✖▐ A C A D E M Y: Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx AKA Duck and Coverxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Leonardo Rossi has known for a long time what he wants... which really turns out to be a "who he wants." But life has thus far blocked his path. Deciding to sieze the moment, he approaches a certain telekinetic who's wanted nothing more than for him to notice her.
But bliss among the X-men is often interrupted by the pandemonium outside. Facing a ghost from Leo's past, Aurelie brings Kat along for the ride.
xxxxxxx▃▃✖▐C h a r a c t e r s I n v o l v e d ↓ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx▃▃✖▐D e v e l o p m e n t s ↓ ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ xxxxxxx
It's a long time coming.
Coding done by The Bunit, Pics edited by Selena Lucania, Concept for thread approved by AX moderator, Selena Lucania
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:39 am
Most of her assignments for class had been done for hours; but across the room one of her chemistry books still was propped open, the highlighter she'd used to make notations strewn next to it on the coffee table. The rest of her supplies hung in the over-the-shoulder tote hanging on one arm of the chair, sure to be neglected for the remainder of the day..
Despite the chaos that ensued from being a part of the X-men, the students day to day lives had continued, mostly unaltered. Today, the blond had found solace in the music room, taking a much needed break from her studies. She'd been at the bench for the better part of the afternoon, her deft hands lingering on the finger-like keys as she found chords that matched the tune in her head. Thankfully, no one had ventured down here to bother her, so her hand at composing was going rather well. Humming a melody, her fingers aptly found the matching harmonies.
Every twenty seconds or so, she'd pause to jot down the notes on the sheet music. The song she wove together expressed much of what she felt; it started longingly, the notes leaving an intangible sadness in the air and then grew to something akin to tumultuous. The tempest swooped with a decrescendo into a haunting mix of longing, but acceptance toward the end. As she replayed the notes, her whole body moved, almost as though she and the instrument had merged into one being. The more of her heart she poured out into the piece, the more relieved and peaceful she felt. The music felt fluid, as though the more she put into it, the more her problems dissipated - even if it were only for a little while.
The last few months hadn't been easy... that much was evident from the mood of her creation. But, she'd not expected them to be. With the mutant-hatred still spewing about, their world wasn't safe. Plus, the entire student populace was still buried what seemed like miles underground.
When they'd moved here, the telekinetic had hoped it would be temporary. Aurelie missed fresh air that wouldn't burn her lungs from how frigid it was; she missed feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She missed not being able to take a taxi to her sister's Manhattan apartment.
And no matter what Forge claimed... the Danger Room simulations weren't the same thing.
She sighed as she finished playing the piece a final, her finely trained ear listening for any out of place notes, but this rendition sounded perfect. Sitting straight, azure-imbued eyes peered out into the room for the first time in ten minutes. Her heart jumped in her throat when she spied someone in the room with her. "Oh!" Immediately, her hand flew to the center of her chest, as if the motion would still her fleeting pulse. She didn't know which senses he had cued up at the moment, but Aurelie hoped to God that it wasn't heightened hearing, else he'd hear the sound of her blood pumping too fast.
Her cheeks flushed with color, the tell-tale sign of her embarrassment that she couldn't hide, despite her best efforts. Depending on how long he'd been in the room, he'd witnessed something more private to her than reading a teenie-bop's diary. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts. "So..." The telekinetic drummed her fingers lightly across the keys, doing her best to squelch any nervousness that bubbled within her.
"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, finally admitting to herself that the game of hide and seek was over. The last few weeks she'd evaded the animal mimic, not out of anger... but out of her own unsteady footing. Sapphire orbs clashed with his own for the first time in ages and her lips curled upward without her bidding them to do so.
"And what...brings you all the way down here?" Surely he'd not come down her all the way down here to find her. She wouldn't even allow herself to entertain that thought when she'd long since given up hope that her crush would amount to anything. "Decided to brush up on your skills for your next low-key cafe concert?" She asked, recalling what he'd said the first time they'd met. Looking at him now, she considered how drastically their lives had changed since she'd first joined the team.
She scooted over to the edge of the bench, in case he wanted to sit. "I'd like to hear it, if that's the case." The blond invited with a pretty smile. "I don't think I ever did get to hear you play."
Even if she'd been avoiding him so that he would not be able to see through her, the present company lifted her mood from the serene state she'd been in to something closer to happiness. She'd not known it was possible for one person to affect her so staunchly. Silently, she reminded herself how foolish it was to allow him so much power over her. But it couldn't be helped, Aurelie felt a magnetic pull toward the animal mimic, as easily as a moth was drawn to a flame - and just as dangerously because he hadn't a clue.
"Looking back," Aurelie said, fingers idly fiddling with a lock of blond hair, "I feel as though I should have insisted." No doubt they would have survived Tsukino's singing far easier than their venture to the mall. While she wouldn't bring it up, the words were hauntingly etched in her features. They'd done some good that day... That much showed in her expression as well. "Maybe even on that duet I never got out of you..." She grinned teasingly then, figuring he still wouldn't be up to the task.
She sighed then, her gaze falling to the keys she'd been playing so fondly a few moments ago. The ensemble of keys prevented her from staring at the man who surprised her with a visit. Not only might he have considered her gaping rude, Aurie found herself afraid that he would pick up on how she felt... while it was true he was no longer with Bella... She had decided that things with Leo were similar to her and Dom... the pair might have made a good match if the timing had ever been right - assuming he had ever reciprocated her feelings. Her best friend had assured her he did, but the formerly Amish girl refused to be so narcissistic. Leonardo Rossi could have any girl at the academy, and while she wasn't so naive to think she wasn't pretty... she remembered her uncertainty about joining the Alphas. Leo had been her first friend on the team - no doubt he remembered how awkward she'd been.
Bringing herself to her feet, she glanced at her things and lifted them telekinetically, readying herself to leave before she said something she'd regret. "I should probably be going... Kat will be looking for me." Her book and supplies made their way into the tote and floated over to her, where she shrugged into the strap, securing it on her shoulder. "I'll see you around." She murmured, turning to leave. While the telekinetic's words bid adieu to the dark-haired man, cerulean pools expressed her want to stay - without her permission.
Name: Leonardo Rossi Team: Alphas Location: Music Room The road to not being a basket-case hadn't exactly been an easy one. When he had gotten back, he'd been a mess emotionally. His core belief system had been shaken so violently in such a short amount of time, and he needed time to think and recoup. The safe, secure, and silent walls of the Alkali Lake base had been surprisingly comforting – it allowed him to clear his head and block out the world around him for a short amount of time. He could think and reflect, and eventually start to work things out.
Looking back, being with Bella had been more therapeutic than romantic. In all honesty, they both needed each other. And after not seeing Aurelie for a month and a half, things had gotten confusing for him. Even during the relationship, it didn't seem like an actual relationship; rather, they had an intense bond that had gotten physical for a little bit. When they had both decided to call it quits, so to speak, it wasn't on bad terms. He'd just realized that Bella wasn't the one for him. Blake was probably happy about that.
Leo commonly didn't go to the 6th floor if only to go to the library in order to get a book. He knew that being cooped up for too long without anything to do would get to him eventually, so he spent a good amount of time reading books. There was something about having physical pages with words etched in ink that was comforting to him, and luckily the library had a good selection of novels.
Of course, he'd gotten a bit sidetracked when he heard the dulcet tones of a piano echoing throughout the halls. He typically avoided the music room because he didn't exactly consider himself that musical (rusty piano skills aside), and not to mention the little musical he'd gotten to be an audience member of back at the mansion. Then again, that place did hold some warm memories for him – it was the first day he'd met Aurelie, and she'd played so beautifully.
Taking the briefest of peeks into the music room, he was delightfully surprised to see that it was in fact Aurelie playing the piano. He was going to just pass by, but since the blond telekinetic was indeed alone, he figured now would be the perfect time to catch up. Despite the fact that she was the only one Leonardo had told he was leaving, he hadn't gotten to speak much with her since he'd gotten back. Things had come up and gotten in the way, missions, Dominik, Bella, and not to mention Kat.
Despite it being months since Kat had joined their little merry band of rebels, he still didn't know how he could approach her in order to clear the air. They'd had some fierce battles with each other before they came here, and now that they were supposed to be on the same side, he wanted to make it right… sort of. The real reason why he wanted to at least be comfortable with Katerina being in the same room as him was because of Aurie. The two were inseparable, and if Leo would want to spend more time with Aurelie, he'd have to deal with the shapeshifter that had given him more than a fair share of bruises.
Aurelie finished her session, and when she finally looked up to him, he apparently gave her a bit of a startle. He grinned and gave her an apologetic expression as she asked him how long he'd been standing there. "Long enough," his grin turned into a sly smile, hoping his answer was elusive enough. He began to stroll over to her as she asked what he was down here for, and he chuckled a bit as she mentioned his not-so-finely-tuned piano skill. "Oh, no, I think my days as a piano prodigy are gone," he said. "I haven't played in literally years." He sat next to her, leaning on the frame, making sure that his elbow wouldn't slip and hit the keys. "Trust me, I think it'd be best for the both of us if you were the only one that played."
When she said that she felt she should have pressed more for him to play back on the first day they'd met, a look of soft recognition crossed over his face. His mind would go back, from time to time, to that day, and wondered what would have happened if he hadn't felt so stir-crazy, or if he'd just stayed behind and waited through the awkward storm that was Tsukino and that other guy whose name escaped him singing and acting like they were in the middle of High School Musical.
"Well, if it was either stick around the impromptu opera or go fight mutants in a mall… I might have to think about that one for a bit," he smiled, hoping that the light mood would allow them to speak a little bit about the escapades they'd had at the Academy without getting something akin to a thousand-yard-stare. Really, he just wanted to talk to her about anything. It'd been so long since he'd had a legitimate conversation with Aurelie where Kat wasn't breathing down his neck, making quips about him or whispering in his ear that she was going to eat him alive. Although he had enjoyed Bella's company, the things they talked about at times dealt on a much deeper and philosophical level – he knew that he could talk to Aurie about more casual things, things that could make him a little bit normal again.
Being this close to her, alone, after not having seen her for so long, he wanted desperately to touch her. If it was only to brush her cheek on nudge her elbow, he'd welcome any sort of contact. Then again, there was Dominik.. He knew that they'd rekindled their relationship, but to which extent, Leo wasn't sure. That was what had kept Leo's spirits from coming all the way back up when he'd come back. Then again, it had been a month and a half since his departure – how could he expect Aurelie to wait for a man that hadn't even told her how he felt? Although, it couldn't hurt to still be friends with Aurelie, right? He of course wouldn't outright ask if she was still with Dom, but he did hope that it would come up in conversation.
Aurie stood, and Leo blinked, taken aback a little. Was she leaving? She was using her powers to pack up all of the books that had been strewn about a nearby table. Kat was mentioned, and Leo almost got a little bold at that. No way was his arch-nemesis going to screw yet another part of his life. As she gave her good-bye, Leo gently placed his hand on her arm. "Let her find us," he said, voice lower than it had been. "Knowing her, she'll probably sniff you out as an actual bloodhound." As they were now though, he was really hoping the shapeshifter would take her sweet time in finding the blond telekinetic.
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 2:34 am
Why was it that time flew so quickly? It always seemed to go faster when she was planning something potentially reprehensible.
Katerina stonily peeled herself from the shadows, blue eyes pinned steadfast to the Alpha leader. Some part of her was offended that the harpy wasn’t a sobbing suicide risk. She’d expected to see her debating on cutting her wrists in the bathroom while listening to the Divinyls.
Stone’s laughter, while most seemed to hang on it, was like an icepick to her temple.
Since they were all trapped in a fishbowl and at least half the time, desperately bored, gossip was nearly currency. No one seemed to be able to confirm details… But at some point in the past few days, weeks, who really knew, Rossi and Stone had thrown in the towel. Katerina had initially felt a dark sense of elation—Knowing that Stone’s newfound stability would disappear and her life would crash and burn.
Again.
Revenge playing out, even through natural karma, was something she enjoyed. It wasn’t fair that after all this time, she was denied watching the harpy suffer. Gods, couldn’t Rossi do anything right? How hard was it to crush a spineless twit when he held all the cards? He’d disappointed her in not turning the girl’s heart to a fine powder when he dumped her.
And he had better have been the one to dump her, not the other way around.
Nevertheless, she considered herself the “cat” to the “canary” and she intended to one day swallow Stone whole. She really had a theme of eating people as of late...Rossi was an ignorant, self-involved fool…But no one deserved destruction via Stone. As far as Katerina could tell, the alpha leader personified the myths of a Siren. They were evil creatures that lured sailors off course and caused their boats to crash into jagged rocks.
The young shape shifter had also read that Siren’s were cannibals.
Katerina smirked wickedly.Perhaps that was why Alpha’s randomly disappeared.
Still…It was curious. Rossi hadn’t been acting any more like a woman than usual…So what? An amicable split? Katerina scoffed as she glanced at the clock, deciding that there was no such thing. Her Suicide-Watch would have to wait. She never left Aurelie for long periods of time, and she was already late. God only knew what kind of trouble she could get herself into unattended.
The shape shifter knew where the telekinetic would be. Aurelie only had a few different haunts this time of day. Katerina debated on running just a little later when she heard a familiar voice. Christian…He laughed, unintentionally giving her reason to pause. He seemed happy, goofing off with his friend Charlie. She’d grilled both boys separately after shifting into one or the other about her person… None of the dialogue had been unfavorable, though some had been unclear.
Optimism and wishful thinking didn’t change the fact that they were in different worlds. Katerina had done terrible things… And Christian was only just learning how to fight. He was a toddler, learning to take his first steps…He’d never hurt anyone. The only person she’d never harmed, refused to harm, was Aurelie.
Kat had no business thinking she could be anything but what she was.
She waltzed into the music room just in time to overhear Rossi comment that she’d turn into a blood hound to find her best friend. It was offensive that he thought she’d need to. Her eyes went flat with distaste and she sneered, for once not in a mood to hide her annoyance. Her response was typical, tone disdainfully mocking. “Arf Arf, Rossi.”
Katerina continued into the room as if she owned the floor she walked on, taking a delicate seat on one of the low tables. She couldn’t really tell what she’d interrupted, though she could tell it was ‘something’. From the way Aurelie had her books gathered… It seemed like she’d been leaving. If the telekinetic wanted to be alone with the government dog, the blonde bombshell was more than welcome to let her know. “What—No hug?”
“And here I thought we were friends…”, she trailed off as she analyzed her pink painted fingernails, investigating an invisible chip. Had Aurelie not have been in the room, she would have sassily shifted into Stone to ask if he preferred that better.
But that would have hurt the one person she cared for, so she kept her form with a grimace. Aurelie made her so…So soft.
Rossi might have been given a temporary pass because of her… But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t tear into him whenever possible. She hadn’t forgotten what his fists felt like, or how tedious it was to take care of injuries he’d inflicted. If she were being fair, she would have noted that he’d never gotten away unscathed.
But Katerina wasn’t fair. He was the enemy, who her dearest friend had fallen in love with.
It made him twice as dangerous, so she was forced to watch him closely to anticipate any action he may or may not consider. Aurelie would cause her to hesitate and holding back in a fight with the animal mimic was akin to asking him politely to kill her quicker.
Her attention switched to Aurelie and her expression smoothed, the fierce assassin all but lost. She seemed almost normal, innocently swinging her legs to and fro as she leaned back on her hands. “I saw Christian on the way here… No tag backs. Who do you think I should get him with next time?”
“Frost? Or that sad French creature?”
Katerina had taken to shifting into other people to throw the werewolf off when she wanted to continue their ‘game’. Aurelie would know what she was referring to. There wasn’t much that was more entertaining than watching him sputter after kissing him in Kitty Pryde’s body.
Perhaps she should try a male next. Katerina smirked suddenly to herself, the expression that of a child who had just figured out something very naughty.
Perhaps, she should try..."Rossi?"
OOC: Sorry... It's a pointless post full of filler--So I at least tried to make it funny.
Playing the piano had always brought the blond peace, as though the notes that sung through the air could wrap tightly around her, chipping away at her problems in their embrace. Recently, she'd taken a shot a composing her own songs, which left her even more relaxed as her emotions spilled onto the page. Everything she felt could be put into a note, a beat or harmony, which left the piece eloquent, complex but also hauntingly honest.
By the melody, one might have been able to read her mood, but only Kat would pick up on the inspiration for it - the almost doleful acceptance in the last few measures would have given the telekinetic away. And then she would have heard the 'follow your heart' speech once more, particularly with the rumors circulating the campus; Bella and Leo were no longer an item.
She refused to simply believe whatever trash the other students spewed between themselves... with how long they'd been underground, many of the girls were becoming stir crazy, and were making things up for something to talk about. Therefore, the normal gossip train could not be relied upon for actual information. Kat had mentioned it to her when she'd heard, but the telekinetic had adamantly stated it didn't change things, ignoring the funny flip her insides did when she thought about it. Just because Leo was single did not mean he was shopping the market for a blond girlfriend. She'd been foolish enough to think she had a chance before, and did not intend to repeat that mistake. One go on the roller coaster there was enough for her to enforce some ground rules upon herself...
Since she'd heard about the supposed break up, Aurelie had steeled herself from falling into the trap of unrequited feelings again, and had avoided Leo as thoroughly as she tried when he'd been dating their team leader. It was easier not to over read into his words, misjudge the reason for his smile, confuse any implications of him teasing if she didn't spend time with him. Her unyielding attitude meant, she spent a lot of time in Raine's room, moseying along with Kat and Christian... even being subjected to Gabe's experiments in an effort to avoid the guy she was trying to get over.
But when she tired of pretending or when her friends found themselves busy, the former Juilliard student wound up in one of two places - the music room, or the simulation room. It had been awkward to ask Bella for permission to use it privately, but the sound manipulator hadn't pushed for details when she said she needed to work on something personal. There'd been no where else for her to practice dance routines without prying eyes... And while she was ready to don her block-toed slippers again, an audience was the last thing Aurelie wanted if it proved too much for her emotionally.
Today had found her here, jotting down notes from a song she'd dreamed about. When she finally felt as though she'd done the harmonies she had imagined justice, her cerulean gaze peered out into the room, quickly spying the person she'd eluded until this point. It shocked her - the former spy had snuck in without even the sound of his shoes tapping against the floor.
Embarrassment flushed over her, a rosy hue coloring her cheeks, neck and chest at the thought of him hearing her musical confession. Clearly abashed, she meekly asked how long he'd been standing there, and the grin on his face spelled something she didn't quite catch, but it bade her to unwind.
This was exactly why she'd avoided him; being in his company felt easy, too natural for her to remember not to let him in. "Long enough for what?" She questioned, her tone teasing but a tad bit suspicious. At least she'd not put words to the composition... having him walk in on that... her heart sank to the floor when it crossed her mind.
Conversationally, the blond inquired about what had brought him down to the sixth floor, assuming that he'd wound up in the music room to sneak in some practice. He'd been humble the first day she'd met him, stating that he'd only ruin her talents if they did a duet. "Prodigy, hmm?" She repeated, an eyebrow arcing up towards her hairline. Leo denied wanting to play, stating it had been years since his fingers graced the keys. "I hadn't played in a year and some change..." Aurelie countered, scooting over for him to take a seat. Even though she had been doing her best to write off the crush she had on this man, a small thrill went through her as he came closer. Obviously, her efforts were working about as well as a cat using cement for litter.
One smile, and her game of hiding went up in smoke, regardless of her carefully laid out reasoning for it. His closeness caused her to forget. "Admittedly, Beethoven's pieces are far more elegant than my own." Shy of letting him see all the notes she'd scribbled in the margins for different tempos, how the slurs should work, Aurelie hurriedly pulled the sheet music down and sent it over to her bag with an invisible hand. "But it's still enjoyable to try."
The small blond mentioned that she should have insisted he play that day, and both of their moods softened. Giggles erupted from her when he said he'd still have to think about his choice to the alternative... knowing the outcome of the mall they'd escaped to. "Oh... she wasn't that off key... At least we didn't start bleeding from our ears. " Fiddling nervously with her hair, she shook her head, unable to meet his eyes as she made her admission. "I'm still surprised you chose to hang out with the nervous ninny over the company of the team... The toad eyeing me like I was his next fly dinner had me out of my wits. And awkward. Sooo awkard." Looking back, she can't believe how shy she'd been, how many missteps she'd taken in front of the animal mimic.
Had he even noticed?
She thought she had felt a spark that day, and had done her best not to read into how he opened her doors, how he actually listened to what she said... He'd sought to make her comfortable in true gentleman's fashion, and had wedged his way into her heart without really trying. That alone should have informed her that it wasn't what she thought... nothing is ever that easy. Not for her, given the track record.
That thought sobered her, and she remembered the reasons why she'd set up rules for herself about Leonardo Rossi. Sitting alone with Leo was against at least ten of them. If the telekinetic was honest with herself, right now.. she didn't want to part company just yet. Leo brought out a fun, more happy side ... but at the cost of her being miserable about it later. With that reminder, Aurie brought herself to her feet, a sigh passing her lips as she telekinetically gathered her things across the room. Besides, if she stayed, she'd pose the questions that weren't any of her business...
If he and Bella had broken up, Aurie did not wish to witness his misery over it... and selfish as it was, she certainly had no desire to hear that they were still happily sewn to each other's sides. She didn't have right to pry into that part of his life when he'd given her no reason to, when he had given no indication that vying for his attentions would even be welcome. The blond knew she couldn't maintain niceties forever... not when she so wanted ask if he still loved the dark-haired siren. The query planted itself to the tip of her tongue, begging to be formed into words she'd desperately regret.
Her tote floated over to her, and she secured the wide strap over her shoulder as she voiced her intentions to go find Kat and leave him be, only for his hand to latch onto her arm - almost as if he wanted to pull her back down to the bench next to him. Her heart stopped beating, goosebumps forming at the low register in his voice, particularly when he said "us." No doubt he felt them under his grip, a tell-tale sign he affected her in ways he shouldn't.
Leo murmured that Kat would likely arrive in the form of a bloodhound, and Aurie nodded, silently bidding herself to breath and to not read into the deepening tenor, or how he wanted her to stay. A smile lifted her expression when what he said finally processed; it took a few seconds too long, and she realized she must have resembled a treed coon while she attempted to regain her bearings.
He doesn't like you like that. She chided, willing herself to believe the truth instead of some childish dream. Realistically, she knew being alone with him would only strengthen her delusions, that she'd overanalyze everything he said to give herself hope. One word, one smile, it'd all leave her reeling for hours after. Eventually her crush on him would drive him away, and she'd lose one of her closest friends from something silly. Until she was over it or could at least suppress her attraction to him, contact should be limited. "Leo I-"
Unsure of what she was going to say next, she felt infinitely grateful for Kat's perfectly timed entrance, completely unaware that Leo had wanted the chance to be alone. She pretended to bark at him, and Aurie merely shook her head, not catching the flattened countenance that went with the greeting. In her typical style, the Italian exuded confidence that Aurie envied, and took center stage, glowing in the spotlight that Aurie would blister under. Her bestie teased Leo, and the blond mistook the bite behind it as the woman protecting her; Katerina knew all too well of her best friend's troubled heart, and had countlessly blamed the ex spy for all of it.
"I was just getting ready to seek you out when Leo predicted you'd find me first." She greeted, fondly. At least now she'd have a buffer, someone to keep her grounded so she wouldn't start believing she had a chance with the animal mimic again.
The former ballerina snickered at the update on her game with the werewolf; it never ceased to amuse her at how playful Kat was around him.. She'd been happy for Christian's promotion to the teams - it gave her best friend an easy distraction, allowing her to forget how Gideon had disappeared without her.
"Next time?" Aurie parroted, pressing a finger to her lips as she considered the options. Emma would be funny, but no sooner than Kat uttered Rossi as a suggestion for her surprise attack, did the telekinetic's laughter burst out of her, her whole body shaking with her guffaws. "Oh god!" She said, daring a sideways glance at the animal mimic. No doubt when Leo caught on, he'd be less than pleased with the idea of her walking around in his skin. Without thinking, her fingers encircled the sleeve of his shirt, as if the notion would pull him into the joke.
"I can't imagine you kissing a boy..." Aurelie sniggered when she caught her breath. In the same instant, she realized her grip still claimed his bicep, and she dropped her hand to her side hastily, as if the familiarity of her touch would burn a hole through the fabric. "But, I'm sure Christian would never see that coming..." Her lips remained curled in a smile as she sauntered over to the arrangement of chairs to put some distance between her and her crush. She deposited her tote next to the sofa across from Kat and took a seat there, content to stay a little longer. So long as she didn't keep making mistakes.
Not wanting to be rude, or really even see Leo leave, the telekinetic motioned for him to join them. " Considering I finally have you both in one room... I'd like to finally hear the story on how you know each other." She requested, putting her chin in her hand, elbow digging into the arm rest.
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 10:03 pm
Name: Leonardo Rossi Team: Alphas Location: Music Room
Leo knew that the journey he had embarked on over two months ago would eventually lead to this. In his quest to be emotionally sound and happy again, Aurelie would have to be an integral part of that. The main part, even. If it didn't work, then he would have to rethink things. He figured that if he didn't try now, though, then it might never work out regardless. For a man who only took risks if they were calculated tenfold, this was dangerous. He had to tell her how he felt before she moved on to another man.
As fate would have it, she was in the music room practicing on the piano. He watched, careful not to let her see or hear him. Call him creepy, but he knew from years of surveying politicians, terrorists, and scheming corporate bankers that people showed their true colors while in private. That wasn't the only reason, though. It was like watching a beautiful lake as it was intensely calm, reflecting the stars above. Such beauty shouldn't be disturbed, and he felt that if he were to interact with her during her immersive musical session, it would be like throwing a rock into the calm lake.
It took him back to the first day he met her, watching her as her fingers danced across the shiny white keys. Initially, Leo was drawn to Aurelie not just for her striking beauty, but because her blond hair and telekinetic abilities had reminded him of a time and place where he had been a hero, a savior of the world. Now that he had gotten to know her, however, things changed. Thoughts of his old life as a government agent came to him only faintly as he looked at the blond angel before him – rather, he imagined the life they could have together.
She caught him staring, and she seemed too embarrassed to be creeped out by the fact that he had been watching her. When she asked to clarify his rather vague comment, he said in a more normal tone, "Okay, maybe like the past two minutes or so." He pretended to check his watch as he drew closer. It was actually probably for longer.
As he sat next to her, his heart rate increased and he struggled to control his breathing. Even though it had been his job for many years to stay cool under pressure and make it look like he wasn't nervous, he knew it wouldn't last long. Luckily, their conversation so far had been light and coy – a distraction from his overreacting vital signs. She apparently had tried to brush off the fact that he hadn't played in so long by saying she hadn't done so in a comparable amount of time. "Oh yes, but I didn't go to Juilliard," Leo said, twirling his hand around with a bit of flourish.
Beethoven was mentioned, saying that the musical legend's pieces were much more elegant than hers, and she quickly took down the sheet music as if she didn't want him to see. Frankly, he wasn't looking at anything else in the room but her. Pictures of a mutilated cow could have been resting on the piano and he wouldn't have noticed. He picked up on her scent for the first time, and involuntarily took in a deep breath. "Yeah, but does Beethoven fight monsters on the weekends? You've got at least that going for you." Honestly, he'd take a badass over a musical genius any day… especially if it was Aurelie.
The incident in the music room from the day they'd met was mentioned, and Leo rolled his eyes in remembering the impromptu performances that followed. The blond had countered by saying that at least physical harm hadn't come to them, and Leo scoffed, saying, "Well, they might have if we'd stayed there any longer." She said that even after all this time, she hadn't expected him to spend time with her rather than the rest of the Alphas. Again, her lack of self-esteem confounded Leo. It had happened before, when she thought that her kissing skills were to blame for Dominik breaking up with her the first time. Someone with such beauty, talent, and not to mention a bubbly personality… why would she be surprised when anyone hit on her?
Coming close to something of a confession, he instead answered by addressing the toad-like man who'd had her in his sights. "Well, I wasn't about to let you get hit on by a slimy green guy," he said, "figured you'd need the assist." Was that the only reason? Not even close. It was hardly the first one that came to mind, but for now, he had to play it cool. Too many times in the past he had misinterpreted niceness from a girl as attraction. Like in many other areas of his life, he tread carefully when it came to romantic attachments.
Announcing her intent to leave, Leo's hand latched itself to her arm – the action was practically instinctive. They were alone, having a moment, even. He wouldn't let her get away that easily. Too bad it would be ruined in short order.
Almost as if on cue, Katerina appeared in the doorway, mockingly barking at him like a dog as she entered. "Well, speak of the devil," Leo slowly turned his head towards her, "and she shall appear." He should have expected it, really. Although he wasn't sure, he would have guessed that she had waited outside the door in order to interrupt at the most inopportune moment. Kat was yet another woman in his life that made things more complicated.
Leo merely sat there with a look of disdain on his face, watching her as she acted in that coy way she always did, choosing to ignore the remark she made about them being "friends". As much as Leonardo wanted to bury the hatchet with Kat and have them at least on some sort of even footing, he couldn't forget the fierce fights they'd had, the way they had scratched and clawed at each other until they were nearly raw.
He remained stoic as the shifter explained her 'game' with the Omega Christian, his gaze hoping to burn holes in the Italian. As his name was mentioned as the next skin she could be parading around in, his face twitched in scorn. His expression only softened when Aurelie grabbed his arm, causing him to break his stare with Kat and look up at her warmly. The change was almost instantaneous, and nearly unnatural – to change temperatures that fast.
"You do that, and I'll put you in a box so small the only thing you'll be able to shift into is a flea," he said, with a tone that seemed joking, but in reality, Leo was already thinking of how he could get his hands on such a box.
To his dismay, Aurelie let go his arm, and furthermore, started to move away from him and towards the couch, where she planted herself. Finally, the question was asked – the one he had been somewhat dreading and yet somewhat looking forward to for the last two months. It was story-time, it seemed. Getting up from the piano bench, he started to move over to the couch, which could easily be seen as a way of making the geographical group dynamic between them less awkward, but it was merely the fact that Leo couldn't help himself.
"Well, I guess it is about time we clear the air… right?" Leo asked as he sat down directly next to Aurelie, hardly leaving any space between them. "I guess the easiest thing to start with is that for the longest time, Kat and I were–" Leo paused for a moment, considering whether or not to replace 'were' with 'are', "arch-enemies, if you believe in having such a thing. It was bound to happen. I was SHIELD, she was Hydra. She could turn into animals, I could mimic them. It had to have been… what… over two years ago now?"
Rome, Italy
Coming up with cover for kids as young as those in the Mutant Operations and Response Team was easy – students. Anything else would raise an eyebrow, but posing as a student was possibly the easiest and yet least suspicious thing you could do in a city as vibrant and cultural as Rome. Tourists were everywhere, with their fanny-packs and socks pulled up halfway to their knees, taking horrible pictures with their cheap cameras.
Being full Italian, Leonardo Rossi had a better time blending in than many of his peers, namely the blond Anna Schoen and pale-featured Lance Bailey, who were currently watching over Leo and Kelly Peterson. Because of Lance's teleportation abilities, he could get them out of a jam if need be, and Anna had more than enough firepower to cover them if anything went down.
Seeing has how this was a less-than-routine assignment, tensions were a bit higher than they were usually. Taking a look at the Pope's security and finding out if he was prone to attacks from any sort of lone mutant or mutant terrorist was no easy task, mostly because in Leo's opinion, everyone was vulnerable to an attack from mutants, because it was hard to tell just how they would attack since many mutants were unique in their abilities. The fact that the Catholic church had been tossed into the debate of mutants vs. humans recently wasn't doing them much good – it was actually the reason why they had been called in the first place.
Currently, he and Kelly were sitting at a table outside of Café san Pietro, with Saint Peter's Basilica in clear view of where they were now. "How're things looking from up there?" Leo asked conversationally, as if he were speaking to Kelly, but he was in fact speaking to Anna and Lance over a hidden earpiece.
"I'm starting to see some movement," Lance said. "I'd start heading into position."
Leo only nodded, knowing that at least Anna was watching him and Kelly through a pair of binoculars. The animal mimic stood, putting on his backpack as he did so. Kelly followed suit without having Leo tell her anything. Right now, they were planning on running a training exercise in order to see if they could get past the Pope's defenses. The first thing they wanted to test was the Pope while he was mobile, in his motorcade. The problem was to do it without hurting any members of the Swiss Guard, who were currently armed with training rounds. They had been told in advance about the operation, which Leo disliked, because it merely made the circumstances unrealistic – in reality, they might not know about an impending attack, but Portman had insisted. She didn't want her best weapons getting killed in a training exercise.
As the two neared the curb, they easily blended into the crowd that had gathered around the blocked-off street in order to see the Pope as he exited the Vatican. They had ski masks in their packs, but weren't going to pull them out until the right moment.
Timing was key.
Captain Kilos
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ephemeral spirit
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:14 am
Katerina laughed lightly when Aurelie confessed that animal mimic had predicted she’d find her, running a delicate hand through auburn waves as she shook them lazily out. Her mind was still lingering on Christian and the unnerving sensation that she should have stopped to say something. Anything. That, crossed with her hatred of Stone, and the fact that Rossi was playing a game with her friend that she wasn’t privy to—Was more than enough ignite her elegant ire. “Rossi, darling—There should be a parade in your honor...”
“How does it feel to finally be right about something?”, she questioned as gunmetal blue eyes flickered between a teasing minx and the hardest steel. The young woman wanted to tear into something, but she tried not to show her more violent tendencies in front of Aurelie.
She paused when the animal mimic referred to her as the devil and waved her hand through the air as she swept into a mocking bow, accepting the title with ease. Katerina waltzed into the center of the large room without thought, choosing to ignore Leonardo for the time being. He wasn’t who she’d come to see, and should be treated as part of the scenery, lest his holier than thou attitude cause her to try and take his head off. Crossing her right leg over her left, she got comfortable on the low table—Hands propping up her body from behind.
A small smile stole across her features when Aurelie lost her composure at the notion of Rossi making time with another man. Her laughter was infectious, though Katerina deliberately played it cool. “I can imagine it easily enough…”
Rossi had more mood swings than any woman she’d ever met.
“Mostly, because I can make it happen. It's actually kind of appealing...”, she informed idly, well aware that the former SHIELD Agents eyes were glued to her, burning holes into her person. She had half a mind to ask him if he saw something he liked, just to dig a little further under his skin. Her expression cleared when her ears registered a seemingly playful threat, turning her head to return it with her usual level of kittenish vitriol.
“If you try and touch me, you’ll lose both your hands.”
Aurelie might take her words as a joke…The animal mimic shouldn’t. Ever. She would not be locked up like some kind of plaything, enslaved in a box. Let alone by Rossi. Katerina could literally see the gears in his head turning... She would be prepared for that. Tearing her eyes from Leonardo, she focused back on Aurelie. “No… I don’t think Christian would see it coming. I’m also not a hundred percent sure he wouldn’t try and knock me out before realizing it’s not Wonder Boy over there...”
Katerina watched as Aurelie softened Rossi, slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. They were painfully obvious in their affections, yet neither seemed capable of seeing it. If she were a lesser person, she might have pointed it out… But they needed to figure things out in their own time.
Aurelie would never believe it fully if she spilled the beans before Rossi could admit it himself.
Tilting her head back as Aurie sat down, she let her form change, bones lengthening and creaking as she put on some weight and muscle mass—Hair sluicing back into her head to form a men’s cut. Shape shifting was not pretty. Ever. There were times when she managed to make it artful, but it wasn’t pretty. By the time Rossi sat down in Aurelie’s lap, the animal mimic would find himself looking at a perfect replica of himself. “It really is tempting… But you’re too slow. Christian hits like a truck…Meaning he’d break your face, meaning he’d break my face. You need to start eating wheaties.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d borrowed his form, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
Any other snide remarks Katerina had about Leonardo’s physique went out the window when Aurelie asked for the story on how they knew one another. She shifted back, revealing apprehensive eyes. It was a new expression… One that neither Rossi nor Aurelie would really be familiar with. “I’ve told you. We just…Crossed paths at inopportune moments. We exchanged words…Had a little tussle here and there.”
“He lost. I won.”, She added in, trying to force out the confidence that she was known for. Whether it was true or not was up for debate. She could only hope that Rossi would take a hint and agree with her, and let the subject die.
That was clearly wishful thinking. She should have known better. Rossi, was an idiot.
Rossi kept calling her Kat… As if he had the right. She stared at him as he began to explain, jaw sewn shut. Every fiber of her being seemed to scream that he shut the hell up, but he was apparently just as bad at reading her body language as he was Aurelie’s. Her gaze grew less hostile as memories returned, blue eyes becoming almost haunted… Distant. She no longer looked at Rossi, as much as she seemed to stare through him.
If he was determined to share this, against her will…She at least thought it prudent to make sure he had his facts straight. When most sixteen year olds were learning about life from their parents, she’d been learning about various political parties, poisons, and weapons. Survival. Not for the first time the loss of her child hood made her envious of those with happy homes. With living parents. Swallowing hard, she looked away, unable to look at either of them.
“…Two and a half years. I was almost seventeen...”
In her eyes...the line was already drawn. They sat together on the sofa, she sat alone—As it had always been. Even though it had been SHIELD affiliations, Rossi would always represent ‘good’ and she would always represent HYDRA. Evil.
Aurelie may need to make a choice, sometime soon... And Katerina didn't have a hope in the world of winning, when her opponent was the man she so clearly cared for.
Rome, Italy
“Do not fail me, Katerina Aria.”, the voice of Madam Hydra rang through her ear piece, the advanced Gnobian tech making it so that it couldn’t be traced or picked up by enemies monitoring the airwaves. “If my faith in you is misplaced, speak now, or suffer the consequences. There is still time to issue a more experienced Captain to fill your position. Admitting youth is not failure, but strategy. There is no shame in it.” Except that there was. It was shameful, and cowardly. Especially, since she knew that she could handle what was required of her. Katerina was the youngest of the Pack to earn her stars. Those she had left behind would be rewarded if she did well—Punished, if she failed.
“I will not fail.”. the young woman responded coldly, hearing the strike team that she’d been assigned begin to hype themselves up for their latest assignment. There was a low murmur among them, each of the twelve wearing a deep green uniform with a serpent motif in honor of the Lady Viper. The gentle words that teemed through them almost seemed like a prayer, something to take comfort in before risking everything for the cause.
‘Hail, Hydra… Immortal Hydra… We shall never be destroyed… Cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place. We serve none but the Master—as the world shall soon serve us. Hail Hydra.’
“Hail Hydra.”, Katerina repeated faithfully, slamming the mag into the butt of her silenced firearm. It was confirmed that most of the Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie were using training rounds. They would soon make them regret such a ridiculous training protocol, considering that all of their weapons were filled with live ammunition.
All twelve members of her strike team were shape shifters. All were trained, skilled, and ready to die for whatever duty Madam Hydra wished. Afterall, when Hydra lost a limb…Two more would rise and take its place. She received notice from their snipers on the rooftops and from their scouts in the crowd that the motorcade was approaching the target destination, and that the other strike teams were in position. All of this planning for one small thing… It was so incredibly elaborate that it felt like it would have been easier to complete without such fanfare.
It was not her purpose to question orders, merely to execute. She was the long arm of the law for the Viper—And she wouldn’t disappoint her guardian. Her voice chimed across the line, strict and militaristic. There was no sympathy within the young woman, no room for pity. “Everyone…Find your places. Madam Hydra will not tolerate anything less than perfection. If I see one of you failing your given task, you will executed, and your duty reassigned.”
Their people were everywhere… In the crowd that stretched for blocks, in buildings, in the Swiss Guard, in the Gendarmerie. They had infiltrated every aspect of the Vatican’s security, and the Pope’s personal guards. They would not move until she made the call. So much responsibility made her all the more determined to make this event move like clockwork.
It was more than just achieving their goal; It was showing that Hydra was more than just alive… But that it thrived.
"Proceed with stage one.", she commanded, motioning forward. Two of her team members headed out of the building, shifting as they went, taking the form of Gendarmerie. They didn't handle the Pope's personal protection, but the Swiss Guard wouldn't be so easily found among the citizens. All of the Hydra agents were already filled with the antidote for the poison gas she had just ordered be released into the air, guarded against it...The citizens and the authorities would feel their throats burn as their lungs seized, forced to leave their positions for fresh air unless they chose to succumb to the poison.
The stubborn and loyal would perish in Hydra's name. Several dozen sounds echoed through the air, the noise almost like a potato shooter, but louder. Screaming projectiles that issued a poisonous green mist would soon cover the square and the Pope's motorcade. The air filtration system in his personal car would protect him for now.
The rest of her team moved out, two by two, each carrying a silenced standard issue for the Gendarmerie. Chaos would ensue, and from that they would secure their prize.
Katerina paused in speaking, blinking as she pulled herself back to the present. Rossi might have wondered what got under the unflappable shape shifters skin-- All this time, it was very simple. Hydra. Her past made draw inward... She began to shut down, simply stating fact.
It was the only way to keep from showing weakness anymore than she had. Fact. Those that died were merely statistics...
Just numbers on a census. Not flesh, not blood.
Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:02 pm
Music brought her a calm that even the best hypnotist could not, it brought her a quiet sort of serenity. That Leo had witnessed it gave cause for e mbarrassment, but she'd managed to ask how long he'd been standing there. She pursed her lips teasingly then, giving a slight shake of her head. "You could have told me you were there." She invited, doing what she could to squash the nervous acrobats her insides were doing as he drew closer. "I might have made better faces then." The telekinetic stated, doing what she could to make a joke of it and not look completely awkward.
He took a seat next to her, and she did what she could to hear him play, but he always had a rebuttal. "But my main focus at Juilliard was ballet..." She countered with a grin. "Piano always fell secondary to that. I didn't have to convince people I was a professional as a cover." Granted, she still loved the instrument, as had been made evident. "Besides, it hurt a lot less to play it than the viola." Aurelie tilted her chin into her shoulder and made a sawing action in the air to demonstrate her point before letting out a small laugh about it.
She grinned when he continued the comparison to Beethoven and twisted a lock of hair around her fiddling fingers. "That's true." She said with a small snicker. "But, to be honest... I'd rather just be known for my music. Far less dangerous; I'd probably live longer." The telekinetic joked. "Granted, then I'd miss out on all the fun with you.." Nibbling on her bottom lip it was two seconds too late for her to realize how smitten she must have sounded; her mind scrambled to make her appear less so. "A-and the other Alphas."
Aurelie recalled the first day they'd met and the bizarre encounter they'd shared with a few members of their team in the music room. A warm smile painted itself into her expression, pulling the corners of her mouth to the skies when Leo resorted to joking about the impromptu performances they'd endured. "The moment those two had together seemed to be exactly how they must have envisioned it... something straight off of High School musical." She said, attempting to be nice, but even still her features spilled into something of amusement.
That first day she'd been promoted, her nerves had wracked her insides. She'd been terrified of saying something that would color her inexperience - Callie had told her most of the blue and blacks were veteran students. Most of her experience on a team had been spent in a simulation room; more than anything she had not wanted to look undeserving of her placement. It'd frazzled her, no doubt made her appear the most awkward girl on the team. To her surprise, Leo still had reached out to her, ignoring her quirks and even saving her from another one of their less than savory teammates.
He'd not lasted on the Alphas for long... but even still, any time she thought of him, her skin threatened to crawl completely off of her skeletal structure. "I still owe you for that. Let me know when I can pay you back for your service." With a blithe wink, she grinned.
But too soon did she realize what was happening to her, how easily she fell back into allowing her feelings for him take the driver's seat. It was silly, really.. how much this man effected her. Deciding it was better to distance herself so as to not further her delusions, she rose to her feet as she voiced her intent to find her best friend. Leo's hand latched onto her arm, and he asked her to stay.
As if on cue, Kat popped in then and replied with a smug remark about Leonardo guessing that she'd find the telekinetic soon enough. Aurie grinned when Kat mentioned a parade in honor of Leo being right and then shrugged at the man in question. "Consider this training for when you are married..." She teased. "Undoubtedly she'll have you saying 'Yes dear,' just to avoid arguments." The blond laughed then, and shook her head. "I keep trying to tell Dom the same thing, but I think eons will pass before a girl gets him to settle down."
Their breakup had been amicable, with the promise to still be friends, as that was the best part of their coupling. With as much as they shared with each other, neither wanted to lose that tether completely. But the longer their romance had gone on, the more they realized that they did better as friends. Dom would ever remain a commitment phobe, and while Aurelie was far from wanting to "settle down," they would have reached a plateau that might leave them both embittered.
Changing the subject rather quickly, the Italian sounded almost chipper as she explained her latest bout with Christian. She suggested she don Leo's face for the next round, and Aurelie's mirth spilled out of her before she could stop it. Touching his arm without consciously meaning to, Aurelie unknowingly brought the animal mimic back to a more light-hearted mood. Granted his humor still bore a dark stain upon it, but the telekinetic could hardly take the threat seriously. Instead, she merely shook her head in incredulity and moved to the couch across from her roommate. Considering she had two of her favorite people in the same room, Aurelie decided to capitalize on it and finally get answers she'd not been able to weasel out of her favorite Italian.
She motioned for Leo to follow her over, but she hadn't expected him to plop down right next to her on the couch, making her pulse quicken to the point she feared he'd notice. Oceanic eyes sought out Kat's in question, wholly confused. This wasn't happening, was it? Her gaze sidled back over to the man next to her, just in case her bestie didn't catch her drift. What was he doing? Stealing another glance, the telekinetic had a good idea as to what it meant, but she couldn't make herself believe it. He'd supposedly ended things with Isabella Stone recently... considering how perfect they seemed for each other, he couldn't possibly be ready to move on.
Instead of saying anything about his sudden proximity, she did her best to act natural despite the warmth flooding her cheeks, as though this were an every day occurrence. Distracted, the telekinetic clung to the idea of focusing on the beautiful Italian in front of her while she tried once again to sound as though her and Leo's past was the most inane story in the world. For once, Leo opened up about it, pausing only for a moment to consider his words. Aurelie leaned back, moving her blond hair to one side of her neck as she settled in for what she anticipated being good story.
Leo opened up further than she guessed Kat would have wanted, and Aurelie was keen to listen. In every other instance, she'd given her bestie the privacy she wanted... But the hostility between two of her best friends drove her to learn more in hopes of fixing the damage done by their past affiliations. How could she hope to do so, were she not informed? While she wouldn't guess either would go out of their way to hurt each other, the clipped, acerbic tones made things a touch uncomfortable to witness.
More than anything, she wanted to help her best friend, who struggled to believe in herself, to abandon the brainwashing she'd endured with Hydra and think she could be a good person. Aurelie had never blamed Kat for her past... her world was so different than the one the telekinetic knew - Hydra's impossible expectations and consequences for those who failed... Kat had done what she'd been told to survive. Who could fault her in that?
She interrupted the fist part of the story only once when she listened to the two recount their place in it. "Why did Madam Hydra want the pope killed?" She asked, choosing her words carefully, never once making it seem like she was shocked by the notoriety of the target. "He's one of the most protected people in the world..." A little indignation flavored her tone on Kat's behalf. "Even without S.H.I.E.L.D there, he'd be hard to get to. It's like she wanted you to fail."
In her eyes, Leo had the easier job... protecting someone who was already protected wouldn't be nearly as hard as killing said target. "How could a woman be so heartless to want to sacrifice her people - you know, the ones she supposedly cares about as if they were her own family?" If ever Kat thought that Aurelie wouldn't accept her for who she had been, the anger that laced itself into her question made it clear that the blond was far more concerned about the Italian being mistreated than the things she'd actually done. Kat was her person, and nothing she learned in this conversation could hope to change that.
Cerulean orbs searched her best friend's stare, a mix of sympathy and frustration warring over possession of her features. "Er... I'm sorry..." She said after a moment. "I didn't mean to interrupt, it just makes me so mad that someone could treat you like a replaceable toy instead of an invaluable person..." Not for the first time, she thanked the Almighty that Katerina had been brought to the X-men. "Continue."
Name: Leonardo Rossi Team: Alphas Location: Music Room
Aurelie was always too humble, and it only made Leo want to go on a rant on how wonderful and beautiful he thought she was. It must have been the Amish upbringing, because anyone else would at least have some sort of confidence, if not full-blown narcissism. He had forgotten that she was a dancer at heart – perhaps that was one of the reasons she had such a great physique. "Well, then I guess it's probably best that I caught you playing piano instead of practicing ballet. Ever freeze-frame a video of ballet dancers? I've seen the weirdest faces." To demonstrate, he opened his eyes wide and opened one side of his mouth, as if he were having a stroke.
She said how she would chose a musical life over the more vigorous and at time perilous one they currently led, and mentioned that she would miss him… specifically him. His chest twitched a little at this, while his face tried to keep composure and utterly failing. His eyes widened and a singular eyebrow raised, but when she clarified what she meant, his pulse settled down to only above-average levels. "Ah, yeah, right," Leo pursed his lips and nodded, trying to hide just how excitedly scared he had gotten. It was only one in a series of miniature heart-attacks he would have while around Aurelie on a daily basis. On the outside, he might seem to made of a steely calm, but on the inside, his brain was screaming at him to get out of the room. Run away, far away, and avoid this silly thing called emotions. "Well, I mean, you can still grow old if you do this. I mean, look at Wolverine…" His eyes averted to the side as he thought about that for a moment. "On second thought, don't."
They reminisced of the day they met, and thankfully on the more light-hearted part of the day. Although, he might have taken the mall over the awkward, impromptu musical performances that they had been subjected to. He remembered thinking very clearly that they had for some reason been transferred to yet another dimension, as he had just been a dimension that wasn't nearly as terrifying a few weeks prior.
Another heart attack came yet again when she mentioned repaying him for his 'services' and giving him a wink. Leo might have seized up right then and there if it weren't for his almost instinctive need for him to keep her close. Their skins made contact, and it looked as if she were about to say something when…
Kat had always been this way, ever since he had his first full conversation with her. In the beginning, he might have been more verbally antagonistic, but now that he finally knew how to deal with her somewhat, Leo had a different demeanor when dealing with the shapeshifter. He would try to stay as stoic as possible, because in the end he knew that Kat would want a reaction – it was why she poked and prodded so much. She wanted to see him angry so that she could laugh in his face, but he wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. At least, he was going to try, especially with Aurelie in the room. She didn't need to see Leo's dark side, which Kat elicited to come out with effortless ease.
Aurelie made a quip that he almost missed, as the sweet dulcet tones of her voice made him fade out of his blind rage for the woman who just walked in for only seconds. Something about getting married, which was something Leonardo never thought about it, given his lifestyle. It wasn't that he loved to chase as many skirts as possible, but it was this current profession didn't allow him much time to develop things like that. Dominik was mentioned, and the way she said it, something about it would be a long time before someone could get him to settle down… maybe he was reading too much into it, but it seemed to confirm the rumors that they had amicably split. For that, he was happy – but it wasn't like he had anything against Dom. It wasn't like he would suddenly punch Dom in the face for absolutely no reason. The guy could cut arms off, after all.
So her comments would bounce off of him, falling away as they were merely tiny little chinks in his armor. Her threats were empty and hollow, as they had always been. When she said that he would lose his hands if he ever tried to touch her, he knew she was just saying it as the quickest comeback she could think of. Maybe if it were directed at someone else, it would hold weight, but not with the man who had almost just as much blood on his hands as she did – the type of blood, whether innocent or guilty, seemed to be a subject of debate some days. Whenever they had fought, they always walked away as broke and bruised as the other.
She tried to rouse his ire further by suggesting that she could take his form and antagonize Christian to the point of a fist fight. It was chiding like this that made Leo have those very dark thoughts that his mind sometimes went to when the former Hydra agent was around. For instance, he wondered what would happen if he drove his fist as hard as he could into her stomach. Would her organs rupture? Would he be able to see his tightened fist coming out of her back? Would he shatter her spine? More importantly, would Kat finally shut her mouth?
She tried to brush off their first encounter as a simple scrap, saying that she had won as casually as she could muster. Leo squinted, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was almost as if she was asking for him to regale them with the tale of their seemingly eternal battle. For all of Katerina's steely cold qualities, she had some sort of strange soft spot for Aurelie, and Leo could almost see the smallest signs of desperation from the shapeshifter. She really did not want Aurelie to know how their past had been. Of course, there were things that Leo didn't want her to know about his time with SHIELD, but the blond had asked, and Leo was going to oblige. She needed to know.
He began to tell the first part of the story, with Kat filling in the details from her side. Surprisingly, they seemed truthful enough – no boasting or bragging to be had. Then, Aurelie had interrupted, wanting to know just want kind of people Hydra were if they were so callous when it came to their subordinates. That question would have to be answered by Kat, because whatever Leo might say would be… damaging, at least. Sure, his superior wasn't kind either, but then again, if he failed, it would be a learning experience… not a death sentence.
Kat was welcome to defend the organization she had called a "family", but Leo was going to go further with the story.
It was chaos everywhere. Lance had luckily seen the gas canisters soaring through the air and gave Leonardo and Kelly a heads-up, allowing them precious time to put on black gas masks that they were going to use while using smoke grenades, but now they were vital to survival. People around them had started to seize up and drop right as they had manage to seal them to their faces, and Leo was already sending the emergency signal to the Swiss Guard that the exercise was over – this was real. Magazines were dropped, fresh ones put in – ones with live ammunition.
Leo was pushing past the hordes of people either running with their hands over their mouths and noses or merely screaming and dropping when he noticed something wasn't right. There were two members of the Gendarmerie that were calmly walking towards the Pope's motorcade, unaffected by the poison gas. "Whiplash," he said, referring to Kelly by her codename, but she was already moving. "I see them," she responded.
"Zorro, get down here," Leo ordered as he kept moving towards the Pope's armored limousine. To his right, Kelly easily dispatched of the two fake Gendarmerie by ripping their weapons away from them before they could fire, and slamming them to the ground so hard, their spines would have some serious damage, perhaps fatal.
There was a reason that MORT didn't use guns – it wasn't that they were morally opposed to them, as a number of other factors came into play. Firstly, Portman had thought that it would be a waste of their abilities if they trained with guns, as they had the potential to deal more damage than any firearm could. Another was that guns were very loud, louder than any film or television would have the general public to believe. If they were really supposed to be an elite unit that could get in and out of a situation without much incident, then blasting away at people wasn't the best way to do it, especially if they didn't have to. Even with the application of "silencers", which was very much a misnomer, guns still made a noticeable sound that the trained ear could discern.
Leonardo made his way to the Pope's limo and leapt on top of it, trying to see through the dense poison gas. As he looked back down at the limo, he realized that one of the doors was open, and as he looked up, he could see at least two members of the Swiss Guard moving the Pope away from the vehicle, back towards the building. Quickly, Leo leapt after them, his strengthened legs propelling him most of the way. There wasn't time to explain to them that he was a good guy – Leo was the only hope the Pope had of getting out of that situation in the fastest way possible. The Swiss Guard covering back had noticed Leo and started to fire, but Leo went low and came back up with a palm-strike to the stomach that was aimed a bit to the left, sending the man into the air to fall on the ground maybe twenty feet away. The other Swiss Guard got a similar treatment with an arm-bar throwing him to the right, as he didn't want to fatally injure them. The Gendarmerie was next, who wouldn't get too bad of injuries.
Leo reached forward, ready to grab the man's head and force him down to the ground, but had no idea that in the next few moments, he would be in the most brutal fight he would ever be in.
