(New thread!)

[honeybee.]

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Brenn Lucasta
Location: Midas Tower
Tags:
Caleb; Sonata; James; Atlanta
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Brenn was amused by Finn's reference to Atlanta's teenage years, it was hard to picture their Commander ever being a rowdy teenager rather than their supportive 'big sister'.
Then he listened with mild horror to Caleb's theory. It seemed that, as he was dying, he summoned himself, or at least a copy of himself. Was this just a clone of Caleb with all of Caleb's memories and personality or had the real Caleb's consciousness transferred over to the copy, and what was to say those two options weren't the same thing? It was mind-boggling and Brenn had to stop thinking about it before his brain started to melt.
"Yes, please don't practice it anymore." Brenn pleaded, when Caleb informed them that there would be no Oneta deaths. His expression mimicked Sonata's when the Commander's dad suggested Caleb report to Mom to train up this ability. It was hard enough to think of their friend dying once, the thought of him practicing dying many times was enough to make Brenn shudder.
When the lift doors opened Brenn's heart rate increased, just a little, once more. This was the last leg, once they made it past those doors at the other end of the atrium they should be able to get James to the Sanctuary without any problems. Any worries about getting stopped here quickly vanished, however, when Finn began a cheerful conversation with the man at the counter. Brenn sniggered slightly as it was explained that Sonata got into a fight. A few hours ago that would have been an even funnier suggestion, but now Brenn certainly knew she had it in her.
He followed Finn to the well-kept lawn where he pushed the bin before saying it was time for them to part ways.
"Thank you for helping us." Brenn spoke with the utmost sincerity, "That would have been a whole lot more tricky without you there."
He turned and smiled at the others. "Now all we have to do is get James to the Sanctuary. We'll look a bit odd wheeling this bin through the streets though. Maybe we should wheel it somewhere discrete and let James walk the rest of the way."


They reached the Sanctuary with James in tow, Brenn managing to spot two unconscious but alive-looking traitors. The water in the lake looked muddy but he still thought the whole green area looked beautiful. After all, it meant their work was done and their mission had been successful. The lack of a fourth traitor suggested that James' words had indeed been true but it didn't worry Brenn too much. Their mission had been to capture traitors and they'd seen themselves that the traitors were willing to put up a fight, he'd rather a traitor be lost in the fight than a teammate and though he couldn't see everyone those he could see seemed relatively calm. Everyone was safe.

//Hope you don't mind that I assumed that James was cooperative

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

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Alastair Brungard
Prince of Delra
Tags: Ella

-----The door slid open to reveal the exhausted-looking prince, hunched over and haggard. Dark bags sat underneath his half-lidded eyes. It appeared the night had taken a severe toll on him. When he locked eyes with his guest, however, his demeanor immediately changed. Alastair bowed low in respect towards his princess before straightening up, the familiar light returning to his eyes.
-----"Good afternoon, my lady. A pleasure to see you have returned," the Prince spoke, sounding like his gallant self and not at all tired. He opened the door wide and gestured for Ella to enter.
-----"As for me, please do not worry." He glanced down the hall in case any unwanted eyes were watching. Upon finding no one, he wiped underneath his eye with a finger. A smudge of dark makeup smeared across his cheek, showing the 'bags' were in fact drawn on.
-----He quickly removed the evidence with another wipe of his hand. Not wanting to provide an explanation for this ruse of exhaustion, he changed the subject back to her. "I do hope you enjoyed your time in Twodor, truly a beautiful province. If you are comfortable with it, perhaps next time I may accompany you there."

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Sonata Thornwood
Female ❁ Pansexual ❁ Botanokinesis
Tags: Brenn, Caleb, Squad

-----As they trekked through the Sanctuary's dimly lit paths, Sonata gawked at the beautiful trees. They were different than the severe-looking pines and spruces they'd seen back in Severin. These ones looked rounder and fuller, healthy from the mild climate of Fivana. The plant-manipulator considered experimenting on these new trees, maybe sculpting their leaves into creative shapes, but decided against it. She wanted to focus all her power on the vines constricting James right now.
-----As they entered the lake clearing, Sonata stared with wide-eyed astonishment at the beauty of it all. There was a bit of a mess, but she ignored it in favor of the picturesque scene.
-----Gavotte and Jen were a fair distance away, near a grove of trees. Most other recruits were having a quiet conversation while the commander looked out across the lake. Two traitors lay in the grass, and Sonata jumped to a quick conclusion about the whereabouts of the other. She didn't think much of it though. These guys were capable of literal murder, so if anything happened, Sonata was blaming them over her teammates. Anger still smoldered in her gut at the memory of what James did.
-----"Can we knock James out, too? I think we'll look less suspicious if we're carrying our 'passed out drunk' friend, compared to this." Sonata gestured to the atrocity of vines she had created. James shot her a poisonous glare, and she returned the favor with an equally hateful evil eye. This attempted murderer had no say in this.


@marimo
If you want to have our wolf rescue team arrive at the lake next post, I'm cool with that! ^_^

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

-----The journey back to the station was relatively smooth. Keith had woken up and shuffled defeatedly along with them, while Atlanta carried an unconscious Leroy in her arms. Sonata pushed a garbage bin with a newfound confidence. Inside the bin was, of course, James Taylor tied up in vines.
-----They were a little behind schedule after the ordeal finding Arys, but this proved a blessing in disguise. The Phoenix Squad was able to secure one of the train compartments for themselves, giving them a little privacy as they traveled back home.

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Commander Atlanta Hunter
Trans female ❇ Bisexual ❇ No power
Tags: Jen

-----The relatively spacious size of the train compartment allowed the recruits to spread out. Unsurprisingly, Jennifer was sitting away from the other teenagers, but the commander noticed Gavotte wasn't with her this time. A rift seemed to be forming between the two after the events at the Sanctuary.
-----Speaking of that incident, it needed to be addressed - and Atlanta would make damn sure she addressed it before Council did. The commander would deal with her soldiers' behavior on her own.
-----Atlanta approached the corner table and slid into the seat across from Jennifer. The commander's stormy grey eyes blazed with determination, while her expression remained calm and impassive.
-----"Jennifer," She spoke in an even tone, firm but understanding. "I want to hear your side of the story, and what you believe should be done. I'm not here to condemn you for your actions. Work with me, and I will work with you."
-----Her eyes shone with an unspoken affirmation, the words she couldn't utter aloud: Give me your word and the Council will not touch you, except over my dead body.

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Lanette Lane
Female ♟ Pansexual ♟ Pacifism
Tags: Caleb

-----After their mission, everyone seemed understandably exhausted. Arys was thankfully with them again, with a relieved but tired Ardai nursing his injured eyes close by. Jen had retreated to the corner as usual, with Gavotte at a separate but equally solitary table. Lanette decided to give both of them some space.
-----There was one teammate in particular who seemed alright, but that in itself made Lanette concerned. Perhaps the pacifist's powers made her overly sensitive, but she had an odd feeling. Not wanting to ignore her intuition, the small brunette took a seat across from Caleb.
-----"You and your group did amazing at Midas Tower. I'm sure our friend would agree." She gestured at James, who was asleep in the now-open trash bin. Leaning against the bin, Keith had fallen back asleep and Leroy was in his lap.
-----"Forgive me for asking, but did... something happen?" Almost motherly concern shone in her eyes.

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Gavotte Lane
Male ♫ Heterosexual ♫ Hydrokinesis
Tags: -

-----Gavotte considered speaking to Caleb or Brenn or Naevys, perhaps even his sister. After a second thought, he decided he was content to sit alone for now. The events at the lake were still fresh in his mind, and silence was a welcome change from the fighting and screaming. He was relieved Arietta and Jen were far across the compartment from each other.
-----Outside, sprawling fields and brightly lit cities passed by. Gavotte exhaled a sigh - partially relief at leaving Fivana at last. Hopefully this would be their only mission in the district of howling partygoers and blinding lights. It had been overwhelming and, frankly, he would've preferred the frozen woods of Ninon.

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Ardai Fairchild
Male ➹ Heterosexual ➹ Invisibility
Tags: Arys, Riley

-----Before heading back to the station, Ardai had asked the commander for more pain meds to help his burning eyes. Now the pills were kicking in and he felt his limbs growing heavy with sleepiness. His screwed up vision didn't help, only prevented him from entertaining himself by looking out the window. Arys' soft fur seemed like a tempting pillow right now...
-----He was drifting off, even as the thought crossed him. As he fell asleep, Ardai slumped to the side, resting his head on Riley's shoulder. In his foggy mind, he somehow mistook them for Senegal.
-----"Wake me up for breakfast, Mum," He murmured as he passed out, head still nestled on his teammate's shoulder.

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Sonata Thornwood
Female ❁ Pansexual ❁ Botanokinesis
Tags: Naevys, Arietta

-----Sonata snuggled up at Arietta's side, happy as a songbird to see her best friend again. They would have so many stories to tell Jade when they came home.
-----A sudden, random thought crossed her. She scanned the train compartment with her eyes and was a little disappointed to see Ardai had already fallen asleep. Oh well. Naevys was still awake, and that meant Sonata could still speak her mind.
-----"Oh! I should have said this earlier, but thanks for bringing Arys back," Sonata blurted out to him. "You're literally a hero!"
-----Returning her attention to Arietta, she wrapped her arms around her friend in a sideways bear hug. Slightly awkward but still effective. Sonata did think she needed a hug, though. When she'd arrived at the lake, there seemed something off about Arietta. She couldn't quite figure it out... and was afraid to ask.
-----"Love you, Ari," Sonata told her friend with an upbeat smile. "Hope your part of the mission was fun! Did you really get to dance on Corazon Street? I bet all the guys were looking at you."

[hellb0und]

➴x────────────────────xxＪＥＮxx────────
NAME. jennifer dire ` ABILITY. fire manipulation ` TAG(S). atlanta `
xxxxxxxx𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅.

xxxxxxxxJen had been too distracted with her own thoughts to even notice Atlanta approaching her. When she took a seat in the empty space beside her, she had already known why she was here. To discuss what she'd done, something she'd be made to recall over and over, by others and her nightmares. She awaited the beration, but what came out of her mouth instead was certainly not what Jen had expected. Even the ounce of compassion she was showing her was mind-boggling. And as much as Jen didn't trust her, or anyone, for that matter, she knew she'd be the one addressing the situation with the Council. So as much as she didn't want to do it, voice the situation, she forced herself to.
"Gavotte was in a chokehold with a knife to his neck when I first saw Drew. I was up hiding in a tree which gave me the leverage to disarm him by shooting his arm, and letting Gavotte run away. He'd already had stolen his powers. After that Arys attacked and from there, I snuck up on him and punched him in the back of his head, using my fire powers too. By then he was on the ground and," she inhaled, the scenes played within her head as she spoke them aloud. "I shot him, in the back. Tore it out and slashed his achilles tendons so he couldn't get up." His all-too-familiar screams reverberated throughout her head, as she added the last part, a single stray tear worked its way down her cheek. "I left him there for nearly an hour before I finally ended his life."
She refused to allow herself to crumble here, and let the one escaped tear be the only one she shed. Jen had never been good at discussing her emotions, so she didn't. The strained voice she maintained would have to be enough. "I just wanted to protect Gavotte, and I took it too far. I'm not sure what got into me." Now that Jen knew she could go there, it scared her. She scared herself. "The only punishment fitting would be death."

[cocogerber13]

Caleb Oxenbera——————————
♠︎ // Phoenix Squad Recruit // Beast Summoning // Tags: Lanette, open

The group triumphantly returned to the Sanctuary with a trashed-tubbed James in tow, though the mood of the place certainly didn’t reflect that of a successful mission. Everyone was also either too upset with something or too exhausted for Caleb to chat them up with a clear conscious, so he merely flashed a few smiles of support as the trio brought their prisoner to Atlanta. The dark-haired summoner felt very relieved to see everyone in good health but was especially excited to see their commander. He had to stop himself from running up to their big sister and hugging her and instead settled on a high-five as he passed to get on the train.

Inside, he settled towards one of the middle seats. Caleb didn’t realise how tired he was until he sat down, instinctively leaning into the plush material. Yet despite how drained he felt from using his ability like he did, the recruit was too excited by his findings to actually sleep. He watched with a buzzing interest when the others boarded and his concentration only broke when Lanette moved to slide into the seat across from him. “Ah, hey Lanette. It looks like you’ve overused your ability in here.” He joked, noticing some of their snoozing classmates.

At the compliment Caleb nodded his thanks, a small smile on his face. “It was all Brenn and Sonnie. Your team looks like it did well too...” he trailed off, but silently noted that one of the traitors was absent from the pile. He figured he’d wait until they were back at the base to ask about it.

Teal eyes trailed back to the smaller woman from the three in or around the bin, his face softening a bit at her question. “Heh. Nothing gets past you, does it?” Caleb lifted a hand to place over the spotless portion of his neck that brought back a strange sense of pain when he thought about it too long. “I kind of slipped up back there. Literally. I slipped and there was a bit of an accident and I died. But it’s cool now.” He explained with a shrug. The specifics were a little too specific for the tired kid to go into right that moment, but Caleb figured his comment was still left a little too ominous. “What I mean is that, uh, I died and summoned myself I think? So maybe I’m my own son or something haha.”

———

Onyx Carriado——————————
♣︎ // Phoenix Squad Recruit // Acrobat // Tags: train, Brenn, open

When team Midas returned, Onyx nodded to their teammates but got to their feet to greet them. They wandered a bit behind their good buddy Brenn until they dropped their captive off, almost like a cat that someone had given a table scrap to and didn’t forget their generosity. The dark-haired kid kind of hovered until they all started back towards the train station, at which point they glued themself to the boy. “Heya Brenn, you guys took your time! You must’ve had a fun mission if you’re bringing your guy back in a trash can.” They teased, walking a little too close to the other.

They couldn’t help it though. The atmosphere had been so gloomy and Onyx’s mood was so brightened by their buddy pal bro’s return that they were perfectly content being clingy, even sitting right next to him on the train. “You know, I’ve been doing some thinking.” Onyx finally spoke up again, but it wasn’t in their usual light-hearted tone. They were staring straight ahead right now and not looking at anything in particular. “It’s fun hopping around and all, but after we save Delra I kind of want to become a mayor. I would say I’d make a perfect emperor, but I don’t know if Delra could handle all of this.” The raven-haired recruit ended with a mischievous smile.

[honeybee.]

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Ella Brie
Location: Palace
Tags: Alastair
Date: Day After Fivana Fiasco
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The door opened and Ella's expression immediately fell into one of concern. Alastair looked exhausted, so much so that if it was anyone else Ella would have ordered them into bed immediately. For all she complained about the prince, Ella's medical training meant she couldn't help but worry. She quickly fixed her face back into a careful smile, dipping into a curtsey as the prince bowed. As he opened the door wider to allow her in his exhausted state appeared to vanish rapidly and the typical, 'charming' Prince Alastair returned. When he revealed to her completely that the exhaustion was a facade, the bags under his eyes only makeup, Ella pressed her lips together but before she could voice her confusion Alastair quickly continued to speak. Why he would put so much effort into looking tired, Ella did not know. Much of what the Prince did was a mystery to her. Then again, Ella herself was a rebel spy so she supposed the mystery went two ways, even if Alastair himself didn't know it.
She smiled warmly at the prince's compliments of her province.
"I would like that very much. My parents were saying how much they'd like to meet you in person." Ella paused for a second to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, a gesture which could be perceived as bashful, before continuing. "But since it might be a little while until I go again I had another idea for today." Here she brought the filled picnic basket out in front of her from where she had been holding it tucked slightly behind her legs. It hadn't been hidden before but now she was bringing it into the forefront of their attention. "My parents were telling me how, when they were young and falling in love, they used to go and have picnics in the orchards of Twodor. I thought perhaps tonight we could go down to the place by the waterfall you showed me and have our own picnic?"
Ella was sure that the Prince was too gallant to even think of turning down her suggestion for a date. At least, she hoped so.




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Brenn Lucast a
Location: Train Tags:
Onyx
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As soon as Brenn had left Sonata to deposit James in his wheelie bin with a smile and a thumbs up to both his teammates Onyx appeares from behind him. Brenn was very glad to see his friend after all that had just gone down, leaning towards them as they walked despite them already holding a very close position.
"Fun might be pushing it a little bit. Maybe... interesting? Wheelie bins are definitely the most interesting method of villain transport." His face lit up suddenly as he remembered something. "We did have a buffet though!"


Once they got on the train Brenn found the closest free seat and collapsed into it, shuffling up to the window so Onyx had room to slide in. He was glad of the comfy train seats, the combination of the wonder of their first time handling in the open air and the stress of their first mission had left him exhausted and he was sure he wasn't the only one. Sat with his back against the window so as to better see his friend's face Brenn listed to Onyx's unusually serious words.
"You'd make a great mayor!" He sounded utterly convinces of the fact, despite Onyx's often more playful nature. "And a great emperor, though I think the time for emperors is done." It was his hope that Emperor Brungard would be the last. "Which province would you mayor over?"

[passione]

➵ ＮＡＥＶＹＳ ＸＹＲＣＡＮ
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male ● eighteen ● telekinesis ● on a traaaaaiinnn ● tagged - arys, sonata


naevys didn't quite understand why he decided to sit next to arys on the train. maybe it was because ardai was sat on the other side of her and the telekinetic was finally able to figure out that the swirling pit in his gut was jealousy. sonata was somewhere across from him, making shapes with her mouth that he only recognized as words once ardai passed out on riley's shoulder from his pain medication.

"...for bringing arys back, you're literally a hero!"

he hummed in question, perking his head up as if to ask "me?"

naevys had his arms folded across his chest at that point, but stopped to bring a hand up to scratch at his nape nervously.

"not really," he mused, before finally addressing sonata. "just doing my job, really. we've been together all these years and it'd just be improper if we left a member behind after making it so far." he tangled his fingers together, fidgeting for something to do. he'd give anything for a book to read or something to focus on aside from actual conversation. "plus... it's arys," naevys added, casting his gaze to the patterned carpet of the train to hide the blush that crept up his cheeks. "i have a pretty high level of respect for her. i think— i think a part of me would go missing if... something had happened, y— y'know?"

naevys shifted to watch the wolf next to him, safe and sound, and reached over to hover a hand above her head.

"may i?" he asked

[cocogerber13]

Onyx Carriado——————————
♣︎ // Phoenix Squad Recruit // Acrobat // Tags: train, Brenn

Onyx raised their eyebrows at their taller companion’s comment, a small grin settling on their face. “I’ll say. Must’ve been pretty insulting to our boy James, especially in front of all his friends at the tower. Ah, but I guess that means that you guys needed to be kinda discreet.... ohhhh wait a sec that’s what the bin was for...” The recruit spoke their thoughts aloud, comfortable enough around Brenn to relay what was on their mind. They glanced to their friend for the part about the buffet. The word was familiar from one of the many Delian culture books, but Onyx couldn’t seem to recall anything about it aside from the definition being extremely fivanan. “Oh! Maybe Atlanta will give you guys extra credit for that!” The dark haired teen snickered.

On the train Onyx couldn’t help but notice Brenn’s eager collapse and exhaustion-ridden expression. Maybe this time they would tone down their own energy- after all, they found their own reflexes a tad more sluggish than normal and even the redheaded prankster across the way seemed settled for sleep. They brought their knees up to their chest, curling up on the train seat even if it might have seemed like bad manners.

Onyx cracked a toothy smile at their friend’s support. “Yeah, hopefully you’re right. And... I’ll have to actually go to the other provinces to decide, but I think a lot of em need some attention. I don’t know if it’s all that stinky Brungard’s fault or not, but right now I’m kind of interested in Sixney. That’s where my moth... supervisor... is from.” Onyx’s face didn’t shift when they switched ‘mother’ to ‘supervisor’, but internally they were bitter. That woman hadn’t shown any of the warmth that Senegal gave them, and she definitely hadn’t earned the title Onyx had almost graced her with.

They blinked slowly a few times, returning to the present and turning their head to look back at their curly-haired partner. “Oh but you guys came back a little later. Is everything all right?” Onyx wondered carefully. They would have made a remark about how the group probably got lost in such a big building, and while the reasoning may have been the buffet that he had mentioned earlier Onyx didn’t want to sound insensitive. As they waited a reply, the shorter of the two leaned their head back against the soft fabric of the seat’s padding.

———

Jade Aubourm——————————
♢ // Phoenix Squad Recruit // Healing // Tags: HQ, none

Jade stomped around her and Sonata’s shared room, trudging around to purposely stomp loudly- even if it didn’t work all too well with her light weight. She tried though, and after pacing around and making angry snarls and grunts went over to her door and began a repetitive “open just to slam shut” game. It only lasted a few moments but it was enough for the girl to vent her frustration.

Their very first mission was going on and she didn’t get the opportunity to take part! Not that she exactly wanted to, but limiting her choices was near the top of her list of pet peeves. Not to mention it was all over the simple eradication of a training dummy. It was a training dummy! The point of it was to get destroyed! But apparently that went against her mothers’ twodorian morals and now here she was, alone in a room and terribly bored. It was also extremely upsetting that both of her friends were gone, probably having fun without her. The blonde gave another grunt of frustration, trying (and failing) to lift her bed to flip it.

Tears of rage welled up in her eyes but before they could run down her cheeks, the girl drew her sleeved arm to catch them and stormed out of her doorway. Tears were so annoying! And they didn’t even fit her anger! They only stirred up the fire in her belly once more and she roared out again. It was loud enough for others in the base to hear apparently, as the sound of multiple closed doors echoed throughout the stone hallway. At least no one would see her frustrated mess as she power walked around to look for Senegal. If she faced someone else on her way, then they’d have quite the storm to deal with.

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

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Atlanta Hunter
Phoenix Commander
Tags: Jen

-----Atlanta's expression remained neutral throughout the entire explanation, although her eyes shone with understanding. Arietta's powers had shown her the 'truth', but only the events on the surface. As the commander expected, Jen had not committed the brutal murder for personal satisfaction. Her words, the pain barely hidden in her voice, they were all genuine. She was merely an eighteen-year-old girl who lost control of her temper, and made a choice with tragic consequences. Not a depraved psychopath, nor a serial killer thirsting to repeat her crimes. The tear that escaped the fiery rebel's eye held such promise.
-----"Jennifer." The commander's tone was steady and low, as if speaking to a wounded lone wolf separated from its pack. "You made a mistake - but mistakes are to be learned from. I refuse to let it cost your future."
-----In the end, she had successfully saved her teammate's life and completed the mission. Taking that into consideration, perhaps this incident wouldn't even escalate to a Council hearing. Atlanta still needed to prepare for that possibility though.
-----"I won't have you killed," Atlanta assured her, "but there are still consequences. At the lake, you acted out of uncontrolled anger. Your 'punishment' is to learn to manage these emotions, at least enough to ensure this does not happen again. This is a mission for you alone; I will help only if you request it." The hint of a fond smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "After all, you've always been an independent one. I believe in you, Firestorm."
-----She slipped the affectionate nickname in there on purpose. It was meant as a hint, a little reminder that the commander still considered Jen a piece of their team.

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Lanette Lane
Female ♟ Pansexual ♟ Pacifism
Tags: Caleb

-----A light chuckle escaped the pacifist at the joke, although it did draw her attention to their sleeping peers. The mission, it seemed, had taken a toll on everyone. Even the normally boisterous ones were more quiet than usual. Ardai, known for being loud and flamboyant, was silent for once as he snoozed on Riley's shoulder.
-----"Oh my, you're right." She put a hand to her chest, feigning disbelief. It was difficult to pretend anything with the big smile spread across her face though. "I'm the real criminal here. I use my powers on my squad more often than on our enemies."
-----Caleb then started being humble and deflecting credit onto everyone else. Lanette wasn't surprised, she realized fondly, but she was too determined to let him downplay his own importance. "Thank you Caleb, but as the 'rock' of your team, please give yourself some credit. I insist - I'm very stubborn that you understand how much you matter."
-----Lanette's expression changed to concern as Caleb continued to speak. What happened to him sounded, quite frankly, confusing and traumatizing. There was an obvious positive to the situation though - Caleb was still alive and that mattered most.
-----"I'm glad you're still with us, but that honestly sounds nightmarish. Are you sure you're okay?" Lanette's soft blue eyes held sympathy as she gazed up at her taller squadmate. A faint smile returned to her face, however, as she continued. After seeing what despair had done to Keith, Lanette was more determined than ever to focus on the positive. "My powers can help if you have trouble sleeping. Haha, I must sound like a Twodorian mother with how much I'm nagging you!"

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Sonata Thornwood
Female ❁ Pansexual ❁ Botanokinesis
Tags: Naevys, Arietta

-----How admirable! Sonata's respect for both Naevys and Arys only grew with every word, and she couldn't help but agree with the telekinetic's words.
-----"Yeah! You and Arys are both great and, uh..." Her words caught in her throat again as she realized just how intimidating those two were. They were so heroic and awesome, the werewolf warrior and the wise scholar. "I'm glad you two are safe and part of our squash! I mean squad. Sorry, I ate too much at the buffet."
-----By now, Naevys had returned his attention to the werewolf. Uh oh... I think I'm being rude! Sonata shot an apologetic smile at them, then kind of tried to hide in Arietta's shirt.

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Alastair Brungard
Prince of Delra
Tags: Ella, 'him'

-----Slightly bowed in an unthreatening posture, Prince Alastair listened with respectful silence as Ella detailed her ideas. A warm smile softened his features as she spoke of her parents, the orchards, and finally a proposal for a picnic. "Ah, I would love to. What a truly beautiful idea."
-----Somewhere in the prince's heart was genuine care for his betrothed. Allies were uncommon in the pearly halls of the palace, and even they had convoluted loyalties that twisted as the roots of an ancient tree would. Not even the princess could be trusted wholeheartedly - no one earned that privilege - but her lacking connections to the upper castes presented a lower risk than many other 'friends'.
-----His smile fell, replaced by a neutral expression as footprints sounded further down the hall. His green eyes held an apology as he glanced at Ella, then moved to open the door a second time. The prince, once again, slumped his shoulders and hung his head in that haggard and exhausted façade from earlier.
-----"You're late. Hurry up or I'll have to postpone the execution," Rumbled the gruff tones of Emperor Brungard. He stood at the doorway, a looming shadow that seemed to dwarf his own son. "And you look terrible."
-----"Your highness," Alastair started in a weak voice, "pardon me for speaking out of line-"
-----"Pardon you?" The Emperor repeated slowly, his measured words hiding a threat. "Look, boy. I know what you want. A 'sick day'."
-----"If you could spare-"
-----"Silence!" The Emperor lashed out, and the sound of a slap rang throughout the room. "I will have you know that a leader takes no sick days. But what do you know of leadership?" An angry laugh punctuated his words. "Take your leave - don't bother me until you're ready. But with your work ethic, I might as well ship Hope back to Thrinton."
-----The shadow vanished from the doorway and footprints retreated into the distance. Alastair closed the door, carefully as to avoid drawing attention with the noise of a slam.
-----"I am so sorry, and I owe you an explanation." The prince's voice was calm and gentle, even though an infernal anger blazed in his eyes. He made no effort to even conceal his fury. This was normal for the Emperor - who Alastair refused to call 'father' - but Ella deserved better than to witness such an outburst. Had he not noticed her in the room? How dare he, that heathen with neither dignity nor decency...
-----"First, are there any matters you must attend to? If not, perhaps we should leave as soon as possible. It may be for the best." The anger behind his eyes smoldered down, revealing softness and concern.

████【☀】████

Senegal Jin
High Councillor
Tags: my child

-----Loud enraged noises, equal parts petulance and ferocity, alerted the old woman to an approaching storm. She already knew which of her poor children was upset today. As she turned the corner to see Jade (as expected), she stepped forward and scooped her furious little baby into her arms.
-----"Oh dear," Senegal clicked, cradling the small blonde like a child. She rocked her back and forth as she would a fussy newborn baby. "What happened, sweetie?"
-----Senegal couldn't help but see the rebels as her children. It wasn't even because Jade was smaller; even those taller than herself were subject to the same mothering. All she saw was a darling baby who needed to be held and cuddled in her warm arms.
-----Not quite the personality most expected from the leader of a rebel organization.

[hellb0und]

➴x────────────────────xxＪＥＮxx────────
NAME. jennifer dire ` ABILITY. fire manipulation ` TAG(S). atlanta `
xxxxxxxx𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅.

xxxxxxxxAgain, she was taken aback. While her punishment would obviously take time, and work, it was nothing compared to what Jen was certain she'd be receiving. She muttered, "Thank you," finally, once she could collect her thoughts relatively. She was, at least, reassured to some extent. It was still not known to her what the Council would do, if that was still the case. She would just have to find out. The blonde chewed at the inside of her cheek for the time being, partly because of anxiety but also to keep herself busy. The rest of her remained stagnant. She could have slept, but she wasn't exactly eager to witness the nightmares which awaited her, as nice as it may have looked. When she tasted blood, and knew she broke skin, she stopped. The copper taste was a bitter reminder, and without water, she was forced to endure it. She let out a shaky sigh, then started counting down the minutes until they'd be back underground.