[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LB3ZrJ5.png[/img] [h1][color=A6E3FF]Arthur Everwood[/color][/h1] [hr]Day 1 [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Time:[/color] Night [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Weather:[/color] Thunder, Lighting, and Light Seraphi [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Location:[/color] Harold's Academy, Main Ballroom [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Participants:[/color] Arthur Everwood [hr][hr][/center] [color=D0473E]"Listen carefully. The Hunting Melody of the Ni-Seraphi is exactly what you are hearing now. This is not a drill. Those monsters are here and will be at our doorstep any moment. Do what you can to prepare. We're initiating ESP. Remember your training. You know what to d--"[/color] In Arthur’s mind, the reality of a Ni-Seraphi attack was theoretical. The whole concept of ESP wasn’t something he would actually have to engage in. But now with the explosion and the ballroom’s music abruptly giving way to that horrid melody, Arthur was in a panic. He sat up after being knocked off Grumble’s chair, his pastry snacks scattered around him. Everyone also seemed to be in a panic after a quick survey of the area. In his theoretical version of a Ni-Seraphi attack, Arthur could support the frontlines but would choose to stay back. It wasn’t his war, none of this was a fight he would choose, and he wasn’t going to throw away his life so freely. But that was just a dream of a perfect world, one where he could choose not to help and things would end up fine. Reality was much more cruel. Arthur’s stomach sank as he spotted a group of first-years starting to take to the skies. He recognized a few of them from tutoring flights. Had they lost their minds or just misunderstood what they were supposed to do? Their reasoning didn’t really matter to Arthur because they had no business taking on the Ni-Seraphi. They had some capabilities in combat and perhaps together that gave them the confidence to even attempt such a thing. In a few years, maybe they could make a difference. But as it stood they had the tell-tale signs of first-time flyers, barely able to take on a breeze alone last five minutes against a real enemy. As much as Arthur would have liked to kick back and watch it all work out in the end, he could see students younger and less experienced than him rising to the occasion of an early death sentence. It wasn’t something he could just sit back and let happen. Theory meant he didn’t have to think about the people who fall in such a conflict. Reality meant knowing them, having spent hours with them. He couldn’t have inaction weigh in his conscience like that. He stood up and shook off the pastry crumbs that littered his suit in the blast. A gentle breeze gathered around him as if limbering his aeonhart for the fight ahead. All of his abilities were about gathering motion after all, a wind-up process took negligible vitesse but let his power add to an existing but ever-shifting flow as opposed to creating one out of nowhere. Using his hands as anchors of concentration, he positioned them in front of him with the left directly in his line of sight and the right pointed toward the crowd below. His right hand rose gently causing a pile of napkins to erupt from the food table to join a steady orbit around him. His left hand fell violently and the first years in the distance became unsteady in an instant. Their struggle to stay in the air resulted in them quickly descending with Arthur using his remaining concentration to prevent free fall while he flew up to talk. [color=A6E3FF]“If that's all it takes to knock you out of the air, there is no way I’m letting you out of the ballroom.”[/color] Arthur lectured from above. [color=A6E3FF]“Listen to the Illuminaires, don’t do anything stupid.”[/color] The hypocrisy of words were lost to him in the moment. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/09g09wc.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/LB3ZrJ5.png[/img][h1]Kaspaan and Arthur[/h1] [hr]Day 1 [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Time:[/color] Night [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Weather:[/color] Thunder, Lighting, and Light Seraphi [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Location:[/color] Harold's Academy, Main Ballroom [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Participants:[/color] Arthur Everwood, Kaspaan Mustaven [@Deja] [hr][hr][/center] The glee and suspense of the evening simmered into a haunting song. It brought the hairs of his nape up to attention, unnerving in its ambience. It had caused enough of a disturbance to halt the dances in the ballroom, and the weather had worsened. It dawned on Kasp that this was because Grumble was gone. That thought was shot out of his head when Grune and her warning bellowed through the halls. Kasp felt a shiver run down his spine, something he almost never did, his heart loud in his ears as well. This was not a drill alright, he could spot huge visages in the distance being shadowed by militant lightning. Ana spoke before him, directing her flock like a good Illumnaire would. Seeing Raffaella be taken under protection was enough to entice his bravery forth. His fists clenched, then froze into limbs of spite. With a short glance to his own House leader, perhaps with a bit of uncertainty, he crouched down and then lept off into the night air with a frozen wisp of wind in his wake. He'd barely cleared the horizon of the ballroom before a gust of wind forced him to end over end in a descending tumble, Kasp flailed about. He quickly caught himself and glared up where he thought a daemon might be frostycuffs ready. [color=A6E3FF]"I don't think you should go either, Kaspaan."[/color] Arthur advised from below. Compared to his tone with the first years, this held more respect for his classmate's abilities. [color=A6E3FF]"This isn't combat practice."[/color] [color=8dc73f]"Yeah, you're right. Should we round up all the others?"[/color] Kaspaan spoke hurriedly with the tune of the night slightly unnerving him. His flight prowess was slower than most but the ice condensation dragged him down. He looked down at the hurried crowd of first years and their peers and Illuminaires protecting them. Yes, they needed to be more defensive at the moment. [color=8dc73f]"Lead the way, We need to help out where we can, You take a Daemon class yet? They'll be Larvae out n about ready to strike..."[/color] [color=A6E3FF]"Rounding up the others is good. Try to keep the first years safe, don't let them get hot-headed."[/color] Arthur looked down at the crowd below. He grew some new respect for the Illuminaires who got everything under control. [color=A6E3FF]"Larvae could slip by the frontlines, they'll need you for that." [/color] Answering Kaspaan's assertions, Arthur did not lead the way. Instead, he floated in place. Kaspaan looked down at the crowd and then back to Arthur visibly flustered as this was not what he had been expecting as his first Emergency Safety Protocol. Then again, that's why it was in place. He tried to think back to his lessons and recalled with a worried furrow that Grune might be hurt right now, or Professor Grumble even. He floated down near the ground where the assembly was as he spoke. [color=8dc73f]"Alright, I'll go help the tikes, but what about the others?"[/color] Kaspaan strained to say under a bravado grimice. The uncertainty affected the boy more than he care to admit. [color=A6E3FF]"Leave that to me."[/color] Arthur said back with a sudden grin of confidence. But it posture betrayed the quick facade. Arthur floated nervously waiting to support the approaching frontline. Kaspaan's barely got to the ground before the shrieks of demented Larvae could be heard over their broodmothers' song. His fist were now firm bricks and he drowned out the drone by grinding his jaw, perhaps that would steady his nerves. Kasp didn't have the best eyesight so we failed to notice the true scale of the beasts out in the Endless. He did spot Fasha however, and his other dance partner of the evening both fulfilling their leadership roles. This was confidence in real form for the young noble so he gave his own shout. [color=8dc73f]"Alright first years on me I need eyes so I can smash n bash!"[/color] He didn't have to hold back for fear of reprimand now. He was almost giddy when he frostly spoke to the small crowd of younger children and teens milled in his wake. One even spoke up, a shaven-headed boy with rather bright eyes and a forked tongue, [color=8dc73f]"I taste them, they are close Kaspaan! Real close!"[/color] [hr]