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Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Old Aimlenn Backstreets
Interactions: Sergio @VahkiDane

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Neither did I, but here we both are. "Sure, just looking out for a fellow, is all. Though really, I'm kinda disappointed! Thought you may be a 'I'm secretly the heir to the throne and I'm hiding from assassins' or something exciting like that. Now come on, we're late already."

The route that Lein led Sergio on was not so much a coherent route as it was a collection of twists and hidden corners. Occasionally Though the pair started off on the well-trodden cobblestone streets, with a couple turns between the alleyways of the pair soon began to tread into dirt roads that had clearly not weathered time gracefully. Though the whole journey didn't take long, with the number of times Lein simply dodged into a place betwixt crates of merchandise and continue down what was supposedly a walk-through.

Lein didn't afford the courtesy to slow down for Sergio as he navigated the passageways, even as the trickle of passerby became choking torrents. The Hundi runt, disappearing frequently in crowds due to his tiny height, knew the way from the sight of the old roofs alone. If his temporary charge couldn't keep up? Eh, Sergio looked like he could use a night or two outside.

Signs that enthusiastically informed of new wares were soon replaced with scrawled symbols, rusting off their hinges, before being entirely abandoned in favor of the shopkeepers arresting attention with whistles and shouts. The bleached walls of the main streets similarly gave way to patches of yellow and black mold, many times exposing the skeletal weave of wattle below the mud wall. Some wounds were crammed with sacks, others simply covered with a panel and little else.

Like a forest canopy these buildings had several levels stacked up on top of each other, with each subsequent roof being larger than the one below. They loomed over the passageways, creaking with strain yet somehow finding sturdiness enough to not come crashing down, making each passerby perform the remarkable feat of bravery of simply ignoring the possibility.

Lein had taken to a quick fondness to this place, finding a sort of comfort in the chaotic rabble of architecture and humanity. As ill-taken as it were, Lein had seen places twisted with vitriol and at the very least, this was not yet one of them. It was more a consequence of neglect: a collective forgetting as new buildings bloomed outward and left the old to accumulate grime and mold. The air was filled with the overwhelming smell of lavender pushing down the algae that had been ill-drained and gathered in brackish puddles, but the metallic smell of blood was absent.

As chaotic and crowded as the streets became, there was a notable accumulation of glances toward the Knight and the Hundi guide. Lein was used to the attention - it was a ways off from Ithillin, and he had long since given up to the fact that the mischievous street urchin would hop up behind the Hundi and tug at his tail. He'd just trust that the stares were of idleness rather than scorn. It would be less clear for Sergio, however, with his coat and general cleanliness (apart from where Lein had kindly slapped dirt over) being distinctly fine and well-made compared to the coarse yellow-green tunics. The folk here never bothered to discern the fine looks of the Knights that dwelt in the castle, and neither the Knights towards them. As far as they were concerned, the towering walls and occasional guard was sign enough of their presence.

As they continued deeper and deeper, wooden box firmly in tow, Lein produced an apple from his stash (read: absconded from an inattentive shopkeep) and kept it juggling across his prosthetic hand as he pushed along. "Nearly there~" Lein said, glancing back and clearly enjoying himself.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Outside Castle Candaeln
Interactions: Sergio @VahkiDane

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"Well, it is a private affair..." Lein met Sergio's suspicious stare with a curious look, like a cat looking over a new toy. "Oh well, one more pair of eyes wouldn't dare hurt." You'll have to blend a bit, eh?" The Hundi patted the jacket yet again, leaving another mark of dirt over it. With a visible cheer, Lein swung around, the contents of the box thudding dully within.

As they started their way into town, Lein kept an eye on his new...companion. Some inevitable scars, yes, but Sergio was more well-kept than most of the Knights he had seen. At least, if an artist was to frame him, the red-maned Knight looked the part for a nobleman. From what Lein had heard, it wasn't quite far off the mark either. "Say, I hear you were a high-born. What would drive an upitty one like you to throw a lot in with the Roses?" Lein asked.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Outside Castle Candaeln
Interactions: Sergio @VahkiDane

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"If the Gods took offense against every blaggard in town, half of our men should've been smited to dust already." Lein said, maintaining his careless smile and shifting the wooden box away from Sergio's prodding hands.

"I'm going nowhere of import. Just a hovel to indulge a few old fellows is all." Lein gave a tug at Serigo's jacket, a far finer garb in comparison to Lein's coarsely made tunic. "At least, nowhere a fine coat like this belongs." Bright red jackets like these were liable to be stolen in the older streets, and would surely mark him as a target of wealth. Though even if it were stolen, the fence was out of town anyway.

"Now, if you'd excuse the curiosity, where do you plan to head?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Outside Castle Candaeln
Interactions:

---

Lein breathed a sigh of relief as the other knights had quickly followed up on the open opportunity and dealt the finishing blows. As he surveyed the battlefield. Those who wore the Bandit King's colors were all now dead or going the same way, and many knights were raising their weapons in victory. Lein regarded the beast, its fearsome beak that had threatened to shred Lein just a minute ago now holding its own blood-ridden guts. Certainly, there was a sense of victory to have but there was an inevitable tinge of sadness to have reduced a beast of heraldry to a carcass. He should make best use of what was left.

Before others could claim their own trophies, Lein plucked a handful of the largest pinions and folded them into his armor, careful not to ruffle them out of shape. Some of them could be kept as mementos, perhaps others he could fetch a handsome exchange from a thrill-seeking noble. Either way, there was coin here - the griffin would gift its last. As he filed out with the rest of the knights, he look one last glancing look across the broken field that now housed littered corpses of bandits and knights alike, and rested an eye on the remains of a man who had boasted the title "Bandit King".

So goes all glory.

-<>-

Finally, some downtime. Lein had been craving to simply kick back and relax on the castle walls or badger the touchy lion knight Serenity, shooting an amused look at Morianne after Serenity growled a warning toward her, but he had a couple choice matters to attend to first. The march was rather short for sure, but some businesses should not halt. Lein peeled off his armor and heaped it into the approximation of organization (whoever suffered the most at the sight of badly racked equipment was sure to tidy up anyway), and jumped into a set of worn and gangly tunics.

Sparing little time, Lein sped past the rest of the Knights and hopped his way down to below the bridge, careful to pick the path most shaded with rocks and reeds. There - a modest wooden object, tucked neatly up against the meeting of two broken tiles. He deftly slid it out of its moss-covered hiding place and rattled it to make sure the contents were intact. Two soft thuds. Good, looks like none touched this one. Lein just had to make sure to deliver them properly.

As he rounded back up toward the bridge, the box slung behind the shoulder in a fishing net, Lein bumped into a tall figure with fiery red hair, nearly tripping the Hundi runt over in his unbreaking stride. Sergio. Hmm. The red-headed noble struck Lein as somewhat of a prude, the preening sort that visited the local church once every day and twice on off-days. The occasion scars Lein spied from across the training field did tell of battles vicious, but there was something about the pious types that rubbed Lein the wrong way. Still, not much of someone to be wary of, as long as Sergio wasn't somehow tied to the blood-sucking crone.

Ears twitching innocuously, Lein smiled. "Reon's tits, going somewhere fast?"

Delta End

Adalia

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Location: Locker Room
Interactions: Rokkit @Lucius Cypher

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Adalia took a second to try and decipher the words that came out of Rokkit's mouth. She was already flustered from running into the instructor, and her brain had little processing power left to actually figure much else out besides repeating the phrase DON'T BREAK DOWN over and over. Grot? Was that a codeword? Adalia had missed a briefing for sure, and now she couldn't even understand what anyone was saying.

Adalia's voice squeaked, somehow too quiet and too loud at different syllables. "I - uh, Adalinthal."

Get a grip! This is your squadmates she was talking to! Adalia's nails dug harder into the inhaler plastic, threatening to break it despite Adalia's lack of grip strength. She straightened herself up and as best as she could, tried to look back at the giant in front of her in a respectable manner.

"A-Adalia Isola Rosenthal! Thank you to meet your acquaintance!" She shouted and inadvertently squinted, perhaps from the instinctual body language that had she offended Rokkit, the tiny cat was little more than a stress ball's squeeze away from death.

Rosenthal would be a household name to most of the residents who had dipped their toes in either the gambling trade, or the illegal Anima trade, being an open secret that the suits who ran some of the fanciest high-stakes casinos were also the ones handling arms out the back. Adalia, having used an alias most of her life, had to submit her real details when registering, something that she hoped wouldn't backfire on her somehow. Either way, she wasn't here to represent the Rosenthal name - for now, she just had to hold together and not screw up any more than she already had.

That meant getting this tactical gear on somehow, deciphering how where all the straps and transceivers were supposed to go over her clothes - no, wait, the left leg wasn't going to the right - were these buckles always this loose? - Adalia looked sideways at the strangers in the locker-room and tried to hop into a corner where she would draw less attention with her display of sartorial incompetence.

Delta End

Adalia

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Location: Entrance of the Tower
Interactions: Rokkit @Lucius Cypher

---

It took a hundred thousand years for Adalia's mind to finally admit that she was in fact, at the Tower. The next hundred thousand years was then spent trying to convince the rest of the body to acknowledge the same. The Tower. The Tower.

Next to her, a couple of security officers sauntered by at a pace of a century per step. Oh no. They were just walking at a normal pace. It was just Adalia who was stuck in this strange protraction of time within herself. And by the time she could get back to real time, she realized that time indeed did not wait for her - marching quarter of an hour ahead of her and leaving the paralyzed cat on the stairway. C'mon Adalia! You're going to be late! She thought to herself, fiddling with her inhaler within her pocket. She didn't need it quite yet, but to Adalia the feel of the smooth plastic; the option of using the inhaler, was comforting enough to develop a habit.

"Agent Rosenthal?" An unfamiliar voice rumbled next to her.

"No - sorry!" Adalia squeaked, instinctively blurting out the first thing she could think of. For the second time in the last hour, her tail puffed up defensively, tucked firmly between her legs. Her nerves took a second to catch back up, though it did not stand to help, either. "Uh, h-hello!" She forced her expression to be at least calm; and if failing that, at least attentive in case it was her new boss. Unwittingly, it came off as profoundly unnerved.

Thankfully, the one who addressed her was a coolly dressed gentleman, who, if he noticed Adalia's uneven tone, did not show it. "You are wanted in the vehicle bay. The elevator is to your left."

Somehow it was even worse that the man didn't acknowledge Adalia's disheveled reply. Flushing red and numb from embarrassment, Adalia scurried off to wherever whoever the person had pointed her to. Adalia didn't really have the bandwidth to ask any questions. As soon as the rush of having to speak to an unfamiliar person left her system, a new flood of thoughts entered her mind, raucously derailing all other trains of thought.

I messed up I messed up I messed up I messed up I messed up

The first day I didn't even start anything and I messed up

What happens if
Such a ramble was only stopped by an abrupt wall - in her anxiety-ridden trance, Adalia had run straight into a masked lady. Not even knowing who she bumped into, she blurted out, "Sorry! It won't happen again! Please don't fire me!"

Alayna, previously having stood with her back towards the entrance, slowly turned around after what felt like a light breeze crashing against her from behind, followed by desperate pleading. The second in command’s eyes, including the ones on her mask, were darting around the room to locate the source of the noise. Each eye was looking in a different direction and not at all synchronously as would be expected of so many eyes. No, it was hard to imagine how disordered, rapid eye movement could possibly lead to a clear picture in Alayna’s mind- Yet in her mental eye Alayna now saw a perfect representation of the room, the inner workings of how that was possible were only known to herself. Once Adalia was spotted, Alayna’s eyes would all quickly focus on her, piercing the timid woman with her gaze.

”You’re late, Agent Rosenthal. Care to explain yourself?”

Alayna spoke with a stern tone while having her arms crossed, not pleased with the tardiness of Adalia. Under normal circumstances she’d be thrown out then and there, however, as per Nevyn’s request they would not go to such extreme measures for now.

Adalia's heart sank even lower. Explain herself? She didn't even know why she was here in the first place! Adalia's eyes were lost trying to figure out which pair of eyes was the 'correct' one to look at, eventually settling on looking meekly at the ground. No wait, it wasn't the time - her mouth had already hung open in a mid-stammer, demanding a response. Didn't she watch a tutorial on this?! What did the guy say? What did he say? No, no, that's right - it was one of:

1. Break down, screaming hysterically and retreat back to her home. Down an entire tub of ice-cream.
2. Pretend she didn't hear the question and hide in the toilet for the next 30 minutes.
3. Option 1, but scream louder.

At the last second, some tiny corner of her brain managed to regain volition and force out a response before her fight or flight instincts pressed all three options at once.
"S-sorry! I, um, didn't, wasn't sure where the Tower was?" Her tone wavered, acknowledging itself that the truth of the situation sounded incredibly stupid.

”You… weren’t sure where the Tower was?”

Alayna replied, obviously being a bit taken aback by that reply. How could one not know where the Tower was? This sky-piercing structure, reaching far beyond the clouds, was a beacon of light and safety for the citizens of the 2nd, visible from practically anywhere that wasn’t exactly where the outer borders of the 2nd Pillar were. Then again, Alayna had observed Aladia on the security cameras together with Nevyn, knowing full well that the naïve young woman had been here on time; She simply had not entered the building on time, for whatever reason.

”A-Anyways, we do not have time for this. You’re not expelled, nor thrown out or anything like that- But the Commander is expecting you in his office after your mission to have a word with you.”

Alayna replied after adjusting her posture.

”Speaking of which…”

She raised her right arm, pointing towards the large door to the left of Aladia with her long, boney fingers.

”Your first mission has already commenced, Agent Rosenthal. You’ll be briefed on the way there. Your colleagues are waiting behind that door where the locker room is. Please find your locker, grab your gear, and follow your fellow Agents as they have been instructed properly. Once onboard the vehicle, everything will be explained to you via your communication device.”

Adalia was both relieved and dismayed at Alayna’s assurance. Relieved, of course, that Adalia’s profoundly stupid explanation for her tardiness didn’t elicit immediate laughter. Yet it would surely have been easier for her to just get kicked out, and take the opportunity to reflect on her poor life choices? And to have to explain herself to the Commander...

This sentiment was especially pronounced when Alayna ushered her toward the new locker room, mentioning a mission. A mission? It was her first day on the job! Wasn’t there orientation day? A meet and greet? Adalia did sign for being an Agent knowing full well it was to be a fast paced job (actually, scratch that, she was already out of her depth) - but the thought of handling both meeting strangers AND going out to what was undoubtedly a real life combat situation curdled at the pit of Adalia stomach. But Adalia had embarrassed herself far too much already to ask any questions.

“Thank you! Uh-” Adalia searched for a nametag, and found none. Address, address - Mrs. or Ms, out the question, getting the wrong rank was going to be disrespectful, or maybe it was - she was overthinking things again, just go with the default; “Yes, um, Ma'am!''

What did the lady tell her again? The instructions were lost among the mental din. But the word ‘locker’ and ‘teammates’ came up when she pointed, so Adalia simply scurried back across the room and through the door - and straight into yet another person, this time belonging to a giant green man. She bounced off it like a teddy bear thrown against a wall. “AH! I’M SO SORRY!”

As Alanya watched Adalia hurry towards the locker room, she couldn’t help but sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

”What on earth is he thinking?

Alayna mumbled to herself as the tardy recruit disappeared behind the automatically closing doors. For now, however, it mattered not- There were more immediate things to take care of. Alayna turned her focus towards the support staff and confidently marched towards them, ready to help and instruct both them and the agents via communications moving forward.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Bandit Camp, Near Griffin
Interactions: Griffin @Raineh Daze

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"Gotcha."

Lein had missed; but his split-second aim had been enough to still hit his quarry, snapping it out of its jagged pouncing. The slug had buried itself into the griffin's legs, instantly sending a shock of heat to the prideful beast. A volatile mixture of rage and surprise coated the griffin's piercing gaze towards him - the measly dog that had dared to punch up the food-chain. Or perhaps a cold calculation that though one arrow was not enough to cripple it, the risk of more iron burning inside of it was far too dangerous.

As the griffin turned to face the Hundi archer, invariable fear pumped through his veins, the deepest recesses of instinct wrestling for command. It was familiar, the pounding sense of fire, coiling itself around his muscles. It came with a title, the purpose that was ascribed to Lein the moment he had ever stepped unto a training field. 'Bait', for the runt of the pack who had to rely on cheap tactics to get his way. Unfortunately for Lein, he was good at dodging both wild animals and enraged opponents. Bated breaths and claws scraping the fur off his ears had become commonplace, to be expected.

Fortunately for Lein, facing down the beast barrelling towards him, he had become very good at his job indeed. The last possible moment. Don't let them look away. Make them fully commit. And then do the only thing that the bait had to do - survive. Lein shifted his heels into the ground, assuring itself of its grip on the ground. Then he stared right back into the acidic yellow eyes filled with predatory wrath, his expression inadvertently grim but steady.

"Here I am." Lein's breath soured as he pressed the weight against the ground, thighs as taut as bowstrings. The ash was denser closer to the ground, but Lein kept his eyes trained on the griffin's stare all the same. "Nothing but me."

The griffin's powerful legs lurched itself off the ground, its injury not enough to hamper its leap, surrendering attention to all else but to tear its prey apart, to satiate the pain of its wound through vengeful hunt. It flexed its wings as it soared, throwing up a sheet of smoke that cast a dark fan of shadow that almost engulfed Lein's vision in its entirety. Lein had not expected the griffin to risk the leap with Fleuri and Lucas weighing it down, but no matter -

Nerves fractionated seconds. Movement into moments.

Just before the talons would find a fountain of warm Hundi blood, Lein twisted his weight and launched himself directly sideways, diving shoulder-first into a roll and fluidly breaking out into another leap to create as much distance as possible. All the while, Lein's fingers kept a fresh metal bolt against the bowstring, threatening the griffin with another slug should it ever tear its attention away from him. Lein just had to hope that his compatriots would do their job now - there was little chance that the bait would get out unscathed if the trap didn't spring.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Bandit Camp, Flanking Griffon
Interactions: Lucas @Saiyan Morianne @Psychic Loser Griffon @Raineh Daze

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Lein ducked again as the griffon knocked his - and Cecil's - arrows off their marks, leaving the griffon unscathed and still very much lively. Lein huffed an air full of hot smoke as the gale caught him as he drew another bolt, and he had to cough out his curses among his growls. "Files de pute, should've seen that one coming..."

Although Lein failed to get its aggression, the griffon had nonetheless become occupied by the gleaming spear-point of Serenity's advance, too distracted to address the two knights that had circled around toward the beast's back. Or was it because of the faint lilt from somewhere within the chaos, beckoning command? Ah wait, I know you'll always be on top? You'll know I'll always be…on top? Lein knew only one person who'd sincerely sing a string of weird double-ententes out and think to try it on some flailing mass of a beast, and that'd be the resident troubadour Morianne. Though Lein was the fool this time, watching the griffon's weave of swipes against Serenity become ever so slightly disjointed and hesitant.

Lein's eyes kept a trained attention back to the pile of darts he had cast into the fire. The slick iron darts had now become a dull crimson, ever so lightly glowing within the heat. Perhaps he had missed the chance to be the bait, but he could still be the trap. The griffon, as keen as its senses may be, was nonetheless a beast - a predator built on instinct and reaction. Surprise would break its focus, its first impulse to throw the ambushers off its back. That moment. That would be the split second Lein needed to punch some damage into the griffon.

The Hundi hunter scanned his surroundings warily as he switched his firing arm, his left now holding the bow while the other, metallic counterpart wavered hawkish above the flicker of the flame, the carved bone digits undeterred by the rising heat. Maybe I should get my other arm ripped off. Lein thought, some part of him darkly amused by the fact that his prosthetic was the one that could even enable him to grab these charges.

A bulk of the bandits had converged to the far side of the battlefield, leaving little to harass his line of fire. His timing had to be perfect. Knock it too late, and the griffon could regain purchase over itself and knock his bolts from the air again, or worse, have a chance to retaliate against the ambushers. Knock it too early, then he'd have to risk the searing heat of the bolt burning his bow and arm. Not that he'd need that time to actually draw - his aim just had to be perfect without lining up his sight.

The rear leg. The back length of it, carrying the major tendons. A big enough target.

Rope coiled, the potential motion stored firmly within the tension. An intricate collection of pulleys and enchanted metalwork clicked and confirmed its readiness.

As soon as Lucas' figure sprung from his nest, the machinery exploded into action, digits kicking up embers as it snatched a bolt from the fire, bowstring cracking dis-harmoniously with the sizzling of iron, and the bolt itself, trailing faint white smoke as it rocketed toward the griffon's leg.

Delta End

Adalia

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Location: Entrance of the Tower
Interactions:

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Brrrnnng.

Adalia was quite fond of blankets. She had quite the collection of them back in her studio in the 4th pillar, ranging for all sorts of weathers and materials, all of them self-cleaning and lined with heating mats for the perfect temperature control. The ones she had around her weren't quite as fancy, being the simple, standard linen ones that was provided for her from the research outpost, but Adalia had long since gotten used to the plastic, synthetic feel and found it comforting nonetheless. It was adequate enough for its current usage, wrapped tightly around her in a blanket burrito and giving Adalia' head and tail just enough room to poke out and groggily look around, ears twitching at the alarm clock's shrill beeping noise.

Brrrnnng.

No wait, it wasn't an alarm clock at all. Adalia's stomach churned. No, an alarm would be far more preferable, as it would be a reminder that all was going according to a schedule, and all Adalia had to do was switch it off and drift back off to her unharried slumber. But alas, it was the alarm clock's close cousin the phone reminder bell, and that was the herald of something far more sinister. Adalia squirmed back into the safety of the blanket wrapping and squeezed down her ears, hoping that it was a mere delusion.

BRRNNNG.

It was nothing. She just imagined it.

BRRNNNG.

Maybe she accidentally set the alarm clock sound all weird and it just coincidentally -

BRRNNNG. BRRNNNG. BRRNNNG.

Oh no. Adalia let out a muffled squeak. It was happening. It was today, and today she had to go out to face the reality outside the burrito.

An Agent.

Adalia tossed the word around in her mind as she went about her daily routine (or rather, letting the dresser's automated arm take care of everything for her), each time feeling the word burn slightly harder against her thoughts. An Agent. What was she thinking when she had applied for it? That it would be some sort of new adventure? Like a sort of picnic? Like tea and crumpets while getting boulders or explosives or bullets or fire thrown at her? Adalia would have cursed her past self had it not been for the fact that she had already resigned herself to her fate last night, over mocktails and online tutorials on how to make a good first impression at a new work place. Not that she thought had the mind to put any of that into practice. Instead, she had to satisfy herself by nearly dropping her breakfast sandwich and coming dangerously close to simply running back into the blanket fortress.

I-it's okay, Adalia. Calm down. You've got this. You're good with everything, you're qualified for this position. You're confident, you're cool, you can do this. Adalia thought to herself, wrapping fresh bandages around her arms just, well, just so she could do something. Adalia pressed down on her hair, trying to get rid of the stray strand that insisted on its outward position. Maybe.

"Lady Rosenthal." An elderly man dressed in a sharp blue suit and silver-blue hair exquisitely brushed bowed toward her as Adalia stumbled out of her studio, a slick black sedan whirring gently behind him. Adalia nearly jumped out of her own skin, completely shocked at the sight of the butler despite having known him ever since the day she ever remembered. Adalia couldn't quite manage to restore her composure, tail still tucked firmly between her legs, but she still managed a shaky smile. "Senath! Y-you're here! And uh, yeah!"
"You are far more eloquent than usual, miss." Senath said wryly, before opening the sedan door up for her. "The Kazmiertz Residence sends their regards."

Adalia sniffed, barely keeping a straight face against a fresh swirl of dread surging within her. "Thank you. Senath. I'll try." Adalia said hoarsely, and squeezed herself into the car.

The ride was uneventful, at least for the 2nd Pillar. Adalia had spent nary a month in the residence in the upscale side of the 2nd Pillar, and still she quickly got used to the constant buzzing of people of all shapes and race flitting across the streets, the insistence of the holo-signs that occasionally swooped down against the windows and the cat-calls of food-stalls. It wasn't so obnoxious near the Civitas, at least, and Senath expertly navigated through the chaos of the inner city traffic to land her at - Adalia took a big breath from her puffer to make sure she was still breathing - the IX Tower. Or was it just called the Tower? D-did she get the wrong address? Adalia knocked herself out of her train of thoughts. Focus. It was literally the only 'Tower' there was in the whole district. She just had to walk up and show her identifications, and off she'd go. A real Agent.

Adalia did not go in, not until Senath gently tapped her on the shoulder and handed her handbag. "You'll do more than fine, Adalia." Senath said with a warm gaze. Adalia only nodded, watching her last means of turning back drive off and disappear between the traffic. Adalia turned to stare at the entrance, dread crystalizing into numbness.

Just go in, right?

She was meant to be here, right?

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lein

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Location: Bandit Camp, Forward Position
Interactions: Serenity @ERode Lucas @Saiyan Renar @Psyker Landshark Griffon @Raineh Daze

---

Lein spared no time with the opportunity opened by the other knights, arrows cleaving paths through the rain of blood and fire. Had it not been in the middle of the battle, he would have permitted himself a moment of grim awe at the display of magic before him. Perhaps he would have thrown out a joke or so, shooting a jealous look at the enchanted crystalline bow and pitying himself at the mundanity of his own bow, had it not been for the shriek of fear that rang out from the cage before him, the ripping of sheared metal, and the flurry of claw and plume that heralded the beast to emerge from the cage. It would be more than easy to give it its name - but the silhouette needed no name to command attention from all those who saw it.

What was a man to react to the emergence of this towering beast, whose wings were stitched against the banners of so many claims to regality? Would it be a reaction of sheer instinct, the undeniable impulse that racked the cores of a prey facing a predator? Would it be awe at the macabre magnificence, violence infused with wild pride? Perhaps it would be sane to be riddled by both, as many that surrounded Lein already were, watching half-entranced as the beast swooped down and with a twist of its beak, tore a man's neck clean from the body.

But not quite for Lein, who had paid his fair share of flesh to let his guile speak louder than his instincts. Even as the griffon let out its piercing cry, electricity coursed through Lein's nerves, overriding all that would set him running and setting his mind alight. He ducked and flattened himself against the ground as the griffon sent waves of ember and ash crashing around him, eyes darting sharply at his surroundings as his prosthetic hand caught the heat flying across his face. Breath in. Out. Griffon. Serenity. Two knights, still alive. Four bandits, dead or disarmed. More beyond that, stunned.

As soon as he felt the wind die down across his ears, the Hundi ranger sprang from the ground and ripped free the iron bolts that had been fitted across his band-quiver, digging his heels against the perforated ground and fluidly kicking up the dirt before him. As soon as he was out of the range of the griffon's swipes, Lein flicked another arrow into his bow and unloaded it against the shoulder joints of a nearby bandit rushing towards them. Griffon against Serenity - they needn't any more distractions.

Flanking them, Lein tracked the two knights rushing towards them, themselves flanked by yet more bandits that had by now shaken off their own shock and were converging on their location. One white haired knight in particular was still looked dazed, face flushed with both confusion and determination. Lein furrowed his brow. What was this one doing? Wasn't this the same knight who rushed headlong into the ambush? Mania - ignorance - arrogance - or - Lein's ears picked up the clinking of chains, and there was no need for further explanation.

Lein breathed sharp and deep, tasting the bitter air through his teeth as he strode in an arc around the beast, flanking it directly opposite to the white knight's trajectory. A flaring orange at the corner of his eyes confirmed what he had been looking for - fire. Lein threw the bolts into the flickering hearth, the steel crackling as it met the heat inside. Lein loaded the last into his bow, locking the metal firmly betwixt his thumb ring and bowstring. The bowstring cracked its approval, limbs steadying its sway as Lein's eyes guided the glinting arrowhead down the battlefield against his mark. The most painful, the most crucial part of the beast. With one explosive exhale, Lein let the bow roar an acceptance of the beast's challenge, an iron dart poised to pierce the griffon's wings joints.