Bedouin Tracks [Domiona Travel - Cadets]

It seemed almost fitting the weather would be gloomy to suit her less than stellar demeanor. There was a lot in this trip the Princess of Endymion didn't look forward to. Not even the coffee Jale supplied managed to make her morning a little brighter. The traffic was minimally acceptable for this time of day as the rush hour swerved by each second and every minute. The metro was remarkably busy with every suited man and woman scurrying around in a mad frenzy to reach the next ride in this huge city of Endymion. Even if she tried to keep herself as scarce as she could, it failed to stop the horde of bodies from noticing her presence. This mob gave such a painful reminder why she adored staying inside to tinker with her own toys at the workshop. At least her machines didn't overcrowd her with greetings and camera phone shots. But she really had to count on her blessings Maria and the several Outer Rim Cadets keeping a tight boundary around her, especially with the coffin. It was easy to appreciate how early she was to be in the Metro station before her. Do nuns have some kind of early morning schedule?

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Maria. I hope I didn't force you to wake up so early today." The Princess was rueful about the people trying to catch a simple glimpse of her or even a shot on their phone to post on your usual social media. It must be uncomfortable with the ominous coffin still straddling on her back, even if it did help to deter a good number of people from getting too close. Honestly, how did she even manage to carry that thing around with such a small body? It was something that popped up her mind intermittently through the days after that night.  

"Not a problem, Ma'am... I wake up much earlier for morning services anyway." The Cadet grunted as she kept carefully pushing forwards with the other Outer Rim cadets. They were making easy headway before finally hitting the ticketing booth to get their tickets. Of course, the two Outer Rim Cadets were dismissed as their services weren't needed at this point. Getting past the ticket gate wasn't that hard in the short distance away and there wouldn't be much people judging by the schedule beginning to die down. It was easy to sympathize with the two as they had to be sent back through such a dense crowd, even as it was finally dying down a little. Speaking of which, she did recognize a couple of Class Zero cadets approaching from the earlier class and a couple of approaching others even Maria seemed to recognize.

The inside of the terminal was much less crowded than the streets outside had been. Isaac was doing squats and stretches. It was one of the first times he'd worn the actual uniform. It wasn't as hard to move around in as the thought it was. This was some kind of diplomatic mission right? He had debated leaving Grigori at home, but as he would be useless without the huge sword, he decided he should bring it. He had to protect the princess, after all, if anything bad happened. He didn't really know much about the purpose of this trip - and that was mostly fine with him. He was just a weapon anyway, really. And that was fine with him too - most of the time.

He turned as he heard a familiar voice, and saw the princess Serenity and...Maria coming through the ticket Gate. They were early as well - duh. He would have waited longer, but he was glad his wait was over. Standing up from his squatting position, the Cadet with the large sword approached the two genially. First, he saluted the princess. "Third Class Isaac Fairweather reporting for duty, Ma'am." He punctuated the statement with a casual grin.

The grin turned into an affectionate smile as he turned his gaze to Maria. "Maria, hey. Didn't know you were coming. It's good to see you. This adventure just got a lot more fun." He offered good-naturedly.

If there was one thing he hated more than getting up early was people in this kind of quantity and density. It was good thing that showing up in full uniform helped at least somewhat. Because while his meager frame and pale visage wasn't necessarily something that would earn him much of a commanding or authoritative presence, the uniform AND the hunk of cold steel that sat holstered on his left thigh helped... Compensate for that a tiny bit.

"Excuse me, official Cadet business. Excuse me." Gozai forced himself to keep his voice calm as he somewhat gently nudged people aside as he slowly made his way, approaching the ticket booth. At the same time he was forcing himself to not elbow at least a few people who refused to oblige the albino's, in his own mind perfectly reasonable requests, in a timely manner.  Urges to assault his fellow man aside, the pale cadet made his way to the booth, and got his ticket.

Past the ticket gate it wasn't that hard to find where he needed to go, at least if the coffin standing up a little distance away in the crowd was to serve as any kind of landmark. And thankfully the people density was also falling quite rapidly, so he could actually move more freely as the group finally came into proper view. "Good morning your Majesty. Gozai Kurosuko reporting for duty." He'd straighten out proper, puffing up his chest just a little as he offered the woman a salute. He would relax his stance a little, glancing over at the Nun accompanying the other.

"And a good morning to you as well Ms. Woodsworth. I assume you'll be the one taking command should a conflict situation arise?" He kept his tone fairly flat, not putting on the timid show, but also not letting his true volors show quite that much.  His attention then turned to one of the other Cadets he recognize. "Oh, Isaac, I see you'll be joining in as well. I hope what happened back at the martial arts club was nothing serious." Well, that wish wasn't necessarily genuine, but Gozai put in some effort to at least make it sound such. He just hoped the kid wouldn't get in the way of things.

Jackie wasn't entirely sure why he had signed up for this mission, in all honesty. It had nothing to do with his designated mission (at least, not without using some rather faulty logic in the 'Defend the Citizens' section), and really felt more like an excuse to do something with his time during the day. He had spent the last few days simply working at One in the Chamber, instead of doing anything worthwhile in the slightest, while his nights had been spent fighting. He supposed it was probably worthwhile to do something else for a while, even something as simple as this.

He supposed protecting a member of the Royal Family was a good enough temporary mission. Besides, supposedly he had free will now anyway...though that still didn't stop his system continuing to remind him that he was 'going against programming'. Whatever that was even supposed to mean. There were lots of things he wasn't programmed to do that he could still do anyway, so it wasn't like it mattered.

Jackie hadn't bothered with the Cadet Uniform. He was a robot, and he'd never been asked to wear it before, so he figured it wasn't a real problem so long as he wasn't violating dress code in other ways, like...the OTHER Robot. He got past the ticket gate with no real trouble. A plus side to not being a famous Cadet, for sure.

He approached the other Cadets, and the Princess respectfully. "Your Highness, Officer Woodsworth." He greeted. "Jackie reporting for duty...sorry if I'm late at all."

Eryka rolled up to the train station in her green leather armour, two cases attached (one on either side) to her motorbike. She pulled into the appropriate parking bay for motorcycles, hopped off her bike, got day parking ticket and stuck it to her bike. Normally she would have used her more advanced prosthetic arm but due to difficult interactions between it and her Persona, Eryka had been forced to go with an older style one. It was no where near as advanced but she could easily swap her arms around should the situation call. The other much larger carry case contained her weapon of choice which she hopefully wouldn't need.

With cases in hand Eryka marched into the train station eyes scanning the room for her charge. When her eyes set on Serenity she approached the princess, dropping the metal carry cases at her side and saluted.

"Reporting for duty ma'am" Eryka turned her gaze to Maria and nodded before speaking again.

"Captain Maria. Do you have an itinerary for today's events?" It would be important to know when and where people would be going as that would allow one, most likely Eryka if she got a say in things, to canvas locations ahead of time. Like always the amputee showed little interest in her fellow Cadets beyond taking note of their presence. Talking to them conferred nothing that would be of support for the mission or at least that was the case for the time being.

Susan was a ghost among the terminals. Even with the sparse travelers and to the people who knew her she had been incredibly difficult to spot and rightfully so. Susan was a businesswoman in a cleanly pressed suit with a standard backpack and a silver briefcase, and a short one at that. Absolutely unremarkable for her environment, another face in the crowd. She would walk with purpose wherever she went, even idling with purpose, unbothered, unfettered, places such as these were her domain. Even if she was absolutely terrified. Before the event this would be no problem, she was going about her business as was anyone else but the strangers made her feel uneasy and her head and eyes were swiveling. She was long on the other side of the terminal before anyone else arrived with her ticket in hand because as this was the start of everyone's day Susan instead decided to start it at the terminal much like Isaac had, though she kept interaction to a minimum. Not out of rudeness of course, but because she did not wish to speak to any other living being both before the sun rose and before she could have at least one cup of coffee.

She had showered, changed into one of her better suits and comfortable-yet-professional pairs of shoes and set out before daylight to have a few hours before she was actually designated to travel. Mostly as she does, there would be no telling what delays or events would come up but today was especially important. She spent her time preparing for her day and doing an odd mix of business. Drinking her morning coffee, checking in periodically with security (with their knowledge or not as her eyes were toward the checkpoint nearly always), reading the morning newspaper and conducting a survey of the area and a running threat assessment. All seemed quite normal, it was an average day but both the emptiness and the busy activity of the terminal unsettled her. If she could use her time to adjust to the pace she would be able to deal with it much more easily.

Breakfast and coffee be done it would be time to work soon. The commotion was easy enough to notice and obvious enough to figure out the source, though the short woman would keep an eye out in case this was negative such as someone smuggling in a weapon. Fortunately it was not, more fortunately the guard detail was expertly handled. Of note was how many fresh faces were a part of the ranks. New recruits and one she had never seen before, of which she could assume was also a new recruit given the uniform. Susan had decided to be the odd one out and appear subtle but professional though with her bulletproof vest under her suit. She would not stand out which would give her freedom to observe and inform without being an obvious target, and quicker to respond to threat scenarios without being in them. For all intents and purposes she was a moderately important-looking businessperson.

Applicable Strength for the Thread:

When it appeared time to muster she would glide from her nook in the diner nearby, pocketing her phone as she hovered closer without standing out.
"Officer Woodsworth," she would correct as she appeared seemingly from nowhere. More than a Miss and certainly not a Captain, though she was not terribly choosy about etiquette as far as the basics were understood. Following them was optional as long as it wasn't egregious.
"I have been checking the schedule periodically and have seen no delays at least in the past 15 minutes when I last looked. I would suggest a private car if we can request one or enforce one, we will take up the majority of the car anyway and can secure admittance to either entrance." She had been planning this far in advance given its telegraph but did not think she would be coming. Her chat with the Prince had changed her mind. There was still much she could arrange within such a short timeframe. Susan blinked, having completely forgotten her manners and it being much too early for human interaction today.


Her attempt at a cheery greeting contrasted the weary look on her face and dullness in her eyes. It was very apparent that Susan was either not entirely awake yet or not very excited to be here. Likely a mix of the two.

All of these Cadets looked rather interesting individuals to be sure. However, the one in armor really did stand out the most. One would wonder what got through their mind that this was acceptable attire. While it wasn't risque or offensive, it felt a bit of an overkill all things considered. As for the rest... While they didn't exactly state to get dressed formally, but at least most of them were in their uniform. Out of the five coming with her and Maria, Susan seemed the most reliable and the most suitably professional from her conduct.

SQ Gain:

"I didn't think you were either. But it's good to see you, Isaac. And thank you, Miss Groves. I believe his Highness already made arrangements for it." The nun, however, didn't seem to have much of a change in her expression. It was hard to tell if she was rather aloof of the whole affair or just trying hard to hide her exhaustion from waking up so early. However, it did seem there was a slight trace of pink her cheeks before clearing her throat and starting to address everyone else who finally arrived to the scene. "If such a dire situation should transpire, Cadet Kurosuko, I will take command. However, the itinerary will be given by her Highness."


"I can talk about it once we're on the train. It'll be a long ride, but it gives us enough time to talk over what you need to know when we get there. If this is everyone, we should all head off to the platform. I look forward to working with all of you." The Princess handily supplied from where Maria left off. She eyed every Cadet here with curiosity. Some of them were indeed familiar, but not to the degree that she would know them very well. Of course, there were newcomers which would make it an interesting trip. Isaac, however, piqued her curiosity with that huge sword on his person. It oddly reminded her of Maria's own weapon.

Just as the party prompted to reach their destination, the intercom blared out in a monotone and sterile voice. "Platform 5 to Domiona is arriving in 3 minutes... Platform 5 to Domiona is arriving in 3 minutes..."

This would quickly prompted the entire party to hasten their pace as Serenity began to take the lead.


The train would come and the party should be able to board without problem. Though it was easy to notice there weren't very many people boarding the train out of every other destinations. Out of all the cars, none of them seemed any different. But, it was only when they were inside, the wealth disparity was wide open for them to see with their eyes. The seats were lined with what looked like to be scarlet satin and so were some of the curtains that decorated the windows. The chandelier dangled without so much of a sound due to the train's temporary inert state. "Make yourselves comfortable. There should be enough room for all of us here since it's just us. Feel free to put some of your belongings in one of the booths. I would like to talk to all of you face-to-face."

She began to take her seat in one of the booths and soon-to-be followed by Maria as she set aside her coffin in the booth behind where they occupied. There would be enough room for the entire party to occupy. The train wouldn't take off just yet, but it was wise to not dilly dally around.

Isaac didn't notice the pink on Maria's cheeks really, as his attention was pulled away by the other arriving Cadets. That was fine, though. It wasn't like her reaction was the point. Of the other officers, Gozai was the only other one who addressed Isaac directly, talking about the training accident. He wondered if Gozai knew the reasons for the incident, but he probably didn't. That was fine. It wasn't like his image really mattered to someone of the same rank...well, Isaac might actually be higher rank since the thing with Albrecht. He wouldn't dally on it, or make a big deal about it leastwise. "Nah, it was cool. Just a dizzy spell. That's what I get for working out all day non-stop. haha!" He joked. Eryka could probably hear him playing off as if her weapon wasn't what caused it. But he wasn't saying it for her to hear. He didn't know how other Cadets would think about her if they learned how reckless that situation had been. It wasn't something he held against her, and he didn't want others to hold it against her either.

Susan's attire made him suddenly feel underdressed. He didn't really own anything formal aside from the cadet uniform he was wearing. It was a Cadet mission, after all, wasn't it? Everyone else was in uniform...

Before long the train announced it would be arriving soon, and they hurried to wait for it's arrival. Once on board, they arrived in a lavish train car the likes of which Isaac had never dreamed he'd step into. He resisted the urge to whistle, instead keeping quiet to avoid seeming like the simpleton plenty of them already knew he was.

The cadet followed Maria's lead, withdrawing the weapon from his back with precision despite it's size, careful not to damage any walls or anything, and set it gingerly beside the coffin in the compartment. He joined Maria and the princess in their booth quietly, taking a seat by the window and looking outside, wondering what the world outside Endymion must look like. He had to admit he was curious, but he waited patiently and politely until he was spoken to.

As quiet and as anti-social as ever Eryka simply nodded towards Susan, acknowledging her presence but taking little note of things beyond that. Her ability to read one's expressions and infer their emotional state from said expressions was lacking, incredibly so. Eryka listened to what the business woman had to say and she had to say she was impressed. It was a very good idea to find a private car for as Susan had said, the ability to control both entrances would be ideal which was when it was revealed the private train car had been prearranged. That bothered Eryka greatly; a prearranged car would have given any would be assassin ample time to temper with it.

As much as Eryka felt the burning need to speak up regarding the risks inherent to a prearranged personal train car (that said those risks depended on whether any confidential information had been allowed to slip) she realised this was not the place. Discussing matters such as this and possibly making a scene in the middle of a busy train terminal was illogical and ultimately irresponsible. It would pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of a possible heir to the throne. Fortunately, the announcement that the train would be arriving soon provided a perfect justification for the amputee to show a rare display of tact. Remaining silent she picked her two cases up and would follow after the group, bringing up the rear. If anybody should have their back exposed to a would be assassin it should be Eryka.

Getting through the throng of people was relatively easy as was getting onto the train itself. Following the directions of the train company's staff Eryka ended up, along with everyone else she hoped, in the private carriage. She wasn't sure if the general lack of people boarding this train was a good thing or not. On the one hand it meant the possibility of an assassin disguising themselves among the passengers was low...but on the other hand it also meant a possible assassin being among the passengers to start with was low. Once inside the carriage Eryka stowed her luggage nearby, refusing to allow anybody to take it away. She could not afford to loose easy access to her arm. Speaking of which...perhaps it would be better if she equipped said more destructive arm ahead of time.

"Excuse me your highness. I will return momentarily." Eryka walked out of the carriage, made her way to the nearest bathroom on the train and locked the door behind her. A few moments later she would return to the groups carriage, sporting a different prosthetic to the one she had been wearing before. Isaac would easily notice it was the same she had used during the martial arts club incident but unlike then it hung limply at her side. The amputee had not powered it for the sole sake of avoiding any accidental injury; Eryka could not afford to knowingly take the same risk she had during the martial arts club. Her ignorance then was excusable but she no longer had that excuse. The amputee stowed her prosthetic's carry case, which now contained her normal arm, away before sitting down.

"Your highness. Captain. I am planning to guard the rear entrance to this carriage and deny access to any unauthorized passengers but before I do...are we sure this carriage is secure to start with? It is possible any potential assassin could have discovered the identity of who this carriage has been reserved for. As such I am concerned it may have been tampered with or booby trapped ahead of time." It was entirely possible Eryka was simply being immensely paranoid but as far as she was concerned that was a good thing. No matter how unlikely a risk or threat was, so long as it was greater than 0% it needed to be addressed. Having said her piece Eryka would remain silent, the green material of her protective armour, which did fully cover her chest thanks to the clips holding it shut, rising with her breaths.

The approach of the last Cadet, at least that's what Gozai assumed she was, would serve to startle him a good deal. Even if her intentions... Well, he'd be a fool to assume her motives, but she did remind him of his place. "Oh... Yes, forgive me, I forgot my place." His left hand clenched into a fist, the youth having to focus to keep it from shaking. Were it not for the presence of the heir to the throne, Gozai would probably not allowed himself to grovel like that.

That done, He'd offer Maria a nod for confirming the chain of command, before turning his full, undivided attention to the princess. No that she had much to say, nothing important, not yet. How convenient then that the train arrived for them to board. The pale Cadet following the rest, his left thumb hooked into the belt loop of his pants, fingertips resting on his firearm, ready to use it should the need for it come.

The interior of the train was certainly something. In fact, Gozai couldn't honestly say if he'd ever seen this level of luxury in person. Maybe, if he worked his way up the ranks, he too could maybe see something like this for himself. Food for thought. For later, anyways. Given the prompt, he would remove a small satchel, hel in place only by a single buttoned loop of leather, from the back of his belt. IT was about the size of three adult fists. There wasn't much, a few different kinds of over-the-counter painkillers, small packet of antacid tablets, a small and hopelessly out-of-date first-aid kit, granola bars, and a few of those small glowing orbs from last night. Though strangely those orbs seemed to have lost much of their shine during the day, odd.

But he'd take the satchel, and set it onto the corner of a seat in one of the compartments, before joining the group. Eryka would voice some concerns over guarding the car, as well potential sabotage. "I do believe she makes a sound point, if I am allowed to say. That said, I'd like to hear the opinion of our senior officer regarding this, if I may ask it." He spoke, briefly turning his eyes toward Eryka, before his attention turned toward Maria, his hand rising to gesture toward her at the mention of a senior officer.

"Yes. That is very good." No doubt that a private car was arranged in advance. Well, very little doubt. Susan did not distrust her organization to plan ahead but it was in her nature to do so anyway. It was better to have one and not need it than need it and not have one. In the case that something fell through they would have a course of action and that was her specialty: charting paths through unknown territory. But it was good. One less thing she needed to worry about. Susan did not react strongly to the pale boy jumping at her presence, lilting her head at him.
"You are fine..." she breathed. It was too early in the morning for her to want to socially engage with people just yet, and she was mentally preparing for the trip. The short woman's mind was primed to pick up important information concerning their visit and at the moment this wasn't it, so she would conserve her energy and observe for the moment.

She did notice the interactions between her juniors, mostly in age and not in rank. Everyone was excited in some way, shape, or form for this trip, chattering among themselves or noticeably nervous in some way. They treated each other as young familiar friends would. It reminded her of the age gap between them. The only people she could truly call peers here were Eryka and Princess Serenity, but even then it was a little bit of a stretch. Which was perfectly fine with her. She had a lot of thinking to do and did not want interruptions.
"And I as well, Your Highness. I'm more than glad we can assist you in this endeavor." There was an uplifting inflection on her affirmation, an agreement to begin work. Susan was eager to receive her briefing even if it meant she would not be able to sleep on the ride there at all. Her time would be spent in study and preparation instead. She hurried her stubby legs to remain at pace as the group quickened to meet their arriving train.


The decor was definitely fitting, but nothing Susan had not seen before. Not that she herself was this wealthy but CEOs typically were and some would indulge in lavish tastes. Susan especially noted the curtains, mostly because she wanted them in her own home. She removed her backpack and placed her briefcase in the luggage compartment without a sound or complaint and used the opportunity of everyone else doing so to enter the cabin first. Susan had brought her tablet along and wanted the window to press herself against, allowing her maximum personal space if she wanted it instead of being at the mercy of others for it. But everyone was situated as Susan gazed out the window, sitting opposite of the idealistic boy and waiting for the train to leave.

"Officer Woodsworth," she stated immediately to correct as soon as it was said, not bothering to stop staring out the window. Personally she did not care so much but would continue to correct because this was all well and good until it was said in front of the Prince, who may take offense. But that was none of her business. Yet Susan smirked absently at the junior Cadets as they voiced their concerns over sabotage of the cars or another potential threat. She was happy that someone else was thinking of this but she found it a little funny. Susan... did not believe they would be ambushed at all, not once she had learned something had been arranged by the government beforehand and very unlikely before. They did have some valid concerns, such as the mole who existed, but the odds were still very slim. Her concerns were more focused on that this was official business and unofficial people did not belong in their company. Simply put normal people did not belong in their car. They could not speak freely, they did not need the commotion, the Princess did not need to be accosted or gawked over, rumors did not need to be started before the end of the trip, et cetera. The biggest danger to this trip was either delays or damage to the tracks from demonic activity but they had ways of dealing with that. It amused her to see the fresher faces so worked up over what was essentially a fly-away meeting. Like the newly hired marketers fresh out of college running around in a panic on the work floor.
"This is very true and can indeed become a reality. Perhaps it would be wise to search this car for such traps or to patrol the other cars for suspicious individuals or luggage that may contain unauthorized weaponry. I believe we should confiscate the knives from the concessions cart as a precaution." There was a little smile in her voice as she spoke and Susan was still smirking absently to herself in her reflection of the window. She knew there was little point, but it would be amusing to send the Class 3 Cadets on pointless tasks. But she was mostly joking and wouldn't risk it being taken the wrong way. She turned into the car to explain, still smiling a little.

Every Cadet got inside easily and orderly enough as they could be, despite one of the force needed to do something before returning back to the booth. They all sat inside just in time for the train to finally begin to depart as their environment outside began to speed past through the window. For Serenity, however, it was becoming pretty clear these new set of Cadets were very much unlike the previous generation. They were far more guarded and rigid. It wasn't a bad thing, but it made her miss the familiarity she once had with Claire and Chris. Maria was quick to reply to her juniors and with a nod towards Susan, who was evidently quick on the uptake. "It's as Officer Groves said, this is a diplomatic mission. While protecting her Majesty is our goal, we must practice and exhibit proper behavior and decorum so that it would reflect a positive appearance on the City. Any security measures including this car has been dealt with the day before and with the security today behind the scenes. With that said, I believe we can put any concerns to rest for the moment. I'll let her Highness begin the briefing."

SQ Gain:

Maria gave a respectful nod towards the Princess. She had an expectant look to hear what this briefing was going to be about. The nun remembered Julius specifically asking for her for this mission and now this was a better time than never to know why the Prince wanted her to join. As the team would obviously have their attention on the Princess, she seemed oddly hesitant. Though it didn't take very long for her to gain her composure enough to finally relay the truth of their task. "Thank you, Maria. Now I want you all to listen very carefully to what I have to say. We will be exiting Endymion very soon. By the time we pass the boundary, you will be able to feel a sensation familiar to night fall. Miss Groves and Miss Eckhert, I'm sure you remember the conversation about the night with Professor Hugo. Once we leave the City, we will also be leaving my Mother's protection and you will be able to use your powers during the day time. However, this also means demonic presence can bask under the sun as well."

The nun frowned at this news. Being able to use your honed skills and strength even under the light of day was nice and all. But it also was a reason for worry, it meant possible contact with demonic encounters and it made the job potentially harder despite however eager she was to slay their ilk. However, that didn't seem to be just it. "But that's not the problem is it, Ma'am? There's more to it."


A flash of shock swept through Maria's face in one moment, before turning cold in the next in silence. It was as Serenity had feared as she uncomfortably sat in her seat. There was unhealthy prejudice in the Cadet's austere eyes. The Princess had heard of this Class One's Cadet's past from Julius. It initially made her wonder if this was the best choice to send someone like her on a mission like this. She once saw the ragged rage the nun exhibited through that entire night at the Dragon's Spa. There was a self-destructiveness that worried her. But her worries were put to rest as Maria closed her eyes with a sigh.


"Thank you, Maria." The Princess relaxed her shoulders with a grateful smile. With the one in charge of her security, she was glad the Cadet was able to put aside her own hatred for this one time, especially for the sake of the City. Now, it was the rest of the team she had to worry about...

Isaac felt a lot like Susan did. Why would they risk putting the princess on this train without duly checking everything once and twice, and maybe even a third time. It was during the day time, and the PTs were likely all attending to whatever it was the misguided souls did during the day. Isaac said nothing about it though, as Susan seemed to cut to the point pretty quickly. Thought the scathing joke was probably unnecessary. Isaac didn't find it particularly funny, especially with how worked up Eryka was getting.

But it wasn't his business. Once that issue was clear, they were focused on the task at hand, and Isaac leaned away from the window with his elbows on his knees as he listened. So they'd be able to use their abilities. That could potentially be a good thing, but it could also be bad. He didn't know everyone on this mission, but wanton use of power that could destroy like theirs could wouldn't help on a mission like this.

When the mention of demons put a look of shock and disdain on Maria's face, Isaac's eyebrows rose, an interested, curious expression passed his face. He gave Maria a supportive smile as she spoke, before turning to the princess as she finished. He didn't have a problem with it at all. In fact, he wanted to know how they were using demons. They were dangerous, but if they had a way to control them, it could save lives, even if it was only in the moment with the goal of destroying them after.

Still...This only explained where they were going, not what they were doing.

"A city of demons. Got it. But that's not it, right? I mean, you're going there for a reason right? Do they have some kind of resource we could use? Or is the queen looking for more of a military alliance, considering us Cadets going? Or...is it something else?" He asked with a display of shrewdness that many there would probably have not attributed to him. He leaned back in his chair to consider his question, and the answer she might have for it.

His gaze didn't waver from the princess. "Or are we looking to harness the power of demons ourselves, highness?" it wasn't a snide comment, but was delivered genially, with a tinge of boyish curiosity.

A soft smile spread across the short woman's features. It was so very nice to do something she was accustomed to rather than something violent or using shows of force. Suffice to say this was further in her lane than even analysis was though she was very happy she understood the situation wholly and completely. It meant she would be prepared.
"Be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet. An open mind and a firm stance," she commented in agreement to Maria's affirmation. A little dark but such was her view of the matter, though she mostly meant it metaphorically in a way of "killing" meaning "dealing with anyone in a manner in which turns to your favor"... but as a Cadet the literal meaning may become a reality. Some may find that this quote comes from a computer game, though the businesswoman found it obscure enough that no one would notice it.

She sat her tablet in her lap as she listened. Many things did make sense, as far as she knew only Endymion would benefit from the Queen's protection just as she had been told before. Susan shared Maria's concern on how possible it would be to become ambushed on their travels, which would be a direct concern and a good reason for them to be there as Eryka and Kurosuko had brought up. Assassins and booby traps were not a very large concern, but once away from the safety of the city they may need to be soldiers. But this was not the main concern and not something Susan was tracking just yet...

The short woman blinked. This had not been something she had anticipated.

She thought in the silence placing her finger to her chin as she ruminated her findings. Was she surprised? Yes and no, because it too made sense from a certain standpoint. Man's nature was that he was adaptable and a master of his environment in order to survive, this came as no shock that a city lacking in protection or an abundance of Persona Users would turn to other means. Endymion had such already with Demon Masks, although that was far less popular and unnecessary because of the nature of the active threat. Maria seemed shaken as she would assume her to be, there was long-standing hatred for demons among many of the Cadets and for good reason. Despite her history Susan did not hold this same disgust for them. She viewed them more as a force of nature, or dogs. Something that could be dangerous if left unchecked, but also something that could be harnessed to benefit mankind as she would assume those of Domiona would. They would have to be civil. Otherwise they would not bother with this excursion.

"It follows..." she began, "Without the protection that we have and with the comparable rarity of Persona Users an outlying city could not withstand constant attack for very long without aid of some sort, who we have currently is just enough to keep the peace at night alone. It would make sense that the people there would find a universal means of protecting themselves and harnessing it, that being demons. I can imagine that the active Persona Users would find a way to control them and give them to the wider populace, which would enhance their defensive capabilities by improving their power and numbers and work to mitigate the problem. I personally find it a wise course of action in the given circumstances, though desperate times call for desperate measures."

Surprisingly enough at least one of the other Cadets was not outright against the idea and seemingly dismissed the prospect. It was not entirely irrelevant but Fairweather was astute in his concerns of the mission over the cultural dangers. Though they did tie into one another. Both were equally important in her eyes, context was an utmost priority in dealings such as this.
"We already do. To an extent," she would answer in technical correctness, "Though I am certain Domiona's methods of demon control are much different from the Demon Masks we can receive I assume they serve a similar purpose yet for different reasons, granting power to the powerless rather than expanding the abilities of those who already have such power. That being said other methods would not be out of the question." Susan already knew the answer to that but didn't let on. The answer to that particular inquiry was a "no" and very relative to Endymion's culture. Domiona she assumed would do this out of necessity but this was not necessary for Endymion, and Domiona would use it to empower their people with abilities to protect themselves with Endymion using the Cadets, having access to a way to Awaken individuals to do so. But utilizing demons for this would never go over well, publicly or privately. As evidenced many were biased against them, including Cadets, it would cause public outcry and panic. But demons were never the real threat they faced. Psyche Terrorists were. And if they were to get their hands on this method and empower the people with it... well, the resulting chain of events would likely lead the city to ruin. And that could not be allowed to happen, for the world would follow she believed.
"I am much more interested over the etiquette and cultural norms quite personally. It would do well to be educated on the local customs and courtesies on what behavior we can expect, what is commonly good and bad, and how we should act among the locals. It will be most important given the nature of who we are and what we are about to be faced with, perish the thought of an incident."

As much a pain as his condition would be for every day life, it did have its benefits. Such as now, when his hands would probably be going pale from how hard he was clenching his fists, if they weren't already as pale as they were. Groves, that was her name. For someone as egocentric as Gozai, the woman's joke hadn't gone over well. Indeed, she could thank Serenity for her presence, as that was the only deterrent that kept the albino from responding. Still, Gozai had the feeling like this woman was going to make the already long day all the more longer, and not in a good way.

But rather than waste anymore tohught on her, the youth instead drew his attention back to Maria. "If there are any security concerns that we should be aware of, I'll trust that you will inform us once that becomes relevant, Officer Woodsworth." He said, before shifting his attention to Serenity, the youth listening intently

The mention of Domiona being a city of demons elicited a sharp hiss from him, his previously strained expression briefly shifting into a teeth-baring snarl. Though he would regain his composure, mostly, albeit leaving a scowl plastered across his face. "A city of demons, and those who use them." He'd parrot the Princess' words, pausing briefly before continuing. "Could I request that your Majesty elaborate on what this means?" It was fairly evident that he was struggling to keep his voice as calm and level as it was.

That asked, he'd shift his attention to Groves, as she spoke. As much as he hated to admit, she did have a point. "I too would appreciate a crash course of sorts on local etiquette and such. Unfortunately I've woefully little knowledge on Domiona." That was to say, none, but that detail he didn't need to voice. "Though from putting what has been said thus far together, I'm probably safe in assuming that attacking demons at first sight could quickly give off a bad impression? Given the nature of the trip, we'll probably want to avoid any incidents. Doubly so if those incidents can be avoided with basic understanding of local culture.