Private/Closed Plan 9 (RolePlay)

[Barefoot_Kittens]

The world of Elementia development was not meant to ever become what it had. Humans were sent to live on a different planet around the year 3000. Over 400 years later, when normal humans began to transform, it was thought to be a blessing from god. Suddenly, people began to be born with an element. There are 9 main people: Earth, Plant, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Water, Metal, Air, and those who are elementless. Rather than living in a mixed world of piece each element segregated into tribes. One's element is the pride of their village, and it became easier to simply say that one's own element is superior to the other elements. Unwilling to bend to each other's arrogance, the tribes began a war for dominance- a war which was said to be in the name of their elements. The battles came hard, with no side holding back. Each tribe targeted the one most vulnerable to it- water attacking fire while fire attacked ice. Resulting in deaths like nobody could've expected. The smallest population at this point was the people who didn't have an element, the wisest group it seemed. This war would go on until the entire world was sunken into despair- the elementless knew that something had to be done. That is when they created Plan 9. Plan 9 was executed almost immediately. One child from each element would be adopted, seeing as orphans ran rampant through every tribe. Once one child of all 8 elements is gathered, they would be secured with the humans until the war was over. And exactly that happened, the children (age ranging between 2 and 5) were taken to a vault with a majority of the nonelemental population. The children were raised together, sheltered from the reality of the hatred and despair of war that raged above their heads. 10 years later, the news came. The war was over. But it was much worse than anyone could have expected. The land was empty, broken and sad. Not a single person roamed the dead valley that was once a center of population. Nobody could understand what happened. There were no records left behind or any trace of a single elemental-human anywhere to be found. Nothing was left of the elemental, except for the 8 children who were spared.

Rules:

• The normal Pokecharms rules apply
• If a battle is to occur another participant's character, please discuss who's going to win in the battle through private messaging as to not crowd the discussion thread
• Romance is allowed; don't make it awkward
• Swearing is fine as long as it's Pokecharms friendly
• Write proper length paragraphs (5-10 sentences at least) with correct grammar, punctuation, and thorough details. I can't stress this rule enough. I plan on being very strict about this in this RP
• Only 8 people will be able to serve int his RP (one for each element) it's a first come first serve ordeal
• Only 1 character per RPer, so we can get as many people as possible to RP. If a few weeks pass and the characters aren't full, anyone can make a second character to take the element that is not taken.

Characters-
Fire: Eric Finch @Martin Pine
Water: Levia Tsovinaire @kyuukestu
Plant: Marik Crowell @Mystic Zander
Wind: Alex Wispet @Sky5372
Ground: Noah Rhysen @5DigitNeb
Metal: Jackson Turley @me
Electricity: Kyla Cole @Grand Master Koop
Ice: Royal Easton @Crimson Sun

Discussion Thread: https://pokecharms.com/threads/plan-9-discussion.21549/

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Voices buzzed about the otherwise silent room. It was pitchblack in the small, concrete enclosure, one wouldn’t be able to tell how many bodies were actually cramped into the area. The last group had gone out half an hour ago, and still not returned. Sent to scavenge the land above, the leaders of the underground community instrAucted for everybody to stay in the lobby while they investigated. Now, questions were rising among the other people. The group consisted of all sorts of villagers, some young and some old. Men, women, children. The thing they had in common was the fact that 10 year ago they had hidden themselves from the world. In the back of the crowd stood one woman, tall and proud with a round face. Azula Rodriguez was a well known member of the community, an unbelievable sweet old lady with a strong motherly instinct. Most of all, Azula, better known as Zuzu, had gained a reputation for being the force behind Project 9, and the caretaker of the only elementals in the community. Scattered about her were the 8 children who she adopted, the woman’s face held no worry like the others around her- instead she was focused on the children.

Suddenly, a peak of light followed a loud, metal sound and a hole from above was open. The well-known face of the vault-leader poked through the opening and gave a forced smile, offering a hand to the nearest person. “It’s not perfect, but it’s livable. There are some things we need to discuss over.” the man quickly stated as people began to flow out of the enclosed space. In a matter of minutes, the group that once was squished together had dispersed. Some looked about in awe- felt the sun on their skin, choked on the freshness of the air, stared at the vast landscape. Others noticed, immediately, what was missing: everyone else. Where had they gone? It was impossible- all of the elemental tribes? Zuzu, last to leave the vault, bushed herself off and her face contorted slightly in confusion. Livable, sure- but what were they supposed to do with this desolate piece of death? “For now, we will continue using the vault as shelter and for resources, but it is time we come out and build a permanent society. There is no more danger, we must immediately begin to explore and build. We can answer questions, which I’m sure you all have, along the way.” the man stated on an exhale. He didn’t seem particularly sure about what he was saying, but people nodded in agreement anyways. “All able-bodied people are to help gather resources and explore. Children, elders, and pregnant women are to stay nearby where they can be protected. We will work, now, to get a better understanding of the environment- and we will retreat for dinner in the vault at sun-down.” the small spoke in a large voice, though he was mostly talking to the working men of the society.

Jackson stood very still as soon as he exited the vault, the sun caused him to squint as his eyes slowly adjusted. “I still don’t get it-” the boy muttered quietly, referring to the multiple times different people had to explain to him why the society had to go up to the land. Jackson looked around, he took a few skips forward and his grein grew bigger with each step. “It’s kinda ugly.” Jacks sighed as he tipped his head to one side, he could vividly recall the pictures of green and blue from his story books- this didn’t quite match, however.

 

[Crimson Sun]

Royal stepped out of the confinement, following Jackson and the other adults that had stepped out into the desolate world first. Already, the bright light of the sun he heard so much about through stories from the elders, Royal had a distaste for it. There wasn't a particular reason why, but the gleaming rays and the radiant heat coming off the symbolic shape didn't sit well for Royal. He'd have to get used to it though as this is the land where the village will be surviving off of. Compared to the stories that he had heard of, the land is much more deserted rather than luscious, humid rather than warm, and much more dead than he had imagine. That's what the war between the elementals have done after all.

The brunette has heard of his people, the Ice elementals, from the people within the vault. He doesn't know much as he was taken away at the age of 2. No memoirs of his family, his people, his home. The village did their best to tell him what the ice elementals have done, but it never sufficed as a good replacement for his memories of his family. He heard how they were the main people to control the cold snowy winter seasons and, well, ice cubes for some ice cold drinks. He had asked about the war fairly early when he hit his tenth year. However, he didn't receive a concise and direct answer on it, only understanding the elementals wanted dominance in power.

Him being an ice elemental, he was more adept to the cold and much more pale compared to the other elemental children and the villagers. His pale skin hit the sun ray, almost giving color to Royal, the warmth making him a bit uncomfortable. Royal retreated towards the vault again, feeling much more comfortable with the cool temperature inside his confinement. He allowed access for the other people to bypass him and head towards the outside world first.

 

[kyuukestu]

"It's kind of...weird and hot."

Levia stepped gingerly across the sandy soil, the ground beneath her so...soft! She came up behind Jackson, shuffling, shifting, positioning herself just right until... "Ah, that's much better!" Standing within the shade of the taller boy's figure, Levia picked up where she'd left off, reiterating.

"I don't think it's ugly, its...kinda pretty, don't you think?"

She stomped around in the sand, kicking up small dunes and getting the granular bits of earth stuck between her toes. It was...different. Her toes wriggled between her slippers, getting a feel of the...'sand', wasn't that what it was called? Sorta hard and gritty, yet also all ticklish across her skin. The sensation caused her to giggle.

It was nothing like the hard concrete of the vault. This new land, this strange land...how could it be ugly? Everything was a novelty! This fresh yet dry wind whipping across her face. This soft earth crumbling under her weight. This stick uncomfortable heat...that one she could do without, but otherwise...

"How could you call this ugly! You and Royal are always like this..."

She spoke with a pout —if such a thing was even possible— mildly complaining about Jackson and Royal's reactions. What wasn't to love about this place?

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Following everyone else, Kyla exited the vault. At first, the new environment was a lot to take in for the young girl, she had been holed up inside the vault for what was said to be 10 years after all. The contact with direct sunlight and cool winds made the girl flinch, the warm air made her choke a little and the sandy ground made her stumble a bit, but Kyla's body soon readjusted to the outside world. The world she was taken away from for such a long time.

"Wow, this is a lot different from what I remember." Looking around at the surrounding landscapes, Kyla compared the current images to those of her memories. "What happened out here?" As she was one of the older kids present, Kyla still had recognition of what the outside world looked like before the war ravaged everything. The lush greens everywhere we no more, replaced by many different shades of brown, grass replaced with dust and sand, only trees present barely had any leaves.

Hearing the differing remarks from his fellow elementals, Kyla let out a sigh and a slight giggle. "It wasn't always like this. You know your picture books and the stories the elders told you? Those aren't made up you know." She stretched her limbs. Even though the world was no longer the one she remembered, it was still a lot nicer than the dark vault they had been accustomed to for the last 10 years. "This place really isn't so bad you know." She walked over to Levia and patted her head, finding her pouting cute.

 

[Sky_]

Alex stepped past Royal and stood at the door, gazing out at the landscape. His memory wasn't the best, so all he had were fleeting memories of the outside world before he was taken, but they couldn't have compared to the real thing. It was so open, and the sky stretched out as far as he could see. No walls! He stepped out further, trying to look around him before suddenly jumping back at feeling something brush his head.

Were there creatures out there? Did some of the elementals the adults mentioned survive? His mind quickly ran through the possibilities up until he felt the same feeling, this time on his arms as well.
"Right- wind. Probably should've guessed that," Alex muttered to himself, throwing away his initial doubts and pulling himself up into the desert. Choking at feeling the fresh, warm air fill his lungs, he held his hand up to the sun, watching how the beams of light danced around his fingers.

He bent down, running a bit of the dust on the ground between his fingers. It felt... weird. Not exactly unpleasant, but different. Alex had heard Levia call it 'sand', though considering she'd also called this place pretty he might have to take her comments with a grain of salt.

"I mean, it's alright. Isn't all that pretty, but there's plenty of space." Alex turned to Kyla with a grin.
"Hey Ky, race you to that rock over there."

 

[Martin Pine]

Alongside Alex and Royal stood Eric, an arm lifted to shade his eyes which were alive with wonder and excitement. There was a huge grin on his face as he looked over the land, the surface. Green, lush and perfect is exactly ... what it should've been. Eric's eyes slowly adjusted and showed him the reality of the environment they were in. It was more desert than grassland, more dead than alive. The sun's warm rays were harsh and the place was pretty barren. His smile faded a little, an almost sad look coming on his face. It was soon replaced by determination. He took a deep breath and took his first steps into the outside.

"Hey, don't worry about how it looks now either" Eric began walking towards Kyla, Jackson and Levia. "We're gonna return it to how it was in the books and stories" There was a confident look on his face, the brown haired boy standing proudly next to his more colourful haired friends. "We're gonna reclaim this place, even make it better- one step at a time" He didn't feel scared or small in the expansive and open area they were in. He didn't worry about the dangers or the bad possibilities. He wasn't even that faltered by the new sensations. The fresh air, the soft ground beneath his feet, the huge open space and sun. It all encouraged Eric, excited him.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Marik silently waded out of the Vault, each slow step filled with apprehension. Unlike most of the other kids, Marik had a good understanding of what life had been like prior to the ten year lock down.

~Flashback~​

“We don’t have TIME for another child! We have to focus on the clan right now!” A man with wild red hair yelled in anger and desperation, slamming his fists against the table where he sat.

“What do you expect me to do Al?! I can’t just...not have this baby!” Cried a tired looking brunette haired woman, reeling back in shock as the mans voice rose.

“...baby...listen to me, the Atlas got word of the Metal Elementals plan. Something big is coming, and we can’t HANDLE THIS RIGHT NOW!”

“Well what are we gonna do about Marik?! He’s not safe anymore either! Do you just wanna get rid of him?!” The woman retorted, her voice morphing from fear to anger.

“That’s exactly what I wanna do...so I signed him up to volunteer for the program.” The mans head dropped as he spoke, his tone shifting to a more quiet and somber state.

“You did what....!” The woman grabbed her chest, a look of horror on her face. She was about to explode, when the heated conversation was interrupted by a loud cry.

“You’re...you're sending me a-away...?” Questioned a much younger looking Marik from the door way. The boys voice was broken and tears were pooling in the corner of his eyes. He must’ve been no more than five years old, and his entire world was about to change against his will.

~Present~
​

Marik hadn’t thought about that day in a long time, the day his life changed. But standing at this entrance with the freedom to leave took the older boy back to the start.

“I was afraid it would end like this...” He stared out at the desolate wasteland, disappointed by the sight before him.

“What the hell did they do?” Marik grumbled once more under his breath, finally stepping out onto the sandy earth.

The messy haired boy took in a deep breath of the warm, salty air, something oddly satisfying about it.
While he had so many questions rushing through through his head, none could distract him from the situation at hand.

They needed to survive.

 

[kyuukestu]

A fleck of irritation and then —*WHACK*.

The sound was crisp and clear as Levia slapped Kyla's hand away from her. Her pout grew into something a bit more dissatisfied, a scowl. "Don't treat me like a kid!" Fixing the older girl with a glare, Levia gave a curt harrumph. She noticed that, along with Kyla, Alex, Eric, and Marik had also exited the vault. Including Jackson, Royal, and herself, that made seven in all. That left...

"Where's Noah?" She wondered out loud, even though the boy could only really be in one location —the vault. Maybe he was still asleep? Figuring that he would be out shortly, Levia pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She looked around, surveying once more. Alex was challenging Kyla to a race, but only to the nearby rock. Not far enough to be a danger nor to separate them from the larger group.

Eric seemed rather excited, a sentiment Levia shared but with more muted confidence. However, he was right. The journey of a thousand miles began with a single step! Albeit, Levia wasn't sure how true that was. The longest Journey she'd even been on was from her room to the cafeteria. Nevertheless, the books had never let them down before...until now. The books had been totally wrong about what was awaiting them above ground...

Moving on to Marik...his face was set like steel, apprehension in his steps, a deep desolation in his soft voice. Levia instantly picked up on his mood. She was rather sensitive to the mood changes of her close-knit family. She'd seen an expression like this before, she had, in fact, worn that very expression many times before. With slow, sympathetic steps, she trotted over to Marik, tipping to her toes so she could give him a comforting pat an his shoulder.

She sighed wistfully; "Grandma Zuzu gave you toilet duty again, huh?"

It was always like this with Marik, acting like it was the end of the world or something. Well, toilet duty was unpleasant. Even Levia herself shuddered at the very thought of the icky task. In fact, her face had already twisted with disgust. There was pity in her eyes, but also compassion. The young girl seemed to struggle within herself for a while, and then she spoke again.

"I'll...let you have some of my left-over candy after you're done?"

 

[Grand Master Koop]

As the space outside continued to fill up with people exiting the vault, Kyla noticed almost all of her fellow elementals have showed up with the exception of Noah. Bringing her attention back to the little girl she was patting, Kyla turned back right as Levia knocked her hand away with a crisp smack. "Oh." Kyla looked at the younger girl with her usual unchanged expression, a smirk slowly crept up her mouth. "Heh, don't worry. I'm just teasing." She spoke in a nonchalant manner.

Taking a few steps away from Levia, Kyla looked sideways towards Alex who challenge her to a race first thing after coming out. The range of the race was simply to a nearby rock, nothing too grand. "A race huh." Thinking to herself, the exercise could have been fun after all that idle waiting they did just earlier. "Fine, you're on." She replied. Unknown to the air elemental, Kyla began charging an electrical ord at the size of a marble with the hand that was out of his view.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Marik’s moment of internal conflict was interrupted by the sensation of a hand resting on his shoulder.

“Who-?” The boy’s head whipped to the side as he was ripped away from his thoughts, his attention now on Levia, the youngest member of the pack.
Marik couldn’t help but smirk at the girls utterly naive nature. Sure she wasn’t the most mature, but she was very kind, and truthfully, his favorite person in the vault. So much hope.

“Hehe...thanks, Levia.” Marik slung his arm over the younger girls shoulder, giving her a quick side hug. He chose to mask his worry with a smile, knowing it would be best to keep everyone positive.

“Ya know...I think you and I are gonna have a lot of work to do now. Think it’s about time you get better control over your powers, ‘Bubble Girl’.” The messy haired boy finished, giving his sibling a playful nudge with his shoulder.

 

[Martin Pine]

Eric's gaze slowly settled on the fellow elementals in front of him, more specifically Levia and Kyla. Watching the small water girl slap away the electric girls hand was almost amusing, an almost smirk replacing his hopeful smile. Now that they were outside the vault change was going to happen- at least he hoped it would. Their life style, their understanding of the world and themselves were subject to this force. But this, their relationships to each other was something Eric did not wish to change. There were a few things he'd tweak and it sure it wasn't perfect but it was pretty close to it, close enough for him.

His head turned to follow Levia, Eric watching her walk up to Marik and then speak to him. He hadn't noticed the other older boy step out of the vault, he must've been right behind him? Eric turned fully to face Marik, only just managing to catch a glimpse of his sullen mood before he concealed it with a smile. "You alright broccoli top?" Unlike Levia, Eric was less sensitive to the emotions of his peers and decided a simple query accompanied by a playful nickname would suffice.

 

[Crimson Sun]

Royal mouth gaped at Levia’s remark. What exactly was that supposed to mean. Jackson is much more opinionated than him, so that’s understandable. But Royal didn’t even talk once today and he got attacked.

It’s not like Royal despised the new world. He simply preferred staying somewhere he is more used to after all. They’re literally stepping out onto practically unknown territory. Plus with how humid the weather felt, an ice elemental like him would much more prefer the cooler temperatures of the vault.

But he wasn’t much of a talker within the group, hence he kept his thoughts and opinion to himself. His voice is rarely used for pleasantries and conversation making. It’s usually used for to answer others or making a point.

Despite the hesitation, Royal eventually stepped out, following the other elemental children to wherever they may go. Royal may not be as close to the others in their group, but they always stuck together. He overheard ne of them say that they should race to a certain rock. That was his cue to catch up with the group because they might leave him in the dust, literally.

His boot stepped out onto the unknown ground. It was unstable, sort of, but held strong enough for Royal to walk across. He heard the term “sand” in stories before, yet it feels like a complete new experience. Through his boots, he could feel the heat emitting of the flooring and the sun pelted down on him. The latter started to break a sweat immediately, not used to the heat intensity.

Hands tucked into her cardigan pockets, Royal scurried towards where the others were, half venting their opinions on the world, others still taking in the scenery before them. The pale child let out a small exhale, his chilly breathe quickly dissipating in the humidity.

Once he had reached the group, Royal stayed close, but at the same time, kept a short distance away. They've always been closer to each other than Royal, not that that was their fault. Royal was simply more isolated from the crew, he couldn't help it. Seeing Alex initiating a race, Marik teasing Levia, Kyla and Eric the few adult figures in the group, Noah nowhere to been as of right now, Royal wished he had the same dynamic they give off. They all tried to invite Royal to the group dynamic, but Royal always saw himself not fitting in.

New world, new him. Royal thought about changing himself for a bit, to be more social-able with his group. “Did the Miss Zuzu tell us what exactly we had to do yet,” Royal voiced out. His tone soft and light, matching the petite figure of the ice elemental, not used to the feeling of initiating a conversation.

 

[kyuukestu]

"Eww! No thanks. I don't like Toilet duty."

Levia was nice, but she wasn't that nice. Not even Marik's beguiling attempts would sway her heart. She immediately slipped away from him, unwilling to be dragged along.

"And who're you calling Bubble Girl, Broccoli Top!"

Retaliating to her, albeit well-earned and aptly described, nickname, Levia jumped on boards with Eric's own taunts at Marik. It was almost uncharacteristically playful of the usually mellow girl, but it simply testified to how excited she was. Her banter was, however, cut short as Royal stepped up to the spot-light. Levia snapped to attention, eager to hear what the usually silent Ice elemental would say. It was, after all, a rare occasion.

She soon found...she didn't have an answer. She hadn't heard Grandma Zuzu say anything...but she also hadn't really been paying attention. Her shifty eyes flitted between Marik and Jackson, waiting for either to take the lead.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Marik arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Levia’s response. Why was she acting so oblivious compared to usual? Perhaps excitement, or to cope with the sudden change?
Either way, he’s certain she would be fine.

“I’m doing just fine, Fire Crotch.” Marik never took his eyes off the horizon, yet replied to Eric’s remark without a moment of hesitation. Clearly not that interested in the boys witty banter.

“We’re supposed to find fertile, life sustaining land. Basically, our first goal is to walk around and see if the terrain changes up anytime soon.” The shaggy haired boy noted as others began to wonder what the point of this little expedition was.

“That means wasting your energy on some foolish...like a RACE, will make you lag behind and become a burden the others, so conserve your energy.”

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

Jackson's eyes shifted from person to person, he was unusually quiet. He stared at the land in front of him, trying to see what Levia was talking about. Was he missing something? It was not pretty at all. Not colorful nor lively, it was dull and dreary and nothing like how it had been described to him. The boy put his hands on his hips and huffed, narrowing his eyes as his set gaze hardened to a point were it was unnervingly still. Jack held the position for a bit before exploding with a loud grunt and throwing his arms into the air, "I don't see it!" the boy cried out loud, oblivious to the other conversations going on around him.
The boy's gaze immediately fell onto Marik, who had obtained a bit of a crowd around him. Jackson blinked with confusion before bounding towards Marik, Eric, and Levia. Perhaps one of Jackson's least likable traits: his nosiness. Not that the boy was trying to be rude or snarky, he frankly didn't care what the group was talking about, he just hated to be left out. A few crude nicknames back and forth caused Jackson to giggle at the playful attitude of his peers. "Are you sad because it's ugly?" yep, leave it to Jackson to put it frankly. Unaware of the weight of such a question, the boy simply offered a comforting smile, "It's okay- I like walking around." Jackson added as he looked down at his feet and marched in place. Marik's rather brash comment caused Jackson to smirk, he never really understand the sarcasm or rudeness but he thinks Marik sounds pretty darn cool when he says things like that.
"Well- yes and no." the gentle, silky smooth voice of Zuzu seemed to appear from nowhere as she strolled in front of the group of children. It was as if she was always listening and watching, popping up right when it seemed that they needed her. "While it is true that we are in search of more habitable lands, it should not be of your guys' concern." the woman stated with a soft smile as he eyes flicked towards Marik, who she knew was most likely to attempt to take on the responsibilities of leader. "Your most important matter is your own safety." The woman added as she put a lovely hand on Levia's hand and patted the girl. "You are free to explore and navigate, it would be a big help to the towns folk- but please stay out of trouble. Don't wander to far from the vault, and stick together." The woman added gingerly, the land was flat and she knew she'd be able to call out to the children whenever she needed. "If you can't see the campsite, then you are too far." her voice suddenly more stern, Zuzu still couldn't help but break into a smile when looking at the children. "Welcome home." she sighed sweetly before looking up as another adult seemed to be signalling her over. "Have fun now, just look for me if there are any problems, try not to bother anyone else who is working." Zuzu added swiftly as she walked away from the group and towards a bunch of people who were setting up tents.
Jackson's grin grew as Zuzu walked away. "I want to look for bugs!" the boy eventually bursted out, as if he had been holding it in the whole time that the elder lady was talking. "And find cool rocks! And maybe even..." Jackson paused suddenly and fell into intense thought as he searched for the word. "BIRDS!" getting himself pumped up, Jackson jumped in circles, "Let's go!" Jackson cried with impatience. Jackson bounced about and looked off into the distance, and for a second a fleeting thought crossed his mind- would he find others like him out there?

 

[Grand Master Koop]

Hearing Marik comment about conserving their energy and calling their race a foolish activity, Kyla scoffed. “Oh how nice of you to think of us.” She glances towards the plant elemental while maintaining her previous position.

“But I assure you, you don’t have anything to worry me. In fact I think you should worry about yourself first.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not going to tire out from a short race but if you think you are then... just don’t participate.” She spoke in a mercilessly blunt fashion yet not a trace of malice can be detected.

 

[Sky_]

Alex grinned to himself at seeing the walking contradiction that was Levia spring into action. Offering Marik leftover candy straight after whacking someone for treating her like a kid was commonplace for Levia, and she didn't seem like she'd get any more mature soon. Or gain any height, at that.

More importantly, Kyla was in a good mood, so a race it was. Though knowing her, he doubted it would be a fair one.
Raising his arm as a mock starting pistol, he yelled "3... 2... 1... Go!" and took off in a sprint, making easy ground towards the rock. Speed was one of his best qualities, so his pride was on the line here

 

[Mystic Zander]

Marik let out a deep sigh as Kyla went on another one of her random screaming fits. Same as usual, she'll get angry, try and act as if she’s not angry, then explode anyways.
He honestly had no faith in her. Unlike Levia, Kyla reflected the exact opposite of what he wanted from society. Selfishness, arrogance, and anger.

“She’ll need to do a whole lot of growing up if she wants to survive.” The shaggy chestnut haired boy noted, walking off towards the wastelands.

“Talk to you guys later.” He added quietly, not giving his peers much time to interject.

———

While Zuzu told the group not to go too far, Marik simply couldn’t just abide by restrictions right now. As the vault grew smaller and smaller in the distance, the older boy realized he could very likely end up lost if not careful.

“Okay....guess it’s time to test this out.” Mumbled Marik, cupping his hands together tightly.

“Come on...” He grunted, a faint, hazy glow washing over his hands as he did so.
His eyes lit up as he felt the petals of a budding flower brushing across his skin, causing him to quickly unclasp his hands.

A single rose hand bloomed from the boys palm, small and dreary, but still a rose.

“Think this should help.” Marik said to himself with a satisfied grin, burying the roots of the rose deep in the dusty earth where he stood.
Due to the rose being slightly limp, it curved at the neck, allowing him to make a simple land mark so he wouldn’t forget the direction he came from.

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

Jackson sighed as Kyla and Marik began to dispute. They were barely out of the vault- adventure was all around them and they still found something to argue about. Jackson puffed out his cheeks as he thought about some sort of solution, but Marik was already departing before he could come to a conclusion. "Wait- Ms. Zuzu said to stay toge-" Marik was on his way and Jackson knew nothing was going to stop him. he was so stubborn sometimes. Jack let out a low groan before following behind Marik. He walked sort of slow and quietly, not getting in the older boy's way- Jackson was unsure if Marik even knew that he was being followed. Jack would occasionally kick the dirt beneath him, amused at the cloud of dust that would puff up and tickle his shins- otherwise he simply watched Marik. "Oh yeah. Awesome!" Jackson cheered suddenly when Marik began to use his elemental ability. They weren't really allowed to use their elements in the vault, it was too small and crowded. Jackson had nearly forgotten about his ability, would he be able to use it now. "Me too!" Jackson cried in excitement before quickly putting out his palm, the boy focused intensely on the center of his hand- eventually closing his eyes and holding his breath with intense concentration. Eventually, a bit of metal spurted form his palm, followed by the rest of it's sphere shaped body. Jackson grinned proudly at what he had made, a rod about 6 inches long. While beaming at his creation, which he now held in front of him like a sword Jackson looked back up at Marik. "Where are you going?" he asked in a carefree. sing-song kind of voice, "are you made at Kyla?" he inquired. Of course, Jackson picked up on the other male's unease, but he still didn't put the pieces together.

 

[Martin Pine]

Eric was surprised but also very amused to hear Levia mimic his playful name calling, the fire elemental smirking a little as he looked to Marik. His response caused Eric to fold his arms but asides from a small 'tsk' he didn't say much else. The moment was simply too positive for Eric to be drawn into an argument with the leafy boy, a common occurrence in the vault since they clashed in many ways. His serenity was shattered by the growing conflict between Marik and Kyla, Eric listening to it and waiting to interject but not finding the time to do so.

Zuzu's voice managed to slice through the tension with soft and tenderly care, her presence simmering down Eric's excitement enough for him to listen to her advice. When she left however he Eric found himself startled by Jackson's suddenly outburst. The more he spoke though the more excited Eric also became. There was so much to explore and learn that things had slipped his mind. Creatures and plants were something that awaited them as well as landscapes. There were still many things slipping Eric's mind but one thing that hadn't was the group.

Once again he looked around it. Levia was close to the vault with him along with Royal. Kyla and Alex were racing towards a rock and Noah was still nowhere to be seen. That left only Marik and Jackson ... Wait where were Marik and Jackson. Eric frowned and quickly looked around to try and spot the two of them. He'd not heard Marik dismissing himself nor had he heard Jackson attempting to talk reason to the other boy. Eric just about spotted the two of them when they were already a little while away. He groaned to himself a little bit. One of the first things Mama Zuzu had said was to stick together and not they were immediately splitting up. Eric turned to look at Levia and then to Royal, raising an eyebrow at the two and then gesturing in the direction that Marik and Jackson had walked off in. "Do you wanna follow them or wha?"

 

[kyuukestu]

The fraying of the group was a dampening deluge all over Levia's mood. Her shoulders sagged visibly, and she whipped her head back and forth. First at Kyla and Alex and then at Marik, who was soon accompanied by Jackson. Even in the midst of the single most momentous occasion of their lives, siblings would be siblings —prone to flipping each other off at the slightest inconvenience.

At this point, Eric put the onus on her. Go with Kyla and Alex, or chase after Marik and Jackson. The decision was...not one she wanted to make. Both choices were, in her own opinion, rather poor. Back in the vault she could've guilted them all into talking it out with a few crocodile tears but...

Another look revealed a spray of dust as Alex kicked off, racing into the distance. Worst yet so too had Marik and Jackson, as they began moving out of sight. Levia needed time, and time was something she didn't have. The sudden split of the group was an immediate cause for concern.

Gramma Zuzu had told them not to split up, after all. And though they would've deserved it, Levia didn't want to see any of her siblings put in the time-out room. She had to think fast and act even faster if she wanted things to turn sunny-side up. Levia immediately thought back to the small pool built into her room, wishing she had time to take a dip —it always calmed her nerves and when she came out...

"Oh! That's it!"

Concentrating deeply, Levia stretched out her arms, aiming in the direction Jackson and Marik had went. Droplets of water gathered on her skin, glistening in the desert sun, rolling down her finger-tips and ballooning into the air. In a matter of seconds, the aerated droplet of water had formed into a legion of bubbles. The fragile army marched after the two eldest elementals, their numbers falling as the blistering heat and parched winds culled them.

The bubbles on the outmost layer of the cluster began to pop and the cluster grew smaller and smaller as it trailed after its quarry. Although it didn't seem to do much, Levia was satisfied. She looked down onto the sand, making it two sets of foot-prints held in the wetted earth. Just like the moist prints she left behind whenever she stepped out of her pool.

Delighted in her own genius, Levia turned to Eric. "We're going after them!" She, however, wasn't talking about Marik and Jackson. They would come later. The bubbles wouldn't reveal the full trek made by the two boys, but it would at least tell Levia which direction they'd gone in. This was already significant enough.

As long as she could get Kyla and Alex to follow her she could reunite the group. Given the hyperactive duo were only racing to a nearby rock, they wouldn't lose too much time on catch up to Marik and Jackson.

"Let's go!"

She immediately set off towards the race's final destination, only taking a moment to call over her shoulder.

"You too Royal!"

 

[Grand Master Koop]

“Geez, what's with that sigh?” Thinking to herself, Kyla began observing the situation around her. Marik began walking away on his own following his sigh, not sure whether he was annoyed of her but assumed he probably was. Kyla noticed that the other elemental children looked to have been brought out of their previous whimsy most likely because of the short 'dispute' she and Marik had. She let out a sigh. “Was that really worth all this gloom? Come on, lighten up a bit.” She mumbled to herself. 10 years spent together and it seemed there is still no one who knew exactly what goes on inside Kyla’s head.

She was brought back to reality when Alex signalled the start of the race. At the same time, she noticed everyone have started splitting up following Marik’s lead. “Hmm, granny told us not to get separated. Oh well, maybe next time.” With that thought, Kyla flicked the electric marble she was charging in Alex’s path. The marble would give him a light shock if he stepped on it. “Looks like we have to leave now, let’s move the race to next time.” With her hands in her pockets, she turned around and began running up with a light jog towards Levia who was dashing towards their location. “If you don’t want to call this off, then say it’s your win by forfeit. It doesn’t really bother me.”

 

[Sky_]

"Ah well, shame. I guess we can try another time." Alex thought to himself, making a jump over the electric ball Kyla has thrown before abandoning the race. Though he'd known her long enough to at least half expect her to get bored and abandon the race, he'd never really been able to understand her, so guesses were the best he could do. Either way, he'd heard ZuZu mention that they should stay together, and it wasn't hard to figure out that Levia and Royal were trying their best to keep the group together by meeting himself and Kyla at the rock, however fruitless it'd be at this point.

Turning round, Alex was about to join Kyla in meeting the other two when he managed to step straight onto the electric marble he thought he'd avoided, sending a sudden shock running up his leg. He shot a glare at her, though his abilities weren't anywhere near enough to send something back in retaliation, so it was quickly dismissed. He caught up with her quickly and raised a hand in greeting to Levia. "Hey. I assume you've got a way to keep track of those two," Alex jerked a thumb in the direction of the two eldest elementals, "if we lose them, right?"

 

[Crimson Sun]

With everyone doing their own thing, Royal didn't know what to do exactly. After the joyous momentum had died down quickly, the children broke off into the separate ways. One crew was going to race, the other went in another direction. Only a few of them held back, including himself. He wasn't spontaneous like the most of them, the younger was more so articulated and got directly to the point, only occasionally enjoying things to himself. Clearly, a few didn't hear what Miss Zuzu had claimed of not splitting up.

Royal perked at the heed of Levia's call. The latter was trying to get the male to go towards the end destination of the upcoming race between Kyla and Alex. Royal hesitated for a bit, not knowing what to do. On one hand, Miss Zuzu did say that the latter of them shouldn't split up. On the other hand, the crew already did split up and was doing their own thing. It was better than standing around near the vault after all. Best option in this scenario was to follow the pack with more people, so they would be "less" split up.

Carefully weaving between the trail of bubbles, the ice child followed Levia, who was also leading Eric, towards the proclaimed finish line of the race. However, before the trio could reach any further, Kyla suddenly stopped in her tracks, proclaiming out of nowhere that she doesn't want to race anymore. "Okay wierdo," Royal thought to himself. Even if she continued or didn't finish the race against Alex, they would've ended regroup again thanks to Levia's efforts.

Now, at least some of them were back together as a group. Marik and Jackson were still apart from the group, off into their own fantasy and what not. Honestly, Royal still doesn't know how he's able to cope with all their jumbled personality for 10 years, but he lived, that is what counts for now.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Marik perked up as the familiar voice of Jackson broke the silence.

“Huh? Kyla? Not at all. I’m used to it.” He replied whilst dusting his hands off, looking back in the direction of the vault.

“Why’d you follow me? I shouldn’t be out this far, let alone you...” The wild haired boy trailed off, slowly walking up to Jackson. A small smirk grew on the his face as he noticed the metal rod the boy had created. Jackson was a natural, that’s for sure.

“Come on, let’s head back.” Unfortunately, Marik wouldn’t be able to achieve any of his goals with the whole vault breathing down his neck. This venture would have to wait.

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

Jackson's smile didn't wear as Marik spoke to him, the boy rolled the rod he made back and forth in his palm. Classic Marik. It was no surprise he'd wander off on his own like that, but the slightest hint that one of the other children are in danger and he'd turn around on the spot. Jackson, though not fully aware of what he was doing, knew that Marik had things he wanted to do. And Jackson knew, very well, that he was stopping Marik from doing those things. Everyone had to look out for each other, that's just how things were. "I wonder when we'll get our own house. And then, we can move our stuff into our own rooms. And then we can make a backyard, too. An-" Jackson's gaze wandered the pale, lifeless sky as he daydreamed about a future that seemed distant, he stopped abruptly when a rumble caught his attention. Jackson looked up and narrowed his gaze hard at a distant blur, two round figures could be made out- kicking out large clouds of dust as they barreled towards the boy. Never having seen anything like it, Jackson waited excitedly for the creatures to get closer- where were they going?
Grunting could be made out as the boars got closer and closer, and suddenly Jack didn't feel do sure about things. A viscous hunger could be made out in the dark eyes of the large brown creatures- which looked as if nothing could stop them.

 

[Martin Pine]

“Huh?” Levia’s sudden creation of bubbles initially confused Eric, who made sure not to be in the way of the frail watery cloud. Upon realising what she had done he couldn’t help but grin due to her cleverness. Levia always found a way to impress Eric, her creativity mixed with her abilities were a good combination.

Eric had just been about to call everyone to group up and move out, only for Levia to beat him to the chase and immediately begin moving. He scoffed gently, more impressed than anything at the youngests elemental’s confidence and command. “We all heard the little lady, lets go!” He didn’t immediately set off, checking to make sure everyone was in pursuit of Levia before setting off himself.

Eric stayed near the back of the group, making sure everyone was sticking together. He moved at the same pace of the group, a positive expression across his face but also a concerned one. It almost annoyed him how Marik had set off on his own like that, he more than anyone should understand what the outside world was like, how it was dangerous. Whilst they were both the oldest, Eric’s memories had been more ... suppressed, forgotten and discarded. His yearning to return to the outside world has not decreased due to that however, if anything it had probably increased. Now they were on the surface and ... still up to the same old shenanigans by the looks of things. New environment, same tendencies.

“Let’s speed up a little guys” Eric had only just began to notice how far they’d really gone. The vault was almost unseeable, not that it was much of a large landmark anyways. They needed to find the pair of them quickly, just in case something bad happened. Unknown to Eric, that was already happening.

 

[kyuukestu]

The water elemental stumbled, temporarily at a loss as Kyla now didn't want to race. Well, it didn't matter. One way or another, it appeared that they would be setting off earlier than she'd expected. The wet tracks left behind by Marik and Jackson were still rather fresh, but the heat of the desert was already causing them to fade.

"Ah...yea we'd better hurry up."

Seeing as the other elementals chose to crowd around her, Levia led the way, marching through the desert as they followed the faint trail of their two would-be leaders. They didn't have to walk for too long as the sun had dried the water from the sand, cutting off the trail of tracks and leaving them smack in the middle of no-where.

Levia looked around, noting that she could no longer see the base from here. A bit troubled by the situation, she turned toward the other elementals.

"Well...where do you think they—"

**GRUNNNNT**

The sudden grunting cut off her words, and as Levia whipped around to face it, she could see clouds of dust being kicked up just over the next sand dune. She didn't know what was happening over there, but a sense of foreboding settled on her stomach. She immediately took off at a sprint, scaling the sand dune in seconds until the scene of confrontation was revealed.

A pair of hefty, charging hogs, but —even worst— their targets were none other than Marik and Jackson.

 

[E.K.A.N.S.]

Over the past ten years, the conflict between the nine elements displaced ordinary humans, undermined their ancestral units, and scattered them into motley bands of refugees. For the ailing chief of the Starlight nation, what mattered most was weathering the war and preventing the further erosion of his population. But just as his collective found itself wedged between powerful forces, so too was Death's scythe wedged firmly in his back, creeping deeper into his flesh and bringing his individual battle with illness to a close. He'd passed seven years ago, and when he breathed his last breath, he named his successor—his 13-year-old daughter and youngest child, whose fingers clutched the fading life in his shriveled hand and whose tears streamed down her face to catch up with it.

The girl didn't just lose her father that day. Her two older brothers, who'd stood over the chief's deathbed and processed his soft but grating last words, were consumed by jealousy, banishing their sister into the beast-ridden forest outside the village and seizing power for themselves. However dangerous, the sprawling boscage, too inhospitable to combatants, was one of few places the war had spared, and the wandering adolescent made it through, settling on a grassy hill and building a home.

After seven years, however, it didn't feel like one. Celia's fingers trembled on the cover of a book and her eyes clouded with tears as she read the story of a powerless girl who'd lost her friends, family, and freedom, just like she had. She'd braved the wilderness and matured into a beautiful, amber-haired 20-year-old with hazel eyes, but her strong façade gave way to intense feelings of loneliness. All Celia thought about was how the village was doing without her, how much she missed her brothers and the rest of her people.

Besides the books she'd taken with her and sparsely arranged on a shelf, her only friend was a husky whimpering at her feet and wondering what was wrong.

"I'm fine, Sol..." she said with a relieved smile, putting her brave face back on. "Let's go for a walk."

The woman headed out the door with her dog in tow, the pristine grass disturbed only by the fence she'd erected to hold her sheep. This place wasn't so bad, she thought. The conflict had ravaged virtually everything beyond these trying woods, but animals thrived in the abundant oasis.

Celia and Sol were leaving its safety now, knives drawn and fangs born as they ventured into the wilds that secluded it. Monsters inhabited this part of Bane Wood, but the two were unafraid, the canine honing his hunting instincts and the human training herself so she wouldn't rot. The sky above thickened into a canopy and the sound of chirping insects intensified soon after they started down the hill, anticipating whatever challenging beast they were bound to face in this chamber of cheering spectators.

But what they found instead were the remains of a battle already concluded—trampled brush, splintered wood, dented trees, and unconscious... kids? Celia dropped her guard and ran over, checking their condition, noting the wounds on their skin and the prints in the dirt. Whatever creatures had done this, they weren't around. Those of the night weren't as merciful, so she couldn't just abandon these children.

Did she even have room in her cottage, though? There was a ladder to a space between the ceiling where she tossed sheep hides, which could be used as a makeshift bunk, but would it hold all of them? Celia shook her head, not worrying about that now. She hoisted the youths onto her and Sol's backs and began the trek home, unchanged since her days as the Starlight nation's princess, caring for people all the same.