Doggo

Estellise had found her culprit alright as the hooded figure called out in affirmation to her rhetorical question. The person had taken off running and so simply walking intently would no longer suffice for the lady of the Fereis. Estelle gave chase through the crowded market. She was fast enough to keep the girl in view and seemed to be slowly gaining. But while talented in magic, Estelle was certainly not the most athletic. This wasn't a sustainable solution and she wouldn't be able to catch the girl in a single sprint. She needed to be smart about this. She was a mage after all. Magical solutions were far more elegant and suitable to one of her position or so her mother would often tell her. A glimmer of light began forming in her palms as she ran which she tossed out into the air ahead of her which traveled ahead of the fleeing girl. The conjured light would begin to sparkle like small gems falling from heaven before fading upon contacting something. Yet they gathered attention which was more than enough. The crowds ahead of her shifted in awe of the sight as various people attempted to grab the specks of light to ascertain their nature. But the true purpose of the display was to shift the people into less convenient positions for the escapee. Enough direction changes and even Estelle could eventually catch up. This Estellise did, eliciting some shock in the girl she'd been chasing as she took to the ground on the outskirts of the marketplace. The mage's breath was heavy yet she still had quite the lecture ready to give this young girl. One she could barely start a syllable of before the hood fell from off the figure's head, revealing a horn protruding from the left side of her head. Estelle reeled back somewhat in shock as the girl spoke. While it was true she hadn't hurt anyone, that seemed like the furthest thing from the Fereis woman's mind. She had before her a non-human capable of magic, however weak. It took time for her to even realize how small the girl was. She couldn't have been very old. "Y-you..." the mage started, unable to form her thoughts into words right away. Estelle knew what her family, her mother especially, would likely do in a similar situation. They'd no doubt restrain the girl with magic before either having her imprisoned or be put to hard labor for the family. This she had been taught her whole life, that such creatures were below even common humans. And as humans were below mages so these non-humans were no better than animals to a mage. But face to face with this girl, it was a difficult idea to agree with. She moved and acted and spoke just like any other human. No, it was not her place to judge this girl's worth, only to instruct her on how best to behave she decided. Her resolve and confidence came back which her posture indicated as she put a foot forward to make up for her initial reaction. "You can not just use magic however you want!" Estellise declared. "You say you did not hurt anyone, but you made Emma think her livelihood had vanished on her. How was she going to eat with her business shut down so early into the day? What would she tell her family? And all that just for your own entertainment? Surely you can not honestly enjoy the misfortune of others." came her initial appeal. This would judge the character of the girl. Surely she would simply admit to some misfortune in her own life that led her to act out in ways like this. Something tangible, something Estellise could help her with. But were it truly the girl's nature to simply cause mischief for the sake of it, stricter action would be necessary. Of the many traditions handed to her, she hoped that at least this stance on those of non-human descent would prove false.

In all her watching of Pokemon battles, Milla wasn't sure she'd ever seen one quite like what was playing out before her. First the challenger had attacked Kanon before she'd had a pokemon out. Now Kanon was throwing things at the trainer in the middle of their pokemon fighting. It seemed strange to think that her old teammates would have more respect for the sport than these much kinder girls she now found herself with. Perhaps this was simply the way of things in this new region and Kanon had been much faster on the uptake than most. That could do it. Whatever the intent or stance on honor, somehow the challenger seemed more aware of herself than she had been. Maybe she wouldn't have to point anything out to her teammate. In that case, this would be a much more traditional battle from here with any luck. In the midst of her pondering a simple greeting sounded as Milla's eyes shifted and brought Nomi into view. It was soon made apparent what she had been doing as she produced a Trapinch she had caught. "Oh my. A Trapinch. But those are only Ground Type as I recall." she said, choosing to fix on the designation of bug for the bright orange pokemon. It certainly didn't feel wrong, but then who was Milla to question what various pokemon scientists had classified everything as. Was she reading too far into this? Most likely. In fact, this was probably another of Nomi's jokes like how she'd asked if Rondo or Andante were dragons. In all this thinking she took little notice of the continued rain that was gradually going to drench her. There were things to explore while Kanon continued the battle. Like confirming it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her in this place. "Nomi, do you notice anything off about the sand here?" Milla started while patting the Trapinch on the head a few times with a soft smile. "And if you could place your hand on the pillar here and tell me if anything happens that'd be great too."

In the midst of her stewing, Catriona was almost caught off guard to hear Lachlan of all people addressing her. From his display in the meeting room, she had taken the young man for one who would be too shy to ever address her directly. But then, withdrawing entirely wasn't what he'd been doing earlier. So it was rather true to form that he blurted out words at her to try and work through his own awkwardness. Something was clearly stressing him out. Surely sparring wasn't it or Jekyll would have never recruited him. These fahlyn needed fierce jaeger warriors to be dealt with. No, the woman had an idea what it was. This was a pure boy, unable to act in the presence of the exposed female form, whatever the degree. Much as she had wanted to save the fun of breaking him for later, given how easy she knew it would be, it would certainly help her mood now before she went to play with the dragon slayer again. "Bother me? Nonsense, boy." she said with a devious smile taking hold of her face as she turned to face Lachlan as he moved to open the door. With a practiced grace Catriona pushed some hair from off her shoulder with the hand not holding her staff. More than anything, this motion was to draw attention to her neck and chest. But this was not all this hand would get up to. Quickly it moved to lightly rest on Lachlan's shoulder before he could pass through the doorway and out of reach. "In fact it must be fate you should run into me here. You're far too anxious to get to training right now, don't you agree? Why don't I help you... relax?" she teased, placing a unique emphasis on the word relax.

Lil weeby for ya

"A pleasure to meet you Emma. I am Estellise Fereis. But Estelle will do nicely if that is easier to remember." the Fereis woman replied to the introduction of her shop keep. "I will be sure to visit this Hector fellow and send your greetings." she assured the girl as they finished their transaction. Something about the name of the establishment was familiar anyway so it seemed like no trouble to go there. She may well have seen this Hector in passing but properly meeting him might prove exciting. Now with a bag of fruit in hand, Estellise was ready to be on her way through the marketplace. But this plan was interrupted by a somewhat sheepish Emma, who inquired about the rather luxurious looking raiment Estellise wore. She flourished the cape a bit to let the girl see the whole of the outfit before giving a reply. "I wish I could tell you." Estellise started with a laugh of her own. "Mother insists no common tailor could do me justice. No doubt she has the servants purchase the materials somewhere in town before sending them to be weaved together with magic. With the right mage you could change anything: the texture, fiber count, even the color and design. As yet I lack the knowledge to perform the feat myself but I hope to be able to someday. I could make you your very own dress too." she beamed back. Emma seemed very excited at the idea and from this single meeting Estellise knew there would have to be more like it in the future. Now once again, the woman looked to leave. Emma too turned her attention back to her storefront. And yet when the two looked up they saw that Emma's supply of apples had all but vanished. But that simply was not possible. No one could have absconded with so much product so quickly, and right under their noses at that. This was clearly Emma's livelihood so Estellise understood the panic in the girl's voice when she questioned if someone had eaten them all. "I highly doubt that. In fact..." Estelle drifted off in thought as she looked at the space the apples had once occupied. She walked forward, only for her foot to catch hold of the air. Something was definitely under her foot, round and hard. And yet nothing had been there when she'd taken the step. Before she knew what was happening Estellise had landed abruptly on her backside. A sound of giggling came along with it. Looking forward there was now a crushed apple visible where she had stepped. "So that is how it is." the mage muttered as she stood with a smile to assure Emma everything was going to be fine. This time she pointed her index finger at the girl's store. A ball of light formed around Estellise's fingertip which shone brightly in the direction of the baskets. Sure enough, a shadow in the shape of Emma's stock was cast behind the empty space. Estelle felt her other hand out and grasped the baskets, and began tapping all around the air until Emma's baskets were all restored to sight. "Thank you for returning the apples!" Emma said, clearly relieved to have them back. "They were always there. I hate to say it, but someone was playing a trick on you with magic and had turned them invisible. Let us meet later Emma. I must see to it this does not continue." Estellise said for her departing words. With a wave from the young shop keep she turned her attention to a hooded figure, some several merchant stalls down. The giggling at her fall had definitely come this person. Clearly they had been pleased with their handiwork. But this use of magic, to distress a poor young woman for sport, this was something Estellise did not intend to permit. "You there!" she called out as she began a brisk walk toward the figure. "Are you proud of yourself?" Estelle once again called into the crowded public space. This individual needed to be taught a lesson.

Surprise, here I be. Lemme know if I done derped or didn't understand something correctly or went too op or who knows what else. Mundane Made Exceptional

Reinaan's jumps had taken him to the highest pillar of them all, the central platform. It was from here Geoff had made his attempt at fighting the bird in the air to mixed results. The hunter had kept his eyes on the situation, watching Ryia attempt to fight it from the ground as it crashed into a pillar. Then Keres attempted to save the buffalo chosen but the Roc had set its sights on her. She launched a few more attacks with her water but was clearly running low on magical power. She had already done some pretty impressive feats as it was. The bird still wasn't close enough for the draken to make his move. But then it began a dive at the Water Chosen, an attack that could prove fatal. But at the same time, it would bring the animal in range. The action seemed to slow down and the boy attempted to time his jump. No weapon, no armor, no clothes, and attempting to jump a winged beast from higher ground while it was still in the air. For a moment Reinaan could hear no less than a dozen specific scoldings with known faces to each. A trusted hunting partner, a concerned parent, an enraged elder. Even if something like this ended up working at home he would have been yelled at for no less than a year. His whole body seemed to loom over the edge of the platform in hesitation. "Yeah, well... you're all boring anyway!" he thought in defiance of all of his training. A smirk took over his face as he ran and leaped from the platform into the air above the Roc. He faced the ground he was falling toward, each limb stretched out. There was no greater exhilaration to be had. The flame claws granted to him by Ziiyol's power extended from off his right hand as he sailed downward through the sky. All at once the weight of a still growing Draken crashed into the roc's back, flame claws digging straight down into the flesh and searing the insides in the process. The roc screeched in pain and its whole body dropped in the air some. It didn't hit the ground but its dive had been interrupted and it turned itself around in the air, trying to get its senses about it again. Reinaan meanwhile had dug every set of claws to his name into the flesh of the winged beast to keep from falling off. He needed to get to the head to end this and so he withdrew the flame claws from within the back of the beast and stabbed forward into the back again. He would claw and climb his way up the back until he could reach a vital. Each injury enraged the Roc who started thrashing about in the air to try and throw the draken off. While being shaken about Reinaan doubled down on his grip during the more furious movements and kept his own movements to the gaps between the thrashings. But this wasn't something that could be timed, this was a living animal after all. During an attempt to move Reinan was thrown up partially into the air, only his flame clawed hand keeping its grip on the beast. When his body crashed back down into the feathers he twisted the flames within the injury they were burning as an act of petty vengeance and continued his climb between movements. With several more close calls as the bird flew erratically, Reinaan had gotten himself onto the back of the roc's neck. But by this point the bird had decided on a more extreme nuisance removal procedure. It was fast approaching the right row of pillars, aiming to ram its back into the structures to knock Reinaan off. The Draken swore under his breath as he exerted himself to shuffle over to the side of the bird's neck. This had gone on long enough and soon the boy began repeatedly stabbing the flame claws into the neck of the bird, doing his best to hit as many places as possible to try and catch a major blood vessel. The bird screeched again and slammed into the pillar. Between the maneuver and the injuries it began tumbling through the air to the north on crash course for the ground. Reinaan attempted as best he could to hold onto the creature on the ride down but the actual crash launched the boy from the creature's neck some several dozen feet back toward the rest of the group. His own body spun and contorted as he bounced a few times on the ground, eventually landing on his back where he remained still, a handful of feathers still gripped tightly in his right hand. The roc found itself grounded. With all the injuries it had sustained it seemed it would be unable to fly for the next few minutes at least. It was still in the process of orienting itself from the crash. Reinaan meanwhile coughed and sputtered out some dirt and bits of feather on the ground. His head was still spinning and he felt bruised all over his body. As he attempted to move, nothing seemed immediately broken but he still needed a minute to really get his bearings before standing up. "Scold me all you want but you can't argue the results." he muttered to himself and the doubts he'd felt at even attempting the strategy. Still dazed he couldn't help but daydream of the time he debuted the move back home.

Reinaan's focus had been on simply climbing. It was rough on his claws to dig into the stone structure but sure enough he was making progress up the pillar. The roc had taken notice of him and still on the side of the thing he thought of what he could do in such a situation. Perhaps he could jump onto it somehow from here. Just as he settled on a plan of action, a pillar of water sprung up which drove the bird back in the air and away from the young Draken. That Keres could manage such a feat without a body of water on hand was surprising but rather than appreciate the moment the hunter redoubled his efforts to climb up the structure before another intervention was required. His arms and legs were definitely feeling the exertion of the climb but soon enough there was no more up to grab and his hand caught hold of a mostly flat surface. It was a bit awkward and he nearly lost his footing at one point but Reinaan managed to get himself up on top of the pillar. He took stock of just how high up he was and saw higher pillars to his left and shorter to his right. He crouched low to make sure he kept his balance against whatever breezes might try to sway him. "Do you intend to try flying?" Ziiyol asked playfully despite the seriousness of the situation. "I just need a weapon." Reinaan grunted back, his eyes locked on the Roc as it stumbled through the air. With a smile Ziiyol began fading as her power flowed into her partner. The power of fire filled the boy as sparks began jumping off his scales. Now he just needed to get the bird in position. He had to get what Geoff had tried for right yet he had nothing now to attract the bird his way. Ryia was it's focus for now. As she was closest to the north row of pillars it seemed wise to move. Reinaan looked to his left and the taller pillars ahead. He readied himself and took his first jump to higher ground. He was not so nimble as Geoff yet the task wasn't beyond him. For now he needed to make it to the central platform, from there he could best follow the Roc's movements.

Catriona had been in her room, waiting for the allotted half hour to pass before the Dragon Slayer's sparring was to begin. The whole of this place was unbearable. Only two men of interest, one the foul doctor who had tricked her and showed no sign of attraction, the other the former human who was clearly flustered around her but she could not find sufficient alone time with. This place was altogether too boring for a woman such as herself and she desperately wanted their first proper assignment to start. The sooner she was out and about in a human village the better. With her staff now in hand she set out to the appointed room, waiting outside the door for any stragglers to wander in. It would look desperate to have been early or on time even if others showed before her. Maybe the young nervous wreck of a boy or the wolf girl would show up to alleviate her boredom. "What a dreadful organization you run Jekyll" the cat woman spoke softly to herself. "No sense of fun whatsoever, just business. Killing ghosts should be much more exciting. Why hasn't anything exploded yet." she pouted as she stood and waited.

Estellise's walk about town had been even more pleasant than she'd been hoping for. The chill of winter had subsided and brought a comforting warmth in its place. Now was a good time for any and all to be out and about and the Fereis woman appreciated seeing more people on the streets this time of year. She had many an acquaintance from her wanderings about town. Many of these would smile and wave at her without approaching of speaking really. It was understandable. These were commoners. To speak to a Fereis as an equal would be presumptuous. Not that Estellise entirely agreed with this mindset but she did at least the freedom to move it provided her. While taking a rather indirect route to the tavern the adventurers had agreed upon as a meeting place the young lady soon found herself in the thick of the marketplace. A pleasant surprise to be sure as it would prove helpful to make a last minute run for supplies now rather than on the way to the dungeon. "Fine silk for a fine woman!" one salesman called to her. "Sophisticated wine, fit for a noble!" another cried after him. "Jewels fit for a queen!" came another shout amidst the chaos. Here at least, Estellise's position as a Fereis got her more direct attention than usual. It was obvious looking at her compared to the average citizen that she was well off and any businessman would love one of the major families to shop with them. And though she appreciated the offers, the woman couldn't help but politely decline the many offers slung her way. It was largely an issue of quality. Buying unnecessary things wasn't so bad but they needed to feel like a proper extravagance. Estellise had seen finer silks, richer wines and rarer gems than the ones on display rather regularly. Of course, the other family's collections probably trumped anything the small Fereis could boast. Still, she couldn't help but smile at the energy of the situation. But soon a small cry from a cute young girl caught her attention. Piles of apples stood behind her as she jumped up to call out to would-be shoppers. The girl seemed to be struggling to get attention in the mix of boisterous salesmen. Estelle already knew she wouldn't be able to help herself. "Are not we quite the saleswoman." she said softly as she approached and stooped down a bit to talk with the girl on eye level. "These do seem a fine crop. I shall gladly take a bag off your hands for me and my new friends." she said as she reached for her things and produced coin enough for double the price of the single bag she had asked for. "I will have to come back later for one of the baskets. They are begging to be made into apple pie, no?" Estelle offered with a small laugh.

Milla had begun shifting to the side to make way for the battle without actively thinking about it. Observing was one of her hobbies and this battle was sure to be interesting. She was delighted to see Paula send out a Tympole and marveled as the small creature was able to make it start precipitating in the endlessly dry and hot desert. Rain Dance was a powerful move to be certain and she was soon distracted of thoughts of what different dances Rondo, Sonata or Andante might be able to perform. But the carefree thoughts of a girl staring up into the sudden rain were pulled back down to earth as she saw the pokemon launch its first attack, yet Kanon had to send out her own pokemon. The girl reached a hand out and the beginning of a call to her new friend to watch out sounded in her voice, but Kanon acted quickly enough to avoid being hurt. A cute little Inkay appeared and took the attack for its trainer. But that such a sacrifice was needed was truly lamentable. Milla wished to scold the challenger before them for her action but again Kanon was faster on the draw and yelled at her opponent. "She should be alright for this..." Milla muttered to herself as the rain dropped down upon her. She made no direct actions to cover herself, fearing she'd dry out all too quickly once the battle was over as it was. Instead she studied the trainer who had seemingly ordered her pokemon to attack a human. "Perhaps she was overeager... and yet the Tympole hesitated. She must be quite the angry person to-" she cut her audible pondering off as she looked to Paula's face. No emotion visible and her eyes seemed hardly focused on where she was. She had been so ready to battle and yet there was none of the passion one might expect. It seemed unwise to comment as yet to Kanon who needed to focus on the battle. But if something else were to go wrong... well Milla prayed she wouldn't have to intervene.

Estellise had awoken bright and early as she was wont to do. With a trained ease she washed and readied herself for the day before joining her family in the dining hall. Breakfast was a meal she rarely missed, something her mother seemed ready to take advantage of. For the most part, the woman sat peacefully and ate with the grace expected of her. Her eyes wandered to the spot for the family head, her cousin, and sighed to herself whenever they landed there. How long had it been since the two had been messing around at the side of the table while getting yelled at by both their parents? It seemed so far off. And yet it was a necessary reminiscence. However tinted with pain and mourning now, the happy memories were necessary to get through the stifled air and somber mood of the manor these days. She could only ignore the elephant in the room for so long. As it happened, she didn't need to stop ignoring it herself, it was going to be aired regardless. "I will say it again. I do not approve of you going off with some rabble. You must explore The Dungeon of course, it is the duty of ever member, but do so with the family. It may be slower than some of those foolhardy 'adventurers' but it is the way we have always done things. You won't have this option to be so carefree once you're the h-once you're older so I do not see why you would break from the tradition now." her mother began speaking to her before pausing and looking herself to the head's vacant position at the table. "I wish you would avoid those others, Estellise, I truly do." she concluded. Estellise had known this would be a problem from the moment she'd stumbled upon her new adventuring party. She understood her mother's position, it was hardly unique to the older woman either. Many members of the mage families would scoff at the idea of one of their children keeping company with strangers, let alone those who held little or no skill with magic. And while she had mentally prepared herself for this conversation, Estellise still struggled to remain collected with her mother's comments. Most especially when her deep ambitions had reared their ugly head mid-sentence. "Mother, I have told you, they are not bad people. And it is not a permanent arrangement of affairs. I will still be going with the familiy I just-" Estellise began before she was cut off. "It's hardly a matter of duration and much more a matter of it occurring at all. It is unsightly for a Fereis to be seen in the company of ignorant ruffians." her mother interjected. The girl's frustration mounted as her mother seemed intent on not understanding despite this being one of several conversations on the topic. "Yes but as Father and I both discussed with you, it is difficult to gauge the efficacy of certain enchantments amidst nothing but conjurers." daughter returned to mother, invoking her father's input in a previous discussion. As it happened, Estellise's father was not here with the two women. He was often off on his own, researching no matter the hour of the day. "How am I to learn how to enchant a sword when none of us carry them?" she proposed. "What need do you have to enchant a sword dear? I know you're quite capable of conjuring swords and other armaments made of light. Surely those are more effective than any crude metal blade could be. I know your research with your Father is exciting to you but please do not become unreasonable over it. You can perform tests here in the manor if you must. I see no need to rush into The Dungeon with sellswords and the like." her mother pontificated. Her distaste for non magical approaches to problems was ever abundantly clear. Estellise struggled to find what to say next. The tension in her body relaxed, admitting some of defeat. What was there to really say here? She had no reason that could convince her mother. It was something she had chosen for herself because it sounded more exciting. But there was no reason for a Fereis mage to do what she was doing. Convincing a very traditional Fereis mage that there was would never work. "I... suppose you are right Mother. Forgive me, I was simply too excited about a recent breakthrough I suppose." she began, much more meek than she had started the conversation. "I am nothing if not obedient, I will not upset you further." she added before standing to excuse herself from breakfast. Her mother eyed her suspiciously, a history of disobedient streaks informing her skepticism. And yet she had no reason to directly challenge her daughter on the statement. She sighed and relaxed some herself. "Thank you child. We'll speak again when next your father is available. Do be safe today." came a mother's farewell as Estellise began walking away. Not but a moment after her daughter began leaving did she rise herself and track down a servant to discuss something. The move was so obvious on both parties' parts. Daughter knew mother was sending someone to spy on her to see if she would disobey, and mother knew daughter was intent on disobeying regardless of what had been said in the conversation. It put a smile on Estellise's face. Another game they played and another lecture in her future. And yet she welcomed it over her parents hounding her to get married as she'd heard many a woman in town share a tale about. The woman returned to her room to retrieve her signature enchanted cape and gathered her things before departing the Fereis manner. The sun greeted her as the doors were opened for her. "Let us see what The Dungeon has got in store for us today." she said with a smile as she confidently stepped out into the town.

Milla couldn't help but look about as she lingered near the strange pillar. It sounded like someone was talking to her, yet neither of her teammates nor the other girl about the area seemed to be saying anything. In search of the source the girl eventually drew closer to the pillar and, with some restraint, lightly placed a hand upon the structure. A ringing resounded in her ears which startled the girl and caused her to withdraw her hand rather quickly. As soon as the sound came it departed. That touching the pillar was the source of the ringing she confirmed by touching it briefly several other times. Without a doubt these structures hid some deep secret. There were all sorts of fantasies and stories to concoct to explain it. And yet no melody came to mind get her thoughts going. It was all still processing, the texture of the sand in the area and the strange sounds especially. Somewhere in the midst of her thoughts Milla took note of Nomi's departure. But as she hadn't seen the girl leave she had no idea where she might have run off to. This felt concerning enough to bring up to Kanon but there was something else to take their attention before she could turn to her teammate. "A battle? Here?" she muttered in response to the trainer's challenge. That she specified there being two of them finally alerted Kanon to their missing teammate. She seemed frustrated, like this happened pretty often. "She can't be that far off..." Milla pondered as she looked off on the horizon in several directions. But without any real concern for Nomi's whereabouts or well being, Kanon accepted the challenge to the battle. "A-are you sure Kanon?" she asked of her teammate. The girl wasn't exactly eager to battle given the strangeness of the setting and their teammate who had wandered off. But if Kanon was certain she wouldn't argue. She'd find a safe spot out of the way to watch the proceedings instead.

Reinaan kept moving, ever on the look out for if he needed to duck into a gap between pillars. But all the while he trained his eyes on the Roc and Geoff, to see if he'd read the situation right. As it happened he had, and the buffalo chosen had managed to land a pretty severe blow to the winged beast. This was before nearly falling and breaking half the bones in his body but thankfully Keres was ready to help prevent that. Though not the second time as he fell to the ground again. The bleeding creature backed off to assess the situation again. The Draken took the opportunity to fire another bolt off on its body, again to minimal effect. These weapons just didn't have the impact needed to down the creature. The roc had nearly crashed onto the platform in the center of the right row of pillars after the bolt hit. It was still too high up to deal with but Reinaan had already started running in its direction. It clicked pretty quickly that what they needed was a repeat of Geoff's maneuver, ideally with someone who hadn't just hit the ground from being dropped by the bird. "Draw it's attention! I'm going up!" he called out to the others as he passed Geoff and Keres. A few pillars shy of the Roc's position he stopped running and looked up. These were even taller than its position but it seemed faster to climb one than to run to the end of a row. Looking back to himself he pondered if his claws were up to the task of scaling the structure. It seemed possible but he'd have to drop both his halberd and crossbow here. Looking over his naked form, minus the amulet about his neck of course, he realized it would be wise to invest in something for his gear to hang from in these sorts of situations. But there was no time to waste on the fantasy here. Both weapons dropped at the pillars base as the boy wrapped his body around the structure and began scaling it. It was a good thing he'd told the others to focus on distracting the roc. Shameless as he was it'd be indecent for someone to look up at him while he climbed the pillar. Grunting with each motion he got a little further up, just hoping the bird would ignore him long enough. Ziiyol materialized near him, as if aware her partner would be needing her shortly.

Best RPer: radio414 Best Host: Lord CowCow Best Character Design: Sethera Best World Design: Lord CowCow Best Writer: Sethera Most Reliable: Skaia Most Cooperative: radio414 Most Helpful: Skaia Best in Chat: Sethera Best RP: The Chosen (ain't been in any others nearly long enough so shot out to the old stomping ground that brought me to ncm in the first place)

If you listen carefully, you might hear the bells of Santa's sleigh coming a touch early. What you didn't see was it's been hijacked by a dog, come to bless the weebs with their Secret Santa presents. Everyone's submitted their intended gift so let's get to distributing shall we? If you've already seen the show you're about to be given and would like another show, please do speak up here so I can consult with your Secret Santa over a possible alternative. @Yui @Blake @radio414 @Zai @Thar @MetalSonic

Milla was more than content to do whatever with her new friend securely in her arms. She was glad Kanon seemed to like Andante well enough. She could only hope all the pokemon between the three of them would get along as well. It reminded her she'd yet to introduce either of her new teammates or Andante herself to Sonata. But given the conditions and their destination, perhaps that was a greeting best left for later. The heat along the route would only build as they approached the distant desert. Nomi had returned from her business with a question upon seeing Andante. Now this time Milla knew it had to be a joke. "No, this is a cute little lion." Milla giggled in response to her new friend's question. She wondered how long a joke like this might last. Maybe it would be an inside joke they'd always get a laugh from seeing a new pokemon in the years after their adventure had concluded. Beads of sweat began forming about the girl's forehead in large numbers as they group pressed on into the Soundless Barrens. Wind swept the oceans of sand here and there and did little to relieve the heat. There would be more trainers and pokemon to meet here, yet a peculiar feature captured the observant eye more than anything. The pillars dotting the landscape in the distance were the first things she wanted to know more about. After letting her team know her intentions she began walking off toward the nearest pillar with Andante following nervously behind her. Upon arriving, an eerie feeling set in. Abruptly the wind all but ceased. To go from hot air blowing in her face to complete calm felt less than natural. None of the wild pokemon seemed to approach these pillars. Or at least there were none immediately visible in the area. Perhaps there were some ground types hiding under the sand. But even the sand here seemed off. The girl reached down to the ground to feel the particles. It seemed like sand but something was different that she couldn't place. The grains felt different but past that it was difficult to say. Andante seemed more nervous than usual to be here. With a calming pet to the head Milla returned the Litleo to her ball to let her calm down some as she continued investigating. The pillar itself was rounded and incredibly smooth. Something like that couldn't be a natural structure. After scanning the area some, another person took the girl's attention. They were standing near the pillar on the other side. She saw no reason to trouble them as yet. She simply wanted to watch. As if by watching she could summon answers to her curiosity about the odd location.

As Ryia's spirit and later Keres launched projectiles at the bird, Reinaan had gotten closer to the pillars. He would be able to find cover quickly which was the important factor here. Yet the different attacks had left the bird largely unsure where to go next. It wobbled in the air some which the hunter couldn't help but smirk at while also wishing he'd permanently grounded it earlier. But then he looked to the center pillar and saw Geoff had successfully managed to scale the structures starting from the outer, shorter, pillar. From that position, if the bird were to come closer he could get on top of it. The buffalo chosen was no doubt crazy enough to attempt such a thing. And from the gnoll battle the draken knew the man was at least competent with his weapon. It seemed like a plan worth trying. While one handled his halberd, his free hand took the crossbow he'd tucked under an arm for his last maneuver and began running south toward the central pillar, and Keres for that matter. Yet despite taking off, the bird didn't follow. It simply flapped its wings to stay aloft and screeched at the Fire Chosen. Reinaan readied another bolt into the crossbow and fired at the Roc's face. The projectile found its mark, eliciting another cry from the beast as now it finally began flying after the draken. With his shot successful, Reinaan turned to run again. He just needed to pass the central pillar and see if Geoff would make his move. But more immediate was the issue that this plan took the bird on route to Keres who Ryia had been attempting to keep the bird off of. "Get between the pillars!" he called out as he ran. He stuck close to the north row himself. He needed to be able to dive into cover whenever while doing this. He could only imagine the chuckle his village would get out of him struggling with a bird. He needed to shut the mental versions of them in his head up quick. So long as the bird was following him, whether Geoff acted or not he'd get it out of the air somehow or other. Even if he had to turn and face it himself.

Santa's little helper here. All of you participating have now been pm'd by me assigning you the person you'll be selecting an anime for. Keep in mind the deadline and reply to me in the pms when you've made a selection so I can distribute the gifts here. Please dont forget as I don't want to have to come hunt you down on discord. Merry Christmas and what not.

Reinaan kept watch on the Roc as it flew about, but was surprised to see it stop paying attention to the shine of his scales. But then it wasn't that much of a surprise as he heard the sound of metal clashing with metal. Ryia was drawing the bird to her by ganging her shield. The boy had forgotten her tendency to try and keep the others out of danger as well. He'd been hoping she'd have taken it a bit easier after the injuries she sustained against the gnolls but it wasn't to be. It was getting frustrating thinking about how to down the creature from the air. But the draken didn't have to think much longer after a surprising display of power from Keres. The girl's water managed to drench the thing, bringing it to the ground. This was his chance. It was still focused on Ryia and her shield and was readying it's wings to attack again. It was so fixated on the sound it never noticed Reinaan as he approached from behind, halberd raised and ready. With a small wind up he swung the axe of the weapon into the hind of the bird, leaving a deep gash and damaging tail feathers in the process. This he repeated one or two more times before the bird shifted attention from Ryia to him. "Glad you felt that." the Fire Chosen growled while settling on a new target with the tail feathers moved out of reach. The bird had hopped in place to pivot to face Reinaan. The boy was glad to have injured the tail feathers which would destabilize it's flight from here out. But he was much less enthused bout a giant beak incoming to peck him. He ran in, his goal getting to injure one of the legs. If it had to struggle to stand and struggle to fly they'd eventually get to deal a fatal blow. As the beak came every closer, Reinaan rolled forward onto the ground and under the bird. The beak barely missed and the boy smacked himself in the back of the head with the shaft of his halberd given the maneuver. But what mattered was he wasn't very hurt and now standing again underneath the bird. With a good wind up he slammed the axe of his weapon into one of the legs, an audible snapping sounding as the not dense bone gave way for the blade. The weapon stopped shy of removing the foot entirely but it would have to be enough. The bird was flapping its wings, looking to take off again. The feathers were beginning to dry from Keres' attack at this point. That was the main reason flying away was even an option but it also wanted to get away from the thing hurting it. But Reinaan wasn't going to let the creature depart in peace. Instead he looked straight up into the bird's abdomen and let loose a stream of fire from his mouth as the bird began climbing. Burning its feathers off seemed like an effective flight disruption too. But now he needed to move. He'd be out in the open against an aerial opponent. One who's movements might be impaired yes but it was still an unwise move to let it freely attack him from above. So off he ran toward the northern row of pillars to seek cover.

The Shining Star

Sieg was an easy enough read as it happened. Catriona could tell her classic tricks were flustering him some. She did hope he'd put up a bit more resistance of course but there was nothing wrong with an easy catch, especially one like this. But then life was never that simple was it. How foolish of her to forget she was in a compound full of other Jaeger. One such announced himself with the most obvious lie of being sorry to interrupt them. No one who said that ever meant it, but as the cat woman turned to see the the bunny eared man from the briefing room something told her it was particularly true of this individual. A flash of annoyance and disgust passed her face as she turned back to Sieg who began stumbling through his answers to their questions. He was adorable as he stuttered and thought in real time. Obviously something was distressing him. No doubt he disliked third wheels, as most would. With his answers given, Sieg walked off ahead, presumably to go get that haircut he'd mentioned. Catriona's pleasant and charmed face she'd maintained through most of the introductions faded away to one of complete contempt as she shifted her attention back to Lopt. "It's a very ugly thing to get in the way of a woman's feelings. Doubly so given the cute front of yours." she started with a serious pitch and tone as yet unknown to her voice by any of the people she'd met today. But it wasn't long before the usual playful face and voice returned. "Do it again and I'll kill you, 'kay?" she said with a giggle as a held out a hand with her palm up toward the other Jaeger. In it appeared what looked to be the silhouette of a house cat. With a wink from Catriona it dispersed into a shroud that engulfed that section of the hallway in utter darkness for a few minutes, during which the woman made her way off and away from the unwelcome intruder. But Catriona wasn't off to follow Sieg. She'd done well enough to start in that regard she figured. At least, so far as she'd be able to with the the others soon to be swarming to the mix of human and jaeger's side. The Dragon Slayer would have been late to his little training session if she'd had her full way but it was fine for now. No, instead she made for her own room to retrieve her staff. Maybe she'd watch Sieg train the others. There was a certain appeal to watching a man exercise after all. And she could only imagine the mistakes he might make from catching sight of her on the sidelines. Biding her time wouldn't be so bad, now that things were finally happening. It could have done without the other jaeger's but with how boring the weeks leading up to the group assembling had been, it was definitely an improvement.

Me like magic.

Jekyll was no fun, that much Catriona could conclude fairly quickly. He was all business and took her question as her simply not paying attention. A fair assumption really, the woman only wanted some alone time with the Dragon Slayer. As the man continued answering everything he could with every detail he cared to offer, which admittedly wasn't anything decisive, the cait sith continued messing with Sieg. Their eyes met briefly which clearly bothered the man. As the game of cat and mouse went on the man eventually pulled his cloak on to cover himself. Something of a shy one. How cute. With Jekyll done talking at them the woman sat for a moment thinking. She really wasn't feeling this whole fahlyn thing at all. It sounded like a chore for some busy body not a free spirit like herself. She'd yet to be properly compensated for the dirty trick played on her to get her here in the first place so it felt like a poor business decision to lend her magic to this cause. As she mused about what she might do, some of the others spoke. Lachlan was a particularly chatty one. A fun toy for later she thought. A single touch might be enough to break the lad and that was too easy. She needed something more... stimulating to mess around with for now. She didn't have to wait long as Sieg stood, putting his large stature into better reference. It was difficult to find taller men, let alone this much taller. That alone was enough to settle her first order of business. "Well everyone, this has been invigorating. I'm sure you'll all work hard so I don't have to." Catriona said to excuse herself with a mischievous smile spread across her face. "You can come by my place later for obedience lessons little pup." she added cheekily with a wink to Lucine before leaving to follow behind Sieg. Her footsteps were light and near silent, fitting for a cat. She made sure to tread particularly carefully around Alexandre who Sieg had spoken with. Royalty wasn't much her thing. At least not yet but especially not deposed royalty. Where was the fun if she couldn't con him out of a kingdom? No for now, she simply trailed the Dragon Slayer down the hall. For her diligence she received the reward of seeing the man remove his cloak and reveal his long unkempt hair. It was almost longer than her own she'd wager but that was something to judge when she was running a hand through it. She closed the gap ever so slightly, not going out of her way to have the man not notice her before she was only a couple feet away. "What's a big strong human man doing here with all us naughty beasts?" Catriona playfully put out to finally announce herself. "Maybe Jekyll thinks you can make us behave... but I wonder how much experience from slaying dragons translates to cats..." she said, giggling to herself as she quickly trotted up to Sieg's side. This was more like it. Away from all the other Jaegers, just her and a human man like it ought to be. A curious expression and a twitch of the ears were tossed in for good measure. Classic tricks to be certain but if that was all it took she wouldn't complain.

Some form of interest is there but further information will determine how much.