[PQ] [SE] but of one mind

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

For today’s mission, Deimos had taken them out of the Barracks, and into the midsts of the Tundra – with enough wide-open and expansive space, and close to the Citadel, to preside and provide exactly what they needed. The vast land would serve as ample elemental devices, as well as grant them every opportunity to be successful.

If they listened to one another.

“Our whole purpose today is teamwork and cooperation,” he noted to each individual, from the Raeling, to Elizabeth, and the stranger in Catalina. Ordinarily, he shouldn’t have had to muster any of these semblances, as he’d thought them once common sense, but alas – given how things had gone lately with some of the most experienced fighters…

Tilting his head vaguely at each of them, and arching a brow in what might’ve been considered impish and calculating all at once, he insisted upon an initial round. “Greet and talk to one another while I set things up,” because they should have some transparency in skills, abilities, and the easygoing stature of simple introductions.

--

Welcome to the Cooperation/Teamwork PQ! For this first round, greet and chat amongst yourselves – perhaps give insight to one another on your character’s abilities and begin communicating. It’ll be important later on. X)

1. Amhran
2. Elizabeth
3. Catalina

ELIZABETH

this is me saying that i would set myself on fire

Elizabeth followed Deimos and the small group out into the snowy landscape. The familiar wind whipped around them, gently brushing against her face. At least her bone-deep chill had finally subsided, although the memory of the spirits ripping into her still held an icy grip on her mind. Enough so that she pulled her cloak tighter despite the Longheat sun beating down. 

When the Warden finally spoke, it was a blissful sound devoid of any ringing, making it difficult to focus on the words as much as the sweet silence that accompanied it. Nodding along, she tried to match his serious tone, even while a smile threatened to stretch across her face. It was hard to be stoic in the face of so much relief. Yet, Elizabeth tried her best to do as Deimos instructed. 

Turning to the others, she gave them a friendly smile, "Hi! My name's Elizabeth. I'm a therapist with lightning magic." She let her fingers spark in emphasis, giving the others a visual for emphasis. It almost felt like a group therapy session with the way she'd introduced herself, but she pushed the thought aside, sure that no one would be interested in her ramblings about group dynamics and collaboration. 

---

Elizabeth introduces herself!

to bring light to all of the dark places within you

Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief
And you'll always know that your father's a thief

Catalina followed the trail of the group, carefully and quietly. Not having made a peep through the walk from the barracks, her red hair fastened into a loose fishtail braid, held together with a fiber string. Her clothes mimicked that of earth tones, her seafoam gaze skimming the area that Deimos had led them to. 

Taking in everything he had said, Cat gave a brief nod of her head in understanding of their current task at hand. Her woodsy colored cloak had been fastened at the front, held together by a cheaply made pendant. She was the essence of frugality. 

Just as Elizabeth had introduced herself, a bright smile danced along her lips. Lightning Magic? This peaked the ginger's interest in the woman.

"It's nice to meet everyone."   Cat gave a little bob of her head, "My name is Catalina... Everyone can call me Cat. I'm still trying to find the thing that I excel at..." she admitted with a meek smile. Obvious, this was her first training session. "But. I'll try my very best, and absorb everything I can in learning, and work with everyone here. I would like to think I'm a quick learner, and can move at a decent pace without falling on my face." It was far from being as impressive as probably most of her current team, but hopefully she would learn something. 

---

Cat introduced herself!

Catalina

And you won't understand the cause of your grief
But you'll always follow the voices beneath

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

It's his first PQ time out on the Tundra, and so far, so blisteringly cold. With furlined boots hatefully covering his feet and legs to the mid-calf, a heavy coat, a scarf and a pair of mittens, Amhran looks more like a child in a snowsuit than a lanky, grown man. His soft curls are mostly hidden under a wool hat topped with a pompom of ningo feathers, and as they fall to a stop, he surveys the group and heeds Deimos's words with curious, muddy green eyes.

"It is nice to meet you all," he says, the picture of manners he's learned to repeat courtesy of his time spent around Evie. "My name is Amhran. I am able to heal, if anyone is in need of it. I also like to garden, and I hate wearing shoes." Once done, he looks to Deimos with raised brows, as if to ask if he has completed the task adequately.

---

Amhran introduces himself!

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

Make no mistake, Deimos listened while they clambered together and introduced themselves. He did have to hide a smirk at Amhran’s penchant for shoes, and then checked to make sure he had some on, before continuing to contort the elements around them: an icy shelf appearing from the ground, a makeshift figure on top that looked suspiciously like a rather frail infant, and then shifting the terrain, slicker means with icier proportions and some branches hidden, and laden, beneath the snow.

Turning around and snagging at a rock nearby to stand on it, surveyor as always, he tilted his head at the group (with a nod to the Raeling, indicating he’d done well). Belial flew over the scene, hooting at each individual, but specifically louder at Amhran. Zuriel waited nearby, probably for something ridiculous to occur. But his rumbling voice persisted over any light wind and breeze. “Your initial mission will be to collaborate and rescue the child.” He pointed at the “youth”, who he’d purposefully hung precariously on a little ledge, dangling for all the world to see about seven feet up. “It is not going to be easy,” because they’d notice the ice, and if they were even more clever and astute, the slight inclines under some places; snares layered and lacquered away. “Communicate with one another on how best to complete your task.”

--

Go get that endangered child! No post order! Success will be determined on IC actions.

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Smiling to Deimos - because like any child, of course he is pleased to have done something correctly - the Raeling turns to listen to their first set of instructions, muddy green eyes widening a fraction to see how the world warps and contorts around them. He's seen Deimos in action before, but mostly when he's sitting atop one of his mythical shifts; this is a different, more nuanced set of skills, and he's clearly impressed.

Perhaps it's because he's so new to the snow and its pitfalls that he's suspicious of the inclines leading up towards the 'child' they are to save, and as his eyes snag on the makeshift figure, he furrows his brow. "Is that real?" he blurts; he's never thought the Sword to be a person to put an innocent in danger.

Regardless - or perhaps especially because of - there's saving to do. "Perhaps we could lift someone up towards the ledge to get to the child?" he suggests; rather than going around, they could leverage the solid, vertical expanse of ice to their benefit?

ELIZABETH

this is me saying that i would set myself on fire

She listened closely to the others, noticing that they all had more reserved personalities that might make it difficult for a distinct 'leader' to emerge. It might require her to take up that role to help coordinate the scenarios. Smiling warmly at the others, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Catalina, Amhran." Her head bobbed to each in turn before she looked to Deimos to receive their assignment. 

Elizabeth watched in awe as the expanse before them transformed into a seemingly tame obstacle course (although she didn't let that fool her), the 'child' sat precariously at the top. The Warden and his companions looked on in assessment, and Elizabeth was grateful that Belial appeared preoccupied with pestering someone else, content to enjoy the reprieve from the peryton, even at the sacrifice of Amhran. His question has her smiling slightly, shaking her head. "No. It's definitely just ice, but we should treat it as if it were." They needed to treat this like a real situation with real consequences. Otherwise, what was the point?

Analyzing the path, she considered the man's suggestion. "That might work but we have to get there first. We can try it though." Stepping forward, Elizabeth set her feet on the ice, checking how slick the surface was. As she did so, she added, "I do have a small level of telepathy as well. It's not enough to bring the infant down, but it could slow their fall, should it come to that." Feeling that the ice was dangerously slippery, she bit the inside of her lip in thought. They didn't really have anything to support their balance, but maybe they could use each other? "Let's have one person take the lead and each following person hold a piece of clothing on the person ahead of them." She lifted the edge of her cloak for someone to take, not that she needed to be first, but at least being farther in the front would let her possibly reach the frozen infant with her magic. 

---

Elizabeth prepares her telepathy in case the infant falls and suggests they use clothing to steady each other.

to bring light to all of the dark places within you

Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief
And you'll always know that your father's a thief

Cat had given a brief nod to each of them as she had listened to their plan unfold a little. She was on the meeker side, as she had not yet really honed her abilities or stance. Her eyes drifted from the lumps in the snow, to the ice, and then lingered meticulously over the ledge that the child had been on. 

Sifting her boots through the snow, the powdery texture was one Cat was familiar with. Her eyes twinkled a little as she had seen the lumps in snow, some uneven, and some even. Giving her a slight idea. "If we're lifting someone up towards the ledge, we need to be careful because -- like Miss Elizabeth said." She tilted her head briefly to Elizabeth. "We would need something beneath the base feet to help with grip. The texture of the snow makes it a little easier to compact it, but not too tightly, least we fall on our rear. So maybe once we get there, gathering some snow around to cover the ice at the bottom to help with traction. It'll help provide some leverage as well."  

Cat didn't hesitate but clasped onto Elizabeth's cloth first. Offering the edge of her cloak to Amhran . "Follow directly in the path, and don't tread on any new snow that hasn't been walked. Creating your own path can cause for ya' to fall." As a team.

---

Cat grabs onto Elizabeth's jacket. Preparing for the route. Suggests on the following: 
- Building a small base with snow to help prevent slippage when lifting to the ledge
- Follow on footsteps that have already been created 
- Offers Amhran her cloak to grab onto

Catalina

And you won't understand the cause of your grief
But you'll always follow the voices beneath

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

It was good to hear them conversing. Were this a more dangerous scenario, time would be of the essence, and calculations would have to be swift – plans made in haste. But this was an opportunity for them to try out communication tactics and skills, and so he listened as they talked and discussed, and he held in any laughs (primarily over whether the infant was real – as if Deimos would put an actual baby out there to dangle on a ledge). An enemy? Sure.

Eventually though, Elizabeth seemed to utilize something, and his brow arched as he witnessed threads of telepathy maneuver around – holding the ‘baby’ from any sudden falls…yet.

And then they seemed to be starting outwards, shuffling along on the ice, clinging to one another. It worked well initially, everyone seemed to be capable of remaining upright, and they hadn’t hit any of the Sword’s pitfalls. Not yet anyway.

Though it did look like Belial was hovering overhead…just to be obnoxious.

--

The team has made it about three feet across the ice with another seven feet to go. Elizabeth’s telepathy is ensuring the ‘baby’ hasn’t fallen to its “doom”. No post order! Success will be determined on IC actions.

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Amhran, for one, is not at all worried about Belial soaring above, and as the peryton hovers obnoxiously, he hoots back at him for good measure. Then, of course, they are devising A Plan™, and he finds the edge of Catalina's cloak in his fingers. "Alright. I will do my best not to fall," he says, beginning to inch out onto the snow and the ice as they work in tandem to get to the ledge.

And the closer they get to the ledge, the strangely... smaller it feels to him. "I do not think anyone would need to be lifted up," he says uncertainly. At about seven feet off the ground, that's only a few inches taller than the Raeling already is. "Perhaps I could just lift them down?" Let's be real, he's just as likely to just end up on his face in the snow, but at least the ideas are flowing as they make their way across the ice.

"Do you think you could use your telekinesis to move away the snow in front of us, too?" he adds, nodding up ahead to Elizabeth. "To make sure we aren't stepping anywhere we shouldn't."

ELIZABETH

this is me saying that i would set myself on fire

So she ended up in front. Elizabeth wasn't upset about it, but it still made her nervous to lead the group in such a physical manner. Stepping forward slowly, she tried to keep her eyes peeled for any traps or pitfalls that might interrupt their progress. Amhran's suggestion was a good one, but she shifted her eyes between the wide expanse of thick snow and the precariously balanced ice infant. "Maybe? I'll try but someone keep their eyes on the baby. I don't want it to fall while I'm not looking."

She slowly released her hold on the infant to try pushing away the snow. As she did so, she noticed Belial above them again. While concentrating on her feet, she said to the others behind her, "While one is watching the baby, the other should keep an eye out for possible attacks. I wouldn't put it past Deimos." Not that she'd expect him to sabotage them, but she knew he wouldn't make it easy for them to complete the task. He took his training very seriously. 

---

Elizabeth tries pushing the snow out of their path with her telekinesis and has the others watch the baby/surroundings.

to bring light to all of the dark places within you

Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief
And you'll always know that your father's a thief

Peering back past her red hair towards Amhran, Catalina offered a faint smile. “I’ll do my best to not trip you up,” she promised, her voice warm despite the chilly surroundings.

As they carefully made their way onto the ice, Elizabeth began sifting through the snow to clear the path. Catalina watched intently as the powdery ice crystals slid away effortlessly, revealing the slippery surface beneath. Her gaze shifted from the infant, which was still precariously balanced, to the snow-covered terrain ahead.

“I’ll keep a close eye on the infant,” Cat volunteered, her eyes burning with determination and focus. She watched the makeshift child with an intensity that seemed almost tangible, her concern for its safety evident in the way she scrutinized every movement.

---

Cat moves forward in tandem with the group. Keeping her eye for any movements from the 'infant'.

Catalina

And you won't understand the cause of your grief
But you'll always follow the voices beneath

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

The Sword snickered at Elizabeth’s assertions, which, while she wasn’t incorrect, he’d already put in some ammunition, right beneath their feet.

Of course, that was triggered when Catalina, eyes on the “baby” and or potentially distracted by Belial being an utter nuisance, slid upon one of the points under the snow.

Within a moment, she was abruptly cut off from her cohorts with a six-foot wall of ice and snow suddenly surrounding her on all sides. Not hurt or maimed, but certainly quartered off from the group via sight.

And anyone else surveying the infant might notice that all that motion from the earth certainly made the child slide down the surface more. However, the snow had been removed from the point of the ledge, so Elizabeth had secured that particular area – and both Amhran and the Abandoned would find several more trigger points laden around it.

--

Catalina is now surrounded by a wall of ice/snow.

Elizabeth has removed snow under the ledge, where the child hangs, to see multiple trigger points.

The baby is sliding down further.

What will you do next? No post order!

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Smiling warmly back at Catalina, of course Amhran isn't to know that watching out for attacks extends to the ground beneath their feet, and as the red-headed woman triggers the trap he's forced to step back as the wall of ice and snow promptly cuts her off from the rest of them. "Oh," he says, clearly startled, and he glances at Elizabeth for some help before he spots the 'baby' starting to slip from the ledge.

"I wonder if you might be able to trigger the rest of those points with your magic?" he suggests to the Abandoned. "If they are triggered with no one standing in them, the danger will be gone by the time we get there, right? I can stay here and try to help."

So saying, he turns back to the icy wall, tall enough to cause problems, but on his toes he might stand a chance of peeking over it. "Cat?" he calls. "Are you alright?"

---

Amhran does his best to help!