Vincent Hamilton
Vincent only recognised the silence that came over the group when it allowed him to better focus on the matter at hand, briefly glancing over his shoulder to see what the sudden change in tone had been caused by. As Leo made his way over to investigate the damage with him, it seemed the boy was in agreement with his basic summation of the situation; though it seemed he was more in favour of repair the damage rather than starting from scratch. Taking one of the larger chunks in hand, Vincent set about infusing it with some of his personal magic, having it sit in midair at an appropriate height. From there, he could continue doing so for each piece until they had the shape roughly completed, then it would be a matter of repairing the rune damage and getting it to stay together once it was completed.
While Vincent had been working on this, Leo seemed to have been further investigating the root origin of the runework, which was unsurprisingly based around the standard portal rune at the academy – Albeit, with some modifications. Still, his insight into the quantity and number of changes was invaluable, and it did feel better to have another working on a different aspect of their self-imposed puzzle. At present, Vincent was simply connecting what obvious pieces he could, typically the larger ones given the nature of the fractures or breaks. In addition, the outer pieces were smooth and flat, leading to a simple process of elimination to determine which of the 6 sides they belonged to. That said, there was plenty of rubble and pieces that would not be suitable to replace into the pillar, so substitutes would be necessary at some point.
“This rune is typically placed second, so it’s probably safe to assume that the same would apply here...if I’m not mistaken?” Recognising Khiefal’s voice, as well as the rising tone that indicated a question, Vincent looked up from his current work. Meeting the boy’s gaze, he found a replica image of a rune printed onto his phone, Arte allowing Vincent to observe the finer intricacies.. Hmm, perhaps that could be useful. It certainly seemed to match one of the runes over the pillar when he overlayed it in his mind. Judging by the ligatures and loops present, it appeared to be a modification rune of some kind, which would follow along cleanly with Arte’s declaration that it was a secondary rune rather than the primary conduit. Nodding, Vincent decided to air his agreement.
“It seems like a sound conclusion, and having that as a point of reference will make replicating the rune simple enough. If we can identify the remaining changes to the rune, we’ll simply need some material to hold this pillar together. I should be capable of tracing the runes onto it when we achieve that.” Vincent declared with some degree of confidence. Though he specialised in healing magic, it was important to understand the fundamentals of medicine in addition to the runes used for healing. It was pointless to cure a dying man’s cold, or heal over a wound that was infected. As such, Vincent was capable of a magic used for precise incisions for surgical efforts, along with the steady hands to utilise such an ability. Needless to say, his knack for details and regal penmanship was more than capable of replicating a rune by eye.
Stepping back from the pillar, Vincent gestured on the progress he’d made in reassembling it, gesturing to a few main points. “This obviously matches with the standard Rune that Leo explained to each of you, while this area here belongs to Arte’s suggestion. This leaves these two areas here to identify, though with the gaps, It’s a little hard to envision their final form…” Vincent trailed off as he began scrutinising the shapes and scanning his memory. “If we can identify the properties of the portals we’ve used thus far, that might help us identify what further modifications – and therefore, what runes – we are missing.”
Charlotte Wynetta
Charlotte literally jumped when she heard the door clang open, whirling in place and clapping her hands together as she recognised one of the most crucial members of her team. Of course she was here! How could she have doubted the Majors? Likely they were making her wait for dramatic effect and testing her loyalty! My, Liliane and Atticus sure were shrewd people, but Charlotte herself was quite the astute judge of character herself. Heels clacking on the polished floor as she made her way over, Charlotte more carefully decided to stop in front of Liliane and greet her less intimately given their last experience.
“Hey there, I’m here now. Sorry about the lateness I think I caught Atty’s allergies.” Liliane mumbled as Charlotte made her approach, laughing to herself as she closed the gap to a short foot and gesturing to herself warmly. “Liliane, darling, think nothing of it! I do hope you’ve recovered for the competition, but rest assured I will do my utmost to ensure both your comfort and freedom to solve the dastardly maze that has been set upon us. I have no doubt you and Atticus have been studying fervently for this occasion, possibly to the detriment of your sleep and health, but do know that I appreciate you doing your all for this team.” Charlotte beamed, the idea of being this closely associated with one of the school’s finest was a huge boost to her mood. And ego.
“Speaking of Atticus, I’m surprised you two aren’t together. Pray tell, perhaps you’re aware of his current whereabouts?” Charlotte queried as she lead Liliane over towards the main doors and the seating in the corner. Of course, the opportunity to speak in private with Liliane wouldn’t last as they were rudely interrupted by loud, thudding footsteps followed by a cacophonous crash as the side door was thrown open with such force it hit the inner wall and rebounded back into the person who’d opened it – though the imbecile didn’t seem to mind. Charlotte gritted and grinded her teeth as she watched Troy make his clumsy approach.
“Troy…” Charlotte elongated his name awkwardly as he came into earshot, stressing it far more than was necessary. “How nice to-“ Charlotte froze up as she was interrupted – AGAIN – though this time, by his horrible coughing. Reflexively, her eye twitched as she felt an uncomfortable spray hit her face before he had the decency to cover his mouth and wheeze into his sleeve. Unintentionally, she felt her hands make a wringing motion before she retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket, flicking it out once before wiping her own face. Vaguely, she could hear him mumbling some apologies regarding their previous meeting, claiming it to be for Ms. Liliane’s sake. Moving to return the pink cloth to her pocket, Charlotte returned to her superior and noble disposition for a moment, before giving Troy the sweetest wicked smile she could muster.
“You should be very thankful Ms. Liliane is here to forgive your mistakes. Most people are not so gracious.” Charlotte shot her sharpest glare as she finished her statement, completely out of eyeshot of Liliane as she stepped forward towards Troy. The implications of her words and expression said it all. She had certainly not forgiven him. Still, there were far more important matters than simply dealing with Mr. Pendleton. Atticus had slipped in behind the young man, and made apologies involving a family pet, to which Charlotte could only smile and nod. Pets were an important show of responsibility, and this simply showed Atticus’ dedication towards helping those most in need. Truly, he was a generous soul. Still, rather than consult with Charlotte on a plan or get the team in motion towards the entrance, he began making conversation with that nitwit of all people!
”Atticus, dear,” Charlotte unceremoniously pushed Troy out of the boy’s line of sight and stepped into it, interrupting whatever response he planned on giving. “Should we not forge on into the trials and save the socialising for our celebration party? After all, we…” Charlotte paused midsentence as she retrieved her arm. Why was it wet? Not wanting to think about that prospect any further, Charlotte merely held her arm at an awkward length away from her body as she walked back towards the portal behind them. “I understand your confidence and graciousness in giving us a handicap so that the other teams have more of a sporting chance, but 10 minutes headstart is more than enough. Shall we begin?” Retrieving her handkerchief again with her clean hand, Charlotte began wiping down the soiled one, before graciously bowing aside and letting the majors lead the way. Then, she cut in before Troy before stepping into the portal herself.
As soon as they arrived on the other side, orders were already flowing from Charlotte’s mouth. “Okay team, let’s fan out and see what we have to work with. Troy, since you and I can’t compare to our fine colleagues, you can come with me to investigate this side, while Atticus and Liliane can explore the front and right side of the room.” Making her way over to the left, Charlotte was at least temporarily oblivious to whether anyone actually listened to her as she made her way to the west wall. Still, the team was together and had started. Nothing could stop them now.