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

[sun.]

María shot Rubel a few timid looks, before averting her gaze, instead focusing on the tip of her right foot. He was right, in a way, although she couldn't help but doubt her effectiveness during tonight's event. Afterall, when had she ever successfully interacted with the Eccelsian elite? The thought of willingly walking into their middle, no, returning to them, after being on the run manifested into a bottomless feeling in her stomach, like a cold hand squeezing her insides and twisting them.

Her worries were pushed away for a moment, as Rubel's voice flared up, suddenly sounding much less grave, instead feeling more amused. María followed his glance, and though she couldn't make out the intricacies of their faces, the outlines of their bodies indeed seemed stiff and rigid. Who could blame them, really, heading into likely death like this. On the other hand, they were attending a ball, and not just any random one at that, but a crescendo of influence and socialites. María decided to follow Rubel's example, and straightened herself out, even arching her back a little; all of the sudden, the lanky woman appeared rather posh and confident, with a neutral expression on her face. "This is not very me..." she mumbled to the side like a petty teenager.

Her faint pout disappeared as Rubel turned towards her. His sudden movement made her flinch for a second, but ultimately the bigger surprised ended up being a very formal request, one that actually painted the light blush from earlier back onto her cheeks, while she tilted her head sideways curiously, assured that her initial suspicion of what was going on would be wrong. She watched his shape sink down before her, and now nervousness struck fully. María's red eyes flickered across the room, her glance's destination indiscernible as they returned to Rubel within a mere blink.

With a smooth motion, María slid off the couch, figuring the polite thing to do was to stand up, at the very least, as she extended her hand, offering it to Rubel. He wasn't exactly her- Well, he wasn't-

María shook the thought, and shot Rubel the brightest smile she could muster. "I hope this request isn't purely related to our idea?" she teased him, tugging him upwards gently. "It's been a while since my last dancing lesson... If you don't mind my rustiness, you have yourself a partner."

 

[ERode]

Hot chocolate was good. Hot chocolate helped him calm down. He wished he had a good book to read as well, but there was no time for that. As Team Two departed, armed and ready for a deadly conflict, Arata just continued to sip away like an addict, attempting to calm his nerves. This was fine. He was fine. Even though it felt like his entire body had changed, from the fact that he could no longer hide his eyes with his hair to how his head felt like a helmet, he was still…fine.

This wasn't as bad as leading the charge, right? He just had to smile to the people who ordered his disposal. Just had to hold hands with the one person that must have hated him the most. Just had to…breathe.

This wasn't going to be hard at all. This wasn't fighting. This wasn't even really 'socializing'. Anything he did would be attributed to the 'lie' that Godfather wanted them to tell to everyone else in the ceremony. Arata let out a deep breath, his shoulders sinking, his inkstone eyes hardening. No one to kill here. If things got too dangerous, maybe Godfather would just call off the mission, and they could go through the ceremony and leave without anything happening. As long as he didn't mess up.

As long as he didn't show the shadow of his weakest self that everyone would no doubt despise.

In the corner of his eye, Arata caught Rubel's pretensions, absorbing every detail. His back straightened, his facial muscles contorted into a confident, yet empty, smile.

Just pretend that everything was dancing.

He focused on Tia's fake nose instead of her eyes, focused on her polished nails instead of her hands. Taking those rough hands in his own, Arata brought her hand up until it was just one milimeter away from his lips, before saying, no, quoting, "Let's have ourselves a splendid night, my princess."

He was no longer Arata, the spineless loser who everyone despised.

He was no longer Lionheart, the murderous NOAH who everyone feared.

He was Ga1ahad from the prologue of Scientific Witchery, a noble, charismatic knight beloved by all, impossibly suave and chivalrous.

Ga1ahad, before he became an undying monster in a kingdom full of the dead.

 

[Astros]

"Why of course not, who here is there to impress?" Rubel pointed out as he took Maria's hand and rose to standing. Cupping her clammy palm in his own he lightly patted the top of it as he reassured her. ""And I could not ask for a better one. If anyone is to be rusty it is I. The last time I attended a dance was in a church some months ago. And It's not exactly considered ball material." chuckling at the thought, he turned Maria loose and went about his previous business. Waltzing over to the others as they settled on who they would be taking, he clapped his hands together in a bid for their attention.

*CLAP CLAP CLAP*

"Everyone. I said I would cover the basics and I will shortly, but something more important has caught my attention. I think you all know what, but you may blind to it. Aside from young Mr. Arata there." Gesturing toward the small NOAH as he still grasp Tia's hand, Rubel gave a small clap of admiration before continuing.

"Take a look in a mirror. Go ahead. You're going to fool no one with those gloomy faces of yours not even yourselves. A little genuine enjoyment is quite necessary tonight, and it won't hurt will it? We all know why we do this, but that doesn't have to be the focus. It shouldn't be.

When will you get another chance to go to a ball like this? To listen to live ballroom music in a dancing hall, eat exquisite food cooked by some of the finest chefs in Valhalla, to mingle with the upper class and hide your identity right under their smug noses. Ahem. You will get to see how the other side lives. What it's like to not work to the bone all the time and have some fun on a night out with other people.

It is simply for one night and one night only. If you worry the night hours away in glumness you will surely miss out. And not just on a fun evening. There may be things expected of us that we cannot even have imagined, but will not be able to ignore. We must watch, learn and adapt accordingly to keep the facade. There's also the very likelihood that they may sense our presence, guise and all.

We must remain vigilant, but appear distracted. Appear carefree, but be troubled by fickle matters of intrigue. Be infatuated with our dates, and know when to stray." At this point Rubel broke the veil of robustness to avoid preaching and let his usual tone slip, adding

"And It's not gonna kill you to have a little fun. Come on. Think of it as dress up. Pilgrims and Indians. Cops and Robbers. Whatever imagination you still have from childhood can be put to good use here."

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Erja Liikanen - Team 2

​

Having arrived earlier that morning the sniper did not have much time to talk with others, not in the least pleased that they were taking the bullet magnet again. One hit and they all could die, just like the last time, which was ironic as her team was designated as Team Two yet again. Carrying out the ride in silence from the gunners hatch, Erja rotates with the vision periscope often, checking the view around them for possible ambushes.

As time passed the converted APC finally comes to a stop, Valkyrie was first to speak up. Climbing down from the turret ring and securing her two rifles, listening to the girl's remarks, Erja could do some stealth, generally she also believed attacking the Cathedral head on was a terrible idea, though they also had those explosives to plant... Before she can respond to add her own thoughts, Alexander, call sign Crusader added in his own. Juniper for her part was still silent, maybe thinking things over, regardless the Sniper decides to add her own to the mix.

"I only brought twenty shells for my 14.5. I can handle some problems, but we should not count on it, more so for a frontal assault, to solve all our problems. I did bring some subsonic rounds for my SVU, so with it and the silencer I have, I can deal with a good portion of the guards if it comes to that. But I'll need about half a minute to put the GepM3 together." Patting the larger weapon that was split in two components to emphasize, the SVU for it's part was mostly concealed beneath her cloak, silencer attached.

"I can deal with the second guard easily enough, but it might be better if I could find a way to move around a bit, if they do shift changes it sorts it's self. Otherwise I'll need to risk not being at my post. Juniper could also take the position of the guard, but she needs to command the team and there's the explosives. "

"We can go with this plan if our Commander wants, but if I'm on the ground providing fire I'll need support.. I wonder how the inside of that building is.. If it's possible to fire down into the dance floor from above. Otherwise I could operate as ground support..though I'll warn you once in regards to some of what will wait for us in there, the further away the better.." Thinking of the Paladins, there was also Reaper, though with that one, she rather hoped Team One killed her, though them making it out of the Lion's Den...

Truthfully the odds of that worried her, She felt she might could be friends with Tia, and teach her a bit as a sibling. And here it was, would any of them know peace and happiness? Well one job at a time, for now she scopes out the two guards through the camera system. "If either, the one on the left seems female, around my size. The one on the right is more your size, Crusader." Turning her attention back to the group with a shrug, the needed some form of plan.

"At the least gaining some of there uniforms, even if just us two, could aid with planting those bombs, we also needs to dispose of the bodies..in the daylight..." Exhailing a bit this mission would not be east, but maybe someone else had an idea, or Juniper her own orders. Though the idea of dressing up as Eccelsian's was distasteful for her, the usefulness in this area was not without merit, a factor she could not just dismiss herself.

​

 

[Jakers]

"U-Uhhhh....??" Initially, Tia didn't know how to react to seeing Arata suddenly blooming into this new, oddly convincing persona. Her mouth wiggling about as it tried to find some sort of reply, Tia's brain fizzled as she couldn't find herself looking for a reply, and it was her turn to be the retarded goldfish. Guilt panged deep within her stomach. Here Arata was, trying his hardest, and she couldn't eve-

*CLAP CLAP CLAP*

Tilting her head around with some sort of distressed expression, Tia glanced away in shame somewhat as she listened to Rubel's speech. He was right. If she acted like this at the ball, it'd be a good five seconds before people would start wondering who this socially retarded bitch in the lime green dress was.Paying attention to how Rubel said things, moved his body, and remembering how María had found such sweet words in response.

As Rubel finished his speech, her look wasn't distressed anymore. Her eyes were furrowed, silent, and determined.

Damn it.

Rubel was doing it, María was doing it... even Arata - the boy who dreaded to even look her in the eye - was doing it. Who would she be to not follow suit now?

And she'd made a promise to 'Monad', the new NOAH. A promise she'd be breaking if she compromised everything, when all María had done was show her kindness. ...All she'd shown her was how cruddy her noodles had been. It was time to give something back.

She took a deep breath, before looking back to her prince, visualizing the man that layed behind Arata's smooth act.

And then, the 'princess' let out a quiet, delighted squeal, fanning her face with one hand as if she were about to swoon.

"...Oh, darling. You once again remind me that I truly am the luckiest woman in the world."

The lady's voice was refined, smooth; with the proper and graceful pronunciation between each syllable.

"You really are the same Lionheart, who swept me off my feet that stormy day," she moved in slightly towards the man of her dreams, taking his other hand as her parallel body looked down at him fondly. "The ball will be ours tonight."

If there was ever a scaled physical limit to how hard a human being could internally cringe, Tia was at that limit right now.But anything for FEARLESS. Anything for the mission.

...Ahhh, she wanted to cry.

 

[Bismarck]

​

"While problematic, disposing of bodies isn't a hard task if there are no survivors to act as witnesses." Alexander offered quite unsympathetically, as he looked at his rifle, for a moment. He pointed toward one of the surveyed bombsites, and began to point out the guards. "I understand, in the course of 20 minutes, I slaughtered over half of a platoon sized element, killed the crew that operated this APC originally, and also crushed every other transportation vehicle before leaving." He offered his most recent accomplishments to illustrate just what he was capable of. It wasn't to brag, it was purely to show just how many options the group technically had to accomplish their mission.

"However, Clerics regularly check in with each other. A single guard surviving, or even some guards inside, could destroy this entire plan. I know this, because of my intimate relations with these soldiers. They regularly check in, and will try to call for help the second something seems off." Alexander further explained, as he pointed to a few more guard positions. He knew they had a large variety of locations to plant explosives at. The ronin truly wasn't sure where to go with all of this. He considered nearly everyone, before he pointed to his helmet.

"If all of us take a helmet off the deceased, we can use the radios, to continue communications, with any other forces that may ask questions. It takes too long to put on the armor. Fifteen minutes or more, but slipping a helmet on is just a few seconds." As Crusader continued with his secondary idea, he pointed to the button the side of his helmet, that activated his radio. It was the exact same on every single suit of Cleric's armor, that was in the pattern he wore.

"So, we can easily assault each position, wipe out the forces, working from the farthest point here." Pointing the the rear of the building, the farthest away from the main entrance. Before dragging his finger to the front. "All the way up to here. Splitting into teams of three. Myself in one, and Erja in the other. Providing both teams with a suppressed battle rifle, to easily execute Clerics." Crossing his arms over his chest, the man seemed to quite like his own plan. It wasn't perfect. However it kept the enemy forces believing their men were still alive. Also kept everyone moving forward, toward the main objective. To say Crusader was a tactician was a stretch, but he was very good at dealing with clerics, and especially when the odds were favored against him. The field of killing Clerics was a specialty.

 

[Deathwatch101]

Mcomerey felt slightly stood up, all he was graced with was a ping to his phone. Its message contained directions, directions to a destination for the job. At the very least they could have provided him with a lift to the work place.

It seemed like it was going to be a walk to work today, after all to survive in this world you needed money and favours.

It would be a decent walk, though he had set off early in the morning. At the very least he hoped that if he was intended to meet someone that they would recognise him as he wouldn't recognise them.

...

An hour or so into his walk, Mcomerey had begun to feel slightly peckish and after all maybe the new worker should appear on the first job with some "extra" supplies, taking a slight detour towards a small cake shop. Mcomerey would acquire himself a bag of Chocolate Muffins.

As he continued his walk towards the directed site.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Grumbling at Tia's loud retort, the young medic brought a couple of fingers to his temple. "People with nothing to hide don't yell..." With Naomi's casual chip in about "young love", he sighed as he got the gist of it. Regardless of if Tia had some crush or a new boyfriend or something, it was way too much trouble than it was worth to pursue. Even if he wanted to, the Godfather began the briefing quickly. Though it sounded more like a pleading and apology. From what he heard, not many were happy with what was acquired from the last mission. It didn't much apply to him though.

"...I just stitch people up." He stated in response. As Erja announced her leave, Jake as well pointed a thumb at the exit. "I'll be ready, but I'm taking an off day. Like her, I need to get some stuff... and some sleep. I'll see everyone tomorrow... have fun with the dress-up party." With that and a lazy wave, the team's field medic was gone. He didn't seem too personally invested, but he was always there when asked for. Though, unlike some more optimistic members of FEARLESS, Rip wasn't so sure this would be the end or even the beginning of it.
_______________________

Sitting in the APC the next day, Jake was equipped with his typical plague doctor meets marine garb. Listening to the rest of his team chat, they were discussing how to go about the mission. "This is gonna be a... fun day..." He said with a sigh. Whether they were all dressing up as drones or just taking their damn helmets, this was one of those missions that couldn't go any which way but wrong. He could only hope that, at the end of the day, the blood on his clothes wasn't his own.

 

[Winter]

Naomi remained mostly quiet as the group filled the room, her teal eyes taking in the details of each person and how they'd chosen to dress themselves up for their suicidal evening. She had to admit that most if not all of them looked genuinely good, which of course made her slightly more uncomfortable as she started to regret her appearance choices. She exhaled to herself, closing her eyes as she internally composed herself, steeling her anxieties and discomforts. With all her time the previous night having been spent learning how to dance and talk like a noble, she'd forgotten to at least practice fighting while wearing heels. Unfortunately it meant she might have to go bare foot if things didn't work out in the field.

"Hey Naomi, got a minute?"

She almost visibly flinched as she was pulled from her train of thought, looking up at the smartly dressed FOX who appeared to be some what uncomfortable himself. "Oh, sure FOX what's up?" she replied with a small smile, taking in his appearance. He wore a suit, which actually rather suited him and made for a strange transition from having usually seen him in casual ware or combat gear. The next words from his mouth caught her off guard, way off guard to the point where she actually stiffened and didn't know what to do like she'd been stunned or caught in headlights. Her face felt increasingly warmer and her throat became some what dry. 'Say something idiot!' her brain screamed, she blinked as a small red blush graced her features. "T-thank you Fox *cough*.. you look pretty good yourself" she replied, wishing that she could some how drive her head into the ground to hide, like an ostrich.

His question to her to accompany him on mission was met with a some what easier response, given that out of all of those in the room, she was perhaps most comfortable with him. "No no, that's be great actually" she replied with a small smile. "Besides, this way I can keep you out of trouble" she gave a small smirk to accompany her jest, thinking it could possible break the awkwardness a little. Tonight already felt like it was going to be a long one and the fighting hadn't even started yet.

 

[ERode]

Ew. Ewwww. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

"Tiara, my dearest," Arata said, keeping a warm expression on his face as he guessed how many pimples there were in her face, "Though it may be presumptuous of me, I do agree with you. For the noble Paladins that shall be knighted tonight, let us put on a performance that will put even the King to shame."

Hooking arms with his princess, the young lad turned to his fellow death row inmates with a winning smile. Tonight would be a night that was no less than magical. With his princess at his side and his noble compatriots all around, Ga1ahad feared nothing, and could do anything.

"Now then, ladies, gentlemen, shall we be off?"

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

 

[Astoria]

\\ Juniper Hamilton
\\ Team II

During the downtime between missions, Juniper really hadn't done much of anything that could have been called productive. Sure, she had some personal issues to tend to, but it all added up to not being around FEARLESS facilities much after returning from the package retrieval and debriefing. In fact, she was on the other side of town when she got the text to head back for a new briefing.

After all those years, it was one that she wanted to hear.

Unfortunately, she could not be the sword that would slay its own wielder.

Dressing up would have been nice too.
-

On the day of, the raven-haired girl once again found herself in the commander's seat of a familiar Armored Personnel Carrier. It seemed the shop had done an impeccable job patching up the holes and battle damage from the earlier battle, and a fresh coat of paint gave scuffed with a bit of dirt once again made it looking no different from a standard unit in service with the government. Aside from an inconspicuous smoke, the former CLERIC was mostly silent for the duration of the trip.

This was the one mission that they could absolutely not fuck up.

Juniper shook her head at both of Valkyrie and Crusader's suggestions. "Risky. Too many cameras for that. Not unless we hack into them." She made a wry smile, going over the details of the briefing again in her head. "Actually, I'll do that now. This APC is more armored surveillance van than personnel carrier at this point."

Swinging out of her seat, she moved onto one of the computers as she continued to speak. "But not too far from what I had in mind. Erja has the right of it. The shift should change on the hour, and that'll be our best chance to eliminate both of them without much resistance. We'll have to find a nice place for the bodies. Unfortunately, I think it's a bit too early to pre-plan the rest of this. We'll get a better sitrep when they shift, which will be soon enough."

Several taps and a few too many terminal windows than she would have preferred and Juniper had the cameras. Knowing the login credentials of some CLERIC members was an easy crutch for even an amateur.

"The building security should be looking at yesterday's video at this point, synced to the hour. Now we wait."

 

[Skyswimsky]

On the evening before / Briefing

It was too much.
Too much? Of what? The rage? Reveling in the most of simplistic human NOAH desires?
No.
Then what? The opposite? Friendship? Trust? Bonding? The thought of putting a smile onto someone elses face through a simple gesture?
Yes.
Why?
It will just end up the same.
But what if it doesn't?
But what if it does?
So? Are we af-
I am not afraid. Me? Scared? Of some pathetic humans, or NOAH for that matter? I will destroy them all the same.
But...
No buts...
I am so sorry, Nora... .

Dissonance. This...seemed bad. While the Chaos Witch was anything but schizophrenic she was, ultimately, always fighting herself. Sure, in a sense, she had chosen this herself. But being friendly, nice and open was a path of weakness. One the Chaos Witch decided to never walk again. She didn't expect anyone to understand her. Neither did she hope for any sympathy. At the end of the day, FEARLESS would try to execute her just the same, wouldn't they? Yeah, typical for humans.

Though, while said humans were especially horrible, in the end, it also included NOAHs. Tia and Arata alike. What the glasses-wearing sorceress had done was progress a mistake. Now, she had to meditate. Find her preferred middle. Simple as that.

Or so the Edgelordess hoped. Until someone knocked on her door. An interruption. "..." Silence. Another knock. And another...

"What?!" It was by the fifth time that the raven-haired woman opened the door, clearly pissed at the SERAPHIM Messenger that was standing on the other side. "Excuse me, Miss, but you are wanted for a briefing. Same place as usual." - "...Go away." - "B-But Miss..." - "I'll get there in a second, now piss off before I make sure that mouth of yours won't make another sound." Just like that, silence returned once again. At least until the commotion at the Briefing...

...
...
...

The Next Day - Inside the APC

The Chaos Witch stopped being annoyed by now as of why she was chosen for this. What has been done has been done. Another stealth mission? Was it for the Big Bang after? Likely. And, in the end, better than play-pretend for what Team One had to do.

Having made it herself rather comfortable inside the APC, Aresia listened, unusual silent for once. She was aware of just how important this mission was and what it would mean if she'd screw up.

"Instead of finding somewhere safe to hide the corpses I could burn them to ashes. Though it would still leave marks..." The Chaos Witch spoke up, making sure people realized that she was still around.

"Also, while my methods of killing aren't as... silent... as that fancy junk..." Clearly meaning all sorts of guns. "...some of you use I can try my best to be all sneaky too." Aresia shrugged.

She kinda doubted she'd have much to do until after the explosions but if they wanted her to do dispatch of some nuisances she was happy to oblige. All it needed was Juniper's Seal of Approval. Speaking of which... she wasn't still pissed, was she?

 

[Valor]

0 7 3 0

Naomi's positive response didn't make Jonathan feel any less awkward about the situation. "Alright, fantastic," he cackled as Naomi suggested the idea she would keep him out of trouble. While he knew that it was a joke, he welcomed the idea - it really did seem like trouble did follow him wherever he went. As soon as everybody else was ready, they all made their way to the second APC, which they assumed was going to be their ride.

"Where do you think you're all going?" Jill asked, watching as everyone stared at her with confused looks, "You idiots think you can show up at the Imperial Palace in a goddamn APC?" She scoffed. For some reason, Jill was wearing a dark hat and leather gloves in addition to her usual bartender attire.

As if on cue, a long, black vehicle pulled up in front of the AFTERLIFE. The sleek, luxurious vehicle contrasted against the run down backdrop of the AFTERLIFE. Moving towards the vehicle, the driver quickly got out, leaving the door open for Jill. "There's our ride." Jill remarked, hopping into the driver's seat of the limousine. As everyone moved towards the limousine, FOX didn't even want to know how the resistance managed to get one of these.

The members of Squad One shuffled into the limousine one at a time, sitting themselves beside the person that they would be going with. While roomier than the inside of the APC, the luxurious interior only served to make the situation even more awkward and uncomfortable for FOX. He was used to the casual, confined space of an armored vehicle. This... not so much.

As Jill started the limousine, she turned back to the members behind her. "Ladies and gentlemen, the lovely STINGRAY will be your chauffeur today. Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and please refrain from smoking. Have a wonderful day!" As she finished buckling her seatbelt and adjusting the mirrors, Jill slammed on the gas pedal, kicking the limousine into maximum speed.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" FOX shouted as Jill skillfully drifted the limousine around a tight corner and onto an on ramp. As Jill drove across the freeway like a maniac, everyone in the vehicle bounced around the cabin like pinballs - with the exception of Naomi, who seemed rather unaffected by Jill's rollercoaster style of driving. "There's some drinks in the back if you want to pop open a bottle!" Jill laughed in almost maniacal fashion. Was all of this necessary? Of course not. But this was Jill's first time in the field in a long, long time. It was time to let loose for a minute... or thirty.

Fortunately, the limousine's erratic driving slowly fell to a more relaxed ride as they neared their final destination. The members of Squad One were sprawled out over one another in awkward positions as everyone still tried to figure out why there were stars in their eyes. Climbing back into his seat beside Naomi, Jonathan tried his best to regain his composure, running a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh. "Goddamn, Jill." FOX muttered under his breath as he slunk in his seat.

As the limousine pulled up to the Imperial Palace, Jill rolled down both of the side windows. Noticing the APC parked across the street, she shot the surveillance vehicle a friendly wave before turning the car towards the front gate. As the guards came to check them in, Jill reached over to the glove compartment so she could hand them their entry documentation.

"Papers?"

"Oh sure, one second."

Pulling out a suppressed .40 caliber pistol, Jill nonchalantly placed a round in the man's neck before he could react. As his body hit the ground, Jill leaned one arm out of the window, casually placing another shot into the gate security box, killing the other sentry before he could realize what had just happened. "I thought you added us to the visitor list." FOX raised a brow, staring at the two dead CLERICs outside the limousine.

"Yeah, but the asshole didn't say please."

Slowly, the limousine continued on past the front gate, finally making its way to the entrance of the Imperial Palace, where hundreds of people and other limousines had gathered. "Alright, it's showtime everybody. Now get the fuck out of my car."

As everyone sat in the APC, preparing to make their move, Valkyrie watched the cameras. "Looks like the party's arrived." She remarked, zooming in to see STINGRAY waving towards them in high definition. "Alright. Since Juniper's in charge here, we'll go with her plan." Valkyrie explained, "Which means we'll wait for the guard to change and..." before Valkyrie could finish her sentence, she suddenly saw something happen in the corner of her eye. "What the hell?!"

As everyone came to look at what Valkyrie was looking at, there were two bodies on the ground. "Alright, alright! No time to waste. We need to clean up the bodies!" Opening the door to the APC, Valkyrie signaled everybody to get a move on. Keeping a lookout for any guards, she followed behind the rest of the team as they made their way across the street and in through the front gate. "Help me, quick!" Valkyrie whispered hurriedly, grabbing the first body Jill had shot and dragging it across the pavement into the small security room.

"Two of us need to put on these uniforms, now!" Quickly scanning who could fit into the uniforms best, her eyes quickly gleamed over Erja, because of her mask - Aresia - because of her smaller physique and herself, because floating swords weren't exactly stealthy. While Ian was a good candidate, they needed him to set the explosives so that they could later spring the trap. "Juni, Crusader. Quick, put these on!" Valkyrie began to tear off the men's uniforms and shoes. "Just play the part for a little while until we give you the all clear."

"Erja, we need to take everyone else out, Aresia and I will watch your back."



​

 

[Jakers]

'Tiara'?!! ...Ughhhhh. Regardless, Tiara did a good job to go with the flow, she happily locked arms with her 'charming prince', letting him lead her to the APC. She wondered if this was really an appropriate vehicle, and her query was soon answered as Jill showed Team One their true wheels tonight.

Giving a suppressed groan as she spotted their ride, as appropriate as she knew it was, Tia just knew this was going to be the lamest journey ever. The drive was the part she was looking forward to the most in a journey, but not when they'd be sitting at a permanent sub-30 mph. She couldn't even get pissed on champagne, because it tasted like fizzy liquid crap and it'd break her character. ...Wasn't there some fancy sports car they could turn up in instead?

Getting herself established in the thing, she positioned herself next to Arata, folding her arms on her lap and resisting the urge to cross her legs. The thing was comfortable, at the very least. As they began to set off, Tia closed her eyes and prepared to just sleep this slow journey off as STINGRAY gave her crew a nice little message. ...She probably didn't even know how to dri-

*SCREEEEECH.*

WAIT.

Tia's eyes whipped open as she felt herself slide across the luxury seats.

Was this... speed?

Was that... the screeching of tires?!

Yes.

YEEEEEEEEEEEES.

Despite being bounced around the limo's interior like a ragdoll, Tia seemed to be loving it. The surge of speed felt completely new in the back of a spacious interior like this (even if it still felt kinda slow) and when Jill moved to drift the thing, the NOAH broke character completely to let out a delighted cheer, ignoring the swarm of pop bottles that were jangling around the limousine's floor and bashing into her on occasion.
"YEAHHHH!! Go go go go go, faster faster faster--!!" Tia cut off as someone crashed into her, though she wasn't even sure who it was at this point. This was absolute carnage, and for as long as she didn't break a bone, it was great.

As the limo slowed back down into a point where she could actually sit up, Tia wiggled her way out of the cluster of people she was kind of buried under, and it became clear she had a serious case of the giggles as she returned to her position next to Arata. Trying her best not to actually cry with laughter as it would ruin her mascara, the whole shooting the guards thing helped her to abruptly stop laughing. Even if she didn't care all that much, watching a guy choke to death on his own blood was a sudden change in mood.
"...If you like, I send those bodies away using Mi-" the limo was already off again, however, so the NOAH kept her mouth shut and just assumed Team Two were going to take care of it.

Using this period of respite wisely, Tia leaned over to María, fixing up whatever damage the car had done to her hairstyle with a silent smile, before taking her place back next to the supreme gentleman Ga1ahad and aiding him in fixing his own. The others, she assumed, had done their own hairstyles. Leaning over towards the driver's seat, Tia burst out a string of excited letter towards Jill as the car began to come to a stop.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me you could drive like that? Please, sometime, again-again-again-again-agai-" Tia stopped her bouncing, realizing she should probably just get out of the car. "Uhm... I mean..." Tiara tried to get back into character, clearing her throat as she re-fixed her hairdo. "Goodness me! I'll be having a word with your manager for this disgraceful show. Losing your job should be the least of your worries, you brute. Good riddance. Hmph!"

Stepping out the vehicle indignantly, Tiara checked in the car's reflection to make sure her makeup and hairstyle was still sitting okay. Good enough, she supposed. Looking behind her, she did her best not to be scared and intimidated by the hundreds upon hundreds of other people that wouldn't be opposed to lynching her upon recognition.

Taking a deep breath, the NOAH in disguise conjured up the best amiable smile she could muster as she politely reached for her partner's hand.
"...Shall we, darling?"

Let the internal crying and retching begin.

 

[Bismarck]

In a panicked rush, Alexander was practically trying to rip his armor plates off of himself, tossing them onto the ground inside the security room, each metal piece clattering down, with a heavy thud. The man set down his weapons as well, once they began to get in the way of his armor removal, two rifles, and a chainsword laying on the ground next to various armor plates. Some which had built in knife sheaths, and two leg plates that had built in holsters for his handguns, which were still secured in them. The man's hands finished unlacing his armor plating on his boots and legs, the last of it dropping away to the floor.

Being left in only a body suit, and combat boots, Alexander really did feel quite naked at the moment. Though he didn't have time to worry about that, as he started to suit up in the replacement armor. Cleric plating quickly starting to cover his frame, as he strapped each piece into place. In what he considered record time for himself. As he fastened on the breast plate, and finished off the arms, he picked up the man's helmet, and pulled it over his own face. The last thing he had to do, was pick up the man's rifle, and leave the room. Racking back the bolt halfway on the weapon, he made sure it was properly loaded, and the safety was off. For good measure, Alexander also made sure he could quickly draw the knife on the armor, to fight.

"God I hate my job. Even when I get told to get out of uniform, I still end up in one!" The Ronin whined as he left the room, and assumed his security post. Giving a sigh, the man took up a proper looking form, and waited for either another set of guards to try and take his place. Or another vehicle to approach to try and let people in. He could only hope they weren't sending another Jill, the last thing he needed was to be shot accidentally by another FEARLESS Ronin, or Seraphim.​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Erja Liikanen - Team 2

​

Half hoping it would be a simple affair to gain control the gate, things are quickly thrown into chaos as Team One's car arrives, the driver suddenly guns down the two guards, causing Valkyrie to become more than just a bit distressed. Watching with narrowed eyes, if not for the potential it had to harm them all, the situation would be amusing. This was nearly a huge of a screw up as Sarge's assault.

What was the most odd, or at least potential to cause trouble, was the NOAH barking orders and taking charge. Having half a mind to consult Juniper, Erja knew time was of the essence, plus she did in a bit owe the blades woman. As the others rush to get rid of the bodies, Erja's stare adopts a blank expression as Valkyrie tells her what to do next.

"...If it's not that many, I'm not exactly an Assaulter. Though if these sorts of happenings keep coming to me I may just trade one of my snipers for a PDW or Assault Rifle.." Shouldering the SVU Erja frowns slightly beneath her mask, working her way through the garden to find the guards she remembered she would have to count on the other two to cover her while everyone else went about setting the explosives, or so she assumed.

With care Erja attempts keeping the bushes, hedges and statues, between her and the patrolling guards. Loading her subsonic munitions and taking aim, Erja fires two rounds into a patrolling guard, before switching her target to another, then another. They hadn't caught on yet, though from within the scope and the limited vision of her other eye, Erja didn't have the time to check on her two other allies. They had to kill the other external guards before the alarm was tripped. Truthfully it was nerve wracking, though she showed no outward sign of this, minus slight sweat forming around her exposed face.​

 

[Skyswimsky]

​

The Chaos Witch gave a low whistle as she spectated how the other car, Jill precisely, took care of the two guards they just spend way too much time on discussing how to deal with them. Aresia... liked that. Of course she would never admit something like that.

Instead, it was now Valkyrie who barked out commands. For a moment it looked like the other raven-haired woman considered Aresia to take yet again the disguise of a guard - everybody knew how well that worked last time. Luckily for Aresia however, it was on their boss and Crusader to take up that role.

Instead, The Chaos Witch and Valkyrie played rear-guard for the... sniper? Scrapping her plans of disposing the corpses herself the Raven Haired woman gave it a sigh and simply followed Erja. "I did mention I am not too trained in those sneaky parts, right?" She whispered slightly annoyed as they went through bushes and whatnot - trying her best to remain unseen.

Second by second, however, Aresia got more annoyed by this. Though she could still deal with it. It was then that Erja finally stopped and started...killing people, lots of people. Did she attempt to take out the entire damn perimeter by herself before they could ring some sort of alarm AND not making any sounds herself? That human might have been just as deluded as The Chaos Witch in a sense.

Of course, being a human, Erja couldn't be THAT thorough. While she did consider, for a split-second, to take on the role of the 'spotter' the crimson-eyed NOAH instead took things in her own hands.

This time the raven-haired woman decided for a less flashy approach. Whispering a quick chant the pointy part of three blades gasped out of what seemed to be some sort of 'invisible portal'. "Sweet suffering..." Aresia bid farewell to another patrol as the flying weapons quickly shot forward and accelerated. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

On another note, Aresia didn't even have a clue if the power of her medieval weapons was strong enough to penetrate whatever their victims were wearing. Though, she didn't wait to see if it even worked before firing a second salvo at another guard right besides her first victim.​

 

[ERode]

Everyone was bouncing around like pinballs?

Perhaps others were, but Arata was paranoid even as Ga1ahad, and had strapped himself with seatbelts. As others bounced up and down and all around, headbutting each other dramatically or slamming from one side of the limousine to the other, the raven-haired youth simply continued to maintain his smiling, confident expression, even as his skin paled until he was paper-white. This was still fine. This was laughable. This was fun! Look at Tia, having so much fun!

He felt like vomiting. This was so much worse than expected. Hands balling up against his trousers, Arata grit his teeth to prevent any horrible tongue-biting accident as the mad woman drove like a psychopath, the seatbelt digging into his shoulder as she swerved from side to side to pass by other, slower moving vehicles. Just…why?

But that smile remained, permanently etched onto his face.

It was a smile that persisted as the ride slowed down. A smile that persisted as Jill revealed she was bullshitting the entire time and just opened up new holes in the heads of two guards. A smile that persisted as Tia manhandled him out of the car and tidied him up like a mannequin.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit. Up close, the Imperial Palace was just absolutely overwhelming. Classical music mingled with the eloquent chattering of high-class guests, and all Arata could do was stand there, pieces of his mind falling apart in this abnormally social environment. His hand twitched, the crowds closing in and making him feel absolutely murderous. It would be so much easier if he killed them all, huh? Get rid of the upper class of New Eccelesia. For the sake of the mission, right? Show them what it's like to live in fear, imagining phantom menaces in every corner of the street!

The grasp of Tia's manly hands stifled that homicidal urge, enough that Arata returned her grasp, squeezing slightly.

"We shall, honey," he replied.

And, with one last gulp of fresh air, the duo plunged into the decadence that smelled of cigarettes and alcohol.

 

[sun.]

The mechanical purr traveled across the ground as the extravagant vehicle approached the AFTERLIFE, sending little vibrations through María's body. She hadn't been in a car in... Well, to be fully truthful, she couldn't remember if she ever had been in one. Almost bumping her head against the chassis, the soft leather of the seats stuck out to the new FEARLESS member. The jangling of the bottles and the toned windows did the rest, and María promptly felt like she was one of the girls she had seen in those videos that were used during her etiquette lessons. They were princesses, really, dolled up, dressed in the finest clothes, and epitomized the high society she was supposed to embody herself.

How some things turned out... she thought with a subtle smirk, remembering the feeling of her stringy hair slowly untangling thanks to Tia, just a few days ago.

She let herself sink into the car's interior, wiggling over a bit to make more room for her partner for the night, Rubel, sitting across from Tia. Even María could tell the drastic change in posture, not to mention the tone of her voice. She would've found it amusing, if she didn't know that it was so throughly unpleasant for the mechanic. Shooting the tall NOAH an encouraging smile, she tilted her head to politely look at Rubel; however, the gesture was in vain, as her frail frame got tossed around in the admittedly--and thankfully--confined space.

"Are we- Not... Gonna stick o-ooph.... Out driving this fast?" she asked, one hand clasping at her seatbelt so hard her knuckled turned white, while the other was gripping into the seat's leather. Her voice barely audible under the roaring motor, she felt her words get drowned out by the noise consistently. At the risk of seeming rude--though she really doubted anyone had time to get offended at anything right now--she stopped talking and focused on not bumping her head against the ceiling, and ultimately slipping into an uncomfortable position, much lower than what she started with. Unexpectedly, she was relieved the chaotic ride provided such a distraction for everyone, as she squeaked in surprised; Tia had grabbed her, helping her sit back up properly. "Th-thanks..." she whispered, before she felt herself bumping against Rubel's side.

She really wanted to get off of Misses Bone's wild ride.

Thankfully, the car came to a slow as they approached the palace. María could've sworn the clouds became darker and denser the closer they were to the building's outline, as if they tried to frame it accordingly sinister. A shiver went down her spine. This was it. Somehow, the Ecclessians always win, apparently. This was were she was supposed to be anyways. A proper lady. A poster child, but moreso, a tool for the royal society. And though they had drilled it into her head, no amount of teaching could ever make up for the failure her ELEGANCE was; No failure would ever be presented by those sitting on the throne, however, María knew. Still, her desire to actually return to those she was supposed to serve as a flagship pawn was non-existant, and she was thankful for the lack of fabric in her back as she felt a few cold beads of sweat run down her spine.

The cool air of the evening spawned goosebumps all over María's skin. She let herself be helped out of the car by her impressively immersed companion, just like it was proper... Her gaze ran left and right, and up and down the vicinity. Dazzling, as expected of the occassion, yet a creeping veil of horror seemed to billow through the air, unseen, sure, but palpable. Perhaps it was Rubel's plan that plagued María enough to imagine things. Perhaps it was some sort of trauma she hadn't worked through yet. Or perhaps it was paranoia. Or, more than likely, it was the feeling of a gazelle walking into the lion's den. María's queasiness intensified as she overheard Arata and Tia coo sweet nothings to one another, and she quickly turned to Rubel, hoping to clear her mind of all these... things.

"I'm nervous." she admitted in a hushed volume, fixing her gaze upon the ground. "But we'll do it... Righ?"

 

[Valor]

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

As the members of First Squad stepped out of the limousine and onto the red carpet, FOXTROT could practically feel everyone's eyes gravitate towards them. Had their cover been blown already? Upon blinking, the large crowd had seemingly turned away from him, turning their attention elsewhere. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Knowing that he had a role to play, he gently took Naomi's hand into his own before leading her down the red carpet which extended to the palace entrance.

"Godspeed." Jill remarked to herself as she rolled up the windows to the vehicle. "This is STINGRAY, the mission is a go, I say again, mission is a go."

Although he didn't realize it, FOX's hand was shaking, the large crowd sending terrifying flashbacks from the battlefield. The casual clamor between high class nobles was quickly mistaken for gunfire and explosions, causing the young man to scan his surroundings nervously. If he just had some morphine... no, FOX took a deep breath, his grip around Naomi's hand tightening slightly. This was a challenge he had to face. Valkyrie was right. He was better than this.

As the group made their way to the entrance, FOX gasped in shock as his eyes fell on a familiar figure standing before them. Donning a short-skirted military uniform, long white hair and unmistakable crimson eyes, the PALADIN that had killed Ji Yun stood at the entryway, seemingly tasked with allowing guests into the palace. "We've got a major problem..." FOXTROT tried to direct the group away from the entrance, actively searching for a crowd to hide the group behind, but it was too late, the PALADIN immediately noticed their presence.

"We're so fucked."

"Why hello there!" The crazy bitch waved in a cheerful, welcoming tone. "I'm Lady Elayna of the von Emmeria line, Sworn Paladin of her Royal Majesty and Knight of the Lord's Cross." She greeted, seemingly convinced by Squad One's disguises. While she didn't seem to notice them right off the bat, FOX knew that if they came closer that things would go downhill quickly. There was certainly no way she would mistake him upon closer inspection.

"Ah! Sorry, Lady Elayna, I seemed to have forgotten our invitation in the car. If you would just let us -"

"Nonsense!" Elayna giggled, "What is this, the post-apocalypse? We have computers for these sort of things!" She remarked, beckoning for the group to approach her.

Knowing that refusing her request would cause suspicion, FOX took another deep breath before approaching the entrance, his eyes darting about for a quick escape route for the team in case things went south. As FOX came within a few feet of the PALADIN, she shot the young man a glance.

"Say... you look really familiar. Have we met before?" Elayna stroked her chin, staring at the group of FEARLESS members standing in front of her. It had been roughly 72 hours since they had last met on the battlefield - but there was no way she would possibly mistake the FEARLESS members for someone el-

"Ah! I remember!" She snapped her finger, pointing towards FOX and Naomi, "You're that freaky couple that always requests a private room." Elayna blew her cheeks up in an attempt to stifle her laughter, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you two are well-accommodated..." She turned to her laptop for a moment, before her eyes moved back towards Jonathan, "Um, what was your names again?"

Wiping off the sweat from his brow, he turned to Naomi before turning back towards Elayna. "Uh, Mr... and Mrs..." After some thought, Jonathan realized that STINGRAY had never told them exactly which names were in the guest invitation system. "Mr. and Mrs. FOX." He said finally.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. FOX! Welcome! Go ahead on in~" As FOX and Naomi disappeared into the Palace Cathedral, she turned towards the rest of the members?

"Names?"

Using their code names, the rest of the team soon joined FOX and Naomi inside the main ballroom, where seemingly hundreds of nobles had already gathered within. How they were able to get past Elayna, of all people, is a mystery to them all. "We're in." FOX whispered into a radio disguised as a luxury wristwatch.



-----

As Erja led the remainder of the team around the garden, slowly taking out the enemies one at a time, Valkyrie and Aresia provided backup. "Oh shush, you're doing great, Aresia." Valkyrie remarked in a hushed whisper, trying to get her mind off her lack of stealth training. "I honestly hate this stealth thing, too." She remarked as she watched Erja pick off guards one by one with her suppressed sniper rifle. With Erja and some of Aresia's help, the remainder of guards around the perimeter were quickly eliminated, which would give them some breathing room to get everything ready.

"Alright, Ian. Put on one of those uniforms and start setting your explosives on the building. Nobody should question a guard walking around the building." Valkyrie remarked, "The rest of us should lay low and get ready for when things get explosive." Valkyrie explained. To be honest, Valkyrie felt slightly uneasy about leaving the most important job to the new guy, especially a mercenary with no stake in the mission other than to make money, but his knowledge and expertise with explosives would be necessary to get the surprise attack going.

Coming into the perimeter entrance, several vehicles full of guests were lined up at the gate. "Just let them in and buy us some time, guys!" Valkyrie remarked over the radio.

The first vehicle, a black limousine, rolled down its rear mirror as a clearly intoxicated nobleman poked his head out. "Wai herllo thaere! I'm Lawrd Braaa *hic* ctus." The man greeted, pointing towards the disguised Juniper, "Wai herllo thaere, beatufil! Wuld u like to acc--accompany me to this daance? itsd probably be wau better than standin' ouut here, right?"
​