Strider

Alright, I guess I'm going to try this. Critiques are, of course, welcome. Master: Servant#1 Servant #2

Edmond: The moment the woman appeared, Edmond had, as quickly as possible, entered the commands in the HUD on his helmet to begin recording. It would be useful, right? To have a picture of the enemy. As the mist washed over Edmond, he felt a slight tingling sensation, that feeling you get when someone is in the room, sneaking up on you, but you can't see them. And then, there was that rush of hatred: was someone in their group trying to kill them? Betray them? This thought was quickly dismissed though, as a brief turn of the head served to reveal that the source of the hatred was attempting to unleash it on the enemies. In fact, it seemed that most who didn't seem crippled by fear were attacking. Mind tricks Edmond uses weld on the Dragon Tooth Archers: 2d6+INT=2d6+10 damage, and adds 3d6+10 damage to the next strike against them. Liliya: She hadn't seen the ostensibly magical woman in her premonitions. The question was though, was this due to some trick, or simply because she had not posed a current threat? She wasn't sure, but that was all wiped from her mind when the mist arrived. As soon as she felt it, she knew something was wrong. They had a traitor on their side, but who? It had to be the two with the cauldron! They had given the enemy a weapon more powerful than the woman claimed to be able to make! And--No, it didn't make sense. Liliya's thoughts had coincided with the arrival of the mist, and anyway, how could they have planned this? No one on the ship knew where they were going, or had been here before, right? If they had, why wouldn't they say it...unless they were themselves the traitor? "No, goddamnit! It has to be the mist talking..." Liliya uses her basic attack on Warrior Horde A. 3d6+DEX=3d6+10, with a 10% chance to crit. If she would get hit this turn though, she sacrifices her attack in order to dodge. (Perk: See the Future)

Edmond: Why fix what isn't broken? Edmond uses weld on the Dragon Tooth Archers: 2d6+INT=2d6+18 damage, and adds 3d6+18 damage to the next strike against them. Liliya It seemed that the warriors were all preoccupied by two weird creatures that had been summoned by...an angel? Still though, Liliya looked foward, hoping to avoid serious injury. Liliya uses her basic attack on the Dragon Tooth Beasts. 3d6+DEX=3d6+10, with a 10% chance to crit. If she would get hit this turn though, she sacrifices her attack in order to dodge. (Perk: See the Future)

Edmond: From his vantage point in the air, Edmond did catch sight of the rolling bank of fog. Before he swooped in next he stared for a moment at it, specifically looking to see if it affected any of the dragon warriors, and then searching for the origin of the footsteps, if he could find it. After seeing what he could, he turned his attention back to the archers, who seemed to have picked up the pace. Edmond uses weld on the Dragon Tooth Archers: 2d6+INT=2d6+18 damage, and addes 3d6+18 damage to the next strike against them. Liliya: "Shit." This was the first time that she had actually been hit with an attack. That's what came, she supposed, from using on the minimum of forsight to determine if she would live or die. Liliya uses her basic attack on the Dragon Tooth Beasts. 3d6+DEX=3d6+10, with a 10% chance to crit. If she would get hit this turn though, she sacrifices her attack in order to dodge. (Perk: See the Future)

Edmond After the first assault, Edmond lauched himself into the air. The beasts on the ground seemed to be the most troublesome, and the arrows of the archers had clattered off him suit harmlessly. So, he began to arc across the sky, strafing the group of archers again. Weld on Dragon Tooth Archer B: 2d6+INT=2d6+18 damage, and addes 3d6+18 damage to the next strike against them. Liliya Liliya nearly dropped her knife when she suddenly saw the electric arcs running up and down the blade. However, it didn't hurt her, so she charged in at the group that seemed to be causing the most damage, the Dragon Tooth Beasts. Liliya uses punishment on the Dragon Tooth Beasts. Does a basic attackx2 damage if the enemy inflicted a status last round. 2x(3d6+DEX)=2x(3d6+10), with a 10% chance to crit.

Edmond and Liliya are in the fight. Edmond: After Marisa had left, Edmond had deposited a few items in the communal inventory. He was not surprised, though, when the group was suddenly teleported out into the open. He pulled himself out of his fall, and landed lightly on his feet, before noticing the oncoming tide of attackers. More than we've ever yet fought...He lifted his rifle, and took some shots down into one of the archer groups. The woman was right about targeting them first, though of course, the absence of archers would help all of them, not just the fliers. Edmond uses weld against Dragon Tooth Archer A, dealing 2d6+INT=2d6+10 damage, and adding 3d6+INT=3d6+10 to next attack against Dragon Tooth Archer A. (If any of my targets for either character are dead, just move one down the list for the new target) Liliya: She'd had a bit of time to rest before they arrived. As soon as the castle had started to shudder, Liliya knew they were on their way to the next location, and began to get ready. She wasn't entirely ready, however, to be suddenly dropped on her face outside the castle in the middle of an onslaught of skeletons. "What the hell. You can't just go around dropping people on their faces in the middle of the night." She muttered this to no one in particular, for there really *was*no one to mutter it too. With a fierce scowl, mostly hidden by the darkness, Liliya pulled out her knife, and charged on of the groups. On a quick viewing of the probably future, it seemed that while she might be hurt, there shouldn't be anything lethal coming up. Basic attack on Dragon Tooth Warrior A: 3d6+DEX=3d6+10 damage, with a 10% chance of a crit.

"I..." He took a breath. "I'll be fine. I don't know what you could do, but...that would mean a lot to me. I think...that based on the time right now, if he actually did it, that there would probably still be people to help. So...yes. Please. I'll owe you more, but I'll try to find something. For now, I'll just leave this stuff here. I might be gone when you get back, so you can just take anything you want or need if that's the case." Edmond's gratitude was apparent in his tone. It wasn't exactly that Edmond was not familiar with death, far from it. However, the combined weight of suddenly remembering that thousands might have died that you had forgotten about, and the fact that he had been directly involved in so much harm was enough to seriously pain him. "Be careful though. It's not a nice place, and the technology might be out of your comfort zone." A thought occurred to Edmond, and he grabbed the phone that Solomon had given him. "Take this. It will allow you to contact people, if you have their number, and can be used to obtain a great deal of common knowledge..and, well, see if you can find some listing of the deceased afterwards. I'll need to pay my respects at some point..." Still in a hurry, Edmond gave the witch a quick rundown on how to use the simpler aspects of the phone; calling, web browser, and camera. "Thank you once more."

"Ouch. That can't have been fun." Edmond tossed a capacitor onto a pile of similar ones, and grimaced. "The first thing that happened was our group appearing in the middle of an alleyway, back in twenty-first to twenty-second century Seattle. It's a city, one that apparently existed both on earth back in my world, and in this world. Hmm. Before I continue though, I should give you an overview of our little team: there was Lexiel, of course; Izumi, the priestess who removed the Phyrexian oil; Visrii, a mercenary with a rather short and violent temper, Halley, a robot; and me. There were others, but they're of lesser importance to this account. The first thing we heard when we arrived was sirens--they're...well, they in effect do the same thing that a police whistle would do, alerting people to get out of the way, and letting a criminal know that they've been detected--so, not a very good sign. We managed to avoid local law enforcement for the most part, and, after Lexiel tried to help some addicts, put out tickets for parking violations, and fought some other police with Visrii, we made our way to a club. We were given our assignment on this world, to infiltrate the Aztechnology Arcology, a huge corporate pyramid building filled with civilians, a private army, and some form of cult. We needed to enter, and make our way to the basement, where we were to destroy a book capable of summoning a trespasser. It certainly wasn't a simple task, but I was confident that we could do it, seeing as we were supposed to be the heroes the multiverse had summoned." Edmond shook his head, clearly vexed by even this early part of the story. "The first task was to obtain a SIN, which stands for Serial Identification Number, I believe. You have spells to identify people, I suppose? Well, here they have technology which scans retinal patterns, fingerprints, facial features, gait, and even DNA--that's the code that determines the structure of humans--, and matches all the information to a database. If someone was detected without a SIN, it would be seen as incredibly suspicious. And... I suppose, here's where I made my first mistake. We had to decide who would have a SIN made for them based upon their features, and I didn't volunteer. Visrii, Lexiel, and Halley were the ones who went to see the man who would make a SIN. I should have forseen the consequences, when Visrii began to speak about torturing the man to get the SIN, as though it were an object. Meanwhile, I foolishly decided to visit a church." He clenched his fist, but as he was facing away, it would be unlikely that Marisa would notice. "I can only give an incomplete version of the events, since I wasn't there, but apparently, the man, Councilor Armstrong, who was to sell us the SIN, decided to increase the price a bit, for a few reasons: Partly due to our being inexperienced, partly due to the amount of cover up work he would have to do to get a new SIN into the system, and partly because he could. There was no one else in the city who would have helped us. So, Halley, the robot, felt ripped off apparently, and decided to shoot the man. I...Afterwards, she said it was because he was a crook, and had ripped us off...but, the damage was done. My companions escaped, but the councilor survived. Within hours, everyone except me had a warrant out for their arrest. Certainly better than having all of us wanted, but I could have prevented the whole thing by getting the SIN for myself. I did one thing right, though, I suppose. I got into contact--with Solomon's help--with the councilor, and expressed my sympathy about the recent assassination attempt, and tried to gain some favor with him. In any case, the next morning we all met up back at the bar. Please don't ask why...I know it was a stupid thing to do. We questioned Halley about her actions, and Lexiel was prepared to hand her over to the authorities, when Izumi brought up that insidious thought. That we couldn't do that, and must forgive Halley for the greater good of the mission. I'm sure, especially now, that you can probably see the problems with that argument, and what's coming." Edmond turned to stare at Marisa, to see if how she would react. We're the heroes of the multiverse. Our survival would be the greatest good possible, and we could justify killing every person in that damn world in order to kill a single trespasser. And, some would feel that we were justified in doing so... "So, that's when Lexiel began to change appearance. I missed it, and didn't see what it was; my second great mistake." He sighed. "Police raided the club, and most of the team fled. I didn't flee, knowing that I wasn't wanted, and that perhaps I might be able to gain more favor with the councilor if I revealed some seemingly useful information to the investigators. I was arrested though, for carrying a certain weapon." He gestured to the shotgun leaning at the end of the bed. "Through a...complex series of events, it turned out that the councilor knew that I was allied with those who had tried to kill him. He was one of the people who had hired us. I suppose he was probably happy to see that one of our team could actually keep a low profile, and try to make friends. I made it out with some pecuniary rewards, and another nice gun." Edmond pulled up a metal briefcase, opened it, and showed Marisa the parts inside, and how they could be put together into a weapon. " After that, I met up with Solomon, who was completely drunk, and another employer. They supplied me with this suit, and sent me into the pyramid after my teammates who had already entered...Flying is really rather nice, I suppose. I'm not unused to the concept of a flying set of armor back in my world, but I never used one... I made my way through the pyramid, trying to find the others, and trying not to kill too many people. I found them when a comet storm fell through the roof above me." "I don't know how many died...Quite a few certainly. Lexiel was almost at the point of madness now, and would have dropped another storm in order to supposedly help the mission? But Visrii stopped it somehow. At this point, it was realized that the Phyrexian oil was in her. Izumi extracted it, Visrii burned it, and I talked her down off the ledge." Edmond's pace noticeably picked up at this point, as though he just wanted to be finished the story. "We got to the basement, and destroyed the book, and got back here. And..oh god." Edmond went silent for a moment. "I-I..." "You...remember how I said that my teammates were all wanted? When they were on the run Halley made a deal with someone named Deus , to disable the cameras that were tracking them, in exchange for doing something in the arcology. I don't know what it was, but I received word in the Arcology that Dues was planning to destroy the building within an hour. I'd... I'd forgotten about that completely. He named terms, but I don't think he would have stopped even if they'd been fulfilled. The Arcology is probably a smoking crater right now..." Edmond didn't know whether or not to ask Solomon. He'd just respond with a sarcastic quip... "I'm sorry. I was just planning to tell you the story. I'd completely forgotten..." Edmond's eyes went slightly glassy as he stared unseeing at the piles of stuff on the bed. He shook his head, then looked up. "Thanks for listening. Well, I think I owe you something, right?" Edmond stood up, and picked up the shotgun to hand to Marisa. It probably wouldn't be obvious, but he might not have been able to stand without the help of the power armor. "I bought this at the church I mentioned, and a demon is bound to it. I thought you might find a use for that...since, well, it is a demon. And the gun technology is probably very advanced compared to what you've seen...It's been a long time since guns became more reliable than bows. Here's some other stuff, if you'd like. Electronics might be interesting to you...this too..." Edmond pointed to the pile of essentially radioshack items he had bought, along with a pair of mechanical legs that he had salvaged from a battle. "And there's this of course. These are some of the ashes of the book we burned. I don't think you'd have a use for them, but...maybe you have some spell that could make sure the ashes aren't too dangerous?" Edmond pulled out all the items he had mentioned, and a few more: the shotgun, electronics parts, broken mechanical legs, and the multifunction gun. He seemed to be moving and talking a little quicly, perhaps to distract himself a little from the horrible revelation he had had.

"Certainly. Come on in." Edmond, smiled, then gestured towards one of the stools that seemed to be part of the standard furnishings for room, and then towards the end of the bed, motioning for her to choose a spot to sit. "The story...", he began, his expression growing darker, "I'll tell you about it in a moment...I need to thank you again, with the utmost sincerity, for helping Lexiel. I was hesitant to bring it up, but it needed to be done, and I'm glad you were able to put aside enmity for the moment. What was it like, with Laver?...You know, it's rather odd, don't you think, that someone you knew got summoned for this mission? I would think that out of all the multiverses, the chances of that would be pretty low...could be just a coincidence..." "So, our mission took place in what seems to have been Solomon's home world. I suppose that's probably the beginning of the problems..." Edmond stopped, obviously remembering something. "Do you have some way to detect whether I've been mentally affected by demons or other magic of the eldritch variety? I'd appreciate if you would check that before we continue. The place seemed to have quite a few disturbing entities; I suppose that's to be expected, it being Solomon's home after all..."

Edmond gratefully accepted the shopping bags from the floating pile of books. It occurred to him to wonder how Solomon had managed to get through door to the room. With his somewhat relaxed position on his throne, it was unlikely that Solomon had simply conjured his throne after entering the room--which also would have been utterly pointless. Edmond put it out of his mind for now, and glanced into the shopping bags: a collection of small antique hard drives, a collection of small odd looking panels with wires stick out of them for multispectral imaging, a set of wires connected to a central module--a security system, a small drive that Edmond knew would contain an encryption program, a small item looking like a tape recorder, and a collection of random electronic items (wires, transistors, capacitors, resistors, batteries, etc.). "Thanks, Solomon." Edmond glanced awkwardly between Solomon and Marisa. "Soo...uhh...yeah, this is Solomon...I think I've mentioned him to you..." Edmond hefted his shopping bags, remembered the number of things he was currently carrying in his backpack and strapped onto him. He walked over to the door, and turned around. "I need to drop some stuff off in my room...as you can see, I came into the possession of far too much. If you want to talk to Lexiel some more, stop by when you're done, alright? I can tell you about our first mission, and figure out what repayment you'd like." Edmond paused a moment for acknowledgement, and then headed down the hall to the room he had claimed earlier. He set down his shopping bags on the bed, the same with his backpack and gun, before beginning to sort out the contents as he waited for Marisa.

Edmond supposed that it could definitely be considered mild banter, without residual hatred. Much of the tension that he had been experiencing, due to his concern about the two's mutual enmity, and due to his inability to really help. But that was gone, as success was really all that mattered here. The first thing that Edmond did, after the two women shook hands, was look towards Laver, and speak a soft, "Thank you." Whether Laver could tell that this gratitude extended was for the change that had been wrought on both Lexiel and Marisa, in addition to the simple fighting of knots, edmond was uncertain. But he filled his words with that gratitude, and hoped that the boy, so experienced in matters of the psyche, would be able to understand. He turned to Marisa. "Well, I think I owe you something. We could sit down somewhere, and discuss that? I think I have something that you might like, even though our visit was to a world of guns. You expressed a distrust of them, if I recall? Due to lacking in reliability?"

"Image analysis program? How detailed does it need to be? In any case, conductive metal will be easy to find, the same with the heat resistant gloves. Hmm...in fact, I know someone--Alexandria--who might have an image analysis program, or be able to equip my s--." Edmond cut himself short as Marisa began to speak. Though they had already been able to work together under extenuating circumstances, this would be the point that decided what course their nonessential relationship would take: complete friendship over shared hardships? Simple friendly acceptance of each other? Mutual distaste but not hatred, or would it be disgust?

Ah, I should probably make one of these things. I've been hanging out in the RP section for a while, though with summer coming again, I might get more involved with the rest of the forums again... Anyway, here we go: @Cronos5010 for making me proof read all his stuff?! In reality, though, it can be rather fun. Good luck with becoming Lenin! Also...why do you ask for my opinion on so many game things that I've never heard of? @Empiricist For being an all around great guy, who listens to both ideas, complaining, and music, and gives honest intelligent opinions on them. Also we appreciate Emp for being cocaine. Additionally, thanks to all these people: @PigeonOfAstora, @DragonRage, @Powder Miner, @Sutoratosu, @Hal Henderics, @Twinwolf, @Clownpiece, @Noir, @ElfCollaborator, @spümpkin, @Code: PIRULUK, @IntSys, and many others for lots of fun in the RP sections of the forum, and on discord. Special thanks to @Adamance Ascendant (yes, I dare ping him) for running Trespassers, my first RP, which has been quite a wild ride of !!FUN!!, @Bfroger6 for running Pokemon in Space which is great fun, and to @Hukuna the Undying: I know we haven't spoken that much lately, but thanks for being a cool person, and all the work that you put into moderating the RP section. I greatly appreciate it. @Amethyst Thanks a bunch! Without you, this place probably wouldn't exist, and I would not be able to thank all the other wonderful people whom I've just mentioned. If I missed anyone, sorry about that, and know that I appreciate everyone here.

Shelly smiled, and reached out her hand to the Horsea. "Hello there, Magnum. It's very nice to meet you!" She then looked back up at Jenny, still a bit concerned. "So how long have you had Magnum? Is there a story about how you two met? I'd like to hear, if that's alright. Oh, and how did you get into the ice cream business?" Shelly leaned back a bit, settling in for the story. She was about halfway done with her ice cream, and casually considering buying a little more. "Does Magnum like to battle? He seemed, I don't know, quite ready to go when you let him out. Ahh, I'm asking way too many questions...I'm sorry."

Edmond picked himself off the ground. Everyone, it seemed, was alive. It wasn't obvious what the outcome had been yet, though Lexiel seemed to already be...different. Marisa's question was one that needed to be answered. But...is it really a question that possibly-not-Lexiel can answer, or would choose to answer if she wasn't Lexiel? There have to be better ways of checking... Edmond, of course, didn't have any methods. He floated back to his feet, and turned to see an apparent newcomer. He gave a brief nod, and said, "I'm Edmond Cooper, nice to meet you," before turning back to the figure of hopefully Lexiel.

The time had arrived, it seemed. And Edmond found himself incredibly anxious. They were taking a chance with Lexiel's life. A failure could mean Lexiel's life, or, based on what he had heard, perhaps everyone in the room's life. A success, though, could prevent future calamities. Edmond's nerves were made manifest when, in anticipation of the coming demonstration of magic, he both attempted to retreat from the possible danger, and lean forward to get a better view. He stumbled, but immediately righted himself, and leaned in properly.

Edmond watched the proceedings. He listened to the Heart Doctor, as he diagnosed the problems. Lexiel couldn't even consider something that seemed to her unheroic. That made sense. When Marisa brought up the consideration of good not being a choice, Edmond had to stop himself from diving into the conversation with his own take on the philosophical quandary. When the two groups split up, Edmond found himself unconciously paying more attention to the Heart Doctor and Marisa. How old is this boy? Fourteen? The Heart Doctor seemed to be able to pull up these people's worst memories. It was obvious that he could see these "knots", but convincing people to talk about them? Were Lexiel and Marisa simply cooperating, or was this another of the adolescent's talents? When it was mentioned that the mage had sold her soul, Edmond gave a small inaudible gasp. He wasn't sure whether he should listen as the two went over Marisa's past, but he had been invited into the room... But then, when, Lexiel's halo was removed, Edmond turned, and laughed along with them.

Edmond, not quite certain what the boy was looking at, smiled, and introduced himself. "I'm Edmond Cooper. Nice to meet you." Turning back to the pair sitting on the bed, Edmond related what he knew. "In the first place, there were some...events during our mission which would have required Lexiel to arrest a teammate. Izumi, the priestess mentioned, convinced her that her justice should be delayed due to pursuit of that nebulous concept, the greater good. Lexiel...changed, in general appearance. The color scheme of her attire, and her facial appearance; both were altered. I didn't notice it early enough, but eventually, Lexiel reached the point of being willing to drop a storm of comets on a large group of presumably not evil adversaries in order to speed us on our way to saving that world. At that point, we removed the oil, and Lexiel immediately perked up, but her appearance was still the same." Edmond sighed, thinking back on the pure devastation that they had unleashed on that world. "Anyway, I don't think I'll relate everything you told me, since that would take far too long. Most importantly, there were many, many instances where Lexiel felt that she had failed the people she needed to protect. Another thing to note is that she became an angel through heroic deeds on...Bant? I don't know, but perhaps the origin might have some important information about the binding. We spoke a while, and from what I heard, it was obvious that she had saved people, and once that had been pointed out, she reverted to her original appearance. From what I can tell, a lot of her actions are dictated by the way in which she views herself and the idea of her duty as an angel?" Edmond stared at the boy. "What are heartstrings?"

Edmond followed Marisa into the room, and stood off to the side. "So, Lexiel was app--" Edmond started, then turned to Lexiel. "Sorry. You told me a great deal back in the Arcology. How much am I allowed to say? I don't want to reveal anything personal that you wouldn't want public without your permission."

My concerns may have been premature... Edmond started to follow the two, then stopped. "Marisa? Do you mind if I watch? I can't help much, but I can tell you a bit about what she was like before, from an outside perspective. Of course, if this must be done in private, so be it, and I'll leave." Edmond would follow the two women into the room if he received a confirmation, or would head back to the room that he had reserved for himself if he was declined. "Oh one more thing: Lexiel hasn't mentioned it, and I forgot, but she was...contaminated with Phyrexian oil. I don't think it was the prime culprit, but I thought you'd probably want to know before you begin? From what I've heard, it's not the most pleasant substance."

"Would you please both stop for one minute? We are on a mission to save the multiverse. I'm not asking that you forget your quarrels! I'm asking that you consider not greeting each other with insults. I'm asking you to both take a step back and try to discuss your problems in a reasonable manner. No need to agree, no need to become friends. Just stop instigating fights, and try to consider for one minute that there are things more important than a arrest years ago in which you, Marisa, claim to be innocent, and you, Lexiel, were merely the instrument of the law."

Edmond shrunk back a bit at the woman's anger, though not much. "I...hmm. I believe you, and one of the reasons why I brought this up was so that we could fix what sounds like a serious misunderstanding. Years in prison? Lexiel said that the charge was something to do with disorderly conduct...that certainly does sound disproportional to the crime. But please consider, as an angel, did she really have any choice? That is what she, and those around her, need help with...I really don't know...please just give it a chance for now. If things go wrong, I'll try to make it up to you somehow." Edmond gestured with his metal clad hand, and slowly made his way down the hallway until Lexiel and Morgan were in view.

Edmond gave a small smile, one that held equal parts cheer and concern. "Oh, I've been, well, alright. 'Un-exploded'...certainly a wonderful state to be in. I'm rather surprised that I am, though. I just got back from a mission, and to say that it went poorly would be an understatement. If you'd like I can tell you about that later...and I brought some items that you might be interested in...again later, though. You remember telling me about Ravnica, right? Well...I didn't have to go there, but as you've probably guessed, I met someone. Lexiel was in my group, and is currently down the hall. Before you do anything though, you should know that she ' won't start anything unless you do'." Edmond held out his hands in a somewhat placating gesture, though he hoped and expected it not to be necessary. "She's going to be working on this quest, so I thought it might be best to defuse tensions now rather than later. And..." Here he paused, uncertain what to say in front of the others in the room, but then continued in a lower voice. "...she's in some trouble, or at least she was...having to do with her angelic nature, and the way it binds her. I've done my best, and it seems to have sufficed since she didn't drop any more comet storms on people...but I would greatly appreciate your aid and knowledge in helping her." Edmond stopped here, waiting for a response, searching to see how Marisa would react.

Edmond returned the handshake, without a smile. "Edmond Cooper, nice to meet you. So you're looking for an angel? I won't deny that there is one here. However, I would remind you of two things: in the first place, the angel is also a hero of the multiverse, here for the battle, and in the second place, consider that angels from her world might be very different from those in your world. So, if you wish to see for yourself, try to be peaceable." Edmond stepped out of the way, allowing the man to pass, and then continued on his way. He went down the hall, passing someone with a motorcycle, until he entered the area where Mar, Marisa and a collection of newcomers were in conversation. Edmond stepped over in his armor, and stood quietly, hands behind his back, waiting for a break in the conversation.

"Ha! It's been quite some time since I've heard someone use that word in a sentence..." Edmond smiled briefly, then continued, "Just try to keep things from escalating on your end." He stepped out the door, and barely looked up in time to stop himself from running into Morgan. Edmond, of course, had no idea who he was, and would not have paused except for the fact that the man seemed to be sneaking about, hand clasped around a wooden stick. Edmond halted, and looked blankly at the man for a moment. "Good...day to you. Might I ask your name? And, pardon me, also your business? I would not ask, except that you seem to be searching for something or following someone."