Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[The Republic of Atria]

Wyatt, July 25

He woke up a little late, remembering that Sina told him that they were going to go get her a phone. While that was very much his intention, he had a feeling that Sina was interested in more than just getting a phone. He made sure to grab some extra money from his loot bag just in case. She said to meet her where they met to divvy up the loot Jason stole. The legality of that was still very grey to him, though Jason and Sina certainly didn't seem to think so. It was weird just how alike the two were, barring powers. "I'll be back tonight, bye!" Onu said that they would be good to go to N'Toak tomorrow. He thought about telling Sina about that, but he wasn't sure if she was even interested in going. She seemed to very much enjoy beating the tar out of people.

It was a decent distance to fly, and he had few minutes to think about what, presumably he and Sina were going to do after. Maybe grab something to eat? That was something he'd been neglecting to do of late, though he just didn't feel that hungry and it slipped his mind as a result.

He did his best to maintain happy thoughts as he flew over the condemned portion of the city. "Could use some of Jason's banter right about now." He muttered. At least his constant talking kept his mind off just how awful this portion of the city looked. That, and he'd be lying if it wasn't at least a little funny to see how uncomfortable he made Sina. Oh well, he'd have to make due without him.

He landed at the train station that Sina led them to last night. The darkness of night obscured most of it's hideousness, so seeing it during the day only made him question why anyone would willingly choose to live here. Sina, somehow, didn't seem to mind too much. "Uh Sina? You here? It's W-Bael." He called.

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt, July 25

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

It's been an interesting few days. When she ended in San Diego, Sina didn't even imagine that in the span of... about two weeks, she'll transcend from being a lone vigilante beating up thugs and criminals for fun to a member of a like-minded outskirts. The Outriders were oddly quick to accept her, they didn't even do a background check on her as far as she could recall, but they honestly weren't bad people to hang out with. Out of the scaleless, many of whom sickened Sina either by appearance or by personality, this little team of hers were some of the most tolerable.

The duo of "Young Bloods" she got to meet a few days ago, Jason and Bael, were just as interesting. Well, maybe not the former, although he did seem to be the brain of the duo and Sina could respect that, but the latter... Interesting was perhaps the best word to describe Bael. Maybe also amusing. Definitely amusing. The juxtaposition between his intimidating appearance and overwhelming power on one end and goofy, awkward manner of speaking like he has never been outside of a house before was something she simply couldn't get over with. How could an Elder be so much of a dork? Or is dorkiness an inherent trait of being an Elder and she just wasn't aware of that before? She had never met Naligura and the other guy, after all, the only thing she knew about them was the stories her parents would tell about their service in Naligura's army...

If Sina had a way to contact her parents right now, she would definitely tell them everything. Well, almost everything. Leave out the "Elder" part like Bael asked her to do. Unfortunately, she didn't really have a way of contacting anyone from a distance - until today. And Bael's voice suddenly echoing across the Outrider Base was the waking up call.

"Hey Ba-a-a-a-a-a-"

She was falling.

Having been lying on a selfmade hammock hanging off the ceiling of the abandoned train station, Sina leapt out immediately upon hearing the fellow Dra'Quinni call out to her, falling flat on the ground in front of Bael, but quickly standing back up as if nothing happened, ignoring the pain of having fallen almost ten meters and fixating a smile.

"Hey, Bael, you're here early, most of the team is still sleeping, you know..." Sina muttered, placing her hand on her thigh. "So, we were planning to do that buying thing today, right?"

[The Republic of Atria]

He winced a bit when Sina fell down shortly after he called her name. From what he saw, it had to hurt, though she was downplaying it considerably. "Are you okay?" He asked, offering her a hand to help her up. Sina mentioned that he was there earlier than she expected. "In my defense, you never specified when I should show up, and I know you don't like spending more time around humans than you have to so I figured you want to get this over and done with as soon as possible. It's also not even that early. I'm usually up at least 2 hours ago."

Should he tell her about all that's been going on over the past few days? She deserved to know, didn't she? "I've... Also got something pretty important to tell you." Knowing how he worded that, she was probably going to take it out of context. Whatever. It wasn't that much different than what Jason did. And it would give them a topic of conversation that wasn't about phones or the comments Jason made. "Apparently one of the buried cities we had is no longer buried. N'Toak. I don't know if you know anything about it. My parents have a way in and really want to go. I'm probably not going to stay there but... I don't know, did you want to go? I'll have a way to get there and back and I figured since you don't especially like it here..." He trailed off.

At least he was doing better than yesterday, though he felt that was because Jason wasn't there to keep cracking jokes about him and her. "If you don't, that's fine. I just wanted you to know."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Seristella nodded at Yoshiro's greeting before letting out a chuckle. "Well it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if she knew in advance, would it? As for what brings me here, well, I'm strictly visitin' to tell ya the truth. Not like I've a lot of interest in this particular backwater." She admitted, her accent showing to be identical to Kirisvala's; she didn't bother making it clear if she was talking about San Diego itself or about the entire planet. At no point did she display any hostility towards Yoshiro, however. She felt ambivalent towards humans, but a friend of her sister deserved enough respect.

Kiris, meanwhile, got off her sister's shoulders with a little acrobatics, landing on her feet and moving to stand next to Seris; the height difference between the sisters would undoubtedly become all the more striking to Yoshiro at this point. Having heard the Asian girl's praise, she gave a sheepish smile. "Oh, um, yeah, they say I really saved the day there. Took Mars a little convincin' to make me believe it though. I'm tryin' not to let it get to my head." She answered as she headed towards the fridge, recalling her distraught, depressed state when she got back to the tower the previous night, but opting not to mention it. Instead, she looked for the leftover spaghetti bolognese in the fridge.

"What?" The elder sister inquired almost as soon as Kiris had spoken, sounding almost shocked. "Ya would deny credit for one of your accomplishments?" She crossed her arms as she looked at her younger sister. "Feats and victories should be worn as badges of pride, not hidden."

Kirisvala rolled her eyes, not surprised in the slightest at her sister's behavior. "I said I'm tryin' not to let it get to my head, not that I told everyone I didn't do it. I like praise as much as anyone else, ya know? Silly Seris." She said with a chuckle as she served two plates of pasta and placed them in the microwave oven. Seris shrugged and said nothing more, turning to observe Yoshiro more carefully instead.

"Have ya talked to Red? I'm pretty sure he was really worried about ya when he found out what happened." The younger Hadrian asked as she leaned back on the kitchen counter, waiting for the oven to finish.

[Bentus]

The Mystifying Ashen Moth!
After the Infirmary

---

Ash had kept quiet following from that point on, Wendy’s words back in the infirmary having been a punch to the gut. The girl’s sigh of exasperation was all the mutant needed to hear to know that her attempts to smooth over her mistakes had only made the situation worse. Deflated and wanting nothing more than to disappear into the background, Ash had muttered a muted apology as the rest of the Young Bloods conversed and joked with one another. Feeling out of place in the warm atmosphere, it was all that Ash could do to try and follow the back-and-forth between the teenagers. A part of her wanted to pipe up, to say something in an effort to join in with the others and take part, but even the thought of trying to force herself into the conversation sent a nervous chill down the mutant’s spine. It had been so much easier with her handlers: they made it clear when they wanted her to speak, or gave her clear instructions that needed no response. But this all felt so much more chaotic and Ash was terrified that she could say something that just made the situation even worse than it already was. Thankfully, it wasn’t long until Jane cleared Casimir of his injuries, the hero’s healing factor greatly reducing the amount of work that the Doctor needed to do to piece him back together.

Almost immediately, Ash’s face lit up as she heard that Casimir was going to be ok, but she quickly averted her eyes as she realised that it was only a matter of time before he told her off for the incident before. The pair of them left the infirmary together, with Ash sheepishly leading Casimir back to her room with a mixture of guilt and embarrassment for her actions. Not quite being able to bring herself to look at the hero who had offered her nothing but kindness, Ash scolded herself as she realised that she was still trying to come up with an excuse. She should have just stayed in her room, she knew that, and now her impatience could potentially have cost her her place with the Young Bloods. Frowning at the thought, Ash forced herself to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. What would she do if Casimir said that she couldn’t stay in the Tower anymore? She had only spent one night alone before Casimir had found her, but she remembered how she had felt. Cold, hungry and frightened of running into the woman who had attacked her before, Ash had felt hopelessly lost. And then Kabuto had found her and taken her to the Tower, where it was warm and bright, with enough bacon and eggs to make her feel sick if she tried to eat it all.

Coming to a stop outside of her room, Ash slowly turned around. Rubbing her two pairs of hands together nervously, the mutant’s eyes continued to avoid the hero as she tried to think of what she could say to make amends. Eventually, she forced the words through her throat.

“I...am sorry for not listening to you.” The girl apologised. “And I am sorry for stabbing your friend called Mike. I did not mean to hurt anyone, or to break my promise, but I thought that I could explore a little. But when he came into the kitchen and saw me I panicked.” Ash paused for a moment. “I know that I did not do good so far, but I know better now! I did not think when I saw him, and what I did was wrong. I promise that I will not attack your friends like that again, though.” Ash hesitated for a moment, having made her case before she decided to ask the real question that was on her mind. Nervously, she offered Casimir a smile. “Am I still allowed to stay?”

[Absolon-7]

Wendy

Mike Mathews

The Mystifying Ashen Moth!

Casimir Herman July 24th
Taking a gulp, Casimir regained his composure from nearly busting out in laughter at Mike's bewilderment but Wendy, oh so dependable, told the straight truth to Jane. What Casimir didn't appreciate was how well Mike was taking the insult he had thrown at him. The bastard actually had the nerve to laugh it off. Casimir thought the flake would be the thinskinned type perfect for passive aggressive jabs but he seemed more confused then upset at Casimir's previous comment. He even suggested Casimir was the one with a concussion! As much as Casimir would've loved to yell at Mike his chest still hurt too much for any real shouts and he was still too exhausted to really put any more effort. Casimir stayed in his sour mood all the way through him finally leaving the infirmary and leading Ash back to her room after bidding Wendy farewell and thanking her for her help. Although Casimir couldn't help but notice how sheepish Ash looked all the way back but he couldn't really blame her as she was a stranger in a strange place from her point of view. That soulless laboratory must be a complete flip on the vibrancy of the tower life with so many strangers.

They stopped once they were right outside her room and Casimir raised an eyebrow as Ash turned around and began apologizing profusely which did make Casimir wince. Having a girl and especially a stranger who he hadn't gotten to know that well be so distraught yet was discomforting to say the least.

"Of course you're allowed to," enthusiastically said Casimir putting his hands on his hips and taking a more upright stance, "And don't worry about Mike the guy's barely around so he'll forget about it next time you see him. And about paralyzing him, its natural you panicked after confronting a stranger as you were scared is all. I don't imagine that lab being the best place for teaching socialization. Although one more thing. You remember that pink haired b...chick from yesterday? The one that shoots lazers?"

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

"Oh, no, I'm all fine, don't worry about it," Sina replied to Bael's question on whether she was okay, but accepted his offer to help her up regardless. "Really, you wake up that early? That's odd, I'm usually still sleeping by then. Maybe that's because I spent the night patrolling, though..."

Different people have different sleep schedules, of course. The conversation soon went past that, however, as Bael decided to bring up something else instead - something important he wanted to tell her, apparently. "Oh?" As it turns out, some of their kind had just managed to unearth an ancient city of theirs, N'Toak, and Bael's parents really want to go settle there. N'Toak? Her father mentioned it a few times, usually in passing - rarely in a positive light, as he and her mother much rather preferred their tenant farm to a bustling, modern city, but mentioned regardless. Bael himself did not seem to want to stay there for long, but he offered Sina the opportunity, as apparently, he believed that she didn't like it here and would much rather want to stay somewhere else.

Really? What gave him that idea?

"Bael, if I hated this city, I would have never left the mountains," Sina replied. "Sure, the scaleless and the way they look and act... does leave a pit in my stomach sometimes, but this city they've established - it just has so much fun, you know? So much to do everywhere, and the dinky hut I grew up in simply can't offer the same."

Though, that's not to say that N'Toak didn't interest her. A city of her own kind? Maybe it would be a good idea to check it out and see if anything out there catches her eye. Sure, being a vigilante would probably be out of the question in N'Toak, Sina couldn't bring herself to kill one of her fellow Dra'Quinni - but surely, there's bound to be something else she could work on there, right? Father once told her that if she solved her problem of being unable to sit in one place for any given time, she could be a stellar flight instructor.

Flying for money would be a dream come true.

"But sure, I can visit N'Toak, too. I'm sure it will be fun."

[Bentus]

The Great Floyd Tolson!

---

The San Diego state prison, officially called the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (apparently named after some California legislator from World War II, which struck Floyd as quite odd), was, depending on who you ask, either the best part of the city or the worst part of the city. The best part is its existence in general - sometimes, the citizens of San Diego can get too easy to forget that in the midst of all the crime and violence, both normal and superhuman, there is actually a system of law enforcement which is trying to handle it all. The worst part is, of course, the fact that it holds the highest concentration of the worst scum of San Diego society, from your average mooks and rapists to wannabe super-villains and sociopathic mass murderers, and because of the sheer number of them all, as well as the small amount of funding the prison receives, it is horrendously understaffed.

Thankfully for everyone involved - well, everyone but the supers, that is - the most dangerous inmates held in the San Diego state prison are usually quickly transported elsewhere, usually to Westgate (before the incident with it becoming a superhuman factory, that is), Alcatraz or the electric chair. Well, usually not the latter. Apparently, this society has become so soft that electrocuting criminals to death has become too inhumane for it - Floyd usually stands by an alternative theory, however, that the influx of supervillains on the chopping block has forced the central government to switch to lethal injections.

Speaking of transporting supers elsewhere…

As it turns out, after that half-man, half-slime piranha thing chucked his sword through the window during the fight atop Hilton Tower, it got found by one of the police officers surrounding the building and confiscated, while Floyd, who had already been left alone after Marionette’s KO, was not feeling like risking his freedom and his life that day to challenge the entire platoon which had gathered around the building and instead retreated. Thankfully, the few and far in between connections which Floyd had across the city were generous that day, and informed him that his beloved weapon was not broken down or smelted or anything (not that the bastards would even manage to, a sword crafted by Beelzebub himself is not going to yield that easily), but was instead confiscated and taken to the prison, where it is kept and preserved as potential evidence against Marionette in her court case. After all, the edge is pretty damn bloody, that’s a clue that she and her butler Eb from Bavaria went on a murder streak.

Why would the San Diego police keep his sword in the prison and not stored in their police headquarters, or Warwolf headquarters? No clue. Maybe they thought it would be secure there. Either way, that’s where Floyd was heading right now.

Assaulting a heavily guarded prison all by himself and without a weapon would be madness, however, which is why Floyd opted to take an alternate path and, a few kilometers away from the entrance to the prison, hijacked a San Diego Police truck heading towards it. The crew of the truck - a single dark-skinned and middle aged driver - got dispatched of quite easily, but don’t ask how. Let’s just say that there was a naked corpse below Floyd’s seat and the swordsman was now wearing his dark blue uniform, complete with a cap and sunglasses obscuring his identity. Driving through the empty road leading towards the prison, Floyd shifted through the papers which he inherited - and among all of the papers for the vehicle specifications, safety procedures and identification was a whole bunch of documents, detailing several inmates the corpse was supposed to drive to Westgate. This was going to be his cover. He’s driving here to pick up an inmate and send them elsewhere, and alongside it, he’ll pick up the clue for Marionette’s case, his weapon, let’s say for detective inspection. Maybe make a friend by releasing the guy or girl he picked up and-

Oh, what’s this?

One of the people listed among the documents was a particular blonde-haired girl…

The truck stopped at the entrance of the prison, next to the uninterested entrance guard in his little hut. Floyd handed over the documents to him, speaking in the best American accent he could make on the fly:

“I’m here to pick up “Marionette” and bring her to Westgate.”

“Okay, okay, I can read...” the guard muttered in response, glancing through the files to check if there’s nothing obviously suspicious - but no, everything seemed to be in order. “You’re free to drive in.”

The gate in front of Floyd’s truck began to open with a metallic clank. The swordsman remained by the open window, however, and continued:

“Oh, and excuse me, but could you write out an additional order for me? I need to pick up something from the evidence section as well.”

The guard raised his eyes for a second. “What for?”

Alright, this is something he actually prepared for. “They’ll be holding a trial for the bitch sooner or later and the police investigation needs to get in touch with the evidence on her case, analyze it and shit. If you need a description of the item, it’s a sword, three feet in length, slightly bloodied on the edge.”

The guard was slightly confused at the request, especially at the detail which the driver had on the evidence and yet did not have an order to transport it to Westgate, but eventually shrugged and figured this isn’t something for him to deal with. Pulling out a blank template for an evidence retrieval order and filling out the blanks quickly, the guard handed it to Floyd, who responded with a thumbs up and gently pressed on the accelerator to drive in to the empty expanse of the prison facility.

So we’re doing this, then?.. Consider it a favor for fixing up my wound, I suppose.

---

San Diego was unique in America. A major city without a local hero team to call its own, crime and villainy ran rampant despite the best efforts of heroes from up and down the Californian coast. Most of the burden of fighting everything from petty crimes to superpowered brawls fell to the local police and law enforcement, who had struggled for years against the gangs and mobs who called their city home. However, lesson learned battling metahumans and monsters without outside support had also led to the SDPD becoming the nation’s premier police department for when it came to such matters. Despite the high crime rate and corruption within San Diego, the SDPD earned itself a reputation for containing and mitigating superhuman villainy. The city’s prison system had become one of the most well-equipped in the country for containing powered individuals, and the State prison located in the city’s outskirts was the gem in its correctional institution’s crown.

The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility had been built with funding from both the State and Federal governments, and had been heralded as a landmark institution in San Diego’s tough stance on crime. Kept constantly up to date with modern equipment and an eagerness to stay ahead of the curve when it came to new technologies, Donovan’s name was something of a misnomer. Far from seeking to correct the lives of the souls that found themselves trapped and forgotten behind its walls, the prison was built with one purpose in mind: to keep those on the inside away from the good people of the city. It held low-to-medium risk prisoners from across the state and beyond, a healthy stream of federal funding accompanying the nation’s undesirables. America by-and-large was content to allow San Diego to be its crime capital, and its wealthier cities had no qualms in sending the crime-ridden city their own troublemakers to be incarcerated and forgotten.

But despite the pretty pamphlets and marketing material, Donovan’s walls did little to stop the lawlessness of San Diego from taking root on the inside of the prison as much as in the city itself. Always looking to slash costs or shift money towards those who could actually vote in elections, the city’s government paid little attention to the well-being of its prisoners. The guards at Donovan knew that their main role was to prevent any escapes, but largely turned a blind eye to gangs, stabbings and fights that occured on the inside. Sure they made a token effort to break things up when they got serious, but it was often too much of a hassle to stop every stabbing or bloody initiation. And besides, the occasional death of an inmate served as an effective deterrent for those would-be villains who feared ending up lost in the pit that was Donovan.

All of this meant that the prison had earned itself a reputation in the country’s underworld as an unforgiving place for murderers, rapists and those who made the wrong kind of enemy. Following the attack at the Hilton and in light of her earlier bloody escape, news commentators had filled the airwaves with heated arguments on where the authorities would be sending Marionette. She had gleefully left a trail of bodies and tears in her wake for years, with talk shows having no shortage of grieving families to bring on the air in order to boost their ratings. There were calls for her to be executed on the spot, while others demanded that she was sent to the strictest facilities in the nation or abroad, but the ratings wouldn’t have been so high had there not been a key source of added drama.

Although forensics had been unable to reveal her identity, with the girl’s fingerprints and DNA seemingly absent from their records, the public attorney with the unenviable job of defending the psychopath had one trick on which to found his case: she was a juvenile. That one indisputable fact tied the state’s hands and sent the sparks flying between the talking heads. Despite the public outcry and the weeping mothers and widows, the law’s hands were tied when it came on how to punish the captured killer. But fortunately, the city of San Diego could always count on Donovan to be a welcoming hellhole for those who had wronged its good people.

When the temporary sentence was announced, many applauded the authorities for giving Marionette the strictest punishment they could while prosecutors continued to try having her moved to a harsher federal facility in spite of her age. By waiving her right to solitary or a place in a juvenile prison, many hoped that the problem of Marionette would be resolved by the cut-throat environment within Donovan itself. Afterall, they reasoned, the girl had killed some high-ranking members of the Russian mafia in the Hilton while wronging some powerful people with even stronger connections. And so the news cycle moved on, content with the certainty that the harsh realities of life inside San Diego’s prison system would give the girl the punishment she so clearly deserved, even if it was a punishment that the law could not deliver.

---

Lisette let out a resigned sigh as she turned off the shower tap, stopping the flow of warm water from washing over her body. The girl stretched her arms up above her head as she chased away the fatigue from the past night’s sleep. She was still getting used to the rough mattress that had been provided with her cell, and it felt good to chase away the knots that had become tied in her muscles. The villainess known as Marionette rocked her head forward before working to wring the water out from her long blonde hair, taking a few moments before she was satisfied with her efforts.

A cloud of steam from the refreshing wash hung in the air as the girl exited from the cubicle. Humming to herself, Marionette stopped in front of the wall mounted mirror as she assessed her features. Her hair was still dripping water, the long strands hanging straight past her shoulders before she had a chance to tie them up into her preferred style. She frowned slightly as the faint residue of a bruise continued to linger under her right eye, silently wishing that her healing factor would work its magic just a little bit faster. It was a small price to pay for all the fun she’d had during the fight, though. Reaching out to grab her hair dryer, Marionette’s thoughts returned back to that night as she continued with her morning routine. She couldn’t help but smile faintly as she recalled her battle with the Young Bloods. Mars and Kiris had definitely both been the highlight, although the look on Red’s face when she had warned him about his precious Psyche was just as priceless.

And then Lisette’s wandering mind stumbled on Floyd.

Immediately, the girl’s faint smile was replaced with an irritated scowl. She had woken up to find that the swordsman had turned and ran as soon as she had been knocked unconscious, running with his tail between his legs.

It’s not like I expected anything more from him anyway.. She silently reminded herself. I always knew he was a coward, and he did all that I needed from him. It’s good riddance that he left when he did, I bet that he would have just got in the way otherwise.

For some reason Marionette’s own assurances couldn’t quite put her own irritation at the swordsman at ease. Scowling at her own reflection, the girl was satisfied with her efforts to dry her hair as she pushed the unwanted thought to the back of her mind. Getting adjusted to life in the prison had been a struggle, but it was a suffering that she was willing to endure for the time being - albeit with a few minor creature comforts that she’d acquired for herself. It wouldn’t be interesting for her to immediately break out after being arrested, the same song-and-dance would get boring eventually. No, in this case it was better for her to be patient and bide her time. Then, when she did get out her reunion with the Young Bloods would be all the sweeter for it.

Stepping out from the bathroom and into her room, Marionette didn’t bother making the sheets on her queen-sized bed. The local help would be in soon enough to fix it up for her, and her far more-pressing concern was to select her outfit for the day. Opening up the large wardrobe she had had installed in her cell, the girl placed a finger on her chin as she assessed the scarce choices before her. Despite her adamant insistence, the wardens had stubbornly refused to allow her to bring in all of her own clothes. Something about it making too obvious that she was paying them off to provide her with at least some basic amenities. Marionette had seethed at their obstinance for a few days, but eventually had risen to the challenge of making do with her limited fashion options.

Grabbing one of the selection of orange jumpsuits, Marionette wasted no time in getting dressed in the simple attire before finally doing up her hair in just the way that she liked it. A final glance in the mirror was enough to ensure that her morning preparations had gone off without a hitch. Smirking in satisfaction, all the girl had to do now was wait for the inmates to be released for breakfast. See, today was a special day and she was excited to make the most of it. Since arriving at the prison, Marionette had been kept separate from the prisoner population at large - but that period of isolation was finally at an end.

After being forced to sit on her hands for the past few days, living in her cell in total squalor, she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t excited at the chance to spread her wings.

---

“She was taken in a few days ago and kept here since,” Malcolm, one of the two guards assigned to follow Floyd to Marionette’s cell, a six foot tall African American with a coarse voice and superhuman strength, explained. For an obvious reason, the prison authorities opted to assign a few of their guards to escort the driver to Westgate in case the villainess tries to pull off an escape like last time - which the swordsman would have protested to, but opted to shut his mouth to not break character. It just means that the mission is going to get a little bit complicated. “She has been kept isolated from the other inmates, just in case, but so far, we have not recorded any problems. Marionette is behaving properly, she hasn’t lashed out at anyone, and no sight of her threads infiltrating anywhere has been detected.”

Floyd didn’t speak, just nodded. The other guard following him - Eric, a brawny blond bloke, with a first and last name which just screamed Scandinavian heritage, despite this city being right next to the Mexican border - continued:

“So, hey, you got a clue why they’re moving Marionette, then? We’ve been keeping everything in check so far, there doesn’t seem to be any need for heightened security.”

“Obviously, the Feds are being clueless like always,” Malcolm joined up on the discussion. “They’re just sitting there writing orders without any clue of what’s going on down below. If anything, I’d say Westgate would be less secure than the facilities we have here. They painfully took care of that riot a few weeks ago, but somehow this just means that they’re forced to manage a prison populated entirely by supers.”

“Yeah, seriously, what the hell was that about? The entire prison, most of them normies, all suddenly activating their powers at once? That’s not normal.”

“Definitely not normal.”

Having noticed that Floyd didn’t speak during this entire conversation, Malcolm opted to involve him more by asking a question:

“So ain’t you scared that you’re gonna be shipping Marionette to Westgate, buddy? Last time the Feds tried to pull that off, she escaped and slaughtered a whole bunch of people at the Hilton.”

“Eh.” the swordsman in police uniform replied.

“He’s not afraid, he’s got backup,” Eric exclaimed, snickering.

“Stop that, Eric, this is serious business. People can get hurt.”

The trio of police officers stopped in front of one of the cells - a fairly large one, inhabited only by a single blonde girl. Stealing a glance at the security camera footage displayed outside, Floyd was surprised at the luxurious interior. For a prison cell, it was fairly decked out - heck, it even had a wardrobe and a queen-sized bed. Guess there’s a reason why she has been complacent then. Eric pulled out power suppressor handcuffs and Malcolm began unlocking the cell. Floyd, on the other hand, stopped right in front the door, waiting patiently while Malcolm punched in the code to unlock it. As the electronic lock gave an affirmative beep, the solid steel door slid open to reveal the interior of the room and its sole inhabitant. Floyd casually took off his sunglasses and spoke towards Marionette:

“Hey. Say goodbye to all of your body pillows. We’re gettin’ you out of here.”

[The Republic of Atria]

Amir

Jason
Amir seemed just a little slighted that Jason called him weird. Which was fair. "I meant it as a term of endearment. Believe me, I've got some pretty strange crap going on myself. The weirdness about you is... Okay, I'm trying to find a way to explain this without talking your ear off for the next hour." Jason explained. "My power is... Weird. I've got a partner, lives in here." He start pointing to his head and back. "I wear him like a costume, makes me super powerful. He also amps up my senses. Like a lot. I've got damn near three hundred and sixty degree vision, and it's gotta be better than 20-20, I can hear a fly from room away, ectetera. I also get this weird vibe around some people. Not bad by the way, just weird. You've got it and so does Wyatt or Bael or whatever he's calling himself." He finished.

Then Amir went on to explain that some of the team would ruin his life if he screwed them over. Tech hackers and Ice Queens and more. "Duly noted. I don't plan to make any enemies, I am here to kick ass in the name of justice and stuff. Name's Jason, by the way. Good to meet you Amir Wondermaker. My super name is a work in progress but uh, so far it's Sludge. It's awful I know. But I'm not going by Slime King."

"And get set on fire by that bitch." Sludge interjected. "You're absolutely certain we can't kill her? I'll eat everything so we don't have to worry about the body."

Jason blinked a moment. "Yes! I'm sure we can't do that!" He hissed seemingly at no one. "Sorry. Not you, Amir. He's kind of irritated because we had a sparring match with the new girl, Shi. Who is totally up to something by the way, not that I have evidence... And it turns out that we really don't do fire very well. So uh, if you see me talking to myself, I'm probably talking to him and I can assure you that I am only marginally more crazy than the average person."

Wyatt

"I do wake up that early. Not that I have to, but it's a good habit, but I can understand those late night patrols. Haven't gone on one too late, but it's been past midnight more than once." It was quite odd to have this conversation with Sina. Though if he had to guess she probably stayed up later to go kill some people.

Why his thoughts instantly gravitated to that he'll never know. Sina went on to explain that she didn't hate the city, and in fact found it quite fun. Which made sense. "I guess. Just... Be careful. There are some scary people out there, and what you're doing isn't technically legal." Not that the humans were doing too much about it anyways. Even Warwolf hadn't done much for this junk hole portion of the city. "Anyways, once I get everything set up and can go to and from there, I'll take you. I don't know what it'll be like, boring for you I'm sure."

"Oh, and I meant to ask. Getting you a phone will take 5 minutes at the most. Honestly it'll take us longer to get there than it will to get you one. Did... You want to do something else after that?" Why he was asking her on a date when he wasn't even sure he should be hanging around her was beyond him. Was he that desperate for social interaction with his own people that he'd hang out with someone who guts people for fun? No, he was just being nice. N'Toak probably has plenty of girls who aren't homicidal maniacs. No reason to get so attached. Which... Was relieving. Like a weight was gone. Just keep her at arm's length at most.

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

"Oh, don't worry about me, Bael, that risk is half of the reason why I'm even here," Sina replied to the other Dra'Quinni's worries and request to be careful. The word 'careful' was hardly in her vocabulary at all - how could you possibly achieve that lovely rush of adrenaline by not going out and endangering yourself in the worst way possible? After the brief discussion on N'Toak and that he's going to take her there as soon as he is able, the conversation moved on to the actual thing for which Bael came here, this being the phone buying thing.

Apparently, it's going to take only a few minutes, so the Dra'Quinni offered that they could hang out for longer - but speaking in a way which made it seem like he himself wasn't sure on whether they should. Really now, is he really asking her out right now?

"Going out, with you?" Sina exclaimed after a hearty laugh. "...uh, yeah, sure, why not. You did wake me up a few hours before Iwas initially planning, so it's not like I'm in a rush anywhere. Are you going to be speaking to me like I'm about to bite your head off this whole trip, though?"

[New Finnish Republic]

Red

---

Red gave Frostbite a light grin. “Well, your guess wouldn’t have been wrong I suppose. Stay cool, Frosty,” he said with a small wink before leaving her room. As the door closed behind him, he couldn’t help but let out a small sigh come out of him. At least that’s one problem I can solve. Now, the next one, he thought, his eyebrows furrowing.

As he made his way down the stairs, Red pondered on what he could do next. His conversation with Frostbite had calmed him down enough so that he could think much clearer, his pragmatic thought process working at overdrive. He knew that when it to telling others about what was happening, he didn’t have that option available. However, that didn’t mean he was completely on his own. In fact, he knew for certain that there were at least two others he at least had a chance to help him, because he knew when it came to supernatural stuff like this they were by far the most knowledgeable.

Now how I’m going to get them to be the one to bring it up so I don’t break the promise I made to that fucking demon is the question, Red questioned himself as he made his way to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee. He knew he wasn’t going to be getting any kind of sleep for some time, as his mind continued to race around different plans for what he could do. As he entered the kitchen, he heard the sound of voices on the other side. Kiris must be feeling better, he thought before stopping dead in his tracks.

”Have ya talked to Red? I'm pretty sure he was really worried about ya when he found out what happened."

Red glanced over to see Kirsvala, another Hadrian, and…Yoshi.

“Yeah, worried is an understatement, Kiris.” He stared at the possessed Yoshiro, his eyes narrowing for a few seconds. “I just hope she’s feeling better after all of that and isn’t feeling any lingering effects after that fight.” It took everything within him not to say anymore, but he wasn’t able to hide the small scowl on his face. To Kirsvala and the older Hadrian standing next to her, it would appear to just be an effect from fatigue, the dark bags underneath his eyes adding on to the assumption. However, he knew that the remaining member of the room knew exactly what he was hinting at.

[Bentus]

The Mystifying Ashen Moth!
Wonder Tower

---

“Of course you’re allowed to.”

Ash’s face lit up immediately, a wide smile beaming from her face as she let out a breath that she hadn’t even realised she had been holding in. Her attempts to remain calm and composed fell apart in an instant as she looked up from the ground towards Casimir. The fear that had been hanging like a cloud over her since she had first run into Mike, the dreadful thought that she had ruined her chances of staying with the Young Bloods, vanished. Without really thinking of what she was doing and practically jumping from excitement, Ash leapt forward to embrace the hero in a four-armed hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Squeezing the surprised hero tight, Ash couldn’t stop herself from grinning excitedly. “I will not let you down, Casimir - I really mean it. I am sure that I can make the rest of the team happy to have me around as well. You will not regret this, I promise!”

She said the words with a firm determination, pushing aside any doubts that she may have had. Ash was not going to betray Casimir’s trust again, and if he thought that she would be able to make things work with the Young Bloods, then she was going to do her best to make him proud. Already she was thinking about how to mend her first impression, and how best to correct her earlier mistakes. In her mind’s eye, Ash could see herself making the bacon and the eggs for the team, sharing a meal with her new friends. She would first have to figure out how Casimir controlled the fire in the kitchen, but it hadn’t looked too difficult in the morning. Pulling herself away from the hero, there was a glimmer in Ash’s eyes.

“When can I meet the rest of the team? Could it be soon? Do you think you could introduce me? What are they like?” Ash launched the fusilade of questions at Casimir, her own excitement getting the better of her before she suddenly paused. The mutant blinked in surprise. “...chick?”

Although Ash didn’t know what the word meant, she only knew of one thing with pink-hair. She had been so caught up in her joy at Casimir saying that she could still stay in the Tower that his following question had completely slipped her mind. In the blink of an eye, the wide smile and excitement that had shone from Ash’s features was replaced by a look of concern as she remembered the pink-haired woman who had attacked her and Casimir.

Stepping back slightly, Ash looked cautiously at her friend. She was confused why he had decided to bring up their earlier flight. Subconsciously, Ash’s wounded wing fluttered. It had been nowhere near long enough for her injury to heal, and there was a visible hole in the thin membrane from where Renata’s laser had pierced it. The mutant frowned as she recalled the fear that she had felt as she had suddenly found herself falling from the air, terrified that she would have been unable to escape from the woman’s clutches. She could still feel the dull ache emanating from her wing, even though she had pushed it to the back of her mind.

“Y-yeah, I remember the…chick.” Ash eventually replied, using the term that seemed to reference the woman. She looked up at Casimir suspiciously. “Wh-why?”

---

Yoshiro | Scarab
Wonder Tower

---

Raising an eyebrow at the exchange between the two alien sisters, the asian girl’s eyes studied the pair for a moment. She supposed it wasn’t too surprising to see that the older woman’s personality was different from Kiris’, but the feeling of pride and confidence that emanated from Seristella’s aura struck her as being almost haughty. The Scarab felt her curiosity piqued. Aliens on Earth was a fairly new occurrence and she genuinely knew very little about Hadrians and their ilk. Perhaps Kiris hadn’t been especially representative of the rest of her kind.

Food for thought. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, a smile once again spread on Yoshiro’s face as if she were amused at the Kiris’ almost defensive tone. She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself as she was cut off by another voice.

“Yeah, worried is an understatement, Kiris.” The Scarab felt the flare in Red’s aura, a corner of her mouth twisting upwards as she turned in her chair to meet the boy’s gaze. “I just hope she’s feeling better after all of that and isn’t feeling any lingering effects after that fight.”

The Scarab couldn’t help but smirk at the boy’s comment, although she resisted the urge to chuckle in amusement at his efforts to stay strong and defiant despite her presence. Acting tough, is he? That’s just so sweet, although two can play at that game.

Acting as if she were surprised to see Red so soon, Yoshiro jumped up from her chair before she raced across the room to embrace her boyfriend. “Red!” As the cherry on top, the Scarab gave the hero a quick peck on the cheek before pulling herself back to look at him. With her back turned to Kiris and her sister, the Scarab offered Red a sly wink before she continued.

“I’ve still got a bit of a headache, but it’s definitely getting better. You left before I could thank you for staying with me. I know I wasn’t really acting like myself last night.” The Scarab paused as she glanced down at Red’s hand, noting the bandage over his knuckles. False concern entered into her voice. “What happened to you? That’s not from the fight, is it?”

[North America Inc]

In the Interest of Time

Outside of San Diego proper, at the intersection of Fifth and a Burger joint, there exists a large but relatively inconspicuous car yard known as ‘Stanford and Sons Towing and Salvage'. On the surface, it looks like any other towing location. It has the cars all lined up, a barbered wire fence, and even a front office where you can go and claim your cars after you been reposed. However, beyond the decaying decals and stained glasses of the front office, the truth is this is all a farce. A local Hispanic gang had co-opted the location for the better part of a few years to hide, dismantle, and sell any cars that they can get their hands on. It was the perfect place as well, the hundreds of junk cars served to keep cars hidden in plain site until they can be broken down and sold to various interested parties.

This little racket of theirs had become one of their largest money makers in the last few years: the group having fallen out of favor with their contacts south of the border and the constant eyes of WarWolf the past few weeks have proven to be an annoyance. The last point also the reasoning behind so many gang members are in this literal junkyard, not many places they can hide out without suspicion.

The two-sided retractable gate was the only vehicle entrance on the premise. The whole fence and stacked cars lined the outer limits of it and made any entry by climbing extremely difficult; with one notable exception. The two-story office building at the east corner served a skeleton crew of five receptionists and one manager allowed the pretense that it was a legal entity. Upstairs existed solely as a gang hang out. Whether it be ‘transactions’ or ‘consumption’, it was open to all in the group. As of now, ten guys were there lighting up and expressing their boredom.

In the center was the mechanic shop were six mechanics that broke down anything that was given to them, no questions asked. The ten hired drivers had the same mentality, and always parked their vehicles and left. They didn’t care one bit about the numerous cholos and gangsters that always seemed to bring new vehicles to the structure. Some guards were stationed inside with pistols and pitbulls to watch the area; but an incident had never occurred to really justify them carry a piece.

The entrance was designed for each to be either entering or leaving, with a small security office serving as the arbiter. It was here that a 2006 Blue Corolla rolled up blasting ‘r-Cali’ from its open windows. Vargas with his matching Aviators and faux-leather jacket flashed his hands at the office to left him in. The gate retracted and he parked with three things in his hands: A duffel bag and two McDonald to-go bags. Walking into the office building he shouted, “Ay Nacho I got your fucking Big Macs over here.”

Nacho strolled over and grabbed the food. Weighing over 400 pounds and morbidly obese, his rather quick stroll to the other side of the room was a give away to his meta-human abilities. He had super strength that allowed him to easily bench press a car and tank more than a few shots at him. “Thanks Vargas.” He said as he towered over the leader of the group.

Handing him his dinner, Nacho took count for the rest of the guys in the room. “Hey Nacho where’ s Gordo?”

Nacho started to loudly gulp his Coke before pulling out and saying, “Oh yea. He’ll be here. Baby Mama troubles, you know. It's his daughter and all. He'll be here soon."

Vargas placed the duffel bag down as he began to rummage through it, "He should know better. Victor wants all of us to be there for the Palms Springs drop." He began taking out various pistols and handed them out to the rest of the guys in the room. Pushing the cocaine back into the bag, he looks over Nacho, "He just better be here so we can all leave soon."

"You know Gordo is reliable. He'll be here." Ignacio said as he began to scarf down the first of his burgers.

---

Across the way at the burger joint, the furious five and a dog stand outside eyeing the building. Sipping some water she bought at the restaurant, Shi watches the cars go back and forth through the intersection. A few of the girls bought some food, two didn't, and one can't eat. Finishing her bottle, Shi looks over at CASSANDRA and asks, "Anything new on the police scanner?" This place had a history of being dirty, but the police department never was able to get the man power to continually investigate on it. And with WarWolf dealing with a plethora of other cases, it only makes sense for the girls to investigate known suspicious places. Shi eyed the intersection and the layout of complex from the other side of the street, particularly the one main vehicle entrance.

Shi crossed her arms, and looked over at Renata. Leaning against the establishment, Shi said, "That can be difficult to deal with. The only entrance. And I think American law requires that we announce our probable cause so we have to go up and tell them."

The built in police speaker announced, "We have a 10851 for a Red Honda Civic. Full License Plate as followed 6TRJ244. I repeat 6TRJR44. Vehicle last scene on Seventh Street." Whether it be divine intervention or mere chance, that same vehicle rolled down the street and entered the complex. Its driver window 'open' no doubt because it was smashed so they can enter. Shi smirked at the sound and sight of the Civic, she lived for these types of things. "There's our probable cause."

Telling the other four girls, "I think CASSANDRA and I should approach the security office and announce the presence of a stolen vehicle. The rest of you go through the office complex over there to let them know the same. I doubt the office workers care enough to stop us. If anything happens, let me know and communicate it to the rest of the team."

[New Finnish Republic]

Red

---

Red watched as a small devilish grin appeared in the corner of Yoshiro's mouth. He had to bite his tongue to not say anything, however as Yoshiro suddenly leapt up and wrapped her arms around him, he felt a revolting sensation that he never imagined he would feel from her. Even worse, she felt her soft lips, ones that he knew did not deserve to be used by the devilish creature that resided within her, gently plant themselves on his cheek. You fucking bitch, Red thought as he struggled not to outright push away Yoshiro.

It was then when Yoshiro noted the bandages on his knuckles, and pretended to be concerned over the issue. While Red knew Yoshiro well enough to know that the concern was far from real, he knew Kirisvala and her accompanying guest wouldn't be able to tell the difference. This meant that, for at least the moment, Red had to play along as well, even if the thought made him want to punch yet another wall.

"I thought I'd do some bag drills in the gym to get rid of some stress. With everything that happened, I needed a bit of a release I suppose and just went a bit overboard. Can't say it should be any surprise though, shouldn't it Yoshi?" He said, masking the venom in his words with those of his normal tone. He then proceeded to step away from Yoshiro's embrace, the sensation being too much for him to handle. "Sorry Yoshi, but we probably shouldn't act so innapropriately in front of a guest," he said in reference to the Hadrian standing next to Kirisvala.

"Sorry for that. Anyways, the name's Red. I'm guessing you're a friend of Kiris here?" he asked the unknown Hadiran.

[The Republic of Atria]

Sina

"I know. I just prefer my friends alive and in one piece." Of course his words were falling on deaf ears, but at least she had a determined team around to help keep her alive. Safe wasn't the right word. The surprising thing to him was that Sina agreed, albeit with minor hesitation, to doing something after they got her a phone. Though Sina jabbed at him by asking if he was going keep talking like she was going to hurt him.

"I dunno." He shrugged. He was getting better at not stammering as much, but it was still something to work on. Why was he acting so weird around her? Sure, there was some physical attraction, but her personality just... didn't mesh well with his. They were near opposites. It started to click. "Let's just go." It came out a smidgen more curt than he'd intended. It all started to make a little more sense. She was a killer, and a bloodthirsty one at that and he... While not some paragon of virtue, wasn't one.

It felt wrong to be around her. Maybe he should just stop hanging around her. Last thing he wanted to be associated with was a murderer.

[Turkducken]

Oasis
The Intersection of Fifth
The Burger Joint

Oasis sat in the booth of a plastic stall. Slowly she sucked the last bit of disappointing fountain soda from her large cup, the dredges of poorly mixed seltzer, soda flavoring, and corn syrup making their way up her straw. She was bored. The guy who had offered to take her out was, of course, boring. Only wanting to talk about himself, and was very content with jawing away about the intricacies of his life. Which normally was fine for her, she needed to eat after all.

"Or...Err...Well..." her brow furrowing a bit at this thought, "I'm pretty sure I need to eat. It definitely sucks when I don't."

She briefly looked up at her 'date'. He was conventionally attractive, she supposed, never really putting much thought into these things, but he was content with just talking at her. His gaze betraying his true intentions. "If he really cared or was interested in this 'conversation' he'd have noticed the three separate occasions I've gotten up for more food..." she sighed silently, turning her head to the side.

It was here though, that she caught something interesting. A group of young people, not too much older or younger than herself, all sitting at a table together. This alone wasn't interesting, people her age had friends, and liked to hang out, but was interesting was the way they were intently observing the building across the way. Oasis was relatively new here, but living on the street, she knew where there were certain locations you should never go, and that building was one of them. But as she watched the group she saw them quickly make a plan, divide into two groups, and exit the building. Two of them ran off in the direction of the security office, and the others crossed the street swiftly.

Her heartbeat raced, "Are they really about to throw down in broad daylight?!", she slammed her palms into the table. Her sudden movement, enhancing yet interrupting, her male friend's gaze. "Geezus Amanda, what you'd get all excited for? I was just in the middle of talking about the passing of my great-grandmother..." she waved away his complaints, "Yeah sure Austin, or whatever your name is. Thanks for the meal, but I gotta run for now!" she sprung up from her seat, trash in her lap falling to the floor. As she attempted to shadow the group of young people. As she headed towards the door she heard the guy yell one last question at her, "Wait! Where are you going?!" she turned at the waist, flashing a peace sign with a smile, "Oh ya know, to the bathroom. I'll be back!" she shouted, as she exited the burger joint. Leaving poor Austin, or whatever his name is, disappointed, confused, and at least thirty dollars poorer.

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

"See, that's a little more like it!" Sina exclaimed and grinned when Bael suddenly spoke to her in a bit more coarse and curt tone than normal, telling her that they should just go. Confidence, confidence, show it! If you can't even manage to whip up a decent conversation without struggling with your words, then how can you be trusted when you have to make a leap of faith off a skyscraper? Bael's dorkyness was a quality of its own, but an overdose wouldn't be great, either. "Obviously, though, you will have to lead the way."

Once the two Dra'Quinni flew up to the air yet again, Sina opted to bring up something from the conversation earlier as a little bit of a tease. Because hey, if he's being dorky, then why not make use of it for fun?

"So Bael, you're saying that we are already friends, then?"

---

In the Interest of Time

---

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

While most of the Young Blood squad which made the choice to leave for the city opted to get themselves a snack or a drink in this restaurant they were basing themselves in, Renata did not, merely folding her arms and watching the rest of the team's orders fly by. That's not to say that she wouldn't have enjoyed, say, a capuccino with a few malasadas, but, one, she didn't really feel like eating for whatever reason, and second, she tried to show an aura of professionalism to Shi.

The newcomer, having been the one who offered the idea to travel here and engage in some... active entertainment, relayed the plan - Shi and Cassandra will approach from the front and announce the presence of a stolen vehicle, while the rest of the team, this being Renata, Viviana and Elle, will infiltrate through the office building at the other side. Covering both of the entrances to make sure that nobody escapes, a sound plan.

"Alright, that sounds fair." Renata replied as soon as Shi finished relaying the plan, taking a few cursory glances around the restaurant just in case anyone was visibly looking towards them. Thankfully, nobody else in the room seemed overly suspicious of them, though a tanned girl at the other side of the room was making a few glances towards them. Nothing to worry about, though, she could just be looking at something behind us. "Alright. Viv, Elle, come with me."

Renata stood up from her seat alongside the rest of the team and, with a hand motion, rallied the members of the team assigned to her to cross the street and make their way towards the office building.

[The Republic of Atria]

Sina

"Not quite what I meant, but sure." Wyatt spoke and took off. It was a bit out of the way so they had a few minutes to talk. The topic being Sina asking if they were friends. Parts of him wanted to say yes but most of him wanted to say no. At first he wasn't sure whether or not to say what he did, but it was better to get it out in the open.

"Honestly Sina, no. I don't think we're friends and I doubt we'll ever be friends." He started. "We're too different with nothing that we have in common besides our race. I don't want to say this but, you're a murderer and I've had the misfortune of being around several of them. And it's always brought me trouble. I could look past that, but you seem to enjoy butchering people and... I want absolutely no part of it. You might not care about the humans, fine. But like them or not, they're people. People we are stuck with. People I'd rather not have to fight." He stopped for a moment. It hurt to say because some part of him really did like her, but his mistakes have taught him better.

"One of us would have to change and I don't see it happening. You very clearly enjoy what you do, and I'm not going to start killing people over whatever it is you do it for. I'll help you get your phone and into N'Toak, but I don't see us having a relationship of any sort for any longer than that. I'm sorry if this comes off rude or callus, but I'm not falling into that trap again... I want to be your friend Sina. I really do, but I just don't see it working out. I'd rather get this out of the way now before we get any closer. You get what I'm saying, right?"

[Confederation of the Equator]

[minecraft villager sound]

[Absolon-7]

The Mystifying Ashen Moth!

Casimir Herman July 24th
Casimir stood speechless as Ash leaped up to hug him with four of her arms. Was...was he being hugged? If Casimir were to be honest with himself then he would truly not not know what emotion he was feeling whether it was revulsion, shame, or joy. Only Viviana had been this affectionate with him the past few years and affection between him and his sister had dried up ever since that argument they had months ago. Casimir's head felt as if there festered a legion of bugs just beneath the skin that he had scratch and rip away as they metaphorically pierced his skin from the inside and his forehead started feeling like a hot stove. This bizarre feeling subsided as he clued in on Ash's words once she pulled away from him which was a relief in all honesty as she was quite strong and his chest still hurt from the wounds. Her heartfelt words were quite touching to hear in how emotional sincere they sounded.

Ash's barrage of questions would have to be taken in consideration. For meeting the rest of the team, he wasn't so sure. It was rare for all twenty plus of them to be in the same place and most newbies didn't exactly get an official introduction. As for what they were like, Casimir would have to be careful in who he introduced first to Ash. He didn't think there'd be a problem with someone as welcoming as Kiris. Mars and Yoshi seemed really accepting of folk's differences as well. Then there was Carter, whose overreactions could very well hurt Ash's feelings as her unorthodox appearance could warrant a such response. Then there was the Ecuadorian elephant in the room: Renata. Ash had very well tried to kill Renata the night before so Casimir had to play his cards right so things went well.

"Yes the chick," confirmed Casimir bitter at the earlier encounter with her, "I just want you know that if you run into her here, since she's a part of the team, then don't act hostile at first. I have plan in case anything goes wrong with her. Anyways, I'll see if I can introduce you to team during dinner tonight and I think it'll go well seeing as the folk at back the infirmary liked you well enough," Casimir returned a boastful smile at her before a metaphorical lightbulb blinked in his head, "Oh wait, I need to bring you to Naja so she can interview you. Promised her I'd do so once you woke up. That is if you're not tired and want to go back to sleep?"

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

Well. Apparently, mentioning that they're now friends hit a some sort of nerve in Bael, as the Dra'Quinni suddenly let his heart out, declaring that he's not going to be friends with someone who is obviously a murderer. He's getting her a phone and showing her N'Toak, and that's going to be it for them. For Sina, this marked a sudden change from where Bael went from amusing to annoying. They only know each other for a few days and he's already demanding her to change, does he think he has any sort of authority here?

"The hell do you think you're saying? You're not my father, Bael, you have no authority to tell me what's right or wrong!" Sina exclaimed in response, shooting furious eyes towards the fellow Dra'Quinni. "Besides, what's wrong with what I'm doing anyway? It's not like I kill people out of malice! I'm just not the type to hold back and make fighting less enjoyable - and if you view murder differenly, then that's perfectly fine by me."

If the scaleless were a little less fragile and could take more than a few hits before their bodies give up, then maybe Sina would think differently. But oh no, they just have to be as weak as moist tissue. How did they manage to take over the whole planet despite being this weak, anyway?

"So, you have your cake and I have mine."

[Finland SSR]

Shooting Down Stars

July 25th

---

Shooting Down Stars

July 25th

---

Shooting Down Stars

July 25th

Battle Theme

---

Upon seeing that his first opponent today was a some sort of mystery, keeping its mouth shut and its face hidden behind a mask, Floyd shot a scowl. During all of his time mingling in San Diego's underground fight clubs, the swordsman had the chance to meet all types of people from the city's underbelly seeking to enrich themselves a little through no-holds-barred violence, and these types of people channeling the spirit of that guy from V for Vendetta would pop up every once in a while. Why are they so eager to hide their identity from everyone when this fight club couldn't possibly give a damn about who you are as long as you're not obviously a cop or a hero? No idea. Maybe an attempt to look cool to the audience? But the audience does not decide shit. The only thing which decided shit is your combat ability.

Well, who gives a damn. If this bloke wants to hide his face from everyone else, then who is he to judge them for that?

"So, what kinda problems brought you here?" Floyd spoke while slowly pulling out the blade from the hilt on his back, opting to try to get the other side in a conversation before the battle begins, so his eyes get a little bit more time to analyze their structural weaknesses. Unfortunately, the long cloak which they had put on obscured the form of their body. "Usually it's an inability to pay their mortgage, but I've heard wilder answers. One guy told me that this is how he's saving up for a Christmas present to his girlfriend. I stabbed him. What about you?"

The masked opponent said nothing, their stance shifting into an offensive one, right foot moved back in preparation for a sprint. Alright, simple enough. Floyd raised his sword, holding it vertically, to deter any attacks from the front.

Is it just me or is this battlefield getting warmer?

And suddenly, the masked opponent stretched their hands to the front, releasing a burst of plasma and rapidly expanding heated air towards the swordsman. Floyd's eyes widened and he reacted instantly, throwing himself to the side to roll away from the incoming burst. Some form of plasma generation? Air expansion-

The cloaked warrior suddenly lunged at him - not by a sprint, however, but by releasing jets of plasma and air from their hands and feet to propel themselves forward at speeds faster than a thrown baseball, extending their legs forward in an attempt to slam straight into Floyd. Raising his sword as a makeshift defense would be an option, but they're bound to use it in their advantage - possibly by releasing whatever the hell they are supposed to be manipulating straight in his face. So instead, Floyd opted to take a swift step backward, getting out of the opponent's arc of landing and watching them stop on the ground with a short slide.

They didn't stop their offensive after that, either, suddenly throwing their right arm forward to release a blast of plasma straight at Floyd - not fast enough, however, as having registered the arm movement, Floyd threw himself to the side to dodge the incoming attack and send a right hook straight at the mask. However, much like he got away scot free from the plasma blast, so did the opponent from his punch, ducking behind it and getting behind him with a spin. The swordsman felt a cold hand press onto his back, suddenly heat up to skin-scorching levels and release a burst of energy, blasting him away and sending him rolling across the battlefield for a few meters before landing on his feet.

Didn't achieve much in this skirmish, but they've already given away their fighting style.

They're trying to not get hit by attacks and overwhelm the other side with constant damage. Long range blasts, close range bursts. It's far from a novice fighting style, but it's betting too much on a single gimmick.

I'm not even going to guess what their superpower is supposed to be. On practical terms, it's just nonlethal ranged damage with additional applications like jet boosting. For now. There could be more to their powerset.

The analysis flurried across Floyd's mind in the span of a few seconds, while the swordsman straightened up, spinning the sword in his hand, and turned around to face his opponent yet again. Much like him, they needed time to recover from a hard landing, which gave him precious seconds needed to raise his guard for a counter-attack. As the masked warrior leapt into the air yet again with several jet boosts, Floyd assumed a crouching defensive position, holding into his sword with both of his hands.

The trick, then, is to apply the same pressure which they're trying to put on me. If they're afraid of getting hit, there's a reason why.

However, this is where they suddenly decided to change a few things up, releasing a burst of plasma from their feet to flip over Floyd and land on their feet behind Floyd after a few spins. Simple enough. The swordsman began turning around in preparation to send a wide swing across the masked opponent's frame, only to suddenly, in the middle of turning, be met with a speed-boosted punch striking him directly in the cheek. Though the mass of the fist was nothing to write home about, the speed behind it meant that the blow was strong enough to snap his head back and send him stumbling a few steps. All while a few mechanical sounds, resembling several springs suppressing and extending, briefly came from underneath their cloak.

More clues!

Clearly there is something mechanical working inside, but the person under that cloak is not an android or a cyborg, they're too light.

Apparently, the fact that the boosted punch only briefly staggered Floyd came as a surprise to the masked opponent, as they stopped for a few seconds, wasting vital time which could have been used for follow-up attacks, and giving Floyd plenty of time to recover and fully turn around. Faced with such a disadvantageous situation, they opted to attempt a retreat, sending twin plasma blasts to the front with the dual purpose of leaping away and striking Floyd, but to no avail - the swordsman powered through the attacks, emerging from the other side of the burst slightly scorched and grabbing onto the opponent's foot.

Bingo.

Smack that bitch straight to the ground - releasing a loud thump and a brief girly grunt. Oh. Guess describing her as a "bitch" wasn't inaccurate after all. Maybe he should have guessed her gender earlier - after all, the shorter height and brief flashes of the form of her body underneath the cloak should have served as clues. But that would require Floyd to give a shit about the gender of the person he's fighting.

And either way, it doesn't matter, as she's going to die here and now. Falling on your back in a death match is pretty much a death sentence.

Or not.

The masked woman, seeing that she was in quite a pickle, suddenly tossed a small ball of plasma towards Floyd from one of her hands - the swordsman deflected the attack quite easily, forcing it to dissipate into a small burst of heated gas, but giving her the window to make a backflip and land back on her feet. Bitch...

This ain't gonna go everywhere if we're just doing hit and runs.

At least it looked like the woman was just as disappointed with the way this battle was heading - not that Floyd could see her face under that mask of hers, but considering that she was no longer recklessly attacking him and just standing there, most likely lost in thought just as he was.

"So. Nice weather we're having today, right?" Floyd opened up. The opponent, predictably, said nothing. "You're right, that is a stupid question."

. . .

Nope, it didn't get her to try to attack him again. She was content with waiting for his move, apparently. Which struck Floyd as quite off, seeing as from what he had gathered of her abilities and fighting style up to this point, she was a ranged glass cannon type of fighter, not someone prone to defense.

"Well okay, if you say so..."

Grasping the handle of his weapon by both hands and holding it horizontally, Floyd suddenly lunged forward, sending the sword forth with a pierce maneuver. Apparently, the masked woman was ready for such an attack, as her torso began moving to the side before the swordsman even extended his arms forward, narrowly avoiding the blade despite it moving at superhuman speeds. Then - to Floyd's surprise - she grabbed onto the blade with both of her hands.

What?

She... wasn't trying to tug it or try to snap it in half. Tugging a sword by its blade is a bad idea for the former, and she didn't seem physically strong enough to pull off the latter. For a few seconds, Floyd just stood there, watching, despite the opponent's stance being so open that he could have figured out at least three hundred ways to brush her aside. Light began to filter from between her fingers, and the air between the two combatants started to turn warmer and warmer. The swordsman's mind quickly recalled the time when something similar happened - when she pressed her hand onto his back and it suddenly heated up, and something even earlier, when the air around them turned a little warmer while she was generating a blast of plasma - and all of the clues of the puzzle fell together.

Girl... you're able to release electromagnetic radiation from your body, aren't you? Heat, light, and all the other waves nobody gives a shit about... If I remember my physics correctly, by applying that radiation at intense levels to air molecules, you can agitate them into plasma... and that's what you have been throwing at me so far, haven't you?

It's been a while since I've been able to crack a completely new superpower.

Well, new in mechanics, not their battle application.

Which means that this girl was currently trying to melt his sword in half.

Which is good for him, because this weapon is basically indestructible, and Floyd could not imagine his opponent having an unlimited reserve of energy. Only he has that. And even that is not completely unlimited. So why not let them stand there wasting their energy on a futile attempt to melt his weapon?

One second passed. Two. Three. More. More. More. The audience were, unsurprisingly, quite confused with this intense and high-speed battle suddenly turning into a sword touching competition. Even the masked woman could tell that this really won't go anywhere, at least that's what Floyd could glean from her suddenly removing one of her hands and throwing it forward as a jet-boosted punch in hopes that the swordsman was still distracted. He wasn't, and unlike last time, he actually managed to dodge the incoming powered punch by tilting his head to the side, then responded by pulling his sword out of his opponent's grasp like nothing and sending a heavy step-kick straight into her solar plexus. The force of the blow instantly sent the woman tumbling across the arena before she finally managed to stop herself by digging her nails to the ground and slowing down with the friction.

Despite standing back up, Floyd could tell that she was worse for wear - that single strike was enough to leave her dazed, and the sword touching competition must have definitely put a dent to her reserves. Alright, time to die. Spinning the sword in his hand, Floyd ran forward, met with several plasma bursts heading his way. No problem - with swift blade swings, the swordsman cleanly cut through any of them who got too close, the slashes forcing the blasts to lose their cohesion and dissipate into the air.

Next, eliminating her aerial mobility advantage. As Floyd came ever closer, his vision picked up dust and rubble being pushed aside underneath the masked woman's feet - preparing for a jet-boosted leap to escape, then. Not a problem. When the woman leapt into the air, she suddenly saw Floyd right in front of him, having made a leap to the sky to meet her there, and received a grab by the neck and a slam to the floor.

"There we go, now you won't move any-"

Bloody hell, how is she this resistant? Dual point-blank plasma bursts fired off straight into Floyd's face, forcing him to stab his sword into the floor nearby as an anchor preventing him from being blown away. Clearly, however, they were weaker than normal - they barely managed to wobble him back, much less leave a painful burn like he now had on his back. In response, the swordsman, while maintaining his grip over the woman's neck with his left hand to keep her from going anywhere, slammed his fist straight across the mask. The flailing soon stopped.

Fuck, I didn't kill her so quickly, did I?

To check, Floyd grabbed onto the opponent's mask and pulled it off, giving him a negative answer. Nope, the woman's eyes were still open, furious and staring at him, though the face looked like it had certainly seen better days - a bloody smear was now spread across the part of her cheek where his superpowered fist connected with it, her nose was bleeding, and a trail of blood which had come from her mouth indicated that the solar plexus strike left some serious internal impact.

The swordsman's face lit up in joy. No, not because his opponent was still alive - God knows he couldn't care less about that - but because he actually recognized the face in front of him. Does that bright pink hair from underneath her cape not seem familiar to you? Floyd stood up on his feet, pressing onto the woman's torso with his foot to keep her in place, then let out a laugh and spoke:

"You're one of those Young Bloods, aren't you?" Squeezing the foot more tightly, Floyd stared into the woman's face, recalling all of the news he had caught up on regarding that team of upstarts. Disgusting upstarts. Bastards trying to prove him wrong by being heroes at such a young age. What bullshit, the world didn't allow him to pull that off when he was their age, and it's just going to give these kids from Thomsen High a pass? Nope, nope, nope, not gonna happen. If the world's not giving them a lesson, he will. "That's amazing! You might not believe me on this... but I'm actually a big fan..."

With one hand, Floyd pulled out his sword from the floor next to him and raised it above the wounded and battered heroine.

"...Fanatically so."

[The Republic of Atria]

Sina

As it turns out, Sina misinterpreted what he said. Partly his fault, she probably wasn't as fluent in English as he was. "Sina, that's not what I meant. I meant that BECAUSE expecting you to change is rude and unlikely, that we shouldn't be friends. And yeah. I view murder pretty differently because it's WRONG. Maybe not to you, but to the humans it very much is in most cases! And we're stuck working around them!" He spat back, a little more heated.

"I already said that I don't expect you to change. At all. You can keep doing what you're doing and that's FINE. I never said that I wanted you to stop, I only said that I wanted no part of it or you BECAUSE of the fact that you want to going around killing people. I know MOST of them probably deserved it, but I just don't agree with it. You want to know why I don't agree with it? Because I have more responsibility! We both know what I am, and if I go around treating people as less than, I'm going to cause a lot of damage, and probably wind up DEAD. Just like the last two!" He huffed. "I don't LIKE what you do, but I at least understand it. Just like how I want you to understand why I want nothing to do with it."

"I'm not your father and I'm not going to tell you what to do with your life. I'm only telling you what I am going to do. Once again, just to make sure you don't twist my words a second time: you do whatever the hell you want. You just do whatever that is without me. Does that make ANY sense?" He asked, landing nearby so they could talk easier. "I don't mean to sound so callus or rude, I just can't do what you do and I at least want you to understand why you feel the way I do. I don't think less of you. I don't hate you. I'm not asking you to change, I'm asking you to understand."

[Turmenista]

Harley the Wonder Dog
On a Mission!

While he was more than excited to go with the girls on whatever outdoor excursion they were going on, Harley wasn't too happy to not have anything to eat, hungrily eyeing each of the girls' meals with puppy eyes, wishing she too could feast on some of the food. This type of stuff was definitely a step up from regular street food that you could get by begging someone enough or the occasional dumpster dive, but, knowing who he was, buying food like they said they were doing wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. If anything, it was impossible.

Otherwise staying hungry, Harley sat under their table, his heightened hearing picking up only miscellaneous tidbits of the conversation in the background as he lazily sat under the table. Luckily, in such a place like this, there were usually bowls of water that some shop owners sometimes left out for dogs to use if they were thirsty, so remaining cool was out of the picture. The new girl that Harley hadn't seen before—Shi, was it?—was messing around with the robot girl for a moment before eventually returning to the group, announcing her plans to go with CASSANDRA, the robot girl, and do whatever whatever involving the stolen vehicle—he didn't really register what that meant as he was too busy looking at another dog—while the rest of the group would sneak into the building over there and let them know the same.

Wait a second.. will they let me in?

Oh, whoops. Looks like they're moving now! Gotta go!

Forgetting his thought from earlier, and not before looking at the tables to make sure there were leftovers (unfortunately, there weren't any), Harley quickly bounded across the street alongside Renata, Viv, and Elle, making it to the other side at the same time as the others as his head bobbed around, looking for something interesting.

Then, the thought came back into his head.. Oh, wait! He rubbed up against them, as if to alert them about something (or just to scratch them). All the signs around him were red or white, the text unintelligible nonsense, but didn't show any graphics of a dog being cut in half by a red line and circle.

That was good news, at least. Harley huffed and moved closer to the group, continuing his search. Hi guys! Did you find anything?

[Bentus]

The Mystifying Ashen Moth!
Wonder Tower

---

With a wave of her hand and exuding an air of confidence, Ash brushed aside Casimir’s concern. “I am looking forward to meeting this Naja. And do not worry, Casimir. I know that I need to make a good impression. If they are your friends then I am sure that....” Wait, what did he say?

Ash’s voice trailed off and a silence lingered for a few moments. Her breathless, excited reaction quickly faded as the hero’s words began to sink in. Blinking in confusion, the gears in her head slowly began to process the new information.

Why would I run into the chick in the Tower? Ash thought to herself, trying to make sense of what Casimir was saying. Oh...because she’s...part of the team…

The mutant’s smile faded as her jaw dropped. Her eyes twisted from a look of confusion into one of surprise. That woman was a member of the Young Bloods? But she had attacked Casimir and her! Or at least that’s what Ash thought had happened. The mutant glanced over to her wounded wing, a look of apprehension falling on her features as she felt a twist in her gut. Suddenly, her eagerness to meet the rest of the team began to waver as the prospect of meeting the pink-haired chick filled her with unease. What if she attacked her again? No matter what Casimir said, if she went in unprepared what was stopping the woman’s next laser blast from going through her head?

Realising that the seconds were continuing to tick by, Ash managed to gulp as she tried to regain her earlier sense of confidence and determination. It didn’t matter whether or not that woman was on the team, what kind of a friend would she be if she didn’t trust Casimir now of all times? Taking a breath, and forcing a weary smile on her face, Ash did her best to ignore the heavy weight in her stomach.

“I...I promise that I will not be hostile.” Despite her best efforts, Ash’s voice was weaker than before, a hint of unease sneaking into her tone. “If the chick is part of your team, then I will be friendly.” She basically had to push out the last few words, Ash’s internal voice screaming at her in defiance. Why would she need to act friendly to the pink-haired woman? She had only been defending herself!

Taking a breath, Ash did her best to calm her thoughts. It was acting on those kinds of impulsive ideas and feelings that had gotten her into trouble before. But she was better than that now.

“And if she is your friend, then I should..." Hesitating for a moment, Ash’s eyes narrowed in determination as she forced out the rest of the sentence before she could second-guess herself. "...apologise to her as well as to Mike.”