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Markus had just barely dodged another attack from one of the Javelins. He gave a sigh, as he heard the calling off commands from comms along with the shouting from Kazue once again. "Understood." Markus nodded, "I'll head back to the Dawn for repairs and resupply. Apologies," but he wouldn't go down without a fight. Markus moves 17,9

Miria was too focused on Alvira, and the voices in her head to formally acknowledge when Versaris and Tanya approached, but she did work to pull in unison. Per Escaflowne, she needed to hold onto Alvira, and it'd take care of Mercuria. She obliged completely. You're no god. I won't let you puppet my friend! Miria's thoughts were firm, and whether or not they made it to Mercuria, it didn't matter. And I sure as hell don't intend to bend to someone like you! Miria's will was made on her actions and voice. On the three, Miria tugged as hard as she could with Versaris, Tanya and Jesse.

Miria sat and listened, it seemed she could hear Laniva and the sword converse. Does that mean Lani could hear me too? This was all stuff so far over the poor girl's head, as much as she tried to keep note of everything she thought was important. Why were the two of them able to speak to this blade? And what did that mean? How were the two connected to Galari, or this Gaia they spoke of? It was then Lani stepped back, and Alvira went in, and... she could hear them too. How could she? Was this just some power the sword had? It was all so confusing, but it gave a bit of a hint, when it said Alvira was the second flame. "Two of Gaia, one of Flame," She quietly spoke to herself. Then, some more of what Mikoto had told her about Alvira became known to her: The attunement to a god(?) named Fomalhaut, a black spear that caused the death of Galari's brothers and sisters, whether it was siblings or loved ones specifically was unknown, Miria thought the sword did talk a little weird... Then there was a comment, Alvira saying she couldn't pull away, someone named Mercuria? There wasn't enough time to ponder when the sudden new power seemed to appear from Alvira. It was... overpowering, like what Lucille had done to Miria, but much much worse. She could hear everything, and it was... something else. Escaflowne being referred to as an Overarch. The cub could ponder all this stuff later, from what she was understanding, this Mercuria was trying to force Alvira to take the Escaflowne. Miria focused herself so that she was in her armor, and fighting back that overwhelming presence, every fear she was feeling, she made her way to the dragon. She wrapped her arms around the dragon's. "Alvira, Miss Diya, I'm gonna pull on three!" Whether or not this would actually work was an unknown to Miria, but working with unknowns was what she was best at. Magic or no, goddess or no, I gotta do what I know best. The cub took a breath, Here goes nothing, "One, two, three!" And Miria gave a hefty tug.

Miria nodded as she listened to the sword-- Escaflowne, speak. She gave a smile in response to it accepting her help. Well, in that case, it's nice to meet you, Escaflowne, and my name's Miria. I'll do what I can to help you, promise. It was then she thought about how the sword wasn't her's, or the Tigers' for that matter. I'll let you do your thing with the others, okay? Then, I'll do what I can for you. See you soon, hopefully. Miria finally stepped back, returning her focus to the rest of the room. She took a deep breath. "Hoo, okay. Your turn, Lani." She smiled, then looked to both the Evokers, then Celine, "I have... a lot to pass on, and... a lot to ask."

Miria's eyes opened again and she was deeply enamored in the voice. There was so much, so many questions, so many Miria didn’t have any answer to them. She gave it some thought again. A power similar to Galari, the boundary, many of them have some power that draws them there. The girl gave a small nod. Okay, um... If it helps, I have several people around who can't hear you. And some friends who may also have questions if they can reach you. I'd like to help you, but, I need to know what is possible for me to do that first. Is that okay? Oh, um... and do you have a name? Or is it just Escaflowne like the sword?

Miria tried thinking deep into what she'd known. "Gaia... Spirit of the Earth..." Escaped her voice softly. She'd absorbed so much history and legends but... Wait, that Galari?! Miria had read a thing or two about her before. This got Miria to raise a mental brow, it finally seemed like she getting somewhere in finding some answers. But that wasn't the topic at the moment, So, I do know a Galari. Not much a Gaia though. And, I'm not sure how to explain this, but... the Holy Lufirian Empire fell over a thousand years ago. I don't... think she's alive anymore. I'm sorry. Miria's teeth gritted a bit. There was so much she was trying to figure out, and she technically had a lifeline in the two Evokers and maybe even Celine, but... She kept her focus on the sword. It was... for lack of a better term, blowing her mind. Wait, what do you mean within 'this'? Are you not a sword?

"Ah, ahhh...!" Miria groaned a bit as voices echoed in her head. She held with one had, but kept herself focused in. What did any of these mean? Miria did her best to listen, but it was all names and terms she's never heard. Spirit of Earth? Gaia? Galari? She, wreathed in Gaia's power? A bunch of people of... Miria could only assume was elements. She closed her eyes, like she was focusing. Hold on, hold on, I um... try to relax just a bit, okay? I'd like to try to help, but I need help understanding. Who is Gaia and Galari? Can you help me with that? So I know what to ask for. The girl wasn't sure if Celine would even buy the idea Escaflowne has somewhere else it needs to go, but... If it needs to be somewhere else, shouldn't it be there?

Miria watched, and they were given approval. While Miria normally would reply with excitement, she understood it wasn’t exactly the time. She gave a nod, and Gean when first to see what would happen. And, it was something to see a massive gust emerge from around Gean. She explained that she felt a burst of energy, but it was something in her tone that made the cub thought there was more. However, Gean backed away, and Miria guessed it was either her or Lani's turn. "I-I guess it's my go?" Miria approached slowly and took hold of the Escaflowne. Mister sword voice? Are you still there? The cub attempted to communicate with the sword immediately. If it could talk to her through her head, maybe she could do the same back?

"Tch," Markus had gotten hit by stray gunfire. "Underestimated its chances... Fine." He locked in, not towards who had hit him, but he had a plan to get himself in a better position. "One. Two. Three. Four..." He quietly spoke to himself as he focused, and fired his missile, immediately swinging to move to a new position. Markus casts Focus and fires on Javelin #2 with a missile! H&A to 19,13!

Miria looked to Alvira and Gean as they plead their cases. The cub sighed, patting a hand against her head. "I--" Miria did take a moment. "Maybe it's selfish, but this could help me figure out what's the deal with my armor." Or me, but that's not part of the conversation. "The princess said something about me and the sword being linked. And the sword said something about it too, and to bring it back, whatever that means. If I can help, I want to. If it helps me, that's even better."

Miria continued at her breakfast after the rest of the table got their food going. It was a nice morning-- The cub's head perked. She was feeling something. It was familiar. It reminded her of the tug that lead her to Lucille the day before. "Wait..." Miria stood up and went to where she was feeling. She saw Alvira and Gean lined up by someone new with the Evokers... no wait, Miria remembers this lady a little bit. She had the Escaflowne. Was that what was grabbing her attention? Was that why Gean and Alvira were there? Miria approached the group, sheepishly giving a bow. "Apologies, but... May I be able to see the sword as well? It was... I think, it was telling stuff yesterday." And she was too busy being nuked to act on it.

Markus kept a mental note to himself of who was following him. He wasn't able to focus his shot too well. He needed to get in close. "Watch my back, I need to get closer." He spoke to whoever was following him. He got ready to dodge plenty of attacks. Markus to 21,11

Miria gave a laugh as she started to eat. The two siblings talking like siblings was cute, and it was funny to the cub, seeing Iris seemingly brag about how she got to kiss Üllr. She didn't understand a lot about Iris, but something about how happy she was made Miria feel a little fuzzy inside. "Oh, yeah, you guys need to eat. It's great, you gotta get some in case I eat all of it." She added, giving another laugh.

Markus gave Leon a nod, and followed with a light salute. "Maybe he's not so bad," he said to himself, as he made his way to his fighter. With the simulation under way, his fellow squadmates have already moved on to engage the enemy. He took a quick read of his weaponry, and gave a nod. When Louise gave orders over comms, he gave a nod, and was soon followed by the Captain. Then, he entered communications himself, "Copy. I'll start heading towards our twelve, it would do no good for us to get flanked." Markus moves to 23,8

Miria jumped a bit at Iris's sudden exclamation and the slam of the table, as light as it was. But it made sense, at least, to Miria. She was a good person to practice sneaking on. She wasn't-- no, Miria turned away a bit and gave her head a quick slap. After the conversation with Renais the night before, Miria wanted to be better about questioning her own intelligence. Miria would be a good sport about being scared is all~ She turned back with a smile and got the rundown. Üllr and Aly had given her a new name. "Iris Hyl'sin." The cub repeated, so she got it memorized. "That is really pretty, congrats on your new name. It fits you like a glove~" Miria was happy for Iris, the girl looked so proud.

Miria happily took a seat. It had been a bit so it was nice to catch up. When he brought up her performance yesterday, she was ready to say something until suddenly hearing Alriana call out. She looked over and saw exactly what he had. Alriana calling out Sixteen-- wait. "Iris?" She saw the girl hiding behind a table. "Is that a nickname you call her? Can I call her that, too?" She asked, intrigued about this new name they were using for her. "Do you wanna sit with us?" She asked, with her big smile.

Me and the Bestie Miria got up from her seat, deciding, yes, she needed a bit more to fill up the tank this morning. She took her dish and put it over where it looked like it'd be collected, and went back to get some seconds. Returning back to the dining hall, she looked around, everyone seemed to be in their own little bubbles, they didn't need Miria to needle herself into most of them. That's when, she noticed one wolf boy sitting by himself. Him and Sixteen had been interacting a bunch, so it was was weird seeing him without her. Though, she hoped he was okay with a little company. She walked over, "Morning Üllr," She gave a smile, "Mind if I come sit with you?" She asked, holding a plate stacked from brim to brim with stuff.

Armors of a Feather "Okee doke, Jesse~" Miria gave a salute to the other girl as she left to grab food. Within the time she had been talking to Jesse, she noticed how some of the others were pooling in for the morning. She saw Sari and Tio speaking to one-another and Mari sittiing with them. Miria waved to her zombie friend, as she looked around some more, seeing Cin sitting by himself. Maybe he was waiting for Siorel. That made sense. The other that seemed both sensible and made Miria feel some relief was Renais, Gean and Mikoto all together. Looks like they had a night, she wasn't gonna bother them this morning. The girl was content with who she was with for the morning, it was just a matter of how long it'd last.

He looked over as Leon asked about the plane. "Well, as I said in our briefing, I much prefer planes over HEXes currently. Not that I can't pilot a HEX, just, planes are currently more mobile, and I prefer that." He nodded. "Besides, if we have any run-ins with ne'er-do-wells, it may be much more terrifying to see a plane in a squad of HEXes being their problem." Of course, Markus had realized Leon's change in tone. This got the blonde to take a moment, he was already feeling something. "Shit," he spoke softly, and turned his head away. He sighed, and turned back to his compatriot. "Sorry, sorry, just... Not used to people wanting to... 'big bro' me. Except for my sister, 'big sis'ing me." He plainly explained. "I appreciate it, thanks." Markus nodded. He didn't smile or anything, but his face said everything. He didn't want to make things awkward between himself and one of his wingmen. Rosa stuck out her tongue as Cheryl left. She turned back to the captain with a smile. "Thank you Captain, I just had to be sure I was allowed~" She said as she saluted the captain back. "I have yet to really see one of our HEXes in action, and if I may be a little selfish, my little brother is one of your pilots, and I want to see how well he does." Her tone suddenly lowered to something more sheepish, but her pep was still there. Her smile was kept as she followed Sia to the hangar. "So," she started, "I did peak a bit at your past records, Captain. I'll have you know, if you'd like, I will have a room in our medical bay prepped for when you need it. I just need to know what kind of snacks you like, and if you'd like anything special to drink~" Her voice returned to being fun and welcoming.

"Doctor Hart, you know I'm always like this~" Rosa replied with a smile to her companion. She listened as she introduced herself to the captain. "Yep, I do all the prickly stuff and a couple of questions, and Doctor Hart does the deeper stuff. At your service~" "As for 'anything else', I did ask if I may observe the exercise today, if that's alright. As much as I appreciate your willingness to pass on my message to the squad for me, I'd like to familiarize myself with everyone." She inquired as she put her hands together. "Pleaaaaaase Captain, I promise to be good~" She tilted her head with a smile. Markus gave a nod and left Louise and Iskra to themselves. Esther seemed to have come in as well. Markus set himself at a corner, gazing out at the hangar. He was ready to turn to Esther and strike a conversation, as this was his first time meeting newtypes, when... Buongiorno! Markus, right? Markus was taken aback. What was just said to him, he turned to Leon. The clown. No, there has to be more to him, Markus thought to himself. What did he even say? It seemed... French or Italian, maybe more Italian. Some sort of greeting. The blonde nodded back until Leon talked about peeking at his record, "Yeah, hmm..." He didn't have a good response regarding that. However, it was being called 'bro' that got Markus to have a flatline in his brain. He stared at Leon, blinking multiple times. "Huh?" He shook his head, "Well, I appreciate you having my back, thank you." Then he gave another nod. "I just hope you're alright keeping up with that." Markus motioned his head to the fighter in the back.

"Aha, yes~ Good morning Captain Silverwind~" Rosa, despite being a civilian, still went into attention and gave the captain a salute. "You're looking quite fine today, actually." Her voice was chipper, and she carried a fun smile. To most people, this probably didn't seem the doctor type. "I actually had a request for you." The woman took down her salute, and moved closer to the captain, "You see, not only you, but the whole HEX squad is in dire need to complete the horrid," She gave a dramatic pause, "in-processing examinations~" She gave a small smile, "I'd love to see how our little group handles during their little simulation I've heard, through the grapevine, and when they're done, trap them while in your debrief so they know they've gotta get done~" The doctor smiled, "Of course, you're still at the top of the list, only because of what I've seen, but I must ensure everyone's record is up to date." And bug Markus, but that's for me~ Meanwhile, Markus treaded the halls until he was out in the hangar. He got a clear look at everything, it was nice. It always seemed to put some calming force on him. That energy to relax right before giving all your energy into a flight. He took a look out to see all the different HEXes. Then of course, the Phalanx. His fighter he'll be using. Markus was ready for action. However, that action still had time to wait. Walking over to the nearest elevator, he noticed two of the other pilots were there. Iskra, and Louise, if he remembered their names correctly. He walked over, clearing his throat so his presence was known. "Hope you both don't mind me stepping in." He said as he walked in.

Miria dragged herself back up, and leaned onto Syndra, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Thank you, sorry. I really appreciate it." Miria gave a smile. It was exhausting, moving her legs, but she had some solid support. The girl gave a sigh. "That spell she did, man... It really hurt, I'm surprised I took it," Miria admitted with a small laugh, trying to bury the fear it put her in. "I'll try not to put myself in a position to be hit with something like that, again."

And everyone began to make their way to the hangar. Markus nodded. "I think I will join them." He stood from his seat, making sure the chair was tucked in. He gave a salute to Sia, "I suppose we shall see you once the experiment is over, Captain." He lowered his salute, turning and leaving the conference room. He took his time, there was time, he was sure the machine he was piloting would work fine. The Phalanx was a good machine, he wouldn't-- The was a sound of laughter down a hall he passed, towards the medical bay. He turned and noticed... a big flock of blond hair go into the bay. It was a woman, who... sounded quite familiar to him. "There's no goddamn way..." He shook his head and continued down through the hall to the hangar. He wasn't sure he could deal with that at the moment. The woman took a good look as she basked in the work she'd done. She did her best to make the med bay as home-y as she could. Some inspirational posters scattered the walls, she had her destressing tools in her drawers, her computer was finally set up so she could get her work done, it was her quarters away from her quarters. The last piece was a nametag on the desk. Doctor Delarossa (CIV) Some would say Doctor Delarossa would've never been caught on a military cruiser five years ago, but as she'd say, duty called. She'd been at it for a few hours already, setting up how she wanted the med bay to be presented. "Now... I guess I'm free for a bit." She opened her one of her desk drawers and pulled out a smoking pipe. She was off to take her first fifteen, but then she checked the clock. That simulation test for their pilots was going to take place. The smoke could be later. She went back to her desk, and took out a notepad, and began writing on it. Doctor is away. If needed, please use the pager number listed. She set her pager, made sure it was working. She took herself down the hallway, and brought herself to the meeting room. She stood by the doorway, waiting patiently for both the pilots to leave, and for the captain to address her.

The blonde carefully examined as he watched the rest of their squad announce themselves. As they explained their specialties in roles, and the captain even acknowledging it, it was apparent they all have some form of accolade. It made Markus curious. And it meant (at least to him) if everyone was so adequate in HEX combat, it meant he had to make sure he was in top form. Especially with his request to pilot a fighter as opposed to a robot. However, it didn't seem like he was the least confident person in the room. He turned his head to the woman who had started in Japanese before collecting herself. From what it seemed, she was the least military person there. There was the clown, but Markus knew plenty of people like that. Then the purple haired-woman; Scylla as she announced herself, Markus had seen people like her too. He wasn't going to judge, not yet anyway. Anyone can be from anywhere and still perform. In fact, there was a tinge of excitement in him. Though, he'd keep his composure. He didn't give any indication in his face, not yet. He just nodded as he centered himself. "I am exi- looking forward to working with all of you," Markus said, answering his own observation "I'm very curious to see how several of us perform during our exercise." It was the only way he was gonna get that fire to burn out some inside him. He can fire up when they're in the sims.

The young blonde sat as he listened to the members of this current council introduce themselves. It gave him a moment, to collect himself. He had a plain look to him. His face didn't seem to portray anything but maybe sternness. Not that it was to the fault of anyone in the room, it was how he looked normally. He stood up, to him that was the norm for presentation. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Markus Stewart, at your command ma'am. I come from Hanover and graduated from Dresden Academy. I excelled best in fighter combat and HEX combat second." And probably fist fights third, but the Captain didn't need to know that unless it came up in his record, which probably will eventually. "If you need someone to advance quickly, I am who to go to." He gave a light nod, sitting back down. There was a hint of sweat on his forehead. He wasn't the best public speaker.