The man loomed over his keyboard, frustration and annoyance plaguing his face as he struggled to fine the right thing to say. Was he to write something funny, epic or just a simple description of something? He shook his head and sighed with defeat as he began to let his fingers dance along the keyboard to describe his situation. As he finished he sat back and stared at his computers screen with tired eyes. "Hopefully I get to be an antagonist," he mumbled before falling over into a blissful sleep.

The week had passed by with very little to entertain Caremlita. Well, it wasn't really a week. It wasn't even a day. To be precise, it was exactly 4 hours 22 minutes and 17 seconds, but to the young woman it had been an entire week. That was her burden to bare. To have a connection to the Speed Force, but not be chosen by the semi-sentient force of physics as a champion, it meant that every waking moment was like unto Hell. She could count the individual flaps of a humming bird's wings so easily, but couldn't hope to keep up herself. No, she could only gift others with that blessing. Why? Why was she punished like this?

The young girl was thankful that another of the new Titans stayed in the lair with her. It meant that with Jude's presence there was at least something happening at all times. It might have been slow and boring, but it was something apart from herself and her own thoughts. That's what she was thankful for. For a good portion of the day the boy tried to read through a book in an attempt to find out more about the accident that gave him his powers, and she read over his shoulder. Of course, she read significantly quicker than he did, so by the time he had finished turning the page, she was ready for the next. It was quite annoying when a sentence hit the end of the page, so it had to be completed on the next. By the time Jude had gotten around to turning the next one over, she had forgotten what it was that she had read. It was so long ago...

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. That was all Una could think about, that was all she wanted to do. The last few days have been nothing but work, work, and more work for her, she just wanted to rest now, to escape to her little dream world. The sound of a blaring alarm clock woke her slightly, 11 a.m. it shown on it's screen. With a quiet yawn, she turned the alarm clock off and snuggled back under her covers. "Five more minutes..." she said sleepily, she had earned her rest, and she wanted to enjoy it for a bit longer.

"Beep!Beep!Beep!" Maoko awoke to her alarm, her eyes heavy. She groggily trudges into the bathroom, to turn on the shower. She walked back into her room, and put her books away in her bag. She moves rather slowly back into the bathroom, which now has begun to fill with the steam from the hot water. She steps in and lets the heat revitalize her skin. She was really regretting staying up till 2:00 A.M. She was on a solo que grind though. So she didn't really regret it. She stepped out of the shower now feeling more awake then before. She dried off and brushed her teeth before going to her closet. She pulled out one of her uniforms and walked downstairs. Two pieces of toast with some jam, would do the trick. She sat at her breakfast table and stretched her arms behind her , and yawned one last time. She looked at her phone, It was 7:45. Crap! she had to leave in five minutes if she wanted to make it to school on time. She ran back to her room and grabbed her bag, and out the door she went.

He rushed down the stairs as fast as his legs can carry him, loud thumps echoing throughout the entirety of the house. He could hear the sound of a woman’s chuckle, sounding almost like a melody as it mixed with the gentle footsteps following not far behind, but his mind was hardly focused on that now. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, the door in sight, his feet carrying him without thought until he burst through. Light washed over his vision, making everything hazy for but a moment as he stopped to see for his own eyes; at the very end of the path, on the other side of that gated fence was a tall, dark haired man. His beard well-groomed and meticulously taken care of, his bright scarlet jacket, and his eyes, a green shimmering sea of kindness and comfort… The sight was all too familiar to him. He looked back, seeing for but an instant the woman, her long jet-black hair blowing in the breeze from the outside, smiling and nodding to him. And in an instant, he was at the man’s legs hugging them so tightly that there was clearly no intention of letting go. However, it was the promise of a surprise. As the man took a step away, rubbing the top of his head firmly with affection as he reached into his satchel. He knelt to the ground, holding out a leather bound book to him, a smile full of pride stretching across his face. He reached out with his tiny arms, his eyes wide and eager to read yet another-

Connor’s eyes shot open. He groggily hoisted himself up to a sitting position, bringing his feet to the cold wooden floor as he looked around his room. And with a deep sigh full of reluctance, his day had begun.
He had to make sure he looked proper for the festival. He made sure to make his outfit formal enough for an audience yet practical enough to set out when the time came; a black button down collarless shirt, black trouser, black leather shoes, and an all too familiar long bright red jacket. He brushed his hair, though it was difficult to tame such a man of dark brown hair. All in all, though, he was confident enough in his appearance that he was satisfied. After that, he went into the study, shelves filled with books lining the walls, though Connor’s attention was focused on the lard wooden table in the center of the room; gemstones and loose papers scattered about around many opened texts. More importantly, Connor reached for the red silk bag, closed with violet drawstrings. He grabbed the bag, thinking to himself as he tied the bag to his side. Between what he had in his bad, along with the jewels he had in each pocket of his jacket and his pants for emergency, he was sure he had enough jewels to last him for several days so long as he was smart about how he used them. Which he always was.

It was only a matter of time before there was a knock on his door, two large escorts waiting for him on the other side. Connor found the thought of being escorted to the festival utterly ridiculous, what did it say about him that a prowess mage chosen for the Ascension needed an escort? Though he understood the formality of it…

So he begrudgingly complied, traveling with the men to the capital.

Sayuri sighs as watches the blur of the city pass from the back of her navigator's, who's name was Haruna Maeda, motorcycle. Due to the speeds they were traveling she was forced to hold onto her waist tightly in order not to be thrown off. She'd much rather be sitting up but she wanted to be there asap and this was how to do it. Due to their proximity Haruna was able to feel the sigh and perked up slightly, "What's up with you? You passed the test with flying colors you should be glad not giving displeased sighs. Or am I going too fast for you?" she was yelling over the wind in their ears.

Sayuri shook her head in response knowing she would be able feel the reaction, "Nope the speed is fine. As for the test... There wasn't anything wrong with it. It was really good actually. Most people would have had problems. I'm just annoyed cause I was hoping for a challenge with the Hunter Exam and the first test played exactly into my strengths. I'm sure the actual exam will be much harder but still I'm annoyed. Just me being picky is all."

"Dang you have some strong luck if that played to your strengths. Catching my sister is no small feat you know. Especially when your in our home," she slows down as they reach a grand looking building, "Whelp where's your destination the Grand Hotel Mohad. I'm gonna be honest... I've never liked the place much. This whole part of town really. The people here just put me off. And here we are your final stop on the Haruna Line," with that last like they pull up by the front entrance and park the bike. Sayuri hops off gracefully pulling off the helmet and quickly running a hand through her ponytail straightening it. Turning she hands the helmet Haruna with a quick thanks and turns back to walk in but Haruna puts a hand on her shoulder stopping her, "Hold up a sec Sayuri... I got something for ya..."

"If it's your number sorry but I'm not interested in a girlfriend at the moment. Not that you aren't pretty but no current interest," Turning back she watches as Haruna puts the helmet she was using in the bikes storage and pulls out a card before handing it to her without even getting off her bike. Sayuri takes it and looks it over, "What's this some kinda hotel card?"

"It's a VIP pass. Each Navigator was given one to give to someone they thought was special. I'm gonna give it to you cause I don't think anyone else is gonna do better than you if anyone else shows up at all. It'll give you access to the floor you want. Just make sure you pass. If you don't at least make sure you survive so you can visit us again. My sister likes you so... ya... Good like with the exam," with that she revs the bike back up and pulls out.

Sayuri waves before turning back on her heel and walking into the building ignoring the guards. She makes her way to the main reception desk pointed ignoring the interior design with utter disgust at the vain show of wealth the entire place was, 'Just like home sweet home this place has impeccable taste in architecture. Bleh I wanna kill every last one of them,' when she makes it close to the reception she hears someone cry out "One Million?" Looking she sees a blonde woman, no man, at the counter. Walking up she smirks, “What's the matter blueblood? Shouldn't one million be a chump change to you?” she holds the card up to the receptionist ready to snatch it away from someone grabbing at it, “What do I do with this by the way?”

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Although Alice made a relatively sincere-sounding and polite introduction, most of the future Queen's words went right over her head to allow her attention to be focused elsewhere, such as the accumulating nobles, some unfamiliar and many unrecognizable. Alice picked up on a few words, distracted by the boastful atmosphere and tasty wine -- something about grieving in Slibah, confidently expressing her goal to become future queen. Alice struggled to keep her eyes from rolling at the thought of this woman being anything higher than her. It was then that Alice decided to take in the future Queen's features to properly recognize her, and possibly judge her poorly for the sake of her own self-confidence. Nothing negative or unappealing seemed to stand out to Alice, causing a confound smirk, save for the personality, that wasn't expressed, but primarily assumed the woman had.

During this careful scrutinization, it was clear that Alice wasn't the only one that was distracted in the conversation. Alice watched the future Queen nod her head towards another area of the ballroom, Alice following the direction of her eyes in which they're met with what seemed to be another noble that the future Queen must be fond of, given that she's expressing a reassuring nod. Alice, so badly, wanted to see the face behind his lion-resembling mask to figure out who it would be that she's interacting with, but instead she let out a small sigh and turned back to the jealousy-causing dalcop.

Alice returned the smile with an incredibly fake one, an unnoticed, awkward silence seemed to have stirred in the conversation from both their distracted minds. Alice attempted to break the silence,"So, I suppose you are-"

"If you'll excuse me."

The future Queen was distracted once more, but instead she fled the conversation, perhaps from boredom, or just an eagerness to interact with the rest of the nobles. Her interruption irritated Alice, causing her to mumble under her breath as she was out of audible reach,"Bitch." Alice shook her head, grabbing another full chalice of wine and began questioning the, now previous, situation. How did the future Queen recognize her and how did she know her name? This made it clear that the woman was taught who was who, and that meant that there was a possibility that the future Queen was told of what kind of person Alice was. Depending on the source would depend on the information given. This made her nervous, hoping that the future Queen wasn't told any dark secrets or terrible lies. Alice let her eyes scan the room, thinking to herself as she sipped at her wine. It must have been some sort of ambassador, maybe an envoy or a diplomat. As her eyes are met with a galling sight, she spits the wine back into the glass as she was reminded of the hate she had for this particular wine from the associated memories with it.

The sight was none other than the easily-identifiable woman in the revealing, black dress. From her tan skin, beautiful complexion, and choice of clothing all the way down to her accustomed mannerisms that were embedded into Alice's memory, her identity was evident. Lady Amaryllis -- a possible source of information that would be far worse than any diplomat or envoy, someone more likely to spread nasty rumors and cause trouble on Alice's behalf. A small gasp escaped Alice's lips as she witnessed her conversing with King Maddox, also just as distinguishable from his attire and mannerisms. No second thoughts entered her mind about approaching the two to end their little, and now concise, reunion. Alice placed her chalice on a passing servant's tray and fixed her posture, hair, and gown, walking elegantly towards them. A faster pace was assumed as the two drew closer and a memorable irritation resurfaced from the pit of her stomach. She slowed down as she drew closer.

As she stood with the two, an unprepared feeling arose, realizing she had no idea what sort of action she would take. She decided to go with a pleasant front, for the sake of the night and for the sake of King Maddox. Alice laid her eyes upon King Maddox, giving him an elegant, though seductive, curtsy that seemed alluring and appropriate from the revealing, laced dress she sported,"King Maddox, it's so wonderful to finally see you here." Alice looked up with a contagious smile,"You look handsome per usual, the future Queen is probably dying for the night to end just to be alone with you." She gave a small wink and a chuckle while her genuine expression seemed to lose it's authenticity as she then turned to Lady Amaryllis. After all these years, the hatred still lingered, and now that the three of them were together, it was as if a merciless battle stirred up in Alice's mind. Alice eyed her up and down, not for the sake of analyzing her appearance, but rather to let Lady Amaryllis know that she was most definitely judging, and watching, her. Alice spoke again, conjuring up a fake smile,"You caught me off guard earlier, Lady Amaryllis. How does it feel to be back in Abhainn after all these years?"