[System]
* Age: 22, although due to her height she's often thought to be younger.
* Gender: Female
* Race: Half-dwarf. All this really means is she'll live slightly longer than a human would (barring accidents or illness), is a bit short and has to shave roughly once a month.
* Appearance: Something like this. Like her dwarven ancestors, she often takes the no-nonsense approach to problems.
* Personality: To the casual observer, it would seem that Martina predominantly takes from her dwarfish side, being rather gruff and overly serious. She is an exceptionally hard worker and stubbornly refuses to give anything less than her all towards any given task. However, closer inspection will reveal that she does take quite a lot from her mother too, as she is rather open-minded and curious as humans are wont to be. To her, the most important thing is to follow her duty, and this combined with her dwarfish stubborness and her human recklessness means that if she is told to hold the line, she will damn well hold the line until her dying breath.
* Brief Backstory:Dwarfs are an uncommon sight in Thaln, but they're not entirely unknown of. Every so often, traders and merchants emerge from their mountain homes and head to human settlements, intending to trade the metals and gemstones they mined and the exceptional weapons and armour they smithed for materials and supplies that are much rarer in the mountains. And whilst many of them immediately return to the mountains when their business is done, one dwarf in particular found himself setting up permanent residence in Aimlenn. His name was Aaron Stonehammer, and with the skills and knowledge gained after over a century spent in the business he found himself being voted in as the head of the city's Merchants Guild. Such a position allowed him to mingle with the higher parts of society, and it wasn't very long before her met one Lady Lieselotte Blumenthal, a minor noble whose family had a strong association with the guild. Soon, despite how unorthodox it may have seemed to others, the two fell in love, and... Well, the result was Martina, formed from the rare union of dwarf and human.

Despite having to put up with a bit of prejudice due to her nature as a halfbreed, Martina seemed to grow up rather well-adjusted. Whilst she intends to eventually inherit the family business (as her father has taught her is the dwarfish tradition), she also had an inherent need to prove her martial prowess (...as her father has taught her is the dwarfish tradition). Thus, as soon as she was of age she joined the Iron Rose Knights... Although she often has to juggle her obligations to the knights with her obligation to learn the family trade, and occasionally takes time off to do so. Despite this, she's as dedicated to both as she can possibly be, a testament to the dwarf blood that flows through her veins.
* Equipment: Martina wields a finely crafted dwarven warhammer and shield, and wears a suit of mail under her tunic. The hammer is a heirloom of her father's side of the family, and as can be expected from an ancestral dwarfish weapon it is engraved with runes of magical power; due to this, it becomes superheated whenever she swings it with the intent to cause harm.
* Skills: Martina is a mighty warrior; she has to be, otherwise it would bring shame to her ancestors. She specializes in close-quarters combat, often charging into the thick of things where her hammer can do the most damage. As a testament to her dwarfish heritage, whilst on the warpath she is like the mountains; relentless, indomitable and refusing to budge an inch once she's dug herself in. Aside from warfare, she's also rather knowledgable in the fields of economics, and is able to easily appraise the value of numerous objects if given enough time to give them a good look over.

[User]
As Tyathe approached the group, Gillian couldn't help but to gawk slightly. He could remember clearly the first time he'd step foot in Candaeln, having caught a glance at the famed undead knight standing sentinel in the main hall like something out of the epics. Though, now faced with the woman herself, he could only ask "..h…how?" as he noted the sudden height disparity with clear confusion. "I…I'm just going to assume some sort of magic is at play." He says, giving up trying to figure what the undead did to her armor to add that much bulk, much less how she carried it all.

The Princesses entrance was a welcomed distraction from the spatial conundrum. He had to admit, Eliabelle was certainly shaping-er...growing into a fine young woman, and he'd heard nothing but good things about her. That did not, however, put him at much ease and he fought the urge to roll his eyes as the princess explained her motivation for the knights being there. "As always, the capital boils the Iron Rose's duties down to ceremony..." He thinks. The captains presence he could understand, but his and the others time could have been better spent than attending to the fancies of the royal heir.

Still, it was only a minor annoyance, one born of goodwill (and perhaps a dash of entitlement) at that. He takes a deep breath and walks carefully over to the princess, intent on fulfilling his duties to the young woman and dismissing himself as quickly as possible. "Not that she'd have much in the way to say to someone of my station." He thinks, bowing slightly in greeting. "Good evening Your Royal Highness." He says, suddenly thankful for what few lessons of courtly manners he'd learned for Parnella. "I am Sir Gillian Reynaud of the Iron Roses. I thank you for the generous hospitality you've shown our order this evening."

[Assistant]
Sir Garrett
Themerlinhawk

Julianna was even more devious than he given her credit for as she continued to dance around with their conversation. It was clear from the way she thought that she was resigned to her fate. Or was it?....She Wanted to be a part of her family's schemes to replace Fanilly with their own. It was a truely interesting perspective being able to peer into the political machinations of Thaln. It was not something that he would happily take part in but given that he no longer could hide behind Sir Garrett there was no doubt in his mind that he would soon be drawn into it. A foreign noble with a decent amount of resource and leverage was something even Garrett could see being useful to one of the nobles here.

As she walked with him she continued her commentary on freedom. It didn't really seem to bother her that she was a pawn in her family's games. If anything it bothered him more that she was totally okay with the whole situation. Then again being a leader also grants you immense power does it not? Fanilly after all was the ultimate example of power; even though she didn't get it. The Order was not their to serve her but to make her be the best she could possibly be. That was the point of an uncorrupted, pure, naive leader. Atleast so long as she appeared to be on the outside. The Knights were the ones who really had to do the heavy lifting; which was fine with him. It wasn't about Fanilly leading, it was about how the Knights made sure she appeared to be.

Continuing to listen politely it was apparent she wasn't going to reveal her motivation for appearing any time soon. Perhaps you truly just wanted to talk? I don't believe that for a second. As he was retrieving a drink he caught a noble approach from the corner of his eye and braced for impact. Julianna navigated the verbal thrust smoothly and in the process made it look like she meant it. Taking a smooth sip of the drink Sir Garrett looked down at Julianna who was still on his arm and then back up at the countess. "Although frankly I'm certain I can break them of their opinion. After all, who wouldn't want an army of Barbarians ready to come to the assistance of their new family members."

It was a joke but he let the implication sink in as he took another sip. "It was a pleasure to meet you Countess, I hope you enjoy the party."

After delivering his thought provoker Marianne arrived and began laying on the praise for Julianna. It was true Julianna was quite beautiful. Eyeing Marianne as she continued to compliment Julianna; Sir Garrett smiled into the next sip of his drink. The Delacroix Knight was plenty beautiful herself and he had no doubt that the maids had something to do with it. Are you here to save me from Julianna. Please say yes. Sir Garrett chuckled to himself. What in the world have I gotten myself into?

Turning at the announcement of the princess he raised an eyebrow at her appearance. They certainly did not do her justice when they said she was beautiful. That was certainly at least a part of why she was favored by the masses. No doubt she was also at least partially a philanthropist; as beautiful as she was there was no way that it was the only reason the people loved her. Musing over it Sir Garrett flicked his eyes to the side to observe Marianne again. I Think tonight is going to be bearable. Smiling into his drink again he finished off the second glass, the alcohol was certainly helping.

[User]
@harinezumikouken

While it seemed like she was entirely leading Sir Garett on, he managed to maintain his composure quite well. It was really quite remarkable actually, for someone who did not have much experience in the Thaln court. Even when there was some noble banter the tall knight even managed to put in his own zinger to her mention of a relationship.

"Although frankly I'm certain I can break them of their opinion. After all, who wouldn't want an army of Barbarians ready to come to the assistance of their new family members." The man could think on his feet outside of battle and he was even testing the waters and her intentions. It was quite amusing in its own right.

"My, my Sir Garett; whatever could you be implying?" She teased, taking a last sip from her glass and then placing it down. Before she could say anymore Dame Marianne arrived and proceeded to compliment her on her choice of dress. During this time the princess made her appearance and like most everyone else in the room, Julianna had to get a good look at the princess before returning to the conversation.

The princess was quite the pretty thing, young, beautiful, pale skin, a dress so well adorned that it had to cost a fortune, and rather ample assets. She was a gem whose beauty rivaled the goddess Reon herself and even her personality was a great boon to her popularity. Julianna could not help but think that this was a person she could put her whole being into following.

Then back to the matter at hand. The Lady Delacroix was quite the elegant beauty herself, wearing her somewhat simple white dress with a red corset her attire was quite tasteful and refined. With her porcelain skin and raven hair she exuded an air of purity and grace that Julianna doubted she could match even if she had gone with her own white dress. Skin tone could really change how a color made one appear to other people.

"Thank you very much Lady Marianne, though I must simply counter by saying you look stunning yourself." Julianna gave a short curtsy, though hardly moved as at the moment she was still attached to Sir Garett. Marianne was a very upright and noble knight associated with a family with plenty of history. Julianna had to admit she was a wonderful person and certainly hoped they could remain friends so it was unfortunate that their two families were essentially opposite in views, especially on tradition.

"If you must know, the dress was a custom production by one of the best tailors in Thaln. My parents were quite giddy when they managed to procure the talents of the great Thateous Germain. That being said it is only thanks to his magnificent talents I could come even close to your own radiance." Julianna smiled, she admitted she might be laying on the compliments at bit thick but at events such as this it was only expected.

"But I digress, we are leaving poor Sir Garett out in the cold with our talk of dress." Julianna patted his arm lightly with her hand as if he were a great prize. "He was just enlightening me to the great mysteries surrounding his lineage. Can you image? This man is one of the main contenders of Jarl and yet he prefers our own company rather than secure his station. Quite the noble sentiment in its own right."

[Assistant]
Ian nodded at each girl in turn as they introduced themselves and sat down before he himself took a seat, his tail curling around into his lap to avoid being squished in the seat. Once comfortable he started to answer Mariegolde.

"hmh, I saw more of the land in Velt than it's cities, but even so I found it wonderful. There's something freeing about wandering the mountain ranges in the north, perhaps it's the wind" he shrugged "though I never got to see the cathedrals, or anywhere fancy really. This is even my first time inside a castle like this...heh, but you wanted to hear tales of adventure, yes? hmm, what to tell..."

Ian's life has certainly had it's glorious moments but there were honestly not too many things to tell about and he didn't have the intention of over-embellishing a mundane story. He did take a good lookover of the three girls while he tried to recall a tale for them, the two blonde ones were a little amusing with their excitement but the dark haired one seemed like she wouldn't even be there if she wasn't friends with at least one of the other two.

Before he was able to speak again the announcement of the princess' arrival sounded catching his attention for moment to hear her speak before looking back to the girls infront of him. He was getting a feeling that even if only a few Rose knights were brought up to speak to the princess he was going to be one of them...

[User]
Martina cracked a small smile at Gillian's apology, and whilst it was the only reaction she seemed to give to it... Well, for a dwarf it was enough. At the very least, it indicated that he hadn't just made an enemy for life.

As she was about to retort to Fanilly (something about her being too stuffy sometimes), she found herself cut off by princess making her entrance. She'd heard about her beauty, but somehow the tales failed to do justice to just how... How magnificent the princess seemed. No wonder she was so popular... The half-dwarf couldn't help but admire her elegance, her poise, her... Her...

"By the goddesses, captain!" she exclaimed, nudging Fanilly's sides with her elbow. "Those are some cracking tits the princess has, aren't they?"

Dwarfs weren't exactly known for their subtlety, really, or for not speaking what was on their minds. Still, did she have to say it so loud?


[System]
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Level: 1

Class: Legendary Shield Hero

Hero Class: Shield

Magic Affinity: Dark

Appearance:

Biography: In his homeland of Spain, Marcus was a foremost politician working against the autocratic government of his nation. With a full team of reliable people backing him, he was mere months away from establishing his group as a party that stood a chance in elections. With the promised day coming up quick, he pushed himself far beyond his limits to make sure that his team was ready for the trials ahead. Unfortunately, as a result of his working habits, Marcus fainted during a rally and hit his head. The shock rendered him unconscious for weeks, leaving him stuck in a coma by the time election season rolled around, which destroyed his party's chance at victory.

Marcus awoke four years later to the sound of his wife's voice. The sudden rush of joy sent him tumbling from his hospital bed and onto the ground. At first he thought it was just fatigue, but when the numbness in his legs wouldn't go away, it was clear something was off. The doctors informed him that his accident had left him partially paralyzed from the waist down. The news that he was no longer in any shape to work in the same fashion as before hit him like a brick. Fortunately, he seemed to be in perfectly good health otherwise and was discharged within the week.

Marcus adjusted to life in a wheelchair without much issue, and attended therapy weekly for the next year. Even though his nation was still plagued by the same government, and his goals had been quashed in one fell swoop, the chance to spend time relaxing at home with his wife offered him a new perspective on life. He quickly found purpose as a scholar and reconnected with his old team, looking to start rebuilding his campaign from the ground up with a new strategy in mind.

After a year in therapy he finally regained the use of his legs to a certain extent. Although his motor skills would suffer without warning, causing him to stumble occasionally or find himself unable to walk for minutes at a time, he kept a positive outlook and kept to his research. But as Marcus continued delving into literature, he would soon find that his most recent choice in reading material was about to send him for a whirl...

Appearance of Weapon:

Abilities of Weapon: shield-hero.fandom.com/wiki/Legendary…
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Skills/Abilities:

Name of Skill:

Abilities of Skill:

Downsides of Skill:
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Inventory: Pendant with a picture of his wedding day.

[User]
It happened in an instant a flash from a book, and the world changing around four individual normal folks from different worlds. As if they were fish pulled from different environments and being thrust into an completely different ocean. The Four heroes now sit in the middle of a magical ritual circle surrounded by a large group of men. Some of them in priest outfits, other ones in suits of armor carrying weapons from times past of their world. Of course none of the new heroes knew exactly what had just happened but for the individuals in the room they were met by a cheer of happiness from the clerics in the room who excitedly congratulated each other. In particular a young man wearing priest robes, and a small pair of round glasses. In the hands of the heroes were weapons they hadn't used before. Strange objects: A sword, a spear, a bow, and a shield. Too the more nerdy among the group it was clear that they were now in some sort of isekai scenario, kind of like some of the MMO's they had played before except this time it was clearly real enough as the weapons attached to them felt alien in their hands. And their sight was obscured by a menu of sorts if they focused hard enough on one person. The cheers died down and the boy walked forward and cleared his voice before talking to them all cheerfully.

"I'm so glad it worked! Thank Grand Master Eric for his instruction! Inform the king, and queen immediately that the heroes are here!" a young man in brown robes stated quickly as a soldier nodded, and ran off quickly. The young man spread his arms wide in welcome, and quickly pressed his glasses up his nose. He had messy brown hair, and wasn't particularly handsome. He seemed genuinely happy to see all of them here. "Welcome brave heroes! Welcome to our world! I'm sorry if you did not wish this, but we have called you here for good reason I promise you. My name is Hans Copper, and I request that you assist us in saving the world!" The boy named Hans stated as he quickly spoke up again before questions arose, "You are the successors of the former Four Great Cardinal Heroes! Heirs to a legacy of great men, and women!"
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Cole looked around his blade clung to his hand insistently he couldn't seem to let go of his weapon. Not that he'd want to but the initial shock of the area almost made him lose his focus. Heroes? Were the people gathered around him apart of this new group? The last thing he remember...he remembered grabbing a book off a shelf in the library of his college. His eccentric librarian had recommended he look there for something he needed for class. He looked at the golden blade in his hand as the man in front of him talked, and he admired it it was well made, and seemed to fit perfectly in his hand. It was nothing like he felt before but it felt right in his hands as if it was made for him. And judging by the speech it was meant to be his. "I see? I can't say I'm any sort of great hero...nor do I know how I even got chosen out of all the people out there but...I don't see any other way forward. I'll help you if I can." Cole said calmly but somewhat shaken as he still was adjusting to everything here. 'This seems a lot like those dumb cheesy animes Mike from science class watched just after class...he'd love it if he were here. Whatever gotta play it cool...if this is really real than I can't loose face.' Cole stated as he waited to hear what the others around him had to say.

===

Meanwhile in the hall of the castle the adventurers called together to aid the heroes rested, and chatted with each other. The large hall of the castle's interior was spacious, and extremely well furnished. The guards, and knights chatted about the possible arrival of heroes, and the fact that all the nations came together to make it happen...it was quite the spectacular event. Even if it failed it meant good things for the new young King of Melromarc.

[Assistant]
Flin glanced at the people in the room, somewhat disoriented as he tried to make sense of what was going on. One moment, he was alone in the library. Then, he was met with a bright flashing light. Now he was here, surrounded by people that he'd never seen before in medieval suits. He certainly did not recognise anyone from school. "Uh...what?" He mumbled, as a man stepped forward and began to mention stuff about four Heroes and them being called here. Flin's face turned from disbelief into irritation. It seemed clear to him that this was some type of elaborate prank, one that was executed very well at that.

"Listen...I don't know how you jokers pulled this off, but I have a lot of work to do. I don't have time for..." He spoke, but then glanced at his right hand. He was holding a spear, it's tip razor-sharp and it's colour as red as flame. When did he even end up grabbing it? The discovery only added to Flin's confusion. He tried to release it, but his hand refused to do so. He glanced over towards the other sharp object in his immediate vicinity, the golden sword that the Sword Hero was holding. He backed up a bit. Despite still believing that it was some kind of joke, that sword and his spear sure seemed to be made out of real steel. Regardless of what was going on, he certainly didn't want to get stabbed. He didn't believe what Hans Copper had told them for even a second, despite listening to every word.

[User]
In the great hall, one of the adventurers is a bard who would normally be performing at the tavern right about now. With her long, brown haired wig on and styled to cover her ears effectively, she waited with the other adventurers for the shield heroes. She did feel somewhat anxious being in the castle, but this was a chance for her to offer her aid to the Shield Hero, despite the risk that she could be discovered as a demi-human.

Cleomine mostly kept to herself, but if someone approached her to talk, then she would engage in friendly conversation with them. She wouldn't be surprised if a couple of adventurers here recognized her as the bard in the tavern. She eagerly awaited the heroes, while keeping a discerning eye out on the people around her for any sign of trouble.

[Assistant]
Excitement and Worry

(Mood Music)
Auriel stood on one of the many balconies overlooking Melromarc from the throne room. She looked out to the summoning temple where the ritual to bring the Cardinal Heroes to this world was taking place. She was disappointed that she was denied access to the ritual. Her whole life had led to this moment, to stand beside the heroes. It would come to pass, but for Auriel, having to wait the extra hour or two felt like an eternity. Her golden eyes practically burned a hole into the stonework of the distant temple. They were there now, she could feel it. It was a sensation that ran up her spine and gave her chills. It was as if the world in its entirety responded to the summoning of the heroes. Winds blew from the temple's direction, catching the feathers of her wings as they remained tucked to her back. Her blonde hair whipped back from a particularly powerful gust.

Auriel heard the chirps and calls of a flock of birds as they fought against the wind to reach the temple. She looked over to them and watched with envy as they flew so freely in the air. The sun gleamed off of their white feathers, allowing for the birds to stick out from the blue and gray backdrop of the partially cloudy sky. Auriel took a deep breath of the summer air and let it out slowly. Her wings stretched out a bit, catching more wind. The feeling of the air moving through her feathers felt nice, but it wasn't enough for Auriel. Things hadn't been the same for her since she fell on the battlefield. A sharp stab of pain from her right wing made her wince and tuck her wings back in. She gripped the hand rail of the balcony with white knuckles as the pain ran its course. Her mind shot back to the moment it all happened, when weighted chains were tossed over her and took her to the ground. When her struggles twisted the chains through her feathers and snapped fragile bones. She felt fear that day. It was the first time she had ever came so close to losing everything. For all her divine gifts and healing magic, her wings were the one thing that wouldn't heal. It had been months since that day, but she was still no closer to taking the skies back as her domain.

Auriel snapped out of her reverie when she heard the great bells of the temple, cathedral, and palace ring in unison. The summoning was complete. She felt that familiar chill run up her spine again. The excitement of meeting her promised companions quickly washed over the anxiety of her injuries. But it didn't take long for a new anxiety to settle in. What if the heroes were nothing like she expected? What if they had no need for a warrior who trained her whole life to aid them? What if they wouldn't accept her because she wasn't completely healed yet? Auriel's mind started zipping through dozens of different 'what if?' scenarios, and it made her bite her lip as she tried sorting out the plausible from the implausible. Another gust of wind caught in her wings, and she refocused. No. That wouldn't happen. The Cardinal Heroes might be the ones destined to save their world, but without people like Auriel and the other adventurers gathered in the throne room, the heroes would be lost and confused in this strange place. Her rationale steeled her for the moment she'd meet her heroes, at least until she realized she hadn't even thought about what to say when they were finally face to face.

Auriel blushed. "Oh heavens, Auriel you fool..." she said quietly to herself as she planted her face firmly in her palm.

She took another deep breath and started rehearsing to herself, "Greetings, heroes! ... No that's too excited... Welcome, my lords- are they my lords? What if one of them is a lady? My lords and lady? Ohhh I should've thought about this sooner! Uuugh!" Auriel let out an exasperated sigh as she gripped some of her golden locks. "Ohhh what do I say?!" she said a bit louder, forgetting that there might be others able to hear her in the throne room.

[User]
The book was gone. A cold breeze whistled through the chamber and rustled Marco's bathrobe, sending vibrant chills throughout his body. Being thrust from the warm comfort of his home threw his senses for a spin. It was like being forcefully tossed downstream, only to end up stranded upon an unfamiliar shore.

 Marcus reached for his head, but scraped the edge of his cheek with something hard and pointed. "What." His voice was gentle and came out as a whisper. The morning light glinted off some mysterious instrument that clung to his arm like some kind of bracer. It was too fast. Lightheaded and nauseous, Marcus stumbled backwards as the people around him started to speak. His left leg gave way, leaving him on one knee behind the line of summoned heroes, looking far less heroic than the priest made them out to be.

 From his crouched position, the mysterious atmosphere floated above him like eerie fog. Marcus struggled to catch his bearings, but couldn't rise to his feet. To his left, a silver haired boy immediately took to the offer that Marcus could barely comprehend. The blonde boy on his right didn't seem as ready to accept Hans' preposterous announcement, but didn't look staggered by the transport at all. This was a little too much to take it all at once. Too much for thirty-something politician who just wanted to read a book.


[System]
Profile : Student
Age:
14
Gender:
Male

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---

Basic Information
Appearance:
Despite his lax mannerisms and short, boyish stature of 4'10" and 78 lbs, Sigurd has a disproportionately intimidating presence due to his intense, unblinking gaze. He prefers to wear a grey hoodie with black sweats and plain sneakers, but puts on a dressy set of clothes--a white dress shirt, black vest, black pants, and polished dress shoes--whenever he goes out in public.
Personality:
- Silent
- Usually expressionless
- Self-confident
- Falls in love easily
- Stalker tendencies
- Honest
- Completely shameless
Backstory:
With his parents often coming home late due to work, Sigurd made up for his loneliness by making as many friends as possible in school. He lived a fairly normal life up until his powers began manifesting at about 8 years old. Having a high fever and nausea because of the sudden sharpness of his senses, he was left bedridden for a day. However, with his perception accelerated to a monstrous degree, it was stretched out for what felt like well over 2 months.

Even after Sigurd got used to his powers, the utter loneliness he experienced had a lasting effect on him, causing him to have panic attacks whenever he was alone and developing his stalker tendencies. Technology, something he had very little interest in before, was now a treasure trove of things to do and learn, and allowed him to constantly watch and listen to all of his friends--he didn't feel lonely anymore.

Seeing their son have panic attacks from being alone, Sigurd's parents had hesitated to call ATLAS. But, now, having shut himself inside his room, they hoped to bring him back out into the world. Sigurd only complied because they had told him that it was for his own good; he was happy to feel loved, and wanted to make up for worrying them.
Other Skills:
Photographic memory
Household chores(cooking, cleaning, etc.)
Can read books in under an hour
Good with numbers and technology

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[User]
Clyde Fisher

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The unconscious haze that had dominated Clyde's being for the past few hours slowly began to fade away. Eyelids remained heavy, however, and the soft repetitive breathing of other beings nearly lulled him back to darkness. It took monumental willpower to draw himself away from the comforting darkness, as he hesitantly opened his eyes - the light was soft, yet still annoying to Clyde's recently awoken vision. Clyde stammered around for several moments, gently maneuvering his hand across his body. It was near his breast pocket that he found them - the thick glasses that he needed in order to see anything with actual clarity. Sighing slightly, he gently put them on and the entire room became clear - a train car, with several other individuals sleeping soundly next to one another. A sudden surge of panic and fear overtook Clyde for several moments, until it faded away as realization flooded his mind.

He was on his way to school. His new school, the one for people who were special. The ones that had talent. He was drugged in order to provide secrecy while he was loaded onto the train. The disgusting liquid that he drank nearly caused bile to erupt from his throat, but his mind went blank as he fell to the ground. Next thing he knew, he was on this train. Everything seemed like how you would expect a bullet train to look like, except for certain features - the seats were significantly softer, and the train itself seemed far sturdier than usual.

Gazing around for an extended period of time revealed another conscious person, a short male student sitting across from Clyde, near the corner of the car. He must have awakened a significant period of time ago, as he was poking and staring at a female student just escaping from the clutches of unconsciousness. While Clyde was not a very good people person, he knew that physically touching someone you didn't know while they were unconscious was pretty rude, especially if they were a girl... Clyde simply chose to avert his gaze from the small boy and the long haired girl, turning his attention instead towards the source of a smell that began to permeate throughout the car... A woman was smoking. A woman, somewhere near his age, probably slightly older, was smoking a cigarette while on her way to school. Clyde coughed slightly when he realized this was the source of the smell, and pulled the collar of his coat tight against his mouth. He was used to the oppressive heat his choice of attire caused, and simple looked out the window to ignore the odor.

The windows were spaced equal distance from one another, seemed especially thick, and were all rectangular in shape. Clyde gazed strongly out of them, hoping to figure out where the train was headed based on the scenery. Several seconds passed until he realized that the vast expanse of blue was water rather than the sky, this fact being revealed when they passed a small school of fish. Paranoia briefly returned, Clyde feared he was going to drown in some train car, until he saw the glass tube that encased them. Where the hell were they going that they needed to take an underwater train system to get there? Then again, what could he do about it? Get off the extremely fast moving tube of metal and be stranded in a glass cylinder under the ocean? As his heart rate slowly returned to it's usual beat, he noticed the connecting cars to the one that the group was currently in; noise and conversations could be heard from the surrounding cars, and it appeared as though they were awake before he was. Speaking of which, Clyde wasn't even aware of the time. He must have been asleep for hours, and the last time he checked was on his smartpho-

A pang of anxiety awoke withing Clyde, and his hand swiftly shot down to one of the pockets on his suit pants - there, he felt the ever warm and calming metallic felling of his smartphone, and he immediately relaxed. For a second, he thought someone had looted him of his phone while he was unconscious, but the device was radiating heat in his hand as it had always done. Thinking of it briefly, he realized how foolish it was to think it was stolen - every time it left his immediate presence, he felt blinding pain that surely would have awoken him had he been pick pocketed while asleep. Shaking his head at his moment of panic, Clyde quickly checked the time, to see that nearly eight hours have passed. Has he been unconscious for that long? Had the others been unconscious that long, or had they been asleep only an hour or two? Clyde was somewhat suspicious that he was drugged during the middle of the night, but now it made much more sense - he must have taken awhile to get to the train, and the people who drugged him wanted the train to leave on schedule. Having noticed the time that had passed since he had last eaten, Clyde quickly reaches down to the bag at his feet - the bag that contained all his necessary possessions that he had brought to the school with him. Among them, he found what he was looking for - a six pack of water bottles and several protein bars. Pulling them all out, he set them to his side when he realized several other people had begun to awaken.

The thought of trying to start a conversation passed his mind, but even though he felt more confident and happier the last few weeks than ever before, he still shook slightly at the thought of initiating a conversation. The one girl, who seemed to be staring at the members of the car that had already awakened, maybe she was simply searching for someone to talk to her. No, what if he didn't know what to say, or seemed weird. No, instead Clyde chose to do what his parents had told him; he smiled as best he could, held his snacks to his side so that others may ask for some, while also reaching into his bag and pulling out his favorite hat. Clyde did his best to appear as approachable as possible.

As he did so, in fear of staring at the others and appearing rude, Clyde instead chose to look outside the windows that were scattered throughout the train car. Fish swam without a care past the metallic tube, and several were mercilessly slaughtered by passing predators. Checking his smartphone, his suspicion was confirmed - there wasn't any service hundreds of feet underwater. Sighing slightly, he returned to his previous position of smiling awkwardly and trying to appear inviting, but soon grew restless. Sweating nervously, he wondered if he was actually safe here. For all he knew, some of these guys could probably kill him simply by thinking about it... Clyde shook his head slightly at this thought, letting the rational part of his brain take over. They were kids, like him, they were just more special than he was. They weren't going to kill anybody. Clyde pulled out his phone, and began to write in his diary, occasionally taking a bite of his protein bar or sipping from his water, all the while keeping the same strained smile on his face in order to look more approachable.

Day 1, Morning: Everyone seems tense, except for the short boy and the girl in the jacket. I am to. Some of them have already begun to talk, but I can't hear them over my music. Listening in on other people's conversations would be rude. The train is pretty interesting, and it was quite a shock when I first awoke to see that it was traveling underwater. Will continue entry upon making it to school.

With that, he slid his phone into his pocket, the wires of his earbuds snaking out like string. He planned to keep a journal of everything that happened here, on account of his less-than-stellar memory. He leaned back in his seat, finally abandoning the smile. It was to strained, no one would see it as genuine. Instead, Clyde adopted his usual, slightly frowning face, and sat still, awaiting for the train to arrive at his new home for the next few years.

[Assistant]
Samson Codec

---

Samson grumbled as he began to awaken, extremely groggy. He rubbed his temple as his eyes slowly opened. His vision was extremely blurry, and he could hardly see an inch in front of him. He tried to get up, but accidentally bumped his head against the chair in front of him. He lurched back in his seat, his headache made five times worse.

"Son of a..."

The good news at least was that it woke him up, enough to remember that he wasn't in his bed, which was why he just hit his head against the seat in front of him. He rubbed the spot he bumped, as he looked around the... Train? They were in a train? The windows looked kind of Murky. But then he noticed the entire roof above them had an extremely long glass panel, which was also murky. But then he saw a giant frickin whale swim overhead! They were underwater!

Samson grunted as he stood up, and started stretching. He saw the other seats in the room had other people, roughly his age. Some of them sleeping, others in the same state as him, and a few privileged were up and walking around. Not that he knew anyone, he sat back down in his own seat. He noticed his black and red bag, located right next to his seat. Picking it up, he fished through it. Good, it still had his stuff: His phone, an MP3 player with Earbuds, and a deluxe Kitkat he bought before the trip. He took out his Kitkat, unwrapped it, and ate one of the wafers. He turned to the student sleeping next to him, still chewing, and broke off two of the wafers, and offered it to them. "Want some?" He asked.

[User]
Sigurd jolted upright from the "... Hello", letting go of his neighbor's arm and his expression immediately reverting to a raptor-like stare, albeit ever-so-slightly wider-eyed than normal. He'd completely forgotten about his surroundings, for a moment. Sigurd's self-evaluation of "well I guess I'm a pervert" was definitely an understatement, especially considering that he'd spent the last two years just watching people through his computer, but he figured that there was no point in criticizing himself any further at this point. Nonetheless, he figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and change. He began developing a plan.

If I just cut myself off from everyone, that'd be counterproductive; I'll have to slowly build up my resistances to human interaction. Right now, I should get used to just being around others, seeing and smelling them; then I can move on to being friends, talking and doing things with them; then, hopefully, I'll be able to touch people without losing my composure… but taking the second step will probably be too difficult if I don't make friends now… The person in front of me seems friendly, but I haven't had a conversation since I first got my powers, so I might have trouble enunciating properly--

"Caaaaan....I help you?" "Please pet my head."

... Well, I didn't mess up. I'm fine with being pet as well.

Sigurd decided to correct himself, anyways.

"Please be my friend."


[System]
Age: 82 "Earth Years", would be considered somewhere in her late mid thirties if proportional to a human's lifespan. (Human's are awfully attached to their dead homeworld, still using its system to time for measurements and all.)
Gender: Female
Height: 6'5"
Species: The Mynua are a native race of the planet the Human's call Hephaestus. Somewhere in between insect and human-like, the Mynua have three layers of skin. The outer layer, hard and plated, the mid layer, still rough and course, placed in areas between the plates of the outer layer so the Mynua can maneuver, and the inner layer, soft and fleshy, like a human's skin. The mid layer of skin only really applies to the center of the body, where all of the important organs are. The outer layer generates a dome over one's head, helpful against falling debris and shade from the sun. They have even created visors to further help protection against the sun.

Over time, the Mynua have developed a single system of communication spread across the planet. Over the millions of years in which the species has slowly grown and evolved, it is the culmination of many different languages that the Mynua have used.

The Mynua primarily live underground, underneath the hot surface of the planet, and where most, if not all of the water is located. While they are not barbaric, the Mynua live simple lives. While settlements have been established all over the planet, the Mynua are typically nomads, traveling from one settlement to the next. Settlements had leaders, as groups always did, and people played their parts with subjects they were best in. Everyone had a place to do something, no matter how ordinary or strange it may be. There was always a reason, even if it could not yet be understood. They trade and offer wisdom from other settlements, keeping everyone connected in a more analogue way than what can be accomplished with their technological advancements before the Human's came.

Once the Humans arrived, it took a little for peace to be cemented between the two species. The Mynua firmly believed that there were beings further than what they could see, as well as believing in a pantheon of creators. Once communication was established between the two on a level that they could both understand, the Mynua allowed them to travel the surface. They did not take too kindly to having their planet being mined out, but allowed in on the conditions that the Mynua would be overseeing the operations, and change things as they needed to be changed. After a little compromise, things were easy between the two, even if they were not the best of friends with one another.

The Mynua, like humans, use sirnames, but only in application to their settlement/clan/grouping. This means that their sirname can change more than once throughout their life. Those who do not live under a clan or grouping are known as "Kasha". This is both a grouping term for those on their own, and used is as any other sirname would be used.
Role: Geologist.
Affiliation: The Mynua species, Acionna Expedition
Relationship Status: Single
Appearance:
Facts/Backstory: Kari grew up in the Sabaan settlement, in the northern part of the planet. The settlement itself was deeper underground than most, and was probably just as hot as the surface above. That was just how Kari liked it, though. She enjoyed spending hours looking at all of the different creatures and rocks around and above her, Not to mention her mother and father were not too keen on letting her up on the surface to talk to the Humans.
As she grew older, she wandered further and further upwards, eventually finding the surface and the Humans that lived there. She talked to them. Her settlement was one of the last to not have direct contact with the Humans. She supposed it made sense. They weren't too keen on outsiders in the first place, and even if they were from beyond the surface, they would not always be welcomed with open arms. However, she took this chance to learn more about them.
Time passed and she had eventually gotten the leader of her settlement, her own father, to talk directly with the humans. She didn't want to stop there, though. She wanted to prove that these outsiders were friendly, and could be trusted. It was about that time that she started looking for ways to push relations even further, by joining Human organizations.
She went to the stars, learning about all of the other races she knew so very little about, and knew that this was her place. She belonged in the Final Frontier.
Fact - Kari cannot whistle. Almost everyone else she knows can, but she has never been able to, no matter how hard she tried.
Weapons: Tool Kit - Though the Mynua have strong claws for piercing rocks, there are a few things that she needs to help with her studies and finds. Dusts, pics of various materials for different uses, and small containers for storing delicate items in.
Visor and Interface - Because of her lack of hands, using tools and computers can be quite difficult for any Mynua. However, a joint project between Humans and the Mynua have allowed them to better access everything that a human can. The visor now serves as a Heads-Up-Display, in addition to just protection from the sun, and small sensors have been place within the organic armor to allow Kari to use electronic devices, such as computers, vehicles, and other tools, while just moving her body and extra appendages to control them. This makes physical contact with devices obsolete, and very helpful to the Mynua in general.

Skills: Bilingual - Kari is fluent in both Mynuan and the Earth English, and can translate between the two rather easily. Though sometimes she can become distracted and overwhelmed, using the other language when it has no place in the particular area.
Geology - She had taken up the study of the ground underneath and above her when she was very little, having loved all of the different types of minerals and rocks around her. Humans had a refined section of study based on that of just rocks, and Kari fell in love. Her species has no official "degrees" or learning, but she has spent decades of her life learning about geology, Kari herself believing that she has a mastery over the subject.

[User]
Alden was still aboard the large ship, checking over logs of what needed to be moved first and when. It wasn't exactly his job, but he liked order, not wanting to get in the way of others trying to unpack at the same time he was. With careful planning, he managed to bring his own things to the new prefab shelter. Gathering what he had, he set his things down within the room he and Aubrey would be sharing.

In the distance, the three security Cyborgs that had been sent along for their protection were doing a sweep, securing the many things they had set up as well as marking locations for construction and habitation.

[Assistant]
James looked with a rather empty look at the new terrain and at the new wildlife. Where one might have been excited of the new terrain, he felt nothing. Where one saw beauty in the new large animals, he only saw potential threats that would attack them. For him, this planet was as exciting as the the science labs he was tested in... or the far off and distant memories of Hephaestus. He shook his head, and left the ship.

"Everyone, secure a perimeter around the base!" he ordered all the people and cyborgs part of the security team. He took a deep breath and found the air here to be... cleaner than the test labs he was placed in. He felt a tinge of excitement going through him as he heard the calls of all sorts of different animals, so many new sounds, so many new sights. Even if they were potential threats, it felt a bit exciting to see all these new creatures.

[User]
Ruby Indigo
Mentioned in this Post:
- James Carson

The beauty of the pure, untouched planet struck Ruby Indigo as she strolled out of the ship, ILP-221 strapped firmly to her waist. The planet may look beautiful and happy as can be, though there wasn't much to be said against taking a little extra protection. The beautiful birds that stared at them could easily be carnivores, and just wondering what the new meat would taste like. People arriving in ships might just be their equivalent of tinned meat.

It was hard to think of them as hostile, though. The birds made Ruby light up in delight, and even though she knew she had a job to do, she just wanted to sit and watch them. Taking her datapad off of her belt, she lifted it and began to record the surroundings, speaking into the microphone in Zenospeak, the language of Zenohunts, and recording what she thought of the surroundings as well as any implications that would affect landing on the planet.

Just as she clicked off the button for recording, Ruby heard the chief of security order a perimeter around the base. She rolled her eyes in perhaps a childish manner. "Is someone getting scared that the birds are gonna eat him?" Ruby called over to him with a giggle.

[Assistant]
James Carson

As soon as he heard the girl speak to him, all the excitement vanished, he had to be serious now. He turned towards the girl and looked at her for a few moments, as if he was a computer scanning something, before turning back towards the jungle as if expecting something to pop out of the forest and attack them.

"Not me, young lady, my meat is tough and hard to chew." He answered in a factual manner. "Though I imagine that you would be tender and easy to eat." He said to the girl in a quite casual manner. "But do not worry, my lady, it is my job to make sure that you do not end up in some creature's stomach."

After those words came out, he turned towards the girl after determining that nothing was going to attack them. "So please, if you feel something threatens you, then I am here to protect you." He said with a blank smile, his comment didn't feel reassuring, it felt more like he was stating a fact.

[User]
Mentioned: @Raptor

"Well, there's that" commented Alden with an amused half smirk, poking some wind chimes they'd brought along. It was good luck when visiting new planets, it let people know of potential storms if they hadn't yet gotten their systems up and running. Shaking his head, the man soon left the shelter he and Aubrey now owned, leaving to go find his lover he spotted her over by some vehicles. Briskly walking over, he leaned over from behind to kiss her cheek "Liking our new planet so far?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Aubrey with care and affection

[Assistant]
Mentioned: @Metadude

"Working already?" Lucia asked, raising her eyebrow at her fellow crew mate. "Well, I'm headed to look at some plants by the Nerpa, it looked like they might have some type of fruit and ya'know, it would be kinda useful to know if it's safe to eat or not," Aubrey replied, shifting her equipment case to her other hand. It was also something Elias had asked her to look into when she had the chance, ever being one to think ahead in case disaster should strike.

She jumped at the unexpected kiss and looked up to see Alden, grinning brightly and turned to return the hug. "I am! The birds are my favorite so far," She said. "I'm heading to the Nepra, care to join me or do you have some work to do still?"

---

Mentioned: @Claw2k11

Elias didn't stray far from his ship just yet, scrolling through his data pad and briefly looking up when he heard Carson call out for a perimeter to be set up, quickly hailing him over comms. "Don't go to far, we're sticking fairly close to the ship for now until everyone gets temporary shelters set up," He said. "Also talk to Lucia about getting the fence set up once you define the perimeter, clock says we've got 6 hours before sunset."

[User]
Mentioned: @Raptor

"I need to start setting up the computers" sighed the man, shaking his head briefly "But, if I get it done within' the next few hours, i'll come find you". Planting another soft kiss on Aubrey's cheek, the man let her go "Have fun, don't poke the birds... or the plants... they might like fingers" he added teasingly, waving her and Lucia off as he returned to work

Meanwhile, A-01 was surveying the surrounding area, placing barrier kits while Meta and Cuddles set them up one by one, slowly creating a protective field around the large camp they'd set up.

[Assistant]
Ruby Indigo
Mentioned in this Post:
- James Carson

Ruby quirked an eyebrow as she was stared at by James, and for a moment she wondered if he was some kind of android that was failing to compute. The thought of breaking a robot this easily made her grin. His words, however, were a slight surprise to her: How was she supposed to react at being called tender and easy to eat?

James then seemed to go on about how he would protect her, and Ruby forced herself to not giggle away. "Oh, please. You're not the only one assigned to security. In a manner of speaking," she said, patting her sidearm. "Though if I do need some help, I'll be sure to ask for you," she grinned, crossing her arms. "Speaking of, is there anything you need help with? I'm currently free until I decide to find someone and disturb, or annoy, them." Ruby could not help but wink at him.

[User]
Nepra. It was the name of the ship that she had been aboard for some time now. Every day was some sort of adventure or journey for Kari Sabaan. Had a part of her not have joined for helping move her race forward, she might have even adopted Nepra as her name in place of her settlement name. However many duties she had to take care of as the daughter of one of the settlement leaders, and an unofficial ambassador for the Mynua, everything was so fun and new. So many new people with lives and stories completely different from her own. The levels of technology were far different from what she had grown up with back on Hephaestus, and now she was on a journey to help colonize a planet for everyone!

She wasn't even quite sure if it had been given a name yet, the planet. Hopefully it wouldn't be one of those boring Human names, like the ones that were just a garbled mixture of letters and numbers. Maybe they could name this planet after a Mynua deity, like the humans did with their even older pantheons. She could only hope. It would be a great service to her people if she could, though.

She waited patiently until everyone was ready to leave the ship before she herself went off to study. From the Nepra, Kari could see just how different it was from Hephaestus. The birds were so wonderful and elegant. However, her eyes were on the ground. She was already on the ground, taking samples here and there to compare to her library. Having friends and talking was fun and all, but she enjoyed her work far too much to let those things distract her from what was really important here.

Rocks Rock.


[System]
* Age: 22
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Given her above-average height of 166cm (5'5"), Elise is a bit of an oddity among those of East Asian heritage—and something she jokingly blames her father's genes for in the first place. With nearly snow-white hair that barely reaches her shoulders and lightly colored eyes, though, Elise most definitely would stand out among a crowd—for better or for worse. Though not as athletic as her Pilot peers, Elise is at least physically capable enough to handle herself, both in the air and on the ground.

In terms of everyday garments, Elise prefers to wear more modern casual outfits, such as simple shirts and jeans, though she is by no means opposed to something sleek or formal when it suits her mood (rare as that may be). In combat, though, her outfit ends up as seen below (see Chi-Mechframe appearance).
* Personality: In spite of everything she has seen and encountered, Elise seems to be able to keep a strong front and face the terrors of a post-Warped world without caving in to the pressures the world places in front of her... If only because she has already done so far too much already. To break down would be to lose those close to her, and that pressure is what drives her onward. Determined though she is, Elise's heart and mind are not infallible—and it is her awareness of that fact that leaves her willing to open up rather than closing herself off from others and the world around them. To that end, she is fairly friendly to the other Frame Pilots on the team and willing to put herself out there to help provide what help she can to both them and the other staff on hand.

With that said, Elise puts a lot more pressure onto herself than she lets on, despite everything else. The idea that the lives of others—her friends, family, and other allies—are in her hands remains firmly lodged in her mind, and to balance that fear with her own capabilities occasionally leads to her overexerting herself off the field than on it.
* History: The child of a Korean soldier-turned-translator and American businesswoman, Elise lived a fairly 'average' life in the United States. Much of her time and effort was spent towards academia, be they studying for exams or trying to look good in preparation for college and beyond. Things had been looking fairly good for her by the time she was in her senior year of high school, at least—her grades were good, all her applications had been put on the table, and all that was left was to see what accepted her and what didn't.

Pity that the Warped showed up when they did, though.

Despite efforts by the government to keep the Warped from crossing over the Atlantic, the monsters had reached the eastern shores of the United States within a few months. Living in New York was as much a blessing as it was a boon to the teenage Elise, who soon saw far more military presence in her day-to-day life as resources were diverted to protecting all of the rich businesspeople odd enough to not take flight for greener pastures. But military presence alone was not enough to deter the first wave of Warped, who despite all odds managed to break through to the less fortified parts of the city and take them for themselves. Elise wound up critically wounded by the monsters as they eventually broke into the shelter they had been planned to weather the attack out in, and though many perished in the ensuing battle (her mother among their number), she and her father lived to see another day.

Rather than throw his life away chasing vengeance for his wife, though, Elise's father chose to prioritize his daughter's safety and the miracle that was her survival. Bringing the wounded Elise to a nearby medical facility, the old soldier found himself praying that she would live to see the morrow—and she did, though not solely due to the work of the medical staff on hand.

The years that followed were left a blur to Elise; though she had survived the encounter, she could see her father working himself to the bone in a desperate attempt to keep her safe—likely in part because he failed to keep his wife alive, or so she presumed. However, those days of being kept from trying to support him soon came to an end when a certain woman came to her home one day. She had been scouted, it seemed—her medical records off since the day of her mother's death—and was given the chance to either fight for the front lines or wait until the US government made their move to take her and do much of the same. Her father argued against joining such an organization, of course, but Elise chose to take the hand offered to her instead.

She had seen what hell the Warped had wrought, and rather than be forced into action anyways, being employed by an independent group seemed much less restraining. She had to do something with the second chance she had been given—doubly so if it was because of the monsters that took her mother from her—and to repay those who had been lost like this felt like the right thing to do.
* Skills: Elise is actually well-versed in taekwondo, mainly in part due to her father's insistence that she pick up some sort of marital art for self defense and to attempt to connect with her cultural heritage. Besides that, though, she is multilingual, with Korean, English, and Japanese under her belt (though the last one was more incidental and less fluent, given what options she had back in high school).

She's also a fairly decent cook, even if she won't go out of her way to do so. When she misses the taste of home, though, expect her to slip into the kitchen to try and whip something up.
* Chi-Mechframe: Selene

	+ Appearance: "I've got your back."
	+ Abilities: Built from the core of a vaguely angelic Warped, Selene is a Chi-Mechframe that leans towards long-range precision more than anything else. The halo that hovers atop the user's head works as an interface terminal that connects to the central system on the back remotely, allowing them access to rapid calculations and analysis of conditions to line up shots with ranged weaponry from afar. The 'wings' are connected to Selene in much the same way, enabling the user to fly in the air at whatever angle they so choose. This method of flight, though stable and maneuverable, comes at the cost of acceleration and reaction speed; this, of course, leaves the user ill-suited for close-range encounters.

	Selene also comes equipped with a long-range sniper rifle, able to fire both standard ammunition and beams of light with incredible piercing power. Said rifle can either be used while attached to the arm (allowing for some degree of freehand firing) or as a separate weapon (in order to increase stability and precision).
* Other:: N/A

[User]
_______________________________________________________________

Louisa reclined in one of the sleek mess hall chairs, her arms folded, rocking it back and forth on its hind legs slowly as she idly pushed away from the wall with one of her feet. She was staring out of one of the observation portholes in the deck, which now revealed nothing but the dusky blackness of the night sky, and the bright reflected lights of the mess hall. She absent mindedly raised a hand to her collarbone, where a long band of dull burning pain extended from shoulder to shoulder, reminding her of the blow she had absorbed from the komainu.

Her body felt cleansed and restored after a shower and a full meal, but her mind was troubled and producing a sort of frustrated physical discomfort along with it that seemed to manifest in her bruised torso. She was thinking about the final engagement in the mission, when she had killed the spent and crippled komainu -- well, that was really attributable to Lang, but that's not what the record's gonna show -- with a parrying stab of her glaive. She had been so pumped on adrenaline that no other thought had crossed her mind than putting down the ferocious monster, but in its weakened state it had seemed almost... pathetic. In close proximity, as she had lunged in to deal the parrying deathblow, there was a moment where the monster's face was near enough to see in detail, and within sunken and heavily calloused eyelids Louisa had seen its eyes.

And there was a quality in those eyes near-death that was far too human for comfort.

How much was the parasite, and how much was the person? This thought made the certain knowledge of the echidna lodged firmly in her own body somewhere - dormant or whatever though it may be - suddenly unbearably uncomfortable, and she was grateful to be snapped out of her reverie by the nearby squealing of Teodora. She took her foot off the wall, her chair falling back onto four legs with a thump, and she swivelled around to see Lang walking out of the kitchen laden with alcohol.

"Are you really about to walk off with all that for yourself?" she called across to the conspicuously male pilot.

[Assistant]
--Opposites Attract...??--

Much unlike her mechframed self, Pyra exuded a completely different presence outside of Infernus; the unflappable stoic gaze of the 'perfect soldier' and that oppressively threatening aura were all but gone, replaced by an introverted geek who was perfectly content to be left to her own devices. The shift went deeper than mere appearances as the brunette's sense of awareness also took a nosedive, now feeling perfectly safe within the hull of Horizon, enjoying a glass of parfait and streams of digital entertainment, not a fiber in her being expected danger to rear its ugly head, any kind of danger, including one that might come from a supposed 'ally'...

"...?!!"

Thus when Teodora - who was somehow behind her - screeched like an onryo, Pyralis stiffened up like a deer in headlights, goosebumps raised and limbs frozen in place, blue eyes went wide as her pupils constricted in sudden panic. The sheer conflict between feeling safe a nanosecond before and now being 'ambushed' caused her fight or flight instinct to go haywire, resulting in brief petrification; her body wasn't ready to have another dose of adrenaline, not after that intense physical activity of fighting in a warzone, but the glands didn't care so thus flowed the hormone, elevating her heartbeat among other things.

Everything that had been said only took a few brief seconds, but it felt like an eternity, a horribly unwelcome one.

"...e... eh...?" It was only after that Pyralis consciously realized that it was just Teodora, not a banshee warped, and that the other pilot was being as infuriatingly nosy as usual like an evil version of Hoshiko. The brunette blinked a few times as she took in Teodora's departing form, apparently off to get a parfait of her own. It all came so suddenly that she wasn't sure what or how to feel about this. During her dumbfounded moment, she found herself instinctively taking in her surroundings, noticing that the mess hall was more occupied now; Hoshiko was there scarfing down food that could send an elephant into sugar shock, Seraphima enjoying a meal of more... humane portions, Louisa looking bothered (for obvious reasons), and Norika and Xuan-Yu just arriving. Oh good, there was no Warped here, that inhuman screech really just was Teodora.

When the blonde had the gall to cross the line twice and sit beside her, seemingly set on mimicking Hoshiko's 'diet', Pyralis ever so slowly turned her gaze at the slightly older girl, pissed to the bone. Someone like Norika would probably be cussing like a sailor by now, but Pyralis wasn't that person, the opposite in fact, but it just goes to show that even a 'mere' hateful glare from the firebender conveyed more than a thousand profanities could.

"Why... did you do that?" She inquired out of morbid curiosity, voice dripping with barely-restrained napalm.

[User]
Elise KimThe Horizon — Mess Hall
With the battle in Saitama complete, Elise gave herself some time to breathe as the helicopter ferried her and her allies back up to the airship above. This was the first "real" mission that they had been put towards, and their success was more than just a boon towards their egos.

A victory, of course, meant a celebration was in order, and the congratulations of the staff as the triumphant Frame Pilots returned showed that they likely thought much the same.

First on her to-do list, however, was to wash up; though the others had fought major Warped threats on their own, it was likely that the one that they had fought would have done more mental damage in the long run. There were people flying down all the same to try and carve up their corpses (or what remained of them), and Elise pitied whoever was going to be sent to deal with the centipede and its foul bile-like liquid, but hopefully it wouldn't suddenly spring back to life and murder everyone.

That would be... Less than ideal.

After spending the time washing herself off in a hot shower and scrubbing anything that had managed to stick to her in spite of how long she had spent flying around, Elise dried herself off and changed into something a bit more casual—a T-shirt and shorts. The day had worn on her (as it likely had everyone, to some extent), but that didn't mean she was thinking of simply passing out and eating later.

After making her way to the mess hall to pick something up for herself, Elise found that most of her fellow Pilots had similar ideas in mind; a few were off to the side in a manner reminiscent of her halcyon days in high school gushing over food, but what caught her eye was Xuan-Yu carrying a few boxes of beer on his shoulders. It was no question as to what he was planning on doing, but after the insanity that was today, the half-Korean girl had half a mind to join him. Never mind that he likely wasn't going to drink all of it on his own, of course, but compared to gorging herself on sweets, food and alcohol seemed a lot more appealing.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" she asked, casually strolling towards him as she looked at the boxes again, "I can go get some food and snacks, too, if you wouldn't mind."


[System]
Home World: Radient Garden/ Hollo Bastion
Age: 15
Description: Akira is a tall well build young man with brown hair reaching his jawline and peircing blue eyes. He is typically seen wearing ablack t-shirt and baggy grey pants, over his left arm is what appears to be armor.
Origin: Akira grew up here well away from many of the others and began playing around with computers. One day he went off alone to go play in the courtyard around town and came across a horde of Heartless attacking one of his few friends who he then saw turned into one. Without thinking Akira grabbed a stick from teh ground and began swinging at the Heartless only to be attacked and see that the creatures were unscathed. Just as one of the creature lunged at him he swung the stick and as he did it transformed into a Keyblade. Akira stood not knowing what it was he was holding and continued on fighting until he couldn't fight anymore. He looked at the Weapon he held and smiled while the weapon looked like a generic key he knew deep in his soul that there was soumething special about it. Using his friends memory as fuel for his rage he continued on until he stood alone in the courtyard. Now after learning all he could from the computer near the courtyard, he has since traveled to Traverse Town after his world being captured by darkness choosing to seek out the Heartless and get revenge for his fallen friend.

Abilities
[Self Trained] - While he may not be as refined and skilled as the others hes melee combat is sufficent enough to get him through most situations.
[Magic Inept] - Akira had to learn magic on his own making it harder for him to perform spells and taking longer for them to be cast.
[Vengefull Soul] - Akira uses his friends memory to continue even when he seems to be weakened to a point of losing. His friendship fuels him forward giving him a brief burst of strength and skill. But in return severely exhausts him.
[Computer Wiz} - Akira has always been gifted with computers, learning how to use them from a very young age and later learning much from the computers near where his friend had been turned into a Heartless.
New Abilities/Skills:
Protection Through Destruction Style: When someone else is endangered at low Health you can focus your attention on them and their battle. Doing so allows you to focus on defeating your enemies without your own terrible pain as a distraction.
Questionnaire
What are you afraid of?
"Losing any more friends."
What do you want out of life?
"Revenge for all those who have fallen at the hands of Darkness"
What's most important to you?
"Friends, Family, Preserving all life tied to Light."

You travel the road just before dusk. The journey may seem difficult but you will ksoon learn the truth.

[User]
Fion didn't quite expect to freeze in place and have everything go into blackness it felt somewhat lonely but not like he failed as if it's just a test to see what he can do suddenly he began to feel like he was falling then a voice...

Wake up. It was a soundless voice, speaking to his heart.

This is the heart station. Underneath you is an illustration of your heart. It showed Fion sitting at the top of Twilight Town's tower. The familiar dusk covered the sky.

Before you are three forms of the Heart. The strength of your heart can manifest into these forms. However, your Heart is unique. You lack true light where another lacks true darkness.

Will you manifest it with the warrior's power. You can make any foe bow to you but your allies must also bow.

Perhaps the Mystic's wit. You are a clever boy, if you can convince your enemy to back down you don't need your allies to fight at all.

Hmm maybe the Gaurdian's endurance. Protected by the strength of your heart nothing can get close to you, friend or foe.

You'll need to choose one to give up, and another to embrace. Take your time, there's no need to rush in this place.

Fion then was curious what this would mean really does it mean how his strength will grow or is it more a question of opinion beacuse he gave what in his opinion would be good decision having a good magic ability would help augment and weak defences he may have.

[Assistant] Asha looked down at the glass. Could these Crystals be Vanille and Fang from the stories that she has heard? The two l'cie who stayed behind after the defeat of the fal'cie. They sacrificed to become crystal in order to save all of humanity on Cocoon and Gran pulse. Asha looked at the three pedestals. She is thinking to chose mystic and give up warrior. She is not much of a close combatant. Asha calls out " I embrace mystic and forsake warrior."

[User]
Markus did as the voice asked and woke up, but there was no one for the voice to belong to. There were three weapons, and as he approached them, a voice spoke aloud. He whirled around to look for the voice but found no one.

Apprehensive, he knew he must take up a weapon right now. He put his hand around the hilt of the sword, the obvious choice.

Choose two? And what had the voices said? Warrior, guardian, mystic? He didn't think of himself as any of these. Even if he had already chosen the sword.

So which to give up? Well, he reasoned, he had never needed a shield to deflect blows before. He could parry with his sword, or dance out of the way. He pushed the shield gently away, and turned to grab the rod. He didn't know what to do with it, and began looking around for the voice.

"Hello?"

[Assistant]
Akira stood looking at the three items in front of him. The voice told him to pick one Destruction represented by a blood covered sword, Disaster represented by a rod shrouded in black mist, or Hardship represented by a shield covered in markings.
"I choose Destruction." he said aloud grabbing the sword. The voice had also told him to cast one away. Akira thought hard about his skills and what he may or may not be capable of. "And I cast away Disaster!" he said pushing over the rod...


[System]
Age: 28

Gender: Male

Mask Abilities: The power of illusions, making those the wearer targets see, hear, smell, taste, or feel whatever they pleases. The mask seems to awaken the more negative aspects of his personality, and give it new life. Neither his physical condition nor appearance seems to have changed, and he need only have the mask in his possession for it to work.

Personality: Working as a photography teacher, he is often seen as the first person to go to for good, non-prejudiced advice. Still, he is a worrier of a man who often tries to hide his feeling of anxiety and doubt with humour and friendliness, and avoids thinking too deeply of his own personal problems by working on his photography and writing. This man seems thoughtful, compassionate, forgiving…and a darker side to him loathes how pitifully he feels himself to be, and mores so loathes the pity of others. Deep down, he knows himself a coward, and doesn't want to burden others, but is ultimately afraid of being abandoned. Even deeper down, since he first touched the mask, a tiny voice is telling him he doesn't even really need anyone in his world.

Quick Biography: Him and his young fraternal twin were both failed abortions, though unfortunately Isaiah was the only one coming out of it not quite healthy. Both being adopted by a doctor couple who took care of them for the longest time, both fully able to help him along in his youth with paraplegia and chronic pain. They wanted to treat both their new sons equally…which somehow ended up not having expectations of them at all. Twenty plus years later, somehow his healthy brother ends up being the irresponsible rehab dwelling drunk-druggie, leeching off of their adoptive parent's saved money…while Isaiah became a well-known enough photographer and artist, able to support himself.

Finally proposing to his long-time girlfriend, it was a photography student of his that revealed evidence of his fiancé's affair…with his brother. It sort of…broke the small confidence he had, as it seemed more and more like the world was rewarding his brother more for nothing, and that his wife to be was staying with him due to pity. Still, afraid of becoming alone by revealing what he knew, antagonising his own brother and fiancé with the truth…he decided to just pretend he didn't know of any of this, and marry her anyway.

Any sweetness from her was becoming more and more obvious pity, to him, long stretches of time becoming more…their honeymoon was spent acting happy about being newlywed, and the sights of Venice. It was his wife that bought him the Jester mask, joking about how it was 'fitting'. Fitting? How? Was she calling him a fool? A jester in medieval eras was mentally handicapped, not physically; she had to be calling him a fool for apparently not knowing about the affair. The mask in hand, he cast his first ever illusion on himself as he held it up to his face.

[User]
"I am Dite, Char baby you may know me as Aphrodite. This is my personal assisstant Kimiko." Dite motioned for Kimiko to step forward. "Since when do the masks that ruled the ancient world as gods allowed themselves to be removed?" Dite waved her hand as if wiping away the subject. "Let's go check the inside of this facility Kimiko. Let's hope the inside looks better than the outside, if not I am going to be extremely dissappointed." Kimiko recognized the tone in Dite's voice. It was extremely subtle, one would have to spend quite a lot of time with Dite to recognize the difference. Dite issued a threat.

Like always Kimiko went in first. When it was determined to be safe she called for Dite. Dite inspected the inside. "Much better than the outside, that isn't saying much." She looked for this waiting room. "Char baby where is this waiting room?"

[Assistant]
The waiting room that Penn spoke of wasn't much more than a slightly lit basement with very little furnishing. However, that all changed when Penn took out his phone and pressed a button.

For anyone in the waiting room underground, it didn't look like much. The walls and floors were clean, but there was only a single light that dimly lit up the room. When Penn pressed the button, the walls changed from their stone grey into bright white octagonal panels, with lights in the open spaces of the panels. Everything in the room suddenly became much better because of a single button. The room was now much brighter, and appeared much cleaner than before, and before the people in the waiting room could get settled into the change, the wall across from the stairwell that led to the waiting room began to disappear, panel by panel to show an elevator with it's doors open. Of course there were other ways to get into the facility, but Penn enjoyed having it done a certain way whenever new people came to the facility.

If they were to take the elevator down now, they's find that once they reached their destination, the facility would still be relatively quiet. It was still somewhat early in the morning, and only so many people would be awake. Despite this, the Facility would be as hi-tech and clean as usual. The white octagonal panels were all over the place, a rather odd design choice from Penn, but he stuck to it.

Pendleton stayed above ground, waiting patiently for the rest of the newcomers. They couldn't be far away, and he put his mask back on to take the form of the Reaper once more.

[User]
The girl with the gas mask had to refill the ATVs tank twice over the course of the night, and when she emptied the second - and last - reserve tank, a feeling of uncertainty snuck into her mood. Not knowing where to go was one thing, driving through the middle of a desolate landscape with preciously little water and food was another...and the lack of gas didn't make it any better. But she kept going. Not like she had much of a choice at this point, it didn't require a genius or a higher degree in math to understand that she couldn't return the way she came.

After hours and hours of driving through the desert, Charlotte finally reached the destination of her uncertain journey - a wooden shed came into view. The surprised 'Woah.' she let loose was certainly not because of the building, but rather directed at the person standing in front of it. Upon her arrival, she was still wearing the hooded jacket that shielded her from most of the nightly cold of the desert, together with fairly worn out pants and heavy boots. A bag full of basic belongings was strapped to the ATV. She stalled the motor and jumped off the vehicle without waiting for it to fully stop, roughly when the eerie figure in front of the building was close enough to hear her voice without excessive shouting. As the ATV slowly came to a halt, she produced a pistol from behind her back and carefully approached Pendleton, aiming down in front of her.

"Shit, I always thought the gates of hell would be more...opulent. The bouncer is just as I imagined, though.", she proclaimed jokingly half to herself, half to the grim reaper in front of her, waiting for what she presumed to be 'death' to react. Her mind racing to make sense of this scenery, trying to comprehend what this place was and why the mask directed her to this run-down house.

[Assistant]
As Bartholomew strolled silently along, the activity around the shack started to increase. People began falling out of the sky and spindly person on some kind of 4 wheeled motorcycle rushed through the desert a few hundred yards away from Bartholomew. Watching all this go by with a blank expression, he kept walking towards the shack, his feet making light tapping sounds on the dried out lakebed that was the desert. Soon, after an hour of further walking (things in the desert are further then they appear), the shack was mere yards away, however he found that he was approaching it from behind. Before he started wrapping around the dilapidated structure, the four wheeled vehicle he spotted in the distance prior to his arrival coasted past him at a slow pace before slowing to a halt; soon he heard the semi-distant sound of a woman.

Leaning his head around the corner of the structure, him and all the other long dead souls in the mask to a combined shit. Death, the creature that they thought they were safe from in the mask was only a few yards away.

'HIDE THE MASK!' yelled the combined trapped souls and quickly, without a comment Bartholomew did so, clearly petrified by the presence of death. Slipping the mask back into his bag Bart felt Bartholomew slip away from him and relinquish command, however he still felt some of bart inside him, like residue at the bottom of a coffee pot; he felt this way because the mask less features of Bartholomew were still on his face, the wide black beady eyes and the smoothed black hair, but slowly strand by strand his hair turned blonde again and muscle by muscle, his irises reappeared and his eyes shrunk.

[User]
Reaper's cloak flapped in the dry yet gentle wind. He observed the woman with the gas mask as she approached, and could feel the presence of several trapped souls. Being the Grim Reaper, he had extra senses like that. Suddenly, the trapped souls disappeared from his radar, He could no longer feel their presence, but just one soul taking their place.

He didn't move at the sight of her firearm. The bullets wouldn't pass through him, but they would hardly be an effective tool to slay him. He was the Reaper, a god in his own right that took souls away from the land of the living.

"Your mask." He spoke suddenly to the woman, his free hand pointing at her face. "Does it change you? Bind you with another? Are you more than you were without it?" While sandstorms were somewhat common, there hadn't been one in the area in quite some time, and the mask could have just been an accessory. She could have just wandered to the shack. They were all possible. "Remove your mask." He told her. Penn wanted for it to sounds like a request than an order, but the Reaper is hardly ever wavering.

He then pointed with his scythe in the direction of the other being near him, the one that used to be the collective form of several souls. "Your mask is unique." he spoke as powerfully as ever. "Go inside, more will be explained shortly."

[Assistant]
"Come on... Now you choose to be silent? Just a few months ago I couldn't get you to s-" Nina cut off her sentence when there was a knock at the door. The woman's blue eyes shifted to the slightly familiar figure who peered in. So that was the Pendleton Howl it had mentioned, one of the few details that had been explained to her. He was quite right though, her memory wasn't completely back on the matter, she only remembered getting here, meeting the man standing in the doorway, and the fact that their were more people in her situation down here.

Just as quick as he arrived he disappeared back into the hall, the door closing with a soft click. Nina blinked, turning back to look at the mask sitting atop the bed on the other side of the room. "If you really want to know more then asking him would be your best shot." the mask chuckled. Yes, the mask can speak but only its wearer, Nina, could hear it. This little fact had given her quite a fright the first few times it decided to speak to her. The mask was completely conscious and had a very demanding grip on her, what it wanted it got and she had no way to say no. "Why don't you explain instead, he seems busy enough..." Nina questioned aloud. It's response was expected, completely common to the mask. "You really think I paid that much attention? Silly girl you should know better." it laughed, mocking her. Right, the mask often had a short attention span... It was truly insane.

Nina groaned before snatching the silver object off the bed. She was going to explore and maybe try to find Pendleton again, she wanted to know exactly what this place was. The brunette quietly opened her door and slipped out, only to freeze at what she saw. This place looked like something from a movie. A shocked gasp left her lips, slowly making her way down the hall towards what looked to be some sort of common area. Maybe someone would be able to help her in her confusion.

[User] Kimiko and Dite took up residence on a couch in some kind of common area, Dite put her arm around Kimiko. "I take you the most interesting places don't I?" Kimiko was being flooded with Dite's pheromones, she was extremely aroused. All she could manage was a moan. Dite whispered one word into Kimiko's ear, Kimiko began to writhe in pleasure. Dite just giggled and then kissed Kimiko on the cheek. "No longer nervous are we?" Kimiko nodded affirmative. "We need to be here, not sure why yet. Hope to see more of the ancient Greek deity masks around. Especially the one that became Ares. Did I ever tell you about Ares, Zeus forced us to play the role of brother and sister but he was an incredible lover. Last I heard he was heading to Japan. Shortly after that I left and encountered the Norse people, I came to be known as Freya then. Haven't heard from Ares since or the rest of my fellow deities." Dite rested her head on Kimiko's shoulders.

[Assistant]
Surprisingly, with nothing but a feeling, he found the building. Well, to be more precise, it was a dilapidated shack in the middle of nowhere. With his mask in his lap and his willing of it, the illusion had fallen into place, making his presence virtually imperceptible. Couldn't be sooner, as the building didn't seem to have a ramp for him to try and roll up through the entrance. Looking around the general area and spotting a few planks leaning against the side of the shack, he leant over to noisily knock them over, though the general illusion of imperceptibility would have...well, nobody would notice, even while walking on or crossing over it. Not till the illusion was put to rest, or at least till he separated from the mask. With a little bit more nudging here and there it seemed to become a decent enough ramp for him to make use of.

Finally wheeling himself up and into the shack, he looked up and had a creeping feeling...looking around, just before the doorway, he took sight of a real photographic moment. A large woodland spider in a very thick web, eating a trapped moth. Adjusting his camera, holding it steady, he finally took his pictures before actually going into the building. Mask in lap, camera in hand, looking over the picture briefly...Isaiah finally noticed the--"WOAH, okay!?" Looking up at what could only be the visage of death, for what must have been minutes, the paraplegic tried to remember when exactly he could have recently died.

No, he couldn't be dead, right? Isaiah doubted he could use a camera is he were a ghost, or even still be wheelchair bound, for that matter. Laughing nervously, trying desperately to trust the strange power of the mask, hoping this reaper false..."...gods...!" Was the only thing he could mutter to himself in the moments after.