Yankee

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Harriette Moore

^{Barclay Waterfront University Campus : 1000 hours}
Just focus... get your head out of the clouds, Harriette.

The morning felt like it was just dragging on, and her mind was being weighed down by her earlier conversation with Rowen. In terms of previous interactions with the professor, that one hadn't even been that bad in hindsight - so why did she have this heavy feeling? Harriette's thoughts were stormy and unfocused, but she could only hope the sleepy students of the morning class couldn't tell. The first day back after break, most of them were interested in anything but the lesson, so her chances were pretty good. While the class was shuffling out, Harriette was idly sorting papers. It might not have been apparent to the students that she was wrapped up in her own head, but it was obvious to the English professor she'd been assisting.

"Are you alright?" The professor asked. He seemed more curious than anything, which Harriette supposed was the nature of scholars. All busybodies. Slowly her hands came to a stop, the stack of paperwork in her hand having been neatly stacked a couple times over already.

"Yes," she said. She didn't offer anything else in way of an answer at first, but it didn't seem like the man was keen to go anywhere without a little more reassurance. Nosy, she thought, but kept her silence.

"Well, if you say so. You seem tired," he said, and this time Harriette could hear the sympathy in his voice - but it wasn't what she'd honed in on. He'd said she looked tired. It nearly broke her right there. She didn't hear his next words about how the first day back was always rough, or how he hoped the rest of the day went better for her as he stepped away to go to his office. Tired. Harriette bit her lip, upset and nearly trembling. The old man didn't mean anything by it, but didn't he know you shouldn't tell a woman she looked tired?

Taking a deep breath, Harriette collected her things and hustled out of the classroom, heading right for the nearest women's restroom. She was glad to see that no one was in there at the moment, so when she slammed her bag on the sink and stared into the mirror she didn't feel like she was making a scene. I am tired, but like hell am I going to look it. Studying her face's reflection, Harriette determined that she could use a little touching up. There was a frown on her face that wouldn't seem to budge, which was probably making her look worse than she wanted to. She spent some time reapplying her makeup, and once she was more or less satisfied Harriette checked her schedule. There was plenty of time before her next class.

Alright. Let's try and get some work done, she thought. She opened the door and exited the restroom, only to run smack into a a shorter woman who just had to have been holding a drink in her hand. The collision itself was nothing, but it startled the younger student and the contents of her cup went flying, splashing the both of them.

"Oh my God, I'm - I'm so sorry!" The girl screeched, waving her hands in mild panic. She started babbling, running into the restroom and returning with wads of paper towels in her arms, which she shoved into Harriette's hands. "I didn't expect someone to - sorry, sorry! At least it won't stain I think?"

It smelled sweet. It was probably juice, which most definitely would stain. Harriette summoned all of the patience and calm she could find within herself and let out a long sigh.

"It's fine. I have a change of clothes. You - take care of yourself," she told the girl. Briskly, Harriette headed down the hall. Then down the stairs to the lobby, out the door of the college and to the parking lot. Unfortunately though she could eat in the faculty lounge, she couldn't park in the faculty lot, but the walk gave her some time to cool down. This morning sucked, but maybe with every little thing piling up now it would make the afternoon more tolerable. Alright, universe, just get everything out of the way now, she thought to herself as she reached her car and popped the trunk. As if granting her facetious wish, Harriette's phone chimed off a new message.

LR: essays on desk from morning class, by tomorrow. thx! 😉

"Still with the act. She must have had a great break," Harriette murmured to herself, reading the text over. Honestly, she was glad for the distraction right now. Working on something like grading essays was something she could focus on, and tune out the rest of the world in the process. With a quick glance around to make sure no one was around, Harriette ducked into her car and changed her top before making her way back toward the building.

While climbing the steps to the front entrance Harriette paused, noticing a long and thing crack in the concrete. When had that happened? Was there some kind of cold snap recently? Her eyes trailed the line and found that nearby where it ended, another one ran up part of the brick of the building's exterior wall. It was odd, it didn't move with the bricks at all, instead running straight over them like it was draped there. Harriette lingered, staring, but a gust of November wind urged her inside after a few moments. She headed towards a familiar office to collect the work assigned, and then looked for a quiet place she could settle down in. Unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, many of the campus' study rooms were packed with people already. Friends catching up, students getting a head start on projects. Harriette would much rather keep looking than go back to the office, so she made the trek to the opposite end of the building in hopes of finding a room that wasn't at capacity.

She poked her head into one, and blessedly it wasn't full. In fact there was only one person in it, a student with his arms folded and head pressed against the table. Was he catching a nap or something? Harriette went in and placed her things down on a table. She didn't get the sense that the student was sleeping... maybe dozing at best. If she were in his position she would hate to wake up and see a stranger in the room with her, so she quietly cleared her throat before announcing her prescence.

"...studying?" She asked first, a lame joke for an icebreaker. Once she got the student's attention she gestured to the paperwork she was spreading out. "Do you mind if I work in here?"

Pokémon: New Horizons

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✦ Botan Naito ✦	-

---

At first things were going quite well. Excellent, even, although Felix didn't look quite as enthusiastic as his words would imply (he did say it was "great" and "exciting" after all). Botan's cheerful smile was in place while the three from the lower deck introduced themselves. She was especially excited once Isla and Ferris mentioned their occupations. An accomplished trainer and a photographer? Lovely, they'd have plenty of protection and some physical memories to share! Plus a professor? A real professor?! Botan's eyes were practically star-shaped. Isla probably knew all there was to know about Pokémon! Yes, everything was going splendidly.

Until.

At about the same time as Felix, Botan's face instantly resembled a tamato berry. The sudden heat blooming on her cheeks made it look like steam was coming from her ears too. "U-um, wait, we aren't..."

The follow up comment from Ferris was kind of harsh too - not to mention the butlers of the Naito family would never dress like that. Botan's quieter corrections were drowned out but Felix's louder objections. She looked a little hurt when Felix stepped away from her, but tried to compose herself after a bit of nervous laughter. Sensing that she was becoming distressed, Jarvis stepped up behind Botan for support - and to fix all of the boys gathered with a look of warning. Only Isla was spared.

"Well... s-sorry about the confusion," Botan said. She coughed into her fist to clear her throat. "Yes, he and I just met. We are all strangers... but not for long!"

The shore of the island was in view, so if the lot of them were grouping up they would have to seal the deal now, lest any of them wanted to take their chances finding a group once already on land. With this in mind, Botan brought the smile back to her face, but if it was a little smaller than before the only one who'd be able to tell was herself. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer!

"I think we would all do well together," she said. Slowly she turned to Felix, giving him an apologetic look. "Which includes you. You don't really mean that, right...?" Botan glanced at the Mawile, hoping it could convince her trainer. Meanwhile a Pokémon came running up the stairs, followed by another and a young woman. Botan blinked in surprise. Maybe with his intrusion, the focus could shift away from Felix and he would reconsider? Botan didn't want to lose the person "she" recruited if possible.

test ☄ res 𒀱

Gaea

C r u s A c o s t a

“What can I say? I'm charming and irresponsib- I mean irresistible.”

Name
Crus Acosta

Age
Eighteen

Gender
Male

Home Sea
South Sea

Aether Sign
Sun (Wind)

Aether Abilities
Crus' Aether abilities are extremely minor. The most he can do at the moment is create a breeze. At it's strongest Crus can use it to give himself a tailwind and move faster while using less stamina, or to give himself a push through the water while swimming. Most of the time he uses it instead to cool himself down, cheat at tops, or passive aggressively knock things over. His control is poor when his emotions are high.

Personality --- SUBJECT TO CHANGE
On the surface, Crus is a bit of a people pleaser. A young man with a warm personality. He is friendly and playful, and never shy around strangers. He acts much the same whether around old friends or new acquaintances, and he doesn't discriminate. He enjoys chatting, and to that end he can be a bit pushy. He likes prying, and especially likes getting his way. Crus isn't one to give in easily, and that extends to much more than just personal relationships. He has a stubborn streak a mile wide that helps him to chase his wants and goals even when the going gets tough, but he's patient enough to play the long game too.

Crus can be irresponsible. If he doesn't want to do something, he tries to find a way out of it. This doesn't particularly mean that Crus is lazy - he's done his fair share of hard work during his life, but the weight of responsibilities, of people relying on you, makes him uncomfortable. For that reason he doesn't make many promises to people either. A promise with Crus is a rare thing indeed.

Though stubborn and bullheaded in most things, when it comes to interpersonal conflict Crus will deflect, get defensive, and offer platitudes before anything else. If he can avoid a scrap he will, but his small amount of pride won't let him back down if things get physical. Of course, most conflict of that nature can be avoided by either telling the other person what they want to hear, or by cutting into them with sharp words. Just have to know who you're fighting with. Maybe under different circumstances, Crus could have been quite the manipulator. Might still turn out that way, but at the moment he prefers getting what he wants by taking care of it himself. By the way, Crus is also a pretty talented liar, but he's honest more often than not. That probably makes it all the harder to tell when he is lying.

History
On the island of Ororuel in the South Sea, the Acosta family served as governors for the last few generations. It's household housed the former chief Asabien, his son and current chief Barachel and wife, and of course Crus: only son and future chief. There is a certain charm and excitement knowing you're destined to lead people, to take over the family mantle... but as Crus grew up, the feeling wore off quickly.

Though the tradition was to continue with Crus, he consistently fell short of his family's expectations. He had no motivation to take over the position, no interest at all in politics, and did not show any inkling of the skills needed to act as chief. He was a hard worker, so long as it was work he was interested in doing, and carrying a community on his back was not. Instead, his heart was set on adventure. Since early childhood he was the type to feed into his curiosity, leading faux adventuring teams made of the community's kids to discover all their island had to offer. First hand experiences with flora and fauna dealt life lessons in the form of scars, but Crus always went back for more. He was a hands on learner. Traditional classes were never for him, and he shirked many meetings with tutors in favor of outings into nature - whether it be into caves, climbing hills, or diving underwater. If he could touch it, he wanted to know about it; the how, why and when. Philosophy, law, diplomacy... those weren't physical things, and so didn't interest him in the slightest. History was about the only thing he wasn't able to touch that he felt worth learning about. His antics were tolerated as a child, but as the years passed it created a tension and dissonance between himself and the island's older population, including his father and grandfather.

Elders of the island grew worried of the family's future, and considered another one taking over. Anxious, and frankly irritated at the prospective young chief, they openly talked about their concerns and scorn. With each other, with their families, and of course to the chief himself who would hear every complaint and bring it back to his own family.

By the time Crus was a teenager, the friction surrounding him was well established. That time in a person's life is already chaotic and confusing enough, but Crus spent it torn between not wanting to disappoint his family or his community, and wanting to stay true to himself. He'd known for a long time that he didn't want to take on the mantle of chief, and though no amount of pushing, smothering, or convincing would change his mind he let people believe that it might. The time Crus spent in the village was filled with lies, platitudes, and avoidance. At home it was arguing, simmering anger, and strained smiles in between moments of familial love. There was a lot of sneaking off to forget about his duties for a while, a habit he'd never shaken from childhood, but whenever they could his father and grandfather would keep Crus on a short leash. More lessons, more scars.

Whenever he get away, Crus spent most of his time outside of the village. For one, his peers and the younger members of the community still adored him (at least the ones that hadn't taken their elders' mumbling to heart). Playing, helping, or just chatting and relaxing were his favorite pasttimes, besides exploring. Having long since scoured every nook and cranny of Ororuel, more often than not Crus took to the ocean. He pretended to be a Diver and brought back shells, coral, and all kinds of trinkets from the sea bed to give to the little ones - especially his new little sister, whom he could never be upset with. There had been a particularly difficult period of time when it came to light that his parents had been trying for another son. Though it ultimately failed of course, the tactic actually worked for a while, but eventually the frustration caught up with him and Crus disappeared for a few weeks. It was during that time he'd taken a boat out and let the sea's current take him wherever it willed. He slept under the stars, rocked by ocean waves, and eventually drifted to an patch of sea wholly unfamiliar to him. Under the water he ended up coming upon something interesting: the ruined remains of some ancient vessel, half buried in the sea bed and completely covered over with barnacles. What was it? Where did it come from? How had no one found it before? Surely if they had, he would have already known about it. Inside the wreck beside little animals making it a home and trinkets destroyed by time, was an ornate bident. Though crusted with mollusks it had not rusted. Crus' eyes shined at the sight of it, and of course he took it back with him to the surface.

When he came back up to his boat he found an ambush of people from his village waiting to take him back. He supposed he'd been gone a little too long this time. Once returned home he found that his family eased up on him a bit, afraid to lose him for good. The relationship with his family had improved, but it felt like a false sense of security. He placated them more often than not, pretending to come around to the idea of being chief just to keep the peace. Over the next few years Crus merely tolerated living on the island that seemed so small now, preparing for the inevitable but looking for a way out.

And then, when news reached their little island that a Diver crew would be stopping by on their way to some newly discovered ruins, Crus fought to hide his excitement. He kept it cool, acted disinterested, but in reality this was his chance. Real Divers, the kind that explored all the world's oceans and went on all kinds of adventures, coming to his home?

What else could he really have been expected to do, besides stow away?

first draft

FIRST DRAFT
_{Basic idea: The son of his island's chief, next in line to take over the governing of the island. Did not wanna do that so he fucked off (eventually). Before fucking off he was an adventurous lad and found a cool bident that looked ancient. When the Divers came through on their way to the newly discovered ruins, Crus stowed away. Scenario 1: he was quickly discovered and made into the cabin boy/deck swabber, intends to stay on with the crew, eventually get license? Scenario 2: he was eventually discovered and see above while the crew decides what to do with him.}

Crus had been an exuberant kid. From early childhood he was the type to feed into his curiosity, leading faux adventuring teams made of the community's kids to discover all their island had to offer. First hand experiences with flora and fauna dealt life lessons in the form of scars, but Crus never was a fast learner. His strength was in his body, not his brain, and he shirked many meetings with tutors in favor of outings into nature. His antics were tolerated as a child, but as the years passed it created a tension and dissonance between himself and the island's older population.

The Acosta family had served as the island's governors for generations, passing the title of "Chief" from father to son. The tradition was to continue with Crus, an only son, but he consistently fell short of his family's expectations. He had no motivation to take over the position, no interest at all in politics, and did not show any inkling of the skills needed to act as chief. Elders of the island grew worried of the family's future, considered another one taking over. Though irritated and anxious, they dared not try and correct the chief's son directly - and so instead they openly talked about their concerns. With each other, with their families, and of course to the chief that would hear every complaint and bring it back to his own family, brewing a tense atmosphere at home.

By the time Crus was a teenager, the friction surrounding him was well established. His family attempted cracking down on him, pushing and smothering to take his responsibilities seriously. More lessons, more scars. Stuck between not wanting to disappoint his family, but also wanting to be true to himself, Crus' days grew chaotic and confusing for him. The teenage rebel phase was full of lies, violence, making up, fighting again, running away then begging to come back. There was a particularly difficult period of time when his parents actually tried for another son. It was during this time that Crus pulled completely away, hiding out away from home for days or weeks at a time. Sometimes he would stay with the few friends he still had (it turns out when parents are spreading rumors about someone their kids pick up on it pretty quickly), but more often than not he would lay out under the stars, falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves.

His usual hideaways hadn't been secret for a while now, so to avoid everyone Crus starting going farther and farther. Most of the time this meant out onto the water, and underneath it too. Fearless and a strong swimmer, Crus would take a small boat into the surf and spend days beneath the surface. Everyone heard tales of Divers braving battles and exploring uncharted waters, and it was a common childhood game to pretend they were among the ranks of such people, jumping into the ocean and bringing as many shells onto the shore as they could carry. Maybe it was childish but Crus did the same now, leaving his troubles behind on the surface and just peeking into every cave and crevice under the water looking for anything interesting or new. Or he would just float for a while and let the current sweep him wherever it cared to.

At fifteen, one such occasion of drifting on the sea brought Crus to an unfamiliar place. Intrigued, he got to exploring, and ended up coming upon something interesting: the ruined remains of some ancient vessel, half buried in the sea bed and completely covered over with barnacles. What was it? Where did it come from? How had no one found it before? Surely if they had, he would have already known about it. Inside the wreck were little animals making it a home, trinkets destroyed by time, as well as something that seemed to have withstood the salt water all this time. An ornate bident, though crusted with mollusks it had not rusted. Crus' eyes shined at the sight of it, and of course he took it back with him to the surface.

When he reached his boat he found an ambush of people from his village waiting to take him back. He supposed he'd been gone a little too long this time. Once returned home he was kept on a much shorter leash, which annoyed him to no end, but at the very least this time diving into his studies was more interesting - maybe if he looked hard enough into the area's history he could find some information on that wreck.

Things could never go back to those simple times of childhood. His relationship with his family had improved, but it felt like a false peace. He placated the chief more often than not, pretending to want the mantle. Maybe if he pretended enough even he would believe it. Save for his little sister whom he could never be upset with, Crus merely tolerated living on the island that seemed so small now.

Three years passed, and when news reached their little island that a Diver crew would be stopping by on their way to some newly discovered ruins, Crus fought to hide his excitement. He kept it cool, acted disinterested, but in reality this was his chance. Real Divers, the kind that explored all the world's oceans and went on all kinds of adventures, coming to his home?

What else could he really have been expected to do, besides stow away?

Gear
Crus has carried that bident he found for years, clinging to the little sense of adventure it brought him. Besides that he also has a simple rebreather, a small knife, and a woven bag - all things he uses while exploring. Besides that he carries some primitive beigoma, doubling both as his favorite game and as a little keepsake of Ororuel.

junk

_____________________________________

Name Schmitty Warbenjaegermanjensen Age Eighteen Gender Male Home Sea South Sea Aether Sign Really Aether Abilities These range from offensive (bubbles, water whips, and wind cutters) to defensive (ice shield, wind barrier) to healing. In publishing and graphic design, Lorem ipsum is a placeholder text commonly used to demonstrate the visual form of a document or a typeface without relying on meaningful content. Lorem ipsum may be used as a placeholder before the final copy is available. It is also used to temporarily replace text in a process called greeking, which allows designers to consider the form of a webpage or publication, without the meaning of the text influencing the design. Lorem ipsum is typically a corrupted version of De finibus bonorum et malorum, a 1st-century BC text by the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero, with words altered, added, and removed to make it nonsensical and improper Latin.

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TEXT

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Pokémon: New Horizons

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✦ Botan Naito ✦	-

---

Jarvis was doing an excellent job from where Botan was looking. He'd already found a handful of people! Well, this will be even easier than I expected! She thought to herself. Botan was happily awaiting the people on the lower deck to start making their way up, the thought that they might ignore her not even once crossing her mind. A small commotion at the stairwell nearby drew Botan's attention away from the prospective teammates below, her hair bouncing as she turned quickly to find a young man with his hand clamped in the massive maw of a Pokémon. She regarded the two of them with wide eyes, struggling to remember what this particular Pokémon was called and if it was dangerous. Maybe this person needed help?!

She didn't expect that he would ask to join up with her. She blinked at the recently released man and the Pokémon beside him for a few moments, and then she dove forward with her hands outstretched and a smile from ear to ear.

"Hello! Of course you are welcome to join me!" She said, grabbing Felix's hand in her own and shaking it. "Felix, was it? My name is Botan! It is a pleasure to meet you. My Pokémon partner will be back any moment now with the rest of the group."

Botan was nothing if not enthusiastic. She couldn't wait for Jarvis to return now - he would be so proud of her, finding a member for the group all on her own! Nevermind the fact that Felix and his friend approached her first. Botan released her grip on Felix's hand and looked down at the Pokémon next to him, giving it a smile.

"This little one brought you over here, yes? She has a sharp eye!"

Meanwhile on the lower deck, the Machamp folded a pair of arms behind his back and nodded at Arlo's statement. The blue haired man was right, he was gathering suitable companions. A survivalist would be a perfect addition. Jarvis stood by, waiting patiently while the humans talked among themselves. He met the Ninetale's eyes with a neutral expression, though he breathed in and puffed his chest out a little, letting the other Pokémon know that he was no pushover despite the uniform (that he wore with pride). Once the trainers started moving, Jarvis gestured politely for them to go ahead, and he would follow after.

When he spotted Botan again with a stranger, Jarvis swiftly made his way over to the young lady. He gave Felix and his Mawile a suspicious look, but then Botan was tapping on his arm and introducing everyone.

"Hello everyone! I'm so glad you decided to chat with me. My name is Botan Naito, and this is Felix! We are building an amazing group for exploring Panmia Island, and you who were chosen by Jarvis are invited to join." Her demeanor was dazzling, and it seemed she was already quite comfortable with looping Felix into the whole situation even though they'd just met. The Machamp offered a shallow bow to the lot of them so they would be able to discern who exactly "Jarvis" was. Botan clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled. "An exciting proposition, isn't it?"

Cacophony Concord

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_{HP: 860/860 - MP: 660/660 - SP: 710/710}
^{_________________} _[]

Inspect User

I want a space here.

CHARACTER

Avatar Appearance
Username: Ames
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 176cm | Weight: 69kg

Classes:
Warrior lvl 50 (+10% HP | +10% STR | +10% END)
Animist lvl 0 (+10% HP | +10% MP | +10% SP)
_{Weapon Proficiency: LVL 3}

Attributes:
HP – 55 (810)
MP – 60 (660)
SP – 60 (690)
STR – 65 (98)
AGI – 52 (74)
END – 50 (65)
DEX – 65 (80)
LUC – 70 (78)

Abilities:
▶ Power Attack _{Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.}
▶ Combat Stance _{Passive. Increase STR, END, or DEX by 10% at will. Five second cooldown.}
▶ Double Strike _{Active. 25% SP cost. Attack twice with your weapon, dealing incremental bonus damage based off SP consumed. Can be combo'd into from Power Attack.}
▶ Sundering Blow _{Active. 40% SP cost. Strike downwards, causing a burst of energy around you and dealing damage to all enemies. May inflict Stun. Range increases by 5 meters for every 100 SP consumed, starting from a radius of 10 meters. Can be combo'd into from Power Attack.}
▶ Reinvigorate _{Active. 100 MP. Regain 100 SP. Can be used in tandem with Power Attack.}
▶ Fluid Power _{Passive. Power Attack can combo into any offensive skill.}
▶ Harmonic Cycles _{Passive. 5% of HP/SP/MP can be converted into HP/SP/MP. Can be used once per round.}
▶ Art of the Split Soul _{Active. 5% SP and 5% MP per round. Imbue a Weapon or Shield with a portion of your soul, enabling it to float within a 20m radius of you, attacking or defending at your command. This bypasses Equipment slot restrictions. Imbued Weapons or Shields do not grant stats or effects.}

INVENTORY

Funds: 15883 Rishi

Item Pouch (Common):

• Ankle Bells (dented)
• Common Health Potion x4
• Common Antidote x2

Equipment

• Main Hand: Water Tiger Hook Sword UC +7 STR +3 DEX
  • Weapon can be used to Grapple while attacking, at 80% efficacy.
• Off Hand: Adventurer's Buckler C
  • No extra effect.
• Head: Battlerider's Cowl R +50 HP +10 AGI
  • Increase [Charge] attack damage by 20%. Increase [Riding] proficiency by 10%.
• Armor: Lacquered Woodplate UC +30 HP, +20 SP, +5 END
  • Reduce damage taken by wind and water attacks by 50. Increase damage taken by fire attacks by 15.
• Arms: Phantom Flame Bangles R +100 HP +3 AGI +5 END
  • Reduce fire damage by 35. Consume 100 HP to enhance your equipped weapons with magical flames.
• Legs: Barbarian Leg Paddings UC +20 HP, +4 STR, +4 AGI
  • 10% resistance to Restraint effects.
• Shoes: Sturdy Sandals UC +5 AGI, +2 DEX
  • 5% resistance to Knockback effects. Mitigates difficulties of movement on slippery terrain.
• Accessory: Divining Rattlebones C +8 LCK
  • No extra effect.
• Accessory: Banner of the Raid Chief R +30 SP +15 STR +10 DEX
  • x% chance of increasing ally’s damage by 10% when they attack. X equals 5 x the amount of party members. This effect does not stack.
• Accessory: Deep Red Cloak C
  • No extra effect.
• Accessory:

Current User Experience

Perception: Fantastic
Gore: Pixelated
Pain Setting: 40%
Clothing Damage: On
Nudity Censor: Personal
Profanity Censor: Off
Combat Action: Stylish
Spell Incantations: Stylish

aмeѕ
 aмeѕ

^{_________________}
With Klein and Magpie's approval, the trio who stayed behind went to meet up with the others. Before they moved, Ames responded to Klein's thought about getting a reward with a shrug, and read the messages that Amulak and Raime sent back. So Lugh was definitely fine, that was a relief. She could read the scouts' frustration in the text, but Ames scratched her head. Weren't they forgetting about something? They were so pissed at Lugh, they forgot that initially he'd come down here at the request of his temple or whatever, right? Once Klein, Mags, and herself made it over there, Lugh barely acknowledged them before leading the whole group into some kind of hidden area.

It was all very strange. A frown formed on Ames' face and refused to leave.

"Um, don't you guys think Lew is acting kind of weird...?" she whispered to the others as they moved through the run down building. The place was creepy as hell, just as much if not more so than out in the open caverns. And then, Lugh brought them to a room with snake people. Honest to god snake people. Lamias, the creatures they'd been looking for. The ones Lugh had originally come down to investigate. He was acting completely charmed by them, and when Raime's chat text popped up the only thing Ames could think was yeah, no duh.

He was definitely brainwashed. It sucked because they might have to fight against him if things turned south. Raime mentioned keeping guard, but Ames didn't know if she could stay still and listen to the serpentess talk. When the woman first opened her mouth a wave of nausea passed over Ames. As 'Sarasa' continued, the feeling of... wrongness clung to Ames' senses. The red headed Animist's frown deepened, and her brow furrowed. Goosebumps were forming on her skin. What if... she's trying to hypnotize us right now? Wait, was it eyes or voice?

Ames swallowed a lump in her throat. She couldn't quite remember which Karan had warned them of, but if that was the case... then the group should cut to the chase. None of them really wanted to go on some quest for snake people, most of them wanted to go back to the city to prepare for the clan war. It would be better to just leave here as soon as possible, but they'd promised to look into the disappearances. Answers first. Who knew, maybe the lamias would be amicable, like those oni she and Mags had encountered before? Surely it would be better to ask questions before jumping the gun, like they had with that player in the dark cave.

"Actually," she began, cutting a glance at Raime, "we came to make sure Lugh was alright, and follow up on his investigation. There have been some children going missing from the human towns nearby."

Ames's voice was quavering slightly discomfort, but she went on with a direct question. "Do you know anything about that?"

World of Light

Word Count: 780 (+2 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 7/80
Location: Edge of the Blue - The Maw

Ace and Nadia were practically in a race against Moreau, frantically making their way as fast as possible toward the lower level before the monster could squash their friend. Fortunately Link was not a stationary target, and the Hylian was doing his best to keep away from the mutant - and succeeding! Well his plan worked! the Cadet thought, pulling some positivity into his brain while he worked his way down. All things considered, it was going pretty well for them in this area of the Maw. Just had to keep the optimism up - and he was trying, even as a distressing noise filtered over to them from the direction of the Command Center. The Cadet descended the ladder and landed next to Nadia, his eyes wide and confused. There had been nothing in the Command Center when they left it, only those that were handling the underwater part of the plan. Where would something even get in from?

"They'll be okay," he assured her after she tried reasoning with herself. Geralt had gone back there, plus Blazermate had just flown back with a big chunk of metal. Not to mention the rest of them keeping guard. Who knew, that noise might have even been some kind of weird echo with Moreau as it's source. Positive thoughts.

Ace Cadet followed her to the bottom level. The more people working on this "Moreau problem," the better. Once they were on the ground, the Cadet's mind shifted from thinking positive thoughts to thinking of solutions. It might be possible to play keep away with Moreau, shifting his attention from one kid to another to keep him from focusing on catching just one of them. While they did that, another one of them could go help Junior, and once they were in the clear they could all try and climb to safety. Nadia, with her speed and dexterity, might be a better fit for dodging the monster... but the Cadet knew she was exhausted. Her agility might not hold out. Besides, even if the Cadet was turned into a kid he was still monster hunter. Facing off against bigger threats was kind of his thing. He just had to figure out how to do that in his current state.

"Nadia," he said, catching the feral's attention. "Go find a way to get Junior out of here. Between the two of you, I know you can do it. Boost him up, or find a low hanging platform and pull him up - whatever works, okay? I'll go help Link distract fishface until you're both back to safety." He smiled at her, hopefully in a way she found reassuring, before he went ahead with his plan to split up.

Step one: find those cutters that had fallen into the water. He scoured the immediate area for them while Link was still the monster's target and Kamek tried talking it down. That definitely wouldn't work, but if it distracted Moreau then the Cadet hoped the koopa didn't run out of breath any time soon. Finally, the red head spotted the tool laying atop a junk pile. He snatched them up then ran towards where the creature was still thrashing. He studied Moreau, doing his best to judge what the weakest areas of the monster would be based on those from his own world, and some common sense. The tail was a no-go, it was waving about violently and one thwack from it looked like enough to seriously injure any of them, if not worse. It's arms were not ideal for much the same reason, and though it's face looked menacing the real danger was that belly flop. The analysis led into step two: make it split it's attention between two targets.

While Moreau was chasing after Link, the Cadet ran back to get on a higher platform again. Moreau was already trying to snap at the catwalks before, so getting him to turn away from the ground floor would help all of those still down there. His arms and legs were sore and aching, but he pushed himself up and waited. Soon enough the monster came by, crossing close under the platform the Cadet was on. The young monster hunter raised the cutters and - trying his best not to fumble - snipped off a few of the wriggling tentacles protruding from it's back.

"Ha ha!" He caught one of the appendages in his hand and threw it down at Moreau. "Yeah, listen to Kamek and give up, you can't catch any of us!" He taunted, resisting the urge to jump down onto the beast and stab like he would have done if he was still in his adult body.

Word Count: 582 (+1 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 26/50
Location: Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon Northwest: Obelisk Temple
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
D34C25

No matter how many times she stared at the same hieroglyphs in the room, Primrose's brain couldn't form any useful patterns to them. There was no codex she could see, and even if the symbols themselves were familiar in the way they depicted simple shapes or common objects, she couldn't make sense of them in a meaningful way. Their "Babylonian" ally confirmed that the door they wanted was enchanted, so there had to be something... so all she could do was keep looking.

The sound of people approaching quickly drew her attention away from the task. Surely not enemies? Primrose tensed herself in anticipation, but moments later the missing trio appeared. The three of them looked a little beat up, but they were otherwise in high spirits. It was good news. Primrose smiled at the lot of them, returning Panther's wave with a small one of her own. Everyone was safe there in the room, so rather than offering a healing spell to them Primrose refocused on trying to discover the secret to opening the door. Hopefully with more eyes, they would make quick work of it.

The dancer didn't expect that she would be the first to find a clue. With her eyes on the pillars and walls, she hardly noticed shapes in the sand on the ground. Her foot kicked something rather hard and she winced, glancing down at it. It was a smooth stone... too smooth. She knelt down, brushing sand away from the thing and unveiling a beetle statue. A magical one too, if the glow was anything to go by.

"Look at this," she said, calling attention to the discovery. She placed her hand on the beetle sculpture and it's glow strengthened, but nothing changed within the room. She tried turning it, but no part of the statue budged. The professor would have a field day with this, she thought, but when it comes to puzzles, I am a little more direct... Primrose stood up and kicked the beetle with her heel. It's soft light intensified, and then the matching carving on the door shifted. A lock undone, she guessed.

Pleased with herself, Primrose listened to Band's story. It was, sort of, corroborated by Kan-Ra. Even if the story ended up having nothing to do with the puzzle, the group didn't have much in the way of other theories. So, they just had to look for some other stone beetles. Primrose didn't see any with a cursory look, but she had another idea.

"Someone should inform Tora and Poppi," she said first. Then, she summoned her more recent Striker. The hunting wolf spirit was as eager to come at her call now as it was when she'd summoned it before in the museum. It fluttered around her once, but she ran a hand over it's head and brought it's attention to the beetle statue at her feet. "Here, Makami. Find us more of these."

The spirit barked and put it's flat snout to the stone. After a second or two is floated into the air, it's body twisting as it flew in a tight circle. Then it moved with purpose, flying over to a beetle statue mounted on a far wall. It was partially hidden within the shadow of a pillar, but while it was concealed from sight the wolf's nose was able to point it out. The spirit disappeared soon after that, but not before Panther and Carmen struck the statue and set it's light shining.

Pokémon: New Horizons

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✦ Botan Naito ✦	-

---

On the upper deck, a young woman stood against the railing overlooking the bow of the ship. She was smiling brightly, taking in the sun and salty breeze, letting it warm her skin and blow her long brown hair about. The cruise had been a lot of fun, for being on the smaller side. The dining hall had a decent spread of tasty foods, and there had been all kinds of things to do. Even the time spent just getting to the port before boarding had been an interesting adventure. Botan had pointed out all the interesting Pokémon to her companion, amazed at how different two of the same species could be. Who knew Ponyta could have puffy manes made of anything but fire? Or that Weezing could have such elongated heads?! She'd been absolutely charmed seeing such Pokémon in person - and now, they were almost to their destination! Panmia Island, where they would go exploring where no one had before! Botan was eagerly listening to the voice over the PA, but one thing mentioned in particular made her smile widen even further.

"A Pokédex! Oh Jarvis, did you hear that? We'll get a Pokédex!" She cheered, raising her arms up in celebration. "I wonder if it already has information in it? Or maybe it's one of those advanced ones that can call and take pictures!"

She stepped away from the railing and spun around in a circle. "I almost feel like a little kid!"

When she came to a stop, Botan was facing towards a little alcove nearby. She thrust her hand out, pointing at the Pokémon standing beneath it. "You won't complain if the first thing I scan with it is you, right?"

The Pokémon uttered a rumbling noise, which Botan took as permission granted. Her companion walked out of the shade, revealing a huge, muscular form that nearly towered over the girl. Jarvis was the Machamp her family had asked to take with her on the expedition. He was an older 'mon, but with strength and loyalty to spare. Plus, he was secretly Botan's favorite of all her family's Pokémon employees. The journey on the island would have been a lot of fun with just the two of them, but their hosts urged the importance of safety in numbers.

"Almost there, Jarvis! We'll have to find some other people to -"

"Maaaa."

"I know, you are more than enough to handle anything dangerous. But it could be fun!"

The Machamp crossed one pair of arms in front of his chest, while the other pair was dutifully folded behind his back. He seemed skeptical of traveling with others, but Botan quickly caught on.

"If it's the people you're worried about, by all means please vet everyone on board! Now, let me think about the kind of people I'd want in my group..."

Botan looked over the side, checking to see if she could spot people on the lower deck while she hummed to herself.

"Smart people, fun people, people good with Pokémon... or a big mix? What do you think, Jarvis?"

"Cha."

"Hmm, good point!" Botan glanced at the Machamp over her shoulder. "Well, I trust you, so would you go find me the best group members? I'll wait here safe and sound, promise."

She waited until Jarvis swept a hand in front of his chest and bowed before she turned away, staring out over the water and the ship with a content smile. Her companion straightened up and turned toward the stairs leading to the lower deck. His footfalls were heavy, and when he reached the more populated area of the ship most people and Pokémon gave him a wide berth.

Operation "find Lady Botan a suitable group" was underway. Now, Jarvis was a Machamp. He was strong, he was helpful, and sometimes he was clever. What he wasn't was some Psychic-type that could read minds or auras. So he had to rely on his intuition to find the perfect candidates... and his eyes of course. For example, there was a blue-haired woman doing her best not to be sick of the side of the ship. Jarvis shook his head. A weak constitution like that wouldn't do.

He walked around the deck with all four hands clasped behind his back, scrutinizing everyone with a look that bordered on haughty. What few people caught his attention were already settled in their groups from what he could tell, so he moved on. Eventually he came upon a few people milling about the refreshment area. Jarvis brought a hand to his chin, stroking it thoughtfully. Would they make good companions for Lady Botan? He didn't sense that they were bad people, and like many Pokémon his instinct when it came to that was seldom wrong. Plus if he didn't act soon, he might miss the chance to actually choose partners for Botan. Rather than sit back and watch them, Jarvis gave in to his Fighting-type nature and approached the group - three humans and a Ninetails. If it turned out any of them were trouble, he would have no issue dealing with them after all.

When his presence was known, Jarvis snorted and pointed at the individuals. Then, he turned his hands upward and pointed at a young woman on the upper deck, who seemed to notice this and waved cheerily. She made a beckoning motion with her hand, inviting the group up.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Harriette Moore

^{Moore Household : 0700 hours}
When she woke up it was slow and quiet. The last remnants of false adrenaline that her brain cooked up for that dream were still pounding beneath her eyelids. Harriette sighed, her eyes still closed, and laid still in her bed until her consciousness caught up with the rest of her. Once it did, it was still a few minutes more before she got up. Lately she'd been waking before her alarm, so the house was pure silence. Unsurprisingly, she was alone.

She sat on the edge of the mattress in her nightgown, reaching towards the end table for her phone. She fiddled with it in her hand for a few moments before opening the notepad application. Writing her dreams down was something she used to do often, and it'd been a while since she'd had one so... vivid. That plane, those people, the heat and turbulence...

Harriette stared at the phone's screen for a while, thinking. It was some dream alright. Her subconscious was bringing up images of war. She was sure the psych students would have a field day with that. Personally, she might have chosen another metaphor - though Harriette tried not to think of her... situation if she could help it. With the exception of fruitlessly fantasizing about ways out of it.

Should you find your worth... That seemed almost like a cruel joke. And from her own mind at that. Harriette squeezed the phone in her hand. Her fingers hovered over the keypad. She stayed like that for a long time, or so it felt. A few minutes later the device vibrated in her hand, the bzzz bzzz of her Monday morning alarm. She was shaken from her trance, surprised to see water droplets on the screen, but there was no time left to wonder about where they'd come from. Thanksgiving break was over, and it was time to get ready for the day. She stood, tossing the phone onto the bed with not a word written, knowing that whatever was in store for her would wash the dream from her memory.

---

^{Barclay Waterfront University Campus : 0900 hours}
The campus looked just the same as it had before the break. The halls and classrooms did too. There was still a little time before Harriette's first class, and even more before her assistant work. As she walked through the corridors she could see students and professors alike hustling to their obligations. Many of the latter juggling mugs of coffee in their hands. Harriette knew the drink's source and made her way there. Fortunately, the faculty lounge was open to her even while she was "off duty," so to speak. It was crowded this morning. Harriette let herself zone out as she poured herself a cup and let the conversation flow around her.

"You'll never guess who I ran into over the break - "

" - finally got to work on some hobbies - "

" - son's been struggling so we hired - "

" - flowers, a huge bouquet! It was so romantic - "

" - wasn't the type of work I'd come to expect from him - "

" - are you listenin', Harriette?"

Voices were floating around the room, but Harriette wasn't processing the words. Only her own name pulled her attention forward, her eyes coming back to life as the landed on the face of Mrs. Meadows. She was a portly little lady, open and kind, and bless her - she didn't even look half offended that Harriette hadn't heard a word she'd said.

"I'm sorry," Harriette said, giving the other woman an apologetic smile. "Not enough coffee yet."

Meadow giggled and playfully swatted her shoulder. "Oh don't you worry, I've been there! I was just sayin' that I don't understand the point of givin' students projects over break. Never have. How many of them actually get turned in at the end of it? Seems a mite silly."

Harriette nodded. The two kept up light conversation for a little while. Other professors and assistants filtered in and out. A woman that Harriette had grown to know quite well entered the room a few minutes later, and she could have sworn that the temperature dropped a good few degrees when their eyes met. Professor Rowen, well groomed but aging, smiled and walked right over.

"Ah, good morning Mrs. Meadows, Miss Moore," she greeted. Harriette raised her mug to her lips, glaring at what little coffee she had left in it. It was always 'Miss Moore' with her. Meadows barely had a chance to return the greeting before Rowen went on. "I passed by the cafeteria on my way here. Did you know they're still fixing things? They had the whole week to do that, were they slacking off the whole time? Honestly."

Harriette's taste for conversation had soured, so she said nothing, but the lack of response did not deter the other woman. "I trust you both had a nice Thanksgiving Break, but from what I've been told, Professor Samson had an amazing one."

"Oh? Why's that?" Mrs. Meadows questioned. She seemed mildly curious, but Rowen just gave her a mischievous smile and finally turned to get her own cup of coffee. "Ask him!" she said.

By then most of the people in the room had finished their breakfast and left. The three women who'd been congregating around the coffee maker left too. Mrs. Meadows split off to go upstairs to her classroom, leaving Harriette and Rowen headed in the same direction. The older of the two glanced at her companion and said suddenly, "he had an affair."

"...what?"

"Professor Samson. With a younger woman too, so I've heard. Word like that gets around."

Harriette took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on the hall in front of her. How Leanna always seemed to know everything about a person's personal life she would never know, nor did she care to find out. The woman was like a queen bee being fed gossip by her little drones. Harriette doubted that rumor was even true. Professor Samson was a sweet old man.

"I'm only telling you because I trust you, Harriette. I want some advice, too."

This statement surprised the red head. Her steps slowed slightly and she looked at Rowen. Somehow, Rowen could always appear like she was never doing anything wrong on the outside. The picture of innocence, or maybe ignorance. She looked like that too, now, even though her eyes glittered darkly.

"Should we tell her? Samson's poor wife," Rowen said. "She ought to know something like that was going on with her husband, don't you think?"

The two of them came to a stop where the hallway separated into two opposite directions. Harriette stared at the professor. She couldn't tell if Rowen was being genuine, or if this was some kind of veiled threat directed at Harriette herself. She didn't know which was worse either, that Rowen still acted like a friend or that she felt the need to remind Harriette of her situation. She narrowed her eyes.

"...you have class in five minutes," she answered with, lowering her gaze. Professor Rowen blinked and checked her watch.

"Oh, you're right. Thank you dear, you're so thoughtful - memorizing my schedule like that."

Rowen smiled pleasantly, and Harriette returned the expression with some difficulty. Both of their smiles were full of teeth. They said nothing more to each other, separating.

World of Light

Word Count: 599 (+1 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 5/80
Location: Edge of the Blue - The Maw

The duo's steady work was coming to a close. All climbing, jumping, cutting, lifting and moving certainly made for an intense workout. Maybe a little too much for the children, though the Cadet was handling it a little better than Nadia. She seemed completely exhausted, but a tremendous noise startled the both of them and signaled the end of their distraction-making. It was the heavy creaking and churning of an old machine coming to life, and it quickly began draining the water beneath them. That meant the diving team had been successful!

Moreau tried a last ditch effort to get at the kids up on the catwalk, but due to the lower water level he fell way short of his target. "Not even close!" The Cadet hollered over the railing, watching the monster crash back into the water with a splash. Things were looking up, weren't they?

"Hellblade yeah they did it!" the redhead said, matching Ms. Fortune's enthusiasm. If he thought any in the command center or in the submarine would have been able to hear him, he would have shouted out praises for them. That would have to wait until they all regrouped. He waited, watching the continual drain of the water with Nadia until it stopped completely. Now that it was visible, the lower level looked pretty much the same as the upper ones. It was dank and full of random machine parts. Rusted and water log pieces of metal were all over the ground. The only things that moved were fish, or fish-like creatures anyway. There was also... Moreau.

The creature was down there, but it wasn't stranded - it was walking around! What the Cadet had thought were huge fins turned out to be sturdy legs that it dragged it's hulking body around with, and it was moving about the bottom level wailing in anger. Of course it just had to be amphibious, if that could label even apply to the mutation. Ace Cadet glanced at Nadia, intending to respond to her with an affirmative, but his stomach growled fiercely.

"Ugh... why'd you have to mention fishsticks." The magically induced hunger was really at odd with unappetizing scenery around them, but man what the boy wouldn't do for some food right then. "Let's go. That thing doesn't seem like the brightest Jaggi in the pack, we can probably make it without getting caught."

The Seekers' destination was still one level above it, so as long as the monster didn't have any means to reach them, they'd be alright to make their way to the lift. With mission "lower the water level" accomplished, those in the command center would be free to just come back out to this area and they they'd find a way across. While that was true for most of them, Bowser - through his loud conversation with Kamek - pointed out that his son was on the lowest level. Duh, the sub! The Cadet smacked a palm to his forehead. Of course the submarine and it's pilot would be stuck down there, no water meant no maneuvering it. This revelation, which seemed pretty obvious in hindsight, had Link going to use himself as bait again to drawn Moreau's attention away from the young koopa prince. Though Link was clever and capable, it had the potential to go poorly. The quicker the Cadet and Nadia got down, the quicker they'd be able to jump in if they needed to.

The hunter sped up his movement over the catwalks, looking over the side at the situation below every couple of seconds. "What's the fastest way down?"

Current Mood in One Gif