Fantasy Superhero Times

[ManofManyRoles]

Lady Death

It had been an otherwise peaceful day, at least by her standards, thus far. A lovely chat with her Mistress, a light snack, and from there she'd spent the time free-running over the rooftops and through the city in short bursts to get her bearings. When the little hero scanner she had buzzed about a mother and child death, her lips tugged downwards into a frown, kneeling on the edge of a rooftop. "Oh dear...so unfortunate. I suppose this is my area of expertise, however." Sable launched herself from the edge of the rooftop to a lower one, continuing her little sprint across the roofs until she was overlooking the crime scene. Even from here, she could smell it, the smell thick...heavy...and appetizing. A thin line of drool escaped from the corner of her lips before she snapped at herself mentally, a reminder that she wasn't here to eat the departed corpses, even if her instincts screamed it was a fantastic idea. Reaching to the breast pocket of her shirt she adjusted something, a sizeable little skull brooch with a scythe right next to it being clutched by a skeletal hand. Shifting her shoulder a bit so her rifle sat comfortably over her back she spread her arms wide at her side as she slowly leaned forward...and forward...and forward still until she dropped from the rooftop, arms slowly going overhead.

Palms connected with cement as she rolled forward, her body more than durable enough to survive the drop without any issue as she rolled forward, a perfect landing within the cordoned area. Being this close...the bodies were still warm. The blood was still fresh...Just a nibble, perhaps? No, no! She could eat later, some decency was demanded of a situation like this! Getting a better look at them though, Sable's frown only grew...this was just a mother guarding her child. This was a crime built out of hate. "Salutations, dearly departed," she whispered, ignoring both the police and the civilians as she knelt down to a knee, a hand right before it as she bowed her head, eyes shutting as she took a deep breath, not that she needed air, not anymore. She highly doubted any issues from the police, she was a Public hero and an old one at that. A quick records search should likely do if they needed to know who she was. "Your spirits are still here, are they not? I would seek to speak to you."

It honestly hurt her, in a fashion, looking at the scene. Not because of the dead, not really. But because of who they were, and how they lay. A mother, so desperately trying to protect their child. A bond that was unbreakable in the truest of senses. A memory sparked at her mind...the scent of rain and the sounds of thunder. Blood staining carpet, a mother's corpse, a house ransacked. Brief little flashes of her own afterlife, reminders of why she started this path of hers, irritation and anger bubbling in her stomach. How cruel, she thought, to murder a child in hate. "Please do not be afraid to speak to me, either of you. I am here to help."

Deathkitten

 

[Osuka]

Name: Kallen
Alias: "Guardian"
Location: The day ain't nothin' made sense since, and I'm a fuckin' robot.

"Guardian Down!!!" was the last thing that she remembered Sagii barking before everything went black. What the hell had even happened?! One second she was with the kid and the mom, and the next, well... well now she was just coming back around. Sagii's light had flashed with a radiant luminescence as Kallen's body rematerialized into the world, the sudden flare of light and holographic sigils bursting forth with the heroic entrance that no one could ever hope to have. Goddammit, what happened?! Kallen's trusty 'ol handcannon was ready to be fanned, prepped to sling out more high-calibur rounds of justice and just-in-the-knick-of-time heroism than this world had ever been ready to see in hundreds of lifetimes before...

Before...

Oh by the light... No, what the hell was going on here? Flashes of blue and red had taken over her sight as far as her robotic eyes could see. What were the police doing here?! It took time for the camera sensors to adjust, but no amount of time could have been enough for her to be prepared for the carnage that lay before her. The... The kid...

If it wasn't for the fact that Kallen was a 'slinger, she wouldn't have been composed as she was, right?; but reality was always far more cruel than anything that anyone planned for. She swore up and down that, not only was she already registered as the Kid Wonder's Guardian - his unfailing, stalwart rampart, but she was the most badass thing on this side of the galaxy. She wouldn't have rushed to the side of the child and mother. She wouldn't have thrown her handcannon to the side and scrambled on her hands and knees to the corpses that were only a few feet in front of her, yeah? No, she wouldn't have gripped the kid and the mother by the shoulders and shaken them with all her might to get them to wake up... Nah, she'd seen plenty of people end up takin' a dirtnap - whether it was an inch or a mile deep. She wouldn't...

She wouldn't have screamed.

She would've definitely heard Sagii as her metal visage twisted into all sorts of unsightly forms while she begged the kid to bring their eyes up, right?! RIGHT?! This was all just some weird dream that she was all too tactile in. She was just running some weird simulation in her bootdown sequence as her alloy hands and knees shifted her around to stare the kid dead in the face and scream. She definitely would've heard her wiring and synthetic synapses snap and shred and short while her face-plates did the best it could of forming a tear-strewn face-

"Kallen, stop!!!" Sagii barked again, this time slamming her tiny little chassis against the Exo's chest, doing its best to push the Guardian away from the corpses, but it was all fruitless. For the first time in the little Light's existence, it was watching its partner break and scream and beg - "Eyes up - please just do something, goddammit!!," entirely oblivious to the flashing lights she had once been blinded by, the men and women in uniform, and the other form that had dropped into the scene. More filtered, electronic sounds of quick breaths and fraying hypothetical heartstrings snapped in every plea and every useless prayer that slipped from her plated lips. Sh-she had to do something, right?! Maybe Sagii-

"Kallen, I can't do it," Sagii's voice broke through as the chassis once again slammed with all its miniscule might, the eye of the floating Specter raising itself to look at its partner. "Kallen, they're gone, I-I-"

Sagii had known exactly what Kallen was thinking, and silence fell finally as the choked gasps and the frantic shaking and patting of the Guardian knelt in front of the child and mother finally fell flat... She had just saved this Kid Wonder from a dungeon not too long ago - how the hell did she let this happen - HOW could she let this happen?! This kid was her lifeline, and it might've been a short amount of time, but the kid wormed his way into her processors like the best little virus an Exo could ask for. None of this made any sense. Absolutely none of it made sense - she made a promise as a 'slinger (and they didn't make promises to themselves or anyone that they'd do anything at all aside from show up to the Olympics and dominate the first day, then blow the whole thing off because it wasn't fun anymore) - that she'd keep this kid breathing well into their eighties and...

And...

Absolutely nothing made sense. Was this why they didn't make promises? And why the hell was she still here?! There were still processes going on in the background trying to figure out just how she was still here, but absolutely nothing made sense at all. The source of her transmission from her little game world that was all made up and everything was scripted to this world where everything was real and everyone had only gotten one chance was dead and she was still here, but that didn't make sense, did it?! She knew life had a funny way of throwing curveballs at you, but none of this made sense at all!.. Which was exactly why she shoved that background process even deeper into her Core and indulged in one of the few human things she would have done in this situation.

The blood of both mother and child stained her armor, her cape, and her chassis as she pulled them both close to her with an ease that only advanced science could afford her, a silent, stalwart rampart of metal-on-metal. She shouldn't have decided to work solo on this. Maybe she should've reached out to those folks from that weird dungeon she wound up in where she found the kid? Maybe she should've swallowed her pride and done the right thing? Maybe the kid deserved better than some prideful hunk of fucking metal and this was all the proof she needed. Of course it wasn't going to make sense to anyone watching the scene, and it was going to be a hell of a thing to explain to the precinct that, no, they weren't touchin' the fuckin' weird robot thing that disregarded their existence like a fart from a church-mouse if they had the thought of it. There was one thing that she could do though, and she could definitely do it solo.

In fact, she was so damn sure she could do it solo that it was exactly what she was going to do, and fuck anyone who decided that they were going to shove her hubris in her face. They'd eat superheated, Fast-as-Light lead just like anyone or anything else that ran across her before. They'd eat lead whether they were friend or foe - if they got in the way, they were something else to gun down... Fuck, maybe she was just finding out how soft she was when it came to kids, or maybe it was that she was soft around folks who didn't get a second, a third, or even a billionth chance? For as long as she remembered - really, truly fully recalled, Kallen was always around people who had all those chances and more as long as they weren't stuck in some weird time-loop or a soul-sucking darkness that made it impossible to come back if they slipped off a cliff.

One last squeeze. One last squeeze and a pat on the kid's head, and she'd let 'em rest. Yeah... She'd squeeze 'em one more time before slowly making her way to her trusty Handcannon, then march over to the weirdo that just showed up and point the barrel straight to their head - of course, she was about ten paces away, but she could definitely pull the trigger before they could close the distance, right?

"Hey you," Kallen's voice, the electronics 'hoarse' of sorts as she directed the beginning of her inquiry to the... Fuck it, she didn't care. "Who you talkin' to? The dead don't speak, so I'd like to ask a few questions before I figure out whether you should eat lead or not."

Kallen didn't give a damn about the police. She didn't give a damn about the civilians, and truth be told... She wasn't even sure if she cared about the answer she might get from the oddball talking to the air like it was some kind of person. Sagii, however, was quicker to consider the situation and immediately interjected itself between Kallen's barrel and the little lady that just so happened to be doing her job.

"Kallen, this person is registered as a Hero in this city," Sagii started, their little chassis spinning and clicking in the air. "Public records suggest they're maybe doing something similar to the Speaker, perhaps?"

Deathkitten ManofManyRoles

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Carinthia
Interactions: Cam E. Leon ManofManyRoles

It was obvious by the way she glared Corvus down her back handed threat and feeble explanation that she meant no harm meant nothing to the vampire as the sword stayed ready by corvus’s head before he walked off to retrieve the keys. With murder in her eyes she sheathed her sword and turned her attention back to the obsessive coddling of Arenike as she pouted. “I’m not a maniac.” She grumbled while coddling her master. When the masked jerk came back and handed Arenike the keys she watched closely before following after Arenike to the car. Clearly intending to go with no matter the objections to it if there were any.​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Samantha
Interactions: Deathkitten Osuka ManofManyRoles

It was heaven, the first day in god knows how long that she had felt happiness of any kind. All that pain and loss washed away as she spent the day with her child. But as all things in this world Samantha’s heaven has to come to an end at least for now as she heard a call she couldn’t ignore. Having said goodbye to her child and ex husband. Though in the pit of her stomach she feared this was just the start of a loop in her life. Should she go, would going cause the same situation again? The thoughts ran through her brain like wildfire as she left into the city. Luckily though it did not take the wolf long to arrive at the scene and her mind to be taken with other thoughts.

Swords at her hip she landed rather gently onto the ground about 10 paces behind the whispering person and in view of Kallen. For a moment she simply sat in the kneeled position mostly to try and deal with the soreness and pain of rusty joints attempting to do what they once did. “That’s gonna hurt.” She merely mumbled to herself after a moment then stood up once the pain subsided. Her ears perked up on her head as she looked towards Kallen and the other person presumably a hero. It was clear by these first few moments alone that Kallen was distraught. The being they met in the game world was clearly not in the right headspace that was obvious though her eyes trailed to the sight behind them and she froze as her heart was pulled and crushed in her chest. How could someone do this? After all the boy and his mother went through. The pain of the crash as well as her child running away for a little how could there lives have been ended like this.

Slowly she walked forward but not to the bodies but to Kallen. Completely ignoring the other hero for now as it seemed they had powers that could help. Her actions next could aid both parties and so she moved. Slowly she came close to Kallen and slipped between them and the other hero. Staring deeply into Kallens faceplate as her hand gently came to rest on her fire arm in a silent plea for her to lower it. for a moment or two longer she stared with a look of care before her arms slowly went up and around the game beings neck in a tight comforting hug. “I’m so sorry.” She said quietly to her as she hugged the other girl in a deep hug. She knew it hurt to lose someone like this, she’s seen her hero friends die in the past, but right now consoling Kellen would aid in finding there killer. If she could distract Kellen, help her little floating thing keep Kellen from making the situation worse than it already was was the best course of action. “I don’t know if you remember me. But I was there when we brought him back from the game world.” She explained softly incase Kellen didn’t remember her face.​

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Yami
Interaction: Cam E. Leon Deathkitten ManofManyRoles
​

Yami was needless to say curious as she heard the commotions. She had been in Ruru’s room having a little catnap as they would say but it woke her and so here she was. Quietly waddling down the wall she got to the door just as Shard came busting through it. It startled her as expected and Yami let out a little yip and quickly got out of the way, trying to hide herself in the wall till he passed having expected another chase. But it never happened which confused her but it was probably best to not agitate him further. Slowly she came to peek through the door to see the small group of people. Her upper left hand gently came to her mouth as she lightly nibbled on the tip of her claw before she came waddling in. Her hands holding each other as she tried to look inconspicuous. Though that was rather hard when you are a big white fluffball. Still she was determined and beelined it to Ruru.

Feeling the awkward tension she came up and wrapped her arms around Ruru’s calf and nuzzling her face against Ruru before she let go and proceeded the climb up the chair admittedly with some struggle and grunts but soon she made it up onto the chair with Ruru and climbed into her lap. Her hands clasping together again she did a sortof roll into Ruru’s lap where she then positioned herself facing Ruru’s chest and looked up to her with a cute small smile hopping her presence eased Ruru of whatever it was that was happening.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Lady Death

Sable was actually quite comfortable kneeling on the ground where she was, finger tips mere inches from the crimson pool that was spreading. An odd sight she made though, most certainly, dressed solely in dull hues of dulled whites, varying grays, and blacks. Over her shoulder was a well cared for, albeit aged, M1C Garand with a 1911 pistol holstered at her hip, hair short, messy, and tomboyish in style. And there she knelt, listening to the poor robot, or what she could assume was a robot, having a mental breakdown. She had been so devoted to focusing on the departed, she had completely missed her, somehow. However, eventually, the screaming stopped and the voice was directed toward her, Sable's eyes drifting open as she studied the sidewalk cement. "Salutations," she started, voice soft like a whisper but pleasant nonetheless, "The dead do speak, dear madam. All one must do is be willing to listen to them. Though they're still in shock." Sable slowly lifted her gaze towards Kallen, an otherwise uncomfortable look to endure perhaps. Sable's features held no malice or ill will, but they were...distinctly wrong. Her eyes alone, a sickly and deep shade of yellowish-orange were distinctly non-human in color, and it didn't help that the area around her eyes seemed darkened, like she had applied far too much eyeshadow or something of that nature. Her skin, likewise, was oh so wrong as well, pale as the grave and lacking any color of life to it. And then there was the fact of how she looked, she couldn't have been any more than 16 physically, but the way she spoke and held herself belayed such a thought.

Her attention drifted to the spirit of mother and son, dipping her head in a low bow towards them. "I will stay here, for both of you. Take your time to get your bearings, dearly departed." Throughout everything, Sable seemed relatively unbothered by the gun leveled towards her, but at least Sagii cut in on her behalf to block a clear shot. Slowly the deathly woman stood upright, gently tapping the brooch of a skull wielding its scythe by its side that was pinned to the lapel of her shirt. "Salutations," she started again when Samantha interjected herself into the situation, "I am Lady Death, though not the Mistress herself. I simply act on her behalf." As she spoke, if one was paying close enough attention, they could see her teeth. Razer sharp and predatory, somewhat jagged near the front like a shark, but ever so subtle that they looked smooth otherwise. The scent of blood, so heavy on the pavement...on the bodies...on the robot. She couldn't help it, a line of saliva started to work at the corner of her mouth as she ducked her head to the side, fetching a handkerchief from her shirt pocket and dabbing at her lips in a proper fashion. "Please forgive me, I do not mean to be rude." After dabbing at her lips she folded the handkerchief again and pocketed it, attention drifting between Samantha and Kallen, and then towards the lingering spirits. When next she spoke, she wasn't even looking towards the living, and rather towards the two still-warm bodies. "The Reapers will not interject while I am present. Please take what time you need, both of you...and you, Missus," Sable's attention finally settled on Kallen again, as if she had completely forgotten what had prompted her to stand, "Please ask me any questions you would desire, though I would request you do not shoot me. It is somewhat inconvenient, but I understand your anger, even if you think I do not."

Deathkitten Osuka Daniel Reaving

 

[Deathkitten]

Abigail​

Abigail was thoroughly enjoying the food, only occasionally looking at her phone to respond to her grandmother, “This is great. Thank you. I can’t imagine what it was like fresh if this is what it’s like as leftovers.”

“You flatter me. Elves are often foodies, so it was basically a requirement in my house growing up that I learned to cook,” Sylvia responded, “You’re such a tease, love. I knew I got hoodwinked like… year one.” She grinned, “Thankfully you put up with my brand of crazy too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally had a spirit follow me home.”

“She’s heading over,” Abigail said between bites, “I honestly don’t get how she can make time for me on the fly like this. It’s incredible. She’s always so kind to me. I don’t deserve someone like her. I’m very lucky.”

———​

As if she knew when they were done eating, Abigail’s grandmother rang the doorbell when they were putting away the plates.

The woman, someone who definitely didn’t look her age, looked no older than Adam or his wife. She had the same blue hair and eyes as Abigail, a trait that ran in their family through the women. She offered a hand, “A pleasure to meet someone who took in my girl on such short notice. You must be Detective Adam Marshall. I’m Catherine Auden, Abigail’s grandmother.”

“Grandma! You’re here so fast! I swear you always do that.”

“It’s good to be punctual, little Songbird,” she responded, giving her granddaughter a loving smile, “So! Given your variety of wards on this place and the adorable halfling eldritch cutie hiding behind you, I’d say you all live an interesting life.”

Sylvia gave a slightly confused smirk, “And that you can see that kind of thing from a glance says you live an interesting life as well! Come in, come in. I’m sure we both have questions for each other.”

“Oh of course. I’d hardly expect any different. Many say my lifestyle is strange, yes. Mr. Marshall, how about you go first? I’ll answer any questions you have for me, and then I’ll give you both some of my own. After all, my girl’s life is in your hands. I can’t just ask nothing at all.”

ManofManyRoles

 

[Deathkitten]

Chutes​

Chutes gave a cheeky grin, “I suppose I’m asking for a real date. Not just practice. After all, you’ve made this one flow so easily despite my nervousness that I feel like a pro already~“

“Besides,” he added, “It’s fun to stroke your ego. You’re pretty cute. Both pretty, and cute. Plus… I mean, you aren’t scared of me. Given the Agas in your head, it makes sense, but it still is really nice. You aren’t scared of me, and nor do you expect a ton of me.”

“If you want to go on a ‘real’ date, you could choose the venue this time. I won’t be disappointed if there’s no reality hopping, don’t worry. My expectations are low and I’d be satisfied with literally watching paint dry.”

ManofManyRoles

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Orpheus body twitched and spasmed as the blue ceruluem dripped from his body. OUtside the destroyed building was already two all black cars with his employees waiting for him. Seeing his appearance they tensed up and began quickly moving. One grabbing a strange large metal briefcase as the other one kicked open the trunk and took out a canister of the glowing blue liquid. "Mr. Axiom, please bring him over here!" one of the employees asked him as they were already setting up the first aid station to begin repairs on Orpheus Magitek chassis. This was quite common now to them. Though Orpheus could be considered a master swordsman, he did little ever to protect his body, no it would be more accurate to say he would not have reached his level of skill if he had to care about protecting his body, this had become much a well oiled routine for them. Orpheus turned to them and looked calmly, even to him this had become normal
Kameron Esters- Stricken Steel

 

[Deathkitten]

Robert Dantif​

Robert shrugged, giving a gruff huff in response, "I don't have time for sleep right now, hun. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Maybe one day I'll manage to swap out my body for robotic parts, then I won't have to worry about it."

When she got in the new body, he grabbed a tablet and started to look through it to make sure everything was working right. Settings to adjust for her, some small patches to make, always something to work on. He stifled a yawn, "Well, love, you're not as used to bodies as she is. I had hers ready for her. When I made you, I wasn't really expecting to succeed, and you two are still so far ahead of our time. So there wasn't any body that could really hold you without making a lot of concessions. Let alone something with fine motor control and realistic sensations. For Mia, it was something she always had, within the first week. It makes sense it'll take you longer to get used to."

"Try lowering some of the sensitivity," he said, flipping around the tablet to show her where in the code it was, "Don't lower it all the way, but you can have it not so intense to begin with so you're not uncomfortable. As you get used to it, you can turn it up. Some things sensations are really important for. Do you remember the first frame you ever had? That poor thing got bashed up so much because you couldn't feel when it got injured. Sensation is really important for stuff like that. Not to mention balance. This body is meant to simulate human life. Something to make people more comfortable with you two. And something that gives you girls the opportunity for some...... erm... extracurricular activities with a partner. Not that I look forward to either of you having a partner. Especially not Mia... she's going to give me a heart attack if she brings home a boy or a girl..."

Robert coughed again, looking frustrated for a moment, "Ugh I think I'm sick again. Freakin' sleep deprivation. I am happy that's not something you girls have to deal with. Getting sick is such a pain. Your mental health is always a concern, just like anyone else, but physically you can't get sick. You won't have the displeasure of feeling like your lungs itch."

"Alright. Anyway, let the functions I've labeled as automatic be automatic. Breathing, blinking, the fake heartbeat, etc. Lower the sensitivity if you want. After you've gotten your bearings let's run a couple of tests. This frame should be more accommodating to your processing power, so you should be able to run more complex algorithms and processes. I'd like it if you could test that out, please, to see if you experience any lag or other problems. Try... oh I don't know... Try running a model of climate change over the next 100 years including sea level rise and hurricane patterns, and see how many seconds it takes to run it."

ManofManyRoles

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Unagi gulped as she listened to Cyri go on and on, until she froze hearing her words. Others? More had followed her, Kami Damnit why cant they just leave her alone! What does her master have to do with her life, does everyone need to carry their grudge to the disciple as well!? Unagi didn't even know half the people that tried to kill her on a weekly basis! All just because they got their ass kicked by her master they decided she must die! WHy does this title have to bring so much trouble! Unagi quickly shook her head as if mentally punishing herself for such thoughts, to have the title of Unagi was an utmost honor, and to be given the title at the age she was showed how much people needed the presence of an Unagi, To hate the title was smearing its honor....and with that internal conflict over, Unagi merely looked down in shame, forcing out a small apology as she gripped her sword handle tightly solely for the comfort of something familiar. Cyri noticed and quickly said "Hey hey! They are scumbags Im sure they would have eventually come here anyway, Besiiiides they used some interesting methods of tailing you, its no suprise you didnt notice, One group teleported, another swimmed, two groups flew. And one Just Ran across the water. In total 5 seperate parties, but number wise about 25 people followed you not counting the oni or spiders" Cyri explained calmly as she shoved a lollipop in her mouth. "Anyway we could just alert them to the hero station if ya want to." She added
ManofManyRoles

 

[Osuka]

Name: Kallen
Alias: "Guardian"

Goddammit, if it was the last thing she wanted right now, it was for people to treat her like she was like glass about to shatter. Besides, if anyone was being honest about it, she already had. It was odd, the feeling... Before things had gone so horribly wrong in her own little made-up universe that she was pulled from, she was already metal and wires. Kallen was already slowly beginning to lose what metaphorical pieces made her the human she used to be, and then it all came crashing back to her like the blast wave of a planet-cracking bomb. It was only a week or so ago before she wound up here that she was getting bored of doing the most dangerous jobs just to feel something, and now she was getting way more than she was asking for. She wanted to protect a kid and show this universe just what a galactic badass looked like, and now it looked like some....

She couldn't think of the words to save her shiny metal ass, but she could at least hide the conflict written on the plates of her face. The moment the... Whatever her name was showed up, Kallen was quick to swiped the faceplate of her helmet shut, the dense cover material sealing shut with a quick flicker of light that painted itself across her visage rather than flipping or sliding as would have been more normal for this era. She didn't want the conflict of her mind written for all to see, and when the woman approached her to hug her, she... Shifted. Her footing had shifted under her; it was enough to keep some room between herself and the woman - Samantha was her name, right?, even when her arms wrapped around Kallen's blood-stained uniform, and even with the physical contact, she didn't lower her Handcannon for even a second. There were plenty of ways she could slip out of what looked like an innocent-enough hug with her body canted during contact. She could swim out of it with a free hand, for instance, or just turn the gun on the point-blank target if she had to-

Kallen all but slammed the butt of her weapon's grip twice against her head, though it was hard enough to pop the kinetic shielding around her body as she tried to refocus. This was work time now. There were two escorts dead and either the killer didn't know that she'd come back, or they disregarded her long enough to do their job and get the hell out of the area. That meant different things depending on which way one wanted to think about it: First, they knew the kid's ability. Second, this world wasn't exactly all too kind towards folks who had a little bit more to themselves than the average joe or jane depending on the circles you were part of. Third, the person was so desperate to wipe out what could have been the next generation of heroes that they did their homework before picking a target. A single escort was easy enough if you had the skill for it, and that meant that the culprit for the murders were at least somewhat practiced enough to ambush the escort before moving onto the target, though...

She wanted to scream and kick something when she looked at the shape the corpses were left in again, but it was important to look regardless. The wounds were quick and frantic - they didn't mind getting through more than one person to get to their target, and she could only assume that the attacker got frustrated when the mother stepped between them and the Kid Wonder. There was something else, though...

"Think it was the OA that had a hand in it?" she asked, tilting her head to the bodies. Distraught as she was, it was easier to deal with all this if she shifted to work mode. Sagii seemed to pick up on it and decided to say nothing. "There've been sightings and reports of the group lately, as well as resurrections. Would they really target kids and mothers just to make sure they didn't have to deal with them later on?"

Yeah, she did her homework about them. They were just as bad as the isolationists of the Future Death Cult back during their fiasco not long before she was yanked here, or maybe even worse. The things the Occard Alliance did to one of the cities nearby was an international crisis, and their biggest howdy so far. The heroes had failed that day, and wiping out an entire city made her think that killing innocent families wasn't the lowest they'd stoop to just to say Hello, let alone leave a calling card for their work...

As far as her anger, Kallen didn't think the woman could comprehend it - no one would be able to fathom just how deep the blow to her very being sank into her mind and "soul." She came from an era where she was all-powerful. She was a fucking God amongst the living. She took out thousands upon thousands of enemy aliens who vied for the blood and resources of her planet and her people - of the power and advancement their benefactor had bestowed upon them, and that could just be considered a daily patrol. She blew up planet-sized space ships and popped the heads of god-like creatures for fun. The impossible was a fun little game of cat and mouse to her, for fuck sake!!!, and then some... Some asshole had a lucky break and snuck up on her, and she still couldn't remember exactly what happened just when the attack happened. That wasn't even remotely normal, and Sagii was being tight-lipped for now... or maybe she didn't even know either. This... Kid? - she wasn't going to make guesses on it right now, was trying to sympathize with someone like that. Someone who was powerful enough to decide that gods were just as susceptible to lead and Light as anything else was, and it pissed her off to the point that the servos in her joints were shuddering with restraint.

That was only the tip of the iceberg, though. Instead of Kallen, it was some spooky-lookin' stranger that got to talk to them one last time. She was the kind to do things solo, whether it was grinding gods into a paste under her bootheel or cleaning up the trash in some planet-side settlement that got raided. That meant stalking patrols. That meant gathering information on her own. That meant talking to people who were being affected by the current problem, and she couldn't do any of that at the moment. If the kid and the mom were still around even after they had been more than thoroughly exsanguinated in such a painful way, the only thing she could imagine them feeling for her was resentment and betrayal, and she couldn't blame them one bit. Exos like her even felt pain just as acutely as anything fleshy, a little "present" from her creator to remind her kind that they were once human, and she'd been shot, stabbed, crushed, sliced in half, detonated - all sorts of bad ways one could go, and she'd take being nuked a hundred times before being stabbed to death even once. She knew every bit of what that kind of pain felt like... And no one around came to help until it was far too late.

No, no one could "understand" just how upset she was, and she made the very professional decision that when she had enough information, she would make sure everyone who tried to sympathize knew that they had no idea just how deep that wound went. She'd make sure every scumbag in this city - on this planet knew they didn't step a single toe out of line; They didn't fuck with the people a 'Slinger like her decided to finally make a promise to. They would beg and they would cry, and she would laugh at them. They would put their hands together and pray to her - their god for mercy and forgiveness, and she would grind them under her heel as a stepping-stone to the next target. They would weep and die mangled like like her Charges had, and they'd foolishly hope that their death would slake her thirst for vengenace...

The Kid and his Mom would be her rallying cry for blood and justice, and she'd make sure every sorry son-of-a-bitch across the galaxy quaked in fear and regret when they heard it, because that's just what 'Slingers like her did when you hurt one of their own.

ManofManyRoles Daniel Reaving

 

[Deathkitten]

Chrysie​

"Soup's fine. Nepalese is fine. They've got like... every kind of food option in LA, just depends on how far you wanna drive. Though, with us it's less drive and more portal," Chrysie said, adjusting her clothes and patting down her skirt and leggings, "Lemme check the map." She brought out her phone and did a quick search, "Alright... so, there's a place called the Himalayan House nearby. They serve Nepalese, Tibetan, and Indian food. Ooooooh they even have Yak Chili... mmm... That sounds good. I haven't had yak before!"

ManofManyRoles

 

[Deathkitten]

Mia​

Mia was bored.

Very bored.

And she didn’t know what she wanted to do, and she didn’t want to stress out her family too much today… yet anyway.

So she showed up at Jade’s house unannounced.

Mia disinfected herself before allowing herself into her house. “Jaaaade!” She called out across the house, “I want to go out but have no one to go out with, so I’m here to bother you!”

She flopped onto the couch, “Maybe we can practice you controlling a body like mine more? If you can I can go out! You could be my chaperone!!”

ManofManyRoles

 

[Djinni]

The tall shadow reached out and patted Blessed Death's shoulder, the closest thing she as a living being would get to an acknowledgment of humor from the wry woman. Magnus, who could see past the shadow, would see the dark haired woman roll her eyes at his comment... but he'd know by now that any response at all was better than her usual stoic silence. To his surprise, though, there was a moment of silent contemplation. "I was contemplating asking Blessed Death here out to a meal, as to catch up. If you can behave, I would not be ENTIRELY opposed to you joining us... I'm sure Aaron will want to join us," she said with a shrug.

The conversation was cut off by a matter even more surprising than his acceptance... the little creature talking. This made the analytical witch pause, staring at the spirit being on her shoulder. She said nothing for a moment, considering, organizing her thoughts. What it said was true, the "beast" was in fact not really a sentient at all... to change its natural tendencies of violence would be to change its very nature, and for it to "pass on" would be for it to simply dissipate. It had no next life to move on to. Whereas this creature seemed to be far more capable than she had initially given it credit for... possibly some kind of shape-shifted sapient being, or a soul near fading that was rejuvenated, like Reth himself...? The thoughts got a mental head-shake from the co-habitating poltergeist. This thing was not like him, was not a person, at least not in origin...

That said, the beast seemed capable of feeling pain, and to be consumed was a deeply painful experience, as Tessa herself had felt countless times by now. No, self-aware or not, she would not torture the being. That said, it may well be decent bait... "You may not. However," she said as she walked over to the dozy creature. "You may have the remainder," she said as feet upon feet of thick silver wire floated from her sleeves and the bottom of her robes. The little creature flailed about nervously once it realized the wire was made of silver-coated in salt, scrambling around until it settled on the brim of her hat.

As the mass of silver wire floated around the creature, it eventually enveloped it without making contact. Then, all at once, the mass compressed, crushing it in a single fell blow. The energy therein burst out violently from the cracks, like compressed gas, thoroughly distracting Magnus, Reth, and the little creature... though the latter didn't move much in response, still in fear of the wire. "You may divide it with Reth and possibly Magnus, depending upon his preference."

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/932480061221797978/977372986443182120/unknown.png

ManofManyRoles Deathkitten

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Casey Kemp

Casey stared at Ada silently as she wept into her pillow, usual stone-like features softening ever so slightly, a soft sigh dying on his lips. He was hoping they'd have at least another birthday before this discussion, figures Sean was the kind of boy to go back on his word, he'd snap a bone for that later. "This was never a matter of lack of trust, or trying to lie to you." Casey made his way into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, well within arms reach of her as she offered no objection to such. Slowly he reached out, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a hug with the one arm, careful in how he held her given her recent stitching. After a few moments he spoke again, voice soft and relaxed, gaze fixed on a nearby wall. "I planned to tell you when you turned fifteen, or anytime you approached me about it yourself. Fifteen seemed like a decent enough number, but we're here now. You know at least a bit of it now, so I'll answer anything you want—total transparency, blunt and honest truth. But just because you're not my child through blood, doesn't make you any less a daughter to me... I can't remember much, Ada. My memory is terrible, but you already know that. But I've made it a point to memorize every moment of your life, that you may not know. I remember the exact moment you took your first steps, I still remember the first time you said your first words. I remember when you first got yourself scraped up pretty bad, right kneecap, and then both of your palms. You were running around outside that day, I don't remember the city. I remember it was a hot day, and we were in a little hotel, and you fell on the sidewalk and got scraped up. That was all over fourteen years ago...I refuse to forget a single second I have spent with you in my life. That's not something I do for anyone. I do that because I love you. So I might not have helped bring you into this world...that's correct. But never doubt you've always been my daughter. And my daughter deserves to have answers when she asks questions...so ask everything you want, anything you want. I'll be honest with you. But I need you to trust me when I say I never did it out of spite, or to hurt you, or for lack of trust."

Deathkitten

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Olivine Carmine

The white-haired woman hummed softly in thought as Chrysie spoke, sticking close to their side as they walked. "The Himalayan House?" There was a certain degree of irony in such a name, especially for Olivine, but she didn't bother voicing such a feeling in the open air, one foot after the other down the sidewalk. "Perfect. We shall go there, then. A taste of home away from home, how fortuitous. Yak is actually quite delicious, and healthier than beef. Lower in fat and calories, but higher in protein and iron...a slightly sweet flavor as well. An interesting fact, if you care to know it, Yak has up to three more ribs than traditional cattle and a larger lung capacity. Also, a much deeper red in color, caused by the higher amount of hemoglobin in their systems. Most certainly worth trying. So we shall go there for lunch, and you may order what you like. I can offer insight just as well as any of the staff there if you've questions about the food. You have the map, do lead on, won't you?"

Deathkitten

 

[Kyrenka]

~Dietrich~
​

He scoffed at Morgan's statement, a rarity in and of itself. "I don't think that's quite true." Morgan was not one to beat around the bush, that much was true. She was efficient, she was direct, and sometimes she was blunt. The woman did not spare a fool's feelings, but to say that she did not care at all was false. Morgan cared, she may not show it and others may not see it but Dietrich did. He saw it many times in just L.A. alone. Chronos was proof that Morgan cared about others and their happiness. At times, he would randomly be reminded of the warmth she held for her fellow humans and it never failed to bring a slight smile to his face.

The walk to the car consisted of a comfortable silence between the two. Dietrich held open the door for Morgan, and like a graceful dancer she smoothly sat down without even a wrinkle to her outfit. Closing the door and slipping into the driver's seat, the silence continued until the car was started and on the road. At Morgan's question, the blond's eyes flickered over to her for just a second before returning to the road. She's making it easy for me. A great start to this game of trivia. "Hmm, if I had to take a guess, I'd say you'd orchestrate a fall from grace." The genius was right, killing Kali would cause more problems than solve. He'd seen it many times before, and they both knew that her death would only spark outrage, copycat vigilantes, and ultimately create an even bigger mess than what they started out with. Innocent people could get hurt. "How does that saying go? 'You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain?'" Lips twitched up into a smile but it was not kind, "I think crushing her image as a hero and turning her into a villain would solve things. After all, the people and their perception of her are the most problematic things right now." He shrugged after that, "From then, I'm not sure. I would love to just end things as soon as possible, but I know you like sinners to be aware of why they're being punished." And make them regret it until their very last moments.

Some may call it cruel, but it was necessary. In a twisted way, it was a chance for redemption. A person could not repent unless they felt the weight of their sins deep in their soul. Dietrich could name more than a handful of prominent figures in various religions who were once corrupt and wicked people that were stripped down to their bases and then built back up into something wonderful. Of course, that won't happen to Kali. Kali was too dangerous to be a tool. Even if they were able to reform her, it would be too much time and effort. It was much easier to make her realize her wrongdoings before safely disposing of her.

Arriving at their destination, Dietrich took care to park, examine his appearance one more time, and then step out. Morgan waited patiently for him to open her door and offer his hand for her to take. He liked that he had earned that unwavering faith. Not many could even come close to claiming that they had Morgan's complete trust; then again, not many could claim that they had Dietrich's either. What a pair we make. He resisted the urge to flinch at the crunch of the tootsie pop as she finished it decisively. The woman's teeth may have been altered to be nearly genetically perfect, but holy shit that sounded like it should've hurt. Oh Lord I hope she didn't crack a tooth. Experience and knowledge told him she didn't, but the worry was still there. Alas, there was a time and place and right now it was neither. Focus.

((Interacting with ManofManyRoles 's Morgan and mentioned Cam E. Leon 's Kali))

 

[Deathkitten]

Spitfire​

Natalie and Agas left before... and Father Anderson was very busy. Michael left too to be busy. What was she supposed to go do right now? Father Anderson said she should wait until she gets some training or more information to start doing her job... but... what else was she supposed to do but her job? Wasn't that her whole purpose? And Father was hurt somewhere and that scared her a lot.

And so she left the church. Sitting inside was too stressful for her, doing nothing, sitting on her hands. Even as a group of church heroes started to collect, she was just... ancy. Bored wasn't the right term. Anxious to do something. She saw sinners come and go from the church, and now, walking outside, she saw people with sins on their souls walking about their regular lives. How much sin was the right amount to do something about, though? How much force was the right amount of force to apply when she DID find someone with 'enough' sin? She understood that some people had to die, others should be cleansed in a different way, and others still needed to be protected. But how was she supposed to do any of that?

Spitfire meandered. Natalie said she was at a hotel, right? Maybe she could find the hotel and ask Agas and Natalie how to do her job better... Was there one hotel? Multiple? How did hotels work? What did hotels look like? Father Anderson had given her an old loaner phone that had this thing called the internet on it. It knew where things were, apparently. But specific things like where Natalie was it didn't seem to know, no matter how she phrased it. "Where is Natalie" got some weird marriage show. "Where is Agas" got... somewhere in Japan? Japan was not here, however, so she didn't think Japan was the right answer.

Agas was an important person, as far as she was concerned, and Natalie was important to her too. Important people matched more important-looking buildings, so she found a hotel on the search function that had the most dollar signs and stars and headed there.

ManofManyRoles

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Tristan industries, a titan of manufacturing, industrial machines and humanitarian projects, a name you could find in almost any household, if any had been in there HQ or any of their many locations, you could easily describe it as a company who never sleeps. Always hustling and bustling, but now, things seemed even more busy, not a single employee was stationary, guards moving around, employees in suits and work clothes darting about talking quickly, yet all of them had a large smile on their face, as if they had all been motivated to push past their limits. Quickly a woman approached them smiling, "Hi sorry for all the commotion, you may call me assistant, how can I help you?" she asked smiling looking at the two, but upon asking to meet sherm she tilted her head. "Pardon me Let me call my superior" she said before quickly typing onto her arm mounted PDA, and in mere moments Secretary was next to them. Looking at the two, secretary narrowed her eyes, they seemed like trouble... but there was no reason to not let them meet. "....He is free now, please follow me" She said before giving a bow "assistant, send a message telling Mr. Tristan he is expecting guests." She added before leading them to an elevator.

Travelling down the large elevator they were brought into a giant workshop. Filled with all manor of inventions and works in progress, but secretary merely walked past that leading them to a small area complete with couches a table. Sitting there was kali, freshly wrapped in bandages as she sipped tea, Sherm only a few feet away as he ran diagnostics on the Kali suit. "Ah please have a seat, I'll be done in just a moment" He said without turning around as he focused on reading the damage to the suit. Kali merely smiled and gave a polite wave to the newcomers, "my apologies, hes simply repairing my suit" she said with her plastered smile, inspecting the two newcomers. They seemed quite interesting, many fun things were happening today~
ManofManyRoles Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Avro​

Avro, also working on Kali’s suit, because it was a magnificent work of technology from Sherm despite how much she disliked Panzer, looked to the newcomers and dragged the goggles she was wearing up onto her head. She rubbed her hands free of oil on her overalls and walked over to the pair with a smile.

“Hi!” she said, offering a handshake to Morgan, then Dietrich, “Sorry for the mess. Do we know you? I’m Avro, Sherm’s girlfriend. This is Panzer, which you probably know from videos. And then, obviously you know Sherm because you wouldn’t be here otherwise. So, who are you two?”

“We don’t usually take private requests unless it’s for a really good reason, just so you know. I don’t wanna disappoint you later,” she added, grinning with a hand on her hip.

ManofManyRoles Cam E. Leon

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Overwatch

Overwatch's mouth opened into a silent 'O', though not a sound escaped it given the fact it was physically impossible for her to make a sound...with that said, the look of surprise was apparent as Isla grabbed her hand and started to drag her along towards the Citadel of Doom, from which the location shall henceforth be known. As they entered the gateway into the Citadel she looked around slowly, features twisting in concern at the amalgamation and horrors that surrounded her and Isla in equal measure. With such motivation, how could she not be encouraged to stick as closely to Isla as humanely possible, practically glued to her hip? Further she was led into this castle of the damned, looking quite clearly uncomfortable and giving a questioning look to Isla. Did she know sign language? If she knew sign language it'd make it easier to talk to her...but on the other hand, it'd mean letting go of her hand, and that wasn't something she was willing to do.

Kameron Esters-

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Thomas Black

Thomas's lips pursed into a frown as Selene whispered at the voice in her head that got rather excited about today's revelations, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Honey, you're not bad. And you won't be bad. You're a very sweet, smart girl. You're not some sort of monster, and I promise we'll get this 'voice' solved." It was at times like this that he wished he was more of a man of faith, maybe then he'd have some insight he could give his daughter during a time like this. "Honey, sometimes...I think sometimes God will always answer you, but the help might not be immediate. Sometimes he just puts people in your life who can help you, I think." Was he certain about what he was saying? Not in the slightest. Sure, Thomas figured there was more to life, but he never really invested much in a religion...and now that his daughter was Catholic, and his wife was a traditional Shinto...things might be even more complicated on that front. "I think we should talk to Father Anderson, Selene. I think he might have some insight...I also promised I'd talk to him myself and I...didn't get a chance." As Selena approached, Thomas slowly stood upright to offer her a polite and reserved little smile, hand leaving Selene's shoulder as he took a single step back.

He was grateful for the college girls' intervention to distract his daughter in a way he certainly couldn't a very brief and appreciative smile toward her, glancing towards Mary as she spoke up at the request to come up with a 'victory prize' with a very upbeat "A milkshake? Everyone likes milkshakes." An honest answer as any, it'd seem. Attention once again snapped to Selene as she spoke, a calm little smile on his lips. "I think you could. I think you can be anything you want to be, hun. And I'll always be here to help you, however I can."

Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Bryne​

Bryne ate half a pizza on his own, a bottomless pit it seemed despite his physique. He swallowed hard between bites, “Of course people will try to compete with you. Are you saying you aren’t the protective type? The jealous type?”

“This is my job, Havoc. I spend time around villains like you. Sometimes having sex or cuddling or whatever means I’m safer around them. I have to save my own skin first before a paycheck. Plus I have teleportation to keep me safe. So, basically, I just do what I need to do. Gets me more money, too,” Bryne explained, teleporting to the other side of his kitchen, same as walking for him, and grabbed two glasses. He took them with another quick teleport over to the fridge and poured them both Dr. Pepper.

He offered her one of the glasses, “You are only the second to have found this house, though. So… that’s a thing I guess.”

Daniel Reaving

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Eternox slowly got up before he stared at Jewel. Vionas involved in a ping. Wait... they could tell her hair color. "No...shes out of her suit if they can tell her hair color" he said quickly checking his watch, "...Viona hasn't had her Mid day medicine, her toxin might have already hit lethal levels depending on her mental state..." He added as he quickly tried checking her status, but he couldn't get any updates on his watch, shit shit shit, this is what he always worries about. "Ms. Jewel....if she is at the toxin level I think she might be... I may not even be able to approach her, let alone touch her without caring for my safety.... Thankfully, if it involves her my safety is of no concern. I'm sorry I must go on ahead, please keep up" He said trying to stay calm, but the trembling in his hands betrayed his disposition. Calmly swinging his sword the entire building split in half, Eternox disappearing in a flash before the building warped back into one piece. HE ran down the street slashing the air behind him causing the warped space to push him further forward. With this he was moving faster than any mortal should. What happened to Viona, where was Ms. Corvus, why is she out of the suit! Questions ran through his mind as he barreled down the streets, ALl he could focus on now was the safety of his daughter.
Chrysos stared awkwardly. ".....You got it teach. uhh, i got some gas masks in my car, but it seems they wont help much."

Deathkitten