"Excellent, most excellent," Elpidio praised in response to Angela's enthusiasm and background knowledge. Rika also smiled, glad that at least one of her comrades was genuinely glad to go. "If you know the history of the beast, I'm sure you're aware of its poisonous breath, which is why each of you will be receiving one of these," Elpidio said as he produced what looked like a pack of gum from the pocket of his lab coat. "Chewable antidote. It cursed both poison, [i]and[/i] bad breath!" he japed, tossing the pack of five at Rika for her to catch. Rika was too slow to react, though, and the dragon caught it in his mouth instead. [color=cyan]"Hey! Give it here,"[/color] Rika demanded, grabbing the box and struggling to retrieve it without hurting Elpidio's animated plastic pet. The doctor whistled, calling it over, and it let go and flew onto his shoulder.

"What's in it for me?" the tattooed girl suddenly asked.

"I'll admit, when pitching this to the brass, I [i]may[/i] have made it sound more dangerous than it really ought to be—so, naturally, those exceptional few Brionac graduates who still show the, how do you say, initiative, to take on an optional mission of this caliber, advertised as a humble little training opportunity... Well, that shows strength of character, doesn't it? Great opportunity for a raise, or perhaps a promotion," he said as he gave Rika a sideways glance while putting his now-immobile dragon back in the glass cabinet. "—and if gold doesn't appeal to you, Ern and Darrel will surely have some gratitude to show as well, even if a dinner party is not up your alley. Have you ever had their marbled steak? Oh, I'm sure [i]you[/i] have, Miss Degrasse—the rest of you ought to give it a go; it's to die for." He smiled at the group, bowing as though to excuse himself. "Oh, I almost forgot. I've arranged it so that in about half an hour, the city's photosphere will switch to night mode. That should make the beast easier to spot, as its camouflage is based on its circadian rhythm. It will probably be flying above the Reese brothers' ranch, looking for another easy meal. I'm not sure what it will do once the sun disappears. If it's found a new nest, it may go into hiding." He bowed again, this time excusing himself for real. "You may use this room to get acquainted with one another and discuss battle plans; I'll be in the second floor library. [i]Ciao![/i]" he waved as he left the office, leaving the door locked behind him.

Rika looked around the room, eyeing her impromptu teammates. In typical Frederica fashion, she'd wanted to get moving as soon as the briefing was over, but Elpidio was right: they should at least have a plan for a mission like this, and having access to his office for that purpose was a luxury too good to pass up. They had a 3D model of the city right on his desk. Though, unfortunately, any cracks or ledges along the walls of the cave that their target could use for a den were not included—only the city itself.

[color=cyan]"Well,"[/color] Rika began, running her fingers through the hair on the back of her head as she tried to think of something to say. [color=cyan]"My name is too long and fancy, so everyone calls me 'Rika,"[/color] she explained, grinning. [color=cyan]"Juggernaut, First Class, formerly a Vanguard... but I can still do the whole Vanguard thing, so you can count on me to protect everyone. Magic is spacey, y'know, asteroids, gravity, anti-gravity... people say I'm a bit spacey too,"[/color] she said with a snicker. [color=cyan]"—but reliable, y'know, like the sun, I guess. That's what people say,"[/color] she added, clearly embarrassed.

[color=cyan]"You're a Warlock, I guess? The fiery kind,"[/color] Rika prompted, making finger-guns as she turned to Angela, eager to change the subject.