Tension Rising - Main thread [Fight or Flight]

[Gobbo]

Zach blinked. "Oh, right." he said, wondering why he didn't realize that it would be easy for her to talk to animals. He smiled, watching Fionne for a few moments. She really was a pretty snake... but it was still hard for him to comprehend that the snake could talk. He shook his head a bit, looking back at Fox. "So... You've lived out in the wild? I guess that explains how all of this is so new to you. Are you liking the school so far?"


@theunderwolf

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


The echo of someone else voice in her head was strange and unsettling. Strangely though it didn't make her headache worse which was strange but she didn't question it. "uh oh him? His name is Jon." She smiled slightly "And yeah he is nice." She added slowly getting used to the interaction with the telepath. Sen found the fact that she was a nurse interesting and slightly reassuring. "As for the helping... sure I guess it couldn't hurt." she muttered softly.


@Kharmin @Alex Phalin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.28d943f18f8f5c73f8a5b24a6755693f.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29348" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.28d943f18f8f5c73f8a5b24a6755693f.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> {{I just want to help,}} Brittany said in Sen's mind. She touched and blocked some of the pain receptors in the girl's brain which would bring immediate relief from the pains that Sen was experiencing.


{{It's only temporary,}} Brittany advised, {{and isn't a substitute for rest and actual healing. I didn't remove all of the pain so that you would be reminded that you are still injured and not overdo things. The blocks will be erased when you sleep, so if you need me to do this again tomorrow, please feel free to seek me out.}}


She nodded her head. {{Jon. Thanks. He does seem like a nice guy,}} Brittany agreed with a smile. Then, as she looked at the paint that had been spattered across Sen's clothes, her brow furrowed with concern. {{You should not have tried the Grid in your condition,}} Brittany said. {{Why would you risk further injury?}}


@Shura

 

[Gobbo]

Gray sat back and watched the interactions for a while, curiosity glinting in his eyes. He was interested to know what was going on, since he could only really hear one side of the conversations. For now though he was content with just watching and listening, fascinated. There were tons of anti-meta activists that said that powers had no viable use for humanity, yet here was a mute girl that could still communicate as if she didn't have a disability at all. He smiled a bit and rested his chin on his hand, watching the two of them.


@Shura @Kharmin

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


her shoulders slumped slightly as the pain drained away to a dull manageable ache. She felt much better overall. Though Britts warning was a good one. She was still aware that she was injured and probably shouldn't put any strain on her body. Brit was the third (possibly fourth?) person to tell her how stupid her participating in the whole grid test was, part of her knew it was a stupid decision but she was overall fine after running it.


She shrugged slightly "I know it wasn't the smartest... but... rogues aren't exactly going to leave me alone just cause I'm hurt or wait until I'm better." She shrugged. "It was only paint so I figured there wasn't much harm in at least trying it."





@Alex Phalin @Kharmin

 

[theunderwolf]

"I dunno," She respond after a moment of quiet reflection, "It's a big adjustment I guess, things are all kinds of weird. I have a set schedule, people telling me when to sleep and when to eat. I've talked to more people in the past two days then I have in the past 15 years, and frankly, right now the weirdest thing is not having to hunt for my food. I like the people though so so far so good I guess!"


@Alex Phalin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.f262ac141a9707f35ce78c925b9448e9.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29351" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.f262ac141a9707f35ce78c925b9448e9.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> {{True, Sen,}} Brittany said in a casual tone in the girl's mind without trying to lecture her, {{however, it believe you would be better served to get the healing that you need rather than to extend the length of your injuries.}}


She wanted to help Sen, but beyond easing her pain Brittany wasn't certain that the girl would accept any additional offers. Being a telepath, Brittany learned early that it was difficult for people to trust her as they always worried that she would dive into their minds and dig up their most guarded secrets.


She decided to take a more overt approach. {{Would you mind if I looked at your leg? I'd like to ensure that your trial in the Grid hasn't made anything worse.}} With a tentative look, Brittany glanced down at Sen's leg.


@Shura


@Alex Phalin

 

[Gobbo]

Zach smiled a bit, listening. "That's good. You made a pretty big jump, coming here. It's good to see that you're adjusting well." After a few moments he sighed a bit, readjusting on the branch. This was the longest he had sat in a tree before, and though it was starting to get uncomfortable, he didn't want to complain. She seemed most comfortable when she was off the ground, at least from what he'd seen so far.


"So, did you have anything else you wanted to ask me? I've got plenty of time to talk, if you want."


@theunderwolf

 

[Shura]

Morgan Winford


Morgan watched the run-throughs of the various students as they tried to make it through the grid. Overall the class did really well. All of them managed to hit at least one target and some managed to get as far as 8, which was very impressive. Even some of the injured students had given it a go, which was admirable. Though she noticed a common issue between many, most were the usual lack of stamina or lack of spatial awareness. Some had poured all of their energy to the point of nearly passing out. It was not uncommon really or surprising, many had never been in a fight so not all knew what not to do in one. All in all it gave a good starting point on where to focus on going forward. The difficulty could be turned down a notch or two in order to allow for students to recover and learn. Hopefully they would pick up on the lessons quickly since there was no telling when there might be another attack.


The last buzzer went off and the student exited the grid. The once pristine arena was now a mess of paint that would need to be cleaned off before there was another run. She sighed softly before signalling the end of the test. Everyone had gone and all of the students were worn out and encrusted with paint. It was clear they were done for the day, which was understandable. The vice-principal stepped up to the platform with a small smile.


“Congratulations you all made it through your first run in the grid. As for the returning students, congratulation on the improvements.” She smiled warmly. “I know some of you are thinking this is impossibly tough and unrealistic, in a way it is. The goal is not to beat it, but to see how far you could get at this time. With practice and training I have no doubt that you will all be able to make a successful run through the course. I myself didn’t even manage one target when I first tried this. It took a long time before I could become half way decent at it so you are all off to a good start.” She nodded “To those who think this is pointless, it isn't. There are extremely power rogue meta's out there who can do everything from rain hail and lightning to manipulate the very earth beneath your feet. As much as we hope to keep you all safe, there will come a time where you will have to defend yourself.” Her tone became more serious “For now, you all did well. Lunch is being served in the cafeteria and you are free to rest and recover for the rest of the day."

 

[theunderwolf]

Fox smailed at him when she noticed his discomfort, "Why don't we start by heading to the cafeteria, I just heard someone announce lunchtime so we might as well get some food. Guessing, he would prefer walking to tree scrambling, she jumped down and gestured for him to do the same, "And I would like to hear more about this band of yours. Growling instead of singing seems weird and are their other instruments besides guitars in it?"


@Alex Phalin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.b675072a4349fdcaf09d871227b4aae5.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29353" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Kiara.jpg.b675072a4349fdcaf09d871227b4aae5.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Kiara listened to Morgan as she assessed the students' failure in the Grid. Although Kiara felt that the entire exercise, being designed to be impossible, was fruitless and humiliating, the points that the vice-principal made had some validity. True, another attack would come; there was no denying that. However, Kiara wasn't convinced that the rogue metas would next arrive in such numbers that all of them would be facing such insurmountable odds as was demonstrated in the Grid.


The bulk of Morgan's congratulatory speech was quickly discarded when she said that they could have the rest of the day off. Kiara's energy slightly rose at the thought of how best to spend her afternoon. She glanced up at Teru with a sly wink.


"Screw lunch," she muttered. "I want to hit the shower before everyone else does and takes up all of the hot water!" Kiara stood with some inner reserve of energy and pulled at Teru's arm. "Come on," she said as she looked up at the looming storm clouds. "Let's get back before that rain starts."


@PicaPirate

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


"True..." She muttered softly "I don't really plan to do much more in terms of the grid..." she scratched the back of her head. "It was worth a shot though." She smiled shyly before looking up as Morgan took the stage congratulating them and basically saying they were free for the day. She was relived to know that there wasn't anything else they had to do so they would have time to finally relax. She was looking forward to taking a shower and possibly just sitting back for the rest of the afternoon.


She remembered the whole situation from the day before and the whole reason she had avoided her room and glanced over to Teru and Ms. Paranoia seeing them fairly leaning on each other and being all cozy. Nothing had really be resolved or talked over. He hadn't exactly tried to approach her, granted she didn't tray either but her assumptions of going ignored seemed to be coming true so far. She frowned slightly torn between avoiding her room and wanting to just collapse in a bed and rest. It seemed a stop at the admins office might be needed, she wanted to sleep in a bed later instead of a couch. Part of her brain was calling her a coward but she really didn't see much point in trying to fight the inevitable. She glanced over to Gray. Plus, there were others she had met who were nice and seemed not to be tied up in some kind of life consuming relationship.


She looked back to Britt remembering her offer to check her leg and figured it might be smart to get it checked out. She nodded slightly. "Sure... but it's kind of hard check here... its just above my knee..." she muttered.


@Alex Phalin


@Kharmin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.7020138d4731d6c0ad80d1e1254530a1.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29354" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.7020138d4731d6c0ad80d1e1254530a1.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> {{Oh, I see,}} Brittany replied to Sen. {{Well, then, I could walk you to the infirmary and we could take a look there, if you like?}} Brittany looked at Sen with concerned eyes. {{Unless, you would prefer someone else to check you out? Either way, I think it should get looked over just to be sure.}}


Brittany turned to her attention to Gray and pointed at him with her three fingers; pointer, middle and ring. She hoped that he recalled Jon telling him that it was her way of asking to talk to him in his mind. {{Just give me a minute to check on your friend here}} she said to Sen while looking at Gray. {{I want to ensure that he's ok, too.}}


@Shura


@Alex Phalin

 

[Gobbo]

Zach nodded, and followed her down. It took him a little longer than normal, and when his feet hit the ground he felt another sharp jab of pain in his side. The clinic had done a wonderful job, but there was only so much they could do.


"Sure, lunch sounds good." he said, following her. After a few moments of thought he scratched his head. He had never tried to explain what metal was to someone before...


"Well... The music I play is usually really fast paced, with heavily distorted guitar. The vocals just kinda follow the tone the guitar sets." he said, shrugging a bit. "As for the other instruments, there's usually two guitarists, one bassist, and a drummer. That's how my band was, anyways. There's a lot of variation if you look at different groups in the same genre." he explained, surprised at how articulate he could explain it.


@theunderwolf


---


Gray glanced up when he heard the teacher announce lunch. He stood and stretched a bit, rolling his shoulders back to loosen them up. He paused for a moment, seeing Britt point to him. He wanted to head out and get the package that was waiting for him, but he figured it could wait for now.


"Yeah, I don't mind." he said with a small smile, wondering what the girl had to say. He had been curious about her voice since she first started talking to Jon.


@Kharmin @Shura

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


Sen nodded. "I don't mind. Thanks for the offer though." She smiled slightly before looking over to Gray. "She wants to talk to you and make sure you're okay. Then after check over my leg at one of the clinics to make sure I didn't hurt it any further." She explained remembering the whole conversation had been very one sided. "Ah and you should probably pick up your daggers now that we're free to do as we want." She reminded.


@Alex Phalin @Kharmin

 

[theunderwolf]

"There are drums in a band? I use to be pretty good at hand drums, or at least thats what silverback said. And how does one distort a guitar? And whats a genre?" Fox's mind was reeling at all he had explained. the inside world was amazing to her. Not only was there "electrically" powered devices and machines, people had the time and resources to form groups of musicians that experimented enough to learn how to distort a guitar.(whatever that meant).


@Alex Phalin

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.da775cdce14ed27a0cce3bf7b9477325.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29362" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.da775cdce14ed27a0cce3bf7b9477325.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> She nodded to Sen as she broke the connection with her and turned to Gray. {{Thanks,}} she said in his mind, {{for allowing me to talk with you.}} Brittany's mental voice was kind and soft and she smiled warmly at Gray.


{{I am a returning grad student and nurse who is here to help out in whatever way that I can,}} she started. {{I noticed Jon's distress at his injuries, and then Sen as well. Are you hurt? Has the trial in the Grid injured you?}}


Brittany's green eyes were sincere and caring; it was obvious that she really wanted to help.


@Shura


@Alex Phalin

 

[Gobbo]

Gray nodded, smiling warmly at Sen. "Thanks for the reminder. If you want, I could show you them later. They've got a feature you might be interested in, knowing your powers." he said with a sly smirk, before turning to Britt. When he heard the voice in his head he jumped a bit, not really expecting it to be so sudden. At least it was a soothing, pleasant voice. He understood what Jon was talking about now.


"Nice to meet you, I'm Grayson." he greeted with a smile. It was weird to respond verbally to someone speaking in his head.


"Oh, I'm fine. I might have a few welts from the paintballs, but I didn't get hurt. I appreciate the offer though."


@Shura @Kharmin


---


Zach stared at her for a moment, blinking. Every time he explained something, it just brought up more questions... He chuckled a bit, scratching his head. "Well... It's kinda hard to explain. I could show you after lunch, if you wanted. It'll be easier to explain how everything works if I actually had the stuff on hand." He couldn't help but find her curiosity endearing.


As they made their way inside he gave a little sigh of relief. He could tell it was going to rain soon, and he didn't do so well with thunderstorms. They usually overloaded his powers. He didn't have nearly enough training to be able to harness the power from lightning yet, and on a few occasions he managed to knock himself out for days at a time trying.


@theunderwolf

 

[Kharmin]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.0573fc68cf701964d042d582abce2d52.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="29364" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_09/Brittany_originalcrop.jpg.0573fc68cf701964d042d582abce2d52.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Brittany shook her head. {{Well, there's not much I can do for paintball welts, but I can ease the pain of them if you like?}} With a deft touch in his mind, she touched the pain receptors and the stinging from the welts disappeared.


{{There, that should hold you until morning,}} Brittany said with a smile. {{It was a pleasure meeting you, Grayson. If you should need anything, please don't hesitate to find me and I'll do what I can.}}


She broke the connection with Gray and pointed her three fingers back at Sen. {{Shall we adjourn to the infirmary before these clouds open up and drench us all?}} With a humorous glint in her eye, Brittany added, {{I would hate to have to press these clothes again!}}. She indicated her business attire which showed obvious signs of having been packed in a suitcase and flow half-way across the globe.


@Shura


@Alex Phalin

 

[theunderwolf]

"Sounds like a plan!" Fox said happily as they entered the cafeteria, "So what do you usually get here?" She asked, noticing the lack of any plain meats or vegetables, seeing instead long lines of sandwiches? Pizza? She heard them being called "And is there any way to get some just plain food?


@Alex Phalin

 

[Shura]

Sen Harper


Sen watched as Britt communicated with Gray chuckled softly when Grayson mention not being hurt at all. He was probably among the best who ran the course. She hoped training with him would improve her reflexes some, normally they were just fine. Year running through the city had made her pretty good at parkour. She was normaly very hard to catch but running from some thugs and out running a hoard of metas were two very different things it seemed.


She brought her attention back to Britt as the soft comforting voice echoed in her mind again. She looked up to the sky noticing the dark clouds starting to gather and nodded. "Yeah, I rather not get drenched as well." she replied softly before looking to Gray. "I guess I'll see you later." She smiled slightly before pushing herself to her feet in order to head to the Infirmity. She was able to put some weight on her leg but could feel the dull throb of pain reminding her she was injured.


@Alex Phalin @Kharmin

 

[Gobbo]

Gray was about to protest, saying he wasn't really hurting, up until she messed with his pain receptors. He blinked, his teal eyes going wide as the stinging just totally vanished. "That's... amazing. Thank you." he said with a smile. The welts stung, sure, but he didn't realize how much until she stopped the pain completely. He shook his head a bit, trying not to look too amazed.


"Well, I think I'm going to head up to my room for now. I'm up in 516, if you want to come by later I won't mind." he said to Sen.


With a small wave he turned to head out, smiling a bit. It was nice of Britt to do that for him, and he'd have to remember her later if he got seriously injured.


Once he grabbed the package from reception he headed back up to his room, wondering why the box was as big as it was. When he got into his room and opened the box, he saw why. It wasn't just his blades, but an assortment of other weapons that he had been taught to use. He chuckled a bit to himself and pulled off his shirt, unbuckling the harness that held the sheathes on his back. Grabbing his new harness he put it on before pulling the knives from their sheathes. The blades were fully repaired and sharpened, and as he gave a tug on the small ring that was attached to the handle he heard the familiar, mechanical whine of steel cable. He smiled and put the blades back in their sheathes, pulling his shirt back on with a satisfied sigh. It was good to get his real blades back.


@Shura @Kharmin


---


"Normally anything italian. Preferably with a ton of garlic." he said with a small smirk. He tilted his head a bit at her question, raising an eyebrow. "What, you mean like just straight meat or vegetables? I'm sure you could ask the cooks... I mean, I don't see why they wouldn't give them to you." he said, getting in line. Luckily it was rather short, and it didn't take long to get to the front. He grabbed a plate of spaghetti and some garlic bread, before glancing over at her. He was curious to see what she'd order.


@theunderwolf

 

[theunderwolf]

Fox sighed and hesitantly took a little of the things he had nose twitching a little at their unfamiliar stench. "Could I have some straight meat and some carrots maybe?" She asked the cook who nodded and dropped a huge turkey leg on her plate with potatoes. "Perfect thanks." Fox said with a grin and turned to zach "Italy's a country across the sea like England right?" She asked him plainly while they sat down at an empty table together.


@Alex Phalin

 

[Procculus]

Her vision swirled and exploded into a million bright stars with every plodding step she took. Julian, being Julian, attempted to ignore the effects of burning up all her reserve energy, and continued treading through the halls towards the cafeteria. A scowl scarred her face as she was reduced to shuffling. Every move seemed to weaken her further, and it felt like forever to reach the damn cafeteria. At long last, she pushed through the doors of the cafeteria, and was immediately swamped by the smell of food. Lovely, lovely food.


She started forwards, and her legs gave way from beneath her. Refusing to give in to the blasted headache forming and the inability to move her legs, her fingers dug into the floor and she dragged herself forwards, a grotesque image of one who needed sustenance. Most students scurried away from the zombie-like body that crawled along the floor towards the array of food.


"Foood. Foooooooooooooood." the most unearthly moan escaped from the crawling figure's mouth as she scrabbled onto the table where the food was lined, and devoured everything she could get her hands on....messily. She had no care what her hands reached for. As long as she could jam it into her mouth and chew on it, it was as good as eaten.


(@Really anyone in the cafeteria with a peripheral vision)

 

[Gobbo]

Zach smiled a bit when he saw what she got. As he sat down he stared at her for a moment. She didn't know what electricity was, but she knew her geography?


"Uh... Yeah. It's actually not all that far from England." he said with a small smile. He was about to ask more when a girl practically dragged herself into the cafeteria, and he watched as she started devouring everything she could get her hands on. After a few moments he leaned closer to Fox, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Who is that? I wonder if she's alright..."


@ProcFailures