Maa ... I've tried three different approaches to this scene. This one seems like being the least bothersome one.
The sudden beeping had almost all those present startle. Given the tension that had been hanging over the Garderobe personell and assorted people in the tent - the impromptu command post for the former - it wasn't really all that hard a thing to do.
The fact that they were missing two students, then two of the searching Pearl Otome coming back from scouting the place where a Materialization had taken place saying they'd found not only boat debris and a nearly empty and badly battered water flask of the sort they'd issued to said students, but also a cyborg of some sort standing guard in front of ...
"Ruins?" well, alright. Nagi dai Artai had been unusually calm throughout, but then, none of those present had ever seen the young Grand Duke act anything but.
Nina Wong, Garderobe student, was not. Not only due to the fact that two of her ... well, they were the closest to being what other people would describe as friends ... were missing, her adoptive father - Sergei Wong, direct subordinate of dai Artai - who'd gone out searching for them was missing as well.
The beeping interrupted Yukino Chrysant from giving an explanation as to what these ruins were - her and Haruka Armitage having been present from the onset of Garderobe's so called 'field trip' traversal exam, since Garderobe did need the permission of the Aries Republic to hold said exam on their soil. The President and her Otome had been agreeable, even going as far as to personally greet the Garderobe administrative and teaching staff upon their arrival. Their further stay there ... well, whether it was due to a desire to keep an eye on Garderobe or just for the company and break from their own administrative work was a toss-up.
The source of the noise was quite obvious, though - the computer Garderobe's head medic and technician, Yohko Helene, had brought with her and set up on one of the tables in the tent. A remnant of the old Earthen technology, it was extremely valuable, and her having taken it along spoke volumes about how deep Garderobe's supplies thereof were.
The woman rushed over, fingers working the keyboard on instinct, eyes jumping from one called up readout window to another with the ease of long practice.
"A Materialization?" Natsuki Kruger asked, making the others present, again sans Nagi, shift nerviously.
"No," Yohko's eyes widened slightly as she read the influx of data. "There are some similarities, but whatever it is is also far too unstable and very ... faint."
She finished, blinking, looking up ...
The sudden gust of wind that buffeted the tent, with enough power to make its structure groan in protest, took them by surprise.
Haruka's chair hit the floor in an instant, as the woman shot to her feet and pulled Yukino behind her. The other present Otome were also momentarily on guard, with the two Pearls who'd just given their report but still hadn't dismissed their Robes rushing out ...
... to almost stumble on the prone and bundled up girl who'd been laid down on the ground beside the tent.
"What ... Erstin!" Akane Soir, top Pearl Otome, exclaimed, recognizing one of the missing students.
I'm considering rewriting this. The exposition still feels awkward.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
The sudden beeping had almost all those present startle. Given the tension that had been hanging over the Garderobe personell and assorted people in the tent - the impromptu command post for the former - it wasn't really all that hard a thing to do.
The fact that they were missing two students, then two of the searching Pearl Otome coming back from scouting the place where a Materialization had taken place saying they'd found not only boat debris and a nearly empty and badly battered water flask of the sort they'd issued to said students, but also a cyborg of some sort standing guard in front of ...
"Ruins?" well, alright. Nagi dai Artai had been unusually calm throughout, but then, none of those present had ever seen the young Grand Duke act anything but.
Nina Wong, Garderobe student, was not. Not only due to the fact that two of her ... well, they were the closest to being what other people would describe as friends ... were missing, her adoptive father - Sergei Wong, direct subordinate of dai Artai - who'd gone out searching for them was missing as well.
The beeping interrupted Yukino Chrysant from giving an explanation as to what these ruins were - her and Haruka Armitage having been present from the onset of Garderobe's so called 'field trip' traversal exam, since Garderobe did need the permission of the Aries Republic to hold said exam on their soil. The President and her Otome had been agreeable, even going as far as to personally greet the Garderobe administrative and teaching staff upon their arrival. Their further stay there ... well, whether it was due to a desire to keep an eye on Garderobe or just for the company and break from their own administrative work was a toss-up.
The source of the noise was quite obvious, though - the computer Garderobe's head medic and technician, Yohko Helene, had brought with her and set up on one of the tables in the tent. A remnant of the old Earthen technology, it was extremely valuable, and her having taken it along spoke volumes about how deep Garderobe's supplies thereof were.
The woman rushed over, fingers working the keyboard on instinct, eyes jumping from one called up readout window to another with the ease of long practice.
"A Materialization?" Natsuki Kruger asked, making the others present, again sans Nagi, shift nerviously.
"No," Yohko's eyes widened slightly as she read the influx of data. "There are some similarities, but whatever it is is also far too unstable and very ... faint."
She finished, blinking, looking up ...
The sudden gust of wind that buffeted the tent, with enough power to make its structure groan in protest, took them by surprise.
Haruka's chair hit the floor in an instant, as the woman shot to her feet and pulled Yukino behind her. The other present Otome were also momentarily on guard, with the two Pearls who'd just given their report but still hadn't dismissed their Robes rushing out ...
... to almost stumble on the prone and bundled up girl who'd been laid down on the ground beside the tent.
"What ... Erstin!" Akane Soir, top Pearl Otome, exclaimed, recognizing one of the missing students.
I'm considering rewriting this. The exposition still feels awkward.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm