[IC] Final Fantasy VIII: Tempus Veneficarum [7/10 Slots]

[Lennon79]

Rachel's point was dark, but understandable. If he could help it, Duncan would rather have avoided civilian casualties, but either plan would result in collateral damage... Not for the first time did he wonder why the Faction insisted on this particular timing for the assassination; on the one hand, a public hit would be easy to turn into propaganda to legitimise the new government, on the other it would have been easier - and safer - to poison Deling and claim it was an illness. 'Beserking civilians is an option, I suppose. We need to avoid leaving any evidence behind so as not to give anyone grounds to suspect a professional hit. Magic shouldn't leave any notable effects on those effected, whereas the gas would be detectable by a doctor... or a coroner.' Duncan made a quick note on the plan before him, crossing out the gas grenades. Meanwhile Kein nodded sheepishly as Xerox corrected his mistake. 'I don't know the specifics, but Anacondaur venom is like a time-delay poison; might help. Can't promise it wouldn't be detected though...' He fell silent again at Xerox and Rachel debated using the sewer access; it sounded like an alright idea, if they could work a way to reach the generators from the undercarriage. 'But uh... I don't think we should be killing any of the guards before the riot starts.', he ventured. 'I mean, if they find a dead or unconscious guard inside the president's compound, won't they just call off the parade?'

As the debate continued, Duncan eyed up the others around the table. He didn't know the two women Hector had brought along and in all honesty, wasn't sure he could trust them. One left the room in annoyance, but not before insulting Jericho in passing. He gave her back a stern frown, already annoyed at the disruption the backup was causing; tensions were bound to run high on an op this important, but getting personal could lead to distractions in the field. Making a mental note to keep Jericho away from Hector's mini-harem, he turned his attention back to the others. 'Blueprints? Dunno, we haven't been provided any. Maybe our friends in the PSA might have some idea..?' One of the purple uniformed spooks raised his head and shrugged. 'I'll look, but don't get your hopes up, SeeD. Most of Deling's toys are custom built and only his personal guards have access to it. I'll try though.' As the man started furiously tapping away at his tablet, the other one spoke up. 'You could always just try getting close and shooting the generators. Shields don't stop people, only objects going over a certain speed. If one of you can sneak in when the riot starts and damage them, the President should be wide open.'

The idea hadn't occurred to Duncan and he was about to ask if anyone felt confident when a movement caught his eye. Before his mind could catch up with him, Duncan drew his holdout pistol and sighted down on the culprit. Taking a deep, calming breath, Duncan slowly holstered the weapon and gave the girl a long stare. 'Ms, I don't know what kind of operational security you were trained on and I would have been willing to listen to your input without the dramatics, but if you ever draw a weapon on one of our team again, I will ship you back to Balamb by hand! Am I understood?' It didn't matter that she hadn't tried to hit one of them, or even that she had such perfect aim, the principle of the matter was that SeeDs should not be doing such dangerous shit. His glare switched between Jericho and the girl as they talked back and forward, privately determining that they would both be punished for this lapse in professionalism. After a long moment of grumbling under his breath, he sparked up a cigarette (to the shock of his father) and turned to Hector. 'Normally I'd agree, but in this case a simple in and out won't cut it. If we don't get those generators down before we attack, Deling's bodyguards will have more than enough time to gun us down. We need to be able to move in, disable the guards from a range, then kill Deling in a manner that can be blamed on a mob; that means close combat.' The other two kept arguing over Duncan and Hector ans slowly his irritation reached boiling point. 'All right, that's fucking enough! You two shut the fuck up and stop arguing like kids. You, whatever your name is... If you can sneak and avoid suspicion, great. I have a use for you. Jericho, your idea works too. We'll go with both, so you two sit the fuck down.' Of course Jericho left the room with his own parting shot and Duncan could have fucking punched him at that moment...

The room was silent for a long moment as he reigned in his temper. After stubbing out his cigarette on a plate (to his father's horror), he again spoke, his tone tight and controlled. 'So. You then, knife girl. I apologise, but what is your name? Since the majority can't decide without pissing me off, I'll give the orders. You then, Heloise, if you can keep your knives to yourself for a moment, will be responsible for downing the generators just as the riot starts. As the crowds begin to move close to the float, you move in with them and use those knives.' He would be lying if he honestly believed that mere throwing knives could disable highly advanced computer systems, but long experience had taught him not to underestimate his fellow SeeDs. 'Get close, knock them out, then withdraw. On your signal, two small teams will hit the float. These teams will be wearing Galbadian uniforms, which I assume the Faction can provide? Good, thank you. Wearing Galbadian uniforms and carrying improvised weapons. They'll neutralise the bodyguards and Deling before exfiling back to here.' He took another deep breath, trying to rid himself of a deep sense of frustration. It would mean they would abandon the sabotage idea, but hopefully it would satisfy those who wished for simplicity... I hate playing politics, he thought gloomily. It shouldn't have been necessary to force a compromise between SeeDs of all people, but that was just part of meshing different training methods together, he supposed.

'Right then... are we all ok with this? Are we all happy? Are we going to have a hissy fit and start fucking crying?' His gaze swept the room, staring down anyone who showed a hint of rebellion. '... Good. The cook will provide you whatever you want and there are rooms upstairs to bunk in. I want everyone up at 0600 tomorrow to begin practice runs. Dismissed.' As the room emptied, one of the spooks approached him with a wide grin. 'While you kids were arguing, we pulled up those blueprints. Guess you don't need 'em now though.' Scowling at the agent's clear amusement, Duncan downloaded it anyway. Heloise would likely need it to find the best spot to hit.

---

The mood the next day was somewhat subdued at the team prepared to split up for the evening's mission. Duncan wanted to drag Jericho and Heloise aside for a moment to crack their heads together, but it would be counter-productive at this point. Once the mission was over, he could make them wash as many toilets as he wanted. For the moment, he needed them alert. As the others set off in ones and twos, Duncan called Hector and his quiet friend off to one side. 'I've got a job for you Foxy.' His furtive demeanour made it quite clear that he didn't want anyone overhearing them. 'The PSA isn't involved in this op, but they have a few plain-clothes teams scattered around the parade. I want the two of you to watch and, if necessary, eliminate them.' He paused for a moment to let that sink in. 'I know they're technically on our side, but the PSA is well known for doublecrossing the doublecrossers. If this ends up being a sting to flush out the Faction... Well, I don't want it to come to that. You up for it?'

[Little_ninja]

An argument spurred between Heloise, Jericho and Hector. Heloise even mentioned being ignored for the whole time except when she threw her knife. Xerox had noticed her and knew what she had said this whole time, but there wasn't a need to reply to her before. As the argument went on, Xerox took in the arguments made, and thought deeply about what to do, what needed to be done. All he could think was, that they had only thought about part of the plan, and did not consider the information given by Xerox about the possibilities that could easily arise. Possibilities which could lead to failure.

"Excuse me" Xerox was about to speak and inform them of possible flaws, when Duncan had started to gain command, yelling at them all to calm down, and finalizing the details of the mission. There seemed to be no place to argue now. Well, it was less than likely that the generators would have all the features Xerox wanted to mention, but he thought the precaution would be required. Xerox was about to speak up, to add details about the possible flaws and the requirement of a back up. "Um..." he barely got the sound out, before Duncan started to stare him down. Guess his really pissed off from the argument just now he thought, thinking it might be better to talk to him in the morning.

With the meeting dismissed, Xerox got up from his seat and made his way to Rachel, "Um... Hey Rachel... It's been a while. Didn't know you would be on this mission. How you been?" he finally greeted her. A fellow SeeD from Trabia Garden, whom, grew up at the garden at a young age. When first went to Trabia, he was still young, about five, and Rachel was about eight. Not many children at Trabia entered as young as they did, so they were together often during their younger years. "Rue is with me too." he added, starting to walk out of the room.

---

It was early in the morning. Duncan called out to Xerox, "Oi, Xerox. I have those blueprints. If you find something important in them, be sure to inform me about it, so we can revise the mission." Receiving a copy of the blueprints Xerox replied, "Thanks, I'll look into it ASAP." walking away.

Opening the blueprints, and looking at them, Xerox sighed deeply. "Shit" was the word to come out of his mouth after opening it. It was advanced, possibly the most advanced he had seen. It generated the shield to encompass the whole float, but the thing was, it was casting para-magic. The shield was encompassed with several magics, reflect, shell, protect and stop. It wasn't something that could be breached by normal standards. But there was a flaw. A boot time for spell casting. The spells lasted on three minute intervals, and it required the system to boot up again each time it needed to cast. This was probably to conserve para-magic reserves, since it would otherwise eat up a lot of spells. If a dispel was used before the destroying the generator, it should work.

Looking over the designs, he found the critical point to attack, the main controller. Everything else would cause the system to alarm. Destroying the main controller will stop any alarms from activating. Walking back to Duncan, Xerox opened the blueprints. "This is advanced. Super-advanced. But, it will be fine. She just needs to attack this, the main controller." he pointed to it on the blueprints before continuing. "But before she can do that, she or someone else will need to cast dispel on it. But the thing is, that is going to attract attention. So, I think, it would be better, if I create a custom based weapon, using a similar system to the rifle I made for you. What do you think?" Xerox finished his explanation and analysis.

[rivaan]

“Hhhhhmmm...” Rachel made a very neutral sound as she listened to Xerox's greeting. Now this was someone she hadn't seen in a while... a couple of weeks to be more precise. This rascal was a boy from Trabia she tended to look after while they were kids. Him being a little younger than her, it was expected she would have too look after him and boy did he need it. Always fooling around with his creations... A thing that Rachel never approved. While useful at times he tended to over do and sometimes even do things that straight out shouldn't have been done. So in the end she ended being called his elder sister by some other people from the Garden as a joke. It did look that way though.

“A while indeed.” She agreed with very calm and professional tone.” Well I've been her in DC for my last mission, so instead I just got ordered to stay and await the next mission...” She said to the younger boy to inform him.” I'm fine enough to be able to finish this mission without problems.”

“Yeah I noticed Rue back at the place where I met your group out in the city.” She stated, narrowing her eyes on Xerox.” You know next time you try to escape with the secret of inventing a gender reversing machine, you might want to not drag Rue with you like that. It's kind of a dead give away who you are.” She told the boy with voice that was clearly trying to lecture him.” On that note, now I think I should be lecturing you about how to act as a girl now in order not to be easily discovered next time you decide to transform... It might just be of use for you future missions...”

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

Rachel woke up early the next morning in order to prepare for the mission. She went through all her gear she had, checked the gun and the ammunition she had prepared for this. Since those were alright, she went through all her magic to check if everything was ready for the mass berserk casting that will be needed for the crowds. If things went to worse, she was going to be forces to bring out Castanica. Then she went ahead to check all the medicine she had prepared and sorted it by effects and strength. Then she prepared her junctions.

[Aerandir]

Hector was looking at Ducan as he was explaining, but somehow picked up on Heliose's argument as well, and saw that she was looking around right after she said she would prove it. Ah hell.... suddenly a dagger flew at him, barely skimming his hair, cutting a few in the process. He didn't move an inch, because he knew Heliose didn't miss her targets...at all. Though he sat calmly shadow yipped and jumped from his lap to Selena's next to him who was wide eyed at the scene as well.

He reached up and with a yank pulled the dagger out and placed it on his lap. Seemingly unfazed by the near death experience. He was more surprised that Heliose was arguing on her own accord. She normally was silent as a mouse in these situations. Even if she was punching someone in the face. He would have to talk to her about it later. But another thing That caught his attention was Duncan losing his cool. He didn't expect that, maybe he was dealing with more than he put on.

Duncan quickly adapted the idea that they put out, and Jericho walked out before Duncan was done. The kid irked him the wrong way, seeing how he ignored part of both his and Heliose's arguments and pulled out the one flaw that was already covered. Rookie.

When Duncan finished Xerox quickly moved over to Rachel and started talking with her as they walked out. Pursing his lips and thinking a moment before he heard Selena say, "Well that Escalated quickly..." He nodded and looked to her to see her holding Shadow in her arms. "Indubitably" He said as he pushed his chair back and stood. At which Selena added, "No help from you with your little comment." He shrugged and moved over to Heliose, handing her her dagger, grip first. "Well it seems someone likes giving me free haircuts still." He said with a smile and after a moment he patted her head and asked, "You OK?"

After her comments he would walk with them to their rooms and then go to his to fall asleep.

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

Hector sitting on the stairs sharpening his gunblade with a small wet stone he carreid with him when Duncan called him and Selena over, who was playing with Shadow at the moment. He sighed as he got up and placed his stone in his coat pocket and returning his weapon to his belt. Walking over with Selena he came to a stop and Duncan began to speak to them in hushed tones.

'I've got a job for you Foxy.' He nodded saying he was ready to hear. 'The PSA isn't involved in this op, but they have a few plain-clothes teams scattered around the parade. I want the two of you to watch and, if necessary, eliminate them.' He paused for a moment while Hector stood up straighter, at least it wasn't what he thinking Duncan was going to make him do last night. 'I know they're technically on our side, but the PSA is well known for doublecrossing the doublecrossers. If this ends up being a sting to flush out the Faction... Well, I don't want it to come to that. You up for it?'

"You know how much I hate spooks. I've heard the same thing about them, I'm surprised you were willing to work with them. But don't worry We will take care of it. You have a list of the teams locations in the parade, or pictures of them so we know who we are looking for?"

He looked over to see Xerox walking over to them and started talking about the issue they faced and how he could over come it.

[SwordfishKnight]

The ordeal went down, and Gracelyn, in her slightly buzzed state, rolled her eyes with reckless abandon. Her eyes would look like they were popping out, with how high they went. The argument went on. Gracelyn didn't care who was arguing at this point, she must enjoyed the hilarious banter. In front of their eyes, maybe they hadn't noticed, she started lip syncing them all, making her own words up as well. It made it more interesting for sure. The argument ended and she let Jericho stomp off without going to talk to him. Let the babies have their alone time and all that. Making sure no one else was near to hear, she walked over to Duncan and whispered in his ear.

"What a bunch of babies eh?
At least some of us are sensible enough not to argue in front of the whole group. Oh well. No use for those who haven't already cried over spilt milk to cry over it. By the way. Tell me what to do in the morning."

--------

Today was the big day for sure. Gracelyn sharpened her sickles down to an edge, making sure each situational blade was ready to go. As well as if the two children didn't knock their shit off she would knock it off for them. Free of charge. Discount on the house. She stepped out into the main area where everyone was gathering, stretching herself out.

[MarshiestMallow]

It was clear to Heloise that Duncan was at the end of a tether. Heloise found that she didn't care. It was even more annoying to her that, even though it seemed she was being listened to, no one took in what she was saying. Hadn't she asked for a new dagger, so it couldn't be traced back to her? She sighed, but listened to what Duncan said, he didn't seem to know her name, not that that surprised her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and kept her expression blank, nodding and saying nothing more, although she wanted to say that if he touched her, he'd be less a hand. Hector approached her. "I figured anyone else would just throw the dagger back at me or something else. I knew you'd just take it" She said softly, taking her dagger back. At his question of if she was OK, she glanced away. It didn't seem like she was going to answer.

"No, I'm not"

Hector was perhaps the only person she had ever said that to. Hector was her only friend here, her only friend really. For some reason, he was the only one who could put up with her for longer then a few hours. Maybe it was his simply acceptance of her that had made her so those words. She managed to give him a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be okay" She said, letting him walk her to her room.

Sleep would be long coming for Heloise, she knew. So she climbed onto the roof. She laid back and looked up at the sky, and sighed. Alone again, she let her thoughts flow without addressing any of them. If she could have her way, she would only work with Hector. That wasn't possible, so it was more then likely she'd tick off the others continuously.

It was late when she finally managed to go to sleep

---

In the morning, Heloise was already ready and was just awaiting her orders. She avoided Jericho, and successful evaded Duncan as well, although perhaps that was just because he didn't seem to want to speak with her yet. She stayed out of everyone's way, and just watched.

she listened as Xerox spoke about the blueprints. She wasn't surprised at thhe protection the float had, and she stepped up to look over his shoulder as he pointed at the blue prints, and nodded to herself, moving back to where she had been standing. Otherwise, she made no move to interfere.

[Little_ninja]

After his greeting, Xerox waited for Rachel's response. “A while indeed.” She agreed with very calm and professional tone.” Well I've been her in DC for my last mission, so instead I just got ordered to stay and await the next mission... I'm fine enough to be able to finish this mission without problems.” Xerox felt relieved. Seems like she doesn't know, good. Should be safe.

In a relaxed state of mind, he continued the conversation, but the relief and relaxation were short-lived. “Yeah I noticed Rue back at the place where I met your group out in the city.” She stated, narrowing her eyes on Xerox.” You know next time you try to escape with the secret of inventing a gender reversing machine, you might want to not drag Rue with you like that. It's kind of a dead give away who you are.” She told him with voice that was clearly trying to lecture him.” On that note, now I think I should be lecturing you about how to act as a girl now in order not to be easily discovered next time you decide to transform... It might just be of use for you future missions...” His eyes started to show fear. Although Rachel did not really change her expression, after mentioning about lecturing him how to act like a girl, he felt like he saw a smile on her face. I didn't stock up on some sweets. Why didn't I think of buying some earlier.

Xerox gulped, "Uh... why don't we ... ask the cook to make some cake or deserts?" he quickly tried to change the topic, or ... well ... indirectly bribe her with food. He prayed it would help, as Rue appeared, waving hello to Rachel.

---

With Heloise looking over his shoulder, as he explained the details, Xerox turned to Heloise. "Do you have any specifications you would like? I can make you a dagger to your needs. You will need to cast dispel through the blade and it should work as you need. Do you want a specific weight, length, handle type or anything?" he asked her, preparing to make a customized weapon for her, for this mission.

[MarshiestMallow]

Heloise kept her face blank, even though she was actually surprised that Xerox actually addressed her. She had thought everything would just go through Duncan, and that she wouldn't have a say. She blinked, and seemed to ponder his questions. It seemed such a shame that a weapon made specifically for her would just be thrown away, but she knew why. It couldn't be traced back to her, or the others.

She appeared thoughtful a moment, taking out one of her own daggers, and held it out to Zerox, hilt first. "This weight" She said softly, It can be any length, but no longer then this or I will need a few moments to work with it, and make sure I can adjust to it. The handle doesn't matter, nor the type. Do what you think it best" She said, waiting for xerox to take the dagger for the weight.

"When it's ready, let me know. Thank you. Don't make it so awesome that I can't give it up, okay?"" She said softly, with just a hint of a smile, stepping back, out of the way, content for the moment. She still looked for the safety net of Hector, but seeing that he was busy, she stayed where she was, back against the wall once more.

[soren]

Syrus had enjoyed the time that he and Mei got to spend together. He loved being around her but soon they would be on a other mission. Once they had arrived at the estate she had confronted him and thanked him for the night and then went on to explain other things. He would have shooshed her and kissed her but they had to go in sadly. Once in Syrus stayed quite. He had no opinions on how to kill the president. Honestly he liked the last idea but if it went wrong he would use his magic to end it all. Vinzer Dealing would die tonight...one way..or another. Syrus waited as he looked around the room for orders. Finally he spoke. "What would you like me to do Duncan?" Was all he has and waited to see what he would want out of him.

[Lennon79]

Duncan had some reservations about the blueprints accuracy, but nevertheless had handed them over to the resident tech nut. If Xerox managed to get something useful out of them, then great. If not, then no great loss. While the young SeeD was working, Duncan headed over to Hector and Selena to give them their mission. 'No such luck. We have absolutely zero information on who or where they'll be. You'll just have to keep a good eye on the crowd. I'm also worried about the possibility of someone else messing with the plan, so keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. Kill or capture, I'll leave the decision to you. Well, except the spooks; kill them at your leisure.' Giving Selena a respectful, if stiff nod, Duncan turned to leave. 'You'll be fine, just don't do anything I wouldn't do.'

It didn't take long for techie to find a weakness and he soon collared Duncan as he was heading back to run over the final details with his father. 'Interesting... I could just shoot it with said rifle; I'll be stationed on a rooftop nearby anyway.' But adding too many moving parts into the plan was risky and only left more chances for things to go wrong. 'Maybe give Heloise something?' The woman in question made her presence known as Duncan lapsed into thoughtful silence as the two discussed the idea. Despite her attitude last night, she seemed professional enough... and it wasn't as though Jericho had acted properly either. He wondered, not for the first time, when his job had evolved from mediating classrooms spats to maintaining discipline in a private army... and how the two were not that dissimilar. He folded his arms restlessly as they talked, wiling them to come to a decision faster when another movement caught his eye. 'Kein! Over here.', Duncan called out, clicking his fingers impatiently. 'I want you with Syrus.' His voice had dropped dramatically and once again held a conspiratorial tone. 'The boy's heart is in the right place, but I'm worried tha-' He stopped abruptly as the redhead in question wandered into view. 'Keep an eye on him,' he whispered. 'And don't let him do anything stupid. Go on, you two head to Point Four.'

'Hey, Syrus man!' Duncan had slunk off with an odd look in his eye and Kein was left with little choice but to carry out his orders, even if they did feel like a small betrayal of trust. 'You're with me, on the right side of the road. Boss wants us to head out; you ready?'

[Aerandir]

'No such luck. We have absolutely zero information on who or where they'll be. You'll just have to keep a good eye on the crowd. I'm also worried about the possibility of someone else messing with the plan, so keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. Kill or capture, I'll leave the decision to you. Well, except the spooks; kill them at your leisure.' Giving Selena a respectful, if stiff nod, Duncan turned to leave. 'You'll be fine, just don't do anything I wouldn't do.'

Hector sighed as he heard the news. Great. Having to keep his eyes out for suspicious looking people in the middle of the crowds of Deuling City, that was like finding a pin in a needle stack. Hector then said to Duncan's last statement, "Well there goes all my ideas then." He said with a smirk. Selena shook her head and rolled her eyes before nodding back to Duncan.

As he walked away Hector stretched and placed both of his arms behind his head to better his stretch, "Son of a bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaahhh" Selena gave him an odd look as he Yawned/groaned at his stretch. She smiled at him, he was always odd. "Well you know you always don't get to be in the center of things." She said, knowing he was put out not being on the main assault...but he would never show it.

"I know I know... I just hate being on the sideline/ish on a big job. I mean who knows if these spooks or someone will try to betray them? Course it's probably a Given seeing how much info we know on the 'secret plans' of the float. But still you never know. With the assault though you know shit's gunna get real in there, and you know I love me a good challenge. "

Selena sighed and walked over to him and shoved a finger into his chest. "I Bet you can't find the guy before I do." She said with a Smirk. Selena was good on reading people, this job would be perfect for her. Hector's head jerked back slightly, knowing she was trying to bait him into a bet to make him feel better. He huffed with a tiny smirk and said, "Your on." He would probably lose but he didn't care, "The usual bet?" Selena nodded with a smile and turned walking away.

The bet was the loser had to take the winner out to where ever they wanted for a month. Which didn't count if one was on Assignment. It had to be days they were both free to do so.

He glanced over to see Heliose leaning against the wall by herself once more. He sighed. Walking over to her he leaned against the wall next to her and sat there for a bit not saying anything looking forward, not even looking at her. He then pulled out a chocolate bar meant for Rachel, and held it in front of Heliose. The bar was meant for Rachel, but he did have extra's, besides, he already left three at her door this morning. Finding it easier to appease the beast, let her calm, before talking to her...if she was even mad at him. Should make her happy for at least a couple hours before she found something wrong with what he did again.

He waited for her to take it before saying. "So you want to talk about it?" Referring to the night before, even though she told him she would be fine he knew otherwise. He looked to his right at her, his body facing forward still. Tilting his head slightly he raised his left eyebrow quizzically at her. She normally had kept quiet, but with her exploding yesterday and arguing with a complete stranger was a little different for him.

Shadow came up and weaved himself between her legs almost in a figure eight motion before sitting down in front of her, looking up at her with his head tilted to his side. As if he was asking if she was fine as well...or maybe it was the chocolate in her hands. Hector couldn't tell sometimes.

[MarshiestMallow]

Heloise looked up as Hector approached, and seemed a little taken aback when he offered the chocolate, accepting it after a moment, she held it in her hands, not opening it yet, just staring at it, as he asked if she wanted to talk out it. She could have easily just assumed it was about the dagger, the new one and what was going to happen today, but she knew it wasn't. She was debating about not answering, but she couldn't alienate Hector.

she crouched, shoving the chocolate in a back pocket, away from Shadow and petted him, taking the few moments to compse herself, not having looked back at Hector yet, before sighing softly, and looking at Hector, she gave Shadow one last pat before standing up again so she could speak softly.

"its not really anything. Or it could be everything. You know I was alone for a long time, and even when my dad was alive...its not that he wasn't there. Its like he just wasn't there after my mother left us. I guess I'm just tired of people dismissing me, and then to have that guy just say that he wouldn't work with anyone that hadn't had the same experiences as him...it just set me off. We all have had, I assume, some trying events in our lives." she shifted, and looked down at her hands. "I guess...I'm just tired of being...invisible."

she gave a soft laugh, amusement tinkling her tone, looking back to Hector with a small smile, takimg the chocolate out from ner back pocket and opening it, breaking off some, she offered it to Hector, "Its your fault. You actually saw me, and suddenly I wasn't invisible anymore" she broke off a piece of chocolate for herself, popping it into her mouth and letting the taste wash over her, enjoying it.

She let the chocolate melt in her mouth, enjoying it, folding the packaging over the rest and putting in her back pocket again. She felt better, and it was easier to have spoken the to have Hector dog her until she told him. She would always be thankful for Hector. Without him, she suspected she wouldn't be here, wouldn't even be alive. She nad taken many risks, assuming people wouldn't care if she was gone, and she had been...sad.

"not that I mind it. I guess I wasn't really all there either, for a long time. So thank you, for forcing your way into my life and for putting up for me"nshe crouched to pet Shadow again, behind the ears to.

[soren]

@Lennon79

Syrus raised as eyebrow as Duncan had looked in his direction and then sent Kein off to pair with him. As Kein approached he looked at Mei and nodded and gave her a look that meant be same, but I make no promises for myself. "Alright Kein lets get going." Syrus said a little let down but either way he hoped that this mission he wouldn't go into a coma again. Exiting the building and heading over to point four casually so as to not attract supposition. Once there he would wait with Kein for everything to start. "Alright Kein. Why does Duncan think I need a babysitter? Is it cause of my coma? Or does he worry for some other reason?

[Aerandir]

Shadow perked up more when she bent down to pet him, but watched as she put her chocolate in her back pocket. Pulling his head back giving her a look as 'REally?' Though he did push his head into her hands where she petted, Gekkering softly as she did. When she stood up though, he whined before ziping around her legs and behind Hectors, hoping on a railing near by and jumping back and up onto Hectors shoulders, wrapping his body around Hectors Neck.

"its not really anything. Or it could be everything. You know I was alone for a long time, and even when my dad was alive...its not that he wasn't there. Its like he just wasn't there after my mother left us. I guess I'm just tired of people dismissing me, and then to have that guy just say that he wouldn't work with anyone that hadn't had the same experiences as him...it just set me off. We all have had, I assume, some trying events in our lives." she shifted, and looked down at her hands. "I guess...I'm just tired of being...invisible."

Hector nodded, Jericho was a hypocrite trying to bash Hector for not wanting to deal with a younger generation because of Lack of Experience, yet would wanted to only work with someone he worked with before. He knew he was only a year or two older, but still he was a naive little brat for thinking he will only work with people he worked with before. As a SeeD that rarely happens too often, and he was bound to fail with that mentality. Where Hector only wanted the more experienced around him, incase things went hairy, that way he knew the others could handle it. Skills are one thing, Experience is another.

He stayed quiet as he knew she wasn't finished. It helped to know because she laughed looking at him with a small smile. He smiled back but waved a hand, indicating he didn't want any chocolate. Shadow though reached out to bite at it, only to tall to the ground before managing to get a piece. Hector smiled at the sight of Shadow giving up and sitting down looking at something else.

"Its your fault. You actually saw me, and suddenly I wasn't invisible anymore" Hector had given her a queer look and pointed a finger at himself as if saying 'MY Fault?' when she further explained he gave a slow nod, understanding her now. though she continued after putting the chocolate in her pocket again. "not that I mind it. I guess I wasn't really all there either, for a long time. So thank you, for forcing your way into my life and for putting up for me"

Hector nodded while looking forward, He was one who didn't like taking thank you's. He always didn't know what to say. Your welcome seemed off, to him it might sound like he was agreeing with putting up with her. He didn't want to miss communicate that. "Heh heh" he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, looking down with a slight tint of red on his cheeks.

" No worries." He rolled his eyes internally No worries? What kind of answer was that!? Looking up towards teh rest of the team and said, "I just saw a pretty girl sitting alone. In my world that's one of the worst things to see." Folding his arms across his chest he continued. "Besides I like the odd ones." He gave her a big smile. "Rather be with them than the boring normal people." He nudged her with his elbow to knock her off Balance.

After what ever she would of done he would get a little more serious. " My Father always said, 'Go and get lost serving others. In the end you will find yourself full in life experiences that are worth more than all the money in the world." Jutting out his lower jaw in serious thought. " He was right..." Looking to her. "I have a very interesting friend now. And if I wasn't hard headed I wouldn't have gotten to know you." He finished with a smile. " Just don't shut out everyone and you'll find out you are not as invisible as you thought."

[Lennon79]

'W-wait, man I...' Shit, thought Kein, caught off-guard by Syrus' preternatural awareness. How in the hell did he know? Duncan had been pretty careful and hadn't spoke that loudly; was Syrus feeling guilty for having gone down before? That kind of explained the gloomy atmosphere and why he hadn't been as... outspoken as usual. 'I dunno man, I was just told to go with you. Part of the plan, y'know? Hell, I thought there were meant to be three of us here...' Kein scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, grumbling about the shitty uniforms the Faction had provided. 'We're on the assault team, right? Can't do it on your own.' Privately he too wondered why Duncan had asked him to watch Syrus; did the boss think he was gonna do something? Or maybe he just wanted Kein to keep an eye on him as a medic, make sure he was fit for duty. Pretty risky idea if that was the case though. 'Look. I ain't got a clue why, but the Boss wanted us together, so we're together. Heck, tell you what!' He patted the pocket with his broken bottle, the same sort of improvised weapon everyone on the assault teams had been given. 'Wanna take bets on who gets to whack the Prez? Hundred Gil on me.' Kein gave a fearless grin, though the effect was kinda wasted behind the helmet.

---

1914. Six minutes before the float reaches the target area. The parade had been in full swing for over an hour by now and was finally reaching the crowded plaza outside the Presidential Residence. Duncan had taken the utmost care to ensure that the area was utterly packed, using the Faction's influence to herd the crowds into the area way above the plaza's practical limit. More bodies would make the plan go smoother, the escape easier; he spared a thought for the innocents who were about to be caught up in it but a degree of collateral damage was unavoidable... and acceptable. Duncan thumbed his radio. 'Assault teams, confirm readiness.' An answer soon came amid a small burst of static. 'Team One, confirmed boss.' That was Kein. Putting aside his doubts about the kid's competence, Duncan was fairly sure he could keep Syrus from doing anything overly conspicuous. It wasn't that he distrusted Syrus or anything, quite the opposite in fact. The kid just had a distinct flair for the extreme, a habit of using over the top methods when a bit of subtlety would work just as well. Maybe he could learn something from Heloise, assuming she could deliver the goods. Speaking of which... 'Generator Team, confirm readiness.' He didn't bother to confirm with the others; Hector and co were busy scanning the crowds for suspicious characters and the others were dotted around in civvies, ready to help whip up a riot. 'HVT approaching target area. Prepare to deploy in three minutes, repeat 180 seconds. 179, 178...' Just like in Timber, Duncan had taken a position high above the mission area, laying prone on top of the Victory Arch. Heloise had the Dispel-imbued dagger, but just in case it failed he had his paramagic rifle loaded up to disrupt the shields and allow her a second shot. Hopefully she wouldn't need it, but that depended on Xerox and his not-always-reliable machines. After what felt like an eternity, the float finally crept into just the right place. 'Four, three, two, one. Generator Team, go for it!'

[MarshiestMallow]

Heloise eventually caved and gave Shadow some chocolate, but only a small piece. She glanced to Hector, amused that he seemed to be at a lost for words. She smiled, and just nodded, "I'll try. So far though, that hasn't been working. Selena doesn't seem to like me much, and Duncan and Jericho don't seem to be...endeared to me either. Xerox seems okay" she mused, shrugging, and leaning back against the wall once more.

She said she should go get ready, but for a moment seemed to want to say more, before just smiling and saying she'd be ready soon, before heading to go and prepare herself. She changed her hair color with a wig, mixed some pigment and lathered it over any exposed skin from the clothes she put on, dying her hands and face, and when she was ready she headed back out.

When the show began, Heloise accepted the newly made dagger, testing the weight and the feel, satisfied with it she nodded and that was that.

---

Heloise stood in the crowd. She had chosen what she thought was a good position, her eyes studying everyone and everything she could, listening to the commands. She appeared excited, just like everyone else in the crowd, for the float. She gave no indication that she had heard Duncan except to whisper back that she was ready, she counted down the seconds in her head. As the time got closer, she checked the dagger, now in a harness on her arm hidden by a loose sleeved jacket, making sure all was well.

The dispel spell was in place. All she need do was make sure she threw the dagger correctly. She brought up the prints in her mind, and satisfied, she prepared herself as 4...3...2...she was in motion. She already had a good position, one in which she could easily fade into the crowd in, and one that it should be impossible to distinguish her from the crowd.

The dagger was rather elaborate, but that didn't hinder Heloise as she found her target, and it moved out her hand smoothly, flying through the air without a wobble, and Heloise watched, hidden in the crowd, cheering with the rest of the crowd, pretending that she didn't know all wasn't as well as it seemed.

[rivaan]

Following the predetermined plan, Rachel was already in position among the middle of the crowds. She wasn’t exactly willing to commit suicide by allowing herself to be caught in the middle of all the people she was going to turn into berserks, but mission demanded she affected as many as possible.

Rachel was had thrown off her disguise she usually used while in DC and was now looking normally. She stretched her fingers a few times as the time to initiate the plan was drawing near with every second. She counted too as the seconds passed away till the time to strike came.

Quickly pulling a small baton with which she junctioned complete berserk magic, she started to pass through the crowds barely touching with it everyone she passed by. Though due it’s complete junction with the status magic, there was near 100% chance everyone who was touched with the baton to be afflicted. That’s why she just continued to pass through the crowds as she left a trail of crazed mob behind her. A mob that was only going to get bigger. Thus she slowly increased her pace as she moved through the crowds. After leaving a decent mob behind her, she quickly looked around and targeted a few of the guards from distance with the magic."Triple... Berserk!" She muttered as she locked on 3 different guards near the crowds.

[Aerandir]

Shadow gratefully ate the small piece, well more like inhaled it. Hector chuckled at the site as Shadow licked his lips. Heliose then explained how she was trying. "Well Selena is... Well Selena she tries but gets weird at times. Duncan... Well he is always suspicious, give him time and know what your capable of, he will turn around."

He didn't need to explain more for the other two. She then explained that she had to get ready, he nodded but noticed her hesitation. Smiling he said as she was leaving, "Good luck,"

-----

A few minutes before the mission started Hector was sitting on one of the statues 'napping' as he did, Shadow was also perched with him, and was really was napping on his head. The position was a great vantage point over the crowds around him, He was wearing a hoodie now that had covered most of his face in darkness, just in case The PSA would on the off chance, make him. His gun blade was dismantled into two parts and stored in a leather harness on his back under his hoodie so he wouldn't stick out as normal citizens didn't carry weapons. It was a design specific to his blade, as he and his father saw the usefulness of having a collapsible blade. Though it would take him about thirty seconds to reassemble it. Having multiple connections that gave it the same strength as a regular full tang blade.

He watched the crowd for anything out of the ordinary, which was to say the least, insanely hard given the fact it was super easy to lose someone in this crowd. He then heard Duncan's voice over the radio, checking in with teams. Obvious he wouldn't ask if Hector's team was ready, Hector sat up just a little more and looked to Selena who was standing against a wall on the other side of the street to get a different viewpoint. Her arms were folded against her chest as she nodded to Hector.

She hadnt seen anything yet, hopefully they wouldn't. She knew Hector wished there would be something, He hated being on the sideline's for this assault. He always rose to the challenge though. Both of them had eyes on the teams, and were ready to step in in Case something went horribly wrong. She scanned the crowds but with what little info they received it was impossible to see what they were looking for, EVERYONE was a potential threat at this point.

As the mission started, it was almost instantaneous as a mob began to form. She positioned her self more against the wall and in the shadows to be left unseeen by the crazed populace.

[Zarkun]

"Assault team two, ready." Jericho had volunteered for the assault team as well and been made team leader of the second team after Duncan made it clear he needed to stow the attitude. As usual, Jericho filed it away under "Instances of dissatisfaction with my attitude towards people" and got ready to go. He carried the standard issue Galbadian rifle and sword with a kitchen knife and broken bottle in his pockets where they couldn't be seen along with his pistol hidden under the jacket. However, he'd taken the time to get his scythe hidden away where he could reach quickly in the frenzied mob that would soon be coming.

The beginning of his part had been incredibly boring, standing with the rest of the Galbadian guards to maintain the appearance of him being yet another soldier. It was a long route and it was far too long before the float even came into sight. Christ, it's about time. He carefully adjusted so the Galbadians were between him and the now forming mob, sleeping his hand into the trigger hole of the rifle. When it all turned into chaos, he'd be in position and ready to play the part until the right time, when the two assault teams would escort Deling away from the crowds and then do him in with their improvised weapons. He still was a bit shaky on the extraction plan though.

[Little_ninja]

As Heloise gave Xerox the blade, he nodded, understanding what she wanted, the weight, the size, etc. The shape of the blade was quite unique, it was better not to copy it for this mission, as it would lead to a chance of linking back to them. "Got it" he replied, giving the blade back to Heloise. Moving to get some space, he opened up his ESS letting some scraps of different metal and parts of machines, a toolbox and other tools drop on the floor.

The knife looked like an ordinary knife, with a slightly larger handle. It had the same length and weight as the blade Heloise gave to Xerox. It was already been pumped with some paramagic Dispel and ready for use. Before it was time for the mission, Xerox met up with Heloise and gave her the knife. "Made it as simple as possible, you couldn't possible get attached so something this plain looking right?" he gave a small chuckle before continuing, "Due to time constraints, I had to leave it similar to the design of Duncan's rifle. It's already got Dispel set and ready, you just need to activate it through this button here before you throw it." Xerox explained, seeing Heloise nod and walk away, ready for the mission.

---

Xerox was feeling a little uncomfortable, since he was without his lab coat, but for the mission, he had to look like a civilian. He had taken his glasses off, and put them into his ESS and wore very ordinary clothes. A light blue t-shirt, jeans and runners. Rue on the other hand, would stand out, but that was part of the point. The moomba was serving as a distraction, as Xerox walked passed some people distracted by the moomba, sneaking in some hallucinogenic gas into their pockets.

Rue waited for a signal from Xerox, before getting out of the streets, away from the crowds. He hid in an alleyway, away from everyone else. Checking he wasn't followed, Rue climbed to the position where he would standby, in clear view for Duncan to see that Xerox had the gas ready.

The crowd that had formed around Rue had spread out now, being in different areas to view the parade. As Duncan called out for the operation to start, Xerox pressed the button, releasing the hallucinogenic gas among the masses. He made sure to stay away from the people who had the gas on them, and the gas would only affect people within a meter of the person with the gas.