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New faces. Unknown names. Hidden powers, and secrets greater still.

Dawn could sense as much in that war room. The sixteen-summers young lady sat with her hands folded neatly upon crossed limbs. She exuded a reserved demeanor, perhaps shy, but in truth simply contemplative and diligent. She was taking in as much information as she could. There were but a few names and faces she had already met with in the Ascendancy since the short days she moved to Penrose. Most here she would need to accost later, to say nothing of the multitude of bodies that were keeping to the shadows around them.

She, however, was given a seat at the table. That was a good sign.

Names were tossed around. Sylvia. Alicia. Deserters. Heretics. She'd been briefed beforehand about the nature of the leader of Penrose's Beacon Branch. Their disappearance. Their tolerance of corruption. As much as she wished herself to directly intervene on the Ascendancy's behalf to root it out, Hudie's words dissuaded her from outright offering to handle things.

The mention of her [i]own[/i] name sparked a glimmer in her otherwise passive eyes. Protocol. She certainly preferred things to abide by protocol. This Rachel girl was clearly joking in the way that indicated protocol wasn't always followed, something Dawn would have scorned were it not for her acute awareness of a simple fact:

Young girls with magic powers rarely followed guidelines.

Dawn sighed, shrugging her shoulders at Rachel and Hudie.

"Perhaps some context would be pertinent?" she suggested, eyes wandering to the door where Leena and FanFan had exited, "What is this unspoken quality of Leena you're throwing around? Should I be concerned about her whilst aiding her?" Speaking about another Ascendancy member as if they were a potential threat seemed all too natural for Dawn in this environment. There was, after all, no mercy for the wicked or useless. In that darkened room, in that short moment, Dawn had learned a great deal of how things would operate here.

She had no fear -she would never fall short of expectations.

A tingling in her senses drew Dawn's ear aside to the door, and moments later at the sound of someone new entering the room she stood suddenly; she knew the meaning behind this sense. In the gloom she could discern a male figure bearing a cane and pristine white clothing. There was no mistaking that style.

Aurelio, one of Sylvia's underlings.

Dawn threw an open palm out, facing it downwards. As she lifted the arm, a bright white light cut into reality before it, and slowly a massive weapon slipped through the cracks. She drew the handle with a rip, pulling her arcane sword fully out, taking care not to swipe at Rachel sitting beside her. The breadth of the weapon whooshed through the cold air as it pointed towards Aurelio threateningly.

"You should know you are not welcome here," she growled.

[@Ariamis] [@Shifter_Master]