[System]
Normal-
Age: 15

Appearance: Corrine is a pale skinned, slender young lady. She has painted red lips, and a pink tint to her cheeks, ears and nose. She has full lashes framing deep brown eyes. Her hair is black and groomed into a sleek bob that reaches just below her chin. In civilian form, a section of her hair is secured behind her head with a ribbon. She always wears fashion-forward clothes, including a pair of miniature raccoon tail earrings, and often wears sunglasses because of her sensitivity to light.

Backstory: Corrine was born to the Jiang-Smith family, an upper-middle class family living in Washington, as the and only daughter. She has 2 brothers, an elder and a younger. Her mother was born in Beijing, China, to a poor family. Her father, Alexander Smith, head partner of a successful law firm, was travelling there, when they met each other by chance. The two became immediately smitten with each other. A few months later, they were married with a son on the way, so when Alexander asked her to move back to Washington with him she accepted.

Due to her father being held in high regard because of his status, Corrine was exposed to the public and press from a young age. She soon learned that there were high expectations of her, from inside her home and out. Her mother wanted her daughter to have as good of a life as possible, while her father wanted her to be prepared for the world. She was placed under strict rules of how to act, speak, and hold herself so as to ensure their daughters successful life. Corrine understands that they are trying to do good by her, even if they don't realise how isolated it makes her feel. She was taught by her mother how to be a proper lady, and was told at a young age that you should hide your weaknesses so that they cannot be used against you.

Her mother constantly coddling her and her father too busy running his firm and raising her brothers, Corrine felt all around dissatisfied with her current situation. All she wanted to be able to do was to choose for herself, to make her own mistakes instead of having her life chosen for her.

Personality: When in her civilian form, she has a reserverved, almost cold air about her. She has a level head and calm demeanor. She is mostly polite, but a little blunt, and is naturally a bit awkward, to her mother's dismay. Pretty klutzy, constantly bumps into things, but doesn't seem to mind. She is usually quiet person, and is very shy. She seems scary, but if you manage to befriend her and charm her parents enough for them to let you associate with her, she's very sweet and funny person. As Nocturne, she is upbeat, charming, and generally a huge dork who'll befriend just about anyone, including rocks.

Corrine has achromatopsia, which causes her to be completely color blind. She sees the world in different shades of gray, black, and white. This also causes her to have decreased vision, which is mostly the reason for her clumsiness, as well as a sensitivity to light. She always carries around a pair of sunglasses, sometimes even wearing them indoors.

Hero-
Name: Nocturne

Appearance: As Nocturne, her sleek hair becomes windswept, slightly curly, and if you look closely you can see it's slanted to the left. Her once deep brown eyes morph into a bright amber. Her suit is themed to resemble a raccoon, with a gray, black and white colour scheme. The suit itself is a smokey grey, with a lighter grey oval in the middle of her stomach and chest. She has black thigh high boots, black gloves that reach to her elbows with slight claws on the end, and a black stripe around her neck. Tied around her waist is a long scarf-like cloth with a striped pattern. She has a black mask, and a headband with raccoon ears, and two white ribbons tied to either side of the headband.

Miraculous: Her miraculous is a pair of raccoon tail earrings, each with a small gem at the top. After she activates her main power, her miraculous starts chirping and the 5 stripes start disappearing according to how much time she has left.

Powers:
Active power: Absolute Access- This gives her the power to open anything, no matter how complex the lock. This includes anything that can be sealed (doors, chests, etc). Also includes electronic locks. After she uses this once her countdown begins.

Inactive powers:
Touch- Corrine's sense of touch is incredible. She is able to 'see' objects by touching them, and doesn't even need to see to be able to navigate. This is helpful to her, especially with her poor eyesight.
Night vision- Corrine is able to see in the dark, making it easy to maneuver in what others would consider pitch black.
Climbing- Thanks to the small claws on her cloves and the bottom of her boots, she is able to climb without the need for hand and footholds.
Anti-camouflage: Thanks to her color blindness, she is easily able to pick out camouflaged enemies.
Stealth: She is able to sneak around easier, without making as much noises. This is helpful if there is a need to remain unnoticed. Doesn't really help much with people with enhanced senses, but is useful for sneaking out of the house.

Weapon: A whip which, like Chat Noir's, can infinitely extend and retract, and can be used to grab onto objects and people if necessary. The handle has a compartment which can be opened to reveal the communication device.

Kwami-
Name: Priix
Appearance: Priix looks like a very small raccoon, small enough to fit into the palm your hand. Their head makes up about half of their body. They have two antennas, one on each cheek.
Personality: Priix is a very cheerful, if not mischievous little kwami. They are very playful, and are easily distracted. They love to play little pranks on Corrine, and often is one of the main causes of Corrine getting into mischief. The two get along well, and Priix is often a comforting figure for Corrine. Priix wishes to eventually be able to help the shy girl be able to show her real personality more outside of Nocturne.
Favorite Food: Apricots!

[User]
It was a normal morning at first for Tommy. He'd done his exercises, had a good breakfast, and proceeded to check the morning paper. Beside the paper, however, was a small box. "Another gift from mom?" he asked, looking over. "No card this time?" He shrugged as he carried it inside. "That's not like her." he said, beginning to open the box. Suddenly a bright light shot a few feet in the air from the box before floating back down as what appeared to be a tiny wolf.

"Something tells me this isn't a gift from my mom." he said, eyeing the fairy thing.

"No clue." the thing said to him in a surprisingly deep voice. "I'm Marrok. Got anything to eat?"

"I got some deer jerky." Tommy said, offering him a small piece.

Marrok zipped through the air, grabbing the food from the boy's hand, and began munching on it loudly.

"So, what's this?" Tommy asked, picking up the other item from the box, a wristband.

"That's a Miraculous." Marrok said, looking at it. He then began explaining what a Miraculous was and what it did, stopping every so often to grab a piece of jerky to munch on.

"So, I just have to say that one thing?" Tommy asked, looking at it. "Whatever. Just stay close and stay hidden. I have to go to school."

Marrok shrugged and jumped in Tommy's coat pocket.

As Tommy arrived at school, being one of the first as usual, he took a seat by where he normally met his friends.

While waiting, he kept his eyes out on everyone that came his direction. About ten minutes after his best friend was supposed to arrive, everyone but him was there. "Hey, where's Eddie?" Tommy asked. Everyone looked around, shrugging. "Guess he's late." One boy replied, looking off towards the gate.

[Assistant]
Eddie sat in the library during lunch, hiding in a back corner as he opened the package he'd found on his doorstep this morning. He opened it to see a bracelet and a bright light. The light jumped up, becoming a tiny, baby eagle.

"You are too cute." Eddie laughed softly. "What are you?"

"I'm a Kwami." the tiny being said, his voice sounding very tired and devoid of energy.

"You can talk?" Eddie gasped in surprise.

The Kwami nodded. "My name's Beek." he yawned.

"Nice to meet you, Beek." Eddie smiled. "My name's Edvvard Erickson but my friends call me Eddie."

"Eddie." Beek nodded with a smile.

"What can you tell me about this bracelet?" Eddie asked, slipping it on.

"It's a Miraculous." Beek nodded. "It'll give you powers like a superhero."

"Really?" Eddie asked, wide-eyed. "How do I use it?"

"I'm hungry." Beek said, rubbing his belly with 1 wing-like arm.

With a sigh, Eddie pulled a piece of candy from his bag, a Cadbury Cream Egg, opened it and gave it to the kwami.

Beek ate fast, his eyes going wide. "That was really good." he said, speaking louder and faster, more energized off the sugar.

"Whatever, just tell me how to activate this thing." Eddie said with a huff.

"Oh, you just have to say wings spread." Beek nodded, beginning to fly around and look at things.

"Wings spread?" he said, questioningly.

Suddenly, Beek was pulled into the bracelet and Eddie's outfit changed.

Looking at himself, he noticed he had the general appearance of an eagle. "I'm a superhero!" he exclaimed as quietly as he could. "I need a superhero name." he said, beginning to pace. It took him a while but he eventually came up with something. "Talon." he nodded. He began moving about the library stealthily, watching other people who were being loud and messy. Just as he was going to begin trying to fix that, he saw a boy go into the girl's bathroom. Curiosity and determination to right the wrongs of the pervert filling his thoughts, he began stealthing over that direction, ready to confront the boy.

[User]
It was an average morning at the Jiang-Smith manor. Mr. Smith and his eldest son had left early in the morning to head to his firm, while Ms. Smith had bid goodbye as well for the day. This left Corrine to her own devices until the chauffeur arrived to escort her to school. The girl herself was currently attempting to navigate down the long set of stairs down into the foyer without tripping. Once at her destination, she gave a sigh of relief and straightened her clothes. Suddenly a familiar chuckle rang out, causing her to tilt her head in its general direction. Beside the door stood a middle aged man with slicked back hair and a suit, a book neatly tucked under one arm.

"Ah, mistress Corrine! How good to see you awake and alive. I was beginning to get worried you'd tripped and knocked yourself out again."

Corrine flushed and sent a weak glare towards the man, who simply grinned in return. His name was Thomas, her family butler and a close friend to Corrine. He was like an uncle to her, and was mostly the one to raise her.

"Oh, don't give me that face. Come, I've made breakfast for you, and it's your favorite." Looking around her butler, Corrine could see that Thomas was indeed telling the truth. On the table sat a plate stacked with pancakes and fresh apricots. On one of the chairs sat her school bag. Turning back to Thomas, she flashed him a small smile and quietly thanked him.

"It's no problem dear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if that poor excuse of a driver is here yet. I swear, if he makes you two late again..." He responded, briskly walking out the door before popping his head in. "Oh, and don't forget to " After Corrine had nodded in agreement, he finally left, looking impatient.

Corrine walked over to the table and pulled out her chair, only for her book bag to fall out of it, spilling its contents on the floor. She sighed, and began to put everything back inside. Reaching for the last item, she stopped when her hand touched it. It was a plain wooden box that she had never seen before, with a note taped onto it. She carefully pulled off the note, bringing it closer to her face. The only thing it said was that it was addressed to her. Odd, she almost never got mail, especially without her mother checking it, and this looked untouched. Putting down the note, she delicately picked up the box and set it on the table, and after a moments hesitation, slid off the lid. A bright light shot out, blinding her. She stepped back, losing her balance and flailing her arms about in a desperate attempt to stay upright. Alas, the only thing the movement did was cause her to knock over her chair before she crashed onto the floor herself, landing in a jumble of limbs.

After calming herself, she slowly craned her neck to look back at the box. Floating about a foot above it was a small, raccoon like creature striking a dramatic pose.

"Well, that was quite an emotional reaction there! You ok?" The creature asked, looking like it was holding back laughter. Corrine didn't know raccoons could even make that expression. Then again, she had never really seen an actual raccoon. Mother always said they carried rabies and all kinds of dirty diseases... She shook her head, trying to focus back to the events at hand. Calming her breathing, she turned her eyes back towards the floating raccoon.

"Who-Who are you?" She demanded, attempting to sound assertive. The effect was ruined however by her stuttering.

"Who am I? Why only one of the greatest, most powerful creature on the face of the earth! I'm Priix, a Kwami!" Priix responded, closing their eyes and placing their hands on their hips dramatically.

Corrine raised her eyebrows in return. "A what? What on earth are you talking about?" This caused Priix to gasp, eyes snapping open to focus on the human girl.

"You've never heard of a Kwami?" This gained a head shake from the girl, causing Priix to sigh "Kids these days... Well, you know about fairies and fairy-tales right?" Another head shake. "What?! Didn't your parents teach you anything? Oh well, it doesn't matter, I'll tell you all you need to know." With that, the Kwami quickly began explaining while Corrine struggled to keep up with the fast paced fairy. Priix was in the middle of telling her about her transformation when a knock interrupted them. Corrine quickly plucked Priix out of the air and placed them gently into one of the pockets of her school bag, tucking the Kwami out of sight as Thomas stepped through the door.

"Misstress Corrine, the chauffeur is here, would you please go fetch your brother?" Corrine nodded, quickly grabbing her bag before ascending the stairs. After retrieving her younger brother, the two of them walked hand in hand towards the sleek black car, hopping into the backseat. As the car started off, all Corrine could think of was the small creature in her bag and wonder how this would affect her life.


[System]
Appearance: Luna is an average 4'10". She has chestnut hair usually tied up in the back in a ponytail. She wears a white top with purple trim, and a somewhat mismatched dark green skirt with white hemlines. She wears dark toned shoes with knee high socks. Her eyes are a deep blue, and although she can first appear quite feminine, she has much muscle mass upon closer inspection.

Gender: Female

Age: 12 Years Old

Country of Origin: United States of America

Personality: Luna is a tomboy, she would prefer exploring the woods around her home to learning to bake or sew. However, she is quite cautious of the unknown. She often hangs around with other boys her age than girls, and not because she is interested in dating. That's the last thing on her mind. She just wants to hang out with someone who understands her, who is like her. In the end, she just wants to feel accepted, especially by her greatly traditional parents.

Backstory: Luna was born and grew up in a rural part of Colorado. She was raised by her two parents as an only child. Her parents had certain expectations of her from the beginning, expecting her to look and act like a normal girl. What they got was the exact opposite. She became a tomboy, and they had to downright force her to even wear feminine clothes. Given the choice she would rather wear her camo shorts and t-shirt.

In school she never got along with any of the girls, but got along fine with most of the boys. One boy in particular she became great friends with, Dustin Coleman. He lived in her parent's home, which was partially an orphanage for children who never really had a home. The two would often play in the woods around the home, much to the distaste of her parents, who thought a respectable young girl should be home learning how to take care of the house instead of running around getting dirty. She tries every day to get them to understand her for who she is, but to no avail. Sometimes she wishes she was in another world, where she would be accepted.

Skills:

* Tracking: Playing in the woods around her house has taught her many skills, one among them is being able to track just about anything by their footprints.
* Medical Training: A surprising feet she accomplished is when she became a medic for her town's Boy Scout Troupe, unofficially of course...
* Athletics: She is quite flexible, and actually a self taught gymnist. While she wouldn't be participating in the olympics anytime soon, she can quickly climb trees and small cliffs with ease.

Other:

* Luna has a severe fear of the dark, stemming from a terrifying experience when she was younger that left her mentally scarred. Panic is putting the reaction mildly.
* As stated before, the only reason she wears the outfit she does is because of her parents. Her parents want her to be a normal girl, and seem to refuse to accept her for what she is, something she slightly hates them for.

Dorumon
Primary Form: Child

Baby Level: Dorimon

Child Level: Dorumon

Adult Level: Dorugamon

Perfect Level: DoruGreymon

Ultimate Level: Alphamon

Other Form: Alphamon Ouryuken (Mega)

Apparent Gender: Feminine

Personality: Dorumon is very cautious, but cares deeply for her friends, often either pulling them out of a dangerous situation, or rushing headfirst against all rationality to save them herself. Although not afraid to pull a few punches, she tries to defuse situations peacefully before resulting to violence. She does have a clear distinction between right and wrong, and holds her own personal morals close.

Dustin Coleman
Appearance: Dustin stands at 5'1". He has brown wavy hair that he used to try to keep combed over but has since given up attempting to tame it. His eyes are light brown. He wears a denim jacket over a navy blue T-Shirt, along with a pair of black shorts. He wears dark colored sneakers with normal white socks.

Gender: Male

Age: 12 Years Old

Country of Origin: United States of America

Personality: He has a thirst for adventure. He wants to live life to the fullest while he can. That defines him in a nutshell. He isn't afraid of the unknown, in fact he embraces what he doesn't know and learns from it. Many times this has led to some sticky situations, but he always comes out on the brighter side of things, seeing the silver lining in just about everything. He's just a normal kid living an almost normal life.

Backstory: Dustin never knew his biological parents. His father was unknown and his mother died from complications during birth. He was raised in a foster home, an orphanage in Colorado. And that's the life he knew, that he lived from that day forward. Life wasn't as boring or bleak as many media outlets make orphanages out to be. There was always something to do, new things to learn and discover.

It quickly became apparant of the friendship between Dustin and the Orphanage Owner's daughter, Luna. The two were as close as could be, and they were rarely separated. Her Parents even allowed Dustin to sleep in the same room as her. As the years passed, he became more and more comfortable with the family, he basically became the son they never had. However, he didn't care much about that.

He enjoyed being with Luna, she had become like a sister to him. Most of the day during Summer they would explore the woods near their home, often playing games like Hide and Seek, which he has yet to win a game of against her. At this point, Luna's parents are considering adopting him as their own, hoping that would help Luna through her "Tomboy Phase."

Skills:

* Athletics: Dustin has incredible stamina, most likely from being a Boy Scout in the local troupe. He can keep up strenuous exercise for extended periods of time.
* Camping/Survival: Being a Boy Scout also means he knows how to do basic camping and wilderness survival techniques, such as starting a fire, searching for food, as well as telling poisonous creatures and plants from non-poisonous ones.

Other:

* Although he knows that he was orphaned, he has no intention of attempting to find out about his past, or his unknown father, any time soon.
* Once in an early game of Hide and Seek, he was unable to find Luna for over a week. He later found out she had been sneaking back and forth from the woods to the house. He still hasn't gotten much better at tracking.

Dracomon
Primary Form: Child

Baby Form: Babydmon

Child Form: Dracomon

Adult Form: Coredramon (Blue)

Perfect Form: Wingdramon

Ultimate Form: Slayerdramon

Apparent Gender: Masculine

Personality: Dracomon is a headstrong and reckless Digimon. At the first sign of danger, when others turn and run, he turns and runs towards it. More times than not he has taken one heck of a beating because of this, but that never gets him down. He'll get right back up and keep getting up until his body quits on him or he wins. This causes a lot of his friends to worry, which really pulls at his heartstrings. He just wants to help, not make more worries.

[User]
Delsin Grey[Sector 14 - Forest Biome → Frozen Pond]

@Shiny Keldeo@TalijaKey@Forsythe@Duthguy
The arm slipping out of his grip caused the currently sprinting teen's head to snap to the side to roll his eyes at the negative fox before looking back to the path ahead of his and focusing on brushing foliage and branches away from his face. "Are you always so damn pessimistic? If you keep thinking like that, you're defiantly gonna die. We're not screwed. You should focus on what we can realistically do instead of thinking that volcanoes are the only means of countering him. Finding someone strong could work, but there's also the chance that the strong one might try to kill us too. We need to be careful."

Then the booming voice of the ice age creature echoed out through the trees, causing Delsin to groan in distaste as he took a sharp right turn. "Did he seriously just call out his attack? Ugh...He better not start rapping too."

Then, all of a sudden, the air around the duo seemed to noticeably drop in temperature. The students emerald gaze drifting around the snowy area of forest that the two had ran into. Snow? But....The clearing I woke up in was a warm climate, as if it were summer or spring. How could there be such a cold biome right next to a green forest?..... Shaking his head, he completed the thought. Right. It's not real. It's just a game.

The optimistic teen took another sharp left turn, looking back and confirming that Renamon was following him as he ran out into another snowy clearing. This one containing a large, frozen pond whose ice sparkled in the sunlight. Delsin put a hand over his eyes and scanned the perimeter of the area, spotting nothing but a tiny group of what he assumed to be Digimon to the north east, and a few sunken tree branches trapped in the icy water. "Hm....That ice should be just thick enough..."

Swiftly spinning on his feet, the teenager dashed back to the trunk of a formidable tree. Dropping the small grey device in his pants pocket before he reached up to grab at one of the larger low hanging branches. The limb was slightly broken at the base, which allowed him to rip the thing from the tree with a bit of effort. The student brought the tip of the branch near his hand to inspect it's pointed tip. It's sharp....That thing may have a mask and armored trunk, but the rest of it's body is exposed....It's better than nothing.

Putting a firm grip on the make-shift spear, Delsin looked to Renamon and pointed out across the iced liquid with the hardy stick. "I have two plans. We could run on top of the ice to the other side of the clearing to put a gap between us and that monster, since it would most likely hold us but crack under his weight and it would take longer for him to go around it, or we could try our luck with that group on the shore over there. Each one is risky, but I don't have time to think of anything else unless you got something that doesn't involve volcanoes."

[Assistant]
Mammothmon and FrigimonsAffiliation: The Digital Army
[Digital World - Sector 14]

They'd gotten a good head start on him, the trees were being a real pain to topple and toss out of the way. He'd completely lost sight of them, and decided to stop and rethink his options. "I should go back to Base 14 and contact Lord Susanoomon... but what would he say if I told him I'd let the human escape?!" He thought, the image playing through in his head.

"YOU LET THE HUMAN ESCAPE!? YOU OAF!" Yelled Susanoomon as his fist came through the screen picking Mammothmon up by the scruff of his neck and deleting him on the spot.

Mammothmon shook his head and erased the thoughts from his mind. "No, I'll capture the human, if I don't kill him first, and bring him to Lord Susanoomon! Maybe I'll get a promotion, or even better, a Digivolution to Mega! That would be a dream come true!" He thought. With that thought in mind, he continued bashing every tree out of his way.

Meanwhile, the Frigimon were still searching around stealthily for the human. One made his way to the edge of the treeline surrounding one of many frozen lakes and ponds. He caught sight of something, quickly reversing and taking great care not to be noticed. It wasn't just one human, there were several around the lake! With this information, he quickly retreated to inform Commander Mammothmon.

[User]
Wessel and Gaomon
[Sector 14]

Despite his earlier objections to the idea Wessel decided that getting taken to whatever was uprooting those trees wasn't a good idea. Hoping to catch his captor unaware he picked up a heavy branch lying on the floor and quickly got up.

Goamon of course noticed the extra weight of the branch, not to mention that the human had gotten up. "When did yo...

He hit the dog on the head mid sentence, but it wasn't enough to knock the alien out. Still it did seem to leave it dazed so Wessel ran as fast as he could, away from the tree uprooter, in the direction he saw the other human.

While he was wondering if he should follow the human or continue heading to Mammothmon, Gaomon's prey put some decent distance between them, not that the Beast Digimon couldn't easily catch up though. Still he decided that informing the commander was more important, and besides he had evidence of his encounter in the form of that strange device the human dropped.

Unaware that he wasn't being followed Wessel ran as hard as he could, only stopping when he was completely out of breath. By that point he noticed the forest had made room for a bunch of frozen lakes and that the human he saw earlier was quite a ways in front of him, but at least he was in sight again. After catching his breath Wessel began jumping up and down and waving his arms around to draw the boy's attention. [color=39b54a*"Hey, you over there!!"*[/color]

It didn't take for Gaomon to come across Mammothmon.  "Mammothmon, sir. I came across a human and I have proof." He showed the Ultimate Digimon the device which still displayed his face and stats on screen.

[Assistant]
Mammothmon[Affiliation: The Digital Army]
[Digital World - Sector 14]

Mammothmon had finally stopped to take a breather from bashing through the forest. He was a big guy, and although he was used to the kind of work he was doing at the moment, it still wasn't easy. He heard a rustling in the bushes, turning as one of his Frigimon Soldiers emerged. "Commander, I've found a group of Humans, over near the Polaris Lakes!" He reported. "Good, there's very few places to run then, we'll have them cornered... unless the locals break their neutrality and help them." He replied, motioning to the Frigimon to prepare the others.

As he got to his feet, he heard a voice behind him. He turned to find a Digimon he did not recognize. He was not a part of the Digital Army, nor was he recorded entering Sector 14. This already aroused his suspicions. Then he went on to claim that he had found a Human. "And you let him escape?!" He was then shown the device. Upon seeing the Digimon's face on it, he knew he was being decieved.

"Do you honestly think I would be fooled by such a pathetic lie, you no good traitor!" He said, stomping his foot. "You're allied with them, I can see by the device you now hold! You held an air of suspicion the moment I knew you were here, I don't even know your name, but that won't matter..." He prepared to charge. "No one cares who a deleted Digimon was." He rushed forward towards the small blue Digimon.


[System]
* Appearance: Elora Liu'un
* Age: 14
* Personality: Elora is really shy and timid around others, and has a fear of offending anyone. If a boy starts talking to her she may spontaneously start crying, followed by her apologizing profusely. She is submissive and obedient due to being an emotional doormat, but has a bad habit of panicking when the situation turns bad. She blames herself for her colony world being destroyed, and thus apologizes for even the smallest of things in a pitiful attempt to forgive herself.
* Motive to live: Elora wants to protect the human worlds from Cruxi invasion, and if possible, find out what happened to her parents.
* Background: Elora never knew her parents, and lived in an orphanage for as long as she could remember. She was bullied there for being timid and shy around others. She wished for the bullying to stop at any cost, and she got her wish granted: her entire colony world was destryoed in a Cruxi attack, and as one of the few survivors she was sent to train in the piloting of a Framewerk. She doesn't remember it, but she has suspicions that she has been experimented on in some way.
* Notable Deaths: Her orphanage, and by extension the colony world she lived on. Possibly her parents.
* Other things: She likes computers and technical stuff, and has a dream of growing up to be an engineer.

________________________________________

Framewerk Sheet

* Framewerk Code Name: XJ9-RSU. Elora calls it Rilus.
* Appearance: XJ9-RSU.
* Signature Weapon System: Rilus' main mode of operation is collecting battlefield data which is achieved with the combined efforts of a built-in Combat Analyzer and Data Drones that shoot out from slots in Rilus' back. The Data Drones have laser turrets crafted into them for support fire, but their main use is in scanning enemy data for possible weak points or other noteworthy intelligence for the pilot to analyze and then relay to other pilots during a mission using the specialized antenna Rilus is also built with. The intelligence collecting speed is inversely proportional to Rilus' distance to enemy units, forcing Elora to keep close during combat despite having poor offensive capability. However, given the support of other Framewerks, the tactical advantage given by the collected data is sure to aid the entire squad.
* Secondary Weapon System: Rilus is equipped with an Alloy Battle Rifle, or ABR, that has a high rate of fire and low recoil. It is most useful against swarmers or other low-armor enemies, but has minimal performance against above-average defenses, and completely useless against energy-based shields.
* Flight-Capability/Thrusters: Rilus is equipped with a high-performance jet booster assisted by anti-grav projectors, allowing for high speed maneuvers and swift acceleration. This is unusual for a Framewerk with a quality of armor as high as Rilus has, but is possible due to the lack of effective weaponry the Framewerk has.
* Synchro Rate: 87%
* Special Ability: Blank

[User]
"Eep. I'm sorry," she answered back with a whisper once Antwon spoke to the rest of the group.
The unpleasant looking boy turned out to be far worse than Elora imagined, and she braced herself like she was expecting a hit from him. She immediately regretted ever speaking up, and started to imagine all the horrible teasing she suffered back at Epsilon V repeating here. Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes.

Sigma also seemed like an unpleasant person, but at least she focused her attention on Antwon, ignoring her. Still, for a moment she could feel her un-approving gaze burn on her skin like a ray of heat. She was serious about this, and clearly didn't want to work with someone like her. Not that Elora herself ever wanted to in the first place.

Matsuda on the other hand seemed like the first person that Elora wouldn't have to fear, seeing as he was really calm and easy-going about the situation. She made a mental note to try and learn about him, since he could eventually teach her how to stay so calm. Of course, that would require talking to a boy, and Elora's shook her head a bit due to embarrassment.

"Eep!" Elora was startled by the very forward gesture one of the boys suddenly did, since she was deep in her own thoughts and didn't realize he came so close to her. She couldn't avoid looking deep into his eyes, and after seeing the smile the boy gave to her, she immediately covered her face with her hands, trying to hide how her face turned bright red like a tomato. She was embarrassed to have something like this happening in front of so many people. Still, it did take her thoughts away from the mock battle and the bully, and she honestly felt a bit better about herself, not that she could ever admit it.

Once she realized that the crowd was focused on Ian, she lowered her hands back to her chest and listened along with the others, noting his Framewerk's specs which were easy to remember since they were basically opposite to her own. To an easily impressionable person like Elora, Ian's words sounded inspiring, and she was glad to know not all the confident people here were jerks about it.

Elora covered her mouth in reaction to her name being mentioned, and braced the quick looks she got from the others before they turned back to Ian. While she was flattered to hear she was the most important member of the team, she also feared that would result in the others wanting her to be squad leader. She thought for a moment about objecting to his praise, but was too shy to do so. She hoped the adults would make the decision separate of them.

Korie didn't think she would be a good fit for being squad leader, and Elora sighed in relief. Of course, Korie also insulted her by saying that, but Elora felt that the pilot was just being honest, and she could only agree. Korie seemed to be another no-nonsense person like Sigma, but unlike her, Korie apologized. She wondered about what kind of person the pilot is, and when Korie mentioned a white Framewerk Elora remembered seeing one. It looked very impressive and state-of-the-art. Elora started to think at this point that if they were going to vote on their squad leader, her vote would go to either Ian or Korie, since the both of them seemed to know what they were doing, but they also weren't mean. Antwon then suddenly started laughing loudly, causing Elora to startle. She decided she would stay as far away from him as possible.

Elora blushed at the scene, deathly afraid of making a single sound as she covered her mouth again. She knew it was impolite, but she couldn't help but stare at what happened. Does Ian come from a world where kissing is a greeting? Even the thought of it embarrassed Elora, and she cutely shook her head.

Elora didn't mind that Zan suddenly left from the group before she got to know him, in fact she was herself thinking about doing the same but was afraid to do so. Still, she was glad he gave his name before he left, so there wouldn't be any confusion later when the mock battle starts.
She looked aside for a moment, and noticed the pretty girl leaning against the wall, ignoring everyone else. She recognized her outfit belonging to idols, and wondered how a celebrity like her was there with the rest of them. She seemed to be in a bad mood, and fearing her possible scorn she stopped looking at her.

Serah seemed like a nice girl, and Elora was glad to see her trying to calm everyone down, since she knew she couldn't do it. Elora watched as she went to speak with Sigma. Elora wanted to join in, but she was too shy to. Besides, maybe they didn't like her, and would just tease her if she tried to be friendly with them. At least Sigma would, she thought to herself. Elora just kept looking at them, trying to build her courage up bit by bit.

[Assistant]
"Tch" Sigma sighed in annoyance at the display. She folded her arms tightly, even more so, as the talk went from Ian to Antwon, to a newcomer who seemed to have all answers, then to Ian kissing the newcomer, which made Sigma raise an eyebrow in dull surprise. They all seemed to like attention and talk big, but none of them, save perhaps, the mild exception of Korie, was delivering the real deal. The remaining two members were mostly unwilling to even make some kind of polite attempt at salutation, judging how one excused himself quickly and left, and the other, who looked like a diva of sorts, was too busy brooding. Just like Sigma.

And then came some strange sort of cute creature that was adamant in starting conversation with her. She even went so far to mimick Sigma's gait, and called things boring. Sigma couldn't agree more, but a gut feeling told her than expressing certain kind of attitudes would backfire. Why did they leave them alone? Why they chose to say that they would do a drill and then choose squad leader? Sigma wasn't certain, but she had the feeling there was more than just the fight. After all, she knew that not always the best fighter was the best squad leader. Maybe they were just observing them right now, and taking notes.

Her gaze wandered to Elora. She was looking at them both, with a longing stare. Lost puppy. It was what came to Sigma's mind. Well, she had already had one cute thing tailing her, so might aswell take the big price. Elora was possibly starving for a friendly hand, this whole world of teenager rants was dazzling her. Looking once at Serah, she then focused on Elora, rummaging through her pockets. "One second."

She produced a single chocolate candy bar, which she handed to Elora.

Treat your soldiers like your own sons and they will follow you to the deepest valley. The words of Sun Tzu were on her mind, and she could at some degree understand the feeling of not being able to connect socially. "You did well." She said to Elora, leaning before her and whispering in a soft voice. "You probably break into hives when someone addresses you with the slightest tinge of annoyance. And despite that, you came all the way here. Your confidence may be low, but your spirit is great." She added.

"And I daresay, I do want to see that framewerk in action." Sigma added as she gently reached for Elora's shoulder, trying for a comfort pat.

"Now, do you want to play a little game?" Sigma said as low as she could. "Girls only." She added, with a small wink. She also motioned Serah to come closer.

[User] "...Heeeey! Why did she get chocolate? No fair..." Serah mumbles, tailing Sigma soon after they'd stop leaning against the wall to go and comfort Elora. It was suprisingly nice of them. Well, Serah wasn't expecting them to be completely devoid of kindness, but from someone who looked so serious... It was admirable! She didn't even mind losing out on chocolate now. Sigma can be bugged about it later, anyway. Speaking of Sigma, she ushered Serah to come closer which made her burst with excitement. Ooh! What's the secret? She came as close as it took for the low monotone of Sigma to be audible which was... Suprisingly close. They were really good at lowering their voice, huh?

[Assistant]
Elora saw how the two girls came closer, and she was frozen with fright. Sigma wasn't content with just staring at her, now she wanted to scold her like she did Antwon. Taking a big gulp, Elora took a better stance with her feet, and braced for the verbal abuse she was expecting. She had to become strong if she was going to survive here.

However, the exact opposite happened, and Sigma offered her a chocolate candy bar, along with words of kindness. Having not prepared emotionally at all at such an action she couldn't take it anymore, and tears started to drip from her red face. Her hands trembled as she took hold of the candy.
"Th-Thank you. I-I hope to see yours, too."
She was hesitant to let Sigma touch her shoulder, but she quickly yielded. She calmed down, and stopped crying. She was truly happy at how things turned out, and if she was fortunate enough, maybe she could even make friends. Friends she wished she had at Epsilon V before she destroyed it with her wish. Nonetheless, Sigma's action really changed Elora's perception of her, and her fear of her started to subside.

Sigma proposed some kind of game, and Elora, though nervous, gained enough courage to accept the proposal, and nodded silently in consent. She didn't know what she had in mind, but whatever it was Elora at least wanted to try it; it was like she was partaking of Sigma's own confidence.

[User]
Sigma raised an eyebrow and visiblely jolted upon seeing Elora's reaction. People could cry even if they were praised? She didn't quite get it. Well, it wasn't a big surprise. She barely remembered when was the last time she ever cried during her upbringing. Still, there was no need of a teary face when she was about to explain things, so she took out her handkerchief and slowly wiped Elora's face. Serah had apparently followed her. Mainly because she was bored. Well, it was one way to get distracted already.

"It's a bit of everything. It's like a liar game, tag, shoot the duck, and you won't feel guilty if you cheat a little." Sigma whispered to both. "I'll treat you two to one of my strawberry cakes if you do well." She added, a bit forced. Maybe if I dangle such obvious bribe they'll resist the temptation to join others.. She paused. "We're going to, well, team up against the boys. But first, we'll tell a little white lie so that we're left alone."

She then raised her voice. "She doesn't feel so well. Let's get her to the bathroom to wash her face a little, Serah." She said out loud, hoping the other kids would follow.

[Assistant] Awww... Serah honestly couldn't say anything to Sigma being so nice and wiping off the other girl's tears. Then Sigma explained the "Game". She was about to say something but then the promise of cake caught her attention, somehow her smile widening even further. Anymore and it'd fall off... Wait, Elora was feeling I-? Oh, OOOOH! It's a lie! Serah got it. "Yeah, I agree. I'm sure it'll do her good." The blue haired pilot winked to the other 14 year old, waiting on Sigma's lead.

[User]
Elora now understood what Sigma wanted; victory over the boys in the mock battle. It made her feel like she was just nice so she could use her. Then again, if Elora helped her succeed with her plan maybe they could be real friends then, after she has shown she can be reliable. Elora didn't want to waste her only chance at friendship, so she went along with her plan. Besides, she was feeling a bit bad from her crying, so in her mind it wasn't as much a lie as it was an exaggeration.
The cake also intrigued a bit, but Elora wasn't much of a sweet tooth, and preferred salty treats instead. Serah on the other hand was immediately on board the plan, which made her feel reassured of going along with it.

Elora continued looking miserable, and with a normal voice (which she considered to be really loud), she said: "Good idea. I need some water..."


[System]
Age: 22

Gender: Female

In-Depth Appearance: Jo has dark brown, shoulder length hair and gray/blue eyes. She stands at about 5'3" and is of the average to athletic build. She has pale ivory skin and a single scar running down the left side of her abdomen. She can usually be seen wearing dark denim jeans, a tight fitting t shirt or a hoodie depending on the weather, and she most often wearing her earbuds and listening to her ipod.

Personality: Jo is as smart as a whip and she always lets you know when she is not happy with someone. She loves to be sarcastic and debate with people. She is generally a very sweet and fun person to hang around with, but she can be a bit stubborn and head strong.

Hobbies: reading, listening to music, rock climbing/hiking, running, sleeping.

Extra: Her favorite bands are linkin park, anberlin, breaking benjamin, and pitbull. She loves reading English literature. Her fears are spiders, dark places, and open water. Her likes are hot showers, freshly cut grass, the smell of old books, people, dragons.

[User]
After catching her breath, Eun-mi went back into the locker room to search for a towel. A large shelf of them sat by the showers, and she gladly began to dry herself off. Darthun had gone back to swimming a few minutes after she gave the all clear, and from her position in the locker room it was easy to hear him splashing and making a mess in there. She threw the used towel into a nearby hamper and grabbed a new one, draping that one over her head and shoulders for warmth. She was cold, hungry, and her body ached terribly after todays events. Who knew taking care of dragon could be this hard? "Darthun?" she called out towards the pool, "I'm going to explore a little more and then head to our room. You can play here for a while longer but then after that come find me." She heard a gurgled yelp and then another splash. "I guess that meant yes?" She gave a shrug and then began to make her way back to the lobby, trying to ignore the large scratch marks on the glass outside the pool as she walked past.

Back in the hallway, she passed the rows of windows again. Not much had changed with the view except for the new addition of dozens of giant flowers and plants now covering a potion of the field. Eun-mi was barely able to make out the silhouette of a figure running around out where those plants were. She watched from her spot carefully, trying to figure out which new colleague she was seeing. "Let's see... Right now there's nature going crazy. I think that might be some king of magic like that large dragon was talking about. So maybe some kind of nature magic? Or what if it's a dragon? Hm...Emma had a dragon that looked really green and naturey, maybe it's her? Hmmm...." She stood there for a few minutes in contemplation. This place was so interesting. Magic and dragons...she never thought it was even possible. But now look where they all were! She turned away from the window and kept walking. There was plenty of time to figure everything out, but right now she wanted food and a break. When she made it to the lobby she quickly turned to the stairs and began climbing. There were still people huddled in the lobby blocking the elevator, and she didn't want to wait. The climb took a few minutes, but she finally reached her floor. Both sides of the hallway were lined with doors. Next to them on he walls were small brass plates bearing the number and names of the occupants. She walked steadily towards her room, silently reading the numbers as they counted down to hers.

Room 312
Gaeden Yourshaw
Eun-mi Seong

She grabbed the handle before pausing after remembering she didn't have a key. A frown appeared on her face but she tried anyway, and to her surprise it easily opened. "Hello?" Eun-mi's voice echoed as she entered the apartment. It looked like her roommate hadn't arrived yet. There was a long comfy sofa and chair next to the entrance and a few paintings of nature on the wall. The first impression made it feel like she was back in college, only in a much nicer place. Walking down the hallway she stopped in front of two doors. The same type of small brass nameplate from the front was placed on top of both doors as well, and Eun-mi opened the one listed for her on the left.
"Oh come on!"
She hadn't packed anything when she came here, so whoever was tasked to bring her stuff took the liberty to not do it in an organized manner. Clothes, art supplies, and various dish ware were dumped on both her bed as well as the desk on the far end of the room. Small piles of more clothes sat heaped on the floor. By the window was a pile of hangers. Just hangers. Eun-mi couldn't figure out why. What made it even more curious was the fact that these colors were all bright yellow and red when hers were all white. These weren't her hangers. Why were they with her stuff?
Irritated, Eun-mi trudged through the piles and began picking up a random assortment of objects to try to make sense of the mess. This would take hours to clean. She gave a sigh and shoved a portion of the bed-clothes into a pile of floor-clothes and collapsed. She let out a groan and just lay there for a while. Maybe Darthun or her roommate would come back soon so she wouldn't have to deal with this mess yet. She hoped that would happen. This was not something appealing to do right now.

[Assistant]
Once the group arrived to the apartments, others quickly went to check their respective rooms and roommates. Storm waited for a moment, for the initial rush to die down. The group began to dissipate as people decided to embark on their own, little, adventures and Storm stepped up to the plate. His eyes swiftly shuffled down the list, coming to a halt after pinpointing his room and whom he had been paired with.

'Viviana?'... The name had surely drawn a blank. These people were all still complete strangers, just as he was still a shadow in the crowd. He didn't bother himself, too much, trying to pin a face to the name because they would eventually have to meet sooner or later at the room. The only thing he had hoped for was that he had a bearable roommate and that's setting the bar pretty low.

By now, most had already wandered off alone. Storm, on the other hand, chose the path of least resistance. He would first go check out his room, maybe wait a little while in case his roommate shows up. Then they could possibly choose to adventure from there. It would allow them to get to know a little about each other and not stay cooped up in the room, like birds in a cage. This option also served as a security measure. Should anything wild happen -not that he's anticipating it- it's definitely much better to have another person there. Nothing would leave a greater first impression than getting lost in a mysterious, new, world.

Storm noticed a man holding an elevator for any other takers. It didn't seem like there were any others who chose this path and Storm didn't blame them. A goliath stood between them and the quickest route to their room. Storm was a bit on the taller side, but even he would look like a dwarf next to this guy. He couldn't help but imagine the giant as a guardian of the elevator, saying something like 'YOU SHALL NOT PASS!'. The thought forced a chuckle, as he neared the elevator, Xyalor trailing close behind.

Having entered the elevator, Storm couldn't help but look up at the man, gauging the height difference. He had never really felt so tiny in his life. "I'd ask if you're going up, but....by the looks of it you're already there" he said with a playful smile "The name's Storm and this here is Xyalor"

[User]
- Vivii -
Vivii looked cautiously about as she found the sheet, she was one of the last ones to get a look at it. Someone named Storm was her roommate. She was quite puzzled, she'd met both and man and a women in the past with that name and she wondered which one this person would be. She pushed her messy blonde hair back behind her ear as she moved towards the elevator. Two men were already inside, one was the exceptionally tall celebrity whom she now couldn't remember the name of. The other however she had not yet met but he was tall as well in comparison to herself though not nearly as tall as the celebrity guy.

Vivii was quite tall or considered to be tall by most of the people she had met, for a woman of course, but she was not even close to being as tall as either of these men. It unnerved her a bit and she suddenly wished that she had heels on, they were a comfort to her. Her height was something that, while most women hated being tall, Vivii found comfort in it. It made other women frightened of or threatened by her generally and men saw her as more equal to them. Despite being nearly five foot nine she was quite delicate looking with high cheekbones and a soft full mouth. With baby blue eyes she watched them carefully for a moment before she headed in the direction of the elevator. After all this running she wouldn't be taking the stairs, not even just to the third floor.

When she realized the taller man was about to let the doors close she rushed her steps, glad for her gracefullness as she moved quickly towards them as she called out, "Hold on a sec!" She moved as quickly as possible without actually jogging towards them, Laila close behind her while her finches remained carefully tucked away on her shoulder, their bright red breasts showing through the curtain of her pale blonde hair. She smiled disarmingly as she entered the elevator, hiding in the furthest corner from the back putting her head down to look at her grey and purple Nike tennis shoes.

Laila was curled around her feet and Vivii found herself smiling at the little dragon. "Ma chérie, tu es si jolie." She murmured to the shimmering white dragon, her four wings fluttering easily as she looked around at the others. She looked carefully at the two men, her blue eyes that very nearly matched Vivii's in color. She spoke carefully, trying to articulate the words fully as she spoke, "I Laila. My Vivii" The little dragon gestured to Vivii, by throwing up a golden clawed foot.

- Niall -

Niall chuckled as the young man cracked a joke about his height, it was something he was quite used to. "Niall Collins, this is Allaire." His voice was a deep rumble and he was caught a bit off guard when he heard another voice that was light and slightly accented with what he recognized as french. It was the blonde he had admired at the dinner table earlier. Her voice was like something he had never heard, smooth and melodious as well as warm. It was just the opposite of her behavior though.

He nodded quietly at her when she entered the elevator but she didn't offer to speak to them, instead keeping her eyes down and speaking to the little dragon that had curled carefully around her legs. He didn't have any clue what she had said but it was obviously in french. He was startled for the second time in nearly as many minutes when the beautiful dragon she had with her spoke instead of her. Speaking her own name as well as the woman's. "Well it is lovely to meet the both of you, beautiful names for two beautiful creatures." He smiled easily down at the others, he had been this tall since he was around seventeen when he'd had a growth spurt. It wasn't until his early twenties though that he would fill out and become the massive giant that he was today, hitting the gym hard and long certainly hadn't hurt earlier. Neither had his tendency towards training in MMA. He outsized most of his opponents by quite a lot but the sport had taught him not to underestimate people even when they were smaller.

She looked so delicate, her wrists were positively tiny as were the ankles she displayed in her capri length work out pants. He was quite sure that if he got too close or touched her that he would break her simply by accident, like a beautiful glass sculpture. He shook his head internally, he wasn't here to fall for a woman he barely knew or fall for any woman at all for that matter.

[Assistant]
Jo looked up at the massive building before her and then down at the dragon by her feet. Bane was pouncing on the bugs that flew up as the grass was stirred. Jo couldn't help but grin at the playful antics of the little forest dragon. "come on, Bane," she whispered and picked up the dragon. Her fingers brushed the soft mossy patches along his sides. "Let's get up to the room. I'd like to see what belonging of mine have been brought here since I packed next to nothing!" She rolled her eyes and let Bane scamper up onto her right shoulder and his long tail curled around her neck, draping down over her left arm.

She watched a group of people pile into the elevator, but decided to take the stairs. She didn't do well with a lot of people in tight spaces, and she really didn't like elevators. Jo and Bane walked up the stairs, pausing to read the signs with directions on them so they wouldn't get too lost. She remembered she was sharing a room with Niall. Wasn't that the guy she talked to at dinner? She couldn't remember very well. Jo scrunched her nose up at Bane and sighed. "I hope this doesn't end badly."

The small dragon cocked his head to the side and chirped loudly, clicking his sharp teeth together. She pushed open the door to exit the stairwell and walked slowly down the long hall until she found the room number. It didn't seem that anyone was here yet. Pushing the door open slowly, she peered into the empty room. It was a magnificent apartment. Open concept with a large sitting room, kitchen and what appeared to be two bedrooms, each on opposite sides of the room.

Jo took the one on the left, trudging into the room and letting Bane jump from her shoulder and onto the bed with a sound that seemed like laughter. Jo grinned down at the dragon and flopped onto the bed beside him. "Welcome home, Little Bane, welcome home."


[System]
A l i a s :

Impulse

P e r s o n a l i t y :

Strong conviction permeates his persona and is the underlying foundation upon which Cassian's personality is built. Underneath carefully constructed exterior expressions and calculated emotions lies the heart and soul of a man who places his code at the forefront of the summation of his being. Honor and necessity, two traditionally polar values, find harmony within the mentality of the former enforcer and guide both thought and action even while under the weight of pressured situations--an important skill honed and developed in the fires of a past littered with heated experiences. All that said, social interaction willfully breaks the mold and provides temporary relief from the realities of hard choices made. The man revels in good conversation and finds that genuine dialogue with others is something of a safe space where one can fully relax. His words run the gamut of playfully sarcastic wit to venom of the purest kind and every level in between is open to exploration dependent upon the given participant. In totality, Cassian is a complete individual who has come to understand his own nature and reins himself within the borders of what he considers to be his true and natural self.

A p p e a r a n c e :

Cassian is clearly of Asian descent though he has long suspected his heritage sits neatly beside western ethnicity--a truth that he has purposely never cared enough to thoroughly investigate. His countenance is strong, yet not as hardened by a life lived under a constant hammer; brown eyes, somewhat thick eyebrows, and a rounder, though pronounced, jawline all sit under a small tuft of ebony locks that have clearly been styled to suit a more professional visage. Traits of his original bloodline dominate his physicality with a standing height of five foot nine inches and a present weight of somewhere just shy of one hundred and sixty pounds. His body is lean and athletic as a direct result of his storied past, each line and contour of definition a necessity of survival and a determination to simply be better. His detailed back is adorned with a unique, inky design depicting an eastern-inspired dragon coiling and curling its snake-like body just past a hardly exposed tailbone and glaring defiantly at all who are subjected to the rear of its owner with blank eyes that sport a golden hue. Old scars are lightly scattered throughout the entirety of Cassian's bare self and remain covered under an assortment of formal and business casual style attire chosen for both a professional look and function that has become second nature after a lifetime of performance in said clothing.

H i s t o r y :

The family Priest initially came together from opposite ends of the world, an Asian man from a prominent family emigrating to a new country and city and stumbling into his one true love while pursuing the dream of creating a business he could call his own. The duo used their combined skill, education, and knowledge to erect a successful venture, carving out a space in the financial industry and garnering good will and renown amongst denizens of The Centre. In honor of the woman who helped him create this new life and the union they would now share as husband and wife, the man boldly took on her last name after their marital ceremony and decided the legacy of the business would also do the same; Priest Financial was born and a few short years later so was the couple's first and only child, Cassian Priest.

Cassian was a bubbly and inquisitive child, showing a thirst for life that most would deem only possible in the environment of The Centre. He would routinely be caught climbing atop any and everything as soon as he gained the ability walk and contort his body to will and excursions outside the home followed in the years he began to grow bigger and more bold. His teachers called him a delight and an extrovert in class, but the nannies always had the same report; the boy was found in the shed in the backyard or he was found just outside the gated property. The young boy was curious about the world outside from the time he could ascertain wonderment and he made every effort to satisfy his curiosity whenever and wherever he could. In reality however, these practices held more meaning than simple sight-seeing. As the boy's parents were rarely home due to the demands of their company, Cassian's growing loneliness was only kept at bay by the strangers he met on the small adventures he had.

As time went on and the young boy grew into a young teen, his frequency to leave his home and explore the world around him only increased. He maintained his place in the top percentages of his high school which he felt gave him the perfect excuse to come and go as he pleased. By this point, he now had a small circle of friends who held similar passions and the group would often be seen and greeted by citizens of The Centre as they went about their business. It was also around this time however, that life threw an unexpected twist at the teenage Priest. Though Cassian's parents had amassed a small fortune to be sure, The Centre was full of the super-rich which also meant that arrogance and status were both held in high regard. Teenagers from bigger, more powerful families began harrassing Cassian's group at every turn and it wasn't long before a former bubbly child became a battered and bruised teen on fire. Anger consumed him and Cassian and his group lashed out at those that dared speak ill of them or their families.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely and this held true for the young Cassian who had discovered just how alluring a fraction of real power could be. Him and his group began to gain infamy amongst students in school and secured a reputation for being dangerous and unpredictable. Even with the needs of business being a constant distraction, Cassian's parents would stand for this kind of behavior no longer. It was decided upon graduation that their admittedly smart and independent son would be shipped off to an EDENPOL academy to instill discipline and a sense of order in his now chaotic life. It was only a week after graduation when military personnel showed up at Priest's door and forcefully took Cassian in a direction that would inform the rest of his life.

EDENPOL taught Cassian a lot of things. They re-balanced his emotional center and allowed him to come to terms with the true reasons for his erratic behavior during his high school years. They installed order and discipline in his psyche which spurred a growth of maturity in the now young man he had become. They gave him skills that a mere civilian could not possess and honed his fighting ability to the point that he was quickly becoming known as one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in his class. More importantly than anything else, however, they revealed a critical piece of his true nature that had remain locked behind the safety and security of a constantly guarded environment in The Centre--the young soldier possessed an otherworldly ability to feel and sense danger before the he could come to harm. He described it as an impulse in his mind and body that warned him of unknown danger and forced his body to respond in the appropriate manner. EDENPOL helped him develop this unique trait though as he undertook the missions he was ordered to tackle, a growing sense of disillusion formed deep within. He was still taking orders from authorities above him and now that he knew of his true potential, he became more confident in making a decision he had been lingering on.

It had happened after his first mission. Cassian had been sent with a small group to infiltrate a business in order to arrest a higher ranking member of the Ito-Gumi. The mission was flowing smoothly and even resulted in success, but this had been a calculated move by the notorious gang. In the short span of time that Cassian had found himself alone with a member of the organization, she had planted some very compelling truths in the mind of the young soldier. And she had also offered a way to truly live free if that's what he so desired. Once the man had come to grips with his newfound ability, he deserted EDENPOL and joined the Ito-Gumi to become one of their enforcers and act as security for a variety of their locations and meetings. He spent years with the group and forged a familial bond with officers he would interact with daily and, for a while, he was truly happy.

As time went on, Cassian once again took stock of his life and began to reflect on the horrific things he had seen and done as a high-ranking member of the Ito-Gumi. Age brought wisdom and a proper sense of guilt and his conscience was beginning to get the better of him. It all came to a head at some point and, once again, Cassian abandoned a group that had accepted him and taught him valuable life lessons. This time however, he made sure he properly severed ties and was poised to retire to a life of relative quiet until he stumbled upon a woman calling herself Cider. It was then that he learned of the world of contractors and Ultralight and it was also then that he knew this meeting was fate giving him one more chance at creating a legacy he could be proud of. He joined Ultralight and has been working with the group for approximately two years. In that time, he has worked with multiple cells and met many different kinds of people, but one truth emerged and has remained steady.

Ultralight is the place he can truly think of as home.

C a p a b i l i t i e s :

Cassian has the ability to feel and sense danger before he suffers harm from it. It manifests as a feeling in his mind and a physical feeling in his body, usually the back of the neck, and forces his body to move appropriately in order to avoid the repercussions of whatever is coming. The caveat is that he cannot tell specifically what kind of danger is imminent, but the feeling is enough to help him be prepared for all manner of chaos. It has helped him out of situations time and time again and it even allows his hand-to-hand fighting style to be better because he can use the most efficient movements in conjunction with this impulse to overcome his enemies.

E q u i p m e n t :

9mm Catridge-based Pistol, full-size
4-inch Combat Knife made of a carbon-polymer composite
Small, magnetic concussive grenades that emit a field of shifting magnetic polarities which interrupts the natural magnetic field of human beings and disrupts the equilibrium--basically gives those caught in the blast a massive headache and an inability to keep their balance for a while

[User]
Along the whole ride, Ambrosine prepped herself for the mission. She filled all the syringes she could with the paralytics and taped them into a compact handheld setup to inject easily. After that, she put on her sap gloves, then her knuckle dusters on each hand. She kept her handgun and rifle holstered and held at her hip, respectively. She had an idea to help incapacitate it, but she needed a better view of it before she could make a decision.

Once at the site and in the office, Ambrosine let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. The thrill of being combat contrasted to the real danger of being taken out for a long period of time led her to try and level her feelings. Looking at her companions, she motioned to the door. "Merde, that sound is horrible. Anyone got eyes on the target?"

[Assistant]
The former officer took a few moments after disembarking to check his supply of ammo before following Ambrosine inside. Asche shifted his attention to Ambrosine and nodded, "Eyes on shortly, Stim." he offered flatly. Asche began to fade away as he walked backwards into the corner of the room, his body dissipating into smoke and drifting backwards into the seam where the walls met.

As Asche entered Shadowspace, he took a few moments to orient himself to the other world. The strange geometries took getting used to, especially when entering an unfamiliar region of this place. The shifting tapestry of dimensionless forms rolled and turned around the black haired man as he focused his mind to find the way forward. Slowly, he could see the path forming in his mind. Not so much walking as sliding, he moved forward towards a sharp bend in space relatively close to the point where he had entered.

Exiting into the real world once more, Asche found himself on the factory floor, at a corner near a roiling vat of molten metal. The contractor raised his rifle to his right shoulder, advancing forward through the foundry and reporting on his findings over comms.

[User]
Location - The Tetsu Foundry

---

---

Silence enveloped Cassian once he boarded the transport. His thoughts had taken him into his own mentality and his expression shifted to one of intense focus. Something was bothering him about Magpie's encounter, but the piece he felt was missing remained elusive. The senior contractor was more capable than most, yet she had run into trouble with this thing. More than that, it sounded like the encounter was even one-on-one, a situation where someone like Mag would enjoy a significant advantage, but even that had proven to be worth little. No one ever expected her to die on mission, but to have such a hard time with a single target was more illuminating than what it seemed like the others were giving it credit for. Cassian had never considered himself some kind of one-man army or even extremely capable, but his skill along with his ability had always allowed him to survive every situation he'd found himself in. As the speed of the transport slowed however, he began to feel a knot in his abdomen. He would need to take this threat very seriously if he wanted to return to the safehouse alive; he would need to do more than simply survive if he truly wanted to come out on the other side of this.

The transport stopped near the manhole Cider spoke of and Cassian made sure he was the last to disembark. He shook his arms out a bit and adjusted his dark jacket. Considering the nature of the target and the expectations on mission, the contractor had decided on wearing a uniform more fit for speed of movement and agility--black, tactical pants that fell over matching steel-toed sneakers and a fitting, grey t-shirt with a thin jacket over top. It was nothing fancy at all and offered zero protection, but Cassian's battlefield methodology had always been more about evading danger and minimizing self-injury as much as possible. His gaze shifted to the others and he took stock of them once more. This was the team, after all, and he would need to coordinate with them properly if he wanted to have a hope of being on the winning side.

He checked his extra magazines and his handgun one last time before re-holstering and pulling on a pair of thin, black gloves. They were plain to the eye, but also had squares of custom padding stitched into the palm and fingers on the front of each hand. With nary a word, he followed some of the others into the manhole and it was only a short trip before he emerged in a small office alongside Ambrosine. He made it just in time to catch a glimpse of Asche disappearing into a wall in a veil of wispy smoke. He raised an eyebrow. "Damn. Bet that's useful," he said to Ambrosine who was busy messing with her own gear. Once she motioned to the door, Cassian nodded his head, agreeing with her assessment. "Yeah, it's not the greatest noise. But, we're gonna have to see what's on the other side so... Here goes nothin'."

The handgun quickly reappeared in a tight two-handed grip, but lowered towards the ground. Cassian motioned towards the door with his head, expecting Ambrosine to follow, and took a slightly lowered stance just in front of the large slab of metal. After a moment, he reached out and grabbed the door handle and begun slowly pulling the door open.


[System]
Race: Sentry Bot

Age: Unrecognized Parameter

Height:5'11

Weight: 1300 pounds

Appearance: Dark green spray paint and poorly drawn skulls litter his exterior, along with leather pads and scrap metal plating that the raiders that captured him thought looked cool. In place of the standard missile launcher on the bot's right arm, there is what appears to be a heavily reinforced arm with a hand. All that aside, it appears to be a fairly standard Sentry bot.

Equipment: Semi-sentient AI allows for adaptive combat and interaction with humans. A storage space holding six fission batteries and various other basic repair supplies(though he cannot use them)

Weapons: Arm mounted mini-gun.

Specializations: It's a robot.

Negative Attributes: STAIRS...Oh and some faulty code that occasionally leads to minor errors. Of course, due to being a heavily armed robot, RB's conversational skills are lacking quite a bit.

Other: While the raiders that captured had a technician on hand to rewrite his core programming, he was not very skilled. He barely managed to rewrite the bot's identification and a few minor subroutines causing a few minor glitches.

Biography: Sentry Bot 0427 was one of the first Sentry bots to be implanted with the Enclave's "sentient AIs." Being one of the first, it was no surprise when the robot seemingly locked up and shut itself down. With numerous other bots to test They quickly discarded the 'hunk of junk' and continued on with their research. The robot was found years later by a group of raiders that were looting the former Enclave facility. After finding the robot, they quickly dragged it to their den and set it up as decoration outside. It didn't take long before RB was captured by another group of raiders and taken southeast to yet another base. This cycle repeated until he ended up with a group that was holed up in an abandoned grocery store. Apparently said group had a 'genius' technician that decided it was wise to reload the sentry bot's weapons, replace its fission battery, and rewrite its code. It was the leader of the gang's plan to use the robot to acquire new territory. The area was very turbulent as the local raider gangs fought non-stop. The technician finished his rewrite and rebooted the newly designated "Raid-Bot".

 The moment the raiders barked an order at the reawakened RB the den became a storm of minigun rounds, smoke, and raider parts. It seemed that the technician was unable to break the encryption on the Friend-or-Foe programs, nor did he think to disable "Raid-Bot"'s weapon. Of course, the leader managed to escape the moment the minigun began spinning. When the dust settled, the only two figures still standing were RB and the technician that had 'fixed' him. After a brief staredown, the technician jumped for the nearest weapon which was, unfortunately, a 9mm pistol. After uselessly loosing a few rounds at the robot, he found himself being run over repeatedly by RB's four wheels...RB didn't appreciate the name-change or the rooting around in its head. After the raiders had been cleared out, Raid-Bot began to drive into the nearest wall(due to the 'technician's' tampering causing a loop).

[User]
To the best of her knowledge Sophie had managed to escape detection from anyone in the area, though it did occur to her that she would have no way of telling. From the distance everyone nearby was at, Sophie couldn't tell what direction anyone was facing or where their heads were turned. A few raiders seemed to have appeared after she took cover, Sophie could hear gunshots and laser fire that lit up clearly in her view, one end near the woman waving her arms that Sophie had been moving to. Shortly afterwards the figure fell to the ground, and Sophie could hear a clanking metal sound when it hit the floor.

'A clank?'

The noise that John had made when he fell intrigued Sophie. Leaving her cart behind, hopefully safe, Sophie stepped away from the deli window and walked over to a side door that led to the alley between the deli and the next building, bringing her a bit closer to France and John. Desperately hoping no one would see the ghoul woman in the safari costume and assume she was a raider or feral, Sophie now crouched and started quickly walking towards France and John, in front of the storefronts.

From that distance, Sophie could see metal gray in the android's face. She didn't know what was wrong with him, but assumed she had a better chance of figuring it out than anyone born after the bombs dropped. "Hey! Arm waving girl!" Sophie called out, crouching but not really hiding behind anything nearby. "Let me help you with that robot!" She didn't know he was a robot and not a cyborg or anything like that for sure of course, but assumed he was a robot as she lacked any experience with cyborgs or prosthesis.

[Assistant]
Blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked ahead, France began to jaunt up to the man that seemed so intent on lying in that pile of debris. "Why would he choose there to rest? I'm sure there's a comfier spot around here…" Although, around here just so happened to be a decimated hell-scape, so maybe not.

It was the incredibly loud attempt at stealth that pushed the girl into a state of unease, her heart thumping and her eyes roaring open at the unknown sounds of heavy movement and rattling metal. This was the making of horror tales, and so inclined to not end up like all the ill-fated characters of these grim stories, France made it her mission to find out what had spooked her. Frantically looking about, she could only jump at the sight of something leaping through the shattered remains of a storefront and crashing down with a gut-wrenching clatter. The wary woman took a step back, hand hovering unsteadily over her handgun.

"H-hello? Who's there? Show yourself!" France had expected a vocal response, whether it be a voice or a feral growl of some sort, but the gunshot that rang in her ears proved to be enough to send her over the edge. Without second thought, she bolted to the first sign of cover that she could find, managing to duck behind a ruined town car fairly close to where her weary half man half machine acquaintance rested. The sight of him standing with his weapon combined with the sounds of battle brought memories of sitting in class learning about the Great War, and the massive carnage that ensued on those warfronts. But this couldn't end so terribly, right? "Drahma help me, I don't wanna die! Not now!"

Yelping in fear when the android collapsed, France skittered over, kneeling over him in attempt to discover one thing; why? "You… You're so pale! What's happened, are you hurt?" Noticing the soda in his grasp, and not finding signs of any apparent wounds, she did the only thing she could. Bringing the cola to his lips, France gently tipped the bottle so he could sip the fizzy elixir. "You're gonna be alright… Stay with me…"

[User]
RB took a moment to turn his safety functions on in the hopes that his systems wouldn't glitch out and automatically obliterate this new 'guest.' He assumed if it came to a firefight, Andrei would probably back him up.

"Affirmative" RB said as he rolled slowly towards the source of the noise from before.

(I know this a really short post, but I really didn't want to do any meta shit.)

[Assistant]
Henry let the last shudders of his rifle echo through his body before standing and peering down at the corpses below him, the two limp raiders whose faces lay upon the dusty earth, but there was still life down there yet. Pushing his rifle back and taking his 9mm from his hip, Henry leaned over the open window and sought after a sign of movement behind the rubble. Seeing a faint blur of a female beside a fallen man Direson called down in his deep tones.

"Hello? Y'all ok down there?"

Just as Henry was about to turn and head down there, he felt a sudden lurch beneath his feet and his toes curled down in an attempt to cling on. Turning as he had first intended to, Henry saw a 'Snuffler'.

Snuffler was the biggest, meanest and most ugly Molerat Direson had ever set his burnt-out ember eyes on. A few months back Direson was scouting out a large Molerat cave system and found mound upon mound of dirtied skeletons, some human but most Mole rat. This huge bastard was on top of the largest mound, chewing enthusiastically on an arm - honestly, Henry couldn't tell if it was Human or not. The beast had a big dark scar, much like his own, directly down his already ugly mug.

They had fought together on many occasions recently, in Snufflers cave, the wastelands and on the borders of Henry's home but never, NEVER had the sneaky bitch got into Henry's grounds. Screaming at the beast, Henry fired off as many bullets as he could as the bus shifted ever closer to the edge.

The clip was empty, his pistol clicked, and the bus tipped to the power of gravity.

Henry fell, and for a moment thought he saw the fucker smile as he did so, then his head hit the chair behind him, his right arm cracked against the metal bar, and he saw black.

[User]
RB rounded the corner to find a human female on the ground. He quickly leveled his weapon and glared downward towards the woman.

"Intruder detected, please disarm."

(desparately avoiding the metaposting, but it's really hard in this situation.)


[System]
The Troll-Killer

Bold: +0
Good: -1
Strong: +1
Wary: +2
Weird: +1

Rights:

I have an enchanted weapon

When I encounter something unnatural, I have the right to roll Weird.
On 10+, I ask the MC 2 of the following. On 7–9, ask 1.
• Is this a thing of old ways, new ways, or ways unknown to me?
• What manner of person made this thing, or is it its own?
• For what does this thing hunger, or by what has it sated itself?
• What would this thing make the world into, if it only could?
On a miss, ask 1, but the thing may ask a question of you in return, from this list or of its own devising. Answer truthfully.

I have the right to slay whom I must for the protection of all

In single combat, I have the right to spend 1 more than my roll alone would allow

Who?
I am the son of an expert warrior who has trained me well, and an English bowyer. My father is part of a company of elite warriors who have been exiled from their homeland who travelled far, following the legends of Rome, in search of a new place of Lords to sell their swords and undertake new duties.

The chivalric code of conduct came naturally to many of the Exiles, who integrated it with their own. As the second generation, I have been taught this synthesis of chivalry and of my father's strict martial traditions.

My father was also a deeply spiritual man, but not a Christian. It is both his spiritualism and the esoteric faiths of my mother's England that I have been raised with, and that I also put a great importance in.

I am no longer a child, but I am still defined by being my father's son. His reputation is fearsome, and his People, the Pilgrims in Exile, are my people as well - together they try to rebuild as much of their traditions as they can pass down to the next generation.

While I am inspired by their legacy, I am also an Englishman. I will build my own legacy, that of an English Knight, from the tools that my People have given me. This is why I have struck out on my own, out from under my People's shadow.

I have no land, no titles, and as yet few deeds to my name. I carry my father's bow and my mother's arrows, my People's knowledge, and a heart and mind uniquely my own.

Here is my vow: I will be Just, Courageous and Compassionate. In all things I will show Integrity, Honour and Loyalty. I must never strike in anger, and I will spill no unneeded blood. If blood need be spilled, I must cut decisively and with true intent. I seek honour in duty and I seek greatness through my service to all.

People: The Pilgrims in Exile, of which I am typical (of my generation)
They are bound by a single common experience
They are a warrior order, 16 souls in 16 households of 16 warriors
They are lean and tawny-brown
They mostly speak Latin with mixed fluencies, due to following the Pax Romana from their homeland

Stats: +1 War, +1 Rites, 0 Wealth
War: They are known for their physical prowess and their individual skill at arms
Rites: They are known for their fearlessness in the face of death and their patience in suffering
Wealth: They are known for their craft and skill

Household:
I have a humble place in another's household
The household is an Inn at which I am hosted by the Innkeeper's charity
 Horse and stables
 Tenants
 A kitchen, pantry and buttery
 Debts

Personal belongings:
Distinctive clothing of a sky-blue silk shirt, and black gambeson trousers.
An elaborate black quiver with blue silk thread stitching.
I am without ornament, though my hair is tied back in a distinctive tight bun
My drinking cup is lacquered wood of fine craft
My knife is of long cord-wrapped iron.

Arms and Armor:
A dagger (2 harm)
A bardiche (3 harm)
Hide armor (1 armor)
A leather helmet (1 armor)
An enchanted bow of ancient yew (4 harm at range, can harm non-flesh creatures)

Has a bounty of fur and a bounty of meat

[User]
Tristan is pretty relieved that he didn't bring his polearm, after all. A long day would have been made longer for it. Now he can take his bow in both hands. He nocks an arrow and takes aim at the badger.

He has no killing intent, and the arrow will not fly. But he has been taught to calm his mind while firing and so stillness comes most naturally to him while he is aiming. The two are as practiced as each other now, and doing one leads most naturally to doing the other. When he draws, everything disappears but for him and the target. The field is gone - he is close enough to reach out and touch it.

[2d6+1=9 - I ask one:
I think the most useful question to ask here is:
What would this thing make the world into, if it only could?]

[Assistant] While Tristan focuses on the beast, Nin observes their surroundings (+Wary: 5+5+2 = 12), casting a wary eye for any clues or details easily missed. There must be something besides the beast itself to see here. What does she see?

[User]
Robena

Revel for a moment in being one of the greatest knights to ever serve Lostwithiel! Your arm is strong, your aim sure. If you were less well-armed or less committed to your skill, the Azure knight would be a terrifying opponent, one who might well slay a lesser knight or unhorse them in an instant. But for you, arranged in your majestic cloak and seated surely atop Apricot, there is little risk even against a cursed knight such as this.

The Azure knight spurs her horse to a gallop, sets her lance, but despite her skill and unnatural stillness, she realizes just before the approach that yours is the stronger charge. You can see that she has a moment to choose, a single instant to decide whether to set her shield and turn the blow, losing her balance in the process, or whether to take the blow head on and try to match you. For a moment, it appears as though she'll do the sane thing and protect herself from a severe wound, but in the last instant, she sets her lance straight and matches yours. As your lance penetrates her mail and strikes what is probably a rib, it breaks and you hear the first sound from her: a rough grunt that makes you think from its tenor that she may be lighter than she appears with her full armor. A small red stain turns her surcoat into a shade of purple. However, she does not lose her balance, but if she keeps up like this, she may well be killed.

Rearm yourself and tell us how you approach the second pass.

[The Azure knight spends 2: both on position. She inflicts 4 harm and has 3 armor, matching your position but suffering a wound in the process. From the tie, she will spend her full 3 on position in the next pass, intent on winning the contest at any cost to herself.]

Constance

You sway and the Master of Arms (what was his name, by the by?) stands and catches you. The Duchess Marianne looks at you with a mixture of frustration and hope. This is obviously the wrong time: you're late, disrupting the tournament, and anything she does to respond to your wild gestures now will force the jousting knights to stop, a deep disrespect to their contest. The Azure knight has not even spoken yet, and they are rearming for their second pass as you arrived. Cerwen is looking at you with obvious worry, the master of arms is trying gently but firmly to press you into your seat. Yet for all that, it's clear the Duchess wants to respond to you. She trusts you Constance, trusts the old ways, the visions, and the magic that runs through her veins. That trust, that faith in her heart is why Lostwithiel noticed the rot and stands against it now.

Press her now for a response and you'll strain that trust, you will be asking a great deal, but she will do it and let you offer a pronouncement to the tournament. Or, wait, sit, question her other advisors, show your grace towards the combatants and you may have a stronger position later. How urgent is your vision, lady?

Tristan

You tune out your surroundings, all your attention at the point of your arrow. You follow that imaginary shot as it strikes the badger, as the creature, surprised and wounded, might retreat into a tunnel. In your mind's eye you follow it underground, to cool mud and deep earth beneath the great roots of trees. If it had the health and the energy, it would dig forever, uprooting the fields and ruining the crops. It wants the weight of great trees above it, that dampness of the roots and the sense of weight that is its heart and home. It would ruin and destroy, make the world into empty, barren land from which new seeds would spread and grow until the forest overgrew it all. It is patient for such things and cares not for the starvation of people in how it wishes the world to be.

But you have not fired that shot, and all this dances only in your mind's eye.

Nin

[I gather the intended move is take stock, so I will answer as to the terrain and your options here]

You are in a large field of wheat. Its primary characteristic is that there is little variation: farmers working the land have made it flat, even, and thick with the stalks, though some are crushed or turned from the great badger. The soil is mostly dry, easy to move quietly and lightly with little sign even for the trained. Slipping away would be the easiest thing in the world, you could bring yourself to safety and further observe or follow the creature in near complete safety. That would be the simplest way to end this encounter, though it wouldn't solve your ultimate problem. Your strength is your surprise. The beast is surely strong enough to do you great harm if enraged, and once it knows itself to be in real danger, it may flee or attack aggressively, leaving you in uncertainty. So the best way to remain strong is to preserve your surprise and use it for the greatest possible effect. Perhaps a trap of some sort combined with Tristan's bow, though even that is unlikely to bring it down in a single blow, more likely to wound it badly and scare it off. That would solve the immediate urgency of the situation, perhaps giving you time to learn more, though you would need to be willing to severely wound the monster to do that.

[Assistant]
Everyone's always gotta be a damn hero.

Many horses are quicker than Apricot on their hooves, but there isn't an equine in the world who can hold a candle to the speed with which he can come to a stop. He even lowers his head to chomp at a cluster of buttercups he saw by the side of the lists. It's an incredible act of disrespect but it's also a calculated one - her warhorse is smart enough to determine instantly when her heart is too conflicted to keep him under control. Horse like this can't be driven half-heartedly.

And Apricot's been here before. Some stupid kid who doesn't know when she's beaten, who thinks that 'skill' and 'determination' are magic balms that'll add two feet to their height and two hands to their biceps, up against a knight who's trying to figure out how to gently disabuse them. Sometimes a curse is involved, but it doesn't need to be. What's important is that Robena is too distracted to put her back into cussing him out, and that's the same as a ducal invitation to relax.

Robena grumbles and flicks the horse's ear irritably. He gives her a dirty look like she's the asshole here. Some squires are running over but Robena has already stepped down off the saddle and hefted her enormous wooden practice-ax over her shoulders. A forester's pose, never quite forgotten from her youth, held steady as she ponders.

She's abandoning the joust. There's only so much you can do to avoid hurting someone when several tonnes of charging horseflesh are involved. She's going to take this to the melee where her opponent has less control over what does and doesn't get hurt. She doesn't feel the need to justify this decision; everyone in attendance saw a knight drop their shield and take a body blow. Already the healers and wicker-wise will be rushing to check that nothing was pierced, but she doesn't doubt the Azure Knight will wave them off.

[Take Stock: 7. What can I observe about this curse, and what might break it?]

[User]
"I fear if I shoot it, it might flee where we can not follow." Tristan lets the string back slowly, still watching the badger as the peripheral world swims back into attention. "This is not what I would like it to be. I had hoped we could lead it home, and it would do no further harm. But I think it is offended by our presence here. If we wound it and it flees, it will be in great pain, and it will most likely exact a greater pain in retribution after some time. If we are to be about this ugly business, let it be decisive."

"We need the wind of surprise at our back to carry us. In that I see two options: I attack it with such fury it faces us. Or we trap it, and execute it. The second seems more sensible but... there is less virtue in it." Read: Killing something in a trap would make Tristan sad. "We may be at the limit of what can be gained from stalking. I see no further advantage we could gain, can think of no more favourable terrain to face it in."

The arrow is still nocked and steady, the owner is under more tension than the bow. Tristan will be indecisive until it is time to act. He does not want to be the one to call the hour.

What weighs on his mind is that he does not want Nin to get hurt in a fight, but he does not want to insult Nin by voicing this. He holds Nin in great respect, and would cut out his tongue than risk implying otherwise. It is only fair they get to decide the level of acceptable risk.