[indent][sub][color=#B9BABC]O A K R I D G E  A C A D E M Y[/color] // [color=#ffcc99][i] Graham Tosches[/i][/color] // [color=#B9BABC]Deployment Garage.[/color][/sub][/indent][hr]

Was that contempt in her eyes? No it was closer to abject disappointment than anything else. It reminded him of a mathematics teacher from a long time ago Mrs. Mulner: somewhere in her late sixties, thick curls of gray falling to about the waist, face covered in wrinkles earned not bestowed with long pray mantis like fingers that brushed over one another with a disturbing level of smoothness whenever she talked. The look in her eyes when ever she caught Graham sleeping in the back of class or flirting with some girl was the same one the living glacier was giving him, it sent shivers down his spine and sent every hair on his arm up on attention. He always had a problem with authority figures, Monika wasn't an authority figure in the simplest of terms but she certainty carried herself like one. Graham wasn't sure what bothered him more the fact that she just seemed to naturally carry herself in such a manner or the fact that his brain had automatically assumed the reality she presented to be the true one. But at least she responded he wasn't even expecting that.

He met the glower with a crooked grin eyes having their characteristic mischievous glint to them. He scratched the back of his head in a relaxed manner as it felt like she was taking him apart piece by piece with her eyes almost laughing as her eyes fell upon the shoelaces. Not one to feel left it he also took in his observations if not as blunt as she was doing. A contrasting set of pale ivories and raven blacks, a face that could have even been considered pretty if not for the emotional candor upon display at the moment. She was as well forged as a warrior that Oakridge could of produced, she certainly looked strong enough to toss him about not to mention the speed required to make her blade almost begin to be useful in a real fight. (He reckoned he was still faster of course girl might of practiced how to swing a big stick around without tiring herself out but that didn't replace years of having to run to survive that was a speed of a whole different sort of echelon.) Not to mention the whole vibe she was 'giving off' with the spirits that congregated about her, his own bright and fiery continual sparking bouncing off against hers cold and distance. They fit her like a glove, perfect for the girl that refused to turn her back to him like they were in some sort of duel.

[color=#ffcc99]"You sure you don't want to head over to Doral? I'd call that thing one hell of a 'diplomatic incentive'."[/color] He quipped with his usual level of jest towards her comment about being more useful on the front lines. He pondered upon her comment for a moment trying to dissect it more thoroughly. The pride and the hubris was there alright but he didn't care about surface layer, nobody told you anything on the surface. He wondered if it bothered her at all, not being able to be the best at everything, to be the best tool for every problem it must have for a standard case perfectionist like her. Before he could impose further upon a line of question she skilfully switched the focus of the conversation off of herself and onto him as eyes of ice met eyes of sky for the briefest of moments as she gazed over him once more. Graham practically smiled when he heard the doubt not so hidden in her voice. He couldn't blame her really, he didn't look the part of a front line brawler like she did he was all slender not burly and intimidating. Everyone made the same mistakes, it was all part of the technique.

[color=#ffcc99]"You do a marvelous job not hiding the doubt in your voice, you know that?"[/color] Graham responded with something akin to a chuckle and as he pulled Sera off of his back with his left hand. He took the weapon currently in boomerang form placing two fingers between the blade and tossed it up into the air with a flick the wrist. The weapon made lazy circles through the air as sharp metal tumbled over sharp metal as it came down he caught it between two fingers and continued tossing it up and down switching hands without really paying attention despite the fact that a movement of his hands in the wrong direction by less than a second could have them easily chopped off as he continued to speak. [color=#ffcc99]"Listen, I know my word ain't much but trust me Princess they don't just keep me around for my pretty face."[/color] He explained catching Sera out of the air and with little in terms of flourish redeposited it behind his back.

Back to business almost as quickly Monika talked of those who would also be departing with them. It seemed the only other one that was known for certain was Olivia Celestine. That was a name Graham knew well to be fair it was a name that almost everybody knew well enough, Ms. Celestine was another perfect little flower always toeing the line and making everybody love her from the teachers to her gym rats buddies. It seemed like Graham was with a whole bunch of sticks in a whole bunch of mud. He fought against rising an eyebrow when she mentioned coming up with theories. He wanted to say that based on principal he didn't come up with plans, theories or anything that could be halfway synonymous with forethought because in the end they all go to shit. He didn't say this of course only nodding his head in what could be seen as agreement if the only betraying motion being how stiff the actual nodding motion was.

By this point in time he had become acutely aware of somebody else watching them. He looked past Monika's shoulder to see another Guardian leaning against the MOV destined to take them to the front. Black hair and a little bit on the shorter side he had a sort of displaced expression upon his face. Graham clapped his hands together to disperse the silence. [color=#ffcc99]"Well as much as I loved this little chat, it would seem the stragglers are finally arriving."[/color] He explained gesturing towards the other Guardian leaning against the MOV before cupping his hands and calling out to him carrying the playful cadence of his voice over the chaos in the Garage.
[color=#ffcc99]"Oi! Too cool to stand up straight! Come on over! We don't bite.... well not unless you ask nicely!"[/color]

[indent][sub][color=#B9BABC] M T.  K I N A B A L U[/color] // [color=ec008c][i] Roxelana ‘Roxie’ Cacciatore[/i][/color] // [color=#B9BABC]In Transit[/color][/sub][/indent][hr]

[i]She knew this memory[/i]

She was nine again back in Valeheist, back home. She had finished the assignment that her father had given her early again, another book Queal's Spiritum Nexurium another age old scientific text. She was bored of course but didn't know what to do. The servants and the guards were always too busy to do anything fun and her mother much like her other siblings were all rather boring to behold. She couldn't leave the congealed mass of towering spires that made up the heart of Valeheist. She had tried that once by crawling into the rubbish shoot, when they finally found her wandering the square she was quickly thrown back into her room having no contact for nearly three days. So without any other options to follow up on she decided to try and find her father. Putting the large tome gently upon the floor and leaving her own notes tucked underneath it as to not to lose them she made her move. Small feet ghosted across cold stone floors as she moved towards the large door of her room seemingly towering up into the heavens (even though now she knew it barely rose six feet) and nudged it open just far enough so that she could slip out without the telltale creaking noise giving away her grand escape.

Out of her room she came into the central space of the main tower upon a simple landing. To one side stairs stretched continually downward and to the other they rose upward chasing after the sky. Roxelana went upwards knowing that she would find her father at the top in his office. The ascent was grueling as two steps became four and four became eight and eight became ten and so forth stretching to ever greater numbers. Her lungs gasped as her legs burned but ever still she climbed and climbed forever upwards. After what seemed to take millenniums she reached the top of the stairs. In front of her where two large heavy set doors both accented by heavy gold knockers in the shape of large snarling dragons. These silent sentinels had always struck fear into the girl's heart from a young age, their angry eyes peering down from above like god's on high. She kept her head low as to avoid making eye contact with the inanimate objects as she nudged the door open and stepped inside the office.

For a man that was considered by some to a sort of quasi-god, the office itself was fairly plain. At the center was her Father's large desk made of rich dark wood imported in from Ascadia and carved by hand by a master carpenter. It was the only true luxury item in the whole room and spoke volumes about the man himself. The rest of the space was filled with large bookshelves filled from top to bottom with texts of all sorts and various scientific equipment strewn about on tables and shelves some looking as if an experiment had only stopped moments ago. It was not the office one expected from a leader of prestigious city-state it was crowded and dirty and dust floated about the air in a haphazard manner certainly not prestigious or stately in any shape or form. None of this of course bothered the young Roxelana what bothered her was the fact that her Father was nowhere to be seen.

Then she felt it, the cold breeze brushing playfully against her cheek. She turned in the direction that it had originated and she saw beyond the bookshelves and the tables near the back of the room, the door to the balcony was open letting in the breeze and fragments of midday illumination. Slowly the young girl made her way over to the door bare feet moving gently across the floor at the tip of her toes careful to avoid any precious object or books that had dropped to the floor long ago to be forgotten about. Ever so slowly she found herself in front of the door peering into the outside eyes squinting against the light. She could see him though looking out on the city below hands clasped on the banister as he peered out. He looked bigger than the entire world, tall and broad shoulder built of towering muscle. Long hair white as snow falling at just about the point where the neck meets the collarbone. She froze where she was unsure if she should dare step forward.

[indent]
[b]"Come child."[/b] For a second Roxelana froze but on unsteady feet she moved quickly up to stand next to her Father.
[color=ec008c]"I already finished my work. So I tho-"[/color] The girl began but was cut off by a simple raise of a hand.
[b]"I know. We will deal with your punishment for leaving before your instruction time was done later." He turned to face her. "But tell me child. What do you see out there?"[/b]
[color=ec008c]"I see the city"[/color]
"Yes your home and mine as well. And one day you must watch over it all."
[color=ec008c]"But what if I'm not ready?"[/color][/indent]

Suddenly the world began to fade away as her father's own melted away into nothingness as dreamworld give way back into reality. She was back in the air transport headed towards Kinabalu. She was no longer a little girl but a Guardian ready to go hunter after a Eidolon of all things. She peered out the view port to the left of her as the vehicle came in for a landing about the clearing the towering mountain becoming larger and larger as they approached the ground. Seconds later touchdown occurred and the back hatch opened and the soldiers began pouring out going about their jobs in order to secure a perimeter and set up a base camp. Roxelana waited with idle boredom for them to filter out before she stood up and followed her fellow Guardians off of the vehicle and into the shadow of the great Mountain above towering over them like some kind of vengeful god ready to rain death upon them.

Subra the one leading the small team forward turned around putting up a question about the plan of attack. Roxelana cracked her neck with a subtle jerk before she spoke. [color=ec008c]"Whatever we do, we should do it fast. The longer we stand here slack-jawed the higher the chance that Eidolon moves."[/color]

[hider=In Summary]
Graham continues his verbal joust with Monika as he much like her tries to size her up. As the conversation nears it end he spots  Nicholas and calls him over in typical Graham fashion. Meanwhile Roxelana is dragged out of her memories by the transport for the Kinbalu mission. Upon exiting she stresses urgency and speed wanting to catch the Eidolon before it decides to move and possibly ruin everything.
[/hider]