ғ ᴇ ᴀ ʀ ʟ ᴇ s s - ᴀ ᴅʏsᴛᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇ 「ɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ」

[Jakers]

This wasn't right at all.

That sense of 'fun' from the ride had worn off already. The sense of reassurance she'd felt from María's smile had similarly worn off, too.

She felt recognized. She felt like a sitting duck. She wanted to >disappear<.

People were staring at certain people of the group. Tia didn't feel like she was 'blending in' at all. She felt like she was walking into some massive trap, where she'd be publicly executed, the guests laughing and drinking as the main attraction would be her, burnt alive on a crucifix, the music of the evening being her agonized screams.

...Why was it she felt so nervous? It wasn't like her to think so pessimistically. Maybe it was because she'd just give anything right now, just to summon her Blackbird and lose every ounce of fear and channel it into a delighted smile. Without even realizing it, she sidled up to Arata and held his hand a little tighter, to form some sort of comfort barrier between the two that would suppress their inner urges, as the entrance came closer and closer.

Wait, was-

...!!!

It was her.

Right then and there, Tia almost blew her cover by gritting her teeth and lashing out for the PALADIN as the intrusive thought of Ji Yun's blood being licked from her fingers pushed its way into her mind. But noo, they couldn't pull a Jill and shoot her in the fucking mouth. The anger was simply contained into a tighter-than-normal squeeze against Arata's hand, as she channeled that fury into a sweet, dainty smile instead.

If this was how she felt now, she was dreading the moment when she saw the monster that had murdered ECHO.

...Damn it. She and Arata could kill her right here, right now, couldn't they? It wouldn't be hard at all. But no, they had to pretend to respect her, of all things. The fact she didn't recognize anyone - with most people here engaging directly in combat with her 72 hours ago - was enough to prove that nothing was about to go as planned, and they were the ones being fooled.

In the off chance Elayna von Emmeria was mentally retarded, however, Tia still played 'Tiara', the stunning princess in her flowing, lime dress.

"A Paladin, you say? My, it's a true honor to meet one in the flesh. ...And may I say even in uniform, you look wonderful today~." Tiara giggled. She proceeded to say her 'guest name', fondly introducing her spouse, before moving swiftly on.

...We'll come back for you. I swear, Elayna... you're going to pay for taking family away.
She kept the wrath-filled thought for her mind only.

What if Elayna had already radioed REAPER? What if the Praetorian was invisible right now, waiting to simply assassinate the crew? There'd be no way to know if she was coming.

This whole mission had suddenly began to stink. She could only pray Team Two would get those explosives planted as soon as possible, so they wouldn't be potential sitting ducks anymore. She couldn't even bring herself to eat the supposed 'finest cuisine' Rubel had mentioned, just because her stomach felt so sick after hearing Elayna's disgusting voice yet another time.

Despite this combined, overwhelming mix of anxiety and anger she felt after seeing the Paladin, Tiara continued to smile, giggling and making up false conversation whenever someone approached the duo.

Smile, smile, smile.

Alongside the similarly fake Lionheart, the duo felt like a pair of dolls, waiting to spring into action.

 

[Astros]

"Of course. And it is fine to be nervous my dear. The occasion is one to be nervous about, but we can't allow that to ruin your fun can we?" Rubel had cheerfully said to Maria while eyeing the growing crowd around them. A moments silence between the two was broken when Rubel softly sighed softly and his shoulders sagged. His facade then momentarily broke between them for a few brief moments. Being outside of earshot of anyone close by he had began to talk without the "my dears" and fancy words, but maintained the air of an excited guest. Not focusing on Maria as she clung to his arm, but instead talked offhand only while his head was in passing.

"I had hoped... that you'd not fret with me here... But I guess... it was a bit much to ask for... This evening is really... I don't know what your Godfather is thinking... ... I mean... we hardly just met... But... even so... I trust in you Maria... ... So... will you trust me... when I say things will work out? " Rubel had stopped his head turning when he asked Maria this. His eyes intently searched Maria's scarlet ones for the answer that her face would not betray. It was simply not out of a need to ring in her feathering emotions, but a requirement as a partner, albeit in crime, that implored her trust in him. And for a change, it was Rubel now who needed someone's help.

___________________________________________________________________________​

After meandering about the courtyard for a few minutes, Rubel and Maria took their time approaching the entrance to the Ballroom. Stopping infrequently to chat with a young couple or simply stand and admire all those in attendance, unlike his fellow squad members Rubel strained to meld in with their surroundings. While that was to be the case regardless of their arrival, the original plan had changed. Rubel upon seeing how STINGRAY handled the guards and knowing about those on the guest list started to have doubts.

The night before he had stolen a glimpse of the list from Katherine's lab, only to see their names were no where to be found. He had hoped STINGRAY would have assigned them aliases under real identities, but that didn't seem to be the case. No, they were flying by the seat of their pants, in the dark, and seemingly with little trouble.

Watching as the Paladin from days prior ushered the rest of Team One inside without caring to check her list, Rubel ran through the names in his mind as he and Maria stepped closer. When it was their turn to greet the respected Paladin Elayna at the Ballroom's entrance. The presence of classical music from within intensified.

Planting a warm smile in the woman's direction Rubel prompted her into small talk before she could begin processing them in. "Ah, Lady Elayna. It is nice to see that you're in good health. A Paladin's job is most dangerous. When was it last we met? It's felt like years." Implying the two had met before, Rubel grasped at a cordial air.

His intention was to distract her thoughts, if only momentarily, while he waltzed them inside. From his brief encounter three days earlier he had made note of the Paladin's overwhelming sense of pride and its attachment to her family name. Having done his research, he now aimed to take advantage of that weakness in his bid to get inside.

"Bah, it was so long ago even I would have forgotten haha." Waving a hand at Elayna before she could ask for his name, Rubel shifted subjects as her mind was busy with placing his face. Dropping the name of the composer that could be heard from within, excitement stirred his voice as he asked. "Wasn't a late relative of your family a renowned violinist? Now what was her name?"

When given the answer he expected, a zealous "Aha!" escape his mouth followed by "Yes, yes. I remember now. I was dazzled for days by her concertos... I bet she's very proud of you for following in your father's footsteps." His cheery face ebbing at this remark, it slipped a hint of sadness before appearing to grasp the weight of the unfolding situation.

"Oh! Pardon me. I'm holding you up and these fines guests as well." Turning to look behind Maria and himself, a dense crowd had sprung up in their idling. Taking a regretful side look to Maria, Rubel added. "I'm sorry dear. You're right, I'm a dreadful chatterbox." Before his eyes returned to Elayna as he made to hasten them inside. "Please excuse Mrs. Behringer and I. May we continue our discussions at a later time."

As the couple hurried through the open doors Rubel could hear the group behind them promptly state their name. With any luck the leading conversation would have prevented the Paladin from questioning about their forenames, and to which Behringer they were on the list.

 

[Bismarck]

Crusader approached the window, stepping into the man's view entirely, to block his line of sight to Juniper. Mostly to harass the rich man, something he personally enjoyed. He flipped the safety on his rifle, making a firm click, and tilting his head to the side a little bit. He reached a hand out, "I'm sorry sir. I need to see your papers before I can let you pass. Failure to comply, will result in being jailed. Resistance to those charges, will be met with a bullet." Crusader asked quite plainly, as he held his hand out expectantly. He made sure to move his finger toward the trigger, as a way to intimidate the drunk man. Making all of his movements telegraphed, and slow. "Also my fellow Cleric will not be able to accompany you. Failure to guard her post, would result in execution under the law of the land. Removing a guard from their post, is also an offense, punishable by death, Lord Braccus."

As the Ronin waited for the papers, he looked to the line of limos, answering the radio while he waited, "Trying my best up here, Please send another guard, to let me change into my formal guard attire soon." Alexander requested over the radio, since he wanted to change back into his personal combat armor as soon as possible, and equip himself with his own gear again. He didn't feel natural in all of this plain, cleric armor. Turning back to the drunken Noble, he stared through his helmet, watching every move.

"Now then. Papers please sir. Or I will have to ask you to leave."

 

[Astoria]

\\ Juniper Hamilton
\\ Team II

"Oh."

The raven-haired Seraphim groaned. "I'll take that as our signal." Letting out a small breath of air as she relieved herself of her position on the commander's seat, she sprung into action. Making a comment to herself at how small and pathetic the shot guard was for herself to be able to fit into his clothes, she didn't waste time in re-suiting up, finishing her task without a further word or order due to the expediency of the issue. It was a good thing that she'd taken down the cameras before the shift change instead of right before. It didn't take too long for Juniper to hide the body and pop back up in its place, taking on the form of a simple but convincing CLERIC checkpoint guard.

The plan had been moved up a bit, but it was still well under way within its original limits. Being somewhat early for most of the guests to begin arriving, she and Crusader really were taking up the roles of temporary guards for the time being. It was a menial enough role, but something she was completely comfortable in; the CLERIC weapon she held in her hands was something she'd trained with in the past and she knew the operating procedures off the back of her hand. She even had time to check herself in the security booth window, finding what appeared to be a single strand of white hair amongst the black, much to the displeasure of the mid-twenties-year old girl.

She snapped back to attention at the sound of vehicles approaching. The tell-tale black design and stretched nature of the first approaching car told her that guests were finally arriving.


"We'll do our best. Just make sure anybody doesn't don't do anything too stupid over there." Speaking in a hushed tone into her earpiece, she started to approach the first limousine, whose windows rolled down to reveal a very intoxicated nobleman.

Ew.

He didn't exactly have a way with words, but it wasn't something that she could deal with. What she didn't count on, however, was Alexander being an especially hard-ass, stepping in front of her to harass the man. This could either end up okay at best, or a disaster. In all her time, she'd never seen a simple foot soldier threaten a member of the nobility. If he threw a fit, they'd be done. Not to mention, the latter sounded like a load of bull. She'd have to talk to him later.

Juniper fake-laughed, slapping her fellow disguised comrade on the back. "Good one, Alex. You see, this one's kinda a hardass." She pinched the back of his shoulder maliciously when she did so. "As much as I'd love to be on the floor with you Lord Bractus, he's not wrong either. Just show him your invitation and you're good to go—maybe you'll be able to find me later~"

Saying her piece with a wink, she stepped back, giving Crusader a stink-eye. There was a slim possibility, but there was a reason she wasn't doing infiltration with team one.

 

[Bismarck]

Alexander rubbed the back of his head with a free hand, after taking the papers from the man, and pretending to examine them, before letting the Lord through. He turned around to face Juniper, shaking his head a bit, "Sorry about that. Commoner's blood. I don't like noble's...or women be harassed. Bad combination there, reminds me of my past a bit too much." The man explained briefly, before stepping aside, to get back to work. Gently turning the switch on his rifle back to safe. Trying to get used to manipulating the firearms. It was one that was quite unusual to him, and he didn't particularly like the feel. However he would have to deal with it for the time being.

Though he was still taking a moment to mull over his past. It was always a sore spot to be reminded of it. Granted he'd done it himself this time. Perhaps it was just the circumstance. It made him think of his older sister, only a few years his senior, who was pushed into a life of prostitution, by an abusive father. Only to be taken away by a high paying nobleman. Something about that always sat poorly with him, his sister, if she was still alive, was a sex slave somewhere in the world.

Rolling his shoulders, the Ronin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and focus. His entire life before FEARLESS had taken him was a mess. So recounting parts of it, always seemed to stop him in his tracks for a little bit. Though he didn't have time to try and get over his memories. They would just have to serve as fuel for the fire for the next fight they might end up in. "God I hope we kill them all tonight. This way, in which we exist needs to end Juniper. This whole world we know...is wrong." He said, before the next car could pull up and roll down its window. He wanted to vent his frustrations even more. However in the end, he knew it wasn't his place too. Besides, who was to say Juniper would even care? She was a touch hard to understand from time to time.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Erja Liikanen - Team 2

Flipping the SVU To safe and removing the current magazine for a fresh one, Erja wasn't exactly how they managed to pull that off in relative close quarters all things considered, the guards were dead, no one seemed any the wiser. Was it luck, skill, some other power at work? She couldn't really say, but being in the shadow of the Cathedral just executing the patrolling guards. There was much about this that made her uneasy. Partly out of habit, partly out of paranoia.

Snipers were creatures that favored cover or high places as a general rule, coupled with the fact of how easy this all had seemed to this point just bothered her, though keeping her calm, many questions and worries remained.

Hurriedly helping with the bodies it seemed the guests had arrived, they had to get this sorted soon, hope the patrols didn't change. Noticing the Birdman from before, the Sniper proceeds to him, tapping the younger man on the shoulder. "RiP, with me, I need help moving these bodies, and I wanted to talk a little. You seem to know when to get out of trouble." Motioning him away from the others to a couple of the bodies that still needed to be hidden, the White Death, looks directly at the plague doctor mask.

"Hundreds of important guests, two of the major leaders, and likely dozens of Paladins. I've shot commanders that were better guarded than this. Yet not a single sniper, no dogs, no increases in patrols, no barriers. Not even an explosive detector under the roadway. It worries me.. But it's just intuition." Grabbing an armored figure, perhaps a woman judging by the feet and hips, she pauses and speaks in a hushed tone.

"When this all starts, be ready to move with me, evasion rather than trying to decapitate everyone inside may quickly become the goal, I owe you one, and I aim to repay it here.. Sadly if my feeling is right, I'm not sure I can pay the others I may owe.."

Letting out a heavy breath of compressed air, she was sure the man would have some smart assed reply, but at the same time he at least had the presence of mind to avoid what could turn into a very bad blood show, if they were to aim their teammates, she would do so in the best way she knew how. And unlike the Sarge it wasn't going in guns blazing. "I would like to get a more careful look around, but I don't think that will happen, also seems your friend Valk has taken over calling the shots." As if testing the waters with his own thoughts and opinion, she motions with her head, for him to get a nearby second body.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

​

"I don't know how large an opening the shift change will leave..." Sure, for a outpost or checkpoint of some kind there wasn't a great need to be extra careful, but Jake highly doubted that this mission would be that easy—and if it was, it was probably a trap. Then there was the Chaos Witch. Rip didn't know too much about her, except for the fact that she was a NOAH that could apparently burn things. "Would burning them to no traces really be that quick? As for stealth... I'd assume not flaming on would be good, but I'm just the medic." Leaning back in his seat, Jake shut his eyes. Whether he was trying to keep relaxed or think on the situation could not be determined, but he did let out an annoyed sigh and Valkyrie's alert. "...Yup... This is going about as well as expected..." And here he thought that his team would be the ones with the highest body count.

While the others rallied in a panic, the medic seemed only lazily annoyed at the situation as he aided in moving the corpses out of sight. He wasn't one for dumb labor, but it beat getting killed for leaving the bodies out in the open and it beat playing dress up. Watching Juniper and Alexander scurry to assume the drones' places, Jake let out another sigh as he waited for further instruction. Thankfully, the only orders he had thus far was 'wait for shit to hit the fan', which he was completely okay with. Hearing Crusader's plead over the radios, Jake chimed in. "I'd volunteer, but it's probably better I stay in a position to help if you get shot. You know, just in case."

Sighing, the medic relaxed again. Everyone had their jobs and, while boring, his was to wait and watch. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Rip turned to meet Erja. "I see the leg's better," He commented. Seemed she wanted some more help with hauling, and to say a few things. With a groan, the medic nodded and followed. "I'm gonna be really pissed if I end up getting shot for these dropped bodies..." As he approached the bodies, the sniper suddenly started up. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought this was just a bit too easy. With a nod, he agreed. "Boss levels usually aren't this easy. I'm a pessimistic bastard, but still."

Bending down, Rip grabbed a garbed man by the arms and hoisting him up with a groan. "I know I helped you out, but I was just doing my job. I didn't join up with these guys to get a high body count or to gain freedom or whatever, I'm just keeping the cancer going." After dragging the body out of plain sight, the medic dropped the arms down and sighed. "Well, it's not like Juniper can bark orders from inside a costume... besides, whoever the leader is isn't gonna stop shit from hitting the fan. All I can hope for with Val is that she doesn't charge out like a knight and get eaten by the dragon."

 

[Winter]

As the limousine sped off towards their destination, Naomi seemed to be unfazed by Stingray's driving, remaining firmly in her seat while the others bounced around like pinball's. She made several attempts to catch some of them as they flew from their seats, but ultimately their was no way to do so without posing a risk to have one of them knock themselves out on her arm so she decided that maybe not helping was probably the better option in this instance. As they got nearer her anxieties began to climb again, causing her to eventually take more steadying breaths. It wasn't even really the prospect of dying that made her nervous, she could handle facing the likelihood of death... it was having to act and pretend to something she'd never once thought of herself capable of being.

As they left the car towards the entrance, Naomi felt the hand of FOX tighten on her own, causing her to turn her head slightly to visually check how he was holding up. She was about to quietly ask him if he was ok before her attention was pulled to a familiar face at the entrance, causing her to tense up, her free hand balling into a fist ready to put the Paladin in a crater at a moments notice. The interaction that followed was unexpected and Naomi had to fight herself not to show it on her facial expression as they proceeded past into the Ballroom. Naomi's neural enhancement began it's processing immediately as information ran through her subconscious before concluding in summaries at the forefront of her mind.

"She knows" Naomi said quietly to Fox without looking directly at him. There was no way the Paladin could mistake them. Naomi had literally put her in the ground temporarily before they withdrew with FOX, not to mention that Paladins were formidable opponents for more than just their combat prowess. They typically had memories built of tougher stuff than she was herself, which made the idea that their faces could be forgotten in less than forty eight hours a statistic Naomi was not pleased with. "And if she does then this is a set up and we're all dead" Her eyes began to drift over those inside, moving between unknown people to absorb details, as if she were looking for some kind of sign, or slip up. It was likely that Naomi could have just been paranoid... but this seemed way too easy and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were wanted here.

 

[ERode]

That white haired fiend was there. Looking at them. Greeting them.

The same monster that crushed in Netrunner's head in. The same monster that faced them all and came out of it unscathed. The same person that didn't even need her trademark shield to defend against his attack.

Elayna von Emmeria, the 15th in line.

And yet, Arata couldn't feel anything. Or, at least, he had finally reached a point where he couldn't be anymore afraid. The crowds were suffocating enough. The terror that invaded his mind about how those must have been the people who 'created' and 'executed' him had already overwhelmed him. What was another PALADIN gonna do? Nothing. He didn't care if she knew who they were. He realized that he didn't even care if it was a trap they were walking into.

Because no matter what, they were still plunging into a lions' den.

His hand hurt, crushed underneath Tia's grip, but that smile was still plastered on. "Truly is an honor isn't it, honey?" he said cordially, tilting his head towards his wife, "To have the security of this ceremony be supervised by one of the finest guardians of New Eccelesia, it puts my heart at ease."

Arata bowed slightly as Tia introduced him by an alias, before going with the flow further. Pushing just a little bit more.

"I must ask you for a dance later on, Lady von Emmeria," he said, "Though I wager one as beautiful as yourself will find no shortage of gentlemen interested in taking you to the ballroom."

Somewhere along the way, his nerves had broken. But Arata clung on, embracing the vestiges of his mask. This was do or die, and no matter what, he feared the eternal silence of death more than anything else.

Food tasted like ash. Drinks tasted like mud.

But he was still Ga1ahad.

 

[Valor]

----
0 8 1 5
H O U R S
----

As each of the members of Squad One approached, Elayna gave each one much of the same treatment before allowing them into the palace. Was this a trap, or was she just daft? It was honestly rather difficult to tell - though the members of FEARLESS would not waste the opportunity that was presented to them.

She smiled as Tia and Rubel filled her ears with senseless compliments, thanking them for their kind words. If this was truly a trap, then perhaps Elayna had no knowledge of it. She did not seem like the person who could hold up any sort of act. In general, PALADINs have always made the worst spies.

"Aw, you guys~ you're all very sweet. I hope all of you enjoy your stay!" The Paladin gleefully remarked. As she put through each of their names through the computer, scarlet eyes turned towards Ga1ahad. "Say, I don't recognize you." She paused for a moment, her eyes squinting momentarily. "and I recognize everyone." She spent a moment staring at the young man that had passed along several compliments to her, before waving her hand dismissively.

"Never mind, I hope you have a nice day, sir."

"Yeah. She must." FOXTROT replied, keeping his voice low as his eyes scanned the densely packed room around them. Whether or not the PALADIN recognized them didn't matter anymore. They were far too deep to go back on the plan now. "We'll be fine. Just watch each other's backs, alright?" Within the palace, many ostentatiously dressed nobles danced, dined and intermingled with one another - the room beset with live music and all of the accommodations expected of the elite. For a man like Jonathan, this was all a bit of sensory overload - all he saw were threats lurking behind each figure in the room.

As the other members of their squad came in behind them, Jonathan immediately turned to his teammates. "Split up and keep a low profile. Our main objective is to locate our targets and any other possible threats." FOX began, before adding a short quip of wisdom. "Stay away from the chandeliers or anything else that may fall on your head." With the team splitting themselves apart, FOX decided that it was best to stick with Naomi.

"See up there?" FOX pointed to a balcony-like upper floor that hung over the room. It seemed obvious that this would be an excellent vantage point from which to scan the area. "Slightly exposed, but might be a good start." Taking Naomi's hand, his eyes slowly darted around the scene before moving off towards the staircase that led upwards. As the pair navigated their way up the stairs, Jonathan removed a small earbud, making sure nobody but Naomi was watching as he stuck the object into his ear.

"Titan and I are heading upstairs. Keep your eyes peeled and let us know if you need us." He spoke softly into the radio hidden beneath his jacket. On the balcony, several nobles were sitting at a large number of dining tables. It was clear by the name tags on each table that the private tables were reserved for the more elite visitors. Walking towards a table that overlooked the room below, Jonathan quickly grabbed the paper tag before crumpling it up and shoving it into his pocket. "This alright with you?" The young man shot Naomi a grin before pulling out a seat for her.

-----

The heavily intoxicated Lord Bractus shot CRUSADER an angry glare as him and the disguised Juniper both played a game of good cop, bad cop. The inebriated nobleman was prepared to attack the gatekeeper with a barrage of thinly veiled threats when Juniper quickly calmed his nerves. "Well, alright-y then. *hic* If you ever channnge your mind, beautiful, you kno' where to fin' me." The Lord struggled to remark before rolling up his window. As the limousine passed through the checkpoint, the rest of Squad Two had been finishing what preparations were left for the beginning of the operation.

"Looks like it's all clear, good work, guys." Valkyrie scanned the immediate area, seeing that there were no more guards left in view. "Alright, Ian, we need you to do your thing. Get those explosives set up as fast as you can. There's no telling how long we have until people start asking questions." She explained briefly. It went without saying that Valkyrie didn't trust Ian much. A person that fought for money rather than ideals was somebody that Valkyrie could not morally get along with. Of all the reasons to fight, money was perhaps the worst one.

"Jake, when those explosions hit, there's a chance people are going to get hurt. You may need to run into the fire and pull somebody out if things get too hairy, alright?" She explained to her friend, knowing that R.I.P, unlike Ian, was a dependable person that would risk his own neck for one of his own. Grabbing Aresia and Erja's attention, she pointed back towards the front gate, "Let's get back to the gate, we'll need to hold off the reinforcements once everything gets hairy."

"Ian, make it quick."



​

 

[Jakers]

​

...Mini heart attack over. She'd really thought Elayna was actually going to put two and two together there with Arata. Was Elayna really busy enough to be that forgetful? Was it a side effect of PALADIN training? She just seemed so genuine; a completely different person to the white-haired devil Tia had saw lick the fresh blood of a fellow NOAH.

Giving a silent nod to FOXTROT, Tia did her best to take his words in. He was more experienced than anyone here, so his words were basically law.

...What was a 'chandelier', though? Ah, damn it. It probably didn't matter.

Not even realizing how tight her grip around Arata's small hand was as time continued to pass in this hellhole, at this point, Tia felt like she was holding hands with a bomb. That slight shaking she could feel... whilst the mask of Ga1ahad remained nearly completely uncracked, it felt like he was going towards a breaking point. When that happened, the carnage that would occur... she certainly wasn't to walk out of this without getting thorough shower of noble blood first.

Would Lionheart even be able to recognize her, in a sea of targets?

She thought she didn't really fear death. Maybe death wasn't even the reason for her fear. There was something so unnerving about holding the hand of someone, who was fully capable of slaughtering every dancing, laughing, chattering 'civilian' in this room.

But still. Lionheart was one of the biggest chances they had of taking out a Praetorian. For that reason, the NOAH supposed that if she died, it wouldn't affect the grand scheme of things. As long as he was doing his thing. As long as Naomi was doing her thing. With an expert RONIN, a SERAPHIM who could come up with great plans, and the power to erase time backing them up, they could stand a chance if things went right.

For that reason, she kept her large body close to Lionheart's, ready to be a shield if things suddenly went bad. It wouldn't be long now, she could feel it. Either the explosives, or a surprise attack. Which one was going to come first?

A transmission from FOXTROT cracked her mind. Looking around her, Tia looked for the right moment to respond, when nobody looked like they would approach the duo for conversation, and when other party members were busy. Now. Pressing a finger to her ear as if adjusting one of her earrings, Tia began whispering very quietly into her own hidden earpiece.

"Roger that, 'Mr. FOX'. Try and get to the balcony when things start going boom; I'll get a proper weapon delivered to you. And Rubel, Mixuki's got that duo of smoke grenades you wanted, I'll chuck em' over to you," Tia whispered, before returning back into clockwork-doll mode. There were no signs of any Praetorian yet, which wasn't so great. "We'll try and get in position on the lower level. ...Good luck, you guys."

With that, Tiara was soon trying to clear her head, and carry herself back in that elegant manner. The music... focus on the music.

A princess within the sea of stunning figures turned to her partner, golden chandelier light reflecting off the lipstick that coated her smile. It didn't even feel that weird to be in this persona of 'Tiara' anymore. As long as it helped Arata stay 'in character', she didn't even feel sick performing at this point.

"...A dance, my sweet?"

 

[Bismarck]

As the last car pulled through the gate, Alexander gave a sigh of relief and joy. The man reached up, and tore the helmet off his head, tossing it into a few bushes. "Fucking cleric armor. I hate this stupid shit, no personality, no color, it's awful." He said sounding rather exasperated as he began to walk toward the side building they had used to hide the bodies, and also to hid their gear. The Ronin was happy that he could change into his own equipment. He always felt strange without his own gear, it was a very uncomfortable feeling. No familiarity, no muscle memory. How was every going to be able to pull off complex tasks like fighting in close quarters between reloads. If he couldn't even find his back up weapon, or a new magazine? Hell, Alexander barely even knew how to operate the weapon he was holding properly.

So pushing the door to the store room open, he stood waiting for a moment for Juniper, "Are we good to go? Or should I get the helmet out of the dirt and get back to standing guard. I hate this armor myself, and I'd rather be looking at you, in your normal outfit. Over that awful suit." Crusader teased, as he held the door open, his free hand going to unfasten the sling holding his weapon up. He gave a playful wink at the end, mostly having fun messing with his female comrade. After all, it gave a nice break from all the stress of this mission.

The weapon dropped to the ground, a dull thud as it clattered off his body. For Alexander it was another binding chain off him, as he waited for Juniper so he could start getting the rest of his disguise off. After all it was such a stupid thing in his own mind. He would have rather been planting explosives, killing guards, doing anything other than having to play pretend.

 

[Deathwatch101]

Ian began setting to work, at the very least after stumbling upon the group with his morning breakfast he had at the very least avoided being filled with lead. It was time to earn his pay-day after all, he aimed to avoid making himself to noticeable to the group of rebels that he was currently in the employment of. Though he suspected that would be rather hard due to the fact he had walked into their operation in a sense.

Setting down the remaining chocolate muffins, he would first begin surveying the area though he would need the lady in charge to at least give him his instruction for the planned demolition after all, demolition had order to it and you had to set charges differently based on how you wanted to fell parts of a structure.

Ian would speak to the lady whom had addressed him, though he had yet to know her name. She was a fine looking young woman though on the job, he at least had some ethics. Off the job however, nearly anything went.

"Young Mistress, I would appreciate a request for direction of fall for your demolition. Further-more do you wish for me to set up some additional charges at the inner-walls that lead outside for addition escape routes or traps ? Bring up and set out the explosives in a sheltered spot and ill begin planting them to where they are needed"

Ian would remove a small hand drill from his satchel and begin testing the structural material, trying to gauge its make up and best plan for such a quick hit and run demolition.

"I would appreciate you fellows coming up with a nickname for me, In case they have this place bugged"

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Erja Liikanen - Team 2

​

As the pair moved bodies, Erja half wondered why in the hell Jake was even here. Was it as he had no legal license to practice medicine, a criminal record, no social connections? Well his personality was a bit rough, fearless was desperate, maybe it was something to ask about later. "Yeah the leg is better." Not having much else to say the Sniper finishes her work in silence.

As the minutes passed and guests passed through, she was fairly worried someone would see. Never mind they did not possibly have enough explosives to level the place.. Actually on that note why even bother with an infiltration, if they could just bomb the structure? Pondering this it was not long kill Valkyrie called her and Aresia over.

"Wait you want me to just openly guard the gate?" Shaking her head with a sigh, she had to at least study the area for a vantage point, or heavy cover, she wasn't exactly geared out for holding against an assault. "Let me take a look around, just don't expect me on the front alongside you unless things get bad. Semi-automatics weren't made for this kind of work." Keeping to the outer boundary as they make way for the gate, Erja keeps her eyes peeled for possible places to take up position in.

 

[Winter]

Naomi once again maintained eye contact with the room while Fox turned and spoke to the others, paying mind with her ears instead of her eyes. It was not entirely out of cautiousness, nor was it to be intentionally rude or absent to the crucial plans that FOX was orchestrating as they neared what was likely a suicidal assault against an enemy whom could be all too aware of their presence. No, in actual fact it was to do with the neural enhancement that gave the light teal glow in her eyes, an almost instinctual pull from her conditioning as a NOAH causing her to focus on potential threats, analyzing for advantages, threats and other variables that'd give her an edge. It took FOX taking hold of her hand again to pull her mind away from the combat analysis. "See up there?" Naomi's eyes moved towards the balcony and gave a small nod, "As good a start as any I suppose" she said before stepping closer to Fox.

She hooked her arm around his to cement their faux relationship to those whom might be watching, though her smile was genuine as he lead her up the beautifully sculpted staircase towards the upper level. As FOX went about communicating to the others via his earpiece COM, she stepped in front of him to help conceal his actions, refraining from looking around too much in case she drew attention to them. When he pulled the tag from the table and offered her a seat she returned the grin with her own, "Oh my, you are quite the gentlemen Mister Fox" she said with a small amused smirk, her tone taking on a some what refined nature which was unlike Naomi's usual casual tone. She took her seat, insuring her posture was correct as she sat neatly with her hands on her lap, just as Rubel had taught the night before. "Thank you" she waited for him to take his seat before tilting her head towards the rail of the balcony, "I think I have my entrance when the fireworks begin" she said with a small smile.

Just like she had done when she'd arrived to assist them with the Paladin. She could hop the rail and drop in for maximum effectiveness. If she were able to drop onto a target directly, the accumulative force of her strength and weight combined with gravity would surely be devastating. She just had to be lucky enough to land on either one of the targets or one of the security that are likely moving between the crowds. Landing on her target wasn't even the hard part however... the hard part was having to somehow fight with the heels she was forced to ware.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

​

Getting called out by Valkyrie, Jake turned his head and sighed. "...You mean when..." The medic still didn't have a good feeling about this. To him, it wasn't so much a matter of if things would go awry, but when. "Yeah, I'll stand by and be ready." He did think Val thought of him a bit higher than he truly deserved. He wasn't really a team player unless he saw a point, and this mission especially could turn into one where bolting might be the best. Then again, who knew? Maybe things would actually go according to plan.

Finishing up the dumb labor of dragging cadavers, Rip double-checked his gear and gun before glancing over at Ian. "I dunno. You're blowing shit up, how bout Scorch?" He suggested. While not much work was put into the name, it was likely better than using his name. Sighing, he now watched over their demo-man doing his work and hoped that things wouldn't end going as south as he and the sniper surmised.

 

[ERode]

Lots of sweet stuff. Lots of warm stuff. Lots of chocolate in general, from white to dark, from bars to sauces. In any other situation, Arata may be feeling pretty good about himself, being able to dine on this sweet luxury, but right now, all he was doing was filling up on energy. Energy to fuel the future conflict. Foxtrot's words rang emptily in his cranium. One bite at a time. Even as Tia held onto his hand, he continued to singlehandedly eat.

Ash and muddy water. He wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, only that with each morsel of food he consumed brought him closer to the two pictures he had seen. KING and Reaper. Red and black. The same colors that he saw when the holy sword consumed him. The fork spun in his hand, absentminded motions as he worthlessly decided on what he should eat next.

It stopped when Tia, no, Tiara, spoke up, and Arata mimicked her smile.

Right, he couldn't just eat. He had to socialize, to smile, to make these plaster-faced blood bags laugh, to fascinate them all.

"I was waiting for you, my princess," he said, gallantly pressing his lips against the back of her hand once more, before leading her towards the dance floor, where so many other couples twirled about. He was Ga1ahad, the dashing knight beloved by all, a master of decorum and of war. His clenched hand reminded him of the role he had to play still, and the sliver of death that he carried within him remained suppressed.

Without waiting for her to prepare herself, Ga1ahad launched into a dizzying sequence of twirls and steps, crossing diagonally through the floor as he wove Tiara through a crowd of others. Ending in the other corner, the knight allowed for one sensual picture pose before pulling her back up, into the waltz he treated as quickstep.

 

[Valor]

----
0 8 3 0
H O U R S
----

As the defenses to the Imperial Palace were subsequently eliminated, an eye twitched in mild disgust. Placing her hand over her ear, the white haired Paladin spoke softly into the microphone. "Yes, everybody is accounted for." The Paladin mused before turning her gaze towards the laptop in front of her. "Understood, your Highness." As soon as the other line fell silent, Paladin Elayna signaled to the other armored soldiers outside of the Imperial Palace.

In the next few moments, two dozen Paladins revealed themselves from the crowd before moving across the open garden. Before anybody could notice, the Paladins which had been ordered to provide security for the King's ceremony had mysteriously vanished. As the Paladins moved across the garden and towards the main entrance, they did not so much as look as the FEARLESS members who were now managing the security - with the exception of Elayna, whose scarlet eyes made it a point to shoot Juniper a glare.

"Holy shit." Valkyrie muttered to herself as she dove under a nearby bush. If the Paladins decided to attack them, there was no way in hell they would be able to take that many of them on with half their team inside the Palace. "Stay down!"

Fortunately, it did not seem like the Paladins were searching for a fight, despite obviously noticing that Juniper was not a CLERIC or the guard assigned to protect the entrance. Ragnarök hovered around Vakyrie, the floating swords prepared to lash out at a moment's notice if the group decided to attack Juniper.

However, the Paladins didn't attack, instead Elayna waved towards CRUSADER and BACKDROP with an eerie smile. "Have a wonderful day!" She cooed as the Paladins systematically shuffled into black SUVs and drove off.

"I don't like this one bit." Valkyrie gritted her teeth. "They knew we were coming from the start... but why would they leave?" As she sat there, she immediately noticed that Ian still hadn't left to complete his task. Pushing him, Valkyrie glared at the soldier for hire. "How about I call you Slowpoke? Get your ass moving. Everyone is waiting for you!"

As she watched Slowpoke leave to set the explosive charges, Valkyrie took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the fight that was about to take place. It took approximately twenty minutes for Ian to navigate the area and place explosive charges on the structurally weakest regions of the palace. Although he was slow to get started, he completed his work in both an efficient and timely manner.

"Slow and steady wins the race." Valkyrie shrugged. As soon as she saw Ian again, she flashed him a signal. "Blow it."

---

As Naomi took a quick jab at FOX's unusual attitude, a small smile creased the young man's lips, something that was even more unusual for him. Perhaps in a normal world without war, people like Naomi and Jonathan could actually enjoy moments like these without worrying if the person you were bonding with would be dead the next day.

But people will always kill people, even once the Praetorians are defeated and Valhalla freed from the grasp of tyranny, could they truly be F R E E? Could any of them ever live normal lives, or would they turn into the very people they sought to bring down? After all, the only monster mankind need fear is themselves.

As Naomi tilted her head over the balcony, searching for a suitable place to land, FOX could feel the onset of withdrawal coming back to him, his hand beginning to shake as he tried his best attempts to hide it. His body's physical addiction to the injection painkiller was troublesome, the young soldier constantly experiencing flashbacks of past trauma the more he resisted it.

"Right. Seems like a good vantage point. I think I'll stick to the stairs, though." FOX replied in regards to Naomi's flashy entrance. It was no secret that Naomi liked flashy entrances, recalling the time she sent the white-haired Paladin that had killed Ji-Yun across the field with her last dynamic entrance. Unfortunately, FOX was only human... and not a very good one at that.

As FOX and Naomi sat at their table together, the room suddenly fell completely silent. Below them and at the other end of the room, two figures emerged from the entryway. "There's our targets." FOX took a deep breath, moving his fingers toward his earpiece. Before he could update Squad Two or Godfather on the situation, he noticed a man approaching them.

"Would you and your lovely date like a glass of wine?" FOX froze, his hand reaching towards the handgun beneath his suit pocket.

"No, we're fine, thanks." FOX mustered the best smile that he could. As the waiter bowed and walked away, he turned towards Naomi. "Sorry, dear. I know how much you like to drink." FOX teased before calling in. "This is FOX, we've spotted our tar-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a loud explosion shook the entire cathedral. Fire burst forth from all sides of the room as the surviving nobles screeched and scattered. Tables and furniture smashed against the walls as bodies were vaporized or engulfed by the scorching wrath of the explosion. The table between FOX and Naomi flipped over the railing as the young man smashed the side of his head into the rail before falling out of his seat.

As FOX hit the balcony floor, his eyes saw only flames. The staircase that they had come up was almost completely caved in, with wounded and dead nobles surrounding the entire area. As soon as he snapped out of his daze, he immediately thought about Naomi - who may have been harmed in the explosion. "Naomi?!" FOX turned, only to find that Naomi, being Naomi, was almost completely unaffected by the explosion, still seated in her chair as if nothing phased her.

Shooting the Titan a momentary, blank stare, FOX struggled to stand up, his head bleeding and his arm slightly torn up by loose shrapnel from the uncontrolled explosion. While the explosion was supposed to be a distraction and a way to ambush their enemy, it seemed that far too much had been used, resulting in a much deadlier impact than expected.

"Well, well! It appears the children have come out to play." A voice bellowed from below. "I suppose I should welcome all of you to my domain, but polite guests don't blow up people's homes." The KING cackled.

"Would you like me to kill them all?" The dark haired woman standing beside KING asked, he voice devoid of expression of surprise.

KING shook his head, "No, Miranda, a proper host would accommodate his guests himself. However, I do believe there are guests outside that may need some company." He commanded with a grin.

"Consider it done, my King." As quickly as she appeared, REAPER vanished from the scene.

As soon as she was gone, KING reached out into the smoking debris before him, a sword slowly materializing into his hand. "Now, who will be the first to dance with me?" As the fires continued to engulf the stage around them, several dozen CLERICs emerged from the smoke - wearing gas masks and carrying loaded assault rifles.

FOX turned to Naomi. "Go, I'll find my own way down." Wounded and with the stairs collapsed, he would have to get inventive if he wanted to get off that burning balcony. Not wanting to hold Naomi back from her job - his eyes began searching for another exit.

As soon as Ian detonated the device, the resulting explosion sent shockwaves across the open field, almost throwing an unprepared Valkyrie off of her feet. Watching as a chunk of metal flew into Erja's direction, Ragnarök immediately intercepted it - slashing it into two before it could hurt anybody. Smoke from the explosion engulfed the area, shrouding their vision in a cloud of dark, burning smoke.

Watching the cathedral burst into flames through the smoke, Valkyrie's jaw immediately dropped open. "Oh my god..." She mouthed to herself, trying her best to hold her breath. She had not realized just how many explosives had been placed. She immediately felt a mixture of guilt and fear as she imagined the entire squad inside being torn apart by the explosion, or trapped under the flaming debris. There was no way anybody could survive an explosion like that.

Having half a mind to smack Ian across the face, Valkyrie knew now was not the time for such an answer. "Jake!" Valkyrie bellowed, looking for her friend among the smoke. Hopefully he was alright and could hear her, as the people inside the cathedral surely needed medical attention.

Walking blindly through the smoke, Valkyrie soon encountered the silhouette of a woman. "Erja! Erja, are you okay?!" Valkyrie called out. Running towards her, she immediately realized that the person she was approaching was in fact, not the female sniper in their team. Suddenly, a bolt of pink light came her way, deflected in the nick of time only by the sentient, floating Ragnarök swords that protected her.

While they managed to block the shot, they were not prepared for the next attack, the silhouette knocking Ashlynn backwards with a powerful punch to the chest. As she hit the ground, she opened her eyes to find REAPER standing over her, a barrel aimed between her eyes. "RAGNA-" Valkyrie's words were interrupted by a shriek of pain as her attacker slammed her boot into Valkyrie's wrist.

Knowing that their master would die if they attempted to attack the figure above, the sentient swords pointed themselves at REAPER, looking for an opportunity to save their master. "Well, look who I caught." The woman smiled, remembering how much trouble Valkyrie had given her in their last battle.

Valkyrie's eyes widened as her opponent drew a dagger, placing the blade against her throat.




​

 

[Bismarck]

The man knew this was all very bad, the building was blazing with flames. Screams of terror, and pain filling the air, shorty after the explosion had died down. The symphony of horror, flames, and pain spurring on his usual anger. He tried to calm down, however seeing Valkyrie confronted by a Praetorian left him seething with rage. The Ronin strapped his rifle to his back, and drew out his Chainsword, along with one of his pistols. The extended magazine giving him some sort of advantage in his own mind.

With a tap of his helmet, Crusader sprinted across the field, there was no thought now. Just anger, and yet still the calm of the fighter remained in his soul. Roaring to life, his Chainsword was spinning on its highest setting. Referred to as Fleshtearer, and Armorbane, as noted by the switch on his weapon, it was using more gas, and power than any other available option for his blade. "Dammit, those were my bar patrons you bitch!" Alexander yelled, as he squeezed off three rounds as he tried to close the distance.

Crusader was a close range assaulter, and based on his movements he was very confident to get into melee. However unlike Sarge, Crusader was cold and calculating when he moved into melee. The man waited until the last second, before rolling to the weak, and more exposed side of REAPER. His body tumbled, before he got up, and threw his blade arm out, trying to catch REAPER in the side. However unlike Sarge he got up and kept running, till he was about ten feet away. Turning around with his pistol, the man fired his weapon again, pumping another burst of three shots down range.

Sprinting toward the right, Alexander began to look for another opening. He didn't want to switch his rifle yet, he needed to stay in melee, to help Valkyrie. Or so he thought in his own mind. The man in his full armor, knew this needed to end quickly, and violently. Timid fighters, died. Brave fighters still were at risk to die, however their bravery could just as easily save them and kill their opponent.

"Fight back Valkyrie, I can't take this bitch alone. Best I can do is make loud noised with my weapon before getting stabbed." Crusader joked, adding his usual more joyful tone to the battle. Granted his joke was roared at the top of his lungs, to try and overcome the excessively loud noise of his weapon. The man was almost getting ready to circle REAPER, just preparing to take advantage of large openings. Since he knew he couldn't do much else, and seeing as he had full body armor, he was probably the best one for the job of playing the distraction, and the brutal striking arm.

 

[Winter]

Naomi tilted her head with a sincere smile when FOX mentioned keeping to the stairs, allowing a small laugh to fall from her lips as she shook her head. Unlike FOX, when the waiter arrived she was more than prepared for his arrival, having already surveyed the place enough to pick up on the multiple paths and patterns of the staff. She flashed a smirk when FOX mentioned how she liked a drink, she'd have to get him back for that, should they actually manage to somehow survive their suicide mission. She was about to send back a jab of her own when the world suddenly exploded around her, sending both FOX and the table flying across the floor, leaving her seated by herself in an empty space in a comical fashion.

Naomi brought a hand to her ear as she blinked her eyes wide, "Fucking... Christ, my ears... " she said, having dropped the elegant accent she'd put on for their disguise. She looked to check on FOX, blinking a few more times as her eye sight and hearing began to readjust. She'd been hit square in the head by rockets that left less of a 'shock and awe'. She gave a single nod towards FOX as she quickly stood, taking a moment to reassess the environment. "Stairs are gone, looks like you'll need a new way down... oh" she slipped off her shoes and tossed them towards FOX. "Look after these, I... actually like them" she said with a small smile before turning her attention back towards the balcony. With a deep breath she ran towards it, vaulting the rail with surprising ease despite her weight.

Titan twisted her frame mid air before she hit the ground with a loud echoing bang, the marble tiles cracking and jutting up from the floor in a circle from her landing point. Naomi stood with a small smile as she exhaled, looking towards the prick that called himself King. "And here I thought there were no more gentlemen in the world" she said in response to his offer to dance, her ELEGANCE manifesting the giant metal fists to replace her own. She smashed them together with a grin, "Tell you what, I'll lead, you can follow". Bending a knee she kicked off the ground, lunging forwards into a sprint towards the Praetorian. Her eyes flared it's teal glow as she assessed the sword, preparing to analyze swing patterns for the counter play. 'That sword is gonna be bad news if it hits... better play it safe'.

Despite the quick initiation into the fight, she would hold back just a bit, enough to gain a bit more about his strength and fight style. A bad combatant went in blind and she was no fool. As Naomi approached to throw the first punch, her eyes would fade to red, empowering the punch with enough force to throw a tank. It was stupid to assume it'd be as easy as one punch, so her other arm pulled back defensively, preparing to parry and step back out of reach. The fight had definitely begun.