Gyuuki

That was an odd event for sure, in the end the Instructor didn’t have the chance to tell what a Chaser was because of the devil girl, then the devil girl started to talk substituting the instructor. However what really got Gyuuki curious was something far simpler “Hottie?” She thought, oblivious to what this mysterious third gender was “I wonder what those are, maybe a form of Youkai?”

Either way, what was clear was that something was wrong and even the clueless ox-demon could notice that. It also looked like they were going to have to sleep there until some sort of test, good thing she had brought some food and that she was used to sleep on the ground.

Most of the crowd however was not as conformed with this as Gyuuki, who noticed that thanks to her height which gave her a far view into the crowd, where a group of boys and a girl started to yell at each other. She didn’t understand that behavior, it all looked like a big waste of energy, and most of them didn’t even have bread and candy to replenish it later.

"We might need our energy for that exam we were told about. We're all here for the same thing, right? No reason to not all be friends."

“Oh?” Gyuuki thought, her ears wiggling with excitement, after all, it was rare to see a human have an opinion similar to hers…

“Oh…” Gyuuki sighed, as she noticed it was not a human but an Youkai just like her. It was still nice, but she had thought that for once she would meet some humans to talk with.

Actually, there were people just by her side, both humans even. “Okay, I just have to be social, this will go alright” she thought

She took her bag into her hand and looked to her side, cold sweat crossing her face r “Uh I have... Oh?” apparently the girl by her side had decided to sleep, just like that, out of nowhere. Maybe it was a human thing, though she didn’t remember anyone who did that back in the village.

There was still the second girl though, the one who had a red hood, a mechanical. The youkai shook her bag a bit, trying to be as casual and smooth as an almost 2 meters tall ox-demon could be “If you need… I have spare food and water!”

Charlie felt a bit embarrassed about the outburst, but whatever, nothing he could do about it now. Yawning slightly he watched the succubus girl flit over to the Senior Instructor, the more he looked, the greater the warmth on his face he seemed to feel Ellie? Well she is a succubus, I suppose some basic arousal from her is to be expected. Quickened pulse and flushed cheeks? I can easily dismiss them as embarrassment. No other major physical reactions, going by her gaze the jock type is her flavour. Plus she might be scatterbrained given how she seemed to ad lib those last instructions

Lost in his own world of thoughts, Charlie didn’t notice the girl beside him “Hmm? Oh, I’m ‘fucking’ 14 big sis. Are you alright? You seems distressed.” reaching out Charlie hold Maya’s wrist and feels her pulse

“I think you should lie down, sis. I don’t want the first person I talked to here to be stressed, plus you seem nice” hearing some guy berate her for asking about his age and mocking her breasts made Charlie frown. Sure yelling and stuff doesn’t make the best first impression, but that’s not an excuse to be an asshole and that’s not even considering the freak who put a blade to Maya’s neck. he seems capable, moving normally won't escape his reach most likely, too close of a range for a safe shot and sticking them all together is kinda the opposite of what the situation calls for... well I'll give this a try then Putting on his best scared voice, Charlie spoke up to the masked blade man.

“Hey... M-mister? P-please don’t hurt big sis...” moving closer to Maya, Charlie hugged her and stepped in close, looking for all the world like a scared little brother, his cheek nestled snugly against Maya’s chest.

“Sh-she’s really nice and kind a-and I will f-fight you if you hurt her!” shaking for effect as he hugged Maya, Charlie even added a tear to his eye to complete the image while priming his belt for a quick escape if things got hairy. Sure he couldn’t go far at all carrying someone, but escaping a blade length? He won’t die from that.

The boy she had spoke to responded rather curtly, eyes glowing like a jack-o-lantern. "Any fucking kind really, half the chicks here look like they belong to some kind of cutting board school for the flat chested, I almost feel like a pedo bear for trying to steal glances at chest and asses here, I'm almost completely sad that I even hoped some of these chicks had back when they didn't even have any front."

Juniper looked down at herself, then back at the boy. She was not flat chested in the slightest. She was at least a C-cup, and even though she was slender, she could bench-press about five times her own weight with ease.
"You're daft!" she giggled, but she didn't get much further before the instructor started talking again. Apparently, she was wrong. A chaser was really...
"A miserable little pile of killings, of course! But enough talk... Have at you!" cried a sultry looking Youkai before descending. After a queer looking affair, the Youkai told the gathered applicants that no, they would not get inside the academy tonight, but tomorrow. That sucked, but it wasn't nothing she wasn't used to. Juniper was more focussed on the girl being called Absinthe Red despite Absinthe being green. And even that paled compared to the strange boy she was talking to.
And then she realised what was going on. A bunch of strangers were going to be sleeping in the same, cramped quarters on the hard stone floor. They were going to be forced to shack up together for a fairly long time. Someone was already getting crabby, shouting about how unfair it was and that she would sue. Juniper saw it a rather different way:
"SLUMBER PARTY!" Oh gosh, there were so many people to talk to! So many things to see, people to do! Strike that, reverse it. She would have to find a good spot, maybe find a couple of people she could share with.
Fortunately for her, not only was she particularly toughened from her long days slaving away in the mines, but her Dad had the foresight to pack a sleeping bag with her things. The only question was who to set up camp with.

Turning her back on the platform, the Pink Pain went to continue talking to Gaz, to ask him if he wanted to share her sleeping bag. Sadly, he had got a little distracted - and by that, I mean he was a kitten's whisker away from pummeling some fellow. Through the crowds, she noticed another brawl brewing, started by "I'll Sue You" girl. Was this the right time? Perhaps she had better leave it until after the troubles were over. Little Red looked lonely, maybe she would keep her company.

She pushed her way past several people, making a beeline for the girl with red hood. The big fellow could handle himself, and the Sue You girl now had what appeared to be a miniature scientist growing out of her. Huh. That wasn't a sentence she ever thought she'd say.

Hey, Red, you okay?" she asked as she approached the stranger. "You wanna talk?"

@KoL

Null titled his head as Maya addressed him directly. He acted almost as if he was deaf or something because he took a good moment to ponder the pink-haired girl's threats. His grin faltered into a smile before picking up again, a snicker escaping. Drawing his blade back, he was just in time to hear another of the students, the mad scientist from before, now wander close and try to put on his best puppy face or something. Null turned to Charlie now, once again taking a long pause...and then snickering at his words.

Maya looked down at Charlie, about to say something about being a creepy little fuck until she realized what was going on. Oh, the smart little bastard. Maya put her arm around Charlie, puffing herself up the best she could. "Do you have a fuckin' problem with somethin', mate? You're laughin' like a fuckin' mad man. My little brother here wants you to leave, so you better, or else I'll bash your fuckin' head in, you understand me? No one hurts my little bro." Maya would kick the kid's ass later. After all, no one touched her without her permission.

Looking up at Maya, sorry 'big sis', Charlie was so glad that she caught on quick, silently apologizing for being so forward, but when a creepy guy with a sword is there you kinda have to be a bit daring. "St-stop laughing like that... wh-why don't you speak? Y-you're not so tough, besides, my big sis is the toughest, prettiest big sis so you better go away right now!" God he hoped this worked. If this guy tried to make a move Charlie would have to use his belt and hope he doesn't collapse afterwards.

The masked boy or girl or whatever the hell Null was merely snickered some more, as Maya and Charlie had told a really good joke. He had put away his sword, hadn't he? What more did they want? Unless....they wanted to be stabbed through the heart? Null had heard of such people with exotic tastes but to actually meet one in the flesh...well it's not like they'll be needing that flesh anyway.

Null snickered some more...only to take pause in his grins. Hmm...something felt off. Turning around in a complete circle, Null scanned the area before fixing in a direction. Oh. This was why they paid him the big bucks...if they actually paid him anything. Best to inform the Head Director of these two problems. Spinning on his heels, Null snickered one last time at Maya and Charlie before walking forward. Getting close to the point where breathing was uncomfortable, Null walked right through Maya and went on his merry way.

Well wasn't that creepy? As if things couldn't get any stranger in this first day of school, Maya would find something heavy suddenly landing on her shoulders. A quick glance up would reveal a girl with...were those shark teeth. Putting her arms out, she made loud vrooming sounds as if she was an airplane.

Maya was just staring blankly as she listened to more of Null's weird snickering. At this point, she didn't really give too much of a shit. "Listen, you're like, scary or something. I dunno, and I don't care. Go like, be weird and edgy somewhere else, mate." Maya still shivered as Null passed through her, eyes wide and breathing heavy. That... was easily the most uncomfortable thing that ever happened to her. She felt... violated.

Now there was another person. Maya looked up at the girl, and found her quite adorable, actually. The shark teeth were of little concern to her, mostly because she was past the point of giving a shit anymore. Youkai and the like were all over the place now anyways, best to get with the times. "Hey, kiddo. You wanna ride on my shoulders? I don't mind, really. Just gotta not randomly show up. I almost threw you off my shoulders." More like threw across the room. But, eh. Tomato, tomahto.

Charlie continues staring 'fearfully' at Null as he? She? It? Began walking closer and closer to the pair. Instinctively hugging slightly tighter, the fear act for a brief instant became less of an act... and then he walked through Maya. Shivering as he felt Null go through his arms as he made his way through Maya, Charlie could only imagine how she felt. Arms shaking Charlie didn't immediately let go and then then he felt Maya buckle slightly as a girl landed on her.

"Are you alright, sis? Sorry about this... I wasn't sure what else to do" taking a step back and shyly smiling. The warmth of Maya lingering slightly as he thought he recognized the actions of the girl on Maya's shoulders. They were strikingly similar to what he had just done and had to applaud her timing.

"Also 'big sis' I don't know your name, I'm Charlie, nice to meet you" bowed slightly to Maya before grinning at the girl on her shoulders "Thanks to you as well, littler sis"

"Oh ho, you make a good airplane," the girl said cheerily, continuing to make her vrooming sounds. Some of the other students cast glances at the trio now, a little surprised to see the girl on Maya's shoulders before turning to murmur amongst themselves. Wasn't that girl a senior in the Academy? Or did she just look...actually, it was probably best not to think about it too much.

"Wow, wow, wow, you make a nice seat too! Name's Dana by the way. I can do all sorts of things. Like drive airplanes for example. Isn't that a neat skill to have in life? Vroom, vroom!"

Maya glared down at Charlie, rolling her eyes. "It's chill, kid, just don't shove your face into my tits again. Thanks for the quick thinking there, though. That's pretty smart." Maya looked back up at Dana, tilting her head. "You can drive an airplane? How... old are you, kid? I gotta weird feeling about all this. Little girls just falling from the sky is usually a sign of something mildly fucky going on."

Maya looked at the two kids before sighing. "I didn't know being a chaser meant that I had to be a babysitter too."

"Don't do it again? But it worked so well this time~" with a light tone Charlie put on a bashful expression and turned his head hands on cheeks. Straightening up with an ever present grin he put his arms behind his head "Don't worry, unless it's a desperate situation, or if you give me permission, I won't shove my face into your pillowy breasts~"

Looking at Dana's claim she can fly a plane Charlie didn't think it sounded too odd. If he could make one, why couldn't someone else fly them after all, still he had to agree with Maya, little girls don't just rain from the sky, but that wasn't an immediate mystery to be solved "Hey big sis, I still haven't caught you name and no, you don't need to babysit me, but I won't say no~"

"Oh ho! A school for people as weird as me? How could I resist not being in something like this," Dana lampshaded to the sky. Once more several students began to turn their heads to look at the shark-toothed girl sitting on Maya's shoulders. And...who was she talking to again? Well whatever the case, things were going to be interesting from now. Dana grinned, revealing her wide row of shark teeth, a dark smirk presenting itself for a fraction of a second before she was all smiles again.

Gaz slowly walked through the crowd making his way over to James, he walked in an ominous way towards James, but mid way to James, Gaz stopped and pointed at Lloyd, his metallic gloved finger getting close to Lloyd's neck." You too, your gonna square up right along with him." The yellow eyed guy told the blond guy, after he made it clear he wanted to fight the two he stood back from the two of them and rolled up the sleeves to his black leather jacket.

He didn't notice that the girl from before that was interested in him was actually trying to get with him, he knew that she wasn't tiny as some of the other chicks as well and would need to check her out later.

He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and rubbed his metal gloved palms together, he made sure he had enough room to pull back both his arms and then slam both his fist together, suddenly Gaz's gloves ignited and bright red flames covered his gloved hands, when the flames began to crackle Gaz looked at the two." So you gonna get ready or do you want me to throw the first punch ?" Gaz asked the two. The white haired yellow eyed guy was ready to fight both of them.

@TheFourthIV @Lmpkio

The previous night...

Kurenai wasn't impressed with how fast things went down to hell. It was a natural reaction, to say the truth. More interesting were those who kept the heads in place, like the two girls that came to talk to her. Perhaps in an enclosed space, her hood called a bit more attention than she would like, but under the light of the crimson moon, the red cloth made for an effective camouflage that had saved Kurenai many times before.

"Thank you", Kurenai replied to the ox demon's offer of food by extending her artificial arm and then taking a bite at whatever treat she was given. If there was one thing a traveler learned, was to never ignore hospitality without good reason, as long as it wasn't too suspicious, doing so was a serious mistake that led many to death, Crowley once said. Then again, being too trusting killed about as many, if not more persons. Life was a seriously screwed thing where you can bite the dust at any moment, only experience and training could save one from such a demise.

"I'm Kurenai, a wanderer. What about you?" Kurenai addressed both Juniper and Gyuuki, moving her cloak aside to let them take a peek at her swords while still keeping the hidden from the people further away.



02:00 AM

At precisely the appointed time, the guards opened the gates and told the students that they had to walk to the ruins of an abandoned city that laid a good hour of walk away from the academy.

Kurenai was one of the first to get to her feet, since she barely slept at all during the night, like any smart wanderer she only took light naps, leaving the better part of her sleep for the day. She shook the girls next to her awake (in case they were still sleeping), draped her cloak around herself and walked into the sea of red light, only ever sparing a glance backwards to see if the other girls were following her.

Maybe, who knows, they could form a team? That is, as long as the tests doesn't involve duels. In which case Kurenai would spare them no mercy, even if they were would be friends.

-

@TheFourthIV@Spriggs27


However this battle will turn out, Lloyd chose not to find out this time as he continues to walk away. He was almost out of the auditorium when suddenly he can feel like someone pointed at him and even feels the rush of air behind his neck.

"You too, your gonna square up right along with him."

Ah crap. Did they find out that it was he who that Jamie guy was meaning to say "asshole" too? No, they couldn't have. They were just too at it. Then again, this was the voice that doesn't belong to the same guy either. I wonder if the former wanted this guy to do the dirty work for him. That would be even more sick then some of his own pranks. However, he was in no interest to be part of a fight. With a questioned grunt, he slowly turns around to face his opposer, Gaz.

"Eh?" Lloyd asked with a face of confusion, "What did I do?"

Maybe he can get himself out of a fight like this. After all, he's pretty damn good when it comes to making genuine faces. He then gazes at Jamie quickly until looking back Gaz, who's gloves suddenly ignited and bright red flames covered his gloved hands.

"So you gonna get ready or do you want me to throw the first punch?"

A silence would be issued through the three of them, until Lloyd responds.

"Uhhh, isn't this a fight you should be getting in with this guy?" he answers, pointing to Jamie, "I mean, at least give me an invitation ahead of time so I can plan it out. More importantly, why should I fight you anyways?"

He stood casually as he puts his hands in his pockets, standing simply still and looking at Gaz directly in his eyes.

Morgan

Morgan hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. From the moment of arrival after slipping into the crowd gathered in the main hall, this whole place had been nothing but a madhouse. However, this was something that became oddly comforting to the new recruit. It was chaos, but it wasn't dangerous. People here seemed to do whatever came to them naturally without worry of what was socially acceptable. None of the activities going on in the room would ever be allowed at the previous schools, but then again it also seemed that the administrative themselves were just as unorganized and behind in social norms.

All that aside, they did seem to get Morgan's blood pumping. Sure, it meant another few hours relaxing against a wall, but the idea that the entrance exam was being turned into a game was quite intriguing, not to mention the total upgrade to 5-star accommodations. Although taking a closer look around seemed a bit more daunting. Not much others that were the same age or younger, most seemed to have a good four-plus years advantage. It wouldn't be the first time Morgan stooped this low, though last time wasn't with the slightest intention; but if there was any trouble to come up, Morgan could always try a little acting to receive a bit of help from the other players.

James closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself down, this was getting out of hand. Usually he was a pretty calm guy but this snowy haired jackass really, really annoyed him. Wolfe could feel his Manifestation wanting to burst out and pummel this guy but he reeled himself it. Although he would like nothing more than to turn into a 10 foot beast and eat the guy for a snack that wouldn't be practical. To hammer in the point a female Youkai came over and reprimanded them. "We shouldn't be fighting, guys, we might need our energy for that exam we were told about. We're all here for the same thing, right? No reason to not all be friends."

James looked at her and it was like he snapped out of whatever rage he was in. She was right, they weren't even accepted yet and he could ruin his chanced by getting in a fight with another applicant.

Gaz had no intentions of backing down though, he even brought in the guy who actually shoved him. Lloyd went with the "I'm innocent" tactic, James saw right through it. Either way he wasn't going to fight, but this definitely wasn't the end of this.

James folded his arms, relaxed once again. "None of us are going to fight, not if you want to be accepted here. I'm no expert on the rules but I'm assuming starting a huge fight in their atrium without even being a part of the school would probably be frowned upon, to say the least. So, I suggest you take some Xanax or something Yellow eyes, and get some sleep. We'll fight another time, don't worry." Then he turned to Lloyd, "as for you, just watch where the fuck you're going. It's common courtesy to not shove everyone to get where you need to go."

Jamie sauntered off after that, having nothing left to say, he had made a big ass of himself already. He didn't want to make it any worse on himself. Wolfe found a nice area with little people around and decided to get ready to sleep, after all, he would need it. James flipped his hoodie over his head so it covered his eyes and he laid back and tried to drift off.

Sleep ensued.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:55 AM

A loud ass phone alarm woke James up with a fright. He fumbled around and managed to grab his out of his pocket. Through squinted eyes it took him several attempts to shut off the alarm but finally it was silenced. Well, if everyone wasn't awake before they were now. Jamie staggered to his feet, he only had one thing on his mind. COFFEE! He needed some, it fended of the morning demons when he couldn't. When the guards arrived they were told that they would have to walk an hour to an abandoned city. It seemed that the test was either going to be very destructive or it needed a lot of space. One thing was for certain though, James was going to need time to adjust to the new sleep schedule. The young man immediately lit a cigarette and took a few puffs, while his thoughts wandered around something along the lines of 'fuck this fuck this fuck this fuck this.' Jamie was curious about the test in all honesty. He assumed it would involve fighting if it required that big of an open space. Maybe he would get a chance to fuck Gaz up in the process. James alway had a way of looking at the bright side of things. Speaking of happiness, he reminded himself to try and make friends on the walk to the city. That is, if any one would want to after seeing his anger issues the night before. Damn, so much for seeing the bright side in everything. Maybe the whole day would be along the lines of 'fuck this fuck this fuck this fuck this.'

Whatever response he would receive from Gaz, Lloyd also wasn't going to fight. After all, like the Youkai mentioned, they weren't even accepted into the Academy yet. Sure he was a troublemaker, but he should be causing more trouble once he gets accepted, and not so much as before. Jamie would then respond to the opposer his own words. At least this guy was sane enough. It was then when he turned right at Lloyd.

"As for you, just watch where the fuck you're going. It's common courtesy to not shove everyone to get where you need to go."

"Uhhh, sorry?" the mischievous blonde responds confusingly as Jamie sauntered off after that, having nothing left to say.

Lloyd would then glance quickly back at Gaz, makes a gesture that indicates "I'm watching you" and quickly walks off. Yet now, it seems everyone was going to sleep here for the night. What was this, some massive sleepover party? Either way, they all had to be awake by 2:00 AM. That was just awfully early for Lloyd, but alas, he feels like he should stay here for the night. He finds himself a small corner in which he plops down in. He takes once last glance at the surrounding auditorium and then closes his eyes, falling soundly asleep.

---

As if his mind was keeping track of the time, Lloyd awakes twenty minutes before they were all scheduled to get up. He groans quietly as he rubs his eyes and slowly gets up. At first, he wasn't sure what time it was, but judging by the fact that some people were already getting up at this time, means that he woke up just at the right time. He looks up at a clock near the entrance way, just as his night-vision kicks in, and barely was able to see the time. It was 1:41 AM. Looks like his mind didn't fail in waking his consciousness up. Then the guards came in, and told the students that they had to walk to the ruins of an abandoned city that laid a good hour of walk away from the academy. Well thats good to know. He might as well be a zombie at this point, even though he was already quite awake at this time and barely groggy. He was even tempted to wake some of them up via his own methods, but chooses not to this time.

He then thinks about Gaz and Jamie and how this so called fight will turn out to be. If it turns up of course. I mean, if anything this macho guy could be bluffing anyways. Not like lloyd was scared of him, for he wasn't, but still. That's what most fights in places like this turn up to be. Nothing more then threats and bluffs. Either way, he then follows the rest of the students out to the gates. He feels like this is going to be one very long and tedious day...

-

Gyuuki

Gyuuki was impressed the socialization actually worked out, she gladly shared the last bit of food she had. She had a chance to look closer to the mechanical arm, it was kinda impressive that it was able to move normally despite being artificial, on her way to the academy she had seen a lot of technology you don’t normally see on the small villages like the one she came from. Gyuuki though felt like she didn’t need anything but her muscles.

“I’m Gyuuki, the warden spirit of a village… Well, not anymore, the village sent me to be a Chaser”

And silence followed, but that was what the Youkai liked the most, everyone else was far too loud, as if they couldn’t trap the words inside their mouth.

She sat down on the ground, her plan being to stay awake all the way to the event at 2 AM

“Oh, it looks like the fighting is dying out.” she thought “Good for them I guess. Fatigue always win in the end, just look at all the humans, laying on the ground, being all comfy and sleepy and…”

==============================

02:01 AM

“Just a minute, the pudding is almost ready” she mumbled as she woke up thanks to Kurenai’s warning shake. It took her a few seconds to come back to reality “Oh, I slept” she sighed.

She stood up and started to stretch, soon she caught a word of where the test was “A ruined city huh? I will need to look out for collapsed floors to use as ramps” on her journey through the wilderness she quickly learned how much trouble she had against enemies above her, The ox demon’s legs weren’t made for stairs and she couldn’t jump very well.

A flow of students started to form, impressively, it looked like there were already new arguments in the morning. Gyuuki followed the flow, glad that they were finally leaving the cramped atrium. It actually took her a while to see Kurenai, who almost disappeared among the carmine colored fields thanks to her cloak. She didn’t know if it was polite to follow her, but so far she was the only person she knew by name, and the youkai felt that being by herself on the town where the test would take place would be a mistake.

Juniper smiled at the two girls, especially the Youkai whom she only now realised she had completely ignored.

"Juniper Finlay, ex-slave. Pleasure to meetcha!" she said, extending her branded hand. This was so exciting! A real, life Youkai that wasn't trying to eat her! She had so many questions, so many things to say! What was it like? What could she do? Was it really that different from being human?What was her family like? What did she eat?
She held her tongue, however, as there was the overwhelming sense that both Red and the Youkai would prefer silence. So rather than do what she'd like to do and launch into a thousand and one questions, she very quietly sat down and pulled her pack off her back. She pulled out her sleeping bag and jammies, lay the sleeping bag on the ground and rather shamelessly threw her dress off to get changed into her PJs.

"Hey, Red, Yuki. If you get tired, just crawl in." she told her new friends, before sliding under herself. She didn't feel tired, but she needed her rest. Besides, it wasn't like she was doing anything else that day. It didn't take long before she was snoozing quietly between Red and Yuki.

---

About 2:00 AM

Juniper awoke to the gentle shaking from Kurenai. Almost instantly, her eyes were bright and open, and she dragged herself out the sleeping bag with little fuss.
"Morning, Red ~ ♪! Morning, Yuki ~ ♪!" she sang out merrily. She was keen to get moving and the sooner they got there, the sooner the adventure would begin. "You two want something to eat?"
She reached into her bag and retrieved a few rolls of brioche. Breakfast was one of the most important meals of the day, after all, and they needed to keep their energy up if they were going exploring.
Biting into one of the sweet rolls, she also reclaimed a few other things from her bag, namely a chestplate, armguards and several FLUX containers of different varieties. She then strapped on her armour over her jammies, loaded up the Warpick with FLUX and wrapped up her sleeping bag. By the time she had done all this, both Red and Yuki had vanished from her sight.

"Rats."

You would have thought following Little Red Riding Hood and an ox-demon would have been easy! She ended up trailing at the back, looking around for someone - anyone - who looked familiar. But she had only been with those two and the sassy blonde guy, and she couldn't see any of them.
She did see someone who looked familiar though. She recognised him as the guy that Gaz had almost beat up yesterday, the other blonde guy. Though she hand heard him speak, if he was getting in a confrontation with Sandwich Guy, he must have been at least as cheeky as he was. Never one to be shy, she bounced over to him and introduced herself.
"Hello! You know that guy, the blonde one, who you were about to beat up yesterday?" Oh boy, was this fella in for a treat. Once Juniper started talking, she could go on a while unless she was stopped. "The one who was talking about sandwiches yesterday. Have you seen him at all? I'm kinda looking for him, because he's the only person I really know and I've only just come here and I'd like to talk to people, but Red and Yuki have vanished and I can't see them, and Sandwich dude was the only other one I spoke to that day, and I really don't want to be on my own cause then I have no-one to talk to and then I'll get bored and I can't just keep walking for an hour straight and not talk to anyone, but it's not like down the mines where you can just whistle and sing, cause everyone's so serious here and I though that you looked a little more approachable, and I really want to just talk to someone and I was hoping that you could point me in that other guy's direction because I have no idea where he is and he's really the only other person I can talk to, unless you know where Red and Yuki are since they left way before us. So, uh, do you mind if I talk to you for a bit, just until I can find Red and Yuki, or the blonde guy again."
All this was said in one breath, I hasten to add. She took a single sharp breath, then spoke again
"Oh! My names Juniper, by the way. It's good to meet you!"

@Lmpkio@Double Capybara@KoL

2:00 am

Fuck, that was not a pleasant night. Maya had barely slept at all, for a variety of reasons. This nightmare bullshit was gonna have to stop soon, or else Maya was never gonna sleep. Besides that, the idea of sleeping with a bunch of assholes made her nervous. Not like she needed sleep, anyways. She spent most of the night sat up, watching over Charlie and the others in the area. Surely, there were guards and the like nearby, but why trust them? What if the guards were the enemy? As more and more people got up, Maya stay in place, waiting for some sort of instruction.

---

Despite the rowdiness of some of the other applicants in the atrium Gil was able to get some good rest. He woke up on his own, like a natural instinct to be punctual, with fifteen minutes to spare. A number of potential classmates were already awake or at least in the process, but rather than loaf about and wait Gil decided to do something else. As if it were any other normal day he began his morning workout routine. Some gave him confused looks, some gave him dirty looks, and some even stared in admiration. Whether it was admiring his dedication or his fitness, Gil didn't care either way. This wasn't for anyone else. Everything he did until now was for himself and he didn't plan on changing that.

By the time they were prepared to be let out by the guards he had already finished warming up. An hour long walk was nothing to Gil. He had walked thousands of miles over the years. He was further annoyed by the complaints and general lack of enthusiasm by some of the other teenagers around, but once again he decided to keep it to himself. The brunette gunslinger kept his eye on several people during the trip but mostly kept to himself. There was no need to socialize with these people, odds are most of them weren't going to get in anyways. He didn't come here to make friends, he came here to learn about the Crimson Sky and to push beyond his limits. At the most he could consider the Academy and its people his allies, which is something he understood to be an advantage to have in this world. In his present state he surely couldn't take back all the territory that has been overtaken by Youkai, let alone defeat the monster behind it all: Tsukuyomi. Gil briefly wondered if anyone here had even heard about the Prince of Moonlight but quickly assumed that very few had.

Gil remained wary as the massive group of prospective students trekked under the dark clouds and red moonlight. Most Youkai wouldn't be nearly brave enough to attack this big of a group of humans, regardless of whether or not they were armed, but Gil had the displeasure of handling Youkai far tougher than the norm in the past. It wasn't impossible for a particularly monstrous one to decide the horde of kids would make a good feast. While his right hand remained in his jeans' pocket he rested his left hand on his holstered Aerok, prepared to draw in an instant should he need to. Gil couldn't help but keep his eyes on some of the boys that almost fought the previous night. Part of him was curious to see if they actually would, part of him was curious to see if they were even capable fighters or not. He didn't plan on breaking up any fights if they came to blows anyways, that would be a job for the guards escorting them. It was just a good idea to pay attention to the others in general, as surely some of them would end up working with him down the road. Gil just wasn't prepared to actually be friendly with them until he knew who would even make it into the Academy. There was no point in befriending losers or weaklings.



The Flower Spirit slept rather soundly as well, but she was less punctual in waking up. It wasn't until the blaring alarm from James' phone did the young Youkai awaken. She had used her quiver as a pillow and it turned out quite comfortable but her rest had to be cut short for the early exam. Whatever the exam may be. She was a bit slow on the uptake, due to her plant-like nature and having no sunshine to energize with, but Erisa was up and functioning by the time the guards came to escort the crowd of teenagers to... wherever this exam was supposed to be. The silver-haired Youkai was quick to approach one of these guards. "Where are we going? We won't be taking the test here? Is it field work that we'll be tested on?" she began to pester the man, though he remained stoic and answered none of her questions. After waiting patiently for an awkward minute she decided to give up on that front and just move along like the rest of the kids.

The walking didn't bother her too much, it was her present physical state that made things more difficult. She wasn't tired in the same way a human would be, but instead it was more similar to how a cold-blooded animal would behave. She was slow, sluggish, and clearly lacked energy. Many would assume she didn't get enough sleep, which was a small part of it, but if she were to get her hands on some water or if she were to wait for the sun to come out (as rare as that is) she would be immediately brought to full function. As it stood she had neither water nor sunlight, but Erisa didn't feel comfortable asking the strangers for assistance. They might think she was weird for praying upon their supplies or something, Erisa still didn't have a good grasp of how humans would react to her actions. Instead she decided to keep her problems to herself and move with the crowd, though she did stealthily gravitate towards the middle of the crowd. Surely that was where "normal" humans would want to be and thus make her seem the least suspicious, right?

Gaz was prepared to fire a couple fire bolts into the two guys faces, he was ready to square up with the two, but soon he noticed that one guy was a puss and was trying to get out of the acting as if he didn't say anything." Well blondie, my ass may be dumb, but I'm no fucking dumbass. I have these things..Their called fucking ears bitch !" Gaz pointed up to his ears. The white haired guy then threw up his fist taking a fighting pose ready to drop the two.

But before he could throw a punch someone jumped in yelling for them to save their energy for tomorrow, Gaz groaned before the fire around his gauntlets extinguished and he let them cool down, Gaz sighed and put his hands behind his head, he then kept his eyes on the two guys." I hope you guys are ready for tomorrow, because personally... I'm ready to give this test a bad fucking time."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Early as fuck in the morning

When it was time for them to get moving Gaz was already awake before most of the others, the little red riding chick almost beat him awake, she ended up waking up most of the other girls around her, Gaz stood alone before he caught a glance at the two guys that he tried to square up with the night before, he didn't say anything he was gonna let his gauntlets do his speaking for him when they got into the ruins. Gaz silently followed the other students looking at some of the smaller chicks then to at least some that looked like they could be women instead of girls that came from early middle school, Gaz threw his arms behind his head while he walked seeming like he was relaxed as he walked.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


02:00am

Eiko soon fell asleep in the position she was sleeping oddly she didn't think she would fall asleep the way she was, but when she did she dreamed that she was a hero defeating dozens of enemies in a desert wasteland, for some reason the enemies that kept coming kept repeating "square up" In her dream; but after defeating enough of the baddies one of her sisters dropped from the sky, being a clone she looked exactly like XXVII, she dropped in with a katana and began trying her hardest to cut XXVII's head off.

Being unarmed XXVII just delivered single punch to her sister's gut and dropped to her knees, her sister pleaded with XXVII for her to not kill her and Eiko cocked an eye brow at the clone." Pssh. Kill you, I'm hero of these parts." she said before taking a overly flamboyant pose. XXVII soon felt someone touch her shoulder and in a snap Eiko awoken from her perfect dream, she looked over to see the girl with the red cloak be the one to wake her up." Arigatō...Uh Thank you." She thanked the girl twice.

Eiko wondered if she should take her duffel bag not knowing what would happen to it, knowing that it was time for a test Eiko opened the duffel bag and took out her weapons to arm up before she joined the others before leaving out, she set her duffel bag down next to a wall hoping nobody would mess with her stuff as she stood by Kurenai pulling up the sleeves on her pinstripe shirt showing her pink forearms and elbows, she noticed the red headed girl's robotic prosthesis and it reminded her of the cloning facility, she looked at the red headed girl's face and she didn't look familiar." What's your name ? " Eiko asked feeling curious about her robotic arm.

~Aria~

---

Head Director Aria sighed for what was perhaps the thirtieth time on that early morning. Thankfully two in the morning meant that it was still quite dark outside and she didn’t have to force Ellie to hold up an umbrella for her lest she get caught in the sun. Unfortunately this also meant that the succubus was now free to do what she pleased, even if that meant trying to take a peak underneath Aria’s dress every five seconds.

Beside her, the form of Null snickered away unfazed at the scene before him. That only earned yet more sighs from Aria at his indifference towards all things. It was said that a vampire’s familiars were a direct reflection of the user’s personality…so what the hell did that make these two clowns? Aria calmed her nerves though by sipping at a small cup of bloody tea before noticing the approach of the new students.

One by one they came, gathered before the Head Director as well as the mass ruins of cities laying in wake behind her. Null snickered once and that was indication for Aria to lay her gaze on Maya. Not to her surprise, a certain shark-toothed blonde was nowhere to be seen…good. The less trouble there was, the less of a headache Aria would have in the long run.

She did catch the sight of a rather peculiar looking student, wondering what she was doing among the crowd. Said girl in question was all smiles…before tripping over her own two feet and falling flat on her face. Smiling nervously, she reached into her pockets and fumbled with a pair of glasses….right. At least this year would be interesting.

“Greetings everyone,” Aria announced with a smile when the crowd eventually came to a standstill. “As you may know, today marks the beginning of your lives into Akatsuki Academy and your careers as future Chasers. However we must first gauge if your prowess as warriors can match the strength of your resolves.”

Aria stepped back and swept her arm out towards the ruined city. She waited for a moment more before continuing with, “You will each be finding your way across these Downtown Ruins until you reach the end. The time limit to go from the entry point to the ending point is exactly four hours and thirty minutes; whoever fails to hit this mark is out. Furthermore, there are several tarot cards of the Minor Arcana scattered through the city. Each participant is required to find and bring back one of them.”

Null snickered aloud after that and Aria tried not to glare at him in the middle of the new students. Yes, perhaps the trials were a bit cliché, but it was a method that ensured the students would be able to prove themselves through hard work and determination. And it fit their budget.

“The Minor Arcana cards will determine your team and your roommates for the rest of the year. Each set of matching faces will form a whole team. As a special treat, there's one Fool card as well. Whoever retrieves that one will get to share these amazing treats with me,” Aria said happily, Ellie walking over and showing off a batch of freshly baked, freshly glazed doughnuts. “Now then, I think that covers everything? Good luck everyone and remember to always have fun!”

Aria clapped her hands together before moving to the side. As she did so, Ellie walked up with a loaded gun in her hands that seemed…rather large to be in the grip of someone so frail. As she tried to hoist it up and point to the sky, Aria couldn’t contain herself and sighed as the succubus wobbled to and fro before finally pulling the trigger, the bullet whizzing into the air.

The trials had officially begun.

---

@Brithwyr@TheWindel


As Lloyd was just getting used to the bitter cold that was the outside, he was suddenly approached by a girl. She had pink hair and some fancy looking medieval armor, bouncing all over the place n' stuff.

"Hello! You know that guy, the blonde one, who you were about to beat up yesterday?"

Lloyd was taken completely off surprise as he looks awkwardly both directions before looking back at her again.

"Maybe~?" he responds awkwardly.

But oh boy, before he could finish, the girl gave him a long lecture.

"The one who was talking about sandwiches yesterday. Have you seen him at all? I'm kinda looking for him, because he's the only person I really know and I've only just come here and I'd like to talk to people-"

"I~"

"But Red and Yuki have vanished and I can't see them, and Sandwich dude was the only other one I spoke to that day, and I really don't want to be on my own cause then I have no-one to talk to and then I'll get bored and I can't just keep walking for an hour straight and not talk to anyone-"

"Well~"

"But it's not like down the mines where you can just whistle and sing, cause everyone's so serious here and I though that you looked a little more approachable, and I really want to just talk to someone and I was hoping that you could point me in that other guy's direction because I have no idea where he is-"

"Look~"

"And he's really the only other person I can talk to, unless you know where Red and Yuki are since they left way before us. So, uh, do you mind if I talk to you for a bit, just until I can find Red and Yuki, or the blonde guy again."

A small silent pause bestowed the two of them as Lloyd tired to figure out what the fuck she was saying.

"Well, Miss 1450's medieval girl, I-"

"Oh! My names Juniper, by the way. It's good to meet you!"

Another awkward pause as Lloyd gives an unamused look. But regardless...

"Um... yeah. Name's Lloyd. Nice to meet you n' all. But can you please limit that whole... you know, offer to twenty words or less? That's what a bald headed person told me after I told him my own life story._* And no, I don't know where that hot-potato guy is and nor do I wanna know, so there."

It was just then when they all began to approach the Head Director, in which she spoke her own thing to the crowd.

- - - - - -

"Oh great..." sarcastically responds Lloyd to himself, "A good ole' scavenger hunt for tarot cards, sandwiched into a race. Not enough funds to hire the easter bunny to pass out chocolate eggs huh? Tsk tsk, shame..."

Regardless, it was time for him and the others to find a tarot card and ultimately get to the finish line in... four hours and thirty minutes. Jeezus. So basically, they should be back by sunrise. Interesting to say the least. Either way, it was time to move. He runs to the right side of the ruins in order to find himself a card or two. Might as well make some friends along the way too...

And maybe make a few enemies too, who knows.

_{* (Good ole' One Punch Man references)}

James stumbled through the crowd, still not fully awake yet. He could get rid of clingy women faster than he could wake up in the mooring for fuck's sake. The young man noticed Gaz shooting him a glare from across the sea of people and James recalled his words form the night before.

"I hope you guys are ready for tomorrow, because personally... I'm ready to give this test a bad fucking time."

Wolfe saw the truth in Gaz's eyes and knew he was going to be on high alert during this test, he was going to have a lot on his plate. One thing was for sure, he was going to have to wake the fuck up. Jamie sighed and exhaled a particularly large cloud of smoke from his lips. He was minding his own business when he heard a fit of pitiful coughing from behind him. It sounded as if a chihuahua was being strangled, who the hell was that? Right on cue, a gruff and aggressive sounding voice rang out from behind him.

"Hey. Mind not blowing your smoke in my friend's face back here? If you gotta smoke. I don't give a damn. But could you... please...not suffocate him while you're doing it?"

James turned around to see a brute of a teenager and a petite little girl hiding behind him. Ah, so that was the source of the coughing.

"Aw my bad man," he said to Tadakatsu. James flicked away the cigarette into some rubble, making sure he didn't singe anyone in the process. "If I had known I was blowing smoke in your girlfriend's face I would have stopped earlier." God, he really was making himself out to look like a douche-bag. First he almost got into a fight and then he unknowingly attempted to give some poor girl lung cancer. James quickly made an excuse to move out of their way and sped through the bunch of people in an attempt to cover his embarrassment. Finally, it seemed as if the prospects had arrived at their destination. They all stopped and formed a makeshift crowd. Jamie easily picked out the Head director just by the feeling of power that surrounded her. With Ellie and Null were by her sides like bodyguards, director Aria laid out the instructions of the exam. James would have to get through the ruins in four and a half hours and acquire a Tarot card that would determine what team he would be placed in. Ellie took a gun that looked about as heavy as she was and popped off a shot to signal the beginning of the test.

You could see the ambitious glint in his eyes, he would not fail. He had gone through too much to be sent back to the hell of his old life. James could do this, he had what it took, he knew it. Wolfe grinned, plus, he was in his element. As James sprinted off behind Lloyd people could probably feel the ground shaking briefly in an area around Wolfe. Jamie made a mental checklist of his goals and the first thing he needed to do was get one of those Tarot cards. He realized that running was going to be too slow, the Ruins were too large and he wash't the fastest, speed wise. James focused and tapped into his Manifestation, it had been a while since he had used it to be honest. He used his ability to raise some minerals from the ground under his feet. Wolfe then manipulated these minerals to propel him across the ground. James smirked as he passed Lloyd. "Don't try to keep up Blondie," he taunted. Jamie almost laughed out loud, sometimes being childish and an asshole was fun. I mean, everything is fun in moderation right? James lit another cigarette and wondered if this could literally and figuratively be considered "smoking someone. Now, where were those damned Tarot cards? Wolfe was caught up in his own thoughts, and completely missed a couple of drones hiding in the shadows. He had no idea what was in store for him and he didn't know that the drones were a part of the deal.