Masquerade Ball [Cadet Dungeon/A Team]

Exp Gained!:

Item Gained!:

Ally Gained!:

Ms. Hunt won the demon enemy over and in turn ended what was becoming a painful battle. Such a relief, but even so Haru didn’t show just how relieved he was as he gave a small smile to Ms. Hunt.

“Very nice,” he would say, in his own way giving her praise on the capture. His eyes would then turn to Mr. Frost. "I didn't get to properly thank you before. Thank you for protecting me back there." Without the guy's action, he was pretty sure he would not be standing now. Following that he would look at the others with him.“Everyone okay?” he would ask, his eyes lingering on each in turn not only to hear a report of their status if they wished to share, but to also see literally just how they were holding up.

He’d give them a few moments to answer and to pull themselves together before he looked around area and focused on their path. “Come on. We mustn’t keep our host waiting.” With those words he would move forward once more.

Action:

The blankness faded from her eyes as the bandages slowly unwound from her limbs and neck. Just as assumed she was not needed. Which was a good thing, safety was paramount in this perilous situation, she had hoped not to step in at all, to stay back and provide support. Perhaps the atrocities she'd been forced to perform would be a little easier to swallow if that was the case. Susan remained staring emptily as she processed the current events, the implications of such, and if violence could have been avoided. She felt nervous with a demon in their charge but if Demons could be recruited by the government she assumed there was a way to do so and this must be that way. There was naught for her to accept that.
"...I-I will be fine..." she muttered emptily. The businesswoman felt terrible that she was taking this harder than the others who had become inured to this sort of thing. She had not been assaulted as they were. Mentally and physically she was fine but emotionally and spiritually she felt wounded beyond repair. The others weren't showing their own pain, if it was there to begin with. It guilted her to feel as she did.

But there was nothing to do but focus on the task at hand. When this was all over she could get counseling but the situation demanded her vigilance. Susan could compartmentalize this long enough to get the job done. She left approach the next mirror and move it into position before watching Hatsuhara speed off ahead, giving her a miniature heart attack.
"Hatsuhara...!" she called in an oddly motherly tone.
"Stay with the group, please...! It can be dangerous alone...!"

Stats:

Modifiers:

Action:

Tension - Maria Woodsworth:

Underneath the helmet there was an expression of disgust. Holding himself together the knight followed the other cadets, staying just a bit behind just in case. It was foolish to think of them as equal.

Albrecht, Lvl 8:

Passives, Strengths/Weakness:

Actions:

A strange, scrambled melody would ring out for a brief moment from Svalinn before the Persona vanished into thin air. Turdak's body would suddenly become completely rigid and unmoving, the previously feral demon completely unresponsive to the surrounding stimuli, its eyes draining of color as ethereal red chains not unlike those shattered by Psyche Terrorists suddenly phased into being all across its body and limbs. Without saying a word it began to march forward unaffected by its tightly clamping restraints, mechanical in its movements in a way oddly similar to its master at the moment, the pink haired girl merely nodding at the praises of her allies without a word as opposed to the usual posturing and boasting one might expect from her.

As the team moved the mirror, the light began to shine past the room they were occupying and into the other. Where it would lead was their own guess and their own prerogative to investigate further. Before they would begin to try to leave the room, Maria gestured them to a halt with a careful eye. There was the sound of footsteps nearing the room. They continued to step across the floor with a defiant note, until they met its owner. Who likewise greeted them with a rather flat note, "Hm? Oh, it's you guys."


Lisa Lamecia stood before them with her katana out before sheathing it absentmindedly. She appeared confident than ever as she put a hand on her hip, but it was clear she had her fair share of scraps by the disheveled appearance on her person. To think these people would already catch up to her, truly she couldn't even spare any rest. Or otherwise, she would find herself surpassed again. Just like Maria and Albrecht did before. Funny how a nun and a tin can would prove to be her rivals. But never mind that. She was able to get this far ahead on her own and that's what it all mattered...


Her tone was curt. Maria was characteristically dispassionate, but something was off. Even Lisa raised a brow at her question as she began to cross her arms against her chest. Did she have something to say about her progress? Was it jealousy of not having to be weighed down by all that dead weight on her? "You were all dawdling around getting organized. I couldn't just sit back and let him get away with his own schemes as we wasted time. I got here so far in one piece, so no harm done, right?"

Everything began to come together as the pieces fell into place. Susan could trace the beam of light in her mind's eye, following it on the imaginary map she was constantly cross-checking with the one she was mentally filing in. Perhaps next time they would have advance info however it could be reasoned that this was possibly not the standard layout of the studio. With the pathways of mirrors it was obviously warped, cross-checking architectural documents as the team traveled would likely be of little value although she would continue to think on things for the future. It helped to distract her from the psychological traumas of combat. Though as she prepared to keep her feet moving Maria motioned for them to freeze. The businesswoman did so like a frightened rabbit before slowly falling in behind the mirror to use as cover, awaiting with shaking hands and a trained weapon whatever was about to ambush them.

...but it was the princess. Apparently safe and sound, shockingly enough. It was hard to believe when a full team of them was experiencing such difficulty. She could understand Maria's own reservations, Susan had some of her own. The princess's actions were reckless and non-conducive to the cohesiveness of the team. "No harm done" had wasted time and effort. Though it was worse than that. With her Eye of Horus Susan flinched as Jackie lost consciousness, her hazy feed through his senses cutting out abruptly.
"I-I have lost contact with Team Two..." she sounded out morosely. The small woman took a moment to compose herself before speaking harshly. She could not stand incompetence and willfully was another matter altogether. At the moment she could not give adequate care to rank or status and defaulted on the one thing she had always respected all her life: performance. And Lisa had performed poorly with her rash, thoughtless actions.


Her tone was cold though not angry. Only impatient. It was not her job to discipline others, especially those of higher rank though she could not expect that to last for long with her complete disregard for proper planning and gross endangerment of Cadet personnel, herself included. No, it was her job to analyze and present valuable insight into the situation. Despite its upsetting nature, she was not horrified at the moment over the loss of Team Two's communications though she did take it seriously. She was more frustrated now that she had somewhere to place blame, fair or not. She gave no insult nor show of any more serious adverse emotion. The facts spoke enough. The short woman would continue to focus on the task at hand, she did not have the time to spend admonishing careless little girls.
"I propose we keep moving and swiftly, to make up for wasted time. Should Team Two be in danger we may reach a point where we will reach them or be in a position to assist."

Stats:

Modifiers:

Action:

Tension - Maria Woodsworth:

"As someone who charges into combat with reckless violence... Going into enemy territory is ill advised when there's no back up. I'm not here to lecture you though, it's impressive you got this far on your own." The knight was in a bad mood. It was unlike his battle rage, it was annoyance although it was unrelated to Lisa's actions, he simply did not cared if she put herself in danger. "There is no need for this, i did not berate you for your lack of back bone this harshly, you should watch your tongue Susan. I don't support her methods, but speaking to her like this won't accomplish anything." He groaned, growing impatient and irritated.

The Knight pressed on despite his injuries and beaten state, holding himself together on sheer anger, dragging his sword behind. It was a mistake to ever assume they could be considered battle brothers.

Albrecht, Lvl 8:

Passives, Strengths/Weakness:

Actions:

There was no words in response to what he had said to Mr. Frost and with that mask there he had to wonder just what did the other think or what face he was making. He could ask, but the idol knew better than to hold onto the trivial like that. Letting that one go, he took note how most were being quieter than usual, whether it was the atmosphere or perhaps just fatigue was beyond him, but he suppose as long as no one was turning against each other and nothing negative was being said, then perhaps this was fine. Keeping the behavior in mind, but not his focus, the Cadet would proceed to move forward to their next destination.

To Susan’s call, he would slow his pace easily enough as he glanced over at her with a small smirk. “Haru. Ms. Groves. Hatsuharu,” he would say correcting her error in his usual soft tones before he refocused on the path ahead. Once they reached the room, they were going to, the Cadet would see the mirror and would’ve drifted it towards it to move it; however, Maria’s behavior halted his tracks and following that the sound of footsteps made him glance around for the source.

When the source made itself known, the Cadet would find himself becoming blank. Was he glad the girl was okay? Yes, but at the same time he had no connection to her to make him feel overly concerned for her well being. For him, she was one of them and it seemed the others already took care of fussing at her and each other. As it came the talk went around the idol would say nothing as he observed the Princess quietly as some thought passed through his head before he was blinking and looking towards the mirror as talk of moving on was being placed on the table.

"It is unfortunate that we do not have contact with Team Two; however, we have to believe they’ll be alright and be able to meet up with us soon. As for us this is no time to be fighting amongst each other. This situation is stressful enough without that."

She softly spoke towards Susan. It was an expression full of surprise, breaking her calm. To think a team led by Shiina would lead to such a consequence. What was going on there? She couldn't quite fathom that an entire team would fall here. What a miscalculation. While the entire team voiced their discontent, Maria was busy trying to consider the situation. No way to contact Julius and no way to contact the other team. In the end, there was no other way, but to continue.


"I'm sure they'll be fine. We're Cadets, we're tough, aren't we? Dying on the field isn't anything rare. It's all a part of our duty to ensure the Peace." Lisa dryly replied to Susan. Though it was clear on her face that there was some concern. Dying on the field was an unpleasant experience no matter what people said. She had no intention of dying, but neither did she have any intention of being held back. At least the tin can man understood how things are. She gave a nod towards Albrecht before smirking towards Susan. Though it didn't take much for her to realize that the party did not like her decision-making, especially Maria.


"It is our duty. But many of us want to come back alive when possible. We all have lives to live outside of Class Zero. Families and friends that want to see us in one piece. If you want to throw your life away, so be it." Said the stoic Maria as she began to leave out of the room with her back facing the Princess. "But don't you ever dare jeopardize other's lives just so you can impress your Brother. I'm certain that's not what you mentioned in your reason for joining the Cadets, Princess."

Lisa's eyes bulged in hot anger as Maria quickly exited before she could get another word in. She fumed in silence, gripping her blade tightly. But she relented, realizing the futility of it in the current situation. There was still a job to do and this was something they could deal with next time. She would stomp her feet forward to exit, but not before pulling on her wristband back and let it go to snap against her skin in vexation. "Tch..."

Dual-Tension:

Susan had expected the pushback she received, but she regretted nothing. Should she have the chance to say something like that in the future and were asked or prompted she would do so again. There was no excuse for such blatant ignorance and incompetence. She crinkled her nose at Albrecht's actual praise at her... at her complete stupidity! His critique meant nothing to her though it normally would, she was aware she was a coward yet she had been trying her best and had been performing well. Lisa was not a coward and a strong fighter yet she was an utter liability to the mission. This alone spoke volumes of ability. She wanted to speak up but she would wait. Susan would have her moment. She was a patient businesswoman. She bit her tongue and bored a hole into the floor with her gaze instead.


There were so many things she had wanted to say yet did not. She could infinitely point things out but Officer Frost was correct. It would do no good. The spoiled brat would not listen to reason, she was a moron. Susan would prove her point through her own performance. She would continue to do well and Lisa would continue to do poorly and eventually it would come to a head. The small woman would outrank her and then her point would be proven with hard numbers, ultimately and in a way that could not be argued. But it was her smug attitude and completely unfounded frustration that infuriated Susan most. She had seen horrible things tonight. She had experienced things humans were not meant to experience for the sake of her own sanity. And Lisa thought it was fun and games. There would be words. And reports. And negative reinforcement until she fully felt vindicated and only then would she be satisfied. As soon as the troublesome skipped after the one who had given her approval like a dumb puppy Susan would join the rest of her team, unballing her fists she had not known she had been clenching. Maria and Hatsuharu were first on her priorities list to inform. They were focused on the mission. She hurried along with short, quick steps.

"It is not quite so simple Hatsuhara-haru. H-Hatsuharu. Pardon me," she began to explain within earshot of all others. No matter her feelings she had to remain as useful to the mission as possible. The mission demanded it and it would only further her cause.
"I experience my sense of monitoring through the senses of the distant end and from what I have witnessed Cadet Jackie has either been killed or knocked unconscious. E-Either that or the enemy is capable of knocking out my communication method however we have not yet seen their capability to do so. The rest of the team is in jeopardy regardless, I-I would like to remain optimistic as you are but I am a realist and the odds are not in their favor. There is a plausible chance their encounter could end in death and I no longer have a way to monitor their progress. Should contact remain broken for another 5 minutes I will assume the worst and plan for an encounter in which we do not have the support of the other team." It was important for her to have a plan, disregard the circumstances. This was something they must do Hell or high water, and though she was afraid Susan would press onward. She could recognize her weaknesses and seek to improve them. That was more than can be said for certain team members who refused to learn like the idiot they happened to be.

Stats:

Modifiers:

Action:

Dual Tension - Best and Worst Girl:

"Shiina is very capable and that dog... no, that beast of hers will be able to handle the situation. Can't speak for Jackie and Joseph other than that they are in good hands." He groaned again, though this time there was a soothing wave that reached him. Mending his body a bit, still not enough though.

The continuous sight of that disgusting creature made his rage burn non-stop, normally it wanes and waxes as necessary, but he was never required to stay near a demon for this long without attack or preparing to combat it. His free hand twitched repeatedly, a short snarl directed at the skeleton escaped him. He'd consciously make an effort to stay as far away as possible while viciously gnawing the handle of Lamina Sanctus, otherwise he might lose it.

Albrecht, Lvl 8:

Passives, Strengths/Weakness:

Actions:

He would quietly follow the others and listen to the feedback given by Lisa. His eyes would narrow at that one, but he otherwise kept his lips closed as he moved along the pathway, letting Maria and the others handle the girl who was even more arrogant himself. It was true, arrogant people let power and their own goals override everything else. He had done it before, but he was also old enough to know how bad the falls were and while in his case the falls humbled him and taught him to keep his behavior in check, none of those falls involved endangering himself or the lives of others around him. So Lisa’s behavior did irk him a bit, but unlike the others he held his tongue remaining more focused on the mission than the fights. They couldn’t afford to lose themselves to squabbles best settled later and in a different way. Besides...losing it was probably what the enemy wanted them to do. Lose themselves and the enemy wins.

With tension high due to Lisa’s behavior and the demon in their midst, Haru wondered for a brief second if someone would snap and jeopardize this whole mission. It was an idea that he didn’t like, but he would keep it in mind nonetheless as he listened to Susan’s explanation. He would frown a bit at that one.

“I stand my belief that they will be fine. I know nothing of the dog, but I do know that Shiina, Joseph, and Jackie are capable people. Even if they are in a jam, I am sure they can pull out. Even so I am not as optimistic as you think, I do realize we could potentially have no back up and death is always nearby. I agree we should plan to go into this as if we have no back-up. This way we’d be prepared either way.” His tone was calm and collected as he moved into the room with the mirror observing the way the light bounced off it as he crossed the space and made it to the other exit. It was at the exit he paused as he stared ahead with narrow eyes.

“Mr. Frost, you said you wanted a battle and you may just get your wish soon,” the idol would say before shifting his weight and moving out of the room.

Stepping out into the hallway, the Cadet would press forward the sensation of an enemy nearby growing until the target was in sight. Looking back to make sure everyone was with him, he would push off the ground and move to engage the enemy ahead. Maybe this fight would defuse some of the tension all around.

Hatsuharu - Level 9 – Main Line:

Information Box:

”Passives/Position:

Items/Use/Exp: