Erin Clearwater | Female | 21 Years | Kraen | Group A
Location: Alstor Skyport
Mentions: None {Open}

Anxiety crashed over Erin with the force of a freight train as she approached the building the raffle winners were to be housed in until leaving for the Lower World, hands shaking as she pushed the doors open and entered the common room area. Miraculously she had managed to get through the past week or so without thinking about it all that much. Pushing it to the back of her mind. Ignoring the sound of her mother’s sobbing late at night or her uncles’ saddened gazes aimed in her direction when they thought she wasn’t looking. Somehow she had kept all of her emotions locked away until this moment and now she was overwhelmed by its intensity. She immediately made her way to her assigned room, slamming the door behind her before crumpling to the floor. Her back against the wall, she took in deep, gasping breaths as a panic attack forced her to the floor, arms wrapping around her knees as green eyes scrunched shut.

’Get a hold of yourself.’ Erin scolded herself, ashamed of her inability to handle the situation with grace. She was already so much later arriving than the other ticket holders. She had spent every last minute with her family that she could before reluctantly packing her bags and deciding to make the journey from her apartment in Kraen’s only city to Alstor’s skyport alone. She had deliberately requested her mother and uncles not to accompany her. It was already hard enough saying goodbye. If they had come she would have ended up bursting into tears and the thought of crying in front of the other ‘volunteers’ was very unappealing. Not that this was much better. Erin could only hope no one had seen her come rushing in here on the verge of a breakdown.

A wet feeling on her cheek calmed her nerves enough for her to sit up fully, her Runner Zoom having squeezed himself between her trembling knees and now washing her face with his forked tongue. Erin reached out to scratch beneath his chin in thanks and the small drake made a raspy sound similar to a cat’s purr. Zoom might not be a Glider or Flier, but he had been her closest companion since she was sixteen years old and always seemed to know what to do to bring her back to reality. She was forever grateful for his presence in her life. “We should go greet the others now, don’t you think?” Erin asked, wiping a few stray tears from beneath her eyes before getting to her feet. The drake made a clicking noise before climbing up her body until he lay draped comfortably across her shoulders. He nudged her cheek again with his nose in encouragement and the smallest of smiles lit up her face before she opened her door and headed back out to the common room.

★★★★★★★

Draven Moore | Male | 23 Years | Riter | Group B
Location: Riter Skyport
Mentions: None {Open}

Draven walked hand in hand with his youngest sister Keller as they approached Riter’s skyport. His mother had stayed behind in their home downtown, lacking the strength to make it much further than a block. She’d fallen ill in the past few years and barely had the will to get out of bed most days. It was likely for the best she hadn’t come, being rather weepy since discovering Draven’s ticket had been chosen. He tried not to worry too much for her care while he was...away. She need never worry for money again and his boys would make sure no harm befell any member of his family. Or at least they better or there would be hell to pay when he got back, because, of course he would come back.

As they reached the doors to the building Keller began to wail, drawing attention to the pair as she desperately tugged at his arm and begged him not to go. He found her uncontrollable sobbing somewhat over-dramatic, but managed to keep calm despite her carrying on, which normally might have had him calling her a brat and snapping to knock it off. Things were different now. Only God knew when he’d see her next. Draven was painfully aware now that he hadn’t been the best brother he could have been to either of his sisters. He’d started the Shadow Strikers to protect them and all the families struggling in the slums, but somewhere along the way he’d gotten caught up in his new...occupation. He didn’t spend much time at home anymore.

He was not unaware of the fact he became everything he’d once hated in the process of furthering the goals of his gang. Suddenly he wasn’t a well intentioned kid just trying to keep his loved ones safe anymore and instead a brute who solved his problems through slitting throats or coercing people into doing what he wanted. Somehow his family still loved him anyway. How he didn’t know, but it made his heart ache as Keller so clearly thought making a fuss could change anything. He leaned down on one knee so he was closer to her level, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I have to go. You know that.”

Keller stared at the ground, avoiding his gaze as her bawling quieted down into a few sniffles, snot almost comically dripping from her nose, getting a crooked grin and a soft laugh out of him. He wiped her nose on his sleeve and kissed her forehead before rising back to his full height. “Go on home kiddo. Mom will be waiting for you.” Keller remained where she stood. Feet planted to the ground stubbornly. Typical Keller. “Hey, you know, now that I’m not going to be around I’m gonna need you to look after mom and Damaris for me. Think you can do that? Lord knows what Dama will get up to without me there. You gotta keep her in line for me.” The mention of their somewhat rebellious sister brought an almost mischievous grin to Keller’s face.

“I can do that,” she confirmed, raising her chin a bit.

“That’s a girl. Now run along. I’ll be home before you know it,” he encouraged, sensing the worst was over. They could have a proper farewell now. She lunged forward and gripped him in a hug much tighter than one might expect from a ten-year old girl and as he wrapped his arms around her in return he found himself reluctant to let go. Damn it all. He was going to mess this little pest. She released him from her sisterly death grip a few minutes later, soon after turning to run back to the house.

“Don’t die Draven. If you die I’ll never forgive you,” she called without looking back.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he responded in turn, his tone unworried.

He watched her until she disappeared behind the smog that forever hovered over Riter, turning swiftly to join the other raffle winners. Might as well get this over with.

((witness the total nerd that is eric))

Eric Deux · Male · 19 years · Arstal · Group A
Location: Drake Stables · Mentions: Cara & Myani (mostly their drakes)

The second Eric hopped off of the small car-like device he had made for himself, he folded the strange skeleton of gears and jointed metal into a much smaller, more manageable form and hooked it to the shoulder strap that draped over his back, which was covered in various trinkets and collections of...stuff. He probably looked insane to the passersby, considering that not only was he holding a large number of what looked like metal scraps, but there was a small automaton resting on his shoulder, eyes glazed over for he had yet to learn how to make it move. And he was covered in grease and oil, and probably smelled like a rusty old car.

Well, that never stopped him.

He headed immediately toward the drake stables, because his priority was not only finding himself a drake but also observing the others, preferably the ones with wings. However, from what he saw, not a single one of the people inside - there were only two girls, from what he saw - had a winged drake. Well, that was disappointing. He decided instead to indulge himself in the anatomy and physiology of the pair of drakes, one Runner and a Draft that scared him just a bit. Besides Diggers, whose massive claws and sleek, hole-fitting bodies intrigued him to no end, Runners were one of his favorite wingless drakes, though a Flier would beat any of them any day.

Without really thinking of mentioning that he was going to touch either of their drakes, Eric stepped forward and kneeled before the smaller of the two drakes, the Runner, not touching her as he took in the sheer largeness of her frame, and the leg muscles rippling beneath her leathery skin. He was pretty sure he squealed once or twice, a grin plastered on his face as he gazed over the drake. It was so much different than observing sketches and research notes, all of which he had brought with him in the bag he had hanging loosely from his shoulders.

He glanced back at the pair of girls, who no doubt were probably questioning what the hell was wrong with him. "Would she mind if I touched her?" he asked, unsure of how drakes acted. He had studied their bodies and how they worked, but not their psychology. He was less intrigued by how their minds worked than he was by their bodily functions.