[System]
General Overview

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Gender: Female
Age: 16
Hometown: Nacrene City, Unova
Life Goal: World renowned artist

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Characterization

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Appearance: Margo is average height for a girl, about 5'4", with a slender face and high cheekbones, freckles dappled around her nose and under her eyes. She boasts long, curly auburn hair that ends around the small of her back and is usually styled in a plethora of ways: ponytails, pigtails, braids, straight, etc. Margo has a nice sunkissed look to her skin most of the time from her outdoor activities, and rarely shows off her beautiful crooked smile. Bright green eyes are always alert and full of life, observing her surroundings more closely than most people, sometimes hidden under her thick eyebrows. She's usually seen wearing shorts or overalls with a breezy t-shirt when she's travelling, sometimes donning a large beach hat. Inside she's almost always wearing a grandmotherly-looking knit cardigan that's beginning to look ratty with age. Platform flip-flops are her best friend.

Biography: Margaret Mazarin was born to a family of Pokemon Breeders, famously known for their Pokemon Daycare, in Nacrene City. While their work place was on Route 3, Margaret's parents (Sabrina and Mackenzie) lived up the street in Nacrene City in one of the non-traditional warehouse homes. They made an honest living working at the daycare center and enjoyed their work more than most, taking pride in returning trainers their pokemon with a 'new and improved' speech. After Margaret was born, her mother and father would take turns watching her and running the daycare, until she was old enough to bring along with them and help her learn their work early on.

Margo had an uneventful life as she grew up and went to school. She was always a very smart student--especially with the library in her town a big resource for studying--and never made waves among her classes. Her favorite class had to be art, and as she began to realize her passion she started to drift slowly but surely from her parents. While never wishing to disrespect her parents, their constant comments about how much less time she was joining them at work was beginning to irk her. At 14, she finally had an outburst at dinner about how she didn't want to be a breeder like her parents and her grandparents and her great-grandparents. She wanted to become an artist that would influence people for years to come. Her mother cried at the sudden emotion her little girl expressed; the thought that her daughter didn't want to do what they did hadn't crossed her mind.

This outburst would introduce the next grudging year, the 15-year old becoming ever more rebellious towards her parents and their (gentle) pushing to help their daughter understand that being an artist wasn't easy and that becoming a pokemon breeder was just as respectable and influential. Margo would ignore their advances, closing her door and turning up her music while she worked instead. The inevitable happened eventually though--her parents sat her down and talked to her about what she planned to do with the rest of her life and how she was going to accomplish her dreams of becoming an artist. Surprisingly, they were supportive of their daughter and wished that she could see they wanted her to become a pokemon breeder to at least get her start in life when she was still practicing her art. Unsurprisingly, Margaret could not see her parent's points, clouded by teenage hormones and a rebellious feeling growing stronger by the minute in the pit of her stomach. Thus, she could only hear 'no,' 'no,' and 'no.'

So, she left. With a backpack of essentials and the money earned from her time at the daycare, Margaret fled Nacrene City with a letter left for her parents. Thankfully, Castelia City was a hop, skip, and a jump away and thus she was able to find a ship headed for Septoh and boarded it before her parents were able to piece together what their beloved only daughter had done. Her parents were left broken, while Margo felt renewed and alive as she sailed away to a brand new place with brand new people.

Personality: Margaret, to be blunt, is a typical teenage girl. She can be sweet and caring, annoying and smart-alecky, moody and irrational. The list only goes on and on. One of her most prominent traits would be how much of a pushover she can be, though. Her parents had ingrained in her from the very beginning that 'the customer is always right,' and that philosophy has become so burned into her brain that her actions revolve around the saying--except everyone is a customer in her brain. A classmate called her Meredith for an entire school year and she never bothered to correct them due to her polite restraint. While she's attempting to break this habit of never correcting someone, her progress is slow, but now that she's in a new place she's hoping it'll be easier.

Margo is also a very passionate soul, a fire burning underneath her skin at all times. She loves her art and finds inspiration in anything and everything, sometimes so overcome with emotions that she needs a moment to jot something down or make a mental note not to forget her muse for that day. This passion was probably the gasoline for the rebellion that had grown within her from her family never listening to her own wishes for her life--it was the enabler that finally told her to just do something about it. Margo would never admit it, but sometimes she's frightened of the things that she contemplates when the passion takes hold of her. This has also started to lead into other emotions, like her stubborn approach to most things nowadays and the way her patience grows very thin very quickly.

On top of everything else, like anyone, Margaret sometimes gets too caught up in her own endeavors. She takes on too many projects and hobbies that will eventually overwhelm her. While she'd repeatedly insist becoming an artist was her only ambition in life, it's just the most recent of her hobbies that she had centered her entire life on. The girl is like a lost soul, just trying to find her true calling like anyone else in the world.

Quirks: > > Margo spaces out in conversations, battles, almost anything really, more than she'd like to admit.
> > She is incredibly superstitious. She's also quite the believer in things like fate and luck.
> > She hates wearing socks, and thus loves sandals no matter the weather.

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What's in my Bag?

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Pokemon:
Wartortle -- 'Crowne' -- Male -- Lvl 26
> > Rash Nature < <

Wingull -- 'Oceana' -- Female -- Lvl 21
> > Sassy Nature < <

Alolan Rattata -- 'Julep' -- Male -- Lvl 19
> > Hasty Nature < <

Spewpa -- 'Poinsettia' -- Female -- Lvl 16
> > Timid Nature < <

Spearow -- 'Wulford' -- Male -- Lvl 21
> > Lonely Nature < <

Mankey -- '???' -- Male -- Lvl 25
> > Adamant Nature < <

Inventory: > An overdue library book from Nacrene City.
> Her parents phone number on a piece of paper that she had carefully written down but has yet to register to her Pokedex.
> A Pokedex that has already been dropped more times than it should have been.
> Pokeball x3
> ₽90

[User]
The trip to the boat was rather uneventful for Margo. Simply following along with the boys and musing to herself silently the whole way--it was a long time to be stuck in her own thoughts for so long, but she ruminated on a number of things. Her thoughts kept circling back to the fact that she was about to cross oceans to meet Daniel's mother when she crossed oceans to get rid of her own mother and father. It was a little disturbing, especially after thinking about it for hours. She was delighted for the distraction of the professor, even though she didn't speak to him much. Dan and Indy gave the courteous introduction and that was that, but she enjoyed eavesdropping on their conversation.

On the boat ride to Kanto, Margo took herself away from her negative thoughts with her art. Her mind instead wandered to Indy's older brother--she had to remind herself to get his number from Indy--and his comments on her work. It was sweet, of course, and her passion was reignited after remembering his words. Margaret took this opportunity to create a present for Dan's mother. She felt silly giving her a gift in the first place, she didn't know her, but she felt like she would feel even more awkward if she came empty-handed while Dan and Indy gave her something. On the way, she made a fun watercolor painting. She had sat on the deck and made a portrait of her view. She added some Wingull to her skies (after consulting Oceana and asking her to be a model for her), and a beautiful school of Goldeen jumping from the frothy waves. Her finishing touches of a Seaking at the front of the group of fish was being completed just at the time of their arrival to Cerulean.

She went starry-eyed at the quaint little town, relishing in how quiet it was and the beauty of the ocean in its backdrop. She tuned out Dan and Indy when they first started speaking, walking a few steps away and taking everything in. Even the air smelled like the water, it was amazing. She glanced towards Dan as he mentioned meeting new people, her head tilting slightly to the side. 'To meet me?' She questioned, a swell of excitement suddenly blossoming. At the same time, she was hit with a feeling of deceit; she was getting excited to meet Dan's mom instead of her own. She bit back her sadness, taming it like a lion back into its cage.

Margo followed behind Dan and Indy as they lead their way back to Dan's house, Margo holding her watercolor sheepishly as they walked. By the time they got to his house, she was giddy with the prospect of meeting his mom once more, pretending that maybe it was normal she would rather meet this stranger than her own mother. However, her bubbly exterior deflated slightly at Dan's comments. She brought one hand to his arm and touched him gently.

"She's still your mom, you know. She's gonna know how you're feeling if you wear it on your face like that. She needs you to be stronger now more than ever, you know?" She hoped her words came off as encouraging, but in case she glanced towards Indy, hoping for a tiny bit of help. He was his best friend, after all.

[Assistant] Indigo processed what Margo and Dan said before finally adding, "yeah,I mean, the happier you are, the happier your mom is gonna feel. You know, you living your life means a lot to her. And she wants you to have fun. So even though it's hard, smiling and being cheerful can help her a lot." He patted Dan's shoulder. "Ready when you are."

[User]
"Right, thanks guys." Dan said as he smiled the best he could.

Dan knocked on the door, it only took a couple of seconds before the group heard a familiar voice of a little girl ring out from inside "One second!", a couple of loud banging footsteps approached the other side of the door followed by what sounded like a slip and a bang "Ouch." The voice said as the door opened.

"Hey, Celia, you okay there?" Dan said.

At the door stood a short 11-year-old girl, with blonde hair and tanned skin, Dan's sister Celia.

"Yea, Yea I'm fine." She said brightly as she hugged her brother "How's that trip to... what was it called again?"

She quickly looked to Indy and held out her first for a fist-bump "What's up Indy? Stayin cool?" She said, referencing an old joke between the group

She looked puzzlingly at the strange girl and said "Oh, I don't think we've met. I'm Celia, that kid cooler sister. Nice to meetcha!" She held out a hand for Margo to shake

"Mom's about to get up from her nap Danny, she told me to help you guys set-up here if she wasn't awake. Come on in!" She said as she broke away to hold the door open.

Dan's mom had always napped, though these naps only lasted a half-hour, they seemed to give her enough energy to last half a day.

[Assistant]
"Always the chillest," Indigo responded with a smile.

After the round of introductions had finished and everyone was well re-acquainted with each other, Indigo gently set the glistening freesia blossoms near the windowsill. "I got this present for Mama Gareth," he chuckled. 'Mama Gareth' was what he'd been calling Daniel's mother since he was a child, even occasionally deferring to 'Mama G.' It was a much warmer and funnier way of expressing affection as well as respect, instead of a stuffy 'Mrs. Gareth.'

"They should do okay by the windowsill. What do you think, Celia? Man it feels like it's been ages since I been in your guys' house... By the way, where are we sleeping?"

Money: 49p + 15p= 64p
$50

[User]
Margo suddenly felt an overwhelmingly embarrassing amount of shyness wash over herself as this 11-year old greeted them. She had been expecting Dan's mother--of course, that was stupid when she realized she was a sick woman after all--and wanting to get over the shock of her introduction first, but instead it would be postponed for a bit longer. She would have to work up her excitement all over again, along with pushing away her anxiousness about the meeting as well. She half hid her painting behind her legs as she shook Celia's hand lightly, smiling down at her. "I'm Margaret, but my friends call me Margo. I'm very happy to meet you, as well."

Margo followed everyone inside, taking a seat on the nearest thing she could find, which was a nice couch that had been loved over the years by the look of it. She placed her painting on the floor by her feet, the top of the painting resting against her leg to stay propped up. She watched Indy place his own present on the windowsill, the flowers beautiful in the light. She felt a blossom of anger sprout through her chest but she ignored it--how could Indy be so thoughtful towards a person but not a pokemon? This wasn't the time though, Margo reassured herself, prickling suddenly at Indy's next question. She had already been planning on telling them she was going to the center for her own slumber. After all, how could she expect Dan's poor sick mother to take care of some strange girl, on top of three other kids?

"I was actually going to sleep at the pokemon center while we're here, I was planning on doing some training and maybe catching some new pokemon!" Margo paused, putting on a small smile. "I have to call my parents tonight and give them an update on my journey anyways." It was a little white lie, but Margo could already feel it ballooning into a lie she'd have to keep addressing, making her throat start to close up at the thought.


[System]
"When you think about it, it's never really anyone's fault that they do bad things."

Age: 15

Year: First Year

Nationality: Oirish Dublin Irish

Appearance: Leagsaidh is pale and slim, with big blue eyes and and long ginger hair, typically adorned with a red bow. Facially, she is extremely pretty, looking soft but playful, almost childish, which gives her a kind of cute-pretty appearance as opposed to regular pretty. Her body is lissom and sylph-like, built through years of dancing and fencing. She is slightly smaller than average, both in stature and in bust. Vocally, her voice is gentle and youthful, but tinged heavily with an Irish accent.

Personality: Despite her prestigious background, Leagsaidh couldn't be further from the 'rich bitch' stereotype if she tried. Instead, she is humble, quiet and modest to a worrying degree. She addresses everyone with an honorary title, such as 'Sir' or 'Miss', regardless of their actual position.
Oddly for someone of her position, she has a vested interest in theological and religious matters. She is still very firmly a Christian, though lately she has been questioning whether Catholicism is the best way to go. Despite her formality, she can't get away from a few verbal tics, such as calling a girl a 'Lass' or the police the 'Gardai'.
Leagsaidh is also very idealistic and rather naive. She sees the best in everyone and is quick to forgive slights against her - perhaps too quick. She does not believe in violence, even in self defense. A friend of hers has once said that she would make the whole world out to be a victim if she could. This also means she is prone to taking the blame for things, even when she isn't at fault.
This doesn't stop her being playful, almost seductive at times. Usually, she is just playing around when she does this, but sometimes it is used as punishment - if she knows someone particularly promiscuous, she will attempt to seduce them in order to play with their head. However, she never actually does anything about it, playing an extended game of cat-and-mouse.
Overall, she is sweet and polite, but far too trusting for her own good. She constantly looks out for the worst of people to befriend, with the idea that with a little kindness and compassion, everyone is good at heart. A nice idea, perhaps, but not the brightest...

Bio: Irish by birth, Leagsaidh was raised in an upper-class, rich, Catholic household. Her parents were strict and cold, raising her to 'follow God's commands' and look to the Bible for guidance. She was taught perhaps rather contradictory lessons - being modest and prudent whilst living in a grandiose mansion, to be charitable while she received small fortunes as pocket money, to be merciful and kind whilst her parents sneered at the 'tramps and chavs' living in the nearby council estate.
Fortunately, with a family as wealthy as hers, they could afford hiring staff to look after the girl. These servants often came from all walks of life and, unorthodox though it was, Leagsaidh spent many hours talking to them, finding out their backgrounds and interests as well as their opinions on certain matters, as well as learning different languages. Currently, she is only fluent in English, Irish and Japanese. Being exposed to such diversity from a young age helped to make her into a tolerant and thoughtful young lady.
Her parents attempted to raise her in a traditional, conservative manner, teaching her little girls should be seen and not heard and that a woman had three places - kitchen, church and bedroom. They fully expected her to grow up, find some other rich toff to marry and bear children to. So, she was never taught business sense or how to do practical things - it was seen as unseemly for her to try and do 'man' things. This never really negatively affected her, considering she had servants to do all the work for her, but when no-one was looking, she would sneak out and learn a thing or two from the servants and maids she had. From right under her parents noses, she learned how to cook, how to build and how to clean - I never thought I'd write that sentence, but there you go. The weirdest part was, she liked to do practical work. There was something distinctly therapeutic about cleaning up the house, a vague sense of accomplishment from cooking a fine meal.
Speaking of business, that pretty much sums up the whole reason she moved from Ireland to Japan. Her father, a renowned businessman with his fingers in many pies, has been offered the chance to develop further into the East and conquer some foreign markets. Though unhappy with taking his daughter out of a good Catholic country, he would trust her more if she was nearby than at home. Thusly, she has been moved from the Emerald Isle to the Far East and signed into Nakkashiro Gakuen.

[User]
"You look neat today."

"Want to hang out together some time, Claudia?"

Often, you'll hear people saying these near that part of the crowd Claudia Dwyer was in.
That, however, wasn't the case right now. Instead, you'll hear this:

"Eh?"

"Nani?"

And for that, she was disappointed. Claudia could not help it but glance everywhere, trying to cook up a plan as she laid back idly on a bench. On one look, the flowers display themselves in pride as a rainbow of colors on verdant green, adorning the medieval architecture of the school. Another scan of the place, and there were quite numerous amounts of non-natives scattered in the crowds, probably just as confused as Claudia herself, but that is assuming they weren't born in Japan in the first place.

Then she thought she'd plant her reputation within these people first, that others may be inspired to follow.

But that plan has to come later, for Claudia herself was exhausted with arranging and organizing all her luggage and coming to this place all while carrying her load. So the girl, ready to start an empire in the castle soon, strolled to her room and set aside her bags, jumped in the comfort of her bed, leaned back and relaxed, having not noticed the other lady in the room.

Soon enough, Claudia will set everything in motion.

[Assistant]
Yoshida Mami

The very instant the gathered gaggle of girls was dismissed by the educational staff was the exact same moment that Yoshida Mami, fifteen year old Kagoshima native and heiress to one of the largest agricultural companies in the Orient, began her rapid retreat from the auditorium that she had shared for multiple minutes with the monstrous mass of new names to the school, her strides swiftly enabling her to skedaddle down the hallways in order to place distance between her and the considerable collection of chattering children that joined her in attending Nakkashiro Gakuen. Her figure seemed to be closed in upon itself as she skittered past students and staff in an attempt to reach her assigned dorm room. Head downcast, comfortable hat hiding her eyes from view, she really appeared to be a girl fearful of the numbers that the school contained.

Room 2.

That was her destination.

Room 2.

She needed to concentrate on getting there. Don't look at anyone in the eye. Keep to the walls. Just go. Go. Go.

There it was.

Nobody seemed to be around. Mami's hand reached out, gently brushing the doorknob before hesitating, breath hitching in her throat as her eyes blared into the wooden door. This was the moment of truth; by entering the dorm, she would have left the safety of her own home, forever trapped in a boarding school with other students. Other people. People who would be everywhere, their presences constantly there. There and with her. The very thought of it made her shiver. She could honestly admit that it would be frightening, interacting with so many new and varied groups of other girls.

She gulped.

She wanted to run away.

But ... to be able to interact with others ... that was why she had chosen to attend this prestigious school. She did not want to just a mere insect on the wall, hiding from the scary humans that populated the vast world. She was going to be better. She had to.

She was resolute.

Tension rolled off her body in waves.

Yoshida Mami took one last, deep breath, before gripping onto the doorknob tightly with her delicate hand.

She turned ...

And the door opened.

[User]
Leagsaidh was caught slightly off-guard at the girl's brusque introduction. Nevertheless, she took it in stride.

"It looks more difficult than it is." She giggled "It's pronounced 'lek-say'. I assume I have the pleasure of speaking to Miss Alice Murray?"

The Irish girl stood back and appraised her roommate. She was tall, about a head taller than herself, and dark-skinned. She was pretty in a fierce way, although she could do with a bit less scowling and a bit more smiling. Her body was lithe but muscular, not unlike that of a football player or a runner. Leagsaidh's head was about the same level as Alice's buxom bosom, and she had this very Amazonian feel. A South American, doubtlessly - Brazilian from the accent. Leagsaidh decided she quite liked this girl, despite her vulgarity.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Alice. Or would you prefer Miss Murray?" Leagsaidh gave her a sweet smile as she spoke. It never hurt to make a good first impression and if she was to be sharing a room with this girl all year, it was crucial they got along.

"I was wondering if you could help me. You see, I'm new here and I don't know where the homerooms are. Would you mind if I were to walk with you to class?"

[Assistant]
The guard that approached her didn't interact with Thaila, they walked away out of ear shot and pulled out a walki-talkie, it was easy to tell who the female guard was calling for, but it was gonna be impossible for Thaila to know since she ditched the opening ceremony. In the matter of only minutes the security chief was outside and approaching the tree, with each step the woman took it was almost as if she was yelling a threat and shaking the earth at the same time. She stopped in front of Thaila and stared the young woman straight in the eye, as the security chief looked at the girl.

" Find your dorm room, then head to your homeroom class, cutting will not be tolerated in this school, and seeing how you chose to cut the opening ceremony on the first day, I can see that you will be troublesome." The security chief cracked her knuckles." If you continue this behavior I'll be forced to punish you, and here in these gates my punishments are severe." The security chief threatened her. @ViolentViolet

As Touka believed she was alone for such a long time, her answers for friendship or company was soon answered. A hand soon appeared between the doors to the exit of the room slowly, before Touka could react the door just flew open and a familiar face to Touka appeared, it was none other than Touka's big sister, the one that cared about her Seika, when she saw Touka looking down she dashed over to her younger sister at blinding speed and hugged her sister with all of her might.

" I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew you'd come this year, little sis." then suddenly a thought came to Seika's mind." Ohhh do you want to be the student body vice president ? " She asked without taking breaths, she seemed so exited to see her sister that she forgot that she was almost crushing Touka in her arms, and probably suffocating her between her breast, she let go of her little sister and kissed Touka's forehead."I'm glad to see you here, did I say that already ? I feel like I've said that three times." Seika questioned herself. " Ah I'm just glad your here it was soooo boring first year, but when dad made me student body president, things have been kinda fun." @KoL

Alice looked the skinny white girl up and down wondering where she was from, but just from guessing after she called her " Miss Alice" then "Miss Murray" it wasn't to hard to guess too much, she was white which ment anywhere with people that had white skin, she was overly nice, which also could be from anywhere as well, and she also had a weird ass first name. Alice wasn't getting any cues of where this chick was from, so she just outright asked." Just call me Alice, now that you know my first and last name, where the hell are you from ? I'll find the home room, but later." Alice just straight up asked @White Feather

[User]
Noriko She turned the corner to in time to catch a glimpse of her room mate opening the door. Noriko darted back against the cover from the intersecting halls. "Ok, I can do this, she is probably a nice person. I know I can do this, just take a deep breath." Noriko started heading towards the girl in front of the door.

"Hello." She set down the suitcase and gave a respectful bow. "I am Noriko, Noriko Murakami it is nice to meet you. I guess this is our room."

Naomi She got to the room first and put her sea bag on one of the beds. Naomi looked over the room and decided to wait to see if she had a roomie. She changed into her school uniform and thought of the type of pervert that would force girls to wear this pole dancers uniform. She continued to listen to her headphones and sat on the bed trying to decide what type of décor this room was in desperate need of.

[Assistant]
Dana titled her head curiously as a girl with black hair and pale skin strided into the dorm room and instantly headed for the bed. She was pretty sure the other girl hadn't even noticed her but that didn't seem to bother Dana in the slightest. Finding her roommate had perhaps been a tad too easy for her but she wasn't complaining.

As she continued to watch the other girl dazing off into her own little world, an interesting idea came upon Dana's mind. It was best to give off first impressions, right? Smile brimming all the same, the petite girl bounced off of her bed and began to rummage in her bags to find the tool that she desired. She had no worry of being caught since this other girl was obviously not paying attention to her.

At last she revealed a brand new box cutter in her palm. Gripping it lightly, she hid it behind her back as she gently walked over to her resting roommate. With a slight hum, she leaned down and began to slowly poke the other girl's side with vigorous action.

"Ah, you must be new here," she said brightly, carefully hiding the blade from sight. "It's good to meet you roommate! I'm the Student Body Vice President of Nakkashiro Gakuen Academy, Dana Ferris. Weird getting paired with a Second Year, huh?"

[User]
"Umm... Ireland. Couldn't you tell from my accent?" Leagsaidh giggled again. Though the other girl might have been vulgar, she had been perfectly civil so far. Maybe they would grow to be good friends.

"If I may be so bold, you come from Brazil, do you not? I can tell from the accent. My wet-nurse was a Brazilian, you see." She realised that if she didn't know the Irish accent, she might not know what a wet-nurse was either, but she didn't want to presume.

"Anyway, should we get going? You seem like a nice lass but I don't want to be late."


[System]
---

Appearance

Aged 90 | Male | 6'3 | 192 lbs

Tall, dark (not really), and handsome, or at least he considers himself as such, Benjamin sports dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. He stands on the taller side of things and has a fit figure, pale skin and long facial features giving him a rather serious look. His choice of clothing is usually simple and comfortable, preferring comfort over style, although he can dress up for the occasion if need be.

Personality
The only thing anyone needs to know about Benjamin is that he will become the next Lord of House Eve.

Benjamin comes off as a taciturn, stoic figure. That is most definitely not what he is, though it amuses him that he can have that appearance if needed. He is passionate about everything he puts his mind to, whether it be his fighting ability or endeavoring into the political world. There is very little in this world that phases or frightens him, believing that fear should serve as a motivator to improve oneself. He does, however, keep his wits about him and reacts accordingly to most situations.

While not as serious as he looks, so long as he keeps his mouth shut, he can keep that appearance up to the point that he really can be the neutral Eve he's expected to be. Instead, Benjamin is every traditionalist's nightmare: frighteningly progressive, looking solely to the future while wanting to get rid of outdated rules, and more than willing to inflict radical change if and when it is needed--and in his opinion, this world needs it sooner than later. That being said, he is smart enough to know going in with torches and pitchforks won't accomplish anything except further fighting, instead hoping he can change the system from within.

When it comes to mages, Benjamin believes their fleeting lives require guidance. Just because they aren't around long, however, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be respected. On the contrary, they very much exist as vampires do, even if they are a little frail for his taste.

Benjamin is known as the young troublemaker of the house; where most stick to the common Eve stance of neutrality, he feels that keeping that mindset is precisely what led to the house's current state. What needs to happen is change, but seeing as how he's outnumbered, change needs to come slowly but surely. While he does have sympathy for Count Lutheran, he is aware of the vampire's struggles and feels he doesn't have what it takes to properly control the rest of the family.

Bio
Benjamin always had a tendency to stir up trouble in his youth, despite being raised to be proper and poised. He liked to ask questions, he liked the freedom to do as he pleased, he disliked being told what to do, and he absolutely hated having to show 'respect' to those that often did not deserve it. Fortunately he also hated getting punished just as much, learning to keep his words to himself and keeping up the image of a proper gentleman. His family is one of the few branches that has managed to hold on to both dignity and wealth, leading to a proper upbringing and the freedom to lay out his own path--though life would show him his privilege sooner than later.

The first instance had to be at a meeting in which a mage had corrected their vampire on something. He never did remember what the information was, but he couldn't forget the way it was dealt with: a direct smack across the jaw, with absolutely no one batting an eye to the contrary. 'It was deserved' was the common consensus, followed by a shrug and a change of topic whenever he inquired. He was told that was not how mages should be: they should be seen, but not heard. That was just the way things were, but it never did sit well with him, his protests and questioning reaching a head when his own father had to get involved to stop him.

For some time Benjamin was quelled until he met Delia, a mage belonging to Duke Gethin. Their meeting was entirely on accident, with Benjamin stumbling across her while looking for his mother. It was the first time he had met a mage not belonging to his immediate family, but the two got along well. The bruises lined around her neck had gotten his attention, but she was able to successfully evade his questioning and distract him with a much too pleasant conversation. By fortune the baron was conducting some business with his father, and Benjamin insisted on going along despite being deemed too young to properly understand. The woman was rigid next to her baron during the meeting, a strange mask of neutrality that greatly contrasted the warmth he had encountered before. It was all too obvious that despite never laying a hand on her in front of them, the abuse the baron gave was apparent in the ever so slight flinch anytime the baron raised his hand.

After the meeting he managed to borrow her, asking if she was being treated badly, but she wouldn't give him any semblance of the rather obvious circumstance. Time passed and things stayed the same, and despite her warmth, it greatly disturbed him to know she was being treated in such a manner. In his foolishness, Benjamin would eventually confront the man, setting off an unfortunate chain of events that resulted in Delia's death. It was deemed an accident and swept under the rug, and aside from an obligatory warning from the Council, nothing came of it. Gethin continued to mistreat his mages, and Benjamin was shown just how powerless he was in the grand scheme of things.

Feeling responsible for Delia, he decided to dedicate his life to advocating to mage rights, finding a lot of pushback from the older generation. Rather than wait to get taken out due to his 'radical ideas', he took the initiative to undergo vigorous training, covering both long range and short range forms of fighting. His first encounter with an assailant proved that his paranoia had a place, but instead of getting shaken he actually found himself enjoying the tussle, ultimately disappointed when it ended. From that point forward made sure to divide himself between his training and his work, working slowly but surely to make sure he would see his goals through to the end.

Likes
Benjamin's passion has always been the thrill of battle first and foremost, having trained in several forms of martial arts. He values strength, both physical and mental, believing that without it very little can be accomplished. He enjoys sports of most kinds, or any physical activity, really. Traditional archery is a neat hobby he picked up around twenty years ago that he finds himself enjoying as of late.

Dislikes
Sitting still for too long tends to get to him, and while he understands education is important, he would rather sit out in the sun than willingly listen to lectures. He doesn't like the mistreatment of mages nor is fond of the idea that they are lesser. He loathes paperwork, often procrastinating unless he gets a streak of motivation. He also doesn't appreciate when he isn't being taken seriously; disrespect is more insulting than any combination of petty words or even a thrown punch to him.

Habits
He loves to play darts as it keeps his aim right. Whenever stressed he tends to go completely mute as he mentally drowns in his own thoughts. He's a bit of a slob; if it isn't important paperwork (and even that is haphazardly, if not at least kept securely in a safe), his personal possessions often getting lost or turning up in random places. He gets lost in his thoughts a little too easily, often spacing out at inopportune times during conversations.

Other
His forte is ranged combat, favoring bows and crossbows with an assortment of throwing knives often carried around. He does have a falchion dubbed Sigmund that was given to him after completing basic training. His ears are pierced to match his mages, each one wearing small silver studs with the Eve insignia engraved into them.

[User]
Amaris Marivaldi

Mentions:

The Countess beamed down at her creation, hands lifted away from the sandwich at the professor's call. There was a part of her that was still questioning whether she had made the right selection of ingredients her second time around, but there wasn't anything that she could do now except to present the dish to her partner and hope for the best. As carefully as she could manage, Amaris wrapped the sandwich up and prepared it for delivery according to the instructions left out for the students. She found herself imagining what Maddie's reaction was going to be when she presented her with the hand made 'meal', seeing as she had been waiting to surprise the mage once the classes had actually started. While sooner than she expected, she was still very much looking forward to the reveal.

Amaris was quick to tidy up her own station and return her cart to its home in the cooler, impatient to get a move on toward the lunch space where her partner should be. However, she was not so rushed as to forget to thank her professor before gathering up her belongings and exiting the room. The halls were packed with students trying to fight their way to their destination, whether it be the main food space like the majority or a more secluded spot away from prying eyes.

Despite the hordes of people before her, the Countess continued to scan the halls with the small hope of catching sight of her mage. It wasn't necessarily a regular occurrence to run into her along the way, but with the new schedules it wasn't entirely off the table either.

[Assistant]
---

---

Maybe jumping into a lake was kinda excessive, but Lilie did think Max had the right of it, all things considered. She did have to work on separating her magic (again) from herself, but having her element nearby would ideally help her better. Fortunately for her, she already ended up dedicating most of her bathtimes to playing around with her magic, so she was sure she was going to get the hang of this in no time. Not that she would tell anyone that since the last person she admitted it to ended up laughing so hard he ended up falling off the couch, but her brother was a jerk and he definitely deserved that.

As Lilie decided to reply, Max cut her off with a dismissal. Aww, didn't he want to talk about the perspective differences in their approach to their affinities? Who wouldn't want to? Closing her mouth shut, she ended up gathering her things quickly. She didn't really want to linger too much here, this teacher scared her and she thought that maybe if she caught up to Max, she could bounce some ideas off him.

Shoving everything into her bag, she ended up having to squeeze past some people, quickly catching up to the brunet. "See, it's interesting that you would mention a sphere because I can't even get my magic to project in front of me," She picked up the conversation where it was left off. "It makes me wonder if maybe there are advantages to projecting all around or if it's better to focus on one particular direction when it comes to your magic."

If there was any literature on it, Lilie would have to look into it. As she pulled out her phone to check her schedule, however, she caught herself. She would have loved to continue theorizing, but lunchtime meant she was going to go meet up with Aaron. "Actually, I'll just text you my theories, I have to go meet up with someone," She gave him an apologetic look, practically skipping away in a hurry to get to the cafeteria.

Arriving in another huff, Lilie took a second to catch her breath as she pulled out her compact. Every hair was in place, her makeup was perfect, and she couldn't stop smiling. She'd have to work on that last one, she didn't want to come off as weird. Even as she put away her compact to look around, however, she was way too giddy, especially as she found the blond first.

Swelling with a combination of excitement, happiness, and a flutter of butterflies surging through her stomach, Lilie walked forward comfortably. He'd probably see her approaching since he was looking around, but she wasn't really looking to surprise him, so that was fine. Once she reached him, she took a hold of his hand, lacing her fingers in between his.

"Hi," She greeted him. "Waiting long?"

---

of Thoth@Obscene Symphony

[User]
I have no one to blame but myself, Ben lamented inwardly as he made eye contact with his reflection. While he would not have considered productivity to include ridicule, he should have known better than to expect Eris to reply the same way he always did. For once, however, Ben wasn't disappointed as he closed the compact and placed it back on Eris' lap. Fortunately for the pair, Ben was too mature to let such childish antics get to him. Fortunately for Eris, Ben was more focused on staying on Varis' good side.

"That I would have your support is comforting and flattering. I thank you," Ben said.

Yeah, Eris was proud of himself for that one. He couldn't help but flash a grin as he looked back at the aged vampire finally dozing off. Ugh, finally, they were done. Once the rest of the vampires stood, Eris followed suit. The most disappointing part of this class was that he knew most of the stuff mentioned already and got denied when he tried to ask about something else.

Clucking his tongue in disappointment, the blond pocketed his compact and jumped to his feet. "Welp, this was boring. Hopefully lunchtime will be more interesting," He mused out loud, turning to Benji. "I hope you paid close attention, Benson, Varis is gonna drill you on this later."

Ben never was one for note taking. However, Eris' comment brought about one realization and one surprise: Varis was going to not only ask for an engaging conversation on the topic and if he failed he would end up losing his favor, but the three had a shared lunch. The latter meant there was no escape for Ben and there was no period in between to buffer. The situation was a terrible trap for which there was no escape.

"I look forward to the commentary, albeit I share your sentiment," Ben said. "I ask that you tone down the public displays of affection while I'm around, however."

Eris narrowed his eyes at Ben. What, they had lunch together? Great. As annoyed as he was at the idea of old Benji sniffing around his business in person, too, he wasn't about to miss the chance to tease him. "If you behave, I'll let you join," Eris batted his eyelashes.

"Great Anastasia, is there anyone who you don't bat your eyelashes at?" Ben asked, in awe. "I would think someone like you would relish in making people chase you, yet here you are, propositioning me!"

He was well aware that his reaction was likely what Eris was looking for. That didn't stop him.

Eris couldn't help but laugh, patting Ben's shoulder and beckoning him to follow. Oh, lunch would be fun with Benji around if he was going to be this entertaining. "It's called a joke. I only chase after people that are just as pretty as I am," He chuckled.

Ben didn't care. "That must mean there are some slim pickings for you. How tragic," He said.

The blond's jaw dropped as he stopped walking. Did Bentley just say what he thought he just said?! "I knew it, you do think I'm hot--and now no one's going to believe me. Great. Just great, thanks Benicio," Eris threw his arms up in frustration, deciding to leave the class in a huff.

"It's Benjamin," Ben muttered, following Eris.


[System]
Elizabeth, sometimes nicknamed "Lizzie" by her friends before her embrace, stands at about 5'7". Her skin was usually amongst the first things that new people noticed about her, the extreme pallor that could only be blamed on the dreary weather in England. Her hair, a fiery mess of ringlets that hung loose around her face, certainly didn't help; all it did was draw attention to the lack of blush on her cold cheeks.

Her dress varied heavily on whether she was on call or relaxing in her downtime. On-shift she wore the the standard EMT uniform of her company, a dark green jacket and trousers with reflective cuffs; off-duty her style tended to lean into wear into clothing much less formal, often a basic t-shirt of some sort combined with denim jeans and thick-heeled platforms of one recognisable brand or another.

Hunger 2
Spent 1 willpower

[User]
Tonight's show wasn't the best.

Despite his best efforts, Steel missed a few cords and wasn't emotive enough to keep the crowd engaged. The bad played well enough to still get paid but the boss man said he wouldn't be hiring them back for next week "diversify the talent" he said. Steel took his cut of the cash in pride and headed for the door before a familiar face caught his attention at the bar. He sauntered up to the bar where the out of place socialite sat, idly holding her glass of whiskey that they both knew she had no intention of drinking.

"Didn't think I'd see you around here again. I thought grimey bars like this weren't your scene." Steel said, taking a seat next to the woman and laying his elbow on the bar.

"I can assure you I wouldn't be here if I didn't need to be Stanley. I'm just a messenger tonight." the woman said, fishing around in a large handbag before pulling out a manilla envelope and handing it to Steel.

"I'll be glad to leave this place behind for good after this." Steel didn't take the envelope initially, instead eyeing it and the vampire suspiciously.

"What's this?"

"Below me, that's what it is. Just take it so I can get on with my night alright?" the vampire asked, annoyed as she shoved the envelope a little quicker this time into Steel's chest. Steel finally took the envelope and the woman got up to leave.

"See you next year Sarah." Steel said, watching the woman walk away as she ignored the rockstar. He couldn't believe it had been over a year since he'd kicked the bucket so to speak. The former mortal chuckled as he tore into the envelope and look at it's contents.

[Assistant]
By the time Elizabeth and her partner arrived at the scene a small crowd had gathered around the man with one attempting first aid whilst they waited for the ambulance. Taking over, she covered the wound with dressing, taping it down on 3 sides whilst keeping pressure on the 4th. The pair gently rolled the victim onto a board which allowed them to elevate him onto a bed then into the ambulance. As she was closing the doors Elizabeth caught the name of the location illuminated in bright light. Coffin golf course. That's not at all morbid she thought as the heavy doors slammed shut.

On the way to the hospital Elizabeth stayed in the back with the man. The sound of his heartbeat rung in her ears, a rhythmic thud thud in the background as an eager Beast took the time to remind her just how hungry she was, just how much she was dying for one more mouthful of blood. Elizabeth could feel the pressure building beneath her hands as air trapped in the chest cavity tried to escape. Carefully she released some of the pressure off of the untaped side to allow it to leave, before going back to fighting with her inner demons.

Elizabeth found herself in a daze as they handed over the man to the hospital's A&E department, rattling off everything the doctors needed to know to continue the treatment before finding a place to perch, breathe and bring herself back to reality. A small wave of relief washed over her, she'd pushed through once more without giving in. With a deep breath and a content sigh she returned to the depot with her partner, waiting for the rest of that night's shift to pass.

Exhausted, as she was after every shift, Elizabeth rocked up to her apartment to discover her door slightly ajar; a light unease spread through her as she pushed the door open silently and tread over the threshold. Very little had changed since earlier that night, all the valuables and expensive items seemed to still be in place, however Lizzie could smell the drops of blood scattered periodically across the floor. The animal within her stirred from its slumber, parching her throat as she stalked the trail, swinging open another door to find a kindred sat at the foot of her bed.

"Edwin?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, surprised to see the elder vampire there. It'd been a while since her Sire had dropped by to see how she was doing. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd grown tired of me" she added sarcastically with an exaggerated pout. As she finisher speaking Elizabeth realised where the blood scent was coming from. There was an oozing blood bag in his hands, with at least two of the corners torn up by teeth, and yet most of the blood remained in the bag. She made a mental note to steal an additional bag this week to replace the waste.

A gentle chuckle escaped the kindred's mouth, followed by a smirk. "I don't think I could ever grow tired of you my dear". Edwin drew the bag close to his mouth again, recoiling away the moment his teeth dug through the plastic skin. "I just don't understand how you manage this, actual feeding is so much more convenient and,  dare I say, fun". With a scowl he placed the bag down on the bed, beads of blood oozing from the bite marks in the corners escaped down onto the linens. "I assume that you're still..."

"Yes, I'm still drinking from them" Elizabeth interrupted, "but some days are getting too close for my liking, I may have to think about finding somewhere else to acquire them from in addition to work". Edwin's face appeared to drop for a moment,  seeming almost disappointed at the restraint she had been showing, but as fast as it has fallen the cheerful expression was restored, making Elizabeth ponder if she'd seen it at all. "What brings you hear today then? Have you forgotten that a certain technology called the 'telephone' exists?" She teased.

"Its not a social call I'm afraid, this is mostly 'business'" he replied, his voice dropping most of the warmth she was used to hearing. A couple frantic pats of his coat later Edwin drew out an envelope, embellished heavily on one side with beautiful calligraphy that spelled out her name. "I was told to ensure that you recieved and read this" he said, passing the delicate item from his own pale hands into Elizabeth's. Seeming to read the expression on her face he continued with "I don't know what's in there either. It's probably nothing to worry too much about" he added, attempting a reassuring smile.

Receiving the envelope, Elizabeth saw that there was nothing else to do. With tentative fingers she slid a nail beneath the seal.

[User]
The envelope was closed with a wax seal, a stylized 'R' printed over a crossed staff and scepter imprinted in the wax. Inside the envelope awaited a thick parchment, scented with a noticeable hint of fine cologne, with writing scrawled across. Clearly written by hand, and seemingly done with quill and ink. Not over the top, but the kind of work that would cost money these days.

Salutations,

 It is my personal hope that this writing finds you in the best of health. I am writing to congratulate you on your recent good fortune, and to offer my respectful welcome into my community.

In the past, leadership of this community has been inexcusable. For that, you have my deepest apologies.

However, from this day forward, that changes. As the newly appointed head of this wonderful venture, it is my personal duty to ensure each of you know where you belong and what your responsibilities are.

To that end, I have decided to host several meetings over the coming nights. Your presence is requested at the first of these meetings. Attendance is mandatory.

Sincerely,
Riccard

Attached to the parchment with a paperclip was a business card. Thick and pristinely white, the card had only a time and date on the front, with an address on the back. Inquiry would show that the address belonged to an old bar, in the downtown area. The date was the following night, and the time was midnight. Written inside the envelope was a note, clearly meant to only be read by the recipient.

"Destroy All Contents"

[Assistant]
Though he had cracked open the letter in the bar, Steel hadn't begun to read it until he hit the street. He made his way, reading the letter in between steps. Being new to the vampire game, Steel was the first to admit that the politics of it all weren't really his strong suit but what he did know seemed to fill in the gaps that this letter left. Those gaps mad him angry. Beast or not, rage welled up inside steel as he finished the note. With a loud grunt Steel took his guitar case by the neck and crushed it... much to the surprise of Jared his drummer.

Jared was off to join Steel with some practice after their crummy show but the man stopped in his tracks as he saw his friend display such an inhuman act. He wasn't sure what to think of it, once the stupor wore off he began to cautiously head over to his friend. His stride was caught short however as something impossibly fast moved in and grabbed him by the neck. In the blink of an eye Jared "Matches" O'Neil was now the former drummer of Rachit Jiraffe, his body strew unceremoniously on the sidewalk.

As Steel whipped around in rage, his eyes managed to meet that of Sarah's just before she took off, a smug look on her face and a nonchalant shrug. Steel's eyes then met that of his former friend and band mate. He felt something break inside as the beast was still in the driver's seat. unable to do much more, Steel stuffed the note back in his pocket and managed enough thought to bring his guitar case, full of his now destroyed guitar, with him as he took off.

[User]
With a bated breath, Elizabeth slipped a nail under the wax seal which let go with a soft crack. Despite Edwin's reassurance her hands were a little shakey as she unfolded the parchment nestled inside the envelope. As she read her eyes dragged across the page and she mouthed each word as she read, her sire tried to peer around the side of the letter to read her lips but a warning glare had him looking the other way quickly.

"See? Nothing too bad" Edwin said, jovial warmth returning to his voice now that his job had been done. "Nothing too bad comes by letter, it's when they don't send a letter you need to be worried. Well?" He asked as he saw Elizabeth look away from the paper.

"I... I don't really know how much I can say" she replied, stumbling over the words slightly. There was something about the letter, the way it was written, that unnerved her, that made her feel threatened almost. "It's nothing, I think." she lied, "someone just wants to speak with me".

A derisive snort let loose from her sire's nose. "And this is why I don't like them. A secretive note here, secretive meeting there, and then someone ends up with a dagger to the back. Bastards. Let me guess, 'destroy all contents'?" Elizabeth glanced down at the envelope then nodded. As she stood processing the information Edwin slunk quietly into the kitchen, almost immediately the sound of running water could be heard throughout the flat.

To double check her understanding, Elizabeth reread the letter in it's entirety. For the moment she seperated the business card from the parchment, leaving the former on her bedside table as she passed through the doorway to join Edwin, where she was met with a full sink of water. Throwing a bemused smirk he explained that the water would soak some of the ink away and simultaneously turn the parchment to mulch. "Surely burning it is the easiest method, no?" she replied innocently.

He shook his head in silent disapproval. "No, not for us. Especially not for us" he exasperated, gesturing wildly with his arms. "Our conscious minds may be fine with flame, but our deepest instincts now are to flee or lash out at the sight if a single tongue. We've been through this!"

"I'm sorry" she replied sheepishly, sounding dangerously close to crying, as she placed the parchment into the sink to soak for the time being. As Edwin proceeded to sink into her sofa, Elizabeth stood transfixed staring into the water, watching the ink bleed out from the note.

With the actual words of the letter fading Elizabeth stepped back from the sink. She was left with an address to memorise and the envelope. Ignoring those for the moment, she sat next to Edwin; resting her head on his shoulder and feeling a supportive hand on her back drawing her closer. "How do you deal with these... games" Elizabeth asked, voice raw with a mixture of emotions.

"It can be hard" Edwin admitted, pulling her a little closer, "just go through the motions and it's over soon enough. But it's one of the reasons I fight, this way of life just isn't sustainable or right". Edwin pulled her slightly tighter before letting go and standing up. "Unfortunately love, I need to get home before sun up. It'll be fine" he added, once again trying to be reassuring. "I'll see you again soon okay?" He said in goodbye as he showed himself out.

Elizabeth returned to her bedroom, perching on the foot of the bed before lying backwards, reaching over to the nightstand to pick up the business card. The time was simple enough, but the address just seemed to be some place downtown that she didn't recognise. With a sigh filling the room, she threw it to the floor, hoping that she'd memorized enough of the address to remember it the following night. When she woke up she'd get around to disposing of this piece too.


[System]
Emma is a youthful girl with soft white skin. Her head is framed by a cascade of long and straight blonde hair that reaches down to the small of her back. She has a small frame, standing at a rather average 5'3". Emma has a heart-shaped face adorned with light green eyes, completed by a small upturned nose. Emma is pretty, but almost always appears far too tired for the amount she sleeps, her face marked by heavy bags beneath her eyes.

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Power: Umbrakenisis. A self-coined term for ability to control shadows. As of now her abilities aren't particularly useful- she can sap away light and propagate darkness, then manipulate that darkness. Given time she may very well develop the ability to give form to darkness, turning it to a solid object, and then controlling it.

Biography: Emma's condition might best be described as 'Chronic Apathy'. One might look at Emma and wonder how she could possibly have subsisted for so long. She seems to spend most of her time sleeping and the word 'initiative' seems to have escaped her vocabulary. She rarely puts a great amount of effort into anything, greatly preferring to put anything off to the last possible second. One might looks at her and draw the conclusion that she wasn't particularly intelligent. That, however, would be wrong.

Emma was born into a position of affluence, the only child of a pair of successful industrial magnates. It was later agreed by both of her parents that their child was a supreme disappointment and a huge mistake, so they never conceived again. Early in their daughter's life her parents thought they were blessed with an incredibly intelligent child, but it was not until she began school that they found out that this was not the case. Emma saw little point in schooling, having been handed everything she had wanted. She simply didn't think it mattered, since it didn't, and quickly found herself with failing grades. She would always get whatever she asked for, wouldn't she? After being expelled from her first school she found herself bouncing around several affluent academies, finding little success in any of them.

When she finished her mandatory schooling Emma's parents found that no college would take her, and that Emma would take no college. Emma was now effectively NEET. After that she spent all her time lazing around, not motivated to find a job or get back into school, as her parents were not motivated to motivate her. To them she was nothing more than a failure, and they let her do what she wanted. Emma didn't have to worry about money- her parents took care of that and servants prepared her meals, so she spent the next several years doing nothing of particular importance. She went outside sometimes, and did take care of herself to a minimal degree, but for all intents and purposes she had dropped off the face of the earth.

That, perhaps, might have continued if it wasn't for the powers Emma began to develop. Emma became lucid of her growing powers, and it didn't take long for one of her maids to notice her playing with the darkness. Soon enough her parent's would discover her latent abilities after firing one too many maids that reported the same unbelievable story, and soon enough Emma's parents decided that Emma had no place within their household. She was promptly sent away to college against her will.

Despite her glaring shortcomings Emma is a kind person. She is, in fact, quite friendly when she is in the mood for it. That is, as long as she isn't being 'bothered' by other people, and is instead the one looking for social contact. Indeed, when not found napping Emma is quite the charming young women, and is fairly eager to make friends... on her own terms. To those she can call a friend, Emma is quite loyal, and might actually be persuaded to 'try' when it comes to helping them.

[User]
Bee
Winston, after being thrown into the padded room, sat down and thought to himself. 'Is this the end? Am I going to die? I did my damn job...' He sighed. Then, someone came into the room and got him, dragging him into a large room. Then the children came. What the hell was going on? A woman began to speak to everyone in the room, then something... An alien? Whatever it was, it spoke after her, and explained how something called the D'Nava were going to invade Earth and harvest humanity to grow their powers, and the government needed the children to stop these things. That's when Winston spoke up. "And what the hell do you need me for? I'm a damn bounty hunter, I don't have any fuckin' powers." Once he finished, Winston crossed his arms and stared intently at the woman and the alien.

[Assistant]
The woman, still unconscious, suddenly began to glow white and defuse, the two kids returning to their original forms. Conner was the first to awaken, albeit a bit groggy from the tranquilizer. He took a moment to recover, then looked around to determine where they are. His memories came back to him, and Conner realized that their worst fears had come true. Conner wasted no further time by heading over to the door, and quickly determined that there was no way to open it from the inside. They were trapped. Conner then went back fit he spot where he woke up, still thinking about their situation.

Conner looked down at Kimberly and began to wake her, but hesitated before he even touched her. He didn't want her to see that they had failed to escape. However, Conner resolved himself and shook Kimberly in an attempt to wake her up. He reasoned that she would eventually see it anyway, and they might as well make the best use of their time.

Kimberly soon awoke, also groggy, and lazily looked up and Conner. Pushing herself up, she slowly asked, "Conner... what's going on?" Conner bore a sorrowful expression as he said, "Kimberly... I'm sorry." Kimberly began to look around, noting their surroundings, then her eyes widened in shock as she recalled the events that led up to this moment, and she began to look around more frantically before returning her gaze onto Conner. "W-w-where are we? Is this..." Kimberly whispered, her fear rising. Conner merely nodded and continued, "We got caught, it seems."

Kimberly looked away from Conner to stare into space, then curled into a ball, clutching her legs and her head resting on her knees. "No... no... please, no..." Kimberly whispered to herself, tears flowing from her eyes and her entire body shaking. Conner hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her as best he could. He desperately wanted to say things like how everything would be alright or how they would escape no matter what, but he held his tongue back on that. He had no intention on making promises he couldn't keep. Instead, what he said was, "Kimberly, I know how you feel, but we can't just feel sorry for ourselves. We'll need to work for our freedom if we want to escape." Kimberly did not move from her position, only sobbing gently every now and again.

Meanwhile, Conner took the time to make a second observation of the room, noting how surprisingly comfortable it was. Before he could think about it further, the door to the room opened, and a surprisingly young-looking guy with armed guards entered. Conner was not swayed by his friendly expression, but decided that it was better to comply for now. "Come on, Kimberly," Conner said to her, who slowly got up and began to walk with her head down. Conner kept an arm wrapped around her, guiding her to where they had to go.

When they arrived, Conner was rather surprised to see just how... normal everything seemed. He expected some sort of torture device or lab equipment, but there were just chairs. The person at the front of the room also looked surprisingly friendly, though Conner still didn't trust any of it.

Then came the lengthy explanation about the aliens called "L'mina", their practice of "paracannibalism", and the existence of everyone's powers. Kimberly raised her head as she listened, gaining the hope that they were not in fact here to be experimented on. Conner had to admit, the drider-like creature was definitely something that looked like it never originated from Earth, and the story almost sounded crazy enough to be true, but Conner still had questions to ask.

"Your appearance is shocking, sure, but not exactly definitive proof that your story is true," Conner stated. "Why should we trust you at all, especially after you kidnapped us and everything?"

[User]
Almost immediately upon disembarking from the plane, Lexi was ushered inside the squat, plain building that she assumed was the organization's base of operations. Before Lexi could get a good look at her surroundings or enjoy the relief from the heat that the air conditioning brought, she was being led down several hallways that all looked the same and into a padded, comfortable-looking room where she was instructed that she would wait until someone came and got her. And then Richard and Selina left the room to go about their business, leaving her well and truly alone, assuming that they didn't have cameras watching her that was.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really anything in the room to keep her occupied until someone came to get her, which meant that, after examining the sterile decor of the room for all of two minutes, Lexi became rather bored. Feeling that she would be entirely unable to sleep given her current circumstances, Lexi decided that it might not be a bad idea to practice with her powers for a while. And so that was how she found herself unscrewing one of the bolts in the frame of her bed from across the room, which just so happened to be a pretty good exercise for develop dexterity, or finesse, with her telekinesis.

By the time Stefan showed up at the door, she had moved onto working on two screws at once, which turned out to be qutie a bit more difficult at first. Having been quite engrossed in her exercise, Lexi jumped when the door opened, dropping the screws in the process. Once the boy in the doorway finished his spiel, Lexi nodded, standing up and floating Zooks over to the bed as she followed after him and the guards. Before too long, they arrived at what looked like a lecture hall, Lexi taking a seat towards the back of the room while Stefan and the guards went to get the other kids.

Once everyone was gathered in the room, the redheaded woman at the front started explaining why they were there, her voice a soft purple that felt hot in Lexi's hands, like a cup of hot chocolate. When she got to the part about the alien conflict, however, she stepped aside to allow H'mina to speak. Upon seeing the drider-esque being, Lexi clenched her eyes shut and tried to ignore her rising panic. Fortunately, she had taken a seat that was far enough away to take the edge off her fear, so it actually wasn't too difficult to listen to what he was saying, which was rather chilling if she was being honest.

While Lexi felt it rational to trust H'mina's word when it came to the conflict they were going to be involved in due to how she had been treated up until that point (i.e. like people and not tools), it appeared that some others didn't find it so easy to put their faith in the alien's claims. Ironically, however, it was a self-proclaimed bounty hunter that spoke up first, questioning why he was even there in the first place in his blue, gritty voice.

After he had said his piece, leaning back and crossing his arms rather defiantly, a boy with black hair and green eyes spoke up, questioning why they should believe the Defector's story at all, his voice contrasting the bounty hunter's with its orange color and slick feeling. Figuring that it would probably be a good idea to participate in the discussion as well, Lexi raised her hand after H'mina answered the questions that had already been lobbed his way and asked, "What is our life going to be like here while this whole thing is going on?", hoping that it would be more or less like a summer camp where they got to practice their abilities.

[Assistant]
The last several hours were a blur, mainly because Emma drifted in and out of sleep throughout their trip. She felt obliged to stay awake but didn't really care to; she wasn't going to have a choice in where they were going, after all. She didn't particularly like the idea of being a guinea pig in some government lab, but she knew better then to try to stage an escape on her lonesome. The boy who manipulated fire was certainly evidence enough that there were others like her, so if it came down to her needing to escape she could count on there being allies wherever she was going. Allies that would incidentally have super powers, to her fortune. So for the time being she resolved to be a compliant captive and go along for the ride.

The car took them to an airport, the airplane took them to another car where she was blindfolded upon entry, and then the car took them on what she estimated to be a several hour ride until she was finally released into a cell. Not exactly the kind of treatment she was used to but there wasn't much to be done on that count. Her cell was comfortable enough for the time being.

When one Stefan Zimov came to retrieve her, along with a small herd of children, she nodded, following behind. The group was ushered into an oddly disarming room resembling a classroom and sat down in front of a once again oddly disarming women who attempted to bring them up to speed with the situation. Emma lazed back in her seat, paying only a cursory amount of attention to the women. Instead what garnered her attention was the alien. It was always her opinion that alien life was an obvious conclusion: After all, in a universe with billion of planets it was a statistical improbability for Humans to be the only life to develop. She was still quite surprised at the appearance of the creature, as she certainly had not begun the day expecting to meet a walking, talking alien.

When it was the alien's turn he spoke of great alien conflicts and the origin of their powers. Emma at the very least had the intelligence to pay attention to a spectacle such as this instead of sleeping. Emma didn't have any reason to believe it was a lie, and when one of the children questioned the truth of the story Emma spoke up, clearing her throat.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that regardless of how true their story is, we have no choice but to believe it. After all, after going through the trouble of retrieving us they aren't just going to let us go. And besides, we have no reason to mistrust them; I myself cannot puzzle out a better explanation for our powers."

Emma leaned back in her chair, relaxing. She had no intent to ask any questions of her own. She had already resolved to 'go with the flow', so she did just that. She did, however, share Lexi's curiosity. Hopefully they didn't expect too much from her, as she would rather not spend her time involved in some intergalactic conflict.


[System]
Age: 23

Appearence:

Height: 5'8

Weight: 137lbs

Likes: Video games, mechanical things, knives & swords, sparring, winning, singing, small animals (or large animals... she's and animal fan in general), and people who don't annoy her.

Dislikes: Anything frilly or pink, dresses, singing in front of other people, vast open spaces, strong smells (especially perfume), romance novels, and people who do annoy her.

Party Trick: "Um.. I'm not usually invited to parties. I can run a lightshow... does that count?" -Annabelle

Profession: Stagehand, runs the sound and light systems at a local music venue

Biography/Personality: For as long as she can remember, Annabelle Wolfe has been invisible. That isn't to say that people literally cannot see her, or even that they actively avoid her, as neither is the case. Sometimes, she knew, people were shunned because of some offense they had committed, or because they were simply different enough from the rest of society to be hated. This was not what happened in her case People never seemed to hate her. She'd never given them any reason to. Yet whenever she entered a room, she went unnoticed. Of course, she freely admitted it was her own fault. The way she stood, defensive and unconfident; they way she spoke, a voice so soft it could be mistaken for a whisper; the black hooded coat that she never seemed to take off- none of these things screamed "Hey, look at me!" (In fact, she thought at one point, the coat probably says "Hey, I'm shady criminal or something...")
It was kind of a lonely way of living, but Anna liked it that way. If nobody ever saw her, she'd never have to face her insecurities. Though she was versed in the art of swordplay (an aspect of theater choreography she'd found particularly fascinating) and was not easily shaken by the problems of the world, vulnerability terrified her. She hadn't grown up among friends in whom she could confide. Instead she'd grown up watching people. People as a whole, she discovered, hated weakness. She could never let them see that she was weak. To be hated like that... it had to be worse than being invisible. And she was certain that if they knew her, they would hate her. After all, she was a pretty quirky person behind all that silence. So she kept quiet, and kept watching.
Anna liked machines better than people sometimes. Machines, she knew, didn't judge you. Neither did video games (Well, if they did it was based purely on skill.) In the few years she'd spent in college, she had also found a great love for the theater, and being a stagehand had come naturally to her. So it was that she decided how to spend her time. She enjoyed her days at work, and spent most of her free time in the arcade. Occasionally she'd enter bookstores or libraries for information on weapons and fighting- searching for new styles to incorporate into the play she was writing, but most of the time she was too lazy. The arcade required much less effort. And if she ever tired of that she could always go back to people-watching.
Yet even though she was always doing something she enjoyed, she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. As she watched people at concerts and events laughing and cheering together, it made her kind of sad. She saw how people talked to each other, how they burst into fits of giggles at inside jokes, how they paired off together and spoke of love (once she'd even caught a couple of the members of one of the performing bands making out behind the stage), and she began to wonder if a complete lack of human interaction was really okay. What if they didn't hate her? What if she could laugh with them? What if she could be loved? But no, it was all too terrifying. She'd stay quiet, she decided. They'd never get to know her. Yet deep down, so deep that even she would not acknowledge it, she wished for someone to try.

Theme Song:

[User]
Jack had not long been in the city, this was his first time having an extended stay here. He would usually be hosting massive festivals across the globe, but after hosting the New Years party at the Shine Hall, he found himself drawn to the magic of the city and decided to take a holiday from hosting to enjoy Shine City the way its supposed to be enjoyed....Through its nightlife.

Jack had many pleasures, most of them were well known to the public, his high energy dating life and his love of delicious alcoholic beverages. He walked down the shine city junction strip in his fitted black denim jeans, his grey designer cowboy boots and a loose V-neck with his signature 'Jacques of Hearts' necklace on. It was his rockstar uniform and he was ready to set the stage on fire with the pleasure he usually tries to keep secret, his love of gambling. Shine City Casino was in reach.

As Jack walked into the beautiful golden palace he felt the energy surge into him. The music was hot, the slot machines were flashing, and the ground was thudding with many casino goers, stamping in excitement or running to cash in their chips. It was like the world's sexiest earthquake to Jack. But the sights were simply foreplay, it was time to try his own luck...and maybe do some gambling too.
He liked to start with blackjack, it was the somewhat ignorant nickname he was given in his all Japanese prep school. It was always used affectionately, but Jack grew to resent it after understanding the context of why it was given to him. He strolled over to the table, sipping a bottle of patron he brought in with him, something that celebrities could get away with most of the time.

Jack stood across from the blackjack table from one of the most handsome men he had ever seen, Jack's beer goggles hadn't even kicked in yet and he was already massively impressed by this man's appearance. This could only mean good things.

Mr Dealer, i'm trying to keep a low profile, I dont want the world to know I gamble, so I'll be keeping the stakes low while there is still a crowd, I'll rack it up when they start to disperse later in the night. Are you willing to be patient and deal me till late tonight? You sorta look like you could use the company...

Jack leaned forward and smiled at the dealer, the casino was gorgeous, but Jack didn't want to look at anything else or anyone else right now.

[Assistant]
If Arty had to count each of the odd and bizarre moments that had happened to him through out his life he would probably be done just in time for judgment day, and that is if he just included all the strange events that happened since he came to Shine City. Having his beard randomly stroked by a lady in the park may have been out there, but it was far from the weirdest thing to him, Arty could tell quite the interesting tales about drunken cat suit wearing men that he had to help home after quite the "hairy" party at LUSH. A slight shiver ran down the Irishman's spine as he tried to shake off the memories that managed to crawl their way from the back of his mind. In an attempt to ward off the horrifying the skin tight images Arty retraced the events of his day. After the whole situation with the blue haired girl Arty eventually made it to the gym where he worked out, helped spot and give some pointers to a few of the comers, and even had some time to hop into the ring and go a few matches with some not so lucky opponents, he wasn't Shine City's raining boxing champ for nothing. He also had to turn down another job from Devin to become a personal trainer, Arty loved the gym but he had made too many friends at LUSH just to get up and leave not matter how huge of an ass hat his boss was.

As he was lost in thought Arty's body went into autopilot and began checking IDs and either letting people into the foam filled fun or sending them off into the night in disappointment, after doing this job for so long this process becomes second nature. The club was usually packed, but tonight even more people were appearing out of the wood work, apparently everyone and their nan had heard Nori's promise of a wet and wild evening and decided to take her up on that offer. The only thing more ridicules than the line to get into Lush that night was the practical mountain of broken IDs that piled up in the trash bin next to Arty's feet. He usually ran across half a dozen or so fake IDs a night, he had quite the talent at spotting them, but tonight it seemed every Shine City student thought it would be a good idea to test their luck and try to get past Arty. The redhead couldn't help but smirk at their efforts, he remembered when he was still a lad and sneaking himself into places no young man had any business being in. He let out a slight chuckle as he let another person into the club, yeah odd but fun day.

As the line moved on and on Arty scanned the faces, already picking out those he knew would be too young and would undoubtedly present him with yet another fake ID that he would get to add to his ever growing mountain of broken plastic. He was able to recognize a few of the faces here or there, some regular club goers others his usual young rejects in some form of improvised disguised and a false hope of not being noticed in their eyes. None of them really gained too much of his attention until he saw the brilliant blue stand out of the crowd. "Can't be..." The bulky bouncer thought to himself as he scanned the young lady's face from afar, only for his doubts to be laid to rest. Indeed that was his running mate from earlier in the line slowly making her way to him, what are the odds? Arty couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Seems that the night is only going to get more interestin'..." He spoke half to himself with yet another chuckle.

[User]
Annabelle lay back in her bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking over the events of the day. This was pretty normal for a Saturday night, or any night really. The insecure stagehand had a lot of alone time. Here she was, alone with her thoughts. She liked it that way. Outside there were people, and as Anna had often concluded from this very spot, people were weird. They were always laughing or crying, sometimes about the same things. Some were kind, others cruel, and some seemed to change personalities depending on the situation. Behind the surface though, they were all making judgements. Although, that wasn't really their fault, and it wasn't really a bad thing. People look at things, they form opinions... that's just how life worked. She did it too. Even as she watched them, or thought about them from the confines of her tiny apartment, she too was making judgments. Not bad ones, but judgements nonetheless. This was were being invisible gave a certain advantage. If people saw her, they would have an opinion- but it wasn't that idea which kept her hiding in her room on a Saturday night. It was the uncertainty. While it was entirely possible that people would accept her, they thought that they might not always seemed to leave here laying here in darkness. It was a small apartment with a single window, curtains drawn back to reveal the light of the city. Tiny as it was, it had a beautiful view, and the crowded space felt very comfortable to Annabelle. This was her sanctuary. Nobody could see her here. In this room, atop these covers, the world started to make sense.

She thought now about how today had gone. Her trip to the arcade had taken an interesting turn... she hadn't played with other people in quite some time. It had been nice though. Eidel had been nice. It was surprising that the girl had noticed her. She'd seemed so confident, whereas Anna walked with her shoulders arched, hiding her face from the world. Normally, nobody would have looked twice. It was a good thing she had though. Grinning, she recalled the young gamer singing and doing her penguin dance. Perhaps she should have asked for her number or something? It would have been nice to remain in contact. Or was that weird? She wasn't sure if it was okay to ask somebody for their number after only a few hours, even if those hours were spent laughing and rocking out with fake instruments. It really was a great game. She glanced over at her own plastic guitar, propped up against the wall behind a pile of laundry. She could play now...

It wouldn't be the same. She remembered the girl approaching, smiling. And then there was SAW. He'd smiled at her too, acknowledging her existence multiple times. He must be pretty friendly. He'd been an impressive player too. She tried to picture his face now. Light brown hair, kind of scruffy, but with rather attractive features... SAW, she thought. I'm gonna destroy you. The man had seemed a bit out-of practice, but had still destroyed the other scores on the board- Annabelle's included. Much as she hated to admit it, she was kinda proud of her initials on those screens. In this small way, it was like she wasn't always hiding. That, or she just hated losing. On the Third Strike cabinet, her name would now hold the third spot. Not for long. She'd make it the first. She'd never seen the man at the arcade before, and didn't know if he would come back. Perhaps he'd never know if she managed to beat him. Even so, it was a matter of pride, and what little pride she had needed to be preserved. She hoped she'd see him again.

Deciding against taking up the plastic instrument, she reached for her real guitar instead. Sometimes she'd lay there and think until she went to sleep, but tonight she wasn't tired at all. Her hands wrapped around the wooden instrument, and she looked out the window for inspiration. What should she play? Outside, the black streets of the city were dotted with lights. The closest (aside from streetlamps) came from a building a little ways down the block. It was a bar, she remembered. Before, the lights had always been off by now. Today it must have opened. Beyond that there were more streetlamps, restaurants, and clubs with lights still blazing in the distance. It was nice to have a top floor apartment. She could almost see her workplace from here. Ah yes, work! The stage there was often filled with bands, but it was the plays that Anna really loved. Especially musicals. In fact, she'd been working hard on writing her own.

Reality losin' its grasp
I'm fallin' forward, pulling back
Something clutches at my chest
Is it pain or nothingness?
Can't find my way, can't find any way at all
Please don't blame me even though it's all my fault

I just feel so strange...

She began to sing through one of the songs, a somewhat depressing ballad that occurred near the climax of her script. She strummed along on the guitar, attempting to match the chords to her voice. Then she hit a wrong note, and abruptly stopped. This always happened. She was okay at writing lyrics and melodies, and it was okay if her singing sucked... if this was ever performed in front of people, it would be by someone far more talent. But writing the actual "music" part of the songs was both necessary and ridiculously difficult. She tried again, and failed again. Maybe she should just go back to writing out the fight scenes.

Anna had nearly forgotten about that. She'd meant to do some research into weapons and fighting styles, but had gone to play video games instead. Onstage, Anna had great work ethic, but outside of that she was actually pretty lazy. Oh well, the library would be closed by now. She'd go there tomorrow, and maybe visit a couple of the local book stores. For now, there was little she could do. Setting the guitar back onto the floor, she sat down by the window. She didn't try to identify the buildings this time. Looking out across this place she called home, the lights that danced across the streets and sky, Annabelle Wolfe thought all sorts of strange and curious thoughts. Eventually her vision blurred, and she drifted off to sleep.