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

[ERode]

Dishwashing was quiet, unrewarding work. Menial labor that had no end, after all, when there were always more dishes cleared by hungry patrons and stacked up, while your glistening pile of clean plates were constantly taken and dirtied once more. There was no progress, no end, not until the bar was closed and the tables were emptied.

But Arata didn't mind such mind-numbing work, and, all things considered, his work was seeing an end now. The AFTERLIFE was closed, the dishes were more or less gone, and, with a satisfied sigh that he could only release when he was alone in the back of the kitchen, the dark haired youth washed the soap bubbles off his hands before drying them with a paper towel. Two days so far without any news of a mission. Two days where he managed to mostly stay alone, outside of Aresia calling him out to do cooking or other inane stuff. Books, music, all relaxing things to do alone.

After Naomi had caught him in the morning, playing the piano, he had never gone and done that again.

Another sigh escaped his lips, this time one a little sadder. People were shouting outside the kitchen, but Arata paid them no heed. Drunks, probably. STINGRAY would get them to settle down sooner or later. He waited a couple more minutes within the kitchen, before heading for the door. Just a quick detour through the main area before going downstairs to his room again. Hopefully no one sai-

"Sup Tia, word through the grapevine is you and Arata are an item. I'm happy for you both, you make a cute couple."

The instant he had opened the door to catch that message, Arata had closed it.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!

 

[Astros]

Guide to FEARLESS Base Operations Volume 1.1 - Chapter 1 Stand Up Comedy​

_______________________________________ _______________________________________​

María stood there, motionlessly, staring the facade of the AFTERLIFE up and down. Her skin melting into the shadow of the building. With furrowed brows, she had attempted to get a glimpse of its insides. Despite being told rather explicitly that this was it, doubts emerged inside her head, especially after realizing that here she stood, in the dark, alone, in front of a bar.

One bony hand, formed into a fist, her knuckles meeting the glass. She could tell by the sounds, that someone was inside. However, the lack of response made her doubt she was at the right place. Was it open? Was there a pause in service? No lesson in the facility had ever covered the business-models of taverns. María reached out once more, softly bumping her hand against a window, before taking a step back and waiting. She reached around herself, each hand resting on the opposite side's shoulder. Well, that's no good…"

*Tap* The light sound of bone against glass was lost among the ambient ensemble of running appliances and outside disturbances. The hum of a refrigerator, the buzz of florescent lights, the caw of a crow, all were louder and more distinct than the faint and timid tap of the girl's hand. On the inside, it was only capable of being heard if one were standing right beside the door. For those far inside and away it would be as if it didn't exist, along with the girl's apprehensive form standing just outside.

*Tap Tap* With bolder force the rapping at the window became more than a dull thud. Reverberating, the sound it produced was low but sharp, and managed to pierce the bar's familiar ambiance.

Ears perking, Rubel turned to the front door of AFTERLIFE as he made his way through it's drinking lounge. Stopping to listen, only the sound of buzzing lights answered him. A customer? The thought occurred, until he remembered the door was locked with its greeting sign turned to CLOSED. Remaining still a moment he considered the possibilities of who might visit a rundown bar in the backward part of the district and at the late hours of the evening. That and who would have the blind courtesy to knock despite the place seeming vacant.

Collecting these thoughts as his feet moved toward, he undid the bolt and opened it with a *Ching*, as the bell attached above it rattled. Sticking his neck out into the dark alley he looked to the left and then his right where a figure stood facing away. "Hello. Can I help you?" He said with a faint smile. His eyes could just make out the woman's matted hair, loose fitting jacket and work boots.

María felt her spirits resurface just as she was about to give up on drawing attention to herself, and consider her next move. Just then, however, a blonde man peeked out of the bar, throwing her a smile. Relief came crashing down, though now the young woman found herself flustered. "Could I help you?" was a valid question; María remained uncertain about whether she was at the right place. More so, she doubted how good of a plan it'd be to openly discuss her reasons for being there. Valkyrie must've imposed a basic level of skepticism, she thought.

María shook her head gently, as if to shake her thoughts away. She swallowed audibly, and smiled back, albeit it being a bit awkward. "Uhm… Perhaps. This is- I was told I should report to the AFTERLIFE, so…" María tried to peek inside the bar, but immediately felt herself suspicious-looking. "I think we have a mutual… "friend", so to speak?" Being subtle felt like a gargantuan obstacle in front of a stranger. "I think I'm supposed to join.... Well, you?"

She grinned just a bit, hoping to express her intentions properly, but quickly looked down at her feet again. A shiver ran across her back, as the wind howled along the alley, and suddenly the urge to enter increased. "I'm sorry if this a bad time, I can come back later." she quickly added, hoping she had not ruined her first impression.

"Heh. Well… might not be bad for a passing drunk, but you don't look like the type. … I imagine it's something important so come in and tell me about our mutual friend." Extending the door open for the shy woman, Rubel noticed in the dim light that her apparel very much matched the bar's interior. With a faded jacket, ragged jeans, and dirty tank top she appeared to be more at home here than he did if by appearances alone.

Re-bolting the door behind them as he strolled over to the counter, Rubel plopped down on a stool, before slowly revolving it to face the woman as she took in her surroundings."Welcome to afterlife. It's not much, but … well it's not much haha." Resting his face in the palm of his hand as it rested on the counter, his seemed intrigued by the sudden arrival. "So what does our friend look like? Do they have black hair?"

María sat down cautiously, turning her head to take in the scenery. The young man in front of her may have played it down, but it felt homely to her. His curious tone seemed to demand María's attention, and so she prematurely stopped soaking in the new location, and instead faced him with a neutral expression. He seemed genuine in his interest, and although María wasn't sure if she was reading him right, or if he was being sarcastic, his casual attire and youthful vigor eased her feeling of being interrogated.

She smiled softly, as he basically validated her hope. "Yes, she does." she confirmed. "I know Valkyrie's no regular member, but she thought I'd be a good fit. I certainly admire the work you seem to do. I don't… Well, I don't actually know too much about it, but I'd love to help, at the very least." She pulled at the brim of her jacket's sleeve, averting her gaze, before quickly adding "That is, if I can be of help, of course. I wouldn't want to be a burden." María let out a nervous laugh. "I suppose I'm a bit ahead of myself though."

Giving an understanding smile as she tugged on her jacket, Rubel straightened up at the mention of burden before giving a light chuckle. "If an errand boy like me can be useful you'll be fine." he reassured her, voice brimming with confidence. Turning his head in search of someone he pondered on a course of action. Accepting new members wasn't exactly within his list of roles. "Hmm, I'm not the one to talk to about joining. But, he should be here somewhere." Turning back round with face beaming, an idea had cropped up. "How do you like the idea of me giving you a tour? That is until we find Godfather. I'll answer any questions you have and you can tell me about what Val's been up to." Checking his wrist for a non-existent watch, he added. "Not much else to do right now."

___________________________________________________________________________​

María smiled and nodded, turning her body fully to Rubel, and shifting towards him, almost like she intended to bow before him. "I would like that a lot." she replied, trying to suppress a yawn that pulled at her jaw, and elongated her face just a bit. "Sorry." she apologized, and suddenly her eyes widened, as if in shock. "I'm María. How rude of me, I'm sorry. Oh, and thank you for letting me in." Her lips curved inwards, like a child caught stealing candy, her eyes rolled to the side, observing the nearby tables.

"Well then let's get started." With a cheery tone Rubel hopped off his stool ready to lead before realizing they hadn't been formally introduced. *Smack* The palm of his hand met his forehead before it lowered to shade his face of minute shame. "No. I should be the one to apologize. What kind of host forgets an introduction." Uncovering his face he promptly bowed as sign of apology before righting and extending a hand. "Rubel. Rubelll… aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Whyte." Unhinging his jaw a regret-less yawn escaped his mouth. Fluttering his eyelids as tears blurred their vision, only at Maria's apprehension to take the hand did he remember what they were.

Retracting his fingers, he would have happily left it to another time, but the woman's arm shot up in the instant of retreat, capturing his in a clammy seize. Shaking it lightly in return, he allowed for her quick release and smiled to acknowledge the consideration. Wanting to waste no more time on apologies or pleasantry, Rubel set out to begin the tour as he mounted the bar counter and slid back behind it. Disappearing below for a moment he popped back up polishing a glass with a bored expression.

"Welcome to Valhalla. What can I get you?" his words droned. "That's what you'll usually hear. This is the drinking lounge, where most come to drink, sleep, or both." Looking through the bottom of the glass Rubel lazily scanned the room. Upon further inspection one would note the low lying ceiling, being a patchwork of wire mesh and wood, seemed to match wall's peculiar arrangement of posters, picture frames, and paper ads.

Across from the counter were a half dozen tables scattered about with an odd number chairs set around them. Usually vacant, the tops had empty alcohol bottles, strewn playing cards, and dirty dishes for company. Apart from this there wasn't much to appease the eye in the poorly lit drunkards hangout, except for the potted plants that dotted the room and the unpowered jukebox in its corner.

Flipping on the TV across the room, Rubel tuned to a state news channel that ran a bulletin on updates about a series of explosions in the urban heights that occurred a few days ago. Draping the cloth over his shoulder in bartender fashion he took a moment to memorize what was on it before switching it off. "We have betting rings here on off months. Usually locals, but some of the mafia try their luck too. Usually best to avoid using the front door then."

With a nod from Maria, who wondered what the mafia of all people would have to do with the organization, Rubel placed the glass and cloth back in their rightful place before strolling to the end of the counter. Motioning to his right at a hallway, he waited for Maria to join him before they maneuvered around the boxes congesting it. In passing one could see its walls were an aged yellow shade of beige, the paint of which had begun to flake off in parts and seemed in others to be stained red by molasses.

Coming to a door on his left Rubel opened it and looked inside at a dark empty office room. Only the light from the hallway illuminated its contents, revealing the corner of a wooden top desk and blanket white walls. "Godfather uses this room at times, but can't expect to always find him here." he mentioned. With no need for further inspection, he closed the door closed behind them as they focused to the one across from it which had a faint white glow radiating at its bottom. Proceeding into the kitchen from here, the atmosphere took on stark contrast to the bar's just a moment ago.

Bright fluorescent lights, waxed marble floors, stainless steel and shiny chrome. Like a hospital the room was spotless, not a stain or mess of food within sight. And unlike the jumbled array of the drinking lounge, everything in it seemed properly aligned and well organized. To the middle, two rows of cooking appliances and prepping space occupied the room's center. With fridges both tall and short dotting its walls. They clung to the room's sides with blended surfaces of chrome and paper from various lists and reminders. While cooking instruments, being in no shortage, dangled motionless from room side to side room. All neatly displayed and ready for a certain someone's quick personal use.

Maria stopped in her tracks, trying to look around, with her mouth hanging open just slightly. In comparison to the dark, gritty feeling of the previous rooms, it was obvious that someone took good care of this place. It was bright and shiny, even to her.

___________________________________________________________________________​

As the door clicked shut behind them, Rubel made his way to a nearby fridge. Breaking the seal on the door his head disappeared from view before his voice took on a whiny tone. "HEY! WHO ATE MY SOUP!? UUUUAAAGGGGHHHHH I'LL KILL YOU! " he shouted. The room magnifying back his outcry.

María flinched at the sudden noise, withdrawing the hand that she had run over the counter's surface, and instead bringing both her hands up to her chest, palms pointed in the direction of Rubel, as if to shield herself in defense. "You'll likely hear that one from Chaos about once a week. If she interrogates you simply say you don't like the dish, she usually leaves you alone. ... Though, helps if you're not mortal.

Best to ask first before eating anything. Chaos won't label what's hers as it's easier for her to just hunt down the food thief." The girl remained petrified for a few seconds, as she listened to his advice. Slowly, she relaxed her posture once more, and gave a polite smile that seemed both embarrassed as well as apologetic. Nodding, she stepped closer to Rubel, ready to follow him again. "That tends to be helpful," María joked with a tired voice. "I'll make sure to remember that though."

After the sudden, if not odd, outburst and word of advice Rubel shut the fridge door and went over to a coffee machine resting on a counter not far from it. Opening a cabinet above he pulled down two mugs before making an offer to Maria. "Coffee?"

"Please," she confirmed. As Rubel passed her the drink, she pressed her fingers against the porcelain, feeling the mug's texture. The pattern seemed to change in a way that Maria couldn't settle on being an intentional design choice or not; She felt herself become uneasy over it. Thankfully, Rubel began to down his coffee, and the sound reminded her to do the same, distracting her from the uneven texture. Taking only a small sip to make sure she didn't spill any, the warmth of the coffee mug finally emanated through to her palms, and she noticed for the first time just how cold she still was. After realizing she had no napkin, her tongue dashed over her lips for a split-second, cleaning them, before she followed Rubel, who headed towards the exit.

Sipping the lukewarm liquid, Rubel's face contorted slightly from its bitterness as he and Maria left the kitchen and entered back into the hallway. "Down this hall is a storage room." he said pointing to its door. "Nothing worth showing, but it leads to the armory. You'll have to meet Godfather before I take you there. Not much to see unless you're into guns." María contorted her face involuntarily, eliminating any potential doubts her about her opinion on firearms.

___________________________________________________________________________​

Returning to the drinking lounge the pair made a right at the end of the counter and headed down a more spacious walkway. Ignoring two sets of doors, Rubel opened the one at the end of the hall instead and motioned Maria forward. A steep set of stairs would greet her on the other side as they began making their way to the garage. Once a floor down and after a few corners they were staring at a steel door with a bar latch drawn up to its side. Knocking once, the door creaked as Rubel opened it and slammed shut when closing behind them.

At once the smell of oil, grease, and metal filled their lungs with the cooling air that seeped through the cracks in the garages doors. With a flip of a switch, lights akin to the ones in the kitchen flickered on revealing the room to be several times more spacious than it and the drinking lounge combined. Despite large tarped vehicles occupying its center, the room allowed plenty of room for additional vehicles, and a team to operate on them.

Metal tool boxes resting on wheels were strewn about without care. Some of their drawers closed and others open. Tools were left tossed on the floor along with shop rags and assorted garbage. Food wrappers, cardboard boxes, cigarette buds, parts receipts, and even dirty band-aids. It seemed the floors were the dumpster here for better or worse. The walls meanwhile featured wooden shop tables in between power equipment. Saws, drills, a lathe, everything needed to make custom fitted parts or repair damaged ones.

___________________________________________________________________________​

María inhaled, the smell of oil and wood dominating the room. Stepping into the garage, she felt multiple items under her feet, another brushing against her toes as she tried to go further. Quickly realizing that the floor was littered with various items, she took a step back. Squinting, María tried to scan the floor, but failed to make out any distinct shapes, and so she lingered next to Rubel instead, hoping to not embarrass herself in front of him. Dark blotches were aligned in the back of the room, which she assumed were vehicles with planes draped over them. "I'm guessing this is a garage of some sort?" she asked, attempting to avoid sounding clueless. "Or a repair shop, perhaps?" she thought aloud, her cheeks flushing a bit. The guessing game made her feel vulnerable, and so she just turned her head to Rubel's shape, hoping he wouldn't mind her speculations.

"It's a bit of both. We park things here and repair them when they're busted." With a slurping sound Rubel took another sip of his Joe before walking to a nearby table to set it down. Taking his attention off the vehicles and shop tools, he spotted a small familiar brown strip on the floor. Bending over, he peeled it off the dirty concrete, and applied the oily band-aid to the arch of nose before summoning up one of his better impressions. "Okay, ladies, put those playboys away, and get your asses in gear! Chop Chop!" Clapping his hands briskly he strutted across the garage eyeing it left to right. "Come on. Come on. Stop yer gawking and do something useful for a change." Stopping to stare at an imaginary grease monkey who was doing all he could within Rubel's imagination to ignore him, Rubel took on a commanding tone and said "What are you still standing there for!? Get over here!"

As Rubel moved, María was unsure where to go, and instead remained still, tightly holding her coffee mug. She followed Rubel's hazy shape move around the room, and flinched as his voice flared up much louder, and in an higher tone than he spoke before. As the young man clapped his hands and continued to bark out orders, the NOAH turned around, vaguely wondering if someone had entered the room without her realizing. Unsurprised but more confused, she turned back to face Rubel again. One hand left the warm mug, and shot up to shoulder level, like a pupil in class signaling a request to speak. "Apologies, but who are you talki--" Her cheeks took on a light shade of red, hearing Rubel demand her following. Insecure but hasty, she tip-toed closer towards him, stepping on a small item that dug into her sole. "I'm here!" she replied with an urgent tone in her voice, trying to stand up just a bit straighter, though she still wasn't clear on Rubel's request.

Turning to face Maria's urgent reply, Rubel had missed her raised hand and was perplexed by the sudden response. "No one? They're impressions. I didn't just slap this band-aid on my face because I liked it." he explained with a grin. Though the half-hearted response he received wasn't what he expected. This was the second time she'd had this sort of odd reaction to him. Usually people laughed or stared on in apathy. Were his impressions getting rusty? he thought, before he noticed the heel of her right foot was raised. "You didn't step on the nail did you?" he asked with hinted concern. Squatting down, he grasp the front of her boot and raised it off the floor. Surely enough, there was a nail protruding a few inches from its underside. .

María brought her hand behind her head, and further tousled her stringy hair into a mess. "Oh, yes, of course… Apologies." she replied with a half-hearted smile. "I didn't see the band-aid." María contemplated what kind of brawler Rubel could've possibly imitated for him to require a band-aid on his nose, but she hoped he would not mind her ignorance. As she felt his hand and the slight pressure of his grip through her boot, María squealed softly in surprise. "Oh no…" she lamented, immediately furrowing her brows. "I hope I didn't ruin them?" she asked Rubel with a worried tone. "I'm such a klutz sometimes."

"No, it should be fine. You'll just have…" tugging on the head of the nail, Rubel pried it loose with a yank before inspecting its damage closer. "A hole." Seeing to it that the boot wasn't bleeding, he let go of her foot and made to put the metal stake back where it belonged. "Well, I'm a bit of a klutz myself at times. Like how I just did an impression even though you couldn't realize it haha." Rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed, he wondered at what kind of opinion he'd instilled into her mind about the on-goings of FEARLESS. Giving a light chuckle to the thought, he tossed the nail into a vacant drawer before shutting it and turning back to face her. "That was Tia just now. Don't get the wrong idea, she's really friendly, but her mechanics give her hell." Leaning in to be sure Maria could see this time Rubel pointed to the grimy band-aid flimsily stuck to the bridge of his nose. "She wears one of these everyday."

Making out the vague shape of the band-aid practically pressed in her face, María nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't get it right away. Oh, and thank you." she said, kneeling down to let her fingers glide over the boot's surface. "It's not too bad, is it? The boot?" she asked him, worried about her first impression when she'd finally meet the organization's leader. Her thoughts briefly trail back to imagining the reasons for Tia's consistent need for band-aids, as a dull noise sounded from what María believed was the bar room. "What was that?" she asked, looking up at Rubel again. "Do you think there's an issue in the AFTERLIFE?" María pondered aloud, slowly getting back up. The young woman took a few steps towards the exit, this time moving with more confidence, hoping that Rubel, too, would want to return.

"It's nothing to cry over. What was what?" Rubel wondered with a raised brow. Sensing the vibrations of the building more than the sound, his face soon lost some of its shine as he looked to the ceiling. "Probably nothing, but let's go check it out."

___________________________________________________________________________​

As they approached the stairs to the first floor Rubel assaulted them three at a time before reaching the stairwell door and easing it open. After a quick glance inside he looked down to Maria who was scurrying up after him and relaxed his shoulders a bit. "They're just at it again. Goblin is going to kill Valkyrie over that patch job haha." María perked up at the mention of Valkyrie. "She's here?"

 

[EmperorsChosen]

~~Two Days Later~~​

The two days that followed consisted of Jake's typical schedule, meals, drink, sleep and stitching people up in between. Typically, the medic was kept busy, with his expertise not solely excluded to the field. Fearless didn't have many doctors, and out of those that were called "doctors", there weren't nearly enough who really knew what the hell they were doing. So, if he wasn't keeping people from bleeding out in the battlefield, he was stuck in the medical wards doing his best to get people back in the fight.

Unfortunately, his work there was swamped. Most who went out on these assignments Fearless gave out ended up dead, those that weren't returned with heavy injuries. It's a never-ending cycle, at least until they run out of bodies to send out. Regardless, Rip only mutters complaints to himself as he walks among the injured ward. Thinking on it, his mother would've probably enjoyed being a part of Fearless, if only for having ample bodies to work on. She was a psychopath in a lot of ways, but she was family nonetheless—before they took her...

"Hey, kid! You going to stare into space and let us do all the work?" A fellow "doctor" remarked. Jake tended to get lost in thought when he wasn't pissing someone else off.

"Shut up... I've been working here damn near nonstop since last night. You just clocked in you fuck..." Remarking rather blatantly than his usual sarcastic responses, he was too tired to put in the work of being a smartass.

"You little..." Growling, the doctor is prodded off by another of the medical staff. "Jake. Time to go. Command needs you for something. We'll take care of things here."

With a tired sigh, Jake nodded. "Tell them I'll grab my stuff and be there..."

~~~

Stepping into Afterlife gear equipped save for the mask and helmet, Jake looks around. The bar area looked like hell. Somebody got their ass kicked a while ago. Shrugging, he took a sip from his coffee. There was no way he was coming here with minimum sleep and no caffeine. Approaching the group that had already arrived, he gave a simple nod in acknowledgement to them all.

Seems there was a new guy, a CQC specialist as he introduced himself. "Yo. I'm called Rip, or Jake. I'll be the guy that hopefully stitches you up if someone shoots you in the back." While it normally might have sounded like a joke, Jake's tired tone made it sound more like an actual occurrence that might happen in the field.

Then there was Tia's squirming. "I'm almost too tired to ask... but the hell's wrong with her...?" Jake had arrived barely in time to hear some of Alexander's introduction, too late to hear about the supposed rumors. In any case, he was likely too exhausted to be a smartass about it even if he was told.
​

 

[Valor]

----
1 7 0 0
H O U R S
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-----

As more figures began to gravitate into the main room, figures exchanged short waves and greetings towards familiar faces. The aura in the room slowly became more serious, until Naomi's quip about Tia and Arata being romantic lovers reintroduced an aura of lightheartedness back into the room, even if it was temporary. Despite Tia's qualms with such an arrangement, Jill and Gillian shot the young woman a look of approval. It seemed everyone else in the room besides Tia were all aboard this ship.

As with every meeting, Jill moved to lock the doors and shut the blinds, switching the "OPEN" placard in the opposite direction. The last thing anybody would want is an off-duty officer stumbling into the room while things were getting scandalous. After all, the Tia/Arata pairing was for FEARLESS ears only. As Jill prepared the room for the briefing, Valkyrie noticed a familiar face - a shy, yet friendly NOAH by the name of María.

Upon hearing her name, the raven haired girl shot her old friend a warm, casual wave. It had been awhile since she had seen her, but it lightened her mood to see that her friend seemed to be doing well... and making friends at that. María never seemed to be so good at that. While she would have liked to catch up with her, it seemed like it would have to wait until later...

FOXTROT sighed, leaning backwards into the edge of the pool table. The warm relationship that bounced back and forth in the room alleviated some of his stress, but it also reminded him of everyone that had been lost. So many dead, yet here he was, standing here among the living. "We're going back out, aren't we?" Jonathan asked his older brother. While he personally had no issue with it, he knew he was asking the same question that was on everyone's mind.

"I wouldn't have called everyone here otherwise." Gillian frowned, knowing that what he would share would only be bad news. "What I'm about to ask all of you... I know this is a lot to ask, even as your commander." He mused, turning towards his closest subordinate to expand on the details.

"The information that was gathered..." STINGRAY immediately thought of all of those that had died securing the information. "As you know this information contained the identities and information of the Praetorians... those that secretly control the government." Jill paused a moment, laying out printed photographs of each Praetorian. In total, there were twenty photographs, far more than had originally been estimated by Ecclesian intelligence. "If they are all eliminated, the Ecclesian government will collapse."

"For the first time, FEARLESS has combined their forces. The AFTERLIFE, PURGATORY, NIGHTMARE, ASCENSION, we've shared this information with all of the FEARLESS organizations across the city." Pulling the pictures off of the table, only two photographs remained. One was of the raven haired Praetorian, the same one that had killed Auratta, Karin, Glitch... and ECHO. The other was an all too familiar red haired man donning scarlet clothes and an archaic, ostentatious cape. "We've split the targets among our organizations... these are our targets," Gillian tapped the two photographs with his fingers, "REAPER and KING."

"Clever names."

Gillian ignored Valkyrie's quip, turning towards the operatives in the room, "If... if we're successful... this could be the end of the war. We can finally finish this, once and for all." Gillian curled his fingers into a fist, "We need more time to prepare, but the other organizations are being impetuous. They want to execute the plan tomorrow." Gillian clenched his teeth. "I know what I'm asking sounds like suicide... if you want to back out, I'll find something else for you to do... but I need everyone I can get for this."

Valkyrie grunted, ironically the first one to put herself forward. "I left this organization a long time ago, but REAPER and I have a little debt to settle." She knew what she was getting into. Those Praetorians weren't going to stand a chance. Not when faced against a VALKYRIE. "Nobody kills my friends and gets away with it."

"I see, well, your combat skill will definitely be useful." Valkyrie, Naomi, Arata and perhaps Aresia were perhaps Gillian's most crucial team members for this mission. Not to say the others were not useful, but Gillian needed people who could perhaps stand toe to toe with a Praetorian now. At the end of the day, they were attempting to make these gods bleed. Turning towards his younger brother, he wondered what his thoughts were of the situation. "What about you, brother? Will you fight again?"

"We'll always be fighting, won't we, Gill?" Jonathan, like any other RONIN, loved themselves a good fight. If Valkyrie didn't sink her blade into REAPER, Jonathan was determined to avenge ECHO. Besides, he was not going to leave his comrades to face their greatest threat alone... perhaps he could save someone... for once. "I suppose somebody has to be there to hold you fools when you get yourselves killed." FOX shot Naomi a glance, referring back to their conversation from earlier.

"I see." A small smile creased Gillian's lips. While others did not seem to immediately notice it, Jill's eyes widened. It was not often that the Commodore smiled. Could this really work? Could they do this? STINGRAY's gaze was broken as Gillian motioned for her to share their battle plans.

"Oh... right, ahem." Jill cleared her throat, stepping in front of the group, which had naturally formed a circle around the room. "Of the targets, we were given one of the most mysterious, along with one of the most well known." Jill explained, hoping everyone was still following along at this point and not skimming VALOR's post because they're lazy shits. "REAPER is an enigma, all we know from field reports is that she shares some qualities of both Auratta and ECHO's elegance. To what extent, we are still unsure. We don't even know what rank she holds among the Praetorians."

"We do know, however, that she answers directly to the KING." Jill moved the picture of King Alexander forward. "King Alexander von Emmeria, the Lord of Valhalla... and the biggest asshole you'll ever meet." She paused a moment to pick the photograph up, clasping it between her slender digits. "While the KING himself does not control the entire city, his influence over the government is as you would expect."

Gillian picked up a stack of manila folders from his desk, distributing the folders out to those around him. The folders contained information about the two targets, though most of the information was on the latter subject, along with additional information that they thought would be useful. "Look this stuff over. It won't tell you much about what you're facing, but this is everything we know about the targets."

"KING and REAPER will be at an annual knighting ceremony that is held every year, along with ranking officials and other noblemen. It is a high profile event, but a perfect opportunity to hit both of our targets in one place. Make no mistake... security will certainly be heavy."

"Team one is FOX, Arata, Naomi, María, Tia and Rubel. Team two is Juniper, Stafford, Jake, Aresia, Crusader, Angsar and Erja..." Gillian motioned to a mysterious figure standing in the darkness, "Team two will also be working with a new member, Mcomerey. A mercenary with skills that we need for this mission."

"We will be infiltrating the ceremony. Team one will be dressing up and moving into the knighting ceremony to scout and position themselves to make our move."

"You mean... we have to get dressed up?" FOX's eyebrow raised, Jill nodded. "... like, suits and dresses and everything?"

"Team one, yes. But team two can too if it helps their self esteem."

Valkyrie started cackling. "Oh, I love this idea already." She tried her best to hold back her laughter, at least for María's sake, but found herself unable to do so. Once Valkyrie's laughter died down, Jill continued with the briefing.

"Team one is to perform surveillance and blend in until given the signal to attack. Team two is to use stealth and install explosives on the marked locations in your maps. The ceremony will take place at the Imperial Palace, so security will be tight." Jill shot Crusader a glare, "No loud noises, no explosions until we give the signal."

"Once the explosives go off, Team two will hold off any reinforcements while Team one attempts to eliminate the Praetorians. Understood?"

As the briefing came to an end, Jill turned once more to the members of team one. "I've put out suitable clothes for all of you. I'm sorry if they're a tight fit. I've also hacked into the registry and added your aliases to the guest list. Get some rest, we'll be moving out tomorrow morning."

Before the group could disperse, Gillian interjected one last time, "Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Nobody goes to these events alone..." Gillian began, in reference to team one's objective of 'blending in', "You're going to have to act like couples."

"Oh shit."





​

 

[Jakers]

"NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME! T-THANKS FOR YOUR CONCERN, DOC, BUT I'M F-FINE." Tia blurted out a lot louder than she'd meant to at the arrival of Jake and his comment, insecure enough to hear it above most things. Rubel soon came in with a figure Tia couldn't recognise from all the way over here, causing her to crane her neck curiously for a moment. ...She still couldn't make out much other than the figure of a woman, but she'd definitely never seen her before. Another unknown silouhette was also in the darkness. The next person to come in was a figure Tia didn't recognise at first due to the sheer amount of high-tech gear and armour he had equipped, but she soon knew the name. She'd ordered her drinks off the dude a couple of times; Alexander - or Crusader - was a cool guy.

"Heya, Alexander. ...I heard you were the one who recovered the bodies of Ji and Auratta," Tia looked away for a moment to bite her lip, and hold back any emotion. "Thanks for that. What you did means a lot to many of us." She'd mourned along many about the death of her fellow NOAH, and that had also been the day she'd learnt about the death of ECHO - a girl who'd been more than just 'a friend'. She was... she was someone special. She always seemed to have time to share her kindness and make you feel better. If Tia could've been the one to die instead that day, she would've done it in a heartbeat. ECHO didn't deserve to die.

Looking across, the situation soon turned more lighthearted as Tia continued to get progressively more flustered at the 'her and Arata sitting in a tree' ordeal. IT WASN'T EVEN TRUE, and she was being nodded at by her two commanders.
"W-wha...?! Oh, grow up, you two!! I just said it's not like that!" Tia folded her arms indignantly, still tapping her foot rapidly against the floor. This was horrible. Of all people she wanted the rumour spread across to, her fucking COMMANDER - who APPROVED of this ridiculous myth - was one of the last.

Then came 'the plan'. Allying with other rebels and devising some sort of break-in mission to eliminate the Praetorian sounded great to Tia at first. Using the information they'd obtained to the best of their ability might've made the sacrifices oh-so-worth it. If they all teamed up and used their abilities as well as they could, at least making a Praetorian bleed wasn't completely out of the question.

...However. Then came how this plan would be done, and her role in it.

"Me?! Dress up?" Tia spluttered, taking some time to fully comprehend what Jill had said, before standing up, "I-is this a joke? What if there's a poster of me right outside of place; I'm not exactly a discreet figure! What if they have a no plaster policy? B-besides, do I look like someone who could... aaah... y-you bastards..." the NOAH cut off with a whimper, realizing her protests were in vain as Jill simply continued to explain. She shot a look of hopeless anger towards Valkyrie, who was happily laughing away at the situation, before sitting back down with a dreading expression and gritted teeth.

And then, AND THEN, just when she genuinely thought things couldn't get any worse, they mentioned the thing with the couples.

"Noooooonooonoooonooo... y-you fuckeeeers..."

She whimpered so quietly it was only audible to those adjacent to her, and as the realization set in, Tia leaned back on the sofa as hard as she could to try and bury herself. As she felt her whole face go red, she just wished she could sink into the couch's rugged cushions and weave herself out of existence. There was no such release, however.

If it was Rubel, she would've been fine with acting as a couple. The two would probably just be trying to not make each other laugh for the whole time around, pretending to speak in posh accents and whatnot. If it was FOX, she would've be fine with that as well. She liked to think she got along well with the dude, so they could trust each other not to make anything out of it.

But... Arata. Oh, God... ARATA?! They were going to force him and her together; she just knew it, and she felt bad for him as much as she felt bad for herself. Not only had they scarred each other's life a few days ago, but Tia genuinely tried to let the guy have his own personal space. Her first few weeks of knowing him had been a fruitless attempt to try and start a cheery conversation, and she didn't even know if he liked the gifts she sent him to try and loosen him up, but she swore she spotted one in the trash once. The guy just felt nervous around her, and after seeing what he could do, she felt the same way about him. BUT THAT WAS JUST HOW SHE FELT NORMALLY, NOT COUNTING THE FACT ABOUT THE THING A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, AND NOT COUNTING THE FACT THEY'D HAVE TO PRETEND TO BE A COUP-

"Ohhhh...*Sigh*..."

Slowly sitting up, Tia took a moment to put her face in her hands for a moment, and cool her head, before looking up. Her face remained flushed, but despite her intense embarrassment for the situation she just knew she was going to be forced in, she realized she needed to take a moment to be more mature about the whole thing. They'd probably just have to hold hands, at the most. The NOAH wasn't forgetting how serious this mission was, and the incentives behind it; as stupid as the whole thing was, now wasn't the time for a 'woe is me' moment...

"Fine... whatever... if it's... if it's what I have to do, fine. Those damned people took countless away from us... ECHO included... and if it's the only way, I'll do it in a heartbeat. I want to see those Praetorian fall just as much as the next." Tia shot a firm look towards GODFATHER for a moment, "Still. You'd better know what you're doing here, Godfather. Dying on a mission for FEARLESS is fine by me; couldn't see any other way I'd want to go... but..." Tia found the time to make somewhat of a nervous smile, despite how she felt about it all, "I-I don't know how I feel about dying in some skimpy dress." Getting to her feet, Tia offered a firm salute to the commander, "I'll... I'll be here in the morning. Just don't laugh at me in a dress too hard... o-okay?"

With that, Tia shuffled across to Jill to acquire her clothing. Biting her lip, she tried to do the best puppy eyes she could muster.
"Can't I just take a suit? Pleeeaaassseee...?" A look was all that was needed for the question to be answered; Tia begrudgingly grabbed the longest looking set of clothes that must've been hers, with no idea how to even put the thing on. Ugh... what the hell were these shoes?! They were designed with a huge spike that would angle your feet into a tortured position. Not only was this going to be humiliating, but a genuine torture session as well. ...Anything for FEARLESS...

Looking through the crowd of faces, Tia looked for Rubel in this situation, holding tomorrow's garb under her shoulder. The NOAH let out a long breath as she approached the small Seraphim, giving a half-joking groan of despair.
"Ughhh... help me, Rubel... not only am I gonna die of aspyix... ayphaas..." Tia gave up trying to pronounce the complex word, going for an easier synonym, "-Suffocation in this thing, but they're also going to put me with Arata instead of you or FOX, I just know it. It's probably gonna end up with him chopping me into a mush..." Tia murmured, before suddenly squinting in on the face of her 'bro'. A look of confusion turned to laughter as she slowly reached across to his face, peeling off a manky plaster from his nose and holding it up with a grin. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone forgot to clear up the evidence for doing a stupid impression of me behind my back! I'd say that's worth ten whole seconds of--- huh?"

Tia was about to lean in and give Rubel a noogie of certain doom, but she was distracted midway through the act at the person by his side she'd only just noticed. Despite possessing a collection of mangled, pinkish strands for hair, the young woman had a kindly, smooth expression that seemed to captivate Tia just by a mere glance. The way her hair sat and her body position seemed somewhat nervous reminded Tia of how she first was when she joined FEARLESS. She'd been... a wreck, to say the least. This must've been the owner of the name: 'María' she'd been initially confused about.

"Oh...! You didn't tell me someone new was around," Tia mentioned to Rubel, aware that was probably her own fault of being preoccupied at the bar, before turning back to María with a smile. "Well, welcome to the crew in any case. I'm guessing lil' Rubel here gave you a tour around, huh? He didn't torture you with those awful impressions, did he?" Tia gave a wide grin, poking at the little Seraphim's shoulder as she was pretty sure she knew the answer to that. "So... you're, um... María, right?"

 

[Bismarck]

Alexander gave a sigh as he looked at the three men that were supposed to be going to the ball. He pondered for a moment who was going to be dressing them, and shook his head at the thought. The man didn't know much beyond killing, however suits were one area where he held complete expertise. Every single day of his life, the man wore one, when he wasn't out and about killing people. "Rubel, Arata, and Fox. Why don't I help you three get suits fitted, and make sure you all, for the sake of decency look damn near perfect before you try and waltz into a damn ball."

Pausing to think for a moment, the clothing was already bought according to the command team. The man went to remove his helmet, tugging it off, and using his free hand to brush his blond hair back, so it wasn't in his face. "I'm sure some of you don't even know how to tie your own ties. I don't want a small mishap, to blow your cover tomorrow. Feel to grab your uniforms, and ask me for help if you'd like. I've got my own gear already, so my own preparation for this mission consists of getting subsonic ammunition, and charging my helmet." He explained, as looked to the rest of the team, smiling a bit at all of them. In particular poor Tia who already seemed to be panicking about this whole thing. He gave a shrug, and a small chuckle as he realized Tia, and Maria were in the same room.

What an odd coincidence the two girls crossed paths. Oh well, it was just fate it seemed, "As for the ladies, I'm no expert in women's fashion...but I can try and pretend to be at the very least. I know, as a bartender I don't scream high society, but do you know how hard it is to shop for my clothing? I'm in the high town districts anytime I need a shirt." The Ronin said, shaking his head at the memories of how many times he had to go up there. By now he was just perfectly accustomed to how the upper class of New Ecclesia acted. "Perhaps for once, my bothering of rich women, will be useful. A crash course, for all of team one on dressing, and what behaviors I can help to teach before tomorrow."

Rolling his shoulders, Alexander looked to Gillian, and Jill, smiling still, "With your approval of course. Seeing as I can't just get intoxicated to pass my night away. I'm sure your egg head SERAPHIM got something similar cooked up. But I consider myself more experienced, and interactive than a little handout will ever be." He explained, as he moved his helmet to his other hand, as one arm was starting to get a little tired from holding the heavy, tech laden ballistics helmet.

"Just like I tell my customers. The choice is yours~" The young man teased, making sure to draw out the last word with a wink. "Besides, it's more fun than painting a red or black tie on my armor tonight. It's already getting too busy with all the colors."​

 

[Winter]

Naomi almost flinched when Tia jumped from her seat, moving as if she were going to put her hands on her face or something. Naomi blinked as she watched the younger NOAH freak out, her face expressing her confusion as she looked between the others in the room as if expecting to be filled in on some kind of missed information. "Did I miss something?" she asked openly with one raised eyebrow before looking some what concerned at Tia who seemed to sink back into the couch. She were about to inquire further when RIP walked in on the tail end of Tia's freak out, inquiring to what had happened. Naomi shrugged, "Young love?" she gave a casual smile.

The dark haired Titan raised an eyebrow when Alex introduced himself to the group as the close combat specialist. She didn't contest it of course, Alex was indeed formidable when it came to fighting up close and personal, enough that he could likely hold his ground with her which was more than what most could say. Come to think of it Alex more so than most would make an ideal sparring partner, he could take a hit and give as good as he gets and more. "Close quarter specialist huh? you'll have to give me some pointers" she said with a casual grin, her teal irises observing the armored Crusader for a moment, it seemed he'd succeeded in clearing the copious amount of blood from his armor.

When Rubel and Maria arrived she regarded them both with a respectful tip of her head. It was nice to see Maria here, not that they'd really ever said much to each other, but even so. Naomi kept mostly quiet after that as peopled arrived, the Afterlife quickly transitioning into a briefing room as blinds were pulled and doors were locked. It was pretty standard stuff and nothing most of them weren't used to all things considered. She stood up straight from her leaning position against the couch when the briefing started, listening to the details. When FOX referenced their conversation from a few days before she gave a small smirk, "I don't plan on dying, I haven't ticked everything off my bucket list yet" she replied.

The rest of the briefing confirmed what most had already been thinking after they'd recovered the images a few days ago. The day had arrived when they were going to enter the big leagues, taking on the harder opposition. Killing a Praetorian was the kind of feat that'd make someone a legend, a true testament to fighting prowess and a huge obstacle to overcome. Failing this mission would mean the deaths of everyone and the collapse of FEARLESS... well, the AFTERLIFE at least. Naomi let out a long breath as she read over the she was handed, eventually closing it as she listened in to the rest of the briefing. "I have to wear.. I... what?" she stumbled on her words before letting out a long sigh. "If it means getting a shot at a Prae then... fine".

Naomi gently tossed the file onto the couch before walking to take her assigned clothing, giving Jill and the others a clearly unimpressed look. She turned towards Alex after hearing him talk about teaching proper etiquette for these types of situations, "I might just take you up on that offer Alex... but be prepared for a long night" Naomi had never even been romantically involved with another, let alone having dined in anywhere other than what they served at the Afterlife. Her perception on high society was mostly what she'd seen in posters and billboards around the city, or what she'd read in books which were often works of fiction. "If we're doing this tomorrow, that isn't a lot of prep time either" she said, returning to retrieve the file she'd been given from the couch, placing it on top of the dress folded over her arm.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Erja Liikanen - Team 2

​

Taking notice of Tia the other seemed awfully happy over the cheap gift, though it also seemed to further her powers which was a good thing. About to reply in regards to this, things take a turn for the strange and undoubtable for Tia the worse. The NAOH with the large fist weapons of not got the ball rolling and others only encouraged it. Before she can say much Stringray does her part of the meeting activities as Godfather begins the briefing.

Listening to the speech it seemed Tia's situation would only get worse, as far as her embarrassment was concerned. The worst part of it all was Godfather's offer to leave, it was one of the oldest tricks in the book, now none of them could back away without causing shame or some hostility upon themselves. Then there were photos and some remarks about Praetorians, of course the crazy knife bitch would be on the list. Hopefully that one at least would die, if only so the others could rest at peace.

Narrowing her gaze it would be very difficult to deal with two of those monsters at once, never mind the eighteen behind them. Two teams this time and one of those in the lions den with light armor and concealable weapons or powers, add on to it the likely Paladin presence, having seen them in action they could prove highly problematic. A large part of her wanted out of this, but another still wanted revenge, she also couldn't allow some of those here to just die. And it potentially could end the war.. Or escalate it past measure. But if it could end it, then the killing could stop..

".. Stealth and holding off the enemy?" Exhaling through her filtered mask this job would be as tough if not more so than the last. But the New Ecclesian's weren't just going to kill themselves. The new people didn't concern her too much, she knew of them at least in a round about way, looking at the folders there were handed not too much of what was inside was all that useful. Though she felt she needed to add one thing in.

"Watch out for that Reaper, she has a thing with getting in close with knives, but also strikes from Range, Valkyrie likely knows more than I do though." On that note it seemed Valkyrie was in good spirits at least with the talk on dresses and suits. Rather curious considering what they would be walking into.

Turning her gaze to Tia Erja gives a shrug of her right shoulder in sympathy towards her. "It won't be too bad, just think of it as being given nice clothes.. And Good Luck to you on Team One." Turning her attention back to Godfather, Erja nods her head in affirmation.

"All right, I'll come along. I still owe the Ecclesian's , but I'm leaving now. I need to plan what gear and how much I'm bringing carefully.. I can't bring enough for an assault or I'll ruin the stealth, nor can I bring too little... Ah, sorry. I'll be back in the morning." Giving her two finger salute the sniper turns on her heels leaving the bar quickly, she needed time to rig her kit and weapons.

~~~

Reaching her safe house some time later, Erja decides on 7, 20 round magazines for the SVU, three magazines would be subsonic, her SVD Silencer would be paired with it, giving a total of 140 rounds. Rigging these up to spare pouches around her belt, she would keep the same armor protection as normal. Next and likely more important was the Geperd M3. A rather massive weapon, even if smaller than her PTRS, it did have the advantage in that it could be quickly field stripped and reassembled. With that in mind, she would keep the rifle broken down in two sections, with four magazines, two on each hip for a total of 20 rounds. While she could have carried a mag in the gun for more rounds the extra weight could prove troublesome.

Rather doubting she would be going close quarters, she brings her own knife as a back up. Holstering it behind her right leg armor in a sheathe. With her armaments now fixed, it was as good as any time to sleep, while not exactly comfortable in full gear it was something she had grown used to.​

 

[Deathwatch101]

It was time in a sense, Mcomerey had been contacted in the previous days regarding a job. Illicit and No Questions asked, normally something like this might be a fishing exercise to pull out those whom were more black than white.
However, this was far more thought out and thorough, history and details covered, old jobs and already a payment offer. This wasn't the normal way for the Structural Demolitionist of a Mercenary to take a job but for a man like him, payment talks, a serious covering up-front and other bonuses for success.

The job details were scarce but enough to paint a picture, if it was in the city under the watchful eyes of the law. You had to mix in carefully, no point going in all kitted up for a demolitions job in all the safety gear. It would make him stand out far to much, Mcomerey searched through his limited wardrobe. After all the air of the city was on the change, the rich and wealthy were getting ready for a real party.

A smart checkered shirt, black and white square checker with a leather jacket for that extra playboy facade and a set of black jeans for leg coverage. Finalised with a set of sturdy leather boots and a satchel for storage. However, Mcomerey didn't forget to pack a builders mask and sunglasses, each could easily be explained and were good on the job and obscuring ones identity.

All Mcomerey had to hope was that at the very least the buyers were smart enough to provide pick-up and bring equipment for the job, he wasn't being given the specs here so it wasn't like he could prepare in advance and do the maths. This job was going to be hard and with how much they were paying him off... it was likely going to be nasty.

Well Mcomerey hoped their would be some nice rewards and some nice ladies for his troubles, as he headed out wondering if he was getting picked up.

 

[sun.]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]A whirl of thoughts rampaged through María's head; she had just arrived, and though Rubel's tour wasn't demanding, she could've done with a pause. Or, well, not being sent on a potentially lethal mission by a man that hadn't even given her so much as a glance. But this is what she was here for, afterall, and Valk had not hid the fact that the FEARLESS life wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Speaking of, her friend's voice poking through the murmuring of the crew helped just a bit--enough for María to not try and hide behind Rubel. Although it was hard to make, she believed that their disguises were handed out just at the table across, and though she already scolded herself, mentally, María couldn't help but feel a little bit of reassurance at the more familiar wardrobe. Just before asking Rubel who he intends to go with, an oddly familiar voice sounded close to her, belonging to the tall shape of a woman. Even before she mentioned Rubel's impression, María knew that this must've been Tia, the band-aid girl. That was pretty spot-on… she couldn't help but admit, shooting Rubel a quick, appreciative smile. Her expression quickly changed into a more neutral, polite one, as Tia addressed her directly. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"N-no no, he didn't, they were quite good, really. I thought it was funny!" Lifting her hands up as if trying to show she was unarmed, she nodded quickly, and almost bowed, ultimately staggering in between motions awkwardly. "That's me, yes. You must be Tia? Rubel told me about you when he showed me the garage. It's a pleasure to meet you." Squinting hard, María leaned forward just a bit, trying to not invade the woman's personal space, but lacking the subtlety to not make it weird regardless. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Wait… they were [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]good?![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia suddenly looked up at Rubel with a laugh, unsure whether to be flattered or somewhat worried that he'd mimicked her voice so well. "Well, hmph... I'm sure they weren't [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]accurate[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]." The gesture María did afterwards left Tia somewhat confused. Was she going for a handshake… or… doing some sort of… dance? Whatever it was, just to be polite, Tia copied the gesture. Maybe it was a common thing she hadn't learnt yet. The girl's movements were very… strange, though. Was she missing something about her here?[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Yep, that's me! Local biker and mechanic at your service, nice to meetcha' as well,"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia chirped in response, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"and… wait, wait… you're actually called María? Oh my God…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] for some reason, the NOAH took a moment to laugh to herself, before looking up with a flustered wave,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"D-don't get the wrong idea, I don't think your name's dumb or anything… it's just, heh… well, it's a long story. Basically, I forgot my actual name, so when they first brought me here, they ask me my name, right? So I looked at one of the drinks on the bar and just blurted out that I was called 'Tia Maria'... it started off as an ongoing joke, but soon Tia became my actual name and callsign,"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia grinned further, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Never thought I'd be meeting my other half!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Taking a while to calm down, Tia's giggles soon died out.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"So… uh… did you just arrive?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she asked, looking up and down at the somewhat bedraggled girl with eyes that gleamed sympathy as much as they did curiosity. "I don't wanna pry or anything… but… I'm guessing you've been on the run for a while, huh…"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María tilted her head to the side, slightly confused as to why the other woman mimicked her motions. For a brief moment, a hint of excitement crept into her face, as she briefly wondered if she had met someone with the same condition as her; that was nonsense, however. Surely, no blind woman would ever be a mechanic. The newbie agent backed-off, hoping not to have made Tia uncomfortable, as she vacuously smiled and nodded along. "Mhm, María's my actual name. Well, technically, I don't know that for sure, but I was told it was when I was about three, so I think it's probably true." she explained, her cheeks turning red ever so slightly; somehow, revealing such details made her feel vulnerable, despite the fact Tia had just done the same. "I didn't realize drinks had names, but that's pretty funny." she admitted with a courteous smile. In fact, her smile grew a bit, into a more genuine one, as she hid her hands in her pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"I'm glad to have another half, though!" María chirped. Shaking her head after a moment, the NOAH rushed to reassure Tia. "It's totally fine, really! I'd ask the new girl too, I'm sure. I suppose everyone wants to know who they're working with." Biting her bottom lip for a second, María thought about the previous few hours. "I did actually mean to come here earlier, but I had to make sure my friends would be okay without me. I'm still a bit worried, to be honest, but I did want to help Valk's friends as soon as I could. I was quite lucky Rubel here helped me, I'm terrible at introducing myself…" She laughed nervously, shooting Rubel a glance. "I haven't been on the run per se." María tousled her hair on the back of her head, thinking. "Although I'm certainly better off hiding, that much is clear." The realization of how long she had talked about herself hit her like a truck, and the lanky woman's face flushed red. "I'm just blabbering, I apologize!" Wiggling around nervously, María put a single finger on her nose, her face one big question mark. "If I may ask: Why do you have that on your nose? Even Rubel put one on his when he imitated you. Well, he told me he did anyways."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Giving a soft laugh as the girl claimed she wasn't great at introducing herself, Tia shook her head. Her nervous yet kind attitude was already somewhat growing on her… in her opinion, there weren't nearly enough of those people left in the world.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Aw… don't worry, you're doing just fine compared to most of the other NOAH," [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Tia said to try and give some reassurance,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "And whaddaya mean, 'blabbering'? They always seem to cut off just as things are getting interesting… but that's fine. I… um… wouldn't really want to talk about how things were for me, either."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia's voice grew a little more serious towards the end of her sentence, her shoulders sinking a little as she glanced towards the ground.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Looking at María's gesture towards her nose, the NOAH swallowed somewhat nervously as she had a feeling about the question coming.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh…[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] er…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia began to tap the ends of her fingers together. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Erm… there's sort of, an… 'injury', behind it…"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María's shoulders sank a bit, picking up on Tia's reluctant tone.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive, it's fine, really!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"No, no… don't worry. It's just…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia tried to cheer up her tone a little bit, not wanting to upset the new NOAH, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"...there's just something a lil' ugly under there, that's all."[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia gave a slight smile to the girl, before finding herself falling silent for once. Her eyes seemed to be in deep thought.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María brought up her hands in front of her chest, wiggling them around in a defensive manner.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I understand, really! I'm sure it'll get better. The look suits you, anyways!"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she insisted, hoping to cheer her up. Trying to change the subject, María wrestled with what to say next, squinting once more to get a glimpse of her surroundings. Finally, the dress and the pair of high heels in Tia's arms grabbed her attention.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Oooh," she cooed, "these are very pretty… I think." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Bending forward a bit, in order to get a better view of the clothes, she smiled up at Tia. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I didn't know mechanics have such refined taste in evening gowns." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she said, clearly impressed.[/BCOLOR] [/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"You really think so...?"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia replied with a tilt of her head to María's compliment about the plaster. Whether it was true or not, it seemed to cheer her up a bit, causing the NOAH to smile slightly to herself as she pressed down the band-aid gently on her nose. Watching as María proceeded to lean in closely into the heels she was holding along with her dreaded dress, whilst Tia thought her movements were strange at first, she widened her eyes in surprise as the realisation hit her: María was… well… basically blind. Not trying to make a big deal of it, Tia couldn't help but feel a huge pang of guilt in her stomach for noticing earlier. ...That blindness was caused by those government fucks, no doubt. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Bastards.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Giving a sigh, Tia examined the heels with a cringing expression.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"W-well, thanks, I guess? Never thought of myself as a 'fashionista', ever since I decided tracksuit bottoms would be my daily attire."[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia giggled, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Naw, but I just picked up the biggest thing without even thinking about it, and I can't even imagine how stupid I'm gonna look. Like… what even[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] are [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]these things?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she held up the high heels, looking at them like a foreign object. She'd genuinely never even tried a pair of these on before. She slowly turned her head to María, widening her eyes slightly.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Please don't tell me you're supposed to put them on your[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] feet[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia pleaded; she'd been dreading that thought all along.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María simply nodded in confirmation, smiling as she noticed that Tia's mood seemed to improve.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Some people just suit these sort of things, you know? It's gorgeous, I'm sure you'll look wonderful, too." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]As she encouraged the mechanic, she found herself feel warm; Perhaps her praise was a bit overboard considering they had just met. Reaching behind her back, her right arm grabbed the wrist of her left, and María rocked on her heels once more, feeling restless.[/BCOLOR] [/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, you mean the high heels?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she asked, thankful to be able to not simmer in silence.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "They're for balls and such, they'll look nice, I'm sure." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Letting go of her arm, and bringing up one finger to her mouth, she tapped it against her chin, pondering.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Although you're quite tall, and when I had to learn to walk in these, I found it really difficult." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She shrugged apologetically, squinting her left eye, and pulling up her cheek, as if she bit on something sour.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Apparently it is easier to be a proper lady when you're short in general." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María's voice carried a hint of gloominess, as she reminisced her past.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I can help you with those, if you'd like. I used to wear shoes like that pretty much every day."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Despite her words not seeming entirely convinced, Tia's stance seemed to puff up a little bit as María assured her she'd look 'wonderful'. As much as she [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]really[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] didn't want to wear something like this, maybe she wouldn't look… actually, nah, there was no way.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"I wouldn't bet on it, but… ah… thanks…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia murmured. Then, the thing María said about the high heels made the NOAH's head shoot up suddenly[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent].[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Wait, they're for [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]balls[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]?"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia looked somewhat horrified, then processed this for a moment, before realising how much of an absolute idiot she was and bursting into laughter because of it. Her laughter dying down, Tia shook her head and waved a hand in apology. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"...Sorry, that was just… wow. I get it now."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] her eyes seemed to light up a little at María's offer, as figuring out how was she was going to walk in these things felt like quantum physics to her. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"You will? O-oh my god, thanks… but… I dunno if I'll be able to master this even [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]with[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] your help. Do I just- ah, fuck it!"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] abruptly, Tia knelt down, untying and ripping off her boots, looking somewhat determined, before realising they were still in a public area.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, right… ah… I'll probably be the laughing stock of the whole place for a year if I try this with my friends watching. It alright if we head somewhere a little more, um… private?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia scratched her head as she thought of somewhere. Her little 'room' in the garage wasn't really an option; the place was a pigsty. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Maybe the communal bathroom's free? It's pretty spacey in there… er, if you're up for it. And don't you worry, I'm [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]sooo[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] going to find a way to repay you for teaching me this. Everyone else round here would just shake their heads and watch in glee as I trip everywhere~."[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia added with a chuckle.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Surprised at the energetic motion, María watched Tia sink down, undoing her boots. FEARLESS really was the polar opposite of her formal time in the facilities. A vague feeling of vicarious embarrassment coursed through her body as she heard the fellow NOAH curse, 'causing her to let out a squeaky giggle. Holding one hand over her mouth as she laughed, María raised her head, trying to get at least a faint look at those around them. Nobody seemed too concerned with Tia's efforts so far, but María understood that'd surely change if she were to trip; Though, for her, the thought of someone ridiculing someone for honing their manners was foreign. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Tia's voice ripped María out of her thoughts, as she asked her to change locations. The new recruit blushed faintly around her nose, nodding quietly at Tia's request, as she fumbled with her fingers, tugging at her sleeves.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Of course. Don't worry about it, really, I'm happy I can be useful." S[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]he smiled, once again glancing over the other FEARLESS members; the thought of them being amused at Tia's first steps in heels seemed so innocent compared to… other experiences.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I promise I won't laugh," [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she finally assured,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I know it can be pretty tough, but I'll do my best to help." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]As she spoke, María took the few steps needed to grab her own set of dress and shoes. They all looked much too blurry and devoid of color for her to make an educated guess on what would suit her, and so she hoped for the best. There was no way she wouldn't enjoy the new outfit anyhow; being picky was unneeded.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Twisting her mouth, María reached out with her free hand, while her shoes and dress were clamped under the other arm.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "You'll have to show me where to go though, I'm afraid Rubel and I didn't go over the restroom." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]The NOAH wiggled around the newly acquired outfit under her arm, before smiling brightly.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "And we can both tip-toe around like storks now."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"It's more of a wash room, really. We have a few toilets scattered about; I'll be sure to show those on the way~. But let me tell you, if there's one good thing about this place… it's the [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]bath[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. The water's just perfect, the size of the tub is huge, and we even get [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]bubbles[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia closed her eyes and sighed at the very thought, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"...[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Heaven~[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. Welp, let's go!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Slipping off her gloves, Tia popped them in a spare pouch, not hesitating to take María hand afterwards. Reaching out, and gently locking fingers with the hand of the other NOAH, the mechanic made an effort to make even something little like this as comfortable as possible.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Um... sorry that it's kinda sweaty,"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia murmured. Saying her goodbyes the friends she had within, and making a mental note to stealth noogie Rubel at some point as she gave a goodbye wave to him, she'd virtually forgotten about the whole embarrassing situation thanks to María at her side. There was just something so… captivating… about her.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Beginning to guide the blind girl through various corridors and up a flight of stairs, every ten steps or so, Tia would look back to double check her companion was comfortable. When she first arrived here, the whole of the AFTERLIFE was kinda overwhelming as well.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Aaaand, here's the bathroom! Don't you ever hesitate to let me know - or find me - if you need to go over the route again, alright?"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia began by knocking on the door of the bathroom notably loudly, giving a good ten seconds before creaking it open.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Hellloooo…? Anyone?"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Noticing the bath was filled up, her eyes shrunk a little in horror… but... it really did seem like nobody was in there. Still, determined not to make the same mistake twice, Tia took a long nail from one of her pouches, a light and just audible hum sounding as the NOAH gently levitated the thing into the water, causing a quiet *splash*. Giving it a solid ten seconds, she seemed satisfied, shutting the door behind her.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"...Phew. Alright! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Let's do this.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia threw off her boots for real this time, crouching down and angling the high heels in a good position to slide her feet into. Lining up the trajectory of one, Tia bit her lip to hold back the straining pain that felt like it was janking her whole foot apart. After a series of grunts and quiet cursing under her breath, one black heel was on, and she was already feeling the burn. Swinging her other foot around, Tia closed her eyes tightly, before the second foot was in. Looking at her feet encased in the black heels, even if she was 5% fancy, 95% combat gear at the moment, she still felt like an idiot already.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"I still can't believe people actually [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]wear[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] these. Were these designed for some sort of… like, secret military training?!"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she spluttered, wincing as she gripped a railing for support to get to her feet. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Agh…! [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Her ankles were being elevated in such an unnatural position, it felt impossible to stand, let alone walk! Her whole face reddening, Tia wobbled a little, using her arms to keep balance. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Agh… am I doing something wrong? Is there a certain way to stand?"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]The AFTERLIFE wasn't exactly the place María imagined someone taking a bubble bath, but the thought comforted her; Even in a secret war, the simple pleasures in life seemed to persist. While María was lost in thought, she felt the warmth and the slightly damp skin of Tia's hand on her own; a small surprised gasp escaped her lips, as their fingers locked. Though the new recruit had offered her hand with nothing but symbolic intentions, she felt an unusual level of comfort with María leading her away from the crowd, that the corners of her mouth curled upwards. She felt her face heat up, and so she looked downwards, shielding it from Tia's and, perhaps, Rubel's eyes behind her stringy mop of hair. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]The way to the bath was littered with steps and turns, thankfully, forcing María to pay attention, instead of fumbling about nervously, lost in thought.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Thank you." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she repeated what felt like a million times, at every warning of even the tiniest bump, so much so that she eventually felt the urge to apologize for saying it so often.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I… If it really doesn't bother you, I'll do that." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María was somewhat confident that she had payed enough attention to move around on her own, but a tiny, distant voice in her hand warned her not to say as such, though the blind NOAH wasn't quite sure why. She listened intently as Tia pulled out a nail, unsure what her intentions with the procedure were, but refrained from asking. She had asked too many obvious, unnecessary questions already, that, she was sure of.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub, María bent forward, stooping down so she could get a blurry close-up look at the shoes Tia had taken from the table, before holding her own pair so close to her face that it looked like she was trying to balance the shoe on her nose. Without even pretending to take a look, she slowly pulled at the lace of her boot, loosening the knot so she could strip off the heavy footwear. Sitting there in her socks, she let Tia take her first, wobbly steps, she smiled emphatically.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "They're worn so you look proper, silly." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María grabbed her shoes be the edge and effortlessly slipped into the first, then the other. Still seated, she tapped her soles against the tile floor, and pulled herself up. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"See, the heels lift you just a bit, so you stand straighter. They make your hips sway more when you walk, too. They're kind of like a posture-corrector." [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Taking a few clacking steps, the sound echoed over the water and bounced off of the walls. The newbie FEARLESS agent threw Tia another smile, then snapped her fingers. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I forgot, it's probably way easier if you take that off." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She stripped off her own jacket, now clad only in her black tank. Without the restriction of her bulky jacket, she almost pranced across the room and around Tia. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"You'll find it much easier without the armor, I'm sure."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Posture corrector, huh…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] the way María described it made them sound like some sort of piece of scientific equipment, but Tia was still convinced they were a two-piece torture device. She was still determined to get the hang of it though, and watching María strut around so effortlessly bolstered that even further. Taking a while to slip off every piece of inhibiting armour, Tia was left feeling loose and far less restricted in her simple olive vest and leggings.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Feels better already, but… I dunno… I'm still not sure about this…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia bit her lip as her face became flushed, and she closed her eyes tight.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Fuck it; here goes…!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Her first steps started off shaky and wobbly, and far too fast; she often had to catch herself on the edge of the bathtub or María's arm, rapidly apologising with laughter after doing so. The new FEARLESS recruit giggled more often than she could remember doing in the past year combined, trying to help Tia with her posture. Each time she fell, Tia said to herself:[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]'Okay, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]this[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] is the one!'[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]María nodded in encouragement, holding Tia's hand as she tried again. "Try and put your heel on the ground first, just like you would barefoot. And make small steps, it helps a lot." Attempt after attempt, and watching how María did it and listening to her advice, Tia found the right balance in her foot stance, soon taking big steps around the room with minimal slips. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]She didn't like how her hips were forced to move in the way they were, but eventually… she just accepted it. This would only be for one night and for a greater cause, after all.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Hah! There… not so bad for a run down mechanic, eh…?"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia chuckled to herself, strutting over to María in a still slightly wobbly, but vastly in improved manner. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Thanks for being patient with me… but, um… sorry, there [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]was[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] something else I wanted to ask…"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María perked up, wondering what the mechanic could possibly need help with; from someone like María nonetheless. Tia bent over, grabbing the other components for her 'disguise' tomorrow. Stroking and playing with her side ponytail nervously, she found the courage to ask María one more thing.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"I… er… I was wondering… couldja maybe show me how to put on the dress, as well?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]her playing intensified somewhat, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll leave you be after that, I promise! Normally I wouldn't ask, but… I don't wanna be wearing it the wrong way round when the time comes, and now I've taken most my stuff off… might as well, huh?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] With a giggle, the new NOAH nodded, picturing her new friend waltzing across the ballroom floor with her dress all mangled.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Tia held it close to María's eyes, noting how she could get a rough shape of objects if they were close enough by now. This thing was as frilly as she expected…[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Like… where do I even start with this thing…? All these straps are gonna be the death of me…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]a nervous laugh followed her question, but by now, she felt pretty bad for getting María to help her out with all of this; Tia was already devising a plan to repay the NOAH later. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]The blind girl reached out, carefully feeling the fabric, the little hooks, the seams, and the frills. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Not exactly plain." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María remarked, wondering why they would have to dress up with such extravagance during an infiltration.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "It suits you." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she added absent-mindedly. Shooting Tia a smile, she remembered that direct compliments were rather brash, drawing another blush on her cheeks.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I'll show you, but you'll need someone to do tie these up before you leave." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Tugging on the strap on the gown's back, she held it up in front of her, flattening it out. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Can you try it on?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María asked, before she cleared her throat hastily. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"So I can see how it sits, I mean. Uh... only if you like, of course. I won't look." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she jokingly assured, handing Tia her dress back, and symbolically turning her back for some additional privacy.[/BCOLOR] [/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Well… I'll try my best,"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia nodded. Though she appreciated María's kind gesture of turning away, she really wasn't too bothered about another girl 'seeing' in this context, even if she wasn't blind. It wasn't that weird or anything. The sound of her vest being thrown off could be heard, along with a collection of grumbling and complaining to herself as she forced the thing on. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Thankfully, the bottom of the dress wasn't too puffed out, but that was the only positive thing Tia had to say about it. Even when the back wasn't tied, the gown was pressing against her in all the wrong ways. The colour was a very light, soft lime that seemed to go oddly well with the NOAH's eyes and hair. Oddly enough, there was a small pattern symbolising roses and thorns around the waist that matched her tattoo. And… what was even more odd was that it didn't feel…[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] that[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] bad…?[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]It wasn't that it was too tight, it wasn't [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]horrible[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent], it just felt… ugh… weird. This wasn't her. Turning her back to María, though it'd be invisible to her, a part of a tattoo symbolising a blooming rose was visible on her bare shoulder.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Okay… uh, ready when you are."[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia whispered, still not getting over the embarrassment of wearing the thing. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"J-Jesus… I don't even want to [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]know [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]what I look like right now…"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Turning around slowly, so that she didn't look too early just in case, María took a long stride over to Tia, squinting once again. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Sorry if this is weird." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she apologized, as she stepped closer, in order to get a look at how the dress sat. She gently took the two cords, crossing them, then pulling them tighter, repeating the motions in alternating order a few times, until the back was tied up properly, putting the ends into a wobbly ribbon. Putting the strap in between her index finger and thumb, she ran it down once, taking a close look at her work. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"There, all done."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]With a modest step backwards, she let her gaze wander up and down. Knowing the details from her closer inspection before, she couldn't help but appreciate how well the dress sat, considering Tia was quite a bit taller than the average woman.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I think it looks very… very pretty on you." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María assessed, her voice trailing off towards the end, as she turned her head downwards. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I'm sorry if it's too tight, I know it takes a while to get used to. It… It suits you though, really."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Twisting her body around and wincing a little as the dress was tightened, it took a while for Tia to get used to the garment. Not as unbearable as she'd been expecting, but… still. This combined with the heels felt extremely limiting, especially if she needed to switch into combat and summon Mixuki in the middle of the party. The girl gave a sad sigh, almost like how a child would, perking up a little bit when María mentioned it looked nice on her, but she was probably just being polite.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Thanks, María… I'll be able to live with it, I think…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia mumbled somewhat unenthusiastically. Looking around, Tia noticed a hand mirror, effortlessly making the metal body of the thing float in front of her so she could observe.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Ohhhh, God… it's worse than I thought…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia hid her red-hot face in her hands for a moment, throwing the mirror away.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"...Agh, just ignore me, I'll be fine tomorrow; we can do up each other's dresses in the morning. ...It's only for a day, anyways,"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia tried to add in a more optimistic tone, though she still seemed a little grumpy. A little silence followed as Tia glanced in the hand mirror again.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Abruptly perking up suddenly, Tia suddenly took María gently by the shoulders. "Now then! It's my turn to do something for you, hmm?" she grinned, making a gesture to the girl's hair.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"No offence, buuut… I'm no hair expert, but I don't think that's gonna work at the ball. I'm sure it's not your fault your mop's like that, but it could use a little cleaning up. Doubt my manky old ponytail will be an accepted style, either…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia thought, before gently pulling María's shoulders to whirl her around.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"We're in the washroom, sooo… want me to clean up your hair? I could even do a little style for ya' if you want; must be pretty hard to do whilst…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]she avoided saying the word 'blind', not wanting to cause offence,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"...well, you know. How about it? When I'm done, I'd recommend taking a while to relax in the tub. You must be pretty exhausted..."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Flinching in embarrassment, María lifted a thick knot of strands with one hand, feeling her hair. Her hair was quite messy and unkempt indeed. María body became stiff at the suggestion, her hands thrown up in defense. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, it's fine, really I can take care of it later, I think, you don't have to..." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]but her protests fizzled out as Tia took her by the shoulders, instead turning into squeaky mumbling. She remembered that she had always neglected taking care of it, and being reprimanded by her etiquette teachers for it. In that regard, she sure was a hopeless case.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Uh… I-if you really don't mind… I've never been very good at doing my hair." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she admitted with a hint of melancholy in her voice.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "But, only if you don't mind it, I didn't help to get anything back, really." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Not wanting to be a burden, she smiled in an attempt to not make Tia feel as if she owed her.[/BCOLOR] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Say no more! Take a seat, madam…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she grinned, guiding María to sit on the edge of the bathtub. Without a moment's further notice, the NOAH grabbed a soap bar and brush, softly tapping María's chin as if to suggest to tilt her head backwards. Without further ado, Tia began to run her fingers through the new recruit's hair with soap in a vigorous, but still controlled and skilled manner. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Even when it came to something like washing hair, Tia's fingers seemed extremely dextrous, running through some of the greasy curls to loosen up her hair overall. One wouldn't expect it to come from a mechanic, but it almost felt like being in a salon.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Soooo… you never told me what your 'ELEGANCE' was,"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Tia bought up as she washed, not wanting to make the whole thing too awkward, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I dunno if Rubel told you what I could do, either, but let's just say I've got a good control over most things metal. I can tether complex metal objects, like a bike, to two points, as well. I never really liked exploring what those gov' bastards forced onto me… well, at least til' now…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia explained, adding a fresh layer of soap,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"...you comfortable with sharing yours, or uh, would you prefer…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] she cut off, knowing there were some - such as Arata - who weren't proud of their power at all.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Initially reluctant, María felt herself relax under the warm water and Tia's gentle touch. Her hair already feeling less like a sweaty wig, and instead fluffing up, she sat on the tub's edge with a serene expression, her eyes closed, enjoying the treatment, and loosening up enough for her whole body to swing along with Tia's motions. Her expression changed quickly as the mechanic mentioned her powers. With furrowed brows, her eyes fluttered open, and her shoulders seemed to sink a little bit. Bringing her arms in front of her, she held them closely together, pushed against her mid-section, appearing somewhat defensive. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh… My ELEGANCE?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she asked to stall. The new recruit paused for a moment, before remembering the floating shape of the mirror.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I thought you could maybe force things to levitate, but I see how the control makes more sense…" [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]With a sad chuckle, María closed her eyes again, not wanting to get as much of a glimpse of anything, no matter how hazy or vague. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Well, I can control something, too. Kind of…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She rubbed over the bridge of her nose, uncertain how to phrase it; she wasn't fond of her powers whatsoever, much less so whenever she remembered what the plan back in the facility was for her.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "It's kind of a failure, really. My power. And me, I suppose…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María admitted.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "It's less controlling, as much as it is deleting." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She tapped her right hand's index finger on her left arm's wrist.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Time, I mean. My ELEGANCE, it… erases time."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"...Huh?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia stopped washing for a moment as tried to understand what María just said. Erase… time? No matter how hard she tried to wrap her head around it, Tia couldn' t understand what had just been said. After feeling how María's body had taken up a more sad position though, she didn't pry further into it. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Aww, well, don't worry about it. My ELEGANCE has always been kind of… 'defect', I think, as well. I was lucky to escape."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]As she began to run her fingers through María's hair again, starting to rinse it by now, Tia said something in a tone that was far more emotional.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Only govs' will see[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] you [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]as a failure. Here in FEARLESS, we see you as [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]family[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. Most of us, anyway. So don't go putting yourself down, kay? Don't listen to those who scorn you."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia washed away the last splotch of soap, watching the bubbles rise to the surface of the water below. She gently pet the head of the fellow NOAH a few times as she finished the rinse, as some sort of reassuring gesture.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Things might get dangerous tomorrow, but… just know I've got your back."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Hanging on the statement for a while, Tia soon brightened up whatever mood her serious, somewhat heartfelt words had bought up. Holding up two bundles of María's soggy hair, one at either side of her head, she gave a cheeky smirk.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Sooo, what style were you looking for again? I was thinking… hmmm… pigtails~?"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Biting down on her bottom lip, the tan girl nodded along silently. Defect was an interesting choice of words. That's what she was, she knew it. She had been told plenty of times, and she had felt it plenty of times. Her body stiffened, no longer rocking along with the massaging motions, and for a while, as Tia took breaks between sentences, only the quiet sound of her hair being soaped up filled the air. Abruptly, María cleared her throat, perhaps for one or two seconds longer than normal, and shook her head.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I'd like a family," [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she admitted quietly, her tone longing, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I hope I won't disappoint you guys. Or Valkyrie."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She briefly pondered what Valk imagined her role would end up being, but she seemed sincere when she declared María a useful asset. It was a comforting thought. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Eventually, she straightened out her back a bit, and reached up, laying her hand on top of Tia's soapy hand.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I'll have yours, too." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]A shimmer of courage flared up inside her, and the roaming hopelessness that had made itself a home inside of her thoughts felt as if it subsided just a bit, for the first time in how long María didn't even know.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Style?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she echoed, genuinely confused. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I… I have no idea. I used to have a hairband, and that was it. Uhm…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She tried to imagine herself with pigtails, and her lips curled into a smirk. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"A bit juvenile, perhaps. Won't I look silly?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She thought back to Tia's outline; her no-nonsense ponytail seemed so mature and dignified, in a way, despite being a clear choice of convenience. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I don't want everyone else laughing at me." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she declared, ironically carrying a childish moan in her tone. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll do it if you promise that it won't look stupid. If it does… you owe me!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]As María's hand was placed atop of Tia's own, she suddenly felt her eyes widen, and time in her eyes seemed to 'pause' for a little while. This… this 'warmth' she felt in her stomach, it was a feeling she hadn't been able to replicate for a while now. Even if it was just for a short while, she'd suddenly felt some sort of special connection with this new girl. Tia felt her lip quivering slightly, as she'd felt this same sort of connection when she had deep conversations with 'ECHO'. Her eyes watered slightly.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]...She really,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] really,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] didn't want María to die. Ever.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"Well, you [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]are [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]family now, as far as I'm concerned. Don't you worry about disappointing anyone. You're here for a greater cause than that…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Tia softly said, the words causing a gentle hum through the small room. It seemed like there was more she wanted to say.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Keeping these thoughts barred deep within her own mind, however, Tia nonchalantly continued the conversation as if such intense thoughts weren't there at all. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Weeeelll, I wasn't fully serious, but you know what?"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]T[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]he mirror Tia had been using earlier made a return, and she kept it hovering in front of María's face so she could get a better look at her from the front.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Hrmm… you know what, I can make this work! If you don't like it, you can get revenge by doing what [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]you[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] want with [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]my[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] do'; sound good~? Give me a sec."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Briefly retreating to get a couple of spare hairbands, Tia began to brush away at María's hair delicately, whilst what seemed like a levitating hairdryer recently plugged in was working to dry the newcomer's hair off again. Sweeping the brush through a few times, Tia carefully began to bunch together some ends of María's hair. Once she was done, the ends of María's hair weren't done in tatty pigtails, but instead, Tia had braided together two long ends that flowed either side of María's shoulders. ...Whilst it had admittedly started off as a joke, with the whole idea of those two short suspended tuft, Tia actually thought she looked really pretty like this. There could still be something better, for sure, but...[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"...What do you think? Do you, um, feel like it sits okay? I could try some other things for ya' if you want… you're the fashion expert, after all…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Her voice trailing off, the more she looked at María without her tatty hair, she was really beginning to see how elegant she must've looked in dresses, whatever her past held.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]María quietly sat there, trying to make out the spectres that danced across the mirror. She could barely make anything out, and so, instead, she payed special attention to the feeling of her hair being moved around, trying to anticipate what the outcome might look like. Her mind conjured images of textbook schoolgirls, causing her to squirm just a bit. Though she never got to experience a normal child's school routine, she could do without looking like a kid.[/BCOLOR] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]As Tia announced her final touches, María arched her back slightly, straightening her overall posture, and felt oddly excited. The floating mirror, as fascinating as it was that it did indeed levitate, was grabbed and pulled close, so that she could get a decent idea of what she looked like now. The outlines of Tia's work were considerably different to what María had imagined; subtle and mature, in a way. In fact, it reminded her vaguely of the hairstyles she had seen in pictures of weddings when she was little. It seemed more than appropriate for the event. Additionally, it also made the time-deleting NOAH feel special; all dressed up and fancy. A smile flashed across María's face, as she tilted her head, and wiggled it around a bit, as if to test her hair's sturdiness.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"You said if I don't like I get to give you a makeover, right?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she inquired, almost grinning.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Well, you really wouldn't want that, so you're in luck; this looks great!" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she chirped happily. Wanting to get a feel of her clean, combed hair, she gently tugged at one of the ends, so as to not pull apart the look.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "You're amazing! I didn't know mechanics had such a good hand for doing hair." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]María sounded genuinely impressed. Almost hyperextending her neck, she looked up at Tia behind her, her bright smile turned upside down from this perspective.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "Thank you so much!"[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Beaming widely at María's reaction, Tia was glad she the girl genuinely seemed to like what she'd done for her. At first, she'd done it so they could be 'even' in terms of favours… but… looking at how happy she'd made her, Tia realised that didn't really matter to her anymore.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh, hehe… come on, I'm not[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] that[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] great…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] the NOAH mumbled with a blush, her smile almost turning into one that was reminiscing something.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"...I had a friend who really liked doing my hair back in the day. I doubt I could even tie a ponytail if it hadn't been for her."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Looking at María crane up her neck in her, Tia's body position slightly cramped over a little, and looked like she was holding something in, before she suddenly blurted out: [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"...You look adorable."[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] A vigorous blush coming after she said it, Tia looked to the side with a small smile on her lips,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]"I-I didn't mean that in a condescending way or anything. I-I just… think, um… the look really… [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]suits you[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent], that's all."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Getting up to her feet, Tia gave a long sigh, realising she was still done up in the refined lime dress. Ah, crap… no! She hadn't gotten [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]used[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] to it, had she? [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Well… that was all certainly an experience, huh? But thanks to you, I at least know the basics of how to not break my ankles.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] ...Thanks again for that, María."[/BCOLOR] Tia added, fumbling to try and untie the dress again from the back. [BCOLOR=transparent]"...Didja want to actually use that bath? Nothing better than having a nice soak at least once a day. I was gonna go get something to eat, but, um… if you're hungry, I could…"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]T[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]ia suddenly shook her head, dismissing the thought. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"A-actually, nevermind, you deserve better than my cruddy instant noodles."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]María turned around, feeling her neck starting to protest the position. She repeated Tia's choice of words, caught off-guard by the compliment. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"A-adorable?" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Now unable to hide her face behind a curtain of oily hair, her flushed, red face was on display for the world--and much worse, Tia--too see, live and in color. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"Th-thank you…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she stammered, both of her hands' fingers toying around with the edge of her tank top, feverishly running them across the fabric from left to right.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I didn't…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she tried to assure Tia, but found herself choking on her words, instead just wobbling her head in a manner she hoped expressed her feelings. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Grateful that Tia seemed to know how to maneuver her way out of a potential awkward silence, the newcomer cleared her throat and shot up from the tub's edge; unfortunately forgetting that she still wore her pair of high heels, causing her to shake. Instinctively, she clutched at Tia's arm, so as to not fall, and stabilized herself. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"M-my bad…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]The shame seemed to have no end, María thought, and she took to clearing her throat once again, determined to not act like a fool this time around. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"I… I'm sure they're not cruddy!" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she blurted out. Even if they were, they sure as hell wouldn't be worse than her recent diet. Well, that, and the simple idea of having someone to share their food with was rather comforting.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "I-if you don't mind company, I'd love to, uh…"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] She paused, lowering her voice in an attempt to sound as casual as she could muster.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "To grab a bite. I haven't had a proper meal in a good while, heh…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She laughed it off, but failed epicly at hiding her embarrassment.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "It'd be a little weird if I started grabbing all the hors d'oeuvre at the ball…" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]she teased with a smirk.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Looking back with an enthusiastic moment, it seemed like Tia had sort of been hoping María would say what she did. After hurriedly changing back into sort of normal clothes once again, Tia simply reached out, grabbing her fellow NOAH's hand and locking fingers like they had back at the bar.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]"...Then follow me."[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent] [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Softly tugging at the girl's hand, Tia began to lead María out of the wash room, the wooden door gently creaked shut behind them as the two NOAH set off.[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]​

 

[ERode]

During the entire briefing, Arata faced a grimy, poster-plastered wall, his forehead resting against it. Ah, he wanted to die. Not only did everyone somehow think Tia and Arata were a 'thing', but the protests from Tia herself made it super duper obvious that she was absolutely repulsed by such a horrifying idea. Ugh, he was going to have to be more careful now. God knows when she'd start spraying jet fuel on him and then serving him a tray full of cigarette ash.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. He had heard, from an angry Valkyrie rant, that a single Praetorian was what pretty much decimated FEARLESS's golden team, lead by Foxtrot and supported by Echo and Glitch. And now they were planning on taking down not one, but two Praetorians in the same night? Without powerhouses such as Tinker and White Wych to back them up? KING, the most politically influential leader within New Eccelesia, and REAPER, who wielded both the powers of omnipotent vision, invisibility, and intangibility? Arata's eyes flickered as he turned from the grimy wall again. That's the perfect spying ability, wasn't it? What if she was in this room right now? Recording this conversation to report back to her fellow Praetorians? A CLOSED sign on the Afterlife meant nothing to those who were truly determined to enter, after all.

BUT THAT WASN'T EVEN THE WORST OF IT!

THE PLAN WAS FOR THEM TO GO INTO A CEREMONY FILLED WITH HIGH-RANKING INDIVIDUALS WITHIN NEW ECCELSIA'S GOVERNMENT AS COUPLES. IN FORMAL WEAR.

Arata didn't drink, but in that moment, he really wish he did. Something to steady his nerves would be nice. And perhaps an epiphany from GODFATHER realizing that sending in NOAH with wanted posters of their faces plastered everywhere being a bad idea. And god, the psychopathic Crusader was planning on teaching the boys how to dress up as well. Which meant stripping them all. Even worse scenarios popped up in Arata's head, and now all he wanted to do was crawl in a hole and blush furiously while praying that they found someone else to take his spot in the mission. He couldn't even instantly take down a Paladin that was distracted by basically everyone else's efforts. How on earth did they expect him to be of use against two Praetorians at once?!

Really, as far as he was concerned, they were better off just have Aresia drop a nuke on the ceremony and hoping that was enough to horribly main or outright kill everyone in there. Meant that he could stay 'home' and relax as well.

As usual though, Arata didn't raise his concerns. He simply accepted his new outfit with a weak little nod, shake his head at Crusader's suggestion, and trudged off towards his room. It was just clothing.

Shouldn't be that hard, right?

"…ahahahaha…"

A creepy, despairing laugh left his lips.

He was going to die.

Out of embarrassment if nothing else.

 

[Bismarck]

"Arata you can't run from me. I have a portable chainsaw. Your door is made of wood." Alexander said with a laugh. Certainly he was known for his psychotic tendencies, and the man planned to capitalize on that. Especially since he knew how vital, something as small as a disguise, would be to mission success. The man set his helmet down, and gave a friendly smile. "Understand I'm only joking Arata. Come here, I'll at least show you how to tie a basic knot for your tie. The rest isn't too hard, just button every thing right. But tying a tie, means one small mistake, can leave you looking like a fool."

Even as the man spoke, he was removing the armor plates on his hands, and wrists, to help give him a little more dexterity to use his fingers, and his hands to properly tie something. The man set the plates, and his weapons onto the table with his helmet, to get everything out of the way. He laid down the four knives, two pistols, his personal assault rifle, his own shotgun, and his Chainsword, which he set down gently. Showing his generally peaceful intentions.

"Trust me, Arata. The cleaner you look, the less people will notice you. If you come in looking exotic, or like a lower class citizen. The more attention you'll draw. I'm trying to just help you blend in." The Ronin offered quite honestly, still smiling a bit, as he rolled his shoulders a bit. He knew Arata was anti-social, so he tried to play on that a little bit. However that was mostly because he wanted to talk to the young NOAH. Truly he had a curiosity about everyone in FEARLESS, and being the bartender he loved to chat. "Why don't we take a walk, and I'll help you sort this stuff out. Maybe even teach you something useful, so you don't have to stay glued to Tia the entire time, and can get away for some privacy at the ball, until called upon to act." Alexander said with a teasing chuckle, as he started to follow after Arata.

"Jill, don't move those, unless people start coming in. I'll get those weapons later! Hold down the bar sweetie." He remarked, with a wink to the woman, before he made his way down the hallway. "Besides Arata, you play the piano in my bar all the time. And yet I barely know anything about you. Might as well indulge me in some conversation, being a fellow swordsman and all." Once more his words were offered as kind, and friendly. Despite being a Ronin, which were usually regarded as only focused on fighting, and keeping equipment ready, Alexander was by nature more friendly and kind. Being a Bartender was his specialty after all, which meant he had to know how to make small talk.​

 

[Astros]

Takes Two to Tango​

Characters

Takes Two to Tango

It was in the early hours of morning the day before the ball's appointed time. That Rubel stood in the middle of his room staring at a sleepy eyed group of FEARLESS members before him. They'd been told beforehand the class would be an early one so he gave little pity for their lackluster enthusiasm as he opened his mouth to shout. "WAKE UP!" His voice boomed. Echoing in the empty room, that hours earlier would have hardly seemed as menacing with its usual clutter. But now, it would be as if Rubel were shouting right next to their ear.

"My assistant and I" he continued, motioning to Maria at his side, who oddly seemed not at all bothered by his assertive tone. "Have seven hours to drill the basics of dance into you. I will not tolerate complaints nor quitters. Do YOU understand!?" The group merely nodded before Rubel addressed them once again. This time his tone shifting back to its normal vocal range, glad to have their attention. "Good. You'll need to remember all of this." he noted with a smile.

Flipping the rolling chalkboard behind him over, the board revealed its canvas, filled to the brim with chalk. Diagrams, definitions, dancing terminology, it seemed he had dissected the art of dancing down to a science. In the middle of this blizzard of white scribbles sat a large diagram simply labelled Line of Dance (LOD).

___________________________________________________________________________​

Biting down on her lip hard to try her best not to burst out laughing at Rubel's assertive tone when it arisen, despite clearly not caring much for the whole subject of 'dance', Tia otherwise took things very seriously. Wearing her high heels for practice, she seemed to move about oddly well in them, but that was only thanks to the godsend known as María. Otherwise, she'd be floored already. Trying not to be too distracting, she often gave a small wave to her across the room, before zipping her head back to the front and paying close attention.

Despite moving around fine, though, Tia was still struggling quite hard with the whole thing. Not being able to properly read meant she was putting her hand up more often than most for clarification, and when the complex terms such as 'natural', or 'reverse' turns came into play, her brain just seemed to fizzle even further into misunderstanding. It got to a point where she almost felt scared to put up her hand, clearly not wanting to be the 'dumb one'.

After she eventually managed to somewhat wrap her head around the whole diagram, which took more time to understand than she'd liked to have admitted, the next hard part that came was getting used to holding the hand of her partner. ...Of course it was Arata. Constantly holding some sort of guilty and embarrassed look whenever she was near him, Tia eventually tried to calm her stiff movements and way-too-tight or gentle hand holds by letting something out.

"...Look, Arata, I… I really am sorry about what happened a few days ago. I get that you probably don't want to… you know, be with me. It was all a big accident on my part, I didn't realise you were… you know." Tia murmured, hoping nobody else could hear, before her voice grew a little softer. "...And don't go thinking I hate you, either. I just avoid you because I know you like being alone by now. So… now that we're here, just try and ignore me, and I'll try my best to follow your movements. If anything, focus on the music. Y-you like music, right?" she tried to give somewhat of a smile to the shorter NOAH - even if she knew such gestures were futile by now - before wiring her brain to the music herself. ...Letting that all out helped her movements, somewhat. And… admittedly, Arata's hands were notably soft - almost velvety - and comforting to hold in contrast to her lightly calloused own, now that she maintained a proper grip.

Tia seemed to slowly be getting used to her partner, and she was proving to be quite a fast learner on the dance floor. One bonus was that Arata actually seemed to have a knack for the whole dancing thing, and she found herself learning most things by watching how he did it. Even if she was still a league behind him, she often found herself keeping up to his movements.
"Did someone teach you? ...You're crazy good at this, you kn-"

'SNAP-BANG!'

"Fuck!"

The sound of a heel snapping followed by the resulting bang echoed the room, leading many to find Naomi on the floor with a broken heel, a broken table and splintered wood surrounding her. She rubbed her head, her expression conveying her immediate irritation as she picked up the broken shoe and threw it at the far wall, the shoe giving an unsatisfying 'flop' as it hit the wall and fell. "Why do people do this, it's dumb!" she huffed, pushing a chunk of table off of her before standing up and dusting herself off. The tables weak resistance to her fall was indicative of her weight, despite her dainty size and frame. She retrieved the thrown shoe, half tempted to break it more before exhaling a sigh. If this was going to work these heels would need some tinkering, and by that they would need some kind of reinforcement for her weight. "Any ideas?"she asked Rubel.


Taking hold of Naomi's broken heel, Rubel meticulously turned it over in his hand, inspecting it for flaws. Running a thumb over the fracture point of the heel, he gave a nod of satisfaction before tossing the broken shoe across the room where it had been thrown previously. Next, walking over to a box set aside from the other items in the room he retrieved the set of heels he had designed specifically with Naomi in mind. "Try these." he said presenting the opened box to her. Inside among a mess of wrapping were a set of heels with exact color to the ones she'd just broke. However, these noticeably were not made of the same flimsy fabric as their inferior counterpart.

Unknown to Naomi and equally unimportant, Rubel had designed the heel and counter of the dress shoes out of a reinforced nickel alloy similar to titanium, but not quite as flexible. Coated in a substance based on the principle structure of JPOX, it was designed to absorb and maintain integrity under massive degrees of stress. While considerably heavier than normal heels they were still light enough to walk in with just a bit more effort. Once Naomi had slipped on her new heels and seemed satisfied, Rubel encouraged her to test them a bit further. "Give them a good stamp."


Naomi was impressed by the replacements, maintaining a degree of the weaker counterparts beauty while being far more hardier in comparison. She did as Rubel instructed and stamped down on the heel, sending the heel into the wood and almost splitting the plank beneath her in half. "Oh! Whoops, I... sorry" she said, her face filling with a small blush as she smiled sheepishly, "They're much better though... thanks" she said before once again returning to trying to balance in them properly. Considering her balancing talents were already pretty good as a fighter, standing in them wasn't too difficult... dancing however was something different altogether.


Noticing Naomi's mishap, Tia wasn't one to laugh at it. If anything, it just made her feel somewhat sorry for her. She knew how sensitive the girl was about her 'weight', and putting that on display for everyone to see must've been a little humiliating.

"That's some good thinking there, Rubel. ...Think you could whip up some jet thrusters on my heels so I can skidaddle out of there when the time comes?" Tia joked, before realising she didn't actually want to get a telling off, and continued to focus on the lesson.

Shuffling over to where her stomp had somewhat damaged and bent one of the planks on the wooden floor, the NOAH discreetly flicked out a nail from one of her pouches, the thing taking a moment to point downwards and hover, before whizzing down like a bullet and firmly nailing the board back into place so it didn't stick out. Even if the action was very quick, it displayed a manner of control and power nobody had seen the NOAH do before.

"Heels kinda suck, don't they…" Tia called out to Naomi as she got back into place, practicing her positioning by now above everything else. Leaning over a little, Tia did her best to give Naomi some advice. "Actually, screw kinda suck, they really suck, but here's my advice. ...Try making smaller steps, and sway your body with your movements, rather than putting all your weight on your legs. That should help compensate for your…" Tia avoided directly saying the word 'weight', moving on to the next tip. For someone who was basically clueless at the start of the lesson, Tia seemed to be picking things up quite well.

"Oooh, and, and, don't be afraid to let your partner move you around too. It feels kinda weird and annoying first, but just go with the flow. Like a river. Even if the music is kinda cruddy, try and lose yourself in it and keep your mind in sync the beat. That way, your movements should correct themselves on their own." the biker winked at her fellow NOAH with a smile, seemingly holding no grudges for what happened back at the briefing. "Kay?"

___________________________________________________________________________​

Arata was used to waking up early. Hell, Rubel's drill sergeant impression would have woken up the NOAH from downstairs even if no one went to fetch him. Not that they needed to either. Dance lessons had been scheduled since yesterday, and while a part of Arata knew that he could probably turn Rubel into sashimi if he had to, he ALSO knew that he'd never see it coming, whatever evil non-lethal punishment the SERAPHIM had in place for latecomers.

So he showed up, dressed up in the dapper swallowtail coat that Crusader had forced upon him last night.

And he had held hands with Tia, even if he knew, just from the touch of her rugged, neck-snapping hands, that she was out to get him. Those fake compliments. Her obvious disgust. Ughhhhhhhhhhh, and Crusader knew he played around with piano keys tooooooo.

As others chatted, Arata simply focused on the steps, the only concrete thing that 'mattered'. It wasn't difficult compared to the sequences engraved upon his mind by Regana-Hier, but on the other hand...he could totally fail to perform a technique and survive. On the other hand, if he accidentally stepped on Tia's foot?

Ah, God, please just make me disappear.

A half-step into a spin into a high kick into an embrace from behind.

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

___________________________________________________________________________​

Naomi raised an eyebrow as the small nail revealed itself from a small pouch before fixing the wooden board, she wasn't aware that Tia's abilities had been honed so far as to be so dexterous. Naomi flashed a small approving smile before tilting her head to the side as Tia went on to explain a couple ways to help her dance better. "Let my partner move me huh..." she looked over towards her partner and gave a smile that clearly conveyed her lack of confidence in that statement, "Easier said than done..." she said beneath her breath before recomposing herself into a lighter stance... well, lighter than usual. In time she began to get better here and there, using what she learned as a fighter in displacing her weight between the stances throughout the different parts of dance routines. Being lead was indeed as Tia had put it, 'annoying' and Naomi had to bite through her dislike of being touched in order to progress with it. In time however, she began to some what ease a little. "Alright, I think I'm sort of getting it now" she stated as she began to move more in sync with the music.

___________________________________________________________________________​

As the class continued and night transitioned to day, the early minutes of morning spilled over into the late hours of the evening. The dancing couples who started with awkward movements and stiff hand holds were now displaying a steady sequencing in their step and bent elbows from relaxed grips. Having only intervened where serious problems arose, Rubel infrequently broke up couples to teach them by showing when his nagging of simple mistakes wasn't enough.

"Closer you two!" he barked, before pressing Arata and Tia closer to one another. "It will be obvious if you're arm length apart that you're not a couple. That or you're having problems in the bedroom." Smirking at the latter remark he failed to suppress a chuckle as Tia berated him for it.

"Naomi! Your posture is great, but you're a bit too stiff. Open up your hips a bit more. Yes, just like that."

"Arata! ... ... please try to relax a little."

"Maria! You're doing fine. Keep it up." Receiving a timid smile and nod in return, he noted they were improving, all of them.

And as the sun climbed in the sky and the hours danced on, the time soon arrived for the class to finally end. *Clap Clap Clap* "All right. That's all the time we have today. You all did a great job. You'll be giving those nobles a run for their money... But if you remember anything tomorrow, be surer it's what's on the board over there." he said pointing to the chalk board earlier that had been moved against the wall for space. "If you can follow the Line of Dance and act like a couple you'll do fine. I'll go over the basics again in the morning before we leave, until then you're free to go. Drop off your shoes by the door and I'll make sure they're clean for tomorrow." With that the class was over.

The seven long hours of being on their feet and cramming their skulls with dance knowledge was in a way excessive, but all too important. If they remembered half of it they would be all right, Rubel knew. But there was always the possibility there'd be something he didn't teach them or couldn't. Something that wasn't known to him or was special to these types of balls. And it was this fact that despite the instructing he'd given, faintly worried him.

 

[Winter]

Usually a day like today would put Naomi in a good mood. The opportunity for a fight against tough odds and strong opposition was always something she enjoyed playing a hand to gamble against, today however, was not one of those days. Unlike a normal day where she'd be called in to turn the tide of a battle or level the field, today she was asked to dress up fancy and pretend like she cared for the high society bullshit. Naomi looked at herself in the mirror of a secluded backroom she'd locked herself inside, determined to be at least some what satisfied with her appearance if she were to even face the others, let along leave the AFTERLIFE. "This is so fucking stupid... " she mumbled to her reflection, letting go a defeated sigh before she began to ready herself.

Taking the dress she'd been assigned, she hung it on the back of the door before beginning to get undressed, folding her clothes in a neat pile before taking the dress and slipping into it. It'd been the first time she'd put it on, but surprisingly it was actually a good fit. Next was a long grueling process of preparing her hair, which usually fell freely around her shoulders. Naomi was no beautician and she certainly hadn't done this enough times before to really know what she was doing, so to say it took her a few attempts was a gross understatement before she eventually managed to get it into a look she found to be acceptable. Next was the application of some polish for the silver bracelets forever bound to her wrists, the physical manifestations of her elegance that'd form to base of her giant mechanical fist weapons.

Taking a cloth she got to work touching up the metal, removing the dirt and dust that'd collected over the years. 'I should probably actually do this more often... ' she thought to herself, eventually placing the cloth aside before touching up her face with a bit of makeup that'd been provided. It took a fair bit of time but once everything had finally come together she managed to be some what satisfied with how she looked. Naomi placed on the heels, heading for the door before she hesitated, anxieties overtaking for a moment before she took a steadying breath and headed out towards the bar, where she assumed they'd be collecting before setting off. "I'm ready, but I swear if any of you make jokes I'll uppercut you over Valhalla's wall... " it was an empty threat, some what mostly said for her own benefit than to make an actual threat.

Naomi Dressed Up

 

[ERode]

All the weapons Crusader removed from his body did little to reassure Arata, as that meant that the older man could simply be hiding even more stuff in his body. Maybe the belt he wore was a super flexible sword. Maybe he was wearing dentures that had bombs installed in them. Maybe his right arm was a mechanical one that could transform into a gun!

There were so many weapons that Crusader used that the terrified little boy couldn't help but imagine that his entire body was made out of weapons…which made it even scarier when Crusader revealed that he was perfectly aware of the fact that Arata played the piano. Was the man a ninja? Arata could have sworn he made sure to play around with the keys when everyone else was still asleep in the morning, but…

Uhhhhhhhh, why?

With no real way to escape outside of the sweet release of death, Arata could only slump, options much too limited.

"P-please be gentle," he said, pushing open the door a dark, empty room.

This was surely punishment for something he did in another life.

---

After liberal application of hair gel and a lecture on different tying techniques, as well as a sprinkle of one-sided conversation and a pinch of apologies, Arata finally escaped, transformed into a completely different individual.

 

[Valor]

----
T H E
N E X T
D A Y

0 7 0 0
----

-----​

FOX Suited Up

The next morning came quickly, FOXTROT dreading the next... and possibly final mission that he would have to embark upon. He was afraid not because of the dangers involved, no, but rather - FOXTROT was terrified of having to put on a stiff suit and tie just so that he could play with the bourgeoisie. Although the rest of his squad had practiced dancing the night before so that they would adequately blend in, FOX did no such thing. He was already a decent enough dancer, picking up a few things from his older brother over the years. Whether that would be enough for the event, who knows.

As Squad Two loaded up on weapons and ordnance for the mission, FOX was instead grooming himself, neatly combing his hair before throwing over a simple, dark suit and tie. The suit fit decently enough, the young man staring at himself blankly in the mirror. The suit complemented his masculine build, his pants well-tapered down to a pair of dark leather wingtips. He was handsome enough, sure, but one's attractiveness meant very little to a soldier. At the end of the day, FOX thought, people were going to die.

Satisfied with his newfound formality, FOX reached over and turned off the washroom light. As he turned the light off, he noticed his hand was slightly shaking due to recent withdrawal. After allowing himself to calm down, the young man stepped out of the room and into the upstairs hallway. Valkyrie, who was impatiently roaming about, immediately noticed FOX as he made his way downstairs. "Wow, you actually look good in that." Valkyrie commented, carefully eyeing FOX up and down while nodding her head in approval. "You should dress like that more often, Jonathan."

"Thanks, Ash."

FOX wasn't really sure how to feel about Valkyrie's compliment. "Do you know who you're going with?"

Shaking his head, FOX dreaded the idea. "I figured I would let them decide."

Valkyrie pushed her finger into FOX's suit, "That's not how it works. You need to ask someone. It'll be awkward, otherwise." She scorned him.

"and it won't be awkward if I do ask someone?"

"Er... yeah, on second thought... you could make almost anything awkward, Jonathan."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." FOX waved as he made his way down the stairs and into the main room where everyone was getting ready for today's mission. As he stepped into the main room, the disparity between how people were dressed was almost humorous, with several of the team dressed in beautiful dresses or handsome suits and the remainder carrying an army's supply of heavy ordnance. Glancing over at Arata, however, there was something... off.

"Looks like everybody's here." Gillian remarked, "Team two will move out first to scout the area and survey the area. Team one will insert shortly thereafter."

Valkyrie crossed her arms against her chest. "I'll be with team two. Was never one for parties."

Once everything was settled, it was time to move everybody out. Team two was quickly shuffled into one of the Armored Personnel Carriers that were still sitting in the garage. With a simple wash and slight modifications to the paintjob, it would make an excellent cover vehicle for team two to get close and set up for the attack. As soon as the APC was fueled and ready to go, the APC was given the green light to roll out of the building. With Crusader at the wheel and Juniper in the commander's seat, the vehicle had been reoutfitted with extra surveillance equipment.

After a short twenty-thirty minute drive, it seemed nobody questioned the APC as it rolled down Valhalla's highways and downtown streets - eventually navigating itself to the Imperial Palace - a large, gothic cathedral that towered into the sky. Parking itself in a inconspicuous location outside of the security gates, it seemed like the security around the establishment was no joke.

"Looks like we're here." Half of the seats on one end of the APC had been cleared out to make room for a large set of sophisticated set of surveillance equipment. With several monitors and computers connected to small, exterior cameras that would allow them to get a better grasp of their surroundings without leaving the vehicle.

"Confirmed. Sit tight for now. Don't leave the vehicle until we successfully inset team one. Once we give the signal, find a way to take out the security and begin setting up a perimeter. If you decide to take out the security guards at the front, somebody will need to take their place in order to avoid drawing any suspicion."

Looking through the surveillance monitors, Valkyrie pulled out a map of the area and a pen, drawing marks for where she saw security guards were stationed. "Erja, Crusader." Valkyrie began as she continued to survey the area. "I'm not really good with this whole 'stealthy' thing, and I know I'm not in charge here, but I think it'd make sense for you two to lead once we get out." Valkyrie began. While it seemed like Juniper was the one in charge here, Valkyrie hoped she didn't mind lending a her two cents in how they should pull this off. "There's an awful lot of us for a stealth mission in broad daylight. We could roll right up on them and take them out at the gate. One of us would have to quickly take their spot, though. Might give us a little more wiggle room."

----

Back at the AFTERLIFE

After squad two had rolled out of the area, squad one made their final preparations to leave. Taking out a concealable handgun from one of the nearby shelves, he checked to see if the weapon was properly loaded before slipping the last resort weapon into a hidden holster underneath his waistband. Once he was as ready as he could possibly be, he turned to the rest of the group. Before asking if everybody was ready to go, Jonathan suddenly remembered what Valkyrie had said to him a little while earlier.

Biting his lip, his eyes quickly scanned the main room before settling themselves on the person he was most familiar with. Moving towards her, the FOX nervously cleared his throat as he tentatively ran his fingers across his tie. "Hey Naomi, got a minute?" Jonathan asked, hoping that he wasn't interrupting her preparations. "Just wanted to say that... ahem," What the hell was he doing? The young man ran through a hundred conversation starters until he settled on the best-worst thing that he could come up with at the time, "You look lovely today." He said, finally.

"Anyways..." Lovely? What the hell, FOX. While it wasn't actually a lie, it was something that he probably would have never said under any circumstance. He probably looked like a goddamn idiot in front of the rest of the squad members. "I was wondering if you'd accompany me for our mission tonight... I mean, unless you had somebody else in mind." Christ... what a mess.


​

 

[Jakers]

Her face felt like it was encased in some sort of cement.

Her eyes were so interlaced with greenish eye shadow and mascara it felt like she was wearing goggles.

And the worst part, of all, was the smell. She'd rather be inhaling shit than this disgusting, over-the-top, flowery and chemical-y perfume that she'd reluctantly sprayed herself in.

Oh wait, no, that wasn't the worst part. SHE HADN'T EVEN BEEN ALLOWED TO POLISH HER BIKE THIS MORNING. On the morning of a mission, too.

But... she'd been told all of this was necessary to 'blend in'. To conceal the plaster, to make her already non-discreet figure look grandiose, and to mask the gentle waft of petrol that often followed her. She could only imagine how many people were going to be laughing at her, especially after how she mocked those who dressed exactly how she was right now. But... anything for the sake of the mission. Anything for FEARLESS.

Her gown was long, extravagant, and but a very light lime green that complimented her eye shadow, hair colour, and complexion somewhat. It had taken María's help to get it done up properly, and she'd done up hers in return. The lower, frilly part of the dress embroided with little decorations of thorny roses, it felt like she was wearing the most garish dress here. Her blonde hair was done up in a high bun behind her, with two curled strands falling either side.

Ugh, she'd even had someone suggest to plant small white flowers around the hairband. This felt horrible. It was like she was some sort of... doll, and not even human anymore.

Whether for the better or for the worse, the cheery, rugged mechanic of a NOAH was almost unrecognisable at first at she slowly entered the room, a flustered expression embedded on her cheeks.
"Don't. Say. A. Word." she simply whimpered in warning, "I know how bad it is."

The talkative NOAH wasn't so talkative at the moment as she sat in wait on one of the stools of the AFTERLIFE, looking grumpy, like a kid who'd gotten sent to their room. She waited for the briefing, and everyone to get established. Everyone else seemed to suit their dress or suit so nicely, and here she was, looking way over-the-top. She just knew she was going to stand out, get questioned, and get publically executed.

"FOX," Tia bought up quietly as she spotted him load a concealed firearm into his pants, "I've got a few automatics and various pieces of gear strapped to Mixuki. When things get bad, I'll try and get an MK18 to you as soon as possible," falling silent again and looking beyond awkward, she knew who her partner was going to be at this point, even before FOXTROT nervously 'asked out' Naomi.

Taking a deep breath, she approached Lionheart, who'd been kitted up as best as Alexander could manage, by the looks of things. There were countless reasons she felt awkward to hold his hand, but one of them that she'd only just realized was that she, the 6'2 girl - especially in high heels - towered above the short boy. It made her feel like a creep.

Regardless, Tia flashed a brief look to Arata, biting her lip as she prepared to get going. They'd got the dancing nailed down, at least. Now for the not 'scaring each other to death and looking like they wanted to die' part, which was much harder. With a deep breath, she found the courage to stand at his side.

"...Let's just get this done, y-yeah?"

 

[Bismarck]

Turning the APC off, Crusader got up, to stand in the back of the vehicle, he gave a sigh as he screwed a suppressor onto one of his Glock 19's, the quietest weapons of his entire arsenal, along with pulling out the other one. "Sadly, there are only a few ways this mess can be accomplished. Hopefully the sound of the event will drown out any noise gunfire produces. But my only weapon capable of punching through Cleric armor, is also launching a .308 down range." Pausing as he finished screwing the suppressor on, he dropped the pistol back into the leg holster. Before he pulled out another one for the barrel of his SCAR-H rifle. Pondering the plan, and looking over the map marking all of the guards he formulated his own ideas.

"I advise Erja stays with the team at all times. She has one of the few weapons here, capable of a one shot kill. However I don't know much about Valkyrie, so if you believe you can handle the rest of the guards," Stopping his explanation once more, he tapped his helmet, to turn the thing on, the bright red triangle lighting up once more. The soldier reached down to rack the bolt, and load the first bullet, in his twenty round magazine on his SCAR-H. "I just need someone, who can climb into a suit of armor. I'll make one of their deaths happen without a drop of blood spilling." How that was going to happen, Alexander wasn't quite sure yet. He assumed, if he got lucky not only could he pass for special forces, but perhaps he could also get close enough to snap one soldiers necks.

"Alright, I think I have it, maybe, we'll see what you think Juniper. I believe, that I can approach the front gate, pretending to be some sort of special unit, brought in only for this event. If I succeed, I'll pick a single target, and move to break his neck quickly in a melee fight." Alexander offered as an idea, before turning to look to Erja, pointing at her rifle, before pointing toward a map. It seemed only a pair of guards was at the door based on Valkyrie's markings, and there was next to nothing when it came to patrol patterns, as they seemed more concerned with just standing around the perimeter.

"And Erja, you'll shoot the guard I don't take down. If we get this far. Once done, you can approach, and get dressed up in the soldier's armor that I killed." As the Ronin was speaking, he was also checking to make sure his shotgun was loaded, and ready to go as well, as it was another backup weapon for him. "That way, the pair of us, can be the first two to be able to breach, or in your case setup to fire. As the guys inside will need every piece of firepower available. Seeing as I favor close combat, I need to get into the fight as quickly as possible." Once the last of his weapons checked out, he had just about ended with his idea, before leaning up against the APC. He turned to Juniper, to see what her thoughts on the plan were. She was a master strategist after all, this relied on her being quite a brilliant commander not him. He could only offer his combat experience, and ideas that would either work, or fail. With very little in between too them.

"Ultimately Valkyrie, this is Juniper's call. We've left her in charge. I'm just a humble tool of war."​

 

[sun.]

While the faint sound of team two's vehicle distanced itself, María stopped at the doorframe to the mainroom, where the remaining FEARLESS members waited to get going. With a light red on her cheeks, María realized that she had taken a bit too long in the unfamiliar environment, and ended up missing team two's departure. Her ears perked, and she couldn't help but find the uncomfortable quietness in the AFTERLIFE oppressive.

"I'm really sorry, took me longer than I thought..." she whispered to no one in particular, before stepping into the room, the clacking sounds of black and gold heels swallowed by the carpet. She wore a flowly dress, in a desaturated tone blue, that complimented her bronze skin and her light, strawberry blonde hair, but hugged her body just a bit too tightly for her own liking; afterall, overly tight clothing was uncouth, she had been taught this for years and years. Her stringy mop looked fluffy and healthy, the long locks still in the elegant bow-like pigtail-combo Tia had done for her. Around her neck, a thin black cord was wrapped into a pretty little bow, giving her a playful yet formal touch.

The new recruit squinted lightly, recognizing the shape of Tia close to a much shorter silhouette, and she recognized the voice of FOX from the evening before. Biting her bottom lip, she approached the couch, and sat down on one of its arm-rests, crossing her legs, and resting her hands above one another in her lap. A plagued expression came over her face--She'd have to actually pair up with someone. FOX seemed to have found his partner already, and she knew that Tia would have someone as well, though she hadn't met the... person. With pursed lips, she wondered if Tia's "date" was particularly handsome, before her intent gaze wandered across the room. She knew Rubel was part of her group, and he seemed like a nice person. However, etiquette suggested she await him asking her, and as much as she disliked the rule, she did not want to upset the kind young man.

Even though this was, by far, not the most haunting task the two would have to figure out today, whether they'd leave as a "couple" or not.

María shly waved to Rubel, shooting him a quick, encouraging smile. "So, uh... This is pretty... exciting, right?" She wanted to say nerve-wrecking, really, but pessimism hadn't won anyone anything. "Sorry, stupid question. I'm just nervous. I hope everything goes as planned." she said, giving him a knowing glance, before looking down, keeping her eyes fixed on her feet.

 

[Astros]

Descending the steps to the first floor Rubel fiddled with his shirt sleeve trying to thread a button through its assigned slit. In doing so he failed to pay much attention to the group gathered downstairs until he had finished meddling with it. The dark blue tuxedo top he wore clung to his shoulders and chest. Highlighting the upper part of his sculpted back and shoulders, it made movement a rather restrictive affair. Fairly accustom to his silken and relaxed casual attire, the suit and bow tie made for a brusque departure from that daily comfort. But visibly paying it little heed, he straightened the cloth around his neck and smoothed out the sides of his pure blonde hair.

Dyed the night before, to remove its green shaded ends, the usual uneven loose hairs up were gone, and instead evenly parted to the sides of his face. Making room for his thin chin and sharp facial features, it made him give off a sense of refinement and order that clashed with his usual chaotic and boyish charm. Much like the suit clinging to his body, it looked out of place on him along with his now sky blue eyes. Though the most noticeable change of all would be in the manner which he carried himself and spoke. Back straight with movements brisk so as not to create a wasted effort, his tone and manner of speaking came with a poshness unfamiliar to the cheerful and lackadaisical one he usually wore.


Making his way toward the group gathered by the door, he spotted the slim but supple figure of Maria in her light blue dress and thought it complimented her knotted blonde locks. Raising a hand at her wave he ambled over to her side as the others began deciding who they would take as their date. His mind had already been set on who since the day of the briefing, but was still open to the fact anyone may have asked her before him. Meeting Maria's timid gaze as she spoke, he smiled warmly at her frankness.

"Perhaps you're misplacing nervousness for excitement my dear? When was it last you went to a gathering with friends and enjoyed yourself?" he questioned in a low tone. Attempting to relieve the woman's tension, visible in her rigid posture, he thought a change in perspective may be just what she needed. "The proceedings will take care of themselves. And we have done all we can in preparing. It's time to relax, have a little fun, and let our efforts show. There is little sense in worrying about what is already done. Is there?" Maintaining his eyes on hers he ventured to invite a casual exchange between them. Many eyes would be upon her that night, on all of them really, both unknowing and knowingly hostile. If she could not focus on his then her eyes could be expected to roam everywhere and nowhere at once.

Content with their brief exchange and her meek words of agreement he smiled again before shifting his focus to the others. Almost frowning at their lacking enthusiasm he leaned over, covering his mouth with the back of his hand least he be overheard, and almost whispered "I'm unsure who to feel more sorrow for, the clothes or their wearers." Flashing a joking grin he straightened before adding "Those gloomy faces simply won't do."

Taking a leading step toward them, two more followed before he halted mid stride. His thoughts reminded of their manners he abruptly stood to attention and about-faced. Strutting back toward Maria where she sat on the couch arm. He bowed before her, his tail coat brushing against his thighs as his hair fell forward to shade his face. "If I may, could I have your graceful hand and company this evening?" he formally requested.