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Post by Wildsky on Apr 10, 2013 0:59:24 GMT -6
(( Slight OOC break, though I swear these will be rare. Just want to say: I'm new, and I apologize. If the length needs to be longer, just let me know. With that, let's dive in. ))
Skyler Ethans sat a bench in the courtyard. It was a very nice room, with people in it, a great atmosphere, and easy access to important offices and other various areas. He enjoyed the small buzz of activity, not something that you'd see in downtown London, but it felt alive, though still... close. He was engrossed in his own world, reading a small book, worn and weathered. His duties were limited for now -- he had only just started, and he was early anyway.
This was all so fascinating to him, yet still so dangerous. Butterflies of anxiety danced in his stomach, but a rare and fierce courage roared in his heart. He was excited, and it was showing by the small smile flickering on his lips, but he was worried, and it could be seen by the antsy movement and worried tapping.
The food from the restaurant smelled delicious, but his stomach didn't need any food right now. He had grabbed some food already, and his water was giving his something to drink on. Perhaps later he'd try the food, though perhaps not. He wasn't sure what today would look like at all.
His eyes danced across the words of the pages, though little was getting to his already busy mind. At times he considered putting the book down, as he couldn't concentrate, though he wanted to look like he was doing something. He didn't want to be picked on after.
At the same time, it was very boring. He had stayed on the same page for the last five minutes, and he hadn't the slightest clue what was being said. His father's book, but he was determined to read it. Still, now wasn't the time.
He folded the corner of the book and shut it. He ran his fingers through his hair. Not much was left of it after he had it cut -- it was a few inches long before he got it cut, but a couple of weeks ago he decided he wanted it short. It was maybe two centimeters long now, perhaps a bit less. Easier, he thought. Longer on the bangs, shorter on the sides, bit messy so he didn't have to worry. Some said he cared too much about his appearance, but he just liked to look good.
He grabbed his book, stuffed it into his pocket, and starting pacing around the room. Maybe if he could think about what was going on, he could try to calm himself down. Maybe if he could look around, he could think about what was going on. Maybe if he could not be noticed, pacing around, he could look.
He didn't even know what he was waiting for at this point. Was it for someone to fetch him? Did he go back? Where did he go? He was supposed to know this, but he didn't.
Think, he told himself. Thinking helped. If he could just figure out what was going on, then he could do it. He had to wait until ten, that's what he was told. Then he had to go back into the offices. He couldn't remember the number... Was it 104?
The anxiety was getting to him. He'd have to work on this if he planned on going along. Getting worried wouldn't do anything in this place. He had to stay on his feet, thinking and staying calm. It's what he was best at. He knew how to stay calm, as long as he knew what he was going up against. This? He hadn't the slightest clue.
(( I know it's short, but it's what I can do with limited information. Apologies. ))
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Post by { o p a l } on Apr 10, 2013 5:55:36 GMT -6
Length is fine, Wild~
Hope mine is alright.))
Regina Elysia Nocturne sat in the Courtyard, relaxing and observing her agents.
It was a tribute to her own skills that she could go largely unnoticed by anyone if she so desired. And she wasn't in disguise- that was the entire point, after all. This was her fun, her break, and her observations of her agents and the state of the agency all in one.
Flipping through the screen of a touch pad, she reviewed dossiers of every agent that piqued her interest. Some were on break, others working as they ate and walked. That was the sort of dedication she liked. The sort of dedication that earned you a promotion.
The constant babble of communication between agents in Stonehenge and agents in the field was comfortingly familiar to her. Ever since she could walk, she'd been surrounded by this babble, whether it was here or on one of the missions she was allowed on. For Regina, it was not Grandma's cooking that meant the smell of home (indeed, her grandmother had been a great cook), but instead the constant susurus of agents working with agents.
That, or a fae skewered on one of her blades. That also reminded her of dear old Granny.
What is that man doing there? She frowned at a younger member that, to anyone else, would've never stood out. But he wasn't actually working, instead he was fretting around like some idiotic fawn. She hated deer. She hated many things, indeed.
He was reading, but not actually reading- and then pacing. Not the type of pacing that was thinking pacing, but instead a nervous pacing. That prodded her in a way she didn't like- nervous pacing annoyed her. There was a large difference between the two types of pacing that many refused to recognize. The frown on her forehead deepened. No one else seemed the least bothered by it- and why should they be, they were mostly imbeciles and fools. Such was the fodder she was stuck with in these days. With a sigh, she sprung up into a standing position, tucked the tablet away in a pocket of her tailcoat, rested a hand on one of her blades in a reassuring manner, and then strode over to him.
"You lost?" She placed the other hand on her hip and looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. He wasn't very tall, but she wasn't tall whatsoever. She knew she didn't look like much, and that was an advantage in her mind. "You're certainly not doing any important work. Name and rank, now." She could look him up on the tablet based on description, but his name and rank would provide an easier basis for a search.
Quietly, she glanced at her watch. She had a bit before she had to return to the office, unless some state of emergency presented itself (which was very possible, the fae were always up for more trouble). It still didn't mean she had all day.
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Post by Wildsky on Apr 11, 2013 18:50:31 GMT -6
((Did we go with 1800 characters minimum?))
Skyler paced around, until suddenly, a woman, shorter than him, was asking him questions. "You lost?", she said to him. "You certainly aren't doing any work. Name and rank, now." He wasn't scared of this woman, not exactly, maybe she would provide answers, but her tone, her attitude made it seem.... like she was in control of him. That made sense, really, as nearly everyone in this room could give him orders if they so desired. Still...
"My name's Skyler Ethans, and I believe I'm an intern for this place," he said, speaking with whatever confidence he could gather. He didn't mind that his face abolished all ideas of bravery or confidence, as long as his voice sounded it. "Hate to be a bother, but where do interns usually go? It's one of my first days, and I need some... directions."
A hint of curiosity fluttered through him -- who was this woman, why was she talking to me, why did she seem so off? Questions that couldn't be answered, no, not now, but were questions anyway. Questions that refused to go away, that refused to calm down, that refused to not be ignored.
His father's voice rung in his ears, "Just stop and think, Sky, stop and think." He tried to, he honestly did, didn't he? He's asking this woman, who seemed easily irritable, for directions. Admittedly, after he was approached, but he still did ask. Right? He didn't know, but still, he was determined to remain resolute and calm. His mind would work through the issues, so long as he had some directions.
In fact, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to dress formally or informally. Informally would be better for undercover, but this was a professional environment. His quasi-formal clothing of light khakis (no extra pockets) and a button up plain shirt would hopefully do, but still, he felt out of place for some reason.
(( DEAR GOD IT'S HORRIBLY SHORT I'M SORRY. ))
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Post by { o p a l } on Apr 11, 2013 19:27:43 GMT -6
((It's alright, Wild. xD
And sure, that can be our character minimum.))
Skyler Evans. I'll have to make a note in his profile. She pulled out the tablet and quickly obtained his file, then glanced over the pathetically blank page.
Regina sighed and covered her face with her palm. "Bloody useless officers." Her voice was a growl. "Morons can't even figure out how to fill out a proper profile." With a huff, she tapped the "edit" button, glancing up at him and beginning to plug in the first few bits of data.
An officer rushed out of the elevator to her office. "Where's the Chief Executive? I can't find her. There's an emergency at Richard's Books!"
"I'm right here, Einstein." She quickly dismissed Skyler's profile and stalked over to the flustered messenger, snatching the report from his hands. "By the Five Patrons, brownies again?! Titania must be seriously bored." She eyed the officer. "Report on the situation. You, lost deer boy, come. We're taking the express train."
Without another word, she strode off, tucking away the tablet again and examining the papers as she walked. Kalyani appeared mid-stride at her side, falling into step beside her mistress. The officer cast a brief glance towards Skyler and motioned for him to follow, then hurried after.
"When I left the brownies were trying to break through the warding around our weapons cache." He took a breath. "They weren't getting very far."
"Hmph. Of course they weren't. Even a banshee couldn't get past that if they wanted to. The Nocturnes have built up a steady warding enchantment for three generations now." She glanced at the officer. "You go to Titania's prison and hire some performing group or something to keep her occupied. She must be dying if she's sending brownies to attack our compounds. I will be bringing Lost Deer Boy here into the field for his first combat exercise, since he appears to actually have some potential."
((Agh mine is shorter. I'm sorry.))
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Post by Wildsky on Apr 12, 2013 19:05:21 GMT -6
((It's actually bigger than it seems. I think. Hope. Right?))
Skyler seems a bit confused at first, as it doesn't click that he's talking to the Chief Executive Officer of the entire place. He didn't feel concerned, anxious, worried, or angry after it clicked; no, instead he felt like he was more grounded. Willing to listen to the one in charge, and able to think on his own. His own spirit animal, the steel-grey wolf, Gordiana, faded in next to him.
"Lost deer boy" seemed to apply to him very well in this moment -- indeed, he did look like a like a deer in the headlights, he was a boy, and he was more than certainly lost. Still, this description managed to irk him. Not on a conscious level, no, but there was some sort of unease settling in. He knew she didn't mean bad by it, honestly, he did, but still... he couldn't control his emotions.
Being lost was one of the worst feelings to him. Not knowing where to go, what to do, how to react. That was what set him off, that is what really made him go crazy. Want to see him lose his cool? Put him in a new city and give him a deadline. Behind this rationality, calmness, and curiosity lay a deep-set fear of the unknown: a fear of what he couldn't control.
He followed after the CEO, curiously looking around. He was new to this, but had some abilities, but only some. Why he was chosen in the first place, he was entirely sure, but he knew that he had something important. I mean, after all, he could communicate with the spirit realm, right? That, in and of itself, was a feat that could get you considered.
His spirit animal, Gordiana, was patience incarnate, though a firm side held deeply through her. Viciousness could only be seen if someone she loved was hurt. This is why Skyler and she got along so perfectly -- their personalities mirrored each other, each one complimenting the other where it fell behind. It was a strange relationship at times, but nevertheless, it was one he enjoyed. That the he knew, respected, and loved.
He liked knowing things, he really did.
"May I ask where we're going?" he asked, voice calm, assertive, clear. "Should I prepare at all?" He didn't belabor the point -- no, now wasn't a time to be pretty, now was a time to be precise. He needed to be clear, after all, even if he wasn't right.
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Post by { o p a l } on Apr 12, 2013 19:53:03 GMT -6
Regina smirked slightly as the two fell into step behind her. The ever so slight enjoyment of having successfully pressed someone's buttons filtered into her mind. It wasn't intentional spitefulness so much as a release for her emotions, a way to vent her internal anger at the complete and total moronity of everything around her. Glancing at her swift spirit companion stalking silently by her side, Elysia began a telepathic conversation.
"Kalyani, what do you think of him?"
"Lost deer boy? Well... he's got potential, certainly." The ocelot cast a glance over her shoulder. "A little too much like prey to be agreeable towards me, I suppose. He'd do well as some sort of secretarial officer, perhaps."
"May I ask where we're going? Should I prepare at all?" For the first time since meeting him, Regina noted that he sounded calm and assertive.
"He likes order," Kalyani mused. "And he likes being in control of a situation. That may certainly suit him well."
"Except for the part that I am about to throw him far out of his comfort zone."
"Hah." Regina's laugh was half in response of his question and half in response to Kalyani's feline grin. "We're taking the train to London, and from there to a small and rather obscure privately owned bookstore that functions as a safehouse for our agents. Tell me, Lost Deer Boy, have you ever been in a combat situation before?"
"Titania would never make such an obviously stupid mistake like this. There's something bigger at play here. We need to be there to stop it."
The ocelot purred with a short burst of laughter. "You needn't state the obvious, Regina. We both know perfectly well that this is a ploy. We're not calling in backup, I assume?"
"Not unless it's necessary. I haven't gotten a good workout in a while, and Lost Deer Boy needs a combat experience."
In front of the exit, Nocturne stepped up to a touch pad and entered her credentials, creating a priority exit to a small hill by the nearest train station. "We'll be taking first class, of course. No need to go undercover. You will, however, need to tell me your favorite weapon."
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Post by Wildsky on Apr 14, 2013 17:03:38 GMT -6
(( TAKE THREE ))
Skyler seemed... to put it bluntly? He seemed to have lost that edge of calm that he was beginning to feel. Combat? Oh, not in any way has he seen combat. He's seen activity, yes, and he's seen sports, but not combat -- not hurting other people. In a sense, he didn't want to hurt others, but in another, he felt it was necessary.
"I've never seen combat, no, ma'am," he said, though not calm, securely. The difference was subtle, perhaps not noticeable, but it was there. "So, if you want to get me a weapon, get me something that doesn't take a lot of training to use." Simple, clear, and reasonable. That's what he would want.
He followed her, through the courtyard, suddenly active. He bounced comments back and forth with Gordiana, telepathically, to help calm him and to help prepare him.
'Weapons don't require strength, Sky, just dexterity. Be cautious and be on the defensive, especially since you haven't used one. Practice later.' Gordiana's tone was never soothing, not really. She wasn't the soothing type. She was like Skyler, clear and calm. She liked being able to say what she wanted to say, without worrying about what the other was feeling.
'Thank you.' Listening should be listening, not speaking.
(( Okay. I have a post. Now add content, please, so I can reply with not a thousand and three hundred or so characters. Because that's baaad. Also, too big? ))[/size]
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Post by { o p a l } on Apr 14, 2013 18:22:18 GMT -6
(I'm sorry for the lack of Times New Roman. It gets a little hard to read in small sizes.)
Regina smiled darkly at his response. He was beginning to lose his nerve- she could tell from the way he replied. Not the tone, perhaps, but the word choice. Before he had been swift, to the point. Now there were little emphatic embellishments.
Beside him, his wolf plodded, her gait steady and gaze unwavering. Kalyani cast a glower at the canine. "So loving, so loyal. How perfectly disgusting."
Elysia glanced at her spirit animal. "You're just as loyal as she is, at least to me."
"Aye, but unlike her, I at least have a worthy human."
"I thought you approved of Lost Deer Boy."
"Compared to the rabble we normally are forced to associate with, he has interesting potential. And yet, his personality lacks the internal strength necessary."
"That's my spirit animal, alright. But we can forge that strength in him." Regina adjusted her tailcoat to hide her two blades.
"Do not worry, Ethans. You won't be facing another human, simply the fae. I will warn you, though: brownies have the power of transformation. No matter what they become, you must remember that they are your enemy. Illusions are but dust and the nightmares of a twisted mind, but their essence is as solid as any one of us. They are far from immortal, and far from impervious to harm."
With that, she stepped through the gate.
They emerged into the sunshine outside. Nocturne did not wait; she plunged forward into the crowd, quickly obtaining two first-class tickets, giving one to Skyler. The train rolled through the countryside at a wonderfully breakneck pace. In no time, Regina was stalking swiftly down the alleyways of London.
"Keep close, Lost Deer Boy, and don't get any more lost. These places can be dangerous- but so long as you're with me, you won't get injured or lost."
Slipping out of a street and into one of the more respectable parts of the city, Regina quietly lead him across the street. "There it is. Richard's Books. Quaint little place, don't you think? Lead by a friend of mine. I think you'll like him, he seems just the type that'd get along well with you. You and I have known each other for, what, three years now? Christopher, you need more friends. Hopefully Richard will be one of them." Her voice wasn't its normal hard, cold tones, but instead soft and friendly. With a smile, she opened the door, the little bell atop it singing for a few moments as the two entered.
Slipping between immersed customers, Regina made her way up to the counter. "Hey, is Richard there? Tell him it's Victoria."
A man poked his head out from the back room. "Is that Victoria? My goodness, it's been a while! And who's this? Here, why don't you two come on back, and I'll get some tea."
Acting in every way normal, Regina grinned and murmured her thanks, then beckoned to Skyler over her shoulder and strode into the back room. As Richard closed the door behind the two of them, her disguise dropped faster than a nervous trainee's stomach.
"Executive Morriston. Report on the situation."
The man reacted quickly, as if he was expecting it. "No major damage has been done, ma'am. Probes have been sent out throughout this sector and neighboring ones to attempt to locate any other attacks or raiding parties. Orders have been sent to Titania's prison to strengthen defenses at once."
Nocturne nodded once. "That will suffice, Morriston." The executive's eyes widened a little, as if were surprised by the almost-praise coming from her mouth. "This intern will be having his first combat experience in defeating the enemies gathered here. I assume you have standard-issue weapons that he can equip himself with?"
"Affirmative, Chief. You know where they are, and you have, of course, my utmost cooperation." He bowed from the waist, looking over Skyler with an unreadable gaze.
"Continue running your bookstore, then. I will show the fresh meat around." Regina stepped past him to a bookshelf on the far wall. Her fingers flew from end to end and top to bottom as she executed a complex pattern of taps along the spines of different books. A panel flipped open in front of her. Plugging in a password and scanning her fingerprint, at last the bookshelf twisted away, revealing a passageway downwards. "Come, Lost Deer Boy. You will be needing a weapon."
She lead the way down a long staircase into what appeared to be an old warehouse of books. She breezed through to a statue of a lion on the opposite side, poised mid-stride atop a black pedestal. Removing her glove, she placed her hand on the smooth onyx surface of its back, leaned into its ear, and murmured several unintelligible phrases, then quickly stepped back and pulled her glove back on.
The statue shifted to the side violently, and up from the void of the space it'd just vacated there shot a fireman's pole. Grabbing into it with one arm, Regina propped her feet against it and slid down.
Beneath it was a much newer facility, sleek like the one at Stonehenge and brilliantly modern. Going over to one wall, Regina studied the labels on several locked chrome containers, then muttered a small exclamation of success and looked straight into the keyhole of one. A laser shone outwards, analyzing her eye, and with a hiss the clamps on the lid released. Pulling it off, the Chief revealed a stash of weapons.
"Have your pick. Feel free to test them out on that dummy over there, or on me." She unbuttoned her tailcoat and drew a blade.
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Post by Wildsky on Apr 27, 2013 13:26:20 GMT -6
((I WANT THE ASTERISM, OPAL. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL OBJECT IN TYPOGRAPHY.))
Skyler followed Regina mostly silently until the train. His questions would have to wait to be answered. They were important but ever so cautious questions, not for the public ear. Curious people would delve into curious topics. People that shouldn't get hurt, at least, in Skyler's mind.
Gordiana offered the occasional piece of advice, as well as ran through situations in her mind, offering them to Skyler when one of them worked out. It was distracting, but not distracting enough that he was distracted.
Boarding the train was quick, easy, and painless. His questions bubbled up to a degree of annoyance -- questions that should be answered, but couldn't be asked. His mind danced from logical thought of patience, to irrational wants of forgoing caution. In the end, he sat there, silently, staring out the window.
***
Weapons sat before him: stilettos, anelaces, various other daggers, short swords, long swords, claymores, zweihänders, flamberges, falchions, sabres, scimitars, mauls, maces, clubs, morning stars, spears, bardiches, glaives, halberds, battle axes, flail, hammer, bows (and arrows), and a handful of others that looked like would kill him more often than hurt the enemy. He decided on something sharp -- his strength prevented him from using a blunt force weapon -- something that wasn't too unwieldy, and something that had a good balance to it.
The daggers and knives were too short, in his mind. The range was far too limited for prolonged combat. The battle axes and bows were too unwieldy: too heavy and bulky, and too inaccurate, respectively. A shortsword had a good length, and a good feeling, but the longsword had a better range slightly, and could possibly cut deeper, though it felt slightly off balance. The claymore was slightly heavier than the longsword, mostly due to its slightly broader base of the blade.
The zweihänder felt awkward in his hands, the hilt seemed weird and the blade itself was truly giant. The flamberge looked wonderful, though it was heavy and bulky like the zweihänder. The falchion was a nicely sized, had a proper weight, but it was shorter than he'd like. Still, he put it in the pile to test out. The sabre had an awkward design, felt more decorative than anything. (Then again, he was holding it incorrectly.) The scimitar was a fine blade, but he couldn't find a way to make it feel comfortable in his hands. This was also due to the fact that he didn't know how to hold it in his hands. Stupid swords.
The claymore was out, it was even heavier than the longsword and would prove to be an unsightly thing in combat. The longsword, shortsword, and falchion were left, though he considered taking a look at the claymore again. He walked over to the dummy, carrying the shortsword in his arm, leaving the other one free to balance himself. He attacked the dummy, with more success than he had expected, though a trained fighter could point out the flaws where he left himself too extended, was too shaky, and mostly had issues with his defensive side. Feeling content with that, he set it down and picked up the longsword. It had a nice weight to it once it was swinging, but he felt ever so slightly out of control. More than once he missed the target, and he decided to let the longsword be put off till later. That left the falchion, which he felt happy with. Slightly shorter than the shortsword, and the single-edge of blade made it slightly more awkward.
In the end, he went with the shortsword, though he cautiously grabbed a stiletto for another weapon, in case of dire situation. He turned to Regina and nodded. The feeling of the sword was calming him slightly. It was a sense of control, so smooth, so clean. So easy.
"Ma'am? What about armor? Will I need any?" he asked. A casual tone crept into his voice, and he kicked himself for that. No need to ask the question twice! he told himself. Anxiety wasn't getting to him right now, no; instead it was something more delicate, something more cautious. A hint of friendliness with the one person in the entire organization that he shouldn't be friendly with.
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Post by { o p a l } on Apr 27, 2013 14:15:17 GMT -6
((Bleh it's so short. I'm sorry.))
Regina watched the young man go through all the different weapons present. Kalyani seated herself on a crate and followed Sky's movements with dark, intelligent eyes, her tail twitching every so often.
"He seems to be going for the smaller, lighter weapons."
The Chief glanced down at her bared blade and tossed it up and down a few times, reveling in its smooth balance before beginning some preliminary exercises. Raising herself onto one foot, she balanced the blade with its pommel on her fingertips. Jumping to her other leg, she switched the hand which her sword balanced on, bobbing and weaving to respond to its twitches.
"Only short sword, longsword, and falchion left."
"No scimitar? I suppose that some simply can't see their beauty." Elysia smirked, her eyes staring on the blade in front of her and yet her focus naturally wandering throughout the room.
Then she threw up the sword, dove forward, drew her other blade and caught the airborne hilt with her free hand. Twirling them in her fingers, she stood at the ready as Sky finished up his inspection of the weapons.
"He appears to have a short sword and falchion for back up." Kalyani leaped fluidly from her resting place, slinking over to her human's side. "You got the area where the brownies are, right?"
"Of course."
"Armor is convenient, but hard to blend in nowadays. My tailcoat is simply reinforced with leather, but if you wish, I can give you standard-issue armor. Be aware, however, that it will slow you down and can be rather cumbersome."
Regina strode over to another crate. "It's unlikely that you'll be damaged by a look through our supplies, anyway." She went through the same extensive security check as before. "Normal underground organizations wouldn't take such a new member so deep into their confidence. However, I doubt that you would have the desire, means, or mind to attempt to hack into our facility here."
She kicked away the lid, revealing a neat row of armor: cloth, leather, hide, chain mail, scale mail, and finally plate mail. "Look through them, if you'd like. Smallest sizes are on top, largest are on bottom. We've got more crates as well if you're smaller or larger than the sizes in here."
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