Badass Normal: MT/IC/Always open

[Ilvania]

Carlisle did not feel like socialising. He could hear the raucous arguments breaking out in the bar, but he paid no heed to them. He had bought himself a nice bottle of wine and he was going to enjoy it. The wine bottle was cool to the touch. Its ruby red contents sparkled in the light, beckoning all to taste of its untapped sweetness. Having poured himself a healthy measure of the devil's nectar, Carlisle stared out the window. The sun had begun to set, casting an unsettling orange light over the land. As he swirled the fine wine, inhaling its fragrant aroma, memories of a spring Parisian day crept into his mind. Mellifluous accordion melodies and beautiful French women, oh how he missed The City of Light. Standing in the corridor, Carlisle took a sip of his drink, and continued to contemplate the dying day.

[Inoroth]

William Samuel Johnson woke with a start as the train jolted to a halt. He was late, really late, and tardiness was something he never tolerated in others! It irked him that heavy traffic had caused him to he miss his train, and though the station workers had been more that accommodating, he did not assume the people at BAN would understand. Grabbing his large suitcase and putting his trench-coat over his green three piece suit and a bowler hat upon his shining bald head, he stepped the car onto the platform, looking hopefully around for someone, anyone from BAN who could escort him to meet the others.

[Len Hyet]

Silva took a drink and thought about his answer to Daniel.

"Got sick of the bullshit. We took out any bastard we could, but the higher ups lacked the guts to finish the job. We could have ended it all in Desert Storm. No nine eleven. No second invasion. Once and done. We were through their lines. The First Marines had a clear shot to Baghdad. Then some politician decided to pull the plug. Idiot. An IED took some damn good men. Good friends of mine. When I figured out we couldn't even shoot the bastard who planted it, or even really question the bastard who planned it, I got out first chance I got. Figured I'd make some money in the Private Sector before I got too old."

Swiveling, Silva turned toward Ashleigh.

"Well that depends on how you were trained my friend." Silva gave the man a once over. "Let me guess. Week long courses in a dojo where they teach self defense? Karate? Tae-Kwon-Do? Krav Maga? Buddy, lot of people think Snipers don't know diddly shit about hand to hand. Actually we know more than most grunts. It's Recon Scout/Sniper. Not just a Sniper. We have to know not just how to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards, but how to get up close and personal, gut him with a knife or break his neck, and then set up our place to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards."

[Ceannairceach]

Swiveling, Silva turned toward Ashleigh.

"Well that depends on how you were trained my friend." Silva gave the man a once over. "Let me guess. Week long courses in a dojo where they teach self defense? Karate? Tae-Kwon-Do? Krav Maga? Buddy, lot of people think Snipers don't know diddly shit about hand to hand. Actually we know more than most grunts. It's Recon Scout/Sniper. Not just a Sniper. We have to know not just how to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards, but how to get up close and personal, gut him with a knife or break his neck, and then set up our place to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards."

"Hand to hand, sir? Why, that is for barbarians!" He smiled and added sarcasm to the last word to note the joke behind his voice. "I'm speaking of canne de combat. It is much like fencing, only with sticks. Simple rules, but I won't bore you with them and the difficultly to follow them. Just stick versus stick combat, targets limited to places to minimize damage, and following the general form of canne de combat."

He swirled the umbrella in his hands. "I don't doubt your knife-fighting ability, or your brawling capabilities, but I do doubt your skill in long melee. Can't quite knife me if you can't reach me."

Twirling the umbrella once more so he leaned on it, he nodded to the gun he held, and confessed rather openly, "As I said, I would take part in a shooting contest, after your defeat. Perhaps I might learn a thing or two about the way the modern wars are fought, but excuse me if I find myself unable to hit the broad side of a barn."

[Len Hyet]

Silva shrugged.

"Perhaps some other time. Right now what I want to do is get very, very drunk." With that, he turned back to the bar and snapped his fingers at the bartender.

"Hey buddy, Tequila on the Rocks, dry, no twist." Drink in hand, he took several sips, relishing the liquor burning down his throat.

[Tlaceceyaya]

Swiveling, Silva turned toward Ashleigh.

"Well that depends on how you were trained my friend." Silva gave the man a once over. "Let me guess. Week long courses in a dojo where they teach self defense? Karate? Tae-Kwon-Do? Krav Maga? Buddy, lot of people think Snipers don't know diddly shit about hand to hand. Actually we know more than most grunts. It's Recon Scout/Sniper. Not just a Sniper. We have to know not just how to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards, but how to get up close and personal, gut him with a knife or break his neck, and then set up our place to nail some bastard in the head at a thousand yards."

"Hand to hand, sir? Why, that is for barbarians!" He smiled and added sarcasm to the last word to note the joke behind his voice. "I'm speaking of canne de combat. It is much like fencing, only with sticks. Simple rules, but I won't bore you with them and the difficultly to follow them. Just stick versus stick combat, targets limited to places to minimize damage, and following the general form of canne de combat."

He swirled the umbrella in his hands. "I don't doubt your knife-fighting ability, or your brawling capabilities, but I do doubt your skill in long melee. Can't quite knife me if you can't reach me."

Twirling the umbrella once more so he leaned on it, he nodded to the gun he held, and confessed rather openly, "As I said, I would take part in a shooting contest, after your defeat. Perhaps I might learn a thing or two about the way the modern wars are fought, but excuse me if I find myself unable to hit the broad side of a barn."

Deciding to make his presence known now, Rodney piped up.
"Don't need to shoot the barn. Just blow it up," he said, as people suddenly realized that he had come and sat down. "If you shoot it, someone else might shoot you."
Rodney half expected the man who had talked about sniping nearly reverently to get angry at that, but it would surely make the other two warm to him.

[Firstaria]

Silva took a drink and thought about his answer to Daniel.

"Got sick of the bullshit. We took out any bastard we could, but the higher ups lacked the guts to finish the job. We could have ended it all in Desert Storm. No nine eleven. No second invasion. Once and done. We were through their lines. The First Marines had a clear shot to Baghdad. Then some politician decided to pull the plug. Idiot. An IED took some damn good men. Good friends of mine. When I figured out we couldn't even shoot the bastard who planted it, or even really question the bastard who planned it, I got out first chance I got. Figured I'd make some money in the Private Sector before I got too old."

Daniel laughed again and said " That's another I blame on heroes: they made everyone a pussy. People are protesting to go to war against states who declared they want to murder childrens because...' we might have casualties!!! ' " He mimicked with a girly voice " And police engagement rules can be summarized in ' If their aim is so bad that you are not dead, you can shot in the air for warning '. I don't say we should become warmongers and level things to the ground, but when soldiers are fighting a war or police is busting inside a perilous place, LET THEM DO THEIR JOB! That the best way for them to return home. Imagine if someone stopped D-Day because the Normandy kills were too heavy. "

[Agadar]

"I have questions alright, but none you can answer," Steven replied to Sarah's question. He looked at the drunk chinaman and regarded him with disgust. "A fine soldier you will be," he said spitefully, after which he marched out of the library with an angry haste. Coming here was a mistake.

Star watched him and said something to herself and got up and followed him slightly. "Excuse me, Steven? I think your name is...uhm, can I have a very small conversation with you? It's not about me or anyone else.." She kind of stayed a few feet away from him incase he did something to try to hurt her. Which would possibly not happen but she wasn;'t taking any chanses considering his mood right now.

Steven halted and turned around. He eyed the young girl angrily. "Why?" he asked. His voice was softer than before: he was angry, but not at the girl in front of him.

[Len Hyet]

Silva snorted.

"When I need a barn blown up then I know who to call. But when you need the guards on the barn dead, quickly and quietly, you know where to find me."

[Stattr]

Star watched him and said something to herself and got up and followed him slightly. "Excuse me, Steven? I think your name is...uhm, can I have a very small conversation with you? It's not about me or anyone else.." She kind of stayed a few feet away from him incase he did something to try to hurt her. Which would possibly not happen but she wasn;'t taking any chanses considering his mood right now.

Steven halted and turned around. He eyed the young girl angrily. "Why?" he asked. His voice was softer than before: he was angry, but not at the girl in front of him.

Star slid in front of him and caught her breath slightly before bending up to face him. "What's wrong? All of a sudden you come in the library huffing and puffing like crazy and then you leave without an answer? It seems to me you don't want to be here at all. Just from hearing your little argument at Sarah. Are you always like this when you are somewhere you don't want to be?" She eyed him curiously and listened to his voice to try to pick something up, his voice was softer then when he was in the library, but she ignored that and listened deeper into his voice. When she didn't find anything unusual she looked around him and then at his clothes and eyes and hair. He was an interesting fellow to say the least, but she had her own mind.

[Agadar]

Her words shut Steven up: he hadn't expected the timid girl to be so confident with words. He stared at her for a moment. Perhaps she was right: perhaps he was overreacting just a little bit. "Have you taken a good look at the other recruits?" he asked. "They're the most incompetent group of people I've ever had the discomfort of laying my eyes upon. If the training we will be receiving will be as harsh as I hope it will be, then by the end of it the two of us will likely be the only ones left." He turned around and continued marching away, leaving her with that.

[Stattr]

Her words shut Steven up: he hadn't expected the timid girl to be so confident with words. He stared at her for a moment. Perhaps she was right: perhaps he was overreacting just a little bit. "Have you taken a good look at the other recruits?" he asked. "They're the most incompetent group of people I've ever had the discomfort of laying my eyes upon. If the training we will be receiving will be as harsh as I hope it will be, then by the end of it the two of us will likely be the only ones left." He turned around and continued marching away, leaving her with that.

Star stared after him and ran after him again and slid in front of him again and leaned forward and put her hadns on his shoulders to stop him. "Would you stop walking away like that? You know what that says about you? That you are incompetent and that you don't want to listen to anyone and that you are a mean brute who judges everyone from apperences...I saw the look on your face when I spoke up..." She sighed and talked some more, not wanting to shut up till he listened. "If you would use that head of yours you would learn something! Jeez, lueize! Maybe if you would watch everyone in the training as they perform, then MAYBE you would learn that everyone has their own advantages than what they do other wise!" She let go of him and stared at him with alook of pity before looking around a little lost before casting ehr eyes down and walking quickly away back towards the library to continue to read her book.

I need to learn to shut my mouth when I need to. Jeez, I am never doing that again. Owrds of wisdom? How about words of Wierdness... She sighed to herself and walked slower and dragging her hand across the wall by her knuckles lightly.

[Agadar]

Steven only remained quiet as the girl berated him. When she shyly hurried back to the library, he turned around and asked loud enough for her to hear: "Girl, what's your name?"

[Inoroth]

The train whistled loudly and click-clacked off. He was alone. What was worse, no one seemed to be there from BAN. After waiting for about twenty minutes hoping something would happen (to no avail), Mr. Johnson walked off the platform and into the surrounding countryside, hoping that perhaps he might stumble upon the training area himself.

The sky was clear, the sun gleamed bright off a nearby pond, and the tall grasses waved, light glinting off their green stalks like a thousand bayonets. 'A fine day for a hike' he exclaimed.

[Ilvania]

His drink lay idle in his hands as Carlisle watched the peculiar event unfolding in front of him. Having tired of the view from the corridor, he had casually strolled into library, hoping to find a nice fireplace where one could burrow into a comfy chair and read. Instead, he was confronted by a most bizarre scene. Star, or at least he believed her name to be 'Star', stood eyes ablaze, staring into the icy orbs of a rather tall young man. She spoke briefly before storming off, glaring at the floor. But then a voice came booming after her, one of begrudging respect,

'Girl, what's your name?'

Carlisle smiled a wry smile, this job was getting interesting already.

[Jormengand]

A young guard walked silently towards the massive train for the recruits from sector Omega - well, mainly those from sector Omega - as Mr Johnson dreamily descended from it. He halted abruptly, and turned to face him. "Sir," he intoned softly, "I have been instructed to escort you to sector Sigma. Come with me."

[Stattr]

Steven only remained quiet as the girl berated him. When she shyly hurried back to the library, he turned around and asked loud enough for her to hear: "Girl, what's your name?"

Star stopped and bit her lip before answering back in the same loudness. "s..Star. My name is Star. Deciving name I know." She looke dup for a brief moment before seeing another guy looking at her and she felt sort of Trapped and looked around slightly before turning her back to the person looking at her and walked back to Steven, her eyes still down cast. "Why did you want to know? If i think correctly your name would be..." She stopped and thought. "Steven? Steve? It's one of those two." She took out her rubix cube again and started to mix and un mix it in about a minuets she had done it several times. She did this when thinking about something that was complety not related to the topic.

[Agadar]

Steven slightly raised an eyebrow. Star was a really awkward girl. Intelligent, but awkward. "Steven is correct," he replied. "Nice to meet you, Star." He looked on his watch. "It's getting late, and I've got things to unpack. I'll see you tomorrow during the first training." He turned around and walked away, his face not revealing much.

[Escalan Corps-Star Island]

Earl watched Steven out of the corner of his eye. The man looked a bit more wary and intelligent than the others. He was wise not to get in the thick of things, as the situation at the table was brewing up to be nasty. Earl stood up, saying, "Well, I'm off to sleep for the night." He turned and walked out abruptly, leaving the door swinging.

[Stattr]

Star nodded and shook his hand anyway and as he left she smiled just barely and walked back to her room, taking short cuts and relized she was not in just her room, she slept with Sarah. She thought about it and then started to unpack and place things on her side of the bedroom the way she normall did at night. She had three seperate piles; One for the morning, one for the afternoon and one for bedtime. She laid all her clothes out in four draws, the first for her undergarments, the second for her skirts or pants, the third for her tops and sweaters and the last one for her only two pairs of shoes ,she ever wore, and her Pj's.

She looked at her watch and relized it was late and she was getting tired. She grabbed the shampoo she used and conditioner and body wash and scrubber, then her PJ's for the night and her tooth brush and toothpaste. She got into the shower and turned the cold water all the way on and took a nice cold shower. She then just let it pour over her for a few mineuts before getting out, drying off and wrapping her hair up and she took some sisseres and cut the back of her hair so that it hung just at the 4end of her shoulder blades and the front about two inches in and she had bangs that sort of stayed off to the side. She shook her head. Her head felt lighter and more free. She sighed happily and tossed the extra hair she had cut away and dreid her hair more easily and brushed it quickly before putting her PJ's on and brushing her teeth and looking ath the time once more and putting her clothes she had wore today away and walked out of her room iwht a sweater over her PJ's.

For her PJ's she had long black pants that went over her feet and had elestic around the waist and her top was a tank top shirt that went down to a few inchest past her waist. She sweater was black as well and with long sleeves that went past her hands and the back went down to her middle thigh. She then buttoned up the top so that her breasts didn't look as big considering her PJ shurt was slightly tight and she buttoned up the one size too big sweater and walked around the halls humming a tune.

[Inoroth]

A young guard walked silently towards the massive train for the recruits from sector Omega - well, mainly those from sector Omega - as Mr Johnson dreamily descended from it. He halted abruptly, and turned to face him. "Sir," he intoned softly, "I have been instructed to escort you to sector Sigma. Come with me."

Although not always talkative and friendly, the fine weather had lifted Mr. Johnsons's spirits quite considerably. Turing to the stiff man who addressed him, he began as though speaking to a golfing partner on a lazy afternoon... which to him at least seemed to be the case.

"Oh? Well splendid... I have not been forgotten after all - quite good, quite good. Tell me, sir, has my tardiness caused an inordinate bother for you? I hope not... good impressions and all that. I apologize, but it could not be helped. Well, let us be off, I am sure you do not wish for me to waste any more of your time."