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 Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:21 pm
A Greater Dystopia Imagine a world ruled by a single dictator and his army--a world called Earth that is much like the Earth that we know. The world's population is restricted to large walled cities, though it is assumed that uncivilized people still live in the wilderness. Most of society doesn't chafe under this rule, and the majority of people are content to live their lives in their walled cities, working their jobs, spending their money, and raising their children. The benevolent dictator is just that. He runs a policy of no interference, far from the policy set in place by his grandfather who originally brought together all of the warring countries into one united world.
Space travel, while heard of, hasn't advanced farther than near interplanetary. The nearby planets in this solar system have been terraformed and made livable, but none are as densely populated as Earth, and most simply serve as colonies or military outposts. Dictator Alyce and his Council call home a magnificent airship large enough to block the sunlight from an entire city. The airship, called aptly The Base, circles Earth in the atmosphere, always hovering several miles above the planet's surface. Within the lower reaches of The Base is the largest mobile military unit in known existence, including fleets of smaller airships and amphibian units.
Alyce, our dictator, is a young man in his late teens. He is known to be physically sickly, and treats the world as his own--a spoiled child. Luckily for the average citizen, due to a constitution set in place by his grandfather, he employs a Council as a check on his power. Unluckily for the special citizen, both governmental powers have a particularly strong distaste for beings that have risen above the average human.
And now we grow nearer to understanding the conflict that has arisen.
In this world there has always been a portion of the population that was acknowledged to be better than every one else. You, perhaps, would call them superheroes, and at one time they were worshipped as gods. As the human population rose exponentially and the birthrates of the Greater stayed the same, their standing in society fell from godhood to mere celebrity status. Sometimes they had strange powers, or were like enhanced human beings, but they appeared to be just as normal as the rest of us. It was considered their duty to protect society where it was needed, and their opinions were held in extremely high regard by whatever or whoever was ruling society at the time. They never ruled though, usually content to sit on the sidelines or stay behind the curtain, and whenever one decided he wanted to take advantage of the power he'd been given, the others had no problem with putting him down.
Thus, it was a surprise when Alyce the First began his war against the Greater. He'd recently united the planet into a single functional unit, and he'd done so without much bloodshed, bringing down a terrible series of tyrannies and instating a peaceful rulership. He was worshipped as a saviour of peace, and perhaps that was the only reason his laws went unopposed. The Greater found themselves hated where before they'd been loved, and many died at the hands of the military and the general population before they learned to keep their powers and their specialness hidden.
We enter the story nearly half a century after the hatred of the Greater really began. Usually, those who have survived society go on with their lives trying to keep hidden, never marrying, and never meeting others like them. But a small group of the Greater have found each other, adopting a gigantic old house in the heart of their walled city as a base. They are determined to force society to again allow them to be who they were born to be, and to do so, they must confront Alyce III and show him how wrong he is.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:22 pm
PM me your profiles so I can put them up here.[size=11][imgright]Place here the url of your character's image.[/imgright][color=postingcolor][b]Puppetmaster[/b]. . . .:: [/color]Your username[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Name[/b]. . . .:: [/color]Your character's name goes here[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Age[/b]. . . .:: [/color]Your character's age[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Gender[/b]. . . .:: [/color]Male or female?[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Power[/b]. . . .:: [/color]You have one, choose wisely, be creative[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Personality[/b]. . . .:: [/color]A few short sentences on your character's personality. Remember that his or her powers and past will very likely have a direct effect of his or her personality.[color=postingcolor] ::.
[b]Background[/b]. . . .:: [/color]I don't need a novel, just give me an idea of what your character has gone through and what brought them to the house.[color=postingcolor] ::.[/color][/size]  Puppetmaster. . . .:: BriarRose ::.
Name. . . .:: Storm Wulfe ::.
Age. . . .:: 27 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Female ::.
Power. . . .:: Shapeshifting ::.
Personality. . . .:: Flighty and unsure of herself, Storm is at the same time bold and decisive. She's a great tangle of paradoxes, sure at one minute that the best thing to do is storm the castle, but the next moment, she feels it would be best to sit back and watch as things unfold. Her personality is hard to map out for just this reason, and many people simply give up at trying to anticipate her. Eventually, a pattern will emerge of an intelligent and generally cheerful girl who wants more than anything to be free to do as she wants. ::.
Background. . . .:: Storm was born to a pair of military parents; her mother a doctor, and her father a combat specialist. On The Base, she led a relatively normal life until she left the massive airship for scholarly pursuits. Storm found herself in one of the many walled cities, attending a university, where she eventually took an anatomy class. That was when her power manifested. With the understanding of the inner workings of the kitten her class dissected, Storm found herself able to manipulate her own innards to resemble that of a cat. With practice, she found that she could do it easily and quickly with little pain, and the more animals they studied, the more animals she could become. As she learned more academically, she learned more about her powers; and the more she learned about her powers, the more her personality grew to reflect the things that she became. A large part of her hated that she had the abilities that marked her as Greater, but her mind rationally told her that there was nothing she could do about it except keep the secret from her parents.
Curiosity eventually drove her to attempt to further her abilities by furthering her education in biology and anatomy, and she eventually finished university as a veterinary doctor. Under the guise as a student and a good member of the community, Storm began her search for other people like her. During this search, she escaped capture from angry people and government officials on many occasions, each time growing more and more convinced that it was unfair to treat the Greater as they did. After years of searching, however, she found only one other. The old man was near death when she found him--he'd been mobbed by neighbors who had known him for years--left to die because his power to grow plants was noted. He'd merely tried to overcome a drought and slipped up in his facade.
Storm did her best to ease the old man's passing, and he told her in his last days of others that he'd found like them, and of the hope that he had that some day his power could be used to help people openly. With his passing, Storm bought his house cheaply and fixed it up, taking care of the garden that he loved and searching for those people whose names the old man had listed. Each person found was invited to the old house to live in peace with the eventual hope that freedom for their type would someday be found. ::. ___________________________________________________________________________ 
Puppetmaster. . . .:: Demir23 ::.
Name. . . .:: Suhikaru Retsu ::.
Age. . . .:: 22 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Male ::.
Power. . . .:: Empathic Manipulation ::.
Personality. . . .:: At first glance, Retsu might seem like an open and caring person, willing to endure almost any hardship for the good of the people around him. This is an utter facade. Underneath this warm exterior lies a cold hearted and angry man, full of almost uncontrollable hatred. He is willing to go to any lengths to abate this festering anger, to the point where those few who have really known him have come to call him ‘monster’. But he hides this anger underneath a clam and gentle exterior, doing his best to hide his ugliness from the world. For somewhere within that anger is a desire to make some kind of difference, regardless of what kind of difference that might be. So he does his best to conceal and channel his anger, so that he might be able to make some kind of impact on the world. ::.
Background. . . .:: Retsu was born into nothing, no family or home to speak of. In order to survive he learned how to read people at an early age, the first manifestation of his powers. This allowed him to play off of the people’s sympathy and kindness while mostly avoiding the cruel and abusive individuals who also wandered the streets. However, he wasn’t alone. He lived on the streets with his ‘brother’, a young man by the name of Suhikaru. Either by coincidence or some strange fate, Suhikaru was also gifted, possessing the power to manipulate electricity at will. The two hid their powers from everyone but each other, and they continued living off the street like that for several years, each of their gifts evolving over time.
It was around this time that Retsu experienced a shift in his powers. Suddenly he wasn’t just able to read other people’s emotional spectrums, he could also manipulate their emotions to some degree. As time passed, he began to grow into this new power, recognizing how his own emotional status corresponded to his ability to manipulate other people. However, his newfound contentment was not to last. His brother made a mistake, getting caught in public stealing from one of the nobles. Cornered, scared, and angry at his predicament, he did the only thing he could think of. He unleashed his powers on his pursuers. And for a short time it seemed as if it had worked. The guards had been vanquished and Suhikaru had escaped without a hitch. At least, everything seemed all right until the royal guard showed up.
A week later and Suhikaru was dead, his underdeveloped powers no match for the combined strength and skill of the royal guard. To add insult to injury, the guard wouldn’t even acknowledge Retsu as Suhikaru’s comrade, dismissing Suhikaru’s supposed power to some kid’s imagination. And so, Retsu was not even allowed to die with his beloved brother, and for the first time he fell into isolation.
Some time has passed since that day, and Retsu has become a young man, having taken on Suhikaru's name as his family title. He has gained some small prestige amongst the noble classes for his abilities as both an advisor and negotiator, and has come into some money for his work. However, he has not forgotten what happened to his brother that fateful day, not has he ever forgotten the hatred for the ‘normals’ that still festers within him. He has been biding his time, attempting to reach a position where he might cause sufficient damage with his gift. His patience has failed him though, and upon hearing rumors of a safe house for Greaters he sought it out as discretely as possible. The possibility of gaining potential allies and tools for his struggle was far too tempting to pass up. And so he arrives at the safe house in question, looking for an outlet for his hatred. ::.___________________________________________________________________________ 
Puppetmaster. . . .:: dragn99 ::.
Name. . . .:: Zap Tiwanlo ::.
Age. . . .:: 18 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Dude ::.
Power. . . .:: Energy manipulation ::.
Personality. . . .:: Although he was never one to start a fight, Zap never backed down from one either. Normally a quiet person, he tends to open up and talk only to those he's comfortable around, prefering to let others do the talking when encountering new people. He tends to exude an odd sense of calmness even in the most stressful of situations, never snapping under pressure. ::.
Background. . . .:: Growing up, Zap had never been alone. He always made sure to have at least one close friend nearby at all times, or, at the very least, a friend he was comfortable with. As such, he had developed a bit of monophobia; something he had had to work on in later years. Since before he could remember, he'd had some sense of his power, though controlling it had only come with hours of practice every week over the course of several years.
Like many, Zap knew to "fear" those with powers from a young age, and thus, never told his parents of his own unique gift. Years went on with Zap keeping this part of him a secret to all, until he heard about a small group of others like him, the Greater. It didn't take him long to find and join their group. ::.___________________________________________________________________________  Puppetmaster. . . .:: Nicolao ::.
Name. . . .:: Leonardo "Leo" Quixano ::.
Age. . . .:: 17 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Male ::.
Power. . . .:: Metal Manipulation ::.
Personality. . . .:: Innitially he is very quiet and easily chased away. If one gets him to open up he comes off as immature when someone gets him to talk. This is actually because he is an extreamly curious person who asks alot of questions and acts brashly. He can be rather quiet and a good listener. He tends to, grow easily attached to people, convincing himself he has tons of 'freinds'. Unfortunately this is hurtful as he tends to put the needs his 'freinds' first. ::.
Background. . . .:: Leo was actually born in a relevantly well-to-do family. His father and mother were well-educated, public figures in a city. They were sure that Leo, along with his two older brothers were pampered and educated like the other boys and girls of their status. When Leo was six he and his brothers were ditching school to play in a junk yard. His brothers, in cruel joke, stuck Leo in a metal crate and covered it with heavy scraps. Leo at first did not mind, he was used to being picked on. But when his brothers began joking about leaving him Leo panicked and tried frantically to break out. The brothers laughed and didn't help him out, but somehow as Leo pounded his fists on the metal the crate began thinning and breaking till Leo was free. All the brothers, including Leo, were surprised and ran home to tell their parents about what had happened.
Immediately Leo's parents held the boy home, instead of going to school his father gave him coins and asked him to do something with them. Leo grew frustrated and melted the coins somehow, confirming his parents fears. The parents, though they loved their son, were afraid of him and what the public would think. They immediatly plotted to getting rid of their youngest child. He was supposedly killed by a desease when in reality he was driven out to a strange city and left on the doorstep of an orphanage.
Leo did not understand why his powers were bad, but he knew it was why his parents had abandoned him, so he avoided using them again, mostly by avoiding metal objects. Since his discovery he found that in emotional states metal tended to bend, break, or melt at his touch. As he grew older he realized he was a Greater, and despised by the society he lived in. He decided to refine his powers enough to control them and be able to hide them properly instead of simply avoiding metal. He was caught once experimenting with animating metal creatures behind the orphanage and was forced to flee that city.
He's then spent the last three years as a homeless child, doing odd jobs and managing to eat on that. He eventually came upon the home for his kind and was more than overjoyed to be invited in. He was glad to not have to hide who he was from these people, but he still hold a hope that society might change so he could go back to his family and that they might even be proud of him. ::.___________________________________________________________________________  Puppetmaster. . . .:: Skyuu ::.
Name. . . .:: John F. Skyanger ::.
Age. . . .:: 24 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Male ::.
Power. . . .:: Draconic bloodline ::.
Personality. . . .:: John is a person that prefers to keep to himself most of the time, avoiding company and longer conversations. Being very calm, capable of enduring quite a lot before "exploding" with anger, he'd growl or send a couple sharp lines before yelling or using force. He is very shy, reserved and suspicious towards others, finding it hard to make new acquaintances, friendships and so on. He has a very kind heart though and is easily fooled by someone who is or seems to be in need. However, his great memory often prevents him from falling into the same hole twice. John's mind is a very strategic one, his words often contain a hint or two of the archaic speech not used often in the modern world. Eager to learn and discover new things. He dislikes taking physical effort in order to achieve something, however, looking for easier ways or such that do not require force. He's simply more of a thinker rather than a person that would stand in the first line and charge an enemy. Sometimes behaves like a noble, looking down upon others due to his bloodline. ::.
Background. . . .:: John tied a really close bond with his family. In an atmosphere of love, trust and compassion, he lived through his early years and all the way to maturity. During various blood tests performed during that period, however, John never had his group directly verified. It was thought of some silly error or research mistake until the boy was suspected not to be a natural human being, but some sort of abomination. Various symptoms - like visible seclusion from his classmates, rapid recovery, faster body growth, pointed ears or behaviours not suiting a civilised human being (like growling), further classified him as something inhuman. Unfortunately - no positive thoughts were connected to this discovery.
Once reaching the age of 18 and deciding to pick up further studies, John was declined the choice and asked to undergo various tests and eventually become part of the army (his recovery abilities being noticed and taken record of). Unwilling to surrender and get his parents into trouble, John fled from home with the knowledge he managed to get a hold of thus far, and decided to live a life of an outlaw, hiding from the government. With the soon declared hostility towards the so called "Greater", John began to fear for his life. Realising he had no right to call himself "human" nor "normal", he began his search to find an asylum, a place to rest, recover his thoughts and plan out his future instead of constantly running.
That place was - as he hoped, supposed to be the "House of the Greater", as he liked to call it. After the years of hiding, living day by day both thanks to thievery and cunning - nothing he'd find too nice to keep in his record, he decided to seek out and find this house, hoping this would be the new home where he would be able to rest. He wasn't sure what greeting was he supposed to expect - warmth or hostility? Not knowing what exactly having an unnatural bloodline meant, he prayed for a bit of time to study and get to know it better, using it to his aid rather than threat. ::.___________________________________________________________________________  Puppetmaster. . . .:: xXmidnightvalentineXx ::.
Name. . . .:: Kaylen Notch ::.
Age. . . .:: 21 ::.
Gender. . . .:: Female ::.
Power. . . .:: Thought Manipulation ::.
Personality. . . .:: Most see Kaylen as a mysterious and charming woman. They normally can't figure out if she is really cold hearted or caring. The truth is that she is not a very kind person sometimes. She will do just about anything that she wants, even if she knows that it will hurt someone else. That is partly why she is reserved and is hard to get to. Growing up having people fear and hate you can make you resent them all and your heart to grow cold as well. Somewhere in her she is still a caring woman though it's really hard to see. ::.
Background. . . .:: Kaylen was born into a world of hate. Her parents left her when she was only an infant and never returned. For years she lived with her aunt and uncle. Things went smoothly up until she was at the age of four. It was then that they began to notice she wasn't exactly an average little girl. They noticed that when they spoke to her it was almost as if she could read their minds. It was when she turned five they made her secret public. The people that once treated her so kindly were now looking at her as if she were a monster. Soon she was forced to leave her aunt and uncles and live out on the streets in fear of being found again.
It was still hard to live out on the streets like that when you are so young. Lucky for Kaylen, she was already intelligent beyond her years. She was able to survive and learn so much from the thoughts of others. All the while she learned to keep her ability a secret though and to train it further. She found that her ability had to do with the whole thought process she could do more than hear thoughts of others if she really wanted to. She had the ability to manipulate others thoughts. She knew that if anyone found out about that though, they would not be happy and she would end up killed or used. That was something she could never stand for so she learned to blend in and use her abilitiy to her advantage.
Being able to look into peoples minds she was able to make a living for herself. She breezed through school easily and soon had a degree in medicine. For a few years she worked as a doctor but she found that helping people just wasn't her strongest calling. So it wasn't long before she quit her job and left it for another to do. Having already made quite a bit of money for herself she was still able to live quite nicely without a real job for a while. In that time she noticed something that she hadn't before. Something had always been missing from her life she could never figure out what it was though. Eventually she was noticed as an intelligent woman and was put to work in the government. It's harder to keep her ability secret as she works for the very man who wishes all of her kind dead but she manages it quite nicely. She simply sees this as a way to get more information. Besides, the closer you are the enemy, the better.
It has been a few years since Kaylen joined the government and she has taken out a few of her own kind. They were ignorant though so she really didn't mind. They were the kind of people who got lost in power and ended up losing themselves in it. She did gain something from taking them out though, more trust from her enemies and information on a group of her kind. Apparently there was a safe house, where people like her were staying and surviving together. At first she thought of going straight there but her lack of trust in others made her think more about it. She was unsure if the place was actually as safe as the people in it thought. What would happen when they were all found out? They couldn't really hope to defeat the rest of the world could they? Those were her doubts in group but in the end she decided to go and at least check it out. If she decided not to join them then she wouldn't give them away to be killed so it wouldn't really make a difference.
::.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:35 pm
Rulez
.:: Post regularly. Like, preferably, every day or every other day. After a week of no posting, we'll assume your character mobbed and dead. Sad.
.:: Gaia ToS. You'll find I'm obsessed with not outlining everything listed in the ToS, but people seem to need reminding.
.:: Combat will be present. Don't kill off my NPCs (though you may kill your own) and don't kill each other if it'll cause an upset. This also assumes that you shouldn't god-mode.
.:: Post a small image of your character's face at the beginning of each post. I like to be reminded of what they look like ;D
.:: Don't post in a color that hurts to read, like cyan or pink. I like my sight, as bad as it is.
.:: If you're here, you're some form of literate. I don't expect anything more advanced than what is required to be accepted into the guild, but every once in a while, a long introspective post will make me happy.
.:: Don't you dare make posts that are only OoC. You can tack on a question or a comment at the end of an IC post, but if you wanna chat, run to the main forum. It's only a little click away.
.:: Have fun!!!
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:10 pm
 The woman sat comfortably on the giant chocolate coloured sofa, her small feet tucked underneath her legs. Long brown hair was in a tidy disarray with beads and ribbons scattered throughout, but they were arranged in such a way that, should her hair be tied up, it would be fetching. She looked a good deal younger than she was, but not in the pathetic way that most women her age did; her inner child shone through full lips and pale skin, dancing eyes and a petite nose. Her prettiness was evident in her face, but it wasn't perfect, and the imperfections were evident, so she couldn't be called gorgeous or beautiful, especially because those words implied some degree of voluptuousness. A rose colored tube-top style shirt fit snugly around her chest, held in place by a length of elastic. Another bit of elastic held the material-heavy bottom in place just above her belly button, revealing just a glimpse of a fit abdomen that spoke more of fast metabolism than of active exercise. She wore a peach and yellow skirt that fell to her ankles, though the length was difficult to determine from her sitting position, and around her waist was a tan leather belt adorned with beads to match the ones in her hair.
She shifted, better revealing the length of the skirt, and drew her knees up to her chest, showing bare feet and handmade anklets. The woman's light brown eyes were calm, but her hands were shaking as she studied a small and ornate piece of paper. On the cushion beside her, an envelope of the same material lay open, its indigo wax seal broken, and the airship on it was split into three pieces. Dark brown hair of a feathery texture was splayed around her bare shoulders, the beads and ribbons in it clicking together as she turned her head to take a look at the envelope, and her hands switched their positions. She gnawed on her lower lip as she began studying the envelope as intently as she'd been studying the note, though she'd presumably done that already. On the front in ornate gold lettering was the name 'Storm Wulfe'--presumably her name--and when she saw it again, she sighed deeply.
When Storm received the letter, her eyes had widened fearfully, for she recognized the seal as that of Alyce III. For several minutes after dismissing the messenger, she'd simply stared at the seal, trying to understand why she'd been sent something directly from the dictator's office. Had they discovered her secret? Did they know about the residents of her home? Was it her parents? Had they been promoted? Was Alyce III commandeering her business? In the end, all she could do was find a place to sit and open the letter. So, Storm made her way to one of the three common rooms in the building, and she seated herself at her favorite sofa where she cracked the seal into three pieces and drew out the letter. That was where we came in.
The letter invited her to a party for this district's doctors. Later, when she regained her senses, Storm would call a few friends in her profession to check if they got the same letter, but at this moment, she was busy plotting. If this letter was for real, this would be the perfect chance for her to have the upper hand with Alyce III on a personal level. For several hours, she would only be a dozen feet away from the man, and if she played her cards right, she would perhaps be able to get closer to the man. He was an animal lover, right? She thought she'd heard something of that nature...hadn't she? Animal lovers have pets, and pets get sick, and sick pets need a good vet. Even if he wasn't, and the rumor was false, the Base would have people with animals that needed looking after. Perhaps the whole purpose of this party was to recruit new people of the medical profession to support the military...A smile began to spread across Storm's face, taking off another five years from her appearance. Oh, her friends would get a kick outta this when she told them. Standing, Storm left the room in search of familiar faces.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:41 pm
 Zap could be found in his usual spot, the basement. Shortly after he had moved into the house, he had transfered all his possessions there. Other than a small amount of clothing, his belongings were mainly electronic, either video games, a small yet powerful laptop, and half a dozen non-working cell phones. Not many knew why Zap collected these useless phones, he wasn't too sure himself. He chalked it up to a quirky side affect of his power, cell phones had easily manipulated energy, and so were good for training. At the moment though, he was playing some obscure game in a language he didn't really understand. It was mostly a hack n' slash type though, so he figured he was making good progress.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:36 pm
Retsu sighed to himself as he stood outside of the large stone structure which held the promise of either salvation or damnation. If this panned out, he might finally find some people willing to sympathize with his cause and help him fight against the oppression of the Greaters. Then he could manipulate those people for his own ends. A small grin appeared on his face, his inner darkness flaring up for a moment before being quickly concealed. Chuckling to himself, he approached the entranceway of the building, his white robes billowing around him.
He was an odd sight to be sure. He wore a simple white cloth jacket and a white pair of hakuma, baggy white pants which seemed to float around his legs, falling down around partially concealed white boots. What made this an even odder sight was his hair, a bright red which seemed even more impressive when in comparison with his drab outfit. It was certainly an eccentric style of clothing, however it was one he was able to afford. It showed off a lean physique which Retsu held no pride for, nor felt any shame of. He was fit, he knew it, and he didn't care. Shrugging his jacket into place over his shoulders, he reached out to knock on the door yet hesitated.
From inside the complex he felt a someone. Their emotional spectrum was tense, fear and distrust flaring up over the other emotions. For a moment he wondered if he'd been compromised, but a few moments later and the person's spectrum changed again, flowing to a clam state, and then an almost joyful, self satisfied state. That was interesting. His curiosity overcoming his caution, he rapped on the door loudly, then letting his arm fall to his side once more. This could be interesting.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:42 pm
 Leo rummaged through a garbage can humming to himself and letting out little happy squeaks as he found tin cans. He was arranging them in a cirle around himself, carefully ordered from cleanest to dirtiest. Once he was done he threw back all but the cleanest five cans. He collected them up and bundled them in the slack from his sweater. He made his way home humming happily, like someone who's just found money or some little treasure on the ground.
Leo stopped about a yard from the stone building that he had recently come to regognize as 'home'. There was tall and certainly intimidating man on the doorstep, Leo didn't recognize him. But if the man was even interested in the old place meant he was likely the same as him, Greater. "U-um..." Leo couldn't quite get what he wanted to say out. He really didn't like asking others if they were Greater, most anyone with sense wouldn't answer or would deny it, Leo knew from experience it could be a dangerous topic an would himself have denied being Greater. He instead squeezed around him quietly and grabbed the door knob. He didn't need to use a key unlock it, he manipulated the metal the second he touched it rendering the lock open.
He looked at the man, standing just in the doorway. He knew better than to let in complete strangers, though, little Leo was a pitiful defense in comparison to the door he's opened. "Would you like me to find Miss Wulfe for you?" he asked, if the man knew who she was Leo assumed he had business there.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:06 am
Retsu blinked as he felt another presence behind him, this one possessing a quiet, almost serene emotional state. This fluctuated slightly as the boy spoke to him, leaving Retsu to smile politely to him. Since the boy had opened the door he assumed that the he was probably a Greater, but didn't bring it up. Such conversation was dangerous, meant for a more private setting. Instead he merely sent out reassuring, positive emotions to the boy, attempting to increase the boy's trust in him. Politely he said, "Ah, if you would that would be great. I'm afraid I'm not used to this area yet. Truth be told I was a bit worried I'd be out here by myself all night." He laughed pleasantly at this, making a mental note of the name Wulfe. Strategy was his battlefield, information was his weapon. And with every new piece of information he gathered Retsu became that much more dangerous. "Um.... And you are?" he said in a shy manner, attempting to understate his own presence. He had become a skilled actor, able to make himself appear as he desired on command. However, it was but a thin curtain concealing his dormant anger, and if brushed aside Retsu would dramatically change in an instant. But hey, that was highly unlikely.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:26 am
Just as the door clicked open, Storm had been on her way to the basement to find Zap--he could usually be counted on to be found in that location, and she felt an overwhelming desire to share her good news. But, coincidence would have her standing barely five feet from the door as it swung open to reveal the figures of two young men shadowing the doorway. She cried out happily and ran to hug the familiar shape of Leo, a full decade her junior, but advanced by the hardships he'd endured. "Leo!" She exclaimed with a bright smile, "I got a letter from--oh." Storm's brown eyes widened as she realized that the other man was an unfamiliar one.
A pale blush stained her cheeks as she stepped back and self consciously smoothed her skirt. With a formal bow to the man, she began taking stock of his appearance and stance, sharpening her hearing to catch his heartrate. The pupils of her eyes elongated and dilated, and suddenly the sunlight behind his back didn't matter--she could make him out clearly. The man was tall and confusing, his light clothing offsetting his bright hair in an odd manner. Her own chaos was at least understandable, but this man's unbalanced appearance made her want to c**k her head in an attempt to understand, as dogs do when they hear a strange noise. The confusion only lasted a moment, though, as she came to the same conclusion that Leo had; that this man must be another like them.
Storm bowed her head and dipped a light curtsey without taking her eyes off of him. When she spoke, they shifted from studying his appearance to meet his eyes. She said quietly, "My name is Storm Wulfe. Please, come inside so we can conduct business in a more intimate environment." It was what she said to every newcomer, carefully neutral, welcoming to those who wanted the welcome, and concerning to those who didn't seek it. She waited to see how he would respond, her happiness over the letter suddenly replaced with wariness of the stranger.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:48 am
Storm Wulfe, huh? It was getting more and more interesting.
Giving the woman a slight bow, he flashed her a pleasant smile. He was pleased by her sudden shift from upbeat to wary upon noticing him, as that meant there was more to her than one might first think. Hmm? he thought as he looked at her eyes curiously. They had seemed to change... somehow. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something different than before. Curiouser and curiouser... he thought with an inward grin. He was almost starting to enjoy himself.
He gave a slightly embarrassed, apologetic look to Wulfe, as though he was at fault. "Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Suhikaru Retsu. But you may address me as Retsu if you'd like." He smiled courteously to her, sending warm emotions to her in order to loosen her guard a bit. While he appreciated her cautiousness, he'd be better off if she accepted him more readily.
At her comment about moving inside for more private conversation, he was almost unable to suppress his grin. Man she was good. He wondered vaguely how many times she had done this before. And how many times it hadn't gone well. "Then, if you would..." he said quietly, before slowly stepping inside of the complex. He realized that if he was right about who they were and it turned out that they didn't like him, he could be in trouble. He was in better shape than the average human, but that wouldn't help him against other Greater. And his power wasn't exactly designed for combat.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:36 am
Leo really couldn't help himself, thinking the man was lost and relevantly defenseless, "Oh, we wouldn't leave you out in the cold." He smiled as if already connecting with him in that sense. Leo had often had to sleep outside, and he never did like the stiff joints he woke up with.
Leo saw Storm and grinned, "Hi, I got home! And look I got some cans to play with!" He truly was amused by the old things. He knew another boy, around his age, lived in the house and had video games and such, but Leo hadn't had such things in the orphanage and had learned instead to manipulate common metal junk as a sort of fun. Otherwise his hobby was reading, but books wern't found in garbage cans.
He hushed up and looked between Wulfe and Retsu quietly. Since they wanted to talk more privately Leo closed the front door, locking it again. Considering Storm didn't seem to know Retsu he decided not to immediatly leave least asked to, Leo was afterall a bit curious about the man. But it was Storm's home, and it was her business. Leo felt a bit intrusive and decided, in the end, he ought to go.
"I'm goanna go downstairs and check on Zap, kay?" Leo said to dismiss himself. He jingled his cans a little as he went towards the basement to check on the other boy. "Call me if you need help or anything."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:05 am
Being caught up in a relatively difficult part of his game, Zap didn't realize that Leo was downstairs until he heard the clinking of the cans almost right behind him. Of course, Leo was the only one that would collect random bits of metal. "Hey Leo," Zap called out, not turning his focus from the screen, "get anything good today, or just more scraps of metal?" Sometimes when Leo went out, he'd find a broken cell phone or watch that Zap could use, but not often.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:35 am
"Well, I found a watch, but I accidently melted the metal parts inside cause I got way too excited... I'm sorry, it was a really cool looking one too..." Leo smiled weakly. He changed the subject back to his cans, hoping Zap was ammused enough with his game, "But look, they're all really clean. They don't even have rust or anything!"
He plopped down to sit by Zap. He immediatly set to arranging them into a tower after wiping off any left over dirt or food with a rag. He placed the last can at the top of the tower and set his palm open on it He picked up the bottom can, holding the whole tower up smiling. Lightly he began to put pressure on it. The top can seemed to start melting as Leo kept pressing down, melting the whole tower into a thick silvery putty in his lower palm. Condiering cans were hollow, it wasn't much metal, but enough for a palm-sized ball, which was exactly what Leo formed.
He looked over at Zap's game. It was then that Leo noticed he didn't recognize the language. "Can you actually read that? What's it say there?" He loomed a bit closely and when he realized he could be distracting Zap he backed off a bit and conteneted himself with staring.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:54 am
Zap shook his head. "Nah man, don't need to. They point, I go. Some weird looking dudes show up, and I stab 'em. So far, that's all I've had to do. "Looks pretty though" he said, indicating the arctic-like environment his character was currently in. Glancing over, Zap noticed that Leo had turned his cans into a small sphere. Finding that boring, he turned back to the game, determined not to lose another life to this boss. Sure, the text at the bottom was probably prompting him to do something, but Zap was sure he could figure it out with enough trial and error.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:33 pm
Retsu, huh? Storm smiled welcomingly at the man, but her mind was still wary. He wasn't any more frightful than others that had shown up at this door, but the woman had learned that even the most unassuming person could intend harm to her and her boarders. Walking slowly, Storm made her way to the closest common room, signaling that he should follow her, and making sure not to show too much of the house's layout.
"So," she said quietly once they reached the room, "What can I do for you, Suhikaru Retsu? Are you looking for a boarding house, because chances are you won't be allowed to stay here. We have very...strict rules here, and people often find them too...great...to obey."
That said, her smile turned almost venomous and she sat on her sofa, tucking her skirt neatly around her hips. Her dilated slit-pupil eyes never left Retsu's face as she watched intently for his reaction. After a moment of silence, she motioned for him to take a seat next to her should he wish it. Hope stirred in her chest that this man would be one to join their ranks.
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