[System]
Appearance: Vanessa stands at a fair five feet and six and a half inches. Not short, but not terribly tall. Vanessa has fairly pale skin. Vanessa's natural eye color is a bright blue, though this changes to red when she is using her ability to see in the dark. Vanessa's teeth are well kept, and essentially perfect. There are two distinct fangs within her mouth and they're easily noticed on even the slightest smile should one be watching carefully. Vanessa's hair is extremely long, reaching just beyond her knees. It's loose and flowing, though it always seems to keep itself out of the way of trouble.

Vanessa has a fairly thin build. Her bust is relatively small, and easily hidden. Her waist is slim, and her hips follow suit. This frequently leads to her being mistaken for a male, but she's quick to correct this with a laugh. Vanessa wears a black suit and dress pants, both complete with silver buttons and cuff links. Beneath these she wears a white dress shirt and a black tie. Vanessa also wears a pair of white dress gloves and a pair of thick black leather boots. Vanessa also wears a pair of comfortable white stockings to keep her feet from chafing against the boots she wears.

Vanessa also wears a pair of small glasses. These used to correct her vision, but now they're unnecessary. Vanessa keeps them on as decoration.

Species Name & Description: Vampire. Vanessa hails from a planet shrouded in eternal twilight. She's but one of many, though you don't frequently see them outside of the few planets that are dark enough. Vanessa is a specific oddity in that she isn't affected by general UV light, but concentrated UV light. (Like a spotlight.) will knock her out cold.

Favourite Side Dish: Blood. That's all she can really consume for subsistence. Tea is a favorite, though only for the flavor.

Useful Skills & Abilities: Vanessa is a crack shot with her Martini-Henry rifle. It's not as flashy as laser beams or whatnot, but the power of a well placed .303 british round is not to be underestimated. Vanessa is also extremely flexible and physically more capable than an average human. Vanessa may also alter her physical appearance, including clothing, at will. On top of that, Vanessa may see in total darkness with ease, but while doing this her eyes glow red, instead of their natural blue, which betrays her nature as a vampire. Vanessa is also capable of melting into a shadow, teleporting or transforming into a bat.

Vanessa may also sing, dance, and twirl her gun like a baton.

Membership Number: #830303. It's actually a hex code for color. It turns out to be blood red...

An Inspirational Quote That Sums Up The Character's Personality: "Don't mind the fangs. I don't bite unless I'm hungry. No, I'm not currently hungry."

History: Do what comes natural.

[User]
Dämmerlicht is the third planet from the dim star of Sterbende. Dämmerlicht is gravitationally locked with Sterbende, meaning that one end is always lit and the other is always dim. This is also how Dämmerlicht is divided between the humans and vampires that live there. The vampires reside on the darker side, and the humans reside upon the lit side. The darkened side of the planet is in a perpetual twilight state, with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. This side of Dämmerlicht is heavily industrialized, with a mixture of steampunk and diselpunk themes with an overall gothic tone. There is also a robust train system throughout the city. Though there are still plenty of streets and sidewalks to drive or walk upon. Street lamps dot the sidewalks and streets to provide them with light due to the fact that the vampires present like to remain presentable and welcoming. The factories within Dämmerlicht produce a variety of gothic fashions and other trade goods to spread throughout the universe, which has proven surprisingly popular with several groups of people.

The human side of the planet is very rural in comparison. Any land that is usable for farmland is used as such, which leaves a ring of classical housing districts surrounding the farms. Located within the housing districts are tithe centers, where humans regularly donate blood for the vampires on the other half of the planet to consume. Donations are heavily rewarded, which is why it's superbly popular to donate blood when able. The food grown here is kept on-planet to avoid shortages, since both populations depend on the kindness of the other to survive. Advanced laser technology is largely absent from the planet, which gives way for a wide variety of gunpowder technology. Armor and melee arms are also present, and are considered the most honorable way to settle a dispute. One of the ways to keep tensions down between the two races was introduced by the former queen of the vampires in the shape of mock tank battles between the two races. The tanks are reinforced with an internal layer of carbon fiber to ensure crew safety and specialized high explosive shells are used in order to set off pressure sensors that are set trigger upon what would traditionally be a lethal penetration, causing a small white flag to emerge from the top of the tank indicating that it has been knocked out of the wargame. So far, the "tankery" project has proven to be a massive success, as both races get along great and any disputes between the two are settled in a round of wargames.

The vampires are ruled by a monarchy, with the current ruler being a queen. The queen has been missing for some time, but left detailed instructions behind about what to do, and promising her return. The other person of power with the vampires is the Queen of Night, which an ancient vampire named Nicole is currently holding. She is ruling Dämmerlicht in place of the Queen until she returns. The monarchy isn't through a family line, but popular vote. The queen is technically a constitutional monarch, since she is bound by a set of rules dictated by the current Queen of Night. The Queen of Night (Or, in some cases, King of Night.) is an absolute monarch, able to set in motion whatever plan they wish, though there is a clause to the ancient laws that the rest of the government structure may choose to disobey a motion set forward by the Queen/King of Night should it endanger the health of the planet. Such an action is usually not needed, as the Queen/King of Night has grown to be more of a symbolic role than one of any real need, though they still have near absolute power at their fingertips if they need it.

The humans are ruled by an elected leader, with a new leader chosen on a yearly basis. The system is very similar to the vampires own government, though there is no Queen/King of Day involved. A raffle is held once every four years for a small amount of humans to win vampire status. The numbers are kept intentionally small in order to keep the populations in a fair balance. Humans are slightly more populous than the vampires due to how easy they breed, but overall it is a rough equality between the two. Overall, Dämmerlicht is pleasant to live on after some adjustments, with a good flow of wealth into the planet keeping everyone happy and content.

[Assistant]
"Goodnight Elarin"

The mind turned their attention back to the screen, having noted an additional burst of text that would probably have gone unnoticed if they didn't have so many eyes at their disposal. The 3 captain bees now sat on the headrest of the pilot chair, cycling which one was currently staring at the unevenly luminous green text to preserve their eyesight.

"Ah, the patch, well I am just worried one day you'll break and we will have no idea why, so just think of it as a doctor's appointment? He'll have a look around and then maybe fix anything that might cause a problem in future. Also it would be nice if we could install a reasonable text to speech program over the current dog pitch one so we can hear you."

The mind tried to ease the worries of the AI, it was a relatively useful one but it was a bit.. Erratic, like an old relative whose mental capacity had been slipping over the years. Considering the minds existence was based in mucking about in the Bees brains and repeatedly editing their minds to try and get them to improve, adding new job types or deciding which information to keep they were perhaps less sympathetic to other's idea of keeping their minds to themselves than would be expected. To them poking around for the purpose of self improvement was a perfectly normal thing.

On the other hand the AI in it's current state could often be relied upon as a source of amusement, as might well be the case now. So, feigning disinterest they continued,

"So I suppose I must ask, why are you wanting my Bees to bring Fiddlesticks ice cream?"

Down in the kitchen some bees retrieved funberry flavor ice-cream from the freezer and buzzed onward to Crew Quarter 6, which was now Fiddlesticks's residence.

[User]
Toony wasn't too surprised at Vanessa's lack of conversation. She seemed to not be much for talking, so it was time to change that! Or at least, thats what Toony hoped. Maybe they could get some girl chat in or something, being a recluse was never good for anyone. "So why don't you feel you fit in? Something with those teeth? Pretty sure that people think vampires are sexy. Fiddlesticks seems to dig the vampire look anyway." Toony was trying to slyly get Vanessa to open up with some passive aggressive chit chat. Usually organics tended to respond well to praise or passive chatter.

"Way more so than the robot girl look. Though not many organics go for robots anyway. Something about most AIs being too erratic or simple." Toony said with a laugh, continuing with "Or homicidal. That tends to happen a lot." before laughing a bit more. She paused for a bit, using one of her hands to idly check the couch for precious metal coins. After a bit, toony figured it was time to change tacts, office romance probably wasn't the best subject.

"That aside, wanna talk about yourself? You know, brag about your accomplishments and such?" Toony said. "For example, I was made to mostly make weapons. Gauss weaponry is very difficult to make without the correct molecular structures for the gun or ammo. but that got boring so I left. More fun when carbon comes from food, not coal."

[Assistant]
Vanessa had to resist the urge to sigh at Toony's small talk. Thinking for a moment about the best way to reply to her questions, Vanessa began to speak shortly after as she gave Toony the answers she was hoping for. "I'm used to a much different life. I've only been away from home for a few months, so there is still some adjustment going on. Do something for over three hundred years and you'll have a tough time for anything else, right?" Vanessa didn't make any comments about Fiddlesticks and his romantic interests since she was almost certain that Toony was a blabbermouth and would spin nearly anything from any word Vanessa uttered on the subject so Vanessa knew it was better to say nothing. Continuing on with her answers Vanessa moved to the next topic. "An AI is only as good as the person who creates it. I also don't like to brag, since being humble is something I take pride in. I let my actions speak for me, rather than speaking for my actions."

Vanessa could talk about how she had mastered several forms of sword fighting, how she was capable with a wide range of firearms, or her proficiency in hand to hand combat. Vanessa could also tell stories from the tank wargames she had taken part in, or detail the strategies involved in such a form of warfare. Vanessa could likely also get them a ship ten times better than the Quest for Flavor through her impeccable diplomacy, but that would really spoil the fun of everyone involved. To simply have everything solved and given to you was boring, and Vanessa didn't want to be the one to outshine everyone and spoil the fun of everyone's talents. That was both rude and boring. It was better to only use an advanced "Save the day without trying" talent when it was absolutely needed, not when you just wanted to move things along. Vanessa had already grown and developed her skill set, but those around her had not. It was their time to shine, rather than Vanessa's time to brag. Holding someone's hand and keeping them from doing anything was a good way to make them angry rather than thankful, so Vanessa didn't plan on simply fixing everyone's problems or satisfying someone's desires right away since that would merely ruin a decent story that had yet to be told.

Thus, Vanessa was content to sit there and do nothing. It really was better that way. No hard feelings about it.

Vanessa shifted her legs again, moving them to a more comfortable position and allowing the blood to flow properly once more since the circulation had become impeded from being in the same position for too long. Vanessa now had her left foot sitting comfortably upon the floor of the ship with her left leg resting against the couch at a slight angle. Her right ankle was now sitting atop her left kneecap with her left hand holding it in place. Vanessa's right hand was curled into a fist and placed gently against her right cheek with her right elbow sinking slightly into the arm of the couch that Vanessa and Toony were on. Vanessa really wasn't the most social person out of the entire crew, and that was mainly a personal problem, rather than anything truly wrong with the crew members themselves. It was nice to have a conversation about the current events or to talk about upcoming plans, but talking about herself would quickly become a boring fest of Vanessa listing out over three hundred years of duties and minor adventures she had taken rather than anything really rather exiting.

It was simpler to just keep her past a secret until it was absolutely needed. That way people felt better about their using their own skills, even if they weren't up to par with Vanessa's skills, because they felt like they were the only ones able to do something like that. It allowed for everyone else to grow and get better at what they felt like they were good at, rather than everyone constantly turning to Vanessa to save the day and do everything again. It allowed for everyone to feel important, rather than everyone feeling like a secondary character to someone else's story. This make everyone else happy, and allowed for better group dynamics.


[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Male

Race: Boar Faunas

Equipment:

Annabeth - A massive Weapon with the combined traits of multiple heavy weapons, packing as much firepower that could be carried by Gren. The main component is an eleven barrel Gatling Gun capable of spewing out a storm of bullets to fill the air with lead. Attached below of the main barrels is a Rocket Launcher loaded using a revolver mechanism, allowing six rockets to be shot before it needs reloading. And next to that is a flame thrower that defaults to a napalm base substance, however it can be augmented with dust crystals to give different or enhanced effects.

In addition to the ranged capabilities of Annabeth, she's equipped with what appears to be a large Axe underneath the main guns. However with a simple trigger pull, the axe comes to life and reveal that it's actually a chainsaw. While in its chainsaw mode, dust can be used to empower Annabeth's strikes.

Hunter Armor - Gren often dons what appears to be a simple yet heavy suit of alloyed steel armor to protect him from harm even should his aura go down. However there's more to the suit than meets the eye: Located on the calves, back, chest, shoulders, and thighs are powerful rocket thrusters. These thrusters assist Gren's mobility, allowing him to mentally command them to push his body in directions he needs to go that he normally could not move quickly enough on his own. They give enough force to give him substantial speed in short bursts, allowing him to dodge attacks in split seconds. Additionally, as these thrusters are highly effective engines, they are also equally powerful weapons for any for who's too close to the various ports located around Gren's armor. He can adjust the direction and output of each port as needed.

Cybernetics - Gren is almost entirely cybernetic, with only parts of his brain, his liver, spinal cord, and heart being organic. And even those parts are further augmented or reinforced with cybernetics. The rest of Gren's body utilizes bulky but powerful synthetic muscles with an armored and padded skeletal frame to further increase Gren's natural toughness. In addition to a more durable frame Gren has gadgets built into his head to provide a variety of utility.

Gren has the ability to perceive perfectly on darkness, emulating his original darkvision. He is also capable of utilizing an OS entirely in his mind, allowing him to emulate the functions of a cell phone and personal computer without additional hardware. He can access the internet, make phone calls, bring up a GPS, write word documents, watch videos, and even record up to eighty hours worth of images and sounds.

Specialty: Gren is a tough guy, but he's more of a meat shield than a bonefide tank. He draws fire from foes by being the biggest and easiest threat to hit (Though perhaps not to damage), as well as ensuring that his foes cannot escape from him. Gren's primarily role is the heavy weapon specialist, dropping a payload of fire and death upon tough enemies and fortified structures in order to complete the mission. Gren is capable of one-on-one combat, however do expect a lot of collateral damage regardless how easy or difficult the fight becomes.

Semblance:

Friction - Malakaus can control the level of Friction he's putting onto an object or objects that touch him. This allows him to do such things as slide across rough terrain, walk on walls and water, and more importantly, keep himself rooted when he's using his weapon. He can extend his Friction to other thing's he's touching to an extent.

He also capable of imparting a set Friction level to objects or targets he touches even if they leave his range, however this effect only lasts for five minutes. Afterwards they resume their original Friction levels.

Personality: While his weapon makes him seem rather blood thirsty and he likes a good fight, Gren has learned to not try to violently kill everything and found new hobbies, like picking up his mother's interest in flowers and herbalism and cooking. Because sometimes Gren get's hungry, and he likes to eat tasty things. Gren see's himself as a sort of protector/apex predator who reserves the right to enforce his authority on others, but worries about people's well-being first and his authority second. He can get very sadden when he thinks that he did something wrong, or simply didn't do something enough. He cares about things under his protection a lot, even when they don't need his protection or what his concern. In a fight he can lose himself easily and once he gets going he's hard to stop. He likes tinkering and has a natural ability to put together ramshackle machinery that by all rights shouldn't be working. Gren has a problem dealing with authority however; as previously mentioned he has a tendency to throw his own weight around even if he isn't the one in charge. While he can follow directions easy enough, he's just as capable of taking over an operation without even considering how it would undermine the efforts of everyone else involved.

Color: A vibrant verdant color like that you'd see in a grassy field one summer's day.

Emblem: Like his surname, Gren's emblem is an orchid. The petals appear more axe-shaped however.

Appearance:

[User]
Jack Orpheus | Math Class

If anyone turned back to Jack you would distinctly see him falling asleep after finishing this day's material at record speed... Given he got a bunch wrong, but they were all simple mistakes and he wasn't really into it. He wanted Math to pass by as soon as possible, and sleeping was one of the most effective ways to do this. Hopefully. He didn't really care about the snarky comments all around him, they were background noise to him. He just didn't want to be in math.

"Luuuke, wake me up when this class is over", he entrusted this task to Luke, before falling asleep completely.

[Assistant]
Luke Schwarz -- Alarm Clock

Sending Cian a brief wave, he frowned as he looked back down at his leader.

It wasn't like he didn't get the sentiment. Far from it, actually. Junior year he'd dozed off dozens of times, and had recieved the sharp reprimands for each with little more than the token grumble.

But.

His grades had also suffered, and he'd even had to stay late once for remedial sessions. That, he knew would be far more tortuous for Jack than anything the actual class itself could be. His next actions weren't out of any misplaced sense of justice, and certainly not in the interests of being some teacher's pet. Instead, he simply wanted to look out for his fellow man. He knew full well how high Beacon's standards were... Genius or otherwise, sleeping was asking for trouble.

"Come on, man." he pleaded, shaking his leader by the shoulder, albeit not in an overbearingly rough manner. "Try and stick this one out."

[User]
Jack Orpheus | Math Class

Try as Luke might, Jack was fairly obstinate in sleeping this one out. It didn't help that combat class was actually a fair bit taxing this time around. He had to go pretty much all out. Jack simply groaned in response until he fell asleep completely... Before Luke managed to actually wake him to which he responded,

"Is it over...? No...?", he sat up and looked around, and not a thing had changed, so he slumped back down again. Jack's grades managed to stay within the class average for Math, but that was since he never reviewed the material, looked over it once and that was it. He made loads of silly mistakes which was why he never excelled in math, but he showed he was capable.

[Assistant]
Kuhaku Shiro - Mathematics Class

Shiro's ears perked under his hood as Gren literally took his seat next to him. Immediately perking up, Shiro removed his hood to free his silvery-white ears and smile as he sat up. When his armored compatriot posed his question, he didn't have an immediate answer for him. His eyes flitting away momentarily as he picked his words carefully. It wasn't like he was about to admit he had a psychotic episode/panic attack and had to conduct an emergency medication. Speaking of..

His ears and tail stood straight up as a brief moment of cold fear washed over him. He had forgotten to put away his secret little orange pill bottle. Swallowing dryly, he would have to remember to return to the dorm as soon as possible to put it away properly. Last he remembered, he left it open on the bathroom counter. Stuttering and sputtering, he hoped his simple answer would appease his friend.

"U-uh, I-I y'see th-the..."
He sighed and offered a weak smile.
"Mondays. Am I right?"
He chuckled nervously. Habitually scratching the back of his head.

At that moment, a familiar feathered faunus came by his desk and dropped his pack on his desk with a cantankerous clatter. Looking up at her, words caught in his throat as his eyes were graced with the student's lovely choice of attire. He held his tongue though and tried his best to maintain eye contact, hoping he didn't come off as rude or creepy for silently staring at her. Thoughts flip-flopping again when she mentioned she had gone through his things, he frantically stuck his head into his bag and rummaged around. "Crap! I didn't leave any extra 'supplies' in my pack did I?" How many bottles did the doctors prescribe him with anyways? First chance he got, he would have to tidy up his things and organize them.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he quietly thanked her as she walked away. Unsure if his words were heard. Frowning, the moniker she addressed him by confused him slightly. Goofus, sure. But Lynx? "I'm a Tiger though..." Odd. Continuing to go through his things, he let out an exasperated sound as of course he had everything but basic note taking gear. With perfect timing, a voice behind him caught his attention and he turned 'round in his seat. It was a fellow student from a different team, graciously sharing his own paper and writing utensils with him. Smiling, Shiro reached behind him with gloved hands and received the pen and paper.

"Yeah, I'm Shiro. Nice to meet you too, Ben. That match was pretty fun between Luke and I. But, I seriously need to work on toning it down and work on my hand-to-hand skills." Looking at each member of Team Bastille, he gave each of them a warm and friendly grin. Softly saying 'Hi' and 'Hello' to each of them. "Your team seems nice and fun." Kind of like his own, save for one toxic team leader. No, he couldn't think like that. She was probably really sweet deep down inside. Deep deep down. Maybe core of the earth deep. But, it was somewhere down there. Right?

"Stop being nasty, Shiro!" He thought to himself, shaking his head.
At that moment, Mokuren interrupted his self-reprimanding by viciously hacking away at her assignment. "Uh." Blinking and then snickering, he couldn't help but be entertained. "Yeah, I feel the same way." he figured. As he started to turn back around towards the front of the classroom, another member of Team Bastille had torn out some more paper to offer to him. "Oh!" Reaching for the extra note paper, he stopped for a moment. He had a bad habit of staring into people's eyes silently. He didn't recognize the darker-skinned gal, but slowly accepted her gift anyways.

"Th-thank you.."

"Man, I see new people every day. It's going to be rough trying to make friends with all of them.." Neatly gathering his things, he wondered what exactly was the attrition rate and expected graduating percentage of Beacon Academy? Setting his pack on the side of his desk, he stared at the blank paper for a moment.

"Basic paper, huh?"
Rather archaic. He'd rather take notes on his Scroll.
Ears and tail perking again, he reminded himself. This was the perfect moment to ask Gren!
"Oh! Gren! Hey, I just remembered. My Scroll broke during our first mission and I'd been meaning to ask you if you could maybe hook me up with a new one? Something told me you could help me out with that."
Looking around himself, he ducked low and lowered his voice for Gren.
"Also, when did Beacon have so many pretty ladies?"
Uncertain if his whispers were quiet enough so that others couldn't hear.

[User]
Gren smirked and took out his Scroll. A few flicks of his finger and Gren cleared his phone of his previous data while at the same time downloaded the data he needed to give Shiro some basic functions. "You can use mine. I've been meaning to get an upgrade soon, so you might as well take this one instead of me just selling it off. It's a recent model, though I've added a few hardware upgrades to it." Gren showed one of those upgrades being a miniature hologram projector. He showed a recording of his own fight with Cobalt. "I've also taken the liberty to... Hook you up, namean?" Gren then switched over to the contact list, which provided numbers for just about all the girls in class. Gren figured Shiro might like it, more so when Shiro asked him a question about the ladies.

"Ha! You just now noticed? I hardly ever see you without a new girl near you, Shiro. Beacon has always had some fine huntresses though. However I don't blame you for finally seeing them as women instead of warriors. One tends to forget I suppose." Gren glanced around and looked at the other students. A few caught his eye, but he couldn't claim he felt any particular attraction to any of them. Only one really garnered his stare for very long, and that wasn't because of any romantic feelings for her. Gren just wondered when Sapphire was going to try to step up and be a leader worthy of followers rather then a girl who doles out orders.

He put those thoughts behind him though. He still needed to socialize himself, but there was a bigger beast to face. Math. "Alright Shiro, enough goofing around. Is your body ready?" Gren said as he took out his notebook and raised his pencil.


[System]
I'm going to go ahead and carry my character over, I probably should have done this a while ago honestly.
Appearance:

Gender: Male

Bending ability if any: None

Birthplace: Somewhere in Republic City

Backstory: As far as anyone knows, Cricket has spent his entire life in the streets. He has been a thief since he was very young, and has learned the tricks of the trade mostly through trial and error. Over the years he's gained somewhat of a reputation for himself throughout Republic City's underworld as a reliable professional.

Items/weapons on person: A dagger, his lock picking equipment, and several bombs.

Physical Attributes and Abilities:

Weapon proficiency: Dagger (II)
Move silently (II)
Infiltration (II)

[User]
Kavi

Kavi smiled, giving a bow to the man before following him and the monk he was speaking to into the temple. Unlike the other monks, Kavi's robes were colored in shades of red and black, to represent his fire nation roots, or so that was what the monks had told him. In actuality, Kavi just never really fit in with the more traditional styles of the Air Nomads, and they some felt a bot of resentment towards him as a result. While Kavi normally didn't care much about this, there were times where it became painfully obvious how much certain individuals wanted nothing to do with him, and it did weigh on his mind.

What am I doing feeling so glum, cheer up already! You're getting a mission from a member of the White Lotus, how awesome is that?!?! This is a happy day, and thus, it requires a happy face. Now suck it up and don't embarrass yourself.

Kavi lightly slapped himself in the face, shaking his head a little afterwards before the group finally made it to a secure room. Once there, the White Lotus member told her everything she needed to know about the mission, which was admittedly very little but that didn't matter. It was more than enough to catch Kavi's interest and they were nodding like crazy half way in. The man was confused by the lack of verbal affirmation, only for the monk to quickly chime in that Kavi was seemingly mute, having been unable to speak for a long time, even though from what healers could tell, nothing is wrong with them medically. The man nodded in understanding, turning to address Kavi only to fine them gone, having fled from the room as soon as attention had been lifted from him.

Soon, the cry of a Sky Bison could be heard, as well as the cries of a very drowsy and unhappy Rasharna as he was dragged off by Kavi to partake in one of his least favorite activites. The man chuckled a bit at the boy's enthusiasm while the monk beside him simply sighed.

[Assistant]
The White Lotus representative was slightly shaken at Jalika's question. "We may not be the organization we once were, but we still have eyes and ears in more than a few places, you see. Please understand, while we would never spy, per se, when we're in serious need of new members, we have our ways. We're aware that you've been single-handedly protecting this grove, and for quite some time no less. That is no small feat. Your reputation is what led us to reach out to you."

The White Lotus member who had been sent after Kavi rushed after him and handed him the address and instructions on how to get there. As he took off, he shouted "And whatever you do, make sure you don't tell anybody we sent you!"

The thief made his way to the part of town where the temple was supposed to be. It was too bad that a temple here had been forced to shut down, as it seemed as if this part of the city could have sorely used whatever charity it had to offer. The buildings were shoddily made and looked old and decrepit despite this being a relatively new part of the city. Everything was dirty. This was none of the thief's concern, however. He stuck to the shadows and slowly moved towards the temple, avoiding open places where he might be seen. The people of a community like this were probably used to his kind, and the law most likely wouldn't come to this part of town quickly if his presence were reported, but he didn't want to take any risks. He used homes with no lights on, which were situated away from the main street as his cover. The lack of light kept him unseen until he reached the temple. As he came within view of it, he saw that someone was already there, a woman riding a large animal. This was a good sign, but he didn't want to be seen yet. He turned back and moved into the shadows again, this time moving for the small wooded area that was just behind the temple. He moved behind the trees and reached the back of the temple where, thankfully for him, there was a back door which was well out of anyone's eyesight. He walked in and, instead of going into the basement, walked directly to the front door.

From inside of the temple, Tikaani could hear a voice. "Did someone claiming to be the White Lotus contact you as well?" it asked.

[User] Tikaani unmounted Siku and took a few steps toward the voice. She felt a shiver go down her spine from the ominous person, but ignored the feeling. Bowing her head slightly in greeting, she replied, "Yes. I was called by the White Lotus here and I am here to answer that call." Tikaani raised her head back up. Siku growled softly and rolled over onto her back lazily.

[Assistant] Zayric sat idly by on the basement floor twiddling his mecha suit's thumbs. He was pretty bored even though it had only been about five minutes. After a while he finally heard voices coming from upstairs and decided to investigate. He noisily came up that stairs as he didn't really care if anyone knew he was there "hey are you guys the White Loctus people? I've been waiting down there for a while now and it's getting really boring." he complained.

[User] For a brief moment the thief was startled by the noise. His dark clothing and the fact that there was almost no light to speak of helped keep him hidden, but there was nothing here to hide behind. "I received the same invitation you apparently did, yes." the thief replied to Zayric. He opened the door just slightly and peered out. He decided that Tikaani and her animal didn't look particularly dangerous and opened the door completely. "Come in. The fact that we're meeting in a place like this is a strong indicator that they don't want us standing out in the open."

[Assistant] Tikaani nudged Siku, making the lazy cat get back up with a staunch huff. She motioned for her to follow as they entered the temple. She looked around and saw that there were two people. "Hello." Siku walked over to Zayric and the big cat started to sniff him all over. Tikaani smiled and crossed her arms. "Looks like Siku made a new friend." Siku purred and licked Zayric's face.

[User]
"Another bullseye," Sanrock says to himself, "I'm on a roll." He had been left with only twenty-one rifle rounds and three derringer rounds. Along with firing the guns, he had used his abilities to throw rocks at the targets as well. They weren't large rocks, though they weren't pebbles or anything around that size. Probably wouldn't be able to crush a person if they couldn't even knock over the sign.

Then again, if he did want to kill someone, that's what the guns were for. Using his earthbending, he lifted several rocks in the air and aimed them at the target. But, upon hearing the voice behind him, the rocks fell to the ground. Sanrock turned to look at the person who was talking, then replied: "Help? What for?"

[Assistant]
Shizue waved her last customer goodbye, closing up the shop with a soft sigh and slowly started cleaning up the place alone since she had sent her helpers home long ago. She didn't mind the work but sometimes she wished that her father was still around, the two of them laughing and joking at the end of a long days work, well at least when she was here. It had come to her attention many times that her not being here enough was her biggest regret since she had stupidly believed he would always be here or at least be around for a long time. She knew life was not always fair so why had she thought traveling was a good idea? Well, she knew why and she couldn't really say she hadn't wanted to do it again. She missed the open air and riding with Mitsuru through unknown places or even in areas no one dared go but she would not let go of this place. Many offers had been made to buy the place but she didn't trust them with her father's baby that he built from the ground up and the only people she did trust to take it refused to keep it. They were willing to help but they didn't want to own what they knew should stay hers.
What should I even do? she thought to herself, tidying the back counter for the next day when her hand brushed up against an envelope. Shizue frowned, wondering what on earth something like that was doing there until a light of recognition appeared in her eyes at the strange thing. She had almost completely forgot about the elders mysterious blank envelope and now she had no distractions of the day to stop her from seeing just what he had given to her. The letter inside had not been what she expected at all and even more so...did she want to go? Was this some kind of trick? Why would they want her? The man didn't seem like the kind to set her up so should she give it a try? It could be worth it.

She spent hours mulling over the idea and she had finally come to a conclusion as she prepared for anything that might happen. Shizue set up someone to run the shop tomorrow, packed as if she were going on a trip and pulled on her weapons to be prepared if attacked. Once everything was set and locked up, she moved to the back of her home and smiled at the Addapard grazing there. Mitsuru poked his head up, moving over to Shizue to place his face against her own with a strange like purr coming from his chest. She giggled, rubbing his neck before kissing his nose and spoke to the animal before her as if talking to another being."We have somewhere to go and I have a feeling your not going to like it." she replied as she watched his ears go back and they down so she could get them ready for the trip. Of course she was now going to deal with the boy pouting the whole trip and being on the defensive around her so she pitied the one who tried to attack her. She saddled him up, adding the packs to his holders before gracefully climbing on as Mitsuru stood. He jumped over the fence, dashing off into the night with Shizue leading him in the direction to the temple. It was not long before they arrived, others already gathered near the entrance and she wondered if they too had gotten the same letter or if they were a part of this. Well, at least I am not the first or only to arrive or I might have been nervous." Shizue stated before hopping off her ride and carefully petting the others fur to keep him calm. Mitsuru let her calm him a bit before he moved away from her side, headed for a place to lay down or hide till she returned for him once more but his ears stayed perked and on high alert.

[User] Zayric laughed a bit as the animal before him licked his face. He loved animals but he had never gotten one of his own since he didn't think he was up for that kind of responsibility but that didn't mean he didn't still wish he had one. "So what are your names? Not much use sitting around here and just calling each other mister and misses" Zayric asked as he gave Siku a pet with his suit's hand.

[Assistant] Tikaani smiled and crossed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well. That's Siku." Siku purred at her name and nuzzled more against Zayric. "And now you will always be your friend."Tikanni laughed and walked over to them. "I'm Tikaani. What's your name?" She patted Siku on the back, making her back off of him.

[User]
"Hmph," Jalika grunted again, "Alright," she said unevenly. "I'll go witchu, but," she took a wobbling step toward him, holding a wavering finger in his general direction, "Those not-exactly-spies keep and eye on the grove while I'm gone, okay?"

When the White Lotus man agreed she flung her arms into the air, "Okay! You hire a ferry for me?" She could fly on a spider-moth, and they were willing to let her, but she preferred not to make them. If she needed a ride, she could call them from a distance with a special mix of pollens she kept in a bag.

[Assistant]
"I'm not supposed to tell you too much." the gunman said to Sanrock. "Only that they could use you in Republic City for a matter of great importance, and soon. I've been instructed to secure your entry into the city and tell you where to go, should you accept."

"Cricket." the thief said plainly in response to Zayric. He cracked the door once again to see what the noise coming from outside was and spotted a young woman with a riding animal he didn't recognize. "If you're here because the White Lotus contacted you, I suggest you come in before you draw attention to your presence."

"Yes, naturally." the Lotus member said to Jalika. "I've been instructed to provide you with both a ride to the border and a ferry into the city, although I won't be able to accompany you for the latter. Are you ready to go?"

[User]
She did not answer immediately, instead, Jalika selected a spot in the overgrown mothberry and thrust her arm all the way to the shoulder into the thicket. There was a moment of struggle, a slurred and indistinct curse, and when she pulled her hand free she had a traditional airbender's staff. She leaned on it as if she couldn't stand on her own, despite the fact that she had been just fine a moment ago, and then gestured to the Lotus agent. "Le's go."

~~~

One journey later, complete with quite dramatically losing her lunch over the side of the ferry, and Jalika was in the right neighborhood. She stumbled through the streets, and seemed to decide on the abandoned she entered entirely at random. She noticed another person on the otherwise empty streets, riding an animal she thought, though all of her assumptions were based on air movement over her skin. Someone inside the meeting place noticed either the other person, or Jalika, and stepped out to ask if they were summoned by the Lotus.

"They did," she said, and slipped past him before she could be questioned further.

[Assistant] "The name's Zayric. Its nice to meet you Tikanni, Cricket and Siku." Zayric said said with a smile as he looked over the group now inhabiting the temple. By the sounds coming from outside and Cricket's own actions it seemed that others were about to join them but before that happened Zayric put his suit into a sitting position and locked the legs up making it essentially a overcomplicated chair.

[User] Cricket nodded at Zayric but didn't say anything, he wasn't really much for niceties. After letting the two in, Cricket turned to Jalika. The only reason he hadn't gone straight to the basement yet was because he didn't want to be the first one down the on the chance that this was a setup. "If you're heading down, lead the way." he said.


[System]
Description: And ageless woman with long white hair, crystal blue eyes, a curious smile, and a deceptively innocent aura.

Civilization: Crystal age - As the first prosperous civilization, those born in this era had a large influence on those that followed. Their use of elemental stones and runic words crafted many items of extraordinary power, an art that has mostly been lost to time following their demise. Those that inhabited the this era believed on purity of the elements, each forming an intense bond with their surroundings and those around them. Although great strides were made in understanding the elemental and metaphysical universe, inhabitants of the crystal age lacked technological knowledge, and understood little about the aspects of war. Their naive nature was what lead to their demise, as they were the first to discover the darkness, and the creators of the oblivion stone.

Personality: Sunumi values adventure and wonder, always finding the light in a dark situation. Although the world, and what it has become, disgusts her, she is still able to smile through it. Everyday is a struggle to accept the new reality, but she never stops believing in her dreams, and will stop at nothing to fix what she has broken, no matter the cost. (Chaotic good)

Bio: Sunumi was never as strong, intelligent, or driven as those that surrounded her, but she always had a healthy curiosity of the unknown. She often found herself in peculiar situations, relying on creativity to survive her self imposed danger. Even to a group of aloof scholars, she was an outsider, but that never bothered her. Sunumi always understood that the purpose of life was to venture blindly into the unknown, and it was that exact frame of thinking that lead her to the discovery of the greatest threat the world would ever know.

In every world, a certain balance is maintained, a thought that lead Sunumi down a dark path. She knew the light was the origin, but the world had yet to discover what was it's other half; the world had yet to learn of death. She felt the strange pull of the darkness pull her, leading her down a trail she had never known, and at the end, a dark aura lingered. Instinctively, she knew it was wrong, but Sunumi drew closer, reaching for the energy. Without warning, her light reacting, bringing from her as the aura grew, pulsing into the world.

Sunumi ran, fear what had just happened, but no distance could save her from the reaction that was beginning in the world. Where life once prospered, decay took root, withing all things to times curse. She told the others back home, hoping their understanding of the light would stop this new cycle of death, but the Clan of the Moon became obsessed with this new energy, eventually becoming attuned to it, and becoming "The Darkside."

As the year passed, people she once cared about became to fade from time, leaving Sunumi as the sole survivor of her clan. When that day pass, she walked the dark path once more, as afraid of what lied beyond as the first day she took the steps. When she arrived, the aura was gone, but in its place stood a temple, and within that temple rested a stone, black as night, but brimming with the same energy as that day. Her anger consumed her, light swelling uncontrollable from her. With one last act of desperation, Sunumi struck the stone, consuming it with enough force to chip the shard, forcing the stone to stick back.

What happened next what the start of a never ending cycle of rebirth and destruction, each civilization rising more vicious than the last, with Sunumi and the stone being the only constant. At first, she found the cycle, but as time passed, she struggled to accept what the world had become.

Affiliations: Clan of the Moon - In a land filled with magic and discovery, the clan of the moon embraced the higher light, seeing it as the essence of creation. They stood atop the other tribes, the pinnacle of their civilization, using their understanding of the light to to find the darkness that waited on the other side.

Equipment on death: Crystal shield - A crystal shield, brimming with white light and etching in wandering runes that bind it to Sunumi, visible on actions, allowing her to both defend and attack physically. The shape and power of the shield is dependent on the amount and quality of the lunar light infused within it.

Crystal necklace - A keepsake from the first days, bestowed upon her by the Moon Clan, symbolizing the eternal light that she embodied. The necklace never grows dim, never tarnishes, and never seperated from Sunumi. It has the power to both steadily create lunar light, and story excess light. The necklace encases a large crystal, supported by a shimmering white metal with wandering runes flowing through it when the light is in excess.

Abilities: Lunar light - A pure energy with both the ability to pierce the body and soul. Physical attacks and defenses do not interact with this ability, but magical and mystical ability can interact with lunar light abilities. Lunar light can, however, interact with crystals, as they are said to partially connect with the magical plane of existence.

Clairvoyance - Ability to observe and interact with energies and objects in other planes of existence. This was unique to Sunumi, and the reason she was originally able to make contact with the dark plane.

Spirit summoning - With enough stored lunar light, Sunumi is able to temporarily summon another entity from a distant plane of existence. The further they are from the original plane, the more lunar light it consumes.

Pale gate - (No spoilers!)

Adversaries: "The Darkside" - Those that worship death, and the powers that accompany it. Scrolls and writing from the crystal age that have withstood the perils of time give the basis for this cult in every era, which persist despite Sunumi's efforts to erase this tainted memory from existence.

Reason for death: Sunumi's struggle with darkness and the stone is what caused her deathlike state. When the stone is awake, so is she, and when the stone sleep, Sunumi sleeps. Although, not a true death, her sleep like state can be described as limbo, and her dream, purgatory.

[User]
Sunumi

 She gazed at the wall as the massacre unfolded, finding no comfort in senseless slaughter, yet understanding its inevitability. The blood splashed against the faded stone, dripping slowly as the last body fell, Kritz claiming his own. He was always one to jest, but at least when he was joking her was manageable. "I can see much deeper than that puppet you wear," she reminded him, "and I'm afraid that no accessory that could pull away from the ugliness that is your soul."

 The words were harsh, she had become harsh, but sweetness worked less and less in a growingly hostile world. There was a time when the man would listen to reason, a time when she would have even considered him amongst the living, but that was eons ago, and she had his wickedness extinguished more times than she could count. Still, Kritz could have been of use.

 "You know," Sunumi said, walking past the arm, inspecting the blood closely as she followed the cool air to the next set of halls that would free her from the temple, "no matter how many times we play this game, we always end up here." Her fingers traced the doorway, as if she was searching for some something more in the mossy stone. "That can't be by accident, right?"

 Her hand dropped, gripping the other in comfort as she turned to Kritz, allowing the smallest vulnerability as she peered through his vessel. "I don't just want to win," she explained, thinking of that that looked like throughout the years, "I want to win for good. I'm tired, Kritz. I'm tired, and I want it to be over," she peered to arm, acknowledging it for the first time since the swap. "For good this time. Don't you?"

[Assistant]
"Of course it's not by accident," Kritz confirmed. He thought about all the times Sunumi had trapped him in some way or another. Even the times she hadn't, Kritz always found his way back to this very temple. It was always by accident. Strange for someone who has been around the world many, many times. He questioned, "You think I end up here by choice? As much as I've grown to adore that colorless face of yours, I just want to sleep." He followed her through the hall as he spoke. Once they walked through the double stone door, Kritz looked up to find the moon. It was full, bright, and just about to hide itself behind the towering mountain side. It wouldn't be long before the moon's radiance was filtered out by the jagged earth that surrounded the duo.

 "It can all end," he said. "But one thing needs to change from all the other times." He smiled big. "I'm coming with you. So no more of your fancy little traps." Kritz continued walking, heading for the exit of the narrow crevasse. As the light quickly began fading, he looked at Sunumi and chuckled under his breath. Failing to ignore it, she grimaced.

 "Sorry," he joked. "I was just thinking about how dark it was about to get, until I realized that you're basically a flashlight." He chuckled some more. After a few more steps and inching closer to the exit of the first valley, Kritz glanced back to the temple. Darkness seemed to radiate from the entrance. He pondered for a moment. "Have you ever thought about destroying the place we always come back to?"

[User]
 "Destroy the temple?" she questioned, glancing back at the rocky gate. Of all the times she had arrived, the option never occurred to her. The cycle never stated with a temple, nor was it the origin of her sin, the place was merely where the veil was the thinnest. If destroyed, there was no doubt in her head that some unsuspecting mortals would build another, the same way all old magics managed to find their way back into the worst hand. Fate was unyielding, and here she was, trying to bend it in her favor. It was stupid, but maybe he was right, even if for purely symbolic reasons. "You know, you just might be onto something, lefty. If this going to work, I'm going to need to be a little more like you, and you're going to need to be a little more like me. Whatever that equates to, I'm sure it is going to scare the hell out of the stone."

 The moon's light bathed her every minute she was in it's site. It never took long to find her grace, but nights such as this made Sunumi particularly dangerous. The necklace radiated as she closed her eyes and let the energy in. Her mind opened, searing the past for the memory she needed, a name to call, a name that still might linger in the world today, waiting to find purpose once more. "There it is," she whispered, looking up to Kritz. "But it might sting a bit."

 Sunumi knew by the look on his face that Kritz could remember who she was to call, and how she used against him. Even so, he didn't protestest as she called out, "Terra, mother of Earth, grace us with your beauty." Her left hand found get necklace, grasping its reserves as her right channeled a thick white light ahead, flowing a singular entity that slow took form.

 A woman rose from the light, skin of bark and long vibrant wines sprouting from her head and wrapping around her like a thin coat of armor. The woman was disoriented at first, but her demenor changed when her sights met Sunumi, then quickly diverting to Kritz. "My lady, mistress of the night, giver of life, protector of the pure, have you summoned me again to rid the world of this.. this metallic abomination?"

 "Not at all," she interjected, not unknowing on how the fight would ultimately be settled. Terra was no god, not really, just a person that had pushed the limits of humanity too far, and become something else in the process. She was born of one of the few ages that respected magic for its true form, and had grown an attachment to Sunumi when she arrived at the end, and helped vanquish the rise titans, as they were called, Terra included. "I'm afraid we don't have much time, not yet, but I do have a favor to ask of you." Sunumi glance at Kritz, and then the temple, affirming her decision. "Destroy this place, bury the temple under so much earth that not even Kritz will live to see it again." She walked to the woman, cupping her delicate fingers against Terra's toughened chin, "can you do this for me?

 Terra's arm reached up to grasp Sunumi's, her eyes never leaving her. "Of course I can," she acknowledged, retreating her grip and turning to the temple. "You will have no more comfort, stone," Terra yelled, as the vines untangled from her body and pierced the ground. "You have betrayed me, betrayed my people, and you shall have no more shelter now." The grew larger from the base as they dug deeper into the ground.

 The earth shifted, forcing Sunumi to find her balance before meeting the ground. A rumble bellowed ahead, as the sides of the crevasse lost their form, threatening to fill from above. "Kritz," Sunumi yelled, coming to a careful dash as soon as the words left her mouth. Step by step she propelled further, until she felt a shock of air blast her from behind. The girl tumbled to the ground, rolling forward and out to a clearing where the mountains opened up. She felt a sting as she inched her leg back into place, her glimmering essence dripping from the wound. 'I'm still too weak,' she thought to herself, giving herself a moment before attempting to lift herself from the ground. The toll was too much, even under a full moon, yet somehow she was able to roll herself over, propping herself up enough to see the leveled land that was behind her. "Subtle," she laughed, almost forgetting that she could. "Subtle," she said one more time, before dropping back and catching the moonlight, while the sky still allowed it to glow.


[System]
Vena said to post my CS in this tab. Yay!
Age: 8 years
Gender: female
Race: half-Ydran

Appearance: Amuné looks like a normal Muran child at first glance. It is only at closer examination that hints of her Ydran parentage. She is on the smaller side, lacking the slight chubbiness of most younglings. Her features have a sharp cast, though her ears are not so pointed that she cannot pass for Muran. Her coloring is washed out, with pale mousy hair cut a little past her jawline and light grey eyes. At the moment, her clothes are ragged and stained, her hair untidy and her face splotched with grime. She travels in the company of Wyth, a large moorcat. a younger version of Amuné

Element Affinity: Luminous (Seer)
Gear: Amuné has next to nothing in the way of possessions.

Brief History: Amuné's parents met by chance as teenagers when Baldur's tribe passed near Amira's village. Amira, who was studying to be a midwife and herbalist under the elderly village healer, came across him and a few others while out gathering plants. She had seen Ydra only rarely, as they didn't often come to her town, and she was fascinated by them and their animals. Baldur found her bold curiosity cute, and he enjoyed the energetic company of someone that wasn't from his people. They quickly became friends, and over the following few years, Baldur would make excuses to go off on his own to see her whenever his travels brought him within a day's travel. Eventually romance blossomed, and a tumble in the woods lead to a child. Baldur had moved on by the time Amira found out she was pregnant, but when he received word following Amuné's birth, he went to join her in the town. He was met with some suspicion by the villagers, as they had limited contact with Ydrans. This never completely went away, but his bright personality smoothed things over for the most part.

The pair were both Magi. Amira had minor skill with healing, and Baldur was a talented Air Magus. He also had a knack for woodwork and other small crafts, and his toys and kites became popular with the village children. Amuné was not formally acknowledged as his, as Amira realized this would make life easier for the child, and the girl had enough difficulty already. Even as a baby, the girl was a bit odd. She would react oddly to what appeared to be nothing at all, and at times her mood would change for no apparent reason. On occasion she was even afflicted with fits where she would not respond to those around her, instead focusing on something only she perceived and saying things that made no sense. Eventually it became evident that, among other things, she seemed to know the outcome of calls for her mother's services as a midwife before Amira returned home. Baldur realized his daughter had an unusual gift indeed: Sight. He'd heard of the occasional Seer but never met one. By this time technology was taking hold, and there was talk of the decline of magic, and the start of tension between Magi and non-Magi. As the victim of low level xenophobia himself, Baldur realized that her power could easily be viewed with suspicion, and imparted to Amuné the importance of keeping it to herself. She took his advice to heart, but cannot always control her visions, nor what she says during them, and there were at least a small number of villagers that figured out she had magic of some sort.

Life was good for the most part, but when the Church of the Nine Saints turned to technology and tensions erupted, as both a Magus and an outsider Baldur fell under increasing scrutiny. The townsfolk didn't mind Amira, for though she was a Magus she was one of their own, and a healer besides, but became more hostile towards Baldur, accusing him of stealing power from their Demacite crystals to use, even though he had all but stopped using his magic. The pair discussed leaving town, but Amira had spent all her life there, and while she was curious about outsiders the thought of leaving everyone she knew terrified her, and she couldn't bring herself to agree. The ill temper and seething discontent encouraged by the Church erupted one evening, and a mob came to kick Baldur out of their village. Amuné was outside playing, and she retreated to her father's side as the villagers confronted him. Baldur ordered Wyth to sit, so the cat wouldn't seem to be aggressive, and tried to talk them down and reassure them that he was not trying to cause harm to anyone. They didn't listen, and when a man who shoved Baldur brushed against Amuné as well, it triggered a vision for her. She said only "the village will be in flames", but that was enough for the riled-up townsfolk. They tried to grab both her and her father, over Amira's protests. With his daughter in danger, the generally gentle Baldur tried to fight off those going after her, using fists and his magic. He was not a strong man, and hadn't needed to defend himself in years -- not since he'd come to live in the village. Wyth made a better accounting of himself, but there were too many for a single cat, however fierce, to fight off. Baldur's aim was to take Amuné and Amira, if the woman would come, and flee, but he was unable to break away from the attackers. Following a solid stab to his hip and one to his shoulder, he told Wyth to take Amuné and run. The last she saw of her parents was her mother trying desperately to reach her fallen father as the mob turned on the woman as well.

Additional info: Frightened by the events immediately preceding her leaving her home, Amuné is more withdrawn than she was growing up.

Name: Wyth
Age: 10 years
Gender: male
Race: moorcat

Appearance: Wyth has an appearance typical to moorcats. He is a large feline, standing nearly two and a half feet at the shoulder, with a thick, slightly shaggy coat of mottled gray and brown, with a lighter gray and cream underbelly. His paws are proportionally larger, to help distribute his weight on the often sodden and muddy ground of the moors and marshland. His eyes are pale green, on the yellower side of the hue.

Brief History: Wyth was the kit of another moorcat owned by a member of Baldur's community. He imprinted on Baldur as a kitten, and has accompanied the man ever since. When Baldur fell for Amira and eventually went to live in her village, Wyth joined them. The moorcat is very fond of their daughter, Amuné, and treats her like he might a kitten.

Additional info: Originally the companion of Amuné's father, he now stays with her and guards her.

[User]
A ways from the campsite

"Really?" Hearing first Nymira and then Ethan say they were okay with her magic cheered Amuné considerably. She gave the woman a shy smile, and went to give Ethan a hug. "Thank you, Nymira, I'm sorry I tried to lie. Ethan..." She pulled back, frowning at the man, and put a hand to his forehead. "You've got a fever." The girl bit her lip, her expression turning pale and frightened. "This is bad, Ethan! Those things...they can make you really, really sick." She fussed with buttons on the front of her nightgown, brow furrowed in thought as she tried to remember what to do for a fever and an infected wound. "You need rest and fluids...and...and...." Her shoulders slumped. Anything that might have helped the injury, or drawn out whatever was making Ethan sick, that was all back at their camp. "I wish I knew more about healing people," Amuné lamented, sitting down hard.

She gave Wyth a pat as the huge feline tried to sooth his distressed girl, but her mood didn't improve. The child felt small and useless. With how fast Ethan's symptoms were manifesting, she thought it was going to be bad. The vision she'd seen earlier, of Ethan weak and dying, seemed like it might really happen after all and that terrified her.

[Assistant]
Why would being a Magi be a bad thing? Everyone present was one themselves, of course Amuné was going to be accepted! "Hey, there's no reason to be sorry, we're not mad or anything. You can tell us stuff in the future though, right? We're here and we're friends, you can trust us," Ethan said as he placed his arm around the Ydran, smiling down at her. When she pulled back and tested his temperature he sighed inwardly, having hoped she'd not check and get herself worried. Reaching out he placed his good hand on her head, giving it a gentle rubbing before tapping his bandaged hand with a fingertip. "Relax, I'm sick but it's not going to kill me, heh... I've been way sicker than this and pulled through just fine, this is nothing!" It sort of reminded him of the time he'd eaten that bad fish and gotten food poisoning, though there was much less puking and stomach pains. He had cold sweats, a fever and nausea, but that was relatively minor given all the problems he could have.

"If Ethan says he is fine child then we have to trust him, he knows how he feels better than we do," Nymira added, frowning when she looked at the Muran, "You do look like hell though, I don't envy you. Once we get back to camp we'll have to see about giving you something to relieve the sickness." She was accustomed to healers, and the older Dimurans who knew what herbs to gather, what roots helped with specific ailments and some curious, unorthodox remedies like a hot mud bath that supposedly relieved stress and aches. They didn't have any of that on hand and her own knowledge of medicine was sorely lacking. "Rest up and we'll return to the camp in the morning, I suppose it can't be helped if those two buffoons are fighting it out." So long as those Magi didn't continue their chase they should be fine here, and come sunrise they could try and recover whatever might be left. Pushing herself to her feet Nymira clutched her daggers loosely in her hands, walking out to the road and looking both ways for any travelers. "I'll take watch, you sleep as well Amuné. It would be my shift anyways."

---

Ethan somehow managed to fall asleep despite his discomfort, and slept very soundly at that. He might have remained asleep had a cricket not landed on his nose, making him smack at his own face in his sleep, missing it and waking himself. Opening his eyes groggily the Magi sat up and glanced around, wondering what had struck him before letting out a loud yawn. "Oh jeez... Should have changed out of my clothes..." he mumbled as he peeled his shirt from his chest, grimacing at it having dried and his clothing now clung to him. Figuring he'd take it off he began to do so, pausing when he spotted Nymira watching him with a cross expression, like what he was doing was inappropriate; Amuné was present, his stripping down to his pants probably was inappropriate. Smiling sheepishly he quickly lowered his shirt again and ran a hand through his hair, "Morning Nymira, sorry about that," he laughed, silently wishing she'd been asleep so he could at least wring it out.

"Yes, and I'm sorry my day had to start out by seeing you unceremoniously strip," the Dimuran answered coldly, frowning as she looked in the direction of their camp, "The others are awake, we all have been for a while now. No one wanted to wake you though, or rather they wouldn't let me. You seem to be fine now." Good, she couldn't do her job if one of her escorts was ill. Should none of their supplies still be at camp they may need to double back to Galloway to buy more, though that was only if her money was even there still. Would those Magi go as far to steal from her? She wouldn't put it past them, they were willing to kill for no apparent reason, petty theft probably wasn't below them either. Huffing at the notion of being a victim of theft she folded her arms over her chest, clearing her throat before looking between Amuné, Cecil and Ethan. "Now that we're all ready we should go back, I worry what damage those buffoons might have caused with their fighting."

Heading back wasn't a half bad idea, he had an extra shirt somewhere that he could put on. "Yeah, we should, no sense in waiting any longer," Ethan agreed, slowly getting to his feet and stumbling slightly as he did. He was a bit lightheaded from the illness taking its toll and felt rather thirsty, though the former might be from just getting up too quickly too. Shaking his head and giving the side a smack he looked to Cecil, making a poking gesture at his own chest. "How's the battery holding up? Feel better now that you had a chance to recharge?"

[User]
A ways from the campsite

Amuné slept with her head on Wyth's stomach. The first thing she did upon waking in the morning was check on Ethan. The man seemed to be doing better, and she gave a sigh of relief. He was going to be okay. Still, he needed his rest and when Nymira wanted to wake him up the girl got in her way. "He needs sleep so he can get better!" she told the Dimuran, frowning up at her. "We're not in a hurry, so let him sleep." Amuné settled in to wait quietly, occupying herself by watching clouds pass.

It was some time later when Ethan finally woke. Amuné gave him a smile and a hug, ignoring his still-damp clothing. "I'm glad you're better," she told him. The little exchange between Ethan and Nymira confused her. The man wasn't stripping, was he, he was just taking off his shirt, and that was okay. If he'd gone for his belt she would have turned around because girls aren't supposed to see boys with their pants off.

It seemed they were going to head back to camp. Amuné hoped the bad Magi had left everything alone -- especially Jorvind and the other horse, and her medical supplies. When Ethan staggered she was at his side right away, but he seemed to be alright and waved her off. She looked at Cecil when Ethan asked the Machina how he was doing. She hoped he was doing better too.


[System]
Appearance:
Age: 25

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Role: Cook

Personality: Normally friendly and polite, but she's easily irritated and snaps/talks back a lot. She makes a lot of food that would be considered exotic (bushmeat, strange plants, insects, grubs) and hates it if anyone complains. In the event that there is a complaint...well, you're going to have to go out and forage, because she won't feed you unless she's forced to. When she is not cooking or directly planning meals, one can usually find her testing the plants on the island to determine whether they're poisonous. Finding natural salt deposits makes her practically swoon! Although she usually just gets it from distilling seawater. She likes cookbooks with strange recipes. Funny enough, her favorite food is fish (uh oh!). But she wouldn't be unfriendly to a mermaid; she might make a joke about calamari.

Bio: Luz grew up on the main continent, and she was a preteen when the dictator took over. Her mother, the only parent she had, after a year of this madness, told Luz of her plan: they would commit suicide together. Luz, too terrified to say no, agreed to the plan, but when it came to it she didn't have the courage to drink the poisoned water. Her mother, having already downed the whole glass, died slowly in front of her, so she just left.
She lived a few years on the street after that, carefully avoiding other people, and was very nearly recruited into sex trafficking at 16. Luckily, a few rebels picked a fight with the shady creep who'd found her sleeping under a bridge, and they got Luz out of there. Not wanting a useless new teenage crew member, they taught her multiple trades; the one she loved the most and was best at was cooking, and she's been getting better and better ever since.
She made sure to obtain plenty of books on nutrition, and steal a good number of citrus fruits, before setting sail with the Phoenix Pirates.

[User]
The fish trap, woven from plant stems that Luz had pulled from the ground on the way, waited patiently for victims as it was set in the cool lake water. Luz was surprised at how clear and pristine it was when she waded in, and she took a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of sand on her toes. Then her head cleared and she headed back to the shore, where she started to weave a net. She planned to raft out where the water was good and deep, and simply scoop up whatever fish were there: they were likely too stupid to know that humans were a threat to be hidden from.
The net and the raft both took a good sum of time, and by the time Luz had finished, she felt too tired to fish. That couldn't stop her though, as she did have a crew to feed. She pushed the raft into the water and got on, putting the net in the water.

[Assistant]
"Fine, I admit saying 'miss' is pretty lame. And you're obviously very upset." he looked at her, his grin completely gone. "I've heard what my kind has done to your people. So you have every right to be upset."
He lowered his blade, finding it suddenly rude to hold it pointed at her throat while having a conversation... No matter how many insults she threw at him. Luckily the water was deep enough to cover his privates. "Also 'shrimp' am I? Sure, insult my privates. I bet it doesn't make you feel very big and strong now does it?"
But then again... Merfolk didn't really need to wear pants underwater did they? "This may come as a shock to you but humans bathe naked." he nodded, trying to look like a smartass. He was just playing, of course. He usually made jokes when he was in dire situations, it's just the way he is. When noticing her face turned completely red, he wasn't sure if it was because of pure rage or embarassment of the entire situation. "Look... If you wont pounce me again, I'll put away my sword and sit down, alright? We can have a conversation. I'll put some pants on." he said, that last bit a bit comically.

Without really waiting for a response on that, he took a step back and climbed up on the ledge where his clothes were lying. Keeping his eyes on her, he put some pants on quickly. Sure, it was enough time for her to pounce him again seeing as she was a natural at sprinting in water, but for some reason he didn't think she would. He didn't doubt her guts and he knew she was furiously angry, but for some reason he just thought to himself that She's upset at something, and she's venting it out on me. As long as he wasn't the source of the rage, she wouldn't hurt her. At least, that's his theory.
"You're free to leave if you want. Or you can stay and I'll put away my sword and we'll have a talk. Afterwards, you can do whatever you want." He sat down on the ledge, pants on and the sword in his lap.

He had completely filtered out all the insults by now. He was intruiged by her. "Tell me about your singing blades." he said kindly, deeply interested in what sounds to him like a legendary swordsman's tale.

[User] Damn, this was not going the way she hoped. Where in fact insulting his man pieces made her feel much better, she found herself very funny, it had not induced the rage she had been seeking. How would she make him upset enough that he would take her prisoner back to his camp...? She refrained from.pointing out that merefolks had the same bits and pieces as humans when they were in their humannoid state., and did in fact have to wear pants. She reached down into the water and adjusted her own short skirt. She stewed on how to get into his camp as he lowered his blade and climbed out of the spring. If she wasn't able to see his man bits before she could now. She quickly looked up as the sky trying to ignore her already burning face. Well he seemed pretty vulnerable now, she could attack again....but if that happened he might just fore go taking her prisoner and just kill her, which would not make her very helpful towards the cause... if she demanded that she wouldn't speak to any one besides their leader he may get suspicious of her, and this human was scary enough, she didn't think she could easily overcome the monster of a man that must led this one. Not to mention that this human seemed reluctant to out right harm her...which made.no sense to her..maybe he was just planning on using her in other ways later. She shivered. She would deal with that when it came.She didn't believe him for a second when he mentioned just letting her go. He was clearly just playing nice to try and get her to talk to him. She wasn't willing to call his bluff though. She needed to get into that camp! "Tell me about your singing blades." He said kindly, frowning at him she decided to see if she could talk her way into a solution, she waded to the edge of the spring, making to lift herself out of it. Her current humanoid form was not best suited to the water. As she put her weight onto her arms to heft herself out her palm hit a patch of slimy algae with a gasp she slid forward slamming her face once more against the accursed rocks. With a hiss she covered the gash in her forehead with her hands, "Holy Poseidon bullocks! For the mother of Neptune! Ah balls my head!!" She grunted out trying to blink the blood out of her eye. Her haw clenched, her bottom lip poking out stubbornly, just her luck! Now she would have to figure out the downfall of these humans WITH a horrid head ache and a six inch gash!

[Assistant]
Gwendolyn Blatin

Gwen was swimming in circles with the stress. Her home had been crushed by the human ship. All her possessions - wait! Fuyu (her pet jellyfish) might be trapped! Agh! She just had to go and rescue her! She swam through the weeds surrounding her with elegance. She wiped some algae off her face and she soon reached the lake. She was going to have to swim through it to get to the pirates' boat. Gwen braced herself for a descent, for that was the safest way through the cold, icy waters. She thought she needn't look on the surface of the water for any movement, because the swans and ducks always caught her out and got her in a flap.

Soon she was speeding downwards, through the undergrowth and lower. She was going quite fast, but then she was caught. She was flung back and couldn't move. Gwen screamed in her underwater language - something had got her, something big. She gave the mermaids' cry, hoping someone would hear her and come to the rescue. The net was groping at her neck and her world began spinning, until everything went black... (passed out for lack of oxygen. note her tail is still there.)

[User]
"Pffftttt-- WAHAHAHAHA, OH, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to laugh, but that was just too funny!" Balon exclaimed, laughing hard at the mermaid's second faceplant into the rocks. He stopped laughing gradually, but stopped entirely when he saw the gash on her forehead. "Oh shoot, you're bleeding!" he stuck his hand into his pocket, taking out a handkercheif (that he never used, since he found the idea of blowing your snot in cloth and putting it in your pocket was disgusting) and approached the girl. If she would let him close, he would gently dip the handkercheif in the water and put it against the gash on her forehead. If she didn't allow him close, he'd simply toss her the handkercheif.

"Hehehe... Poseidon's bollocks." he snickered.

[Assistant]
Surprised by his laughter Leo's mouth curved slightly,amused against her better judgement, she half heartedly chucked a rock at his shins. "Damn human."she muttered trying to merge her features back into a scowl.
 Leo cringed as the human neared her, sensing that he would take note of her flinch she decided to clearify so he wouldn't think she was afraid of him, "you're going to use your human snot rag to clean my wound?" She eyed it warily it looked clean enough to she allowed him to approach her.He leaned over and dipped the the handkerchief into the water, then placed it on her wound. She barely kept from flinching as her wound let out a fresh throb. Biting her lip she looked everywhere but at the scoundrel.
Suddenly flustered by the closeness of the stranger Leo stood swiftly to her feet, taking a step back the world swayed around her, swinging on a axis she stumbled trying to make everything stop spinning, "whoa~" she muttered suddenl nauseous.

[User] "They call me Blythe and the tiny one Drake." Drake turned red. "Who you callin' short?" Drake scoffed and Blythe chuckled. "So when you say you've never met a human before does that mean you yourself are not a human?" Drakes eyes widen. "Not human? What else would she be. I've heard legends of mermaids and fairys and other mythical creatures but they're just legends... right?" Blythe shook his head. "Nope they're real. We were just so secluded in our land that we never learned of these creatures existence. So am I right in assuming that your a mermaid?"

[Assistant]
There was something heavy caught in Luz's net. In fact, it made her raft bob downwards slightly, so in hopes of preserving her life she began to paddle toward the shore. Worried as she was by the immediate threat of drowning, though, when she looked down and saw a massive tangle of tentacles, all she could do was wonder if she had any recipes involving jellyfish. Grunting, she hauled the net up and then nearly dropped it with a loud swear. When they were close to shore, Luz secured the net and pulled on her boots. Dinner would have to wait.
She put the net and the half-human it contained over her shoulder and started to hike, gasping, toward camp to share her discovery.


[System]
Gender: m
Sexuality:
Age: Twenties
Home Nation: Taste
Appearance:

His skin is somewhat brown due to where he grew up as well as his continuous exposure to the outdoors. His
clothes are simple and we'll worn. There is an earthy scent to him. He has several drinking containers on him, mostly gourds.

Bio: The man reffered to as "Dirty Bastard" life is a mystery known only to him and perhaps to people from his past. What is known about him is he hails from the nation of Taste. During his journey he had come to have learned martial arts somewhere in the mountains. He is a wanderer who drifts to wherever the winds dictate.

Personality: He is headstrong and free spirited and enjoys misleading others by appearing to be foolish and being tricky. He can be quite charming, but he's also possesses a fiery temper and a penchant for verbal abuse.

Quirks:
Likes drinking
Likes spicy food

Skills/Magic:
Martial arts:
Drunken boxing: A unarmed fighting style that emulates the staggered,swaying, and unpredictable movements of someone who us drunk. Dirty is also one of the few talented enough to effectively use this while actually drunk.

Dog beating staff technique: A curiously named staff fighting style attributed to a legendary beggar who developed it in after many conflicts in back alleys. Its method of fighting is something intuitive to his nature. Also he likes using this style more due to the reach and usefulness of using a staff as a weapon.

Brewing: As befitting of his nation of birth, Dirty is a skilled brewer who procures fruits to make simple wines he carries on his body. In spite of the lack of proper tools and the improvised nature of his brews they come nice and a bit strong.

Panhandling: Beggars gonna beg
Outdoorsmanship:It is necessary to be knowledgeable in this when he travels into the wilderness.
Legerdemain: very useful for pocketing things that aren't his.
Sneakiness: What good is breaking the law if you get caught?

Weaknesses:
-Occasionally pissing off someone tends to lead to complications
-Being a dirty vagrant means he probably won't be getting into certain places
-Being a wandering martial artist means having to deal with people who want to fight him.

Equipment/Items:
Stick: It is an incredibly durable and flexible bamboo stick with a gourd tied to one end
Bottles and gourds: Filled with various liquids, mostly fermented or fermenting drinks
Bracelet: A bracelet made of colored rocks worn on his left wrist

[User]
The man casually matched the amount of coinage on the table. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the dice effortlessly rolling into the cup. He checked the results. Both had winning rolls, so it was a tie. It figured it would be pointless given the mention of incoming death. He graciously accepted the rum and waterfalled the liquid into his mouth. With a calm smile he said to Gin, "Call me whatever you wish. We both know this is not my true name, the real one is only known to me, the wind that passes, and the grass I travel over. "

He took another swig of his wine as he picked up his stuff and put it away. He got up with a sway that was both partially affected and real. Some blond guy he hadn't noticed for some reason, approached Gin asking about the impeding doom they were to face. "Right tells us about out that incoming death. Mind telling me which way it's coming in from? I'd at least like to have the courtesy of facing it while standing up." After saying that, he saw that woman again. The mistress of cold and steel walking up to this Gin fellow. There was something interesting about her, or rather this concern of hers.

Sure, there was something distressing to be in this odd situation where it seems time has stopped flowing. Then a mysterious figure comes in telling everyone of incoming death. Also, he knows their names too. He stayed quiet as he didn't care much for redundancy. Both the blonde guy and her were already asking the same damn questions everyone else had on their mind. All he needed to do is stay quiet and listen. And that's what he'd be doing as he leaned against his pole and gently swayed like a leaf in the spring breeze.

[Assistant]
Chres Sansus
&
The Being of Many Names

Interactions with @Elevation, @13Org, @SonofJet, @HokumPocus, @Jerkchicken, @RangingWolf

---

One by one Gin began naming the people in the inn. Unconsciously, Chres took note of each name and stored it in the back of his mind. It was a habit he picked up from his past occupation. Knowing a person's name gave one power.

This man, Gin, he performed magical feats unlike any Chres had ever seen. Normally people have one magical ability. Gin had already displayed three... Maybe even four? Teleportation. Time stoppage. Materialization. And maybe even mind reading... or was that something else?

Gin turned to the blonde haired man. "Finally someone gets it! Yes, Álmos, I do know your name."

Chres gripped his dagger tightly thinking everything he saw over in his head. Perhaps one of the initial questions Chres had about this man, was poorly phrased. The question shouldn't be 'Who is this man?' but rather 'What is this man?'. Whatever he was, he was definitely an abnormality, and that made Chres especially wary. While everyone else began to gather around the man. Chres decided to do the opposite. Slowly he edged closer and closer to the exit of the Inn. The man's back was turned away from Chres. Would he notice?

"Perhaps I should revise my oh so ominous comment about incoming demise." Chres took another step backwards ever so quietly. "You see, my friends, had I not just intervened you would have all died by the Cults' and their lord's hands. That is, everybody except... him" Gin lazily pointed his right thumb behind him. Directly in Chres's direction. Gin slowly turned to look Chres in the eye, smiling slyly.

Darn. Chres thought gritting his teeth. Now the question was did man sense him trying to leave through physical means or magical means. If it were through magical means, then what were the rules? What were the restrictions? Did the restrictions apply to Gin's other magical feats? How was the magic activated? Did it have fuel? Chres glanced one last time around the frozen inn common room. No. Chres thought. This magic, however it works, is different. It is bigger and far more frightening than systems I've seen in the past. Pay attention Chres, listen carefully, and you might uncover a few clues to it's workings.

Gin cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. He was waiting for a response. "So then wha-" Chres began, but Gin cut him off.

"Why thank you Chres! You kind of left us hanging there for second. I'm so glad you decided to not leave the safety of the inn. For if you did, then the Cult would have known I spoke to you. They would have found you, locked you in a dark dungeon, and by the end of the week, they would have turned you. A loyal Cultist through and through, and before too long, a Sightless."

Gin rose from his stool. "You see people. This is what the Cult does. They seduce you with the visions granted by their Insight, and before long, the Insight changes you. It makes you one of them. Over four thousand years ago, when the cult of Insight first was spawned, their member took over almost half of Saencila before being stopped.

You, Chres, have experienced just a small taste of Insight before. That itch you feel on the back of your neck right now, that's the Insight calling your name, twisting your thoughts. You can leave here if you want. I won't stop you. I'm sure your wife wouldn't mind. She is dead after all, along with the child she was pregnant with. And why is she dead again?"

Chres froze. His heart pounding in his chest. The memories creeping up on him. Haunting him.

"Huh." Gin said shrugging. "I guess I forgot why. Funny how that happens always at the most... convenient of times." Gin smirked before turning his attention to the courier, who Chres was becoming more and more certain was not actually a courier. Again something tickled his memory. He felt as if he should know who this woman was.

"Anyway, my dear... Karlie," He said to the courier, placing extra emphases on the name Karlie as he added a knowing smile. "as I'm sure an intelligent woman like yourself has realized by now, I am not with The Cult. You see the cult enjoys talking about dull and dreary things and I like to talk about not dull and dreary things- well with the exception of your deaths, of course. Sorry about that. For my credit, I did try to make it sound as happy and interesting as possible. But one can only do so much- Regardless, as you can obviously surmise from what I said before the ramble, The cult's lord and I do not quite get along.

And that brings me to the reason why I appeared before you, putting the rest of these people on ice. You see, I need you all to survive. And preferably not as a Sightless, Chres, thank you very much. Should you fall victim to the Insight, then you most certainly will fall. What I offer is information to help you survive. Should you want my help, you will retain all knowledge of our conversation, and just maybe you'll survive the coming day. Should you decline my help, when things go back to normal, you will have forgotten all that we spoke of. Death will be swift and certain."

Gin then snapped his fingers. Suddenly the entire room sparkled and a rainbow appeared from the entrance to the stairwell leading upstairs. The illusion disappeared three seconds later. "There, see? That's me trying to making the possibility of your 'swift and certain deaths' sound happy and interesting! If you ask me, it did just the trick." Gin sat back down on his stool, arms folded across his chest. A smirk across his face.

[User]
He listened at Gin finally explaining a bit more at what was going. He continued his swaying as he listened to the entity speak to them. The woman, she was very close to spilling her true intentions for being here. Regardless, it was all too clear with how she gripped that weapon that it was hers and she knew how to use it. Though she was playing as someone of lower importance she was a warrior of some skill with that weapon. He'd try to remember to act mildly surprised when she eventually revealed herself to be some soldier or warrior.

His glance gently floated over to Chres. It felt like a large clue had made its appearance with Gin mentioning this man. His tragic backstory which was painfully revealed gave him a decent sense of what was going on. While he could be wrong, he felt pretty confident with his assumption that began to form. This man whose exposure to these visions of "insight" would no be of some importance to this entity. He figured because of his exposure to this magic it would make him a double-edged sword, this connection being both useful to ends of Gin while also proving troublesome due to said connection.

The swaying stopped momentarily as he just leaned on the pole. His thoughts now concentrating on this offer. He was glad he was in a calm state before drinking, as now he found himself as tethered and still like a rock at the bottom of a lake. On one hand there was still many questions involving the trustworthiness of this figure. They were going to be roped into some greater scheme, and while the cult was definitely evil, it was also unclear as to how much to trust this figure. This threat of incoming death at the hands of the cult and their leader could false, since the threat of dying is a decent enough cudgel to get people to do something.

He continued to think over it but ultimately his intuition told him such rumination at this point was a bit pointless. At this point all he knew is they were definitely being prodded to taking action against the cult and Chres would probably be some of importance given his exposure to "insight". There was the possibility of Gin being just as bad the cult and the repercussions of that. Ultimately he would go along with this, as he had nothing but antipathy towards the cult and this would be convenient for him.

He then approached Gin again and spoke, "Alright, consider me as signed up. So what about this information that will save me and whoever else decides to cooperate with your plans? Will it involve hanging around with that guy over there?" He made a quick gesture towards Chres.