Shoe Thief

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Basement II Boogaloo Action: Introductions Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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To say Kathryn was a little full of herself in this moment was an understatement, she was excited, proud of herself! Nothing could slow her down! Not only was she a physical force of nature that few could even hope to challenge, she had a brain that actually did something helpful for once! When the door opened, she held a hand on her hammer in case anything jumped out. But she found herself rather... disappointed. Another door. Not only that, another locked door. "...shit balls..." Kathryn grumbled seeing it. Stepping into the small hallway she was able to note that the hallway was in fact, dusty. There was not a ton to observe, but the dust was telling. It meant there was little to no traffic in a very, very long time. It was a backup study, so there was no telling how little it was actually used. But if this was the study that Lizbeth's grandfather did his arcane work in, she was surprised it had been so long. Sure, he had died months ago, but this seemed rather under used.

Turning around, she noticed another thing, the secrete door she opened could be resealed with a lever from the inside. Made it easy to keep the room secrete even when working in it, and in a pinch it could make a last minute panic room. Something to keep in mind if things went wrong. Not that anyone here would choose to hide over fighting, but it may come down to it if things get particularly bad. As Kathryn moved around some more, other than throwing off her center of gravity some, she kept forgetting Kosara was attached to her person. Her armor hugged her tighter than Kosara did, and the tiefling woman's weight didn't really effect Kathryn's strength too much either. But the repeated cheers kept reminding Kathryn that there was in fact, a full grown woman hanging off her back. "Yeah I don't really know if we have what we need to get through the door without brute forcing it. But without knowing what is on the other side, that may be a bit risky. Plus I don't think Lizbeth and Cecily would like us destroying the building too much." Kathryn did try for the crowbar again to see if that would fit into the lock, and it wasn't even fucking close. Then the key from the original study! Also, no dice. "Mother fucker." Kathryn mumbled. She really should have picked up a trick or two when it came to locked doors.

Kathryn then took a moment to step outside of the small hallway to make room for another potential expert. Maybe Victoria had a trick up her sleeve? Or maybe BB knew how to pick a lock? But he also only had one arm... That seemed hard without a second arm, but BB was one of the few people that could go toe to toe with Kathryn in a strait up brawl, so she hesitated underestimating him ever. But in the end, it was Daxos as the dwarf seemed to actually be able to pick a lock! Holy shite! Moving aside so he could work Kathryn found herself a bit deflated when his picking seemed to fail, but he seemed to have another solution. "I was hoping to get in without property destruction, but our options are beginning to run out. If need be I could probably brute force the door, but I worry about if something is waiting on the other side for us." Kathryn said with some concern in her voice. "Plus, I want to keep the cleanup and repair work to a minimum once we are all done here. The less debris the better."

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Tap Room --> Basement again! Action: Introductions Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kosara herself was overall just adorable in her own way. "Just really good bestest friends?" Kathryn asked teasingly. Though they had gone on a date, the night was memorable for all the wrong reasons. She hadn't even been able to talk with Kosara on where they stand? Or where she stands? Parts of Kathryn weren't even sure if such a relationship was allowed. To her knowledge the tiefling woman was not nobility, and she couldn't prove if she came from a wealthy family. And if her father was around, he would be furious that Kathryn was even considering a relationship with someone who likely couldn't produce an heir with her.

Kathryn found herself a bit unsure the best ways to help Lizbeth. She would be lying if she said the undead form Lizbeth held didn't unsettle her just a little bit. But at this point she was sure that this was in fact the young lass she had gotten to know and care for. And she was more than a hollow shell of someone else. Even in this state Kathryn was overjoyed to see Lizbeth get as excited as she was. "Good, keep practicing your magic. Don't think I will let you lighten up your martial training." Kathryn said with a jokish smile on her face. But she was serious. If anyone was to try and harm Lizbeth they would first have to face off through Kathryn. Then Lizbeth could still put up a good fight on whoever remained.

The introduction to Daxos seemed to go well, but Kathryn did let out a bit of a warm chuckle at the comment to her alias. "Glad you like the name, but it is not my name. It is an alias that noble youth take on for adventuring or wondering years. Some do it to avoid tying their problems back to their families, some do it to avoid having their family name effect their adventures. It makes it easier for someone from nobility who are out and about in the world to say what they did was their own achievement and not just because they had their parents name. Though its not a foolproof system. It means youth can get a bit more... Adventurous without blow backs to their family." She paused realizing some of the implications with that statement. "Not that... I've done anything so scandalous to warrant such a thing." Kathryn said in her hasty defense.

Much like that morning when Lizbeth got a brief upper hand on Kathryn during their sparing, Kathryn's fight reflex kicked in once against when Kosara landed on her cape, wrapping around her torso. This time, Kathryn was able to stop herself before any harm could be done. She had instinctively reached up over her shoulder, and her hand had barely grasped one of Kosara's horns before her grip instantly eased. The voice and texture finally registering passed her reflexes. "Okay okay, just don't surprise me so much yeah?" Kathryn said jokingly and thankfully that she didn't react by attempting to forcefully separate the two of them.

Then, in that moment of adrenaline, something clicked. "fork... fork... fork fork... Son of a mother fucker. Its the fucking crowbars." Kathryn let out mildly frustrated that it did not click sooner. But not relieved as she had been booted down so far with her ideas. "I gotta...." She paused, remembering there was a tiefling on her back. Compared to what Kathryn was used to when weight lifting, Kosara weighed practically nothing. And for a moment she had almost forgotten there was a whole ass woman wrapped around her person. "We're gonna go check out something real fast. I think I got the puzzle sorted." Kathryn said hesitantly, but optimistically.

Kathryn rushed to the basement, tiefling attached to her like the assortment of belts and pouches she would normally carry. And sure, now that she was running and going down stairs Kosara was far more noticeable. But only in the sense that her center of balance has absolutely changed. She returned to the shelf and noted several possible prey bars and crowbars that could do the job. When she finds the right one, she presses it in gently, increasing the force as needed so it can set in properly, then turns it a quarter way. There is a grinding stone sound that can be heard as the prybar shifts and a door like space appears in the stone behind the shelving. "Holy son of a fuck bucket." Kathryn mumbled as the door appeared. Kathryn turned excitedly as she had used her brain power instead of brawn and had figured something out! "HEY! WE GOT SOMETHING!" Kathryn said excited barely able to keep herself still before turning around again and attempting to use the handle to open the door.

The Dead Don't Die.

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June Fowler

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Location: Pinned to the wall of the MRAP by a scary lady
Skills: N/A

To say things were getting intense was an understatement. As a whole June felt herself getting more flustered. Not because she was getting pinned to a wall by a scary woman and this would have been a fun fantasy were it not the end of the world, but because it was the end of the world and she got herself called out for doing something extremely selfish. And now there was yelling. When asked if things were under control, June tried to speak, but could only manage a nod herself. She had given up any fight she had left. Running a whole day on fight and flight took a lot out of her cognitively that she normally wasn't up for giving.

She almost spoke up when Billie unclasped the bag that held the guns. Not because she was objecting to that, but because a lot of her personal articles were in there. A laptop, tablet, and a bunch of other essentials. Though... none of her prescriptions. Those, like the car she and her father had rebuilt were still back in the city itself. Yes, she could live without them. None were life threatening. However... they made life considerably easier. when told to go back into the van, June simply nodded again, and when she began to climb she heard Billie mention that there were only two guns. A part of her still wanted to hide it. Keep it for herself. Now she felt she needed it more with how she turned everyone away. But she didn't have the strength anymore to fight. She couldn't handle another confrontation.

Gus had proposed only giving guns to people who knew how to use them. Kali had offered to even let someone use the rifle should they know how. But not without June herself giving up the guns. Lex seemed to be more prepared for things, on alert, staying up to date on their goings on ons. Turning so she could face Billie June finally found the words to speak while sitting just barely inside of the MRAP. "I still have one... I'm familiar with guns though." She briefly wondered if that would be seen as intentionally holding a gun out from the stash she stole. If that would cause more problems. "I can... I can give it back." June said as she reached into her belt and pulled the gun she clearly knew how to hold, but was so jostled up she could barely keep a grip on it. Not only was this a gun she was not familiar with, she was still only a bad episode from having a total breakdown.

Handing the gun back to Billie barrel pointed off to the side in her attempt to keep it as safe as she could, she gave it off. "I'm not that good with a hand gun though. I learned on rifles and shotguns mostly." June said, some of her own voice returning.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Tap Room Action: Introductions Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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So it was a date. BB would tear into Kathryn rightfully so for her lies. The road to hell being paved with good intentions. If she was not careful that was the road she was building. "When that time comes, I look forward to it." Sure, she could get into her conspiracies how some things weren't adding up. How someone had to know more then they were letting on, but BB had his own points, and Kathryn had her own traumas that made her always a little skeptical of most people. A part of her wanted to trust everyone around her. A part of her wanted to give everyone the biggest hug she could and let them know things would be okay. A part of her remembers how steel in her flesh feels. An early memory as sharp as any. But, that did not excuse her behavior.

Returning to the tap room was a nice break from things. No puzzles, no moral quandaries, and only friends and... A new dwarf? Victoria seemed to be handling things okay with Lizbeth, but before Kathryn would officially introduce herself to this new dwarf, she would go in to check on Lizbeth. "Is Victoria teaching you all that fun magic stuff? She'd probably do better than I could in that regard. I'd offer to show you some stuff on runic magic, but I am rather novice myself, and don't know if I would be a good teacher of it." Kathryn joked. But it also seemed Like Lizbeth had a lot on her plate. She was a smart cookie and would be attempting to learn a lot already this winter. "We found a box that requires some sort of fork looking key. So far, no luck opening it outside of what BB has been able to pull off." Kathryn spoke attempting to answer Victoria on her question about what they had found.

Turning to meet the new companion who Kosara had seemed to have brought in, Kathryn approached the man. "Kosara who is this?" She called out to the tiefling woman who she was maybe or maybe not in a relationship with? She would need to get with Kosara on that. Turning to Dax, Kathryn bowed as if she were wearing a dress, and gave a polite curtsy. "Pleasure to meet you, My name is Lady Kathryn traveling under the adventuring name of Pyke." Kathryn said warmly before finishing her bow and standing up right again, watchful to not hit her head on the ceiling. Again.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Tap room --> Basement --> Tap Room Action: Failing the puzzles Bonus Action: Meeting new people! Reaction: being rightfully guilted!

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Victoria's assessment of Lizbeth was informative. Though it made really little sense to Kathryn. The only magic she even had an apprentice level grasp of was old style runic magic. And even then she was rather far from an expert. Her magic was still messy, was sometimes unreliable, and proved to be rather volatile at times. Sure, she didn't explode when she used her magic. But some days the runes felt like they were burning hot. And other days it made her ill to press her magic too far. A part of her wanted to help, but apart of her now worried she made things worse. But for the first time in a hot minute, Lizbeth was getting the answers she needed. But there was more to know. More to learn. More to understand. But, she hoped that Lizbeth would be okay. If anyone could understand the sort of magic that she was experiencing it had to be Victoria, right?

It was clear that the warrior giant was no puzzle expert. Sure, she was smarter than the average commoner, but that by far didn't make her an expert. It did however make her surprisingly literate. And she knew a few fun poems. But when it came to this fucking puzzle box? She had no luck. She tried pressing the mushroom looking button, and it reacted. Then... Unreacted. "Mother fucker." She stated in a single breath as she then began attempting to puzzle out the box. She wasn't ready to snap it open just yet. But the temptation was there. She was not as patient with inanimate objects as she would like to admit. Alas the more she fussed with it, the more tempting twisting it apart was. Her rather brutish impulses were tampered when BB approached, and offered to take a crack at it. "Be my guest. I'm a step away from finding the closest thing to a lid on it and twisting it off." She joked with a smile, though she was tempted. Like really? What is the worst that could happen from that?

Then BB got the box open. Doing it so easily that Kathryn felt like maybe, she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. Maybe she did need to pick up a private tutor again? Maybe learning half the words you knew in common from whores that the knight that trained you brought back to your shared dwellings wasn't a proper way to learn the language. Even if it was kitty corner from your own homelands language. But BB had figured it out! "Well. I'll be damned. You got it!" Sure, she was upset that she hadn't figured it out. BUT! it had been figured out! And that was a huge win! When asked about a key, Kathryn found herself gleeful! Maybe she could do more than just be muscle for the party! She had figured something out! Or at least collected clues. Reaching under her breast plate it took a bit to find the key. Wearing gloves, metal on metal, and bug hide, the key was difficult to find. But she produced it with a smile. "Found it in the same place we found the other clues. So it's gotta fit right?" Kathryn said. Sure, it opened the other box, but maybe old grand papi cheaped out on the locks? No. No he did not. This key did infact not work with this lock. Not even close. "Mother shit fucker." Kathryn said mildly exasperated. The slit was small... maybe she could wiggle a knife into it? Taking one of the many sharp instruments on her person, she then tried to slide a thin blade into the key like port, making nothing more than soft scratches. "Mother shit hell fucker." She said definitely annoyed now. It was like some cruel force of nature didn't want her to be able to solve this. What god would be so cruel?

When BB decided to return upstairs, Kathryn decided to join the dragonborn. Only to be met with some... very harsh criticism by her sparing buddy. He had a lot to call Kathryn out on, and rightfully so. She had lied. Though not as easy as BB implied, she had lied to people that had trusted her. And to his credit, he appeared to be subtle about it for now. So, Kathryn decided to share what she knew to BB, and for now only bb. "I asked Cecily for the keys to the lands. So we could investigate, and figure out the mysteries that plagued the vineyard. Right after Toombas's death. It felt cruel to push Cecily like that right after something so traumatic, but we needed every edge we could get. I even asked Victoria for some magic to aid me. Though I didn't share with her why. In truth, I have suspicions on a lot of people right now." She let out a deep sigh, hesitating to spread rumors without backing. But BB deserved to know her thinking. "We can not rule out Cecily as a subject." She spoke in an even more hushed tone so only BB could hear. "She has a motive BB. And didn't hand over the keys." She stayed hushed, but took a moment to clear her thoughts. "I do not have an exact reason to distrust her, but after everything with Cavendish and the Sheriff, I wanted to know more before voicing suspicions. That is why I didn't give the letter to Cecily. But the information in the letter, I felt Lizbeth had to see before she ended up seeing whatever was in the study. With whatever it being something that her grandfather knew, she would not like to see. As for where I found it, it was locked away in some sort of contingency box within the study." Along with notes, letters, and other assorted things. but the letter was the main note.

She slumped, unsure how to justify lying to her party members. "I didn't want to risk jumping to conclusions about Lizbeth either, not until we knew something more. But as Victoria helps ease Lizbeth through her understanding. I see I was wrong there." She was still hushed. Though a wave of emotions rushed through her. Making her rather unsure how to feel about this. Relieved to not have to keep hiding things? Angry that she wasn't able to help Lizbeth, or that she would think such things about someone who had taken care of all of them? Ashamed for becoming so paranoid about so many people with so little justification? She wasn't sure. "You can rightfully yell and berate me infront of the others later. I'll answer what I know. But please not in front of Lizbeth." She asked of BB before continuing to the main room with everyone else.

Kathryn was last to enter the tap room it seemed. And when she returned she was surprised to see yet another dwarf! She wanted to get excited, dwarves were kinda cool. Though she hadn't met too many. But for being so small, they were generally rather hardy and strong. With Kathryn being considerably stronger than the rest of the party, it was an interesting play to get someone else who may have some muscle to them present. Unless he was also another worker for the lands like Urmdrus, or if he was here for another reason. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ser or Lady Kathryn Pyke of Arcanaple. Pleasure to meet you." Kathryn said as she gave a curt bow as if she were wearing a dress instead of full plated armor made of chain links, leather hides, and bug scales. All wrapped up in a comfortable tunic. All while faking her biggest smile as she struggle with the pain of guilt. Lies. Shame. Then sitting up strait to make sure her bow didn't last too long, while positioning herself so her head wouldn't hit one of the ceiling beams. Again.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Basement --> Tavern --> Basement Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn had some regrets. Maybe she could have handled the letter better, but the more she tried to hide and protect Lizbeth, the more she found herself finding Lizbeth being set up for a great and more painful fall. The more the small bean was likely to crash out from what she was going through. The more it would hurt. She didn't know if it was the right choice, but given the option to keep blindly sheltering Lizbeth, or to help prepare her for what may happen, the clearer the choice was that Lizbeth could not be coddled and sheltered forever. When Lizbeth began to break down, Kathryn found herself remembering her kinder years in her youth. Where instead of belittling her younger siblings and the other children of the keep, she instead was a pillar of support for those who were not as strong. Setting her helmet down on the table as Lizbeth struggle to contain herself.

Pulling up a chair next to her squire Kathryn wrapped her arms around young Lizbeth, holding her closely, giving her somewhere to feel safe for just a moment. "let it out. However you need too. And whatever you need, I will be here for you." Kathryn stated. She wished she could do more. But she didn't know much of the arcane. She didn't know for sure what she was going through. But Kathryn would do everything she could to help Lizbeth. She would do everything she could to support the girl. When Lizbeth stood up and began to march towards the basement, quickly turning into... that form she would sometimes turn into. It no longer surprised Kathryn. Though it did unsettle the warrior. Seeing what Lizbeth could do in the bright light, seeing what she was. Kathryn wondered if this was a curse, or if it was what Lizbeth was truly deep down. No. She may look like this, but that wonders small child who wanted to see what the world had to offer, that is what Lizbeth was. That is who she was. Even if she did look like this.

As the time passed, Victoria seemed to be making a bit more headway with things than Kathryn was. Firstly taking the creepy grave rock that Kathryn had found. Then disappearing to read her books. "I.... okay...." Kathryn said, not really sure how she felt on this. But for all intents and purposes, Victoria was the expert on such matters. And be the expert she was. In moments the bard had put pieces together that Kathryn couldn't even wrap her head around. When Kathryn heard Sorcerer, she was tempted to ask Victoria the difference between a sorcerer and a warlock, but in the end she decided against such measures. For now, give Lizbeth time to process the information and then figure things out. BB had also taken the time to read the letter, and it seemed the party was more or less in agreement. Lizbeth was definitely effected by strong magic. Dangerous magic. But, she was still her. She was just, struggling with power beyond her comprehension.

Returning to the basement, Lizbeth had taken a moment too help figure things out, pointing out the coldest wall used to store the bacon. Alas, it was another angle to look at things, so Kathryn got to work. She moved bits about, shoved them to the side, and as per Lizbeth's requests, she did not break everything in an attempt to figure it out. Alas, a fair request. That is when she noticed, the only bit of fixed furnishing in the room was a single shelf, used to store tools, ropes, parts, and the only furniture affixed to the wall. But, it stood out too. Kathryn wasn't sure what it was, but she had found herself a depressed drunken mess a few times in taverns so she could at least claim to be an expert. Something... was off. So she began to move about the tools on the shelf, even the shelf itself. Maybe there was a lever to reveal something? Maybe there was some way too learn more?

The Dead Don't Die.

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June Fowler

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Location: Pinned to the wall of the MRAP by a scary lady
Skills: N/A

The smiles and good moods ended nearly immediately. The moment Billie's voice came through June froze. "I... I...I..." Welp, there goes that confidence as Billie trapped her against the wall. In any other situation that felt less hostile or life threatening she would come up with a witty joke to ease the tensions. Something along the lines of "Kinky" or "Jokes on you I'm into this shit". But in this moment, all June could muster was how close to an emotional breakdown she actually was. "No I..." The words couldn't materialize. Sure, what June did was selfish and misguided. But there was still apart of her that wanted to clear the air. "Hey I'm sorry I took all the guns, but I want to reassure you that its not because I am trying to ditch you, I just don't trust any of you to not leave me the first chance you got, so I wanted insurance to make sure that didn't happen." Is what she probably would have said if she hadn't lost the ability to speak while panicking. There was also apart of her that registered that she was focusing on the wrong problem. She did that a lot. Got super focused on specific details and tended to overlook everything else.

When she heard Kali call out for the a rifle, June began to panic more. Those same guns that gave her the confidence to take on the world a moment ago? Her mind couldn't even register that she had one in her belt right now. "...wait no i just..." she tried to speak, coming out more as squeaking as her legs began to buckle from under her. Her desperate attempt to feel safe had inadvertently made her feel considerably less safe. Ironic really. The only reason she didn't completely fall to her knees was that Billie was so close to her she wasn't sure she had the room to collapse without falling into Billie, so taking all her remaining strength she stood while now every sound, motion, tick and click, step and shout began to overwhelm her. "Fuck fuck FUCK FUCK FUCK!" she wanted to scream out. But no words came. She wanted to panic. She wanted to speak. But the fact she was so panicked she couldn't speak only made the panic worse. If she could explain herself maybe they would stop yelling? Maybe they would understand?

Understanding wasn't the problem right now. Apart of her knew that. She just wanted this to stop. Mustering what little she had she forced out a single barely audible word. "_...sorry...." she uttered trying her best to enunciate it. Trying her best to not panic further. She fucked up, and she was being not only called out, but making her situation worse for it. Before rather forcefully pushing the laptop bag into Billie that held a lot of June's remaining worldly possessions and the guns and magazines. Shy of the one pistol still in her belt that at this moment she had forgotten about. As well as forgetting the bag was still wrapped around June's Torso.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Basement Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn realized in her heist to prove she was useful for more than just muscle that she had failed to properly update BB on what was going on. "He mentioned a second study in a note. With a riddle attached to it saying "I do like to make sure our guests have plenty of bacon on hand". I assumed since he used to study in the coach house a fair bit that he must have meant here. And I hoped that with the basement being significantly smaller than the foundation for the rest of the building, that this wall would lead to some sort of secrete room or door. Cellar, storage, made sense at the time. Now I am not so sure." Kathryn sighed, not totally defeated, but definitely disheartened.

The return of Victoria was a nice one. She was a bit more of the skill junky magic user who could probably lend a hand, or figure this thing out if needed. Even with Lizbeth's input, they were beginning to hit dead ends. That was when Victoria noticed the gem Kathryn had pulled out in an attempt to convince the secrete door Kathryn was totally sure was real to reveal itself. Kathryn felt like a wild animal being stalked by some creature looking to have its way with her. "Vivianite?" Kathryn asked in confusion after V took the stone and examined it. "It was... in the Sarcophagus in the study. We were looking for clues and we found it." The implications of what Victoria said combined with what they knew so far, and where Kathryn found it, left the tall woman rather... unsettled. All Kathryn could think about were those dreams she had. All that death, all that pain. Were those dreams memories, or predictions. "Did you learn anything about the dreams?" Kathryn asked hopefully. She really didn't want to find out the hard way it was a prediction.

BB had suggested that they expand their search to outside, and though Kathryn was pretty sure that the study had to be in the basement, she had no way to know for sure after her attempts failed. "Again, I am almost certain the study has to be here. But I just... Dont know how to find it without dismantling the place." Plus if it was magic who could say that would even work? What if it was a pocket space of some kind? She had heard of those. "There's a storage out in the yard, we should check there for sure." Kathryn said with a defeated sigh before turning to join BB and Lizbeth. Before remembering the warning in the note.

Kathryn wanted to do her best to protect the small girl too, but she was worried that the more she tried, the more she was setting her up to fall even harder. She remembered the warning in the note, and didn't want to surprise Lizbeth with that. "Hey Lizbeth, before you go, you should take this. I thought I was protecting you, but I feel this is the wrong way too. If you decide you want to keep looking for the study with us, you should read it. This whole thing is going to be very close and personal to you. If I was in your shoes I would probably step away if I knew the situation was in good hands. But you should read this before you see the study." Kathryn said before pulling the note out from behind her breastplate. Bug Plate. "It's addressed to Cecily, but you have a right to know." She said before handing the note over to the small girl.

Halo: Edge of Midnight

why is he so old? isn't he ready for retirement?

@Lunamaria Hawke

That is kind of the joke of the character. He's tried to retire a few times but for one reason or another it did not pan out.

Halo: Edge of Midnight

AND SECOND TRY! This time I read.

Master Sergent Edward Lance

Master Sergent Edward Lance
Master Sergent Edward Lance

^{"No, why would it be easy. When is anything ever easy?"}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Master Sergent Edward Lance _________________________________________________________ 58 | Male _________________________________________________________ CMA, UNSC Marines, UNSC ODST Corps | Harvest W E A P O N S & E Q U I P M E N T W E A P O N S & E Q U I P M E N T _________________________________________________________ [+] - W E A P O N S & E Q U I P M E N T ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ M7 Caseless submachine Gun - ◼ Combat Knife - ◼ C-7 Foaming Explosive gear - ◼ Data pad - ◼ Electrical tools - ◼ Non Military issued rations - S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Combat engineer ◼ Standard Infantry combat ◼ Demolitions ◼ Motorpool - O T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C I N F O ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Rank: Master Sergent ◼ Homeworld: Harvest ◼ Edward Lance has spent much of his career trying to prevent his own guys from killing people who are supposed to be their allies. Sometimes they are humans, sometimes they are aliens. ◼ Halo Reach - T H E M E S O N G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Wonderlust King -

S E R V I C E R E C O R D... S E R V I C E R E C O R D... Edward Lance's service history began as an unskilled laborer in the motor pool within the CMA. Driving everything from warthogs, to forklifts, and on a couple occasions a Pelican. He would later claim that piloting aircraft was the worst job he ever had to work, and was thankful to never have to do it outside of moving old craft from one maintenance point to another. Edward was never a die hard loyalist though. Not to the UNSC, to Earth, the CMA, or even Harvest. To Edward Lance, his job was just that, a job to do to pay the bills, earn a pension, and retire comfortably when he got old in the frontiers of space. While serving in a storage complex just off Paris IV, Edward had gotten the news of the invasion of the Covenant on Harvest, and had heard the devastating figures coming in. Due to how spotty communication was, himself and others within his unit didn't know for sure what had happened until nearly a dozen other colonies had also fallen. Even then, many assumed the UNSC had gotten fed up and began to isolate and lay siege problem planets. Cutting them off from the rest of the galaxy. Though Edward Lance didn't believe that, he believed the rumors of aliens wiping out whole colonies while the UNSC got their collective assess handed to them. But as fewer and fewer ships returned to port, fewer and fewer enlisted men returned from deployment, it was clear that even if it wasn't aliens, it was bad. The absorption of the CMA into the UNSC navy was a slow one. Edward Lance had to reenlist into the Marines to keep his job and hopefully his pension. Years later, he would learn that would be lost too as well as his homeworld. It took years to get confirmation on what had happened to his friends and loved ones, and every time he learned more, he was more and more disappointed to read who was missing and confirmed dead. Lance spent several years just focused on his work. "Soon this war will be over and you'll be done. Soon you can make a new home, a new life, and this nightmare will end." Soon became nearly 25 years. His unit, originally motor pool, was converted into an improvised combat engineer unit to fill the gaps of experienced combat engineers lost during the war. Edward Lance had been one of the lucky ones, having not been in too many engagements himself. The ones he had been in were devastating to his unit. Losing so many men that by the time Reach fell, he was the last member left of the original CMA unit that had been folded over into the marines. Some were killed, others wounded so badly they could never function. Edward Lance? Never anything more than scratches, light burns, and on two cases, a mild concussion. Some men went missing, presumed dead. Others went awol trying to escape the fighting, or joining up with insurrection remnants hidden within human space. Lance was thankful his unit was rarely deployed against rebels, and never in combat roles. He wasn't sure if that was done intentionally due to the original unit's ties to the CMA, or if it was pure luck, but he was thankful none the less. He'd rather face endless hordes of the Covenant rather than bear arms against his former neighbors. When Earth was attacked, Edward Lance had been redeployed into the streets of New Mombasa with orders of Scorched Earth. Destroy every bridge the Covenant press. Level every building they hold up in. Mine every street they tried to cross. Make the bastards bleed for every inch. He'd later be quoted saying that when the shooting finally stopped, his hands felt like they weren't working right because they couldn't readjust to not shooting anymore. Edward Lance however did not escape this battle unscathed. A piece of debris from a bridge had crushed part of his leg pretty early in the fighting. With front lines being as muddy and messy as a swamp, Lance was patched up and sent back out. Two Plasma bolts would melt his armor trough, causing severe burns on his chest and chin. When that was patched up he was sent back out to have a needle shard pass clean through the same leg that had been crushed only weeks before. When the medical station in Cuba he had been laid up in was about to be overrun, Edward Lance had participated in their last stand in a desperate attempt to stop the brutes from overrunning their position. Himself and other combat engineers from his unit would orchestrate a mix of improvised explosives using scuttle charges from a downed warship, mining charges packed in containers filled with shell casings from their rifles, and improvised fire bombs made from medical compounds used only the week before to treat their wounds. Edward Lance and his men, combined with other wounded, and the medical staff would hold their position until the war finally ended. When the relief and rescue teams came they came across gaunt starving men surrounded by improvised barricades made of storage crates and the bodies of fallen aliens, armed with guns with less than a dozen bullets each, and bandaged up with whatever rags could pass as clean enough. Most had trouble believing it was finally over. Edward Lance however simply smiled when he heard the news, and could be quoted stating "About fucking time." With a limp that would never properly heal, old age finally making life harder, and the deadliest war in human history coming to an end, Edward Lance decided he was finally ready to retire. Retirement was far from what Edward Lance had hoped for. Between paperwork being a mess due to a near genocidal war, a massive refugee crisis, and few colony worlds remaining to live out a comfortable retirement, Edward attempted to retired as a mechanic on Earth with what limited pension he could muster up. After years of this, Edward Lance made the decision that retirement was not for him. Not yet anyways. Humanity was not in a position to allow for men like him to rest easy. Reenlisting Edward Lance would rejoin the Marine Corps as an ODST Master Sergent. Much the same work he was doing during the war, just with far, far less shooting. Something that Master Sergent Lance was more than happy with. Sure, he got the occasional combat drop. And sure, then there would be shooting. But it was rarely the kind of shooting that led to whole companies being wiped out in a weekend. A much better improvement to the old war vet. After all, how many galactic ending events can take place in one man's life? Sure, Earth would get nearly wiped out a few times since he reenlisted, AI overthrew the human race, and a covenant splinter group had jumped started a new major conflict, then another one when the first one was subdued. And smaller ones would still pop up from time to time. And now he worked side by side with the same species that tried to wipe his kind off the face of the galaxy! All in all, still an improvement to the old combat engineer. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________