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[sub]O A K R I D G E   A C A D E M Y   -{}-   [i][color=d8996d]Nicholas  Vanceon[/color][/i]   -{}-   M a i n   E n t r a n c e[/sub][hr]
	[i]Stick together.[/i]

	The utterance of such a simple, harmless phrase raised the hairs on the back of his neck and sent chills dancing across his skin; echoes of broken memories cycled rapidly through Niko's mind and - even while standing there, having yet to reply - he immediately summoned as much willpower as he could to banish the escaped moments back to the dark corners of his mentality. Flashes of imagined stings and throbs crackled against portions of his body and though he knew he was long passed the events that seared these intangible beasts into his brain, his feet instinctively took a few steps back and a small breath parted temporarily stiff lips in a wispy whistle only audible to the Guardian himself. Olivia held no responsibility for the internal outburst Niko suffered, but she still had inadvertently squeezed a verbal trigger. 

	"I'm... I'm going to the Hammer. I jus-" Niko stammered until Thael, the prototypical mountain of a Guardian, threw a beefy arm around Olivia. The boy had not noticed his looming presence, but the sight of the man instantly brought Niko back to his senses. His posture straightened and a calming hand ran through black curls before a sigh was released. It was embarrassing for sure, but the gun wielding Guardian regained his composure rather quickly. It was not like he disliked Thael in the least - hell, he did not even know him enough [i]to[/i] dislike him - but seeing the bigger man's more natural demeanor brought stability and a reminder that the past was just that - the past. As Olivia happily melted into the throes of one-sided flirtatious non-reciprocation, Niko gave a half-hearted wave to her and the arriving Rogart before turning and heading towards the deployment garage. 

	He slipped passed briskly moving bodies and bustling activity without really seeing the path ahead. Thoughts consumed him, but this time he willingly gave himself to the jolts of a time that now seemed surreal. He saw the forests again, trees towering over one another with twisted limbs and aging bark that contrasted against the thickened and strong looking trunks that held each in place. He saw the overseers and their pristine white robes clutching the coiled leathers reserved for punishment and weakness and their exaggerated faces shouting orders and instructions in tandem. He saw the student forced to be the "protege's" partner and the path before them that would instill a false sense of security before revealing the ugly truth of where it actually lead. The sounds of a tense silence shattered by foreign snarls and growls slowly became audible in the flashbacks as well as the mysterious student's voice. It was understandably high-pitched for a boy of only thirteen, but Niko still remembered the feeling of surprise every time the boy would speak. He also remembered those fateful words that mark the day indefinitely in his fractured memory: [i]We should stick together[/i].

	The deployment garage was a spectacularly huge area that ticked all the boxes of your average military vehicle hangar. Platoons of Guardians and soldiers alike scurried to and fro loading into vehicles or rushing to posts to make sure every effort, every mobilization went as smoothly as it possibly could go and then some. The academy had always been a strictly disciplined environment and this kind of behavior brought a slight curve to the corner of Niko's mouth as he exited the sanctum of his mental sanctuary and entered the reality of Operation Downfall unfolding before him. The subtle excitement he held for deployment to the Dark Zone grew slowly as he slowed his pace and almost sauntered through the area, his eyes drinking in all the images around him. This was an organization he could respect and even if he got here later than most, he already appreciated his role and felt the urge to contribute become that much stronger in a single moment. Nearing the vehicle that would take a contingent to the Dark Zone, Monika's pale silhouette came into view. 

	Monika probably could not be called Niko's friend, but she'd had a significant impact on the Guardian all the same. Their training sessions were sometimes long and painful, but it had created a camaraderie between the two that helped the awkward young man feel comfortable when he was around her. Even in spite of the icy attitude she was well known for. Niko almost spoke before he noticed another male Guardian already engaged in conversation with her. Deciding against the more rude action of just waltzing in between the duo, he stopped a few feet short of the dialogue and took a lean against the massive vehicle. 

[hider=Summary]Niko had a sort of panic attack when Olivia mentioned sticking together and ended reflecting on an event in his past that traumatized him. He left without saying anything anyone else and once he hit the deployment garage, he saw Monika who was already in conversation with Graham so he stood near them, but far enough away not to be creepy. He's currently contemplating... Or something.[/hider]