An Ordinary Oddball
The Lurker look on in awe at the goddess, before bowing.
We have extreme need of your guidance. Everything is going to end. I barely escaped the void to deliver this warning.
Cue the vision.
Everything is in deep, deep trouble.
A bit of an understatement, really.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Easton Outskirts - near Neareaston the Suburb
The GM didn't like sending teams here and they didn't like going. With the Aldawin mess done with and the late disaster averted, they had come through more or less intact, because the GM prepared their arks to ride out the incident so to say.
Alas, this agent and that agent both knew that preparation required intelligence, which meant field work, which meant grunts like them. They both sighed at the same time. At the very least, Io, unlike Aldawin, gave them hazard pay for entering the city. Anyone who did Easton could retire on the Easton bonus. The GM is using and lavishing more on the rank-and-file agents more too. Makes me feel useful. So, that's how they'd volunteered. Well, thought too long about the pay and prestige and so were too late to step back with everyone else.
"At least we have the trunk." This agent mused, not mentioning that that agent was the one stuck carrying the trunk and playing it audiobooks.
"I have the trunk..." that agent groaned while giving this agent a menacing glare. He had cheated at the card game, that agent knew it. And now I'm stuck carrying it the whole way. Few gave them any looks though, least of all police. The city of Easton had always been wild, but after the mimics emerged, everyone was short on personnel either from them having been mimics or having died in the mess. And no one had apparently done anything about the mayor. Or several of the mimics in charge of governments actually. Eh, out of sight out of mind.
Like this town. Technically, all they had to do was step foot in the city, look, and run screaming to get a bonus. They'd both heard that coming within sight of the place was enough to give agents bonuses. This agent and that agent looked at each other, sighed, and crossed the city limits. Twas just a sign and the border was invisible, but both felt the terrible chill in their bones upon entering the place.
...
"A tad more wretched than I remember," this agent commented upon the two catching their breathes. Neither felt safe getting up until much later. No sign of the tank. Or its loony driver. Well, not that loony. He had rigged the turret with conculium.
"Lots less police. Lots more work," that agent made a show of adjusting his tie. "Anyway, looks like he was guarding the gas station. Let's just take a detour."
"Or we can just write conculium proliferation in our notes and go home?"
"That was on the news, moron. The analysts already have that one. We just have to get to the good parts of town and sit in a coffee shop and listen to gossip or something."
"'Good' parts of town?"
"Somewhere there aren't lunatics running around with abandoned tanks and the roads and buildings are in order."
"Well, the background should always look its best when we're laying face down in it."
"Keep talking like that and you will not be invited to my retirement party."
"We're both going to be there, and maybe Morgan can sing while they're lowering us into our retirement home."
"Tsk. If one of those things catches up with us, you're assuming that there's going to be a body left behind. I heard there's a fey that eats luck, before shooting you twice and devouring your guts."
"There's and android who lives here that came straight out of History of Trunks, and she has such a terrible tongue that you'll feel like utter crap even before she gets busy destroying your friends, family, and home before your eyes and scoffing at them."
"There's a guy with an itchy trigger finger who irradiated New York and can't be bargained with or reasoned with and doesn't feel pity or remorse. And the ruler of the world lives here and lets the others work out of amusement."
"..." Both agents looked back at the city limits sign before glancing at each other. "We have to make sure that everyone stays a step ahead of these things do we not?"
"Indeed. We and our backup. I guess we proceed."
AKA Nixer
Kayden – Clearing in the Hunting Grounds
Lœ's serene face twisted into a frown – sending a shudder through the Kaydenites' spines not just out of fear but also the way the goddess's kaleidoscopic form made the facial expression look downright hideous. For some reason, at the exact moment she reacted with anger, the sun seemed to glow just a little bit brighter – however it quickly dimmed as she composed herself again, her tone of voice steely and determined only for it to quickly raise again as her fury reignited.
“That insolent little worm. How dare he so callously commit these atrocities?!”
Calming down again, the light goddess clenched her fists, before setting her jaw and looking back up at the Lurker, nodding to them neutrally.
“You have my attention, stranger. As well as my blessing.”
With that, she nodded once more in farewell to all of them, before her fused amulet lifted up from around her neck, spinning rapidly as her form was dragged back into them – the pendants then proceeding to unfuse in the air and then clatter onto the floor; an intense yet slowly fading glow emanating from them.
After a moment or two, Akir, Rine, and Kyxe snapped out of their trance and moved over to pick them up. While they were doing so, Noka let out a sigh and turned to the living cloak with a raised eyebrow.
“So. Lœ's on our side. That's step one. Guess the next step is to visit this volcano of yours.”
He grimaced.
“Which means going through that hell of a transportation system again. You ready for that yet? Because I'm warning you right now, I don't think my stomach's quite recovered yet.”
Easton Outskirts
Evelyn had by now slowed right down from a sprint into a slow jog, wheezing in exhaustion as she momentarily halted to catch her breath, hunched over due to the fact her already protesting stomach now had a hell of a stitch from the physical exertion. She didn't think she had run that fast or that far in her life. Although that wasn't exactly a difficult feat. The EYE camp wasn't exactly one to encourage regular exercise. They had thought that one of the benefits of awakening the Third Eye was the negation of fleshly needs.
Which she now knew to be utter bullcrap.
Sighing, she moved to sit down, only to immediately scramble up again as she heard what she could have sworn to be distant voices. Eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of a pair of smart shoes rounding the corner, she rushed for cover, pressing her back flush against a tree.
Her heart feeling as if it was going to thump right out of her chest, she tentatively craned her neck to peek around, only to immediately snap back with a stifled squeak as she ended up poking her head out at the exact time one of them was scanning the area. She wasn't sure if he had seen her or not. And she didn't dare use her Third Eye to check. Even if they were from EYE, they might not recognize her, as she certainly didn't recognize those uniforms – but activating her ability would only confirm it anyway. In the off chance they weren't EYE, an albino girl who looked like she had just crawled out of a warzone with an extra eye planted in the centre of her forehead wasn't exactly going to make the best first impression.
She realised quickly that she was cornered. She squeezed her eyes shut, and prayed desperately that they wouldn't kill her. Or worse, capture her and plonk her into some other hellhole.
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 19th 2018 at 5:02:04 PM
bork
An Ordinary Oddball
The Lurker bowed again.
Thank your for your support. We'll all be needing it.
It turned to the others.
One of the few advantages of being like this is that I don't have a stomach to flop uncontrollably. It said with a tinge of amusement coloring its statement. I'll be fine. Lead the way.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
chaos catby with a flannel shirt addiction
dream fight
Echo sighed, pulling on the sandals and flying into the air."I know, It's just more convenient if one can fly. Now, I summon a megaphone!"
Edited by QuantumMelody29 on Sep 21st 2018 at 9:10:16 AM
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.
An Ordinary Oddball
End Of The Dream Plot
"I'm fine," Wilma said, sounding less concerned than she should have been. "It's fine. Nothing's going to go wrong. This is all going to go off without a hitch..."
Kyle's lightning struck the Lava Glob Abyssal, bursting it like a blister. Just after it started to writhe, rise up and reform, Wilma stamped a few times on it. With a shriek, the glob cooled into rock, embedding Wilma's armored foot in it.
The Doll Abyssal used this opportunity to rush Wilma, scoring deep gashes into the mechsuit. Wilma stumbled but caught the last blow, violently wrenching her foot loose from the rock and punting the thing into the air. It fell against the rock and shattered—but the pieces reanimated and flew into the air in a swarm!
The megaphone Echo asked for appeared in front of her. It looked surprisingly ordinary. Without Echo doing anything, it released a blast of sound that knocked all the shards out of the air where they crumbled into dust and blew away on a nonexistent wind.
"That's convienient," Wilma said dazedly, peeling off the mechsuit. She wiped her nose again with her sleeve.
Real World
The two other teachers likewise woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare containing a nameless horror. But they also felt lighter, and...more free.
Somewhere Else In The Dreamscape
A man and a woman stumbled through the blackness around them, holding each other up. Brilliant light (Kyle's lightning) flashed, and they hoped it was a way out of this hell.
They had been trapped in the Dreamscape for weeks, jeered at by things. But this day (night?), a stray thought about a weapon had turned into reality, enabling them to defeat the largest of the things and escape from their captivity.
As they got closer, they could see some figures standing in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, one of them looked like their daughter.
"Wilma!" Wilhelm and Paige Printer cried out.
Wilma turned in surprise to face them...
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Ranvald - Overshadowed...
Ranvald was just about to leap into action with his red energy sword when Wilma...just plain crushed the two Abyssals still remaining. It seemed whatever power let them achieve such great feats here also let her basically become...unstoppable. At least within the dream.
He whistled, "...and I think that settles it..." If I am to have a woman, that woman must be her.
There was nothing more satisfying to a Weaponmaster boy than watching a woman brutally crush enemies into a paste in the heat of battle frenzy...
And then two people showed up and going by Wilma's reaction to them, they were her parents.
"Ahh...haha...you would be the godling girl's parents..." He had a feeling obtaining license to marry her would be difficult. First he would need to prove his ferocity to her parents, then he would need to best their daughter in four of five different physical challenges to prove his worth...
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
NJI HQ with Ebony
Star Girl seemed to think about that for a moment, and for a brief time it almost seemed like she became a totally different person. "You know, you are right...if this corporation wished to exterminate people, there are many faster ways such as cyanide and various other dangerous metallophosphates that could be used as well as Conculium...it is as if they...want the people of Obsidian to languish. Remain alive, as if there is more to the toxicity of the water than just poison..."
She seemed to try and use that to distract from the question of her identity. Of her showing up in the news.
Of the original Star Girl being irradiated, slowly dying in a hospital bed, and her having to—-
She then realized something and suddenly went back to her other way of speaking, "Ohh yes, the vile villains will feel the fist of great justice against them for their prejudiced and hateful attitudes! We will uncover their crimes and make them pay!"
Hans however stayed quiet, very much weirded out by what went on just then with Star Girl. That was the first time he saw her go from bubbly to analytical. And it didn't seem organic. Like she slipped and talked how she'd normally talk, and then went back to a front.
And that was when chaos broke out.
Ryan strode out, looking desperate to verify this for himself. His eyes watered as he looked at Star Girl. He seemed to quake on his feet a bit. He recognized her, and the appearance she was using. He remembered her and everything to do with her.
He flashed back to the death of the original Star Girl - the cursing, crying and angry Janette, and the body - lying inert, forever dull and removed of her joy, her life, her brightness. By him. By his power. Which had raged out of control - in defense of her. In trying to stop that villain from hurting her.
And he basically killed her himself with that explosion.
On top of so many other people.
He was Collateral for a reason. That was what he caused when his powers did that. Collateral damages.
"Why..." Ryan managed to accomplish a choked, heavy tone, "...why are you trying to be Becky? That's...not you, Natasha...that's—-that's not you at all..."
Natasha tried to step forward, taking a conciliatory tone with him, "Ryan...I just—-"
And then Ryan ran off, forcing down his tears. He couldn't show such a face to Natasha. Not after what happened. Not after causing her sister's death.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
AKA Nixer
NJI HQ
Ebony's eyes had narrowed suspiciously at both Star Girl's blatant avoidance of answering one of her questions and her rather jarring slip into a more analytical speech pattern. She seemed about to vocalize this, possibly going to repeat her question in a more emphasized tone of voice, but was abruptly interrupted by Ryan's entrance before she could do so.
And the ensuing conversation seemed to bring a look of recognition into her eyes. She snapped her gaze over to Star Girl as Ryan rushed off; a more disappointed, sad look than anything else.
“...Oh... you're... I... I see...”
There was an uncomfortable silence, evidently caused by Ebony both trying to process this new information as well as how to react, before she bit her lip and sighed, looking over in the direction Ryan had went.
“Excuse me... a moment, I just... I just need to... hold on.”
With an anxious, tense stance, she stalked quickly over the way Ryan had fled, wishing perhaps for the millionth time that she had some sort of telepathy or aura sensing instead of just telekinesis. That or empathic targeting. She could most definitely say she would use it a lot more.
Careful to be sure that they were now far enough away from the lobby so as to not disturb the others, Ebony called out in a gentle, yet concerned tone, scanning the environment for the nuclear-powered hero's location.
“Ryan? Are you okay? Where are you?”
This wasn't exactly how she thought she would meet the infamous Collateral. Or... anyone, really. She was fully aware of how awkward it was for her to try and comfort a person she didn't even know, but...
Actually, this was an awful idea. What the hell was she thinking?!
She began to internally curse as she realised the problem was that she hadn't been thinking. She'd been running entirely on her ingrained sense of empathy, without even considering what the persons in question might have been going through. Sure, she now recalled the basic events of an up-and-coming-super's powers going haywire, but she couldn't exactly put herself in the shoes of those affected by the tragedy.
And yet, her heart still had the audacity to emphasize. Beyond all reason. Here she was, calling out to someone she had literally just met (and even that claim was a bit of a stretch) all because her heart told her to feel pity. Pity and remorse on the behalf of complete strangers.
She felt pathetic.
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 22nd 2018 at 12:18:59 PM
bork
chaos catby with a flannel shirt addiction
dream aftermath
Echo watched as Wilma was reunited with her parents. It was nice to watch such a happy scene after fighting those horrible creatures. She picked up the megaphone and contemplated how she should have summoned it first. But, flying sandals were cool too. Her parents had never let her had a pair, so it was exciting to wear a pair and fly around a bit. She told herself that she did ok in the game of forms, so that was something. Nevertheless, a victory was a victory."So, how do we get back to the library?"
I used to plug my deviantart here but turns out the link was too long.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Easton Outskirts
Eyes widening as they caught a glimpse of a pair of wild, shoeless feet rounding the corner, this agent and that agent rushed for cover, pressing their backs against a tree.
"We're cornered, a'int we?" this agent gasped between breaths, barely louder than his pounding heart.
"'We're cornered aren't we?'" that agent corrected. "And its just a kid, pink haired, three eyed, almost adorable. Probably nothing wrong about her."
"In Easton?!"
"Yes. So, go say hello, and I'll head this way."
"If I'm lucky she'll kill me. If not, she'll capture me and plonk me into some hellhole. Every super in this town has their own private version."
"We're prepared."
"Well, yeah, but I don't want to bite down just yet..."
Dope Slap! "Not the cyanide pills you dunce. We're supposed to have color of authority and a trunk."
"Right."
"Get up there!"
"What about you?!"
"Seniority. My badge says sergeant."
"..." I regret not taking that transfer to the Terraformer Project.
...
After five minutes of tie straightening before that agent finally pushed this agent forward. In the meantime, that agent began commandeering (read: hotwiring) an old car. That runaway tank had left quite a mess, but at least the cars—those still intact anyway—were free. And this one only had a bit of the trunk blown off.
This agent kept a wary eye on the pink haired girl. Observe the strange, but do not charge at it. But the thing seemed to stare at him for hours. It could have slit my throat a thousand times by now. Several quadrillion if they had super speed like that Goldrusher guy. What is waiting for? Is it mocking? Or does it like stretching out its kills? Aldawin had gotten his intelligence by throwing mooks—them—at a problem until it had to respond. Watching worked just as well, and "What is taking so damn long with the car."
"...It's been 8 seconds." That agent did not even look up from his task.
Thomas + Selby Mechanics
Kaylee never quite reached the end of the hallway in any case. The light of the room shrunk into a single point just ahead and never quite getting closer before exploding outward.
The shine wore off to leave the two mechanics dumped in the lot of the TDU news building, rejected like, well, a daemonhost (and friend). Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
AKA Nixer
Easton Outskirts
The tension evidently having been too much for her, Evelyn had opened her eyes once more, only to immediately have been frozen in fear upon the two agents spotting her and immediately freaking out. It took her a while to realise what they were doing, until it suddenly hit her like a truck.
They were scared of her.
The irony was too much. She let out a shaky laugh, stumbling out of cover, only to collapse on her knees in a mixture of relief and exhaustion – her body shaking with sobs constantly flitting between humorous and dismal.
The albino girl had always known that she was freakish. But in EYE, the reactions of the faculty and her fellow test subjects had always been numb to it. And she had been too – so used to the unnatural and inhumane that she couldn't even tell when something was crossing the line.
In a strange way, the pair's scared reaction to her was both hilarious and an immense relaxation. Not in a twisted, sadistic way – but rather in relief that they had reacted how people should have. For once in her life, the feelings of fear were mutual. She felt reminded based on this reinforcement that she was indeed something freakish, and was feeling rather refreshed from it.
Sniffing, she raised her head, only to balk at the sight of them rushing to get the... what the hell was that?
Well, whatever it was, they seemed rather desperate to get to it, so she could only assume it was something that'd help them get away. With an audible desperation, she called out to them, reaching her arm out – only to overbalance from weakness and gracelessly tip forward onto her front.
“W-wait! Don't leave! Please!”
She seemed slightly taken aback by the sound of her own voice – if it could even be described as such due to the weakness of it – but kept going, pushing herself back up into a standing position while carefully keeping her distance; both out of attempt to keep them panicking any further and because of her own fear of a poor reaction. Still, though, she reopened her Third Eye, unafraid to expose it to them. She wanted to be truthful with them – trying to hide it would only make them feel more uneasy.
“I-I'm just a freak, okay? Just a freak. I-I don't wanna hurt you,” she spoke in a more subdued voice, one more soothing and reassuring in tone as she pointed to the extra eyeball bulging out of her forehead. “See? It does nothing. It just lets me see. I-I just need... I just need help... please...”
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 22nd 2018 at 11:59:29 AM
bork
Star Girl just stood there, looking down, and tried to say something, anything, but ultimately just said, "...I am so sorry...this...this wasn't how I thought this would go."
Hans looked at her - pitying her. There was obviously a story here, and he didn't want to rip open old wounds, so he'd stay quiet about it now. However for the time being he said, "...why don't you try just saying what happened and why this all is the way it is?"
She tried to shake her head no - that this was far too much to just explain, but then sighed, "I'll...I'll try..."
Ryan
"...right...right over here..." Ryan was standing by a doorway looking out toward a number of trees and shrubs in an internal garden area.
Ryan was trying to sort out a positively labyrinthine routine of emotions resulting from that meeting with Star Girl - especially after the last time he met that family. What had Janette done? What was going on here? With the operation to deal with Aquavect so soon upon them?
"You...came out here to join up, right?" He let out a long breath and then looked at Ebony, "...you probably know the story of me, my powers, and the original New Justice already. But there's...there's a story there, about Star Girl and her family that wasn't shared so much."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
AKA Nixer
NJI HQ – With Ryan
Ebony bit her lip and looked away, suddenly feeling a little guilty as she leaned up on the opposite side of the doorway. The poor guy was probably already feeling a little weary about new recruits anyway – at least in terms of the natural nervous butterflies when it came to meeting strangers – and to discover one of them was mimicking (or rather downright impersonating) his passed-on lover must have been absolutely soul-rending.
“Yeah, I heard... a long time ago...” she murmured, looking over at him with sympathy so potent it was almost palpable. “Do you... are you sure you wanna talk about it?”
I mean, it must be awkward to let all this out to a complete stranger.
She almost spoke that aloud, but managed to hold it in. That would've been a bit too much, truthful as it was. Ryan surely had been holding this in for a while, and he needed to vent. He didn't need to be made unintentionally uncomfortable by her pointing out what was obvious.
And truth be told, she kind of got it. Not to that extent, but she understood how it felt to have powers tied to one's emotions. She had 'exploded' in that sense once or twice before, and she got that feeling of helplessness and guilt over it.
Yet at the same time – and like most other things – she felt doubtful of the authenticity of her experiences. A girl who had been paraded around since birth surely wouldn't have had as many tragedies. I mean, the 'experience' that was the most prominent was the head of her favourite teddy popping off after a toddler-tantrum. Not exactly measuring up to accidentally wiping out an entire area and all within it.
But even if she couldn't entirely relate, she could at least try and understand. And as much as she wanted to do more, that was all she had.
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 22nd 2018 at 8:40:38 PM
bork
Surrounded by weirdoes
Kyle turned to the parents over there, and went back to his human form.
"Nice to see you are fine, sir, madam" He said, politely "Wilma really worked hard to save you" Kyle felt a bit awkward about interfering, the moment is for the family, and he was basically a stranger, but it feels good to actually help some people.
Wake me up at your own risk.
An Ordinary Oddball
Wrapping Up The Dream Plot
"Papa! Mama!" Wilma cried, and jumped into her dad's arms. He rocked back with an "Oof!" and patted Wilma on the back.
Not a moment later, Wilma wriggled free to kiss her mom on the cheek.
"Wilma, why is your nose bleeding? Are you hurt? What happened?" Paige asked her daughter.
"It's fine, mom," Wilma said giddily. "We were playing the game of forms and we summoned lots of awesome stuff! One of the leaders forgot to close the rip that leaked the dream-stuff out, and we used that to keep summoning things to beat the Abyssals up."
"Rip? What rip? Honey, I don't see any rips here," Paige murmured, looking around. "But we found that we could also summon things. We killed another leader, or at least I think so, because it was bigger than all of the other little ones."
Wilma, looking around, couldn't see any tears in the blackness around them. "I don't...what? It was here just a second ago...Maybe it went away. Huh. Could have sworn it didn't close..." Wilma mumbled. "Anyways, I think we have to just think about waking up and we will," she said in response to Echo. And she woke up.
Wilhelm was talking to the Dream Team while all of this was going on. "Thank you guys for saving us. Yes, um, we're Wilma's parents," he said nervously. "Sorry for looking messed up. We kind of had to fight out way out of a horde of the little sh—oh sorry—uh, yeah, that went down. My tattoos got tired and Paige couldn't find a scrap to draw on, so we escaped later than we realized. Again, sorry for the trouble."
It was obvious that he was awkward about the situation he was in.
Wilma woke up from the dream, which would jolt everyone awake too, since it was a shared dream. She took a look at the blood on her shirt and grimaced. Then she did a double take when saw the pile of Embodigems on Ranvald.
"Jeez," she exclaimed. She could hear groaning behind a chained door as her parents got to her feet. The chains undid themselves and the door opened. Wilma nodded to her parents.
"Well, that was tiring. I'm cleaning up and going to bed," Wilhelm complained, and headed off.
"Me too. Honey, do you want me to call the school and get a day off for you?" Paige asked. "I think there's half an hour until you have to go."
As if in response to that, the old phone on the table rang, and left a message:
"Well, a lot of convenient things have happened today. That's the least surprising of them all. I think I'm going to clean up and go to bed too," Wilma sighed. She rubbed her eyes. "Ranvald, if you're awake right now, you can either stay and wait until we wake up again—the library has got lots of books you can occupy yourself with. Or, you can take your spoils and leave."
"I don't know what I can offer you in return for helping me get my life back, because 'just the gem' doesn't seem like enough..."
She kissed him on the forehead and went off to clean up.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Surrounded by weirdoes
Kyle was woken up with a jolt. Groaning, he sat up and looked around. So he was back on the real world. Getting up, he stretched to recover feeling on his limbs and dressed up.
"Man, how long was I out?" He wondered out loud. It was also messier. Did he turn in his sleep again?
Walking up and going to the entrance, he took notice of all the people in front of the building.
"... Hello?" He said, wondering what he was supposed to say.
Wake me up at your own risk.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Easton Outskirts
Even that agent felt his blood chill a little at the triclops's laughter. Well, bugger. I guess she's a coming. He had just gotten the engine started when she suddenly begin asking them not to leave. "So, we're easier to eat?" That agent turned abruptly, suddenly sporting opaque sunglasses. It only just occurred to me that that gaze might turn us to stone or something. Wait, where's...
He found this agent, frantically unstrapping the trunk and shook his head. "First of all," that agent sighed. "Training. Second of all, don't be a dope in public. We do not open the trunk."
"Don't remind me," this agent shook his head. "I'm still sore from the ... oh right, potential hostile in the area." They may have been disposable, but Aldawin did not demand much of them besides meat shielding, which meant practically no work until they were activated. And now we have to catch up at the gym...
"Actually, no. Or at least i—she said so." That agent folded his arms, well ready to jump into the driver's seat and make off. He had practiced that move. Got it down to .03 seconds. He and this agent both knew that hopping in the car and vanishing would be the wiser thing, but... Damn, shaky voiced, crying youths. "Well, we're not leaving, yet. Help with what?"
Ryan
Ryan looked over at Ebony, shrugged his shoulders, and then let out a long breath, "...I figure I need to get this over and done with. It's hit me hard today, and if it keeps going it might get at me again in a far worse time. I need to settle this."
He figured she would probably be nervous talking to him like this - but he didn't assign much worth to his, what, seniority? He'd been off of teams like this for long enough he didn't think much of it himself. Anyone who brought up their seniority to make a point about their need to be trusted or some shit was talking out their asses.
"What happened there is...definitely related to my explosion. Natasha is the sister of Rebecca, the Star Girl my power...killed. And no - I have utterly no idea why she's here, looking and talking exactly like Rebecca."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
AKA Nixer
Easton Outskirts
Evelyn looked visibly relieved as the one agent at least put in an effort to hear her out. Her Eye enabled her to see truth – and thus she had almost slipped into another panic once they had continued on in disbelief of her lack of animosity. But it seemed like a hint of doubt had crept into them after all.
“I-I... I've been running...” she admitted, looking down self-consciously as if ashamed that it had to be the case. “From... I don't even know what they are. They pretended to raise me, but... they were using me...”
Something in the way she stressed that implied that she meant that particular word to encompass several different definitions.
”I... I managed to get away... it was all fluke, really, but... I... I don't know where to go now...”
She slumped back down, looking drained. Evelyn didn't even know how long or how far she had been running. But the way her body was screaming in protest at her indicated that it wasn't exactly a short jog. For all she knew, she could have been running for days without any food, water, or shelter. The decision to hide out in that husk of a manor was a spontaneous one.
If she wasn't already suffering from something due to environmental exposure, she would be surprised. But right now she was functioning purely on adrenaline rushes and sheer desperation. She would not let an opportunity of safety pass her by like this. Not even if it was only relative safety.
“Just... please. Just give me a chance. I want... I want to see the world for once. Just see what it's like. Lock me up, kill me, do whatever – I'm used to it. Just let me see the outside with my own eyes before you do. Tell me that at least something isn't... isn't so screwed up in it. Because... this...” she gestured to her deformed forehead and bony, malnourished form. “...this is all I've known. And I know it isn't right. Please... just... please don't leave me to die like this...”
At this point her voice was little more than a whisper on the wind. She looked about to collapse, and the way her eyes were drooping and the sway in her stance wasn't reassuring of her wellbeing. The only thing currently keeping her from falling unconscious was expectation.
Kayden → Easton
The trip back was perhaps even more manic than before, much to Noka's displeasure. Or rather, the displeasure of his stomach. In any case, his warning turned out to be needed, as the first thing he and his stomach did upon their materialization back on Earth was eject all the contents recently consumed.
Which apparently included an assortment of alien meat cuts and – oddly enough – a range of Earth birds.
“Experienced General, ladies and gentlemen,” Kyxe muttered under her breath, earning a glare from her superior even as she helped him back up onto his feet. Akir couldn't resist a chuckle at that, even despite his own clear nausea that he was making an admirable effort in holding back, before turning to the Lurker.
“Well, here we are. Now, either we end Noka's torture now by using more localized transport, or we remain efficient and use a Rift again. Just need the coordinates in that case. What do you say?”
Noka's glare deepened, but Akir only gained a broader grin as a result.
NJI HQ
Ebony looked as if she had been struck at that, and shifted slightly, unsure of what to say. An imposter was one thing. But the original Star Girl's sister? That was more than a little strange.
There was no denying at least one of them needed to have a little chat with this alleged 'new' Star Girl if that were the case – it was possible that there may have been an ulterior motive in place. But cynicism could wait for now. Ryan was looking more externally drained than actively distraught – which she knew from her experience to be a dangerous place emotionally speaking.
Yet as she opened her mouth, she found herself completely lost for words. Though instead of giving up and remaining silent, she pushed herself off the doorway and moved so she was but a couple feet in front of him.
“I... I really don't know what to say...” she admitted, scanning his face for a moment before abruptly (and rather stiffly, too – she seemed unused to it) leaning forward and wrapping him in a comforting hug. “I... I don't know what I'd even do if it were me in your place...”
She pulled back, looking him over again, before setting her face to that of steely determination, lightly patting him on the shoulder before squeezing it in reassurance.
“I'll help how I can, alright? I got your back. You don't need to fight this alone anymore, okay?”
Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 23rd 2018 at 7:30:34 PM
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An Ordinary Oddball
Magpie & Trickster
Magpie patted Ryan awkwardly on the shoulder. "It'll be OK, Ryan. We'll find out what's up one way or another—even if it's falling headfirst into the situation with no idea of what we're messing with. That should be standard operating procedure by now," she said, smiling at him.
Trickster hung upside down on a tree branch in the garden. "Good fellow, we must live in the moment! Don't think too much about past failings or they'll be sure to happen again. We've got to purify that water. Do you know who has the tools to do so?"
The Lurker
No need for that. We're on the street where Ignatius lives...Look, he's staring at his house. Wow! Someone must have commandeered the entire block to build that! But they kicked everyone out, including this guy...
The last statement was a comment about the size of the monolith currently hovering over everything, and indeed, Ignatius was sitting across the street looking at his house morosely. The fire spirit fiddled with a ring, the same one he used to teleport to Mount Etna.
He noticed the group, and gave them a wary sideways glance.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Easton Outskirts
"Er... about the world..." this agent started before that agent gave him a look. "Its a work in progress!"
"Sighing, that agent managed to force his hand to gesture toward the car. "Well, you don't want to stay and learn from here. So..." he swallowed hard. "Alright, we'll take you as far as intown. And no, we're not locking you up."
"You know the last time we drove through here and stopped for a Heartwarming Orphan, she threw our car into a bakery."
"And that's right. We're heading to the bakery again. By first gear this time."
This agent sighed, shaking his head, but opened the back door and made to offer the strange girl a hand anyway, despite never looking at her. "Oh, I hope to live long enough for the GM to slap us for this."
"Oi, we don't live half-wretched orphans on the road-side. And we got a vehicle, and we're not being digested at this very moment. All we have to do is take a drive around town and get to the bakery."
"Doesn't that tickler guy live there?"
"That's the pizza place on 42nd."
"Just go. Mom's cool with it." The trunk finally said, to the notice of neither agent.
Ryan - NJI
The young man seemed to cup his chin for a moment, and then realized something, "Hey, well, you remember the Pharma Corp right? After they were dealt with, Noble Tech swooped in and took corporate control of Miracle Pharma. After that all those placebos were replaced with actual, working medicine. So maybe once we defeat Aquavect the same might happen!"
Ryan had utmost faith in this - after all who was it that gave him the "in" to superheroic work again? Yes, Isaac Noble himself.
Both Isaac and Kris seemed like remarkably honest businessmen, a relief after the sort they were dealing with lately.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
"That happened? Oh, cool! Isaac seems pretty nice. So does Kris. I hope Isaac visits soon," Magpie clapped her hands excitedly.
"Well. What are we waiting for? Let's get to the briefing and make a plan. We might need more than one, though," Trickster mused.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Kayden – Council Building
“Probably somewhere away from the prying eyes of the vultures,” Akir shrugged, patting Noka rather heavily on the back and gesturing for them all to follow. “I don't think they'd appreciate us 'disrespecting' the presence of Lœ by summoning her to our own will...”
“I swear, Akir – there will be consequences for this,” growled the Council representative. He couldn't understand their speech, but recognized the mocking tone of the headmaster – not that it mattered, since Akir simply laughed and waved behind himself in dismissal.
“You don't have the nerve. You wouldn't dare harm a hair on your heir's head. You should really have that worked out. You know, address the real problems instead of your mass brainwashing–”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” the representative roared, leaping up from his seat again in fury and prompting Akir to wisely speed up in exiting the room; the elder Tume's livid shouting being drowned out as he quickly rematerialized the portal behind him.
“...Don't you think you took that a little too far?” Rine finally whispered, looking over at him via the corner of his eye. Despite his external impassiveness, he was clearly disturbed by his former teacher's words, but Kyxe swiftly cut in before Akir could answer.
“Uh, h-hey! Don't we have that hunting spot, Rine? We could summon her there!”
“Excellent idea, Kyxe! You lead the way!” Akir replied all too quickly, jumping at the chance to avoid the subject and rushing after her as she ran off in an equally too-fast manner. Rine paused, confusedly looking between their rapidly distancing backs and to the Lurker, before shaking it off and moved to catch up with them.
It seemed like the headmaster had been hiding a few things from Rine. Revelations, to be specific. And judging by Kyxe's reaction, she seemed to be at least somewhat aware as well.
To say Rine was rather put off by this would be an understatement.
Kayden – Hunting Grounds
After an uncomfortably quiet transport ride, they arrived at the so-called 'hunting grounds' – a designated park located on the outskirts of the city and acting what was essentially a colossal public forest and landscape. As the name suggested, a few Kaydenites were already there – stalking a few crustacean-like beasts in a disturbingly savage manner – but Kyxe instead ignored them and led the four into a hidden passage underneath a bowed-over tree; one which opened up into a small clearing hidden away from prying eyes. Barring a small lake, a couple of fallen logs, and a few rocky crags, there was little to be seen – but it was beautiful in its own right, at least. A relatively untouched portion of nature in the otherwise highly controlled city.
Glancing to one another, the three heirs brought their pendants from around their necks and stepped forward into the center of the clearing – Noka meanwhile motioning for the Lurker to stand back. After a short pause to compose themselves, the trio of Kaydenites pressed the amulets together – causing a bright flash of multicoloured light and an explosion of plasma arcs to emanate from them as they fused together into one and began expunging bursts of kaleidoscopic energy in a consecutive fashion.
The fused amulets now having been drawn out of their grip, Rine, Kyxe, and Akir stepped back to join the other two – watching as the multicoloured substance began to coagulate and converge into a feminine, humanoid shape. Several abstract geometric objects split off from her form, revolving lazily around her as Lœ finally asserted herself completely and let out a final burst of glorious, ethereal light – the pendants now being hung around the entity's neck.
Ripples of her radiance bounced around the walls and surfaces of the clearing, and she opened her almond-like eyes – a pit of swirling colour that was just as dizzying if not more than the interior of the Rift they had used to travel to Kayden in the first place.
“Children. For what purpose did you summon me?”
Slowly, all four Kaydenites turned to look at the Lurker in synchronized fashion. Evidently not particularly wanting be the ones to explain to their goddess that all existence was going to end.
Montgomery Manor
It was hunger that awoke the messy-haired girl. A sharp, agonizing clenching of the abdomen that caused her to groan and curl up into herself, and one that as much as she wished to she couldn't simply ignore. She weakly hauled herself up onto her feet, slightly staggering and hunched due to the insistent, desperate protesting of her stomach, before realising with great dread what this actually meant.
To get food meant to go outside. To go outside meant to be exposed to the elements. To be exposed to the elements meant vulnerability. Further vulnerability – that is, on top of her already weakened state – meant she could easily be caught off guard by EYE and recaptured.
Frozen, she felt a panic begin to bubble in her chest, and she shoved down the urge to cry. Wallowing in misery wouldn't accomplish anything. Her body was effectively screaming for help, and she couldn't just ignore that. She needed food – fear of recapture would have to be ignored. It was a matter of her own survival.
Taking a breath, she steeled herself, and slowly shuffled out of the room and into the entrance hall – clutching her stomach the whole way. Her Third Eye would be too draining for her to use in her current state, and so she tentatively peeked out of where the doors once were situated, scanning the environment for any signs of life.
Nothing.
Except for torrential downpour.
Joy.
Still cautious, she braced herself for a mad dash – and did so, almost immediately squinting in discomfort due to the freezing rain. Her thin laboratory garments did next to nothing in protecting her from the elements, and it was all she could do to dart from shelter to shelter. She followed the road for the nearest settlement via the signs, on one point manifesting her Third Eye to scan for the correct direction – only to immediately regret it as she tripped due to almost blacking out there and then.
Coughing, she determinedly pushed herself back off the ground, nearly hitting her head on a road sign only to freeze up as she read what was written on it. Eyes widening with newfound hope, she scrambled back onto her feet and forward with a sudden burst of energy; her desperation overwhelming her sickness from only the simple sight of the words plastered on that sign.
Easton City – 5 Miles
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