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[Chevaleresse]

Kira

She should have known it was too good to be true. And, of course, their attacker used a vectorless power, something she couldn't block. She took a split second to assess her options, then threw herself at Miru, reasoning that she had the best odds of actually letting then escape. She'd try to roll away from the girl afterward, then reach for her sidearm; she had no intention of shooting the medic, but it would draw her attention.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Eilyth
This whole situation confused Eilyth, truth be told. Not the politcking and bullshit going on behind the scenes, no no, she had more or less come to expect that from the brass after this long. Not like they had much else to do, what with their cushy positions away from the front lines. But the General hadn't even asked for a report, in fact it seemed she already knew the long and short of what had transpired. Could Leah have already submitted one? Out of the others, she was the only one who'd be in any condition to do it... or did the brass simply have eyes and ears in more places than she realized? It wouldn't be the first time today someone she knew mysterious had access to more information than it seemed made sense for them to have.
    These precursory thoughts were nothing but distractions however. As Eilyth briefly looked over the documentation, focusing on diagrams and pictures over the text, she realized just how truly fucked this situation was, even before the General said it herself. It was worse than she'd ever expected, this little incident happening right now. What rattled her the most though, was the General's clearly restrained wrath. Even behind closed doors, she was so concerned with appearances that she held back what had to be an absolute ocean of vitriol and harsh reprimands that was surely waiting and willing to crash down upon Eilyth like a tsunami. Just another reason the dragoness preferred to avoid the Thunder-gun harpy. The hag not only had fury to match and surpass her own, but also far greater power over it. It was like a  mere squire attempting to duel a master swordswoman.

She struggled to fully process the choices laid out before her. On the one hand, an honorable discharge was the one thing she'd wanted since day one of her service. She'd always had the mentality of getting it done and then getting the fuck out while she still could. She told herself that it was so she could plot and plan for how best to deal with her sisters, but in truth, now, after Brigitte, after everything that had happened today?

The idea of getting out and just being forgotten... was almost appealing compared to that. What if... she let it go. If she couldn't stomach the thought of getting rid of Brigitte, who's to say she would be able to do it for the others- A flash of water. The midday rays softly cascading down through the river's surface. The pressure around her neck. The smiling, blurry serpent of a girl looking down on her, black locks framing a pair of vicious eyes that danced and flared like wicked embers. That equally wicked laughter, muffled and dulled by the rushing current threatening to crush her resolve and fill her lungs.
    Just as she thought that maybe she could cast aside the past, let herself be forgotten as the General said, and forget in turn... that thrice be damned memory pushed and clawed its way to the surface. As if to vehemently protest the grave injustice it would be to bury and forget it, to let that wench, all five of those horrid wenches, get away with all they had done. Too many more came flooding in after it. For a brief few moments, the General and her office faded, as Eilyth found herself slowly but surely reliving her entire childhood in the span of less than a minute. Each detail too vivid, too deeply ingrained in her to simply be disregarded. The struggles she had made were the reason she was alive now, they were integral to the nature of her very being, to her purpose. Getting out of the army and letting everything fade into oblivion was a nice sentiment. A beautiful idea, really.
   But it was also a fantasy. She was a dragon, and dragons do not forget. Betrayal especially so. Perhaps she could forgive Brigitte someday. She hadn't of course, not yet, but it might be possible, judging from her earlier misgivings. Brigitte had never overtly acted against her, her greatest treachery had simply been lacking the courage to stand up for herself or anyone else. Maybe Eilyth could even come to understand her perspective someday, her reasons, having lived under that same roof and faced the same demons rooming with them. Not like it, certainly never like or condone it, but at the very least she might understand it.
    The others however... there was nothing to try and understand, because Eilyth already understood such base and petty creatures. They were each ruthless, cold blooded, self-serving, and calculating in their own way. That understanding is what made them all so despicable, so absolutely disgusting to her. So much so, that just for the sake of someday purifying this world of them, she had gladly cast aside her own humanity; Let herself become a dragon. Better to be a monster than to be scum.

She had come too far in this mission to simply run away now. To simply let go and forget it all. Even if she did, there'd be no reclaiming what she'd given to get this far. She knew what her decision was. She still lacked the power she needed to see this done, and the potential solution was practically being offered to her. Pushing her childhood back down into the Pandora's box it was rightfully stored in, she took a deep breath, and readied herself. When her eyes opened again their were little more than razor-thin black slits surrounded by twin seas of turbulent crimson.

"...I'll take the third option," She said, "The command. I'll make Tyran heel."

[Takosher]

Monika and Kira

Kira's tackle was fast enough to narrowly avoid Doc's next burst of ice, which formed where she'd been standing mere moments before. She wasn't able to break Miru free entirely, but she did topple the invisible girl and break off some of the ice.

"I've got an arm free but I can't reach my panties!" Miru said. Knowing Miru, she was probably flailing that arm aimlessly. She wasn't going to be much use.

Doc was now flanked by several soldiers asking her what was wrong, but she wasn't answering. Instead, she was trying to follow where Kira had rolled to so she could use her power again.

Eilyth

A shade of disappointment crossed Malta's face. She'd apparently been hoping for a different result. "The medal ceremony will be in three days. You'll have some time to adjust to your new command while we gather our forces in the coming weeks. You'll be expected to ship out in full force two months from now. Before that you'll be attending several interviews and press conferences to help craft your image."

The general grabbed another file and passed it to Eilyth. It detailed her new assignment. Three companies and a medical unit, all under her command. Her old company would now be under her command, her role with Leah directly reversed. The commanders of each company would be collected into Eilyth's command structure, as was standard for the shift in organization during wartime. Her second in command would be Major Kelly Frie, with the third company was headed by a Captain Galli Whetstone. Eilyth didn't know either of them, neither were meisters. Her medical unit had a certified field medic that was also a rank 4 healer. Given what had just been revealed to Eilyth, that was probably the same as Brigitte. A third healer, rank 2 this time, was noted to be assigned to Whetstone Company. Slightly better than the average battalion, it would give her a leg up on survivability. Important, since it seemed she'd be expected to be on the front lines. Normally battalions were led from the back, even if they were led by meisters. Meisters commanding battalions were saved as a powerful last resort to turn the tide of battle, but Eilyth would have to be fighting from the start to keep up appearances.

On the other end, Eilyth would be serving underneath Brigadier General Cara Donly. That was a name she did know, General Cara was a friend of Leah's. She'd form a brigade with five other battalions, three standard battalions like her own and two tank battalions. And of course they'd all be serving in the 3rd Division under Malta.

Malta focused on her paperwork again, but answered any questions Eilyth had before dismissing her. She called out as Eilyth was leaving, a hint of smugness overpowering the false pleasantry that laced her tone. "Oh, I almost forgot. Do tell your sister congratulations on her engagement for me, I'm absolutely swamped and haven't been able to find the time to reach out."

[Chevaleresse]

"You need to try to break the ice," Kira hissed. It was far too precarious of an operation to try and apply her weapon's ability; that ran a high risk of maiming Miru to no benefit. Unfortunately, her own lack of success in shattering the frigid prison - her small stature had struck again - left the Spirit meister with rapidly dwindling options.

Kira reached up and moved her eyepatch out of the way. She could try to sneak off now, but that would mean abandoning Monika. Gathering herself, she stood up, then feinted as if to carry out her earlier thought of fleeing. Then, she reversed direction, darting toward Monika and throwing herself at her Major much as she had at Miru; in theory, she could break off enough of the ice to allow Monika to utilize her power and free herself.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Monika

If recent events didn't prove it by now, the flash freeze that enveloped Miru's space would've confirmed to the Major that today just was not her day. In hindsight, she should've known that it wouldn't be as simple as walking away, but she had hoped her luck would've changed by now. Though the freeze happened almost instantly, Monika instantly snapped to attention, flipping her halberd from its relaxed position to a combat stance. Yet, before she could begin blasting heat to stave off the cold, Monika joined Miru as the air around her instantly froze, trapping her in a cube of ice as well.

At least, until Kira tackled her, toppling her over and breaking off a good chunk of the ice, allowing her to think, and most importantly, act. Only taking a brief moment to reboot from the cold, the rest of the ice that surrounded her (including Kira herself) was instantly blown or melted off as a large blast of heat emanated from her, followed by the Major jumping to her feet, "Okay, Frost, fun" she commented quickly, right before running over to the still frozen Miru. Placing a hand on the invisible girl's prison, Monika set off another, albiet smaller and less potent, heat blast, aiming to melt or shatter more of the ice. Regardless of if she succeeded in breaking the entire block or not, Monika would then pick Miru up and sling the captain over her shoulder, pushing through her lingering pain and fatigue to check on Kira to make sure she didn't hurt her, and then continue the escape, as doomed as it seemed.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

The Major slightly nodded at Aia's words, barely noticeable even if one had been staring at her. L was quite the opposite of Aia, she was truly hard to read, her tiredness pervaded all of her body language creating an effect that made feigning interest a simple task. Aia however was an open book, through her veneer of politeness. L didn't doubt that part of her was genuine, but it did little to hide the clear paranoia and worry that was plastered all over the woman. "Well Miss Aia, there is plenty more to such a team then combatants. Other talents are necessary. Raw firepower and combat specialists are something we have ours bases covered on." she said matter of factly. If she had heard the details of the mission already L supposed that was one less duty she had to take care of.

L rooted around in her pockets for something as she continued, it was a rather lethargic search all things considered. "You are an asset under consideration not for combat acumen. Therefore, while still a relevant aspect in case of emergency, that is not what I am trying to ascertain." whatever L was rooting around for seemingly was there as promptly after that statement she'd given up, a small crinkle in her brow from frustration. It was the most noticeable expression she had made their entire conversation thus far.

"We can continue this elsewhere if you would like." L said, groggily gesturing towards the crowd. It was frankly difficult to hear over the wild din and commotion. It had dawned on L at that moment this was probably somehow due to the General's plans. She had such short notice before her team needed to be ready to move out, the gears must already be turning. "I can't promise my office will be more comfortable but... there isn't so many... people." truly, L mostly wanted to go back to get what she had been searching for prior. She had't carried any on her today due to court marshal, but her cravings were getting to her... the crowd only making it worse. Though it wasn't totally a selfish motive, she could tell Aia was uncomfortable here and doubted the crowds were making this any easier. "Room's a bit small for most folk."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Eilyth
Eilyth's hand paused over the door handle as the General called out. There it was. She knew it would creep in at some point. The Thunder-gun Harpy was far too furious to not take some form of jab. Eilyth, quite honestly, didn't even know what she was talking about, nor which sister it might even be who was getting engaged. Most of them were near or in their thirties now, and hadn't shown much interest in pursuing romance as far as she'd known. Gwynn seemed the most likely candidate given she was probably the least fucked up of all of them (not like that was saying much, for their household), but she was probably too busy trying to martyr herself on the battlefield to really devote any time to a special someone.
...
"Why the fuck do I even care?" Eilyth had to ask herself. She shouldn't care, she didn't want to care, and yet the mere fact she was trying to figure it out suggested that at least some part of her was doing it anyway. But she wouldn't dare let the General catch on. She wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of getting to her. She turned back, flashed a surprisingly decent PR smile, and responded with a simple,
    "I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Thank you." before opening the door and getting the hell out of there. She wanted to vomit as she walked back towards her quarters. Not because of the news, no. The news, though surprising, had been tame. She was more sickened by the very idea of playing the polite game of appearances the brass was obsessed with. She gradually forced her disgust down however, knowing full well this was just the first of many times she'd have to play along. She had made a devil's bargain in that office just now, she knew it, and as much as she hated it, she'd do it again because it was the very type of opportunity she needed in order to get where she had to be. She was fully aware that the options presented to her were thinly veiled punishments.

Option A was to take the easy way out, ride out the media circus, and then shove off to never bother anyone again, likely with very undesirable consequences if she made a fuss.

Option B was to play the punishment straight and get shipped off to another front, serving under an commanding officer hand selected to make sure the rest of her service life was a living hell.

Option C was to set herself up as the national fall girl for this new campaign and clean up the mess she'd unwittingly made. Massive risk for her to fail gloriously, and she'd be lucky to just end up dead if she failed. But if she succeeded, faked it till she made it... that risk could be worth the gain in the end.

She should've been dead right now. All of them should've been dead. They were marked for death the moment the Dame Supreme of all people attacked them. And yet she had defied that fate. Against all odds, even as she had secretly despaired part way through it. She had reached and with her own hands, bent fate back around until it was no longer fucking her over. And now she had a golden opportunity. Also a highly deadly opportunity, but a golden one nonetheless.

And just like in that grassy marsh, she would make this work or die trying. Even if she had to give up more of herself. Nothing of value is gained without sacrifice in this world. That was a lesson she learned all too early on.

****

Eilyth dropped the intel folder on her desk as she entered her quarters. IT was a spartan space for the most part; a bed against the far wall near the corner, a few shelves and a cabinet on the adjacent wall next to it, and a small desk and chair opposite the shelving. In the other corner sat a rolled training mat beneath a well worn punching bag, hanging by a chain that had definitely seen better days but for the moment still did it's job. The only other pieces of training equipment she kept besides it were a few dumbbells and resistance training bands neatly stacked beside it.
    The room was so very spartan because most of the decor lay on the shelves. Gems, minerals, rocks of all sizes and shapes. Eilyth had started collecting them when the last of her sisters had finally shipped off for war, and she'd had the household more or less to herself for two whole years. Well, not counting her mother and the servant staff of course, but she hardly even saw or really knew the former, and the latter more or less did their work and kept their heads down. Setting up a collection like this would've been impossible when she was a little girl, any one of those harpies would've swooped in and stolen or destroyed it just to spite her. Even now she kept it secret out of habit more than anything else; there were few people she tolerated enough to let anywhere near her quarters, and virtually none who she'd allow past that doorway unless they had sufficient rank over her and explicitly pulled it. She still didn't know why she liked them so much. She'd just seen one on the river shore one day and that's how it started. Maybe she was just so used to not having anything pretty that even a peculiar looking rock could satisfy her interest. Or maybe this was her alternative to a hoard. It was what dragons were always said to do after all, and getting one's hands on a sufficient amount of gold and jewelry to qualify as a hoard wasn't exactly easy with the pay scale of a mere O-1. 

That's the explanation Eilyth liked to tell herself, at least. Hell, she could even name them all at a glance, list off the common traits, their hardness, their composition, where they usually form and are found. Some of them she'd even cut and polished them up to a far better form than she'd found them in... But not even her gem hoard could calm her thoughts at the moment. There was much to be done, much to plan, she'd have to meet these two new Captains and get dossiers on the new meisters. But all of that could wait right now. She had time to get it all together.

Right now she needed to figure out which one of those damn harpies had actually managed to convince another woman they weren't too vile to tie the knot with. To that end she opened the bottom drawer of her desk, the one she threw all the mail she got from the other six because there was no way in hell she was going to subject herself to their jabs and taunting even when she was a grown ass woman. She stuck a hand in and began to dig around, searching through the more recently received letters first... whoever it was, they couldn't have announced it more than a few months ago, right?

[Glass]

Silvia

“Um. Yes.” Silvia underlined "extremely messy", just for extra emphasis.

“As I'd been about to say... you’re Sally Furlough, correct? I’ve been asked to evaluate how well you might do on a mission that’s coming up. We will... probably need to discuss all this stuff-" she gestures at the garbage bags and room in general, "-later, but for now, I’d like to ask about your weapon. You’re a fire-based healer?”

[Takosher]

Silvia

Sally's lower lip stuck out a bit and her brow crinkled in distaste. "No, I'm not." she said. She crossed her arms adamantly and her pouting got a little more pronounced. "I make myself or other people burn faster, brighter, longer. Full range metabolism super-boost, plus some general toughness. Whole body gets better, basically. More efficient than most stuff like that too, ten times the effectiveness but only five times the energy expenditure. Yes, there's healing, but I'm not a healer, I punch things." Sally dropped into a fighting stance and did a couple of quick jabs at the air to demonstrate.

L

Aia's face washed over with relief at the suggestion of going somewhere else. She gladly followed L elsewhere.

When they arrived, she was immediately more comfortable and assertive. "You'll forgive me if I've misunderstood, but you don't make a strike team out of meisters, definitely not a strike team with a powerful extra-military meister, if you're not planning to do a lot of fighting." she said.

It was a small mistake, but even L was certain to catch it. Aia spoke singularly about the extra-military meister, she didn't know about Terra or Faith. Yet she'd said that the extra-military meister was powerful. She didn't seem to be lying when she said she wasn't a fighter, but clearly there was more to her than met the eye.

Monika and Kira

Miru made a joke about introducing herself in response to being told to break the ice, but it was drowned out by Monika breaking free. Doc probably could have refrozen them, but she didn't. It likely wouldn't have done much, Monika could break free again easily enough.

She also didn't need to waste the energy.

{about to be killed theme}

A bright light flashed across the battlefield, intense enough to be blinding, yet somehow not interfering with sight in the slightest. Monika's hand was burnt by her explosion, which thankfully had been tempered to avoid harming Miru (who was successfully freed), and only did significant damage right at the epicenter. She didn't feel anything, only realizing it had happened from seeing the tips of her fingers blown apart. But then the light faded, the return to shadow bringing with it a searing pain. Monika's fingers were agonizing and her entire palm was seared with pain. The amount of damage wasn't actually all that bad, she wouldn't even need a healer, it was mundane enough to heal on its own.

But it was still a burn on her hand. It hurt like fuck.

"I'll kill you!" Verna shouted. She was on her feet, her weapon orbiting her at high speed. She ran towards the three escaping Katrians, intent on putting them down for good.

Eilyth

There were a few letters in the past few months. Three from Gwynn, one from Tahra, two from Brienne, one from Brigitte, and one from Cay. Enid was no doubt too lazy to bother writing.

Gwynn was the obvious starting point, but it turned out her writings were entirely mundane. Tahra's letter feigned nicety, but was mostly just her usual jabs. Cay's letter was succinct and formal, more of a status update than anything. Brienne's letters weren't worth opening, she would have found a far more agitating way to announce an engagement. It didn't make sense for it to be Brigitte, they were coworkers, if she wanted to tell Eilyth she was engaged she could just do it verbally. Then again, it didn't make much sense for Brigitte to send a letter at all for the same reason.

Spoiler: Brigitte's letter (click to show/hide)

"Eilyth,

I wasn't sure I wanted to tell you this and I don't think you care. Leah wanted to tell you, but she said the decision was mine. She thinks I should give you a chance and she's a lot better with people than I am, so I'm trusting her.

I'm writing this to formally invite you to our wedding. You don't have to attend as my sister, you can be a friend, or even Leah's friend if that would make it easier. We're still planning, no date yet, but I wanted to get this out of the way early. If you're not interested then just ignore this, I won't hold it against you. But if Leah's right then come talk to me, okay? I think it would be happier for everyone if you came.

-Brigitte"

It was a short letter, but it took up two pages. Brigitte had scribbled out half a dozen drafts for seemingly every sentence. She'd left the scribbles in for some reason, perhaps a subtle way of expressing to Eilyth how difficult the letter had been to write. With what Brigitte had written on their way back, it was a small wonder Brigitte had bothered with the invite at all.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Eilyth
She set the letter down on the desk and took a seat not long after. Sighing, she kicked her feet up and leaned the chair back, staring at the ceiling.
   "Yesterday, everything was simple," She muttered to herself, "I was just another bottom-of-the-ladder misfit doing my mandatory five. I hated all six of my sisters, and had every intent to give them the deaths they deserve. Today though? Everything stopped fucking making sense. I got ambushed by the strongest bitch in the known world. I survived that ambush, and turned it around to capture said bitch. I went from second fucking lieutenant to lieutenant colonel in the span of a single conversation. I'm about to be tasked with the pacification of an entire country that's probably gonna fight like hell to get it's revered Dame Supreme back."
    She took her feet down and looked at the letter again. Really looked at it. Didn't read it, not again. Just sat there and let the letters dance just above the page. How many times had she tried to find the right words for this? How long did Brigitte spend writing this letter? She almost felt dumb, not realizing there'd been something between her and Leah all this time. But maybe that was because the moment since she'd gotten into this squad, she'd done everything she could to pretend Brigitte didn't even exist. It was hard to notice something as comparatively trivial as a budding romance when you were refused to even acknowledge something took up space.
    "But all of those choices were easy. Act or Die. Somehow, despite everything that's happened today, the hardest choice I have to make... is whether or not to attend my fucking sister's wedding. How? How was the rest of it so simple by comparison? Yesterday I would've torn this up the moment I read it, now...I don't even fucking know anymore."
   She didn't hate Brigitte. She knew that by now. And honestly, she wasn't sure what Brigitte felt towards her, given the mixed messages. But Eilyth knew she didn't hate her. She knew that she was the only one in this family she could say that for. Brigitte had been the only one to never overtly act against her. In fact Brigitte hadn't really done much of anything to anyone. That in and of itself had always angered Eilyth. Back then she always felt like she didn't know how to categorize Brigitte. Part of her had always been afraid she'd flip the nice switch like Tahra, playing up the friendly act just to get her vulnerable. The other part was afraid she'd be like Gwynn, always saying she was sorry when she was told to do something, but still hurting her in the end regardless of how sorry she was. Eilyth had learned early from those two to hate whenever she couldn't easily gauge if someone was a threat or not. And most of the time, with how she'd hide when the trouble started and only came out to help when it cleared, she had no idea whether Brigitte was just another threat, or if she was genuine. She never did anything to Eilyth, she knew that now, but the young her had always been so sure it was lurking just beneath the surface. Always waiting for the knife in the back. Gwynn and Tahra had gotten her plenty enough, and she refused to be fooled again.

She could never figure Brigitte out, and so in the end, her childish mind had made things simple for itself. Labeled her as something to be hated and reviled just as equally as the others. Even if she never actually hurt her. Young Eilyth had not cared. Young Eilyth simply wanted to live to see her next birthday, and the one after that, and the one after that. And anyone who wasn't clearly helping that goal may as well have been an enemy.
     "I...I can't fucking go," She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and trying the force back the tears she could already feel. Amicus briefly shifted and tightened around her neck, applying just enough pressure to feel almost... reassuring.
    "No...no you can't make me, no matter how tight you get! I can't fucking go, I won't fucking go! Why... why can't it just be that simple? Why can't I just fucking kill you all and be done with this nightmare!?" She slammed the desk with a heavy, clawed hand, digging a deep series of groves into the hard wood surface as the elemental stone easily cleaved through it. Had she actually armored her whole arm instead of just arming her fingers, she probably would've struck the damn thing with enough force to reduce it to splinters. The serpent band tightened harder, this time applying the exact of pressure Eilyth was sure to recognize. She was five again, in the river. Trying to resist the urge to scream, to gasp for air. It was only the briefest of moments before the band relaxed it's hold, but it was enough.

"...Because," Eilyth sighed in frustration, "I might be a monster... but only because I refused to be like them. I can't be like them. I'd rather fucking blow my brains out. Fine Amicus. You fucking win... I'll go. I'll try. But only with her... you hear me? You fucking hear me? The rest of them are forfeit, no matter what happens, no matter what you pull. She's the only one I can justify trying for."

There was no response. The band sat as inert as it always had.

Had it ever even truly constricted her? Or had the stress and exhaustion finally gotten to her? Eilyth didn't know. She never knew, when this stuff happened. She didn't care either. She just wanted to go to sleep. She could... talk to Brigitte about the invite later. Now defintiely wasn't a good time with all that had happened. She got up from the desk, listlessly made her way to the bed, and flopped down face first.

She was already out before her head hit the pillow.

[Chevaleresse]

Kira rolled off Monika to give her the freedom to work. Just in time, too, as the wave of heat she felt in the process told her that the tackle had done its job. Her arms and face were starting to get a bit scraped up at this point from slamming into blocks of ice, but that would be a problem for later. She pulled herself to her feet, unwrapping the scarf from around her neck. Verna's declaration didn't faze her; if anything, it made the girl easier to deal with, less unsettling. The light, though, it made her nervous. She didn't know what it did, but she had glanced back to see the burns on Monika's palm. Something that should have been impossible.

"Major, please stay behind me." She didn't know what Miru was going to do (though judging by her presence here, it was something foolhardy) and therefore she had to assume Verna wouldn't be stopped. It looked like she was using some kind of projectile, which she could deal with. Kira placed herself in the line between the enemy meister and her own visible ally, and prepared to intercept whatever she threw at her with her scarf.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

L's room also doubled as her office, she wasn't offered a separate place to conduct such business however she didn't mind. Her living space while perhaps cramped for others was even still perhaps too much space for  minuscule Major. The desk took it's share of space that would otherwise go barren and unused. L had installed a screen to divide the spaces, after all part of it was for business and therefore public. She preferred people otherwise stayed out of her bed room. L's room was, quite a cozy and warm space if one could get past the dimensions of the space itself. The decor was full of soft and subtle pinks, ad other fuzzy low energy colours that had a hint of life to them. In a sense they were a lot like L herself, a subtle thrum of life surged through them if you were trying to observe it but might escape the less discerning eye. Beyond this any wooden surface was covered with some form of cloth or a doily, usually a soft white. Perhaps it have felt a bit like a dollhouse to others as a result.

L's desk took up a large portion of the space in her office, and frankly seemed enormous compared to any of the furniture within, including the rest of the office's fixtures. It was a mystery how such a majestic piece had ended it's journey here in this pale pink realm of the Minor Major. It almost seemed to cry out in agony as if it lamented destiny itself. Yet somehow that was hardly what clashed the most in her office space. In the corner resided a giant metallic brace, something that seemed as if it was created to hold the weight of the world. And perhaps in some truth it did for L as it was the place her monstrous hammer currently resided. The iron wrought behemoth slumbered i the corner from the time being, it's presence hard to ignore in the otherwise soft room. It's rest was certainly practical, but made no effort to blend into it's surroundings. The design was inelegant to be polite, the hammer itself offering little to make view more pleasant to behold. It had little ornamentation, a great grey brick of a unknown silvery metal was all it was. It perhaps had some beauty in it's simplicity, in the mere lustre of metal. Something about it was slightly unnerving, as if it... silently hummed with a power unseen. It'd not be nearly as unnerving as the din of an unwanted crowd however.

The major listened to Aia as she ambled behind her magnificent desk, taking the words she said seriously even if it had seemed as if she was paying her no mind in the moment. She was merely... preoccupied with her thoughts and what ailed her than courtesy in the moment. She pulled out the chair, and promptly plopped into the wonderful work chair she had gotten herself. She'd gotten one that at least make it if she fell asleep at her desk a comfortable experience. She had in truth, countless times. L gestured to Aia to find a seat amoungst the extra seats located around the room. There was some more traditional ones, though cushioned unlike the General's, and some less so. There was two or perhaps three beanbag cushions in one corner along with one that was in the middle of the floor as if it had been used recently.

L was fiddling with her drawers as she began to reply, still in the search for something. "I cannot say your assertion is incorrect Miss Aia." L said her face still within her desk drawers. Her search wasn't frantic, so it stood out as a peculiar behavior from the Major. "Combat is certainly a possibility for a such a team. I am sure it will be unavoidable." She went silent a second as her tiny frame dipped below the desk, making Aia realize just how small L was. There was a muffled Aha! and within a moment L reappeared.

A white stick was sticking out of her mouth now, the slight bulge to her cheek suggested it was a lollipop or a similar piece of candy. L finally made eye contact with Aia, forcing the glance that Aia had been trying to avoid when they were in the undying din of that crowd. "However, I prefer to avoid that which can be avoided. I do not desire the loss of life and prefer it be kept to a minimum. That is true of the people who fight with me or against me. This powerful Extra-Military Meister, is she worried about my intentions?" L knew that she was speaking to the very person who Aia was referring to. However she figured she'd be considerate of what Aia was feeling. L wasn't sure the depths she was wading into, or how far she'd get to see in this moment. She'd let the woman herself speak. That was enough for her. "Or does she have other misgivings with such an assignment? I would like any such things to be known so that I may properly consider them in my selections. However I understand trust is not so easily won, I am merely short on time." L placed her chin on her hands as she leaned forward, waiting for a response. It didn't seem to be out of haughtiness or a sense of superiority, L... seemed as if she was about to fall asleep.

[Glass]

Silvia

“You can- interesting. They have you down as a rank-two healer, you know, but they’re clearly missing the point. I take it that’s also why all of those emptied candy wrappers?” Silvia’s eyebrow goes up a bit, but it’s clear she’s more amused - and impressed - than disapproving.
“Do you know how your weapon’s ability interacts with other weapons? Can you supercharge those as well, or just the meisters? For that matter, have you ever used your power along with someone who’s weapon drains their own energy to use?”

At the same time, her pen was moving quickly across the notebook. “Buff others and self”, “Metabolism + tough”, “10x power, 5x energy cost”, “Help L?”

[Takosher]

War with Tyran? Emily wasn't sure how she felt about that. She was excited to see some action so soon, but at the same time she'd hoped to be fighting on a slightly less lopsided battlefield. The church claimed that Katria's meisters were the best trained in the world, but it was clearly a quantity over quality situation. Katria might have been better disciplined than Tyran, but no one with a brain honestly believed that made them better. The weakest Tyranian Lady was still a match for most Katrian meisters, and any one of their Dames was even with Katria's strongest warriors at worst. It took numbers to take them down, no question. Katria had numbers, but most Tyranian meisters would take some of those numbers with them before they went down. Terrifying for a newbie like Emily.

Sure her weapon seemed to make her totally invincible, but no power was flawless. If anyone could find and exploit her weakness, it would be a Dame.

Still, she could't help but be a little giddy. If they didn't find a flaw in her defenses, then Emily might be the first Katrian soldier to truly beat a Dame one on one, and that would be pretty sweet. She didn't really idolize war, death was a sad thing after all, but meister duels were different. If anything the reduced the impacts of war, having only a few people decide the course of entire battles. Emily might have struggled if her power were more suited to the initial volley, when killing enemy soldiers was the goal. But she was no good for that, so she got to play as a responder. When enemy meisters showed up attacking the Katrian army, she got to go out and save the day. And being a hero, well, it was hard not to romanticize that.

Eilyth

Eilyth now had a medal, a promotion, and a whole lot of responsibility. Her new assignment had been cobbled together in a matter of hours, much of it required her direct attention to ensure it went smoothly. She'd gotten a short letter delivered to her by General Cara expressing apologies for missing the medal ceremony and asking to meet later in the week so they could get acquainted. Some time before that, immediately after she finished her current task if possible, Eilyth needed to meet with her new subordinates. For now though, there was someone else she needed to talk to.

Brigitte was out of the hospital, another healer had been sent to care for her and ensure she was healthy in time for the medal ceremony. Eilyth was pretty sure Leah had pulled some strings for that. The medal ceremony is where Eilyth had finally been told the truth about Brigitte's weapon, thanks to Leah pulling her aside to explain. According to Leah, Brigitte could fully restore any injury so long as she harmed the injured area on herself with her fingernails. In hindsight, it was pretty obvious that those fingernails were actually the gem part of Brigitte's holy weapon. Brigitte could also do the reverse effect, scratching others to heal herself. Theoretically she could alternate to heal both herself and someone else completely, since she did less damage than she healed. She could also absorb pain, which is the effect Eilyth had originally been made privy to. It was an extremely powerful weapon, but not one the pain-averse Brigitte enjoyed using in the slightest.

Silvia

Sally scowled again at the mention of her healer rank, but she seemed to perk up quickly when asked for further details. "It doesn't do anything with weapons, just bodies. Though I dunno about weapons that are part of people's bodies." she explained, "Draining energy seems like a bad idea with me, I still make people burn faster, it's just a little less fast than it would be for most similar meisters."

L

Aia shrank back a bit from L talking about her, realizing her mistake. "I don't..." she wanted to deny it, but she had cornered herself, "She, um, she doesn't really care about your intentions. She just wants to feel safe." She didn't sit, instead shuffling nervously in place. She was more comfortable here, but that didn't mean she was comfortable. The brass had said she was suggestible, she was an aimless person seeking guidance. L was giving her a level of self-determination that she didn't want. Really she was like a child that had been abandoned by her parents.

"There was a village down south that got destroyed a couple of years ago." Aia said, "I was... there. I was there for that, and it was terrible. I fled to Lanica to get away from that stuff, to find peace. But nothing ever seems peaceful. Even if you don't take me, the church isn't just going to give me up. I don't want to do this, not with you or anyone else, but I don't have anywhere else to go. And maybe this way..." Aia's face darkened with determination and malice, sending a chill down even L's spine. "Maybe this way I can find her."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

L

If L had shuddered she certainly didn't show it. She preferred that people didn't pace around her office as she found ever so unnerving but she'd make an exception with this case. She considered the words of the girl in front of her, she felt as her gut choked up, unsure what to say how to reply. Aia's past had to be something in this vein if she always been so tight-lipped. Being prepared for something ever truly made you ready to to learn the truth however. L had not oft experienced malice that ran that deeply, especially in one so young. "Her?" L only said reflexively, but said all the same. It was the girl's choice whether she said more, and L would not press her further if she didn't want to speak on the subject but... her guts told her that if Aia was telling her this much...