Ti

The Hourglass Order

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Event: High Steaks: Chapter One | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Gourmet Grill-Off

Location: Au Boeuf Rouge, Ersand’Enise
Characters: Zarina @YummyYummy as the Butcher, Ingrid @dragonpiece as the Chef, and Maura @Ti as the Mastermind. Zarra @BreathOfTheWoof, Kaspar @wolfieh as hired help.

Maura was the first to arrive and it seems she came prepared as well. Next to her are supply boxes consisting of assorted Chef, Butcher, and Help outfits, along with what appears to be good quality knives and equipment as if stolen from someone's kitchen.

Maura peers up as she receives glances from her fellow students, “It was short notice.” She huffs as she swivels towards them, “You know, it would have been a lot easier logistically if you wanted to cook the thing, but fortunately for you, you have me.”, makes a show of pointing towards herself. ”So not only did you get the means, we also happened to find a backer who is willing to help fund this escapade of yours as well. You can thank me later. Now don these things whilst you listen to the rundown.”

Maura brings up a chalk slate, scribbling upon it as to make her points more evident. “If you want to save the Snowsweeper, you need to get into the literal belly of the beast. That means you need to impress Marquis Blaise Beauregard with your cooking, or at least don’t fudge it and do better than the others in there.” She draws crosses over the stick figures of the competition. “As our Virangish friend rightly pointed out, despite his reputation for always hiring the best and brightest, he has run into a money issue. In short, if you impress, it would be a shoe in.”

She wipes the slate down, as she scribbles upon it again. “Naturally, this leads to another issue. The competition, and frankly, we are not the best there. Not only have the local talent co-opted this event to have the competition to prove their worth, the international students have got involved too. You will need to get creative… especially you”, she looks towards Zarina, handing her over a wooden twig. The pair look at eachother, especially Zarina who seemed far more expectant in her gaze. “Whilst we have heard you know which end of the sword to use, we cannot sabotage the others by trying to dull their blades. So this is a gift from our benefactor. They said to use it if you get stuck. Those were the instructions given.”

Maura coughs before continuing, “They are even charging an entry fee now due to numbers.” She produces four tokens to hand out to each of them, “Consider this my investment in each of you.”

With everything seemingly in order, she waves them off into the Restaurant. She has far more important things to arrange, assuming they are able to pull off the impossible.

Meanwhile…

Marquis Blaise Beauregard rubs upon his stomach as he remains seated upon the table. Another successful dish. This plan of his was ingenious, why bother paying for the talent when it is throwing themselves at his feet. It seems his little talent scouting has taken on a life of its own.

“Comme vous pouvez voir, nous allons servir an banquet de haute qualité. Non seulement allons-nous servir le Snowsweeper, mais nous aurons également les étoiles d'Ersand'Enise à accomplir les directives de votre père. Vous pouvez donc l'informer que les rumeurs n'étaient pas fondées.”
As you see, I will be serving up only the best quality at the banquet. Not only will I be serving a Snowsweeper, but then I will have the best and bright of Ersand’Enise fulfil the requirements set by your father. You can tell him the rumours are unfounded.

“Ce n'était qu'une formalité. Vous êtes sans doutes au courant que nous ne pouvons pas risquer la présence de l'Alliance Centrale dans cette position. Une position que sera prête à servir un repas à sa majesté, vu les tensions actuelles."
Our presence is only a formality. As you are no doubt aware, we cannot have any from the Central Alliance in a position to serve food to his Royal Highness given the political tension.
Frédérique offers the Marquis a sweet and sympathetic smile.

Étienne simply huffs as he has his arms crossed.
“Avec les masses passant ces portes, je ne suis pas sûre que leur simple présence à proximité du repas de sa majesté sera suffisante pour l'empoisonner.”
With the riff-raff coming through these doors, not sure if their mere presence near his majesty’s food would be enough to poison it.

Frédérique moves to place a hand upon his arm.
“Frère, sois gentil. Le Marquis ne cherche qu'à nous fournir le meilleur.”
Brother, be gentle now. The Marquis is only ensuring the best is offered.

Étienne turns to gaze into that smile for a minute before putting down his guard.
“Tu as raison, Frédérique. Marquis, aucun manque envers vous. Je ne souhaite simplement pas que ces gueux nous polluent avec leur crasse.”
You are right, Frédérique. Marquis, no disrespect aimed towards yourself. I simply don’t want one of these commoners to pollute us with their filth.

The Marquis simply offers a jolly laugh.
“Ne t'en fais pas, mon garçon. Tu risques d'en trouver un ou deux qui te surprendront”
It is fine, my son. You may find one or two here that may surprise you.

Étienne quietly seethes at being referred to as garçon by this fat man, before having a new idea.
“Nous allons donc opter pour ta suggestion. Frédérique, lèves-toi, nous allon juger cette compétition.”
Then I should take up your suggestion. Frédérique, stand up, we shall judge the competition.

As the pair walk away, the Marquis drops his demeanour, speaking aloud only to himself.
“Gâtés pourris. Ne ruinez pas davantage cet opportunité pour moi avec le Roi.”
Spoilt brats. Don’t ruin this opportunity with the King.

The Entrance: Au Boeuf Rouge

“Welcome to Au Boeuf!…” the waitress notices the tokens in their hands, and as if the costumes were not enough to signify their intentions, she takes the tokens from their hands. “You are just in time, not sure this competition will go on for much longer. Take the table at the end. The… carving is taking place in the next room. There is an additional charge for any ingredients you did not bring with you.”

As they move along to the table, they are seeing the other contestants preparing their meals.

On the chef tables, Ingrid and the boys meet their competition
There is the familiar face of Mio from Seoul Sista’s already underway with the cooking, waving towards the students she has met before.
Idun from RASgardians seems to be preparing brandæbles for her dish.
Olga from Pravda Æresvaktr is preparing a meal Vossoriyi style.
Another Vossoriya girl, Oksana appears to be there as well, taking what appears to be a very unusual approach with her cooking.
Many more of their fellow friends and rivals are taking part.

In the ‘carving’ room, Zarina finds herself faced with her own foes.
Nia from Seoul Sista’s currently sharpening a long blade usually associated with those from North Callanst culture with a whetstone.
A large Eskandish Berserker, Thorin from RASgardians wielding a hammer and what appears to be a chisel.
The Huulendamn boy from the notice board earlier with his own set of speciality tools.
Anna from Pravda Æresvaktr waves over towards her.
Many more of their fellow friends and rivals are taking part.

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Action Opportunities

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You have all decided to try to save the Snowsweeper!
Now you have just to convince the harshest critics you have ever come across, the Gourmet King, Marquis Blaise Beauregard, and the Perrench High Noble twins of De Perpignan, a family of Oriflamme fame.

You have a host of different opportunities only limited by your creativity.
Ingrid is on the Chef side, Zarina is on the carving side. They are expected to be primarily within their respective areas. Zarra and Kaspar can run between if required.
If you want to gather information, feel free to use the Discord thread for replies from various NPCs.
There are multiple ways to influence things in your favour. The more you do, the more success modifiers you earn.

Do you have what it takes to end up being Sipenta's next Jesse Greenwood?

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: High Steaks: Introduction | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Location: Notice Board, Grand Plaza of Ersand’Enise
Characters: Zarina @YummyYummy, Zarra @BreathOfTheWoof, Ingrid @dragonpiece, Kaspar @wolfieh, and Maura @Ti.

Maura looks as Zazzy antagonises the yasoi, who now swears in some unknown dialect with colourful rephrasing using the word yanii before walking off. She strokes down her skirt as she sighs out, “Guess you scared off our chef.”

“Oh well,” Zarina shrugs, “We'll find another. Probably.”

Maura rolls her eyes as she mulls over the accusations levelled towards her as taking an unusual pleasure in slaughtering endangered species. “Well, we need to recruit at least one more… and if we are going to go through with your idea, we would need at least a couple more on top of that still.”.

Fortunately more students turn up as Maura recognised them. The boy with charcoal still on his hands, Kaspar. The very tall Eskandish girl. Ingrid, who gave Ayla pan-pipes came too, though accompanied by a diminutive blonde boy.

“Ah, you three want to join us on this job? It is Operation Snowsweepered!

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Action Opportunities

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For the new folks, feel free to express your character's views in a reply to this post on saving the Snowsweeper rather than serving it up. Feel free interact with some of the other NPC’s on Discord channel if you require further information for your post.
- There is a Perrench Gourmet food fanboy. He has a disturbing amount of passion when it comes to food.
- There is the Huulendamn boy. He seems to have a keen ear to the ground when it comes to the rumours. Are the sources reliable? This sounds like a golden cash cow if it proves to be true.
- There is the Belzagg girl and her friend. They are against the cruelty of animals, especially the reported Snowsweeper. We eat cattle all the time, so why would a Snowsweeper be any different, isn’t it just a large Eskandish cow?

Even if your goal is to save the Snowsweeper, the first step is going to be the same. You will have to win this Gourmet Grill-off using any means possible.

Your task is to go to the Au Boeuf Rouge and participate against other students from the academy in the hosted Food War, with the judge Marquis Blaise Beauregard overseeing the selection process.

Do you have what it takes to be Sipenta's next MasterChef?

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: Secrets of Zaqhoria | Location: Ruins of Zaqhoria, Torragonese Desert

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The Monster had just torn the horrors into pieces as rivers of blood sprayed around the room. Ayla tried her best to concentrate on being strong for her friends, her body and thoughts on autopilot as she tried to make sense of the situation, though hopelessly and completely overwhelmed. The monster appeared to be targeting the very things keeping it caged, the threats of which becoming evident as Jocasta suddenly starts drawing and begins to battle with the creature as she puts it within a kinetic grasp which barely held.

"The rest of you," Jocasta quickly murmured, "get out of here. Now."

Her eyes wide with shock as she hears those words, "What about you?". She starts to draw upon her mana, as feeble the amount seems in comparison with the blonde beside her.

Zarina clicks her tongue, “Not unless you come along.”

Jocasta tossed a smile back over her shoulder at them. "Stupid brave," she said. Then, the beast spoke.

"I can understand you," said the monster, grinning evilly.

"We freed you," Jocasta reminded her.

Hoping to catch the monster off-guard with the distraction. Ayla starts to channel her own energy as she begins to reach her limit, "Hear this!" She releases a sonic attack towards the creature, hopefully enough to disorientate and discombobulate her enough so they can use that moment to escape using Jocasta's temporal magic.

The beast, who had seemed on the verge of speaking, flinches for a moment, flaring its nostrils. "Not bad, girl." she hissed. "For that, I shall extract a toll."

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Click.

Done.

That was all the time it took for her to become a ragdoll.

Become no more alive than one of Ysilla’s puppets.

Ayla was suddenly in the world of darkness as she is currently cut off from seven of her senses, the eighth thundering in their absence as she becomes one with her own body, the deafening which rapidly accelerates as she screams out in the abyss.

Yet for all she may scream, there was only silence.

A deafening silence.

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A soul trapped in a husk.
Her life has now met its dusk.

The Ultimate Sacrifice for a lie.
Time has come for her to die.

Yet in the sleepful state, she is still wide awake.
Not yet embraced the darkness offered by the Drake.

She moved forward as the darkness parted, breaking through into a light.
Even with all the setbacks, her hopes and dreams burn bright.

Like a rose caught in a breeze,
She will not fall foul of this disease.

As to where fate will sow,
Temptation implores her to know.

As moonlight reflects in her sight, Ayla extends her hand as she plucks the Rose from the air. The attraction was natural as she cups it within her grasp. Lulled in with its beautiful presence. The blue of the petals is electrifying, witnessing the magical energy arcing from it to her. The flower is sizzling within her hand as it dissolves and rises into the air, being breathed in as it fills her being.

Her body enchanted to become true,
the stem entwines as she becomes a gem to shine anew.
A horn calling upon beauty in all its forms to adorn.
May her thorns make love's enemies scorn.
The petals bind to her mettle to bring her wings to soar.
Weaving her thoughts into a stream to create a path that is more than a dream

Ayla looks up into the air as she sees herself as the blue rose. Long blue curls flowing her head, wings like rose petals, elegant and beautiful as she shines as a beacon. The girl before her has the resemblance of one of the Archangels themselves.

Ayla, captivated by her beauty, couldn’t resist moving towards her. No matter the effort, the distance between them doesn’t appear to shorten. She comes to a stop as she reflects. Beauty is not surface deep nor is it shallow, it is the strength of bonds between people. It is the kindness, the love, friendship, and sharing with your companions. As the expression goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is not the appearance that is appealing, it is the embodiment, what the archangel represents.

As if sensing this change, the being appears to be slowly pulled towards her. Ayla, understanding the message reinforces the commitment to her bonds of friendship. As she loves them, they love her, and this is the true beauty of life.

Ayla and the archangel were face-to-face, she reached out towards her.

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Her senses come to life once again, her body whirring as she feels the intense and almost overwhelming information flood into sensations as the dark mists consume her once again, fading away as the dimmed light shines brighter, soon shapes begin to form, and then the radiance of colour. The moment was only brief as within it, Zarina’s face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her friend leaning over her, holding her within her arms, tears in her eyes. The beauty of friendship.

“Was that death…?”

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: Team Sectoxomactex | Location: Ersand'Enise

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The sun is blazing overhead as the Team Sectoxomactex arranged to meet by the Arboretum for their grand introduction to each other. The students have faced another one of those facility reshuffles which have brought them together into a new group.

Maura, being new to the school herself, was already dressed up in what she imagined was a uniform of the place, a simple dress made for hard study, paperwork, and enough mobility to reach the books in the library. This did work out when it came to the more academic subjects, but found herself woefully underprepared for the far more vigorous activity ahead. “Perhaps we should consider a change…”, she looked down towards her legs as she flattened the fabric over her lap. It appeared that she got the time wrong, either too early, or awkwardly late, as she was still trying to adjust from Torragon time.

She moves her finger over the slate, as she tries to memorise the details of the… boys she ended up paired with. Delightful.

“Let me see, who do we have…"
"Leander, Thalak, Merchant," @Creative Chaos - He may be interesting, what goods does his family trade?
"Niallus, Eskand, Noble, " @McKennaJ71 - Hope is is not the type to scream about his great ancestor called Hrothgar the Bloody Awful.
"Sven, Eskand, Noble, " @Force and Fury - ... his family being in a blood feud with the other would spice things up.
"Nazih, Firrazene, Noble, " @Ziegenkonig - Does Firraz even have nobles?

Niallus arrived a couple minutes ago to where this group introduction was agreed to meet, he sighs, as he then starts looking around.

"Seems I've arrived early." Sitting down on some grass he remembers the names of the others he's paired with. So...Maura, Leander, Sven and Nazih. These people are going to be paired with me.

Looking up to the sky, he lets a smile across his face, fiddling with the ring on his ring finger, mostly out of habit.

Maura blinks as the boy seems to turn up and sit upon the grass nearby. She tilts her head to the side as if trying to decide if she is one of the ones she was waiting for, or some passer-by deciding to casually laze upon the grass.

With a few pushes upon the wheels, she brings herself forward as she approaches him. "Hola, you waiting here for Zeno...", she peers down towards the slate again for a brief moment, "Sect-oxo-mac-tex's group?"

Niallus's focus shifts to the girl in the chair that's getting closer to him, at first he's not sure what to make of her, but since she's greeted him it's only common sense to return it, so he greets her with a smile and subtle wave.

"That's right....I think. Don't worry, I have no idea how to pronounce that name either." Letting out a little chuckle. "My name is Niallus. What's yours?"

She offers a smile towards him, "Charmed. My name is Maura". He was certainly far more well dressed compared to the mental image of an axe wielding barbarian, perhaps things would not be so bad after all.

Leander arrives a bit late and sits on the grass, adjusting a brown top hat. A manic grin is on his face, as if nothing is more exciting than this meeting.

Sven nearly smacks into a low hanging tree branch as he ambles up, nose in a book as usual. The world isn't made for tall people. He blinks, shakes his head, and tucks the book into a satchel slung over his shoulder. "Oh, uh... hey!" he tries, scratching nervously at the back of his head. "Nishe to meet you, partnersh! I'm Shven." One of them is grinning a whole bunch. "Whoa, that'sh quite a hat," he adds, twisting to regard Leander.

As they were greeting she saw the other two approach, a rather unusual looking one with a top hat and the boy loaded up with books. Based on appearance, it must be Leander with the hat, tipping an imaginary one towards him, and the other introduced himself as Shven.

"Hola. Looks like we are all almost here. Pleased to meet you both, my name is Maura". She smiles sweetly towards the pair, before shifting into a position that faced the three. She couldn't resist, directing towards Sven, as the boy is recovering from the tree branch. "Maybe best you are not on the invasive task, I hear the islanders are fond of their trees."

She looks down towards the pattern of the shadow for a flicker of a moment, "Sure that Nazih will be here soon too. The Firraz are known for being reliable."

Nazih sluggishly rounded the corner, squinting harshly in the sunlight. He looked extremely hungover.

"Not too late am I? Those Hegelan brews last night may have been a mistake..." He muttered, making way straight for the base of the tree to slump against. "Nazih Iqbal." He motioned his hand in a half wave in introduction, but already his eyes were closed again.

"I already know I'll be climbing a mountain," Sven sighed. "I can shee the Dragonshpine from my family'sh landsh."

Then Nazih appeared, and he seemed in less than great shape. Sven blinked. "N-nishe to meet you," he began. "I'm Shven: Sven Bjornsshon." He blinked. "Sh-shir, are you familiar with internal Chemical magic?"

Leander sways a bit at the newcomers’ arrival, the grin growing even wider.

“I’m Leander Keraunós, but Andy works too.”

Nazih was just glad to have something to focus on other than his incredible hangover.

"It's a pleasure, Sven." he said, slowly tilting his head towards the Eskandish. "My training focused on the external side of things, but I've dabbled. If you have a cure for this headache, I'm willing to try anything"

Sven glanced Andy's way. "You wouldn't happen to be a chemical mage, would you?" he asked, not all that hopeful. Leander did not give off the air of being a Chemical mage. "I have heard there'sh a way to cure hangoversh. Just... haven't mashtered it yet."

Maura sighed as she watched the display, the Firraz are far from reliable, and point was proven on the first meeting with Nazih. "One would recommend plenty of water... for drinking and a much needed bath", she closed her eyes as she rolled them.

"Using magic for trivial things is not wise, but we are left with no choice if we are to win this event". She looks towards Andy expectantly, as already being incorrectly identified as the lead in resolving this issue.

Niallus nods in agreement with Maura. "It's nice to meet you all." He says to the others that have arrived.

"I agree with her, but here this could help you Nazih." Handing him a bottle of water, to keep him hydrated,

He sees no objection to Sven wanting to do the Mountain part of the race.

Focused on priorities, Nazih desperately downed the bottle in one go. "Thanks.", nodding to Niallus in thankful acknowledgement.

"And normally I would agree, but after those drinks I feel I could cure an entire village bar's worth of hangovers and still have magic to go around. That is, if I knew how." ending with a slight grin. He was beginning to feel the effects of the strange brew.

"It looks like we have a strong team for this race", Nazih addressed the group, starting to feel better after the needed water.

"But you..." he narrowed his eyes, scanning the woman who had just insulted him. "Just who-" he began to ask, in no mood to deal with a merchant too big for their britch- wait no, too big for their wheels, finally noticing the chair. But then it dawned on him; those features, that arrogance, that accent; it could only mean one thing! A Torragonese.

His brow lowered into a menacing glare. "I didn't realise they allowed war criminals in this institution. You must have garnered sympathy from your... handicap." he spat.

Maura simply smiles sweetly as the Firraz turns on her and claps her hand together. "You should have some more water to refresh yourself amigo, your mouth is moving like a cabro". She gives a playful giggle as she tops up Nazih's cup with more water, gesturing for Andy to begin his magic, speaking low towards the Thalak, "Probably won't change his attitude, but try your best".

"Now, we are already talking about the event. Sven for Dragonspire has been decided... we have the Water, Desert, Piggies, and the City challenges..."

"You should know better than the others that I'll be taking the desert leg" Nazih stated, sniffing the water Maura poured him before gulping it down again.

"I know the desert better than most, and the Firraz still have a few secrets left that weren't plundered."

Nazih continued, "That leaves the Ocean, Tropics, and City legs."

Confused by Nazih action Why is he sniffing the water for? can he really be that hungover also what was with that attitude to her putting it aside since it none of his business, he stands up to stretch his legs. "the only one that I won't be able to do sadly is the ocean part. but I was probably able to do the Piggy challenge." still he's unsure about how this tension between Nazih and Maura would play out during this whole event.

Andy looks between Nazih and Maura, chuckling as small sparks begin to appear around him.

“Normally, it takes a few days for people to get at each other’s throats. Seems like you both skipped the process.”

He spends maybe a split second thinking it over before deciding. “I’ll take the City leg. I can navigate it without worrying too much.”

Sven blinks and swallows uncomfortably. A Torragonese and a Firrazene in the same group. Leander is right, but the tension between them is hardly surprising, especially given the history of their two peoples. They are fundamentally the conquerors and remnants of the conquered. "Yesh, I'm happy to climb the mountain," the Eskandishman offered. "But we, uh, need to get Nazih uh... shipshape, first, though, with more than jusht water."

"I agree. We need him to be cured of this hangover. Sven see what you can do to help Nazih. So that leaves the ocean part to Maura." Thinking about what he said, he gets a worried brow on his face, looking at her, clearly the woman is in a wheelchair, he has no idea how she'll be able to even do this,

The very thought of her attempting sends a chill down his spine. No, she must have a plan of some kind, otherwise the school wouldn't dream of putting her life at risk.

Maura strokes a hand through her hair, twisting the end with her finger. "As much as Nazih needs a dip in the water, he would be best placed in the Desert, since this is probably the only time he has left it".

She reads the confusion expressed upon the other boy's face as he questioned Nazih's behaviour, "Water is like liquid gold to the Firraz. They conserve it in big underground reservoirs. They use what is in the yellow seas around them, sand."

As to put an end to that awkward accusation... "As for blaming descendants for supposed war crimes of their ancestors. Heavy words to start throwing around when in a group with two Eskand present. They won’t appreciate it either." Couldn't resist the opportunity for shade. Easiest way to do it without a history lesson.

Swiftly moving on, she gives a wink towards the boy as she catches that worried expression. "We have been on a boat before, should be fine".

"I am not my country," Sven says simply, glancing back pointedly at Maura as he walks up to Nazih. "She ish not hersh," he says to the Firrazene, "and you are not yoursh. The only group that mattersh right now ish thish five: ush. We won't win if we shpend our time shniping at each other like our forebearsh have taught ush. Coming from where I do, I know a thing or two about the shadow they casht." He reached out gently and people could feel energy being drawn. "I alsho know shome chemical magic. If you hold shtill, I should be able to get rid of your hangover... in theory."

Maura raises an eyebrow towards Sven, especially as he says 'in theory'. "As pointed out, water is very good. It helps things that go in one hole, come out of the other. Including last night's celebrations..." Despite the supposed animosity, she didn't want Sven to knock out her fellow team mate, especially in the important moments prior to them setting off for the event.

"It seems we need to be prepared for the water event. Perdóneme", Maura leaves the group momentarily as she goes for a much needed change of clothes. Also she cannot be blamed if Sven maims the fellow team member, as she would be blamed.

Niallus looks away from Maura, embarrassed by her wink. "I don't think any of us, are like our people's reputation. And we shouldn't judge them based on that alone." Looking around the group. "Sometimes it's one's actions that really define them."

I really hope this team gets along well enough so we don't end up killing themselves

Andy looks over to Niallus, the manic grin still on his face. “I like you already.”

Niallus looks at Andy with a blank face from that comment. That grin of his, it's a little off putting, but he doesn't want to make it awkward by saying something that may hurt his feelings.

With a cough to clear his throat. "Anyway, what is everyone's magic? I can use Arcane and Kinetic."

After sufficient time, Maura returns. It seems the girl came adorning more swim appropriate attire, though looking a little out of place as they were by the Arboretum and not the beach. She comes to them discussing magic specialities. "More dabbling within the different types, though if one had to be picked, it would be Binding. Need to use it on an almost hourly basis."

Niallus looks at Maura, dressed in a swimming outfit. You'd think she was going to the beach for the day, but he admired her commitment to her part of the race.

"You look nice. Umm.... Anyway, you do Binding magic, that's neat. I've only a little knowledge of Binding magic." Turn back to the rest of the group. Wasn't exactly wanting to say that first to her, but it's too late for that now.

Maura feels her cheeks grow a little warm and a little rosy after the compliment. She attempts to concentrate upon the contributions from the other group members pretending for Niallus's comfort and her own not to notice. She looks towards Sven who appears to be vying for leadership of this little gathering.

Andy pipes up.“I’m pretty good with Magnetic magic, and I know Arcane and Kinetic magic too.”

Nazih lifted himself into a squatting position under the tree. "I specialise in chemical magic, though probably not the kind you're used to..." He gave a weary look to Maura before plucking a healthy green leaf. From the moment he touched it the colours began to change over the next few seconds; the bright green transitioned to yellow, red, then dull brown as it eventually withered into dust. "I have a bit of binding too, and have been told I've unwittingly tapped into the beginnings of the Atomic school, but not anything that could be of use to us yet."

Niallus noticed what Nazih did with the green leaf, and how it died. That's... interesting, he's never seen chemical magic used like that, whatever the case it seems it decays whatever he touches.

But that's just his theory. He looks at Andy then back to Nazih. "These are well balanced types of magic. What about you Sven?" he says, looking towards him.

Maura didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted as he was looking at her during the little display with the leaf. Though one thing was clear as she smiled towards him, it would have been awkward if he used that on himself to try to cure his hangover. Too many desiccated mummies in the desert as it is.

Sven had been silent, working on Nazih up to this point, trying to remove some of the effects of his alcohol poisoning with Chemical magic. There were some judgmental types here and they made him at least a little bit uncomfortable. "I do my besht with all kinds of magic," he replied, "but Chemical and Binding are my shtrong shuits. I'm learning shome Atomic too." He scratched at the back of his head.

Maura gives Sven a big smile as she gives him a clap upon the back, getting her goggles ready for her race ahead. "It is always good to build up some tension before a race. It gives us a lot of energy to burn and gets our blood flowing!", offering everyone a warm smile. "So it looks like the water is first up, then it is my personal favourite", she poses next to Nazih, flexing her arm as she prods him playfully. "Then it is our Handshome duo", she looks towards them both, giving a flutter her eyelashes and a light blush. "...and last but not least..." she pauses for a moment, "smiley!". With everyone and everything in place, she turns towards the portals opening up. "We should go to our places, we don't want to be left behind!"

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: High Steaks: Introduction | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Location: Notice Board, Grand Plaza of Ersand’Enise
Characters: Zarina @YummyYummy, Casii @Pirouette, and Maura @Ti.

As you arrive to the Notice board to see what is on display, you begin to notice a crowd gathered around a particular pamphlet.

Notice Board

“Marquis Blaise Beauregard? He is a famous gourmand. He wants to recruit from the Academy? This could make your career… you would be renowned across Sipentia! Opportunity of a lifetime.” The Perrench boy is just staring wide-mouthed at the pamphlet, probably drooling at the idea of all that yummy food.

“Ughk… That monster. Have you been hearing all the rumours?”, a Belzagg girl commented. Her friend shook her head. “He has captured a Snowsweeper. He is going to serve it up in a large banquet soon. It is rumoured that even Perrench Royalty will be attending.”

The boy turned around, his eyes even wider than before. “SNOWSWEEPER STEAK?! WOW!”. If he was any closer to the pamphlet, he would be licking it to try to get at the rich succulent flavour. “It's taste is meant to even rival that of the Ambrosia of the gods!”

The girls look towards him with a very disgusted expression. “It is barbaric. There are only three males left in the world. Serving one as a steak should be a crime.”

An older boy comes, this one from Huulendam. “I heard this rumour as well. Perhaps whoever completes this job, will be the one to serve the steak, or even eat it? This is truly a prize beyond reckoning. A student serving the most expensive steak in the world. It was said the last time it was served, a single steak per head was around 40 magus each, and the creatures are huge. Imagine the riches involved…”

The pamphlet gained even more attention, one in admiration, one thirsty for riches, and the other in condemnation and disgust at such a prospect.

Maura was sitting there as she contemplated how she could get involved in this action. She hoped to bring Ayla in, she is a good cook, but she is currently in bed weary from the night before. It was at this moment she noticed Zarina, Ayla’s Virangish friend, and the cud chewing yasoi, Casii. She waves them down. “You don’t suppose either of you are qualified enough to be considered a butcher or a cook are you? Because that job is gleaming with opportunity”.

Maura pointed to the pamphlet and gave them a moment to read through it. “If you do, then we have the skill, and my resources to exploit this for all it is worth. Want to partner up?”

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Action Opportunities

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Feel free to express your character's views and interact with some of the other NPC’s if you require further information.
- There is a Perrench Gourmet food fanboy. He has a disturbing amount of passion when it comes to food.
- There is the Huulendamn boy. He seems to have a keen ear to the ground when it comes to the rumours. Are the sources reliable? This sounds like a golden cash cow if it proves to be true.
- There is the Belzagg girl and her friend. They are against the cruelty of animals, especially the reported Snowsweeper. We eat cattle all the time, so why would a Snowsweeper be any different, isn’t it just a large Eskandish cow?

Upon agreement to group up, you will have Maura as your backer, assisting with getting the resources to get the job done. You will need to either play the part of butcher and cook. Whatever direction you decide to go, the first step is going to be the same.

Your task is to go to the Au Boeuf Rouge and participate against other students from the academy in the hosted Food War, with the judge Marquis Blaise Beauregard over seeing the selection process.

Do you have what it takes to be Sipenta's next MasterChef?

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: Auction Event | Location: Ersand'Enise

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The Auction! It is the place where the rich and those curious go to see the valuable trinkets that grace the city. Interested, Maura suggests for Ayla to go. Ayla in her usual self drags the curious Jamboi with her, and kidnaps a lost Vossoriya girl called Oksana she befriended along the way.

The Auction starts and the prices are quickly escalated to the level of Magnus within moments. Items are being bidded and sold for more than what the average commoner could hope to earn in a year, in some cases, even over 100 years.

Jamboi is easily puzzled by the staggering amounts. He takes a look at the collection of Bennies in his hand as he tries to figure just so much the value truly is. Ayla shakes her head as she tries to gently close his hands upon the bennies, “There is no point trying to count.” ”Oh, it was one of ours that brought this one in”, Maura smiling widely as she saw how high the price fetched. Oksana was simply looking very confused at the podium as she was trying to come to terms with everything going on.

The next item was a Mammoth wool bed. A highly luxurious and a very rare item. Oksana, looking excited and hoping for a good deal, participates in the bidding. Ayla leans across to Oksana, giving her a raised eyebrow, ”You know, that one is made especially for pets, right?”. Maura looks down at Ayla leaning across, ”Mammoth’s hair is to protect from the cold, imagine that it would be extremely flammable.” Oksana is looking towards Ayla even more confused. People are bidding obscene amounts for a bed fit for Vossiriya royalty… for their pet? Jamboi is sat looking confused as he is trying to make sense of the amounts by repeatedly counting over the bennies within his hand. Ayla sighs as she looks towards Maura, ”What are we going to do with these two…?”. Maura shrugs her shoulders, ”If you really wanted it, we could have lent you the money.”.

Next was a beautiful sky-blue vase from Engyu, an extremely high quality porcelain vase with qilin patterns adorning upon the surface. Maura smirks as a little as Ayla is trying to tell what the creatures are, nudging her side teasingly. ”Should ask your new man what a Qilin is~”. Aylla groans, on both the arranged marriage and the fact she would never hear the end of Qilin facts for an entire week if she did.

The next item on display was a cask of a special prime mana brew offered by some of the visiting Hegelans. As the amounts rise, Oksana looks even more incredulous, especially with the chump change in her hand. She could probably get a years worth back in Vossiriya for this amount. Ayla gives Jamboi a side-glance, as she pushes his hand away, ”Definitely don’t try. It will take you all evening.”

A vial filled with a potent aphrodisiac extracted from the mucus of the Tarlonese giant slug came up next. Advertised as perfect for attracting a new lady friend to your charms. Ayla looks towards Jamboi with a mischievous smile as she pushes down upon Jamboi’s hand before he could even think of raising it, ”No, she won’t be impressed with that”. The auburn haired behind them chips in, “Who won’t be impressed with what?”, as Penny leans in. Maura joins in on the mischief, ”That is a good question, who won’t be impressed with what?”. Jamboi has now experienced his first female ambush, and he has decided he doesn’t like it, feigning ignorance as he pretends to ignore them. ”𝆕 So here’s a benny for your thoughts, a owl for a kiss, a hugo if you tell me that you love me~ 𝆕”, Ayla sings mock romantically towards the yasoi. Oksana is already questioning as she points towards the yasoi, Tyrel. Maura quickly lowered the girls arm before the gig was up. Ayla turns to look towards Penny giving her a wide smile, speaking towards her not trying to hide it from Jamboi. ”We think there is someone he might like. He came to me asking for advice about pic-a-nics. He started to get really quiet when we started to ask about who he is going with, so we are trying to work out who it could be.” Jamboi attempts to interrupt as he raises his arm between the two girls chatting about him, scratching his head clumsily, trying to draw the topic away as he jingles the bennies in his hand. ”This whole place is confusing. To think these things are no good here.”

The next was not an item, but an opportunity, one to join Sir Jean-Claude on the back of the pride of Perrence, a Tyrannus Monsieger by the name of Souverain. Maura excitedly puts her hand up, ”3… er… make that 7 Magus!”. Oksana points towards the bennies in Jamboi’s hands, ”Take her. Fun ride.”. Ayla was in the midst of bidding herself as the number rose, ”Ooo, here is my lucky number. I bid.... …”, she frowns as Zazzy beats her to it, quietening. Jamboi lifts up his hand with the 15 bennies within it, ”15!”. Ayla simply places her place against her face, yasoi and money. Jamboi leans closer to Ayla, moving lower in his seat and trying to avoid people overhearing, ”Do girls like this type of thing?”. Ayla grins towards him, ”Well, if you were riding one, we would be wanting for you to invite us all along with you. Though, if you were taking a special someone with you, doubt they would be eager to share.” Maura being a little too attentive grins brightly towards him. ”Though you should forget her, you can take the three of us instead. Far better offer.” Oksana nods her head, riding a dragon sounds fun. Jamboi sighs, they were not going to let it go.

As a boring looking lump of metal turns up, Maura smiles mischievously towards the girls then towards Jamboi. ”So, if it is a benny for a thought, owl for a kiss, and hugo for a love me. What about a magus if we guess correctly? We will accept all those bennies in your hand if we are right, but if we guess wrong, we give you a magus.” Ayla giggles as she is shocked by Maura’s offer, ”Can tell who is the rich one… we are super curious too, who is the lucky lady?”, Oksana simply nods along with the other two girls. Jamboi simply sighs out, and shrugs his shoulders as he raises his hands in protest, then gives up, ”You lady will never be satisfied, like kittens at meal time.” Maura’s eyes sparkle, prodding Ayla, ”You go first.”, Oksana nods as she points towards Ayla, ”Ayla.” Jamboi simply holds her open hand out after the remark, as Ayla and Maura look towards it in surprise.Maura shaking her head as she pays on the girls behalf, ”You took advantage of the poor confused girl then.” Jamboi simply shrugs his shoulders with a smirk. Ayla gazes towards him, as if daggers in her eyes and then a smile, ”Well, we heard how you hang around with a certain other yasoi a lot, and even met her parents. Is it Casss-seee~ ?” He rolls his eyes as he looks towards her, holding out his hand towards her. He has gained another magus now. Maura scoffs at the suggestion, ”Duh, it is not going to be the yasii cud chewer. Besides, isn’t he always complaining about the open doors? It has got to be that Princess… what’s her name again.” Ayla is mouthing, ’Princess?’. Penny hears the word ’princess and starts listening to it, but as it doesn’t seem directed at her, she lets out her breath. ”You know, the very powerful one, the one you bullied relentlessly and made her cry.”.

As if on cue to the topics of royalty, the next item is a painting of Queen Eleanor of Perrence. Ayla continues to look confused at such a description, Maura continues to look towards her hopefully, ”You know. The Princess with one leg, reddish hair..”. Ayla couldn’t help but laugh when she realised who, ”You mean Tyrel! She thinks she is a Goddess, not a Princess… besides, there was no bullying, sometimes even Goddesses need to be put in their place.”. She looks towards Jamboi a moment in the corner of her eye, ”Speaking of royalty, a little birdie told me about the Fire Melons new appearance and that our Jamboi here is now crowned as the Monkey King. Would that make Tyrel the Monkey Princess?” Maura releases a loud ‘Hah’ at the remark, Oksana does a monkey impression with her arms. He simply moves a hand down his face, ”There is a lot more to that story…” Maura grins, ”Turn those bennies over, Monkey King!”. He looks towards her, and he holds out his hand towards her, ”You are all getting excited over nothing, like children witnessing ships enter a busy port”. She blows a raspberry in return, as she forks over another magus. ”It may not be Tyrel, but it is someone, Mr Pic-a-nic”

The rest of the auction continued as they are caught up into their own little world. The next item was a whip-tailed Hydra’s skull. There is even a Sawand Crystal Salt Lamp being announced as an item. It appeared the auburn haired girl behind them has gotten caught up in another argument with an Enthish boy. ”I must accept such a duel. For my honour rides upon it. I have never lost a duel to a man or beast, and even now I cannot lose”, ”Man nor beast” Penny replies, narrowing her eyes playfully, ”but have you ever lost to a woman?”, she straightens, ”I shall have my second contact you. You shall have choice of weapons: watercolours, oils, or charcoals. We shall speak on the morrow.”. Maura casually overhears the argument, nudging her elbow into Ayla’s side. ”Perhaps you and the one with the charcoal covered fingers can join in on their duel. Make it a double date.” Ayla prods back, ”It isn’t like that with Kasper. We’re friends.” ”Fwriends” ”Yes, we are good friends. Besides, he likes tall girls.” Jamboi looks questioningly, ”What is a double date?”, ”It is when two couples go and do an activity together”, Maura beams, ”See? She knows allll about it.”.

Back to the auction, it seems that Manfred has won the auction to present it as a gift to Dory. Ayla claps excitedly towards her with a cheer, ”See? That is a man who wants to show that he loves her.”, cooing happily. Maura teasingly smiles in response, ”He is good looking. Part of the charm too.”, Oksana nods in approval. Jamboi doesn’t respond.

A trader of exotic goods has brought in another lumpy green stone weighing about 2 pounds. Getting rather bored and enough of yanii past-times, Jamboi tries to get up and go, as Ayla holds upon his lanky arm to keep him seated. "No, not going yet, you said you wanted to experience this place. So you are seeing to it till the end with us.". Jamboi remains seated for now.

Next item looks very valuable with the trials ahead. It is an Eeaiko trinket of goodwill, a stone that appears to produce usable amounts of oxygen through a special-enchantment using binding magic.Jamboi quickly ran out of magus, and Ayla was outbid by a blonde vossoriyi woman before she could even open her mouth again. Maura looks towards Jamboi, ”If you sell yourself, we would be able to get you all the bennies to afford that thing”. He scratches his head as he avoids looking in the direction of someone, though the idea of yanii debt leaves a bad taste in his mouth. The numbers however climb exponentially, with Maura pretending that she not said anyway now. She isn’t going to offer to loan that amount.

It appears that tensions grow within the auction house as Benny and Casii begin to square off. Ayla points over to Casii to bring her up to Maura’s attention. ”See? She is spirted. He has a type.”. Maura looks at the spirited auburn haired girl behind them, ”There are a few candidates in here…” Oksana is questioning as she keeps looking between Jamboi and Ingrid. A match? Jamboi, already worn out from the yanii antics certainly had the urge to play with the uncouth brat who slugged Casii with an empowered punch. Ayla sensing the tension, moves to hold her hand onto his. ”Shh… if you get involved. It would only escalate it further. They will deal with it.”

The Final item is the Music Box. A strange unassuming item which caught Ayla’s imagination. Music, in a box. The idea just mesmerised her. Jamboi is just smouldering and Ayla is a little concerned that she wouldn’t be able to stop him if he does act. Maura isn’t suitable and… Oksana is too far away. She looks towards Penny who is watching from behind, as she nods with her head attempting to indicate a little assistance to box him in. Penny lays a hand on his shoulder, “Let the dice fall where they may. Maybe I’ll give being Reshta a try.”, she giggles embarrassedly ”Dami, so sacrilegious”. Ayla gently says to Marua, “Can you bid on this item for me?”

Maura cracks her knuckles as she starts to dip into the auction house. She keeps repeatedly bidding up. It was the Vossiriyi girl again who appeared loose with their bids as if it was simply words, not money. ”Jeez. She cannot afford that, some no-named bimbo is able to throw around that kind of money.”. Yuliya gives Maura a death stare, ”100.” ”200 Magus” as she returns the look. She quietly says to Ayla, ”So, how much did you say your Wyrm scales were worth?”.

Jamboi moves his hand upon Penny’s as he feels it upon his shoulder. ”I’m okay!”, turning to beam up towards her with a goofy smile. Penny blushes and smiles back. ”Worse comes to the worst, we go kick some ass together, huh? Maybe not uh… my specialty, though.”

The bids continue to rise even greater. Maura not looking impressed in the slightest, whispering in an intentionally loud manner, ”She definitely doesn’t have that kind of money to throw around. We would know. We love seeking opportunities out for those with more money than sense.”. ”Who are you? 650.”. Maura lets out an exasperated sigh at the new bid, pointing her out towards Ayla. ”See? Unless she is the Crown Princess of Perrence, or even the Doge’s Daughter, she is not moving around that kind of capital.” It seemed as if on cue, Evander is taking the lead on the bid, as Oksana prods Maura in her side repeatedly, as she gestures hooded figure next to the boy. She shakes her head as she sighs out deflated, it might not be worth coming to a disagreement over. ”She isn’t the Doge’s daughter, but it is not worth it when the Revidians are joining in.”

Jamboi grins for a moment, ”Was thinking of just slapping the back of his head, then making a run for it like a mouse chased by a cat. After all, managed to outrun a dragon this morning.” The comment was a bit of a stretch, he didn’t outrun the dragon, it was more that he outmanoeuvred the dragon rider and they gave up. ”And I once took down an entire pirate handout.” Penny replied in a game of upmanship. She was laying there upon her stomach, making herself upon the grass of a small green beside him, kicking her foot back and forth. She laughs and rolls her eyes.

Maura prods Ayla in the side, indicating that she pulls away from Jamboi for now, leaving the pair alone. Oksana looks towards the couple, then Tyrel, then towards them again, then Ayla in a huh manner.

Jamboi grins widely at the story and the playfulness, ”I met this powerful blood sorcerer, the miasma around him was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. I made him laugh so hard, he let me go, and … …” he offers his cheesiest grin, ”The rest of that is a secret. My Pirate Queen”. Penny giggles, ”Sounds like a total yarn, Jammy.” She sticks her tongue out, ”I once met a secretive species of snake people with fabulous technology who..” she trials off, taking note of the sudden intensity of the auction.

Maura calls out towards the couple, ”You should go and try to count 5000 Magus in bennies with her'', Ayla couldn’t help but experience her tension breaking to laugh. Poor Oksana was overwhelmed with the values being discussed, as her eyes are spinning trying to consider the amount mentally for the briefest of moments.

“Seven thousand!” says one of the three hooded figures who’ve been standing silently among the crowd. They don’t appear to be aligned with either Ingrid and Evander. Penny shoots them a few looks, ”We should get out of here” towards Jamboi. Maura senses the hesitation in Penny’s voice, as she tugged upon Ayla’s wrist, telling her a white lie. ”Is that your father over there?” Ayla almost goes as white as a ghost with that comment, moving to tug upon Oksana’s hand, ”We need to go, come with us, Oksana.”

Jamboi had been finding any opportunity to leave and is not going to say no when the yanii are fleeing to leave themselves. He offers his hand towards Penny to pull her up, and if needed, take her along the special Yasoi route of the rooftops to get out of here. Penny takes his hand. "A rogue and a gentleman all at once!" she squeals, and her heart is pounding. She knows what's going on in the background and, for a moment, she wishes that she wasn't who she is. She wants to escape it, and here is this pretty boy offering her that. She rises to follow him.

Penny has just made a big moral choice.

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The Hourglass Order

Ashon'amar'loiyang

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Event:During the Melon Derby | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Squeezing upon a nice set of Melons, Jamboi added the latest into his collection. With the columns of light in the sky overshadowing his team’s base, he can only imagine the kind of blood bath awaiting him in that direction. He could risk trying to sneak past them bringing his efforts to naught, or use the moment to kill some time.

It is only natural in this situation that some distant rogue temporal activity in the opposite direction attracts his attention. To join the screaming masses as they fight tooth and claw for melons, or taking a little detour? Detour it is.

It wasn’t in the rules that the students could leave the city at any point, it was simply automatically assumed that such an action would be pointless due to the lack of melons making it a terrible idea. It also means there are no dragon riders, no murder penguins, or avatars of the gods summoning the Grand Demons themselves. In fact, it struck him that this indeed a brilliant idea, one that the yanii’s in their little boxes could never dream of, dubbing it as Outside of the Box thinking, a natural occurrence for Yasoi who spend more time in trees and open skies than sad buildings.

He runs towards the edge and like a mad lad flips from it into the open sky, as he pulls back his shirt, using it to glide towards his destination. Using his nose sniff out the trail of temporal magic, with a good old-fashioned lick of his thumb to tell its direction as he attempts to pinpoint the location.

Jamboi eventually finds himself standing outside a large building. It was obscured from those around it, with its only access leading off from a back alley. It hosts a closed inner courtyard. What is most disturbing is the disgusting reek of blood magic permeating the air. The miasma was that thick, he could probably cut it with a blade.

You only live once, or for some in special cases, you can live that one life many times over. Jamboi decided to investigate the Blood Magic Complex of Mudsville. He takes a run and a jump, easily climbing along the vertical wall of the complex as he tries to peer through any windows or blinds to have a better understanding of the place. Hopefully someone carelessly left something unfastened to allow him to slip inside if opportunity allowed.

It wasn’t long when he was peering inside that he felt the inside peering back at him, or in this particular case, the tall pale man in crimson robes standing behind him in the air. He gives a primal shiver as his amygdala responds a little too well to the creepy vibes.

“Nice place you got here, it would be a shame if it happened to be full of melons ripe for the picking.” He scratches the back of his head as offers up the goofy smile. He can feel those eyes burning the back of his head almost literally as the man peers towards him. Honesty is usually the best way out of any awkward troubling situations. He shrugs his shoulders a little, “Only need a few if so.”

The man smiles. That damned smile.
"Somebody I know has entrusted me with one."

He turns to look towards him, tilting his head in a most curious questioning manner, "Which one?"

"Careful," the man suggests. "You might get burned for showing too much interest."

Jamboi scratches his chin a moment, "So… the firemelon? I do like the cut of your jib.", he clicks his fingers towards him, before giving a shrug. "I was hoping for a stack of those 100's or a dark melon or two though."

"You would be stumbling about in the dark one hundred percent if that were your goal. There remains yet one of the latter within city grounds, though.”

"Eh, not entirely true. I had hoped whoever gave you that melon gave you some more, like squirrels with nuts. I don't like people taking advantage of the spirit of the game. So I wanted to prove a point by taking a melon or two of theirs for my own collection", he looks towards the gentleman. "If it is only that one, it becomes somewhat hard to prove that point.” He tries to take a better measure of the man. ”Since you are looking after it, They should have paid you very well right? Clearly you are getting a lot for it, no? or were they a little cheap with you". Money, favours, yanii tend to deal a lot in materialistic terms. "How about we both make a point together?"

"I do not ask for payment from friends, yasoi. We help each other as needed."

Jamboi waves his hand dismissively, so it wasn’t material gain after all. Let’s see if he is a principled person. "It is not really a friendship if they use you. There is helping, and then there is helping.".

He moves so he is standing upright upon the wall as if it was the ground, looking up towards him. “See, you look like a real strong guy. I don't stand a chance, so I am not going to try.” A sprinkle of flattery. ”So level with me. A bunch of kids during a test are asking you to hold a melon for them in a children's game. Isn't that beneath your worth?” Make him question the assumption. ”What I am going to propose will be in both our interests. You keep your side of the deal with your friends, and you also get to make a statement, a point, that they only succeeded because they relied on you. They need to take you seriously and your friendship more seriously. I do, and what, it has been only a couple of minutes."

"You seem to care very much that I am not being used," the man replied. "I should hope you would care this much about others." He reached out and the entire wall disassembled itself. "Join me, and let us speak frankly." He motioned for the youth to follow.

Jamboi just watches as the ground next to him, no, the wall, just disappears. He drops down into the hole, as he seems to right himself for a perfect landing upon the floor. ”Those are use others are a particularly favourite target of mine.” He gives the man a wink, before making a mental note of the exits. ”No monkey business, straight to it.”.

He brushes himself down to make himself appear more presentable, even fastening a couple of the buttons on his shirt. He lifts his hand as he raises his finger, ”I don’t want your melon…” he raises his second finger, ”I don't like you have it either.”. He lowers his hand as he further clarifies, ”This is a test on their ability to be able to protect it, not yours. Frankly, it is cheating, dishonourable, and simply not fair play… it is incredibly lazy and ultimately, boring.” He waves his hand, ”I know they’re your friends, but you know it is true.” He outlines the facts as they are before turning for his proposal.

”I want to make a point. A simple one. I want to leave a mark upon the melon so it is unmistakable that they failed in their task. Nothing that would ruin it, just simply a message that if they want to protect something precious, they need to do it themselves and not take their security for granted.” He pinches his fingers to symbolise them feeling small. ”I want them to feel vulnerable for that split second, like a snail without its shell, crushing that urge to become complacent. This time it is the Melon, but what if it comes to something truly important and valued, simply sacrifice it in the name of absolving themselves of responsibility for it?”

He does give a man a once over as he considers the age difference, ”I do think you are looking a bit older and wiser for simply being a friend, I can imagine you being a mentor or perhaps an elder they trust. Isn’t it the goal to raise the young’uns become greater than ourselves?”

"From my experience, there is no such thing as fair play," the man says tiredly. A firemelon seems to materialise in his hand from thin air. "I am giving you something for your quixotic quest and you are not my friend. I do this because someday you will learn who I am and I trust that you will remember our encounter. Make your mark."
There is no warning or threat.

Jamboi gives him the biggest grinning smile towards the man as he witnesses the melon before him. For being a very dangerous blood mage who could crush him like a bug and get away with it, he does have a somewhat appreciable side to him.

He is about to approach the melon then he pauses, a blush appearing upon his cheek, speaking sheepishly. ”Going to be a little embarrassing. Didn’t expect there to be company when I did this part of the plan.” He moves towards the melon using his finger like a quill, as he starts to doodle and draw upon the melon. The man wouldn’t be able to tell just yet, but as Jamboi starts to create what appears to be red-spines coming from the top of it, it doesn’t take long for him to realise. With a lick of his thumb to give the finishing touches with the yasoi tattoos, he has successfully recreated Jamboi the Firemelon, with trademark wild red hair and a big grin.

Jamboi tips his head towards the man, as he brings up the ‘remember me’. ”It is going to be likewise, with the whole remembering thing. You will forever remember the encounter with the great Jamboi, the Monkey King!” He makes a break for the exit, swinging towards it in that monkeyish manner. ”Now not to overstay my welcome, I bid thee farewell!” dropping from the hole in the wall.

The crimson-robed man lets out a snort of mirth and the melon disappears once more.

After successfully surviving near impossible odds and succeeding in his mission, Jamboi puts that ‘out of the box’ thinking into practice as he starts to make his way around the outskirts of the city to make his way back to the Zeno house in relative peace. By hopping between the rooftops, he comes in through the open window, mellon’s in tow, to cash them all safely for his team.

However...

That was not the end of the tale...

"Justice," said the grandmaster Blood Blood Mage, holding both Jocasta and Benedetto in the air, bound by magic, "Would be giving this to neither of you. You are disappointments."

The Firemelon materialised in one of his hands. "I will be delivering this where it truly belongs."

He winked out of existence and reappeared...

Jamboi scored the Fire Melon for Team VOID.

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The Hourglass Order

Ashon'amar'loiyang

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Event: After the Melon Derby | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Tyrel. @force and fury

Ashon had continued in his search for the one known as the reincarnation of Vyshta after the Melon Derby. He never suspected that he would come across her so easily and early, but this academy does seem to have a mysterious aura around it denoting the way destiny shapes itself here. With a sense for temporal magic and the lack of Yasoi normally in residence here, it wasn’t too difficult to narrow his search for the one known as Tyrel from Tarlon. A somewhat unpromising revelation given what he knew about the avatar’s supposed destiny.

After coming across the group of Vyshta’s Favoured, he perched upon one of the rooftops as he looked down towards them. It would be a lie to say he had to expertly deduce who it was, using his cunning and intelligence, as there was only one girl missing a leg, but trying to approach a delicate subject alone would be another challenge given that their Tarlonese brethren tended not to be left alone. He shrugs, he can only come towards this one directly as he drops down upon the street not far from their position, brushing himself down as he approaches.

“Oira, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Vyshta and her Favoured.'” His brazen confidence is hiding the social awkwardness of a stranger strolling up to the group, though with the games going on, this factor is significantly reduced than normal.

One of these. Tyrel schooled her features into a dignified mask as the stranger approached. Constantian yasoi. Maybe a junkie? She presented a light smile. “Well, it looks like your waiting has paid off, elar.” She gripped her crutch-canes a little tighter, ready for something unpredictable, but he didn’t give off an outright dangerous vibe.

Ashon clapped his hands together as he gave a giant smile, looking upon the girl and her companions. “Your hair is not as red as I thought it would be… but it is not far”, he moves to examine the girl in front of her, eyeing her appearance more clearly, nodding, umming and ahhing. He has a moment of self-awareness as he resumes a more natural stance. “It seems my excitement got the better of me like a mouse scurrying after a piece of cheese. My fancy name is Ashon'amar'loiyang though known more commonly as Jamboi.” He offers his hand out towards the girl, giving a big smile to Chad who he already pegged out to be a protective type. Offering a wave to the other companions too. Moments like this would be handy to have another pair of hands to do these greetings.

A stalker? Tyrel came to a stop out of necessity, freeing her right hand from her crutch and going to rest her stump on the grip out of habit. She thought better. You only do that if you plan on sticking around.. She let it slide back off and shook his hand, still half–moving, “Tyrel’yrash’dichora. This is my cousin Miret’thilan, my -” Hmm, actually, let’s fuck with him a bit. “-loyal followers Velani’ashen and Ashon’dacuul, and my luush’elar, Chad’amis’yida. It is so nice to meet one of my faithful.”

Ashon shakes his head as he looks towards Chad, a look as if to suggest the poor man was on his deathbed. He snaps out of it a moment, as he smiles widely once again. “I am one of Vyshta’s Chosen, so you can imagine the excitement like a bee during Dorrad when encountering her potential avatar. The old seer in Hypari had foretold that I shall encounter her true avatar, and a prophecy about ‘hey, you’re not gonna die’ ! or something like that.” He stepped back a moment as he examined the look on their faces, hopefully encouraging some good news and positive vibes. “It was mentioned about the hair, but how reliable a blind timewalker is in that department leaves room for questioning the specific details.”

Tyrel cocked her head to one side. He was some kind of devotee of the goddess. That had to be it. Not a creeper, just… a really weird superfan. “That is um… comforting to know,” Tyrel replied. In truth, her supposed fate hovered over her like a sword on a string. She would either have to refuse to ascend or die by twenty-five. Eight more years. Only eight! Just the thought screwed her insides up tight. She’d lost her leg to hungervine in her sixth year and started to get her Gift in her ninth. When it proved prodigious, the grey hairs at the temple had come sniffing around, asking her to perform feats of magic and feats of fortune. A high capacity, a missing limb, and some improbably lucky card flips had been enough to declare her the leading candidate and put an end to any hope of a normal life. She’d have liked to believe…what was his name? Ashon? but this was far from the first time some bright–eyed believer had run up to her bearing joyous tidings of her deliverance. “I truly hope so, friend.”

That was when a second new person butted into her life: very talkative, very human, very one-legged, and very… chaotic. “I’m so sorry to just waylay you,” she called, the second person in about as many minutes to just rush up to Tyrel uninvited. “And I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I couldn’t help but notice your crutches. They’re… a totally different design than mine.” She came to a stop and blinked, a mirror image of the vessel. After a second had passed, the auburn-haired girl grinned sheepishly and held out her hand, paying Ashon no particular notice, perhaps assuming he was part of her group. “Penny Pellegrin - sorry - of Perrence.”

“It is… nice to meet you Penny’pellegrin’sorry.” Tyrel’s eyes flicked between the two new arrivals.

Ashon has a moment of self-awareness as he shrugs his shoulders, head tilting to the side as face is expressive in self-condemnation of his own actions. “I love like a horses to carrots with intentionally doing terrible pick-up lines. That one slipped by me. My sincerity and spirituality is defeated by the humble one-liner.” He claps his hand upon Chad's shoulder, for a quick sidebar “You're doing the Goddess's work, elar.” He takes some nuts from his pocket as he munched upon them, saved by the timely arrival of Auburn haired girl.

Ashon takes Penny's hanging hand and shakes it. “Call me Jamboi, Penny'Perrence'Pellegrin, you are rescuing me from making a monkey of myself.” the red-head beaming from yasoi pun, and somewhat correcting the name confusion as he sizes up the yanii. “That was kind of the tar I was thinking of. If you were Yasoi, may have pegged you as the one. Though speaking of pegs…”, casually redirects the conversation back to the subject at hand.

Penny had offered her hand to her fellow amputee, but this… madlad had just swooped in and intercepted it. With a snort of mirth, she decided to honour the gesture. “If this is a rescue, Jammy, you’re doing a bang-up job leaping out of my lifeboat.” She released his hand. “And it’s just Penny, thank you, or Penny Pellegrin if you’re feeling extra formal. I’m all of one-sixteenth yasoi.”

“Yes, well, anyhow,” Tyrel interjected awkwardly. “Nice to see a fellow…tarsii’ciil.” She forced a smile. “Maybe we can find each other after the game - shouldn’t be too hard. As for you, Loiyang, it was… interesting. Perhaps we shall uh… meet again.” With that, she turned ninety degrees on her heel, her team surrounded her, and she walked off.

Without even glancing Ashon’s way, Penny shot an arm out to block him from trying to pursue his fellow yasoi. Her eyes slid over in his direction. “Thanks a million, monkey boy,” she grumbled. “I wanted to try those things.” She took a couple of steps back, letting out a sigh.

There was a smash. A heavy tile slid off of the roof and crashed to the ground right where the Perrenchwoman had been standing mere moments earlier and where she would have remained had not Tyrel left. Penny yelped and jumped back, grabbing ‘Jammy’ as she did so. “Putain! Ça serait tombé sur moi!” She shook her head. “I-I mean, it almost fell on me.”

Ashon wasn't going to pursue them, glancing down at the arm preventing him from following, and smirking widely in return at the comment, “it was the sixteenth Yasoi bit, that was as the Perrench say, Pièce de résistance.”, his further discussion rudely interrupted as the roof tile smashed upon the floor.

He was holding the Perrenchwoman in his arms as she instinctively grabbed upon him. He gently returned the gesture as his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner as he examined the roof edge, pondered foul play for a flicker of a moment returning his mind to the present. He started speaking softly towards her, “It should be safe now, but let's move to where there is only the sky. The arboretum?” An attempt to reassure her and smoothly avoid startling her further with their unexpected closeness.

“Ah, ahem…yes.” Penny separated herself from him and brushed herself off out of habit. Truth be told, she had little idea how to behave around boys and had seen not so much as a single yasoi in person before coming to this school. “So, you’re not actually part of her group, huh? You a student around here?”

Ashon copied the gesture by lightly brushing himself down with no real effort. “She took the effort to actually remember my full name, either that is good news, or really bad, kicking over the hornet nest bad. Ashon'amar'loiyang if you wanted, but 'Jammy' is good, I like it." He takes a moment to clarify, “Only wanted to see the reincarnation of the goddess in person. Goddess to be. Similar to your Reshta”. He takes out some nuts from his pocket, offering to Penny, then eating as a snack. “That's me, still trying to get used to how flat this city is, like one of those crepes they serve. Hypari has these big trees where you can swing between them for miles.”

They were walking now, and Penny politely declined the nuts, but she softened it with a smile. “Sounds like you’re just as lost as I am, Jammy,” she replied. “I don’t know a whole awful lot about the treescapes of yasoi lands except what I’ve read in books and what my grandmother used to tell me when I was small. She lived with her Jath’nan during dorrads. But that’s because, honestly, I don’t know a whole lot about anything in the real world. Sometimes, I feel like a two dimensional girl in a three dimensional place.” She snorted mirthfully and shrugged. “Maybe, between us, we can find some happy middle ground.”

“So the one sixteenth thing is true? I thought that was your natural flair for humour.", Ashon gives a pleasantly surprised smile, “Only thing I'll say is the only books worth reading are the ones that involve Talit'yrash'osmax, now she was a lelan. My jath'nan liked to boast that she shook her hand once, and believed it when I was a child, but I doubt she was that old. I think it is one of the privileges with age, they can make everything up and no one alive to refute them”.

If this entire episode was unexpected, then at least it was not entirely unwelcome, Penny supposed. “Talit was my hero as a child,” she admitted, “For… obvious reasons, but who can really say what’s truth and fiction about historical figures.” She grinned ruefully. “Only our grandparents.”

After continuing to walk, with lack of further roofline incidents, the conversation seemed to have grown deeper. “World is all about perspective. The good thing about being up in the tree is that you can observe everything from above. No real privacy but you see how people interact and behave, even when they think others are not watching. No real secrets between us Yasoi. Even when we wish for them." He mentally recalls how a certain fellow yasoi student really needs to keep the door closed. “So let's get you on some rooftops and trees, and you can… I guess, confine me within one of these buildings you yaniis love for a while?" He scratches his head at how unappealing that sounds. “... what about instead, we try a field, preferably at least one tree, and we take some food."

“Sooo… a pic-a-nic?” Penny questioned, half-skipping and twisting to smile up at him.

He clicks his fingers, “There is a Yanii custom for such a thing? Sounds great like a morning bird song. Let’s go on a pic-a-nic together.” He beams widely towards the girl as he looks down towards her.

She spun on her heel, hands clasped behind her back, and leaned forward playfully on her tiptoes. “But dear Jammy,” she teased, “you don’t even have a pic-a-nic basket. If you want to take a girl out for a pic-a-nic, the basket is positively a must.” She winked, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Jamboi made a mental note of the ritual item, “I may know the perfect person to help out, they look like the kind who may keep an abundance of pic-a-nic baskets.” He gave a wink in return and bent his knees to teasingly bring himself down to her level as he observed her dancing upon her tip-toes. “Bigger the basket, the better right? Will have to fetch a large one for us.”

Penny groaned a little. “At least we won’t need to bring the ham,” she remarked, smirking. “Already got a king-sized one.” She let herself back down onto the flat of her foot. “Anyhow, maybe as the sun sets, by the main gazebo in the arboretum but uhh… as far as possible from that hateful goose, hmm?”

He gave a laugh and a pfft at the mention of the goose, “Don’t worry, we’re the best of friends. Emptied its nest of those melons this morning.” He gave a sly smile as he recognises he probably made the situation significantly worse. “but let’s do this pic-a-nic thing, looking forward to it. Other than bringing the ham, anything else as part of the tradition?”, he continues to look towards her with that goofy smile. After the stories he has heard, he imagined an eventful conversation and storytelling ahead.

“Bring lemonade,” Penelope replied sweetly, “And yourself.” She turned and began walking. “I’m looking forward to it, monkey boy!”

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The Hourglass Order

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Event: Melon Derby | Location: Ersand'Enise

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Yalen. @pantothenic

There has never been time such as this before, where one should turn from foe into friend. They say conflict is the death of communication, where reason cannot be brought. Before her is a friend and a most reasonable boy, Yalen. Perhaps today is one where conflict can brought to an end.

With the Supreme Melon in hand, Yalen sneaks off by himself, avoiding the protection offered by others of his team. Ayla struck first against Yalen with a sonic attack, disorenitating and slowing down him to begin insightful discourse with him. Ashon, seizing the opportunity struck first against Yalen but missing. Yalen quickly swung around and he unleashed his skills upon the yasoi, catching him by surprirse. Yalen weaved and bobbed, overcoming the illusions by punching through them, and deflecting the internal chemistry, Ashon finds him quickly unable to keep up against him. With a one-two, the Yasoi was down.

Ayla was a significantly different challenge for Yalen to face, the girl danced around Yalen as he struck hesitant towards her. The chemical attacks struck dumbly as they washed over her, ebb-and-flowed as she clapped with her castanets. She moves gracefully as she danced, some how managing to duck and weave as part of the natural rhythem of the music. The castanets slapped against his ears, continuing to grow and increase in intensity and volume around him as he grew more disorientated with each passing moment. The crescendo comes to a stop as the castanets clap deafeningly against his ears, the blonde boy falling back into Ayla’s arms as she gently brings him to the ground and rests his head comfortably upon it. She smiles down towards him as he is still awake. “Rest a moment, and it will fade.” Brushing his hair till he stops struggling, whispering to settle him.

She uses the spare moment to wake Ashon up. “Send the signal, the Supreme Melon is ours!” Ayla takes the melon as it still glows brightly within her hands. Moving off with the groggy Ash trialing behind her as he uses his chemical magic to create a coloured cloud of smoke into the air.

The plot was all a ruse, for Ayla knew she did not have the Supreme Melon. What she did was whisper something else in the ear of her friend, one of hope and cooperation. Was it right of her to place trust in a good friend?

The Hourglass Order

[NPC Secondaries]

Maura Mercador

Maura Mercador

“Life is a Magus, Spend it wisely.”
14 | Female | Torragon | Merchant | RAS: 5.72, Tethered?

Associations:

❖ Biro, Ersand'Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
❖ Torragon
❖ Mercador Trading Company

The Gift:

❖ [ Arcane: specialism ] – [ 0. Neophyte ] - Not trained.
❖ [ Binding: specialism ] – [ II. Apprentice ] - Maura has experience of using binding in the use of impromptu construction and when it comes to assessing materials.
❖ [ Chemical: specialism ] – [ I. Novice ] - Maura uses for the assessment of materials.
❖ [ Kinetic: specialism ] – [ I. Novice ] - Maura uses kinectic to support in moving her rollerchair.
❖ [ Magnetic: specialism ] – [ I. Novice ] - Maura uses for the assessment of metals and alloys.

Description:
Cripple. Invalid. Tethered.
These are generally the three words that are guaranteed to come up in any conversation about Maura Mercador. Despite what people may profess, they are only fixated on the outside appearance. These are the rules we live by in society. It is highly convenient to categorise based on appearance alone. In a world where binders can fix every bone and alchemists seem to have a tincture for every ailment, what is the role for someone who cannot be ‘fixed’ ?
Smart, Charming, Funny.
Wouldn’t it be nice for these three things to be discussed instead. The warm smile she gives when you enter the room. The quip about the latest gossip which gives you stitches in your sides. The fact Maura is frequently at her desk, accounting for a trading company diligently at such a young age.
Beautiful, Fashionable, Sociable.
Maura takes great pride in her appearance, sometimes appearing pristine as if she was a perfect sculptured doll. Adorned in jewellery, dresses, and eyebrows on fleek, it is rumoured she had an influence on Ayla’s wardrobe to make the girls erratic choices work.
When it comes to friendships, how many merchants can say they have the genuine friendship and ear of a high noble house, or in this case, the Arslan family. This is a prosperous and mutually beneficial relationship that has helped both profit from the trading from Varrahasta.
Ambitious, Calculating, Underestimated.
Beneath the warm exterior is a driven girl, one who has her goals and the means to carry them out. Often overlooked due to her being ‘disabled’, people fail to realise disability is a product of one's environment, not inherent to the individual. Because she may struggle to walk up stairs doesn’t mean her other abilities are similarly impaired, and when she isn’t encountering a flight of stairs, neither is she. Realising one's place in your environment is a powerful weapon for adapting, and Maura is going to the top.
Resourceful, Self-Aware, Risk-taker.
Maura aims to take over the family business and further its expansion. A goal to secure monopolies in certain trade goods could catapult the Mercador family to the heights of the West Severan trading company. Due to political tension, she has suggested diverting resources to building links with neutral nations such as Enth to weather the storm of war and take advantage of the power vacuums that would be left behind in its wake.

Oksana Levlytsar

Oksana Levlytsar

“Nothing is quieter than Snow.”
17 | Female | Vossoriya | Kozaky | RAS: 6.79, Icevein

Associations:

❖ St. Yuri's Academy of Thaumaturgy
❖ Candidate for Ersand'Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
❖ Vossoriya
❖ Viys’ko

The Gift:

❖ [ Arcane: Ice ] – [ II. Apprentice ] - Oksana frequently uses arcane magic to create light from auditory sources to help her ‘hear’. It has the appearance of sparkling which can be distracting. Oksana feels at home within the cold.
❖ [ Binding: specialism ] – [ I. Novice ] - Whilst Oksana generally sculpts with ice, she experiments with other materials through binding magic.
❖ [ Chemical: specialism ] – [ 0. Neophyte ] - Not trained.
❖ [ Kinetic: Vibration ] – [ II. Apprentice ] - Oksana often converts kinetic energy to heat or light, drawing upon the energy in the micro-movements.
❖ [ Magnetic: specialism ] – [ 0. Neophyte ] - Not trained.

Description:
The Stanytsya was in silence.
Oksana watches from the snow. Silence. Flames lick across the thatch and burn. Silence. Raiders attack in the darkness. Silence. Red shadows blaze upon the floor. Silence. The blood splatters upon the ground. Silence. White blanket covers and comforts. Silence. Horsemen ride hard to save the day. Silence. Held within strong arms too tightly.
Silence.

After the events of that night, Oksana has now entered the world of silence. She is proudly Deaf which means she has an inability to hear speech. After having experience of speech, she is able to speech read and understand phonetic language to a passable degree. This is using contextual cues, and familiarity with buzz words and key phrases. Her understanding is enhanced by her use of the gift. Subtlety and nuance may be lost in translation. Oksana is familiar with the use of signed language, adapted from the silent communication hunters and scouts use for tracking purposes.

Oksana due to being quiet can be mistaken for being cold and unsociable, though typically this can be due to the communication barrier or it can be shyness. This can also be a self-defence mechanism as it limits and prevents others from approaching her. She can also emotionally shut down when she is being overwhelmed as she feels her senses become overloaded typically in crowded environments. She responds better in quieter one-to-one situations where she can more easily follow the conversation. She greatly prefers to do activities with her hands and with her proficiency with ice magic, typically ice sculptures, able to create elaborate shapes. She often takes part in physical sports and activities, particularly in endurance activities due to growing up in the tundra where dredging through snow is part of daily life. She has a fondness for tracking and animals, feeling a kinship with these at preference to other humans at times.

Oksana judges people a lot by their actions and their body language. She is able to pick up sincerity quite easily as she is often concentrating on their movements and gestures opposed to the words. She can be blunt and plainly spoken to convey her own meaning. She is democratic in her outlook, not being held to titles of nobility, though there is respect for elders due to generally possessing greater knowledge within the Stanytsya.