Stand Out [Party Thread| Closed.R| Aodh]

About two hours had passed since the Queen's Gala had begun but it felt so much longer. Glancing at his watch Aodh could not understand how it was only 19:00 and wondered just how much could go wrong today. As Aodh began the slow walk back down the driveway towards the Castle he stuck his hand into his pocket to withdraw a cigarette which he lit by clicking his fingers and lighting a small blue flame on his finger lips. Taking a deep drag on his smoke and tried to relax. There was no point getting annoyed at the night's events. It would be over soon enough....and then there'd be more issues to deal with.

Shaking his head he was just glad at least one of the Shinigami had been dealt with so far. Aodh had made sure one was escorted off the grounds, with orders to the Castle's Quincy to make sure he didn't try to sneak back in, while a second had been detained for questioning by his Lieutenant Dame Hughes. Hopefully that was being dealt with amicably, he was really hoping the most hostility between Shinigami and Quincy occurred tonight would be the Soul Reapers being pissed off at having to leave.

'God knows what made them come here of all places. I hope Calendrea is able to extract accurate and useful information.' he thought to himself. Aodh knew that he was putting a lot of faith in an inexperienced and recently inducted member of the Order but she also held unbelievable potential and was already more powerful than almost any other Quincy in the Order.

The courtyard was utterly silent save the click clack of the Irishman's shoes against the pavement beneath his feet. As soon as he got back to the Castle he would have to find where Calendrea had brought Mr. Sunglasses and help interview the Shin-

'What is that?' he thought as a feeling of unpleasant queasiness turned his stomach momentarily. It only took a second for him to realise what it was which was instantly confirmed as his earpiece beeped.

"Sir there's a Hollow incursion along the Forest grounds." a guard communicated over his earpiece "Local forces are moving to intercept."

Aodh sighed and flicked his cigarette off to the side as it was reduced to ash in a flicker of Reishi flame summoned wordlessly by the Sternritter. He wasn't too concerned as such things had been predicted after all how could the Hollow beasts ignore the Quincy buffet on display here tonight? Still plenty of plans had been made to deal with such an event.

"Tell the guards to engage then fall back to the first line. They don't need to annihilate the enemy themselves. Simply hold them. Deploy the two closest reserves to join them. Then they can wipe them out."

The Quincy deployment had been set up with reinforcement in mind. The perimeter guards where the least amount of men needed to hold the line with hit and run tactics while buying time for the large reserve forces deployed around the Castle grounds to reinforce and destroy the attacking Hollow.

"Tell them I'm at the other end of the Courtyard but I'll be there presently. Have the forest troops to provide a report on the Hollow numbers and composition." Aodh added.

"Acknowledged."

Breaking into a run the Armani Suit wearing Quincy darted off towards the Hollow threat. Gathering Spirit Particles beneath his feet the man flickered from sight as he rode the wave of Reishi at high speeds.

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WC: 589
Total WC: 589

She arrived to a massacre.

Mei’s gaze took in the shadowed forest as she hurtled through the trees, bow already in hand. Half-a-dozen were arrayed before her, and nearly thrice that number were scattered along the ground, torn to pieces; Hollows surged around the few remaining Quincy, biting at their proverbial heels at every opportunity, though few dared to attack their wounded prey head-on. Like a cornered animal, her kin fought with a vicious desperation, and that drive, that need to survive radiated from their souls like a symphony of haunting melodies intermingled with the raw passion of a jazz solo. It was beautiful, in a macabre sort of way.

She was there in the span of a heart beat, her Hirenkyaku carrying her past the near broken group of men and into the heart of the swarm without falter. Someone spoke, a shout of fear and surprise and relief, but the woman blocked it out as she slipped under the claws of nearby Hollow; there was no time for words, no time to plan, not time to think. She had to act, now, had to draw the horde’s attention away from the wounded and dying before they attacked en masse and slaughtered those who remained.

A shot burst from her bow as she twisted to the side, slender frame moving out of the way of a bala aimed at her back- it slammed into the mask of her attacker, burning a hole in its flesh before tearing out the back of its skull in a spray of viscera that coated the forest floor. She let inertia carry her through the trees for a moment, but then she leapt into another Hirenkyaku, unwilling to stay in one spot for too long.

She moved without thought, instinct and experience guiding her every step as she cut a swath of destruction through the swarm- half a dozen, a dozen, twenty, thirty, forty of the beasts fell to her arrows, and yet still they came. Time slowed, the second blurring into each other as she moved through the forest, pulling the horde away from her comrades with every Hollow she slew. But no matter how many she killed, it was never enough.

Duck under the frog creature’s lashing tongue, retaliate with an arrow through the eye. Jump over the monkey-beast’s Cero, twist out of the way of the dog-Hollow’s charge, counter with a Seele Schneider through the neck. Active Blut Vene, dodge out of the way the mantis’ scythe-hands, dive through the canopy, roll through the underbrush, turn to-

She felt the hit without seeing it; something blunt slammed into her back, cracking ribs and sending her flying across the forest floor. Pain radiated out from her chest in sharp, flowing waves, each ebb cutting her thoughts to ribbons as she tried, and failed, to stop her tumble. A tree halted her path through the underbrush, the impact knocking what little breath she still had out of her. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t even keep her Blut active, let alone focus enough to maintain her bow. No amount of effort, no amount of willpower, no amount of determination could save her from what was to come.

And as the edges of her vision turned to black, Mei knew; no one was coming to save her.
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[ P: 557]
[ T: 1218]

Aodh listened to the constant updates as he crossed towards the Forest where the incursion took place. The plan seemed to be going as per the plan. The reserve units were already in place and had set up a second line in the kill zone meanwhile the primary guards were falling back to lead the Hollow towards them. Things were going exactly as plan. It seemed that the guards were even doing a good job at making their retreat look like a rout just in case any of the beasts had a glimmer of intellect, they were able to feign defeat well enough to draw in the monsters regardless.

No doubt they were afraid of course, they were still in danger, the guards were mostly experienced but there were still a number of recruits that were only just assigned as Knights. Still as long as nothing unexpected happened things should be alrigh-

"Sir!" 

Aodh's stomach dropped. The alarmed voice shouting into his earpiece with clear worry. What had happened? Had his plan went wrong? The Sternritter had been sure he'd set up the defensive lines properly.

"What? Report!" he snapped.

The man swiftly filled him in. The report had been going as planned, there had been some of the more inexperienced knights that had began to panic but were kept in line with the most experienced men and women. However things had went sideways when an unknown young woman had darted past them and into the foray alone to try and deal with the Hollow without support. She hadn't been a member of the Quincy Order, or at least not an on duty guard, from what they call tell. If that was the case then she wouldn't have known that things were in fact fine. An uninformed, perhaps inexperienced, woman who was perhaps only trying to help. Now she was clearly in danger.

"Should we go and provide back up?" asked the man.

Aodh was already speeding past the formed up line of the Quincy and entering the forest as he responded. "No. Proceed with the plan in case more Hollow make it to the line. I'll find her myself."

Aodh found the Quincy's Spiritual Aura which pulsed with that cleansing pleasant sensation that he had begun to recognise as being of his people. Around her were Hollow identifiable from the sickening feeling they caused in the pit of his stomach. Precise use of Hirenkyaku caused the man to avoid the trees and foliage without having to check his speed.

There she was. A white haired young woman trying to fight off a number of Hollow but he was too slow to protect her completely. She had only come into sight when a Hollow struck her, sending her hurtling through the air to slam into a tree. She slumped to the ground unmoving. Quincy had great power but they were also mortal and such an impact could easily be fatal or crippling.

Momentarily ignoring the Hollow threat he used another Hirenkyaku technique to appear next to her. Dropping to one knee he put a hand to her throat, feeling her heart beat, and noticed that her gaze was simply unfocused but not blank. Thank God. "It'll be okay." he said softly as the man straightened up and turned to face the Hollow rushing towards them.

Dog, monkey, frog and many more forms were taken by the beasts. A veritable horde of Hollow that were focusing solely on the two Quincy before them. Aodh took a deep breath and released it softly as the cross hanging from his left wrist began to glow brightly and a pillar of blue light formed in his hand before reforming into his silver longbow. Reishi was torn from the air, gathering in a ball over and along his left arm, as he stared calmly at the oncoming soul eating monsters.

Raising his bow he drew back on the bow causing the gathered spirit particles to burn with blinding light as it was transferred to his bow causing the weapon to tremble with the energy being imbued into it.

"Licht Regen." Aodh whispered as he released the string.

A barrage of arrows, thousands of then, ripped through the air towards the Hollow. The entire forest was aglow with blue light which practically blinded even Aodh himself. Hollow were destroyed by the number from the Sternritters attack.

Displeasure flickered through the man. It never set well with him when he was forced to destroy souls and he had no idea how many had just died in the span of a single breath. However he would feel no shame despite the regret. He had done what he must. He would do anything to protect his people.

His senses unfurled beyond his physical form and sought out more forest but the forest was spiritually silent. Sighing softly he opened his left hand and the bow blinked out of existence. It seemed that would be all for now.

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WC: 827
Total WC: 1416

She had to get up.

Mei’s limbs felt like anvils as the world around her slowly came back into focus. She had to get up. She could hear them all around her, their sickening silence blanketing the forest as they moved ever closer. She had to get up. Her chest throbbed, a sharp, stabbing pain that pierced her side with every breath- she felt her Blut activate, a distant, cooling breeze in her torso that soothed her nerves and dulled the pain in her lungs. She had to get up. Her head spun, thoughts swimming as the beasts circled in for the kill. She had to get up. She had to get up. Get up!

The quincy exploded to her feet in a surge of motion, the forest spinning as she stumbled forwards only to fall back against the tree, gaze focused on the ground. She could hear it; a new song had joined the choir, a powerful one, and it’s presence echoed through the forest like wildfire. Light came with it, blinding light the burned her eyes and pressed against her skull with its sheer, overwhelming weight. She couldn’t see, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but stand there, waiting, listening. Hoping for a sign that her song would end. What she heard, however, was almost enough to bring her to tears.

Someone had come for her. A quincy had come for her, come to save her. She was going to live. She was going to live. Laughter, cold and mirthless, spilled from the woman’s lips as she let her legs buckle, body clumping to the ground in an instant. She gone in knowing, expecting to die. She had accepted it, accepted that it was her destiny, that it was what she deserved for being such a fool. And yet, here she was. Still alive.

When her laughter finally died, Mei let loose a deep, wearying sigh. Exhaustion crashed into her senses as the adrenaline faded away and, for a moment, she closed her eyes, ready to fall into the black. But she stopped herself, eyes blinking open as she looked up at her savior, his form still blurred by the night. She had to speak, to thank him for what he’d done. It was the polite thing to do, after all. “Thank you. They’d have gotten me if… if it weren’t for y-”

She hit the ground mid-sentence, world fading to black as the weight finally overtook her.
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[ P: 409]
[ T: 1627]

A voice? Ah the woman was alright that was good. Turning around to face his eyes widened as he saw her hit the ground. Cursing under his breath a quick Hirenkyaku carried him over to kneel next to the fallen woman.

“Miss? Are you alright?” he asked placing a hand on her shoulder. When no response was forthcoming he grimaced realising just how injured she must have been. Unfortunately the powers of the Quincy did not exactly lend themselves towards the power to heal. Moving his hand to press lightly against her neck the man was pleased to find a strong, steady, heartbeat there. His Spiritual Senses unfurled outwards through the woman, there he could sense a reservoir of strength lurking beneath the surface, the power of a Quincy. Along with that power he sensed something else… fear, weariness and a dozen other emotions fluttering within her. Humans were such complex beings.

‘As of late that’s getting more common.’ he thought to himself. When he focused, really focused, the man could sense more than Spiritual Strength but feelings and an individual’s emotions were filtered through his perceptions as well.

Taking his hand away he placed it against his earpiece and signalled the others. “Begin a sweep up operations to make sure no other Hollow remain in the area. Also sent a message to the infirmary at the Castle, I’ll be bringing an injured woman in.”

“Oh thank God she’s alive… ah I mean affirmative Sir.” came the response.

Sighing he gently lifted the woman from the ground. Careful not to jostle her too much. He couldn’t see any external damage beyond vague scrapes and bruises so it could be something internal. Aodh only knew simple first aid and a kind of battlefield triage. It made much more sense to get her to the Castle Infirmary, so elaborate that it was practically a full hospital onto itself.

Whispering a short prayer like incantation a thin barrier flickered into existence around the woman while ribbons of Reishi tied themselves gently around her. The combination would ensure that the woman would stay as still as possible in relation to Aodh himself as he brought her back. Not needing to worry too much about hurting her now through moving too fast he gathered as much Reishi beneath his feet as possible. The Sternritter was suddenly launched into motion however he increasingly sped up the flow of Reishi beneath his feet, effortlessly redirecting it at will, causing the man and his charge to fly through the forest avoiding the trees that rushed towards them at exceptional speed.

It took less than a minute for Aodh to reach the main hall of the castle. Moving at more normal speeds form here he walked briskly towards the hospital pausing briefly to command one of the Knights on duty to run ahead and make sure a doctor was nearby.

Once at the hospital he found an old man in a long white coat waiting impatiently for them.

“Ah Doctor Schreiber, I am gl-" he began only to be cut off.

“Enough! Put her down immediately.” the doctor commanded.

Following the man’s instructions immediately Aodh gently sat her on the bed while silently dismissing the low level spells he’d put into place around her. The Doctor was technically only a Knight and one with very little Spiritual Power amongst his own people, Aodh had heard he could barely summon a Spirit Weapon but in this place he was Lord and Master while the Sternritter was simply in the way. Once the white haired Quincy was safely deposited on the bed Aodh moved away and sat down on a chair nearby letting the doctor get to his work.

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WC: 618
Total WC: 2034

She awoke without warning; there was no slow flutter of her eyelids, no quiet groans of of sleep-induced drowsiness, no yawn or change in her breathing to alert anyone she had risen from the depths of her slumber. In one moment she had been asleep, body all but frozen in unconsciousness, and in the next she was up, scrambling out of the too-thin sheets as she leapt into the air, a platform of Reishi forming beneath her feet as she prepared to dodge out of the way of the incoming Holl-

“Ahem.” Mei stopped halfway up the wall, gaze snapping open as the reality of where she was caught up with her senses. There were no trees, no swarm of beasts, no Quincy crying out for salvation from the maddening silence that threatened to engulf them. “Miss?” She was… she wasn’t dead. She’d made it. She was alive. Sore, yes, but alive, even in spite of all she’d they’d done to end her. “Miss Rowan?” It was crazy, how close she had come, how close they all had come. If that light hadn’t arrived when it did…

“Miss. Rowan.” At last the quincy registered the presence of another person in the room, thoughts scattering as she turned to regard the woman below her. Tall, fair-skinned but not pale, shapely (but not overly so), and powerful- stronger than she was by at least an order of magnitude, perhaps two. A guard? But why would they assign her a guard, in the middle of such an important event no less? “...Ma’am, if you don’t get down from there I will be forced to make you.”

Her face flushed at the words, gaze falling to the floor as she dropped back down into the bed, legs shaking from the impact. The other woman moved then, stocky frame strolling across the room with surprising elegance as she pressed a hand to her ear and began to speak. “Sir? Yes sir, she’s awake. A bit jumpy but- No, no trouble sir. Shall I… Of course sir. I will let her know immediately. Yes sir. Eagle Six, out.” Mei frowned at the larger woman’s words, face cooling even as it twisted in confusion. Who had she been speaking to? Where was she? What had happened after she’d passed out? Would she still be able to see the Q-

“You look like you have a lot of questions.”
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[ P: 399 ]
[ T: 2026 ]

Aodh could be found, as he often was, sitting in his office feeling the oppressive weight of the Order’s bureaucracy weighing down on him. As such when his phone began ringing the man picked it up, the phone made a soft clicking noise which the Irishman had come to recognise as the device switching to a secure line. He didn’t bother wearing his earpiece in while doing office work so such things were forwarded to his mobile.

“Yes?” he asked while stifling a yawn.

Hearing the message he nodded to himself before responding. “Very well. I’ll be down momentarily, please remain with her until then.”

Once he’d received the affirmative the man ended the call. Turning his attention back to his laptop he saved the open files before logging of the machine.

In a few short moments he’d locked and secured all the filing cabinets in the room before putting on his uniform jacket and sticking both his phone and security card into his pockets. Leaving his office, swiping his card to secure the electronic lock, he took off down the corridor towards the infirmary ward. As he made his way the man considered the situation.

So the girl had awoken. Aodh had stayed with her for as long as he was able on the night of the attack but eventually had to return to his duties… besides the doctor was getting annoyed by his constant presence. He’d stationed a guard with her day and night, after all they had little knowledge of the girl. For security reasons of course, as well as her own safety. From Aodh’s own experience Quincy who awoke from consciousness after a Hollow attack did not always do so in the most coherent manner.

‘Perhaps a natural reaction of our kind to the Hollow threat?’ he wondered idly.

Reaching the castle’s hospital ward he entered and nodded to the female knight stationed there before shifting his attention to their guest. He examined her with cool emerald eyes for a few moments as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“I am glad to see you’ve awoken.” Aodh stated in his usual chilly tones. “How are you feeling? You have been rest for much longer than we had predicted after the attack.”

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WC: 376
WC: 2410

Ten minutes. That was all the time she’d been given before her questioner arrived- just ten minutes to clean herself up and look at least somewhat presentable when whoever was in charge came in to interrogate her. The woman did the best she could, given the state she was in; hair was combed but not straightened, clothes cleaned but not spotless, face washed but not properly prepared with make-up and the like. It was an… adequate job, though far below her usual standards of excellence. At least they kept my dress. She’d been rather incensed when she realized she was in a hospital gown instead of her cheongsam; the piece was one of her favorites, and the thought of some doctor cutting it off of her, no matter how necessary it might be, was almost enough to make her want to stab the man.

She heard him long before he arrived, of course; felt the cold, quiet strings of his spiritual pressure as he approached, heard the low timbre of brass hidden deep within the perfectly contained orchestra that was his soul. There was a power to him, a raw force present in his song that struck an oddly familiar tone within her, as if she had somehow sensed it before. The man himself was equally forceful, though in a different manner- his entrance was slow, methodical, deliberate, with professionalism oozing from his slim frame as he strolled through the hospital ward without a single moment of hesitation.

The way he spoke told her he was a man well trained in the formalities of court and nobility; his voice, chilled and flat, diction perfect, accent all but smothered by his tone as he followed the expected script for such an encounter. If he hadn’t been there to scold her, Mei might have even called the whole thing refreshing. But he was, and now it was time to face the music. ”Thank you sir.” The quincy bowed her head at his words, gaze falling to the floor as she contemplated what to say. “I am recovering well enough, thanks to your staff. Did…” She paused, lips twitching downward as she too in a long, slow breath. “Did I help? What I did, did it… did it make a difference?”

Or have I ruined yet another plan without meaning to?

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[ P: 388]
[ T: 2414]