[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240130/58dfda7384d9aaa9db1bef729868f7ba.png[/img][/center]

Headache free and with a desire to get as drunk as he possibly could, Lucas begrudgingly admitted to himself that sharing his burdens had done wonders on improving his mood. He didn't believe Tyler for a second when he said it was his job to care--it was his job to make sure he was [i]alive[/i] and little more--but having shared his secret with someone made him feel a little lighter. It didn't solve anything and he doubted it formed anything beyond maybe a working relationship, but he was surprised at how good it felt to voice his thoughts out loud. Granted, two weeks of frantic research and speedreading only to come to that conclusion had weighed him down more than he could have imagined. It was a joke, honestly; the man who prided himself on constantly telling others to fuck off was happy that he wasn't alone. Or something.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere as he took out his phone, debating on whether he'd actually bring someone else back to the hotel with him. It'd be funny if Tyler protested, but he was considering if it was even worth the effort. He was still pretty tired and honestly, a night to just sleep sounded like Eden right now. The sound of glass shattering got Lucas to look up from his phone just in time for him to get slammed against the wall. Tyler's sudden order killed any protest Lucas might have had before he could even voice it. He couldn't say this was his first time getting attacked--he still remembered the lessons his teachers drilled into his head about listening to his bodyguards--so he kept his mutterings to himself and tried not to fight Tyler's manhandling of him too much. But for fuck's sake, did he have to be so rough?! It was a miracle he didn't trip over himself once he was shoved back. Once again, Tyler gave an order, and Lucas begrudgingly obeyed, doing his best to stay back and as far away from the action while not straying too far from his Templar.

He did let out an irritated sigh, more annoyed than concerned. From what he could see--which wasn't much, he somehow missed the lights going out since he had been glued to his phone--he didn't recognize the armor their would-be assailants wore. They were aggressive against Tyler, but Lucas was pretty sure they were after [i]him[/i]. The ballroom was in absolute chaos from what he could hear, which was likely intentional. What a pain. He hoped Tyler would change his mind and just get him out of here, the Veradis force was likely coming to join with whatever detail was being lent to protect the royal family.

[color=dodgerblue]"Rosemary,"[/color] He suddenly realized that poor kid was likely terrified of everything going on and he even went so far as to take a step. No, running in was completely stupid, and that She-Beast was probably tearing off the limbs of anyone who got close. That and he was pretty sure Tyler would be the type to break Lucas' leg to keep him out of danger. 

He took a step back, and he suddenly felt every hair on his body rise. There was this bizarre sense of foreboding behind him, like someone was directly behind him. The sound of a nearby shot sent him into a panic, and instead of slowing things down as was his intention, everything around him froze in place. Silence was the only thing accompanying him as nothing moved in the darkness, Rosemary's light no longer wavering. But that sense of danger was still on him, and everything in his mind told him he needed to move.

To his absolute shock, the sound of metal hitting the ground rang out, and Lucas' thumb mashed the side of his phone, turning on the flashlight function to see what that was. The sight of the dull-looking sword was already surprising enough, but what shocked Lucas more was the figure clearly moving, unaffected by time itself being frozen. The [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4c/eb/04/4ceb04fe1b84d01d1ce2ef30b0205565.jpg]armor[/url] was poorly hidden underneath the suit, but the red scarf flowed around him. On a second look, Lucas realized the 'scarf' was pure mana flowing around the man, but it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest as he withdrew a pistol, aiming it at Lucas.

[color=tomato]"It would be more prudent if you surrendered yourself to me,"[/color] His voice was distorted into something more robotic-sounding. [color=tomato]"Be reasonable. Our orders are to bring you in alive."[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"How aren't you frozen?"[/color] Lucas couldn't help himself as he took a few steps away from the tin can. He could feel himself getting nervous, but let his shock be obvious as he continued to keep moving. He wasn't entirely sure if that gun of his was exempt from his time manipulation, but he had to assume it was an attempt to get him to obey Mr. Robot's orders.

[color=tomato]"That is not your concern."[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"I'm going to assume it's the armor letting you manipulate mana...somehow,"[/color] It wasn't the most creative of guesses, but a pretty safe one on his part. [color=dodgerblue]"I've never heard of anything that could do this. Wouldn't it have been easier to try to get me alone if you could do this?"[/color]

The man finally started to walk forward, likely onto Lucas' plan on getting to Tyler. [color=tomato]"Do not make this difficult. It would be ideal if you were unharmed, but so long as you are alive, no one will bat an eye to you return with broken bones,"[/color] He stated, extending his weapon arm.

[color=dodgerblue]"Then do it,"[/color] Lucas called his bluff, turning on his heel. He wasn't far, and he took the risk of getting shot. The man's bluff was just that, and once Lucas placed his hand on Tyler's shoulder, the Templar would see everything frozen around him. [color=dodgerblue]"We have a problem."[/color] Lucas said as he motioned to the armored man.

[hr][right][@Scribe of Thoth][/right][hr]

[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/231117/775c83b0b25499f13bd8618ddd7386af.png[/img][/center]

What a pleasant evening! Bianca carried her wine happily, watching the party unfold with little care for anything. Justinian was behaving, the wine was [i]divine[/i], and things were going relatively smoothly. She had opted to change out of the Templar uniform into a very simple, sleek black dress that she had bought a while back but never got the chance to use. For once, she was letting her hair down, relaxing, and genuinely enjoying herself.

So of course the night went to Sheol and everything was ruined.

That anyone would be able to ambush the Giles Manor with such organization was greatly concerning. Leaving the nobles blind had added to their panic, but Bianca was more concerned about Justinian [i]immediately[/i] leaping into action. And to think she had commended him for listening to her. [color=salmon]"What--No, no, don't!"[/color] She called out, but Justinian had already manipulated the floor. The magic didn't help the panic as people ended up scattering in different directions. They were blind and scared and like always her Scion didn't bother [i]thinking![/i] 

Bianca immediately slammed her crystal onto her chest, moving as her armor formed and gave her the freedom of movement her dress didn't. Using firearms with so many civilians around was out of the question, and it took a lot of effort to try to undo Justinian's manipulations. Either he didn't realize he was the target or he was completely blind to the situation as a whole and driven by something else. At the moment, she had to worry for herself as two of them started to shoot at her. Their bullets were stopped by her armor and she stomped once into the ground, sending the pair into the floor and trapped them there. As she turned to Justinian, she was hit in the head by something--likely the butt of a rifle. While she reeled from the hit, she turned and made to tackle him, but instead she grabbed his ankle and yanked his leg upwards. The mook was unprepared and fell, though he found his limbs held by the stone as Bianca kept moving.

She found Justinian and got in front of him, only stopping herself from smacking him because he was encased in rock. [color=salmon]"You're making people panic and you're going to bring down the entire place on everyone if you keep using your magic carelessly!"[/color] She yelled at him. 

[hr][right][@Raijinslayer][/right]