Episode 5: When the Knights Go Marching In

[Gus]

Kyo and Makoto Hamasaki
​

Kyo stands beside his wife on the prow of the Momotaro. His adopted daughter is a short distance away, amongst her own kind, preparing for some kind of test. It looks suspiciously like some sort of gameshow set; one can only hope the Americans know what they are doing. It is hard to have confidence in an organization that is so clearly fueled by chaos and disorganization. Perhaps it is simply an institutional reflection of the culture. The test is now running 30 minutes behind and the second team has barely begun the first challenge. Manami, at least, showed up on time. Barely. He hopes she will continue to acquit herself well, whatever the trials. Soon would be nice... they can ill afford to take the entire afternoon off from fishing.

Eventually, Manami is 'sent' to the first challenge. As always, she is over confident in the water, and shows off a bit on her way there. Makoto waves frenetically, which embarrasses him, as well as their daughter, to judge by her weak return of the gesture. He can see how this hurts his wife, and he sighs, placing his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

For a while after that, not much happens. A few more students are launched, as well as a few more boats. One little pontoon boat is headed right for them, but corrects a little before he has to weigh anchor and sprint for the conn to move back. He grunts. Idiot Americans and their little pleasure boats.

As they pass in safety, his attention is pulled back toward the docks. Something breaches up out of the water. Impossibly, it is a... head. A giant human head which swells in proportion to the massive female body which follows it up and up and up out of the water. The water is sluicing off of her in torrents, and as she moves forward she pushes waves ahead of her nearly as high as the ones that have been rolling in all day, causing chop enough to swamp some of the smaller boats. The Momotaro has seen far worse, so Kyo ignores the waves and fixes his attention on the giant. She recalls to his mind the many sea-monster films that used to both terrify and fascinate him as a child. She has that same quality of awe-inspiring and frightening power. His wife trembles beside him.

“Tai-hen deshyo ne, annata?”

“Wakaranei, demo... Sugoi daro ka?”

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Exam Area -> Boat Area
People Around: The reporter that's not a real journalist and probably regrets a lot by now.
Exam Team: Snowglobe

Interactions: Lioness075 (Piper)
Additional Team Tags: Lioness075 (Sam), ViAdvena and Gus (Manami and Miia)

Today's Toys: Ted, Spiral, Lieutenant George, Humphrey and Millie.

*Overtaken by a swirl of frustration, anger, indignance, annoyance, and hatred... Just, pity whoever get in the way next*

With his arm still on the air and a handshake that never saw it's completion, Kendrick stood there watching the reporter's outburst in confusion. What was she laughing about? He hadn't said anything that was even slightly funny. Really, how unprofessional.
The young Haywood crossed his arms as he waited for the girl to be done. It was clear that he was annoyed. There had also been some feet tapping but it soon stopped since it was clear that doing such on grass wasn't nearly as satisfying as doing so indoors. The lack of the distinct echoed sound only served to tick him off even further...

"Kendrick...oh my god...I'm not even a real journalist or whatever."​

...And there it came again, that friendliness he hadn't agreed to. Maybe the girl should not have said a thing. Not a real journalist? Good. So he could be straight with her then:

"Relax...? Relax? That would be much easier if you'd just stop treating me on a first name basis when I don't even know yours! Don't you think that's unfair? Because, I.don't.know.you! And yet, you're talking to me as if we were classmates, which we clearly aren't.", Kendrick's initial indignation started boiling into anger, the final of the act also meant finally letting his emotions free, "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?! Really Miss 'Not a real journalist', you failed to reciprocate something as simple as a handshake, for an actual introduction. How can you expect any respect after that?"

"Sure, I got tripped and fell. But see, I was trying to be polite here, but no! You chose to laugh, so hahaha. We're both each other's joke now, are you satisfied? I tried to be proper about this, but no! You, Sam... Had to push my limits, didn't you? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather be back in Economics!", he paused, putting a hand to his face and sighing before pointing beyond the auburn-haired girl, "Just, go bother someone else, okay? I'm busy and this is not meant for you...yet."

He took another sigh, turned his back to her and had started going towards the boat. However, before the other could react at all, he looked back, one or two steps farther away. This time his eyes relayed not only the annoyance and anger of merely seconds ago, but also hatred. Words and feelings went out of sync in a new rant that was nothing but unjustified:

"Oh, but of course. I can't go without answering the question, can I? Reporters... Here's another one for you. Does it count as practice if It's the words of someone else? Does it count as practice if I never rehearsed the dumb thing, yet heard it being said over and over again through my life? Does it count if it's what I'm supposed to say? Huh? Does it?! How much of a choice does it have to be to fit the definition of 'practice'? Think about that while I catch up with my teammate and rain on her parade, with a lightning storm and tornados as a side-dish!"

The boy started distancing himself, taking backward steps slowly. His gaze still pinned on her harboring a flame of hatred that though diminished, remained noticeable:

"Maybe use your brain this time and stay away, since I'm giving you numerous red flags. Or don't, I don't actually care. Just don't say I didn't warn you!"

And with that Kendrick took off after Sam. He did catch glimpse of Tabitha being a bit of a show off in the bay and would have reacted if he had been in a better mood. But right now, part of him really felt like strangling his teammate out of air, or devising a ploy to launch her in a spaceship towards the sun... he was that angry.

 

[Necessity4Fun]

​

Location: AEGIS Training Facility 108 - Exam Area
People Around: A girl wearing glasses I bumped into (Mitch)
Exam Team: Celestial Body

Interactions: yoikes

-OOC Notes:
'Inumerous' -> It's a purposeful wrong spelling of numerous, based on the Portuguese word 'Inúmero', which means the same thing. I often make this confusion myself.
The wrong use of literally is also done on purpose.-

The T-shirt was ruined, but at least I got to save the cellphone AND the bag... Huh... I should feel victorious, but I don't actually.

Passed the danger of being without her cellphone, Juliana was reminded in a flash about the dive, and having sat, started to promptly inspect her clothing for any pieces of grass that could have stuck to it. What started at a cautious pace was soon a task done under frantic concern and escalating anxiety, until a second voice spoke a keyword that pulled it all to a halt.
The teen blinked, then stared at the girl before her in complete silence... Purse? Her purse... Puuurse... OH! HER SANGRIA HOBO HANDBAG!! How could she have forgotten that?! Her entire life is literally inside that thing!!

"Oh! Uhh sorry about that, buuuut more important, did you catch it?! Because there are inumerous delicate make-up cases and a bottle of perfume inside there, and oh! I'd hate for anything to break! These things are supposed to last at least 6 months, ya know? Money doesn't grow on trees and neither does Illamasqua blushes, sadly~! I bet people would care more a lot more about trees if they did..."

Deciding she had had enough of the floor, the Brazilian sprung up at once, again, assessing the damage that had been done to her clothes. The Eiffel tower print in relief, relayed a completely different idea now, having part of the Mustard-colored rubber? (It did felt rubbery on touch) scrapped out of the shirt. Honestly, it looked like some nutjob rock band was responsible for the 'new' design. It didn't actually look bad, but It didn't look great either. One thing was certain though, it would never feel the same ever again.
Juliana looked down sad and let out a low 'Awww', in sympathy for her T-shirt. Her poor, poor T-shirt that couldn't even survive the season. What a shame......... Aaaaand then she was done with that. It's not like it would be missed or anything. Yes, it was a nice piece of clothing, but eh the teen had T-shirts to spare, it's not like it was the end of the world...this time.

Next thing on her 'to-do list' was finding her purse, which location had once again vanished from her memory. Jú glanced at the floor, for some reason expecting to see the object by her feet. But it wasn't there. Panic surfaced again, as the girl searched in a full 360º around her, only to not see the purse, then tap her shoulder even though she was aware it wasn't there, and repeat the whole process once again. Only then, the Brazilian finally laid her gaze upon the person she had bumped into. A sight that made her exclaim in delight:

"You did catch it!", in what came out as more of a high pitched squeal than actual speech, "I knew I could count on you! ... Stranger! You just saved the world!!! I mean, my world but heh, you should still be proud of yourself~~"

 

[Necessity4Fun]

The Pellegrinis

aTablitaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Edmondo

"Oh.", Tablita let out in surprise, softly, "Aren't you the little gentleman? I bet girls would be all over that!"​

With a low giggle, the woman took the opportunity to tease a bit. It was all in good sport of course, as she would never go too far with it. But the moment just seemed perfect and it also served to ease the apparent growing tension between the three of them. The Italian Lady took the offer and held the stranger's hand to get up. Somehow she managed to keep a modest air of grace to even the most common tasks:

"Thank you for the kindness.", she said with a little nod of her head, "I couldn't help but notice how well groomed these are... It kinda reminds me that I should do mine. It's a bit hard having time to do them myself since well, having a job and being a mom and loving wife comes first but, I don't suppooose I can have the number? Just in case I find a window in my schedule?"

Seeing his wife being a bit too friendly caused Edmondo to avert his gaze. It's not that there was any danger, since, Tablita seemed to be stuck in a perpetual state of teasing... --No, really. She had done so to his mother too many times for comfort already-- But, it would always make him a worry about losing her, which was an absolutely silly thought that he was aware of. The man also thought that this conversation was awfully bi-dimensional currently. Thus when the newcomer finally said a name, he decided to try and interact as well:

"Hyou, huh? That has a nice ring to it. What does it mean?", his effort to join the chat turned into a geeking session, "I hadn't really thought about it, but now that I paid more attention, I can definitely see the Asian ancestry. Were you born in these parts or did you come all the way from across the globe?", the man asked with legitimate curiosity.

After a short, soft laugh over how adorable Edmondo was being, Tablita chimed in to make the exchange slightly less awkward:

"He's probably asking because we've been through Asia for work, and, he just had a blast with the whole experience. Oh! You should have seen it. It was like a child inside a toy store for the first time, just pure bliss and enchantment. Every week he would have a new piece of local trivia, it was very entertaining, not to mention charming~"

The woman shot a wink at her husband, rendering him abashed. Edmondo went red and started stammering with his words. Tablita found it all even more enjoyable:

"Oh my, did I go too far this time?", she teased further. "N-no? I'm fine...", he trailed off and looked elsewhere, causing his partner to laugh again.

With a shrug, the woman decided to change subjects. Returning to the matter of Hyou's arrival, she was shocked to hear about the disregard for documents that commonwealth apparently had. Even if they had a copy of it, these things were incredibly important and useful to have. A finances worker like her could understand this much, so why couldn't the government? This sounded awfully impractical:

"Aww, that's terrible. You would expect people to treat these files with a bit more care, but sadly, this seems to be one of those occasions where expectation doesn't match reality. We could accompany you in your search for the headmaster, we're not really busy, but I don't think we know the name either... Do we, Amore?"

"Ehhh, wasn't it in the letter?" "The letter? Oh, you mean the letter Fiore got back in New York? It probably was, but I can't really remember." "Me neither. You know how bad I am with names..."

Tablita nodded her head, "Seems like we have a hunt to do then..."
This time Edmondo nodded, before interrupting:

"And, just to make it more clear here, sonny, it's not a lake. We're actually in what was a Shipyard once, so the body of water before you extends into the ocean! Isn't that fascinating? Welcome to Sparrow's Point. It's a place where the ocean ended up surrounded by land, like a bowl, a really crooked bowl. When that happens, it's called a bay. Some bays around the world actually look a lot more like a lake, and they have a little canal that a boat needs to go through to fall in the ocean, it's a rather narrow opening and... ... I'm going too far, ain't I?"

"Just a little bit, but I love how excited you get over things like these. if I didn't, I wouldn't have married you in the first place!~"

Taken by surprise by the sudden commentary, the husband fell silent. Not knowing what else to say, his wife followed and for a brief moment, there was no sound between the tree of them. Then the conversation got a weird turn when Hyou mentioned biting someone's hand. The couple looked back at the white-haired man, worry, and confusion in their expressions, unsure of how to respond to something like that:

“Not that I would have actually bitten anything off, Mr. and Mrs….?”​

"Pellegrini", they responded in unison, "Excuse me for meddling but, I wouldn't advise about ehh, 'biting' people at all, no matter how angry you are, I mean..." "It's a little rude don'tcha think?" "Yeah, and not... hygienic."

Both seemed a bit uncomfortable after that. They also had the impression that there was a part of the picture they were missing. Edmondo wasn't sure of what, but Tablita had a hunch that it was power related since well, this WAS AEGIS. Still, she didn't feel confident enough to make a guess and instead attempted to ease the tension that was once again rising between them:

"And oh, don't worry about language dear. We're both countryside people. You should see how much profanity farmers and the like use on a daily basis. I guarantee that we can handle whatever you throw at us!"

Ixaix

 

[D. Rex]

​

Watching her blush, it made him smile. She was a cute girl. And his corny lines weren't chasing her off either. It was nice to see even at his age, he could at least have some effect. It definitely made him feel a bit less awkward. An oddly enough, when she drifted right into subject matter of damaged eyes, something that would probably turn off most people. Earnest took it in stride.

"Heh, well, must be nice. I got to eat my carrots to get those results. So you are a super, huh? So am I. But I tell you what, that power will do you good around here. I hear this place gets a bit crazy. To that, you got your work cut out for you. But I bet you are gonna be quite the blessing for Mr. Swan." He said cheerfully. Her more animated demeanor didn't go unnoticed. He would bet that she liked her job. She certainly did talk about it with fervor. And he could respect that. In fact, he liked that. It was always nice to see someone take pride in their work.

"That's a pretty good idea. You know, I'd like to see that. Go big or go home, right? And if any place is good for testing, it's right here. 108 is infamous for their ability to put things through their paces. I can see it now, 'If it can survive facility 108, it can survive anything'." He said with a laugh. "And I'm kinda relieved you aren't with OSHA... they aren't any fun."

He paused and thought for a moment, even after she apologized for her tirade. It really seemed something she was interested in. And it actually made him interested in it too. You know... he didn't often do this. But he figured he would go out on a limb. "Well Ms. Jarsdel, we must look a right sight standing here like this. I would love to hear some more of your ideas and what else you got on your mind. I was just about to get me some coffee. If you would like, how about I get you one too and we can sit down and talk proper?" He offered.

Syrenrei

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Piper Farrar	Rank: E
Attire: White tank top with analog camera on the front, short jean shorts with some tears, white socks and black converse sneakers	Location: Launcher Area
Tagged: Necessity4Fun (Kendrick)

As Kendrick began ranting at her and throwing his hands about, Piper slowly began to deflate. She'd just been joking around, but Kendrick clearly didn't find any of it amusing. His sense of humor was clearly broken, but given the family background he had, Piper couldn't be too surprised.

Technically, she should be very much like Kendrick, but taking enough art classes and hanging out with the art students had eventually led to her relaxing over time. She definitely made a good choice when she decided to befriend some acting students, too. Improv led to a lot of laughter in high school and even in college a bit, which she would've missed if she'd been more like her parents.

Flinching when Kendrick mentioned her parents, Piper bit the inside of her lower lip in order to prevent her expression from becoming downcast. Her parents had taught her manners, more than she cared to have learned, but she'd cast that advice aside when she found that implementing too many manners led to her being an outcast at school. It was hard for anyone to want to befriend someone who was always acting all high and mighty, and proper. Ew. Such thoughts made Piper wonder if Kendrick even had any friends at this facility.

Frankly, Piper hadn't even realized she'd missed a handshake until Kendrick brought it up. Whoops. She must've been laughing too hard, or something. Ignoring someone's handshake was a rather rude thing to do, implementing proper manners or not. Dang it.

Before she could try to apologize for any of her mistakes, Kendrick moved on to defending himself about tripping. Okay, that was just funny, especially for someone trying to be so proper. Anyone in Piper's place would've laughed...right? Piper had a strong feeling that Sam was cracking up after she stopped running wherever she ended up. Though, Sam had a bad habit of pissing people off, so that wasn't much credibility.

As Kendrick finished his rant and began to leave, Piper took a step forward and opened her mouth. Yet, he interrupted her apology attempt yet again.

He all but blew up about her teasing him for practicing his reporter speech, leaving Piper speechless. So much anger and frustration welled up behind his words and Piper had a strong feeling that no apology would right things in this moment.

As Kendrick stormed off, Piper weakly kicked a weed and sighed to herself. Well, that could've gone better.

 

[Syrenrei]

Imogen Jarsdel
"Evermore"
Location: Near the First Obstacle of the AEGIS Final Exam Course
Conversing with: Ernest D. Rex
On Earpiece: Penny Teh Frixz
​

Imogen had contingency plans for when situations went awry. She was not truly a pessimist- she didn't expect the worst or have a poor disposition- but she liked to be realistic and prepared for the worst case scenario. More than once she had been called 'jaded' for absolutely always making these plans even in social situations. Many times she was surprised by the beautiful endearing qualities in humanity but unfortunately that could not be depended upon.

A few topics and situations came up often enough, and went sideways with enough frequency, that she had become deft at handling them. Imogen knew exactly how to speak with the warehouse owner that believed a large orange cone in a 3' deep hole in his floor was sufficient warning of the walking hazard. She knew precisely what words to use when telling an automobile maker that no, his idea for cutting corners was not novel and yes, testing would absolutely show it reduced safety which would affect the public image. She knew how to withdraw the topic of safety when it was clear her companion was predictably disinterested or bored and she also knew how to depart a date midway by making herself insufferably boring to the would-be consort.

It was when things went impossibly well that she was at a loss. Twice in one day people had actually expressed real interest in her profession that was not thinly veiled polite courtesy. And now, if she was not mistaken, she was being asked on a date. It was not just any invitation either. The man in question was well-groomed, articulate, handsome, close to her age, and not asking awkward questions about her regeneration. Almost every super not only had a chip on their shoulder, they had a whole damn boulder, but Ernest seemed well-adjusted and pleasant.

This was such a treasure she half expected to spot a unicorn behind him.

"A coffee?" she asked dumbly. Her mind was whirling as she tried to process. Imogen knew she was more average than breathtaking stunner, regeneration had all sorts of 'costs' in interpersonal relations, and her job put people to sleep better than Ambien but... that wasn't stopping Ernest. Perhaps these things didn't really matter to him. He was, after all, a janitor himself and that was a less than glamorous job. It spoke to a quiet humility that more of the world could use. "I would love a coffee if you'll accept my company. And you're absolutely right- the powers do help with this job." Imogen pushed back the urge to call Facility 108 a death trap aloud. "I've already found a few things that uniquely equip me to deal with parts of the facility that are hazardous to others." Penny was clearly being referenced though she did not refer to her friend by name. The radioactive super was a secret that she would keep for so long as it was deemed necessary to do so. "Before here I worked extensively with vehicle manufacturers. Helped with impact testing and data. Lethal to the regular human being, but important for safety developments. I take advantage of my abilities in the testing and implementation phase."

"But what did you do before Facility 108?" she queried, deciding that she'd rather talk about Ernest than herself.

 

[Gus]

Anthony Costanzo
​

Location: Near the docks --> nearer still (and farther from the Brahn's incipient fight!)
Mood: Awkward, then relieved.
Nearby: Zahzi Teh Frixz welian

Tony's eyes flickered between Mr. and Mrs. Brahn, almost subliminally, appraising body language, posture, micro expressions. Mr. Brahn seemed almost resigned to whatever shenanigans his wife was up to this time. Clearly it was a regular point of friction between them. Mrs. Brahn, for her part, showed signs of being simultaneously guilty and annoyed. Guilty for being up to something, and annoyed for having to feel guilty about it. Typical married couple, basically. He wanted nothing to do with a marital spat, and was just in the process of formulating a plan to extricate himself when Tabitha Crane's head erupted out of the harbor, followed swiftly by the rest of her. Perfect! Exit stage left.

“Whoah! Nice meeting you both, Brahn and Brahn! Perhaps I will stop by the bakery sometime to discuss scientific consulting. In the meanwhile, that there is exactly the sort of thing my boss would literally kill me for failing to document throughly, so... gotta run!”

And he did.

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Anneliese Van Can Gus Teh Frixz Anneliese saw that Aaron was speaking to her, and she slowly brought her arms away from her head. It seemed she could safely ignore the crowd now.

"No need, Aaron, I'll be quite fine." she smiled him away as she turned back into the building, her gait steady until out of sight. Stumbling a few times down the hall, she made it back into her office and lay down heavily on the couch, exhausted and aching in all the unfamiliar crevices of her own head. But at least it was just her head now.
She shut her eyes, and when that didn't help, she squeezed them tighter, which just made her headache worse. She relaxed as best she could and massaged her temples with her fingertips, bracing her hands with her thumbs on her cheekbones. It took her a second to realize something wasn't quite right, and she drew her hands away from her face to examine.

They were wet. A little, just around the thumbs, but not enough to have come from sweat. In any case, she wasn't sweating... But upon further inspection, she was crying. She wasn't sure why she was crying, hell, she didn't know until now that she was crying. But she felt it now, deep in the pit of her stomach and in her throat, and she lay on that couch weeping as hard as she had the day Vadi had died.

 

[Gus]

Aaron Mallory
​

Location: Hurrying back towards the docks
Mood: Worried. Again.
Nearby: No longer sure... Maybe the Brahn Family? Hopefully Director Swan?
Teh Frixz Zahzi welian Giyari B Bag o Fruit

"Well, if you're sure you're ok..." Aaron was hardly convinced that the councilor was entirely ok, but then again, he wasn't sure what to do about that. If the councilor needs counsel... "Surgeon, heal thyself?" he muttered under his breath as he turned to head back toward the...

"Holy carp!"

Tabitha had taken his advice.

He had mostly just been joking. Why had he done that? What had he been thinking?! What was she thinking? Even taking his suggestion to wade out into the harbor at face value, that was entirely too tall for safety! Also, unfortunately too tall to hear him give further advice!

"But not too tall to hear Director Swan," he thought, as he rushed back towards the crowds by the docks. Hopefully he is somewhere nearby! Trying to keep the edge of desperation out of his voice, he began calling out for him as he anxiously scanned the sea of faces ahead.

"Director Swan! Jason Swan! Has anyone seen the Director?!"

 

[Gus]

Raymond and Lucas
​

Transparent ooc: I decided to go ahead and post the collaboration up to this point, as it has been languishing for a long time.

By way of explanation, Lucas touched the doorknob of the apartment. There was a slight sparking and a faint metallic odor, and then he was gone. There was a dull thud of a body impacting the floor in the hallway outside.

“Ow.”

Scuffling noises were followed by a hesitant knocking at the door.

“Um. It’s me. Lucas. Can you still help me, or should I go?”

Raymond paused a moment, his mind churning in response to the spectacle he’d witnessed. There was no response through the door for a moment, just hurried footsteps and the sound of things being shuffled around. When the door finally opened Raymond scooted out, locking the door as he shut it.

“Here, try these on,” Raymond started as he turned, holding a pair of insulated gloves out towards Lucas. “Might keep you from frying my car...I already froze it once. That’s why I got these, don’t need them now though. Go ahead and see if they fit.”

Lucas took the gloves and tried them on. They fit like, well, gloves.

He smiled tentatively. “Thanks. I don’t know if it will help. My high school physics teacher tried to explain it to me once. Something about moving charges creating a magnetic field. The faster I go the more likely I am to EMP your engine to death. Maybe if we drive really slowly though?”


Raymond’s lips tightened for a moment as he processed what Lucas had just told him. “EMP my car…? Right...do you...never mind, how about we walk, it’s only a 10 minute walk.” Raymond suggested as he nodded his head in agreement with himself.


“Walking? Parfait! The day is beautiful, ne-ce pas? And perhaps approaching on foot will trigger some memories as we go… who knows?” He started down the hall toward the stairwell unsure exactly how he knew it was that way. Over his shoulder he spoke to his benefactor: “I forgot to ask your name. Sorry I can’t reciprocate. It feels rude. But also feels rude not to ask…”

 

[Teh Frixz]

Tabitha

This was too easy...

Each step into the ankle deep muck further displaced hundreds, if not thousands of gallons of water. Currents shifting in the bay as her plodding wake pulled water in rising waves behind her. Tabitha feeling the water rise up to her waist figured this was the deepest part of the bay.

It was like wading in a backyard pool filled with leaves and lacking a heater. Her hands feeling the chill of the bay but with the exhilarating feeling of being able to exercise her ability and the insulating properties of the suit, she barely noticed any temperature change. She cups a hand, lifting and letting fall a deluge of water. Just like a back yard pool.

Turning her head back to the water, she started looking for her team around the obstacles. This was harder than she’d expected, the students in the water basically little frog sized blots of color and focusing on them while orienting her body to the new size was starting to give her a little vertigo, like standing on the edge of a tall building. Shaking her head, she focuses and leans in. Attempting to visibly check each student in the water and on the obstacles till she found someone on her team.

 

[Gus]

Lucas Marsolet
​

Location: short walk from 108
Nearby: Raymond
@s Transparent Teh Frixz Captain Hesperus

Lucas was still waiting for a reply from his guide when a movement at the skyline caught his attention. For a moment, what he was seeing didn't penetrate his mind. He turned his head on one side, then craned back to his left, trying to get his monocular vision to stop playing tricks on him. It had to be a trick of forced perspective! He reached out to touch the girl's shoulder, sure that she was right in front of him and simply invisible from the waist down for some reason. It seemed the only plausible explanation.

But the impossible is true. "Magnifique!" he breathes.

The girl is partially hidden by that building, blocks away. She is standing behind it. And yet... she must be... a hundred feet high! His breath hitches and he starts to hyperventilate, his heart racing in his chest. His head swims with visions of a tornado of birds descending on him, and he falls to his knees waving his arms to protect his eyes from their beaks. The ground seems to shake beneath him, and he falls supine, hoping against hope that when the girl falls she will miss him somehow, will land in the parking lot, like last time, giving him an escape route and crushing his car instead of him.

Justice, he thinks. What had become of his car?

He rolls his one good eye toward Raymond, full of terror and pleading hope. He is not really seeing anything anymore, his body shuddering in the grips of a post traumatic flashback. He reaches out. Whispers.

"Danny... ...sauve-moi!"

 

[ManicMuse]

Isabella
Gavin
Manami
Chris
Albert
Location: Obstacle One​

Chris watched in sleepy amusement as the tiny body that was Izzy dragged the giant tree of a man that was Albert along just like any other poor fool ever to take a cat for a walk. Then he realized they were walking up the stairs and turned in confusion. “Okay, yeah, let’s get to it but… um, do you think you can do the vine thing? That I mentioned? Um.”


Manami flicked her gaze over the new boy, Albert, and looked away again shyly. He looked more than strong enough to tear the whole float apart, but who knew how strong his vines might be? Isabella seemed to know all about the boy. Manami supposed that if he had Izzy’s trust he must be a decent sort. While she and Manami were about equally naive in general, Izzy at least had a good sense about people’s character; Manami frequently took some time to get beyond obvious surface behavior and grasp more subtle motivations behind why people acted as they did. Pushing past her initial reaction to go quiet, she spoke up:


“What if the vines went over the top so we could climb?”


Chris was pulled out of his haze of social awkwardness by Manami’s idea. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He smiled at her, and then at Albert, and realized he looked like an idiot and went back to a contemplative face.


Albert scratched his head thoughtfully. “I don’t know how strong the stompers are exactly, but I could definitely make a sort of network over the top... if that is allowed.” He waved to the harried looking boy over at the edge of the float, calling out “HEY Gavin! Are we allowed to go over the stomper posts like that girl from 107, or are we supposed to go under?”


Gavin looked back over his shoulder at the course, weighing Albert’s question, “Seems legit to me. I say go for it.” After a shrug and a thumbs up, he side stepped to clear a path for the team to get to work.


“I don’t think they’d be too strong; I mean, they’re not actually trying to kill us, right?” It struck Chris that he was talking about AEGIS and he placed a hand on his forehead “Oh my god, those things are gonna crush us flat, huh…”


Manami laughed, perhaps a bit too loud, at Chris’s comment, revealing row after row of teeth like needles. Suddenly remembering her manners, she hides her mouth with her hand. Embarrassed again, her laughter faded away to nervous giggles. “That is good joking, Chris! We will be flat as flounders!”


“Okay. Up and over it is!” Albert said with a smile as vines snaked out of his feet and down the slope, then up and over the frame of the stompers with startling speed. ”The other course Marshalls seems to be a little preoccupied anyway, it is better to ask forgiveness than permission.” With surprising agility for his size, Albert clambered up the newly grown network of vines, pausing at the top to lean back and extend a hand up for whoever might need it.


Manami hung back. “I have to wait for the rest of my team, but I can give any of you a boost if you want?”


Izzy watched the network of vines erupt from Albert, weaving a handy, if not primitive monkey bar like structure. The similarity to the gymnastic equipment, to which she knew well, cause Izzy to squeal with delight. Turning to Manami, she flashed a mischievous grin, “Watch this.”


Backing up a few feet, Izzy rushed the vines. Bounding into the air, like she’d been launched off a springboard. Landing gracefully, enough. There was only a foot or so left to climb before she was able to perch herself atop the massive viney pillar.


Gavin gave a smirk of approval, shaking his head at Izzy’s antics. Part of him seriously wondered if her physiology made her susceptible to the effects of catnip but the logical side of his mind greatly doubted it.


Manami clapped her hands in delight! Izzy was so graceful,and her natural athleticism was beautiful to behold. She wished she could manage such a clean aesthetic economy of motion. In the water, perhaps, she could, but there she’d have an unfair advantage; there was no level playing field where the two of them could properly show off together. Nonetheless, she loved to watch her friends excel. She called to Chris, hoping he would inspire Izzy to even greater feats of gymnastic glory.


“Oh Chris, did you see that? Isabelle is so nimble! Can you climb like that too?”


Chris slowly turned and tilted his head towards Manami. He started to chuckle.


Albert inspected his handy work, frowning while he watched the blocks below mechanically shift about. Many of the boxes seemed to be on timers. Yet, others were still, likely waiting for the weight of an unsuspecting student to trigger them. “I think this is gonna work,” Albert turned his attention back to the other’s still below. “Anyone need a hand up?”


Izzy on the other hand, was quite tickled with her perch and scampered ahead on the narrow vines. One misstep caused her to sway a bit. Staring down, now noticing the height, Izzy slowed down and became more cautious, as she continued on, watching others on the course ahead, “Come on you guys! Look they have a plane!” Izzy chirped with delight, pointing at one of the obstacles further ahead.



Walking up to the vines and prodding them, Chris muttered to himself “‘Need a hand up’, heh…” he turned around and took two paces away from the vines, saying to Manami “Watch this.” Swinging his arms behind him, he backflipped and launched himself onto the vines, where he caught himself upside-down, and began to climb up by nothing but his arms, feet pointed to the top of the arch.


Manami’s jaw hung open like a grouper trying to catch minnows. Even though part of her knew he was deliberately showing off, she couldn’t hide her amazement. She jumped up and down, bouncing on the springy surface of the inflatable stairs, as utterly unselfconscious as a six year old in a bouncy house. “108 is the best school ever! My classmates are so cool I can’t even believe it!”


She was still bouncing when the first wave hit.


Impossible though it might seem, in all the negotiations over who would go next and what tactics they would use to get past the stompers, nobody had noticed the approach of Tabitha. Just as the first bow shocks from the approach of the 100 foot tall student hit the float, her voice boomed out seeking other members of team six, making her impossible to miss. Manami, for her part, missed her footing on the next bounce and ricocheted back away from the stairs, arcing over the water in a flailing tangle of arms, legs and surprise. She hit the water with a splash and vanished from sight. The others, better anchored by Albert’s vines, not to mention an excess of grace, fared somewhat better than the hapless fish girl.


Chris had to brace his feet against the vines and hold on for a moment before the rocking subsided and he felt he could look up at what was going on in the harbor. “Where did Manami go?” He yelled to Albert, before he noticed a spot of disturbance in the water that did not seem to have come from Tabitha. “Shit!” While he still had a moment of calm, he resumed his climb up at twice his initial speed and vaulted onto the top of the vines, landing in a crouch. He nudged Isabelle “Do you see her down there?”


Gavin had not seen Manami go overboard but that did not stop him from sounding the alarm. Taking the whistle from his pocket, he blew out a shrill chirp before bellowing, “Student in the water!” Rushing to the edge of the raft, Gavin attempted to peer into the water without falling in himself.


Meanwhile, Izzy had taken a seated crouch on the vines, trying to ride out the waves. Frowning, her ears sunk down into the strands of her silver hair as the shrill whistle sounded. Her pale blue gaze, wandered over the ripples of the water. “I, I don’t see her. Wait, maybe there!” Izzy grabbed a Chris’s arm for stability as she leaned forward and pointed to a shadow at the corner of the next pontoon.

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki
​

Location: Underwater
Nearby: Tabitha Crane, and soon to be Kendrick and Sam
@s Teh Frixz Necessity4Fun Lioness075

Unlike her adoptive father, Manami had never seen any of the giant monster films of her home country's cinematic tradition. Nonetheless, she would have had no difficulty understanding his awestruck reaction to Tabitha Crane. Even as she was pinwheeling backward to her most awkward water landing of her life, her eyes were as big and round as any deep sea fish, and her jaw gaped as widely.

Her only coherent thought was “Sugoi!!!”

It did not occur to her in the least to be afraid; Tabitha was her friend and fellow student. She had never seen friend at full height however, and that was a sight to behold! After she hit the water she quickly righted herself, and with a slight twitch of her muscles, she shot forward for a closer investigation. As Tabitha began to take another step forward, the muck at the bottom of the bay, already churned up by her progress was drawn upward in the wake of her massive boot. Heedless of the cloud of silt and mud, Manami sped on, zipping cleanly through the gap between her classmate's ankles. She circled round her planted leg twice, sensing the massive muscular presence through the murky water in much the same way a catfish or an eel might do. Her calf alone was nearly the size of Mama and Papa's boat! No doubt about it! 108 was the best school ever! Her heart swelled with pride just thinking about being part of it.

Suddenly, she remembered how the butterfly girl from the other school had left her and the rest of her team behind. This, was not acceptable. 108 was the best and 108 would outshine her rivals in every way! They just had to! And in order to do that, she needed her teammates. Her first friends: Kendrick and Sam. Before the thought had even fully formed, she was already rocketing away towards the docks. 107 girl might be off to an early lead, but she was about to find out just how persistent 108 students could be!

 

[ManicMuse]

Gavin Dabbs
Teh Frixz Gus B Bag o Fruit
​

After sounding the alarm with a shrill blow of the whistle, Gavin gawked at the water. His eyes flickered across the surface of the water searching for any sign of life. Despite, Izzy's hopeful suggestion, there was no true sign of the fish girl there. Starting to panic, Gavin reached up running both hands through his dyed purple locks. Then an idea struck him. Quickly, reached down to his pockets. Flustered, it took a few moments to locate which pocket held his phone. Frantically, his fingers fumbled over the buttons as the text message screen appeared. Scrolling through the contacts, he finally found her name. Selecting "Tabby the Titan," the blank screen awaited content. Gavin's mind went blank. He had no idea what to say to her. It had to be simple, but not harsh.

His gaze flickered between the screen and the enormous girl wading in the bay before him. Finally, he started to tap out the message before reluctantly selecting send. The message would soon cause the wrist of her suit to light up and scroll out the words, "Tabby, stop. A student fell into the water! Shrink down!"

 

[ManicMuse]

Page Morgan
Syrenrei
​

Despite the fact the vehicle had stopped moving, the adrenaline coursing through her veins gave the sensation that everything was still in motion. It seemed a sound idea to dismount the bike and work to regain her baring.

Finally, on solid ground Page looked back at Luther began to unfasten the helmet. Ready to make a snaring retort, Page opened her mouth but instead a rather barbaric belch erupted from her. All the excitement of the morning had caught up with her. Swinging the borrowed helmet down beside the bike, she gripped at her stomach using the back of her other hand as a shield, fearing everything consumed in the last few hours was about to make a reappearance. Holding up a finger, she attempted to sound stern while her face was being drained of all color, "To be continued."

Shuffling through the crowd, Page was going nowhere quickly. Instead, no matter which direction she turned, a sea of bodies blocked the path. Frantically attempting to shove a way through one of the check points, Page made it all the way to the front before a volunteer blocked the path. Feeling her stomach rolling, threatening to erupt, she quickly produced an identification card. Breaking out in a faint sweat, while taking the goodie bag from the check point, she bolted toward the nearest port-a-potty. Flinging the door open, Page dove inside, where muffled unpleasant sounds soon followed. Given her state, the events unfolding in the bay had been lost on her for the time being.

 

[Gus]

Anthony Costanzo
​

Location: Waterfront, by the boats.
Mood: Relieved.
Nearby: Kendrick, Piper, Sam, Tabitha and maybe a few Bruces. And something else?
@s Necessity4Fun Lioness075 Teh Frixz B Bag o Fruit

Tony skidded to a stop at the end of the small crafts dock and breathed a sigh of relief. Family drama was not something he needed any more of in his life. Partly to maintain the pretense that he was not fleeing the area and partly because Petrovich really would kill him if he came back with no hard data, he whipped out his personal data assistant and started filming. Starting with the range finder, he measured how far out from the shore the target had moved and set that as the baseline. Quickly taking a line of sight on her head, he recording the angle of elevation, then switched to sonar mode to get a ping on the depth of the murky water by the targets feet. That reading was... odd. He took another, but it remained stubbornly anomalous. Something else was down there... No matter. He could look the depth up on the charts later and estimate depth of penetration into the silt from the height measurement. He returned to measuring the range to gauge the rate of progress with the water resistance to cross check against the subjects normal walking test. As the data rolled in, his focus shifted to making an initial estimate of her power output. It was a tricky calculation and left him completely unprepared for what happened next.

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki
​

Location: Bottom of bay --> Boat dock
Mood: Mostly excited. Slightly embarrassed.
Nearby: Some guy filming Tabitha, Kendi-Kun and Sam. And one of those rude boys named Bruce.
@s Lioness075 Teh Frixz Necessity4Fun B Bag o Fruit

Something went

'Ping!'

It echoed in Manami's head confusingly. She veered off course, got her bearings and circled around for another try at her planned jump. She wanted to surprise her friends with how high she could jump. She picked up speed.

'Ping!'

Rrrr! It was bothersome! Again she circled around, picking up speed. At the last second, just as she burst from the water, she spotted a stranger standing right at the end of the dock. Barely in time to avoid a collision, she twisted in mid air, backflipping through her own explosive fountain of water that trailed her jump. The poor man was soaked utterly, but at least he hadn't been hit by a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle and bone moving like a fish out of hell. Manami, for her part tumbled awkwardly through the air, landing in a pile further up the dock than she had meant to, narrowly missing Sam, tumbling and skidding to a stop at Kendrick's feet. She grinned up at him sheepishly. He looked very cross.

"Ta... dah?" she ventured. Thinking better of it, she went with the natural thing, she apologized. In her consternation, her English lapsed a bit.

"So sorry Mr. Haywood... I am have no excuse. So rude. But we must catch butterflying girl! Take boat with me?"

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Anneliese Van Can & Joseph Belladni Gus
The man stood behind her desk, hands clasped behind his back, staring out the window of her office. He seemed not to have noticed her at all, neither her flopping down on the couch, nor sobbing her eyes out. To all outward appearances, he was utterly absorbed in studying the view. Anneliese knew very well that the view consisted mainly of a field of dirt and abandoned scraps of construction equipment, which suggested a ruse on his part to give her time to compose herself.

And yet his stance suggested neither typical reason for such artifice. He didn’t stoop forward, with the slight cringe of socially awkward embarrassment. Nor did he bow his head, willing to wait patiently, signaling sympathy. His shoulders were square and his chin was up, like a soldier at parade rest. It was as if he had truly taken no notice of her entry into his space.

And he did seem to own the space, notwithstanding the hours she had spent crafting it to conform to her ideal therapeutic environment. His bearing was of one who is used to drawing every eye in the room. His wait for her to finish was not politic or kind. He was waiting for his moment. Her feelings were irrelevant, he just was in no rush. She composed herself, studying him further as she did. He was stocky. Thick around the middle, but with the bearing of someone who used to be quite fit and has not yet noticed he isn’t any longer.

He half turned and looked over his shoulder, meeting her gaze with a clearly practiced smile, yet still seeming to project warmth and good humor, as if the smile was a professional mask and what it concealed was genuine delight. It was weirdly disorienting. “Councilor Van Can! Pleased to finally meet you in person.” He turned fully and extended his hand. His voice was a warm rich baritone, comforting, confident and meant to inspire trust. Like the smile it felt practiced and genuine at the same time. “My name is Joseph Belladni. My friends call me Joey.”

Anneliese stood up, and quickly smoothed her sweater, saying “Ah! Mister… Belladni. Nice to meet you as well.” before accepting his handshake. “And I believe we have a mutual acquaintance in… Kate? No, Aaron. Is that correct?”

“Indeed. Aaron Mallory has been a major focus of my life for the last few months, though I am also aware of Kate’s recent arrival in our city. Both represent potentially destabilizing influences. You might also know my cousin, Tony? But never mind. None of them have anything to do with why I came to see you in person.” He glanced to the door and tossed a small device at the lintel where it stuck, buzzing faintly. He leaned in closer, his face a road map of conspiratorial overtones. “We have… other… mutual acquaintances. I imagine you know the significance of the latin phrase Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”

Anneliese’s brow raised, then her head, ever so slightly. “Ahh. What brings you, then? Trouble with the pipes?”

Joey laughed at this comment, settling into a smile, eyes twinkling. “My understanding is 108 has their own retired agent for that sort of custodial work. Nevertheless, we could all be in a world of shit if I am right about these particular pipes. I think we are being played. And I think if anyone can put these pieces together it has to be you.”

“Well then.” Anneliese, gesturing to her couch, made her way to her chair. “Tell me about these pieces.”

 

[The Fuzzy Pixel]

Logan Warrain
Location: Facility 108 Main Building, Second Floor
Syrenrei | Susan Sanders
​

A knowing chuckle was his reply to the notion of him lying about his age. His amusement wasn’t without an appreciative smile, though. Logan was lucky to have gotten to where he was now, and he knew it. The impish tone Susan used almost made him want to try it later. Her energy even evolved as she then touched upon her opinion on optimism.

"Hope," echoed Logan softly, his smile smaller now but nonetheless agreeable, "That is something that can certainly resonate with everyone." Perhaps just a little and just for a few moments Logan felt his age beneath his calm exterior. Words were merely words. It was only with Susan's delivery that he believed in her sincerity. It also made him silently question what kind of bleak times a woman like herself had endured. A person didn't learn to accept this logic without surviving real hardships first. At least, that had been his own personal experience. He wanted to peer deeper into the depths. Past Susan's elegance and optimism to get a better read of her. This new curiosity, tempting as it was, would be reserved for a later time.

It wasn’t hard at all to picture a younger Susan standing triumphantly before a line of teachers. There was a charismatic charm to her that only had to have been bolstered by teenage enthusiasm. Swapping out the figures for modern day equivalents, minus the unpleasant possibility of death on the faculty’s side, and Logan didn’t think much would change on the surface. Logan nodded solemnly.

“I’m sure that they’re proud to be wrong, then.”

A calm surface of water could hide deceptively playful tugs of current. The tease of a secret prompted a vaguely surprised look from the older man as he awaited elaboration. The line of questions that followed saw that surprise crack and fall through at the very end, giving way to a healthy smile and an embarrassed smirk.

”I should be so lucky,” admitted the man humorously. ”My ‘secret’ though, hm?” He watched as Susan’s water disc moved and ascended to the second floor while musing over the topic, pretending to not have seen the narrowly avoided collision with the wall. The hand holding his briefcase relaxed its grip in silent relief at the near miss. However, his grip subtly tightened once again as their eyes met and Susan revealed more of her past. She easily held his attention in the palm of her hands with the subject alone. For a brief moment he hoped that they hadn’t crossed paths before given her affiliation with the Commonwealth. Worries were tenuously put aside after hearing more about Susan’s direct involvement with the government organization.

”Disaster relief and humanitarian aid work? That’s a noble calling. I hope you didn’t have to travel to D.C. back when it was a veritable war zone twenty years or so ago. I had business elsewhere at the time myself thankfully, but I’ve heard a few wild stories. Fighting for a toothbrush makes sense at least; cleanliness and all.” Supers, super soldiers, parasitic bioweapons, pants-on-head-crazy pilots who thought it was cathartic for his passengers to dangle them out the side of flying helicopters. The memories made Logan release a tired sigh through his thoughtful expression. He then looked up at the flight of stairs before them and started ascending them at a comfortable pace continuing their conversation with hand picked words.

”There’s a lot of bad things that happen in this world. Sometimes for no real reason at all. So what makes me feel alive is seeing that the future, despite its unpredictability, is in good hands. Seeing places like this facility striving against all odds to shepherd people in real need. Meeting courageous people like yourself Miss Sanders is also particularly uplifting. It’s not the powers or the theatrics that makes a hero. It’s old fashioned human decency that makes people really super. Things like that are what take away a lot of the fear revolving around death and failure. Not that thirty year olds have to think about that, of course.”

His sidelong glance was interrupted with a coy wink at the end to help lighten his spiel. As a parent and someone who had personally caused a lot of chaos in this world, he truly believed in what he had just said. There might have been a little more to it than that, but droning on about cliche ideals to a stranger was uncalled for. Taking his first step onto the second floor Logan turned the original question back towards Susan.

”And yourself, Miss Sanders? What makes you feel alive? Maybe mentoring others who remind you of your younger days?”

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Exam Area -> Boat Area
People Around: No one -> Manami
Exam Team: Snowglobe

Interactions: Gus
Additional Team Tags: Lioness075 (Sam) and ViAdvena

Today's Toys: Ted, Spiral, Lieutenant George, Humphrey and Millie.

*In a mix of shame, worry and a huge wish to be somewhere else*

Stomping towards the boat area, each step heavier than the last, Kendrick tried to locate Sam. After everything he had been put through in the past months, today's event had only served to spring an hypothetical door not only open, but out of its hinges. An inconceivable amount of thoughts and feelings once stored for a very long time, leaking left and right crumpled in an devastating energy that needed a way out.

Before reaching his destination, however, he got a visitor. Barely noticing the commotion in the water, the boy was surprised by Manami's entrance, though without room for displaying it properly. "Ta... dah?", she had said, it had been somewhat amusing. Still with all of things going awry in his mind, he watched her silently, unable to laugh or say anything. Her presence offered relief, though short-lived and quickly overshadowed by all that negative energy.

He took a breath, trying to set something straight, but what the girl said next threw an already wavering tower out of balance for good. Being called Mr. Haywood broke him, the rest of the sentence didn't matter, it went unheard. Just that one detail, tiny and unimportant, stuck with him like glue. Words poured out violently, without encountering resistance:

"Stop it!", the teenager shouted, begging. The irritation in the voice in discordance with his pained expression, "Why are you doing that? Why do you keep making me feel like you're far away from me, when you're still standing here?"

As if crushed by his overwhelming emotions, Kendrick tried taking a step back, only for his legs to fail and him to fall back in the grass, sitting. The world warped and twirled, to the point he could barely maintain his focus on Manami. He looked at her, standing in a position of frailty he had never before. His gaze was restless, erratic. It was clear he felt confusion, how could he not? The anger outbursts were common, more than he would have liked to admit, but this?! Having no exact idea of what he was feeling right now was terrifying and even more was the fact that he had no way to guess what the other's reactions were going to be.

"I just... I feel like I'm stranding further and further away and I don't know what to do. I liked what we had and I never said it, I never made it clear and now... I think I broke something special, something that I can never put back. And it suffocates me. You keep pushing me away and I don't know what I did to deserve this... I don't get why you stayed around me if I'm not a good person! And I keep trying and trying and trying, only to fall back to where I was in the start. It's frustrating and I'm so damn tired. It feels like I'm being pulled apart from the inside-out and I don't even know why!"

In frustration, Kendrick hit the ground twice. The new pain in his hand was still no match to the pain he felt altogether. The boy stopped, out of breath, making a pause to process everything he had just said, and to Manami of all people. He averted his gaze, his heartbeat had accelerated as if it was struggling to keep up with its host.

"I'm sorry, I... I'm not having a good day...", he let out with a sigh.

 

[Syrenrei]

Susan Sanders
"Undine"
Location: Facility 108, Second Floor
Nearby: Some older gentleman (Logan, played by The Fuzzy Pixel )
​

"Hmmm. I think most of them would be!" she decided after some brief contemplation. Susan was the first to admit she was far from perfect. Being classified as an S Class super might make her extraordinary to some but she certainly had her strengths and flaws. Youth was a magnifying glass to a growing and developing personality. Every misstep was dramatic as a teenager, emotions wildly unrestrained, joy as loudly broadcasted as the struggles that came with everyday life. It took a certain type of person to endure instructing adolescents, and even more exceptional once to endure instructing adolescent supers, and then there were idiosyncrasies in the individual as to what student they liked. Were her teachers happy to see her graduate after more than one failed final? Of that she was certain. Would all of them be proud she was returning here? Perhaps the ones that had found her grating, or testing of their patience, or obnoxious would be less than pleased.

"There is an expression, it's an old one but perhaps you've heard of it, that is 'pot calling the kettle black.' People often think it means the pot is black and the kettle is black, so the pot is accusing the kettle of something it is itself. That's not the only interpretation though! It's speculated it first started as an expression of projection. You see, the pot was black and the kettle shiny, so when the pot called the kettle black it was seeing its own color reflected." With the school as empty as it was, and as used to projecting her voice as Susan was, her words unintentionally echoed through the hallway of the second floor. The disc of water that had been accompanying her paused mid-flight as it waited for its mistress to catch up to it. Susan wasn't the typical middle-aged lady taking her time, but she also wasn't hurried. It was easy to imagine this happened often; her powers and thoughts zoomed ahead while she herself took more time to 'catch up.'

"You rather remind me of that pot, extolling me of my virtue, when you're the government agent helping me up to my classroom." It was purposefully ambiguous as to which analogy she was referring. Her explanation of the 'alternative' meaning for the pot and kettle suggested it was the latter rather than the former, but given how she managed go to off on tangents that were only marginally related (if at all), it could have also been an absent-minded annotation to the more preferred interpretation she had meant to use before she got sidetracked.

"Officially I can neither confirm I was in the United States during that time. I don't know if I'm even allowed to confirm I was anywhere," Susan laughed, "But I'm going to go against orders here and tell you that I was, in fact, somewhere!" Even her humanitarian work was typically deemed 'classified' when it was possible. When supers arrived on a scene to help in disaster relief there was a variety of responses: some people, despite their desperation, would object and blame supers for the forces of mother nature, some were grateful, and others thought the supers could do more. Loss affected everyone differently. More than a few supers had 'washed out' of the government program that provided such assistance. Survivor's guilt was a psychological condition the gifted were extremely susceptible to, arguably more that the common man or woman. Susan hoped that someday that these 'relief supers' would be able to be lauded with praise, absent criticism, and the government would be able to pull back the veil without fear.

She listened intently to Logan's admission of what made him feel alive. Despite his joke, wink, and coy smile, she didn't interject a quip. For as noble as he saw her, Susan saw him even more so. It took a deep level of maturity to take one's hands off the steering wheel and not only let the youngsters but drive, but trust they could and would do the right thing. The government in particular was guilty of being laden with people who preferred control over their environment and others rather than to guide or follow. Her curiosity was piqued about the length and type of service Logan had with the Commonwealth.

"What makes me feel alive? Are you asking me as a Political Powers instructor, as a super, or as a woman?" she teased, and paused long enough it truly seemed she had no inclination to answer at all. Susan was having a tiny bit of fun at his expense- after all, she was a single woman, he was presumably a single man, and they were alone on the second floor of a building. His query could have almost been taken as flirtatious although she was rather certain he had not even entertained such thoughts.

"I think everyone has wondered at some point in their life, 'Why me?' They wonder why they were born the way they are- why they had the roll of dice that genetics gave them. We sit back and ask, as if the universe will answer, why we were born in the country we were, the family we were, with our hair, our eyes, our imperfect bodies, why we're good at the things we are but bad at so many other things. As a super there's the added question of 'Why do I have this power?' It's a question everyone has to answer for themselves, but I think I've carved out a life that answers why." It was unintentionally cryptic - Susan was poor at explaining herself sometimes- but honest. All the struggles of controlling her powers had a purpose, answering the 'Why did it have to be so hard?' The extensive water powers she possessed gave her work experiences that would have been hard to come by otherwise, answering the 'Why did I get this power?' A somewhat broken family had fueled a desire to right wrongs that had propelled her to try so hard to get her blue card, answering the 'Why did my parents have to get divorced?' There was satisfaction in weaving together the cumulative experiences and life lessons into a present day that was unique to her.

"I'll have to wait and see if there is anyone at this facility that reminds me of myself," she added buoyantly. "An S class super that has a total lack of control over her powers? Maybe it's better they aren't too close to what I was," she laughed to herself. Of course Logan was talking more in relation to personality, but Susan wasn't sure what it would be like meeting someone similar to teenage 'Susie.' The saying went that opposites attracted and those too alike repelled.

"You really are quite the thirty-year-old! Maybe you should see if the Commonwealth would allow you to assist in one of the classrooms. Maybe the students could benefit from someone closer to them in age," she suggested.

 

[Gus]

Manami Hamasaki

Necessity4Fun​

At first, Kendrick's words hurt, cutting her deeply. That she didn't understand the nuances of what he was saying or where it was coming from mattered little. He was angry and upset, and he was pouring all that out onto her like liquid fire. She wilted before his anger and it was all she could do just to withstand it and not curl up into a tiny little ball. Her first and best friend was upset with her, and she was not nearly smart enough to figure out why! Unable to imagine a way to fix it, she teetered, trembling, on the brink of despair.

As his rant continued however, insight suddenly dawned: This was nothing to do with her! Kendrick was struggling with his own Oni! The idea of this exploded into her consciousness like a bomb. She had genuinely thought that inner darkness was something that only she had hidden and locked away... That others also had to fight such battles? That even Kendi did?! This absolutely turned her world upside down.

She stood up. Now she knew just what to do. Mother and Father had set her an example for years.

She listened.
She waited.

Only when she was quite sure that he was done did she approach him.

She knelt beside him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Kendi-kun. You are my first friend. No 'bad day' could ever change that. Let it go. Hokori bakari desu, Kendi. Come with me. I will help you brush it off.”

She stood and held out her hand to help him up.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Tabitha

The titan contibuned meandering along, kicking up waves and churning the bay as she searched for her team. A search seemingly in vain as the various teams responded by hanging on for dear life. A flash of irritation crosses the normally subdued Tabitha’s face as she leans down and reaches a hand onto the course.

If nobody was going to respond properly, she’d help them along without permission. They were of the small anyways, what was their opinion on this matter anyhow? She reaches in to pick up the first student to move to the finish line when her arm started blinking.

The suit continued to amaze Tabby as the message blinked out across her arm but not so much that she didn’t understand the urgency of the situation. Someone was in trouble and she wasn’t helping. If anything she was making things worse. Embarrassed and ashamed, the haze of being a living mountain is cleared way and Tabitha rapidly contracts, sinking into the water down to her normal size.

Navigating a wave from the reduction of her size with ease, Tabby pulls herself up onto the floats to sit and wait for her team to find her.