Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[Merciless Medic]

Sara Middleton​

April 12, 2067
Location: Mount Yeleon, Russia
Interactions: Nadia, Dani, Eva, Adrian, Irina
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

Sara was having the time of her life driving, almost forgetting the mission they were on. That was until she was reminded that they could break illusions of fae or other magical creatures with Eva's power. "Ohhhh, I almost forgot about that! This is gonna be so fun!" She squealed in delight as they drove, bouncing on the seat before going back to driving.

As they climbed through the wilderness, went through a place Irina explained and Sara promptly forgot, then went through some offroading only to stop, Sara giggled excitedly as she almost exited the car. "Alrighty~. We're here- whoa…"

And that's when the trees shifted. Sara's ears pinned back and she lightly closed the door on herself as she watched in confused awe. There was a lynx that caught her eye immediately - not just for the color, but the smell. She felt her instincts wanting to hunt this thing so badly.

Then it disappeared in the tree, only to find lynx kittens, with one speaking to Nadia which only confused Sara more. She looked over at Eva, eyes wide as she held out her hand to get her to transform and see where the illusion ended. Everything reeked of some kind of magic, but it didn't remind her of witches.

Still, the thought that the mother would get in trouble for not scaring them away had Sara confused. "What do you mean your mother would get in trouble? Is there a leader of this forest?" She asked, tilting her head and keeping her ears flat enough that they couldn't be seen, but she was unsure of the omniscience of the kittens.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Location:: Deda Village

A standing clock pole that sat on the corner of the street on a little island near a sidewalk on Noah’s side, read 1:45 PM.

It was strange to see so few, but the further they went in, the more activity they found.

Not a soul among those outside, spared more than a glance in the direction of the passing car and its unfamiliar array of occupants. If anyone had bothered to do their research, tourism here was a commonality. Fortress, castles, historic churches repurposed, and the grand view of the Casele Creek as it merged into the Mures River over hiking trails. Targu Mures was the bigger attraction, the villages had quaint historic landmarks that many enjoyed seeing. This whole place, if legend was to be believed, once was ruled by a powerful aristocrat now long dead. Many sights brought many people from all over the world through these places- and the exquisite architecture from centuries ago only enhanced the cultural presence.

The atmosphere may have not felt warm, and given the temperature, doubly so with the minor chill, there were clear oddities in the cellular service, but most, unlike the group of thugs, left the group alone. None approaching- only several or so walking on the sidewalk or bicycling along the road, sparing them a glance.

For all of Elly’s scanning, there was nothing off about the souls here they passed. There was a brief moment she sensed something in the air- but it died, as it was faint already to only be noticeable enough but not strong enough to linger on their commute down the road.

Comms, Gauss would know, according to the information that Az had provided, were not unknown to sometimes go down in this area. He had been to Romania before, not with Reiko, but on his own missions to the area for the company his family owned. It was not an odd occurrence, Az would have told Gauss, and this was why the Eastern Branch did not think much initially until actual reports, and the struggle law enforcement was having, made this situation important to address. Had it not been for a few tourists or travelers who had been staying in the village inns adding to confirm these rumors and reports, along with the odd rejection of more aid for whatever might be happening, it was likely news of this paranormal activity would have remained relatively unhandled or a mystery. The Deda Commune also had odd weather at various points of time in the year, and had a history with strong storms, sometimes even minor flooding from the Mures River. These things could have factored into the issue with communication, not to mention the fact that as they re-entered civilization, there were signs of tiny little puddles on the sidewalks of collected rainwater, probably no more than a few days old.

Things were tame as they bounced every now and then on rough roads compared to their initial run-in with those thugs. They drove for a good fifteen minutes, slowed down more by the pedestrians who moved around and the occasional honking of a horn before a delivery driver or general car would cross to the adjacent street. Some carried live herds of sheep in their bed, others your average delivery truck. There seemed to be a sense of eagerness in almost anyone out here in the broad daylight to reach their next destination quickly. Maybe it was just how things were, or maybe it was this paranormal activity they had heard word of having an effect. Whatever the case, it came off as obvious that some people here did not want to waste their time on the road out in the open.

Over the head of shilled roofs, the face of a distant clock tower towered over many of the buildings, connected to what no doubt may have been a church of some sort. Whether historic or not, would require closer inspection. That would however have to come later. Before the group had left Az had informed them, he had made contact with a police officer who had managed to retrieve bodies, a waiting coroner ready to give the agents clearance for viewing.

Another clock on the streets displayed the time: 2:05 PM.

From what Az and Reiko had informed the team, it was apparent that police, even those in transit from Targu Mures were downplaying a lot of the disappearances as being the acts of some of the more wild gangs, or organized syndicates that had sowed roots here in Romania. Reports it seemed, were all over the place. There were a few reports that did in fact mention groups with one or two Meisters and Weapons, Mages even among their number, gathering. Some even being those officials looked to hire to attend to situations in the area before that had failed. It could be inferred that this might have played a role in why the village people rebutted the idea of wanting anyone from outside their area coming to help, when some of those hired hands had ended up joining the very groups harassing parts of the counties they lived in.

Making a curving turn at an intersection to reach the next road, stores and a few small businesses lined either side with a median dividing the roads, the group taking the right path to reach their destination of interest.

People entering quickly or jumping into their vehicles, waiting for the right opportunity to remerge with the somewhat chaotic flow of traffic in all its activity. All it would take was just going down the end of the road on their current path and making a right to reach their destination where the officer and coroner awaited.

So far there had been nothing odd about the souls in the area as far as Elly could detect. Soul Protect was like wearing a bad costume, one that didn’t even hide the face. If anything she should have expected something more…unique? But as of yet, every single person that had passed them by or that her radius covered, had been everything related to the word ‘normal’.

Whoever now drove as they entered the intersection made ready to get to their destination quickly-- cars were zooming here in this path, and delaying too long elicited an angry honk from people behind.

Two vehicles speedily passed by the group as their curves ended, honking loudly, one person yelling something that no one could audibly understand.

Not four seconds after there was a metallic thunk as the vehicle made contact with something entering the road- it crunched, loudly- and the tires came to a grating halt. The biker jerked and the bike's front wheel twisted with the momentum. Something, a shadow of a person, struck the windshield- launching themselves off the bike as it was yanked violently to the side by the Sedan striking it. There were a series of rapid thunks as the figure bounced off the trunk of the car and disappeared into the street while momentum kept the car moving forward.

Cars from behind came to a halt or faster ones swerved, one of them bumping into the back of the Sedan everyone was in with a thunk and shifting it off its path slightly. Jostling everyone inside briefly.

It happened too quickly, too fast-- lasting only two seconds for the first impact to lead to this nigh major traffic accident. They hadn’t been moving that quickly given the curving turn they’d needed to make, but they’d been moving fast enough that stopping wouldn’t have done anything- and attempting to swerve would have caused them to smash into other vehicles lined in parking spots on the adjacent right nearby the sidewalks, just like one that chose to swerve ended up doing.

Surprisingly, whoever it was they had struck, immediately bounced to their feet, several yards away from where their motorcycle had initially been clipped by the Sedan.

Someone pulled out their phone and not a moment after, rose it to their ear, speaking to the other person on the line upon pickup.

“Nou azi norocul meu s-ar termina!” the feminine voice shouted as she threw her helmet off and patted herself down to make sure that she wasn’t injured or had anything broken. Eliciting a laugh and a cry of joy when she took a step and found that she was in fact fine.

That smile however, it faded as soon as she saw the occupants or rather the vehicle that had caused her near death experience.

“Sunt copii care conduc mașina aia? Ai fi putut să mă omori!” she shouted angrily. The short crop of her hair tossed back as her green eyes focused daggers at all in the car. "You guys not know how to drive?!" her English accented but less so than one would have expected.

Az warned of this too. Speed demons were the norm in some of Romania’s counties, and he’d warned that they would find some there if not many. Caution was to be taken while they drove.

…accidents, he had informed them, were likely. The woman continued, switching back to the native tongue in a heartbeat- unaware that these strangers and potential idiots, did not in fact speak the custom tongue.

Cars gave a wide berth of distance between the collision, the contorted bike, that the young short Romanian woman now seeing, held a look of aghast horror over.

"Police are coming." One of the individuals on the phone stated in native tongue. "Hey!" he called out to the people, "do you not have anything to say?"

But they did not speak Romanian- and like the few that bothered to come out and look at the scene, it was clear that these people were tourists.

Elly would have picked up on it quicker than anyone else- a strong sense of distaste.

The female who was being checked on now by a few observers who had gotten out of their cars and were now looking to see if there were any injured, rose and approached the group, furious- while one young man who had been looking over the vehicle, began talking to her in what could only be assumed were placating attempts at calming her down.

Whatever he was saying in rapid tongue, was not working.

Distantly, a siren sounded, nearing the groups destination.

-----
Mentions: N/A

Interactions: Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Peckinou EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Romania, en route to Deda Commune
Mission A Bloody Investigation
Status Slightly irritated, focused

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

Thunk.

They hit a bitch. In the car. In a foreign country. On a mission. Fan-fucking-tastic. Not that he could blame Annika and her driving; the motorbike was going at an absurd speed. Sirens wailing in the distance, too. The entire situation seemed dire until the woman got up, seemingly cursed at them in Romanian (at least he assumed that was the local language), and finally questioned their ability to drive.

There were multiple ways this could go. Realistically speaking, their driving was not technically the cause of the accident, but it was likely part of the frustration that led to it. Blame was a relative thing. Customs, traditions, standards, norms--they were all different here. Perhaps, in the eyes of these people, the fault was on them. Gauss had no actual way of knowing for sure, but he knew that those whom did not stand their ground were doomed to be walked right over.

Gauss exited the vehicle first, telling Noah specifically to transform as he did. Arkayis was a scythe and that might command too much immediate attention. A staff on the other hand was at least slightly less conspicuous. More importantly, he needed one free hand. "Elly, Midori, you engage the cops first once they arrive. If they can't speak English, flash your DWMA ID. See how it goes," he instructed them, "Arky, stick with Annika, Annika, check out the car. Remember, it's technically stolen, and I'd ideally not like to explain that."

With that and with Noah now in his hand, Gauss approached the enraged woman that at least spoke a line of English and pulled out his DWMA ID to flash at her. Revealing his status as an agent was a slight risk and doing so this early most certainly would cut off some possibilities for them, but the language barrier was problematic enough. Leaning into their status as agents, for better or worse, seemed to be the only leverage they had in this foreign land.

"We do in fact know how to drive," Gauss answered her question, his tone loaded with a touch of sarcasm but also a forced level of simplicity as he didn't want to worsen any language barrier. He made sure that nice DWMA ID which itself held some global authority was up front and present for the woman as she approached, making sure that precedent was set. Then, his tone became slightly more aggressive as he intended to turn the tables, "I'm more curious about how you got flung across the ground at high speed, then stood up as if nothing happened. Care to explain that seemingly inhuman feat?"

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Cyrus Kallis​

"Blue Reaper"​

Species Human (Weapon)
Partner Lord Kidd
Rank Three-Star

Location Death Room
Mission Return to Dall Island
Status Focused, intrigued

​

Tags: The Regal Rper Meredith Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun

"In summary... in the stead of its normal biodiversity, you found tribal spiders warring with each other, got caught in said war, escaped via volatile magic, then opted to fly to Nordall Lake via hot air balloon, encountered sentient spiders, met their queen, struck a deal, and used them to climb the Dall Oak all before returning with their help... and a clutch of eggs?" Cyrus inquired, his tone carrying an obvious incredulous characteristic only matched by this raised eyebrow. He stood in front of the Death Desk inside the Death Room where Rand, Maria, Raph, and Ark had been invited. Chanterelle was in the infirmary on the mend, expecting a full recovery within just a few days.

He would have liked to have them all present, but alas, he would have to settle given she required bedrest and an odd treatment of intravenous fluids and increased ambient magic due to her unique biology.

The sail home itself was two days before they could fly to the DWMA. It had been a a day since their return. Cyrus in that time had the entire inventory they returned with processed and their reports finalized for him to read. Their experience was vastly different than that of the other groups. Granted, of the three, only two returned. The carrier that the group returned on presented them with that news. One of the groups had only a single survivor, and she only survived by essentially forsaking her team and enveloping herself in a bunker for two entire days. The other group, specifically the one with the competing workshop, did survive. They encountered the same spiders, even the same crabs, but they halted at the dead zone in belief it was too dangerous to even attempt to traverse. Instead, they elected to focus on the secondary objective of collecting samples, in which by raw volume, they did trump the Fate Agents.

This was a case of quality of over quantity. Their samples, even the corpses they scavenged and spiders they captured, paled in comparison to what the Fate Agents brought in. A clutch of viable eggs promising a new, sentient race of magical creatures that were tailored to domestication and human life. Multiple sentient spiders, cousins to the unhatched eggs, capable of spellcasting and rudimentary communication; all of which were amicable and placated with Mana Crystals. Samples of the Dall Oak, of which the DWMA only wanted a portion of, allowing Mirai to take direct possession of the majority. Some went to Davis for sampling, but well over half of the allotment went to the Black Workshop. Not to mention, the remains of multiple agents and a method of identifying them. And, most pertinent to the mission, paperwork and samples from the Plague Doctors and their time on Dall Island three years prior. ]

For all intents and purposes, despite the challenges and the state of Chanterelle, the Fate Agents--the Witches and Sorcerers deemed unsuitable for the DWMA--succeeded.

It was not without danger. In the beginning, the fights were aplenty and their teamwork required refinement. If not for their explosive use of Magic Circles, they might have perished on that island not unlike the other group. Yet, unlike their surviving counterparts, they elected to venture forward with an untested plan in a high-risk endeavor and reaped the rewards. It was a rarity that such things ever went so well, but they did. Experiencing the ley line that was Nordall Lake, encountering the Queen Mother, ascending the Dall Oak--these were experiences of a lifetime. The dangerous and difficulty following was reduced drastically. In part because they knew the dangerous they faced on their return to the shores and in part because of the assistance of the Albais spiders.

They were received by their retrieval party with equal parts surprise and excitement. Half the surprise was that they even survived as they were the last of the three teams to have a retrieval party sent, and each of the other two teams had casualties. The other surprise was the treasures they brought with them. And, those treasures inspired the excitement that followed. There was a period of pride as the Fate Agents encountered both other teams for a mass debriefing on the return carrier, only to find out that they were overwhelmingly more successful in their mission. Not only in their survivor count, but for the general objectives of the mission. Maria specifically brought home pride for the Black Workshop. She might have liked or even found pride in her creations that flew them over the dead zone, but they exceeded the ability of a witch two centuries her senior from a rival workshop.

Chanterelle was stable, still out of it, but she was awake enough to be congratulated alongside the others. Her road to recovery had just started, but she would come back out of it. Only later did the Witch Physicians state that she would likely not only recover, but her body would be stronger as a result of surviving this experience. Like a broken bone, it would heal stronger. Ark and Raph had less personal claims, but they were still given praise. Ark had proven that he could focus through warfare and work with others. His PTSD did not make him incapable. Had he failed during their encounter with the warring spiders, the group would have died. As for Raph, he was mostly excited that he would ultimately be allowed one of the new spiders as a companion, and informed that his teamwork and attitude regarding working with others was exactly what administration hoped for him in the long run.

What they did know is that while they received praise, Rand was chided. The risks he took, despite the high rewards, were far outside of what higher leadership considered acceptable. His pride and desire to prove himself--as well as his team--lead him to making erratic decisions. Had Chanterelle not survived this mission, he was told, his position as a mentor would likely be revoked. He was told this not once, but twice as Cyrus elected to reiterate it. He crossed boundaries, pushed his team too far, asked too much of his agents at times. Yet, it amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist. Cyrus and the upper administration would not punish him, in part due to the belief he deserved a chance to grow better, but also because of the rapport he had with his team. The sorcerers that surrounded him performed feats comparable to Witches their senior five times over, they grew in both skill and knowledge, and ultimately, Rand was still the grandson of Maba.

"Oh, yes, Cyrus, isn't my little brother just incredible?" chimed in another voice. While short, she was still taller than Rand, and her youthful, cute face was deceiving given her age of nearly three-hundred. The group had been introduced to her earlier upon entering the room. Yara, the older half-sister of Rand. She was acting as an Emissary of the Wiccan Council. She was truly a beacon of grace. Even her red eyes and black attire did not detract from her cherub-like radiance; instead, her eyes glittered like precious rubies in the light of the Death Room, and her black dress was elegant and fitting. There was even a distinct resemblance between her and Rand, likely disturbing for any that might have found her outward appearance attractive.

"Ohhhh, Ranran, you bring such pride to the house of Maba," she added, smiling gently and tilting her head only slightly over. She seemed genuine. In fact, she was genuine. A witch too kind for her own good. Rand was slightly taken aback by this, not accustomed to this type of adulation from anyone but Maba herself. Even their shared mother never showered him with this type of praise, even when he made a name for himself as both the Soundwave Sorcerer or the Witch of a Thousand spells. Not only that, but for as kind as she appeared, was was... disturbingly powerful.

"It was a team effort, Yara... but thank you," Rand responded, his tone reserved and almost reluctant to say anything contrary to what his sister said. He didn't wish to offend, but he couldn't bring himself to take credit for the mission. Without Ark and his magic, they all might have died. Saving Chanterelle was crucial to their push to reach the ley line. Raph... helped. And, without Maria, the chances of them ever getting across that dead zone were probably non-existent.

"So humble, little brother... I suppose the human realm suits you," she said, her tone almost bordering on somewhat demeaning, but her pleasant smile managing to mitigate that long enough for her to explain, "here, that humility is amicable. In our courts, you would have needed to claim every ounce of responsibility you could for these discoveries. You make an excellent representative of our family here."

Cyrus sighed, not really wanting to entertain the conversation and praise that Yara gave to Rand. Her doting was simply annoying. A detractor from the actual topic. Though, praise was admittedly in order.

"The discoveries you all made will go down in history. It has been some time since a new species of magical creature has been discovered, but never one like this; and, never one offered to the DWMA. Furthermore, everything else you found satisfied mission requirements--and then some. You did incredibly well. I would argue you have done better than the majority of the other Fate Agents in the program," Cyrus said, still offering positivity to the situation but shifting its direction from where Yara took it.

"Maba will be pleased. With all of you. I don't doubt that brother Rand will be harkened back to the Witch Realm for applause, but I imagine you all have earned favor in our courts. Many Witches go their whole lives without accomplishing half of what you did on that island," Yara added, taking a note from Cyrus and shifting to the a more broad response to the group. "Your companion in the infirmary is already being treated by some of the best physicians our grandmother could send," Yara continued, "as her emissary, I must ask. Within reason, is there anything we can do to reward you for your additions to Witchkind? While not revolutionary, Maba can be generous. Perhaps a gift to the workshop, or your family's establishments."

Cyrus knew this was coming. Witch politics. Hardly his favorite subject, but at least this exchange was quite pleasant. Rand, as annoying as he could be at times, seemed to always smooth over the rough terrain between the DWMA and Wiccan Council. His presence in that way was a boon, and his loyalty to the DWMA helped tremendously. Realistically, Cyrus didn't necessarily dislike Rand. He was less frustrating than some of the other mentors. In his three years since the Paean Project, he had grown tremendously. However, Cyrus still had that poor first impression of the boy. A young, somewhat petulant Witch with a superiority complex somehow mixed with little man syndrome.

"As I'm sure you've heard as well, there was an attack on the DWMA in your absence. Once you are done conversing with Yara, I will debrief you. Any efforts you can muster to help rebuild will be appreciated, but your time off otherwise is your own. It will be some time before we are ready for your next assignments. Have you any questions for myself or Yara, do ask," Cyrus chimed in, making sure the actual DWMA Agenda wasn't entirely overrode by the presence of Yara and her Mabian generosity.

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Evangeline
Mount Yeleon
Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun

​

With Sara having decided to drive Eva took a seat next to her and moved her seat back. Lowering the back of her seat she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh of relief. While she didn’t fall asleep she let her body rest as best she could. Opening her eyes as Sara proclaimed they were there Eva froze immediately.

Looking over to Sara she nodded and transformed into her weapon form. Immediately the lantern began to build pressure. The flame began to grow in size, flaring up and filling the whole chamber. Bursting once, twice and third time before its sides opened and large wisps erupted from within. Floating out and away from the group then would begin seeking illusions if any had been produced.

Eva’s attention was then snatched by the sudden arrival of Lynx kittens. “Awhhhhhh there adorable.” Eva began before they had shown they could speak. Listening to what they had to say Eva laughed “That was cute, though Adrian is right.. the threats are an interesting touch.”

“I dont think we are going to leave just because a Monstercat wants to try to scare us away.” Eva spoke, gazing around from within her flail. “What could be ahead that would warrant us being spooked. It isn’t like we are superstitious locals.” Eva continued before shifting out of her weapon form and sticking her hand up.

One of the balls came back and floated above her head. Reaching up with her other hand she cupped it before doing something that looked like a tossing gesture causing the ball to float ahead of them. “If there is anything wonky ahead of us it should at least let us know.” Eva finished.

Eva watched as her wisps darted around before flying towards the trees. Eva turned and watched them begin to fly through and around the trees surrounding them. When they passed she could see the trees as they truly were. Smirking slightly she put her arms up in the air again and began to sway her body back and forth in a movement mimicing the trees. "The trees aren't actually dancing." She finally spoke up after continuing her swaying movement for a few seconds.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Valaam Island, Russia
​

Waiting for the response from Sara and Eva, Nadia listened to the interplay between them all. The facts were clear, the cats had at least something to do with all of this, and Nadia was curious if her presence could disrupt the magic at work here in the same way it had with Eva. Still, it was enough to go off of, these, what she suspected were Monster Cats were both akin to man and beast. They noted the presence of them smelled different. They needed to be taught that such a smell was to be respected and if not respected to be feared. Fear was a halthy state of mind for the weak to adopt.

Still they were children. She wasn't a total monster. Turning the jeep into one of the dancing trees, this would be a slow and hard journey with the jeeps, they would have to go slow and depend on their own abilities to pick out where and where not the road was running through. One mistake meant a broken radiator. Reaching out for Dani, Nadia kicks open her own door as she hops out, expecting the sword to be in her hand.

"No. I don't think so. Man tamed this wilderness once and you should be reminded who shares a form with Death. This mother of yours I would speak with, but make no mistake, we are going forward and your tricks only serve to irritate me. If they don't wish to end their games, we leave the vehicles and head in on foot, would be faster."

Feeding her wavelength, she decided for a show of force to see what the cats could sense.

Interactions: Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Irina​

"The Research Witch"​

Species Witch
Location Russia, Republic of Karelia, Valaam, Northeast Forest line
Mission The Waking Forest


​

Tags: Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Mook-LandStrider

"Man nor Witch has ever tamed the wilds," Irina interjected, her tone somewhat condescending. She did in fact take offense to the notion Nadia presented. In the aftermath of MIBVI, a good portion of the human population was wiped out. Even with the population finally reaching near the levels it was at prior, entire cities were wiped off the map. In many cases, entire swathes of land were designated as protected and as reserves. Nature had become more ever-present than it was in the last two-centuries, and it did so in mere decades. The idea that man--or anyone--tamed anything was nonsense. Mother nature was a more powerful force than even their Shinigami.

Before much more with the exchange could be said, and by the tone of the Witch, it seemed there most definitely was more to follow, the lynx kittens were all quick to retreat back into the forest line where from it their mother had emerged, returning with her more normal coat in the presence of the will-o-wisps created by Eva. No immediate illusions were dispelled by small flares, inferring there was in fact some type of other magic afoot with these creatures.

"I could not kill you if I wanted," a more regal, effeminate voice emanated from the feline, though none of her facial features shifted or contorted to reflect it. "I do not wish to kill anyone or anything, lest to nourish myself and my children. I scare them to save them from the wrath of the woods," she explained, approaching the group in a calm and complacent manner. With this feline, there was no killer intend nor was there any real sense of danger. She spoke the truth, though only one of the group could truly determine that.

"We have many questions," Irina replied, shifting her focus to the lynx and away from the potentially escalating exchange that was occurring with Nadia.

"I am sure you do," the lynx responded, her voice available to all, "many have. I do not know what I am or why I am different. I was born this way three winters ago," she started, offering answers to the most common questions she had heard, "even then, the woods were changing. Many of us try our best so that... you would not disturb us, but here you are."

A brief silence.

"You are mutant of some kind, then. Likely caused by the influx of mana in the area. You spoke of the wrath of the forest--can you explain?" Irina asked, listening intently not only to the answers provided, but recalling the words the lynx used previously.

"This is nature where the strongest reign. We know him as the lord of the woods. He takes many forms and controls most of the woods. He wishes to control it all, we believe. The woods from the highest mountains and from all beaches, I mean to say. I know no land beyond the waters," the lynx informed them, "the wrath of the woods is his wrath. He controls the woods themselves. None within these woods can stop him."

"Do you believe he could do it? Control all the forest? There is not a creature I know of that could control an entire island," Irina asked, delving deeper into the mystery. She knew of many creatures that could in fact control trees and even entire ecosystems, but not in such a large area and most definitely not alone. Either this single creature had to be many, or there must have been more to this situation than conventional knowledge could explain.

"I believe he could. He infests trees with his power like... like a disease, then moves them to other places. They spread his power further and further. When I was young, he did it so that you would not notice, but now he is bold. His power has grown. While he stays in his home, he controls more and more of these woods by the day," the lynx explained to them, confirming with its limited knowledge that it did in fact believe that whatever force was taking control over the island could in fact take control over it all.

"Even for a Witch of the most regal line... controlling all of Valaam would be nigh-impossible," Irina said, though she made this comment in the direction of Nadia. She doubted the lynx would understand much of that, but Nadia would. It was true. For as powerful as Witches were, their power was often quite vertical in nature. It grew upward and more condensed, not outward. Maba took years in her endeavor to separate the Witch Realm and Human world. Even creating the biospheres the Monster Clans called home took time, and those were smaller than this island by far. A magical creature trying to take over this island was a nearly absurd claim.

"You said he had a home... can you take us there?" Irina asked, following up with her comment pretty quickly. There were plenty of unanswered questions, and she figured the only way to get said answers were from the lord of this land himself. That, and she wasn't about to let the agents back down now. If they figured out the scale of this creature, they might delay and request higher-ranking agents proceed. However, time was of the essence here. Irina rationalized that the more land this creature took over, the more powerful it would become, and that delay could be quite costly.

"Yes... and no. His home is in the weeping woods, which is far from here. Even we don't venture in that direction. It is a dangerous place where the woods come to life and kill what nears it," the lynx explained. It tilted its head slightly, then let out a soft meow. "I could show you the way, but I cannot assure you will get there," she explalined.

"So... living, sentient woods. Treants, I would assume. I don't know what the weeping woods are, either. We need to go there if we are to really learn anything," she said, turning back to Nadia after this explanation. Her expression was plain, but her eyes determined. She wasn't without passion, she simply wasn't as outwardly emotive.

"This is what I asked the DWMA to help with. So, are you going to escort me to these weeping woods?" she asked plainly, as if this was the expectation of them. Though, in reality, this was considerably outside of the scope of the original mission. It was described as more of an investigation into disappearances and phenomena, not a waltz into danger or a fight for control over an island. Still, this was the challenge put forth in front of them, and the Witch didn't seem keen on backing down.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Deda Village, Romania | The Biker​

Lea!

The bark of her name snapped her out of her frustration. Vilda was right, though she was angry about the bike, she was more annoyed at their findings before this whole stupid incident. Venting her frustrations out in a shouting scene would get her nowhere.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm and heard-

“Madame! Madame please! Do not do anything you will regret miss! Look, he is carrying a Weapon, let this go before things turn for the worse.” The young man pleaded.

“I won’t do anything, and even if he meant me harm, I’ve nothing to worry about. Don’t worry.” She told the young man in native tongue with a touch of gentleness that bellied the partially sour glance she momentarily threw over her shoulder.

The hesitant look he gave her said he highly doubted she had any control over what would follow if she did engage the young man with the Demon Weapon approaching. But the police were coming and to everyone else that hadn’t moved on with their day, they would handle this.

Or at least make for part of the entertaining scene that might unfold.

Already a few bystanders who had seen Noah transform and enter Gauss' grasp, snapped out of their stupor and began a rapid walk away from the scene. Others didn’t however, they widened their distance, watching. Even the young man that had been following the female biker, left her to her own fate as he returned to those who had been observing her damaged bike, which with a few words to them, looked up and upon noticing Gauss had suddenly had a staff in his hands- or rather, a person that had become one if it could be inferred from that brief conversation, the men carrying the bike and moving it out of the road quickly placed it on the sidewalk and moved swiftly to their vehicles.

In Romanian the same young man entered his vehicle with a cautious yell of advice. “Be careful, miss! For all we know they could be more mercenaries!”

The biker female didn’t react to his sarcastic reply as she approached, nor did she respond to the advice of the young man's. Instead she let her eyes to skim over Gauss and refocus on the others who were exiting the vehicle to address the now approaching police car or were still in it.

One distorted, another vibrated, a third, the Hoshi no doubt, his soul particularly unique…

This must be the team that Sir Delore spoke of, Vilda’s voice resonated in their link.

Ileana noticed, but what gave her momentary pause was the nature of the approaching Meister’s soul. It really did give the sensation of a pull, as she had imagined. The Magnetic Wavelength, really needed to be experienced to understand that the name wasn’t just some loose term thrown for the sake of how Gauss could use it. It was a push and pull, not physical but on the senses- she could feel the gentle yank and that was only really because she had her Perception active since she’d been going on her rounds through these villages.

And his partner- every pulse the Weapon Staff in his hand made released an electric buzz-- an elemental attribute to the wavelength, but something more. The electricity didn’t follow the same nature of normal electrical wavelengths normally energetic and rapid, this one had a more calming, soothing- almost therapeutic sensation to it despite the anxious irritated spirit it originated from.

Her eyes shifted between the Weapon and Meister as she allowed her tense muscles to relax as he pulled out the ID.

It was far enough for her to stretch out an arm and take it to look it over, but instead she merely placed a hand near her thigh just above the knee, not far from where the wand-like Weapon sat, and looked the ID over.

Though she didn’t doubt who this group was anymore, having read the brief details of their files that had been allowed for her and her partner to see, did not change the fact she had to stay cautious. Even if they weren’t going to be a problem anymore, that didn’t mean there weren’t eyes around that might show up at any moment.

Thaddeus Thales, 19, M, height and weight, D.O.B, all of it was there. Stage name, rank, even the FATE Association.

A mental nod to herself. This was what a real one looked like, unlike the five fakes she had found and collected from the village she had just come from, belonging to hired hands, all of whom had either runaway once the job proved impossible or become part of the vanishing act in the Deda Commune.

Ileana, moved her hand away from her hip and sighed. “This is not the way I had planned our first meeting to go, Agent Thales.” She said in faintly accented soft tones, yet in an equal parts tired and exasperated voice. A hand combed through her brunette hair and the biker uttered a sigh. She turned away from Gauss to address the people watching with clear tension at the scene and speaking in Romanian said everything was fine, they had resolved their problem.

“We have a lot to talk about, Agent Thales.” She said with her back still to him, after saying a few more words in foreign tongue. “A word of advice to you and your team, the people in this village and the ones I have visited are not fond of people from our community making appearances in their homes. And from what I have learned from some of the police I have talked to before my transition here, the few rumors I have heard that match some of the reports, make it understandable as to why.” She turned looking slightly up his way. “Now you wouldn't mind doing me a favor, and helping me retrieve my damaged bike, would you?”

---

Mentions: N/A

Interactions: Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Peckinou Mook-LandStrider

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nadia Semyonov - Valaam Island, Russia
​

Hearing the condescending tone of the other, Nadia rolled her eyes a bit and speaks in a hushed tone. "Oh I'll remember the majesty of nature the next time we put another three humans in orbit." Listening as the witch and cat had a talk, Nadia released her hand on day, with a "Hmph." Content to let the witch do her own thing, once Irina was finished and she had processed what the Lynx had said, Nadia raised a brow and held out a hand, as if to wave off and slow them all down. "Wait, wait... He? He?" Waiting for some sort of response to the affirmative she chuckles to herself.

"I never believed any of this bullshit about this being an escort. Maybe you did Irina, but I knew better. They would not give us a job so easy. However, this is no treant... least not exactly. I would bet my pay if anyone wants to go against it, that it is a Leshy, a lesnoi with some other title... That I may need to teach you, but is a shape shifter to an extent, old man of the forest, more of a local deity. They are known to take unclaimed and unwanted children, have families of their own, my second bet would be a child of a Leshy, but unlikely, not with so much power and influence. You see this is more like a swamp than a forest, the area around it. They are very unlike treants, more rooted into mysticism, a watcher of the woodland more than a creature given form from it, what is better or worse they are very temperamental beings.

They could be having a bad day, someone could have pissed on him in the woods, could do with the Fae. But yes, we will go with you, bastards offered us a vacation when this was done, fucking Cyrus.... Pizdobol..."

She then turned to look at the rest. "I'm willing to follow the Lynx and Irina. I have no further questions, but same may not be true of you all. What you said however, on it being impossible, we do not wander near the water or from one another, if he is hostile, things are about to be very difficult."

Interactions: Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Romania, Deda Commune
Mission A Bloody Investigation
Status In a slightly better mood

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

He was right. Not to feed his ego any more than necessary, but he was right. Something was off about this woman, capable of being flung across hoods then acting like it was nothing. Even Noah would be capable of picking up on the self-righteous internal confirmation Gauss felt in the moment. Not that their connection was particularly weak, just that they weren't immediately sharing their wavelengths or focused.

Fuckin' Elly questioning his methods. How Midori tolerated that mouth was beyond him.

Though, as it stood presently, he was in no position to question the weapon-partner dynamic of others.

"I go by Gauss," he corrected her. She was consistently calling him Agent Thales, which he didn't quite like. Perhaps it was his insistence on detaching himself from those few strung together letters that identified his dysfunctional family, but even the formality that came with the word Agent didn't appease him. Gauss was his stage name on his ID, so he was sure with the simple correction, this new actor in their little play would refer to him as such.

By Death, he hoped she wasn't another Nadia--refusing to call him by his preferred name for weeks on end. Granted, they didn't intend to be there that long.

A motorbike was now well within his range to lift, so long as he had one of his weapons. Channeling his wavelength into Noah, then further flexing the muscles in his free arm once he had stashed his ID resulted in the bike being unceremoniously lifted into the air, out of the paws of the locals, and now to a more clear area of the street near himself and this new individual.

"Well, I have no idea who you are, so I really had no expectations for our first meeting; though, I wouldn't have been opposed to a candlelit dinner," Gauss responded after satisfying the request she made. Of course, given his more jovial mood which originated from the self-satisfaction of his initial plan panning out, he felt bold enough to add on his own touch at the end of his reply.

"We've encountered... Romanian hospitality already and came to a similar conclusion--not that weren't warned of it beforehand," he went on, indirectly explaining their interaction with the thugs prior. And, at the very least, confirming their mentors did provide them some element of preparation for the mission.

"Any help you could give or a direction to go in would be appreciated," he then told her, dissecting her statement and piecing together that she had already done some investigating of her own. If she was an ally, which he admittedly still questioned as this felt slightly too serendipitous. That said, those suspicions didn't stop his natural persona from shining through. "A shame about your bike, though. My condolences. You wore the leathers well," he added, doubling down on his attempts at a suave introduction.

Now hopefully while he handled this new actor, his teammates would succeed with their endeavors. He had no doubts Elly could sweet talk the cops and that Midori could hold his own. Annika was intelligent and capable. Given there were no witches around, he didn't expect a problem out of either Annika or Arkayis. Perhaps the two could bond--no. No, Gauss couldn't entertain that thought. Annika was too cute to imagine with a friend of his.

"Your name still eludes me, unfortunately," Gauss commented flatly, simply pointing out this woman hadn't introduced herself, her role, rank, or station. In truth, he knew nothing about her. Even if she had an ID or gave a name, the communications for the global network were down locally, so he couldn't confirm it. He would simply need to trust his instinct.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Russia, Republic of Karelia, Valaam, Northeast forest line
Mission The Waking Forest
Status Calm, alert

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider

The more Adrian listened in on the conversation, the more he realized just how little any of them knew. Obviously, this mission was about to get a whole lot more interesting. While he didn't typically enjoy the company of talking cats, this one didn't seem terribly bad. Perhaps because it was whatever type of mutant Irina described. Admittedly, the boy was hardly an expert on magic. Magic and mutants? Sounded like a Fallout spin-off to him. Beyond that, he wasn't sure how the world worked or the likelihood of it occurring. The way Irina had said it though, as deadpan as it was, it made him believe that one-off mutations caused by magic weren't too uncommon. Finding a whole different species, like Maria and her team had, was probably in an entirely different tier.

Regardless, what he picked up from this exposition was simple. Dark Lord of the Forest infecting trees to take over the island, seems like he's doing it solely on some power trip. If these animals were to be believed, even they didn't quite like his actions or presence. Intelligent though they may be, they just wanted left alone like any other creature. All things added up to a simple monster hunting quest with a unique Russian spin. Fantastic. His fighting style would excel in environmental combat if it came to it, and as long as he kept tabs on his allies, he could actually be of great use here.

He really felt the internal need to make up for how poorly he performed in the fight against the Witches in Death City. Top score in taking out the dolls meant jack shit when his DPS was zilch during the boss fights. No one cared about the guy that fought the adds.

Then again, his desire to prove himself wasn't quite as strong as it might have been. He found that while he definitely was insecure about it, it didn't seem as severe as it was in the past. Perhaps it was because the focus of a fair amount of his time and energy, Dani, didn't seem to care too much about what happened during the Witch fight. In any case, this wasn't the time to begin evaluating if his personal values were being skewed by the values of someone he valued.

"I go where you go," Adrian answered, giving a simplistic amount of input as to the situation. It was however direct entirely at Nadia. She was the team leader. She made the calls. Unless she elected to tell him to stay put, he would follow her everywhere but the latrine.

"If it is of any use, I can tell you... I sense pain," Adrian informed them, again specifically Nadia. "Ever since... my incident, I've become kinda... sensitive to the pain of other things. Whatever this thing is doing, it's hurting everything around it. It was worse when the trees sprouted up behind us--much worse," he explained. Though, it wasn't much of an explanation. He couldn't sense mana with his Soul Perception and while his sight was quite clear at a close range, he had no idea how to make sense of what he felt and perceived. Regardless, it seemed information exchange was the point of this endeavor, and while it might not have been useful, perhaps it could surprise him.

"Paid or not, I'd rather a more interesting mission anyway," Adrian then added as a one-off comment, mostly in regards to how Nadia complained about how this mission didn't end up being what was effectively an escort mission. Adrian had enough of those in his lifetime. Something a little more exciting than walking this Witch around the forest but scaled down from a literal terrorist attack sounded like a breath of fresh air to him.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

~~~Deda Village~~~
​

As the policemen caught up with the would be runner, a pair of squad cars, Dacia made judging by the front grill logos, came to an abrupt stop, a pair off officers in each one, exchanged glances and reached for handheld radios. Reporting the account to unknown parties, the Romanians parker their cars and looked at the transformed pair beyond, then at those in front of them. With gaunt faces and ill-fitting uniforms, they proceeded to question Elly, or attempted to do so, noting the english on the badges, or rather the badges themselves, a third figure was to rise up out of the back seat was quick to join them.

Eying over the group and approaching with purpose was a man a couple inches over six feet tall, with a large greying beard and ordainments of a priest, a dark frock coat, with pants and a collar, hands that looked big enough to crush another man's skull, stood before them. Staring at the badges Elly and Midori had, he smiled and began translating for the police, or rather taking charge. "Hmm, the DWMA? To think our little commune would gather such attention... But ah... I bid you.... Welcome. You and your friends.

To be so early in the day, which is good. Those from the outside should not wander as of late... That girl that hit you, we have an interest in keeping her at our small little station, she has involvement with the Mercenaries from before. For her own protection you see. Might we join your friend over yonder?" For her part and her wider soul perception, Elly would notice a few things. For one, many, many eyes were upon them, souls that were afraid, souls that burned with malice and some who seemed bemused. Secondly a handful of which were by no means human souls, but rather blood suckers, judging by the distance presences, they could safely be termed as lesser vampires. And thirdly, some of the beings, though few in number were enthralled. Including the man before them.

Though his own soul presence did not seem at odds with the invisible hand that rested upon his shoulder, the signature of which carried off to the North, distant, too distant to be seen, more like a lingering melancholy. Some of those around them had much closer signatures that dwelled with the unseen eyes that stared at them even now. For whatever reason should they be hostile, they were not yet attacking, nor even attempting to do so. Regardless of the why, it was clear that a shadowy hand gripped this location and they were currently not the primary interest of the large man.

Of note in further investigation, one of the four policemen was a lesser vampire, and the other three men did not seem to be under the sway of enthrallment, though they did look out of place in uniform. "Ah, my manners, I am Father Artur Barnutiu."


Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Peckinou

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Daniella Ethalyn - Valaam Island, Russia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

The cuteness of the act in front of them was overshadowed by the creepiness that was creatures being able to hear them no matter the distance or volume of their speech. The not-so-veiled threats didn't help either. Dani clicked her tongue at the warnings, though it sounded like the mother cat was at risk of something as well.

"Would be cuter if I didn't feel like I'm 'bout to be mugged by a fern," She muttered grumpily.

Sara asked the obvious question of what the mother was afraid of, meanwhile Eva appeared to start tripping balls. Dani still didn't really understand that girl, just watching her with a deadpanned expression as she mimicked the trees. It wasn't until the other weapon spoke that Dani recalled she was some kind of phony-detector.

"So, they're illusions partially?" Dani questioned.

Still, creepy or not, they couldn't let themselves be scared off. Nadia seemed to be of the same mind of Eva, pushing the door open with her foot and making a show of strength. 'Here we go,' She thought as light absorbed her body and shot into the woman's grip as a full-length bastard sword. Thankfully, it seemed the mother cat wasn't interested in conflict and was fairly forthwith in providing answers.

"Great, a swamp skinwalker," Dani grumbled aloud in response to the descriptors given of the creature.

The witch challenged them to trek onward. Dani was less than thrilled, but she was the weapon and wasn't going to ditch her meister. This Leshy better be a bitch, but she knew that was probably asking for too much. "I'm not ditching half-way... What do you mean stay away from the water?" She asked hesitantly.

Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider

 

[The Regal Rper]

The Biker | Deda Ville, Romania

The smallest hint of a smile curled her lips slightly at his suggestion of a candlelit eve.

It was cute, in all sincerity, and she couldn’t help but tilt her head down slightly as her hand went to her hip.

Her body language almost said what she was thinking, ‘you did not just say that after colliding with me in that car’, but it was not guarded nor was her expression displeased.

With amusement in her voice, Vilda responded before the Biker could, “He doesn't waste any time, does he?"

Ileana shook her head slightly, the subtle smile, which brought attention to the light array of scattered freckles on her face. "No" she eyed him, expression if anything, amused yet pleased "he certainly doesn't. Flatterer" shifting her hair back with a slight head gesture.

The gentle smile was short-lived though as he went on to explain what must have been no doubt been a encounter with the common bandits in the area. Her expression shifted to that of distaste before a somewhat apologetic glance was sent his way.

“My condolences,” she replied, “and I do appreciate your concern over the bike. It was a gift” she glanced back at it with a small frown, before turning her attention back to him. She’d yet to identify herself, and in doing so gave him more reason to hold wary towards her.

Just as she was about to speak, she glanced past him as the two squad cars rolled in. “Excellent timing” she beamed, her attention turning back to him, ignoring the priest as he exited to approach Midori and Elly as they waited for him to confirm their IDs. She didn’t notice it immediately, as her attention remained on Gauss while she went on. “They’ll corroborate my identity. I am--”

Lea… Vilda’s voice cut her off mid-sentence, the priest and the officers…

She didn’t continue her sentence, instead she looked past Gauss and then moved slightly beyond him to see for herself more clearly.

“Shit” she swore under her breath in Romanian. Backing towards him. The priest went on to welcome both Midori and Elly, as well as the rest, but there was a clear shift in her soul, she’d went from amicable back to cautious and on guard.

The biker’s eyes shifted, scanning the area. Not only gauging her next action. There were too many people here, if the Hoshi attacked, or if any of them did, it was likely the same thing would happen like it did in the previous village she’d come from. So many eyes on them. So many souls in the area. Though the other souls would have been too far for the others to detect, Elly would certainly link oddities among them without relying on sight, a boon the others did not quite have given their lacking range she could easily compare the souls of those distant bloodsuckers to the single one dressed in police uniform standing before them.

Even as the priest spoke, that odd sensation about his presence, making reference to the biker’s status as being related to the very mercenaries that were rumored to often pass through here or had been hired to see things here, Ileana responded quickly.

“My name is Ileana,” she spoke calmly at the accusation which could be taken anyway given some reports said these same hired mercenaries that failed in their duty, had been reported causing trouble in the area as well. “I am a DWMA Investigator,” and as she said it she proved it. Out of her hip pocket, aside from the wand that sat on her left, she removed the badge from the pocket on her right side of her belt. It was similar to Gauss’ DWMA ID, except where it lacked the FATE association it appeared to be more akin to that of a law enforcement office. In silver letters underneath all her information was the word: INVESTIGATOR.

She held it up, for all to see, and then with a gentle touch of a gloved hand to Gauss’ arm she offered it to him. Then whispered as she turned her back to them and focused on him as she held up her badge. “Do not let them take me.” She told him with unwavering calm, all that friendliness and charm, gone. An intensity in her eyes- like many of the people there any decent Soul Perceptionist would know unlike Father Artur, she was just like the out of place officers and civilians- human. The only oddity was the Weapon soul beside her, attached to her hip.

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Interactions:: Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul RedArmyShogun Meredith EmperorsChosen

 

[The Regal Rper]

Ark | Death Room, Death City | Rings: 3/3

So much had happened while they were gone.

It had been just a day, but in that time frame he’d also found out about the events that had unfolded while they’d been away. So much had happened, and he wasn’t even sure if celebrating the success they had pulled off would wash away the new load of problems on the way.

So he tried to focus at least, on the successes they had made. With the casualties the teams sent to Dall Island had faced, Ark took satisfaction in knowing that their team had escaped death and worse, multiple times. Though not completely unscathed. He didn’t blame Cyrus for scolding Rand on the relation to Chanterelle but at the same time they’d agreed to go forward in the quest to cross beyond the Dead Zone- both for Chant’s sake, and also to complete their own objectives. It had been mere luck that the path they went to allowed them the chance to interact with those rare finds that granted them these great rewards. He was happy for Raphael and Maria, certain Rand despite the lashing he was receiving here, would be getting some due worth back in the Realm once they had enough appropriate time to settle- and had to admit to himself, that he had made progress in the events that Cyrus had just outlined they’d overcome.

Ditching everyone for his own sake didn't cross his mind once while he'd been casting that spell. At least, he was aware, it wouldn't unless some of the spiders suddenly became lava proof.

He put that thought out of mind. Hearing of the damage from a FATE participant of House Phyllobate had his sights set on what he was sure would come at the end of this debriefing. One of the fellow Lower Houses that shared a seat in the Lower Council his Aunt Noir resided among. Ark could not help but believe that he would be busy helping rebuild soon from what Kailani had informed him of the events that had transpired. His magic and abilities made reconstruction a much faster feat. And Maria, his eyes glanced at the Sorcerer, would no doubt be called also. Raph as well probably for work more suited to his capabilities if not rebuilding.

In this moment though, he exhaled slowly from his nose, it’d be better for me to just savor the success, he thought.

It was the word: ‘Ranran’ however, that drew Ark out of his own internal reflections, and brought his eyes down to the other person in the room for the second time since they’d entered.

She’d said it so playfully, then again, he had a sense just by looking at her that she might have a funny bone in her that showed its hand more than Rand’s did in dry wit.

He wouldn’t expect Raph or Maria to know who she was given Witch politics rarely made it outside of the Realm unless the Second Witch Hunt was factored in, and the status of Outlaws…or Hedge Witches…

He let those thoughts go as he weighed in more the nature in which she spoke to Rand. Gauging how, in essence, their relationship functioned.

So far, it seemed amicable. He didn’t get the sense of subtle tightness often displayed in strained relationships- something that he had virtually achieved a Master’s in from exposure alone and experience growing up in the Realm as a youth.

The statement their fair Lady had made was a prime example. Rand showed humility here, and while she made it sound demeaning, he waited for the twist- which was satisfying to see she had one. Humility was not foreign in the Realm, but it was not a valued trait. You didn’t show it unless you were cowed by a superior, or if it served a better purpose of which most did not care to display for the sake of their images. The average member of their society did not regularly allow their teammates to take all the glory without tying it into how their actions in the dynamic had aided the success of the mission as a whole. Where in the case of failure, it was more common to stay silent. This was why teams of Witches tended to work well together- they thrived off the competition, and that drove them all to work hard towards success in missions.

In a way that was the only real thing about his maternal heritage he really took up. That competitive drive.

He lacked the interest in self-promotion though. It was exactly what his House did for him, both when he’d first designed his gloves- carefully leaving out the information that he’d had support in doing it, and when he’d started gaining traction in Africa’s branch.

Someone of Rand’s position, of the few he’d met outside of his cousin Iris and Gav, would mention anything that got them that boost in recognition, with tact.

In a lot of ways, this was why he didn’t fault Gav for constantly fighting with any Witch that challenged his capability or questioned his integrity for being anything more than favoritism due to his connections. It was the same reason why he appreciated his grandmother’s nature in pushing him to do things on his own, with some help when it was truly needed.

Rand may not have realized it, but by doing the opposite of what most in his position and raised by their shared culture might, he had gained a bit more of Ark’s respect than he already had. As well as a sense of appreciation for who he was as a person. All of which would have been wasted had he done the obvious. His short response to Lady Yara was succinct, and the fact he did not bother even bringing up how his Magic Circle knowledge had aided them, was respectful.

Ark did not verbally say it, but he grinned, swatting Rand lightly on the shoulder and then patting him as Cyrus merely confirmed they all had equal share in the success.

Iris, Gavril, and Rand- the Mabason bloodlines, as numerous as they were, were all far better than expectations and experience would have others believe when compared to the stereotypical Wiccan. Then again, as Ark thought about this- while listening to Cyrus, all three had been through situations that forced them all to change and be better. They had been allowed to grow through circumstance- the others he had yet to meet, were a different story till he personally engaged them.

Lady Yara so far, was not off putting, and even if she were, he’d have held his tongue as etiquette demanded. The fact she’d yet to actually say something that immediately came off as particularly vile, made her interesting.

And Ark found it hard to ignore all that enticed him.

In both the sense of presence and poise, she really did carry herself with a sense of regality that even the current King of England might relate to.

He wondered what Rand’s other siblings were like. That thought reared up an ugly thought in his head- about his own unknown distant half-siblings, if there were any more surviving ones that his mother had not or refused to speak of still wandering the Earth, like his supposed half-sister bygone. But he pushed that thought aside. It was irrelevant right now.

He didn’t want to think about her right now.

Cyrus’ mention of rebuilding was the perfect distraction, exactly what he had been expecting earlier. Ark turned his attention to the senior DWMA Agent and replied, “I would be happy to offer any help I can in rebuilding efforts.” He did not mention Maria or Raph, rather wanting them to pick for themselves if they would like to join or not. Which if they didn’t he honestly wouldn’t blame them.

Then turning his attention to Rand’s sister, Ark patted Rand once again as he addressed her specifically.

“Lady Yara” Ark nodded politely. There was no point trying to follow what might be regular protocols in the Realm, not when he was here, and he had no interest in doing so really. That did not change the fact he spoke with etiquette to her unlike the more familiar casualness he gave Rand. “If I may, I have two requests. First, I’d like to request the achievements I made here be extended over to House Astraeus. Lady Noir seeks to further her alliances, and I believe this might be one way of achieving that. Second”, he added, “I would like to go on a date with you. What do you say?”

Blunt and heavy-handed, he didn't even bow as he said it or add any flowery wordings to his request. It was a yes or no question, and Ark made it clear he was not going to follow Wiccan customs with how he asked it.

He grinned, tilting his head in a curious manner as he waited.

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[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Romania
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly watched with mild interest as their vehicle struck the cyclist and sent them flying through the air, followed by a soft sigh. She was less concerned that they had killed someone in a foreign country since the woman stood up unscathed, or with adrenaline pumping through her system. However, they were still now involved in a multi-vehicular collision with stolen vehicles. And the woman had the nerve to get angry with them for their driving.

"Let's hope they are more welcome of our presence than the invested citizens we met earlier," Elly remarked with a hint of sarcasm as she pushed the door open and stepped outside. Her eyes turned toward the biker, spying into her soul as the more the woman moved, the more it was clear her body was genuinely durable rather than simply ignoring damage.

Watching as their leader worked his charm, seemingly to some effect, it wasn't long till the police arrived and stepped out of their own cruisers. Showing her own badge to him, their appearances alone put her off. Then there were their souls. A thrall and a vampire among them.

"Elly, or Eloise. Whichever's easiest, Father," She greeted in kind, not allowing her distrust to take away from the friendly smile on her face. "I know what you mean. Unfortunately we have already met some people that were less than thrilled with our being here..."

As if to give her more of a red flag, she felt the moment the biker's soul shifted from ease to anxious in one go. Whatever occurred between them, she most certainly didn't want to be taken away. She was armed too. Elly didn't quite trust her, but she was less suspect that the vampire and thrall in front of her.

"Mercenary, you say? That's perfect~! She can assist us in our work then," Elly replied with a short glance back at the girl. "It would help incorporating what intel she has rather than starting from the ground up. She can guide us as well, and we can give her security. You don't mind terribly, do you?" She added, spinning the whole idea as if it was the priest who suggested it.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Merciless Medic Mook-LandStrider

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - DWMA HQ, Death City​

With the debriefing well underway, Maria mostly stayed quiet, though she took no joy in the fates of the witch team, having a victory did prove their value. Watching the various interactions play out Maria found her concern to mostly be about her friends and what few others she did business with. In truth she was tired and her nerves were finally starting to calm from the hectic days she had to this point, even partially overseeing the loading of the special cargo aboard the transport helicopters and landing ships that had came to shore. This was not as she was required to do so, but rather than she insisted.

But only to have found the DWMA grounds in partial ruins and portions of the city still smoldering from smoke and fire, Maria decided to help with the effort, she would have time to rest later, of that she was sure, if she did not make sure of it, then her allies likely would. Then there were the inner politics of the Wicca council, the Maba, this Lady Yara, and the praise from Cyrus. Ark was first to speak up, for which she was grateful.

"I...will help with the efforts to rebuild, though... Of Cyrus, I have a request... I am no pilot, and honestly, I have gained more experience in learning to man a balloon that I would have liked... If I am not being too greedy, I would like access to the DWMA Airfield. I wish to properly learn of aviation and maybe learn a little piloting in terms of helicopters and the like. I have driven for my past teams, should I fly for my future ones again, short of learning flight by magic memes, I rather not be stressed with questions if we all shall die."

Shifting her attention to the Witch, Maria purses her lips a bit, but already had her request in mind. "I would like for your support of the Black Workshop and the Mage Guild reforms if possible. If it were not for the current reforms that the Maba instigated, then a few of our number would have never been able to learn magic at all and Dall Island's secrets would remain as such. I wish to be seen as more than a special project and for others to have that chance as well. That is all I ask for Lady Yara."

At note of the questions, she paused. "I have nothing to ask, though if possible and not too much of a secret, I would like to know if my efforts with the DWMA corpses have allowed any solace for the Families. Either way, I have a lot of work to do and I rather get to it sooner than later, no offense s-sir."

Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul

 

[RedArmyShogun]

~~~Deda Village~~~
​

Laughing at her words, the Priest translated all that she said, keeping her eyes on Elly as the clear bloodsucker cop frowned, a spirited exchange was then to happen, and curiously, whoever Artur was a Thrall of, seemed to outrank the lesser Vampire by a high degree, a bit spiritedly, the Priest seems to reason with him, as he huffed and said what was likely a string of explicatives, keeping his eyes upon the Biker, then to Elly, as he spat to the side an returned to the patrol car.

The priest for his part remained a semi friendly face, reaching out with a massive hand, he motioned with his hands towards the mess that was made of the car and the bike. "Oh, so you would like to keep her with you hmm? I would not expect too much out of her. And ah, do not be so quick to hurry, with the damage to your car, it will not make it far from here. Same for the bike and your second car will not hold you all. We can fix your cars, but it will not be till after nightfall.

Of course, you all can leave now if you had a destination in mind, I would be happy to guide you around the area. Considering she did run into a car down a narrow street, a more local guide may serve you well." It seemed for a thrall that his mind was no less sharp than Elly's as he went with her chosen role of a kindly Priest.

Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Peckinou

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Annika
Deda Village
Merciless Medic Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper Peckinou​

The accident was 100% not her fault. She was an excellent driver, perhaps a bit on the impatient end but nonetheless she had the reflexes to pull it off. Still, when the impact occurred she was slightly shocked the woman hadn’t gotten more air time. The thought passed quickly and she immediately looked to the others. They seemed as unenthused about the situation as she expected.

Getting out of the car the first thing Annika did was go to the front and see what the damage was to their own vehicle. The fact that the woman got back up was enough of a signal that she wasn’t dead as Annika needed to be less worried about her. Considering going over she watched Gauss go up to the woman and decided it wasn’t her problem anymore. She could sense the eyes on her from all sides and instead of dwelling on it immediately set to checking out the car.

Opening her backpack she took out a small box and gripped the top. Charging it with her wavelength the box sprung open to unveil her ‘Doohikey’ as she called it. The tool was a mismatch of components connected to a singular point in the middle. Changing the parts around as if it was a puzzle she popped the hood and leaned into the vehicle to get a good look.

After a short time she let her eyes relax, changing to her soul perception to get a read of the area. She picked up some anomalies that made her grow somewhat anxious. Kneeling down under the hood she picked up her bag, placing it on the engine close enough to quickly be accessed.

As if reacting to the situation Annika’s soul began to pulse and grow more erratic. After a moment she felt her wavelength begin to swing internally, her soul outwardly starting to scatter itself and distort.

She listened intently before grabbing her bag and closing the hood. Sitting up sharply Annika locked her eyes on the group of police… and a priest. Slotting the bag onto her back she moved a finger up to her neck and touched the side of it with her pointer finger. “I do not wish to stay here any longer than we have to.” Annika made her opinion known. “If I must, I believe I can fix this… I would just need to get parts from our surroundings.” She finished.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Romania
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly watched the exchange between the thrall and the vampire with veiled amusement. It seemed whomever was the master of the priest outranked the present vampire, else they wouldn't have taken such disagreement from the thrall. Elly didn't speak Romanian, but she could hazard a guess as to what he said.

Expletives had a way of making themselves known even through language barriers.

"Perhaps not much, but if she's a survivor of the last batch, then she should know something surely," Elly replied with a shrug and a soft laugh. "Apologies if it seems that way. Like I said before, our welcome was rather cold and then, to boot, a ditzy motorcyclist rams into us. I think we're all a tad wired."

Looking over at the wreckages in question, Elly felt the churn of Annika's soul. She saw what Elly did, it seemed, or the most important flags at least. Chuckling a bit, Elly placed her hands on the orange-haired girl's shoulders and gave a few light squeezes as if to console her away from being so direct with her distrust. "Exhibit A. Though, if you have any places of note to share with us, we'd gladly take the assistance. A place to get new transportation, lodging, what have you. However, we'd hate to burden you beyond that. If people see you running around with us, that'd give you some problems, I'm sure."

The entire reason FATE agents were chosen was because the country didn't want a bunch of high-powered agents operating within the territory, but also to act relatively incognito.

RedArmyShogun Sir Les Paul Mook-LandStrider The Regal Rper Merciless Medic Peckinou

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Thaddeus Thales​

"Gauss"​

Species Human
Partner Noah Wiley, Arkayis Misonuka
Rank Fate Agent

Location Romania, Deda Commune
Mission A Bloody Investigation
Status Focused

​

Tags: RedArmyShogun The Regal Rper Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Mook-LandStrider

She was fun. A little flirty in her own regard. Definitely attractive, though not quite his type. That honor still resided squarely to Maria and Annika, though that weapon partner Sara had seemed suitable as well. Regardless of his own personal tastes, he had established what he wanted: a rapport. She did possess a badge, though those weren't incredibly difficult to fake or steal. If she was an investigator, that meant she was likely the central intelligence agency. Gauss didn't know much about them. If he could phone a friend, he would have begrudgingly contacted V. He might know more. At the very least, she could have used the thumbprint to confirm it was in fact her badge.

It became decision time. How to proceed. As he saw it, this woman was either truly from the CIA or she was an incredibly talented thief of some kind that simply had access to the badge. He rationalized either scenario would be more fruitful than complying with those cops. Something about the entire situation with them seemed off and he wasn't keen on trusting the locals. Not only were they naturally obtrusive to the DWMA investigation, if there was a force here corrupting or otherwise somehow controlling the people, then the locals would be the targets there the longest to gain control of.

Gauss lifted his hand up to his ear to activate his short range communicator, sending his next comments out to the group via their earpieces:

"Disengage the authorities. They will not be taking our new companion into their custody. Leave the cars behind. They have served their purpose and dealing with them now would only slow us down. Regroup to me. Lie and dodge questions if you need to; the mess will clean itself up."​

His attention turned back to Ileana. She had a hot and cold act. Fun and amicable one moment, stern and somewhat demanding the other. He had made a plan to side with her and figure out the situation as it stood, and he intended to commit to the plan. It was that or split the group to work both sides, but Gauss was not one to split the group. He knew that in Three-Star teams, that was a common tactic. For this team, he believed they lacked the experience and cohesion to pull that off successfully, and a wrong decision could lead to embarking on a rescue mission that would only further put the overall objective--and the safety of his teammates--at stake. Not that he didn't trust Elly and Midori to hold their own, just that he wasn't willing to create that scenario if at all possible.

"If anyone is taking you anywhere, Ileana, it'll be me, and it would preferably involve some fine dining--which seems quite lacking here, unfortunately" Gauss finally responded to her directly, offering her some reassurance with no lack of his own twist on the topic. "Though hopefully, I'm not so forward that your weapon gets jealous. They do get the privilege of being attached to your hip, after all," he added, but only to slyly make it known that he was aware of the existence of said weapon.

"Once my team regroups, we can find a more suitable place to exchange information," Gauss went on, shifting from his coy wordplay to a more serious tone about his intentions--which were surprisingly not as dubious as he outwardly made them to be. "I have full faith that Elly will dissuade the cops from following, but if she fails, you can escape to a shared location while I distract them with waving around the family name," he explained, both demonstrating his confidence in his teammate but a back-up plan even if that were to fail. "Though, I'd heartbroken if you did run off and never show. I imagine I'd never meet an investigator in Death City, after all; it'd be such a waste to never see you again. I'd have to hunt you down, wouldn't I?" he added, this time sliding in a thinly veiled threat. Not that it was terribly likely, but Gauss liked to cover his bases.

 

[Peckinou]

Arkayis Misonuka

Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Mook-LandStrider

Arkayis sighed when Gauss mentioned the chain of command, figuring it was now an issue about control over the team, though when he mentioned how he wasn't paired with a lone wolf anymore, Arkayis instinctively tensed up at the indirect mention of their sister. While Arkayis hadn't been in many teams before Fate, there were a couple of times where they have, though that typically involved him and his sister splitting from the group and typically providing results which is practically what mattered most usually. Though Noah didn't exactly provide results to say the least, so that could have been one of the main problems, if it had been successful Gauss wouldn't really be so mad, or at least less mad than he was now.

Though as Gauss continued Arkayis remained dead silent not even bothering to look Gauss in the eye as he went on with his rant, of course, Arkayis understood that the decision Noah made wasn't exactly the best choice of action, though he also knew Noah wasn't exactly an idiot either. The scenario of Noah getting himself killed really wasn't something Arkayis was fond of for many practical reasons and a few sentimental ones, some of them being pointed out by Gauss. There weren't really any true points that Arkayis disagreed with, that was until he mentioned him being a liability, which caused Arkayis to divert their attention to Gauss giving him a short-lived glare. While he may have given Noah the benefit of the doubt, Arkayis never actually did anything that actively hindered the team, and thought it was a bit maddening that he was considering him to be a hindrance. To add salt to the wound Gauss mentioned him finding a new Meister, which would have been a bit of a difficult task to do, and had caused Arkayis to tense up again at the mention of it. Then he mentioned that this was him cutting them some slack, even with Noah apologizing Arkayis felt a wave of negative emotions for reasons that had nothing to do with Noah. Instead of uttering a word Arkayis quickly exited the vehicle, getting a bit of distance from Gauss, the swirl of emotions he felt in such little of a timeframe had ended him feeling bitter and he didn't want Gauss getting a good read on him especially after he implied him finding a new Meister.

As they traveled out of the area, Arkayis was dead quiet and more alert, resorting to his base emotion of apathy after having gotten their emotions under control. After getting in an accident everyone began to exit the vehicle and Arkayis followed, after Gausses order for him to follow after Annika was a order he was more than happy to comply with as it gave them a break from being near him. He stood behind Annika silently and watched the situation between the woman, and the newly arrived Police and Priest unfold. He doubted any attempt to engage with the local police would end well, especially considering how they got treated just for entering the nation, and unlike the previous group hostile engagement would be a really bad idea. As Gauss gave out new orders, to Disengage them, Arkayis let out a groan as it was more than likely gonna make their stay in Romania even more difficult. Arkayis tugged on Annikas sleeve, giving them a questioning gaze as they looked toward them and the police as if trying to ask what exactly they were going to be doing.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Raphael Valerias​

Date: Todd Howarding April, 2067
Location: Death Room, DWMA, Death City, Nevada
Interactions: Cyrus, Yara, Ark, Rand, Maria
Mentions: Chanterelle
Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper RedArmyShogun

It had been a few days since they came back and honestly, he was tired. When he came back, they had seen the destruction that was wrought on Death City. It bothered him. When he had arrived, he had met with Sara, who had taught him some unfortunate news while the officials poured over their results from their investigation. Everything she said soured him, and he stood there with his arms crossed as he listened to everything. He honestly should feel proud about the achievements they underwent, but he just… couldn’t.

At least the demon within him was quelled for the time being, the skew only becoming more apparent when he felt more upset and this thing within him only seemed to stir in the happy praise that lifted its pride. He found himself just blankly staring at whoever spoke, his expression unusually lax, yet there was a soft scowl on his features.

He definitely wasn’t going to get in between Cyrus and his scolding of Rand though. Which only proved to confuse him. Without Rand, they likely would have died. So why was he scolding him? Did he want them to die out there? He simply scoffed and shook his head.

At least he could tell all those Witches who hated his guts to suck a fat one. His team did what they could and they achieved leaps and bounds that weren't even expected of them.

So, why wasn’t he satisfied with that?

He just craved more. This wasn’t enough. He felt like he didn’t do enough. He was everyone’s support, yet he wasn’t really needed after the spiders were in use to make sturdier connections than his chains could ever be. He felt oddly useless, and it only sought to further his ire of himself. The pride he felt in accomplishing this mission grew just as sour as the thought passed through him.

That was when Yara appeared. He raised an eyebrow. By all intents and purposes, she was honestly gorgeous. The only woman - and a witch at that - to make him feel something from her appearance alone. The little sibling bond they had seemed a bit tense, but Raphael didn’t really care much. He cared about why Yara was here.

He did wonder how being humble was a more human trait than a witch one. Were they all as haughty as he? He found himself smirking.

Raph did feel a little better when Cyrus reiterated the praise, and that they were doing better than everyone else in the Fate program. That was good. As Yara spoke, he looked between Maria and Ark. Favors in their courts? That’s fascinating, but he didn’t fully know what that meant. He had only been in the witch realm to study the several times he was allowed to go. He didn’t fully understand Witch politics, nor did he want to learn.

At least Chanterelle was going to be okay. It left him at ease.

That was when Yara asked if there were any rewards they’d want within reason. He raised an eyebrow. He didn’t fully know why, but that’s when Ark spoke up. Something deep within him was set off by Ark’s sudden proposal for a date. His eyes widened and he looked up at the burly man, now really wishing he didn’t have to crane his poor neck of a whole one inch to stare at him with a scowl.

His scowl became an easy smile once Maria finished her bit - honestly a trip to the airfield would suit her. Looking up at Cyrus with a grin, he nodded. “I’m sure I can be of some use in the reconstruction efforts. As for you, milady.” He swept his arm in a gentlemanly gesture that he may have been laying on a bit too thick. “I’d be grateful if you could support my father’s tailoring business, the Valerias’ Vanity. And I’d also be grateful for a date with the gorgeous Miss Yara.” He might be laying it a bit thick here, but he was overcompensating for some negative feelings towards Ark.

He’s not jealous, he swears.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Cyrus Kallis​

"Blue Reaper"​

Species Human (Weapon)
Partner Lord Kidd
Rank Three-Star

Location Death Room
Mission Return to Dall Island
Status Focused, intrigued

​

Tags: The Regal Rper Merciless Medic RedArmyShogun

Before Cyrus could even utter a word in response, Yara took over the proceedings. The excitement within her porcelain face was obvious, and her smile shifted to a grin that would almost come across as devious if not for how innocent she naturally appeared. Mana flowed through her body. Mana that was powerful. Mana that could only be remotely compared to that of the unnatural eye that Rand had. Except, in this case, it was entirely natural. What would come next would be solely the power of Yara, grand daughter of Maba, and it would act as a reminder of the difference between the Mabian House and even other royal courts.

Yara lifted her left hand and flexed out her fingers. In doing so, a shimmering portal opened within the air itself. The amount of mana radiating off of that portal alone dwarfed anything even Rand had demonstrated with his eye. The only thing aside from the Ley Line the group had felt compare to it was the eruption of lava created by their use of Magic Circles, and that was a team effort. Yara did this alone.

She reached her hand into the portal and from it pulled out a long, yet slightly warped shaft of dark, brown wood. The wood itself was not raw, but smoothed down and covered in some type of coating. A matte clear coat of some kind, something that made it definitely appear processed. At its end would be a large bushel of red-tan hay cut into an even, flat surface at the end. It was a broom. It was just a broom. Yet, it was a magical broom, teaming with as much mana as any of Maria's constructions.

"Oh, my dear, there are magical means you can learn to fly!" Yara shouted, gasping in her own excitement. The portal closed, and only then did anyone realize that its presence actually created some amount of pressure in the room just by existing. Yara caressed the broom gently, before allowing it to float mid-air, and finally shoving it off to Maria. "Don't let this ruin your dreams of flying those metal contraptions humans need to mimic a fraction of our power," she added. She then turned back to Cyrus with a smug look and teasingly poked her tongue out at the man. "No offense," she told him. Hardly convincing given what she said and how she said it, but the effort was there.

Then back to Maria. "These are made from wood grown in the Dark Forest. A lot of Witches buy brooms made by artificers, but those use wind magic or change density... oh, it's a mess. These are grown by our grandmother, and she created the blueprint for making them. These brooms don't fly or float, they change your position in space. It's her magic. You won't even feel like you're in the air. No wind, no hovering, no worries about falling, not a lot of drain on your mana. Only a few brooms go faster, if you want to risk your life splatting into a wall. These are the best, I promise," Yara explained, nearly giddy in her entire explanation. There was a reason. These were made by Maba herself, essentially. Not with her own hands, but by her workshop by her blueprints.

"Sorry boys, only one for her. I like to reward ambition, and her request was ambitious," Yara told them, eying over to Raph and Ark. She expected them to be jealous. Rand stood there with his head cocked wondering why Yara would offer a gift worth a family-sized house in the Witch Realm. Brooms were a dime-a-dozen, but brooms like that one were only made in batches of a few per year. Yara could have just as easily offered her a standard broom, worth maybe a set of farm horses at best.

Cyrus saw the look on Rand's face and deduced this was some type of grand gesture. The man let out a loud clearing of his throat, trying to command attention back on himself. "Assuming you still want to learn to fly by our means--which by the way, I suggest. I learned how to fly and I have to admit, it's fun--the first step is academic. I'll approve you for classes sponsored by the DWMA and once you get your permits online, we'll try to figure out how to get you time in the field for hands on hours," he told her, offering her the first steps in her goal to fly the contraptions as Yara called them.

He was trying to hide his frustration. He didn't exactly want to be showed up by Yara, but such was incredibly difficult when the bitch could literally pull items out of thin air. Such was hardly fair to compete with.

"As for the remains you found, we have identified most of them. Our focus first is on giving closure to the families. As you should know, many were in the Paean Program. Reaching out to next of kin isn't always easy, but we're making efforts. Once we make some headway, if there is a positive response, I will alert you and Rand privately," Cyrus told them, offering an answer to the rather somber question about the ashes returned from the corpses in the Dall Oak. This likely meant more to Rand than it did Maria, but she was the one that made it possible. Well, her and Ark, as he incinerated the corpses and put them into sacs for transport. Really, actually, he probably deserved to be alerted, too, but as long as the DWMA got to one of them, the others could share the news.

"Oh yes, did you know them, Ranran?" Yara chimed in, directing all of her attention to her little brother in the moment. "You were quite struck by them; it's not often I see you like that," she added, commenting on the turmoil Rand was in when he explained what they found. As a often and mostly stoic individual, seeing him in any type of emotional state wasn't terribly common, especially when it was something as sentimental as this.

"No..." Rand replied to her, his tone fairly flat, but not quite upset. He was actually appreciative of Cyrus assuring him something was being done.

"But, we were all on that island. Even after we fought our way to safety, plenty of people were worried we wouldn't get evacuated. I can't say I wasn't," he explained to her, "the people we found, even if I don't know them, didn't get the same chance."

Yara was gone in an instant. The closest thing any of the Mages in the room could compare it to were the after images Midori left behind. There wasn't an explanation for it, either. Unlike the portal she created, it didn't have much of a magical trace. It wasn't as if she was gone long, however. She appeared right next to Rand, hugging her pipsqueak of a brother and consoling him. "Ranran, we would have came to get you and Gaaaav," she told him while she ran her delicate fingers through his coarse, black hair. "You shouldn't think your sisters would just leave you like that, it's upsetting," she said, further consoling him.

Silence. This was admittedly slightly awkward.

"Yara... I appreciate the gesture, but please let me go," Rand requested after a moment, obviously slightly uncomfortable by the touch of even his sister, and his voice somewhat shaky at the request.

Yara released him and pouted at him, her two hundred years of experience not showing as she appeared more like a pre-teen upset that she didn't get her way. With a scoff, she simply said, "Oh, fine... you and your touch-phobia..."

She sighed, then turned back to the rest of the group. "Yes, yes, I can make sure all of the proper favors and credits go where needed. The Council will decide what is appropriate to offer shops and houses; I don't deal with that directly," she informed them, demonstrating how little she seemed to be interested in the politics of the matter now that she became more expressive.

"Oh!" she shouted, as the shared request hit her. That one was more interesting. A touch more personal, and one she didn't have to ask the council about. "Bold of you to ask for a date with someone of my Court, hm..." she said, pointing out how of all requests made, that one was most definitely the most far-reaching. She placed her index finger on her cheek and looked up and over to the left, thinking about it. It would have a lot of ramifications. Even if nothing came of it, and said chances were incredibly slim, the act of courting a Witch from the line of Maba held a lot of value in the Courts. Her mother might just scold her for doing so.

Which sounded like enough reason to do so.

"Of course, I'll give each one of you three a chance to hold my attention," Yara said, answering them, "Even you, Maria. I know you didn't ask for it, buuuuut, who better to show you how to ride your new broom?" A soft smile was followed by a brief giggle as she made the suggestion.

Rand cocked his head at this. A date with his sister? That perturbed him more than he cared to admit. Her lackadaisical approach to it only threw him off even more. Rand wasn't sure if the hug or prospect of the date made him more uncomfortable, but he certainly knew the situation shifted into a direction he wasn't content with.

"A-Are we done? There's a lot of reconstruction to do and stuff..." Rand asked, trying to hurry this along or at least transition away from the current subject matter. His discomfort was obvious in both his tone and body language. He was not fond of what had transpired here.

"Yes, yes. Good idea!" Cyrus answered, being much of the same mind as Rand but for different reason. "You three are dismissed. Rand, you will need to stay as there is some discussion for you specifically," he mentioned. Rand would be back and forth between the Witch Realm and Human Realm for the next several days, as he would soon learn. There were plenty of political things that were really only suitable for him, Yara, and Cyrus to discuss--none if which would be fun or entertaining. Though, at least it brought to an end the uncomfortable prospect of their extremely forward and juvenile requests.

With the group now dismissed and leaving the Death Room, Yara still managed to keep the scene interesting while they were in earshot. "Cyrisssss, you're getting all stressed again," Yara told him, pointing out how quick he was to dissolve the situation. That shared discomfort he had with Rand was obvious and even more uncommon coming from him. Cyrus normally commanded the entire attention of a room, and his presence itself was quite authoritive. With Yara present, that normal image of the man quickly faded. "You humans need stress relief far too frequently... but I'll help again after we finish with this," she told him, shaking her head at him in disapproval. Whether or not she realized that she was the cause of his stress was and to this day still is unknown.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Maria Mayer - DWMA HQ, Death City​

Having much to process, Maria took the broom in kind, it did not fly so much as positioned itself? Puzzling this, it seemed it was made by, or at least under the Direction of the Maba herself, a beautiful creation in its own right. She also knew of the power of those woods, or rather the wood the shaft was created from. Such wood she would get her hands on every so often to make her own constructs, the difference in power was something else. Though she did ponder learning to fly by a magical means, in fact she had a few ideas to ponder doing so, moving masses of others was another thing all together.

This would do what she wanted for the here and now, there were many uses she could think of with this reward. Though she knew Raph would likely be jealous of it for a bit, provided just dating the girl once, seemingly had that focus of his for the here and now. All of the responses that came to the front kept her silent for a bit as she recalled them all, bit by bit, answering or acknowledging them one by one.

"I would be honored if you would devote some of your time towards instructing me, I'll set aside time whenever works best, seeing Death City from above may be interesting."

Turning her head to Cyrus, she nods. "I would dare not try and carry more than two on a broom, myself included, any other means of flight I could learn on my own would likely be unable to carry many, or any at all, who can say, strange to hear, strange to see... Those daring young me on the flying trapeze.. But ah, yes, I still wish to learn it, my balloons only worked so well thanks to the efforts of the others and my experience with crafting..."

With what he had to say on the bodies, she nods. "With the hard times of the outbreak, I understand not many had the luxury of seeing their loved ones intact... I, if anyone gets upset, it was my suggestion to burn them, if they want anyone to blame." As if to take on any burdens that may be thrown at Rand and Raph should the situation turn against them she gave a nod.

At mention of being dismissed she turned to leave. "I'll be around the city, at the lab or in the workshop when I am not sleeping, should anyone need me, I'll have my communicator."

Merciless Medic The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul