Episode 4: The Jailbreak of Dawn

[Malikai]

Jeremiah "JJ" Johnson


Location: Facility 108 Parking Lot


Mentioned/Nearby: @Necessity4Fun @The Suspicious Eye / @Gus @Bag o Fruit @Syrenrei 


Mood: Just kind of... around.


Jeremiah gave another smile at the green haired girl whose name he had just learned was Bianca, "I'm pretty glad to hear that I'm not the only new student here.  Makes me feel a little less alone I guess.  Shame I wasn't informed about the school being closed, but at least I've found something to entertain myself"  Jeremiah chuckled and motioned across the group of people that had gathered for Kendrick's mission.  As the conversation had shifted slightly from what it used to be Jeremiah found himself in an awkward position being among everyone.  Currently he was the one that was most set apart from all of them seeing as how he had no training whatsoever with his power.  Having nothing else to do Jeremiah flopped down to the ground and rested his head in his lap while he waited.


After a little over ten minutes or so Jeremiah's head popped up at the sound of the car opening again.  Rocking slightly back and forth, he let his body tense up and lean backwards before propelling himself up and onto his feet.  If the pompous walk of Kendrick was anything to go by it seems as if the meeting had gone in his favor.  After he spoke Jeremiah made sure to quickly speak up, "So wait, if we're not going to the jail, then where are we going?"  Although he had more to add Jeremiah added the rest of what he wanted to say in his thoughts, Also on the subject of my 'friends' that was more of a loosely used term... not that it matters too much, but I dislike the idea of being associated with some of the people in those cells.  It was right then that Kendrick caught sight of Bianca and began speaking about how she is... involved in something.  It wasn't clear what Kendrick was implying but whatever it was didn't seem to friendly.  Jeremiah crossed his arms and simply decided to listen to the conversation and see how it would turn out.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Name: Jessica Turnbull
​

Codename: Vape
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Time: Early-mid morning
​

@s: Morgan ( @welian), Jennifer ( @Musician ) Jordan ( @Zahzi ) Mary ( @ViAdvena ) Anthony ( @KingHink ) Sam ( @Lioness075 ) Dr. Moufinz ( @KingHink )
​

 
​

Jessica paused in enjoying Sam's company to shift her attention to the man and his talking cat. She blinked a couple of times, looking from man to cat and back again as Moufinz finished his monologue. Her mind began to churn through the possibilities, shapeshifters, genetic manipulators, mind controllers and... Of course, it had to be. She remembered him now, Moufinz. A so called 'doctor', though she supposed he got his PhD from the internet. He'd been something of a 'mastermind' type of villain, responsible for a great deal of trouble a few years back. She'd heard he'd been captured and incarcerated in Baltimore's Super-SuperMax. Apparently that was no longer the case.


She had to think fast and she had to react in a way that would not endanger innocent bystanders. She glanced over at Sam, who still had her hot chocolate in hand.


"Oh... My... GOD!!", she squealed, clapping her hands and laughing, "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"


She rose from her seat and looked closer at the suited man.


"I mean, you're really good. I never saw even a flicker! How long did it take you to perfect it?", she continued, "I mean, ventriloquism is one thing, but making your pet cat open and close its mouth in time to what you're saying? That's some real work! And that act, it's perfect. The classic white cat from James Bond is actually the villain? Awesome! Are you on stage? Or are you looking to get a big break on one of those TV talent shows? You'll have to be careful though, because those animal rights people hate any acts that involve animals these days."


As she talked, she'd slowly walked around Moufinz and John, keeping their attention and speaking loudly enough that, hopefully, Jordan, his brother or one of the other customers might notice something amiss. Worst case scenario, she'd have to get violent. Please don't make me have to use violence....

 

[Lioness075]

Samantha Casan
​

Nickname: Sam
​

Location: Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Tagged: @Captain Hesperus (Jessica), @KingHink (Moufinz)
​

Mood: Confused
​

 
​

Sam furrowed her brows when a high-pitched voice interjected her 'date' with Jessica. Looking for the source of the voice, Sam blinked at the sight of a fluffy white cat perched in someone's arms and speaking. Then again, after her interaction with Urial before, it was not much of a surprise to witness an animal speaking. Though, this one was literally speaking with its mouth instead of with its thoughts like Urial did.


Listening to the cat, Sam quickly got over the appearances and merely wondered how such a cat had gotten to become so intelligent. It seemed to really understand politics and it was clearly in control of the human with it. Just who was this cat?


The fact that the cat opened up its side of the discussion with a slight focus on villains could be disconcerting to most, but Sam was oblivious to just who was speaking to her. She'd never met or seen it, nor did she even know its name. Did it have a human name like Urial or perhaps a pet name like Snowball?


While she really wanted to ask for the cat's name now, Sam realized this cat was moving into a speech by now and she'd likely only upset it if she tried to interject. Great. As if she didn't get enough lectures at Facility 108, now she had to listen to a cat drone on about politics. It was all she could do to resist the urge to groan and press her face into her hands. She always hated it when strangers felt it was okay to join in her conversations or interactions. Neither her nor Jessica called this cat over. Why was he bothering them?


When the cat finally finished its speech, Sam mentally cheered at the break. She even sat up a bit straighter, as she hoped Jessica would perhaps discourage the cat from continuing to offer its political opinion. As it were, Jessica took a very unusual route, and an unnecessarily loud one at that.


Raising an eyebrow and frowning at Jessica, Sam watched as she stood up and slowly moved around the cat and man, all the while congratulating the man on doing something called ventriloquism. Personally, Sam had never heard of such a thing and so was further confused by Jessica's antics.


Blissfully unaware of Jessica's intentions, Sam spoke up, "Um, what are you doing, Jessica? Isn't it super obvious that the cat is speaking, not the man?"


Sam had to wonder now if Jessica and Urial had ever met one another. It seemed pretty obvious that had never happened, else Jessica would have recognized a talking animal much easier.

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Bianca Attilio
​

View attachment 237223



 Mood: A bit prissy


 Location: Facility 108 parking lot


 Company: Kendrick Haywood, Hamasaki Manami; Jeremiah; Tomoko and more


 @'s: 


@Gus @Necessity4Fun @Bag o Fruit @Syrenrei @Kingmalikai @too much idea




After a month of questions, accusations and general catty interactions Bianca was to actually have a normal conversation for once. "So you're new too?" I thought I'd be the only new student, but if there's more then maybe I can fit in a bit better. Smiling as he mentioned finding something to entertain himself she nodded, "yeah, let's just hope this 'mission' doesn't get too crazy." As she spoke the young Haywood made his way out of the car and started to address the others. Feeling his eyes on her she tried to ready herself for the clear question on his face. Back to the accusations and questions, great. I didn't miss this at all.



"This is certainly unexpected. So, what is the daughter of Giovanni Attilio doing here in Baltimore, when there's a Jailbreak? Are you bored and came to see us struggle? Or claiming territory, perhaps? I believe you'd have to ask the Knights of Raguel about that, they arrived first."

There was a jailbreak? It didn't take her long to realize the real reason why she'd been rushed out of the Baltimore P.D. so quickly. Those bastards. They didn't even tell me!! Her smile faded and was replaced with at stern line. Quelling her rage she could tell that this wasn't the time to get mad. Crossing her arms she had to tilt her head up to match the boy's gaze. It was expected that someone would know who she was, she wasn't hiding who she was. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Then again if anyone would know it would be the Haywood family now wouldn't it? Raising a eyebrow and giving him a disinterested look she smiled. 


"It shouldn't so surprising, I'm a new student here. I'm here to use my powers for good and help save the world or whatever the motto for this place is. I'm not here to claim territory or watch you struggle. I left that part of my past with my father when I put him behind bars." Shifting her weight she cocked her head looking at the young Haywood up and down. "Besides shouldn't you be wondering where your parents are rather than wasting time questioning a girl you just met? If I were you I'd be focused on getting them back and take whatever help I could get. Especially since I know a thing or two about kidnappings. When someone's taken it's usually either for a ransom, a statement or to kill them quietly. I doubt it was for a ransom otherwise you'd have been taken and not your parents, besides someone would have made contact by now. That leaves a statement or to kill them quietly, both of which don't bode well for their health. I say you got a good day or two before you find what's left of them in a vat of acid at the bottom of the ocean. So we should get a move on sooner rather than later, kid."


She tossed her hair and added, "as for the jailbreak, purely coincidence."

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

Location: Departing Facility 108, On a street that has seen better days
​

Near: Some guy that had a disagreement with a hose (Red) @Zahzi
​

As the phone droned on names in her ear she realized that what sounded "moderately bad" was "holy shit flee the damn city bad." Of course as a resident Blue Card member she'd do no such thing, but she certainly hoped her family had hunkered down while at least some of the villains were in the process of being recaptured. Breathing hot air onto her fingers to warm the tips she jogged to her car and climbed in. It wasn't the ideal temperature yet but it'd have to do. This safety inspection was far from over but seeing as the overzealous would-be Power Rangers over there lacked their morphers, their Zords, or the blessing of their Zordon (who was still firmly planted in the limousine) they could be left to their own devices. No one needed her supervision or saving that was below drinking age. All the henchmen and masterminds on the street were a pressing issue.


As she started her car she spun the wheel and pressed firmly on the pedal. It was beyond the safest and most ideal speed but sacrifices had to be made. The engine barely hummed and Imogen ignored the radio sputtering off civilian warnings and information. Her eyes didn't leave the read to even so much as glance towards the speedometer. The Commonwealth had bigger concerns than someone speeding, weaving in and out of traffic of the panicked masses, with an expert precision. The phone clip in her ear kept prattling off something that was similarly important but Imogen was focused. The road. A car jerked to the right, she veered left, narrowly avoiding a haphazardly parked car illegally. Imogen clucked her tongue in disapproval.


And then Imogen happened upon an utter clusterfuck of a road. What had happened here? Discarded portions of a car corpse were strewn about... or was that two? Emergency vehicles were farther down the road along with what looked like normal people but there was a suspiciously thoroughly drenched man in the midst of the destruction. Imogen stopped the car. She tapped her fingers on the wheel for a moment, turned off the radio, threw the earpiece into the empty cup holder, opened the door, and jumped out.  "Did you need a ride?" she called out casually nonplussed by the scene. Nothing was actively exploding and there was no visible signs of imminent lethal force heading in her direction. It was as safe as anything could be. Given he wasn't running from or towards the people down the road she guessed he was a "good guy." At least moderately decent.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Tabitha Crane 


She knew she was in good hands as soon as the well practiced maternal arms enveloped her and pulled her free from the developing scene. Free from the views of the crowd already condoning off the area and alerting authorities but not free from what could only be called an inspiring reaming. 


Tabby wanted to look away and ignore it but something inside her just knew that this was best to hear. It sounded like the rare lecture from her dad, with the added twist of it being from someone who just electrocuted someone to death. Tabby reflexively shrinks into Alison's embrace before looking up and wiping away the tears. 


Nobody expected her to be a hero. She was and had been just a liability. Viola was here and now expecting her to be more. Demanding her to be more. Tabitha nods back to Viola before allowing herself to be whisked away by Mrs.Porter. 


She is ushered into the front passenger seat while the mom to beat all moms made sure she was buckled in before getting behind the wheel herself. Quietly and quickly, the pair made their way towards 108 

 

[Necessity4Fun]

With a piercing stare, the Young Haywood hadn't taken his eyes from the green haired girl ever since his assault. Of course he had expected a reply, but the one he had gotten had only fulled his temper and sparkled a flame of anger and frustration. The teenager had tried to keep his cool all day, he hadn't been nothing but cordial and more or less level-headed until this point. But Bianca's counter, that had hit in the spot. He couldn't, HE WOULDN'T LET THIS GO ANY FURTHER.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kendrick lowered his gaze for a minute and both his expression and mood darkened.

"The fact that you're really familiar with this procedure only makes it worse...", he commented to himself completely free of emotion, before he looked back at her with a mix of contempt, skepticism and fury. With his attention fully on Bianca, anything else that happened in the background would fall on deaf ears.


"I would have loved to be 'en route' at this time! Just, grab everyone, throw them in the car and leave, easy as pie! But no. See, we have something called 'law' that dictates the proper way of handling situations. Not that you would know anything about it, since you've crossed the very line that dictates decency WAY TOO MANY TIMES already. And really, CHANGE? After all the damage you've done, I'm supposed to believe you put the 'big boss' behind bars for the common good?! It's easier to believe you plotted to overthrow him and rule in his place, which is also a very common turn of events through History.", the boy crossed his arms, "Yeah, sorry to break this to you, but I'm not going to fall for this 'out of a movie' sob story at all. I am not letting my guard down until I deem you worthy of trust. Words don't prove anything, you'll have to convince me through actions instead.", Kendrick paused, pondering about something. Once he was 'back', he gave her a sly smile of someone who had just had an idea:

"You know what? Here, let's make this more entertaining, shall we? You said you came to help. FINE, you can come. This is going to be a trial for you. We'll all observe your every move and if you pass, then I'll apologize in front of everyone here AND also do anything you want me to. You get one request, no exceptions. I swear it upon my Haywood crest. BUT, If you fail, then you're automatically deemed a threat and I get to make your delightful Baltimore life experience 'Hell', with everything I have at my disposition.", he brought a fist to his chest rather dramatically and raised his voice, "This is MY CITY and I'll not allow the mafia hounds to sharpen their claws and come play circus as well. I think we have enough ridiculous organizations out for our heads, there is no need for more."


The teenager let the weight of his own words sink in. Part of him was screaming in pain from how similar he was sounding to his dad, way way too similar. But the other part, that had been endorsed by that initial 'flame' kept repeating that he was doing the right thing, that he couldn't turn his back on this matter, that he was already giving the girl in front of him, a criminal, a lot more than she deserved...


The voice of reason was completely drowned out by Kendrick's stupid pride and misguided sense of justice as he finished the blow:


"So, what do you tell me Attilio? You may still turn back, but then I cannot guarantee that we'll leave you in peace...Or that we're not going to at least dig through your past."

Spoiler

Interactions: @The Suspicious Eye
Today's Toys: Ted, Mr. Holeshot, Sparkles, Pandora, Harry, Kefir, Shouty, Theo, Millie.

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Bianca Attilio
​

View attachment 237223



 Mood: Pissed off


 Location: Facility 108


 Company:  Kendrick and anyone else aroung


 @'s: @Gus @Necessity4Fun @Bag o Fruit @Syrenrei @Kingmalikai @too much idea


 Other: Bianca is from Boston NY which is why she mentioned Boston.




Hearing the click of his tongue Bianca knew she hit a nerve and she couldn't help but smile. Sure it wasn't the best way to start off the school year, but the kid was asking for it. And it seems like he still wants more. Locking eyes with the boy, she met his stare with one of amusement. To her this was a game, she's stared down men who could kill her in a instant without flinching. She stood up to her father, the man who slaughtered her true parents right in front of her on a daily basis. If this rich boy thinks he can intimidate me he really hasn't done his research about me at all. Which was fine by her, the less people knew about her past the better. 


Hearing his whole rant full of, pretty much just speculation at this point, she had to admit that the thought of being tested again was annoying. How many people are going to place me into a trial before I can get the benefit of the doubt? First my father's training into the mafia. When I was put onto the stand to incriminate my father. Then the Commonwealth with their trial to send me to this school. Now this? Really? She had to admit for Crossing her arms she took a deep breath and shook her head as she let out a sigh of dissapointment. "Pathetic."


Looking back at the boy her eyes were sharp and focused, her pupils narrow like that of a cat readying to pounce on her victim. "With all your so called intelligence and information you don't know a single thing about me. Let's get one thing clear I don't need your approval. I don't need anything from anyone. I know who I am, what I am capable of and why I do what I do. All these trials and test mean nothing to me and I have no real reason to care about passing them. I can understand if you're afraid I'll kill you all on a whim, and you should be. I don't need to be deemed a threat. I already am one. Then again, how is that any different from any other powered person on this planet? Isn't that why these facilities exist in the first place?" Pausing to let that question sink in she continued, her tone amused, as if she was holding back laughter. "As for this being your city. Don't mistake wealth for power, kid. How can you even think this is your city? If it was your city, your parents wouldn't have been taken in the first place, now would they?" She smiled and poked Kendrick's chest. "I didn't think so. Don't think you can build a fence to keep the wolves out, when their already on your streets, in your home, and in your company." Realizing she messed up she tried her best to ignore her slip up and continue schooling this kid.


Pulling her finger off the boy's chest she pulled it to her chin and her smile grew. "Still I'm intrigued. Instead of a trial, lets make it a bet. That way there's a even trade. If I fail you deem me a threat, for what little that will do. However, I'll also answer any question you have honestly for one hour. Seeing as this is something even the Boston and Baltimore PD want more than anything I think it's a fair trade. You can pump me full of truth serum or hook me up to a polygraph if you'd like." Placing both hands on her hips she smiled, "I already volunteered to help, so if I must play your childish games to do that then I will."

 

[RemainingQuestions]

Luci Tolbert


Location: The park (of doom)


Nearby: @St Stare @Lazy Rocktime @DamagedGlasses @Teh Frixz @Meredith @Gus @KingHink @Bag o Fruit @SweetNicole @Lioness075 @DJ MagicHat


Mood: This vermin is going down. Now.


OOC: I lost this post on the second read-through. Let's hope this is close to the original.



Turning your back to the enemy, Luci found, was not a good idea. A chipmunk jumped onto his back, and another slammed into his knee. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He could see the boy that started the evacuation, which is a much better idea in hindsight than it had seemed at the moment, throwing rocks. The tide of vermin that was rushing over Luci wouldn't be stopped by some rocks, but maybe he could distract them enough that the more combat-capable supers could find and exploit an opening. Several chipmunks slammed into Luci. For creatures that really weren't that big, they could have a great impact if they combined their powers. A voice in Luci's head whispered that he too could have that much impact if he worked in a team of supers. If he hadn't been so out of it at the Mall, he might have turned the tides there. He could feel his light spreading thin, the tiny claws and big teeth ripping into his shirt and skin. He looked up and saw Lara running and jumping but staying in the sky. That... was actually a really good idea, Luci thought as two chipmunks hit his head and forced him completely down. Eyes in the sky, an overview they lacked before.


With his face on the ground and claws and teeth all over him, Luci focused. He pulled his spread-out light away from his more defendable places, like his back and pushed it to converge around his sensitive areas, like his neck and ankles. Those teeth felt like they could take out an Achilles heel if they put their minds to it and Luci would not be permanently downed by some overzealous rats. He could immediately feel his skin breaking in several places on his back, but it was worth it to know that his neck was protected. He heard flutters around him, and a chipmunk lifted off his back only to be replaced by another one. Were the birds helping them too, now? Luci pushed up, and he felt a strength in his arms he did not have several weeks ago. Sweat was beading on his forehead and his back, the anger that was slowly but surely growing making his light brighter and him hotter.


With effort he rose like the Morningstar, his fury shining bright like Lucifer. He threw two of the chipmunks off of him and looked around. Now that he knew what was coming it was easier to keep his balance, and for every single chipmunk that attacked him, he flung and kicked at least two away. His cheeks were red and he was sweating, his anger making him brighter than he had been before. He would not again stand by. "Lara!" He shouted, the winged girl still in the air, "do you see a leader?" He felt his stomach growl but he pushed the feeling aside. He would not fall prey to some plague of furry vermin. He looked around, at Mister Mallory still containing the potential threat/ally that was Klaus, at the boy trying his best despite his lack of combat powers. "We need to cut of their head." His voice broke on the word 'head', a reminder to all those around him that he was still only a fourteen-year old boy, despite the fury of ages on his face.

 

[Giyari]

Viola Porter
​

 Mood: Curious


 Location: Mercy Medical Center


 Company: Hadrian


 @'s: @The J


 Other: "Powers charging my optic nerves" #bullshitscience




Viola watched her mothers car pull away, Tabitha safely tucked away in the passenger seat. Hopefully they would reach the facility or Tabitha's home, and they could both hole up out of harms way until the situation calmed down, whenever that was. Hadrian was right, there was bound to be dozens of escapees at least, it looked like a full block has been sprung. Whether or not they were all as dangerous as the Viking, or worse, was a different question.


"Sense them? You mean the light energy I felt? Oh hell no. That was the light from the hologram of Tabitha that I could see... I must have been too close to make it out in any great detail." Viola explained with a perplexed look on her face, how he deciphered that from what she said was hard to work out. 


"I can't see people any better than you can, in fact without my glasses I can't see much at all without my powers charging my optic nerves." she continued, looking towards the prison. It was the logical location to head towards, escapees would be fleeing, running into them would be easy enough. 


"How fast can you move? Could you keep up with me?Both my Servos and my levitation can reach some speed." She asked, flexing her leg exaggeratedly with a whirr from the motors on her joints.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory





Location: Park


Nearby: Luci, Klaus, and about 5000 Chipmunks


Mood: Worried for Luci and Urial, Wary of Klaus,


@s  @St Stare @Lazy Rocktime @DamagedGlasses @Teh Frixz @Meredith @Gus @KingHink @Bag o Fruit @SweetNicole @Lioness075 @DJ MagicHat


This was no kind of tactical position! Thoroughly outnumbered, prone, and Luci had fallen! Oh, he's up again! Brave young man. Shoving one hand roughly under the back of Klaus's head, he shifted his weight to his opposite knee and heaved himself to his feet, bringing Klaus along for the ride like so much pocket lint.


“Luci! Back to back with me! Concentrate your shields on your front and I will protect your back! Klaus, you have two options: I can get you up on my shoulders and out of the worst of this, or you can stay there tucked in the crook of my elbow and get nibbled to death. Which would you prefer? Either way, my previous ultimatum stands: The first whiff I have of gas out of you and you'll be vapor. Permanently.”


“Now,” he thought, “where's Urial gotten to?! He's probably the most vulnerable of any of us, and likely a prime target!”

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki





Location: Tomdachi no mae ni!


Nearby: Ryokuhatsuko!


Mood: Okote desu


@s: @Necessity4Fun @too much idea @Bag o Fruit @The Suspicious Eye  @Kingmalikai


Manami suddenly became aware of raised voices. Kendi-kun? She perked up, wondering what was going on. There was no sign of the strict teacher. Cautiously, she stood up. Not wanting to be rude to her new friend, she bowed low to her saying “Sho-sho omatchi kudasai, nee, imoto?” before turning to concentrate on the exchange between her friend and a dripping wet girl with green hair. How did she get all wet? Was she a swimmer too? So far nobody at 108 was much for swimming. It would be nice to have a friend to race with in the water. Maybe Kendi would introduce her. What was he saying anyway. It sounded terribly important and a little severe, but try as she might, Manami could not follow the intricacies of her friend's speech. He just used too many big words.


The green haired girl responded more simply. 'Pathetic' she'd said. The word rolled around in Manami's mind, trying to find translation as the girl continued talking. “Awarena,” she mouthed to herself. “Pathetic” At first she thought Ms. Greenhair had been moved to pity, and she was already counting her as a new friend. But slowly, as her speech continued, her intonations and body language began percolate up from Manami's subconscious and by the time the girl poked Kendi in the chest, Manami's eyes had narrowed into flinty black slits, and her teeth were showing. She clenched her fists and pressed her knuckles together holding her wrists in tightly against her ribcage, hiding her stingers which were trying to pop out. As the girl finished speaking, Manami strode over and interposed herself between the two. The green haired girl is almost half a head taller, but somehow Manami seems to loom over her, as if she had grown half a foot in the space of a dozen steps. She glares at greenhair girl, and dresses her down as best she can. Unable to call up any english vocabulary that can accommodate her displeasure, she reverts to japanese.


“Warui naa, Ryokuhatusko! 'Awarena,' to ita. 'Tasukeru yo' to ita. Demo, tango dake no koto! Tomodatchi jya nai no yo! Kujira no shippo bakari da!” 


Turning her back peremptorily, she faces her friend and smiles sunnily, seeming to deflate back to normal size.


“Jya! Kendi-kun! Let's go, ne? We hafu tsu help parentzu!” Taking his hand she heads for the car.


Translation notes:


Location: In front of her friend!


Nearby: Greenheaded kid!


Mood: In a temper!


Dialog:


You're bad, aren't you greenhair! 'such a pity' you said. 'I'll help' you said. But that is just words! You are not a friend! You are nothing but a whale's butthole!”


“Hey Kendi! Let's go, yeah? We have to help parents!”

 

[Gus]

Kate Barrett





At last the plane stopped and the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off. The pilot's pleasantly droning voice came over the intercom. “Uh, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to thank you for flying United Airlines, and let me be the first to welcome you to Thurgood Marshall International, with rail hub service into Washington. It is now approximately, uh, 11:35 in the am, and this morning's showers have burned off, leaving a partly sunny day with an ambient temperature of 46 degrees. For those of you native to Minnesota that probably sounds positively balmy for February. In any case, welcome to Maryland.”


Kate was only just half listening. She turned her phone back on, grabbed her purse from under the seat, and her carryon from the overhead compartment. She made herself part of the gentle crush of humanity, burbling up out of their seats and flowing slowly toward the exit at the front of the plane. She smiled, enjoying the orderly flow of small talk and ordinary folk, purposeful, but unhurried in their movements. Just as she was pasing into the umbilicus which led to the terminal, her phone finally finished waking up and messages started pinging in. She glanced down, did a double take, and swirled out of the current like a willful eddie. She showed the flight attendant the story that had popped up on her phone. The older woman's smile remained just as broad, though the wattage might have dipped a bit. Surreptitiously, she slipped her blue card out of the phone cover's inner pocket so that just the attendant could see it. Kate raised an eyebrow, tapped the side of her nose with her index finger, and pointed to the exit built into the umbilicus lock. The smile still affixed to her face, but with eyes showing a little too much white, the woman stepped aside and pulled the lever to open the door. Kate slipped out with a whispered 'Thank-you'


Once clear she stretched luxuriously, enjoying the beam of sunlight poking through a rent in the clouds. She slipped off her heels and put them in her backpack, along with her phone and her purse. She slung the pack over her shoulders as she started down the spiral stairs. As she reached the tarmac, she pulled a cord in the strap. There is a hiss of air rushing out of the pack and it collapses, crushed by atmospheric pressure, assuming a much slimmer and more aerodynamic shape. It clings to her back tightly now, between her shoulderblades, out of her way.


A few of the stragglers on the plane see her come barreling out from underneath its belly, running with impossible swiftness, heading for the runway, and toward the river out beyond it. She runs like a wild thing set free, long blond hair streaming behind her. Then there is a brilliant flash, and she is gone, a streak of light receding toward the city...

 

[Necessity4Fun]

"P-pathetic? Childish game?!"


Kendrick watched as Bianca shot an speech back at him. It contained several misconceptions, out of context phrases and the mocking tone of her voice only made the boy's anger burn brighter. The insolent criminal had even dared to invade his space and poke him in the chest! WHO DID SHE THINK SHE WAS?!


Before he could say anything, Manami jumped between them. Despite how cheerful and kind the girl usually is, now she seems to be standing fiercely like a fortress over Bianca. If it had been with him, the boy would have felt threatened and perhaps terrified. He was impressed someone like Manami could muster such an strength, as she launched an assault of angry Japanese at the green-haired girl, and then came back towards him. The usual Manami.


However, instead of feeling glad, the fact that she had interrupted them was frustrating. He didn't need her to come and help him! He wasn't done, this was something he had started and thus, needed to end himself! To make it worse, the typical 'Kendi-kun', which sounded really similar to his mom's given pet nickname, only made him feel like someone's current was dragging him along again, without giving him an option to respond or caring about his feelings:


"Cut it out!", he pulled his hand back without thinking twice, before realising who he had been talking to and lowering his tone a bit, "I...We can't go until Annaliese says so, or we would be in a lot of trouble...", he shot a glance towards Bianca, "...And also dishonoring an agreement we made. It's fine, really. Nothing I can't handle. You should go have fun with you new friend in the meanwhile, this is not something you should be hearing anyway...", his gaze fell from the girl with a hint of regret, but soon the teenager regained his posture, as if that had never happened.

"Someone still needs a piece of my mind.", the young Haywood stepped in front of Manami, his attention is back at the Attilio girl and his eyes taken by a fury that didn't show signs to be ending any time soon:


"Don't you dare twist my words and pretend you're the same an everyone else! YOU'RE NOT. I said it and I'll repeat it, maybe this time it might get through that thick head of yours... Though it is true powers are dangerous, the user of said powers may not be. Some of them want nothing but a normal and happy life. They never asked for this, or perhaps they enjoy what they've got, but still they would never dare to hurt or kill anyone on purpose. But you, Attilio, you've crossed that line, again and again and again, Oh, I bet the sensation of empowerment made it easier each time. You criminals get addicted to the rush, the thrill, and if you never get arrested, it becomes a sick game of cat and mouse. It's disgusting.", he spat with a sharp pause, "Don't ever use that argument again, we're nothing alike! The power doesn't make the person, the person makes the power. How you use it, the intentions behind it's use, it all comes from the Meister itself! And you chose poorly. Individuals like you are exactly why the media is against supers and pushing us farther away from peaceful coexistence. Your actions have given you slice of this cake, in a way or another this mess is primarily your fault and that's unforgivable!"

The boy took a pause to breathe, there is panting but it's difficult to pinpoint whether it is from the effort or just buffing with anger. Either way, Kendrick soon glances back a Bianca, "And of course, a mafia would take that as a territory claim, wouldn't it? BUT I was referring to Baltimore as my home and the fact it's been suffering enough. What good would it do owning it and then acting as if everyone owes me a favour? That's boring and dull. So artificial that at some point, you're simply playing an agonizing and suffocating part, every.single.day of your life without rest." , his voice trails off a bit, but despite that, the next sentence comes with a hint of sarcasm and laughter, "Keeping the wolves out?? How presumptuous. I'm not any Saint. I'm fully aware of that, if this conversation is any sign. We all have transgressions, we're all potencial wolves. Believing in the 'inherent good' is naive, childish and will only bring disappointment. The line is simply drawn at how our transgressions affect other's lives."


The teenager sighed, a melancholy and emptiness flash on his expression for a split-second as a couple of sentences from Rupert Haywood crossed his mind: "You can only truly trust yourself, it is the only person to never betray you.","Always expect to be back-stabbed, even from the closest of partners." and "When you're prepared for the worst and have made contingency plans, there's nothing to fear.". Shaking his head free of the bothering lessons, Kendrick pours his attention back at the task in hand. Tapping his vest straight to remove any evidence of the girl's poke, a new flame burns alive inside him as the boy pointed at her in defiance:


"Fine, let's do it like that! IT.IS.ON. Don't you go regretting your decision when we bring every single recorder device in the household, and then use those against you at a later date! We're definitely gathering a dossier, IF there isn't one already! Prepare Yourself!!", there is a pause, as he recalled something else that needed to be said, "Also, is is not kid, stop calling me that. I'm being surprisingly respectful for not straight entitling you 'mafia dog', so you should at least do that as well. It's Haywood or don't call me at all. Unless you want us to stoop lower towards the name calling. Two can play that game."

Kendrick smiles at Bianca, awaiting her reply. At this point it's clear he's not backing down or stopping. It has become a duel of contrasting statements, points of view, and the boy is not accepting defeat easily.

Spoiler

Interactions: @Gus, @The Suspicious EyeToday's Toys: Ted, Mr. Holeshot, Sparkles, Pandora, Harry, Kefir, Shouty, Theo, Millie.

 

[Zahzi]

Jordan Short-Tempered Brahn


Location: Brahn's Best Bakery.


Nearby: 


Morgan ( @welian )


Jennifer ( @Musician )


Jessica ( @Captain Hesperus )


Mary ( @ViAdvena )


Moufinz ( @KingHink )


Sam ( @Lioness075 )


Disposition: Morgan you ARE STILL a lazy fuck.


Jordan could not help but stare at the ball of fur that was now giving some James Bond Villan-ripped speech. RIGHT in the goddamn bakery. This stupid cat was either really sure of his safety, or he was, as most cats seem to be on video, stupid.


A stale bagel was thrown into the air into the cat's general direction. If it hit him, Jordan didn't really care.


"Hey! Read the sign!" he barked at the cat, pointing up at an obscure sign hanging above the door that was either a joke or was put up for this very reason...As if its happened before.


"Absolutely NO power-plays! ESPECIALLY from the opposably-challenged!"


Lo and behold, that's what the damn sign said verbatim.


"Unless you want that fancy wedding cake to get covered in phallic imagery, I'D STOP MAKING A SCENE."


The cat might doubt the threat, but Jordan would do it..

Hunter Red Ward
Location: The shattered remains of an overpriced casino
Nearby: Face McShooty [Eve] ( @DeKay )


The Little Fodder That Could [Imogen] ( @Syrenrei )


Disposition: Oh great. Here come the onlookers.


Red slowly looked over at Imogen, an eyebrow raised. Most people would probably steer clear of him for obvious reasons. Self-Preservation must not run high on her to-do list.


Aaand now she's talking to him.


"....Do you not see the fire, ruined building, liquefied road, and trashed cars....EVERYWHERE?" he asked bluntly, gesturing in a random direction around him. No matter where he'd point, there was SOMETHING broken. And THIS time, only HALF of it could be blamed on him.


"You'll want to move that car. The emergency crews are going to need anywhere not hazardous to park. And no. I don't need a ride. If you're not afraid of blood, there are people who need help here." he finally answered her question before looking behind him at the unconscious Eve. He held his hand up as a metal rod flew up for him to catch. He then pointed it at Eve, and began prodding it against Eve's temple.


"'Ey. Stop trying to die. It's getting old."

 

[Aldur]

Eve and Cole Knox


[SIZE=11pt]Inside the concrete pyramid, Eve's eye covers flicked open. In the faint blue light cast by her eyes, she could make out very little. Her hand drifted up to her forehead, finding a small dent and the remains of the bullet in her facial plating, dead center. She grabbed it and pulled it away from her face. Good thing ceramic bullets have low penetrating power! She rolled her neck, joints cracking. Muscles were sore all the way down to her lower back, and she could already tell that she was going to have a raging headache from the impact. Better than the alternative, though...[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Slowly, she sat up, wincing in pain. Focusing a subsonic pulse wave on the top of the pyramid, she formed a small porthole and cautiously peeked out. No sign of the drones, lots of devastation. Roger slumped lifelessly in the concrete cage she'd built around him, blood flow from over a dozen wounds now slowing to a trickle. With a wave of her hands she, ramped up the amplitude from her palm speakers and the rest of the pyramid flattened back into the sidewalk.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]A quick scan of the area revealed bits of drone and wrecked cars everywhere, as well as half a bus and half of a second pyramid. No sign of Red... She smoothed the remains of the second pyramid as well as the concrete cage back into the sidewalk. Roger, she buried in excess ice, which seemed to have finally stopped expanding with his expiration. Several buildings sagged as the pressure from the ice was released, and she quickly shored them up with temporary supports. Basic cleanup finished, she took a second look around. Civilians seemed to be well clear. No bodies in the street, either, so that was a blessing.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]There was just one figure nearby, a woman she did not recognize. By her bearing, though, she was clearly a super. Normal humans didn't walk into areas like this so... casually. She seemed to be talking to some kind of... holy shit, was that Red?! He was... red. As in glowing red hot. He was moving, though, and still on his feet, so presumably, he would be ok. Whatever could have done that to him, though, Eve shuddered to think. On the other hand, whatever it was, had not killed him, so probably he was pretty pissed off. She wasn't sure which worried her more, robots that could hurt Ward, or Ward's temper being tested.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]No time to deal with that now, though; Cole was coming down the street, gamely wrestling the wheel and gearshift of a sand truck into doing his will. Bit by bit, he lurched along, avoiding the worst of the damage to the street; apparently, the massive boxy thing didn't handle as gracefully as a fire truck. While she couldn't help her brother's maneuvers directly, at least she could smooth the way. Mentally dialing her powers up to near their limit, she reformed the mangled pavement back into a shape more reminiscent of a street than a moonscape. Some semblance of normal driving surface restored, he soon rolled up alongside her and leaped down from the Cab.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]“All good, little sis? Look at you! Saving the day and cleaning up after... Got your mojo back yet?”[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Unable to flush, she still felt a burning sensation, deep in what remained of her cheek muscles, behind the mask. Glad, for once, that her face was not so readable as it had once been, she gave him a passable imitation of a playful punch on the shoulder. Dialing up some classical metal on her sound system, she raised her voice over the opening cascade of notes to “Enter Sandman”[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]“We ain’t done yet! This look clean to you?”[/SIZE]

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Bianca Attilio
​

View attachment 237223



 Mood: Pissed off


 Location: Facility 108


 Company:  Kendrick and anyone else around


 @'s: @Gus @Necessity4Fun @Bag o Fruit @Syrenrei @Kingmalikai @too much idea


 Other: 




Hitting a clear nerve with her retort she raised a eyebrow as a strange fish girl stood in between them and started telling her off in Japanese. Her chest tightened at hearing the language once again it brought her back to her past, one that hurt to remember. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. Inori died with her parents she thought to herself, I am stronger than her. I've been forged to be stronger. Opening her eyes she looked to Kendrick, "having other's fight your battles now?" Giving a smug look just to piss him off a bit more.


Watching him pull away from the girl and give her a lecture. Bianca didn't remember much of her mother other than her murder, but she recognized the expression on Manami's face. All she could see was that same look her mother had once before. Now Bianca was serious. Her eyes burned with rage, "You think I chose to be this way? That I didn't want a normal happy life? That I asked to be able to do what I do? That I wanted to kill people?" She tossed her head and gave a spiteful laugh before staring down Kendrick. "I hate people like you. All you do is hear my last name or heard some rumor about me and make your stupid speculations as to who I am. Accusing me of things you have no earthly idea about. You say you don't believe in inherently good, but you automatically judge me as evil. A bloodthirsty criminal who wants nothing more than to become Donna of the Attilio mafia and seize control of the east coast. That's what you're calling me isn't it? What a closed minded, speculative, hypocritical and foolish way of thinking. I'm not what's wrong with this world people like you are. You pour more poison into this world, then I could ever spill in blood. A peaceful existence won't happen because of me, it's because of people like you. If you haven't learned that by now then you really are a stupid kid."


Don't call him a kid he says, when that's exactly what he is. It's pretty clear since I was just like him, minus the fortune. How much I've changed since those days. She shrugged and shook her head, "then again I can't say I wasn't any different. You may say we're not alike kid, but I said that exact same little speech to my father a long time ago. You're just a child, you don't know what true hardship is. What true agony is, what it feels to be broken down to nothing and have to build yourself back up. You don't know what life is like anywhere other then in your little privileged bubble. Where people took care of you, supported you, and even loved you. You'll never understand me..."


At those words her mind wandered back to what her father would always tell her. 'We are two Gods trapped among the vile pen of filth, my daughter. I am the only one who will ever understand you, the only one who will ever see clearly what is in your mind's eye. Simply because I made you. We're exactly alike. I see me in your rage. I see the real you and it's mine.' Crossing her arms she dug her nails into her ink-filled flesh. thinking she was anything like that man gave her chills. I am not my father. Deranged and out of control. I will never be like him. Feeling the soft purr of Chompers gears on her back put Bianca at ease and she gave another sigh, "and that's fine, you're young, you didn't have to grow up as quickly as I did. You'll understand when you grow up, right now it's your time to learn. So take this as your first lesson, kid. Don't criticize what you can't understand. I'll stop calling you kid when you grow up."

 

[The J]

Hadrian Alburn


Outside the Hospital


It was a shame that Viola couldn't locate the criminals by some sort of sixth sense - it would sort of make sense as well, something to do with electricity and nerves. In any case, the brouhaha caused by any given criminal would make them easier to find, so it wasn't much of a loss.


"Can I keep up? I can run faster than most, and I can keep up a sprint for a long time. Even if I can't keep up, as long as you stay within sight of me then it's fine, just as long as we get to the convicts quicker."


He was telling the truth. While a number people were faster than him, his powerful muscles and optimised use of them meant that the number was quite small. On top of that, none of that number would be able to keep going for long, but Hadrian's stamina was exceedingly impressive, certainly enough to make it to the prison.


"Do you know where the prison is? Or could you use your phone? I'd use mine, but... I'm still getting used to keeping it on me." He said, skirting around the idea of never having had one before with all the subtlety of a freight train crashing into a musical instrument shop.

 

[Malikai]

Jeremiah "JJ" Johnson
​

Location: Facility 108 Parking Lot
​

Mentioned/Nearby: @Necessity4Fun @The Suspicious Eye @Gus/ @too much idea @Bag o Fruit
​

Mood: Conflicted
​

Jeremiah smiled and nodded at Bianca's question, "Indeed I am.  Just joined in this place more recently, but I've lived in Baltimore my whole life."  The smile faltered as Jeremiah thought about all that Baltimore had brought him, It's not the nicest place, but I'm sure there's worse places.  Shaking himself slightly Jeremiah's eyes focused back on Bianca to hear what she had to say next, "I don't know about that, I wouldn't mind a crazy mission to take me off of my crazy life."  Before Jeremiah continued any further with the conversation Kendrick walked up and began his conversation about Bianca, thus leading up to where Jeremiah found himself now.


Jeremiah stared back and forth between the two as they had begun to argue and was finding himself confused as to who is in the right.  On one hand Bianca had been minding her own business and it seemed as if she had wanted to get a way from the kind of life she had, on the other hand Kendrick seems to be right that she was in fact a criminal and this was the kind of thing that they were here to try and stop.  Right away Jeremiah was siding with Bianca in that they were here for the purpose of saving others, but he found himself slightly confused at her wording of said purpose, and of course he was also unsure about the detail and speed that Bianca had thought about the logistics of holding Kendrick's parents for ransom.


Kendrick made an immediate and correct comeback with saying that it was disturbing the familiarity that Bianca had with holding people for ransom.  The point about the law was also especially true, Laws have on more than one occasion screwed over somebody that by all means did nothing to deserve it.  As Kendrick continued talking Jeremiah began to feel slightly disgusted by him, YOUR CITY?  That's really how you see it?  From that one statement Jeremiah already felt as sick as a man the day after his twenty-first birthday.  Even though Kendrick seemed to correct himself later on the way it was phrased the first time made him wonder if that was how the other Haywoods saw things.  For now Jeremiah gave Kendrick some leeway but things only got worse as Bianca made a return by simply clicking her tongue and smiling, And you're doing this just to annoy him?  Or at least you're showing the appearance of just wanting to annoy him, which isn't that great either.


Jeremiah was about ready to step in between the argument when somebody else did for him, Ah, I didn't catch her name but I'm glad that somebody has decided to put a stop to th-Jeremiah stopped his train of thought as soon as he saw the blue-skinned girl side with Kendrick and only proceed to keep arguing for him.  All Jeremiah could do was sigh as he continued to watch the two go back and forth.  Finally as Bianca seemed to finish up her response Jeremiah saw his chance to interject, "I think we all get it by now.  One of you has had problems and the other has strong opinions and we sympathize with both of you, but you both have to realize that everyone has their own problems; and right now two people have a problem that we can solve and their name's are... Mr. and Ms. Haywood,"  Jeremiah blanked on the first names of the two and gave an awkward smile, "now I suggest we either settle this now or save it for later because otherwise we're going to find it very difficult to be around each other."  Letting out a deep breath Jeremiah felt the need to lean back but quickly reminded himself that he would only fall and hit the ground.  Looking back up at everyone he could only afford a mix between a disappointed look and a glare at everyone, already having lost respect that he hadn't had the chance to build up for the two of them.

 

[lazee]

Luke Pryce


The Grocery Store



@too much idea @Necessity4Fun @Dusky @St Stare @DamagedGlasses



Baltimore. One of the least interesting cities in the East Coast until very, very recently. Luke Pryce, the cowardly master of ice, the one who would be gone without a trace at the first sight of trouble, probably shouldn't be here, but his gut feeling (the same exact feeling that told him when trouble was coming) was telling him that he was fine, he should be here and have some fun. And Luke never really argued with his gut feeling; 75 percent of the time it was right every time. Those were playing odds, right there. Walking the peaceful, pleasantly chilly streets of Charm City, Maryland, he was decked out in a 'rented' smart-casual suit and some black-rimmed prescription glasses. Which he...'loaned' from a Philadelphia oculist some time before he 'legally' hopped on the bus he took to get here.


Don't judge him.


The streets were calm, not the eerie sort of calm. Just, calm and quiet. He could get used to this. Actually, no, he couldn't. A fugitive like Luke, the son of Jack Frost, needed to remain on the move, always. Technically, he wasn't wanted now that they bagged his family, but who knows what The System could do to him? Better safe than sorry, said he. Passing by a crowded pizzeria, his stomach rumbled. In his long bus drive from Philadelphia to Baltimore, he had not eaten anything filling, only some chips he bummed from his seatmate. And with no money, Luke couldn't exactly buy some of that pizza, too. So what was he to do?


Well, he looked for and entered a grocery store, where the aisles were large and security couldn't give a rat's ass about their job. Perfect hunting grounds. As Cool Hand Luke entered, marked with a ding and the opening of the automatic sliding doors, he quickly noticed that the place was basically abandoned! Not a soul in a uniform was to be seen. How fortuitous could he get? No wonder his gut feeling told him to stay. Luke looked around and saw...what, five-six people? All youngsters, too. There might be some more fun to be had here. The man with the cool hands climbed over to one of the cashiers and boldly manned the register. Using the practical skills he acquired from being a part-time clerk in middle school, he opened up the cash drawer, making that satisfying ka-ching sound. Orderly stacks of Washingtons, Hamiltons, Lincolns and Franklins greeted his eyes and if it were a cartoon, dollar signs would replace his grey pupils.


But a young man suddenly going onto the register would be suspicious. Luke needed a good cover, a false reason to be here. Something like...


"Hey, guys! Register's open now, sorry I'm late!" he shouted out to whoever was in the grocery store, what few of the kids there were. "Y'all wanna check some things out? I'll give you a discount for the trouble, company policy!" There, now Luke was an innocent clerk who was late for work. He made a mental note to find the security camera room and destroy the recordings that caught his face. Damn CCTV and all it stood for, making his work inconvenient and shit.

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen "Gen" Jarsdel
​

a/k/a Evermore
​

Location: On a street that has seen better days ---> Brahn's Best Bakery
​

Near: Some guy having a bad day (Red) @Zahzi and two people in a truck (Eve and Cole) @DeKay, Suspicious van (Moufinz minion) @KingHink
​

An agitated, abrasive, and unpleasant super. Imogen wished she could lie to herself and say she was surprised but this was the attitude she had grown used to. Her visage was as placid as a still lake when he gestured and yelled. Plenty of 'normals' were full of the need to throw all kindness to each other out the window ,but supers were eager to show that they were super in that regard too. The injustice of a world that discriminated against them put a chip on their shoulder more often than not. Did they take this out on normal people? No, it was often impossible for them to do so even if that was their most fervent desire. Supers being assholes to supers. This was truly a world that made sure that there was equality in as many ways as possible.


"The debris is not of significant danger to me," Imogen replied with a shrug. It was almost laughable that he mentioned she could assist if she didn't mind the sight of blood. There was no way for him to know she regularly had to cut herself open to retrieve bullets but it almost elicited a laugh regardless. Having her powers would have been an absolute curse if blood had made her physically ill or caused her to faint. "Blood and more severe injuries do not bother me; however, this is not my specialty. I am not equipped to properly help these people. I wish you luck." She inclined her head slightly, turned, and walked back to her car. It sounded colder than her actual intention. If she could help the wounded she would have stayed. While Imogen patched herself up often enough, she had a warped sense of pain and healing; additionally, if she made any wrong move on a civilian she'd be sued to high heaven in the courts. It had happened often enough to good Samaritans she couldn't take the risk. There were grander, more painful, and more debilitating things left in the life of Evermore, regenerating vigilante. Attending civil court dates was not on her agenda.


Imogen climbed into her vehicle, closed the door, put on her seat belt, and slipped on her earpiece. It was time to find a super who actually needed her abilities. Red's assertion hadn't been wrong, but it would be a waste to stay at this destroyed street with emergency services well on their way. In another party of the city she might actually be able to save a life. That was what she lived for. That is why she had been given a code name, a blue card, and regular psychiatric visits to evaluate her mental and emotional stability. She threw the car in reverse, accelerated for 1.3 seconds, changed back to drive, and then firmly pressed the pedal. Little rocks and bits of pulverized metal spun out from under the tires as it tore down the street and an annoyed motorist honked his horn as she navigated her way back the way she came. Imogen needed a detour to get closer to her parents' house from the area of Facility 108. From what she was hearing there was at least one escaped villain in close proximity to her parents- and that was her top priority regardless of whatever threat level had been assigned to convict.


She turned down a somewhat unfamiliar street. This wasn't a part of Baltimore she came to often. The guidance in her ear was incessantly encouraging her that this road was, in fact, the most 'efficient route' after she had forced it away from Red's avenue of broken dreams. Zooming down the road Imogen almost missed it. Her focus had been on the street, speeding without being a danger to anyone, not pushing her car to any extreme limits, and following most of the traffic laws with as much precision as could be afforded when she spotted a park van outside a bakery. On a normal day this would be nothing at all surprising. Perhaps the proprietors needed a rental to send a cake to a lovely couple destined for divorce in three years.


But today was an exceptionally fucked up day in Baltimore. There was a jailbreak. Sensible people were fleeing in terror and the insane were hiding in distant corners praying to God as they were certain it was the sign of the apocalypse. But this bakery? As Imogen slowed down she saw people inside. People that were still apparent patrons in a bakery. It made no sense. Why wouldn't they have gone home? Why were they visible from the windows? It was such a bizarre scene out of time, so jarring, that Imogen felt that she ought to stop and at least ascertain they were safe and could go home. She pressed a button to make the vehicle parallel park itself as she undid her seat belt and pulled her blue card out of her purse just so she had it at the ready. Not every Baltimore citizen listened to a random woman off the street, but most listened to a blue card holder. Once her vehicle stopped she calmly exited and jumped up onto the sidewalk.


Brahn's Best Bakery.

 

[JustNicole]

Julie


Location: The Park -> Kestrel Going Who Knows Where


Nearby: In the same park as Ren, Luci, Urial, Klaus von Scheiffer, Kingsley, The Chipmunk King, Asher, Lara, and Ophelia. -> The Kestrel


(@Meredith@RemainingQuestions@St Stare@Lazy Rocktime@Teh Frixz@Bag o Fruit@DJ MagicHat@Lioness075@SweetNicole@KingHink)


Mood: Fuck Birds


OOC: Fuck Birds x2


[SIZE=11pt]The current situation reminded Julie of an old acronym her father had told her about once. SNAFU: Situation normal, all fucked up. It was safe to say the situation was all fucked up. There she was, hovering by Oliver, firing shots at a horde of chipmunks for crying out loud. To say the situation was all fucked up didn’t seem to be severe enough to describe the absurdity of the sight. Yet, those in the area whom were in the park still were not fleeing from the site, but standing firm and striking back with determination, as if this was just another day in the life. Just who were these people?[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Julie never got a chance to dwell further on those meanings nor inflict harm to the chipmunks’ numbers, for at that moment a great swarm of birds flocked down upon the chipmunks, as if summoned by a supernatural presence, and began to seriously dent the rodent army.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Birds. Why did it have to be birds? Of all the creatures on the planet, Julie had always been envious of birds and their ability to fly, to be able to lift wings and carry yourself far into the sky. How ironic fate seemed to be at times. Now birds were something she particularly disliked. No one likes hanging around a wild animal who occasionally eats things similar to you.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]For the moment, the birds seemed focused on the rodents, and as the old saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So perhaps, in this exact moment, the birds and her could have a truce. Bigger fish to fry and all that.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]The birds, however, did not hear Julie’s well-reasoned, logical accord. One moment she was firing a stinger at one of the chipmunks scurrying across the ground, the next she found herself constrained by claws and rapidly moving upwards, quickly leaving behind Oliver and the chipmunk horde. Looking upwards, it seemed a particularly bold kestrel had decided that Julie would suffice in place of a rodent. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Stupid stupid[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt], Julie berated herself as she was carried into the air. She should have been paying closer attention to her surroundings. She certainly could have dodged the grab. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]That’s what I get for trusting birds. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=11pt]Unfortunately, there was little that she could do to escape her predicament. She couldn’t increase in size while tripped in the kestrel’s talons. It was possible for her to use her stinger, give the bird a good shock. It might release her, but it also might cause the bird to seize up and clamp down on the talons together as it fell to the earth, either killing Julie from the squashing of the talons or the impact of the fall. Either way, better not to risk that. Julie was sure she’d find a better alternative to escape.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=11pt]The park had long since faded from view as the kestrel flew along the Baltimore skyline, heading for only it knew where. On any given day Julie might have enjoyed sitting back and watching the view, but there was the whole needing to escape bit that she still had to work out. She was sure she’d find some amicable solution, but she needed to find it soon.[/SIZE]

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki





Location: In shock


Nearby: Who indeed? She thought she knew.


Mood: Disheartened


@s: @Necessity4Fun @Kingmalikai @The Suspicious Eye @Bag o Fruit @too much idea


Manami looked down at her empty hand and then back at her friend, saddened he had not come along with her. She listened with all her might to what he said. Green hair spoke back. If only they would slow down and enunciate a little better! It was very hard to follow their conversation! She opened her mouth to speak, but the argument just rolled on over her, and she was at a loss for what to say. She caught words here and there, which were bad enough, but it was the tone she found most dismaying. And not just green hair either! She was rude, but Kendi was... was... mean?! Everyone was offering to help him. His parents were in trouble! And yet, he couldn't let it pass that green hair had called him 'kid'? How was this an issue? Did she misunderstand the usage? 'Kun' in japanese was affectionately added for young people, not quite old enough to merit 'san' yet. Did her usage of Kendi-kun bother him as much as this? Enough to leave his parents to their fate while he settled the score over mere words? Manami tried to imagine her mother and father in danger and doing anything but springing into action. She failed. The idea defeated her brain utterly. She could feel her inner forearms itching just thinking about her family under threat. Dark, violent thoughts flickered fleetingly across the back of her mind, and her stingers dripped with venom. Memories of previous dangers stirred and then went still again.


How could this boy she called friend have so little focus? How did he speak so eloquently, like a grown up, and yet reason so much like a child?


Another student hovering nearby spoke up, and thankfully used simpler words. She could follow almost everything he said, and he pretty much put his finger on what she had been thinking. She came forward shooting a pleading look at green hair to let it drop, and tried her best to reinforce the new boy's message. Lightly touching Kendrick on the shoulder she said softly:


“Kendoriku. Please. Haywudo mama and papa are trouble. We wanto to help yu, ok? Manami no papa say 'Hokori wa, hokori bakari desu' Pride is nothing but dust. It get in eyes. Blind you. Make cry. Don't make pride. Save haywood mama. Papa too. We help.”

 

[Necessity4Fun]

The shift Attilio had brought to the discussion had caught him off guard. Thrown in the new position of the 'issue' and the defensive side of the argument, Kendrick's anger was quelled, and he recalled the fact that there was absolutely no defense to his actions. This was usually where he lost.


What? Did Bianca think he wasn't aware of how much arrogance and cynicism his words carried?
Every single attack was truly a double-pointed spear, and it stroke the target as much as it made him hate himself. Why had he started this again? There had been a reason at the beginning, but at this point, it had been long forgotten. Hell, he had even started enjoying the duel with the same thrill and expectation as a chess round! There's no pleading innocence after that! Perhaps, the entire debate had been nothing more than pointless. Two zeros attempting desperately to add into a one, as they crushed each other and constantly fell up short.


Since he had been put into Check AND completely lost the will to fight, Kendrick had been about to withdraw from this round. The young Haywood had made several points on how he and Bianca were different when in fact, the more he looked back into the past assaults the more similar they sounded. But Lady Fate didn't seem to want him to rest, and the girl's next few statements hit way too close to home for any comfort. Love and Support?! Oh no, I think you meant: Have everything you do constantly judged. Heck, he got blamed for the dumb bridge that he clearly had nothing to do with!
At this new light, Bianca's first arguments seemed to hint at a lack of choice, and that started to bother him more than anything else. The teenager thought back on the box, two years of theatrics, him, his fears, his worries, -and at last- the path that had been laid out in front of him, which he was expected to follow, and that he still hadn't reached a conclusive opinion on how he felt about:


"Everyone has a choice!"


Such a simple statement had been thrown in the air, but it's purpose and target was unknown. Had it been something for Bianca to think about? Or perhaps, he was just trying to convince himself?... Maybe both.
Before this round could get any more melancholic and personal, Jeremiah had spoken up, attempting to mediate a conflict that at this point, didn't really exist anymore. Thought he was thankful for the interruption, the boy didn't show it at all. Yikes, this had been a close one! Kendrick had almost started going about frailties and happenings no one else knew, WITH security standing right there. This could have been a disaster! Picture this, the Haywood heir doubting his own ability and position in front of the subordinates he was leading currently, laughable isn't it?
Upon a relieved sigh, the boy glanced back at the blonde with a subtle hint of admiration, but quickly Manami had stepped before him, putting her hand on his shoulder with an expression that disarmed him completely. She didn't even had to say anything, just that sight was capable of draining off of the teenager even the energy to get back in character and finish everything properly:


"I'm sorry", he mustered the very same word he had failed to, so many other times and instantly took his gaze out of her in shame, "I admit it was out of place, and... I truly regret you had to see that."


Kendrick simply stood there awaiting everyone's next moves. Fuck, even the sweet Manami, who had managed to put up with him for this long, looked throughly disappointed! Screw if security is watching, there was no salvation from this!!
Checkmate.

Spoiler

Interactions: @Gus, @The Suspicious Eye, @KingmalikaiToday's Toys: Ted, Mr. Holeshot, Sparkles, Pandora, Harry, Kefir, Shouty, Theo, Millie.

OOC: There weren't supposed to be feels, but they still came... Enjoy? >w<

 

[Bag o Fruit]

The Chipmunk King


@RemainingQuestions@Lazy Rocktime@DamagedGlasses@Lioness075@St Stare@Gus@SweetNicole@DJ MagicHat@Meredith@KingHink


"Chkukchch chkukchchch! Whookwhookwhookchkchkchk! Chkchkchkchchok!"


Masses of chipmunks climbed over each other, creating lumpy, furry towers of biting death, poised to strike the avian dive-bombers. One or two collapsed into the middle, only to bounce back into form, springing cavalier chipmunks into the air to grab the feathers of unfortunate passing birds.


"Chkukchchchch! Chrrrchichichukchrrchkchtchuk! Chrchrchitchitchickchchickchpchp!"


The leading lines of the chipmunk horde pulled out of the center of the park, running around Urial, Klaus, Aaron, Ophelia and Luci with a reasonable berth. Scampering quickly, they met forces on the other side of the aforementioned, surrounding them.


"Chkukchchchchch! Chookchurpchurpchurp! Chitchitchick!"


Two large forces extended from the army, one towards Julie, and one towards Ophelia, both seeking to surround and overwhelm.


"Chkukch! Chkchtchkchkchtchuk! Chitchitchickchukchirrchir! Chtchuuk!"


The surrounding forces swirled inwards, sending a tendril of attacking chipmunks charging Urial. The king led the charge, mighty Schwickschwik poised to swing.