the ranks. However, those who knew him before the war would have saw some changes in him. He was more reserved, both in terms of speech, and in a more cautious, calculated style of leadership. Perhaps the most notieable change is that, while he still kills his enemies without hesitation, he no longer shows the same eagerness to take glory in battle. He no longer demonstrates his pride in his kills, nor intentionally seeks the most challenging of foes. Despite all of this, his effectiveness has not diminished. He continues to be an honored warrior among the Sangheili, but for those who knew him before, one cannot help but to wonder what else has changed within him. Despite this, he has been chosen for the Aegis Team as a Sangheili warrior with enough skill and experience to be comparable to a Spartan.

[User]
Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker
// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery // Location: heart of the beast

Grik held his fire for what seemed like an eternity. The vines were thrashing more and more and Tar was still within the blast radius of the fuel rod. He knew he couldn't fire prematurely that would cause serious damage to Tar and the others but how much longer could they hold back the ever approaching vines.

Hearing a cacophony of noises behind him made him glance back only to see a wall of vines surging towards them. The sight of it reminded him of his encounters with the Parasite. That was a creature that he very much wished never to encounter again. It seemed the plant was trying its best to get rid of something that was stuck in its throat as it continued to thrash and lash out.

That's when he saw it loose its grip on tar as she was pulled back up. Grik didn't need to hear the order to fire. The moment they were out of the blast radius he squeezed off two rounds with mere seconds in between each shot to make sure they wouldn't collide. If they found its mark at the middle and top of the bulb he was sure it would kill it. However, his comrades were still a bit close and may be hit with at least some of the heat from the explosive.

[Assistant]
Vael 'Virisusai

---

The damage that the fuel rod gun caused was immediate and pronounced. The sheer intensity of the heat was enough to penetrate deep into the bulb. The vines again reacted, but this time it did not seem to be a coordinated defensive response. Rather, they moved and spasmed seemingly at random for a few seconds. As the bulb served as the being's "mind", damaging it was like damaging an animal's brain. Those who had been constricted by them would find it as an opening to act.

Vael and Ryker had only just managed to pull Tar from beyond the blast radius. Even still, Vael's shields flared from the heat. However, this was an opening on which they had to act. Grik had created an opening to the creature's core, so as soon as Vael could get up off the ground, he took aim with his plasma rifle and fired straight into the wound at the top of the bulb. The plasma could now hit straight to the core of the bulb where it was vulnerable, causing yet more random thrashing among its vines.

[User]
Yalu 'Suumko

The helmet Yalu wore picked up the ensuing sounds. Some parts of him were constricted tighter, some slackened, including his left hand holding onto the middle of his scattershot. The weapon was still stuck fast. He let go and tugged at the vines keeping his right arm pressed against his chest and wriggled it free. He ignited his wrist blade, grabbed at the vines holding his head and shoulders, and sliced them off in one draw. Finally, he fell free and found himself swinging upside-down from vines closer to the ceiling.

The situation he took in was self explanatory. Catching his breath, he reached over his shoulder and found a grip on his needle rifle. He drew it and aimed forward.

"Good hit, Grikgar! Our turn now..." Yalu said. The sight flipped up -- towards the ground from Yalu's perspective. The bulb lit up in the crosshair. He pulled the trigger as rapidly as he could. He did not need precision as much as enough blamite crystals in close enough proximity within the creature's new wound.

[Assistant]
Spartan Lucas Ryker

The heat from the explosion caused the SPARTAN-IV's shields to flair, but it wasn't enough to break them fortunately even as he fell backwards from the sudden lack of resistance from the plant as Tar rejoined them on the platform. Standing up quickly, Ryker pulls his DMR free of it's place on his back and fired on the now exposed weakness of the Tengmaa. "Burn in hell, you crazy, carnivorous freak of motherfucking plant life." He fired most of his clip into the thing before stopping, taking a moment to see if the hail of fire had the desired effect as he quickly swapped out the clip, six rounds still in it for later.

Infiltrator Comi'Masam

The moment the explosions were done, Comi drew her plasma pistol once more and fired into the bulb with the rest of her new team, stopping her barrage just in time to allow the weapon to cool down before she resumed firing another burst. She would repeat this until the order to stop firing came from Vael. Her energy sword remained active and she would use it to lance out at and slice any vines that got too close down, though with the wounds inflicted to the bulb made their efforts weaker and less concentrated.

[User]
The suggestion that Spartan Aviza had made about using the M379 charge against the massive Tengmaa bulb apparently went unnoticed among the squad, since there was no comment made about it in the slightest. The charge would have been quite dangerous to use but even more so effective against the hostile force that was trying to turn them into it's next source of nutrients. Instead, they focused upon cutting down vines that got to close to them and attempting to do any sort of damage. Thankfully, Aviza had decided to stay back from the edge of the pit that lead to the heart of the carnivorous plant, using her SRS99-S7 AM Sniper Rifle to fire upon the vines in the distance. If they managed to get close enough, she would then switch to either her underslung shotgun upon her MA5B Assault Rifle or Energy Sword to cut through them.

A few of the vines had managed to end up getting a bit to close for comfort, drawing her attention away from what was happening at the pit to make sure she did not end up with a barb somewhere soft on her armor. The sound of her underslung shotgun firing off flechette shells echoed through the chamber as they tore through the vines with great ease. What did bring her concentration back to the center of the chamber was hearing from Vael that Tar had been caught by a few of the vines. Aviza swiftly moved to the edge of the pit, but kept herself at a safe enough distance to not be grabbed and dragged in afterwards. Without saying a word, Aviza took a half knee stance and aimed the cross hair of her SRS99-S7 AM Sniper Rifle at the vines below, firing off a few rounds that would hopefully do massive damage to the vines. The thought of tossing Tar her Energy Sword came to mind but that might end horribly, instead she kept aim, firing at what she could.

This continued untill Grikgar fired off a few rounds from his Fuel Rod cannon at the Tengmaa bulb, giving them their chance to put it down for good. The intense heat from the explosions going off caused Aviza to shield her eyes for a few second, moving backwards in case Grik fired again. Lowering her arm to look at what remained, she noticed that they now had the chance to do some damage. Instead of firing immediately, Aviza took her M379 charge and tossed it down into the pit where it landed safely. It would not go off untill she detonated it, and she was going to make damn sure everyone was outside of the cave before she did so. For now, she returned to firing off high caliber explosive rounds at the massive Tengmaa bulb. As she did so, she checked her teams coms and spoke, "Does anyone need any medical attention? I can tend to injuries immediately." Aviza would then reach out to Shih, "Two things, I would like full medical diagnostics on the team and then I would like an update on the storm outside please and thank you."

[Assistant]
A Tengmaa bulb's hide was tough for a reason - all of the plant's digestive and nervous capacity was contained within that control centre. However, the plant's evolutionary pathway evidently hadn't prepared for a barrage of radiation, explosives and bullets. So when the bulb's vulnerable innards were exposed under the water and promptly cut to shreds, the Tengmaa quickly lost control of its numerous appendages.

The first to go limp were the half dozen thick trunks which stretched all the way out into the sunlight, gradually tapering at the end. Next were the serpentine manipular vines coating every surface of the cave interior. Then, with nothing left to distract the invaders, the throbbing cilia inside the pool trap promptly died.

And with that, the Tengmaa bulb unmoored from the position it had held over the cave's onward descent for decades. First came a sickly snapping noise as the struts supporting it detached. Then, with a sound like a giant toilet flushing, it disappeared into the large hole on which it had previously been sitting. This was how it had filtered waste water out of the chamber to stop it flooding before.

The water rushed over the rocks, disappearing down the waste chute after the bulb. The chamber was filled with this roaring sound for a while. This new opening also helped disperse some of the toxic particles from the room, though Tar still choked uncontrollably as she struggled to her feet and surveyed the area. Water was pouring in from the opening above their head and another gap along the wall from them (the other cave opening, most likely). It wasn't enough to refill the bowl below them though, so it quickly emptied until just a few carcasses lodged in place remained.

Fanning her mandibles with one hand, Tar got up, walked to the edge and wordlessly jumped down into the barren bowl. Her energy sword's pommel had fortunately gotten stuck in a crevice and hadn't washed away, so she carefully picked it up. Looking up toward the ceiling and coughing lightly, Tar returned her lost sword to its mount on her back, with the other one.

She pointed upward, to the feeble shaft of light shining down on her from above. "I see the way up the mountain! I remember now - it is an invigorating climb."

[User]
UNSC AI SHI 1203-8 and Vael 'Virisusai

---

Aviza would hear Shih's response in her head right away. "I'm not getting any major alerts on anyone's vitals. Nothing worth mentioning. As for the storm, though, the mountain we're under is blocking most of the useful data from our sensors. Best I can tell you is probably the same thing you can hear from that opening up there: it is still going strong."

Even after the bulb made its apparent retreat, Vael stood on guard for a few moments. He continued pointing his plasma rifle down the pit, watching for any signs of movement. It was only once Tar called their attention to the way out that Vael moved his gaze elsewhere. "And it will be a dangerous climb. It is steep to start, and the rain from the storm will only make it more difficult."

Vael walked up towards the wall, looking up at the exit above. "But this approach shall allow us to reach our objective undetected. Tar, Ryker, and I will climb first. Grik and the Humans will go next." He said, referring to the unaugmented Humans among them. "The rest of you will watch for any more attacks from this beast, then climb up behind us."