Medili

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

Higashiakemi Ryuuko | Bunga Kurniawan

@Kumbaris

Hospital Banter Part 2

Bunga was quite pleased that Ryuuko remembered about her papers. Obviously she didn't expect every Polymath to know about her studies, but it would be weird for an originally Oriental Egoist to not recognize her papers on the subject. "Yeah, those series of papers on Animalism was apparently my breakthrough that got me where I am now. I'm currently working on making these changes permanent if necessary."

Bunga also made a quick response to Ryuuko's inquiry about why she's still here. "Yes. I am actually waiting for Mr Porter to finish whatever he is doing right now. I have... some affairs with him that needed be done. Let's just say that we somehow clicked." Bunga sincerely hoped that Ryuuko didn't take this as some kind of Romantic interest. She has no problem with relationships, but just a couple of days wasn't nearly enough to make Bunga very attached to James himself.

Even though his personality, while different than hers. Somehow clicked.

"Also. In regards to Nazca. I have always been interested in Technologism, it's one area where the Federation is admittedly underdressed for, and I've always wanted to discuss along with Nazca how her clockwork machinery works. At the very least, it can lead into a blossoming of Technologism and Technologist Polymaths back home, and garnering more knowledge has always been a priority for every university, or at least, the University I worked for.

"By the way. Mind if I ask, since I am curious about your case and all. But why did you choose Germany out of all places? I know that you desire your independence and all, but I didn't expect for a Japanese woman to make such a visible break like that. Personally? I would expect you to run to Temasek rather than go straight to the Occident. It's by far our most cosmopolitan city, with many cultures and polymaths abound, and I'm sure that you'd like the food too. A bit spicier than what Nippon has to offer, but definitely different."

Temasek has garnered a... reputation within the Orient as the place for trade and culture. A massive, strategically located port city in the Orient where traders from Africa, India, and China would sell their wares and interact with each other. Making connections, exchanging knowledge, and generally contributing to the city's well-being. It would be perfect for Ryuuko's more... independent mindset. Or at least that's what Bunga thinks.

"I see..." Ryuuko quirked up an eyebrow at Bunga's remark of possibly making the changes permanent. Wouldn't that just make it like any other Egoism transformation? It's killing what's making it different... In the end, she said nothing about it, thinking that it's not her business to question Bunga about it. More interestingly... "Mmhmm. 'Clicked' huh..." She grinned wide with her eyes narrowed again. "I see, I see. My, that British gent sure has quite the... Brave taste then." Alas, with how vague the word 'clicked' was in term of definition, she indeed misunderstood the relationship between James and Bunga. "Then again, I do not disapprove of having exotic tastes. Not at all. Haha!"

"In any case, I imagine you will have to wait for quite a bit for that discussion. Nazca's not going to be in the mood for that. And frankly, I think she is a bit cross with you because you, ehm, barged in and showed no concern for her well-being." She paused, looking at the door to Nazca's room briefly before looking at Bunga again. "In fact, I imagine she might not be feeling up for such discussion until the true culprit that caused her misfortune is caught. Well, I'm already going to do something about that, so no worries."

"Anyhow... Why German, hmm? Simple. I quite admire the Occident, and Germans are well known to be... Efficient. Not to mention that my benefactors are from Germany. It wasn't a difficult decision at all to make, considering the circumstances. Besides..." She smirked wildly. "I know it will hurt my family far more, me going to an Occidental nation, than if I had gone to another Oriental one. Ha."

The Nusantaran woman cringed a little bit from Ryuuko's response about her relationship and James, and she has no idea how to fix her perception in any way without making things awkward. I have to maybe inform James about this, and I don't think he's going to be too happy with me afterwards. Huuuhhhh, I need to buy lunch for him to compensate for this aren't I?

She had parents who are merchants, and their conservative nature when it came to money handling has rubbed off to Bunga as well. But oh well, that can wait for a later date. Besides, Bunga has more pressing issues at play here rather than buying James lunch. "Well. I do agree that I shouldn't be visiting Nazca's room for quite a while, that I agree with, but well... maybe a couple days would be better to discuss about Academic topics with Nazca rather than today, at least given her rather cranky mood when I visited her."

"And well. I have never been to the Occident myself. But I have heard many things about them. Is it true that Germans sometimes act more like automatons rather than people? I've heard from several traders that have gone to Germany that Germans are very direct people no? They don't swim around the issue in order to make it more palatable, just straight up inform you you're ugly if you are indeed ugly to them right? Also, darn, is your family really that odious? What did they do to you to warrant such an extreme measure?"

Now Bunga's interested. She was sure that Japan and Majapahit would have their differences in culture and some values, but they were both Oriental nations. So it would be interesting to see Ryuuko's grievances and compare them to her own upbringing.

In all her small conversations though. Bunga almost forgot that Ryuuko mentioned something about finding the 'true' culprit in Nazca's attack, and such a prospect. Well, that interested Bunga greatly. "You said something about finding a true culprit behind Nazca's attack? What do you mean by that?"

"Germans acting like automatons, hmm? Hahaha!" Ryuuko laughed heartily at that. It was definitely not the first time she heard of that stereotype. "There is some truth to that. Just look at the scion of the Konigsmahne family, for example. She's like a living doll... But in the end, the Germans are just people like everyone else. That is to say, their personality differs person by person... Still, the inclination to be direct is indeed there, due to the culture... As for my family..." Her smile grew wicked, with some degrees of fury visible in her eyes. "Let me put it this way, Ms. Bunga. If it was up to them, I wouldn't be here right now. I'd be home, dressing up like a stereotypical Yamato Nadeshiko just because it's 'a women's duty to be a good wife to their husband'. I'd have been married off to some pompous influential man that is probably twenty to thirty years my senior, and my duty would be to bear his offspring, feed him good food, prepare the bath for him, and all around satisfy his every needs." With every words, her wicked smile turned more and more into a downright hateful frown. "To hell with that. Japanese traditions my arse. Pathetic. It can and should all burn to ashes. Such things are what's holding Japan back from advancements, and yet they refused to let it go anyway. Bloody idiots."

Ryuuko paused, and then sighed, letting the tension out of her mind and body. "But enough about that. Heh..." Her expression slowly turned to that of a light smile again. "Why, it is exactly as the words suggested. You said earlier that the rumor is that Nazca was attacked by a mysterious Egoist, yes? Pfft. That's far from the truth. It was not an Egoist, Ms. Bunga. I was there with Nazca. We were attacked by creatures that roamed the mist at night. The things that those in charge of Bermuda refused to bring to light, likely to protect their own ego or some such petty things... Well, it won't be for long now. Tonight, I will be going out to catch some of those creatures, record the proof of their existences, and then spread it in and out of Bermuda... It's ridiculous that they're keeping such things hidden. It is, I believe, a duty of all moral individuals to bring it to light."

Bunga is from the Orient, and it is for sure that the Federation has... mixed feelings about women. She has heard her mother many times try to prevent the unwanted advances of many a man just because she looks 'like an unpicked flower', whatever that means. But hearing about the pressure the women of Nippon has to go through is quite something else. "Well, forgive me for being someone from the Orient, but that is... quite something Ryuuko. Perhaps it is because of Occidental influence after the futile war. But I've never heard of women being put to such pressures where I came from. I'm quite sorry for what you have to go through."

Still, Ryuuko's remarks about the state of women in Japan give Bunga sometime to reflect on the state of women in her own lands. It was for certain such pressures do not exist, but certainly the pressure to continue the family line is present, if admittedly significantly weaker than whatever is present in Nippon, as are some aspects of Nusantaran society that degrades women.

She remember being in Jayakarta along with Anggini, waiting for her journey to the mountains, and while waiting, she heard a bunch of drunkards talking about women and how Nusantaran society has 'lost their way' in terms of giving women rights, like the right to vote, the right to work, the right to self determine, and many other things Bunga take for granted. What motivated these men to think like that? Just what pleasure do they bring in making women feel as miserable as Ryuuko presumably was when she's in Nippon? She has to investigate this further later on.

Ryuuko's further remarks concerning her future plans further piqued Bunga yet again. She has an intent on finding out who attacked Nazca, and it seems that the two are of one mind in this one. "Are you saying that you wanna break curfew Ryuuko? And you mention creatures too?" The woman closed in on the Japanese Egoist, her tone more hushed. "Are you interested in taking a partner? Or two? More help would be welcomed no?"

Ryuuko shook her head. "Haha, don't be sorry about it, Bunga. It is, unfortunately, what it is. And I'm sure you have your own experiences with such things... It's a rather common thing in the Orient after all, oppression against women. Changing that is part of what I'm trying to achieve. So we'll see, huh? Anyways..."

She leaned closer in to Bunga as well at the other woman's questions. "Hmm..." Then, she seemed to quietly consider something as she put her right thumb to her lips. After a while more, she spoke. "First. Yes, I am saying I am going to break the curfew. Second, yes, creatures. Unnatural creatures, as if they're the creations of some insane polymaths..." She paused again, as if to allow Bunga to absorb what she just said, before continuing. "It is an interesting proposition that you are offering, Ms. Bunga. However, let me tell you more first..."

"Nazca became so badly wounded last night because she and I were breaking curfew to... Well, let's just say we believed a certain Manbat was responsible for framing Jeanne... However, instead of finding this Manbat Egoist, we were attacked by these unnatural creatures instead. I came out fine. But Nazca, not so much. So my questions are: One, hearing this, are you still eager to join me? And two... How confident are you in your abilities to fight? You're a fellow Egoist, so I have more confidence in you than I would in a Technologist or Dynamicist, but still... I'd rather not have another Nazca. It was a mistake last night, bringing her with me."

Bunga absorbed everything Ryuuko has to tell her, and yes, she is aware of the potential risks of such an operation. But she has to do it, the risks of not doing such an Op would be total failure for her mission, and for Bunga herself too. She has to gain the trust of Nazca by cooperating with Ryuuko. It's a must.

She hopes Wiro trained her enough that she can handle whatever threats lurk within Bermuda after dark. But she has her fox perception and goat vision to fall back to if needed. "Well, hearing that, I must say that I am still interested in uncovering this unique mystery Ryuuko. But don't tell anyone of my involvement in this. Since I'd rather keep this fact with the two of us until night falls."

"Also. In regards to my combat abilities. I will admit that I may not be the strongest Egoist out there, but once I have my extensions. I do notice that I can notice threats much, much faster than even my fellow Egoists back home, I can be your eyes and ears should someone, or something, tries to attack us. So I hope that you're okay with bringing me in, I really don't want to have another unwitting Nazca be the victim of these unknown aggressors yet again."

"Oh, and one question Miss Ryuuko. Would you be okay if I bring in assistance with me? A certain British person you might be aware of? I'm sure I can convince him to prepare some concoctions as backup and in case the worst happen."

Ryuuko looked to the side, deep in thought as she considered Bunga's words. It seemed that, like herself, Bunga was not an Egoist who focused fully on combat like a certain Chinese man did. Still, in Ryuuko's mind, if Bunga was at least as physically powerful as Ryuuko then it should be far safer bringing her than bringing a Technologist like Nazca. That she boasted about having more acute senses were also an interesting point, as the lack of acute senses was part of the problem with identifying threats last night.

Her rumination done, Ryuuko looked back at Bunga. She nodded, and smiled casually at her. "In that case... Very well. Welcome aboard, Bunga. I will wait for you tonight outside of Jeanne's and Nazca's apartment." She told Bunga of the address and directions of how to reach the apartment, and also exchanged contact numbers with her just in case. "As for bringing assistance... I'm assuming you meant Mr. Porter. I certainly don't mind you trying to convince him to prepare concoctions and such, if you're confident they will be of help... But if you meant actually bringing the person himself along... Again, I don't want another case of Nazca. If you want to bring him along, it will be at your own risk, Bunga."

"Alright. Sounds like a deal then." Bunga responded to Ryuuko's offer. "And of course. I'll ask James for some of his concoctions, but I'm just wondering that he might as well join the group due to the sudden information of myself joining you. Wait, maybe I can just frame it as just me being curious of his potions. Yeah that'll work. Yeah."

The Nusantaran woman nodded to Ryuuko. "So, see you at night then Ryuuko? I'm still waiting for James unfortunately. That British guy sure does take his time on things does he?"

"Wonderful. Then it is settled. Looking forward to working with you then, Bunga! We'll keep in contact, hmm?" Ryuuko grinned wide, excited with the prospect of having another partner for her curfew breaking, this time a fellow Egoist which she believed meant that Bunga shouldn't be so squishy like Nazca was. "I'll leave the matters with James to you in any case. For now, indeed, I have other things to tend to." For example, where Jeanne had gone to. "Indeed. Maybe you should check to make sure if he had forgotten about you and left you, hmm? Anyway... I'll see you around, Bunga." And with that, Ryuuko walked away to search for Jeanne, giving Bunga one more friendly wave as she left.

The Hourglass Order

Seung Eun-Ji | Manfred Hohenfelter von Meckelin-Thandau
Wvysen Myranne | Dorothea Hohnstein

@Force and Fury @Ypnosi @jasbraq

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The walk was not short. Manfred had wound his watch - a beautiful pocket watch of Kerreman design - twice after waking up, and it was showing that he and Dory were running short on time. They were just passing through the Merchants’ Quarter on their way to the Sea Gate and Mudville when he noticed a semi-familiar figure standing in a small square, looking for someone or something.

Said figure was likely best described as an acquaintance to the two, at best, with them perhaps seeing each in the more general classes. That being said, her attire was distinctive, with the mage stubbornly wearing it near enough every day, a minor rumor of one particular class the mage was in being that her closet was just full of the same outfit, a rumor usually accompanied by quiet snickering. With her red coat and twintails, she was easily recognized, and Wvysen grumbled as she continued her search for Dorothea. She had asked around for if anyone had seen her the last night, but vague affirmations were the best she had gotten. With a glance in the pair's directions, Wvysen adjusted her glasses, brightening and moving to intercept.

“Hey Freddie, is that the Eun-ji girl you were talking about?” The cloaked woman pointed towards the red coat mage that walked towards them. “Don’t we need to meet up with them like you said?” It seems she hasn’t really taken the time to recognize all the faces in the school grounds.

Manfred blinked. Eun-Ji was clearly a Tan Keoulean name and the girl in the red coat was most definitely not Tan Keoulean. “You okay, swampy? That is… most definitely not a ‘Eun-Ji’,” he observed, with a slight, embarrassed chuckle. “Hey you,” he called, waving at the girl. “You look lost. Don’t I know you from a couple of classes?”

“Oh, you two are looking for her too?” The girl asked with a frown. “I have no idea where she is. Wvysen, by the way. You two hear about the new groups or not?” Truth be told, she had no idea who the guy was, but she recognized Dorothea, at least, from a class or two. Not that they had really talked much, just that Wvysen vaguely knew of her. “You’re Dorothea, right? We’re in one of the same gen eds. And, uh, the same group now. Alongside some Manfred fellow, and Eun-Ji.”

Manfred pointed to himself, unamused. “That would be me.” He paused. “Manfred, not Eun-Ji, in case you were… unclear.” Then, he took a moment to think. Me, Eun-Ji, Dory, and… this Wvysen girl. Her name sounds almost… yasoi. He furrowed his brow. Me. Dory. Eun-Ji. Manfred felt a little prickle of fear.

”Excuse me…” A voice familiar to Manfred could be heard coming from nearby, followed by the one who had spoken it. Eun-Ji, wearing her usual casual dress, approached the others. Her expression was neutral as usual, and she did not seem to immediately react to the presence of the two strangers that were with Manfred. ”If I am late, please accept my apologies, Mr. Hohen-...” She corrected herself, pausing. ”I mean, Manfred...” Then she turned her gaze to Dorothea and Wvysen, followed by a simple polite bow. She had defaulted to her typical rather polite demeanor due to the presence of the strangers. ”And I believe we have yet to be acquainted… I am Seung Eun-Ji. It is an honor to meet you, Ms…?”

“So you’re the girl Freddie’s been on about? It’s a pleasure!” The cloaked woman brought out her hand in front of Eun-Ji. Waiting for her to accept the handshake. Her attention soon came upon Wvysen again. “So you are the girl that always wears the same outfit? Or am I confusing you with someone else?”

Manfred whistled inwardly to himself. He definitely did not wear the same outfit nearly every day. Definitely not.

Considering Manfred was also not a girl, Wvysen assumed that was aimed at her, and she simply nodded, used to that question. “Wvysen. Pleasure to meet you too, Eun-Ji.” She bowed her head slightly in greeting, though she wasn’t too aware of Tan Keoul customs, a nod should be fine, right? “Man, what are the odds of all four of us meeting up at the same time..?” She pondered idly, smiling.

”....” Eun-Ji stared at Dorothea for a second before then flitting her gaze over to Manfred, wondering what Manfred had been telling the girl who still hadn’t introduced herself yet. Also… .... Freddie? It took her aback for a bit, though she did not show it at all on the surface. Then, she took the offered hand and shook it. ”The pleasure is mine… Miss.” Afterwards, she turned to address Wvysen again. ”To be honest… I also wasn’t expecting to meet anyone aside from Manfred, Ms. Wvysen… Hmm.” With that, her gaze turned to Manfred again. Neutral, calm, and yet unyielding.

“Ah, ahem.” Manfred cleared his throat, glancing between the three women. “Eun-Ji, this is Dory…thea Hohnstein. She and I met last night while all the Kerremans were celebrating our newly-won spot on some ridiculous throne.” He grinned, but nervousness nibbled at its edges. “It was a good excuse to have fun, if nothing else.”

“It was fun alright!” The now laughing woman hit Manfred in the side. “When’s the next Kerreman victory? Because that night was extremely fun.” Her mind quickly went towards the fact that she didn’t introduce her yet. “Like Freddie said, the name’s Dory, a pleasure to meet you!”

”To be honest myself, I wasn’t really expecting to meet anyone but Dorothea. Figured she’d be the easiest to find of us, since I actually know what she looks like. Wasn’t expecting you two to be here, too. Especially, uh, with her, in Manfred’s case.” Her gaze fell on Manfred, and with Dorothea’s statement, her cheeks went a light pink. What had those two been up to, exactly..? ”Anyways, um- Introductions, right. I am Wvysen Myranne, of Arsica. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Seeing as all of us are in the same group, I figured a free day might be a good time to get to know each other, and all four of us being here just makes that even better.” She smiled cheerfully, looking around at the other three, gaze flicking up and down to ingrain the faces and bodies into her memory.

“Ah, yes, a wonderful idea,” Manfred replied. “I believe you know my name already, but I haven’t formally introduced myself: Manfred Hohenfelter von Meckelin-Thandau.” He smiled tightly, politely. “However, I may have to beg your leave for the time being. I am signed up for an… extracurricular class along with… these two and we’re running somewhat late as it is. Perhaps we can reconvene at 1:00 Oraff?”

”....” Eun-Ji looked on silently at how Dorothea was behaving toward Manfred. Her face continued to be completely neutral, and so did her body language, throughout the whole thing. Something else, however, had definitely reacted. For a brief moment, it can be said that a small candle within Eun-Ji turned into a rather messy bonfire. Eun-Ji herself didn’t exactly understand what the fiery feeling was, but she soon took control and suppressed it regardless. ”Very well… Ms. Hohnstein.” She then decided to introduce herself more properly following what Manfred and Wvysen did, starting it off with a forward bow that was precisely done at 60 degrees of inclination. ”As I previously stated. I am Seung Eun-Ji, of the Tan Keoul Army's Mage Division. Again, it is an honor to make your acquaintance, Ms. Myranne and Ms. Hohnstein. As for the idea of becoming better acquainted… Yes, I suppose that is a good idea.” That done, she turned and nodded at Manfred. ”Yes… We should be off. We shall see you again soon, Ms. Myranne.” For now, it seemed she had no intention to question why Dorothea was coming with her and Manfred.

“Ah, well now I just feel like I’m being left out!” Wvysen stated with a cheerful smile, tone not really matching the sentiment, not seeming terribly bothered by the three of them going on together. Instead, she took note of Manfred’s watch, gaze flicking to the clockwork almost immediately, a sense of what almost felt like… hunger welling up at the sight of it. That was a nice watch. The gaze only lasted for a moment, though, before flicking up to make eye contact once more.

“I do apologize,” Manfred replied quickly, picking up on her tone. “I shall make it up to you this Oraff.” He noticed her eyes on his watch and grinned back.

”Oraff works for me, I don’t have any extracurricular today myself. Meet up at the arboretum, maybe? Or just here works, too, really. If you really want to make it up to me that badly, I wouldn’t mind taking a look at that clockwork some time.”

“Consider it done,” Manfred replied. “The very least I can do for rushing past you like this.”

“I thought that watch was something sentimental from your family. I don’t know why I thought such a thing.” She grabbed his watch only to examine it with a closer eye. “Huh, It really is good craftsmanship but it is missing something.” She kissed her own finger and placed it on the watch. “There, now it should be sufficiently sentimental!”

Manfred blinked. “Yes, I suppose that’ll do. Now, less time kissing my watch and more time rushing to class, for time is of the essence.”

The Hourglass Order

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After the Storm

Ersand'Enise | Late Dawn, Day After the Assassination Attempts

The previous night had been a success, as far as the parameter of the mission itself was concerned. And yet things still were not at all ideal. It bothered Eun-Ji, who had perceived of her own performance as non-optimal. Yet again she came under the effect of someone's Internal Chemical magic; three times in about a week now. And this time, she might have been killed if not for the timely arrival of Zeno Lascand who had come to her aid. This had definitely put a lot of things into perspective for her. For all the spartan trainings that had sharpened her into a highly effective weapon of death and destruction for Cheol Sang-nam and Tan Keoul, she remained helpless against this particular method of attack. A flaw that had proven itself to be potentially fatal.

She was sitting on her bed in her room in the Castle, forgoing her usual dawn-time exercises and meditations in favor of a personal introspection. She sighed. This will not do... Magnetic magic, huh... She considered it in her mind, the necessity of learning more deeply about Magnetic magic. Of course, as a trained mage, she had some capabilities in all of the five magic disciplines. Yet she had always been very focused in her training, and thus her understanding of Magnetic, Binding, and Chemical magic were all very basic. It will be quite a difficult task for someone like her to attempt to improve herself in a third discipline of magic... And yet she realized that she really needed to do so, lest she remain completely vulnerable to Internal Chemical magic. At the end of her introspection, it is then decided that starting from this very day, she will take it upon herself to spend some time in learning Magnetic magic.

She started immediately, reading over some texts she had in her possession regarding the topic, understanding the need to always start from the most elementary: the theories. A few hours passed by, and then she stopped her study. The time to reconvene with Manfred had came quite close, and it was also a matter of great import. She had promised her commitment toward investigating the so-called Blood Magic course with Manfred after all, and she fully strove to stick to her promise. And thus she left her room, and went off at a brisk pace to where they were supposed to meet.

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

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Place(s): Back at The Horizon
Time: Nighty Night
@Izurich @VitaVitaAR

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Poor Pyra, I Wonder If She's Okay?

Teodora sighed contentedly, a big happy smile remaining on her face as she slowly ate her parfaits. This is really the best way there is to sweeten up a glorious success. Haa... She remained oblivious for a while of the hateful, fury-filled gaze that the girl beside her was throwing her way, too engrossed in her euphoria induced by the sweet sweet heaven that was invading her sense of taste. "Why... did you do that?" It was only after Pyra spoke up that she finally realized that Pyra had been looking at her, although even then Teodora did not pick up on the incendiary tone in the angered girl's voice. She turned to look at Pyra, still smiling blissfully as she took her time to taste the parfait still in her mouth.

"...? Why did I do what?" She tilted her head slightly to the left, still smiling. Teodora had no idea what Pyra was referring to. "Oh my, are you quite alright, dear Pyra? Pardon me for saying, but you do have quite the intense look there on your face..." Finally noticing that Pyra looked not the slightest bit happy, but still not realizing the reason why, Teodora's own expression turned to that of calm concern as she continued to speak. "Are you hurt somewhere? Oh my, were you perhaps wounded during the battle earlier? Should I call someone from medical over?"

"Oh yeah, everyone, do you want anything else? I'm going to run over to get something to eat for dinner, so I can pick more food up if anyone wants anything!"

Teodora briefly turned around as Hoshiko spoke of her offer to the other pilots. "I am quite fine, dear Hoshiko! Thank you for offering!" After giving that brief response, she looked around quickly, noticing who else were nearby just in case she needed more help with Pyra which she had mistakenly thought as potentially going to need medical help. Dear Hoshiko is there, and that's Norika there... Elise, Louisa, Seraphima, Lang. Good, everyone's here... Done with confirming that, she turned to look at Pyralis again, still looking calm but concerned.

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

Higashiakemi Ryuuko
Nazca Whitehall

LÊ BẰNG KIỀU

Hospital Banter

So many things had gone wrong, and even as she sit on her chair beside Nazca's bed, Ryuuko's mind were still filled with so many different thoughts. Things that could have been done differently, the secrets of the island that were being hidden from the students, what those bizarre creatures that attacked her and Nazca were... It were all, simply put, a big mess.

She were only put off from her thoughts when she noticed Nazca stirring, groaning in pain and coughing.

"Nazca!... Thank goodness. You're finally awake." Ryuuko's expression immediately shifted to that of relief as she looked at Nazca. The Abya Yalan was still in pretty bad condition, but her return to consciousness lifted some weights off Ryuuko's shoulders regardless. Soon enough though, Ryuuko realized that she have a lot to explain to Nazca... And the others of the Jeanne Defense Team. Her mind immediately started working, wondering how to tackle the issue, and she did not yet answer Nazca's question.

Bang, who was initially levelling an unreadable stare at Ryuuko, turned to Nazca. He spoke gently. "You're in the hospital right now, after... Well. What do you remember?"

Nazca winced. Probably both from pain, and from the answers of her two peers that were at her beside. Well, at least they were visiting, even if she didn't know why she was hear to begin with. "Yes... I can see that." Still floundering for what had happened or was going on, she very briefly recounted her last memory. "I... was eating at the party. Then I'm here."

... What?... Ryuuko frowned and paused briefly as she looked at Bang and Nazca. If Nazca don't remember about what happened the night before, then this might just become an even more troublesome situation for Ryuuko. She then sighed and talked again after considering this. "..... After the party. You and I went out after curfew to try to find the Manbat... You don't remember, Nazca?"

She looked startled by this. "...No. I was considering it, but I didn't make up my mind yet." If that was true, was there that much of a gap in her memory from last night?

Bang had his eyes on Ryuuko again, silently waiting.

Ryuuko grimaced upon hearing of Nazca's reply. It doesn't seem like she's faking it... Drats, this is complicating things. Her mind was racing. There were so many ways that this can possibly go, and she wondered whether or not to try to exploit Nazca's seeming amnesia. In the end, though... "No, Nazca. We did go, the two of us. We didn't find the Manbat in the end... But we found something else instead. Can you really not remember? Your clockwork things frozen midair, seemingly defying physics? And then those... creatures, whatever they were, that attacked us within the mist."

So she was attacked after they had left Jeanne's apartment during curfew? Her mind raced, as much as it could through the residual pain that she felt. Had she been given painkillers? But wait, her birds, frozen in the air? She narrowed her eyes, not understanding. "I... do not. Are you saying my birds were frozen in the air? That is... literally impossible. Tell me what happened. In full."

Ryuuko didn't immediately answer. Again, she paused, this time while staring straight into Nazca's eyes. This lasted for a few seconds as she considered her options before making her decision. And that decision, it turned out, was to just tell things as it were. Lying didn't seem like it will serve much purpose, and might came back to bite her after all. "Alright... Well, here goes..." And that was exactly what Ryuuko did. Concisely, she told Nazca and by extension everyone else present in the room, exactly what had occurred last night. No embellishment nor deception, just the plain truth.

"..."

It took some time before Nazca opened her mouth as she processed the information. Had Ryuuko been lying to her? She didn't think so. She couldn't discount that the dragon girl was lying to her face, but it would also be a very poor lie to say that she had been injured as a direct result of Ryuuko torching her with a fireball. There were circumstances, yes.

It didn't make her any less unhappy with the Japanese girl. Not when she was still in pain all over, and when her head was feeling suspiciously lighter and devoid of most of her precious silver hair.

"...What possessed you to think that was a good idea."

Ryuuko replied without missing a beat. "I did not." She sighed tiredly, shifting her gaze to look out of the windows as she continued speaking. "I had, what, a second? Yeah, a second, to make a decision. A cocoon made out of pitch black webbing. I don't even have any idea what the hell that was, how can I even think of a good idea? Especially in that ridiculously short time span with you being lifted into the air... Who's to say you'll still be there if I decided to land first and jump up again? So no, Nazca. I did not think that was a good idea. Just the best of the worst, given the situation."

Nazca fell silent. After a while, the bandaged girl sighed. "It will take more than a while for me to forgive you for this, but if your recounting is true, then thank you for rescuing me, at least. Whoever orchestrated all of this is going to pay." She grit her teeth, but did little else, lest she injure herself more. This was not how she was expecting to spend her third day on this island, but more than ever, she was determined to find out what was going on during the night under that terrible blanket of fog.

"Whatever you need, we'll make sure you're provided during your recovery," Bang said, looking to Ryuuko and Jeanne for agreement. "You went out for our group's efforts after all. As for whatever's behind this..."

The Egoist frowned.

"It's not just Miss du Bordeaux that's been placed in danger. Potentially the whole island is being monitored by..." He didn't know how to finish his sentence.

Ryuuko nodded, both in affirmative to Bang's words and to Nazca's thanks toward her. "As if I can just let someone working with me to get kidnapped or killed by some... Whatever crazy things those were. As for forgiveness, I understand... And you don't need to take my words for it." Her expression slowly turned from a slight frown to that of anger as she continued speaking. "I'm going out again tonight, and I'm bringing the camera and recording device with me. This isn't just about that damn Manbat anymore. It's this whole freaking island. I don't know what the management is hiding and I don't care why they're hiding it, but I'm going to find those creatures and expose their damn existence to light!" By the end of her speech, Ryuuko was practically fuming, sharp teeth bared as she glared, still facing the windows.

Nazca let out another sigh. "Be careful. Judging by what happened to me, we're going to have to approach this with more caution. Not remembering anything at all in and of itself is frightening, not to mention... everything else."

"You shouldn't go alone." Bang's head snapped towards Ryuuko. "No. You shouldn't be going out there at all."

Face still uncharacteristically angry, Ryuuko looked at Bang with one eyebrow raised. "Huh? Why? Are we supposed to just let this go after what had happened? No way, Bang. As I said, it's not only the Manbat but also whatever it is that the academy is hiding from us. We have a duty to expose this damn thing!"

"There are ways to go about this without throwing yourself in danger again."

Nazca supported Ryuuko. "The threat must be ended."

And Ryuuko, unconvinced, did not back down. "Ways like what? Obviously talking isn't going to work, considering it's the whole dang academy that's playing secret with us, no?"

The argument went on, seemingly with no end.

The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP

---

The 'discussion', as it seemed to be, had finally started between the party and these mysterious individuals. At the time, Fei had finally woken up, and considering his appetite for trying out dragon steak it seemed that Anki's healing magic had managed to do its job of healing a significant amount of the damage from his body. The pixie Dumas had once more returned to his human sized form and joined in on introducing himself through Srikandi. And Catherine... Well, Catherine seemed quite eager to take more samples, this time from the blood of these outsiders as the alchemist was eager to see if her theories regarding the outsiders' origin was right or not.

As for Anki, she tilted her head to one side, gaze still filled with curiosity as the outsiders' leader; a woman named Almira, denied that she was an alchemist or mage. "A former soldier." Anki's mind was hard at work trying to figure out whether or not the woman had told her a lie. And if so, which part of it was a lie. She claimed to be 347 years old. Yet she was a human former soldier. It was simply impossible. The typical human doesn't even generally live over the age of 70, let alone nearly 5 times that. The fact that Almira then backtracked on the topic of her age only made Anki even more curious- and suspicious, of her words.

Anki then turned to Srikandi, and started speaking in Oberian, a language she knew Srikandi was somewhat fluent in. "Frankly. I think she's lying, Ms. Srikandi. She seems to be hiding quite a few things... And to answer your questions..." Anki shook her head before continuing. "Yes, life extension through magic or alchemy is possible in Oberia. However... One, in regards to alchemy, it would be an extremely expensive process. The person wishing to extend their lifespan will need to drink a series of specially made elixirs that must be taken regularly once a week for a full year... The cost in gold will be humongous, and even then it will only increase the person's lifespan for about 20% of their natural lifespan... Nowhere near enough to reach 347 years old. Note, that this procedure cannot be repeated. One series of elixirs for a year and that's it. Taking any more than that will result in overdosing, which in turn will likely result in either complete and permanent paralysis of the body or death."

She paused briefly, letting her words sink in to Srikandi before continuing. "Two, in regards to magic... Only the most powerful of human mage will be able to use their magic to extend their lifespan, and even then only if they are a master of the Earth or Water element. The former achieved so by borrowing energy from the flow of the mythological Tree of Life, while the latter achieved so by conjuring water from the equally legendary Fountain of Youth... In history, only those bearing the title of Lord of Gaea or Lord of Okeanos were capable of such feat... And even then, the longest living human of them all was the 2nd Lord of Gaea, which lived to the age of 288 years old... Still short of the 347 years old this Almira claimed herself to be."

"And lastly. No, they do not at all act like Oberians. Not their mannerism, nor their way of dressing, nor their way of speech. Simply put... This Almira is either not fully human; perhaps a half-elf or such similarly longer lived species... Or she had, as I previously said, lied to us." Her head rapidly snapped back to look at Almira as she uttered the last words of her speech. Once more, the automaton princess of Oberia looked at the strangers with curious eyes... Which were then also tinged with suspicion and wariness.

Code Vein (Closed)

---

Place(s): Ruined City
Time: Feb 23rd, 2057 - Late Afternoon
Interaction(s): Team Ajax-Cerise-Lysandra-Vincent

---

Things had suddenly went from cautiously calm to all-out chaos all in the span of a few minutes. Cerise had paused just as Ajax suddenly seemed to sense something. At first, she wasn't entirely sure, but upon seeing that Ajax was also having a reaction, she quickly decided that something was indeed off. As Lys called out for someone to spot for her, Cerise immediately moved to action. "Got it, Lys! I'm going to a high ground!" A moment later, Cerise's eyes glowed bright red as she became engulfed in shadows, disappearing from sight. Not long after that, she reappeared fully. It took her several 'jumps' using her power, but she had now managed to perch herself on top of a tall, half ruined bell tower about 30 meters high from the ground.

There, crouched with Lariat stabilized on one corner of the building, it was not difficult for Cerise to reorient herself; not with the faint tremors and collapsed buildings that she can clearly spot about 500 meters away from where she and the rest of her team were. Cerise's eyes opened wide from surprise. At such a long distance, it was still not very clear with the debris and dusts from the collapsing building partially concealing it, and yet it was also very obvious that the creature must be huge and powerful to be able to do what it was doing. Is that a... No... Please, don't be one of those. It was not the first time Cerise had encountered such a creature before, and it was not difficult for her to guess what it possibly was. Fearing the worst, she regardless started to prepare Lariat, aiming down the scope to get a better look at the creature.

And as it soon became clear to her that her hunch was right, the creature's massive roar all but confirmed what it was. No. No no no no no! Not now of all time! Through her scope, she were also able to confirm that the creature was very close to where the other team were. The situation was quickly going critical. She leaned out of the tower and just as she was about to shout, she heard Lys already shouting and confirming it to the rest of the team. She then shouted her own words to them. "YES, I SAW IT! LYS, AJAX, VINCENT, GO! I'LL FIRE AT IT FROM HERE!"

And with that, Cerise returned to looking through Lariat's scope, sight on the massive 15 meters tall creature. Her hands were shaking, from the intensity of the situation, the danger involved, and out of fear for the lives of her comrades that were in direct path of the creature. She took a deep breath just to calm her nerves down. About 500 meters... Wind speed... Favorable. Direction... Non issue. Yes. You can do this, Cerise. You have to! 500 meters in favorable conditions, way within Lariat's capability to deal serious damage... At least, that would be the case if the target had been a thrall, an infernal, or other such enemies. A Tsar Bomba? It will take a LOT of ammo to bring it down. She probably doesn't even have enough ammo with her to do so... But then again she was not alone. No, all she needed to do was to focus on doing her part as one of the Commune's sharpshooters, helping her comrades as much as she can from long distance; allowing her to not be a burden that needed protecting.

".... Alright. Let's do this." She breathed in and out deeply once more, and then she was calm and focused. She said nothing more. Instead, in place of her voice were the booming sounds of Lariat's roars, the noise of rifle bolt being cocked after each roar, and the swishing of bullets flying through the air as each one impacted on the gigantic target threatening her comrades.

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

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Place(s): Back at The Horizon
Time: Nighty Night
@Izurich @VitaVitaAR

---

Sweet Sweet Victory Literally

As soon as the operation was deemed a success and the pilots were given permission to disengage and return, Teodora did exactly that by boosting straight for the hangar bays, not bothering to ride the helicopter as there was not really a need to. Things only kept on getting better after that. As she walked through the ship after returning Supplice to an engineer, there was no lack of staff members greeting and congratulating her for the success. It really made her felt like a big damn hero, and considering the decent number of Warped including the one Boss-level that she fragged, it sure seemed like well deserved acclamation indeed. Definitely could get used to this, being the one cheered on rather than the one cheering on the heroes, fufu~ Her mind was filled with such thoughts even after arriving to her room and taking her time to tidy and clean herself up.

A while later, she was once more out of her room, now dressed in one of her usual casual-but-expensive-looking dresses. With a cheerful energy to her every steps, she headed for the mess hall, humming an equally cheerful tune as she did so. Win-ner win-ner chick-en din-ner~... Not that I'll have a chicken dinner, no. Sweets would be a much better choice, as always, hehe~ She soon arrived at the mess hall and immediately looked around the place in her hunt for glorious desserts. Her attention however, were quickly taken by other things instead.

Specifically, she noticed Pyralis already relaxing inside the place, seated and enjoying a delightful looking parfait. Like a human-missile locked on to a target, Teodora zero'ed in on the Greek-named Japanese girl. And as soon as she arrived right behind Pyra, she squealed excitedly for two full seconds. Very loudly. At a pretty dang high note in the possible human vocal range. "KYAAAAAA!! Oh my oh my oh my, that looks sooooo good! Where'd you get that?? I want some too!" And then, not even actually waiting for a reply, she skipped off again seemingly already knowing where to get such a parfait. Along the way, she passed by Hoshiko, making her pause briefly. "Oh hi Hoshiko, nice hoodie! Btw you should totally get some parfaits, they looks sooo amazing!"

Soon enough, she had gotten her own parfaits. Three different glasses of them, all at a smaller portion, all made up of four different flavors for a grand total of twelve flavors over three parfaits. The toppings of each parfait were also different from one to the other. Then she returned with her desserts to where Pyra sat, taking a seat beside her. She cheerfully looked at Pyra, her arms stretched out toward her parfaits as if to emphasize them to Pyra. "Tada! Fufu, looks amazing right? Kyaaa, this is the awesomest treat after such a successful mission!" Then she started digging in, happily taking small scoops of her parfaits with a big, joyful smile on her face.

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

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Place(s): Battlefield - Saitama Prefecture
Time: Afternoon
@Izurich @Mole

---

One Overcooked Nue, Served Real Hot

Blazing death rained down from the sky as Pyralis launched her bombardment on the sneaky Warped, which turned out to be one loosely based on the Nue of Japanese mythology. Teodora remained close to the creature until the very last moment to make sure that it will not be able to escape, landing an Axe Kick with her armored right feet down onto the top of its head to push it down to the ground for good measure before jetting away. The timing was so close that some of the fireballs had engulfed her as she retreated, protected from damage by her energy barrier. The transparent barrier became visible as it nullified the burning heat, a spherical silhouette of reddish orange around Teodora that only returned invisible again after she got out of the flames.

She watched on, now at a safe distance, as the merciless flames engulfed and consumed the creature. "Phew." She whistled, Always quite the spectacle, dear Pyra's flames. Fufu~ Teodora also checked the data and statistic displayed on her visor, especially on her energy level and barrier integrity. Energy supply still alright... Barrier integrity at 68%. Wonderful, all still within safe operational level!

The flames slowly dissipated. Theodora looked on in anticipation, her rifle at the ready to fire in the event that the Nue had somehow survived. However, it soon became clear that such was not the case, as a charred blackened remains that can only be the Nue was soon visible to her. "Oh my, I'd say that's definitely a kill. But just for good measure..." She boosted closer until she were right beside the Nue, and then poked it with Uragan, eliciting no response. Not even a twitch. "Excellent. This is Supplice, confirmed kill on the target! Very well done, Infernus, K-01! We fragged it real good!" Teodora smiled widely in satisfaction at the elimination of this 'boss level' Warped, savoring the moment for a few seconds. Then she flew off higher into the air once more, eager to continue adding to her kill count.

"Supplice, returning to overwatch duty!"

Code Vein (Closed)

---

Place(s): Ruined City - Outskirts
Time: Feb 23rd, 2057 - 11th Hour
Interaction(s): None; all alone watching the despondent ruins and her precious comrades below

---

The battle had ended in victory for the members of the Commune. It was to be expected, and yet at the same time there had been casualties in form of several wounded members. It worried Cerise. Each single wound that had befallen her comrades meant one more wound that she could have prevented. It was literally the duty that she had imposed upon herself; to watch out for and protect her comrades with her rifle by taking out all targets that threatens them. "Haaa..." She sighed, shaking her head a little and feeling guilt over what she perceived as her own failures. On the bright side, the wounded members were already receiving treatments and none seemed to be in grave danger. Still... I could have done more...

Poppy in particular looked quite hurt. If only Cerise had been just a little bit faster in taking care of that chain wielding Infernal that had wrenched her out of the sky and slammed her hard down to the car.

Cerise then shook her head more, lightly slapping her left cheek with her own left hand as if the act will help her get out of her melancholic thoughts. Then, she stood up, still above the faded billboard on top of the tall ruined building. I can sulk later once we're back home. Now, I still have a job to do... And thus, oblivious to both the sparks of conflicts and the strengthening bonds between some of the other members of the Commune, Cerise watched over them from above. The least she can do was to make sure that no hostile entity will sneak through and endanger her comrades while they prepared to move on, focusing her attention entirely on securing the perimeter with her trusty Lariat in her hands.