Fandom Carnival of Heroes IC (Freezing RP)

Ira found himself sitting in the shadows of a nearby tent, his right hand clenching a cold bottle of water as his left wiped away any residue left on his lips. Ira had downed at least half of the bottle in his attempt to cool down in the hot and humid temperature that the 94 participants found themselves competing in; the heat being the most difficult factor throughout the four individual events. Throughout all the events, Ira had found himself finishing within the top 20 on three of the four events , his highest placing being 9th during the sprint and his worst being 23rd in the Weight lifting event.

Whilst he could have probably done better than he did, Ira found himself unable to muster the same level of performance that he had been able to give back in the UK when he was enlisted within the army. The heat just being more unbearable than usual. Since finding out that he was a candidate for the Limiter Program, the army had intensified his training up until he was to fly over to the Genetics institute. He was representing the country and as the homeland of famous families like the 'El Bridget' household, the Army had taken it upon themselves to ship over a Limiter that would not fail to impress. All of the fuss however was not really the priority for Ira; his only real concern being the increase in his annual salary. His initial reason for joining the British army at the age of 16 was to earn himself some kind of wage in order to ease the burden on his parents. When it was revealed that he had the chance to become a limiter, his first and only question was about the amount he'd earn; the majority of his new salary being sent to his parents at his wish.

Body cooling down and his bottle now empty, Ira had discarded it in the appropriate bin before making his way towards the cafeteria where the results were to be announced within the next hour; the red haired boy hoping to get a small meal into himself and perhaps another beverage before the big event later that day. Likewise, many of the other participants had arrived at the cafeteria as well, eager to find out their rankings and perhaps establish some sort of hierarchy among themselves. Ira, wasn't that bothered. Unlike the Pandora's whose military style ranking of hierarchy was designed to maintain order; the limiters for the large part were not as restricted as they were. Of course, boys would always be boys and there was always going to be a group of them that competed with one another and just like most boys, there was also the minority whose thoughts had leaned more towards the lustful side. It was a well known fact that many Pandora's and Limiters continued to pair up after their services ended.

A chorus of cheers from half of those gathered here accompanied by the groans of the other half had signalled the reveal of the Limiter Rankings; Ira still digging away into his sandwich as a large group gathered around the large television screen. Again, his ranking was not really much of an issue for him, all things considering his score across the 4 events had all been within the top 30 so there was no way he'd rank lower than that.

Rank 13th, was the final result for Ira; the boy glancing at the results as he deposited the plastic container of his sandwich into one of the many bins stationed around the cafeteria. Better then he had expected and hopefully a rank that would be sufficient enough to satiate his former Drill Master. Her last words after all were to not disappoint her, so hopefully this rank would suffice for now, the last thing he wanted was to have her shout at him over the phone because he didn't 'apply himself' enough.

Energy returning and having no other reason to remain in the cafeteria, Ira soon made the decision to head to his dorm room hoping to sort his attire out as well as catch some shut eye before the big mixer tonight. Whilst the Limiter games were meant to be a big event, the truth of the matter was that it was only a compulsary preparation required for the 'true big event' which was the infamous Mixer. It was common knowledge that the mixer was an important annual event for the Pandora's and Limiters, a place where the vast majority of partnerships were going to be made between them. Whilst some saw it as a 'beautiful' thing, the harsh reality of it all was that the Limiters were essentially being put on show for their prospective partners. Like wares put on show for a prospective buyer, they were essentially being showcased in front of a group of women whose destinies were to fight off the Nova scourge.

Ira had no doubt in his mind that the Pandora's whose own Carnival had ended would be glancing over at the results of the Limiter Games, eyeing up who was the cutest Limiter, who was the strongest or who looked the more submissive and so on. Pandora's didn't necessarily just go for the strongest limiter, rather they tended to go to the ones whose personality or appearance tended to suit their taste and it was due to that that Ira also saw no real need to fully apply himself in the games today. As long as he placed relatively high he was sure that he would find a suitor.

It was on his way that Ira had stumbled across a few other Limiters along one of the adjacent hallways; a group of them appearing to take a jibe at another,questioning his low rank with obvious vitriol in their taunting. Ira had no intentions of stepping into a matter that didn't really concern him, rather he looked on in pity at the large group who seemed to take pleasure in tormenting someone who was meant to be their comrade. Though it seemed like their attempts to impose some form of dominance over their assumed lesser had failed spectacularly as his response was far from what they had expected or desired. A smirk appeared on Ira's face as he watched the large group disperse quickly; shaken by how their combined assault had failed.

It was upon closer inspection of the one dubbed 'Rank 94' that Ira had quickly began to recall the series of unfortunate events that he had fallen victim to, the consistent string of sabotage that seemed to swirl around him during the event. No doubt that had played a large part in him ranking last, the sheer fact that even the instructors had seemed to ignore him during the final event was just evident that he had either managed to piss off the Academy or that he had incurred god's wrath and misfortune had become his closest companion. Regardless, it may not have been the best of idea's to associate himself with someone that carried that much 'bad luck' with them.

A shake of the head and Ira was on his way again, eventually finding his way to his dorm room where he quickly found himself flailing onto his bed; not entirely keen on tonights events where he was basically going to be merchandise placed in a shop window to be gawked at by Pandora's. Ira truthfully was not sure how he felt about that.

It was awhile before he made his way into the showers, the boy beginning to get himself ready for the awkward few hours that would soon be upon him at the mixer; the boy already running several scenarios through his head about how the night was going to play out and regardless of the ending, it always seemed to start with sheer awkwardness. This was not because he'd be with the opposite gender, heck that was experience that he had in abundance. It was more down to the fact that he'd be putting his life in someone elses hand and they'd be doing the same with him. The mere thought of that could not help but make him feel nervous; the boy glancing in the mirror as he adjusted his eyepatch over his violet colored Iris, leaving only the apple green of his left eye visible.

Another half hour or so and Ira was now out of his room and on his way to the mixer, the boy dressed to impress as he wore a black tailcoat jacket with formal black trousers; though he did add his own flair with the rather garish looking belt buckle.

Entering the Grand Ballroom, Ira had to stop and gawk for a moment as his eyes widened at the sheer spectacle of the room's interior; the white and gold theme dazzling against the light of the large diamond chandelier hanging above. For a boy born to a middle class family, the sheer immensity of the grandiose display was enough to stun him in shock and awe. A world that was formerly beyond his grasp. This was an insight into the life of the wealthy, a land that someone of his status could have only ever dreamed about or see in movies. It was flashy, yet somewhat fitting as his eyes were torn away from the rooms decorations and onto the plethora of women currently mingling about; each of them dazzling stars in their own right as they prowled the first floor in their various garments; some daring and risqué leaving very little to the imagination.

The sound of laughter and chatter could be heard against the classical music being played as the gathering of Pandora's and Limiters began to intermingle with one another; a clear aura of tempered nerves being felt as both sides began the somewhat awkward introductions and courtship of potential partners. This was the famed 'Mixer' event of the Genetics academy, a place where partnerships were formed between man and women, a holy union brought together to fend off the Nova assaults and protect humanity. Finding the right partner was vital and could not be decided based on superficial attributes such as looks or power. Heck, even the ranking system was not an end all factor that should determine partnerships. No. The most important attribute was compatibility. Yet would Ira be compatible with anyone here?

Ira gulped and took the plunge, taking the first step into the shark infested pool of hungry Pandora's, the immediate feeling of several lecherous eyes already falling upon him as he quickly bolted to one side, avoiding a rather large crowd that had seemed to circle around an individual. It was a while before Ira had managed to get a good look at the trapped Limiter, the lucky or unlucky -depending on how you viewed it- man being none other than 'Mr Rank 1' Alexander Mythins. As if a puzzle piece falling into place, it soon made sense as to why he was being swarmed by various Pandora's. It wasn't all too surprising that the number 1 had gained a large group of admirers, his status being quite desirable. Whilst Ira had no doubt that some Pandora were genuinely interested in his talents and skills, he could also tell that some of the hungry women vying for his attention wanted nothing more than to use him as an accessory; the idea of having the Number 1 limiter wrapped around their finger being a valuable status symbol. Just like the limiters had access to the results of the Carnival, it made sense that the Pandora's would have access to the results of the 'Limiter Games'.

Ira sighed and thanked his lucky stars as he turned and walked away, noticing other large groups forming around a couple of the other 'Single Digits', a term that was quickly being brandished about during idle chatter. While it was almost every boys dream to be swarmed by a mob of women including Ira's, he was rather happy that he had managed to 'sneak away' from the same faith that those men had found themselves in. Ira was a fish out of water here, a middle class boy thrust into a high class setting. Dozens upon dozens of the Pandora's here were from wealthy backgrounds; families whose net worth was more than 100x more than that of his family. In normal situations, he'd be a fool to even approach them. How would he even speak to one of these women? How would he approach a women of higher status? Would he have to change the way he talked? Would his middle class background be unappealing to them?

Such thoughts could not be prevented from storming his mind as the red haired boy found himself passing by a silver haired Pandora clad in a cerulean coloured garment; her figure momentarily catching Ira's attention as he continued on his way up towards the stairs leading to the 2nd floor; hoping that a drink or two would ease his nerves. The last thing Ira wanted to do was to embarrass himself, to make a poor first impression. Ira was a confident individual and had this been in a middle class setting he'd have found himself all up in there and approaching the women 1 by 1 and offering his services, yet unfortunately that was not the case. These were women far out of his league, women from a completely different class of society and women who one of which he was to bond with in a far deeper relationship than that simply meeting a girl at a nightclub. That fact alone was enough to cause his confidence to waver ever so slightly. This was more than just walking up to a girl and asking her out.

With a cold beverage now in his hand thanks to a passing by Waiter whom had balanced several on a large silver platter, Ira had made his way over to a corner of the room and slumped himself against the wall, his one uncovered emerald eye examining the room as he watched various Pandora's and Limiters go about their business. Unsurprisingly, some of the men had been reduced to little more than horny dogs as they bounded after several women; almost begging them to be their Pandora; a faint smirk appearing on Ira's face as he recognised a couple of them as being the same Limiters that had earlier attempted to ridicule the one Ranked 94. Pathetic, how they basically prostrated themselves before the Pandora after trying to act all high and mighty earlier. Was that pride and bravado just for show? Or did they simply enjoy flaunting their 'power' over those that they perceived as being beneath them?. Interactions non existent between Ira and them, the red haired knew full well that he'd feel more at ease if his life were in the hands of Mr 94 rather than that of the men whom had been so shallow as to believe that they were better than what they really were.

Speaking of Mr 94, Ira had not yet seen the man during the short time he had been in the hall and he had to wonder if he was merely running late or if he had already ventured into the 3rd floor; a more private area for Pandora and Limiter to better familiarise themselves.

Ira sighed and took a sip of the drink, though his attempt to look 'Aloof' was somewhat shattered as his immediate reaction to the drink was to gag and almost spit out the beverage its flavor disagreeing with his palette. However rather than doing what he desired, he had managed to put up a brave face and persevered and swallowed, not wanting to stain his suit or make a fool out of himself. Whatever the drink was, It was clearly some high class champagne that probably costed more than his parents yearly wage and if his reaction was anything to go by then it was clear as day that he was not fond of it.

From Ira's vantage point, he could easily see all those coming and going between the second and first floor; his eyes glancing between each and every new individual that arrived from the floor below; whether they be Limiter or Pandora or even an already blossoming partnership. The latter had applied to a few couples as Ira watched them bypass the second and head straight to the third floor where they were allowed a more private conversation within the quieter space. Ira had heard rumours about what some of the previous years Pandora's and Limiters had gotten up to up there, some of which was honestly hard to believe prior to him actually coming to the academy. Alas, the things he had seen thus far, it wouldn't have been surprising if all the rumours he had heard were actually true.

A sigh escaped Ira as he turned to glance at the stairway once more, eyes widening in shock as they fell upon a notable individual for two particular reasons. The first was an undeniably noticable feature of the Pandora, one that many men would be hard pressed not to notice and gawk at considering how gravity defying they seemed to be. Like Ira, a lot of the other limiters had been stunned in silence as they stared at the sizeable bosom of the Pandora; their gawking lasting seconds only as for one reason or another they were pulled out of their daze. One particular pairing that was on the verge of being solidified had been snuffed, the Pandora slapping the perverted Limiter as his attention was drawn away from her and onto QT's breast size.

The 2nd most notable feature was her attire, a start contrast to the dazzling dresses that the majority of the women were wearing during the mixer. Whilst for the most part the majority of the clothes that the Pandora's were wearing were quite 'risque' and revealing, QT's was anything but and spoke more towards her heritage; the traditional attire hinting towards nobility with its colors yet also sparking mystery as it did a fine job hiding the voluptuous assets hidden underneath. Ira however was more 'mature' than some of the other Limiters present and did a very good job with hiding his wandering gaze, the red haired boy pretending to fiddle with his eye patch so as to hide the fact that he had been staring. Those orbs gave 'big' a whole new definition.

His longer than normal gaze towards the bountiful Pandora was soon rewarded with an answer to his earlier question; the sight of 'Mr 94' appearing from across the room as he made his way directly towards the traditionally dressed Pandora. With renewed interest, Ira had continued to watch from his spot on the the opposite side of the room, curious to see the fate of a man whom had earlier intrigued him. Would his misfortune continue or was all the bad luck during the Limiter Games just a preparation for tonight's event. Considering how many other Limiters had gawked at QT, it was only really Daisuke who had taken the real initiative and approached. Smiling, Ira had rooted for Daisuke during this moment, if only to see the faces of those that had earlier tried to taunt him for his position.

Alas his desire to silently root for Daisuke in his brazen attempt to woo the Rank 8 Pandora was cut short as a minor commotion near the railings overlooking the first floor had distracted Ira. He had initially ignored the duo at the railings, assuming it was just another Pandora and Limiter attempting to get to know one another. Though considering that the one mistaken for a Limiter had now been slapped by the Pandora and the victim was now shouting back, it had become quite apparent just what had happened and Ira himself had to laugh. Completely uninvolved with the fiasco, he too had assumed the girl to be a Limiter; the attire she wore resembling many of the clothing that the Boys wore. He did however have to thank her at some point as he watched her walk over to where the silver haired Pandora stood. Despite it being unintentional, Coco had helped to rule out that other Pandora as a possible partner. There was no way Ira would be caught with a Pandora who was so quick to resort to violence.

The mixer thus far had been rather interesting to say the least, Ira simply enjoying the sights and sounds of the events around him; the red hair simply going along with the flow as the night dragged on. Yet it didn't look like ending anytime soon as Ira noticed Alexander appear from the stairs, the Rank 1 limiter walking in his direction as he found a secluded spot against the same wall Ira had been leaning against. It seemed like he had just retreated from a major battlefield, the shade of red that colored his cheek and his heavy breathing clear signs of how his night had been thus far. Ira laughed once more and began to walk over to where Alexander stood; ignoring the mumbling and whispers that various Pandora's were making.

"You look like shit" spoke Ira, leaning against the wall next to Alexander. "Though I suppose that's the price you have to pay for coming first" he continued, chuckling ever so slightly as he took note of each and every girl looking in their direction, well at Alexander. A devious thought had entered Ira's mind as a smirk appeared across his face. There was no way he was going to let the Rank 1 representitive of the Limiters shy away from the crowd. He had the responsibility of having to put on a brave front, to represent the boys. If he showed weakness, how would the Pandora's react towards those that had placed lowered than him in the Games. Nope. Ira was not going to let him have it easy.

"So, Mr Rank 1!" began Ira, raising his voice so that most of those on the 2nd floor would hear him. "Have you picked your partner yet?!" he questioned loudly and almost instantly he felt the pressure double as more eyes turned to their direction. "Oh You haven't?!" continued Ira, not really waiting for an answer and simply relying on deduction. Alexander had come here to escape the baying mob of girls downstairs... if he had had a suitor than he wouldn't have had to hide himself. "So Why haven't you found a Pandora yet?.. What is it that you are looking for?" continued Ira, on the verge of laughing as he taunted Mr Rank 1.

Ira smiled at Alexander's retort, an expected response and one that had done very little to deter him from continuing this charade and joyful goading of the man leading the ranks of the Limiters. On one hand, it was reassuring to see that their number 1 had not lost his nerve; despite having already fled from 'one battlefield' tonight. A smile appeared on Ira's face, as Alexander turned into him, the boy's difference in build becoming even more apparent. Whilst they were of similar height, Ira could not deny that Alexander's general build was far more imposing and intimidating than that of Ira's. Perhaps that was why he had seemingly breezed through the Limiter Games with ease; yet Ira did have to question just how much closer their ranks would have really been if he had given it his all and not settled for doing 'just enough'.

Expecting Alexander to continue, Ira like the limiter standing opposite him were both interrupted by the cold sterile voice of what was soon to be revealed as belonging to none other than the Number 1 Pandora; Anastasia Allard. Ira had heard several other limiters mention her name and out of curiosity gone to check the Pandora rankings himself prior to the Mixer. With her arrival it was clear to Ira that this was quickly becoming apart of a situation he'd much rather not be involved in; especially since without having to be told it was quite obvious why she was here.

Like Ira, she too had asked the same questions though unlike him, her intent was truly genuine whereas Ira's had been more tongue in cheek. Ira had only asked the question in an attempt to make Rank 1's night a little bit more harder.To have a group of women swarm him, just so Ira could sit back and watch him suffer. Call it Karma for coming in first place. Alas, the attempt to draw the little fish towards the bait had instead pulled in a shark; the uniform wearing Anastasia now fixated on Alexander. Whilst the room itself had become fixated on the whole situation. With the rank 1 pandora and the rank 1 limiter together, Ira could not deny feeling out of place and he didn't exactly enjoy the idea of being seen as a 3rd wheel throughout this eye catching situation.

With the purely selfish intention of sacrificing Alexander for his own benefit and attempt to get away from the commotion, Ira had begun to turn away as Alexander was grilled by Anastasia, however his attempt had been stopped when the petite blonde had instead turned to him. This was his karma now. Turning back to face Anastasia and wearing a rather forced smile, Ira knowing that he'd need to act the part had begun to bow towards her, his right arm across his abdomen as his red hair hung over. "Rank 13, Ira Kane" he replied, "It is an honour to meet you, Rank 1 Anastasia Allard"

Despite how Ira wasn't exactly thrilled to be speaking so formally and acting as such; it had been beaten into him by his former commanding officer in the British army that this kind of behaviour was to be expected once he became a Limiter and that doing otherwise would only cause his time here to be hellish as well as put into jeopardy. A risk he could not take considering he needed the income for his family. Despite how forward he was with Alexander, he could not act as such with the Pandora's who took ranking for more seriously than the Limiters did.

"Alas Lady Anastasia, I do not wish to take away anymore of your time with our Rank 1 limiter, so I will take my leave" added Ira, taking a step back while momentarily raising his head to glance at Alexander, a faint cheeky smile on the red head's face as if to say 'Good Luck' to his fellow limiter.

Amidst the gasp of the surrounding Pandora, Ira too was caught rather off guard by how Anastasia had spoken to him, the red haired boy fully expecting the short statured blonde to be far more harsh and callous due to their drastically different positions. Not only were the Pandora seen as the more domineering between the two branches, she stood at the peak of all other women in this room and had every right to assert her own authority and dominance over everyone else, yet despite all that and despite how she had initially approached Alexander, she had been far more tolerant of Ira, though Ira soon surmised why she had perhaps acted in such a manner with him.

It had to be because of Alexander, Ira suspecting the blonde haired girl to be acting a tad bit 'differently' because she wanted to make a good expression for the Rank 1 Limiter, after all what man in their right mind would willingly enter a pact with someone whose nature was less than appealing. A faint smile again appeared upon Ira's face as he silently thanked Alexander for being an effective sacrificial lamb; the ensuing unfolding of their partnership soon to be a moment of great entertainment for Ira as it would no doubt have a rippling affect among the other Pandora and Limiters.

"Thank you for your kind words, Anastasia Allard. I will keep them in mind" replied Ira as he took another step back and turned, looking for a gap in the crowd in which he could begin his escape. Everyone else remained transfixed upon the coming together of the two Rank 1's; a match that seemed to have been made in heaven due to their positions at the pinnacle of their respective branches. Alas just as Ira had managed to break free from the crowd of onlookers, the sudden eerie silence that had overtaken the room had caused him to freeze and turn back towards the scene, Ira's mouth dropping as he watched Alexander flee the scene.

For several long seconds there was an awkward silence as nearly everyone tried to make sense of what had just happened, though that silence was quickly consumed by the chaotic nature of everyone elses reactions; each perhaps reverting to their base natures as they tried to comprehend what really occurred. For the most part the Pandora's had reacted rather vehemently as they made their outrage clear, whilst the limiters were more mixed in their response; some laughing only to be given the death glare by several Pandora, whilst other looked on in horror, perhaps imagining what the repercussions were going to be, especially for Alexander who had to put it bluntly, disrespected the rank 1 Pandora.

Ira on the other hand had already placed a palm to his own face, sighing heavily as he shook his head. Ira was clearly exasperated by the fact that Alexander basically dug a grave for himself with this single action and in doing so had given the other Limiters a more negative depiction. After all, if this was the calibre of the Rank 1 Limiter, what expectations could the Pandora's have for the other 93 whom had failed to take the top spot.

Another sigh escaped Ira mouth as he turned away once more and chose to make himself scarce, knowing that he was perhaps somewhat at fault for putting Alexander in the limelight like this with his earlier taunting, though who was he to know that the Rank 1 Limiter had such an issue with being around the opposite gender.