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 Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 11:46 pm
 Welcome to Academy XTwo years ago, in the 620 Universe, human and mutant relations seemed to be getting better on the planet Earth. That was until the horrifying events that occurred six months ago. One fateful night, after a long absence from the limelight, Magneto appeared above New York. Finally driven to insanity, he unleashed an attack on New York which killed 2.5 million innocent civilians both human and mutant. The X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, and any other hero in New York City fought Magneto and his Brotherhood back and stopped them from doing any more damage. This was not the end of the conflict. SHIELD, a United Nations sanctions organization, found Magneto and his Brotherhood to be a threat. When Magneto and his team fled to the Island of Genosha, SHIELD unleashed several Sentinels with a seek and destroy order. The citizens of Genosha would not allow for their leader to be destroyed. Five million mutants died in this conflict as Genosha was scorched and left for rubble. Magneto was presumed dead. Despite Magneto being presumed dead, the human vs. mutant conflict was escalated to the highest peak. Mutants were hunted. Children were cornered. It was time for the X-Men to act. For many years, the Xavier Institute served as a home and school for children and teenagers who desired to learn about their abilities and train to be X-Men. No longer. To look impartial, Charles Xavier stepped down as head master of his school and appointed two opposing mutants as headmasters: Scott Summers and Emma Frost. The Xavier Institute (or "Academy X" as newer students call it) was now open to all students as a safe house. Even if students didn't want to become X-Men or even if they did not share the Xavier view, the Xavier Institute would protect and teach each student equally. "Academy X" was now open to everybody. Over time, those students who joined the Xavier Institute as a safe haven grew to learn their powers and skills. They fought on the front lines defending their lives from villains such as Sugar Man, Fitzroy, Mystique, Mr. Sinister, and the Hellfire Club, Belasco, and the Shadowking... they took their blows and stood strong. No longer were they just students, but they were becoming something more... they were becoming X-Men. Trouble doesn't find them. They find trouble. ------------------- What to do in your character's first post:All new characters will have been a student at the Xavier Institute for six months to a year. Because they have shown exceptional skill above their peers, they will be promoted from their student team to one of the Junior X-Men teams (this was assigned to you upon application approval.) The first post of the character would have them talking to either Scott Summers or Emma Frost about their promotion. Their dorm room would also be moved to the area where the Junior X-Men students are housed. For this story arch-- Characters should start off settling into the new surroundings in Catalina, CA. It is a private beach that the Alpha & Omega characters are currently vacationing on. What is the difference between the Alpha and Omega teams:Technically there is no difference between each team in the school; however, the Alphas are traditionally the "good guys" who believe in Xavier's ideals. The Omegas are traditionally more rogue/bad boys and fall more into their own ideals of how things should be done. This is not always the case, though. You don't HAVE to make your character take those views when on either of those teams. Alpha wears a black uniform with blue detailing. Omega wears a black uniform with red detailing. ------------ Previous Story: Story XVI [16] - LimboThe Alpha's and Omega's went through one of their most...Difficult trials to date. The black magic demonic sorcerer Belasco conspired with the Shadowking to merge Limbo, and Earth into one hellish and brutal dimension of chaos and fear. Belasco also wanted to create his own demonic army to rule this new world...Children of his own, hybrids, holding all the strengths of humans and demons--But without the weaknesses. He ordered the Shadowking to abduct Narcissa Lucania, the leader of the Omega's after a small skirmish in which he felt her power from across dimensions. He had gone through many other human, mutant, women-- But none had survived the conditioning. The Alpha's and Omega's, with the help of Forge traveled to Limbo with two main goals. One, the most important, to stop Belasco from destroying their home-- And two, to save the stolen Omega Leader. They fought ghostly Shades, that fed off of a persons soul, red demons that Belasco heartlessly controlled, and priestesses of his castle. The Shadowking ultimately betrayed Belasco and left the demon lord to die when facing Knoxx's squad...Many of the Junior X-Men were injured, but in the end they seemed to have prevailed... Belasco was injured gravely with his own Soul Sword, presumed dead, by a partially insane Solaris. This immediately stopped the ritual he was attempting to perform during an eclipse... His magic was all about blood, and with his, the ritual ended. It did not have the power it needed to proceed... Illyana, Magick, appeared in the very end to clean up the mess that her long time nemesis created with many of her people in tow... But first, she sent the wounded and beaten X-Men back home. Because the Academy was destroyed previously, and only mere hours had passed in Earth time while the two teams were in Limbo-- Ororo and Professor Xavier decided that the two teams, once healed, needed a vacation. They are currently just arriving at the privately owned Beach Condo of Charles Xavier, and starting to settle in... Things finally seem calm. Normal... Peaceful...How long will it last?
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 12:01 am
Alpha: Vacation - Arrival in Catalina - Two Weeks Have Passed Since Limbo
 Isabella stepped off the chartered jet, auburn hair long and sleek, twisting like long ribbon in the faint breeze. The airport was small, far smaller than the one she usually passed through to get in and out of Columbia. Quiet… She had at least expected some kind of…Tourist trap… But it seemed peaceful. The apprehension slowly drained out of her body as she followed not far behind Scott Summers as he talked rapidly on his cell phone, arranging transport from the air port, to their accommodations…
Even though they had left Limbo, and all of its monsters behind two weeks ago… There were constant reminders. In Limbo… They had been there nearly two days. But when they returned to the Academy…They found it had only been hours by Earth time. The mansion was still in shambles… Just a shell of its former beauty. It was a disheartening thing to return to. But still… A welcome sight.
Elixir and Angel had been forced to over extended themselves to attend all of the wounded. Some, like Christian and Molly, Jacen, Sophia, Forellen, Alek and Jack had been worse off than others… Some just needed a good bath and some rest. Others still would spend a long time in therapy with Jean. Her wounds had been healed after everyone else, by her insistence, and refusal to allow either healer to touch her. Stupid of her, perhaps, but she was responsible for them. All of them, Alpha and Omega—So she felt. She’d trimmed the burned ends of her hair off, and it was a little shorter—But after some TLC still the long shining auburn mane she was known for.
Poor Alek... He'd actually required a transfusion when they'd gotten home. He'd been one of the most severe injuries, even with Evie's blood helping to close that gaping would that would have surely killed him on its own. Bella herself was a universal donor... And had been the first in line for a transfusion for him. She was tired, had a migraine, but she had blood he needed-- And at the time, after so many had been injured during the initial attack from Belasco... Beast really hadn't been able to deny her. Even though she and Alek still hadn't... Spoken, since their last spat... She still cared for him, and obviously, would still bleed for him.
She would do it for anyone she cared about.
And she would never tell him, it was her. And if Hank had the chivalry he acted like he had... He would keep the matter to himself as well.
Her green eyes scanned the heat distorted skyline… The palm trees in the distance looked so welcoming. She could smell the ocean… It felt like home. She managed to put on a bright smile as she held her white leather carryon over her shoulder, her unmodified comm on her wrist. She hoped that some of the Junior X-Men would be able to forget what they had seen… What they had done… What had been done to them…
But she couldn’t… Not yet. Even two weeks later… She was ready for a fight. Not just a tussel…But an all our brawl. She didn’t know what the feeling was, the feeling of agitation, of being a caged beast…But nevertheless it kept her in a near constant state of alertness—Her hearing cranked up, constantly sweeping. Checking. Making sure that all her…Ducks… were accounted for. She felt…Exposed, in the unfamiliar area.
About a week into their return, Storm and Professor Xavier had quickly figured out that there really wasn’t enough room for all of the students in inhabit the lower levels… Without hindering the construction work going on by making new holes. So the school had split into sections… Each team leader took a group of students to a different, remote location. A way to give them a breather, and a much needed vacation. And to send them away so construction could be put into full swing.
The Junior X-Men were all considered ‘Off Duty’ until further notice.
The Alpha’s were sent to Catalina, California. It was a decent sized island about twenty two miles from the shore of Los Angeles, but still technically owed by the sunshine state… It was perfect for them, because of their…Uniqueness… Small crowds, less potential exposure to the media, and less uncontrollable rioting if something… Unique, should happen.
The travel guide had boasted tons of caves to explore, sandy coves, and some of the clearest, cleanest waters in California. There was an amazing market place, and dozens of little shops to enjoy on the main part of the island. The Junior X-Men would be staying in a privately owned condo of Charles Xavier on the far end of one of the two largest beaches—Descanso Beach. The condo was said to be surrounded by sand, palm trees, and vegetation… No more than fifty feet from the condo, small mansion really, the beach starts-- Crystal blue water as far as the eye can see. On the other end of the beach there are parties held every other evening.
To her understanding, the condo didn't have separated boys and girls dorms or anything like that… It was simply a giant condo. It had more than enough bedrooms for each person to have their own area, a spacious kitchen, a living room, a den, a stone wrap around porch and a few balconies.
At least, that was what Scott told her on the way over… The two chaperoning teachers, himself and Emma would actually be staying in the smaller guest house not far from the main condo. It was of similar in structure, but it only had two bedrooms… They would have to come to the main condo to cook anything extravagant.
It was strange to be somewhere…Expected to have fun. And with only two teachers with them… No Remy to cook for them, or Logan to wail on them during practice… Bella missed them already.
** TIME SKIP: CAR RIDE TO THE CONDO **  Isabella blinked a few times… The condo was… Well, Scott really hadn’t done it justice… It was… Perfect, really. Feeling warm sand start to creep into her sandals as she slipped out of one of the six rough terrain jeeps that dropped them off, she shielded her eyes and whistled low under her breath…
“Wow…”, she murmured… Glancing towards the water… The travel guide certainly hadn’t done the beach any justice either. Unfortunately there was a ton of luggage to lug into the condo, and rooms to pick, and unpacking to do… All she wanted to do was go for a swim, and lay out… Catch some much need rays. “It…almost feels like a vacation…”
“It is a vacation—Relax, Bells.”, Scott replied, laughing at her expression as he helped Emma out of the Jeep—Taking some of the White Queen’s many suitcases. It amused her to watch Emma go unlock the condo, carrying nothing but a small stylish handbag while Scott struggled with both his things and the Omega advisor’s. He looked at the other Alpha’s and Omega’s… “C’mon guys—Lets get your things inside and get settled in. “Right.”, she replied with a faint smirk as she grabbed one of her duffel bags, and her suitcase, balancing them without much difficulty as she turned and headed towards the impressive condo.
‘Vacation’, she thought…walking in the footprints, or were those heel prints, that Emma left behind. ‘Nothing to worry about…Just sun, and sand…And… Fun. Just, fun.’
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 2:07 am
Omega: Arrival and Attitude  ‘Get out of my head.’, Solaris snapped to Emma Frost, who hovered protectively in the seat beside her. The white queen really didn’t say anything in return… But Narcissa could feel it. The stench of pity was not befitting of the most heartless woman she had ever come across. Aside from herself… The once regal blonde was… Regarded with caution. Which was usual… But the particular degree of caution was…Suffocating. Emma wanted to reinstate her as the Omega leader the moment she was mentally cleared… Which technically, she was, now. But Narcissa wanted to wait…At least until she mustered up enough strength to talk to Kerrigan first. ‘I’m fine. I told you, I’m bloody fine.’ It had taken her… Days, to be anywhere remotely near fine. She was still lying about that, of course. How could one be fine after…Everything… She was just sick of people asking…Mentally or physically. She spent the majority of her time in either with Jean, or Emma, or outside. While she still barked orders at the Omega’s… Sneered at the Alpha’s… She hadn’t spoken two words not related to the school, or the trip, or the newest Cosmo, to anyone. She didn’t allow anyone to touch her. Not even Carlos. Not Kerrigan, Not Varian. Evelyn… Her dear, darling Princess Vi had been lucky that something inside the broken doll she’d embraced on the castle floor back in Limbo had recognized something about her. Her scent. Something… Else she would have blasted the natural blond into oblivion out of sheer fear and agony. No one had touched her, with her permission, since. It was strange…Considering Narcissa had never understood personal boundaries in the first place. There were things she wanted to say... People she wanted to feel, to touch—To know they were real… She just… Couldn’t. She wanted to apologize. But she couldn’t. Nothing she could say would take back what she had done to most of them. Nothing they could say would take back the torture Belasco put her through… That still occasionally caused her to wince for no reason. Feel the phantom pain. It had taken the combined efforts of Jean, Emma, Professor Xavier, and the Cuckoo’s to try and wipe the person Belasco had created inside of her, out of her. Days… Even still, she flashed back sometimes, and for a split second couldn’t remember where she was…Who she was. Without Belasco the anger was gone… As was the urge to do violence… Towards her friends, at any rate. The urge to do violence against herself grew stronger every night. The evil queen bubbled every now and again just beneath the surface when her anger flared… Luckily for her, the evil queen, and her natural temperament were…Rather similar. Only the queen had been insane… And Narcissa was practical to a fault. It would never completely leave her… Not all of Solis had been made up. Belasco had taken parts of her, that no one should ever touch, ever see… And broken them into pieces, remaking them how he saw fit. She only slept when the memories became too much—When she felt like she would break. But sometimes sleeping was worse. In her dreams, she had never come home at all. She would have woken up everyone in the mansion screaming in her sleep, if it weren’t for her sound proofed quarters in the danger room. Reality didn’t seem… Like reality. Often Narcissa would touch things, simple things… The banister… A painting, the window. As if she expected her hand to pass right through it. Sometimes she would look at a book, or the television, and not seem to realize what she was seeing… She remembered everything, her life, her friends, but simple motor functions sometimes eluded her for a few seconds. Like turning on the faucet. Opening a door. Something to do with her mind being destroyed—So Emma believed. The only seemingly decent thing to come out of the whole escapade was that her powers seemed…Different. They pushed on her less than they used to. She still wore the golden cuff’s on her wrists that regulated her by Emma’s insistence, but she knew, somehow… That she didn’t quite need them the same way that she used to. Something about being under three suns left her with a kind of…Internal harmony. She also remembered strange fighting styles she never remembered learning… It was strange… She hoped that at least, lasted. Her hair… Her once, gorgeous, golden waist length hair had been…Cropped. Belasco had cut her hair crudely to humiliate her…It had worked. Though a trip with Betsy to a salon had at least turned the horrid lawn mower cut into something sharp and trendy. It had boosted her spirits some… But she still felt wrong. Invaded. The one thing that Narcissa hated more than anything had been forced upon her… Previously it was unfathomable for her. She, who held the power of the sun in the palm of her hand, had been made nothing more than a weak, helpless victim. And then, made into a monster. Her scowl went deep as she stared out the window as the plane landed… Hands shaking.
‘Fine. I’m fine.’-- Her eyes were unimpressed as surveyed the condo from the outside… The diamond heiress used…Years of being a pompous, spoiled, twit to force herself to keep going. To keep from…Laying down, and fading away. She couldn’t feel anything at all… So she acted twice as bad as her previous self. Twice as vain, twice as vapid—And if pushed, twice as cruel. Which also meant for the Omega’s, twice as protective. She had erected a solid shield around herself that no one could begin to scratch the surface of. There was only the flare of things that didn’t matter—No one but the telepath’s could know what she really felt. Lately, Emma was having a harder and harder time getting into her mind without her knowing… Narcissa took a small victory in that. Perhaps having her mind broken into smithereens meant she could make it stronger this time around. “ It’s just a bloody condo… It better have actual bathrooms and not holes in the ground.”, she muttered darkly as she hauled her Dolce suit cases inside, thoroughly ignoring Scott and Isabella as she walked up the stairs, seeming unbothered by the mass of people coming into the foyer all at the same time. There was a small elevator in the middle of the foyer that led to the third floor… Isabella blocked her way. Emma gave her a warning glance from the door as she turned to go back outside—She was staying with Scott in a cozy little love nest behind their prison. She sneered and barked at the Alpha, noting with satisfaction that the girl jumped. “Move.”She then shoved by her without a thought rolling her eyes, as she moved to get first dibs on the bedrooms. She actually chose one at the very top… One of the few with a balcony… So she could see the sun. She had more luggage downstairs but… She would get it later… When there weren’t so many people scrambling around. Bumping into her… Touching her. Being so close to everyone on the plane...For hours… She was nauseated… She closed the door and locked it, feeling her hands shake as her throat tightened… Her hand pressed tightly over her mouth as her eyes watered. She was falling apart. But she couldn’t make any noise. Isabella would hear her crying, three floors down. Emma was already probing her mind for cracks... Her shoulders stiffened, and she forced herself to think about the sand in her high heels. That pissed her off enough that she felt Emma’s presence leave her. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror…It took everything she had not to blast it to pieces. She hated herself.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:46 am
Alpha: Amazed - Ooo La La! La Beach!  Sophia wandered into the condo, her grey eyes wide with awe as she took in the pretty stone and white fixtures… Compared to the old plantation she lived on in the Quarter at home…It looked like a small palace to her. A small, land based Atlantis. As if just maybe, once upon a time it had been under water… She had left her things outside the jeeps in the sand and was just…Looking around. She wandered back outside and just breathed in deeply… She’d never smelled water like that before. It sure didn’t smell like the bayou…In no hurry she admired the singing palm trees and vibrant flowers…She would take whatever room was left, this was just too good to miss… Who could think about a room at a time like this? Or maybe bunk with Raine, if there weren’t enough. Either way, there was too much to see, to hear, to feel—To sit around and unpack. She had enough clothes for a month, maybe more, as Professor Xavier had instructed… So she was dreading that chore. Anything else, if they needed anything else, Xavier had given them all…Very generous allowances, more than the usual two hundred a month to spend. Sophie had no idea what she would do with so much money on hand… Her mother hadn’t struggled raising her in later years… But she remembered her mother working late, making deals with others that she shouldn’t when she was young… Just to be able to give her pretty things on Christmas. She felt guilty, having so much money on a visa card in her purse… That Xavier expected them to just…Spend, willy nily…She was abruptly grateful for the Academy…There were people that weren’t as lucky as they were… And no one seemed as kind as most of the Professors. Even if they had to face down demons and ghost things. She shivered in the bright sun light… Luckily for her, she didn’t burn easily, but she was still going to need some sun block…No one wanted to look like a lobster. Eventually she dragged herself off the beach and back towards the condo, dragging her things inside—Leaving a trail in the sand that would track it inside. She would clean up later. It would probably take her more than one trip anyway… She really hoped there were first floor bedrooms... No such luck, actually… Her suitcase thunked up the stairs, and eventually she got to the top, and chose the first still empty room she found, just tossing it inside. Though she did take a second look as she was about to walk out… Even though the bedroom was simple… It was pretty… A huge closet… What looked like a private bathroom. She had to admire it for a second, and the overstuffed bed, before she bounded down the stairs to get her other suitcases, fairly bouncing, a faint rosiness to her cheeks, she was so excited… Limbo… When brought up, it made the southern belle somber up…But if she didn’t think of it… She could pretend it was a distant, awful, nightmare. And for the time being, she could deal with that, and be happy. She had people she loved, a world she cared about, great friends, AND she was on vacation on a gorgeous island… What else could she ask for? So engrossed in her day dreaming, she didn’t realize that she wasn’t actually at the bottom of the stairs yet as she tried to step off four steps too early. She swallowed a small shriek as her stomach dropped out, eyes closing as she braced herself to hit the floor, feeling gravity pull her as a klutz attack took over.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:49 am
"Dying is only shadowed by knowing how bad you failed..." Island: West Coast...
Shandra hadn't exactly been still on the plane ride over in the least. She hated flying...it put her really ill at ease. She wasn't going to put up a fuss about it, but at the same time she didn't have to like it. So to say that most of the plane ride was spent trying not to think about the plane ride was a good bet.
Out from under a book she'd picked up, her eyes kept glancing at everyone on the plane...as though waiting for it to be attacked. She knew where they were going, and a knot formed inside of her stomach. Off of LA...compared to being in New York, it wasn't too far off from where she'd grown up. South California compared to the Bay Area was drastically different, but still...they were over on her coast.
She was just glad to be away from the cold state of New York. Not that it didn't have its own things to look at...things that would probably get her to put herself back into her version of rehab, there was just something about being in her home state that was twisting up her insides. What if she ran into someone she'd actually known?
The plane landed before she had time to find out any answers to the questions she kept making. The red head smiled lightly, slowly pushing back some wayward bangs from her eyes as they stepped out, sun shining right into them and causing her to wince back. Oh yeah, definitely in California again. It just all felt different, much more relaxed...much less formal.
Just that small thing...the small touches. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it and it hit her deep within herself, even to the point where she found her eyes trailing on the design of the small airport itself. At the moment, it was just the small things that made life worth living. And the warmth of the buildings in California compared to those in New York was one of those small things.
Even the ride to the new place was soothing in a way that only someone who'd been away from home too long would know. Of course, this area had never actually been her home. But like her thoughts before, Shandra couldn't help but point out to herself that it wasn't her home.
She smiled lightly when she heard Bella's words. The warmth of the place in front of her, despite it being pristine white, was such a subtle difference...but it was still different. It had even started to sooth that wondering part of her. Not completely of course, but at least it was a new scene. They all needed a new scene by now.
Some of them hadn't fared nearly as well as she did. She'd just had to have a few stitches on her arm...the old fashioned kind, but still that was nothing compared to what some others suffered through.
Shandra's smile grew as she felt her feet sink into the sand around the area lightly as she moved. Well...she knew where she wanted to go. So what if she never tanned or wanted to get a tan? Laying under the sun on the beach was heavily and it was such a tie between that and swimming honestly.
So as soon as her bags were thrown onto her bed, Shandra walked right down to lay on the sand...clothes and all.
"...but at least with failure you can take revenge."
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:01 am
 Omega – No tropics, but it’ll do.Jacen just stood out on the beach for a few moments, drinking in the warm sunlight and breathing in the air. He could taste the difference between here and the east coast, although Los Angeles still pumped enough smog into the air for itself and the island. He could see the Grecian architecture of the Casino poking up above the rugged terrain in the distance, Could see the fish swimming underneath the waves. This was gonna be awesome. He went up into the condo, whistling as he took in the impressive home-away from home. Finding an empty room with a view of the ocean, He plopped down both a large duffel bag and a pet carrier onto the waiting bed. Hero jumped off of Jacen’s shoulder, curling up on the bed and instantly falling asleep. “Oh yea, I’m sure you’re so tired.” Jacen said, rolling his eyes and walking towards the door. The little ambphibious rodent had been on the Academy grounds the day They had all come back from Limbo, sunning itself and giving Jacen a ‘what?’ stare in response to his confusion as to where the pet had been. He stopped walking, eying himself in the mirror. The edges of the scar he’d gotten in the battle was visible, a three-clawed slash mark a lighter color than his normally tanned skin. He ran a finger over it before sighing, just another reminder of what they’d all been through. Jacen could hear the shriek and crash coming from the bottom of the stairs before he could see it, sending him into instant battle mode. Had this reprieve really been this short-lived? He got to the top of the staircase and was relatively relieved at the sight that greeted him. He almost wanted to laugh, but that would’ve been mean. His mind already piecing together what had happened, Jacen nevertheless asked, “What happened?” He moved down the stairs, hopping down it with one step before looking down at Sophia. “You all right?” He asked, helping the girl get to her feet.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:38 am
 Alpha: The beach? I hate the beach.Vacation. This wasn’t exactly the kind of vacation that Molly had in mind when they told her about it. She herself pictured a nice quiet place where she could sit and do basically nothing all day long in a nice quiet library. She got the beach. The last place Molly ever wanted to see. Why you ask would someone not like the surf, sun and sand of the beach? To put in simple terms Molly had a deep ingrained fear of any body of water not found in a bathtub. The beach was usually connected to a large deep body of water and Catalina Carolina was a beach comber’s paradise and Molly’s personal nightmare. The entire plane ride to the place and then the subsequent car ride she was in her own little world. She really didn’t talk to anyone or even look up from her book nor removed her ipod earphones. Part of the self imposed silence had a lot to do with what she had seen in Limbo. The mutant hard wired into a machine. It was another one of those private little nightmares Molly kept to herself. The nagging fear that in the back of her mind that somewhere someone was soulless enough to do that to a person with her abilities. Molly shook that rather bleak thought off when they were exiting the car. She stood there looking at the place with an almost dyspeptic expression. Part of it was the fact that Narcissa quite nearly mowed her down. The soul fact that the Omega was not herself kept Molly from saying anything about it. ”Wonderful. How long are we here for?” She asked to no one as she began to get her bags. If they damaged her laptop she was going to have a fit. The bedroom Molly had selected for herself was not based off of looks or view. It was quite simply the room that gave her the strongest signal for her wireless network. So the room she ended up with had an almost office like look to it and Molly threw her bag by the dresser set anything else near the desk and plopped herself on the bed with her laptop and proceeded to shut out the rest of the world. She had no intentions of moving from this spot until they went home.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:08 am
Omega - Condo - Trying to Get Back On Track
Carlos stepped off the plane last trailing as he usually did behind everyone. The shades he wore hid his eyes well. Added to the stone visage that was his face. The air about him was usually cold, but since limbo heavier. Most everyone had an idea why. He was found in the courtyard bloodied, broken, near death. But still standing, numb. He wasn't himself. He only remembered bits and pieces. He was left for dead, and he was hard pressed to survive with so many. He snapped and lost reality to someone else. And watching carnage from the darkness he saw himself twisted and dark, live through the ordeal. When he was found though it wasn't so good. It was lucky only the teachers got there. Emma had tried her hardest, usually when she did a person's mind would be Jello, but still, it says something that even she failed. It was the other blonde woman, the one Carlos didn't really know. She said something strange yet familiar to him, then proceeded to run him through with a rather large sword. He burned from the inside out and felt like he was imploding. When he woke up he was in a straight jacket Contained.
He was different though himself. Mostly... His eyes still had the gold irises against the pitch black. He was still numb. Illyana told them she did her best but to do anymore would have killed him. In many ways she already has. He didn't feel properly. He still cared, still loved Cissa. But it came to him as if it was an alien concept... In the days that followed he was watched closely. Betsy closest to him compared to most psychics constantly probed and picked at his brain like a hawk. With his eyes so changed and eerie other side effects common they could hardly tell weather it was Carlos Himself or the other. The only time anyone was ever sure or more worried was when he was around Narcissa. And She hadn't spoken or seen him since they got back. He's never felt further away from her...
The voice that would usually mock him in the back of his head was silent. It a mix of relief and yet loneliness. It had always been there. Now it was just so silent. But no it couldn't be gone. It wasn't that easy. Illyana's easiest and most dumbed down explanation was " I put him to sleep". Despite that reassurance no one from Isabella, Evelyn and up trusted him. That was when they noticed he couldn't feel. Evie being back would have definitely made him happy. The fact that he acted contrary to this made them start to worry. Isabella seemed more persistent in her probing. She did grow up with after all. She was the one that got him out of a cell atleast. He thanked her but felt no gratitude. As isolated and hollow as he felt, he thought staying in limbo sure as hell would have been the better option.
He put his bag in a car but didn't get in with the others. He talked to the closest teacher, Betsy and got permission to rent his own vehicle. She agreed to the idea that maybe it would help him back to himself, but Carlos also had the idea that she wanted him separate from everyone just in case. He was trying atleast. Every now and then he felt something tug at him. Trying to find it's way to the surface or to wake up as he imagined it. To him the only way he could think of it was the other went to sleep and a part of himself with it. He got the keys to the bike, and was lead out to the rental lot. Closely watched, he was ordered to follow behind the rental cars. No complaint or arguments. It didn't feel right for him, the street bike had a different balance then he was used to but he adjusted well enough. The metallic color had a nice shine in his black and white vision. The helmet thankfully wasn't too tight either.
The ride to the condo was peaceful if not plainfully slow to him. He never remembered a time when he actually rode a bike at the speed limit. It helped some air get into him. He was sure whatever was wrong with him it would be temporary. In a sense it helped him at the moment. His powers seemed unaffected but not feeling meant he wasn't mopey or depressed by them. His only concern he for the moment was getting himself and Narcissa as close to normal for them as he could. in that was the only and strongest sense that he could feel. Kerrigan talked him about his lover time to time atleast. Even when he didn't ask. He had to say it helped put some ease into him. Worry was absent but he felt something compel him, felt more like anxiety. Getting off the bike when they reached the Condo, he parked close to the building.
He waited to pick a room and the choice was obvious for him. Near the top just opposite his opposite. He was making sure that he wouldn't be far from her if and when she sought him out. Getting close to her these days just seemed far off since he was let out of isolation. She didn't mind his problems, or rather from what he saw of it she didn't seem to notice. She seemed hazed even when she put her best front on. With his bag on the bed he didn't need to unpack much. He could sense turmoil from the room over and stilled his thoughts for a decision. A few more minutes then he walked over to Cissa's room and knocked on the door. " It's Carlos...". nothing more could be said. If he asked if she was alright that question lit the shortest fuse these days and it wasn't hard to slip even his mind. He could tell she was crying, but weather or not she actually wanted to be alone was another matter. He waited for a response.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:52 am
 O+M+E+G+A- Peace and Relaxation Compared to others he had gotten off easy in Limbo, though once they arrived back to the institute and began the healing it was discovered that Leion had a fracture in his right arm and his left shin he decided to let others get worked on before himself finally getting healed shortly before Isabella, but the healers were easily able to fully fix his fractures and burns. Leion had been fairly withdrawn for the past to weeks, maybe saying one or two words to a passerby in the halls. He was trying to remove the time in Limbo from his thoughts, he wanted to just act like the whole thing never happened so that things could go back to normal, or at least as normal as they could get around the institute. Then they got told they would be going on vacation, that would certainly take everyone's minds off of the whole fiasco, and hopefully remove some of the doom and gloom floating around the place. +~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ After the quiet and seemingly endless plane ride in which Leion listened to his iPod and made floating orbs around him that switched colors randomly to entertain himself, they got into cars with their luggage and were driven to a beautiful condo on the beach with several floors. As others ambled about Leion grabbed his luggage and quickly claimed a room on the first floor that opened out into a great view of the beach. His first priority was swimming in the ocean and so he changed into a pair of flaring red swim trunks decorated with purple bursts the resembled the early stages of his powers that ended well below his knees. Out on the beach he ran right past Shandra, kicking sand up all over the place before jumping and using his powers to propel himself forward to keep from having to run slowly through the start of the water. He landed with a large splash of water that rippled for a short amount of time before being returned to normal wave patterns and it was several moments before Leion resurfaced with a " Bwahh!"
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 2:39 pm
Omegas - The Beach - Island in the Sun  The girl had been speaking with Betty about various things, both classes and powers, when she had been told about the break for the junior teams. She was... well, a little more than surprised a the proposition of a break for the teams. She had sort of always assumed that it was always a go for the members of the X-Men, even in the junior teams. From the outside it always looked like one glorious battle to the next. That naivety was nice... but she supposed that Scott and Emma wanted to give the Alphas and Omegas a break from that. The girl had sat on the plane with her pillow in between her and the cabin wall, her headphones in her ears blaring an assortment of music from Zeppelin to Blood for Blood. Her sketchbook was in hand. Absentmindedly, she flipped through. Most of the work was actually incomplete (such was the nature of her muse), but she landed on one sketch that was done. It was a face, a simple one and void of emotion although she knew full well it wouldn't have/ wasn't in reality. It was a profile of Belasco. Maddy wondered why she had bothered to render such a thing in the first place. The action seemed distasteful, though it had not seemed so when she worked on it the days after their return to the mansion. She had not shown it to anyone and intended not to. Maddy glanced to her side at Narcissa. She flipped to a fresh page and began drawing a cross-sectioned human heart. She was awakened a few hours later only by the brushing of another passenger on her arm. They had landed and her sketchbook was dumped on the floor unceremoniously through the apparent rustling in the sleep that had crept up on her. Maddy blinked several times and rubbed her eyes. Cocking her head she peaked out the window as if she would be able to see some brilliant sight from the jet-strip. Maddy had grown up in New England and hadn't ever even been to the west coast. Honestly, she didn't ever have the urge to travel west. She preferred the east or even Europe as a travel destination, but this wasn't too bad. The island itself was a haven. She had immediately removed her shoes upon arrival and dug them down into the heated sand. That feeling, she thought, was one of the best things you can get on a beach. She paid no real mind to the others filing about. With her bag full of clothes still slung across her arm she moved across the the edge of the water, happily allowing the tiny waves to get the edges of her loose jeans wet. She had not seen Leion's jump but had heard it. She twitched back with seeing his random reappearance through the water (which, remarkably, was quite clear. Seriously, you should see Jersey's beaches...). Maddy had had to go and buy a swim suit for the venture. She could not remember what had happened to the old one. It was probably left in storage at her father's house along with other pieces of summer clothes. If that were the case, she had no doubt that they had been disposed of last month. She could feel the giant bottle of sun block bumping her from the inside of her bag as she trotted along. The Irish do not tan. They simply burn. Looking about the beach and to the others, she made the turn to the condo that was to be her home for however long they were there. Even though she wanted to stay on the beach, it was common sense to try and grab a good room before the others did, or at the very least she would try and bunk with somebody who was not too... yeah.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 7:11 pm
 Alpha - Back Home... Back Home....It had been disheartening to return to the Mansion and see it in disrepair. Part of her was beyond angered that she was gone and was angered at whoever forced her to go through her power issues. But she knew that was neither here nor there. At no snails pace, she found the nearest bottle of hair dye and boarded herself up in what was remaining of her temporary room to get herself back to her right place. Looking in the mirror, she picked up a pair of scissors ready to put her hair back into the short mess it used to be. Dark locks fell down her chest and for once, she paused before closing the scissors around her hair to let it fall to the ground. Catching her eyes in the mirror she muttered, "Maybe a change is due." She put the scissors down and wanted to find Reikon. Leaving her room, she was unfortunately intercepted by McCoy.... and in the labs was where she spent the majority of her two weeks. Away from the people she wanted to talk to most... again. McCoy wanted to make sure Moira's finding were correct. She didn't blame him. She just wanted to leave. Two weeks later, she was able to leave with the team. It felt odd to her. She felt like a stranger among friends. Many faces she didn't know. Vacation was needed. Time to figure everybody out.... time to figure herself out. In Limbo, she was a demon killing machine. She had one mission in mind and her thoughts rarely strayed from it. The mission minded part of her prevailed completely. It was the serious side of her personality she had for so long which kept everybody walled away. And as much as she knew it, it felt like that part of her had returned. It was easier than letting herself hurt at the moment over everything that had happened. Whenever they entered the condo, she clenched her jaw at Narcissa barking at Alpha's. She couldn't blame her really. Evie knew how it was when people come back after the manipulation state. She sat with Siona after her cousin had gone through this so far back and with so many other teammates. Her only remotely close experience to feeling violated was with her genetic structure having been manipulated to include the wolf DNA... so she wouldn't pretend to understand what the girl was going through. But she could sympathize. Picking up on Molly's question she smirked and replied, "Until vacation is over or somehow we end up saving the world unwittingly." Throwing her only bag on her back, she wondered how long they would keep the condo looking pristine. She knew reality. They would either manage to get into trouble or somehow start a massive food fight and destroy half the downstairs in the process. Walking up the steps, she found the room that suited her best... the room that allowed her to do the most stupid things. To the top and to the end of the hallway as far as she could. Carlos and Narcissa were up there already. Would make for interesting company. It would be the moody.... or lack of mood floor. She walked past Carlos who was standing at Narcissa's door. Whether he wanted it or not, she put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She had no clue what he was going through having been gone for so damn long and in the dark, but he and Cissa had been there for her at countless times. The least she could do was let him know she was there when and if needed. She could see on his face he was hiding something. His eyes (or what she could read of them) and slight changes in his voice told her he wasn't always (okay maybe never) feeling how he acted. She let go of his shoulder and said nothing walking to the room she had picked from the outside. The room was smallish and had a window that overlooked the pool attached to the side of the place. She didn't require a balcony. She had a window sill and great balance. So she did just that. Sliding the window open, she kicked off her shoes and threw her legs out the window. The breeze was amazing and the view challenged her powers. Her eyes wanted to take in everything. It cleared her mind. That was what she needed.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:40 pm
Omega - Never has Jimmy Buffet singing Margaritaville been more in order
The trip back home from Limbo was exhausting for Christian. He had taken the brunt of demonic attacks, all in the name of what? Proving himself to his new teammates and friends or for the sake of the mission? He didn’t know, and he damned himself for everything while he was laid up in convalescence in the medical facilities. While he lay in bed for the first few days, he refused treatment by Angel and Elixir. He, for whatever reason, wanted to remember that pain. He never wanted to forget Limbo at all. Not what he did, never the injuries he incurred, any of it at all.
After dealing with the agony for days, he finally accepted Elixir’s healing. The burns and cuts he had on his body healed up well enough, but the hand that was bitten clean through didn’t at all. What Elixir did grew new flesh and restored the ligaments, tendons, and bone… however to a very tender state. Christian was informed that his hand would take more time to heal due to what damage he had taken exactly. Needless to say, it stayed wrapped up with bandages. That aside, and the haircut he had gotten due to his hair being burned in Limbo, Christian was in tip-top shape.
*********
Christian didn’t even realize where they were. Did they drug him and stuff him on the jet to California? He remembered being in the hangar beforehand… and protesting vehemently getting onto the plane. He had a fit when ordered to climb up to a third story window, did they expect him to go quietly into the still night when they had an OPTIONAL plane ride? All he knew was that they were on a rather secluded beachfront, seaside manor and party center on the other side notwithstanding.
“How.. did I get here,” Christian absently asked as he stepped out of the vehicle that took them to the house, his booted heel hitting sand that gave way immediately. From where he stood, he could barely see Ms. Frost out of the corner of his eye and when he turned to look at her, she flashed a brilliant smile and a wave. It was then, he knew what happened; he was knocked out and dragged along unwillingly. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the beach, it was that he loathed flying.
He took his time looking over the grounds, taking note of the grove of palms that were situated roughly twenty yards from the house. There was some patches of grass there, perfect for a lazy day’s rest… of which it seemed there were going to be countless of those at this place. While he was grateful for the ‘off-time’, which gave him a chance to get better physically, he didn’t want to shirk his routines. He had gotten away from that for two weeks and didn’t feel right whatsoever.
After a few minutes of struggling, Christian found himself in a good room. It was far off, on the first floor, away from most the others. He didn’t plan on sleeping inside, however. He made sure to pack up at least a bit of outdoors cover when he heard they were going to a beach house. Nothing more than a small pup tent and an old worn-out, yet trusty blanket. If anything, he’d steal some pillows from the bed he threw his bag upon.
He definitely looked rather out-of-place in the beach setting. Christian was wearing an unbuttoned blue shirt (sleeves rolled up, naturally), a heavy pair of jeans, and his trusted boots. The only difference there was to his look was the baseball cap he wore with a large ‘S’ emblazoned on it in front of a compass and the tanktop he had underneath the unbuttoned shirt. Though, he had already felt the heat the moment he woke up and hit the sands, and decided it best to leave the shirt next to his things. It wasn’t that he was shy about showing off what musculature he’d gotten throughout the years, it was just that he didn’t like to. Everyone thought of him as the unassuming, Northwestern hillbilly. And he preferred keeping it just that way.
Christian emerged from the room he chose and began making his way out of the house. When he got to the bottom of the steps, he saw Jacen helping Sophia up from off the ground. How peculiar that was. “Howdy, Jacen. Sophie,” Christian said with a wave of his bandaged hand as he walked out onto the porch. When he hit the porch, he could see everyone else having a good old time. He said a quick hello to Maddy as she walked by, saw Leion enjoying the ocean, and Shandra enjoying the sands as they were. Everything, it seemed, was getting back to normalcy. Or at least what was considered normal for everyone associated with the X-Men. His scanning of the scene was disrupted by seeing the Alpha’s leader, Isabella walking towards their temporary residence.
He walked towards Isabella as she made her way towards the condo. He was assuredly grateful for her assistance in Belasco's castle. Her quick action meant Christian did not lose an appendage or worse yet, bleed out entirely. The least he could do was offer to help with her luggage. "Need a hand, ma'am?" Without her asking or even arguing, he grabbed up the bag sitting on her suitcase and slung it over his shoulder... with his good hand.
"Hope I ain't bein' a bother or nothin', ma'am," Christian said absently as he turned back to face the condo. If anything, he could at least take her belongings up to the front porch. "I just... wanted to say thanks. For pullin' my fat outta the fryer back in Limbo." He looked down at the much shorter woman and remembered that he hadn't seen much of her in the infirmary during everyone's recovery. "...How're you holdin' up," Christian asked absently, "Your injuries, I mean?"
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:27 am
Omega-the phantom of the academy is there. Two weeks. He could scarcely believe it had been two weeks since they left that place. Though the mission was a success, it was obvious that the mission did not come without a cost. Everyone was injured if not physically then emotionally, Cissa was perhaps one of the worst cases. Never before had he seen her how she was. Everything about her just seemed wrong, and it annoyed him. He wanted to help fix her, but he did not know how. Besides he had his own problems to take care of. Gently he poked the tender skin around his eye. Most of his wounds were on his torso, but one of the demony shadowy things had got a lucky hit on him, slashing him across the eye. The wound had been tended to, and luckily he was able to see out of it, though he would rather trade blindness in one eye for what was there now. His once perfect skin was now marred with a scar that crossed over his left eye. Antonio reached out and gently places his hand on the reflection staring back at him in the tiny confines of the airplane bathroom, a feeling of longing rising up inside of him. Sighing he grabbed the eye patch and placed it back on, taking a moment for his body to accommodate for the lack of depth perception. He was given the eye patch to protect the eye while it was healing, but now he used it to hide his deformity. If anyone questioned him, he told them that the wound was still healing perhaps another weak and it would be off. Of course people like Emma would be able to read his mind and tell that he was lying, but he would ignore anything they told him, he was hideous, he needed to hide his hideousness from the world. He did not want to scar his teammates more than they already were. Disguise in place, he left the bathroom and went back to his seat. The plane ride was rather uneventful, the ride to the condos the same. He wished that he could have slept on the trip, but he could not risk anyone removing his eye patch and finding out his secret. He was the most attractive male at the academy, he was Adonis, if they found out about his eye his life would be over. When they arrived at the Condo, Antonio grabbed his suitcases, and rushed outside. They had called him silly for bringing three, but he needed to be prepared for anything to come. He refused to let his handicap set him back too much; he would enjoy life to the fullest, unless his secret was found out. But he had a backup plan if that happened. Once the others found that he was a hideous monster, he would don a mask and hide in an opera like that one guy. He would play the organ and everything, well he did not know how to play the organ, but he would have time to learn. A new confidence filling him, he floated his heavy luggage into the condo, bringing them upstairs. He chose a room in the back corner, less people would choose a room there, perfect for when he felt like moping. But as much as he wanted to mourn his loss, they mustn’t suspect. Fixing a smile on his face, he opened his window and jumped out to the beach, an easy feat for someone like him. Carefully he made his way over to Shandra, taking a seat next the red head. "Hola Roja, enjoying the sun?"
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:40 am
Sun, Surf, Sand, and no tan. Vallon had been away during the assault through the portal, he had wanted to go, but his father had passed away and Vallon had gone to bury him even tough the man had abandoned him when he got his powers Vallon still felt duty bound to arrive and bury the man he was raised by, it had been a small ceremony, Vallon's mother was very proud that he had come back with them to the home land to bury him in the family graveyard. Vallon did not stay there long he came back to find that the battle had ended and they where to go on a vacation. He had yet to ask any of the other team members of the adventure he had missed. He had stayed in the back of the plane he asked to so he could compose himself without any of them knowing he was back yet. It was a sad and quite plane fight Vallon thought the entire time and came to terms with all that had happened, he was also there for his father will reading. That was the knife that stuck the deepest, His father had not a kind word of his eldest son in his final testament. The plane finally landed, and Vallon sighed and stood, he waited for everyone to exit the plane before making his way out, he looked around it was bright and beautiful on the island, he walked slowly across the saned looking at the others having their fun and shuffling about, then he spotted her the girl that would make him feel better. Maddy was walking down the side of the beach and she made her way a condo where Vallon assumed she would be staying, Vallon also spotted Shadra a wide grin came to his face then he remembered how long it had been since they had seen him he also forgot he had gotten a hair cut so he did look different. Vallon made his way to the condo he was to stay in, he would ahve loved to bunk with Maddy But he figured the rules would be the same here as they where at the academy. He got to his room and changed into his bright orange swim trunks and coated himself in sun screen, then made his way back outside and started to make his way towards Shandra But Antoino beat him there and he quickly spun away and made his way down the beach looking around and grinning at everyone it was good to be around his friends again. (Edited)
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:43 am
Out on the Sand - Soaking up the Sun
Shandra rolled over onto her stomach, feeling the warm sand move and slide around her. She might not exactly have grown up on the beach per say, but soft ground was definitely something she was used to. Or used to be at least. And after all the unpleasant things that had happened when they had to share those small confines for two weeks, it felt nice to have room to stretch.
Not to mention Limbo...she might not like the cold, but that place put heat to a bad name. It was just nice to be somewhere acceptably warm. Nothing put her in a mellower mood than warming up properly.
However, the sand that Leion kicked up in her face, however warm, was not a good feeling. Despite her power...she had to know it was coming, already be blocking everything in the path, or her body had to recognize whatever was put into her as a threat. And since the random act of Sand throwing fit into none of those, it got right into little folding of clothing it could get into as she lay on her stomach. And all in her hair too.
And her ears picked up a remarkable splashing sound as Leion took to water. She shook her head lightly as she moved herself to sit up, trying to get at least some of the sand out despite the fact that it was all over her clothes too. As she moved up, she spotted Antonio. He had an eyepatch?
Her head tilted to the side as she blinked once, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It looked strange...and he was being cautious? Since when was Antonio any form of cautious?
Also, was that Vallon in the background? Really...how had people changed that much in two weeks? Or did she somehow fall asleep in the sand of time? Maybe woke up in another dimension?
Hey...she'd been in two other ones so far that she knew of...it was possible.
And...another surprise. Antonio had come up with a new name apparently. She was used to a lot of the other ones, and had learned to translate them by association. Roja...well, needless to say she hadn't taken Spanish in high school. Still...by context she was guessing it was nothing bad.
"Hmm...yes," Shandra answered, still fingering sand out of her hair. "I mean, its a much more tolerable heat here than it was in Limbo right? And New York doesn't know heat..."
Although, the water was looking very good right now too...but she couldn't exactly go for a long swim with the stitches in her arm. She wasn't exactly sure why not right now, cause the pros were outweighing the cons, but she wasn't going to do it for the fact that she didn't want to chance having to get them done again.
Besides, this was the first time she'd seen Antonio in two weeks and a few days...and he'd come back with an eye-patch. The nurse part of her that didn't get used very much anymore was still wanting to go check her bag to see if she had anything that could be used. The polite thinker knew better than to bring it up until he did.
"What about you?" Shandra returned the question to Antonio as she moved her legs so she was sitting Indian-style. "Finding California better than New York or Limbo so far?"
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