THE DEFENSE OF SILVER MOTE }

"Raaaar!" Ow, loud much? "Ahhhhh!" Ooh, that looked like it hurt. "Watch it!" Okay, maybe that was a little too close. "Grrr..." Oh come on! She had a message to deliver! 

Huffing loudly to show her disgust, Luxis slammed the blunt hammer end of her tomahawk into the Nemisi's skull with a satisfying crack. The blonde sidestepped as the ebony-furred mistling's leathery wings extended to the their full length with the power to knock her over easily if she hadn't dodged. Luminous yellow orbs flashed once as an enraged howl ripped itself from the dying Nemisi's maw, talons reaching to mar the delicate flesh of the two-legged thing that had ruthlessly split its skull. She expertly switched to the cutting edge of her tomahawk, fully prepared to slice off the canine's paw, if not for the explosion that suddenly flung her backwards.

Wincing as she landed unexpectedly on her rear, the girl's grip never loosened on her weapon of choice. She sprang back to her feet immediately ignoring the sudden blast of wind that ruffled her loose gray crop top, clearly revealing the plain black sports bra underneath. She spared only a glance at the immobile lump of onyx as the smell of burning flesh reached her nose. Hmph, some people were so impatient! Clearly an expert's handiwork, or she might have been blown to pieces. Or they just got lucky...damnit. That would just be plain irresponsible.

With a soft shake of her head, sending long strands of gold to hide the current crystal clarity of her blue eyes, Luxis started running again. Her heeled boots made click-clacking sounds as they hit the ground, a kind of comforting rhythm through all the chaos that surrounded the Imperial. To be only a Third Year and experiencing something like this...amazing! But here she was, running messages, rather than doing any real kind of command work.

Ah well, it wasn't like she really knew anyone she could potentially work with anyway - and knowledge was the key to success. Knowing your troops, knowing how they worked under pressure, what they liked and disliked, all were important. Speaking of important, just what did this message contain? The blonde hadn't thought much of it earlier, too busy dodging her fellow students and rampaging mistlings, but as she neared her destination a strong sense of curiosity made her consider. The general really hadn't said much when he had given it to her, just that she had to give it to the Headmaster and the Emperor right away. Couldn't be an invite to tea.

It felt strange to stop as she came within sight of the Emperor even if she hadn't been running that long - mostly avoiding getting hit. Her heart pounded as she forced her grip to loosen on her tomahawk, returning it to its place at her side somewhat reluctantly. The girl then snaked a hand down the side of her left boot, fishing for the message she had thought to put in one of the safest places it possibly be - on the inside of her calf. Slim fingers found the message instantly and she retrieved it quickly before straightening up again.

Luxis could feel her face sliding into a more appropriate expression from detached blankness to polite optimism. The hint of a smile gathered at the edges of her pale pink lips, reflected in the deep pools of her sapphire irises that were round and wide. She walked quickly, lengthening her stride, but at the same time there was no rush in the sashay of her hips and the easy grace a craftswomen should not possess. Then there was the way both hands clasped the folded paper to her heart like the answer to all their problems; a treasure to be desired.

The Imperial gave Teddy the slightest of nods in order to be polite, but of course her focus was not on this vaguely familiar man, only on her Headmaster and the Emperor himself. The Lotus of the First Petal...her petal! She had to make a good impression. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt this conversation, but I have a message from General - one of the generals." She corrected herself the instance she realized she didn't actually even remember the General's name, a silly mistake that she would have to correct as soon as possible.

In the back of Luxis's brain, an alarm went off as she tried to remember if she should bow, or wish the Emperor a most wonderful day (kind of ironic considering the whole battle and all), or something. She settled for lowering her head as she extended her right hand forward in the Emperor's direction, the message ready to be plucked from her fair-skinned hand. She hoped her expressive eyes and the tinge of nervousness within them were hidden by the mass of her hair despite the headband holding the majority of it back from her face. She was such a perfectionist at times.