Izurich

Grimoiric Heart

Wilhelmina right now:

Hider

Camelot right now:

Hider

Symphony of Espers

@Izurich @SilverPaw @BrokenPromise

An event happening simultaneously with another.

The detransformed Silmeria would've already joined Samuel and the rest of the squad for some ice-cream, but it was then that she noticed that a certain someone was missing. Normally, she'd just live and let live, but fuck it, after all the shit that had happened today, she was feeling like being nosy.

Thus, it was how Jacqueline found her shoulder being cordially patted from behind by a certain squadmate that was an exact centimeter taller than her.

"Want some ice cream...?" She paused, "I insist." before curling a barely-perceptible mischievous smile.

"Hm?" Jacqueline turned around when she felt someone touch her. She'd been too involved in her thoughts to have noticed her coworker's approach, so the interruption had startled her. "Oh...Silmeria," she smiled, but it was a strained gesture. "I didn't really intend to, but," she shrugged, sighing, "well, as long as I don't have to transform back any time soon, I guess it's fine." She seemed resigned to the idea. It wasn't that she minded spending time with her coworkers, but due to Justin's escape, she knew she was in a sour mood just then. Thus, she'd simply intended to decompress at home, or elsewhere, outside of the immediate working environment.

Even though Jacqueline wasn't as stone-faced as Dr. Moller, the ex-businesswoman wasn't the type to wear her heart on the sleeve like Orion either, falling somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, where most adults are in general, but even if the older woman was more stoic than she was, Silmeria could ascertain why she was quieter than usual, what with how the operation went and all, the brunette was sure that no one was exactly in high spirits after their prey got away, especially after he had killed so many innocents right in front of their eyes.

...and that was precisely why a bit of sweet treats could serve as a little consolation prize, minor it might be. "Well, to be fair, it was Samuel's idea and he only said it after you had left." The orange-eyed dropout shrugged, "Hmmm... who knows, Justin might decide to show up and chat, you never know with monsters, right~?" Giggling exactly once, the long-haired sniper turned around, fully believing that her coworker would follow.

As Jacqueline didn't care whose idea this was, she didn't comment. At Silmeria's playful line, though, she snorted. "Sure," she retorted dryly. "Ya know, I had no idea you could be so cheerful," she commented. Granted, they hadn't known each other long, and hadn't really interacted outside of missions, but still. The other woman didn't give off that impression.

Since Jacqueline wasn't that far away yet - or else Silmeria wouldn't have bothered to fetch her - they rendezvoused at the ice cream truck sooner than later. It was there that they could see Su, Samuel, and Ashley hanging together, while Binky was all by herself, an unamused frown on her battered face. Fritzi was no doubt still inside the mansion, coordinating the clean-up crew as she said, and Wukong... likely went somewhere. Well, time to bother the cabbage-haired esper then. "Hey Bink, I dragged Leroux back against her will," Her gaze then turned towards the fridge-on-wheels, "What flavor would you two like? Also, cup or cone?"

Binky must have seen the paramedics, because the side of her face was lined with a few butterfly stitches as well as a full sized bandage. A neck brace had also been installed, which looked a bit cumbersome on the cabbage-haired girl’s small frame.

She pulled out her phone, opened a note app, and started typing. It was clear Binky wasn’t used to texting. Though given her position as a lab assistant, she was probably far more accustomed to typing on a full sized keyboard. But it didn’t take her more than a few seconds to type out “STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE” and show it to Silmeria.

Jacqueline followed after Silmeria languidly. She huffed at the manner in which she was introduced, reluctantly entertained. "If it were against my will, you'd have to employ more force than this. Shouldn't it be, 'against her better judgement, I bribed her to return'?" Smirking, she added teasingly, "Speaking of, do feel free to treat me," she nodded at the ice cream truck. Given Silmeria was asking for orders, it looked like she was more than willing to do so. "Just some mint with choco chip. Cone is fine," she relayed.

After her fellow agent departed to get them their treats, she turned a considerate gaze at Binky. "So, what's the story? You should be getting bed rest, shouldn't you?" Her tone was curious rather than worried, though.

Jacqueline wasn’t wrong. Binky was not in fighting condition right now. The Binky chose to sit down on a park bench instead of stand like everyone else was no mystery. She hadn’t spoken a single word since she left the hallway. It was likely her jaw bothered her too much to properly speak, and her slow typing speed meant that she couldn’t keep up with conversations as easily. But that didn’t stop her from trying. After typing her next message, she showed it to Jacquiline, which was “NEED MY MILKSHAKE.”

Seeing the difficulties Binky had with writing, Jacqueline nodded, and sat herself next to her. "And you'll get it," she added, more so to fill the silence than anything else. She leaned on the backrest, lounging as she waited for their orders to get taken care of.

"One choco chip mint cone and a glass of strawberry milkshake, got it." Silmeria nodded, amusingly realizing that Binky chose milkshake because it was a drinkable dessert, easier on the jaw movement and all that. The stitches and neck brace combined with her green hair certainly made her look as if she was cosplaying a petite feminine version of Frankenstein's Monster, but Merry figured it'd be in poor taste to mention that outloud.

Soon enough, the brunette returned with two cones of ice cream - one mint with chocolate chips and one with vanilla creme brulee - and a tall paper cup of strawberry milkshake complete with a striped straw; she handed the cup to Binky, the mint cone to Jackie, and kept the vanilla one for herself. Silmeria simply enjoyed the dessert for a few moments, watching Binky out of the corner of her eye to see if she needed assistance with anything.

Up until she remembered something that the hammer knight said back then, and decided to address it to at least avoid any misunderstandings, they'd be working together in life-and-death situations for the foreseeable future after all, "Oh, Jacqueline, about earlier, well, we haven't really talked with each other outside of missions, and during missions, well... no one will disagree that it's difficult to be cheerful when facing against those xeno scum, right?" Human trafficking, brainwashing, slavery, mass murder, pediatricide, the list goes on. Right now though, Silmeria curled a small genuine smile, enjoying the brief moment of respite with her teammates, "However, I certainly will be more cheerful once I put a bullet through Justin, Billy, and everyone who swears fealty to them, yes."

"Yeah, yeah, it'd be more disturbing if you were happy-go-lucky while on the job." She waved dismissively with one hand, while tackling her ice-cream with another. There was perhaps a certain irony to Jacqueline saying so, as she generally felt pretty good when going against monsters. As long as things were going well, of course. "Mmm-hm. It's a long road to success," she said, disinterested in continuing that line of conversation. Instead, she tilted her head at Binky, more inclined to listen to what she might tell.

The only sound Binky made was a long, seemingly endless slurp as she took her frozen treat through a straw. She hadn’t spoken a word, so it must have been impossible or uncomfortable for her to speak. Though it clearly wasn’t uncomfortable to slurp her shake, which was just a bit louder than the wind that occasionally blew through the street.

Binky only had her hands to communicate with, so she needed to multitask between talking and eating. It took her a moment to notice Jaquiline was looking at her, which caused the assistant to stop. She gave her a thumbs up and was about to resume slurping when she noticed something in Jacqueline’s features. She set down her milkshake and picked up her phone again. Though she backed out of the note writing app. Instead she booted up google and started to type. As slow as Binky’s typing was, the auto fill function meant that she didn’t have to type everything to form a complete sentence. She pointed at “What are you doing tonight?” which was sandwiched between “What are you doing today” and “What are you doing in spanish.”

It was a good thing Binky hadn't chosen to ask her agenda for the whole remainder of the day, because it was pretty vague and liable to change. Late night hours though? "Most likely going out somewhere. Getting inadvisably drunk," she drawled. Raising a dubious eyebrow at the injured woman, she added, "Why? Interested?" Her proposition wasn't really a serious one, for more than one reason, but it's not like she couldn't be convinced.

It seemed that Jacqueline was one of those that was more indifferent to the tireless task of purifying the earth from the extradimensional aliens or she hid it well, but Silmeria's guts believed it was the former. It was likely that the dark-haired agent never lost a close family member to one of those creatures, twas' undeniable seeing your own child being murdered was far more harrowing than seeing a child subjected to that fate. Regardless, Silmeria didn't really mind as in the end, they all stood together as humanity's first line of defense against the xenos. Besides, the sniper knew that she wasn't alone in this, a certain Orion was with her.

Tangerine eyes shifted to the female Frankenstein's Monster as the older agent addressed her, amusingly replied via text typed on Totally-Not-Spyware-Megacorp's search engine query bar. Funnily, Binky seemed to have no issues drinking the milkshake though... perhaps the dopamine infusion from the sweet treat motivated her body enough to ignore any discomfort in the process. "Oh... hmmm..." Merry had to think about that too, but then shrugged, "Sure, let's do that. Girls' night out?"

It looked like Binky might have been considering her offer, but then she typed up a short message. “Might drink at home.”

"Might be for the best," her lips curled into a minute smile. "Maybe next time," she said offhandedly, though the offer was genuine this time.

Then Binky understandably decided to keep things in-house, so she just nodded at the green-haired esper before turning back to Jackie, her ice cream almost finished, "Let's do it. You only live once, right?"

"You want to...?" Jacqueline was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Sure. Let's exchange numbers, and we can arrange the time and place later," she briefly turned to Binky, "You too, if you ever feel like getting drinks once you're back in shape."

The green haired esper fret her brow, but said little else. If the two were ready to leave, she would probably have one of the armored trucks drive her back to the base.

Silmeria took a moment to reflect at Jacqueline's reaction, starting to believe that she may have put too thick of a mask when it comes to her 'work face', but she's sure that she wasn't the only one to do this, right? Especially in an occupation where one wrong move could mean your literal death, that and she had never hung out much with her fellow agents. ”...” She supposed it's time to fix that, huh? Starting with Jackie. "Yeah... I... uh..." She decided to keep it for later and just nodded, "Sure." Fishing out her phone to exchange numbers with both Leroux and Binky.

That done, the brunette gave a sympathetic nod at the only mundane-form wounded esper among them, "Get well soon, Bink."

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

--Home Sweet Home--

Unlike the dark-haired Alexandrian exile, the taller blue-eyed blonde kept his emotions mostly neutral when the prince addressed him for one specific reason, he already knew who Rossweine was beforehand, have met him before during one of the balls held by the royal family, and though they clearly had no meaningful personal relationships beyond knowing each other's name, face, and general reputation, they clearly knew of each other's existence. Thus, despite the young prince being one of those nobles that Liese firmly believed was preventing Grayle from reaching its fullest potential, he wasn't taken off-guard, he expected to encounter him sooner or later, proven to be the former now that they were squadmates.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to do so in the short future, Your Highness," This was just typical banter of the nobility, he and Rossweine knew it, in fact, the prince was a natural at doing this, empty words and platitudes that had no deeper meaning behind it other than fulfill the old Noblesse Oblige, "I certainly hope that you will do your older brother proud as well." If Rossweine had the spine to turn himself from an indolent hedonist into a true noble warrior just like Prince Manegold, then credit where credit's due, Liese would genuinely reframe his image of him.

Just as they were departing for the barracks, two things happened at roughly the same time. One was that the Baker commoner boy threw a little tantrum, being self-conscious of his lacking size it seemed, although he certainly wasn't making things any easier for himself by standing in the immediate vicinity of Signar, anyone would look small when right next to him. Liese shrugged, the matter not even worth anything beyond a simple notice, although the second event was... since he was directly subjected to it and all.

Liese quirked an eyebrow as the blue-haired swordsman-brawler wildling approached him - just as he did to everyone it seemed - and excitedly introduced himself. He had to admit that his sheer enthusiasm for the prospects of training and eventually knighthood was something he could readily appreciate, the blonde allowed himself to curl an approving smile, similar to the one he gave Dot, "Most certainly, Sir Sauvage, and may the best man wins."

With that, off to the barracks they went...

The Eastern Barracks, purpose-built and designed to house soldiers (or would-be soldiers in this case), and thus was unsurprisingly quite uniform with its siblings. Liese had been here before amongst many of his tours through the kingdom's capital, and it looked like things hadn't changed much, why would they really? He had dreamt of one day taking residence among one of these dorms, as one of the knights, and it looked like it'd be coming true today. He received the key to his assigned room from the veteran eye-scarred knight without any issues, the blonde didn't even register the death glare as anything particularly special, some older soldiers - not just knights - tended to have that air about them, something about being so used to battle and war that they were always in "fight mode".

Key received, Liese made a beeline to check his room and store his personal belongings, not much, just the essentials such as functional spare clothes and such. He carried no personal heirlooms or other frivolous things, those belonged in his family's estate, not here. Hmmm... Though one thing he immediately noticed was the enchantment present on Room 1, her assigned suite; none of the other doors had this. peculiar, what was it for? Fortunately, it only took Liese for a moment to put two-and-two together, he was assigned with Dot, and well... as much as he hated to admit it, it was reasonable to think that the higher-ups pulled some strings to place the two girls together and, in all of their 'chivalry', decided to 'protect' the girls with this security measure. He didn't yet know the exact effects of the enchantment, but it didn't really matter, its purpose was clear.

Well, just goes to show that things really needed to change in this bigoted kingdom, one step at a time...

Entering his room, Liese deftly set up his half of the room, setting up his things and such. He did see the uniform but decided to wear it tomorrow when training began, the sensible thing to do. Right now, he figured it was time to acquaint himself with the squad, and what better person to be the first pick other than his own roommate? After done with his personal belongings, the blonde would approach the Alexandrian exile, wherever she might be, and cordially greeted her, "How do you like your accommodates, Sir Auferrum?" He paused, "Since we'll be living in the same room for the foreseeable future, I must express to you that if there's anything you need, just tell me, I will at least listen to you and if it's within my power to assist, then I will do so." Dot was an exile here, and as her roommate, this was the least Liese could do.

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

Franz Steiner
Lucretia von Königsmähne
Solomon Antedivula

---

@Jumbus @Izurich @ERode

Interview with the Photographer

Suffice to say, Franz had not expected the news about last night. When he left the dinner party, he assumed everyone would wake up fully intact the following day. He was wrong. Franz woke up to an early morning mail from Bang, which caught him up to speed on the whole thing.

Ryuuko had ignited Nazca. It was by accident of course but good intentions do not change the result. On one hand he felt bad for Nazca for the tragedy the befell her. But on the other, Franz had to hold back a small laugh to himself. With his understanding of rumour and public perception, the irony that one of the fire witch’s guards had just been burned was not lost on him. This would make winning the trial considerably harder even if the two had managed to get some evidence.

The final part of the message caught Franz’s attention. Bang had decided upon a suspect, Solomon Antedivula. A French Egoist who is a hobbyist in photography. It was as if some higher power had come and bestowed this investigation with the perfect target. His only wish was that he had thought of it first, but alas, he didn’t so much as recognize the name.

Franz was eager to meet this ‘Occidental Egoist’ and not just for the sake of the investigation either. There were a number of topics he would love to pick Solomon’s brain on, the value of Egoism for the Occident and the psyche profile of one Jeanne du Bordeaux being primary among them.

With lack of any company, he had let them roam the dorm room overnight. Franz set to get them back into their cages and packed away. He had a slightly more important task than studying his spiders today.

Leaving the house in smart casual attire, Franz begun the commute toward the newsletter offices

Lucretia was just done dropping off the compacted Schwarzritter to be sent off to Sukuro Jinga's address and was now trying to locate a certain Austrian Polymath, but as luck would have it, said Austrian Polymath just so happened to be in the area as well, heading toward the newsletter offices to be specific. Perking up like a hunting kitten who had just located her quarry, the petite girl beelined toward Franz, the same maneuver that she did before their very first encounter at the Hall of the Greats.

"Guten Morgen, Herr Steiner," But unlike before when the older boy was seated, this time Lucy had to crane her neck to look up at him, the ridiculous gap in their height at full display.

Franz turned to look at the person addressing him, just to equally surprised by the height difference between himself and Lucy. The girl looked noticeably more tired than when he first met her, although he wouldn't jump to the conclusion she had been out past curfew. Such a thing wouldn't fit Franz's impression of her.

Franz hunched ever so slightly down, so as to ease his company's craning neck a little. "And to you, Frau Konigsmahne."

"It came to my knowledge that you'll be serving as a defense attorney in the upcoming trial of Jeanne du Bordeaux, I must express my disapproval and implore you to see reason. Bordeaux is guilty and you should let justice come to pass, we - Polymaths, Occidents, and every civilized person really - will all be better for it." No beating around the bush, no bells and whistles, blitzing straight to the point like a charging Schwarzritter.

Franz was a little taken off guard by Lucy's confrontation. He had known the girl to be blunt, such a thing was no surprised to him. But he did not expect her to be so invested in the matter of the Bordeaux trial. He didn't mind talking about such a thing, but Franz wanted to avoid staying in one place while talking and making a scene. Franz's expression of mild surprised gave way back to a welcoming smile. "Please, lets walk while we talk. I'm afraid I have quite a busy schedule this morning." He talk a few small steps in the direction of the news letter offices then waited for Lucretia to join along.

Just like before when he stood up to get food in the Great Hall, Lucy followed him like a puppy... or more like a hungry kitten demanding food; a puppy would follow someone out of a sense of joy and companionship, the kitten only did so because it had a very specific purpose and wouldn't appreciate any delays to the fulfillment of said purpose. It was clear that she didn't want to walk while talking, it'd be best if matters could be settled right then and there, Deutsche Effizienz.

"You know, Frau Konigsmahne, I was once called guilty myself. I was falsely accused of murder. Had 'justice come to pass', I would have been imprisoned for the rest of my life. So you I hope you can imagine why I would have doubts when someone is immediately labelled as guilty. It was ultimately these doubts that made me want to defend Jeanne in the first place." There was beating around the bush, with bells and whistles, dancing around the point like a well seasoned politician.

Now that was interesting, she supposed she had heard of this information about Franz's alleged murder case, but it was nothing conclusive and what she experienced from the older student so far didn't paint him as a murderer, hence Lucy subconsciously shelved the idea of Franz murdering someone as ridiculous as the rumors said about herself being an automaton. Now that he said it though, it'd be a lie if she couldn't see his reasonings for defending Jeanne, which was unfortunate, not all good intentions led to good results after all. Thus, it was her duty to see the error in his ways.

"I understand, Herr Steiner, but this is different. Have you seen the behavior of Jeanne? She's a black sheep of our kind, so blatantly anarchistic and sociopathic in her behavior, it's only a matter of time before she unleashes her violent urges. We all should be glad that it's 'just' a library this time, we must nip the problem in the bud before innocent lives are lost."

The weaknesses of Franz's double intentions wrung through in this public confrontation. How differently would this have gone had it been behind closed doors. Instead he had to deal with the fact that eyes were on him and rumours of his actions could spread. Franz had no choice but to lamely dance around the issue, weakly defending his case. If he were to lean to close to one side here, the option to turncoat to the other would be forever closed.

"It is hard to consider a woman who has made it into Bermuda to be a senseless madwoman lacking in reason. Is her history rife with unpredictable behaviour? Correct. Did the flames of her furnaces burn down the library? Also correct. But to dismiss her as a guilty without trial would rob all of our kind of a brilliant mind, and a potentially innocent one at that."

"When I look at you, despite the rumours, I do not see gears turning. Much the same with Miss Bordeaux, I do not see a dangerous mind without reason."

"..." Lucretia's brows frowned ever so slightly at Franz's counter-argument on why he should continue on this path; while her intention was clear, she couldn't help but feel inveigled by his points. Yes, it would only be fair that he gave Jeanne a chance just as he was given a chance, her barbarism might just be ridiculously exaggerated rumours just like the hearsay that Lucretia wasn't human, that an academy as prestigious as Bermuda wouldn't have enrolled Jeanne had she was truly a violent lunatic. Ja, had this conversation taken place in more conventional circumstances, the German Polymath could've been convinced...

However, after what occurred last night, Lucretia wasn't so sure about Bermuda's integrity anymore, there was definitely something more here than meets the eye. "Bermuda... peculiar of you to say that, Herr Steiner, because you see, just last night..." Thus, Lucy began concisely explaining her sordid experience the night before - the fog, the man-bat, and everything else - implicitly revealing why she looked worse for wear compared to their first encounter, "...what do you know of these oddities then, Herr Steiner?"

If it could help ease his worries of being in public view, all this time, Lucretia had been conversing with him not in Latin, but in their shared native tongue instead.

Franz's expression turned from one of confusion to one a joyful excitement as Lucy described her experience the previous night. "Miss Konigsmahne, I did not take you for one to skip curfew, even by accident." He joked. "But I am fascinated about this bat figure you mentioned. I'll be frank, I was unsure whether Jeanne's talk of demons was real or some hallucinatory episode bred from darkness and an ill mind. I guess this clears things up."

"It was only because I was searching for your whereabouts, Herr Steiner." She murmured, a rosy tint of shame coloring her pale cheeks.

The abrupt shift of expression on Franz's part didn't go unnoticed by the younger student, such was the degree of change that even Lucretia could recognize it. Peculiar, it seemed that Herr Steiner was more interested in the mystery of the fogged night than Jeanne, this man-bat Egoist figure being the focal point. Emerald eyes blinked twice at their fellow green-eyed individual, staring in awed silence for a brief moment. "Preposterous, so du Bordeaux also encountered this winged figure?" She stood still in contemplation, unwittingly allowing Franz to gain some distance from her.

Franz looked back when noticing he was walking alone and saw Lucy had stopped. It was clear what she was thinking about. "Well I must say, I'm flattered that you risked being at the mercy of such a creature just to conduct a meeting with me. However, it is unnecessary." Franz details Lucy about his address and where to find him. "Considering we a collaborating our academic endeavours, it is best you can visit me when needed."

"As for Jeanne, well I cannot tell you for certain if she met the same Egoist. But a hulking bat figure with wings would match her talk of demons pretty well, no?" Franz smile widened. "Why do you ask? Are you having second thoughts on whether Miss Bordeaux is guilty or not?"

Lucretia made a slight disapproving frown, but she exchanged address with Franz without protest... because she had saved it for after the deed was done, "It was necessary because I didn't know your address, it isn't necessary now." A part of her felt ashamed at forgetting something as simple as an address exchange when she had the chance, but it's in the past and no longer a relevant issue.

"Mmmngh..." The smaller girl frowned again, but deeper this time, "Nein, I still firmly believe that whatever her motivations were, it’s still a crime to burn down such a valuable archive of knowledge." She surmised.

Franz simply smiled back at her response about Jeanne. He began to walk off again toward the newsletter offices before stopping and turning back to Lucy. "I enjoy our conversations, but I wasn't lying about being on a tight schedule I'm afraid." Franz gave out an inviting hand gesture. "I would like you to join me. Now that I know such a figure exists, I would say it's pretty likely I am going to meet this bat egoist myself. A French egoist with a passion for mobile photography fits the description pretty well, no?"

"Who knows, maybe he can help me see reason" Franz teased.

She was just about to catch up when he stopped and turned, extending her an invitation despite his tight schedule. ...? What an odd gesture, why would he need to invite her to discuss about the curfew incidences, something that they were already doing right at this very moment, but she knew by now that Herr Steiner was an eccentric figure, his chosen Major notwithstanding. "I'll also demand an audience with this Bat Egoist, I believe he wasn't being entirely truthful with me regarding the nighttime phenomenon of this accursed island," Lucy replied as her short legs pattered forward to close the distance and follow the significantly taller boy.

"If he's indeed French, I wasn't in the proper state of mind to properly recognize his accent, but I did remember his physical features and the object he carried around his neck. Correct, it was a camera." What were the odds that du Bordeaux, Robespierre, and this Man-Bat were all Frenchmen, huh?

"Well then, lets not waste a second. We have a date with a bat and we don't even know where he lives. I just hope the newsletter offices have some answers, no doubt the man can't help but contribute." Franz stated as he picked up the pace.

---

Unfortunately, just as how another individual had found out the night before, the location of the Bermuda Triangle's offices was obscure, none of the students who they questioned being able to come up with any particularly convincing answers as to where it might be located. It was, after all, a newspaper agency that had only been established two days prior, and no one who submitted information or materials to the agency had done so in-person.

Always through mail, always through the surprisingly private postal service run by the Bermuda Administration.

Finding Solomon Antedivula, was a much easier prospect. After all, he was the Diamond in the Rough, the self-taught Egoist who nevertheless also had talents for Technologism. He needed a specific space to continue his development and advancements in photography, and with Bermuda being such a novel place, there were plenty of other students who wanted his cameras as well. The 'Atelier du Moor' was located on the entire second floor of a triple-stacked yurt, crafted of more modern materials that sacrificed such a design's transportability in exchange for the sturdiness that allowed it to be host to such heavy machines to begin with. Even from the outside, Lucretia's trained eyes could pick up the Formulae that shone through glimpses in the windows, and without much hesitation, the two Occidental Polymaths ascended the stairs and reached the door.

It was a humble door. A wooden door with a simple, handmade 'Welcome' sign and a brass knob that did not possess any alterations. From beyond, they could hear someone pacing back and forth, inaudible mutterings leaking out from the cracks in the doorframe. Perhaps there was only one way to do this, but maybe this was an opportunity to plan their approach as well.

A Technologist without her tools and a scam artist were hardly a match for a skyscraping Egoist, after all.

Franz expected a larger accommodations. In his mind this Egoist was larger than life. This was a figure who could skulk through the night and someone who could overcome Jeanne. For him to live in such a... humble place did not mesh.

Still, any Egoist was strong and one with his accomplishments made him even more terrifying. Certainly, should fighting break out, Solomon could take both himself and Lucy out in seconds. But Franz had no need for such fears.

"Well, this is it. I would say to let me know if its the same person you met last night. But how many Bat Egoists could there be?" Franz joked.

With a silent, yet firm nod, Lucretia continued following the taller student to the newsletter offices, but first they had to locate the establishment in the first place, in which the process struck Lucy with a dose of Deja Vu. This was just like searching for Sukuro's whereabouts, but at least their objective was a static building this time around. At first glance, Bermuda's administration might seem like they knew what they were doing, but only on the third day of her enrollment, the German polymath could already notice the cracks beneath. Once she returned home, she'd do all in her power to make whoever responsible for this so-called prestigious academy be brought into court.

Once they've finally located the office, finding Solomon's abode was a foregone conclusion. A simple inquiry was all it took for the Deutsche Duo to go to a Mongolian-style dormitory, specifically the atelier on its second floor. "..." Lucy's Technologist vision spotted the many formulization patterns shining through its windows, "There's a technologist on the second for sure."

At last, they arrived before a wooden door, and Lucretia could see that it really was a simple wooden door, no starsteel or anything like that. The presence of an occupant was audible enough that it wouldn't take a Bunga to notice them, hopefully whoever inside was their elusive man-bat. If the petite girl was alone, she'd have immediately tried to open the door but an instinctive part of her decided that she'd let Franz have the honors, perhaps out of a sense of safety as the tall Austrian served as a surrogate for Schwarzritter in lieu of the drone knight's absence.

With no visible signs of fear, Franz knocked on the door with confidence. He then returned to idle chit chat while he waited for an answer. "I am unable to see the flows of technologist energies as well as you. But I am curious, are they complex? If his primary interest is in Egoism, I wonder if he is good in two disciplines. It is quite a rare and exciting thing."

"Ah, just a moment!"

Various sounds of feet shuffling and button clicking and steam hissing could be heard, before the door clicked and swung open. A brass bell atop it rang, announcing a customer that had already announced their presence, and holding the door open was a tall young human in a three piece suit, though the jacket had been hung by the brass coatrack right by the door. His bolo tie was secured to his white shirt by an iridescent resin gem, while his vest was a dark purple that matched his suit pants. Over one eye rested an upraised magnifier lense, and his white hair fell in soft, well-combed tufts.

He smiled at them, somewhat shyly. "Sorry, you think I should put up a 'no need to knock' sign on this? You'd be the twelfth group to have knocked..."

But that was not what caught either Lucretia nor Franz's attention first. No, looking at this young man for the first time in person, they would come to the same conclusion: if this was the face that Jeanne had seen mere moments before being knocked out cold, she could not have presumed that they were an Egoist of Occidental origins.

Upon a sun-glazed windowsill, a chubby Persian cat let out a long, lazy yawn.

After Franz knocked on the door, he somehow deigned that it was an opportune moment to be conversing, how odd, but she shouldn't be surprised by now. "They aren't as complex as Starsteel, but they certainly aren’t the work of an amateur technologist, Herr Steiner." She mused for a moment, "Some Polymaths - whether through talent or dedication - are proficient in multiple Majors, just like yourself, ja?" After all, what was Mesmerology but not an attempt at harmoniously blending all three Majors?

Talents in two professions was useful. Not only was Solomon a incredibly capable Egoist, but a talented technologist as well. He could be quite the asset. Franz tried to hide his widening grin. "Why yes, I am. But it is uncommon, hence my excitement."

Then, the atelier's occupant answered followed shortly by the door being opened, revealing the figure of Solomon, yet another French Polymath. "..." He... didn't look anything like that man-bat, not one bit, but Lucy was aware that Egoists were masters of sculpting their bodies, and who was to say that he couldn't just shift between his chiropteran form and his current humanoid self? Without delay, Lucretia took a half-step forward and literally put a foot in the door.

"Mr. Antedivula, are you the photographer bat Egoist that I encountered last night after curfew?" She inquired, now switching to Latin for obvious reasons.

Franz was caught by surpise when confronted with the relatively mundane appearance of Solomon. This gave away to disappointment, it surely can't be. He stood in place letting Lucy go ahead of him. "I apologize for my companies... bluntness. Greetings, I am Franz Steiner and this is Lady Konigsmahne." He gave a small bow. "We would like to ask you a few questions. The most pressing of course" gesturing toward Lucy "is your lack of Egoist features."

Lucretia's straightforward interrogation, followed by Franz's more subdued confusion, set Solomon aback as well. "Photographer... bat... Egoist?" he repeated, more befuddled than anything. "Uh, no...I'm not? Ah, but yes, introductions should be at hand, even if one can surmise your reputations pretty smoothly."

He ushered them into his atelier soon enough, a single large room that was sectioned off into individual cubicles with thick canvas. There were benches filled with small gears and machinery but no tools, large vats of chemical solutions that would be used for the more difficult portions of photography, in which no Technologism could directly effect, as well as dark rooms and storage rooms humming with dark red lighting. A cast iron stove burned near a table, and he placed a saucepan atop to heat up some milk.

"As you'd know, my name is Solomon Antedivula, Egoist and Technologist. I'm not as sure how much common knowledge this is, but my own specialization within Egoism is essentially..." He opened his mouth up, revealing a set of razor-sharp incisors, before clamping them down onto his left thumb. It sliced open the skin easily, drawing blood from within, and as both Lucretia and Franz watched, a tendril of blood extended outwards like a snake, before waving back and forth at the two of them.

"Prehensile blood's my deal. Makes it easy to do fine work without relying on tools, as you see."

Now, that wasn't a reaction that Lucy preferred coming from Solomon, but yet it was not unexpected as his confusion seemed to align with his mundane appearance, together adding more weight to the possible conclusion that he was not the man-bat Egoist. "..." The disappointment was visible in her emerald eyes as Lucretia looked more than ready to keep pressing the tanned French like a single-minded detective, but fortunately for everyone involved, Franz was there to keep the situation civilized.

Though the tallest Polymath of the three kept the atmosphere (mostly) casual, Lucretia clearly had no interest in trivial things such as introductions and small talks, she was here for a purpose and due to the urgency of the matter, it must not be delayed. As far as she knew, it'd only be a matter of time until someone got murdered during those eldritch night hours. The man-bat Egoist wasn't much of a help either as he left her with more questions than answers, and she hated that. For the moment, she just followed the pair of older boys into Atelier du Moor, eyes meticulously scanning over the various tools and devices contained within, not missing the fluffy persian cat lounging by the windowsill. As much as Lucy wanted to go over and pet its luxurious fur, there were more pressing businesses, and besides, she had always been more of a rabbit person anyway.

Then, Solomon introduced himself and revealed that his Egoism specialization was... manipulating his own blood like an elephant's trunk. What? That's it? Where were the extra arms, horns, and most importantly, the bat wings?!

Lucretia frowned and it wouldn't take a genius polymath to see that she was this close to just get up and leave, but not yet...

"Then, what do you know of your fellow French Polymath in Bermuda, Mr. Antedivula?"

The gears in Franz's mind turned at the developing situation. It couldn't be concluded if Solomon was the Bat Egoist or not. Certainly the details of both fangs and blood control were similarly themed to that of a bat. Egoists drew inspiration from nature, so how many in Bermuda could realistically have used a bat as their muse. Either way Lucy's claim that the bat had a portable camera means it was either Solomon himself, somehow hiding his more bestial form, or a customer of his.

Franz took a nearby seat and lounged comfortably in it. He imagined these question were going to take a while longer yet. "As Frau Konigsmahne asked. I am sure you have heard about the trial of Miss du Bordeaux. Do you have a particular opinion on her guilt?" Franz subtly focused in on Solomon's face looking for the slightest change of expression. Also analyzing him for signs he lacked sleep.

"Hm, well..."

Solomon tilted his head to the side for a moment as he prepared refreshments for his guests, only for his eyes to widen when Franz was kind enough to elaborate on the situation. He set aside some sugar and cream in two little containers shaped like cats' paws, before turning to the two again.

"Ah, Miss du Bordeaux's trial..." he trailed off, then shrugged. "Well, I'm not particularly in the habit of speaking of other's faults, but in her case? It's not someting out of character for her. Much could be said, as I trust you've heard, of her temperament." He raised up a placating hand. "But don't take this the wrong way. As far as I know, she's never killed anyone, so Miss du Bordeaux is hardly just a runaway train."

Lucretia was all eyes and ears as Solomon pondered about this curious situation that involved multiple French Polymaths in the spotlight, time itself seemed to slow down as she took in everything that came from the dark-skinned Egoist; every sweat from his pores, every breath he exhaled, just waiting if there was any indication that he'd divulge any information useful to her goals.

"..." His answer regarding the insane Frenchwoman was... disconcerting, wasn't the photographer bat Egoist the one who provided the proof of Jeanne's arson? So, with the context of everything she had seen from Solomon up until now, it seemed he wasn't that Egoist after all, he might just be using one of Solomon’s cameras, they were of exceptional quality after all, perfect for taking pictures in such an inhospitable fog-choked environment.

Regardless, she had to say something about Jeanne, "Not being a murderous lunatic is not worthy of recognition in itself, that's the barest minimum of a being civilized person. Jeanne is an unstable powder keg, a black sheep that besmirches the reputation of Technologists and Polymaths everywhere, it's a travesty of the highest order to call her as one of our own. Letting this beast roam free will bring nothing but torment to everyone."

Her tirade done, she exhaled once before continuing, "Is it possible that this Bat Egoist used one of your cameras for his nightcrawling journalism? Do you have a ledger documenting your clients?"

Solomon's response was... inconclusive. It would be exactly the answer Franz would have given if he were in the same position. 'Yes she is probably guilty, but actually I don't think she is that crazy.' Accounting for implications, Franz was not sure where Solomon stood on the matter. Was this intentional to hide his real position or was he genuinely so disinterested in the event? But the glimpse of the boy's eyes widening implied the former. Franz needed to dig.

Keeping a focus on the boy's expression, Franz decided to stay silent as Lucy ranted idealistically about Jeanne and the concept of justice. He did not want to give away too much information on himself yet. But that question at the end was perfect. But his surprise at the start around the Bat Egoist topic would imply he has no record of someone like that buying a camera. "Or could we assume that you have not meet such an Egoist before?" Franz added to Lucy's inquiry.

"The tea smells lovely. Thank you." Franz finished with a polite smile.

"I do keep a ledger regarding my business transactions yes," Solomon replied, completely and unashamedly sidestepping Lucretia's little tirade. "If the topic is of Jeanne's transgressions however, why are you looking for this 'Bat Egoist'?"

Lucretia genuinely didn't even care that no one reacted to her rant about Jeanne, for it was a conclusive statement, Jeanne was an unwelcomed wildcard in the Polymath community and everyone would be better off without her around; she believed no one would disagree, not even Franz here even though he was amongst those willing to at least try defending the madwoman. Now then, with that done, they could return to the main topic at hand, that was identifying and locating this elusive bat.

"Wunderbar," The white-haired girl leaned forward just a little bit more, "The Man-Bat was the one who provided proof of Jeanne's arson, and he used a camera that was likely designed by you, he's a witness to a grave crime, therefore it's important that we meet him personally." She blinked once after a brief pause, "Where is this ledger, Mr. Antedivula?"

Franz leaned back in his chair. Was the investigation really the only reason he wanted to talk with the bat? Of course not."Yes the bat egoist is quite an important figure in this investigation. But, it was only until this morning did I know such a figure really existed. I must say the prospect of meeting such an enigmatic figure has me personally excited."

"Although, I doubt we will find much record of a bat egoist in your ledger. Isn't that correct?"

The pan of milk left on the stove was boiling now, filling the air around the three with a mild butteriness. Solomon stood up and poured the milk into three dainty little cups, mixing it with tea that had been left cold. The resulting milk tea was hot but not scalding, and he placed one cup per individual, before settling himself down again.

"Unfortunately, while I don't particularly mind cooperating with this investigation, it appears that Miss Konigsmahne's interest is a bit, hm...personal? Considering the first question she's asked me and all." He peered into the German Polymath's eyes briefly, curiosity mixed with a tinge of confuddlement and suspicion, before continuing, gaze shifting towards Franz. "Regardless, however, it would be a breach in confidence to hand over my ledger in its entirety. Do either of you have a name or a proper description I could reference?"

Though the Occident-style milk tea was served, it remained untouched as Lucy didn't have the muse to be enjoying tea time at the moment. The youngest Polymath in the room slightly tilted her head quizzically as Solomon's ruby eyes peered at her emeralds, for the moment wondering just what exactly he meant by that? How odd for him to pick that reason as an excuse to refuse her request. "It is personal. I wish to meet with this Bat Egoist to acquire more information." Or else, why should she even be here in the first place? Would he have accepted the reason wasn't personal? For one reason or another, Lucretia believed he'd have refused nevertheless, just as he admitted himself.

Her eyes narrowed, a part of her mind briefly entertaining the idea of intimidating the ledger out of him, then she remembered that the tall figure beside her was Franz, not Schwarzritter. The young girl sighed, precisely in that 'Why are you being so difficult?' way that insufferable geniuses often did, those who couldn't comprehend why the world wouldn't immediately bend to their beck and call. "He had a pair of bat wings, large muscular build, four arms, a two-sided axe-shaped face, and..." Thus Lucy continued listing off all the nightcrawling Egoist's physical features that she could remember.

"Will that satisfy you, Mr. Antedivula?"

"Ok, so you two are here for different purposes. That makes sense." Solomon slapped his fist into his palm, then drew out a notepad and a charcoal pencil from his vest's pocket. Flipping through what looked to be sketched out diagrams of unrecognizable machinery, he settled on a new page before sketching out Lucretia's own descriptions, bobbing his head back and forth as he did so, pausing only to ponder over the 'axe-shaped face'.

"Well," he spoke, leaning back a bit to inspect his work. "That's certainly a...thing. I must confess, friends, that this combination of traits makes for a very striking individual, but while there are certainly some winged Egoists out there, as well as ones with furry limbs or a prehensile tail, this axe-shaped face sorta...makes no sense? What does it even do? What animal is this based off of?"

Truly, it was befuddling. Egoists did take on some strange appearances to realize their ideals, but even then, those were gradual transformations that showed some sign of having some reason for molding their bodies into such a manner. In the case of this Bat Egoist, it really looked like they just stuck two unnecessary chunks of flesh on the sides of their head.

"Are you certain that, perhaps, you didn't mistake their hat for a part of their head?"

Stating that she and Franz were here for different purposes was correct, one wanted to persecute Jeanne while the other planned for the opposite, however, it was also true that they both sought the Bat Egoist for their respective purposes, he was a key figure in the case, whether as the prosecutor or defender. Lucy went into a thinking posture upon Solomon's reply after the sketch was done, that was certainly something no one would disagree with there, this particular Egoist was so striking that unless he had shapeshifting abilities, no one sane would mistake him for anyone else. "That is something I had hoped for you to answer as I have insufficient knowledge regarding the intricacies of Egoism."

However, Lucretia could at least firmly shake her head at the Moroccan-Frenchman's next inquiry, "I am confident that he didn't wear headgear, it'd have fallen off considering how swift he moved to evade Schwarzritter's assault."

Franz sat back for the following exchange. It was important for him to look less invested than Lucy. Still, every action that Solomon took was under the scrutiny of the mesmerologists eye.

But when Solomon started pulling out a notepad to sketch the Egoist, Franz could only let out a chuckle. It was an amusing display. But with all the ties to this man could he really still be playing dumb. This wasn't even mentioning the visible mood changes throughout the conversation that let on he was more invested in this than he lets on.

Franz leaned in with a warm smile as if greeting a friend. "I must say this is amusing, Solomon. But I believe my companion here may have lead you down the wrong train of thought. So with all due respect, I must be blunt."

Franz then chimed in and Lucretia let him take the spotlight for now, she just listened at the Austrian's deduction on the matter. That's true, both of them think that the elusive Bat and Solomon had ties in some way, as patron and client at least, else, why would they even be here?

Meanwhile, the petite girl decided to sip the served milk tea while the two boys conversed.

"We believe you have ties to the Bat Egoist, in fact, I'm convinced of it. The ledger, Lucy's vivid description, this is all to ask a very simple question. Do you have a connection to this Bat Egoist?" Franz's smile faded slightly to one of focus. His eyes were locked into eye contact with Solomon's. Not even the slightest change in expression would go unnoticed.

While engaged in this question, Franz pulled a notebook out of his pocket. Without looking, he opened up to a specific page and wrote a small note. The context of that page hidden from the other two.

"Well, in terms of Egoism, I am honestly unable to recall whether there's a way to 'shapeshift' like they speak of in mythology and fairy tales," Solomon spoke. "The apex of the Oriental Egoists can increase their mass to titanic heights and then regress, but subtler transformations...well, in general cases, it takes a week or two to even obtain cosmetic additions and modifications to one's body through Egoism."

Franz, however, was pushing the point once more, and the dark-skinned Egoist turned towards the Genius of Vienna, amethyst eyes matching Franz's own. "As we've established beforehand, I may or may not have manufactured a photography device for this 'Bat Egoist'. Going by the description Miss Konigsmahne has provided, however, none of my clientele match what she had encountered, and Egoism itself, so far as I am aware, does not allow for swift shapeshifts."

Solomon sipped at his own cup of milk tea.

"Hmmm..." Solomon's answers present an interesting conundrum, given all the arguments presented, it seemed like the Frenchman wasn't lying after all. If most Egoists can't change their body on the fly, especially one such drastic transformation if Solomon was the Man-Bat, and that he claimed that none of his clients looked like the elusive photographer, then could Solomon really not be related to him? However, that high quality camera he carried, that fact still convinced Lucy that Solomon had relations with him, indirectly at the very least.

"Might have purchased one of your cameras through a proxy, Mr. Antedivula?" She inquired, hand on her chin, in deep thought.

The damned Frenchman was lying. Franz would not accept that answer as anywhere close to being the truth. But what could he do now? Solomon had responded in a polite and respectful manner, he didn't so much as show a lick of hesitation. Pressing him further now would yield no results and only serve to degrade Franz's image. With nothing more to be gained here, it was time to leave. All that was left was to finish up the small talk. But this was not over.

Franz leaned back returning to his friendly demeanor. "Ah, thank you. I appreciate such a direct answer. I believe that concludes our investigation here. A dead end is a dead end after all." Franz shrugged it off. "But I must say your company is enjoyable, Mr Antedivula. Should the circumstances of our meeting were different, I am sure we could have made fast friends."

"But alas, I can only thank you for the tea and be on my way."

"If it was purchased via proxy...well in that case, I certainly couldn't help you," Solomon replied, an apologetic smile forming. "I do wish you two the best in your future investigations, however."

He lifted his left hand up, offering a handshake to first Franz, then Lucretia.

"Good day to the two of you. Perhaps next time, I'll see you two as customers proper?"

"Hmmm..." Lucy spared a few more moments to think, Solomon's answer made sense, perhaps it was time to search for this proxy. Well, there was the possibility that the Man-Bat is indeed one of his customers, just a backroom deal kind of thing, not registered in the ledger; even if he was, the Moroccan Frenchman wouldn't let her see it anyway. If only Schwarzritter is here... In hindsight, perhaps it'd have been a wiser move to not lend it to Sukoro for a few days, but hindsight had perfect vision for a reason.

Right now, continuing the conversation would just be a waste of time, so Lucretia had similar thoughts as Franz. She finished her cup of milk tea then stood up as well, "Actually, I'll also be going myself. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Antedivula." After reciprocating Solomon's handshake, she proceeded to position herself to tag along with Franz, something the Austrian student would no doubt notice, "I'll be coming with you, Herr Steiner." ...and that too, perhaps.

Franz said his farewells to the French Egoist, knowing full well this was not the end. A friendly smile hid ill intent as Franz was already plotting his actions for the coming night.

On his way out, Franz noticed that Lucy was still insistant on joining him on his daily adventures. While he didn't mind the company, he did prefer to do his work alone. So instead, he may as well meet up with the investigation team and let them in on the developments. Plus, he found the idea of bringing Lucy into such a place quite amusing. "As you wish, Frau Konigsmahne."

Grimoiric Heart

Roma be like:

Meme

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

--Strange Squadmates--

Liese's proud, ambitious smile didn't falter as Dot seemed to be emboldened by his words, very good; even though the dark-haired candidate didn't feel as strongly about her gender as Liese did, with each female proving their worth in the knighthood, it paved the way for the order to eventually accept all candidates based on their worth as a knight alone, certainly culling those who could only use their family's prestige to assert their position, such as the squadron's assigned leader here.

"Tis’ not mere hope, for it's a guaranteed eventuality, Sir Auferrum, and you're welcome."

Then as if on cue, one of the squad's vice-leaders arrived to inform the pair that the group would be departing for the eastern barracks shortly. Ah, it's Nathaniel Lothwren, one of the few nobles whom Liese genuinely respected. Though he lost his debut spar due to naivety, the fact remained that Sir Lothwren owned up to the privileges given to him, his auspicious birth, his noble house, and his talents; the slightly younger boy put the work into his martial and arcane boons, being one of the rare aura users in this generation, he certainly didn't squander any of it. Liese certainly remembered visiting the Lothwren household years ago and watched the brunette training hard.

Thus, he's a worthy noble and one that Liese must treat properly, befitting of his earned station in life, "Greetings, Sir Lothwren, the honor is mutual, we shall achieve greatness together." The blonde did a small respectful bow, from one knight-to-be to another, "Of course, I shall do so immediately, Sir." Without a fuss, he stepped forward together with Dot, rendezvousing with the rest of the squad.

Speaking of the person Nathaniel mentioned though, now this supposed squad 'leader' was the direct opposite of the brunette, and sadly his ilk was more typical in Grayle than the other. An indolent sloth who was called 'prince' simply because he was born into royalty, 'Prince' Rossweine did absolutely nothing to show that he deserved the title, much unlike his older brother, Prince and Knight-Commander Manegold. They said that the apple didn't fall far from the tree, what a load of horseshit as the saying couldn't be further from the truth in regards to Rossweine. Liese didn't need to say anything to him, an insignificant factor in his destiny, and at the end of the day, Rossweine would simply be one of the many who'd be stripped, disgraced, and exiled from the new Grayle.

Liese absolutely had no confidence that the squad would get anywhere if they followed Rossweine's leadership, or specifically, the lack thereof, but thankfully, the vice-captains were more deserving of their roles, yes, even the wild child. Speaking of which, one was Nathaniel, and the other was Kaiser Underwall of House Sauvage, a curious wildling that Ser Sauvage literally found in the wild and adopted. Much could be said about his manners and etiquette, really his behavior as a... person in general. Befitting the rumors of Kai being raised by wolves, the blue-haired boy emulated canine behaviors to some degree, including the jumpy friendliness and eager obedience. Nevertheless, he was willing to work and though his fighting style was unorthodox, it was proven to be effective; the boy clearly had talent in both martial and arcane just like Nathaniel, but considering his lack of civility, could he control the fickle art of aura manipulation? Only time could tell.

The next two squad members both shared a distinctive trait, they both hailed from the lands of Valefor, a sovereign nation for their craftsmanship, which meant they were foreigners and Liese didn't know much about them other than what he had observed so far. Signar Wayland and Zenshin Ferros... Both of these boys possessed a darker complexion than Graylians as befitting their sun-scorched arid nation, but the former certainly was extraordinarily gifted by the God of Strength. He stood at least a full head - and even several heads for some - taller than the rest of the squad, and upon first glance at his torso and limbs alone, one could imagine how terrifying it'd be to face a fully-armed trained knight with such a stature.

As for Zenshin, though he was on the taller side too, he was sadly outmatched by his fellow Valeforian, perhaps Signar's presence had the unfortunate effect of making him appear smaller and thinner than he actually was, but at least, from what limited knowledge Liese had about him, the smaller Valeforian was quite talented at magic, let's see how he'd turn out in the future.

Nevertheless, Liese could respect the tenacity and ambition of these two young men, to brave the journeys of traveling to another country and try their hands at one of the most difficult academies to study in. They were foreigners, which implied whatever heritage they had back in their homeland meant little here and they still qualified despite that so it should mean something.

And finally, the unknown and unlikely commoner only known as Julian Baker, hailing from a family of breadmakers it seemed; a petite and wiry boy who won his debut spar by a fluke, taking advantage of Nathaniel's expectancy of honorable conduct, something that would work only once and never again. Liese had zero expectations for the shorter blue-eyed blonde, he was sure that this Baker boy would give up within the first month of arduous training, and without the backing of a noble house behind him (unlike Rossweine), he would be dropped without hesitation. The only thing worth an iota of notice was the amusing fact that Julian could pass off as Liese's younger brother considering his looks, but that was it, otherwise, a commoner in way over his head, a non-factor in the grand scheme of things.

All of these students together composed what's known as the 13th Squadron of the Eastern House, and he couldn't stand only one of them, a fortunate occurrence all things considered. Liese was more than willing to work together with them so their squad could be the cream of the crop, the pride of the academy, but make no mistake, should any of them prove detrimental to that goal, then he'd have no hesitation in shoving them aside. Graduates would be employed in Grayle's most elite fighting force and those who caved into mere training should never be trusted to be in a real field of battle.

"Greetings, squad, I am Liese Victoire of House Brendorn, ready to depart."

Symphony of Espers

--Ash Crow--

A few days after the operation...

Thunk.

"Hey, mom, yeah, I'm doing good, work's fine, yep, got a bonus recently."

Thunk.

"Oh, ahaha~ don't mention it, I mean, you two have done so much for me, it's the least I could do."

Thunk.

"Mmmm... I'll see about visiting big bro, I think we're both busy with our own businesses, but you make a good point, I'll be sure to arrange a visit in the short future."

Thunk.

"Busy making the world a better place, of course~ alright, I love you too, mom, goodbye."

Silmeria heard the small beep from the phone's speaker mode as the call ended, a small eager smile curled at one side of her lips as she admired her handwork. Three dartboards set up next to each other, each plastered by a sketched picture depicting the visage of Viper, Lenore, and Maiden respectively; all three had their foreheads turned into pincushions by multiple darts.

"Making the world a better place, one... terrorist... at a time..."

She threw the last dart and it pierced right into Maiden's right eye.

Thunk.

Her aim was getting better.

---

21 | Female | G.E.M.I.N.I. | The Faceless
Teslic Gauss | Long Gun | Physical | Gungnir
Northern Sentinel | Government Agent
Electromagnetism | Lightning | Nibelung Valesti
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)], Damage X (6), Dispel (6), Magic Sense (4), Blink (4), Push (2), Pull (2), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (2), Quicken (0)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | Max Mana: 750

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: E | CHAOS: D | Current Mana: 750

Grimoiric Heart

So who's making the final Pageless blow. Or will this be a team effort.

@TheWendil

Lumiere is basically asking the team to gangbang the Pageless into pieces. :P

Grimoiric Heart

Niiice, keep 'em posts coming, guys.

@Ponn That ain't small, that's actually more than the default standard of the "Advanced Roleplay" section of two paragraphs. But damn, we've been writing good, you and everyone here. I'm in tears (of happiness). :')

@Lonewolf685 Oof, yeah, I figured, it's coincidentally a busy week for most of the players here.

Grimoiric Heart

Slow week, huh, guys~? Or are we in a deathloop? :P