Jessie
**Church town** Was once one of the nicer areas in Coventry, when the Future Foundation was laying out plans for the island they had initially forgotten to correctly zone for places of worship, so they decided to choose a far corner where no construction had started and shove them all together, the close proximity of so many temples created an uneasy neutral zone for the city's gangs and in the entire time the city was populated only 6 violent incidents ever occurred, the second most peaceful neighbourhood on the island had a total of *126.*

In the centre of the neighbourhood sat a public park- a rare sight in Coventry, in the middle was a quaint little 50's styled diner overlooked to the east by Saint Drogo's Roman Catholic Church, and to the west by Church town Protestant Church, once a common place for rival gangers to meet in truce now it sits derelict with shattered windows and a battered rusting metal façade, the inside piled with dirt. Leaves and stagnant puddles of water.
The evening was dreary but calm, the sky was covered in a light cloud cover, some early stars had begun to appear and the moon had risen, though obscured by clouds that left it as a faint pale glow. The sun had already disappeared behind the skyline, but a faint orange glow still crept down the streets and the slight breeze caused fallen leaves to dance along the sidewalk.
It would be an almost idyllic scene in any other city but Balfour was abandoned, lifeless, there were not even rats to scurry along the streets anymore, or pigeons and crows to fly overhead, it was entirely silent and still, foreboding.

A lone man sat in the corner booth of the diner with his legs crossed on the table drinking coffee. He was middle aged with a healthy dose of grey creeping its way into his slicked black hair, his eyes glowed a golden hue and he bore a nasty burn scar that ran down down his chin and disappeared into the neckline of his pristine white shirt.
In his hand he fidgeted with a golden watch, although curiously its hands did not move, instead he had a nice, formal wristwatch with which he used to check the time, after all the scheduled time was *Quickly approaching.*
Michael
*What a mess this place was. Axel warily made his way through the derelict city, towards a meeting point given to him by a contact associated with the O.S.A. The scenery was nice, despite the obvious downside of the ruined buildings and ghost town-like streets. The sight of so many places of worship nagged at him in a strange way, causing him to stray his eyes elsewhere as he passed them.*

*Up ahead, a small diner, styled as though it were the 50s, sat between two more large churches. It matched the description of the meeting point, so Axel started making his way over. He noticed through the window a man sitting at a booth, situated in the far corner of the diner. The man had an interesting appearance, with dark, slick hair, a fair bit of aged gray cutting through it, and a professional looking getup. A scar adorned his face, adding an extra layer of... Urgency to his appearance.*

*Axel assumed this was their contact, so he shuffled into the diner and started walking towards the booth. He was anxious to hear more about this odd job, the reason he was here in the first place, the quote unquote, "Decommissioning" Of a mercenary outpost in the city. Axel wasn't sure what to expect, but since he knew there'd be a fair bit of violence involved, he was sold pretty easily.*
Willie
*His one white eye would look around from under his cold metal mask as he walked down the street, his twin chains wrapped around his arms for defensive purposes. It had been a hot minute since he's seen a place so empty, well a place that wasn't a forest he inhabited at least he tapped the right side of his head where his other eye light was still out. He then let out a sigh as he kept walking towards his destination.*

`"If I see a single person I don't like I'm going to tear them to shreds when I get the chance."`
"And I told you we specifically WOULDN'T try and hurt anyone we're supposed to work with."

*He arrived at the location he was looking for, a diner. His he then walked inside and saw the other two people near a booth.*

`Just stay quiet while I do this. Stan, maybe we'll get ourselves something good to eat after this.`

*He walked over to them and stayed completely silent, his eye would shine as he stared at the two men and waited for either one to speak.*
Hugh
When it came down to it, Gryphon rarely ever showed up early for something. Especially when scheduled to an exact time, she would arrive precisely when planned to. Not earlier, and *Certainly* Not later. As such, she hadn't reached the diner yet. She had reached the town, however.

Places of worship... Churches, they were called here. Well- not all of them were. But many of these certainly fit the description of the term. Even just in passing her eye analyzed them, passing over structure and worn history in moments as her `keen` senses took in her surroundings. They were- different, from where she had come from. Then again, *Worship* Worked differently here. Rarely was it that they praised living people with such structures- these were temples to ideas. People that may have existed but... That exist no longer. Or at least, that could be found no longer. This idle analysis hardly slowed her planned pace, of course- she still aimed to arrive right on time.

The lack of any life certainly was unusual, for such a place. But she wasn't particularly bothered by it. Places became uninhabitable, here or anywhere else. Be it natural, magical... Or artificial, any place could be made barren of life in time. This place was no exception to the rule.

Her gaze passed over the diner, visible in the near distance. She was on time. Perfectly on schedule.
Becky
Her surroundings were anything but pleasant. 

Since coming through that wormhole she had seen all manner of towns, villages, and cities, all with their own aesthetical styles.

But nowhere that looked as dreary and eerie as this, barely any people or life to be seen.

The sky above at least seemed pleasant, almost as though it didn't belong in such a place like this.

Floriama had commented something snippy about the city in her head and Lily would roll her eyes before pressing onward.

She had managed to wrangle information to do with this city and some "Sons of Balfour" Group within it while she was in Sanctum Mesa a week or so prior, and so had come here to this guarded city seeking, as ere she was to do, to help in whatever way she could.

Perhaps it would be worth her while to stay here in this city after it was done, maybe assist this "PAF" Furthermore. Either way those thoughts were to be saved for later.

Ad so it was that she arrived at the Coventry district of Balfour and to the diner where she was to meet for this task with those who would tell her more. 

The diner seemed decent enough in such a decrepit place. 

Spotting a group already forming, she walked inside to join them.

At no one and everyone, she spoke kindly, even if she was a bit at unease.

```
"Hello everyone! Lily Halloran, I'm here to help with the... "Assault" As it were. "

```

*Stupid, stupid, these people probably didn't go in for niceties, I mean look at them*, she thought to herself immediately after.

Sizing herself up a bit more and clearing her throat, she focused her attention on the man in the corner booth, presumably the one they were here to see and get information from.

```
"I assume you are the one we have all gathered to see? Make it quick with the information, pal." 

```
She spoke, trying to sound intimidating, she uhhh had her doubts it was effective.
Jennifer
They had ended up wandering into what seemed to be a public park that looked better than the streets they had just come from. 


Cicada sighed and looked around more, thinking that all the churches in the area were a bit much (clearly proving somebody didn't read the town sign). But Cicada had decided it would be best to get to the location as fast as they could. The eerie silence was taking its toll on Cicada, making the wanderer concerned about their surroundings. Nothing ever good happens when the town is silent. 


Cicada had figured out the destination was the diner in the middle of the park which they had just started heading over to. Upon entering the diner, they had taken off their beanie to try and set things in a formal tone almost, despite not being the most formal person ever due to being dressed in simple casual clothes. However, they had looked around the diner for a quick second and spotted a crowd starting to form around one of the tables in the back and Cicada figured that this was the group that they would be working with on this job.


But one thing had stuck out in Cicada's mind, the phrase "Perfectly behind schedule", with a small smirk appearing on their face before approaching the table.
Rosalind
A shattered city full with broken waysides. Fragmented heights stood tall over a fragmented land, each splintered concrete rooftop like the pinnacle of a single, stony mountain, and each overseeing a similarly-splintered, similarly-stony land. Though the sun was setting and the stars had already begun to sparkle to alife amidst the emergence of twilight, one could, from this towering height, still see the sun sinking below the horizon line. It was the same sight one could find after a midday of climbing, two days'-worth of hiking, and a fortnight's march south from the seapost. It was as timeless as it was familiar: the natural beauty of the world, seen from the eyes of an eagle.

The beauty of the world, seen from the eyes of an *Adventurer.*

*"Mm-mm..~♫"*

A small grin upon his face, and a melody passing quietly under his breath, the lad stood upon what seemed the precipice of the world, at the time, his feet almost weightlessly rested against a jagged metal rod protruding from an old radio-tower, extended off and bent crooked over the rooftop of a tall building. His thumb crept up along the side of his face as he tugged lightly upon his cloth visor, a single iris of brilliant gold peering far into the city beyond. The broken nature of the *Balfour* Did little to put off the adventure; it and all its foreboding were merely one amidst many of its peculiar, endearing traits that drove him to explore it further.

"Where was I supposed to be going, again...?"

His foot dangled over the edge, a treacherous fall beneath. The visor slipped back under his brow, as the lad reached to withdraw a small piece of paper, which was tucked within a pocket located shortly under the convex of his breastplate. The wrinkled thing's text was hardly readable, its ink only further smudging along his fingertips as he attempted to re-angle it for better reading.
_ _

"...Mm-mm..."
"Oh well! I'll find my way."

His head tilted forward, and, along with it, the whole of his upper body, as he hurled his body headlong into a freefall.

`— —`

It was only fifteen minutes later — and following some time after the rest had already arrived — that the image of the young lad came into sight: a blonde-haired, short, youthly-seeming lad, a crimson-red halfcape shrouding his left arm, and a blindfold-like visor covering his eyes, its semi-opaque cloth weave emblazoned with the image of the *`Three Eyes.`* A chain jangling from his hip, the adventurer arrived upon the precipice of the diner.

*"This ought to be it, right?"*
Mark
As everyone gathered, the mysterious stranger payed them little mind. He acknowledged their presence but before he could address them, he first had to finish his coffee.
He took a swig, allowed it to settle for a moment, then took another, and another, until finally he reached the bottom of the cup.

```
 "Aaah."
```
He set the cup on the table with a loud `THUNK`, cracked his knuckles and checked his watch, it ticked over to the next minute right on schedule, perfectly timed, perfectly calculated.
He placed his feet flat on the floor, and rested his elbows on the table.
His gaze drifted across each of them, those glowing golden irises with a thick dark spot in the middle looked almost like two gleaming halos that seemed to poke and prod at the very essence of their being, figuratively or literally, it was not clear.
He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms, and smiled.

```
 "Pleasure to meet you, you can call me 52, please, take a seat."
```
He motioned to the empty seats surrounding the booth, there was just enough space for the 5 who had gathered to sit, unfortunately Mythos, who had gung back would have to stand.
As he waited for everyone to take their seats he lifted his jacket, which had been lain across the table, and drew a small brown folder from within, placing it in the centre of the table.
He took the golden pocket watch which he had been turning over in his hand and `CLICK` he pressed down the button on top.
`TICK TOCK TICK TOCK` 
It began to tick, just as the watch on his wrist froze.
Of course that wasn't all, everything froze, except for them, it was an uncanny feeling, the wind stopped blowing, background noise ceased, and when they moved they could feel the weight of the air around them.

```
 "You know in some countries, it is customary to wait 5 minutes after a scheduled time, to allow people leway in their punctuality, in North America you are expected to arrive 5 minutes early, in some countries it is even

More extreme, but i prefer my punctuality, perfect."
```
He smiled.
Becky
Lily would sit, wary of those around her but she had still come here, after all.

The man who introduced himself as "52"... (was that some sort of "Codename", who names themselves a number?) seemed fine enough despite what his outward appearance may have indicated.

The man in the metal mask offset her a bit with his seeming gruffness and demeanor, but he was what she expected of a mercenary, she supposed.

The others who entered seemed... Innocent enough. Maybe that should have unsettled her given where she was but it was in some way comforting.

How she wished for some tea to calm her nerves, but sadly she had no money to buy some and she doubted this diner had any, somehow.

She waited for 52 to speak.
Hugh
Her schedule dictated times as exact. Some places might say punctuality comes before a time- or on a time, or after a time. Somewhere around where you *Say* You will arrive. She always arrived at that time precisely. Her schedules- the way she went through life- would fall apart if based on *Estimates.*

As such, she would step into the diner just the moment the stopwatch's button was pressed. Her body naturally tensed against the altered flow of time- or at least... Perceived alteration. Were both her eyes in working order, she could have actually said whether or not this was- magic. Chronomancy. But, injured as she was, she simply had to assume. She hated having to assume.

She had missed the stranger's introduction, but could tell from the way the people in the diner were arranged that they were their 'contact'. The one leading them on this mission. This was- far more people than she'd been expecting. None of them had a presence she could really consider 'trustworthy'. But all the same, she moved to stand behind the seated others in the diner, eye fixed on 52. Waiting quietly for their briefing, of sorts.
Rosalind
The youthly man's eyes passed beneath his visor to scan across each of the individuals scattered throughout the diner, subtle-gold glimmering beyond the opacity of the crimson-cloth visor that covered his eyes. It seemed that every day that he lived within this universe — this cosmos, so peculiar and distant from his home — something new emerged before his eyes: a type of magic once unseen, a species of creature he yet did not know of, a scientific phenomena that eluded the "Science" It was classified beneath. Each of the people here, stood in the lobby of the diner, seemed a testimony to that ever-growing base of knowledge and newness that defined the strange world that the adventurer now lived in — that notion of intrigue brought some joy to his face, a small grin appearing on his face with the emergence his two characteristic foxlike canines.

Jusur placed a hand on his hip as he leaned further in to the booth, seating himself with a sense of haste opposite the scarred man. Though hidden behind his visor, the gaze of his eyes could be felt clearly, peering toward the golden watch.

*"Hey, hey — say, mister"* The lad spoke up, an intrigued grin upon his face, *"What is that?*
"That device you've got."

Childlike curiosity was the image that the blonde-haired adventurer exuded, and similarly-childish was the peculiar and flashy "Adventurer's garb" That he donned, his cape pulling taut at his side as he leaned in. All what speech the scarred man made of punctuation — and even his own name — seemed to pass in one of the lad's ears, then straight out the other.
Becky
Lily's attention split between the man and the spread-out photos as he spoke and detailed the plan:

Get into the facility as unseen as possible, get any useful information, and retrieve the gray-skinned guy. 

It all seemed... A lot more than what she bargained for, and a pit dropped in her stomach as the plan was laid out, but she *Had* Shown up, so too late to back out now.

Plus, if it helped these guys, the PAF, in restoring this place, who was she to object?

As the man prompted them for questions, Lily would speak up.

```
"You wouldn't have any, I believe you call them, "Floor plans" For the library, would you? Might help if we can see the internals of the building and can sneak around as much as possible. 

If there's vantage points, I have ways to ensnare anyone we may come across without the alarm being raised."

```

She'd remark, a sly smile despite herself accompanying a flicker of a vine in her left hand before it then vanished into green smoke.

If it was sneaking around in the shadows they needed, she could do that.

She hoped, at least.
Michael
*Axel watched carefully and keenly as every member of the group entered, some introducing themselves. Lily Halloran... That sounded familiar. After a moment of thought, he realized this was the same woman with whom Daniel had fought in the duels hosted at the Festival. Axel had, of course, been nearby, able to watch and listen to their duel. He had to admit, he had respect for how much of his ass she kicked, even if he won in the long run. He figured she could be a useful companion.*

*As for the others, what caught his eye the most was the striking metal mask on the face of a large individual off to the side. What caught him even more off guard was the comment he made about eating cadavers, but he brushed it off. Everyone survives in their own way. He narrowed his eyes upon his addressing of Lily. Odd. Another of the people caught his eye - A youthful, dare he say jovial fellow, seemingly just as interested in engineering as Axel himself was. Finally, his eyes trailed to Gryphon, who had arrived at the scheduled time on the dot. Punctuality was a thing he could respect.*

*Axel himself, though, wasn't particularly interested in giving an introduction, though his outfit seemed to match his demeanor - Hostile and gruff. He wore jeans that were torn open at the knees and a dirty button-down under a faded and ripped grey jean jacket. On his feet were a pair of muddy tactical boots, and on his hands a pair of maroon red shooting gloves. A pair of goggles with piercing red lenses sat on his eyes, his long, wavy brown hair hanging over them, along with a black bandana tied snugly around his face. Last but not least, over his shoulder hung a large compound bow, complete with a quiver of arrows on his back and a skinning knife on his waist. His weapons would certainly be useful for the stealth aspect of this mission, so if they needed anyone taken out silently, he was ready.*

*He listened to their contact make his introduction and describe their mission, noting each bit of intel as he heard it. Public library, distillery, sneak in, grab some data and a target, destroy the facility, get out. And probably kill a lot of people along the way.*
Becky
In addition to her unease from the mission statement and the prior unease she felt around him, the masked man's comment about eating people did very well to horrify her and do the opposite of her gaining a good impression of him.

And then he turned to her directly, addressing her, asking for her name.

```
"O-oh? My name? My apologies, I must have not spoken it loud enough before amidst all the arrivals. It's Lily, Lily Halloran.

```

She couldn't keep the unease out of her voice, but she figured even to this man, she should *Try* To be polite.

```

"And, uh, what about you?"

```
Jennifer
Lily Halloran and Max Bracken. Two names that were definitely familiar to Cicada. 


`Wait, those are the two from the duels! Of course, I remember where those two names came from and, if I remember correctly, Lily was the person who had to fight Daniel before I did. At least this job has some people that I somewhat know, but I'll have to keep a close eye on Max because if whatever happened to him before that duel against Sofja happens again or if that 'thing' were to ever come out during this mission, it would spell disaster for most of us.` 


Cicada moved the goggles on their head to try and block out any hair that would fall over their eyes when attempting to get a good look at these photos. They had been really intrigued by the fact that this was going to be a stealth mission, something they had trained and excelled in, but they also had kept some of their focus on the photo of the man that 52 had shown to this ragtag crew of "Mercenaries". 


After close inspection of the photos, Cicada had formed a question of their own in their head. Turning to look at 52, Cicada decided to ask a question. 
```
"How many people would you guess are normally on site at this place?"
```
Mark
The man smirked at the question about a floor plan, like it was the sort of question where the answer was so obvious that only a complete amateur would ask it.
He scratched his jaw for a moment, closed his eyes, chuckled silently to himself, then responded.

```
 "Unfortunately the Balfour Records Office ceased to exsist 10 years ago and is probably currently host 
To a large tree and a small river."
```
He paused for a brief moment at the next question though his face portrayed no emotion, he leaned back, cupping the pocket watch between his hands.

```
  "As far as how you get the mission done and what you do to those people I dont care and I don't
 really want to know."
```
His eyes drifted across everyone present as he spoke, simultaneously staring at them and straight through them, with those glowing golden eyes in a manner that was slightly unnerving.
He shrugged, leaning forward again with his elbows on the table, holding the watch in front of his face.
`TICK TOCK TICK TOCK`
He sighed and leant to the side, scratching his jaw.

```
 "To be entirely honest I can't tell you anything about what goes on inside that building, we didn't
 exactly get a large budget for this operation, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here.
 Time is running low now, so if you have any last burning questions make it quick, otherwise good luck."
```
He retrieved his coat and slipped it on, straightening out the collar and lapels, brushing off dirt and dust from the diner, giving them ample time to make any last queries but making a show of the fact he was about to leave.
Becky
Taking off the mask did a little to alleviate her unease around the man, who would introduce himself as Max Bracken, but even if the tone was still very horrifying, the words sounded at least *Somewhat* Sincere.

```
"Well, uh... Just don't go eating mine, heh heh."

```

Her attention would then be back on their client as he answered their questions, essentially telling them he had nothing more to tell them.

Great.

She would stay silent, having no more questions that'd yield anything but non-answers most likely, and so awaited either for 052 to leave, or for someone else to speak up.
Willie
*He stared at Lily as she made the comment about not eating her, he almost asked why she would say that but then immediately remembered his appearance.*

"I don't plan on eating my coworkers unless they try and betray me, and yes that is a threat to anyone thinking of doing so."

*He then looks at 052 and smiles under his mask, that was probably just Stan's hunger coming into play but he was glad either way.*

"I have nothing more to ask, I'm just glad I'll be able to get a quick bite."

*Stan was basically having a party in Max's head since he was legally allowed to murder these people and eat their corpses, Max was definitely gonna have a lot of money saved after this job if his hunger got the best of him.*
Michael
*He continued to listen silently to the few of them speaking, though focused on 052 once he continued on with more information.*

*Well, what little they had. He did say that he didn't care what they did to the people - And Axel wasn't particularly interested in holding back for the sake of appearances. A semblance of a grin crossed his face for a split second before vanishing just as quickly.*

*He had no questions to ask, none at all. He was aware of what to do.*

*His gaze crossed Lily, who seemed desperate for someone else to say something. If it weren't for his disinterest in speaking in general, he'd have said something, but his blank gaze just wandered back to their eager-to-exit contact. Max's comment did little to phase him, though he noted the threat seemed genuine. Unsettling unstoppable force to an unsettling immovable object.*
Hugh
She had no questions. She'd listened carefully to 52's description of the mission- and.. Far less carefully to the pointless banter of her fellow hires. The threats being broadly waved around were without weight, as far as she was concerned. She'd yet to see any actual action from any of these people- and with just a `keen` glance, none of them seemed to be harboring anything immensely dangerous. But she'd expected as much, for a mission like this. Someone doesn't broadcast out requests like this in order to find the *Best* Help.

Thankfully, even without the best help, this shouldn't be too difficult a mission. It was stealth- at least on her end. Destroying a facility was.. Far less her expertise, so her eye had locked firmly upon their target for extraction. She had what she could glean of his visage committed to memory, and intended to aim for him above all else. She trusted that the other members of the team were versed in things other than finesse and scouting- those would be the ones capable of actually destroying the facility.

As for her, she just needed to get to someone, and get them out- using whatever assistance she could get from the others around her. She didn't have any questions- she doubted anything 52 could tell her would actually be... Of use. Most of it was information that would be spur-of-the-moment- patrols, abilities... And names were irrelevant. She had her target picked, and she'd express that to the group once they were genuinely discussing strategy. For now, it would be a waste to stand here talking and asking questions. A few hours was only so much time- tight schedules were something she could handle. But... She needed her teammates to be at their best. Not everyone works well in a time crunch.
Jessie
The Church town Public Library was only a few blocks down the road, on an ordinary street. There was no park or plaza, or even a wider sidewalk afforded to the building; it was simply hemmed into the row of buildings and store fronts. The library itself was unremarkable, a 2 story brick and concrete building like the rest of Coventry, the front had a façade of granite pillars meant to imitate more elegant neoclassical architecture that was customary for public service buildings. Up a small set of stairs, or the wheelchair ramp, was a set of boarded up doors and windows on either side, the boards could be easily destroyed or removed, but doing so would draw considerable attention, a surprisingly effective deterrent in a place like this, where the air was still with silent dread.
A secondary path of entry was available, the second story was smaller than the first and set back a bit leaving a section of roof where one could stand to access the un-boarded windows, provided they could find their way up there in the first place.
Becky
As they arrived at the building, Lily immediately began trying to scout it out.

Entryways boarded up and likely concealing the windows meant revealing themselves.

A full frontal attack was likely not very smart as their enemies would probably be at least somewhat prepared even though this was meant to be a lull in the action.

It was then she noticed the roof outhang, and it was there she had an idea.

```
"The second floor appears to be unboarded, must mean they don't expect anyone to go up that way. Now I can climb, but I don't see any good vantage points. 

I can make some though." 

```

As she said that last sentence, flickers of green energy briefly emanated from her hands.

```
"It *Is* Impractical though. My method will send you into the air and is sort of violent, you will need some sort of handhold to grab onto afterwards, and it will only get you about 5 feet up at a time, but I can do it multiple times.

I just hope you aren't afraid of being coiled."



```

Keeping to the shadows to do this so as not to be detected, Lily would demonstrate, as two vines sprouted from around her wrists, one end mounting to the ground, and the other tethering itself to her arms still. She'd have them fling her back 5 feet, recovering by rolling.

```
"So, um, yeah. Not exactly a great traversal plan, but it is an option."


```
She's say, laughing a bit nervously.
Willie
*He stared at the building for a second before staring at Lily as she spoke, he then took his mask off and once again stared at the building.*

"I can probably get up there by myself pretty easily, if anyone else needs to get up there I could just carry em."

*He put his mask back on and started to look at the chains wrapped around his arms before Stan chimed in for a second.*

`"I hope you know, that if they find out about what you've done. What you are, they'll betray you in the next second. But I don't think that Lily person is to much of a threat, just remember to not trust ANYONE."`

*Max had already given them a warning but Stan was somewhat right, he didn't know anything about these people besides some of their names. His one good eye started to flicker as he balled up his left fist before raising it and punching the ground.*

`I gotta calm down, I already look like I'm about to murder anyone that even looks at me wrong.`

*He took a deep breathe as the eye stopped flickering, his own short temper along with Stan's constant voice might be a problem in the future.*

"Yet I shall remind you once again, if you even LOOK at me the wrong way. I will crush every bone y'all have, and if you need a demonstration. Well, I'm sure you don't."

*He stared at the group before going back to his own thoughts.*
Hugh
Her eye's gaze ran across the building smoothly once they arrived. Nothing- out of place, as far as suspicion went. She certainly followed the line of thought as Lily mentioned the second floor overhang... But felt that neither her suggestion nor max's was very subtle. Not that she'd speak such an objection aloud without offering a better plan, for the time being. Though, their time was relatively short. She would need to come up with that 'better plan' sooner rather than later.

Her eyes passed over the building once more, assessing the state of its walls. Lily's first impression seemed to be right, from what she could tell. Any recessions in the brick that could serve as handholds were inconsistent at best- crumbling at worst. Time had weathered away the clean lines of brickwork, and the patterns of concrete were hardly in any better shape to serve as climbing routes. The thought of climbing it with makeshift climbing picks crossed her mind... But quickly was put aside. It was not only unlikely to work given the state of the library's walls, but would hardly be quiet.

If subtlety truly was their goal...```diff
+ "I'd suggest the less risky route. Raising the alarm before we've even entered due to a gamble would practically guarantee our failure."
```
She didn't take the time to actually run over the odds of success after they raised the alarm- there were too many unknown factors to accurately pin that down. She could see clearly, certainly, but she was not omniscient. She hadn't brought some of her craftier items- mirrors, mostly. Had she thought to bring them, she would have potentially been able to get a clear view of inside without need of getting a higher vantage point.

But there was no use dwelling on mistakes of her past self. She should focus on the situation at hand, and the solutions presented therein. Looking ahead, not back.
Michael
*Axel noted multiple points of entry on the building as they approached, one likely to draw attention and the other in a hard to reach spot. He was feeling quite agile at this moment, given the adrenaline from the mission. He wasn't scared, but the thrill of the hunt excited him to no end, especially with the approval of their contact that he didn't care what happened to anyone besides the target. Permission to kill.*

*He listened carefully to his allies plans, with his stare blank as he scanned the building. Lily's plan would likely add an advantage to the parkour that would be required to reach the unboarded windows, so as not to draw alarm. He could take out anyone inside stealthily as needed, with his compound bow and hunting knife.*

*Though, he had yet to relay his plan, so it seemed appropriate to do so.*

```
"I think Lily's plan would likely give me the best advantage in getting to the rooftop. I'm pretty agile, so I think I could handle the boosts. Once I reach the windows, I can get inside and kill whoever I encounter. Silently."
```

*He turned to observe the reactions of his comrades for approval, his vacant yet perceptive glare sweeping across their faces.*
Rosalind
The young adventurer's visage remained stagnant for the whole of the conversation following the point of introductions and continued in this stationary manner up until the journey had led them to the end destination of their mission: the library. His thumb slid up along the side of his cheek and picked against the lower edge of the visor that decorated his visage, lightly tugging the elastic cloth such that it lifted from his face, revealing the deep, effulgent-golden glow of the eyes hidden beneath, both sharply honed on the image of the library before him. A small smile came upon his face, full of a subtle anticipation: a sense of excitement that could only be roused within him by the discovery of some new horizon—some new *Adventure.*

*"Mm-mm,"* He enunciated, his gaze shooting hastily across the surface of the library. Paths along the architecture were drawn within his mind's eye, an imagination of the each path his adventure could and would take forming rapidly, inwardly.

To be truthful, Jusur did not much care for elaborate plans, nor did he care much for the mission at hand. Though certainly as he had sworn on his honor to perform the mission true and proper he would fulfill his word to do just that, the meticulous elements of a plan — as well as even the surface elements of the mission — were quickly lost within the tides of anticipation that swelled within him. What was not exciting would quickly be lost in the heat of what thrills were soon to come; what was boring quickly faded in the wake of what was exciting. The only thing that held him from immediate action was his innate caution as an adventurer, and the understanding of the weight that a choice at a crossroad held impressed upon him by his mentor.
_ _

"A path on high, mm-mm?" Jusur grinned.
"They are often lesser travelled," He mused, releasing his visor. The cloth concealed his eyes, and he began to step forward. "Wayward, full of the unexpected."

It was both advantageous for their mission and favorable to the whims of the lad himself. He would thus waste little time actually setting forward, sanguine mana beginning to flare from his crimson **`SOUL`** And throughout his body. His **`HUBRIS`** Made manifest, his body took on greater strength, as he leapt, clearing half the distance to the second story in a single bound. His feet hovered on air as an invisible platform of air coalesced beneath him, allowing him to jump a second time off the very atmosphere itself — clearing the full distance to the second floor in two seemingly-weightless leaps. Without looking back to his companions, Jusur continued forward, seeking to open the window and now, finally, progress into the building itself.
Jennifer
*Cicada noted their teammates ideas and plans and had decided to chime in with the others.*

"I like Lily's idea. Getting in from the roof would help, especially if we can keep this mission quiet for long enough to at least lower some of the forces inside." *Cicada said, wanting to help form the plan. Cicada would have to ask for help with getting themselves up onto the roof as they didn't have anything that could exactly launch themselves up there. However, Cicada heard that Lily might have something that can get the team on top of the roof so they would have to go with that method anyway.*
Jessie
As Jusur stepped onto the roof a number of details would become clear that were not visible from the ground, firstly to his immediate left there was a hole in the wall of the neighbouring building, likely acting as a much more convenient way up for those not so magically inclined, but more notably between where he stood and the second story windows that would likely act as their point of ingress was a skylight.

The skylight was boarded up in many places, and the rest was covered in such a layer of dirt and grime it could hardly be called transparent, luckily however one of the plywood boards that had been used to patch it up had rotted away leaving a hole in the centre, peering through would reveal a modest but wide open room with wooden floors that had begun to rot where the rain got in, a small bucket was placed on the ground below the skylight in a futile attempt to help the issue.
Little furniture could be made out, as far as he could tell from the limited field of view afforded by the hole in the skylight the room had been cleared out entirely.

However as Jusur passed the skylight, something would catch his ear, the sound of voices, their source was unclear from the limited perspective but someone was certainly home.
Evelyn
```
"-Lord forgive you practice the arts!" 
The voice rang out, the accent was foreign, but not recognizable to any one place.
```
Christie
```
"Jesus, was it really that bad?"
The second voice responded with concern, their accent was a lot easier to place, it was a mixture of Russian and American, typical among the children of Russian immigrants which were once common in Reiter and Coventry.
```
Evelyn
```
"Well they gave us an hour and a half of free time before bed" 
He let out a chuckle, and the laughs of at least 2 other individuals could be heard.
```
Rhonda
```
[0;30;46m"Yeah but if you used it for anythin' but work, prayer or practise you'd be a social pariah from all the more faithful members of the flock."
The third voice had an accent similar to the first, but his voice was much lower, reverberating like a bass
```
Evelyn
```
"Well that's all in the past now, say what's it like growin' up in Balfour?"
```
Christie
```
Ah it had its ups and downs you know?, organised crime, disorganised crime, it was impossible to avoid the gangs and mobs and all that, everyone had an affiliation, and if you didn't you'd be best to find one else you end up taken and forgotten." 
```
Luz
```
"Yeah but the one thing was, you always had someone to lean on, it was you and your crew against the whole rest of the damn city, there was a sense of family and comradery, and i guess that's what we try to keep alive now" 
The fourth man spoke and his accent was mild, american, unordinary.
```
Evelyn
```
"Well I reckon I'm beginning to understand that feeling."
```
Christie
```
"Za lyubov!" 
All but the third man cheered in response.
```
Jessie
Ahead of Jusur the windows to the second story were unguarded, most of them didn't even have glass allowing for anyone to simply step through, on the other side was what appeared to be a study room, with desks and old computers long stripped for their electrical components lining the walls, the floor was littered with dead leaves and strewn mud, what patches of the wood flooring was visible were rotten.
At the back end of the room partially obscured in darkness was an elevator and a door to the stairwell.

Sorry for takign 3 days i was el busy

But surely this time everyone will respond in a timely manner to make up for how long it took last time right

At this point assuming atleast 1 person has progressed i will start skipping
Becky
Vines would flicker out from her arms and Lily would launch anyone who needed it towards the roof as the vines scaled the wall. She (and whoever would take up the offer) would get to the roof shortly after Jusur did, she would hear the tail-end of whatever conversation the figures inside were having, though it seemed to be pretty much just banter amongst comrades.

```
"Seems they are pretty distracted."

``` 
She'd murmur this in a whisper to those nearby.


```
"So what's the plan from here, any means of us getting inside without attracting attention? I don't have anything in that regard unless our foes are 5 feet below us, and that would make noise."

```
Michael
*After using Lily's vines to scale the building up to the roof, Axel waited for the others to make their way up as well. He leaned over the skylight, narrowing his eyes and peering down inside, scanning the room and making a mental map of what he could see in his head. The voices caught his attention moments later, however it seemed that it was just friendly chit-chat between whoever was inside. They hadn't been noticed yet.*

*He tried to gauge where exactly the voices were coming from, slowly unslinging his bow and drawing an arrow back into position before getting low and squinting into the dark room to try and catch a glimpse of the source of the voices. If he could find out how far away the individuals were, he could hang from the intact wood covering the outside of the skylight, and drop in relatively silently; (this depends on how far down the floor is, just lmk if this is realistic).*

*Axel cleared his throat, before stating his plan to the others.*

```
"I think I could hit whoever I see from the skylight with my bow and drop in to take the rest out with my knife. That way the floor is clear for you guys to come in, and then it should be easier to stay quiet from there. Up to you."
```
Hugh
She followed behind on Lily's vines, keeping to the back of the group. She ideally wanted to scout ahead but- she had hesitated. Pushing her way to the front now would most likely cause some conflict... Conflict they didn't have time to resolve, in their current situation. Once they figured out a way in she'd take her mark properly. But for now, she simply set to looking into whatever windows she could- while being somewhat subtle, at least. She stayed low while she waited for someone to make a move on entry. If nobody did, she would have to try her hand herself... But she'd rather not be the first person caught in that regard. For now, patience was best.
Rosalind
The golden-haired adventurer was taking this mission entirely at his own pace. When Lily and the rest had arrived, the lad was already half-way to the study, taking to the investigation of his the building's decrepit inner structure — the wood-rotted boards and derelict walls, the mud, moisture, decaying vegetation, dirt and grime all — having stepped in through one of the glassless windows of the library's second floor. His cheery disposition toward exploring the place was maintained despite its wholly unpleasant appearance, humming lightly under his breath as the chain of his grapple dangled faintly at his side. Pushing forward brazenly without regard for the noise of the voices that surrounded him, he hardly seemed the type suited for stealth; it was a very fortunate thing that, at the very least, his footfalls were silent as a feather.

*"Hmm..."*
He flourished his half-cape, the cloth fluttering upward as he caught it two-thirds of the way up its length, crimping the cloth in his fist and folding it about to the length of his elbow. What once was hidden beneath its crimson length was now revealed: a large mace—*Élan,* His trusted weapon and tool. He did not want to muddy his cape, and so pulled its length to fasten it to his upper arm. The words and planning of his temporary companions passed entirely through his ears even during his brief pause, and he continued forward as though he had not heard them at all.
_ _

*`Two paths downward...`*
Jusur grinned. He would inevitably descend down the stairway, but would first perform a small bit of scouting; he never liked leaving any path unventured. He was curious how many floors this building held and wanted to check ahead of time, especially considering how little he had seen already: an evidently unoccupied second story, a wide and completely empty room below... So far, it seemed quite barren for what Jusur had surmised to be a significant operation. At least, as he *Could* Surmise with what patchy information he had scarcely paid attention to.

What was it, again...? *Distilled mana* And a *Priority target,* Or something of the like...

To confirm or dismiss his suspicions, he would first visit the elevator. Using it was in no part his intention — he just wanted to confirm how deep the elevator shaft went. As far as he knew from what he had learned about the modern era, they often spanned the entire height and depth of a building, even travelling far underground at times. Not bothering to press the elevator call button — if there even *Was* One — he would attempt to pry the elevator door open with his bare hands, the might of his **`HUBRIS`** Flaring as he briefly took on superhuman strength. So it would be if it opened and the car was on the floor he was on, he would make a superficial check of the number of floors by confirming the number of its floor-selection buttons, then would climb through its service hatch and take a peek down. If it hadn't one, that would make things much simpler: **All he was attempting to determine is if the building had a basement by gauging the depth of the elevator shaft.**
_ _

Regardless of what he discovered or failed to discover by reason of the elevator door not budging, **Jusur would descend the stairwell next.** Despite his carefree behavior, he was making a small effort to kept his pride and caution equalized — though he seemed to be thoroughly ignoring the rest of his teammates, he was making keeping their better interests in mind. Descending boldly through the elevator so early on would probably get them caught quickly.
Nina
I told myself i would make a short post