"Can't do that, miss," Jet said, wishing the woman would disappear. He couldn't arrest her for being annoying, but he couldn't just punch her. "I can't leave kids with strangers - not since that case last year. I'll have to take her to her legal guardian, or social services. You'll have to leave."
(Avatar by Coffee)
Lutecia coughed from the smoke; The Black Orchid didn't.
"Damn," said Lutecia, "run into a cat burglar just when I overexerted myself. Damn."
"We'd better get home, Elder Sister," said 1138-a. "You're still hurt."
She was right; Lutecia's chest was heaving, and she staggered again. So 1138-a put Lutecia's arm around her back and let her lean on her; that way they once again began to make their way toward Lutecia's tea shop and house.
"It's fine, Miss Pretty Dress, Mister Jet," said Tia. "I'm OK, really. If anyone bad will come I'll beat them up."
She twisted her face, concentrating. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then the palm of her hand changed, melted together, and flowed into the form of a 40-centimetre-long blade. It was very sharp.
"See?"
edited 11th Aug '12 4:56:35 AM by desdendelle
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
It looked like Jethro's night would be getting interesting after all, to his horror. He made sure to crouch down to get a full view of the girl's arm; if she somehow ran away, he'd at least have more images to work with. What he had now, though... " No match found", the voice in his ear told him - no luck there. Since the girl probably wasn't lying about the "mean people", he'd have to find out who they were the old-fashioned way...
"You, eh, might get your clothes dirty doing that," Jet said to the girl, forcing a smile. He hoped his eye screens looked enough like sunglasses that they wouldn't scare the girl. "If you let me drive you home, you can watch TV on the way there."
(Avatar by Coffee)
"It's OK, Mister Jet, my clothes don't tear," she said. She looked down to her bladed hand and transformed it back to its normal shape. She put her finger to her lips again. She thought for a bit.
"I don't like cars, Mister Jet," she said at length. "They're scary. But you can come with me back home. You too, Miss Pretty Dress. I'm sure Mr. Teilhaber won't mind, he's really nice to me." The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
The Maid
Jordan then hurried after their two new friends, not wanting to be left behind either.
At the scene they would see that a car had run over a carton of milk, some fruits were squished beyond use and Jordan would notice that some cans were missing... but aside from that, the pancake mix was still there and seemed usable as well as some other items.
At the mention of the hospital Rosette stiffened a little, and held on a bit tighter to the man who held her "N-No... no hospitals... I can't go to a hospital... please"
If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.
"Okay, okay, uhm..." Rick froze up for a second. "Well, you're definitely pretty banged up, that other girl has superpowers considering that after I chased her down she did some sort of super-jump. Just get in then, we'll find you a doctor or something. Hospital might not be safe if a super's on your table. Can you tell me where your house is?"
Whoever this Mr. Teilhaber was, the girl before him didn't place her in the same category of 'mean people' she "beat up", most likely killed with that arm of hers. If the girl were that willing to flaunt her abilities to strangers in public, he'd have to know about it.
There was still the woman in the dress. As much as he hated it, the other woman seemed to have made an impression on the girl - he'd have to think of a way to ditch her without the girl blaming him, or else he'd be forced to deal with having a civilian tag along.
"Sure," Jet said to her, standing up. "Can you lead the way?"
This was not the case he had had in mind when he left his office earlier in the night, and it probably wouldn't involve cocaine and arms dealers, but maybe it would be worthwhile.
(Avatar by Coffee)
Tia nodded. She looked around. Then she took Chen and Jet's hands and led them toward the place she called, for a while, 'home'. It was an almost-normal sight, really; if one could discount Chen's dress and Jet's generally abnormal looks* one could think that they were a pair taking a walk with their child.
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
-♌-
"'That case', eh? Sounds interesting..." Jet was spared any further interrogation from Chen by Tia's revealing of her weapon. Well damn. Even the children were getting powers now. What had ever happened to the good old days when cute little girls couldn't shank you to death?
"Alright Tia, lead the way then!" Chen glanced at Jet as she began to follow the little girl. She had only been looking for a little information to spice up her night when she had accosted him. It looked like they might well be dragged into something ridiculous. At least she'd be in the know this time. And there was still time to get something on the Detective...
Wait a minute, did they look like a couple with a child? Chen's eyes squinted in slight irritation as she not so subtly pushed apart from Jet, just to make sure.
The grasses of her dress produced a butterfly, which fluttered over toward Tia. Perhaps she'd like a pretty animal to accompany her on her walk.
♌
Jethro walked along with the other two, making sure to look around for anything out of the ordinary, but all he could see so far was the other woman glancing at him. His face had the grim look of determination he normally wore, as he continued walking, the girl pulling his hand with her own tiny one.
(Avatar by Coffee)
Tia led the detective and the superheroine to one of Radio City's middle-class areas. While it wasn't that posh, it was clean, safe, and its residents usually stayed out of trouble.
She led them to a small, three-storey-high building. She opened the door — it was unlocked — and climbed to the first floor. She stood before a door — the plaque on it read 'Teilhaber' — and concentrated. It took her some time, but at length she formed her pinky finger into the likeness of a key; she inserted it to the keyhole, twisted it, and opened the door. She changed her pinky back to normal and went in.
"I'm home, Mr. Teilhaber! Those two people want to talk to you!" she said.
A shuffling noise could be heard, and after a few seconds a man appeared in the hallway. He seemed fit and strong, his arms well muscled, face long and taut, and body lithe. His hair was grey with age, but his eyes were blue and sharp. The shuffling came from his leg — an obvious prosthesis.
"Welcome to my humble abode," he said, his accent slightly German. "Please, come. There is no need to stand in the hallway, and there's a kettle of tea and cookies and in the salon."
He crouched with effort and stroked Tia's hair. "Welcome home, little one."
Jet nodded his head as he stepped inside. Seeing the man's struggle with his simple prosthetic leg was one of those things that made him appreciate his own replacements. But there was definitely something strange going on; Tia was bringing home two strangers, one of whom was a cyborg with several guns, and the man didn't even bat an eye - he offered cookies. He made sure to run the man's face and the name "Teilhaber" through the police database.
He glanced around to see if there was anything that popped out at him, sweeping through a few different view modes as he spoke, "Name's detective Kane, sir." He stuck out his hand. "I found her walking the streets alone. It's a dangerous place for a girl - she stumbled right into a crime scene and I had to take her home. Are you her father or guardian?"
edited 12th Aug '12 7:57:35 AM by nman
The Maid
"It's only two blocks away... I was just going home w-when she jumped at me" said Rosette, still trembling from the experience, her fright refusing to leave her just yet.
If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.
The Multiplayer holding Rosette coughed. "Okay, I figure you'll be sorta uncomfortable in a sedan with four strangers, so I'll drive ahead while I walk you home, check and see if that woman's waiting for you there. Is that okay? I can probably do some bandaging or something."
Isn't it amazing, now I have princess wings!
(I don't know what I've started here, but I know that I'm Going to Hell for This.)
Silently, imperceptibly, the mist rolled in around Professor Holocaust and the mouthy one, becoming thick and cutting visibility. The Ghost was indistinguishable from mist at first but eventually materialized in a torrent of howling, shrieking, and suitably dramatic wind. It towered over the lich, seething and roiling. The faces of the collective moved in and out of the black mass, simultaneously glaring at and studying his skeletal frame.
When it spoke, it spoke with a hundred voices - the young, the old, men, women, and yet distinct personalities could be detected.
"What's this we have here?" asked an amused soul, somewhat old and somewhat homeless.
"Some bitch that thinks he's shit-hot", someone who was possibly a gangbanger in life answered the rhetorical question.
"Well excuse you, Jacks Skellingtonitis, because we take what we want up in this hole. Ain't nothin' here but the lost and the DAYUMNED!"
edited 12th Aug '12 12:56:13 PM by HouraiRabbit
Wise Papa Smurf, corrupted by his own power. CAN NO LEADER GO UNTAINTED?!
Damn, when they said he was ghetto I had no idea it was so...literal, the lich thought to himself. He looked back up at the cloud, staring at the face that dared insult his hold before it could fade back in. "I see that is how we are going to do this, then. Your choice, and I hope you can live with it."
He pointed back at the van, and the beats rolled forth once more. He pulled down his hood, showing his ivory head that glowed a slight purple in the night. He brought the microphone to his fleshless jaw, and began.
Well, don't you know that the damned are my specialty?
Sit right down while I give you a dose of reality, uh huh
Some cheap-ass spirit comes down into my hood
And I'm not gonna sit back thinkin' 'It's all good'
I'm your senior by a longshot, old as a rock
So I ain't gonna stand by and take this crock!
He started to float in the air, his baggy pants billowing as a magical barrier enveloped him. As they were trained, his ghouls started to throw miscellaneous gang signs at his adversary.
edited 12th Aug '12 2:00:09 PM by wikkit
"Woooaaahhh motherfucker!" Jeff exclaimed, raising his arms. "And I thought I was a master of burns! What you got, Ghetto Ghost, what you got?!"
Anywho, here's a pic of me in costume.
Aria sent Katella a link depicting a certain familiar redhead who may or may not have sold Taya her phone.
Look for that lovely lady at the tables~
I think I'm gonna head out now; not much to do where I am.
See ya tomorrow, Kat!
Melodious Mistress has logged off.
Streeeeeeeeeeeeeetch... Aria really didn't think she was going to get anymore business this late at night, so she closed her laptop. Say good night to Tom, head home and play some old games before calling it a night. Sounds like a plan.
"Ah, sorry about this..." James started picking up whatever wasn't ruined and put them in the grocery bags, Doll helping with him. "I probably should reimburse you, I guess... would ten dollars be enough?"
"We'll help you carry them back home," Doll told Jordan.
Sheathe held her breath and followed shortly behind Stalwart, ignoring the slight stinging of her eyes from all the smoke.
"How high can you jump and how good is your vision?" she asked. "She can't have gone far and a higher vantage point might make her easier to spot."
Before Gum-Girl could stomp back down on the mobster's stomach, he rolled out of the way and fired a shot of burning black ooze at her feet while she dropped, and another at the gum shot meant to stick him to the ground. For good measure, he fired a third shot at the gun that he dropped, burning it against the concrete so that while it was probably unusable now, at least the little superheroine wouldn't get any ideas about it.
Twelve men. Two escaped, one with three of my guns. One is contending with a super right now. Two are incapacitated. And seven are dead.
In some unknown hideaway in the city, the Thespian had changed out of his tuxedo, the business suit he was now wearing not quite as showy as what he wore before.
Gum Girl. Madarch. Multiplayer. A child who thinks of herself the gritty heroine, an insane mushroom with no sense of subtlety, and an egotistical copy machine.
Slipping off his mask with gloved hands, the Thespian placed his disguise in a thick trunk, tossing the gloves on top before locking it tight.
How annoying. Well, I suppose my men are just extras, after all.
There was no one near the alleyway and the streets by the building were sparse. The location was nondescript. He was neither followed nor were there any tracking devices on his vehicle. Not even a single of his mobsters knew of this place.
It takes one supporting character to deal with another. Now who can I count on to get the job done...
He took a seat and took out his special phone. Untraceable and untappable, it distorted his voice just like his mask - along with protecting his identity online via various means. From there, he typed out a simple message:
This is the Thespian. There are people I want dead. Price negotiable.
And sent it to Dr. Holocaust and Taya.
edited 13th Aug '12 2:00:53 AM by Starbound2
Stalwart replied, "I don't jump, I throw! I'll get up higher, yeah."
Stalwart heaved again, launching up to a taller building and crouching there like a gargoyle. He continued to sweep the streets, trying to get a light on Darktail.
Jeff grabbed his phone when it vibrated, checked the message. Nice, a job opened up. Thespian may have screwed him in the past, but given that he probably needed the money to pay for fuel, housing bills... food... he flipped the phone open to the keyboard.
You're in. Payment? How bout something to stop this flying bitch with fire powers. Prolly know who I'm talking about.
edited 12th Aug '12 6:13:26 PM by Taco
-♌-
"Oh, well um... thank you..." Chen laughed nervously, and didn't even bother to look around for the proffered food. The girl didn't refer to the man in an especially affectionate manner. The behavior seemed a bit off, compared to how friendly Tia had been with the both of them upon meeting them. Mr. Teilhaber didn't set off any of Chen's warning bells, but they weren't any sharper than any ordinary humans. Summoning an animal was out of the question while she was a guest in another person's house. As much as she'd rather it not be the case, the Detective would probably have to take the lead here.
He was questioning Mr. Teilhaber, sure enough. So Chen just stepped in behind him and carefully shut the door.
Looking good. No creeping intended.
Night, MM.
Katella has logged off.
Taya stretched in place. MM was certainly the looker, in fact she seemed almost famili-
Wait, that had been the girl Taya had hired to build her nearly untappable phone. Nearly having been the operative word involved in the transaction. Well, that was interesting. To think that the two would cross paths again. Taya now thought that MM maybe had a point when she had mentioned the extreme odds against the both of them being in the same city. Now they had even met before? Taya shrugged it off. What happened tomorrow happened tomorrow. Even if Taya were to die because of what she had just done, she wouldn't care...
Speaking of death...
The Thespian and Taya had possibly worked together before, Taya couldn't really remember the details as jobs often blurred into one another, since all of them ran along the same lines of killing people with explosives. But the man himself was of course one of the more infamous criminals of Radio City. Not that she really cared, but it at least meant two things: Taya would be payed well if she succeeded and would be in all kinds of trouble if she failed. But again, death was an empty concept for the younger Sommelier sister.
Taya only wished Thespian had sent the details through the phone. The Internet was a far easier place to have her cover blown. Not that she wasn't afraid of dying, but she would also rather live as long as possible. She hadn't even completed her life-long goal of cosplaying every Touhou character ever yet. Regardless, it wouldn't do well to keep the criminal mastermind waiting. Taya shut off her computer and grabbed her car keys and mobile phone, heading out the door.
What will you need from me, exactly? Besides the obvious answer of 'explosions', I mean.
Taya didn't wait for a response before she jumped into her car, one of those cube shaped ones from Japan. It was a pretty funny sight on the streets, which is why she had chosen it. The key in the ignition, she headed off. Her house was in a poorer area of town, and looked the part despite the inside being full of expensive yet culturally void stuff. She needed to be close to her 'business centers' after all. The closest one was a short drive away.
♌
(Avatar by Coffee)
The salon was old in a pleasant way; it was full of old, well-kept furniture and there were some pictures on the wall. Most of them were reproductions of famous artists — there was a Magritte, a Monet, and what looked like a Delacroix — but one stood out; it was an official-looking paper, carrying the Army’s seal. It was hanged beneath an old sniper rifle.
There were two sofas in the room, rather comfortable, and an armchair stood before an empty fireplace. In the room’s middle stood four ornate chairs arranged around a low, round table. Its legs were made of wrought iron in the likeness of lions’ paws. On it there was a platter with a kettle, a set of porcelain cups and saucers, and a plate of cookies.
Mr. Teilhaber led his guests and Tia to the salon, and sat down. Tia sat in the armchair, picked the book that was lying on its armrest up, and began to read. Mr. Teilhaber poured tea.
“Do not worry, Detective Kane,” he said. “Tia is very capable and I don’t think there are many who can harm her.”
He coughed a little, dabbed his lips with a handkerchief he produced from a breast pocket, and sipped from his tea.
“Let me introduce myself properly,” said Mr. Teilhaber. “My name is Felix Teilhaber, and I am a retired Army captain. Perhaps I should tell you why Tia is living here.”
He sipped some more tea and ate a cookie. “A few months ago I was visiting an old friend in an unsavoury part of town. Some poor fool decided that — I think because of my age and apparent infirmity — I was a suitable target for a mugging. I had my hand behind my back, drawing my gun, when Tia walked up to us. She looked at us and asked, ‘Have you seen my mommy?’
“I began to say that no, I haven’t, when the mugger told her to fuck off. In retrospect it wasn’t the smartest idea. Tia looked at him and told him that her mommy said that you should be polite to other people. Then she transformed her hand into a blade, sneaked behind him, and hamstrung him.”
“He was a mean person, Mr. Teilhaber,” said Tia, not lifting her head from her book. “I beat him up.”
“Obviously she was trained to use her abilities,” continued Felix. “We stayed till the police came, then I offered her tea and cookies. She accepted, and came home with me. I talked a bit with her and heard her story. When she told me she had no home, I offered to let her stay here. This apartment is empty; my son left the house years ago and my wife is dead. I am not her legal guardian — I doubt she has one — merely someone who was kind to her. Obviously, her parents are missing if she is searching for her mother.”
edited 13th Aug '12 1:32:50 PM by desdendelle
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
Trying to keep each line under 160 characters...
The Thespian smirked a bit as Jeff responded to his message, before proceeding to spam the ever living hell out of his inbox.
I’ll look into her, but don’t expect anything other than cash from me. I have to wonder, do you have something against simply beating her with your fists?
Or is it that you’re opposed to hurting little girls? If so, maybe I should reconsider sending you after this hit. Well, we’ll see, won’t we?
Your first target I’m sending you after is Gum-Girl. Knowing your luck, she’s probably stomped on your face more than once, so I’ll spare you the profiling.
She’s currently at one of my now compromised warehouses, having taken down three men and combating a fourth. I don’t expect him to last too much longer.
Thugs are so unreliable these days. This is why I pay and respect you more, backstabbings aside.
In any case, if you hurry you might be there to cremate her and not need to wait another night to get the job done.
Sending the address, he continued:
If you happen to have a vehicle with you, there is also a crate of weaponry that should’ve been delivered to me had she not crashed my inspection.
If you obtain it for me, that would be an additional bonus. Feel free to keep one as a souvenir, though they aren’t exactly your style.
And feel free to burn the building to the ground. It’s been emptied out recently, and Gum-Girl would probably give its location to the police anyway.
Oh, and free the two men stuck together inside. Though if they become a liability, you can let them burn with the warehouse as well.
He wondered if all the messages would get on Jeff's nerves. It was what he preferred, at least.
I have another hit for you as well, but that can wait for another time. I look forward to your work.
Send. The Thespian took a moment to stretch before receiving another text. If he was someone else, he'd wonder how Jeff responded so quickly, but he already knew without checking who it was from. Picking up the phone, he began to write.
Multiplayer. Self-duplication powers. Early 20s, skinny, clones often have mutilated faces to hide identity. Might be a long term contract due to abilities.
Can provide addresses for currently active clones, though unfortunately not for the current "head." Stole guns from operations, retrieval is bonus pay.
Recommend something for blood retrieval for identification, as I’m not “permitted” to tell you myself. Beyond that, use your own judgment.
Payment due once I confirm no more clones are active.
And send again. The Thespian leaned back in his chair and waited for their response.
"Heading out, 'Muse'?" The barkeep gave Aria a friendly smile as she came through the backdoor.
"Yeah. Business has been crap lately, so I'm calling it a early night." She sighed.
"Heh. Don't worry, things'll pick up; there's always some wannabe hero who needs new gear."
"Very true~ Have a good night, Tom. And keep the alcohol away from the electronics!"
"Yeah, tell the patrons that, not me!"
Isn't it amazing, now I have princess wings!
The Ghost laughed. Or shrieked. Possibly even both.
"We was born here."
"We died here."
"This place is ours."
"You're movin' in on our streets."
"Intruder."
"Intruder."
"Intruder!"
"INTRUDER!"
It lunged straight at the lich, hurling out shadowy tentacles at the ghouls and pretty much everything else that was within reach.
Wise Papa Smurf, corrupted by his own power. CAN NO LEADER GO UNTAINTED?!
Hurr
Gum-Girl turned her feet into a small trampoline of gum, and bounced high into the air, flipping over the shot and landing right in front of the mook. She turned her fist into a huge hard block of gum, and slammed it into the mook. Once he was down, she would tie him up and call it a night.
Darktail was mysteriously nowhere in the nearby city streets, the alleyways or the rooftops. The only trace was an open sewer passage and its removed manhole.
"Oh my..." Chen once more resisted the urge to pat the girl on the head or hug her or something cliche like that. "'Mr. Muscly' is right Tia, you shouldn't be out on the streets at this hour." Chen shot Jet a look. "But I'm sure he's too busy with his work to help a poor innocent girl like you. I'll take her myself." It was a challenge, of sorts. If she hung around him long enough, she reasoned that she could at least get something out of the tight-lipped asshole.
Taya flicked through the rack at random. Something classic, like Evangelion or Sailor Moon? Something more contemporary? Hoemstuck? Adventure Time? Madoka? Perhaps she could even crossplay and further confuse her online friend. As a girl Taya didn't have much to bind, if anything she often had to sculpt and... but she was digressing into the nitty gritty there. She then noticed a huge contraption sticking out at an odd angle from the back of the clothes rack. Fluttershy's wings. How could she have forgotten that one?
As she pulled out the oversized prop- which had been quite the nuisance to others during Radio City's last convention- she giggled at the thought of going out into public with wings. The rest of the costume was hanging along with the associated wig, it was a simple but pretty little affair. Her only mistake had been the omission of the cutie mark, which was actually a pretty big deal, but Taya had looked way too good in it to just not use it. She nodded, this would be perfect. Not to mention annoying to the denizens of Radio City, which was always a plus. She just had to dig out the needed make-up, get her wig cap ready... Her computer bleeped in the background.
Oh, she had almost forgotten Melodious Mistress!
Uh, whoops.
I got caught up in something.
The cafe's Le Restaurant de Dijon, I think.
And the more costumes the merrier, girl!
edited 10th Aug '12 10:34:05 PM by Bassetete
♌