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The Templars had a privilege the Scions did not, and Zach intended to take full advantage of it; there was no expectation for him to be entertaining at parties. He needed only linger around Kasper, reciprocate any polite conversation, and take it easy for the night - as far as a Templar could, anyway. It was made all the easier when Kasper decided his latest scribbles demanded his attention far more pressingly than those in attendance, and Zach contented himself with stolen glances at Kasper's notebook and idle people watching. He wasn't really sure how to talk to nobility at these types of events anyway; it was all gossip and thinly-veiled bouts of one-uppery. 

Zach's gaze trailed over lazily as Kasper shot up, suddenly alert. He figured the Scion had come up with some elegant turn of phrase to resolve whatever verbiage had been puzzling him all evening, and paid it little mind. Though, the fact that it coincided with the tingle in the air was a bit too convenient, a fact later confirmed when the lights flickered. The room descended into total darkness moments later, though the templar was hardly perturbed as his visor quickly adjusted, just in time to see the windows be kicked in by invaders.

He jumped from his seat and turned to Kasper with a suggested plan of action on his tongue, only to be preemptively overruled. [i]He[/i] was being told to stay low? This was his job, Kasper should be the one- His objections went unvoiced, as Kasper had already disappeared. 

[color=BB8F4C]"Of all the times to vanish,"[/color] he muttered. Nothing in his arsenal could detect his Scion with any reliability once mixed into the crowd, but he was obligated to at least try to follow. Hardly a point in regrouping if his charge wasn't there to defend, let alone all the civilians potentially caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, he wasn't the most spottable Templar either, and he slammed his crystal onto his chest. Rather than the splendorous lightshow that accompanied the other defenders of the faith, his armor coiled its way over his being in inky tendrils of shadow, the usual manalights that traced a templar's frame replaced with smooth cracks that peered into a lightless abyss. He was a hooded wraith, swaddled in white and gold and black rather than the trappings of a horror story but no less ephemeral. His faceless visage lacked even eyeholes - an unnecessary ornamentation - and instead possessed only a single hollow void overtop the space between his eyes where the bridge of his nose rested underneath.

Unfortunately, armor was still armor, and one of the interlopers zeroed in on him the moment he'd suited up, or perhaps even before, given his trajectory. Notably, he ducked and weaved around panicked nobles on his beeline for Zach. Seemed they weren't subtle about their targets, but that meant he wouldn't have to worry for the rest of the attendees' safety. It also meant he needed to find Kasper [i]fast[/i].

Zach raised a hand impassively with a muttered incantation under his breath, presenting a palm out toward the man that glowed with a sigil unseen in the darkness of the ballroom. Manalights strobed over his open hand, heedless of whether it drew attention or not, and each flash sent forth a bolt of energy to pelt the attacker's armored chest. He craned his neck around for further threats, only to see the first enemy he spotted writhe under the influence of some invisible attack before collapsing. Moments later, another - one of the gunmen targetting the Scion of Gravity - succumbed to the same fate. 

Kasper.

Zach set off along the trail of corpses, only to witness Kasper reveal himself over the Scion of Metal. Though it looked like she'd regretfully taken a hit, at least she was safe. His relief was promptly overshadowed by an approaching assailant, that Kasper either hadn't noticed or considered an acceptable risk.

[color=BB8F4C]"Watch out!"[/color] he called as he thrust his hand out again to send a blast into the charging soldier's shoulder, sending the man spinning off-balance. With another incantation, he pointed a finger upward and flicked a mote of mana into the air. Once over the staggering man, it elongated and fell like a raindrop to spear through the soldier's lowered head.

Rushing over, he took up a position with his back to the two Scions, hands raised in preparation throw up a barrier should another attacker intrude while Dominika regained her footing. [color=BB8F4C]"If we get the Scions together, can you smuggle them out?"[/color] 

[hr][@Olive Fontaine][@Abstract Proxy]