Pain: 4C

“I’ve been getting alerts all day about some third year bash that the Trail Blazer club’s been looking to host.” You grin taking her by the hand. She was taller than you for sure, but then most people were taller than you. Thorley Barker was never going to be a tall man, you thought ruefully even as you pulled the unresisting redhead around. “Club activities started today, so they’ve been doing the passive head hunting. Things like this dinner and dance, the advert said that they went out and caught the things we’re going to be eating today too.”

“Oh... I… I’m not really sure how I feel about that.” Your companion replied her brow furrowed even as she followed your lead. “I mean they’re using this for talent scouting… I don’t think it’s going to be a particularly quiet kind of party. I’m not really good with crowds. I haven’t been hearing very good things about the club recruitment drives at all...”

Aww, she looked so cute, and nervous too.

You just wanna hug the hell out of her cute little buns before you take them home for a ride. Ok so sue you… you were flipping horny; two days of being teased right to the brink then left there would make any man a horn-dog. And it didn’t help that the veneer of innocence seemed to fit the girl like a cloak, leaving you hungry to shred it without mercy.

“Ah it’s fine, according to my friend they don’t get forceful for another day or so. We should be fine, it’s just a little fete with food.” The important thing being food of course. “Besides, if anything goes wrong I’ll protect you!”

That brought out a giggle. “You? I’m pretty sure you couldn’t protect me against a stiff breeze Thorley.”

“Ha Ha! Laugh all you want, just know that I can take an anti-material tank round to the gut and get back up none the worse for wear.” And you had too as your ‘final matriculation exam’ from Basic training. Not magically treated of course, just pure force behind the purely material armour piercing explosive round.

Your Basic trainer was kind of a dick.

“Oh wow! I guess I misjudged you, Anex told me that they don’t use that test for anyone but hard tanks.” You couldn’t help but preen as she seemed pretty impressed.

“Anex?” You ask, even as you followed the PDA’s route to the Club Feast. You could actually smell the roasting meat from where you were walking.

“Yeah, met him yesterday. He’s been pretty nice so far,” You couldn’t say that you liked the way that she smiled while talking about this guy. Especially since it sounded like he would make her harder to snap up into the team if you popped the question to her. “Asked me to join his group too, they were pretty nice when I met up with them earlier today.”

… yay… not exactly something you could call yourself thrilled over here.

Still there was a night of dinner and dancing to be had, and you weren’t going to ruin it. Still you did need answers from her, and maybe you could settle her mind towards you as well.

“What do you do actually? I mean I haven’t really decided much beyond my initial build and the first slot or two, but I’ve been leaving my active slots open so I can branch out into whatever role the team I pick up needs.” You pass off casually, even as you both continued to walk hand in hand.

“I guess you could say that I’m looking to do channeling research. I’ve always wanted to know more about these powers, where they came from, what we can really do with them if we put our minds to it, how they work… you know all the interesting existential questions.” You nodded and gave a grin to her answer, a researcher type, no wonder you’d seen her in the channeling classes that day.

“So what’s with your build then? You seemed pretty spry when you were dodging that one Professor.” You asked.

“High dexterity was recommended to by my basic trainer when I told her about what I was interested in. Connection and Transformation, most of my kit are about small scale observation and manipulation… kinda handy for not getting hurt too.” She smiled widely, so basically a similar setup to your own, though less ‘tank’ in application. “I’m not much of a fighter really. I’m hoping mostly to get with a team who won’t mind me being a bit of a load while I’m learning.”

She gave you a light smile.

You returned it candidly even as you approached the area where everything was going on, the sound of laughing students abounding even as the scent of perfectly roasting flesh and sweet succulent sauces filled the air with their intimate perfumes.

“Oh! They’re serving Mana here?”  Your companion exclaimed, her eyes focused on the clear bubbling liquid which many of the party goers seemed to be holding in various types of containers. “I love this stuff!”

You’d bet… Mana wasn’t exactly the most legal substance in the world, pure alcohol distilled and refined to levels which would kill pretty much any human on the planet, then ‘refined’ with magic which gave it it’s unique flavors of pure bliss made liquid, as well as allowed the concoctions to take on a magical presence all their own.

The consequences of imbibing differed, especially between homemade, rather than commercial batches, but at base it served the same function which regular alcohol would, but for mages whose bodies were otherwise a fortress away from the world.

“My father used to make it whenever he came home. He even had one recipe he could sell to the ‘pawns’.” She spat the word with a slight disdain... a term which many of your kind would use to describe those who had not inherited the powers which now ruled the world.