Fantasy Superhero Times

[ManofManyRoles]

Natalie Brenton (Soulflare)

She raised an eyebrow at the welsh accent but said nothing about it, not her business to go diving too deep into his life story, not yet at least. "Darren it is then. Nice to formally meet you. Good to know on the front about your stamina, but I'm still going to have to put you through the wringer. So I'm going to have to put you through everything else I mentioned...you not getting tired physically will help." She rubbed at her neck for a moment, thinking on how to word it. "Wasn't born a super, love. I made a pact with a spirit of vengeance named Agas. Think of it as a sort of really angry angel who exists just to punish. When I'm on duty, I'm not uhhh...'driving'? I'm sharing the wheel. If I go all green and black, it means I got shoved into the back seat. Which also means I don't get a say in what Agas is going to do anymore. In all other circumstances, it's two individuals driving one body, two minds working as one. So in layman's terms...if I go black and green, there's going to be a lot of pain and penance handed out like candy on Halloween."

She folded her arms over her chest, studying him. "Much as it's going to suck, I am going to have to play that test with you later. I'll need to see if you're hellfire proof. I get it, you can't be hurt physically. But I burn the soul, not your body. If you're completely immune, congrats, you're good to go. If you're not, congrats, I'll make sure not to hit you in a gout of flame..." She eyed him up and down a bit, shifting her weight a bit. "Any other questions or clarifications I can offer?"
Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Darren​

Lucky. Being born like this sucked. He looked back at her and studied her a bit with his bright blue eyes. She liked the punk style? He supposed it matched the skull motif pretty well. She was like a whole package.

Darren sighed and bit his lower lip, thinking on it, "Well... Agas, huh? Well let's take out two birds with one stone then, shall we? How about I meet this Agas person and while he's out he can test this hellfire thing? If he's so violent, then perhaps he'd enjoy the opportunity. After that inevitably fails to hurt me as well, then I can take a second to be disappointed, and then we can move on to you testing out how strong and fast I am and whatnot. Sound good? I need to meet Agas anyway if I'm expected to work partly with him as well as you."

ManofManyRoles

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Natalie Brenton (Soulflare)

She quirked an eyebrow, a slight grin touching her lips. "Oh-ho-ho no. You're not meeting Agas. Also, she's female. So you got stuck with two girls instead of one, lucky innit? If I let Agas out, there isn't any way to put er away until she's done or something manages to put her back into place. No one talks to Agas except for me...and frankly it's a pain in the ass anyways for me to listen to er. So...yea, just hope that the meeting doesn't happen. If you want to get testing out of the way then...don't freak out, this can be a bit much to watch." Stretching a bit her body started to smoke like it was catching alight before it...did. Her skin started to bubble before simply disintegrating along with hair and eyes, head replaced with a flaming skull. Her attire, oddly enough, changed as well, catching alight before turning into her leathers.

"Alright then. I'd be lying if I said I hope this singes just a little." Walking up to him she pressed a hand right at the base of his chest, empty eye sockets staring him down as her hand caught on fire, pressed firmly against him. She wouldn't do this long, and the moment he showed any pain she stopped. The hellfire licked at his clothes though didn't burn them oddly enough, though the same couldn't be said for his soul. "Anything, pup?"
Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Darren​

Woah. That was kinda cool. He watched her transformation with wide eyes and a little hint of a smile. It was a shame he couldn't meet Agas - who was apparently a chick too - though that was probably better than sharing headspace with a dude. They could hopefully relate better as two females.

He didn't hesitate when she pressed her hand against his chest. There was no fear nor concern. As the fire sprung to life, however, his brow furrowed. That was a weird sensation. It was like it was warm, but not the dull sensation of warmth that he had felt in the past when hit by a laser or whatever. This was actually, genuinely warm, like a space heater set on high. While, no, it didn't hurt him, he certainly didn't know how to react to such a thing. Darren lept back like a snake bit him and stared at her with wider eyes than before. His right hand went to his chest. There was no damage, and the sensation only lingered for a moment.

To a normal person, the sensation would be akin to perhaps touching a warm lightbulb or putting your hands under the water when it's as high as your faucet will go - unpleasant, but nothing you couldn't do anyway.

To Darren, that was the first time he had felt anything of the sort, and he was equal parts horrified and fascinated, but 100% frazzled. Natalie would be able to tell, of course, that he didn't actually get hurt. His soul didn't even show a scratch, and he was, very much so, overreacting. He hadn't moved even after a few seconds like he was unsure how to compute past that point. Eventually, the hand against his chest balled into a fist.

"That's a... um... that's a first...," his words were soft and shaken, "I... um... is that... all it can do?"

ManofManyRoles

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Seeing him jumped back earned a laugh in her skull, though it wasn't her own...okay maybe she had a small laugh at it too. The fire sizzled out on her hand, which she slowly raised and clenched and unclenched. "Well...you reacted. So you felt it...a first indeed. But...your souls fine. It's possible that if I continually doused you in hellfire, you'd eventually start to take damage...you can kill someone with a spoon if you're dedicated enough and spend a long enough time at it, for instance...You're fine though, I didn't hurt you...yet. Another thing to keep in mind then...my power set is only a fraction of Agas if she's unleashed, so it's very likely she could actually harm you...and anyone else she thinks deserves it."

The fire slowly died down, skull being replaced with muscle and blood, and then her skin reforming, eyes popping back into her skull and hair growing out again as she cracked her knuckles. "Alright, love, valuable lesson we learned that. You don't like hellfire, you can join the club. To a normal person, it chars their soul and sends it straight to the pearly gates for judgement. Or I can stare into their eyes and make them suffer every wrong they've ever committed in their life, over and over, until their body and soul gives out, for much the same ending. With that said...want some breakfast, then we'll get started? The hotel has a wonderful breakfast set up, you can make your own waffles!"
Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Darren​

He finally blinked, a small frown planting itself on his face as he looked down, "Ah... yeah. Breakfast, I guess." Would Agas actually be able to kill him? If she couldn't... then was some sort of torture actually an option for once? He had had someone try to torture him before... but it wouldn't work. But... she was a hero... and... not a bad one. At least, she didn't seem like a bad one. She seemed like she actually cared.

"If... if it doesn't actually hurt my soul... then maybe we should work on that too," he half-whispered, uncertain about it, "If saving people and stuff is the goal... then... I don't want you to have to worry about me being caught in the crosshairs. That feeling scares the hell out of me... but... I mean... I'm still okay. So... I shouldn't let it stop me, right?" If he was a normal person, his lip would bleed with how hard he bit it. If him feeling that would stop people from getting injured and almost killed like the people they saw yesterday... he'd do it. Even if he was terrified, he'd do it for innocent people. He'd probably not want to for a villain or a dumb hero, but civilians never really did anything wrong to him. SoulFlare helped people.

Darren was following her without paying much attention, not really interested in breakfast.

"So... you're like... a real hero. You and Agas actually care about what's right. You don't care about some stupid ego. I... that's... I kind of want to be like that..."

ManofManyRoles

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Natalie Brenton (Soulflare)

Leading her out of the bedroom and into the hall, they started their way to the elevator, Natalie listening patiently to Darren. "...Possibly. I'm not going to rush that on you, love. You were obviously uncomfortable, and I don't like the idea of scaring you shitless first day of training. It's alright to be scared, it means your sane. I get scared too but only when I'm the only one driving. It's honestly really awkward when I'm on duty...I haven't felt fear, you know? Maybe because I'm not the only one driving and uh...I don't think Agas does the feeling of fear. She likes to spread it though."

Stepping into the elevator with him she hit the button, the slow descent of many floors starting. "A real hero is...a term. By many standards, a real hero doesn't take a life. I do...a lot. But I do care about what's right, and so does Agas in her own little fashion. But on the subject of ego's? Fucken hate em. I've known too many self-servicing jack-asses who had an ego the size of big ben. I don't like em, it doesn't suit me. I grew up in an orphanage, so while some little brat wanted to walk around like the queen and bully people around because her fragile ego was so large I could pop it with a pin, I was busy getting into scuffs like people like them...Sort of why I became a hero. I don't like bullies, never have, never will....also why I became an exorcist originally. Demons are just another form of a bully if you think about it...bah, sorry, life story, you'll hear it sooner or later....I'll help you turn out alright kid. Your name works, we don't have to change it. You'll be a Shield for every innocent soul you can help, someone people can get behind when times are tough and go 'It'll be alright, e's here now. He'll keep us safe."

She reached out, giving him a soft pat on the shoulder. "It'll be alright...you've got a good soul. Let's keep it that way. You won't have to take a life, you can be a rescue hero, or support to protect civilians...I'm still gonna have to teach you how to handle yourself in a scuffle though."
Deathkitten

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Morgan Adler, Intellectualis est

It had been an extremely early arrival at their quaint little hotel, her and her personal guard having settled in about six. It wasn't hard to get a reservation, she'd put a plant here months ago in preparation, she was as secure as she could be in an understated hotel like this. Their flight had been delayed for a while due to a recent attack on the airport, but were suffering was, opportunity followed suit. Even she couldn't have planned it to go so perfectly, she had intended to speak with the Gorzob family mafia and find a way to work relations in her favor while she was here on business. To think that the mafia would have suffered casualties along with the civilians by an unknown face was a stroke of luck. Regrettable, indeed so. But she could play it in her favor, this she was certain of. A massive game of chess, that's what life was. And if you knew how to play, you knew how to succeed. And if you knew how to succeed...there was nothing stopping your goals.

Morgan sat in her small hotel room, working from a personal laptop at a small table, Dietrich somewhere in the room with her. Just a few more moments and she'd have ripped every ounce of information she could from sources, everything she'd need. Names, locations, how it all connected..and of course, where the funeral she'd be attending would be. Morgan rolled a tootsie pop around in her mouth, reaching up to grab the stick and pull it out to speak. Instead of her Italian accent, a flawless western coast accent for the states replaced it. It had been a pain to learn to mimic so many accents in the states, but she had decided it'd be best to only focus on the broadest terms and dominant dialects, easier to blend in. "Dietrich, dear? You've been practicing your accent, right? I wasn't sure, that's why I handled all our talking coming in. We won't be in the city for long, I just need to do some business and plant the seeds...Did you bring your suit? Not the suit, your suit. The nice black one for formal events like...funerals?" She popped the tootsie pop back into her mouth, working at the computer for a few more minutes before closing up as if she had never done anything at all. No one would know...save for Dietrich, Chronos, her, and some new friends she'd make today. "We're going to attend a funeral for the Gorzob family. They're a dominant force in the states for organized crime, so if we can get in their good graces, I will have to pull far fewer strings if they are willing to aid us. A good few of their family members died yesterday, it's why our flight was delayed...you remember, we reviewed the news together. The terrorist attack at the airport. I'm going to hand them a good sum of information on a silver platter...the mafia has a sort of respect and code of honor, after all, I'm certain they'd accept the gift, especially if it means righting the wrong they've suffered. I'll handle the talking just...come with me, help me as I need, and look dashing."

Kyrenka

 

[Kyrenka]

~Dietrich~
Nameless Hotel​

Materializing behind Morgan at her call, Dietrich answered immediately, "Of course." The words were spoken with a flawless American accent, and he continued in the same tone, "Don't worry, I have my suit." It was amusing how she worried over every detail. At times, it felt like a parent lecturing their child; it didn't bother him much, Morgan never did much to annoy him. Their little adventures together had made him grow fond of the younger girl. It also taught him to respect her. She was surprisingly perceptive and had been able to predict outcomes the blond had never even considered. Those are just our roles I suppose. He was brawn and she was brain. It no longer hurt his ego to admit that a child born centuries after him was more intelligent than him. So he listened as she spoke. He was already well-versed in her plans; perhaps it was nervousness or a need to make sure everything went according to plan that caused her to go over her plans with him multiple times. Maybe she's worried that I'll forget. He had never forgotten the details of a plan before, but in Morgan's defense her guard has forgotten some things before. Like how to use some of the technology of this era. Things were easier back in my day. He shouldn't complain though, technology had saved him more than once. "Follow you and look pretty, is that what my job's come down to now?" Dietrich couldn't help the smile that spread across his face; he was in a good mood today. "Should I get dressed now?" He had been hoping that he could finish the chapter in the book that he had brought before they left, but unfortunately he'd just have to leave it as is.

((Interacting with ManofManyRoles 's Morgan))

 

[Deathkitten]

Darren​

When they landed on the bottom floor, the looks started almost immediately. His nose scrunched ever so slightly. Why were the looks bothering him right now? Everyone knew he was a villain, regardless of whether or not he did anything more than petty crime. It wasn't something he even thought about that much anymore. Natalie made him feel different, more important, like he could matter.

"I like the idea of keeping the name, Shield," he said, tearing his eyes away from those who looked at him at the breakfast area, "You definitely seem to think I have a good soul. You make one - er, two, I guess. I don't like the idea of having to take a life, but I think I would do it if it was to protect a kid or whatever." He heaped his plate with waffles and butter, only to then absolutely drown them in syrup. After sitting down, it took only a couple minutes for him to wolf down the food. He had learned to eat quick. If he didn't, heroes or villains would stop him mid-meal.

"I ca handle myseff fine in a scuffle, fank you very muff," he said between bites, words muffled as his cheeks were full. He swallowed and dabbed his mouth like he had never done anything that wasn't dainty in his life. "Anyway," he continued, "I know how to fight a little. As much as tanking blows is entertaining, when I actually care enough to get away, I do need to be able to get out of a hold or rope or whatnot. I just usually don't care enough to bother. Running just makes more trouble."

Once his food was done, he downed a glass of orange juice, then a glass of water, and cleared his throat, "As much as I am scared, by the way, believe me I am far more curious. That's the first time I think I've ever felt that. As much as my body screams at me to run away from it, I want more. I've been looking for some sort of sensation for years and that's the clearest sensation... I... Look, there's a reason I didn't want to live anymore. Having a life where everything feels like it's on mute, people chasing you, all of that... Hellfire, for better or worse, has now become my scary source of motivation. So, let's get started with drilling me with whatever you feel is necessary. I put a tank top on under all this fashion so I'm actually ready once I strip a little."

ManofManyRoles

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Natalie Brenton (Soulflare)

She wasn't fond of the looks her new companion was getting, but if she went around punching everyone who made a disapproving look at someone she was on good terms with, she'd get nowhere...or at least, that's what the orphanage told her. Though it'd feel really good to connect knuckles to jawline sometimes, she learned how to not go causing fistfights over small issues anymore. "Then you'll stay Shield, yea? Easy as that. And trust me, you do have a good soul. I can actually see em...smell em too, but both of that is on duty. And I can only smell their sin and misdeed, nothing else. So you don't have a whole lot of scent on you. As for lives...leave it to me, yea? You're not exactly a combative sort, we'll figure out how to have you work as support and aid."

She grabbed a fruit cup and some waffles, drizzling them with syrup, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. "Slow down you crazy, you don't have to rush your food. Enjoy it a little bit, I'm not rushing you, and you're not going to get ambushed." She cut into her breakfast, taking a bite to eat before speaking again. "Handling yourself is fine, being good at it is another. I've spent my entire life fighting and having scuffles, and I only got better with work. So I'll help you out and show you a thing or two. It'll be fun. Plus I don't have to feel bad about clocking you in the jaw while we're training. And don't you feel bad about it either, got it?"

By the time he had finished his meal and downed his drinks, she had just started. "Gotcha love. You're a masochist, good to know...I'm kidding!" She took a few more bites of food, thinking. "We'll practice in the hotel room. I don't like public gyms, people stare or get too into it. Plus if you train in private, you can only focus on your partner and what you're doing. Make sense? I'm going to teach you just as I am, feel free to get comfortable when we do that though."
Deathkitten

 

[Kyrenka]

~Dr. Anne Beaufort~
Harvest Crossing​

Anne couldn't help but a feel a little bad for the hotel staff. They served breakfast in a little area by the lobby and Aia had managed to single-handedly wipe out their stock of bacon. The doctor could feel the disapproving gazes of the people around her as Aia practically inhaled portion after portion of bacon; especially when she tried snatching the raw pieces too. Well, she needed it! The alien's metabolism was high, which meant that despite the bacon feast the girl still needed food. Maybe bacon wasn't the best choice though. Would the grease and fat give Aia problems? It was a lot....

Shaking her head, Anne focused on the road ahead of her. Aia couldn't live off of bacon alone, especially with how little the hotel had, she needed more. The doctor didn't feel like burying more animal carcasses, not when she could throw Aia at a buffet. The fish market down South seemed like a good idea, especially since they sold a ton of fish at some good prices. What's best is that it's away from the North. The park they had visited was North and it made the dark-haired woman uneasy to visit a hunting ground too often too soon. Besides, I don't think Aia has a food preference. She liked meat obviously, but as far as Anne could tell the girl didn't discriminate when it came to food. She liked meat and she liked it raw, that was it. Maybe the alien would develop a preference as she got older. That would be fascinating to see. The doctor was so busy contemplating what could cause Aia to develop a preference that she nearly missed the fucking farm in the middle of the road adjacent to them. "What the fuck?" Without thinking, she turned onto the road and parked the car in front of the thing. If it weren't in the middle of the damn road, she would've thought that it was cute. There were a few bystanders gawking at the thing. Nobody's looking. Putting the van back into gear, Anne subtly parked behind a nearby building so that the van was mostly obscured. Turning to Aia, she smiled, "You want to go out?" This was too interesting to ignore, and Aia needed to run around anyways. Plus I saw some animals running around in there. She didn't get a good look at them, but she doubted that they were somebody's pets that were running loose near the highway. At least, I hope they're not. Giving Aia her little suit once again, Anne said, "OK, let's go!" This time, Anne planned on investigating the area with Aia; it hardly seemed dangerous.

((Interacting with Daniel Reaving | Important Deathkitten ))

 

[Deathkitten]

Rose and Oscar and Destiny and Fay and Caesar​

Rose was already busy at work come nine in the morning. She didn't feel like sporting the spandex today, instead going for something a bit more urban - still durable though! She stood on small saucers of condensed air in the sky, overlooking a few roads of her city. There were a few events going on, but nothing that screamed S-class. Other heroes would do just fine. She was way too curious about these three new old heroes. She was only 24 when they died. She'd been working as a hero for six years at the time, but she was only an A-class. She was on the other side of the world when the bomb hit.

She knew Lord Caesar and Jupiter, had heard of Starfinger, maybe even worked with them. To be honest, it was a little hard to remember, ten years after the fact, but she'd grown a lot since then. She was the top hero of the US. The poster child (outside of the military's top, of course). A swift jog through the air later and she was touching down on the Aphera estate. When she rang the door, Oscar answered, someone she had actually done quite a bit of work with recently. Another S-class hero.

As she smiled at him, he groaned softly, "Rose, if you're here to see Caesar, he's in a shitty mood. The news-"

"Yeah, I saw. Havoc's a pain in the ass, hard to predict. there's a reason she's near the top of the charts," she cut him off, squeezing past him into the house with a grin, "If he didn't fail it'd make my own trouble with her look like I'm a weakling!"

Oscar groaned again. Rose shouted into the house, "Caesar! Stop being a bitch and come'ere! You've got some new competition, beefcake!! Guess who's an S-Class now!!?"

Oscar rolled his eyes and flopped onto the couch with a soft hop. He, like Elementa, was waiting for a more pressing call. Destiny was still there, making noise in the kitchen as she was prepping Fay for the day to come. She shouted from the kitchen at the group, "It is way too early in the DAMN MORNING! Stop SHOUTING! Fay do you really not want sugar in your damned coffee? Are you made of caffeine? Is your blood bitter too? Fuck."

Osuka

 

[Deathkitten]

Rosemary, Chrysanthia, and Henry Keaton​

Rosemary let Henry spend the night. It's not like his house or whatever would still be around after ten years dead anyway... and at this point... everything that happened before didn't matter to her. He was always welcome now. Any remaining family was welcome. She was still in a nightgown with a jacket draped over her arms as she leaned against the counter of the island in the kitchen. A warm mug was in her hands, dark hair draped down over her face. Chrysanthia was already awake and in her costume, flitting about like a bird on crack. Rosemary had paperwork to deal with, family members to dispatch, needed a shower, and theoretically needed some breakfast too.

The phone started to ring, and she set the mug down as she picked it up, "Chrysie, go check on your uncle for me please. Don't be too loud though. He might be meditating or whatnot. I imagine he's got a lot to catch up on with his... erm... sponsor, shall we say. Hello, this is Rosemary Keaton. Uh-huh?" She brought out a tablet to jot down a few notes on, attention swallowed by the ever-ringing phone.

Chrysie gave a sharp nod and bounded off, her orbiting rings tapping together like the sound of soft chimes, despite very much so being able to pass through one another. She bounced to a stop at Henry's door and gave it a quick tap, barely a knock, before cracking the door open and peeking her head inside, "Uncle Henry? Are you gonna work today? My mom wanted me to come check on you."

Aelia Aeldyne

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Alexander Creed Smith, Shade

Alex stared at the small motel rooms TV screen, reviewing the news. 'Athra' had been of great assistance...a way to keep his family's souls safe as he needed, and a person to look for. It seemed like the news was aware of her return as well...so Jupiter was back from the dead? He remembered that face, she had some reputation back when she had been part of the living. Caesar was back as well...he could care less about the hothead, he had only one goal in mind. He checked his wallet, full of fresh twenties. Last evening had been quite eventful...painting a warehouse red and collecting money from pockets. Two birds killed in one stone. The news hadn't mentioned it yet, so there was a chance they weren't aware yet...hopefully they found that warehouse and cleaned it up sooner rather than later though. The scent would be dreadful.

The usual routine for the morning, struggle with human interaction and check out, leave a tip of what he could spare to the stoned front desk, and get on his way. Taking a deep breath of air he glanced around, hands going into his pockets. Alright...no time to waste, none. He had to get moving. Turning into an alley he fell forward as if he had tripped once he was deep enough inside and out of sight, the ground swallowing him whole. As soon as he slipped into his correct state he felt much more at ease, doubts and anxiety fading away into nothingness. He was fine...he could do this.

The black splotch on the ground disappeared as his 'form' dipped deeper inside, the eldritch entity shooting off through LA towards his destination, the Oscalia household. Arrival was easy, and then he simply...invited himself in. Much like how a ghost decides it will remain on the property, so too did shade, the invisible menace searching through the house through floor and wall until he found his target..she was in her room. Perfect, no chance for interruption. The idea of personal privacy or invasion of peace didn't even occur to him, not even as an afterthought.

His face appeared first, starlight eyes and wide white grin, pushing through the ceiling of her room. "Returning from the dead after ten years...that's a trick I haven't seen before." There was no doubt Jupiter knew the presence before her, Shade had become part of Los Angeles mythology and pop culture to an extent...he'd even seen a T-shirt of his likeness at a clothing shop once and it had made his skin crawl. For better or worse, he was recognizable, especially to heroes. "I need your assistance, young lady. Two young women, spirits, are being tormented and held captive by a demon...I am not an exorcist or a demonologist, but you are the latter, to an extent...your aid is...required." It felt wrong asking for help, it made him feel pathetic, filthy. But in this instance, for this? He'd stow it away, anything for his girls. His body pushed out from the ceiling until he hung there, rooted by his base as he stared at her, like some sort of abominable shadow bat.

Deathkitten

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Myriad
Grand park Los angeles.​

A old man in his late forties yawned as he put his construction hat on. he had been doing this job twenty years now. But today's job? well he wasn't very happy about it. They had been hired to get rid of a small bit of Grand park near downtown LA. For some Walmart of all things. As he looked around on the sight. the machines engines rumbling as various works made judgments and measurements of the forest. Another younger worker ran to him. "Aye mike! Come check this shit out!" the guy yelled to Mike, The old man. He sighed downing a bit of a flask before looking to him. "Jerry, i swear if you ran over here just to tell me about the latest one night stand you had with the bosses daughter or shit." Mike complained before jerry stopped him. "No that aint it. come check this shit out!" he said dragging Mike over to the edge of the forest. And at the edge, was a crudely made sign. vines growing up it and flowers blooming atop it. "Warning humans. here be fairies, leave or die? .... the hell you worrying bout Jerry? probably some damn hippies." Mike said sighing as he whistled. Two workers taking the sign down. "now go get Joe to start the machine. I dont want to be stuck out here long. I cant take the heat at my age Jerry." He ordered. as Jerry ran to the bulldozer to give the go ahead. a small shaking noise was heard.

"fools. Heed thy warning or die." a voice said to mike. whos eyes went wide and tried to yell for the bulldozer to stop. But it was too late. Because as soon as the bulldozer began to push one of the trees. The shaking got louder. and out of the large underbrush came a giant suit of armor. It must have been 8 feet tall! and with that hammer it was dragging.... Oh no. "JOE GET THE FUCK OUTTA THERE!" Mike yelled with all his might, Joe quickly jumping out of the bulldozer just before the hammer swung down on the cockpit, crushing it and the bulldozer. "You were warned. Stay away from the fairies" the suit said in a deep booming voice. as large butterfly wings swarmed her. But on another look. those butterfly wings belonged to six inch tall people. Who were cheering for the suit of armor happily. There truly was fairies here. And if that warning was anything to go by... These poor workers were gonna die.

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Aia
Location: Strange farm in street
Interaction: Kyrenka

Aia has happily enjoyed her breakfast that consisted of a few hundred pieces of bacon. Unknowing to the looks her and her mother had been receiving over the course of breakfast. Of course Aia did her best to eat like a normal person like Anne had taught her. Not showing her teeth at all, bringing the food to her mouth and not bringing her fave to the plate. The only thing that wasn’t normal was the hand fills of bacon she had wolfed down. All in all Aia thought she had done well, and if she thought she did well then mother must have been proud of her!

She had relaxed in the car, having decided to take her disguise of and relax without clothes. Aia had almost turned in for a mid morning nap when she heard her mother speak. Her head shot up curiously as she looked around while her mother parked, a little confused as to what was going on till she was asked if she wanted to go out. Her smile grew wide as she turned to face Anne. Yipping happily at her at the notion. Aia only got more excited when Anne gave her her costume, much like a dog would upon seeing there owner with a leash. Quickly she got dressed and hopped out of the car. Standing on her hind legs as she sniffed up into the air. Her tongue poking from her lips a few inches to get more senses from the air as she waited for Anne to lead them where she wanted to go.​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Yami
Location: city
Interaction: open

somewhere within the city A few bugs started to appear, unlike anything ever seen before and unable to be seen by non powered people. These bugs weren’t like anything else in the world. A bright pink beetle climbing on a skirt at a clothing store. A butterfly made entirely out of crystals fluttering through the streets. A see through dragon fly relaxing in the sun at a park. Why they where there and how they got there completely unknown though they seemed to beacon anyone that got close with powers to follow them, to see where these mysterious bugs lead to.​

 

[Aelia Aeldyne]

Henry Keaton - Keaton Household​

The rest of yesterday had been a little bit busy for me, to be entirely honest. First of all I had to deal with the rest of the family, those who were alive that is; some of them didn’t believe that I was me, some were outright angry because it was me the black sheep who had returned, and not the child, the parent or the sibling they had lost, and some were divided between indescribable positive feelings and indescribable negative feelings and didn’t know on which feet to dance when it came to me. In the end, I had an as friendly as possible chat with those who weren’t outright hostile, while Rose dealt with the others in what I assumed to be an amicable fashion. Her smile during the ordeal was all but reassuring, though; it was more of an “I’ll fuck your shit up so hard you’ll walk sideways for the next three decades” kind of smile. Well, it did manage to make me chuckle; my big baby sister had grown fearsome while I was away.

Though that wasn’t the hardest part to be honest. Relationships with someone alive can always be mended, repaired; there is always hope for it to become better. When it concerns someone who was as dead as I had been, there was much less hope in that regard.

Yeah, after meeting with the family – it still felt weird to call most of them “family”, at best I’d have considered them relatives, and for some that’d have been really stretching it – I had been to the graveyard with Chrysanthia, and pay my respects to the fallen. It had been hard, really. Painful too, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Why was I the one who had returned, for what reason had I been chosen instead of any of them ? Especially… When I looked at all the gravestones, and the dates on them… Most of the deceased had been younger than I was at the time. For someone like me, whose role was that of a protector, it was something sourer than “simply” having kin die on me. It stung harder, deeper than any other of my failures.

My mother’s grave, too, was painful to see. There was so much I would have wanted to tell her, how I felt, how much I wanted to apologize… just to open my heart, for once. And I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there in silence, unsure of whether I should, or even could cry at all. I didn’t even have any flowers for her. In the end, I simply walked away. There was another tombstone I would’ve liked to go and see, but I didn’t feel like I would be able to not break upon getting there.

I didn’t do much for the rest of the day, except maybe taking another shower. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do much anyway. I just sat in a corner, waiting for time to pass and for the night to come. The chill of the dark was welcome, giving my body and my mind a well-appreciated cooldown. The nightly stars were shining bright as I looked up at the skies, my mind wandering to more… professional matters. I had had enough of the day to deal with personal affairs. Now was time to get busy.

Thankfully, Rose had been kind enough to lend me a room, so I decided to make full use of it. I had to contact my colleagues and underlings, get a run-down of about everything and start planning for the future already; and to start a communication ritual like this, that went beyond telepathy, I would need to stay still for a good while. I opened the window so that I would be able to have the starlight fall upon me, and I sat cross-legged on the bed, the tips of my fingers resting against their opposite, hands held in front of me at plexus level.

I opened my mind, and the energy of magic flowed through my being. It felt like finally getting my third arm or something like that reattached and working as intended. A sphere of sickly golden light appeared within the cage formed by my hands, and another one, dimmer and larger, surrounded them. Circles of many symbols formed themselves, spinning slowly around my wrists, more and more appearing until it looked like my arms were made of luminous glyphs. Focusing the magic, I aimed for the dimension I was seeking to contact, and injected all the spatial and psychic formulas into the ritual container – the sphere. One by one, the circles shifted down my arms, swallowed by the ball of light within my hands, until they were all absorbed, and the ball expanded, covering the entire room in a flash of gold.

I was in the Nexus now. An imaginary space constructed with telepathy, built upon a foundation of psychic energy to serve as a focus for interdimensional communications. It was a starry sky resting above a panel of solid water, reflecting not one’s appearance but the shape of their soul. As usual for me, it did not make much sense; strings of meaningless numbers entangled with shattered metal shards, writhing and weaving dust and bone into a shapeless armor. A warrior with a bow, designed with utmost skill and love by an artisan whose sole purpose was accommodating death-dealers, a warrior in armor who took down enemies from a place that was beyond sight, beyond sense. A magician with a hood, selfishly hidden behind a mirror of starlight, weaved by his own hands to protect himself, a warlock in golden robes who served as an equal to a ever-warring conqueror from beyond time itself. Finally just a man, complex and infinite as anyone, deepened by the meaning of his experiences, the patterns of duty and the scars of pain drawing endless mandalas upon his metallic statue of a soul.



I wasn’t alone. I heard, I felt her approaching. The goddess of ravage, the eldest servant of the Golden Man. Mandalay the Forgotten, Mandalay the scorpion queen. A statuesque destroyer deity, both pale and dark of skin, her eyes glimmering behind the light-swallowing mask she was wearing, her four arms gauging the best ways to rip out my heart from my chest, greeting me with friendly gestures. The living paradox, the creation from chaos and oblivion from stagnancy. Mandalay was all of that at once, a being bent on erasing civilizations from the face of universes, yet also the living embodiment of kindness and comradery. Her silken voice echoed beneath the crying stars, harsh and hoarse as obsidian dust.

“King of Bones… It has been a long time since I last saw you here. They said you were dead, and I see that you are not. My heart is filled with glee at your sight, Henry. Truly, I have longed for your return. The council table wasn’t as attracting to sit at without you claiming your seat there.”

Half a second later…

“Hey, piece of shit. How come you ain’t fucking dead by now ? Everyone felt it, motherfucker. You got destroyed in that attack, ol’ man goldballs showed us. Looks like the fuckers didn’t finish the job properly. Rae fucking dammit, I’ll have to do it myself.”

As expected, she hadn’t changed a bit. Two-faceted and layered like the lotus flower she bore as an emblem, Mandalay was a being of utmost trust one instant and of supreme hatred the next, and as she lived her life as a rhyming stanza it was custom, courtesy and called for to reply in kind, in the reverse order so that the mirror of her soul remains in balance.

“Fuck off, scorpion hoe. I haven’t got time for your spewing shit around antics now. I have work on my plate, if you even know what working is, you lazy ass fuck stupid reaver.”

And within the same breath…

“I’m happy to see you too, Mandalay. I’ve been dead, it would seem, yes. Now I’ve returned, and I am ready to fulfill my duties once more. How goes life in Hadash-Rajah nowadays ? And… How goes the Host of Bones ? Is Nurah still alive and kicking ?”

She tilted her head to the side, her warm and friendly rictus becoming a psychotic and deranged smile, her eyes twitching from the darkest innocence to the brightest hatred. Finally, her entire appearance shifted, revealing her as she appeared upon the surface of the water. A four-armed goddess with a dark red skin, half-covered in scales, the other half being the smoothest and softest skin one could find on this side of existence. Her eyes were black, and her fists were not closed; she scooped some water from below, drawing a panel akin to a great screen in front of us both.



“My dominion is thriving as it should, albeit we have suffered incursions of Daevic beings lately, mostly mooks or low-rank soldiers and beasts. It seems that this absolute son of a bitch Ragna Tarkuth is wanting to carve out his own realm where mine lies. As for what happened of your armies… Yes, commander Nurah is still alive, though she has undergone a lot of damage, and besides her only Nathaneus and Gahro remain from the centurions. The rank and file troops either scattered around your own territories, trying to maintain peace as usual – they seem to have held quite well there – or went to the northern frontlines, and from what I have witnessed, engaged in a five years long attrition war with the Sahgurians. As of the last estimate from the Sunbreaker, less than five thousand remains, mostly in the mage cadres and the assassin divisions. As a personal opinion, do not expect your hosts to be warfare-capable for a long while, Skeleton Lord.”

“I am thankful for your insight and information, Lady of Ruin. I shall take the appropriate measures, and your presence within the nexus spares me the pain to prepare interplanar travel in my current state.”

Though as I said that, it was mostly problematic for me. Even if the Sahgurians weren’t exactly a threat, they were the only buffer between the lands I had the responsibility of, namely the northern districts of Alagadda, and the eldritch lord of the northern wastes’ own troops. Now that my legion was down to less than five thousand and only three out of my eight commanders remained and from what I heard in not so good shape, even though it wasn’t at immediate risk I’d have to go and travel there by myself, and also provide the required repairs and upgrades to Nurah. I sighed and bid goodbye to Mandalay.

“Once again, thank you for being here when I needed it, Mandalay. If you’re still keen on collecting that debt I owe you, I’ll have the bedroom ready shortly, come when you want.”

Giving her a small now and receiving one in response, I cut off the ritual, reappearing in my room at the Keaton household. In truth, I hadn’t gone away, I simply had materialized my spirit within the nexus, while my physical body remained on Earth. As the light faded away and the ritual ended, I noticed that the night had ended and the day had begun. Someone was opening the door behind me; Chrysanthia… My niece, my apprentice now, now that I had accepted her request to take her under my wing. It wasn’t a responsibility I was really fond of, but if it could help her grow and warded against the basic dangers of hero work, then so be it.

I turned around, looking at her with serious eyes. She was already in costume, which for a hero is always a good point – get ready for work because work is already waiting for you. Her question… Rose wanted to know how I was going, huh.

“Today… Most likely not. I’ve got to go check my own house, and you’ll come with me. It’ll be an interesting experience for you.”

I rose from the bed, rearranging my clothes as I walked towards the door.



Deathkitten

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Samantha
Location: Bar-streets

The knight had been long as most where, another night of drinking and self wallow in her usual bar. She couldn't help but wonder how pathetic she must have looked sitting on a bar stool slumped over asleep on the bar counter with a bottle of half drank rum in her hand. She didn’t know what time it was nor did she want to but the bar tender had different ideas. He walked up behind her and gently started to rub her back. “Come on samantha it’s time to go.” He said which got an audible hungover growl as a response. Slowly she sat up and flared at him. “What I just got here!” She groaned to him as she slouched back into her seat and pulled out her cigarettes. Sticking it in her mouth she quickly lit it with her lighter and took a few deep puffs. Her lips curled into its usual could frown, bags hung under her eyes but, she was retired so why should she care.

Samantha got so deep in her thoughts she forgot the bartender was there till he patted her back again. “Whaaaaat Jack!” She whined to him making him chuckle. “Come on Samantha it’s time to go. Let me help you up.” He said as he took her hands and helped her to her feet despite her displeasure. She swayed a little and sighed before glancing up to him. Then she reached up and gently pat the mans cheek as she started for the door. “Don’t loose that kindness jack.” She mumbled through the cigarette in her mouth. As soon as she got outside she immediately regretted it as the sun burned into her eyes and gave her a mad headache. Against her better judgement she brought the bottle of rum she still had to her lips and took a rather big swing of the liquor. ‘Best way to cure a hang over is to get drunk again. Ey ok girl?’ She thought to herself as she sighed and started to stumble home in the sun, taking long deep drags of her cigarette and little swings of her liquor here and there. She fell down a few times before she made it to a park and slumped onto a bench with a huff of displeasure. Her eyes closed as she slumped forward. “Maybe I’ll rest here a little.” She grumbled quietly time herself. Then she fell with a yell off the bench and onto the ground with a thud.

There where a few normal humans around, all giving glances to the dirty wolf and some even recognizing her. “Isn’t that the old S class. Didn’t she lose her kid?” A few mothers nearby gossiped which made Samantha frown more. “I can hear you ladies!!” She called out as she slowly sat up and rested her back onto the bench. She glanced up into the sky but only for a mPlenty before she brought the bottle of rum to her lips again to drink before replacing it with her cigarette
ManofManyRoles
​

 

[chaieftainoftheeye]

Mazok: Sea hunting
​

After about 20 minutes of attempted calling he emerged from the Phone booth. "SCRAP!" as he punched the metal enclosure, denting the metal as he started walking, using his Dakkagun as a cane and flanked by his squad. walking out of the city and toward a point of contact with the military grumbling under his breath as he walked. only stopping at a gass station to get a 2 liter of soda, drinking it without much trouble as he walked on.

Aelia Aeldyne

 

[Osuka]

Caesar Aphera
AKA: Lord Caesar
Location: Aphera Residence

He couldn't sleep last night.

Ten years really was enough to put distance between him and the baddies of Los Angeles, and the point-blank blast of truth hurt worse than the explosion that followed it yesterday. His body was healed and he was cleared as in good health, but his pride and his morale took a blow. Caesar had almost struck a child, and if it wasn't for Havoc pulling her punches, people would have died. It made him rage longer than it took for the gentle hands of their healers to mend his wounds - albeit not the worst he had ever received. In fact, it was another reason why he felt she had pulled her punches yesterday, and with another slam of his brick-sized fist against the bag in front of him, which sent it off its chain and thundering against the floor of his own apartment-sized room, he felt the need to do so snake around his chest. It was as if hands of pure fire had clutched at his ribs and tore at his flesh. He needed something to hurt.

More than air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat, he needed something to hurt.

For now, he avoided heeding the commotion that had gone on outside of his little world. Caesar had not a care in the world that Elementa had graced their home with the fact that she breathed in it, and instead kicked the bag across the room before plopping down and trying his best to breathe, though it wasn't from exertion. No, he was sure he could go at this all day and feel no better about it,but in the end, it would do him no good. he knew it all too well. So he had to leave it be. Clear his head, focus on one thing, and as long as he only focused on one thing at a time, he would be fine.
Deathkitten
(Note to self: PS4 browser can go to hell.)

 

[Bush]

MEMPHIS CAIN
THE DEVIL'S TALE BAKERY
​

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," said the well dressed man. Memphis was sitting in a quiet, local cafe, one of his favorites. It was an atmospheric place, although the owner was quite...strange. Very strange indeed, even in this Superhero world. Although, one could argue that Memphis was the strangest person out of them all as he sat across a table from a very worried mother named Susan Jackson.

"How about you first tell me the truth?" demanded Susan, her fists in the air. She was quite angry but it was overshadowed by her fears. Some people have said strange things about Memphis. Although, what was stranger; Memphis or his followers? Memphis was the leader in a political group called the People's Protection Party, which had the reputation of its followers agreeing with nearly everything Memphis said and did. Susan's son was one of those followers and she had several questions about what happens during the nighttime when she knows her son sneaks out?

"Yes, your son," Memphis replied with a smile. "Your son is one of the most determined members in my party. He is committed and strong willed...you quite raised a man."

Susan began to blush. Her mind started to get dizzy. "I'm flattered," she replied.

"No, no," Memphis told Susan, putting his coffee down. "There is no reason to be. Your son is one of many who work for my political party. Tell me Susan, are you a political person?"

Susan looked down at herself before answering. "Not really..."

"That's a huge problem," Memphis told the mother. "Politics affects everything you do. In order to be an intelligent person, one must study it's every aspect and how it affects our daily lives."

Susan began to get more dizzy. "You're right...I should be more political. It'll...make me smart..."

Memphis smiled with a huge grin. "Exactly, my dear. The People's Protection Party is a good place to start. Our whole ideology revolves around the daily aspects of live and our mission of protecting them."

Susan soon raised a brow. "What about our lives is needed to be protected?"

Memphis took a sip of his coffee before putting it down. "Think about what happened 10 years ago. A terrorist attack like no other; ten times worse than both Pearl Harbor and 9/11. The problem my party and I see is that the government simply isn't strong enough to prevent such a tragedy. We need stronger security to maintain peace and eliminate terrorism. Even nowadays, terrorism still exists."

"But don't the Superheroes protect us enough?"

"We, as the population of this city, need to support our heroes through working with them. The government hasn't done enough to maintain peace. We must stand up for ourselves as the superheroes can't do it alone. Tell me Susan, are there still crime on the street?"

Susan took a couple seconds to answer. "Y-yes..."

"Therefore, the Superheroes by themselves are not enough. We need the government and the population to do more."

Susan kept getting more and more dizzy. "You're...right..." she spoke softly. "But...how can I help?"

Memphis chuckled. "By joining the People's Protection Party, of course!" Memphis then pulled out a business card and handed it to Susan. The business card read a location near Mt. Gleason. "We are having a meeting tonight if you want to come along."

Susan, in a trance, replied: "I will." Susan then got up from her seat and exited the cafe. Memphis, putting his legs on the table, took a sip to another recruitment gone right.

 

[Deathkitten]

Darren​

"I'm surprised your type of practicing doesn't involve firearms practice," Darren mused, picking at the remains of his plate. He wasn't really a masochist. He hasn't experienced enough sensation to know if he liked it. He was just... sort of a fake masochist. Eager for the idea of pain but scared of the prospect. He had run out in front of enough cars or whathaveyou to know they didn't hurt, so when he did so, not caring if they hurt, there was always that voice in the back of his mind telling him he's actually safe. He sighed and scooted his chair back and his plate forward in the same motion.

"So, have you ever had to fight anyone like you?" he asked, meeting her eyes again, genuinely curious, "If there's one 'spirit of vengeance' of one sort, there's bound to be others, isn't there? Perhaps a demonic counterpart? How does that all work?" He was ready to head back up when she was, having devoured his food out of habit, despite what she had said about being safe to eat it slowly. "And beyond that, does your friend ever talk about where she comes from? How she got into this line of work? Humans have fairly typical reasons, most times. I'm intrigued as to what someone so alien to the average person might experience as far as that goes."

ManofManyRoles

 

[Deathkitten]

Chrysie​

"We're going to your house? Is it in space or something? Are you sure it's still there?" she asked in quick-fire fashion, all smiles. She backed up to let him out of the door, following along behind him, "So my mom is answering phones right now, but she'd still probably appreciate a wave or something before we head out. Something so she knows we didn't just up and disappear." She imagined her mom would be stressed for at least a few weeks with all this stuff going on. It wouldn't be any easier with her actually going out and doing hero work, but she couldn't stand the idea of just going and sitting at home when she could be saving people!

She passed by the kitchen, grabbing herself an apple, which she immediately chomped on as she waited for her uncle to be ready to go. Her mom was still on the phone but gave them a tired smile. Rosemary cupped her hand over the mic and turned to them, "Glad to see you up and about. I wasn't sure about the effects on your body, of course. I'll talk more with you later. Mornings are always busy with organizing." She sighed and rolled her eyes at the person on the other side of the phone, "No, I'm not ignoring you, Sirius... You're the one who made a mess of that building, so you get to be patient and wait while I fix your shit."

"Family's always fun, huh?" Chrysie chuckled, unphased. The conversation was a common one. One of her relatives did something stupid and it fell on the matriarch to fix. "Let's goooo! I'm excited. Your house must be weird and cool!!"

Aelia Aeldyne