Lancis

Lancis (ランシス) is a character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index, a member of New Light. Originally, a supporter of Carissa's usurping of power in the United Kingdom, her group would later go on to aid the resistance forces in stopping Carissa's self-destructive actions.

Appearance
She has short brown hair that is forced up with a headband accentuating her forehead. Her clothes are a lacrosse uniform-like set of a shirt, a miniskirt, and spats similar to the other members. Her height is described as being shorter than Misaka Mikoto and to Mikoto's dismay Lancis stated she thought her chest worked as a standard for the lowest. When she is doing jobs relating to magic she wears long dragon talons on her fingers.

Personality
She displays a lethargic attitude regardless from her surroundings as seen working in the Maguro Hiroi (she feel asleep in front of a customer), or helping Mikoto (she didn't want Bayloupe to get angry at her for ignoring a customer). She can display a calm perception on how to avoid being caught in public without causing panic and yet has no problem changing slowly into a V-sling bikini in a narrow alleyway during broad daylight.

Like the rest of her group, she is patriotic to her country, only wishing the best for it, enough for her to make an enemy out of it and harm people if it is necessary.

Background
They are commissioned by Princess Carissa to excavate the thought to be long lost Curtana Original for her plans in changing the United Kingdom. With their base in Edinburgh, Scotland, they are able to excavate the magic artifact in a place where there once a fortress. Due to their group being styled similarly to a Cabal Reserve Army, they are able to avoid attention being drawn towards them.

British Royal Family Arc
New Light is first noted after finally excavating the Curtana Original from Edinburgh, Scotland. As they travel to London, England via a highway using a car, they are notified, likely Knight Leader as he is the only likely person with Laura Stuart during the terrorist incident with Sky Bus 365, that Necessarius will be sealing off highways in Scotland in order to facilitate their plan in forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. They later use their magic to remove the illusion cast by Necessarius on the plane, stopping the pilot from making an emergency landing.

When New Light are driving down a country road heading towards London, Lancis is navigating. When Floris asks her if they were on the right road, Lancis is unable to answer properly due to the tickling sensation she experiences from magic power being created. When asked if her claws were working, she replies that they are before getting the tickling feeling again. At 11 PM the girls are only 30 kilometers away from London, and later arrive shortly.

As New Light begin their operation, Lancis is positioned 30km north of London, having being designated the role of keeper, as in it is her case that has the Curtana Original, while others act as a relay point. Sitting on her case, she communicates with the others via spiritual item despite the tickling. With her being outside of London, she is relatively safe from reprisals from Necessarius as the Curtana Original is passed around her comrades' cases.

While her comrades are captured in London, New Light succeeds in transporting the Curtana Original to the fifth case carried by the Knight Leader with Carissa.

British Halloween
When Elizard uses Union Jack to distribute the power of the Curtana Original to the British people and calls on them to use their power how they see fit, Bayloupe uses a pen to draw a magic circle and contacts the other New Light members. Lessar, Lancis, and Floris are connected. When asked by Lessar what they should do, Bayloupe isn't sure, saying it didn't seem right as they helped bring about the coup but they do what is best for the United Kingdom so they had little choice but to act regardless of shame or honor.

Homecoming Arc
She and Lessar are seen at New Light's apartment in Edinburgh discussing the news Bayloupe that intercepted the information from the Anglicans about Touma's mysterious return to Academy City with the aid off the leader of Dawn-Colored Sunlight Leivinia Birdway. Lessar then rants that she was trying to seduced him for the sake of England, before striping off her clothes to reveal a dominatrix suit underneath. Lancis then shows her photo intercepted from the Anglicans showing Kamijou Touma stood in the center of a number of people after reading the annotations left by the Anglicans and declares that it is the time for her major debut and to put on a white Japanese school swimsuit and head to Academy City for the purpose of seducing Touma. Her reply is to warn with "If you say one more word, I’m punching you."

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS2: Ability Demonstration Trip
Lancis is behind the counter at Maguro Hiroi when Mikoto returns and tells her that Lessar hasn't returned yet. When Mikoto expresses annoyance at 'that brat', Lancis looks at her confused, saying that Lessar seemed more of an adult than her, making Mikoto even more annoyed. When asked if she has heard when Lessar will be back, Lancis gives Mikoto a postcard from Lessar, mentioning that they can be delivered quickly within the shopping mall. As Mikoto gets frustrated at the confusing message, a tired Lancis collapses over the counter, mentioning that they can't predict what Lessar will do before falling asleep. She later stirs to find Mikoto still there, asking if she actually wants to buy something, which Mikoto comments is the worst possible thing for someone in customer service to say before asking for some oranges.

Lancis encounters Mikoto again as she is trying to avoid detection by some security guards. Knowing her situation and learning that she had business at Maguro Hiroi, specifically with Lessar, Lancis says that Bayloupe would probably explode if she left a customer stranded before dragging Mikoto into the crowd.

As Mikoto questions why they were heading for a leisure pool, Lancis explains that due to the circumstances the pool would be crowded and since it had five entrances if they cut through it, they could exit near to Maguro Hiroi. She also adds it would be advantageous in avoiding the security guards due to the different jurisdictions. She then produces two swimsuits, telling Mikoto they are products from the store and looking at her in a pitying way when she was distressed about the size. She then tells Mikoto that they wouldn't be going to the changing rooms due to security guards being stationed there, pointing to a nearby alley. After changing, with Lancis remaining unperturbed while Mikoto experiences considerable embarrassment, they sneak in through the staff entrance. They then enter the curved pool round the edge of the building and float along with the current to the desired entrance. After sneaking out and changing back, Lancis reckons it would be safer to split up there and gives Mikoto directions for Maguro Hiroi before heading off.

When Mikoto and Lessar arrive at Maguro Hiroi's North Gate store, Lancis is found sleeping with Floris on the couch in the break room. After Lessar wakes them both with a blow to the head, Floris peels a sleepy Lancis off her and drags her out of the break room.

Bayloupe and Lancis later report to Lessar that the riots have lulled slightly but are still a problem. When Lessar is having trouble dealing with the giant wheel snake unleashed by Caliche's group, she contacts Mikoto, who is a bit dismayed at how she acquired her number and the fact that she had set the memory she least wanted to recall as the thumbnail, to inform her about Lessar's predicament. She, Bayloupe and Floris assist Lessar with a spell to destroy the wheel snake.

She later contacts Lessar, experiencing a tickling sensation due to the magic, and after calming down, tells her about the information that Caliche's group had gathered which she found in the remains of the snake, regarding the involvement of a French Academy City cooperative institution in the plan.

After the incident ends, New Light prepare to leave by charter plane. Being pushed off Floris's lap, Lancis remains silent as the others discuss the aftermath of the incident and the possible intentions of the parties involved. Just before they receive clearance for take-off, Lancis receives a signal from one of their spiritual items and tells the others that the Curtana Original has been found.

Abilities
As a member of New Light, Lancis is proficient in the use of Norse Mythology-based magic. Like the other members of her team, she carries with her the Steel Glove spiritual item, a pole arm with the blades looking like the four digit hand. The Steel Glove incorporates three legendary items that is associated with the god Thor. This increases her arm strength, gives her tremendous destructive force, and the ability to "grab" apparently anything anything.

Unique to her are dragon claws accessories, though it is unknown what exactly what they do. Moreover, Lancis has a strange magic conditions whenever she purifies her life energy into magic power it give her a tickling feeling, and will randomly giggle or laugh during conversations. However, because of this she is able to detect when people using magic around her.

According to Lessar, Lancis can use magic to induce all sorts of status altering effects over a wide area to prevent the enemy from evading Bayloupe's long range magic barrages effectively.

Other abilities and equipment

 * Seiðr (セイズ): It is a type of magic that is used primarily used by female Norse magicians. This is the magic that allowed New Light to disable the illusion cast on Sky Bus 365 by Necessarius. New Light uses this type of magic to create a certain type of song to cause on to see an illusion while it is used, but also has a spell that can be used to remove its ‘intoxication’. This spell works with both illusions that trick the brain and illusions that directly cause an image to appear. It is unknown which member uses this magic though it can be assumed that each of them has some knowledge of it.
 * Skíðblaðnir: She has her own Skíðblaðnir, though it was primarily used as a relay point to allow Lancis to deliver the contents of her Skíðblaðnir to the Knight Leader.
 * Even though she is among the youngest members of New Light, Floris is the only one who displayed the ability to drive a car.

Design Evolution
Lancis' overall design remains fairly static throughout the series. Along with all the other members of New Light, Haimura was tasked on designing them not to look like magicians, but that of lacrosse players, and used their suits as a common symbol between all four of them.

Quotes

 * (To Floris, from Index Volume 17): "S-stop… That tickles…aha…Wh-whenever I take in magic power…i-it tickles so much. Ee hee hee hee hee…"
 * (To Mikoto, from Railgun SS2): "Tah dah. My swimsuit is a V slingshot, the gold standard of the sexy swimsuit."