Yankee

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

Robespierre had answered a question that Inti had not asked. Of course he knew why an Egoist, but he wanted to know why only? It didn't matter though, as that turned out not to be the case after all. Robespierre laid the responsibility on all of their shoulders. Franz and Inti, who were not Egoists. That lizard girl, and that soft spoken boy, who were. And the last volunteer, who Inti wasn't sure about. Inti smiled at the news. A group looking after Jeanne left her with little chance for rebellion, if she even chose to try in the first place. More importantly though, it would be really interesting getting know the others who spoke up in this situation. And with some work, maybe his name would start making it's way through the student body the way that the others' did. He heard so many whispered names as he had pushed through the crowd before finding himself in front of the captive Frenchwoman that he already knew who his fellow keepers were even before properly introduced.

Now he stood before Jeanne, and Franz who'd gotten to the front already, as the crowd began dispersing. The other three joined them soon after. Inti's eyes had followed Robespierre's back as the young man dismissed them and went on his way. Inti wondered where he was headed, but he supposed it could wait.

He swung himself to face the other four with a wide and open smile on his face. Famous he was not, but the Abya Yalan was clearly eager. "I guess we'll be working together," he said, "My name is Inti, it's nice to meet you all - and you again, Franz." Inti had clocked somewhere in the back of his brain that most people seemed to refer to each other by their surnames, the blood names, but it seemed strange to him - so he just repeated the first names back along with the introductions in order to commit them to memory.

"And you too," he told the young woman, the smile he leveled at Jeanne just as warm as the one he'd given the others.

Franz started to speak with their charge, and Inti backed away just slightly to give them space. But he listened.

"Innocence?" Inti questioned quietly with a tilt of his head. Was that what they were doing? Did defending her mean they had to believe that she was guiltless, or at least pretend to believe it? He could probably do that.

His gaze shifted to the blonde girl in front of him. She looked stern, not ashamed. He met Jeanne's eyes, and when he spoke next during a lull in conversation his tone was pure curiosity.

"So... why did you burn down the library?"

World of Light

Word Count: 1048 (+6 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 88/80
Location: Edge of the Blue

Watching fusions happen was always interesting. It didn't seem like either Kamek or Blazermate had suddenly gained the ability to revive the dead unfortunately, but hopefully whatever they had gained was to their benefit. They were starting to look as mishmashed as the Koopa King though, but the Cadet tactfully did not comment on it. As for Nadia, now with just the one spirit fused to her she looked a lot more normal in comparison. The scars' color change made them look like fashion marks (though he hadn't minded them in the first place), and the swirl patterns on her skin really suited her - as did the longer hair.

He didn't tell her that she looked good like that because it wasn't the time or place, not really, but the dopey smile on his face he looked at her probably said as much.

The question about being paid he couldn't bear to answer though, given so far he'd yet to receive any money that wasn't donated by Princess Peach herself. He was happy to hear the answer though, grateful the princess would continue to fund their adventure.

With most of the spirits dealt with the Cadet made good on his offer and squeezed the crab monster spirits in his hands. The items formed against his waiting palms, the first what looked like a regular little carapaceon claw with the meat still inside it. Among the rot, decay, slugs, stench, damp, and general unpleasantness of the Carcass Isle, this little piece of food seemed like a miracle. Was he selfish if just ate it and didn't offer to share? Maybe, but his stomach was telling him not to worry about that right now and so he didn't. It was delicious.

The other item was no edible, but it was familiar and the Cadet couldn't help but grin at the sight of it. He was either really lucky, or he had some kind of secret super power that manifested equipment from his home world. It was comforting to see, the same way that hyrdo mimic Gobul had been, strangely. The Cadet regarded the helm,

He tipped his head back and forth in thought for a few moments before he swapped it for the one he currently wore, trading Health Boost for Defense, and an offensive skill for a defensive one. If they were facing down a guardian it would be tough, and the Felynes were tied to him - so it was fortunate that he could get just a little but tougher to make sure he stuck around to save someone else without having to take a ride on the Palico express himself.

With Hatty dealing with the last humanoid the crew moved on, deeper in, into tunnels that grew even danker and darker than the ones they'd already traveled through. Then, light - luminescent plants and animals in the other pitch black underground cavern. Illuminated by the colorful neon glow were dozens, if not hundreds or more creatures prostrating on the ground, all facing the same direction. Some were familiar enemies, and others the kind Ace Cadet had never seen before, but they all were posed much the same.

"...ominous," the monster hunter muttered, eyeing the creatures suspiciously. None turned or so much as acknowledged the Seekers. He might have thought they were dead, save for the subtle rise and fall of their bodies as they breathed. The Cadet didn't say much more, getting a weird feeling as they continued on and content enough to listen to the weird pep talk Bowser was giving Rika up at the front of the group.

Eventually they all arrived at a dead end, but undeterred they pushed through the earth wall and arrived on yet another corpse strewn beach. By all accounts emerging onto a beach after going down a well into the island's underground shouldn't have been possible, as Nadia pointed out - but so many things over the last couple of days should have been impossible too. "Just chalk it up as another crazy, weird thing we gotta deal with," he said, shrugging one shoulder. It was his own way of trying to ease the tension, though it failed in this case. He was uneasy, as pretty much all of them were, and the tension only grew when one of the corpses started to move.

At first, the Cadet assumed that the huge pale beast was just feigning death, and was now getting ready to leap at them. His hand moved to the Nightsky Ripper, but the monster didn't get up. It's abdomen was moving, as if something was inside and pushing it's way out. At this point he was thoroughly confused. Was this not the guardian? Was it hiding in the deathly water just off shore waiting for it's moment, or... was it really this humanoid thing that had just crawled it's way out of the corpse?

He sucked in a breath, only releasing it after several of the others seemed to come to the conclusion that this thing was indeed Galeem's champion. It was weird, right? That Galeem would pick something unborn as a guardian? The thought that the thing (not a baby, the Cadet thought, mentally disagreeing with Sakura's words even if it had technically just been born) was as powerful as a black dragon seemed insane. But they were about to find out if it was true.

Cautiously the men started moving, the ladies staying put for now. A humanoid monster was not what the Cadet had expected, but he'd just have to adapt. He was good at that. Start with a supporting role, swap weapons and move in when he could, rinse and repeat. He drew the greatbow from his back, nocking a special arrow and then aiming up at the sky.

"Let's get this show on the road," he breathed, taking the chance to spread the Haste Rain over his allies while they were all still grouped together. It granted them speed, to get to those tactical positions Geralt mentioned, to give Link an easier time if the Hylian intended to go in now, and to all of them in general when that thing inevitably turned around and attacked. After that he nocked a few more arrows, taking aim at the orphan and waiting for his cue.

The Status Bar

I kind of like the status bar when it's being used for it's actual purpose. You know, posting your current status. Maybe a small joke here and there. But the problem is people use it like a chatroom. Even when it doesn't devolve into fighting, people having a nice civil conversation on it defeats the point of the status bar and pushes actual statuses down. Also leads to people not checking it and thus missing news. I use the status bar to post if I'm gonna be away for a lil bit rather than making a ton of OOC posts, but that could be buried under other people using it as a chat.

I'm not sure if it's people used to forums having IRC, or people completely unused to forums and missing the discord at the top, but... It is what it is I guess. And I mean, I've definitely used it to reply to someone else's status once or twice so I'm not entirely blameless either lol.

I think a lot of people might tell you they actually like seeing the drama on it, though

A troll’s gonna troll, Bro. You remove the status bar, they’ll find other avenues for trolling, such as posting “venting” threads, are we going to remove the ability to post threads too?

What I personally wish is for people to stop feeding the troll and just ignore them. Your attention is exactly what they want.

Actually there have been vent threads in the past, but understandably they were locked after a certain point and I believe they aren't allowed anymore? Not entirely sure on that.

---

Edit; oh I forgot to add, as far as if I think it's hurting the community - I say no, because overall it does show that people are active on the site with just a quick glance and possibly lead to growing the community. Obviously you could check the actual RP sections and see that but for anyone just peeking in, the status bar is right there. But I definitely understand the concern when said people peek in and see an active mess lol, which leads back to your last point about moderation. It's tricky.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 60/60 ------ Level: 1 - Total EXP: 12/10
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1017 (+2 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Split Mountain

Therion just rolled his eyes and went back to focusing on getting across the ice bridge. Not long after the giant in the ice moved as they'd feared, however slightly. Instinctively Therion started to move away from it, which in this case was backward. Slowly he pushed back the way he'd come, stalling any behind him in the single file line. Ahead of him, the other Traveler was in the path of the giant's icy exhale. Primrose was light, and with nothing on her person that could fight against the wind she was in grave danger of being blown off the edge and into oblivion. Fortunately there was a spiritual ally that could help her though.

"Hippowdon!" the dancer cried, sinking into a crouch so that there was of her less surface area for the wind to push. The heavyweight Pokémon appeared on the bridge in front of her, and she hurriedly wrapped her arms around it's neck. "Pow! Pow!" She held on tightly, squeezing her eyes shut until the giant's breath died down. The striker's time ran out not a moment too soon, leaving Primrose thoroughly jostled but still on solid ground.

"Well," she said, puffing out a breath of her own. She stood up again to finish crossing the bridge, feeling curious eyes on her that she had no doubt belonged to her fellow Orsterran. She owed him many an explanation, but that would come later. Once off of the bridge she got sort of an explanation herself, listening in on Tora and Poppi explain their reasoning for why that giant couldn't be the monster they were looking for. Then, it was time to keep moving on.

Into a catacomb haunted by corpses and ice constructs.

In the narrow halls it was difficult to maneuver in order to counter attack, but as long as she had a little room Primrose could dance. She was a professional after all, and though she preferred plenty of space she could dance in place. Her dances empowered those around her with additional strength and defense so that the could deal with the draugr quickly. When she got the chance to throw fireballs at the ice warriors she did so, but most of her focus was on buffing her allies until they found a way out.

Therion had yet to show off his combat prowess during their mountain journey, and even in the catacombs he left that to the others. The first time one of the enemies' attacks went wide, shattering a vase and spilling gold coins out onto the catacombs' floor, well he busied himself with the collecting of treasure. It didn't seem like any of the heroes needed much help anyway, if they had it might have been a different story. As it was, Therion ducked behind corners and and allies alike, seeking an exit while scooping up any treasure he could find. There were coins all over the place, mostly gold but some bronze and silver as well, and of course various gem stones.

I trust they won't be missing these, he thought. Thankfully he hadn't run into the bane of thieves like Tora had, though he heard the Nopon's screech and paused what he was doing. Maybe it was time to check in. By the time he weaved his way over to rejoin the others, someone had spotted and exit. The Seekers hurried through it and they were on to the next section of the inner mountain.

The cavern was huge, and it's details were surprising. Primrose wondered how such a ship could even find itself here inside of the mountain. A curious side effect of Galeem's combining of the worlds, perhaps. Her eyes followed where Tora pointed out a dangling chain with some kind of attachment at the end. That old monk had mentioned they would need to repair the lift, but she hadn't thought it would be missing it's... everything.

"It doesn't look very safe," she murmured, looking around for any other clues. She couldn't really imagine how they would secure a platform to it as Joker suggested, but alas - she recognized that her knowledge only went so far when it came to technology beyond her home world's, even with simple devices. "How do you suppose it works? I don't see a lever or a pulley."

While Primrose thought on the lift itself, Therion watched Raz volunteer to break the chain free of the ice and start climbing it.

"That kid is going to get himself killed."

Besides the one, Therion had no attachment to these people. It'd only been a couple hours at most since he met them. Still, he wasn't an asshole... okay maybe a little bit of one. He wasn't cruel though, and watching someone fall to an icy grave was pretty much at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do today. There were also members of the group that could literally fly, so Therion didn't see the point to someone climbing up. The fact remained that Raz was making his way up the chain and to the frozen ship, and at the moment no one else was moving to go after him. So it was with a long suffering sigh that Therion ripped up a few scraps of fabric, tied them around his palms to protect his hands, and went after the psychic.

And hey, if they could spare time to check out the ship's interior like that girl suggested, all the better.

Back on the ground Primrose watched them go with an amused little smile. She tended to worry about the younger members of the Seekers, so it was reassuring to see someone else go with Raz, even if he was perfectly capable. That it was Therion in particular was the amusing part. The expression on her face began to fade as she turned her attention forward, heeding Alibaba's warning and keeping a look out for any monsters that might appear. She had conjured a small ball of flame in the cavern before this one, and it was still blazing hotly in her hand ready to sling.

World of Light

@Dark Cloud It took me months to figure out what characters I wanted to play, thinking about their role or how they might work in the story plus the most important thing, if I could even convincingly pull off playing them haha.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Harriette Moore

^{∎̵͍̅͜∎̵̰̽̏͝∎̷̢̻̞̂∎̸̨̻̹̈∎̵̰͚̝͆∎̷̮̋̄̚ ̵͆ : ̷?̷ ̶?̷ ̷h̸o̴u̴r̸s̶}
Though initially wary of the serpent-like thread, Harriette did spot the other humans they'd been separated from at the other end of it. Relief rushed in, quelling most other emotions in her body. She sighed, feeling all the energy slowly start to drain out of her now that her brain was no longer running on pure adrenaline after seeing something she deemed "safe." A couple of the others were wearing different clothes than they were before, so she guessed the same thing that had happened to her had happened to them as well.

Harriette's attention was drawn back to the thread itself, when the whispered voice of one "Spindle" starting coming out of it. She listened attentively to Spindle's plan. Jump... into the river...? Harriette glanced toward where she could hear the sound of water. She wasn't afraid of heights or anything, but the thought of leaping from a waterfall, who knew how high up, and trusting a river in this cursed place to lead them to safety was... frightening. Even though Spindle promised it wouldn't hurt, Harriette couldn't help but feel nervous. However, ultimately Spindle was right. Anywhere would be better than here.

Besides, there were much more frightening things in the world than high diving.

Harriette pushed herself to stand on shaky legs, wobbling at the explosion that came shortly after. And then, that horrible voice. Once more fear starting climbing it's way into her throat, but this time she wasn't paralyzed from it. Her hands curled into fists. Though invisible she could still feel Hester's presence, so... so shouldn't she face down that monster?

She wouldn't get the chance even if she'd finished gathering her courage, because all of a sudden shadows flooded the area and chaos boomed around them, as the "Warlords" as Spindle had called them began to fight each other. The warzone was dangerous, but it gave them cover too. Harriette looked over to the other group and spotted that police woman, Spindle, making a break for it. They had to follow, it was their best chance to get out alive.

Harriette turned to Jin and Alina, the two of them were in worse shape than she was. The red head forced her next words out quickly. "Can you two run? Or even walk? We have to get away, now!"

Harriette was exhausted from her awakening, but if either of them needed help she would try and drag them to safety if she had to. With some difficulty they could follow after Spindle and get to anywhere safer than here.

Cacophony Concord

aмeℓιa

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 aмeѕ

_{HP: 1920/1920 - MP: 1920/1920 - SP: 1920/1920}
^{_________________} _{[spreadsheet for most recent changes]}

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 50 (+10% HP | +10% MP | +10% SP)
Ascetic lvl 28 (10% MP | 10% DEX)
_{Weapon Proficiency: LVL 4}

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 (OUTDATED)

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

^{_________________}
The deliberation on what to do wasn't so much of a deliberation as it was five assholes standing conflicted around one amiable but focused person. So, they went with Amulak's preference: Mora-Sho, especially after Klein divulged there might be some hidden class available with that clan. As far as Ames remembered, Mora-Sho was the zombie clan. The underdogs. The spooky necromancy stuff she could take or leave, much more of it and she will have had her fill. On the other hand, who didn't like rooting for the little guy? So fence-sitters they were no more, and the group jostled through the crowd around Nyu-Taro's plaza toward the Mora-Sho recruitment office.

Alright so if this clan loses a lot it's members must die a lot, right? So let's set up the Sweet Maid on the edge of their territory. Not too far but not like, right in the thick of things. Our group can use it as a... base camp or something, and then we can just charge other people that want to use it. You got all that, Bri?

"Yes, sir."

Once they were close enough to the office that they could make out the details of it, the first thing Ames noticed was of course the mascots outside.

"Aaaaw, they're cute," she cooed, watching the skeletons dance. Ames hadn't checked out any of the clan offices, she hadn't been interested in joining a clan at all. Still wasn't really, but now that they were here she could see the little details that showed off the Mora-Sho's history and aesthetic. She'd have to look at the others another time, if just for fun.

Out front there was a man holding a sign that clashed horribly with the booth itself. Ames grimaced when she read it. It was 2038 (or something) but trash talk like that never really changed, huh? Her eyes drifted down to the man under the sign, but his vegetable-like appearance sparked no recognition in her. She had completely purged him from her mind, probably for good reason, and when he spoke she raised one red eyebrow.

"Are you doing registration?" she asked, a tinge of suspicion in her voice. Did this kind of recruitment campaign really work, a dude with a vaguely insulting sign? She looked around to see if that was really the case, because if so she would be shocked. The Mora-Sho might be in need of a PR agent. As for the man's question itself, well... Ames was pretty much a casual, so she didn't even answer. She could probably guess what the rest of her party would have to say, though.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 58/60 ------ Level: 1 - Total EXP: 10/10
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1197 (+2 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Split Mountain

It was here in the Seeker's journey that the mountain was really beginning to take it's toll. The snow was growing deep, slowing progress as they trudged through it. The cold grew numbing if one tarried too long, making it awkward to push on. Fending off wildlife, either native or unfrozen by another's antics, sapped strength - but taking a stealthy approach did much the same, crouching and trying to move quietly through the crunch of snow taxing in a whole different way. Climbing ridges and waterfalls, the incline steadily getting steeper... Well it was very tiring. Eventually though the group reconvened at the landmark of a metallic statue of a man, which turned out not to be a statue, exactly, but a man encased in one. Primrose was in Jesse's camp, considering that this must be some kind of punishment. Therion on the other hand was in Midna's, and had even made a move to step forward to help break the man free before the victim himself turned them away. That was the end of that, as anyone that wouldn't fight for their own life couldn't be helped.

Further ahead a crude path revealed itself, and they followed up up to a large stone castle-like building. A fine place to take shelter, especially because the inhabitants allowed. Kindly old folk dressed in robes who called themselves the Greybeards. An apt name. It was good of them to offer respite, and even information.

Inner-Mountain, and a lift? Primrose thought that if they could do as the Greybeard suggested, that would surely be a lot easier on them.

After Arngeir left them to their own devices and most of the Seekers split up, Therion and Primrose did the same. The thief casually rolled his shoulders and then started off down a hall, calling behind him.

"I'm going to take a look around."

"What for?"

Therion stopped and pivoted on his heel until he faced Primrose, spreading his arms and gesturing to himself in general. "What do you think?"

Right. While Primrose didn't think he would find much to pilfer from a temple of monks, she waved him off, watching as he turned and went on his way down the first corridor he found. Primrose remained in the large, warm space for a little while. Once more she considered the pros and cons of continuing up the mountain versus waiting at the base. Going back down and then teleporting up seemed really convenient. She might have gladly chosen that option, but... she looked down at her hand, slowly curling the fingers into a fist. I want to become stronger. She was almost back to her full power, and then some thanks to the spirits she'd taken, but the journey so far had given her the feeling that it wasn't enough. Tangible power, as well as real experience were needed. She decided to continue on. Hopefully the inner route would be a little easier to traverse.

Meanwhile, Therion wandered the stone halls of High Hrothgar. There was very little of value in the place, for him anyway. There were plenty of ancient tapestries, texts and carvings that looked like they would be priceless for people that cared about that kind of thing. He could only imagine the field day Cyrus would have in here.

He came to a room packed with shelving that held books and trinkets. He picked up one of the books, thumbing through it's pages. Some kind of historical text. Next. He repeated the action a few times, finding languages he couldn't read. Those he could seemed to be myths and stories of some unfamiliar world. He moved on to the next shelf, which held all kinds of junk. Powders, flowers, teeth. Next. The shelf beside it was much the same, save for a couple of bottles with old, faded labels on them.

Therion picked up the first one, turning it over and squinting at the writing. Draught of Strength...?

"Score," he said to himself quietly, checking over his shoulder to make sure he was alone in the room. He uncorked the bottle and took a whiff, crinkling his nose at the stench. Yeah, that was a magic potion alright. He stuffed it into his bag and examined the few other potions in the room.

Regeneration... health... haggling? How the hell can a potion make you better at haggling?

He ignored the last one, and since he did't know the difference between regeneration and health he just took both, tucking them next to the draught. He was on his merry way after that, back to the meeting area. He avoided the priests out of habit, that place was so full of dust he didn't think they'd notice anything different for a long while, if at all.

When the group reconvened, he caught Primrose's eye from the opposite side of the room. Usually he didn't discuss his job with the other Travelers much, given they were all upstanding citizens. Primrose had never disparaged his profession though, so he wiggled his eyebrows at her to signal he hadn't come back empty handed. The dancer returned his gesture with a roll of her eyes. After a couple of their members decided to descend the mountain, the rest went on.

There was no snow to trudge through in the mountain tunnel, but it was still bitter cold. Dark too, though that was mitigated by torchlight, and Poppi's own lighting. Eventually the tunnel opened up to a cave which had some natural light, but also an unnaturally huge person frozen inside. Therion looked from the giant, to the winding path ahead covered in a sheet of ice and sighed. He was no quitter though, so he shuffled onto the bridge. Carefully. He was going to be pissed if he slipped and fell. Equally so if someone woke that thing up. If he was close enough to Raz he would have bonked the kid on the head and given the classic "shush" gesture, but all he could do for now was glare his intent. The same went for Midna, though that stare faltered in the middle of her short speech because - what? Seriously what, it sounded like a bunch of gibberish.

Not far away Primrose and Laharl were crossing. The little demon had stuck close to her since reappeared, though she hadn't minded. She looked down at him when he asked for her attention, though the question caught her off guard. She stifled a giggle, while the "Snow White" in question turned his glare ahead.

"His name is Therion, he joined us in town just before going up the mountain," she whispered back to him, much more effectively than the half-demon's attempt to be quiet. Since Laharl had surprised them on the mountain, of course he would have missed the hijinks in town, and thus Therion's abrupt introduction. "He is a friend, so you need not worry too much about him."

If Laharl looked back at this so called friend he would see that Therion had definitely heard the question, and currently had his unfriendliest scowl on - the one that matched perfectly with his scruffy appearance. What part of 'be quiet' don't they understand?

World of Light

Word Count: 595 (+1 exp)(+10 collab)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 82/80
Location: Edge of the Blue

The Cadet came running out of the tunnel just in time to see the last lingering effects of Master Hand vanishing. Had it said New Record? So that meant they'd done it, right? After a few seconds of no one dropping dead or turning into ash, it seemed like they'd definitely succeeded, even if by a hair's breadth. There was a collective sigh of relief as the wall of fog disappeared.

He picked up Ms. Fortune's separated hand, giving it a little high five before letting it return to her. "Pawsitively clawdacious job guys," he said. Time trials were tough, but now the way forward was unimpeded. One last battle and their work in this area of the world would be done.

The tunnel wasn't that long, and after arriving in the grotto the Cadet was happy to regroup, take stock of everything and let Blazermate go to work. It was a much needed breather. At this point the Seeker usually dealt with the spirits in their possession, and they did so now as well after Nadia mentioned that they should use the chance to power up while they could.

"Good idea, since we're down a man," he said. With how close the Seekers had cut it, plus the overall exhaustion and trip into the open grotto, no one had brought up the fact that Mirage was missing. Whether it slipped their minds or the topic was too hard, the Cadet decided to ease any worries that might have been silently stewing. "About Mirage - he took a hard hit but the palicoes managed to grab him, so he will be okay. He's probably half way back to Limsa already."

That left one more free ticket for the Felyne rescue service by his math, but even so he hoped it wouldn't come down to that. On the subject of powering up though, he went over and looked at the spirit orbs in detail. Besides the Oceanid there was... a somnacanth-looking thing, two feminine ship girls, a woman with cat ears, two carapaceon monsters, and a diminutive wizard. "...I'll pass on the fusion though."

Personally he couldn't stomach the idea of personally fusing with a monster. Maybe if it really came down to it, do or die, but otherwise if he could avoid it the Cadet would gladly leave that for others that were more comfortable with it. And letting alone the wizard, he was already fused with a ship girl. If he took another he would be more ship girl than Ace Cadet! He gestured for the others to have at it, with the observation that a couple might make good equipment and he that he wouldn't mind crushing them into items for people.

He took a step back, finishing up any last minute prep he could do for the battle ahead, which included swapping his vambraces. While the others went about their business, Kamek dropped some pretty surprising information.

"Whoa, really?" Thinking about it, he supposed it would make sense that others would figure out the whole spirits-thing. Especially their opposition, as that Hand could just tell them about it. Just another thing to watch out for. But the whole resurrection thing? It was eerie, sure, but would change things in a huge way for them. If there were any casualties the rest could fight on knowing their friend would be back with them soon. It was pretty much impossible not to be interested in that. Although he still didn't volunteer to test any of the spirits out himself, he watched the results with curiosity.

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

EE 87, May 4 | Night

Inti's roommate had introduced himself as Kalil after a somewhat awkward conversation clarifying that Inti was neither a ghost or hallucination. After that, a brief demonstration of the shisha lead to both of the boys separating in opposite directions, both seeking fresh air. Kalil to clear his muddled head, and Inti replace what felt like lingering smoke in his lungs with clean oxygen. As expected of anyone not familiar with the practice Inti had coughed and choked, though his panic was curbed by the guidance of Kalil. Still, after the experience he found himself sitting on the dorm's front steps and just breathing while be observed the other buildings nearby. They were mostly the same design as the one he sat in front of, though the farther away he looked the more the architecture gradually changed.

When the hour grew late he went back inside. His body was thrumming dully due to everything that had happened that day. So many firsts, and many more to come.

He wandered to the bedrooms, finding the one that the staff had deposited his suitcase in. Just a single case, if a somewhat large one. He lifted the suitcase onto the bed, popping it open. It's contents were clothes for the most part, along with second pair of formal shoes, and a couple pairs of casual sandals. The single yacolla included he judged probably wouldn't get much use. Inti carefully pulled each article out, laying them in the space next to the suitcase. The Inca had evolved since ancient times, but many of their traditions and culture remained the same - so seeing the fine quality material of some of the clothes the Bureau had packed for him made him nervous in a way that walking into metaphorical whole new world hadn't. These were the types of fabric made for Officials. Was it their way of saying his status had risen? Or maybe they didn't want someone representing Tawantinsuyu to be seen as someone of low standing. Inti didn't want to think about it right then. He folded everything neatly into the room's dresser before shedding the clothes he was wearing. Idly he wondered what the laundry service was like. Another question for tomorrow, he supposed.

Being in his smallclothes with an inviting bed so close, the fatigue of the day was finally starting to hit Inti - but there was one more thing to unpack. He lifted the devices out of the suitcase. Monitoring equipment, meant to record and send biological information. They were larger than those at the lab, a bit blocky and bulky, but he supposed they had to be that way to send information back to Tawantinsuyu. Before he'd left for Bermuda they'd given him a demonstration of how to attach and use them, but even if they hadn't he'd seen it thousands of times. Every day as far back as he could remember at least. Meticulously Inti attached the monitors to himself, and with a quick flick of his wrist the devices powered on. Their soft beeping was drowned out by the ringing of a bell outside, and clicking that spread throughout the dorm. The familiar sound of locks.

Hm? Locking us in at night? He supposed that made sense, there was a curfew after all. Hopefully Kalil had returned before the locks clicked into place. With little else on his mind Inti tucked into bed. It was much softer than anything he'd slept on before, which made it all the more easy to nestle in and fall asleep.

And to dream.

Aaaah, it's only been a month but it feels like so much longer already. And don't tell Ch'aska but I know she misses you.

I just talked to her two nights ago before I got off the ship?

That's not the same!

Isn't it, though? No one ever says they miss me. Ekeko leaned over and squished Inti's cheeks between his hands, turning the boy's face towards Axo. Or is there something special about this precious face?

Inti wriggled out of his 'older brother's' hold, a boyish grin spreading on his face. You didn't know? I was voted Best of Bunch twice in a row.

Ekeko feigned shock while the girl, Axo, scoffed at the two of them and shrugged her shoulders. I guess you're right. Anyway, what is the island like? We've all been dying to know.

It's amazing! The atmosphere is intense, and there was so much food, and music, and all these different types of buildings... Inti went on to describe the day's events, the rules of the place and all of the different people he'd talked to. He had to start over a couple times when more people manifested into the dream and insisted on hearing the boy's firsthand account, but eventually he made it through the story by focusing and conjuring images from his memory, shifting the location of the dream from the familiar stark white cafeteria to the Hall of the Greats in Bermuda. There were questions with answers Inti couldn't even hazard a guess to; there were theories being thrown around about the facilities, and gossip about the Polymaths attending as the group of Inca pointed out people that Inti remembered.

Normally he would have been more than content to listen to his 'siblings' discuss everything as the backdrop of memories faded away, but he piped up to interrupt them. Hey, am I the only one with news? What's going on back in Tawantinsuyu?

Nothing's new here, it's the same old same old.

Come oooon.

We would let you know if something happened, Inti, Illapa, one of the late comers, said. He crossed his arms in thought as he tended to do. Lab techs and bureaucrats only talk about theories, projects, us. World affairs sometimes.

Axo nodded her head. They mentioned an empire on the brink of collapsing recently. O...to?

Ottoman.

That one, yes. Of the half dozen or so gathered, Axo was the only one not older than Inti, and her lacking knowledge of the world reflected Inti's own. Although he was hoping to learn a lot more there on the island.

Why's that?

Civil war, apparently. Ghastly.

Couldn't keep it together, hm? Ha. Not like our empire.

The group chatted for a little while longer. Most of them needled Inti for all the information they could get out of him, playfully trading it for little updates about the people he'd left behind. He laughed when they told him that Allpa had thrown a tantrum when they had to shave her head for a test, after a new tech had complemented her hair. They laughed as they pictured him dancing among the more rigid Occidentals. It was a nice, warm dream. But eventually all dreams ended.

See you all soon, Inti said, as one by one the people in the dream faded away. His form too began to dissolve as his consciousness returned to his body.

---

EE 87, May 5 | Morning

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Inti awoke to a soft and steady beeping noise. It happened to be the same noise he woke up to every day, and at the same time too. There was low light filtering in from the windows, drawing his eye. He sat up straight and began the process of removing the equipment attached to him, but then the beeping changed. A new, deliberate rhythm. A message. His ears perked, and he listened closely.

...Ah, right, the mission. He sighed, though there was a fond smile on his face. He hopped out of bed, walked around the dorm in confusion before he recalled that there was no bathing inside, and then splashed water from the sink over himself before drying and returning to dress. He'd seen neither hide nor hair of Kalil that morning, so instead he peeking into the other bedroom.

"Good morning!" he said, quite loudly. He couldn't really tell if that heap of blankets was his dormmate, but if it wasn't then it wouldn't hurt to greet the "spirits" that hung around the young man. Or whatever he was going on about last night.

Now there were things that Inti noticed about the living space last night that only really struck him now in the light of day. Of course, there was the lack of a shower, but that was easily remedied. Secondly there was a kitchen with food, but nothing that said they had a chef that would cook for them. Even on the ship there had been a dining area, and last night there was the banquet - but now were they expected to cook for themselves? While that was an exciting prospect, Inti was not quite ready to experiment with that this morning. Maybe later. But it was day two and he wanted to get an early start, not waste time destroying the kitchen. Getting an early start on what was the question, but he wanted as much time to figure that out as possible. There was no regiment to the island besides the curfew it seemed, which would take some getting used to.

First thing's first, though. "I'm going to find breakfast. I'll bring some back for you!"

...

...

...he did not bring any back for Kalil. By the time he'd eaten his fill, an announcement echoed across the island ushering people to the city's center. Some kind of demonstration? It sounded almost ominous, but very the curious one Inti made his way there. He squeezed through the crowd until he was in a decent spot, looking up at the stone stage.

That must be her, he thought. And behind her, the ruins of her making. Apparently. The person in front of her was really long winded. He could grasp that she was guilty and that there would be some kind of public trial for the crime. A jury of her peers. Inti didn't know much of the justice system of even his own nation, let alone others, but it seemed... fair, he supposed. Until others in the crowd started to pipe up.

He recognized Franz, and couldn't help but slightly swayed by his words. The Mesmerologist certainly had a way with them. Another went on after that, and Inti nodded along, though mostly out of habit. Jeanne was definitely guilty... but they brought up some good points.

But she was for sure guilty.

"Why only an Egoist?" Came a voice from the crowd, and a dark skinned hand waving up from the crowd. The people around Inti shifted away from him slightly, letting his short frame be more easily seen. "Anyone strong enough should be able to watch her."

It was a strange way to volunteer, but it was a volunteer all the same. Inti did not have the same kind of eloquence as the other two boys had shown, so he didn't even try. Plus... well he really thought she was guilty. He didn't say much else, but instead started to make his way toward Robespierre. Even if they denied him, he had questions. A lot of questions! For many on the island, there were personal projects to work on. For Inti there was no such thing, only his 'mission' and his own enjoyment. Well, he could be working on his craft but his was an existence that had always been guided in such things. He would have to work out how to do that at some point, but for now he was intrigued.