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[Chevaleresse]

Kira couldn't quite think of an adequate response for this situation. Her mouth continually searched her brain for a reply to Verna's pleading and the whiplash into her suggestion, but it came up wanting entirely. The result was that the Spirit user mostly just sat still, eye widened slightly more than usual, with her head tilted slightly as she tried to puzzle through how she should actually respond. It was difficult to think of a good way to reply to an enemy combatant offering an easy way to kill her, in a way that seems mostly honest. After a long period of consideration, she finally managed to come up with a most eloquent reply. "Okay. . . ?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

L didn't comment at first, she took a moment to process the information the General had told her. It had seemed the general was quite the busy woman, what with the deliberation on her trial and clearly putting these events into motion. It had been a busy month for their nation, perhaps not in L's case as she and her squad had been sidelined for quite awhile. It was about to be though. "Hmmm, I see I see." L finally popped out after a good stretch of silence. L couldn't help but wonder how far these plans were coming along, The General's wording quite vague. Where would she have need of a strike force in all of this? What part was she being given a new crew to accomplish? It was all to obvious L was about to be wrapped up in this, she'd have preferred more time o the sidelines after this... promotion? but what could she do.

"Certainly been busy if you've been up to all this amidst deliberations, I expect as much from you at this point." L said, the only real thing in her voice was fatigue. The eternally tired Major let out a yawn that could shake the room on a quiet day immediately afterwards. "Makes me tired even thinking about it. So, let's talk personnel, I assume you have the personnel files on hand for the new assignments?" L stretched out a tiny hand expecting a dossier of a few to materialize in her hand for those being assigned to this strike team. The General was a meticulous one, and it never entered L's mind such a thing wouldn't be prepared well in advance. She wished to get an idea of the fresh personnel's capabilities and holy weapons, something she always preferred to do before meeting them. Command had a tendency to throw her the oddballs they couldn't figure out where else they belonged. Whether this was a insult to her, or because she could work with about anything they threw at her... L was never quite sure.

[Takosher]

"Stupid fucking book."

Emily was holding the book over a fire, but she couldn't bring herself to let go. It was worse than just cursing her with knowledge, it had cursed her with a want to protect and spread it. She was supposed to join the war effort tomorrow, she couldn't afford to have it weighing on her. She wanted to fight for her country and her beliefs, but it had destroyed those beliefs. She'd considered forcing it onto someone else, but after what happened with Jenna, she didn't trust that the book would work on anyone else. It was her burden, whether she wanted it or not.

But that didn't mean it had to be her focus. She turned away from the fire and stowed the book safely. She'd lock it away somewhere safe and focus on the task at hand. Fighting for her country could benefit her too. Becoming powerful enough to force people to listen was out of the question, but maybe she could use power to search out people who might be more receptive. That would be her plan. She could still follow her dream, but do it in the service of the truth. It was a more careful approach than she'd been planning, but that also meant it was less disruptive to her life.

Really it was just a way to stall.

She wouldn't have much more time to figure this out. War was brewing in the northeast. Soon she'd be following her dream whether she still wanted to or not.

Silvia and L

"None." Mina said.

Cay couldn't hold back a gasp.

Yet the general didn't look upset. In fact she was smirking. "You mentioned how much has been done in a short time? Well This is where the limit hits. I'm too busy to organize this. The people higher up who made it considered it out of their hands the instant the order came through. All I have for you is a list of names. Unassigned assets, meisters that aren't the right fight for their current assignment, and we're even taking some cues from Neridus and pulling in some extra-military assets if you want them. I'm giving you full authority over who you get on your squad. Anyone from this list, at least two, no more than four. You should go meet with some of them, talk about having them on your squad, see if you think they'd be a good fit. Be aware that you are short on time. You need to have your selection finished by the end of the day tomorrow, you won't be able to meet with everyone on the list before deciding. I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble right after your promotion, but this war is going to require a hundred and twenty percent from all of us. I'm sure you understand."

The general was definitely engineering things to make this process more difficult than necessary. An act of spite, perhaps, but it didn't fit with the general's modus operandi. She liked rules and consistency, it's why she'd risen so quickly through the ranks. She might have been playing at revenge as well, but it was pretty obvious to anyone who knew Mina that she honestly thought L, Cay, and Silvia would select their own better team than she would. A vote of confidence. Not overtly spoken, veiled in pettiness, but a vote of confidence nonetheless.

The list was a single sheet of paper with around fifteen names printed neatly on it. Several that L's squad knew, just as many that they didn't. Some had notes alongside them, laying out the basics of what they could do or why they were available, most were just the names and nothing else. And maybe Mina had been just a little more spiteful than it first appeared, because the final name wasn't printed on, it was in Mina's handwriting. It was the meister that had devastated their entire company.

Spoiler: List of Names (click to show/hide)

First Lieutenant Marbelle Mince
Second Lieutenant Anna Tennen
First Lieutenant Risa Firebrand - Healer, not outstanding (water), but estimates put her at rank 3. Completely inexperienced.
First Lieutenant Emmery Canniba
Captain Deva Vital - Struggles to fit into typical command structures due to aggressive tendencies.
First Lieutenant Thaala Efier
Second Lieutenant Garta Harriet
Captain Maria Dola
Second Lieutenant Sally Furlough - Rank 2 healer, rare flame based.
First Lieutenant Mary Margret
Captain Emily Dalton - Rank 3 healer, radiance
Aia Watts - Captured Lanican, very suggestible.
Terra Renter - Powerful but volatile revolutionary, high risk but virtually unstoppable if used properly
Faith Carralie

Monika and Kira
{your skirt rights have been revoked theme}

Verna hopped to her feet, grinning mischievously. She bent over slightly to the side, pointing at her right knee. "The back, right here. Tickle it a little and I'll melt like butter." She waited only a moment before she started snickering. It took even less time for that to turn to cackles of laughter.

Suddenly, Verna froze. A gasp started in her throat, but was cut short with a thunk. She collapsed in on herself, unconscious.

"Well that was gross." The air spoke in a familiar voice, high pitched and sing-song, like a bird. Second Lieutenant Miru Mirun. "We shouldn't stick around. They seem pretty confident this Verna chick can put you down if you run, but someone will probably come by to check soon. Follow me." She pulled out a large stone from her pocket so Monika and Kira could see which way she was going. Straight for the treeline, directly past the corpse.

[Chevaleresse]

Kira simply nodded, before standing up and offering a hand to Monika. Once the Major reached her feet, she wasted no time in following Miru, or the marker she'd used to indicate her own position anyway. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she said quietly. She certainly hadn't been expecting rescue this soon, unless she'd been out for longer than she thought, which was an idea she quickly quashed alongside the anxiety that rose in her chest.

Unless. . . If this was really an engineered incident, then it would make sense for there to be unexpected backup in the area. She wasn't fond of the idea of essentially being used as bait, but Kira counted herself lucky that they were actually being rescued - assuming the Second Lieutenant was acting on orders, anyway. If there was ever a pair of meisters that Katria would like to leave behind, it would be herself and Monika.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Monika

"Well, nice to know you're still around" Monika commented quietly as she took Kira's hand, rising to her feet with a hand over her stomach, taking only a few moments to stealthily step off to the side and retrieve her halberd. Then, Holy Weapon in hand, Monika quickly made her way back to Kira and Miru, resting the Halberd on her shoulder as they made their way into the tree line.

Though, as they passed the corpse, Monika made sure to give it as good of a look as she could give it while walking. She didn't know their reasons for being a spy, but it was still her job to report this problem to her superiors once she returned. Or rather, if she returned, unless they were truly able to just walk away from this group of Neridian force.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

"We're already at 200%, what's 20 more? At that point it's only a 10% increase in overall effort." L mused in response to the general before examining the list. It was difficult to discern if this was meant to be insulting, or a compliment. L including herself in the matter only serving to further muddle the meaning of what she had said. In truth it was nothing more than a jest between two women that certainly didn't get along on a subject both of them knew something about. Perhaps small details such as personnel were overlooked when The general was orchestrating such grandiose machinations behind the curtain. But L knew better than that, she understood the general was trusting her to staff her role in this. As to why, she was uncertain. It was best to not take this trust lightly. It would be a grave error to do so. Perhaps she may not be well liked but it was clear to her in this moment that she was reliable enough to be worthy of handling her own affairs in this role she and her strike team were meant to play.

Best to see what was being offered to her then. L looked over the names, not much changing about her ever dreamlike and drowsy demeanor. She recognized quite a few names in this list quite well, and not for flattering reasons. The general was certainly not lying when she said some of these names were those that fit in nowhere else. If L didn't take them, she was sure few others would. Other names she knew little too nothing about, more or less complete unknowns. L was more than used to getting to choose from the dregs, so this was hardly a new situation. She almost wondered how it feel if the General hadn't done this... and then quickly decided the extra work was probably worth the trouble in this scenario. L would go over some deliberations in her head to set an idea of what assets she'd prefer to pursue before she got opinions from Cay and Silvia. While it was ultimately the Major's decision, they'd have to work with these people as well.

L started from the top, names she knew first.

First Lieutenant Emmery Canniba. L crossed this name out immediately, almost as a reflex. Emmery was certifiably insane, and the only reason that L could decide why she was still instated in the military... was that she'd be more dangerous where she couldn't be watched. Her control over ice was well known as incredibly deadly, perhaps so potent to be a class beyond ever L's own lightning. But that was assuming Emmery was ever lucid and able to be communicated with. As far as L understood, this was rare occurrence. Firepower was not something L's team as it were, was lacking. Even had it been, L was sure this price was one not worth paying. She and their team needed to be able to rely on all their allies. Emmery was out of the question.
 
Captain Deva Vital. Another name L heard mostly through hushed whispers and awfully frustrated officers. Perhaps not as difficult as Emmery, but certainly within that realm, Deva was one utterly drenched in religious fervor. Her fanaticism oft made her impossible to speak to and that was without getting into her more aggressive and violent tendencies. Her abilities were within the realm of Shadow, a blade that rendered objects with a sort of entropic decay. A sort of curse that made whatever it struck over time become worse and worse at it's intended function. L wasn't sure it was worth the trouble, but Deva was at least... theoretically of her sane mind. L refrained for now from marking her off the list, though she'd prefer to avoid someone with her reputation. Perhaps L had only refrained from marking her off having already decided one was off the table before she consulted with the others.

Second Lieutenant Garta Harriet. One that L and her squad had worked with before. One that tends to jump around and not stick in one place. The last time had gone quite well, her power being rather easy for L to accommodate. Time Meister that can revert the state of her body a few seconds through the use of her holy weapon, a small coin. Garta was a reckless sort as it was difficult to permanently injure her, not that it meant that was impossible... as much as she seemed to believe it was. But, L could and had worked around her particular quirks before. She was sure she could again.

Captain Maria Dola. L only knew she'd been pegged as a troublemaker, nothing she hadn't worked with before, but she knew scant else. A last resort most likely. Maria got to be above the no gos at least, a consolation prize. 

Second Lieutenant Sally Furlough. An unusual one, and not a name that L had fully expected to see listed here. Sally was a rare Flame Based healer, something not wholly unheard of, but certainly not a kind of meister one saw every day. Perhaps she was worth pursuing. L couldn't quite shake that it was something being offered to her however... and wondered where the catch was lying in wait.

Terra Renter, A curious entry... L was uncertain as to the meaning of this particular inclusion. As far as L knew Terra was currently something of a living symbol, a person who represented the nation's civil unrest. Perhaps unwittingly, L never met her while she was in service so she couldn't much account for her actual personality. This seemed... truly strange a move from The General, puzzling indeed. Though, the arcane logic of the names here was yet to cease as L read the last item. One that had been in the general's meticulous handwriting.

Faith Carralie.

"This written in item, A personal recommendation General? Seems odd to add an item after the fact." L said raising an eyebrow. She couldn't care less about who it was, her only real curiosity being how the General would respond. L placed the list in Cay's hand, giving it to her underlings to take a look at before she made any more final decisions.

[Glass]

Silvia

When Cay was finished reading over the sheet, Silvia casually took it and began reading.

Mince... Mince, Mince, Mince, where had Silvia heard that name before... ah, right. "The Harpy". Meanspirited. Oh, not her; the nickname. She was actually quite nice. The nickname came from a mixture of two things. One was her weapon, a pair of metal wings covered in icy gem-feathers - heh, more like knives. Of course she looked scary and threatening to people, she looking like she could eviscerate anyone in a meter radius. The other reason came after, and was decidedly crueler. Some assholes got a bunch of syrup and feathers together, and dumped them both all over her, before shoving a bird hat filled with hot molasses onto her head. The perpetrators were punished, of course, but the whole affair was the talk of the academy for two weeks.
...regardless, that wasn't important. Marbelle's wings let her fly pretty damn fast, though she couldn't go very high, and those feathers were sharp - both when taken to the face in a flyby, and when flung in your face like a throwing knife. As for what it would be like to work with her... well, she's easy to get along with. A bit of an airhead, though, and unfortunately gullible. If everyone stayed professional, it would go well, but Silvia worries that that's not a plausible outcome.

Anna Tennen... Silvia was certain she'd never met her, but the name still seemed to ring a bell. She filed it away for later.

Next up. Let's se- no. Deva. Nobody goes long without hearing about that madwoman. Silvia didn't want to be inside a mile of her sword, let alone the girl herself. If L or Cay even considered her... well, Silvia couldn't overrule them, but she could certainly beg them to reconsider.

A couple of names Silvia didn't know from anywhere. Garta Harriet, huh. Silvia had worked... a bit with her, a while back, she vaguely remembered. What did she do again... ah, yes. Wait, shouldn't she technically be down as a Rank 0 healer? ...no, that wouldn't be important to note.

Her eyes flickered up to the General - wait. Oh. Oh.
Silvia was going to leave that whole affair alone.

She didn't know any of the healers, but she mentally marked Dalton. A healer would definitely be important to bring along, and it looked like Dalton had good power, and likely had some experience. Still, it would be good to look into all of them; maybe Furlough was faster, maybe Firebrand was stronger than people gave her credit for. And, well... it might be easier to get along with someone with less Luck or Faith than someone low on Love.
They were all worth looking into was the point, and they'd probably need at least one.

And the final three. Aia, Terra, and Faith. Silvia would wonder who's damn idea they were, but for Faith at least she could tell by the handwriting.
Well.

Aia was... well, for one, old, and two, Lanican... which was probably better than Neridan or Tyran, to be fair. Regardless, Silvia had heard some of the stories about her, distorted though they may be; if she could still do combat, she would likely be a good melee fighter - something the group presently lacked someone with powers for - and if not, she could still likely be good for information and advice. Old soldiers don't get old without knowing a few things.

Terra. Ah, getting her would be an absolute treat. She was still wondering what was going through the mind of the girl making this list, of course, but she'd gladly take advantage of this opportunity if she could. The real difficulty would probably be getting Terra to start up with them in the first place; it was doubtful she'd much want to work with the military. Silvia had an idea for that, though, based on what she'd heard. And honestly, that weapon... well, that thing rules the damn battlefield, now, doesn't it?

And finally, Faith. Just... why? Even ignoring the whole Lanican thing, it wasn't like she was going to get along with them after the fight. And just... what were they actually going to do with a tank? One that was on fire, for that matter. They were going to go do a quick "preemptive" - ugh - strike. Just, unless the thing could shrink to pocket-size or whatever, it wasn't going to be useful here; they'd be spotted from miles away, and heard from further.

[Takosher]

Silvia and L

"Of a sort." Mina answered L's question, "Not my recommendation, her request. I'd be wary of recruiting such a recent enemy, but it intrigued me, so I added her to the list. I won't tell you what to do, but I think you should hear her out."

"If that's the case, I think we ought to have the captain talk to her." Cay said. She'd just finished reading over the list and passed it to Silvia. She looked at L and continued, "You're the least intimidating of us. Just don't remind her that you dealt the finishing blow." A hint of a smirk at the joke took up residence on Cay's face, though she didn't otherwise indicate she'd made it. "We should split up, since there's little time. We have a day and a half, so we should each be able to visit at least three, four if we're lucky. We can regroup afterwards to discuss which to recruit. Emmery is an old friend of mine, so I'd like to see her first, if that's alright. Other than that, I leave my assignment to you, Captain."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

This day only grew more incomprehensible as it went on, at least seemingly to her benefit for the time being. She received a promotion rather than being ousted prior to her compulsory service ending... and now a former and powerful enemy was requesting to see her. L couldn't help but wonder if some mysterious benefactor was about to show up and provide her with the capital to live out the rest of her life comfortably at this rate. The thought rapidly evaporated as she had more pressing concerns then daydreams.

"Hmmm, right. Even despite the giant hammer... though, I suppose it's hard to be intimidated by a large stick when people can just have a tank as a holy weapon." L replied to the jest in her typical fashion, in her tired monotone, tinged with but a hint of humorous intent. "Even so, I believe it is my duty to meet with the extra-military assets. I think it best to meet who you will be working under in that circumstance personally. So, I shall see to meeting with them." L then turned her attention to Cay. She was worried about her visit with Emmery, but... she wanted to trust in Cay. "That is fine by me, I would also like you to touch base with Garta and see where her head's at these days. Otherwise, up to you, I trust your judgement."

L then spoke to Silvia without turning, just to save some energy... it was going to be a long day at this rate. "As for you Silvia, I'd like you to pursue every healer on this list. I want good impressions on all three and the extent of their abilities, in combat and out. It is paramount that we have this information given the nature of their role."

L made a mental note to get all of the information to get in contact with Faith, Terra and Aia. If she had time she'd probably pursue one of the unknowns on the list as well, but these were the most important targets for now.

[Glass]

Silvia

Silvia nodded. Contact the healers, ok. She could do that.

"Aye-aye, Madam." She nodded her head and gave a lazy salute. "Should I go now, or is there still anything important in this meeting?"

[Takosher]

Silvia

The meeting was definitely over, and they each had their tasks to perform. Silvia, for her part, actually had the easiest visitation list. All three healers were on the base, no more than five minutes walk between them. The closest to the general's office was Sally Furlough, the rank 2 healer that shared Silvia's rank.

Sally's door was open when Silvia arrived. Not just unlocked, wide open. Three bags of trash were haphazardly dispensed into the hallway beyond, and inside the room Sally was busy filling a fourth with empty food containers. She seemed energetic, perhaps even hyperactive, as she dashed from plastic container to plastic container, no doubt picking up the final stragglers of what had once been an entire sea of package carcasses.

The state of the rest of the room didn't lend much confidence to Sally's already highly suspect organizational abilities. Clothes were spewing out of the dresser with no apparent rhyme or reason. One drawer appeared top hold bras, pants, and socks. Another skirts, more pants, and half of a scarf (the other half ended in another drawer). Sally's bed was an unholy mess that would make an instructor cry. Worse, she'd somehow managed to misplace her window's curtains and had been forced to replace them with one of her sheets. It was no wonder Sally was on the list, no one would want such an extreme slob under their command.

L

L's first visit would have to be Aia. Faith's prison was outside the city limits and Terra was under house arrest in a different city entirely. The travel time alone was going to cost L four hours.

Aia, at least, was being confined on the base. Although confined was a rather strong word for it. She;d simply been told to wait in the public lobby. There were people bustling all around. Reporters, politicians, errand boys, and more, all milling around one another in a mesmerizing flow. Aia wasn't a part of that flow, she was sitting on a bench doing a crossword. She'd dressed herself in a black dress with long sleeves and skirt. It was hard to say if the choice was made with modesty in mind, as the dress still left much of her chest exposed. Whatever the reason, it had been a poor decision. Aia's alabaster skin was glistening with sweat, the press of bodies serving to magnify the already oppressive summer heat.

Aia glanced up when L approached, revealing the shadowy bags beneath her eyes. No wonder there was so little security, Aia looked more like a frightened young girl than an enemy warrior.

Cay

Cay never had any intent to bring Emmery on board. She'd make the argument, but she didn't expect it to take. Emmery was unstable at best, and unhinged was a better word for it. It was one of the few things that made Cay truly angry, what the military had done to her friend. Now Emmery was kept in a cage, several locks between her and the nearest living being. And that living being was a disposable male guard with several more locks between him and the outside. Visiting Emmery was almost impossible, only the higher ups had the clearance for it under normal circumstances. Even if she couldn't get Emmery freed, she could at least use the chance to visit without any of the usual hassle.

Mina's letter got Cay past the guards and locks, but it would take will and wit on Cay's part to get through what was inside. She opened the final door on her own.

The door hadn't been open for two seconds when a needle thin spear of ice sliced into her wrist, severing tendons with surgical precision and sending Cay into extreme pain. Fuck, she's lucid. Cay thought as her hand went totally limp. Her stores of willpower evaporated as she resisted the urge to scream. She didn't want to startle Emmery.

The room was an empty white box, padded on all sides. The sort of thing you saw in movies but didn't really believe existed. Emmery was stark naked in one corner, they'd had to stop giving her clothes after she broke out the second time. The third time had resulted in the leather collar around her neck. Emmery was pale skinned and looked surprisingly healthy considering her living conditions. In fact, she was downright beautiful. Nothing about her stood out alone, but she's landed solid above average scores in every aspect of the genetic lottery. Most striking was her silver hair, still gorgeous even when kept under an inch in length. She'd once had Rapunzel-like locks, but the first escape had done away with those.

"Cay? What are you doing here?" Emmery didn't ask if Cay was okay. She had no reason to ask, her power told her exactly how much damage had been done. A total understanding of how the world fit together around her, how everything was connected. Omniscience limited only by a 4 meter range and the capacity of the human mind. She could see everything, see too much. It took work to limit herself, and each time her control slipped there was no telling if it would ever come back, if her mind would ever come back. She limited her capacity, restraining herself to knowledge of the physical, but even that wasn't always enough.

Eilyth

Major General Malta Nonus. Eilyth had met her, but they didn't even qualify as acquaintances. Leah was the one who dealt with their superiors normally. But with Eilyth being the only one who was both present at the fight with Lily and not hospitalized, it fell to her to report in after returning to base.

The general's office was extremely neat, even the papers that apparently cluttered the desk were clearly organized on further inspection. There wasn't a hint of homeliness or decoration, everything was functional. A single wooden chair was placed opposite the general's desk, no cushion. What Eilyth knew of the general told her that the chair was a deliberate choice. It was time for the highest ranked berating she'd gotten yet.

Monika and Kira

The air around Miru froze in an instant, completely encasing the invisible girl. The assailant wasn't immediately evident, the Neridan army were either further into the forest or concealed within tents. Even if they'd come out to check on their prisoners, it had happened far too quickly for any of them to approach.

As it turned out, they didn't have to. Doc had only to put them in her line of sight and she was more than capable of restraining them. She'd poked her head out of the largest tent in the clearing and spotted Monika collecting her weapon, waiting just long enough to see where Monika would go to find Kira and their rescuer. An invisible target had to be taken down first, before they could flee. Once that was done, ice burst into existence around Monika, trapping her as well. It took her a matter of second to restrain two targets, and Kira would certainly be next if she didn't think of something.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Eilyth
Eilyth took her seat listlessly, already knowing full well what she was about to deal with. Long ago, she had thought it cruel irony that the one and only hag who'd ever been able to make her heel was also the very one her company reported to. Now, that feeling was amplified tenfold. The General, as she knew quite well, barely tolerated her during the best of times. Eilyth still remembered back when her service first started and she inevitably got sent to the Thunger-gun Harpy, and the absolute shit show that had been her attempt to defy the battlefield uniform regulation which she felt, and still felt, was complete and total impractical bullshit. The Harpy's wrath had been unlike any other she'd faced up till that point, and the verbal battle that had dragged on thanks to their combined stubbornness had been so intense that Eilyth vowed never to engage the Major like that again.
     There were precious few people in this world who could beat her into submission like that. And even fewer who could do it without ever even striking her. She was the one and only person who had ever shown Eilyth the meaning of futility. Thus, as the dragoness sat there, awaiting what she knew to already be inevitable, she steeled herself for this conversation ever further than she already had. She had replayed the battle dozens of times over in her head, memorized every detail, and already knew the precise contents of her report. She was glad that at least she could file it orally, especially since it was not an option she was usually given; she was nigh certain at least some of the higher ups knew full well of her difficulties with the written text and did it just to spite her.

But considering who she'd be making the report to, that small blessing was actually more of a curse...

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

L had always hated crowds. They were something that tried to dictate her flow against her will and she gently loathed it. The now Major tried to avoid these kinds of congregations as often as possible but simply... at times it was unavoidable.  L couldn't help but wonder what the commotion here was, what had the base whipped up into such a frenzy? The reporters were concerning and told a story just fro their presence. However, prying into that was not her current task, it was meeting with her potential asset. L despite her minuscule frame managed to push against the current of humanity her own will to get this over with a force of nature in and of itself. She acknowledged Aia eye contact with a small nod as she went for her... It had taken longer then she'd have liked to reach her. L found herself wishing she brought The Hammer. People always gave it a wide berth, almost as if it was more intimidating then she was. Well... it kinda was honestly.

L gracelessly flopped into the bench beside Aia, the heat wasn't helping her exhaustion and in fact was making her all the more groggy. She crashed into the seat exactly like a woman that just got home from a tiring day of work. She let the air hang a moment before she spoke letting Aia at least get used to her presence. "I presume you are Aia." L said, matter of fact as usual. L always felt weird that she had to talk up to people... it definitely didn't help people take her more seriously when she spoke. So, she always had to improvise and speaking with an authority, even if a tired one, seemed to do the trick. Well, she thought it did at the least. "Major L." she finally chirped her introduction, and offered her hand for Aia to shake.

[Glass]

Silvia

“...”

Onto the notepad went “high energy”, “extremely fucking messy”, “door left open”, and “disorganized (?)”.

“Ah, hello?” Silvia waved into the room to get Sally’s attention.
“You’re Sally Furlough, correct? I’ve been asked to evaluate how well you might do on a mission that’s coming up.” Silvia once more looked around the room, carefully keeping her face neutral. “...we’ll need to discuss... this stuff later, but for now, I’d like to ask about your weapon. You’re a fire-based healer?”

[Takosher]

Silvia

Silvia's hello was answered with, "Heads up!" as Sally flung the bag she'd just finished filling towards the door to join the rest in the hall. She slapped her hands against each other in a chaotic gesture of satisfaction. "Sorry, cleaning my room, can't talk until I'm done." She looked around for a moment. "Oh, I'm done. Sweet. What'd you need?" The room was decidedly not clean, with clothes still strewn about and that mess of a bed untouched.

L

Aia jumped a bit at L flopping down beside her. She might have mumbled something at the mention of her name, but it was impossible to hear over the crowd. When L extended her hand to shake, Aia gingerly took it. L might as well have been shaking hand with air.

"Nice to meet you, Major." Aia said politely, "They told me about what you're doing already. I dunno why you'd want me though, I'm no good at fighting."

Aia refused to quite meet L's eyes, and it didn't seem like it was just nerves. She was worried about something, maybe even hiding something.

Cay

"I won't do it." Emmery said adamantly. She kept her head lowered, sight was meaningless to her with her weapon.

"You said yourself that you're lucid more than not now. You've got it under control." Cay protested.

"No, Cay, I don't. That's wishful thinking. I'm not stupid, you know? I know that everyone's scared of me, you're scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you."

"I hurt you. Can you honestly say you were happy to see me awake?"

Cay hesitated, Emmery would notice any hesitation, so it was already too late to lie. "No, no I can't." she admitted.

Emmery's head snapped up, her golden eyes devoid of life, staring through Cay as if she weren't there. Her face was expressionless, expressing herself too much might cause Emmery to lose her grip on reality. She lumbered forwards, her arms hanging limply as she moved in a zombie-like trance. Cay didn't retreat. Emmery raised a hand up and touched Cay's face. Her eyes slowly came into focus and a pained smile spread over Emmery's lips.

"I can see how you feel about me, you know. We're connected because of you, we fit together."

Thin lines of ice began to form in the air around Emmery's hand, pointing towards Cay's cheek and eye. All Cay had to do was shout and the guard would trigger Emmery's collar. She didn't.

Emmery continued, "Maybe things could work out, we could fit together even more, but if you put me on this strike team of yours, I'll never forgive you. Let it go." The ice strands collapsed, so thin they melted before they even hit the ground. Emmery's face went blank and dropped to the floor again as she backed off.

Cay didn't say anything more, she just called for the guard and left. She'd need to get her hand fixed before she went on to her next prospect. It would cost her some time, but she would still be able to get through all of her interviews on time.

Eilyth

General Malta didn't look up from her paperwork, refusing to acknowledge Eilyth. The only sound was that of her pen scratching the paper. She continued that refusal for several long minutes. With each passing moment the room seemed to shrink, giving even Eilyth a sense of claustrophobic unease. It was as though the only things that existed were the general, Eilyth, the pen, and the uncomfortable wooden chair.

"Congratulations, you're a national hero." Malta finally broke the silence, but she didn't look up. "Soon the whole world will know that you defeated Lily of Damnation, the most powerful meister of all time. An accomplishment deserving a medal, you'll be getting a medal of course. All three of you will."

The general finally looked up. Her face was devoid of emotion save for the a quiet rage churning in her eyes. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a folder which she handed to Eilyth. It was thick, heavy, and marked as highly confidential.

"These are plans for an all-out offensive against Neridus. With the Tyranian front being quiet as of late, we've taken the opportunity to mobilize in the north." She paused to let that sink in, not really expecting Eilyth to read through the war plan. "You have three options:

"An honorable discharge three months from now, once the media's attention has shifted. Things run their course and you let yourself be forgotten.

"A promotion and a transfer to the Neridan front, whatever form that ends up taking. I already have the perfect CO in mind for you and I'd personally recommend this choice.

"Take full credit for capturing the Dame Supreme. We'll paint you as the new most powerful meister in the world, make you the face of the army. You get an unprecedented multi-promotion all the way to lieutenant colonel and command of an entire battalion. We put you on the front lines and you terrify Tyran into submission."