[System]
Clan: Shima Clan, originally of the Ueno clan

Title: The Shima Knight

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Race: Neko(mimi)

Height: 5'8" (176cm)

Weight: 146 lbs

Appearance:

Occupation: Lord's Guard, painter (albeit not very good).

Notable Skills: Having studied swordsmanship from both within Baji and abroad, Tetsuya has command of a few different styles of swordplay. His most readily used, as indicated by his typical garb, is that of a "knight". He employs both a longsword and a shield in battle effectively, and can use the latter even as a weapon if need be. Likewise he is able to wield a katana if need be, but to far lesser success than with a longsword.

Magical Abilities: Tetsuya has the ability to use his magic as another shield as well, forming a slight barrier around himself. Using this renders him immobile however and does not provide a complete 360 degrees of protection; flanking him is the best way around this.

Familiars: N/A

Ki Techniques/powers:
Push; Using his shield, Tetsuya can make an extension of himself and, while pushing his shield forward, creates a small force to knock away anything in front of him. Used namely to put distance between himself and the enemy when he needs to catch his breath. Not very useful on larger enemies or anyone who's strong enough to withstand the hit.

Weapons: Steel Longsword, Steel kite shield

Other Gear:
- Water pouch
- Small pack, containing a bit of bandages, some herbs to help relieve pain and a broken compass -- a memento of his parents.

Personality: Tetsuya is a soft-spoken boy, when he rarely does speak. He is perceptive, and while he may not voice his opinion on something he watches what is around him diligently. Above all else he is loyal to the Shima Lord, and does not take slights to the man kindly. Determined to fulfill his Lord's wish to protect Shima, perhaps to a fault, he is unwavering in his position to do what is best for his clan. In most things he views the world as black and white; good and evil. His ideology of the world living in peace pushes him ironically to fight, and he argues that the only way to achieve everlasting peace is to put aggressors in their place. In some views an ideal guard, he is not without faults.

Tetsuya's black and white view of the world leads to naivete, and he can be a bit brash in acting. While he is well versed in swordplay he's never bothered to learn much else, leaving him a bit clueless in some other respects. In a way, being a guard is all he knows. He also has a slight discontent towards more modern weapons, thinking they are a cowardly, inhumane way of taking a life. If one is to take a life in war then it should be personal, not from dozens or hundreds of feet away.

Brief history: Tetsuya is the son of a Neko fisherman and a human woman. His mother, a resident of Shima, would meet his father Umenka during a routine trading in the city; Hidori worked for a trading company, helping to maintain catalogs and keep track of inventory. The two eventually hit it off and, inevitably, Hidori would become pregnant. During her pregnancy she was brought back to Umenka's place of birth, and in the village Tetsuya would be born.

For the first few years of his life the family remained in Umenka's village, with Hidori picking up the same profession only for a Neko trading company. Their settlement, consisting of nekos and humans alike, proved to be an excellent raising ground for their young child. Being a Nekomimi may well have seen Tetsuya be made fun of quite a lot elsewhere, but here he was accepted. In lieu of everything working well for the family they would eventually move, as the company in which Umenka was employed wanted to open a foreign post, and they meant to send the family there to help.

Almost immediately upon arriving and settling down, Tetsuya and his parents noticed an immediate change of atmosphere. Whereas the Neko homeland was relatively untouched by war this place reeked of it, with soldiers passing through and the occasional news of a battle breaking out being commonplace. Fearing for their child's safety the two deliberated upon sending him away, wishing to send him somewhere to be free from the threat of war. With very few possibilities they near gave up, until a trader from Shima passed through and learned of their pleas. Seeing their only chance, Umenka and Hidori begged the man to take their son, and with a bit of convincing he finally relented.

Tetsuya had little knowledge of anything going to Shima, having never been taught any kind of trade or receiving a real education. He could write, read, knew some basics, but that was about it. Seeing the difficulty in assigning the boy to any real job the trader offered him over to the Lord's men, suggesting they train him as a guard. Even at a young age, now seven years old, he could appreciate what was going on around him. Having little personal say in the matter he was brought off to train, eventually learning the way of the sword from the Lord's guard. Through the years he worked to refine and personalize his training, and today he's become a perfectly capable, if somewhat inexperienced guard.

Other:  Learned some magic from other Neko, but not very well versed in it at all.

[User]
Things were starting to heat up and Baji was becoming more and more excited. Someone may have been waiting on them to arrive, even one was armed. The opportunity to meet their enemy, find out who's behalf they act on and deal a crushing blow to their operation if they truly were an enemy. Baji had hoped that these people were friendly though and able to help them all get further. He wasn't aware of any further aid being delivered after leaving so soon but it was a possibility. The Dog of Shima stretched out his arms and rolled his neck around in circles to loosen up his joints. This would be a group decision but he hoped everyone would see the opportunity ahead of them and move forward instead of going around to avoid conflict. Jiang Baji unsheathed his blade and pointed it forward to their destination.

"We should move forward. If they are waiting on us so patiently then we should happily oblige them. If they are friends then great, if they are enemies then even better. We beat them up, ask for information and move forward on our journey. I suggest we approach peacefully though." He then went over towards Gin and nudged him in the shoulder with his elbow to get his attention. "Hey, do you mind staying near our guide as we move forward? He may need some protection if these guys are looking to hurt us."

[Assistant]
The group Kenji had been traveling with was certainly not the regular kind. Though then again, they needed to be special since they were on a special mission. Its specialness increased when Metou the old Tengu used some magic involving plopping an eye into her empty eye socket which transformed her into a younger version of herself. She told everyone not to pry which and so no one did despite raising the entire group's curiosity.

Some time later, Jiang began a speech about taking other people's lives. Though he had a lot of good points, Kenji was sure that dealing death was more of a 'spur of the moment' thing than a well thought-out decision. If blood was to be shed, then it shall be shed though the Yang would prefer more peaceful outcomes, even if there was a war going on and much unrest was to be found in their journey.

Soon, Takumi the guide warned of multiple presences ahead of them. They wore unusual clothing and they could be the thieves behind the robbery of the Shima Clan's artifacts. Jiang certainly wanted to meet them and suggested to do so. Kenji thought there was little reason not to. "Agreed but we should still be careful. We do not know who they are and they are expecting us."

[User]
Yuudai gave a curt nod to Takumi when he told her that they would be there rather soon, which was good because she was already getting hungry by this point. She did take note of the crows that their guide interacted with, clearly being connected with him in some way, though in what way she did not know. Still they apparently made for pretty good scouts given that they could relay news to their master, and it was lucky they that had done so, otherwise they may have been in real danger.

"I agree, they are either our first lead or Ru knew we were coming, either way let us meet them"

She was alright with Baji's little plan, after all it made sense and it was not like she saw the waiting group as any kind of threat, more so given that they were not even trying to hide. However she did not agree on one little thing "You coming Gin? We can be up front if you like." Taking her hands out of her pockets she started to move forward "You are free to stay back if you wish guide. If you want you can ask one of the others for protect as well." She was clearly not making her self a option for this as even now she was moving up, after all she was not one to waste other peoples or her own time.

[Assistant]
Tetsuya had no real idea how to move along with his search, only that he knew he had to. It stood to reason that someone in Ru had the information he was seeking, but actually coming across that person was going to be difficult. Stolen relics were hardly the things of common trade so anyone that had knowledge of it was probably less than reputable, and therefore most people wouldn't know of them. Its times like this he wouldn't mind having someone a little more... Knowledgeable of how the underground world worked, then perhaps he'd not be chasing ghosts. If he kept at it he was bound to stumble across something, but who knows how long that might take? When being quick about it was fair important he couldn't quite afford to wander about hoping to strike it lucky.

In the not too far distance the young Neko began to pick up an awful lot of voices, and if he wasn't mistaken the clatter of steel against stone as well. Marching troops? It sounded rhythmic so that made sense, but why were there troops moving? Was it Ru's own or was it something else? He had no personal claim in the matter but he was curious, enough so that he began to follow the sounds to try and see what it was. The swathes of people gathered along a main road was show enough of where the spectacle was, and Tetsuya had to pick his way through the crowds in order to get eyes on just what was happening. He'd expected perhaps one of the local nobility was passing through, or if he were so fortunate perhaps Lady Ru herself. What he found on the other sides of the crowd, however, was far from pleasing.

"Naji...?" Tetsuya whispered, frowning as he glanced over at the norimono. What was someone like her doing all the way out here? It was a bit odd that such an important person would show up like this, though he could hardly claim to know what went on between rulers. When the soldiers parted and the kitsune woman began to speak he couldn't help but feel a little war of what was happening. Just by nature he had to be cautious of strangers, it was basically required by his position as a guard to do so. While he may have no personal stake in Ru he did need these people's aid, and anything that might inhibit his search would be a problem. It would hardly work for him to ask them to leave, he wasn't nearly thick enough to even consider such a thing. But maybe their being here wasn't all bad, maybe he could work it to his advantage.

If the future Empress was seeking an audience with Lady Ru, and indeed she was, she was all but guaranteed to get it. Should Tetsuya be able to join the convoy then he'd surely reach the palace, and perhaps even be permitted an audience as well. Unless he had some serious claim himself to enter the palace grounds he didn't think it likely he'd see the Lady himself; Shima's badge may hold some weight, but with brigands and bandits roaming one could never be completely certain someone was who they said they were. Tetsuya decided then if he was to get in touch with Lady Ru then this was his best chance. Seeing no other option he broke rank in the crowd, stepping out to the road to confront the kitsune woman. Naturally the guards and soldiers around the area immediately went to their weapons, to which he only responded by putting his hands up defensively, trying to show he meant no harm.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble, I only wish to make a request," Tetsuya explained, trying to sound far more authoritative than his youthful voice might allow. Relieved when the guards looked to ease up a bit he looked at the kitsune woman, smiling faintly before making a polite bow in her direction. "I'm seeking an audience with Lady Ru as well, on behalf of Lord Shima. If it's not too much trouble I'd like to join you and your Lady in visiting her." He didn't want to admit he was utterly lost and needed directions, there was a little bit of pride to be had after all.


[System]
Age: 36

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Appearance:

Mordrag's appearance closely mirrors his wild personality. His dirt brown hair hangs to his shoulders, jutting in all directions and meeting his chest-length beard. Both unwashed, his hair and beard might contain bits of food from any time in the past week. Mordrag is a towering hulk of a man with thick, corded muscles from years of fighting mingling with layers of fat from years of drinking and eating. He has strong features with a powerful jawline and bushy eyebrows set in a heavy, furrowed brow. His blue eyes contrast brightly with his tanned and sun weathered skin. Worn over his broad shoulders is a sleeveless burgundy vest, buttoned only halfway up to reveal abundant black chest hair. His black pants have a multitude of pockets attached or sewn in, each filled with different objects. Black leather boots and white cloth wrappings around his wrists finish of his daily outfit. When ready for battle, Mordrag's adds a black, hardleather single pauldron with an attached canvas torso covering to his attire.

Bio: Born in the Gothi Federation to a single mother, Mordrag never knew his father. Because he was always larger than the other children, Mordrag was forced to be a warrior from an early age, beating down every other boy who tried to prove their strength against the big one. These small victories fed continuously into the man's confidence, givimg him boisterous and hedonistic tendencies. Not the most intelligent of his barbarian tribe, the big man grew into the only role he could find, as the muscle for smarter, smaller men. After working security for a few years for a small satellite of a powerful spicing company, the Yellow Traders, Mordrag caught the eye of labormaster who brought him back to the center of operations in The Plains. Upon his arrivalt, the bear of a man discovered that the three barons with disputed sovereignty over this area had decided to work together to bring down the Yellow Traders after feeling threatened by their quickly growing influence. A combination of warehouse raids and forced boycotts – through intimidation, bribery and blackmail – brought about the fall of the great spicing company, and subsequently, Mordrag's unemployment.

Equipment: Mordrag has a tendency to collect a random variety of objects in his many pockets from rocks to jewelry to food items. He is fascinated by each item in his collection be it rare or mundane. Strapped to his back is a specialized marteau de lucerne – long polearm shaft ending in a spiked, double sided meat hammer with an extended spike on top. Underneath each of his hand wrappings are a couple of two-fingered rings, each equipped with a large, square stud to.

Abilities: Just like his outward appearance, Mordrag's fighting style mimics that of a large bear. He utilized his massive size to overwhelm his opponents, crushing or stabbing them from distance with the long reach of his arms and polearm together. Up close, the large man's thunderous punches are accentuated by the studded rings hidden under his hand wrappings. He is not the quickest or the most agile, so he is used to receiving more blows than he delivers; however, the man is able to survive by always making sure to hit much harder when his opportunity arises. Though he is inventive in no other way, Mordrag has an affinity for dealing pain.

Reason for Joining the Broken Horns: Already confident in the strength of his arms, Mordrag is always looking to improve the strength of his wallet. The corruption of the Empire of Civitas and the resultant opportunities for profit and pleasure have always enticed Mordrag to frequent the region. Recently unemployed, the man saw Rask's advertisement as a great remedy.

[User]
Wretha was one of the first to follow after the man called Rask, down the steep steps that led to the basement of the establishment. The stench of men sweat mixed with a potent dose of blood hung upon the air, thick and low, out of habit the lady covered her nose with the back of her hand as she descended the last of the steps. It wasn't much, just like she had been expecting, the basement was broken in half by a rope strung up from one wall to the other. One section serving as a sitting area for patrons and the other a great pit she suspected was used for fighting; a couple of dried blood spots soaked the ground. Wretha stuck out worse than a sore thumb in a crowd of all kinds of individuals. Sellswords, bandits, crooks, adventures, wanna-be adventures; the whole lot was present, counting to a total of about eighteen. And here she was one of three females in the room, entirely over dressed for the occasion and looking rather out of sorts.

She was able to snatch a wooden chair, taking a seat with her back straight, legs crossed and hands delicately folded on her lap and her bags of belongs sitting on the stone floor at her side. She looked like quite the proper lady. Or rather she did until perhaps the biggest man she had ever laid eyes on, slumped onto the chair next to her, making the small woman look like nothing more than a silly little girl trying to play grown up. His arms alone were probably the size of her torso, she tried her best to keep her eyes off of the brute and occasionally would scoot her chair further away so that he didn't encroached on her personal space. She fleetingly wondered if he belonged to one of the tribes of the Gothi federation, surely he must have or at least carry some bloodline of theirs. During her travels she had never had the pleasure of visiting the barbaric lands, although not for a lack of trying.
She turned her attention towards one of the other two females in the room, an elven female tall and broad- very unlike her kind who preferred the regal and beauty. Wretha couldn't help but take the she-elf's attire in strides finding it to be rather revealing. A few choice words came into mind then, among them 'improper' rang loud and clear.

"I am Rekugin…archer and swordsman."

The room erupted into an incoherent and indecipherable garble of names and titles all coming forth from every corner of the dank room. Wretha however remained silent, her attention drawn to the man that had spoken first, a hafling if her observation was correct but then again he was across the room half cloaked in shadows. The lit candles around the basement didn't provide sufficient amount of lighting to be certain. A distinct vibe rolled off the young man, something that Wretha could only describe as arrogance. He didn't hold her attention for long however, the name shouting was coming to a conclusion and she realized she had yet to introduced herself. Although, Wretha wasn't some kind of animal that needed to bark her name across the room like some dog yelping for attention, at least someone had to have some semblance of proper manners in this place.
The female stood up from her seat and zig-zagged her way through the maze of chairs and patrons, sets of eyes following her like a hawks, until she came up to the man hosting this little show. "Wretha Thorne." She said with a stern voice, extending her hand out in a sign of introduction. "I am no swordsman or archer-"

"No shit." A little twat, no taller than Wretha, piped in interrupting her mid sentence, followed swiftly by some brief laughter from other men. She glanced at him briefly, he had short cropped, dirty blond hair and a freckled face with a nose ring hanging from his left nostril. She wagered he was no older than twenty-one at the most. A wicked smile graced her lips for a mere second as a thought crossed her mind before she turned back to Rask and finished her introduction, "I am no swordsman or archer and I'm afraid I'm not much of a fighter either. But, I do have other talents that you might find useful to your cause. I would be of no burden; I am quite capable of taking care of myself. Please, allow me to show you."

[Assistant]
"Great, I gotta follow this showoff?" Thena mumbled to herself while she was watching Rask make his little 'introduction'. The man didn't seem like a complete wimp, but he certainly seemed to be carrying himself as more than he actually was to her. "Guess it's needed, though... Considerin' some of the people 'ere." The elf was watching some of the ones following Rask down, noticably the female from before stood out. "Wait, what...?" Oh now THIS Thena had to see. It looked like she's straight from an elven noble's household, and SHE was going to adventure? The girl had guts, she did. The fighter made her way to and down the stairs as well, but couldn't help but feel the stares going through her as she did. Some people took notice of her, for whatever reason... They looking to take out the competition...?

Blood was a scent the fist fighter was used to by this point. Not only did she have to knock it out of people on a regular basis, but she's had a fair share of blood drained from her own body as well. The taste though... Now that was another story entirely. Everyone'd arrived in the basement, a few wooden chairs scattered around... And the 'Noble' had occupied one of them. Unforunatily, the seats around her seemed to have all been taken, so Thena wouldn't be able to get a good glance in. When that thought entered her head, however, that very same person shot her a glance. More specifically, her clothes. The 'Noble' turned her head away as quickly as she used it to sneak a peak, but Thena had still noticed. "Takin' an interest to the way I dress m'self, huh? You're an odd one..." She mulled over those few words for a bit before taking a seat of her own, somewhere among the left edge. Rask took out some kind of coin and began toying with it, but Thena could care less. Prolly some sorta initiation test, looking for those whose eyes are glued to it.

"Introduce yourselves now, I will learn names but only of those who interest me. Also, I hope you all brought your weapons, there is definately tests."

Rang out. Not too short after...

"I am Rekugin… archer and swordsman."

Followed. And then everyone spoke up at once, much to Thena's annoyance. None of them seemed to have any patience, save a few, and swarms of names got lost in the ruckus. It died down on it's own though, and then 'Noble' girl took her time. But before she could even usher a full sentence, an idiot found it a crackin' idea to interrupt her and slow down things even more with roaring laughter. The female's introduction did eventually come to a close, and much to the actual fighter's expectations, she wasn't a fighter at all. The name also seemed oddly regal, only furthering the suspicion she's of a higher caliber than your average Joe. Hope those other talents are useful, Wretha... Thena thought to herself, before silence took over the room again.

She figured it was her time to speak, and rose up out of her chair to stretch a bit. "Name's Thena, nothin' more and nothin' less. And if someone decides to take a crackshot like the little brat over there did, I'm not quite that afraid of letting someone get crushed under my boot. I'm a merceneray for a livin', and more to the point, I find your best weapon is your own two fists." What a mouthful, but it'd have to do. Thena glanced over to Wretha again, giving a sly smile before sitting down in her chair again, folded arms firmly secured under her chest.

[User]
Various adventurers and ragamuffins introduced themselves, bragging of exploits exaggerated, spontaneously invented, or even stolen straight out of children's stories. Mordrag found it hard to believe that the spindly young man using a chair leg as a club slew the powerful dragon of legend, Ymratu the Devourer. As for himself, Mordrag Desertheart knew that he would only need to let his bulk do the talking.

Grabbing each side of his sofa cushion, the massive man slowly raised himself up. A few eyes looked towards the Gothi, intimidated by his size, but the chaotic rabble of the tavern remained largely the same. A few different would-be heroes approached that bloke Rask individually, and Mordrag followed suit. Not bothering to set his glass down, he strolled down into the horrible stench of the basement. With a smell akin to an abandoned slaughterhouse in his nostrils, the big Gothi pushed his way through the gathered applicant. He walked up to the leader and clapped a large hand on his shoulder.

"Mordrag Desertheart. Boom! I bring the mushcle," he smiled at his own word slurring. Not-too-subtly flexing, the barbarian shot a look at the proper woman he had noticed before. Wretha Thorne was her name and the raven beauty resembled a delicate wine, wrapped up in the finest apparel like a wedding gift. He sent her a lewd wink over the rim of his glass. As inebriated as he was, the large man paid no mind to the rivulets missing his mouth and catching in his beard.

Mordrag finished his circuit of the room by grabbing the buttocks of a female dwarf brawler and a pretty young archer, receiving a smile and a slap respectively. Thoroughly enjoying himself, Mordrag sat back down in his original chair and rested his hands behind his head. As jovial as he appeared, however, the man wasn't here to enjoy himself. Though his body was relaxed, the Gothi let his right hand fall onto the handle of his makeshift polearm hammer. He had taken note of Rask's warning that there would be tests.


[System]
Title:
The Countess

Gender:
Female

Age:
56

Height:
5' 6" / 1.67m

Weight:
143 lbs / 64.86kg

Appearance:

Lucille often dresses in black or grey garments, as depicted above. She keeps her gun and extra magazines hidden in her overcoat and out of sight. She often wears high heels, which combined with her respectable height usually allows her to look down at most people. For the rare times that she is seen during daylight hours she wears sunglasses and carries a dark grey umbrella to shield herself from the sun. Her scarf is also on her person almost all the time, but especially during the day. Her skin is somewhat pale but remarkably smooth and young despite her age. There are no scars or blemishes on her body, not even under her clothes, though she does have a case of heterochromia (one iris purple, one iris pink). Her silver hair is mostly cropped to shoulder-length but some extends even beyond her waist. She appears as if she is in her twenties though that is far from the truth.

Personality:
A woman of class and dignity. Lucille was always very educated and time has only made her grow wiser. Her calm maturity comes as a surprise, as her behavior is akin to a woman in her fifties when she only looks to be in her twenties. To that same effect she can take a mothering nature to teenagers and young adults, considering she has experience raising children. She will baby fellow Chasers that are much younger than her, despite looking to be of a similar age, and she'll do it whether they like it or not.

While she is caring of others, particularly others younger than her, she still has the capability of turning cold at a moment's notice. Serious matters require serious efforts and Lucille is no fool. She can read a situation quite accurately and act accordingly without skipping a beat, much in the same way she can understand other people and treat them accordingly. Her empathy and respectful nature makes many consider her to be a mother-like figure or perhaps a matriarch among the Chasers. She isn't particularly known for getting angry, but nobody wants to see her when she is. Any outbursts of rage are quite dangerous considering her abilities but thankfully it isn't easy to push her to that point. Lucille only gets angry when other Chasers get hurt, and she only becomes enraged in similar but more extreme circumstances.

Short Bio:
Born as Lucille Ptackova in the Czech Republic, she married into the wealthy Renfield family with her university sweetheart Milo Renfield at the age of 27. The Renfield family had been the owners of a famous textile company for generations, with Milo's father being the CEO of the HatCo. corporation at the time. Though her life was rich and leisurely it was relatively unremarkable. Lucille and Milo had two children, both boys named Steven and Harold, who were groomed to become the next owners of their family's corporation. Milo, however, tragically passed away from a terminal illness at the young age of 45, leaving Lucille a widowed mother.

The Renfield family was eventually able to cope with the loss. Her two boys grew up smart and capable, and are studying at Oxford University in the present day. This left a middle-aged Lucille all to her own devices. With no husband, no kids at home, and no real job, she had a lot of free time. She took up travel as a hobby, visiting many places across the world. The Crimson Sky wasn't on her itinerary, but lo and behold she wound up taking a wrong turn somewhere and her life has never been the same since. The aging woman was attacked by a humanoid creature in the middle of the night, being easily over-powered and forced to the ground for it to suck her blood from her neck. Lucille refused to go out without a fight though, drawing her concealed handgun and firing the entire magazine into the Youkai's head. This splattered its blood across her face but got her free, which she took the opportunity to run as hard and as far as possible.

It wasn't until the next day, in her hotel room, did Lucille see changes in her body. Her wrinkles and blemishes were all gone and she looked twenty years younger. She also learned quickly that sunlight was intolerable, to say the least. She had been thrown into the world of the Crimson Sky and had to change her lifestyle to fit her new needs. She became largely nocturnal and reclusive. She only communicated with her children and family by phone and never attended any business meetings except through video conferences. Most importantly Lucille began researching the Crimson Sky and vampires, which eventually got her noticed by the Chasers. As a woman of status and wealth the Chasers had a tough time tracking her down, but now she has become fully integrated into their ranks. Being a Chaser has broken her mid-life crisis of monotony, giving her something to do with her new powers and free time. And considering they mostly worked at night it was icing on the cake. She dreads the day she will have to tell the truth to her sons, but the mystery, intrigue, and action of being a Chaser is a great way to keep the thought off her mind.

Powers:
Vampirism
Vampires have many abilities and traits, so for ease of understanding they will be laid out in two categories of "strengths" and "weaknesses". Some physical attributes include having enlarged canines, pale skin, youthful appearances, and low-fat athletic body frames.

Strengths - Lucille has strength, speed, and reflexes far beyond that of normal human beings. She can't quite dodge bullets but she can outrun most motor vehicles in a sprint. Speaking of motor vehicles it is actually quite easy for her to pick up a sedan and throw it though heavy vehicles such as buses and semis might be a little too much for her. Her endurance is also frighteningly good, allowing her to survive typically lethal attacks such as decapitation. She has a natural regenerative ability to heal most wounds within a few minutes, but regrowing mutilated parts isn't within her ability. She would have to reattach missing limbs and heal them back into place. To the same effect she has eternal youth, granting her a youthful appearance for the entire duration of her almost immortal life. Her senses are honed far beyond normal humans as well, allowing her to have flawless vision in the dark and a hound-like sense of smell and sound. She doesn't need to eat or drink to nourish herself, only drink blood. Though she can still enjoy the taste of most foods as she chooses. Lucille can create minions by biting a creature without completely draining them of their blood. They become subservient to her and lose all capability to resist her influence. Conversely she can create other vampires by letting other creatures drink her own blood, though they do not become natural servants to her.

Weaknesses - Even the most infamous of vampires have their weaknesses. The biggest weakness by far is the sun. Contact with direct sunlight will burn Lucille, even if it was only for an instant. It would only take a few seconds of direct exposure to burn her to a crisp. UV lights also burn her but to a lesser degree, taking over a minute of exposure to destroy her. While mutilation isn't fatal by itself, Lucille cannot control missing body parts. Though she has a natural resistance to poisons she is not completely immune, making poison a good way to temporarily disable her though there is no toxin potent enough to knock her out for much longer than a minute. Silver and Holy Water are natural weaknesses as well, causing burning sensations where applied. A silver sword can deal good damage against her, reducing or temporarily disabling her regeneration factor. Ultimately she only has three fatal weaknesses: sunlight, malnourishment, and silver striking her heart. She can feel pain to a certain degree, but anything short of those three conditions will fail to kill her. She needs blood to survive but can go up to a week without drinking blood. Any blood will do (except her own), but human blood is the most nourishing. If she takes longer than eight days to nourish herself than she will most likely die of starvation.

Magic
Lucille has a natural affinity for magic and has been trained over the past couple years by a fellow vampire named Aria. She is not well practiced and could stand to improve in this regard, but she can perform feats of magic to a certain degree.

Telekinesis - A limited form of telekinesis. Though not strong enough to move other creatures around it can be used for things like cups, plates, or chairs. Lucille primarily uses this to manipulate her weapons and to bring back mutilated or destroyed body parts.

Levitation - Lucille can use magic to levitate in place. This is similar to her natural telekinesis, but it only applies to herself. She isn't strong enough to magically lift another person.

Telepathy - Lucille can read the minds of others to a limited degree. It only allows her to hear what they are thinking in the moment, but she can also place her own thoughts into their head. This can be used as a way to silently communicate, as well as becoming an effective translator for non-human creatures. It is because of this magic that Lucille can communicate with dogs, cats, bats, etc.

Weapons:
Colt M1911 Pistol - Because .45 ACP is better than 9mm Parabellum. Hollow-point rounds are used for maximum organic damage. Lucille's gun is always her first method of attack.

Equipment:
Sunglasses - zztopcheapsunglasses.mp4
Umbrella - Designed to protect from rain, used to protect from sun.
Designer Purse - An expensive handbag, popular among wealthy women, used for storing money, keys, and other miscellaneous tools or trinkets. Lucille's contains money, keys, an address book, a wallet, her phone, and hand sanitizer.

Other:
Theme Song
Fight Song

[User]
~Cernia~

---

If Lucille expected some kind of intimidation from Cernia, she wouldn't be getting it any time soon. With a huff she crossed her arms before saying,  "Yeah, sure. First off, back off old hag. I've fought vampires before and trust me, you're not that hard to break. Second, stop acting like you know anything about me when you don't."

However her bravado soon faltered as Lucille leaned in, Cernia's eyes widening as the vampire covered her mouth. The gang of Raijuu tensed up but with a flash of her tail and a glare Cernia set them at ease once more. Eyes focused back on Lucille, she leaned in to listen for any sign of what the vampire was going to say next…but when she final said it, Cernia's mind went blank for a moment.

 "Er, what? A….boy," she mumbled before her face soon turned into a nice shade of pink.  "Wait, a what?!? Hell no, this isn't about some stupid boy! I should just tear off your annoying face right here and now," Cernia snarled, face still flushed. The Raijuu glanced among each other, wondering what the vampire had said to put off their boss to such a degree. Should they attack or just continue to stand there stupidly?

---

~Kiara Bastion~

---

"Haruka, did we really have to go all the way out here for a date?" Kiara complained. Honestly, didn't the other girl have some tact? She had just shown up at the front door of her apartment randomly after one of her big time shows, only to drag her out here in the middle of nowhere to spend time together. Or something. Kiara honestly suspected it was just an excuse to call the Yellow Jackets rude names again or something. Whatever the case, now they were caught in some kind of death race. Sighing and rolling her eyes, she spotted Rui Ling and smiled.

"Hi Rui Ling. Let me guess, Aria sent you out to deal with these idiots too? We've been tagging this clowns for a while now and only recently have they slowed down enough for us to catch them in the act," Kiara said, completely ignoring the stunned faces of the Yellow Jacket members. Honestly, did their stupidity have no limits?

---

, @j8cob, @KoL, @Ashifili

[Assistant]
Click. Click.

The AA-12 never lasted as long as he'd liked. It was a pain to carry a high number of spare magazines, he thought, still pointing the barrel at some low-level youkai trapped under his boot. Humanoid, but with crimson red eyes. Most of them had a tell, and it was usually rather obvious. Vincent ground his heel into the thing's spine. Nothing was quite as scary when it was bleeding out under your foot. With the bloodied sword in his off hand, Vincent stabbed straight through the back of its skull, killing the thing instantly.

Having already spent some time alone with his work, Vincent had already cleared out a few block's lengths of a street. Behind him, corpses were dismembered and displayed, some impaled on a long piece of rebar, others strung up on cables hanging from the street lights. Bits of concrete and asphalt were shattered, and a few buildings were alight.
Tossing his empty shotgun to the ground, the executioner shouldered his sword and stared silently at his handiwork. This was decent enough progress. Still, the weak ones had scattered. He knew there were strong ones, but they usually tucked themselves away in some corner. Still, they were attracted to displays of power, if only for an attempt to show they were the best. Vincent would find stronger prey in due time.

The executioner shouldered his heavy blade and continued down the street, boot steps echoing in the silent night.

[User]
The grin on the vampire's face didn't fade even as Cernia denied her analysis. Lucille knew better. From the girl's body language to her own experience with children and teenagers. She had hit the nail on the head. The incoming threats seemed to do nothing to the older woman as she stood back to full height, looking down at Cernia with a smile. "I think you should think about your own face for a moment," Lucille told her before raising a hand to tap on her own cheek a few times. This gesture was her way of pointing out to Cernia that she was blushing, as if the girl mimicked Lucille and felt her own cheek she would feel the warmth of her own blush. It was also a polite way of telling Cernia that she didn't believe her.

"I might not look like it, but I've raised children of my own before," Lucille confessed, walking forward and past Cernia. She seemed to be slowly and casually walking deeper into the temple's property. But as she slowly walked, each step giving a click from her high heels, she continued talking to the girl. "You can't fool me, Cernia." After getting a few meters behind the girl and away from the crowd of Raijuu, Lucille stopped and turned around. "Are you coming or not?" The invitation was simple: to step away from the eyes and ears of Luciel and the gang of spirits. "We have so much to talk about. Unless... you're fine talking here and now?"


[System]
Age:
26

Race:
Terran

Homeworld:
Borlix, the world that can easily be described as a 'junkyard with an atmosphere'. Most planets often send junk or wrecked ships here to be recycled and broken down into spare parts. Where there isn't a junked ship or garbage it is a desert. It's a fairly large planet run by one person, who 'adopts' orphans and puts them to work on anything they can get their hands on. It also from time to time supplies parts to various ships.

Appearance:

Personal History:
Nyx's family died while serving DefCom, and as a result she was put up for adoption when she was no older than six years old. She lived with a few different families, but ultimately ended up on Borlix. The young Nyx didn't understand why she was trapped on this dead end world, but she decided to make the best of what she had. She decided to try and study the parts and materials she worked with each day, and eventually became a part of the small crew in charge of installing parts into ships that passed by the planet by age fifteen. She still worked to recycle with the other children, but was given more leeway to slack off due to her increased importance.

When she wasn't required to work, she often watched the sky, because without light pollution from any kind of proper cityscape, she could make out every star and comet in the night sky and the brilliant moons of Borlix during the day. She dreamed about going up into space and escaping the day to day of Borlix. So she decided to hitch a ride on the next transport that showed up for repairs. It was about three years later when one was desperate enough to pay for the replacement part.

She hid on the DefCom ship, managing to hide until it was far enough away from the planet the returning her would end up being more of an annoyance than anything else. She was found after a crewman was checking the cargo bay to make sure that they were still prepared for their mission.

She was deemed a civilian on the ship and told to wait until after their mission for her fate to be decided. As she watched the fighters dance in space and the operation be carried out, Nyx decided then and there to join DefCom. Shortly after being dropped off on a League planet, she enlisted and met the requirements.

In the academy she became known for her piloting and engineering skills. She could fix and fly a ship just as well as anyone, though she tended towards tricks and silly antics, thus having her be shot down from taking any sort of piloting role. She served on one ship as an engineer, and during a surprise attack, she went against orders and piloted a ship of a pilot who had fallen ill.

Her actions carried the day, but the captain was conflicted on whether or not to court martial Nyx over her actions and going against her orders. In the end, he decided to recommend her for the new fighter squadron, Wylde Fyre. She was accepted as a pilot, and this is her first time being in a squad.

Personality:
She prefers to work on her own plane, liking to know what parts go into it and altering how it feels on her own. She takes pride in her ship, as it's her first time being trusted with a plane of her very own. Nyx is very intelligent, but lacking in knowledge when it comes to formations and strategy. She's a very skilled pilot in her own right, however, capable of handling her ship in whatever the universe throws at her.

Nyx has a tendency to carry around food. From places that people don't understand how she managed to take it. She tends to force people to eat if she doesn't see them eat in a few days, often going so far as stealing food from the cafeteria to feed people. She's still a little new to the idea of free food for everyone.

Nyx also wears her goggles at all times, even when she sleeps. Nyx also loves visiting new worlds and seeing what the universe has to offer. However, just as the cat, her curiosity also manages to get her into a lot of trouble.

She tends to joke a lot in fights, when relaxing, and pretty much any time she wants to make a joke. She also likes to have fun on missions, stating that 'even if she's a part of the military, she's going to have fun with it'.

Gear and Equipment:
* Standard Pilots Suit (Teran model, painted red)
* M8 Kenaz sidearm
* M54 ABR Carbine
* M36 Tactical Knife
* Smoke Grenades
* Thermal Vision Goggles (usually around neck)
* Toolbag
* Varying amounts of food (not regulation, usually stolen)

Fighter Customisations:
A red handprint on the underneath of the cockpit and teeth painted on all of the engines.

Optional:
Character Theme

[User]
Erien thankfully didn't have to wait long for her crew to arrive. The stream of people - of all races - coming off of the sleek Starhawk shuttle wore uniforms colour-coded to all the different professions present aboard the ship. Some were fighter squadron personnel, but didn't head her way, likely assigned to other squadrons. Engineering crew, marines, medical personnel; not them.
Her sapphire-blue eyes were tugged sideways as her predators instincts were lured to someone headed in her direction. A human, fair skinned and with light brown, shoulder-length hair. A male, carrying what was unmistakably personal kit-bags and equipment. Erwan, she thought as she mentally matched his features to the picture she'd seen on his profile. A moment later he introduced himself with a tired salute, which she returned as he spoke.

She let her arm drop, and as he smiled, she returned the Isorlai equivalent, her ears perking up and her posture relaxing as she leaned a little closer. He smelled of travel and of the curious masculine, sharp scent human males carried. It was a reminder of the multi-cultural mixing pot of her homeworld. As he winked, her sharp muzzle split into an open-mounted Isorlai smile and she gave a soft chuckle.
"Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Erwan," she replied and bobbed her head in greeting. "And it's an honour to make your acquaintance as well."
She would've added more, but two more pilots were approaching, a fellow Isorlai - and a male one at that - and a second male human, this one with a more refined and mature aspect to his appearance. He had shorter hair, a beard and a more lined face that marked the passage of age for his species. The Isorlai was shorter than she was by a good foot or so, and he carried himself unusually. She could see scars and marks across him; and as she looked him over, she remembered his file. He had not had a... pleasant time over his life. Neither of them said a word, but were close enough to hear her reply to Erwan. She simply nodded to them both in greeting, ensuring they'd seen her acknowledgement of their presence, before it seemed like the rest of the group approached thick and fast. A female human, with elegant facial features and sandy-brown hair that framed a round face and a slender figure. Nyx, she remembered, but was jarred out of her memory as the woman announced herself with a bombastic delivery.
"Nyx Miles reporting in! Engineering Specialist and new pilot! I'm excited to be here!" Nyx all but yelled. "Where's the food court, ma'am?"
"At ease, Lieutenant," she replied with a half smile, and a casual return of her salute. "And I can tell you're excited. Good to have you here. I'll show all of you to the mess hall, once we're all set up in our quarters."
A guard hauled an Aranok toward the slowly growing group, and Erien looked confused, before the MP spoke up.
"Colonel sir, is this your Aranok?"
"I-" she began before the Aranok waved, in a quite familiar manner.
"Hey fluffles" he brought his arm up into a weak salute "Elik Hel'kayik, reporting."
Erien's expression turned to one of confusion, one ear drooping and one swivelling to straight-out to one side.
"Fluffles?" she repeated in confusion, looking between the Aranok - Elik - and the guard, before running one paw-hand down her face and then nodding to the MP. "Yes, yes. He's one of mine. I'll make sure he doesn't... do whatever it was he did".
She returned the salute with a slight tick of irritation before turning to the next new arrival.
"Ma'am, Colonel Bellioch, reporting as instructed."
"Welcome," she replied, returning the salute to the male Terran. He didn't introduce himself, but again, she recognized him from his profile, and with the other two humans she knew were assigned having already reported, it narrowed it down. His pale, almost albino complexion and appearance made him further memorable to boot. "Lieutenant Masaryk," she added. "Glad to have you here with us".
Another Aranok - and another male one, she realised as she took in his appearance - he was gruff, but made an effort to apologize for the late arrival, despite it not being his fault. She returned his greeting with a nod and a slight smile.
"Good to have you with us, Olarin. And it wasn't your fault, no need to apologize".
She looked over the assembled pilots and gave an affirmative nod. "All right," she said, raising her voice a little to be heard over the sounds of the bay at work. "Follow me. We're going to head down to our quarters, and I'll give you a brief introduction once we're there".
She turned and lead the way, padding along on all fours at considerably less of a breakneck pace than her earlier dash to the hangar bay before their arrival.

Several twists, turns and trips down ladders and stairwells lead to the suite of small double-rooms that made up the squadron's quarters, all of which attached onto the lounge and kitchenette area that formed 'their' space. A brass nameplate beside the entrance in the corridor called out in stern, upper case letters; '122ND EXPEDITIONARY AEROSPACE SQUADRON; WYLDE FYRE'.
"This is our area," Erien announced as she stepped into the modest, but well-appointed space. Doors lead off to the two-man cabins from the main space, others indicated the male and female washrooms and toilets, and an open-plan kitchenette stood at one end.
"The kitchen isn't stocked for full meals, but is good enough for snacks and beverages. Each room has two beds, so you'll have to double up between you. My cabin is at the end; privileges of rank means I get my own room, but I also share it with my office-space. Stow your bags, and we'll take the whirlwind tour."
She paused, looking from face to face and then continued as she looked across the arrayed faces. "We're really close to the ships' launch, so we're on a short timetable; there won't be much time for looking around. Thankfully, we don't have a huge amount to do to stand up the squadron, and we have twelve hours before we're on station for our mission, and that gives us time to get to work. Nyx," she said, directing her attention to the female human, "I understand from your profile that you have a lot of engineering experience. I want you to work with Masaryk and the engineering crews to get our fighters ready for arrival. They were delivered to use straight back from depot-level maintenance, and are still in the last stages of reassembly and calibration. I will be scheduling time for everyone to work on them with the crews as well to get them calibrated and fitted properly for all of us too. As well as that, there's plenty more on the slate too. Admin work, medical checks and more, and we've got somehow, fit all of it in. Sorry it's such a rush, but we'll find time. First off though, time for the grand tour... once you get your rooms sorted. I'll... stand back and let you argue that one amongst yourselves," she added with a slight smirk, her tail twitching in amusement.

[Assistant]
Gurjan had silently followed his commander to the barracks after the greeting. He felt like the commander was just slightly disturbed by his demeanour, not unusual seeing as his fellow isorlai were the quickest to see his physical scars were not the ones that ran deepest. Still, she wasn't all that affected by it, which relieved him. It would have been rather problematic had his commander been repulsed by his presence.

When they came upon the bunk rooms, Gurjan was rather quick to make a decision on room arrangements. He simply picked a room at random, threw his bag inside and announced "I'm okay with just about any of you." He then walked inside and began unpacking his personal effects.

[User]
Right. It was called a Mess Hall, Nyx realized when the Isorlai corrected her. And Nyx was a Lieutenant which was cool and better than 'Engineering Gremlin' as her old superiors called her. This was exciting and cool and... in all the excitement, Nyx missed that the group was moving out to take a tour of the ship. Nyx walked quickly to keep up with the rest of the group, which she was glad she caught up to, because otherwise she'd have gotten lost amongst all the twists and turns of the ship.

She knew she'd figure it out eventually, but for now she figured that she'd just get lost going anywhere. However, it would be easy to find their bunks, because of the giant plaque. Nyx smiled big, because that looked like the squad was a big deal. Which was extra cool, because now she was a part of the big, cool explorer team.

Nyx heard her name and turned to listen.

"I understand from your profile that you have a lot of engineering experience. I want you to work with Masaryk and the engineering crews to get our fighters ready for arrival. They were delivered to use straight back from depot-level maintenance, and are still in the last stages of reassembly and calibration. I will be scheduling time for everyone to work on them with the crews as well to get them calibrated and fitted properly for all of us too. As well as that, there's plenty more on the slate too. Admin work, medical checks and more, and we've got somehow, fit all of it in. Sorry it's such a rush, but we'll find time. First off though, time for the grand tour... once you get your rooms sorted. I'll... stand back and let you argue that one amongst yourselves."

"Got it. But first, we tour. Then we eat." Nyx said, smiling.

Then she went off to the kitchen to see what was there. A stove, and a refrigerator. She opened the fridge and started stuffing her pockets with various bits and pieces of food and one can of soda went into the bag. Once she was done she started to scout of rooms, and picked the one she liked the feel of most. She plopped her bag on the bed and then went out into the main area, picking a chair to sit on and wait out the arguments. She'd already claimed her room, so if they wanted to fight her for it, they'd have to kick her out first.


[System]
Birthday
Janruary 12th x874

Guild:
Phoenix Wing

Magic:
Absorption Magic: While possessing a large potential for magic she does not have a consistent way to release it without exposure to other magics. Small amounts of magic energy used around her gets absorbed until she is able to use a variation of it. For instance, being around fire magic will eventually allow her to produce and manipulate fire at a fairly basic level. It is not as strong as the original nor can she reproduce the same spells. Extended exposure increases the strength but that still takes quite some time. The only exception to that rule is use of a Lacrima. However the increase is temporary and usually burns through her magic reserves. It is a quick way to gain access to other magics for the future though. Typically elemental magics are easiest to learn such as fire, water, and earth. Others are more scarce and thus she may never be able to use.

As she unlocks other magics she is able to switch between them, only able to use on at a time. Switching is similar to requiping, her clothes, hair, and eyes changing color to reflect the magic she is meaning to use. This leads us to the more negative aspects of such an ability. Her magic controls her just as much as she controls it. Each magic is accompanied with a different personality. So fire will exhibit a more hot headed demeanor than the more docile water. More chaotic type magics could lead her down a darker path.

Magic Level: B

Equipment:
A chain weapon with small blades on the end that her father taught her to use. Mainly a defensive weapon as it lacks real mass or punch.

History:
Given the overall decreased number of mages Ariel's magical prowess went without being realized until her late teens. There was always something a little off though. The few times a mage would pass through her home of Oak Town she would start acting up even as a little girl. It was always attributed to her young age and later on to being a tenager. Being a free spirit she would often visit the Crystal Lake through the years. Never able to keep the child put her father taught her the use of a weapon for self defense. Thankfully she's never had to use it.

As she grew into a young woman more mages began to come through. While beginning to be exposed to more magics the first one that showed up first was water. Perhaps it was the legend of the mage upstream but the many years by and swimming in the nearby lake finally drew in enough traces of magic to allow her to use water magic. Unable to change back to her usual appearance she hurried back home. She stayed shut in for the better part of a year until she changed again, a nearby guild having a couple fire users. Nearly burning down her home that first time only switching back to water did she manage to save most of her belongings. Clearly not having this under control she left town so she wouldn't harm anyone else.

Along her travels she visited a few guilds but whenever she began to feel unusual she would leave. Eventually she realized the mood swings she would have coincided with the changes of magic. Coming to the conclusion that she couldn't truly figure this out on her own she began to ask around for a good guild to actually join. Phoenix Wing came up a few times and it sounded like a good place to start. It it wasn't for her then she would move on.

Personality:
Ariel's personality varies based on the magic she is currently exhibiting. Normally she is quite wary of people, having been taught not to trust outright. See appearance for more on each personality.

Team Members:
Team Powder Keg

Three Strengths:
1. Versatile given time.
2. Loyal once you can get past her distrust.
3. Can change to a better mood almost on a whim.
Three Weaknesses:
1. Takes time to become more capable.
2. Visibly broadcasts the magic she intends to use.
3. Easily corruptible.

Greatest Love:
N/A

Motivation:
Find a safe place where her magic won't lead her down a bad path.

Appearance:
Color: goldenrod

Color: bold

Color: slateblue
Main personality trait: Melancholy

Color: orange
Main personality trait: Aggressive

Color: khaki
Main personality trait: Cheerful

Color: black
Main personality trait: Apathetic

Color: pink
Main personality trait: Loving

Color: lightblue
Main personality trait: Cold

Color: tan
Main personality trait: Reserved

Color: yellow
Main personality trait: Excitable

Color: crimson
Main personality trait: Subservient

Color: lightgray
Main personality trait: Defensive

Color: saddlebrown
Main personality trait: Stubborn

Color: green
Main personality trait: Motherly

Color: skyblue
Main personality trait: Playful

Color: bold
Main personality trait: Commanding

Color: steelblue
Main personality trait: Fearful

Color: gray
Main personality trait: Brooding

Color: deeppink
Main personality trait: Passionate

Color: bold
Main personality trait: Creative

---

Color: orangered
Acquired by absorbing the magic from the ashes of a fallen Phoenix. Transforming through reincarnation Ariel has a full pair of wings that allow her to fly.
Main personality trait: Forgetful

Color: black
Acquired by stealing the power of a god sealed inside a magic artifact. Most of her body turns jet black and her power is fully displayed.
Main personality trait: Arrogant

Additional Details:
Also I will try to make her name color coincide with the current magic she is using. So long as I can find one readable.

[User]
Edo-Karn || Grand Magic Games Stadium

This Damian was a fool as well. She didn't have a reputation here, nor was she trying to continue this world's Karn story.

She had a right to her name. It was still her name. Karn was her name. She was Karn. She wanted to be herself, not someone else. Why did it feel.. she had to pretend she was someone else? Like it was expected of her?

It was her soul, her life. She was just in the wrong body and everyone here just wanted their Karn back. It was understandable, but she wasn't going to just lie about who she was. That was only for specific missions where she absolutely had to. Here, there was little to no gain in acting other than to make others feel a little better. The Karn here always acted. He acted everything was alright, everything was happy, everything was going to be okay when in reality he was never just okay. Granted, she had to act the same a bit with her Guildmates other than Jamie and Jarvis but that was because the Guild couldn't afford to be distracted. The innocent people needed their help and the war needed to be put to a end. Personal problems were to be left aside for the good of their world. Maybe Damian would have stayed, wouldn't have go on his mission to kill Maddox, if she had told him she may not survive to spend happy days after war with him. But she also didn't feel exactly right chaining her comrades down with guilt. She was determined to live. To survive it all so she could finally just... take a breath and breathe. Mourn the comrades who lost their lives, be with the family, get the proper amount of medication.

Of course, things didn't go for what she hoped for. Technically, she was... alive? In between living and death? Fuck it. She was in the land of the living, just in the incorrect place. And she her brain was going completely insane. And she was basically carrying two lives on her back this time. Bloody fuck why do things have to be so complicated?

"You know, things would be just easier if you just devoured his soul."  Imaginary Pen spoke as he walked beside her.

"Yeah, not like anyone will expect much after that. Since your existence is erased and you just take over his life. A second chance for you. And you wouldn't have to listen to us anymore. Plus, you don't have any connection with any of these people. Why care? They're just optimistic idiots who really can't do shit. They are all bark and no bite. Similar to your guild. So what if you have to destroy one soul? It's just one. One not holding any sort of significance to you. You have no real friends here. They are just his friends. What is there for YOU to lose?" the imaginary viper walked to her otherside, giving a dark smirk.

Karn rolled her emerald gaze and picked up the pace, wishing they would just bugger off. When at the Stadium, honestly she didn't know where to exactly go. None of this was very familiar. Suppose she should technically go to the Phoenix Wing stands, but she really didn't want to deal with more trivial questions that will lead to answers they don't want to hear. Karn knew she had never been a easy person to get along with. She was strange and odd, sarcastic with a bit of a weird temperament of her own. Not the loud kind that yell and shout or anything. More like a prickly porcupine. They don't exactly go out of their way to stab you, but touch the wrong way and it just ends up that way. It wasn't like she was trying to be mean or uncooperative. Just seems she was always like that. Just reserved and quiet that only really opened when she felt... safe. This place didn't feel safe. No one felt safe. It was sometimes easier to just distance yourself to think through your own problem, when it seemed others didn't have anything worthwhile. Plus... was there a point getting close to anyone here? She was going home... eventually. Hopefully. These were Earthland Karn's friends. Not hers. Doesn't seem like that will change either.

Plus.... their faces made the visions worse. She didn't want to really risk losing control and going absolutely psycho. Could be dangerous for both her and them.

Sighing mildly, she walked up some steps before moving to the railing, leaning her elbows on it, boredly watching what was happening in the arena. Perhaps under normal circumstances, she'd be alright to learn about the magic users of battle, but honestly... if she never saw magic again, she'd be fine with that. She had been tired of it when she was a little girl. Only reason now to be interested it to protect herself and her Guild from danger. So she supposed she should make a attempt to study it.

[Assistant]
Lazarus

He spoke quite harshly to Sasha, considering. "I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind." He thought back to before the battle. That woman. He would do it. Once and for all he would suppress his burning soul. he would erase his former self from existence. He stood up abruptly. "I'll be back soon. Cheer twice as hard for me." He took off, without a second word, barging through the crowds.

A while later he arrived at the park, looking around. Had she even turned up? He was weary of any trap that could be sprung.

[User]
Mayt Marris -- Resturant He nodded when Trinity spoke up. "Yeah, Shutler. Wes is apparently looking for him, but can't find him. He's hoping someone who had gone to Edolas would be able to tell him what they knew." He'd look at Sasha, and shrug, not really knowing what to say. "I know he isn't necessarily our friend, but he was a Phoenix Wing member at some point, and I feel like we should trust him. He was only doing what he thought was right after all. Even if we wouldn't necessarily agree. I can say firsthand it sucks to have any kind of amnesia, which he claims to have had in Edolas." Mayt opened his mouth to say more, but that was when Karn decided to leave. Mayt looked at them, frowining slightly, and let them pass wordlessly. He would sigh softly, and shove his hands in his pockets, that seeming to have seriously put a damper on his mood. He looked up at Trinty, then to Sasha as they spoke. "Oh, that was Edo-Karn? Fuck." He blushed slightly realizing he had unintentionally cursed in front of two girls, and would sigh softly as Sasha started to make motions to leave and go watch a fight. "Alright, well, I'll see you two later. Or not. Who knows. Anyway, I'm sure you can find Wes if you need to. He's on the northern outskirts of the city." He'd nod to the two women on last time before heading out of the Restaurant himself, and back towards the Phoenix Wing hotel. He was still going to have to leave soon.

@CirusArvennicus

[Assistant]
Ariel - Magic Games Stadium

After thinking for a bit she shrugged a little. While she got a condensed version of events it sounded fine to her. "Killing or crippling isn't good. Especially if it isn't needed. It sounds to me like you tried to do the right thing. You shouldn't feel bad for that. If they have a problem with that, then that is their problem." Whether what she said would come across the way she intended she wasn't sure. Ariel hasn't always had the greatest with advice when her personality jumps around. But Light seemed to work out pretty well.

Speaking of she noticed that her magic seemed to be trying to change again. Pausing for a moment Ariel managed to keep the Light magic after flickering a red color. "Sorry, my magic seems to have a mind of its own right now. I guess I shouldn't be surprised given where I am."


[System]
Character Sheet

Age: 15
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7"

Favourite Gundam series: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Personality: Thomas is the courageously confident child of a mother of three. Being the youngest, he was slightly picked on by the others, usually thrown in the mom-pit to clean up their messes or be the blame for dubious offenses. In the beginning he took it willingly but over the years, he found a love for anime that gradually changed him. He watched colorful heroes stand up for themselves against the world and one day thought "If they can stand up against the world than why can't I against two people?". After that, he found a fire in his gut. He took the dominating beatings of his brother without complaint, eventually earning some form of place between them. To be blunt, its obvious that he's enduring and willful. On the other hand, his love for anime often hampers his work ethic, giving him bad grades and making him not too smart in the brain departments. His sister often calls him "Narutard".

History: Born to a middle-class family in New York City, Thomas was the offspring of unfortunate love. Growing up, he realized that his family wasn't any different from many others. His eldest sibling, his brother was into females and cars, while his sister was often busy, out with friends or something other. When they were around, all they did was place blame on him, threaten him, and more often than he'd thought, warmly appreciate his presence. The Law family was closer than most, laughing, crying, and enjoying each other's company as if it was fresh breath of air, was the normal.

Thomas was exposed to anime very early in his life, its influence shaped him, taught very important values that many missed simply because they assumed it was cartoons. When Gunpla became popular, he had been so immersed in his anime that he hadn't noticed. It was only after catching his sister coming home late, a model figure close to her, had he learned. Turned out that she was pretty famous in the realm, many had known her as the "RED HOT" aptly named after her Commander Sazabi model. After showing interest in it, she taught him the ropes and little by little developed his own set skills. He once asked her why she hadn't tweaked the Sazabi model, made it her own. She responded with something he'd never forget.

She said. "To change something created by another would be like plagiarism. Its a work of art Narutard, you just don't change perfection. You honor it."

Thomas took what he wanted from that sentence and imprinted it into his heart. At the age of thirteen he entered into a tournament with his sister and watched in amazement as she worked with ascendant concentration. She decimated the competition, literally. There was no need from him to even attempt to fight along side her, every time he did, she only went out her way to save his model. By the end of the local tournament, the alias: RED HOT, had become a gun-cock in the ears of other Gunpla fighters. For anyone that was actually at that tournament, she was something inhuman, some kind of monster. Eventually she grew out of the Gunpla phase and passed on her knowledge to Thomas, who entered several tournaments and took on the name "BLUE STAR" admittedly a bit close to his own sister's name.

By the time he had been invited to Von Braun High, Thomas had been actively challenging other Gunpla Battlers, ripping through them like plague. He hoped to find bigger and better targets at Von Braun, targets like his sister.

Gunpla Info

Name: Gundam Unicorn: Brave Passion
Model number: PPRX-0B
Gunpla role: Balanced Offensive/Assistance
Gunpla model scale: MG 1:100
Gunpla based from if original: RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

Armaments:
* 2x Beam Sabers (forearms)
* 1x Four-Petal Solid/Beam Shield
* 2x 60mm Vulcan Guns

Special Features:
* RED HOT CREED (RHC) System - It allows the intake of the Plavasky Particles to speed up the performance of the Brave Passion model. Designed by his sister, he's none the wiser of its inner workings but he knows from experience that the suit's much more agile and quick after its activation. It can only last for ten seconds.

Description: The Brave Passion model was designed for offense. Like his sister before him, Thomas relies on speed and precise strikes to finish off his opponents. The base model was white but after gaining his infamous name "BLUE STAR" he painted one of its shoulder pieces and its long horn blue. When the (RHC) system is activated, the black parts of the Unicorn glow sapphire. The beam shield appears solid but when activate is coated with a crimson layer that can deflect beam weaponry.

[User] Alice couldn't help but sigh hopefully this store had what she was looking for she been to at least two other shops but none of them had the model she needed to finish the spare gunpla she was building. A Mercurius Suivant with upgraded parts from the Tallgeese it was a defensive style mobile suit though could provide covering fire for those close range mobile suits. While her personal suit was also a custom Tallgeese and carried a double bladed beam lance instead of the standard gun. Shaking those thoughts from her head she set out to find the needed model in this case a Tallgeese II so she could hopefully use the shields to better guard the shoulder joints and give it the dober gun for a better ranged weapon.

[Assistant]
Gary took a cab back to his apartment complex. He was tired and he didn't feel like walking and he just wanted to lay down after doing what he did. The cab driver was a native american man of about thirty years of age by Gary's account or at least he looked like that. "So kid going home from some club?" the driver asked Gary who nodded, "Yep I suppose you could say that. I'm into gunpla you see and I just won a match...aww who am I kiddin' you probably don't know about gunpla." Gary commented with a sigh. The older man simply nodded, "I actually am a friend of a guy who likes gunpla. But I'm not much into that sort of stuff. It's really popular but I'm not an anime guy." the driver said as he turned a corner. "Yeah well to each their own I suppose." Gary commented indifferently. The rest of their drive wasn't very exciting.

...As Gary arrived home he threw his back pack into the corner and flopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. He looked around the room and it was barren and the wall colors bland. "Wonderful fucking life right Miller?" Gary commented to the air around him. He wondered how much life was going to throw at him. First he ran into some air head lady who didn't even fight her own fights, then he got some hot shot new blood tag teaming with him, and it turns out that the scrubs he fought were just that...scrubs. And here he was looking forward to an actual fight. One good shot with his O's rifle and boop down goes that giant ass rail gun...and don't even get him started on how easily he was able to rush the prick. And then there's that Glansa pilot...what the fuck? Taken out by some new girl? Gary then admonished himself for thinking that way, "She could be a former regional champion for all I know....I mean what am I anyways? I'm a failed contestant for the Jersey tournament for the under eighteen group." Gary said boredom in his voice. He then looked over to his bedroom..."I'm no golden angel...no am I a sword of tomorrow...I'm just...Gary and I'm glad for that because I ain't some tool...Ok why the hell am I freakin' talking to myself what am I some weirdo in an anime!?"

[User]
Thomas and Diane Law - THE BLUE STAR

Peter shook his hand and Thomas smiled, tilting his head a bit. "No problem man. I bet if me and you are on a team, we'd dominate any group!"

Diane was happy to see her brother getting along with another, he was so hung up on his skills that he often forgot to socialize with other people. This was a step in the right direction. When Diane was approached by another, she turned towards her.

"You wanted to Gunpla Battle right? I could tell just from looking at you. But besides that, I wanted to watch my brother's battle. His Brave Passion build was made by the both of us, I wanted to make sure he was using it right. Did you guys win? please tell me I don't owe those jerks a dinner," she babbled. "Also, he didn't lose like you thought he would."

Thomas looked over to Diane and the girl. "She thought I was going to lose?"

[Assistant] Peter stepped in. "He was close to winning though." He remarked. "I can do with someone like that on the team." His watch played a short tune to show that it should be time to leave. "I will call today a day now." He declared and gave a wave off to say goodbye. Just as he was leaving he noticed that there was the same teacher he bumped into before, which got him suspicious that she isn't just a teacher. He will have to investigate about this tomorrow.

[User] "Is that so Marie said huh well in order we won and I believed he would of lost sine I only saw part of the match and missed the rest." So that was her goal was it Marie thought she just wanted to see the fight huh. "Though to be fair I only thought you would lose due to the fact you lack ranged weapons not that it's a problem considering some gunpla's only having beam sabers and the vulcans as equipment. Still glad to see I was wrong must of been a interesting match. Oh sorry for forgetting earlier my name is Marie Asagiri a regional qualifier for the Wyoming singles tournament." Inwardly she couldn't help but sigh she hated doing this sociable public persona of hers at times made it seem odd when she acted how she normally does when she meets them again.

[Assistant] Alice sighed thankfully they had some Tallgeese models with this she would be able to finish up her extra model and a extra Dober gun for switching out with her beam lance on her personal build wouldn't hurt either she supposed. Her Mercurius Suivant model with the shoulders guarded by the Tallgeese shields and the added Dober gun it should be a solid defense type model good enough to act as a spare gunpla in case her Tallgeese wasn't available. Nodding to herself about that she went to purchase the models she looked around it was getting late from the looks of it and people were starting to leave. Taking that as a que Alice packed up her things and started to head home if anything it would prove interesting to see what the next day would bring. Perhaps she should look at any local gunpla teams and or a school club to join. With that last thought in mind she stepped out the store and decided that when she got back it would probably be best to call it a night.

[User] Deciding to call it a day Marie quickly excused herself and left the store after getting everything packed up. She couldn't help but sigh things was complicated today but that was not exactly a bad thing she corrected herself. If anything she was quite happy with the turn of event's today she was able to do a quick fight even if it was against no name people who had visions of grandeur and she was able to find a model she has been meaning to get. Thinking about it like that it was a rather productive day now if she could start on her next big project while it would not be done anytime soon the gunpla would be one of her greatest works if it goes according to plan. Shaking those thoughts as she reached her apartment she quickly collapsed on her bed and just let sleep overtake her.

[Assistant]
Thomas Law - THE BLUE STAR

After leaving the shop and discussing the officials with the Principle, Thomas walked Diane to the trainstation and waved her off. Sometimes, he really missed her, especially her Gunpla battles but she had reassured him that she was contently done with it. That she had left her mark as RED HOT and that that was enough for her.

At the time, he only smirked and let it go but as he laid in bed, waiting for his eyes to close, he became irritated. How could anyone leave Gunpla behind, he could see himself as old as the sun still enjoying the realism. He stared up at the light above him, the flat ceiling making it appear like a bright pimple against a pale face.

"Tomorrow, I should go check out that Gunpla club. Yea, I think I'll do that." Then he closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.

[User]
The second day of school was a long affairs with lessons that Peter will eventually have to catch up on in the exams. He was still distracted with how he will have to form a team quickly before the tournament starts and how there are only two so far with no adult supervision. The lecture on Emperor Justinian's successes can wait.

Much to his surprise, he recognised the teacher for his fourth period. It was that German-speaking teacher he bumped into yesterday and saw at the store, teaching chemistry in this hour. "Good morning class, I am Miss Lindemann." She introduced herself. "For our first lesson we will learn about crude oil and fracking." He noticed how the English she spoke didn't have an accent. After the lesson however she was quick to disappear, leaving him unable to ask the question on why she was at the store.

When it became lunch break Peter was able to think more freely on how to build the club. He got his lunch of the day: spaghetti beef bolognaise and sat in one of the many seats in the cafeteria. He looked to see if Thomas will appear again to discuss about the team with him.

[Assistant] Another boring day of school...how bloody fan freaking fantastic! I mean it's not like Gary transferred schools through that programs because he wanted to experience new things right? It's not like he wanted to have cooler teachers right? It's not like he wanted to be the outcast in the middle of a town full of westerners right!?!? All he could do at this point in time was stare blankly at the people in front of him as he placidly shoveled food into his mouth while idly answering questions to the kids next to him about stuff. What he wouldn't give to have something FUN for once in this pseudo vacation! Whatever though it wasn't like he was completely miserable. The people weren't all that bad and the food was decent for cafeteria food. But yeah more to the point he knew no one here he'd call a close friend. "Yeah it's true on the east coast everyone speaks in a stereotypical Brooklyn or New Jersey/York accent...because you know we're all greaser clones." Gary commented to a girl who giggled. Freaking air head what was funny about that?

[User]
Thomas Law - THE BLUE STAR

He stuffed a hand full of fries into his mouth at lunch. As usual Arnold and Richie sat across table from him, their hands scribbling overlooked notes into their notebooks. Arnold looked up at the lax youth, his brow raised.

"You don't study, you'll fail the test dude," he warned as impassive as ever.

Thomas only smiled.

"Give it up, Arnold, he'll never commit to anything but that Gunpla Battling he does?"

"It's the only thing worth the effort," Thomas explained before raising up and swinging his back over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later, I think I'm going to search for that club now."

"Alright man, good luck with it," Richie said as Thomas walked off.


[System]
Species: Human

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Personality: Amie has two personalities: Lady Jane and Amie.
-Lady Amethyst Jane is a stern, quiet, respectable woman of noble lineage. At 6'1", she is an imposing figure, towering over others both in rank and height. Lady Jane is in all aspects a gentlewoman. She dresses the part, bows to elders, and is receptive to the honor due her. She is the unofficial representative of her house and, accompanied by her assistant/servant, she spends time visiting exotic (and often expensive) locales, spreading the glory of her family everywhere. Fighting is unladylike, and she would never draw her sword unless absolutely necessary.
-At heart, Amie is a kind, compassionate young woman who loves to read and write. She enjoys spending time with others, regardless of their place in society. Despite her family's love of affection and praise, Amie doesn't see herself as any more special than anyone else. She's optimistic and tries to find something to be happy about regardless of the circumstances. She doesn't have a wild streak or hot temper, but she has no objections to drawing steel. Fighting relieves boredom and generates adrenaline, and she would draw her sword in a heartbeat if it meant a good fight, or any kind of fight.

Appearance:

Her family crest is emblazoned in gold leaf on the back of her coat.

Powers: The JANE Coat of Arms. Amie has her family coat-of-arms emblazoned in gold on the back of her glove that is activated mentally. It allows her to cycle through four Armaments, each granting a special ability that lasts a maximum of 30 seconds. They can be changed/swapped instantly, but the same one cannot be immediately used back to back. The Crest glows gold and the "J" in the crest changes to a symbol representing the armament while it is active. The armaments are Jump, Attack, Negate, and Evade.

Jump: Jump height and jump distance x 1.5
Attack: Physical strength and sword strength x 1.5
Negate: Creates a holographic shield in front of her that absorbs projectiles
Evade: Movement speed and reaction speed x 1.5

Note: She's using the symbols from Column 1.

Strengths: Intelligence and charisma. Lady Jane can and will talk her way out of any situation. If the negotiations do not go as planned, Amie makes use of her masterful skill with a longsword.

Weaknesses: Pure physical strength and stamina. Additionally, she was raised in a mansion and attended to by servants, so even though she doesn't much care for her lifestyle, she doesn't understand the "outside world." It's always been fancy people with fancy vocabularies living carefree lives. Loneliness, depression, poverty and the like are all foreign to her.

Background: tl;dr she was born into a rich family and everything has been perfect her whole life, but her family is very rich and snobby and Amie doesn't think she's better than anyone else, so they don't see eye-to-eye on how to look and behave. In public Amie will act the part out of respect for her parents and lineage. She caries a sword because her parents insist she have a bodyguard, and Amie would rather not, so after a lot of bickering she finally convinced them to let her take up private fencing lessons, which escalated into using claymores, sabers, and two-edged longswords. She ended up preferring the longsword and has been using it exclusively for the past eleven years.

Misc. Notes:
1. The Jane Coat of Arms motto: May your head be high, your strength be great, your heart be strong, and your mind be quick.
2. Amie is accompanied by an assistant/manservant named Winters.

Yes, that is John Reese from Person of Interest
3. Amie's car is a BMW i8 painted glossy black with gold trim. It is driven by Winters.

[User]
The Woods of Faiza, Behind the Lodge, 10:48am

Sam struggled through a fitful sleep, treated to visions of alien tormentors and horrific technological constructs chasing her through a carbon fantasy. Copper traces served as roads, connecting skyscrapers built from capacitors, inductors, and the occasional timing circuit. The occasional pulse of arc-blue energy whizzed past at unfathomable speeds. Sam, uncertain, rounded the corner and nearly collided with another of the terrible creatures.

The metallic spider thing reared up on four of its legs and lunged for her, missing by inches as Sam sent herself into a baseball slide. She slipped through its legs and hooked them with her laptop cord, toppling the beast, then took off running. Two more of the creatures flanked her and reached out again, and Sam, as if by instinct, reached out for one of the blue pulses.

Jaiden, first on scene, could have boggled at the force of the impact. The triangular craft left a deep trench at least fifty feet long before finally coming to rest beneath a stately pine. Some of its needles and cones smoldered on the surface of the ship, though by now it felt like very little heat had been retained by its reflective skin. The trench began as just a tiny scrape in the ground, gradually deepening and widening, which indicated an angled descent. Compared with the original angle, the obvious conclusion was that it had somehow attempted to right itself during the crash, but...

The peace of the woods was interrupted twice more; once by the agonizing process of shapeshifting, and again by the screeching of rent metal. Damaged as it was, and perhaps weakened by the heat of re-entry, the door could not withstand Jaiden's enhanced physiology. A brief survey of the interior of the craft yielded the discovery of one female survivor. When she did not respond to the standard greeting-and-by-the-way-are-you-dead that nearly every first-responder rehearses on the way to render aid, he had fallen back on a more proactive approach.

Unfortunately, Jaiden's advanced 'pokey-stick' technology did nothing to stir Sam from her induced sleep. It began to look as though, if he wanted to help her at all, he'd have to get her out of the harness. The mechanism was in no way similar to standard Faizan systems. It looked to be designed for longer, slender fingers; tendrils, perhaps.

That point became increasingly important as the control console to Sam's right flickered on, partly displaying a few status updates. It was badly damaged, but not enough to provide any ambiguity behind the blood-red inverted triangle and the angular symbol of a diamond, topped with three jagged spikes, in its center. As the smell of smoke filled the cabin, it became clear that the two had somewhat less time to vacate than originally thought.

"Kanta." the computer calmly announced. The voice file crackled and skipped, indicating more systemic damage. "Kanta, Gen Im. Gen Jia Ii Cha Tem.

Tem...
Niish...
Orcha...
Sem...
Iija...
Quan...

The sound of ventilation systems spinning up made a compelling argument for vacating the premises. Though the language could not be immediately understood, there was something of a finality and urgency to its friendly warning.

[Assistant]
Okay, so she's not getting up. That's bad. Jaiden ceased his poking of the emo girl as he saw that she was either a really good faker or completely out cold and likely in need of medical attention. Okay, she doesn't seem to have any defense mechanisms installed that are ready to kill me in a gruesome fashion. That's good, means I can get to work tearing out of these restraints.

Leaning into the ship's tiny cockpit, Jaiden struggled to unfastened the girl from her contained, but the damn buckles seemed barely workable for human hands. After a couple secs of pointless fumbling and muttered curses, however, a sudden flash of red light quickly brought his attention on something else as one of the computers seemed to fire up some sort of protocol. Jaiden didn't understand a single thing that was flashing by on the damaged screen, nor what the voice was attempting to communicate to him. One thing that he did understand, however, was the sound of a count-down. That wasn't something he wanted to hear coming from a downed alien fighter.

"Alright, fuck being careful about this. I'm getting you out of here now." Quickly slipped his fingers under the straps, biting his lips in discomfort as he turned each of them into a small, sharp blade. Metamorphing his arms a tiny bit, he pulled upward with as much strength as he could muster in the short time he had, the straps straining against his blades before finally giving way with a snap. Not taking the time to declaw himself, he grabbed at Emo girl's shirt and launched the both of them away from the ship with a mighty leap. Holding her close to his front, he could only grit his teeth in pain as his body went skidding across the ground, various bits of forest debris and and what not tearing through his thin shirt to end up in her back due to the strength of his leap. When he finally slowed to a halt, stopping just shy of smacking into a tree, he pushed emo-girl to the side and rose up, his form lost beneath a mass of tendrils, only for them to harden into a ivory carapace, his face having shifted into a much more monstrous visage.

Ignoring the pain that still resonated in his back, he stepped forward ready to block the unprotected girl from any possible debris that could be heading there way, eyes of glowing red narrowed in anticipation for the coming explosion. There was only one teeny-tiny issue.

The explosion didn't come. It was obvious that something was happening to the craft, though Jaiden couldn't really figure out exactly what that was, but it sure wasn't doing any exploding. Not that Jaiden was complaining, quite the opposite infact, but he could help but wonder what that countdown had been about.

"Welp, question for another day. Right now I need to sit down and focus on fixing up my back before I take this chick to the lodge." Allowing himself to rest beneath a nearby tree that was only slightly singed and damaged from the craft's descent, the man closed his eyes and began to put more energy into accelerating his healing factor. While he patched himself, he considered changing back to his less terrifying form, but the energy cost would likely push him over the line as far as how 'hungry' he could be without being a possible danger. Something that he didn't want to have to deal with at the moment, especially when taking into account the defenseless survivor that was current lying on the ground next to him. Even now, he couldn't help but focus some attention to his ears, sensing the almost melodious beat of her heart. It was the music of life, and it called to a deep, primal nature. But for now, it was best to ignore it.

"Plenty of animals around here. . . It'll be easy to get my fill sometime tonight."

[User]
Too many things were happening all at once. Winters was rather displeased by the meager response to the introduction of Lady Jane, but his concern vanished with the arrival of another guest. It was too late to repeat the theatrics, and Winters was about to greet her when everyone was interrupted by what appeared to be space debris of some kind burning through the atmosphere and smashing into the ground some distance away. Before he could respond, Winters was interrupted yet again as he discovered the wolf could speak, and a fourth time as a bus pulled up. For the first time in his life, the assistant found himself completely unable to speak.

Amusingly, what was mortifying for Winters was exciting for Amie. A new guest! A speaking animal! A mysterious object falling from the sky! All of these needed addressing immediately, but she couldn't do anything without Winters, and he looked to be frozen in time. Thinking swiftly, Amie rebooted him.

"Bring the luggage in, Winters."

Silence. Winters was in another world.

"Winters! Escort the luggage to my suite at once."

Her emphasis on the last two words drew him out of his stupor. He turned to look at her, blinking slowly. Suddenly aware that he was making eye contact, he jolted back to reality and bowed his head.

"As you wish, Lady Jane."

Without another word, Amie stepped briskly past him and everyone else, heading towards the forest. To the wind with impressions. There was both danger and excitement here, and she had been shielded from both for long enough. "It is not your place," her mother chided in the back of her mind. She winced, but put it aside. The Janes could not touch her here, and she would find out for herself if this was or was not her place. Her only hindrance was Winters, the faithful servant, but he was occupied, and would continue to be occupied for some time. Amie smiled quietly to herself. She had done her research, and the lodge would never accompany all of the luggage she brought. She had purchased a considerable amount of time.

"Lady Jane! I-"

"The luggage, Winters," she called back, not even bothering to turn her head. A smug grin came over her face as she imagined the dilemma he was facing. Poor Winters. He would not be pleased at all.

The forest embraced her and she found herself soon isolated from the lodge, the car, the people, the noise...everything was quiet. Glancing quickly over her shoulder to see that no one was watching, she clenched her right hand into a fist. The golden coat of arms on the back glowed briefly, and the "J" melted into nothingness. Concentrating, she cycled between the armaments of her house, concluding with Evade: Increases speed and reaction time by one and one half times. Originally meant for combat, she had found a new use for it; traversing ground. The twin arrows representing the armament blazed into existence, filling the space in the coat of arms as the glow silently faded. New energy poured into Amie's slim frame and she lunged forward, heading towards the pillar of smoke protruding from the treeline.

A warning flashed in her mind; the young lady from the motorcycle had taken flight to the forest immediately, preceded by another man already present at the lodge. The two of them had a good thirty-to-forty second start, but they would not be far ahead now, and it was perhaps too early for Amie to reveal her abilities. Taking advantage of the surroundings, she weaved her way around trees, watching carefully for undesired company and preparing to slip behind cover. The armament could only sustain her for half a minute, but by then she would be very close to her destination. Fifty yards ahead of her, the woman in black came into view. Amie caught her breath and dodged right, making a long arc in an attempt to pass her unnoticed. The hunter green jacket, combined with the rest of her gray and black uniform, provided excellent camouflage, but physically she was not in shape to run for any extended period of time. Already her legs were cramping, as there had been no time to stretch after a long road trip, and her breathing was becoming louder and heavier. Siding with caution, Amie slowed to a stop and took refuge behind the thickest tree available. The symbol on her glove glowed briefly as the last seconds wore away, and it was was soon replaced by the familiar "J" of her name.

She waited for her pulse to slow, then stood up, straightened her jacket, kicked the debris from her boots, brushed a few stray strands of hair from her eyes, and pressed on.