BlackRoseSiren

The Hourglass Order

Spoonful of Lavender

Featuring: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren and Roslyn @Fallenreaper
Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Lepdes (29th of Assani), After Classes

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"Class dismissed!" The instructor's voice rang across the field.

Roslyn's form jumped, her head jerked to the direction. Several students had begun to drift back toward the stables signaling the end of class. With a deep breath, Roslyn clicked her tongue and tugged the reins around. As once told, she squeezed her legs into Bay's belly drawing an indignant snort from the mare. She slowed, her hooves dug into the dirt and kicked up clods behind her.

In a less than graceful execution, the pair made their way back toward the stables.

Once the clip clap of the hooves on the cobblestone caught her ears, Roslyn dismounted. Her boots hit the hard ground as she continued to walk around the building. Bay's breath misted heavy from the intense workout as Roslyn patted the mare's head gently. A snort of disapproval caused the girl to stop.

"Not today?" She asked, the horse side-eyeing her.

"Okay, I got the hint. Sorry, princess." Roslyn chuckled while she led the mare inside.

The horse’s skin flicked with a proud gesture, still following closely.

Hitching the reins to the stall door, Roslyn moved to the outdoor hand pump with a bucket in hand. She slid it underneath the spout and began to push the handle down. Once the water hit the rim, she hauled it back inside. Bay snorted again, letting Roslyn reach for the saddle's belt. It didn't take long to remove the worn tack and blanket underneath. Leaving it on the stall door, she grabbed the clean rag and washed off the sweat from the horse's form. She paid close attention to the areas around the pits and girth area. Next came the dry off.

Finished up with the wash down, she placed a blanket on the creature's flank. Bay exhaled and let Roslyn lead her into her assigned stall. The rest didn't take long to wrap up. Before leaving, the girl filled the feed trough and locked the door behind her.

Roslyn moved past her fellow classmates when her eyes caught the sundial nearby.

Esmii’s class had finished a bit early, so she quickly hurried to where Roslyn's class was to meet up with her and to be on time for once. Esmii was able to get there quicker than she thought she would, so she waited for Roslyn’s class to finish, she was petting Sage while she waited, then she noticed that her friend's class was starting to leave.

She quickly put Sage on her shoulder and walked towards the door to find Roslyn. As she noticed Roslyn she shouted to her. ”Hey Roslyn, over here. How was class, was it fun?”

When Esmii gets to Roslyn she goes to give her a hug, and just then Sage sniffed her and gave her a little nuzzle.

Roslyn went to respond, but Esmii's affectionate habits cut her short. Truth be told, it warmed the brunette's heart. A light tickle brushed her neck. As they separated, her hazel eyes spotted Sage. Instinctively Roslyn stretched out her finger. The dormouse brushed a plump cheek against her finger a few times before she retreated back.

"Class was… all right. But it’s always great to see you and your pets, Emsii. Well…almost all of them." Roslyn's thoughts went back to Reshta, Emsii's recent purchase. The Harlequin Kite Dragon didn't seem to like her at all no matter what she did.

Esmii smiled, and agreed ”Yeah, all of my pets are funny and different in ways. Newt and Sage are quite affectionate towards people, but Reshta only likes me and Sven at the minute, but Sven did say that she will get used to you slowly, so if you keep visiting she will get to know you better. I think some people may have done something to her, maybe that's how she lost her leg, poor girl.”

Esmii tries to hide the fact that she is upset, as she is thinking of possible situations that Reshta might have gone through. ”So where should we head off, do you want to have a look around town first or would you like to go back to The Evertree.”

Roslyn's lips pressed together, not fully believing it. However, it didn't stop her feeling a spark of pity for the creature.

"I wish people weren't so cruel sometimes. Thankfully, she's with someone that will care and treat her with respect. I'm a little surprised you don't get overwhelmed. A dragon is a lot to take care of." She couldn't see herself caring or affording one. Too expensive when she could barely care for herself.

Spotting the subtle discomfort, Roslyn reached out her hand. She hooked Esmii's finger with hers. A subtle gesture to get her friend out of her head.When Esmii gave her the choice, Roslyn’s lips pursed in thought.

"The Evertree this time, I'm a little sore from riding. Later I need to get more material for a dress, but I’m not too worried about it now. I don’t want to stay out too late."

Naturally Roslyn started toward the Yasoi’s dorms.

Esmii followed after Roslyn. She started to feel better when her friend held her hand. ”I think I don’t get overwhelmed because of Sven, he helps me so much, it really helps that he knows a lot about dragons, and how to care for them.”

"I wish I had his time management skills. How he does it is a mystery to me." Roslyn chuckled as the girls made their way across the field. Other students began to file out toward their dorms or into the city for last minute shopping, forcing them to drift to the side.

”Are you sure you are not in too much pain? If you need to rest we can and we don’t have to rush. Also I can’t wait to see the dress you are making, maybe you can teach me how to make dresses.”

"I've been in pain since I've started racing, but I need to get used to it. It’s nothing compared to the welts I got from the keelers. Those seemed to take forever to heal." Roslyn countered.

”Hmm, maybe I can look up a recipe and see if I can make you something for the pain.”

"Right now, my main issue is sleeping. As for teaching you about making dresses, I can try. They won’t be fancy. I thank Shune, I had learned something useful in my first year classes." A brief quiet passed over her thoughts, but Roslyn brushed it away. Her nightmares had started to ease up and she didn’t need to go backwards.

Esmii quietly listened to her friend, and her face dropped. She tried to hide that she was worried for her, but then decided not to as she has been finding it difficult to sleep after coming back from their last mission as well. And it might be better to talk about it than hide the truth. She sighed and said.

”I am also having trouble sleeping, but I have found a recipe for herbal tea that could help, and I have all of the ingredients at home, so we can practice making it. And I can give you a list of ingredients for you to buy. Would you like to make it with me? We can also talk about it, see if that helps too, if you want.”

Esmii then smiled at Roslyn, and tightened her grip on her hand.Esmii checked to see if Sage was warm enough on her shoulder, but she noticed that Sage had moved into the gap between the top of her dress and her chest, so she was fine.

At Esmii's kind offer, Roslyn smiled. She liked the fact that her Yasoi friend was attentive to her discomfort, rather than ignore or overlook it. It never felt good to simply melt into the background, but she had to admit she was rather talented at it.

"Have you considered..." Roslyn paused, trying to recall the right words.

"Jila'it hyco halan muuna?"

When the words slipped from her mouth, she cringed. She sounded horrible as she struggled with the verb's tense.

"I need to practice more…”

Esmii stopped and looked at her friend. ” Not bad and, Ta I juup jex a hyco halan muuna.” Esmii was happy that her friend was able to learn some of her language, as it’s quite difficult, even she sometimes has trouble.

Roslyn blinked at the rapid string of Yasoi uttered from Esmii's mouth. Her lips pressed together as her eyes squinted a bit, her mind trying to process everything said. The last bit was easy since she already said it. However... The first part was harder. Bit by bit, she tried to dig up each word from her memory.

"I understood Ta as yes, but ju-juup and jex completely escapes me. What do those mean?" She asked. It didn’t help that she had literally two languages, on top of her class over Xochi, she was learning.

”You are getting better. So let’s make our way to mine, and we can make the tea and have a talk about everything.” Esmii begins to walk in the direction of the Evertree, with her friend. ” I wonder if Jamboi will be there.” She giggled ” He might have some tea as well, he sometimes does if he likes the smell of the tea.”

Roslyn sighed, accepting the compliment. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Also, if Ashon wants to join us, I don't mind. The more company, the better from my experience."

She paused with a thoughtful expression then added.

" I'm a little worried the other Yasoi might have issues with a... what's the term for what I'm called?" Roslyn bit her lip, uncertain if it was yaun or yanii or something else.

” The Yasoi word for human is huusoi or yanii.”

"I’ll try to remember that.”

Shortly, the large Evertree serving as the Yasoi dorms came into view. She stopped mid-step and glanced up, impressed by the tree's large size.

"Shune's library! How am I supposed to get up there?!?" She blurted out before thinking.

Esmii looked at Roslyn and laughed, ”Well I climb and jump up, but I am a Yasoi, but you could use your kinetic abilities to get up. Don’t worry Sven had the same worry. Also we can both use binding to make a rope or something.” Esmii then had a thought, that maybe they should build a ladder or stairs, to make it a bit easier for people to visit.

"Fair enough. Let's hope my practice pays off.”

Esmii then looked up and jumped to the closest branch above them and shouted, with a big grin on her face. ”Are you coming.” She then jumped to the next branch.

Roslyn sighed then began to slip off her shoes one by one. After stuffing them into her dress pockets, her knees bent and she drew in the heat. She kicked off the ground.

Air swirled about her before she landed onto the branch. It bounced slightly from the impact causing her balance to tilt. With a quick twist, she righted herself to the center. Roslyn flashed a grin at her friend.

"That was easier than I thought. Last time I tried, I slipped on the branch. Lets keep going, shall we?"

Esmii look and watched her friend on her first jump.”Yeah, keep going, you can do this.”

The pair leapt from one branch to another, scaling the giant tree until they reached the entrance.

Esmii kept a very close eye on her friend, giving her a hand whenever she needed help. Esmii was feeling worried, while they climbed, but she was trying really hard not to think of anything other than the climb. ”I can help you if you need me to. This next branch is tricky so I will hold my hand out for you.”

”I think I'm getting the hang of this. My father or grandfather didn’t have any magic, so it wasn’t used often at home. Grandfather especially liked the hands-on methods." Roslyn admitted. In fact, her father hadn't even registered on the RAS scale.

Esmii got herself ready and jumped to the next branch, then she started to climb up by using knots in the tree to reach the branch. She got herself steady on the branch, then shouted to Roslyn. ”Right, now copy what I did, and I'm ready whenever you are.” and she leaned over and lowered her hand ready for her friend to grab as she climbed to help her reach the branch.

"It looks simple enough..." She pulled back a small distance on the last branch. with a deep breath, Roslyn rushed forward. Her legs snapped up and her arms reached up for the knots. Toward the top, she bunched up her strength and pulled herself upward. Her outstretched hand caught Esmii as finished ascending.

Roslyn patted her dress clean of dirt, her bare feet still planted on the rough bark.

"Okay, all in one piece. A little dirty, but it could be worse."

Esmii smiled and pointed at a window. ”You see that window next to us, that’s open, It’s mine.” Then Esmii stood up, and said ”I will head in first, because I think Newt might rush over to whoever comes into the window.”.

She then grabbed another knot in the tree and climbed onto the window ledge. She then climbed into her bedroom. Suddenly Newt, noticing that she was back, he rushed over to her and nuzzled her face. ”Ok Roslyn I’m in and I have Newt, you can climb in.” She walked closer to the window just in case Roslyn needed a bit of help.

"Do you always climb in through the window?" Roslyn's eyes widened a touch as Esmii slipped inside.

”Sometimes I do, but not always.”

Putting her hesitation aside, Roslyn lifted up one leg and then joined her friend. As she lowered herself down the still, she caught sight of the bright, green dragon. The slender body twisted in Esmii’s hands before his head raised to Roslyn’s direction. Jaws opened to emit an excited chirp.

"Aww, I'll never get over how adorable Newt is." She commented, dropping to the floor.

”Yeah he really is cute.”

"So, how do we make this tea you’ve been going on about?”

Esmii placed Newt on the bed, and went to get the book that she found the herbal tea recipe in. She flicked through the pages, wishing she had used a bookmark, however like always she didn’t think that there was any point. ”Sorry I forgot to place a bookmark, I’m just looking for the page, yes found it here it is.” She walked back towards the table and placed the book down and showed Roslyn the recipe she had found.

Afterwards, Esmii went and grabbed all of the things they needed, and she checked to see if she had everything they needed, and likely she did, everything stored on a shelf in her room. ”Yes I have everything we need. Should we start making some now.” Esmii said while putting everything down on the table.

"It's fine, I know I often forget things." As Esmii looked into her book, Roslyn slid up beside her. It reminded her of a tincture recipe from class, but without the alcohol.

She took a step back to allow Esmii to look for the herbs, their heavy and dried scent hung in the air.

"Yes, it might calm my nerves. Can I get a dried mixture for a tincture? I'll put a little bit in a beer and drink it before I go to bed." Roslyn asked.

A slight shame stirred thinking of the growing collection of empty bottles in her room. She sent a small prayer to the gods that this concoction might help.

Esmii looked at Roslyn, she noticed that her friend seemed worried and decided to ask her. ”Are you ok ? I really hope this helps us sleep better. Are you worried as well?” Then she started to measure out all of the ingredients they needed and placed everything into a bowl. ”The ingredients are all measured and put in bowls. What’s next?” She handed the mixture to Roslyn.

”I’m just recalling the empty bottles collecting in my dorm room. It’s a bit crowded from the amount I drink lately.” Roslyn confessed, her arm lifted up and rested on her chest.

Esmii then looked back at the book, when she realized that the book stated it needed to be stored in a clay jar with a wax lid for a year and Esmii’s face dropped. ”Cud. Spax. We have a problem, the mixture I just prepared needs to be stored in the clay jar with the wax lid for a whole year. What should we do now?”

Roslyn frowned and moved closer. ”Is that the only one? May I take a look? I might be able to find something else.”

Her eyes glanced at Esmii for her reply.

”Yes there is another, it’s the next recipe in the book, it's similar to the one we did but I think there are a few different ingredients.” Esmii grabbed the book and turned two pages and found the second recipe, and placed the book back on the table between them.

”It looks like it's made from similar ingredients. The other mixture we made, I will put it in my potions cupboard for it to foment, for a year.” Esmii took the other mixture and placed it safely in her potion cupboard.

”That’s good. We’re making this one today then?” She wanted to be sure.

Esmii smiled and said ”Yes definitely, I will get the ingredients again, and the bowls etc.” Esmii quickly grabbed the ingredients, another bowl and another clay jar with a wax lid. As soon as she had everything she placed everything on the table and started to measure and place the ingredients in the bowl.

Roslyn watched idly, her arms leaned on the table's surface. She tilted her head while Esmii began to crush the herbs together. An invasive yawn edged into her lips. Her hand jerked up, suppressing the sound, as she blinked away the exhaustion. She had finally gotten to a point where she passed out after three days of poor sleep.

"So, how bad have the nightmares been for you?" Roslyn asked, sensing something off. Part of her hoped she had looked too deeply into things.

Esmii glanced back at her friend, when she heard her question she started to tremble, but she paused thought for a while, tried to calm herself down, but it didn’t work so she answered her friend truthly, while trying to hold back tiers and trying to stop herself from trembling.

”When the nightmare starts I see when Sven was held with Kinetic magic, and when he fell to the ground and how I felt, and the next thing I know I fall to the ground. But then suddenly everything goes dark, then when the darkness fades I suddenly see Dmitry and the horrible things he did, and suddenly he says what my mana type is and I have to go through the two times he tried to bite me to get my rare mana type, then I relive when he tried to kill me twice, when he couldn’t bite me.”

Saying this to Roslyn who was there with her, made her feel a bit better, but she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and she fell to the floor. ”I’m too scared to fall asleep anymore, I'm also scared to tell Sven what’s wrong and what’s happened, in case he feels bad about what happened, I know it’s silly but I can’t help it. I'm also terrified to meet another Sanguinaire, I feel scared every time I’m out at night, evenmore when I'm on my own.”

Roslyn remained quiet. Her eyes watched the deterioration of Esmii's calm into irritation. It flared up her own issues before she forced it back down. This wasn’t the time for it.

When Esmii crumbled to the floor, Roslyn stepped forward. Her arms raised to soften the fall as they both sat down. Impulsively, the Hendlish girl hugged the Yasoi girl tightly. She realized how easily she shoved her own issues aside to care for others.

“Shh, first breathe. Focus on your inhales and exhales. More air might help steady your nerves."

From the corner of her vision, Roslyn noticed Newt and Sage stir at the shift of emotions. The grape dragon had started to wrap about the Yasoi girl's neck, pressing his body to comfort her. Meanwhile, Sage had popped up her little head with twitching whiskers.

Once Esmii showed signs of calming, Roslyn spoke again.

“I don't think you need to worry about Sanguinaires in the school." Her thoughts went to Vel, knowing he wouldn't attack her friend. At least, she hoped he wouldn't.

“Still, it's best if you don't go outside during the hours of Dami and Ipte. Especially alone. There's some questionable characters among the students." She squeezed Esmii a bit more, mindful of Newt's position.

“As for Sven, I think he already feels bad for leaving you alone. I doubt what happened before we left helped much. It’s better to talk with him rather than bottle these emotions up." Roslyn could tell that Sven and Esmii love each other. They were the most affectionate couple she had ever seen.

Esmii hugged her friend back, she slowly started to feel better and a little more calm now. ”I’m sorry for losing it there, but you are right?” Esmii sighed, then she dried her eyes and comforted Sage and Newt, making sure they know she is ok now.

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed with emotions. Vorossiya was confusing and difficult, but we survived it. It will take time to feel okay again.” Roslyn spoke softly, ignoring the question.

Then with a look of determination she said. ”I am not going to waste any more time, I’m going to talk to Sven about everything that happened, and how I’m feeling, I know that he will be sad when he finds out I hid this from him, but it’s better to talk about this, than leave it bottled up, any longer.” Esmii then looked at her friend with a huge smile and hugged her again.

“I’m glad I could help.”

”I actually feel a bit better, like a bit of weight has been lifted a little.” Esmii then stood up with Roslyn and walked towards the small couch. They then both take a seat. ”Know that I have talked about how my nightmares have kept me up. Would you like to talk about your’s? And it’s fine if you don’t but don’t forget I’m always here if you need me.”

Roslyn paused for a moment. Her eyes shifted to the side, considering Esmii's question. She forced a small smile on her face as she spoke.

“I'm fine."

The hollow words escaped her lips before she could stop them. A guilt washed over her small lie. No, she knew differently. She was far from alright, but compassion made her a hypocrite.

Esmii looked at her friend, she knew that Roslyn wasn’t fine, however she’s not going to force her to tell her everything right this second.

Realizing how she sounded, Roslyn added.

“I mean, as fine as you can be. I found some ways to cope with things. Beer can numb things and helps with sleep... most of the time. That’s why I was hoping for something stronger."

Esmii after hearing what her friend said, stretched her arms out and hugged her. ”I know that something is bothering you, but I’m not going to force you to tell me. I just want you to know that I am here whenever you need me, so when you do want to talk I will listen.” Newt and Sage also nuzzled into Roslyn.

Roslyn accepted the touch.

“I think you have enough to deal with. You don't need my issues on top of yours." Roslyn mused lightly.

“Also, I'm sure it'll go away at some point. Just need to be patient." She was hopeful, but didn't believe her own words.

Esmii then said ”Should we finish brewing the tea, and we can make enough for two jars so we can each have some for the week, also the recipe says you can drink it warm or cold so that's helpful.” Esmii then stood up and slowly made her way back to the table, thinking about her friend, and hoping that she will talk to her when she is ready.

Roslyn stayed sitting for a bit long, watching friend rise to check on the herbal tea.

“I tend to drink my beer warm, so I think I prefer cold for a change.”

Esmii then continued working on the herbal tea again, making sure that they have everything needed for the tea. She measured out the last of the ingredients that were needed and added them to the bowl. ”This should be enough ingredients for two people.” She stated confidently.

“Thank you,” Roslyn took the offered drink and drew the heat from the liquid, its contents cooling to a manageable temperature.

She enjoyed the herbal brew. It wasn’t long before sleep had started to claim the young Hendlish girl, her eyelids heavy and drooping down. Roslyn decided it was best to leave before she fell asleep. Last thing she wanted was more rumors spreading. Especially for her friend.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Esmii. Stay safe and remember what we talked about.” The girl used the window as she slipped her legs over the still, exiting out.

Somehow, she managed to avoid falling on her face while she scaled back down the Evertree and moved back to her dorm.

The Hourglass Order

Event:Cold Comfort.

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Present: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren,Marz @Th3King0fChaos, Roslyn @Fallenreaper, Khaliun @YummyYummy.

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A Wolf Among the Sheep.

A long sigh escaped Khaliun's dry lips. Even the moisture in the air had been taken by the ceaseless hunger of the marble. Her ghostly frame slowly descended down until her feet hit the floor, and she stood straight and still, hammer dragged over her shoulder. Then, she walked. With a regular and patient gait, she walked closer to the group, her eyes locked onto Marz and his rival weapon.

“Ask your questions.” He said with a dry throat, eyes peering very briefly toward Roslyn. Fritz, having taken cover behind a crate, emerged from his hiding spot and just kind of sat down. Exhausted and very much in need of a raise.

"Okay, the most obvious question. What do you intend on doing with the devices if you got them?" Roslyn asked, her voice surprisingly even and calm. For now.

“Secure them for my country.” Khaliun answered apathetically. “It's only a matter of time before other countries get weapons like these. I intend to have Vossoriya survive and thrive in a world that is changing. Rapidly.”

Roslyn weighed the answer, then asked another question. "That individual at the river, the one that killed the Volti and tossed him into the river. Who was that?"

“Radomir. Legendary Protector of Vossoriya.” she looked to Roslyn again with quarter-lidded eyes.

“Our very first emperor.”

"First Emperor? That's not possible. He would have to be..." Roslyn's confusion surfaced on her expression as she tried to explain it in her head.

Marz tolled his shoulder as he set his hammer to the ground. Drawing in the energy as he assessed himself. Shifting his and finally opening his mouth to speak, "If yer set on keeping 'em. I wish to keep one. I wish to make a bet'er device against 'em so mi people will not be victims''

“Sanguinaire.” she gestured to the blood surrounding them post-massacre. “Case in point.”

For a moment Khaliun kept up the high-tension silence between her and Marz after his request. Her eyes squinted and studied his small form.
“Acceptable.”

Marz nodded as he formed an impromptu stone block behind himself to sit while he took a breath. There is a possibility more fighting will come and the skittish girls seemed inquisitive.

"I thought those were myths. If that... was an example of what the people are living with. I can understand why Oksana was concerned." Roslyn spoke quietly to herself, her eyes turned down. At Marz's less hostile statement, her form relaxed more. They had seemed to find a mutual ground even just for the moment.

"I want to help you, Marz. I want to know how these work, how to disarm them, and even find them. I don't know for sure, but I don't think either the Sanguinaries or the Volti know where these came from." She licked her lips.

"I don't think we'll see the last of them. Even if we did decide to destroy them." It was then she noticed something. "Have you been always able to walk and just didn't?"

“I've had a chance encounter.” Khaliun answered Roslyn's latest query and then once again focused her attention on Marz.

“That marble. Do you wish to use it on the author of your imprisonment?” she canted her head until her cheek rested on the metal shaft of her hammer. “Radomir, that is.”

Marz looked to the woman, he shifted his head as he met her gaze. "Why do ya ask?"

The Indigo Fury swung from her shoulder and landed with a thud by her. Khaliun's own arm couldn't reach the butt of the shaft, and so she merely leaned against the immensely heavy weapon. “It is made from a Vossoriyan chaos marble, correct?” she asked, although no answer was needed.

“I'd ask that it'd be returned to us once the tyrant has been slain. But ...” her pupils shifted to where she could sense the nullification device. “This device. Did you make it?”

Marz lightly tapped the handle of his hammer as he listened. He thought for a moment as she spoke before he then swung his leg up to rest his foot on his knee and set his elbow onto it to lean while he looked to Khaliun.

"Aye, and the other Hegelans who were once trapped down below"

While Marz and Khaliun talked, Roslyn rose and moved over to the devices. She reached for one and studied it for a moment.

Esmii, for the most part, was silent - overwhelmed. “So, it was a group effort?" inquired Esmii.

She'd been quiet and she knew it. In truth, she was mostly just glad that Dmitry was dead - turned into a paste on the floor or else absorbed into the chaos marble at the mighty hammer's heart. She glanced over at the stain that had been him and swallowed, half-expecting the monster to come back somehow.

Marz looked to Esmii as he answered. "Aye, not one of us alone could have made this under those conditions"

She blinked. Hegelans and their crafting. Her own people were by no means pushovers in that regard, but they were not obsessed with their craft as the mountain-dwellers were. An idea struck the yasoi, however.

“But I bet you could figure out how to make one by yourself, right?" she prodded. “If you needed to?"

“Then you and your associates are marked for dead.” Khaliun said with a straight face and flat voice.

“This device you have renders all the efforts here worthless. They will likely eliminate most of you and keep a couple as slaves, if I were to wager what was the best strategic approach.” She exhaled from her nostrils as she looked down to the sitting Marz.

“But they don't have to know the author of this device is alive. Nobody but us knows.” a smile crept itself onto her lips. “So, let's make a deal.”

Marz nodded to Esmii. "If given the time, possibly"

Marz tapped his hammer handle once more when Khaliun spoke, she seemed serious and yet seemed to have an idea of some kind. Marz' gaze hardened as he responded. "What kind of deal?"

Esmii blinked. “Why don't we all just make a deal to keep quiet as... you know, friends!?"

This was hardly the situation during which to try to press your friends for advantage. Sven had been somewhat wary of Khaliun earlier and now she was beginning to see why.

Khaliun extended her hand. “The device. Give it to me. And you can leave with your knowledge. Make another. I don't care about the specifics. But I need-”

Then Esmii spoke. “Because I need leverage. We are not in a good position. And the other marbles need to be secured.”

Roslyn examined the small globe. It was uniform in color and composition aside from where there was a single small red button. The vast majority was made of a dark, faintly shiny material that was neither wood nor metal, nor was it some other more exotic thing that she recognized. She shifted it from one hand to another slowly. It was not particularly dense, but it was heavy and weighed faintly in the direction of the switch.

When she looked closer, she noticed that its surface seemed to be perforated all over by innumerable tiny holes. There appeared to be no writing or script of any sort on it though, when she tried to sense it, she did pick up on faint magnetic and thermal signatures inside. Her eyes drifted over to the conversation and where it was leading.

“Marz, do you recognize any of these materials that this thing is made of?” She interrupted in hopes to ease the tensions. “I'm wondering, if we can figure out what the materials are then we can narrow down where it came from. I also agree with Esmii.”

Marz laughed as he slapped his knee. "Esmii, everyone needs something. No deal is made without a side needing something".

Then his eyes returned to Khaliun, she seemed to wish to take the device. He tapped the hammer more as he thought, and then answered. "You can have it after everything is done and I smashed that bastard's head"

A flash of suspicion crossed Esmii's mind, but she was, in general, an agreeable enough sort to let it pass. Sure, you needed something in return with clients and strangers, but these were, by and large, people she'd gone to school with for a year or at least fought alongside for the past nearly two weeks. You could just give your word and that would be that, wouldn't it?

“Well, at least we agree that we should take one back with us to study, right?"

Khaliun was unmoved. Literally. “I'll level, then.” dry and straight to the point, her default.

“These masked invaders want the marbles. Vossoriya cannot be left naked after this, or Kirimansk will just be an appetiser. I need to trade the cure to their poison for our lifeline.” she scoffed lightly.

“I can either give them the item itself, or the minds that made it.”

Marz' eyes lightly wandered to Roslyn for a moment as she spoke, he looked at the device for a second and extended to take it. He inspected it for a moment as he said,

"Aye, we call it sea leather. Terrible to work with but melts easily. Comes from the Arid Sea"

Marz nodded as he began to rise himself.

"I understand, I need my own securities too". He didn't make himself hostile as he stood just standing to finish his rest. "The sooner we finish our fight here and secure the Hearts, the sooner we leave and you get the device".

Marz looked back to the fighting happening near the fort. "Time is wasting and if we are too slow the man who I'm aiming for might fall to another's hand"

Esmii had been, once again, roundly ignored. She fiddled a bit with the things in her satchel and glanced about. “Should we just be, um... standing here?" she inquired.

Fritz, meanwhile, had fulfilled his contract and this was all getting very grand for him, and well out of his league, much as he was of a mould adventurous enough to have travelled all of the way across the sea to Vossoriya. He was busy polishing his sword, which he'd had scarce little chance to use in that fight. He'd been happy to stay as far as possible from that monster as he could, except when putting an end to him, of course.

“I've never been there. At least we might have a place to search.” She bit her lip, then inhaled. We can't deal with the marbles," She pointed to Esmii and herself. "but we can buff and possibly discourage any threats. The biggest question is... what do we do with the devices? We only need one, right?"

Marz looked to Roslyn. "As the lady in front of us said, she wants to keep the rest for her people"

Khaliun did not move, still, even if Marz wanted to pass.

“You don't stand a chance alone, Marz.” she pushed herself off the massive weapon she had been leaning upon and reached out to hold it with a single hand.

“Not without me and my arsenal. And I'm not facing Radomir without securing my country's main means of protecting itself. Otherwise it is all for nothing.”

"Right, I meant where we drop them off? Don't want the Volti getting them while we're busy." Roslyn corrected herself.

Esmii merely released a small sigh.

Marz chuckled as he said. "We're letting them get away with the Hearts". Marz then took up his weapon as he began to pass to get ready to leave,

"As long as we're near each other you know it's safe. Think of it as my insurance that I know you won't just pull the same thing as the Tyrant. As how it's been, Vossoriyans have not been quite nice to me and my people"

Noticing her friend's sigh, Roslyn put the handed off device into her satchel. She moved over next to the Yaosi and asked in a quiet whisper. “Everything okay, Emsii?"

Fritz rose, slinging his gun, once more, across his back. He looked at Khaliun. “My contact is fulfilled three times over,” he announced.

He hadn't faltered or wavered, throwing himself into combat on her behalf multiple times and eliminating close to a dozen of the enemy himself.

“And they have been good fights: harrowing and worthy, and I believe I have shown the value of my skills. To attempt to kill the legendary protector of Vossoriya, and an elder sanguinaire, however, is much more than I was hired for.” He regarded her expectantly.

“Oh, yeah, fine," she remarked.
“Just waiting on them two to hash out whatever it is that they will."

“Sanguinaires have not been kind, not Vossoriyans. They're ...” she grit her teeth. “led by degenerated rulers with no direction. They're stagnant. No vision.” she shook her head.

“I digress.” “I'm going for the sacred caves. Whether you come along or not is entirely your choice.” she too was primed to leave. A nod was sent Fritz's way.

“You've fulfilled your side of the contract. I have mine. And you will be compensated once again should you join me one final time. Generously.” she chuckled quietly. “But I understand. This is war. Survival is your responsibility.”

The accumulated bags of devices were gathered about and dragged via Khaliun's expert use of Kinetic magic paired with her significantly boosted RAS. It did make her stand out more, but she didn't have to break much of sweat now that she did not have to actually carry herself as well.

“I'm coming." Roslyn lifted up to follow, her bag secured to her side.

Fritz nodded in return. “I will watch and be available should the need arise. I trust in full that I will be paid should that be the case." In the meantime, they were packing their stolen loot like bandits, eager to make an escape with it and find the hopefully-still-hidden chaos marbles.

The marbles found them. He was standing there in the middle of the darkened warehouse, silver mask expressionless and gleaming under the faint moonlight streaming in through a hole in the roof: Volto Argento. He took a couple of steps in Khaliun's direction and tilted his head to one side. Two gloved hands emerged from his all-encompassing cloak.

They turned over and opened like the petals of a lotus flower in the morning. In each was a pair of chaos marbles. They remained this way for just long enough that everyone could confirm, with their own eyes, what he held. Then, open palms turned back into fists and retreated beneath the cloak.

"I trust you have what you came for as well," he remarked.

It was thought that this was a race against time.

No, they should all have learned by now that time was something they couldn't rely on. The beings they were facing, monstrous and nearly unfathomable, had tamed time herself long ago. The marbles were likely taken right as Argento had claimed Natasha. The fact that he now stood in the very centre of the warehouse did not shock Khaliun. Still, the unease was strong. Little was known about Volto Argento other than he was of the three most dangerous of the murderous organisation. By all accounts an enemy like every other Volti agent. And yet ...

“I have.” spoke Khaliun with unchanged frigidness to her tone, and yet the way she looked at him - the utter lack of suspicion or a glare - suggested some form of familiarity.

The bags she had been carrying were all put on display before her, with only one kept to her side, idle hand posed onto its surface. “Every bag intact. And the Zavesta Imperi gone. Half your men are alive too, the bloodsucker killed the other half.”

Roslyn's eyes watched the exchange for a moment. Still, the twitching sensation of urgency filled her and her feet restlessly moved. Her teeth bit her lip at the one less fighting alongside them, but she couldn't blame him.

Praying they survived, she turned to follow Khaliun. The glint of a silver mask caught her attention causing her to focus on the man standing before them. The Hendlish girl froze, but before she reacted, the man spoke. Khaliun responded, causing Roslyn's eyes to flutter to her. Regrets flooded into her mind and she recalled Oskana's conversation.

“Khaliun, what's going on?" Roslyn didn't stop the question from uttering from her lips. Her frightened eyes returned to lock on the silver mask that signified the Volti.

Upon seeing the new Volti appear, the Yasoi was taken back by how casual Khaliun was talking to them. A thought of dread rushed through her head, she didn't want to believe it at first.

"Khaliun, why are you talking so casually with this person." pointing towards the silver masked stranger.

Looking towards Roslyn, it seemed she was just as confused as she was. Looking back she did have her doubts on Khaliun, even Sven did, which he warned his Yasoi lover. She felt a sharp pain of betrayal, it caused her to speak.

"Have you been with them all this time, even though they tried to kill us not too long ago, or was that part of the plan? Put yourself in danger so we wouldn't suspect you?"

Khaliun tilted her head. “Because he and I have an agreement.” she answered Esmii's first query.

“I needed to pull Radomir out of hiding. The best way to do this was ward off his enemies so he would drop his guard. And prevent you people from turning on each other.” her tone fluctuated into something slightly more venomous in her latest sentence.

“Some of you would side with the Sanguinaires and would not hesitate to kill their own comrades.”

Roslyn shook her head, not believing a word. “No, that doesn't make sense. Why would we turn on each other?”

Her hand tightened into a fist, wanting to strike or do something to stop it. Fear tried to temper the anger snaking its way through her core. This pain was new and unfamiliar. “How can you trust them to keep to it?” Her eyes glanced at Marz to see his reaction.

“Do you trust every single member of your group unconditionally? Do you even know who most of them are?”

“I haven't had a reason to question someone... until now.” Roslyn replied.

Marz grits his teeth, he tightened his grip upon his hammer. Marz looked at Khaliun and spat to his side. "Gods be damned, of course".

Marz' blood boiled before he just sighed out, "Should of known, if they truly came for our lives they would have done so with more force".

Marz spoke out to Khaliun while he was looking towards the Silver Masked man, "So what now?"

Volto Argento merely watched and waited, letting the children bicker amongst themselves. Some showed more of a proclivity for rational thinking that others. Some were 'passionate'. They spoke of him as if he were not even there. Manners, manners. They spoke of him as if could not just kill them all on the spot and take what they held, but that was against the code of the Dieci Volti Nascosti. Except against their very worst enemies, it was always their duty to offer a fair deal, to not merely kill on sight. Then, however, one of them said something that got his attention. It was the Hendlish girl.

"The truth," he admitted. "is that you cannot." he shrugged, walking forward to accept the sacks full of magic disruptors.

"Life's greatest and least moments come from that leap of faith known as trust." There was the slightest turn of his head, as if he were regarding her through the frozen expression of his gleaming silver mask.

"Your friend here is right, however." He indicated the unusually tall hegelan among their ranks. "We have no personal quarrel with you." He shook his head.

"In truth, you are being used as pawns by forces you may want to be wary of." He indicated the bags. "You give us what we came for, and there need not be any issue between us." They could not see how his eyes narrowed behind the mask. "At the very least, we agree that these bloodsuckers need to die."

Roslyn snapped to the man's words. Fear rushed to her surface, but she bit back. Though she didn't have faith her efforts were successful. She didn't move, but she didn't react. She just held his gaze the best she could.

"I find it hard to believe when actions don't quite match with the words."

“We keep the peace.” answered Khaliun to Marz's question. The bags were all presented for Argento to claim, except for one - the bag to Khaliun's right.

“One for Vossoriya. A purge of the scum will be in order once the head of the viper has been severed. To bring in the change we've agreed upon.” She wasn't done. The Strazi clenched her hammer.

“And the marbles. Vossoriya should not be left naked like a buffet for the next hungry elder to claim.”

Argento had nothing to say to the less important girl. He had spoken his piece and she had chosen not to believe him. He turned to Khaliun and shook his head and it was a concise motion.

"The Traveler is not a fan of weapons of mass destruction, and I can scarcely say I blame him." He held one up between two fingers. He smiled, though it wasn't visible through his mask. The intent was there, and that warmth could certainly be felt.

"You hold onto yours, though. Far be it from me to take from someone what they have fairly one and what is not mine to take."

Marz watched the masked man begin to speak and walk forward. Marz listened as he lightly shifted his hammer and set it down while keeping hold of the handle. All he could do at this moment was watch. The man was powerful enough to wield multiple Star Hearts and more so an agreement was in place before him. One that if Marz broke the peace all he would do would get himself killed. Marz just responded to the Silver masked man.

"Is yer plans ta get rid of the weapons?"

Esmii listened intently to each conversation. Esmii plucked up the courage while looking at the person with the silver mask and asked, trying not to sound aggressive. “So what now.”

Argento nodded. "The Dieci Volti believe in placing limits on the violence that men can do to each other, and these weapons far exceed those limits."

Marz nodded back, "That is another thing we can agree on"

Argento inclined his head in polite agreement, waiting for Khaliun.

“I do not believe the traveller is a fan of leaving the vulnerable to their own devices when the scavengers come to feed either.” retorted Khaliun.

“What's stopping Sawand, or an elder's personal army, from making a play? These weapons do.” Steam erupted from an increasingly frustrated Khaliun. Theatrics, of course, as she had planned leverage for this situation.

“Let's make a deal.” she stepped closer to the Volti, hammer flung over her shoulder again. “Half. For the device that can nullify every one of these.” she gestured her chin to the grouping of devices that had been accumulated.

“Full nullification.”

Roslyn shifted to sat down on one of the nearby crates taking a moment to reflect on things. It was the first since they rushed from the monastery that she had the chance to. Truthfully, the exhaustion started to edge in and weighed her down. She had opened her mouth to ask something when Khaliun spoke first. Realising she referred to Marz' device, she silenced her words to see what would happen.

"A device?" His voice betrayed both interest and scepticism, though more of the latter.

Khaliun twisted to regard Marz. And she reached out with the gift to merely tug at the familiar device. The movement made the subject of her offer evident.

Marz snorted out a laugh. "Already slinging it around eh?" Marz began to unhook the device from his belt and held it out for Khaliun to take it if she wished.

The air shimmered slightly, and Argento was suddenly there to take the device instead. He turned it over in his hands, examining it. "Hmm," he sniffed, inspecting some of the details.

"The workmanship is makeshift but intricate - quite different from my own." He handed it over to her. "I suppose I should be interested in it. Appears Hegelan in manufacture if I'm not mistaken."

Khaliun pursed her lips as Argento inspected the goods. His latest comments prompted a brief narrowing of her eyes that fit so well with her natural bitch face.

“The know-how is what I'm offering. Those that made it, to be specific.” she looked to Marz again. “For three marbles to stay within Vossoriyan lands.”

Marz was first taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Masked Man who grabbed the device from his hand, but he steadied himself. It was until Khaliun then 'offered' the knowledge of it. Marz' face scowled in anger as he then barked out,

"I'm not something for trade! You wench!"

“What... have your own? Does that mean you created these devices or had a hand in it?" Roslyn asked. Upon hearing Khaliun offer up the device's creator, the question was forgotten. Her form lifted and immediately stepped in front of Marz, though she knew she was no match.

"I'm not going to let you take him.”

Khaliun sneered. “Do not oversell yourself. You were in the depths for less than a couple of days. Under surveillance. The insight you can provide is close to worthless.”

Esmii followed suit, she stood next to Roslyn, and took hold of Roslyn’s hand, in front of Marz. “He's been through enough, please leave him out of this.”

Argento watched their mixed reactions and smiled behind his mask: "close to worthless" versus "I'm not going to let you take him." Their hand had been tipped by this inconsistency. He had forced this a dozen times and seen it even more.

"It may be true that you have fought against friends of mine," he replied, bowing his head momentarily.

"and this is something I regret, for ample blood has been spilled today, unnecessarily. We all know that it should have been these monsters we call sanguinaires, and only these monsters." He tilted his head in that trademark gesture once more.

"So, I do find it odd that you assume I hold naught more than ill intent," he replied, shaking his head slightly.

"When I could simply strike you down and take what I want, I have not. I wish for the destruction of a horrible weapon - those chaos marbles - and I have not once spoken untruth." He paused, turning slowly to take them all in before settling upon Khaliun. They could not see how his eyes narrowed behind the mask.

"Yet, your 'friend' here has lied both to you - about her deal with me - and to me, about what she wanted and was offering, which, I may add, is to be given weapons of mass destruction - weapons I would see properly disposed of - carte blanche, to 'protect' Vossoriya." He shook his head.

"I know that the bonds of familiarity and comradeship under arms are a heady tonic. I know them well. I have felt their pull and I grieve for my lost friends as you might, but I pray you do not allow these to cloud your better reason. Which outcome is the worse?" He shook his head.

"She has lied multiple times to multiple parties. I am... not sophisticated in my demands. I wish for these magic disruptors so that I may hand them to the common people so that they are not preyed upon by the appetites and avarices of the rich and magicked. I want the chaos marbles that such a horrible weapon might be destroyed, lest it be used." He spread his hands. "I stand here, before you, asking politely."

Marz looked to the others, "Aye, I can agree with the man"

Khaliun scoffed. “If they are such vile weapons, Argento,” signs of growing frustration became apparent in her voice. “then why are they not already gone, rather than being flaunted right before our eyes?” She turned to the student group.

“I have not lied either. My devotion is to Vossoriya and its people. Before myself. Before the crown. Before anything else.” the hammer was hoisted off her shoulder and pointed to Argento. Nothing was drawn, as to not provoke an extreme reaction from others.

“The Volti see eye-to-eye with me in that regard. The sticking point is this. The weapons.”

"Even if we disagreed, as you pointed out, you could kill us and take what you wanted. Which makes me wonder why you're wasting energy talking to us. Also how would you destroy these things?" Roslyn asked, curious.

"And how, pray tell, might I dispose of these safely when it is only my constant drawing of gravitational energy that is keeping them from devastating this entire space?" He tilted his head once more.

"Do you, yourself, know?" He shook his head.

"They will be destroyed once I have them all and not one of these vile items remains loose, somewhere high over the open ocean, as is proper. I was going to let you keep yours, but now you have pricked my suspicions most direly." His voice was fairly bristled.

“Suspicion of what?” Khaliun challenged. “My stance remains the same. Marbles for the architects of the device. I would be content without them if there was some sort of insurance of my country's safety from those that covet it.” she narrowed her eyes.

“But direct intervention isn't the way of our common superior, is it? Which leaves only those like me to protect and preserve.”

"Why, just four days ago, did he not step in directly in ReTan?" Argento shook his head. "If the threat is dire enough, if people would suffer en masse - and not merely the privileged few who place their boots upon all others - he will act. This, you know." Volto Argento straightened, then, and energy began to be drawn, though it was not so very much as one might expect.

"Now, it is simple: I am not your enemy unless you make it so. I want the disruptors and I wish to dispose of those murderous weapons. This is now your choice."

Roslyn subtly glanced at the devices then back to her companions. Could they destroy the devices or get them away before either of them attacked? She doubted it. Keeping her hand mostly out of sight, she gestured for her friends to move out of the pair's clashing zone.

“I wouldn't know.” remarked Khaliun. ReTan was far, and she was here. “I still refuse to stand idly until my country is under the threat of unadulterated destruction to have it protected. I'm a soldier, fighting for the country is all I know. And depending on an outside interest is not a solution to me.” but then she sighed.

“I am not your enemy, however. And we have a common goal that's yet to be realised.” the lifted hammer was spun upside down with the head slammed to the floor. “The fate of the marbles should be discussed once the Thousand-Year Oppressor is destroyed. Is this agreeable?”

Argento paused, and the moment stretched out into the distance of time. Then, finally, he nodded, and there was an audible sigh from inside the mask. "We have terms," he decided, "for now."

Esmii listened, then turned to her friends, “We should meet up with the others.” She offered her hand to Roslyn and asked them all. “Should we be off. Also Argento, I do agree the marbles need to be dealt with.”

Roslyn had hit her limit. "If we leave, the devices will be gone. Remember what Oksana said? The people are nothing, but mice to both of them..." Her voice was cold and steady.

"These people have suffered more than I can imagine, and even we haven't helped that. I'm tired of feeling helpless and being unable to stop it. I don't think anyone is trustworthy of wielding those weapons, but something bothers me. Why so many devices? You only need a few to be effective to keep monsters away or protect themselves." Her eyes looked directly at the silver masked man.

Volto Argento took a moment to address Esmii. "I imagine that all of us agree on that, except for Khaliun here." He shook his head, ready to move on for now. "But combining our strength gives us the best shot at taking down a common enemy for the time being, so we'd best start moving." He began to reach for the threads of space and time once more, taking and grasping them.

Then, the other girl spoke. He paused and he - actually - blinked in bemusement. It was as if everything that he'd just said - an entire manifesto on his intentions, what the Volti stood for, and how very much he was holding back when he could've simply crushed them like everyone else with power might've - it was as if she had heard not a word of it. He saw, then, through the holes in his mask, a small and insignificant creature that had been so stripped of agency, so very ineffectual, that it had lost all manner of reason in its pursuit of anything to grasp hold of.

Now, the mouse bared its teeth at the cat and... he did not much care to be a cat, but was he to indulge her, truly? Did he have time for this when plans laid years in advance - ones which could shape the world for the better - were about to require him to shepherd them to fruition? Would it not just be easier to step on this small, snarling thing and move on. Surely, he had built up enough goodwill with Oraff and Dami... Allowing himself a hiss of vexation and also of warning, he indulged her only so far, turning halfway.

"You assume that our goals are small in scope when, in fact, they span the globe over: everywhere the common people must bow their heads and bare their necks to those who lord the Pentad's Gift over them - to those who rule unfairly and unjustly, using strength as a replacement for competence, privilege as a replacement for wisdom, and bloodline as a replacement for true nobility." He was facing her now, stalking forward angrily, his voice rising as he continued.

"We aim to remake the entire world in the image of love, learning, opportunity, equality, and justice as the Menana tells us that Itte, Sciune, Oraff, Echeran, and Dami intended!" He came to a halt, towering over her though he was not, in truth, so very tall, daring her to strike at him. "This is why we fight all who oppose us with such absolute conviction. It is why we need so very many of these wonder devices and it is also the only reason I have not done as they - and I mean the 'masters' - do and step on you to remove you from my path. I am fast running short on both patience and time, however, and I have stated my truth more than once. I will not do so again." He reached out to take the boxes. Would it be by consent or by force?

Marz listened to the conversation being had, he took hold of his hammer once more and brought it to his shoulder. He seemed contemplative as the others spoke, he was also wary, seeming to stay focused as he listened. It was not until the man stalked forward, seeming to have enough with idle chat. Marz nodded his head to the Silver Masked Man as he took hold of Roslyn's shoulder.

"Let'm take 'em". Marz didn't want to fight the man, he was a potential ally for in an intense fight he expects. Now Roslyn stood face to face with him, and is within moments of being killed, possibly much the same that maddened Magpie was. Marz began to try and pull Roslyn away, "He has some point, but we need to leave like Esmii said". Marz thought it was time for them to leave, it is the best they could do for now. Terms were set to continue talking later.

When Argento words sliced into the air, his patience lost, causing Roslyn to flinch. Her teeth gritted and her eyes remained on him. For a heart stopping moment, she thought he was going to crush her and move on. Instead he towered over her with righteous fury.

Her earlier plan curled into ashes when Marz's voice rang out. With the fight torn out of her, she let him pull her away. "Okay, but I hope we don't regret it later." She said quietly, her core feeling the sting of the earlier words.

Esmii listened to the answer from Argento, but when his interest moved to Roslyn and stalked forward and stood over her, she was terrified for her friend. She listened to what he said to Roslyn and after Argento moved and Marz had talked to her, Esmii moved in front of Roslyn, and slapped her across her face, straight after she hugged her trying to hold back tears, and said.

“I'm sorry that I got angry and slapped you, but please don't do this, I know how you feel, I'm worried and not happy about this too, but Marz is right, let him have them, and he could be helpful later.”

After she had hugged Roslyn for a bit, she then held Roslyn's hand, and looked at both Marz and Roslyn and said. "Lets see if we can meet up with the others and come up with a plan."

Roslyn rubbed her cheek where Esmii had slapped her. She didn't see it coming or expected it, really. Her eyes stared at Esmii and words lodged in her throat. To her credit, she didn't yelp or cry. Just stood there in shocked silence while processing what happened. The redness started to fade, but the dull throb remained. A painful reminder of her foolishness.

There was no excuse for it. Her friends saw that, and anyone with a brain could too. However, her parents taught her that everyone made mistakes. It was what one did afterwards that mattered most. She let Esmii hug her for the whole time before squeezing the yaosi's hand in her grasp.

"That hurt, but I'm sure I earned that. You're right. Let's go." She said in a quiet, but calmer tone.

Before they set off to find the others, Esmii checked, cleaned the area and put a bandage on the bite that Marz got from Dmitry, to stop any infection and to stop it from bleeding. While she did this, she remembered seeing this type of injury, when she helped at her parent's clinic.

Esmii used to think that they were animal bites even though they didn't look like an animal that she knew. "There that looks better, and don't worry I used a normal bandage so we can show the others what happened."

The Hourglass Order

Event:Cold Comfort.

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Present: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren,Marz @Th3King0fChaos, Roslyn @Fallenreaper, Khaliun @YummyYummy.

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The Bloodsucker Attacks

Marz went charging at Dmitry as he aimed to strike the bloodsucker in the head.

The hammer came down with obscene force, and Dmitry leapt out of the way, chittering like a maniac. "All muscle," he mocked,

"No skill." he avoided a second colossal swipe effortlessly. "All speed," he wailed, "Hahahaaaa! No brains."

It gouged a massive furrow in the ground, such was Marz's fury. "All rage," he laughed one more time, standing firm and - he caught the hammer as if it was a toy. His eyes narrowed and his grin became toothy.

"B R O N Z E B L O O D"He licked his lips and dived in for Marz's neck.

After drinking his fill, he licked his fingers off and decided to... go for the healer. An unsettling laugh echoed through the warehouse. He was gone and then he was there, right in front of her. His teeth were sharp and white and his mouth unnaturally wide. He sniffed.

"M o O D c a S t E r" He went for her neck. His teeth clicked shut on... nothing and the sanguinaire snarled and whirled.

When he appeared in front of her, hearing him say her mana type sent shivers down her spine. When she tried to speak there was no sound. Just before his mouth reached her neck, her body reacted and she was able to quickly dodge out of his way. That was close. she thought.

"Feeling brave, are we?" He glared the Yasoi's way. She'd been fast - really fast.

Roslyn fought her flight impulse, her form moving from the monster. Words echoed in her head as she watched Marz's attack, seeing him miss not once but three times.

“Shit, Blessing of Fortitude.” With a sharp inhale, Roslyn snapped her fingers at Marz.

Fritz tried next, attempting to shove his gun in the sanguinaire's mouth. It was all style over substance and easily dodged.

Dmitry whirled immediately and sunk his teeth into the mercenary's neck. Or so he tried. A quick shove of the shoulder had the animal bite onto the magus jaeger's collarbone instead, giving little blood yield and an opportunity to shove the foul being away.

"Feisty!" Dmitry hissed, licking some of the blood off of his lips.

The banquet wasn't over, however. Esmii was, once again, his target. He bowled into her, full force, and sent the girl sprawling, his slavering mouth open, ready to bite down but, just as he was about to taste blood, he was flung away with incredible force by her second wand.

Esmii found herself being targeted by him again, he was almost able to bite her this time, but luckily her wand created a kinetic blast that sent him flying. Her heart was pounding, and because she was trembling with fear, she found it hard to calm herself and stand back up.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'm going to get my M o O D c a S t E r one way or another." He scowled and spat, circling and turning his eyes to Khaliun. "What are you looking at, bitch!?"

Foul air conjured by Khaliun by disassembling the nearby walls surrounded the Sanguinaire. It was radiation, after a complex conversion from one type of matter to another, and then unleashed as a substance she carefully controlled to swirl in a bubble around Dmitry. It filled his lungs and entered his pours, rotting him inside out if he simply let it. But of course, he did, but the lasting damage was not to be ignored.

Esmii finally managing to pull herself back to reality, decided that she would buff Fritz, instead of attack, as he was the better fighter. “Fritz, isn't much but hopefully that helped.”

Marz swung with ferocious force and Dmitry's eyes widened. He put everything that he had into defending the attack and it still pushed him back. The sanguinaire staggered and his palms smoked. He breathed heavily. "Spicy," he grated, shaking his hands out.

“Blessing of Vigor, ” Roslyn shouted as she gestured at the mercenary, letting her magic boost him.

Esmii, noticing Marz was in trouble, quickly decided to help Roslyn to defend Marz. She froze the moisture in the air, to create a wall of ice between Marz and Dmitry.

He was angry, though, and it expressed itself in a corrosive mist that surrounded Marz. He had no chance to defend it on his own and it took a group effort to dispel the evil acid. Dmitry shrugged.

Fritz vanished, suddenly. In the midst of Dmitry's rampage, he positioned himself perfectly to trap the Sanguinaire in a trap of ice laced with a soporific substance. It was just enough to immobilise the monster.

Enough for Khaliun to strike with her hypercharged hammer. Cose close, and yet ... The mortifying bloodsucker put his all power beyond even his gruesome norm, and just narrowly escaped.

Such was his power that he resisted even this, though his eyes were wild now. He hurtled at Esmii. "If you won't give me moodcaster, then you're gonna DIE bitch!" A colossal shaft of steel formed in the air, out of nowhere, and it hurtled at Esmii with irresistible force. Only... it was resistible. It took Khaliun's intervention, but she survived the attack that surely would've been lethal otherwise.

Esmii noticed that Dmitry was angry at her, since he was unable to bite her twice, for her mana type, so he decided to attack and kill her instead. However with Khaliun's help they were able to defend the attack. “Thank you so much Khaliun.” Esmii noticed that she had a small cut on the right side of her neck, after Dmitry’s attack.

From the heavy hammer blow, Marz was slightly shifted back. The madcap was then changed, he turned his body to mist and anger, but it was Esmii and Roslyn to assist him. Marz was then snapped from his anger, he saw what was happening. Marz took in the energy from all the power he found around him and funnelled it to Khaliun.

He was absolutely relentless, attacking Fritz next, and then, when rebuffed, Esmii, whose rare mana type he seemed to have fixated on. Again and again, though, they worked as a group to rebuff the monster. He became ever wilder, snarling and thrashing. He hurtled towards Esmii yet again.

Marz jumped in front of Esmii the moment she was to be attacked as he hit the air as he cracked and waked the space and destroyed the attack that was coming for Esmii, as with the breaking of all that energy, Marz pulled it in and aimed all the power into Fritz as he was filled with static energy to make his body move faster and stronger.

Esmii got herself ready to defend against Dmitry yet again. With help from Marz this time, they were able to defend against his attack. Enough is enough already."Thanks Marz."

This was war. Friends turned against friends. Enemies became allies. The innocent suffered for the woes of the guilty.

Khaliun was all too familiar with it. It was the soldier's way of life. Which was why the moment Marz humbled himself, turned a boon in her direction rather than his hammer, she was not surprised, nor was there any show of ego. Merely a half-nod at his direction to acknowledge what was brewing. And Fritz, in his extensive experience as a man at arms, was naturally on the same page as his employer and fellow warrior.

The ghoul that revelled in blood and gore was so fixated on Esmii that he hadn't realised the increase in mental focus of the landsknecht allowed him to bring to life four physical copies of himself that could all vanish with the ways of the Magusjaeger.

All of them had surrounded the frenzied Dmitry and held him down like a dog that needed to be put down. He could not move, not with the might of four lifeless copies and the entirety of the mercenary's will. Well, not for the next few seconds, anyway.

Khaliun ascended over the bloodsucker, cloak loaded with various goods flowing in the gust of air that penetrated the heavily damaged structure they were in. She was smiling - the same smile she wore when her plan was coming to fruition in the bunker - and readied her hammer over her head with both her hands. “Get back.”

The amount of energy siphoned was unworldly. Everything became cold and even bits of matter were ripped off from the immediate area. But Khaliun was a tethered, and she could draw from much farther. ALL of Kirimansk could feel this overwhelming sense of dread taking over. This was the power to slay Gods. The very one that took the greatest of Mages Ersand'Enise had seen, and it was wielded by a vulgar Strazi with a last name she had long forgotten. This no-name had nothing but glee in her expression.

“The forever nothing calls for you, Dmitry.”
There was no hesitation or mercy - notions Khaliun hardly knew - and Dmitry was only allowed a brief few last words before total obliteration of the sorry bastard that reverberated throughout the region.

Esmii prayed that Fritz's and Khaliun's combo attack would kill Dmitry. When it was proven to be successful, he was actually defeated. She fell to the floor as her legs were still trembling and cried with relief. All she wanted at that moment was a hug.
“Thank you Fritz and Khaliun.” Yes he's finally dead.

The bloody execution caused Roslyn's throat to tighten. She stiffened, her form rooted to the spot and started until she couldn't see for a moment. Somehow, despite her terrified emotions, she remained upright. A cold sweat poured through her skin and enhanced the chill across her skin. She exhaled, releasing it all into the air with the mist of her breath. From her peripheral vision, Esmii's form fell upon her knees. Latching onto someone other than herself, Roslyn moved toward Esmii. She lowered herself to her knees then hugged the girl.

“Yeah, thank you from me as well." She swallowed down the fear from her next words. Her eyes studied Khaliun and her merc then Marz. “Okay, can we take a moment and talk here? I have a ton of questions and I'm getting tired of not having answers.”

The Hourglass Order

Event:Cold Comfort.

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Present: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren,Marz @Th3King0fChaos, Roslyn @Fallenreaper, Khaliun @YummyYummy.

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Warehouse Mayhem.

Esmii slowly starts to walk towards the warehouse. However she looks back at the other group, to see if she could catch a glimpse of Sven to try and get his attention, however when she looked back she noticed him looking back at her.

Sven scowled and considered, glancing back worriedly at Esmii. “You stay closhe to them, my love. I promishe I will return. Promishe me back?”

Esmii looking back at Sven, and hearing what he shouted to her, she blushed but she couldn’t lose the worried look on her face. “I Promise I will try to stay safe my love, and you better come back to me”

Sven then nodded back at her, then he set off with Yvain.

After watching Sven walk away Esmii turned slowly and carried on walking towards the warehouse. However she couldn’t help but think of what had happened to Sven earlier and was worried. Because her mind was elsewhere she had walked very far from the others, so she decided to double back and meet up with Marz, Roslyn, Khaliun, and Fritz. She soon met up with them again, and they carried on with the group. Esmii while walking looked around, and tried to keep an eye out for anything.

When the group made their way to the warehouse, they saw that the devices were being unloaded into large sacks. There were three bags already aboard the ship and three more seemed to be in transit.

Esmii decided to quietly enter the warehouse through the door. She quickly and quietly looked around, and she then decided to be stealthy and casted Veil or Shadows. She casted it perfectly, and was able to sneak around the warehouse. She slowly sneaked past the guards, however while she was sneaking past, she kicked a rock, and it made a small noise. Luckily the one guard that looked around after hearing the noise, didn’t inspect it.

Internally Esmii said, Phew. After the scare, she slowly made her way towards the bag, but she was only able to pick up one bag that had 10 devices in it. After she had grabbed the bag, she slowly made her way back outside to the others. And she noticed that a new person had arrived that wasn’t working with the Volti.

As Marz rocketed forth until they neared the warehouse, there he saw the many groups moving bags. He and Roslyn headed towards the boat as once they headed on and Roslyn took the bags, he heard the Cyan Volti cry out and spot them as he attempted to heat her brain, but it nearly knocked her out, but not enough.

Spotting Esmii heading toward the warehouse, Roslyn headed toward the ship. With a little bit of patience and timing, her form inched closer with the aid of her magic. However, her foot hit a squeaky board that echoed across the dock behind her. She stilled, holding her breath when something when two pairs of eyes darted her way.

Impulse kicked in as she jerked her hand out at the nearest threat.

“Gaze of deception: visual,” The words left her lips before she thought of the consequences. Her target's mouth had opened, but his eyes no longer saw anything.

Not wasting time, she rushed to grab three bags and rushed off the ship. She spotted Marz form suddenly take off and smack at the Cyan Volti. She reminded herself that if they survived, she owed Marz a drink on her.

Khaliun opted for the poltergeist approach: Manipulate the goods from outside, quite a bit away from normal range, and had them follow Esmii's lead. But a few mooks noticed.

Fritz walked in like he belonged there. He didn't even conceal his presence beyond Magusjaeger fundamentals, the goons were too busy panicked by the blatant theft. Each one of them, he walked up behind them and bonked their heads, one at the time, without any care in the world. They all fell over, knocked out cold.

Then, Dmitry showed up. A small, fast man with wild black hair and burning eyes, he jumped in through a window, shattering it in the process.He landed among the four masked figures. He smiled. There was nothing particularly unsettling about that smile aside from the context.

But then he moved, and body parts went flying. They were not his, of course, but those of the Volti agents. Two of them were torn limb from limb, their blood staining his nice dark silk clothes. He flicked it away, making a disgusted face. "Now we destroy these, no?"

Dmitry.

Khaliun had remained outside of the building whilst the carnage was unfolding with Fritz having a front row seat to the gruesome introduction of the High Sanguinaire. A loud nasal exhale escaped the Strazi. It was time to join her paid associate inside the building and bear witness to the contrast between Fritz's seamless cleanup and the royal envoy's.

“(Would it not be wiser to keep these weapons for ourselves?)” spoke Khaliun in her native tongue, hammer over her shoulder and her feet half a metre off the ground. “(Especially if our enemies would not hesitate to use them against us.)”

Marz nodded to the humanoid blood storm. "Aye, let's keep one, if we fight or are chased, it can take away their magic."

After Esmii managed to quietly get out of the warehouse she made her way over to Marz. “There you go, Marz. Sorry that I couldn’t grab more.”

Marz took hold of the bag and nodded his head while saying. "Thank ya."

Dmitry turned, his movements smooth and halting at once, very much within the uncanny valley. He sniffed the air as Khaliun spoke. "You would like that," he purred in Vossoriyan. “Wouldn't you, Strazi?” He grinned and licked his lips.

Esmii seeing this strange person that seemed to arrive out of nowhere gave her a strange feeling. She didn’t know why but he made her feel very uneasy. She listened and found out his name was Dmitry.

The moment Marz took hold of the sack, he set it down as he heard the tell tale signs of something brewing. Marz turned and saw the bloodied jester like man and Khaliun facing off with something fierce.

Dmitry merely giggled, and it was not a pleasant sound. He paused suddenly and glanced down at his fingers, still covered in slowly-congealing blood. Then, the sanguinaire blinked and shoved them into his mouth, sucking the blood away. His head did not move at first - only his eyes. They flicked over to Khaliun, taking a moment to skewer each of the others in turn.

Esmii quickly covered her mouth with her hand after she saw him put his blood soaked fingers into his mouth. She felt very scared and what he did made her feel sick.

"Oh," He remarked, removing his fingers from his mouth with a final slurp. "The answer is 'no'. Those weren't our orders." He blinked. "You're not questioning Radomir, are you?" He twisted to regard her more openly - challengingly, even.

Khaliun steadied herself. “It is hard to believe our Protector would throw away weapons of this calibre.” she spoke flatly, gaze cold but just as challenging as the wretched ghoul's.

“If so, I have a proposition for him. The devices are secure now. They are not going anywhere.”

Dmitry began stalking forward, and it was clear that nothing would get in his way. The Volti's hired help had fled. He approached the students, sniffing the air as he drew near. He came right up to Roslyn in particular.

"Hmm... активатор," he mumbled to himself. Then, he held out his hand. "Very well, then. Hand over bags. I take. Job well done." His eyes found Marz as well and he flashed a great big smile.

Roslyn stepped from Khaliun and Dimitry, pulling in close to Marz and Esmii. When she heard footsteps approaching, her eyes turned to see the monster approach. She couldn't help the trembling edging in her hands as she inhaled. Her shoulder slacked, offering the bags.

Marz took his hammer and flipped it in his hand as he smashed it down onto the bag Esmii had passed him. Attempting to destroy the Anti-magic devices while Marz looked directly towards the man. "No, they shall be destroyed."

Dmitry's hand reached out, clawlike, to snatch the bags. He smiled. "Why thank you, my lady."

He licked his lips, eyes roving greedily over the bags' contents as he examined them. He was about to turn his attention to Marz when the hegelan turned his hammer over and smashed the disruptors in one of Esmii's bags. His head jerked to the side, birdlike, and then he was upon Marz, rearing back to strike a fatal blow. He only just stopped himself. He hopped back. He grinned.

"Oh, a man of initiative!" He nodded eagerly. "Radomir will love you!" His eyes darted, momentarily, in the direction of Khaliun, and the grin morphed into a smug smirk.

Khaliun, on the other hand, did not let the goods get so easily wasted. Immense pressure was applied to Marz's shoulder as he lifted his hammer. “Letting a foreigner destroy what is ours, Imperii?”

The Hegelan was hardly given a look, all her focus was on the true danger that lurked among them. “These weapons are a resource. As a soldier and ruler, Dmitry, you should know this.”

Roslyn stepped closer to Esmii as her breath returned.

Esmii noticed that Roslyn was walking closer to her. She grabbed her hand and pulled her, closing the gap between the two of them, both of them stayed close to each other. This thing made Esmii feel really uneasy, and she watched everything he did closely.

Dmitry whirled. "A ruler!" he snarled. "That's right! And you dare question me!?" He was gone from where he'd been, now behind Fritz.

"These weapons are unholy, unnatural things, and they have the power to destroy how many people's lives? Like the people of this town. How many died because these things were brought here by these outsiders!? Keeping them around only increases the risk."

Marz held his ground, attempting to apply equal forces against the pressure Marz felt upon his own shoulder while trying to smash the devices. Dmitry was like a maddened magpie, the moment the shiny devices that took magic away were destroyed, he leaped and bound to try and take Marz' life. It was but a moment when the magpie's hand neared Marz before the mad man recollected himself.

Marz scowled when the name of the man who had this hammer made was brought up. Marz took hold of the handle of the weapon and began to apply more force. Allowing the natives to speak and distract themselves while they spilled what they knew.

Fritz raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the first time some creep tried to pull a 'nothing personnel' on him. He kept calm, flintlock by his flank and aimed behind him. He made sure the Sanguinaire could feel it. “You're like my uncle Hans. Sniff sniff from behind. Adults never let me get close to him.”

Dmitry merely giggled. He sniffed anyhow. "Mmm, skinspeaker." Then, he was gone. The bitch had stopped the hegelan from destroying the devices. That, he knew, was treason. Vossoriyans also knew that there was only one way to deal with treason.

“Guys whatever we are doing with the devices, we should choose later. But right now we need to deal with them ourselves, and not let him have them. We need to work together.”

“I'm starting to think the Helegans aren't the only ones that suffered here... " Roslyn stated, loud enough for her two companions to hear.

Marz saw Dmitry begin his assault, Marz felt the energy on his shoulder lighten slightly, enough for him to overwhelm Khaliun's as he lifted his other hand and fired an arcane lance out and off at Khaliun. Marz barked out at Esmii, "We destroy them! The bitch seems to have other plans!"

Dmitry flew at Khaliun, then, and he was absurdly fast. As soon as Marz's attack forced her to block, his hand scythed through her legs and then the tethered was in three parts, collapsing to the ground. The sanguinaire's eyes lit up with predatory glee as he stalked forward. Then...

"Tethered" He wrinkled his nose. He turned his attention to Fritz. "I offer you triple," he growled, "And you get to live."

He noticed her blood was on his hand. However, he did not lick it clean. Instead, faint flames danced across its surface and it evaporated away. "Disgusting."

Esmii looked at Marz. “Yes I understand that Marz, but why does he want to destroy them, what do they gain if they are destroyed, what's his motive”

Dmitry grimaced and let out a bark of ironic laughter. "We get rid of a weapon that can cause a fucking genocide, you stupid girl. Motive enough for you, shit-for-brains!?"

Khaliun had barely avoided being struck by the lance, but it was enough for her to lower her guard. A millisecond later and she was legless, on the floor, or rather on her hammer that fell first. Blood pissed and oozed out of her freshly sliced stumps.

The Strazi clenched her jaw tightly to stifle any sound, eyes bloodshot. But just as it seemed like she was to succumb to such a nasty blow, a quick tug of her magic and the opening of a small vial of skinglue miraculously attached her limbs back together. The Tethered ascended once more, panting and forehead covered in sweat.

“I do have a goal.” croaked Khaliun in a raspy voice. “I'm fighting for Vossoriya. And feeble minds like you are what keeps us weak.” a scowl of disgust befell both Marz and Dmitry.

“Your own chaos marbles are what killed so many. The very weapons YOU put under this town.” he accusatory finger was directed at the Sanguinaire. “You had no qualms manufacturing instruments of death with those things.” Then, she looked at Fritz. “I have paid you, and more, up until now. Why would this creep keep his word? Especially with that mana type of yours ...”

Dmitry smacked his lips at the mention of Skinspeaker. He did not yet have it.

"These devices seem more defensive than offensive. We still need to get the weapons..." Roslyn shouted, trying to talk the situation down. However, a small sensation in her gut told her it was too late. "Shit... We don't need to kill her!"

When Dmitry attacked and badly injured Khaliun, Esmii screamed. “No, don't kill her!”

Dmitry laughed. "Nooo don't kill her!" he mimicked mockingly. He laughed some more. "And why shouldn't I? She is my enemy. She is trying to convince you to let her have weapons that can destroy countries and, what's worse, you're listening to her!!!" He shook his head incredulously.

Khaliun sneered. “I didn't put all the marbles under a city and order monks to wipe out the town to protect your secrets.” then, she exploded.
Not from a loss of control. Something else was driving her nuts.

“AND WHO DO YOU HAVE TO THANK FOR SAVING KIRIMANSK FROM THAT, HUH?! WHO HAD THE WEAPON TO BLAST AWAY SO MUCH DEATH?! ME! I SAVED ALL OF YOU!”

Marz barked out. "Simple things. Magic cancelling devices hurt people with magic-" Khaliun then spoke, and Marz took his hammer, and fire burned. The heat became hotter and Marz turned to Dmitry and growled. "You...". He was now dead locked on his new target.

"You put them down there." Marz' eyes flared with fire. "I'm breaking you"

Dmitry tilted his head. "Well, I can't take all the credit," he admitted. Then, he licked his lips. "Bronzeblood."

Esmii rushed to Khaliun's side. She healed her as fast as she could, the damage was significant, however she was able to heal her fully and she managed to give her a bit of a buff, as she noticed she looked invigorated.

The Hourglass Order

Event:Cold Comfort.

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Present: Esmii @BlackRoseSiren, Oksana @Ti, Roslyn @Fallenreaper

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Esmii on her own.

Esmii took her time to heal herself, she did this while trying to listen to all of the conversations that were going on, and because she was feeling angry she was able to heal herself quickly and was able to fully heal herself.

“I agree with Penny, we need to sort out the boxes.” After she was done healing herself, she decided to go and check on the others.

A Hidden Proposal.

Esmii made her way over to Oksana and Roslyn, as she noticed Oksana was waving her over. Just then she noticed that Oksana needed to be healed, and as soon as she got to Oksana, she started to heal her.

Oksana's hands moved gracefully, a dance of emoted sign language as her words intertwined with Avincian, though in a broken manner, as she brought Roslyn and Esmii to her side. Her fingers pointed to the looming Sanguinaires, an expression of concern etched on her face.

"These are monsters," Oksana’s hands conveyed, fingers curved like claws, mimicking their menacing presence. "They oppress, harm our people," her fingers fluttered like falling leaves, portraying vulnerability.

"Care not for lives," her hands formed a heart, then a dismissive wave. Oksana’s gaze then shifted toward the enigmatic Volti, her hands indicating their foreign nature.

"Seek power, own agenda," her fingers traced a line of ambition through the air. A circular motion followed, her hand forming a loop, fingers curling inwards, symbolising confinement.

"These devices," she mimed the act of locking with an invisible key, "Keep monsters away." Her hands then reached out, palms upwards, a universal gesture of asking.

"You help secure," her fingers locked together, then she opened them like a blooming flower, "For Vossiriyan people."
Her eyes met Roslyn's and Esmii's, a plea for understanding and alliance. "So we be rid of monsters," her hands swept outward, casting away an imaginary burden.

Roslyn bit her lip. She didn't understand what the deaf girl might want as she began to sign and communicate. The Hendlish girl wasn't the best at this, but she had picked up some of it thanks to a few others.

"I'm not going to lie, I don't trust either one. More so the Volti. However, I don't know if everyone will agree. Not to mention these 'monsters' could've killed us, but they didn't. Why?"

Oksana answered back to Roslyn. "Group working for Monsters," she signed with urgency, her fingers mimicking the shadows of sinister figures. Her eyes then shifted to Yuliya and Khaluin, her gestures reflecting the weight of her words.

"They are using us," her hands clasped, then opened, suggesting manipulation. "We are tools for them," her fingers curled into fists, then extended outward, symbolizing being controlled.

"We pretend to be puppets to try to help the people here," she signed with a hint of frustration, her fingers forming a façade-like shape, then moving to mimic aiding hands.

Her gaze locked onto her companions, conveying the gravity of the situation. Her hands shifted, fingers tracing a path away from Yuliya and Khaluin, symbolizing detachment. "Get devices away from them," she signed with determination, her fingers mimicking the act of removing obstacles.

Roslyn's hand gripped her arm. Her thumb pressing into the elbow, showing the high emotions rushing through. "There's a lot of things that don't add up." She didn't want to think about it.

"I recalled the one man that killed the Volti over the river and mentioned that Marz had his hammer. The monastery held the Helegan hostage, and forced them to work."

She paused for a moment to catch her breath, then added. "However, Yuliya could've lied and told us to leave. She told Sven about the insult. There's so many questions without answers." Roslyn inhaled, growling in frustration.

Oksana gestured toward Sven and Marz, to involve them. "Together we can be strong and do the right thing."

Roslyn thought and answered. "I'm not going to lie, I've not been very helpful at all. I'm not sure we can keep it away from both groups, not without being killed." Roslyn glanced at her friend.

While Oksana was talking Esmii healed her. While she healed her, she silently listened to every word they spoke. Esmii was shocked and didn't hide it well. She then also tried to get Sven's attention.

“Sven you need to hear this.” She then answered to both Roslyn and Oksanna. “I am also not sure we can keep them away, but the Volti did attack us can we really trust them”

Oksana then thought for a moment, then she thought of an idea. "We pretend to work for both of them, we run south with the device. To Tundra, they cannot find, We, they safe."

Roslyn inhaled, and weighed her options. "That's not a good idea. I rather not have both sides chewing at our backs, they don't look like they take well to betrayal. Besides, how would the people use them? How could they keep the devices from being taken by the other groups after we leave and if we survive this?"

Oksana shook her head. "They fight. Distracted. We Mouse '' , making squealing noises, and pointed at Sage. "We slip under sight, we no one, no threat." As Roslyn questioned their motives, Oksana looked at her questioningly. "They monster, we not?"

Esmii looked more worried, as she listened to them both. “Whatever we do, we need to be carefull.” She then looked back at the rest of the group, worriedly.

Oksana nodded toward Esmii. "Be safe, no rush blind. Smart play."

“Fuck... how did I get into this position?” Roslyn said more to herself than the others.

“Okay, right now I'm just keeping the devices out of the Volti's hands... That's the only threat I know for sure. I don't know enough to be sure of which side is right. Though I will note, if the devices get destroyed... no one gets them. I don't think either of these groups know how to build them or they wouldn't be after them.” Roslyn then inhaled and looked to the side. “If the devices happen to disappear, I know nothing.”

Esmii looked at Roslyn and Oksana, and nodded in agreement. “We need to get the as many devices to safety”

Oksana nodded, she suggested Esmii and Roslyn go West, and she will go North, and they planned to meet up when it was safe to.

Esmii nodded again. “Yes, please stay safe, you and the others.”

“Be safe, Oksana.” Rolsyn stated as she watched Oksana shift off North, still unsure. She saw this going horribly wrong, especially for someone like her. Clenching her arms tightly, she bolted off to follow her Yaosi friend. Whatever happened, she would have to live with her decision.

The Hourglass Order

Lunara Agha

Lunara Agha

17 | Female | Palaparese | Noble | RAS 7.93

PERSONALITY

❖ [Naive]
❖ [Respectful]
❖ [Considerate]
❖ [Squeamish]
❖ [Bookworm]

Lunara is a well mannered young Lady, however when she was a small child, she did have tantrums, when she didn't get her way, but as she aged, she stopped throwing tantrums. Her father taught her from a young age, how a noble should act, she knows how to show respect. Her main responsibilities are to learn how to properly use her magic, to act politely in society for example at parties or gatherings, to learn how her father’s business works and to care for her Goma cat Miray.

She has a sister, who she spends time with but they don’t live the same way and they were brought up thinking they are half sisters, (however they are actually twins). Her other friends are her fathers business friends' children, and they are all girls. However as she grew and spent more time with these girls she only grew close to one of them as her other friends started to be really two faced, and tried to use her because of her standing, which Lunara didn’t like, however she wasn’t sure why they started to be like this all of a sudden.

A weakness of hers is that she’s a bit naive as her father restricted her from leaving the grounds of her home, without supervision, so she doesn’t know much about the outside world, apart from what she had read in books. Another weakness is that she is squeamish as she dislikes certain insects, and also because of this she is a picky eater, and she refuses to eat certain foods from her culture.

CHARACTER APPEARANCE

HT: 5’6”.
WT: 143 Lbs, 10.21 Stone.
Skin color: Pale.
Eye color: Hazel.
Hair: Lond, brown and wavy.
Clothing: She has brought a few formal dresses (Like the one seen in the first picture) to wear on certain occasions, and she has also brought some everyday outfits (Like the one seen in the second picture) to wear when she is out and about. These are clothing that are native to where she lives, however she can't wait to explore the clothing that is available at school.

Hider

Hider

LANGUAGES

Palaparense: Native - Mastery - Verbal and Written,
Inipori: Native - Mastery - Verbal and Written,
Eskandish: Learned - Advanced - Verbal and Written,
Avincian: Learned - Advanced - Verbal and Written,

THE GIFT

Primary Mana Type - Black Blood
Secondary Mana Type - Thunder Child,

Magnetic - 4.5
Kinetic - 4
Chemical - 4
Binding - 3

BACKGROUND

Lunara was born alongside her sister, twins that were birthed from their fathers second wife. While they were growing, Ruslan (Father) and Dalma (First wife) watched and studied the twins closely, and they made notes on their physical features as the girls aged. Lunara took after their father, while her sister took after their mother (the second wife).

Lunara was given to Dalma, and her sister went to live with their biological mother. As both girls grew, they were told that they are half sisters, and the truth that they are actually twins has been hidden from them. Ruslan silenced Onaona (their biological mother), with a threat of divorce for collaborating. Throughout this time Lunara was doted on, by Ruslan and Dalma.

While Onaona attended to Lunara, she often brought along her sister Ceren. Her ‘half-sister’ became a play-mate for Lunara for most of these years. While they played games, her sister would quite often let Lunara win, and whenever Lunara wanted something her sister couldn’t protest. Whenever Lunara had a tantrum or cried, the blame was always put on her sister, even if it wasn’t her sister's fault. The first time her sister was punished in front of her, Lunara’s sister was slapped by their father and this made Lunara squeak in fear and stepped back, ever since their father was cautious and didn't want Lunara to know or see how her sister was punished.

One day when the sisters were playing together, Lunara forced Ceren to pretend to be a Goma Cat and she was the Thunder Tamarin. While they were playing, Lunara ran into the jungle and her sister followed, scared of what might happen, as they were trespassing on the Tamarin’s territory, and because of this one of them bit and shocked Lunara. Her sister helped to scare off the monkey, and she rushed her back to the house.
Lunara doesn’t know what happened to her sister as they were separated. As soon as they got back to the house, Lunara’s hand was treated. Two years after the incident her father gifted Lunara with a Goma Cat at the age of ten on her birthday. The cat was from the litter they had to sell, her father told her that the Goma Cat would keep her safe from the monkeys so she doesn’t get scared.

Because of her fathers own magical talents, he constantly observed Lunara, however she hadn’t shown any potential for magic early on in childhood, like her father, which had caused him some concern. But when Lunara’s magical abilities finally awoke, later on in her childhood, they awoke while she was having an argument with a maid, she swung her arm forward and caused a vase of flowers to fly into the wall. After this happened she screamed and her father, seeing all of this ran to her to explain that it was her magical talents and not to worry. After this accident happened she started to learn how to use and control her abilities and her father got her the best tutor, as he wanted her to catch up as fast as possible.

MOTIVATION

Lunara loves spending time with her Goma Cat (Miray), her parents and her sister. She wants to learn more about magic and build up her own magic. She also likes to strum on her Tar and likes to dance the native dances she grew up with, while playing her tambourine.

She would like to find new and fun things to do, some of which she read about in books, things that are outside of what she is used to. She also wants to make new friends as her father said who he wanted her to be friendly with, to help him with business, also some of her old friends are showing their true colours, which she doesn’t want to be around.

She would also like to possibly find a partner of her choosing, as she wants to find someone she likes and not someone her father chooses as he has been doing this all her life. She also wants to help her father expand his business, and possibly start off a small business of her own, but she fears that she won't be able to.

INVENTORY

Chakrams (Two, picture below), 250 magus, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, head wear, bags, different types of clothes and shoes for certain situations, a few stuffed animals, parasol, combs and brushes, Tambourine and Tar. Her female Goma cat, and things the cat needs, also some books that she loves to read.

Hider

Hider

Name: Miray
Sex: Female
Species: Goma Cat
Age: 7 years

Miray is a playful and happy Goma cat, who loves chasing monkeys, hunting for food, and playing. However she also loves to follow Lunara around, getting pets and snuggles as well. Like most cats she is quick, nimble and light on her feet. She is a little spoiled and she is protective over Lunara. Miray is very friendly when she gets to know people.

The goma cats are a saber-toothed species, semi-arboreal in nature, and also the largest fully terrestrial predator native to Palapar. Roughly the size of a large dog, they average between sixty and one hundred pounds. The name ‘Goma Cat’ comes from the North Palaparese word for rubber, as the pads of their paws are known to grow both fast and thick, with semi-dead layers rubberlike and acting as grounding to resist both the tamarins’ electric discharges and the frequent lightning strikes during stormy season.

Their fur is double-layered and bristly, with vivid camouflage patterns, and their daggerlike canine teeth unusually metallic in content, allowing them to both acquire and discharge electricity through them and through specialised organs, amplified by their manas. Unsurprisingly, the goma cat is both the national animal of Palapar and a status symbol, with the original royalty and the plantation elites breeding them for particularly vivid colour patterns as well as for their rubbery paws. These are regularly sheared, saving the cats from having to do this themselves, and the skin used in the manufacture of shoes, clothing, and tools. They are also employed to keep the monkeys in line and to prey upon rival wild troupes should they encroach on a friendly troupe’s territory.

STRENGTH AND SKILLS

❖ Creative,
❖ Musical,
❖ Responsible,
❖ Upbeat,
❖ Graceful,

WEAKNESSES AND FLAWS

❖ Picky Eater,
❖ Spoilt,
❖ Overly Cautious,
❖ Scared of monkeys,(bitten by one as a child)

MISCELLANEOUS

Aqua

The Hourglass Order

Esmii'nesta'tawaar

---

Event: Cold Comfort Race Against Time.

---

The students decided to split up into two groups
All the students put in their opinion of what to do about the Marbles

"We need to destroy as fast as possible."

Penny had chosen who she wanted to accompany her. She picked Roslyn, Oksana and Esmii. While the others were in another group. Esmii has worked with Oksana before during their little runaround in the monastery. She was starting to build up a friendship with Roslyn so there was that. With Penny, she's helped a little bit so there was a little respect from each other. However every night she slept in the same room with the other female students. Her Yasoi ears felt sore and tingling. Esmii was convinced that it was Penny but had no proof. Everyone double checked that they had everything before heading out to look for their objectives.

Before they separated from each other Esmii caught Sven with a worried look on his face. To cheer her boyfriend up she quickly ran up to him, stretching onto her tiptoes, kissing him.

"Don't worry, I'll be safe. I promise."

She reassured him with a smile then ran off to catch up with the others who were just about to leave her behind. They went over Their objectives once again. Find the devices and destroy them. One problem only Penny was able to sense the devices, so that was a bit of a problem if they were to get separated.

As they got to the river, Oksana had an idea of getting over without little trouble. Luckily they were still able to draw and cast magic. With the help of Esmii and Penny. The three ladies managed to freeze some of the water in the river to make a small pathway of ice to cross. While crossing Penny slipped and fell into the water. Oksana didn't realise what was happening, mostly because she couldn't hear. Esmii and Roslyn wanted to help Penny, but sadly they didn't have much time to help and as the Volti were closing in, Esmii had faith in Penny's abilities she didn't want to leave her behind, but she'd be less likely to get spotted.

Now that it was just the three of them and having no way to find the devices now. Esmii and the others pondered on what to do next for a moment.

We have no way to find the devices now. We could go back looking for Penny. But if we do that, we could be walking into a trap, or Penny could have gotten away…

Her ears twitched, causing her to focus on the world around her. She could hear something, but what. Listening more closely, it was Volti. Seemed that they were planning something, could they be looking for Esmii and the others. But they have the advantage. In a brilliant idea Esmii pointed out the Volti to Roslyn, so she could create something that could slow them down for them. Roslyn successfully made the Volti group fall back from her ambush with her Smoke pistol. With the Volti group temporarily out of the way, the three ladies decided it would be best if they regrouped with the other group, rather than wander around aimlessly.

Upon reaching the other group, it seemed that a fight broke out between some of the students and the Volti members. Esmii, Roslyn and Oksana joined in the battle to assist their other team of students. However the moment of their arrival, a Volti attempted an Atomic magic spell, but the fool lost control blowing himself up.

Esmii was only able to protect herself slightly, the explosion went off knocking her to the ground. Esmii struggled to get up first from the force of the explosion. Placing a hand on her head trying to shake to cobwebs, all she could hear was ringing in her ears. She could tell it was a minor concussion. She felt a fluid drip down her face, it was blood. Looking towards Roslyn, it seems that Roslyn said something but Esmii couldn't hear it, at least for now one of her right arm was burnt from the explosion, she tried to move it, the arm moved but it hurt like hell. The ringing in her ears faded and the world came back to her after some time. She tried standing, her knees were wobbly at first, with some determination she stood back up ready once more.

Seeing Marz was in danger of being struck by an attacker, she quickly went through her satchel. Pulling out a quilt and throwing it to him.

"Marz! Defend yourself with this."

Throwing it also made her fall over, it seemed her balance was still a bit off. A Volti member saw this opportunity to attack her. Esmii couldn't react fast enough, she was in trouble and she knew it. From his outfit being slightly different, she had a feeling that this one was more trained, trying to pick off the weak or injured, they wouldn't know that she was a healer. She closed her eyes, bracing for the Volti to strike her. But a familiar voice bellowed screaming.

"Stay away from her!"

Esmii knew this voice, it was Svens. It seemed that Sven managed to drive off the Volti, who was standing over his Yasoi girlfriend. He shouted other things too, but Esmii couldn't hear she was just relieved to see him. Sven sent an attack at the man, however the Volti vanished.

After the man had vanished, Roslyn came rushing over to her, with one of her binding bandages she began to wrap up Esmii's injured right arm.

"Thank you, Roslyn."

Esmii's arm started to heal with the help with the bandages that Roslyn used, Esmii was impressed by them on how effective they were, after she wondered if she'd be able to replicate them with the right resources. The Volti that tried to ambush her before attacked once more this time targeting Sven and Roslyn. She could only pick one to help defend, so she went with her gut and it picked Sven. Combining their magic they were able to fend off the attack however Roslyn wasn't so lucky. Esmii went to check on her, but was intercepted by a Volti goon he managed to hurt Esmii only slightly but the Kinetic force she knew happened and the goon was repelled back by the Kinetic energy. Esmii however stopped in her tracks by the injury she took. Sven came running towards Esmii he started to draw in an attempt to heal her. Esmii put her hand up to her Yani to stop him.

"No, not me. Heal Roslyn. She needs it more. I'll be ok.

She smiles at him. Fatigue was starting to set in on Esmii due to her injuries but she didn't want to be a burden to people. Once Sven had stabilised Roslyn, Esmii slowly made her way to Roslyn, and she placed Roslyn’s head on her knees and shouted to her.

"You hang in there, you hear me."

Almost immediately after, Sven was clutching his neck, something was wrong. Esmii rushed to his side. Standing in front of him she was frantically looking around, saying.

"Sven!"

Esmii started to panic, she didn't know what was causing this. She didn't know how to save him; she still tried to use magic to help defend him from whatever it was attacking him. However it wasn't working, fear started to set in, tears building up in her eyes. He was about to die and she couldn't do anything to protect him. When his body went limp, she lost all sense of herself, her body trembled, she shook him, no response. She tried to speak but the words were caught in her throat. She began to sob.

By some miracle, Sven stood back up. Esmii dried her eyes, confused on what was going on at first but in that moment she knew he was still alive. Which turned her tears of sadness into joy.

After the chaos had unfolded Sven collapsed to the floor and whatever he did, took its toll on him. Esmii ran to him, Tears still running down her face, he wasn't moving she assumed the worst. Kneeling beside him, she put two fingers just on his neck to check his pulse, it was faint, but he was alive. She desperately began trying to heal him, she didn't care about her own condition. She wanted her Yani safe and alive and nothing was going to stop her.

The Hourglass Order

Esmii'nesta'tawaar

---

Event: Cold Comfort

---

When the fight started everyone in the group was ready. Esmii got her staff from its holster on her back, ready to defend herself. However she noticed that the enemies were more interested with the others in the group, this annoyed Esmii a bit, which added to the anger she was already feeling. While she wasn’t getting attacked she used this time to plan her next move, and she decided to help by powering up one of the members in the group, when they can attack the enemies. While she was doing this she noticed that an Assassin had casted a big attack at Sven and she was extremely worried, but Khaliun was able to help him defend against the Assassins attack. Esmii shouted to Khaliun, “Thank you for helping Sven.”

After everyone else in the group had defended themselves, and begun their offensive spells. Esmii used this opportunity to cast a boost to help power up Sven. She drew in her manas required for the internal Chemical spell. “Sven, I hope this boost will help.” After she casted the boost and Sven had attacked, she began to feel someone staring at her with murderous intent, she glanced round and noticed that the Assassins attention was now on her. With the Assassin staring at her, she felt slightly terrified as his eyes locked onto her, like a predator hunting their prey.

With the intimidation getting to Esmii, it almost proves to be a mistake. She was more focused on the Assassin, she didn't notice one of the blue monks attacked from her blind spot. "Oh no." she mumbled. Somehow by pure luck Esmii managed to avoid a fatal strike, instead they grazed her. Then out of nowhere a powerful Kinetic slam that knocked back the Blue monk. That was close. she thought, all while wondering where that Kinetic magic came from. A second Blue monk attacked Esmii by charging straight at her, this time she was ready and created a protective bubble from Binding magic. Just as she finished defending against the second Blue monk, the Assassin decided to attack her. Giant rusty claws came from the ground and straight for her, she tried to defend herself with Chemical magic in the form of corrosion, sadly it wasn't enough and the claws grabbed her and began tearing into her flesh. Esmii thought she was going to die, however the same thing happened to the first Blue Monk. A Kinetic blast dislodged the claws from her flesh causing more damage. The Assassin was pushed back away, but it didn't affect him as much as it did as the Blue Monk.

Once she was free, Esmii crumpled to the floor. She was in agony from that attack,she had multiple wounds on her body and she was bleeding pretty bad. This is bad. I need to stop the bleeding. The Assassin thought she was finished and decided to gloat. "Tick tock!" Then with a menacing smile decided to let her bleed to death and walked away. Esmii used this opportunity to draw, once she was ready she used Binding to stop the bleeding. It took some, luckily because of her medical skills she was successful in stopping the bleeding.

Once she stopped the bleeding, she realised that so much of the battle had passed. The Abbot was trying for a big gamble, wanting to wipe himself and the students from existence. She dragged herself over towards another student, it was Yulia. Together they used their most powerful spells to defend against the atomic energy that was upon them. They were successful, but Esmii was too exhausted, she fell to her knees, panting. Yulia helped her up for a second shouting for Sven to come get her. He picked her up so she could rest and recover her strength, it seemed like the chaos that had just happened, could just be the beginning.

The Hourglass Order

Esmii'nesta'tawaar

---

Event: Cold Comfort

---

Esmii and the rest of the group decided that they wanted to have a look around a multi-floor shopping area. Have a look at some of the shops names they decide where they want to go. Giving a quick kiss to Sven, Esmii went towards the shop named "Last Leg." She didn't go alone as Roslyn accompanied her. There were a few items that piqued Esmii's interest, the binding bandages. It also seemed Roslyn was interested in them too. The two ladies easily came to an agreement by sharing them since there were ten of them. So they took five each. Esmii and Roslyn seemed to enjoy their time together shopping, and should do it again another time. Roslyn walked off to another shop, wanting to buy other things.

Esmii thought that there would be more of a crowd in the shopping area, but there wasn't. She walks into a shop called Seas Bounty. While looking at the merch that was on sale. To Esmii, there were a few pretty things for her to pick from. But there were these Seasilk wizard gloves. After an unsuccessful attempt to pay less, she bought them at their regular price. Once bought, Esmii put the gloves on, and the inside felt really soft and comfortable. However Esmii felt a little more powerful while wearing them, not a huge boost but it was noticeable. With another item bought. Esmii made her way upstairs to the second floor. She wondered how the other ones were doing and was curious if they bought anything.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor. Atop one of the shops named Dragons Fyre, was a dragon. Esmii noticed the beautiful creature, she immediately wanted to buy it, if it was for sale. Running inside the shop she went to a merchant asking about the dragon on the roof. They said it was a Harlequin Kite that was missing one leg, and would be very attached to its owner. This didn't matter to her. The merchant was a little reluctant to sell it, but Esmii somehow managed to persuade them to sell it, at a discount. They even offered her a piece of Jerky at a discount to try and help her train it better. Walking back out with the jerky, she met up with her boyfriend. "Hi sweetie, I got a pet dragon." pointing up to the Kite. "I'm gonna feed it this jerky, hopefully it'll like me." Sven was a little worried about her, so he stayed nearby.

Getting the Kite's attention was easy after it caught the smell of the jerky. It hopped off the roof of the shop landing in front of Esmii. "What a beautiful creature you are." Esmii said admiring its green skin, its glorious rainbow wings. Holding the jerky up to it, "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." as if it'd be able to understand her. The Kite dragon slowly approached her unsure about her, now close enough Esmii could feel it's the air coming from its nose as it sniffed the jerky. Sven was on the edge, praying that it wouldn't attack her. That didn't happen, the dragon started to grab the jerky in its mouth, trying not to bite Esmii. Once it had hold of it, Esmii let go of it, and the dragon devoured it. Esmii smiled while Sven sighed in relief. Esmii tried her luck more, slowly, she placed a hand on the dragon face to pet it. It was curious about her intentions at first but the dragon moved its head under her hand. Then it seemed it wanted to test her, so it lowered its body so she could hop on it for a ride. Esmii lifted a leg over the dragon's body. She sat perfectly on its body. Then not giving her time to prepare, the dragon took to the sky….

Seems that Reshta wanted to test Esmii, to see if she was worthy to ride her. So she flew straight up, when that wasn't enough she tried diving, sharp turns. Luckily for Esmii, it seems that she was that high up she wasn't under the effects of what was suppressing magic, so in a panic, she drew as fast as she could. Using binding magic, she was able to make a harness for herself so Reshta couldn't throw her off. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Esmii screamed while on this thrill ride.

After several minutes of trying to throw Esmii off her, it seemed that she was worthy, so she started to fly normally. Once Esmii was able to calm herself, she managed to get a great view of the surrounding area. There was a particularly large and dense pile of rubble within the collapse.
Some trickles of smoke from the ground above where the monastery is dug into the cliffs, she spotted things that looked like ventilation shafts.
Some miles to the south, she see a camp with a number of figures in it.
Just a bit to the east of town will be a second camp. She saw something she recognized, it the Royal Standard of Vossoriya on one of the tents, indicating that they're working for the monarchy.
As Reshta swooped low over the town at one point, just a bit west of the collapse, you'll notice a hegelan boy waving at you from within a blacksmith's shop. It's not clear if he's just waving because the dragon or he's trying to get your attention. "I'll have to let the others know what I've seen up here. It could be a clue to help us find Marz." It seemed that Reshta was done flying for now as she made her way back to the shops. The landing wasn't the greatest. Esmii was thrown off from the landing and landed on her butt. "Ow…" after a few seconds she got up, rubbing her backside. Reshta nuzzled Esmii's face with her head then flew back onto the Dragon Frye roof, as if she'll wait here until Esmii is done or it still wasn't sure about her and this could be another test. "I won't be too long, you stay here for now.

Arriving on the Third floor, Esmii had no idea where to go next, so she had a look in Better Bedding. There were a lot of nice and pretty thing available for her. Bit the one that caught her eye was something known as the indomitable quilt, it was very soft and comfortable. "Ooh, this is nice. Excuse me, I'd like to buy this." Once purchased, she wondered if there was some way that she could style it into a cloak of some sort, but she'll save that for another time.

Starting to feel a bit bored she made her way back to the second floor to collect Reshta, and together they made their way back to the first floor. Esmii decided to go back into the Seas Bounty, to see if any of her companions were here, sadly they weren't, so she decided to buy some other things while she was there. Three Barnacles she bought, when she left the shop, Esmii opened them. Inside of them was a Mana shot, a bottle of scented wildflower and a magical wand. Happy with the stuff she has she slowly walked with Reshta to find the others.

Harold's Academy for the Magically Inclined

Aurora Celeste

The vitesse of a performer has a different feel to it; you can sense it from this fifth year from the House of Harold; she's got her flute in one hand, her feet dancing away, and a stack of playing cards supercharged for one hell of an explosive finale.

Aurora Celeste

◈ A p p e a r a n c e ◈
With long white hair that goes down her back she sports some flowers that she places in various colors. her sun kissed skin. She wears a small jewelled crown that rests on her head. Both of her ears have piercings in them. Her outfit is pretty simple, with a simple cloak that can cover the top part of her body. For her upper body, she wear a dress that has a white top with its neck line just round her collar. Her midsection has a purple corset style to it. The bottom has a long skirt that goes to her knees, she wears leggings underneath with black shoes with a bit of a heal on them.

◈ "You just place one foot in front of the other." ◈

◈ N a m e
Aurora Celeste

◈ S p e l l c a s t e r N a m e
Harlequin

◈ A g e, H e i g h t, a n d W e i g h t
18, 5'7", 137lbs

◈ R a c e
Mystic

◈ G e n d e r
Female

◈ S e x u a l O r i e n t a t i o n
Unknown

◈ Y e a r
5th Year

◈ P e t
Cait called Luna

◈ H o u s e
House of Harold

◈ I l l u m i n a i r e
No

◈ C l a s s e s

◈ Gifts

◈ Theatre

◈ Combat Training

◈ Music

◈ Teamwork

◈ Herbology

◈ A r e Y o u O n Y o u r H o u s e ' s W a a g a T e a m?
No

◈ "Take your next step, it's easy." ◈

◈ P e r s o n a l i t y
Flexible◈ Acrobatic◈ Passionate◈ Confident◈ Musical

At times Aurora can be a bit distant with new people.with people she knows she incredibly sweet to them, always wanting to talk to them or play her flute for them to help ease and be sociable, she tries to socialise with others, but it ends with mixed results, still she tries to talk to people, however her performance skill are far better than her social skills. If someone wants to know how to play the flute or learn how to dance she'll happily teach you.

◈ H i s t o r y
Aurora never knew who her parents were. She was found by a group of performers. At first they weren't willing to look after her, mostly travelling around all the time. Always on the move was not suitable for a small child. Eventually they found out that Aurora didn't have anyone else, they felt bad plus mixed with Aurora's persistence, so they took her with them. So she travelled with them.

Travelling around Aurora wanted to help them earn money by pulling her own weight. Unsure what they could have her do, they let her start off small with a Tambourine and a Flute. She'd spend days learning how to play them. She'd perform with the rest of the group while they danced, juggling as well as balancing acts. To Aurora, this group of 15 people were her life, her family. The woman who mostly looked after her, as well as gave her the lessons to play instruments, was the closest she had to a mother figure. Once older, Aurora started to learn how to dance. Learning to move to the rhythm, she was a bit clumsy at first but she picked it up. As she got older, she learnt most of what everyone else could do. Eventually she was helping with some acts as an extra. She loved every moment of it. She wasn't doing it for the fame she was making her family proud.

While performing an act with another, they were juggling batons back and forth to one another. It was at this point out of nowhere, one of the batons exploded, injuring Aurora's fellow performer. This somehow caused a chain reaction as the other batons were now scattered in the sudden incident, also exploded. This caused mass panic with the audience, a few people were hurt but the other performer was the only one who was hurt the most. It seemed that after some discussion and investigation it turned out Aurora had magic and accidentally used her magic on the batons which caused them to explode. Now there was a division in the group, some wanted Aurora to leave while others wanted her to stay.

◈ R e p u t a t i o n
Aurora had to be careful at first, in case she blew something up hurting someone. She did have accidents here and there but gladly no one was hurt. She tried to keep herself away from the other students until she was able to control her magic. She made a few friends, but preferably kept her distance. To people meeting her for the first time wouldn't be sure on why but they found out eventually. She'd often play her flute while dancing around the school her old habit still there at her very core, she'd get applause for her performances which made her happy.

◈ G o a l s
She wants to make her family proud. Able to perform in big areas while mentioning her family so they'll have bigger crowds when they perform. Or get a stage that they don't need to travel everywhere, and are able to start a normal life settled down in one spot.

◈ R e l a t i o n s
The only family she's really had was the group of performers that raised her. They all hold a very special place in her heart and she misses th all, especially her adopted mother.

◈ "Sometimes you only need a good smile." ◈

◈ M y s t i c C l a s s i f i c a t i o n
Astra

◈ G i f t
Molecular Acceleration

◈ M y s t i c C o d e
Aurora has the power to take the potential energy stored in an object and convert it to kinetic energy, thus “charging” that item with explosive results, The object can explode on its own, or she can click her fingers to make the object explode. She prefers to charge smaller objects, like playing cards, as the time required to charge them is greatly reduced and they are much easier for her to throw.

◈ L i m i t a t i o n s a n d W e a k n e s s e s
To apply more energy into an object requires more time to charge it. If she loses focus the object that is charged can detonate prematurely, it could hurt someone else. She can only pour her energy into inanimate objects, sadly it doesn't work against living things. She has to touch the object with her bare skin in order to charge it. Lastly objects can slowly start to lose their charge after a certain amount of time bigger objects lose their charge faster.