STATUS:
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
8 days ago
Current
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
3
likes
19 days ago
Can't believe that I actually got an RP close to its endgame, btw...
4
likes
1 mo ago
Noble Arms is now either four years old, or three years and eleven months. The third thread had lasted for more than one year.
1
like
2 mos ago
New Interest Check, everybody!
2 mos ago
My Roleplay, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, will reach its 4th year in June or July. It's been a long journey.
Originally made by Vulkan, who gave me permission to rerun it.
Greetings! Should you receive this message, it means that you have been selected from many a skilled individual across the Terminus Systems, for an operation that I, Saris Fen, plan to put together.
You have seen the Terminus Systems, the horrendous mess that they have become since the end of the reaper war. My, when Commander Shepard turned those bastards into scrap, I honestly expected things to improve around here. Instead, they have only gotten worse. Plenty of veterans of that war have turned pirates, probably due to the fact they don't have anything to shoot anymore. The damned hegemony (no offense intended to any Batarians this has been sent to) continues their slavery habit. Not even losing Khar'Shan and fighting alongside every race in the galaxy can make them kick that...
I'm getting off-topic, to put it bluntly, I plan to do something about all this. Myself, you, and many other extremely skilled individuals will roam the terminus systems, bringing justice to anyone to attempts to exploit the innocent.
If you don't want to fight for justice, fair enough. You can fight for the astronomical sum I plan to pay you when this is finished. I care not for your background, race, ideals, only that you are willing to do this job.
Should you wish to join this endeavor, in exactly three weeks from receiving this message, please make your way to docking bay 26 on Omega, in the upper section.
I eagerly await your answer. I sincerely hope you make the right choice.
Saris Fen- CEO of Fen Futuristics
_______________________________ Mass Effect Seraphim is an RP revolving around a group of individuals, hired by a incredibly wealthy Volus to bring peace to the terminus systems, by any means necessary. It is set six years after Mass Effect's 3 story, with the ending being a slight modification of the destroy ending (which will be explained below)
Though the RP will start on Omega, the team will get a ship, and travel all across the terminus systems, ranging from Illium to Rannoch, and maybe even a few places outside the systems, including places even Shepard never went.
Though you can't use any canon characters (obviously) they can be in your character backstory if you so wish. Otherwise, I want to leave character creation as open as I possibly can, with almost any race or abilities (within canon) being allowed, though some of the more...powerful, ones will need a good explanation. They would also need a good reason to be part of this group, even if that reason is just "Get Paid or die trying"
I have a story line and antagonistic characters in mind, but i am open to suggestions, and characters can have their own sub-plots if they so wish. Id like the RP to go a certain direction, but i don't really mind players being independent if they like.
______
Shepard destroyed the reapers, also causing the crucible to collapse.
The Geth and other synthetic life were destroyed, but Geth program blueprints still remain, and after utterly absurd amounts of money being spent, conservation groups have managed to rebuild some fully sentient Geth intelligences. Most of these are still on Rannoch, helping the Quarians resettle as their predecessors planned.
Most mass relays were fixed within a few weeks, but a few minor ones are still offline, making space travel rather inconvenient in some places. The council is still promising to fix them as soon as possible.
The Genophage was cured, with the Krogan race uniting around High Clan Chief Urdnot Wrex. Alhough him and Urdnot Bakara have kept the race as a whole in line, many mercenary and pirate groups have had ample recruits from Tuchanka since then.
The Citadel was moved from the solar system to its original place. The Krogan and Quarians were made members of the Citadel, with rumors flying that the Rachni have asked for membership. The Elcor have made a bid to join the council.
After the reapers were destroyed, Leviathan disappeared from 2181 Despoina. Despite the work of many, no trace has been found of where they went, or even if they were there in the first place.
The Hanar and Drell have taken back their home, with the repair efforts being headed by a mysterious religious figure known as "The Last Enkindler"
Shortly after being recovered alive from the wreckage of the crucible, Commander Shepard, along with the Normandy and all its crew, disappeared into the Far Rim and has not been seen since. The council and the Batarian hegemony wish to question them about the destruction of the alpha relay, with some calling for them to be tried as a war criminal.
____
This is as adult as the games were, so yeah, we are going to probably swear a lot and describe violence fairly graphically. If the 18+ warning wasn't your first clue, here's the second.
Approximately, I'm hoping for an IC post per week. If you can't do that or are unable to post for a period of time, let me know ahead of time and we can discuss what to do otherwise. Two weeks of no posts at all (IC/OOC/PM etc) and I may have to boot you out.
No godmodding, meta-gaming, bunnying, no being mean in OOC.
I'm open-minded, but if I decide something is too overpowered, it's too overpowered. Sorry.
If you want to play a Yahg, PM me. It's going to take a fair bit of story to explain why they are able to work with other races. Plus, they still don't have space travel, so I'm not allowing more than one.
If anyone wants to know anything that happened in the ME3 ending that I didn't mention, do let me know.
No more than two characters per person. If you do, you will be expected to RP them both properly. Obviously.
This RP is set in a dangerous environment. Do you want a new character but have two already, or don't think you can RP two characters...well, you could kill them off if you like. Just let me know if you want that. Or they could just leave the group, but where is the fun in that?
Have fun! If you aren't, let me know, and ill see what I can do.
____
Name:
Race:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Specialty:
Powers/Skills: (These could be skills from the game, singleplayer or multi, though others are acceptable if the GM considers them balanced)
Equipment:
Misc:
_______________
Name: Saris Fen
Race: Volus
Age: 34
Gender: Male (We think)
Appearance:
Personality: Despite not being particularly old, Sarus takes an almost kindly, fatherly tone towards his employees, making sure all their needs are met within reason. He's always willing to take constructive criticism and is an overall fair, if somewhat harsh at times leader. However, this personality hides a slightly more ruthless side underneath, being a businessman willing to bend the law to make as much money as possible, and before that, a mercenary willing to take almost any job, no matter how dangerous, for the right money. Though he has mellowed out somewhat since becoming CEO, he's still more than willing to manipulate people if he thinks it's for the greater good. He also really misses the mercenary life and will take almost any excuse for a good fight.
Backstory: Child to the moderately successful businessman Varus Sart, Sarus showed an eye for business from a young age (even by Volus standards), much to his parent's pride. Most of his life was fairly generic for a Volus, with one exception.
His uncle, Karul Olo, was one of the most respected and successful mercenaries in the terminus systems, and young Sarus found himself mesmerized by the heavily armed Volus vanguard's stories about guns, adventure, loose Asari women and ship explosions. Most of his family considered Karul somewhat of a black sheep, but their attempts to remove Sarus from his influence only made the young Volus more intrigued by the life. He began to train with firearms, approaching the challenge with the same vigor he originally had for business.
Several years of practice, and hearing about the Geth attack on the citadel, he finally gave into temptation and joined a mercenary band in the terminus systems. Despite the laughter had received at first, the group eventually came to respect and even fear him a little, after seeing him burn a blood pack Krogan alive with a firestorm. He became the group's leader, with other five hundred mercenaries working under him, his work in business allowing him to manage them to great effectiveness. It was at this point, shortly before the destruction of the alpha relay, he ran into Cerberus.
It was a simple job, break into a terrorist base and download what was on their computers. Instead, he found lists of several Cerberus financiers, including the heads of some very rich corporations. Unfortunately, he was unable to download the data before a Cerberus operative wiped it. He finished the job, and made a beeline back to Irune.
His family's outrage at his disappearance was replaced with uproar at what he had found. Most of them wanted to immediately give the information to the Turians, but with no proof beyond the word of a mercenary, they made a different decision.
The company took action, preparing for the day that the Cerberus financiers would be found out. Sure enough, a month after the destruction of the reapers, they were. N7 marines, STG operatives, and Blackwatch commandoes stormed multiple corporate holdings across the galaxy, causing mass panic in the stock markets. Sarus's family rode the storm, and eventually came out of it one of the richest corporate groups in the galaxy. Though some in Salarian intelligence and the Spectres have suspected (correctly) that the company had inside knowledge, they have been unable to prove anything beyond a junior member once being a mercenary.
Sarus's father died three years later of natural causes, and the board unanimously voted Sarus as the new CEO. Though Fel Futuristics continues to do well, Sarus can't help but remember some of the things he saw as a mercenary, and how inspired he felt towards heroes like Shepard, Archangel, and his uncle. Because of this, and realizing he isn't done with life yet, he has decided to put his personal fortune to good use...
Specialty: Soldier
Powers/Skills:
Adrenaline Rush Shredder Ammo Armor-Piercing Ammo Tech Armor Carnage Flamer Shield Boost Stimulant Pack
Equipment: Incredibly powerful and expensive Kinetic barriers
Reinforced Volus Survival Suit
His wealth and connections give him access to almost any gun in the galaxy, though he cant carry more than three at a time. His personal favorite selection is a Cerberus Harrier Assault Rifle, a N7 Valiant sniper rifle and a blood pack punisher Submachine Gun.
Omni Tool/Blade Misc: Despite mostly having a desk job nowadays, he will take any chance to get back in the field, common sense be damned.
Name: Laurence Kaylin
Race: Human
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Under the armor he has short, blond hair that has clearly been cut extremely haphazardly. His eyes are a vivid green, half his face is mostly scarred over and one eye is missing. Cybernetics weren't administered in time to minimize damage. He generally keeps a gaunt, haggard appearance. He would be handsome for a human, if he bothered to take care of himself.
Personality: Laurence is vicious, confrontational, and reckless. Every piece of weaponry he has made has been for him and ONLY him, in his eyes (the small amount he gave to Saris is considered a temporary arrangement). He feels completely invincible in his armor and has yet to meet an opponent that his completely illegal technology is unable to defeat with ease. Whenever he finds technology he is unfamiliar with, he steals, cannibalizes, and duplicates it, as well as searches for a way he can use it. As a result, he has a taste for violence that would impress a Krogan. Despite all this, however, he takes his job seriously, if keeping the team alive is what it entails, then that's precisely what he is going to do. He has a tendency to think of himself as the smartest person in any room, and feels that the chattering idiots he meets don't precisely disprove that motion.
Backstory: Laurence was born to colonists on their way from earth, to one of the new colonies that had popped up ever since the first contact war. Laurence doesn't remember which colony it was and doesn't particularly care. He's never made an effort to look. All he knows is, when he was seven, the colony, like so many others, came under attack by Batarian slave traders. The last thing he remembers of his family is being led into a cage with other children. He never saw them again.
Despite his youth, Laurence always liked technology, so spent a great deal of time taking things apart and putting them back together again, not worrying about the risk of electrocution. The slavers heard about this, and when he was nine decided to put him with several other slaves, making weaponry for the group. Most of it was knockoffs of Elkoss Combine weapons.
Despite his youth, Laurence knew what was going on around him. He knew that he would do this until the day he died, which would be soon if he didn't do a good job. Then, it hit him.
He proceeded to put every bit of his mental focus into making the most perfectly made, deadly weapons imaginable. He pushed himself to meet deadlines that slaves were forced to work, all the while doing this. The strain of it nearly killed him, but eventually, he was noticed.
The slavers immediately removed him from the sweatshop, and gave him his own workshop, telling him to create more and more different weapons, in the advanced style he had shown before. Sure enough, he did exactly as they asked, putting out any kind of weaponry they wanted.
Assault Rifles that could stop a Krogan, scoped pistols that could blow a head apart from almost a kilometer away, he did it all. The slavers were utterly delighted. Not only could they afford to arm themselves, but they could also sell his weaponry across the galaxy, making more money than slave trading ever could. Laurence eventually got his own slaves to work under him, all the while cranking out more weaponry.
By the time he was twelve, he finished his magnum opus, a Batarian-sized suit of colossus armor for the head slaver that could take missiles and not even slow down. Due to this gift, the slavers thought they had a kid who could make anything in their pocket. Eventually, they stopped guarding him, letting him do his own thing, not bothering to ask why he needed certain parts...
Six days before Laurence's 15th birthday, a Human Alliance frigate was spotted in the system. Laurence immediately armed the entire gang with the best weaponry he had ever made, and, as a personal favor, handed over one of his pet projects, a fully repaired M-920 Cain. The Alliance Marines landed on the planet, and the slavers were almost salivating at the thought of taking a cruiser after they wiped the humans out.
The M-920 cain was fired at the advancing forces...with the round proceeding to detonate in the chamber, killing ten Batarians and wounding a dozen more. All across the base, things went wrong. Weaponry exploded in their hands, Kinetic Barriers shorted out, Omni-Tools administered a fatal overload...to the user. The Marines arrived expecting a long, drawn-out fight, only to find dozens of wounded and dead slavers, the others attempting to fight back with knives and cheap, slave-made pistols. When they made it to the control center, they found a Batarian, in heavily customized colossus armor. It had locked the joints and vented burning coolant, burning the wearer alive in his own suit.
Such was the carnage, they almost didn't notice the teenager in the corner of the room, giggling quietly to himself, a fresh wound on his face the clear result of an Omni-blade. On his person were codes matching the signal that had brought the frigate there in the first place.
All the slaves on the planet were rescued, but the Alliance had heard and found examples of Laurence's work. Immediately, they planned to offer him a place in the alliance combat engineer program, only to be shut down immediately by higher-ups, who considered the boy a danger to just about anyone around him. No amounts of advanced weaponry were worth a potential psychotic running around the ship.
Laurence disagreed, and once arriving on earth, hacked his cell and vanished, stowing away on a freighter. For the next five years, he wandered the terminus systems. He worked with eclipse for a while (former buyers of his weaponry) but left one day, citing boredom. This is how he ended up on Omega. He had heard of it and thought it sounded perfect for someone like him. All the people to sell to, all the Asari women he liked, and all the Batarians he could shoot.
He remained for a while and was there for the Cerberus invasion. As a human, it barely affected him in the slightest, to the point he almost missed them when Aria T'loak and Commander Shepard forced them to withdraw. Bored of Omega, having to deal with some anti-human backlash, and hearing good things about the Illium nightlife, he planned to find a spaceship to stow away on. Instead, he found Saris Fen. He had done a few jobs with the Volus's mercenary company before the reaper war, to the point the Volus offered him a permanent position, as his right-hand man and personal enforcer. Laurence was unsure at first but gave in when seeing the paycheck, as well as the fact he was working for someone who liked killing almost as much as he did. Since then, he has been loyal to Fen, to the point of strangling an Asari who attempted to bribe him into betraying Fen to the eclipse. Even so, he believes Saris's plan to be naive and somewhat pointless, believing that things will go back to the way they were, no matter how much good the group does.
Specialty: Engineer/Demolisher
Powers/Skills: Laurence's weaponry and armor are on par with the weaponry used by the Spectres. He uses the strength of his armor to carry multiple weapons at a time, making sure he never goes into a fight without something for every occasion. He also makes use of drones and turrets, both of which he modifies to deliver more powerful shots, at the risk of burning themselves out.
Adrenaline Rush Sentry Turret (often several at once) Multi-Frag Grenade Incinerate Overload Attack Drone (armed with missiles) Flamer Stimulant Pack
Equipment: A heavily modified version of the N7 Paladin Armour, that he stripped the biotic amps out of to amplify his Omni tool and inject him with Stimulants in the middle of a fight, also removing the shield function to allow him to carry more weapons at a time.
Almost any gun in the galaxy, ranging from M7-Predators to Kishock Harpoon Guns. He keeps his armory on Saris Fen's ship and is always looking for weaponry to add and/or modify. He has recently had trouble with finding Quarian weapons such as the arc pistol and Reegar carbine. He also only has the N7 crusader and Hurricane. He has had no luck finding the other two, nor the typhoon or Valkyrie, which utterly infuriates him. He can't find any good Geth stuff either, though he is uncharacteristically hesitant to use a gun that might have an AI inside it.
Two overcharged Omni-Tools. In close quarters, he prefers to use the electric omni-claw so popular with infiltrators, on both his hands. He is also partial to the Batarian Enforcement Gauntlet (Ironically)
Misc: Despite the unholy amount of firepower he carries at all times, he has never received any formal marksmanship training beyond a few lessons from Fen. As a result, he's a surprisingly bad shot. It's unwise to point this out to his face.
We might actually win this, Raven thought as he charged, the enemy fire either missing or 'plinking' off his Mech's armor as said Mech ran at full tilt towards the enemy position. "DIE, ASSHOLES!" he shouted loudly as days of pent-up tension finally released themselves, and he began to fire at the Striker already firing at him with his autocannon, hoping to perforate it in a few shots. Once that was done, he'd look for the nearest Laser turret or emplacement and fire a short-ranged missile or a spray of autocannon shots at it so that it won't be able to stop the Infantry force once they make their raid on the depot.
He made sure to be in a position where, once the convoy was flushed out, he can cut off its line of retreat as per Ingrid's orders; hopefully he had not misunderstood them. Either way, Raven tried to be meticulous as he took out anything which can concievably be Anti-Infantry, counting on Arroxy and his asshole crew (he still cannot forget the words said against the people of Espia) plus Marit and her Archer to take down the remaining Striker and Scorpion plus distract the defenders from how he was deliberately targeting the Laser turrets...
Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf
As the People's Liberation Air Force (Technically the People's Liberation Army Air Force, but that was more of a mouthful) was routed by the valiant Vietnamese Lotus Squadron, their innovative tactics, and their jets, Nil's efforts would be aided, then rewarded, as the City of Lingayen was rendered safe for yet another day. As the tide turned, the platoon of soldiers menacing Nemo was mown down by fire from Captain Castro and Kaitlyn, their lives as 'Arms Master Wranglers' cut short in order to allow the child Arms Master more time to recover and either continue menacing his attackers.
Alain, meanwhile, was destroying the boats moving up Lingayen Bay with careful blasts, thus further keeping the city beyond the defenders' lines safe. A battalion of infantry with light machine guns and RPGs had followed him, and were supporting his efforts.
However, as the battle raged, then slowed down, the enemy themselves were vanishing. Corpse after corpse. Wreck after wreck. Troop after troop. Over the course of the past several minutes, the battlefield had drawn to a distinct quiet all across the gulf. It was a silence fit to wake the dead, as the Philippine Army found itself suddenly staring at beaches devoid of opposition.
Out on the water, Chinese transport ships bobbed without movement, their engines hot but movement idle. The sun beamed down with a heat uncharacteristic of dreary weather and more appropriate to the summer month that it was. The glare of the ocean blurred the horizon, the dark shapes of proper warships lying in wait to begin the dying bombardment once more.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky.
There had been before.
The sun grew brighter.
The second sun.
High in the sky, far larger and closer than it had any right to be, a second "sun" seemed to loiter, a searing heat able to be felt all across the gulf. The cloudy day had evaporated, the zone over the ocean hazy with heat waves.
The sun bulged.
A searing beam, a titanic ray of light that left spots in the vision of onlookers, lashed out like a whip towards the eastern shore of the gulf. It traced all across the strip of sand in a flash, a speed akin to someone standing at the epicenter of the sun and merely drawing their finger across their vision. A molten trench trailed in its wake, greenery igniting violently and the nearest buildings to the shore shaking and going up in bursts of flame.
The beam met Ari's shield with a shriek and chest rumbling roar. White-hot flames washed over the titanic barrier, turning blue with licks of orange as they expended their initial payload of force. The barrier seemed to glow brighter in response, straining against the tidal wave of destruction, but it held... for now.
Meanwhile, outside the dome, at the fiery beam's approach, a massive shadow had bled into existence around its edges. It was almost as if it had waited to act till the moment it had the blinding flash of the incoming attack to use as cover, but act it did nonetheless. Allies of the Philippines near to the light dome, close enough to reach the shoreline would find a crackling ebony ooze, swirling with green, to rush over their feet like a wave. A feeling like being on the edge of receiving the greatest static shock of one's life thrummed through their bones, raising goosebumps on skin and making hairs stand on end.
And with a sudden, chilling yank on the feet buried in the "liquid", they would find themselves plunging into the depths with a firmness quicksand could only envy. There was a brief sense of vertigo and falling, as those snatched were thrust through a whirling kaleidoscope of black and green... before being spat out again within the bounds of the light barrier.
Nemo, Hannie, Kaitlyn, and her Corporal's squad, and many others besides who had been in reach before the onslaught of destruction. All of them found themselves safe and sound... if potentially a bit sunburned.
All around, the shadow had somehow penetrated the barrier -perhaps by digging under it, considering its strangely fluid nature- and now ebbed with a hair-trigger tension around the feet of the defenders within.
'What a precious little thing~! Oh, I could just Eat. Her. Up~!'
Serpentine eyes crinkled into smiles to accompany her lips, as Qingshe cupped her right cheek with the respective hand, her elbow resting against the transport's wall. "A pleasure, dear~. My name is Qingshe, but then... I suppose you heard that~?" Humming musically, Qingshe eyed the tear streaks on the girl's face and resisted the sudden urge to lick them.
Instead, a portion of her shadow manifested from beneath her posterior to dribble over her soldier-seat's legs behind her, to his amusingly distressed squirming. Her free left hand reached back to delicately pluck a neatly folded ebony hankie from the mass, the shadow retreating once more, as Qingshe offered the fresh second hankie -a seeming clone of the first- to the huddled girl with color-streaked raven hair. "A pretty thing like you shouldn't be in tears," she said with a strange tenderness, her slitted eyes bleeding into a soft green. "There's far too much ugliness in the world to tolerate the beautiful staining themselves."
Her gaze drifted to the oddly childish woman, who was busying herself with consuming the hankie she'd been given wholesale. An equally amused and interested light edging into her expression, Qingshe idly considered putting a stop to that but then dismissed it. If anything negative came of it, it wasn't like she couldn't take responsibility later... assuming the girl survived the slaughter to come.
That moderately sobering thought turned her attention back to the ravenette, as she vocalized a wordless noise of cheery contemplation. "Mmhmm~! So, little Hannie~! If my ears don't deceive me, your accent would make you one of those Aussies, as they say~?" Her tone was filled with a boundless interest, as her eyes rapidly shifted to an anticipatory amber. "Oh~! Is the wildlife just as wonderful as I've heard~?"
The transport coming to a halt put a pout on her face, as disembarkment was engaged. The interruption, however, hardly quelled her eager disposition, and so she all but sashayed alongside the girl bundled in warm clothing, her own state of rather... less than warm... or modest dress providing a distinct visual contrast. All the while, she continued to direct her attention the girl's way, all but begging for engagement and answers.
The sight of their destination, the auditorium converted into a makeshift barracks for the local defenders, briefly provoked an odd smile and a "How quaint," before her attention was back on the comparatively small child, golden eyes gleaming.
Even so, despite her interest in the withdrawn ravenette and the alabaster-haired girl, Qingshe couldn't help noting the reek of tension in the air, as they were guided further into the premises. An understandable state of affairs perhaps. After all, already the news had drifted in that the Chinese offensive had engaged with the nigh-defenseless northern Philippines. They'd not yet hit Lingayen yet, but that was nothing less than a matter of time, an hour at most, if even that.
Qingshe tilted her head, snooping on the airwaves. Even despite the lack of truly comparative opposition, the Chinese were still making progress at a speed that could only be called unnatural, utterly overrunning anyone and anything that stood in their way, and it wasn't hard to guess why.
Arms Masters.
A staple of any competent, non-suicidal military in this day and age. Whether anyone liked it or not, times were changing, and humans -Arms Masters- were the new atom bomb. Only a fool would not cultivate that resource. And, as it so happened, some were far more "blessed" with options and "rolls on the gacha" than others.
China's egregiously enormous population was an advantage that couldn't be denied in this respect. And their methods of recruitment were harsh... but effective. With no need to worry about paltry, trivial things like "volunteers" or "willingness", they could easily militarize any and all assets that the government decided might be worth investment.
Like her...
Qingshe shook her head lightly, as the auditorium and stage proper came into view. A fairly distinctive speaker, one Noel Alonso, a mere teenager, was giving a strategic briefing to a number of enlisted personnel of various ranks. Golden eyes tracked across multiple uniforms, and the voluptuous serpentine woman couldn't help the edge that made it to her otherwise pleasant smile.
Nothing higher ranked than the Second Lieutenant on the stage to lead this merrily hopeless band. And she couldn't imagine that many of the adults present were exceptionally charmed by that fact. The situation really was as desperate as advertised, huh? Even with the likes of Qingshe among them, relief was intermixed with the innate wariness at their arrival, as Noel called attention to the trio of fresh Arms Masters with his greeting. Qingshe spotted recognition in many a gaze, smelled spikes of fear even, but one and all seemed ready to keep their composure and... and least tolerate her existence for time being.
Qingshe finally relented her loitering around Hannie to smile wryly and nod in return, her slitted eyes shifting to a murky blue edged with gold. She raised a brow at being singled out -perhaps understandably- by the boy ostensibly in charge of this haphazard resistance, and she felt in turns amused and miffed by the treatment of the girls beside her, greeted almost as an afterthought.
She wondered at the nepotism. Was it because of who she was representing? Because of her status as an Arms Master? Her power? Reputation? Rather, wouldn't the last one be a point in the opposite direction? Impossible to say for sure without perhaps tastelessly inquiring directly, and so she would hold her tongue.
Instead she merely folded her arms beneath her chest and cocked her hip, one hand extending up to cup her chin. "Oh, none at all, Lieu~ten~ant~!" she chirped, before pouting playfully. "It's been almost too peaceful in this lovely city~. Not even an assassin to pass the time~!" Her eyes glimmered with naked anticipation. It perhaps ominously went without saying, but that peace was all too inevitably to be shattered.
It was truly going to be a terrible waste of lives, resources and time... but perhaps she could find some level of entertainment in the absurdity of it all. 'Silver linings,' Qingshe concluded grimly with a smile she wasn't sure she felt.
Noel:
Noel nodded, then said, "Let's just say that I have been cutting off the heads of saboteurs both highly and lowly placed since the establishment of the 'Government of National Salvation'. From the halls of power in Manila to deep in Visayas and Mindanao and then back to this place, I and a few others spent a month taking care of the worst rot."
He sighed and spoke, "There were assassins, but none who can match me at night and few who can match me at day. Either way, will you be taking command of the defense from me, or can I keep it? I've been told you might outrank me militarily due to your... experience."
Rin:
Suddenly a shift in the atmosphere marked a cooling sensation.
Wholesome as these moments deem, one must cherish it before the unknown takes it all in the upcoming fateful mission that the Arms Masters will partake.
"Assassins. Right. Now that's a term I've never heard for quite a while."
Out of the blue, Rin joined the conversation with her colleagues.
"Survival is no respecter of experience, boy. One cannot tell when the ice melts, even if it is as durable as a diamond, it will break and crumble but if you master your fate, that diamond will be unbreakable and fresh from the furnace."
Rin
Rin showed honor and compassion through her bewitching glance and smile towards Noel as she slightly nod.
Having been introduced to the woman named Qingshe, who was surprisingly tall and towered most.
"Rumor is: Someone smart is a snake. Someone clever tricks the snake. Someone brilliant invents the snare. Life is a game in every level.
Just a poem I have out of the blue, pardon me for any misunderstandings. " Rin laughed at her own amusement.
She greeted Qingshe in her culture's way of welcome.
Slowly but surely, Rin tip-toed and reached the tall woman's face and caresses it, not that she's about to kiss her, though the double meaning implication might say otherwise.
"I'm honored to meet you Sifu Qingshe." Rin said in a cool and calming voice.
Hannie
Hannie's responses to Qingshe's questioning are short and sparse, quiet and without eye contact. Mm-hmm. Yeah. The wildlife is fine. She's not trying to be rude. She is being rude, but she doesn't want to be. It's just - everything. Nevermind what her interrogator is, she's going to war. Nevermind the war, her interrogator is the most freakish thing she's ever been forced to think of as human. No, that's a terrible way to put it. Very mean. But... It's safe to say that she has a few hangups right now that aren't going away however she gets pressed.
She nods and mumbles and shuffles her way into the auditorium, breaking away from Qingshe as soon as Noel has her attention, in favor of standing around Nil. The harmless kind of weird is much more her style. She has nothing to say, but she eyes the crumbs of soggy fabric on her mouth like she might.
Rin's abrupt entrance draws her back to watching the People Who Matter, though listening to them doesn't feel like it does her much good.
Flashback Collab, Part Six
Qingshe:
Arms Masters truly were a breed apart, and somehow, no matter how many she met, the occurrence managed to remain a novelty.
The waifish ravenette bundled away against a cold only she could feel. The borderline feral, pale girl with her bone-white hair and tribalistic markings running across bare skin. The woman with similarly unnaturally-hued hair, dressed more akin to a businesswoman or "bodyguard" of some stripe. The grey-haired boy was even armored.
No matter what others would like to believe, the truth was that even after the better part of a century, humanity had yet to adjust to the inevitable encroachment of the future. Isolation and prejudice, driven by envy, fear and pointless superiority complexes on both sides had widened that gap inexorably. Honestly, the only reason lasting peace was possible was that normals had been stricken with hopelessness, with the knowledge that Arms Masters were inevitable... and far more powerful than them if given reason to believe that destruction was the only way to create a world that would accept them.
As the saying went: "A child would burn down a village to feel it's warmth." A similar principle was what kept the peace from the normal side. However... the same was not so for Arms Masters.
They knew they were different, and that sense of isolation, of "being special" tended to leak into all of them, no matter their origins. In the modern day, with a crisis of both mental and physical health, the problem was exacerbated, resulting in a plague of "Chuunibyou" behavior in flashy clothes and attitudes. Thiers was a world where the fantastical was real, so why wouldn't any child see themselves as the "protagonist" of their own story, for good or ill. From Qingshe's experience, Arms Masters couldn't help a subconscious acknowledgement of their superiority, even those that openly expressed opposing viewpoints.
Because, objectively... they were wrong. And everyone knew it.
It was a powder keg of truly titanic proportions.
One she would neutralize, no matter the cost.
But not today. Nor tomorrow. Not a month, nor, realistically, even a year from now. No, such ambitions were for another place and time. Here and now, before she could go about correcting humanity's mistakes... she had her own to worry about.
Qingshe raised a thin emerald brow, smiling but internally baffled at Lieutenant Noel's abrupt offer to transfer command.
'Impulsive,' she couldn't help thinking. Those were far from the encouraging words of a confident -if realistic- commander she needed to hear. He was young, too young really, but even despite that and the discontent she could spy in the eyes of some of the troops, there was enough legitimacy behind him and his appointment to the position to keep things in order. Quite frankly, she worried of a revolt if someone of her infamy -and a foreigner, no less- were to take command.
Defector or not, here to help or not, she couldn't erase the past and the crimes against humanity she had been responsible for, both directly and indirectly. The fact that she was Chinese at all was surely to engender resentment within the hearts of the populace under siege, and that was even if one discounted the prejudice against Arms Masters, especially powerful ones. They couldn't help it. It was only human nature.
So, of course, Qingshe shook her head in denial. "Worry not, Lieutenant. Your command will be sufficient. I may have experience, but that's primarily in leading a... research team, not an army. Warfare is distasteful to me." She smiled mildly at the quiet exhalations and muttered expressions of relief her enhanced hearing managed to pick up among many of the troops. Tapping her jawline, she nodded, "As I'm sure you were informed prior, I am ultimately but a foreign consultant and contractor. I can provide advice, opinions, but this command structure has no place for me."
A chilling sensation turned Qingshe's attention to Han- No, not the bundled girl, who even now seemed to almost be trying to hide-without-hiding behind the "Nil" girl away from the other Arms Masters. Rather, it was the newcomer she had spied upon entering the atrium. She'd somewhat suspected another Arms Master but had possessed no means to assume for certain until the latter's approach.
After all, dyed hair was hardly an unusual fashion choice in the wake of Arms Masters appearing. In fact, it was even a somewhat useful defense against mugging for some people, as it was an easy way of planting the sneaking, quiet thought of "what if that color is natural" in any ne'er-do-well's head. Rather useful for reminding scum of their mortality. If there was anything good to be said about the rise of Arms Masters on a large scale, it was that mundane crime in the modern day had suffered a steep decline... what with all the wannabe "heroes" looking to fulfill their comic book fantasies.
Qingshe languidly blinked that train of thought away and refocused herself on the matter at hand, namely that she was being addressed by the newcomer, one "Rin" according to the Lieutenant... from Japan. Despite the charming little greeting, Qingshe truly couldn't help internal skepticism. It was no secret the enmity between Japan and China, and given the invasion of Japan a month ago, which was still ongoing, Qingshe found it difficult to follow the logic of that overt cordiality, even with her defection.
Although... then again, amongst those of sufficient rank, it wasn't exactly a secret that her last location was Japan. When China had leveled her own biological and mechanical advancements against their most hated neighbor, of course she had been eager to intervene, stem the tide... and take back her property. Such was her task, to head to the front of each new corner of the war and shore up their defenses against her misspent youth and China's other advantages.
Outwardly, however, she merely returned Rin's level demeanor and little "riddle" with a sly, closed-mouth smile. "Sifu? My, now that's not a way I've been addressed in a long while~," Qingshe replied. Truth be told, given she'd not stepped foot in Chinese or Qing controlled lands in the past six months, she'd barely spoken Chinese at all, except to touch base and get new directives.
Qingshe's slitted eyes were seemingly trying to decide if they wanted gold or blue with their red tinge, as she lightly placed her unclawed, ebony-gloved left pointer finger on Rin's sternum, gently arresting any further encroachment on her personal space. Despite Rin's actions, she could smell no lust emanating from the shorter woman, except perhaps on an objective observational level. Which meant the one before her was either genuinely gracious in temperament... or a creature of similar social acumen to Qingshe herself.
'How frightening,' Qingshe observed internally with a smile that now lightly bared teeth. She would have to be on her guard until she could determine the truth of things.
"I wonder then, Rin-san was it?" Returning the favor of a culturally appropriate welcome, her extended finger applied a deceptively gentle pressure, not enough to shove, but certainly enough to force the other woman to either stop using tip-toes or step back. Her serpentine eyes now gleamed gold, as she straightened up to her full height from her prior languid slump. "What does that make the snake that eats the brilliant and snares the clever?"
Her body shifted. Not a lot, but enough that she no longer faced Rin head on, a subtle dismissal, as her gaze mellowed into a yellow-green towards Lieutenant Noel. "Mah~ As much as the pleasantries are amusing, our time is short." She cupped her chin with a placid smile. "Were you informed of our tactical value prior? If so, then you may be aware, given the situation, mine is in logistics. Materials. Weapons."
Noel:
"I have," Noel said. "Let's just say we have a bigger chance to win now. This is 29 July, and tonight will be a New Moon; one of my powers is to spread a plague of madness against an entire enemy army when the New Moon is in the sky; even E to C-rank Arms Masters are affected. The original plan was to see if we can hold out until then; if we do, we'll have inflcited a defeat on a sizable portion of the People's Liberation Army. But now, not only can we probably hold out until then, but defeat them earlier."
He then sighed and said, "The plan is simple: Oppose their landing on the beaches, then the ground beyond, then retreat to the city and hold out until nightfall. If we can get ten or so Arms Masters of C to B-rank strength in our forces plus luck, we'll be able to make it." Then Noel looked at Nil, Hannie, and Rin, before saying, "Nil has performed Anti-Air duty before for other ASEAN countries, while as for Hannie, I've been informed that her NA is ice-based, same for some of Rin's abilities. That means they are capable of working together..."
Flashback Collab, Part Seven
Nil
They had been in this large room for a few minutes already, a blessing for Nil's ears over the rumbling of the truck, but as soon as they got in they had been greeted by two Arms Master and began discussing with Qingshe, the chattier of the group.
Nil slowly made steps towards the rest of the barracks, not like the discussion was loud or irritating, rather Nil was simply curious about what the rest of the barracks looked like.
Adding to it the small girl seemed to not want to be close to the conversation, or maybe someone in particular "Should we go take a break?" Nil asked Hannie in half-baked English.
Hannie
"Huh?" Hannie blinks, taken out of the somewhat absorbing effort of following the conversation. She looks from Nil, to Noel, back to Nil. One of these choices is a lot easier than the other. Maybe staying around and listening would be smarter, but... "Um. Okay. Where are we going?" She glances back again to see if anyone's watching. This feels naughty.
Qingshe:
Qingshe made a wordless utterance of curiosity, as her left ear perked up. It seemed the children likely were off to do as their adorable kind were want to: explore and generally make a mess. Well, she hoped not, but she wasn't sure how much she would bet on the opposite, given the temperament of one and the likeliness of the other being led around by the nose.
Outwardly, she gave no bodily indication that she had noted that suggestion to leave and the acceptance thereof. Meanwhile, a thread of her shadow, the length of a hair and all but invisible, began to slide across the floor, guiding itself along the fissures between tiles to go even more reliably unseen. It's destination? To weightlessly grip the bottom both girl's shoes and then trail along behind them like toilet paper. She would keep an eye on them.
To Noel, she hummed aloud, before nodding with a light creasing of her brow. "The plan is to hold out on the beaches and rely on a single, conditional ability to save the day?" That seemed like a remarkably bad idea, but it also was one of the only options they had. Folding her arms, Qingshe closed her eyes in thought, before musing aloud, "Given the speed of the Chinese advance, we have less than an hour before our forces must contest one far superior, both technologically and numerically... for what will be hours. Ally morale is low, aside from desperation, and enemy morale is high. And worse..."
Her golden eyes opened, and for once, there wasn't a humorous glint in them. "Judging by the pattern of prior invasions, we can reasonably expect multiple A-Rank Arms Masters to be leading the charge." She sighed. "China has Arms Masters to spare, and from a strategic standpoint, a lightning war at immediate extensive cost will still be less detrimental down the line. They're already fighting the war on at least two separate fronts. They'd only gamble on a third if they intended to crush it by any means necessary."
She twirled a lock of her green hair. "Which is to say, of course, that any plan that relies on time is sure to be one that will collapse under the unyielding pressure. Even with me here, we can only take so much, especially given the inevitable bombardment and our glaring lack of consistent and widespread Anti-Air defenses. Additionally..." Her eyes narrowed. "How certain are you that they don't know your plan? Assassins are one thing, but what about spies? If you are ultimately the linchpin of a defensive victory, then that's a singular, all too vulnerable fault point to exploit."
She lightly chuffed with a grim smile. "Unless you have some particularly special gems in your back pocket, not even a dozen Arms Masters will do more than delay the inevitable."
Her words were grim, but internally, she wasn't too worried. In fact, while she perhaps did not exaggerate the threat facing them, she downplayed her own effectiveness. But that was a necessary sacrifice. Her task was ultimately to ensure every nation she visited could stand on its own two feet when she left. There was no sense hand-holding them beyond the necessary.
Kaitlyn Price
Unlike the Arms Masters, Kaitlyn arrived to the Auditorium with her own unit. The ride was silent, for the most part- or she was, at least. Some of her unit had opted to comment on their kids, or recent news.
Kaitlyn preferred not to think about what was to come. Or just... Not think about it too hard.
Shortly after arriving, she noted just how... Spacious the room felt. It reminded her, vaguely, of her highschool's auditorium. A disorienting juxtaposition when she compared the innocence of youth to the grim realities of her present situation.
Just don't think about it.
And it's doing just that- stalwartly fending off fending off nagging spectres of the past- that two curious extraordinary-peoples may encounter her, nervously thumbing the copper needle in her hair as she studied the bizarre light fixture on the ceiling.
How did they get it to hang like that?
Of course, she'd decided to do some research as her unit dispersed to entertain themselves. Digging out her phone, she was surprised to find the building was only a little over 100 years old. She'd passed by some houses back at home older than this place.
Noel:
"China has suborned many members of our government and military and economic class; in short, the elites," Noel said. "Even a few Arms Masters have fallen prey to temptation, although I'm supposed to be discreet about that. So they probably know my power and have a ready counter to it or are targeting me."
He sighed, "To be honest, our superiors talk big, but the Government of National Salvation has made plans to relocate to Australia; if my power does not work or is countered, the plan is to withdraw all Arms Masters, plus what members of the Philippine Marines we can spare, and repeat our actions in the Philippines Campaign against the Japanese - A fighting retreat to the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island to buy time for the escape to Australia along with how many of our citizens are able and willing to become refugees in foriegn lands."
Noel's eyes sparked with a mixture of disdain and defiance. "But as for me, my personal plan is to lure out whoever can counter my powers, get an Anti-Material Round or several into his head, and then use that power come the New Moon. If that fails, I'll cover the retreat to Bataan myself."
Flashback Collab, Part Eight
Nil
"Somewhere" Nil answered almost taking Hannie's response as a yes. Nil turned and walked away in a manner that is not very subtle but also that doesn't make much noise, someone who wasn't looking would hardly notice it.
Looking around it was plain just how large the room was and also how astonishing is the contrast between the colorful ceiling and the hastily placed bunk beds laying on the side.
While wandering about Nil instinctively approached the Americans that just entered, like a moth to flame. Nil stood on the side away from the larger crowds and their fanfare and closer to a soldier silently staring at her phone.
Hannie
Hannie peeks out from behind Nil to look at who she's looking at. She looks up at Nil's face to be sure that that's who she's looking at. "Why are we staring at her? She looks busy." No answer. Nil just staring, the soldier not noticing, looking up at the ceiling, back down at her phone. She inwardly sweats. She was made to cause awkward social standoffs, not... be left to fix them. It's so much worse from this side of things.
She tugs on Nil's sleeve. She looks desperately at the distracted soldier. Is this really going to be up to her? "Um!" she says - or tries to say. It comes out more like "um." She shrinks behind her friend for protection. "Helloooo?" she manages to call out, from cover. "I-I don't know why we're here!"
Kaitlyn "The Spooked" Price
Kaitlyn jerks her attention away from her phone, blinking, wide-eyed.
"... O-oh!" She looks around- maybe one of her squadmates were around? Alass, no such rescue from impending social awkwardness was within sight. She's on her own- "Um..." She swallowed, pocketing her phone. "You're talking to me?"
She looks between the two, noting, with some dread, that the older of the two was... Suspiciously quiet. Judging.
"C-can I help you?" She asks, thumbing the copper needle in her hair.
Then her breath hitches, and her eyes widen a little more. It doesn't take more than a cursory glance- or, in Kaitlyn's case, a thurough examination- to realize these were Arms Masters.
Oh no, the battle isn't already here is it? She checks her phone.
No.
Then why do they need her? She's just an ordinary foot soldier!
Maybe they're lost?
In a military encampment?
Kaitlyn notes that one of them is a child, of all things. Why is a child here? Does she even know what she's signed up for?
Oh God, what did I sign up for? Is the Phillipines Army really okay with this?
Maybe it's nothing? They're just lost. She'll give them directions and then... Start praying. Or something.
Qingshe:
The serpentine woman frowned. "Yes, I suppose assassins would, at minimum, imply they have acknowledged your existence." And depending on how long such attempts had been going on, they may have a fair grasp of his Noble Arm's powers... assuming they hadn't simply engaged in some good old-fashioned data espionage of his classified records and learned everything about his capabilities.
After all, that's exactly what she had already done, herself, after being informed that an Arms Master would be helming the local defense.
She wondered, how much did China already know about the Philippine's preparations? Her own arrival wasn't advertised, but she didn't particularly do subtle. Would the enemy escalate preemptively in response to her presence? She'd made herself a serious thorn in their side on the other warfronts, so they certainly had a pattern of behavior to judge from. Would they consider escalation worth it? Too many unknowns.
Qingshe ran one ebony-clad hand through her emerald hair, her anxiety otherwise contained. There was so much to prepare for and so little time. If the enemy A-Ranks decided to hold nothing back, then it was all too likely that the only thing left alive in the ruins... would be her. Wouldn't that be ironic? Coming here to salvage things and being the reason that it all went to shit.
She let out a small titter of giggles, shaking her head. "The Government of National Salvation..." What a joke, she wanted to say. And hardly a funny one either. What a pretentiously grandiose name. Instead, she continued, "A retreat is in progress? Good. Your leadership at least acknowledges reality." Tapping her jawline, she sighed. "I'm hardly a military strategist, but that is sound thinking. Perhap-"
She paused at the Lieutenant's last statement and shot him a look of restrained incredulity. "Using yourself as bait? When they presumably have the resources to counter you? When you are the singular critical asset upon which success rests?" Her expression tightened, before she raised a single brow. "You must crave a humiliating end, boy."
Her golden eyes darkened. "Lest you dismiss the obvious. The enemy is under no obligation to humor your archaic little duel challenge. And you are just as vulnerable to being picked off from afar, whether it be by bullet... or artillery." She chuffed quietly, shaking her head with a sardonic grin at the youthful arrogance of it all. "Rather, in the first place, you shouldn't be anywhere near the front lines under any circumstances until night falls. That would be the ideal course of action."
Because as an asset, he objectively was worth more alive than any amount of lives that would lost without him leading the charge. Qingshe knew perfectly well why that logic wouldn't be accepted, but she had to point it out nonetheless. It was the rational course of action, and she'd be a poor consultant if she did any less.
Meanwhile, her shadow thread continued to feed her information, other similar scouting lines beginning to stealthily crawl across the makeshift barracks, mapping the interior and getting a feel for the equipment and resources at her disposal, living or unliving alike...
Flashback Collab, Part Nine
Noel:
Noel nodded and spoke, "Hmm, all of this is true. If that's the case, then we just maximize enemy casualties and hope."
He was genuinely left speechless by Qingshe's own words.
Rin
Qingshe is one heck of a woman and seeing the obvious that Noel himself was left speechless, she couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
Though these group of relations are important, Fuyuko's life is top priority, given that both of them are Japanese and it would be a dishonor if she doesn't lay her life down.
Out of the blue and after some time, Rin appeared behind Noel.
"Sounds assuring isn't it? Hope is something that is close to faith." Rin sucked on her lollipop afterward, she got some Munchies with her and offered two to Noel.
" Boy" Rin paused for a moment and then addressed Noel by his first name. In Japanese, first name basis either mean you're close to that person or acknowledged them as an equal.
"N-Noel..."
"Isn't love one of the reasons why both factions are at odds? War has a lot of stupid reasons and if you think about it, they love their country as each of us love our own. "
Noel:
Noel smiled at that and said, "This is true, Rin. But at the end of the day, only one love can win."
Rin
Rin smiled and laughed a bit.
"Reminds me of my homestay wards, you seemed to be keen on Teleserye, the way you said it sounded promising like a Prince Charming of a Main Character." Rin couldn't hold her tears from laughing at Noel's delivery.
She calmed down for a bit.
"We shall see how this power of love then."
Noel:
"You watch Filipino Soap Operas?" Noel asked. "Even I find those cringe."
Rin
"Tell me about it, the cringe levels are comparable to Japanese Manzai. " Rin fidgeted and gulped, savoring the strawberry lollipop flavor and let off an embarrassed sigh.
"Had to learn some Tagalog to operate you know. In all due respects, I guess we're having this conversation in a way to settle our anxieties in this warzone. Let's focus for now."
Noel:
"I heard a little about your Chains. Can you impose a 'condition' on the Chinese A-Ranks once they make an appearance?"
Rin
"Yeah, all sorts of condition. Just like an Author, imposing retcons. To what type of condition do you have in mind?"
Noel:
"If by chance, you can strike their A-Ranks, possibly if I ignore Miss Qingshe's advice and make myself bait after all... Can you impose a condition to prevent them from manifesting their Noble Arms without serious harm to them?"
Rin
To her confusion, she wondered if such a thing was possible.
"No? I don't think I can do that and even if I could, there's always a bad storm that will approach. But if you like, conventional pressure would do the trick, I can alter the mass and shape of my chains anyway. "
Noel:
"I must have watched too much of your Anime, then," Noel said to Rin. "Guess that closes one possible tactic."
Flashback Collab, Part Ten
Qingshe:
Again, the strange, suited Arms Master woman that had all but propositioned her spoke up, and Qingshe's demeanor grew progressively more closed off and subtly irritated with the conversation's progression.
Things had first devolved into barely veiled flirting, followed by time wasting small talk... and then by blatantly disregarding her advice, seemingly out of hand. This was the quality of leadership around here? This was what she had to work with?
Qingshe's arms crossed, her golden gaze beginning to bleed into a burnt orange. Hope? Love? What absolute nonsense was this? Was this Lieutenant about to throw away his life and the lives of his subordinates for what was, at best, a gamble of disgusting proportions? Was he actually intending to meet the numerically and technologically superior enemy in a straight fight on the beaches with trench warfare as their best attempt at cover? Shouldn't guerilla warfare within the city itself have been the first resort? He... was a legitimate commander, right? He'd been appointed the position by merit, right? Qingshe had assumed so, but...
The absolute waste of, just... everything at his disposal, equipment and lives alike, made her lip begin to curl in disgust, before she suppressed it back to neutrality. She resisted the urge to bristle, as her gaze landed on this... "Rin" individual again, the one currently undermining her efforts to make something workable of this shitshow.
Eventually, after a strangely pointed question and denial regarding Rin's abilities, Qingshe managed to find her voice again. "If you're both done with the fantasies, perhaps we can discuss strategies of actual worth," she said, briefly raising a single brow. "The hour is late and the enemy imminent. Unfortunately, I can't imagine abandoning the current strategy entirely is possible without consequence. So, what resources have you not committed to the beach? What does your Anti-Air complement consist of?"
Lucy:
A new girl steps in, right after Qingshe finishes her request. This one is in full combat gear already. Unloaded rifle slung around the back, pistol in it's holster, vest and pads in place. This person looks like she's ready to go to war. "I have to agree, without a plan, we'll all die. Not even the best warrior could save us then. We need to plan effectively, I don't intend on dying here." The funniest part? This girl has only one arm, yet is preaching about fighting effectively. She sits down nearby to the rest, pulling a nutrigrain bar out of her pocket, opening it, and chowing down. She looks slightly displeased by all this, each bite seeming more frustrated than the last.
Noel:
"The Philippines' military modernization program included a purchase of only three Israeli SPYDER systems, one of which is in Lingayen City just in case the Chinese decide that the municipality's economic value is worth less than smoking me and any Arms Masters out should we attempt guerilla resistance here," Noel answered Qingshe. "The Armed Forces of the Philippines as a whole were oriented towards fighting internal enemies - Communist and Muslim terrorists - and only very recently began focusing on outside threats. Our Infantry and Marines do have MBDA Mistral shoulder-mounted systems from France, as well as LIG Nex1 Chirons acquired very recently. How much? 300 of each for this theatre; which yes, isn't enough."
He then sighed, "We also have Nil, as well as 'Sophist the Agitator', an Unregistered Arms Master who volunteered to help us; he can fly and has control over gravity, and that's the extent of our AA capabilities."
Rin
Personalities gauged, she observed. So this is what it means as the saying goes, ones true colors, showing, near death's door. Noel tries to picture himself as a good person, he's naive and overly accommodating.
Qingshe looked like she's up to the task but something tells Rin that, it's as if she's trying to win a game.
This new girl that entered (Lucy) , Rin kept her guard on, she reminds her of a certain Kunoichi.
Then it goes back into full circle.
Noel...out of all the participants, Rin found him the most interesting.
"If I may, if the air is the prevalent responsibility, not that I'm one to segway but let's not forget that like Japan, China is no slouch, when it comes to infantry. The sky might not be kind but the land would be a deciding factor for all the horde that may arise, there's gotta be a common ground to balance."
Flashback Collab, End
Hannie
The weather outside is dim and moist. It looks like rain might be on the way, yet not a drop has yet fallen. Meanwhile, in a nearby room with a pretty big light on the ceiling, wide eyes meet past the immovable medium of Nil, standing tall and unreactive between two short and very reactive girls. Echoes of a silent, anxious staredown. The echoes, presumably, are inside Nil's skull.
"...um," says Hannie. Once again the sound doesn't come out loud enough. "C-can you talk to us? Should we not be here? Sorry..." She's pretty sure she's blushing. She mumbles something even she doesn't really make out. In another place, not so far away, the leaders of this operation exchange many words and little meaning. There are few words here, and there is no meaning.
Dark clouds tumble over themselves in slow motion, refusing to yield true rain.
Kaitlyn Price
"No! No, you..." She hesitated to say she had more of a right to be there than some common private, but in truth, she didn't feel someone so young should be anywhere near a battlefield.
"If the lieutenant is okay with you being here... I guess it's fine."
She fidgeted, looking around, never quite meeting eyes with Hannie.
"Um... I'm Kaitlyn, by the way. Private Kaitlyn Price."
She looked around.
Isn't there someplace more appropriate to hold a conversation?
Nil
this isn't too bad Nil thought while looking at the girls having some sort of awkward conversation, at least they were mostly quiet and no one was upset, when people are like that they become loud.
Nil started wondering if the group in the war room was this quiet, well maybe that would be the case if they were just discussing strategy and no one was derailing whatever conversation they were having.
Nil had been listening to the girls in front of her but didn't feel like interjecting herself, it's not like this conversation was really going anywhere... or even started really. Until the little one made an extremely shy plead for help with their conversation, Nil looked back and forth between Hannie and the girl sitting on the bench for a couple of seconds, looking almost panicked while doing so.
"You have... chocolate?" Nil finally blurted out in her typical shitty English, this was truly the best she could say, responded Hannie's plead, moved the conversation and maybe she was going to get some chocolate. Nil was pretty satisfied with the three words she just spat out.
Kaitlyn "The Lost" Price
Kaitlyn blinked, staring blankly at the tall and imposing lady for several seconds. Those gears were a turnin', and when they finished-
"Do I have... Chocolate?"
Did I hear that right? Is this imposing, superhuman Arms Master asking for chocolate? At a time like this? We might all be dead or dying in the next hour, and she wants bloody chocolate!?
Alright... Calm down, Kaitlyn. It was an innocent question. If... A bizarre one.
"Um... I have hard candies?" She said, stating it more like a question than a legitimate response.
She dug into one of the utility pouches, not housing things she'll need to stay alive in the upcoming battle.
The battle she's not thinking about. Because that would stress her the fuck-
"Here!" She beamed at the two, thrusting a hand towards them holding said candies.
don't think about it
"I-I have mints, too! And... Gum."
She paused, realizing she may have been acting a bit... Odd.
"You... Uh... You like gum?" She asked, turning her attention towards the less intimidating of the two.
Hannie
Candy... She's already had ice cream. Well, part of an ice cream. A very small portion of ice cream... before... um. Candy... The soldier's acting kind of weird. Is she doing that thing strangers do? Candy... ...is this worth resisting? It's not... It isn't. She creeps out from behind Nil for a better look.
"uh." The customary inaudible exhalation before she rallies herself to speak clearly. She feels more exposed than she expected. Her voice still comes out quiet. "I... I had gum before. Once. I think I spat it out. I like mints?" There was that guy at one of the laboratories who thought it was funny to give her mints, because of her power. Eventually, it stopped being a joke. He was nice. "And I guess hard candy, sometimes. Depends on the flavor." She's being picky. "Sorry if I sound picky." She shoves her hands into her coat pockets and tries to find eye contact. It isn't easy, only half because of the struggles on her end. But this lady feels... easier to look at than most people.
Kaitlyn "Mildly-Less-Anxious" Price
Kaitlyn found herself smiling as the little one spoke up.
There you are~
"No, it's alright. I can be picky too." She let out a little chortle, kneeling down to be more level with the little thing. "I've got butterscotch, those weird watermelon things..." She sorted through her pouch, showing off each one.
"Oh, a caramel cream."
She'll be keeping that one.
"I think I saw a little shop around here. They probably have more stuff. You wanna go get some?"
Why is she buying a child sweets? Is this... Should she be doing this? She hasn't even gotten the girl's name yet!
NPCs:
The small store set up in the auditorium for the sake of the current occupants also sold various brands of potato chips and other junk food as well as canned goods and also had a fridge for sodas and beer.
Nil
That question sparked a response, from both girls actually, truly everyone loves candy.
a candy shop? now that is an interesting place to go to, it's where people exchange candy for paper and everyone knows paper doesn't taste as good as candy.
"let's go there!" Nil said elatedly, breaking both her monotonous silence and posture to start walking in a random direction, almost surely the wrong one.
Hannie
"Ooh..." Hannie says, looking over all the candies. "Oh," Hannie says, considering the offer to go shopping for more. "Oh?" Hannie says, watching Nil hurry off like she knows where she's going. "Uh," Hannie says, looking from the departing form of her fellow nation-saving superweapon back to Kaitlyn with slightly more than the usual uncertainty in her eyes. She seems to have run out of words. She may need a second to restock.
Kaitlyn "I Got This" Price
"Oh, uh, wrong way!" She called out, standing back up. She took a step towards the departing Nil- paused to reconsider- then decided to just wave her down.
"Wrong way! The shop is this way!"
She'd spotted it just through a cursory glance around the room, quickly identifying her target.
Which was food. Or candy, in this case.
Some small part of her was slightly unsettled by the source of this instinctual assessment. As if some part of her had been permanently altered by events in her life.
Hoping that she heard her, Kaitlyn looked down and offered her free hand to Hannie. Such a shy, small thing without her guardian would probably get lost pretty easily in such a busy place.
"Um... Is there anything specific you want? Don't worry, I'm buying."
Hannie
Maybe she's getting a little swept up, or maybe she's just used to following people around. Hannie takes Kaitlyn's hand easily. She considers yelling after the wandering white-haired girl, but she doesn't know her name, and... well... she just doesn't want to yell, really. "I- I like mints. And... cherry flavor. And blueberry. And, lemon. Um." She goes down the mental list of hard candy flavors she's tried and liked. Actually, are there any she's ever disliked? "...I like... candy." That ought to cover it. It always beats scientist food.
Nil
Nil kept walking for a while then heard being called out, the other two were going in the opposite direction that's where the candy shop is she thought while turning to follow them.
The small one was closely following the woman with a military uniform the small one was called... Hannie, right? was it normal for her to follow strangers? this doesn't seem too normal for children of that age.
Then again it's not like Nil could blame her, she was doing the same thing basically but it might be worth it to keep an eye on them while trying to get some candies.
NPCs:
Kaitlyn had enough Philippine Pesos to buy literally everything in the store; 1 US Dollar was 55 Philippine Pesos and 1 piece of candy was literally 1 Philippine Peso. Kaitlyn had 50,000 Philippine Pesos; perhaps 80,000.
Kaitlyn "Momma" Price
She speaks... Really simply. How old is she, even?
Kaitlyn dug out one of her cherry candies and passed it along to Hannie on the way to the shop, watching out for... Something.
She couldn't explain it, but she had to make sure there weren't any threats around. Especially with a child here. She should probably keep her close by until the battle starts.
And then what?
Well... She can't keep her out of the fight. She IS an Arms Master...
...
"So, uh, I don't think I caught your name," She said, idly browsing the assorted goods. Some of it looked interesting- she hadn't really had the time to sample Philippines cuisine. Or sweets, in this case.
Hannie
Hannie unwraps the candy and pops it into her mouth as quickly as it's given to her. The word "stranger" echoes in her head again, but she pays it no mind. Isn't that how they get you? Oh well. Yummy candy. She lets it melt for a while.
She pushes it to the side of her mouth to speak once addressed. "I'm Hannie," she says. There's some energy in her voice now. She peeks over the counter, her view of the other side more limited than the army girl's. "Um, Hannie Cavalet. C-rank." Sometimes her grade is more important than her name. An army place seems like that kind of situation. She looks over the wares for a while before remembering that other thing she's supposed to do. "Oh, what's your name?"
Kaitlyn "No Powers" Price
"Hannie?" She smiles, giggling to herself. "That's such a cute name! I'm Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn Price... Er, private."
Here, she blushes, chewing her lip as her free hand came up to brush against her hairpin.
"I'm... Just a private. If that's okay."
Hannie Cavalet. C-Rank
Hannie is quiet for a while, trying to remember what a private even is. There are some who might take this silence as judgmental. She gives up after getting as far as "a low army rank." "Private Price," she says. "That rhymes- no- that's... uh, alliteration! And I'm, um, C Cavalet?" She quickly considers the poetic value of the phrase C Cavalet in comparison, and concludes that it may be best to carry on.
"A-anyway, what's back there?" She jumps up to try to see more.
Kaitlyn "Private" Price
"I think I'll just call you Hannie," she said warmly, squeezing her hand.
"Now, let's see..." She makes a show of looking over the assortment of candies.
"They have... Y'know what, why don't I just lift you so you can see better?"
Kaitlyn can probably carry someone that small. Hopefully.
Hannie
It isn't easy. Hannie is small, but she's bigger than most people who get lifted up by adults. It does mean she doesn't have to go much higher to see everything, at least, but the effort is moderately and increasingly uncomfortable for both parties. This isn't going to last. The store manager steps aside to let her see everything but the alcohol. Hannie hurries to assess her options. It's overwhelming. It's too many unhealthy things, too much pressure to act fast! Umm! Her hand flies out to indicate a jar of green wrappers that say mint on them! "That! - You see?" she strains, her body struggling with her own suspended weight.
She has a flash of realization that this is probably the exact wrong thing to be panicking about right now. She quietly pushes that aside.
Kaitlyn "Uncomfortable" Price
"That?" She grunts, quickly identifying the candies in question.
She sets Hannie back down, her muscles silently thanking her.
Well that was mildly uncomfortable.
"Alright..."
She withdrew the appropriate amount of currency, exchanging it for a good handful of the candies.
That ought to keep her satisfied.
Kaitlyn herself got some of those peach-looking gummies. Maybe they're like the ones back home? Like at Cracker Barrel.
Hmm... Is there a Cracker Barrel in the Philippines?
"Anything else?" She asks, hoping that they were done here. She was sure satisfied, at least.
... *Wait a minute, where did the other one go?
The way she was acting, Kaitlyn expected her to have best her to the cart...
Hannie
Mints. Mmm. "Mm-mm. Thank you!" Hannie stashes the mints in her coat pockets. She still has the cherry candy to work on. She remains, for now, oblivious to the inevitable mild catastrophe of whatever Nil is up to, taking Uncomfortable Price's distraction instead as a cue to aimlessly watch the people of the auditorium move.
Nil
Hurrying to the candy shop Nil saw the others were already taking candies for themselves, hopefully, some are left.
Nil has no paper to buy candies, big problem, maybe she could give them something else they might want, after all the whims of other people are difficult to understand. Some want specific things, others want nothing that is material and many want paper, also what are they doing with those metal disks?
As she arrives Nil pulled out a military hat and two broken pencils and puts them on the desk "This good?" she asks hoping maybe they wanted them.
Kaitlyn "The Confounded" Price
'You have... Chocolate?'
It was the chocolate deal all over again. How did this lady function in society? Or were Arms Masters just kept in isolated bubbles, only called upon to wreak havoc upon a nation's enemies?
"Um..." Kaitlyn briefly looked down at Hannie, gently taking one of her hands, just incase she drifted off or something, and approached the bemused cashier.
"H-here... Just give her whatever she needs," she said, nervously side-eyeing the Arms Master as she laid down a sum of money on the counter no sane person would ever use in one sitting. Unless you were this lady, probably.
Kaitlyn, being a part of... Her specific team... Was rewarded with quite the stipend. A stipend that Kaitlyn almost never used for herself. Almost all of it goes back home, but it's nice to be able to buy trinkets and snacks here and there. Especially when she's nervous.
... While she was at it, she may as well make sure Hannie has some level of financial independence, too. She doesn't know what kinds of things young Arms Masters buy, but she does know that Hannie wasn't able to afford a basic ration of sweets.
"Hannie."
Kneeling down, she withdrew the last of her pesos and handed them over to the child. She tried to project a serious air.
"Just incase you need something, I want you to have this. Okay? Don't spend it all on candy."
Hannie
Oh... there's Nil. Somehow she's not surprised. Hannie looks startled by the subsequent money offer. She takes it with a moment's hesitation, and nods, candy still in her mouth. She's not sure what she'll do with this. She looks at Nil. She goes to Nil. "You pay with this stuff. With money." She displays her new money. "Like what she did for you." She looks over at the counter. "Unless they want pencils and hats?"
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