Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

by **Finland SSR** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:17 am

The Republic of Atria wrote:July 23

Bael seemed to be hesitant when Sina explained the gist of what the Outriders are, stating that while thrill and excitement were both a part of the job and he didn't deny that, having it be "fun" is something else. Sina blinked for a few seconds, unsure of what the fellow Dra'Quinni was trying to say, then finally replied:

"<That's what makes it fun, Bael, it's what the word "fun" means.>"

The conversation quickly moved on, however, and the Dra'Quinni offered that they should stay in touch. If one of them finds out something new about their species in this town, or just wants to talk with the other for one reason or whatever, that is. In of itself, it wouldn't be too bad of a suggestion, and Sina herself might have offered something like that if he haven't, but Bael looked so uncomfortable with even raising the question that he seemed to stumble with almost every single word. To be fair, she could already tell that he wasn't good with speaking to anyone, but...

What a dork. And it made Sina snicker and smile, trying to hold back a laugh. Why wouldn't it be funny when someone this intimidating and this powerful is also this socially inept?

"<Sure, Bael, we can keep in touch - I would have offered that myself had you not said it first, actually.>" the vigilante replied after calming herself down. "<I don't have those metal blocks humans use to communicate at a distance, though, but I'm sure you'll be able to find me gliding across the sky somewhere if you look hard enough.>"

Right then, Jason stepped into the conversation, holding a dufflebag with his arm and offering the trio to leave before the police shows up. In addition to that, he requested Sina on whether they could crash in at the Outriders base until they can get the cops off their feet. Alright, that's an easier question.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure the team won't have a problem with that. Just follow me."

Stepping out of the warehouse and back into the San Diego night, Sina leapt on one of the nearby buildings, climbing up to the rooftop to gain a headstart in altitude, then leapt off the ledge to take off across the sky.

"So, uh," the vigilante suddenly spoke up as the trip began, figuring that this was a better time than any to ask something which had been at the back of her mind for a while. "You two are vigilantes too, right? But you clearly aren't Outriders. So are you independent or do you belong to some other team?"

by **The Republic of Atria** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:14 pm

Finland SSR wrote:Sina

He snickered and shook his head at Sina. "<Yeah. I don't know. Maybe I like it, but don't think I'm supposed to. Maybe I don't like it and I'm just tricking myself into thinking that I do. I don't know, I'll figure it out, hopefully.>" Sina snickered at him, no secret to why. Not that it made him feel any less embarrassed about it, but they would be staying in contact. "<Cellphones? You should get one, I've got one. Makes life quite a bit easier. I don't know how we did it, but the humans just put almost all of their information online. Plus long range communication is always easy.>" At least he didn't have to deal with it long before Jason burst into the room carrying a nice bag of loot and asking if they could go visit the Outriders while he divvies up their pay. Not sure how I feel about taking the money. Jason's probably going to make me take it anyways.

Sina took off first, Jason making sure the bag was secured around his chest before swinging after him. Wyatt followed. As they made there way away from the scene of the crime, the police could be seen pulling up to the building. "Scales, I swear. If you still not happy about that. I don't know what to tell you. We got high end weapons out of the hands of some scumfuck bastards who likely would've leveled a city block or 5 before Warwolf or some super stepped in. And we're going to celebrate with some more people!"

"i know, I know. I'm just thinking."

"Turn that brain o' yours off once in awhile. There's no ambiguity here. Enjoy the moment. You've made TWO new friends today and kicked ass. That's a good day in my book. Plus, these Outriders guys sound like pretty cool dudes."

Speaking of groups, Sina inquired about if he and Wyatt were in a group or if they worked alone.

"We're with the Young Bloods. Our leader suggested that since Warwolf has been dropping the ball as of late, that we should be working overtime to earn people's trust and stopping bad guys." Wyatt explained, much to the relief of Jason. "Jason's new. I've been there from the start, though honestly, I've probably screwed the team over more than I've helped it."

"Eh. We all make mistakes. Even me. Realize you fucked up and try not to do it again, or at least make up for it. Can't change the past. At least not until THE DEVICE is complete, but until then. Take it on the chin and keep truckin'."

by **New Finnish Republic** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:53 pm

Brianna Erickson

Brianna looked over to Sina, her eyes furrowing slightly as they made eye contact. You fool, you don't just go around telling everyone your name, especially when we don't even know who they really are, she thought for a few moments before eventually shaking her head. Turning her gaze over to the man who called himself Isaac, her eyes ran up and down his body as she tried to get a gauge of what exactly he was. He seems to not exactly fit the image of a "Vigilante", now does he? However, her thoughts going to their team's leader, I suppose not everyone is what meets the eye.

"You can call me Shield Maiden, seggr." She said with a serious tone in her face as she warily eyed the newcomer. "I take it that you were not with these men here, but it still begs the question you were here in the first place if not to aid them." She stared at him for a few more moments, before letting out a small sigh. "But I suppose as long as you mean us no ill will, I can let that question rest for the moment as we have more pressing things to contend with."

Turning her gaze out of the window, it appeared that the fight outside had all but died out. Considering she only saw the bodies of the Russian mobsters laying around, it didn't take her long to guess who the victor had been. Like I had any doubts from the beginning, she thought before making her way to the exit, taking care not to step in the pools of blood that had seeped across the bridge floor.

"Let's go, Sina. Vendetta is waiting for us, I have no doubts."

by **The Rebel Alliances** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 1:26 pm

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-San Diego Docks

That's the last one. And I have not blown us all up yet. I would never tell the rest of the team this, but I had doubts myself. Sure, our friendly neighborhood arms dealer showed me how to use these. But it still something you would rather not fuck up. I made little effort to hide the explosives as anyone who would discover them is now dead and so I just placed them at intervals throughut the inside of the ship. The sounds of the battle were now all but gone and so I allowed myself to relax as I made my way back to the hold to collect my gear. I already moved the car from the ship which was aided by the fact that the Mafia had already started unloading the ship themselves. So I did not have to mess with any loading bay controls or anything. Deciding that now was as good a time as ever to gather everyone outside of the ship I spoke through our comms to the rest of my team, finally breaking radio silence.

"It's Vendetta. I have already prepped the ship to blow so if you have any unfinished business I suggest you hurry it up and meet up outside. You should see a new Dodge Demon. That is as good a meeting spot as any. Don't scratch her though, she has already been claimed. I am going to check the hold once more and make sure we are not leaving anything useful behind."

As I stepped through the doorway inside the ship I had my doubts if I would find anything else of value in this hold. It's large sure but I have already secured ammunition, a new car and a fuck ton of cash shoved into the trunk of my new car. I wasn't sure if there was anything else that I could think of.

Pacing the rows of illegal inventory as I listened to the sound of my boots on the metallic floors made me think of just how much money the Russians were about to lose. Fuck a mob bank heist. That was chicken shit losses for the Triads. We were about to kick the Russians squarely in the balls. I would hate to be the messenger for this one. I mean, I didn't graduate high school, but adding up the lost manpower, material, goods and profits they would have made from all of the drugs, guns, vehicles ect ect....well it was a lot. Millions of dollars? Billions? Trillions? What comes after trillions? I thought as my AK bounced slightly from my chest as I walked. I was just about to call it quits and turn around when I heard it.

Screaming?

Did we miss one? Maybe, but screaming is not a reaction you get from hardened mobsters. I stepped closer towards the source of the sound and as I grew nearer I was sure of it. This could not have been the mob, and the sounds were growing more numerous. There are several people at least just from what I could hear.

It didn't take long for my mind to race to a conclusion. And with it a confirmation of what we were doing was justified. This could not be the sound of hostages. When you have a hostage you want the target to know about it. They were keeping this secret.

Human traficking.

To illustrate exactly how pissed I was becoming I shot a Russian corpse as I strolled over it and finally followed the noise to the source. A long metal carg container with people inside. I could hear them muffled. They must have been terrified in there, and taking a big like that. They must have heard the sounds of battle and decided that alerting their presence to the ones slaughtering their captors was their only shot at freedom. Of course, we could have been worse than the Russians themselves. If they had not made themselves known, I would have blown them to bits and never knew it.

"Listen up in there! The Russians are dead and I am going to get you outta there, alright!" Rather than calm the crowd inside down, they actually seemed further agitated that they did manage to reach someone and I could hear banging on the doors from the other side.

It made sense I suppose, they must have been dying to loose and I had no idea how long they have been in there. Although, not too long as they needed regular food of course and suffocation was an issue. Turns out, there are some vents near the top of the containers. But it did not take long to realize that I needed a key to set these people free. And...I did not really relish the thought of searching the bodies of every dead man and woman on this ship.

"Stand back and away from the doors!"

Then with that warning. The insides of the ship cracked with gunfire as I blasted away at the lock, finally allowing me to swring the doors wide open.

"Alright everyone your-" I was unable to finish what I was saying. As I was cut off by a fist striking me squrely in the forehead and people running right over me as I fell backwards onto the iron floor. Placing my arms and legs so as to protect myself they seemed to pay no heed of me and just run in the direction of the nearest exit. Languages of all sorts being spoken. It was over in a minute but even still I kept myself covered as best I could of just in case anyone else wanted to 'Thank me'.

"Gee thank you lady. I appreciate you almost getting your ass shot off for our sakes. Got any suggestions for the night life in this city?" I pined off sarcastically as I pulled myself up.

"Thank you." I froze up, almost expecting another punch again until I realized that...I understood that. That was English. Sure the man needed to work on his accent but damn I knew what he was saying. Looking up I saw a man with deep bags under his eyes and tattered clothes with an outstretched hand. With some hesitation I took it as he lifted me up.

"No need...really. I did not even know you were there until I heard the yelling. He stopped me there.

"No, there is a need. I do not know who you are. If you are FBI or some hero but you just saved a lot of people from...well all sorts of things. Not all of us were taken for the same reasons I am sure. There were only a handful of supers in our group. The rest are all young women. I am certain fate would not have been kind to any of us had you never come along."

"Wait a second, supers? Why didn't you?" He gave a exhausted laugh.

"Fight back? They have supers of their own and well...we couldn't." It was only then I noticed the collar on his neck, likely some device to keep his powers in check.

"Oh..." I mused. Wondering just what the Russians wanted with superhumans. The usage for attractive young women from developing nations was well...unpleasant. But I had no idea why they would collect supers. It was then the man started to walk away after the others.

"Well, if there is anything I can do to repay..."

"Actually...there might be." The man turned around, clearly listening.

"Just...give credit where it is due. If the mob thinks that another mob did this, then it could start a war. A lot of people could get hurt. Just, when you speak to the police...tell them the truth about who attacked the mob and well, who rescued you." A look of consideration passed over his features until he finally agreed to the terms.

"Certainly but...who should I say rescued us?" He asked with the obvious question. I returned the look with a gaze of determination and answered simply.

"The Outriders."

We were some distance away from the mob ship now as I looked over the team. This was our first successful mission in the field really and especially since we have welcomed so many new members. So, I thought something a little special was in order. I ran into the Captain's Cabin on the way out and I picked up a few necessary items for this little show. Each of us stood around the new Dodge Demon and we could no longer see the ship in the distance despite us still being in the docks. We needed to get to a minimal safe distance after all. And honestly, we will be seeing the best part anyways.

As for the team, we all made it out alive. Hell, Brianna and Sina even brought back a trophy for Nick, the severed and yet still functioning head of a android they defeated with the help of what may perhaps be yet another Outlaw to our band. And Sebastian managed to convince the cosplaying knight to give us a chance. After a good brawl of course.

Pouring Bacardi into a shot glass I started began my little speech, not used to things like this at all.

"The Russians will wake up tomorrow and find out that they have a lot of dead men. A lot of missing goods. And a fuck ton of lost cash...." I then raised my shot glass up in the air sharply, spilling a lot of it onto the pavement beneath me.

"Here's to those mutherfuckers!" I whooped before immediately refilling my glass and filling the glasses of those who were partaking. Minus the knight of course. Knights never have any fun.

My voice lowered as I grew more serious. "Some of you may not know yet. But we managed to free a couple dozen people from well...being enslaved. And we got pay back for them in the process. I know many of us are here for our own reasons but if anyone here has a doubt that we are doing the right thing well...I cannot tell you what to think. But we made a difference tonight and well, that will have to be enough." I then turned sharply and sat on the hood of the car, careful not to put too much weight on it of course as I pointed off in the direction of the mob ship.

"But enough of all that, we are about to announce to this whole damned city that San Diego is no longer free game for the world's bottom feeders! To us! To the Outriders!" Throwing my head back as I took my shot of whisky I then raised my left hand which held a detonator and gave it one light press which signalled a rocking explosion which could be seen for probably miles in the distance as the entire ship in the harbor was blown clear the hell up.

I allowed the moment of victory to set in. But only a moment. I knew we needed to get the hell out of here. WW and San Diego's finest will be overrunning this place and I am quite sure that they will uncover other mob assets in the process.

"Fellas, we just pissed off every crook in this damned city. Job well done." Sliding off of the hood I took a final look around at my team of outlaws. A vigilante association known as the Outriders. Outcasts from every corner of civilized society. And more and more I felt like they were already quickly becoming more than my allies. Or even friends. No, I did not care how they saw this team but for me.

This was my family.

And as I opened up the driver side door of the muscle dragster a single thought ran through my mind.

And anyone who fucks with my family will have hell to pay.

by **United Kingdom of Poland** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:15 pm

The buzzing of her alarm clock awoke wendy from her slumber. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, formulating her game plan for today’s recon mission as she did so. I’m not going to be able to get a good look at The Wonders Foundations inside with all the warwolf troops swarming the place, but by hiding in the crowd of reports I might be able to gain some info over their radio traffic connecting the two. And If I can combined it with Ash, we might have a chance to force Warwolf out of town.

Walking into the kitchen, Wendy was greeted to the sight of a moth-like girl hovering over a passed out Mike. That must be the girl Casimir told me about, but why is… The girl shuffled back from Mike as she noticed Wendy approaching. That explains it. Mike must have walked in on her as she was looking for something to eat and spooked her. “Easy there.” Wendy said, approaching the girl with her open palms held near her head. “I’m not here to hurt you. My name’s Wendy, and you must be Ash. Casimir already told me about you.”

Ash had been momentarily stunned by her own actions, a feeling of dread washing over her as she watched Mike’s body crumple to the floor. Inwardly, she groaned as she realised how the situation was rapidly deteriorating before her eyes. Everything had been going fine until she had decided to wander outside of her room, and now she had just ensured that everything would go from bad to worse.

Just breathe. The girl thought to herself, immediately following her own advice in an effort to calm herself down. Glancing down at the sleeping body at her feet, Ash wracked her mind in an effort to come up with some way to salvage the situation. Mike’s face had a faint smile, his thoughts already having drifted off into a deep sleep as his chest slowly rose and fell. At least I managed to sedate him before he could freak out. It would have been awful if he had overreacted! Maybe the situation wasn’t as bad as she had first thought. If Ash could just get back to her room unnoticed, maybe she could explain everything to the Young Blood? Casimir had been really nice to her so far, so it stood to reason that the rest of his team might be friendly as well. Gradually, the idea gained traction in the mutant’s mind, quickly solidifying into a firm plan. She knew that the hero would understand if she told him her side of the story. Maybe she could even convince him not to tell Casimir that she had wandered outside of her room.

However, Ash’s plan evaporated nearly as quickly as it had been formed.

Engrossed in her immediate situation, the girl felt one of her antennae twitch. Pulled out of her thoughts, Ash’s eyes widened as she immediately recognised the sound of footsteps approaching the room, but it was already too late. As Wendy entered the kitchen, her eyes immediately fell on Ash, and a look of surprise flashed across the Young Blood’s face before she quickly connected the dots.

For a moment, Ash felt a desire to flee from the scene, to hide until it all blew over, but then Wendy offered her a smile and slowly raised her palms. Blinking at the unexpected words, it took a moment for Ash to register that Wendy was waiting for her to respond. Casimir...already told her about me?

“It...it is nice to meet you Wendy.” Ash began. Nervously she glanced down at Wendy’s unconscious teammate as she realised how the scene must have looked to her. Quickly, Ash tried to blurt out an explanation. “I am sorry, I did not mean to hurt your friend! He just walked in and I did not know what to do because Casimir told me not to leave my room, so I decided to put him to sleep so that I may think.” Trying to get her piece in before this Wendy inevitably became angry, Ash rattled on. “Now you must think that I am not a nice person and that I do not deserve to be in the team, which is correct. But I am really sorry and -”

“Ash” Wendy cut her off before before the girl fright turned into a full blown panic attack. “Calm down. It was an accident. You’re scared, confused, and still trying to learn how to deal with people that treat you as something other than a science experiment or frankenstein's monster. Just… carefully pick up my friend there, follow me to the infirmary, and let me do all the talking.”

Ash nodded carefully picking up Mike and cradling him in her arms as Wendy led her to the surprisingly already active infirmary. “Hi Jane.” Wendy said to the doctor as she walked into the room with Ash and Mike in toe. “Mike had an accident and knocked himself out in the kitchen. Is it alright if we leave him with you until he wakes up.”

by **Finland SSR** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 4:48 am

The Republic of Atria wrote:Wyatt and Jason

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

Young Bloods, then. That wasn't a team which Sina had head of - not that she was all that interested in hearing about human news, anyway. If that's where Bael and his friend are working at, however, then she'll have to pay more attention to it, then... Speaking of which, Bael didn't seem to be too enamoured with his membership in the Young Bloods, he stated loud and clear that he believed he was more of a liability than a valuable asset. Jason immediately spoke against it and Sina figured that she could add a few words as well.

"Oh, don't fret... Wyatt," she spoke, opting to choose his human name in this instance. Bael seemed set on using it in normal situations, seeing as he only reveal his real identity in their native language. "You weren't a liability tonight, at least."

And there we go. The Outrider base was finally emerging from the distance. And it didn't look too pretty. The train, mostly overgrown with moss and grass, was the main attraction, for lack of a better word. Sina descended through the open ceiling above the train with a dive, landing on the concrete floor nearby with a roll stop.

"And here we are." the Dra'Quinni vigilante spoke, then walked up to the train and knocked on the metal frame of one of the wagons. "Vendetta, you don't mind if I brought some visitors, right?"

If she was even in her room, which, to be fair, was never a certainty.

The Rebel Alliances wrote:
Alexis Cain/Vendetta-San Diego Docks

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

Hurrah, victory! Around the same time as Brianna, Sina and Isaac - that was his name, apparently, and he was a vigilante much like the rest of them - defeated and decapitated the android, then took control of the ship's bridge, the rest of the team finished their missions as well. Defeating the mafia guards and mercenaries, rescuing the people who had been trafficked with the ship, planting the bombs across the whole vessel. And then, once the whole team had departed and gathered around the Dodge Demon - which, as Brianna had to explain, was the model of a car and not an actual demon - see it all blown to smithereens.

That was...

Thrilling.

Especially that fight with the android.

The moment when Sina gnawed on its arm, burning it off, only to see the bastard still standing and ready to strike... the rush of adrenaline then...

ugh

That was great.

Vendetta offered to celebrate by popping open a bottle of a strange liquid, handing over glasses to each and every member of the team. This was a little less great, and more confusing. This doesn't look like water. Or blood, but Sina didn't like the taste of that, anyway.

"What's this drink I am signing up for?" the Dra'Quinni vigilante muttered.

by **Confederation of the Equator** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:54 pm

[minecraft villager sound]

by **Segral** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:28 pm

Sir Edward Whilton of York
Chapter 9: The Halo of Light

His armor was battered, his body was bruised, Harold was annoyingly whinnying in a high-pitched yelp, and he had been defeated in a fight to a common man. But he wasn't upset. He wasn't frustrated, or suffering in silence. No, today, with the help and merciful affection of God, he was happy, a jubilancy stretching worlds and heavens and hells as his heart threatened to explode.

It was an unlikely place to expect such happiness, crowded around an odd, bulky carriage, in his hand a tiny glass of whitish, translucent liquid smelling strongly of rum. A sip confirmed the guess, and with delight, he downed the glass in a single gulp, expecting a glorious, smooth, strong drink. Instead, he got...sludge! This was horrible! Where was the flavor, the strength? It tasted like...nothing, it tasted like sweet, fruity, synthetic water! What a disgrace to alcohol!

He forced himself to choke it down as not to appear impolite, but it was a grievous experience. It helped if he focused on the Sister with the red hair, whom he assumed was this group's general. The man, Sebastian, had pointed out each member of the group and explained their role within the team before leading him to the camping point. It was very nice of Sebastian to lend him such an invitation, especially after Edward had been so brash, mistakenly assuming him to be a threat. But these people were not threats. They seemed like ordinary peasants, regular men and women. Celebrating, caught in the moment, star-struck with their legendary fates. Somehow, Edward wanted to join them.

The Sister cursed the "mafia", as they were called, screeching with glee as she spilled her glass everywhere, before taking the bottle around for a refill. She did not stop to refill Edward's glass though, giving him a dirty look before turning on her heel to fill Brother Sebastian's glass. On one hand, he did not have to drink any more of that vile substance, but on the other hand, he had the creeping sensation that The Sister saw his disgusted expression and grimaced smiles, fake crocodile tears of the highest order. A pang of sadness shot through him at this thought.

But it was all but vanquished as The Sister lowered her voice as if she was a bard or minstrel telling a secretive, solemn tale. And indeed it was, a story of...slaves aboard the ship! Lord forgive him, Brother Sebastian was speaking the truth! And he had bull-headedly cast him aside out of what exactly? Nobility? Pride? Ego? NO LONGER! From now on, he would look with his mind and not his heart...these were good people, people who did not let themselves be contained to achieve their desires.

But enough of that. Look at the fire.

An explosion rang, like a cannon on the battlefields of Jerusalem, screaming with holy lust as it rang out, yanking sleep from weary eyes, scorching the land around, licking the world. A halo of light, the most angelic halo crowning the beautiful, pitch-black, obsidian sky. His heart swelled with joy as he watched the song of light, his eyes glinting with a light that hadn't danced for nearly a millennium.

He was finally home. The search was over.

Madeline Davis

"Ha, you missed again!"

"Well, do I look like a professional bowler to you, woman?"

The Watering Hole was an odd place. In essence, the building was a bowling alley packing a solid ten lanes, twice as much as its original lane count. The bowling here was strictly ten-pin, no ramps for little kids, no guard rails at the sides. You either hit the pins or you hit the gutter, no exceptions. It was more fun that way. It glimmered with a shabby retro appeal, with big, clunky ball-feeding machines, 70's style scoreboards, and fuzzy TV/Video display monitors hanging from the ceiling. Strobe lights in the shapes of disco balls glimmered in the ceiling, the hardwood lanes were rough, the wallpapers had that Las Vegas tropical parrot visage and neon signs were practically burning through any available wall space it could find. It all had an air of claustrophobia, with the low sloping ceiling, thick walls to separate at the back to separate the bowling alley from the bar, fluorescent lights glowing over the locker storage and bowling shoe rental rooms, and the carefully juxtaposed plastic seats, bowling ball shelves, and boxy vending machines leaving walking space to a bare minimum.

However, the bowling alley was just half the story. The bar was something else entirely. It looked quiet from the outside, with its dusty windows, subtlely hidden doors, small neon signs, tired bouncers, and quiet sign reading "The Watering Hole", but the inside was a whole other story. A modest space on the inside, the bar stretching across the entire width of the room. It was a hard, chipped wood, scratched with initials and "Harry loves Sally", scarred over with the byproduct of a lack of coasters. The shelves behind sagged with an impressive range of alcohol and the bartenders always had that sly, mischievous gangster look to them, like at any time they'd slip some synthetics into your beer. The tables were similar, a small handful of rickety wrought chairs and tables, scratched over with the rough days of drinking. In the middle was a small collection of snooker tables, a flickery light illuminating the snapping games of billiards when the days became nights. The dartboard lane was right behind, two dusty, yet antique dartboards with gaping holes in the small felt rings. If Pac-Man and Pong were more your speed, the expansive arcade machines off to the side of the bar would keep you company. They didn't need to advertise, locals knew where to find them.

And it was in this place where you could find two superpowered ladies in the fiercest game of bowling that ever did exist.

"C'mon, I swear to god you're doing something with your weird Japanese magic." Lana said, a clear look of frustration on her face as her ball hit the gutter on her second attempt, ending her ninth frame with a measly 4 points. She had started strong, scoring two strikes and a spare out of her first five frames. Halfway through her game, she already had 60 points, compared to Madeline's 39. But somehow, Madeline managed to come back like crazy, scoring 3 strikes in a row and racking up more than 50 points in three frames. Lana had fallen off her game, she needed a comeback now. This was for bragging rights and a week's worth of free drinks!

"What? Why'd I do that?" Madeline spluttered, her thick Southern accent muffling her words, but accentuating her expression of utter shock. "I would never cheat! Cross on a bonfire of kitsunes!"

Lana remained unconvinced. "Are you sure? I know you catboys and catgirls have some kind of special psionic powers. Can you perhaps...redirect the trajectory of the bowling ball?"

"No!" Madeline screeched, visibly upset. "Y'know, I'd haff like to think you trusted me by now, but the fact that you'd accuse me of somethin' like...cheating on a game against you for drinks?! Horrible? I am a joke to ya? A liar to ya, Lana, huh? Some punk?" she screeched, jabbing her tail at Lana's chest.

"Whoa, calm down there, kitty." Lana said, raising her hands in self-defense, an action that only seemed to incense Madeline further.

"DON' CALL ME KITTY!" she almost shouted, gaining the attention of a few other patrons, who were casting some dirty looks at the pair. Why was Lana's job so difficult?

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry ki...Madeline, I shouldn't have said that. Now we can get back to our game?" she pleaded, casting a worried look to her side.

"...Alrighty..." Madeline finally purred, settling down as she moved to grab a bowling ball, a light orange one, off the metal rack. "But only if you treat me to a boilermaker afterwards!"

"Are you sure midday is a good time to be drinking?"

"It's always a good time for a drink, Lana!" she replied cheerfully, stepping up to bat...or bowl, luckily quick enough to avoid Lana rolling her eyes and chuckling. Madeline was a rare one. Besides the whole cat-person thing, and the magic, and the weird kooky bar. She was way too innocent to be twenty years old, although she did spend most of her life under her father's wing. Maybe it was to be expected. Still, she was unbearably friendly and cheerful and squeaky-voiced, to the point of endearment. But now, all endearment was going out the window. Now was time for bloodshed.

Tenth frame. 114 to 120. Not an insurmountable lead, but with Madeline's hot streak, it would be tough. All she could do was pray for good luck.

Madeline stepped back, concentration furrowing her brow, lip bit, her tail stiff with attentiveness. The bowl was firmly clenched in her hand, arm back in perfect form. A few easy strides forward, a swing of the arm, and the ball was off, gliding down the lane. But something was happening. The ball was subtlely beginning to arc to the side, a swift and deadly curveball and headed straight for the corner of the pins. And with an anticlimactic clack, two pins clattered down as the ball spiralled into the gutter and slid out into the dark pit.

Madeline looked a bit perturbed by this, but looked as if she was trying to forget about it. She could always hit the rest on her second try, that's what it was for. Lana joined Madeline in biting her lip, staring at the frame as she prayed for her to hit one pin at the most. Lana could still win on that, all she needed was a spare.

The half-bakeneko stepped forward again, looking as tense as ever. She was gripping the ball so tightly her knuckles were turning white, her teeth gritted with concentration. This time, she took it at a run, rushing forward with a mighty yelp as she launched the ball flying down the alley, a solid thump hitting as the ball slammed into the floor. This time, the curve was even more awkward, the ball lurching to the right on a slow path to mayhem. Eventually, it chugged into its destination, the same corner of the alley that teh last ball had flown through. Only a single pin went down with a clatter as the ball tipped sideways into the gutter, aimlessly sliding down into the pit.

114 to 123.

Madeline didn't even say anything, just strutted back with silent dread as she stared at the scoreboard, realizing she still wasn't safe. It would take some luck, but maybe, just maybe, Lana could pull it off. Stepping forward, she grabbed a ball of moderate weight, clenching it firmly in her fist. She needed to be patient, not rush like Madeline. Three steps and the ball was off, slightly off-center but moving in a straight shot. The hit was successful, sending five pins flying initially, with two more getting knocked down by the flying pins.

The silence was heavy. She needed just three more points to win a week's worth of free drinks, three more points to beat Madeline for the first time in weeks. This time, she didn't hold back. She grabbed the lightest ball possible, a modest weight compared to the hunk of power she'd been throwing before. With a sprint, she dashed forward, sending the ball in a smooth roll across the floor, headed in a slight diagonal, poised to knock down whatever was in its path. The ball slightly shifted, beginning to make slight motions to the right, but maintaining on a good path. It slammed into the remaining two pins, sending them all over the place before slightly clipping the final one, sending it on a wicked teeter. It tilted once, spun around, and with a heavy sigh, toppled, giving Lana a spare.

"YEEEEESSSSS!" Lana cheered as the scoreboard lit up with her result, 124-123, ignoring Madeline's ear-splitting cry of protest. Success and alcoholism had been achieved! She had won, finally, through pure grit, pure sweat and blood and tears, a victory! Although Madeline didn't seem too pleased.

"NOO FAAAIR!" she cried out, jumping with fury. "I DECLARE A REMATCH, YOU BULLY!" she spat, obviously incensed that her crown as Bowling Queen had been stolen. Lana merely chuckled, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Sure. Although let's get you a boilermaker first."

by **North America Inc** » Sun Dec 02, 2018 5:56 pm

Unspecified Room, Los Angeles

"I would like to reiterate my reluctance for the latest expenditures to the Council..." Councilwoman six annoyingly reiterated for the forth time during the two hour GUILD meeting. Mr. Garcia stood in place as the various monitors of the silhouetted figures hung in front of him. The room was dimly lit and sparse in decoration, with only the panels of the sound absorption material actually providing some degree of creativity. Garcia adjusted his glasses, the only thing he could do as it was expected of him to give his report on the Guild's pet project any moment. Why this couldn't have been a written report is beyond him, but the Council does enjoy little demonstrations of power, such as forcing men like him to stand and wait their turn. Lazarus is right to skip these inefficiencies.

"And I would like to reiterate that your reluctance has been heard more than enough."Councilman Three said in-between his fit of coughing and dry throat. "Causing these meetings to go an extra hour after does not help your cause."

"We are primarily a media and economic cabal." Six audibly flipped through pages of documents to enforce her point, "What are we doing investing in these pointless R&D expenditures, information systems, and mercenary groups. It's irking."

Three put down his cup of water and responded, "And the Council has made it..."

He's cutoff by Five, who's been his usual self of aloof and shy, "Actually vexing is the word Council Woman Six was looking for. While irk is technically correct, vex..."

Councilman Seven, the youngest of the council, cuts him off, "Councilman Five."

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"All I am saying..." Six said a defeated sigh, "We are giving Lazarus more control than any previous Leviathan. His own personal army of 'Diamond Dogs' demonstrate we are moving away from what made us powerful in the first place. Secrecy and Subtly. Our predecessors did everything for the good of Mankind!"

"Whoa there." Seven said annoyed by this digression into the Charter's purpose once again, "The Guild will decide whats best for mankind!"

"Seven and Three are correct." Two stated as his silhouetted head moved closer to his monitor, "The world is changing. It's up to us to adapt. Journalism, Music, and Film may have established our current position, but that's by no means a guarantee that we will able to keep it. Expanding our technological capabilities to monitor and control is data is an absolute necessity. Our facilities in Saratoga Springs and Ordos represent the proliferation of information beyond what we can ever hope for. The asymmetry of information has always been our advantage and where our true powers lie. And no amount of political flexing by the Supers can ever end that."

"Yet our leader is a Shape-Shifter." Six pointed out, "Our talk of humanity first is a farce if we have a Meta running our organization."

"Because despite your personal animosities, meta-humans are the future. Shihong and the other batches represent our DIRECT control over them. Data manipulation and information warfare represent our INDIRECT control over the rest."

July 24th
The ground began to shake and rumble right after Wyatt's little outburst. Shi effortlessly held her balance during the quake; she turned to see Wyatt calling quits to the game, meaning that her and Cass were the winners. I wonder why Wyatt, didn't use that ability earlier. Would of been an effective counter to the machine. But it doesn't matter, I won. Shi's face couldn't be seen by anyone one else, but her face was full of smug self-satisfaction. As she held her smirk, she heard Jason's quasi ramble about why he lost. It was the layout or her fire abilities that held him back. External forces were at work. It was actually kind of pathetic listening to him, trying to inflate his ego to the sound of making it sound like it is inevitable that she was going to win. "I know. I know." She replied innocently enough as she helped him up, "Next time you'll definitely get me."

A few minutes went by as everyone started to recuperate from the more than casual game. Shi wrapped her cuts and burns in a wrap, while CASSANDRA returned to her normal form. Wyatt and Jason went back to the male locker room, while the girls were in the girls. Changing back to her original leather jacket and tight jeans, Shi stared at the mirror fixing her appearance. Both of them didn't really talk to each other, CASSANDRA being a machine and Shi being uninterested. Shi did hum a little to pass the time, but other than that it was silent.

As Shi reapplied her make up and put a few last minute changes to her hair, she finally spoke to her partner. "Well good job with Wyatt. I was going to say I'm planning to continue exploring the building, you're free to join me if you want. I was going to look for the lounge"

Cassandra agreed and took the initiative to show more of the building off to Shi. It was a professional affair, as Cassandra's tone made it sound as if her phone was giving her GPS advice rather than a friend showing her house off. After half an hour, Shi and CASSANDRA made it to the lounge; surprisingly, there was someone else there. Noticing her as they entered, Shi waved her hand to the teenager staring at them. "Hi. I'm new to the team."

by **The Republic of Atria** » Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:00 pm

The Tower

"Next time, we're doing it not here. And hopefully Scales here won't have anymore power incontinence. Thanks by the way." He said, accepting her helping him up. "Ahhh..." He sucked in air through his teeth. "Goddamn burns. You okay buddy?" Unknowingly to his team, talking to both Wyatt and his other.

"I hate fire. I don't like her Jason. I'm hungry, let's go eat. Go find the spaghetti leftovers. That was good. I want more."

"Yeah. I think I'm okay. I have no idea what happened by the way. That's never happened before. I kinda want to try again but I think I need to let my heart rate relax a bit before I try anything." Wyatt replied, taking a few deep breaths and calming himself down. "I'm gonna take a bit of a walk. Get my head on straight."

"Aight. I'm gonna grab some breakfast. See you guys around." Jason said, the pain from the burns having receded and already looking a good portion of the way healed. "I'm taking you up on that rematch. Dunno when. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after. But you're seriously in for a ride." He boasted as he left. Once he was clear of Shi and Cass, he felt it safe to talk more openly. "Yeah. I'm with you on that one. Something stinks to high heaven." He said making his way to the kitchen, looking for the fridge to root through. "Too arrogant. Too smart. Too well trained. There's no rough edges. You can see those on everyone on this team... Almost everyone." He muttered, pulling what little leftover spaghetti and other things he found in the fridge on a plate.

"She burned me. Can I hit her? I won't kill her, promise. Humans can live with broken bones. I won't break any that can't be fixed."

Jason was stuffing his food in the microwave, listening. "There will be no breaking of our teammates bones. Not without sufficient justification. Like sparring or her going off the deep end. Plus, it's easier if she thinks I'm just some dumb ass egotist. I'll be last on her list of people to suspect of being onto her." He explained. "Easier to spy when your enemy thinks you're an incompetent idiot."

Mold's disposition changed almost immediately when he smelled the food being heated. "I'm hungry NOW Jason. Make the microwave hurry up."

"You will wait 2 minutes. I'm not eating cold spaghetti and meatballs."

Meanwhile, Wyatt made his way out of the tower to walk around. It helped a bit. "Need to get my mind off things. Should go talk to someone less high strung." Sure. He liked Jason, but he had the feeling Jason was all too much like Sina. Adrenalin junkie with enough power and skill to keep trucking until they hit a wall. Either literally or figuratively. Sina would be a good choice to talk to, but she had the same problem as Jason, not to mention her team was much the same. That, and he didn't feel like flying all the way across town again.

Of all the people to talk to, he felt a little stupid for forgetting about Alexis. she told him yesterday morning to come by anytime, even if only to say hi. He started over to her lab, only to see Angelica leave in a huff. After waiting a moment to make sure she was out of the way, he poked around the corner.

"Alexis? You okay? It's Wyatt. Just checking in on you."

by **New Neros** » Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:40 pm

The Battle of San Francisco
Counter-Attack, Part II

“We are now live over the city.” A news reporter cried into her headset over the obnoxiously loud helicopter blades, “Where a fight between Rising Sun affiliates and the supervillain we now believe to be Mustafa Gaul has exploded into a larger brawl spilling out of Chinatown.” The camera gave a clear and striking image, where several trees and lopsided buildings had grown instantaneously out of the architecture, dominating the local cityscape and showing just how deep the battle has gone. “Originally believed to consist of other members of the supervillain team Orion, local eye witness reports can only confirm the presence of Gaul, now going under the moniker ‘Gladiator’, we will be providing continuous coverage until the danger has subsided. Civilians are urged to evacuate or seek shelter immediately. Stand by.”

Leaping from wherever he could land his feet, Gaul was immediately met with explosive force at each turn, be it from the trees or the broken building pieces. Clearly, this was a proven tactic developed by Eden and Fragment, and with supplemental positioning of Gaul provided by Radar, the hero team knew where he was or where he was headed at all times. To eliminate part of the issue, Gaul tried to remove himself from the foliage through sheer distance and speed, but Eden kept the pace, removing her forest behind him and placing more ahead of the villain, trapping him within. Fragment had some issue keeping up, but the battlefield was well-suited to his power, as he could pinpoint what exact square foot to shatter and throw off Gladiator, but the martial artist was faster than him and his field of power couldn’t keep up.

Moving towards the Golden Gate Bridge in desperation, Gaul landed on a building top for a moment, and for once, didn’t feel it collapse under his feet after he moved once more. Processing the information rapidly, he lingered for a moment and confirmed his finding, watching as the plant-powered heroine could keep up her foliage but the inorganic matter buster could not keep up, and with that in mind, Gaul knew he was out of Fragment’s range, but not Radar’s as Eden still launched vines and spears of wood at him every chance she got. Now, it was all a matter of using this information to his advantage without his opponents realizing that he knew he was out of range of their technique. Running through Presidio, he found Eden’s strong-suit as the buildings gave way to a green park.

Attacking and attempting to bind him with feverish tenacity, Gaul proved slippery and just fast enough to evade Eden’s attempts, his body was being pushed past it’s limits, but that is exactly where Gaul thrived in battle. Still, Eden was perhaps worried that the villain had sinister plans for the Golden Gate Bridge and upped her efforts to stop him, and that wasn’t quite unfounded. In the middle of the mobile jungle that followed Gaul, a ravenous beast appeared and blindsided the villain into a large tree trunk, splintering it apart. Gaul focused his eye on his assailant, and saw the signature fur of Goliath. “Bitch, you thought.” He whispered, out of breath, clearly having strained himself trying to catch up to Gaul in time, enough to give Gaul a smile. Uppercutting the lion’s jaw, Goliath tanked the blow like a champion, and returned a solid punch to Gaul’s head, sending him flying back into the wooded landscape, opposite of the direction he was headed.

Flipping around mid-air, Gaul re-oriented himself to land on his feet with eyes trained on Goliath, watching as the Rising Sun’s leader leapt towards him, but he moved rather slow and cautious, which gave Gaul some concern. Upon landing, however, his feet were met with a snare of vines that snaked up his legs and ankles, hoping in vain to pin him for a moment while Goliath made his strike. A flash of dangerously sharp claws caught Gaul’s eye, and as the sunlight faded and the tree cover focused around the two, Gaul found himself impaled in the abdomen by Goliath’s hand, blood seeping down the claws and into his fur. Vines rushed up the villain’s legs and tied themselves tight, wrapping around his waist and as he and Goliath locked eyes. Breathing heavy, both fighters held wildly different looks, Gaul holding one of rage and aggression, while Goliath looked on with concern and almost a hint of indifference.

“It isn’t fair.” Goliath said, Gaul gritting his teeth, both in pain and in anticipation of the lecture he was about to receive. “Your loss in this fight was not fair, I get that, so many things were not fair leading up to this moment. I don’t know a lot about you, and frankly, I don’t want to, but it isn’t fair to me either, that I had to do this. You’re a monster, a truly despicable villain, a force of evil that needs to be extinguished. Anyone could have done you in, but the weight rested on my shoulders, and I will have to carry that weight.” Gaul moved to grab Goliath’s claws, the heroic leader tensing up, urging the villain, “If you remove my claws, you’ll bleed out in a minute or so, not counting your blood loss up until now. That isn’t enough time for your regeneration or damage empowerment to kick in and make a difference.”

“Yeah,” Gaul answered, still grabbing the man’s clawed hand tight, “Life isn’t fair, you don’t have to tell me that. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win, but we’ll ultimately pay for everything we’ve ever done, don’t you agree? You took it upon yourself to come back and kill me, how noble of you. Did you want the glory, or to save your teammates the honor, or horror, of catching a body? How deep does your conscious go, Goliath? Where is the line for evil-doers like me? Is it only reserved for hero-killers, why stop there? Why not every murderer in prison who took away a son, father, mother, brother, sister, and everything in between? Why stop at murder? Rapists destroy lives without taking them, some say a fate worse than death and I can agree, can’t you? Odd, a hero and villain in agreement, imagine that.” He spat with venom, clenching his muscles in his stomach to hold Goliath’s hand in place. The hero seemed stoic and not ready to answer anything, casting his gaze away for a moment before returning to Gaul.

“None of that matters right here and now.” Eden bluntly stated, morphing her way through the plants and vegetation and standing in front of both Goliath and Gladiator, folding her arms and cocking her hip to the side. “Radar and Fragment went to help Cardinal and Seismic. No one will know or see what happens here, and I think that scares you, hero-killer. I think you’re more afraid of death than any other person I’ve met, so you keep talking your nonsense.”

“Absolutely not.” Gaul said bluntly, proving his point to both of them by forcing Goliath’s hand to move backwards slightly, sending a torrent of blood gushing out of the wounds and onto the green grass below, Gaul letting out a sigh as it happened. “I’ve been ready to die ever since I was thirteen years old, edgy I know, but let me ask both of you, right here and now, why did you never come to Houston?”

“Huh?” Goliath said, tilting his head at the question, looking at Eden for support, but she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“Figures. Five years ago, Houston was a battleground for gangs, villains, vigilantes, and anyone with something to prove. You knew that, but it’s where I was born and raised, and here’s something else you probably know: No heroes ever came to my city. No one ever came to help, we would see you on fucking television helping everyone else but not us. Thousands were killed, people I knew, friends, family, it was a hell on Earth and none of you came. No one. You’re all a bunch of cowards, I survived, why didn’t my sister?” Gaul said with a scream, tears streaming down his cheeks, Goliath and Eden both closing their eyes and looking away in shame. “You think people just wake up one day and decide to be a villain. Just want to go ruin someone’s day, rob a bank, steal some cash, kill a person, no biggie, right? Right?! No, it’s the breaking point. It’s where all options are gone and all you have is you and your powers, maybe even less if part of you is gone.”

With silence hanging in the air following Gaul’s outburst, and feeling his growing power and recovering stamina despite his grievous injury, he still not dare try Goliath and Eden at the same time, especially given he was thoroughly tied down by the heroine and mortally wounded by the hero. He sighed, knowing his way out but feeling a hint of shame for having to use it and not being able to rely solely on himself. Legion and Walt were definitely watching his every move at this point, and now that his options were finally exhausted, he broke a mental link, and calmly whispered loud enough for both heroes to hear, “I hope you all burn in Hell.” Leaning forward quickly, Gaul tore Goliath’s claws from his body in a spray of blood and head butted the Rising Sun’s leader as Eden’s vine whips tightened around his body and raced up to his torso, forcing the wound closed for a moment, until a burst of flames shot out from Gaul’s body.

“How the fu-” Eden shouted, watching in horror as flames spilled from Gaul’s body for a moment, torching apart the vines and vegetation on contact, and as the ashes floated up, a female figure emerged from them. “Who the fu-” She began, but immediately turned away as the heat skyrocketed, a pillar of flames erupting out of the woman and burning through the dense canopy above, swirling into the clouds and setting Eden’s entire forest ablaze. Fear took hold in Eden’s body as her plants screamed and cried, but a sudden weightlessness pulled her from the foliage and into the blue skies of San Francisco, looking up for a moment and seeing Goliath’s form holding her close. She whipped her head back and saw her forest on fire, and screamed at her leader. “Stop! Please! He can’t get away with this…” She said, “Not again.”

Gaul dropped to his knees, his Orion tattoo burning severely as his backup didn’t exactly wait until he was out of harm's way to use her powers. “Aww,” the black armored woman said in a motherly tone, rubbing Gaul’s head slightly, “It looks like you got kind of a scratch there.” Gaul shot the woman a death glare as he practically bled out from the gaping holes in his stomach. “Sorry, I can’t give you much comfort except that this is going to hurt, like, probably more than anything in your life.” Gaul nodded and put a piece of wood between his teeth, laying back and covering his eyes with one arm, Blaze Luminous looking a bit too pleased with herself. She waved a hand over Gaul’s bleeding orifices, and following them was a searing blue flame that cauterized them closed on contact. To say he screamed is an understatement, Gaul immediately bit through the wood and cracked his teeth, swallowing splinters and pieces of enamel, but to her credit, the bleeding ceased. He passed out before she was finished, causing the woman to sigh expectantly. “C’mon, you can’t expect me to lift your meaty biceps.” She said, giving Gaul’s guns a squeeze, “Wakey wakey, we have to teleport out of here before backup arrives. If the hero backup arrives,” Blaze Luminous said with a sweet, yet ominous smile, “Then we get to call Black Luminous.”

by **The Rebel Alliances** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:16 am

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Outrider Base, Condemned District-July 23rd-11:53 PM

It was a rather uneventful day for the most part. Last night's raid was a huge success, but once we returned and Nick realized that our name was now out in the public he advised it was best to lay low for a short while until we can figure out our next move. I had to agree, after all the original plan was to drive the crime groups against each other. That is no longer an option now that they know they were being played. And they are still out for blood. Not even to mention WarWolf, who before were content to passively ignore the docks have now turned the place into a fortress. So, I had spent the day getting to know my new teammates, and by that I mean shooting Bacardi with anyone who would accept the offer. Aside from that I had spent some time cleaning my new car which I have been forced to park some way away from the base. As we can not really bring it down here in the sub way tunnel. I swear, if anyone scratches the car I will swear to it that they are at the top of my hunting list. After that, I had spent some time with Brianna as well and we had traded books to read. She was actually kinda surprised when I mentioned that I did have a favorite book. I traded her the first volume from the Boxcar Chirldren and she gave me something....which even sober I could barely understand.

I have been spending the past hour trying to read the damn thing annd can hardly make heads or tails of it. Sure, I may be a little buzzed but aside from that I can still make out the words...if not understand them. With a frustrated sigh I cast the book lightly to the side of my tattered bed in the train car which I claimed as my own which rested between the lead car and the rest of the train. Nick rather than stay in the train had set up a air mattress in his computer room a short walk down the tunnel from us.

Maybe I'll just tell her that I finished it and look the summery up online or some shit I cosidered with a defeated groan. I then thought back to the other members of the team. Nick and Brianna have been with me the longest and I am most familair with them. But it was still strange that despite that I knew remarkably little about either of them. Hell, until Nick's little escapade earlier I never thought he had some actual demon inside of him or some shit. Which, he seems determined to never speak of. And aside that Brianna is some badass foreigner I do not know much about her either. She seems to place a great deal of faith in me to lead this group which I cannot quite understand, but am grateful for regardless.

Then there is Sebastian. The lone adult on the team and another one who does not actuaally reside in the base with us. He stays at his own place, normally his gym but he does spend a lot of time down here and makes all of our missions. The guy is a boxer, like my old man minus being a total waste of oxygen. Nightraven has left us, at least for the time being. She said she had some personnel business to attend to. And that is fair enough, no one is forced to be here. Although she was barely here at all. She did not say much when she was with us and only stayed for the one mission at the docks. And then came the more colorful members of our team, Sina and Caterina. Despite being a dragon I almost immediately felt I shared a kindred spirit with Sina. She is here mostly for fun and she makes no effort of hiding that. I feel like she will be perhaps the most up front and honest of everyone here. Sina just seems to have no desire to mislead anyone which I love about her. She just brings a excitement for what we are doing down here which is only matched by my own, hell she is probably more excited about it than even me. After all, while I do love the sene of being alive I get while on a mission I do this because I feel like the city needs it and well...I do not know anything else for me to do with myself. Sina on the otehr hand seems motivated purely by the thrill of it.

Then, there is Caterina. I'll be honest with myself. She freaks me out. Just a bit. I did make sure that she understood that she should try and 'eat' outside the main camp down here. I would hate to lose my lunch. But aside from her freaky eating habits...I see something in her eyes. Its why I allowed her on the team at all. I cannot be certain but I feel like she is exactly the type of person who has experienced the sort of things which I am trying to prevent. To make sure no one else ever turns out like her...or me.

And lastly we have the newest arrivals. Sir Edward Rennaisance Fair and Isaac. Being the newest of our little family I know the least about either of them. Asiide from the fact that Edward insists on referring to everyone as 'Brother' or 'Sister' which I swear it to his God that if he insists on calling me Sister Alexis and thus making me sound like some middle aged virgin shut in. I will introduce him to every example of modern warfare I have available to me. Isaac was another foreigner. And really, seemed perhaps the most 'normal' of any of us for whatever that counts for.

My eyes were just starting to get heavy and it seemed as soon as I started to close them I heard a knock which had it been any stronger would have dented the steel train door. It was Sina no doubt, she really needed to learn to reign in her strength sometimes. As her banging really did not do much for my emerging headache.

"OK! I am on my way dammit!" Entirely missing her announce that she had brought company as I rose from my bed in my tight jean shorts, white tank top which was decorated with a grease stain on it from working on my car earlier and my dyed red hair unbrushed as I pulled the door open to see not one but a duo of Dragons and a third party whom I did not recognize.

More recruits?

"Sina, at this rate we are going to need a bigger base." I mused as my eyes lazily went over the new arrivals. Until a realization suddenly slammed into me.

"Holy shit you brought a Young Blood here?" I asked in obvious surprise as I finally connected the other dragon to the one which I had seen on news vids of the Young Bloods team. I had seen him on the news just today since I wasn't able to go out and do too much ever since the docks mission.

I could not remember the poor lads name, but he certainly is hard to miss physically.

"Well this is unexpected. I should be concerned that you will run back and tell your friends where we are. But...I trust Sina. In fact I know a couple of your team members myself." I mentioned, thinking of Red and Carter. Before stepping aside and allowing a path for them to enter the train car. Although, for the dragons it may be a tight fit.

"But I guess I am being pretty fucking rude huh? Come on in, although seating space is limited right now..." Moving aside and into my room I sat on the bed, which left two chairs for the guests and I suppose the someone could either stand or sit next to me on the bed. If Sina and the other dragon use their magical spell disguise thing we should all fit nicely.

Once everyone was inside I formally introduced myself to the new arrivals. "Sina called me Vendetta, it's what I go by when I am working. If you are here I am sure Sina has told both of you what we do." I did not recognize the other kid, the one covered in some black goo but he must be a Young Blood too.

"I have to ask though, what brings the Young Bloods to our side of the tracks? The Young Bloods have not made a habit of visiting the Condemned yet, if they did we may be out of a job." I joked as I poured myself another drink. Then casting a side glance at Sina. "I was wondering where you have been today, so who were the unlucky SOB's this time?" I asked wondering exactly whose skulls she was cracking out there before returning my attention to our guests.

"But yeah, feel free to crash, hang out or drink for the night. After all I still haven't given either of you a chance to explain why you are here. So,can I do something for you? Or is this just a social visit?"

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Wonder Tower-July 24th-1:26 PM

WIP

by **The Republic of Atria** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:05 pm

The group made their way through the dark city. With Sina taking the lead to get them to the Outriders, the closer they got, the more the city seemed to degrade. Even worse than where Jason lived. Sina mention that he wasn't a liability tonight. He smiled a little, feeling a bit more reassured. They did come out on top, and even getting paid for it. Not that he was any more willing to take the money, but Jason would either take his share and split it between himself and Sina if he denied it. At least he'd have some spending money. "Thanks Sina. I needed that." He nodded as they arrived at the... Train station? "You guys live here?"

"Really? This is a home? I'd say... Dumpster covered in sadness and the blood of prostitutes. But hey, if that's the look you're going for, y'all definitely nailed it." Jason mused. "Kidding. I get it. Not everyone can have a glamorous island tower to stay in." As he was speaking, he was greeted by a girl who couldn't be older than he was. She immediately called Wyatt out for being a Young Blood and mentioned that she hoped they were going to bring them in or otherwise screw over the Outriders. Really glad we got that in the air... Jason thought. "Chill. As far as I see it, we're pretty much on the same side. Y'all just play a little rougher than we do. Ain't got a problem with that, personally. Some people need to take a firmer stand against all things bastard. Anyways, We won't be staying too long. I promised Sina payment for her services in violence. And I'd rather not have to turn this money over to the cops." He explained. "Just need to count it out and give my employees their due. By the way, not letting the ooze down. Secret identity and all that. Call me Sludge for the time being. It's a work in progress, shut up."

"There's footage of me on the news?" Wyatt asked. "What was I doing? Was it that thing at the hotel?" He couldn't think of anything else that might have gotten him on TV. Vendetta led them to a train that was a bit of a tight fit for him and Jason, but they made it in. "I honestly haven't done much." He admitted and sat down on the small seats inside the train car. They were clearly not made with people who had tails in mind, but he would suck it up for a bit.

"A fantastic speech by me. One of my better moments. Anyways, we're here because we knocked over a gang who had somehow gotten their hands on a shitload of Warwolf Tech. Super Batons, laser guns, plasma guns, hell they had a goddamned Juggernaut suit too. So that was fun, but we made it out alive." Jason added. "Also, I don't watch the news. Too much word twisting and editing to not show the whole story. That Floyd psycho might be... Him. But he's got the right idea, stopped clocks and all that. Streaming the whole thing so people get the full story. Might look into that. Could use that to get away with having all this money." He said dropping the bag and opening it. "Gimme a bit to count and divide and we'll be out of your hair."

Wyatt looked around at the "hideout." People really lived here? It looked miserable. He figured that they would have more money if they were taking as aggressive a stance on crime as they were. Maybe it was supposed to be low profile? Vendetta mentioned that she knew a few of the Young Bloods. "Well. This place looks awful. I'm not even talking about your hideout, I'm talking about this part of the city."

"Right? It looks like the devil took a dump made of concrete and crime. Next time we go off so do some solo work, we're coming down here. Looks like there's an abundance of people that are in dire need of some ass kicking. Assuming you guys are okay with it. Dunno if there's turf in this business, but still. Get the point through that we're not just gonna sit on our pompous butts and not get our hands dirty. Plus, you get to hang out with your new girly friend." Jason teased him. "Can't see it under the ooze, shit eating grin all over my face."

"Could you shut up about that? We just met."

"I'm just teasing. Chill the hell out dude."

by **Finland SSR** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:52 pm

The Republic of Atria wrote:Wyatt and Jason

The Rebel Alliances wrote:
Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Outrider Base, Condemned District-July 23rd-11:53 PM

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

"I rarely spend much time here. Mostly for the reasons you mentioned," Sina replied to Jason's comment about this being one of the most sad looking and downtrodden places in the city - which, to be fair, was not something without precedent or basis in reality. Most humans who would stumble across this place, if they're this lucky, would probably turn around almost immediately. Although... "Usually I just fly around the city looking for trouble - that's not to say I don't enjoy this place sometimes, though. Reminds me a lot of the caves I'd venture into when I was younger."

Right after, Vendetta emerged from the train, immediately barraging the trio with questions and statements. Apparently, the Young Bloods were somehow important, because the vigilante seemed shocked when she realized that Sina brought two of their members here. A lot of it because she was a little worried that they'd reveal their location to the police - but her trust in her Dra'Quinni ally and Jason's assurance calmed that problem down. And they were even on the news? On the news? That's an odd expression. Humans use the word news to explain when something is new and recent, so they are new and recent, apparently, and-

Screw it, forget it. I can ask Bael about it later.

While Jason counted the fortune, Sina leaned at one of the walls, arms folded, and watched as the conversation helped towards helping out this part of the city. Though Jason could have definitely worded it better, without all the "girly friend" shtick, getting some help in fighting crime was definitely something Sina could welcome.

"Well, I-"

Screw it, I'm not gonna hold it standing in one place for any longer. Sina leapt up, latcking onto a thick electric cable detached from the rooftop with her tail and began hanging upside down.

"-I wouldn't say no to that, you two. I could use some help sometimes. Well, when the Outriders are unavailable at least. But they don't have a Wyatt."

by **Turmenista** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:54 pm

Harley the Dog
Wonder Tower

So much love, so little time to figure out who was who and what was what. Carter did have some interesting friends that were smothering him with pats and “good boys” and “G’days”—wait a second… what’s a “G’day” supposed to b—

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Harley whipped his head around to the Hadrian that he’d later learn was named Kiris, who apparently understood what he had said to the group. Of course, he never truly understood what a Hadrian was, thinking of them as otherwise humans that looked funny and had tails like lizards, but nothing more. After all, there was only one that Hadrian that worked at the lab, and was probably the nicest one to him, before the breakout. The other guys in lab coats kept mentioning how he was the so-called “dog whisperer” but with an Australian accent, whatever that meant, and could connect with the dogs far better than anyone else. Unfortunately, he was probably dead.

Seeing another Hadrian here was weird. Very weird. Maybe they were related?

He barked back at her twice in his “dog-speaking voice,” resuming their conversation. Oh.. um... yes! Thank you! Yes, I can fly, the people at the lab made me fly. Uh.. sooo what are you? Can you understand me? Why do you have lizard parts on you?

Then, the big one, mouth agape, he inquired:

Are you… a DOG??

One Day Later… July 24
Harley, again

The problem with living in a big tower on a big island wasn’t that the place was big and complex—any smart dog could learn to push an elevator button or open a door—but rather, it was that the island itself was huge.

This meant it was easy to lost when one was trying to go around, looking to find a place to do their business in privacy. Of course, today, everyone was way too tired to accompany Harley outside, so he had to do it all himself now. He couldn’t blame them, they all looked like they were tired.

Except Kiris. And Carter. Anywho, where was that “Red” guy? Apparently, he actually was colored red, from what he heard in miscellaneous conversations that his heightened hearing picked up, but then again it probably was just his hair. Red skin meant you were dying or angry, and it didn’t make sense to have a dead angry guy just walking around freely.

Oh well. I’ll find him when I get back inside.

Taking a running start, Harley took to the skies, gliding up over the beach and towards the upper sections of the tower, where the lounge was located. Luckily, there was a door he could use to get in, that was as easy as operating as standing up on ones hind legs and pushing down on the handle, then pushing the door open.

Once inside, however, an unfamiliar smell hit his nose almost right away, and it wasn’t food. Turning to the newcomer, Harley assumed a hostile stance, flattening his ears as he bared his teeth. Of course, knowing everyone else here had some odd quirk or superpower to them, this was probably a bad idea. One bark to get their attention would do the trick.

But, I have mine, too. Anyways, who are you, and why are you here? Why haven’t I seen you before?

by **New Finnish Republic** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:31 pm

Red

”I’m listening.”

Red let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in as Quick Shot answered him. A flurry of thoughts filled his mind as he tried to think of what to say next. I can’t mention the problem directly, or else that...thing that is controlling Yoshi will know. But what the hell can I even say then? he thought, biting his lip.

“Quick Shot, what would you do in a situation where you knew something really shitty was going to happen if you didn’t do anything but you didn’t know what to do and you couldn’t ask anyone on what to do?” Red said in a careful and deliberate voice. He heard what he could only assumed to be a confused groan coming from his phone from Quick Shot, which he didn’t blame one bit after his cryptic question.

“I guess I would weigh my available options, decide which option had the best possible outcome, go with that, and then hope for the best,” the hero replied in frustrated tone. Red imagined that he was likely rubbing his temples as he tried to give some semblance of an answer to the strange question.

“And what if there was no good outcome out of all of your options?” Red asked.

“I suppose you’d have to do the one that causes the least amount of hurt to those affected by the situation.” A small heavy pause fell, before Quick Shot spoke up once more. “Red, you’re not thinking of trying to pull any kind of stunt like before, are yo-”

“Do you think I’m that stupid not to learn my lessons, you old bastard?” Red replied sharply in response.

He heard a small sigh. “No, I suppose you’re not. Look, Red, I’m sorry I mentioned that. What happened then was a confusing time, and I should have had more faith in-”

“Yeah, you should have,” Red replied coldly. A long silence fell upon the two, before it was Red’s turn to let out a sigh. “But I don’t blame you. I still hate your fucking guts for what you did, but I won’t think anything less of you for making that decision. I...I would have probably done the same in your position.”

“Hmm. Well, I suppose that’s about as best of a makeup session we’re going to get then, isn’t it?” Red was about to say something in response, but Quick Shot interrupted him before he could. “Red, you’re a good kid. I know that anyone else looking at your past would think differently, but there’s a reason that I had you working as a hero, albeit a shitty one at that, instead of rotting in some cell. Naja sees it even more, which is why she kept you on the team, even after...that.” He paused, the strain in his voice making it clear he was trying his best not to piss off Red further. “I don’t know what you’re dealing with right now, and I can tell you’re not going to tell me. All I know that whatever you do is going to be the right thing. Because Red, whether you want to admit it or not, you’re a hero. So go out and act like it for once.”

Red stood still for a few moments, unable to respond. He was glad that that old bastard couldn’t see him now, as a small tear had ran down his face. While his answer had been as cryptic as the question he’d been given, Quick Shot had given him the answer he needed.

“Thanks...Quick Shot. I needed that,” Red said in a small voice, albeit one filled with hope instead of dread.

“Did I just hear a thank you? Jesus, you must have really suffered some brain damage or something on that last mission or something.” Red could tell Quick Shot was smiling on the other end of the phone, causing a small smirk to appear on Red’s face as well.

“I just think it’s the old age catching up to you, you damn geezer,” he replied.

“I’m not even that damn old, you little-”

Red pressed the small red circle on his phone to disconnect the call before Quick Shot could finish his insult. He stared down at his phone for a few more moments before looking over to the bed where the possessed Yoshiro had been just minutes ago. I’m going to save you, Yoshi. Even if I’m the only one who can help, I’m not going to give up. Placing his phone in his pocket, Red turned towards the door, his eyes glancing at the indent left in the door from his outburst earlier. I’m a hero, damnit. It’s time I start acting like it.

Making his way down from the infirmary, Red did his best not to grimace too much from the dull aching pain still left in his hand from earlier. He had thrown on some bandages to cover up the wounds, but he knew he’d probably have to see either Jacob or Jane about it later, meaning he’d be telling them one hell of a lie to explain it. Not like it’ll be the last one I’ll be telling for a while, he thought with a small grimace.

He wouldn’t tell anyone the truth behind what had happened to Yoshiro. While he knew the current situation was way over his head, the threatening words from earlier still fresh in his mind made it clear that trying to tell anyone else would only endanger Yoshiro further. It seemed like an impossible challenge to him to say the least, but Quick Shot’s words had somehow managed to dig out some amount of hope within him.

As he made his way down the stairs past where the dormitories where, a sudden crashing sound snapped him out of his thoughts. At first, he worried about an intruder, but a split-second of thinking made him realize there would be no way the Tower’s defensive systems would have allowed a belligerent invader to infiltrate them that easily.

Still, Red quietly made his way over to the corner of the staircase, listening for any other sounds of movement. He heard the sound of another muffled crash, followed a loud rumbling of music that began to seep into the hallways.

“What the hell was that?” Red mumbled under his breath, poking his head around the corner and looking down the hallway. After a few moments, he saw that one of the doors had a coating of ice that seemed to leak outwards from the perimeter of the frame. Frost Bite? Red thought with a great deal of confusion. Approaching the door, the rumbling of the music became clear enough for Red to hear what she was listening to.

”Is everybody going crazy?
Is anybody gonna save me?
Can anybody tell me what's going on
Tell me what's going on
If you open your eyes you'll see
That something is wrong”

Is that...Simple Plan? Red thought, his confusion growing. While he had never asked the mysterious girl what kind of music she had liked, more because he had been afraid of her turning him into a human popsicle if he had said the wrong thing, he knew more than enough that she wasn’t the type to just blare her music like this. Nor had he ever seen her powers seem to radiate like they were now. Something wasn’t right, that much he did know.

Red pondered on what to do. He was far from being on friendly terms with ice manipulating girl, and he knew that he had enough on his own plate at the moment that he shouldn’t poke his nose where it was needed. He began to turn around, prepared to just ignore what he had seen, when suddenly he stopped. If I want to start acting like a hero, I guess should start acting like a teammate first, huh? He turned around to face the door once more, his uninjured hand moving up, the fist hovering a few inches away from the door. Just please don’t turn me into a fucking ice cube, he thought with a nervous gulp before knocking on the door.

“Angelica?” he called out. He received no response, however, the loud music likely having muffled him. Biting the corner of his lip, Red took a deep breath before pounding on the door with much greater intensity. After a few moments of this, he heard the music from within suddenly shut off, followed by the sounds of footsteps within. Realizing she was coming, Red took a few steps backwards before the door slid open, revealing a very pissed off looking Frost Bite on the other side.

“Go away, Red,” she said with a threatening tone. Red winced a bit at the words, her words as cold as the ice that covered a good portion of the room behind her. He noticed several objects inside had been thrown about the room, likely the source of the noise from earlier. Clearly, she wasn’t in the mood to talk, and Red would have likely taken the hint had he not noticed the small red tint that had formed around Frost Bite’s eyes. Has she been...? Shaking his head, he steeled his nerves and forced himself to remain calm .

“I’d like to, but by the look of it you’re about to start a second Ice Age in there,” he said, trying to place a small amount of humor in his voice. Based on the daggers Frost Bite's eyes shot at him, it didn’t seem that she took it well. Letting out a small sigh, he dropped any hint of humor left within him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them, his eyes showed her a look that signalled he was serious.

“Look, something’s bothering you, and I’m not going to leave until you either tell me or I die of hypothermia standing at the entrance of that ice locker there.” He crossed his one good arm across his slinged one, staring down at her. “So what’s it going to be?”

by **Scotatrova** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:49 pm

Diego Belcourt

An arrow thunked into the ground an inch away from Diego. He screamed and threw himself down and away. On the opposite side of the street, Brother Andrew shouted, “Danny! Did you get him?”

“He went right down,” cried a second voice from well behind where Diego lay. “Go get him and I’ll cover you.” Diego had no intention of waiting while the muscle-freak with the scythe came to kill him. He sprang to his feet and bolted. He ran bent almost in half, staff clutched in one fist. Another arrow struck the ground directly in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop and dive down behind a car. A third arrow hit the tire, and when he risked a look, a fourth cleaved the air so close to his head that it tugged at his hair. The arrow had an aluminum shaft, with black plastic fletching and a wicked barbed head. He scuttled away as fast as he could. “There he is,” called the archer, Danny, as he stepped. “It’s just a kid with a toy staff.” Danny was a thin black man, dressed identically to Brother Andrew, shaved head and all. He had a leather quiver of arrows slung over his back, the fletched ends ready above his shoulder so all he had to do was reach up and slide an arrow out and down into his bow. Diego ducked so low that he was almost on all fours. He heard another arrow strike a tree, but the archer was aiming in the wrong direction. Diego felt a splinter of relief. If he could stay out of sight for another couple of minutes, then he could circle behind Danny and lose him. He risked one peek and saw that the archer was now between him and Andrew. Diego smiled grimly and kept moving.

“Hey! Where’d he go?” growled Brother Andrew. “Watch out, Danny, I can’t see him—”

“Ruben!” A woman’s voice suddenly cried out in total horror, and everyone—Andrew, the archer, and Diego—turned to see a woman standing wide-eyed with shock at the end of the street. Mary.

The archer smiled and drew another arrow.

“Mary,” said Brother Andrew, and he actually looked relieved. “Looks like we’ll get the whole family, praise be to the darkness. Ruben won’t have to go into the darkness alone.”

The compassion in his voice chilled Diego. It was so weirdly inappropriate, and yet it seemed genuine.

“Ruben!” Mary’s eyes blazed with madness, and she kept screaming his name as if somehow the depth of her need could call him back from the dark place to which his soul had fled. Her body trembled as she fought the desire to run.

“Mary,” said Andrew, “Ruben is in the arms of Cernunnos now—all praise his darkness.”

“N-no...”

“He’s waiting for you, sweetheart. He wants you to join him.”

“You bastards killed him,” growled Mary, her voice made rough by the jagged pieces of her breaking heart. “And now you want to kill me?”

“We want to save you,” insisted Andrew. “Please, Mary...don’t fight this. Embrace it.”

Diego knew that it was all hopeless. Mary was on the edge of panic, and she could never defeat both angels. She should never have come into the area, but Diego understood that she could not have done anything else. It was a terrible script written by an evil hand, and she was going to become a victim of her own drama. The archer strung his arrow, the barbed head gleaming in the moonlight; Andrew hefted the scythe with its wicked three-foot-long curving blade. Time seemed to have slowed for Diego, but this moment was stretched so taut that it was going to snap. He knew he could flee this encounter. Physically he could do that; but that was not possible on any other level. He also thought that he was no one’s idea of a hero. No one should ever depend on him for anything heroic. He didn’t have the mentality or the musculature for it. His staff was clutched in his fists, and his teeth were clenched. The angels were distracted—Diego could simply run away. “Move it, boy,” he snarled at himself; and then he was up and running. Mary screamed and rushed at Andrew; the angel raised his scythe. “Danny!” yelled Brother Andrew. “Behind you!” Diego was too far away when the archer turned and fired.

So many things went wrong all at the same time. Diego heard the twang of the bowstring. He heard Mary’s inarticulate cry of grief and hatred. He heard the laughter of the angel named Brother Andrew. Then all those separate sounds and all the disparate events snapped together into one terrible moment of action. Time whipped up and slammed into everyone, and suddenly the lives and fates of every person in that clearing changed forever. Diego was no longer running. He stood still, locked into a posture of attack, jerked to a sudden stop as surely as if he’d run into a wall. His staff was in his hands, but the shock of a fading impact still trembled in his arms. Brother Andrew began to turn toward Mary. But the archer. The archer...was falling. Danny looked at Diego with a challenging perplexity. His eyes met Diego’s, then drifted down to the arrow he had just fired. The arrow that stood out straight and immutable from Diego’s torso. Diego looked down to see the feathered end of the arrow standing straight out from his stomach. He craned his neck and looked over his shoulder. The barbed tip of the arrow stuck out red and glistening behind him. “Oh,” said Diego. The archer opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words, blood poured from between his lips. His skull looked wrong to Diego. Misshapen. Dented. Diego looked down at the blood red stained staff from the blow he had just delivered.

“Oh,” he said again. With a wet gurgle, the archer dropped to his knees, then fell sideways, making no effort at all to catch his fall. Brother Andrew turned away from the woman he was just about to murder, and his grinning face went slack with shock. “Danny...?” he asked uncertainly. Danny—the archer—was beyond answering. Diego felt his legs beginning to tremble. I’m shot, he thought. The handle of the staff tumbled from his rubbery fingers. I’m in shock. There was no pain. There was...nothing. I’m dead. And...Well...that’s what boys get for trying to be heroes. Brother Andrew took a step forward as he swung the scythe around to point at Diego. “You little piece of scum. Do you know what you’ve done?” Diego wanted to explain. At the very least he wanted to ask why this man, this angel, would be angry at the death of the archer. Clearly they were dedicated to death itself. It did not make sense that he would be angry at an incident that was part of his own beliefs. That was the thread of logic that was sewn through Diego's mind, and he wanted to discuss this philosophical point with Brother Andrew. Diego found enough of his voice to croak out two words: “I’m sorry.” It was the wrong thing to say, and he really did not mean to give that apology to the angel. Diego took a step, but his knees buckled and he dropped down beside Danny’s body. The bow was right there, inches away. The arrows were spilled all around him. He looked past Brother Andrew to where Mary stood. “Run...,” he croaked. The girl was frozen to the spot. Wide-eyed, voiceless with horrors so vast that she could do absolutely nothing but stand and stare. And die. Diego knew that she was going to die. She’d stand there and be killed and never lift a hand because there just wasn’t enough of her left for even that. Brother Andrew seemed to snap out of his own daze. His lip curled in anger, and he adjusted his grip on his scythe as he began stalking toward Diego. “Run,” begged Diego. He raised the bow and arrow, but his hands trembled with the palsy of shock and injury. “I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done,” promised the angel. “I’ll make this last. I’ll hear you scream and beg before I let you taste the darkness. By the god of death so I will.”

“Will you please just shut up,” Diego said between gritted teeth. Then, with the last energy he had, he pulled the string and released the arrow. It flew straight and true and buried itself in the dirt between Andrew’s feet. The angel laughed and raised his scythe, and its shadow painted a promise of darkness across his face.

by **Absolon-7** » Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:59 pm

North America Inc wrote:Shi

Turmenista wrote:Harley the Dog,Wonder Tower

Viviana Couture
Viviana sat idly at the living room's central couch flipping through the menus for any good movies to watch by herself with a bored expression strapped to her face. God she hated this year's selection in science fiction movies as most seemed to be sequels to bastardized franchises or be an ultra combo of low budget, low effort, and low quality schlock. She leaned back into the couch while crossing her legs in front of her with one hand fiddling on some loose fleece belonging to her polka dot pajamas and the other incessantly clicking on the remote. Honestly would it kill Hollywood to put some effort in the sci-fi genre? It seemed those hacks cared more for producing CGI spectacles while neglecting any actual cool concepts or stories or characters or settings or a whole hecka lotta stuff. Maybe she could rewatch some oldie but a goodie? You could never go wrong with 2001 or Fire in the Sky.

As she was about to go through the journey of reaching the search bar Viviana turned her head to see two newcomers to the lounge. The first was Cassandra and the other was some other girl. Wowzers she'd already met the newbie Reem today and here was yet another one. She greeted Viviana well enough and Viviana was relieved to not search though the catalog of bad movies again to search for a few good ones.

"Hi. I'm new to the team."

"Hiya, Newtotheteam! I'm Couture....Viviana Couture....Secret Agent extraordinaire," said Viviana sitting up from the couch and pointing finger guns at the new girl and with a dramatic pause before every sentence that is until she burst out in a small laugh, "Sorry just wanted to mess with ya. Good thing Cassandra's so straight-faced. Who might you be?"

Suddenly Harley come flying and barking at Shi startled Viviana making her give a high pitch yelp. Blinking in surprise she could see that the doggo was quite wary of the new girl which was to be expected but luckily she was a master of petting! She extended her hand to the dog's head to calmly and rhythmically pet it in hopes she soothed Harley.

"Easy there Harely, she's a new freind of ours. No need to get so worked up, boy," said Viviana with soothing tone to her voice.

United Kingdom of Poland wrote:Ash, Wendy, and KO'd Mike

Casimir Herman July 24th
The hands of the room's clock seemed mush louder than normal to Casimir. As he waited for Jane to respond to his answer he decided to flip through his moth squadrons to check on Ash in hopes no one had discovered her. As his vision showed Ash's room he almost jumped up to see that she wasn't there but luckily he kept his composure while she kept treating him on the infirmary bed he was sitting on. He rapidly scanned the tower before finally seeing that she was carrying Mike while following Wendy to the infirmary.....what the bleeding hell?! Turning his head slightly to the side he saw the trio enter the room with Wendy explaining that Mike had an accident. Well Casimir would need to talk with Ash later to make sure everything was alright.

"Hej," nonchalantly greeted Casimir to Ash and Wendy waving at them, "I see Mr. Disappearance Act got a bout of bad luck."

by **Finland SSR** » Wed Dec 05, 2018 3:26 am

North America Inc wrote:July 24th

Turmenista wrote:
One Day Later… July 24
Harley, again

Absolon-7 wrote:Viviana Couture

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

Scott... didn't seem to be anywhere. Renata checked in his room, offering to have a chat and get things back on order, tell him that his gauntlet was now in her room, only to witness that the gauntlet wielder was not inside. Nor was he anywhere else in the tower she looked - not the kitchen, not the training areas, not even the rooftop again. The only two places were the infirmary and the living room... and both seemed to be likely places for Scott to be in upon initial glance. Was he hurt, though? Don't think so. He ran away from her and Casimir without any visible impairment.

Living room it is, then.

As Renata made her way across the corridors, her ears caught the sound of barking coming straight from the living room. Ah, of course. Renata had not gotten the chance to see it with her own eyes, but when she returned back to the tower well after midnight, Naja, who was surprisingly still awake, informed her that Carter brought a dog to the Tower for whatever reason, and he calls it Harley. Ugh, now they'll have a dirty animal running across the tower pissing over the floor and ripping up carpets...

It's safe to say that Renata was far more of a cat person than a dog person.

That dissatisfaction grew even more when the heroine stepped into the living room, her eyes immediately stumbling upon Shi on the other side of the room and the memories of their previous incident returning to her mind at once. Viviana raised the question on what the new arrival's name was - Renata immediately jumped in on the question, saying:

"No, no, Viv, her name is not Newtotheteam. When we met each other in the corridor, I believe she introduced herself to me as pinche puta."

Her eyes turned towards Harley, who was barking at Shi. At least he knows who the enemy here is.

"Maybe Puta would like to lead Harley to his kennel?"

Resolve two eyesores at once.

by **Segral** » Wed Dec 05, 2018 3:59 pm

Carter Graystone

After Scott had left, he had been too bummed to go out to the skate park. He wasn't even sure why, but he just felt so crestfallen after watching Scott's Uber speed away, watching a member of their team disappear. So many had left. Andrew, Nathan, Park all of them had left. Amir and Mike seemed to disappear every other day. Even though it couldn't be farther from the truth, Carter couldn't help but feel like the team was falling apart, set on edge by Warwolf. Why did it have to be so rough, why did it have to be so difficult? Of course, it had to be difficult, though. They were teenagers, superpowered teenagers, teenagers with horny attractions, bad press, and a thousand other things against them, trying to crush them like ants under a combat boot. No wonder they were cracking under the pressure.

Although, maybe he was being a pessimistic mope. This was way better than what his past life was, and they could all truly follow their passions here, do things nobody could've expected. Infinity times better than going to college to study biophysics or something stupid like that. And people did like them, maybe all that was needed was some resilience and luck.

Those were the thoughts that swam around his head as he walked through the halls of Wonder Tower, skateboard safely stashed in his room. He didn't know what to do. He was too tired to skate or do exercise, but he was too awake to just lie down. So for now, he just wandered the halls, slid down railings, idly moved through common rooms, trying to find something to ward away his distraction. Harley was nowhere to be seen, so he couldn't exactly take the dog for a walk. Hopefully, someone would come to relieve him of his boredom.

by **Charmera** » Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:55 pm

Absolon-7 wrote:
North America Inc wrote:Shi
Turmenista wrote:Harley the Dog,Wonder Tower

Viviana Couture
Viviana sat idly at the living room's central couch flipping through the menus for any good movies to watch by herself with a bored expression strapped to her face. God she hated this year's selection in science fiction movies as most seemed to be sequels to bastardized franchises or be an ultra combo of low budget, low effort, and low quality schlock. She leaned back into the couch while crossing her legs in front of her with one hand fiddling on some loose fleece belonging to her polka dot pajamas and the other incessantly clicking on the remote. Honestly would it kill Hollywood to put some effort in the sci-fi genre? It seemed those hacks cared more for producing CGI spectacles while neglecting any actual cool concepts or stories or characters or settings or a whole hecka lotta stuff. Maybe she could rewatch some oldie but a goodie? You could never go wrong with 2001 or Fire in the Sky.

As she was about to go through the journey of reaching the search bar Viviana turned her head to see two newcomers to the lounge. The first was Cassandra and the other was some other girl. Wowzers she'd already met the newbie Reem today and here was yet another one. She greeted Viviana well enough and Viviana was relieved to not search though the catalog of bad movies again to search for a few good ones.

"Hi. I'm new to the team."

"Hiya, Newtotheteam! I'm Couture....Viviana Couture....Secret Agent extraordinaire," said Viviana sitting up from the couch and pointing finger guns at the new girl and with a dramatic pause before every sentence that is until she burst out in a small laugh, "Sorry just wanted to mess with ya. Good thing Cassandra's so straight-faced. Who might you be?"

Suddenly Harley come flying and barking at Shi startled Viviana making her give a high pitch yelp. Blinking in surprise she could see that the doggo was quite wary of the new girl which was to be expected but luckily she was a master of petting! She extended her hand to the dog's head to calmly and rhythmically pet it in hopes she soothed Harley.

"Easy there Harely, she's a new freind of ours. No need to get so worked up, boy," said Viviana with soothing tone to her voice.

Finland SSR wrote:
North America Inc wrote:July 24th

Turmenista wrote:
One Day Later… July 24
Harley, again

Absolon-7 wrote:Viviana Couture

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

Scott... didn't seem to be anywhere. Renata checked in his room, offering to have a chat and get things back on order, tell him that his gauntlet was now in her room, only to witness that the gauntlet wielder was not inside. Nor was he anywhere else in the tower she looked - not the kitchen, not the training areas, not even the rooftop again. The only two places were the infirmary and the living room... and both seemed to be likely places for Scott to be in upon initial glance. Was he hurt, though? Don't think so. He ran away from her and Casimir without any visible impairment.

Living room it is, then.

As Renata made her way across the corridors, her ears caught the sound of barking coming straight from the living room. Ah, of course. Renata had not gotten the chance to see it with her own eyes, but when she returned back to the tower well after midnight, Naja, who was surprisingly still awake, informed her that Carter brought a dog to the Tower for whatever reason, and he calls it Harley. Ugh, now they'll have a dirty animal running across the tower pissing over the floor and ripping up carpets...

It's safe to say that Renata was far more of a cat person than a dog person.

That dissatisfaction grew even more when the heroine stepped into the living room, her eyes immediately stumbling upon Shi on the other side of the room and the memories of their previous incident returning to her mind at once. Viviana raised the question on what the new arrival's name was - Renata immediately jumped in on the question, saying:

"No, no, Viv, her name is not Newtotheteam. When we met each other in the corridor, I believe she introduced herself to me as pinche puta."

Her eyes turned towards Harley, who was barking at Shi. At least he knows who the enemy here is.

"Maybe Puta would like to lead Harley to his kennel?"

Resolve two eyesores at once.

Viviana's good-natured cajoling did nothing to change the impassive neutral face of the Android, who was once more unsure of how exactly to respond to this sort of thing. Last time she had tried to laugh in response to what she thought to be similar treatment, she had gotten confused stares from everyone in the room. Her laughter function was best not deployed, so Cassandra simpy opted for no reaction at all. This didn't seem to offend anyone, as they all expected her to react that way. She had heard this called "expectation management."

"As she said, she is a new teammate, named Shi-" She was suddenly interrupted by Renata, who, according to Cass' translation protocols, were calling her two words she was not authorized to say.

Once again, this appeared to be a scenario she was not programmed to deal with. Still, she tried her best to adapt. She assumed that Renata was using humor, like Viviana. "Please Miss Martínez, Miss Smith may not necessarily be receptive to that sort of humor. I would advise against being so abrasive in your jests."

She paused, then spoke again. "This newcomer, as I was about to say, is Shihong Smith. She is a new member of the team."

by **Aidannadia** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:15 am

"Alright people, please walk this way to the press area." An clearly overstressed intern was partially successful in corralling the press corps towards a designated zone outside of the warehouse. The air was filled with briny wafts of fish down the way, barely masked with the overwhelming smell of charred metal and ash. The flames that had once engulfed this hollowed building had long subsided, but the impact of the explosions was still sensed among the attendees.

A small stage had been erected; a curtain stretched to hide the preparations being made behind the scenes, testing the audio, keeping any special persons fed and happy. Large men in all black with trident pins adorning their shirts occasionally encouraged wandering reporters to keep away from taking sneaking glances towards the hidden speakers. A small crowd, no more than a few dozen, had gathered, mainly comprised of interested pedestrians resting for a smoke and those in the city that found it incumbent upon themselves to attend on the off chance that a photo was taken.

"Ms. Naftis, we are prepared for your entrance." A well-meaning young man chimed. The woman looked up from her page, pursed her lips, removed her reading glasses, and stood.

"Well, it's about time. Let's give these c-level journalist leeches a headline." She gave a slight chuckle as her heel clicked up towards the stage. Cameras snapped on her extravagant white dress, professional yet still maintaining an intimidating grace. The crowd murmured quietly, though these interruptions were willed to cease when she gave a polite throat clearing indication of her presence. The few suit-clad old men that followed after her crossed behind her and sat in chairs towards the back of the stage.

"I have been contemplating recently on the rule of law and the role of us, the citizenry, in protecting this city. It was just last night I was saved by a young Hadrian girl, who no doubt had plenty of opportunity to be going out to a party rather than fighting psychopaths in a Hilton." She smiled, a few laughs from the eased the tension. "And it was not long before last night that we saw the dark underbelly of our society lash out."

"We all hear rumors of who was responsible. I'm here to put those rumors to rest." Some of the members of the audience craned their neck as police sirens could be heard in the distance.

"I have personally handed documents to our boys in blue, rather than the gallavanting thugs in their suits of armor beholden to no one. These document provide evidence of racketeering, corruption," The three men on the stage began to talk amongst one another, while those in attendance began to talk amongst themselves once more as the police cars from earlier pulled in to the event, "and moral bankruptcy on the part of senior Trident employees in cooperationg with the Russian cartel." The men began to shout as the police moved in, arresting them and taking them away, the audience getting more excited as the speech went on.
Alcyone paused as this excitement halted, smiling as the officers took the men away.

She cleared her throat once more as the voices died down and the police began to leave. "Again, I have been contemplating our role, the citizenry, in making our city great. On what makes someone a hero, and who it is that must answer that call."

"It is incumbent on each of us to repel the threat of chaos. Of immorality. Of evil. We must all find the hero within ourselves in these dark times. Understanding this call, my own responsibility, and love for this city guiding me onward, I have spoken with the board, and I will be taking control of the Trident Corporation as the new CEO given the former person to hold the position... has his hands tied." Laughs again from the audience, but they quickly subsided as they lapped up every word.

"And to all of you, I must ask, does everyone in this city really share our passion for it to succeed?" Alcyone paused, looking in the distance at a patrol lagging behind the police cars from earlier, with their faceless masks cooling looking over the situation. "Times of crisis require strong leadership, and we have to ask if those of us who we elevate in this city are truly leading. Thank you." She nodded, the reporters shouting questions as she slowly stepped towards a recently pulled up black stretch limousine.

"They sure ate that up." The White Lamia cackled, popping a cashew into her mouth between sentences. "No doubt Chamberlain is irate. Everyone he had under his thumb in the leadership just got loaded into a squad car. And he's not too far behind." A smile curled across her face.

"Very impressive, Ms. Naftis." The chaffeur spoke, nodding as he rounded a corner. "I looked into the culprits behind this hit. It seems we have new players in town. A group called the Outriders, trying to make a name for themselves."

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Start pushing the narrative that the Triads made the hit. I don't trust them anyway. Anything to keep the Russians busy while I shore up some more properties and push out Chamberlain." She looked out the window, as if expecting to see the watching eyes of low lifes squinting at her through the tinted windows of her car. "Oh, looks at us talking shop without talking about our personal lives."

"Have you been able to track where my niece if going every night?" The Lamia raised an eyebrow. The Chaffeur paused.

"She's rather clever about hiding her communications. I have no evidence she is going anywhere other than a few parties, but I lose track quickly." The Chaffeur spoke monotone regarding the subject, unbothered by his master's questioning, " Perhaps she inherited your family's amazing guile, madame."

Alcyone's face contorted with a quiet frustration. "That's what concerns me."

Aleta Lindell, The Pitch of Night
Aleta cursed herself. Why'd I have to save Icarus's ass of all people? She grumbled to herself, checking hero discussion forums on her phone.

"Hey, who was that sticky hero? Was that Blackout's sidekick or someTHING?" It took every ounce of her restraint not to chuck her phone in the middle of the coffee shop. "Where's the barista anyway? Staff seems a little short for the rush like this..." Aleta pursed her lips, but decided not to make a scene, instead subjecting herself to further investigate the public reaction to her appearance at the Wonders Facility.

"Are they dating? Idk, I'd let her stick me any day." The girl rolled her eyes. He wishes... What does that even mean, "stick me"? Wait...

"Ugh." She switched phones to one of her burners and logged into a VPN to comment. "Was that Pitch last night? That cool vigilante with the tar powers?"

"Subtle." Aleta murmured before refocusing her attention elsewhere, typing out a text to her dear friend Renata on their personal numbers, switching back to her personal phone instead.

AL: Hey Rena-booo~ Sorry I had to bail on the party last night.
AL: Had to take the side piece home
AL: He's a total lightweight~
AL: Well, when it comes to drinking I guess )))
RE: It's okay, I was planning on bailing as well, too much work )
RE: Which side piece are we talking about?
AL: Oh

Aleta raised her eyebrow. Um... She does get that we're not talking about like... I real party right. She's naive but not that naive. Why asked for details about Blackout? Surely she's seen the news. Aleta frowned.

Al: the blonde
AL: tbh I forget their names sometimes
AL: make it home okay?
RE: Short or long hair?
RE: Or longish, but only up to the shoulders?
AL: long
AL: Idk not important right

"Come on, Rena, lay off." Aleta gave an overdramatic groan towards the sky. "If she's gonna press me like that we should do it face to face."

AL: idk if I can spend the night soon
AL: but maybe we can meet sometime later
AL: during the day
RE: Uhm
RE: but it is pretty important
RE: Okay, whatever
RE: Yeah, sure, I could find some time during the day
RE: Mall crash again?
AL: Def
AL: Talk then
AL: Hungover
AL: Need rest
RE: Don't die

Aleta turned off her personal cell. "I also need to look into the bombing at the Docks. Rumor has it that-" That's when she got the alert for the speech on her phone. My Aunt? Trident? Russians? Human Trafficking? Gang war? Oh, shit. The teenager immediately stood up and walked out. I've been spending my time on Warwolf and The Cabal. But this is some real shit.

Aleta rounded a corner, uncaring that she left her coffee cup full on the table back in the shop. I mean if the YeeBee's are focusing on the Cabal, I guess I can refocus here. There's plenty of press. It's my family's company. Warwolf isn't doing anything but locking up supers. She squinted at a patrol going by, willing the Pitch to keep below the surface of her skin. If no one else is gonna do something- Her fist clenched.

-Doesn't that mean I have to?

by **The Rebel Alliances** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:20 pm

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Outrider Base, Condemned District-July 23rd-11:57 PM

Well they were not wrong. The Condemned district was my home, but it is also a shit place to grow up and rotting from the inside out. The people who live outside of it like to ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist. And those within lack the means to leave and many become criminals to support themselves as crime is frankly the most profitable trade in this town. The prospect of working alongside the Young Bloods, even if it was under the table was pretty tempting. It could cause some problems if whoever was leading the Young Bloods found out though. I doubt they would ever openly support out two groups working together.

"Yeah, this town is pretty shit. But it's home. Grew up here my whole life." I responded to Sludge matter of factly. Before turned to Wyatt, downing another shot of Bacardi.

"Something about the hotel incident yeah. You are hard to miss honestly. The only reason I payed any attention to it at all though is because apparently Marionette was involved." I left it unsaid that I am extremelt pissed at that reality. That she had managed to escape the first time she was arrested only to threaten more people and be locked up a second time. I could not recall a body count but I am certain that she ended more than a few lives.

I watched lazily as Sludge counted the cash before continuing.

"I ain't greedy. I'll share turf with anyone who wants to take out the scum out there. I really only have one rule in such cases though..." I trailed off for a moment. "I won't tell you how to work out there, and you do the same for me. If for any reason you have stomach problems when it comes to putting these scum bags six feet under thats fine. Just don't get in my way when I bury them." As the pile of cash started to get smaller I glanced over at Sina, and then back at our guests.

"I'm not used to guests. After you finish with the cash would ya'll like to step out of here and meet the crew? I mean, you already know where we sleep so I don't know what it could hurt." I managed to pick up that there seemed to be a joke about the two dragons going out even though they just met. I considered adding to that but from the look of it the other Dragon didn't seem to enjoy it. Now that I think of it, I do not believe I ever got his name.

"So, your friend is Sludge. What should I call you?"

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Wonder Tower-July 24th-1:26 PM

I was rounding the last corner to the bridge which led to Wonder Tower now. On a surprise and likely my only ever visit to the Tower. Figuring it is time to let him know I am on my way I pulled out my cell phone and sent him a text.

Surprise Carter, I am crossing the bridge now. Plz make sure your team does not arrest me when I pull up. See ya soon.

Tossing the phone back into the passenger seat to the melody of Icon for Hire's 'Make a Move' I wondered what Carter's reaction to the car would be. I had already washed and polished the car before I left and the it was honestly a chore not racing down the city streets crossing this bridge with a dozen squad cars behind me for drag racing this beast down fifth avenue.

But for Carter's sake I managed to keep it right at the speed limit for the duration of the trip. Finally pulling up to the Tower I found a parking spot and stepped out. Revealing my boots, jeans and belt with a tight white t shirt with a pair of sun glasses. My new tattoos on display as well as my recently dyed red hair. I chuckled wondering at Carter's reaction to all of this. The visit, the car and my new appearance. All while trying to guess what he would find most appealing or if he would even recognize me at first. Staring up at the tower for a moment as I wondered if I should just stroll in or knock or what. Under normal circumstances I am not shy about these sorts of things but considering that If anyone here realizes who I am I am getting a quick ride to the pen I figured it would be best to have Carter escort me in. So I texted him again.

I'm out front. Waiting on ya.

Placing the phone in my pants pocket I shut my car door and stood beside it. Eager to see Carter one more time and all of his new friends.

by **The Republic of Atria** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 10:35 pm

Finland SSR wrote:Sina

The Rebel Alliances wrote:Vendetta

"Fair enough." Jason replied to Sina, stacking the money carefully, ensuring a near perfect three way split. "I wouldn't spend much time here either. Gotta take breaks in between the giving ass whoopins and bodily maintenance. Plus, you do this all day everyday and you're gonna go nuts. And not the fun kind. You see the worst of people and sometimes you have to wonder if things are worth saving. 'Course the bad people are just louder than the good ones. Vocal minority. There are plenty of good people in the world. ANOTHER reason not to trust all the doom saying from the news." He finished bagging Sina's share and sliding it over to the dragoness. "There you are Sina. Let it be known that I take care of my employees. Don't spend it all in one place." He spoke and started bagging the money for Wyatt. "Hey yeah dude. She's got a point. We gotta get you a super name. So when you start doing interviews and stuff people know what to fawn over."

He flinched for a moment, freezing up after being put on the spot by Jason. As much as he hated that, Jason did have a point, the Young Bloods were growing in popularity and Vendetta wasn't wrong when she said he was quite hard to miss. Ironic given his feelings as of late. He had a few ideas, but he couldn't help but feel they were stupid. Dragon Man was just stupid. Fafnir sounded cool, but sent the wrong message. There was always the option of using his real name. Sina did it and she seemed to get along just fine. Kaban and Onu had told him that he should go by it anyways. Might as well start now. "Alright. Call me Bael." He spoke, with just a bit more confidence than usual in his tone.

"I'm assuming that name has personal connotations." Jason mused. "Sounds good to me." Vendetta went on to explain that if they were going to be working together that they couldn't be afraid to kill people. He'd never crossed that line, and wondered what would happen if he did. He already held back quite a bit, and the chance to go out completely unrestrained was an exciting thought, but not one he should entertain. The Young bloods played the straight and narrow. If he started running around slicing people into ribbons, it would draw quite a bit of undeserved heat to the team. "Yeah. I get that. Personally I've got no problem with it. Buuuuut there's a bunch of problems with that. Most of them being conflicts of interest. If we, and by we I mean Bael and me, go out and start ripping people's heads off and get caught, we're gonna drag the rest of our team through the mud. I'd rather not do that. That being said, you guys do you."

Bael thought about it. He held back quite a bit too. Though he wasn't nearly as excited at the idea as Jason was. "No offense, but I don't really want to do that. If you guys want to, there is literally nothing I can do to stop you, but I don't think I'll ever have it me to do that. At least not unless I absolutely have to." Not that he wasn't tempted. He recalled the raid he did with Kaban from a few days ago, both of them held back quite a bit and they lost. They would have won easily were it not for that. Maybe if they elected to kick him off the team, he could join up with the Outriders. It couldn't hurt to have a backup plan.

"But hey. If things don't work out with the YB, I'll definitely come back with an application. Maybe two if I can convince Bael here to come along." Jason said, putting his arm around his friend and pulling him uncomfortably close.

Well that wasn't foreboding or anything. That was like some foreshadowing in a story. Foreshadowing he truly hoped wasn't true, but if Jason joined, it would be a bit more enticing. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Never hurts to have a plan B." Jason spoke. "Oh, by the way. Here's your money." He said, tossing Wyatt a rather hefty bag of loot. "Go buy yourself something nice. I don't know what you guys like so..." He trailed off. "Well. The night's young. Y'all wanna hang out some more or call it quits for the night?"

Bael pulled out his phone, seeing several texts from both Onu and his parents. Both telling him to come home when he was free and that it was important. "I should probably go home. Parents are looking for me. But uh... This was fun. Really. Thanks for having me Jason. And it was... Really nice to meet you, Sina." Yeah, that wasn't awkward or anything. "So uh, how did you want to keep in touch?"

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Thu Dec 06, 2018 11:06 pm

The Republic of Atria wrote:---

After her conversation with Angelica became a disaster which ended in the taller girl storming out of the laboratory, Alexis was once more left alone inside, her otherwise prodigious mind struggling to process what had happened just a moment earlier.

Did I just... ruin my friendship with her? After she trusted me with her name?

The realization weighed heavily on the genius girl's shoulders, almost literally so, as she slumped back onto her swiveling chair, the force carrying her a few paces back. She waited a moment and then, when she was certain that Angelica was out of earshot, let out a frustrated growl that quickly escalated into a brief scream, her fist smashing her worktable, causing no harm, though she had proved last night that it wasn't impervious to damage. Why the hell does everything have to be so complicated?! I just needed to vent! That's not such a heinous crime is it?!

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door, and Alexis jumped slightly at the sound. Someone else? She wondered, before hearing Wyatt's voice; if her face was capable of paling, it undoubtedly would have. For god's sake, how many more things am I going to ruin today?

For a moment, Alexis considered telling Wyatt to go away. It was a simple solution without any difficulties involved, it would let her try to get back to work and, despite being rather rude, its potential harm was much lesser than that of the alternative, if her conversation with Frost Bite was anything to go by. Weighing the options, she looked off to the side.

...I can't do that. I literally told him just yesterday that he could swing by whenever, I can't just tell him off now. She determined with a sigh. I'll just have to watch my big dumb mouth.

Snapping her fingers, she caused the metallic door to slide open once again to let Wyatt in and swiveled around on her chair to face him as he walked into the laboratory, a scene that would have come across as comically nefarious had her demeanor been any different; normally she would've jumped at the chance to make a silly joke, but at the moment, such things were the last on her mind.

"Hey Wyatt. Yeah, I'm okay, just... you know, taking a break from working on the big girl over there all night. The usual." She said with a neutral expression on her face. She didn't have it in her to smile right now. "Thanks for asking."

Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

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