Almond

[Code Name] Almond [Gender] Female [Combat Experience] 1 Year [Place of Birth] Columbia [Date of Birth] Feb 27 [Race] Perro [Height] 140cm [Infection Status] Originium crystals distributed across surface of body, confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Normal [Mobility] Normal [Physical Resilience] Standard [Tactical Acumen] Standard [Combat Skill] Standard [Originium Arts Assimilation] Normal

Laura Arias, an engineering expert from Blacksteel Worldwide. She possesses remarkable technical acumen for her age and has rich, practical experience in fields such as mechanical engineering and automation. She's provided critical technical support to numerous Blacksteel operations. During the latest round of exchange projects between the two companies, Laura personally applied to be deployed to Rhodes Island as a dispatch operator. Now, she works with Engineering on its R&D projects as a special technology consultant, and she's no slouch either.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy. [Cell-Originium Assimilation] 4% Small traces of crystallization are visible on Operator Almond's body surface. [Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.19u/L Operator Almond's BOCD is trending upwards. Fortunately, her condition has not worsened. Considering how often she goes into the engine layer of nomadic plates, ventures deep inside energy towers, and even hangs out in front of active power plants, she should consider herself lucky that she's as healthy as she is.

When it comes to engineering experts, Almond is a rare breed: the kind that talks way too much. Many Engineering operators still remember how, the moment she set foot in Engineering, Almond started expressing her opinions on every project and prototype she spotted, as well as joining in on the engineers' discussions with no reservations whatsoever. Rather than putting her head down to work, she'd much rather talk it out in a group and facilitate teamwork. By lucky coincidence, this is exactly how Rhodes Island tends to work. Aside from helping her fit in right away, her bottomless blabbermouth quickly dispelled the image of a young, accomplished engineer everyone had of her, and without attracting any animosity. Almond talks fast, but her words are clear and distinct, and she is confident in the way she expresses herself. When discussing things such as budget and safety, her conversations balloon to double the normal length (and when talking about useless crap, quadruple the length). When expressing her opinions, she starts with her conclusion before going into each individual issue, such that everyone can clearly understand what she has to say. She always gets straight to the point. Surprisingly, however, her look of concentration while talking has also become a topic of interest among certain operators. 'Did you see that?! After just five minutes of talking, she figured out how the Type I02 Originium internal combustion engine works, and even arranged for the follow-up work right after. Amazing how quickly she solved the explosion risk.' 'Oh... Laura's cheeks look so red when she's talking. I wanna pinch them so much—' —The private conversation of two Engineering Department operators

It's worth noting that money—or more accurately, funding—holds a very important position in Almond's way of life. If she sees life as a large engineering project, then currency must be its energy source, the key to the entire system's operation. In which case, her keen nose for and stubborn pursuit of funding must have some kind of hard-to-explain connection to her outstanding insight as an engineer. 'Funding doesn't solve every engineering problem, but you can't get anything done without funding.' Almond has proven through her actions that she takes this mantra to heart. Her total number of budget applications each quarter is consistently number one within the department, and she always provides the most diverse reasons in them: —'The tensile strength is way below standards. We gotta change the entire outer shell to Fuscous Fiber!' —'This is an emergency! We need to add a new sewage system to the control room!' —'The technicians are passing out! We need a new filtration system ASAP!' Although the amount of funding she seeks is truly terrifying, and she often falls behind on progress milestones, Almond's need for funding is by no means baseless or unfounded. She gives each and every line item in her budget careful consideration, and has clear entries in her accounts to back everything up. As for her seemingly absurd reasons, the vast majority of them are a testament to her hard work at pushing boundaries. As it turns out, all of her research results are proof of her talent and how forward-thinking she is. [Voice Log] 'My mom's a doctor, my grandma's an engineer, and my dad's a househusband. When we first moved to Columbia, it was hard to find work. My family was very poor, and my dad had to figure out how to stretch a single loaf of rye bread to feed the whole family for a day. 'My grandma made my tools, and the money I spent on my equipment came from my mom working night shifts. The only parts I could use were scraps from the workshops... 'I'm sure you know, but people who grew up like me never waste a cent. Please... just a little more funding. Just a teensy bit.' 'How many times have you given us that same sob story? But the problem here isn't the budget... Why don't you take another look at the reason you put on the form? 'The pink paintjob looks so lame...' 'No duh it does! That's a special suspension arm! We need to paint it neon green to suit the needs of nighttime work!'

Of all her coworkers from Blacksteel, Jessica is the one that Laura worries about the most. From a bystander's point of view, perhaps 'Jessica's family is loaded' is reason enough for Laura to befriend her, but interestingly enough, it was Jessica who laid the groundwork for their friendship. Laura was infected with Oripathy after graduating from college, and was forced to give up on a job offer from a tech company and join Blacksteel Worldwide instead, known for its tolerance of the Infected. Yet before this, Laura had no experience getting along with mercenaries. As to be expected, on her first mission, the mercenaries already had strong doubts about the green engineer's unusual ideas. And when Laura found herself in that difficult position, it was Jessica who stepped forward to support her plan as well as persuade the other mercenaries to trust her. When questioned about this afterward, Jessica noted that she saw a bit of her old self in Laura, from back when no one believed in her. It was through the trust of Liskarm and Franka that she finally mustered her confidence. But regardless, she thought that Laura also deserved a chance to be believed in, and Laura responded to her trust with results. This is how their friendship began. [Blacksteel Worldwide - Operational Records] Inquiry Scope: Laura Arias, Jessica Brynley Control Clearance: Liskarm ...... 'Jessica, why didn't you follow the plan and use the equipment I set up?! Do you know how bad things can get if you don't follow regulations?! 'You see that big wheel spinning really fast? Your hand almost got caught in it! You see all this sweat? That's how anxious you made me! 'You're always like this. Last time, and the time before that, and the time before... Don't give me that teary-eyed look. I'm not falling for it! Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!' 'You... You said that would buy the workers more time. B-But, have you considered how dangerous of a situation that would put you in? '...... '*sob*... What do I even do with you, Jessica? I've talked to you about this so many times already... 'Leave me alone. I'm not crying. Go away! 'Waah... Go away. I'm not eating any dessert you're buying me... '*sob*... You say we're going to that restaurant you need to reserve a year in advance? '...What're you laughing at? I'm gonna eat till I drop! Hmph.. Don't you look at me with those teary eyes then!'

'There's a flame burning in Almond's eyes.' An Engineering operator described the scene she saw that night. She remembers Almond working overtime in the laboratory, and that she was bringing her a cup of hot cystymilk, but when she opened the door, she found Almond frowning as she stared intently at the computational model running on the screen, the simulated flame reflected right in her eyes. The operator was shocked, as she had never seen such an expression on her face, but when Almond turned around and started chatting with her, that expression was nowhere to be seen. Then, as she spent more and more time onboard Rhodes Island, more and more people started to realize that her petite body packed a huge amount of energy, as though at a moment's notice she could leap high into the sky to snatch something. Almond's lively personality may give the impression that 'she's very laid-back.' But in reality, the amount of effort she puts in has reached a level her coworkers could only dream of. She is able to lock herself in the laboratory all day, repeatedly work out the projects' most minute details with her team members, or run all over the place to secure the funding she needs. Motor systems and safety are two of her top concerns, and to obtain perfect performance numbers, she is willing to pull multiple all-nighters testing in the lab. Once, she was even found passed out in front of a work table. Yet, when others ask her why she's willing to go to such lengths, she always answers evasively with excuses like 'my career' and 'dreams,' but no amount of questioning can get her to elaborate on those dreams. Some were worried that, as a Blacksteel employee, perhaps her participation in Rhodes Island R&D projects implied some kind of ulterior motive, though these rumors were quickly dispelled after her projects kept yielding results, while her attitude toward work remained unchanged. Even after her cystymilk had gone cold, she continued to stare at the screen. Compared to what she had lost, she thought she had yet to achieve enough, to jump high enough. [Voice Log] Sometimes, I still dream of that morning we left Bolívar. The sky was pretty dark, and the shocked fowlbeasts were flying in circles above us. Mom loaded the last crate onto the car, I sat down on the crate, and then the engine started to roar under my butt. The car started to move, and it got faster and faster. There was a loud boom. My dad covered my ears. I could make out where the fireball had landed. That was where our house used to be. My mom's medical certificate, my grandma's workshop, and all the dolls I couldn't bring with me were all still there. I looked at it again, and all I could see was a firelight soaring up into the sky. There was nothing left.

Under normal circumstances, Almond is very easy to get along with. There is, however, one special exception. Simply put, you shouldn't overdo it when you tease her. Say, when you give her apple wedges, don't sneak in a slice of onion. Or when she's focused on her work, don't suddenly hug her and hold her up, lifting her feet off the ground. Whenever similar situations occur, all the anger that's welled up in the bottom of her heart is immediately unleashed. Trust me, you don't want to know what it's like.

Just give Almond the right terrain, and the smallsome Engineering specialist's ready to put her equipment to work, alleviating frontline pressure. Even if the enemy might be too tough to handle, Almond can root them to the spot for the precious few moments needed for a teammate to circle back and get it dealt with.