Realistic or Modern Dream Eater: Of Hopes and Nightmares

Vox Angelis · May 18, 2024

Location: UNMRAS Headquarters, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1300

“With all due respect, General, what you are asking of us is simply impossible. It’s not like we can manufacture Dreamers for our needs, and you should know more than anyone else in this room how training takes time. I don’t think I need to remind you what happened to the latest squad we’ve sent on the field…”

The office’s atmosphere was tense, the three figures sitting around a large desk looked at each other with an equivalent amount of contempt. A general who, despite having mankind’s best interest at heart, was only interested in getting his hands on more weapons than what was being realistic for the moment. A Dreamer who was riding on the line of status quo, quietly tired of it all. A bureaucrat that struggled to make two pieces of the puzzle fit together. They all had a common goal, but the logistics behind achieving security for the safe zones in North America was a tremendous task. It fell on these three individuals, in this office, to make sure the rest of their world would not fall prey to the clutches of the bloodthirsty monsters that kept pounding at their doors.

“Son, I don’t care how you freaks reproduce. We’re losing a war for survival out there, we need all hands on deck.” Salvatore spat, turning his gaze to the director. “Director, let me put this out here plainly. The Council of Security is becoming increasingly alarmed and demands more resources from your institute, or else they’ll find someone else to fit the bill.”

“General,” Director Lang answered calmly, her voice cold and her eyes unflinching “You can tell the council their demands have been received, and we will comply with their needs.More units will be mobilized.”

With a grunt, the aged military leader got up from his chair. He worked a long time enough with the Director to understand there was no need for more to be discussed. Making his way to the door, he stopped, turning to glance at the woman behind her desk. “Yue, it’s nothing personal. That’s just how it is right now. We’re losing this war.”

“I know, Salvatore, I know… be careful out there.”

With a nod, the general left the room, closing the door behind him. The room remained silent for a moment. Both the Director and her Dreamer assistant breathed out a long-winded and exasperated sigh.

“We’ll have to get a move on with EPA.”

With another long-winded sigh, Casey ran a hand through the length of his hair, looking at the ceiling. “Yeah… I figured. I’ll be making preparations.” When his eyes settled back down and met the Director’s steely gaze, he held his hands up with an innocent smile. “Alright, alright, no need to give me the killer look! I’ll get it done ASAP” Sheeeesh!”

The Dreamer got up from his chair. “I’ll have my report ready before the end of the day.” the carefree tone from his voice turned informal, focused.

When the door to her office closed for the second time, Yue Lang pushed another long-winded sigh. She went to grab her cup of coffee, but refrained from bringing it up, the shaking of her hand making it quite difficult. She instead got up from her chair and went by the window, grabbing a cigarette from the case she was hiding in the nearby shelf. Her shaking hands began calming down after she blew a smoke outside, taking in the sights and the campus.

What a shitshow…

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1630

The brown-haired Dreamer walked back and forth in an empty classroom, his fingers massaging his temples. He didn’t forget anything, right? Documents were placed on the few desks within the classroom, various forms and whatnot he’ll have to explain later on. Students should be arriving by any moment now, if he calculated execution time correctly.

Every chosen Dreamer would initially feel a buzz from their ankle, a sure sign that a message was about to be broadcasted from their magical cuff. Then the voice of one of the school’s operatives would reach out to the ears of these young folks: “Student, you are required to end any and all ongoing activity and report to your room at 1600. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary measures.”

It was quite an unusual message for most students. The ones with more experience at the academy will recognize this was not part of their academic activities, but rather a military command. Whatever it was, it usually forebodes an upcoming deployment in the field.

For the ones who took the time to prepare accordingly, they would be met with two guards barging in their room with little concern of privacy. These Dreamers would then be escorted to one of the furthest wings of the academy, a place that had been under construction for a moment. Their final destination would be a small classroom, nothing unusual about it, except for the fact it was furnished with fewer desks and chairs than a normal classroom.

The students would be greeted by the Head of Dreamer Activities himself, Casey Smith, flanked by two guards of his own as well. “Hello hello ! Please take a seat, we’ll begin shortly after everyone has arrived.”

You are free to introduce your character in any way prior to arriving at the classroom.

At 1400, each of you have received a message from your ankle cuff to prepare to be at your room for 1600. If you ask your fellow classmates (aside from the characters of your fellow RPers) about this message, no one knows what you are talking about, but the older classmates will suggest you've be selected for military deployment if that's the case.

If you're not at your room by the time, two guards will arrive at your location and will order you to follow them. If you don't comply with their order, you will be tazed by your ankle cuff and arrive at the classroom in a dazed state.

Have fun everyone ! Looking forward to your posts !

Nellancholy · May 18, 2024

UNMRAS Campus, San Francisco
Time: 1545

The wind whipped through Norah Eisen's braids, the gears of her bicycle clickclickclicking as she raced down the slanted roof of what was apparently the second tallest building on the grounds. Or maybe a close third? Whatever it was, it suited her purposes just fine. These people took a lot from her the day their jackboots tracked her down and "offered" her to join the program.

But they let her keep her folding bicycle. Good. She could see how far she could push things.

Presently the slanted, layered tile on the roof ran out, and there was nothing beneath or before her but air. She pulled her bike sideways into a tabletop spin and looked up, eyes meeting it. The edge of the roof of the tallest building on campus. It was a good thing she'd learned about the Pythagorean theorem from some yellowed textbook a long time ago, though she'd probably be pulling this stunt even if she couldn't tell that the distance between the two edges was a hypotenuse with length shorter than a hundred meters.

She blinked, and then she blinked.

And in a flash she was there, wheels resting on the building with the finest vantage point of the entire complex. She sighed, not bothering to put up the kickstand as she got off the bike. As it fell onto its side, she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag, scanning the scenery below. There was a faint notion that she was wanted somewhere at 4 PM. Only a faint one. If they really wanted her, they'd come get her.

UNMRAS Rooftop
Time: 1602

"Student, you are expected to comply with the order issued to you! Come down and follow us to your briefing or immediate action will be taken."

Norah rolled her eyes, setting her pencil aside as she leaned a little further than was safe over the edge of the roof. She could make up two armored, armed black blobs on the ground, and they could almost certainly see her too. But the main reason they could still hear each other was thanks to the anklet that had been affixed to her.

"And here I thought I could get away from you lot up here. Well, if you want me there so bad, why not come get me?"

"That won't be necessary, freak." One of the guards spat. "All we gotta do is hit one little button and punks like you all fall in line. And if you fall and crack that empty head of yours open, it'll save us both some time."

"Ouch..." Norah hissed in mock offense. "Spicy. Well, guess I have to come down to be a pain in your ass for longer then."

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 1630

Norah may have been the first to arrive to the briefing, or she may not have been. Either way, she leaned back in her seat, doing her best to be as uninteresting as she was uninterested.

BuggaBoo · May 21, 2024

Rai'Shauni - 'Fiendbreaker'

1607. In the change room...: Rai knelt there in the middle of the change room floor. Serenity remained across her brown face, rhythmic and steady were her breaths.

A white towel wrapped around her chestnut hair tightly. A larger one wrapped her fit and muscular form, leaving little to the imagination. Oh, and she had her big black combat boots on for some reason.

Despite the tranquility in the white tiled room, slowly but surely that familiar scowl threatned to crease her brow once more, but a flow of relaxation pushed her brow back into a neutral position just as slowly and surely. This 'calming zone' session was not meant to drive back the Nightmare that resided within her. No, this session was one to focus all she had learned and trained for months in advance.

The magic announcement was loud and clear as it echoed away in her head. It could be rather ominous to the Dreamers that never before heard it, but for the ones who knew what lay there hidden in the undertones, like Rai herself, well, they knew exactly what it meant. This was the moment the young woman had been waiting for. They were coming for her and she needed to be sharp. She needed to make sure They remembered who and what she was.

The steam creeping into the room neath the crack under the door from the shower room finally disapated. Others could be heard in the distance working out in the gym, the music but a dull drone from here. The only sound in the change room was the buzzing fluorescent lights above her. Her zone of calm broke the moment she heard the pair of marching boots thudding down the hallway. Blue eyes snapped open the moment she heard the latch unclick from the door. Like usual, the guards had no care to respect the privacy of the Dreamers; arrogance does not knock afterall. And so slowy and surely, that familiar scowl found its welcome resting spot upon her visage, creasing her brow and igniting the glint in her eyes once more.

The door swuing open. It was Smitty. And of course Lil' Nate accompanied that cocky and pervy barrel-shaped son of a bitch. These two were hardly the best representatives of what UNMRAS had to offer. Both took sick pleasure in terrorizing Dreamers and getting away with abuse and misconduct when possible. And so when they saw the inked up, brown and muscular body of Rai kneeling down there in nothing but a skimpy white towel, both gave each other 'that glance' followed by a lecherous leer.

Rai winced as she felt that immemorial searing fire from the inhibitor cuff surge through her. She let out rough exhale; they had just nullified her power. But they did not nullify the danger she still posed to them.

"Head down. Hands where we can see them, you dirty freak!"

"Yeah. Yeah, whatevs. I know that somehow 'by accident' my towel is going to hit the floor and my modesty will be violated..." the smirk widened into a teasing smile accompanied by a blue-eyed wink, "... so here. Let's just get that part outta' the way."

Rai whipped off both her white towels and tossed them directly at the faces of the pervy pair much to there loin-pleasing surprise.

They both pulled the towels from their faces as fast as they could. The greedy grins upon their faces fell away even faster. Rai was right there, right in front of them. And the girl was fully clothed, leaning in close, and all up in their faces.

An glinting white hot sneer she flashed them. An sharp upward chinbob bounced her chestnut ponytail, "No, my name ain't 'freak.' It's Rai'Shauni; Ms. Devastation if you nasty--"

1630. In the classroom...

Several extended smacking sounds Rai let out. Man, she would kill for a glass of water right now. But instead of homocide, she just groaned and rubbed at her ankle where that bloody magic taser hid. Her other hand just held her forehead, elbow on the desk, shaking but still managing to prop up her head. The pain throbbed throughout her body just like her head always did the morning after an elite game of underaged beer pong. The drone of the fluorescent lights above could use a punch in the face, but as it was, she was depowered and so there was no sign of Devastation in sight.

A few deep breaths she took, finally calming nerves and shaky body parts. Blue eyes peered upward now; there was Mr. Casey Smith presiding at the front. She had no problems with him. At all. In fact, he had been an absolute gem in getting her past the 'rough' spots in her rehab over the past year. No, the problem she had was with the guards flanking him of course. She wasn't 100% on it but she could swear that at least 1 of the meatheads was tight with Smitty.

And so she reached into her bra and pulled out two items. One was the shiny, metal lighter she lifted offa Smitty earlier. The other was a cigarette from Lil' Nate's half-full pack she also lifted offa him. It was time to celebrate. A clink, scrape and whoosh sounded out; a flickering flame danced at the tip of the shiny, metal lighter. Rai took several puffs, one for each of her beloved family members. Plumes of smoke spouted out above her head, but undoubtedly most of it encrouched upon her nearby neighbours.

She sat there rather unlady-like wearing her shiny, black combat boots, camo fatigue trousers, and a camo hat with her ponytail pulled through the back. A very immodest athletic white bra top barely covered up her inked-up, muscular brown form (and of course it was all bedazzled with happy faces, rainbows and butterflies along the hems a la her kid sister, Kishy). Her combat fatigue top hung placidly on the back of her chair.

"Nightmare Dreamer, Agent Fiendbreaker present, sir. Ready, willing and waiting to break unfriendlies with extreme prejudice. Just tell me what you want broken and I'm ya girl."

Umbran Fumbler · May 25, 2024

Adelina Manuela Serrao

Location: UNMRAS Campus Park, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 1:45 pm

"Care for a gummy?" Adelina asked the scruffy boy, a gentle smile resting on her face as she rummaged through her backpack.

A park as vast and green as the on one campus was no place for a child to be crying, especially on such a bright, beautiful day. Yet a crying child is exactly what Adelina had stumbled upon during her afternoon walk; no older than twelve, he was standing alone at the base of a thin tree a ways off the main path. His reddened eyes were focused on the willowy branches overhead, that was clear, but the exact cause of the tears running down his cheeks wasn't as immediately obvious.

Regardless of the cause, though, the tears were a problem.

The boy was startled by Adelina's voice, going rigid for a moment before looking to her, his eyes falling onto what she'd produced from her bag: a small packet of gummy worms. The tears stopped, but the frown and the furrowed brows made it clear he was just stifling them.

"Only if we can share them."

His voice was uncertain and unsteady, but his generosity—even with something as precious as a juicy packet of big, fat gummy worms, each one with three different colours and flavours—warmed Adelina's heart. She tore open the packet and let him take his pick of the bunch first, though she was much quicker to stuff the sugary snack into her mouth once she got one between her fingers.

This worm was somehow more delicious than the ones in the other packet from an hour ago, which themselves had been even better than the previous packet. Sweet and fruity, chewy and juicy; not long after the first had touched her tongue did she find herself munching on another.

Then another. Then another after that.

It wasn't until she'd slurped up her sixth one that she noticed the boy was laughing, and it wasn't till she stuck her searching hand in the empty packet that she realised he was laughing at her.

"You really like those things, huh?" The boy asked, his tone much bolder than before.

"How can one not?" Adelina giggled, smiling at him. "It seems as if they've worked their magic on you too."

"I haven't even had one yet." He was right, between his fingers dangled the very same gummy of red, white and green that he'd first picked out.

"Well," Adelina started, embarrassed slightly by the power gummies held over her, "you're not crying anymore. That's what matters."

The boy nodded but quickly turned away from Adelina, looking back up at the tree without giving his gummy so much as a nibble. Adelina followed his gaze, craning her neck up at the tree and spotting an odd mass of black fuzz atop one of its tallest branches. Upon squinting, she realised it was a cat.

"Is that your cat?" Adelina asked.

"He is. But he won't come down." The boy's voice started to tremble. "I lost him a while ago and now I'm not sure he recognises me. I'm—"

"Don't worry," Adelina cut him off, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "I'll bring him down for you."

The tree didn't look climbable, no low hanging branches or footholds, and the branches it did have looked like they would snap with a tug. Fortunately, climbing was not the only way up for Adelina.

Adelina took her backpack off, setting it at her feet before squatting down beside it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the sounds of the outside world—chirping birds, whistling winds, the boy's shuffling—all faded away. A calming warmth formed in her chest, then washed over the rest of her body, loosening any muscles it reached and culminating in her hands. A bright light shone from the surface of her palm, it was visible even through her eyelids, and she heard the boy mutter a woah under his breath, but she squashed any feelings of joy or pride brewing inside her and focused on staying calm as she reached out and felt the coarse fabric of her backpack against her palm.

The light faded, and Adelina opened her eyes.

Her bag started with a gentle rumble, then a few light shakes before descending into a bout of convulsions. A sheen of deep red scales slid out into place between the polyester fabric, striping the bag like it was a reptilian zebra, and a pair of bulbous eyes popped out of the straps. A muffled voice squeaked out of the bag, though it was quickly silenced by two huge, webbed wings erupting out from either side of it, flapping in a frenzy as the bag reached a peak in its quaking. Then came stillness and silence.

The boy was holding onto Adelina's arm by the time the blessing had run its course, and he let out a little yelp when the bag began to hover above the ground on its own.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Adelina cooed to both boy and bag before closing her eyes once more.

There was no darkness this time; this time she could see the grey paths, green grass and blue sky of the world around her. She felt no ground beneath her feet, nor the boy's hands on her arm, the only limbs she could feel were the pair of beating wings.

Her pair of wings that she was beating.

Adelina made the bag ascend into the tree, quickly reaching the same level as the cat and perching on its branch. The adorable animal seemed curious about the bag, sniffing at the zipper, and curiouser still when that zipper opened up all on its own. It blinked twice at the new, warm area to laze in before slinking inside.

She was more gentle in guiding the bag's descent, puppeteering a gentle glide from the top of the tree to the bottom. Then, the world began to reform around Adelina and she opened her own eyes once again.

"Your cat fell asleep in there so be gentle," she said, slightly startling the boy.

"You mean I can take the bag?" He replied nervously. "Will it start... shaking again?"

Adelina shook her head. "No, nothing as violent as when it was blessed with life. It might move a little from time to time but it has a very calm temperament, just look at it now." She gestured towards the bag, it was sitting on the ground nearly as still as before it was alive.

This seemed to convince the boy, who trotted on over to the backpack and gently brought it into his arms, cradling it like a baby.

"Thank you!" He called out as he waved goodbye to Adelina and went on his way. "You're not so bad for someone who offers kids free candy in a park!"

Adelina didn't quite get what he meant at first, but then realised she probably needed a new opener when trying to help children.

Just then, Adelina felt a weak buzz coming from the anklet she'd received from the UNMRAS after being inducted into their surveillance, and along with it came a message:

“Student, you are required to end any and all ongoing activity and report to your room at 1600. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary measures.”

It was fortunate that she brought her backpack with her, at least now she wouldn't have to go all the way back to her room to get the stuff she needed for class.

Oh wait.

❂❂❂

Location: UNMRAS, Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 3:45 pm

"Good Afternoon, everyone!" Adelina sang as she opened the door into the classroom. She held the door open for a moment, allowing a stream of living pens, pencils, rulers, erasers and everything in between to shimmy their way into the classroom first before she closed the door. She hadn't been able to find another bag in her room and this was a better alternative to haphazardly carrying everything she needed in her arms, though she did have to spend some time wrangling a few stragglers around campus on her way here.

In the room was a young-looking man with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a smile, and even though the two guards flanking him painted a different picture, Adelina mirrored his expression as she found a seat at the front of the room. Her living school supplies were rather restless though, rolling around the desk in anticipation of what was to come.

blankcanvas · May 26, 2024

Location: Somewhere on the campus of UNMRAS
Time: 1400

Ace let out a wistful sigh as they leaned forward, placing their arms against the guard railing. It hadn’t been long since they had arrived at this building, and according to the intelligence that they were able to gather, escape would not be a possibility - at least not for the moment. It still irked them that they had gotten captured before they were able to collect their payment.

‘I know right? The client better pay…’

‘Oh, shut up Sera, you just want to look at those pretty jewelry again.’

‘Please, that’s not any better than Xian’s obsession with those shiny weapons.’

Ace rubbed the side of their temple and let out a huge exasperated sigh. When was the last time that they were forced to be in some sort of confinement?

‘Well, there was that one time back in sector 76 where…’

As Ace's mind was flooded with fragmented visions of bloodied walls, dancing corpses, and swirling colors, they instinctively gripped the metal guardrails and pressed their forehead against it. The cold metal provided a stark contrast to the chaotic images racing through their mind. With a wry, sardonic laugh, the white-haired individual sank to the ground and gazed up at the blurry sky. This was hardly the time for a flashback to one of their most gruesome assignments, especially when their freedom was on the line. It felt like being trapped in a nightmare consisting of control and order, which was a far cry from the familiar comforts of guided, unfettered freedom.

A pair of guards came within earshot distance of Ace.

‘Um…I do hate to interrupt, but there appears to be some guests here that probably want your attention.’

A dozen sighs and some eyerolls were in order here.

'Shut up Sebastian, anyways, all I’m saying is that we should use this chance to test more boundaries and-’

“Ace, you were ordered to arrive at the designated classroom at 1600. You were given ample amount of time to obey and were warned of consequences should you not comply. Please do not make this anymore difficult and come with us.”

The white-haired student suddenly leaped to their feet and pointed at the speaker.

“Long time no see Patrick~ I see that you’re still working here, eh?”

The guards looked at each other before giving their attention back to the unruly student.

“Okay, looks like we got ourselves an uncooperative student, get the-”

Ace cackled and quipped, “Still paying for underage kids to diddle that sorry thing you call a pickle?” The one that they were speaking to narrowed his eyes and was about to retort back when Ace added, “The old black van that squeaks whenever you press the brakes too hard and has a dingy engine.”

As the one named 'Patrick' became increasingly agitated, his face flushed a deep shade of crimson. With swift and practiced movements, he produced a taser and forcefully jabbed it into Ace's ankle cuff. The electric shock coursed through Ace's body, causing them to collapse to the ground in a jumble of limbs, unable to move their legs properly. The sharp scent of ozone filled the air as the taser did its job, leaving Ace trembling and disoriented.

‘I told you greeting him like that would get us in trouble!’

‘What? How is trying to ask if he’s still up to his old behaviors a bad thing?’

‘My turn~ Let’s try my suggestion this time!’

Location: UNMRAS classroom
Time: 1630

The heavy, metallic clang of the classroom doors echoed through the room as a pair of guards strode in. With an unceremonious thud, they dumped the dazed body of Ace onto the cold linoleum floor. As Ace regained consciousness, their disoriented and wobbly attempts at standing showed that they were still reeling from the effects of the taser. Their disoriented movements and glazed eyes were evidence of their struggle to regain control over their body and mind.

Finally, managing to find their footing, Ace quickly grabbed the nearest chair and slumped their head against the desk.

TheRealAngeloftheStorm · May 27, 2024

Location: UNMRAS Administrative Hall
15:50

“...everything’s fine out here.” is what Angela said. There was an undercurrent of pain in her voice, fingers twisting and twirling around the phone. Mary imagined her in much the same situation - watched by guards in a tiny room, a vast gulf separating both and connected by a single line with a hundred listeners on the wire. “Olivia’s- well. She’s angry. Robert broke up with her after she blew the whistle.”

“He needed the push,” Mary murmured. “He was never happy, no matter what he told himself.”

A snort. “Robert didn’t take it well, but he deserves better than that shrew of a woman. She’s y got a new boytoy not even a week after you left. Still spreading lies, calling you a slut playing-”

“-what Olivia thinks isn’t my concern.” she cut in.

The line was silent for a moment, before a sigh came through. “That’s exactly why she turned you in, you know.”

“I know.” Mary said, gaze flitting to the dreary stone ceiling. Her cousin’s face appeared in her mind’s eye, features twisted into a furiously spiteful smile. “What’s done is done.”

“She didn’t have to!” Angela hissed, the sound coming out as a crackle through the phone. “Going around, flaunting her boyfriend to her sycophants, being a spoiled little whore! And then she wonders why everyone liked you more than her! God, I wish I saw it, saw the signs-”

“Angela.”

A choked sob. “I-I just…”

Mary’s fingers twitched as her chest tightened. “You’re not going to do yourself any favors by dwelling on it.”

“Not everyone’s like you.” A sniffle. Mary imagined the smile dancing on Angela’s lips. “Some of us want to make the world pay. Especially after great wrongs.”

“And the price of trying to avenge that great wrong is more than either of us are willing to pay.”

Angela was no doubt grinding her teeth at the injustice Mary suffered. She’d managed to counsel her from trying to cause a scene before she went to UNMRAS. Olivia was there during the handover, and she’d all but laughed in Angela’s face when the cuffs were secured onto her wrists. Mary silently commended her for not giving into the temptation to shatter Olivia’s nose there and then.

“Damn you and your reason.” Angela said, no real heat in her words. “...I’ll call you again.”

“Of course. Talk to you later, Angie.”

“...Later, Mary.”

Later. Not goodbye. Never a goodbye.

The guards let her step out without so much as a grunt of affirmation. They were affable to an extent, but never too open with their sympathies. Most of them relished in calling them monsters, freaks - but there was much to be said about locking away people from the world and turning them into fodder for the war. Common sense leaves the mind when extinction is at stake - and any and all options are on the table.

One day I’ll return to your side, Mary thought, turning the words over in her head.

One of the guards outside the room held out a hand. “Dreamers are to report to their rooms by 16:00. Better get moving.”

She dipped her head in acknowledgement and went on her way, thoughts churning in her head and the familiar itch of her scars under her sleeves creeping up her arms.

Location: UNMRAS, Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone

The rest of the company wasn’t much to look at, truth be told. Mary closed her eyes as she sat down.

Casey Smith was the best one could hope for in this situation - but even he was constrained by the tight leash of the bureaucracy. There was little he could do in his position. Small wonder, then, that the guards flanking him only reinforced his helplessness. The same sneers, the same wrinkled nose as if they’d smelt something particularly foul.

She exhaled sharply, and waited for the briefing to begin.

Vox Angelis · May 27, 2024

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1635

As expected, most of the students on his checklist were attending this class, more or less by the time he had gauged. It always amazed Casey just how punctual these military folks were. Then again, if they got that from Salvatore, it should be of no surprise...

Judging by the states in which some of kids came into the classroom, it seemed they still had much to learn in the ways of being either cooperative of submissive to the normies. Not that he didn't understand the young Dreamers, but he just wished they knew what was best for their health. Seeing a kid brutalized for something they didn't chose to become always left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, but he couldn't do much about it. Well, he could actually do much more for their well-being than they hoped to do themselves, but his resources were limited still.

"Alright, now that everyone's here..." he paused, feeling the unease in the eyes of some of the students as they looked at him and towards the two guards flanking him. He swiftly spun around on his heels, facing his two guards. "Gentlemen, I believe that will be all."

A look of confusion was exchanged between the two men, contempt barely hidden towards the freak that dared give them an order. "No way, Smith. You know the rules, just suc-" one of the guard was interrupted by a sudden transmission.

"Ma'am? Y-yes, roger that."

The burly guardsman shot a malicious glare at the Dreamer. Without a word, a nod to his comrade and both of them left the room with silent furor. With a grin, Casey turned back to face his class, his smile ever-so bright. "Well, now that we're all by ourselves, let's get to the 'fun' part, shall we?"

Before he started, Casey's eyes shone of a bright blue. His powers could not be seen, but they would rather be felt. The tension in the classroom seemed to fade away. In its stead, a wave of calmness seemed to softly embrace each of the individuals sitting behind the desks. For the Hopeful students, they would feel slightly less burdened by the weight of the world. For the Nightmares, their Curse seemed to recede slowly into the dark depths of their mind, bringing clarity and peace of mind at last.

"For those I haven't met yet, I'm Casey Smith. Head of Dreamers Activities. It's just a fancy title they give me to put me into a position of responsibilities, but in reality I'm just like each and every one of you guys. It's just easier to pin the blame on someone when something goes wrong with Dreamers in general around these parts." He chuckled softly, and despite the meaning being so bittersweet, there was no ill will behind his words. If anything, it felt like he was taking the situation a bit too lightly.

"Alright, so you guys might be wondering what the heck you are doing here. Let me assure you, you're not going to be deployed, yet. I'm not gonna sugarcoat things here, there will come a time rather soonish when you will be sent on mission, because that's what we're here for. That's what we've been rounded up for, at least. But first, you'll get to know each other before heading out there. Starting today, you will be forming a new squad. Special Unit A. You will have teachers dedicated to your group, you will be training together during 'PE' periods, you will even be sharing rooms, that's if some of you can handle it."

The Dreamer opened a hand and directed it towards the folders sitting on each student's desk. "You will find requisition forms and some much needed information in there. I only ask that you guys fill in the documents requiring your attention and take notice of some new dispositions. As we speak, our wonderful team is relocating your belongings into the new rooms I've talked about earlier. "

With a cough, Casey paused briefly to take a swig of his water bottle sitting behind him on his desk. Letting out a sigh, his eyes returned to the students. "Questions? Anyone willing to take a round of introduction? Anything else?"

For requisition papers, students will get a folder with formal documents to request diverse stuff a student feels like they might need. It is documented that cooperation and good behavior raise the chances of having requests accepted, depending on their nature.
In another folder, students will find a card and a document explaining the nature of the card and its restrictions. The restrictions are as follow:
- The card's allowance is $500, refilling on the first each month.
- It can only be used in stores surrounding UNMRAS.
- Money can't be physically withdrawn.
- The card's allowance can be subjected to change depending on its user's will to cooperate and their behavior.
- The card can't be used on online expenses.
There's another document to fill out by the students. Extracurricular classes. You can choose between culinary, music, art or computer classes. Choose one.
A lodging list. The following list depicts how the students are roomed:
- Room #1: Norah Eisen and and Adelina Manuela Serrao
- Room #2: Kyoshirou Natsume and 'Ace'
- Room #3: Marianne Allard and Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes
- Room #4: Dewi Wijaya and Angélique Lachance
Finally, there are some exams on various general subjects such as mathematics, English, science and such to gauge your characters' level of education. Please just mention on which academical year your character would be.

Umbran Fumbler · May 28, 2024

Adelina Manuela Serrao

Location: UNMRAS, Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 4:35 pm

Adelina's new friends all seemed to be varying degrees of disinterested in their current situation. Though more importantly, they also seemed to be varying degrees of injured. Two of the girls, the one with long red hair and the one in the chrome coloured hoodie, seemed well enough, but the other two were clearly not. Agent Fiendbreaker had been clutching her head in pain before resorting to a cigarette, and the other poor soul had been dumped on the classroom floor like a slab of meat on a butcher's counter. Compared to the outside world, the UNMRAS campus had been a safe haven for Adelina. Clearly, that was not the case for all of the students, and though Adelina wasn't yet strong enough to make it so, she could at least help a little.

Adelina reached into one of the pockets she'd sewed into the inside of her robe, producing a box of over-the-counter aspirin. She'd apparently already taken six of the tablets from this box, and she only had three more boxes back in her room. The idea of running low alone made her a little uneasy, but right now her new friends needed the pills more than she did.

She took a deep breath and blessed the box of painkillers with life. Four wings—one per corner—sprouted from the box, but before Adelina sent it on its special delivery, she scribbled down a couple of messages on some slips of paper from her new notepad and put them inside the box too. Under Adelina's influence, the box hovered over to Agent Fiendbreaker's desk first, plopping the note and a couple of pills—still encased in plastic—down onto the desk before doing the same for the White-Haired Individual.

Aspirin for your headache. Let me know if you need anything else =)

Some painkillers for... everything. At least the fall didn't ruin your suave suit!

With any luck, that'd ease their pain a little bit.

The guards left after a brief but slightly uncomfortable back-and-forth with the man at the front, and Adelina had intended to start filling in her documents once they shut the door behind them. But, having to hold her living pencil like a chopstick to avoid smushing the various clusters of eyes that she'd blessed it with was proving a difficult task. She looked up at who she presumed to be their teacher—Mr. Smith, as he revealed—about to ask for something else to write with.

But then she noticed something.

Mr. Smith's eyes were really blue. Like, really blue. Somehow, she hadn't taken any notice of just how blue his eyes were when she walked in, but now that she'd noticed, she couldn't stop noticing. They were very blue. Very very blue. And they were so much more than just blue, too.

His gaze were more calming than the stillest seas, his look more soothing than the clearest skies. But, serene as they were, there was also a deep intensity—an unmistakable ferocity—simultaneously buried in the pair of glinting, unshatterable sapphires he called eyes.

No, his eyes weren't sapphires. They were better; strong enough to keep her safe, vast enough to get her wander in forever and vivid enough to convince her that she'd never truly seen blue before.

Those shoulders were really broad too.

It was only when she felt a damp squelch on the pad of her finger did she manage to tear her eyes away from his and look down at her pencil's eyes. Her thumb was cleanly pressing onto one.

Adelina mouthed a silent sorry to her pencil before placing it down and letting it rest; the documents were probably best filled in after Mr. Smith had finished speaking, anyway.

He actually didn't say anything she hadn't expected; training and missions were exactly what Adelina had wanted out of this place. Though, what did stand out to her was Special Unit A. In the brief time she'd spent with her powers before UNMRAS tracked her down, Adelina having to act all alone definitely contributed to a significant chunk of her failings. As part of a team, things were bound to go smoother.

"I'll introduce myself!" Adelina said, springing up from her seat with a smile the moment Mr. Smith suggested a round of introductions. She stole another quick glance at his comforting eyes before turning to face her Special Unit-mates. "My name's Adelina Manuela Serrao, I'm so excited to meet you all."

Adelina glanced at her desk, quickly scooping up a pen of hers that'd wriggled onto the floor. "Since we're all going to be part of the same Special Unit, it might be best if we all share what we can do with our magic so we can plan out some double-threat tactics before we go out there." She held the pen in front of her face, the tiny little fanged mouth on top of its clicker letting out a little squeal. "In my case, I can bless any object I touch with the gift of life. I just wish I could bless them with common sense too!"

It was a joke she'd made to break the ice a few times before. It never really worked, but one day it had to earn her at least a scoff.

BuggaBoo · May 30, 2024

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

Smoking in the classroom...: A high pitched ringing filled her head, deepening the young woman's scowl.

It wasn't enough that Casey was droning away and the fluorescent lights above were being a bright and buzzing bitch, now she had to deal with the after effects of getting tased by Smitty. This sucked. Rai wanted to punch something-- no blow it up. Yeah, she felt like trash anyways so why not give herself an even bigger headache but enjoy the literal explosive times it could bring. But no, she was just not up for it. Instead she pinched her nose closed and exhaled; sometimes popping her ears worked to stave off that bloody effin' ringing.

It worked. A brown hand moved up to her mouth to take another drag from her cigarette. But really she was actually covering the small smile of satisfaction. A plume of grey smoke she exhaled then instantly froze up, winding up her muscles to react like a razor-bladed spring. Monster.

No, it wasn't a monster. It was some kinda winged tiny drone. Without even moving Rai could have flicked it away with a mere thought-- which she had attempted but failed due to her supernatural powers not returning as of yet. Bummer. She reeeeeeeally wanted to see the thing splatter against the wall. But her mind was changed the moment the little flying box deployed its payload.

Only one kinda person could write like that. Only one kinda person could have ever thought to bring some kinda painkiller. Only one kinda person would ever think to make a first impression by an act of consideration and kindness. This was a gift from 'The Group-Hugger.' Ewwww. Every squad had to have one. And my gosh how Rai'Shauni hated them.

What made it worse was when she saw what the 'Group-Hugger' was holding. How disgusting. The other young woman held a pencil in her hand teeming with squishy, wet eyeballs. Like for real tho, who does that? Not only that, but she was about to pop one of the eyes open like a rotten grape. Rai grimaced but continued to watch. Thankfully Group-Hugger adjusted her grip upon the eye-laden writing implement.

Rai wondered if Group-Hugger had the same kinda... 'affliction' just like her pencil but strewn across her body. Too bad because she was rather pretty despite having other well hidden 'fleshy accessories' crawling all over her figure. So yes, Rai was a bitch, but she was not an ungrateful bitch.

Blue eyes caught the gaze of the gift-giving girl. A slow nod and a tip of the hat Rai bestowed her as she dry swallowed the painkillers.

Yeah she had seen these papers before and just like before she had to shake her head at the prospect of receiving only 500 bucks as a living allowance. Hell she must've had at least 10x that at her disposal even laying low and going incognito. The scent of burnt paper and a dark plume of smoke wafted from her desk as she butted out her cigarette upon the page that denoted their allowance and stipulations to keep such a paltry, pissant amount. That AND they didn't even recognize her as 'Agent Fiendbreaker' anywhere on her docs. A jet of digusted air she exhaled and continued on through the rest of the dossier.

Culinary, Music, Art or Computers. Great. All trash choices. Not a single one was she even remotely interested in. Rai took her pen and drew a line through all the choices... but she had 'accidentally' marked off Music. By accident. These were all trash choices afterall so quickly she moved onto the exams. Done and done. Rai was homeschooled but had achieved the equivalent of possibly 1st yr college due to Mama, her sister Poli, and of course all her aunts, targeting her studies. Gosh how she missed them soooooo much-- noting that her face lost its familiar scowl, she promptly scowled and flexed her big muscles. 'No weakness here. Just move on or get removed,' said her body language.

Just then she glanced over at the list of pairings for the dorm rooms. Marianne Allard? Without moving her head she glanced around the room to see who this 'Marianne' could be. As blue eyes peered at the others, Group-hugger bascally bounced out of her seat, the glory of rainbows and angel's song nearly accompanying that wretched smile. Yuck.

Umbran Fumbler said:

"I'll introduce myself!"

Click to expand...

Rai dipped her chestnut-haired head low, her chin even lower. Neath her breath: "Please. Mother, please. Don't say your name is Marianne, please for the love of all things holy do NOT say your name is Marianne--"

Umbran Fumbler said:

"My name's Adelina Manuela Serrao, I'm so excited to meet you all."

Click to expand...

Rai exhaled a long sigh of relief. She even added a small triumphant fist pump at her hips. A smile she hid with her other hand; she had just dodged a very painful and annoying bullet. Group-Hugger's little bulbousy pencil trying to wriggle away and the little joke at the end proved it. And all of it earned a scoff from Rai as well.

"Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes, Nightmare," said the tattooed, brown skinned, and very muscular woman loudly and perhaps outta turn. But she made sure to pronounce her Mama's proud surname with the proper Latin sound; 'Cah-vee-yo.' She pulled up her hat's brim so the others could see her face now.

"I use my mind to break things and harm unfriendlies until they are dead. I am fast, strong and have a reaction speed quicker than a cat. I have a very bad attitude and I don't like to talk. But when I do, I get to the point; you should do the same.

"I am the squadmate you will hate to love but will love to have when we are out there on the field. Some people call me; Ms. Devastation. I am a missile, a wrecking ball, an uncomproming force out there and things will get hit and hit very, very, very hard on your behalf when I'm around. Know that I'm not a good person, but I am a great teammate. Betray me, betray the squad and you will find out. I suggest against such things; do not become an unfriendly to me."

Nellancholy · May 30, 2024

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 1640...ish?

Norah kept herself scarce at first, as the rest of the newest batch of Dreamers filed in, several somehow managing to be slower than her. Or, not that much of a surprise really.

A couple had to be more or less dragged in, insensate from the effects of their anklets. She felt just a little sorry for them, though she appreciated the example they demonstrated of what apparently would happen if she pushed back just a little more against the guards.

Maybe the day would come when she actually had to risk it. The day something would be worth risking that for.

But in the meantime, she slouched in her seat and listened to Mr. Smith. She figured if she was going to be here for a while, she may as well get the lay of the land.

And as it turned out, she really didn't like what she heard.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Smith. You people didn't bring us here to give us a chance at a nice clean life, or whatever you think a proper education is." Her tone was just a little colder than usual, and not nearly as sarcastic as she could make it. "You just wanted some lucky dreamers you could force into playing soldier boy for you. Well, I'm on board. I'll just make sure you all pay for it, 500 dollars at a time. Can I requisition my freedom? A little personal space?"

Dissatisfied, she shifted in her chair.

Umbran Fumbler said:
"In my case, I can bless any object I touch with the gift of life. I just wish I could bless them with common sense too!"

"Guess if you could, that'd be a power worth blessing yourself with, right Ms. Serrie?" She chuckled. "Well, you people can just call me Norah. I'm not here to be your specimen, or anyone else's." She chose to keep everyone present guessing, though she figured Mr. Smith and whoever pulled his strings knew the details. "All you need to know is that my dream told me I could outdraw and outrun anyone in this room, so anyone who wants to get hands-on with me shouldn't bother trying." Here she gave Rai'Shauni a little wink. "Don't worry, I'll keep myself pointed at the bad guys. For now."

Despite her abrasiveness, Norah cooperated with the form-filling, noting down the computer elective. Maybe she'd finally figure out one of those things.

Her answers to the tests seemed to put her at about the equivalent of a United States 7th grader, or at least that's the impression she wanted to give.

Vox Angelis

BuggaBoo

Umbran Fumbler

blankcanvas · Jun 1, 2024

Location: UNMRAS classroom

‘I spy with my little eye…’

‘Oh for fucks sake Xian, for the last time, there was never a game called Eye-Spy. Not in your time, or my time, or any other time!’

‘Look look! The room is fillllllllllllllllllllllllllllled with different fleshbags! And ooh, they feel different from the usual~’

Ace awoke with a loud groan, their head throbbing from a bothersome migraine that seemed to have settled right at the center of their skull. The relentless pounding was only made worse by the incessant white noise that seeped in through their ears. They could feel every beat of the pounding headache, like a drum being played directly on their brain. The room felt too bright, too loud, too overwhelming. Every sound felt like a needle piercing their brain, making it nearly impossible to find any relief or respite.

‘This is our territory, get out and go haunt a different section.’

‘No, you!’

The white-haired individual murmured something inaudible before slamming their forehead against the flat surface of the desk.

‘Drama queen much?’

‘I know, right? Some people are so insensitive…’

‘Oh, it’s that man we saw earlier, and it looks like he’s talking about something.’

‘Look, it’s some kind of flying paper!’

The relentless bombardment of voices swirling through Ace's mind was like a chaotic symphony, each one vying for attention and drowning out any coherent thoughts. They were so used to the constant chatter that they barely registered the comments directed at them, completely missing the note that was addressed to them. Lost and disoriented, they had no idea where they were or why they were here, but exhaustion and weariness weighed heavily on their body. All they could think about was finding a place to rest and shut out the relentless voices for a brief moment.

‘Excuse me, but it looks like they are taking turns doing something?’

‘Shut it Sebastian, nobody cares, go get me some food.’

‘B-but we aren’t-’

‘Oh oh! We’re in a classroom and these fleshie things are doing some kind of introduction~’

Ace finally decided to raise their head and take a look around the room. The usual sight greeted their eyes - faceless heads attached to mis-shaped bodies that were mostly sentient. Of course, there was the obligatory amalgamation of letters that each of these individuals would insist was their unique identifier.

Ace didn’t care a single bit.

‘Oh oh! It looks like people are looking around, so it’s my turn, alright? No arguments!’

With a surge of adrenaline, Ace sprang up from their seat and landed gracefully on top of the desk. Their choppy bangs were swept to the side, revealing a mischievous twinkle in their eye and a sly grin that curled at the corner of their lips. They elegantly bowed, their body language conveying a sense of confidence and charm.

“Greetings, mortals! We are the bringer of peace, saviours of the world, and the one who shall bring salvation to thy soul. We are-”

The white-haired student's face twisted in agony as they clutched their head with trembling hands. A few dry heaves escaped their lips before their body went completely limp and slumped to the ground, a chilling silence replacing the commotion just moments ago. Suddenly, Ace let out a sharp cry and began wailing, their voice echoing through the room like a siren.

“You told me it was my turn! Stop being unfair, you always do this! Stop trying to-!”

Then, it all stopped in an instant. Ace blinked a few times as they slowly got down from the desk and buried their head upon the desk again.

kindredspirits · Jun 7, 2024

.
.
.
.

how she's feeling...

slightly concerned, but visibly relaxed and cheerful
what she's wearing...

pastel blue palette; an unzipped hoodie, white flowy blouse, pleated skirt and belt with long socks and a pair of simple grey heeled boots
where she's at...

UNMRAS Classroom
in the conversation...

blankcanvas Nellancholy Vox Angelis TheRealAngeloftheStorm BuggaBoo Umbran Fumbler

lumine

hopeful ice princess

UNMRAS Hallways, 3:20 P.M.

The soft click of heels echoing off the tiled floor of the empty hallways with each stride of the white haired young woman took, her blue eyes flittering around the various windows they passed with her hands held comfortably behind her. A fully armed guard on either side of her, watching her every move as she gracefully spun to face them without missing a step, her hair swaying behind her smoothly as she grinned at the the two men in a way that had their own lips lifting upwards as they knew what was about to happen.

"Sooooo, like, I’m totally being reassigned to a new unit right? Can either of you tell me if I have any cute teammates?"

She asked, a lilt to her voice hinting at the giggle she was suppressing, her grin morphing into a pout where she puffed out her lower lip just slightly, softening her eyes as she fluttered her eyes. Lumine even going so far to bring her hands together for them to see how she held them as though she was praying for them to answer,

"Pretty pleeeeaaaaase, I promise I won’t tell if you do, I’m just like, totally dying to know."

"You know better than to ask."

The guard to her right answered, the other one coughing into his palm as he watched the twenty-one-year-old woman huff and turn her back to them, crossing her arms in mild annoyance.

"Ugggggh, you guys are so being the absolute worst right now."

She mumbled under her breath, in vain as they still heard it very clearly in the silent halls they walked down, her eyes rolling at the sound of the snickering from them behind her.

’So they don’t actually know.‘

Unbeknownst to the two men behind her, laughing away, her eyes narrowed for just a moment before she relaxed her expression.

’How inconvenient.‘

refraining from clicking her tongue, she looked over her shoulder while letting her eyes soften.

’If even they don’t know means it must be a recent decision… Are things that dire that boots on the ground are more valuable than actual synergy?‘

The thought had her looking more intently at the two guards whom she knew well after being paired with them for almost the entirety of her time at UNMRAS. So when she saw them stop, her feet did the same, standing still in the hallway as they both touched their earpieces to hear whoever was talking to them on it better.

"The West Hallway ten minutes out from the rendezvous point for drop off. The Dreamer wanted to arrive early—"

He paused, cut off by the voice on the other line, who, by the grimace on both their faces was either Director Lang or the Head of Security.

"Understood, we’ll double back and be there shortly sir."

Lumine crossed her arms, letting out a long sigh as she turned on her hell and started walking the way they had came, looking none too pleased with the interruption but rather than showing her anger she choose a sulky expression to display.

”I can’t believe he is gonna make me late for the first meeting.. Like first impressions are everything. I’m gonna be shunned—”

Lumine huffed loudly as she half-heartedly glared at the laughing guard.

“It’s so not funny!”

UNMRAS Head of Security Office, 4:10 P.M.

“I mean it, try to keep your distance, especially from Marianne.”

Eugene Doe, Head of UNMRAS’s Security, stated his wish once more. His voice gruff and his grizzled face marred with a few scars and a neatly kept beard of thick dark brown hair. He towered over her in height and his calloused hands looked far too worn to look like they belonged on the soft young woman’s shoulder. To anyone else, he would have been intimidating, frightening even. Yet she reached up and pulled on his cheeks with pursed lips.

“Oh my god, I heard you the first, like, hundred times.”

Any other Dreamer would have been tazed on the spot, but he accepted the frustrating touch with a deadpan expression.

“But I really can’t do that— You know that— Like, I gotta make friends so when we go out we’re like, actually gonna cover each other.”

She began, not resisting him pulling her hands off his face and keeping them held tightly in his own.

“There’s no I in team, or whatever.”

She dropped her hands as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re not a soldier, you’re not even a fighter-”

A bitter taste enveloping her mouth as he began to work himself up into another tangent, and though he didn’t know of all the work she had been doing on her own, she felt like it wouldn’t have mattered either way. Having it dismissed like that was just about it, so she happily took the easy way out by turning on her heel and starting to walk out While dramatically looking at her wrist as though her bracelet were a watch.

“Oh would you look at the time, I’m already late. Love you lots, will totally not even look in the other’s direction. Like complete denial of their existence.”

Lumine very quickly spoke as she opened the door, pausing for only a second to look at her father to blow him a kiss from the doorway.

“All of my attention will be on Councilor Casey and his instructions~”

She couldn’t help herself, she had to add that quip with a salute before closing the door behind her, a large grin on her lips as the last few seconds of seeing her father before the door shut completely was him going from acceptance at her only heeding what he said to regret Even though he knew she was joking. Mostly.

That did not stop her from giggling as she started jogging to make up for lost time.

"Hey, slow down—"

One of her guards called out, that she promptly followed by slowing down considerably to let him catch up.

"Seven years of being here, and this will be the first time I was late.."

UNMRAS Classroom, 4:35 P.M.

Even at a brisk jog it took far too long for her to make it back to the classroom. Taking a moment to recollect herself, her compact mirror she had forgotten in her jacket pocket coming in handy for her to look herself over and fix her appearance Just outside the door. Just as she snapped it shut and was about tell her companion she was ready to head in, someone very loudly began to speak in the room. Loud enough for them to be heard clear as day from behind the door. Both her and the guard looking at the door.

"Greetings, mortals! We are the bringer of peace, saviours of the world, and the one who shall bring salvation to thy soul. We are-"

As soon as she heard dry-heaving, her nose crinkled in disgust reflexively as she opened the door just enough for both her and the guard to poke their head in. Both of them watching the commotion the androgynous teen was- going through? They looked too pained and uncomfortable to be faking it from her point of view, the wails they let out soon after confirming it to anyone else who might have doubted despite the brief period of silence between the two.

"You told me it was my turn! Stop being unfair, you always do this! Stop trying to-"

And then they were back up, perfectly fine? Already speaking up once more as though arguing with someone no one else could see before calming at the drop of a hat and then sitting down back in their chair. They blinked, she blinked, the guard blinked, the moment passed and honestly her dad might have had a small point if that was one of the nightmares. They certainly didn’t seem stable, a concern, but they definitely weren’t the one her father had warned her most about. Her blue eyes scanned the room quickly to look over the rest, taking note of them all as she then flicked her gaze over to Councilor Casey and let her concerned expression morph into a bright smile, a soft giggle leaving her lips as she fully stepped into the room.

"Hi Councilor Casey."

Her hand reached up to twirl the ends of her hair around her fingers as the guard stepped inside briefly.

"Pardon her late arrival, she was held up in a meeting with the Head of Security and it ran later than we anticipated."

He gave short salute before excusing himself and leaving.

"Bye~"

Lumine called out with a wave of her hand that was for the most part, seemingly ignored, though she didn’t seem to mind. Her attention shifting to the others in the room already sitting down with folders, her smile not slipping in the slightest as she waved at them also.

"Hi~"

Giggling to herself, she rested her hand over her chest, easily taking this chance to introduce herself.

"It’s sooooo nice to be able to meet you all! I’m Lumi— Well my name is actually Aurora, but my middle name is Lumine and like, while I like that name, Lumi is just so cute to say, so I prefer to go by that. Ya know?"

Her hand moved as she spoke, pointing and waving before settling to tuck some of her long white hair behind her ear so she could play with the ends.

"I totally can’t wait to getting to know you all, it’s gonna be really awesome."

Then she slightly turned to face Casey, swaying slightly in place as tilted her head a little.

"Can I sit anywhere, or is there some kind of a seating chart? Oh! Do I get a folder to fill out too?"

Rapid fire questions in a cheery tone despite how obvious the answers to them were, was a deliberate choice since this wasn’t the first time she had been to one of these kinds of meetings, but just as she had during the ones before, it was consistent for her character to ask it yet again.

♡coded by uxie♡

Vox Angelis · Jun 8, 2024

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1645

Casey sighed and sat on his desk, water bottle in hand, as he listened to each of his students. His stance and appearance felt so unbecoming of someone of his status. But then again, as he explained earlier, he was far from considering himself above the rest of them. He wasn't really their teacher. Simply a peer, comrade, a fellow prisoner, with a different set of responsabilities.

Some of their reactions were perfectly understandable. Who would accept being held here against their own free will to fight a war most of them won't survive the first month. Casey really could sympathize with each of them. Alas, it is what it is, he figured. He just needed to train them into better surviving what is out there.

Umbran Fumbler

"I'll introduce myself! My name's Adelina Manuela Serrao, I'm so excited to meet you all. Since we're all going to be part of the same Special Unit, it might be best if we all share what we can do with our magic so we can plan out some double-threat tactics before we go out there. In my case, I can bless any object I touch with the gift of life. I just wish I could bless them with common sense too!"

The Head of Dreamers smiled faintly at Adelina's introduction. Seeing a good-spirited Nightmare was quite rare, but then again, every single one of them had something dark and twisted hidden deep beneath, it was just a matter of time before they snap. And her ability would be quite useful in combat, it would potentially prevent actual Dreamer casualty. The higher-ups would call them 'cannon fodder'. Here's to hoping they would be enough to endure monsters' blows instead of actual people.

BuggaBoo

"Rai'Shauni Calvillo-Holmes, Nightmare. I use my mind to break things and harm unfriendlies until they are dead. I am fast, strong and have a reaction speed quicker than a cat. I have a very bad attitude and I don't like to talk. But when I do, I get to the point; you should do the same. I am the squadmate you will hate to love but will love to have when we are out there on the field. Some people call me; Ms. Devastation. I am a missile, a wrecking ball, an uncompromising force out there and things will get hit and hit very, very, very hard on your behalf when I'm around. Know that I'm not a good person, but I am a great teammate. Betray me, betray the squad and you will find out. I suggest against such things; do not become an unfriendly to me."

Agent Fiendbreaker, she would think of herself. It was a shame the higher-ups won't recognize any of these kids' contribution to the war simply for being what they are. While one would say pride leads to downfall, it certainly is a great motivator, and morale is exactly what they needed here. Maybe things will change for the better as she eliminates tougher monsters than she's used to. Compared to what the Firsts are fighting, these are mere table scraps. Casey can only hope her fiery temper would not lead her astray. They really need this kind of firepower around.

Nellancholy

"Oh, of course, Mr. Smith. You people didn't bring us here to give us a chance at a nice clean life, or whatever you think a proper education is. You just wanted some lucky dreamers you could force into playing soldier boy for you. Well, I'm on board. I'll just make sure you all pay for it, 500 dollars at a time. Can I requisition my freedom? A little personal space?"

"Guess if you could, that'd be a power worth blessing yourself with, right Ms. Serrie? Well, you people can just call me Norah. I'm not here to be your specimen, or anyone else's. All you need to know is that my dream told me I could outdraw and outrun anyone in this room, so anyone who wants to get hands-on with me shouldn't bother trying. Don't worry, I'll keep myself pointed at the bad guys. For now."

If is wasn't for being part of this special unit, this kind of talk to anyone other than Casey would be met with a harsh dose of correction. Fortunately, the classroom seemed to be allowed to speak freely without consequence. Then again, freedom is an illusion, a false promise of a better life. There were plenty of kids in this institute would would relate how bad it is to live with the normies as a Dreamer.

"You are free to roam around the campus and outside these walls, Norah, as long as you make it back before curfew." Mr. Smith replied light-heartedly, his smile unflinching.

blankcanvas

“Greetings, mortals! We are the bringer of peace, saviours of the world, and the one who shall bring salvation to thy soul. We are-”

“You told me it was my turn! Stop being unfair, you always do this! Stop trying to-!”

This was by far the most surprising reaction Casey expected to happen in the classroom right now. He could feel a storm in Ace's mind, but did not pry any further than scratch the surface of their thoughts. Trying to read the minds of many was hazardous, as he experienced earlier in his life.

"You alright, Ace? Think you need a time-"

kindredspirits

"Hi Councilor Casey."

The sudden and belated appearance of Aurora interrupted the young man. Casey gave a nod to the guard that escorted Lumine to his classroom, almost shooing him away as he saluted and left. There actually were less people than he expected showing up, which was mostly concerning, but he'll have to make do with those who showed up.

"Hi~" It’s sooooo nice to be able to meet you all! I’m Lumi— Well my name is actually Aurora, but my middle name is Lumine and like, while I like that name, Lumi is just so cute to say, so I prefer to go by that. Ya know? Can I sit anywhere, or is there some kind of a seating chart? Oh! Do I get a folder to fill out too?"

"Why yes, you can fill out the forms as well Lumine. You may sit at any unoccupied seat you like."

Looking on over his classroom, Casey couldn't suppress an amused chuckle. Well, this sure looked like a squad made of misfits, of many different backgrounds, talents, and personalities. This ought to be interesting.

It certainly would prove to be challenging to turn this into a cohesive squad. But he had faith in this group. Hopeful, for the irony of it.

"Now then, I suggest you take the rest of the day easy. Tomorrow, after classes, we'll conduct a combat assessment, to give us a better gauge of you capab-..."

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Safe Zone?
Time: 1650

It was just like any other day at Pacific Beach. People leisurely drove or walked to work, going about their daily with barely a hint of distress in their mind. Life in a safe zone had lulled the remaining survivors of humankind into a sense of safety. Monsters were so far away, engaged in a war with soldiers and magical teens, the urgency was barely there. TV channels and radio stations went on just like in the old world, still delivering juicy gossips of some celebrities, mundane news or shows meant to distract the general population, taking them away from just how close people were to the brink of extinction.

For the general populace, they would not be expecting this. Even the Oracle barely had time to notice it, their mind focused on the frontlines and the events at UNMRAS. The alarm came a little too late.

A tidal wave hit Pacific Beach, sweeping people away from the sands and lost to the sea, where it shortly turned red from the blood of the hapless folks. This sudden wave only heralded what had been almost forgotten to many. The monsters were only too real, and they were closer than any would have expected. As the tidal wave withdrew from the desolate beach, a shape could be seen in the water, some miles away from land. It started out small, like a shark fin or something like that, but as it approached the beachhead, the shape took on the form of a head. Then malicious black void for eyes, and a huge row of teeth. You'd think a giant shark would be emerging from the water, but then the way it swayed in the water, seemingly trudging across the ocean floor was an ill omen. Some time later, as it slowly approached, one could see it. Broad shoulders emerging from the sea. This was not just any giant shark. It seemed like shark-man-thing on steroids, with a body that would put even Arnie to shame.

Along with it came an army of sea creatures of all kinds. From flying octopuses to oversized crabs, this was not just any random more attack. This was an invading army.

Fear gripped the city, and the sirens echoed throughout the safe zone.

Location: UNMRAS Wing Z, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1652

"You've got to be shitting me..." Casey muttered, his eyes glowing of a bright blue. His casual smile faded as quickly as the transmission he received in his earpiece.

It would not be long after that an alarm began ringing across the campus. The Head of Dreamer activities got up from his desk, a frown etched on his face. For once in many a rare moon, Casey Smith looked unhappy, mad even. "You can't expect them to head out there so soon !"

"Why yes, actually." A large man stepped into the classroom, combat boots clicking into the wooden floor. Officer uniform, short well-kept hair and trimmed bear to almost a perfection, the General of UNMRAS' military forces made its way into the classroom, his presence dwarfing the gentle-natured Dreamer's. "An invasion force was spotted on its way to Pacific Beach. We need all capable personnel on the ground to push them back into the sea. With only Stormstriker, Oracle and Maglev stationed at this facility, students are to deal with the strays while the Firsts deal with the behemoth."

General Salvatore turned to the students, his steely gaze scanning each and every individual present with silence. "I am told to expect great things from your squad. To me, you only look like a ragtag group of misfits rallied together as Director's Lang last ditch effort to impress the United Nations." he scoffed at the group. "Now's the time to prove me otherwise." He said before turning on his heels and leaving the room as quickly as he came.

"Well, sorry for that. You guys will be heading into battle much earlier than I thought. Guess this will be your combat assessment." The blue-eyed Dreamer sighed, sweeping a stray lock of hair across his head.

A small troupe of soldiers came rushing into the classroom, the same ones that escorted the students into this classroom earlier. Each of them looked nervous, anxious.

"You will be escorted to your new room to prepare yourselves. You will be deployed in a hour. From what I know, the monsters' army have not yet touched ground, but will arrive in thirty minutes. Stormstriker and Maglev will engage at the earliest to prevent as many monsters as possible to reach the beach."

With a sweep of his hand, he gestured the students goodbye as they were taken away out of the classroom in orderly fashion to be brought back to their rooms.

"That's quite unlike you to remain silent, Radio."

"Oh, I'm so sorry bro. It's not like I wanted to jump in on the introductions and spook your new students. My attention was drawn elsewhere. Oracle sensed something dire and asked me to take a look at the beach."

"Hm... so how fucked are we?"

"I honestly don't know. Like, I don't even remember when was the last time we've been attacked."

"Never. It's the first time we get an actual monster force attacking San Francisco."

"Daaaaaaaaamn ! Guess we'll see soon enough if our almighty jailers were right in having only Maggie and Antonio hold the fort."

"We'll see... Do me a solid and watch over the new squad, yeah?"

"So long as Oracle stops pestering me."

silkysoul · Jun 9, 2024

★LOCATION: ROOM, UNMRA - ATTENDING VIRTUALLY TEMPORARILY★
Overall Mood: Elated. The blood lust beckons for prey of any sort.

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It was reasonable not to be present unless necessary. Given that her reputation reeks of instability, it could potentially decrease the trust of the students towards the faculty by exposing her so early on and endangering them. On her first day, it was far beyond their rationale to allow someone as possibly unhinged as Ms. Wijaya roam around in a classroom setting with other people given that none of the professionals were aware of how she’d react to being provided with so much freedom, stimuli and unexpected socialization with other people that could potentially set her off.

She figured it felt a little animalistic, staying around and moping in a room that was constantly checked in by one military worker or another if the same one didn’t feel ready enough to pick up the job of doing so. Dewi didn’t think she was that bad to be so cornered by constant supervision, she was hilarious and creative – was she not? Do dangerous criminals hold the type of silly aura that her soul does? No, of course not! She thinks of herself as nothing but a fallen angel that had its own bad streaks, but those are all gone now.

Complying with authority felt sickening, bile always rose in her throat, but there was not much she could allow herself to do. This was obligatory, she had to rise up to her responsibilities and do whatever they asked of her with little restraints. It was Marcia’s last wish, and Dewi’s anything but a woman that breaks her promises. That’s why she doesn’t make any! She plans to keep this one tight in her grasp, as tightly as her lips can be shut.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t any less bored, though. Training was allowed and walking down the hallways during classes when everyone else was studying was allowed, and well, it's not like they prohibited her from speaking to anybody. They also gave her permission to attend P.E once as an experiment to see how she collaborates with her peers – she could very well attend the cafeteria or do anything else a normal student could. It was just for her first week here that it was recommended she gets used to the temperature of the new environment before she enters class officially, and yet this regime was all so, so boring. She fed on the negative energy of anxious new Dreamers! Now she couldn’t, because nobody wanted to risk her being put in the ballpark so soon.

Throwing yo-yo’s at the ceiling of her room was taunting. It was only scratching the surface of providing her with entertainment, blood lust calls and she’s parched. Dewi’s not sure for how long she can adjust to being constantly unoccupied or under severe training, her schedule feels rushed and completely scattered, one day she’s free and the other she has to attend P.E or extreme personal training. She knows why, they’ve never let someone like her within the capacity of extremely important vulnerable students, so they’re trying as hard as they can to organize a system in which everyone can be protected – but to her it feels like they’re clawing at straws for nothing.

Dewi doesn’t understand them, she doesn’t want to either. She’s completely fine with doing what they want her to do anyway. She has no idea how they let her in here in the first place but once more she’s content with the concept as long as she gets to keep her promise up. The fact that now she gets to exterminate monsters is also exciting, blood lust beckons! Her brain is deprived of its juice and it wants more. …Maybe that’s why the personnel don't approve of her all that much, she thinks.

‘’Boring..’’ Dewi drags the word out childishly as she rests on her bed, throwing the yo-yo at the ceiling with enough force to bounce off into another location but not to break the room itself. Now for her items on the other hand… The yo-yo bounces off from the ceiling, onto the floor and immediately launches into one of her figurines on her shelf. Eouch! That’s expensive, and now it's on the floor. Thankfully it doesn’t break, but it successfully irritates her enough to want to get out as soon as possible. Blood lust’s getting insatiable! How long has it been since she’s ended something? Weeks? Months? Years? No, not years, that’s ridiculous, she’s sure she has had this anklet on her for less than a year. Ugh, her thoughts are as scrambled as her schedule, she can’t keep to one topic.

[MANDATORY ANNOUNCEMENT!]

She watches as her anklet brightens up, piquing her interest. Finally, something! She receives the notification to arrive at 16:00 to Oracle knows where, because she doesn't for sure, or else there will be disciplinary action. She giggles at that, then ponders.

‘’Is my time over?... Don’t think so. Nobody’s said nun’ bout me reporting over to the classrooms yet. Shouldn’t be.’’

She bends her neck to look at her laptop on her desk in front of her, not bothering to get closer as her soft bed was a much more comfortable spot and she could see well enough from her position. Dewi heard that they mentioned something about showing her the sessions live through her screen and leaving questions for later just so that she wouldn’t miss anything important and is still treated with the same amount of dignity for her education as her other classmates were, but she knew damn well that wasn’t happening. She was in it for the hunt, not the knowledge! Dewi was so confident that she knew everything, she didn’t even want to give any of the personnel the opportunity.

Yet, regardless, it was mandatory. So with that, she had to obey and wait until it was the appropriate time. Sooner or later she’ll get to be in person, she’s sure of it! …Probably.

—

It was 16:00. She fell asleep obviously, but uh oh! Her anklet starts buzzing. God, she hates being a light sleeper, it was only good when she was a free woman and not an anklet-wearing freak.

[REPORT TO YOUR SCREEN.]

It repeated, over and over again. She wanted to scratch her whole foot out and chug the thing through a window. How would it even know she’s at her desk?! …Right, minimal privacy for people like her. She resists the urge to comply with her thoughts about tearing the whole limb off and finding another. School wasn't worth that much trouble. Dewi could get through one day, could she not?

Could she? The girl flops off of her bed and onto the floor lazily, mumbling insults as the anklet continues to beep. Dewi then whines louder in annoyance and quickly gets up – Mistake! Now she’s dizzy! Her day is just getting absolutely more and more worse. She becomes lightheaded and her vision blocks. She latches onto her desk and slams her eyelids shut. This is what happens when you use your own blood as a weapon on the battlefield with no consideration – Anemia! Her sworn enemy. She’s already out of mood now, she’s not gonna focus! Worst day ever. Not to mention being a nightmare is like a hassle of its own with other increasingly bothersome symptoms, all that Dewi wants to do right now is hide under a pile of sheets and munch on sweets.

Sounds like a joyous experience. Too bad she’s found herself sat by her desk, opening her laptop to focus on a school lesson instead and none of that prior nonsense. Thankfully the beeping stops as soon as she enables the program devised for her and tunes into the session. First days aren’t that hard, are they? They shouldn’t be. We’re just beginning the rehash of the lessons from last year and… Oh right, they’re first-years.

Today was a horrible day, the worst one of all days, for sure. If there was a tier-list for crappy days, this would be the strawberry on top. Just the finishing piece. Little did she know!

– INFORMATION GAINED! She’s here virtually. Watching. –

‘’I assume those documents were the ones I signed when they admitted me here before the school year started, that was funny. Can't believe they wanted to get my things done so quickly, I wonder if anything's different about the things I received.’’ Dewi snickered, listening in still while entertaining herself with a fidget spinner. God, how she loved those sensory toys. ‘’Good to know I’ve got my room first, I think. I’m actually not familiar with any of these things, I don’t know what’s going on to be honest. Just seems like fun stuff to me.’’

She can’t talk to anyone yet, but hey! She can chit chat with herself. Or to the blood lust. That’s not recommended though.

The moment she turns back to the screen and focuses, things have clearly hit the fan. Dewi isn’t even sure if they’re studying anymore. The program shuts itself off and starts beeping in sync with her anklet.

[DEPLOYMENT IN AN HOUR. PREPARE.]

‘’Oh, jeez.’’ She grins! Oh, now this is exciting to her AND the blood lust! The anklet stops beeping after a few seconds once its message has been delivered.

Guess she’s meeting her new classmates earlier than expected! Hip-hip hooray for Wijaya. She’s probably the happiest out of everyone else for this. Feeding on negativity is not even a part of her ability, it’s just a personal thing and well it’s her personal thing!

Dewi immediately launches off her desk with thrill burning through her veins, she can feel her heart pumping blood faster. This is her time to shine. ★

Nellancholy · Jun 9, 2024

The sound of sirens shook the air and Norah's heart, just for a moment.

She had rarely if ever heard them before, but she knew what it meant. Bile rose in her throat and disgust in her heart. People like her and her family didn't benefit from sensors, from sirens when it came to THOSE bastards. Every waking moment was spent with eyes and ears open while THEY sat safe in their sturdy skyscrapers, letting it be someone else's problem.

And when terror came to their doorstep? Why, just throw some garbage out to get killed fighting them, of course!

None of that showed on her face as she got up from her seat, clasping her wrists together as if she was handcuffed.

"See, what'd I tell you?" She bared her teeth as she shot Casey a glance. "Guess you won't have to deal with me for much longer, huh?"

Just like that, she allowed the guards to escort her to her room.

As she got escorted in and dropped off unceremoniously, Norah simply dropped the bag with her few remaining possessions by the door, letting go of her folding bike in her other hand with a quiet clank. The room was clean and neat, but with no signs of habitation. Clearly, whoever survived long enough would get the chance to provide themselves with some small comfort to stave off the unthinkable horror of their expendability.

But for now...

Norah stepped out of her shoes, curling up a little and springing into the air, landing on one of the beds without any regard for the possibility of it breaking.

Rolling over, she glanced at her roommate.

"So, Ms. Serrie. Wanna get to know each other before we die? Where are you from?"

Umbran Fumbler

Vox Angelis

BuggaBoo · Jun 11, 2024

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

Scowling in the classroom...: Nellancholy said:

"Don't worry, I'll keep myself pointed at the bad guys. For now."

Click to expand...

To the wink and the words of the skinny girl that rode the folding piece of metal and rubber, she simply gave an upward chin nod. Although after a momentary thought, she decided to offer a response, "You just keep doing that, stay in your lane and there's a chance we get along."

To be honest, the little barb shot by this 'Norah' actually caught Rai off guard. Anyone bold enough to knock down a 'Group-Hugger' down a peg got a certified check-mark in Rai's book. An appraising look she bothered to don Group-Huggger to see her reaction, then back to Norah. Of course, she sized up the snippy little firecracker-- 'outdraw and outrun anyone in this room...' Yeah, Rai would keep an eye out to test this claim for sure. But as for now, she just tipped her cap towards 'Firecracker'--

blankcanvas said:

“Greetings, mortals! We are the bringer of peace, saviours of the world, and the one who shall bring salvation to thy soul. We are-”

Click to expand...

Rai instantly stood, muscles tensed as the white haired weirdo leapt up onto the desk. What the actual eff in the face was this freak on?!

"Chill out or get choked out," the big, inked up Nightmare of a woman wound up, readied to leap up there and do some serious 'crowd control.' Her Telekinesis hadn't fully returned but she had enough juice to knock some sense into the weirdo or just knock out some teeth--

*Flump.*

Wait wut...? This freak just flumped down all crumpled up on top of the table?! The look on Rai's face probably spoke all the sentiments of all in this classroom as 'Flumper' vomitted free all eardrum-rupturing screeching harpies from hell out their mouth.

More ridiculous nonsense yapping from out that weirdo's yap, then in an instant Flumper just flumped back down on the desk. Rai didn't know how to feel; laugh uncomfortably or just hit stuff until it broke. Instead calm set in as did the reality of the situation.

"Ey... eyooooo! Mr. Smith, you have sooooo gots to be kiddin' me?! We are getting into the field with... with 'that' thing?! Flumper here is gunna get someone killed for fu--"

Vox Angelis said:

"You alright, Ace? Think you need a time-"

Click to expand...

Just when Rai'Shauni couldn't think that this squad could get any worse...

Lumi the silver-spoon fed and supposed military brat. Yeah when you been in this facility as long as Rai had been, lock down or not, you get to hear little plump and juicy tidbits of gossip that over time prove to be true. To be fair, Rai never interacted with the white haired girl, but the rep of a spoiled valley girl did fall into the cracks and into Rai's crap-tastic corner of corrections. That and who her daddy was. And if that was true then the nepotism should be off the richter scale. So guess who the sweetheart would be to get the bestest mostest specialst and preciousest treatment? Ugh she just threw up a bit in her mouth.

kindredspirits said:

"Can I sit anywhere, or is there some kind of a seating chart? Oh! Do I get a folder to fill out too?"

Click to expand...

Rai waited for 'Precious' to seat herself. Then in an act of defiance, the big woman promptly stood and sat in the seat furthest from the silver-haired daughter of the Head of Security. Not even a heartbeat later and the siren sounded. Red flashed in those scowling blue eyes. Dead blood red... _{Remember, love...? Remember what they did to you...? Remember how powerless you were...? Remember, love...? Remember what you had to, just had to, do...?} '...Yeah... I do. Of course I do, love. Kill them. Just Kill Them All--'

Suddenly both hands balled into fists and pressed hard against her temples. No, no not that. That was the Very, Very Bad Thing inside her talking. Deep breathes then she heard his voice in her head; 'So it's up to you in the end. Ruin or Rai'Shauni. Who will you choose?' was the question posed to her by Casey in therapy.

"I choose Rai'Shauni." said she neath her breath sounding not too unlike a little girl. And with that the sudden and momentary mishap had been terminated.

An extended exhale she had let out and blue eyes were sharp and clear again. She adjusted her camo box cap and her ponytail before lowering her brown hands at ease to her sides. My gosh how she could use a 'cuddle sesh' right now.

Inside her Quarters...

What the actual eff in the face?! Someone had found and put a cute little black-eyed, rainbow-mained and tailed, squat fuzzy plump bodied, adrorable plushie that was sooooooo not hers onto her neatly piled up collection of gear and belongings!! How disgusting?! "Eyo is this some kinda' joke?!" a very, very visibly upset and very, very visibly angered Rai picked up the little plushie and inspected it, but not because she wanted to make sure no harm had become the not-beloved squishy little not-lovely thing.

"Well then. Pffft. Well... I'mma hold onto this then and ummmm... when I find out who this belongs to well... well I'mma let you have it!!" Rai opened a drawer and not-really-shoved the stupid not-adorable plushie in there. She then not-really slammed it shut and spun around not-really checking for witnesses.

A pause. A slow burning smirk lilting up at the corner of her mouth. There was fresh gear and kit laid out beside her bunk. Yeah, the outfit and guns were cool but those grenades? Ooooh how sexy!! Now there were speaking her language! Her mind wandered as she picked up and marvelled the heavy explosive things that made glorious BOOMing sounds. Hell yeah this was lit. They were sooooo speaking her language for real though.

Speaking of speaking... 'that guy' had entered the chat. Around the compound and in the correctionals one would usually hear the words; 'Salvo! Get Salvo'd!' which by definition, meant deployment of arsenal. But in corrections she knew the slang to mean; 'BS! or GTFO!' The slang term actually originated from the 'that guy's' name; Salvatore. Or as some called him; 'General Bend-Over-And-Take-It.'

Rai'Shauni didn't care too much for him and actually had to look away from his wretched face when he had entered. A yellowed soured and disgusted look she held in contempt, teeth grit down hard in her mouth as he had presided with that air of every moral superiority of his. She just couldn't bear to be looked down upon as merely an 'asset' in this war. And then to her delight, Firecracker had spit out her sentiments in all piss and vinegar fashion right back at the authority figures. Bonus checkmarks. Needless to say, Rai couldn't help but feel that the little peace-disturber was growing on her.

And to lighten her mood even further, the guards seemed to let off on the abrasiveness when they had escorted her to quarters now that all in the classroom were deemed 'squad-worthy.' Hell, they even re-assigned Smitty and Lil' Nate elsewhere much to her pleasant surprise. But one thing was still left to bear; time to readjust motives and expectations now that she had to share a living space with another living Dreamer person. By process of elimination, she had figured out just who this 'Marianne Allard' was. But having no intel at all upon the other female made her feel all uncomfortable in her skin and all itchy like.

A grumble and a sigh. Rai slowly undressed then slid into the uniform and gear provided. Oh ffs! Bruh reeeeally?! Damned if they didn't fashion this sexist crap to be reeeeeally tight around the butt and boobs. A sigh of defeat. But just then blue eyes caught a glimpse of her fine shapely curves in the mirror. I mean... welllll... Rai was hitting the squats and hip thrusts rather hard lately and the fit did make her look like a sexy badass ready to break unfriendlies till they were dead so... A scoff broke her self-indulged vanity yet the tinge of proud pink still remained at her cheeks.

A deep breath then as she waited to meet this mystery person, the big, brown and inked woman began to go through her routine of systematic inspection, disassemble, cleaning and re-assemble of her weaponry.

TheRealAngeloftheStorm

blankcanvas · Jun 12, 2024

Location: UNMRAS classroom

'Look! Another human came into the classroom This one looks fluffy~'

'What are they talking about? What's happening?'

Ace's head snapped up from the desk, eyes wide with amusement as they surveyed their surroundings. The room was abuzz with activity, but none of it seemed to hold any significance for the white-haired one. Their mind was already miles away, lost in thoughts of escape from this stifling confinement. The sound of chatter and movement swirled around them like a whirlwind, but Ace remained focused on their ultimate goal: freedom. Every moment spent in this place would soon become nothing more than a hazy memory, fading into the background as they made their daring escape.

But for now, they would play nice.

'What do you mean she was wearing that color?'

'No, that one is definitely fake, all fake fake fake~'

The student shifted their gaze around the classroom. Something felt off about the space they were occupying, and it had nothing to do with the wraiths that were bludgeoning their mind with all of the incessant nonsense. This vaguely reminded Ace of the time when they were still ignorant of their own powers and was uncertain of what was haunting them.

Now? They wished for simpler times.

Chalking it up to the frenzied crowd that was surrounding them, Ace let out an inconspicuous yawn and leaned back against the chair. However, the would-be nap was short lived as one of the stationed guards began poking them on the shoulder. Even though they were tempted to ignore the prodding, they figured that they would be forced out of the classroom one way or another.

Getting up onto their feet, Ace opened their mouth and was about to say something when the odd presence was felt again. The white-haired student promptly shut it and decided to begrudgingly move away without uttering a single word - not that it would've accomplished anything.

'Did you know, the sky can turn orange?'

'If you don't shut up, I'll shove this foot up your butt!'

'Oh! So this person's carpets definitely matches the drapes...'

Ace slammed their head against the desk, immediately causing the multiple voices and visions to come to a temporary halt. It had been a while since they had to resort to physical harm just to get the mind filter under control. Usually, some type of outside interference would've caused this to occur, but they had a device ready for such instances. The white-haired student merely chalked this up to the chaotic environment and being confined in a penitentiary-like building.

Location: Assigned Room

Ace let out a sigh of relief as they finally managed to find their assigned room. If it wasn't for the spectral guiding them through the long-winding passages, then god knows how long they would've been wandering the hallways.

Might have even turned into a ghost!

Ace chuckled at their small joke as they began to unbutton the suit when they noticed another entity occupying the room. Blinking a few times, Ace cocked their head to the side the stared at this individual. Sure, it wasn't wholly unexpected to share the room with another person. However, these people never caught Ace's eyes and they were able to ignore them. But, for some reason, they were able to notice this person and partially actually acknowledge their existence - they weren't just another faceless, walking meat bag.

This really annoyed them.

"Oye," Ace said as they stood by the doorway, staring down at the black-haired female. "Who are you?"

The girl seemed to be lost in her own little world, completely consumed by whatever task she was engrossed in. Her eyes were focused with intensity, her body language betraying her dedication to the activity at hand. The sun illuminated her from behind, casting a warm glow over her features and emphasizing the concentration etched into her brow. She seemed to exist in a bubble, unaware of anything outside of her immediate surroundings.

'This one...'

'seems...'

'very...'

'...suspicious.'

For once, Ace had to agree with the voices in their head as they tried to piece together the mystery that was their roommate. Just to quell any suspicions that they were harboring, they walked over to the black-haired female and lightly tapped her on the face. Two things immediately occurred, the first being shock from Ace, and the other being the girl swatting his hand away as her expression soured a bit.

Ace stared back at her with a deadpanned expression and told her, "So, you aren't dead, looks like everyone was wrong."

'No way!'

'Look at what she's wearing, totally drab and, like, not cute'

'Hey, let me mess with this one!'

"...name's Angélique Lachance and I'll be helping..."

Ace began to drown her out as they weren't interested with this one any longer. It had been a long day, and that taser probably messed them up more than they realized. Letting out another sigh, Ace didn't have anymore patience remaining and decided to simply hop onto the unoccupied bed and take a quick nap.

Ace began to doze off, allowing a random ghost to possess the body.

"Did you know that Shinigami's like apples?"

Vox Angelis

Umbran Fumbler · Jun 15, 2024

Adelina Manuela Serrao

Location: UNMRAS, Wing Z, San Francisco - Safe Zone
Time: 16 52

There wasn't much time to get acquainted with anyone among the chaos of the classroom before the sirens went off, and even less time before the pirate walked in with his steely, one-eyed gaze. Even through all the noise, the argument the pirate was having with Mr. Smith did pique Adelina's attention, and once the pirate left and Mr. Smith confirmed what they'd be doing next, Adelina's heart almost skipped a beat.

This was it. This was what she'd hoped would happen here. Finally she was going to have a shot at squashing some monsters with a team at her back. Finally she'd be able to make some real improvement.

Not all of her squadmates felt the same, evidence to the contrary either written on their faces or baked into their words, but not being excited to risk your life fighting monsters was understandable. The chances of achieving any kind of peace in a situation like the one in the classroom was just about zero, but with the guards coming back in, it didn't seem like they'd be there much longer. Adelina went willingly with them, getting one more look at the rest of her new friends in the classroom before her mind filled with images of what they could be fighting.

Adelina & Norah

Umbran Fumbler |

Nellancholy
Location: Stuck in their New Room (together!!!)

Norah: As she got escorted in and dropped off unceremoniously, Norah simply dropped the bag with her few remaining possessions by the door, letting go of her folding bike in her other hand with a quiet clank. The room was clean and neat, but with no signs of habitation. Clearly, whoever survived long enough would get the chance to provide themselves with some small comfort to stave off the unthinkable horror of their expendability.

But for now...

Norah stepped out of her shoes, curling up a little and springing into the air, landing on one of the beds without any regard for the possibility of it breaking.

Rolling over, she glanced at her roommate.

"So, Ms. Serrie. Wanna get to know each other before we die? Where are you from?"
Adelina: Thankfully all of her little stationary friends followed Adelina back into her new, shared accommodation; the guards didn't seem like they'd be too accommodating when it came to letting her round them up. Three pencils, two pens, a notebook, ruler, protractor and a sun-shaped rainbow-coloured eraser—all accounted for and harmlessly hopping around the floor as Adelina took a look at the rest of the room.

It was well-kept, bigger for sure, and she did prefer the warm, woolly carpet over the worn floorboards of her old place. The guards had been kind enough to bring all her stuff to the new room too, though it also looked like they'd taken some of her painkillers; there were quite a few more open boxes of them than she remembered opening.

Then came the sound of some springing springs and a thunk. Adelina turned towards the noise and saw her new roomie, Norah, already comfortable, laying in her new bed. So far, Norah hadn't gone a full sentence without saying something sarcastic. If Adelina wanted to get on her good side, being all sunshine, rainbows and gummy-worms like she was so naturally inclined to be was probably not going to be as effective as trying to match her wit.

Emphasis on try. Sarcasm and wit weren't exactly her strong suits.

"While we're still alive sounds good to me," Adelina said, starting to file away her pile of stuff. "I lived in Madeira when I was a kid but I've been to a ton of places since then." Adelina singled out a packet of gummy worms from the pile, intending to add it to the allocated midnight-snack drawer by her bed, but deciding to snack now instead. "South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee... I was excited about Kentucky, but the KFC there's the same as everywhere else."

She turned to face Norah, offering a gummy worm from the packet. "How about you? Got anything fun to say about yourself? Something for your eulogy, maybe?"
Norah: All things considered, Norah was actually quite thankful that she got roomed with someone of a more...tolerant disposition. Sure, it might have been fun to hang around with that big punchy lady for a while, bobbing and weaving until she tired herself out. But it'd be far better in the long term (if there WAS a long term to begin with) to have someone who'd put up with her. Damn, there she went thinking about the kind of people who'd actually want her around.

"Damn, you didn't get out much easier than me, huh? Unless your family saw the writing on the wall and could afford to get out early..." She remarked, before sitting up to face Adelina and leaning back against the wall. "Me, I'm from the sinkhole of Europe. Places suck so bad they even sucked up the roots my family tried to put down." Her language took a sudden turn towards the poetic. "We spent a lot of time on the road, looking for things civilized folk like the Brits would pay us for. Computers, files, cars we could tow...live samples." She inhaled, remembering the one that they finally failed to bring down. That took them instead. "Who knows whether they wanted them as test subjects, or food, or...pets. And whatever they didn't buy, we had for dinner." Well, it certainly didn't seem to be what killed them.

"And of course, when our nice new friends at the United Nations needed a new batch of cannon fodder, they so kindly came over to collect me, and I said my goodbyes." She withheld the fact that her family had been dead for years, and she'd long migrated to the intact cities where the UN had to track her down.

"Eulogy?" She unceremoniously took the worm, holding it in her hand instead of eating it. She looked up at the ceiling, contemplative. "'She lasted the longest.'" She seemed to be considering her epitaph instead, but the ironic tinge remained. By definition, if she got one soon she'd be one of the first, but she was already the last of her name.

"So...about your little gift." She looked down again, making eye contact with Adelina. "Can you make this worm all wiggly like a real one?"
Adelina: Adelina was shocked not only at Norah's story, but the vulnerability it took to tell it. Such a story wasn't all too uncommon, but a retelling never failed to hold Adelina's undivided attention. Even by the standards of today, Norah had lived such a sad life; whisked away to some foreign country, left angry and alone, longing for her old life which was so harsh and inhumane that it was barely even worth living in the first place. Every word Norah spoke was basically begging for Adelina to sprint on over to that bed, leap at her, and throw the girl into the warmest, longest hug known to mankind.

But Adelina restrained herself. Norah wasn't going to react well to that. She needed to be subtler about it.

Norah looking back down at Adelina brought her out of her head and back into the room, though it did take her a little longer to respond to the question than normal:

"Sure can! I can bring basically anything to life!" Adelina said, a smile lighting up her face and overwriting any other look that may have been there. She waltzed over to Norah's worm and pinched it between her fingers. A faint light came from her palm and not long after, the worm went from dangling limp between Norah's fingers to squirming, writhing and snapping its new pair of fang-filled jaws like an anxious snake trying to escape the talons of a hawk. "Normally I try not to do it to food though," Adelina let out a nervous laugh after realising she just broke her own rule. "Feels a little wrong bringing something to life then waiting around for it to die so I can eat it."

Adelina took this opportunity to sit by Norah, not joining her with her back to the wall, but just sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey, you didn't ever tell everyone what you can you with your magic in the classroom, did you? I think you at least owe me a demonstration now that your gummy worm is wiggling."

Eventually, she'd try to give Norah some reassurance about her situation in a more direct manner. But for now, it was best to get to know her with more light-hearted conversation before bringing up her vulnerable side again.
Norah: Now it was a little astonishing to see the worm come to life, just like all the other little critters Ms. Serrie was carrying around earlier. But Norah didn't lose her grip on the wriggling, fearful, gelatinous mass, nor did she press hard enough to crush it. After all, she'd spent the early years of her life often within biting reach of far nastier things.

Perfect for what she was about to do next.

Using her ring finger, she folded the wriggling worm, causing it to double back on itself and further restricting its movement. Tilting her head back a little, she pushed it into her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed. It probably didn't taste too different from usual...? She didn't look to Adelina for her response, but would probably be quite entertained by it anyway.

"Ah...well, since you've been so generous, I guess I can let you in on the secret. Let's not tell anyone else just yet, huh?" Now, how to demonstrate in a way that maintained just a little bit of mystery...

Reaching over to her bag, she took out a few pencils in a bunch. "Watch this." Standing up, she positioned herself at the end of the somewhat narrow room that would give her the longest throwing distance. And with that, she whipped her arm upwards, flinging the pencils in an upwards and forwards trajectory that would give them a noticeable arc.

As the pencils soared through the air, Norah waited a split second for the perfect moment, and then-

Everything froze.

She did not have even a millisecond to hold still and appreciate the moment.

Stepping forward, she waved her arm downwards, snatching the pencils as they began their downward arc. She took another big step and turned around, just as the normal flow of time resumed. The single pencil she missed clattered to the floor as she appeared to have moved a short but noticeable distance instantaneously and grabbed all the others just before they began to fall.

"Did you blink? You'd have missed it either way." She gave a little bow, a smug expression just slightly appearing on her face.

She almost wanted to do something else the same way, just to show off to Adelina. But she couldn't, or at least shouldn't. She could still remember her nerves on fire, the tearing of her muscles when she tried, all those years ago.

That was the nature of her ability, to make herself seem like the clever fox who was never caught. Always able to just put herself one step ahead to save her own skin, never enough to save anyone else.
Adelina: Adelina's face dropped when she realised what Norah was about to do to the worm. She probably should've guessed, but in her desperation to get on Norah's good side, she'd forgotten that very few people held the same sanctity for life that she did.

She considered controlling the worm when Norah folded it over, maybe try to find a way to wriggle free or nip at her till she let go. Perhaps just slapping the worm out of her hand would've been more effective.

It didn't really matter though, since before Adelina could finalise a plan, the worm was already in her mouth. Almost involuntarily, a powerless "sorry" squeaked out from under Adelina's breath as the squirmy set of little jaws disappeared into the bigger pair.

She didn't have the heart to watch Norah chew, and she tried to use the time looking away from Norah to regain her composure—though the muffled munching noises didn't make it easy.

'It's fine. It's fine! People eat live food all the time,' she thought to herself. Her mind cast back to when she was a kid, watching her mother boil crabs alive in a pot—their frantic flailing, the cracking creaks of their shells, and the slow drain on their strength and spirit as they succumbed to—

Yeah, that wasn't helping.

"Sure! I won't tell anyone!" Adelina said, snapping back to a smile when Norah offered to showcase her magic—a needed distraction.

She let her mind flood with possibilities and theories of what she was about to see when Norah started picking up the pencils. Perhaps they were about to be lit on fire? Maybe she'd turn them into explosives? Was she about to absorb them and have her skin become wood and lead?

All of her guesses were proven wrong in the blink of an eye.

Adelina's jaw dropped, but the shock quickly (not Norah-quickly but quickly) wore off, replaced with the starry-eyed expression of a fat kid in a candy emporium. "Omigosh, what? You're right, I didn't see anything. You're crazy fast!" Adelina got to her feet, compulsed by excitement to stand and flap her arms as she spoke.

"Wait, wait, wait, that's such a strong power! I already have an idea for a combo we could do together! See, with my magic, I can give stuff spikes, kinda like how I gave that... worm..." she faltered for just a moment before her beaming expression took over again. "Problem is, spikes are only good if the monsters are in pricking range, but, believe me, they're never in pricking range! But, but, with you helping," she pointed straight at Norah, "I can just throw spiked stuff vaguely in the monsters' direction and you can grab it and stab them! It's perfect!" She let out a triumphant little haha.

"Let's practice!"

Without so much as a breath after the last word sprinted out of her lips, Adelina took out the last gummy worm from the packet in her hand and threw it at Norah as straight as she could—which was not very straight.
Norah: Norah didn't exactly enjoy Adelina's reaction, though she appreciated that it was more or less exactly what she predicted when she took that course of action. Unless...Adelina was able to feel whatever her creations felt. That's how it could work, right? If that was the case then Norah'd be the one who was making things awkward. Which was not...great.

Still, it didn't seem to have bothered her too much, considering her approval of Norah's own demonstration and subsequent request for an...encore of sorts.

"I don't think so." Unceremoniously, Norah snatched the worm out of the air. Walking over to Adelina, she dropped it back into the bag. Ugh, just by touching two hands, that frail mass of gelatin was probably due to disintegrate any second now. "You've shown me your trick and I've shown you mine. No need to wear it out especially considering they're about to give us something of a workout soon." That was always how it went. Stall for time, stay ahead. Just wait for the next 60 seconds. The next chance to get ahead of snapping jaws, of flying bullets, of a fatal fall.

Instead, she picked up her sketchbook with her free hand, laying it out on the desk. The incomplete sketch of the campus grounds from above sat on top of the stack of paper. She placed the handful of pencils of varying length next to it, before selecting one. Recalling the scenery of an hour ago, she pressed the tip of her pencil over one of the pathways, marking out two small black blobs right where the two guards had called up to her. "So, anything in particular you do? Other than making pets out of anything you touch." That was the worst part of being around people. The small talk.
Adelina: It wasn't exactly the show Adelina was looking for, but Norah did still catch the worm out of the air. Even though her movements actually being perceptible this time meant she probably wasn't using her powers just now, she was still pretty quick—Adelina wouldn't have been able to catch that for sure.

It was odd, though. Norah had seemed pretty keen to show her powers off a moment ago, Adelina wondered why she'd changed her mind so quickly but couldn't come up with anything... other than that she might've been put off by Adelina's energy just now. It might have been best to take things down a notch, difficult as that may be when she was so excited about the days ahead.

Trying to be lowkey, Adelina responded to Norah's denial of practice with only an understated "mhmm" before making quick work of the returned gummy. She got the sense that Norah probably wouldn't have appreciated her buzzing in her ears like a like a persistent fly, so, instead of standing over her shoulder and watching her draw, Adelina opted to return to sorting her pile of stuff into not a pile of stuff.

"I like to embroider," Adelina replied to Norah's question, reminded of the hobby she didn't spend enough time practicing as she pulled out that scarf from the pile. It had once been a plain red, but was now 'decorated' with flowers that looked kind of like flowers and butterflies that looked like they needed more time in their cocoons.

"I read when I can too. Romance stuff, mostly," she chirped up again, pulling out a book from a pile. She couldn't remember the last time she finished a book before it became her newest flower presser in a long series of ruined pages, but she had the books.

"Sorry if I was a bit pushy earlier with... everything, by the way," were the next words that came out of her mouth, though she didn't mean to say those. She'd intended to ask what Norah was drawing, but that came out instead. Though, now it was probably best to actually finish voicing the thought rather than just leave it in the air. "I'm just really excited to finally be working with other people to fight these monsters. Feels like I can finally start making a difference in all this... stuff... you know?"

She didn't really know how Norah would respond, but if they were going to work together then she was going to know how Adelina felt about their situation eventually. What was the harm in eventually being now?
Norah: "You know your way around a needle, huh?" Rather than sitting down, Norah remained in an awkward standing posture over the desk, bent over slightly so that she could resume her work.

Her memory of the prison she had been dragged to was imperfect, and the rest of the drawing took on an improvisational bent. Roads became wiggly, lampposts and other roadside fixtures were irregularly placed, but showed a strong grasp of perspective and foreshortening from the illustrator's perspective.

"Could've used another person like you in the caravan." She remarked, not looking up. "When your jacket wears out out there, it's not like you can bike down to the shops. Need someone to sew another layer on. It gets pretty damn cold out there. Reading...maybe I'll find something worth reading if I come back here. All you find out in the wastes is old-ass papers falling apart, and like...travel magazines 10 years outta date. They should update them to add all the deserts and sinkholes."

Momentarily, Norah's focused expression took on a contemplative turn. "You think that was what the Dream Eater wanted? To change the world in a way that screwed everything up for everyone? I think it did a great job of that."

She didn't linger long in that speculative mood, moving on to address Adelina's next statement. "Be real with you, if I have to do this partner thing, I'd rather have someone like you around than those bullheaded types who get pissed off over the smallest thing. Around here they'd probably have the kind of power that'd give me...a little trouble if they got mad at me."

The last thing Adelina said gave her pause, however. "'Finally be working with other people?'" Although likely misunderstanding, Norah put her hands on her hips, turning to face Adelina with an amused expression. "Have you been hunting monsters all by yourself? Well, I guess you can whip up a nice little wolf pack of your own whenever you want." Clearly, Norah was starting to be a little impressed by the idea she had made up entirely in her head.
Adelina: From how plainly she spoke of it, Norah had clearly somehow grown used to the bleakness of her life in the wasteland—a testament to her strength of will and a feat she should never have had to demonstrate. However, it seemed even she wasn't cool-headed enough to completely maintain her focus as their name came up.

The Dream Eater. The being that had changed the life of everyone on the face of the Earth. Adelina did not believe that The Dream Eater ushered in any of the death and danger that plagued the world on purpose. Had this conversation taken place a few months ago, she'd be relaying that very same belief right now. But Adelina had learned that most people didn't take too kindly to alternative stances on demonised figures, and it was a lesson she wouldn't ever forget. So she kept quiet on the matter, forcing her smile to stay in place, though that smile did become a bit less strained when Norah moved on.

She was pretty surprised to hear Norah compliment her, even if it was more of a backhanded jab at some of their other squadmates. "That's nice of you to say and I feel the same way, you're definitely easier to talk to than some of them seemed like they'd be." Her mind drifted to the white haired individual who acted like they were on a different plane of reality to everyone else. "I'm sure we'll all find a way to get along, anyway. We've all got one thing in common at least."

What was even more surprising than the compliment was the expression Norah looked at her with after. Adelina couldn't quite tell if it was a look of bemusement or scrutiny or maybe a mix of both. Whatever it was exactly didn't matter though, what mattered was that her lips had actually curled up into a bit of a smile.

"Oh, yeah, once I got my powers I started looking for people that needed help," she started. "Most of the time that meant dealing with a small monster or two, and yeah, it's not all that hard to win a fight when you have numbers on your side—especially if one of those numbers is a hungry grand piano!" She giggled, remembering how she'd lured that slimy, nimble lizard-man into an abandoned theatre and turned the tables on him with an army of dusty instruments.

She wished things could be resolved without violence, but she simply wasn't strong enough to enact that yet. For now, violence was the only tool she had. But as long as violence was what made those in need of smiles—like Norah—smile, then violence was what she'd bring.

"So, yeah!" Adelina put her hands on her hips. "No need to worry about what's coming up! You can rely on me!"
Norah: Norah's estimation of Adelina had just gone up a fair bit, though she still hoped that her general...agreeableness wouldn't be a distraction when the time came to fight more of those monsters. Which was of course less than an hour away. Still, Adelina certainly wasn't lacking in confidence in her abilities.

A grand piano...

It really cast into contrast how...modest Norah's own ability was in comparison. If she had a power like Adelina's on that fateful day, or if she had chosen to face her nightmares the night she received her gift...would she even be here? Would they have been alive?

Such thoughts pained her, fleetingly. But her strength was the ability to let even those go, sending them flying away like paper in a fierce wind.

She folded her arms, smiling dryly. "I think I'll worry if I feel like it. But I also think our odds are pretty good." After all, the job of a sad bunch like that was just to fend off a few critters, right? While the big damn heroes got to take on the big fish.

Vox Angelis · Jun 16, 2024

Location: UNMRAS, Special Unit A - Room #2, Los Angeles - Safe Zone
Time: 1700

Well that was rude. She got interrupted from her discussion with Casey just to be ignored as soon as she introduced herself.

Angélique watched with mild confusion as the white-haired weirdo went sleeping on her before they suddenly came to a complete 180 degrees with such a strange question. No wonder about it, this was the crazy Nightmare who had an episode in the classroom earlier. The Hopeful young woman sure wished they hadn't kicked her out of her old room to be roomed with this...freak.

"Look bro, you hear the sirens? It sure isn't nap time. You better get your ass prepped, we're going out to battle real soon. Make sure you're ready, or you might not be coming back in one piece."

Or maybe there was a reason they were so relaxed. Maybe this Nightmare was crazy strong? She heard that the crazier they are, the stronger they get. But then again, she also heard the opposite from a reliable source as well...

"So what's up with you anyway? Got demons fighting over your soul or something?" Angel asked while donning the military gear they have been supplied with by the personel. A kevlar vest, some black ops military apparel, a helmet, a pistol and spar ammo, and even a grenade in case things went to shit on her end. While she wasn't expected to be completely up at the frontlines, she knew they would need Radio as close to the action as possible, so she could monitor everything in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Danger Zone
Time: 1700

Not even a 30 minutes-drive away from UNMRAS was Pacific Beach, where the battleground for San Francisco's fate would be decided. It was such a shock for many, that in a whole decade they knew peace without a monster in sight, they would encounter such a dire threat to humanity in a direct confrontation. For what little time they had, the army had enormous help with Maglev in building trenches, bunkers and barriers to prepare the army in intercepting the incoming invasion.

Floating in the hair, the silver-haired young woman was hard-pressed into shaping various domes and walls of metal to protect the military from potential ranged attacks and put a few hindrances on their way. Trenches were dug up using benches to scrape at the sand, then molded in deadly spikes to fill the trenches.

"Yo, Maggie, you done soon? They're gonna be up our asses any time now. You sure you've got enough ammo to fight the lots of 'em?"

"Shaddap and keep watching, Tony! I'm almost done, and there's lampposts all over the side walk. It's more than enough for me."

In a matter of thirty minutes, just before the first wave of monsters arrived, the once coastal tourist hotspot turned into a death zone, filled with deadly trenches and barricades. Bunkers had been set up hastily and the military had set up tanks and heavy ordnance around the place to meet the monsters with firm defenses. And up above them, floating overhead, two figures that were once considered mankind's superheroes, now barely recognized as magical slave fighters.

"Sure wish Tyler was here..."

"Dude, if he had been here, I'm not sure there'd even be a beach left by the end. Trust me, I'd rather have him as far away from civvies."

"You ready?"

"Heck, never. But you know the rules.

"And so do I~~~"

"Oh fuck off..."

And with the first monsters touching beach, the battle began. A hail of bullets, lightning strikes and various metal objects began crashing down, kicking up sand everywhere in a cacophony of gunfire and thunder.

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Danger Zone
Time: 1810

And just like clockwork, true to Casey's words earlier, as soon as the clock reached 1800, soldiers would barge into the students' rooms and order them to follow. Special Unit A was quickly directed to helicopters located at the backend of the campus, where there was a small airstrip for emergency evacuations and quick deployments such as this one. Most of the combat-able Dreamers were sent earlier by military vans, to be deployed on the frontlines to assist the army and the two Firsts to repel the incoming waves.

As soon as they would be loaded up in a single helicopter, the squad would take off to the sky and make their way to the the battlefield. Except for Ace, the others would meet with a long black-haired young woman that was a recent addition to their squad. For some, it would be their first time meeting her. For the more experienced members of the squad, they would recognize her as Radio, a Dreamer who specialized in reconnaissance and communications.

From their vantage point in the sky, they could see both the invading forces and the defense perimeter holding on by the defenders. A battle was raging down below, with hundreds of sea creatures emerging from the sea to be gunned down by constant firepower from the military and the Dreamers. Trenches were filled with the body of monsters so much that they were ineffective to slow the monsters down anymore. Most of the walls had been torn down, and a few bunkers still held on. The bodies of both monsters, Dreamers and military folks were strewn across the beach, looking like a complete warzone.

And just now, the behemoth was entering the fray, its colossal feet stomping across the sea floor and creating small tidal waves with each step. Panicked shouts could be heard from below as the defenders struggled to fight back the invading army of sea creatures. It appeared that focus was quickly shifted once the colossal shark man had entered the critical zone.

In a last ditch effort the push the behemoth back, one of the First Dreamers known as StormStriker began to emit a tremendous amount of energy around his body. The sky turned black and lightning strikes began shooting out everywhere around him. Even his closest friend had to fly away from him, so much the storm forming around him was violent. Then, in a sundering thunderclap that would seem to rupture heavens itself, a massive bolt of lightning shot out from the young man and came crashing on the colossal monster.

Unfortunately for the squad flying nearby, such a massive amount of electric discharge caused the electronics in the helicopter to go awry. It was clear, by the shouts of the pilots, that they were losing control of the machine. The helicopter began spiraling down uncontrollably and descending into the battlefield. And while everyone on board would think their time had come, as lame as it might be for some to think they would not die to monsters but rather to a helicopter crash, the impact was severely lessened by miracle. Or not. Before crashing down on the ground, Maglev managed to stop most of its momentum, but couldn't make the helicopter touch down softly.

The squad was ejected violently from the helicopter crash, strewn across the beach head. Most were relatively uninjured, maybe for some minor bruises, but the same couldn't be said for most. The pilots were not as lucky, either knocked unconscious from the shock. A certain redheaded girl and a black-haired young man were also among the heavily injured inside the helicopter.

Investigating the crash site, a small group of monsters approached the squad's location. It consisted of half-a-dozen dog-sized lobsters, two floating jellyfishes and a bus-sized crab.

"Power suppression module: off. Battle mode engaged." the magical cuff around the student's ankle chimed, releasing the restraint it had over their magical powers.

Coming back to her senses, Angélique looked at the group of monsters heading their way. She saw them earlier, on their way to the beach, using her powers to do some bit of reconnaissance for her squad. She had seen how these monsters fight, and hopefully that knowledge will be enough to help her team make sound decisions.

"Ugh, everyone okay? Okay, listen up. The lobsters are quick and attack in pairs. Don't let them swarm you, they try to flank you before trying to impale you with their claws. Keep an eye on the jellyfish, they shoot poison darts. Oh, and do I need to mention the giant crab can just cut you in half with a single pinch? Attack from below, that's their weakness."

BuggaBoo · Jun 20, 2024

Rai'Shauni - 'Ms. Devastation''

En route to the seafood attack...: Vox Angelis said:

For the more experienced members of the squad, they would recognize her as Radio, a Dreamer who specialized in reconnaissance and communications.

Click to expand...

"What's good, 'Dio?" yes, the big woman was capable of raising her fists without any face-punching intent.

A teensy, tiny hint of a smile crept up at the corner of her lips. Radio was there when Rai had her 'Episode' during that fateful sortie nearly 2 years to the date. And Radio was still there when Rai was still 'fuzzy in the head' and helped the big woman clear it all out. Normally she didn't call anyone by a nickname that wasn't somehow derogatory. Well, meet an exception in her books.

After the offered fistbump, she relaxed her pose and smiled. Without covering it. "Eyo, been a good minute eh? Thought you'd jump offa this sinkin' ship while you could."

This was probably the most casual anyone would have seen her. And probably not see her like this again for a while. "They didn't give me my callsign back. Bruh, such Salvo amirite? So I'mma stick with 'Deva' in the field then. All good witchu?"

Rai took her place in the van and even in the helicopter she said little if anything. Mostly she just answered when ask a question, but most likely just nodded or merely grunted. She was actually pretty put off that the Dreamer that was supposed to room with her just basically ignored her. But to be honest, she preffered not to engage in small talk after all.

Upon seeing the moving dots in the water swarm the beach head, she bared her teeth behind her helmet. Of course blue eyes made a bee line directly to the source of the monster swarm. It was some kinda nightmare shark person, as big as a house, intent on just absolutely wrecking or eating anything in its path.

A pang of jealousy hit her as she saw the pair of Original Dreamers in action; just how powerful would Rai be if she hadn't effed up so badly back then? Blue eyes snapped shut in personal shame. She should be out there, front lines vet, beating down on the big bad until it was dead. She shouldn't be a wet-eared red shirt on this stupid helo being babysat like they were still useless breast-feeders up in here.

"So. 'Dio. The hell we supposed to do while we are still depowered? Bitch at the monsters on how they are harming my feelings? Sheesh. Can someone please for the love of all things holy get this damned cuff offa my fu--"

A high pitched whine as the propellers fought to keep whirling and keep them airborne. Fail. They were going down. And Rai was pissed. The big, inked woman lifted up her visor and spat out the side as they began to tail spin. If she was badly injured, she would heal and tear down the facility afterwards for not letting the squad power up prior to landing. Rai let out a string of choice four letter words as she braced for impact.

She was running offa adrenaline and instinct now. Somehow her armour saved her from absolutely getting wrecked when the helo skidded and bounce offa the beach and into the wet sand. There was a buzz in her head and it felt sticky and warm at the left side of her forehead, but still she stood and although it did take a minute, she was wickedly aware of what was happening around her.

They had finally cut off the cuff from inhibiting her anymore.

She paused a heartbeat longer after Radio had given a rundown of the unfriendlies. No orders. Great. Just friggin great. A bunch of Dreamer noobs without direction. Too late now. Time to act.

"Grenade!!" Rai took 2 powerful strides then grunted as she used her telekinesis to leap up 15 feet into the air. Another set of grunts as she tossed a grenade from each hand. 1 at the first wave of lobster-monsters, the other at the jelly fish. As she descended she shouldered her rifle and begain to open fire upon the jellyfish.
_{'Oh but love... you need me now don't you...? Don't you?!'}
'Yeah. Yeah my love. Please dance with me.'

Well, the shots fired at the jellyfish worked; she got to witness first hand just how difficult it would be to dodge the incoming poison barbs. Rai's eyes glowed a silvery blue as she darted left, right, then right to left again in mid-air to avoid the barrage of poison darts from the jellyfish. Not a single one hit her, but she had let the Nightmare across the threshold-- just a little bit, but still it was coming in. She had to be wary of igniting an 'episode' everytime she boosted her powers from now on after that.

Behind her masked helm that scowl lightened up as she opened up her thoughts to the telepathic link:

'Radio! This is Deva. Moving in to engage the first wave. I'mma turf one lob-monster and clear a path onto the shooting jellyfish. Any Dreamer with range, get them on my tail and get them to open up onto the jellyfish. We are NOT going anywhere past the first wave if those squigglies pelt us with poison!'

Once more Rai took 2 powerful strides and instead of launching upwards this time, she used her telekinesis to charge like a rhino at the first lobster. She was timing it so that it would provide her cover from the darts. Then once it would strike at her with their pincher, she would kick it and use the impacts momentum to flip up into the air, draw her rifle and blast away at its eye stalks.

Nellancholy · Jun 20, 2024

Norah exhaled a measured breath between pursed lips as she extricated herself from the wreckage by dragging herself with her forearms, neither pinned down nor severely injured.

Crawling out of a metal hulk with sand in her eyes and nose, scratched up and bruised. It felt just like the aftermath of one of the caravan's usual salvage operations. Except she wasn't carrying a bag of computer chips and machine parts and old books that'd feed the family for weeks.

Still, $500 was $500, as they said.

Though she doubted it'd register, she gave a little mental hiss like a cat at the voice speaking to the group in their heads, before turning to address Storm Striker, still blasting away quite a distance from them.

"HEY! Some of us want to make it back, you know! I should land on your thick head next time!"

Having expressed her ineffectual anger, she turned back to business, her hand moving to the provided handgun in its holster. She wasn't that used to a semi-automatic; out there people tended to make use of the more reliable things when hunting those creatures. Lever or bolt action, revolvers, a good old-fashioned double barrel. Or just a gallon of fuel and some dynamite when it came to that. But this would do just fine.

Really, maybe she could blast the anklet off her leg, slip away...but no. If they could find her in the first place...better wait for a better chance.

Muscles went for it, immediately exercising the full extent of her power and blasting a few holes in the enemy line while all but obliterating the first wave of critters targeting them specifically.

So that was the power of a Nightmare...

The sea creatures were competent enough as soldiers, and reformed their line as quickly as Rai battered them, but diminished in number.

As Norah stood calmly on the sand, eying them up, two lobsters skittered about an armspan apart,then lunged at her-

bangBANGbangBANG

That was no function of her power, just her own honed reflexes.

Each lobster caught two between the eyestalks in a flash, ichor spilling from their wounds as they fell.

And as their shelled bodies fell, the line of fire was clear between Norah and...the jellyfish. Without missing a beat, they reared up and flicked their feelers, launching a hail of stingers at her.

Now.

She flicked her gaze to one side, and in the next moment she was gone.

She pressed her back against a rock twice as tall as her, about 10 meters from her starting position. She had long gotten used to counting off 60 seconds between uses of her ability: barely noticeable when things were calm, but a pulse-pounding tension when every second counted.

With Norah having taken out two of the lobsters, it was up to someone else to follow up on the more prominent threats of the jellyfish and the giant enemy crab.

Maybe Ms. Serrie...?

Not to mention the fact that her sudden evasion might have left someone else to be hit by the stingers, unless they had their own means of defense...

Vox Angelis

Umbran Fumbler

kindredspirits · Jun 23, 2024

.
.
.
.

how she's feeling...

calm, visibly slightly annoyed and sulky with a little nervousness
what she's wearing...

a white trench coat dress with black leggings and black steel toed knee-high boots over her body armor.
where she's at...

Pacific Beach, Danger Zone
in the conversation...

blankcanvas Nellancholy Vox Angelis BuggaBoo Umbran Fumbler

lumine

hopeful ice princess

Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Danger Zone

The landing was less than elegant, but it will have to do. And the white haired young woman was able to get out mostly unscathed, her white coat over her armor getting scuffed and dirtied in some spots. Though she was happy to have her heart-shaped sunglasses and her earbuds be in perfect condition, two of the first things she adjust once getting out of the wreckage.

”Wow, I am so happy there isn’t a scratch, like what are the odds.”

She mused to herself rather cheerfully while placing her sunglasses on before taking a moment to move the injured to a more covered part of the wreckage she could freeze over to protect them until the encroaching monsters were dealt with. Being mindful of the fighting going on around her so as to not take a stray bullet or hit, though her humming and earbuds may have inferred she wasn’t paying much attention even after moving away from the small, temporary safe haven she had made.

The small earbuds were dampening the sound of the guns so she could focus on everything else, and her sunglasses a way to make sure her gaze wasn’t as easily tracked, things she had picked up to help her when she was in the field. Just like now—

She had only seconds to react to the sound of something wizzing towards her, darts from the jellyfish that were aimed for Norah, but now were beelining straight to her since the younger girl had disappeared. Luckily for her, the tide was high and had been lapping at the sand this whole time, which she could use for herself, from the tip of her shoe sole, a thick sheen of ice bursted up from the ground in a spray almost reminiscent of water crashing against the stones by the shore. Just wide enough to protect her, but not thick enough for some of them to not peek through. The poisonous stingers just inches from her face, her expression blank.

”Ahhh, that was waaaayyy to close. Like super not cool.”

Lumine whined quietly, rolling her eyes behind the safety of her sunglasses as she pursed her lips, she readied her guns and glided over the sand as though she was skating.

’She wouldn’t have been able to dodge that if she just went invisible… So it must be teleportation..’

”That stupid overgrown water-filled trashbag almost slashed my sleeve!”

A little white lie, though it was close enough that the poison had splattered a little on the dense, waterproof fabric, turning into tiny, frozen purple balls that fell to the ground. She was fast, zipping through the carnage with ease to get a little closer and to allow her a better shot. The gun in her hand was almost identical to the ones given to the other newbies on the field today, but hers as had one extra piece over the slide that worked in tandem with it to expel off her frost so she wouldn’t jam from her powers being used on the bullets.

’Jellyfish are mostly water, so a few ice bullets should set it up for Deva...’

Her gun was raised, and for a moment it was almost like time had slowed down for her to take these shots. She breathed in, her finger resting on the trigger and rather than go for a spray, Lumine made ten very precise shots. Within seconds of each other, without flinching, and while skidding to a stop in a cleared space.

The bullets bursted into the giant Jellyfish’s head, the outer points of a star that branched out with ice leaving everything but the inside of the shape frozen over and slowly seeping deeper into the viscous liquid that made up its body as it slowed to stop.

”Oooooh, so they aren’t a fan of the cold~”

The white haired young woman mused with a giggle as she lined her sights on the other Jellyfish that was already raring to throw, the next round of bullets freezing it momentarily just before it could let go of its poison darts, the dangerous javelins falling to the sand just a feet from it since its momentum had been halted.

”That’s for almost causing a fashion faux pas.”

Lumine gripped the slide to defrost her gun, the frost that had covered it cracking off while she already was starting to move again, her feet skating over the sand so she could be a harder target to hit.

♡coded by uxie♡

Umbran Fumbler · Jun 23, 2024

Adelina Manuela Serrao

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Danger Zone

Any confidence Adelina possessed before had come crashing down alongside the helicopter.
Once the ringing in her ears softened and her soles met the sand, it became immediately apparent how out of her depth she was. The number of monsters was uncountable, and the size of that one stomping around in the ocean, unthinkable. Broken bodies of humans and vehicles were strewn across the beach like grains of sand, blood wetting the surface like oceanwater. And the noise. Even through the earbuds there was just so much noise. Too much noise.

Something inside her told her to run. Its whispers almost a breeze behind her legs, one that'd make it all the easier to turn around and live another day. She couldn't do this. There was no chance. This was not the usual squabble in an abandoned warehouse against a scavenger that she could easily outnumber.

This was a war.

And so, Adelina took a deep breath, turned around and ran.

She ran straight back into the helicopter, scuttling over to the cockpit then undoing the strap of the unconscious pilot's helmet. She also slid off their and their co-pilot's bullet-proof jackets with only a whispered "sorry" as compensation. The helmet was soon strapped to her chin, she placed both palms against the jackets, and just for good measure, she tapped a couple of earbuds rolling around the helicopter's floor under her foot.

From inside the helicopter, a burst of light came as quickly as it went, and then a pair of living bullet-proof jackets emerged from the wreckage with a shriek each. They scrambled across the sand at breakneck pace on four legs not unlike those of a crab, the inside of each jacket now nothing but endless rows of six-inch thorns for teeth. Adelina got out of the helicopter in time to see the pair of them encircle and leap onto the nearest lobster, one biting down on its tail and the other clamping right on its face. She didn't have the stomach to watch wherever that was going, especially not when the little flying earbuds with bee-stingers buzzed by her ears on their way to the lobster's eyestalks. So instead, she turned her attention to the rest of her team.

Rai was out there looking like more of a monster than the actual monsters, lighting and blowing them up left and right. Lumine had already turned one of the jellyfish into a glacier as she skated around quipping away, and Norah was just as fast and accurate as Adelina knew her to be: two bullets for two lobsters. They were all doing so well, and they were all on her side. It was just the kick of inspiration and motivation that Adelina needed to get out there and—

The crack of carapace coming from behind made her jump. She turned around to see a lobster with a spear-tip-sized hole between its eyestalks slump to the ground, motionless. The helmet on her head let out a little chirp before retracting the extendable spike-beak back to its original length.

If it wasn't for her helmet jabbing its spike out into the lobster's head just then, that monster would've been on her back, and its claws would've been nowhere good. This wasn't the time to zone out.

"I'll keep our backs covered, everyone," Adelina tried communicating to everyone through the newest (at least to Adelina) member of the team. "Also, if anyone has a plan on how we're dealing with the giant crab, I think they should share!"

With the pair of jackets and earbuds regrouping at her side, Adelina made good on her word and positioned herself at the back of the group, keeping an eye out for any more stragglers that might try and surprise them.

Truthfully, most of her still wanted to run away. For the first time since she'd been associated with UNMRAS, those old, familiar feelings of uncertainty and dread had crawled out of the graves she thought she'd buried them in. But her presence on this beach was bigger than just her and her feelings. She was part of something now. Adelina was making a difference.

It wasn't just her dreams that were big anymore, her reality was right up there with it.

Vox Angelis · Jun 25, 2024

Location: Pacific Beach, San Francisco - Danger Zone
Time: 1715

"Hang in there, girl. I got you"

Of everyone who had been thrown out of the helicopter to land directly on the sands of the beach, only Dewi remained motionless on the ground, the impact had been greater on her end and she had yet to come back to her senses. Seeing a comrade left out plain in the open, Angélique rushed to the unconscious girl while they were not yet swarmed. She dragged the girl to the 'safety' of the crashed helicopter where Lumine had encased in ice the remaining out-of-commission people in an attempt to protect them from the incoming monsters.

The familiar buzz of her anklet prompted Radio to attention. Shit, what did they want now? Her focus went to the earbud in her right ear.

"Angélique, we need you to relay a message to Margot, since Antonio's powers are jamming our comms on their end." a gruff voice came to her ear.

"Heeeey, wassup General? How can this lowly freak serve?" her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

It took a moment for the old man to reply. She figured he was either chewing the inside of his cheek or someone on the other side was holding him back from giving her an earful. "Just tell her she is needed at Terminus Station. On the double."

"Yo, do you guys even see what's happening out here? It's taking Tony and Maggie everything they got just to stop Sharknold from stepping on our head. Take her out of here, I'm not even sure we can hold the beach !"

"Girl, that's an order. Leave the planning to us. You were still shitting your diapers when we had to plan your survival."

"Well, maybe it's time someone check in on YOUR diapers, you old fuck ! I'll relay your message, Radio out."

Angel grumbled something to herself before her eyes turned unfocused, her gaze directed to the sky where two super-powered Dreamer were throwing blasts of lightning and metal at the colossal shark monster.

"Yo Maggie, Salvatore wants you to head to Terminus. Apparently they are preparing something for you."

"Fuck me, really? Does he-"

"Yeah, he knows."

"Right. Almost forgot who I'm talking to. 'Kay, you know pretty much everyone at the academy, yeah? Think you can round up some folks to take my place?"

"I'll manage. Go, before he shocks both our asses."

"Stay safe girl."

"You too."

Despite being hastily introduced to each other as a new squad, from different walks of life and varying degrees of experience, Special Unit A made quick work of the first wave of monsters that were heading their way. Corpses of lobsters and jellyfishes crumpled to the ground in a mess of bullets, ice, blood and ichor. Only the giant crab remained, and it did not seem to be appreciated having all of its comrades lying dead on the ground.

The bus-sized shelled monster reared before it charge with surprising speed towards the first offender, intending on ramming Rai'Shauni with its bulky size and spiked pincers. Some shots were fired hastily from everyone in vain as the bullets ricocheted against its sturdy carapace, and its eyes were shielded with its other arm. It was only thanks to Rai's experience in fighting monsters and with her powers that allowed her to nearly dodge the charge, while Lumine swiftly skated away from the monster and Norah blinking away from its path.

Fortunately enough for Adelina and Angélique, they were too far at the back of the fight to be reached, but the crab's eyes set on these two as it broke through the front line. It had its eyes especially set on the black-haired girl that seemed motionless and out of focus.

Not too far away from the fight, if one would take the time to look at their surroundings, they would notice one of the two Firsts swiftly took their leave, flying towards the city. Only StormStriker remained to confront the colossal shark man. Thunder strikes and lightning bolts could be heard and seen going off in even quicker succession. Any Dreamer would know that this was a last ditch effort, no normal Dreamer could achieve this level of sustained power output before reaching their limits.

Fortunately, by the time the lightning bearer would slow down, a vast array of attacks began showering on the shark monster as well. Fireworks, sandstorms, boulders, there were a lot of different Dreamers that had showed up underneath the only remaining First to support him. And yet, for all their efforts, it did not deter the creature from stepping forward, each step a wave of water that threatened everyone on the beach to be swept away as it approached the beach.

blankcanvas · Jun 25, 2024

Ace groggily opened their eyes and looked around in confusion. One moment, this physical body was taking a nap inside of some dingy room, and then the next, they were waking up inside of a shaky container. The only thing they could surmise from this was that either they were forcibly relocated to these dread quarters, or, they were currently being kidnapped.

When the confusion began to subside, they noticed that they were surrounded by a group of sentient bodies. Well, they did recognize one person amongst these normal humans, and that was the black-haired individual. While this didn't explain anything, it did assuage Ace of the kidnapping theory - at least for the moment.

Blinking a few times, Ace cocked their head to the side and opened their mouth to say something, then closed it. Their eyes glazed around the room. Something felt off about the entire situation, they knew something was missing but were unable to pinpoint the issue. Crossing their arms and closing their eyes, they leaned back against the rocking transportation vehicle and mentally broken down their predicament.

"So. 'Dio. The hell we supposed to do while we are still depowered?"

Ace opened their eyes and looked straight at the speaker. The voice they had just heard was from a human, right? How was that possible? They shouldn't have been able to-

The wraiths weren't bothering them.

How was that possible? For as long as their powers had existed, they were never granted a moment of solitude. However, upon being brought to the institution, they couldn't help but notice a peculiar sensation washing over them. Colors seemed muted, flavors dull, and everything appeared hazy and lifeless. A thick sense of lethargy seemed to constantly linger over them, weighing them down and making every movement feel like a monumental effort. It was as if their very essence was drained from their being, leaving behind only a shell of who they once were.

Even now, Ace just wanted to lay back down and take another nap. At least that was the plan before they felt themselves violently thrown to the floor with gravity holding them in place. Perhaps this was the day that they finally surrendered to the sweet embrace of death, their weary bodies and souls drained of all life.

"Power suppression module: off. Battle mode engaged."

”Wow, I am so happy there isn’t a scratch, like..."

"I'll keep our backs covered, every..."

'This hurts! It hurts! It hurrrrts!'

'Mommy...where are you mommy?'

Ace coughed a few times as they slowly stepped out of the wreckage.

The humans that rode with Ace were trying to say something, while the newly formed ghosts were attempting to say another. The entire area was engulfed in a myriad of chaotic events, all construed by the presence of gigantic creatures. But, Ace ignored it all, and instead decided to take in a deep breath and look up at the sky.

"Beautiful..." Ace muttered as a small chuckle escaped from their lips. The thick fog that had cocooned their mind had dissipated, leaving behind a sense of clarity and purpose. The heaviness that weighed down their body like an anchor had lifted, allowing them to move with renewed energy and vigor. Their vision, once distorted and muddled, now revealed the world in sharp detail.

Clapping their hands together, the white-haired individual patiently waited as a horde of ghosts arrived at the location. In a matter of seconds, the specters pieced together an impromptu chair for Ace. Sitting down upon it, they looked out onto the battlefield, witnessing the glorious disarray that was unfolding before their eyes.

They even saw the enormous threat that was approaching all those that were currently occupying the beach frontier. However, for the interest of keeping a delicate balance between life and death, Ace decided to be an observer.

"Dance for me..." Ace muttered under their breath as they began to hum a simple tune.

Realistic or Modern Dream Eater: Of Hopes and Nightmares

The Stargazer

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Bust :(

Two Thousand Club

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