GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
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The Masquerade Troupe (REBOOT)
- Thread starter GossipLink
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GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
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Flames flickered to life, igniting all the candles around the room. Up till then, there had just been silence. Even now, only the faint sound of crackling fire broke the quiet. From the right set of stairs on the upper floor, a door flew open. It smacked into a pillar, causing a painstaking echo to ring out. A figure strutted out, seemingly unaffected by the loud noise. They proceeded to the center of the stairs, where all three met, then stopped. Most of their face was hidden by the mask they wore, with the long beak of it tilting around as they gazed upon the entirety of the room. The figure's mouth, being the only thing visible, frowned at the sight. Taking off the mask, they shoved it in their jacket. No one there, except for this man.
Bird. Better known as Masquerade, to the public. As far as he was concerned, that title meant nothing right now. He was here for a reason. About two months ago, the man had ripped the biggest hole in reality anyone had ever bothered to make. Tacking on as much energy as he could, Bird dumped about thirty letters into the tear. Should anyone accept, and follow through with the instructions attached...hopefully, they would end up here. Assuming it worked at all, that is. Till just recently, there had been nothing but radio static on the entire situation. But a few days ago, something happened. A vision...kinda. The image of this place flashed through Bird's head, with several people all standing around the bottom steps of the stairs. Going off on a limb, the man then went on to try to find the place that best resembled the illusion.
This place. Without so much as the smallest concern, Bird was certain this place was it. The reality here felt distorted to him, like something was seriously messing with it. Given the vision, it all connected. This was it. It was happening soon. Before long, at the most thirty people from another world would appear. That number daunted Bird a bit. But he had sent so many invitations, assuming a lot of them wouldn't reach anybody, or some that did, people would assume it to be fake. Or...just wouldn't have the guts to do. The villain was sure that at least a few people would show up, though.
Time to make a good first impression.
Having two months to prepare, gives you a lot of time to think things out. Turning around, Bird faced into the little hallway behind him. Sliding out two small knives, the man ducked his head. In a fluent motion, as the twin blades grew rapidly in size, Bird made four quick slashes. A clean cut, on each side of the frame. Tucking the butcher knives back into his jacket, the villain pulled out two white gloves in their place. He pulled them on tightly, till they fit snugly on his hands. Then, like a blanket, Bird ripped away the fabric that made up the entrance of the hallway. In it's place, was what appeared to be a nebula. Bright purple, pink, and splotches of black and white made up what was reality. Satisfied, the man turned away from the tear, back to the entrance he first came out of. Running out the right set of stairs, he made exactly three cuts along the steps. He then finished off his work with repeating the process, but on the opposite set of stairs.
Reality seemed to tug at his consciousness, as Bird had to focus on not letting the tears seal themselves. It was easy now, but would prove annoying before long. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, the villain stood in front of the big tear that currently encompassed the hallway entrance. Stepping inside it, he quickly backed out into the physical plane. The fluent motion, was done just fast enough to trick reality. The slight tug was gone, and all the tears he made weren't sealing. Only one thing left to do. Bird turned back to the open area, looking down the flight of stairs below him. Slipping the mask back on, he focused reality onto himself. Within only a few moments, his clothes began turning the same nebula-like color as the tears he made.
Now, for all intents and purposes, he was Bird. Before this, he had contemplated which persona to show off. Had he gone with Masuku, it would've seemed...underwhelming. Not the kind of look you would expect from the sender of the mysterious letter. But that normalcy might have proven beneficial. Kept some people from panicking anymore then they might already be at that point. However, that wasn't who they needed to see first. Overall, Bird was certainly who they would be seeing more of. Plus, showing off a tad bit of his power might help assure them that this is without a doubt, real. After all, this would be their life now, right?...it was just a waiting game now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing, was the candles all blowing out. Just like in a cartoon, all at once they flashed out. The only thing emanating light right now was Bird. He stood at the top of the first flight of stairs, in front of the big tear he made. Not only were his clothes swirling around, reflecting reality, but so was his hair. Even his eyes, shone with wacky purple and pink colors through the eye slots in his mask. In a way, Bird looked like a ghost, or the Grim Reaper, when they went through their teenage rebellious stage. Before long though, the main focal point in light wasn't the villain anymore.
At the bottom of the steps, several...things appeared. They were all like swirling black holes, if assuming said black hole was swallowing an entire clown collage. It was bright, even Bird had to look down, averting his gaze to avoid being blinded. It lasted several long moments, and it was completely bizarre the entire time. Because despite the light show, there was no noise. The room was just as silent as before. Or, was it so loud that it blew out Bird's eardrums? Let us hope not. Thankfully though, the entire scene was dying out. All of the 'black holes', were fading, leaving people in their wake. Soon, it was back to how it was before. All the light was gone, leaving a good number of confused looking people. Or...were they confused? It was hard to tell. But it seemed, at the least, that most of them were settling their gazes upon Bird. The man didn't move from where he stood, making sure everyone was watching him till he did anything.
Satisfied that he got their attention, Bird made a slow bow to them all. In the same motion, he smoothly let himself fall backwards into the tear behind him. Not even a second later, six figures rose. Three on each set of stairs, to the left and right. All of them were made of pure reality. They rose up from the steps, and made a bow similar to Bird's once they were all stationary. In one fluent motion, they all walked down their respective stair sets, standing on the middle platform. They spread out in a line. The two in the center got on their knees, lifting their arms into the air. The remaining four performed a similar motion, making them all seem like a bird raising it's wings. At that moment, Bird stepped back out of the portal. Stepping in between the two center clones, he walked to the very top of the stairs. Once there, be bowed one final time. In turn, all of the clones bowed, exploding into brightly colored shards as they faded.
Standing up straight, Bird faced the people gathered below. Despite his proper posture, a cheeky smile formed at the corners of his mouth. The villain was perfectly aware the little show wasn't necessary, and blown out of proportion. But he couldn't resist doing it. No sense in getting too uptight about this entire venture, like Masuku would've made it. The fact that Bird could think of himself, and Masuku as two separate people, with their own personalities was...interesting. But they were without a doubt, different people. Even if they were within the same person.
There's three of us. Not just two.
The little smile faded at the thought, but Bird's posture didn't falter for a second. Another discussion, for another day. Setting it aside, he faced the crowd once more.
"Welcome, one and all, to my world. It's a pleasure, honestly." The villain looked intently through the crowd, trying to peg some of the people's arch types. Get a feel for them, even if it was based on looks alone. Some of them were certainly...unique. But he hardly noticed that. I mean, look at the guy for crying out loud. In comparison to even the strangest looking person amidst the group, Bird was easily standing out on top of the ladder for weirdest clothes. But hey, it was his style. Most villains, or at the least, most super villains dressed up to fit their theme. His was 'Reality', so why not incorporate it into his clothes? Or, was that all just an excuse to help Bird overcome the oddness of his fashion sense? Who knows.
"I'm certain you all have questions, as do I. But why don't we get into a more...comfortable location first? Follow me please." Before all this, Bird had checked out this place rather intently. He had no idea who owned this place, assuming someone even did. Considering this entire mansion was out in the middle of nowhere, it was anyone's guess. But everything was clean, and hardly a single spot of dust could be spotted. The appliances, for those few the man could find, were all in working order. So you would think there would be people here. But...no, there wasn't. For three days, Bird had been scoping the mansion out, but no one ever entered or left. It kinda creeped him out, but hey, it's where the magical portal decided to drop these people off. So who can complain?
Bird headed back through the door, at the top of the right set of stairs. He took notice that a bit of the pillar was smashed in, from when he flung the door open. It had to be some seriously weak stone for it to crack the way it did. Shaking it off, he kept on walking. Past the doorway, was a really long hallway. About every twenty feet, there were a set of doors on the right and left side. Considering there were four total sets of doors on either side, it had to be about a roughly eight-foot long area. Not surprising, if you seen this building from the outside. The man hadn't had the time to check all of the rooms that splintered off, but he knew what was at the very end. It wasn't till he reached the third set of doors, that he heard footsteps echoing through the hall. The people were following, like he hoped.
Without glancing over at them, Bird kept on walking. Once he finally got to the end of the hallway, the villain causally opened both doors. The twin mahogany doors were very large, and bare except for a shoelace-style going around the outer edge of it. The material of the design stood out from the door, and glistened red in the light, despite being orange normally. The man had never seen anything like it before entering the mansion, which had the same design encompassing a lot of the structures. Beyond the door, was a bar. To the left, up against the far wall, was the actual counter. It had a fully stocked supply of various liquor, glasses, and other necessities for making drinks. Bird had personally made sure the stock was good.
In front of the counter were a few stools, which had the same orange-red lace going around the circumference of the chairs. Other then that, the room was kinda boring. Along the walls were paintings of stuff he had never seen before. Which basically meant they were worthless, as he had a very good sense of worth in things like artwork. The walls had crisscrossing panels of dark oak, which intersected between the paintings. Directly across from where Bird entered, was another door identical to the previous one. A couple tables were spread out across the majority of the room, except for a small area in the far right corner that had a really nice pool table. Bird had also made sure it was in working condition, should anyone feel up for a game.
The overall lighting in the room was dark. It shed an almost neon-blue glow, a similar aesthetic in modern bars and clubs. A few spot lights hung from the actual bar-area, allowing the potential barkeep to make drinks clearly. An old-timey lantern hung above the pool table, giving it just enough light that players could tell what was going on. All of the furniture had the lace design on them, and in the neon glow, the red and orange were almost painfully obvious. Hopefully no one was color-sensitive, because there wasn't a whole lot the man could do to help in this case. Before anyone entered, Bird headed behind the counter.
He pulled a few bottles off the rack, and grabbed a couple wine glasses. Bird gave a little nod to the first people who entered, telling them to take a seat, relax, and to ask any questions they might have. He was prepared to answer anything they might think to ask him. The villain was just hoping they would like the answers.
@Tarmagon @Pyosimros @Nooguy @Nivrad00 @OverconfidentMagi
Flames flickered to life, igniting all the candles around the room. Up till then, there had just been silence. Even now, only the faint sound of crackling fire broke the quiet. From the right set of stairs on the upper floor, a door flew open. It smacked into a pillar, causing a painstaking echo to ring out. A figure strutted out, seemingly unaffected by the loud noise. They proceeded to the center of the stairs, where all three met, then stopped. Most of their face was hidden by the mask they wore, with the long beak of it tilting around as they gazed upon the entirety of the room. The figure's mouth, being the only thing visible, frowned at the sight. Taking off the mask, they shoved it in their jacket. No one there, except for this man.
Bird. Better known as Masquerade, to the public. As far as he was concerned, that title meant nothing right now. He was here for a reason. About two months ago, the man had ripped the biggest hole in reality anyone had ever bothered to make. Tacking on as much energy as he could, Bird dumped about thirty letters into the tear. Should anyone accept, and follow through with the instructions attached...hopefully, they would end up here. Assuming it worked at all, that is. Till just recently, there had been nothing but radio static on the entire situation. But a few days ago, something happened. A vision...kinda. The image of this place flashed through Bird's head, with several people all standing around the bottom steps of the stairs. Going off on a limb, the man then went on to try to find the place that best resembled the illusion.
This place. Without so much as the smallest concern, Bird was certain this place was it. The reality here felt distorted to him, like something was seriously messing with it. Given the vision, it all connected. This was it. It was happening soon. Before long, at the most thirty people from another world would appear. That number daunted Bird a bit. But he had sent so many invitations, assuming a lot of them wouldn't reach anybody, or some that did, people would assume it to be fake. Or...just wouldn't have the guts to do. The villain was sure that at least a few people would show up, though.
Time to make a good first impression.
Having two months to prepare, gives you a lot of time to think things out. Turning around, Bird faced into the little hallway behind him. Sliding out two small knives, the man ducked his head. In a fluent motion, as the twin blades grew rapidly in size, Bird made four quick slashes. A clean cut, on each side of the frame. Tucking the butcher knives back into his jacket, the villain pulled out two white gloves in their place. He pulled them on tightly, till they fit snugly on his hands. Then, like a blanket, Bird ripped away the fabric that made up the entrance of the hallway. In it's place, was what appeared to be a nebula. Bright purple, pink, and splotches of black and white made up what was reality. Satisfied, the man turned away from the tear, back to the entrance he first came out of. Running out the right set of stairs, he made exactly three cuts along the steps. He then finished off his work with repeating the process, but on the opposite set of stairs.
Reality seemed to tug at his consciousness, as Bird had to focus on not letting the tears seal themselves. It was easy now, but would prove annoying before long. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, the villain stood in front of the big tear that currently encompassed the hallway entrance. Stepping inside it, he quickly backed out into the physical plane. The fluent motion, was done just fast enough to trick reality. The slight tug was gone, and all the tears he made weren't sealing. Only one thing left to do. Bird turned back to the open area, looking down the flight of stairs below him. Slipping the mask back on, he focused reality onto himself. Within only a few moments, his clothes began turning the same nebula-like color as the tears he made.
Now, for all intents and purposes, he was Bird. Before this, he had contemplated which persona to show off. Had he gone with Masuku, it would've seemed...underwhelming. Not the kind of look you would expect from the sender of the mysterious letter. But that normalcy might have proven beneficial. Kept some people from panicking anymore then they might already be at that point. However, that wasn't who they needed to see first. Overall, Bird was certainly who they would be seeing more of. Plus, showing off a tad bit of his power might help assure them that this is without a doubt, real. After all, this would be their life now, right?...it was just a waiting game now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing, was the candles all blowing out. Just like in a cartoon, all at once they flashed out. The only thing emanating light right now was Bird. He stood at the top of the first flight of stairs, in front of the big tear he made. Not only were his clothes swirling around, reflecting reality, but so was his hair. Even his eyes, shone with wacky purple and pink colors through the eye slots in his mask. In a way, Bird looked like a ghost, or the Grim Reaper, when they went through their teenage rebellious stage. Before long though, the main focal point in light wasn't the villain anymore.
At the bottom of the steps, several...things appeared. They were all like swirling black holes, if assuming said black hole was swallowing an entire clown collage. It was bright, even Bird had to look down, averting his gaze to avoid being blinded. It lasted several long moments, and it was completely bizarre the entire time. Because despite the light show, there was no noise. The room was just as silent as before. Or, was it so loud that it blew out Bird's eardrums? Let us hope not. Thankfully though, the entire scene was dying out. All of the 'black holes', were fading, leaving people in their wake. Soon, it was back to how it was before. All the light was gone, leaving a good number of confused looking people. Or...were they confused? It was hard to tell. But it seemed, at the least, that most of them were settling their gazes upon Bird. The man didn't move from where he stood, making sure everyone was watching him till he did anything.
Satisfied that he got their attention, Bird made a slow bow to them all. In the same motion, he smoothly let himself fall backwards into the tear behind him. Not even a second later, six figures rose. Three on each set of stairs, to the left and right. All of them were made of pure reality. They rose up from the steps, and made a bow similar to Bird's once they were all stationary. In one fluent motion, they all walked down their respective stair sets, standing on the middle platform. They spread out in a line. The two in the center got on their knees, lifting their arms into the air. The remaining four performed a similar motion, making them all seem like a bird raising it's wings. At that moment, Bird stepped back out of the portal. Stepping in between the two center clones, he walked to the very top of the stairs. Once there, be bowed one final time. In turn, all of the clones bowed, exploding into brightly colored shards as they faded.
Standing up straight, Bird faced the people gathered below. Despite his proper posture, a cheeky smile formed at the corners of his mouth. The villain was perfectly aware the little show wasn't necessary, and blown out of proportion. But he couldn't resist doing it. No sense in getting too uptight about this entire venture, like Masuku would've made it. The fact that Bird could think of himself, and Masuku as two separate people, with their own personalities was...interesting. But they were without a doubt, different people. Even if they were within the same person.
There's three of us. Not just two.
The little smile faded at the thought, but Bird's posture didn't falter for a second. Another discussion, for another day. Setting it aside, he faced the crowd once more.
"Welcome, one and all, to my world. It's a pleasure, honestly." The villain looked intently through the crowd, trying to peg some of the people's arch types. Get a feel for them, even if it was based on looks alone. Some of them were certainly...unique. But he hardly noticed that. I mean, look at the guy for crying out loud. In comparison to even the strangest looking person amidst the group, Bird was easily standing out on top of the ladder for weirdest clothes. But hey, it was his style. Most villains, or at the least, most super villains dressed up to fit their theme. His was 'Reality', so why not incorporate it into his clothes? Or, was that all just an excuse to help Bird overcome the oddness of his fashion sense? Who knows.
"I'm certain you all have questions, as do I. But why don't we get into a more...comfortable location first? Follow me please." Before all this, Bird had checked out this place rather intently. He had no idea who owned this place, assuming someone even did. Considering this entire mansion was out in the middle of nowhere, it was anyone's guess. But everything was clean, and hardly a single spot of dust could be spotted. The appliances, for those few the man could find, were all in working order. So you would think there would be people here. But...no, there wasn't. For three days, Bird had been scoping the mansion out, but no one ever entered or left. It kinda creeped him out, but hey, it's where the magical portal decided to drop these people off. So who can complain?
Bird headed back through the door, at the top of the right set of stairs. He took notice that a bit of the pillar was smashed in, from when he flung the door open. It had to be some seriously weak stone for it to crack the way it did. Shaking it off, he kept on walking. Past the doorway, was a really long hallway. About every twenty feet, there were a set of doors on the right and left side. Considering there were four total sets of doors on either side, it had to be about a roughly eight-foot long area. Not surprising, if you seen this building from the outside. The man hadn't had the time to check all of the rooms that splintered off, but he knew what was at the very end. It wasn't till he reached the third set of doors, that he heard footsteps echoing through the hall. The people were following, like he hoped.
Without glancing over at them, Bird kept on walking. Once he finally got to the end of the hallway, the villain causally opened both doors. The twin mahogany doors were very large, and bare except for a shoelace-style going around the outer edge of it. The material of the design stood out from the door, and glistened red in the light, despite being orange normally. The man had never seen anything like it before entering the mansion, which had the same design encompassing a lot of the structures. Beyond the door, was a bar. To the left, up against the far wall, was the actual counter. It had a fully stocked supply of various liquor, glasses, and other necessities for making drinks. Bird had personally made sure the stock was good.
In front of the counter were a few stools, which had the same orange-red lace going around the circumference of the chairs. Other then that, the room was kinda boring. Along the walls were paintings of stuff he had never seen before. Which basically meant they were worthless, as he had a very good sense of worth in things like artwork. The walls had crisscrossing panels of dark oak, which intersected between the paintings. Directly across from where Bird entered, was another door identical to the previous one. A couple tables were spread out across the majority of the room, except for a small area in the far right corner that had a really nice pool table. Bird had also made sure it was in working condition, should anyone feel up for a game.
The overall lighting in the room was dark. It shed an almost neon-blue glow, a similar aesthetic in modern bars and clubs. A few spot lights hung from the actual bar-area, allowing the potential barkeep to make drinks clearly. An old-timey lantern hung above the pool table, giving it just enough light that players could tell what was going on. All of the furniture had the lace design on them, and in the neon glow, the red and orange were almost painfully obvious. Hopefully no one was color-sensitive, because there wasn't a whole lot the man could do to help in this case. Before anyone entered, Bird headed behind the counter.
He pulled a few bottles off the rack, and grabbed a couple wine glasses. Bird gave a little nod to the first people who entered, telling them to take a seat, relax, and to ask any questions they might have. He was prepared to answer anything they might think to ask him. The villain was just hoping they would like the answers.
@Tarmagon @Pyosimros @Nooguy @Nivrad00 @OverconfidentMagi
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Nooguy
Eternally perplexed and oblivious
Eyes roaming over the letter in her hands Angela slowly cocked an eyebrow as a frown traced its way across her lips. "The heck is this bull crap?" She murmured to herself as she finished reading the text set within the parchment, turning it over in her hands as if trying to look for more writing or some other detail to explain the purpose of this letter. Failing to find anything other than the previously provided text Angela stared at the odd seal resting at the lower center of the letter beneath the few paragraphs upon it, mind wandering to the instructions that had been provided. With a long sigh Angela simply shrugged. "Ah screw it maybe I'll get to meet my fairy godmother or something." The brunette remarked before following the provided instructions and waiting....and waiting....and waiting. After a minute or so Angela rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Gee Angela how can you be surpri-Wwwwwhoa what the FU-!" Angela's irritated words quickly turned to that of alarm as she felt a pressure suddenly press in all around her body, the space around her seeming to warp in a myriad of dancing colors completely obscuring her vision. The ensuring sensations were enough to make Angela want to throw up as her body felt as if it were being tossed and turned through some sort of roller coaster, only more of those swirling galactic colors swarming around her with increasing speed.
Finally Angela felt her feet hit solid ground as the brunette staggered slightly, quickly looking around at her surroundings as her hands went to undo the clasps on the holsters of her pistols held against either side of her torso, that is until her eyes fell upon the rather....colorful...individual standing before her. Glancing around she began to see others appear all ranging in appearance, but she guessed all just as confused if their trip was anything like hers. Attention returning to the unique looking person before her she watched the little display, cocking an eyebrow wondering if she was supposed to be impressed, scared, or whatever the person was trying to instill. Hearing the masked individual speak at least answered one of the questions in her head: This possibly was the person who had sent the letters.
At the masked person, likely a man from the tone of voice, made the offer of moving things to a more comfortable setting. "Well so long as where we're going has a nice stiff drink I think I'll put up with a few words weird masked space man." The brunette quipped as she moved to follow the masked man. Angela's attire was pretty much her 'casual' ware which consisted of a pair of olive drab combat fatigues, a pair of black boots, a simple black tank top with her two side adjusted holsters worn atop, and a pair of fingerless gloves pulled across either hand. Looking down the long hallway the she and her group were being led through was sending all sorts of alarms off within the warrior's mind, but the way she figured it she might as well see what her psychedelic trip was for considering the intensity if it all.
Needless to say upon entering into the room which they'd been led to Angela was far from complaining. Giving a soft chuckle to herself the brunette's attention quickly fell to the bar, eyes seeing quite the myriad of delightfully fine liquors just waiting to be enjoyed. "Ah, well I'll say you're certainly going down the right path tinkle brain, but those little glasses aren't my style." Angela remarked as she walked up to the bar and, with a smooth motion, hopped over the counter top. With a look over the wall of alcohol Angela's eyes quickly fell upon a wide rectangular bottle of whiskey with a slightly stretched neck. "Aaaaand bingo." Grabbing her trophy Angela once again hopped over the bar counter before walking over to a small love seat and reclining with a soft sigh. Right hand swiftly unscrewing the lid of her bottle a soft hiss could be heard. "Oooh and it's an fresh seal, all the better." Angela quipped as she brought the bottle of rich amber liquor to her lips, downing a mouthful of the alcohol, and savoring the rich tingling warmth which trailed down her throat. "Ahhhh, now that's some damn fine fire water. Alright sweet cheeks you've got me sated so care to explain the theatrics we all just saw back there?" Angela asked as she gestured in the direction where everyone had initially arrived.
Finally Angela felt her feet hit solid ground as the brunette staggered slightly, quickly looking around at her surroundings as her hands went to undo the clasps on the holsters of her pistols held against either side of her torso, that is until her eyes fell upon the rather....colorful...individual standing before her. Glancing around she began to see others appear all ranging in appearance, but she guessed all just as confused if their trip was anything like hers. Attention returning to the unique looking person before her she watched the little display, cocking an eyebrow wondering if she was supposed to be impressed, scared, or whatever the person was trying to instill. Hearing the masked individual speak at least answered one of the questions in her head: This possibly was the person who had sent the letters.
At the masked person, likely a man from the tone of voice, made the offer of moving things to a more comfortable setting. "Well so long as where we're going has a nice stiff drink I think I'll put up with a few words weird masked space man." The brunette quipped as she moved to follow the masked man. Angela's attire was pretty much her 'casual' ware which consisted of a pair of olive drab combat fatigues, a pair of black boots, a simple black tank top with her two side adjusted holsters worn atop, and a pair of fingerless gloves pulled across either hand. Looking down the long hallway the she and her group were being led through was sending all sorts of alarms off within the warrior's mind, but the way she figured it she might as well see what her psychedelic trip was for considering the intensity if it all.
Needless to say upon entering into the room which they'd been led to Angela was far from complaining. Giving a soft chuckle to herself the brunette's attention quickly fell to the bar, eyes seeing quite the myriad of delightfully fine liquors just waiting to be enjoyed. "Ah, well I'll say you're certainly going down the right path tinkle brain, but those little glasses aren't my style." Angela remarked as she walked up to the bar and, with a smooth motion, hopped over the counter top. With a look over the wall of alcohol Angela's eyes quickly fell upon a wide rectangular bottle of whiskey with a slightly stretched neck. "Aaaaand bingo." Grabbing her trophy Angela once again hopped over the bar counter before walking over to a small love seat and reclining with a soft sigh. Right hand swiftly unscrewing the lid of her bottle a soft hiss could be heard. "Oooh and it's an fresh seal, all the better." Angela quipped as she brought the bottle of rich amber liquor to her lips, downing a mouthful of the alcohol, and savoring the rich tingling warmth which trailed down her throat. "Ahhhh, now that's some damn fine fire water. Alright sweet cheeks you've got me sated so care to explain the theatrics we all just saw back there?" Angela asked as she gestured in the direction where everyone had initially arrived.
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Tarmagon
Murphy was an optimist.
It had seemed like a joke. A letter, complete with an old style seal, arriving at his bungalow from out of nowhere. Only the crew of the Sirens Fancy knew who, and more importantly where he was. Ryan had found it sitting on a chair when he returned from his final lesson with Ye-Lin.
"No more can I teach you, " the old man had said, shaking his head. "This island grows too small for you I think. Take these as a symbol of your mastery of all I could teach you. "
Ryan had managed to stammer out his thanks as his former teacher presented him with a pair of collapsible batons, perfectly suited to his fighting style, then made his way home in a daze. The letter had sitting there, no postage, no return address, not even his address. He had read and reread it several times, shaking his head, wondering who had gone to all this trouble to prank him. Time to find out.
Putting on one of his favored outfits, boots, loose fitting pants, his favorite jacket over a fitted shirt, and fingerless gloves he tucked his new batons into the back of his belt and walked out onto his porch.
"Okay, " he announced, staring out into the night. "Let's see what the game is. I accept! "
As he pressed the letter to his chest he expected someone to burst out laughing, instead the Universe dissolved around him. Light, soundless sound, cold, hot, nothing, everything. He felt it all in an instant that nearly broke his mind as it ended.
Ryan found himself at the bottom of a sweeping stairway. He was vaguely aware of others around him, but a figure on a landing above captured his attention. An androgynous figure wearing an odd mask and dressed like he was ready to attend a formal dinner stood in front of, something that twisted his vision with strange light and nothingness. The same light seemed to emanate from the eye slots of the odd, bird like mask the figure wore, but that was all Ryan had time to notice as the figure fell back into whatever it was, and vanished. Before the disappearance had fully registered, six new figures made of the same, odd glow had appeared, moving to the position the first figure had vanished from. As the new figures struck an odd pose, the original reappeared, stepping through the obviously planned pose even as the six figures vanished in soundless pyrotechnics after a simultaneous bow.
"Welcome, one and all, to my world. It's a pleasure, honestly. I'm certain you all have questions, as do I. But why don't we get into a more...comfortable location first? Follow me please."
As the figure moved away, Ryan shook off the stupor that the little show, coming so soon after his own, experience, had generated. Before he could do more than start to look around though, another voice caught his attention.
"Well so long as where we're going has a nice stiff drink I think I'll put up with a few words weird masked space man."
The speaker was an rather fit looking brunette sporting a pair of pistols over a black tank top. Army pants and what looked to be army issue combat boots completed a picture of someone competent in dealing out mayhem. Ryan smiled to himself as he followed the odd figure and brunette down a rather luxurious hallway into what looked for all the world like a rich man's version of a man-cave. Just he turned the corner into the room, the brunette flopped down into a seat, taking a slug from a bottle she had obviously claimed from the bar the strange man, and Ryan was pretty certain is WAS a man now, was puttering behind.
"Ahhhh, now that's some damn fine fire water. Alright sweet cheeks you've got me sated so care to explain the theatrics we all just saw back there?"
Moving to the bar, Ryan scanned the bottles the figure was putting out, before reaching over and snagging a promising looking bottle of rich amber liquid. A quick sniff identified the contents as scotch, and Ryan poured a couple of fingers worth into a snifter before grabbing a stool near the end of the bar where he could see both the rooms occupants and the door he had entered through as well.
"I think I agree with the lady here.... Hmmm. Bird, I think the letter said." Ryan commented, raising the glass to his lips and taking a small sip. "Yeah, Mr. Bird. I'd love to hear what the heck's going on around here, wherever here actually is."
"No more can I teach you, " the old man had said, shaking his head. "This island grows too small for you I think. Take these as a symbol of your mastery of all I could teach you. "
Ryan had managed to stammer out his thanks as his former teacher presented him with a pair of collapsible batons, perfectly suited to his fighting style, then made his way home in a daze. The letter had sitting there, no postage, no return address, not even his address. He had read and reread it several times, shaking his head, wondering who had gone to all this trouble to prank him. Time to find out.
Putting on one of his favored outfits, boots, loose fitting pants, his favorite jacket over a fitted shirt, and fingerless gloves he tucked his new batons into the back of his belt and walked out onto his porch.
"Okay, " he announced, staring out into the night. "Let's see what the game is. I accept! "
As he pressed the letter to his chest he expected someone to burst out laughing, instead the Universe dissolved around him. Light, soundless sound, cold, hot, nothing, everything. He felt it all in an instant that nearly broke his mind as it ended.
Ryan found himself at the bottom of a sweeping stairway. He was vaguely aware of others around him, but a figure on a landing above captured his attention. An androgynous figure wearing an odd mask and dressed like he was ready to attend a formal dinner stood in front of, something that twisted his vision with strange light and nothingness. The same light seemed to emanate from the eye slots of the odd, bird like mask the figure wore, but that was all Ryan had time to notice as the figure fell back into whatever it was, and vanished. Before the disappearance had fully registered, six new figures made of the same, odd glow had appeared, moving to the position the first figure had vanished from. As the new figures struck an odd pose, the original reappeared, stepping through the obviously planned pose even as the six figures vanished in soundless pyrotechnics after a simultaneous bow.
"Welcome, one and all, to my world. It's a pleasure, honestly. I'm certain you all have questions, as do I. But why don't we get into a more...comfortable location first? Follow me please."
As the figure moved away, Ryan shook off the stupor that the little show, coming so soon after his own, experience, had generated. Before he could do more than start to look around though, another voice caught his attention.
"Well so long as where we're going has a nice stiff drink I think I'll put up with a few words weird masked space man."
The speaker was an rather fit looking brunette sporting a pair of pistols over a black tank top. Army pants and what looked to be army issue combat boots completed a picture of someone competent in dealing out mayhem. Ryan smiled to himself as he followed the odd figure and brunette down a rather luxurious hallway into what looked for all the world like a rich man's version of a man-cave. Just he turned the corner into the room, the brunette flopped down into a seat, taking a slug from a bottle she had obviously claimed from the bar the strange man, and Ryan was pretty certain is WAS a man now, was puttering behind.
"Ahhhh, now that's some damn fine fire water. Alright sweet cheeks you've got me sated so care to explain the theatrics we all just saw back there?"
Moving to the bar, Ryan scanned the bottles the figure was putting out, before reaching over and snagging a promising looking bottle of rich amber liquid. A quick sniff identified the contents as scotch, and Ryan poured a couple of fingers worth into a snifter before grabbing a stool near the end of the bar where he could see both the rooms occupants and the door he had entered through as well.
"I think I agree with the lady here.... Hmmm. Bird, I think the letter said." Ryan commented, raising the glass to his lips and taking a small sip. "Yeah, Mr. Bird. I'd love to hear what the heck's going on around here, wherever here actually is."
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OverconfidentMagi
Laugh Like You've Won Always
It had been an overall frustrating day for Aaron. He hadn't done anything, just lay on the floor half-reading a book he'd already memorized months ago. Normally on lazy days like this one he wouldn't have even bothered getting dressed, but for some reason today he'd bothered to dress himself, and in his best outfit nonetheless. Of course this wasn't exactly a normal day. Once again his eyes wandered off the page and to the letter sitting on the table in front of him.
It had appeared right there the night before. His curiosity had forced him to read it, and then again and again, until he could read it word for word without seeing the words. As suspicious as the letter was and as crazy as the words it held were, he'd felt something upon reading it that was becoming a rare feeling. The tiny sliver of possibility that what the letter, the invitation, said might be true had excited him.
He closed the book sharply. The words on the page had been replaced by the invitation's content hours ago. Finally he'd come to accept his decision he'd made the night before. He swept out the door of his apartment and up the stairs to the roof. The sun was setting, but it was hidden behind the backs of the city's skyscrapers. Oh well, it didn't really matter. Aaron leaned against the railing and held the piece of paper against his chest. "I accept," he said, the first words he'd spoken aloud in days.
Nothing happened. Of course not, words didn't have the power to alter reality. There was no such thing as magic. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
Aaron turned to walk back inside, releasing the invitation to fly along to its next victim. He'd taken a single step when he fell backwards as his sense of balance went haywire. There, the paper sat motionless where he'd released it. As he watched unblinking, the old-fashioned seal seemed to bleed onto the space around it, twisting and blurring reality. For a moment he couldn't see anything at all, unable to recall if it had gotten darker or so bright that he'd gone blind. Panic began to take hold, overpowering the nausea that came with not knowing which direction was up or down. And then it just stopped.
He used the few seconds it took for his eyes to adjust to control his breathing and force his heartbeat back down. Control regained, Aaron looked around where he was. It looked like a pretty large mansion if the entryway was any indication of the rest of the building's opulence. Around him, other people were looking around with mixtures of confusion and excitement flashing across their faces. They'd probably have the same story he did about finding an invitation and choosing to accept.
Turning his sight up the stairs in front of him, his eyes fell upon the one who'd sent the invitation. Of course he couldn't really be sure, but seeing the glowing figure standing there silently he had no doubt about his identity. Bird. The figure fell backwards, and six more of him appeared. As Aaron watched the show some part of him knew he should be skeptical. It was simple to do that kind of trick with mirrors and projections. That wasn't the part of him that filled him with awe and broke a wide grin across his usually impassive face. The drowning boredom had fallen away, replaced by a child-like wonder and overwhelming relief.
He followed after Bird without hesitating as the host turned to walk down the hallway. He led them to a room that contained a bar, well-stocked too. As the others began to pester Bird about what was going on and where they were, Aaron found a wineglass and poured into it a small amount of dark red liquid. He sipped it slowly, the grin across his face still not receding. As he drank just enough to calm his excitement his eyes hardly drifted away from the colorful Bird.
It had appeared right there the night before. His curiosity had forced him to read it, and then again and again, until he could read it word for word without seeing the words. As suspicious as the letter was and as crazy as the words it held were, he'd felt something upon reading it that was becoming a rare feeling. The tiny sliver of possibility that what the letter, the invitation, said might be true had excited him.
He closed the book sharply. The words on the page had been replaced by the invitation's content hours ago. Finally he'd come to accept his decision he'd made the night before. He swept out the door of his apartment and up the stairs to the roof. The sun was setting, but it was hidden behind the backs of the city's skyscrapers. Oh well, it didn't really matter. Aaron leaned against the railing and held the piece of paper against his chest. "I accept," he said, the first words he'd spoken aloud in days.
Nothing happened. Of course not, words didn't have the power to alter reality. There was no such thing as magic. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
Aaron turned to walk back inside, releasing the invitation to fly along to its next victim. He'd taken a single step when he fell backwards as his sense of balance went haywire. There, the paper sat motionless where he'd released it. As he watched unblinking, the old-fashioned seal seemed to bleed onto the space around it, twisting and blurring reality. For a moment he couldn't see anything at all, unable to recall if it had gotten darker or so bright that he'd gone blind. Panic began to take hold, overpowering the nausea that came with not knowing which direction was up or down. And then it just stopped.
He used the few seconds it took for his eyes to adjust to control his breathing and force his heartbeat back down. Control regained, Aaron looked around where he was. It looked like a pretty large mansion if the entryway was any indication of the rest of the building's opulence. Around him, other people were looking around with mixtures of confusion and excitement flashing across their faces. They'd probably have the same story he did about finding an invitation and choosing to accept.
Turning his sight up the stairs in front of him, his eyes fell upon the one who'd sent the invitation. Of course he couldn't really be sure, but seeing the glowing figure standing there silently he had no doubt about his identity. Bird. The figure fell backwards, and six more of him appeared. As Aaron watched the show some part of him knew he should be skeptical. It was simple to do that kind of trick with mirrors and projections. That wasn't the part of him that filled him with awe and broke a wide grin across his usually impassive face. The drowning boredom had fallen away, replaced by a child-like wonder and overwhelming relief.
He followed after Bird without hesitating as the host turned to walk down the hallway. He led them to a room that contained a bar, well-stocked too. As the others began to pester Bird about what was going on and where they were, Aaron found a wineglass and poured into it a small amount of dark red liquid. He sipped it slowly, the grin across his face still not receding. As he drank just enough to calm his excitement his eyes hardly drifted away from the colorful Bird.
Pyosimros
☆☆☆
Maya Fletcher
Location - Mystery Mansion
Tags - N/A
Just...a little more left.
Maya stood silently within a room filled top to bottom with files. There were cases on recent murders, mug shots, and even a box of Monopoly wedged in the corner. She stood there, in the midst of this with a thoughtful expression. All she needed now, was to organize three more files. Afterwards she could finally enjoy some of that sweet, sweet spare time.
Maya grabbed her chair, and pulled it back, making a very audible creek. She winced for a few seconds, before taking a seat. Maya set her bag next to it, and sat there for a couple seconds, with the face of one who was about to work ten hours in a row with only pure determination fuelling him/her. After those few seconds passed, a long yawn and a sudden collapse onto her desk said that Maya went through those ten hours, and she wants to go to bed now.
Maya looked up, with eyes half opened, with her vision beginning to fuzz. She gripped onto Tubby and Louise, whom were on her desk.
"Maya, y'know you should really get those files done. You can rest later, knowing that you finished the work for today," Maya said in a gruff voice, moving Tubby as if he were talking.
"No! Tubby let her sleep. She's already finished so much, surely her boss wouldn't get too mad at her for sleeping on the job," Maya jerked Louise's body to the right, and made a hand point at Tubby; as if she was the one criticizing him.
"Surely. Surely isn't enough. Remember the last time Maya feel asleep on the-"
"Hey Maya?"
"Oh!" Maya practically jumped out of her seat as she heard a foreign voice. She cocked her head backwards, checking out who it was. Narrowing her eyes, Maya knew who it was. She sighed, expecting it to be her boss walking in or something of the sort. "Knock next time please! You practically gave me a heart attack y'know!"
Her brother decided to ignore this, and he walked in with a letter grasped in his hand. "Here, thought you might've forgotten it. It was on the counter." Without a word, he placed the piece of paper on her desk and decided walk out of sight. Maya gave a confused look at this, though this emotion didn't last for long. She looked down at the letter, using her free hand to sling her bag over her shoulder. Without any time to waste, Maya opened it. There wasn't a place to be gentle, wasn't like anyone was looking. Once opened, Maya scanned through it quickly, and scoffed with a smile. It was talk about supervillains and superpowers. It seemed awfully like her brother was trying to mess with her. Without a second thought, Maya decided to humor herself by saying the words.
"I accept."
In a flash of light, Maya was moved somewhere else; her smile gone. Somewhere else entirely. First impulse? It was to make a noise. Like a yell, a shout, a demand, or even a happy exclaim. Instead, all she gave to this group was a dropped jaw, what else would she do without bringing attention to herself? The following minute was the person Maya would assume was the 'Bird' person, pulling off a show. Which, led Maya to conclude, yes that guy had superpowers. Either that, or this is an extremely well coordinated prank.
'Bird' told everyone to follow him, and frankly, Maya was too intimidated to not comply. The guy was apparently a damn super-villain, and Maya didn't want to take the risk. She cupped her hands and rested them in front of her, with a face of slight anguish.
I don't belong here. I'm not a villain. I'm a university student working at a forensic lab.
The thought echoed through her mind, and frankly, it almost caused her to panic. Time passed, and Maya found herself in a bar. Something, that would amaze her in every other situation. She isn't even 21 yet, and she was in a bar. A fully operational bar with the alcohol and everything.
She didn't know what to do, nor did she feel too social. There was alcohol for the taking, and it could definitely get Maya social. Thing is, she doesn't trust herself with alcohol. At least not yet. With all that at hand, Maya opted to simply lean on the pool table. She was surprised no one started up a game, but she wasn't complaining.
Nicolas Walsh
"I accept."
With a flash of light, Nicolas made the escape of the century. Teleportation. Not many can say they escaped prison from a letter telling him to say a few simple words. Turns out, the letter wasn't some sort of trick. Instead, it was ticket out of his little hellhole. The only price? Nicolas abandoning his best friends. They'll get over it. They always do, Nicolas thought. He'll see them again soon enough, hopefully. If he came here from teleportation, Nicolas went out on a limb and assumed that everything on the letter was true. Meaning, Nicolas isn't a simple gun-for-hire anymore, now he was a guy with superpowers.
Nicolas scanned the room. Judging by most of them, they probably didn't know the letter was legit. Nicolas sure as hell didn't. The girl with brown hair definitely has been through some fights, either that or Nicolas is a jerk judging off appearances. He wasn't sure about everyone else, but what Nicolas knew for sure, was that the guy who had clones of himself in front of him was Bird. He put on a show for everyone, and, it was quite impressive. With the guy's powers however, Nicolas couldn't tell if it actually took him any effort to pull off however. Moments later, Bird told everyone to follow, which Nicolas complied. Working with him could be interesting.
Bird led them to a bar, something Nicolas admittedly misses. Bird told everyone to relax, ask questions, that sort of thing. Nicolas was extremely grateful for this, even if his face didn't show it. Living in a prison for a year makes most places look like Disney-Land to a five year-old.
Nicolas took a seat near Bird, hearing someone telling everyone to play pool only moments after. Nicolas ignored it, and focused more on Bird. He needed to know more about what he was getting himself into. Nicolas rested his hands on the counter, and looked at the man.
"How much are we getting payed for this?" Nicolas questioned, honestly it was the first thing that came to him. The payment of a free bail and potential superpowers was enough, though it would be good if Nicolas made at least some money to return with.
Nivrad00
Elder Member
As Sophia threaded through the busy restaurant, balancing three dirty plates on her arms, a letter held by a portly businessman caught her eye.
...looking for thrill of the utmost severity. To put it simply, I'm a 'super villain'...
Sophia paused, curious, then carefully adjusted the plates in her arms as an excuse to stand in place. Her eyes glanced back and forth, catching the first few words of each paragraph.
Being of such skill, I haven't gone unnoticed...
In my world, I'm called a Legend...
If you see past your own disbelief...
The man lifted a mug of coffee to his mouth with one hand, a skeptical expression on his face. An idea sparked in Sophia's mind. Plates successfully adjusted, she continued nonchalantly towards the back of the restaurant.
A few moments later Sophia returned, relieved of her dishes. Timing her movement carefully with the businessman's sipping, she walked briskly through the restaurant. As she passed the man, she stepped on a purposefully loose shoelace and tumbled directly into him with a yelp. The coffee splashed out and the man leaped indignantly from his chair, hot liquid dripping off of his suit.
Success!
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" said Sophia, scrambling to grab a towel from a cart nearby. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Let me just–"
Sophia tried to wipe off the man's clothing, but he pushed her away. "That's enough," he huffed. Sophia nodded, looking embarrassed, and started wiping the table instead. While the man muttered and flung coffee from his sleeves, Sophia nicked the letter with two fingers and hid it beneath the towel. A couple other waiters were approaching to help clean up the mess.
"I'll go get more towels," said Sophia. She hurried to the back, dripping towel clutched tightly.
Once she was hidden in a supply closet, Sophia cheerfully unfolded the somewhat soaked letter. As she skimmed it, her eyes grew wide. Imagine how mad her boss would be if disappeared into another dimension in the middle of her shift! Ultimately, this silly letter probably wasn't worth the talking-to she would get for spilling coffee on a patron. But she had to get her kicks somehow, right?
Decided to play along, Sophia pressed the seal, held the letter against her chest, and whispered "I accept." She didn't expect anything to happen. In fact, she was deciding how to discreetly return the letter when the world dissolved into a starry kaleidoscope.
When her senses returned, she was in a mansion with people lined up on either side. Thoughts of drugs or magic or kidnapping whirling through her head, Sophia stumbled backward – instinctual, to distance herself and to keep them all in sight – until she hit a wall.
She watched the theatrics, wide-eyed. Oh, shit. This was the guy, Bird. He wasn't kidding.
By the time Bird started directing them way, it was clear no one here was an immediate threat. Sophia followed the others through the mansion, eyes roaming around the finery. "Bird's got himself quite the nest," she commented.
It felt almost silly to say his name out loud, as if as soon as she admitted this was really happening people would jump out and yell, "Surprise! It's a prank!"
She filed into the lounge last, letting the mahogany doors close behind her, and seated herself in the corner. She looked a bit out of place, still wearing an coffee-stained apron over a slightly rumpled white button-up shirt.
...looking for thrill of the utmost severity. To put it simply, I'm a 'super villain'...
Sophia paused, curious, then carefully adjusted the plates in her arms as an excuse to stand in place. Her eyes glanced back and forth, catching the first few words of each paragraph.
Being of such skill, I haven't gone unnoticed...
In my world, I'm called a Legend...
If you see past your own disbelief...
The man lifted a mug of coffee to his mouth with one hand, a skeptical expression on his face. An idea sparked in Sophia's mind. Plates successfully adjusted, she continued nonchalantly towards the back of the restaurant.
A few moments later Sophia returned, relieved of her dishes. Timing her movement carefully with the businessman's sipping, she walked briskly through the restaurant. As she passed the man, she stepped on a purposefully loose shoelace and tumbled directly into him with a yelp. The coffee splashed out and the man leaped indignantly from his chair, hot liquid dripping off of his suit.
Success!
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" said Sophia, scrambling to grab a towel from a cart nearby. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Let me just–"
Sophia tried to wipe off the man's clothing, but he pushed her away. "That's enough," he huffed. Sophia nodded, looking embarrassed, and started wiping the table instead. While the man muttered and flung coffee from his sleeves, Sophia nicked the letter with two fingers and hid it beneath the towel. A couple other waiters were approaching to help clean up the mess.
"I'll go get more towels," said Sophia. She hurried to the back, dripping towel clutched tightly.
Once she was hidden in a supply closet, Sophia cheerfully unfolded the somewhat soaked letter. As she skimmed it, her eyes grew wide. Imagine how mad her boss would be if disappeared into another dimension in the middle of her shift! Ultimately, this silly letter probably wasn't worth the talking-to she would get for spilling coffee on a patron. But she had to get her kicks somehow, right?
Decided to play along, Sophia pressed the seal, held the letter against her chest, and whispered "I accept." She didn't expect anything to happen. In fact, she was deciding how to discreetly return the letter when the world dissolved into a starry kaleidoscope.
...
When her senses returned, she was in a mansion with people lined up on either side. Thoughts of drugs or magic or kidnapping whirling through her head, Sophia stumbled backward – instinctual, to distance herself and to keep them all in sight – until she hit a wall.
She watched the theatrics, wide-eyed. Oh, shit. This was the guy, Bird. He wasn't kidding.
By the time Bird started directing them way, it was clear no one here was an immediate threat. Sophia followed the others through the mansion, eyes roaming around the finery. "Bird's got himself quite the nest," she commented.
It felt almost silly to say his name out loud, as if as soon as she admitted this was really happening people would jump out and yell, "Surprise! It's a prank!"
She filed into the lounge last, letting the mahogany doors close behind her, and seated herself in the corner. She looked a bit out of place, still wearing an coffee-stained apron over a slightly rumpled white button-up shirt.
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GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
Bird
It took nearly no time for the first person to enter the room. A rough looking brunette. Bird hardly batted an eye, as she hopped the bar to retrieve a drink of her own. The man was already painting out a picture of the girl in his head, mapping out the key points in her personality. Between the way she talked, and the actions she took, it was clear the woman had some form of difficulty with authority. Taking measures into her own hands. Bird had to smile a little at her comments, the nickname granting a slight snicker from the villain. Part of her, assuming he was right, would be annoying to deal with. It was likely that the brunette might neglect duties of the more tedious nature, and focus heavily on the straight forward tasks. Not a bad thing in it of itself, as that meant a plethora of opportunities opened up. But hey, one thing at a time, right? Ignoring the question she prompted, Bird grabbed a small vile from underneath the counter.
It was only about as big as a salt shaker, but the contents puzzled the man. The liquid looked almost golden, with specks of red. But with the lighting, who knew what color it really was. Passing it off for now, he slid it back in it's place when another man approached the bar. Another tough looking character, who seemed to fit perfectly in the bar scene. After pouring a little amber, he quoted off of what the girl said a moment ago. Before Bird had the chance to reply, something just off the side of his vision caught his attention.
A boy. Unlike the other man at the bar, this one was untainted. A large grin plastered on his face, as he sipped some red wine. How the villain missed the boy's approach, is anyone's guess. Most likely, Bird reasoned, was that the entrance the girl made was simply too attention grabbing. Indeed, even so, it appeared the boy had a tendency to slip into the background with ease. That was the perfect quality for this line of work. The man internally yelled for joy over all this. Not that the other two people couldn't be used as assets, but they weren't the most...smooth types. For bad situations, they could pull you out most likely. But that wouldn't happen very often, assuming Bird could continue pulling off jobs the same way as in the past. Pouring himself a glass of white wine, the villain watched two more people enter. Both girls, this time around. The first one took up a spot over at the pool table, while the second shifted into a corner table. Neither made any comments, nor did much to give any real clues as to their characteristics besides the obvious.
Alongside the last person to enter, was another man. He made his way to the bar, only to lean forward into it and ask one of the most direct questions possible. Bird took a sip of his drink, before making eye contact with each of the people who asked questions. Not to size them up, nor to investigate them. Just to get a good memory of their faces, to be able to recall the image. It would help in the long run, certainly. After a second sip, the villain set the glass back onto the counter. He leaned backwards into the bar behind him, crossing his arms.
"My little performance, was simply to give you all a little demonstration of what you could be capable of." Not exactly true, but it had it's merits. "As to what's happening here, may I redirect your attention to my letter. Certainly you all got it?" Bird casted a few glances around the room, sliding out one of the letters from his coat and tossing it onto the counter. "What I said in there, is what's happening. I'm a super villain, go figure."
Lifting himself off the shelf, the villain mimicked the same stance as the guy who asked the money question. "I excel at my job, which is whatever I want to do. If someone wants a painting stolen, or some expensive artifact? I take it for them." Giving a little scoff, he continued, "That's not all I do, of course. But that tends to be the more common jobs out there nowadays." Looking directly into the money guy's eyes, Bird finished with, "And I get a lot of money for it."
Returning back to the leaning shelf, the man replied, "But, recently I've been having some issues. You could say I have been...around, for a while. My name's out there, people are actively looking for me, and it just makes jobs annoying as all hell. So I could use a little...team, to help out. For your services, I offer a life in this world. Abilities of your own, more cash then you can spend, and a ton of fun."
Bird let that sit for a second, before looking up at the lights shining down into the bar. Not that you have much of a choice, though.
(Tagged - @Tarmagon @Pyosimros @Nooguy @Nivrad00 @OverconfidentMagi)
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OverconfidentMagi
Laugh Like You've Won Always
Aaron Massimo
"Don't you think that's a bit redundant?"
Aaron set his emptied glass down on the counter. It might have seemed impressive for him to have emptied the entire glass of wine so quickly if they hadn't seen how little he'd poured to begin with. If there was one thing he absolutely didn't want to do right now it was get drunk. It was an overall terrible experience normally, but he wanted to be able to recall every detail of this meeting.
He'd spoken as much at those who were throwing out questions as to Bird himself, but what he said next was directed at everyone equally. "Each of us read the invitation, and whether you believed what it said or not, right now I think you should consider that maybe everything it contained is true." He went a step further. "And I bet each of you already gave your answer, else you wouldn't be here."
Aaron had said what he'd wanted to say, so he retreated from the heart of the conversation back to the outskirts. He'd like to have simply found a seat to continue gawking at their host, but he knew that at this moment it was important for him to appear more relaxed that he felt.
His emerald eyes found the pool table Bird had spoken of. No one had so much as looked at it after entering the room. It seemed a waste. Aaron picked a cue stick from the wall and the one next to it.
"Would anyone care for a game? It might help ease the tension in the room a bit." He held out the second stick offering it to anyone who took up his offer. "Though I should warn you, I'm not that good."
"Don't you think that's a bit redundant?"
Aaron set his emptied glass down on the counter. It might have seemed impressive for him to have emptied the entire glass of wine so quickly if they hadn't seen how little he'd poured to begin with. If there was one thing he absolutely didn't want to do right now it was get drunk. It was an overall terrible experience normally, but he wanted to be able to recall every detail of this meeting.
He'd spoken as much at those who were throwing out questions as to Bird himself, but what he said next was directed at everyone equally. "Each of us read the invitation, and whether you believed what it said or not, right now I think you should consider that maybe everything it contained is true." He went a step further. "And I bet each of you already gave your answer, else you wouldn't be here."
Aaron had said what he'd wanted to say, so he retreated from the heart of the conversation back to the outskirts. He'd like to have simply found a seat to continue gawking at their host, but he knew that at this moment it was important for him to appear more relaxed that he felt.
His emerald eyes found the pool table Bird had spoken of. No one had so much as looked at it after entering the room. It seemed a waste. Aaron picked a cue stick from the wall and the one next to it.
"Would anyone care for a game? It might help ease the tension in the room a bit." He held out the second stick offering it to anyone who took up his offer. "Though I should warn you, I'm not that good."
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Nivrad00
Elder Member
Sophia listened attentively to Bird's explanation, then Aaron's assertion. She glanced at the damp letter, then shoved it into an apron pocket and stood up.
"Well, he ain't wrong," she said, approaching the bar counter and taking a seat. "I'm Sophia Gross. Nice to meet you, Bird. Sorry about this mess, I came here straight from work." She motioned to her coffee-stained apron with a modest grin.
"But... you said everything is true?" Her voice rose in skepticism. "Includin' the part about us having superpowers now?"
"Well, he ain't wrong," she said, approaching the bar counter and taking a seat. "I'm Sophia Gross. Nice to meet you, Bird. Sorry about this mess, I came here straight from work." She motioned to her coffee-stained apron with a modest grin.
"But... you said everything is true?" Her voice rose in skepticism. "Includin' the part about us having superpowers now?"
Nooguy
Eternally perplexed and oblivious
Leaning her head backward to rest against the back of the love seat she sat in, eyes looking up at the wooden carpentry of the bar's ceiling, and mind mulling over the words Bird spoke while others gave their own. Was this seriously happening, was the alcohol she was drinking real, had she been drugged and was currently going through a major trip? The first questions lingered as Angela worked her jaw slightly as if chewing on the words to next speak. Drawing a deep breath the brunette sighed heavily before returning her gaze to the colorful Bird character. "Alright so say some of us believe you and we're buying into the whole shebang you've created here, not that you've really given us a door two, but what's the catch?" Angela asked, her voice calm but with a stern tone and an understandable dash of criticism. Taking another drink from the bottle still held within her right hand the brunette cleared her throat slightly before continuing her tangent. "If you're as adept and seasoned a 'super villain' as you claim to be then I have strong doubts you'd simply bring others into your own world, give them abilities less than human, and offer them a spot with you on your escapades without having some form of control over us to ensure we stay in line if any of us go against you." She stated, slowly standing and walking over to the bar before placing the bottle of alcohol she'd been enjoying down on its surface and leaning her hands against the smooth wood, eyes looking into Bird's with a calm edge. "How can any of us go along with you without the worry of you possibly deciding we're no longer needed and having a knife slipped between our ribs while we sleep, or tossed to the law as bait if things go south, or pushed through one of those portals of yours to some kinda hellscape?"
A pause in Angela's stint of speech would be given as she pulled a cigarette from her back pocket, lighting it with a quick flick of a match, and taking a small drag as the cherry red glow of burning tobacco illuminated her face among the dim lighting of the bar. Angela continued her interrogation, her years going through war seeing the absolute worse of humanity and how it wasn't as rare as some may think the source of her skepticism in such 'gifts' right out of the gate. "I've been down many roads and have seen people practically eat one another for their own betterment, and not just the poor, but the rich as well, all a lot more common than most would like to believe and for a lot less than what you're offering." Angela's voice finally went silent as she exhaled a stream of smoke off to where it wouldn't fog up the immediate vicinity, cigarette held between her left index and middle finger while she awaited Bird's response.
A pause in Angela's stint of speech would be given as she pulled a cigarette from her back pocket, lighting it with a quick flick of a match, and taking a small drag as the cherry red glow of burning tobacco illuminated her face among the dim lighting of the bar. Angela continued her interrogation, her years going through war seeing the absolute worse of humanity and how it wasn't as rare as some may think the source of her skepticism in such 'gifts' right out of the gate. "I've been down many roads and have seen people practically eat one another for their own betterment, and not just the poor, but the rich as well, all a lot more common than most would like to believe and for a lot less than what you're offering." Angela's voice finally went silent as she exhaled a stream of smoke off to where it wouldn't fog up the immediate vicinity, cigarette held between her left index and middle finger while she awaited Bird's response.
Tarmagon
Murphy was an optimist.
Ryan suppressed a snort as the brunette said her piece, hiding behind the glass he held to his lips without actually drinking any of the excellent scotch. As she wound down, lighting up a cigarette before delivering the end to her commentary and obviously waiting for Bird to speak, Ryan lowered his glass and spoke before Bird could.
"You know, I don't think that Mr. Bird here actually promised that HE would be giving us powers," Ryan said dryly. "I think his letter said he was certain that we would have powers, but he couldn't actually promise them. As he's not the one actually handing out abilities here, who's to say what powers, if any at all, we're," he gestured around the room, "Are going to develop? As for the rest... we're on a different world entirely, assuming we're not having the exact same hallucination at the same time. Since Mr. Bird here seems to be able to, move around freely, why would he have to do anything to us but leave us be? I don't know what's outside these walls. Do you? He could just poof..."
Ryan snapped his fingers to emphasize the ease with which Bird could leave his little flock, and promptly fell backwards off his stool as there was a blinding flash, a sharp, flat crack like miniature thunder, and the sudden stink of ozone. Ryan climbed shakily to his feet, staring at his hand before tentatively snapping his fingers again. This time nothing out of the ordinary happened, and after staring at his hand a moment longer, he picked up his glass and drained it in a single gulp. Setting the glass on the bar, he stared directly at Bird.
"Ummm. Yeah. Powers?"
"You know, I don't think that Mr. Bird here actually promised that HE would be giving us powers," Ryan said dryly. "I think his letter said he was certain that we would have powers, but he couldn't actually promise them. As he's not the one actually handing out abilities here, who's to say what powers, if any at all, we're," he gestured around the room, "Are going to develop? As for the rest... we're on a different world entirely, assuming we're not having the exact same hallucination at the same time. Since Mr. Bird here seems to be able to, move around freely, why would he have to do anything to us but leave us be? I don't know what's outside these walls. Do you? He could just poof..."
Ryan snapped his fingers to emphasize the ease with which Bird could leave his little flock, and promptly fell backwards off his stool as there was a blinding flash, a sharp, flat crack like miniature thunder, and the sudden stink of ozone. Ryan climbed shakily to his feet, staring at his hand before tentatively snapping his fingers again. This time nothing out of the ordinary happened, and after staring at his hand a moment longer, he picked up his glass and drained it in a single gulp. Setting the glass on the bar, he stared directly at Bird.
"Ummm. Yeah. Powers?"
GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
Bird
Bird wasn't sure what kind of response he would get from the people in the bar, but the things the boy had to say made sense. They all clearly believed the letter to some extent, if they were here. Why question things so heavily? But then again, they were coming from a world where magic didn't exist. Sure, it certainly sounds like the concept isn't new to them, but it wouldn't be real in their eyes. The man simply nodded in tune with the boy, till he walked off to the pool table. In his wake, the girl in the far back corner came up to the bar. She introduced herself, Sophia Gross, the first name spoken besides, 'Bird'. The girl's grin was cute, and her ah...humble clothing, was amusing.
"Nice to meet you." Bird offered her a smile in return. "Oh, and don't worry about your clothing. I mean, look at mine!" He gestured to the wild colors displaying themselves. The interaction almost seemed...pleasant. Actually. Like it could lead to a nice conversation, in the very non-normal situation. It was charming. But unsurprisingly, the other girl in the room made her piece known. The tough women approached the bar, and the man had a good feeling what she was going to say. From the moment the first words left her mouth, Bird stared at her intently, right in the eyes. He held that stare all through her speech, during which his smile faded away.
The villain took a moment to think before answering her remarks, but was interrupted before he had the chance to say anything. The other man at the bar, the one drinking scotch, spoke up. Most of the stuff he was saying, would've been a few points Bird might've used. But even still, the villain kept his eyes locked into the girl's. It wasn't until the other guy near blew himself up with a snap of his fingers, that Bird's attention was drawn away. The guy looked bewildered. The essokinetic took a look to see if the poor guy peed his pants. Sadly, he didn't.
"Talking about powers." Bird remarked, looking down at that strange little bottle he found underneath the counter. "That's not bad. Pyrokinesis maybe?" It would make sense. Not being able to control powers yet, a pyro might accidentally cause a quick explosion. "But, that does prove at least some of you have powers." While he knew it was unintentional, the villain was thankful for the demonstration the other guy provided. Only one more thing to address.
Looking up at the tough girl again, Bird grew a bit of a frown. "I get your skepticism. You seem...battered. Clearly, you're not new to this kind of business." He was thinking hard on what to say, to not mess up something. "So, I won't spare any punches. I'll be flat out honest." The man raised two fingers with his right hand, and touched the tip of one of them with his left hand index finger. "First; I can promise that I will never use any of you as cannon fodder. Nor will I purposely leave you to die or get captured. And if you do happen to get caught, I'll do everything in my power to save you."
Bird's brilliant colors were fading slowly as he began speaking, hardly noticeable. But now they were disappearing quicker. "Second; I am a villain at heart, am I not? I won't go out of my way to kill you guys, why would I? But..." The colors of reality was completely gone, and was getting replace with a dark arrangement of colors. Swirls of black and dark gray. "...should any of you scheme against me, and I catch you red handed?" Bird's face fell into pure shadow, and he looked up with pure white eyes glowing from underneath his mask. He spoke with a dark tone, that radiated against itself, causing something like an echo. "I'll slit your throat before you have the chance act on it."
Just as quickly as it came, the darkness left. Bird's normal reality colors returned, along with a little grin. He knew it was a bit quick to let that persona show, but it was to offer some form of assurance. Something they might use to ground themselves, some sort of realism. If they went against Bird, it resulted in death. Everyone can at least grasp that concept, right? So maybe it would help in the long run..."But hey, why get into such a dark tone of conversation?" He grabbed his glass, chugged the contents till they were empty, and set it back down again. "So, any more questions? Or can we begin your new lives here, in my world?"
(Tagged - @Nivrad00 @Tarmagon @OverconfidentMagi @Nooguy)
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Nivrad00
Elder Member
Sophia put on a slight frown as the tough girl interrupted the conversation, but stayed silent as the other spoke. She continued listening unobtrusively, mind whirring with thoughts of mistrust and murder, until the miniature lightning flashed right beside her. Shocked out of her reverie, Sophia leaped off her stool and nearly fell, grabbing onto the wall for support.
"What the hell?" she commented as her heart raced.
Now on edge, she listened to Bird's response, and was almost calmed by his confident reassurance before his face began to turn into that of a nightmare. Involuntarily, Sophia took a few steps away from the counter, not daring to take her eyes off of him. He finished his warning, turned back, and tried to lighten the mood, but her eyes were still wide with shock. It was starting to feel like she was in over her head. All this talk of killing and betrayal was reminding her strongly of gang activity back home, except magical, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be associated with a magical gangster.
"Okay, hold up, hold up." Sophia approached the counter again. "No offense, Bird, but what if we don't wanna live in this messed-up world of yours? How do we get back home?"
"What the hell?" she commented as her heart raced.
Now on edge, she listened to Bird's response, and was almost calmed by his confident reassurance before his face began to turn into that of a nightmare. Involuntarily, Sophia took a few steps away from the counter, not daring to take her eyes off of him. He finished his warning, turned back, and tried to lighten the mood, but her eyes were still wide with shock. It was starting to feel like she was in over her head. All this talk of killing and betrayal was reminding her strongly of gang activity back home, except magical, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be associated with a magical gangster.
"Okay, hold up, hold up." Sophia approached the counter again. "No offense, Bird, but what if we don't wanna live in this messed-up world of yours? How do we get back home?"
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OverconfidentMagi
Laugh Like You've Won Always
Aaron Massimo
No one seemed like they were in the right mindset to play a game of pool, or even bother trying to fake wanting to play, so Aaron set up the balls and chalked one of the sticks for himself and set the other against the table. He'd said he was no good, but that was a lie. Self-deprecating comments often had the effect of making others lower their guard and make a person seem more trustworthy. Oh well, he was also good at making two-person activities work with one. He set his fingers on the table and sighted down the stick.
A crack sounded through the room. Aaron didn't immediately react, his brain thinking it was the sound of the break for the couple of seconds it took him to recognize that, no, he hadn't made his shot yet and that the cue ball was in fact still sitting right where it had been at the end of his stick. He set his stick against the table without taking the shot. It looked like they were getting to the whole superpower topic sooner rather than later. According to Bird the rough-looking guy might have Pyrokinesis or something similar. That foreign sense of wonder bubbled up inside his chest. Pyrokinesis, the ability to control fire. A wonderful, powerful, flashy ability. He hoped whatever ability he would manifest was as spectacular.
Suddenly, and seemingly without warning, the entire atmosphere in the room darkened. Aaron couldn't help but stand paralyzed staring at their host as he gave his threat, no, his promise. He was almost shaking with excitement from the sheer gravity held within the words Bird spoke. So this was a real supervillain in his prime. It was spectacular, awe-inspiring, chilling, and underlying it all, a challenge.
"Yes," he said softly under his breath. He was ready. The stupid grin had made its way back, and this time it was even more difficult to make go away.
No one seemed like they were in the right mindset to play a game of pool, or even bother trying to fake wanting to play, so Aaron set up the balls and chalked one of the sticks for himself and set the other against the table. He'd said he was no good, but that was a lie. Self-deprecating comments often had the effect of making others lower their guard and make a person seem more trustworthy. Oh well, he was also good at making two-person activities work with one. He set his fingers on the table and sighted down the stick.
A crack sounded through the room. Aaron didn't immediately react, his brain thinking it was the sound of the break for the couple of seconds it took him to recognize that, no, he hadn't made his shot yet and that the cue ball was in fact still sitting right where it had been at the end of his stick. He set his stick against the table without taking the shot. It looked like they were getting to the whole superpower topic sooner rather than later. According to Bird the rough-looking guy might have Pyrokinesis or something similar. That foreign sense of wonder bubbled up inside his chest. Pyrokinesis, the ability to control fire. A wonderful, powerful, flashy ability. He hoped whatever ability he would manifest was as spectacular.
Suddenly, and seemingly without warning, the entire atmosphere in the room darkened. Aaron couldn't help but stand paralyzed staring at their host as he gave his threat, no, his promise. He was almost shaking with excitement from the sheer gravity held within the words Bird spoke. So this was a real supervillain in his prime. It was spectacular, awe-inspiring, chilling, and underlying it all, a challenge.
"Yes," he said softly under his breath. He was ready. The stupid grin had made its way back, and this time it was even more difficult to make go away.
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Nooguy
Eternally perplexed and oblivious
Looking over to the dark haired man who was also sitting at the bar Angela listened to what he had to say, taking a drink from her own bottle before giving a soft sigh. "And you have a-HOLY SHIT!" Angela's train of thought and words were cut abruptly short at that sudden eruption from between Ryan's fingers, the brunette haired woman almost falling off of her stool before thankfully recovering after a slight tumble, coming to stand a foot or two from the bar with eyes understandably widened. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and the scent of ozone waft through the air in the aftermath of that sudden display of, to put it bluntly, superpowers.
Recovernig from the abrupt supernatural display Angela turned her attention to Bird as he began to give his response to the situation and her questions. However as the colorful man's hues began to darken and warp, his tone growing similarly as dark as he gave a rather grave warning before simply snapping back to his 'usual' self with a lighthearted quip. "Alright...that happened." She'd remark with a cocked eyebrow, looking to Bird with a hint of wariness after that dark display which didn't do much to calm Angela's agitated nerves. In fact ever since she'd arrived here Angela felt on edge, her body growing ever more tense. Taking a seat upon the stool she'd sat upon before the sudden shocking surprise the brunette slowly began to bounce her leg as if impatient. "Ah screw it I might as well see how deep the rabbit hole goes." Angela stated in her form of agreement, softly tapping her fingers against the bar surface.
Recovernig from the abrupt supernatural display Angela turned her attention to Bird as he began to give his response to the situation and her questions. However as the colorful man's hues began to darken and warp, his tone growing similarly as dark as he gave a rather grave warning before simply snapping back to his 'usual' self with a lighthearted quip. "Alright...that happened." She'd remark with a cocked eyebrow, looking to Bird with a hint of wariness after that dark display which didn't do much to calm Angela's agitated nerves. In fact ever since she'd arrived here Angela felt on edge, her body growing ever more tense. Taking a seat upon the stool she'd sat upon before the sudden shocking surprise the brunette slowly began to bounce her leg as if impatient. "Ah screw it I might as well see how deep the rabbit hole goes." Angela stated in her form of agreement, softly tapping her fingers against the bar surface.
Tarmagon
Murphy was an optimist.
Ryan took in the rather more ominous display that Bird put on with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. Internally, things were a little more interesting though.
"Multiple personality," he thought, careful to keep his face neutral. "That was the killer. Considering the seamlessness of the transition, the personalities are aware of each other, and can interchange at will. Best to keep an eye out, and not do anything to get that one's attention."
"Well, unless someone happens to have a subspace subway card, I guess this is our world as well now." Ryan said. "Name's Ryan. I'm good with my original worlds electronics, you don't want to get into a hand to hand fight with me, and I'll complete any job to the best of my abilities, or tell you flat out that I can't do it. That work for you Bird?"
"Multiple personality," he thought, careful to keep his face neutral. "That was the killer. Considering the seamlessness of the transition, the personalities are aware of each other, and can interchange at will. Best to keep an eye out, and not do anything to get that one's attention."
"Well, unless someone happens to have a subspace subway card, I guess this is our world as well now." Ryan said. "Name's Ryan. I'm good with my original worlds electronics, you don't want to get into a hand to hand fight with me, and I'll complete any job to the best of my abilities, or tell you flat out that I can't do it. That work for you Bird?"
GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
Bird
He took a gamble twice now, should he go for broke and make it a third? The first response to Bird's little display of darkness, was by none other then Sophia. The man found her concern, no, terror delightful. Was it wrong to take enjoyment from something like that? The villain passed off that thought for now, and instead focused on her question. In truth, the girl's question was one the man was wondering as well. The only reason the letters worked, was because they were small and compact. Bringing the people here was also simple, because it was more of dragging something, rather then pushing. So, could you return a person to their world? Without any existing data, it was unlikely. Most likely borderline impossible, even if Bird gave it a honest attempt. But he couldn't just tell Sophia that, nor the others. He wanted their support, after all. If the man told them they couldn't return home one day, which some might wish to, then it would crush their spirits. Why would they want to help, in that situation?
No. There's no way that could ever work. But maybe, if he told them it was possible, then it could spur them to stick with him? Something along the lines of, 'Yes, it's possible. But you have to earn it. Stay with me for awhile, and once you...pay it off, I'll send you back.' Blackmail? Kind of. Not specifically, but they might take it that way. But perhaps they'll agree with it, and stay. Then once sometime goes by, they'll realize just how fun this world can be! Or take the opposite side, and simply grow to hate it. But hey, why bother with emotions that haven't even been formed yet? Part of Bird chuckled at this entire thought train out loud. Imagine how mad Masuku would be, with how I decide to do this. He hoped the other people in the bar didn't hear him laugh, and misconstrue it.
The boy in the back was smiling once more, but the villain wasn't too sure why. Perhaps he had a sick fancy? Or...eh, might not as well bother with what you don't know. The rough girl seemed to accept Bird's promise to some extent, but it obviously still shook her. Her tapping, and slight shaking, wasn't out of fear though. The girl's face displayed more...agitation, then anything else. Certainly it wasn't because of the villain?...no. Her powers are probably manifesting. Bird reasoned. The tough guy introduced himself as Ryan. He took the little show of Bird's, with little more then simple curiosity. A small part in the back of the villain's brain started itching with it's own agitation. This was only cemented when Ryan gave his little speel. Despite being annoyed, Bird didn't show it at all. The only indication was a little upturn in the corner of his mouth, which looked more like a grin then anything else.
"Well," The villain looked at Sophia, "I can send you back." He let that sit for a moment, before continuing, "however, not for free. You see, sending and retrieving things from another world is taxing. It took a lot of energy to make those letters work, and even after three months, I'm still tired." That was a complete lie. Bird let the time he had been waiting slip on purpose, and added 'being tired' to make himself seem...weak. "So, I won't be ready to send anyone, or anything, through it for awhile...I'll tell you what, tag along with me in my flock, help us out, and when I'm ready I'll send you home. Work for you?" Without waiting for a reply, Bird turned to Ryan.
"Nice to meet you, Ryan." Another seem lace lie. The villain even offered a pleasant smile. "But, I must say, you got some stuff to correct. Such as, I would love to get into a hand to hand fight with you. Or any other kinda fight, really. And lastly," he looked the guy up and down, "I don't like hearing, 'I can't.' After I'm through with you all, there will be nothing you can't do." With that out of the way, Bird slipped the strange little bottle from under the counter, into his pocket.
"So," he addressed everyone in the room, "I feel like questions are out of the way, for now, at any rate. Let's get moving. We shouldn't be here any longer then needed." Not bothering to explain why, the villain exited the counter and headed for the opposite door they entered through. Opening it up led right into the outside, with the moon high in the air. Stars gleaned down, casting a silver glow on the vast amount of sand and dust. A couple distant hills radiated with the same light, making them look like far off buildings. But that wasn't their destination. Not too faraway was a parking lot, with a single car in it. Well...a limo, but still. It wasn't as long as most. It only had the driver's area, with four rows worth of seats in the back. It had two sets of doors, one for the driver and shotgun, and one in the back for everyone else. While it was black, it too glowed silver in the untainted light. Several dark windows encompassed the hull.
"I'll be driving, but everyone can feel free to sit wherever." Bird commented, as he opened the door into the cockpit. The interior had a similar aesthetic as the bar. While the seats were black leather, they were decorated with the red/orange lace. The roof of the car, and around the windows, also had the lace design. The villain turned the key, and the ignition roared the engine to life. The lights in the back came on, which had the same blue-neon glow of the bar. The driver's area had regular lighting to see all the controls clearly. For his sake more then anyone else, Bird let the reality colors die off, returning his clothes to normal. The man figured it would take a minute for everyone to get in, so he fiddled with the radio controls aimlessly.
(Tagged - @Nivrad00 @Tarmagon @OverconfidentMagi @Nooguy)
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Tarmagon
Murphy was an optimist.
Without giving anyone a chance to object, Ryan opened the door opposite the one Bird had used, slipping into the front passenger seat and letting it close behind him.
"I just like to see what I'm getting into," he said, as Bird fiddled with what looked like radio controls. "I need to see how different things are here."
Ryan took a minute to examine Bird, now that the strange distortion wasn't in effect. The word wiry came to mind. Not overly strong, but probably very quick.
"Is English the common language here?" he asked, "Or are we actually speaking something else and understanding your replies thanks to some more of those letter's mojo?"
"I just like to see what I'm getting into," he said, as Bird fiddled with what looked like radio controls. "I need to see how different things are here."
Ryan took a minute to examine Bird, now that the strange distortion wasn't in effect. The word wiry came to mind. Not overly strong, but probably very quick.
"Is English the common language here?" he asked, "Or are we actually speaking something else and understanding your replies thanks to some more of those letter's mojo?"
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Nivrad00
Elder Member
"What did you just say?" Sophia said in disbelief at the revelation that they couldn't go back home. Yet. That hadn't been in the letter. She tried to protest: "I'm sorry, you didn't think it was important to tell us we'd be trapped here?"
But Bird had already moved on. Conflicted and a little bit angry, she listened and followed the others outside with a furrowed brow. She wasn't even surprised that this mansion was out in the middle of a desert; of course it was somewhere unexpected.
It's not like she had a lot to go back to, she thought as she ducked inside the limo. But it was the principle of the thing.
But Bird had already moved on. Conflicted and a little bit angry, she listened and followed the others outside with a furrowed brow. She wasn't even surprised that this mansion was out in the middle of a desert; of course it was somewhere unexpected.
It's not like she had a lot to go back to, she thought as she ducked inside the limo. But it was the principle of the thing.
OverconfidentMagi
Laugh Like You've Won Always
Aaron Massimo
If he was at all disturbed by Bird's blatant blackmailing of him and every other person in the room, none of that feeling made itself known across Aaron's face. In fact, he wholly agreed with the villain's choice of actions. His grin fell into a quiet smirk that quickly faded from view. It was no wonder these peoples' first reaction upon being pulled into another world might be a desire to return back to where they'd come. But if it was that easy, why bother with the letters at all?
No, Aaron did not believe that moving things between worlds as the invitation and its writer claimed to be capable of was a simple matter. The logical side of him was still scanning every inch of each new room and out every dark window for some proof that that was even truly what had actually happened. He had no reason to believe Bird was lying to them, but neither did he have any reason to believe that he was being honest. After all, villains lied to get what they wanted, and either for the reasons he'd said or for some other reason entirely, Bird wanted the people he'd gathered to stick around for a while. And Aaron very much wanted the kinds of power he'd been promised and the kind of life it had been implied would come with it.
"When you think about it," he said aloud, seemingly to no one in particular, as he climbed into the back of the limousine Bird had prepared. "We're in another world, maybe, jumping into a vehicle being driven by a complete stranger at best, maybe, and a psychotic murderer super villain who suffers from sever split-personality disorder at worst, maybe, to a completely unknown destination. What's the worst that can happen?" He let slip a reassuring smile at the only other person already sitting in the back of the limousine. Had he caught her name earlier? He searched back through his memories of the night. "You introduced yourself to Bird as Sophia, Sophia Gross if I'm not mistaken." He wasn't, but just as confidence had its time and place, so did showing self-doubt.
"My name is Aaron."
If he was at all disturbed by Bird's blatant blackmailing of him and every other person in the room, none of that feeling made itself known across Aaron's face. In fact, he wholly agreed with the villain's choice of actions. His grin fell into a quiet smirk that quickly faded from view. It was no wonder these peoples' first reaction upon being pulled into another world might be a desire to return back to where they'd come. But if it was that easy, why bother with the letters at all?
No, Aaron did not believe that moving things between worlds as the invitation and its writer claimed to be capable of was a simple matter. The logical side of him was still scanning every inch of each new room and out every dark window for some proof that that was even truly what had actually happened. He had no reason to believe Bird was lying to them, but neither did he have any reason to believe that he was being honest. After all, villains lied to get what they wanted, and either for the reasons he'd said or for some other reason entirely, Bird wanted the people he'd gathered to stick around for a while. And Aaron very much wanted the kinds of power he'd been promised and the kind of life it had been implied would come with it.
"When you think about it," he said aloud, seemingly to no one in particular, as he climbed into the back of the limousine Bird had prepared. "We're in another world, maybe, jumping into a vehicle being driven by a complete stranger at best, maybe, and a psychotic murderer super villain who suffers from sever split-personality disorder at worst, maybe, to a completely unknown destination. What's the worst that can happen?" He let slip a reassuring smile at the only other person already sitting in the back of the limousine. Had he caught her name earlier? He searched back through his memories of the night. "You introduced yourself to Bird as Sophia, Sophia Gross if I'm not mistaken." He wasn't, but just as confidence had its time and place, so did showing self-doubt.
"My name is Aaron."
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Nivrad00
Elder Member
"Oh, well when ya put it like that it sounds like a vacation," grumbled Sophia. She put on a small smile anyway as she faced the other recruit, though she wasn't particularly feeling it. "Yeah, that's me alright. Nice to meet you, Aaron." She reached out a hand for a handshake.
She reclined in the leather seat and took in the interior of the car. Though she hated to admit it, she was kind of enjoying having luxurious accommodations for a change. "I guess the limo is a perk of being a super villain, huh?"
She reclined in the leather seat and took in the interior of the car. Though she hated to admit it, she was kind of enjoying having luxurious accommodations for a change. "I guess the limo is a perk of being a super villain, huh?"
Nooguy
Eternally perplexed and oblivious
And there was the 'motivation' to ensure the group of them were given a drive to go along with this Bird character's plans and designs. To be bluntly honest Angela really had nothing powerfully connecting her to her home world, but a pang of amused respect registered within the woman's mind seeing their host at least cover his bases where they were all concerned. "Well it seems we've met our group sunshine from that gleaming introduction, a pleasure Ryan." Angela quipped at Ryan from his introduction, a sly grin washing over her lips as she took another sip from the bottle still held within her left hand. It seemed that nobody really had any further questions to the situation, not at the current moment at least. Wordlessly getting up from her seat Angela followed the group, leaving her bottle behind, as they were lead from the extravagant bar to a rather sandy and arid outside where a sleek black stretch limousine awaited for them.
"Sheesh, really do everything highbrow dontcha?" The brunette remarked loosely to Bird as she walked toward the lengthy vehicle, the last to slip into the rear of the car. Looking around the inside of the limousine there seemed to be quite similar decor to the bar the lot of them had just left. Shifting to sit along the left section of the limo on one of the leather seats Angela looked to the others two who slipped in before her: Sophia and Aaron. A feeling of wariness rested upon Angela's mind as she looked to Sophia, the girl not seeming to like the situation very much, and honestly doesn't seem too suited for a life of crime from her. Aaron on the other hand seemed rather neutral in her opinion on how he could potentially handle the situation presented before him. At the blonde's remark about their situation Angela glanced out the tinted windows of their surroundings before giving her own answer. "Ah think of it as a fun little 'adventure' Aaron. I'm starting to somewhat look forward to see where this all takes us to be perfectly honest." The brunette remarked as she softly bounced her left leg as she spoke. "The name's Angela by the way, nice to meet both of you."
"Sheesh, really do everything highbrow dontcha?" The brunette remarked loosely to Bird as she walked toward the lengthy vehicle, the last to slip into the rear of the car. Looking around the inside of the limousine there seemed to be quite similar decor to the bar the lot of them had just left. Shifting to sit along the left section of the limo on one of the leather seats Angela looked to the others two who slipped in before her: Sophia and Aaron. A feeling of wariness rested upon Angela's mind as she looked to Sophia, the girl not seeming to like the situation very much, and honestly doesn't seem too suited for a life of crime from her. Aaron on the other hand seemed rather neutral in her opinion on how he could potentially handle the situation presented before him. At the blonde's remark about their situation Angela glanced out the tinted windows of their surroundings before giving her own answer. "Ah think of it as a fun little 'adventure' Aaron. I'm starting to somewhat look forward to see where this all takes us to be perfectly honest." The brunette remarked as she softly bounced her left leg as she spoke. "The name's Angela by the way, nice to meet both of you."
GossipLink
I drink coffee, oh and I love my fish waifus :>
Bird
It wasn't long before someone else entered the vehicle. Choosing the passenger seat, was none other then Ryan. The one person Bird had a bit of a problem with. Not that the tough guy deserved it, in truth, he really didn't. But at the same time, you can't exactly blame the villain from feeling that way. Normally, even in a world of regular crime, it's normal from a bad guy to be proud of his abilites. When someone else comes along, and claims to be better? It tickles that little funny part of your brain, and not in a good way. Of course, Ryan hadn't quite done that. Or at the least, Bird reasoned, that the other guy hadn't meant that in anyway. But, Bird wasn't just a 'bad guy'. He was a super villain. A Roamer. Having such a high amount of magical talent, really screws with your psyche. So to the villain, it was justifiable to feel this way. Even still, the reasonable part of Bird told the other parts to cram it.
The first thing the villain did, was flip a switch. If the icon was any indication, it opened up a two-way intercom, between the front and back. The conversation going on in the rear was a bit loud at first, so Bird adjusted the volume. Now it was just loud enough to be heard clearly, but not so much that it would interrupt Bird's and Ryan's own conversation. He did this for two main reasons, 1; to keep an ear on things, and, 2; so that any questions the villain answers, wouldn't have to be repeated.
"Well...we are speaking English, yes. I'm not even sure if my magic could distort reality so much that...eh, anyway, it's not the main language, no." The villain shook his head, more so at himself then anything else. "Let me ah...re-say that. English is the main language here," Bird gestured out towards the sandy landscape, "in a country called, 'America'. But there are a lot of other countries, with other languages. Like China, Japan, ah...France? Yeah." The man then looked at Ryan directly. "Do you guys have those countries back where you came from? Because it seems we have a lot of similarities." The language, clothes, hell even the dialect were all the same pretty much. It seemed reasonable to assume that these people came from a very similar world.
While waiting for an answer, Bird stepped on the gas. Slow at first, so it wouldn't throw anyone around. But he was picking up the speed. By the time the limo pulled out of the parking lot, they were almost going ninety MPH. Most cars like this couldn't get that fast, or at least, not this fast so quickly. But for whatever reason, this one could. Between the giant mansion, and this car? What kind of people could possibly own it all? The villain inwardly shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. If he, of all people, didn't know about it, then it wasn't worth looking into. Besides, they had a lot of mileage to cover before they got to their destination. No sense in wasting that time contemplating meaningless thoughts.
(Tagged - @Tarmagon |[Other's involved] @OverconfidentMagi @Nivrad00 @Nooguy)
Tarmagon
Murphy was an optimist.
"Sounds a lot like home, " Ryan said. He noted the speed which the limo piled on, as well as Bird's apparent surprise at the acceleration.
"Not his, " he thought. "No real surprise there I guess."
"What's the state of your forensic sciences here? " he asked. "I'm sure we left tons of DNA evidence back at that mansion, and since I'm going to be helping you, getting added to a database immediately seems, counterproductive."
Ryan let his gaze roam the interior of the limo before glancing outside. Something seemed to be buzzing just at the limit of his hearing, but as he tried to pin down the source, it faded away. Returning his gaze to the interior, he didn't notice the high tension power lines receding behind the massive vehicle as it sped towards Bird's destination.
"Not his, " he thought. "No real surprise there I guess."
"What's the state of your forensic sciences here? " he asked. "I'm sure we left tons of DNA evidence back at that mansion, and since I'm going to be helping you, getting added to a database immediately seems, counterproductive."
Ryan let his gaze roam the interior of the limo before glancing outside. Something seemed to be buzzing just at the limit of his hearing, but as he tried to pin down the source, it faded away. Returning his gaze to the interior, he didn't notice the high tension power lines receding behind the massive vehicle as it sped towards Bird's destination.
