The only thing on Daichi's mind, having arrived just this morning from a terminal Rift in Saitama Prefecture, was how hot Louisiana was. He had seldom, if ever, come to the southern United States before—in fact, he had spent more time simply not going to any destinations within proximity of the Equator up until now. It may have been some subconscious desire to not feel like he was boiling alive, but given his scholarship, it was probably only a matter of time before something like this would have happened.

Not that he liked it any better than freezing half to death in Siberia, though, and if he was going to choose between either of them, the locale with the more interesting culture (as opposed to a frozen wasteland) was far more appealing.

The first order of business, it seemed, was to make contact with whatever student-slash-Rift Diver from Louisiana State University that would be working as their representative, along with any other people who had decided to buy in. All he had heard from the higher ups before leaving was that he would end up in the middle of a bayou even before entering, which was... Not the most exciting of prospects.

"Mmm... I think the meeting place was around here, maybe...?" Daichi muttered to himself, glancing at his phone every so often in order to confirm his location. "Restaurant name, 'Willie Mae's Scotch House'... I think this is the place."

With the matter of finding the location handled, the only thing left to do was find whoever it was he was supposed to meet up with. Hopefully, the way he stood out as the only semi-Asian person in the area meant that it would be easier for the other party to find him than it would the other way around.

Maybe it would do him some good to try some food before he left; who knew how long exploring the Rift would take, after all...

@HereComesTheSnow@KoL@TheWindel@Vesuvius00

With an almost preternaturally satisfying crunch, the strong jaws of one auburn haired and musclebound twenty-year old tore into the crisp, perfectly-seasoned breading of a golden-brown drumstick.

Always worth the drive.

God, he missed Fried Chicken. And Gumbo. And everything else involving flour, really. All Winter, from the beginning scrimmages in November up until the NCAA Championships at the end of March, he had kept himself balanced upon the razor's edge with his weight control. Every meal, every workout, every cut planned to the smallest minutiae to get him down to 174 pounds and do so fluently enough to wrestle against the best in the nation that very same afternoon. Fried Foods were a thing of the past. Hydration? Heavily restricted. Booze?

You'd be insane.

His effort, his long months of grueling, grinding effort, of wanting to die every time he stepped into the gym and wanting to kill every time he stepped onto the mat, standing amongst savage men from every other titan of the Midwest, had not been for nothing. He'd grappled his heart out, upsetting his longtime bracket nemesis Joshua Bettendorf (nice guy off the mat, actually) from OSU for a third place finish overall. A 6-5 nailbiter, won off of a last-minute granby roll and subsequent reversal. He wasn't champion. Not yet. But this year had been one of tremendous growth and broken limits. He'd get it next time. He was certain.

And now that the season was over, one newly minted All-American could enjoy himself for real. Willie Mae's was infamous for their fried chicken for damn good reason— everything was authentic, and everything was done to produce a quality experience. Even the service was a warm and friendly Louisiana hospitality.

"'Scuse me, honey."

The Lafayette boy looked up readily to his assigned server, a middle-aged woman with dark skin and a kindly, if a little chatty, demeanor. Her New Orleans accent was different from his slightly "Frencher" Lafayette twang, but many of the customers were coming in from out-of-state on some spring break trip or what-have-you. Only he and Lorena here would catch the subtle differences.

"I hate to do this to ya, but we gotta large party comin' in and..."

She leaned forward conspiratorially, a small snicker on her lips.

"You've got the only open table left in the house."

The wrestler caught on quick, straightening out his dark tank top, and waved her concerns away.

"Yeah, I don't mind sharing none."

"You sure? They're not all here yet."

"Naw, it's no trouble."

This time, it was he that pretended to share a big secret.

"Tellin' the truth, I was getting a li'l lonely all by myself anyway."

Lorena's lips peeled back into a grand smile, and she started off back towards the front.

"Bless your heart! You go ahead and enjoy the food! Holler if you need anything!"

He watched her go, before taking a sip of his water and shrugging brawny shoulders.

May as well, then. He was sure the newcomers wouldn't bother him badly. Not enough to not be a Good Samaritan.

Instead of raucous colors, insipid actors, or a catchy jingle, the commercial opened with dead silence and the image of a bushy-haired old man before a forest. A moment passed, and between his whiskers flashed a pearl-white smile. “Over a hundred and seventy years ago,” he rumbled in gravelly, heavily-accented English, “Countless brave men of character threw themselves into the wild unknown of the California frontier in the hopes of making it big. They strode into uncharted territory and incredible danger for wealth, thrills, and the spirit of adventure. Yet, my discovery is greater still.”

He laid a hand on his breast. “Who am I? You may call me the Prospector. This isn't about me, but what I've found.” The grizzled fellow stepped to the side, lifting up his arm to point out a roiling white tear situated upon a hill rising above the snow-caked trees and jagged cliffs. “One week ago I found a new frontier, a brand-new Rift alive with possibility. And tomorrow, I will host a new Gold Rush. Before the governments and corporations get their grubby fingers on it, you,” he pointed right at the camera. “Will be able to plunge into lands unknown. Its splendors and treasures, yours for the taking. But do not delay. If you're in for the chance of a lifetime, be at Skiafjell Ski Lodge in Norway by 10 o'clock tomorrow—that's just twelve hours from now.” Cackling, the old man winked and held a finger to his lips. “And don't tell anyone!”

Then, just as abrupt as it came, the commercial blinked away. A soda pop ad came on in its wake. Countless pairs of eyes across the continent blinked in confusion. Was this a joke? Some kind of rich old fart's idea of having fun? Or was there some shred of truth to what he said...? A great many gave the strange commercial no more thought, but more than a couple fingers began to text and type. Word spread like wildfire, and with the grand hour so close at hand, an intrepid few heard destiny at the door, and leaped from their lives to say hello.

---

With a great big yawn, Marxion shoved the door open and stumbled inside. He rubbed at the exhaustion filling his eyes with his free fist, setting his case on the hardwood floor with the other, and blinked before looking around. Cozy, cheery, merry, comfortable. A delightful ski resort, the kind of place your everyday Joe Shmoe dreamed about kicking back in with a Schnapps or four. And here he was at last.

...What an old bastard. Who the hell would do something like this?

After catching wind of the Prospector's bizarre announcement, the organization was all in. With such a brief period to capitalize on the chance, they had to act fast. Out of sheer chance, Marxion happened to be the closest, living it up in Wales after a grueling assignment, which he'd obviously aced to the max. No rest for the wicked. Eight hours later, here he stood, smack dab in the middle of picturesque nowhere fit to be tied. He checked his phone: nine-o-seven AM. Less than an hour until the big event. Enough time for a sweet catnap, maybe.

“Um, sir?”

Marxion glanced over at the receptionist. So, she could tell just by looking at him that he probably spoke English? Not surprising. She looked more than a little distressed, which didn't surprise him either. Even from here he could catch a glimpse of the decidedly un-relaxing spectacle at the other end of the spacious main hall. Clearly, those crowds weren't here for a peaceful alpine vacation. “'Ello there,” he greeted her, scooping up his bag and starting in the direction of the unusuals. “Don't mind me miss, jus' hear for the party.” Looking defeated, the woman sank back into her chair. What a day, she was probably thinking, except in Norwedgian. She'd have to do without his sympathy.

Before he reached the other weirdos, he made a hard swerve at the plush couches and plopped himself down. “Ahhhhhh,” he breathed, ready to fall asleep there and then. Before doing so, however, he swept over the gathered people with a half-open eye. There seemed to be a couple assorted loners, and two larger, tight-knit groups. The more interesting bunch appeared to be a totally wild death metal group, its metal-and-black clad members loaded up with unusual weapons and in the process of getting hype for what was to come. If Marxion didn't know better, he'd think they were headed for the Rift just to have some rockin' monsters and crazy backdrops in their latest music videos. As if computer imaging that sort of stuff wasn't about a billion times cheaper and safer. Meanwhile, the other squad was quiet, aloof, and subtly clad in muted, tactical gear. If that group wasn't from a PMC or government plant, Marxion didn't know what was. So much for beating the feds and corporations here. Still, the frontier opened in less than an hour; no policy or official response could roll out that fast. Most likely, they were scrabbling for a piece of the pie just like him. And that was just fine.

More or less satisfied, Marxion stretched out his arms and closed his eyes to relax. Things could be tough without a team, but when the going got tough Marxion got going. That would never change.

@Lugubrious

---

Ah, Norway! The land of vikings! The land of cold! The land of raids, Jarls, dragons, Valkyries and swedish metal. All were wonderful things that anyone with any amount of culture would enjoy, yes. She was glad to finally visit a land with such rich history in her travels. After the private jet she took to get here, it was a much welcome change of pace! The cold fjords, the local cuisine, ah, it was all so wonderful. And what better way to spend her time than at a top of the line ski resort? Indeed, this was all such a wonderful and good idea, even if this whole thing turned out to be a sham the adventure alone would be worth it.

She probably looked quite out of place among the general attendees of the Resort. Well dressed, a generally well kept appearance and a somewhat cold, haughty demeanor. She walked with a purpose, a pace knowing exactly where she seemed to be going. Indeed, she likely reeked of nobility and upper society. At least, that's what she perceived to be true. After all, how could she look any different? The multiple bags of luggage under her arms were certainly telling. Pushing through the crowd effortlessly, Soraya walked up to the receptionist.

"Oui?" Tossing up a bag of luggage onto the counter, Soraya gave her a small, cool smile. "I would like a stay in your most luxurious room." Her voice was quiet, muted, and even, betraying no emotion other than mild seeming amusement as she spoke.

"U-uh, beg pardon?" The receptionist blinked mildly in confusion at the sudden request.

"Ah, and if possible order full room service for dinner tonight, hm? And don't forget to carry the luggage there."

"W-well, uhm, yes but if I could get-"

"Excellent. I trust you can arrange everything?" She pulled out her wallet sliding a few bills onto the counter that was more than enough for everything that she asked. "Ah, here's a number you can call to contact me if there is any problems. The name is Soraya Labelle." Before the receptionist could reply once again, Soraya turned to leave, leaving a very flustered and mildly confused receptionist behind. The young starlet didn't respond to any attempts from her to say anything.

Walking over to the couches in the reception area, once again, ignoring the other people present she took a seat next to a rather gruff, serious looking man. Folding legs to sit a fairly lady-like position, she placed her hands on her lap and closed her eyes, inhaling.

"Norway is quite lovely." She spoke, seemingly to no one in particular. Or was she talking to Marxion? She hadn't turn to face or otherwise look at him. "This whole business is quite intriguing as well." She turned her face towards him finally, smiling coolly on an otherwise neutral expression seemingly expecting a response as she opened her eyes just enough to peer at him.

Another day, another rift, and another step closer to finding out what was happening with the world- and hopefully, how we can use it all to our own advantage. This was the thought on Kay's mind as she dropped the still-glowing butt of her cigarette onto the pavement, and snuffed it out with a small twist of her heel. This was why she was here- why any of them were here. A rift had opened up in the middle of the Bayou, and she was going to be one of the first to explore it.

She walked into the restaurant, and almost instantly began salivating at the smell of the place. So, so happy we decided to meet up here. She thought to herself as she waited at the "Please wait to be seated" sign for someone to come over. Shortly enough, a middle-aged woman with dark skin and a kind smile came over and greeted her.

"Hey there darling! All the tables are full at the moment but a seat should open up soon enough for ya. Lots a people come and go pretty quickly this time of day." Kay heard the thought in the waitress's mind before she'd even said anything, but waiting until people actually said something was usually a better way of communicating- especially when the other person doesn't know about your power.

"I'm not alone actually- I'm just the first one here. I think we reserved a spot under the name Suivu Sev?" Kay spoke cheerfully, returning the Waitress's smile the whole time. "I can wait for the rest of us to arrive, but they shouldn't really be very long."

She felt the thoughts rush through the woman's mind as she picked out the best way to deal with this. "Just give me a moment darling, I think We can handle this." And with that Kay watched her walk off into the sea of tables and people. She wasn't gone very long, just like she'd said. When she got back she pointed Kay to a table with only one person sitting at it, and explained how they'd be sharing.

"Oh that's perfectly fine!" Kay grinned. "The more the merrier, right?" The older woman just waved her off.

"I'll head on over in a bit to take all your orders, once your friends get here."

Kay made her way over to the table, and greeted the man already sitting there. He was big- muscular and definitely taller than her, though there were very few people who weren't with her mere five feet. In spite of his physical stature though, he had a calm look in his eyes. "Nice to know there's so many kind people left in the world." She started, giving the man a small smile. "My name's Kay. I hope my colleagues and I won't be bothering you too much."

She took a seat next to the man, facing the doorway so she would see when anyone else in her group came in so she could wave them over. After a few minutes, a face she'd only seen in pictures up until now appeared, and she called out to him as he looked around the restaurant. "Hey Daichi! Over here!"

---

@HereComesTheSnow@KoL@TheWindel@PKMNB0Y

Edison strolled into the lobby trailed by his two ‘babysitters’ in their black suits similar to his. At least they didn’t put him in an orange jumpsuit and walk him out in cuffs and ankle shackles any more. Not being shepherded in by armed guards like a reject from Suicide Squad made him look a lot more respectable, though by now mostly everyone who regularly worked with Rifts knew who he was.

"Hey Dave, this is a bit nicer than we usually get, isn't it?"

The man at his right shoulder nodded and looked around at the other groups around the room. "It is. I doubt there was much choice this far out of the way."

"Maybe we'll get a cabin since there's three of us with my gear."

"That would be nice."

Flanked by the guards who had been practically attached to him at the hip for the last several years, Edison walked over to some seating that already had a couple of chairs occupied and set down the pair of duffel bags he was carrying. Edison dropped down into a chair, crossing his legs in a way that lifted one pant leg and revealed the ankle monitor beneath one of them. The company was taking care of travel and accommodations so one of the two men with him would be taking care of everything.

He turned to the guard on his left and spoke softly, but loud enough for those nearby to overhear. “Do we have assigned groups or are we finding our own like last month in New Mexico?”

@Rune_Alchemist@Lugubrious

Ulaanbaatar was a modern city in an ancient land. While Mongolia consisted of mostly plains with occasional settlements, Ulaanbaatar had benefited greatly from the resulting globalisation and wealth that the rifts had caused. Dozens of skyscrapers littered the skyline as they spread from outside of the centre part of the city, each a home to the workers who supported the adventurers. While not as impressive as some places like Beijing or Seoul, Ulaanbataar was the capital city of Mongolia. Its population was only increasing, after all. All of the money the rifts could bring in were too tempting for the former nomads who could no longer support their livestock.

Globalisation had also brought in foreign investment. Numerous east-Asian companies had built up hotels and services in order to entice their nationals who travelled to Mongolia. It worked, after all. With a population of 2 million citizens and 500 thousand foreigners, Ulaanbaatar was no longer the city it once was.

Built by a Chinese hotel chain, the Jīn Hé hotel was lavish. To call it five stars was an understatement; every single nook and cranny of the hotel had been superbly washed and decorated. The carpet was softer than what most people had ever felt. Even something as basic as a light bulb gave off an unnatural amount of warmth and comfort. As a result, the cost of rooms had been prohibitively expensive. In order to get a room at the Jīn Hé, one didn't just need enough money; they needed connections. The owners of the hotel vetted every single guest just to make sure nobody who was unsavoury got inside.

And inside of the Jīn Hé was an excruciatingly lavish restaurant with the word 崑崙 emblazoned in gold above the entrance. The people who were already vetted had to be checked again. Only the most famous and powerful people ever got a chance to sit at inside. Taking up an entire floor, the restaurant was divided into single stalls the size of a regular restaurant. Customers didn't see each other. Even the washrooms were separated. It was just a single party and the extremely high spec waiter that served them. The food was, to say the least, on another level. Every single chef had the power of Genghis Khan, proven by their ability to unite flavours and take over your tastebuds like no food had ever done.

This was where Albrecht had chosen as his meeting place.

---

Fish out of water. That was the most apt way to describe Xu Jian. The lobby of Jīn Hé had been filled with dozens of people whose wardrobes that had cost more than all of her organs. Even selling the important ones that she only has one of, like her heart, wouldn't be enough to afford the down payment on the average set of heels that a guest there would wear. Wearing her absolute best clothes (a twenty dollar tee, a second-hand jacket a size too big, slightly-faded jeans, and a freshly cleaned set of well-loved high tops), she was definitely out of place. Though, most of the other guests didn't seem disgusted. Rather, they were intrigued. Who was this absolute nutjob wearing trash yet was inside? They must have thought she was incredibly powerful to have the bravery of wearing that inside. Well, it was little use to think of it.

Why was she even here? Well, she got a job offer. That was the entire reason why. After hitting it off with a guy in a bar, she had woken up with a note saying to go to an airport. She was confused why, as the previous night had been a complete blur. She remembered getting offered a drink by a blond man. Then she asked if it was okay if she got another. Then another. Then another. Free drinks were free drinks. Next thing she remembered, she woke up next to a cardboard cutout of Danny DeVito. To make a short story shorter, she went to the airport and was put on a private jet to Mongolia.

After she had reached Kūnlún, she was brought to the blond man, a small girl, a woman with funky things on her legs, and a normal looking dude. They all had introduced themselves. The blond man was Albrecht the playboy billionaire, the small girl was Alice, the woman was Charlotte, and the normal man was Paul. After Albrecht explained the job to them, Xu Jian had no qualms. It was free money. Well, not free money. She would have to work for it.

"So, Charlotte," Xu Jian asked, "what's with your legs? They look sorta funky."

This wasn't the first time that Charlotte had been in some sort of fancy restaurant; although she couldn't afford to go to them herself, having a particularly unusual Attribute meant that occasionally the rich and famous had wanted to ask some questions--or, in a memorable case, provide a bit of extra incentive to go through with what would be an ethical disaster had anyone else agreed to it. After the first time, the former marine had developed a consistent strategy: eat the bare minimum that constituted a meal, then load up on desserts.

Which notably explained why she appeared to be writing a far too lengthy order out.

Helping out Xu Jian in the "not quite fitting in with the high society" situation was the rift diver's choice of clothing for this meal--rather than the fancy but at least durable outfit she wore when working, the cyborg had gone for a tank-top and shorts. At least nobody could be under any impression the girl swinging around the massive sword wasn't already muscular.

"Oh, the legs? Prosthetics, and some pretty good ones at that. Better than the originals, feeling, you know. Everything. A few minor hiccups but who really cares about that?"

Well, someone who couldn't undo the damage in a few minutes, obviously.

Paul didn't even bother hiding how impressed he was that he was with just everything in this restaurant, though he knew that Albrecht probably also wanted to show and inspire some loyalty in the group by showing of his assets. Still he doubted he could hide how out of his element he was and decided to just embrace, partly to see the reaction of the others. At least he wasn't the only one not dressed like a millionaire though that probably made his clearly rented tux stand all the more.

When he met Albrecht he had been celebrating finally feeling ready to take on a rift, even though he had still problems with his ax. He had even brought everyone a round since he was in such a good mood. Naturally some of the patrons asked him why Paul was being so generous and he happily explained his plans to go explore Rifts and hopefully earn some money. Eventually Albrecht bought him several drinks for the celebration and told him about his own plans.

Naturally Paul agreed to join his group and in exchange got some kinda business card that would apparently allow him to a private jet to Mongolia. Not completely trusting the whole thing he made sure to stay sober enough to do research when he got back home. When the internet confirmed that Albrecht was the real deal he rented a tux and took the plane the next day.

---

If there was one thing that could be said about Louisiana, it was that the weather was always accommodating for summertime values. Or at least, that’s what it felt like with how hot and humid the air was. It was a sharp difference to what Katie was used to but nothing that couldn’t be adapted to. Especially when she was about to be in the presence of newcomers and, hopefully, friends.

Who knows, maybe the weather would change for the better and a storm would brew up. Doubtful, but wasn’t New Orleans famous for storms anyway? Though on second thought, it was probably best to not mention that aloud lest people get the wrong idea…in any case, Katie walked up to the front of the restaurant that was to be their meeting place. She had to admit, whoever had chosen Willie Mae's Scotch House had good taste in all definitions of the word.

Entering the restaurant and looking around, it was easy to spot the only person in the area with white hair. That must be Daichi from what she was told. Katie cleared her throat and walked closer to the man with a smile on her face. “Er, hi! You must be Daichi? I’m not sure if you know who I am but I’m Katie Bastion. We’re supposed to be working together, right?”

She offered up a hand to shake towards the boy and made sure to iron out any sparks that might have been present in her palm. After all, it was always best to give the right impression to people one would be working with. A few seconds passed before she heard a female voice call Daichi’s name out. Katie looked around to see a waving girl then glanced back at Daichi. “That must be our other partners. Shall we?”

---

While the others drew odd looks for their curiously low-brow outfits, such oddities were soon alleviated by the presence of the young man who had lead them to the lavish restaurant to begin with. Even in his own casual clothing, which consisted of a custom-tailored collared shirt and trousers that combined was probably equal to the amount of debt one of his teammates carried, Albrecht Dietrich was still instantly recognizable from a distance, his coiffed blond hair and magnanimous smile ever present, a handsome mask that hid the terribly powerful business acumen underneath. At a mere nineteen years old, he had already made himself known as one of the sharpest angel investors in the business world, specializing in the very rifts that he himself delved into. Accruing billions from the dozens of businesses he invested early in, there were many that thought his true attribute was Alchemy: anything he touched became pure gold.

Which was basically all lost upon Albrecht, as he dual-wielded lamb skewers like a mongoloid, enjoying the rich textures and the savory juices that accompanied each bite, followed by the numbing, tingling aftertaste of the spice. Though the rate in which food came was relatively slow, there was still never a moment where the table was wholly empty, and he really did have to praise the flexibility of the staff in the kitchen. A la carte must be a pain for them to deal with, after all, but they were pulling it off pretty well!

Maybe he’ll tip them double the value of the bill.

“Right, right,” Albrecht said, washing down the lamb with a glass of goat’s milk, “To confirm again, we all know what we’re here for, yes? Largely gonna be a debut run for Alice over there to see how well she can perform in a Rift, so as much as possible, we’ll let her have the first go at any obstacle we encounter. Scouts reported that we’ll be in a graveyard area, so as far as precaution goes, I’ve prepared headlamps and gas masks, as well as general first aid kits. Hm, anything else…right. Pretty sure y’all know me, but let’s get a proper set of introductions here, eh? With the whole Attributes n stuff tacked on.”

He coughed once, clearing his throat for no reason other than to just signal the start, before saying, “I’m Albrecht Dietrich, the organizer for this particular job. Got a Fire Element Attribute that lets me set things I touch on fire, but it doesn’t set other things on fire unless I touch those things, so there’s no worry ‘bout it spreading. Pretty safe, ain’t it?”

---

The weather wasn't something she enjoyed in Norway, but she had grown used to it better than she would in other countries. Something about Norway bothered her, and it wasn't the cold. She didn't know anything about the country, and she didn't bother look much up about it. Like all things, some things just weren't meant to sit right with everyone.

The necklace swung like a pendulum around her finger, her eyes glued to its thin frame. Its color had dulled, its material neither fancy nor durable than other more expensive cosmetics. It had no value of memory to her, so she really had no purpose to keep it. She still kept it to herself.

Reese pushed herself against the wall of the building she stood next to. She soon entered the Lodge.

A brave new Rift, all a part of a so-called gold rush... Organizations would swarm over to any of those, rabid in competition. To some, it was a legitimate job, but many around her called it a business. Those who mulled about it would fall behind or over, depending on how much they did.

Nifty.

The clock was ticking. Reese went down the lobby, her eyes glazing across the features of the room. She'd sooner bite the dust than willingly afford something pleasing to the eyes. She figured walking through a portal didn't always mean one would leave alive.

Rather than take a seat, she stood at one of the corners of the lobby, ignoring the couches. There was an aura mixed with confidence present among some of the people present in the room. She focused instead on keeping herself as idle as possible.

---

@TheFake@Lugubrious@Rune_Alchemist

---

Jules had never been skiing before, but that wasn't why they sent someone with him. His motivation for going was different than the motivations of his superiors, but they went hand in hand well enough for things to work out with only a little wool pulled over his eyes.

As far as he knew, he was on a vacation to Norway, a last minute bonus for a job well done in the last rift. A shame that his coworkers weren't coming along, but then again, he had received a special commendation the day before.

On the flip side, his superiors wanted to test him. Jules not only had never been skiing, an unimportant detail in the grand scheme of things, but had also never worked with a group primarily consisting of people outside of their employ. They hoped that the change in scenery and presence of others interested in the rift in the initial get-together would eke out a sense of competition. If all went to plan, one of their most valued investments would accrue additional value and benefits while also having a stake in the rewards of the rift. If he thought he was on vacation, it made it all the better. If a rift were to happen to appear on this "vacation" of his, they knew exactly what he would do.

Preying upon his interests- underhanded indeed, but necessary in order to get him to do what they wanted. The less he knew the better, though they didn't know that they could have just asked him to do so. So it was by their design that he walked into Skiafjell with one other whose only purpose was to serve as a companion and handle the formalities of the lodging and accommodations. The place was wonderful to Jules's eye, and as he took in the scenery, his coworker handled the formalities of checking in and securing lodging.

From afar the duo looked more like mother and son or any other combination of a younger male relative and an older female relative than they looked like coworkers. Jule wore a rather puffy navy blue winter coat and matching skullcap that furthered any thoughts of him being younger than he was. More evidence for any of those assumptions came as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here!" Jules said with wide eyes and an enthusiasm in his throat. "Looks like we'll have plenty of company, right? Wonder how many of them are skiing?"

His coworker took a short while to respond, turning to Jules after speaking with the receptionist. "Skiing is going to have to wait. Something's gotten messed up with the reservation, so I'm sorting that out." She said. "Why don't you do that thing social you do and get comfy? We'll be waiting a while."

When she turned she saw that he was already getting to it.

Jules's eyes flitted from group to group and person to person before deciding which one to approach. He realized that they weren't the usual type of folks that he thought would enjoy skiing, but then again, who was he to judge? People could enjoy themselves whether or not they came for the main attraction. If he was the only one equipped that just meant he'd get some time to get the hang of skiing. Of course, there was the waiting time, but that wouldn't be an issue after a bit of socializing. He was curious about whatever the get together was that prompted such a gathering of people.

He pondered for a while, looking to the groups. Two of them were larger, and even had a themed dress code among them. The others looked like they were mostly on their own, minding their own business, whatever that was.

A bit defeated in the matter of choosing a group to approach, he found a seat on one of the couches next to a well dressed woman and gruff man. After a moment of getting himself situated, he turned to the woman and spoke. "There's a lot of people here today! What do you think the get together is?"

The small, silver-haired girl sat in silence.

This was to be her first deployment alongside humans. Prior to this point, she had indeed made excursions into rifts. However, they had been short in duration and intended entirely to test her capabilities as an artificial rift diver, to see if she could even properly function after passing through the portal. This was the first time she was being deployed as part of a unit. The first time that she would be facing proper combat, outside of the test area.

"Mission confirmed," she stated, simply, her gaze shifting towards Albrecht. Quietly, she placed one hand to her chest as she spoke. What was this sensation? It was a strange prickling feeling... while it was not as if she was unaware that her creators had given her the ability to feel, the fact was simply that she did not understand what this feeling was. It was hardly a comforting sensation, however. Perhaps it was... unease? Was she... anxious?

What did that mean?

After a few moments of further silence, the girl spoke once more.

"... ARI Unit-001," she added. Introducing oneself was important. That was something she had learned already. Humans always introduced themselves, so it was required that she do the same for herself.

"..."

Was there something else she was supposed to say? What was it...

"... Please, take care of me."

That was it, right?

@ERode@Duthguy@Raineh Daze@OwO

---

A few minutes slipped by in relative peace, allowing Marxion to doze off where he sat despite the general hubbub. With barely any time at his disposal, he couldn't even come close to sinking into the deep sleep where real rest happened and dreams could filter through, but it was nice enough that the sensation of an impact right next to him felt like a rude awakening. After a moment or two of coming to his senses, he realized he'd already gotten stiff somehow and groaned. Once he'd straightened up and wiped at his eyes a bit -which had leaked a couple tears once well shut- he found himself greeted by the voice of an unfamiliar woman. Naturally, with it being so close and all, he looked to the side. There sat the very picture of posture and etiquette, slender and short and glamorous despite not being outstanding. And with yellow eyes...remarkably similar to his own. Of course, he could barely tell since she was...not looking at him?

Were he the anxious sort Marxion might have looked away, letting the moment turn awkward, but instead he gave a sharp exhale through his nose and a wry smile. The young lady wouldn't have parked herself by him if she didn't want his attention, or at least cared about receiving it. He came with the territory. “Yeh, she's alright. Beautiful. Empty. Cold. Mis'rable. Without anythin' real interestin' to see or do...'til now that is.” He glanced over at the other Rift Divers at Soraya's mention of 'this whole business,' then back at the girl. Now she was looking his way, with a toying sort of look. With a shrug, he replied, “Real piss up, sure. With teams like them around, I'm gonna be flat out tryin' to snag my share from the Rift.”

A few words reached him from a trio not far away: do we have assigned groups or are we finding our own like last month in New Mexico? An opportunity—a path to greater glory waiting ahead. Clearing his voice, Marxion upped the volume a notch and said, “'Course, nothin' stoppin' folks like us from workin' together against those big teams. Fair's fair.” As if on cue, a little man in blue appeared and installed himself on the other side of Soraya. Under normal circumstances Marxion might have felt intruded upon, but people weren't in Skiafjell Ski Lodge today by accident, and his current gambit needed as many members as he could get. Still, he didn't know for sure until the new arrival turned to talk to Soraya, found Marxion already leaning forward and staring pointedly at him, and revealed another set of yellow eyes.

What a coincidence.

But what the kid said made him pause. Was this some sort of joke? He unpaused the next second, steamrolling right over whatever Soraya might've been fixing to say without a care in the world. “You ain't here for the Prospector's Rift, mate?”

With his eyes occasionally flicking around, from his phone to the door (whenever it opened) and back to his phone, Daichi found it somewhat convenient that it didn't take too long for someone to call out for him. Turning to face the source of the voice was only a matter of courtesy, and that was soon followed with a smile and a firm handshake. The young man had traveled enough over the last few years to not seem like a fish out of water when it came to common courtesies like these, if anything, and the enthusiasm that the girl showed was a breath of fresh air compared to the usual methodical nature of the groups he ended up involved with. Granted, he had not met the girl in front of him prior to this mission beyond the brief overview he had been given last night, but there was no reason to draw any conclusions

"Yes, that would be me. Katie Bastion, correct? I'll be in your care," he said, nodding his head in response to her assertion. The sound of another person calling out to him from another table was enough of a reason to drop the handshake and slip his phone into his pocket, and with a glance back towards Katie, Daichi walked over to the table where he was being called towards and calmly took a seat.

"Hm... Kay Clarke... Was it? I think it was written that you preferred that nickname, but if I'm being discourteous, please, do let me know," he said, scratching the back of his head before looking at the other person seated at the table. "Er... Did we... Have a fifth on the roster? I don't mind if the clients wanted to put some extra manpower in, but I'd have appreciated a notification beforehand or something..."

With a shrug, the university student calmly took a menu from the table and began to skim over it, quietly going over each menu item in his head before placing his hand on the table.

"Mmm... You know, I'm actually at a complete loss for as to what to get here. The food itself isn't exactly unfamiliar, but I don't want to eat something too heavy before we head off... You know?"

@HereComesTheSnow@KoL@TheWindel@Vesuvius00

"Ah, don't worry about that." He reassured the small woman who first pulled up to his table, his Lafayette accent offering colorful contrast to her more standardized American English, with the pointed, almost francophonic long o's and "that" so much closer to "dat". "Just a good turn."

He wasn't a small guy by any means, and he was well aware of that, but this girl— Kay, was so diminutive he had to inwardly marvel at the degree to which he dwarfed her. However, such size comparisons were doomed to be short-lived things, as the others in her party began to file in one after the other. A young girl with long black hair and a bit of energy about her and a calm looking... uh...

'Daichi'... Sounds Japanese to me. Better not go sayin' that, though.

Be real rude of me if I'm wrong.

"Hm? Oh, naw. I'm just your seating partner here, they're at capacity right now and asked me to share— Ah, hell. Forgot my manners. Name's Kirk! Kirk Poirier, blessed to meetcha all."

He thrust a large hand forward to Daichi, intending on greeting each of the other three assembled in turn with a firm, yet not overbearing handshake. As a wrestler, grip strength was one of his most valuable weapons, so he consequently went well out of his way to not squeeze the life out of somebody else so much as gently encase them in stone for a spell. He was pretty good at it by now, and so had room to roll the conversation right on in the meantime.

"And if I might make a suggestion, if you're looking for something light?" he thrust his left hand down onto the center of the entrees section, "You're gonna wanna do the Baked Chicken. They're really good at keepin all their meats moist here, but—" he held up one of his remaining Fried Thighs for an example now, "The breadin' they do here's really nice, but it'll be super heavy too. They really crisp it up and let it go long in the oil. That an' the seasonin's why you get that real brown color. Definitely get white meat, at least. Ya might be able to get away with fried like that."

Placing it back on his plate, he returned that free hand to Daichi's menu again, this time venturing further down.

"And your side ain't gonna be as light as a salad, because you've gotta have these cornbread muffins. They're fluffy, soft, super sweet... I swear they're just like my Granny's."

His tone had, somewhere along the way, shifted from friendly to almost reverent. As he finally released the poor foreigner's menu back into his control, though, Kirk regained his vocal posture.

"An' like I was saying, I'm just a friend by coincidence, nothin' ta do with no..."

Way he was speaking about makes me think more than social gathering. 'Clients, Manpower, et cetera.'

"...Mission?" he ventured.

Paul was surprised to see the way Albrecht was eating, not messily of course but far more excitedly than he had expected. Not that it matter even a little bit of course. As he gave the spiel about how this was mainly to give Alice as much experience as possible, Paul placed some dumplings on his plate. He was fine with playing second fiddle this time, since it would be his time going into a rift where there was any danger. He wasn't too worried though as he trusted the skills of the others and the preparations Albrecht mentioned.

When the 19 year old was done talking Alice introduced herself as ARI Unit-001. Paul was curious about why she called herself of course but had enough sense to realize it was probably not something to discus in public, so he ignored it for now. "Nice to meet you all, I'm Paul. This is my first time going into a Rift where combat is possible, I should be far from useless though. I have an attribute in the form of an ax, that is unfortunately too heavy to use easily, so I'll mainly rely on a metal bat. I also know how to read a map and have some amateur boxing skills." Even he could tell that reading a map probably wasn't gonna be the most useful skill but he really wanted to convince the others he could help out at least somewhat without lying about his experience or strength.

@ERode @VitaVitaAR @OwO

As Daichi approached the table alongside a dark-haired young woman who must be Katie Bastion, Kay tried to smile extra welcomingly. "Yeah that's me: Kay Clarke, nerd extraordinaire." She laughed at her own joke as the two sat down, and continued to smile respectfully as Kirk introduced himself to the three of them as well.

Hmm. Am I smiling too much?

Nah.

She listened to Kirk explain how baked chicken and cornbread sounded delicious, especially with how he thought so highly of the restaurant's methods, and made up her mind that yes, she was coming back here outside of work at some point.

She paused to think for a moment about how to handle this as he switched the topic back to their reason for being at the same table together. Honesty is best...

"You're observant," She started, winking as she made a finger-gun motion at Kirk. "That's a good thing to be." She let the statement hang in silence for a moment before deciding it was too rude to just leave it at that.

"And, I suppose... It's not exactly classified that a new rift has opened in the area, considering the news coverage it got. It's more a matter of us not wanting to be swamped by reporters before we even get there to check it out. So," She motioned as if she were zipping her mouth shut, "You'll just have to help us keep that little secret now."

After a minute, she glanced over at the restaurant's entrance before directing a question at Daichi and Katie. "Neither of you happened to see Elise- or Lizzie- on your way here, did you?"

---

@HereComesTheSnow@KoL@TheWindel@PKMNB0Y

@Lugubrious@SquishStar45@Anonawrimo

---

...how dull.

His language as about as interesting as he was, it seemed. Soraya immediately lost all interest she may have had for him. The starlet didn't lose that amused seeming smile of hers, eyes slowly shifting back towards the other groups of people, taking note of a particularly idle and standoffish looking girl not too far from them as a blond haired gentleman took a seat next to her. He seemed entirely ignorant of the supposed Rift. Well, that was fine. He didn't look like the sort to be dungeon diving, but she supposed neither did she.

"Hmm, some people actually have a bit of class. Not everyone is some dungeon diver." Soraya replied coolly, making it difficult to tell if she was intentionally being antagonistic. "I am mostly here for the resort. Ah, I've never been skiing before, but It can't possibly be too difficult." Implying that Marxion had no class, and that Jules couldn't handle himself in a rift. Standing up, Soraya focused her attention on the roughly dressed girl trying to appear as idle as possible. Hmm, well she looked like she had nothing better to do, so obviously she should spend that time helping her.

Walking up to Reese, Soraya gave her a friendly, if cool smile.

"Excuse moi," Soraya began as politely as possible for her. "If you have nothing better to do, then you should help me, oui?"