Bluemask 96

Jesse’s voice got caught in her throat as she listened in on the exchange between Sylmaria and Tio. She wanted to refute the dragon’s claim, but how could she? Nothing Sylmaria said was wholly wrong, even if Jesse believed in the Gaffeny’s vision for Islexia. Nicolas was both a formidable man and a hero to the people, still it didn’t feel right. Her brain was failing to find the right words for the moment, so she moved away from the two embraced in the hug. Not too far away was Alvira and Elisa, she could talk with them instead. “Hello Elisa, Alvira. I hope I’m not barging in, I can tell things are… a lot right now, but I was hoping to speak with you.” As far Jesse knew, neither Evoker was particularly versed in wind magic, but if Koba could pick up on the nature of her armor, surely they would be able to gleam just as much if not more. With the dragon healer gone, Gean fully melted into Kise’s embrace. It was warm, in a different way from the warmth she felt from her necklace. It felt as if Kise was slowly washing away the heat of embarrassment in Gean's cheeks. “Yeah I won, and I'm glad for that. It's just, I was so determined to impress him. I even tied my hair up for this fight, like my mother used to do when she was serious. Then in one exchange of words I was immediately thrown off and made a fool of myself.” Gean sighed. “I'm just mad at myself for how quickly I flubbed my own expectations.” Having vented her frustrations finally, Gean faced her girlfriend, just taking in Kise for a moment. “I've been meaning to ask, but you got another tail. I take it the shop has been doing well?”

The voice that broke Gean out of her Akai based therapy, was not the voice of her girlfriend like she was expecting. It was instead a dragon, someone she hadn’t met before. "Yeah, we are a part of the mercenaries. If you're looking for our leader she’s over with Lord Owen." Gean pointed in the direction of Tasha. Maybe she could help Gean practice later. As Gean responded, she started to pet Akai, he was so comfy. "Good boy Akai..."

Gean walked away from the training circle, lost in her own head. She wanted to practice that last maneuver that worked on her uncle, but she was also still embarrassed and frustrated. She needed someway, or someone to help clear her thoughts. Thankfully Kise was still lounging on Akai, still lazily watching things. Gean walked over to the duo, placed her axe down and then buried her face in Akai's fur. A muffled whine escaped her lips as she decompressed. Jesse smiled down at Koba, satisfied about her win sure, but she was more satisfied at the expression he was making. It was much different than the on he had when the left the castle for lunch the other day. "I think you did well, definitely quick on the draw with that magic." Jesse then looked around at her surroundings, setting her sights in the direction of the training dummies. Tio and Elisa returned, and it seemed that Sylmaria had too. She was currently in Tio’s arms, and Alvira had joined them, though the look on the red dragon's face said that things hadn't gone well. "Yeah you rest up Koba, thanks for the match." Jesse’s voice trailed off as she left the wind mage and approached the group of women. "Is everything alright? Sorry if I'm interrupting anything?"

The loud clang of metal broke Gean out of her battle trance. It seemed she had forced her uncle to pull out her sword with her last attack. It took a minute for Gean to realize he was complimenting her, and that he was concerned? Gean took a moment to process things, before giving Jeremiah a bow. "Thank you for the lesson." She could feel it, she had learned something in that last exchange, she just need to practice more.

Gean bounced right back to a defensive position from Jeremiah’s kick, but he was already back on the offensive, successfully doing what she tried to do, with the added goading of mentioning how she would catch up. The following glare that Gean shot at her uncle was less like her mother and much more like her father, or maybe even her aunt in that manner. She would deliver on that. Her necklace shined just a bit brighter as Gean swung her axe straight into her uncle's guard, breaking said guard with the force thrown at the man. She then repeated her earlier tactic of following up, but this time pivoting on her foot and striking Jeremiah on the opposite side, with enough force to throw him back.

Jeremiah’s movements were qucik, and he had closed the gap with Gean immediately, but despite his blow connecting, Gean was hoping for this, and took the chance to swing back hard. Thankfully her strike connected this time, and with it land Gean immediately went to capitalize by throwing a second strike. Unfortunately, her second swing was a bit too telegraphed, and she missed again, this time her axe landing into the ground with a THUNK! "Tch!" Frustration was beginning to show on her face.

In an instant, Jeremiah had sidestepped Gean's attack, and tripped her directly into his hand. All Gean could feel was the heat in her cheeks as he commented about her getting distracted mid-spar. She failed to meet his gaze, only blurting out a quick "Yes sir!" her failure to meet her own expectations removing any sass from her voice. This time she took a more defensive stance, adopting a similar strategy to what helped her land hits on Lani.

Koba seemed dejected for a moment but, acquiesced to Jesse’s challenge. "Good. Thank you for being a good guy." He quickly took his own stance and fired off a blade of wind, much faster that she was expecting. It hurt, but Jesse’s armor did it's job protecting her and she brought her lance up for a strike, finding her purchase at Koba's hip. She could tell her strike hurt, but Koba’s speed at spell casting was impressive, and was able to sling a second shot into her as she struck him. "Hahh!" Jesse pressed her advantage, delivering a thrust straight at Koba’s shoulder, and that thrust was enough to decide the match, the mage falling to on knee. Jeremiah had taken notice of her hair, and was ready and waiting, which was all Gean needed to hear as she moved in. Midway into her approach however, she finally clicked into what her uncle and Lucretia were talking about. Wait what about her and auntie? It wasn't a question she voiced, but it was a strong enough question to distract Gean, her swing missing her Uncle completely.

For a second, Gean could have sworn she saw her uncle blushing, after talking to the new healer. Gean raised an eyebrow and smirked, but before she could throw any comments, Jeremiah pulled out a dagger, indicating it was her turn. "Yeah, the little cub is always like that. She's bound to surprise anyone who meets her for the first time." Gean lifted off her axe and readied herself. "More importantly, I'm ready to show you just how much I've grown, but you probably could tell that by my hair." Gean was a little relieved she only had to deal with one sword today. "Thanks for changing weapons, I've already had that lesson today." She was a bit nervous sure, considering who she was going against, but that nervousness took a back seat to the determination in her eyes as she looked down her opponent.

Gean slowly got up from the ground, sitting with a smile on her face. "Oh it's gonna happen Lani. Don't relax or else I'll leave you behind in the wake of my growth, Ms Knight~." Gean was half serious, Lani was an impressive swordswoman after all, but Gean could tell she was growing stronger too. Syta was elated over Lani's win, so much so that Lani's request to spar caught her off guard. The two of them... they were cute together. "Ah, it's fine. I've got plenty of different matchups to try while I wait fo-" Gean was interrupted by a loud boom, and turning towards the source of the sound, she found Miria in a match with Jeremiah, both without weapons and a sorched handle in between the two. "Speaking of, I think it’s my time with the big guy. You two take your time, enjoy the spar." Gean wandered over to where her little sister and her uncle were getting checked up on. Gean had seen this type of exhaustion on Miria before, but she was surrounded, so Gean would stay back and let the others talk, instead, she walked over to Jeremiah, who was busy thinking. "I take it Miria had a trick up her sleeve? You don't have your sword in hand." Gean stood there leaning on her axe, trying to study her uncle and see what he was thinking.

Jesse put her hands on her hips. "Oh? Someone finally started mingling and thinks he can preach what he was taught huh? Well then, why don't help me warm up then?" If Koba was going to turn her words back on her, he would do well to be her own practice partner. Her other choice in Miria seemed to be in the middle of a match with Jeremiah, but locking weapons with Miria could wait. With the friendly banter done, Gean and Lani assumed positions for their second bout. Gotta land some hits this time, play it defensively. This time Lani was the one to initiate, landing a solid blow on Gean's left side. Thankfully her necklace was still doing it's job, and gave Gean the push needed to plant her feet, shrug the sword away, and return a blow, connecting with Lani's shoulder. Keep the pressure, you can do this! Gean rushed forward, continuing her attack with another blow, this time connecting to Lani's side. Unfortunately she had put to much effort into striking, and even with her necklace, Gean was unable to remain standing after Lani's final hit brought her to the ground. Gean lied there for a moment, and let out a deep sigh. "Hah, at least I got some hits this time."

Roku looked around, mouth agape as he set forth from the Dawn and into the city. All of the task for meals today were finished, and Leon still wasn't back, so with his newfound freedom, the chef chose to explore the city, and hopefully try any local delicacies. To most on earth, the sights would be nothing to be amazed at, but after looking at the same hallways and room for over a month of travel, it was a bit refreshing to be in a city again. The wide streets and uniform buildings would be easy to get lost in. Thankfully he was given a bit of a guide on how to get around, and he had a particular destination in mind. Roku continued looking around at the sights as he entered the shopping district here in Callisto. Not far off was what he assumed was the residential district, but that wasn’t too important to him. For now, he had found a restaurant that intrigued him. Stepping in, he looked to the front desk. "Um, hi. A bar seat for one?"

"Well, I'm still getting a grasp on the situation myself, but I think we just avoided and attempt on the Lord's life." There was no need to hide the truth from Koba, so Jesse spoke plainly. "That woman, whatever she's been through, it's a lot. Thankfully it looks like the Evokers have things under control, but..." Jesse was still grasping with the idea of a self hating monster, but she herself was not one, so she couldn't begin to understand how deep that hurt could be. "A-anyways, good! Glad something I said yesterday managed to stick, and you won your match it seems. Guess I can count on you more." Jesse gave him a smile, even if Koba tried to play things down with his usual spiel. "Though now that I'm in my armor, maybe I should get some practice in myself." Feathers In the Sun Renais was being her usually sweet self, the honeybun, but she too was interested in Gean's necklace. "Sure we can talk about it later." Then the healer was off, and it was time for Lani, and her support. Gean hadn't really talk to this Syta person, she was hoping she had the name right, but she knew the two were close, good for Lani. "Oh I know the odds are stacked against me, but every lesson I can get I'll take. She's a good teacher after all."

Gean rolled her eyes at Nyx's crude comment, only for the woman to land on her own ass. "Look, now you both match!" Having made jest, Gean turned back to listen to Syndra. The mage wasn't wrong, she wasn’t alone, Gean just wanted to stand alongside her allies too, to protect them like they would protect her. Syndra then mentioned about Renais reliability, which evoked a smile from Gean and an arm around her girlfriend. "Yeah, it does wonders having such good support, especially when she's so cute." Gean's spirits were rising, so when Lani approached, looking for another sparring match, she had no reason to refuse. Gean knew Lani would have the upper hand, but she could always use more experience fighting against swordfighters, and with her girlfriend’s cheering her on, the mermaid was confident things wouldn't end in one shot like last time. "Sure we can go a bit, if you're looking to warm up."

Gean smiled back at Syndra, glad for her win. As she reached down to help Syndra to her feet, the mage asked her a question she wasn’t expecting. "Right, that. This is a gift from my family, back in Lufiria. It has some sort of protection ward, to lessen blows. I want to get to the point where I don't have to rely on it, but it’s been pretty useful. Probably saved my life a couple of times when we raided the underground." Gean turned her head to the cheers of Kise, and gave the merchant a big smile and thumbs up. "Thanks Syn. Hopefully I didn’t only give you a knock to the ground." No sooner had she finished her explanation before Gean's other girlfriend arrived, heaping compliments on her too. "Mmmyes, cheer me on. Give me all the confidence I need, I'll need it for my uncle." Gean was fired up, she was going to show Jeremiah just how far she had come, once it was her turn of course. Jesse was both relieved and concerned. The relief came in the fact that both Tio and Elisa had moved in, effectively securing the situation, but concerned at Sylmaria's outbursts. Begging for death was one matter, but to hurl such hatred at Miredy, someone not much unlike her. This was Jesse’s first time really experiencing the ugliness that was Islexia's feelings towards people that weren't human. "Uh hey, Koba." The mage had come over, definitely happy about something Jesse had missed. "Why don't we talk over there. They're gonna need some space." Jesse also kept an eye on Lord Owen, liked Tio asked. It seemed as if his group was also catching on to what was happening. Thankfully the most capable people had everything under control. "So what did you want to talk about? I saw you talking with the other tigers, good for you." Jesse tried to disengage from her earlier feelings with a smile.

Gean was ready, but not ready enough to avoid the oncoming ice spell careening her way. As the ice crashed into her, it hurt, but soon there was a warm wave of energy enveloped her. A quick glance down revealed the source, her necklace was glowing. I can't keep relying on this thing. Gotta end this quick. Gean surge forward towards Syndra, throwing a feint and attacking from the mages right, knocking her off balance. Then, before she could regain herself, Gean followed through with a downward left strike, bringing Syndra to the ground. "There!" Gean exclaimed as she planted her axe in the ground. Sylmaria seemed to ease almost immediately when Jesse began to speak, which made Jesse raise another eyebrow. She had come wit a warning for Lord Owen, which intuition told Jesse that was never a good sign. Her thoughts about Sylmaira's actions were cut off by Jane's jumping in. It was quite adorable. "It's good to see you making friends Jane. Now you'll have more things to tell your mom about." Hopefully they could do more than just that, as long as they were successful against Kazran. Suddenly Sylmaria was up on her feet again, her eyes looking much different. Jesse followed her gaze to see Lord Owen leaving the building, but then there was a crackle, which sent alarms running in Jesse's head. "Wha?" She turned back to Sylmaria, only for the clouded woman to collapse to the ground, begging for death. Jesse was still confused, but Miredy clutching Jane in her arms was enough action for Jesse to don her armor. "What's going on? Who are you?"

Gean chuckled at the back and forth between Syn and Nyx. "Yeah we can go over here to the right." As Gean looked out, she saw Kise snuggled up on Akai, simply watching. Gean smiled and waved, brief thoughts of joining her later flashing in the mermaid's mind. Once the two had found a spot to themselves Gean turned to face Syndra, battle stanced and eagered. "Alright, start flinging ice at me when you're ready." "Ah, right. I left before we could properly talk. I'm Jesse. As for why I'm not training, I'm observing for now, though I am interested in practicing against some particular people." Jesse was cut off by another newcomer, someone she hadn’t seen before. The lady was clouded for sure, with her tail and horns, but she was bandaged basically all over. Even more peculiar was how uncomfortable she was. "I also haven’t seen the Lord around, but I'm sure he'll grace us at some point. He's probably busy in some meeting. May we have your name miss?" It was weird, this new lady was looking very skittish despite being surrounded by people just like her. Jesse was about to echo Miredy when her aforementioned employers arrived to ask questions. "Well, good morning Lady Elisa, Lady Tio."

So the Tigers were getting pointers today, while Gean felt a rush of excitement at the thought of sparing with her uncle, she could wait her turn. For now, Alvira was stepping up to take a shot. Vira seemed to be holding her own, and setting a strong starting example for the group. With, the lessons underway, Gean chose to seek out another ice mage. "Hey Syn. You down with going a few rounds? I could use some practice going against some magic." A Time for Prayer Jesse approached the training grounds now that things had gotten underway, with some pairing off into groups for sparing. Jesse was still in a mood to just watch, but perhaps not alone. Miredy an Jane were off to the side, also spectating the training session. "Hello Miredy," Jesse called out to the rather unique monster woman. "How are you two today?"

Gean squeezed Renais hand back as a 'thank you' but kept her eyes locked on Jeremiah. She had no idea what this training would be, but if "Uncle Moon" was going to give her and the rest of the Tigers the edge they needed to proceed with this plan, she was going to put her all into this. Family Reunion Jesse stood near the front of the castle entrance, observing the Tiers gathering for this planned training session. The person training them was none other than the man who assisted with their assault on the Underground, this Jeremiah fellow. Miria said that if there was anyone who might have answers about their armor, it would be him. For now, Jesse would watch and see just what this individual had in store.

Gean rushed through the hallways of Gaffney castle. It should not have taken her this long to meet the other's outside, she had been up early to go on a morning run as a part of her new training regime. Still, she was glad that she took the extra time to get ready, and that Kise had a spare ribbon to tie her hair up. The gesture wouldn't mean anything to the rest of the group, but to her uncle, it would be a clear message. One that would show just how resolved she was. Still, now she needed to actually be there and present. Gean arrived at the courtyard, to find that most of the Tigers were already around. "Morning!" Came out in between short breaths as she gathered herself. She was in her usual attire, save one new addition. Gean's normally free dreads were tied back into a singular ponytail, wrapped by a pink ribbon. "Ready for today's training!"

Mikhail sat off on the other side of Eve and nodded, his mouth not stuffed with food for once. His day of wandering and sampling the sights and flavors with Alister had been fruitful, but soon they would be starting their mission working with the nations, starting with Islode. Eve laid out the finer details of the job, but the healer's mind stuck on the fact that Eve had been too busy today to properly enjoy the festival. That wouldn't do. Without interrupting the conversation with his own words, Mikhail chomped down on a roll of bread, while using his other hand to pass Eve a candied apple from a basket of treats he had amassed over the course of the festival. He actually had treats for everyone in the party, but he could do that momentarily.

Jesse covered her mouth at the sight of the young girl barreling into Roxanne. The odds of them running into people that knew her, as they made their way into Islexia no less, was nothing short of a miracle. Then again, it seemed that things like these came hand in hand while traveling with the Tigers. The sight of these two and Miredy enjoying this moment allowed Jesse to ignore the fact that she unknowingly brought pirates directly to the lord with less caution than one should. "This has been a day for sure." At that moment, Lady Cassandra had re-entered the scene, though more drenched than before. Mina seemed to also be handling her business with the Lord, so Jesse's job was pretty much fulfilled. The slight growl from her stomach let her know that her body also thought it was time to depart. The young knight made her way up to Tasha, whispering to the mercenary leader. "If you guys have this, I shall take my leave for now."

Roku continued his trek towards the kitchen, and put his phone away after reading Leon's oddly short message. He began to look up when he felt a familiar pain, clutching the side of his head, the young chef focused until the pain dulled enough for him to push forward. As he looked up, he could see someone coming towards him in a hurry, one of the pilots. That’s when he felt it, if only barely. Panic and stress. "Um-" Before he could properly talk to her, she was down the hallway. Roku let out a sigh and continued on his way. Once he arrived at the kitchen proper, Roku set about washing dishes and prepping his station, he had chicken to trim the fat off of. Gean looked back at the message reply a bit surprised at how... informal and playful it was. It wasn't necessarily unwelcome, but a bit unfamiliar, particularly from a coworker. "Ok..." Gean took a minute to look around on monitors as well as her crew members before typing away a response. [(•-•)b] [Might need to run things by the boss lady for final say, but we should have some time once we reach the capital.] Gean put her phone down and sighed, this was probably her least favorite part of the job, but it was job worth doing.

Kiria and Reed were back to business, which left Gean to her own devices. She wouldn't be doing much unless anything actually showed up on radar, and even then, only if the captain decided to engage. Well, you said you would look into upgrades, may as well start the conversation. Gean opened her phone and ran through the list of engineers, "I think her name was Sen?" Gean stopped on who she believed was the person in charge and opened a chat. [Um, hi, Sen correct? This is the Gunner for the Dawn. Name's Gean. Can we setup a time to talk? Have some ideas about outfitting the the girl.]

Aly’s straightforwardness was ever present, though Gean did raise an eyebrow at the end when her fellow Tiger mentioned the danger that came with her getting hurt. "And I'll help make sure you don't get banged up, or bring you back from whatever bad thing might happen. Family looks out for each other." Gean just smiled back at Cass as she vented out her feelings. The mermaid was no stranger to going to the water to sort out feelings, so this felt special. The special moment didn’t last long, as Cass went straight back to racing, with money on the line this time. "Oh no you don't!" Gean took a powerful leap off the rock and dove straight in after Cass, intent on giving her no head start this time.