[centre] [img]https://see.fontimg.com/api/renderfont4/ax24E/eyJyIjoiZnMiLCJoIjo2OSwidyI6MzAwMCwiZnMiOjIzLCJmZ2MiOiIjODc4QThEIiwiYmdjIjoiI0ZGRkZGRiIsInQiOjF9/UmljaHRlcg/all-cracked-out.png[/img] [/centre] [hr][b][I]June 19, Protectorate HQ 8:58 AM[/I][/b] People continued trickling in one after another for some time, but Val paid them little mind, keeping his attention on his own hands. His eyes furrowed as he focused intently. To anyone looking at him, it may seem as if he wasn't paying attention to anything else, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Someone said something to him, but he remained unmoved. From the corner of his eye, he took in the appearance of the person addressing him and raised a delicate brow. The newcomer's attire was drab—not like he was one to talk—and seemed to be purposefully made for.... intimidation? Maybe. He'd sit on that for a while. It bore a superficial resemblance to his costume, and similarly, gave no indication as to what his power was. Though, judging by his shifting glances and the way he moved; untrained but attentive and oddly tense, Val assumed it was mentally inclined. It was hard to tell with the get-up he was wearing. A thinker, maybe? Whatever it was, he had a lovely personality to go along with it. Henceforth, Val decided that he would be dubbed [i]"Grump"[/i]. .... Well, he never claimed to be good at coming up with names. He walked off before Val even had a chance to respond. Not that he was planning to. It looked like he was going to complain about something to one of the Protectorate members. He was either ridiculously easy to agitate or.... something else. As for the next one in line.... If Val could still feel it, he probably would have flinched as some[I]thing[/I] all but stumbled in, all feathers, gangly limbs and fur. It looked like an oversized rat with feathers; a rat-thing. Probably a Changer, or maybe a.... whatever those other things were called. He never paid them much mind before. It was tall, incredibly so, and yet it also seemed so small at the same time. The first word that came to Val's mind was anxious. [i]Very[/i] anxious. The second word was "easy-target". It was easily the most outwardly intimidating person in the room, and yet the best thing Val could find to compare it to was a water-logged puppy, curled up on the couch as it was. The juxtaposition of its frightful appearance and skittish mannerisms was somewhat jarring at first. After the initial surprise wore off though, it was a lot easier to read. Who would have thought such a freakish creature could have such transparent expressions? With that assessment made, Val's eyes moved on. The third Ward to enter, after the rat-thing, was a girl maybe a bit older than he was, dressed in a black catsuit with a white dress over it. Her mask covered her eyes, and not much else. He looked her over in more detail, and he saw.... Well, that was interesting. She didn't have the usual kind of detachment that came from experience. It was lesser, but more familiar than that, like a blast from the past. Val hadn't expected to meet someone like that in a place like this. Of course, she was nowhere near as unhinged as the person he was thinking of, but the similarity was there. But, since he'd rather not think about that right now, he turned his gaze away. Next up, was– Oh, someone was talking to the rat-thing. It was another girl, older than the last one, and dressed in a gold-highlighted white dress and a likewise white mask. She was engaged in conversation with the anxious-looking rat-thing. She was claiming to be nervous as well, though he had an inkling it was for a somewhat different reason. Her odd reaction to her own words only served to reinforce his assumption. Val tilted his head slightly to better hear their conversation. It was mostly just introductions, but at least he could finally put names to faces, even if it were only two of them. It was better than nothing. Another girl walked, dressed brighter than the others, and Val shifted slightly to get a better look at her, never once pausing his coin-spinning; it was important work. Like the first girl to arrive, she was armoured, though hers was bright yellow. He wished he could wear armour, cooler armour than hers of course, but still. He wasn't going to hold his breath on that though. Fibres were one thing, but anything more solid was going to have [i]issues[/i]. It was kind of surprising actually, the fact that so few of the Wards he'd seen were wearing body armour. Weren't they afraid of getting shot? He didn't think all of them were bullet-proof, or adjacent. He couldn't get a good read on her yet; helmets were a bitch that way. Soft words coming from the front drew his attention, and the words became clearer as he focused. Grandmaster told the dark-garbed Ward—the other one—something about his teammates not being inept, and their number too. His outburst after the fact was odd, though not entirely unexpected, considering his earlier remarks. So, the Grump wasn't a fan of the way the Protectorate was handling the Wards? There was always at least one.... Grandmaster and Axion turned to each other and spoke briefly about someone who apparently should have been here. The last Ward, probably. Val was about to tune them out until Axiom pulled out an object from her suit which summoned several small containers from somewhere. Neat. He listened intently as she explained what they were and what they did. Some kind of protection from Master influences, which he believed 100%. No doubt, really. The earpieces would definitely.... .... Hold on, how was he supposed to– His thoughts were interrupted by someone bursting through the door rather loudly. The rat-thing Ward practically jumped out of its skin when it happened, and Val stifled an exaggerated laugh. The reaction of the Grump from before was similar, if a bit more combative. These guys were on a hair-trigger, weren't they? The slightest noise and they freaked out. Like rats in a cage. But, he would admit that entrance was unnecessary unless the newcomer was [i]trying[/i] to scare someone. Unnecessary but fun, he'd imagine. Val's first impression of the new Ward was.... well, she was certainly pink, and purple. Other than that, she at least looked like she could hold her hold in a fight, which was more than he could say for most of the others. She also looked familiar, but neither her face nor her costume rang any bells in his mind. If she was anyone important, he would have remembered. Satisfied with having taken a look at everyone, he adjusted his position on the couch to make himself more comfortable, but not [i]too[/i] comfortable. And with that done, Val closed his eyes and dozed off. .... If only.