[sub][color=#B9BABC]O A K R I D G E    A C A D E M Y[/color] -[]- Graham Tosches -[]- [color=C54E4E]The Crow’s Nest[/color][/sub][hr]



[color=#ffcc99]“Guess this is it”[/color] Graham muttered to himself as he leaned back against a cooling unit. Some students long ago nicknamed the place the ‘Crow’s Nest’ a long time ago; a small section of the Oakridge’s roof sheltered away from prying eyes hidden away among the venting system that kept the simulation rooms from overheating all the time. It was one of the academy’s worst well kept secrets fairly self evident from the amount of graffiti and cigarette butts that littered the small section of roof. It was far too early for the regular crowd to actually be up and about so at the moment Graham had the place to himself; he sat feet dangling off the edge watching the shapes of human figures move below going about their business. He had been up there for several hours now at this point, sleep hadn’t come to him last night and he needed somewhere where he could think by himself.

As he stared out beyond the horizon his left hand idly fished around in his pocket before he produced a cigarette from deep within the confines of his jacket. Officially all narcotics were banned at the Academy, old man Dysely having strong opinions about his students filling their lungs with ‘putrid shit’. Banned of course didn’t mean much of anything really, all it did mean was that you needed to be more creative on how you acquired and used such things. Hell that was why kids had discovered and passed down places like the Nest anyway. It was a long seated oral tradition that Graham could at least get behind. A flip of a lighter a few seconds later and the bitter taste of smoke filtered into his body, it tasted like home. 

As he blew out a small ring of smoke and watched it drift upwards into the sky being scattered by the breeze, he contemplated the same thing that was on everybody’s mind, Operation Downfall. They had all just graduated and before they even had a chance to relish the thought of it they were all about to be thrown into the wood chipper. But that was what they were trained for as Guardians, professional suicide squads ready to do the things that no sane man ever would. Of course that wasn’t what the higher ups had said to them of course, no they said that they would be performing a great service for all of Libra, that it would be the turning point in everything, that they would be heroes. You never talked about casualties and the hundreds of pointless deaths that would evidently occur in the coming days, that was bad for moral. 

Graham would be lying though if he said he wasn’t terrified of it all. It was that fear though that he lived for, the pounding in his heart that reminded him that he was still alive.  That was way he had signed up to go to the frontlines right into the Darkzone. The stories that came back from the front where gruesome, terrifying and every bit intriguing. He wanted to take the fight to the enemy, to actually do something worth his time. When the army had taken him off the streets all those years ago they promised him a chance for a purpose, it was as good as time as ever. That and well unlike some of his fellows he had no family to worry about, no people he was leaving behind he could go get eating by some monster and nobody would care. 

He took another drag from the cigarette as he reached behind his back and produced a large curved metallic object that shined in the morning sun. Upon the object in his own scratchy handwriting carved into the side read a simple word ‘Sera’. It was an antique really, a prototype built during the start of the War but passed over for more favourable weapons like the many gunblades that you see the guardians use today. Graham liked the device though it felt good in his hands and the brutal simplicity and elegance of it spoke to his own finer tastes. He ran a hand over the metal surface the sensation familiar and done with a deep level of familiarity as he hit the hidden latch that held the two halves of the blade together. A soft click sounded out into the air as the two halves of the boomerang split apart becoming two daggers that he grasped within his hands. He experimentally swung them outwards over the edge of the roof feeling the weight behind each swing. Seemingly satisfied he reconnected the two halves and restated the blade behind his back.

[indent][color=f6989d]"You’re quiet today."[/color] A voice sounded out into the void. Graham recognized it almost immediately and cocked his head to his immediate right. Seemingly out of nowhere a girl was now sitting next to him. She looked a few years younger and was dressed in a white dress and without shoes upon her feet. Her blonde hair fell down her back and her eyes of green sparkled mischievously. She looked just as she had the day she had died, she always did.
[color=#ffcc99]“And you’re not real so we both have some issues don’t we?”[/color] Graham shot back at the figure his voice bitter as he turned away from her.
[color=f6989d]“Is that anyway to treat your sister?”[/color]
[color=#ffcc99]“My sister died seven years ago because I couldn't save her.”[/color]
[color=f6989d]“Even so I have something to tell you, Graham.”[/color]
[color=#ffcc99]“.... Well speak.”[/color]
[color=f6989d]“You can feel it can’t you Graham? The winds are changing, something big is bound to happen soon. Are you ready to deal with something like that? This mission isn’t going to be like all the other times, you can’t run away this time. If you do it’ll be just like mom, just like all over again.”[/color]
[color=#ffcc99]“I’m not going to run away.”[/color] He explained pounding his fist into the roof to emphasis his point. He felt his knuckles yell out in pain, but it didn't the pain felt good.
[color=f6989d]“That’s what you always say.”[/color][/indent]

And just like that she was gone again between the blink of an eye. She was right of course whatever was bound to happen was going to big there was no doubt about it. Operation Downfall would decide the fate of the world but this time it was different. Or at least that was what he would keep on telling himself. With a modicum of effort he pushed himself upward and back onto his feet. He looked skywards and he figured that it was about time for him to get going. He dropped the cigarette to the floor and grinded it against the roof with his heel. He took once last look around his old haunt dreadfully aware that it was probably the last time he would see it for awhile yet if at all beyond this point. Giving a wave to the ghosts of the past he made he was way over to one edge of the roof slipping down onto a large ventilation pipe that hung to the side of the building and began to shimmy his way down towards the ground floor.

Once upon solid ground he quickly cut his own path across the grounds going as the crow flies at a light jog towards the embarkation area. He passed some other students and recent graduates that he knew and returned their waves or nods as he made his way onward. He was popular enough at the academy his devil may care attitude being something of an attraction point towards some, finding him labeled as one of the ‘cool kids’. Yet he couldn't particularly say that he knew many of the people that waved at him, maybe first names or faces but he wasn’t really the type to make friends. Not that it mattered now of course, he wondered how many of those faces would be dead by tomorrow. 

As he made his way over he ran over the mental checklist in his head he was already wearing his combat armor simple and close fitting combat armor black in color was kept on his body and he had run maintenance on Sera already. That was all he really needed as the rest of the gear that was provided would be mostly sent en masse or if worse came to worse could be picked up at the front for a quartermaster. Not that they would need much of anything else while one wanted to be prepared when they entered the Darkzone if you went in over encumbered and bringing unnecessary equipment with you it would be as much as a death sentence as forgetting something important. It was all about balance, something that Oakridge had taught its students well enough.

Graham soon arrived amongst the transports getting ready to either leave for the Front or towards the Nexus Reactor. Maintenance crews ran about making sure each transport was properly fueled and was carrying that right equipment, and Guardians and regular soldiers alike were moving about trying to find their own designated transports and locations. Some calling out to one another and others just trying to make it through the crowd. As Graham made his way through the crowd bobbing in and out of the human traffic and vaulting over the occasional cart or other object in his path. Eventually he found his way towards his own designated area for those Guardians heading towards the front lines.

To no real surprise as he approached he noticed another familiar face coming in one Monika Abendroth-Faye the girl with one too many hyphens in her name. Graham at least knew her though, he figured that she probably didn’t like him that much or at all. She was all about rigidity, perfection and toeing the line. Graham was well the opposite, he was laid back, he broke the rules all the damn time and didn’t seem to have a real care in the whole world. Nevertheless it never hurt to be civil. So Graham closed the distance giving her a small wave as he jogged over. 

[color=#ffcc99]“Well of course you and your two handed sword of imminent demise would have chosen Hammer. I feel safer already.”[/color] He explained with a mock bow.
[hr]
[hider= In Summary]
It's morning again and everybody is getting ready to march off to their demise. Graham is up on a roof in an attempt to ponder about Operation Downfall in Silence. He is interrupted by the regular occurrence of his guilty psyche manifesting itself in the form of a convincing hallucination of his dead sister Anna. The two of them talk a little putting some self-doubt into Graham's mind. Graham realizing that it is getting late, climbs down from the roof and makes a beeline for the embarkation location for Hammer, as he does he continues to think about events ahead going over the mental checklist in his head. Once there he sees another Guardian he knows at least sort of in the form of Monika in an attempt to be civil he goes up to attempt to strike a conversation with her in his usual sort of way.
[/hider]