Luke felt bad for startling Gracie and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. “Easy there girl…”, he spoke carefully, not really positive on how to reassure her. The dark haired Omega had clearly taken a mental trip to Venus or wherever it was women tended to disappear to. When she came back it must have been startling to have a big black bald guy invading her personal space.
Almost immediately she started spinning some yarn about why she was getting drenched. She was full of s**t but Luke let her have it. If she wanted to come clean she would.
He eyed her hands casually when she again offered up a lame excuse. Her skin was torn up and bloodied…And she hadn’t noticed? Again, he tried to keep the skepticism off of his face but it was getting harder. He would have had to have been a certified SPED not to notice there was something wrong with her. Yea…He talked to plants when no one was looking …But did she really think he was that stupid? Or maybe she didn’t really trust him yet…
That was far more palatable than her thinking him dumb.
“You should be a little more careful.”, he responded after a long moment as he tried to gauge the validity of her smile. It was definitely more for his benefit than her own. “Working on your hands won’t do you any good if you can’t use them later.”
“You ought to clean and wrap those. Or stop by medical.”
She asked what brought him to the greenhouse and he only smirked at the sight of the truth dawning on her. It was too cute when she fumbled. Most girls were too obsessed with being perfect and plastic all the time. It was nice that she wasn’t. “It’s still a fair question.”
“The plants like to talk.”, he offered up with a little grin as he rubbed the back of his head. It would be more appropriate to say that they liked to b***h—but that was neither here nor there. “Plus I need to get more Quebracho seed. A very dense tree grows from it and I want to test the strength of the wood against body armor.”
Luke started paying attention to the plant life around him when some of the small flowers started whining. “Stop it you…”, he muttered under his breath, snapping a finger at them. Someone was coming and they weren’t sure how they felt about it. In a real way he hoped it wasn’t Narcissa.
Lynn came into full view and he visibly relaxed. “Sup Red.” That was definitely a better option than the Red Queen. He wasn’t sure why but the teeny tiny pale pond jumper gave him the heebie jeebies. He could probably sneeze and knock her on her a**…But he was very, very afraid of what she might do when she stood back up. He wasn’t sure how Gracie or Daylia could breathe the same airspace and not wear SPF 10K. (Because that s**t is over 9000)
“At this point I’m going to start thinking that you ladies are following me.”, he commented with what he hoped was a friendly smile to show he was teasing. He wasn’t always good at social situations…But he was getting better. No one seemed to make fun of him for ‘hearing voices’ from his mutation. So far, being an Alpha wasn’t all that bad, aside from getting their asses kicked. “It’s definitely a club house meeting. What’s the password?”
Joking, again.
“I come here pretty often. Training my ability is easier here than in the Danger Room.”
There usually were at least a handful of people digging around in the dirt. Professor Monroe taught more than a few botany classes and more than half of her curriculum included hands on coursework.
“Truth be told…I think a lot of people walk through here because they miss the surface.”
Luke knew he did. Gracie had shut off the sprinklers awhile back so he moved to wipe the water off of his face. There was a bit of an awkward silence that he didn’t want to leave and he again grinned at Lynn. “So what brings you here? I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of rule about not bringing flamethrowers to a garden…”
He heard a thud from not far off but paid it no mind. It was in the direction Cissa was sitting with Daylia. A world of ******** no. For all he knew, she could have just pulled a body out of her purse to bury. Nope, nope, noooope.
“…And what’s this about a slip ‘n’ slide?”
-TIME SKIP-
After Gracie left with Daylia the plant manipulator hung back. As much as he liked the Omega girls Daylia was lookin just a little bit scary and he tended to avoid that kind of crazy. That was one ball bustin chick and he had no desire to have his nuts cracked.
That, and he had work to do.
“Hey…If you’re not doing anything—Want to help me find Quebracho seeds?”, he offered, not wanting her to think she wasn’t welcome. He wasn’t sure if Lynn would be staying or not but headed towards the parts of the greenhouse where he could find supplies. Scratching his head he found himself basically lost in the growing catalogues.
There HAD to be Quebracho seeds here somewhere right? Ororo had tens of thousands of different kinds of seeds dry stored down here. She could probably start a whole new nation if she wanted to. “It’s a kind of tree…But I never really got the hang of how Professor Monroe organizes these…”
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 11:32 pm
Holding Cell - Sub Levels
Katerina rolled her eyes sassily at Lachlan. Was he wearing a little ear bud with the Professors chirping in it—telling him exactly what kind of bull s**t X-Propaganda to spew? She could almost see the puppet strings dangling from his joints in order to make him dance like a proper wooden boy. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“I don’t pick fights I can’t win. I’ll beat her every time… She’s got some interesting sonic abilities—“, Katerina twirled her pointer finger in the air, eyebrows raised. “As you Americans say it…Whoop-de-do. She doesn’t have what it takes to lead or survive.”
Lachlan again tried to appeal to her better nature. What an idiot. She’d thought that she could chase him off by barking at him and punching the glass. No such luck. She let him preach awhile longer suddenly aware that he intended on standing in her way. Her chin rose as she met his challenge instinctively. “Your payment would be in vain.”
Her eyes flickered over his face, fingers touching the force field again. Her knuckles were blown out from how hard she’d punched it but she didn’t flinch. She merely stared at the Alpha that seemed so determined to throw his life away.
“I don’t want to kill you… But if you stand in my way—You will die. And then I will finish what I started regardless.”
For a moment she was almost impressed than an Alpha actually seemed to have a backbone. He was exceedingly stupid but stubborn as all hell. Katerina could appreciate loyalty, even if it was misplaced. Speak of the devil, the topic of their conversation arrived, and the shape shifter sneered. Stone looked like hell. That made her a little glad. It would have royally pissed her off if the songstress came out of this smelling like roses.
Lachlan took his leave after that which left Katerina to stew. She was ticked. How DARE Stone forgive her? How dare she say it? Think it? How could she be so stupid?
The shape shifter paced the floor of her cell as she waited for Stone to come back through in order to leave. When the Siren did walk through the force field she left Rossi’s cell in a hurry. She wasn’t sure what went down in there…But it had definitely upset the Alpha leader. ‘Good.’, Katerina thought cruelly as she took a seat on her cot and once again renewed her self-appointed duty of driving Rossi up a wall.
**Skippy Skip**
Dinner wasn’t bad. They typically stuck to sandwiches and items that didn’t require silverware but she’d definitely eaten worse. Some of it had been of her own making. It had taken her a really long time to learn how to cook anything that took higher skills than boiling water. At the very least, she could make excellent pasta dishes. The Italian in her was proud. When the security door down the hall opened again she rolled her eyes. What now? Or rather – Who now?
Everyone and their mother kept coming by to shame her for choking out Stone. What did they not understand about how very much she didn’t care?
Then she recognized a pair of footfalls. She sat up quickly and moved to the force field faster than most would give her credit for. “Aurie?”
It was a rhetorical question. She knew it was her. There was no one that moved quite the way she did. There were other people with her but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She hated the force field more than she ever had in that moment and wanted nothing more than to hug her best friend. It had been such a long and annoying day. She felt like a tiger locked in a cage at the zoo.
“How’s your head?”, she questioned as she remembered the small wound the telekinetic had received on the mission. It was part of what had set her off in the first place. “It looks like you got the blood out of your hair…”
Katerina felt bad. She’d promised to help Aurelie but she’d gotten herself locked up instead. It was a little amusing. She felt worse for failing to be there to help her friend wash her hair out than she did for nearly choking someone to death.
#priorities
ephemeral spirit
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Selena Lucania
Dangerous Lover
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:21 am
Name: Narcissa "Cissa" Grace Codename: Solaris Team: Omega Location: Green House
“I’m not sure...”, she responded back to Daylia when the young woman mentioned that this facility was better than something much smaller. It was ‘better’ in the sense that they were allowed certain freedoms…But Narcissa didn’t like seclusion of any kind. Having her wings clipped was still having her wings clipped. A cage was still a cage. “I think I’d hate both the same.”
Narcissa explained the bits and pieces of the mission that Daylia wasn’t privy to in order to put her ridiculous theories to rest. The Red Queen had never been shy when it came to expressing her feelings on her team’s performance. The Chameleon seemed to accept her responses and Narcissa let it go. Were it not for the fact that she was drained from being so far from the sun she wouldn’t have hesitated to try and blast a hole through the incoming MRD. But since she wasn’t admitting that…
Necessity was all she could give Daylia. It seemed farfetched and silly…But it was the truth. Simply omitting the circumstances.
When she got to the heart of the issue Daylia’s shock was well worth the question. Did she look like a floosy? Narcissa smirked as she continued to work on the girls nails. “I’ve learned not to judge a book by its cover. It’s always the quiet ones.”
The Red Queen was relieved to hear that aside from being filled with rage, she was filled with anything else, like a baby. That would have put a severe crinkle in her plans and would have forced the Chameleon to the bench for quite some time. From nine months to eighteen years—Narcissa was not patient enough for either.
Daylia ruined her nails after that and Narcissa felt particularly salty. All of that hard work down the drain by one foolish girls assumptions. The flaxen haired woman glared none too gently as she worked to repair the damage or redo the nail completely. Her subordinate commented on what a d**k Dimitri was and the sun goddess shrugged. “He is an Alpha.”
Narcissa glanced up from Daylia’s nails when she asked how many people thought she might have been knocked up. Part of her wanted to respond with ‘Who doesn’t’ but that seemed a little too cruel. She might have punched a hole through the table. “I've only really spoken of it to one other individual.”
The flaxen haired Omega Leader had only really voiced her concerns to Aren. It was the epitome of pillow talk but she'd wanted a second opinion.The Red Queen of course didn’t bother to clarify that her confidant wasn't Dimitri. Why should she save an Alpha from the wrath of an Omega? She was sure he would deserve what was coming to him at some point in the very near future. Stupidity ran rampant through the black and blue.
The sun goddess stilled when someone interrupted their conversation by falling on his a**. He should have withered and died from the scorching looks both she and Daylia passed his way—but somehow he was still standing. Of course he was. Bloody damn idiot.
She ignored the poncy pissant until she finished with Daylia’s nails and let her free to rain down a little vengeance. “Happy hunting.”
Narcissa really had never been more proud. Her Omega was off to do physical harm to an Alpha for no reason whatsoever. Her feisty little kitten was all grown up. “You look like s**t.”, she spoke plainly to the Alpha without looking at him. She could feel his nervousness wafting about the area like a dreary perfume of pathetic. He went on to explain the reason for his presence and she leaned back in the garden chair like a little Queen. “…You want to borrow a moment of my time…”
“Does that mean you intend to give it back?”
Narcissa looked up at the boy as she packed away her things. Her eyes were devoid of softer emotions and instead contained sharp pieces of broken glass. They were cold, chilling, and touched with an eerie sense of perception. She raised her hand and a brilliant ball of white light began to form inches above her palm. The orb grew to the size of a softball and then flew at a startling speed towards Gabriel without warning. It stopped about a foot from his face. “Have you found what you’re looking for?”
“If not…Why not take a closer look.”, perfect red lips formed a lazy smirk as she watched the ball of light spin on an invisible axis as it fluctuated and moved threateningly closer to the Alpha.
She almost pitied Isabella…He was brave, it seemed, but filled with stupidity.
Stupidity was a disease. It couldn’t be fixed.
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 7:12 pm
LOCATION: LIBRARY // COMPANY: FELIX, AURELIE, MAGDA // THOUGHTS: LET'S DO THIS // MUSIC: Hells Bells // CLOTHING: XX
A fire needs a space to b u r nxxxxxxxx A breath to build a glow,xx I've heard it said a thousand times,xxxxxxxxxxx but now I knowxxxxx
That you don't knowwhat you've got xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx U n t i l it's gonexxxxx
I thought I kept you safe and soundxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I thought I made you strongxxxxxxxx But somethingmade me realizexxxxxx That I was wrongxxxxxxxxxxxx
August had been slow on his approach, taking the time to make sure that Aurelie had seen him, and that he hushed her, before slinking up like a snake behind Felix. He knew that the other Alpha was going to revel in the torture of the Omega. If August could provide anything, it was uncomfortable silences and comedic relief, in the very least. Especially considering that the two of them had been whispering, but not really, in the library.
He looked between the two of them once his head came to rest on Aurelie’s shoulder, his eyes flashing to Felix as a smirk played across his lips. “Nah, I got too much respect for a teammate to act like that. But you Omegas are fair game.” After a moment, he crossed his arms and let out a chuckle when Aurelie mentioned that the reason behind the nickname was because Felix probably couldn’t pronounce her name at all. The speedster mentioned his own disinterest in the gravity manipulator, but did mention someone else that might play for his team. “Oh, really? You mean the tall, handsome one that looks like a Native American god?” August would be lying if he said that he wasn’t utterly intrigued. Rumor or not, it didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little bit of fun.
Straightening up, he looked to the speedster, a playful glint in his eye at the unseen challenge that was laid out before him.“Which begs the question, do your powers even work when there is no gravity?”The Texan scoffed at Felix, rolling his eyes.“Please, you got about ten or twenty pounds on me, we’re the same height, and I’m pretty sure I’m older than you. See, unlike some people in this building, I do my research. On everyone. Even on that pretty little blonde you Omegas caught that has enough power behind her fists to level a building. It’s not my fault that you can’t do your homework.”
August smirked when Felix asked what it was that he could really do. The gravity around August began to zero out as the sound of a book slamming caught the attention of the others. He floated into the air, drifting in a circle around them as he moved to lie on his back, arms tucked beneath his head. The motion was like when you float on top of the water in a pool.“Just think of me as Peter Pan, coming to steal away all you boys to join me on my magical island. Maybe Aurie will be my Wendy Darling.”
He smirked as he drifted around Magda.“Maybe we are plotting a murder. Overthrow the white queen.”He shook his fist in the air before drifting back to circle around Felix and Aurelie. He let Felix’s own reign of sarcasm fall over Magda, filling her in a small bit with what it was they were planning. Not that it was anything all that important. They were just going to do a quick in and out. Visitation, to say the least. August didn’t have much ties to that many members of his own team, or of the Omegas. But, being helpful while also being a little s**t was something he was good at.
The gravity manipulator shifted his weight and lowered himself to the ground, landing softly on his feet and removing the bubble of zero gravity that surrounded him. “So, are we just going to stand here and talk about it all day, or are we going to get moving? If we get anymore people comin’ along, Felix is gonna have to put us all in a wagon and pull us behind him. We’ll definitely be caught then, Scotty will just have to follow the trail of fire from the burning tires to discover where we are. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like sticking him to the ceiling.” He was getting a bit impatient, but if they had any more interruptions, then they would never leave this library.
[ ʈ | ɦ | ҿ ➸ S | i | z | e | - | S | h | i | f | t | i | n | g ]xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOmega - lounge
She tried to say he could take a page or two from her book and spend more time studying, but the native rolled his shoulders in a shrug as he popped a chip into his mouth. The classes he continued to fail were not classes he would need to have any knowledge of when he returned home. Technically, he had already graduated. This was just Scott’s way of torturing him, of that he was certain.
And while he didn’t need the classes, their mutual speedster friend certainly did. Teasing her for their “love” connection, a cheshire grin formed on his lips at her reaction. “And that’s the real reason why you don’t see me anymore.” He feigned a hurt tone, but didn’t bother to conceal the smile on his face. “Moved on from the native. Replaced him with a man with a little more speed to his game.” Not that he really was hurt; Raine deserved someone who could make her happy. There might have been a time when he could have filled that role, but it had long since passed.
His core got warm as he thought of the reason why. No doubt the feeling would radiate through the invisible tether that attached him to the sun goddess, surprising her with a bout of unprecedented happiness.
Even still, he masked the feelings and continued to tease the electric girl. “Boyfriend or not…” The way Felix made it sound, not. ”You shouldn’t avoid your friends - even if they are so good looking you reconsider your recent life choices.” Still cheesing in a smug sort of way, he offered her some of his coveted doritos as they shifted the conversation to the television in front of them and why he was choosing to watch cartoons.
“She’s a slave driver that one. I would guess she could give Narcissa a run for her money. And I can’t afford my own X-box, so...” Lifting his hand, he made a gesture to the appliance. Though the kids got a stipend for spending once a month, nearly all of Aren’s funds were funneled back home so that mom and brothers could afford the occasional nice thing. The opportunity to see how people off the rez lived was enough of a reward for him. His brothers deserved new shoes, clothes not stained and tattered from years of use. All they had before were his hand-me-downs, and stuff given to charities. “Cartoons it was.”
At least this one was interesting, as proven by the fact that both of them got sucked in for a few minutes. When the plot started to slow, Aren inquired about how she was doing… The alphas had been going through a rough patch of sorts, what with failed missions and their leader infirmed. Naturally, Raine still harbored some much-earned infuriation over the whole fiasco. “You guys were lucky.” He said before rehashing his part in the Omega’s assignment.
“Cissa had been irritated that the alphas were given the more dicey mission… She blamed it on the in-team fighting, but I’m a little relieved that wasn’t us.” The Omegas were powerhouses, sure. But they lacked in the defense department. Tearing a sentinel apart was more their speed; dodging bullets was not.
Instead of keeping the conversation so serious, Aren revealed the rumor about Daylia’s potential pregnancy, stating that Narcissa was pretty certain that was why she had puked all over the field. “It’ll suck to lose her in missions for ten months… Daylia is good people. But hey, maybe we’ll find out her natural hair color this way.” Since he had met the phaser, he had yet to see anything but a very fake shade of red.
Raine seemed to like the tidbit of information, mentioning the gossip train. “I’m sure it’ll be all over the base by tomorrow morning.” He said with a grin. Something as normal as an early pregnancy would bring something different to their world. Sometimes, with all the weird stuff the X-men faced, it was hard to remember they were still human and that they still had lives outside of their mutations.
Felix’s voice interrupted them, requesting an alibi for something he was going to do with Aurie, and Aren took note of the irritation that danced in Raine’s expression. Deciding to alert him that he wouldn’t be a cover for the girl he was currently shacking up with, Aren made mention that Raine was right next to him - just in case the speedster had decided to try and get into the newly-single telekinetic’s pants. He did not peg Aurelie as the type - especially if she had any inkling of what was going on between Felix and Raine, but he wouldn’t put anything past his smooth talking friend. "I think Sparky can handle secrets; she's just not a good liar."
Cutting off the comm, he shook his head and tried to make her feel better about the situation. “I wouldn’t worry about any potential passes he made at her if I were you.” He said in a way that would remind her that the boyfriend the telekinetic had just broken up with was his best friend. While men didn’t gush over every detail the way women did, they did talk. She hadn’t rushed much of anything in their relationships… much to Dom’s frustration.
Felix spoke directly to Raine then, informing her that spending time with the native was a waste of time, due to his interests in men. Aren let off a throaty chuckle as he shook his head. "You're terrible at starting rumors, Sp-Eddy. Might want to leave it to the professionals until you can come up with a story that's actually believable." He retorted. "You can't blame Raine for wanting a piece of this... Ethnic is in."
She eventually contributed to the alibi, and Aren chuckled. She was at least not playing up the jealous lover type. Kudos to her. Felix had invited them along, but the native declined through the comm. “If I ever want to play x-box again, I have to finish the first season of this. You all have fun now. DOn’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Someone came up from behind them, apologizing for the interruption and Aren craned his neck to see who it was. He looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place him right away. Snickering when he asked if either of them knew Narcissa, Aren exchanged a look with the human sparkplug. Everyone on base knew of Narcissa; the blond goddess made sure of that. “If not in person, everyone knows her by reputation.” He said with a grin, sitting up and pulling his long legs from off the coffee table, amusement running over him. “I’m Otaikimmio'tokaan.” He introduced, his native tongue bringing out a flavor of his voice not usually heard on base. “Everyone here calls me Aren. This is Raine.”
The new guy’s southern accent instantly made him draw a comparison to Blake, a team member that Narcissa was not fond of. “She’ll already have your file, and know who you are.” Aren informed him, attempting to make his transition to the team a little easier. Narcissa typically wasn’t fond of new recruits. “It’d be better to get to know the rest of the team. Raine here is considered an enemy to the Omegas… being that she wears blue on the field. But I tend to toe that line anyway for good company and help on the homework I never do.” He said, subtly explaining he played for the red and blacks.
“Last I heard, the Red Queen was dealing with a team issue so she’ll probably not want to be disturbed. If you like though, I’ll page her for you?”
[ N | a | t | i | v | e ]
▂▂▂▂▂▂ ▂▂ ▂▂▂▂xxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:01 am
Gracie shook her head, hazel eyes aglow with humor when Daylia defended her wardrobe choices once again, asking why anyone other than her should worry about what she was wearing. “Narcissa would say that how you carry yourself reflects on her… and considering she is always the picture of perfection…” She trailed off, figuring her friend would be able to put the rest together.
Going through the cement wall behind them had not been the hex manipulator’s idea of fun, but neither of them had expected it to take such a toll on Daylia’s strength. Tossing her a water bottle, the Georgia peach rounded her focus on the employee who witnessed their escape and continued to threaten him into silence. They left the employee break room and began searching for an exit when Kerri asked for their coordinates. After the myriad of hallways, the pair found their way out of the building and met up with the redhead and her newbies.
After a bout of puking and a round of jokes at the newbies’ expense, Narcissa brought up the rear and they were soon headed through the portal home.
Base
As soon as they were out of earshot from the rest of the team, Gracie let the world have her opinion regarding the whole fiasco. They had been fine; having a pair of greenies come to ‘save’ them made the more senior members appear grossly incompetent… and then Narcissa wreaking her own havoc, as though she were absolutely useless made things worse. “I know my head’s a mess. But we were fine.” She reiterated to her bestie. “I still have plenty of energy and could have gotten us there without help.”
Instead they had been treated as invalids. Daylia had never proven herself incompetent on the field as far as she knew, so she had to assume the caution was taken because of her. “Bruce would not have known we were at the mall...” She whispered, repressing a shiver that dashed down her spine at the mention of his name. Sometimes, she felt like saying it gave him the power to track her. Admitting that she was still susceptible to his telepathic controls was difficult, but Daylia accepted her regardless and instructed her not to be so hard on herself.
Mentioning her private sessions with Emma, Gracie whispered her flaws. As headmistress, it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of time to share. “What if I’m never free of him? He’s thus far refused to sign the divorce papers, claiming he will only do so if I appear in court and say I truly want the separation.” And because of her failure to appear, the request had been denied no less than three times.
In an attempt to make her feel better, Daylia blamed the rescue mission on herself, claiming that Narcissa likely didn’t trust her instead. But it simply didn’t make sense. Gracie insisted she wouldn’t have let Daylia down, outside of the puke session and her partner in crime seemed amiable to the condition as she tried to hold back the gag building in the back of her throat.
“I won’t want a burrito. That’s for sure.” She promised, a hand going to settle the acrobatics going on in her stomach. She doubted junk food would be on the menu for some time to come. Letting her friend disappear into her room to rest, she stalked the halls for some sort of distraction.
Time skip, Gym and Greenhouse
Her anxiety levels had yet to go down, despite Daylia’s best attempts at assuring her what had happened at the mall wasn’t her fault. With no lessons scheduled with Emma and complete avoidance of everyone else, Gracie felt no better than she had just after they passed through the portal. She tried to busy herself with exercise, internally quoting Legally Blonde’s scene about exercise releasing endorphins with every punch to the bag. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t kill their husbands. Thus far, it was proving effective enough to keep her mouth shut. She still did want her husband dead though.
She careened out of the gym as soon as she spotted Kerri and darted into the greenhouse to avoid a confrontation with her friend, expecting that no one would be there to bother her. Turning on the overhead sprinklers, the brunette stood under the cold water, hoping it would cool off more than just her muscles. Closing her eyes, she sighed and dipped her head toward the ceiling and relaxed a smidgen.
She hadn’t anticipated company, so when Luke appeared in her, her feet left at least two inches of space between her toes and the floor and she took an involuntary step back. Immediately, she started fabricating a story as to why she was avoiding the locker room; he thankfully didn’t poke holes in her excuse. Her bloodied knuckles however, were a different story altogether. Glancing down at the gaping holes on the top of her hand, she absently said she must not have noticed they’d gotten so bad. Sure they had stung a little, but she had mostly contributed the irritation to the repetitive motion and not to an actual injury.
The skepticism in his expression was easy enough to read and the shape of her lips fell into a full pout. “I was pretending the bag was someone who deserved it?” She tried, her voice raising into another octave by the end of her latest excuse. At least this one had some truth in it.
He took a long moment before insisting she be more careful. Sighing, she gave her friend a once over and let her shoulders fall. “It just hasn’t been a good couple of days.” She explained. “Most of the time I wouldn’t go for contact in a fight.” Holding up her arm to point out the lack of serious muscle tone, she continued. “There’s not a whole lot of meat to pack anything damaging here. But working on it served as a decent distraction.”
Flexing her hands, she hissed as the water affronted the wounds. “I suppose so.” Gracie agreed when he suggested she clean and wrap her hands. “Who knows how many other people’s sweat I dug into them.” Wrinkling her nose, her expression made it plain what she thought of other people’s bodily fluids. She pulled at the skin to open it a little more for the sprinkler system to do its worst.
Changing the subject, Emlen stupidly asked what brought him - a plant manipulator - to the greenhouse. Instantly embarrassed by asking such an obvious question, she had the stark desire to let her hair out of the pony tail and hide behind the makeshift curtain. “It totally isn’t.” She admitted when he tried to give her some leeway. “But it’s alright. I’ll just claim blond roots.” He really had to think her stupid after this...
He said the plants liked to talk, and her hazel eyes watched him closely as she tilted her head to the side and reconsidered ever eating salad again. She imagined high pitched squeals every time a fork stabbed through a lettuce leave. Please don’t eat me! Between him and Daylia’s puking fest, she was going to starve. “What do they say?”
The dark-skinned alpha went onto to say he wanted to get some sort of seed to test for body armor and she nodded. “Interesting.” She murmured, truly intrigued. Her mutation made things out of nothing; it was different to think others had to plan ahead. “What all would it work against if it’s successful?”
Lynn joined them soon after, and Luke made a joke about them following him, and Gracie’s laugh resonated through her chest as she greeted the pyrokinetic with a wave. Reaching up to the nozzle for the sprinkling system, Gracie shut it off so that she could join them, wiping off her brow with the back of her arm to prevent water from going in her eyes.
“I’d follow the smell of your cooking for miles.” She said, her accent making “miles” sound longer than it was. “You just aren’t allowed to tell my husband. After all, I’m still a married woman and wouldn’t want someone to get the wrong idea.” The entire base still didn’t know about it, she guessed Luke and Lynnette had been around her and Daylia enough to guess.
She asked if they were in some sort of secret meeting, and Gracie shook her head. “A lucky coincidence.” She said, following Lynn’s gaze to Daylia and Cissa. She swallowed the bile that came up, angry of the reminder about the mission. She missed Luke’s explanation of his frequency here, but bobbed her head at the guess people came this way to feel as though they were on the surface again. It made enough sense.
There was a loud thud behind them, and Luke tried to keep distracted instead of wanting to investigate. Instead of hearing about the slip ‘n slide at the pool, she heard “What a ******** d**k” and her eyes grew wider when she recognized who said it. “That doesn’t sound good.” Her feet remained planted; she didn’t want to talk to Narcissa anymore than she wanted to talk to Kerri.
Watching carefully, she nearly choked when she saw Gabriel approach the two Omegas. “Oh god. Not again. I swear your teammate has a deathwish.” And yet, she made no move to help the poor sod. He had already been warned; either he thought himself impervious to a solar flare or he really was touched in the head.
As soon as Daylia slithered away from Narcissa, her expression one of fury, Gracie looked to her Alpha friends and cocked her head in the phaser’s direction. “I should go see what that was about. Dinner soon?” She asked with a small smile. Luke and Lynn didn’t know it, but they had done more to calm her down in a span of ten minutes than what all of her exercising had in the last two days.
Catching up with Daylia, it didn’t take long for the molecular manipulator to explain what her meeting with Narcissa was really about. Apparently, her prom date had been telling everyone they’d slept together… and now there were rumors circling around that she was pregnant. Mirth exploded from her then, and she swelled with pride. “Well, you’ve replaced Bella’s-near-death experience as the main topic over the water cooler.”
She accused her of not helping, and her shoulders continued to shake with laughter. “I know. I’m sorry. But…” The entire thing seemed preposterous. Unable to wait to calm down any further, Daylia barreled out of her room and started hunting for the man in question with Gracie on her heels.
They quickly found him in the gym, shaking hands with whoever his sparring partner was and Daylia wasted no time in calling him out, her feet carrying her over to punching distance. As soon as her fist made contact, Gracie crossed her arms at her chest, and expectant look causing her eyebrows to climb.
“I’m sure your ego will survive a few blows.” Aurelie responded flatly, clearly not buying what he was selling. She eyed him suspiciously when he said getting into her pants was merely a consolation prize. “Then what’s the take home for the blue-ribbon winner?” She asked before she thought to stop herself; she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know.
Despite their banter, she wasn’t above asking for his assistance getting into the cells so that he could see Kat. She stupidly said she would owe him a favor, but quickly added an addendum to it before he could put her foot in her mouth. “How can you be ready for something unexpected? By the very definition, it’s not something you can anticipate.” The telekinetic said before glowering at his ‘prune’ remark. “I think you meant ‘prude.’ And having scruples on who I sleep with doesn’t necessarily make me one.” She argued haughtily, her stare looking straight past her nose. “It just means I have taste and class enough not to bed down with just anyone. Sorry if my prior denials bruised that over-inflated sense of self you have going on there.”
He called her out on staring and she could have sworn her eyes collided with the back of her head when she rolled them. She had started to make a snappy retort when he held a finger up to silence her as he solidified an alibi. Aren responded on the other side, stating they’d have to make good with Raine as well in order for it to work. Despite the fact that Felix said they might have to abandon the entire thing, Raine responded shortly after. “If we get caught breaking in, Raine don’t let this get you into trouble.” While they certainly weren’t on the level of besties, she considered the human sparkplug a friend.
Felix accused her of trying to get with Aren, and Aurie shook her head, blond tresses moving to sway behind her back. “Honestly, is sex all you ever think about?” She asked, not caring that Aren was responding to the quip himself.
The speedster suggested they skip out on the plan and make out, and she replied with heavy sarcasm as she answered in the affirmative. “I thought you would never ask.” She said before coming closer, a vixen’s expression taking a hold of her features just before she told him he wouldn’t be able to handle her. “Right… which is why I falsely remember you getting nowhere closer to that coveted position of in our pants. Or was it just so earth-shattering I can’t remember?” She asked drolly.
August snuck up behind Felix, holding a finger to his lips to request she not let his presence be known, and she continued the conversation with the Omega boy as if nothing were happening. August slid his hands over Felix’s shoulders, requesting some of the action and Aurelie gave him permission to do what he would with the Omega. “A man with your endurance doesn’t just treat the early worm.” She cooed, a small smile playing at her lips when her teammate threatened to hold him down so that she could get a few shots in.
“I think that’s the first time you’ve ever actually said it… Have you been practicing?” For now, she ignored that he called her weak; azure eyes marked with lines of disbelief around them as she shared a look with August. The speedster instructed the man to go play on the kid’s playground before asking to join the big boys, and Aurelie’s hand went to her mouth to stifle a snicker. “I find it interesting that you would call a size-shifter the smaller guy. If he actually is, wouldn’t his mutation be able to fix that?” Her stare flicked downwards momentarily and her lips pursed challengingly. “Versus over-too-soon, no doubt.”
She asked if August would like to join them out of a need for them to get a move on, and Felix immediately questioned what the newer Alpha could do. Auggie was happy to demonstrate, rising to the air as he suggested that she be Wendy. “But of course,” The blond said with a grin. ”I love to fly.”
Apparently they were being too loud, and Magda chastised them for it - reminding the lot of them that they were in the library, a place reserved for peace and quiet. Shrugging apologetically, the telekinetic sighed. “There should be a No Felix sign on the door then.” She said, not above blaming him for the majority of the volume. The underweight brunette claimed she was going to ruin their alibi, and none of them seemed the least bit phased. Honestly, Roland tailing Beast around was going to be enough to halt that story in its tracks. No doubt Mr. Boyscout would be there, trying to block the entrance.
Instead of responding to the threats, she let Felix do the talking, inviting Magda along for the ride in exchange for her silence. Though she couldn’t help but like this girl a little more when she said she was all for beating the piss out of Felix. “I think it would be a good lesson for him…” Magda asked what the sneaking around was for, and before she could answer, August spoke up, suggesting they get going, stating he didn’t feel very much like putting Scott to the ceiling. She held back a growl as her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into a pair of frustrated fists. “Right now, I do.”
“Scott has blocked my access to the cells because he doesn’t think Katerina is the right choice of friend.” She explained to the brunette, her tone making it clear that she didn’t agree. “So, I need some distractions while I sneak in and check on her. You game?”
(I’ll let you guys and I-the-Fallen determine the detes of how they got in. Have fun; don’t beat your characters to a pulp too badly.)
Despite the fact that there were four people involved in trying to be inconspicuous, the telekinetic successfully smuggled herself through the door and immediately let out a breath of relief when she caught sight of Katerina. “Kat?” She peered through the dimly lit room and made her way to the barrier separating them, ignoring the unmoving man in the opposite corner.
Absently touching her head where the concrete had fallen, she brushed off any twinge that it still had. “It’s okay.” She assured the girl and shrugged off the battle to get the blood out of her hair. “A quick shower did the trick. I would have come sooner but, ...” The words hung in the air like smog. She had to break into the cells to see her because Scott didn't approve...
“Has anyone said when they are letting you out? You shouldn’t be caged like an animal.”
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 2:18 pm
His cerulean gaze softened as he looked upon her self-described defeat. “Having a heart makes you, you.” He murmured, fighting the urge to push back the curtain of dark hair so that he could better see her face. “It’s an admirable trait to still have after everything you’ve seen.” It proved more than anything else the type of person she really was.
She tried to describe Kat’s improvements to him, but they fell on deaf ears. The changes over the last several months had been so subtle… and she still curled her lip in Bella’s direction at any chance she was given. The utter disrespect for her commander made her a liability and not an asset to the team.
They compared the ex-hydra agent to Gideon, and despite all that had happened and the twisted mix of emotions he felt toward the Wolverine-clone, Blake still thought the beast better than the human monster still contained in the holding cells. She reminded him that he wasn’t around for the majority of Gideon’s transformation and guilt instantly racked inside of him. Apologizing, he looked away… knowing he should have been there.
“I blame myself, doll.” He whispered, his accent somehow thicker the quieter he got. “I shouldn’t have left you to face everything alone. Had I been here, I could have helped.” Maybe then she wouldn’t wince every time Gideon’s name breached conversation… maybe then she could see Katerina Force as the danger she really was.
Had he stayed, he might have been able to shield her from some of the heart breaks. Instead, he had selfishly left to lick his own wounds. “I wish you could have come with me. He he thought to himself. He had asked if she wanted a spot doing what he had, but Evelyn had needed her… and in Bella fashion she put everyone else’s needs before her own.
Braving a glance at her, his guilt-laden eyes deepened in hue. Would she have been happier on the road, or would problems have tracked them there too?
“They were the way they were because I chose to abandon the teams and you loyally stayed behind to tend to them.” Yes, he helped a lot of people… he saved some from lives spent between padded white walls, he saved others from themselves and presented an opportunity for some kids that they never thought they would have. But he hadn’t been around to save the one person who mattered most to him. And she had no idea.
She mentioned Leo’s ability to handle the ex-Hydra agent, and Blake once again disagreed with the approach. “I’m glad he did.” He admitted, but the part of Leo that had continued to try and make mush of Katerina made him no better than the woman he had been fighting. He had lost complete control. “This world is better because you’re in it. Someone needed to step in. How far he went though… someone stepped in to stop him.” He said, allowing for her to put the rest together on her own. “Now he is in the same place she is. What good has that done?”
She disappeared to take a shower, and Blake was left to his own devices… allowing him the space and perspective needed to realize why Leo had reacted as strongly as he had. His heart sank into an icy pool in his stomach, his hands dug through his sandy hair and he tried to talk himself out of the despair now so keen to grip him.
She loved someone again.
It wasn’t him.
He rose from his seat in silence when she danced back out, oblivious to the black hole under his feet, threatening to swallow him whole. The pretense that nothing was wrong shattered as soon as her fingertips brushed his. And though he told himself not to, everything tore out of him, leaving his best friend speechless.
She didn’t form words until he’d already left. All she had to offer was an apology he couldn’t listen to. Not now. He didn’t want her sympathy, or her pity.
He needed a drink.
Nashville
He wasn’t drunk enough to listen to harsh words about Bella, even if his anger was spilling out with every downed shot. “She feels too much.” She just never noticed him… never wanted him as anything more than the shelter he provided. The alcohol made him wonder if she’d only ever been using him for the foundation he was. “How did she not know?”
Swallowing the liquid fire, his blue eyes seemed so endlessly deep and awash with his own dejection. He blinked and stared at the amber filled glass and started talking about himself… A grim smile marked his features when he realized she might finally notice him now that he could be another project to fix. Alice was having none of it, playing the devil’s advocate as she ordered another round, growling that Bella was the one who was broken. All that he needed was more whisky to mend the heart Bella had taken a chisel to.
“I don’t have a mullet.” He shot back, the more logical part of his brain telling him he should be impressed that she could make such a reference. “Billy Ray had a mullet.” Checking his hair, he made sure that there wasn’t a tail hanging behind his ears and found nothing. Good.
Moments later, a man approached their part of the bar, pushing Alice to lose the ‘putz’ for a real man, and Blake’s temper flared at the insinuation. The confrontation erupted life back into the bar, causing numerous tables to get involved in their own brawl. Before he realized what was happening, he found himself outside, staring in as they tried to settle things down. Thankfully, Alice was right behind him when he started cussing the closed doors out for exiling him.
Sniffing, Blake wiped the corner of his mouth, checking for blood. “He started it.” He said, obviously at the peak of maturity.
Alice teased him for acting so rough, calling out his old joints and he snorted. “I’ll just get a cane. Or I’ll pay someone to carry me around.” Holding his hand to the side of his mouth, he tried to whisper but it was still rather loud. “I have that kind of money, you know.”
They hopped from bar to bar, finding trouble in most of them. A few brawls and a couple broken cameras later, they were settled in the back corner of a quieter venue. “Who cares?!” And then he grinned, laughing at the irony. “I’ll just remind my Pop that he asked I do more for publicity.” Which was true… though even six sheets to the wind, he knew this had not been what he meant.
She suggested a hotel and some food, and he teased her about the implication of a room. “Doll, the tip of my pinky has more charm than what could ever come out of that foul mouth of yours.” He teased, letting his eyes wander over to the stage. At least the person singing now didn’t sound as though he was choking on a piece of hard candy. “I swear my grandmammy weeps from heaven when you start your talkin’. That’s why it’s been raining so much.”
He ordered a pizza from the waitress, and they continued bantering into their glasses until she returned with food. Once they had their fill, they left the bar with the intent of finding somewhere to sleep for the night. “We can’t go home like this…” No doubt Bella would hear them thrashing around when they got there, and he wasn’t in the mood.
The concierge was quick to provide what he asked, and Alice lead them, stumbling to the elevators as she alluded to an upcoming hangover. “Hangovers don’t affect professionals.” He slurred, only every other word halfway audible. She didn’t seem to struggle too much with the key card, and he spilled into the room, landing face first onto the bed. “You need practice.”
She moved about the room and offered him first dibs on the shower, but he waved her off, finding solace in his pillow. As soon as his eyes closed, he was well on his way to sleeping, the last word on his breath sounded like something that started with a “B.”
A Primrose Path
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Norse Princess Crew
Desirable Phantom
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:13 pm
LOCATION: BAR HOPPING IN NASHVILLE // COMPANY: BLAKE // THOUGHTS: MOST FUN I'VE HAD IN A WHILE // MUSIC: BLANK SPACE // CLOTHES: XX
This is a fight to the d e a t h,xxxxxxxx Our holy war,xx A new romance,xxxxxxxxxxx A trojan whorexxxxx
We will, we will, we will rise again xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx This is a f i g h t for the day,xxxxx Night,xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Black and whitexxxxxxxx Avictory dance,xxxxxx A burning riotxxxxxxxxxxxx
We will, we will, we will r i s e again
Alice rolled her eyes at Blake. She knew he had it hard for this chick, but honestly, she would have been over it the moment she realized that they weren’t interested. Sure it would hurt like hell, but Alice obviously had a harder exterior than her squishy best friend. He was too nice, and his kindness is what got him in more trouble than not. She brought her drink to her lips, not quite downing it just yet as she watched the amber colored liquid swirl around the ice in the shallow glass.“She feels too much of something…”She quickly washed down the muttered insult that she spoke into her drink before putting the glass down on the slightly damp bar counter.
“Couldn’t tell ya that, Blakey. You’re not exactly a subtle man.” Bella should be broken up about what she did. But the moment they would get back to base, she was going to make damn sure that the b***h was going to keep her hands off of her best friend. Even if it meant she had to shatter that skank’s perfect cheekbones. No one was going to break his heart again without needing serious reconstructive surgery by the time Alice was done with them.
She tried to cover the situation up with humor, making a Billy Ray comment to her friend, smirking as he tried to dodge it with his own words. “He doesn’t anymore, I don’t think.”With a bit of drunken determination, she pulled out her phone and started searching for Billy Ray Cyrus pictures on Google just as some asshat with a big personality, and an even bigger figure, tried to get her to go home with him instead of her drink purchasing, broken hearted bestie.
Before she knew it, they were booted out of the bar. She laughed at how Blake cursed the building, and they moved on.“Yeah, yeah. I know, Richy Rich. That’s why you’re buying me drinks and it’s not the other way around. I’m repaying you with my company.”She smacked him on the back. It was strange, being able to have some level of contact, friendly contact, with someone without worrying about shattering their bones. Hopefully she would remember in the morning to be a bit more gentle with her friend so she wouldn’t kill him on accident.
When they finally landed in a bar that so far wasn’t causing trouble for either one of them, then they could relax. And the topic of the amature paparazzi flashing cameras in their faces. Blake didn’t seem to mind, but Alice was a bit more on edge about the situation. She didn’t like having people all up in her business. “Who knows, maybe Skankzilla will see us on the cover of People tomorrow morning and she’ll really get jealous.” Alice winked at Blake before breaking out in a series of laughter that was drowned out by karaoke.
“Hey, I can make face when I need to. You should drag me out to one of your Galas some time or something. You’d be surprised that I can be quite the lady.”She laughed softly into her glass before shaking her head. “Well, your grandmammy isn’t here, and if it bothered you that much, you would never take me out in public. Besides, I think I have the best language out of the rest of the outcasts that are here.”
Blake ordered the pizza and when it arrived, they both dove in. It wasn’t hard for both of them to finish the whole thing off . Alice had a good appetite, and Blake was a grown man. A large pizza stood no chance against both of them, especially since they were drunk. When the notion of them not being able to go home came up, Alice nodded. “Oh hell no. I don’t need Scott breathing down my neck about being drunk and underage. Even though being a mutant alone should tack a few more years on for both of us.”
They reached the hotel, and Blake took care of getting their room as Alice took care of getting them both there. She laughed. Blake had really let himself go. She hadn’t seen him like this before, and honestly, she didn’t know how she should feel about it. Part of her was worried. Part of her wasn’t. She wanted this to be part of a healing process, but it could release some other monster instead. If he started jumping beds then she would really have a reason to worry. Till then she just needed to watch and wait.
They landed in the room, Blake taking claim to his bed as Alice sat on hers and slid herself out of her shoes. She rubbed her feet for a moment before standing. “Okay, sensei, we will see in the morning when you can’t even drive us back home.” She made her way into the bathroom to shower, washing the sweat and liquor off of her skin. She used half the bottle of shampoo and conditioner that was provided for them before stepping out. Alice dried herself off, sliding back into her underwear and tank top before she walked out of the bathroom, rubbing her head with ther towel.
As she looked at Blake, she saw the man already out like a light. She chuckled and shook her head, tossing the towel into the corner before she made her way to the small kitchen that was in the hotel room, opening one of the plastic cups from their individually wrapped packaging and filling it with water. She placed the water glass on the nightstand beside Blake before grabbing the bucket used for getting ice and putting that on the floor next to him.
Alice took the time to wedge his shoes off his feet, tossing them to the floor before tugging at the top blanket that he had sprawled himself across. Finally getting it out from under the drunk-sleeping mutant, she covered him up with the blanket. Slowly, she looked down at her sleeping friend, reaching out to touch his hair for a moment before muttering something under her breath that sounded like a good night followed by ‘dingus.’
She made her way to her own bed, peeling the blankets back and climbing beneath them. She tugged the second pillow on the bed to rest under her head as she shifted into a comfortable position on her side, her back to her friend before she fell into a dreamless, buzzed slumber.
This is a fight for love, lust, hate, desire
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx We are the children of the great empire
xxxxxxx
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:51 pm
╔═════════════════════════════╗ Alpha: His Room/Kitchen/Game Room |1465| Thomas "Transmigration" Morgan ╚═════════════════════════════╝
Assuring her he would get up earlier next time to use the sink seemed to please his sleep mate. His awkwardness about his shirt on the other hand just seemed to make things more confusing, and led to Eden mocking him in a playful manner. “I guess… I don’t know. Perhaps I shouldn’t be self conscious.” She sighed soon after and told him he was weird. “Yeah I guess I am. It’s a little old fashioned, but you know, old soul and all that.” Well he was technically that old, but still, it’s not like he remembered those days.
His attempts at salvaging his drastic misstep involving her makeup were not well received. The look she shot him was almost a glare, and her words caused him to sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to my opinion being asked. Not really sure what to say… I’ll try to be better if there’s a next time.” She certainly made it sound like there was going to be, and while he didn’t know how to feel about that, it didn’t seem like he had much of an option.
The discussion turned to her power and it was quite clear she loved her ability. As if her floating instead of walking wasn’t adequate to come to that conclusion. It must have been fantastic to be able to fly. If driving a motorcycle was as good as it was, then flying had to be ten times better. He could only imagine. Mentioning asking to go flying, she seemed a little unconvinced, but offered him a smile in return. “Or, have you thought about requesting some time in the danger room? Surely they can come up with some type of simulation for you to fly around in that wouldn’t involve having to worry about enemies… Or something, I don’t know. Sorry.”
Asking who she wanted to see in the infirmary, he was a little surprised to hear it was Bella, but he probably shouldn’t have been. “Oh, you know Bells? Well, if I remember correctly, her doctor said she should be waking up soon. How do you know Bells?” Thomas himself had been her friend for quite some time, it was a little surprising to meet one of her friends he didn’t know, but he supposed he’d been busy. Maybe he needed to spend less time in the infirmary.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They arrived at the kitchen to find it pretty packed full of people. A rare occurrence by no means, it was to be expected. Eden headed straight for the coffee pot and Thomas took the time to greet everyone and single Gabriel out to ask about his injury. The man seemed to be a little surprised, but then again he was apparently cleaning a gun and had a bit of tunnel vision going on about it. Thomas didn’t really approve of cleaning a gun where they ate, but he supposed it wasn’t that big of a deal.
His explanation certainly reminded him of something Elixir would do. “Well, maybe this will teach you to be more careful then. Glad it’s healed up nicely though.” With that Thomas allowed his own tunnel vision to end and allow him to focus on everyone else. Including a newcomer that had entered after Eden and himself it seemed. Most of the assembled people seemed fine with drinking coffee, which made Thomas wonder exactly why none of them had made any.
Hearing Alex ask them if they wanted anything to eat caused Thomas to glance over at what she was making. Did food really sound good? He supposed he probably should eat… “Perhaps a little if you don’t mind, nothing major. Just a couple of bites.” Then again, he could just grab a bagel or something, of course he’d already accepted her offer and it might seem like he didn’t trust her to cook now…
Greeting everyone and inquiring about their day, he got varied responses. Lachlan mentioned it being better after coffee, which Thomas nodded in agreement, before the other man introduced himself. Why did that name sound familiar? “Lachlan? That sounds familiar.” Shaking hands with the man, it dawned on him. “I think Bells mentioned you at some point. Sorry, I’m married to the infirmary most of the time. Probably should have met before now.” Shrugging, there was little to be done about it now.
Marcel also introduced himself, and the new girl signed her name to them. Charlotte drew his attention as well not long after Eden gave her name and sounded rather close to him. Looking over his shoulder at Eden he turned back towards Charlotte. “You could say that I guess. How’s your sister doing after that last mission?” Thomas couldn’t recall clearly in all the confusion of the mission, but she had been a little uneasy about it all right? Or was he imagining things?
Any thoughts were shut down as he felt arms being draped loosely around his neck from behind, it wasn’t hard to determine the culprit as she gave her team shortly before doing so. Shifting for a moment, he had to remind himself not to grab for the arms to remove them. It felt odd at first, but it was easy enough to get used to, and if she didn’t care what everyone thought of it then he shouldn’t either right? She was the first of his friends to ever do something similar, in some of their cases it was simply to elicit an amusing response. He just needed to think about her like that. “Yes, I’m an Alpha as well for anyone not aware.”
Collin gave a good topic for him to focus on involving the danger room. “Well there is an observation deck for you to look in on the current simulation, but you would either need permission to access it from the Headmaster, or if there were to be a team simulation being done.” It did live up to it’s name after all, and they could have just anyone using it at anytime.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After leaving the kitchen, Thomas and Eden had made a quick detour to see if Bella was awake yet. The quick detour turned into a longer detour as it turned out Bella was awake and out of the infirmary at the moment. It took a little tracking down, but as they were about to give up and head to the game room, they ran into the songstress wandering the halls. It was beyond good to see his old friend awake and looking much better. It was hard to imagine all the damage that had been done to Bella. Her standing there looking well was a testament to the miracles their powers allowed. It would have been easy enough to spend the whole day chatting along with his friend, but eventually he figured she probably still needed to rest and suggested as such to her, while he also mentioned where Eden and himself would be if she felt up to talking some more a little later.
Heading to the game room, it had apparently been decided that he would be taking the day off and relaxing along with Eden and Lachlan. It actually sounded nice to take a break and relax now that he knew Bella was okay. It was a weight lifted to be sure, and apparently he needed to get to know Eden at the very least if she was going to be sleeping over more often. Maybe he would try letting her have the bed and taking the floor next time. If he was awake.
Currently seated in one of the chairs, the healer was perfectly fine just sitting back and relaxing for the moment. The whole scene reminded him of a similar situation so long ago when Blake had first returned, or had it been Gracie. His memory needed work sometimes. It all seemed to blur together sometimes, perhaps a side effect of having lived another life. Either way, Sentinels attacked not long after, hopefully they wouldn’t be seeing a repeat performance of that day. The room was quiet for now safe for the three of them, so it helped tremendously to hold a conversation. “So how long have the two of you been around?” If it had been very long then Thomas would just feel like a complete shut in for not having gotten to know them sooner. Then again, these days he kind of was a shut in while at the infirmary helping out.
“Either of you been on a mission yet with the Alphas?” Lord, he would feel even worse if they said yes and he still hadn’t gotten to know them a little better. He felt like a bad enough teammate in general since he felt himself pretty useless on the field.
(OOC: Let me know if I missed anything, or misread anything.)
╔═════════════════════════════╗ I will now rise from the ashes. Don't call me pretentious. I'm sitting here making my own rules. And if I fall from the ceiling. You'll be down there waiting. And my only hope. Is falling down. ╚═════════════════════════════╝
"Yeah nobody puts their name in a ballot to be on bedrest." he said. But with this job everyone on here already had their names in it, it was just as what cost that would trigger a name to come up.
If Dimitri had super strength and durability that operated as the newbie, he wouldn't see a need to use padding as well. But he had just finished their business with S.H.I.E.L.D and was letting his abilities rest. Unintelligent would be an understatement if Dimitri was going to spar without gear and risk getting severely hurt.
Once his guards were on he went to the wraps and mma gloves to lace up. "They call me playboy." Dimitri was beyond used to the response and reactions of his codename at this point. Especially the fact that his alias had nothing to do with his abilities. "I know right? You'll get use to it."Once everything was in place he did a quick stretch to further limber up and took center on the mat where Darien waited. D extended a glove out to the new guy for the symbolic gesture of respect and sportsmanship.
T/S.
Dimitri was hunched over in his space, panting heavily as he tried to bring his heart rate to normal levels. His face was covered with a rosy blotch on his nose which explained the tiny traces of blood mixed into the mat with a violet blotch underneath his left eye. "Healing too?" he breathed out. "Nice." What would have been more nice is if Darien told Dimitri about that little surprise. Then again the alpha didn't show his bag of tricks either.
Their session started off with D testing the waters of punishment. Darien's stance was the opposite of Dimitri's who had a mixed martial art stance where he was on the balls of his feet and had balance to throw kicks, punches and take it to the ground. Dimitri got some small hits in, utilizing angles to slip and pivot but ate a few from some counters. Nothing on the pain scale that Dimitri wasn't fazed with.
The mid rounds of the session was where things were picking up. Otengam found his flow and single strikes slowly began to transition into combos of 2's and 3's to the head/ body and using knees and elbows at a respectful strength. His training and hard work were showing once again. Strikes that were coming from Punishment were 50-50; either being slipped or barely grazing the playboy. Going into the last section of their fight was where the table began to lean in Dariens position. He didn't know the specifics such as the damage taken to produce certain strength and defense in his ability. Dimitri just knew that the strikes were causing more pain starting from the next few hits that connected.
He was becoming more flat footed and using less head movement, which meant he was more of a stationery target and easier to hit. Combos began to transition back into single strikes and more energy and less accuracy was used into his takedowns and grappling. Yet In the end it was a stalemate. Dimitri had the upper hand from the jump into midway where Asch had begun to flip the script midway to the ending. His sore, exhausted body stood up to take more breaths before he limped to Darien and gave him a firm handshake. Despite his wounds he was down for another crack at Punishment in the future. These were the types of partners that would help Dimitri on his own game."We have a lot of that around here, trust me." Even some bare knuckle fun for the green when he would go on his first mission of saving lives and kicking some a**.
"Welcome to the Alphas."
And a welcome to a new and hour old face would have been given by Dimitri, had they not give off a hostile entrance. He looked to Daylia with a confused expression. "Uh, hi to you guys too?" Otengam was totally out the loop. He couldn't begin to guess what she was pissed about if he was held at gunpoint or why did Gracie come back with her acting like her bodyguard? It couldn't have been because the two men fought and left them out of the fun could it? And they weren't talking behind their back with Kerrigan, so what was the deal? The lavabender could have attempted to surmise all he wanted. But from the fist she was packing and the anger in her eyes that was locking on him like heat seekers, the best tactic was picked by instinct to be on the defensive. Dimitri slowly took a few steps back with had his hands up and back to his sides in a "hands up" gesture to signal peace. "Hey what's the-"
*Wham!*
He didn't see it coming, not from her. He didn't expect Daylia to straight out punch him in the face, specifically his rosy nose that he had stopped blood from coming out before between rounds .Had Dimitri been at tip top shape he would have had a better chance at eating the hit. But his vessel that was his body was sinking into the depths. He let out a painful groan as his face crinkled and snapped to his right, followed by the rest of his body that dropped to one knee.
"The ******** was that for!?"
His eyes that stared at the ground began to water as he gently caressed his nose. Once more drops of blood was coming out drip by drip as if someone didn't turn the faucet off completely. She threw another verbal attack at him, talking about how she couldn't believe him. Believe him about what? Nothing was clicking in his head, just throbbing and. Then Daylia finally revealed what had her boiled up. "The <********> are you talking about!?"
He murmured another F bomb under his breath while standing back up and headed straight to the gym's restroom, looking over his shoulder back to the Chameleon and Hex praticioner. "I never said we did!! We never ******** slept together!" His runny nose was a priority over trying to further explain himself in any attempts for the girls to twist his words or further interrogate him good cop/bad cop style. Gently holding his nose with his forefinger and thumb, his mind shuffled through events that they had together. And it took but a few seconds before it finally clicked on what she was referring to. "Oh you've got to be ******** kidding me..."
(no worries LS)
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 9:59 am
Team:Omegas Location: Gym Thinking:Watching the Spar | Break it up!
Dimitri and Kerrigan chatted about his state of mind post-mission, and how things had gone for the Alphas and the Omegas on their last missions. Things hadn't gone well for either team, and morale seemed to have taken a hit, but it seemed way worse for the Alphas. The redhead did her best to try to cheer the boy up, offering some words of encouragement and wisdom, as she was wont to do.
Darien had asked what she could do, and the redhead chimed in with Dimtiri with a quick explanation of her powers. She had been invited to join the spar between the two boys, but thought it best to decline. It was sweet of them to offer, but Darien didn't know her level of training or how her powers worked, and it didn't seem fair to the newbie to give him a two-on-one his first day on base. A smile crossed her features at his response, nodding as he said he might take her up on her offer later.
"I'm sure I'll learn something by watching you two go at it," she said with a grin, her attentions turning to Alice as the girl made her way into the gym, bypassing most of the action and heading straight to one of the weight benches. The girl was a new"er" Omega, and that meant that it was time Kerrigan got to know another new"er" teammate. Leaving Dimitri and Damien, the redhead made her way over to Alice, offering to serve as a spotter. Dimitri thanked her for the talk, the redhead offering him a playful wink, "Hey, anytime."
The offer to spot was accepted, Kerrigan taking her position while the shaker wrapped her hands around the bar. She couldn't help but smile as the girl insisted that she wouldn't be too excited about the spar unless "pretty boy" lost a tooth. The redhead could only assume that she meant Dimitri, but both were pretty easy on the eyes. The Academy had aways seemed to inexplicably draw pretty people - maybe it had something to do with genetic enhancements favoring those genetically predisposed to beauty? She wasn't going to complain about it. Who didn't like being surrounded by eye candy?
The amound of weight the girl lifted was momentarily surprising, but nothing surprised the redhead for too long anymore. Green eyes kept on the bar and the lifter, the redhead ready to move in at any time should the need arise, not that she expected it to. Between reps, the girl asked her why she did't want to get into the ring with them, positing that it would be pretty entertaining to watch two guys that looked like that get their asses handed to them by a girl. It made Kerrigan laugh.
"Oh, it would be entertaining, no doubt. But I'd feel bad for the poor lugs. Besides, better to let the new guy get to know the powers on his own team before I step in. Sooner or later, everyone asks me for one-on-one training around here." She normally didn't turn down the opportunity to spar, but it really didn't seem fair when the guy that asked her had no idea what he was getting into. One day they would go head to head, no doubt.
Alice suggested that she would join the spar, but there wouldn't be enough money to repair the bunker when they were done, Kerrigan nodding in agreement. "Yea, your powers aren't exactly inside-friendly," she suggested, not for the first time thanking the powers that be that she at least had a pretty tame power compared to some of the others. At least she wasn't going to potentially tear the base down if she got into a tiff.
After about fifteen reps, the girl put the bar back in the resting place, sitting up on the bench and introducing herself. The redhead offered her a smile as she stood up and tossed her gloves into her bag, clarifying that she was the one that took out the sentinel at the mall, though she ended up in the Infirmary as a result.
"Oh, trust me, I heard about you. I'm roommates with Narcissa, and since you were placed on the Omegas, I got the full skinny. We're glad to have you on our side. It was really impressive what you did with that Sentinel." She raised her hands to show that she wasn't offended by the girl not wanting to shake her hand, falling into step next to her new teammate as the girl made her way over to the treadmill. Since she had already done a few miles today, she wasn't going to join the girl, but she could at least stretch and continue her calisthenics. Stretching her arms over her head as far as she could, the redhead released a breathy laugh as the girl asked for her story, apparently wanting to know just how much a** she could kick.
"Well, the story itself isn't that interesting, but I've been here long enough, with enough training, that I have certainly kicked some a** in my day." The girls chatted for a bit longer before Alice received a text from someone that seemed important. She excused herself, the muscle mimic offering a small wave as the girl left the gym. Friendships were important around here, and she would be the first to drop anything if one of hers needed her.
- - - - - Time Skip - - - - -
Kerrigan had decided to stick around and watch the spar between the two Alphas in the gym, always interested in perhaps learning something new. She was impressed by both sides, calling out encouragements to whoever seemed to need it the most at any given moment. She always tried to encourage those around her to train and become stronger when she could, and even though the players were on a different team than herself this time around, it was interesting to see their different styles and how they challenged one another.
Approaching the boys as they finished, she overhead Dimitri welcome Darien to the Alphas, she started to congratulate them on their spar when she saw a familiar face come in. Unfortunately, the smile on her lips faltered slightly when she saw the look of rage on Daylia's face. Her fellow redhead had always had a temper, and it made Kerrigan glad that she had never been on the receiving end of the girl's wrath as she followed the girl's intentional steps towards the Alpha's lava manipulator. Gracie wasn't too far behind, the muscle mimic giving her a questioning look before she heard the sound of D's fist slamming into Dimitri's face.
"Holy s**t," she exclaimed before she could stop herself, the redhead immediately throwing herself at her teammate in an attempt to keep anymore physical violence from erupting around her. The boy's nose was clearly broken, her skin tingling slightly at the sound of him snapping it back into place as he dropped to one knee. Gracie stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at the boy expectantly while Kerrigan continued to wrestle with Daylia. What was it with Omegas just hauling off and punching anyone that made them mad? Maybe they needed to put everyone into mandatory anger management courses.
Dimitri continued to yell that he had no idea what he was being punished for, the redhead demanding that he explain why he would tell people that they had slept together. Green eyes widened as she turned to look at the bleeding boy on the gym floor.
"You did what?!" The words had left her mouth before she could stop herself, forgetting for a moment that she was trying to protect the boy from more physical harm. He insisted that he had done nothing of the sort, finding his footing once more and retreating to the bathroom while looking over his shoulder. Turning her gaze to Darien she motioned for the boy to follow his teammate, "make sure he's okay."
Stepping around to make sure she stayed between her teammate and her intended prey, Kerrigan rounded on their resident chameleon, "Lady, you need to calm it down. Cissa's made it quite clear that we can't keep just running around and punching people. It gets her in trouble with the higher ups." Leaning in, she lowered her voice, "But, if what you're saying is true, I'll hold the a*****e down myself."
The last thing she wanted was to get involved, if the allegations being thrown around were true, but being second in command, she didn't feel like she could just let the Omega wail on the Alpha lava manipulator without at least trying to diffuse the situation. The last thing she wanted was for her best friend to have to take the brunt of the pushback from Frost. As much as she loved the girl, Kerri would be the first to admit that an unhappy Cissa was usually a problem for everyone...
((O.O.C: I don't expect anyone to backpost since things have moved on, but wanted to at least respond to your hard work! Hope this is ok - please let me know if you would like anything changed. Apologies for the delay in posting!))
Darien was sore and looked pretty roughed up from their spar, but the signs were fading away already. Too bad that bit of regeneration would deal with the pain like it would his wounds."Hey, man. I can't just tell you everything. It'd leave me without any aces in my sleeve! Shame you didn't bust out some of that lava, would've made this a lot more interesting," he replied to Dmitri's quip about his bruises healing up.
Quickly turning his head toward the sounds of anger fast approaching, he started to take off his padding and do his best to filter out the following rage-filled shouts. Visibly cringing a bit at the resounding CRACK of one of the girls' fists kissing Dimitri's nose, he kept his mouth shut, but damn that had to hurt. Seeing the flick of Kerri's hand toward the wounded Playboy, Darien moved to go after his comrade."I'm staying out of this s**t, but that sounded really painful. You gonna be okay, big buy? If you want, I'll be glad to run interference on those hits just so you don't end up in the Infirmary, seeing as we both went at it pretty hard back there,” Darien asked, hushing his voice a bit to try and keep it between the two of them. Whoever that girl was, she sure threw one hell of a punch.
((OOC: just realized I completely forgot to add a list of injuries to my last post, so I'm adding them in here to account for the skip and all.))
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 5:59 pm
WARNING: There are graphic depictions of violence in this post. Read at your own discretion.
Name: Leonardo Rossi Team: Alphas Location: Holding Cell -- ? The Post To End All Posts He failed - it was the simplest way to put it. He’d found his opportunity to kill someone he had wanted to end for so many years, and he screwed up. Leonardo realized at the time that just snapping the woman’s neck was by far the easiest method with the highest chance of success. However, he had wanted her to suffer. He wanted her to know the end was coming and that there was nothing she could to stop it.
Everything during and after that time was a figurative blur. He remembered someone prying his arms from around Katerina’s neck, restraining him, putting him in the cell, but the wash of emotions he was experiencing at the time prevented him from forming coherent memories.
So here he was, arms secured to his chest, in a sterile white cell with only the simplest of comforts. There was absolutely nothing to do other than just stare at the wall. No visitors - Scott had probably instructed everyone to stay away from the cells, or better yet, locked the entire area down. Katerina was constantly trying to get him riled up, but it wouldn’t work. There was nothing he could do - at the present moment, anyway. His insects had been deprived of him, and his mimicked powers had already started to fade. Any corner or crack or opening was sealed and treated with pesticides and other chemicals to make sure there were no stray animals that could grant Leo any sort of power.
He heard his name. Looking up, he saw Bella standing there, looking… damaged, as always. Usually, the sight of the songstress would have brought a steady, warm feeling to his chest. Now, there was only anger. Didn’t she know him well enough to know that he didn’t want this right now? Didn’t need this right now? Leo coped best when alone. This was hardly good for his psyche.
She entered anyways, and sat with him for what seemed like an eternity. As always during their relationship, she was looking for answers. After everything that had happened, she was having a crisis of faith. He wouldn’t deny that a large portion of that was his doing. Few people at the Academy had similar world experiences like him. What he stood for and believed flew in the face of almost everything Xavier and his pupils believed, and yet he was still a good guy. Usually, it was black or white, us vs. them. They had been so sheltered, that if anything challenged that, there were bound to be emotional and psychological repercussions.
There was only one phrase he could bring himself to say, and yet she ignored his advice and stayed longer. Someone came over her comm - a man who found the need to apologize to the animal mimic. Leo put two and two together quickly - it was the man who had pulled him off of Katerina. His power must have been super strength, enough to rival his own ant strength. No hard feelings were harbored - after all, Leo should have just broken the terrorist’s neck.
Bella continued to have her existential crisis, saying that Scott thought him dangerous, and that she didn’t try to stop Leo from killing Kat even though Xavier would have been sure to teach her the “value of every human life”. There was nothing Leo could say that wouldn’t further taint the lessons that had been drilled into her since she was a child.
Eventually, she left, and Leo finally had peace of mind. He slumped his head against the padded wall behind him, closing his eyes.
He didn’t belong here.
A few hours later, the lights in his cell and the hallway suddenly went dark. Any sort of monitoring equipment would show a brief glitch before seeing a looped image of Leo sitting in his cell. When the lights came back on, Scott Summers was standing in front of the barrier, his stoic gaze staring down the man in the cage.
“Didn’t know you were much for theatrics, Scott,” Leo calmly said.
“I figured we should talk,” Scott said, face not revealing any sort of intentions.
“You think I snapped.”
“You tried to kill someone.” “I tried to kill someone I’ve been trying to kill for two years. There’s nothing new there.”
“You really believe Katerina is beyond saving?”
“Not in her current state.” “What does that mean?”
“It means she’s still Hydra. She might not think so, but she is. It’s still there, tapping around inside of her head. All that conditioning, the cult-like rejection of any sort of different view. Sure, she might say she’s on our ‘side’ now, but she’s always been on her own side. The moment the X-Men don’t provide what she needs, she’ll turn against you.” “Some people might say the same about you.”
“I don’t cut the heads off of women and children and throw them into a river. That’s the problem with you guys. You haven’t experienced the world the same way I have. You go on a little mission and then you shut yourselves inside of your big mansion and feel good about yourselves. You think people like me and Kat are the same - that anyone that doesn’t believe exactly what you believe isn’t in the right.” “You presume too much.”
“So do you.”
“Look, we know about your time in SHIELD. And we appreciate your experience-”
“No, you don’t.” “Excuse me?”
“You know I was Laos.”
“Yes.”
Leo locked eyes with Scott, or rather, with his sunglasses as he spoke next. “But not everything. I was there fighting the local communist government, you know that much. What you don’t know are the absolute terrible things I saw there. I’m talking about standing knee-deep in a blood-red river filled with the dismembered body parts of mostly kids. Finding raped women with their breasts cut off. Charred remains of newborn babies. So you know what I did? I took a knife and I killed an entire camp of the bastards. And guess what? No one else in that area died.”
“So you think the X-Men are useless.”
“No, I didn’t say that. The X-Men are a warm blanket and I’m a cold scalpel. You can’t pretend like one works and the other is completely ineffective. Sometimes you need a warm blanket. Sometimes you need a cold scalpel. The X-Men are necessary because yes, you help in the fight. But most importantly, you help those that are outcast, those in danger. You’re educating these young kids to be good people - that’s probably the most important thing you do here.”
“What’s your point, Leo?”
“You need to clear the field before you can build a church. We both need each other - we both serve separate, but vital roles. We shouldn’t be trying to change each other, we should be trying to help each other.”
“What’re you proposing?”
~~~An Indeterminate Amount of Time Later~~~
Faint footsteps made their way down the hallway of the holding cells. Leo loosely dragged his hand across the barrier to Katerina’s cell, stopping in the middle and knocking once on the glass with his knuckle.
“Suits you.” He put his hands in the pockets of the gray sweatpants he was wearing as he started to pace back and forth. “You know, I feel sorry for you, I really do. All of that Hydra conditioning, the torture they probably put you through. See, that’s always been the difference between you and me. Choice. I’ve always had it. I joined SHIELD because it was my choice. I chose to do most of the things I did in SHIELD. And I left SHIELD because I chose to. The first semblance of a choice you ever made was when you left Hydra. And that’s why I didn’t immediately kill you when you first arrived. I figured you had maybe changed, and that you were on a road to redemption. But… you haven’t, really. And that’s why I tried to kill you. There might be a chance for you yet, though. You leaving Hydra is like a very small flame in a dark room. I can only hope it grows brighter.”
He stopped pacing and faced Kat. “Good-bye, Katerina. I can only hope that when you leave this cell you’ll be a changed woman. But if not-” A small smile appeared on his lips and his eyes squinted slightly as his voice dropped to little more than a whisper. “Watch your back.”
Before Katerina could even say anything, he disappeared into the darkness again. The faint sound of the hallway door could be heard before shutting again.
Bella, Aurelie, Tara, Raine, and Lachlan would all find notes taped to their doors, neatly typed and folded in half. Now was not the time for wordless good-byes. Don’t give people closure and they tend to look for you. This just wasn’t the place for him, though. At least not now. There were things that needed to be done, and he couldn’t do them with the X-Men.
He was out there, somewhere.
Notes:
Bella
Bella,
Scott and I both felt it was better I leave this way, especially after last time. We both know why I needed to go. I’m just not an X-Man, and I never will be. I’ve experienced the world in such a different way that I can’t just pretend I haven’t seen the things I’ve seen.
You asked me why you didn’t stop me from killing Katerina. There’s no easy answer. You’re in a transitional period, like I was before I came to the Academy. All I can tell you is this: don’t take my words as law, and don’t take Xavier’s as law. Think for yourself.
Make your own way.
There’s this little mariachi band in Barranquilla that plays on the river. Their best performance by far is the Siren’s Song.
Leonardo.
Aurelie
Aurie,
Things between us couldn’t be more complicated. I won’t deny my feelings for you, and I know they aren’t unrequited, but there was always something getting in the way. I will cherish the memories we had and the thought of what could have been, but it’s my time to leave.
There’s something you need to know about Katerina, and why I did what I tried to do. I’m also hoping that she’s still in her cell as you read this, or else she’s probably already tearing this up now.
She’s still lost. She might have left Hydra, but Hydra hasn’t left her. I can’t fathom for the life of me why she’s so fixated on you, but it could be a good thing. I think out of all of the people at the Academy, professors included, you’re the only one that can change her for the better. I know that under the rough layers of snide comments, hatred, and stubbornness, there’s a young woman that can truly atone for her actions and become good. Just don’t let her change you.
I found the old dance studio where you used to practice. You should visit it sometime.
Leo.
Tara
Tara,
Thank you so much for your friendship during my time here. Out of everyone at the Academy, you were the one that made me feel like a normal person again. I can only hope we can see each other again, on or off the battlefield.
Also, if you ever need a job outside of the Academy, there’s a great restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that serves a mean milkshake. Order the DeVito.
Leo.
Raine
Raine,
It was good to work with you during my time here. If you’re ever in New York City, there’s a cellist that has an oil painting called Head of a Woman.
It was painted by da Vinci.
Leo.
Lachlan
Lachlan,
No hard feelings.
Leo.
Captain Kilos
Offline
Dirty Starshine
Fallen Star
Offline
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 2:11 pm
✖Pool → Roomxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ PROBABILITY SENSE↺xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xNever one to be unfriendly to someone for no reason, Charlie happily welcomed the newcomers to join in on the fun he and Christian had managed to stir up. Boredom drove most people to make their own entertainment, and the probability adept and his friend had had plenty of practice doing just that.
A couple of others filtered in, each invited to take a turn on the slip-n-slide as long as they also did a shot. No one seemed put out by the stipulation. Christian had taken on the role of bartender, making sure everyone had their drinks, and Charlie watched as Tara took a slide into the pool.
”Solid ten.” he smiled as the brunette popped back out of the water. He leaned over as he stood at the edge of the pool and reached a fist out to her for a fist bump.
That was about when the pug came barreling in to crash their party. He chuckled at his friend’s response when he teased about finding him a girlfriend. ”Don’t be shallow, dude. Beggars can’t be choosers.” he pressed further.
The dog’s owner followed in shortly after and apologized but Charlie assured her there was no problem - as there was already a dog in the pool - and introduced the gang. She warned them that she would likely forget their names and Charlie gave her a chuckle. ”If you drink enough we can blame it on the alcohol.” he suggested with a smile.
Maddy corrected him, claiming to be the king of the sea. He laughed. ”Sorry, this is Jetsam, king of the sea. My bad.”
”And this guy over here is Psyche.” he pushed further, motioning to Jacen. ”Obviously not the king of the sea.”
When Parker’s ink caught his eye, he ended up getting a demonstration of her ability. He watched the tattoo on her call for some Patron. His expression read impressed. ”That’s pretty badass.” he stated before turning back to Christian. ”Yo, Woofy, get this girl a drink!” His arm wrapped around Parker’s shoulders as he pointed her to the werewolf.
Slowly, he was beginning to feel warmer and even friendlier than usual. Charlie was typically a physical guy, but even more so when there was a little liquor in him and boundaries became blurry. ”Don’t skimp, we need to make sure she won’t remember our names tomorrow.” he told his friend.
The werewolf suggested a competition. Initially Alphas vs Omegas, but as the numbers weren’t even he quickly changed it to guys vs girls. He nodded his approval at punishing the loser with restocking their party. ”And speakers.” He added. If they were going to be on a supply run anyway…
”I’m game. But to make things fair, everyone should have to catch up on shots.” They’d started early, and were up a couple shots on the others.
Charlie gave a mischievous grin to the two discussing the boogie board. An ‘I’m not telling you’ face that soon broke as he coughed up the less-than-interesting answer. “It was just in the pool supplies. Someone must be looking out for us.” he chuckled.
The werewolf poured another round of shots after Charlie announced it. Christian also reminded everyone not to drink too much and chuck in the pool. He gave his friend a thumbs up as he grabbed his shot. He was about to down it before Christian suggested they toast to something. He smiled, a breathy laugh even escaped him, when Tara toasted to the slip-n-slide and gave them kudos. ”To fun times and fun people.” he added, glad that their duo had attracted some new friends.
Once everyone had a chance to get their toast in, he downed the shot. He’d mentioned speakers and he’d almost thought Christian was going to save the day when he spoke up. But the next thing he knew, he’d been wrestled into the pool. It turned out, his ability got a little foggy when mixed with alcohol, he’d been caught by surprise - which was a feat around the probability sensor.
He resurfaced, laughing. Then playfully hooked an arm around Christian’s neck and dunked him back under the water. ”Summerslam champ, summer slammed!” He shouted in retort as he let go, clearly with no intent to drown his friend. He raised his arms in victory as he made his way back to the edge of the pool. ”Woo!” The Patron was definitely starting to take hold of him.
Parker and Tara each took turns on the slip-n-slide and Parker called for another shot. ”I like this one.” he noted, flashing her a smile as he reached the edge of the pool next to her. The probability adept hopped out of the pool and grabbed her shot glass as water dripped off of him all the way to the Patron. He lined up all of the shot glasses that were there and poured tequila into each of them.
”Now who hasn’t hit three shots?” he called out to the others, but then took one of the shots for himself. ”Four?” he corrected. ”Come over and drink up so we can get this competition going!” He handed Parker her shot as he waited for the others.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯↺
A few hours and a number of shots later, there shouldn’t have been any doubt that the party had been properly liquored up. They’d managed to track down some speakers so they had some music. Everyone took turns plugging in and playing their own playlists. Charlie’s phone was currently plugged in, a mix of Gym Class Heroes, Childish Gambino, Macklemore, Kid Cudi, Grieves, Kanye West, etc…
The party stayed lively with a mix of different pool games and goofing around. At one point, Charlie had made a run to a couple of floors up to see if the force field was still there.
It was….
Backflips off the diving board was the best they would get.
They hadn’t been kind to the pool area either, with glasses, bottles and clothes littered across the ground, not to mention their makeshift slip-n-slide and an absurd amount of soap and bubbles. In the pool, and around the edge of it. Charlie had slipped on some soap at one point, but even with a few drinks in him, his reflexes caught him to save him from any injury. And after that he and Christian had grabbed all the towels they could find and laid them out around the pool so no one else would slip anywhere besides the slip-n-slide.
After hours of horsing around in the pool, even Charlie was feeling tuckered out. But even more, he was feeling hungry. Food became his and Christian’s next mission. Their partymates were invited along if they still wanted to hang out. Charlie couldn’t find a dry towel anywhere, even the shirt he’d been wearing earlier was soaked - and he left it at the pool when they left, along with his phone and everything else.
They made a quick stop by the kitchen to load up on food. There were a few people there and Charlie tried his hardest to appear sober, but his slurred words and unusual clumsiness would be dead giveaways. And they certainly hadn’t left the kitchen unscathed either.
Back in their room, they locked themselves in with those from the pool party who still wanted to hang out. Charlie even offered dry shirts - in lieu of towels - to those that followed along. And then the feast began.
