Holiday – Dynamo HQ (Squad 2)
“That's a very noble cause,” Holiday smiled, nodding approvingly. “One very similar to mine, actually. Interesting. And yes, I like fun too. I never thought I'd pick up hobbies, of all things. I'd enter the snooker championship if I weren't technically cheating,” she admitted, laughing a little at the thought of it. “Unless there's all-robot championships... that'd be something...”
Better research that.
“Ultimately, I think that...” Holiday ventured, considering Laurie's words. “I think perhaps sapience is more conceptual. Spiritual, even. Since you put value in principles and core ideals—a lot of which don't even exist materially. Or even as data. It's hardwired, if you understand that comparison. Intrinsic. In that regard... I think I've achieved it.”
Yippee.
“In all other regards, I have a lot to learn,” she smiled, shrugging her shoulders again. She seemed to like that gesture. “Even you just entertaining these aspects of me helps. The fact I'm a machine talking to a therapist reminds me of how far I've come. So thank you,” she stated, inclining her head towards Laurie. “I hope I can return that gesture someday.”
It'll go on the list. Hoo boy it's getting long.
borkSquad 2 - Marah
Marah paused, listening to Holiday's explanation, though she did not turn around. Her scowl only deepened, realizing why the robot was so violent - wrathful, to use Holiday's own words - and why she did not take that wrath out on others.
Once Holiday was done, Marah merely nodded and kept walking. Once she was sure Holiday was out of earshot, she muttered to herself: "I am not some charge to be protected."
She would have to disabuse Holiday of such notions, at some point. In turn, undoubtedly some of Marah's own notions would be disabused. It seemed only fair. After all, she reminded herself, despite their spat, Holiday could at least be trusted.
Unlike the daeva.
Training Room
Selby had added an extensive fitness center to the place. It looked quite advanced, sleek, modern. As expected of a technological genius (for a given definition of 'genius', anyway).
In addition to the standard amenities, there were rooms for practice sparring, as she expected. She led the vampire (and the witch, who seemed to have followed them) to one such room. Marah kicked her heels off - though slightly sensitive about her height, it was easier to fight without them - and left them by the door as she entered.
Taking a stance across from them, she allowed her hair to rise and begin growing. Her markings glowed crimson, and she smiled. "Remind me, Cain bin Adam. You regenerate, yes?"
Her hair spilled across the floor like a shadow. "I would like to know how much I should hold back. I wouldn't want to seriously hurt you, after all. In fact, I'll graciously allow you the first move."
She spread her arms. "Have at you."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Cain (2)
Cain shrugged off his jacket, hung it up, and then rolled up his shirt sleeves slowly and deliberately. “Don’t worry too much about me, girl. Instead, you should be worrying over if you’re going to accidentally kill yourself fighting me,” he said, taking a few revitalizing gulps of donated blood from his pocket flask before putting it back into his jacket and then considered his knife for a moment before also stowing it away in his jacket.
“En garde!” he barked, before closing the distance in-between him and Marah to execute a brutal suplex.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 29th 2020 at 3:05:26 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 3-Training Room-Dylan
It seemed people were a bit absorbed in the drama that had just occurred, not that he could blame them considering that everyone here seemed about the age that gossip was still relevant to life. Actually among some of the heroes he he could actually be considered quite a bit senior, through still relatively new to the hero business. "If anyone gets injured I should be able to give a quick patch up," he watched over the groups from the sidelines, seemingly intent to watch unless someone chose to interact with him.
Squad 2-Dynamo HQ-Martin
Martin was still feeling a bit on edge, nearly jumping when Ryuu suddenly called out his name only to laugh at himself. "Sorry, I was asking Holiday about some personal business and got a bit too in my own head, how are you Ryuu?" when he spoke like that it was almost easy to forget how much context he lacked behind any of his surroundings. But from what little he had written on him Ryuu was good people, and at the very least he should trust himself that far. "Sorry we didn't get to talk to much at the club yesterday, but you know, business."
Squad 3 - Iona - Dynamo HQ
Marah's dismissive attitude at Holiday's remark caught Iona's interest. As Gita and other members of her Squad came by, she gave Cole and Mason a final pat on the shoulders before pulling away.
"Well, I already gave my recap, so I'm not giving it again. Ask Cole and Mason, since I have a matter of interest to attend to."
With that, she took her leave, following behind Cain, Marah and Dylan to the training room.
Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
When she arrived, the two were just starting. One hand raised, she called out.
"Room for one more, Cain? I'm sure our daeva friend isn't afraid of a 2 versus 1 match?"
She nodded at Dylan in a curt greeting.
"Well then you're the referee."
Cain (2)
“Well then, you’d better ask our ‘daeva’ friend...” Cain responded. If anything, the misidentifying of Marah as a daeva should enrage her more.“I don’t really care either way, but that uppity, opinionated thing over there sure might.”
Call Mahvash a thing one more time, I dare you... thought Cain, eyes narrowed at Marah.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 29th 2020 at 3:29:11 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 2 - Marah - Training Room
Cain launched himself at her, and Marah's hair closed up around her in response, forming spiked barbs that dug into his flesh even as he tried to grasp her. Her hair began to coil around him, seeking to bind him and end the bout quickly.
"I don't mind at all. If anything, grandpa here needs all the help he can get." She smiled, her eyes narrowing dangerously as a crack opened up in her hair wall, allowing her to glare at Cain. "But just so you know, I am no daeva. Angra Mainyu is bound to me, but I remain human. A daeva would have simply erased you by now; I have restraint. That is what separates humans from monsters like you, father of beasts."
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Apr 29th 2020 at 6:44:37 AM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
"Funny. I would've said the same thing a few years ago. But, we'll see. You know, for saying you have restraint, you didn't seem to have any with your treatment of Holiday."
Iona calmly stepped into the sparring area, watching as Marah bound Cain up in her hair, whipping up scarlet sparks in the palm of one hand.
"Cain, can you choose who gets hurt from hurting you? Just asking."
A casual stride, betrayed only by the tension in Iona's muscles as she eyed up Marah and her now comrade-in-arms, fire crackling in the palm of Iona's hand as she strafed around the pair.
"Would help me dictate the level of caution with which to handle our friend here with while you're nearby."
Cain (2)
“Well, this’ll cost me at the dry cleaners,” grunted Cain as he started bleeding from being stuck all over by Marah’s hair spikes. “I guess I haven’t killed you thus far, that counts as a great feat of restraint for someone like me. And speaking of ‘restraint...’”
Cain twined his hands in Marah’s hair, seeking to hold her exactly where she was. “They have to mean it for the curse to work. Iona, I dare say you don’t. Damn, I miss the days when heretics were purged in fire. I must be getting maudlin with old age. So fire at will and light this shaggy she-dog up!” He sought to use his greater strength to swing Marah around into the path of Iona’s fireblasts, laughing through his pain at his own terrible, terrible pun.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 29th 2020 at 4:13:10 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
Iona almost stopped, the flames sputtering as Cain's awful pun hit her in the brain.
"Please...don't do that or I'm going to start meaning to harm you. Lords, that was terrible." She brought her hand up to her temple, wincing.
HEY FOCUS IDIOT!
Right, Cain was trying to swing Marah around, and she was in prime position to strike. A swipe of her hand, and the flames scattered into pellets, drifting on a breeze like leaves in a typhoon into the arc Cain was swinging Marah in. There they burst into spheres of heat and fire, seeking to both damage Marah with the explosions and the swath of burning air left just ahead of her, while Iona dropped into a battle stance, feet and arms sliding around like water.
"Alright then, let's get to it Cain!"
Squad 2 - Marah - Training Room
Naturally, the witch went immediately for fire. Marah was not surprised that Iona, who was clearly a scholar, would know the weakness of the daeva, and therefore of her daeva-hair. She was surprised that one who seemed so intelligent would underestimate such a foe.
Does she think I don't know my own weaknesses? Marah's eyes narrowed. Cain pulled on her hair, and though it pulled back, he proved stronger. But rather than pull Marah, her hair merely grew as he pulled, as though he were unspooling thread. Marah's body did not move.
Her hair, however, was spun into the path of the sparks. It formed into clawed hands, reaching out to intercept the exploding embers. A seemingly pointless gesture - fire would burn them to nothing, and Marah could not consume the fire.
But she could consume the air around it. Pockets of vacuum formed in the palms of many of her shadow-hands, sucking in the sparks and suffocating them into nothingness.
More of the hands formed into fists, before separating from Marah's hair and launching themselves at Iona at high speed. Not fast enough to be lethal, but certainly fast enough to bruise a normal person - on par with a professional boxer's punch.
"You'll need to try harder than that. Ohohoho~"
At the same time, her hair slid under Cain's feet, slithering along the ground before rising up to grab at his ankles, and lift him into the air, where he hopefully would be unable to get leverage.
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Apr 29th 2020 at 8:03:12 AM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Cain (2)
Cain harrumphed and then summoned his knife into one of his hands so he could cut himself free from the hair around his both hands. He grunted in irritation as the hair twined around his feet and ankles, but a few forceful tugs broke him free.
“Right, so we’re doing this then?” he asked as he continued to close the remaining distance in-between Marah and himself to carry out the suplex he’d been denied. “Iona, bring out the heavy ordnance if you please.” If any more hair came his way, he’d simply have to hack through with his beloved knife.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 29th 2020 at 5:10:35 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
"Well, I can only try harder after that. Wasn't quite straining myself there. Halcyon!"
Iona spun in place, summoning a whirlwind to scatter the streams of Marah's hair flying towards her while she rose in into the air, the cape that suddenly appeared on her shoulders flapping like bird wings. The winds quickly changed, a swarm of glacial shards forming from them.
"Northern winds, bite to the bone!"
Iona threw her hands out towards Marah as she completed her ascent, the cloud of minute icicles being unleashed. As it covered the area, the temperature dropped, creating a bone-rattling chilly mist as the shards howled and tore through it.
"Cain! I can only keep this up briefly!"
Cole - Squad 3
"Yeah, going by what Iona said, it sounds like somebody made an ass of themselves and is currently involved in a fight..." He looked somewhat concerned, and then looked around, checking how many people were going to be involved either watching the fight or going in to get involved.
It really felt like whatever happened, this person really made quite the bad first impression. Cole wanted to go running in to join the fight, but he got the feeling that with Iona involved it would be chaotic enough as it was now.
Just in case it got too intense, Cole readied his psychic abilities in case he needed to shut down things getting too overly lethal.
"Gita, if I'm right, your powers are like, music based, right? Do you have anything that can stop, say, a fight? Just in case we need to use that."
Gita — Squad
"A fight, huh? Well, I bet if I had the right song I could use my hard-light projections to put up a wall between the people who were feuding. Let's see what I've got..." Gita scrolled through their phone's music library for a bit, then stopped. "This one's called 'Glass Wall', that'll probably work. Well then, shall we?"
I promise I'll never let you go, baby. 🖤❗Squad 2 - Marah - Training Room
She tried to wrap Cain's hands such that he couldn't hold his knife, but the blade reeked of miracle, and where it touched her hair, her hair parted like curtains.
Marah debated merely erasing his hands, but she didn't actually know if he could regenerate from that. And besides which, that would be too easy; she needed to prove her superiority over these fools.
Cursing under her breath, she settled instead for pulling her hair back towards her, forming it into armor as he approached.
As he grabbed her for the suplex, dozens of hands emerged from the armor to pummel him, striking with much more force than they had with Iona. They curved around him, attacking from all directions with ferocity.
At the same time, Marah stepped back out of the bulk of the armor, leaving Cain holding a mass of dissolving hair. She threw up a wall to block the shards, which struck her hair and vanished into nothing. Some hair still clung to her body like armor, and she thickened it as she shivered.
Ice, fortunately, was worthless against her hair. Nothing was colder than void.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Cain (2)
Cain was fortunately an extremely experienced fighter, and his skill helped him cut through or dodge most if not all of the strikes coming towards him. A few caught him on the chest and back and though it rattled him greatly, it was still not enough to stop him. He slammed the armor construct to one side by one of its arms, turned to one side, spat blood onto it to show his complete and utter contempt for what just happened, and then threw his knife with great force at Marah now that he knew how it would affect her hair.
He aimed it at her shoulder, to hit a non-vital area that would nonetheless bleed like a pig and hurt like a bitch. Marah herself had drawn his blood, and it was only kind to pay her back. Plus the blood would stain Marah’s hair and clothes, which would only cause more trouble for the vain girl. Cain liked the thought of that. Besides, there was a doctor on standby, after all.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
As Iona's arms fell so did the blizzard they had been reigning over subside, energy spent. The glint of Cain's knife flying through the air flashed through her mind moments before it happened. With this new insight, Iona brought her hands low, palms facing the sky, before suddenly heaving an imagining weight above her head. The ground around Marah shot up, earthen walls boxing her in from above, the sides and behind her. Iona remained posed as such, sustaining the walls, hands shaking.
These are normally just fire and forget, but she can unmake things. I just have to be careful not to leave myself too open like this.
"Cain, when you're done, regroup!"
Cole - Squad 3
Cole outright held up his hand, and looked at Gita, "No. Not yet." He looked back at the action going on and continued with his psychic look over the room and what was going on inside of it. "Marah was being a bully, and a creep at that. She needs to learn her lesson. If the two of them in there start to go too far with her, then you can go ahead with that. As it stands, she needs to possibly get it beaten into her that bullying isn't okay."
He was prepared either way to intervene to stop things from getting too lethal, or add his efforts if Marah somehow proved more than those two were able to deal with. Going by what he was seeing, she was some sort of creature. Possibly like Mahvash going by what he was seeing? He didn't know, but this was going on pretty long...
Squad 2 - Marah - Training Room
The fake armor broke apart and flowed over Cain, even as he threw his knife. Now devoid of the only thing that could cut her hair, it began to cover him, growing over his body to once more latch around his wrists, and his ankles, and his neck. It attempted to pull his legs off the ground, and force all of his limbs behind his back so it could hog tie them.
At the same time, a tendril swiped at the air, erasing it, creating another pocket of vacuum to try and throw off the knife. Indeed, it missed the intended target of Marah's shoulder, but still managed to hit her, the blade sliding effortlessly through her armor and embedding itself into her bicep.
To her credit, Marah did not cry out in pain. She merely grunted, as if annoyed. Which she most certainly was. Her hair-armor could not stop the blade, but it did manage to snag the hilt and stop it from stabbing too deep. Marah yanked it out, keeping a firm grasp on it with her tendril.
The armor reformed where it had been pierced, and there was no sign of blood. Had someone been able to see underneath, they would see Marah expertly stitch up the wound in a short moment, her hair acting as both needle and thread, before erasing the blood from her skin.
"Congratulations. You've made me mad." She announced, before her armor spat a barrage of black needles at Iona. Small enough needles to not cause serious damage, but enough to sting quite badly.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Cain (2)
Cain summoned his knife back to his hand and tried to pull free of the hair again, though he had a harder time of it this time around. He was still able to twist around and cut the strands holding him, dropping onto his back with an “Oof!” He flipped himself upright and considered his options. Obviously throwing his knife was right out. Perhaps it was time to try psychological tactics.
First things first, Cain moved to flank Marah some ways away from Iona. “Do you feel ‘more human’ now, Marah, now that you’re angry? You know your needles could very well catch Iona in her eyes. Maiming your squadmates permanently seem like ‘restraint’ to you? You inhuman whore, you don’t even bleed like humans do!” he mocked.
“Oh, don’t worry, if you want me to stop calling you inhuman, I’ll stop if you tell me!” he imitated a girlish voice, trying to get Marah to focus on him so Iona could have a clear shot. “Really, Mahvash is currently more loved than you. At least I consider her a responsible person. She’s our squad leader, and the best amongst the squads to boot! How does it feel, Whore of Babylon? To be so hated? Are you compensating for the love you never got from your family? Is that it? Why can’t you grow another loving mommy and daddy like your hair?” Cain laughed. “Give me a break, you’re as much of a monster as the rest of us, but you can’t even earn the love we’ve got! How pathetic!”
Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 29th 2020 at 8:22:16 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.Squad 3 - Iona - Training Room
Most of the hair spines were averted with a slapdash blast of wind as Iona dropped the walls to defend herself. Still too slow, since several needles buried themselves in her arms and legs, thankfully avoiding her face. However, Cain's words struck deeper than anything Marah could've thrown at her.
"CAIN!"
For a moment, the threat of an inferno engulfed Iona, the temperature suddenly skyrocketing. There were sparks in her eyes, and vermillion wisps of fire licked at her.
"THAT IS TOO FAR!" Her voice boomed like thunder, cracked like lightning, all the fury of a wildfire. But it soon faded, Iona clenching her fists as the storm was held at bay.
Not going to give in, not going to give in. I am Iona Bassano, and I'm going to be better...
She repeated her mantra to herself for good measure. The talk about compensating for family love had struck a sore spot in Iona, especially how Marah reminded her of her younger self. With an errant twitch, the threat faded, Iona calmed, the area no longer threatened with the prospect of being incinerated. Shaken, Iona remained floating in midair, taking deep breaths to maintain her thin veneer of serenity.

Squad 1
Sam just quickly checked all the things he brought with him for their living. It wasn't much. His sax, some clothes, a few tools and a couple weapons... As his life was, most other important things were left with his family.
But beyond that, he was exceptionally attentive with the pictures.
Of his parents, of his brother in some stupid stunt or another, and of more than a few dumb things he did with friends, a concert or two...
And of course, a picture of his beautiful water lady. He could only smile at that one, and touched it tenderly, before going back out.
Watching for you, Lils
Squad 2
"For a good while, Holiday is just too alive for us to consider her a machine" Ryuu noted to himself. "When exactly did that happen? Dunno, but it doesn't matter"
But as that was done, and he held his own sword, he sent several of his own shikigami to fix his things and walked up to check the rest.
"Hey, Martin" He managed saying. Whatever else, he needs to check on people.
Wake me up at your own risk.