[PR] Use the Limit Breaker attack! (Danica/Straffe)

[Auric Halcyon]

It was barely his second day at the academy, the day filled with the frantic hustle from one classroom to the next-- and the looking for said classrooms. The outdoor training grounds were perhaps the most daunting and worrying of the classes, although easiest to find. Several kinetics, energy users and people with powers that defied modern terminology were in that class. The objective? Learning. To. Aim.

Some of the kids had decided they didn't need to be there, since their powers allowed them to hit dead centre, but Straffe was certainly not in that category. Aiming bolts of sunlight was a little more complicated then it sounded.

He had been given an 'aid' in the form of a toy bow that he used to line up the shot, but he had about as much accuracy as a shotgun at long range. The class had been packed, apparently the ability to blast stuff was pretty common, some of the kids were sitting down, swapping with friends, but the general nervous energy of the crowd was still hard to swallow around and make verbal contact with their peers. He'd barely gotten more than a few minutes at the practice targets, and now, with his free period, here he was still; failing to take down his arch-nemisis, the practice target.

It mocked him with its clean, shiny surface.

The sky overhead shifted in colour and Straffe's current construct dimmed, his brows knit together as he poured a little more power into it, shifting his weight in response. The bolt brightened and he fired. He at least hit the target, but his aim was still unimpressive. Straffe took a step back and exhaled, lowering his toy bow. Drawing on the energy for several shots in the afternoon wasn't a problem, but he wasn't used to channelling with such focus.And hitting a target! Well, he had some work to do! Straffe wasn't a stranger to hard work, and it wasn't that he was whining, since he wasn't the only one learning.

The practice range had filled up already, other students taking advantage of the chance to let off some steam, or just joking around- like the two kids playing with practice dummies and throwing overly large fireballs at them.

A fine sheen of sweat clung to his face and plastered his bangs to his chin, his hair had come free of his tail, clinging to the plain white and blue cotton shirt he wore, jeans and joggers completed the casual outfit. Running around in his costume all day was all well and good, but it didn't seem necessary here.

There were a few people wandering up and down the range, some hopefuls looking for a spot to get in, other just curious to see the powers. Straffe figured he was due for a break anyway, perhaps he could share with someone.

He glanced back at the practice target. It would rue the day that they matched prowess--- sometime... hopefully.  

[Andraia]

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' C O N D U I T ____ Danica T Moore ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
power amplification & redirection'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The sun was bright and clear in the sky, lighting up the outdoor target range with an almost cinema like quality. It’s warm rays danced off Danica’s orange hair, making it even more firey than usual. Students bustled back and forth between targets, laughing and joking with each other. Dani wandered along the back edge of the range, trying not to get in any of their way. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and continued her search. It was her first free period and she had been hoping that she… well, Dani wasn’t entirely sure what she had been planning on doing.

She twirled the fork she was carrying between her fingers. She had had some vague idea about finding a target near an electrical outlet.

In retrospect, the plan had been a little ridiculous.

She had hoped that there might have been some kind of power source she could try channelling, but there didn’t seem to be anything like that (out here at least). It was a bit silly to assume that they would have something so tailored to her power, after all, how many people other than herself must need something like that? Dani supposed she could always ask one of the other students if they would practice with her but – she watched the over eager teenagers boasting and rough housing – the idea made her uncomfortable. She would have to get over this stupid fear; it wasn’t like everyone she met was going to try and use her for her powers or something ridiculous like that. Still… a shiver ran down Danica’s spine and she rubbed her arms; suddenly cold, despite the warm midday sun.

The spike in her mood sparked a spike in her power, creeping out towards the students nearest to her. She had been stopped behind a couple of boys who were hurling fireballs at the target, their aim was reckless and their focus was minimal at best. One of them was pulling his arm back to make the throw when the buzz hit and the fireball forming in his palm exploded out of control.

“Ah!” Dani cried in stereo with the two boys, and dived out of the way just as the oversized and uncontrolled projectile hit the ground between them. The impact sent them stumbling back a step or two, but no one was harmed. Even the floor where the fireball had hit seemed to have come out okay with only a sooty mark to show what had happened. For a moment, everything was quiet.

“Did you see that?” The first boy asked, turning to his friend, grinning like an idiot. “There is no way you could make a fireball that big.”

Dani decided that this was a good time to make her escape. With her heart racing at the pace it was, everyone on the range was probably feeling the effect. The last thing she needed was to cause the destruction of school property on the second day of classes.
 

[Auric Halcyon]

It was only because Straffe had turned away from his exertion that he saw the pretty young girl wandering through the range, she looked a little forlorn at first, then almost annoyed at something, it wasn't that he was watching, as the fork she was holding had caught his attention. He puzzled a moment on the fork before he made the connection- she was probably one of those psychic people that could bend forks with their mind. Why was a psychic out here? Then the two idiots messing around with the fireballs lost control of one.

A few girls nearby screamed, a couple of other kids hit the deck instinctively, Straffe pulled a globe of light from his center, holding it almost defensively in front of him. Although a ball of light-energy was hardly going to stop a raging fireball.

Luckily he didn't seem to need it as the explosion hit the ground, leaving nothing but singed spongy plastic behind. Thank goodness for insulation.

He moved toward the scene of the incident, noticing that no one seemed harmed, but a few looked shaken. The two boys were looking piqued, obviously they thought that this was funny. Straffe sighed and glanced at the psychic girl who looked the wrong side of panicked. Skittish, even.

"Hey there, are you okay? Bit close for comfort?" He extended a hand to help her back to her feet. Straffe used his calm voice, like she was a horse about to buck a rider, or an angry kitten threatening a thorough hand-mauling.

A few other students laughed a little uneasily but practice had already resumed. Afterall, they were through energy at things, it was no wonder that eventually someone'd experienced a misfire. Straffe had worried he'd be the most likely culprit of a misfire because his power was less direct, but at least he hadn't thrown a premature fireball. The dark-skinned boy stifled a grin, unsuccessfully.

"Bit of premature flame ejaculation in the afternoon, eh?" It was a gross joke, the girl would probably think he was 'such a boy' but she looked a little skittish and Straffe liked making people smile, even just a little.  

[Andraia]

Before she could so much as find the nearest escape route, a shadow came to hover over Dani. “Hey there, are you okay? A bit to close for comfort?”

Danica looked up and discovered that the shadow (and the voice) belonged to dark skinned boy with purple hair. From her point of view on the ground and him leaning over her he looked tall, but that could just be the situation. He was talking to her like she was one tick away from a nuclear reaction, and suddenly she realized she probably looked that way. After a moment of internal-chastising for her lack of self-control, she schooled her features and sat up a bit straighter.

“Bit of premature flame ejaculation in the afternoon, eh?” He said with a grin. Danica chuckled. It was kind of a gross joke but it certainly lightened the mood. (And it wasn’t like she had never been known to say things even worse.) She almost reached for his hand and then realized that was probably a bad idea. Her heart was still bouncing around a little bit and physical contact would probably give the poor guy a spike. Instead she used her hand to push herself up off the ground and brush herself off.

“Hey, well at least no one here can say school is boring, huh?” Dani joked once she had got herself back together. She smiled pleasantly at her classmate. She did not remember seeing him in any of her classes yesterday or this morning but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in any of them. There were so many people and so much going on she could have easily missed him. She wondered – like she did every time she met someone here – what his powers might be. He was out here which meant it probably had something to with projectiles. “Hi, I’m Dani.”
 

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe let the girl rise and dazzled her with another full-watt smile (he really needed to stop making those puns in his head...) he managed not to say it out loud and instead waited for the girl to stand when she didn't take his hand. For a moment he puzzled over her shying away from his touch then realized that perhaps offering a psychic his hand had been insulting for her.

"I'm sure we'll be saying that all year." He agreed. "Besides, it beats regular gym class." He brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes before realizing he hadn't introduced himself. Straffe didn't notice the stray glitter of sunlight that followed his palm, giving his hair a sparkle that faded after a second. If he had, he might have died. It was embarrassing, when you could literally shine and you didn't mean to.

Great social skills, Straffe. He thought with a mental smack. "Hi Dani, I'm Straffe." The hand popped out again for shaking, an automatic ingrained social reaction. "You can use my spot, I was going to take a break anyway."

With a small grin he indicated his mostly unharmed target. "Apparently I'm not winning this round. And the sun's changed its position." Like that had everything to do with his inability to destroy his nemesis, the practice target.  

[Andraia]

“I’m sure we will.” Dani agreed, and laughed a bit. She watched as a slight shimmer followed his hand through the dark strands of his hair. What was that about? He didn’t seem to notice, which meant that he was either doing it on purpose – it was kind of a neat trick –, or that she was messing people up again. The latter seemed the more likely, as his guy didn’t seem like that much off a show off (although, how would she know, she only just met him). She couldn’t help but wonder though, what kind of powers made you sparkle.

“Hi Dani, I’m Straffe.”

And the hand was back. This put the redhead in a bit of a bind; refusing his hand would be rude, but taking his hand could have unpleasant results. Being foiled by something as mundane and harmless as a handshake… it was so embarrassing! Hoping that he wouldn’t be offended Dani raised her hand in a little two-finger salute, and smiled warmly at him, leaving is hand hanging. “It is nice to meet you Straffe.”

Danica followed his eyes to the target – unscathed, save for a few slight burns – and smiled sheepishly. Heh, now she had to explain why she was prowling around the target range without actually having a projectile power. “That is very thoughtful of you, Straffe, but really, its okay. I couldn’t… that is to say, I cant… well, I wouldn’t be able to… I don’t shoot things. Well I do. But not… nevermind.”

Desperate for a change of topic, she clung to the second part of his statement. “The sun has changed? Do your powers rely on sunlight?” If his powers were light based it would explain the sparkling.
 

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe wasn't used to not having a hand to shake, he let his hand drop, a little confused. But he figured maybe this girl just wasn't used to shaking hands.

"You don't shoot things but you do?" He grinned, amused at the verbal dodging. With a small sound he turned to his nemesis the target and grinned again, a gentle teasing lilt to his tone. "Sounds like a complicated ability."

"Oh yeah-" a chuckle escaped his throat. "sorry, I've been at it all afternoon. I'm photokinetic. I absorb sunlight and turn it into... well, mostly nothing accurate." He waved at the target. "I also make a perfect night-light for small children."

Straffe found a comfortable position against the bracing post beside them and leaned on it, obviously glad for something of a distraction from the activities, he took his time to watch the skittish girl. So many of the students here had their own pasts, steeped in trouble with other people. He was honestly one of the lucky ones, able to just turn his power off and vanish if it got too hard. Still, what was the point of having power if you hid from it? Straffe was big on destiny and fate being made in his own hands.  

[Andraia]

“That sounds interesting. A solar powered hero? How very green.” She chuckled, then stopped abruptly, and looked up wide-eyed at her new acquaintance. “That wasn’t rude was it?” Between that and the non-touching he was probably thinking she was a very inconsiderate. She sighed. All of this dodging-around-taking-about-her-ability was getting old, and it was only the second day here. If people were going to be so open about their powers, she might as well do it too. Straffe settled himself against one of the posts, and appeared to be giving her his full attention. “I’m sorry, I’m acting really strange.”

“Complicated is a good word. I-” she paused for a moment – thinking – and then pointed to the scorch mark from the renegade fireball, “do that. Not throw fire. I’m an ability booster; a walking steroid enhancement; an amplifier of powers. Don’t have much control over it. Starting to think that coming out here was maybe not my best idea.”

[[ I've been choking over this post for the last two days, so I'm sorry, this is what you're getting talk2hand ... OTL . ]]

 

[Auric Halcyon]

The photokinetic cocked his head to one side, escaped tendrils of his purple hair coiling around his neck and clinging to his chin with sweat. He didn't interrupt Danica, after-all she seemed like the slightest interruption would send her running. Straffe had been taught one or two things about interrupting women when they were talking. He spared her a wide simper for the idea that he was green. Did that mean he should be setting an example and recycling or maybe plugging himself into a generator--- well, as far as he could tell he couldn't actually power a generator.... although he had never tried. "I'm more like a plant, actually. Although I've never been plugged into solar panelling so maybe..."

He waved off her strange comment. "Not at all." They were, afterall, on a court surrounded by people shooting lasers and fireballs at targets from from various appendages.

"Oh? You enhance other people's power? Nifty." He pointed to the two jocks who were back at their practice now. "I guess that has all sorts of benefits too. Well, I don't think it's the wrong place." He was all for arguing the positives if she was going to argue the negatives--- he did love to argue. "Everyone is here to practice---" a couple of boys had grabbed one of the targets and were now taking rude photos of it--"well mostly everyone. You could join me, if you want. You won't get better at control if you avoid using your power altogether."

Well, that was the theory anyway. For all he knew, she would indeed get better.  

[Andraia]

The redhead followed his gaze to the pair of boys entertaining themselves with the dummy. “Yes, inadvertently giving one of them a power spike woudn’t end in disaster.” She deadpanned. She was just absolutely certain that she was going to cause some kind of major catastrophe before the week was up. Experimenting with the power amplification aspect of her abilities in the middle of a field populated by people hurtling destructive projectiles seemed like a great way to bring that about.

Danica paused and mauled over his suggestion. The boy had a point. Learning about and testing her powers was the whole point of her being here. “But… yes. That would be lovely.” She eventually decided. “You’re right. I can’t get better at controlling this thing if I don’t try at some point.” That wasn’t entirely true, she spent most of the day actively trying to repress it, but that wasn’t exactly working too well for her. Maybe if she got better at using it intentionally she would get better at not using it unintentionally.

(( I keep having to remember that this is supposed to be taking place on the
second day of school x’D . This RP has been running for a while, lol. ))

 

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe turned to the practice dummy and carefully mustered up another ball of light in his hand, not paying all that much attention to the action (he'd been doing it all afternoon so the action was coming a little easier now). "Of course I'm right." He tossed the light toward the target, only half watching, "I'm always right." he was joking, of course, but he had just hit the target, blasting a small hole through the chest, the light dissipated and left a small, slightly singed hole.

Straffe glanced at the target, frowning; had he just...? "Oh... holy crap. First time since I started." he looked down at his feet, as though he was trying to figure out what he had done differently, although it was more about the relaxed posture and attempts in not forcing the direction than anything else. He glanced back at Danica. "You didn't do that?" For all he knew, she had just fixed his accuracy. Someone like that could be really useful... they would win at everything! Devious plans sprouted in his head; plans of many destroyed practice dummies.  

[Andraia]

Danica grinned at his smug attitude. “Of course.” She agreed (sarcastically) as he sent the little light projectile flying over his shoulder. When it hit, she was more surprised by the boy’s reaction than the shot’s accuracy. The redhead laughed and leaned to the side slightly to get a better view of the target. “Wow, nice shot. Uh, no, that wasn’t me,“ I don’t think, anyway. She grinned wickedly. “Maybe it was just my presence that inspired you.”
 

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe still looked a little bewildered but was slowly recovering. He was hardly one to take credit for his shot improving for any mundane reason 'like, say, relaxing gave him a better frame of mind' but since most of the kids in the practice range had all sorts of untapped powers, what was to say that Dani wasn't somehow unconsciously influencing his aim? Although it could always be that he was better when he was being watched... like the sun had to be observed to exist or something equally as odd. Then he shot again, again, it hit the target in the outer ring. He whistled. "You're like the lucky rabbit's foot... or... no, the vixen at the poker table." It wasn't hard to imagine her in one of those vixen red slinky dresses, although she probably would not appreciate him sliding across such boyish fantasy.

He held out an elbow, "Well then, think you're ready to give this a try? The target shall rue the day it faced us down with such antagonistic abandon?" Not that he had it in for the target, but really.... only one of them was getting out of here. He would smash it to a thousand pieces for daring to stand against the might of the sun...

His zeal broke through in a semi-maniacal grin.  

[Andraia]

Danica scoffed at the mention of rabbit’s foot – her influence very rarely seemed to be lucky these days – but she could not repress a grin at the second analogy. That one she could work with; distracting and indirectly destructive. Maybe she should have been a little bit offended by the slightly lewd comments he had been making, but she found them humorous and his informal attitude was helping her loosen up. Dani chuckled at his melodramatic exclamation. “Yes, let us teach this unsightly creature who its betters are!”

“Er, okay. I don’t want to accidently spike the wonder twins over there again,” she explained, throwing a vague gesture over her shoulder towards the two fire-ball wielding boys, “so I’m going to, uh, put my hand on your elbow, I guess. I can boost without having to touch you, but then I run the risk of boosting… well… everyone. Physical contact makes the boost more… eh… concentrated. That was why I didn’t shake your hand earlier, or let you help me stand up. Last time I shook someone’s hand, they almost broke it. Superstrength.” She explained with a shrug. “I generally just avoid touching people all together.”

She reached out to rest her hand lightly on his offered elbow. It felt kind of… awkward. Well, at least she wasn’t going to have to try and get her emotions worked up; she was already embarrassed! “I don’t really know how much it is going to affect you; it seems to vary from case to case. We haven’t really figured out the science of it all yet.”  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe resisted an urge to make a whirling robot power-up noise, since that was too childish for a grown-up kid like him. But the slight jolt of current that ran through him did make him twinge. It was like the amulet sucked at the energy running from Dani into him, the glow around him intensified into a golden halo, the amulet actually glowed with an orange hue , tendrils of light leaping from the eye and running toward Dani's fingers as though it would suck up the power there. They were not physical, merely leeches of light.

The effect on Straffe was an interested murmur as he watched the amulet react. He hadn't told anyone much about where his power came from or what was going on with it, but this was an... interesting side of a theory that the amulet had been almost 'flat' when he'd found it and was slowly regaining power. Emotion ran through him, a desire to make sure that Dani could not let go, alien thoughts to drain everything from her, drink the well dry. He shook them away. Maybe her power was addictive?

"Wow, I feel like I'm the Duracell bunny." He turned back to the target and threw out another blast, this one came out like a ray. It blasted across the wall behind the target, leaving a crescent arc of smoke. He'd missed, but obviously hadn't considered the beam-like blast. He could hit more than one object with this, Straffe realized. How useful.

"Alright, power-uped, now use your lucky shot power to help me aim like a real man." His smile showed he was only kidding.