Arcana
"I believe it is ultimately our business, all the way from the very top to the bottom." Star offered a small, polite smile. "Just worried that you're so worked up about all this. It's almost like something didn't quite go right for you."
"Communication is important, Urujauni." Tapping his head he glanced out the window before focusing back on Lovers. "And I feel like you're not up to that standard for whatever reason."
White Rose, Roll Out!
Here came the signal. This was it.
"Godspeed, you all." Hope nodded before rolling away to the airship. This time she would make things right.
Novus 9: Mia and Ai
Ai's tea stopped floating very suddenly, splashing lukewarm liquid into her cup, onto her clothes, and also staining the couch's armrest. Trying to appear composed, Ai sipped the remaining lukewarm tea that landed in her cup.
"Promise," she said. "If I have to defend myself or any one of us, I'll do it...carefully."
Ai drained the last of the tea, sticking out her tongue and wincing at its low temperature. She set the cup aside, stood, and patted herself down.
"Right, I have to go change my shorts. We can talk later."
Novus 10: Skydocks
Ai slid one hand across Charisse's waist. She stood up on her toes just a little, leaned close to Charisse and licked syrup from around Charisse's chin.
"Such a messy eater," she said.
She loosened her grip, ears perking up at the sound of the signal horn blasting across the skydocks.
"That's our cue. Pack it in, everyone!" Ai said, one hand cupped around her mouth. She gestured with her free arm in a motion to invite everyone to the group hug. "And get over here! We'll make room for everyone! Even you, Hope—"
But Hope was already making her way to the airship. Ai frowned.
edited 8th Dec '15 12:06:55 PM by opnerf
Wait
...
She stopped. "Right. Sorry. Guess I was trying to focus too much." She didn't turn back however. For a moment, bad thoughts washed over her. A thought that one of them might not return from this mission. Maybe a few. Or several. Maybe a whole group will perish again...
Slowly, she turned back and wheeled over to the rest of the group. It wasn't hard to see that she became chalk-white in just a moment.
Skydock
Ayers sighed as the horn blared and he turned for the ship. "Happy trails, pardners." He said again, then lumbered off ahead of his crew towards the ship. Ayers was not worrying about people dying on the trip. More worrying was whose fault those deaths would be. If someone lost a limb, Jack showed the precedent that prosthetics were easy to pick up and learn under the right circumstances. If someone got too injured to carry on without a new bit, he could make it, and save a life, if he was good enough. The biggest motherfucking if he'd faced.
8th
Aye, if you so choose an' you think it'll make you happy. Responded Glen Sorry that I did nae think o' this sooner, was just startin' tae feel like my head's a prison for you at this point.
10th
Wordlessly boarding the airship as the horn went off, Glen quietly parked himself in a corner seat before drawing Biorgadh and beginning to sharpen it. Until he forged himself a new sword, the Highlander was going to be stuck with only this dagger to defend himself, best to make it sharp as a razor for when he needed it.
Seeing that the rest of his team were taking their time boarding, Glen barked "Get your arses on here so we can get goin'!"
The Skydocks
Any thoughts Rheia might have been having - on whether or not her and her team would be ready to face the challenge ahead, on her own mortality, on just what she'd do if she got back - were blasted out of her head by the horn signalling the airships needed to be boarded.
"Well, looks like this is it, team. Let's go break some shit." Adopting a confident grin, Rheia strode towards (and onto) her airship.
"Seven is here too, dressed like the concept of choosing clothes that look nice together was an arcane secret far beyond their grasp."The Horn of Departure
"No time like the present. Take care, people." Grigori looked back on his team and the rest of the dorm and went into the ship. He tried to relax his mind, but with so many things that he didn't know about, it was rather difficult.
"I treasure every day with you, darling." "No need to be so sappy, love." "You know that's how she is, Nia." - AU!Pyra, Nia, MythraNovus 10th
"Medus, do not be so rude to her." Ieria chided lightly as she watched Medus drag her away. She caught sight of Hope, the poor girl seemed disappointed by the group hug being cut short. Deciding to make it up to her, the taller snake girl leaned down and gave her a hug from behind. "Be safe Hope. You and everyone." She said with a warm smile.
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM SniperNovus 10: Seriously Lexi Where the Fuck Did That Come From?
Al looked at the floor as the signals sounded throughout the dock, breathing deeply for a few seconds before looking at Alexia with a stoic face. He knew that now wasn't the time to solve this issue, and that whatever he could say wouldn't help anyway. His mental condition was just not in the best shape at the moment.
"I'm not mad at you. Now's not the time for drama between us. Lexi, we'll talk about this later, okay? Just focus on your mission. You want to make sure everybody's safe, don't you? Then do that. Do that instead of focusing on us, at least for now. You have a village to save, I have a team to lead. Do that, and then we can talk. your friends are waiting for you"
When he was finished, he began to walk towards the planes, gesturing for his team to follow. "Come on TANG. We have an asshole to stop"
Novus 9
Mia would feel a few rather embarassing/lewd thoughts run through the back of her mind as they looked at Ai, what with her wet clothes and all.
Not the best time for this, Charisse.
Novus 10
Charisse turned her head away when Ai licked her chin. "N-no stop that's w-weird.." she stammered out, blushing a vibrant red. She shuffled around in her girlfriend's grasp a little.
When the horns made themselves known, she nearly jumped up, carrying Ai off with her. Luckily, she remembered how bad an idea that was and managed to stop herself. Instead she just squeezed her a little bit. When Ai called out for the group hug, she looked around to see if anyone would take up the offer.
Nobody really did. Hope seemed like she had wanted to join in, but seemed to have discouraged herself from joining in. She made a mental note to pull her up into a big hug after.
Actually.. "Hey Hope! We might not be able to hug now, but we can hug after, okay!? See if you can bring your whole team or whatever!"
Then Charisse picked up Ai, mounted her on her shoulders, and carried her off into the airship. "I'm coming Glen! Shut up you impatient bastaaaaaard~!" she yelled out jokingly towards her teamleader, crouching down to make sure Ai's head didn't clip the top of the airship doorframe.
"Is that little thing really your only weapon?" She asked, sitting down across from him. "I'd lend you one of my sickles but.. I kinda need both of them."
G was here - 2/9/24"...likewise. Just... keep yourselves safe, all four of you..."
"...beware of the strange mist." She mentioned before blinking. Where did that come from? Not that it wasn't a bad warning, considering what a Dreamshade could do, but... "Be safe." Hope smiled back against the hug. Once Ieria let go she turned a bit to grin at Charisse and give her a thumbs-up before departing after her team leader.
SKYDOCKS
"May the Hunt guide us all!" Jack bellowed happily, he looked around at the planes, ugh. Something about him hated flying...It was partially paranoia, after all, with his luck, why wouldn't the planes explode as soon as he stepped foot on it, but, oh well. He began to walk on to the FLRR plane...He thought this was the one for FLRR.
Good to be backNovus 8: Erin
Final post here.
Erin seemed cautiously happy. I do not see your mind as a prison, Glen. But I will be taking your offer. Thank you.
With that, Glen could feel here presence in his mind vanish.
Novus 8: Urujauni
The girl scoffed and turned away, crossing her arms.
"You're imagining things, Star. If I seem affected, it is because that idiot cost us one of the Major Arcana. Not to mention that there could be more traitors."
"How can we be sure that the weapon isn't compromised? Justice is there and I don't trust her. She's...different."
Novus 9: Mia
Last post here too.
Far from disapproving, Mia seemed to cheer up at Charisse's less than clean thoughts.
Hey, I'm not judging. We're going to risk our asses tomorrow, so I say go for it!
The ghost laughed slightly.
Thank you, Charisse. For being yourself.
Novus 10: Skydocks
"Y-yes. We'll talk later. Be careful, beloved." Alexia conceded with a small frown.
She then pulled Alfred closer and kissed him, just a short and chaste one, before smiling at him.
"We need to go now."
She turned away from her knight and back towards her team, stopping to hug Hope, Ai and Charisse on the way.
This was it. There was no going back now...
Divergence: Mission Start
Airship I: Valor (Team FLRR)
The Valor did not head to the isles of Jigokou immediately. Instead, its first stop was the Royal Palace of Vale.
The Valor was clearly a military craft, the first of the Virtue class airships. It was as large as a small house, colored a dark gray and armored enough that it could survive even continous assault from the strongest Dust Weaponry. It was tough and bulky but comparatively slower than the rest of the Virtue series.
It was this great ship that came to pick up three important people at the Palace skydocks.
Two Valoran Royal Knights: Percival and Oscar. As well as an Atlesian Specialist: Laeticia Roth.
Percival greeted the students with his usual cheerful smile while Laeticia introduced herself.
When all three had boarded, the Valor set its course for Hell.
Airships II and III: The Justice (Team TANG) and the Mercy (Teams GRAY and MAGC)
The Justice and the Mercy, the second and third ships of the Virtue series were smaller and lighter than the Valor.
The Justice was made for stealth, with the latest in cloaking and jamming with relatively few weapons.
The Mercy was a rescue craft. It was blindingly fast, lightly armed, and carried full medical equipment.
These two ships headed for the same direction: The Jade Compound.
Waiting for them were Carol and Beth, both in full gear as Gamma and Beta.
Carol boarded the Justice while her sister boarded the Mercy.
The two ships flew in different directions: The Justice north to the Highlands, and the Mercy west towards Shane's hiding place.
Inside the Mercy, Mia had taken to being silent. Not a peep from her, just the constant feeling of unease.
Meanwhile, Hope would feel something...odd. As if there was a something...a thought...at the back of her mind. Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable...
Airship IV: Wisdom (Teams NAMI and SIGL)
The Wisdom was the largest and slowest of the Virtue class.
It was a pure transport. Tougher to bring down than the Valor but nowhere near as heavily-armed.
It flew almost leisurely to the southeast, towards the destroyed villages.
Alexia Vale was nervous. She paced up and down the ship, frantic, worried thoughts on her mind.
The mission, the villages, her friends...Alfred.
It was enough to drive anyone mad! At that moment, she smashed against something and went sprawling.
"Oof!"
"Oh!"
Well, it looked like it was someone, rather than something.
"Medus, I'm sorry!"
Arcana
"Strength is but one of the conspirators. One should not speak ill of the dead, but he wasn't the brightest or most imaginative candle out there." Star chuckled. In his hands lied a sketchbook with a pencil. "He wouldn't be able to make such grand plans without someone more resourceful and opportunistic helping him."
"Although... I think that higher echelons of Arcana are safe from corruption." He smiled. "Now... the main conspirator hides lower than that... perhaps at the very bottom."
Hope
Honestly, Hope was getting a little nervous as they made their way to Epsilon's hiding place.
She had no real reason to trust him. Just like everybody else was keen on calling him Shane and treat him like an old chap, she didn't quite like the dynamic. He was an ally of convenience rather than a real friend, someone that helped them take down a larger threat in response to being left alone and under supervision.
What would Arcana want from him though?
Then, this odd thought struck her. With a small grunt, Hope tapped her temple in an attempt to see if she can reach it, both curious and alarmed of this new source. The faster, the better: it made her stomach turn for some reason.
edited 9th Dec '15 2:25:02 AM by FergardStratoavis
Novus 10:The Justice/TANG (And Carol)
Amidst the ship Alfred was again, quiet, vacantly staring into the ship, deep in thoughts. Deeply confused by the situation.
Soon enough he decided that it wasn't really useful to spend the whole trip like this, and decided to engage in conversation with the girl that was picked up at the Jade compound, he remembered her being someone's girlfriend but not much beyond that, and if she was with them, at least exchanging names and asking for skills would be a good step to building whatever coordination they could in the short time before the fight. Afterwards he'd have to solve his own team's problems, ones that could easily arise from Noa and Grigori, but that... He needed time to know how to approach, it was a touchy subject and Noa makes it even harder to get through that without destroying any sort of ability to cooperate any of them had.
The knight waved and approached Carol scratching his head before speaking.
"Eh… Hello, Carol, that's your name right? Alfred Tarantula" He said and bowed to her "Though I'd prefer that you just call me Al. Eh... I wanted to ask you a few questions, if you're coming to the mission, to stop Max with us, I thought we should get mildly acquainted, get whatever semblance of coordination and teamwork we can between you and my team in the time we have during the flight. Apologies if I'm being a bit… Bossy here, but I need to ask. What are your major combat skills and your weapons? As the leader of the team I need to know to change my plans accordingly.
edited 9th Dec '15 2:40:17 AM by LiorVal
ARCANA
There was a sharp rapping at the door to where the two were talking, on the other side was Jebediah, in his cardigan sweater and loafers. "Hello, I wish to speak with the Lovers," He said cheerily.
FLRR
Jack glared at the newcomer. "They don't even fucking trust us to not fuck up a goddamn suicide mission?" He asked the Elder Hunter pointedly.
Good to be backMission Time and— Damn it, Jack.
“We're going on a mission not even fourth-years would be allowed to go on by themselves,” Lucas said to Jack. “If anything happened to us, Ozpin would be in hot water. Be glad we're even getting to do this in the first place.”
It wasn't exactly like Lucas was happy about the chaperones either. His girlfriend's adoptive father was one of them, after all, and Lucas still felt awkward about that. But it made sense why they were coming with. Arcana wouldn't really go down without a struggle, and even a rumor saying that a student got injured in a mission they weren't ready for would put the school in jeopardy.
Hopefully we won't need them, though, he thought, tightening his grip on Frostbite. All we need to do is shut down the machine…
Star offered a small, polite smile. "Of course, good Father. Equally worried about this whole rebel movement, I presume?" He spoke before turning to Urujauni, offering her a small pat on the shoulder. "And you, dear, I know we can depend on you." Bowing, he moved past Devil and out of the room.
edited 10th Dec '15 4:41:37 AM by FergardStratoavis
"Jack, shut it," responded Rheia, who decided to take a far more direct approach to dealing with him than Lucas. "Luke's right, we're just students. I'm surprised that we're even being asked to do this, this seems obscenely dangerous way more than what Beacon's reputation suggests. I'm glad we've got people who know exactly what they're doing to help us along, and I suggest you pay them the respect they deserve."
Rheia then turned to face the new arrivals - the Royal Knights and the Atlesian specialist. "Sorry about Jack, he's just... he's like this. A lot. Try not to backhand him too hard, huh?"
edited 10th Dec '15 5:18:09 AM by SpartyMcFly
"Seven is here too, dressed like the concept of choosing clothes that look nice together was an arcane secret far beyond their grasp."Novus 9?
Time certainly flies when you're having fun. If that was the case, the day was being quite a long drag. Most people were making preparations for the next day, whether it was talking with their team-mates or checking on their equipment. Heck, the only meaningful conversation he'd had during the day was with...
"Well, I 'spose hearin' that they'll be careful is reassurin'. ...and sheesh, everyone here kinda needs to lighten up a little. ...Or maybe they ain't exactly happy hangin' out with me after that contest."
Shrugging his shoulders, he continued his search, strolling through the hallways.
Novus 10.
Everyone was already saying their goodbyes and whatnot, the air-head felt a little at odds. Sure, he'd been here for a fair while, yet he still felt out of place, just a bit. A glancing gaze at the air-ships caused Falken's wry smile to fade completely.
"...can I, uh, just...ride on top of the...plane...thing instead of bein', y-y'know, cooped up in a cramped and sorta stuck in a flyin' sardine can...?" He seemed a little on the edge.
Sure, he would've loved to be in the group hug but today, Falken wasn't feeling it...and it didn't exactly end up happening anyway as he dragged himself on board the air-ship, doing his best to try and smile...and quickly rushing to take a seat next to a window.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.Arcana
Urujauni glared at Devil, before checking where Star had touched her.
A bug. Of course he bugged her. Clever bastard.
Smiling grimly, she crushed the small machine with her hands before looking at Devil again.
"I have nothing to say to you!" she snapped.
The Valor
"Be glad that you're getting backup. If I didn't know better, you seem to want to die." Colonel Roth said, rolling her eyes.
Percival smiled his warm smile, hand resting on a weapon that he had not used on Moonfall. It was a sword. A giant sword, that seemed to be able to turn into a sniper rifle.
"Don't be so hard on the kid. He's got fire in him, bravery. It's everythin' else that needs work!"
The Knight laughed goodnaturedly.
"Anyhow, it's good to see ya kids again. I see you have a new member."
He smiled at Rheia. "I'm Percival. Lexi's pa."
The Justice
Carol looked up from what she was doing (typing something up on a Scroll).
She noticed Alfred and gave him a slightly wry smile.
"Yeah. Carol Jade, resident cyborg freak of nature. You're Alfred, right? Lexi's knight in shining armor. You're not bad looking, have to admit."
"What I can do? Well, I can do what you guys can do."
She raised her metal hands and they slowly shifted into a perfect replica of Noa's Legacy Zero.
She flared her Power, and tiny sparks of electicity arched from her. Stormer's Semblance.
"I can copy the Weapon and Semblance of people I scan. And I scanned all of you already. Although I can only use one weapon and one Semblance at a time."
The Mercy
"Hiii. I brought bacon! Do any of you want some?!" Beth seemed as cheerful as ever, although one couldn't help but notice that her tentacles were fidgeting nervously.
Even she was tense.
Meanwhile, Hope would realize it wasn't a thought in her head.
It was a presence. And said presence recoiled when Hope tried to probe.
A moment's silence.
Then, a voice. In her head.
Forgive me. I was simply pasding through. I did not mean for you to notice my presence.
The Wisdom
Alexia blushed in embarassment at Medus's admonishment. She fidgeted nervously, seemingly unable to keep still.
"I...I'm sorry, Medus. Umm, er, I'm j-just worried."
She let loose a breath. This was driving her mad! She needed to think of something else!
A sudden thought hit her.
Alexia blushed more. "Oh, um, Medus? We, er, really never talked about you, Ieria and...er, my sister..."

Novus 8: Erin
No, I was not insinuating... Erin trailed off as Glen vented his frustration. The clone had no experience with these sort of emotions and thus opted to stay silent, although she tried to send feelings of comfort through their link.
When Glen made his proposal, Erin seemed confused.
Truly? You will let me explore my surroundings?
Novus 8: Urujauni
"It's none of your business, Star!" Urujauni snapped, cutting her musing short to glare at the man.
Star...was dangerous. As unhinged as he was, he was cunning. Insightful. And utterly ruthless. She couldn't let her guard down.
"...Why are you even talking to me?"
Novus 9: Mia
Mia smiled at Ai and patted Charisse's face...with her own hand, which looked really weird, all things considered.
Her Semblance deactivated, the gravity restored to normal.
The ghost girl let out a sigh.
"....I'm still scared, but whatever happens, right?"
"Hey. Just promise me something. I know she's Arcana and all...but don't hurt her. She...she's my mother."
Novus 10
"I didn't mean it! Alfred, I swear I didn't!" Alexia babbled desperately, pushing her way past Medus's grip (she'd apologize later) to grab at her knight's hand.
"Please, I..forgive me..."
However, at that moment, a horn blared out. The signal to board the airships...