Degenerates [Inactive]

[Esoteric Truth]

"Dodgy? I'm hurt," Gunnar said dryly, looking over at Lyre with mild amusement on his face before turning back to the blonde. "Now, Blondie, it's not like I don't have a side. Ideally I would just be on my side. But considering the fact that the Loyalists have tried to kill me, I figured I'm obligated to do the same to them." His smile was thin and dark and he stared at her intently for a few short moments before shaking his head and frowning. "I'm Gunnar," the dark haired man said simply, and looked over at Sol. "Special Agent? I suppose if not for this war you and I would be on opposing sides of an entirely different battle at this point in time. Last I remember the government wouldn't have been too fond of some deranged freak running around and drinking mutants' blood."


The mutant smiled for a moment and took one of the can openers, setting it on the rim of the can. He watched the blade cut off the lid with a bizarre fascination, watching the gears turn and the circular blade roll tightly along the desired surface. Once it was cut, he removed the can opener and pulled back the lid of the can, revealing some kind of soup. He didn't bother to check what kind, just tipped it back into his mouth and began to swallow, not even tasting the food but rather desiring the feeling of being full once more. Not unlike a babe suckling from his mother's breast. Hunger can make even the strongest men weak. Not that I'm one of the strongest, because there's no doubt in my mind that in the grand scheme of things, I lie closer towards being weak than I do strong even on the best of days.





"Sol, are we not rebels? By merely not being one of them, and by not laying down and dying, we are rebels. After all, we are doing exactly what they do not want: we do not comply, but for some reason or another we still have the will to survive. That makes us more rebel than a man who is so desperate to die that he makes blatant attacks against Shaw. In the end, that mutant is doing exactly what Shaw wants: eliminating himself. We are rebels indeed."

 

[crystaldee]

...And if they aren't, at least I'll have something to carve on their gravestones...


Lyre widened her eyes upon hearing the blonde women's thoughts. Morbid indeed. It was amusing, how both Gunnar and Kate kept the murderous thoughts in the back of their minds. It was for safety, she knew, but it was like Sol was the only truly kind one.


Her eyes wandered to him as hus mind drifted off into another time completely. She frowned at how utterly in love he was with someone who didnt even roam the Earth anymore. Love annoyed her. So much so that she wanted to wack the can of spaghettios onto the floor. Allowing yourself to fall into the pattern of another was weak. It was possible to take on the world by yourself. To Lyre, love was like giving somebody the ability to crush everything you are.


She laughed a little at Gunnar's first remarks about sides. Of course, he'd be on his own side. As he continued, she cocked her head to the side. It seemed as though he had pulled a speech up from under his belt, something deep and emotional about the true meaning of being a rebel. When he was done, Lyre clapped her hands together quietly.


"Sweetly put, Gunnar," she aaid mockingly, the beginnings of a smirk rising on her lips. "I feel as though I nust rise from my chair and chant 'Rebels!' into the cool summer sky."


The white-haired girl then wandered off towards the fridges, once keeping the gas station supply cold. Now, things sat in the heat of the present day, some coke bottles containing a strange liquid. She yanked open the door, a pulled out a water bottle, before sauntering over to the isle of canned items. Her fine fingers wrapped around something hearty; a meat stew type of thing. They then trailed over the can opener in Gunnar's hands before taking it from his grip.


She took a spork from a packet on the counter before opening the can. Lyre propped herself back up onto the counter, in one smooth swift motion. All her movements were like that, as if they had been practiced a thousand times to be performed at such grace.


"Lyre Scarce," she said, digging her utensil into the mixture. Sol had introduced himself as an ex-special agent officer. Gunnar; a deranged freak running around drinking blood. And the thing was, Lyre could say the same thing (minus the blood).


"I was a lost little bird before this war even began."

 

[Wrath Of Athena]

"As long as you're drinking the Loyalists' blood and not mine," Kate said to Gunnar. "I'm... I'm Lauren Wilson," She lied.


She still didn't trust them, regardless of what philosophical things they said about the nature of rebellion. "So, what are your powers?" She asked to the three of them as she grabbed a can of fruit. I hope there's not a mind reader. I hate mind readers. My thoughts are supposed to be mine. Wait... Damn it, I think that Scarce girl might be one. That'd be how she knew I was wondering about their allegiance. And now I've probably offended her. Shit. And she's also going to know that I was lying about my name. She cursed herself for not realizing it before she lied. She began opening the can of fruit, hoping she was wrong about Scarce.

 

[BarkWolfBacon]

"You're a bad liar, Miss Wilson." Solomon said, chuckling through a mouthful of spaghetios. "I am what the Bureau called an alchemist. I can transmute the four classical elements into one another, as well as my body into a vapor." He was too tired to do anything wondrous, but he poured some water on the ground and touched it, a small fire appearing and then burning away; no sign of the water remaining.


"But years of profiling at the bureau taught me when someone is lying. Your outward hand gestures aren't normal behavior for someone discussing themselves. Especially for a woman, who use inward hand gestures and direct eye contact. You did neither. So with all due respect, Miss; who are you really?"

 

[Esoteric Truth]

Gunnar shot a long hard glare Lyre's way, his mouth in a tight frown as he sighed and shook his head. Mock me all you want, Bird, but I wasn't trying to put on a show. That time, anyway. If I can get that guy to stop worrying so much about finding 'rebels' and just settling with us, we could all be the safer for it. If we all stick together and just hide out here, we could survive for a little while at least. But if he decides that we're not rebel enough for him, we lose another member and perhaps one of the stronger ones.





"I don't plan on eating your blood, Lauren. Not without permission, anyhow. I'm not so vile as to sneak up on you in your sleep. For the moment you could be useful, so I won't hurt you. But Blondie, how come you get to ask all the questions. First our names, now our powers? Please, tell us yours. After all, it was us whom so kindly invited you in, was it not? Therefore I would argue it is you who is required to disclose the nature of your person," he murmured, his mouth in a thin smile directed towards the blonde. As Sol said, the girl was lying through her teeth. The hesitation with which she said her name told him that she made it up on the spot. He didn't trust her as a result. At least Gunnar had been blatantly honest about who he was, about both the good and the bad.


"Now doll, you seem like a fine person, but considering the past of my friend Sol here, I have no doubt that you're lying if he says you are. And I'm not exactly fond of liars. Lying just screws yourself over. Someone is bound to find the truth sometime and when they do you're stuck paying retribution for it. I don't think you want to pay the retribution in the scenario," Gunnar said smoothly, leaning forward. His characteristic faint smile wasn't present on his face, replaced by a solemn wide-eyed stare that attempted to lock eyes with her. "Now I do hate to start off our relationship with a threat, but if you don't do as Sol says and introduce yourself with the same trust that we've done to you, I'll take back what I said earlier and not only will I take your blood, but I'll make sure as hell that you don't walk out of this building in one piece. You'd best take my word for that."

 

[crystaldee]

Lyre cocked her head at the girl. Each one in the room could tell she was lying, but Scarce's method was most reliable. She had to stiffle a laugh as Kate internally ranted about mind readers. Gunnar also shot a few thoughts her way, which startled her again. She would need to get used to it, for she was sure it would become something of a habit for him.


Sol is so much of a kind soul, she sent the thoughts into Gunnar's mind. He accepts us already. Even if we do not deserve it. Then she smirked in his direction. Although, I would love to see you put on a show.


He was correct though; out of the four of them, Sol would be voted most successful. Most caring. Most sturdy. She knew very well that her and Gunnar were unstable. And maybe for these types of situations, their personalities weren't the best. Nor were their state of minds.


Lyre decided it wasnt necessary for her to reveal her powers to the girl, for the conversation had taken a turn. Both the men immediately caught onto her lying, and interogated Kate. For Lyre, it wasn't such a big deal because she always saw people as they were, and lies that came from their mouths didn't change her perceptions. It didn't change whether the girl was loyal or not, she was simply still cautious. Sol was stern, but not unfriendly about it, while Gunnar became hostile.


This was the reason she didn't interrupt with a joke about not liking liars. For it was her name: Lyre. Like Lyre Bird. He was being forceful, so she figured she'd stay silent, but a smirk crept onto her lips. Scarce sat back a little, keen to listen but not be involved. Gunnar said he didnt want to start the relationship with a threat, and yet he had done so with each and everyone person in the room.

 

[Wrath Of Athena]

Damn it, Kate thought to herself. They didn't even need a mind reader to know I'm lying. "Fine... I'm Kate Vincent." She said, avoiding Gunnar's eye contact. He still kinda creeps me out... "My powers are strength and healing. Pretty boring powers, I know, but it's what I've got." She didn't like telling them her name, as she still didn't fully trust them. In order to demonstrate, she pulled her knife out of her pack, and stabbed herself in the arm. It hurt, but she was used to pain. She could handle it. By the time the blood dripped down onto the floor, the wound was healed with no visible scar. "If you want it, there's some blood for you." She said, trying to use that as a sort of... gesture of peace. "And don't call me doll."

 

[BarkWolfBacon]

Solomon almost moved to stop her when she stabbed herself, but as he watched her heal he pulled himself back. He whistled and took a bite of spagghetios. "Thats actually pretty awesome, Kate. I could have used that back in the day. This one time I was chasing a mutant who had ice powers, stuck an ice shard right through the palm of my hand while I was trying to arrest him. Had to take such a long vacation for that to heal, sorry- I'm rambling."


It was dark outside now, the exhaustion of the day creeping over Solomon as he suddenly realized just how tired he was.


"So what now? What do we do in the morning?"

 

[Esoteric Truth]

Gunnar smiled to Lyre, his tense shoulders seeming to relax a little as he rested his back once more against the hard edge of the counter. A kind man indeed. It worries me, however. How does a sane man remain kind after all this? I'm not sure he does. A smart man would not accept us already. His trusting nature is reckless and dangerous. I don't mind so much, though. Danger is exhilarating. If I die tomorrow, so be it. I'll try not to, but it's not exactly like there are people out there who need me, you know?





"There's no such thing as a boring power. Especially not yours. I wouldn't mind having your power," he shrugged, raising a brow. "Since when did being able to survive a knife to the stomach become boring? Or having the strength to lift a car?" He watched as she stabbed herself, the blood flowing freely down from her hand to the floor. She was offering it to him. Gunnar laughed heartily, his hand resting in the air just in front of his mouth, his eyes close to crying. She thought he drank it because he liked how it tasted? Or for what? Why on earth would he want to down a bunch of her blood, from the floor no less. Clearly her opinion of him wasn't so great. Apparently she thinks I'm a dog.





"I don't drink blood because I like how it tastes. I drink it because that's my power. I steal other peoples' powers. I take in their blood, and with it whatever their ability is. I hold it for a day like that, and it goes away when I sleep. I'm already good, though. Killed a Degen and sipped from her wrist. I'm not about to just lap up blood from the floor, though. There's all sorts of bacteria down there," he snickered, ending this last phrase with a wink. The funny part was, of course, that he was drinking blood which was undoubtedly riddled with diseases. But you know, I've never had any bad side effects from drinking it. Maybe I'm immune. Or maybe it just hasn't caught up with me yet.

 

[crystaldee]

Lyre examined Gunnar's smile, as he threw one her way then relaxed against the countet. It seemed a strange thing on such a hard man. A smile placed on the lips of someone who should only ever scowl.


I don't think it fair to compare kindness with intelligence, the words sang in Gunnar's mind. His compassion may just lead to some risks otherwise avoided.


...If I die tomorrow, so be it. I'll try not to, but it's not exactly like there are people out there who need me, you know?...


She shook her head slightly, pale strands covering her face. The white hair fell in waves, ever so taunting on her shoulders. She thought him such a perculiar creature. Perculiar and a little too intriguing.


Kate had quickly admitted her true name, causing Lyre to nod unnoticeably. The girl didnt trust them yet, and it was hard for Lyre to comprehend why. People were always black and white with her, because she could see into their minds completely. There was never any second guessing.


When Kate said her powers were boring, Lyre was gobsmacked. Physical powers were brilliant beacons of light, telling the world of your greatness. Lyre had nothing of the sort. Her powers were concealed behind a wall of whimsical beauty and did not potray fierceness at all.


"You appear strong and unbreakable," Lyre remarked. "Your power is of a true warrior."


She was glad that Gunnar and Sol agreed.


Lyre was entranced as the blood dripped from Kate. The sound of the drop hitting the floor rung in her ears. She had a strange fascination for it and hoped no one noticed her glaring. It wasn't anything creepy, it was just a sort of essence the wine red substance seemed to have. As the conversation continued, Lyre tuned in to the thoughts behind the words. Kate had offered the blood on the floor to Gunnar.


Scarce thought this strange. Why would anyone, even Mr.Vampire, want to have anything off the floor? But Kate offered it in the most innocent way, even referring to it as a peace offering in her mind. Scarce saw this, but of course Gunnar did not, and he took it in the most offensive way. His phrases had once again took an evil turn, the smile from a second ago becoming a snicker. Lyre did not know which one she liked better; though of course his fire appealed to her. One side was just a little more dangerous than the other.


Sol's question hung in the air.


"Tomorrow is far away yet," Lyre noted, sipping the last bit of hearty soup from her can before setting it lightly on the counter beside Gunnar's elbow. Her eyes went to the window, searching for the light of the moon. It reflected in her eyes, giving them the same glow as her white hair. It gave her an entrancing appearance; a little scary but a lot seducting, like a mermaid siren calling to its victim.

 

[BarkWolfBacon]

Solomon gazed at his empty can of spagghetios, feeling more satisfied now than he had in a long time. Well, from a needs standpoint, he supposed. He had water, food, shelter, and company...but there was still that creeping loneliness. There was still the thoughts that hung just outside his subconscious, not quite his choice to think them, but actively grabbing on to them and pulling them into the light.


That is what brooding looks like, were it to be a pastime, he thought to himself. He imagined himself surrounded by memories, frantically clutching at the ones he held dear in order to stay sane in this absolutely fucked world. But Kassi wouldn't have wanted him miserable, nor for him to change into some cold beast. She would have wanted him to fight. "Keep your fire, Sol. Its all the world has left."


Yes, that is what she would have said. Something reassuring and verging just on the edge of dramatic. It would have been delivered in the way that only she could have said it, and it would have made him feel like a hero, like Charles Xavier himself. But Charles was probably dead, and Kassi was most definitely dead. So Sol smiled his tired smile, and tried to rekindle the little flame of hope and light he had burning inside his chest, it was exhausting work- trying to hold out against the constant dark world outside.


And I looked into the abyss, Sol quoted in his head, and the abyss looked back at me.


"Yes, it is far away indeed." He said.

 

[Brave]

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