Lasrever

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_@Kiddo

"H-huh?" The noise that escaped Mag wasn't the sound of someone that dealt well with any confrontation, much less being yelled at by random strangers. Beyond a token effort to get her hand free she didn't do much to fight back, flinching as the girl kicked her book and peering anxiously at it in the fear that one of the pages might have been torn. Not sure whether to try and look at that or the new arrival, she eventually settled for turning around. After all, she'd probably just kick it again if Mag tried checking, right?

"I wasn't going to-" Okay, yes she was, the denial was just a default reaction. The world's most unconvincing defence mechanism, not helped by the fact that it took about two seconds of looking wide-eyed at her accuser before her resolve broke. She was right, it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. "Um. Sorry?" Was that the right thing to say? She couldn't really feel sure.

Why couldn't she have been more subtle about trying to use her power? But... no-one else had seen, and this was now way more conspicuous than a girl just looking through a notebook. Besides, it wasn't like Mag really wanted to be here anyway, and she definitely didn't want to watch the Protectorate people die. Well, she didn't want to watch anyone die, but especially not the good people - even if them being here made her less sure about the 'good' part.

Anyway. Strange girl. Had her wrist. "I mean, um, I can go." Nodding hesitantly, Mag wasn't really up for trying to disagree on something as seemingly minor as this. Besides, she didn't have much reason to stick around anyway. There wasn't much here in the way of food, and what little cash she'd gotten a hold of would be better to take somewhere else. Clutching her book tightly, she looked towards the door, clearly waiting for the other girl to take the lead. Easier to listen to other people when things were this stressful.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_{@Sickle-cell @Migyudon @Old Amsterdam @SkinnyTy @PlatinumSkink @Duoya}

Mag wasn't an expert in any of this. Watching the first fight had been unnerving - not for the violence itself, which there hadn't been that much of, but for the fury of the surging crowds. She'd stayed silent throughout that, fearful of any action that might draw someone's attention. Though she supposed she'd lost out as well, judging by the betting slip she'd pilfered. At least no-one would be coming after her for that, and she'd made a profit off of tonight either way.

She'd noticed the fighters leaving, which was part of why she'd decided to hold on. It felt like she stuck out enough without drawing any attention to herself by walking out early. That, and coming across anyone that would actually fight in this thing didn't seem like a good idea. So she'd stayed there, quiet, waiting for the yelling to subside. Which it did, as Sickle walked back in to the room - though Mag couldn't help noticing that the other one hadn't returned.

Did he kill her? Perhaps it was just Mag's nervousness that lead her to that conclusion, but she'd heard about what Sickle did to people. Everyone had. Whether she was right or wrong, it had cemented her decision to wait until the end. Even if that woman wasn't a good person, Mag didn't want to see anyone carved up like Sickle could do. Of course, she could have asked around, but what if that offended someone, made them angry? She didn't want that - didn't want to do anything wrong. Didn't want to die.

Pale as death, she'd watched the next few rounds in a state of transfixed horror. These people... How could she possibly be anything like that? Like them? She didn't understand, watching them try to tear each other apart, why she had to have any connection to this sort of thing. If anything, watching, she was sinking deeper into denial. She couldn't do something like that to someone. Which raised the question of why she was even keeping the notebook.

Because she was scared, she supposed. Scared to be a cape, but having seen the things that happened in Boston, how difficult it was to just get by without someone trying to hurt her; she was even more scared to let go of that power.

Shaking her head, she looked back towards the arena. It was the last fight. A bunch of independents, some she knew of and some she didn't, against the Protectorate. She didn't get why they were even here to begin with - she'd thought they were meant to be the good guys. And yet, this wasn't anything more than people hurting each other for money... the exact kind of thing they were supposed to stop. It didn't make sense from the teenager's - admittedly naive - point of view.

But she watched anyway, at least until a voice rang out over the speakers. K-kill them all? Her eyes widened, her grip tightening on the notebook in her hands. No, this wasn't good. None of this was good. It would be... smarter to run, wouldn't it? She didn't exactly want anyone knowing she had powers, and she definitely didn't want the PRT to try and send her home or something if they found her. It would make more sense to run.

And yet... she was frozen. She couldn't move, trembling slightly in her seat as she desperately flicked through the worn pages of her book, settling on one that seemed like a safe enough bet. Shaking, her eyes fixed on to the arena, but she didn't try to summon anything yet - honestly, she wasn't even sure if the field would still stop her or not. Whatever the case, it would be a last resort; for now, her gaze remained fixed on the arena, wide-eyed and terrified to see what would come next.

_@Sickle-cell

True to her word, Automaton hadn't headed back in to the Circus. Partly because having her regeneration shut off wouldn't be a good idea, and partly because she didn't actually want anyone to stick her ear back on. So, here she was, heading for a walk. Because there wasn't much else for her to do tonight, but there was an opportunity here. After all, the Protectorate were at the Circus, weren't they? And she'd been running a little low on supplies lately, so it was a pretty good opportunity for a few break-ins.

Once she was a safe enough distance from the Circus, she'd taken a minute to clean the blood off of her face and head, the wound finally sealed over. The mutilation was definitely going to take some getting used to in terms of her appearance, not to mention that she felt more than a little vulnerable on that side. Turning her head back and forth was at least able to somewhat cover for her partial deafness. 'Hey, let's challenge Sickle-Cell to a fight, that'll be a great idea'. Not like I regret it, but seriously.

Then again, she'd survived. He hadn't been trying to kill her, but he'd definitely seemed to plan on damaging more than just an ear - she'd given him something to think about either way.

So, what were her priorities right now? New ear, first of all. Second, a way to actually cover it up. Third... well, there were plenty of things. She bled, for one, although fixing that'd be a long-term job. And he'd caught hold of her - so making that a really bad idea to do would be a pretty good idea. Extending her armour - maybe adding some retractable parts to shield her head and torso? Yeah, sounded like a plan.

But all her plans needed parts. Parts that, right now, she didn't have. Hence why she'd ended up here - picking a shop pretty much at random. She'd long since noted which ones were worth taking parts from, because she wasn't going to settle for low-quality. Of course, she could be subtle about it, but that just wasn't as much fun. Plus, trying to sneak around when she couldn't properly hear people coming was a disaster just waiting to happen. Placing her hand on the door, she grinned, a kinetic pulse blowing it off of its hinges.

Hey, a girl was allowed to enjoy a little shopping now and again.

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Keeping Secrets

Zoe

---

𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 / / ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕋𝕠𝕨𝕟 / / ~𝟘𝟞𝟘𝟝

---

Keeping Secrets

She saw the anger first, because the fiery redhead in front of her was nothing but anger and resentment and it reminded her of different days. Margot ignored the temptation to reminisce, leaning down to look at the unconscious boy's body. She shifted her gun out of the way for a better crouch, eyebrows raised at the extent of the damage. The legs seemed warped, but salvageable. The missing arm and the sleeve trailing putrified blood and flesh were likely not.

"You always go all-out like this?" she asked, checking the body for a pulse to be safe.

After taking a few seconds to get over the shock of the woman's appearance - and the instinct that told her to react to the shock like she did everything else, and lash out - Zoe had unceremoniously dumped her captive on to the ground. Watching her examine him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, Zoe's expression darkened upon hearing the question.

"Better than letting a threat run wild. I do what I have to." The reply was sharp, but it rang hollow. After all, she knew more than anyone there was so much of all this that she hadn't needed to do in the slightest. So many choices she could have turned away from. Still, while Zoe frowned at her words, she didn't back down from them - determined, at least, not to burden anyone else with those worries. "Like I said, he got out of my range. It works automatically once that happens. Stopped it as soon as I could."

"No no, it's a compliment. These are necessary actions. There comes a time when good will will get you killed. Or worse: you could watch your friends die first." The woman straightened with a deep breath, snorting briefly at the rot's scent before rolling the boy's body over with a sturdy boot. "Ones like us, too. We need to kill two birds with one stone whenever we get the chance. At least until freedom comes." She tapped at the base of her neck with a free hand.

"Right. When it is necessary, anyway. Seems like a lot of people can't tell the difference." Her included. Zoe appeared to relax slightly at the woman's seeming understanding, but remained tense. Letting her guard down, especially right after a fight, wasn't something she'd ever been accustomed to. Still, two birds with one stone... she appeared briefly confused by the statement, before bringing a hand up to her own neck. Pausing, she glanced towards Margot, appearing unsure.

To tell the truth, Zoe wasn't worried she'd fail to save the others from threats. For better or worse, she didn't think of herself as incompetent - the opposite, in fact, especially compared to the others. There was no doubt in her mind that she'd do what she had to in that kind of situation. It wasn't anyone else killing them that she was afraid of. Freedom was more than a little tempting in that way. To run off somewhere she could be a danger to no-one but herself, or at least take a bullet to the head while trying. "...does it ever get easier? Seems like it's only getting worse so far."

"It gets better. But you don't want to know how. Mine's gone. I bet you anything Cat's Cradle doesn't have theirs either." A shimmer of her form and in an instant another Margot had appeared, bending to throw the boy over one shoulder before walking away, heading back to the estate.

Cat's Cradle didn't have theirs - Zoe knew that much from Andrew. Margot's words told her it was possible, that they weren't an isolated case. Despite that, the reply annoyed Zoe and there was a cold edge to her voice as she spoke. "And what if I do want to know? At least then I can decide whether to give up on it." Of course, there was part of her knew the smartest decision would be to leave the subject alone. Margot certainly didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it. "I'm sick of getting vague bullshit from everyone. If it's really that bad, giving up might feel shitty, but it's a whole lot less shitty than hoping for something impossible."

"You ever wonder why, if a bunch of Abes are running around without their Stigmas, they don't tell anyone how to get rid of it? That's if they even stay sane." She rolled her shoulders, stretching lightly while the other version of her continued walking off. "Because there are some big, bad consequences if word ever got out. You think people hate us now? They'll tear us limb from limb if they knew. And now I'm just waiting for that one special nutcase to spill the beans to the wrong person and we're all well and truly fucked." She watched the tension ball up in Zoe's fists, and then the shoulders. "But you keep doing what you're doing, and I promise you it'll go away. It's just a matter of how much you can stand to lose."

How much she could lose... Zoe was silent for a long moment. That bad, huh? Watching the second Margot walk away, part of her was tempted to keep on that line of questioning, but she doubted she'd get anywhere. Even having seen the effects of her power, Margot had probably dealt with far worse than one angry subnatural - and once intimidation was out of the window, Zoe was hardly silver-tongued.

"Guess if you can't tell me, you can't tell me. At least that's something."

Something so terrible it couldn't be spoken about, and she was heading down the path that reached it. The idea probably should have been more shocking to her, but it made sense. Even her dream had said as much - she'd chosen death and power over promises of peace and sanctuary. So she didn't question Margot's statement, despite the temptation.

Instead, she gestured towards the Amigo being carried away. "So what's going to happen with him? 'Cause if you're gonna ask questions, I might be able to help with some of that."

"You know Freddy. He can more than help with that, don't worry. Once we've got a few of the cuffs on him, he won't be running anywhere." Margot looked at her other self, contemplating something in some unknown distance before turning back to Zoe. "Don't believe I've ever introduced myself. Margot. And I've been there, where you were. Trust me, I know the frustration. But if this got out the Holocaust would look like a tea party."

"Zoe. But you knew that already." Zoe shook her head, sighing. "Won't lie; it pisses me off that you're not gonna tell me, but I think I get it. I wouldn't risk something like that on trusting a stranger. Hell, I wouldn't trust most of the people I know to keep it under wraps." And that was it. Not quite acceptance, but at least a grudging sense of understanding towards the woman's position.

"As for the questioning, you're missing my point. I mean I can help 'cause I know why they came here." Zoe shrugged. "Haven't told the others because I don't want them doing anything dumb. And they would, some of them at least."

"What have you got?"

Zoe took a moment to consider whether she should even reveal the information, but Margot didn't seem the type to spill anything unnecessarily. "Angelique Lachance. They've got her 'in pieces, but alive', according to the townsfolk. The Amigos weren't shy about trying to kill us, so if they took her alive... makes sense they came here for her in the first place. Don't know why or where they're taking her, but that's part of why I went looking for him." She nodded towards the boy.

"As far as any of the others know, she's dead. And until there's more info, I'd rather keep it that way." Her expression was tired, the sentiment colder than she'd have liked. "They'd tear themselves apart thinking they could save her. If they think she's dead, they can let go; it'll hurt less in the long run."

"Good call. Now get back to the estate, hop on a heli, and get some rest. I'll let Zhang know and we'll get something done. You'll be the first to know if anything changes."

"Good enough for me." Zoe nodded, turning to head towards the estate. Figuring Margot had their prisoner more than handled, she found herself satisfied with her efforts on that front, at least. If it hadn't been for her earlier breakdown and the bleak confirmation that she'd never be anything but a danger, she might even have been content.

As things were, it seemed that she'd done much better when she was alone. As usual, really. Without anyone to hold her back, or stand in her way, it was so much easier to work efficiently. But that was something to think about when there was the time to do so, and her energy was best saved for dealing with the others. She'd have to keep from losing her composure, after all - though whether that meant throwing a punch or sobbing her eyes out, she wasn't sure. Either would be something she didn't want them to see.

Despite Margot's refusal to talk about getting rid of her Stigma, the conversation had been something Zoe didn't even realise she'd needed. Because on some level, the woman had understood the things she'd done. Understood that need to sate, the necessity of violence. The frustration of not knowing what to do about it. I wonder, if I explained to the others...

Explained what? That she imagined... hell, fantasised about tearing people limb from limb? That she got off on hurting people and being hurt? Remembered every single bit of death and destruction with a smile on her face? Best case scenario, they pulled the same thing as Kusari had and just pretended to give a shit - that is, until they'd satisfied their morbid curiosity and could write her off as a lost cause after half a conversation. And hell, even then Zoe hadn't told her the whole thing.

Lost in thought, she hadn't replied to anything else she heard over the cuffs; a pause and brief glance over her shoulder revealing that the other Margot had disappeared. That didn't worry her in the slightest; the woman seemed to more than know what she was doing, which struck one concern off of the list. Not that it made things much less overwhelming.

Trying to put it all out of her mind, she grimaced, turning back towards the estate. Knowing there'd be a long journey ahead, there wasn't much reason to hurry - her pace was slow as she finally resumed her walk.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_{@Sickle-cell @Migyudon @Duoya @Old Amsterdam @SkinnyTy @PlatinumSkink}

"It's a deal." Robin grinned, and even as her wound throbbed in agony the light in her eyes wasn't forced. Technically, there was a good chance that she could get it healed - she was with Wonderland, at the end of the day, even if she felt no loyalty to them or their cause. This, right now, was just preparation. Wonderland, Gladius, Sickle; All obstacles to face, barriers to overcome. There were strengths she could learn to develop, skills she could hone, tactics to prepare.

Because Robin knew she was weak in comparison. That so many in the city could tear her limb from limb before she even had a chance to fight back. But that... that was why she had to fight. Because someone as weak as her could never change things alone - and she was tired of playing this game as someone else's pawn.

What her own goal was, she couldn't be sure. But once she was strong enough, she could work to make something better. Something worth remembering her for, free of anyone else's control. But she could bide her time.

Looking back towards the Circus, Robin laughed, tapping the side of her head. "Well, I don't really feel like answering too many questions about that little scrape, so I guess that means I'm staying out of there." A remarkably relaxed attitude towards losing a body part, but hey; there were worse things that could have happened, and her mind was alive with ideas on how best she could counter Sickle's abilities.

Of course, most of her ideas would have to wait; first course of action was finding a way to cover up her ear situation. After all, turning up with a face half-made of metal wouldn't help her maintain any kind of secret identity, and she couldn't afford to hide away like some kind of hermit. As she turned to leave, she paused and looked at the man who'd stopped their fight. "Before I split, you got a name? Little rude to interrupt without even telling us who you are, you know."

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Nonviolent Solutions

Zoe

---

𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 / / ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕋𝕠𝕨𝕟 / / ~𝟘𝟞𝟘𝟝

---

Nonviolent Solutions

Zoe was more than a little lost in thought as she made her way to the edge of the town. It would have been smarter to wait, to have some kind of backup in case this stranger was a threat, but she told herself there wasn't the time to wait. A pretty good excuse - almost good enough to pretend it wasn't ultimately selfish. Truth was, they'd just end up getting in her way. She didn't feel guilty about what she planned to do, just faintly resigned to her failure at being a better person.

In a way, she'd finally given up. So maybe she just didn't want to be saved anymore. Pretty reasonable. There wasn't much point in sticking around the others while she waited to lose her mind.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't try to be useful in her insanity, and it didn't take too long for a sound to catch her attention. Pausing, she listened, black spiralling across her skin almost on instinct. Breathing, heavy and ragged. Someone who'd been running for quite a while, if she had to guess. It didn't stay that way, the sound quickly transforming into something closer to sobbing as she moved closer. It wasn't a sound she particularly enjoyed, but she was all out of pity. Far as she was concerned, he'd be crying a lot more before the day was out.

The sound was drowned out as helicopters began to arrive, but it had been long enough for Zoe to figure out where she was going. Making her way towards the dilapidated building, she thought she could see a figure. Blue-haired kid probably younger than her, didn't look like a seasoned veteran. That was good; maybe he'd be less able to stand up to questioning. Reaching out with her power, Zoe gave no warning as she charged in. No point in giving him any extra chance to run away, after all.

Chuck flashed away the moment he heard the sound of footsteps entering, the movement taking him to the other side of the small room, but not far enough away as Zoe ran in her power already searching for prey. It found his arm first, melting his fingers to liquid as he tried to jump past her. He almost made it to the door before the pain dropped him to his knees. And still he moved, another jump taking him a dozen meters from the open doorway and into the wet ground outside as his arm sloughed off, oozing out of his windbreaker's sleeve in a torrent of black liquid. He screamed and kept jumping, stopping only when his legs collapsed under him--reddened and itching, the distance far enough that Zoe would need to run almost a hundred meters to catch up to him. It sapped at the energy of her power, still coursing at its own pace now through his body, but the painful rot remained all the same and after a while the boy's screams turned into hoarse, dry wheezes.

"Shit!" Spinning to chase him, Zoe could feel her power still working - but that wasn't any good if he ended up dead. He didn't get to die yet, not until she got her answers. As she sprinted, the effort of maintaining her power along with the exhaustion of the day as a whole left her struggling far more than normal. As soon as he was at the edge of her range, she slowed down the effect, keeping it focused on his legs. Didn't look like she'd have time to stay here while she interrogated him, though; he'd bleed out.

"Run, and it'll start again. Unlimited range. You're coming with me, like it or not." She called out between ragged breaths, slowing to a jog. There was anger in Zoe's expression, no pity in her words as she approached. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't wanna hurt you, but answer my questions and I can get you out alive."

There was pain and there was the sensation of his nerves being torn apart. The ringing in his ears didn't let him hear the girl's words and he thought he might have wheezed out another half-scream. A feeble jump took him less than a meter away, but his strength was failing with his consciousness.

So much for that, huh? Figuring she didn't have much to worry about anymore, Zoe slowed her power to a standstill, walking over and picking up her unfortunate victim. After all, if he stayed here he'd definitely bleed out and die, and she figured she was strong enough to carry him. Losing an arm tended to make people a little less heavy, funnily enough. It hadn't been that long a walk to get here, so if she hurried back there was a chance he'd live long enough to be useful at least.

Ignoring the rotten stench and thoroughly unpleasant noises coming from her victim, she sighed. Part of her dreaded her classmates' reactions, but there was no reason to avoid help now that the fight (if you could even call it that) was finished. This guy wasn't gonna do anyone much damage. "Transmit. I'm gonna need a healer in town as soon as possible. Over."

With that done, she sighed. Part of her was horrified what she was capable of doing so easily - a horror that was all the more prominent with her Stigma sated. Almost a relief in comparison with the usual. But it was still there, the desire, always there, a buzz at the back of her head. It always showed, if just a little; she'd never been able to completely hide her emotions. The sick pleasure of hurting, the fantasies that so often took hold of her thoughts.

No doubt the others would be more upset about it than her. It wasn't exactly tough to figure out; Zoe knew she acted like a dumbass, but that didn't make her stupid. No, she knew they'd have questions, accusing and disgusted eyes turned on her handiwork. And she wasn't sure she had any answers that would satisfy them.

Trying to push those thoughts aside, she started back towards the motel, her burden weighing heavy on her shoulders.

Celestial Bonds

Yulia Zykova

Yulia Zykova

Personal Information

Full Name: Yulia Zykova
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Appearance: Not particularly physically intimidating, Yulia generally comes off as a rather unremarkable individual. High-quality attire and the company she keeps aren't quite enough to offset her relaxed appearance, making it visible that she herself isn't quite as high status as those things might imply. Nonetheless, she makes an effort for the sake of keeping up appearances, and to the untrained eye would appear to belong well enough.

Her clothes, while clearly tailored to fit her, are more practical than ornamental - though she won't shy away from dressing up if the situation calls for it, she prefers the security of a more robust outfit that she doesn't mind getting dirty. After all, helping the injured and sick doesn't always lend itself to cleanliness.

Height: 5'6"
Weight: 136lbs

Background Information

History: Taken on as a servant in the household of the Margrave of the North Basilevsa Republic at ten years of age, Yulia spent a couple of years scrubbing floors and washing dishes before being noticed by the lady of the house. Not for any exceptional service or work, but rather for her keen intelligence; and, perhaps, her habit of squirrelling away books from the library. Literacy, after all, was at least somewhat rare to find in one so young, at least where the general populace were concerned.

After much deliberation, Lady Anna extended Yulia a generous offer - instead of continuing her servitude, she would instead be taken on as a student and tutored in the art of magic. Accepting eagerly, the girl found herself taken in to the family as her studies began, although she was kept from the public eye. For all that she was accepted, after all, she would never quite have the status of those around her.

As her apprenticeship progressed, Yulia began looking into supportive magic, hoping it might help her tend to the soldiers of the family as they returned from dealing with the many northern raids that plagued the region. Though her inexperience left her far more dependent on medicine than magic, she was more than a help when it came to returning them to full strength. Over time, she grew closer with the family as a whole, in particular Alexei - the two of them becoming borderline inseparable.

Brief Personality: Yulia is a fairly humble young woman, content with her place in life and thankful for it. Keenly aware of her status compared to that of her bonded partner, she nonetheless doesn't appear to hold any resentment towards the situation - though she might have a moment of melancholy now and again. For the most part, it appears to be nothing more than material for the occasional joke at her own expense.

Despite her humble origins, she has a fairly high opinion of her own intelligence and can be a bit of a know-it-all at times. She also doesn't shy away from manipulative behaviour if it will serve some benefit to her in the long run, no matter how well-intentioned and friendly she might appear on the surface. With the exception of those few people she is closest to, Yulia is a bit of a fair-weather friend.

Emotional Bond: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Partner: Alexei Ilyin-Melikov

Combat Information

Fighting Style: Yulia's magic is focused entirely around supporting and healing others, with no real offensive potential of its own. As such, most of her time on the battlefield is spent trying to stay out of the way from the real fighting, staying in cover as best she can while keeping as far away as is reasonable from the more powerful combatants. When working with her partner, the extra benefits granted by her protections and buffs more than make up for her own lack of attacking power.

Equipment:

• Bandages/sutures
• Assorted herbal medicines
• Small knife
• Flintlock pistol
• Journal

Weaknesses:

• With no real combat ability of her own, Yulia needs someone around to do the fighting for her and protect her from attacks.
• She has a tendency to underestimate people that causes trouble more often than not.

Celestial Potential Information

Focus: Healing/Support

Spells

Name: Restoration
Function: Allowing for rapid healing of wounds, Yulia's most powerful healing spell requires her to be within a few metres of the injured. It also can't keep someone fighting forever - while she could heal a life-threatening wound, the shock and fatigue from sustaining such an injury will remain, and using it more than once or twice a day takes its toll on her through a mixture of exhaustion and skull-splitting headaches. As such, bugging her to heal minor wounds will almost certainly leave her wanting to kick you through a wall.

She also can't use it on herself.

Name: Adrenaline
Function: When used, the spell allows the affected person to be stronger, faster, and react more quickly to incoming threats for several minutes. However, when the effect wears off it does the opposite, with a brief come-down period that leaves the target sluggish and off-balance.

Name: Cure
Function: Cures illness and removes poison from a person's system. Fatigue caused by these conditions will still remain for the cured individual. The time it takes to work depends on the severity of the condition; the more serious or life-threatening the disease, the more time Yulia will need to use the spell in order to cure it. Much like the healing, she can't really use it on herself.

Miscellaneous Information

Likes: Snowy days, birds, jewellery and art
Dislikes: Fire, being alone, nosy people
Hobbies: Reading, playing cards, creating herbal concoctions and talking people into trying them.
Character Theme: Russian Winter
Other: She's slightly allergic to cats, and is a fantastic cook.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_{@Sickle-cell @Migyudon @Duoya @Old Amsterdam @SkinnyTy @PlatinumSkink}

From where she was lying on the ground, Robin grimaced. Grim satisfaction had accompanied her successful attack on Sickle, and considering her relatively limited abilities... she'd done better than could have been expected. An attempt at wiping the blood from her face was fruitless, but she'd been ready to at least try and get up. To make the most of what little advantage she'd gained.

At least that was what she had been doing until something ricocheted off of the ground between them, causing her to pause and glance towards the source. It was difficult to hear what the new arrival was saying, even as she turned the side with her good - well, only ear towards him. Stopping the fight? Maybe that was a good thing, but she couldn't help feeling frustrated. If nothing else, she'd managed to put up good resistance, even with the mismatch.

Still, when she thought it through...

Looking at Sickle, she smirked, her damaged hearing leaving her to speak a little louder than most would. "Not looking so hot yourself, buddy." She glanced between her opponent and the newcomer, sighing. "And isn't this exactly the day for killing each other?" Moving to sit up, it was clear that her defiance hadn't faded.

"I'm not done." Not by a long shot. Before Sickle could take that opportunity to slice her into ribbons, she continued. "But... I can take a break for today. Time out. Don't wanna end things too soon, after all." And make no mistake, she intended to pursue this one way or another. Why, she didn't know. Maybe she really did have a death-wish, but that didn't feel like the right word for it. While it functioned similarly, his assessment couldn't be more wrong.

She didn't want to stop living. She wanted to start.

It was hard for her to tell what she thought of Sickle. Not... an enemy, not exactly. Certainly not an ally. But there was something about all this that she was desperate to pursue. Maybe just a representation of the goals she'd failed so badly to achieve. At the end of the day, she just had something to prove. Probing the empty space that had once housed her ear, she couldn't hold back a hiss of pain - the bleeding was starting to slow, but as she'd feared it wasn't growing back.

A permanent reminder, then, of whatever this commitment was. "Good enough for you two, or do we have to hold hands and skip off into the sunset?"

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

Welp, posted.

Don't know how likely it is that people would be able to hear the scream/boom/other fight noises from indoors (@Sickle-cell), but if anyone wants to interfere before Robin loses any more body parts then uh, feel free to do so.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_{@Sickle-cell @Migyudon @Duoya @Old Amsterdam @SkinnyTy @PlatinumSkink}

There were times when Robin suspected that she was a goddamned idiot, and this was one of those times. As Sickle raised his arm to block, she didn't have time to stop her strike, eyes widening as she withdrew the blade and saw the blood moving around the wound. Really should've picked out that coffin.

Knowing it would be impossible to stop the attack, she fell back onto the ground, raising armoured legs and bringing her left hand up to cover her face as the needles flew towards her. The armour thankfully seemed to keep the attacks from doing major damage, though she didn't know how many more barrages it would stand. Still, in her hurried defence she couldn't cover everything, and she felt an explosion of burning pain across the right side of her face, accompanied sudden silence and a wave of dizziness that washed over Robin as most of her ear was torn away.

If she wasn't in the middle of a fight, she'd have been sick all over the sidewalk. As it was, she was seriously considering it. Hard to comprehend that sort of injury, she figured, metallic muscle exposed and glinting in the moonlight. Had she screamed? She thought so. Her breaths came shuddering, unsteady as shock threatened to sink in. But it was an instinctive reaction to the pain, nothing more, and her earlier determination hadn't faded.

Would that even regenerate? No time to think about it - whatever happened, having blood pour from the side of her head wasn't exactly the best-case scenario here. What little healing ability she had would probably keep her from bleeding out, but that wasn't much of a blessing. She'd been in over her head in the first place, and the more this went on the more hopelessly outmatched she'd be.

The fight was a lost cause, really, and maybe that was why she kept fighting. Because... well, it was a goal. And turning away meant what? Another day fixing cars in her garage, waiting for some gang leader to call her in? One more expendable meat shield, a cog in someone else's machine. She didn't know what she was chasing with this, but it was something. Substance. Desperately trying to prove she wasn't just one more nobody.

She wondered what the hopelessness of it all said about her. A harsh laugh escaped almost unwillingly, whether at that realisation or out of frustrated defiance she wasn't quite sure. "Guess that's the bleeding question answered, huh?" Her right hand made contact with the floor.

ᴄʟᴏᴀᴋɪɴɢ: ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ

And she fired the pulse directly into the ground with a slightly muffled boom, the recoil sending her flying towards her opponent at high speed. The movement itself was uncontrolled, but along with the camouflage it was at least unpredictable enough that she might get a good hit in. Finding herself going feet-first, she aimed to sink an armoured knee into her opponent's ribs; knocking the wind out of him and keeping him down seemed like the best chance she had of getting anywhere.

Celestial Bonds

Also reposting

Yulia

Yulia Zykova

Personal Information

Full Name: Yulia Zykova
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Appearance: Not particularly physically intimidating, Yulia generally comes off as a rather unremarkable individual. High-quality attire and the company she keeps aren't quite enough to offset her relaxed appearance, making it visible that she herself isn't quite as high status as those things might imply. Nonetheless, she makes an effort for the sake of keeping up appearances, and to the untrained eye would appear to belong well enough.

Her clothes, while clearly tailored to fit her, are more practical than ornamental - though she won't shy away from dressing up if the situation calls for it, she prefers the security of a more robust outfit that she doesn't mind getting dirty. After all, helping the injured and sick doesn't always lend itself to cleanliness.

Height: 5'6"
Weight: 136lbs

Background Information

History: Taken on as a servant in the household of the Margrave of the North Basilevsa Republic at ten years of age, Yulia spent a couple of years scrubbing floors and washing dishes before being noticed by the lady of the house. Not for any exceptional service or work, but rather for her keen intelligence; and, perhaps, her habit of squirrelling away books from the library. Literacy, after all, was at least somewhat rare to find in one so young, at least where the general populace were concerned.

After much deliberation, Lady Anna extended Yulia a generous offer - instead of continuing her servitude, she would instead be taken on as a student and tutored in the art of magic. Accepting eagerly, the girl found herself taken in to the family as her studies began, although she was kept from the public eye. For all that she was accepted, after all, she would never quite have the status of those around her.

As her apprenticeship progressed, Yulia began looking into supportive magic, hoping it might help her tend to the soldiers of the family as they returned from dealing with the many northern raids that plagued the region. Though her inexperience left her far more dependent on medicine than magic, she was more than a help when it came to returning them to full strength. Over time, she grew closer with the family as a whole, in particular Alexei - the two of them becoming borderline inseparable.

Brief Personality: Yulia is a fairly humble young woman, content with her place in life and thankful for it. Keenly aware of her status compared to that of her bonded partner, she nonetheless doesn't appear to hold any resentment towards the situation - though she might have a moment of melancholy now and again. For the most part, it appears to be nothing more than material for the occasional joke at her own expense.

Despite her humble origins, she has a fairly high opinion of her own intelligence and can be a bit of a know-it-all at times. She also doesn't shy away from manipulative behaviour if it will serve some benefit to her in the long run, no matter how well-intentioned and friendly she might appear on the surface. With the exception of those few people she is closest to, Yulia is a bit of a fair-weather friend.

Emotional Bond: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Partner: Alexei Ilyin-Melikov

Combat Information

Fighting Style: Yulia's magic is focused entirely around supporting and healing others, with no real offensive potential of its own. As such, most of her time on the battlefield is spent trying to stay out of the way from the real fighting, staying in cover as best she can while keeping as far away as is reasonable from the more powerful combatants. When working with her partner, the extra benefits granted by her protections and buffs more than make up for her own lack of attacking power.

Equipment:

• Bandages/sutures
• Assorted herbal medicines
• Small knife
• Flintlock pistol
• Journal

Weaknesses:

• With no real combat ability of her own, Yulia needs someone around to do the fighting for her and protect her from attacks.
• She has a tendency to underestimate people that causes trouble more often than not.

Celestial Potential Information

Focus: Healing/Support

Spells

Name: Restoration
Function: Allowing for rapid healing of wounds, Yulia's most powerful healing spell requires her to be within a few metres of the injured. It also can't keep someone fighting forever - while she could heal a life-threatening wound, the shock and fatigue from sustaining such an injury will remain, and using it more than once or twice a day takes its toll on her through a mixture of exhaustion and skull-splitting headaches. As such, bugging her to heal minor wounds will almost certainly leave her wanting to kick you through a wall.

She also can't use it on herself.

Name: Adrenaline
Function: When used, the spell allows the affected person to be stronger, faster, and react more quickly to incoming threats for several minutes. However, when the effect wears off it does the opposite, with a brief come-down period that leaves the target sluggish and off-balance.

Name: Cure
Function: Cures illness and removes poison from a person's system. Fatigue caused by these conditions will still remain for the cured individual. The time it takes to work depends on the severity of the condition; the more serious or life-threatening the disease, the more time Yulia will need to use the spell in order to cure it. Much like the healing, she can't really use it on herself.

Miscellaneous Information

Likes: Snowy days, birds, jewellery and art
Dislikes: Fire, being alone, nosy people
Hobbies: Reading, playing cards, creating herbal concoctions and talking people into trying them.
Character Theme: Russian Winter
Other: She's slightly allergic to cats, and is a fantastic cook.