[h1]Benjamin Lloyd[/h1]

Despite his own advice, Ben hadn't turned in early. He was awake even after the rest of his team had gone to sleep, sitting at his desk with Artorius and Lawnslot. Both had been given the once-over before Combat Class, but this was their mission. A once-over didn't cut it. The firing mechanisms for both shotguns were carefully dismantled and removed, piece by piece, for inspection and cleaning. Even after they were reassembled he took a few extra minutes to ensure that the mechanisms were functioning smoothly. Sharpening the blades came after that, and troubleshooting Caletfwlch came last. Caletfwlch in particular took a little time. The two needed to combine easily and quickly on the battlefield, so nothing less than optimal condition for the mechanisms was allowed. When all was said and done, maintenance had taken him a couple of hours.

Deciding what to bring with him was quicker. Breaking out the Dust rounds for class wasn't necessary, but he was going to take any advantage he had on missions. Without knowing what the mission was, he couldn't plan for it specifically. So it was best to cover all of his bases. Fire, Lightning, and Ice would do the trick. He'd prepared as much as he could have, but he couldn't help but feel like he should be doing more. Would have been better if he had the mission briefings ahead of time.

Somewhere around midnight he finally set his gear down on his desk, ready for the morning, and went to sleep. But it seemed like he hadn't received all of it yet.

The BaSTEEL Commodore-specs were on his bedside table, along with a hastily scrawled waiver. The latter of which he ignored (he wasn't signing anything Lauren drew up without a thorough reading), but the former had his rapt attention. Lightweight, given the tech that was in them, and they fit comfortably on his face. Even a quick glance at their features was impressive. He'd need to pick Lauren's brains over the design later. 

Right now, it was time for missions. BASL's leader slipped out of his covers, but he instantly regretted having to leave the warm bed. The outside air wasn't [i]cold[/i], but in his state of dress, it was a lot less pleasant. He pulled his shoulders back, pushing his shoulder-blades as close together as he could, then twisted at the waist left and right. Each move helped him shake off the sleepiness in his muscles, and within a few seconds he had made his way to his bureau to get dressed. "Better alarm clock than I'd have thought, Negasi."

Throwing on his clothes only took a few moments, and only a second more to slip his tonfa into their holsters and stow their munitions on his person. The BaSTEELs had yet to leave his face.

"Everyone up? Ready to go?"