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[hr]James Lockehart, Briefing Room[hr]
"Just running water over yourself isn't a shower," was James response, his eyes rolling slightly as he did so. The SOLDIER's nickname, while irritating, was something he just accepted and didn't raise much fuss over. He didn't care what people called him, as long as they didn't bother him a majority of the time. Barring that little disturbance, everyone else arrived in a relatively normal fashion, though one person's arrival did bring about the usual amount of confusion as was to be expected of such a person. 

[i]Ah, the enigma of Fort Lullin, Evangeline. How such innocence can not only survive, but thrive in this place is a miracle in and of itself. Hmmm, I wonder if the idea to become a SOLDIER was her own, she doesn't seem the type, but then again, appearances can be deceiving.[/i]

After Evangeline was lightly scolded for her behavior, the commanding officers briefed them all on their mission, an interesting bit of search and destroy in a town known as Mihril, with the exciting part being that the SeeR forces had a deserter amongst them  from SOLDIER. A hungry gleam entered James' eyes as he thought of testing himself against another SOLDIER, not in the mock bouts they have hear, but in true combat. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that he'd be able to do so on his own, but just the chance to face off against someone with the balls to desert SOLDIER was just what he wanted for his first mission.

[i]But the first problem is going to be finding him and then-Oh, it's him.[/i]

James' eyes went from excited to bored and slightly resentful as President Rayne entered the room, shouting orders to them all that went in one ear and out the other as far as the red eyed man was concerned. Rayne was a politician, and thus, was nothing but talk and bluster. If he was put in a room with any one of them, he'd last for about a fraction of a second, if that. He was a man who seemed to let his emotions get the best of him whenever SeeR was involved. While James could respect the man's tenacity and force of presence, his lack of control and not letting those with the actually know how do their job irked him to no end. That and the fact that he treated none of the SOLDIERs with respect or dignity made him James least favorite person by far. 

When the man gave his final outburst, staring each of them in their eyes in an effort to intimidate them, James return the glare with one of his own. In the split second that their gazes were locked, James loosened his hold on the beast, just enough for his eyes to suddenly gain a dangerous level of animalistic ferocity to them. Matched with the curling of his lip and the ever so subtle beginnings of a growl that would be hard to detect for most unless they were right next to him. As soon as the man looked away, he reigned the beast back into it;s cell in his subconscious, taking a deep breath to calm his senses and focus his thoughts. 

Was it smart to test the fates like that, nearly letting his berserker side out even a little to antagonize a man that could have him killed on the spot? No, not in the slightest, but he had to admit that he felt immensely satisfied. He may be nothing more than a hunting dog in the eyes of the higher-ups, a fact he was more than fine with, but that didn't mean he had to follow their orders happily.
[hr]Soldier Base Hallway[hr]
Once they were dismissed, James made his way to his room, once again feeling the tremors of excitement enter his heart. His pace quickened as he hurried to make his way to his lodging, wanting to don his armor and head for the meeting place without a seconds delay. He always had his gear ready to be collected at a moment's notice, and since he carried no weapon, he had less stuff to manage then most. However, as he rounded a corner, he happened upon the odd sight of Evangeline caressing the face of another Soldier(A man by the name of Cidolphus Escovane, Saboteur, bit strange but James felt he had no right t truly judge him). The sight caused him to pause slightly, not because of those involved, but because the action itself brought strange feelings to the fore. For a split second, the two were replaced with shadowy indistinct figures, their voices indistinct and formless, yet he felt such a sense of joy, sadness, and loss when he saw them.

The vision was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving him with not but a small tear to make it's way down his face. He stood still for a second, watching the two go their separate ways, before wiping the tear and the moment away without a second thought. While events like that weren't exactly common, pretty rare in fact, this wasn't the first time that James had been haunted by his past. And like every other time, he wanted nothing to do with them. All he felt in them were intense feelings of emotions that left him feeling strange, ill, and deeply unsettled. Something had happened to him, and he didn't wish to know what. He told himself that it was because he simply didn't care to know, and that was true for the most part, but deep down in his mind, deeper than he was consciously aware, he knew that it was fear that kept his curiosity at bay. Fear of what would become of him if he dug into his past, of the horrors he'd have to witness, of the pain he'd have to endure. Something deep and tragic had happened to him, and had been erased to keep him sane by those in charge of thee SOLDIER program, and as far as he was concerned, he'd like to keep it that way.

Continuing on his way, he would soon cross paths with the energetic nymph, her boundless energy bursting from every action and movement, par for the course. As his stride came to match her's he couldn't help but make a comment, half because of his personal need to joke about things and half because he was curipous to see what kind of reaction he could draw from the strange girl.

"You know, if Henry were to caressing another man's face in such a manner, he might get jealous."

There was a brief pause following the utterance of his quip, a jest, surely, but probing none the less when skips stilled and jovial performances quieted down to disarming blinks and lashes as sable and blue met red. One could only estimate what spear-headed through the constantly wreathed process of her consciousness addled exuberance.

[color=Gold]"You're a funny one,"[/color] Evangeline responded, her answer tilting into a bought of giggling fanfare as she looped her slender arm through his and went to resume her flouncing cheer, new companion laced to her side.

[color=Gold]"Hally is Hally,"[/color] she chirped, patting the span of his forearm as if to reassure James. [color=Gold]"And the other is, oh, uh, well. I don't know his name. But, he's nice. You get to really know someone by looking in their eyes, didn't you know?"[/color] Her inquiry bore no factual weight meant to be answered, but merely tossed as a method of information. 

[i]Well that told me about as much as could be expected. . .[/i] James thought as he allowed himself to be dragged by the ball of energy and happiness that was Evangeline. At her strange comment regarding eyes, he merely looked down at her with a curiously bemused expression.

"Interesting tidbit, I'll be sure to keep it in mind, though I'm a bit curious now. What can you tell about me from my eyes?"

Another pause, another meeting of their respective gazes, and she giggled once more all the same.
[color=Gold]"Oh, going to think Hally will get jealous of you now?"[/color] She quipped, equally teasing and still wreathed in giggles before she inclined to his request. Evangeline's hold tightened on his arm briefly, cinching her arm within his before she spun around to face his profile and reached up, fingers poised on slender cheeks and harsh expressions as she too peered deep into the depths of his crimson pools.

[color=Gold]"It's not you,"[/color] she muttered, nails scraping flesh in a small flutters, not enough to scratch, but enough to be recognized. [color=Gold]"Wrong colour, too dark you know?"[/color] Evangeline canted her head to one side, blonde fringe sweeping to cover the slick of her sable eye. [color=Gold]"You're kind of different, but all the same. Just not you."[/color] Her fingers fled from his cheeks and she resumed her arm being laced together with his before she prattled on again.

[color=Gold]"Doesn't make sense does it? I don't know - wait, what's your name? Hally calls you Sparkles, but I mean, you don't glitter, so."[/color]

"Heh, as if I'd be so petty as to try and make that guy jealous." James smirked at Evangeline teasing, though this quickly turned into a look of confusion as she began to feel up his face. He went with it, staring into her mismatched eyes with his own, even trying to see if he could sense anything from her. His concentration was broken by her voice, the answer she gave being one he didn't expect but certainly felt was correct in regards to who he was.

"It makes sense enough, though I must say that while these eyes may not be mine,I enjoy the darkness they hold. I'm pretty sure that it's the only thing keeping me sane. As for my name, it's James Lockehart, and please don't make a habit out if calling me . . . 'Sparkles'. It's something that I'd rather not have rookie get used to calling me." James sighed, wondering if Henry would even show up on time to the meeting area. [i]How a guy like that ever joined SOLDIER, I'll never know.[/i]

Turning his attention back to the girl, his face taking on a slightly exasperated expression as a thought entered his head.

"Besides the Commanders and Henry, do you know any of the other SOLDIERs by their names?"

[color=Gold]"Your darkness is your sanity, I get that,"[/color] she responded almost automatically, answering James in a quick, wisp of a cadence in reflection of her usual cheer. [color=Gold]"We don't have much that left."[/color]

Evangeline's smile, though it had waned, immediately perked up, bearing into one of her usual grins of teeth and all that carved into her pallid cheeks. At the mention of his name, she nodded, seeming to seriously consider his given moniker. [color=Gold]"James Lockehart.. A locked heart; a shield."[/color] Perplexity coloured her visage. [color=Gold]"I know that name, don't I? That name is certainly your own though. I'll call you.. James."[/color] She squeezed his arm in finality, sealing the name whilst not bequeathing him with a terrible nickname unlike their fellow SOLDIER who had a terrible penchant for it.

[color=Gold]"Unless you want a nickname better than Sparkles, I'll be hard pressed to come up with one, but I'm sure Hally wouldn't mind. We could make it a competition!"[/color] Her excitement spun into a manic disposition, but before she could carry off in a tangent of potential epitaphs, her bi-coloured eyes swept up the ashen planes of his face, mimicking his expression.

She sighed, exasperated and teased. [color=Gold]"Of course I do, [i]James[/i]. I know numbers, codes, profiles and those intricacies about you. But [i]names[/i] are given, personal, I like to be given them not take them."[/color]

James eyes flickered over to Evangeline, noting how his statement had affected her. It wasn't often that something managed to put a damper on her spirits, even if it was only for a second. Tucking that interesting little reaction away for reference, his expression instantly took on a irritated grimace as she spoke of making a competition between her and Henry over who could come up with the best nickname for him.

"Just James will do fine, thank you, I'd rather not encourage him to put anymore thought into the matter than he already has." James said with a sigh, only to raise an eyebrow curiously as the Evangeline threw his words back in his face. He blinked once, going over what she said in his head, before laughing a little at himself for assuming her interesting nature was a sign of her lacking in intelligence. She was a Saboteur, after all. Information gathering was their field of expertise. "My apologies, I shouldn't have assumed. Though I must say, that is an interesting little philosophy you have their. Can't say I share it, though maybe that because I can't remember what meaning my name had."

A petulant pout creased the perpetual smirk of her mouth, broadcasting her displeasure in being denied a competition with their SOLDIER comrade. Slender arms laced across the ebony armour corseted around her torso, effectively surrendering their laced arms, and snug under her bosom as she tipped her head in the opposite direction and seemed to examine the bland extremities of the residential hall.

His rapid follow up of an apology seemed to garner a reaction, resulting in mismatched pools sweeping through lashes and cutting into his direction as he remarked upon her previous philosophy. [color=Gold]"Apology accepted."[/color] Evangeline chirped, a smile sweeping across the tilt of her mouth. [color=Gold]"I'm sure your name has purpose, a story, a legend within its' gift to you."[/color] She held up a finger, obnoxiously embellished in a pink polish still but beginning to flake, and pistol-shot it in his direction, flourished with a wink of her blue eye. "Or it does not. Who knows! Maybe we'll find the meaning of our names in the battle field. Can you imagine?" Evangeline gushed, and began bounding down the hall, skipping, with sallow fabric fluttering around ankles and wrists.

[color=Gold]"I can't wait to fight, there's something about the finality of a duel that makes me feel.. Something."[/color]

"Now that's something we both have in common. The thought of finally testing my skills on the field . . .it's makes it hard to keep still." James returned her smile with a grin, before turning his head to look down a branching hallway. "Ah, this is where we part ways, my room's down that way and I still need to get my gear ready. See you later, and here's to us making it back in one piece, yeah." He gave a slight wave of farewell to the nymph-like girl before making his way down to his quarters. 

Before he could make much progress, however, Evangeline skipped over to give him a small hug, giving him that same innocent grin as always before she scampered off to elsewhere, probably to prep for the upcoming mission, and leavingJanes to stare for a second in the direction she left in. "Well, I guess concepts such as personal space don't mean much to her, do they? I don't think I have met someone as touchy-feely as she tends to be. Makes me wonder if she is even aware of such ideas in the first place." He gave a small chuckle at the outspoken thought before he continued on his way to his room.

James room was kept simple and bare, leaving only essentials around in a semi-ordered fashion. His armor was currently hanging on a stand, the violet and black coating giving an almost otherworldy feel to it. With a practiced ease, he set about removing the various pieces of the armor and equipping them to his frame, starting from the legs and moving up to the head, the imposing helmet being the final piece. Once the suit was online, a small HUD woukd appear in front of his eyes as the  visual receptors began to boot up. It was just basic info about the suit's systems, his own state of body, and a read out on how much corruption he had stored in the suit, which was currently none. Once he checked everything out and made sure there were no problems, he was finally ready.

"Activating Armor . . . Bio-enhancement Acquisition Code: Hades . . . System Diagnostics and Life Support System Code: By the River Styx . . . Final Priming Code: Cerburus Unchained." As he spoke the phrases neccessary to turn on the suits systems, a low hum, imperceptible to most but clear as day to James, echoed through out the room. The suit would suddenly compress a little, making sure every piece of the armor wa fitting just right, before a series of cybernetic tendrils wormed their way underneath bulkier parts of the armor, covering the underarmor in a weave similar to that of muscle fibers. Once they were all connect, James would instantly feel a jolt of energy move through his body as the dark power within him began to flow between the Armor and his body, strengthening it as well as filling the suits stores of corruption.

"Ahhhhh . . . That never gets old. . . everything seems fine and proper, so time for me to go down to the deployment bay." Grabbing any other supplies he may need or have been issued, he quickly made his way to the area. Upon arrival, he was surprised to see that they had a new arrival on board for the mission. A curious add-on, but as long as he didn't interfere, it shouldn't be too bothersome. Hell, they could always use another body on the ground.

James made no move to interact with those already assembelled beyond a nod of acknowledgment before taking a seat, seeming to be as aloof to the coming mission as anything else. It was only the steady tapping beat of his foot against the floor that gave away his eagerness to be gone, as his features were now hidden away by the intimidating faceplate of his Cerburus Armor.