Ogobrogo

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

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Location: Men’s Room -> Hallway outside Training Room B
Skills: Ursine Physiology

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The faint humming of the fluorescent lights above was met with the sound of the water rushing out from a faucet only to splatter onto the basin below, both only serving to accent the numb silent buzzing that threatened to split the young man’s head. The creature that filled the mirror above the sink - only barely fitting into frame - stared at his reflection with beady brown eyes, his head held low, ears back, mouth agape.

Me.

Me watched himself, studying the brown fur that covered his muzzle, trailing down his face and dipping beneath his…

…what was the word?

…

Shirt.

His shirt. His white shirt. Button-up. A tie keeps his collar closed. Black tie. Suspenders keep his slate gray pants up.

Uniform.

Me hated the uniform. Hard to move. Easy to tear. Tearing was bad. Right?

…

Me couldn’t recall. His sleeves were rolled up. Too much hair. Too much fur. More than normal. A deep huff escaped him.

He was getting frustrated.

The Me in the mirror mocked him - CHALLENGED him. As Me stretched tall, so did the Me in the mirror, both just shy of scraping the ceiling. No…not Me…

The voice coming from beyond called for someone named Teddy.

His name was Teddy. And despite current appearances, he was a man. The creature turned his head toward the exit, breaking his gaze upon his reflection. The man within the beast was finding his way back into the driver’s seat. He had nearly lost himself...but would that have been such a bad thing? How easy it would be to just give in to the base instincts that rule the creature, to not think about his most recent failure. Too sick to make it to auditions. Bah. Pathetic. Months of training - wasted. And for what? So he could pretend that he wasn’t a monster? His vanity had cost him his chance to earn a spot on a team. What the stakes would have been higher? What if somebody was hurt or worse all because pathetic little Teddy had an upset stomach after taking his ‘Real Boy’ pills?

…

Teddy shook his head, killing the flow of water. He knew there was nothing good to come from beating himself up over hypotheticals…but the shame and embarrassment was gnawing at him. The guy hunched over even more in an attempt to hide from an invisible audience before slinking toward the exit.

As he rounded the corner to rejoin Miss Jones, it would become clear that he had grown several inches just in the time that it took him to dip into the bathroom. The shirt which had laid somewhat baggy on his body before the bathroom trip now was filled out completely to the point that it was nearly too small for him. The black bear had become the Kodiak. The boy offered Firestar a nod and, upon spotting her, offered Zelda one as well before turning back to his teacher, only hesistating for a moment when he caught the whiff of a rather pleasant scent coming from the direction of the gym. It was strong. It was distracting. It was nice. He tilted his head at her, still not entirely sure where she was dragging him and why.

Even now, part of him wanted nothing else than to storm off to go sulk in solitude. Teddy managed to bury that shameful part of himself underneath an eagerness to just finally get to whatever task Miss Jones had for him so that he could throw himself into work and occupy his mind with something more productive.

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

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Location: Kree Spaceship
Skills: Tactical Dissociation!

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“Hm?” Teddy grunted, having caught Leah’s gaze from the corner of his eye. He turned his head in her direction, but she had already moved on. His brow rose. What was that all about? He pondered it, tilting his head until he glanced around at…oh, yeah, Diana. And…two- err, three freshmen. Mm, yeah, okay, never mind. That would just be classic Leah. He wanted to check in on her since, well…okay, she didn’t have the largest group of friends. But Leah was great. People just didn’t give her enough of a chance. Sure, she was uhm…well, okay, she could be pretty rough on the outside, but Leah had a good heart. A damn good heart. And Teddy respected the hell out of that. You had to. Unfortunately, that good heart didn’t exactly lead to an easy time making friends. He had hoped that she and Diana could get along, but that uhh…didn’t quite pan out. So, when he realized that she was heading over to the engineering club people, he felt a little relieved. Girl was a nerd. Maybe she could find her people there.

Swelling with proud dad energy, Teddy was wholly unprepared for the unexpected voice that sprang up dangerously close. It took him a moment to place the voice, and by then…it was too late. He felt the weight of somebody leaning against him. Turning his head, still stunned at the sudden invasion of personal space to see…

…

…

…

_{-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA}AAAAAAAA^{AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-}

While internally Teddy was having, well let’s just say a mild crisis, he had thankfully not vibrated into the Quantum Realm, scattered into atoms, or fainted, so…good start. He had, however, completely detached himself from the world around him, escaping into himself to survive this...this…

He had heard a voice surprisingly similar to his own saying “Oh, hey.” to D-D-D…ahem, Him. And he had heard that same voice meekly answer the question with, “She’s Ardere and that’s Mary Sue.” It was eerie how familiar that voice was. Teddy watched from afar as the familiar large man attempted to remain was still as possible - as if he had finally successfully lured the cat at the family gathering to to his lap where it had fallen asleep and he was fully aware that even the slightest disturbance would stir the slumbering feline and cause to awaken and go on the prowl again for a more stable place to rest.

The rest of the conversation unfurling around him was lost to Teddy, sounding little more than muffled voices from the next room down. Sure, he managed to pick up a word every now and then, but there would be no context. He was fully engrossed in staring at some exciting spot on the ground, seemingly enthralled by grass or something.

Teddy had finally shut down.

Good night.

---

Phan Le Chi Mai

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Location: Mailroom -> Kree Spaceship
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

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“Okay, but like, honestly? The sword’s kind of a hot look on you, dude. It’s kinda growing on me.” Mai shrugged, trailing behind Sabine at first as she took in the sight of her friend fully strapped and ready to fight for a bunch of bejeweled inbred rich dudes. She then sped up to match Sabine’s strides, cursing her itty bitty legs silently. Theoretically, she could always just make herself taller if she really wanted to…but that was a slippery slope. And dangerous. If she fucked up putting herself back together - a headliner in the ol’ anxiety lineup - well…we’ve already got so many other things to neurotically obsess over already, so let’s just save that particular hangup for a sunny day that needs to be a lil more shitty.

“Clubs? Ugh…” Chi Mai groaned, rolling her head. She hadn’t joined any up to now. Not because she didn’t want to, mind you, but because she just couldn’t decide. She’d spend the whole year debating which one/s to join then…not actually decide on anything. Choice paralysis was real, folks. “Dude, I don’t know and it’s killing me.” she admitted, her mind finally moving away from the Bad Places and finding its nice, comfy home back in the land of shallow, meaningless chatter with the peeps. “I might just start a shitty acoustic cover band.” she sighed, resigning to a life of ukulele and breathy croning. Whatever life’s left, anyway.

“I dunno. If you find something fun, lemme know.” she said as they approached the crew at the nerd ship. Chi Mai, not knowing a stranger, immediately spotted three strangers. A challen-

Oh. One of them was that impatient freshy girl. She had been standing next to Teddy who-

Bruh, what the fuck broke Teddy? Dude had gone full deactivated animatronic murder bear. Huh. Vibes were fucked today. Whatever. She then noticed Danni leaning against him. And the wires in her head connected, sparking a little. Was that smoke…? Maybe a little smoke out of her ears.

There was no fucking shot… Teddy? Really? No fucking shot.

“What’s up, sluts?” Chi Mai called alongside Sabine as they approached the nerds around their nerd shrine. When her friend started strutting the sword, Chi Mai laced her hands behind her head and grinned, letting Sabine work her shit while she cooked her roast to perfection. She'd let it slow cook, maybe hit him with it later after he's stopped thinking about it and come back down to earth just to send him on a trip again.

A little treat from Chi Mai to Chi Mai.

In the meanwhile, Chi Mai spotted Diana and knew what she must do - slinking over towards her and making a dramatic show of obviously checking her out. "God daaayyyymn, girl." she said slowly, putting heavy emphasis on the 'ay' as she dropped into a squat and covered her mouth with one hand. Shaking her head as she lingered, Chi Mai eventually popped back up, grinning at Diana. "Missed youuuu~" she lilted innocently.

Diana was fun to tease.

Avengers Academy 💥

Phan Le Chi Mai

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Location: Mailroom
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

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…what?

…no, seriously, what the actual fuck?

Of the many, MANY things that Chi Mai had imagined may possibly have arrived for Sabine…bruh, this shit wasn't even in the top thousand. What the shit? Chi Mai watched Sabine shift the sword around with a dropped jaw. After the initial stun wore off, Mai couldn’t help but laugh. “Bruh.” she managed in-between hees and haws. “Why the fuck somebody gonna send you some goofy-ass sword?” she started, wiping the tears condensation from her eyes, not immediately picking up on Sabine’s apparent confusion.

Then the whooshening happened.

As the papers and whatnot were being kicked up and pushed aside, so too was Mai’s hair thrown about before falling back into its naturally messy state. In yet another mood swing (which were increasingly becoming uncomfortably commonplace for her), Chi Mai’s self-pity and fear had been replaced by pure awe. She glanced around at her surroundings, taking in the…what…force field? Murky air? Whatever the fuck it was, she was looking mighty hard at it. Then she shifted her eyes back to the sword. One might, should one listen with an eager and earnest intentness, hear the faint clinking and clanking as rusty gears begin to clunk together and turn in her head.

“Babes I think I…yeah, no, I uh…” she babbled, confused in response to Sabine’s suggestion. “Okay, but like, just hear me out for a second: all of uhh, well, THAT,” she started, waving her hands toward Sabine. “Yeah, that shit felt super fucking familiar. Like, I’m getting some real, like, I dunno, deja vu right now? Well, not deja vu but like..y’know what I mean? And I don’t know why?” she explained, glancing at her arm. “Yeah, dude, like check this shit out - I got goosebumps. Like actual goosebumps. What the shit? How am I gonna get goosebumps over some goofy-ass sword?” she exclaimed, more to herself than to Beanie.

“I am not even remotely high enough for this shit.” she resigned, shaking her head. “And that’s saying a lot because a bitch is pretty baja-blasted right now.” she added, nodding to herself. “Whatever. Yeah, let’s go find our dorks.” she said, shifting from bewildered conspiracy theorist Chi Mai back to Chill Mai and turning to leave the mailroom, heading back out into the heat and sunshine.

If she got her way, this would be all the heat and sunshine she got for the rest of the year. It was the sun’s fault that her head was funky today. She couldn’t quite prove it just yet, but just wait…

You’re on thin ice, Sol.

---

Teddy Thompson

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Location: Kree Ship
Skills: Conflict Resolution…? He’s trying his best, people.

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Hearing the sadness in Vicky’s voice, Teddy immediately broke and was about to attempt to apologize and explain himself when Zelda broke the introvert’s code and began to speak up. Teddy was first stunned by the sudden assertion, but that quickly shifted to defensiveness when he realized that she was aiming the blunted words towards his friend. When Vicky took her leave, he glanced at Zelda, now a bit unsettled by her, before turning back to Diana and relaxing back into a smile. “I was actually about to ask, so, I appreciates the heads up, Di.” he called over to Diana in an attempt to reassure her.

Turning back to Zelda, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the girl. It didn’t always feel the best to have somebody else explain you to somebody. But publicly lashing out at somebody over something as innocuous as an introduction? That wasn’t exactly…reasonable? Teddy began speaking before he even knew exactly what it was he was going to say.

“Uhm, hey, if you’re going to be upset at anybody, blame me. I’m uh…” he started looking around the little group before settling back on Zelda. “I’m pretty much the odd man out here and Di knows I’m nosy so she just sorta beat me to it this time.” he chuckled nervously. It wasn’t like him to speak this much at all, but he couldn’t just stand by and say nothing when something like this might not have even happened if he hadn’t been there. The guilt, deserved or not, was eating him up inside.

“If it helps, I still don’t really understand what SHIELD even is? Or…was? And I’m completely open to just forgetting that I ever heard that?” he babbled, digging the hole even deeper. “I think there’s actually a student around here that can make that a thing if we actually wanna…uhm…I’ll uh…I’ll shut up now.” he trailed off, suddenly feeling super self-conscious about how long he had been talking, the righteous fury he had felt for his friend gone as quickly as it had come. It had been replaced by the realization that he had just surgically inserted himself into a conflict that he quite frankly had no right to butt in on, even if his intentions were good, and he was now drowning in all of the embarrassment that deservedly came with the territory.

Fortunately, Teddy’s death-by-embarrassment was postponed when he was yet again stunned by an incoming freshman of the Margaret Carter Institute. The sheer ridiculousness of the incredibly earnest question caught him completely off guard, causing the large man to bellow a mighty belly laugh.The tension which had been suffocating felt as if it had been melted. Well, for him it had, anyway. He turned to look at Ardere and shrugged. “I mean…” he started, giving the ship a long, intense look. So far all he had managed to do was introduce Mary Sue to people she already knew and helped Ardere to become even more of a space cadet. So he had failed three different freshmen in the span of…what, less than an hour? Really just knocking it out of the park with this whole mentor thing. Though, in a way, if you have the worst possible day right off the bat, then it really could only go up from there, right? …right?

Tilting his head, he grunted. “Well…actually…I can sorta see it.” he said, amused and very much grateful for the rope that Ardere had thrown him. “I mean, if you squint a bit, it sorta looks kinda saucer-y.” he continued. “Maybe he actually saw one of these and just put it in the game?” he suggested.

In his defense, it was more likely than you might think.

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

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Location: Kree Ship
Skills: None Used!

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Teddy offered Zelda a nod in response to her rather terse introduction. She didn’t want to talk and he didn’t want to pry. They could coexist in quiet peace. The other one however…

“Oh, no, no, I completely get it, haha.” Teddy chuckled at Victoria awkwardly, patting the air between them with two oversized mitts. “I don’t uhh… really get out much either so…uh…” he trailed, having lost the plot, unsure of how to approach her ‘offer’ to spar. To tell the truth, despite being as well-equipped for it as he might seem, Teddy utterly loathed violence. It was something he struggled with, because it often felt like the simplest, most reliable solution was just…violence. And if that was really the case, then what was the real distinction between a hero and an enforcer? The outfit? No, there had to be something else, and to Teddy, that difference was the willingness to exhaust every other avenue of resolving a conflict first.

“But uh…maybe. We’ll have to see,” he answered, shrugging. She was hardly the first person to want to fight the Big Bad Bear just to see if they could, but at least in the case of someone like Leah, for example, Teddy knew her heart was in the right place - even if he disagreed fundamentally on her overreliance on violence. But Vicky? Teddy didn’t know her from Adam, so for her to just immediately jump to wanting to fight, well, it rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was too harsh to draw conclusions about Victoria’s character from a harmless little throwaway comment…but Teddy would be lying if he claimed it didn’t make him think just a little less of her.

Teddy turned back towards Diana as she began to explain her connection to the freshmen. “Ah…right. SHIELD. Of course.” he hummed, nodding as if that were the most mundane profession she could have listed. Though, to be honest, after three full years of this sort of madness, he’d probably have been more surprised if she had said their parents had been just dentists. Obviously the answer was going to be secret agents. When his friend continued by nodding towards Leah, Teddy nearly did a double take. Had he just summoned her? Maybe his real mutant power was manifesting unstable lesbians? He gave the grounds a subtle scan for Chi Mai just in case. Satisfied that he wasn’t about to have a sentient backpack - again - his gaze snapped back to Diana when she snapped.

“Uh, yeah, that works. I actually wanted to stop by and wish her well before she left anyway.” he nodded, thrilled to have somebody else to go with. Having Diana tagging along would make approaching Agatha a bit easier. She could be a bit…intense. He wasn’t entirely sure if she actually knew who he was, but overall, he liked her and he was a bit bummed to hear she was leaving, so it only seemed fitting to send her off.

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

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Location: The Field (School Carnival) -> The Field (Kree Spaceship)
Skills: None Used!

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“Mm, you said Vermont…?” Teddy asked Ardere as filler while his brain wracked itself trying to put together what little bit of US geography it had stored. Vermont was uhhh…oh no, it was one of those itty-bitty ones in the corner wasn’t it? “I dunno if it’d survive that trip, if we’re being honest.” he nodded to himself, having absolutely no frame of reference for just how long a trip that actually would be.

When the girls started chatting about alien attacks, Teddy just smiled to himself. This was nice. It was working. The small talk was actually working. Look at him! One bona fide social butterfly in the making. He glanced at the roommates, wholly oblivious to whatever sort of tension that might be brewing between the two. In his book, this was a win. It was taking everything in him not to just burst out into a little victory shimmy.

…he’d do it later.

As the trio arrived at the ship, Teddy noticed Ardere approaching the ship proper, but Teddy stayed back, noticing Diana and two other girls arriving about the same time. “Oh, great timing.” he muttered to himself, raising one paw in the air and giving his roommate’s sister a wave as she approached. He raised an eyebrow towards her when he realized that she hadn’t brought Percy but instead Victoria van Dyne and… uhm… someone else.

As Diana greeted his add-ons, he greeted hers. “Oh hi there.” he said as he offered the pair a friendly smile and nod before addressing the junior directly. “You’re Victoria, yeah? I think I’ve seen you around, but I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Teddy. It’s nice to meetcha.” he couldn’t help but notice that APPARENTLY Diana already knew Mary Sue based on her greeting. Which…huh. Okay. That was unexpected. Well, he was glad the girl would have at least someone familiar around. Err… other than her Dad.

Teddy then turned towards the unfamiliar face. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I recognize you…?” he said, posing a question in his apology. She looked just familiar enough that it was odd. She reminded him of…someone, but he couldn’t place it to save his life. The big man crossed his arms, tilting his head as he tried to place the face to a name unsuccessfully.

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Phan Le Chi Mai

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Location: Outside Agatha’s Tent
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

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With her face buried into April’s back and her arms wrapped around the girl’s waist, one solitary, PROUD, middle finger stood erect in the direction of Leah. Yeah, it was an ‘entrance’ all right. Who could rightly blame her after her little encounter with the witch? She needed to be coddled, not called out, dammit. And as if the universe had heard her plea, God’s hand came from the heavens to rest upon her head, reassuring her and waving away the bad mojo.

Well…Danni’s hand, but fuck it, close enough, probably. Dude was an actual angel in the moment. He could do no wrong. As the rest of her friends began to ask her what was wrong, what had happened, she moved to answer when Danny beat her to it, revealing his fortune: his fortune that he would…

Would…

What…?

What did he just…?

Mai stared at Danny, seemingly transfixed. As April began to babble, Mai loosened her grip, releasing the girl and standing straight up to her full…five feet. There was a joke to be made there, but it was gone, lost like any other thoughts that she may have had before Danny dropped his bombshell. He was going to…? And she was going to…? That…

There was no fucking way.

…right?

The other chatter around her melded into white noise. It was only when a pair of ‘fucks’ were exchanged that Mai fell down to Earth from a hundred miles away. Whatever, somehow she’d make it work. Being upset was overrated and, honestly, a little played out. With the exception of Sabine - obviously - everyone in their little group had had some sort of dramatic flair up today. The vibes were simply fucked today. Hip hip hooray and happy birthday.

When Dorian initiated the group hug, Mai leaned into it, ready to do some damage control. “Nah, don’t sweat it, bb. I went in there pretty fucking high and I probably shouldn’t have done that. I think she probably noticed and was just fucking with me. I’m good.” she lied in the most natural voice she could muster as she strained to pat Dorian’s back reassuringly. “Besides, a bitch burped in her goofy ass tent, and she’s just got to sit in there with it, so I mean, who’s the real winner here?”

It was her. She was the winner. Fuck a witch.

Avengers Academy 💥

As Chi Mai backed into the tent, she would hear an ancient, withered voice. "Excuse you, child... Have you no manners?" Agatha asked, pinching her nose. While the tent was bigger on the inside than the outside, the smell of Mai's belch still managed to permeate the space as if it had been no bigger than a broom closet. Mai would then feel something brush up against her leg - small, tiny, warm, and vibrating. If she were to turn around, she would see a small black cat with yellow eyes, staring up at her.

The rest of the space looked pretty much as expected - crystal balls, tarot cards, runes, idols, keys, crystals, tomes, and scrolls permeated the space, most of them floating idly through the air. Trunks were piled on top of each other in the back, some of them violently shaking and threatening to send the others crashing down. The old witch herself was seated at a small circular table, wearing a purple dress and shawl, her ancient face looking at Mai with disapproval.

SHIT.

Mai stiffened at the sound of the voice, freezing in fear for a moment. So this is how it would end - hexed to death by an ancient, old, smelly witch in a gassy tent in California shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Exactly how she always knew it would. Brushing up against the furry something behind her, Mai turned around before recoiling back, hissing at the cat. Tiger Mai was attempting to establish her dominance. It...wasn't working. And after a moment, Mai suddenly relaxed her shoulders. In actual cat-like fashion, she was now bored of the catplay. Her predator eyes landed on Agatha. She studied her for a moment, tilting her head before grinning. "Sorry, it was a fear burp. You terrify me." she said as she approached Agatha's table and turned a chair around backwards before plopping down, crossing her arms, and resting her chin on her hands. "S'up?"

A low growl would sound off from behind Mai, as she took a seat. The small black cat was no longer there - in its place was a muscular panther. The panther bared its teeth at Mai, muscles tensing as if about to pounce. "Ebony, dear, take the high ground - this scrawny child is not worth the paperwork," Agatha cautioned, looking at the panther nonchalantly. The panther closed her mouth, and stalked around the table before sitting down next to Agatha, staring at Chi Mai, never letting her eyes waver.

"Mm, now if I do terrify you, child, why are you here? What brings you to my tent?"

"Mm mm." Mai grunted, shaking her head. "You're the fortune teller here, yeah? So you tell me." she spat back, eyes moving from Agatha over to Ebony then back. The fear was still there, sure, but a certain indignation was beginning to grip her, severing fear's hold over her heart. "Because I tried really fucking - err, fricking, sorry - hard to not be here, and yet here I am." she continued, sitting up straight and gesturing around her wildly as she spoke before relaxing her arms once more on the chair. "The universe is being persistent so, like, y'know..." she rolled her hands before letting them hang limply once more on the chair, her posture seeming to deflate as her steam began to run out. She wilted against the chair, pressing her mouth against her arms, muffling her words as she averted her eyes. "Figure it out or something. Why am I here?"

Agatha snorted slightly. Chi Mai was not the first person that day to demand Agatha explain why they had decided to enter her tent. "Is that really the question you wish to have answered?" Agatha asked. A third eye appeared in the middle of Agatha's forehead, as she stared at Chi Mai. Had Agatha been in her place, she would have asked about her real parents - not the poor couple whose baby had been spirited away at the night of Chi Mai's birth. Agatha wondered if Mary Sue would see the humor in such a revelation - an inhuman with a secret terrible lineage.

"But no matter, I will oblige and inquire with the Cards as to why you are here," Agatha obliged. The cards swirled and danced around them, a few of them even whacking lightly up against Chi Mai. When Agatha snapped her fingers, three cards shot out and came to a rest in front of Chi Mai on the table - The Magician, the Page of Swords Reversed, and the Hanged One Reversed. Agatha was not surprised to see two cards of the Major Arcana, the forces of the universe and destiny, in Chi Mai's spread.

For better or worse, almost every person who came into her tent that day had some horrific destiny they were hurtling towards.

"The Major Arcana tells the story of the Fool's journey - a young foolish protagonist, going off on an adventure of self discovery. The first figure that the Fool encounters is the Magician - a powerful and resourceful mage who has all the supplies needed for the work. I sense that you encountered a Magician in your past. A person with skills and artifacts that some may describe as ... inhuman."

"Then, for the present, you drew the Page of Swords, Reversed. This is a card of smoke and mirrors - a card for those who like to make promises they have no means of keeping. You are hiding a secret, Chi Mai. You are making promises that cannot be kept. Should you not avert this behavior, should you consider to hide, deceive, and lie, I see the Hanged One, Reversed. This is a card of indecision and unneeded sacrifice. Your current path will lead to your untimely death. It need not be so."

"So, why are you here, Chi Mai? Because your fate needs to be averted. The deceptions must cease to be - or you will."

As she listened to Agatha speak, Chi Mai was whisked away on an emotional rollercoaster. With the story of the fool, Mai offered a a wide, mocking smile. "Mm, Fool. Cute." she muttered with an eyeroll as the woman spoke, though her light chiding gave way to mild confusion at the odd emphasis placed on inhuman. There was little time to linger on the thought, however, as Agatha continued. While the second card was explained, Mai's smile morphed into a scowl. Was this old hag seriously calling her a liar? The fuck was her problem? Mai pushed back up to a fully seated position, her body tense. She didn't have to take this bullshit.

Yet for as much as Mai wanted nothing more than to kick the chair and leave, she felt compelled to hear the witch out. She regretted it AS it was happening. Mai let Agatha's question linger in the air for a moment as she processed what she had just been told. Her body was stiff, her chin set with her lips pressed against themselves. Her knee bounced with alarming intensity.

"You done?" she asked, her voice threatening to break as she spoke. She tried to focus her narrowed eyes onto Agatha, but she could feel tears threatening to well up if she did so. So she averted her gaze, shaking her head. "So, what, I'm just gonna fucking die unless I...what? Tell some secret? I don't have any fucking secrets! I don't ha..." she exclaimed before trailing off, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the chair's head with all her might.

She finally lifted her head, eyes fixed on Agatha's. "Fuck you." she spit with all the vitriol she could muster, her face scrunching up in disgust as both threats were delivered upon with her cracking voice signaled the start of the tears. "You realize how fucked up it is to just say something like that to somebody, right? Like, I get that you don't like me, that's whatever, but predicting my death is fucked. It's actually fucked. Even if it is just a joke, it's fucked." she rambled, seemingly more to convince herself than to chide Agatha. She wanted to leave. She wanted to get up, flip the table, kick the chair, and leave. But her limbs felt heavy. Too heavy to move.

She was straight up not having a good time.

Agatha stared at Chi Mai with eyes that had seen more than a lifetime's worth of tragedy. She did not flinch at Chi Mai's threats. She remained so still that she could have been mistaken for a statue. Only once silence fell again did Agatha respond, sensing that at least for the moment, Chi Mai was done. "I would not tell you such a thing lightly, Chi Mai," Agatha said calmly. "You have a secret, a grave and dangerous one, whether you realize it or not. Take this opportunity to change your story - before someone else tells it for you."

"You must be willing to face the past, so to that end, I am giving you this," Agatha said, finally standing up. She rummaged about in some drawers, before producing what looked like a small vial of liquid. "Under the light of a full moon, add this to still water, and speak of when and where you wish to glimpse. There is enough for three uses - three glimpses of the past... or the future."

Again, Mai let the words hang suspended in the air for some time as she gathered herself, her eyes dropping to the floor. Her mind was blank. She accepted the vial Agatha offered her without willing herself to do so. She felt spent. The calmness that Agatha wore while telling her of her own demise...the absolute clinical matter-of-fact way she delivered the prediction...Mai wasn't stupid, she knew what it meant. Agatha Harkness had earned her reputation for a reason. Mai's hands curled around the vial, pressing it tight against her chest. The 'gift' only added to the weight of her words, made them feel more real - more oppressive.

_{"I'm sorry."} she said in a tiny voice. _{"I just...I don't understand..."} She felt small. _{"I'm scared."} she whispered. For several moments, Mai remained curled into herself, seemingly unwilling or unable to move. She lifted her head, seemingly preparing to ask another question, but her words caught in her throat and she ultimately decided against it, rising to her feet instead. She lifted the vial, choked out a "Thanks." and slowly shuffled her way to the exit. She hesitated at the flaps, rubbing her forearm across her face before pulling her top up to wipe her face clean. She couldn't go out there and face everyone if she was crying like a little bitch.

Agatha's resolve softened. It was easier to be hard on the students when they were defiant and angry. She saw thousands of scared girls she had encountered over the years in Chi Mai's gaze, the way she lingered in the tent, torn between leaving and staying. "Chi Mai, another moment, please," Agatha beckoned. Another car flew down onto the table - the Four of Swords. The card of rest. Agatha was silent for a moment, parsing its meaning. "It is normal to be frightened. Even for the tiger."

Chi Mai had turned at Agatha's call, though she did not approach the table again. When the fourth card landed and Agatha's reading was given, Mai mulled over it for a moment, nodding. She...was right. Frightened or not, a tiger was still a tiger. She squat down, carefully placing the vial on the floor before slapping both of her palms against her face. Rising back to her feet after palming the vial again, she forced a cheesy smile at Agatha.

"Fuck the universe - I ain't ever dying." she announced before spinning on her heels and bouncing out of the tent. Once exposed to the sun again, Mai lifted her arm to shield her precious eyes from the intense light, searching for her people.

Her safety net.

She broke out into a dead sprint, bounding towards an unsuspecting April, wrapping her arms around the girl from behind. "APRIIIIIL!!!" she yelled, squeezing the life out of the blonde as all hint of the resolve she had muster was promptly discarded.

"THAT FUCKING SUCKED! I SHOULDA JUST WENT WITH YOUUUUU!"

---

Teddy Thompson

---

Location: Stark Hall - Lobby
Skills: None Used!

---

---

“Oh, wow!” Teddy exclaimed, carefully tapping on his phone. “I guess I’m getting a thousand dollars. Today’s my lucky day.” he chuckled to himself as he did as he was bid and replied ‘Yes’. He couldn’t wait to get further info. It was exciting! When he got Diana’s follow-up, he smiled before returning the phone to his pocket. Looking over towards Mary Sue, he offered a thumbs up. To Ardere he nodded at her dessert question. “It’s ice cream and cake covered in a meringue. It’s the flaming desert you see in movies sometimes, but it’s just as good without burning rum over it. I’ll bring some by next time I bake one. If you want, I mean.”

Teddy would then move towards the elevator, boarding when the doors slid open, and pressing the button for the ground floor once both girls had joined him. When the topic switched to what Kree were, he frowned, scratching his beard. “Uhhm…” Teddy hummed, searching his brain for his notes on alien civilizations. “So Kree are a kind of alien. They’re uhm…well uhh…” he trailed, trying to decide whether it would be rude to just refer to the Kree as ‘human, but blue.’ Wait…were Kree the blue ones? Alien Civ was not his strongest subject.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Teddy waited for the girls to exit first before following after, moving to take the lead when it dawned on him that they probably didn’t know where they were going. If they made a beeline towards it, it shouldn’t take too long. So beeline towards it he did. There was a perfectly good spaceship to poke around - he was starting to get excited.

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

---

Location: Stark Hall - Outside doorway to Room 401
Skills: None Used!

---

---

“Oooh, huh. Small world…” Teddy continued, trying his absolute best to figure out small talk in real time. Though he couldn’t help but let out a hearty chuckle when she asked if he was a speedster. “Ahh…I’m more of a slow and steady kind of guy. Hell, I get winded just listening to them talk.” he offered with another chuckle. When the other girl began to speak, Teddy finally approached the room properly, realizing that having a conversation across two separate rooms was, quite frankly, the worst possible way to do this. Leaning against the doorframe, he only caught a glimpse of Ardere’s odd smile as she explained her powers.

A chill ran down his spine.

It lasted for only but a moment, but in that time, Teddy’s more animalistic instincts had kicked in and he had unconsciously been preparing himself to either fight the girl or flee. Luckily, the perceived threat had passed almost as quickly as it had arrived. Teddy was, by all rights, fairly well disciplined, and as such, he had managed to process the moment with only a subtle twitching of the fingers and eye, but still there was a heavy guilt that gripped his heart afterwards.

“I…also struggle with Baked Alaska. Hard to show restraint with the torch. Though I do make a mean strawberry pie.” Teddy joked, trying to salvage the vibe in the room. “But, no seriously, that’s pretty impressive. I can’t say I do anything too flashy - mainly just lift heavy stuff.” he shrugged.

A beat later, when the girls both seemed to light up at his mentioning of the spaceship, Teddy silently celebrated. “It’s uh…I think it’s an old Kree ship?” he explained, trying not to outright gush about a niche interest of his to the girls. Not yet. Get them inside the alien spacecraft first, THEN nerd out over the mechanical marvels. “Well, awesome, yeah, if you’re both ready then we can head on over.” he said before pushing off the doorframe and moving a paw to his pocket, fishing around for something. “I’m just gonna text a friend and see if she wants to meet up. I think she’s showing her little brother around anyway, so the more the merrier, yeah?” he announced absentmindedly before pulling a phone with a horribly cracked screen from his pocket. He held it in one hand, using his index finger to carefully - and slowly - hunt for each letter as he composed a text with all the skill and grace of an elderly luddite.

@Diana

Iam showing a ome frdshmen atound campus a nd we're heading t up the s paces hip if yoù a b d Perrc want to j oi I b us.

---

Phan Le ‘Chill’ Mai

---

Location: The Field (School Carnival) - Approaching Agatha’s Hut - Chronic Remix
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

---

---

How did it end up like this?

Mai couldn’t begin to understand how it had come to be, but there she was - nuzzled into Vicky. She had originally intended to just walk beside her, but Vicky gave her an opening. The other girl’s gentle patting on her back caused Mai to burp, but like, just a little bit, nothing too disgusting. Not yet, anyway, but one should only continue patting at one’s own risk.

Vicky scolded her. And to her credit, she had a point. But when the girl - Zari - answered anyway, Mai couldn’t help but laugh, burying her face into Vicky’s side before pulling away, still hee-hee-hooing. “Bruhhhh…” she gasped. The timing of it all was just grade-fucking-A. Get fucked, Vicky, bitches loved Mai. Why else would she answer? Rules meant nothing.

Wiping her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, Mai had to look up to see Vicky’s face as she spoke. Bad idea. Her head felt fuzzy. It was as if somebody had turned motion blur on IRL. And…right beyond Vicky’s face was a set of clouds that looked sort of like a chimp kissing a fish. Y’know, if you like, squint your eyes just right.

When Vicky mentioned Agatha’s name, Mai’s mouth dropped. “BRUH! Why the fuck does everybody wanna see that spooky bitch? Fuck me, fine, I’ll go.” she exclaimed, resigning herself to her fate. And fate it was - as Mai began to make out her Fab Five directly ahead. The crew. The famski. The peeps. “I’M BACK, BITCHES!” she announced to her people before regret found its way into her heart. Oh shit. She didn’t tell April. Fuck. April would know. Fuck. April would definitely know. Shit. Shit. Shit shit shitshitshitshit-

“YO!” Mai exclaimed excitedly, running like an overstimulated puppy at a family gathering from Vicky and Zari over to Andy and Leah once she spotted her conveniently timed out roommate. “ROOMIE!” she hollered as she drew near, skidding to a halt by Andy’s side. “Those chips were fucking awesome! We gotta…we gotta get more.” She said, dropping to almost a whisper as realization dawned on her. She should get some more. But where would she get them now? Weren’t they a treat? A gift from the roomie? She couldn’t just go to a store and get them, could she? Her eyes moved from Andy to the tent.

There was one surefire way to find out…

Phan Le Chi Mai broke away from the groups and approached the tent - lines be damned - and stood in front of the entrance flaps, steeling herself. She then dropped into a squat, tucked her head between her knees and started muttering. “Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck…but we gotta get more…”

She then popped back up to her feet, spun around to face her classmates, and offered a cheesy grin with a peace sign before backing her way into the tent- it was less scary if you didn’t have to see yourself ENTERING the spooky spot. That was just a cold, hard, scientific fact.

As she disappeared behind the fabric, she let out the loudest fear burp she could possibly muster.

To ward off bad spirits or something, I dunno. Bitch was just gassy. Carnival food just sort of be like that sometimes.

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

---

Location: Stark Hall - Outside doorway to Room 401
Skills: None Used!

---

---

As the girls entered their room and began to do…whatever it was that freshmen girls do in their rooms, Teddy kept a respectful distance from the door, trying his best to act like he wasn’t painfully aware of the redhead’s less-than-subtle staring. He smiled politely, looking slightly above the girl when she spoke to him, but otherwise keeping himself slightly turned away from the door. Eye contact was difficult, but he didn’t want to be rude. As much as he would have preferred that Ser Nemo didn’t just drop a bombshell on him, he did need to get used to, well, being perceived. He was going to be a TA for Combat 101 this year, and if he couldn’t kick that little hangup, it was going to be a rough year. He knew that. He knew that in his soul.

Didn’t make it any easier.

After a moment of hearing the two girls…talk? Let’s go with talk. After a moment of hearing the two girls talk, it became crystal clear that the two of them might be just as awkward as he was, which, in a weird way, made him relax slightly.

He still didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to do for them.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you too, Mary Sue…uhm…” he called from outside the room, pausing for a moment as he pressed his lips together in thought. “I’m sorry, he called you Ms. Sullivan, right? You wouldn’t happen to be related to the new speedster instructor, would you? Oliver Sullivan?” he asked, just trying to fill the awkward silence - usually a comfy space for him, but perhaps a little suffocating given the context. He didn’t know much about the guy other than the name, but maybe it could break the ice?

When the redhead - Ardere - spoke up, Teddy couldn’t help but smile fondly to himself, chuckling quietly. Her little throwaway line could be the tagline for his whole life. God, did anyone ever really know what kind of help they needed?

“And I have no idea what kind of help I can give,” he replied, pausing for a moment as desperately scoured his thoughts. “Actually…” he started, tilting his head. “I think the spaceship club’s got a restored alien ship that you can go inside and check out, if that’s something either of you might be interested in?” he offered. Teddy, bless his heart, was probably the worst-equipped person when it came to trying to guess what freshmen girls might be interested in, but who didn’t like spaceships? They were neat. Basically just cars but for space.

Okay, it was a hail mary, but what else could he do? Ser Nemo was counting on him…apparently. Well, not enough to properly arrange this whole mentor group - one that Teddy had never heard of before, mind you - beforehand, but that’s some high quality shade for a different time.

---

Phan Le Chi Mai

---

Location: The Field (School Carnival) > Shady Smoke Spot > The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

---

---

Alright, listen up chucklefucks - Chi Mai didn’t dip dip potato chip because she was scared of Agatha. Let’s just put that to rest right now. She had nothing but mad love for the crew, for the famski, but when sweet Danny Boy came out of that creepy-ass tent holding a whole ass scaley egg and screaming for help in that excited-not-scared way of his, she saw the opportunity and seized it. Because - and let’s all gather around the campfire and roast some truth s’mores here for a moment - a bitch was not even remotely high enough for this shit. And that was a crime. What sort of hero-in-training would she be if she didn’t do her best to stop crime where she saw it?

So she split. A little bobbing and weaving through the carnival chucklefucks later, and she had found a nice lil obscured alcove to dip into to satisfy the beast. She gave a little glance around and, when she was satisfied that nobody had noticed her and was prepping up to bust her one-woman rendition of a smokestack, she ducked back inside, crouched down, and fished the pen from her pocket.

She then proceeded to write elegant, evocative lines of poetry, detailing her thoughts on the futility of mankind’s attempts to establish any sort of meaningful legacy in a universe that ultimately would just move on- nah, just fucking with you, guys, she got high. She did her thing, coughed, waved away the clouds, coughed some more, put away the pen - oo, would you look at that, more coughing - then ducked back into the crowd, only smelling slightly like candy. And weed.

As her head began to grow weightless, she managed to spot a familiar hot blonde in the distance who was pointing. And bruh…something about the way she was pointing was fucking hilarious to Mai. Vicky was fucking hilarious. She needed to be around something fucking hilarious right now. She wasn’t the closest to Vicky to be honest, but a high Chi Mai was a friendly Chi Mai. And with no more thought than that, Chi Mai impulsively skipped over to intercept her and some green-haired chick she didn’t know.

“Viiiicccckkkyyyy!” Mai called out, throwing grabby hands toward her as she approached. “I got ditched and now I’m bored. Entertain me!” she continued, moving to match Vicky’s pace. Not wasting a moment she teased “So…who’s the green-haired hottie?” she asked mischievously before leaning forward, hands clasped behind her back, and shooting a glance over toward the green haired girl. “I’m talking about you.” she said directly. “Name, please. It’s the hottie tax.”

Avengers Academy 💥

Teddy Thompson

---

Location: Stark Hall - Hallway outside Teddy & Percy’s Dorm
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

---

---

As the man before him spoke, Teddy began to relax. He had never taken any courses in Time Travel Studies - it didn’t seem relevant for his interests, to be completely honest - but it was more reassuring to know that it was sanctioned Academy staff knocking at his door rather than a strange old man. Teddy tilted his head, scratching at his beard as he studied Nemo. “Oh, yeah, sure, I can do that.” he answered. Teddy patted his pockets, making sure that he had remembered to grab his phone and wallet, and when satisfied, flashed Ser Nemo a smile. “I’ve got some time now if you’d like to go ahead and knock it out.” he offered.

Teddy tried his best to keep a polite air about him, but there was a part of him that was morbidly curious about the man. Why ask him for help? Sure, he was strong, but there were a few other strength-types about. Teddy would write it off as coincidence if they had just run into each other on the grounds but…why come to knock on his door specifically? For as much respect that Teddy held for his professors, many of them struck him as sneaky. They wanted to help, sure, but they weren’t always the most direct about it. So what did he want?

Maybe he was overthinking it. Probably he was overthinking it. It didn’t matter, really. He asked for help, Teddy would help. It’s just what you do.

“I uh…have no idea where your office is, sorry.” Teddy admitted with a slightly nervous chuckle.

---

Phan Le Chi Mai

---

Location: The Field (School Carnival) - Outside the Spooky Stop
Skills: None Used!
~First Day Fit~

---

---

When Danny pointed out the facepainting station, Mai turned her attention to it, trying to find the hero that had tiger’d her. They deserved kudos - the hunt had been successful because of the warpaint - it was the only reasonable explanation, because fuck’s sake, she’d never thrown that well in her life.

As Dorian joined the fray, Mai offered him a shit-eating grin. “Yooo, happy birth, bub.” she said, finishing off her food stand treat. “Bruh, it was an adventure. We killed Coulson. Pretty sure we’re wanted fugitives now. Danni got us out. He’s my hero.” she explained dryly. When Sabine announced that she was heading in, Mai shrugged then nodded towards her. Fine by her - she was by no means in any sort of a rush to head into Aggie’s spooky hut. She made a mental note to find a pack of gold star stickers for Danny later.

“Ooo…fuck…uhm…gotta be a parrot, dude. Be extra.” offered the wise sage Mai to the eager apprentice. The way of the warpaint was a perilous path, but she would see him through it, should he choose to undergo the trials.

Spinning on her heels upon Sabine’s return, she offered a thumbs up before elbowing Danni in his side. “Bruh, you’re goofy. The baseball cap’s hot. “Fuck, I want one…” she muttered, looking past Sabine to the tent as Danny began to head in. She had no plans on heading in but…

Fuck it was tempting.

“Ugh…Agatha’s so fucking creepy though…” she complained out loud, debating whether or not she’d be heading it. One the one hand - hat. On the other…possibility to be turned into a toad. It was a very valid fear in her mind, and a likely one, given that the witch would probably smell the fear on Mai the moment she walked in.

“Fuuuuuuuck…” she whined, hanging her head in frustration.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Noelle Laurents : Part I

Location: Balmung Castle | Dining Hall | Mentions: @Lucky

---

When the second loud idiot of the evening made himself a place at the head of the table, Noelle regarded him with mild curiosity. When he began to harass the elder gentleman at the table, however, she became a bit cross. She waited for him to finish his monologue before she turned towards him, giving him a reproachful gaze. “That was a bit rude, don’t you think?” she offered him.

“Wha, rude? Me?” Ibraham replied, exasperated. “Oh come now, just look at him: Gramps won’t see the next moon, let alone the return of the Light. He’s soft. They’re soft. It’s a perfect match, really. Maybe they’ll get to the next town over then disband.” he said as he turned to gesture at the old man who was now attempting to get around the scuffle happening at the far table. “It’s really a bit of a kindness that I’m doing for him, when you think about it. Better that he passes in the arms of the ladies and lads of an Edren whorehouse than in the belly of whatever nasty beastie you lot are likely to run across.” he finished with a smile. Noelle could but only sigh and shake her head. She didn’t approve of the man’s behavior regardless of whatever mental gymnastics he had intended to do, but arguing with him seemed like it would be exhausting and quite frankly, defending some old grandfather’s honor was hardly the hill she wanted to die on. So she let it go and went back to her meal.

As the feast went on and introductions went around the table, Noelle politely offered her name to the group when it came back around to her, but did not offer more. Instead, she listened intently to the woman across from her - Arbora Silasdottir, as she introduced herself - vocalizing what she had been thinking, albeit much more eloquently than she could have managed. When the Mystrel woman who identified as Izayoi suggested heading for Valheim, Noelle’s gaze, which had been fixed upon the Viera for most of the ‘conversation’, briefly flashed over to her. Others chimed in agreeing with the proposed destination, yet Noelle offered neither support nor opposition. If that was to be their destination, so be it.

The ruckus happening at the other end of the table drew Noelle’s attention for a moment, but she soon returned to her meal. When compared with what she normally had, it was…incredible. She would never get used to proper fancy meals, that much was clear.

---

Ibraham : Part I

Location: Balmung Castle | Dining Hall | Mentions: @Lucky & @Cu Chulainn

---

Despite being scolded by the redhead, Ibraham considered his team trade rather successful. If anybody other than her minded, they didn’t obviously voice that opinion. Ibraham listened on with both glee and morbid curiosity when the people around the table began introducing themselves. While he had seen some of those gathered arrive a bit late, others had been at the table for quite a while now, yet judging by how they were all speaking, it felt as if none of them had introduced themselves prior to his arrival? It tickled Ibraham. For a couple of noteworthy warriors and other dangerous looking folk, they were a bit backwards, huh? It worked for him, anyway, just meant that he didn’t have to go around asking for names later. As each spoke in turn, Ibraham committed their face and name to memory. He didn’t forget people - it was dangerous to forget them. He’d heard too many horror stories of dimwitted con men attempting to hit up previous marks to allow himself to be that careless.

When the other Faye down the table hopped to his feet to cheer for Gil, Ibraham grinned, pointing at the guy. “For the fucking Gil, he gets it. I like hi-” Ibraham laughed before abruptly stopping when the man dropped the butter. When he saw how the Viera at the other end of the table gazed first at the butter, then to the man next to him, Ibraham couldn’t help but launch into a roar of laughter. It was too much. They were clowns, actual clowns. This was an act, right? He loved it.

The uhh…let’s go with passionate, Viera woman next to him gave her pitch, making just an uncomfortable amount of eye contact as she gave her spiel. She seemed harmless enough, but Ibraham didn’t really follow everything she said. She was pulling out waaay too many big words for a man who couldn’t read. From what he could gather, she was smart and well-aware of that fact. Which, good on her. Ibraham couldn’t help but be impressed by people that were well educated. He didn’t consider himself stupid outright, but it was clear he was outmatched. He listened to her monologue, downing glass after glass of free wine - the best kind of wine.

As the evening progressed, he continued engaging in small talk as it arose. When the topic of Valheim came up as a potential destination, Ibraham voted for it. Whatever got him as far away from Costa del Sol as possible. Surely the Brightlam Bitch didn’t have minions there. He’d go away for a bit, wait for the heat to die down, then make his way back home eventually. There was no way that a single shitty ring was worth a life grudge, right? Right?

Ah, it didn’t matter. He had decided to wash that little anxiety down with some mead and wine. And maybe a little bit of wine and mead as well. And it’d just be rude if he left without trying the wine. And who could forget the mead. Really, the wine was so good, and the palace was wealthy enough that, by the time the evening began to die down and the guests were escorted to their lodgings for the night, Ibraham was quite thoroughly trashed. And judging by how he deftly swiped a mostly full bottle of wine from one of the other tables on his way out, he had little intention of letting the night end without a proper nightcap.

Noelle Laurents : Part II

Location: Balmung Castle | Guest Dorm II | Mentions: @Vertigo & @Dezuel

---

As Noelle was guided to her quarters for the night, she hadn’t exactly expected to be grouped with Leifur and Zeidgram of all people, but she didn’t necessarily have any qualms about it. She was tired enough that her roommates for the night didn’t quite matter to her. All she wanted was to lay down on one of the impossibly soft looking beds in the room. She didn’t have much of a taste for luxury normally, but with travel getting far more treacherous as of late, she was hardly of a mind to turn down the opportunity for a little comfort.

When she first entered the room, she moved to her own belongings, checking the case for signs of tampering, then checking on the rifle and sidearm within. After a few moments, she closed the case once more and moved it under the bed. She then returned to her feet and, noticing that both of the men had their attention either on their belongings or the window, she turned her back to them and began to unfasten her leather breastplate. When she was done removing it, she placed the armour on the bed, she silently exhaled, relieved to finally be out of it. She moved to remove the pistol from the inner pocket. She considered it for a moment, then shifted her eyes back to her companions for the night. She moved to place it on her nightstand when her eyes quickly darted away, her body twisting as she raised the gun toward the door, cupping her free hand around the other for support.

The others quickly sprung to action as well, just in time, it would seem, as the door burst open as men began to push into the room. Three had pushed into the room itself initially, with what seemed like a forth behind. As her companions engaged the soldiers from the front, she was off to the side, having claimed a bed against the hallway wall. She had a clear shot on the enemies’ flank. When the idiot’s spells took hold, she saw the center man stiffen and another crumpled. Noelle for a moment locked eyes with the third man in the room and just narrowly managed to drop her head in time for a bullet to sail harmlessly over her and into the wall behind her. At the same time, she fired off two rounds of her own. The first struck the man in the hand, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon. The gun impacted the ground, firing around round - this one grazing Noelle’s now exposed shoulder, but otherwise harmlessly passing through also into the wall behind her. Her own second round passed through his neck, and going off the dark blood sputtering from the wound in thick, viscous globs, he wasn’t long for the world. Speaking would be difficult. Good. No survivors.

The stiffened man was impaled by the Viera mercenary and, going off what she could hear, it sounded as if he had fired upon a man behind the first as well. They were under assault. By Valheimian soldiers, nonetheless. It…didn’t make sense, but her expression was too focused to betray her thoughts as she kept the gun pointed at the doorway, ready to fire should another wave attempt to push through.

---

Ibraham | Part II

Location: Balmung Castle | Guest Dorm III | Mentions: @Psyker Landshark & @Cu Chulainn

---

Everything happens for a reason. For example, Ibraham never got the chance to ask the Limbtaker to slap him during dinner. He had been too involved in the other conversations, and quite frankly, he didn’t want to get slapped in the first place. The man he had made the wager with stared him down as they made their exit, but Ibraham avoided his gaze. Chances are he’d never see the man again in his life, so why sweat it? Besides, it just meant that when it became clear that he would be sharing a room with both her and the other gil-motivated knucklehead, it wasn’t dreadfully awkward. Just, y’know, your casual run-of-the-mill awkward that comes from having to bunk with a war criminal.

He watched as the other Faye, Butter’s Bane, settled in before turning toward his second companion.

Ibraham watched the Limbtaker forgo her bed to slump against a wall with morbid curiosity. It would be clear to most people that she obviously had no intention of talking tonight, that it might be dangerous to push her to do so. Ibraham, however, was not most people - he was an idiot. “So you’re, what, planning on just…sitting like that the whole night, are you?” he asked, confused as he kicked off his boots and leaped onto his bed, pulling the bottle of wine from where he had it stashed in his clothes and already getting into it. “Right. Suit yourself. Bed’s ridiculously comfy, but I’m sure the floor is just, mwah, chef’s kiss too.” he added, gesturing a kiss to his finger tips before exploding them toward the ceiling then moving to wipe his mouth against his sleeve. After a moment, he added, “S’it true that you had a throne o’ cocks during the war?” pausing for a moment before adding context.“Weaselly bastard I was sitting next to during dinner swore up and down he saw it with his own eyes, but the whole story felt legless if you ask me. Oh. Ha! A legless story about the Limbtaker! Ha!”

As Ibraham lifted his bottle of pilfered wine to take another drink, Izayoi muttered something then darted forward. For a moment, Ibraham was sure that this was the end, that he was about to be taken for all of his limbs, when suddenly the door shot open and the Mystel was already on the attack, cleanly slicing through the barrels of the soldiers’ guns. Ibraham hadn’t even had time to react when the first shot tore through the wall beside him, sailing harmlessly overhead toward the ceiling, causing Ibraham to luckily hunker down, just in time for the second shot to tear through the wall and shatter the bottle he had been drinking from.

“WHA-OH, PISS OFF!” he exclaimed as the wine drenched him. “That was probably expensive!” he whined, rolling from the bed to his feet, swiping his blades as he hunkered down. At Izayoi’s command, Ibraham darted forward, blades held in reverse grip. As he approached the men circling Izayoi, one turned to catch him. Ibraham rolled under the soldier’s blade, nearly diving between the man’s legs before pulling back, biting his daggers into the back of the soldier’s knees before ripping them back, causing the man to lose his footing and fall.

As Ibraham attempted to get back to his own feet, a second soldier was on him, slicing at an angle. The blade cut into Ibraham’s right arm, the thief’s blood splattering against the hardwood, staining it as it moved to pool with the rest of the blood being spilt. The pain caused him to lose his grip on the Mage Masher, but as the soldier pulled the sword back, Ibraham struck out with the Sword Breaker, catching the blade in between its teeth. He twisted his arm, attempting to disarm the soldier, but the other man was relentless, holding onto his weapon for dear life. Ibraham pushed forward with his shoulder, using his now free hand to grab the man’s armour as he hooked his leg around the other’s, sending both men tumbling to the ground and rolling towards the bed and wall. Moving to mount the soldier, Ibraham pinned his foe’s sword arm with his own as he launched a strike with the free hand towards the man’s neck.

The soldier gagged as his throat was set upon with punches. Had it not been for the gorget preventing Ibraham from landing a solid hit, it likely would have been over for him. Instead, the soldier struck back, swinging his gauntleted fist toward the Rogue and landing fairly solid blows, all things considered. One strike likely cracked a rib or two. When it became clear that it wouldn’t be enough, the soldier started tearing at Ibraham, reaching his fingers up toward Ibraham’s head. But when that seemed out of reach, he moved instead towards the cut, digging his fingers into the wound to try to throw Ibraham off-balance. The con man screamed in pain, but still managed to lean just far enough to grab the hilt of the Mage Masher with his free hand without freeing the soldier. Blade in hand, Ibraham ripped back, tearing across the soldier’s neck with the blade once, then, upon realizing that it wasn’t a clean enough strike, doing it a second time to put the man out of his misery.

There would be time enough to unpack his first ever murder later, but for now, a wide-eyed shell-shocked Ibraham shot his head to the side, searching for any more coming attacks.