Sanctuary? Hopefully! (Drill Thread)

[/i] As she came in, an older student came to greet her. His hair was a brilliant fire red--quite appropriate if, as Damian had guessed, he was a Blade. He didn't seem to know the girl, but nonetheless stepped forward and greeted her. He seemed a bit flashy for Damian's tastes, but probably capable enough in a battle.

Well, this might be interesting.

He glanced at the bookshelves around him. There was a tome on the tactics of Julius Caesar not too far from them. A very valid excuse. Standing, the First carefully and quietly made his way past them towards the shelf with the book. As he walked, he nodded at the both of them with a murmur of "Afternoon." 

Taking the book from the shelf, he opened to the first page and prepared for some meticulously arranged eavesdropping.
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He was about to speak when Damian appeared, he nodded his head at the Imperial and then with a flourish and a bow he took Zinnia’s hand and gave it a peck before speaking, “Ryley Fera. Sixth year, Blade. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance miss Zinnia.” He stood up, smoothing down his head coat and turning to the Imperial. ”Ryley” he said striking out a hand with a grin. Of course the peace wouldn’t and couldn’t last forever. A crash from the back of the library had him pulling his hand back to place it on the handle of his ancient pistol. One by one a row of bookshelves fell over like dominoes, his brows raised in amusement. He watched silently as three more lashers crawled over the bookshelves. Their pincers clicking and twitching.

He grinned, these three were not as small as the first one. He supposed they would be a bit more difficult but if that’s all that the library had to offer, well he would jump at it. He glanced at Zinnia and then at Damian, stepping in front of Zinnia somewhat. Yes he was a bit of a show-off but he did care about people and he could barely bring himself to believe she was a third year, nevermind able to defend herself.

Zinnia looked positively HORRIFIED when the bookshelves crashed against the ground, her hands lifting to cover her mouth in abject disgust.
T... Those could be irreplaceable!

And then the redhead stepped in front of her, more than likely to protect her. This registered surprise in the Third Year, startling her from her silent rage and horror.
It shouldn't have surprised her, though. All her life, others stepped forward to protect her in one way or another, though it had been quite a while since her protector was someone other than Achille.

Tiny hands reached out slightly, barely touching his elbow. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft and slightly embarrassed, quiet to keep from startling the beasts nearby.

"Thank you."

And now that her pre-emptive thanks were out of the way, Zinnia returned her attention to the destroyed library before her. The pale boy had quickly dispatched of even more of the encroaching beasts, sending a jolt of surprised respect through her.
He moves like one of these creatures, so agile...

One of the bookshelves crashed near her, but she didn't budge, lips pressed into a sharp frown.
Temper ignited in her eyes, quickly cooling over to steel. Her warm blue eyes were now as cold as ice, her body rigid as she stepped to stand slightly to the right of Ryley.

"If I may be so crude as to interrupt without an introduction, I would like to make a suggestion. Seeing as I doubt any of us will be able to get any reasonable work done while this rabble continues to plague the area and destroy the structural integrity of the books' storage units, I propose that we make a quick foray around the area and eliminate what may remain so that peace may be restored in the long run."

"Eloquently put. If you could, please try to spare the texts. They are... precious," the Knight murmured, sounding as demure as she appeared. The temper in her eyes didn't touch her tone, nor her stance, which was by the book: shoulders back, back straight, knees soft so as to allow her to move should she need to, a single hand lifted.

Zinnia's hands burst into golden flames.

The fire had definite heat, warming the area around her significantly. However, Zinnia felt no burn, no searing pain. Only a cold numbness against her skin, casting light over her face and highlighting the sleepless shadows beneath her eyes.

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At a jerk of Ryley's head, he darted back into the fray. Damian was not an especially good combatant, but with a bit of surprise and speed, he could make quite a good dent in forces before being repelled. With a bit of tactics, he supposed he could be effective.

Diving in, he plowed his blades forward into an Arubi's chest and then sliced outwards, injuring two Lashers on each side of him before he pivoted on a toe and leaped back out of the fray.

Ryley's right flank seemed to have a bit higher concentration. The Blade's attention would be spread thin, so that would be a good place to engage next.

Damian attempted the same move, a quick in-out. However, this time, a Nemisi lunged at him as he turned. A chunk was torn out of his upper arm, and he growled in distaste, using his other arm to slip the katana's curved blade between two ribs.

Withdrawing from the fighting, he glanced at the wound. It was bleeding and certainly hurting.

"It appears as if I'm going to need a new coat," he noted with a sigh.
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