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 Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:54 am
In general, Clerise most likely thought herself as one of the more quiet, non-assuming albeit contributing members of Deus Ex Machina. In general, she got her work done, she attended missions for better or worse, did as she was told, and usually did not get into too much trouble or warrant the need to get into trouble. Text from Caelius - Training field. 10:00 am. Promotion mission.
Someone probably hated her a lot. And that someone was probably standing on the training field right now hating her still, if not more, if she did not show up in the next five minutes.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:03 am
After the Great Nakama Debacle, courtesy of Allan and some bitches, Clerise had put her nose to the grindstone.
Or, as much as she could have without wanting to hang herself. Even now, with Balthazar broken and mere runic daggers serving as interim weapons, the redhead trucked along, content to train and live and let live.
At first, Clerise had thought the text was for everyone. They usually were-- Caelius was perpetually summoning his herd of retarded sheep for one thing or another, and this was probably no excepti--
Wait a ******** second.
Promotion Mission.
A shiver ran up her spine, as did the taste of her own stomach acid rising in her throat.
Great.
So the redhead got ready. Sneakers, her only pair that had survived. Her normal red leotard with a black skirt over it-- and, of course, her coat. Methodically, the Life trainee gathered her two precious accessories: Balthazar, still in pocket watch form, tucked into her left pocket. Runic daggers, strapped to her midsection.
All of this at maximum speed.
She ran to the training fields, arriving at 9:59 am, with barely thirty seconds to spare. Clerise offered Caelius no words, just a curt nod and respectful silence.
Or resentful silence.
Same difference, right? Right.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 4:51 pm
It seemed either they were setting up some sort of complex high-tech stakeout tent in the middle of the training fields, or they were setting up some sort of complex high-text stakeout tent in the middle of the training fields. It was oddly reminiscent, for those who had been around, off the base at the Haunted House, almost a year ago. There was a portal already activated to the left, followed by an entire lifetime's supply of Runic gear from weapons to bandages to simple surveillance equipment such as scanners and pendants. A couple of computers were humming to one side, a crazy-looking Death Hunter manning them: he was currently wearing a military helmet that did nothing to hide bushy brown hair that flew in all directions, from underneath the hat. He also looked relatively nervous, though for those that actually had the pleasure of encountering Mark, knew that it was probably just Caelius. There was a reason most people did not voluntarily took the position of assistant Death Division lead, no matter how promising the pay or status. The current ongoing bet was that Mark would last at the most, two weeks, as he was already just past the hurdle of his first week.
Said Death Division lead waited for Clerise to approach him before he gave her a rather irate glare - she was probably too slow, or had probably written a really shitty mission report summary, or maybe she was just not wearing her scarf neatly with her uniform properly folded or something. "Clerise. Your promotion falls on fortunate timing."
And then Caelius did one of the odder things the Life trainee probably had a chance of encountering: he took a very visible step away from her. Almost reflexively. It couldn't be because she reminded him of-
"You will need a team that consists of one trainee from each Division. When you are ready, I will give debrief you on the mission."ILU 5 EVR - Go ahead and summon in four others, one from each division. Please make sure they all make an "arrival" post here, and then we will get started
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:22 pm
Fortunate timing? Clerise grimaced. "I do not like the sound of that," she muttered, displeasure interrupted by bafflement. Bafflement that Caelius of all people would back away nervously from her. She couldn't help but smile-- ******** you, guy. Whatever he was wigged out about, Clerise just wished that she could encourage it. "Uhh." One of each faction, huh? "Yessir." She wandered a bit away-- and then began texting as fash as she could manage. Which, as it turned out, was not that fast. But, she was getting better. baneful Text to: Rep Text from: Clerise hey wanna help me get promoted even if not you should come anyway im out on the fields biggrin DDDDDDDDDDDD ps bring handsome toshihiko two Text to: Harrison Text from: Clerise hey handsome im dragging one of your bitches to my promotion thing rep not professor make sure he comes also come with him to the training fields now please! demon_pachabel Text to: Cass Text from: Clerise hiya i need a mist-girl youre cool also you dont want to murder rep meet on the training fields if youre down? Drifter Jet Enduro Text to: Otto Text from: Clerise hay prodigy help me get promoted come out to the training fields n stuff ps your bossman is here he keeps glaring at everything but i guess thats normal Messages sent, the Life trainee crossed her fingers and hoped no one would let her down.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:51 pm
"Ah balls." Otto commented to himself upon reading the last of Clerise's text. He gave a sigh and sent a short text back. Text From Otto: That's normal. Be there in a bit. He pocketed his phone and slipped on his hunter's coat, jogging his way to the fields to meet Clerise. He was dreading this a bit, but work was work. When he arrived he slowed down until he stopped near Clerise, eyeing Caelius carefully. Ugh, that guy made him queasy. There wasn't a thing about him that didn't scream danger.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 6:17 pm
Morning?
Cass totally did mornings, even if they required her to roll out of bed and stop cuddling with someone she biasedly believed to be the most perfect man in the world - at least for her. She'd brushed her hands over Marcus's hair as he continued to doze, kissed him on the forehead as he slept, then stretched out, gotten dressed and went about her morning routine.
Proper breakfast. A jog with Leon, a training run, a spar with an older hunter that got her a** kicked....
Normal.
Normal even came in the form of a text that said 'I NEED YOU', more or less. That was how it went - you simply got called on at random and would have to go and run to aid or to hope Caelius didn't kill you. She didn't realize today would be both in one.Quote: Text to Clerise:Sure thing! See you soon.
It was obvious from afar when she'd noticed Caelius, however, as she started to walk that much faster.
"Hey Clerise," she greeted, before glancing to Caelius with a sort of wariness that was easily betrayed by how she half-guarded her ribs, "looks like we're going on an adventure?" To Otto, she nodded her head in greeting - she knew the death trainee well enough from some heres-and-theres.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 6:23 pm
Rep had initially eyed his phone with worry. Anything that required that many smileys wasn't a good thing. But he wasn't about to leave Clerise high and dry, especially not for a promotion mission. The main source of confusion for him was specifically which of the guys were "handsome", because as far as he was concerned it was both.
At least hadn't taken too long to stop by and find out that Harrison had gotten a similar text. He'd waited up till both of them were ready to go before heading to the training fields.
As they approached, his heart sank. He wasn't expecting Cael to be there. He wasn't sure who he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the high lord of all that was dangerous. Other people considered Cael finicky and almost prissy, Rep considered him nothing short of stone cold ******** psychopath. The kind of crazy b*****d in a gang you didn't joke with in case they shanked you on a whim just because the mood took them.
He could still remember that ******** scythe just missing him as he cleaved Reine.
He tried not to think too hard about it, just gave Clerise a nod of greeting and tried to act more casual than he felt drawling "Sup sis?" Cass too, he was glad to see, the most versatile Mist hunter he knew, especially since versatility as far as he was concerned often just consisted of be a moon.
As for Otto, he'd seen him around but hadn't had much chance to actually speak to the death hunter, he still gave him a cursory nod of the head, at least it was no one he had bad history with.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:11 pm
Harrison wasn't exactly excited to see Caelius either, since all of his experiences with the guy meant a lot of trainees in near-suicidal situations.
Still, he could take care of himself.
Moon, Life, Death, Sun. Looked like they were coming up on a full house. If he had it his way, there'd be one Moon to every other division member. But so far, it was just him. Harrison already had B0nez summoned, tucked into his sash, and was wearing the most boring clothes he owned so there wouldn't be any casualties with anything he actually liked.
He nodded to Otto too. He'd done some serious damage when they'd worked together during the dorm cleaning s**t. Cass, his newly-acquired next-door neighbor was here. He knew more about her than he maybe wanted to know.
Harrison refrained on any smartass comments. Authority made him nervous.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:11 am
It seemed almost like a very small, motley army of trainees. One from each division all centered around Clerise as it was her promotion mission. Speaking of, why was Caelius instructing such a small-scale mission, or how was a small promotion mission even pertinent to his interests? The only time the man ever even wanted something from trainees was when he was going to use them as disposable fodder for-
- Oh.
"I will explain to you mission debriefing." And suddenly, everything the Death lead was saying seemed a little more important, just slightly as potentially this might save me from imminent death again slightly. "All trainees will be guided on a retrieval mission to collect missing data. You will hopefully be filling the holes that certain individuals decided to overtly neglect because they were too ******** busy being swallowed up by slow moving creatures." Did Caelius just- "This is a very simple capture and bring back the <******** specimen in one piece mission. You are to return to the Antarctic base and locate a distinct, separated branch of Fear from the titan. Bring a sample of it back."
A sort of pause. This mission debriefing seemed almost lacking somewhat, not that trainees should have complained or anything. The other maintenance Hunter took the time to clear his throat and take over from the long lapse in silence. "Um, so hi, I'm Mark, for anyone who hasn't met me, I'm your gear guy. Basically, you'll be getting different equipment depending on your division, I'm sure you have some experience by now as to what you do. Your team Death Hunter will be getting the scanner, that will pinpoint the location of the creature you are tracking. The Life Hunter will be in charge of the First Aid kit, and because you are also the leader, you also have to watch, you know, your team. Sun and Moons is basic, you work with each other, and you cover for your team, don't let them down okay? And Mist, well err, just do you best, yeah." The Death assistant opened his mouth, as if to say something else, thought better of it, shook his head and closed his mouth again. "Um, anyway, headsets are here, I'll be here to relay instructions to you, just think of me there in spirit."
Once again, Mark looked like he was about to say something, noticed that Caelius was still very much behind him, and simply furrowed his eyebrows. "Anyway, here is your scanner." He pretty much muttered it as he shoved a scanner into Otto's hand, before passing out the other items. "Portal's over there, spare coats to keep you warm, well as best as it can, are next to the portal and yeah, I think that's it." Mark gestured to all the equipment around him. "This is all for you so you'll be safe. Just watch out for- um. Just, good luck 'n stuff." OOC Take the time to ICly have your character prepare, listen to the debriefing and head over to the portal! Mark will explain more instructions once the trainees are at the other side!
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:35 pm
Cass gave Mark a slightly lop-sided smile as all he said was 'Do your best'. Yeah, she kind of knew how the Mists were looked upon, after all. They didn't exist. They were left out of equations of completeness when it came to 'who is here' tallies. She knew fully well no matter how hard she worked, she was never going to be as good at what she did as everybody else was at their jobs.
You could always leave if it bothers you. Nicodemus suggested lightly - he clearly didn't meant it. In fact, he likely would have been highly disappointed in Cass if she -had- left over something like that. She just had to suck it up and deal with it - that was simply how those in authority were to be handled, after all.
"Sure thing." she said with a small sigh. "I'll find someway to be helpful when we get there."
With that, she went about grabbing a coat to pull on to cover her arms, tucking her scarf around her neck carefully to keep it warm. Well, as warm as this was going to get, anyways. The antarctic hadn't been much fun the first time, she'd just hope there was less...death tentacles this time or something.
Once she had the headset set up, she seemed content to just wait until everybody else was ready to go, her thumbs looped around Nicodemus.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:53 pm
When Cael spoke up. Rep listened. And he listened with every scrap of attention he had. Last time he'd received a mission briefing from the Death lead there had been the very specific direction not to speak to or associate with anyone. Disregarding it had almost gotten him killed.
So they'd have to go back to Antarctica. ********. Find the titan again. ********. Bring a bit of it back. Even more ********. And not enough detail, what distinct part was he talking about?
As Mark spoke up Rep eyed him with that same rapt attentiveness. He wasn't generally good at listening, but by god he made the effort when there was a mission on the line. At least as far as his role went, he could and would do his damnedest. Working with Ace didn't even require thought. "Eclipsing again?" he said, nodding to the man in question. "Can do."
He picked up a headset and donned it, following it up by dressing in one of the only things he liked about these cold missions which was the thick Arctic gear. As he dressed he couldn't help but worry just a little about the briefing. It was all very vague. But, he supposed it wasn't his place to ask questions, he wasn't the group leader. All he could do was have faith they'd figure it out when they got there and hit s**t as hard as he could in the meantime.
Once he was suited up, he headed for the portal to wait on the other side.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:20 pm
Everyone seemed to nod to Otto as if he were some Black Market Mob Boss that had to be acknowledged but never spoken to. Or maybe his childish imagination was getting the better of him. Most of the nods, regardless, were met a small nod or an awkward glance in another direction.
The mission brief was so typical of Caelius it was almost funny. Blaming others for terrible circumstances and expecting everyone to die or at least not mess up bad enough to cause mild irritation. Likely this would either be some kind of human experiment or they were all just meat shields. This Mark guy, however, seemed at least somewhat concerned for their safety. Maybe. If only a little. At least he wasn't a total d**k like the leader. He took the scanner that was more or less shoved into his hands, looking it over briefly. He'd handled these a couple times, it was no big deal.
Antarctica again? Otto hed back a groan, lightly muttering "I really need to start wearing socks." under his breath. He probably still wouldn't though.
Otto grabbed a jacket and bundled up, wrapping his normally pocketed scarf around his neck and mouth. He already had a thick beanie on, but the hood of both his Hunter's coat and winter jacket were flipped up anyway. Antarctica was a cold muther.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:23 pm
Harrison traded a look with Rep at the Sun/Moon comment.
He felt better having Rep here to work with, at least, but the rest of the mission didn't sit well with him. Five of them. Versus the Titan. The one the size of Rhode Island.
With no equipment except a scanner, some sweaters, and a healthkit.
Harrison zipped up one of the coats over his uniform, arranged the headset, then wrapped his sash around his head, nose, and mouth until he looked like a pink, puffy ninja. Buzzcuts were great for summer weather. Less great for well-below-freezing temperatures.
And he was supposed to make sure they all got back safe.
His hidden expression was grim as he stepped through the portal.
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:10 pm
Clerise gave a feral grin to the hunters that arrived to her aid.
"Adventure is correct," she crooned, her attitude concealing a bit of how nervous she was.
There was no way Clerise was asking Caelius if he knew that she was...you know.
Kind of a gimp in this.
Yep, so not asking. So instead, she gave a tight smile to Rep, shrugging. How do you succinctly say 'Oh, you know. Being terrified of what this ******** had in store' ?
And then Caelius was talking, and there was a leaden iron in her belly. Fear flitted through her mind, going back to the LAST mission where they'd left her in charge. Instantly, terror seized her, and Clerise spared a glance to Rep. She remembered foggy images of him covered in blood, of a broken connection in her mind, of talons wrapped around Sasha's neck.
Of failure.
Well, time for part two. Clerise went a wee bit green as Mark explained her role.
Right.
Leading people.
Feeling grim, she went to go grab her First Aid Kit, and then wrapped herself up in a giant coat.
WELP.
Time to make the leap. Taking a deep breath, Clerise stepped through the portal.
There was no comforting or cruel or encouraging voice in her head.
I miss you, Balthazar.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:25 am
A blast and howl of frigid wind assaulted the trainees immediately. The noise never relented, instead, growing louder, thick blurry shards of white obscuring the landscape moving at a breakneck pace. A series of tents lay nearby, practically obscured: they needed to find shelter fast, before the weather alone killed them.
And then, a second ominous warning, a feeling more so than the noise. The ground underneath them began to crack, and dent, just slightly.
The trainees were standing on relatively thin ice, despite the condition of the weather. This was probably the reason why no other Hunters were on the job and why the old tents from the Four Clans mission were entirely abandoned.
"- tent - find - harpoons and - rope- secure it- to use!" Mark's voice barely registered through the shrill noise of the wind. "And look out for-"OOC: NAVIGATING THE ICE TO THE TENT - TRAINEES NEED TO GET TO THE TENT. The ice however is VERY thin. The importance of being in a group is working together. - It will take FIVE "safe" zones (steps) to get to the tent. At the bottom of your post mark which STEP (1 - 5) you are in. Any of these steps could lead to falling into the ice so be CAREFUL. - Roll a 6-sided dice PER zone. If you roll a 1 or 6, the ice fully breaks underneath you and you begin to fall. YOU ARE IN THE WATER and ABOUT TO BE PULLED UNDER. You will need to be rescued! - To rescue someone, you need to be in the SAME STEP as that person so work together carefully! Simply quote the person and roll a 10-sided dice. If odd, you rescue them, if even, your hand slips past them and you have to move on - you are too far away now! (That means you can only try rescuing one person ONCE PER TILE). Example post: John is one zone 1. John rolls a 3. He is safe. John now moves to zone 2. He rolls a 1. He falls half into the water! Sue is in zone 1. Sue rolls a 5. She then sees John in zone 2 needing help. She quotes him to rescue him and, rolls a 10 and rolls even. She misses, slipping immediately into zone 3, where she must roll a 6-sided dice again for zone 3. She rolls a 1 for zone 3! She falls into the water at zone 3! Harry is in Zone 2 and has not rescued anyone in zone 2. He rolls 10-sided dice and rolls odd, quoting John. He saves John! He and John are now both at zone 2 moving to Zone 3. John is rescued! He moves to Zone roll and rolls a 6-sided dice. He rolls a 5 and is safe. He is in Zone 3 now. He can go and rescue Sue, etc etc. - Death Hunters bonus: If you roll a 1 or 6, you instinctively know that you should watch your step and can reroll your turn. - Life Hunters bonus: When rescuing someone, for ONE turn, you do not need to roll a dice and can rescue them with 100% accuracy. - Moon Hunters bonus: If you and anyone else are on the same Zone, you can prevent them from falling (ie: if another person on your Zone rolls 1 or 6, that roll is nullified and they are SAFE for the same Zone you are in) for ONE turn. - Sun Hunters bonus: You can immediately jump to any tile BEHIND YOU to rescue someone from that zone (no need to dice roll). You can only do this once, and once you have jumped, you need to reroll for your finished tiles. - Mist Hunter bonus: Choose TWO abilities from above. Before using any of them them, roll a 4-sided dice. If odd, that ability succeeds and you can use it. If even that ability fails sad
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