A Cruel Titan's Thesis, Take Two / Pilot's Fall (Again)

[roko10]

It’s currently slightly less than half a year after the first Titan since Gaia appeared, and so far, the DEOS project has been a resounding success. As it turned out, the Titans up until now proved themselves to not be the world-ending threats that Gaia was and were beaten handily by Olympus’ squadrons of Deos. This has convinced the UN to pour even more money into Olympus (albeit with many in the council protesting against it) and as some people are holding the hope that the war will end swiftly and decisively in humanity’s favor.

However, the inner command of Olympus is thinking otherwise. Even though the Titans that were first encountered were relative pushovers (and that’s using the term lightly: although there hasn’t been any fatalities yet, several pilots came back from their fights with debilitating injuries, including one that was put in a coma), there’s still the lingering fear that the Titans are just getting started, and that mankind is facing an uphill battle from this point on. As a result, Olympus remains on high alert, and all of the Deos squads and their pilots are on standby, ready to be called at any moment’s notice- including the latest and most promising batch yet; you.

However, all this isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind right now.


L1 Lagrange Point, Seacress (Space Colony), 22:00/10 PM, 12 March 2021.

Currently, you’re at one of the annual anniversary dances hosted by your school, The Conrith Institute for Higher Learning, one of the few schools sponsored by Olympus in exchange for letting their Children study there. (Un)fortunately for you, Olympus has also mandated that all of you have to go there, even if you didn’t want to, because having you up together in one place makes you easier to track in cases of emergency.


http://weddingsbythebreakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/med02.jpg

Aside from the massively amped security at the venue (to remove any threat of terrorism or kidnapping of any Children present), the gala itself is exactly as how you expect a dance to usually go, with people excitedly chattering with one and another, soft background music playing, and tables with bowls filled with snacks and beverages (non-alcoholic, of course. Seacress may be lax, but even they have standards). Although your fellow students aren’t as dressed up as they would be at, say, a fancy gala or something, most of them still took significant steps to make themselves somewhat presentable, with styles ranging from the masculine to the feminine to the more androgynous, and from the typical to the exotic to the just plain silly.

Slowly, however, the music grinds to a halt, as a lean brown-haired student, dressed and groomed impeccably for the occasion, walks onto the stage- the student council president, Nathaniel Asterion himself. To make sure he has everyone’s attention, he taps twice on the microphone, causing a screeching noise that caused a good deal of those present to cringe and reflexively cover their ears, before taking in a deep breath and starting his speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” his booming voice resounded throughout the ballroom, “Tonight is a special night, and not only because it’s one of the anniversary dances that the school hosts every year. For you see, we, as one of the leading generation of academic minds, the carriers of our future, the architects of tomorrow, are here to celebrate the minds that has put not only this school together, but also this marvel of a space colony that we live in right now. Even though the threat of the Titan’s looms over us like a storm, soon enough that storm will dissappate and-”

As Nathaniel’s speech drags on and on and on, you see fewer and fewer people paying attention to his rambling missive, with some even yawning from boredom. The more eagle-eyed amongst you would also notice a tall blonde girl sighing and talking to the technicians as well as the band whilst gesturing. Moments later, Nathaniel’s microphone was disconnected and the band starts playing; it took him a good five minutes before he realized it, however, at which point he storms off in a huff, clearly incensed by whatever just happened.

Still, however, the Gala now has began -whether the President likes it or not.


[B]”Why did you cut off my speech?!”
”Well, you were taking too long! We’ve all agreed that you should only-”
”That decision was made without my consent!

Ugh. This guy.

Even though you have had firsthand experience with how grating Nathaniel could be, he somehow became even more insufferable than he was before when he managed to become Student Council President. Not that it was any kind of contest, though, and most of the student council, clearly is starting to have enough of him already. Right now, he and his the vice-president (the tall blonde, blue-eyed girl) currently are butting heads with each other, loudly. With you nearby. Do you step in the argument, or do you do something else?



“Well, it’s a shame that-”

It appears that you’ve stumbled upon your good friend Connor le Chatelier flirting with his current date- an auburn-haired girl about the same height as you. For his part, Connor cheerfully greets you with a “Hey, Pualani! How are you?”, whilst the girl that’s accompanying him glares at you in a far more cold and threathening fashion. Do you greet him, awkwardly slink away, or do something else?


“Hey, giiiirrrllll! You’re Shani, right? Wanna daaaance?”

In front of you stands a brunette girl that you don’t even know, let alone recognize, but who’s a). clearly drunk and b). doused in punch. How she got drunk is a different question entirely, considering every beverage in the dance is non-alcoholic. Before this, you’ve seen her talk to other students as well, asking them the same question over and over again, with decidedly limited success. One of her targets even got so upset that he just threw punch from his glass before walking away in a huff.

Do you decide to give her a chance, turn her gently, or do anything else?



”... in conclusion, this party sucks.[/I Not that we don’t already know about that, heh.]”

You have found yourselves to be at the very periphery of the party, along with your reluctant “date”, Maddy Suarez. You were pretty sure that your parents were trying to set you up together before, but nowhere has it been more obvious than this time around. You are still not quite sure how they managed to get Maddy along with it, and from the looks of it, she doesn’t know either.

The two of you mostly just sit there, trading good-natured barbs at each other and the party in general between sips of your drink, when suddenly a small girl with straight black hair approaches you and nervously at your shoulders. “H-hi… can I talk to you?”



”..yeah, hold on...”
“Excuse me! Coming through!”
“Oops, sorry...?”

After a bit of being around with the rest of the Archery team that didn’t have dates (Linden scored one, a fact that he rubbed into your face for a while), you soon found yourself hanging out with Mercedes again, as her date essentially ditched her. Apparently, he was batting for the other team and unceremoniously dumped her in favor of another guy, and she was [I]devastated about this, being that she has his eye on him for a while now.

After providing a shoulder for her to cry on, she asked if you could get her a glass of punch. You obliged, not knowing of the crowd that has formed spontaneously around the table whilst you were waiting for your turn at the bowl, making it nigh-impossible to maneuver to it. What do you do?



“Just like old times, right?”

Unlike the others, you were a relatively recent and last-minute addition to the squad, having transferred to Seacress just several weeks ago. Fortunately enough, however, you didn’t exactly undergo any trouble intergrating with both your squad and the school, and in fact managed to finally meet your good friend Kate Falir again. You were just reminiscing of old times with one and another when she excused herself and went to the bathroom for a bit.

Now that you’re alone, however, you see someone walking as unconspiciously as he can towards an unattended bowl of punch, look both ways, and grab the entire bowl of punch before making a mad dash towards a pair that’s currently dancing -and not just any old pair, but one that consists out of the current crown prince of Avola, one of the space colonies on the moon, Calad Prichard, and one of the princesses of Holland, Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien of House Nassau. The intent of this mystery assailant is obvious; what do you do now?

[Esprit15]

Pualani, dressed in a rather flowery, seagreen Hawaiian dress, waves back at her friend. ”Hey Connor!” Smiling, trying to ignore the glares of death, the girl walks over to her friend of... 11 years? Wow, how time flies. “And who is your lovely date?” she asks, offering her hand to the girl.

[AutumnLotus]

Natasha pressed down the urge to smirk as she watched the back and forth between her best friend Nathaniel and his associate. How he got to work in the student council was beyond the girl, honestly. He was a good guy, just way to full of himself and what he has to say. Obviously she didn't have much room to talk but at least Natasha was entertaining!

The girl shook away her thoughts and made her move towards the two.

"Heyyy buddy. Great speech there. Seems like the band was getting antsy, though" Natasha proclaimed, smiling ear to ear before peering over to the girl. "Names Natasha. Though I'm sure my boy here has filled you in on me, right?"

[moondoggy]

Shao flinched in surprise, nearly choking on a sip of punch. As he coughed he could hear Maddy snickering at him. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before turning around to face the newcomer. "Sh-*koff* sure I guess?" He shot a glance sideways, wondering if Maddy knew who this girl was but all he got back was a slight shrug. "Do I know you?"

[Arayl]

Sigmund let out a quiet groan of frustration at the sight of the thick crowd around the table. Seeing no other way he began to try and push through the crowd and gently pushed people’s shoulders to get them out of his way.

”Excuse me coming through, won’t be long, just need to get to the punch bowl and then I’ll be gone.” All of this was said with a smile on his face to avoid any problems that might arise from his actions.

[Xenopax]

Vladimir walks steadily through the crowd and then suddenly begins sprint-walking toward the guy. He grabs his hand and the punch bowl and takes it away from him right as he was about to throw it on the Prince and Princess. He says to the guy "We're all friends here. No need to drench the lovely Lady Alexia and her date," He gives a little bow toward the princess then the prince before rearing back up to full height.

[AtS]

Shani, who wears a simple baby-blue silk dress cinched at the waist by an intricately embroidered band, makes small talk with the few students she had come to know by name in her short months in attendance at the Institute. They weren’t exactly her friends, not yet, but they were familiar faces in a sea of unfamiliarity. Adjusting to life on Seacrest had been difficult for the Earthborn girl, and though she had extensive training to acclimate to the conditions aboard the colony, this place still would never be her home. So, she makes do, getting by in the only way she knows how: making friends and influencing people.

Thus, when this inebriated and apparently smitten classmate approaches Shani, she is inclined to be polite and friendly. She excuses herself from the group of students with a slight nod, then turns. “Yes, that’s me. Having a good time tonight?” She raises an eyebrow at the other girl’s slight sway and teetering balance, but doesn’t say anything. She does, however, take a sip of punch from the glass she had been nursing all night, before realizing her drink was empty.

[roko10]

"Oh, right, I almost forgot!" Connor responds sheepishly. "Lina, this is Pualani; she's an old friend of mine. Pualani, this is Lina, my date for the evening."

Lina continues glaring at you, before reluctantly taking your hand and shaking it. ....Hi. An awkward silence fills the air.
It took you a while (and several glares) worming through the crowd, but you finally did manage to reach the bowl of punch at the table- only to find out why exactly there's a large crowd surrounding the table.

Two boys of roughly equal height are slugging it out, whilst a girl tries to futilely separate the two of them. What's more, the fight is winding up dangerously close to the bowl of punch and the table in general; the best-case scenario is that the bowl of punch gets overturned somehow and winds up spilling onto the floor, and that's not counting the other ways it can go completely wrong. What do you do?

Nathaniel shoots a dirty look at you as you interrupt his conversation with the girl. "Dammit, Natasha, can't you mind your own business for once? I'm in the middle of-"

His rant is interrupted by the arrival of a somewhat short boy in a somewhat oversized suit, which whispers something in Nathaniel's ears that makes his eyes go wide in shock. "That idiot's doing what?!" He, along with the boy, hasitly leaves, but not before saying "Don't you think we're done here!"

With Nathaniel gone, the girl can now freely talk to you, and in fact, she does. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. He's not a bad guy, it's just that he can be really... intense at times." She then smiles at you. "Still, I can't help but think that whatever he said about you might just be a bit biased in his favor. My name is Emi Amano, and I'm the vice-president of the student council here." Her smile twists into a more coy one as she continues. Say... do you have a date here? And if not, how about a dance?


The petite girl visibly perks up at your seeming acceptance of her. "O-oh! Thank you! I'm Mi-cha! I know that we have never really talked before, but I saw you talk to Natasha and you seemed nice and I wanted to have more friends..."

She falls silent for a bit, gathering up the courage to speak again, before finally doing so. "...what's your name?" she squeaks out, voice barely audible due to the music.

"Yesh, it's been pretty great so far!" the drunken girl says to you, before finally losing her balance and falling down with a heavy THUD. She seems to be unconscious now, which is probably a bad thing on a somewhat crowded ballroom. What do you do now?
The assailant, intimidated by your stature, tries to quietly slink away. It seems that your efforts haven't gone unnoticed by the royal couple either, as they walk up to you, seemingly intent on thanking you...

...but then a livid Nathaniel comes by with some security guards and goes on a massive tirade against the would-be assailant in front of you, which goes on for just long enough for the pair to just flat-out walk away unnoticed from them, before siccing the security guards onto him, who escorts him away. Probably out of the building.

Nathaniel then turns towards you, having calmed down significantly, but not completely. "Sorry about that- it's just that the students here can be far too childish at times, and it's important for them to at least know that their actions have consequences. I thank you for stopping that complete idiot from accidentally causing a massive scandal about our school here. What's your name, if I may ask?"

[AtS]

Shani’s eyes widen as she watches the girl crumple before her. Instinctively, she rushes over and crouches down beside her, her brow crumpled in worry. “Oh! Are you alright?” She gently pokes the girl in the cheek. “Umm. Uh...”

Damn it! I didn’t even catch her name... She shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place, and now she could get hurt out here... Need to keep a low profile but get her out of here! Thoughts race through the teen’s mind as she stares down at her newly unconscious companion.

Then, Shani furrows her brow and attempts to rouse the girl by giving her a quick shake. When there’s no response, she stands and attempts to pick up the girl by looping her arms around her waist from behind, to drag her off the dance floor. “Watch out, *mmf*, need to get, *huff*, off the, *puff*, dance floor, please!” she calls out to the dancers blocking her exit, while panting from the exertion.

[AutumnLotus]

Natasha waved as the boy made his way out of the area, grinning wide as his number if irritations grew. If he was going to be testy with her, the girl could at least enjoy seeing him dance upon the hot iron. His departure did leave her with potentially pleasant company, though, so that's a bonus she supposed.

"No date tonight, sadly. I tend to scare off the boys, but I don't really mind", Natasha gave the girl a quick once over, nodding to Emi's question. "Sure, a dance sounds great right about now. Let's go live a little~". The russian girl offered forward her hand to the other girl, her other hand straightening her wild orange and red hair.

[Arayl]

Seeing the cause was two boys fighting each other and presumably the date of one of them trying to get them to stop Sigmund stepped forward and placed a hand on the shoulder of the one closest to him and pulling it back says, Alright that’s enough break it up you two you’re upsetting the lady here”

[Xenopax]

Vladimir regards Nathanial and tries to hide his annoyance. "Vladimir Kazan at your service. You're Natasha's Friend right?" He puts out his hand to shake. As soon as possible he cuts off the convo and heads back to where He was supposed to be waiting. She'd murder him if he wasn't there by the time she got back.

[Esprit15]

"Pleasure to meet you, Lina. You two look cute together," Pualani says, curtsying to the pair. She was happy for her friend. It wasn't like this was his first girl that he was interested in, but any good friend wants their friend to be happy. "Yeah, we wound up being seatmates on the transport to L1. Got crammed in the same evacuation pod together, too," she adds, teasingly. "Of course, we were both five or six at the time, so it wasn't too cramped. How did you two meet?" Brush tension off with humor, then transition to asking about her. Make it clear that you're not a romantic rival, just a friend.

[moondoggy]

The petite girl visibly perks up at your seeming acceptance of her. "O-oh! Thank you! I'm Mi-cha! I know that we have never really talked before, but I saw you talk to Natasha and you seemed nice and I wanted to have more friends..."

She falls silent for a bit, gathering up the courage to speak again, before finally doing so. "...what's your name?" she squeaks out, voice barely audible due to the music.


"Could you say that again, I couldn't hear you over the music."

"She asked for your name, Casanova." Maddy said with a smirk, turning to the nervous mouse of a girl. "I'm Maddy and that smooth operator is Shao."

"Wait, did you say you saw me 'talking' to Natasha?" Shao asks, emphasizing the question with air quotes. "I wasn't 'talking' to her, I was telling her that if she doesn't stop trying to steal my earbuds off my head I'd report her to the Director." He crushes the empty punch cup in his hand. "I don't know why I waste my breath. It's like I'm talking to a brick with her, but even that's too generous. At least a brick can be used for something constructive." He fumes for a moment before an abrupt realization brings him back to reality. "Wait, wait. Are you a friend of hers? Did she put you up to this to mess with me or something?"

From the other side of the table Maddy snickers to herself. "Real smooth, Shao."

[roko10]

Emi's smile broadens at what Natasha's saying. "Great! Let's go, then!" She takes her hand, and leads you to the dancefloor... where she stumbles upon Shani's dragging an unconscious girl to an exit. Immediately, Emi lets go of the hand and rushes towards the girl, helping Shani carry the girl to somewhere safer and checking on her.

"She's been drinking before the party even began," Emi eventually concluded, before pulling out a flask in the dress. "and also during it. I think it's best that we bring her to an infirmary bed right now; sure, she's relatively okay, but I don't think it's a good idea to just leave her just here. "

After saying that, Emi turns her attention back to Shani. "Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself yet; I'm Emi Amano, the student council's vice-president. You're Shani, right? It's a pleasure to meet you." There's still a smile on her face, but it's a more professional, cordial one.



Lina eases up at your demeanor, though she remains a bit tense still. "Well, me and Connor met a month ago at that small coffee shop- you know the one- and we stumbled upon each other there. Literally. He bumped in me when I was holding a hot coffee and I got hot coffee all over him. He didn't seem to mind though. He even bought me another one after, and we hit it off. A few dates later, and well, this is where we are right now."

After finishing the story, the resulting silence quickly becomes awkward again, with nobody knowing what to say right now.



Mi-cha doesn't seem to take your harsh words very well, and seems on the verge of crying. I-I-I just wanted to talk to you! Why are you so mean to me? Her sniffles earn you some very strange looks from onlookers and also Maddy, and she's one word away from a total breakdown. What do you do now?



"Well, 'friend' may be too strong a word," Nathaniel says with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Well, I'll better be going; after all, you never know-"

He's then cut by a worried-looking tall girl hustling up to him and whispering something in his ear, which leaves his eyes go wide of shock again, then contort in rage. "Are you ****ing kidding me?!" he snarled, as he walks away from you.

Well, at least you can go back to talking with Kate now, again.



The other boy doesn't say a word, simply glaring at you before trying to throw you over his shoulder... or he would've have had he actually succeeded in lifting you. As of now, you're just awkwardly shoved into the table, causing some of the punch to spill from the bowl. Mind your own damn business, he snarled at you, before he gets a haymaker to the face courtesy of the other boy, causing him to slump over the table.

"And that's that," the boy declared with a smug smile, and you immediately recognize him now as Linden. He was too well-groomed and dressed for you to recognize him, but that damn smile can only be his. As he can go back to dancing with his date, not even noticing you, an all too familiar voice cuts in.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!"

...It's Nathaniel. Of course it's Nathaniel. As of now, he's seething with anger, clearly looking displeased with the fight- and with Linden having successfully performed an exit, he's probably thinking you're the one to blame. What do you do?

[Esprit15]

”Well, contrats to you two,” Pualani says, sensing that the couple wanted their space. “Well, I’m gonna take to the dance floor. Maybe a cute guy will spill a drink on me, too. Have fun tonight, be safe!”

She didn’t really want to stay around Lina any longer. Happy for her friend or not, it still hurt. She should follow her own advice. Yeah! Self pitying at the very least suppressed, the dark haired girl heads out to the dance floor, keeping an eye out for any guys who also seemed dateless.

[Xenopax]

Great. He didn't have to break the conversation. Vladimir felt bad for the poor sap who was going to get yelled at next. He walked back to the table and waited for Kate (Assuming she wasn't already there). Once she gets there he asks "Shall we Dance?"

[Arayl]

“Godammit Linden now I have to clean up the mess you left behind” Sigmund mutters to himself as he sees Linden leave without a thought about what he did. When he heard Nathaniel shouting he turns to the angry boy and says, ”Two guys were fighting over something, one of them was Linden, I stepped in to try stop it and got shoved for my troubles. Then this guy got hit with a haymaker right before you got here” This last sentence was punctuated by a gesture at the boy and his friend the table.

[moondoggy]

Mi-cha doesn't seem to take your harsh words very well, and seems on the verge of crying. I-I-I just wanted to talk to you! Why are you so mean to me? Her sniffles earn you some very strange looks from onlookers and also Maddy, and she's one word away from a total breakdown. What do you do now?

Looking around, Shao felt tendrils of panic creeping up on him. He leaned over to his "date", desperate for a fix. "Maddy, get me out of this!" he pleaded in a tense whisper. "I could, but it'll cost you." came the girl's matter-of-fact reply.

"H-how much..?"

"Twenty."

"Twenty? That's too h-"

"Twenty-five now."

Shao knew he had no other option and nodded his head. Suppressing a grin, Maddy leaned forward. "Mi-cha, right? Look, I'm sure you know how it feels to be nervous and defensive when someone new tries to talk to you. The truth is, Shao doesn't have much experience with this either and he got scared and ran his mouth. Isn't that right, Shao? Tell her how she scared you and you freaked out."

Shao bit his lip, glanced around at the people giving him looks and hung his head. He knew when he was defeated. "Y-yeah. I'm not used to this kind of thing. Sorry."

"See, it's something you both have in common. Talking to new people can be scary sometimes, but I'm sure the two of you can be friends if you try," Maddy said with a smug little smile, already spending her ill-gotten gains in her head. Shao studied the floor, too ashamed to look anywhere else.

[AtS]

Shani smiles in return and nods her head at Emi's question. "Yep, that's me! Glad to meet you too, Emi." She relaxes a little, glad to receive some help and a friendly face to get the other girl out of harm's way. Her eyes flicker to Natasha behind her, and she falters for a second. She recognizes the other girl from around the base, but they hadn't been officially introduced before. "Oh, and sorry to interrupt you two," she says, her gaze darting between the other two girls. "I appreciate the help though - she just walked up to me and almost immediately collapsed! I take it you know her?" Again she continues to steal glances at Natasha behind Emi. "So, you're Emi, I'm Shani. Who's your friend back there? And what was Miss Tipsy's name? She never got the chance to tell me." She points at Natasha first, then the unconscious girl slumped in a chair before them.

[AutumnLotus]

Don'tfreakoutdontfreakoutdontfreakou-

"It's Natasha. We've met a few times, I think. Sorry your night got interrupted by this chick", Natasha put on a polite demeaner, a forced smile and eyes doing their best to avoid contact with the other's. Having to deal with the other pilots was always stressful for her when she couldn't make an easy diversion. Especially this girl, who she has avoided like the plague as best she could. The big was up, though, so being a normal human being was her best next trick. The girl turned her attention back to Emi, hoping to conclude this awkward encounter.

"Should we take her to the Nurse's Office? I don't think she would be very safe out in the open like this, and I don't know where this girl's room is".

[roko10]

"Nah, it's fine," Emi replied, somewhat apologetically. "Things like this happens all the time during Conrith dances. It's kinda distressing, really."

She then turns her attention back to the tipsy knocked-out girl, frowning concernedly. "Yeah, we'll probably going to have to get her to the nurse's office. She's completely conked out here, and I can't really remember her name right now. Milia or something like that? Anyway, I do need your help lifting her, though; I don't think dragging her around would be good for her, she continues, looking at Shani. No offense. I'll take the head, Natasha takes the middle, and you take the legs? Is that any good?"



With Pualani distraught and Vladmir being somewhat distracted with his thoughts on his way back, it was almost inevitable that they'd bump into someone. Them literally bumping into each other was something else entirely, though; If Vladmir had a glass of punch in his hands, this would be almost exactly like the meeting between Lina and Connor.

What do you do next?


Mi-cha seems somewhat calmed down by Maddy's words, though she still has to wipe a tear from her quivering eyes. "S-s-sorry" she managed to sputter out. "I-I didn't know that...." She looks down at the ground, head hung in shame and demeanor eerily reminiscent of a kicked puppy's. At least people stopped giving you odd looks, so there's a plus, right?



Nathaniel doesn't seem all too impressed with what you're saying; you can easily see his left eye twitching right now. Sure. Suuuure. And why would I trust the man who has a rivalry with Linden in the first place?! He walks closer to you, trying to appear intimidating, which is undercut by the fact that he's ever so slightly shorter than you.

It seems like you're not getting out of this situation that easily. What do you do?

[Arayl]

"If you don't believe me just ask anyone else who saw the fight, they'll back me up on this Nathaniel" Sigmund says when doubt is cast upon whether he was the one who was fighting. He would then turn to the punch bowl and pour two cups (one for himself and one for Mercedes) "Now if you'll excuse me Mercedes has been waiting too long for this, so goodbye"

[Esprit15]

”Oh hey, Vlad, right?” Pualani says, looking the boy up and down. (What is Vlad dressed like for the party?)

[Xenopax]

"Sorr- Oh hey Paulina! Sorry for bumping into you. You look lovely. Where's your date?" Vlad's face breaks into a grin when he sees it's someone he knows. Luckily he didn't have any punch so her dress wasn't ruined. He was dressed up in a black tuxedo with purple accents and long pants (also with purple accents). He had switched out his normal earrings for purple ones. Basically a lot of purple.

[Esprit15]

The girl freezes up slightly at mention of a date. ”I... don’t exactly have one... Thanks for the compliment, though. How is wearing sleeves for once?” As she stands around, she doesn’t make much eye contact, preferring to look around the dance instead. While she had an initial intention of dancing, now that she was talking again she just wanted a wall to lean against.

[Xenopax]

"All I'm going to say on the subject of sleeves is that I now remember why I hate them. My arms need to breathe. Nice to see I'm not the only one that's dateless," He winces at the way that sounds. An awkward moment of silence passes between them before he asks "Do you wanna dance?"

[Esprit15]

The girl seems to weigh two ideas in her head before shrugging. ”Sure. It’s why I came out here. Might as well be with someone who I know.” She offers her hand to Vladimir to lead.

[Xenopax]

Vladimir takes her hand and puts his around her waist before he starts to go through the steps of the waltz (or whatever dance is appropriate for the music). Those classical dance classes finally came into use. His movements are flawless and he manages not to mess up the order.

[Esprit15]

Pualani just lets her focus remain on the dance, rather than any internal emotions or thoughts. At the very least, we was an excellent lead. While the excessive peircings and kill count tattoos were not to her tastes and would normally have lead her to have politely turned him down, those weren’t things actively on her mind right now.

[AtS]

"Sounds good, Emi," Shani says, shifting to scoop up the unconscious girl's legs in her arms. "Nurse's office was... uh, down the hall, that way, right?" She gestures with her shoulder in the general direction, hoping she was remembering her bearings correctly. As the three girls clumsily exit the ballroom and make their way towards the Nurse's Office, Shani asks Natasha a couple of questions to break the silence. "Natasha, you're the pilot of that Prototype DEOS, right? The one that was almost decommissioned due to no one else being able to pilot it? That's really cool, almost like your DEOS is special. Mine's a bog-standard Production model, and I don't even know if they've shipped it to the base yet..." She sighs a little, glancing out a nearby viewport into the blackness of space beyond. "Still haven't piloted a DEOS in space yet," she laments, her voice wavering a bit and trailing off.

Dang, I barely even know this girl, why am I opening up like this?

[moondoggy]

Mi-cha seems somewhat calmed down by Maddy's words, though she still has to wipe a tear from her quivering eyes. "S-s-sorry" she managed to sputter out. "I-I didn't know that...." She looks down at the ground, head hung in shame and demeanor eerily reminiscent of a kicked puppy's. At least people stopped giving you odd looks, so there's a plus, right?

Shao was relieved that the bystanders had stopped staring at him, even if he had to take a hit to his pride. Seeing Mi-Cha look so absolutely crestfallen elicited a twinge of pity and sympathy from his neurotic heart. It wasn't so long ago he didn't have many friends, after all. He stood up and pulled a chair around.

"Here, you... can sit with us. If you want. But I don't dance."

[AutumnLotus]

"Yeah, Hecate is really something else.
The science nerds can't really explain why I can pilot her but I like to think it's because the test pilots were all fuddy duddies" Natasha responded in a flippant tone, holding the majority of the drunk girl's weight on her shoulder with an arm keeping her stable. She's like a sack of potatoes, Jesus she's heavy.

"Space combat is honestly just like swimming, if you think about it. The Thrusters are your breast stroke, and your Deos your life vest. Only difference is there is no water friction, and all the space debris".

Small talk was always difficult for Natasha. It was so much easier to bluntly say what you wanted, and go on from there. But tonight it was time to be a Normal Girl. Show her your War Face.

"You look really nice tonight, Shani. Did you do something with your...hair?"

Nailed it

[AtS]

Shani nods and a brief smile crosses her lips while she listens to Natasha's primer on space combat. She's really nice when she lets her guard down, she thinks, stealing glances over at Natasha while they trek toward their destination. At the mention of her hair, Shani laughs and plays with her bangs for a moment. Her hair is styled in a bun, with long bangs that frame her face. She wears a light, but dramatic make-up, accentuating her eyes and cheekbones. Around her neck, a simple design of gold chain loops into a broach at her throat, inset with a small amethyst. Shani had taken the time to look extra nice for the gala, and it felt good for someone to notice.

"Oh, thank you! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out." She smiles wider at Natasha and returns the compliment. "Your dress is beautiful! I bet you're the center of attention on the dance floor."

[AutumnLotus]

Natasha laughed softly at the girls final comment. Although she couldn't be sure, the girl was fairly certain most of her schoolmates weren't paying attention to what she wore when she was around them.

"No ma'am. Plenty of gems in that room, and a new dress doesn't change that. Though I appreciate the thought" Natasha replied, her laughter dying down into a cocky smile. Her dress, a black dress with red accents along the fringes, was a simple thing. It likely didn't cost much, but it suited the girl's strong figure. Her hair, normally a wild and untamed mess of red and orange, was worked into a thin braid behind her shoulders. Her usual nose and tongue piercings were missing, and a simple smattering of makeup had given her face a more smooth and vibrant look. All in all she was happy with the look, even if she didn't have a date to show off to.

[roko10]

"Hey, wait a minute!" Nathaniel sputtered as he tries to hold you back, but ultimately fails at doing so. Now you're free to deliver your punch to Mercedes, at least if nothing interrupts you-


All

Suddenly, the ballroom rumbles, shorting out the lights and interrupting for a moment Some of the dancers lose balance and fall over, and most of the people in the ballroom look up in shock, just before the alarms ring out, and an evacuation notice blares: "Attention, residents of Seacress. A Titan has been sighted near the colony; we urge you to keep calm. Seek the nearest escape pods; do not activate them unless prompted, as the Titan will hunt them down. Attention, residents of..."

To the dance-goers' credit, they all form a cohesive unit, calmly following the instructions, albeit not without grumbling and frantic speculation about what the Titan is. Nathaniel swears under his breath and tries to guide the students, trying his hardest to stay calm. All in all, everybody is expecting the Titan to be dispatched with minimal fuss, which may or may not be misguided.

For all of you, however, your phone rings or buzzes. When you pull it out, there's a single-sentence text that simply says: "It's time," along with the locations of the other Children. The meaning of it is obvious to you, though; you are supposed to group up, after which you'll be picked up by an Olympus escort, and transported to your Deos.

What do you do now?

[Esprit15]

Looking at the text, Pualani’s blood runs cold. Well... crap. Today’s the day that Hell decided to open up before her, it seemed. Looking around, she tries to find Conor and Lina, making sure that they were both evacuated. What harm could another thirty seconds to help them do?

[AtS]

Shani's eyes widen as she reads the text, and she looks up from her phone to Natasha and Emi. "We need to get her to an escape pod, now!" she says to the others, her voice cracking with worry. The three girls change direction from heading toward the infirmary to the nearest escape pods, practically sprinting down the corridors toward the elevators to the evacuation floor. They arrive at an access elevator and Shani frantically presses the call button, her finger bruising as she repeatedly mashes the button while they wait for the steel doors to slide open. "C'mon! Damn it, we have to hurry!" Watching the floor lights above the elevator doors slowly tick towards them is agonizing, and Shani can wait no longer. She takes Emi aside and asks, "Can you make sure she gets to safety on her own? Natasha and I need to suit up..." She glances at her flaming-haired companion, her breathing intensifying as panic starts to creep into her veins. Shani tries to calm herself, to avoid looking like a scared child in front of her teammate and the other civilians, but the situation is dire, unfamiliar, and terrifying. Her mind is racing and her heart is pumping fast. Her face is flush and beads of sweat are forming on her forehead.

She lifts a hand to her face and wipes her brow. Her wrist and forearm come away wet and slick.

[AutumnLotus]

Natasha was quiet on their path to the escape pod bay, straining to keep her mood neutral at the call to arms the two received on their phones. Tonight wasn't exactly perfect, but she was having fun at least. And now a Titan had to ruin the moment with it's presence. And now she had to deal with a triggered pilot all while collecting the other children. When was her chance for a tantrum?

"Shhh...", Natasha placed her hand against Shani's shoulder, gripping it gently. "we have to go back to the auditorium and find our buddies. Focus on that, and don't let the worries get to you".

Natasha moved her hand down to her back, pushing her forward while keeping pace behind her.

JDBSISUEBRGDUDIGODDAMNITTITANS

[Xenopax]

"Ah hell. Just when I'm having fun. You need a hand to the exit?," He goes off searching for Kate if she doesn't. Once he finds her he tries to escort her o safety. He also teases a bit on this one being his fight and not hers. "Heh I got the Titan. While you're all cozy here, I get the glory of beating it down," he smiles to let her know he was just joking.

[Arayl]

Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket Sigmund would juggle the cups he was holding around so he could get it out. Seeing the message he immediately abandoned the two cups on a nearby table and went to look for the other pilots.

'Dammit, she's going to be annoyed I didn't get back to her with the punch before this happened. Ah well I'll make it up to her somehow, she'll ensure that at least' Sigmund thought to himself as he walked scanning the crowd for Mercedes and anyone not going to the escape pods.

[Esprit15]

”I’ll be fine! Just making sure that Connor and his date are okay!” Pualani calls back.

[moondoggy]

As soon as the message came through Shao's blood ran cold. I didn't think this night could get any worse... he lamented, drops of cold sweat prickling his brow. "Maddy, you stick with Mi-cha and get to safety. I've... gotta go out there," he said tensely, his tone like that of a death row prisoner facing the electric chair. "I'll catch up with you later..." I hope.

[roko10]

As it turns out, no, you aren't going to be fine.

Despite the crowd's superfical calmness, it's still large and densely-packed enough that it's easy to lose track of someone in it, and very hard to find someone specific- which is the case with both Lina and Connor. Before long, you found yourself stuck in the crowd, surrounded by strangers. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see someone trying to wrest their way through the crowd, and heading towards your direction...



Mercedes was nowhere to be found; trying to spot someone in a crowd this large remains a futile effort, especially when you're lacking depth perception. You do, however, see two men trying to go in the opposite direction from the crowd and to the drinks table, and from what little you can see, they aren't wearing Olympus' uniform at all...



Unfortunately for you, you weren't talking to Kate at all- just someone who looks kind of the same when viewed from a distance. The mystery girl looks at you, a puzzled expression on her face. "Uh, okay? Thanks, I guess?"

Then she realizes who she's talking to. "Hold on a minute, you're... one of the pilots, aren't you?" she asks you, her voice tinged with a bit of hostility as she reaches into her pocket...



Emi nods at what Shani's saying. "Got it. You go out there and kick the Titan's ass, I'll make sure this girl here gets down save and sound." Before she leaves, however, she looks at Natasha and winks at her. "Hey, be save out there, okay? It'd be a shame if you got hurt."

As you start to head to the auditorium, however, you start to hear footsteps that come closer and closer, and you could hear the muffled sounds of two people talking, though you couldn't quite make out what they're exactly saying...

[Esprit15]

Not sure whether the person is someone she knows, but apparently someone who knows her, Pualani pushes toward the person to try and help them through.

[Arayl]

Seeing the men forcing their way through the crowd towards where he had been not long ago Sigmund turns his attention towards them to see what they were going to do when they left the mob or wherever they were going.

[Xenopax]

"Ah yes, i am. Vladimir at your service<" He grabs their hand that was going in their pocket as if to shake. Please no autographs. There is work to be done,"