Church of the Whiterose Complex

[kenod]

On 1/30/2020 at 0:39 AM, Ark1002 said:

Quote

YES! lets do that!

@kenod

Quote

Shade should currently be around on the roof of one of the taller buildings as well. I think she's still hiding her presence to some extent, but someone looking out for people would still spot her. Do you want to have Georgia-Grace spot her or do you prefer for Shade to spot her?

 

[ShadowLord_Lith]

The female professor stepped up to the babbling man and glared at him. "Shut up and listen, kid. If you're going to act like a child, then expect the treatment due one- you can only control your own actions, so calm down, calmly explain to your superior what is happening, and do your best not to make your sniveling, stuttering, and fear make him angrier. Now, you 'claim' I blasphemed. Explain how already so I can apologize, we can all move on, and I don't screw up again- and if you don't take my advice I won't attempt to stop the big one if he chooses to punish you- I doubt he can hurt civilians, but I won't even try to get in his way if you don't grow up and get a backbone. Honestly, you're supposed to be in a military force, and you can't even keep your spine straight in front of one man? I'm weaker than you and I could stab him if I had too- I'd be killed instantly but hey- death is literally everywhere all the time. There's always a bigger fish, so stop worrying about what might kill you and just try to live life. Honestly... how am I- an old, civilian woman who's never been in combat except as collateral damage less of a coward than a man who fights his enemies for a living? You're potentially in combat every few days, the way you seem prepared for it." She crossed her arms, looking at him fiercely like a teacher staring down a disobedient student when she knew she had the power and authority to back her punishment up- even though in this case she utterly lacked the ability to do anything except keep her word and stay out of the big man's way. 

[AonEne]

Quote

Oh my gosh, she’s a mood and I love her. 

 

[+Ark1002]

Quote

I would prefer shade spots her.

Honestly, I wouldn't be using Georgia-Grace, except that and Georgia-Gretta are the only ones I remember

@kenod

[Grey Knight]

On 2/2/2020 at 9:47 AM, ShadowLord_Lith said:

The female professor stepped up to the babbling man and glared at him. "Shut up and listen, kid. If you're going to act like a child, then expect the treatment due one- you can only control your own actions, so calm down, calmly explain to your superior what is happening, and do your best not to make your sniveling, stuttering, and fear make him angrier. Now, you 'claim' I blasphemed. Explain how already so I can apologize, we can all move on, and I don't screw up again- and if you don't take my advice I won't attempt to stop the big one if he chooses to punish you- I doubt he can hurt civilians, but I won't even try to get in his way if you don't grow up and get a backbone. Honestly, you're supposed to be in a military force, and you can't even keep your spine straight in front of one man? I'm weaker than you and I could stab him if I had too- I'd be killed instantly but hey- death is literally everywhere all the time. There's always a bigger fish, so stop worrying about what might kill you and just try to live life. Honestly... how am I- an old, civilian woman who's never been in combat except as collateral damage less of a coward than a man who fights his enemies for a living? You're potentially in combat every few days, the way you seem prepared for it." She crossed her arms, looking at him fiercely like a teacher staring down a disobedient student when she knew she had the power and authority to back her punishment up- even though in this case she utterly lacked the ability to do anything except keep her word and stay out of the big man's way. 

The man stared at her, mouth gaping open. The space marine, meanwhile, burst into laughter. It boomed across the courtyard, startlingly deep and resonant.

"Blood of the Lion," he said at last, still chuckling. "I haven't been that amused since one of the cleaning servitors turned out to be an inquisitor!"

"Ma'am," the robed man said, staring at his feet, "I'm just an Adept. I'm civilian clergy. No combat experience whatsoever." He grimaced. "My boss, though, she's a real nutcase. Hyper conservative, prone to shooting first, thinks she's the Omnissiah's gift to humanity. She claims that this compound is, well..." He shuffled awkwardly. "Heretical, ma'am. Since you don't recognize the Lord of Machines in your pantheon."

"And unfortunately," the space marine said, his face growing stern, "she is the only tech-priest in this city with enough skills to install the plasma reactor." He growled. "Martians. Bah. I will speak to her, but the awakening rituals will have to wait until tomorrow. The heart will have to remain here until then."

@ShadowLord_Lith @Sorana @Silva @Voidus

[kenod]

16 hours ago, Ark1002 said:

Quote

I would prefer shade spots her.

Honestly, I wouldn't be using Georgia-Grace, except that and Georgia-Gretta are the only ones I remember

@kenod

Silently Shade walked along the rooftop, looking at the people walking by on the ground below. Suddenly something made her perk up though, instincts from before she had come here, still ingrained from years of training. She looked around, quickly spotting what had set her off. A woman, walking across the rooftops as well. Curious, Shade hid in the shadow, slightly masking her presence, studying her. There were only a couple of people in the church who liked to stay in high places like the rooftops, though she had been careful to prevent them from noticing her, though she wasn't sure if she'd been successful. She didn't recognize this woman though, and she wasn't moving around as if she was just hanging around, instead looking as if she had some sort of goal in mind.

Silently Shade left her hiding place, quietly moving in the direction of the newcomer. Based on her current direction she could guess where she was going to, and where she would be in a few minutes. And at the same time, Shade was certain she knew these roofs much better than her. It shouldn't be that hard to sneak up on her, and then...
And then what? She thought. She noticed a weight in her right hand, and knew what was in it without having to look down, and she shuddered, scared that her first instinct was still to stab her, to kill her, even after all this time.
I'll just walk up to her, she thought, just ask her why she's here. Talk about it. Yes, that's a good idea. And if she is dangerous I'll just tell the guards, and they can capture her. That way she won't die. She nodded to herself as she moved across the roofs. Yes, that seemed like a good idea to her. She nodded again, making up her mind.

A few minutes later she silently climbed on the rooftop behind the woman. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and stopped masking her presence, instead enhancing it for a second, trying to draw the woman's attention to her. "Hello," she said, trying to sound confident but failing. "Could you tell me who you are?"

@Ark1002

[+Ark1002]

6 hours ago, kenod said:

Silently Shade walked along the rooftop, looking at the people walking by on the ground below. Suddenly something made her perk up though, instincts from before she had come here, still ingrained from years of training. She looked around, quickly spotting what had set her off. A woman, walking across the rooftops as well. Curious, Shade hid in the shadow, slightly masking her presence, studying her. There were only a couple of people in the church who liked to stay in high places like the rooftops, though she had been careful to prevent them from noticing her, though she wasn't sure if she'd been successful. She didn't recognize this woman though, and she wasn't moving around as if she was just hanging around, instead looking as if she had some sort of goal in mind.

Silently Shade left her hiding place, quietly moving in the direction of the newcomer. Based on her current direction she could guess where she was going to, and where she would be in a few minutes. And at the same time, Shade was certain she knew these roofs much better than her. It shouldn't be that hard to sneak up on her, and then...
And then what? She thought. She noticed a weight in her right hand, and knew what was in it without having to look down, and she shuddered, scared that her first instinct was still to stab her, to kill her, even after all this time.
I'll just walk up to her, she thought, just ask her why she's here. Talk about it. Yes, that's a good idea. And if she is dangerous I'll just tell the guards, and they can capture her. That way she won't die. She nodded to herself as she moved across the roofs. Yes, that seemed like a good idea to her. She nodded again, making up her mind.

A few minutes later she silently climbed on the rooftop behind the woman. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and stopped masking her presence, instead enhancing it for a second, trying to draw the woman's attention to her. "Hello," she said, trying to sound confident but failing. "Could you tell me who you are?"

@Ark1002

Georgia-Grace whirled around, face confused. In an instant, she was completely composed, the picture of a scientist, with an interesting subject.

"How, pray tell, did you sneak up on me? Normally, I find myself quite observant."

[kenod]

16 hours ago, Ark1002 said:

Georgia-Grace whirled around, face confused. In an instant, she was completely composed, the picture of a scientist, with an interesting subject.

"How, pray tell, did you sneak up on me? Normally, I find myself quite observant."

Shade looked at her, trying to hide her nervousness, wishing she could simply hide herself. The other woman looked remarkably composed, not at all what you would expect from someone who had been caught sneaking around. She altered her stance, making herself ready to move.
"I've trained a lot," Shade answered her. She wondered if the other woman had really expected her to tell a complete stranger about her abilities. She had heard some Epics tended to brag about them, but she felt sort of insulted that the other woman expected her to be that stupid. "Can you tell me who you are, and why you're here?" She asked, trying to sound confident. "I haven't seen you before, and I'm quite certain I know everybody who travels on these rooftops."

[ShadowLord_Lith]

On 2/4/2020 at 11:28 AM, Grey Knight said:

The man stared at her, mouth gaping open. The space marine, meanwhile, burst into laughter. It boomed across the courtyard, startlingly deep and resonant.

"Blood of the Lion," he said at last, still chuckling. "I haven't been that amused since one of the cleaning servitors turned out to be an inquisitor!"

"Ma'am," the robed man said, staring at his feet, "I'm just an Adept. I'm civilian clergy. No combat experience whatsoever." He grimaced. "My boss, though, she's a real nutcase. Hyper conservative, prone to shooting first, thinks she's the Omnissiah's gift to humanity. She claims that this compound is, well..." He shuffled awkwardly. "Heretical, ma'am. Since you don't recognize the Lord of Machines in your pantheon."

"And unfortunately," the space marine said, his face growing stern, "she is the only tech-priest in this city with enough skills to install the plasma reactor." He growled. "Martians. Bah. I will speak to her, but the awakening rituals will have to wait until tomorrow. The heart will have to remain here until then."

@ShadowLord_Lith @Sorana @Silva @Voidus

She nodded. "Well then, that's more understandable. As for your boss... tell her that, as a pantheon might imply, we are still learning the history of our gods. It isn't that we don't recognize your god as a god, it's simply that wer haven't learned enough of our gods histories to learn how your god fits in with their lives. I'm certain we'll probably find the connection someday, maybe even recieve a vision of their history and how your god influenced them, but... until that day, wer are not blasphemers, merely children seeking the truth who have not yet found the whole truth. Wer will in tone, but her aid can only help to ease and lighten that path. Her holding back will leave us in the dark." She paused, considering that. "I have no idea how true that is, but the fact remains that it's what you can tell her to get her to hopefully come and get working. If not, I'll just have you take me up to get personally so I can hear from her lips what 'penance' I'll need to pay..." She shook her head, crossing her arms and sighing, then pinching the bridge of her nose and grimacing. "I need more sleep... I don't get paid enough for this. I'm not some diplomat, I'm a schoolteacher. What's more, I teach the science behind impossible, magical works of insanely complicated natural laws that don't work together and shouldn't exist with each other around, but somehow manage because an almighty, all powerful being decided he'd make us all and see what happened... she can even help me teach science to the children if she wants! Let's see her stay up for hours every night trying to figure out enough to stay ahead of the kids and answer their questions..." She continued muttering, her free hand twitching as she mentally relived the hours and days and weeks of work she'd put into the repairs of that one small fabrial on top of her already painful schedule. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by ShadowLord_Lith

[I think I am here.]

On 30/01/2020 at 2:24 PM, Sorana said:

“We can take a look at their defenses." She suggested. "Maybe they have grown lax around here, and we can grab something easily." Eve was in, but still, Lena smiled at them encouragingly, although she knew that it bordered on her usual wide grin. "We're here to scout. If it looks too dangerous we can leave. But we need to take a look.

“Agreed,” Alask said. Shez growled and he graciously accepted the pancake from Lena. It seemed second-nature, the hint of hesitance that had been there a while ago seemed to disappear. Here was a person who poisoned people for fun, offering food. Alask bit into the pancake. It tasted good.

He looked to where the Marines were.

“It seems they do some service for the Church. Maybe construction? But no, nothing seems to be built. Security, then? In that case, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be robbing a full base. Just maybe their de facto office in the Church. And maybe that’s a heist we can pull off.”

Edited February 7, 2020 by Ookla the Maybe-Existent

[+Sorana]

On 7.2.2020 at 1:24 PM, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“It seems they do some service for the Church. Maybe construction? But no, nothing seems to be built. Security, then? In that case, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be robbing a full base. Just maybe their de facto office in the Church. And maybe that’s a heist we can pull off.”

Lena nodded, considered the words of the Warrior. A plasma reactor, only one of their priests could install. They couldn't use it, and it sounded as if it was heavy, but if they had something as complicated as that, they had to have something easier, something they could work with.

"I agree." She grinned at him and continued to follow the two in front of them. "And it reduces the risk on our part a lot." The marines looked scary, but then - she only needed to find the right poison and they would die as easily as everybody else. Maybe she would have some time to experiment as well. Or she returned and could add something to their provisions later?

"Let's try to take a look at what they have and what is protected in what way." She suggested and started to walk our to the marines.

@Grey Knight

[Sherlock Holmes]

Dan yawned and sat up, having slept the night curled up around Shae. "Hm... Shae, wake up, please. I wanna do something." 

@ShadowLord_Lith

[I think I am here.]

On 10/02/2020 at 4:18 PM, Sorana said:

“Let's try to take a look at what they have and what is protected in what way." She suggested and started to walk our to the marines.

Alask paused, watching Lena walk towards the hulking war machines of death. Quickly, he followed her.

“By talking to them?” He asked and raised an eyebrow. “They don’t seem too into conversation.” He turned his head and gulped again when he caught glimpse of the deadly space warriors.

“Or into much, really. Well, excluding weaponry. I’m sure they enjoy that plenty.”

[kenod]

On 2/5/2020 at 9:41 PM, kenod said:

Shade looked at her, trying to hide her nervousness, wishing she could simply hide herself. The other woman looked remarkably composed, not at all what you would expect from someone who had been caught sneaking around. She altered her stance, making herself ready to move.
"I've trained a lot," Shade answered her. She wondered if the other woman had really expected her to tell a complete stranger about her abilities. She had heard some Epics tended to brag about them, but she felt sort of insulted that the other woman expected her to be that stupid. "Can you tell me who you are, and why you're here?" She asked, trying to sound confident. "I haven't seen you before, and I'm quite certain I know everybody who travels on these rooftops."

@Arcc1002

[+Ark1002]

Georgia-Grace walked right up, looking her up and down. She leaned down, looking up from that angle.

Then she poked Shade in the cheek.

"Odd."

Georgia-Grace did a walk around her, bobbing to look at different angles, looking for all the world like a strange bird performing a courtship ritual.

"My gaze wants to slide off of you as if you weren't there. It's as if you weren't real." She rubs her chin from behind Shade, and burns a little bit of Zinc, subtly flaring her happiness, just a little. "I wonder what powers these are. I've never seen them before." She tapped the back of her head, still seeming taken aback by the solid substance of Shade.

@kenod

[kenod]

20 hours ago, Arcc1002 said:

Georgia-Grace walked right up, looking her up and down. She leaned down, looking up from that angle.

Then she poked Shade in the cheek.

"Odd."

Georgia-Grace did a walk around her, bobbing to look at different angles, looking for all the world like a strange bird performing a courtship ritual.

"My gaze wants to slide off of you as if you weren't there. It's as if you weren't real." She rubs her chin from behind Shade, and burns a little bit of Zinc, subtly flaring her happiness, just a little. "I wonder what powers these are. I've never seen them before." She tapped the back of her head, still seeming taken aback by the solid substance of Shade.

@kenod

Shade stiffened, only just managing to avoid taking out her knife and stabbing the woman out of instinct as she started examining her. Even more worrying was the fact that she had been using her powers without even being aware of it, and the woman actually seemed to have some idea of what was happening, even if she didn't understand everything. "Ahem," she cleared her throat, trying to get the woman to stop. She looked at her. It didn't seem as if she was planning to attack her, so maybe it would be better to introduce herself?

"Erm, I'm Shade," she said, sounding a bit nervous. "Could you tell me who you are?"

@Arcc1002

Edited March 28, 2020 by kenod

[Silva]

On 3/27/2020 at 7:20 AM, I think I am here. said:

“Or into much, really. Well, excluding weaponry. I’m sure they enjoy that plenty.”

Eve hesitated even longer than Alask. Survival instinct protested walking towards likely doom. To walk towards the looming being. Walk over to talk to him. The protector of the place they were going to pull a heist on. Nothing that could go wrong there.

Good. Her sarcasm was returning. At least on this level of despair she knew she could move. 

Shoving her trembling hands in her pockets, she walked hastily to catch up to Lena and Alask. Or ran. She slowed to a brisk walk to keep up once she reached them. 

She swallowed. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Lena?"

Thankfully, it didn't come out as a squeak. It wasn't confidence-inspiring though, either.

Get yourself together, Tacet-Yin-Dove. she reprimanded herself. You'll all be fine.

Not until a few moments later did Eve notice that shift in perspective. All. 

Eve bit her lip. Her carefully constructed shell had almost completely withered away. She knew she should've been frightened at the thought.

But she wasn't.

And that was what frightened her.

Along with the Space Marine.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Silva

[+Ark1002]

On 3/28/2020 at 4:38 PM, kenod said:

Shade stiffened, only just managing to avoid taking out her knife and stabbing the woman out of instinct as she started examining her. Even more worrying was the fact that she had been using her powers without even being aware of it, and the woman actually seemed to have some idea of what was happening, even if she didn't understand everything. "Ahem," she cleared her throat, trying to get the woman to stop. She looked at her. It didn't seem as if she was planning to attack her, so maybe it would be better to introduce herself?

"Erm, I'm Shade," she said, sounding a bit nervous. "Could you tell me who you are?"

@Arcc1002

Georgia-Grace seemed almost taken aback, as if remembering Shade is a living creature. "Oh, I'm Grace." She grabbed hold of the sleeve of Shade's shirt (if that exists) and pulled it up. "It doesn't seem connected to the clothes..." she mumbled. She subtly flared the happiness a bit higher, along with a very faint sense of tiredness. She pulled out a small camera, one of those old school ones that prints photos, and took a shot of Shade quickly. Georgia-Grace tilted her head, looking completely engrossed and fascinated with the powers. "Where did you get these powers? And what exactly do they do?" As she said this, her gaze suddenly went directly to Shade's face, intently paying attention as opposed to not really caring about the person themself.

[kenod]

18 hours ago, Arcc1002 said:

Georgia-Grace seemed almost taken aback, as if remembering Shade is a living creature. "Oh, I'm Grace." She grabbed hold of the sleeve of Shade's shirt (if that exists) and pulled it up. "It doesn't seem connected to the clothes..." she mumbled. She subtly flared the happiness a bit higher, along with a very faint sense of tiredness. She pulled out a small camera, one of those old school ones that prints photos, and took a shot of Shade quickly. Georgia-Grace tilted her head, looking completely engrossed and fascinated with the powers. "Where did you get these powers? And what exactly do they do?" As she said this, her gaze suddenly went directly to Shade's face, intently paying attention as opposed to not really caring about the person themself.

"Umm," Shade just looked at Grace as she was doing what she was doing, feeling more confused by the minute, not even able to understand how she felt about it. Out of reflex she activated her abilities a bit more, the emotion dampening helping her deal with the confusion. " I'm an Epic," she said, answering her question. "My powers just let me make it harder or easier for people to notice me." A bit of extra information, trying to earn some trust. She was still hiding some of what she could do, trying to have at least some advantage if something happened. Still, she could at least tell that much. After all, Grace had already figured out the basics about her powers, so just confirming it wasn't an issue, and letting her know about a trick she didn't use anyway wouldn't hurt her. Besides, maybe it would get her to say something about her own abilities.

@Arcc1002

Edited March 31, 2020 by kenod

[kenod]

On 31/03/2020 at 10:03 PM, kenod said:

"Umm," Shade just looked at Grace as she was doing what she was doing, feeling more confused by the minute, not even able to understand how she felt about it. Out of reflex she activated her abilities a bit more, the emotion dampening helping her deal with the confusion. " I'm an Epic," she said, answering her question. "My powers just let me make it harder or easier for people to notice me." A bit of extra information, trying to earn some trust. She was still hiding some of what she could do, trying to have at least some advantage if something happened. Still, she could at least tell that much. After all, Grace had already figured out the basics about her powers, so just confirming it wasn't an issue, and letting her know about a trick she didn't use anyway wouldn't hurt her. Besides, maybe it would get her to say something about her own abilities.

@Arcc1002

@Arcc1002

[+Sorana]

On 27.3.2020 at 0:20 PM, I think I am here. said:

Alask paused, watching Lena walk towards the hulking war machines of death. Quickly, he followed her.

“By talking to them?” He asked and raised an eyebrow. “They don’t seem too into conversation.” He turned his head and gulped again when he caught glimpse of the deadly space warriors.

“Or into much, really. Well, excluding weaponry. I’m sure they enjoy that plenty.”

"I love that idea." Lena bit into her apple. "We can simply ask what they are doing here, take a closer look. They are usually quite nice. I ended up in a battle with some of them once."

She winked at Alask and walked over to one of the huge marines. "Hello!" she called out to him. "It looks really impressive what you have here, I have never seen anything like that before!"

@Grey Knight

[+Ark1002]

On 3/31/2020 at 2:03 PM, kenod said:

"Umm," Shade just looked at Grace as she was doing what she was doing, feeling more confused by the minute, not even able to understand how she felt about it. Out of reflex she activated her abilities a bit more, the emotion dampening helping her deal with the confusion. " I'm an Epic," she said, answering her question. "My powers just let me make it harder or easier for people to notice me." A bit of extra information, trying to earn some trust. She was still hiding some of what she could do, trying to have at least some advantage if something happened. Still, she could at least tell that much. After all, Grace had already figured out the basics about her powers, so just confirming it wasn't an issue, and letting her know about a trick she didn't use anyway wouldn't hurt her. Besides, maybe it would get her to say something about her own abilities.

@Arcc1002

Grace pulls out a pen, tapping the tip against her chin, leaving ink splotches that she would probably never notice. "An epic. Fascinating." She pulls out a notebook and begins jotting down note after note.  Giving it one last shot, Georgia-Grace fluidly turns, suddenly punching towards Shade's face, rioting fear as strongly as she can, which isn't much, as she does so.

[I think I am here.]

On 23/04/2020 at 1:24 PM, Sorana said:

"I love that idea." Lena bit into her apple. "We can simply ask what they are doing here, take a closer look. They are usually quite nice. I ended up in a battle with some of them once."

She winked at Alask and walked over to one of the huge marines. "Hello!" she called out to him. "It looks really impressive what you have here, I have never seen anything like that before!"

“A battle?” Alask asked, his worries not going away but still keeping pace as Lena strolled towards a Marine. He cast a single glance at Eve, some sort of call for help, but it was too late and Lena addressed the Marine. Any moment now, the technological juggernaut would have his eyes on her, and then Alask, and then Eve. As Alask stared at the Marine, he found it hard to think of anything other than the colossal crater that now shaped AlleyCity, and what had caused it.

Somewhere within his spikes, he could hear Shez growling.

He took a single step back and crossed his arms, keeping his eyes on the Marine but tilting his head towards Eve.

“You ever seen one of these before?” He asked quietly to her. “No Investiture. Apparently all of their weaponare is strictly technological. Kind of crazy, when you think of it like that, huh?”

@Silva

[Silva]

On 4/29/2020 at 7:02 AM, I think I am here. said:

“You ever seen one of these before?” He asked quietly to her. “No Investiture. Apparently all of their weaponare is strictly technological. Kind of crazy, when you think of it like that, huh?”

At least Alask seemed to also be somewhat worried. That meant her pounding heart was rational. She wasn't losing it. Not yet.

"In pictures. History books," she replied softly. "It's amazing how advanced they are in comparison to the rest of us..." she trailed off. "Makes you wonder, though, why they spend all that brain-power developing weapons of war instead of technology to help out the normal citizens in need. Almost like they prefer the violence and long for the strife.

"Kind of more scary than crazy, yeah?" she finished, repeating the language he'd used.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Silva
Edited because: I realized exactly how unrealistic that would have been no matter how tragic? It made little sense? I like this better and no one had replied yet?

[kenod]

19 hours ago, Arcc1002 said:

Grace pulls out a pen, tapping the tip against her chin, leaving ink splotches that she would probably never notice. "An epic. Fascinating." She pulls out a notebook and begins jotting down note after note.  Giving it one last shot, Georgia-Grace fluidly turns, suddenly punching towards Shade's face, rioting fear as strongly as she can, which isn't much, as she does so.

Shade watched as Grace started writing in her notebook, seemingly distracted, when she suddenly turned around and struck at her face. Suddenly feeling scared her instincts kicked in, and she dropped down and moved forwards, trying to get out of her line of sight by ducking around her towards her back. As soon as she stopped feeling her gaze she engaged her abilities fully, completely masking herself, and she felt most of the fear vanish at the same time. Pulling a knife she jumped further back behind Grace, ready to either rush forwards and attack her or to get out and get aid.