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Sing This Corrosion To Me
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 Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:14 pm
Ðąɧʄȉą
Lounge Cerberus my lap dog is loyal as can be… ♈  Dahlia stared at the annoying child with a quizzical expression. She understood just what kind of person this child was, the kind that did not understand his place and enjoyed challenging others. While he got on her nerves, she could not fault him for his attitude. Rebellion was how one gained power in the anarchy and chaos of her home world. It was simply how her Circle worked; one single ruler at all times, until someone more powerful came along to take that power, and the ruler of each Circle bowed only to the Triumvirate, with free reign to do as they pleased within their own Circles so long as the torment of human souls remained their sole priority. "I do not know why I continue to entertain you," she admitted monotonously. "Perhaps it is because you remind me so much of my favorite pets, constantly shouting obscenities and insolence at me though their limbs are severed and they bleed boiling blood for the remainder of eternity; those are my favorite souls to torment, for their spirits never break." She raised a brow then when the boy spoke in confusion about her warrior's customs. Did the soldiers of this realm not take trophies from their victims? But how would they keep track of their kills if not? How were they supposed to display their power? How very strange of these people. "Hell is a realm of the eternal. No matter how long something is severed, it will never rot; not that such foulness would even bother me. Trophies of your dead are more important than comfort. And comfort is for children. Pain is far more pleasing."
The boy went on a long tangent about the nature of his confusion and the many misconceptions he had about both herself and her world. Truly, what manner of lies did this world's so-called religions feed the masses that their people were so ready to believe? Was the truth far too terrible for the humans to understand? Did they simply not truly know? "There is fire in Hell the same way that there is fire in your world, constantly bringing the chaos of destruction to your people. It is quite a beautiful thing to watch as it crackles and turns the humans to dust, only to have them reform and relive their chosen torments over and over again, each time finding new ways to feel pain that they did not have before. I have never seen the other Circles of Hell, nor have I have had a desire to. I rule over my domain, and that is all that I have ever needed, until the time comes when someone more powerful comes to take my throne in combat, as it is meant to be. My Circle is made of three rings that, like all other parts of Hell, expand into the infinite reaches of eternity. The outer ring is a river of boiling blood, where those violent against people and property are drowned for eternity, watched over by my legion of Centaurs. The middle ring is a forest, the bushes and trees made up of the bodies of suicides and constantly picked apart by my harpies, while the profligates are chased through the forest and torn to pieces by my own personal hellhounds. The center ring is a desert of sands hotter than the fires of any sun that randomly combusts while fires rain from the skies; blasphemers are forced to lie on the sands without being able to move, while the usurers sit, and sodomites wander. At the center of it all is my tower, formed from the bones of all the previous rulers and those who have challenged such rule and failed." There was almost a longing in her voice, as if speaking about it was making her homesick. It would not be far from the truth, as she deeply missed that dark realm that made no sense to the others, but made perfect sense to her.
This Earth realm was far more illogical to her than Hell would ever be.
"I did not even know what a book was until I found myself in this world. But languages are universal. All demons are spawned with an innate knowledge of their own language. But I have tried speaking my own language here, but I could not. It appears your limited human tongues and minds lack the complexity to properly pronounce words in my language." It was one of those things she learned over time, as she constantly tried to speak to no avail, only being able to speak in the girl's language. "I do not know why, but this body I am occupying seems to have retained and given me innate knowledge of your English language, both written and spoken. Perhaps it is simply this body, or the magic of those who imprisoned me. In either case I do not care."
Others began introducing themselves just as she did so. The woman who referred to herself as Isis remarked that it was a pleasure to meet Dahlia, which elicited a raised brow of confusion. "In what way was it a pleasure?" She eyed the dark-skinned woman that referred to herself as "Savanna Carrol Kat On The Job", head slightly tilted to the side, her gaze wide, curious, and rarely blinking. Did they all have such long names that she would have to refer to them by? What did "Savanna Carrol Kat On The Job" even mean? The tall woman with the somewhat irritatingly chipper disposition introduced herself as well, and she remarked on the distance between their worlds and the Earth, the woman looking at her with an expression the demoness could not decipher. "Is Atlantis on a separate dimension like Hell is?" She returned a blank expression, as always with those wide and curious, rarely blinking eyes. Her tail twitched slightly. She kept staring blankly at the others, even as a few others joined them but made little attempt to introduce themselves, and kept doing so as some petty squabbles erupted amongst some of the others. It was only eventual that her curiosity would get the better of her and she would ask the obvious question, about how one was supposed to read palms.
Gabriel explained that reading palms was not actually something real, but a tool for scammers to rob people of their money with vague descriptions of things they were not actually seeing, doing so by tricking others into thinking they could see such visions in the palms of their hands. So it was divination of some sort, as far as she could gather from Isis's own descriptions, but it still confused her. The man who called himself Aurelio defended the woman, displaying some power when he showed his own favored form of divination, though explaining that he preferred to limit his use of such abilities. "I know of divination; I had Sybilline oracles among my personal pets in Hell. I do not understand the purpose. What use is knowledge of the future? To avoid any inevitable harmful events? To avoid such obstacles is cowardice and makes one deserving of a merciless and bloody death by the sword." Though her words were supercilious, her tone remained even and distant, as if there were no real emotion coming from her. At the mention of a familiar name, she remarked about her own Goliath, which seemed to spark Gabriel's interest once more. "I do not know the David which you refer to, but the Goliath whose head adorns my throne room was indeed a giant."
Deacon said to "suit up" and head to the training center in "45" in order to attempt "team building" exercises. She did not understand what he meant by any of that. Why couldn't these people just speak in a way that she could understand?
My bed is made of skulls, I'm in the lap of luxury… ♈ In the land of the dead, heck, boy, ain't it grand?
I'm the overlord of the underworld, 'cause I hold Horror's Hand.
In the land of the dead, I'm dark side royalty.
I'm far renowned in the underground, and you can't take that from me.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:51 pm
 d r e a m i n g about the things ↺ t h a t . w e could be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWe'll be counting stars yeah we'll be counting stars
He called her by her formal name, and it sounded odd coming from him, but she allowed him to finish. "My friends call me Bree," She corrected politely. "I would hope that even after all the years have passed since that time in our lives, you would still do me the honor of calling me one." His heartfelt words about her family caused a twinge of pain to course through her; always she would remember how she'd failed them, no matter how much time transpired. "I'd trade my soul to have that time back, too." Most of the people she loved most had disappeared from her life in a matter of moments, and too often she feared that as she grew older, her memories of them would fade.
After touching the pendant to ensure that it had not been a figment of her imagination, her hand dropped to the side, her whole body still as she listened to her mother's old patient. Letting out a soft laugh, she shook her head in wonder. "I'd hoped that you'd find a permanent cure for your ailment, and as silly as it sounds, my eight year old self wished on that dragon, asking for it to lead you in the direction you needed." Looking back on that foolishness now, she felt a bit sheepish, but tried to shrug it off. "Silly superstitions of a young, naive girl..."
Gabriella asked him to not look upon her as though she had yet to grow up, and simply smirked when he said it'd take time to adjust to the new her. Folding her arms at her chest, she stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "If it helps, I don't look like an eight year old anymore." Nor did she act like the sweet, caring little girl she'd been in those times. He'd come to Wales before life had embittered her.
She'd chided him for his cigarettes, thinking that he of all people would treasure his good health, and not risk ruining it. Much to her delight, he slid the little plastic stick into his desk drawer - willing to forget his habit for now. "You should not do things that could weaken it though." She said, speaking of his immune system. " You know how precious being in good health is." Stress just didn't cut it as a reason to compromise his good fortune.
Time had been kind to them in the fact that neither had aged very far, and they exchanged stories as to how. She had asked about what treatment had finally worked for him, secretly hoping that there was another like her. Had he returned just four years later, she could have given him the answer he'd come looking for, though for now, the biokinetic spoke nothing of that. His tale was far more fascinating than her own, sounding more like something out of a H.G. Wells book than something in reality. But here he stood, proving that strange things do happen. "So, does that mean you will stay frozen at this stage of your life, or will your body resume its natural progression now that you are no longer on ice?"
"To be honest, the media getting involved with that fiasco with the prince is the only reason I even knew about this place." She'd come for that reason - people like her. Deacon glanced down at her resumé again, as if deciding if he wanted her to take a position with the League. When he asked her when she'd be available to start, she nearly choked on the air in her throat - obviously surprised.
Emerald-imbued eyes widened and coughed, trying to cover her shock at his invitation. "Today. N-now. I guess." With a sigh of relief escaping her, she beamed at him. "However, I can't claim to be a complete expert, just well-versed. I haven't yet gotten ambitious enough to attend Med School, but with this position I will consider it, if it would further the cause." Surely with the League's resources, it wouldn't be impossible to take the classes a little bit at a time.
It dawned on her then, just what else he'd said. "Trust falls?"
Of course, she'd still need to find lodgings close by, and move her stuff out of her car. But, that could wait a little longer. This city had to have hotels, right?
 ✄ - - ϲ υ ɾ ɾ е ɳ ț ϲ ѻ ɱ ρ ɑ ɳ у ↺Deacon Richards ✄ - - ϲ υ ɾ ɾ е ɳ ț ɭ ѻ ϲ ɑ ț ɩ ѻ ɳ
↺Deacon Richards' office
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:23 pm
Deacon Richards
Location: The Office
Thoughts: Orientation time! Bree asked that she refer to her by her nickname, rather than her full name. She recognized him as a friend, and she expected him to act as such. He chuckled at the notion, “You remember me don’t you? I’ve always been formal Bree. I didn’t stop calling your mother Ms. Maddox until she gave me a good talking to in a Welsh tirade to call her Fiona.” he remembered his time well at the village. The air was so crisp there, it was like he’d taken a step towards a realm of the Fey. It was like a fairy tale for him. Though it was closer to the more grim tales, because he didn’t have a happy ending. This became just the beginning for him. Because so many things would change for him, so many, many things. His life would never be the same after he left that village. She reminded him that she was no longer 8, to which he gave her a quick once over, “That is for damn sure.” he murmured to himself, slightly louder than he anticipated. He got a little red in the face with that was a bit too warm for his taste. He regaled her with his tale, about the genetic splicing and the cryogenics. She asked him whether or not he’d remain at this state, if he’d continue to age. “I hadn’t reached physical maturity when I got spliced. I’m apparently at that point now, so at this point it’s kind of a crapshoot. I could very well remain like this, timeless. I haven’t had any testing done, sort of afraid of what I might find out really.” he answered with a tone of honesty. Frankly he was more scared of what exactly was done to his genetic code. What other secrets would be unveiled when they peered behind the curtain. He asked her when she could start, to which she answered now. A smile formed over his face, “Excellent. I can have a room ready and furnished for you in the Tower as soon as possible. That is if you have any lodgings available. A couple teammates live off grounds, but I prefer to be right here. Plus, Metropolis University is a couple blocks away, we can have you enrolled into the Med school program if you so desire.” he added. It might make more sense for their medical expert to be on hand when possible, so hopefully she’ll choose to stay at the Tower. It’d be nice to have her around. “You know, stupid team-building exercises to improve team cohesion. God knows we need that right now.” he stated. He gave her a bit of a wink and a chuckle. His confidence as a team leader was waning at best, god knew whether or not having new blood would make it a tighter knit group, or just add more to the insanity. Though right now it was just Bree. It wasn't like they had more people coming in unexpectedly. Right? OOC: Sorry if the post is bad.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:13 pm
 NIGHTWING He never thought he'd be here again. Although he'd stayed in Metropolis in a small apartment, he had neglected to contact the League. After all, the diplomatic incident last week had been a complete and utter disaster. He'd been there to help, but that didn't stop the media storm that came crashing around the Justice League in the coming days. Nightwing had, for obvious reasons, cut off communication from them after the botched security job. There was blame to go around, from the Vlatavan security team to the junior Justice League. However, what he saw from the League had been less than favorable. From a certain perspective, it could have been expected – they were in their late teens to early twenties – kids, basically. The bickering and fighting he had seen, as well as the fact that the Prince had been put into imminent danger without proper security protocols had been enough for him. He wasn't much of a team player anyways. Shadows were his friend, and he wasn't meant to walk them with others.
He was convinced otherwise, though.
"Yeah, but they're young and green… and so are you." She stopped rummaging around in his cabinets for a moment and faced him, leaning against the counter. "I think you forget that sometimes. You've only been doing this two years. Give them time." Helena neared him, giving him a good once over. "Maybe sticking around with those guys will give you more time off… and less beat up."
Being out in the daylight in full garb didn't do much to lighten his mood. It was rare, if ever, that he worked during the day. He was a man of the night, hence the first part of his name. And yet, here he was, a man out of his element. Helena said that he needed to adapt and change to how things were getting nowadays – people were manufacturing metahumans left and right. After all, a few of the current Leaguers were given their abilities through the results of experimentation. If he was going to stand a chance against the new monsters that were creeping into Metropolis, Blüdhaven, and Gotham with each passing week, he was going to need practice. Where better than to get practice with the people who fought against metahumans on a weekly basis?
"They could use your help. You know that," she said with a hint of finality in her voice. "Also, someone has to keep tabs on them, if you know what I mean."
He did – he was going to employ his own brand of espionage on the junior League. Right now, he was standing on a rooftop that had a good view of the Watchtower, using a pair of advanced binoculars that gave him infrared and light x-ray capabilities. There had been some sort of gathering in the kitchen. Nightwing couldn't hear what they were saying, and he didn't bother getting out his directional microphone – he knew the Watchtower would be protected against that sort of thing. From what he could gather, though, there were quite a few new members the League had picked up since he had seen them last. Surprising, considering the bad press they were getting lately. He was going to have to start new files on each of them – more work for him.
Deacon seemed to make some sort of official announcement to those gathered in the kitchen, and then he checked something in his pocket. When the team leader left the kitchen, Nightwing followed him but managed to predict his path a little and saw someone sitting in Deacon's office – a woman. A new recruit? His eyes tightened as he spotted Deacon slipping into the office. Handshakes were exchanged, conversation initiated.
A few moments later…
He was silently approaching the office towards the end of their conversation, and appeared in the doorway when Deacon mentioned something about how they desperately needed team exercises.
"Yes, you do," Nightwing said. He stood in the doorway, his cape closed around him, shrouding him in darkness. This was when he had the first good look at the new recruit (Gabriella). Brunette, 5'4, roughly 100 pounds, early to mid-twenties. He was already compiling the mental file in his head, which he'd get down on paper later. He didn't bother with pleasantries – 'Hi, I'm Nightwing' didn't exactly fit his personality. Names would be exchanged eventually. No sense rushing into it.
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 3:54 am
 ________A Meeting in the Kitchen:
Gabriel explained to her the meaning of 'hold your horses' and she absorbed it like a sponge, happy to learn anything new about the surface world and, more specifically, how humans spoke to each other. He continued to explain that it was a figure of speech and she started to realize that he was probably more ignorant of her culture than she was his. "Yes, we have those in Atlantis as well." she informed with a smile "But I've never heard that one before." He didn't fight her on the fact that he wasn't her boss, but as he used the term 'barnacle breath' her lips pursed and brow furrowed. She hesitated to say anything at first, silently thinking it over, but eventually her mouth opened to address it "Do you even know what a barnacle is?" they didn't have 'breath', and hers definitely didn't smell like one if that's what he was trying to say.
Soon after he seemed to lose interest in her, but she had since turned her own attentions to others in the room, namely Deacon, who she felt she needed approval not to wear shoes from. Maybe these people weren't her boss outside of the League but they knew much more about this world than her and so if she could get at least one of them to admit that walking around barefoot wasn't so bad she would know they were all overreacting to it. Unfortunately Deacon agreed with Gabriel and the the tall brunette was without an ally. She didn't give up so easily though, and still had no intentions of protecting her feet like she had been told she should.
As everyone introduced themselves, Lola mentally burned their names and faces into her memory. She didn't forget these sorts of things easily. While she maybe came off as scatterbrained at times, she did have a good memory - perhaps with the exception of often forgetting what she was doing once she found something new and more interesting to do and other similar situations. But names and faces were easy.
Isis made a comment after her introduction and the Atlantean beamed a smile at the other female. "Thanks! I'm happy to be here. The surface world is so interesting!" she replied, hands clasping together and resting on her chest as she dreamily spoke about her new home.
Her smile faded, her features becoming more thoughtful in nature after the demon questioned her about Atlantis. "No..." She was very interested in learning more about Hell from Dahlia, it sounded starkly different from anything she had ever seen. "Atlantis is as the bottom of the ocean." she continued before Aurelio caught her with another question about the place. "Oh!" she replied enthusiastically at the mention of her king. "Yes," she happily answered. "He is still our king. And he's a wonderful man!" she agreed wholeheartedly. She had yet to meet someone quite as great as him, she was proud to live in any place ruled by King Orin. And no matter where she was and for however long, he would always be her king and no one would ever be higher in her respects than him. "The day he is no longer our king will be a truly sad day. But if his successor is half the man he is, we'll be in good hands." she stated optimistically.
The subject of conversation turned to palm reading, something Lola couldn't speak on since she had little to no knowledge on the subject. Soon two more entered the room and blue eyes were quick to take note of them. She could venture a guess that these were the two Deacon had called to the kitchen - Goliath and Babel/Mason and Lily. She remembered. Well neither of them were giants like the cheeky Gabriel had mentioned. In fact one of them was rather small. And she was left by herself when the man she had arrived with departed her side to go talk to others.
Lola decided to introduce herself to the small girl "Hi," she greeted after moving a bit closer "I'm Lola." she smiled happily to her soon-to-be new acquaintance, hands held together behind her back. "What can you do?" she asked curiously. Everyone was here because they were special in some way, right? Well, she was average as far as Atlanteans went, but out of the sea she was apparently special. She'd yet to really understand why, unaware of how her own strength and durability significantly surpassed that of an average human's.
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:09 am
 
Aiden Gavin Duskxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
G L A C I E Rxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cryokineticxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thinking About: ............xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Located In: The Towerxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Aiden spent the entirety of the week in Richmond shadowing a woman that seemed to loathe his existence. She appeared almost personable when they spoke in front of her relatives though it was clear she didn’t dare speak to him without a chaperone. He remained in a decent priced hotel near to the hospital when he wasn’t needed, often aimlessly flickering through channels with a cold one to pass the time. He excelled at not overstaying his welcome, even though he hadn’t exactly been welcome in the first place.
True to the former badge he’d worn in LA he checked in with the League every few days, speaking to the oddly shaped receptionist. The cryokinetic crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I’ of their departure, even registering the vehicle that he’d commandeered. He listed their absence as ‘Personal Reasons’ and declined further comment.
Karmen could fill in the details if she felt so inclined.
He noticed that her family didn’t seem to mind his presence, but he didn’t outwardly over analyze things like she did. Even when Carmen requested that he come to dinner in the evenings he kept things light, topping the evening off with a well-mannered thank you and a crooked grin.
None of them would know the incredibly cold storm that had been brewing within him since the first night he’d arrived. Karmen might have wondered at his unusual silence but it was neither the time nor the place to voice what was on his mind. He’d been raised to be respectful. If Karmen thought he’d followed her for any other reason than concern for her safety, there wasn’t much he had to say to her.
Once Karmen’s family was gone, so was the buffer. She did want him around, didn’t want him around…Mixed signals would have been a relief compared to the whiplash she dealt out. He knew what it was like to get walked on by a pretty girl, and he wasn’t about to do it again. Enough, was enough. He left the garage without looking back, his baby still in pieces on the garage floor. Swift strides took his things to his room while he skipped the kitchen all together. He still wasn’t pleased with the way the last mission had gone down and the new issues he had with the fiery pyrokinetic were just the tip of the iceberg.
The gym was definitely what he needed to help wind down from a royally screwed up month. Aiden tucked back everything that bothered him and got back to the basics. Training was first, staying fit for field duty. It was easy and mindless. He’d always been told that the number one rule of heavy bag training was to pay attention. It was more difficult than he was willing to admit not to think about a certain blond bombshell.
He swung hard, but with finesse, controlling the power he exerted. Aiden reminded himself not to stare too much and adjusted his stance. He knew better than to look down when throwing a body punch. It telegraphed what was going to happen and left the head wide open for attack. Glacier eyes remained forward, knowing that he needed to keep the bag entirely in his field of vision.
‘Don’t stare so much at one spot that you can’t see anything else.’
Was that what happened with Karmen?
He grunted when he realized he was getting sloppy and his body firmed while he went through set after set. He’d chosen a pair of small bag boxing gloves with the grip bar in the middle, taped knuckles underneath. They weren’t exactly protocol, but it gave him a more accurate idea of the impact from hitting solid flesh and bone. His breath came in a pale fog while he fought an imaginary for, eyes frosted over like glass in the winter. While the gym was normally a little humid, it seemed cold. In the half that Aiden occupied it could easily be described as arctic.
Aiden outright ignored the call across his comm to attend a meeting. There was no way he’d make it. He’d see Deacon later, or perhaps ask someone for the cliff notes so he didn’t miss anything pertinent. Deacon was easy enough to ignore, considering the leadership presence he had was minimal at best. Honestly, he seemed like the kid next door that Aiden would have played basketball with on Saturday mornings…But not someone he should, in his right mind, follow into a fire fight. The man was impetuous and always seemed worried about the wrong thing, never the big picture.
Hearing Karmen’s voice was another story, though he didn’t respond right away, hitting the bag several more times. He debated on not answering at all… But the same thread that had pulled him across state lines after her, bade him to respond. Pulling off a glove, he picked up the comm and selected the right frequency. “I’m in the gym.”
His tone was apathetic and chilled, not at all like his normal self. She’d wanted her space, and he gave it to her. What exactly did she want to apologize for?
 
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:38 pm
  ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀
current outfit
More than anything, the silence that radiated from the easy-going cryokinetic killed her, reminding her just how harsh she'd been when he'd shown up at the hospital, ready to save the day. That he always looked out for her should have made her realize that if he saw her flee the Watch Tower in a panic, he'd follow, no matter how far. She had spent weeks trying to convince herself to label Aiden the enemy, that he served as a dangerous distraction to her plans. From day one, it felt like he'd made it his mission to destroy the vows she'd made for herself, as if he knew what had been secretly scribed on her heart.
Their argument echoed through her mind, the last words she had said to him had been uncalled for, but the first thing that had popped into her head as a defense against him. And she needed one, because the last thing she needed was to fall into his snares; she'd already learned her lesson about men like him, and wasn't apt to repeat that crash course. Though, it seemed no matter how much she had steeled herself against his kind, he had an effective wrecking ball to send her protective walls crumbling to ground zero. She hadn't meant what she'd said, but it had been a sufficient mute button for the time being. For their entire visit, he had chosen not to bring up the conversation she'd regretted having, ignoring the remark she'd spewed in anger and vulnerability.
She had figured that once they returned to the League, he'd corner to her into admitting what she had said, but he didn't. The entire time they'd spent with her family, the pyrokinetic mentally prepared herself for the onslaught she'd receive later. And instead, he simply chose to ignore her entire existence – leaving her to the unpleasant images she'd painted of herself to him. Initially, she thought that him leaving her alone had been what she wanted, but the longer he snubbed her, the more she decided she hated it.
She'd gone to the garage, intent on working on her baby, and the bitterness between them soured the task so much that she found it less than enjoyable. Not even the radio blaring could stop the rampant chiding that resounded through her skull, her insults toward her partner more harsh every time her conscience reminded her. Especially because normally he'd be right there at her side, and now he was nowhere to be found.
Biting the bullet, Karmen reached out to him via their communicators, expressing the need to apologize. That's what he wanted, right? Sighing, she realized that whatever game of cat and mouse they had been playing, she'd been the mouse all along. Why was it she never won against him?
His answer came in delayed and felt cold, unfeeling. For a moment, she didn't think he was going to respond, which only made her feel worse. When he gave her his location she mustered what she could of her resolve to make this conversation a short but sweet one. “I'll be there in a few minutes then.”
Deacon paged everyone to the kitchen, and for now... Karmen felt like being re-immersed into the team could wait until she cleared herself of her guilt. Selecting the leader's frequency, the blond's tone was apologetic. “I'll be a bit late, as I have an issue that needs dealt with. Please don't wait up for me.”
When she walked into the gym, goosebumps immediately raised on her flesh, and she rubbed her arms to banish them, hugging herself and looking all the more pitiful in her own mind. If the punching bad had been a living person, he/she would have been bloodied to a pulp, begging for mercy after how hard he'd been hitting it. That it was still swinging from the last punch when the heels of her shoes announced her arrival made her think he was far angrier about the creeper comment than she'd initially believed. “It's a bit chilly in here, don't you think?” She asked, hesitant to start the dreaded conversation.
Like most women, Karmen loathed to admit she was wrong. There was an awkward silence then, and she could have sworn he could hear her pulse quicken with her growing anxiousness. Sighing, the pyrokinetic forced herself into getting her apology out in the open.
“Listen...” She started, sapphire eyes finding his. “About what I said at the hospital... I didn't mean it. I-I” He had no idea how hard this was for her, and she searched for the right words that would lay the issue to rest. “I shouldn't have called you a creeper; it was my defensive nature talking – I don't like surprises and you showing up there was a big one for me to swallow and I panicked. I in no way actually meant it; it just served as an insult to try and outdo your reasoning for following me because I couldn't handle the thought of someone doing something like that for me.” Outside of family, that was. She hadn't had friends like that in many years, and wasn't sure how to deal with it. After being burned by so many others that she'd trusted, Karmen had long chosen not to rely on anyone who wasn't blood.
Aiden's friendship with her had been the last thing she'd expected.
She stopped talking for a minute, gauging his reaction while she rummaged through other things should should probably say – and reminding herself of things she shouldn't. “People don't care about each other like that anymore.” She couldn't trust anyone to be a friend, because she didn't want to be let down again. “They care about themselves, so it was just... hard to believe you would go so far out of the way for me.” Pausing again she sighed, relief washing over her already.
“But yeah... anyways... I just thought you should know that I'm sorry for the impulsive insults, and I ask that you think nothing of them. You can carry on punching the daylight out of that bag now.” With a graceful pivot, she headed for the door, feeling like she'd accomplished her goal, and she could proceed with her daily activities without feeling bad again.
❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀  oocIput:
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 3:55 am
Aiden Gavin Duskxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
G L A C I E Rxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cryokineticxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thinking About: ............xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Located In: The Towerxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
If Aiden would have known about all of her plans and past he might have understood Karmen’s temperament a little more. But that still didn’t mean he was going to take getting run down for no reason. Each hit to the heavy bag allowed him a little more room to breathe. He’d always prided himself on knowing people. On being able to instinctively pull on his training and profile someone easily, effectively.
He’d relied a little too much on his eyes and ears when it came to the pyrokinetic. Just when he felt like he was figuring her out she either scratched his eyes out or did some girly hair thing that ruined whatever workable theory he’d had.
Decidedly, he missed his sister. Priya always knew what to say, no matter what mess he’d gotten himself into. When he’d finally called it quits with his ex she’d been one of the few to support him. His parents had been disappointed…But they didn’t know what he knew. If he had his way, they never would.
Aiden heard Karmen before he saw her, the heels of her shoes making an odd clack on the floor. It wasn’t the same sound that sneakers made. Guarded eyes moved towards her as he reached to steady the bag, gaze piercingly clear. There was something about his gift that seemed to suck the emotion out of him. He was more careful in how he moved, every action precise and specific. His sister had teasingly theorized that it was because he didn’t actually emanate cold, he just removed thermal energy. He stole the warmth away and in turn his ability sucked it right out of him. “Seems about room temperature.”
Nevertheless it immediately became clear that he couldn’t stand her discomfort as he looked away, easily pulling back the cold snap that had started to creep across the room. When he felt the chill recede he exhaled, starting to pull off his gloves while she stewed. He could hear how hard it was for her to apologize, and at any other time he might have chuckled.
Doing so now would only be counterproductive. If he did, she’d inevitably take it the wrong way and get defensive. He listened to what she had to say without interrupting, letting his gaze linger. She’d been brave enough to look him in the eye, the least he could do would be to allow it. She turned to walk away and he almost let her…Almost.
“I know you didn’t mean it.”, Aiden spoke slowly, the deep tenor of his voice filling the empty gym. His gaze fell on his taped knuckles and joints. He’d done a good job, but they were still red and a little torn up. It was to be expected, he needed good calluses to form. “I can’t say I liked hearing that after driving all night…But that’s not the problem.”
It had been a good apology, but she’d really been apologizing for the wrong thing.
“You’re also wrong. People do care about each other.”, he corrected firmly, reaching down to the work out bench to pick up a towel. Clearly he cared about her wellbeing, that, or he didn’t count as a person in her eyes. Aiden wiped his brow and threw it over his muscled shoulder, the black tank he wore barely hiding some of the scripted letters from the tattoo across his back. “It makes sense that you’d think that though. When I met you on that first day I knew that some jackass did a number on you. People aren’t born with defense mechanisms like that.”
It was very rare that Aiden swore, or cursed in front of a woman. He could just imagine his mother standing there holding a rolling pin and a bar of soap.
“Why do you think I always keep an eye on you? Just to aggravate you? The first memory I really have of you is watching Amazo throw a piece of a fire truck at your side of the car that could have crushed you.”, for a moment his hand clenched, pure frustration showing on chiseled features. This Aiden was a far cry from the slap stick cop from wine country. He was exhausted, and past the point of jokes. “Then you went into a mission with a concussion and got drugged at a bar.”
“You never should have been put in that situation. I should have hog tied you in a closet and told Deacon you were sick. You locked yourself in your room needlessly blaming yourself after that, and don’t tell me you didn’t. I’m always a lifeline for you…But you keep shutting me out. I’m frustrated because I thought I’d been doing something wrong.”, Aiden explained, taking a few strides closer to the blond. She’d opened the floor for conversation and he needed to get the words out before they ate a hole in his brain. “Come to find out you’re just treating me like a dumb hick on purpose to avoid the topic.”
Karmen would know exactly what topic he was referring to. The forbidden one that would likely send her flying to the four corners of the world. There was no denying it…Otherwise she wouldn’t have sought him out. She would likely argue that she hadn’t asked for his help and all the usual debates though sooner or later she would need to admit that she didn’t need to. Things were simply what they were.
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:39 am
d r e a m i n g about the things ↺ t h a t . w e could be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWe'll be counting stars yeah we'll be counting stars
The memories Deacon stirred about her mother garnered an honest smile to light up her features, her green eyes sparkled with the laughter brought by the idea of her mother ranting at the young boy for being entirely too formal. "I believe the phrase she used was 'crechyn,' informing you that so far out in the country, we cared little for first class propriety, and very explicitly, she told you to stop treating her like one." It'd been a long time since she'd even heard the Welsh slang for snob, but it seemed to put a little color back into the recollections she'd put away. "But, I trust that there will be no need for my own tirade to have you treat me the same way." She state expectantly. He'd get the hint.
After talking for a few minutes, Gabriella became alarmed by a few of his words that he still thought of her as the girl he'd seen decades ago. Informing him that she'd grown up had been a gentle warning - the years had changed her in ways he might not have anticipated. But his response to it caused an outburst of laughter, which only worsened with the blushing that had accompanied his observation. Turning the guffaws into coughs, she managed to settle down a few moments later and she cleared her throat as an unspoken apology. Odd as it was, his blushing reminded her of a teenager who'd been caught staring too long at a teacher's chest. "And apparently, I grew up well." She teased, the ends of her smile reaching from one ear to the other. "Good to know."
Shortly after, they divulged in their experiences with the proverbial fountain of youth, and a frown knitted her brows as she listened to what sounded like the backdrop to a Sci-Fy thriller than what it did reality. Gabriella understood his hesitance to find out just what other consequences might be from volunteering as a scientific experiment, but it did not halt her curiosity. "As much as you might be afraid to know, not knowing will become far scarier." She said. "You are a part of this team that goes out... and for a unexpected genetic defect to kick in during one of those fights could get a lot of people killed." Answers were a necessity in her opinion.
Really, the job offer had not been anticipated during the interview, so the rush of it caused a great deal of surprise. He offered her lodgings at the Watch Tower, and her dark-haired head bobbed in agreement, another easy grin catching on her lips. "I had figured I'd just stay in a hotel for a few days while I secured an apartment close by." For whatever reason, it had not occurred to her that the Tower likely hosted most of the League's people. At least now she wouldn't have to hurry about getting her stuff from her car... he just needed to point her in the direction of her new room.
The mention of the university being so close served as a perk that helped draw her in. "So long as it does not interfere with my job here, I would love to be able to take a few classes at a time." In this day and age, it was easier to find programs that spread out the course load. When she and Deacon had been growing up, enrolling into medical school consumed your life - sure, it took longer if one chose to take a slower-paced program... but at least then she'd be able to be of help to the league. Plus, it wasn't as though Gabriella lived on borrowed time.
Deacon invited her to do a team exercise with the rest of the league, and she asked just what sort of things it would entail, specifically about trust falls... She chuckled at is wink, and realized he had probably been trying to put one together when she'd interrupted him. "Was that what you were doing before being paged to see me?" She asked apologetically. "Sorry about that... I just didn't see an application online. I will say that I probably won't make an awesome addition to the team, given the fights you get into... but I will do my utmost to patch you up." Really, she had a number of years in Muay Thai, but had only studied it for self-defense purposes. In a real fight, she wasn't sure what she'd do, which could be a huge liability to the team.
He stated they really needed the team exercises right now, and if any of what the media broadcasted had been true, then they really did need to focus more on team building. That was when caped man stood ominously in the doorway. He seemed to emanate darkness with how he held himself, and Gabriella fought the urge to jump from being startled, though it had not been overly successful. Hoping he didn't notice, she decided it was more important to hope that he didn't always do that, else she might go into cardiac arrest.
Rising to her feet, she smiled at Deacon and then at the man in the doorway. "Who is this caped compadre, may I ask?" She posed the question with a smile, holding out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Gabriella, the new nurse for the tower."
✄ - - ϲ υ ɾ ɾ е ɳ ț ϲ ѻ ɱ ρ ɑ ɳ у ↺Deacon Richards, Nightwing ✄ - - ϲ υ ɾ ɾ е ɳ ț ɭ ѻ ϲ ɑ ț ɩ ѻ ɳ
↺Deacon Richards' office
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:11 pm
ȻɧεsɧΊɌɆ I'm not a slave ..."Got some feisty ones, at least there are some people with character to keep me entertained."
Location: Kitchen
I'm: Me Myself and I
... to a god that doesn't exist 
"If you were, in fact, paying attention," Gabriel decided to inform the feisty female that had been evidently rattled by his prior comment (Isis), "I stated that palm reading over all is a scam for money and mentioned nothing specifically pertaining to yourself or your character because, as you stated, I don't know you. Just for the record, spit fire: the world doesn't revolve around you." He added a wink for good measure, just to dig under her skin a little more. In all honesty, though, he was pleasantly surprised that it had been that easy to get under her skin. The extremely defensive people were always the most fun to rattle but that was about the extent of their purpose. In his experience they tended not to be fun at all so he wouldn't spend time around them unless it was to goad them. "If you possess an ability that actually enables you to read fortunes or what-have-you then that is obviously a separate matter entirely, dear."
It amused him that he'd stricken a chord with her to the point she was threatened enough to feel the need to prove her legitimacy. Even more so that she thought he would, for some reason, be afraid to allow her to read his palm. Taking into account how moody she was and the death glare she was currently issuing him, he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she attempted to stab his hand as opposed to read it. Likewise, her challenge to him also served to entertain him: attempting to sway him into getting his palm read by implying he was scared of her and had no balls. He would appease her. Not because he was out to prove anything; He couldn't care less what people thought of him or his ball size; But because he was genuinely curious. "I don't mind being a test dummy for your ability. I'm quite fine with getting my palm read as long as it's not someone trying to scam me for money: glad to hear you're legit." He aloofly held out his hand for the psychometric to take hold of. If she was legitimate then he was definitely interested in her ability.
One hand still extended to Isis in order to get his palm read, Gabriel extended his opposite hand in order to shake Mason's. The guy seemed relatively normal, he wasn't freaking out about the fact he was a celebrity and had asked nicely enough for a picture. He supposed he could oblige for the sake of maintaining a fan base. Not that he was particularly concerned about losing or gaining fans at this point. Upon being informed that half of Mason's family was in love with him, including his brother, Gabe couldn't help but crack a smile. The guy had a sense of humour, perhaps at the expense of his brother but a sense of humour nonetheless and he admired that in a person. "I take it you're the clown of the family?" Gabe purposely didn't bother to specify whether clown was meant to be a derogatory term or compliment, he was content waiting to receive Mason's response.
Mason's friendliness was followed up with a predictable request to get a picture with him. Whether his claims about his family were true and he was attempting to make them jealous or he was simply a closet fan who didn't want to admit it: Gabe really wasn't concerned. "Trying to make your siblings and mother jealous?" The movie actor quipped with a smirk. "I suppose as long as they're not crazy stalkers that attempt to kill me or some other creepy s**t I can oblige. Any specific pose you'd like?" Apparently he was being generous today: he'd even given Mason the option of selecting his pose. Mason had been the first person on base so far to ask him for a picture, so the novelty hadn't been weathered yet. He was sure there would come a point where he'd tire of the question quickly but so far he'd mostly managed to avoid the limelight.
"Because it never hurts to have a nice conversation once in a while, after all, sometimes you learn something from it." He grinned at her and indulged her, allowing her to say her piece about him reminding her of her favourite pets from back home. "Hey now! I never cussed at you! I'm polite if anything!" The seriousness in his tone was nonexistent, making it obvious to those who were accustomed to sarcasm that he was merely teasing the demon. Of course, it made it more fun for him since he knew she would potentially not catch on and think he was serious. "Yes, well on earth if you are caught with a trophy of your dead by the wrong people then you get incarcerated for life or potentially killed yourself. It's not as fun up here as down there from the sounds of it. Then again rules are made to be broken and there's some potential for fun in that."
"Nice to know there's at least one thing I'll recognize in hell once I go there, aside from you, of course. You'll have to give me a tour or something." When she explained the physics of her realm to him as well as the explicit details of every section within her specific circle, he nodded his head in legitimate interest. He could only imagine what she described and while it was a horrifying concept it was thrilling at the same time. "You'll definitely have to take me on a tour someday," he stated again knowing that it was more than likely an impossibility but still entertaining the idea. He doubted demons sense of hospitality was quite the same as an earth dweller's like his was but all the same it would be interesting to see. "Maybe I'd even pop a quick squat in your bone chair."
Gabe was interested to soak up and learn all he could about this foreign creature. The fact that her language was something he couldn't even fathom or physically imitate was also astounding to him. His eyes gleamed with awe though the other part of himself, the guarded skeptic, also took what she said with a grain of salt. It wasn't that he didn't believe she was legitimate, but being the practical mind he was, until he saw something he would never fully believe it. He required proof. And while Dahlia was, in essence, a taste of the truth, she was not a fully fledged one. "If you happen to encounter your language in our world, however, you will be able to translate it? That's quite interesting. I hope we encounter something reminiscent of your home while you're still among us. I'm sure it would be very enlightening, that or simply gruesome like most of your tales seem to be thus far. Still fascinating, though, regardless."
"Well there you go, at least we have one thing in common then." He wasn't particularly interested in the juvenile conversation between himself and the Atlantean but was at least nice enough to dignify her with a response this time. When she further inquired about his former statement, he actually took the time of day to listen. "What is this? An elementary school quiz? Aren't they ugly things that attach themselves to rocks and other s**t? Does it even matter if I don't know what they are? The point is they're something from the water, like you." He couldn't tell if she was actually naive or just pretending to be and that in itself made Gabriel wary of this foreign Atlantean.
Taking a moment to survey his surroundings yet again, Gabriel finally noticed the absence of Deacon, who he could swear just moments before had said they were going to do a training exercise. The guy had disappeared without a single word and as far as Gabe was concerned, that meant they weren't having a training exercise after all. He wasn't here to be sent on a wild goose chase by some painfully generic guy that claimed to be his leader and disappeared seconds later. "I'll take the wordless absence of the 'leader' as a free day off." Even though she didn't show a huge amount of promise to be as entertaining as some of the other individuals he'd met, Gabriel decided to be a gentleman and fulfill Lola's former request before they'd been interrupted by the kind of scrawny pale guy. "Hey, barnacles, you want to go see the mall now? It can be like a field trip, we can bring Dahlia and whoever else wants to go too and show you two what it's like outside of this boring tower."
 GɑϦʀɩεɭ Ȼɭʏɳε
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:54 am
❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀
current outfit
As she made her way to the gym, the back of her mind berated her for falling into what she knew would be a trap, but still she pressed onward - determined to clear the air between them. The rhythmic clacking of her heels announced her arrival before she uttered a word, and she froze, inwardly wincing at how confident her stride had sounded. It certainly wasn't a reflection of how she felt about the upcoming conversation.
The gym felt the way it appeared - wintery. Patterns of frost blanketed the surfaces on Aiden's half of the gym, and the chill to the air nearly caught her breath. Normally this room sweltered and felt something akin to a sauna, so she had not been prepared to see her breath make small clouds in the air. Covering her arms with her hands, she made a remark about his influence on the atmosphere. Momentarily, she'd been tempted to warm the room with her own ability, but thought he might take it as a challenge, given how well they were getting along. His tone didn't improve by being face to face, and only served to bundle her nerves that much more. Obviously, he wasn't going to make this easy on her. Then again, she couldn't blame him or even remember a time when he did.
But then, he did something unexpected - snapping the frigid air back to him and the room became considerably more comfortable. She watched as the frost's edges disappeared, racing toward the cryokinetic and leaving nothing behind. As a fire-user, she had an aversion to cold temperatures... which he likely knew too well on the opposite end of the spectrum. If she had given it any thought, she might have found it ironic how they kept ending up so close to each other when they were obviously polar opposites. "Thank you." She murmured in a muted tone, though she did not let her arms drop from their position, as if the stance would hold her together. Lord knew she needed the help right now.
Aiden's glacial stare didn't falter as she carefully made her apology, doing her best to keep it simple and focused on the insult she'd hurled at him in the hospital. He listened, letting her finish without interruption. Once she finished, Karmen let out a steady stream of breath, as though she'd been holding it while she struggled through her apology. The blond looked down at herself, closed her eyes and spun on one heel to leave, feeling that her words had been sufficient. It hadn't taken as long as she had expected, so at least now she wouldn't be overly tardy to the team meeting.
Just as she reached the doorway, the former cop spoke up, his deep voice causing her to stop walking and grimace. Of course his silence hadn't been because of her calling him a creeper; it was the other part of that exchange that had effectively muted him. She should have known this was going to happen.
The panicked part of her, the part of her designed to keep her safe screeched at her to just leave and ignore what the man was saying, because she didn't want to hear it. The better, less selfish part of her told her she should at least let him speak his piece. Letting out a derisive breath, Karmen turned partially around, shoulders square with his, but her feet still pointed toward the exit, ready to make a mad dash if it became necessary.
He said he didn't appreciate being called names after driving all night after her, and she fought the shrug that had started to roll through her. She hadn't asked for him to do that. And that response stayed at the tip of her tongue from sheer willpower. For now.
As he wiped himself off from the workout he'd obviously gotten before she had interrupted him, Aiden claimed she was wrong about people, and that he'd known from the day they'd first met that something had happened to make her so caustic. Her crystal stare followed him as he moved, almost as though she were prey too close to a predator. Right now, she felt much like the gazelle who had wandered too close to the lion's den.
The blond shook her head, blond curls cascading past her shoulders in a dance. He'd cursed in front of her, and she couldn't recall if he had done that before; normally he played the gentleman, afraid that if he said something obscene his mouth would meet a spritz of the Bitter Yuck! used to train dogs not to chew on furniture. His choice of words told her how strongly he felt about the subject at hand, and she started to fidget, shifting her weight from one foot to the other out of a nervous habit.
"That jackass aside," She gritted out, hating that she'd made it so easy for the cryokinetic to read her. Was she really all that transparent? "It's been my experience not to let people get close... if they aren't family, they'll betray you."
After all, it'd not just been Cody who'd broken her... that entire circle of friends had been nothing more than a sham. "It might take a while for a person's true nature to show... but you can count on disappointment." And heartache, but Karmen was a far way off from telling her teammate about her woes and poor judgment concerning potential friends.
He posed a question for her to reflect on, and her eyelashes swept across her cheeks as she closed her eyes, afraid to find the honesty of his feelings in his gaze. She let him continue, choosing not to fight back for now because she had nothing to throw in his face. He mentioned her getting drugged and Karmen's hands instantly went to her temples, shielding the majority of her features from his view. That situation still caused her great embarrassment, several weeks after the incident. It painted her as a complete idiot to the entire League.
That he said he should have hog tied her elicited a disbelieving scoff to escape her, and she brought her hands down enough to openly glare at him for even thinking that the option would have been acceptable. "I wouldn't have forgiven you for that - no matter how that night turned out." She stated, matter-of-factly, turning completely around, resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to get out of this by simply running away.
He had to understand, she was new at this kind of thing, and was going to make mistakes as a fresh member of the Justice League. But the last thing she wanted was to be treated like anything less than a grown woman. She didn't need babied.
She should not have gone on that last mission, no... But that was neither tit for tat.
He said her blaming herself was needless, but the blond hardly felt the same way. "I let myself get drugged, and all I ordered was a coke." He had no idea how humiliating that was, especially when she'd been intent on looking out for Lily after the prince's guards had expressed an interest in her. In the state she'd left the bar in, she had only proven to be excess weight for the team to shoulder. "I was supposed to be watching the prince, protecting Lily from his thugs... and instead the teenager had to look after me. Like I needed babysitting. I can't count that as needless."
He accused her of shutting him out, despite how he had been a lifeline for her since her first day in the Watch Tower. And even to herself, she couldn't deny that. He'd helped her navigate through the halls, had watched over her during their fight with Amazo... had patched her up when she'd hit her head, had provided her with painkillers designed for someone with her abilities... and had even crossed state borders when he thought she was in distress. He'd been there, but never once had she expected it, or even asked it of him. He'd been there by his choice alone, and despite how she tried to push him away.
"Of course you haven't been doing things wrong." She said, exasperated. It would have been a lot easier to deny anything going on between them if he had messed up, but she kept that to herself. Her eyes directed her stare toward the ceiling and she sighed. "That's why I keep shutting you out." His strides brought him closer and her heart sped up involuntarily, her stomach twisting into knots. This was not happening.
Slender fingers curled into fists as she attempted to resort to anger, on par with any other time Aiden treaded too close to the things that mattered. "I thought I said that part of the conversation didn't happen." She whispered, trying to muster the fury he had come to know as her second nature. It didn't come readily this time, fear replacing her go-to emotion. "Whatever you thought you heard... you're mistaken." The pyro had tried to sound firm, but the small quiver in her voice gave her away.
"It didn't happen, because you're exactly the type that I need to avoid for my own sake." She had plans, damn it. And promises to herself that she wanted to keep. Aiden was just one more thing she had added to the list titled "things that are unhealthy for my well-being." He didn't understand it, but every warning bell in her head went off incessantly when he got too close. The cryokinetic was the type that could break her walls down effortlessly and just as easily leave her in shambles when he grew bored of her. And she never wanted to feel like that again.
❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ oocIput:
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:45 pm
Deacon Richards
Location: The Office
Thoughts: Let’s get this rolling Deacon stood there in the office, he got a response back from Karmen saying she was going to be late. Granted the meeting was quite short, he understood and didn’t question why she was going to be late. He was pissed at himself over what happened to her that night. He didn’t know she had a concussion that night, had he known he would have benched her immediately. He’s not one for ignoring the needs of his teammates, obviously Aiden didn’t see it that way. The cop had the mentality of a cop, he had the badge so he knew what was up. There, no questions asked. Deacon may not have been an experienced leader, but he knew that the two of them were going to need to have words. Aiden would need to know a few things, especially his background. It might make him understand a few things; also if he knew the reality of what he knew that night it might make their relationship a bit easier to manage. At least he had one cop on his side right now. Bree reminded him of that loving phrase her mother threw around in front of him, eliciting a smile from her that made him chuckle a bit to himself. If he remembered, it was something along the lines of “brat” or “snob” that she threw about. “Blame my parents for teaching me about using formal phrases, not to mention being around some pretty powerful people.” he remarked, the curse of being around moguls and academics like Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox. He had met politicians that his father was trying to get grants from, laws lobbied, for further research into neurological conditions like his own. As a result, the boy named Deacon needed to be formal and polite. Of course, he remembered that Mr. Wayne was a lot more informal with him. He treated him like he didn’t have a condition, which made the boy a lot happier to be around. He brought up the hesitation towards having his genetics checked, out of fear of what may be found. She mentioned that not knowing may be worse, to which he offered a small smirk, “Yes, but knowing could also limit me. If I knew what might happen, I’d hold back, and that could be just as dangerous.”She smiled about the prospect of attending the Medical School at Metropolis University, and staying in lodgings provided by the Watch Tower. He motioned towards the right, “On the other side of this wall is my room actually. It isn’t much, but certainly quite accommodating given this day and age. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. And please don’t worry about the interruption; it’s all part of the job really. Being a team leader and all. I get all sorts of calls, shocked I haven’t had one yet.”“And understand that we don’t always fight supervillains. We go into disaster zones, helping the injured and sick. Your expertise and background would prove to be vital, especially for those on our team that don’t have experience in first aid.” Elke and Aiden were the first to come to mind regarding first aid knowledge. Being police officers they had training as first responders, if they went further they likely had EMT certification. Though he’d have to look further into their files to be sure. Her chuckle at his expense over blushing made him blush just a tad more. “D’aww shucks you got me.” He stated with a nice layer of sarcasm. His statement about training exercises brought about the return of another vanishing act, Nightwing. “You are aware that you don’t need to wear the costume around us all the time right? Believe it or not, I’d like to consider you a colleague, if not a friend.” he asked, he gave Bree a motion towards their caped guest, “Gabriella Maddox, this is Nightwing. I can’t say much about who he is outside of the office. Though I’ll admit, there’s a good chance I can find out at some point.” The tone of voice implied that he’d like to try and get to know the outlier of the group. He didn’t imply it with any sort of malice, though should it come to it he’d definitely take matters into her own hands. After all, he remembered the original Nightwing well enough. Chances are, he had at least one Batman that liked to keep tabs on his protégé’s alias being used. “Please walk with us Wing. Apologies for that, if I knew your name I’d be going with that. Formalities and all. We were just getting ready to move down to the training area for some exercises, try and work on the dysfunction a bit.” he motioned for them to follow, he took his communicator to hand and set it to full team brand. “All team members, suit up and report to the Training Area. This is not a request.” he announced with a tone that implied that he was not messing around. This team wasn’t the best out there, but he’d do his best to try and mold them into what he could. OOC: Bad post is bad, apologies
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:11 am
Death, it was the only thing she’d known; for as far back as she could remember. The endless hours of training - with blood, sweat and tears. Endless hours spent in the infirmary with bruises, dislocations and broken bones. Only to be thrown out once again into the arena where it was wash, rinse and repeat. So was the life of an assassin – to be the best you had to know pain, endure it and be ready for more at the drop of a hat.
Her brother’s voice broke through the silence, pulling her away from her thoughts and into the present hell hole their lives had become. Ever since leaving the league. Let’s just put it this way, one does nto simply leave the league. You’re either in or you’re out there is no in-between. No retiring and living in some chummy little place on the beach – once in you were in for life. So them leaving, stirred up the wasps nest and they were now at the top of Ra’s al Gul’s hit list.
But at least he was still here, with her – alive and safe.
But they wouldn’t be that way for long. So they were left with a choice to get protection or spend the rest of their lives running from the League.
And she knew just the place for such help. The Justice League, now the only probably was broaching the subject with Alexandru. His hand fell onto her shoulder, filling her with warmth. “You’re making the air cold sister.” He murmured.
Had she? She’d been so lost in her thoughts the past hour or so that she was surprised she hadn’t caused it to rai- Her lips pursed as she looked up at the window where small flacks of snow had already began to gather on the ledge. Alexandru chuckled. “And snow.” He teased. “What is on your mind Sashka?” Well it was too late to back out now – she drew a deep breath and reached forward and slid the window down before turning around to look up at him. His brow was sinched with concern, his firmly cut mouth drawn down into a frown as he studied her with curious eyes.
“We need help Duminka. There is no way we can survive for long without it.” He closed his eyes, exhaling with a small hiss from the back of his throat as he turned away from her.
“What are you asking of me Sashka? To go to them? Will they accept us with open arms? Assassin’s? We’ll be lucky if they don’t end our existence right then and there.” He chuckled darkly. “The Justice League – my sister wants to be a hero.” She could hardly believe his mockery of her. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits as she rose to her feet.
“Alexandru. I want to leave and at least there they wouldn’t order us to kill ourselves.” Her hand sliced through the air. “And don’t you mock me.” She hissed jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. “You know that this is the best thing we can do. At least there we would have help, a team to guard us.”
“More like throw us at the wolves when they come knocking.”
Her chin lifted, arms folding across her diaphragm as she settled him with her unyielding gaze. He drew a deep breath, licking his lips and looked from her back toward the tower that they had a view from their small run down loft. He growled and waved his hand as he turned away from her. “Fine we’ll go tomorrow. But we keep our true identities secret. Understand?” She nodded, of course they would have to if, if they were found out it would not bode well for either of them. She turned back toward the window, her heels clicking against the wooden floor as she opened it back up and sank down onto the stool. Cross her legs at the knees she leaned forward and closed her eyes. The wind rushed up to meet her, a gentle caress that tousled her hair. She drew in a deep breath.
--
She kicked down the kickstand with her foot, her dark gaze fixed on the massive twin doors. “Ready Shashka?” Her brother called and she nodded. Pulling off her helmet she set it down infront of her and brushed her hair out of her face. Pinching away some that stuck to her freshly glossed lips. She pressed them together and turned her head to face Alexandru who sat straddled upon a beautiful Harley – the mirrored image of her very own. She smirked at his stiff shoulders and ridged spine.
“Maybe you should use your pheromones on yourself Dumika.” She murmured and swung her leg over the side of the bike and looked away but not in time to avoid his glare of daggers. Chuckling she strolled up to the massive doors and looked back to her twin who had already dismounted and was at her side. Sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose as he pulled the door open and gestured for her to go first. Sweeping inside she instantly assessed every possible threat, her gaze scanning from left to right and back again. She nodded toward the receptionist a pleasant looking enough woman but you could never be sure.
This was after all the Watch Tower – Justice League headquarters.
She watched Alexandru from the corner of her eye as she walked past the woman who looked up, brows cinched together. “Do you have an appointment?” She asked as her twin leaned in – she could already feel the soothing effects of his pheromones as he got the directions to the office they were looking for. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling – “Thank you ever so much.” She murmured and looked back to Alexandru.
Little more was needed, just a single look and he knew what she wanted. To keep her occupied while she went and scooped the hall. No need in having a receptionist having an itchy finger and hitting a panic button. Especially with two heavily armed former assassin’s in her presence. Alexandreina moved quietly into the hall – even with her five inches worth of heels - there was not a sound to be heard.
Once more her gaze swept the area, noting the smallest of details before she waved her hand motioning Alexandru to follow. She didn’t need to check to see that he was there – she knew, her body so in sync with his they moved down the hall following the directions to the office of a one Deacon Richards. Yet just as she rounded the corner to enter he and his – party – where already on the move. She cleared her throat, coughing into her hand. “Deacon. We need to talk – in private.” She said her voice void of all emotion.
ooc// their posts are kinda combined - as in you get both of their dialog but only her thoughts ect. i only did this so that i can get them there and acknowledged quickly before things start up. after this - they'll be posted on their proper accounts.
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 10:50 pm
Aiden Gavin Duskxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
G L A C I E Rxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cryokineticxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thinking About: ............xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Located In: The Towerxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Anytime, K.”, Aiden responded dispassionately, blinking back the frost that edged his gaze. It was laughable that she thanked him for something as stupid as fixing the temperature, rather than thanking him for the things that mattered. At least she didn’t get ticked at him for it.
If she thought she was going to escape so easily after dumping her rehearsed apology on him…She really hadn’t thought this through. He couldn’t help but follow her movements, unintentionally using his gaze to pin her where she stood. She should have known that one of her various, not to mention lame insults wouldn’t have been enough to set him off. He wasn’t in kindergarten, and a little mudslinging never hurt anyone.
At first Karmen seemed unable to look at him while he spoke. It was curious how she avoided the truth of the matter, even so much as to look in the other direction. Did he terrify her that badly? He knew how much she hated it that he could read her, it was written all over her face. He could almost hear her teeth grinding. “In some cases that might be true…But most people are pretty all right if you give them half a chance.”
“I’m not trying to ruffle your feathers but I’m going to be honest. Said jackass, and whoever else, left you with serious abandonment issues. I know you’re just trying to keep yourself safe. Not because you’re easy to read, but because I’m a cop.”, Aiden paused, a frown crossing his features when he thought about his wording. That was part of the truth, but really, it just took one to know one. “Was a cop. Making a basic profile was Law Enforcement 101.”
“Either way it’s wrong. Someone that’s closed off like that is broken. The only way to recover is to take the lesson from it, and keep moving. If you keep expecting everyone to disappoint you, dissecting their every flaw to push them further away, of course they will. No one is perfect, but they’re not all bad.”
Aiden almost regretted bringing up what had happened at the Hotel but it honestly needed aired. What had happened to her in the club was really no one’s fault, but the douche that spiked her drink. He knew the dirty look he was going to be on the receiving end of when he mentioned hog tying her. It didn’t stop it from being true though.
“You didn’t let yourself get drugged. You have to chalk it up to circumstances. It was a bad plan that led you to the club in the first place. Most of us weren’t playing to our strengths that night. A lot worse than that is going to happen, so you can’t let something like that bother you.”, Aiden rephrased his rebuttal, trying not to make it seem like he wanted to shield her from everything that went bump in the dark. Even though he did. “I treat you like the partner I had on the force. We watched each other’s backs. Called one another out if need be.”
She finally confirmed that he hadn’t been doing anything wrong, and that the reason she kept slamming doors in his face was the exact opposite. Karmen continued to insist that the most important part of their conversation hadn’t happened and he had to bite his tongue for a long moment. He could hear the fear in her tone, the way it shook. His chest felt tight when he realized that he was the one placing such dread in her. When had that happened?
“You’re afraid of me.”, it was a statement, not a question. Aiden’s tone was a little bewildered, concern passing unbidden through clear eyes. She said that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but somehow she felt further away than ever. “What type of person do you think I am?”
Falling silent he ran his hand over his mouth, reminded of the stubble on his face he hadn’t gotten rid of yet. He stood a few feet from the pyrokinetic, trying to figure out exactly when he’d become someone she needed to fear. He was a decently intelligent guy, but a guy nonetheless. Sometimes girl-logic was a little too much for him to follow.
“Is it because of when we first met?”, Aiden questioned after a moment, trying to see her point of view. It was clearly something that had upset her before, and still was.
“Karmen… I’m not the same person that hurt you.”
It was then that their comm units went off. He heard Deacon’s voice come through the device, demanding that they suit up and head for the training area. The added note about it not being a request made a low growl escape him. This conversation with Karmen trumped anything else. It needed to be finished, or at least brought to a point where they could both function. Reaching for his device he responded to Deacon for them both, tone taciturn but dutiful. Despite his performance on the last mission, he was still the commanding officer. “Karmen and I will be there soon. We’re taking care of a problem.”
That was the best he could do. Deacon no doubt knew that Aiden wasn’t pleased with him considering the lack of communication and their sudden departure from the Tower. Aiden was also willing to bet that the man was incorrectly assuming the main reasons the cryokinetic had kept his distance.
Forgetting about his comm for the time being he focused back on Karmen, unable to shake her anxiety. It was palpable, causing the air to seem thin, despite how brave she tried to make herself sound. “I’m not asking for a miracle. The only thing I want is for you to stop shutting me out. I won’t disappoint you. I’m not him. I never will be.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:58 am
❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀
current outfit
Even though he'd made the effort to make her more comfortable, the tone in his voice refused to convey any feeling - it sounded completely different than the man she'd come to know. She gave him a hollowed smirk in response and then forced herself to get business taken care of - apologizing for how she had reacted when the cryokinetic appeared at the hospital.
She honestly believed that calling him a creeper had been the reason his lips had remained sealed, barely speaking unless it was required of him. As she attempted to flee before he could bring up the other part of that conversation, Aiden's short remark froze her in place. Cursing herself, she could not make her feet carry her out before Aiden hit the head of the specific nail she'd very much wanted to avoid.
As he spoke, crystal eyes searched other parts of the room - an obvious ploy not to meet his eyes, but she'd hoped he'd not be able to pierce through her walls so easily without her gaze. A small, sardonic laugh escaped her, the barest of smirks touching her expression when he said that most people were alright, but needed the chance to prove it. "I've already proven to myself that I'm a bad judge of character; it's easier to sort them all into one pile and have them leave me be."
If he didn't want to ruffle her feathers, why did he insist upon hashing this all out, when she had a very obvious aversion to it? The blond despite her thoughts, remained still as he pinned down her personality as though she was a suspect needing a profile. Regardless of how he was able to do it, Karmen didn't approve of him looking at her like she was a puzzle. But in her own view, he got it wrong. "Not abandonment issues." She responded quietly. If that had been all they had done, she might not have turned out so jaded. But her forceful nature had become a defense mechanism - that part he'd aced.
He called her broken, and her blond head shook in disagreement, not understanding how he thought she hadn't learned her lesson. "I am moving, Aiden. Maybe not the way you approve of... but after having to pick up the pieces, after facing the repercussions of their actions alone... I most assuredly got wise on the situation." Trust no one completely. He wouldn't know exactly what she was talking about and probably would just chalk it all up to a very nasty break up. Really it was, but most girls didn't have to deal with warrants for their arrest afterward. "And if I push everyone away, I don't wind up disappointed. When they do what I feared they would, they simply meet my expectations."
Behind the palms of her hands, her face quickly became a rosy color - the surest mark of embarrassment proving how she felt about the League's last mission. Only when he mentioned hog-tying her did Karmen glower in his direction, shooting darts at him for even thinking that to be an acceptable alternative.
Aiden tried to clear her conscience about how irresponsible the whole fiasco had been, but her ideas on the night only improved marginally. "When you get into a situation where the underage kid on the team is babysitting you, you let me know how much logic helps clear your thoughts on the matter." She shouldn't have gone... but she hadn't wanted to appear fussy to the team. At the time they'd been paged, she wasn't entirely sure she had a concussion, so skipping out because of a bump on the head seemed silly. He said he treated her like a partner he'd had in California, and while it made sense she didn't want to accept it. Out of all the people on the team, he'd chosen the one person who really wanted to avoid that sort of closeness. The cryokinetic, she decided had a knack for being completely obstinate.
Naturally, her treatment of him left Aiden bewildered as to what he was doing wrong, which left her exasperated. When she told him that she kept pushing him away because he hadn't screwed up, she expected him to be even more confused. She once again denied that she had admitted an attraction to him a few weeks ago, insisting that he put that aside. She reached for the typical anger she resorted to, but the stores were empty, leaving her afraid. As he crossed the room to her, her heart ran along the pace of warp-speed - her pulse audible.
He seemed to realize the terror building within her small form, and made a declaration of it. But he was wrong as to what she was afraid of. It wasn't him. "Not you Aiden." She murmured, shaking her head. Glasslike eyes finally met his own, widened with raw honesty. Karmen chose not to clarify, but it wouldn't be hard for him to piece it together. She was afraid of herself around him, of letting go of the reigns. After London, she needed control over how she felt and he served as a wrecking ball to her carefully laid foundation.
He asked her what kind of person she pegged him for, and her answer caught in her throat. They were both silent for a long moment, the tension thick enough that one could cut it with a knife. She shifted her weight again, fidgeting under his stare.
He finally asked if it was because of when they first met, and she started to shake her head, but stopped. That had started it - the reminders of how things began with Cody. But it was really the summation of their time together how she felt inherently more safe when he hung around... how a few phrases strung together made her so frazzled. In an instant, he could get her so vexed she forgot herself. That was the problem.
"I know." Her voice was barely even a few decibels loud. Of course he wasn't the man who'd left her like this. But to her, Aiden served as another man who could bring her to her knees all over again, and she wasn't ready for that. Honestly, she didn't think she ever would be.
Their communication units aired through the gym in unison, and a sigh passed her lips. 'Not optional' made it sound menacing and reminded her too much of how they'd been paged to protect the prince. Aiden growled, which evoked a genuine chuckle from her. Obviously, the pair had not patched things up. He responded for the both of them, which inwardly made her cringe. If they never sorted this out, she would have been okay with it.
Because Aiden had spoken for the both of them Karmen ignored her comm, instead staring directly ahead of her. His eyes had lost the frostiness to them, replaced by concern she wanted to forget. He wasn't asking for a miracle, but she thought his request was close enough. Her teeth found the edge of her bottom lip when he swore not to disappoint her, chewing on it as she considered. "You can't promise that." She muttered, unwilling to put blind trust in a vow he couldn't guarantee he would keep.
Moments passed in silence, and Karmen relented - only a little. "If I stop shutting you out, what do you expect to happen?" It wasn't as though she could change overnight. Those walls were now a part of who she was, her own protection against being broken again. If he hadn't figured it out, he would now. She wasn't afraid of him, but the result of letting him in.
❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ ═ ❀ oocIput:
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