[center][img]http://i68.tinypic.com/mhf02b.jpg[/img] [img]http://i67.tinypic.com/2pzxlvr.png[/img] [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/33p7a8k.png[/img]
[h1][color=a187be] Allison Revel[/color]|[color=lightcoral]Lilianna Brandt[/color]|[color=662d91]Kusari Bloodworth[/color][/h1]
collab with [@Piercing Light] [@Kyrisse] [@VarionusNW][/center]

[hr]

Another battle? Already? It had barely been a week since they were forced to fight each other, and not much longer since they were forced to fight monsters. USARLIN was as ruthless and unfeeling as always, sending children with barely any training into a combat scenario. That's just how things were, they were so hurting for reinforcements that they were willing to send group of misfits that nearly killed each other last week. These truly were trying times weren't they? Trying times that called for ruthless leadership.

There had to be another way. There had to be something better than sacrificing children for the "greater good of humanity". What about the greater good of those children? Why imprison people and force them to fight? Doesn't that just encourage more of them to work against you? There had to be a better way. What was the true evil in all of this? The government, enslaving innocent people and using them as weapons, or the mindless monsters and those who fight against the government? Was there a real answer?

[color=9e0b0f][i]We are all monsters[/i][/color]

The briefing droned on around Allison Revel, the screen in front of her glowing with the unpleasant reality of the situation. The group of misfits was going to be fighting whatever that thing, no, whatever that person had became. The idea that the mechanical monstrosity housed a person was baffling, though it was something Allison chose not to focus on. 

Allison would be grouped up with Kusari Bloodworth and Lilliana Brandt. Healer group. Basically, it was up to her and this Kusari to make sure that Lilliana wasn't taken out, and that the healer could get to people without being harmed. If Allison recalled correctly, Kusari was the girl from last week's first battle who had lost an arm, immediately to replace it with a tentacle. With being able to grow new limbs that fast, it made sense why she would be chosen as a bodyguard. As for Allison's purpose, that was pretty obvious, it would keep her from doing something reckless whilst still making use of her.

[hr]

Eventually, the briefing ended, and the students were taken to the dining hall. Allison had 7 hours of "freedom" before they would be taken to the battlefield. There was a lot that she could do in 7 hours, the first priority of which was to find the two girls she'd be working with and introduce herself. Allison spent a good few moments glancing around for Lilliana, who she had met briefly on her first day, though gave up after finding no obvious sign of the girl.

Kusari, on the other hand, was probably the easiest person in the whole gang of misfits to spot. She sat alone at a table, seemingly sulking in her loneliness. That would have to be put to an end. Allison quickly grabbed herself a plate of food, eggs, toast, and some sort of jam, and sat down at Kusari's table, directly across from her.

[color=a187be] "Kusari, right? I'm Allison."[/color] The brunette extended her arm across the table, offering the lonely-looking girl an awkward hand shake. "Nice to meet you."

Kusari looked up from her food to see a hand outstretched towards her. It was Allison Revel, one of her soon to be partners. Kusari glanced at the girl's hand, and then to her own grotesque arm. [color=662d91]"Yeah that's me... Ya know, the last girl that shook this hand ran off shortly afterwards."[/color] Kusari chided herself, her mouth forming a sardonic grin. She used her left hand and balled Allison's hand into a fist. [color=662d91]"How about this?"[/color] She said, making a fist with her left hand and bumping it against Allison's. [color=662d91]"That's more fitting for soldiers about to go to war anyway, right?"[/color]

[color=a187be]  [i] Right, weird claw. [/i] [/color]Allison accepted the fist bump, and shook off her absolutely [i]wonderful[/i] first impression. "Soldiers. huh?" She said contemplatively as she pulled her arm back, adjusting herself in the seat. [color=a187be] "That's the last thing I ever thought I would be. Though, I think they see us more as just weapons."[/color] She sighed, taking a bite out of her food, the gloomy silence hanging for a moment. Allison didn't let the dead air hang for too long, though, as her own words hit her. She didn't want to let this turn into a philosophical discussion about the less than ideal situation they were in. [color=a187be] "Anyway... since we'll be working together today, I thought it would be a good idea to at least talk a bit, get to know each other so that we aren't running into a battlefield working with complete strangers." [/color]
 
 Allison looked the tall girl over whilst speaking. She seemed sad and frail, wrapped in an almost impenetrable gloom. Though, if the footage from a week prior had anything to say, it was that Kusari was anything but frail, nearly indestructible even. Her mood, though, seemed to be the most fitting of all of the people Allison had met thus far, a depressing aura to match a depressing situation. Allison had half a mind to sink into a similar depression, to  return to the odd wallowings that had plagued her since she arrived.
 
[color=a187be]  [i] That isn't going to help anyone. I need to keep moving, keep talking. Being depressed isn't an option, not when there's only 7 hours. [/i] [/color]Allison's eyes floated to the arm next, the bulky, inhuman limb that sat where Kusari's right arm should be. Of course, Allison was unnerved by this, it was unnatural, odd, and painfully grotesque. She shook it off, refusing to let her disconcertedness fuel any disdain for Kusari. It was out of her control. Probably.

[color=a187be] "Also," [/color]Allison continued,[color=a187be]  "I don't really know too much about your ability, and I assume you don't know that much about mine, either."[/color] She chased her words with a sip of water.

Kusari let out a sigh as she noticed Allison glance at her right arm. The girl was obviously bothered by it, yet she was still making an effort to try and know her. Allison didn't want to know her, but she didn't know that yet. Kusari pondered the idea of blowing her off now, for all she knew Allison would be the next to die on this mission.

[color=662d91]"I... Can heal from just about anything. And uh..."[/color] She raised her clawed hand and touched the crimson metallic fingers. [color=662d91]"I guess, um..."[/color] She didn't want to talk about this, not because she was ashamed but because she honestly had no idea what was going on with her body and it scared her. [color=662d91]"Well, you saw the footage from the flag capture game."[/color] She lowered her arm and looked to Allison. Kusari was aware that she wasn't doing a good job hiding her shitty mood, she'd always been bad at it. So she tried harder.

[color=662d91]"So what's your superpower? Besides looking cute in a tank top."[/color] Flirting must be her defense mechanism at this point. Allison's clothes weren't even impressive. She wasn't lying about thinking she was cute, however.

Allison blushed, releasing a slight surprised chuckle. She wasn't expecting compliments, especially from the sad-looking girl across from her. 

[color=a187be] "I can summon a blade, up to 6 meters in length. It cuts through anything that isn't alive, phases through things that are. It also stops the abilities of those who I cut through, for as long as it's in them."[/color] She paused, sipping at her water. [color=a187be] "I can only summon it for a minute at a time. Takes three minutes before I can summon it again."[/color] Allison glanced at the monsterous arm again. Maybe the shard could effect Kusari's ability in a way, possibly reverting her limb to human. She wasn't sure on the idea, and even though Kusari didn't seem the biggest fan of the arm, Allison didn't want to bring attention to it at the moment. She put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand, before adding [color=a187be] "And you're kind of cute, yourself, in a way."[/color] She wasn't joking on that aspect. There was something sort of alluring about the white-haired girl, something precious about how frail she looked, as if she would fall apart and disappear if Allison looked away. Though, that preciousness was easily contrasted by that damnable arm, though there was some charm to that too, or so the back of her mind told her.

Hearing what Allison's ability was, she immediately thought that it may prove useful against whoever was controlling the machines. If she could stick them with her blade, wouldn't the entire metal giant fall apart. She let out an audible hum, dismissing the idea. Allison would need to get too close to that thing, and they were meant to stay back and provide support anyhow. Kusari blinked, as the next thing Allison said suddenly registered. She let out a cough, and ruffled the hair on the back of her head. The habit was so ingrained she didn't even realize she was doing it with her clawed arm.  

[color=662d91]"Jeez, I can give em but I can't take em very well..."[/color] She mumbled to herself. Maybe she should find a new way to diffuse tension. [color=662d91]"Thanks. I haven't exactly been feeling very... Human lately."[/color] She said. Allison was the second person to complement her, in spite of the fact that she was growing disgusting limbs at an alarming rate. There was something different about the way Allison said it, however. She should keep a mental note of this.

[color=a187be] "That's understandable."[/color] Allison picked at her food, letting silence fill the air between her and Kusari. She hesitated to speak, though clearly having something to say. [color=a187be] "Well... um, maybe my ability might have some sort of an effect on yours? I don't know if it'll work, but maybe it'd revert your limbs to normal? It couldn't hurt to try, right? If you want that, anyway."[/color] Allison was sure she wasn't suggesting it because she didn't want to see the inhuman limb, besides, Kusari was clearly not a fan of it either. Maybe giving the girl an option to revert her limbs to normal would give her the chance to open up more. Though, what if it didn't work? There was a chance of it, Allison barely knew how her ability worked, and hadn't done much ability cancelling. Ernie had been the second person she'd ever done it to. Either way, if Kusari was up to testing it, it would be some sort of an insight into Allison's odd ability.

Lilianna stumbled into the cafeteria half wet from the rain outside. She shook the water off --- at least some of it --- and stashed her umbrella into the bin where other similarly wet umbrellas were before she wandered in. She looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces around. [color=lightcoral][i]Another battle, more people dying...but another chance to quiet down the---[/i][/color]

[i]Give them pain. Give them something to cry about.[/i]

[i]Make them scream.[/i]

[i]Make them wail.[/i]

[i]Make them ask for mercy.[/i]

Ever since she had used her powers in Ground Zero, the voices had quieted down but not for long. A day or two and it was whispering in her head again, coupled with the disjointed memories, she was unable to sustain sleep again. What she did in Ground Zero had been horrible and she really didn't want to do it again. [color=lightcoral][i]Maybe being in a real battle is better? Monsters to hurt. That's better, right? Or I could die. That would suck. But then that would mean I won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. Is that better?[/i][/color] It was the first time she ever posed a question--or questions--to the voices in her head. Who knows? Maybe they had answers. 

But they didn't. It just merely continued whispering things about hurting and destroying.

She wandered absentmindedly towards the table Kusari and Allison were sitting at. The small blonde had no idea if the two girls were her  teammates---she really should start taking note on who's who---but she reached out for a chair anyway. [color=a187be]"...maybe it'd revert your limbs to normal? It couldn't hurt to try, right? If you want that, anyway."[/color] She caught the last part of what Allison said and briefly wondered what they were talking about, her eyes wandering towards the claw Kusari had for an arm. [color=lightcoral][i]Wow...[/i][/color] 

But this was not the time to be staring at something...cool. Especially when the owner of the strange arm didn't look too happy with it. [color=lightcoral]"Hi. Sorry to bother you guys,"[/color] she greeted cheerily. [color=lightcoral]"I hope I got the right table. Allison and Kusari, right?"[/color]

Kusari's right eye twitched at Allison's proposal. She didn't know what to say. She'd had the chance to reattach her right arm, but she choose not to. As much as she hated it, she needed this revolting arm. She was weak without the monster side of her body, in battle the most she could do was be mangled as a meat shield. If she reverted her right leg and arm, she'd just have to cut them off again, and that wasn't something she wanted to get into the habit of doing. Kusari broke out into a cold sweat, and clenched her right arm to her body. There was also one other thing, if Allison used her blade on her then wouldn't she lose her healing ability? There was obviously no danger of dying here, but the thought alone sent a shiver down her back.

[color=662d91]"Maybe. Another time?"[/color] She let out a cough to clear her throat. [color=662d91]"I'd rather not have to cut them off again today."[/color] She said, going back to eating her food. The air was suddenly silent, thankfully Lilianna came to sit at the table before it could become awkward. [color=662d91]"Right. I'm Kusari, that's Allison."[/color] Kusari answered simply. She munched on her food, thinking. 

[color=662d91]"Lilianna."[/color] She said, trying to get the girl's attention. [color=662d91]"You can transfer wounds between people,
 right? If you or Allison are hurt, no matter how badly, I want you to transfer the wounds to me. Also, if things get too dangerous,
 you should leave me behind. I'm pretty sure nothing can kill me, so don't worry about that."[/color] She pulled out her cellphone, she then remembered that she had planned on getting new phones with Hazel. She decided to talk to the quiet girl about it later. 

[color=662d91]"Give me your numbers, in case we do need to split up."[/color]

Lily looked from Allison--and vaguely remembering her--then to Kusari, not really undestanding their conversation and not really willing to ask. It's got nothing to do with her anyway. When she was addressed and asked about her power, she nodded. [color=lightcoral]"Transfer to you. Okay."[/color] 

[color=lightcoral][i]Gotta remember not to magnify when transferring to her,[/i][/color] she made a mental note and ignored the voices that said otherwise. There was no way she was gonna hurt a classmate. [color=lightcoral][i]Besides, if I need to I can always transfer to the monsters in the field. It'll be---[/i][/color] Her thoughts came to a complete stop as she watched Kusari pull out her cellphone and asked for numbers. She thought of her cellphone with the cracked screen back in her room. She had only turned it on once ever since she got to USARILN East and she had left it in her drawer. That and she had no idea what her number was. [color=lightcoral]"I...uh...don't have my phone with me and well, if I did... I don't even know my number,"[/color] the small girl admitted sheepishly.

Allison hadn't expected Lilianna to show up so suddenly, halfway through a piece of toast whilst Kusari made clear who was who. Allison didn't get a chance to respond to Kusari declining the offer. She hadn't considered the girl wanting to keep the arm for the battle. Kusari asking Lilianna to transfer all wounds to her also made sense, given her regeneration, though the idea of it still unnerved Allison. Kusari's ability made wounds a non-issue, but she still felt pain. Horrible.

[color=a187be] "That's fine. We've got seven hours. There's plenty of time to go get it."[/color] Allison, truthfully, had left her phone in her room as well. She didn't realize how often the device would be necessary. She would have to carry it on her person from now on. [color=a187be] "Don't have mine, either."[/color] The brunette continued. [color=a187be] "Never had a cell phone before, didn't think to carry it on me. Though, I think I've got the number memorized."[/color] She finished off a piece of toast before rattling off the digits to Kusari.

[color=lightcoral][i]Memorized...[/i][/color] Lily thought as she turned her attention to Allison, a wondering look on her face. [color=lightcoral][i]Must be nice to have memories.[/i][/color] 

[color=lightcoral]"I could, maybe, run back to my room and get it?"[/color] she suggested.

Kusari let out a sigh. [color=662d91]"Just how many people here have never used a cellphone? I expected it from Hazel, but..."[/color] She shook her head and put her phone away after entering Allison's number. [color=662d91]"I can get your number later on the way to the mission Lilianna."[/color] She said. She went back to eating, finding that she didn't have much else to say. She thought back to the mission briefing, and wondered just what kind of mage would have a power so self destructive. She supposed it was possible for an Aberration, but to that scale?

[color=662d91]"This thing we're fighting, you don't think it's an animus, do you?"[/color] She barely knew what an animus was, as far as she knew it was simply an Aberration that had indulged their stigma too much and became a monster.

[color=a187be]"I don't know..."[/color] Allison said, leaning back in her chair. [color=a187be]"Maybe? I don't really know how you explain an ability that powerful, otherwise. Could it just be someone with an out of control ability?"[/color]

Lily nodded and sat back on her chair, contemplating whether to eat or just stay where she was. Deciding that it was probably better to stay awhile and converse with the two girls that were her teammates for this next mission, she tuned into their conversation. [color=lightcoral]"Whatever it is, we'd need to put it down. I wonder if we can do it..."[/color] she contributed. To be honest, she was actually looking forward to another battle. A chance to use her abilities and put the voices to rest again--not that they weren't tolerable but she missed being able to think without them cluttering her mind.

Neither of them had much of an idea about what they were about to fight, as expected. Kusari crossed her arms, wincing as her claws poked her skin. She grit her teeth and tapped her foot in annoyance. [color=662d91]"If we don't do it we'll die. So I'd suggest you don't even consider that an option."[/color] She said to Lily. 

Lily shrugged. [color=lightcoral]"There's always that possibility of dying whether we have a positive outlook or not. But I suppose being positive is better, right?"[/color] She looked from Kusari to Allison then back to Kusari. Her eyes fell on her claw for a few seconds before she averted her gaze, not really wanting to offend by her staring. [color=lightcoral]"I suppose everything will turn out okay if we all worked together,"[/color] she added.

[color=a187be] "Yea."[/color]  Allison immediately straightened, seemingly imbued with a sudden hopeful confidence. [color=a187be] "Besides, it'll be our job to keep everyone alive. We can do this."[/color] The trio continued conversing for a while, discussing the upcoming battle, among other things. Eventually, though, they parted ways until the battle called them back together.