O A K R I D G E A C A D E M Y -{}- Nicholas Vanceon -{}- T h e L o u n g e
Even as he gazed at the neatly placed parts in front of him, dark-colored pupils refused to comprehend the reality of the surreal visage before them. Nicholas "Niko" Vanceon had made the same decision he made every Saturday and laid claim to the same patch of black wall and dark tiled floor that had become synonymous with his presence. The Lounge also remained as lively and abundant with the noise of amalgamated conversation as it always had been on weekends. The bright lighting and recreational activities strewn about the area did little to distract the recently graduated Guardian from the routine he created for himself. The array of mechanical parts placed neatly together rested on a rectangle of black fabric that had grown dingy with obvious years of use and a smattering of scattered clusters comprised of beige spots. In spite of the cloth they rested on, the parts themselves held the sheen and luster of a fresh clean and polish. Niko quickly became attached to his weekly cleaning of the weapon he held dear, but this particular session was more important than any of the previous. There was no more preparation or time for training; the recently graduated Guardian was already on the cusp of his first official mission.
Sitting cross-legged in front of his disassembled trick weapon, Niko continued to contemplate the situation. It was everything he wanted, truth be told. Having been admitted to the academy a lot later than most students, the twenty-three year old had struggled to stand out amongst the litter of his class, but it was only due to the determination he had fostered in the pursuit of his ultimate goal. Now that graduation was seven days behind him, the pressure he felt dissipated. One of the hardest parts of the journey was always going to be the initial academy training and now that was virtually finished. With a few blinks back into reality, he began the process of putting everything back together. As metal screwed and clicked into place, the young man could only appreciate the subtle juxtaposition; as the parts of his signature blunderbuss came together, so too did the vision playing in his head. Potential outcomes of prospective missions played themselves out in rapid fragments, piecemeal, in Niko's mind's eye. He could not tell if it was due to excitement or caution of the unknown, but neither of those things really mattered to him. He had already been to the main entrance and scoured the information boards briefly before settling on the operation he knew he had to tackle first.
The Dark Zone was always the subject of intrigue. Many different people were curious about the area for many different reason and Niko was no different. Part of him yearned to venture into the unknown simply to satisfy some sort of twisted sense of adventure, but the rest of him remembered that there was a lead he needed to follow and, of course, it led to the Dark Zone. Besides his personal goals however, the young man was firmly decided in the type of operations he wanted to be part of and the ones where he could contribute the most always topped the list. His definition of contributing the most boiled down to dwindling as much of the enemy as possible and there was no way recruiting in Doral or checking on some mystic creature rumor bullshit was going to satiate that end. The Nexus Reactor held interest simply due to the nature of the company in question, but that would also have to be saved for another day. As a Guardian, Niko had always envisioned himself on the front-lines meeting the philosophy he had been taught face to face. The only real way he could ever hope to understand the teachings of The Cathedral was to see the things they spoke of with his own two eyes and form his own perspective. In the meantime however, there were a few more pressing matters.
The butt-stock was always the last part attached and after the blunderbuss had finally been fully cleaned and assembled once more, Niko did not spare a moment to relish his handiwork before quickly standing and slinging the over-sized contraption over his back. Organization was not only enforced by the rigid structure of the academy, but also by The Cathedral. The black cloth was already folded perfectly and pocketed for the moment in ironed denims of a dark shade of blue under a fitting, equally pressed, black t-shirt rounded out by a lightweight pair of combat boots - the normal Oakridge uniform never did stick. With a black sheath housing his short-sword hanging on his waist and his area clean of anything he brought, Niko made a beeline for the door with a brisk walking pace. He passed throngs of soldiers and other Guardians enjoying the amenities of The Lounge before emerging in the wide walkways of the main corridors where the crowds were much thinner. It seemed like everyone was getting ready for Operation Downfall and understandably so; it was the biggest militant operation mobilized in a long while.
The main entrance slowly rose above the horizon as Niko neared the information board. Though he knew he was going to accept the mission to the Dark Zone, he remembered that he had not actually paid attention to anyone who may have signed on as well. There was no way a rookie Guardian would go alone obviously. He made out a figure as he neared the board and the feminine silhouette only got stronger the closer he got until he make out the identity of the person; it was Olivia Celestine. Even if he did arrive later than most to the academy, it did not take long for the then eighteen year old to either meet or learn of certain people. Olivia Celestine was someone he had never properly had a conversation with, but learned of early on. Deciding this was his opportunity to not seem so awkward, Niko did something completely unorthodox and contradictory to his core personality - starting the conversation.
"So... Uh... Which one are you going for? If I may ask, of course..." Niko immediately sighed and brought a nervous palm to his face. He still couldn't break the ice if he was given an ice pick.
