Futuristic Mass Deception

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: thelovelyloser ​

Mena followed the girl's gaze as she swept over her body. She couldn't fault her for that, she'd done the thing to new people countless times. Mena was annoyed at the dismissive comment of the girl, but she didn't let her pleasant smile falter. She's dealt with poor attitudes before, this was nothing new to her. "Well, the pleasure is mine. I'm terribly sorry but I don't think I caught-" she was interrupted when a blonde girl close to their age made her appearance in the doorway. She introduced herself as Aster and her companion as Lukas. Mena was far more interested in the mention of the Bazaar then anything else they had to say.

As the two 19's turn to leave, Mena was not far behind them. She glanced over her shoulder and watched the girl who was trailing behind her. Mena slowed her pace and fell into lockstep with her. Mena nudged the girl's arm lightly to get her attention. "Hey, are you feeling okay sweetheart? Maybe you're not up for this." Mena poured as much compassion into her voice as she could. A team was only as good as the weakest link and from where Mena was standing, it was this girl at the moment and she was not keen on having that link exposed on their first day here. While Mena didn't totally understand the politics at work here, she assumed that team success was as important as individual success here and she would not be dragged down by her team.

 

[thelovelyloser]

The world felt like it was pulling a sick joke on Penelope because every single time one of her teammates approached her she was practically leaping out of her skin, already pale skin turning ghostly white. Though the words spoken by Filomena may have come off the wrong way to some people, Penny found no offense in them. Not a fiber in her being thought she was cut out for this in any way shape or form, but she had no choice right? None of them did. She wished that she hadn't been so obvious about it though, not wanting her team to think of her as a burden. She was terrified more now than she had ever been but she would still do her best. From here on out every decision meant life or death after all.

However, the worry was apparently clear on her expression by the compassionate tone coming from the brunette at her side. She began to wave her arms frantically in front of her as if to brush off the suggestion. "M-Me? Oh no!" The words flew from her lips, nerves taking over rather than thinking about what she was saying first, "I'm totally fine! Peachy actually! H-How are you?" What the hell was she even saying? Peachy? Mentally she slapped herself because she was obviously not fine and Mena knew that. To exaggerate the fact that she was 'totally fine' she forced out an awkward laugh paired with a smile that ended up being the most unnatural act possible. "I'm Penelope- I mean, T-Twelve?" She found herself trying to shift the topic, wondering why she was speaking so much. Was she suppose to introduce herself normally, give out her number, or both? This was too too much, causing her head to throb. Hopefully they would be to the combat training soon.

 

[Hugh Flynn]

THE BAZAAR
The pavilion that the Collectees were dropped on unceremoniously was now lined with numerous stalls, each booth now displaying various weapons. Different shapes and sizes, handed options, bladed, blunt, and thrown weapons could be seen from the barracks entrance. All the weapons were provided by Research squads of different divisions, each armament state-of-the-art. Now all this was set up for the newcomers, but one distinctive booth attracted more foot traffic than the others.

OBJECTIVE
Pick your character's weapon(s)! Explore the pavilion and gain as much information as you can before the trainees are whisked away to a hellish practical assessment.

PEOPLE OF INTEREST

Spoiler: Jullian

Located near the entrance of the barracks. May hold useful information about the assessment test.

Spoiler: Albert

Opposite side of the pavilion overlooking the bazaar. May hold advice about weapon choice.

Spoiler: Lukas

Seated on a barrel, talking to one of the teachers. May leak information about the test that is to come.

Spoiler: Owner of Distinctive Booth

Leaning on his stall, reading a blueprint. Holds information about his specific stall.

 

[Chawieeee]

Slowly but surely Layla and her group arrived at the bazaar where they were supposed to pick and choose their weapons. She wandered around looking from booth to booth like a child who lost her mother in a grocery store, thinking which weapon choice would fit her the best. It wasn't until she walked past a booth with machete's she suddenly stopped and stared at them for a solid minute and half. She did not know what it was, but something told her this would not only be her weapon choice, but probably also her best friend for the rest of her life. It did not matter either if she believed this or not, but she was pretty sure this would be true as well.

With a slight hurry, Layla slowly ran towards the booth where luckily not many people were standing, compared to this one other booth on the opposite side. "Hey, could you give me 2 of those please?" the tiny blond haired girl asked in a manner which was not polite nor rude, but more expeditiously some would say. She quickly signed the paper she was given by the owner and left the booth she arrived at just a couple minutes ago. She put her two machete's back in its scabbards and turned around facing the one that started looking like a night market.

Layla slowly walked up to it, trying to remain under the radar and queuing up whilst doing her absolute best to see what was going on. She stood on her toes, looked to the left and to the right trying to catch some of her teammates seeing what they were doing to finally realizing she just has to wait until the people at the front of the queue steadily start disappearing. Although she noticed some quite interesting faces, including one she had seen at the entrance of the bazaar and one who led her and her roommates here together with the white haired girl, she had absolutely no interest in any sort of human interaction at this moment of time. Not that she isn't capable of having a conversation (although some might think differently based on her interaction with the girl in their room), but she already felt like asking for two machete's was absolutely enough human contact for the day.

Slowly Layla started to make her way through the line, attempting to push herself between people and making her way finally towards the front where the booth owner was reading some blueprint. "Finally" Layla sighed annoyingly.
"So what is this fuss all about?" the girl asked the owner whilst turning her head back and forth, looking at the owner, then the queue behind her.

 

[-ferret-]

Entering the Bazaar left Weasel feeling giddy. He'd never had a weapon before. Never even coming close to one. His mother always thought he would injure himself with being so wild and scatterbrained and all. He walked from booth to booth, checking out each item.

He ultimately signed out three different weapons. A small dagger that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, a set of throwing knives, and a left handed traditional bow (with arrows of course). He was a bit encumbered with everything he'd gotten, but it didn't stop him from checking out everything else the Bazaar had to offer.

Nothing else seemed to catch his eye and he returned to Aster, following her around for the rest of the time, a happy grin on his face.

 

[Hugh Flynn]

Setting
The booth that had drawn the attention of many people was smack dab in the middle of the entire bazaar. Instead of the common wooden stalls and plastic tables, this stand was stylish, decorative, and made from metal. Holographic screens floated across the front, holding what looked like a waiting list and a menu. Barely any weapons were being displayed, but the ones that were were being scanned and rescanned by a few floating drones, blue beams projecting out of the drones' front.

Person of Interest Interaction with Chawieeee

The person that manned the stall was preoccupied with a blueprint and a floating screen. At first, he paid no mind to the inquisitive girl as he pointed his fingers at the blueprints as his other hand quickly tapped on the screen. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized he had a potential customer and dismissed the screen while rolling up the blueprint.

"G'day madame." he paused, trying to recall her question, "You're wondering what the fuss is all about, am I right? Huh..."
The stall owner leaned forward on his elbows, eyeing the female in front of him with a discerning stare.
"I haven't seen you around here before. You're a new one. A Collectee."

The man paused as he picked up a sword from the sword mount behind him.
"Hold this." he instructed as he extended the sword's hilt towards the trainee.
"D'ya see or feel anything special about it?" He asked as a look of mischief slowly revealed itself on his face.

​

 

[Chawieeee]

Layla looked around her, scanning her environment like how the drones are scanning the weapons. Truth being told, she already felt annoyed by the "G'day" greeting of the owner, but as kind as she is, she let her annoyance slip past her.

"Is that what I'm classified as now? A Collectee? Sure, better than a sequence of numbers I suppose." She responded with a sassy manner. She took the sword by its hilt and held it for the owner like she was ordered to.

"Honestly? No." the girl responded again to the owner's question. She turned the sword upside down and scanned it, but there was nothing that made it feel special to her.

 

[Hugh Flynn]

Person of Interest Interaction with Chawieeee

The owner chuckled, taking the weapon back from the student with an attitude. "You're feisty. I like that. The teachers are going to have a rough time if you're not the only one with sass."

He stepped out of his stall, gripping the sword's handle as he loosened his form. It was hard to see under all his denim clothing, but an experienced eye could tell that he had experience wielding weapons. "It's a perfectly normal sword." To demonstrate, he swung at a nearby unoccupied stall, the edge ripping cleanly through the wood. He let the blade stay stuck in the stall, "Perfectly normal... until you press this button."

He pointed a calloused finger at a point on the weapon's hilt right underneath his thumb. His thumb ever so slightly pressed down, its weight pushing a barely discernable indentation into view. "Press it, and this happens."

The man's thumb fully pressed down on the button. What looked like spikes erupted all over the sword's edge, sending a few splinters every which way. "Let go, and this happens." He promptly let go, causing the newly formed spikes around the blade to rotate, chainsaw-fashion. The wooden stall was no more as the spiky blade ripped through it, each devastating spike tearing into the wood.

Satisfied with his demonstration, the owner returned to his spot behind his booth. "Welcome to the Upgrades Booth." he presented with a flourish of his hands. "This is where trainees get to upgrade and modify their weapons, given they have the authorization of a teacher and the necessary requirements. Unfortunately, you haven't gone on any missions yet, so upgrades will have to wait." He added with a small wink.

 

[Chawieeee]

Layla stood next to the owner with his denim clothing, if this was a fashion show he would end up bang in the middle if it was for Layla. Fortunately for both of them it was not a fashion show, but an upgrade booth instead.
She stood next to the owner and watched carefully as the magic happened. "Cool...", Layla reacted to his demonstration with doubt "But it takes the fun away of slicing people's throats myself." She explained her ironic reaction in a brisk manner as she turned around, quite unsatisfied with what she got out of that after the trouble she went through.

She turned around and walked towards her last booth where she asked for glaives as her hand-thrown weapon. She signed the paper as quick as possible and left the booth in no time and without any trail. With one machete and some glaives in each hand she found a barrel next to the guy who accompanied the white haired girl from earlier. She jumped on it and placed her chosen weapons against the barrel waiting for her other contemporaries.

 

[PinkChiffon]

Mena watched the girl's reaction curiously. ‘God, she’s got no poker face.’ She honestly felt sorry for the girl. It seems like she’s going to have a difficult time adjusting here. “No need for a number with me, we’re peers after all, right? You have a lovely name, Penelope. I’m Filomena, but please, call me Mena. All of my friends do,” Mena smiled softly, her tone even and gentle. Just like she was taught. Establish a feeling of closeness and familiarity by establishing an informal name. Start by being a comforting presence, and later insert yourself to be a personal confidant. “It’s truly a pleasure meeting you Penelope, I’m looking forward to us working together. I’ll be seeing you.” Mena tapped the girl’s arm once more as she said her goodbyes as the group approached the bazaar.

______________

Mena browsed the bazaar looking for something to call out to her. Pretty much immediately she picked up a set of throwing knives. She had no idea how to properly throw them, but she knew the importance of keeping a small knife around just in case. Even if she never threw it, it brought her comfort knowing she had one.

She was feeling quite overwhelmed with options and she breezed around bodies trying o get a good look at the weapons offered. It may have taken longer to find a weapon then she would have liked, but when you know, you know. Among the chaos of the room, Mena saw a stand of swords. Displayed alongside them, was a beautifully crafted basket-hilted rapier. It was every bit as lovely as the one she had back home! Mean spoke to the person running the stall, and she held the rapier in her hand. The weight was a little bit different then what she was used to, but in time she’d adapt.

Weapons in hand, she surveyed her surroundings. With all the hustle and bustle going on, Mena figured she’d seize the opportunity to slip away and get the lay of the land a bit better. As she slinked around, she spotted the man who had been there when everyone had woken up. Mena watched him for a moment, trying to decide her best course of action. She didn’t know him, which meant she couldn’t get a read on if it was a good time to approach. If she wanted answers, she was just going to have to gamble on it. “Excuse me!” Mena called to him as she approached. “Hello, I’m from Team Alpha 4373-0015. You seem like the sort of man who knows a bit about what’s going on around here. I was wondering if there is anything you’d be able to share about the assessment. If you know, that is.”

 

[Yakov011001]

The Bazzar was quite lively, what with so many colectees getting all pumped up for getting their weapons and jumping into the action. As much as he was on that boat, he reeled himself back. This was the time to get serious. He dropped the friendly act just for the shortest bit, he can't think properly while he's so busy keeping up appearances: everyone's too distracted to notice anyway.

The Khopesh. Klaüs observed each individual stall and the weapons they had stocked, but he'd kept to things he was at least passingly familiar with. Lightweight, comparative to other one handed weapons; however, these ones have been manufactured to be larger and have thicker blades. He approached the stall and retrieved it and felt it was much heavier than anticipated. He also saw it was a full tang assembly, the handle being pinned on both sides. On the bottom of the tang he saw a bit of squished engravings, perhaps a remnant of a print on the metal, pre-forge. 1095 HC? Ah, the alloy grade! That was a pretty strong metal, with a carbon content of 0.95% percent he was starting to understand how much money goes into these weapons. Still, he had to consider more than just the strength of the blade, but it's form as well. Its curved edge was impressive for cutting, the curve allowing for full leverage swings to do more damage than a straight-edge sword. Still, with the distinct lack of a guard, and the curve having been so extreme: it doesn't leave much in the way of defensive capabilities. Yeah, I'll pass.

The Katana, impressively offensive, while still maintaining mobility and defensive capabilities. He took one and checked the back of the blade; while katanas don't very well communicate their steel composition, if you know what to look for you might find something even more interesting. There were two stripes on the back, indicating a metal differing from the main structure. Gomai blade composition, this looks promising. The blade was constructed in such a way that a flexible shintetsu steel was sandwiched between two shells of hard hatetsu steel. Like this, the blade has enough give to not shatter on impact. It looks promising, but this hira zukuri angle. The blade was rather thin, extremely thin, and the cutting angle was as low as five percent. The blade might not shatter, but I won't be able to hit anything without chipping the blade! Time to move on, I guess.

The Scythe. Meh, too impractical, same edge chipping issues of the katana, too. Next.

The Rapier.



Klaüs stopped in his tracks. The rapier didn't seem like all that bad a plan. Like this, he was a defensive powerhouse. The natural finesse of the weapon allowing for full range of movement and superior space control. Though, as much as he was pulled to it, something shook him away. Right, it wouldn't be good for crowds, nor would its rather underwhelming weight be able to fend off heavier attacks. In addition, it limits attack options as it is mainly a piercing weapon as opposed to a slashing weapon.

"Perhaps--perhaps another time." He whispered to himself, as he turned away from the rapiers. Even still, something felt wrong as he did so.

After some time of meticulously analyzing each individual weapon available to him, he landed on a rather peculiar choice. Something he hadn't really expected, or thought about.

The Flammenschwert? He questioned himself, but the more he dug into his prior knowledge his research had lend him he found that weaknesses were hard to come by on this weapon. In essence, it was just a zweihandler with serrations towards the base, but that deceptively simple design was important to it's impenetrable defense. With such a large and commanding presence, you've got a lot of coverage with just a neutral stance alone. Parrying a strike takes next to nothing. He took the sword into his hands, damn this thing was heavy. What's this thing made out of? After some investigating on the blades of the individual swords, he found one with a similar defect to the earlier khopesh. Seems this one kept it's engraving through the forging process. 52100 UHC chromium-steel!? That's fucking insane! This blade was far stronger than any of the others present; though, the weight would be a detriment to any of the other weapons. This one could channel that into high-momentum swings that are good for crowd control. Even in a one-on-one this weapon trumps others; the only conceivable weakness being the reach. Its reach makes it good for distance swings, but it also makes for weak strikes should the opponent were to step in close enough to mitigate the arc of the swing. Of course, that's an issue of the zweihandler that the serrations of the flamberge solve in this blade. Should an enemy get too close for a full swing, the close-in serrations will aid in dealing additional damage by way of sawing through armour skin and bone on retreat. It was, in truth, the ultimate weapon. Especially in the hands of someone who's come to comprehend the theory behind the blade.

"Sir, might I sign off on this one?" He asked the attendant.

 

[Hugh Flynn]

PERSON OF INTEREST INTERACTION WITH PinkChiffon

Jullian had just come back from an exhausting talk with the assessment team. With some of the senior teams out on missions, an impromptu beta assessment team was put together. He now leaned on the entrance of the barracks, his usual post when it came to the Bazaar. This year's Bazaar seems to be quite peaceful, I suppose I could lea- His plans for an early lunch break were put on hold when a trainee addressed him.

"Excuse me!" Hello, I’m from Team Alpha 4373-0015. You seem like the sort of man who knows a bit about what’s going on around here. I was wondering if there is anything you’d be able to share about the assessment. If you know, that is."

Jullian chuckled to himself. This year's trainees have a higher degree of bravado than last year. Oh boy, something tells me this year's going to be one hectic ball. Jullian turned to the trainee with a friendly smile. "Looking for information about the assessment test? You've come to the right person. Since you already seem to know how to properly introduce yourself to authority, I'll divulge some information."

The teacher pushed off of the wall and now stood with strict posture, arms crossed. In complete seriousness, the man started talking. "The practical assessment test will be based on your basic skills such as speed, strength, dexterity, and alertness. The trainees will run an obstacle course. Mind you, this course marked a 46% failure rate last year. Now what the teachers won't tell you in the briefing later is that some of your seniors will take part in the course as obstacles."

Jullian quickly scanned the girl's form and manner of holding her weapons. "You seem semi-experienced with that rapier of yours, judging by your stance and how you hold it. Personally, I'd like to see my senior trainees get roughed up a bit by Collectees," he winked with a smirk tugging at his lips. "Anything else you need to know?"

FLAMMENSCHWERT STALL OWNER
Yakov011001

The owner grunted as he pushed over a clipboard with a signature list on it. "A man of taste. Wish you luck in the test later when you wield that bad boy." The man turned away, picking up a smaller flammenschwert to sharpen on the grindstone behind him.

 

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: Hugh Flynn ​

Mena briefly returned his smile in kind, feeling a bit relieved that he was receptive to her inquiry rather than dismissing her. "So what I'm hearing is that more than half passed last year. That's interesting, isn't it? As for my seniors running the course, why have them run it again? They've already proven themselves. They have no reason to push as hard as the rest of us." Mena's gaze narrowed just for a moment, trying to suss out if she was being messed with, but his intel seemed genuine to her.

His comment about her weapon made her stand up a little straighter, her gaze darted to her periphery to see if anyone from a different team could be floating around. While Mena was pretty open about most things in her life, her rapier training was something she wasn't too keen on other collectees knowing, at least not yet. There are just somethings that should be a surprise. "That is very kind of you to say," she loosed her grip on the sword, "but perhaps I just got lucky with my form." A slight smile formed, letting it known that she was holding back some information. Mena held out her to shake, "I think you've given me what I needed. Thank you, it was nice to meet you Mr.- I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name."

 

[Hugh Flynn]

PERSON OF INTEREST INTERACTION WITH PinkChiffon

Jullian flashed another friendly smile. "You're optimistic, that's good for someone who was just collected. Usually, people focus on the 47% that failed. But yeah, it is interesting that more than half of last year's batch ...passed the assessment test."

"The name's Jullian. Trainees are to call me Sir Jullian, or just Sir. I don't like my securi-tag. It was nice to meet you as well." A high-pitched beep resonated from Jullian's wrist, seemingly coming from a bracer he was wearing. He took one look before addressing the trainee.

"That's my cue to leave. If you excuse me." The towering man turned to leave before faltering for just a second. "Oh and, you must've misunderstood me. The seniors aren't running to complete the course," He looked back with a mischievous grin, "They're running to keep YOU from completing the course."

With that, Jullian tapped his bracer and paced away. "Lian speaking. Understood. On my way."

 

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: Chawieeee ​

As Filomena took her leave, she began to digest the information that was given to her. 'An obstacle course...Damn'. While Mena was in decent physical shape, it wasn't as if she'd been practicing any hurdle jumping in her off time. Failure wasn't an option to her, and luckily the numbers weighed in her favor. Sure she wasn't the most agile, but she was probably just as good or better than half of the 18's here. Besides, she has the advantage of foresight know that she knows her seniors will be there to intentionally trip people up. Now she just had to locate the rest of her team to pass along what she learned.

It didn't take Mena long to locate the blonde girl she had spoke to back at the barracks. She seemed to have finished up her weapons shopping and was waiting around for everyone else to do the same. With confident strides, Mena made her way over to her, glancing at her machete. "That's a really interesting choice," Mena chirped on her approach. "By the way, you forgot to mention your name earlier," Mena leaned in a bit closer to her, her voice dropped to a quieter volume but retained its sly know it all tone. "If you'd care to share, I have something I can offer in return, once the rest of the team gets here."

 

[thelovelyloser]

After the awkward interaction with Filomena, Penelope was feeling much more relaxed when they emerged into the large pavillion allowing the others to drift into their own directions. It wasn't that she didn't like the brunette, in fact she had been extremely kind. No one had ever complimented her name before! Even it it was just a nicety, the comment made her flush. Something about her tone made Penelope not want to rush away immediately, but she had ruined it by being her usual stuttering self. Still, the crowded area allowed her to blend in and take a breath, focusing on herself rather than the others. Though she was nervous about the whole concept of weaponry at least there would be training... right? There was no way they would be thrown in blind right off the bat.

While waiting in the lines she scanned every other booth, shivers running down her spine every time she saw light glint off of the metal given to the other trainees. The first booth she approached the owner insisted that some curved swords were perfect for her. "They just scream- this girl right here! You could take on anyone with these bad boys." He tried to persuade her, but she immediately stepped back and declined the offer. They were practically twice her size! Also, after the incident when she was younger she had no intention of going anywhere near anywhere near a blade like that unless it was necessary.

One in particular was surrounded by people waiting, catching her eye. Though she didn't want to be around all of them, her curiosity was equally as strong meaning that it was a battle of will. She stepped closer only to see the intimidating blonde from her team standing with the owner who held a sword with moving spikes. "Humm... No." She mumbled to herself, spinning the opposite direction. As she wandered with no results she was beginning to loose faith that she would find anything at all. She thought that due to researching weapons before this she would have better luck finding one, but they were much different than pictures on paper. Everything was either too intimidating or sharp- which though that was the goal, it was too much for her.

With time she wandered over to a booth that only had one other person in line, thinking it was the perfect place to browse with low pressure. Her eyes scanned the items, landing on one in particular. It was a cross bow, mostly a rich an dark wood with accents of metal. With the shop keeper noticing her eye on it, he offered to let her hold it. The moment it was in her hands she almost dropped it, being much heavier than expected. However once she had a grip it seemed to fit perfectly, almost as if it were made for her. She rose the bow, peering down the middle as a small smile tugged on her lips. "I think I'll take it..." With that she signed for it, collecting her new possession along with arrows to pair with it. The perfect weapon honestly, how had she not thought of it sooner? The idea of staying a comfortable range away from her targets filled her with ease.

After a bit more looking and being convinced to sign for a small knife in the case of hand to hand combat- which she hoped would rally happen because even the small blade made her nervous- she made her way back to the entrance where a few other team mates stood. Setting the crossbow onto of a barrel she hummed quietly while examining it, wondering if there was anything she could do to tweak it- she had to stop herself from thoughts like that. She had no experience tinkering with weapons after all. Instead she ran her fingers along one of the arrows, pressing the pad of her index finger to the sharp tip. A hiss escaped at the small puncture, pulling her hand back. Man, that's sharp.

 

[Chawieeee]

Layla sat on her barrel waiting for her companions to get ready, when the girl she talked to earlier came around again. She tried her best not to look pissed off and with some difficulties she slowly turned her head around and looked at her with a straight face.

Layla acknowledged her comment on her weapon choice which she decided not to comment on. Instead she answered her question which sounded more like a deal to her: “Layla, what are you offering?” The innocent looking girl answered and asked directly.

Interactions: PinkChiffon

 

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: Chawieeee ​

"It's nice to finally have a name to put to you, Layla." Mena smiled as she glanced back over her shoulder, checking to see if someone could have been listening in or if a fellow teammate was close by. Filomena returned her gaze back to Layla and spoke just above a whisper, "So I spoke to the guy who was there when we had woken up. The assessment is an obstacle course. He told me that some of the older years are going to be running with us to try and stop us from finishing. We shouldn't shy away from combat with them, either. I'm being kind to tell you this. From what I gather, the only route to success here is by working well with a team. If we're well-coordinated from the jump, we could be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else here. If you see any of the others before the assessment, let them know what we're in for."

 

[Chawieeee]

Layla sat half interested and half uninterested on her barrel listening to this girl’s explanation whom she still does not know the name of. She honestly did not mind it, it was not like she needed her in any way so there really was no point at this moment in time to learn her name.

“Interesting...” Layla replied, thinking how to word her next sentence the best possible manner. “Sadly I don’t put my faith in other people’s hands, especially not people who I’ve just met. But thanks for the information.” Layla continued, trying not to sound rude, but not knowing how it came across. Secretly she did not want to work together either with people who were dealing chocolate and eating carrots, maybe she should have told her that too as that seemed way more reasonable, but at the end she kept that information to herself.

It probably is better to work together as a group, but Layla was determined to fight on her own and pass the test on her own. If she were not to pass, she would know she would not belong on the battlefield anyways.

Interactions: PinkChiffon

 

[Shadow Cat]

​

Aster had resigned herself to wandering the Bazaar, looking at the various new weapons and upgrades that had rolled out since her last visit as she found herself alone. The 18s had dispersed the moment they had seen the glint of metal, and Lukas had wandered off without saying anything as well, not that that particularly surprised her. He was a man of exceedingly few words, after all.

Without warning, however, she found herself being trailed, and nearly turned around to grab the pursuer by the throat and ask just what the hell they thought they were doing until she realized it was one of the 18s from her group. The little redheaded one, to be exact. What had his name been again? She couldn't remember. Had anyone even told her? She wasn't sure.

"I see you've found your calling," she said, slowing her pace so the boy could more easily walk at her side as she nodded at the weapons in his hands. Then, before he had a chance to answer, she spotted another member of the group from earlier, another male. This one was one she had labelled earlier as calculative, albeit a little manipulative. This one she had definitely overheard the 'name' of, and she called it out as she approached. "Thirteen!"It looked as though the boy had found his weapon already, and was currently signing his name to it before lifting it off the counter. "It's almost time for the Assessment. You ready to go?"

 

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: Chawieeee ​

God, Mena never wanted to roll her eyes so much in her life, but that wouldn't be polite in front of a new acquaintance. "That's foolish," Mena said plainly. "If we were meant to go about this alone, they wouldn't have split everyone into teams. But if you want to lone-wolf it, that's you're prerogative. Close to half of the collectees failed this assessment, and I'd wouldn't doubt that a lot of those were people who decided they didn't need help. I'd still appreciate it if you would do me the favor of letting others from the team know what I said." Mena spotted Aster and the guy who had taken the corner bed earlier. As Mena went to turn away, she called over her shoulder, "Good luck, Layla. I sincerely hope you won't need it," and she went to join Aster and the boy.

 

[Yakov011001]

"Of course," Klaüs had signed off on his flammenschwert, approaching this Aster girl. "Might not mean much coming from an unranked collectee, but thanks for showing us around."

Yeah, he was pretty impartial to her, but he imagined she felt the same. Even if she was just following orders, he thought it nice of her to offer some sort of direction. As he took to her side, he adjusted the short leather sleeve on his hips so he could free up his hands from carrying his sword.

"So, where is this assessment anyway? And how many of you are we fighting?" He asked.

He was partially joking about that second question, but it only made sense that they'd have to. The teaching staff would be much too small--even if it'd take only one of them to do the job--and it'd be a good exercise for the higher stages. It also doesn't help that they're being introduced to stage nineteens now and not after the assessment, when that'd be a much more logical decision.

Shadow Cat

 

[Chawieeee]

Layla listened closely again to what this girl had to say. She did have a point if she had to be totally honest whilst looking at her as she walked away.
After a while of thinking she jumped off her barrel, took her machete’s and glaives and decided to join the others too.

 

[Hugh Flynn]

Lukas had gone ahead of his team, hoping to grab his usual spot on the barrels. A teacher friend of his was already there, and the two engaged in conversation as soon as Lukas arrived. He scanned the Bazaar whilst listening to the conversation, noticing the usual busyness around the Upgrades Booth. He already reserved an upgrade with the owner, the order being finished later today. He glanced at the yo-yo in his hand, its edges chipped and marked from years of usage. This should be my final upgrade. Anything else should be overkill.

As he practiced a few Around the World's, the senior didn't pay any mind to his teammates that sat next to him, it saved him the effort of having to corral them up for the briefing. The most recent trainee that approached his space sported a crossbow, armed with brand new arrows and a small dagger. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she tested the point of the arrowhead, a hiss escaping her lips as the arrow pricked her skin.

He chuckled to himself, a slightly amused and bemused look revealing itself on his face. The quiet man pondered as to how an innocent wouldn't-hurt-a-fly person tested as Infiltration. Then again, Sirloin scored a 50, and he's now practically untouchable. I won't judge since all I know is that she scored an 80 like me. He was just about to offer her some help when the teacher tapped him on the shoulder, notifying Lukas that assessment was about to start.

Lukas' expression morphed back into his usual poker face as he got up from his barrel. Tucking his yo-yo back into his hoodie, he checked his watch before turning to the trainee by his side. "Assessment time. I'll take you to the briefing area," The male placed a hand on the trainee's weapon, "Great weapon choice. Collectees tend to pick the flashy melee weapons."

He gestured towards the moving stream of trainees. "After you. Just follow the crowd, I'll hold your weapon for now." Lukas held a hand out, his gaze flicking between the female and the arrows in her hand.

 

[-ferret-]

As Weasel followed Aster around, he took the throwing knives out of their case and strapped the multi-pocketed sheath to his left thigh by the two black straps. He pulled them tight so the sheath wouldn't fall down his leg. He now had the four brand new knives at ready disposal by his left hand. The dagger sheath he strapped inside of his pants, attaching it via waistband. His pants cinched around his waist rather than his hips and the dagger was on the shorter side. All this meant that the dagger and it's plastic sheath wouldn't dig into his waist or thigh and hinder his lower body movement. And as the hilt and grip were above his waistline, the dagger would move to and from the front of his body and the back of his body whichever way he bent. This too meant that his upper body movement wouldn't be hindered.

Now the quiver was a difficult choice. Whether he placed it on his hip or on his back, it would be a nuisance. If he placed it on his back, it limited his ability to infiltrate tight spaced. But if he placed it on his hip, it might bump against his leg and hinder leg movement. He also thought about easy access. It would be harder to access but easier to place an arrow if the quiver was on his back. If the quiver was on his leg, it would take a few milleseconds more to place the arrow, but said arrow was quicker to grab. He also thought about the function of his body. With the quiver on his back, he would be limited in his ability to bend his spine, both forwards and backwards lest he break his arrows. But with the quiver on his hip, he'd continuously stick himself with the nock of the arrow into his waist. That meant he'd only be able to bend to the right so far without any adjusting.

In the end, he decided to wear the quiver round his hip. The ability to squeeze himself into small spaces was far more valuable than limited leg movement. Luckily, he was able to fix the nuisance of the quiver bumping and jolting to and from his leg by attaching the end to just above his knee via duct tape. He was sure it would cause problems down the road, but he would fix those when they arrived. After outfitting himself, making further notes on his weapons and how they attached to his body, and taking stock of how his weapons felt, he felt ultimately as ready as could be.