Cordelia had been in this particular room many times before, but the Blessed, the other Blessed, her fellow Blessed, had never paid such close attention to her while she was in it.

And never had there been guards stationed at the doors while she waited within. It was all such a curious change. It wasn’t all for her- if it was just her and Isa, perhaps, things would be much different, no need for guards- but it wouldn’t be just her and Isa. The others would be there, too. With them. They would be all together for the first time to be briefed and prepared, though they certainly hadn’t been isolated from one another. The base was just very big, and some of her fellow Runes- that was certainly odd to think, wasn’t it? Fellow Runes, fellow Blessed. They tended to keep to themselves either way. Some kept to the rooms the Blessed had given them. They were quite nice, she believed, very well-maintained. If the Runes wanted for anything, the Blessed were there to help provide it for them.

She had been given another room. Had been moved to another room. To keep the Runes all more closely together. It helped to keep them all together. It made them stronger. It was good in some ways, and less so in others. Cordelia didn’t think she needed a new room, but she was willing to oblige. Her coworkers had helped her move. She wondered what they made of all of it. Some of them seemed to treat her differently since Laguz had appeared. Others didn’t. She liked it when they didn’t. Did she? She thought she did.

It did help that she was provided more resources since the announcement. She had to spend more time in the infirmary, but she still had ample time to herself. Ample time.

She had to wait in this room for the others, however, right now. She had been taken here after fixing a young man with wide eyes and a warg fang through his kidney. She had been given some time, a short time, to change and wash up before coming here, and now she was here, and was making tea. It seemed only polite to make tea for the others, and she quite liked tea herself.

“Would you like any tea?” She asked of the guards. One of them, a slight woman with a quiet face, smiled politely, but didn’t move.

“No,” Dawn replied, “but thank you for the offer, Ms. Gable.” Her hands were folded behind her back, only a short distance away from the holster at her hip. Guard duty was not often Dawn’s job, though it wasn’t a duty she would turn up her nose at. It was simple enough to keep the eye on their guests, though from what she had heard of them, some were...less delighted to be there than anything else. Those in particular she was expected to keep an eye on, in case something happened that required her to step in.

With any luck, that wouldn’t happen, but she wasn’t about to hold her breath. You got used to preparing for the worst in this line of work.

The room that the Runes were supposed to gather in was a lovely one, outfitted with the same luxury that they had been treated with throughout the duration of their stay. One of four walls was almost wholly taken up by glass, allowing for a breathtaking view of the morning skyline. The couches were plush, the tables polished to a shine.

It was all very clearly meant to impress their Chosen Ones, though it was doubtful that all of them would be flattered by the treatment.

Either way, all there was left to do for now was wait.

The scent of tea clung to the walls.

The acquisition department was an area of the organisation that deal with some interesting requests from time to time. A lot of the expected things, weapons, body armour, ammunition, but sometimes slightly more unusual things were asked for. Icelandic sheep blood. The skull of a white crow. A wolfskin that had been hung from a yew tree under the like of the first full moon after midwinter. It could be pretty eclectic.

So when a certain request was made for a skateboarding half-pipe, and about fifteen different kinds of shoes, they fulfilled with a lack of concern...and perhaps a certain degree of interest as to exactly what it was intended for.

The Isa Rune perched on the top of the wooden structure, her legs folded beneath her and a pair of black trial boots resting in her lap whilst she worked in the soles with a scalpel and a screwdriver. A few minor adjustments to the formula. The flexible sole should allow for the blade to be pushed in and out by pressure to the toe and heel respectively, and the built-in shin-guard would prevent any problems arising from stray edges. Last thing you wanted was to catch and ankle and end up bleeding out in the field.

And that seemed to do it. Isa paused for a moment to regard her handiwork, before slipping them on and rising to her full height at the top of the ramp. She took a moment to adjust the camera mounted at the top, and commended the recording.

"Isa Rune, Tactical Manoeuvring Experiment, Iteration 6. After extensive study ice skating of I've altered the use of the most promising boot samples to have small retractable blades in the sole to allow my to direct myself effectively."
With that, the young woman stepped to the edge and sprang from it, as her feet hit the vertical surface, the painted wood bloomed with ice and she slid down at blistering speed, hit level ground, passed it and was thrown up the other side by the momentum. She let her boots leave the surface entirely, managing a quite turn in mid air before she came to stand across from where she'd commenced her trail, a shimmering stripe of from left to mark her progress.

A glance at the clock. Four seconds.

Not bad.
Could be improved.
But not bad.

She would have liked to make a second attempt, but duty called. There was apparently supposed to be some sort of 'meet and greet' with the other runes. Of course Isa was pretty intrigued at least, having spent the better part of her possession of her abilities with no equals at all, but at the same time...for the better part of her possession of her abilities she'd had no equals at all. She suspected most of the conversations she truly wished to have with these people were not for this point in time. Frustrating.

She packed up her things, though retained the shoes on the basis of expediency, and made her way to the room in question.
The young woman walked in the her usual brisk, pace, offered the smallest of nods to the guard on duty, and took a seat.

It was a big day.
Another economic nod.
"Laguz."

It didn't take long for Arlathil to reach the lounge, and she was reasonably sure she wasn't late as she entered, giving a glance around. There was only a handful of people in the room so far, so she assumed she wasn't the last o e to arrive, as there was supposed too be nine of the 'Runes', and a number of the people present were Blessed guards. While she herself had only been brought to the facility recently, she had managed to remember most of the buildings layout and a number of the guards faces, though their names still escaped her. Of the Runes that were here before her, she hadn't actually interacted with any except the healer on her first day, though that was only for a short time before the brass spirited her away for their 'Chosen' spiel. What she had heard of most of the others though... she had to admit she was a little concerned about them forming a force to fight anything, let alone Ragnarok. However, what right did she have to second guess Odin himself?

Speaking of the other Runes, as well as the healer, she spotted the pastel wearing individual already there, making some tea. She couldn't help but smile at the rather interesting character that she had woken up to after her scrap with the Warg. The scent of the tea was also much appreciated. She figured it would be best if she went over and properly introduced herself to her, as well as the second one that had now sat down, as she would likely be seeing them both much more from here on out. Before she could, another person wandered past, smelling quite heavily of booze. Her smile shifted to more of a smirk as she glanced to the guy that seemed mostly asleep.

"I see someone had a self inflicted bad morning." She said as she looked the guy over. She didn't see a Rune on him, but it might just be somewhere she couldn't see. Even if he wasn't, she'd get around to talking with the others later, especially since they would probably do some grand introduction for them. Hopefully this whole thing wouldn't be too over the top.

Nicole woke up in the room designated as “hers” just as she had been for the past month, ever since she’d been…convinced to join the Blessed as one of the Runes. She stared at the still-bland white ceiling, then sat up to take in the more pleasant and slowly-becoming-familiar-if-she-were-squinting walls that were customized with punk, rock, and the occasional thrash metal posters, an associate degree for physical therapy that she barely had the time to get before the Blessed folk snatched her up from her normal life, and a corkboard that she pinned several photos of her she’d had developed. The furniture in the room was still the basic walnut bed, wardrobe, desk and chair it’d come with, though she’d already brought all her clothes, equipment (including several sets of running shoes, a skateboard, rollerblades, and the safety gear applicable for both, a laptop, her camera, and her phone), and even her own bed coverings.

These and other allowances the Blessed had provided her were the only things keeping her from being pissed more often than she was. Yes, she understood not letting the Jotun and others kill people in or outside of cities, and no, she wasn’t a fan of the possibility of the world ending anymore than the next person, but exactly whose fucked-idea was it to put Runes on some civilian random people? The Gods? Heck, if they wanted to help, they could either get their asses down to Earth asap, or else put the magic BS into the people already in training to kill monsters. Was that such a hard concept to comprehend for some? But, no, instead, she and people like her, who may have seen one of the things they were to fight but most likely hadn’t done so before (she knew she sure as hell she hadn’t), and now they were thrown into a scheme that practically screamed “if the training didn’t kill you, the monsters will, so get your asses in gear, blast your magic shit around, be a good proper hero ‘til the crazy ends you, and we get another miracle, hopefully a better one than you”.

Valeria shook her head to get rid of the annoyingly bitter thoughts that had started creeping up since guess when, and went on with her usual routine of an hour-long exercise in the rec room, a shower, a breakfast, half-an-hour or less to check on and manage her SNS profile and upload any new pics she might have – the past month they’d been Blessed themed, and though she wasn’t allowed to release anything that might give away too much info, the things she’d gotten permission for (it irked her she had to get it, but at least the bastards were good promo), were fairly popular – then check her daily agenda on her laptop. Today’s prominent one was a meeting with all the other Runes, and the select few of the Blessed non-magical employees as well. Hey, let’s try some optimism, Nick, since it's been such a long time since last time...One good thing! Just find the one. One thing...There’ll be plenty of people to meet, if nothing else.

Attitude bolstered, the blonde made her way to the meeting room, and was surprised to note she was actually one of the first ones there, and glanced curiously at each and every one of them, including the guards, finally greeting them all with a “Hey, wassup?” She entered in time to hear a long wheat-blond girl teasing a redheaded male about being hungover. “Wait, wait, wait, there’s some sort of a bar in the facility that I’ve been missing out on? Any good stock?” she questioned, wandering over to the fresh tea set out. She typically drank coffee, but since the tea was there already, she might as well. She put in a dash of milk to her cup, then plopped down into a nearby couch, stirring the herbal brew as she did so without it clinking overly much. It was still hot, so she sipped it slowly. “Good tea. What would really be the thing is some brandy to go with it,” she sighed wistfully, relaxing into the luxurious upholstering as she waited for the meeting to start, or better yet, someone willing to chat to pass the time.

The difference between products marketed as "flame resistant" and those that were actually flame proof was becoming a vital distinction in Mina's life. Flame resistant bed sheets, for example, had been a superfluous, bordering on mysterious, product at some point in her recent memory. Were they for people who smoked in bed? Wax play enthusiasts with poor depth perception?

They were not for people who caught fire in their sleep.

At exactly eight thirty AM, Mina caught fire. Exactly half a second later, an alarm went off and the automatic extinguishers installed over her bed responded to the fire sensor and exploded with a pfft of cold white foam. It smothered her (formerly) sleeping and (possibly more importantly) ablaze form with a frigid blast of chemical fluff. She blinked her eyes open.

"Well. Doesn't that just-" Sitting up, she ran a hand down her face and spit some foam off to the side. Sorry, sorry, she mumbled to the attendants hurrying in to right the mess, holding extinguishers in case the overhead had failed in its job. "I know this probably gets your goose. I can clean it, it's my own-"

"Not to worry, Miss, said a young woman already stripping the sheets. She and her cohorts were not the type to bat an eye at a woman still sporting her bonnet and covered in extinguisher spray. "You ought to get cleaned up for the meeting today."

"Oh, right. About forgot about that- Sorry. Again. Sorry. I'm gonna, uh." She sighed, nodded out the door before heading toward the showers, a change of clothes over one arm.



She made her way to the meeting room about half an hour after the chaos, hair tied back and clean clothes on. "Uh, morning. Y'all. Good to, uh. Good to see everyone all bright and early, huh?" She didn't address anyone in particular, more aiming for small talk as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the beverage tray.

“Mr. Roux.”

The professionalism in Dawn’s voice as she greeted Keandre in was impeccable. We are coworkers, her tone said, and I am greeting you as such.

Her eyes, however, were warm. If not somewhat chiding.

With a brisk hand, she patted his arm, subtly offering him a stick of peppermint gum before drawing back.

She returned Isa’s nod as she strode in, clasping her hands behind her back and standing at attention. It didn’t take long for the other Runes to make their way in after her, or for Dawn to identify them as they passed. She had been expected to look through the files of each before they arrived, to familiarize herself with their names and faces and abilities. Ms. Avuna, the Berkano, came first. Then there was Ms. Knight, Mr. Santora, and Ms. Aldridge: Tiwaz, Algiz, and Sowlio, respectively.

“I’m afraid that there is no bar on site, Ms. Knight,” Dawn replied. She spoke softly, but the lilt of an accent still came through. “However, there are a few throughout the city not far from here. Once you have completed your duties, you are free to visit one if you’d wish.”

Purely professional. A face among countless.

---

Fatigue. Pain, a headache. Nausea.

Cordelia didn’t feel it herself. No. Her own head didn’t hurt, even if it was lost in a mist, and swirling with smoke and secret things. And her stomach was quiet inside her. The aching discomfort was a hum at the edge of her thoughts, a phantom limb with an itch you couldn’t quite scratch. But she could, in some ways. Maybe.

“Hello, hello, Keandre.” Her smile widened. She had been smiling before, but it was wider now. She was always smiling. Was she? Sometimes it felt she wasn’t, but when she would look into the mirror, she would be smiling. It was good to smile. But Keandre was nice, and it was good to be friendly towards people that you liked. She liked to think he was a friend. She set out a bottle of painkillers at the table closest to him, alongside a cup of tea.

She returned Isa’s nod with a wave. “Hello, Isa. There’s tea if you would like any. White Peony.” There was no point in correcting the “Laguz” with her name. To Isa, she had become her rune the moment it stained itself over her heart. That was who she would be now. Perhaps she had never been Cordelia at all, and she was imagining ever being called so at all. It was such a curious thing to think about.

One by one, the other runes, her fellow Runes, entered. One she knew from the clinic. Cordelia had taken the bits and pieces that had hung from her, hung out of her, and put her back together again. Like a puzzle. If puzzles were made out of human flesh. And bled all over your gloves as you worked on them.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best comparison.

It didn’t matter if she recognized the company, or if she didn’t. She treated them all the same, with a smile, a sleepy smile, a dazed sort of smile, and a lift of the tea kettle.

“Good morning, everyone. And hello. You all are welcome to have a cup of tea if you’d like. Or two. There’s honey. And milk.”

She poured herself a cup, then sat down, sipping from the china. All the feelings, the nervousness, the excitement, the stress, hummed around her.

---

---

Valeria raised an amused eyebrow at the man claiming to be their superior, a whatever you say smile accompanying the sudden gleam of mischief in her eye as she answered. “Aw, but we’re just concerned, sir,” the last two words each had a slight mocking emphasis on them, enough to make it more than blatantly obvious being ‘cheeky’ as he’d accused her of being was not at all something she wished to cease doing. “Isn’t that right?” she directed the question at the wheat-blonde female who’d arrived just before her, rising her tea cup in salute with a wink of appreciation for the antics they’d just shared.

Still in a good mood, she didn’t even mind the guard’s reminder of her restriction on free time as much as she otherwise might. “Oh, I know about those, not to worry.” However, the smile she’d worn tightened, revealing she was displeased at…something. “Thanks anyway, uh, miss guard. You know, I have to admit, you knowing my name while I haven’t a clue who you are,” she looked around the room of strangers “who any of you are, as it happens…Well, it calls for proper introductions,” she said the word proper as if it had managed to offend her in the past and she was still holding a grudge, though the hints of tension that had been present disappeared from her smile and demeanour, once again leaving her the picture of lazy contentment as she lounged there in the couch, sipping at the tea every once in a while.

“I’m Valeria Nicole. You’ve heard the guard call me by my last name, but I don’t personally care for the formality,” she shrugged, no intent whatsoever to stop the guard from doing so, though she did hope the people she was actually supposed to be working with would use her first name. Or a nickname, even. “So feel free to call me Val,” she offered brightly. A sip of tea later, Nicole directed a mild frown at the black-haired woman being called Isa by a pastel-dressed blonde. Had the former actually decided to be called by her Rune, of all things? She didn’t want to be judgmental, but she found the idea kind of unsettling, frankly. Thankfully, she was distracted by the curly-creamy-blonde pastel-fanatic. “Oh, so you made the tea? Thanks,” the honest gratitude manifested in the flash of a grin aimed at the blonde.

Isa sat in her seat, tapping her foot on the ground and watching idly as the other runes entered.

"Miss Memoli.
Mr Roux.
Berkano.
Tiwaz.
Algiz.
Sowilo."
She gave a short nod to each as they entered the room.
Evidently, Isa had been doing her research on the files.
Enough that she could pick up on each individual's rune without concentrating too hard.
Most of her attention was given over to marking down data from her recent experiment into a notebook sat in her hands. Isa wasn't especially pre-occupied with making small talk at the best of times.

It was all a means to an end, really.
The quicker the new arrivals could get used to how things worked the quicker they could become a functional force.
And the quicker the power of Heimdall's Aett could boost her own abilities, which she'd be lying if she said she wasn't keen to try.

But first they had to try and get these people up to standard.

Looking between each member of the room that spoke (and giving a roll of her eyes at the warning about being cheeky), Arlathil made a quick mental check on each person's name mentioned, though Isa got a slightly raised eyebrow. She was going by her Rune, and seemed to call each of the others by it too? Odd. In any case, she gave a quick smile to her partner in teasing, Valeria apparently. Next up Isa went through a list of everyone currently present, so it made it much easier for her to learn them as well, even if it might take some time for her to remember each one by heart. She'd have to learn their actual names either later, or when they introduced themselves. Speaking of introductions...

"Well if we're doing introductions, might as well get mine out of the way. Arlathil Avuna, local fighter and now, apparently, Berkano Rune." She said as she wandered over to the other women in the room, picking up a tea for herself with a quick nod of thanks to the medic. She took a quick sip, preferring to leave it without milk or sugar herself. She probably could have said more about herself, but she figured it would be best to give everyone a chance to speak.