Florence Bryant

[Florence Bryant]

The easy S T U F F . . .

Name: Florence Leanne Bryant
Nickname: Flo, Lea, Annie
Age: 32
Member Group: Institute Official - Recruiter
Power(s): Familiar Conjuring:

Flo has the ability to conjure animals from her own energy sources. These creatures are completely real when summoned, but are entirely linked and under her control. She can only conjure animals that existed, and anything earlier than the Smilodon is impossible to recreate, so sadly no dinosaurs. She also has a weight limit of 700kg, and the closer to the limit an animal is, the more energy it consumes, thus meaning a shire horse would leave her extremely fatigued, and, at worst, make her collapse.

The creatures, when summoned, have something similar to a mind link to her. She can use their senses with her own, tell them to do things, have somewhat civil conversations with them via the link and ride them – if they're big enough. The larger the animal, the less time she can keep the familiar in reality. The longest she's kept a familiar around was 3 hours, and that was a gecko. The normal time is about an hour. A great deal of concentration is needed to reproduce the animals correctly, and she can only summon one animal at a time. Any more than one and the two animals splice and end up in a mess. If she does not keep the “link” between herself and the animal steady, the creature will go wild and act like an ordinary creature. This leads to problems, especially if she's just conjured a particularly dangerous animal. Wild Bear on campus, anyone?

Side effects include exhaustion, animalistic dreams, fainting spells and general confusion. After all, have you ever been sat looking at a desk, then seen it through an owl's eyes at the same time? Very confusing.
Play By: Alesha Dixon

Let it F L O W . . .

Ferret

“You don't believe me, do you?” The stubborn 11 year old protested, as her smiling parents ruffled her hair and lifted her up onto the sofa.

“Oh of course Twiglet is real.” Jade said with a laugh, kissing her daughter's forehead and tickling her cheeks. “Is he hiding?” She laughed, lifting up the small pink hoodie on Florence's little body and hunting around for this imaginary creature she claimed to have been talking to. Pouting, the little girl looked up at her father, tugging on the arm of his suit and huffing.

“Daaaaddy.” She pleaded, lip jutting out as she spoke. Her father smiled warmly and kissed her little knee, holding her close. “Daddy I'm not lying!” She squeaked, folding her arms and huffing grumpily. Twiglet was definitely real! She'd cuddled him and even had him in her pocket when she'd been answering her math questions in school. He'd whispered that her hands smelt like peanut butter sandwiches and though she couldn't HEAR him, she could at the same time. Twiglet had even crawled under her desk and found her missing dolphin eraser, clasping it in his teeth helpfully.

But then, when they walked home, suddenly the weight in her pocket had vanished, and there was nothing. Not even a hair left! Just an empty pocket with a dolphin eraser peering out at her. Though she'd turned and spent at least an hour calling for Twiglet to come back, he didn't. The little caramel and cream ferret had disappeared as suddenly as he'd arrived.

Andy lifted his daughter onto his lap and held her gently, the smell of his cologne making her little nose wriggle. Stroking her hair, her father smiled and tapped her nose with his index finger. “I had a friend like Twiglet when I was your age. He was called Max and he used to have two slices of brown bread with no crust. Max hated crusts.” He explained, looking knowingly at Jade, who laughed softly and continued putting the dinner on, wafting smells of buttery mash and spiced chicken into the sitting room.

“I'm sure Twiglet will appear again.” Andy added soothingly, the pout fading from little Florence's face. “He's probably busy doing something else right now.” He said calmly, fishing a little boiled sweet from his pocket and handing it to his eager daughter. “Don't tell Mummy, but there's a big bowl of these at work and I just had to take one to you.” Andy grinned as his little girl tucked into the sweet, hands twiddling with the wrapper, head resting on her father's chest.

“You're the best Daddy ever.” She said firmly, cuddling her dad tighter, and stifling a yawn. Twiglet had made school fun, but tiring. “Twiglet found that eraser you gave me!” She added, lifting the blue dolphin up for Andy to see. “Sometimes when you're away I like to hold it tight and then you're home again.”

Andy travelled regularly. As an executive manager for an automotive company, he often had to check in other countries to see how the parts were produced and smooth out any issues. Always bringing home gifts for his daughter, New York City was a welcoming sight from the chaos of Tokyo. Jade, meanwhile, worked as a daycare assistant at the local nursery, always home when Flo was, and always willing to feed the family and forfil the mother role. Twiglet, she assumed, was a way for her to settle into her new grade, and to keep her company when her father was away.

Dishing out the potatoes thoughtfully, Jade hummed to herself, catching the sight of a small cream and caramel creature out of her eye.

“TWIGLET!” Shouted Flo.

Andy gasped, Jade froze, and Florence cradled the little creature to her cheek.

Twiglet was real.

Dingo

Hammel was weird, Florence thought as she strode down the corridor, hair pulled back in thick curly pony tail. There were all sorts of strange people around that did weird things. From teapots that danced to boys that ran faster than anything she'd ever saw, she awkwardly slotted in and settled down with her girlfriends in her dorm. From nail painting evenings to popcorn fights at one am, while Hammel was a total freakshow, it was the best kind.

Her favourite class was easily training. Getting an excuse to spend more time with her familiars, and getting to see her classmates getting better with their own powers was so exciting. In fact, she was heading down to the training room right now, her flipflops slapping the floor as she bounced along, waving over to Emily Banthem, an exchange student from Kocher who she'd gotten to know and liked. Emily could turn things weird, as Florence liked to say. From squishy jelly cookies to smoke that smelt like sausages and ketchup, Emily had Florence in awe. Together the pair of them had taken to pretending they were members of X-Men, and held secret meetings in empty classrooms, fighting against baddies.

But now, in her sundress and jelly bracelets, it was training time, and she knew exactly which animal she'd call upon today.

In her encyclopedia of animals (a gift for her 13th birthday) she'd found a dog-like creature peering out from the pages. The Dingo, the page said, is native to Australia. Excited, she'd researched and thought long and hard on what the creature looked like, before deciding one hundred percent that this would be her next familiar.

Sat down crosslegged on the edge of the training room, she bounced eagerly till it was her turn, and, concentrating hard, she thought on the Dingo. It had four legs, creamy brown fur, she recited in her head, squeezing her eyes tight shut before releasing, and looking relieved when the dog stood there, wagging it's tail lazily. She'd laughed delightedly, stroking over the sandy brown fur and rubbing the dog's ears.

She decided to call him Dundee. After Crocodile Dundee – who was, in her opinion, awesome and Australian to boot.

Smilodon

Three pregnancy tests lay in a row on the sideboard, each with the tell tale pink line glaring up at them both. Flo had been late and panicked, buying handfuls of pregnancy tests and going through them all, shaking them, begging them to say something other than what they were. She'd called Derek, and he'd arrived later, the roar of his motorbike both a comfort and a terror to her. Hurrying out to greet him, she'd pulled him inside her student apartment and thrust the tests at him.

Fear flashed on Derek's face, his hands gripping the tests and staring at them in disbelief. He paced the room silently, running his fingers through his hair and muttering words to himself.

“I... I think we should keep it.” She ventured, reaching out and pulling Derek into her arms, resting her cheek against his chest to find some semblance of comfort. She didn't find it. He was stiff and angry in her arms, looking for someone to blame for their own mistake.

“No, Flo. We're too young.” He replied, his voice stern as he lifted the girl's head and stared into her eyes. “It was a mistake, that's all. I'm not cut for being a dad.” Excuses tumbled from his mouth as Flo pleaded silently with her expression, trying to soothe her boyfriend of 4 months into agreeing with her.

“Derek, Derek please.” She began, holding his large hand in her two smaller, lip coming between her teeth. “You know I've always wanted to be a mum.” Her voice broke, eyes welling up.

Derek shoved her away roughly, knocking the tests to the floor and pointing at her accusingly. “You did this on purpose!” He roared, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her roughly. “And now you want to ruin my life!”

Florence flinched, fearing those hands she had sought comfort in, pulling away and giving one last ditch attempt to get him to calm down. “Please, Derek.” She repeated, her voice wavering. “Maybe you'll like it. Maybe y-”

“Get rid of it or I'm gone.” He snarled, flinging open the apartment door so violently it slammed against the wall. “I mean it.” His voice was icy and it stung her more than the sound of his steadily dying footsteps along the hallway.

“DEREK!” She shouted, slamming her fists on the door and hammering at it, cheek pressed against it. “I didn't do it on purpose.” Florence's voice croaked, sagging down onto the floor, the energy sucked from her body. Choking back a sob, she buried her head in her hands and curled up in the foetal position, wishing for someone to give her the strength Derek couldn't. The room fell silent aside from the patchy whimpers she gave as she cried, suddenly feeling so alone.

It wasn't until a rough tongue licked at her arm that she finally moved, startled.

“I'm here darling.” A growly voice purred to her, a large furry head nudging her arms open and tickling her cheek with it's whiskers. “You may call me Agnes.”

The creature looked intimidating, but in that moment of painful loneliness, Flo buried her face into that warm, comforting fur and let that new presence wash over her. The smilodon had never appeared before, yet here she was, giving her the strength to carry on.

“Things will be alright.” Agnes said soothingly, her large toothed mouth curling up in an awkward smile.

And they were.

Kakapo

It was a relief that Andy and Jade loved their granddaughter, seeing how much Flo relied on their charity to get through uni. Every morning, Gwyneth would get dropped off at the house to be taken care of while her mother went in to classes to study for her law degree. Later, she'd pick her up and take her to the apartment, where they'd fall asleep together, cuddled up.

There had been complications when her university lessons had fallen on the week of her parent's long planned holiday to Barbados. Though they'd offered to take their granddaughter with them, Flo couldn't bear coming home to an empty house with no daughter babbling as she studied. So, despite her job at the local clothing store, she'd barely scrapped the dimes together to pay for a nanny to look after Gwyn at the apartment while she studied.

It WAS hard, but she knew it would be the best thing for her and her tiny daughter in the long run. That was why she was relying on her familiars to help her get through the next week of uni without her parents. Perched on her shoulder as she sat in the library, was Montague, a very wise, very sarcastic creature known as a Kakapo. The bird kept making sly comments in her head about how she needed to work much harder if she was going to get a first. That alone was enough to push her to read harder into her law book, chin resting on her palm as she turned the page.

Studying was never the greatest of fun, but she'd been trying very hard to keep up with classes AND be a good mum, and though she slept like a log every night, she'd somehow come this far, and she'd keep going till the course was through and she had a law degree. Maybe then she could work in Meta law and keep the rights that so many of her kin had fought for.

“Stop daydreaming.” Montague said sharply, gently pecking Flo's ear as she drooped, huffing.

“You take over.” She shot back, grabbing the feathery green bundle and placing him down in front of the heavy tome, grumbling to herself and letting her eyes drop closed for just a little while.

Parrot vision was very odd. Everything was much clearer, but there was so much more to process. Seeing through Monty's eyes was bizarre, and if it weren't for the fact that she were so tired, she would have simply opened her eyes and carried on reading herself. The bird expertly flipped the page and tilted his head to one side, scanning down the page, his body bobbing slowly as he read. “I can't understand a word of this.” He added snarkily, lifting a foot to preen the back of his head.

“Well I can, so don't stop.” Flo thought drowsily, lodging important phrases into her memory for the afternoon's class, hoping no one would notice a girl and a large green bird tucked away with the bird reading the book for her.

“This stuff is probably rotting your head.” Montague added after a while of turning the pages and scanning down them.

“Mmhm.” The woman replied drowsily, stroking the feathers of the kakapo with her eyes still shut.

Fire Salamander

With her daughter on one hip and a salamander on her head, she was surprised the receptionist hadn't just thrown her out. As it was, Claude's office was as intimidating as she'd imagined it to be, and despite telling herself she was a grown woman now, there was no denying the fact that she was giggling because she was nervous.

Gwyneth was giggling too, but only because her mummy was and there was obviously something funny going on that she didn't know about. Florence scratched her neck, and glanced to her familiar for some advice, but the small lizard only yawned, then burrowed further into the warmth of Gwyneth's hair.

“Good luck.” Was all the little creature said, before falling silent.

“Well, Gwynnie.” Florence said softly, lifting the little girl up, then setting her down outside the room. “I'll try not to be long, but if you feel lonely, you can talk to Squish up there.” She smiled, kissed her daughter on the cheek, then took a deep breath and entered the room.

Claude was smiling, and that helped melt some of the nerves that froze Flo's tongue. Clearing her throat, she gave a wave, then smoothed out her skirt and sat down in the chair opposite.

“I heard you had a recruiting post open.” She said softly, thumbing her little leather briefcase and trying to avoid fidgeting around in the seat. “My name is Florence Bryant, I am an alumni here, and if you'd like to look at my credentials, I'm sure you'll find everything you need.” She added brightly, with a smile.

Claude continued to smile benignly, as the woman talked about what she had done, and of her daughter. Papers passed hands and coffee was shared, and Florence almost felt like she'd never left the place. The air of familiarity made her feel at ease as she spoke at length about her law degree and the few jobs she had taken as an assistant in a solicitors office, and at the children's court. She asked what she would be needed to do as a recruiter, how they could take care of her daughter when she was travelling, and if there were any available houses nearby.

After what felt like only half an hour, hands were shook and papers signed. Florence stepped out of the room with her head held high.

“Did you get the job?” Squish asked as Gwyneth stroked between his eyes gently, his tail around her thumb.

“I got the job.” Flo laughed, grabbing her daughter and spinning her around delightedly.

...

The move to Pilot Ridge was pretty simple – Florence's belongings were already stacked up and stored in various cardboard boxes from her apartment living, and those things that she didn't care for, she left behind. Gwyneth asked for nothing except a pretty garden she could grow pretty flowers like Mary of the Contrary fame, and Florence's savings went on a simple but comfortable three bedroom property, close enough to the school for her to walk there most days.

Gwynie stayed with the Campbells regularly when her mother left for recruiting jobs, peering out of the bedroom window with her nose pressed against the glass as she drove away to the airport. And for the first time since Gwyneth had turned her life upside down all those years ago, life began to even out again.

Claude and James made great efforts to make sure that as a single mother, she could pay for childcare, and since getting the job, Flo has made a conscious effort to reach out to each and every child, remembering just how it was for her, and how it may well be for her daughter, should she become Meta too.

As for Squish? He is now Flo's good luck charm whenever she has a tricky case to handle, and he likes to ride along tucked around her collar, listening keenly in to conversation, and giving the new recruits a little show.

Behind the M A S K . . .

Name: They call me Chez, they call me Zumi, they call me Zuu.
Age: 21 O:
RP Experience: I invented RP in a treehouse aged just 4.
How did you find us?: Funnily enough it was in my most viewed webpages! I have no idea how?!

Show your S K I L L S . . .

Some stuff happened and Flo reacted to it accordingly. “Then there was some speech.” Flo said, then doing an action and something else. Much of the post continued along these lines with a mixture of long and short sentences, phrases, metaphors and some love for Tony, Rae, Mads and Nana.

[Admin!]

ACCEPTED!
Lovely! And now, my dear, you are under a character cap for a while. We don't want you burning out, so no more new characters for at least a month.
CLAIMS.