Realistic or Modern Dream Eater: Of Hopes and Nightmares

[BuggaBoo]

---

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

​

Time to get Crabby...

Once more the big woman jump kicked mid air and let the inertia of the impact send her up and away from her opponent. And once more she sent a single round into its mouth, un-aliving it on the spot. At first when fighting lob-monsters, she would just break their most potent weapons, claws, and move on; these things seemed to keep shoring up all around her. At least this way if she did get surrounded, she still had a major fighting chance. And this way she would still have the opportunity to move closer to Firecracker's position. But as she got closer to the rock faces her strategy evolved to kick really hard, wait for it to scream then she'd shoot the seafood dead ass in the mouth.

Speaking of Firecracker... well now she had to renegotiate her thoughts regarding the smaller girl's speed; she was impossible to catch. Not so much a Firecracker as she was more a Rocket with warp drive engines. Yet at first when the big Nightmare of a woman leapt skyward and saw the bike-riding mouthpiece hiding behind the rock, she had the worst urge to spit and call her out as a trash-eating coward. But it soon dawned upon her that this was a limitation of a Hopeful. The girl could... 'blink' out of harms way with none the wiser, but she was powerless afterwards. Rai needed to push back the Nightmare from taking over, the Hopeful just needed to recharge.

"Also, if anyone has a plan on how we're dealing with the giant crab, I think they should share!"

Rai pursed her lips together, shook her head, then finally sighed. Through her teeth, neath her breath and to herself; "Godammit, Group-Hugger... okay. Okay fine..."

One deep inhale then: Vox Angelis "Eyo, Radio! Please open group channel to the Squad," Rai hostered her gun and grunted as she picked up two mangled and clawless lob-monster dead bodies. She didnt want to do it since she had a distaste for authority but still... Bitch, will you just commt?!

A quick head-shake, a deep inhale, "Alright then. Squad. This is Deva. I do have an idea and so Imma be Caller the next course of action. Please buy in and stay the course."

An upward chin nod she shot the girl hiding around the rock upon making eye contact, Nellancholy "Eyo! 'Blinky!' Yeah you! Fall in line and let's go. We are moving to next wave. Keep up. Anything gets within pinching distance, waste it. I'm the shield, you the spear. Ready, Dreamer?"

Rai rushed off, using her power to enhance her leg strength only to keep holding onto the bodies of the lob-monsters, using her power to sprint would leave Blinky behind. And the reason for needing the shield became apparent as Rai rushed towards the jellyfish level. Its poison barbs shot away but the barrage held stuck fast in the carapace of the lob-monster shields. As one of her squadmates dealt with the jellyfish, she tossed one of her organic shields the moment she heard the satisfying squishy sounds of someone offing the jellyfish and it landing with a splash back down onto the beach.

A hand waved and pointed at Lumine, kindredspirits "Yo! 'Ice Queen!' Skate your ass over here with us. How you doin for ice making cuz we need--"

A roar cut her off. The rumbling beneath her feet alerted to her that she had little time before Crabby-Patty waltzed on over and tried to wreck the entire squad. A point and a wave at Adelina, Umbran Fumbler "Yo! Monster mommy... 'Tiamat!' Yeah you! We need one of your... 'jacket-tooth-babies' to join us up here. And can you keep an eye on 'Flumper' just sitting its ass back there? Pull that Dreamer up some too, we are moving to engage the Crusty big boy now."

blankcanvas Yeah, Rai did note Flumper survived the wreckage and despite her rising annoyance and anger that dude just sat there but to be honest... better Flumper sat back there and did nothing than interfere and get someone killed up here. As the bus-sized crab-strosity stomped its way forward, several shot sounded out yet not a single one pieced its armour. As the chaos ensued, Rai called out via Radio feed.

"Squad! Listen up, front line: Devastaton, Ice Queen, and Jacket-tooth. Support: Blinky and Tiamat. Last line: Radio.

"Deva, me, is on point. I'mma intercept and dance Mr. Crusty and get it to wave its claws. Need to keep it distracted as my dance partner.

"Ice Queen, we need you to skate up underneath it and find the centre point where its underbelly plates meet at the middle; in the seams. Freeze it. Get as deep as you can go.

"Tiamat, hold position, Mr. Crusty coming thru but stay put. Once I'm dancing with it get Flumper and move over to the wounded. But in the mean time, we need your jacket-baby to help me dance.

"Blinky, stay 2nd line, see if you can't blind it. Dunno how tough those eyestalks are. And dude, catch--" Rai closed in and tossed a grenade to Norah.

"Ice, once you confirm freezing we will switch. Get me under there and make no mistake I'mma shatter that icy spot. Won't kill it but it will make a weak spot.

"Blink, that's where you come in when you ready, signal to Ice. ice, girl, make a ramp. I'mma punch the weak spot with all my might. Crabby-patty roars, Crabby-patty mouth opens. Blink get up there and Fire grenade in the hole. Squad converges and wrecks it until we are eating seafood for real, for real. We clear, Dreamers?

"Oh and Tee, by the way, those earbuds are mine. Yeah... No, keep 'em," after a moment's hesitation, she let the image of the uncertainty-- no fear in Adelina's eyes flash across her mind's eye. Godammit, Group-Hugger... A relenting sigh, "...cuz you doin' fine. Anyways. Squad; Make no mistake. No One gets left behind. Deva out."

With her plan called out, Rai ran stride for stride behind (beside?) the giant crab. Lowering her chin, she sprinted to just behind it and leapt up onto its carapace and held on with one hand. With her other hand she began to smack it in its face(?) with the lob-monster she had picked up earlier. She hoped it would stop to deal with her with its huge claws. She would then leap out of the way and square up with it on the sand.

"Rock-a-bye, bay-bee..."

Let the dance begin.

---

 

[Nellancholy]

The crab approached zealously and vigorously, like a storm coming in beyond the electrical storm that had just ensued earlier in the battle. Norah'd never faced a creature of this magnitude before, but the biggest the caravan had ever tackled had to be like a couple feet smaller than this. Between those of them who were Dreamers and everyone else, they'd be able to work together to take something like this apart piece by piece.Then some of the flesh would go into the iceboxes for sustenance while the carapace, organs and all would go elsewhere. To some sciencey types who wanted to do who knows what with them, probably. Well, she wouldn't be very interested in wearing armor modeled after crab exoskeleton, or taking medicine made from some kind of mutant crab juice.

Not that this was a concern here.

There was no family, no caravan to back her up. Just a bunch of people pulled into the same place and then set loose to fight.

She didn't even need to look around to tell that things weren't going quite the way Punchy had rattled off. Not everyone was in a state to play their part in the plan, so it was time to improvise.

Forget about directly blowing it up from the inside: step one would be to destroy its main sensory organ and then improvise from there. Hell, if the helicopter hadn't gone down, they could probably send that flying into the crab's mouth in a pinch.

And speaking of pinch...

Punchy had already gone on to engage the crab head on.

Norah pulled one foot back on the sand like a runner preparing to launch. And just as the crab swept at Punchy with its claws...

Without so much as a "woosh", Norah shot into the air, landing on the crab's "head". Easy. Just like jumping into the back of a pickup truck driving across the dunes. Except, unlike a pickup truck, this crustacean probably wasn't too much of a fan of keeping her around.

Wasting little time, Norah grabbed both eyestalks, her slender arms straining as she tried to keep them in place. It was like wrestling two pythons at once, if said pythons were sprouting from a pointy, angry carapace.

Keeping the ends of both eyes in a big group hug, Norah was barely able to reach the grenade Punchy gave her and pull it out of her pocket. She had to keep it in place to detonate, but she sure didn't want to do that by holding it in place...

Reaching to her waist, she undid a strap that would hold a pouch in place if she had one, but now served no purpose. She had to do this neat and clean. And so there was no choice, she'd have to do it the hard way. She breathed in, bracing for the pain. Usually, accelerating in time would be as easy as blinking her eyes. But doing so before the cooldown had expired...

Her nerves felt like they spontaneously ignited, amplified sensations scouring her raw muscles. In the four seconds this bought her, she fought the pain, rapidly tying the two eyestalks together, with the triggered grenade between them.

And just like that, time resumed.

The crab reared up, and Norah, with the outlines of her nerves burned across her body like a vast electrocution scar, tumbled off the back of the crab, landing in the sand, each one a knife digging into her flesh.

The grenade would detonate in but a few seconds, though it would take a while for Norah to return to an ambulatory state...

Vox Angelis BuggaBoo

 

[Vox Angelis]

Despite Radio's best efforts to relay all of Rai's directives to the team, it would seem that inexperience or the heat of the moment was weighting too much on the mind of some of the members of Special Unit A. Nodding to no one is particular, the cool-headed Lumine engaged in close-quarters, skating her way to the crab while it was engaged in a fisticuff dance with the self-appointed unit leader. Before she could make her way towards the giant crustacean, she was blindsided, tackled to the ground by a swift dog-sized shrimp. If one was standing closely to the ice princess, they could hear the crunch of her bones as the shelled creature rammed into her with the speed of a car. A shriek was all that escaped from her mouth before she fell unconscious.

Before the girl would be torn to pieces by the monster, Adelina's own creations were quick on the offensive, swarming over the offending monster in an effort to save Lumine. While the rest of the unit would be focused on the giant crab, Adelina's little army of misfits would tear the shrimp to shreds, and soon enough her attention would be focused on a small wave of stray monsters that were wandering on the battlefield. Those strays seemed to actually be picking out isolated soldiers and Dreamers alike, preying on the chaos of the battle to strike at unsuspecting foes. Adelina would focus her attention on those wild cards, dispatching her minions into intercepting the ones that tried to get a jump on her squad mates.

"Guys, Lumine has been ambushed and is K/O. Adelina is keeping some inbound creeps from reaching you. Rai, Norah, you're on your own. I'll coordinate with Adele to keep them at bay. Good luck !"

---

Fortunately for the squad, the two that arguably had the most field experiences with monsters took matters in their own hands. With Rai's quick wits, agility and power and Norah's uncanny speed, they worked their way to deal with the bus-sized crab on their own. The Nightmare's powerful punched managed to crack the shell of the creature with repeated quick blows, weakening it before the Hopeful zipped on top of the crab to completely destroy its visual organs as well as parts of its head's shell with a well-tied grenade.

Excellent teamwork, Radio could say. A bit rough around the edges, but it worked nonetheless.

In the aftermath of the thunderous explosion that sent the crab flinching away from the group, it still remained on its wobbly legs, disoriented and confused. While the execution was flawless, the students would be reminded of the limitations of modern arsenal against these creatures. The killing blow was best dealt with a Dreamer's ability, or so it was said. Magic against magical creatures, at least for the bigger ones.

While in no condition to continue the fight, the crab stumbled forward in a crippled frenzied charge, at least for a few steps. A huge shadow overhead would herald the arrival of a terrible, delightful sight. One that came crashing down, hard.

*Squelch*

A train car landed straight onto the crab, showering the unit in seafood gore and sand. Overhead, they could see the origin of this surprise attack. The whole train station was floating over their heads, with Margot leading the lineup up of trains behind her. Everyone present on the beach would witness why she was named "Maglev". This was her signature move. Costly, but effective.

"Sorry I'm late. It seems like Salvatore had a surprise gift for me."

If the battlefield was chaotic enough with the thunderous fury of Storm Striker unleashing heaven's wrath, then it had nothing on what Maglev had in store for those monsters. One after the other, train cars were launched individually at the waves of monster emerging from the beach. Each time a container hit the ground, it would detonate with a small napalm explosion, burning the sea monsters to a crisp.

Revitalized by her peer showing up to help him in his time of need, Antonio cried out if rage as he unleased a massive burst of lightning like none had seen on this beach before. The intensity of the strike was so much that it made the titanic shark monster roar in pain.

It was at that moment that Maglev unleashed the ace up her sleeve. As the giant monster opened its mouth, she launched the actual maglev train floating above her. Its speed amplified by the First Dreamer's, it broke the speed of sound as she launched it, creating a sonic boom that rang into everyone's ears and sent the two flying Dreamers into the beach.

The titan shark had no chance. The magnetic-charged train rammed into the creature's throat with such power that the first car completely went trough, ripping its head and splashing away in the ocean, while the rest of the car rammed into its body and detonated with an explosion that shook the beach. Nothing really remained of the monster, it was incinerated on the spot by the explosives enhanced by one Dreamer that had remained behind with the army to enhance explosives' potency.

Silence filled the beach for a moment, both humanity and monstrosity seemed to reel from the utter destruction they've just witnessed. So this was the power of the First Dreamers. It was hard to believe that humanity was on the losing side with them on their side despite this show of strength.

Then monsters began shrieking, confused and leaderless, they scattered and ran to the beach. Gunned down and chased, this battle was decided. Most of the monsters littered the beach with their lifeless corpses as cheers from soldiers and Dreamers resounded.

This was a small victory for humanity, but a victory nonetheless.

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

​

Aftermath on the beach...

It was a literal trainwreck on the beach.

The elated cries of joy of soldiers and Dreamers alike still echoed out across the shore. An even louder roar sounded out when several fought the waves on their their ways to climb and conquer the body of the giant shark person where they held various victory poses. But cheering was the last thing on Rai's mind right now. No, the big, muscular, inked up woman was still near the train-car-flattened-carcass of the crab-strosity, helmet beside her as she kneeled in the sand. {Ruin or Rai'Shauni... who will you choose?}

Yes, she had been instrumental in defeating the platoon of unfriendlies that were dispatched against their squad but for her, it had to to do little with her own abilities and everything to do with that thing, That Very, Very Bad Thing which resided inside her. It was her literal inner demon and it wanted to take over and kill everything in sight. But Rai knew she needed it to use her telekinesis, but even more so, Rai knew she needed to keep it at bay at all costs. {Ruin or Rai'Shauni... who will you choose?}

And so instead of hearing the raucous celebration outside her, she tried to focus upon the nulled and neutral calm inside her. There always seemed to be a pinpoint of red light that shone within her eyes whenever the thing inside her threatened to push her over the edge. But when she opened her eyes next, {Ruin or Rai'Shauni... who--} there was only scintilating blues therein.

Rai scanned the literal trainwreck upon the beach with her own eyes. Another small victory... but little known to others it was another huge personal victory for the 2nd eldest daughter of the Matriarch of Clan Wicked. Speaking of Mama...

The big woman grunted as she got to her feet. A bit of a strech before dusting the grains of sand offa her torn and battlescarred, black and red body armour. With one hand she slid out a cigarette from a pouch as the other whipped out a wind-proof lighter and sparked up the white cancer stick. Several puffs she took, each one a thought sent out to each of her closest family members until she finally thought of Mama. A smile could not help but lilt up at the corner of her mouth. She was sure Mama would be proud of her right now, despite not once contacting Rai in the 2 years she had been in the UMRAS facility.

Helmet tucked under her arm, she glanced at the rest of their failed squad. They were being tended to and hauled away via stretcher. She held her cigarette pack in her other hand as she approached Norah. With the lit cigarette held expertly outta the side of her mouth, a firm upward chin nod she tossed the smaller woman. Normally she would just blow smoke into anothers face out of scorn or just outright bad attitude. But instead...

A small jerking motion popped up a cigarette just above the other ones in the pack; an offer for Norah to take. Nellancholy "Quick thinkin' out there. Glad you on our side, B."

If Norah took the cigarette, instantly Rai would light it for her. But regardless-- Vox Angelis " 'Dio. This is Deva. What's our ETA to get back to home base?" --Rai would hastily turn to aid with prepping and lifting her injured squadmates into the medical transports. Because she wasn't into the 'feel good gushy' moments unlike how a particular 'Group-Hugger' would enjoy. And yes, she considered her last interaction with Blinky a 'feel good gushy' moment. For little would they know that whenever Rai used someone's first initial of their name to address them, it meant they were in her good books.

And whether they knew it or not, it meant that she would have their back.

---

 

[Nellancholy]

For the moment, Norah lay broiling on the sand like a rapidly drying fish. The parts of her exposed to the salty, smoking sea air already looked much better, the traces of her damaged nervous system already reduced to a pale pink web across her skin.

She rarely pushed herself past her limit like this, though this certainly wasn't the first time.

The first time...when she fled from the thing that killed her family.

That thing wasn't some towering monster, breathing fire and bristling with spikes. It looked human. At least human enough that with a tattered cloak thrown over its swollen, malformed body, it was able to persuade them into giving it shelter.

The only reason Norah was spared from its toxic vapors was because she had left on a scouting trip on her own.

When she returned to see that thing, hunched over the dead, bloated bodies of her family, in a cloud of poison it was issuing continuously, almost involuntarily...

She fled. She called upon her gift to send her as fast and as far as she could, in multiple bursts, a hundred meters at a time until her entire body felt like it was mangled and pulped, and that thing couldn't find her.

It was a miracle she survived the strain, leaving everything behind her.

She'd only done so a few more times after that, each time to save her own skin in situations she'd put herself into. Maybe she was setting herself up for a lifetime of seizures and paralysis, or maybe...she'd burn out before then.

And now here she was, lying on the sand, Rai above her.

"I don't smoke." Mumbling, she reached up, pushing the cigarette back into the box. "Enough out there trying to kill me and you."

Vox Angelis BuggaBoo

 

[Vox Angelis]

Angélique pushed a sigh of relief as the commotion finally began to settle down, witnessing for herself from a bird's point-of-view the monsters retreating from the beach and going to make a run for the sea, if they weren't zapped, squashed, scorched, gunned down, or whatever else the Dreamers and the soldiers came up with to suppress even more of the lumbering monstrosities. She noticed that despite having been blasted off from the sky earlier, the two First Dreamers were giving pursue to the largest of the monsters, like the bus-sized crab they just managed to fight off on their own. It made sense for them to rid of the more threatening monsters first, to eliminate the chance of happening upon them again in a future invasion.
" 'Dio. This is Deva. What's our ETA to get back to home base?"

The communication Dreamer's sight returned to hers, looking back at her squad mates.

BuggaBoo
"Oh, standard procedure, Dev. Give 'em more or less five minutes and they'll be back to round us up. We'll be going back by truck, or paramedic for the others."

Angel got up to her feet, slowly. Her legs were wobbly, her sight was hazy, her head felt slightly woozy as well. Using her magical sight to scan a whole battlefield and beyond was quite strenuous on her end, with all the reports, back and forth and such while acting as Radio.

"Whew, well shit, we actually survived the first god damn invasion on home ground. Good job y'all, really killed it out there."

While Rai would check in on the others, the raven-haired Hopeful would check up on Norah.

Nellancholy
"Ayo girl, you alright? Need a hand getting up, or would ya like a napping partner? Wouldn't mind lying down myself 'till they come picking us up."

 

[Vox Angelis]

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Secured Zone
Time: 1745
​

Just as Radio called, a convoy of trucks soon arrived at the location Special Unit A was waiting. With Lumine out of commission, the ice she had encased the remnants of the crashed helicopter in had melted down quickly, allowing the soldiers to inspect the inside of the wreckage and bring out the injured military personnel and Dreamers to carry them to the more medically-inclined vehicles. Among her unconscious peers, Norah would also be transported inside a med-truck, given the amount of self-sustained damage she brought on herself from recklessly using her powers. Meanwhile, Rai'Shauni and Angélique would be rounded up by the remaining military personnel and brought back inside one of the fortified trucks made especially to detain Dreamers. A beeping sound from Rai's ankle cuff would go off, all too familiar with both the veteran Dreamers.

"Battle-mode disengaged. Activating power-suppression protocols."

Such was the unfortunate life of a Nightmare. Their powers too great, they were severely dampened to make sure they wouldn't cause a mess inside the academy or around UNMRAS staff, just in case one of those unstable Dreamers had an episode or decided they had enough of being a conscripted soldier.

The raven-haired Hopeful sighed, leaning with as much comfort as she could find inside the back of the truck, arms and legs crossed with her head resting against the cool metal surface of the truck's walls.

"Fuck, girl can you believe it? I sure can't. A monster attack, here? I mean, I've heard of strays reports and witnessed a few monsters roaming the countryside myself, but I've never seen an actual invasion reach out this far away from the fighting hotspots."

And yet the reality of rampaging monsters were only too true. Corpses of Dreamers, military forces, civilians and monsters littered the beach, as seen from the doors' windows. UNMRAS was sure to have their hands full in the coming days.

For the Dreamers, well it was time to prove they were indeed defenders of humanity, more than ever now.

---

---

Location: Director Lang's Office, UNMRAS Headquarters, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1800
​

"That's madness !" Casey looked at the windows from inside Director Lang's office, a closed fist brought against the frame. He certainly did not look as calm or as confident as how he appeared to be during his previous class with Special Unit A, just a few hours ago. "It was their first day together, yet you threw them under the bus under Salvatore's pressure. Now just look at them ! Half the team is carried out in stretchers."

Sitting at her desk, the ever-serious looking Director looked on over her screen, a live broadcast of the battlefield, from different angles. Her brows furrowed at the sound of a hand slamming against the frame of her office windows. "A necessary sacrifice, for the survival of our city." Her eyes narrowed at her computer screen, as if she picked up on something unusual. "Dreamers grow stronger as they fight against the Dream Eater's ilk. It's a proven theory, it's why those who fought the longest here have grown in power. It's why I'm sending all these kids out to fight, no matter their experience. The weak are culled, the strongest emerge even stronger."

"There's more to fighting monster. We're more than just cannon fodder. We are the cannon in this war. You should consider that out before throwing your most valuable assets down the grinder."

There was an unsettling silence in the room for a few seconds.

"Are you done?" Lang asked coldly, her steely gaze set on the Dreamer.

Casey sighed, his pent-up frustration abating after venting. "Not quite, but that'll do."

"Great, now stay quiet and listen closely. I have dispatched additional recruits to your unit. The arrangements are already made, you will be meeting them tomorrow with what is left of the special unit."

"Gee, that was fast. What, did Oracle missed a few?"

There was another unsettling pause before the Director spoke. "There is... something. They can't tell for certain, but they are speaking of a great Shadow clouding their visions, and a bright white thread branching out in the darkness, to the unknown. It's the first time they are so... uncertain."

Casey let out another long-winded sigh, slouching over the window still. He looked over to the horizon, at the setting sun. "Well, ain't that fun. So what is it, an ill omen or a good news?

Another silence, but this time, Director Lang did not know the answer to that question.

---

---

Location: Infirmary, UNMRAS Headquarters, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1300​

Nellancholy Umbran Fumbler blankcanvas
Something was coming alright. In the infirmary where Norah was staying for the night for both recovery and monitoring, the Hopeful girl would notice two more Dreamers being rushed into the infirmary. Two faces she might have recognized from her earlier mission outing. The cheerful girl that was keen on animating monstrous objects, and the white-haired weirdo that did nothing but stare vacantly at nothing in particular. Both Dreamers were rolled inside the room, and quickly checked upon by the medical staff.

"What's their status?" The medical chief asked as he prepared himself to examine the two patients.

"Unknown, sir. Central reported they suddenly fell unconscious in their room. Vitals are low but stable, like in a comatose state."

"Revival procedures?"

"Uneffective. From stimulated reanimation to injections, they are not waking up."

"Urgh, must be related to their freak magic or something. Plug them on life support. We'll wait for further instructions by the Director. For now, Director Lang wants them supervised. Keep me informed of any new development.

"Understood, sir."

---

---

The return to the academy was tumultuous, to say the least. Soldiers were still on alert, as well as the returning Dreamers, most of which just experienced fighting monsters for the first time in their life. Elated shouts of victory, cries over lost comrades and injuries, it suddenly made for a very noisy environment that was unlike most days at UNMRAS. As a matter of fact, it was unlike any day at the academy. A sense of dread soon settled in as both Dreamers and military realized that dangers were hitting home closer than they would like to admit. The possibility of fighting for their lives every day was now a very distinct possibility.

But while everyone had monsters on their mind, night would still come as normal, and everyone had little time for their own activities before having to turn in to their room for the rest of the day. Most would be mulling over the events of the day, the possibilities it brought to humankind in the future, an existential crisis for some.

Oh, what better moment than tonight to collect their dues, in the darkness of the night? To prey on the newfound fears and worries of all these sweet dreaming children? Tonight would be a feast.

---

---

Location: Wing Z, UNMRAS Headquarters, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 0800​

Morning eventually came, after a rough night for most of the students and the staff. Most would attribute the general unrest to yesterday's events, but still everyone had to get up and go about their day as soldiers and students. Despite everything, classes would still be held, although the mood was at best morose for the whole teaching staff.

Head of Dreamer Activities, Casey Smith, could be found waiting in his newly appointed classroom for Special Unit A. His face betrayed his emotions, his inner turmoil. He appeared calm and collected as always, but a faint trace of magic would suggest he was using his powers on himself and perhaps a few other Nightmares as well.

Some faces, he would recognize, though he was quite dismayed to see only Rai'Shauni and Norah from the initial prospects making it back safely into class. Today, Angélique was also sitting in the room, but she was at the very back of the class, with a headpiece around one ear and staring vacantly at the window next to her. While she was also appointed to Special Unit A, her role as one of the academy's few staff members took precedence and was diligent in taking her orders from above. Casey had spoken plenty with Angélique before class, taking the rare opportunity she wasn't on duty to discuss about mundane subjects and personal feelings.

There would also be a few new faces making their appearance today as well. The new recruits Director Lang attributed to the squad. Casey had read their files before going to bed, but some of them, he was already familiar with.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Alvaro | Wing Z, UNMRAS HQ, L.A.

The shower sang its own hum as the pipes were turned on.

“Wait there. You know how I feel about smelling wet fur after a bath. All you did was watch today anyway, no need for you to join and make a mess. And don't give me that look, yes you do and you bloody know it.”

The door was closed, not hard or forceful, and the bathroom door was clicked with a lock.

No need to give her the opportunity to play one of her stupid pranks either.

A cold shower after a hard sweat was the ritualistic process to start the new day. After all, today was the day he would be meeting his new teammates.

People that already had lost some members given the beach storm incident not long ago. As far as the reports said when he had asked, they weren't dead. Just unconscious and on leave till they were up again.

His parents had asked him how he was feeling about yesterday, when he had gotten the news after he came back from his own mission, playing assist only when things had gotten dicey at the beach.

The answer he had given them was, he wasn't worried about it.

It wasn't the answer he felt right now.

They called it a victory, and on a strategic scale it was.

Hard to feel truly cheerful though when you come up to a scene of gore, watching people chase down monsters, mad with bloodlust, the white sand stained red.

Even harder to feel anything positive when all their emotions flowed into you like a sewer drainage pipe.

Scrubbing helped to get his mind off the inevitable. The simple process of cleaning, was somehow in its own way distracting enough to avoid himself merely staring at the tiled bathroom walls.

There wasn't filth on his skin that needed washing like it had yesterday, with a stronger, more powerful brush and more water pressure that would leave human skin bruised. In his hybrid form, his body was supernatural- like this though, he could just take a normal shower. The bottle made a squirting sound as his palm pressed along the squeeze nozzle and gathered a decent amount into a palm, moving for his hair. Mohawk limp, falling across his head till he began the lathering and washing process.

Unbidden, his mind travelled back to what he would be doing today. Eyes glancing through faint steam to the digital clock above the massive mirror.

50 minutes. He had already eaten, and he was practically almost done, but to be honest, he almost wished he could skip.

Skipping though would just give the cocky prudes he had been stuck with on escort today, a reason to bust the door down and have him go to the meeting spot nude.

JT and Harriet were the nicest of the security detail he had ever had the honor of working with. It sucked one of them had been put on medical leave not long after he had been decommissioned, and the other had decided to shift entirely from this line of work after a close call with a Hopeful who had a short temper. Good guards, decent security officers in charge of escorting or securing many of them were not so easy to find these days. Once in a blue moon, he found one officer that didn't just see him as a living bio-weapon, and he knew when they did and didn't because their souls- their emotions, couldn't lie to him.

It had been a year under Casey, and then a series of eval work because Dreamers were just that important. This would be the first team he had been with in almost two years since the decommission. He wasn't nervous about going back out there, he just did that yesterday and all it had felt like was refreshing the memory for a test or getting back into the practice of a sport.

What he was more worried about was the people he would meet. How many of them would he actually get along with?

Would any of them be as insufferable as Clyde McConnell or Samantha Angularo became? One of them hadn't even been a Nightmare, Clyde had been a Hopeful. The most grandiose Hopeful with an ego he had ever met so far. Samantha, plain and simple, a bad bitch with a ton of spite and snark when she wanted to be that liked to press buttons cause it helped her deal with her own stress.

For the three years, technically five, he had been in UNMRAS, he had seen all kinds of Dreamers since his enrollment. What sort would he meet in this new team?

The boon of having parents in the upper ranks was that there was a greater incentive to behave, Alvaro sarcastically guessed. Not that he could pull rank on anyone in this blasted organization. Minor benefits sure, but in the long term nothing truly beyond that.

He knew some of their names already. The team that he would be joining weren't names or faces he personally knew. Their behaviors, as far as those that would be present from the initial unit, didn't strike him as any immediate red flags. Though he knew he would never have to deal with the two most insufferable members of any team he had ever been on and didn't have to worry about expecting to see them there, the thought of meeting others like them after just being cleared for field work again seemed like his sort of luck.

A high pitched laugh slipped through the door, echoing in the bathroom, the sound bouncing off the walls, made him frown as soap suds washed out and the darkness behind eyelids made the bouncing laugh feel almost ominous with how it reverberated. The way it echoed so perfectly like the acoustics in the bathroom were perfect for it.

All he could do was sigh at the annoyingly familiar sound.

Anima cooed, faux apologetic in only the way a teasing amused friend could. Smug, mocking in jest, not truly sorry for poking his buttons.

Fingers swiped at his eyes and washed at his face as he let out an exhale and stared at the falling water in the shower around his feet.

Being a sink drain for others emotions could be taxing.

He could feel the sadistic amusement on the other side of the door, where she sat waiting for him to finish so that they may go. And all it did was only mildly annoy.

Sometimes she was the devil on his shoulder, in moments like right now though, he wondered why a part of him would feel off if she suddenly was gone and his life went back to how it was.

Could he ever go back to normal though? Was the whisper in his ear. Did he want to?

The laughter came back, bouncing as it had before, amusement far more plain in it this time than mocking humor as he made an annoyed sound.

‘Someone LOOOOOVES meeee’, her voice hissed in the air, hyena laughter following.

He could only roll his eyes in annoyance.

Sometimes he wished he could make her completely shut up.

---

The guards were waiting right out his door at 7:35, and he could sense them, without needing to even look through the peephole.

Dressed and ready, 7:40 they were moving to Wing Z, the designated location of the meeting point.

The guards kept glancing at the large jaguar that was trailing obediently behind his footfalls. The beast was muscular- abnormally tall and large. It went past the level of hips and reached nearly the collarbone of someone at 5 '6, which meant it was huge, which was odd for a normal animal.

Agent Stripes and Agent Todd knew any animal under his control wasn't normal for long.

He could sense their wonder as easily as she could. Even with the cuffs active, dampening powers, it didn't dampen his ability to sense or detect what they were feeling.

Anima stayed close. At her size you would assume movement would be slower, but no matter what form she took, she retained supernatural elements.

A touch is all it would take for them to fuse. With his reflexes and her improved supernatural stats combined, he could easily take out Stripes and Todd.

The thought was ignored. The cuff was active, and they both knew that getting her up to the size she was now, had taken a bit longer than it normally should have.

It was as his parents said, precautions had been taken since the recent unconscious events with Dreamers. Something was stirring. They were all on guard.

He could feel it through the Wing if he focused- but there was no need. That was a dangerous slope to go down.

Or was it a far more empowering one?

Quit it, brat.

Anima couldn't smile as an animal. She didn't have the facial structure to do it. Yet, he knew, she was smiling- even if she physically couldn't. Not that it mattered to the guards following behind them. Not armed with weapons ready but certainly with rifles at their backs and hip holsters to assist.

He knew what they wanted to ask. How did he do it? How did it work?

On some missions, when he had been in civilized zones, he had Anima vanish. Appear as if he has made a distant psychic call to some random creature that showed up to provide an assist at his demand. It helped to sell the image. So would entering this way too.

She behaved as they always displayed. A wild animal obedient to him and him alone, a creature that had been sent from the Menageries that his parents had connections to and the UNMRAS provided, as the rumor he profited off, said.

Agent Todd spoke up as they came to a collective stop near a four way cross hallway. “Go through that door at the end of the hall in front of you, you'll meet the rest of your designated new unit there. Good luck.”

Good luck. That wasn't one he heard too often, not with other guards or escorts. Not since Agent JT and Harriet. He had been on enough teams or missions to know just how to differentiate emotions. Hidden and underlying just below the surface. This was genuine, not sarcastic.

For the kindness, Todd got himself a small smile.

“Thanks. Later guys.” He waves without looking back.

He decided to ignore the underlying sense of pity he could feel from both as they watched him and the trailing large Jaguar go.

The doors slid to the side, allowing entrance, and Alvaro and his ‘pet’, walked in. The Jaguar coming in behind him, his hands pocketed.

He had already scanned the room before even entering, noting the emotional signatures of registered bodies inside. So his eyes knew where to go for Casey immediately.

“Good to see you again boss” was the polite greeting that fell from his lips.

‘It remains to be seen if it'll be nice to see the rest’, was Anima’s snarky telepathic remark, ignored.

First person of the new recruits or last, Alvaro let bright eyes move from Casey to anyone else in the meeting room. Not searching, but exactly locating though whether anyone picked up on that was a guess. A polite greeting without mention of his name is all he’d give to anyone, whether they were already inside or just entering.

Fact was, he only would have entered about a minute apart from anyone new about to enter themselves.

The oversized Jaguar looked around at any new faces following him in, but she didn't stray. As large and tall as she was, she didn't disrupt the order of the room. She circled him, tail up, displaying alertness, turned its head to look at Casey and tilt its head in a manner that looked as if it recognized him, then decided to sit at her tamer’s side. Offering a yawn, displaying sharp canines, before licking its chops.

Alvaro ignored Anima’s theatrics. He waited to see what anyone else would say or do. Or more importantly, what they would feel.

Mentions: Vox Angelis BuggaBoo simj26 Nellancholy LatinKnightz Bluffly

Interactions: n/a

 

[simj26]

GYOSHI

Block, push in, jab, confirm, hook, uppercut, body shot. Retreat, make space, give ‘em time to catch their breath, take the rhythm off-beat, move in, feint–

She opened her eyes, and turned them towards the two guards that had only just recently entered her domain. Hands gripped tightly around their tools of enforcement, tense, guarded. Even as she was seated cross-legged upon the empty floor, they were wary. Good. To be able to gauge if something or someone was a threat is a good instinct to have. They could stand to be more polite, however. Had they chosen to be any less clumsy while approaching, she would have deemed them as assassins after her head, and that would not have gone down well.

She stood up slowly, her hands raised in compliance. Even as silence reigned between the three of them, she understood that she was to be taken somewhere. A briefing, as she was instructed in the yester-eventide. She could make all the guesses and assumptions she wanted, but she knew that there was no better way to confirm this than to go with her chaperones. They remained quiet as they ushered her out of her quarters, and she remained just as tight-lipped. There were no words to be exchanged, no pleasantries to be traded.

The journey to Wing Z was long, and winding, and silent. She appreciated it. Eyes upon her, whispers among the little ones, she duly ignored them. What rumours and ideas they might have about her, they were not of importance. She was here to do battle, and do battle, she will. She remained in her thoughts and the silence until they, at last, approached the door to a classroom.

She watched the two guards step back, one nodding to her, as if to instruct her to open the door to the within. This was as far as they went, it seemed. She pulled open the doors, and stepped inside.

Only to be obstructed by a young man and a…creature. She scowled, and stepped around both of them. “Away from here with your pet. You’re blocking the entryway.” She waved at them, to harry them elsewhere, instead of being an obstacle for others to bypass. The Regal Rper

Turning to the beautiful man with the luxurious locks that flowed like water around his shoulders that she identified as the one she surmised was heading this...class, she gave a non-committal salute, before taking an empty seat. “You are the one who has called me here. I hope it's something good.” Vox Angelis

 

[Nellancholy]

Norah's eyes cracked open as she awoke from her deep sleep in the infirmary. Every trace of the pain from yesterday had vanished, and the marks left by her searing nerves had receded, leaving no trace.

But the sensations of last night's dream remained. The dream that was tangible, undeniably real. The encroaching darkness...the single drop that fell on her.

She had heard of an ancient form of torture where the victim was restrained, and water dripped on their head. Slowly, steadily. Eventually, the impotence, the simple inability to respond to such a small discomfort would lead to torment and anguish equal to any wound.

That was what it felt like. A single drop of condensed, heavy dread.

Norah sat up, glancing towards Adelina, who lay shifting in a restless sleep from which she could not wake. Why her? Just as they were starting to hit it off...that's what she got for getting attached. Norah wondered, bleakly, how long they'd wait before deciding to pull the plug on Adelina. On herself, too. If one day she pushed herself too hard, seized herself into a coma...

"Lights on, punk. Time for class. Don't make me come in and get you." A mildly familiar voice issued from the doorway, already ajar. Norah figured that a place with assets as valuable as them would be more secure, but...

"Yeah, yeah. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" No time to rest, even the morning after a deadly battle. Already tying her braids with practiced motion, Norah swung her legs over the edge of the bed and put her feet into her shoes. Instead of taking a moment to put them on properly, she walked with them like slippers, her heels pressing the backs down.

With that, she joined one of the guards who got her down from the roof yesterday, whose posture made it abundantly clear that they didn't "like" being anywhere near the Dreamers, even without them saying anything further.

Hovering menacingly behind Norah's shoulder, they escorted her to class.

---

Location: Wing Z, UNMRAS Headquarters, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 0800
​

Norah stepped into class, her gaze sweeping over the new arrivals as she fell into a chair, lifting her feet up onto an adjacent one in order to fix her shoes.

"Morning, Mr. Smith. Looks like you're stuck with me a bit longer, huh?"

Vox Angelis

 

[LatinKnightz]

Location: Wing Z, UNMRAS Headquarters, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: I have no idea.


Click. . .
clack. . .
Click. . .
clack. . .

Went his cane as Nicholas Parmer stumbled ever so slightly through his new school or rather, glorified prison. As he limped forward, he turned to the guards escorting him.
"I'd like to thank you for assisting me with my things during my, less than ideal condition. I thank you for your service!" The soldiers looked at each other, vaguely amused by what they thought was Nick's naivety on the whole situation. "Buttering up to us ain't gonna get you nowhere old man." Said guard #1 "Oh, I'm nineteen."
Some awkward silence followed.
"It's because of the eyebags isn't it." "Yeah you might want to consider a rigid facial routine or somethin-" Guard #2 nudged him to stop yapping. "The point still stands kid. There ain't nothing you could do to make things easier for you." Nick stopped walking and leaned on his cane. "How about 5000 dollars?" Guard #1 scoffed while guard #2 furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. "Oh? And how would a freak like you manage to come up with that much cash-" He unscrewed the top of his cane and shook out a neat roll of 100 dollar bills.
"It's been awhile since I counted these so, there's a small chance that it might be more than 5000." Both the guards were shocked by Nick's sudden gesture.
"How did you-" "The funeral business is a very lucrative one." Answered Nick. Guard #2 soon got over his surprise and exclaimed angrily.
"You really think you could bribe us with this?"
"Oh, this isn't a bribe. I just figured that since I'm a freak, I no longer require these things. We still do get fed, right? Three meals a day would be most wonderful!" He screwed the top of his cane back on. "It's probably illegal contraband here anyway. . . Who knows? It could be counterfeited, you should confiscate it to check, just in case!" The guards both looked at each other in confusion. One of them even started reaching for the tazer behind him.
"Ooh! Am I getting hazed? I've never been hazed before! I've always wondered what it was like!"
The guards at this point were rather shaken by Nick's. . . friendly? Demeanor? Guard #2 really did contemplate tazing him before finally deciding.
"Just keep moving kid." He shoved him forward while grabbing the roll of cash. Nick almost fell before guard #2 caught him.
"We're confiscating this. Just so you know we ain't spending it!" Nick nodded "If you did so that would be very admirable~!"
He was pushed forward again towards what would be was his first, and quite possibly last. Classroom.
"Excuse me, sorry, watch the stick, I like your teeth, that's not normal is it? The compliment still stands." He made his way through the other new students and the hyena thing until he made it in front of the whole classroom. He clapped his hands together in anticipation as he announced in painful positivity.



"Hello! My name is Nicholas! Nicholas Parmer!"

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

​

Leaving the massacre on the beach...

Smouldering like twin blue pools of lava, Rai's gaze tracked each of the last of the members of Special Unit Alpha as they were loaded into the military medical transport. A half-hearted thumbs up she raised, acknowledging the dutiful medics that she herself was fine. Just fine.

Actually no, she wasn't fine. Thumbs up? More like throw up. This whole unit and the excecution of this squad made her sick to her stomach.

But that's not the real reason now was it? No. No she wasn't really sick to her stomach because of them.

The darkness of her scowl crept further downward from her brow, drowning out any hint that she celebrated any victory on this beach. The failure of the squad was all consuming for she knew exactly whose shoulders the failure should fall upon. There was no denying it. Rai tossed her head back and screeched. The ice pack in her hand she threw, soaring it clear across the beach. At this distance, the splash was tiny and insignificant, angering her even more. Despite her outburst and outrage, still she could not deny whose fault this shit show really belonged to. A wicked kick sent a lob-monster corpse flying, joining her ice pack, splashing down in the white-tipped waves. It was a decent distraction, a temporary success to divert the blaming of Special Unit A's dismantling away from the forefront of her mind.

A gloved hand pressed at the bandage on the side of her head, the other tossed her ruck sack into the back of the transport. Hard. She took her spot inside the metallic desolation within the transport. Less than an hour ago it was filled with nervous energy and nervous Dreamers. Now it was just numbingly empty save for herself and Radio.

The stupid voice on her ankle cuff spat its stupid warning at her. An inward hiss she let out as she felt like her whole soul was getting sucked outta her body. De-powered. An empty shell again. With the same foot that harboured that hated circular leash, Rai kicked the bench in front of her rather savagely. Radio seemed non-plussed. As if she expected such a thing from the big, brown badass bitch.

"Fuck, girl can you believe it? I sure can't. A monster attack, here? I mean, I've heard of strays reports and witnessed a few monsters roaming the countryside myself, but I've never seen an actual invasion reach out this far away from the fighting hotspots."

Several heartbeats passed. And when it seemed as if silence was her response and Rai just ignored her words, Rai's anger relented. A side-eyed glance she afforded the dark-haired female. Radio was way more of an important cog in the machine than any one member of SU Alpha, but 'Dio was still a cog nonetheless, just like Rai.

"From where I come from in the Pacific Northwest, those asshole Monsters have been encroaching there for a while now. Local media was saying that there has to be a source. Kinda like dead Bubba-Shark down there; something has to be co-ordinating the strikes."

A lighter appeared in one of her hands. In the other a cigarette appeared and was offered to Radio, "If it ain't happened to the bay area before...? Get ready. I gots this feeling its gunna get worse before it gets any better. And 'Dio... Goddamnit, girl, I really hope I gets re-shuffled into a squad that can actually return from duty with more than half its goddamn'd starting crew still standing..."

But who was to blame that more than half the squad was not still standing. Who's fault was it really?

Yet another time was she posed question. Yet another scowl entrenched her face. And yet another cigarette she lit up for herself to take her mind away from it all.

In the classroom...​

"Hello! My name is Nicholas! Nicholas Parmer!"

Rai had to pause momentarily at the door lest she just kick it offa the hinges. What the actual eff in the face?! Another Group-Hugger?!

Well, this one sounded less feminine yet just and annoyingly nasal and whiny. Between forefinger and thumb she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head at the whole deja-vu feeling. Chestnut locks fell forward and shrouded her visage now, dark intent befalling her features.

'If that voice had a face, I'd beat the shit outta it,' is what Rai's big sis would say.

'Wellll, actually it does have a face. Someone had to speak in that voice,' an airheaded giggle of course would bubble out from their baby sister's mouth.

'Exactly.' Big sis would smirk as she cracked her knuckles.

My gosh how she missed that pair of blood-related thorns in her side and, bonafide searing pain up her ass. Thoughts of her siblings smoothed her rage enough to enter the classroom without kicking the door in. And yet, still an angry, anvil shaped cloud weighed her brow downward into an even more pronounced scowl than usual. Cuz yeah, Casey Smith was in there. And Casey Smith deserved a punch in the mouth for what and who he had gathered and sent off into the deadly wild to absolutely get wrecked and fail.

2 strides in and it was clear she was hellbent on stomping her way to the front and drop kick with extreme prejudice the cane-toting, weasely dude the hell outta her way. A signature hiss and spit then, without a word, she would let her fists allow Casey Smith to know exactly how she felt.

Aside from the the pathetic excuse of a bowling pin boy at the front of the room, there were several new faces she noted-- and gave absolutely zero effs about them.

Sure there was the dude with the giant spotted kitty, and just look at him. Dude thought he deserved some kinda special attention but what the hell even for? Even a singular glance told her all she needed to know. Judging by his goofy eyed pet, this was the spoiled kid of some higher up in UMRAS. Dude's bro was a Dreamer named 'Radiance' that most of the other teens got all creamy over. But dude himself? Kinda speaks for itself when you can't even remember his name but clearly remember the name of the person whose coattails he rode and hid behind. In the stockade, everyone said not to mess with him unless you wanted big bro Radiance to mess you up himself. Rai could just spit; this spiky headed dude was a bigger pussy than the one that he currently hid behind.

And don't even get her started on Ms. Crab-strosity here. The hell was this corrupted UMRAS child-slave-soldier factory doing to further skewer its rep? This thing looked like a monster had cheated on her daddy with her Mama and she got away with it cuz when she birthed this abomination, her Mama most likely fed her daddy to her when she was a baby. People made fun of Rai when she was coming up in the under-18 MMA fight circuit because they thought she was a dude pretending to be a girl; they nick'd her 'Thumper.' And not like the cute, lil' fuzzy, adorable, huggy bunny in that kid's movie either. But hell, if she was Thumper back then, then this chonky-armed and -legged, crusty-stacean lady-thing was 'Chunker' as of right now and it was pretty clear that it was a girl pretending to be a monster. Or was that the other way around?

Who cares? The hell did Rai need to give any effs anyways? They screwed her by her setting up with a hopeless team whereby only she and the token 'plant' made it out relatively unscathed. Now she had to squad up with these assholes. Gathered by the chief gaping asshole himself at the front. Casey Smith. He was probably the one that named the freakin squad; 'Special Unit Alpha.' Laughable. More like 'Shitty Untrained Assholes'. What were they gonna call this new squad? 'Literal Red-Shirt Fodder'. Hell, she wouldn't even bat an eyelash if they named it something even lamer. Her entire squad was absolutlely wrecked. And she didn't want to or even need to but she decided to commit and take over as active Call--

Rai'Shauni stopped dead in her tracks far from reaching the front of the room. The moment she laid her blue eyes upon her sitting there alive and well, clarity rocketed its way to the surface inside the maelstrom within her thick head.

When the Anger is a 'Nightmare' to deal with...​

The slender girl with the dark hair and Firecracker attitude was sitting as she imagined: feet up, cocksure smile accented by glinting eyes and not giving 2 shits about anything.

Instantly both Rai's hands unballed from their tightly formed fists. Blue eyes did a second look over to make sure this wasn't some kinda Dreamer's illusion up against her. No. No, it was her, the wounds matched how she saw her get carted off with the medical team, not to mention all the others in her squad.

And so what about these new kids? Why was she being so toxic-thinking? Hell, not a single one of them did a single thing to her to make her feel any negative way towards them.

Then she became suddenly aware of another presence in the room and glanced towards the back of the room; Radio. She had to break eye contact with the other woman, chestnut bangs swinging into her visage, heat rising to her cheeks. No. Hell no, Radio wasn't a 'plant.' This was the one and same woman that aided Rai with trusting others again. Who else would she allow in her head? Who else helped Rai trust her own self again? Who? 'Dio, that's who. Only a courteous nod she gave the dark-haired Dreamer. But after a moment's consideration, she respectfully pointed and nodded again. I see you, girl... said the gesture.

And of course, the worst was saved for last. She didn't even have to look at him to know that his aura was there. And it was still having that calming effect upon her. As he always had done for her... When no one else believed in her... When they all thought she was a lost cause... When they were all ready to keep her locked up and throw away the key... he found her, reached out a hand and taught something greater than anger could ever provide.

A rough swallow and an about face, long chestnut bangs shrouding her embarassment yet again. Rai could just not bear to look him in the eye let alone face him right now. Because she forgot she had a choice. He taught Rai'Shauni that she always had a choice. His words; 'In the end it is up to you...'

Secret Thoughts and other such inner turmoils...​

So it was true. All that tossing and turning last night. All that turmoil, kicking and fighting ghosts in her sleep. It wasn't just a dream after all. Something really was different about her; something fundamental and something that had changed for the worst. In her heart of hearts the denial could not be turned away. Rai was angry. Soooooo very, very angry when she stormed her way here. But not once, not even a single time, did The Very, Very Bad Thing inside her say a word. Normally it would tempt her. Caress her cheek, hold her tight and let her know that it would all be okay if only she would give into it. Give in...? But she hadn't given in, right?

A quick glance she afforded both her hands. A few flexes into fists she repeated. And she knew right then and there.

Yes, she was wearing the cuff, but it would not stop her from using her power completely. And she was not about to just punch Casey in the mouth. No, she was going to punch his head clean off his shoulders. And then dare anyone to stop her because--

It's got a deeper hold on me. And the scariest part was that she had no idea how much it had held her and guided her towards her inevitable path-- _{Here's to Ruin, my love...?}

Rai shoved internally at the leering presence as hard as she could. A heartbeat later, neath her breath, she was machine gunning those self-soothimg mantras as she looked for a place to sit. Echoes of teasing blood red laughter faded from her mind as it slipped away and let her have this round. Oh, it knew that she knew. And it enjoyed it. It said it loved her previously. Now it was more than merely love it had for her.

Sitting down with Blinky and some Introductions...​

The big inked woman flumped down a couple seats down from the wisecracking Firecracker, reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a pack of bubble gum. She tossed one into her mouth and began to chew until she felt her mind clear. A small pink bubble she blew into existence then popped it. One final nerve reclaiming breath, then she leaned over and tossed an upward chin nod at the girl next to her. But she could not for the life of her remember the girl's real name. So instead;

Nellancholy "Yo. Blink. Girl, what's good?" the nickname slid out from her mouth without a second thought and actually sounded quite natural coming from her dusky pink lips.

The pack of gum had a single piece balancing precariously outta the edge facing the other young woman. It was an offer this time that was hopefully more preferrable than a cigarette.

Whether or not Blink took the gum, it mattered not to Rai. She was returning to her old self regardless. The tension in her posture slackened and she casually draped her arms around the backs of the chairs to the left and right of her. And Rai'Shauni being Rai'Shauni, both arms 'accidentally' tensed and flexed, her big, brown, muscles bulging and displaying in full her lovely inked up sleeves.

Once the last of the next victims-- Dreamer squad entered and took a seat. Rai stood with hands clasped neatly behind her back.

"Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes, Nightmare," of course, she made sure to pronounce her Mama's proud surname with the proper Latin sound; 'Cah-vee-yo.' She pulled aside the chestnut hair draped across her face so the others could see her fully now.

"I am the squadmate you just cannot stand, but will love when I stand up for you out there on the field. If you on field mission and in the shits, go on and call on me; 'Ms. Devastation' and I am there. I am a rocket launcher, a fiend breaker, an unshakeable tenacious bitch out there. When I'm around things will get hit on your behalf.

"And I hit things very, very, very hard until they are dead. Know that I can punch straight through concrete walls. And know that I have a very, piss poor atttitude. But most of all; know that I'm not a good person, yet know damn'd sure that I am a great teammate. Betray me, betray the squad and you will find out. I highly advise against such things; do not become an unfriendly to me."

Bad attitude was always something Rai unabashedly waved like a standard. Well, at least the big woman wasn't pissed off anymore. A smirk lilted up from the corner of her lips; yeah she was back to being merely the 100% unapologetic, scowling, bitch extraordinaire Rai'Shauni, yet again.

---

 

[The Regal Rper]

Alvaro | Wing Z, UNMRAS HQ, L.A.

Some people didn't like the terminology of being called a ‘mutant’ and now that he thought about it, perhaps it was insensitive to refer to the white haired, half-scaled, clearly Asian descent saurian female as a ‘mutant’. It was no different from how the guards called them ‘freaks’, even if in his head there had been no ill will in thinking the term- he knew several individuals with powers that had altered their physical features permanently-- some of them worse off. Their bitter, complex emotions or even outright hatred for being permanently altered, were emotions he felt keenly in their presence.

He didn't feel it from her, even as she made her way in with little need for him to nudge or say a word to Anima, as his spirit animal, moved away.

In all honesty though, given his power, he was lucky not to have been permanently altered.

‘Keep telling yourself that pal.’

Alright, at least not visible noticeable permanently altering traits.

What was her name again? Ah, right. Gyoshi.
.

People filed in. Too bad he already knew all their names based on the look he had at their files.

Gyoshi, if he recalled, as his eyes went to where she took her seat, was a CQC fighter in the same way the yet to arrive Rai was. Her power however, was all in her body. The enhanced strength, weight, durability weren't things she flaunted foolishly and if he was right she also had some sort of bolt blasting ability she could release. Not to mention, she was an intense trainer of the martial arts, with some sort of philosophy tied into the whole way she carried herself.

Eyeing her from behind tinted shades didn't stop her from.not only glancing his way, but throwing something he hadn't expected.

The shift in atmospheric temperature, dropping around him as she shot her glare, made him raise his head to where it had been dipped in its disinterested tip.

Anima turned her head in the female’s direction.

The Jaguar studied. Meeting Gyoshi’s eye. To Gyoshi, she was looking at a oversized cat. No hissing, no snarling.

She might have caught the sign that Anima had extended her claws though.

Anima didn't rise or make a move to approach however, but the large Jaguar stared unblinkingly at Gyoshi, ignoring every new entry as if taking note of the challenge of a predator on another’s turf.

If its a response she is looking for, I suggest you ignore it. Let her get shocked, not us. was his opinion.

That chill however didn't go away, it felt like it intensified as Anima locked eyes with the altered female.

Norah's attitude coming in, provided him the perfect distraction. Considering what he knew for a fact she had been through as she propped heels like it was just another school day, her entry greatly contrasted with the following approach of Rai’s after Nicholas.

The woman was a furnace of anger and spite and quite frankly it was starting to get on his nerves, coupled with Gyoshi's earlier gaze.

It irritated him just a little having to weather such intense fury from Rai, on top of the varying emotions from the others. She stank of aggression, and if he wanted it to end all he had to do was give the command, supernatural speed would help with that significantly. She was no cheetah, but jaguars were fast. All he had to do was--

Brows went down, the thought was pushed aside. Hardly a shift in his facial expression, he didn't let himself react when Rai’s own personal distaste for him struck with a force that eclipsed the chilling glare Gyoshi had silently offered.

It took reminding, to factor in that there was no reason to go offensive on anyone here. No one was attacking them.

It was the fact Rai hadn't moved anywhere near them, that kept Anima from taking on a more aggressive state, instead, she simply performed a very feline-like stretch, barely acknowledging the angered female. Which considering her size and length, covered almost half the side of the room that Alvaro had chosen as his standing spot on the far back, away from seats or anyone else.

Animals could be hard to read. Instinct, could say a lot from her behavior, but Anima hadn't given any obvious indicators that someone who didn't know how to read Big Cats, could easily pick on.

He reoriented his focus on Casey. The calming air the senior figure released with little else to read, provided something to rejuvenate.

It was time to focus on something else.

Rai’s shift in rage upon focusing on Norah clearly checked the fact they knew each other.

Their different emotions though were an entirely different story, but not one he didn't have experience with. It didn't surprise him in the slightest one was livid and the other was mentally exhausted and acting like it wasn't there.

If they received the usual sort of treatment he knew was common, then even more so, their feelings were justified. He had no reason so far to approach a single one, or introduce himself to them beyond pleasantries however.

Anima’s stretch came to an end, and the massive beast took a seat once more besides her tamer, turning her gaze away from Gyoshi.

With his eyes looking at Norah, Alvaro did a deeper dive. It wasn't just exhaustion, disappointment, or frustration. The reason it she had rang so clear was also because there was a clear feeling around it. A submersion.

She's suppressing, was the realization. Hiding her feelings, distancing.

‘Want to say something to her?’

‘No point. We're not friends, I'm just a stranger. Besides she has company…’, based solely on what he could read between Norah and Rai, they would provide some familiarity each needed. He had no reason to move to them.

Nicholas didn't strike as bad off as Norah.

The person that did was Radio. She looked like she was distracted, zoned out completely, but he knew she was doing something. That projection ability of hers gave her quite the versatility, but what it couldn't do was hide the fact she felt as if she had been shackled to a massive ball of steel.

What was with the aura of irritation he was getting from her? The air pressure from her aura felt intense, the kind he only knew came from stress or deep thought that was linked to rising anxiety or concern.

Man, he couldn't sit and deal with this the whole meeting he needed to do something. Even with Rai’s introduction, it was grating. Standing there, feeling all that from all the way over where he was on the other side of the room.

“ Powerful introduction Ms. Devastation. You can count on me calling on you for sure.” Giving her a respectful nod.

‘Going to let her go scot free after how she looked at you earlier?’

He smiled. “I guess I'll go next.” Ignoring Anima’s reminder.

“Name's Alvaro. Out there, I'm the Ringleader. I can't hit as hard on my own like our gal Rai here, but--”

There was a groan of disgust and a glance from Anima. ‘You undersell us!’

That was, honestly, the point.

‘It is a dumb one!’ she argued.

And even though that conversation was as fast as a instant message between two people, it didn't impede or slow down what happened next.

As if by unspoken command rather than improv, the jaguar rose to her full height. About the size of a Camry, 16ft in length and above four feet in height, her tail lashed with the cracking sound of a whip in the air as she uttered a low growl that vibrated the air and could be felt for a second in the chest of everyone in the room as she let out a snarl.

“My various partners and I, together, are quite the team.” He raised his hand, the one that held the tattoo of the black sun. Anima’s claws as long as butcher knives extended to their full length. Her fur stuck out between shoulders like thorns. Her teeth, like blades, let loose a drop of drool.

“Her name is Leo, not accurate but she's one of my most used partners, and best.” He said as he reached out and patted the shoulder of the beast that could easily take an entire throat in her jaws and sever a head in one bite. “I may not be the most immediate hard hitter among you, but I can guarantee there's never a fight where you will regret having me with you as a support, defense or frontal.”

And he shrugged. It came off as confident behind the lack of smile and sense of fact he was spitting, cocky as Anima leaned near protectively. “And there's never a fight if I do lose, my opponents ever win.”

Mentions: Vox Angelis BuggaBoo simj26 Nellancholy LatinKnightz

Interactions: n/a

 

[LatinKnightz]

"First of all." He continued despite the disgruntled reactions to his, arguably normal opening.
"I would first like to apologise for my late attendance, my grandfather unfortunately, and fortunately, died a few days before I was to be drafted here with the rest of you.
The government quite surprisingly had the decency of letting me arrange the funeral, even allowing me to do a eulogy before taking me in. So because of that. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they aren't total, monsters." He paused as he mentally flipped to the next page in his head.

"Next, I would like to give my condolences to those who were injured, and. . . Killed. By the recent monster attack.
I've heard that this morning, many people were lost, injured or missing. Including those of which are our own classmates. If none of you mind. I would like a moment of silence so I can play the trumpet, to honor those that we've lost." Nicholas rummaged through his bag and pulled out as he said, a trumpet. He was only able to play the first note of "Taps" before being interrupted by Casey.

"While your condolences are appreciated, Nicholas, this is not the time or place to do it." The staff Dreamer interjected, placing a hand on Nicholas' shoulder.

If anything, it was more to save the necromantic Hopeful from the less inclined Nightmares in the classroom.

"Oh, does that mean there will be a time and place?" He lowered his trumpet in hopes that complying sooner might increase that chances of a proper funeral.

"Please take a seat." Casey gestured towards the empty desks.
". . .Alright Mr Casey." Nick picked up his cane and took the desk Casey gestured to him. He leaned his cane against the wall as he did his best to sit down without making too much of a fuss.

 

[Bluffly]

Location: Undisclosed Lab, UNMRAS HQ, L.A. ​

The stale air of the dark lab filled Kamaria's nose while the blue light danced across her face. A wisp of a man tapped away on the computer with a strange grin slapped across his face. The dreamer was accustomed to the wraithlike man getting absorbed in his notation, while she usually waited for her next command. Kamaria's eyes darted across each screen as she watched herself and others fighting the beach invasion. Seeing it from another angle was a peculiar experience, especially as the dreamer watched herself ignore the fallen around her. She was commanded to focus on the elimination, and without any fear, she jumped from the helicopter and began to slaughter the opposition. A hand was placed on Kamaria's shoulder, and a familiar voice hummed in her ear,"So, doll..First outing...What are your thoughts?"

"Mm.."Kamaria stared at the replay, analyzing herself,"I think I was subpar. I could have eliminated more..." The girl's voice was cold and calculated, almost like a robot, but the warmth of her body would disagree.

"OH doll!" The plump woman chuckled as she walked over to the screen, tapping the man's head,"I disagree! You did very well on your first outing,"Her round cheeks raised with a smile as the screen transitioned to different clips,"Although...I would've gone about things a little differently!" She diverted Kamaria's attention to one screen in particular. All three watched Kamaria as she ran straight into a group of lobsters with only a psychically constructed gladius. The young woman's blade danced through the monsters as if they were paper,"There," The video stopped as they both turned back to Kamaria,"You ran in with nothing but a sword...You did use their tactics against them however you relied on just a sword. Most of the footage was of you JUST using a sword of some type-"

"EXCEPT A KATANA!!"
"..."
"..."
"What? She didn't use a katana" Kamaria's apathy was normal and so was the scowl of disgust from the other woman.
"Wh- Why- What....We'll talk about this later... if I don't give in to my urge to string you up with razor wire...," With attention back on the dreamer the woman's sly smile crept across her round face once more,"We don't have time to go through EVERY problem that Verde has or any more time go over the recording, so I'll make this quick doll." The woman turned back to the screen to pull up the new unit formed under Casey. While she made her way over to Kamaria, the young woman's eyes were fixed on the screen as she analyzed each person,"My little doll...,"She hummed in her ear once more, "You will be leaving our direct care and will be reporting to Casey from here on out. This is an opportunity for you to expand the range of your abilities!" Kamaria's face was quickly cupped in the woman's hands and their eyes paralleled. Kamaria rarely looked this woman in the eyes because they were a swirling abyss that even the apathetic doll couldn't ignore, and the only time she was even cheerful was when one of her projects was on the precipice of exploding,"OH!! I can't wait to see how you evolve!"

"W-what does this mean?"The younger female began to tremble. This feeling was familiar but she couldn't remember from where.

"Psydoll: New Directive... You will now report directly to Counselor Casey Smith. Along with me, he has full authority over you. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother Hen."

"Report to Wing Z, immediately! You're already late because of Verde...Now get!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location: Wing Z, UNMRAS HQ, L.A​

Before entering the classroom, Kamaria discreetly scanned the room before entering. She was taught to be cautious of Nightmares, especially with recent events. You never know if one of them will snap and in that case, the young dreamer had no problem separating heads from shoulders. Kamaria quickly glanced over the others before she entered the room. She glided over to Casey,"Hello, sir. I am now under your direct authority. I hope this asset will produce fruitful results." The dreamer did a slight bow towards Casey and twirled on her heels to face the others of her unit. it seemed as if she was about to introduce herself but instead, she took a step back behind Casey, closed her eyes, and stood at parade rest behind the counselor.

 

[Ian Temero]

Miyami Adler
明るい月が海に雨を降らせる​

Tap… tap… tap…

The hallway was quiet, save for the echoes of footsteps as a guard escorted a lone prisoner to the Wing Z classroom. He had always found escorting a Dreamer to be a little tense, like taking a wolf on a walk, but it was his first time being in charge of a Nightmare. He’d always been warned to be on guard around them, that they were aggressive and unpredictable, but the new prisoner here was almost making him question what he knew.

When he heard that his new assignment had tore five veterans to pieces he had almost been expecting some kind of monster; violent, foaming at the mouth maybe, barely held in check by the cuff on their leg. So the young woman walking in front of him threw the man off. The girl was calm and quiet, one eye bandaged and the other staring down at the floor, and she complied with his orders without any form of resistance. He would almost have thought that she was harmless if it wasn’t for the black mark on her hand and an incident that had occurred only an hour earlier.

Reaching the classroom door the guard pulled it open and motioned for the dark haired girl to step inside, which she started to, but stopped in the entrance. Sensing resistance the guard started to reach out to give her a shove but froze. A single blue eye watched him, devoid of emotion, but he could feel the challenge coming from them, daring him to continue. The girl had already dislocated one man’s elbow today for touching her and the guard wasn’t eager to risk joining him in the infirmary over a doorway.

He coughed, pulling his hand back. “Go in.” He ordered instead. For a moment she didn’t move, continuing to stare at him, but then looked away and stepped inside.

The door slammed shut behind her, not even drawing a flinch from the girl. Her good eye scanned the room only long enough to find an empty seat before she wordlessly made her way over and sat down, sparing the other occupants not even a glance.

 

[Vox Angelis]

Location: Wing Z, UNMRAS Headquarters, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 0810​

"Nothing here, Lieutenant."

Within the blink of an eye, another scenery unfolded before her 'eyes'. From a desolate beach to a lush forest, then to an abandoned city on the fringes of what remained of civilization, then back to the streets of Los Angeles, and so on, and so forth. You'd think they would have installed cameras to monitor these areas by now. But nooooooo, Dreamers were the cheaper expense, a tool like just any other.

To the people who have been around for a while and knew of Radio, it would come to no surprise to see the dark-haired girl looking like she wasn't completely there mentally. A newcomer might think the girl was lost in her own little fantasies, staring off blankly in the distance while mouthing muted words to herself. It didn't leave quite the good first impressions, but people would soon learn she was quite sharp. Quite the contrary, she multitasked on her job as staff Dreamer, student, radio DJ and forum host. She was a busy girl. It helps her forget just how fucked everything is.

"Nothing here either, Lieutenant."

After the events that unfolded at Pacific Beach yesterday, it seemed the whole of UNMRAS' personnel was on edge, working double time to make sure to no rock were left unturned. She sure did feel the consequences of growing complacent, behind the safety of being so remote from the main battlefields. Right now, it felt like work was unending.

Oh look, a stray giant raven, or something like that. A giant yellow raven...

"Lieutenant, there's Big Bird flying somewhere over Three Points. No... I shit you not. Giant yellow raven or something, can't miss it."

Angélique pushed a sigh, but her heart skipped a beat when she felt vibrations in her chest. Within the blink of an eye, her sight returned to hers, inside the classroom. She stood on alert, looking at her surroundings to see what exactly just happened while she was out there.

Jesus on a tricycle, there sure were a lot more people in here than when she arrived. Well, actually there was only Casey when she came into the class earlier, but still there were more people than she expected attending Special Unit A. Moreso of a surprise, the majority were new blood. Well, not exactly, Radio could remember some of these folks, probably even worked with at some point. Still, a surprising variety of new teammates.

"Yo. Little quiet please? Some people are working here..." she huffed with a dismissive sweep of her hand. Just great, she really didn't need to bear witness to Nightmares flexing.

---

---

​

"Maybe a small break would do you some good, Angélique? Take the time to meet your new classmates." Casey intervened, ever so calm and smiling.

The Head of Dreamers' Activities turned to the rest of the classroom, a motley crew of new faces and probably even more of misfits than the previous students. It truly was a fascinating thing, really, just how varied the Dream Eater picked them.

"Norah, Rai'Shauni, I'm very glad you two have made it out relatively unscathed. I'm sorry for the rest of the squad. At the very least, they're all alive at the infirmary, some in more critical conditions than others, but I've been told their lives are not in danger."

Casey exhaled softly, sitting on his desk. Truly a nasty bit of business. Before he carried on however, he just took notice of the purple haired-girl standing behind him. Ah yes... another piece of nasty business. The young man remained calm, but he wasn't quite liking what the Director dropped into his classroom this time. It's not the girl he disliked, it was what was scheming in her background.

"Welcome, Kamaria. Please, have a seat with your peers." Casey gestured with a smile. With mind steeled, emotions in check and his gestures calculated, he would not show how he felt. He was told to keep it a secret, as was surely expected of her as well. If every Dreamers knew about this, it could potentially cause an uproar.

"And welcome to Special Unit A as well, everyone. You've been briefed of this new squad earlier, but let me re-explain the existence of the Unit. Under the institute's allocated resources for this squad, UNMRAS has high hopes you will be trained as a single cohesive unit focused on fast deployment and high efficiency. The variety of powers you guys have at your disposal, from mobility to direct confrontation, I am quite certain you will be able to pool your experiences and abilities to help each other come out successfully on your sorties. You will be attending classes as normal, but we will put more focus on squad maneuverings instead of the usual ability training you guys have been used to before."

The brown-haired young man walked over to everyone's desk, handing each of them a folder. For the new members of the squad, it would be the same papers that were handed to the previous members. An update on their academical progress. Bonus expenses. Extracuricular classes. Special Access to the training grounds, or what the students preferred to call "Havoc Town". A list of lodgings.

For Norah and Rai, they will find a review of their performance on the last mission, as well as an updated list of lodging.

"I will be more than happy to oblige if you guys have any question before we start today's classes. Otherwise, we'll see each other at 1500 for today's squad exercises."

Spoiler: OoC

If you guys have questions for Casey, shoot me a PM or @ me in the OoC for answers to write in your posts. As this in an interaction period, you guys can interact with each other throughout the day before 1500. I'm free for interactions with either Casey or Angélique, or if you have any questions OoC, otherwise you are free to puppet NPCs such as teachers, the cooks and other students during lunch time.

For the folders handed to the newcomers:

1. For requisition papers, students will get a folder with formal documents to request diverse stuff a student feels like they might need. It is documented that cooperation and good behavior raise the chances of having requests accepted, depending on their nature.
2. In another folder, students will find a card and a document explaining the nature of the card and its restrictions. The restrictions are as follow:
   • The card's allowance is $500, refilling on the first each month.
   • It can only be used in stores surrounding UNMRAS.
   • Money can't be physically withdrawn.
   • The card's allowance can be subjected to change depending on its user's will to cooperate and their behavior.
   • The card can't be used on online expenses.
3. There's another document to fill out by the students. Extracurricular classes. You can choose between culinary, music, art or computer classes. Choose one.
4. A lodging list. The following list depicts how the students are roomed:
   • Room #1: Norah Eisen and Miyami Adler
   • Room #2: Nicholas Parmer and Alvaro Asger Fantazmo
   • Room #3: Kamaria Johnson and Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes
   • Room #4: Giyoshi and Angélique Lachance
5. Finally, there are some exams on various general subjects such as mathematics, English, science and such to gauge your characters' level of education. Please just mention on which academical year your character would be.

Evaluations
Norah Eisen
Power: D, Utility: B, Speed: A, Defense: C
Praises high maneuverability and speed on the battlefield, but has very little in terms of attack and defense powers when not actively using abilities. Abilities not suited for prolonged offensive. Reckless behavior resulting in incapacity. Precautions to be exercised as to avoid fatality. Has the potential to become a valuable mobile asset when paired with other scouting abilities, such as Angélique Lachance's projected senses. Magical equipment suggested to make full-use of quick attacks.

Rai'Shauni Cavillo Holmes
Power: A, Utility: D, Speed: B, Defense: C
A valuable asset on the frontline thanks to her enhanced strength, speed and already-developed fighting skills. Relies on dodging attacks than taking them suggests lack of defenses. Has proven to be able to make sound decisions in the thick of battle and has the capabilities to lead a team, despite violent behaviors. Temper under surveillance, monitored closely by Casey Smith. Shows promise. Suggested Striker, delivering fatal blows when weaknesses are exposed.

Angélique Lachance:
Power: D, Utility: S, Speed: D, Defense: D
Unfit to be sent directly on the battlefield. Best used behind the front lines to coordinate the squad and direct squad to potential threats or mission assets. Exceptional scouting abilities. Lack of maneuverability, defensive and offensive capabilities makes her an asset to be protected by squad mates. Temperamental but compliant to orders. No way to monitor her ways of communications.

 

[Nellancholy]

Norah let out a low exhalation past her pursed lips that could barely be considered to be a whistle as she perused the documents. "Valuable asset". That was the kind of thing one would just love to have written about them. If all it took was surviving one battle to be considered valuable, then she was worth her weight in salvaged silicon and rare metals. And magical gear? They'd have to trust her a lot to give her what? A magic gun? Special armor? That could easily be lost in her hands, one way or another.

Refraining from voicing her "concerns" to Mr. Smith at the moment, she instead took a look around at the new arrivals. Replacements procured just as easily as you'd replace a punctured tire.

"Hey there, Pinky." She initially ignored Alvaro completely to focus on "Leo", giving the BIG cat a brush on her chin with the back of her hand. Norah treated animals with only slightly more caution than she did most people, but if Leo decided to snap, Norah'd still be faster anyway. "I'm surprised you don't count as a roommate. Unless you are in fact, Alvaro Asger Fantasmo?" Maybe it was some kind of weird deal where the real mind behind the pair was the bestial body, and the human was some kind of illusion? She turned towards Leo's apparent summoner, her gaze probing him for a moment. "Lucky for you, you're here. Most schools aren't too cool with pets, I hear." Not that she would know. Being taught to read and write was essential even for her, but most of her lessons involved foraging, hunting, and all kinds of mechanical engineering and repairs. Like a very early vocational school.

The Regal Rper

"Speaking of which..." Norah stepped over to the woman with reptilian features. "I bet you're Miyami, right? It's gonna be...fun, having you around." That was the only word she could muster. Someone tough like Punchy might last a little longer before getting blasted into a coma like Adelina did. Maybe then that something that resembled the beginning of a friendship wouldn't slip out of her grasp.

Unfortunately, of course, she was quite mistaken, having missed the actual person she'd be roomed with, hopefully for a while.

simj26 Ian Temero

 

[BuggaBoo]

---

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

​

Leaving the Classroom...

A slight headshake she gave once she heard Dio's petulant quip.

"Yo. Little quiet please? Some people are working here..."

Without turning around, Rai flipped a middle finger aimed perfectly at the grumbling woman at the back of the room, "You want peace and quiet and yet you came here. Pshhh girl, get your skinny ass to a library."

The scowl remained upon her face but with closer inspection one would definitely see the humout glinting in her eyes. But for little longer would that humour last.

With a polite nod, Rai accepted the stuffed manilla folder from Casey. She perused past all the literature she had already seen, making note of any differences since the last dossier passed her way. Finally her eyes lit up once she came across what she desired: a report staring that obviously, Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes received straight A's across the board. Let's goooooo!

A in Power. You damn right! Was there any question? Next grade. Okay, B in Speed? Fine. Blinky was undoubtedly a warp speed champ. All good to give it up to the Firecracker. Now C in Defense? Really? So not dodging and taking hit after hit, getting poisoned or tossed into the sea was more beneficial over actually expertly dodging and keeping the squad mobile and optimized? Wtf was the evaluator smoking?! Fine. This was a matter to bring up later since that grade was more than debatable. The final score, however was absolutely down right despicable.

"D in Utility...? Assholes gave me a D..." the edges of the sheet crumpled slightly as incredulity rushed her strong brown hands. Rai clenched tightly upon the offending sheet and slowly lowered it.

They evaluated her as having poor worth out there on the field. The Nightmare's minds eye drove fervently through her head, an 8k replay of the battle on the beach was its highway: who used the carcasses of enemies as shields so as to allow squadmates to pass the poison dart barrage? Who identified the precise area of weakness underneath the Crab Monster, and, came up with a solution to exploit the lack of belly armour plaguing the unfriendly? Who identified the internal threats of the squadmates themselves? Who made sure they had no 'friendly-fire situations' from the weakest link, and, who bolstered the most insecure and yet involed them to optimize strategies? Who vocalized and grouped the squad into an efficient moving wolf pack?

And yet they had the audacity to evaluate her utility as a D while in the same breath stating that she is a valuable asset only as a front line 'striker'. Really?!

But who was The Caller that led the squad, resulting with only 2 of the 8 still standing? Who does that blame fall upon? What's their worth now?

In actuality, Rai was going to reach out and initiate contact with the new squad members this time around. Perhaps she would get to know the others as more than mere assets-- perhaps even coax them to introduce themselves to her. Hell, Radiance's lil' bro, 'Spiky', over there had taken the initiative to follow her lead and introduced himself. Bruh, give the fella bonus points; he even called Rai, 'Ms. Devastation' to her face and conceded that she was worth calling out in the field. But all that was gone in a flash the moment the paper with the insulting ink upon it was folded neatly four times.

Mama's visage faded into her mind's eye and the look on Her face said it all. The Matriarch's daughter had dared to be an unwanted and undeserving leader. It was ultimately Rai'Shauni to blame for Special Unit A's demise. Any leader should be forewarned about failure; it was always your fault. 'I'm not angry, my daughter--'

"--I'm just disappointed." Rai whispered and tucked the neatly folded sheet into her breast pocket.

The young woman shifted in her seat, stretched her back as she rose to her near 6 foot tall height. Two knocks hit the table in Norah's direction to get the other young woman's attention, Nellancholy "Later, B. Cya 1500h at training. I'm out."

"I will be more than happy to oblige if you guys have any question before we start today's classes. Otherwise, we'll see each other at 1500 for today's squad--

Rai didn't even bother to address, let alone look at Casey, as she strode up the aisle towards the exit. She couldn't bear to look at him and wonder if he had anything to do with evaluating her lowly worth in the field. So it was best to just ignore him. And best to ignore the rest of the squad; there was absolutely zero sense investing a single iota of familiarity with them. All she was to them was merely a Striker out there in the field. At best she was just another cog, another grunt and would be best served to just follow orders. As for Radio, that chica was lost in her own world so best to not interrupt her mental transmissions.

As gently as she opened the door, Rai closed it behind herself. The Very, Very Bad Thing inside her had remained dormant for the big, brown, inked up woman was not angry right now.

Just disappointed.

Into the 'Wreck Center'...​

Rai decided to not head back to quarters. There wasn't a single bone in her body that desired interaction and forced convo with her new bunk mate. Yes she saw who it was and she was at least content with the selection. The little thing, 'The Stalker' , held a pretty big rep as some kinda' clingy weirdo, creeping on those in authority. But moreso, she was known to be quiet, reserved and played by herself. In other words, she kept her trap shut just like the way Rai liked it. Not that Rai was rude, mind you. No, Rai just didn't like to chat. It was well known that Rai only spoke to get to the point; a great and pleasant conversationalist was not in the Nightmare's repetoire.

But regardless, she was known to converse with those whom she was comfortable with. Or rather, who she was familiar with and found useful. And so she decided to head to the stockade where she spent a lot of her time in the UNMAS barracks. In particular she was headed to a specific area of which she was very familiar. The Rehabilitation Recreational Area. Known to those who know as the 'Wreck Center' for reasons soon to be obvious once one stepped within its confines.

Most that wandered the open area wore more than just ankle collars to keep them inhibited. Even more had recent wounds bandaged up, recent bruises still shiny red and purple. Almost all of them were Nightmares. And all looked like walking train wrecks, thus the nickname of the common area. Some recognized Rai and raised a hand and yet still kept their distance between themselves and Rai. The feeling seemed to be mutual when Rai raised her hand in acknowledgement yet kept her distance too. They were all cognisant enough to know what would happen when a Nightmare like Rai got too close to certain unstable Nightmares.

The woman continued until she found exactly whom she came looking for. She stood before a very peculiar and very dark corner of the Wreck Center. A singular and curt upward chin nod she tossed whatever it was that writhed in the shadowy area, "What's good, Mids...?"

The shrouded Nightmare was chained up and from the way they posed themselves against the shadowed wall, it made it look like they were strung up and hanging from the overhang itself. The deep shadow masked nearly all the features of the cornered Nightmare and the shadow itself seemed to be darker, swirling, even alive and knowing. Rai even stepped back as the shadows reached out, seemingly filled with the ache and desire to carress her.

"Let me guesssss... The FiendBreaker wantsssssssomething worth purchasssssing..." its voice seemed to echo out from all points in the darkness as merely buzzing and high pitched screeches, yet somehow coherent in her ears.

"It's Ms. Devastation now. 'FiendBreaker' is done. I'm just... I'm just a striker now, Middie. But here," Rai tossed the cigarette pack into the darkness, "it's your favourite brand. And yeah, I wanna know what you been told about a certain name I'mma give you."

The clink and whoosh of a lighter in the dark. There was no glow from the lighters flame nor orange glow from the cigarette's cherry and yet still grey smoke flowed out from the living shadows. Its stench wafted into the immediate vicinity. "Ahhhhh... thissss cigarette isssss the favorite of the MidnightMaker. Very well. Let'ssssss hear the name..."

Rai cleared her throat. Staring into the depths of shadow, she spoke the name in a clear and confident voice.

"Angélique Lachance."

 

[Ian Temero]

Miyami Adler
明るい月が海に雨を降らせる​

As the occupants of the room chatted away Miyami simply sat there in silence, their voices muffled as her visible eye stared blankly down at her desk, a thousand miles away. The gentle pattering of raindrops falling on the roof of an old minivan. They giggled together to jokes told for the hundredth time. That warm hand in hers as she watched her try to fight against sleep, wishing the moment would never end.

But it did end.

It always ended.

Miyami stared at the folders that were put in front of her for a moment, her eye narrowing so slightly that one probably wouldn't even notice. She reached out to take them, the bell on her wrist softly chiming, and slowly examined the contents. The requisition folder she only briefly glanced at before setting it aside along with the extracurricular document and the room list. They were pointless. She didn't want anything, she didn't want to do any of those, and she didn't need to know who she was rooming with. Plus just a name didn't mean anything. She then read through the card's explanation a single time before adding them to the pile on the desk.

Just as she was about to open the last folder when Miyami heard her name and looked up only to find the one that had called it out, a grey haired girl, wasn't even talking to her but the monster girl. Must have been her roommate mistaking someone for her. Again, just a name didn't mean anything. Not without a face. Well the girl would realize her mistake soon enough.

Returning to her attention to the folders Miyami pulled out the exam papers and scanned through them. Again, pointless. Why fill this out when she could just tell them her education level. So she pulled out a pen and, on the first page in the largest blank spot she could find, she wrote out and circled:


Miyami Adler
Washington State Highschool Diploma
J. M. Weatherwax High School 2020
No college


Having finished she slipped the pen and money card into her pocket and started gathering up the folders and papers, getting ready to stand up and leave without a word to anyone.

 

[LatinKnightz]

Nicholas perused through the papers methodically, most of the terms seemed to be fair, well. More fair than you would expect from being a child soldier.
Although he did raise an eyebrow when he saw how much money they were given per month. Even for an entry level minimum wage job would pay more than this. Even though he himself was ready to live on such a small amount, he was more worried about how the others would fare on such rock bottom wages. He did note that this was subject to change, which he hoped meant that raises were possible, considering the nature of the government however. It was also inclined to go down.

He circled the music and culinary classes, his skill with the trumpet was ok, but he was interested in picking some other instruments. His culinary skill however was quite unfortunately, disastrous. Hopefully he would live long enough to enjoy learning and applying these skills. If not? That's fine. His afterlife was assured anyway.
He wasn't quite sure however on what grade level he would be at this point. He never went to school or considered college for a variety of reasons: Like an assured career in the funeral business.
Early homeschooling from many of his relatives. A tragic car accident. Like I said, many reasons. . .
He just put down N/A just to be safe.

When he glanced at who his dorm mate was going to be. He tilted his head, he wasn't sure why but he couldn't help but feeling that this person was familiar. He looked up from his table to see him across the classroom. The bright pink hair was very easy to spot. He was, kind of familiar with these kinds of people, the kind who would hang around the graveyards being all cool and edgy before recoiling at his presence when he would come to clean the gravestones. Maybe that's where he saw him before. . .
He'll just ask about it later.

 

[simj26]

GYOSHI

She noted the pressure upon the side of her head. It was not killing intent, but it was intent enough that she turned her head to lock her eyes with the unruly pet that one of her classmates had brought in.

So, it was to be a challenge, then. A test of who can bear upon the other longer with their vision. While the rest talked and chattered away, she engaged in her duel with the creature. A test of her patience and her diligence. It may not be a duel of fists or strength, but it was a duel all the same. Win or lose, this was a chance to prove herself. The Regal Rper

Alas, two words from their instructor forced her eyes away from the beast. ‘Direct confrontation’. She quickly lost interest in the duel, an act she might later curse herself for. Those words were the ones she yearned to hear. Those were what sparked the flames in her heart. To do battle, to fight as if her life depended on it, this was what she was brought into this world for. Every single step in her life, forged by the wheel of fate, had brought her here. The rest of it, the things that were detailed in the folder that the long-haired pretty man placed upon her table, were inconsequential. None of it even made sense to her in the first place.

She never had a proper education. The exams that were to gauge her performance in the non-essential arts would easily place her at barely grade school level, in everything except perhaps the art of the spoken language. She glanced over the other selections. Master had taught her how to prepare a basic meal, so the culinary arts were the most ideal. She marked a haphazard line underneath that selection, and left it as that. The rest barely interested her. Money was of no worry to her. Money bought no opponents to match her strength.

Still, she should pocket the card anyway. Only a fool would part with what made the world turn.

As she slipped the card into her pocket, a young woman, her hair done with twin pigtails on either side of her head, approached her. She granted her a mistaken appellation. Japanese enough in origin, but unfortunately the wrong one.

“You would be mistaken. I am Gyoshi. Resume your search of your roommate, if you must.” She stood up from her seat, gathered her items, and took a shallow bow, more so a nod. “There is little else here for me. I will see all of you again in the afternoon. Farewell.” Nellancholy

She stepped towards the door, and cast one last glare at the beast that she had been locked in battle, short and useless as it was, before walking through the threshold.

 

[Bluffly]

Kamaria scanned her classmates to get a quick sense of their disposition after the day before. While she was perfectly settled, that was by design, however, everyone else was not and their emotional well-being could cause them to retaliate. Kamaria was prepared to attack or defend Casey at a moment's notice but instead, he told her to sit with them.

Sit with them?.... Yes, I'll be able to react better if I'm closer to them. Counselor Smith's techniques are strange but I believe they are more than effective.

Kamaria glided towards the back of the class. If the other's took their eyes off her it would seem like a ghost had breezed through. Sitting next to Angelique, Kamaria nodded to her,"Hello Ms. Angelique, I apologize if my noise has caused you frustration. I'll be quieter next time I enter." Her voice was just as light as her step, not a hint of attitude, snark, joy, or pain, just to the point. Turning back to the front, Rai's outburst caught her attention.

One of the nightmares....She's effective but like all nightmares, unpredictable. If we are to be a team, it would be best to understand all parts of the team to minimize losses, especially Angelique...What was her codename? Radio, yes. Radio. Only someone foolish would antagonize her...Or confident?

Kamaria shook her head once Casey dropped a folder in front of her. She flipped through it quickly until she was at the academic and extracurricular portion. Kamaria dashed through most of the exam with a silent confidence, although she didn't remember learning certain things she was sure her answers were correct. They were not. She incorrectly answered around %50 and most would assume she was dumb although someone with a discerning eye would be able to tell there were gaps in her knowledge, as if she missed years or months. Her academic level would measure out to a high school senior or a barely passing graduate.

She noticed a small chicken scribbled next to certain classes and an extra note. A mental image of Mother Hen loomed over her as she read the woman's notes,"Howdy, doll! I took the pleasure of lookin at certain activities I think would be absolutely fabulous for you!" Mimicking reality the mental visage sashayed away as Kamaria had watched her do so many times before. The young woman slammed the folder close and she released a deep sigh. The bumps across her body dispersed giving her a chill that danced its way over her back and each limb. The very thought of that woman would cause a pit to form in the bottom of Kamaria's stomach and her disappointing glare would leave her in a sweaty mess. Her opinions were facts and her suggestions were commands. Opening the folder with the quickness of a blue hedgehog, she ticked art and closed it once more.

She's watching. She's always watching...She told me to interact with the others so I could understand myself better...What does that me-

A sharp pain dashed across Kamaria's mind, causing her to lose focus and forget what she was thinking. Shaking her head, Kamaria turned her attention to Angelique,"Ms. Angelique...I think to work as an efficient team we should know each other on and off the field. If you are not doing anything, would you like to bond with me?" With a flat tone, she stared the other girl down with a blank stare.

Vox Angelis

 

[The Regal Rper]

Alvaro | Wing Z, UNMRAS HQ, L.A.

The dossier was browsed through in a matter of moments and it provided the perfect distraction to the two latest entries as Casey led off into detailing minorly what he had for them. Not only did browsing provide the best distraction to ignore the staring contest Anima had been holding with Gyoshi, it also gave him the chance to focus his attention away from some.of the energy the others were giving off.

Already deciding he would need to write down his information for the school he graduated from, the roommate options were what kept his attention.

It wasn't hard to miss Nicholas glancing his direction either. Nich, as he recalled had been someone he had to track- though if memory serves right they hadn't interacted much or at all since.

From the energy the guy was radiating with pure curiosity, Alvaro couldn't help but find minor amusement in it.

Not that he could keep such amusement going for long when Miyami’s dejected neutrality sparked momentarily like a firecracker to his empathetic senses, drawing his eyes behind the tinted glasses, to her as she rose from her desk and.left just as silently as she had come.

Whatever her problem was, it was bound to be revealed in due time.

He had only quickly finished jotting down where he graduated from just as Nora came up, getting Anima’s attention.

The affection received was given the response of a rather feline purr, and Alvaro couldn't help but feel the calming rush that flooded into him from Anima.

“I am in fact, Alvaro” replying to her curious response.

Hadn't been the first time someone thought he was just an extension of the animal, as peculiar a thought that was in all honesty.

In reply to her comment about pets he smiled. Just a little. “Guess it helps to have an exception made.” Was the simple reply he could offer.

Most people were already dispersing. From the tail end of Rai’s departure her mood had taken quite the shift. Capricious, but not as bad others. With Nora shifting attention to Gyoshi, Alvaro turned his over to Nicholas.

With his attention on Nich, greeting the fellow to start, the only thing that gave Alvaro pause as he greeted the gravestone keeper was when he felt the glare of Gyoshi a second time, not on him but his ally.

She got a curious glance from him as she walked out.

Yet Gyoshi's exit wasn't the only one out there sending signals he could pick up. On the side where Kamaria engaged with Angelique, there was a fleeting moment of trepidation that sparked around her that he couldn't stop himself from turning his head to glance at. Though as sudden as it appeared, it vanished, snapping her back to that blank gray sheet of pleasantry and politeness.

What was in the papers for some of these guys to be acting this way? Miyami, as far as he knew, hadn't really changed, but three out of seven wasn't exactly a coincidence.

Deciding to suggest to Nicholas they get out of here and do some talking, with a whistle, the massive Jaguar's ears rose and its attention turned away from Nora as she had been making to prompt for another pat or scratch and instead pulled back to rejoin her tamer.

Mentions: Vox Angelis BuggaBoo simj26 Nellancholy Ian Temero Bluffly

Interactions: LatinKnightz

 

[LatinKnightz]

Nicholas Parmer.
​

Nicholas folded up the papers and put them in his pocket. Alvaro motioned for him to follow, he complied, picking up his cane as he slowly stood up from his chair.
Making his way past the other "students." He didn't too much of a bad impression hopefully, although he did see a few individuals cringe at his less then gloomy disposition.
He didn't mind too much though. Even back home, being happy was something he had to try and hide sometimes. Especially during what he figured out the hard way were more, sensitive, times.

Flash back...
"I would like to give my sincerest condolences. . . And this tote bag!"

The family didn't take that very well, or the tote bag.

This guy seemed to be chill though! He soon found himself next to Alvaro, and the creature thing woman thing. He wasn't quite sure what they were. . . But that was fine.
He had worked with stranger bodies before. . .
As they both walked through the hallways, his wooden cane clacking, he turned to Alvaro. "Have we, met somewhere before?"