Rebuild of Reality 1.0 You Will (Not) Survive [IC]

[Rupudska]

A New Theatrical Edition of the original Border of Reality Roleplay

---

25 August 2017
Paris, Third French Empire
6:26 PM
Place de la Nation

August is one of the best months to visit Paris.

Sure, in this month the rains of northern France are at their most erratic, sure, the August heatwaves seem to come stronger and with more regularity each year, sure, summer is when that infamous odeur d'urine of Paris is at its strongest, and sure, August is when Paris is the most humid, but that doesn't seem to matter to the tourists and Parisians there at the time. Many natives have left for the Cote d'Azur or the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal. Traffic reduces to a trickle, and the energy of exuberant tourists, blissfully unaware of the yearly rhythm of the City of Lights, seems to infect even the gloomy, condescending locals as well. The whole city is a much more cheerful, nicer place.

That is, if you were metahuman. If not, you could enjoy living like a dog on the street, or worse, getting arrested by the police for no other reason than being human, then being sent to work camps in Algeria and the like. As a result, the streets of Paris were largely free of humans.

Actually, they were free of a lot of metahumans, too, as there was currently a nasty (for Paris) thunderstorm overhead, providing quite a lot of rain and thunder.

Still nothing compared to Eastern Europe or the American Midwest, thought one Valentyna Pasternak. She was a Ukrainian national who had moved to France for opportunities in the nuclear energy sector, and had studied at the University of Chicago to get her degree in nuclear physics.This storm was nothing compared to the supercells there.

For a country with such a storied military history, these people truly have no spine, being afraid of nothing more than glorified static shock. There are far too many buildings for it to be a concern here.

Elsewhere in town, an unmarked green semi-trailer truck with British license plates rolled up to the Cours de Vincennes entry of the Place de la Nation. All You Need Is Love's opening trumpets played over the radio as the driver, one Elisa Marshall, stared blankly at the statue in the center of the square. Unbeknownst to most of the surrounding pedestrians, this truck was an ATF transport truck, smuggling nonmetas from all across northern France to their main French headquarters within the city.

The irony of the statue's name, Triumph of the Republic, was not lost on her.

Nor was the sensation of an out-of-control Peugeot taxi crashing into her. She was unhurt, her truck was only lightly damaged, but the little French taxi looked pretty damaged.

"Bloody Christ!"

She rolled down the window just in time for a heavily-smoking, angry French-Algerian man and his Japanese passengers to start yelling at her. So naturally she started yelling back.

"Now listen here, I wasn't the one trying to run a stoplight like Sir Stirling Moss- no, I will not pay your damages, and it is not my bloody- Will you at least let me get a sentence in? You're lucky my cargo's undamaged, you- Oi! Don't you talk about my mum like that!"

This minor scene caught the attention of Valentyna, who hadn't been far away. As a matter of fact, it seemed to be drawing a fair amount of attention. It was a busy intersection, after all.

[Malshan]

25 August 2017
Paris, Third French Empire
6:27 PM

While life was ongoing in Paris, potential trouble was brewing high in the ionosphere. The storm was the perfect cover, of course, but that wouldn't stop the curious human/metahumans from gathering. An anomaly formed over Paris, a hole in the space-time continuum. Lightning flickered around the edges, licking at the object that was slowly emerging. With a resounding crack, the object shot down toward the ground, turning red hot as it passed through the atmosphere. Lightning formed around it as the object excited the molecules in the air around it, seeming to cloak the object in energy.

The object sped toward the ground at just under the speed of sound, passing through the low lying clouds over Paris before suddenly slowing with a jolting impact. It impacted an alleyway just off to the side of the Triumph of the Republic statue, appearing to have been a large lightning strike. Rumbling percussion accompanied it as thunder rolled through the sky.

The object hissed as it cooled, resting in the small crevasse it had made in the city's streets. Fortunately, the only being in direct line of sight was an old drunkard whose only ability seemed to be to create vodka out of thin air on command. That and pissing himself when frightened.

With a small click, the vaguely oblong object 'opened', or rather unfolded to reveal a large lizard with wings clad in some kind of armor, which promptly stood and scanned the area with a small blue light. It took in the drunkard, the empty streets, and the towering buildings next to it. Walking over to the human-meta, it crouched down and stared into his face, the mirrored visor revealing nothing. It took a small DNA sample from the man via a small pinprick and the blood that accompanied. The man yelped and scrambled away, fleeing down the streets and screaming in terror. He was surprisingly quick on his feet, and soon exited into the open area near the statue, still screaming.

The draconic figure stood, assimilating the DNA and rendering a suitable camouflage. It began shrinking, its tail folding up and its wings folding down. When the process was finished, the being appeared to be a human with brown hair and standing just under 2 meters tall instead of its previous 2.5. It walked after the man, hands in its pockets, whistling a foreign tune that likely no one in the dimension would recognize. A camera hung around its neck, protected from the rain by a small case.

The being exited the alleyway, looking around the area for something. Spying the statue, it walked through the road, ignoring the motor vehicles as they zoomed by it. It ignored the wreck as well, though it passed right next to the two humans arguing rather vehemently.

[The Drone Empire]

August 25th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe
6:28 PM

Rain hammered down from above, the tall stone arch sheathed in a coat of water sliding down its stone exterior, the eternal flame within still burning against the drizzling streams of water running off the monument's exterior. The streets were fairly empty, though the occasional series of cars or umbrella-wielding passersby were not completely uncommon. The skies above were fumed by the storm clouds; though hardly as ominous as the supercells to be found trawling in places elsewhere, it was far from a lovely evening.

As the storm churned on, wringing out all had upon the urban landscape, a light coursed through the clouds, coming in rapidly from the east. Like lightning, it flowed in an erratic manner, crackling from one place to another within the clouds, yet there was no thunder to be heard at all. This blue bolt vanished almost as instantaneously as it appeared, in a flash, it discharged, arcing heaven and earth, leaving no more than a vague burst of its brilliant light imposed upon all who could see it, then, it was no more.

And yet, it was not. Upon the slik rooftop if the Arc de Triomphe, lightning struck. At the very location it had hit, steam rolled off from the ground, and there, a shuddering mass of energy began to rapidly swirl and collect. Streams of light coursed like a fluid, swiftly twirling around the central mass, and within microseconds humanoid features began to appear - limbs, a torso, then a head. Features came to be thereafter, from the shapes of fingers to the appearance of clothing, until there stood a being of pure energy, a woman of brilliant blue.

Even with this incredible spectacle, nature paid no gratitude. Each droplet that impacted her form disturbed its figure, much to her chagrin. in a glow of light, rain which hit her was instantly turned to vapor, a small cloud rising into the air, and with this, she was satisfied. Hovering across the roof, she left a trail in her wake, stopping at the barrier which lined the edge of the roof. She looked out to the city, at all she could see from here. Pretty, it was, though swallowed by rain and thunder, dulling out its brilliance. She looked down upon the Champs-Elysees, and instantaneously she was there, as all around her lights flickered - some going out, others turning on. Despite the inclement weather, this evening was indeed beautiful, for her at least. Down the famed road, she glided and swept herself, an ominous blue figure, sheathed in mysterious fog, disturbing any pedestrian still out and about. These people were themselves quite peculiar, but such a display was far from commonplace.

Eventually, her form collapsed into a ghostly orb, which surged down the road, leaving behind her darkened or wavering lights, recomposing at the very opposite end of the avenue. She gazed back at her doings, her countenance indifferent, but she was indeed pleased. This was the first time in seventeen years that she had manifested this form so wholly, so completely, she could feel the power writhing within her. Small arcs of electricity looped around her arms and legs, and a moment later she exploded into an immense bolt of lightning, shooting into the heavens, as though the ground has stricken the skies. The bolt arced through the clouds, spanning the distance between Place de la Concorde and a location rather near Place de la Nation. Touching down upon a rooftop and reforming, she focussed upon the plaza, the building's power straining with her presence.

Down below, an accident had taken place; two vehicles - one large, one small - both motorists shouting angrily at each other. It was an interesting affair taking place, so she would sit and wait, observe how these 'meta' humans found resolution. They could change their names, their capabilities and powers, but they could never change their nature.

[Esternial]

August 25^th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
Early Evening

---

More and more rain poured down onto City of Lights, brought on by the unrelenting force of nature that remained incorruptible by mankind's will. The column of rain that poured down onto the city obscured the clear panorama that usually brought so many tourists to the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up with over a thousand bright lights as a beacon amidst the storm.

Rain clattered down upon the top observation deck, producing an almost overwhelming dissonance of sounds that drummed out any sounds coming from deep below. With all senses disrupted from perceiving the vast expanse of France's capital city below, this spot felt like a small sanctuary. Despite the cacophony brought on by rain striking cold steel, it felt like a place of tranquillity in the middle of a city that knew little to none of the sort.

Though the elevator leading to it had been shut down, a single man stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower. His face obscured by a mask, he gazed at the distance where nought but a grey blur could be perceived. Without an umbrella, he was bound to get wet, but instead the rain trickled down onto the metal flooring as if he wasn't even there.

After all this time, Reth still stood in awe of the magnificent forces of nature. Standing amidst a storm humbled him, reminding him that nature itself was a merciless force, a force to be reckoned with, an insurmountable force of both life and destruction.

"Magnificent."

The air around Reth seemed to vibrate as space itself began to twist and turn, a vortex forming with his right eye as its source. Droplets of rain began to defy the laws of gravity, turning in improbable angles before hitting the ground, and the metal flooring and rails began to bend effortlessly. A strong current of wind drew inwards as Reth's body was caught by the maelstrom, torn asunder and spiralling towards the vortex' point of origin until not a trace of his body was left atop the Eiffel Tower. The rain resumed its natural course towards the steel frame of the observation deck, which had returned to its old form.

A plot-driven coincidence would have Reth reappear close to the singular event that would set in motion a great deal more, his attention not drawn to the arguing drivers, but rather at a rooftop nearby.

"You are a peculiar creation." He remarked as he manifested close to SAIDE, his piercing eyes observing the manifestation of energy that stood before him. If anything, he assumed it was just another meta-human with an overly healthy curiosity, but he couldn't help but feel titillated by his own curiosity.

[Olthar]

August 25, 2017
Same place as everyone else

The past few months had been quite interesting for Lily. After graduating from high school, she decided to spend the summer backpacking around Europe before college began in the fall. With the season nearing its end, Lily had come to her final stop along her journey: Paris, France.

The teen had spent much of the day pouting in her room at the cheapest hotel she could find. The storm had put a serious damper on her touristy fun. She had been planning to check out the local graveyards and parks, an entire day outside after spending the previous days indoors at museums and various landmarks.

Still, she didn't want to spend the entire day watching French TV, so as it got later, she decided to at least go out somewhere to eat. She had heard of a cute little restaurant she wanted to check out and left the apartment to find it. As she was walking the streets, she heard a loud crash from behind her. Spinning around, she saw that an accident had occurred. Fortunately, it didn't look serious, but Lily decided to stick around anyways in case someone needed help.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Sometime
Somewhere
Someplace

Walking through ancient grounds, wandering through the halls of history as he often did, was a young man in a black coat, watching history unfold time and time again in front of his eyes, one azure blue, the other crimson red. Under colorful skies he walked, as dawn turned to dusk and dusk turned to dawn once again, the world changing very rapidly even though the man did never truly move as we understand it, remaining in the same place even as he walked, and yet the imagery was changing as constantly as the sky. All around him, people moved, walking past him and even right through him, without ever noticing him, without giving even the slightest hint of perceiving him at all. He was but a ghost in this place, intangible, alien, something that did not belong there and yet, was unable to disturb anything. But the man didn't mind. He was fully aware that he did not belong there, and so he continued moving, until, at long last, he came upon a barrier he could not cross. It was not a physical barrier, not a fence nor a wall, it was simply... A restriction. And so the man stopped walking, despite having never moved.

Just like that, the young man, Gablex Garmsson was his name, returned to his rightful time, his absolute present, the year of 2017, appearing to the pedestrians as if he had just popped into reality, suddenly manifesting on the sidewalk in one of the streets of Paris. Of course, this was more than likely not unusual in a world were only one fifth of the population of the world lacked powers that defied the laws of nature, and so, few were disturbed by his rather uncommon entry to the present, though many still turned to glance at him, feeling unease or just curiosity as they walked past him, for in this time they could indeed perceive him, and also, the strange aura about him, invisible, untouchable, but still very real, an aura that those who were close to him would sense, finding it hard to descrcibe. It was something that felt ancient, but beyond that, they did not have much words for it. Those few who might have some knowledge of a thing like that would realize that it was time, not that he thought there were many people besides himself who could tell something like that, or indeed, any at all. Seconds, minutes, hours all swirled around him, covering him like a fluttering mantle.

This mantle, however, did not disturb the droplets of water that soon found their way to the young man's hair and clothes. And yet, rather than be disturbed by this, Gablex was surprised. Looking up, he saw the gray stormclouds overhead, feeling the rain pelting his face, and smiled. Rain was not an unusual phenomenon back home, and quite often, the sound of it crashing against the landscape had been his only lullaby, the drops of rain his only companions. It was, thus, something he had learned to appreciate and even enjoy, and so as he began walking through the streets of Paris, headed nowhere in particular, he smiled, his old friend trailing behind him.

That was, of course, until a thundering sound reached his ears. It was not, in fact, the sound of thunder, no. It was the much more mundane noise caused by a taxi slamming onto a truck. Quickly turning around to see the source of a disturbance, he saw a few people near the truck, yelling at the driver, who was yelling back at them. The truck, itself, did not seem very damaged, though the taxi was obviously worse for wear. Not that any of it concerned Gablex, it wasn't his problem. And yet he still felt compelled to help out, simply because he could and because he would be doing them a favor. Not just to the passengers of the taxi, but to the people who wanted to drive through and could not because of the commotion that was going on there.

His mind made up, Gablex strode over to the crash, stopping right next to the taxi. Placing a hand against the vehicle, the young man concentrated, his aura flickering momentarily as he poured his energy into the man-made contraption, the taxi slowly but steadily seeming to fix itself, any damage caused to it being reversed in the order it had been caused. Soon enough, the vehicle stood there, on the streets of Paris, completely undamaged, or at least, returned to a state prior to its crash against the truck. Anyone with any kind of supernatural sight or perception would have been able to tell that he was pouring something into it, the same time that manifested around him somehow, and they would also be able to tell that the flow ceased once the vehicle was restored. His aura, it was noticeably weaker to anyone who could notice such things in the first place, but it was still there.

"I fixed it." He told the angry people, hoping that his efforts would serve to calm their nerves and prompt them to get back in the vehicle and continue riding off to wherever they had been headed before the accident, and then, he turned his attention to the driver of the truck, a woman barely older than himself. "Would your truck need fixing as well?"

[Reverend Norv]

August 25th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
6:28 PM

"Did the delivery people call?"

Tom Walker gave his companion a look of bemused, slightly cautionary tolerance. The two men were seated near the window of one of the many cafes that rimmed the Place de la Nation; the young man opposite Tom spoke flawless French, but Tom knew that he was in fact a refugee from the endless German-Polish wars in Eastern Europe.

"No." Tom took a sip of his drink. The big man was dressed in a plain off-white summer suit, with a light blue shirt and a pink tie. His still-dripping trenchcoat was folded on the booth beside him, which was positioned next to the front window and a dozen feet from the door to the cafe kitchen. Rainwater streaked the window, blurring Tom's view of the plaza and its now-anachroinstic statue. To all appearances, Thomas Walker was nothing more than a bureaucrat stopping by a cafe for a late-afternoon aperitif before dinner. It was the most common sight in Paris; the weather had conspired to drive half a dozen such men into this particular cafe alone.

"Hm." Tom's companion gazed out the window, glanced back at the bar, and shrugged. Tom smiled slightly. He had trained Karol well, but the young man had yet to master the relaxation of a true professional. The Pole shook his head. "Strange, that. I'd have thought that the delivery people would call if the TV was going to be late."

"I hadn't heard that the delivery would be delayed," Tom noted mildly. He took another sip of his pastis, savoring the sharp bitter burn of the alcohol on his tongue.

Karol raised his eyebrows. "No?" His eyes flickered outside to the plaza, a barely noticeable glance.

"No," Tom confirmed. He smiled again. "Amazon-dot-com are professional people, Claude, and they value their customers. They will get Charlotte her television on time."

"If you say so," Karol affirmed. He sat back and gazed out the window - a moment too long, Tom thought. A real professional never let his gaze rest in any one direction for more than five seconds. Karol was improving, and he had great potential, but he also had a lot of learning left to do.

In the distance, through the rain-streaked window, Tom saw an unmarked green semi-trailer truck roll into the plaza from the Cours de Vincennes. Karol saw it too, and though he was far too wise to say anything aloud, the young man's eyes flickered to Tom and he gave an apologetic nod. Charlotte's television was arriving on time after all.

Then a Peugot taxi came screaming around the statue in the center of the plaza and slammed, utterly out of control, into the side of the truck. Karol's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened in shock; several of the cafe's other patrons murmured disapprovingly, and one of them waved a hand in a disgusted gesture than left strange motes of glimmering energy hanging in the air. Karol shot Tom another, questioning glance, and the older man shook his head a fraction of a centimeter. We don't have the firepower with us here to risk breaking cover. For now, we just have to wait and see how this develops.

As Tom watched through the window, the taxi driver got out of his wrecked vehicle and began remonstrating with the driver of the truck, who remained behind the wheel. Good. If the driver got out of her truck, then she would be escalating the situation, and limiting her ability to escape and evade with her cargo. Best to stay behind the wheel, deescalate, and drive on as soon as possible. The collision had already attracted far too much attention; there was no point in allowing it to attract any more.

But the crash was drawing a crowd all the same, and the crowd was only growing with every passing moment. A very young, damp-looking girl in a backpack stared with shock and alarm at the collision. Nearby, a truly massive man, the size of an NFL linebacker, strolled obliviously through traffic and walked right by the wrecked taxi; to be so nonchalant about the cars careening by all around, Tom figured, the man must have possessed some kind of invulnerability, and he noted the stranger's face. Anyone who could stand up to a car collision might be able to stand up to a bullet, and that was something that Tom needed to know about.

There was a faint flash of blue light, and Tom's eyes narrowed as he saw a very distant figure appear on a rooftop on the other side of the square: a woman seemingly made of pure blue energy, who stood watching the unfolding drama. The older agent gently kicked Karol's foot beneath the table, and the Pole gave an almost imperceptible nod: he saw the figure also. Another moment passed, and then a very tall and skeletally thin man appeared alongside the glowing blue woman; even at this distance, Tom could see that he was masked. The two stood, watching the plaza, and Tom felt a faint tingle of growing excitement. That is a very bad sign. People who watch from a distance, from rooftops, and who do not intervene? They are waiting for someone to reveal themselves, and they want to be in position to strike when that happens. The pair could be from the Quai. They could be from Langley, or even from the Security Council itself. Regardless, they were likely bad news.

Before anything more could happen, a thin young man walked up to the wrecked taxi and laid a hand upon the vehicle; he bowed his head, and before another minute had passed, the battered Peugot was relatively pristine, and certainly in full working order. Useful guy to have around, Tom thought. He might just have saved us from being made by the Quai. As the AFH agents watched, the skinny young man turned and said something to the still-irate North African taxi driver; from behind a cafe window on the other side of the Place de la Nation, Tom could not hear what was spoken. Another moment passed, and the young man turned to the driver of the truck and said something else, equally inaudible.

Hidden in plain sight in his cafe booth, Tom sipped his pastis. Come on now, lass, he thought, eyes on the distant and blurry figure of the truck driver. Apologize, give the taxi man a fake phone number to call, and move on. Say that you don't want to hold up traffic. Get out of there before masked-man and the glowing blue dame on the roof take a closer interest in you. Just drive on away.

[Malshan]

August 25th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
6:29 PM

Tyr stopped whistling as he looked up at the statue, continuing his oblivious act. He looked up at the statue and snapped a few pictures while his suit, hidden from view, scanned the area with a high frequency pulse. Only advanced mechanics or metas with some kind of ability relating to the electromagnetic spectrum would be able to sense it. The pulse spread, passing through the buildings around the statue and continuing for nearly a kilometer in any direction. A map of the area popped up on Tyr's HUD along with threat indicators. He concentrated, bringing his illusion's arms up to snap a few more pictures of the statue before turning around just in time to see the young man stand back up from repairing the vehicle.

He walked toward the group, scanning both vehicles and taking note of their respective occupants. "Quite the handy ability you have there young man" he said to Gablex, nodding to him. "Good thing you were around, otherwise this may have turned into something quite unpleasant indeed. What's the local term for it? A lawsuit?"

Tyr shrugged and laughed, his vocal processors creating a reasonable impression of a human laugh. Turning to the taxi driver, he winked and began speaking in perfect French, "Now that that's taken care of, what say we all just laugh and move on, eh? Perhaps you can get those brakes checked out so this sort of thing can be avoided in the future, eh? Unless..." he turned around to look at Gablex, "Unless you fixed those as well when you mended the aesthetics of the vehicle?"

[Wolfenium]

Nation Station, Paris Métro Line 1
Paris, Third French Empire
25th August 2017, 1826 hours

Roaring hard on the surface above, the storm appeared intent on derailing the evening rush of commuters back home, anyone who was not in a car or bus on the roads would easily fall victim to the showers drenching their pristinely pressed suits, though many would be fortunate enough to wear casual to work on a Friday. Even then, vehicles could do little to shelter the workers making their way home, as raindrops clouded their screens with thumping hits. And as the accident demonstrated fully well, other causes were enough to spike anger among the drivers trying to get home, choking into the available road paths as they blared away at their horns.

Not in the Metro, however...

Dug under the protection of soil and dirt, the Paris Metro was still working like clockwork, though never to the same pinpoint precision of Germany's U-Bahn. Shuffling through the trains, the commuters in the Nation metro interchange continued to make their rounds in and out, as metro cleaners hastily try to keep the storm to the exit and drainage systems. Some were predictably exhausted from the work placed on them, despite relatively comfortable 35-hour work weeks to blunt the pain. But none was more tired than a little girl sitting at the corner of the train, dressed in a Catholic habit as she leaned her head on the wall, oblivious to the noise around her.

"Nation," went the announcement speaker ringing overhead, as the train begin grounding to a halt on the platform, "Nation."

Stirring a bit at the sound of the commuters getting off, the nun could not help but rub her eyes in weariness. She had been riding nearly non-stop from Alsace, taking the plane from Strasbourg (now Straßburg) to Paris. Had it been a few years ago, the trip would have been cut down to one hour of flight. However, the Third French Empire ironically suffered the same dark fate as the second, having been thoroughly trounced by an upstart German empire, and the territory on which the abbey sat on cut out, becoming a German domain for the first time in close to one and a half century. This was bad news for local air traffic, which forcibly rerouted the flights from Strasbourg Entzheim to the newly completed Berlin Brandenburg Airport. This extended the trip to a relatively staggering five hours, three and a half just to get to Berlin. That, along with transferring herself between flights, proved taxing for the young Magdalene. And it was showing by the time she got on the Metro, drifting off to sleep as the train passed by her stop, Hôtel de Ville, and her destination, Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral.

Hearing the announcement again, the girl finally jolted to life, making a quick check on the metro map as she blurted, "mon dieu!" Hopping off her seat, she quickly nudged out of the exit just as it was about to close. A small suitcase within her grasp, she raced out on the platform as she checked for a route to the other platform. She could always ask around, but dwarfed by the towering adults around her, she was practically unnoticeable. That, along with the prospect of being branded an Allemand for being born after the annexation, bode ill for the softspoken nun. Adjusting her braid in front of her, she tried to find some signs pointed towards the opposite platform. However, the crowds were already forcing her against their wave. Shafted in front of the ticket gantry, she hesitated a bit at leaving the station before the eyes around her pressed her to tap the gantry, trailing along with the flow of the crowd into the rain outside.

Drawing a small black umbrella from her purse, the girl could only look around in bewilderment at the square (or circle) around her. Sure, the sight of Dalou's Triumph of the Republic would have enthralled most tourists, let alone her. But greatest concerns were pressing too deep in her mind for her to fully appreciate it. She felt should have called the priesthood at the Notre Dame to pick her up at the airport as instructed, instead of trying to head over on her own and save them the trouble.

Looking over at the accident site as the drivers argued among themselves, Magdalene could not help but think little of the inconvenience that hit them. Peering with glazed eyes, she found the little crash incredibly trivial, and that those involved should have counted themselves lucky that no one was hurt. However, time had told her this would never be the case, with a humanity that placed their own needs above others. This appeared to have gotten worse since the meteorite impact, as their newfound powers gave them a new avenue to exploit the weak and downtrodden. Far from a gift from God as most churches declared, Magdalene found their powers to be the work of the Devil, a curse which brought out even more of humanity's dark side and snuffed out what good was left in them. She was of no exception, and she did not particularly enjoy using them to twist another's soul to her whims, voluntarily or not.

'Why don't anyone here understand what 'restraint' is,' she thought to herself, gripping her umbrella as she sensed the several metas working their powers around the square, 'are these powers really that much to be proud of?...'

But musing too much about this was pointless to her. She had to make her way to Notre Dame soon. She did not particularly relish meeting any unsavoury characters alone, particularly since her limiter, a rosary strung around her neck, could not entirely keep her powers at bay. Someone might sense her presence if she were not careful, and she hated to fathom what would happen if he got close enough to her to feel the effects of her powers.

[The Drone Empire]

August 25^th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
Early Evening

---

More and more rain poured down onto City of Lights, brought on by the unrelenting force of nature that remained incorruptible by mankind's will. The column of rain that poured down onto the city obscured the clear panorama that usually brought so many tourists to the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up with over a thousand bright lights as a beacon amidst the storm.

Rain clattered down upon the top observation deck, producing an almost overwhelming dissonance of sounds that drummed out any sounds coming from deep below. With all senses disrupted from perceiving the vast expanse of France's capital city below, this spot felt like a small sanctuary. Despite the cacophony brought on by rain striking cold steel, it felt like a place of tranquillity in the middle of a city that knew little to none of the sort.

Though the elevator leading to it had been shut down, a single man stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower. His face obscured by a mask, he gazed at the distance where nought but a grey blur could be perceived. Without an umbrella, he was bound to get wet, but instead the rain trickled down onto the metal flooring as if he wasn't even there.

After all this time, Reth still stood in awe of the magnificent forces of nature. Standing amidst a storm humbled him, reminding him that nature itself was a merciless force, a force to be reckoned with, an insurmountable force of both life and destruction.

"Magnificent."

The air around Reth seemed to vibrate as space itself began to twist and turn, a vortex forming with his right eye as its source. Droplets of rain began to defy the laws of gravity, turning in improbable angles before hitting the ground, and the metal flooring and rails began to bend effortlessly. A strong current of wind drew inwards as Reth's body was caught by the maelstrom, torn asunder and spiralling towards the vortex' point of origin until not a trace of his body was left atop the Eiffel Tower. The rain resumed its natural course towards the steel frame of the observation deck, which had returned to its old form.

A plot-driven coincidence would have Reth reappear close to the singular event that would set in motion a great deal more, his attention not drawn to the arguing drivers, but rather at a rooftop nearby.

"You are a peculiar creation." He remarked as he manifested close to SAIDE, his piercing eyes observing the manifestation of energy that stood before him. If anything, he assumed it was just another meta-human with an overly healthy curiosity, but he couldn't help but feel titillated by his own curiosity.

August 25th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
6:29 PM

"Yes, It would seem I am, wouldn't it?" She spoke with false revelation, still looking out toward the situation as it happened. A stray figure had righted the accident; the abilities these creatures wielded were... commendable, oh how they had changed with but some new tricks. Nevertheless, there were other matters to attend to, more pressing things than watching the motions of a society shift and change like the surface of a star. She was here for a reason, and it was not sightseeing this soggy 'City of Lights'

"Though, why exactly do you ask? Do I surprise you? Inspire you? Amaze you? Surely not, you yourself are hardly a being of mundane nature, aren't you?" spoke the blue figure, her voice occasionally flanked by distorted undertones speaking all the same words in voices of their own. A faint cloud of steam that persistently cast itself to the wind, repulsed off her form, for the rain continued its pointless assault upon her. He, however, seemed... well, of course he wasn't wet. It didn't completely shock her, this world was full of such a grand variety of peoples - just as seen below at the scene of the accident - everybody had something they could show off. Perhaps this was his.. being intangible. Strange, and somewhat impressive, but he was still but another stray piece, unimportant to her greater mechanism - or perhaps, a new component revealing itself.

[Esternial]

August 25th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
6:29 PM

"Yes, It would seem I am, wouldn't it?" She spoke with false revelation, still looking out toward the situation as it happened. A stray figure had righted the accident; the abilities these creatures wielded were... commendable, oh how they had changed with but some new tricks. Nevertheless, there were other matters to attend to, more pressing things than watching the motions of a society shift and change like the surface of a star. She was here for a reason, and it was not sightseeing this soggy 'City of Lights'

"Though, why exactly do you ask? Do I surprise you? Inspire you? Amaze you? Surely not, you yourself are hardly a being of mundane nature, aren't you?" spoke the blue figure, her voice occasionally flanked by distorted undertones speaking all the same words in voices of their own. A faint cloud of steam that persistently cast itself to the wind, repulsed off her form, for the rain continued its pointless assault upon her. He, however, seemed... well, of course he wasn't wet. It didn't completely shock her, this world was full of such a grand variety of peoples - just as seen below at the scene of the accident - everybody had something they could show off. Perhaps this was his.. being intangible. Strange, and somewhat impressive, but he was still but another stray piece, unimportant to her greater mechanism - or perhaps, a new component revealing itself.

August 25^th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
Early Evening

---

Since she lacked the ability to read minds, S.A.I.D.E. couldn't know that the stranger before her was thinking almost the same thing she was. Before him stood a supernatural being, but one that didn't feel organic at all. Its speech, its movement, its entire presence exuded an aura that didn't quite pass as human. Granted, in a world brimming with meta-humans and superpowers it was hard to determine what was truly human.

Regardless, his suspicions were sufficient to stimulate his curiosity.

His body suddenly blurred before S.A.I.D.E. and vanished shortly thereafter, appearing right next to her. He stared at her with great interest.

"I'm not what you'd call 'ordinary', no." Reth replied as he briefly turned his attention to the accident below.

[The Drone Empire]

August 25^th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
Early Evening

---

Since she lacked the ability to read minds, S.A.I.D.E. couldn't know that the stranger before her was thinking almost the same thing she was. Before him stood a supernatural being, but one that didn't feel organic at all. Its speech, its movement, its entire presence exuded an aura that didn't quite pass as human. Granted, in a world brimming with meta-humans and superpowers it was hard to determine what was truly human.

Regardless, his suspicions were sufficient to stimulate his curiosity.

His body suddenly blurred before S.A.I.D.E. and vanished shortly thereafter, appearing right next to her. He stared at her with great interest.

"I'm not what you'd call 'ordinary', no." Reth replied as he briefly turned his attention to the accident below.

August 25^th, 2017
Paris, The Third French Empire
Place de la Nation
Early Evening

"Then that is a good thing. I understand 'normal' around here is a crime."

SAIDE herself moved, if but only a few inches, to give space between them. A mask adorned this creature's face, it was a curious accessory indeed. What purpose it served them was beyond her knowledge, though she held her own speculations; an injury, disfigurement, shame, or perhaps he was trying to maintain some secret identity. Whatever the reason was none of her present concern, but his being here was very much so.

"So, might I ask what it is that you would be here for? A chat? Or have I happened upon your favorite rooftop to stalk from tonight?" She said without pause. She faced him now, paying no more attention to the below happenings, and yet, still doing so in full.

[Constaniana]

Cecilia was walking along the Paris streets, nibbling her jam croissant. It was one of the few things from the country she hadn't gotten annoyed by so far. If only the locals were as pleasant as this pastry. Not in any sort of cannibalistic sense, mind you. Cecilia was much too plain to do something loony like that. The Tyke looked at the statue curiosly, wondering why the French still had it up. Having a statue celebrating their gone republic seemed to make as much sense as having a plaque celebrating the spot where Cromwell banned Christmas. But her train of thought was derailed when a taxi smashed into a lorry. Cecilia was naturally interested and tried to get a closer look. She noticed a girl about her age also looking at the accident.

"Bloody frogs. Don't they teach these gits to drive here?" The Yorkshirewoman remarked to her fellow witness.

[Mnar Secundus]

25 August 2017
Paris, Third French Empire
6:18 PM
Place de la Nation

Silas Navary was looking out onto the Place de la Nation absent-mindedly when a waiter walked up to him: "Excuse me, Mister Navary, the American customer at table 18 has complaints and we can't keep up with his English. Could you ..." Navary turned away from Wagnaria's window and faced the man, answering, "Fine, I'll be there right away."

Wagnaria was a typical brasserie: it had a quietly elegant interior furnished with shiny wood, a large bar counter before an elaborate back bar and wide window panes which Silas made sure the staff kept absolutely clean. It sported two stories and a wide aquarium filled with crabs and lobsters. Silas really liked the place, which had hired him without any complications three years ago upon realizing that a native English-speaking waiter would be useful. They paid rather well, especially since he had been made maître d', and even gave Alexandre and Elise discounts when they stopped by.
Today was a good day, too. The rain had forced an entire crowd into the restaurant, and they were sitting and even standing around, drinking, most of them regarding the downpour outside with some lack of enthusiasm. Silas, on his side, actually enjoyed the shower: he felt that strong rains had a somehow purifying effect on whatever they poured down on, and Paris certainly needed purifying right now.

Silas briskly walked up to table 18 and its grossly fat customer, who was vociferating about some trivial issue. Tourists, Silas thought scornfully. "Excuse me, dear customer," he said in English with oiled courtesy, "is there some problem?"
From what the American customer explained, Silas gathered that the man had found one of his mossels to be bad, and hadn't managed to explain it to the staff. His accent was thicker than a handknit sweater. Silas offered him a partial refund, but he preferred another serving, and wolfed it down with disturbing eagerness. Is any amount of food enough for this outrageous mess of a person? The South African didn't understand how anyone could manage to become this fat, and had no wish to. It might be contagious. He walked away quickly, wanting to put as much distance as possible between the American and himself, and went back to his previous position before the window.

Uncharacteristically, Silas frowned: try as he might, he couldn't ignore the Triumph of the Republic in the middle of the Place. What a travesty. He couldn't understand the point of keeping the damn thing now that the Republic was dead. This was shameful. That France, one of the first Republics in the modern world, would be one of the first to go back to monarchy so easily ... Well, as soon as my studies are finished I'm out of here anyway.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the Place, and Silas saw a taxi crash into a truck with some violence. In a few minutes, a small crowd had gathered, but soon enough a meta-human came by and repaired the taxi. Handy power. This was interesting; thus, Silas decided to stick around and observe the situation as it developed.

[Olthar]

Lily was glad to see that someone had intervened and fixed the taxi. For a moment, she wished that her own powers were as practical. She didn't have long to dwell on it as someone had apparently began talking to her.

The girl was young and sported a thick British accent. Lily considered the words, coming to the conclusion that "frogs" was likely some sort of insult towards the French. However, she couldn't tell if it was spoken genuinely or ironically. If the former, Lily wondered why the girl would even be here, so, likely, it was the latter. Unless she was forced to come here. Perhaps this wouldn't be easy to figure out.

Just then, Lily realized that she had remained silent for a period of time that was probably socially awkward and spoke up, fumbling over her words.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Um, I'm excited that--no. I'm proud--no. Um...no one was hurt. That's good. Right? Yes."

There was a brief awkward pause before Lily decided to make things worse.

"Sooo...do you like...um...pastries?"

Lily began internally berating herself for her stupidity.

[Rupudska]

Cecilia was walking along the Paris streets, nibbling her jam croissant. It was one of the few things from the country she hadn't gotten annoyed by so far. If only the locals were as pleasant as this pastry. Not in any sort of cannibalistic sense, mind you. Cecilia was much too plain to do something loony like that. The Tyke looked at the statue curiosly, wondering why the French still had it up. Having a statue celebrating their gone republic seemed to make as much sense as having a plaque celebrating the spot where Cromwell banned Christmas. But her train of thought was derailed when a taxi smashed into a lorry. Cecilia was naturally interested and tried to get a closer look. She noticed a girl about her age also looking at the accident.

"Bloody frogs. Don't they teach these gits to drive here?" The Yorkshirewoman remarked to her fellow witness.

6:30

Valentyna, one of the witnesses Cecilia had chosen to remark to, shrugged.

"I come from Kiev. The drivers there make the ones here look like they have skill of Formula One driver."

She shook her head, and was about to continue when three things happened all at once. Firstly, Elisa started pulling into the roundabout, having rolled up her window and politely (subtly) flipping the taxi driver off. Secondly, another taxi drove past herself and Cecilia, splashing them both with nasty streetwater.

"Shcho za layno!? Watch where you're going, ass!"

[Constaniana]

"Yeah, they're nice. I like marmalade on them, or sausage rolls, but the bakery I got it from didn't have that, so I just got strawberry jam," Cecilia replied, swishing her tail a little. The poor girl seemed embarrassed over something, probably the little stammer. The foxgirl stood silently for a few moments, before tearing a chunk of her cressoint off from the end she hadn't been biting from. "Do you want some?" Cecilia asked, hoping to calm the American girl down a bit. She was feeling a bit warm, so she took off her raincoat before replying to the Ukrainian.

At that moment some eejit drove by and splashed her. The foxgirl sputtered for a few seconds, ignorant of the view she was inadvertently providing now.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Hearing someone addressing him, Gablex glanced in the direction of the voice, mismatched eyes scanning his interlocutor. It was a man, unusually tall but otherwise unremarkable in the young man's opinion, though it was easy to discern that he was a tourist, perhaps a professional photographer even, judging by the camera. Hearing his question, Gablex simply shrugged at it and then spoke. "The taxi should be just as good as it was before it crashed into the lady's truck, no more, no less. If the brakes were for some reason damaged in that accident, well, they should be fixed now. If they were already in a pristine state, then asking me to do anything would be redundant. But if they were already malfunctioning before the crash, then there is nothing I can do to help."

Having said this, Gablex turned to the truck and its driver once again, only to see her drive off. An imperceptible frown forming on his brow, the young man shoved his right hand into one of the pockets of his black coat, while the left cupped around his mouth. "A 'no thanks' would have been nice." He chided, though in all honesty he doubted the woman would hear him. Not that it particularly mattered. That, and he found it hard to let his mood decay, considering that the weather, as far as he was concerned, was quite nice today.

Suddenly the young man heard the sound of blaring horns coming from behind him, and turned around to see several cars in line behind the recently patched up taxi, which had already been boarded by its Algerian driver and its Japanese passengers. Embarassed, Gablex mumbled an apology as he hurriedly walked away from the streets and onto a nearby sidewalk where some other people were gathered, settling down in a spot where he doubted he would be an obstacle for anyone wishing to walk by. Relaxing slightly, the young man put his left hand into his coat's pocket as well and sighed. "Some people are just plain ungrateful." He said to no one in particular. The sad thing was that, as far as he could see, this was a constant all throughout the history of mankind. He shook his head though. No point in worrying about such thing, especially when it was such a nice day. He looked up once again, watching the cloudy sky with mismatched eyes as the rain fell on his face, and allowed himself to smile ever so slightly once again.

When he looked to the side, though, he noticed a girl with fox ears and a fluffy tail sputtering, apparently splashed by a taxi. Gablex' cheeks turned the same color of his eyes as he was slightly flustered by the sight. "Um... Are you alright, miss?" He inquired, somewhat awkwardly. He would have offered her his coat, but he noticed that she had her own, so he didn't see much he could do.

[The BranRiech]

Paris

6:30 PM

Outside a quaint little cafe in one of the more popular districts of Paris, sat two relatively different individuals, both covered by the awning over the tables and chairs on the sidewalk. To the casual observer who was blind from people's torsos down, it would look as if the two were simply enjoying dinner. Of course, everyone else would see the tails first, two of them, coiled politely up as they sat at the table, sipping their drinks occasionally, and sharing a few words.

"Rain's surely something, didn't think it'd be this bad though." The female said, shrugging as she looked off into the darkened sky as the other spoke. "Well, You decided we needed to come here as soon as possible, we could have waited for better weather to be honest."

As the two continued to converse, they looked down the road and noticed a small batch of people, standing by the road as a taxi seemed to splash one of them. Thinking it to be no different than New York, they brushed it off as average city goings-on and kept eating.

One thing they hadn't seen much of since arriving, besides Americans, were Humans. They had barely seen any, and the ones they did were usually in the process of getting arrested or something as the police turned them away, hoping to keep it under wraps from the Americans. They shrugged, neither having been keeping track of Human Rights abuses across the world, and neither really caring regardless. "At least it doesn't happen back home." They both said to eachother.

That was about an hour ago though, and the event was fresh out of their minds as they concentrated more on their food, ignoring the stares of people who obviously hadn't seen a Lamia before, of which they had definitely seen, but not as commonly as most of the other people in the world.

[Olthar]

When the girl had treated Lily's stupid question seriously and gave an actual answer, the American became even more embarrassed and blushed a bright red. Wishing she could just disappear down a hole, she almost missed the offer of pastry. Paralyzed by fear, she stared at it for a moment until a car splashed them with muddy slop. Snapped back to reality, she looked down at herself, a look of disgust on her face.

"Eww..."

Lily turned intangible, and the mud fell down to the sidewalk. Turning back, she looked up at the British girl with whom she was talking only to notice that her shirt had become rather see-through with the splash. Immediately, Lily went back to the state of a frozen cherry and stared awkwardly. This time, however, it was for an entirely different reason.

[Wolfenium]

Nudging her way into the cafe, Madgalene appeared desperate to get out of the rain and get a bite before heading on her way. Packing her umbrella, she could not help but feel nervous and slightly claustrophobic at the crowded restaurant. Instinctively, she clutched on to her rosary as she slowly paced towards the counter. Her hands wrapped around her belongings, she appeared overly cautious and genuinely frightened at the foreign surroundings.

-Demons!-

Unexpectedly, her black knee-high boots felt a tube-like beam in its way, a light trip throwing her out of balance as she fell in the floor, her suitcase and purse strewn in front of her. Grabbing her stuff hastily, she blurted in apology, "I-I'm... I'm really sorry! This is my first time here! Please don't get mad at me!"

However, her eyes wrapped behind her quivering arms, she could not actually see who the patron she offended was. Worse, she did not know what exactly she had tripped on. Having lived in the convent for so long, she had never seen anyone that looked less than human in her life, let alone trip on a girl's tail.

[The BranRiech]

"Mmm?" Sophia wondered as she felt the telltale feeling of someone tripping on her tail. It had happened before, mostly with Non-Metas who didn't know any better. Sophia always chuckled and brushed it off, but this time, it seemed to quite frighten the girl who had tripped over her. Her tail was literally unharmed, but looking down to Madgalene, who seemed about to cry. "Omigawd, I'm so sorry! I must have been in the way." She freaked out, dropping her fork as she bent down to investigate, keeping her tail coiled up, just moving down to look at the girl, reaching a hand out to her to help her up.

Joseph rolled his eyes, and chuckled, but smiled at the small girl as well.

"Trying to escape the weather, girly?" He asked, chuckling a bit. "My dope of a sister probably left her tail in the corridor again."

Sophia shot him a look of near venom. Of course, they weren't poisonous, so that comparison was pointless.

[Wolfenium]

"Mmm?" Sophia wondered as she felt the telltale feeling of someone tripping on her tail. It had happened before, mostly with Non-Metas who didn't know any better. Sophia always chuckled and brushed it off, but this time, it seemed to quite frighten the girl who had tripped over her. Her tail was literally unharmed, but looking down to Madgalene, who seemed about to cry. "Omigawd, I'm so sorry! I must have been in the way." She freaked out, dropping her fork as she bent down to investigate, keeping her tail coiled up, just moving down to look at the girl, reaching a hand out to her to help her up.

Joseph rolled his eyes, and chuckled, but smiled at the small girl as well.

"Trying to escape the weather, girly?" He asked, chuckling a bit. "My dope of a sister probably left her tail in the corridor again."

Sophia shot him a look of near venom. Of course, they weren't poisonous, so that comparison was pointless.

Taking a peek out, the petite nun quietly dropped her hands from her face. Blushing a bit, she reached out to Sophia as she muttered, "it's... it's alright. I wasn't watching where I going... I could have stepped on... your... uhh..."

Pausing for a moment, her eyes trailed down Sophia's body up to her waist, where the legs should be. Peering over the serpentine tail, she appeared to be trying to find a pair of legs somewhere, a quick check at Joseph gave her the same results. Almost immediately, confusion twisted into sheer horror, clamouring away from them with her rosary held up like a cornered priest to a pack of demons. Opening her mouth, Magdalene tried to utter something in response, maybe a question or random religious rhetoric. However, words appeared to elude her as she was gargled speechlessly at them. As much as the lack of response from the other customers told her they were simply meta-humans, she herself could not help but question if they were actual demons or not.

[The BranRiech]

Taking a peek out, the petite nun quietly dropped her hands from her face. Blushing a bit, she reached out to Sophia as she muttered, "it's... it's alright. I wasn't watching where I going... I could have stepped on... your... uhh..."

Pausing for a moment, her eyes trailed down Sophia's body up to her waist, where the legs should be. Peering over the serpentine tail, she appeared to be trying to find a pair of legs somewhere, a quick check at Joseph gave her the same results. Almost immediately, confusion twisted into sheer horror, clamouring away from them with her rosary held up like a cornered priest to a pack of demons. Opening her mouth, Magdalene tried to utter something in response, maybe a question or random religious rhetoric. However, words appeared to elude her as she was gargled speechlessly at them. As much as the lack of response from the other customers told her they were simply meta-humans, she herself could not help but question if they were actual demons or not.

"I guess Americans are still hated over here or something." Joseph shrugged as he watched the girl crawl away, looking as scared as he'd ever seen someone. He frowned though, and looked back down to the girl as she prayed, or what he assumed was praying. "Joseph, shove it, she's scared. Look . . ." Sophia looked down to Magdalene and held out her hand. "We're just tourists, Americans. We're here to see Paris is all, a-are you lost?" She asked. Her phone rang in her pocket, and was quickly silenced as she tried convincing the small Nun to get up.

Both Lamias looked down at her, one shrugging, seeming not to care, the other reaching out for her.

[Wolfenium]

Taking a peek out, the petite nun quietly dropped her hands from her face. Blushing a bit, she reached out to Sophia as she muttered, "it's... it's alright. I wasn't watching where I going... I could have stepped on... your... uhh..."

Pausing for a moment, her eyes trailed down Sophia's body up to her waist, where the legs should be. Peering over the serpentine tail, she appeared to be trying to find a pair of legs somewhere, a quick check at Joseph gave her the same results. Almost immediately, confusion twisted into sheer horror, clamouring away from them with her rosary held up like a cornered priest to a pack of demons. Opening her mouth, Magdalene tried to utter something in response, maybe a question or random religious rhetoric. However, words appeared to elude her as she was gargled speechlessly at them. As much as the lack of response from the other customers told her they were simply meta-humans, she herself could not help but question if they were actual demons or not.

"I guess Americans are still hated over here or something." Joseph shrugged as he watched the girl crawl away, looking as scared as he'd ever seen someone. He frowned though, and looked back down to the girl as she prayed, or what he assumed was praying. "Joseph, shove it, she's scared. Look . . ." Sophia looked down to Magdalene and held out her hand. "We're just tourists, Americans. We're here to see Paris is all, a-are you lost?" She asked. Her phone rang in her pocket, and was quickly silenced as she tried convincing the small Nun to get up.

Both Lamias looked down at her, one shrugging, seeming not to care, the other reaching out for her.

"T-Tourists?..." spoke the trembling child, glancing around as she tried to grasp the situation. True, meeting meta-humans that look abnormal was bound to happen for her, given the fact that they were now far more common than 'normal' people. But Magdalene assumed demonic façades were not among them, given how uncanny they would be to the dusty old texts that earmarked them as 'pawns of the devil'. But those texts were old, and written by monks who lacked knowledge on modern science and diseases. Magdalene herself had the benefit of foresight, and yet she herself acted like one of those medieval priests, presuming any evidence of deformity to be the work of devils.

"S-Sorry," she uttered, lowering her rosary as she tried to get a grip on herself, "you just startled me, that's all... I don't normally meet meta-humans that look... odd... I'm not exactly lost. I'm just hungry... I need to get to the Notre Dame Cathedral soon. Sorry to waste your time on me."

'Odd' sounded like a huge understatement, but Magdalene dared not admit she found their appearances demonic. This would undoubtedly cause undue anger and remorse on the two, and she tried not to worsen the situation as it was. Already, she could tell Sophia was concerned. Last thing she wanted to do to anyone was hurt them. She already acted rather hysterical already. She felt no need to add insult to the scene as well.