[IC] Academy of Noble Arms - Reboot (With gratitude to TheHangedMan)

[Letter Bee]

-Deleted; to be replaced with a New IC Post further down as part of a Soft Reboot-

[Trainerblue192]

The sound of Xris' phone could be heard resonating throughout the room."Ugh, just five more minutes." he groaned as he went to snooze the alarm. Try as he might, it wouldn't go snooze. Finally Xris shot up with a panicked feeling "What time is it?!" he quickly grabbed his phone and noticed it was 5:40 in the morning. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no, I'm gonna be late" He jumped out of bed, in only a pair of black boxers, and began to rummage through his drawers, grabbing pants, a shirt, a sweater, and socks. His feet hurried into the bathroom as he began to brush his teeth with one hand while attempting to get a dissolved hair look with the other. Satisfied, he began to slip his legs into his pants as he hopped over towards where his shoes lay. After a moment he finally finished getting g ready and checked his phone 5:50am. Xris grabbed his skateboard and over the ear headphones, music blaring, and began skating down the hallways in a race against time.

As he whizzed past students and teachers, trying to make time, he heard someone yell behind him "No skateboarding in the hallways!" Xris barely heard him over his music and gave the disembodied voice a shrug as he summoned his Noble Arm, transforming it as he kick flipped his board into his hands and proceeded to glide off towards homeroom. He checked his phone one last time as he saw the doorway into his class, 5:58 am, perfect still on time. As he neared the doorway, Xris stuck out his staff, using it to help him turn the corner into the door and then dismissing his Noble Arm upon entry. One foot tumbled over the other and he fell, tripping onto the floor and landing near a desk.
"Bloody Hell that smarts. Mornin' Mrs. Ellora, hope I didn't miss much." he said as a nervous laughter escaped him while he got up to make his way towards his seat. While Mrs. Ellora was speaking Xris'phone began to vibrate, there were two messages. One offering a permit out of the assembly and another offering a guaranteed raffle win. Tsk. What a drag, only thing worse than assemblies is playing guard duty or slaving my time away for who knows what. Denied." Xris placed his phone back into his pocket without replying to either.

[Achronum]

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Like clockwork, Charlie rolled out of bed and killed his alarm with one fluid motion. He rolled his neck and stretched as he rocked back on his heels a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over to his dorm mate, noting that his alarm setting was low enough to leave the other undisturbed, and spent a few minutes making his bed in the dim light of his phone screen. He switched into the running clothes he laid out last night and neatly deposited his dirty pajamas into the laundry hamper. He popped in his headphones, synced them up, and set off for his morning run with Queen burning away the last of his lingering fatigue.

When his father first started him on this, the morning run was the bane of his existence. Why in the world would any sane person subject themselves to this? It took him almost a year for the utter loathing to fade as he ran. It was peaceful this early, only a handful of people out at the hour. He learned to love it, to have this time to just exist, no missions, no motives, no expectations. He could breathe.

As his soundtrack wound down, he made his way back to the dorm. He showered and dried off in his usual twelve minutes, went through his hygiene routine in five, and was dressed in the school uniform in three. Double checking his tie, he checked the clock and nodded. At this rate, he should be approximately twenty minutes early. Perfect.

Once the announcement was made and odd texts received, a little lightbulb clicked in his head. If he could secure a ticket to the guard through this mystery person, he could use this time to win some favor moving forward! Responding to the text about the raffle, he typed out a single word in response.

<Agreed.>

[Smike]

Ellie was up long before her alarm, already dressed in a white tank top and jeans. She had woken up somewhere between 3 and 4 in the morning and hadn't even bothered to try and fall back asleep. There was no reason to be up that early, she didn't have any classes until 6 but there was no way she was going to be able to sleep again. Some days her sleep cycle just refused to cooperate and she would have to pass the time pacing her room with pencil in hand, stopping every now and again to scribble out a rough sketch of a bird or something. She would have preferred to practice with her Noble Arms of course, but she doubted that her fellow students and faculty would appreciate gunshots going off before the sun was up. It was incredibly boring but at least she wouldn't be late to homeroom. She had managed to get her raven black hair in order without issue, the long strands pulled up into a tight and functional bun.

The next order of business was clothing. The white undershirt was covered by her signature Air Cav jacket, the functional canvas garment hanging loosely off her frame. It was too big for her but it was totally kickass which was a good a reason as any to wear it. The young woman dug around the papers scattered around her desk and retrieved a half empty can of chewing tobacco and tucked it into her breast pocket for later but not before tucking a small pinch in her lip, gum cancer be damned. She was aware of course of the health concerns surrounding tobacco and she was barraged by images of cancerous throats and lungs when she went to buy more but didn't especially care. She enjoyed her habit, despite the fact it was shortening her lifespan.

Ellie headed for the door just as the announcement came in, listening with a sort of half-interest. Grace Poe meant nothing to her, she wasn't a Filipino. She did snicker a bit at the mention of it being required for all students to listen to some bullshit speech about patriotism. She had little respect for leaders that would require to listen to them prattle on about duty and honor and all that, it was a sign of weal leadership. How insecure did you have to be to force a bunch of students show up to politely clap and nod like puppets on a string?

She was intrigued however by the prospect of meeting Angelito Jaime, the Hero of '87 himself. That sounded quite a bit more interesting than politician she was barely aware of. It would be neat to be near him as he worked, she might even learn something from him. A buzzing from her phone alerted her to two new messages,her brow furrowing as she read them. Ellie didn't exactly want to hear the President's speech but it wasn't like she had anything better to do. And the mention of keeping the President's and Director's attention on them sounded sketchy as fuck. Her lithe fingers quickly tapped out the same response to both numbers: <"Fuck Off.">

Once that succinct reply was sent out she made her to homeroom, taking her usual seat and nodding polity to Ms. Ellora. More students trickled in over time, Ellie ignoring all of them except for the thin white haired boy that had tumbled in with the grace of a bird with a crippled wing. She grinned as he managed to scramble his way into his seat, surprised that he hadn't fallen off his board by now and snapped his neck.

[Bartimaeus]

Cleophas Rook

[5:30 AM]

Brrring!...Brrring!...Brrring!

The high-pitched tone was met with a groan of protest. "Gahhh...Whaa-whyy.."

Brrring!...Brri- Beep

"Yeah..what-what time issit..?"

"Time for you to get ready for class. It's almost 5:30."

Rook sat up stock-straight when his dad replied. "Oh! Pops why're ya callin' so early!?" he asked as he stumbled out of bed towards his bags, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He'd yet to unpack his belongings into the dorm room he'd been assigned - he simply crashed on his bed the day before, not even making sure to tidy it up. It helped that he apparently didn't have a dorm-mate, yet.

He crooked the phone between his head and shoulder as he attempted to keep his balance while jumping into his pants.

"Can't have you being late for your first day of classes, can I? And you know how you've been lately when it comes to getting to class..." he responded, the last bit tinged with the sound of disappointment.

"Yea, yea...I get it. I'll be there. On time.", the boy replied. He genuinely felt bad sometimes for disappointing his father - but the classes were just so damn boring sometimes. It was hard to feel driven to attend. But this was a new year - he had to try harder.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Cleophas looked at his phone. He'd just received two messages.

"Ah- hey pops, a'gotta go. Gonna get ready for class."

"Right! Have a good first day, son. Text me about it after, all right? Talk to you then!"

Beep.

Rook picked up his tennis shoes and moved to sit on the bed as he read over the texts he had just received.

Woah...a hero? Ad'be so cool'ta meet some sorta Arms-Master Vigilante!

Rook didn't know who this person was sending the text, but it seemed the opportunity was almost too good to pass up. Ignoring the first message, he replied to the second, "I'm in."

He tucked his phone away into his pocket as he grabbed his backpack, having finished dressing, before heading out the door, closing it thoughtlessly behind him.

-----

Minutes later, Rook came to a screeching halt as he stepped past the threshold of his homeroom class - a second after the bell sounded. Much to his chagrin, it had taken him a little time to find the correct classroom. A few students stared at his entrance as he blew a tuft of (forgettingly ungroomed) hair out of his face.

"Mawnin'..." he greeted as he waved hesitantly.

[TsundereStorm]

Mason Laurent

[4:30 AM]

Another day, another early morning. Mason awoke like a machine at the same time he always did. Technically it was actually 4:29 in the morning, about 20 seconds before his alarm was going to go off. Preemptively turning the alarm off for the day, Mason stood from his sleeping space. His roommate was also awake at this point, but they didn't speak when Mason left the room for his morning routine.

The moment he stepped out of the dorm building, Mason took off in a dead sprint. Taking in a massive breath of air, his tense body began to relax. He tore through the area, vaulting over any obstacle in his way, dodging back and forth along his set path. The wind crashed through his air and against his face, making him feel free once more.

Eventually, he reached his end destination. He had climbed and hopped around buildings on campus while people were not around. He would probably get in trouble if he was spotted by faculty, but he was fine at this point. Mason climbed to the very top before finally pausing for the first time on his run. He had a great view of the area around and drew it in to the fullest. This was his new life. He took a moment to contemplate his time since moving to this part of the world. It was his first time really living on his "own", but there was nothing wrong with that. His day to day didn't feel all that different. At least until today that was. Today classes would start in earnest for him. It didn't matter though. No matter what his day to day was, he would use it to become the strongest.

A small smile crept across Mason's lips as he stepped forward off the edge of the building and into a freefall. The air blasted against him as he fell, but it just made him feel more free. In the few moments before crashing into the ground, Mason grasped his hand through the air, a knife materializing in his grip. Should someone have been watching, they probably would have seen a man leap from a ledge in an attempt the end it all. The fall took so long, but was also just so short. The moment Mason touched on the ground, his eyes were closed and he was engulfed in the shadow of the building. His presence vanished and the scene was still once more.

It was only a few minutes before a form filled out once more just outside the dorm building. Mason stepped out from the shadow of the building, stretching, a lazy smile on his lips. It was a good morning.

After, he did the rest of his morning ritual. Finish a workout for his body, shower, eat, prepare for the day. He made sure that he wasn't around the room when his roommate was around. He was a disciplined person, but sharing a room with a girl was still pretty weird, and he didn't want any misunderstandings to occur.

He left his room and made it to class after a leisurely stroll.

After receiving the messages, Mason snorted. Pass.

[Letter Bee]

De-Canonized Post.

Trinidad Academy - Early Morning [6 AM]

Miss Ellora nodded at Cleophas' arrival; it was clear that rowdy students were always a risk in a school for people with magical weapons. Her words were, "All right, people, next class will be English, then Math, after which the Assembly will replace our Small-Unit Tactics period. Do not look upon this as a reprive; the next day will have much harder classes to compensate."

A pause. "And finally, I must remind you that using one's Noble Arms to commit violent acts outside of training, to cheat, or to play illegal games of chance is an offense against the School, and will earn demerits." She then tilted her head slightly to the right. "Note however that as the nature of Noble Arms is based on the focused use of said Arms as a tool to shape the environment, there is leeway if you don't get caught. This is not a license to bully, harass, or otherwise harm another student, but I am obliged to tell you that if I don't catch you doing minor offenses, I am not obliged to punish you. Class dismissed."

<This is why Trinidad Academy's reputation is in tatters; it produces Rogues, and not the Heroic kind, either!> Another anonymous message from the blue guy; the red one stayed silent. <No offense meant to present company if you guys like being rogues, btw.>

And with that, it was time for the two academic classes, then the boredom of the Assembly.

------

By an accident of fate, Xris, James, Ellie and Mason were seated together in the the Academy's large autidorium, awaiting the arrival of President Grace Poe. To the right of their group, right next to Mason and at the edge of the rows of seats, was a brown-skinned, golden-eyed young man who said, "Hello; My name is Pablo Legazpi. What are your names and how are you all?"

Once they've made their responses, they'd wait for the Philippine President... And wait... And wait. As they kept waiting for the Academy's guest, Pablo smiled faintly, knowing this truth about himself: He liked hinting that he knew everything; it was dangerous for him, but also the truth.

Then came a voice from the intercom saying, "Class, the President's visit has been delayed due to minor 'security issues', therefore the Assembly is postponed to the afternoon. However, resuming classes as normal will not be an option due to the time of uncertainty about the length of the delay. In summary, the members of the student body have a free period; a recess, if you will."

Pablo then began typing into his smartphone; just seconds later, Xris, James, Ellie and Mason's own phones began to beep. With a knowing smile, the boy directed his eyes at his device's screen, then the screens of the others'.

<If you want to know just what the security problems that delayed the President's visit are, follow me. And yes, Trinidad Academy is unprofessional to the point of hilarity.>

And with that, Pablo Legazpi left his seat, gesturing to the others to follow him.

At the same time, Charles and Cleophas had been selected to stand on the auditorium stage beside a young Eurasian boy with red hair, pale-ish skin, and a snub Filipino nose, and were also expected to do nothing. But said Eurasian - Whom Charles might recognize as Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone, one of the top ten of Trinidad - looked at them, pointed at Pablo's group, and said, "Let's go after Mr. Legazpi and the people he is gesturing at; they seem up to something."

@Achronum@Smike@Trainerblue192@Bartimaeus@Eklispe@GingerBoi123@TsundereStorm

[Trainerblue192]

Xris sat there with his headphones over his ears and music playing, not paying much attention as he waited until a strange character approached him and began to speak. He could barely make out the words his lips were making, catching the jist of an introduction. "Names Xris, with an X. Doing fine, You ok?" He slid the headphones down around his neck as he began to scan the room, and then Pablo, wondering if he was part of the staff that text had mentioned earlier. It appeared Pablo went down the line speaking to each student near him, introducing himself as the assembly waited anxiously for the president to arrive. "Chances the President or war hero skived on us as this is a shambles of a school."

Some time passed by and Xris noticed his roommate was over on the stage, most likely being a suck up and having asked to be part of this security force detail. Xris' phone went off and he saw a text from the damned blue number again. "Blimely, does this cock ever give up?" he said as he noticed Pablo getting up and gesturing them to follow, not moment laters he saw the man standing next to Charles pointing at their direction. Does no on one this school know discretion? Xris grasped Pablo's arm into a Roman Clasp and spoke in hushed tones "Have you lost the plot? You're being obvious mate and that Bobby over there just pointed us out."

[Achronum]

‘Odd addition.’ Charles thought as his mind wandered back to the homeroom discussion. ‘Technically, that’s how breaking any rule works. Sounds like a honey pot.’ He scanned the auditorium, noting bored faces and antsy body language. Few cared about the assembly and it showed. Charles shook his head slightly. Show a little decorum people; it won’t kill you.

Movement beyond the normal jitters caught his attention, a boy standing and encouraging a few others to do the same. His brow quirked as his roommate caught his attention in the line. They hadn’t shared much conversation when they were setting up in the room the other day but they did swap numbers just in case. It would be easier to just- Xris looped his arm in whoever this Mr. Legapzi was and seemed to suggest some sense. But if Mr. Legapzi had apass, he could technically leave if he wanted otherwise he’ll just be turned away at the door.

“Our posts are here. As far as I was made aware, our job was a ceremonial guard rather than a functional one.” Charles replied, not taking his eyes off the auditorium as he did. He kept his hands clasped behind his back. “And definitely not to handle indirect threats without more than a hunch. If this Mr. Lagepzi doesn’t have the right to leave, then he’ll be turned away. We’ll just be adding to the security issues if we are not where we are expected when the President shows up.”

[Letter Bee]

Soft Reboot - This is the New Start of the RP

Trinidad Academy - Three Days Before the Start of Semester

The center of Trinidad Academy was occupied by a garden, a garden where native flowers and trees circled a large pedestal on which stood a dark blue slab of polished stone; there, the names of Trinidad Academy's founders and its prominent alumni were set. This was the 'Founders' Monument', a symbol of the sense of optimism that had driven the establishment of the school before the realities of the Cold War and the War on Terror put paid to such dreams. Pablo Legazpi hoped that what he would do was the first step to said dreams' restoration.

"Place the hilt of your Noble Arm on the slab; I can rely on you not to damage it," said the person behind him.

The boy nodded, and summoned his blade, before pressing the pommel gently onto the monument. Then, he willed its power to life, the light blue glow revealing his own truths to him once more.

I had nothing to fear from my parents; I was still their son, no matter who I was attracted to. I were merely seeking excuses to whine, to publicly angst, to call for attention. I have a thirst for being the center of things, which is why I am allowing him to use my power for his own selfish ends.

Pablo breathed the truths of his life, not running away from his self-deceptions, his hypocrisy, and the moral weakness of his actions.

But I know this, that there is actual good that can be done! I know this, that if good is the promotion of peace, happiness, and the prevention of pain, then it's within my reach! That is a true enough reason to join that man's cause!

And with that, the truths of the Academy, the truth about the person just behind him, and the knowledge needed to pursue the good he believed in came to him. But so too did this truth: That his victory was not guaranteed, that goodness existed but can be defeated. Even with what he now knew, he might still lose.

But it was a cause worth fighting for - He at least knew that!

As the light of truth faded, Pablo respectfully turned to the person who had given him access to the monument, and gave a respectful bow.

"Director Bathala," he said in a firm voice, "What do you want to know?"

Trinidad Academy - Early Morning [6 AM]

Most of the students were still sleepy, still tired. The Filipino Students (coughPablocough) were singing their national anthem outside the classroom, leaving the foriegners alone inside. Because of this, they had a minute or so to themselves before the Filipino students returned; a minute to turn on their laptops or even exchange a few words with one another. As the sound of singing outside faded and the Filipino students returned, this minute became five as their homeroom teacher, Ellora Minnie, was called away for some reason.

Pablo Legazpi himself, a young man with unusually bright eyes and a smile that seemed out-of-place in school, sat in front of Xris and Charles, who were seated next to each other, while Cleophas, Jason, and Mason were within hearing range. The young man took advantage of this to say, "Hey, guys! My name is Pablo Legazpi, believer in heroes and the potential of Noble Arms for good. Happy to meet you all!"

As Mrs. Minnie hadn't returned yet, Pablo wasn't called out on being too loud, same for the other students who were getting louder and louder, talking to each other about topics as varied as boys, video games, and the occassional raunchy banter. This continued as it became clear to all that Mrs. Minnie wasn't coming back for a while, and various students were now playing games of chance with pen, paper, and cards.

But one other student was studying; a pale-skinned redhead whose blunt nose was the only sign of Filipino heritage. Sitting beside Pablo, this student, Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone, spoke to the others, "Mrs. Minnie probably got called to the Director's office; there's rumors that the Philippines' President, Grace Poe, will be coming here in order to get a tour of the Academy and give a speech."

He leaned in, coming closer to Jason and Mason as he did so, "But there are rumors that it's more than that; that the Disablers/Disarmers/Whatever are planning to stage an attack on the Academy to get rid of a pro-coexistence leader." A smile, "And I'm providing security against that."

@Achronum@Smike@Trainerblue192@Bartimaeus@Eklispe@GingerBoi123@TsundereStorm

[Double]

Even for early birds, Drake's morning routine might have seemed a bit... excessive. Most early bird types might wake up one or more hours early in order to give themselves more time to dress, have breakfast, or any number of things. Drake on the other hand woke up at 4 AM sharp and spent about two hours doing squats and going on a morning run before getting ready for school even crossed his mind. Regardless of how extreme his schedule might have seemed, it still gave the Romanian transfer student a good chance to see some of the area he was now living in. It certainly wasn't the Romanian countryside he was used to, but it had its merits.

By the time he did reach school, a bunch of the local students were gathering and beginning to sing. He had no idea what the song was, not being well versed in this country's customs, but the students looked to be making a good time of it. He found the room number matching the one on his morning class schedule and pushed open the door. Within in he found other students, but like him they weren't locals. It seemed kinda quiet, almost awkwardly so at first. Well, Drake decided that if no one else would break the silence then he would do it, "Good morning." he said with a cheerful smile before finding a comfy looking seat to take for himself.

He wasn't empty handed. Apart from his backpack, Drake had with him a steaming cup of coffee he picked up on the way to school. Shockingly enough, lots of morning exercise could leave one drained by the time they got their actual daily life. The coffee was to give back some of the energy Drake burned away during his morning exercises. He wasn't sure if coffees were allowed in the school but he figured he'd be fine if he could finish the cup off before classes actually started.

Once the local students started filing in, Drake overheard one of them introduce himself. Believer in heroes, huh? He thought to himself silently. Then without warning he got up and approached the desk they were sitting at, "Only a believer in heroes? Guess I've got one up on you then, 'cause I do more than believe. I am a hero." he said, gesturing to himself with his thumb, "Name's Drake Lecarde, but give me a month at this school and I won't even need introductions anymore. You can definitely believe in that." but his big introduction went ignored momentarily. Another local spoke up, something about the President coming and then boasted about being assigned to provide extra security.

"El Presidente, huh? Must be a pretty big deal then." then he went over to that student's desk and leaned in closer, "Of course, when you think about it, this a school chock full of superpowered students. You'd have to have a death wish to attack this place, especially when heroes like me are around on campus."

[Trainerblue192]

The sound of Xris' phone could be heard resonating throughout the room."Ugh, just five more minutes." he groaned as he went to snooze the alarm. Try as he might, it wouldn't go snooze. Finally Xris shot up with a panicked feeling "What time is it?!" he quickly grabbed his phone and noticed it was 5:40 in the morning. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no, I'm gonna be late" He jumped out of bed, in only a pair of black boxers, and began to rummage through his drawers, grabbing pants, a shirt, a sweater, and socks. His feet hurried into the bathroom as he began to brush his teeth with one hand while attempting to get a dissolved hair look with the other. Satisfied, he began to slip his legs into his pants as he hopped over towards where his shoes lay. After a moment he finally finished getting g ready and checked his phone 5:50am. Xris grabbed his skateboard and over the ear headphones, music blaring, and began skating down the hallways in a race against time.

As he whizzed past students and teachers, trying to make time, he heard someone yell behind him "No skateboarding in the hallways!" Xris barely heard him over his music and gave the disembodied voice a shrug as he summoned his Noble Arm, transforming it as he kick flipped his board into his hands and proceeded to glide off towards homeroom. He checked his phone one last time as he saw the doorway into his class, 5:58 am, perfect still on time. As he neared the doorway, Xris stuck out his staff, using it to help him turn the corner into the door and then dismissing his Noble Arm upon entry. One foot tumbled over the other and he fell, tripping onto the floor and landing near a desk.
"Bloody Hell that smarts. Mornin' Mrs. Ellora, hope I didn't miss much. Woah, Deja Vu." he said as a nervous laughter escaped him while he got up to make his way towards his seat.

Not a moment later the teacher appeared to be called away on some form of duty. Perfect, more time to relax. Xris didnt waste a second after the teacher left, popping in some gum, leaning back onto the hind legs of the chair as he propped his shoes onto the desk. He slid his headphones on and began to play some music. A large pink bubble formed at his mouth, with a satisfying POP, Only to reveal a Philipino student speaking to him. With that Xris slowly pulled down his headphones realizing he may not get the peace he wanted as another student with olive skin came over proclaiming to be a hero. "Ey, Hercules. Have you ever saved a town before? Reversed a natural disaster? If not then I'd say you've lost the plot mate." His attention shifted from him towards the strange Philipino kid. "Names Xris. Is that your Noble Arm? To believe in others? Not sure how works but sounds like bollucks to me. Mine on the other hand."
With one hand under his desk, Xris summons forth his staff and began to make duplicates of himself, one behind Drake, then Pablo, then the ginge. Each speaking up as they popped up. "Has the power-" "-to create-" "-duplicates of me." finally circling back to the real Xris "Amongst other things."

[Smike]

Ellie was up long before her alarm, already dressed in a white tank top and jeans. She had woken up somewhere between 3 and 4 in the morning and hadn't even bothered to try and fall back asleep. There was no reason to be up that early, she didn't have any classes until 6 but there was no way she was going to be able to sleep again. Some days her sleep cycle just refused to cooperate and she would have to pass the time pacing her room with pencil in hand, stopping every now and again to scribble out a rough sketch of a bird or something. She would have preferred to practice with her Noble Arms of course, but she doubted that her fellow students and faculty would appreciate gunshots going off before the sun was up. It was incredibly boring but at least she wouldn't be late to homeroom. She had managed to get her raven black hair in order without issue, the long strands pulled up into a tight and functional bun.

The next order of business was clothing. The white undershirt was covered by her signature Air Cav jacket, the functional canvas garment hanging loosely off her frame. It was too big for her but it was totally kickass which was a good a reason as any to wear it. The young woman dug around the papers scattered around her desk and retrieved a half empty can of chewing tobacco and dropped it into her breast pocket for later but not before tucking a small pinch in her lip, gum cancer be damned. She was aware of course of the health concerns surrounding tobacco and she was barraged by images of cancerous throats and lungs when she went to buy more but didn't especially care. She enjoyed her habit, despite the fact it was shortening her lifespan.

Ellie grabbed the messenger bad that held her books and supplies before heading for the door, listening with a sort of half-interest to the Filipino students singing their anthem. It meant nothing to her, she owed no allegiance to the country she was currently in. There was not a doubt in her mind that she would be returning to the US in the future to protect her people and their ideals from the bastard Hammer of Masters or anyone else that would harm them. She planned on spending as little time away as possible.

She got to homeroom with a few minutes to spare and took a seat just in time to see a pale, white haired boy nearly break his neck on his skateboard, snickering quietly to herself before listening to Pablo make his introduction. The mention of the Disablers was enough for her to scoot her chair closer to the group, eyeing the three curiously. They were all younger than her if she had to guess, something that wasn't too suppressing. At 18 years of age she was a little bit on the higher end of Trinidad Academy's age range. And just like the bunch of teen boys they were, they were already verbally jerking themselves off over how cool they were. That was fine by her, she was no stranger to bragging about herself.

Drake was either trying to establish himself as top dog of the class or was just a complete tool, or possibly a combination of the two. Pablo seemed nice enough, a bit naive maybe but mostly fine. The white haired klutz was really full of himself, making illusions of himself appear with an air that reminded her of a stage magician.

"Name's Ellie, I'm going to be one of your classmates." she introduced herself lazily, bottom lip bulging with tobacco. "You seem pretty full of yourself, Drake. Teen kids still in high school usually aren't considered very good 'heroes.' She drew the word out mockingly, snorting like an arrogant horse at his bravado. "Can you actually back it all up? My guess is that it's all just talk."

Her attention shifted to Xris, dropping her hand on his table. "Your Arm isn't too impressive either, kid. A fancy stick and some clones aren't much compared to cold steel." Her other arm made a sudden movement as if drawing from an invisible holster, producing the garishly engraved pistol form of her Noble Arm and pointing it skyward. "I can put rounds in anyone or anything that rushes me with some sort of melee weapon. I call this one Liberty."

The 1911 began to melt into a silvery haze, changing colors and solidifying into it's long barreled form. "And this one is is Life. Seven rounds in each one, a total of fourteen problems I can solve without stopping." Ellie dismissed the gun with a flick of her fingers and spread her arms. A familiar feeling of warm, crackling energy began to course through her as a field of indigo blue and emerald green plasma surrounded her and took the shape of a massive eagle. The feathers of the mighty hunter were outlined with pulsing electricity, the bird of prey flapping its great wings and launching Ellie into the air. She was high enough that her head nearly scraped the ceiling, ensuring that anyone who hadn't noticed her before definitely would now.

"From up here friend, all your doubles look pretty small to me."

Her impromptu exhibition finished Ellie easily drifted back down, landing solidly on Pablo's table. The ethereal eagle dissipated in an electrically charged mist, the young woman making an over dramatic bow. She was grinning widely, always one to enjoy showing off her skills.

[Achronum]

Before Class

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Like clockwork, Charlie rolled out of bed and killed his alarm with one fluid motion. He rolled his neck and stretched as he rocked back on his heels a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over to his dorm mate, noting that his alarm setting was low enough to leave the other undisturbed, and spent a few minutes making his bed in the dim light of his phone screen. He switched into the running clothes he laid out last night and neatly deposited his dirty pajamas into the laundry hamper. He popped in his headphones, synced them up, and set off for his morning run with Queen burning away the last of his lingering fatigue.

When his father first started him on this, the morning run was the bane of his existence. Why in the world would any sane person subject themselves to this? It took him almost a year for the utter loathing to fade as he ran. It was peaceful this early, only a handful of people out at the hour. He learned to love it, to have this time to just exist, no missions, no motives, no expectations. He could breathe.

As his soundtrack wound down, he made his way back to the dorm. He showered and dried off in his usual twelve minutes, went through his hygiene routine in five, and was dressed in the school uniform in three. Double checking his tie, he checked the clock and nodded. At this rate, he should be approximately twenty minutes early. Perfect.

“Charles.” The boy nodded in response to Pablo’s loud and hyper introduction. He sent an unimpressed look towards his dorm mate at his commentary. Why was this inflammatory discussion necessary and he planned to cut him off when Carsi spoke up.

“If you’re providing security, its likely in the job’s best interest not to announce your assignment to the entire school.” Charles said dryly, reviewing what work would have to be submitted across his various classes today. If there really was an attack imminent, and Charles could only hope the Disablers were planning one, announcing your position on a security team before the official details was released compromised the security of the task force’s assignment. Case in point, Charles would keep a close eye on tht and try to wiggle in. Ensuring this attack made it into the campus would help galvanize the student populace and he could get to work earlier than planned.

And then the jerk off, contest courtesy of his roommate Chris, really got into full swing. Some girl launched herself to the ceiling and started talking a bunch of smack. Lame smack at that. Charles pointedly ignored her with a roll of his eyes and turned his attention back to Carsi.

“Targeting the next generation of Arms Masters is a solid strategy. Pointing out the current ones can’t protect their young and goad out a disaster from the startled unstable, unskilled trainees would gain the group a lot of traction.” Charles mused. The more he considered this, the more he would love for this rumor to be real. With a top ten student as big a security breach as you could ask for, circulating confusion and orchestrating a few mistakes would be a breeze. “But if that attack is rumored to happen, why would the President still visit? Wouldn’t it be safer to clear the issue first?”

[Letter Bee]

Trinidad Academy - Early Morning [6 AM]

Pablo said nothing as he saw Charles begin to underestimate him; good. As for the Disabler attack, it was real, but in a way that none of the people present in the group would expect. But it was best to hide how much he knew; he'll pay for it later when the time came to expose his own lies to himself, but he might also learn that he had no other choice. So he listened to Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone continue to boast a little more.

"Who knows," the Half-Irish Filipino said, trying to catch himself, "Maybe she won't be visiting after all, or perhaps she's sending a body double and this is all a sting operation to lure the Disablers out; the possibilities are endless."

He smirked, "Why am I telling you all this? Well, One, gossip is a cherished Filipino custom. Two, the people accompanying me will be chosen through a raffle. Three, I don't like random people watching my back, so I'm planning to... Arrange said raffle in my favor, to put in people I can depend on, even if it is only by virtue of seating arrangements." He looked around, settling on Drake if the latter was fuming at the mention of the Disablers. "So, who wants a place in the security team?"

Carsi was avoiding eye contact with Pablo, while the latter was busying himself typing something in Filipino at the desk laptop; just study stuff.

Unnamed Oil Tanker Off the Philippine Coast

The hijacking was easily achieved, with the captain and what loyal crew there were bound, gagged, and kept in the brig. Now the Disabler cell which had infilitrated the vessel had no obstacles to their safe operation for what few minutes of life they had. All of them had lost family and friends; innocent children and youth cut down undeservedly, to those monsters. All of them had felt the sting from the wrongful privileges that those monsters had accumulated, putting them above hardworking men. And so all of them had volunteered to die, in order to make sure no new monsters took the leadership of humanity away from true people.

As the Oil Tanker entered into Manila Bay; Trinidad Academy was going to come in sight in an hour or two, none of the crew, including their Amazonian leader, noticed the fact that their shadows had small pieces cut from them...

Trinidad Academy - Director's Office 6 AM

The rest of the Top Ten had been tasked to guard the Academy itself, while Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone began the first stage of the purging. Problem was, Legazpi was insisting that there was hidden strength in the first batch of students selected for 'The Culling'; maybe he was right, but just because someone can reveal the universe's truths did not mean they were obliged to speak them; the boy will have to be watched.

If the students to be culled did not prove themselves at Carsi's prompting, he, Jose C. Bathala, will have to hope that Angelito Jaime would act on the tip he had given him. If the 'Hero of 1987' refused to act as planned, then he would have to use brute force.

Getting up, the man walked close to the windows and checked his shadow, once, twice, three times; nothing was missing and that was good.

He was paying a high-stakes game; Pablo was extraordinarily fond of his chosen group despite the danger such a band of idealists - Yes, even the Hammer Mole was an idealist - posed. Just what did he see in them when he had used his sword on the Academy itself?

Turning to another set of papers, looking for another method to cull the deadweight from the student population, the Director mused that a mix of idealism and pragmatism was what won wars - the latter controlling the former.

@Achronum@Smike@Trainerblue192@Bartimaeus@Eklispe@TsundereStorm

[Double]

"Saved a town? No, but I've tangled with my share of monsters." Drake said, crossing his arms. People seemed to like showing off their Arms around here, made evident when Xris followed up his introduction by doing just that. Apparently he could make copies of himself. Some kind of Strength in Numbers power? Personally, Drake preferred having strength in himself rather than in numbers, but it was all just preference at the end of the day. And then the tomboy spoke up, questioning Drake's ability to back up his claim before, of course, showing off her own Noble Arm.

But the third guy to speak elected not to present his Noble Arm. He instead questioned the logic of announcing a presumably top secret assignment to one's classmates, which admittedly was a valid point. Drake spent some time listening, especially to Carsi's eventual reply. That was when got his chance to speak up again and he didn't hesitate. Drake rarely ever did. "I'm sorry, run that by me again? A raffle?" he cocked an eyebrow, a look of confusion appearing on his face, "The security of the President herself... and it's determined by random luck? What kind of sense does that make? Why not choose the team based on ability level or on skillset specifics?" maybe Carsi also realized this and that was why he was inclined to simply arrange the raffle regardless of the outcome?

But Drake would be a liar if he claimed not to be somewhat interested in the prospect of kicking some Disabler ass. His last encounter with them went well enough for him, but what he really needed was chance to cut loose and properly gauge just what he was capable of. He clenched a fist and smirked, but rather than join in on the Noble Arms show-and-tell he just reached for his coffee and took another drink. Despite being the first to speak up and being one to declare himself a hero, Drake elected not to display his Noble Arm, "Oh I'm sorry, I guess this is the part where I was supposed to show everyone my Noble Arm? Drawing your weapon and waving it around when there's no battle taking place isn't what I'd call very good heroic conduct. And besides... I just hate the idea of giving away spoilers." that last part he said with a quick and playful wink.

[Trainerblue192]

Xris's attention was quickly brought over to a girl, seemingly older than he was. If dip on her breath, a lump in her lip and the apparel weren't enough to tell him shes American, then the Noble Arms of not one but two guns, surely nailed it in. He allowed her do make her little demonstration, taking in as much about her style and abilities as he could gleam from it. She pinned Xris as a melee fighter, good, that would certainly be her downfall if they got into a combat situation with one another. As he sat there, he pondered for a moment on if he should reveal a bit more of his Arm, or simply let her comments slide. What's more, should he offer a sass back so early on? Finally the strange American floated back down to Earth with a haughty bow, making Xris chuckle a bit. "Right shame. I wouldn't mind a bit of a tussle. Two Arms clashin to find a victor." Dismissing his doubles, Xris removed his feet from the top of his desk, they now floated off the ground as he continued to sit, his position shifting to face Ellie. A large pink bubble formed again before it popped. "Whutz your name and rank Winchester?"

"Speakin of names and ranks what's yours?" Xris dismissed his Arms as he pointed at the Half-Irish Filipino. Leaning in onto his desk, both elbows pressed against the top as he rested his chin between the palms of his hands. "You sure talk a lot of rubbish, and speak of trust and the like, acting like you know your onions; yet here you are with not a name to put you by and I dont even know what your Arms. Hows anyone to build a team without knowing their teammates strengths and weaknesses. How am I to know you're not juat takin the piss? Or a cock-up? Blimey, I trust Hercules here more than I do you at the moment. What's more my mate here makes some very valid points." Xris nodded his head towards Charles.

[Smike]

Gracefully dismounting the table Ellie got back into her seat, raising an eyebrow at the klutz's words "Anytime you wanna go, I'm game. Your friends seem better suited for running a train on you than fighting, I'll gun you all down before you can blink!" It was a good natured threat, the American grinning as she offered the challenge."Ellie Vuković, rank 501."The smile turned into a smirk at Charle's eyeroll. He could act like he didn't care but she had gotten a reaction out of him and that was all she wanted. He struck her as a pompous jackass, albiet a pompous jackass with a good point. If Carsi and Pablo were guarding El President or Her Royal Majesty or whatever the Filipinos called her, wouldn't it make more sense to keep that under wraps? And using students to guard her? When was that ever a good idea? If the Disablers were really planning an attack, it seemed ill-advised to have literal children guarding her.

But ill-advised ideas were a specialty of hers, so of course she was going to seize the chance. "Oh what the hell, I'm game. The Disablers ain't as bad as the Hammmers, but they're still assholes."

[Letter Bee]

Trinidad Academy - Early Morning [6 AM]

Pablo couldn't help but chuckle as Carsi was caught with his metaphorical pants down. He then decided to come to the guy's rescue and say, "This guy is Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone; tenth of the top ten students of Trinidad Academy. And yes, he's a boaster."

Looking at Drake, Pablo continued, "Good question; the random raffle is meant to lessen the chances that the security detail might be compromised by the Hammer of Masters or some other organization. Like it or not, many of the more powerful Arms Masters flirt with Hammer Philosophy at some point in their lives, at least in their thoughts."

Power and a sense of entitlement to said power; it is one hell of a drug. I'd be addicted to if not for my constant exposure to my sword's abilities. But now, should I let Carsi say something? The boy thought.

As Pablo went quiet, Carsi took up the discussion again and said, "Pablo's right; check the school bulletin board if you guys don't belive me. As for my Noble Arm, it's a set of three darts that create portals to -"

Carsi's exposition was interrupted by Pablo clearing his throat; the nascent fellowship did not need to know about the limitations of Carsi's power - That it went only to places he had seen before, even if it was from a picture.

After all, there were plenty of places Carsi will have to go to in the future that he could not have plausibly seen before without sparking suspicion. And Pablo did not want to reveal his own powers and how they gave Carsi the knowledge that loosened his limitations. So he shut up again and let Carsi say something distracting, something that would allow himself to fade quietly to the background once more.

"Either way," the Irish-Filipino obliged, "Two out of three have joined the prospective security team; I'll make preperations to... Arrange the raffle shortly, once we get our first break."

Then the door opened, and Ms. Ellora Minnie, the homeroom teacher, returned to say, "Students, we are going to have a special guest today; the President of the Philippines; Grace Poe herself. A special 'Honor Guard' that will supplement her usual security detail will be chosen via raffle today, and our first class, English, will be canceled to provide time for said raffle - Which will be held in the auditorium - as well as preperations to join the Honor Guard. Carsi Cruz Maurice Tyrone," she looked at the redhead, "Will be the designated leader of the Honor Guard, which will be sent to the Director's Office once the raffles are drawn in order to be briefed on their objectives."

Unnamed Oil Tanker Off the Philippine Coast

It was not time yet for the Operation, and the Disabler Cell was still masquerading as regular crewmen. The appropriate bribes had been pre-paid to the Philippine Coast Guard, so the Oil Tanker would not be bothered for a while yet; enough time to get into position.

Monsters needed to die, and the Disabler Cell's leader, Alice Fitzpatrick, would make sure of it. As the 38-year old brushed a lock of red hair from her eyepatch, she mused over her losses and how she had found the Disablers; how they had helped her rebuild her life after the death of her son in a dispute between Arms Masters. She looked behind her and for a brief moment, thought treason - That perhaps the monsters in the Academy did not need to die.

After all, her dead son was one of said monsters himself.

Trinidad Academy - Director's Office [6 AM]

The pieces were all set, but the Hammer Mole's sudden inaction had to be adapted for; Pablo had said that one of the few limitations on his power to reveal the truth was that the future was constantly in flux, meaning that he can only reveal a few possible futures. And this was one of the less likely ones; one hard for him to adapt to.

But the Director was made of more flexible stuff in this circumstance; he preferred not to play games with the Hammer Mole.

@Achronum@Smike@Trainerblue192@Bartimaeus@Eklispe@TsundereStorm

[Achronum]

Charles considered his options, completely ignoring Pablo. It was clear who the guy was, the introduction was unnecessary and anyways, the teacher just repeated it anyways. The security detail definitely opened up a few possibilities. If he did well, it would reflect well on him and the others which in turn could turn into potential string he could pull later. If he used it as an opportunity to allow whatever to happen, he could twist it against non-arms Masters and start influencing the general opinion of the school. It could also help pin point students already close to falling off the edge and then he'd just have to push, just a bit.

Charlie listened attentively, writing a note on a piece of loose leaf quickly. He folded it into a small square, edges tucked neatly into itself so it wouldn't unfold midflight, and flicked it onto Carsi's lap when the teacher looked away. He had plenty of practice doing this under his father's stern eye when he wanted to talk to his friends at formal events without his father noticing.

Note

Add Me
(Phone Number)