Gato Community College. (game thread)

[Lunar Templar]

"I'm not a demon, not sure what I am but it's already been confirmed I am not a demon. Course, I'm not 'human' or and Angel ether." Sierra said, 'scratching an itch' on her nose with her middle finger in response to the 'doughy' remark. "Besides, what I didn't like was how self destructive my powers where, and the assholes that where trying to kill me. Both issues have been resolved, at least for now anyway."

"I still need a new 'pig sticker' though, since my old one is still broken, and I was to busy to get a new one. Only reason I got 'my powers back' is because I could still work while those changes took place. I don't recommend it, the transition sucks, but I could, but for no, I need to go find Seth to get that lecture I need to give going."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"DADDY!" He heard Yvette call out as she rushed over to give Raphael a rather crushing looking embrace. Daniel smiled as he watched the pair interact with one another; he could feel a small sense of joy coming from himself, it felt good to see such a loving father/daughter relationship, and could see why Raphael did it.

"But Raziel was right, when said he means you no harm. He's a good man...he's just bad at meddling with the affairs of humans." Raphael said with a smirk. "Like you, except he got caught." Yvette then replied, poking her dad in the ribs, which got a laugh out of her father. Daniel barely managed to stifle a chuckle at that one.

Glad to see your sense of humour managed to pass on brother.

With Yvette still smiling, she turned to face Daniel, her hand stretched out. "I'm sorry about the way I acted when we first met; however justified I may have seen it at the time, it was still rude." Daniel returned the gesture in kind, glad to hear that most of the animosity between them had simmered away.

It is understandable little one, you were merely acting on what you had been taught, but I am glad we have cleared the air between us.

There was a bit of good-natured ribbing from Raphael as he commented on the fact that William appeared to be beating Yvette in their sparing match. Daniel kept quiet throughout the exchange between father and daughter, this was a special moment, it deserved a modicum of respect. Eventually, all good things had to come to an end. Raphael stated that this was only a flying visit, as the Council had asked him to investigate the potential threat that a group like Regalia had on Angel kind.

Daniel wanted to bring up Zaqiel and her involvement in Lucifer's resurrection, but he didn't want to ruin the mood and potentially avoid the avalanche of questions that were to follow. For now, the news would have to wait, but for how long?

"Love you to honey, say hi to your mum for me; nice to meet you Will." Raphael said as he turned to leave, taking a moment to wrap Daniel in another hug before stepping back and heading towards the door. "Take care brother." And with that he had left the gym.

"And you as well brother, you know where to find us if you need help," Daniel said quietly, as some of his pent up emotion broke free, forming into a few tears that he managed to wipe away before anyone noticed. He took a deep breath before turning to both Yvette and William. He then let out a sudden laugh of joy.

"Your father certainly is something Yvette, I am glad to see that he hasn't changed much since when I last saw him."

 

[Outcast107]

Will let go of Yvette as soon as he heard Daniel cough loudly to get their attention. Letting go of Yvette as she soon rush over to see her dad. Smiling a bit as he kept a bit back to give her and her father some time. That was until Yvette introduce him to her father. Shaking his hand as he smiled at the compliment. "Thanks Sir," He said lightly.

"Good to meet you too sir," Will said, not wanting to show any disrespect towards Yvette's father. He wasn't too sure how to be around other people parents. After he left, Will smiled and said, "You father seems nice."

 

[Athol]

Viktor

?Fair enough.? Viktor replied as Sierra explained her new appearance, chuckling as she flipped him off. ?Well if you?ve got to go deal with that talking set of snake skin boots, I guess I shouldn?t keep you; and?thank you.? He said, waving a hand at to copy of the information she?d given him. ?The more we know, the sooner we can nail the bastards in charge to the fucking wall.? The hard tone in his voice implied he meant it literally.

Staying here and brooding wasn?t doing much for his attitude, so as Sierra left to go deal with Seth, he went and headed for Gungir?s gym; if nothing else he could vent his frustrations on ninety or so kilos of sand. Pushing through the door from the change room, he stopped in his tracks as he saw the trio. While there was nothing odd about seen Will or Yvette, the fact that she was standing within arm?s reach of Daniel surprised him. ?Um?hey all.? He said, sounding a bit confused. ?Did I miss something??

Yvette

"Your father certainly is something Yvette, I am glad to see that he hasn't changed much since when I last saw him."

Despite herself, Yvette couldn?t help but smile as Daniel laughed. ?That?s good to know.? She said eventually. ?Mum and I don?t really know all too much about his past?if such a word can be applied to an angel. I know she asked him about it not long after he told what, and who, he really is, but apparently he sort of just mumbled a few vague descriptions and then changed the subject.?

"Your father seems nice."

?He is,? She replied, looking at the door Raphael had left through. ?I just wish I got to see him more often?I mean, I understand why things have to be the way they are, but you know?it?d be nice to see him for more than a few hours, or at best a whole day or two, at a time.? She added, punctuating her last sentence with a shrug. ?Oh well, it is what it is.?

?Did I miss something??

Yvette wheeled about as a deep voice rumbled behind the group. ?Oh! Hello Viktor?you just missed my dad. I tried to get him to stay at least long enough for me to introduce him, but well?? She shrugged again.

 

[IFS]

"Lot's of stuff to do. Mostly sleeping, though, but sleep is important too. I just need a few days and then it'll be fine, you know? I just...

She held back a laugh at Sol suggesting that her relationship would last long, it didn't seem an appropriate reaction given Sol's current troubles. As for how long would constitute a long lasting relationship for her she wasn't certain either, it'd only have to last a couple months to exceed her previous record.

"Well if you need rest I'll leave you to it then," she said "just try to do more than just sleep."

With that she turned to leave. Maybe she'd track down some of the other team members to see how they were doing.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Well if you need rest I'll leave you to it then, just try to do more than just sleep."

"Nah," Sol replied, and winked. "Sleeping is all I'm good for these days. Sleeping and eating snacks. Feels pretty great. See ya," he said, and waited for her to leave before entering his own room. It was almost a little lonely watching her walk away. Part of him wished he had taken her up on that offer about the party.

But I'm not feeling up for it. Besides, sleeping is important, and even if I said that all I do is sleep, truth is I can't seem to do so.

He sighed, his body felt heavy and numb, and his eyelids refused to stay open. He rubbed his eyes a couple of times, then went back inside his room, laying down on his bed. He pretty much collapsed on top of his duvet, he was wearing all his clothes, after all, and it was too much of an effort to take them off. Besides, he had a feeling he'd have to wake up soon enough, Viktor seemed to have develop a talent for calling for meetings and training sessions when it least suited Sol. Sure, it wasn't the vampire's fault, but it could still be somewhat of a bother.

It'll be fine Sol, it's fine to feel a little tired,

he thought, and closed his eyes, feeling sleepier as he did. Of course, there were still thoughts, the kind that kept him up. Was this how he'd be spending his time at Gato now? Keeping an eye on his grades, doing what was required of him, and then not have the energy or interest for more than short conversations with people? Even though he liked talking to and interacting with people, befriending them and laughing with them. Now he was just avoiding everything and everyone.

What is wrong with me? Why am I being like this?

He asked himself, but there seemed to be no answer. After a while, he sighed, frustrated at himself.

"Sleep, Sol," Sol told himself, muttering sleepily. He petted his own head as a sort of self-comfort.

Don't waste your time worrying. As long as you can smile to people you'll be safe. As long as people like you, you won't be alone. You're safe, even without Luke. Rest.

Finally, he seemed to be drifting off to sleep.

 

[Lunar Templar]

After leaving Viktor's office Sierra made her way to Seth's office, and found him there, in about as good a mood as she found Viktor in.

The conversation was some what shorter though, with Sierra doing most the talking and Seth just listening, with Sierra also bringing up that she'd like a look at what ever gear Regalia is using to see if there are any other things that they have that they really shouldn't, to which Seth said that he 'hadn't been informed' of anything strange, but that the reports from his people said most of the harassment was coming from 'disposable grunts' with conventional weapons, or cyber attacks, and that it was likely they'd need to seize a 'base' intact to get the answers she wanted.

They talked a little more, mostly about who should be present when she 'bored every one to death with science' as Seth snarked, Sierra replying with 'the teams likely to be sent in first, and heads of staff related to getting the countermeasures in circulation.'

Which is about where the conversation ended, and Sierra left to go track down Viktor while Seth got a hold of Karis to see who was 'the most prepared', and finding Viktor, as well as William a girl she didn't know and Daniel, she briefly pulled Viktor a side, explained what she was after and asked if he could get it for her, he could, but said it would take a few hours at best.

As she did that, Seth shot her over a text telling her what room he'd gotten her, and relayed that to Viktor as a means of locating her once the information arrived. So after concluding that bit of business and ribbing William a little about 'how good it was to see William finally starting to pick up chicks' she excused her self to go get ready for the meeting.

A 'few' Hours Later

An announcement rung out calling several teams and Gungnir Staff member's to a lecture hall close to the Gungnir offices.

As people entered Sierra could be seen going over a few notes, while behind her. A massive mathematical headache for anyone not versed in Aethic science, and some students/'field agents' had that look of 'I hope she plans on dumbing that down' on their faces. Though a few of the staff and a few other students seemed rather interested in what had been written down.

Gungnirs head,Gaius, as well as Seth and Karis where also in attendance, less cause they where specifically called and more curiosity as to what Sierra had found out. Sierra her self, wasn't expecting as many people as ended up showing up though.

All told a total of four teams, ten staff members and a few senior staff member's who knew about Sierra's trip and wanted to see the fruits of her 'mission' brought the head count up to around forty five people or so, and since Sierra wasn't really a 'get up and talk in front of others' she was a little nervous. Which showed a little in her introduction, but became less noticeable as it went on.

Sierra started with a refresher of what the weapon in question did so far as they knew, but from there actually expanded into what it was really doing. The 'anti magic' in play severs and corrupts the flow of Aether in the target, effectively causing all the Aether in a person to 'self destruct' if they try to use any magic or inborn ability's, she did make note that 'Aethric residue' also stood a chance of setting it off, so those who relied on magic items and artifacts should be wary for reasons she'll be getting into in the counter measures. She skipped going over what this does to a person cause 'we already know'.

From there she she warned every one this was going to be 'the boring science-y part' so bare with her for the time being, then went right into it, breaking down how it all worked, and while she did try to keep it simple enough for every one to follow, she could tell some had no idea what half of what she was saying meant. She also mentioned that the writing used was not a set of runes but an actual written language that was being 'empowered' similarly to 'Power Word' type magics. From there she started going into way to counter it, though said at the start that these options where only a 'first effort' and an end all be all list.

Most note worthy where; lining the Field Operatives uniforms with 'Aether Absorbent' materials on top of ballistic resistant ones as she believe this would stop the anti magic for reacting by giving it nothing to react with. The other, was an 'Aether Grenade', a sort of non lethal 'flash bang' designed to trigger the anti magic effects by cause the ambient Aether density to spike well above normal level and 'trick' the into going off. She pointed out that this was the reason that those who use magic Items and Artifacts needed to be wary, since she theorized they could set them off as well. She also stated that the grenades 'tricking' the anti magic in to triggering could also have the same effect as if it had triggered in a person, the Aether in the effected area would self destruct and likely take everything in the effected area with it.

 

[Athol]

Viktor

Sitting towards the back of the room during Sierra?s briefing, he her description of the capabilities of Regalia?s anti-magic rounds unsettling, to say the least. Clan Yurchenko, and most of its allies, used enchantments quite heavily to augment the capabilities and durability of their Action Group members, so far he hadn?t heard any reports of encounters with this ammunition type, but that was likely to change as operations ramped up.

The counter-measures Sierra began to give an over view of were a bit comforting, but that was lessened by the need to get the relevant information back home, hopefully before there were any preventable casualties.

Yvette

After her dad had left, she and Will sparred for a bit more, before she called it a day, re-sealed her powers and hit the shower. Now she was sitting on the common room couch with a bunch of texts on alchemy and magical theory strewn about. She was doing quite well in both classes, so her instructors had decided to ?test? her with some advanced assignments; she was certain they?d deliberately colluded to hit her with both of them at the same time.

Groaning, she leaned back and rubbed her eyes with the heels on her hands. ?My head feels like it?s going to explode?? She muttered to no-one in particular. A ?voice? in the back of her head also reminded her that she had an enchanting project that she need to work on as well, though even without this advanced work, she was pretty sure she?d need an extension for the enchanting; she kept hitting an instability that would cause the charm she was working on to short out?and she had no idea what the cause of the instability was.

 

[DarkRawen]

Sol had heard the announcement a while after he had started waking up. It was kind of comfortable waking up first, and then having to stress after being able to wake up for a few minutes, just stretch and enjoy it while it lasted. He'd gotten dressed, putting everything on in a quick fashion, and then headed out the door, still casually. Perhaps it was the warm fuzzy feeling of finally being able to sleep for several hours, or perhaps it was because his new haircut gave him more confidence in a time where it felt as if he had none, but when he passed Luke, he had winked and lifted his hat.

Look at me.

He had thought, as the other seemed to do just so.

Don't I look good with a new haircut?

Luke had looked as if he had wanted to approach him, but Sol had simply given him a shrug and continued on, at this point actually approaching late to whatever meeting they had put together now. He'd gotten a message after that, but it wasn't until he'd gotten a seat close to the wall that Sol checked it.

"You look good with your hair like that."

Sol felt his heart skip a beat, it was the first text Luke had sent to him in what felt like forever. Still, he decided to ignore it, listening to the presentation instead. It was a somewhat dire one, even if he understood the terrorists too. The issue was their targets. Every hunter knew that at a certain point, individual monsters were non-targets. Of course, as sad as it was, this was stuff he already knew.

It wasn't before he realized that not only was he at risk, together with the supernatural students, and the fact that he'd have to wear a uniform, he really had the guts to send a message to Luke. Of course, it did help that it distracted him from the outright boring parts of Sierra(who looked a lot less human now)'s speech, and from not protesting loudly at the uniform thing.

"Thanks. Apparently they're going to give us uniforms too, though. That's so not my kind of thing."

"I'm sure you'll look very handsome."

Sol didn't answer the message, and soon enough, a second followed.

"Listen, Sol... this is suffocating. I want to talk to you, okay? And I'm sure you want to at least say something to me too. Can we meet up somewhere?"

Sol texted a quick "no", and hid the phone, as if hiding it would keep it from receiving any more messages. He felt it vibrate in his back pocket, and ignored it, he'd not awakened to deal with this shit. Instead, he kept paying attention to the meeting, even if he didn't understand the more technical aspects of it.

 

[figment of mind]

After getting another stack of new books from the library, Mira ended up heading back up to the common room and started reading until she got word about a meeting. Why there was one now was beyond her but she suspected that it had to do with the Regalia attacks kicking up again. Still, what they were going to do about it was a mystery...unless they found a way to counteract their weapons.

Nonetheless, Mira went to the meeting when the time came, ready to find out why they called. Of course, once she got there, she found herself suprised at the fact that Sierra was there, much less that she was the one conducting it. Still, it did add more evidence that it had to do with Regalia...but what she found to help them was still in question. Of course, she questioned her apperance too but she figured that that subject could wait until after the meeting, so without further ado, she sat down and payed attention to the meeting.

Currently, it was going okay, with Sierra growing into the role as she went on, thuogh Mira did have some problems. The most noticeable one being twofold about the large board with equations all on it in the middle of the area, just daring someone to not notice it. Mirabelle felt a bit of pain seeing it in it's current state, though it wasn't from any lack of understanding (the explanation helped on that front). No, it was the overcomplicated mess of it all. Surely she could have simplified it all into one equation instead of showing every step of the problem when it came to solving it. It just seemed...messy and inelegant, in Mira's mind. Still, that was a fairly miniscule problem compared to the second one in that the board itself and the explanation weren't necessary. Sure, they were useful in showing her hard work...but most of the people there couldn't follow her work, probably because they weren't as interested or skilled in studying magic as she was. The board would have worked if this were a room filled with like minded peers who were as versed in this stuff as Sierra...but it wasn't. It was full of people who would just chalk all of that up to "Magical science stuff" since they didn't understand the subject matter.She still appreciated the work Sierra did to proof she material...but in the end, in her mind, it just didn't work with this crowd.

Still, besides the board, there was one other problem she had...concerning the grenades. Sure, it could stop the bullets effects by forcing it to interact with the natural aether...but how long did that last? Worse, what happened when they eventually wised up and shot through the space where the now depleted/disipated aether was after the effect was over? She had to remind herself that this was a first attempt at defence...but either way, the grenades concerned her. Hopefully the uniforms/armor could make up for it...and besides, she could always question Sierra about it later. Right now, she just hoped that that wasn't it for the meeting and that Sierra had something else as well.

And so, with that, she stayed seated and payed attention to wht came next.

 

[Outcast107]

Tomas

After Tomas ate and chatted with a few other members of the Gungnir, he was about to head back to his dorm room to take a small nap. Though that change when he felt his phone ringing with the message about a meaning soon. Sighing as he headed towards it. Soon enough, the room was filled with Gungnir members and staff. Finding it odd that Sierra was here, but going with it for now. He'll ask her later about it.

Paying attention, or at least trying too, to Sierra as she went on about who they are dealing with and the problems they will be facing. The more he hears about this group, the more he wanted them dead. He knew humans are sort of the shit end of the deal when fighting against monsters, but this stuff sounded majorly one sided.


William

After fighting, William decided to train a bit longer. Working on his transformations for an hour longer until he decided to call it a break and get a quick shower. Though as soon as he got done, he got a message about a meeting. Quickly getting clothes on as he went to the meeting area.

Finding an empty seat with people he didn't know sitting around him. He didn't mind but he wished he could find someone he knew to sit with. Mostly just to chat with after the meeting. William listened to what Sierra had to say, still a bit surprised that she showed up as he thought she was busy with the other side.

William focused back on the meeting. Hearing about the group and how much trouble they could be in due to this new weapon. Gulping a bit at the information presented as he wasn't sure what to make of it. Just knowing this group had to be stopped and fast before they were able to hurt anyone else.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

A Few Hours Ago, Back In The Gym

"That's good to know." Yvette said in response to Daniel's comment. "Mum and I don't really know all too much about his past...if such a word can be applied to an angel. I know she asked him about it not long after he told what, and who, he really is, but apparently he sort of just mumbled a few vague descriptions and then changed the subject."

"Don't be surprised that happened; the conversation topic of 'Past and Angels' is a tricky subject to discuss. Even someone like myself would have difficulty explaining it in a way that makes sense."

"Your father seems nice." William chirped, keeping quiet throughout most of the earlier exchange.

"He is, I just wish I got to see him more often...I mean, I understand why things have to be the way they are, but you know...it'd be nice to see him for more than a few hours, or at best a whole day or two, at a time." Yvette replied, expressing the sentence with a shrug. "Oh well, it is what it is."

"Well, at least you get to see him on something vaguely resembling a regular basis," Daniel added, before Viktor came in through the door. "Did I miss something?" He asked.

"Oh! Hello Viktor...you just missed my dad. I tried to get him to stay at least long enough for me to introduce him, but well..."

"...duty called."

Here And Now, Sierra's Lecture

Daniel was intrigued by the findings that Sierra had made regarding the special Anti-Aether bullets that Regalia had been using. It had been a while since some information had actually interested him; if he only had his old book to hand, but his notepad would have to suffice. Perhaps one day he would go out and try to find it.

He was primarily copying down the important aspects of the bullets functionality, such as the how the rounds would disrupt the flow of Aether within a target, causing them to literally implode; the fact that if someone with an innate ability or magic talent used their skills, it could cause the bullets to trigger their effect. This has set off a few warning bells in the back of Daniel's head, it meant he'd have to rely less on his playing cards, or failing that, learn to duck or stick to solid cover, preferably both.

Of course, all this information that he was jotting down would have to be passed on to The Order's research and development branch; and if he could get a copy of Sierra's presentation, they would be having a field day. They would no doubt get a fair bit of use from equipment modification data, so they could more effectively equip their troops.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Sierra continued from there with 'as of right now we have no evidence that they have anything worse, but it should be assumed they do'. Sierra then put up a disclaimer of 'because she agreed to work for the Queens, that meant she was now subject to their rules and laws, and that every one should be aware that there are some questions she can not answer at this time, but might be able to later if a request to the Queens is put in.'

She then explained about what she'd been doing in more detail, the ruins, relics and ancient weapons she'd seen and that almost all of them bore the same written language as the one found on the anti-magic ammunition that they had recovered, which she believes to mean they have they're own 'Key' and their own 'ruin'. Ruins she further added until recently where only thought to exist on Eden and Avalon, or the realms belonging to the 'Angels' and 'Demons' respectively she clarified.

The way she said 'Angels and Demons' carried this ting of 'this is probably the wrong name for these races, but ...', however she moved back to the topic of some of the weapons she'd seen since she highly doubt Regalia has any interest in what they could get from these sites past 'tools for killing'. Some of which sounded pretty outlandish, and when it started to look like she was losing them, she said 'come on out', and next to her, phasing in from Limbo was what looked like a suit of Power Armor, sporting that crest and colors of the Queens and with weapons holstered matching what Sierra had been just describing.

The solider inside voiced his displeasure with having to come out, saying that this tech should not be allowed to be known in the human realm, to which Sierra just shrugged, commenting on how Regalia might already have it so there's no harm in making sure those who are going to be encountering it know what might be out there. The Solider begrudgingly acknowledge this, and Sierra explained that this model, while very outdated in Avalon, 'the demon realm' was the model most likely to be encountered if they ran into any at all, but added that finding such suits was very rare, and find an operational one was even more so. The Solider further added that the level of mechanical and magical skill needed to maintain just one suit would be extremely prohibitive with Earths technological level and Regalia's attitude toward 'magic' in-general, as such both Sierra and the solider agreed that IF they had these suits, they didn't likely have many, and they would only be deployed in the most critical of areas.

When one of the staff asked how they where supposed to fight these things, Sierra gave the solider an uncertain look, like she was unsure if that was something she was allowed to talk about, but the solider took the question explaining several weak point they could exploit to disable, or destroy the suit outright.

Sierra and the solider fielded a few more questions before the lecture was brought to a close and people started to exit, some of the staff already discussing improvements or alterations to the countermeasures discussed. Sierra, just looked kind of tired from all the talking.

 

[DarkRawen]

Solomon Thorn

As much as Sol hated admitting it, he kind of wished there was a dumbed down lecture on these topics, because he didn't have a clue about what Sierra was talking about. He got the points about magic and bullets and weapons, but whenever the topic started straying, entering demon territory or talking about some history or civilization or something, his mind just started shutting it out. In the end, it ended up becoming a rather chaotic presentation for him, not because of how Sierra said it, but because of the way he simply couldn't bring himself to care about anything that wouldn't have a direct consequence for him or in battle. Still, one thing did stick out.

Power armor?

He thought, it seemed familiar. Sol couldn't recall ever hearing the term... or wait. Right, Luke had been talking about it, at some point. It some sort of half robot suit thing, wasn't it? The man Sierra had revealed was in one. What did that have to do with anything? Did it mean they would have to deal with people walking around in robot suits?

I don't get it, but I assume so? They said the chance of it happening wasn't too great, though.

He'd have to ask someone at some point... or hope they brought it up in the group. From the looks of it though, the suits did have weak points, which was to be expected, Luke had mentioned that everything had a weak point, one of the difficulties of mechanical engineering was to undermine what weaknesses would naturally occur in a construct.

I need to stop thinking about Luke. Just because we had a fight, and we just sent each other messages...

He rubbed his forehead, feeling frustrated. People around him had started walking away, and he thought to do the same, though first he stepped up to Sierra, and gave her a smirk and a pat on the shoulder. He wasn't in the mood for interaction, sure, but it'd be rude to just ignore her. Besides, she looked like she needed someone to tell her to rest.

"Hi, Sierra, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Welcome back," he greeted her, and looked at her rather demonic appearance. However, moreso, he noticed that she was tired, and smiled warmly. "Now, I don't know what the new look is about, but you've done a great job to be able to provide us with so much information. You should go get some sleep, or at least go rest a little," he told her, and have her another pat on the shoulder. "Especially if you're coming back to the group, Vik's vicious. But yeah, I'll let you be, doubt you need more eyes on you right now." He winked jokingly and then turned to leave. "See ya, darling," he said playfully, and went back towards the exit, leaving.

Once outside, he stretched, wondering if he should get back to the bed, sure, he'd slept, but there wasn't a whole lot to do. It was either that or get something small to eat.

I don't have much of an appetite right now, though.

He didn't get much time to contemplate it, as he suddenly felt a hand on his arm -then another- and got a bit startled.

"Oh, sorry, I just... we need to talk, Sol. Did you get my message?

"I think I might have," Sol said, not looking at Luke, eager to walk away. "I didn't check it though. And I can't, well, do this right now, I need to... get back to bed. Please. Don't force me to stay." He struggled, but as much as he wanted to, Luke's grip with two arms was stronger than the amount of force he could generate by simply trying to walk away. The werewolf's hands were warm, and he wondered why. Normally Sol was the warmer one.

"Sol, please, we really need to talk. I know you don't want to, but just, give me a moment, okay? We can't keep doing this."

"Doing what," Sol said, and stop, turning towards Luke. "Using force to make me..." he trailed off as he saw Luke's expression. The frown, the redness around his eyes. It tugged at his heart and made him feel sick inside. "Have you been crying?" Luke gave him a brief smile, but it looked sad and pitiful.

"Yeah, of course I have, you dense... jerk. Please, Sol, can we talk now?"

Sol frowned, and gave a hesitant nod. "Sure," he muttered. "Fine. Whatever."

______________________________________________________________________________________________


Alfred Frye

Somewhere in Japan

Alfred sighed as he leaned on a nearby tree. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and he was listening for footsteps and breathing around him. He could hear anything like this, the wind blowing through the grass enhanced his hearing. The wind would carry any sound as long as it was within his field, his area.

"I don't think there's anyone here."

He spoke aloud, if there was someone listening in, they would likely have a reaction at that, lean closer or get to the point where they were just within his earshot. But no, no one.

"Man, that's almost boring, Regalia really needs to up their security." He undid his belt and pushed a small indentation on the inside of the somewhat showy belt bucket, a square with the British flag on it. Not his taste, kinda tacky, even, but it had enough space to hide a small device for communicating with Gato. He turned it on -normally keeping it off so that it wouldn't make any unwanted sounds or signals-, held the red "emergency" button for 3 seconds, and waited for a reply. It normally took a short while for them to get the signal and trace it to his device, so he simply sat down, opening a bag of crisps, and waiting for a voice.

"Hello, connection has been established. Give me the designated code for this device." No details given, only a question that would only be useful to Gato.

"Lemme see..." He chewed happily on some crisps as he pretended to remember something that was already clear in his mind. "51.94426487902877 and -2.900390625." He chuckled. "No, no, I'm kidding, that's the latitude and longitude of Rabbit Lane, just a little bit outside of Wales. Don't ask me why I know. My code is eight-six-three-four-eight-seven and five-two-eight. Don't wear it out."

"Okay then, Alfred, what do you need?"

He had spoken to the woman in the other end before, that was why he was so willing to joke around, but he had no idea what her name was or who she really was. He simply had her voice memorised exactly, just like everything else he had encountered.

"I need a way out," he replied. "One of the higher ups, they call her Ako, appears to be suspicious of me. I saw her going through the logs of my missions and she's been treating me differently."

"Is that it? Aren't you being overly cautious?" The woman asked, and he sighed.

"Well, given the way her behaviour has changed, I'd say there's a 80 percent chance she suspects something. These people can pull the trigger at 60 percent. They hate traitors. I'm not defenceless, but I don't want to risk it, and given the information I have that I simply cannot deliver through this route, I'd say you guys don't want to risk it either. Besides, am I not one of your precious students? I was sent to Regalia as a minor, after all, so you have a certain responsibility."

"I get it. How do you want it done?"

"Tell them to initiate several cover-up attacks on other locations, then send a small team my way. We don't want to alert Regalia to the fact that they ever had a spy, and it is a good time to weaken Regalia's grasp on the regions. Besides, given some of the information that has come to light recently, Gato needs to start counter-attacking, else Regalia is going to cause more damage than Gato can cover up." He put some more crisps in his mouth.

"Got it, I will relay the message to the higher ups. Since you pushed the red button I can guarantee that there will be a rescue operation, but whether or not it will take the form you want, I cannot say. I'll try to convey the importance of using your suggested method."

"How long will it be?" he asked, he had to admit that he was a bit anxious about being found out, or even just having the information spread. Regalia higher ups could be scary when it came to traitors.

"I don't know, just stay put."

He sighed, but accepted it. "Got it, I've been out of sight for too long, so I need to get back to the others before they start wondering what I'm doing." With that he hung up and quickly turned off the device, putting it back into the buckle and then putting his belt on again. Holding the bag of crisps, he went to see if any of the others were doing anything that could be regarded as fun, staying put was boring, after all.

Now, let's just hope Ako likes me just enough to want to find out whether I'm a traitor or not on her own before telling anyone else.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

As the presentation continued, Daniel looked around to see how everyone else was coping with this large influx of information; whilst some appeared to understand it at least on a basic level, a couple at the back close to where Daniel himself was sitting looked to be feigning interest on the more historical portions of the presentation enough to not seem rude.

It was concerning regarding the likely hood that Regalia had access to their own Key and Ruins to pick through, though Daniel felt somewhat relieved that it appeared they were focussing primarily on weapons and armour rather than anything of cultural significance. Such a pity, to say the least, perhaps Regalia could learn something from the ancient texts instead of leaving them behind, or more than likely burning them. When the names for the Angel and Demons Realms, Eden and Avalon were dropped, Daniel had to hold his breath and stop himself from panicking. He was surprised when the infernal soldier in power armour appeared, it having been an age since he last saw one in operational status.

Things began to wind down shortly after that, both Sierra and the infernal soldier fielded a few more questions each before Sierra brought the presentation to a close and a few people began to file out. Daniel got up from his seat and proceeded towards the front.

"Well, that was certainly an in-depth presentation you gave Sierra. Stuff like this goes to show how the study of archaeology and history can be vital in a modern age."

 

[Athol]

Viktor

He tried to keep attention on Sierra?s presentation, but it was moving mostly into ?background? information and he found his mind wandering. Looking about the room, he mentally catalogued the faces he recognized?then realized he wasn?t seeing someone. Scanning the room once more to be sure, he let out an annoyed grunt when he confirmed to himself that Yvette was missing. Pulling out his phone, he sent her a rather terse text message, just as a heavily armoured figure joined Sierra up front.

The armour appeared to be a powered unit of some sort, and he grimaced at the thought of a group like Regalia with units like that in their arsenal; fortunately it seemed that they only probably had a handful, and that they were an outdated design. Shifting forward a bit in his seat, he listened as the suits weaknesses were explained. As the meeting wrapped up, he made his way forward to examine the suit and take some reference photos with his phone.

Yvette

Yvette swore under her breath as she ?burned out? another charm. She?d moved back into her room where her enchanting gear was set-up and was trying to get her assignment done; but to no avail. Snatching up the ?dead? charm, she threw it across the room in annoyance just as her phone chirped. From Viktor? I wonder what he wants?

Where the hell are you? The meeting is nearly done.

Meeting? What meeting? She thought. Maybe he sent this to t- Then she saw she had a second message, from earlier in the day. ?Oh?shit!? Jumping to her feet, she ran for the door, stuffing her feet into a pair of sandals as she went. Arriving just as the first people were filling out, she swore once more and headed in. Some people smirked or chuckled at her as she passed them, as she looked like she?d just got up; her mad dash down the halls had left her hair in a windblown mess, and she was dressed in only some old sweat pants and a t-shirt from her high-school, both of which were too short for someone as tall as she was.

Ignoring the others, she peered over the crowed, eventually spotting Viktor over by some sort of suit of armour. ?S-soory?? She said as she got up to him. ?The message came while I was showering, and I didn?t look at my phone until you messaged me.? She felt so embarrassed.

 

[DarkRawen]

Solomon Thorn

Spoiler: Luke and Sol making stuff okay again. :3

A silence hung over them as neither seemed to find the words to talk. Sol leaned forward to take a sip of his milkshake and his eyes met Luke's, whose eyes were currently at the menu in Luke's hands. He'd been holding it for about five minutes, whatever difficult decision Luke was making, it certain wasn't about the food. The youth was troubled, a lot more than Sol had thought. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"Look, Luke, I'm sorry." Luke looked at him, surprised.

So he wasn't waiting for an apology.

"Uhm. Well, you should be, but... I have to admit I wasn't expecting that one to come this quickly." Luke rubbed at his eyes. "What exactly are you apologizing for? There's more than one thing, you know that."

"I don't know," Sol said, and as he saw a frown beginning to appear on Luke's face, he quickly continued. "No, I mean, well, I don't know what I did wrong to make you this upset, to make you cry, but I'm sorry. I never meant, or wanted, to make you feel bad or hurt you. I like you a lot, you know that."

"You even said you love me." Sol looked at Luke, feeling a bit solemn, and nodded.

"Yeah, I did. And I do. I do love you."

"Before all of this, I would've said I loved you, but I'm not sure anymore, I'm sorry. There's just so much on my mind."

Sol gave Luke a bright smile, even if the comment stung a lot, made his heart sink to the bottom of his chest.

He's still inexperienced, so he might just be confused. About all of this.

"That's fine, I understand it, it's been a mess. Don't worry, I wasn't expecting... What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?" Luke had a pitying look on his face.

"Can't you just knock that off? Seriously, Sol, it's too much. You're just too much."

"Excuse me?" Sol raised an eyebrow.

"Just stop it already."

"What are you---"

"You just told me you loved me, and I told you I don't know if I love you, so why are you smiling? Why can't you just," Luke reached out and put his hands on the sides of Sol's face, underneath his ears. "Be sad. Cry, Sol, it's fine. I know you're a big boy, but I mean, you're so confident, and bright, so I can't see why you would just shut it in like this. Are you really afraid people'll think less of you? Also, damn you're cold, normally your skin is warmer than mine. Have you been sleeping and eating? You haven't, have you? I swear, you're hopeless."

Luke sounded so sad. Sol having gotten a bit surprised by Luke's gesture, Sol had looked a bit confused for a while, but now he started smiling, a bit more forced this time. However, upon seeing Luke's eyes tearing up again, he stopped, and gave the other a playful wink instead.

"I'm fine Luke. I'm a little sad, of course, but I'm mostly just dealing with it. Thanks for the concern, though, you're a nice guy, even if I'm not sure if I've forgiven you either. You said a lot of hurtful things to me as well." He raised his hand and called the waitress over. She'd been paying attention to them from the corner, he was sure of that, considering that there were really no one around -he figured a lot of the students were busy goofing off or attending classs- and that she came the instant he raised his hand. Luke let go of his face, a little embarassed. He also took the chance to dry his eyes. Addressing the waitress, Sol spoke out of habit.

"He wants a double quarter pounder with extra bacon and cheese, no salad or tomatoes. And he probably feels like having a glass of iced coffee." Sol looked over at Luke, and the younger man nodded. "And you?" the waitress asked. Sol pointed to his milkshake.

"Well, I'm probably fine." He had planned on getting some food, but his appetite had disappeared. Not that it had been all that great. Yet, he felt a nudge at his foot under the table as Luke kicked him, ever so carefully.

Hey, what... right, he thinks I'm not eating well enough.

"Actually, give me the same, just with extra onions and tomatoes. And some soda, whichever is fine. Something orange." The waitress scribbled it down, muttered something about how long it would take, and left. There was another awkward silence, with Luke checking his phone and Solar simply staring at the sky outside the small western -themed cafe. It felt as if they had reached a point where both of them were afraid of proceeding.

"Don't worry about the bill, I ordered for you so I'll pay it," Sol said and stretched. "Although, I don't feel like I should keep avoiding the whole question of, you know, that. Did we break up? Or are we about to? I mean, I guess so, you did tell me you don't know if you love me, after all."

"What?" Luke looked at him, surprised. The look of shock on the other man's face made Sol both both feel hopeful and guilty for bringing it up. "We're breaking up? Why? Is it really that bad?"

"I dunno, you told me you don't love me, and we've been avoiding each other for a week, so I figured that we either already were over or are about to be."

"Well, sure, b-but love is a strong feeling, and I still really like you, and... I thought we were just having a fight. A bad fight, but I figured was just because of your... you know." Luke bit his lip, looking so damned cute when he got all worried.

"My what?" Sol asked, genuinely curious.

"You know. Your trust issues. Well, not just that, I'm not saying it's your fault either. I figured we were just taking time cooling off because you finally got mad, and I don't know how you deal with anger. You're normally just so sweet and considerate. I... well, you probably don't want to hear it, but the difference kinda made me cry pretty badly, I spent hours just sobbing and wishing you'd call me and tell me it was just a joke. I'm not a crybaby, but you really know how to push my buttons."

Sol rubbed his nose. "Well, you know, I wasn't angry, I just got drunk, and then what you said to me kept bugging me, because you just said a lot of hurtful things while I told you I didn't want to fight. I don't like arguing, and you know that, you just kept going. When I called you, I was just ranting, mostly because didn't feel fair for you to make me feel so shitty and then just walking out on me. I would've just apologized if you'd just told me to shut up. But then you hung up and sent me a message calling me an alcoholic asshole instead, and I'm not taking that. I'm a lot of things, but I'm not an alcoholic."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just upset, partly because it seemed like you needed to drink to express yourself honestly. I mean, I'm not proud to admit it, but I was sort of trying to upset you into reacting. I was picking a fight on purpose."

Sol chuckled softly. "Yeah, I kind of figured. I mean, you kept going on about me not expressing myself honestly, and me not trusting you, so I knew. And you actually did get to me, I'm not an even remotely angry drunk."

"You're not an even remotely angry anything." Luke finally smiled, though his smile was still full of sadness and worry. "But you know, it feels like it's because you're keeping all the bad things to yourself. I don't want to break up Sol, and I really hope you don't either. We just have to---"

He stopped as the waitress came over with the burgers. They had already gotten their drinks, though neither had touched them. Sol because he still had to finish up his milkshake, and Luke because he had been too busy looking at Sol as Sol spoke, and then speaking himself. Sol looked at Luke.

"Of course I don't want to break up. But I don't think I can be the person you want me to be either." Luke frowned, and Sol looked away, not wanting to meet the other's eyes.

"I don't want you to be anything, honestly," Luke replied, his accent becoming clearer as he mispronounced the last word. "I just want to know you, every part of you. Even the sad and angry you, the past you and the you who can't trust as easily others, because they're all a part of the Sol I like so much."

"The past me isn't someone to know," Sol replied, distantly, and put away the burger he'd taken a couple of bites off. He didn't like this; he didn't understand why Luke couldn't just leave it be. "I am me, if you don't like that I smile so much then I'm sorry, but being around you makes me smile a lot, so it's kind of your fault either way. And believe me Luke, you're better off not knowing about my past, it's boring and tiresome." Luke sighed.

"I know you used to be a criminal, Sol."

Sol felt as if he had just gotten slapped across the face, but kept his expression neutral. "That's... I mean, why would you think that?"

"Sol, there's just so much about you that seems to point that way. You don't respond well to authorities, you can climb in and out a window on the third floor without getting seen or heard, and you're so quick and skilled with your hands. One night you got drunk and you stole someone's phone before I'd even noticed, and then you removed the sim card and started talking about selling it to someone in order to buy me dinner. And that was when I first realized you even had a phone in your hands. I mean, that part about buying me dinner was sweet, but Sol, it happened in less than 5 seconds. People don't just pickpocket stuff in 5 seconds."

"I could just be good with my hands, you know. And I was probably joking."

"I'm not done, there's more. Like the way you're super quick with making estimates based on prices and values, and how you once joked about selling that vampire sword or whatever to a supernatural collector in order to maximize the profit. And I heard you tell Sam the codes of the debit cards of the people in front of you when going to an ATM. Sam looked rather upset when you told him, so he definitely knows something too. It's just, all these small habits and traits. And it's fine, you're a nice person and I'm sure you had your reasons. But, you know. I said I don't know if I love you, but honestly, it's not that, because I feel like I do love you, it's more... that I'm not sure I know you that well."

"That sure is a hurtful thing to say," Sol huffed. "And, well, you are right. I'd rather not talk about it, but yes, I used to be a thief, and... I suppose 3 months is a lot of time for two guys like us, busy and still young. Impatient young men," he chuckled, feeling a bit hesitant, but continuing.

"Tonight. I mean, I don't know what I'll be able to tell you, but I'll try. Just, please, don't hate me. Or leave me, or, like, anything like that. Because it'd make me super bummed." Luke smiled at his choice of words, and Sol reached out to carefully caress the other's cheek, as he picked up his burger by the tissues. It was going to be a mess to carry home, but he wasn't particularly fond of leaving food he had paid for. "But if you really want to hear about it, come to my room tonight. At, I dunno, eight. And bring your laptop and some snacks, because I'm going to need some time to gather my thoughts when you get there."

"I'll be there, expecting some cuddles as well." Luke gave him a wink, on reminiscent of the ones Sol gave people. Perhaps he was learning from him.

"Done. See you, darling," he winked back, and started heading towards his room. Despite his happy-go-behaviour, Sol's head felt heavy and foggy. He had some serious thinking to do.

 

[Outcast107]

William

William sighed as he felt tired from just listening to the whole meeting. So much to go over with the others. So much to plan for these upcoming missions. Though pushing that aside for now as he hoped to talk to Sierra for a bit. To catch up better, then just a quick "hello" and a joke.

Seeing Sol walk off as soon as he got closer to Sierra, wondering what he was talking to her about as he got up to Sierra."Hey Sierra," Will said as he smiled a bit. "Need a drink?" he asked, sensing she needed something from that long winded explanation she did.

Tomas

Tomas wasn't sure what to think of all this info. Wondering how such a group could acquire all of this out of the blue. Though the chances of fighting the suit is low..he still didn't like the odds. He would probably talk to Mira about it later. As well see if she can come up with anything to counter-act this new information and to see how she doing with the anti-magic bullets.

 

[figment of mind]

Moving onwards, Mira listened about how Sierra spent her time in the demon realm. When it came to the demon queens though, she didn't know how to take them having Sierra withhold information. On the one hand, it was their information and all...but on the other, the way Sierra stated it, for better or worse, made it seem like more of a distrust issue more than anything. Something that was reinforced when Sierra moved in her presentation on to show off a mech suit, only for the demon inside to object to showing it to them or anyone in this realm.

She didn't know why the suit was such a concern anyways. From what Sierra described, it apparently could do some outlandish stuff...but seemed too outdated and focused on being an attack weapon to be very awe inspiring to her. Besides, most of it's structural weaknesses Mira could figure out by sight, though that had more to do with her...near intimate knowledge of such problems. Of course, that didn't take into account any sort of magic that the thing was imbued with, but hopefully the effect would be minimal, just in case they had to rely on those structural weaknesses at some point. Still, it helped to know that Regalia might have a thing like that and that she would know how to counter it.

After that, the two of them took questions, mostly directed at the mech, before, finally, the meeting was over. All in all, it was a good first attempt on Sierra's part, even if there were things that needed to be improved on. Of course, from what she could see, Sierra was tired from the presentation so she decided to save it until later. Instead, she went down and waved to her friend, joining the others of their group and waiting for their conversations with her to conclude before speaking herself.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Sierra could really just smile, nod and wave as Sol, basically did a 'drive by' greeting, coming and going before she really had a chance to reply.

next to approach was William and Daniel. "I'm fine, who knew talking was so tiring." she said with a smirk and a shrug. "Yeah" she said, taking a breath "Hopefully, I'll be able to show you guys what was found recently" she said, waving back to Mira, and waving her over. "I have a feeling a few of you would appreciate what the find has to offer greatly. But that's a matter for later, for now, how you all been? Anything interesting happen while I was away, not counting some one 'moving the rock' Regalia was hiding under, that is."

---elsewhere in the building---

Karis and Seth where sitting, discussing what they'd learned along with a couple other team leads and Handlers, when some one from the 'Intelligence' branch came in and asked every but Seth, Karis and Daughtry to leave. Once it was just the four of them, they then explained the situation with an operative name Alfred, as well as the intended ploy to extract him.