Pink Khione

Ember Grove - Reboot

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Time: Evening
Location: Alexei's
Interaction with: Eli @Helo

Pfft.

The sound of laughter stopped midway through Vivian’s throat in response to the newest customer’s joke, the classy woman who was seated by Ylva. Her jab at Finn’s expense was entertaining, but Vivian remained somewhat aware of her position as a server and tried to not make her amusement obvious to the potential customer. Regardless, she had a point—door issue aside, Vivian wasn’t sure whether or not Finn fell a bit short of the age requirement for the job. She found the image of him in bright yellow rubber gloves and a toilet plunger more amusing anyway.

Elias’ quick thinking—despite taking several shots earlier—helped to resolve the issue faster than Vivian would have. He already found someone to fix the door with the foresight to see that leaving the building door-less would be a problem through the night.

“Aren’t you reliable? Thanks for dealing with it Eli,” Vivian grinned and gave her colleague a friendly punch in the shoulder. She was surprised to hear that Finn was at the art exhibit as well, though she was still wrestling with the belief that it had happened at all. It didn’t seem like something that would happen in a small town, but it was more of an unbelievable coincidence that three people from the same traumatic event had gathered in some hole-in-the-wall pub. In addition to the lucky billiards job she got that morning, the chain of coincidences felt uncanny.

“If you’re vouching for him then it should be fine. Say, how old did you have to be to work as a bouncer again?”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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The remainder of the airship ride passed by in a blur. Since Victoria left, Astrelle stayed silent; most of the girls were asleep anyway. The crash that followed the waves of adrenaline and fear had finally caught up to Astrelle, and she had no more energy for protests or snarky remarks. She didn’t even complain as medical staff poked and prodded her body for testing, a procedure she found completely demeaning. The exhaustion also gave Astrelle some time for self-reflection, though having so much time to think was rather unpleasant. A feeling of regret lingered in the aftermath of the battle. She couldn’t avoid fixating on her disgraceful display of emotion when she had practiced composure so diligently for years. She resolved that it would never happen again.

The walk to the girls’ dorms was somber at best. The darkness concealed much of the surrounding landscape of the new home, and Astrelle had no desire to use her abilities to witness it. The dreary atmosphere spoke loudly enough for what Palmyra might’ve looked like. Her eyes focused ahead instead, at the back of the faculty member that led them through the campus, or on the damp cobblestone they walked on.

The faculty member’s tour and explanations were curt, which Astrelle appreciated at so late an hour. She was less than pleased to learn that she’d be sharing a room with someone, but given that it was mandatory, Nicole seemed more tolerable than the others. Unfortunately, bringing dates back home was not a possibility with this arrangement. The room was more spacious than Astrelle expected—she expected something akin to a small closet—equipped with a kitchenette and bathroom too, though it looked like spending was frugal on the furniture itself. Everything was, of course, painted in patriotic blues and golds, a color combo that Astrelle was surely going to tire of quickly.

In her exhaustion, Astrelle wasted no effort in throwing her bags on a side of the room she chose haphazardly, and fell into the springy mattress—she thought softness would cushion her fall, but her back hit the cushion more roughly than she imagined. Unlike Astrelle, Nicole had been examining the amenities and her comment about the showers almost made her laugh.

A weak half-smile tugged slightly at Astrelle’s lips. “It better have hot water too. Do you want to find out first or should I?”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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When the fight ended and the airship made its way through the dense clouds, the skies revealed the embers of sunset. Victoria stood alone on the damaged deck, her opponent no longer anywhere to be seen. Astrelle focused on her weapon—a large cross that seemed to fit Victoria’s image perfectly. The commotion around Astrelle and Dana continued as the ship’s personnel swarmed about, cleaning up the mess that was left in the wake of the attack, and Astrelle merely watched everything go by. As though a valve had been opened within her, the tension of stress seemed to flood away once everything ended, in what felt like a miniscule moment. Her legs gave, and she found herself slumped against a wall in the control room.

Before long, Victoria had gathered up the new recruits to address the issue. She spoke as she usually did, in an informative way, but to Astrelle it sounded callously indifferent. She was sure that to the seasoned combatant, this was just another day’s work, but she couldn’t avoid feeling frustrated by the lack of concern or accountability on Victoria’s part.

With a clearer mind, Astrelle took a minute to take in her surroundings. The girls had managed to defeat the Void, much to her utter shock. It appeared that her colleagues were much more skilled than she assumed. At the very least, it occurred to her that staying with them might not be too terrible of an idea, if it means they’d be helpful in prolonging her life. Out of everyone in the room, Astrelle was by far the least worn down in appearance. Penny and Vanna definitely had a number done on them, and Victoria was no less battered from her fight.

The other girls began piping up about the issue Astrelle was most concerned about—the enemy Ars Magi. Victoria’s response was less than satisfactory, and Astrelle could feel the heat of anger rising in her heart.

“You’ve got to be kidding me-” Astrelle’s voice was quieter than normal, but her frustration was clearly enunciated through her words. “It wasn’t something that looked like an Ars Magi, it was an Ars Magi. Another female soldier, swinging a sword. It looked like she even had an Elementum—electricity ran through her blade.”

Astrelle laughed softly. She looked over to Nicole, “Aren’t you obedient?"

She almost rolled her eyes. "But no, we don’t know what we’ve signed up for because it’s clear that there are things they don’t want to tell us. At least, for now. I understand we haven’t formally started our lessons, but given that we almost died I feel that at a bare minimum, we could be given some transparency.”

She met Victoria’s eyes with a smile, but a bitter glare shone through her gaze. “If you plan to silence us about this incident anyway, what’s one more secret?”

Ember Grove - Reboot

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Time: Evening
Location: Alexei's
Interaction with: Eli @Helo, Finn @Milkman

Just as she thought someone picked up on the other end of the line, Vivian’s words were followed up by the all too familiar automated message: “The person you’re trying to call is unavailable at this moment…” She tried a couple more times afterwards but to no avail, so she settled on leaving a message explaining the situation. Even if she couldn’t reach the person on the other end of the number, Vivian felt reassured that Finn wouldn’t dash out with Ylva looking over him, and they appeared to be getting along well with their spirited conversation.

Vivian sighed and hooked the phone back into its slot on the landline, just as Elias returned from his seemingly long break. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders the second she saw him step through the now-damaged entryway. He returned to his duties with haste, and was already looking through the influx of orders that have been left unattended amidst the debacle. It was slightly disappointing how quickly he went for the orders; Vivian was hoping to dump the bothersome door problem onto him, but her plans were foiled while she was being held up on the phone.

“Oi, I don’t think it’s a great idea for both of us to be inebriated while working,” Vivian chimed with a playful smile, watching Elias down several shots, which she had already done at the start of her shift. “Celebrating something too? Or rough day?”

Returning her attention to Finn, who was in the middle of a conversation with the two other guests, Vivian folded her arms and leaned towards the group over the bar. “No one’s answering, so it looks like we’ll have to wait for a call back, or do it the old school way—how does janitor or dishwasher sound to you?”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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What hope Astrelle had for some salvation was quickly diminished when she arrived to the control room. Soldiers were injured and strewn about the premises, and no Ars Magi, capable of dispelling the threat, was to be seen in the room at all. What chance of survival did the girls have against the Void without help? Astrelle thought back to Penny’s broken arm, which happened with such little effort on the Void’s part that she shook at the thought of what the monster could do with more time. Vanna was capable, but Astrelle couldn’t find it in her to believe that she could win against something so inhumanly strong.

Outside the large window of the control room, dancing flashes of light caught her eye. It became clear to her after a brief moment that the lights were sparks of colliding weaponry, metals, and magic; there were two figures in the cloudy darkness that traded blows. Astrelle’s feet carried her to the window reflexively, and she pressed her hand against the cold glass. She was sure of it—Victoria Glass was out there, fighting a masked assailant who was undoubtedly another Ars Magi. Confusion clouded her mind. Weren’t Ars Magi all on the same side?

Dana and Nicole’s arrival startled Astrelle out of her thoughts. It appeared as though they were able to make it past the Void after all, despite their luggage. Astrelle had to give them credit for that much, since she believed that the endeavour would’ve ended with their deaths. Dana noticed the fighting on the decks of the ship as well, though seemed more concerned with the injured soldier she had so valiantly hauled over to the control room.

“What is Victoria doing?” There was a slight tremor in Astrelle’s voice, despite the effort to keep her speech calm. She looked away from the window and towards the two girls. “She’s—It looks like she’s fighting another Ars Magi. That’s absurd. Who’s going to help Penny and Vanna?”

A dangerous thought flashed across her mind. Was it possible that what the public knew about the monsters outside the wall, and Ars Magi, their defenders, were no more than lies or disguised truths? Why were there Ars Magic fighting one of their own in the first place? There was certainly something the governing powers were hiding. She couldn't rationalize the sight of two feuding Ars Magi any other way.

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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Astrelle’s eyebrow twitched when she heard Nicole address her as ‘babe’, a moniker far too lax for her liking. Under normal circumstances, Astrelle might have briefly scolded her for the careless remark, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

Vanna’s plan, as expected, was rational and well thought out despite the strenuous situation. It annoyed Astrelle that she couldn’t help but admire her fortitude as she actively fought against calamity, while Astrelle was a passive participant in it. Even so, there were parts of her instructions that she didn’t agree with, namely having Nicole and Dana follow her through the dark corridor. Alone, she could silently traverse the halls without alerting any monsters. As ragged breath and sickly black ooze secreted from the injured guard’s wounds, Astrelle was hard pressed to think of the pitiful man as more than mere dead weight. There was no guarantee that the others would not invite unnecessary risk to her own safety.

Before Astrelle could protest, the monster turned its rage on Penny. The hum of electricity around her fists did little to conceal the cracking of her bones as the Void took hold of it, and tossed her away with trifling ease. Astrelle’s eyes went wide as she witnessed the assault, taking further steps back from the beast even though she was already positioned behind everyone else. Her own powerlessness to act or subdue the creature was painful, in a way. Pathetic, she thought, finally criticizing her own inadequacy.

As Nicole helped Dana to support the weight of the injured man, Astrelle considered the option of leading them past the Void to the control room. She put some thought into the course of action, and still could not reason, in her perspective, why it would be a good idea.

“No. The injured man should stay put. There is no reason to believe that we would not encounter another Void towards the control room, and the more we move him, the more likely it seems that he will perish to his wounds.”

Astrelle’s cold gaze and calculated tone juxtaposed the supposed concern she showed in her words for the man's life.

“I may be the only one here who can avoid a fight if there are more Voids up ahead. I can find and get to the control room faster on my own than if we were to lug that dead weight along with us as a guide.”

As Vanna steeled herself to face the humanoid creature, Astrelle used the monster’s moment of distraction as an opportunity to pass it. She took a single step forward, yet as her foot lowered to the ground, it did not make contact with the tangible flooring of the airship. Instead, it seemed as though Astrelle was falling into her stride, and sinking into the floors of the shadowy corridor as if it were a viscous pool.

In brief moments, Astrelle’s concealed form slipped through the shadows and emerged on the other end of the Void, her silhouette illuminated by the distant light of Dana’s magic. Though the monster now stood between her and the rest of the girls, Astrelle felt safer on her own with a means of escape. She smiled silently and waved back at the rest of the girls. Rather than wait to see if anyone would follow, Astrelle willingly sprinted down the lightless passage.

Crimson Arm: The Blood Red Edge of Humanity's Future - A Postapocalyptic Vampire-fighting RP

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Arisa could feel tension build as they made their way through the facility. The path to their destination seemed lengthy, but perhaps that was simply her anticipation influencing her perception of time. Time went on, and soon enough, the group of recruits followed the commander to a pair of doors that slid open in his presence.

The room was spacious, and Arisa took a few seconds to take in the new sights. There was an observation deck on the upper section of the back wall. The perimeter of the room was lined with chambers in intervals, and intercom speakers lined the ceiling. As soon as they stepped in, a female voice sounded through them. Heavily contrasted to the group’s stoic mood, the voice was cheerful and upbeat. Arisa thought her remark about how cute everyone looked was probably accurate; they were all young and not yet as strong as the typical Red Demons member.

Arisa listened attentively as the commander gave out his next instructions. Her eyes darted to the containment unit with her name. She was not worried about any side effect or ill symptom—she had strong conviction that it would be but a minor inconvenience. Her heart began to race as she stepped towards her Crimson Arm. With a careful movement, Arisa opened its container.

Two blades glistened in the box—one an obsidian hue, the other a bright silver, though both shone and reflected the harsh overhead lighting radiantly. They were long and thin, appearing as if their form was crafted to fit Arisa’s stature. She moved with caution, and slowly gripped the handles of both swords with her hands and lifted them out of the box. In an instant, a surge of heat blasted through her body, scorching all her senses with fire. Arisa hunched over in pain, but she bit her tongue and held back a scream of anguish and tightened her grip on the blades. In mere seconds, though it felt much longer, the pain ceased, and Arisa’s senses calmed.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her first challenge as a Red Demons recruit had been won. Her eyes lingered adoringly on her twin swords, and an uncharacteristic smile spread on her lips.

After a long personal moment with her weapon, Arisa began to look around her. The other recruits seem to be in similar positions, admiring their Crimson Arms as much as Arisa had. She looked towards the commander with an eager glint in her eye, though she kept her expression neutral. “Commander, will we be testing out our Arms today?”

Ember Grove - Reboot

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Time: Early Evening
Location: Alexei's
Interaction with: @13org Ylva, @Milkman Finn, @Crusader Lord Valya, @Ithradine Volfango

Ylva seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the commotion, and it wasn’t surprising given the merry tales she just told Vivian about her tribe’s festivities. This incident might even pale in comparison to Ylva’s definition of a ‘party’.

“Yup,” Vivian stated with a defeated tone. “Brawls happen every now and then but there seems to be more than usual today.” Vivian shot the blonde kid a piercing stare before looking back towards Ylva with a smile. “Glad you like the drink though! This is the first time someone has actually razed down the door since I’ve started working here but we get broken glasses pretty often.”

Now how should I deal with you? The kid, who called himself Finn, conveniently lost his information in the terrorist attack at the art exhibition. Vivian found it hard to trust his words, it sounded more like a convenient excuse to get out of paying the damages for the door. Regardless of the truth, he at the very least recited a phone number to contact and Vivian quickly wrote it down.

“I better not get someone asking me for my pizza order on the other end of this line,” Vivian chuckled, “You can get a coke once this number goes through.” Vivian ripped out the piece of paper from her notepad and waved it before stepping behind the bar. where the telephone was located. Other staff began to sweep up the shards of glass and other debris from the wreckage, though most of the servers returned to work when they noticed that the mess was being taken care of.

As Vivian dialed the number into the keypad, a gorgeous, tall lady stepped into the establishment. She seemed to naturally radiate an aura of class and luxury, and Vivian found it difficult not to have her attention stolen away for a moment by her intriguing presence. When the woman spoke, Vivian snapped out of her brief daze.

“We’re still open,” Vivian replied with a smile, wedging the phone between her ear and her shoulder. It seemed like everyone walking through the doors today was the rowdy type, somehow unfazed, or rather, excited, by the idea of a fight. These types of characters weren’t unfamiliar to Vivian, she’s seen her fair share while working in other cities. “Our door isn’t usually destroyed though, but take a seat anywher-”

A click sounded from the phone, signalling that someone had picked up on the other end. Vivian made a gesture, holding up her index finger as if telling the guest to wait, and urgently pointed at the phone before turning her back towards the patrons. “Yes? Hello? This is Vivian, I’m a bartender at Alexei’s. Your friend, uh, Finn, said to contact you. He broke a door and we need someone to pay for the damages.”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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The girls slowly made their way through the corridors. Dana, with her light, stayed at the front of the group. Gunfire sounded from a distance and rang throughout the airship, and dread twisted in Astrelle’s gut. Someone, people, were fighting something, and as much as she didn’t want to believe it, she had an idea of what it was. Her hands were clenched tightly in fists as they proceeded through the eerie passage, with only the sounds of their footsteps and distant warfare as company.

Astrelle spotted the figures in the darkness slightly sooner than the others, with her eyes that pierced through the shadows. She let out an audible, sharp gasp and reactively covered her mouth with her hands, as if it were a mistake to make a sound. The sinister aura of the humanoid being sent a surge of panic through her body, and she found it hard to control her trembling. Fear froze her, and Astrelle could only watch helplessly as a soldier was impaled with the creature’s claws. She regretted, in that moment, the clarity of her vision; she could see the glisten of the victim’s blood still trailing off the monster’s appendages.

Astrelle watched in disbelief as Penny charged at the Void, seemingly unfazed by the sight of the monster quite literally pinning a full grown man onto a wall with little effort. Her willingness to fight was interpreted more like an idiotic death wish in Astrelle’s perspective. Regardless, it worked out better for her that Penny was on the offense; Astrelle’s abilities were not suited for attacking, and if someone had to be sacrificed for the others to survive, she was satisfied as long as it wasn’t herself. The way Astrelle saw it, Penny seemed more than willing to risk her own life.

Something in Astrelle snapped and dispelled her fear. She had connected the right dots or found some rationalization that allowed her to come to terms with reality, and couldn’t help but laugh. The scene before her only affirmed her pessimistic expectations of being an Ars Magi. Her predictions were merely accurate. Her boisterous laughter filled the small hallway.

“I’m so excited to be an Ars Magi,” Astrelle mimicked sarcastically, recounting the girls’ statements from the tea party. The thought of imminent death overruled any desire to stay polite to the others. An eerie grin stretched across her face, “Wouldn’t it be so fun to be impaled by a Void like the poor guard?”

Perhaps now, their naiveté would be replaced by caution. She didn’t care about how wonderful the government tried to sell it on TV, or how honorable the station was in society—she just didn’t want to die. Unlike the others, she never asked to be an Ars Magi and never wanted to be one. She wanted to go back to her life of luxury—even becoming a dog to the Venus clan seemed like a better idea than this.

In reaction to Penny’s attack, the menacing creature released the injured soldier from its grasp. Dana was quick to act, rushing to the injured man and performing healing magic. The monster looked distracted now, but it was only a matter of time before it turned its attention to its assailant. Astrelle kept silent and maneuvered to the back of the group, giving no heed to how self-serving the action appeared. She could feel her power building amidst the shrouds of Nox, but even then, her abilities to sink into shadows and generate darkness were not skills that dealt damage. The most she could do is evade the monster’s attacks, but that would only help herself. There was the possibility that her high evasion would be useful if Astrelle acted as bait, but there was absolutely no way she would suggest herself for that position.

“Unfortunately, my abilities aren’t suited for fighting,” Astrelle smiled, finally regaining some sense of calm. She gestured to the darkness of the corridor behind them. “The most I can do is act as a guard dog for your backs, or I can go and try to find Victoria.”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

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The conversation about television series continued as Astrelle sat back and tended to her cup of tea. The class division appeared more prominent, observing that Vanna scarcely contributed to the conversation either.

Before long, the tremors started up again. A low rumble shook the ship, accompanied by the rattling of the silverware in front of the girls. The shaking was enough of a distraction that Astrelle could pay attention to little else, as anxiety crept into her heart. The thumping of her heartbeat accelerated with the intensity of the tremors. Keeping her teacup still was hardly a concern anymore, and she allowed the porcelain to slide off the table at the peak of the ship’s shaking.

Then, a stillness, though momentary, washed over Astrelle with relief like ebbing waves, slowly purging bits of her anxiety with every push and pull of the tide.

Astrelle’s distress had almost been erased by the deceptive calm, before the cabin was bathed in a red light. Its source was clearly visible from the cabin window—a glowing, disembodied eye that few around before disappearing into the dark abyss below. Astrelle’s body tensed up at the eerie fright, and as quick as it went, her panic returned.

Nothing could’ve prepared Astrelle for the calamity that came next. A terrifying weightlessness instantly flooded her senses as the airship plunged downwards and inertia lifted her body from the seat. There wasn’t enough time to find something stable to hold on to; she was powerless as the force of the ship’s movements flung her around the room like a ragdoll. She shrieked in pain when her back slammed against the window, though she managed to lift her arms in front of her face to shield from shards of broken porcelain and glass amidst the frenzy.

When the turbulence finally subsided, Astrelle dropped to the floor with a thud.

Her body ached from the assault. She barely registered the flickering lights, though the distorted voices and sounds outside their cabin posed some concern. Astrelle focused on recovering from the fall, and groaned as she lifted herself to a standing position.

The lights died and the cabin was dark, but the flow of magic was palpable in the air. Astrelle focused it to her eyes. In an instant, the opaque dark lifted its obscuring veil, and though visible, everything looked washed with a tint of grey. It didn’t seem like her ability was needed however, when Dana cast her light magic and dispelled the shadows for the others. Astrelle was somewhat satisfied to keep her cards hidden for the time being.

Vanna was quick to take leadership of the situation. Astrelle’s impression of Vanna after the short-lived tea party was that she took everything too seriously, but nevertheless, her steely nature was commendable and helpful in this moment of uncertainty.

“Sitting here seems rather useless,” Astrelle chimed, regaining her usual composure and cold-hearted smile. “There were some voices outside the cabin earlier. We can go in that direction.”