Description

xxa c c e s s - g r a n t e dxx

CLARENCE LAWLESS
[url=Link]pinterest[/url]xxxx[url=Link]playlist[/url]
xx
"But we need to talk about the contradiction." -Author

xxxx

xxi d e n t i t yxx

xx
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
xxxxx|| Legal Name || Clarence Alexander Lawless
xx
xxxxx|| Alias || Wildman
xx
xxxxx|| Pronouns || He/Him
xx
xxxxx|| Age || 18xxxxx|| Sexuality || Queerxx
xx
xxxxx|| Mentor || To be determinedxx
x
xxxxx|| Birth-place || Atlasxx
x
xxxxx|| Hex || #46C7C7xxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxa p p e a r a n c exx

xx
xx

xx
xxxxx|| Height || 5'10" or 178 cm
xx
xxxxx|| Build || Generally Slim
xx
xxxxx|| Description || Were it not for his high cheekbones, everyone would mistake Clarence for an overgrown teenager. His lanky body, slouched posture, and overly large choice of clothing tend to cause him to look shorter than he is while his untamed curls give the impression of someone who's never used a comb. Despite his guardian's constant attempts at nudging his fashion in a more mature direction he's prioritized flashiness over function and finds himself going "all out" whenever he has a chance to go somewhere fancy. Otherwise, one can usually find him in a t-shirt and sweatpants (typically with some type of company logo printed on it).
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Source: i-D Vice

xxp e r s o n a l i t yxx

xx
xx

xx
xxxxx|| Likes || Mysteries, Aquatic creatures, Fizzy drinks, Fancy stationery,
xx
xxxxx|| Dislikes || Cigarette smell (and smoking in general), Pain, Fruit, Cockroaches
xx
xxxxx|| Quirks || Picking under his finger nails, Snorting when he laughs, Scratching his head when he's stressed or doesn't know something
xx
xxxxx|| Fears || Rejection, Isolation, Rats
xx
xxxxxClarence never had much in way of social interaction and it shows. Stilted speech, awkward transitions, and bluntness make him a difficult conversational partner while his squirrelly demeanor drives away those with a low tolerance for nonsense. If you are a patient soul, you may find him entertaining, if for no reason other than his curious nature. Though he's read every book he's ever gotten his hands on, he believes that every person has a wealth of knowledge and insists on asking them questions even if he can't give much in return. Nonetheless, he considers himself a good listener and his memory of random trivia about a person is second only to the files that Aegis keeps on everyone.

His attentiveness also translates to the way he chooses to carry himself both in and out of Aegis. He misses the validation that his mother used to give him and isn't above making a fool out of himself to get someone's attention It's led to its fair share of injuries. embarrassment, and punishments by different authority figures, but his shamelessness has prevented any lessons about self-worth from sticking. Instead he persists in trying to befriend people, only stopping when formally rebuffed. In those cases he stops talking to them entirely. Whether due to lack of patience or genuine busyness, it's hard not to take rejection personally and nothing cuts deeper than being told to stay away.x
x
x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSource: Stromberg-Carlson, Ad
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxa b i l i t yxx

xx
xx

xxxxx|| Random Ability Generation || Clarence's genetics are in constant flux, changing, growing, and rearranging itself to grant him different powers. One day he might wake up with super strength and another, the ability to turn into liquid. It's unclear if there is a rhyme or reason behind which power he will acquire, but what is known is that his power only changes after falling asleep and he can only have one ability at a time (albeit, that singular ability can take on many forms).
xx
xxxxx|| Adaptable Physiology || His mind and body will change to accommodate his powers. Though his core personality will stay the same, psionic and emotion-based powers tend to cause mood swings, physical tics, and emotional instability. It isn't uncommon for him to continue suffering the side effects of a power days after he's used it.
xx
xxxxx|| Strengths || Honesty, Adaptability, Hand-Eye Coordination, Musically Inclined, Most STEM subjects
xx
xxxxx|| Weaknesses || Naive, Hyperfixates, Disorganized, Inexperienced in real world combat. Facial/Name Recognition
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
Source: The E/M/ Halvorson Company Inc., Martin Ad
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxh i s t o r yxx

xx
xx

Twenty years ago a woman named Alexa Lawrence was saved by Phantom, the world's first superhero. Having grown up on fairy tales, romantic comedies, and comic books, she was enamored by The Phantom and wanted nothing more than to be saved. For over a year she kept throwing herself in harm's way just to catch a glimpse of the caped crusader yet every attempt was met with a cold drop off. If only she had been born with those pesky powers she could have met and teamed up with the man, but fate wasn't so kind. With the connections her father forged in the biotech industry she caught wind of the Aegis Program and poached one of its lead geneticists in order to help her create her very own Super. With an anonymous donation and the help of a very expensive doula, she gave birth to Clarence.

He was a handful from the get-go, scaring away nannies, butlers, and security guards alike, though never by any fault of his own. His powers were simply...volatile. He was young and he couldn't control himself. Alex swore he would get better and that as the alleged son of the Phantom, he was destined for greatness. She hoped that with enough guidance and experimentation that Clarence would stabilize and that he could blend in with the rest of her friends' children, but by age nine it became clear that his powers weren't going to settle. Despite all the research, magic, and bribery nothing worked and her reputation was crumbling. The truth was that he wasn't going to "grow out" of this. The instability was his power. Whatever shady techniques they had used clearly hadn't worked, or perhaps, she no longer wanted to try. Though she was ready to discard him, the scientist she poached intervened and asked that she hand over guardianship of Clarence.

Since then, Clarence (now Lawless) has lived in Aegis' facility as the company's collective son and lab rat. Aside from handling his schooling, Aegis has overseen his development as an artificial Super and allowed him to retain his knowledge of the facility's true nature, though he seems blissfully unaware of the darker implications of human experimentation or the fact that the heroes being recruited were once in the same vessels he grew up in.

xx
Source: Christina House, Los Angeles Times
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

cs: phosphene - fc: Finn Wolfhard - hex code: #46C7C7

So begins...

Clarence Lawless's Story

Seen 8 Times • Page 1 of 1

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.25 INK

#2021-11-29 08:39:02, as written by ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

“Clarence, you will be assigned to Team Skaði.”

The words had been music to his ears: a symphony of validation after years of trials, tribulations, and most importantly, training. Everything before had been either a simulation or errands of no true consequence. Whether it was rescuing cats from trees, returning lost goods, or helping kids find their way home none of it affected the big picture and nearly all of it involved the supervision of a random security guard or cop. There was no excitement or impact. None of these were things only he could do.

Blending into the party was easy, especially when half of the team was employed by Hale Enterprises or part of Atlas’s elite. Clarence however, was neither. Having slipped through the cracks and into Aegis’ lap he was a nobody and therefore, perfect for the role of the waiter. Per their instructions he was to be a fly on the wall, listening for suspicious activity and providing backup should something happen.

“Yes, Athereum is on the up and up these days,” a bespectacled man mused, “I might pick up a few thousand myself.”

“You can’t be serious Rembrandt. Money stored through the Internet? How will anyone verify its value?” his partner, a brunette woman asked.

“We already pay through cards and wire everything online. Athereum is the way of the future!” he exclaimed before downing the rest of his champagne.

God, this is so boring, Clarence held back an eyeroll as the two continued debating ecommerce. Was this what rich people talked about these days?

Before Clarence could walk away however, Rembrandt set his empty glass on the hero’s tray.

“Young man, please bring us another round of drinks,” the man said.

“Oh, and more of those lovely tapenade crostinis!”

Nodding silently, Clarence walked away from the couple and towards the back of the venue. Behind two hallways and a pair of black doors was the kitchen where the staff was having a celebration of their own (at least as much as one could while still serving the upper crust of Atlas). Empty champagne bottles, cigarette butts, and plates were all piled in the sink while a tray of stuffed mushrooms thawed on the counter top. Of the ten staff members working tonight four were in the ballroom, two of them called off and as it seemed, the rest were back here. One of the waiters had their feet kicked up on the table, the chef was missing, and the janitor was swirling a glass of red wine.

“We need more champagne and that olive paste,” Clarence announced, setting the empty glasses in the sink.

“Mmm, that’s a Kelsey problem, not a me problem,” one of the waiters yawned.

“Okay so where is she?” he asked.

“Smoke break,” the other staff member answered before pouring himself another glass.

Great. If there was one thing that people loved hearing, it was that something wasn’t available to them.

“But then... what do I tell them?” Clarence asked.

“Don’t tell them anything. Just wait for them to forget,” he shrugged, “we’re getting paid by the hour, not the plate.”

Strictly speaking, Clarence wasn’t getting paid at all.

Aside from the free food, he had no incentive to be on this specific mission. He would have been fine anywhere and if not today, he would have been happy to accept his first mission tomorrow. But being here, having this opportunity was more than just coincidence. He had no interest in bumping elbows with celebrities or learning to serve the rich. He only cared about one attendee: Alexa Lawrence. Outside of a cursory patrol around the ballroom, he had spent the last hour following behind her and her date, his plate a hodgepodge of drinks and Hors d'oeuvres he pilfered from other servers.

He wanted to say something, anything, but each time he opened his mouth he could only manage a whisper. Would she explain how she abandoned him so easily? Would she apologize? Would she even recognize him? Though they shared eyes and cheekbones, one wouldn’t have known they were related at first glance. As a child, she’d told him that he always looked more like his grandfather and given that she never met his father, it was hard to say that Clarence received anything from him.

He certainly didn’t step in, when Clarence was tossed out the door.

"Hey."

Glancing to his left, he saw the janitor gesturing for him to grab a glass.

"Come have a drink."

Nodding gratefully, Clarence put down his tray and walked over before downing the wine.

“Thank-"cough"-you."

"Easy there, the party's still going on for another two hours," the janitor chuckled.

"Either way you look like you've seen a ghost," the waiter commented.

Well he was half right.

Before he could interject, a garbled noise buzzed through his earpiece.

"Say that again? Your comm acted up-"

“Hello? Mike-Skaoi? Skaoi?”

More garbled noise followed through before cutting out entirely.

“Dude, who are you talking to?” the waiter asked, knitting his brow.

“I-Uhh...”

Shit. Shit. Shit. He was not supposed to use their real names or code names...or talk out loud for that matter. Was this guy going to find out that Mikey was Skaoi? Would Aegis have to kill him? Would he?

”Are you okay? You’re getting pale. Like even more than normal,” the waiter frowned.

I’ll be right back!” Clarence announced before tossing his glass (and missing) into the sink.

“What about your tapenade?” the waiter asked.

“Tell them I’m on a smoke break!”

Bolting out the back door, Clarence circled around the premises looking for signs of a brawl. He could feel his heart beating with anticipation, ears burning at the thought of bursting onto the scene with a superhero landing. Wildman would save the day with his patented "Serenity Inducement", lulling the villains into a false sense of security before taking them out with the one-two punch.

So naturally, the moment he finally arrived, all of the thugs were unconscious and the rest of his team (Ada aside) were wrapping up their discussion.

“Aw man, you took them all down without me?"

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2021-12-09 06:47:13, as written by AbsoluteWhisper

• Lucille Simon • Raphael •

~Two Hours Before The Party~

Luci was positively beside herself. For the first few hours, all she could do was pace. But now, with her legs tired, she sat on the edge of her bed, wishing she could bite her perfectly manicured nails. She couldn’t, no, she musn’t. They were for the party. Occasionally, her eyes would dart to her bathroom door; behind it hung the dress she was to wear tonight. Xavier insisted on taking care of it since Luci was essentially working for him this evening. And after one long fitting session, she was given a dress, the likes of which she had never seen before. She couldn’t handle it! The man had designed a dress without consulting her at all, but, being who she is, Luci couldn’t say no when he insisted on handling all of it. That was just the kind of man Xavier was.

A knock at her door sent Luci flying. Well, metaphorically. She scrambled across her apartment until she reached the entrance. After a deep breath and flattening out the ruffles in the robe she had on, she opened the door. What she was greeted with was her resident titan of a friend, one arm propped on the door frame rather dramatically. “Hey pretty lady,” Leo greeted the blonde, a usual phrase that always caused Luci’s cheeks to heat up. Before Luci could scold them for teasing her at a time like this, they continued, “Heard there was some kind of an emergency. Figured you could use a hero,” The playful and obviously exaggerated deepness of their voice pulled a scoff from Luci.

“Shut up!” Luci snapped back. The usually composed and coordinated woman was clearly ruffled, and she even reached forward, grabbing Leo’s wrist to pull them into her apartment. After shutting the door behind her and ignoring the pleased laugh from Leo, Luci turned to look their friend up and down again. They were dressed to the absolute nines, with a gorgeous auburn and maroon suit. “Wow, you look… Amazing,” She tossed out that compliment, clearly dazzled by the quality of the outfit.

“Thanks babes,” Leo replied as they walked further into Luci’s apartment. It was clear they were familiar with the layout. “I better look nice. The fitting took almost six fuckin’ hours.”

Luci gawked at Leo as she followed behind them. “Six hours? What in the world…”

“I know right?!” Leo replied quickly, the excitement evident in their tone. “But hey, it totally paid off. Look!” They turned to the side before twisting their upper torso, a move that flexed the majority of the lower half of their body. “These slacks make my ass look great! Look!” They commanded again.

Whatever blush Luci had from her garish friend’s earlier comments was reinforced as she turned a deep shade of crimson. Of course, with Leo gesturing and all, she couldn’t help but glance down before swiftly looking away. “I didn’t invite you here for you to show me your butt!” Her hands clenched at her sides, a habitual action that she performed when embarrassed.

Leo just laughed and stopped their flexing to face Luci completely. “Alright alright, you can look now. So what’s this emergency all about?”

Finally, with the correct topic at hand, Luci could do her best to vent her frustrations and anxiety. But, despite the fact that it took several minutes for Leo to get there, she hadn’t figured out exactly how to explain why she was freaking out so much. She hatched a plan as fast as she could. Just as she had done moments before, Luci grabbed Leo’s wrist and pulled them to her bedroom. “Sit on the bed. Keep your eyes shut until I tell you to open them,” Luci’s orders were soft, with her nerves causing her voice to shake.

With a smirk, Leo did as they were told. “Yes ma’am, I’ll do whatever you command-”

“Leo!” She barked, and the giggle from their now blinded friend only made her more furious. Luci disappeared into her bathroom, nudging the door mostly shut behind her. From the deep-rooted anxiety, Luci had practiced putting on the complex dress several times by this point, only to grow too flustered at the thought of wearing it out and taking it off again. With it now on securely, she inched her way out of the bathroom until she was standing directly in front of Leo.

All that they heard was the soft sound of rustling fabric and… clinking noises? The urge to open their eyes was strong, but Leo wouldn’t betray Luci’s trust like that. The blonde took one deep breath, counting the seconds as she felt her chest fill, and then let out a staid exhale. “Alright, you can open your eyes…”

Once their eyes were open, it took less than two seconds for Leo’s jaw to grow slack. If they thought their suit was nice, Luci’s dress was positively opulent. Even in the dim light of the room, the thousands of crystals that covered the dress sparkled and shined, but not in any way that was remotely blinding. It appeared as if the entire dress was made from said crystals, but with so many of them so close together, it instead looked as if she was draped in liquid sparkles. It fell all the way to the floor, where it collected only a touch at Luci’s feet, implying it was meant to be worn with heels. The dress was form fitting and solid all the way up to her chest, where it was promptly cut off entirely, leaving her sternum and the curve of her bust exposed, along with her shoulders and arms. Their piercing gaze traced every curve and inch of Luci, something that caused Luci’s blush to spread to her neck. “Oh my god…” They could finally mumble. They hadn’t even blinked yet, they were so entranced.

Luci was rooted to her spot, practically shaking due to how tense she was. She couldn’t wear something like this. “I… I don’t know what to do! I can’t wear this, I simply can’t-

“Whoa whoa whoa, what are you on about? Its well beyond fucking gorgeous!” Leo complimented with such intensity, Luci couldn’t help but purse her lips.

“I feel… I feel like a damn disco ball!” Luci groaned, both of her hands flying to her face.

“Lulu, if you’re a disco ball, you are the hottest damn disco ball I have ever seen,” Leo replied and a chuckle followed. They still hadn’t blinked. “Come on, give me a little spin!”

Luci remained still as a statue. “I…” Her voice wavered. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “I-I can’t…”

Leo’s face expressed their confusion as their eyebrows pinched together. “Why not?”

“That’s… That’s the worst part about this dress. Look..” With the conclusion of her sentence, Luci took a sheepish step forward.

The dress pooled between her legs like liquid, away from one that had just shifted, to reveal a dangerously long slit in the side of the garment that stopped only a few inches below her waist. It was clear that, with every step, almost the entirety of Luci’s legs would be exposed up to the top of her thigh. Leo’s hand flew to their mouth. “Oh. My. God.” Leo repeated themselves. “Luci… People will see your legs… I need to call the police-” The sarcasm in their tone only added to the blonde’s vexation.

“Stop teasing! I don’t know what to do!” There was a desperation in her tone; she truly had no idea how to deal with this. “I can’t wear this! I simply can’t!” Luci also repeated herself, but this time, that soft Yorkshire accent bled through which caused an uproarious laughter to explode out of Leo.

“I’m going to need you to take some deep breaths because I can’t handle you when you sound like you just stepped off the Mayflower-” Leo huffed and puffed between breaths, their intense laugh causing themselves to wheeze.

Luci’s irritation turned to rage, and she grabbed one of the pillows that sat next to the hero. “Stop laughing! You..!” She went to thwack Leo over the head with it, but they were too fast for her, and caught it in their hands. This only created another wave of laughter from them.

“Easy, I just got my hair done! Ok, ok, ok, give me a second, Christ I can’t breathe-” Leo did their best to stop, but it was quite difficult. With Luci so flustered, she was as red as a tomato, and it made for a comical sight. But after some more deep breaths, Leo composed themselves. “Ok, alright. I’m sorry Luci but I don’t understand what the problem is. The dress is gorgeous.”

How could she possibly explain this to Leo? Someone whose job it was to wear exuberant and sumptuous clothing, someone who’s worn garments that were far more revealing than hers. “I.. I can’t wear something as fancy as this. And so revealing… Everyone will be looking at me,” She fretted. As she spoke, she pressed her palms to her warm cheeks in an attempt to cool them, but not really succeeding because all of her body felt so hot.

“Luci, you’re going to be on stage. Everyone will be watching you anyway, why not look killer while doing it?” Leo offered. They leaned back on their palms, mostly so they could get a better look at the blonde. It was hard for their gaze to settle on one place; the dress’ design prompted them to keep exploring rather than sitting still.

Luci frowned. She was already nervous enough about needing to perform on stage. Live music really wasn’t her thing, but considering the fact that Xavier all but begged her to do it, she had to agree. His points were valid; with her voice, she could ensure the party goers would be calm and happy all night, and perhaps a bit more open to business dealings as well. “I.. I don’t know. I don’t think I look good and-... a-and what if my mother sees me wearing this…” Her eyes drifted away from Leo as her mind wandered. She purposefully avoided telling her mother about Xavier’s offer to give her a dress, specifically because Ruth would want to either pry or influence his design. But, at this point, she wondered if she had perhaps chosen incorrectly. If her mother had any hand in the design, the garment would be much more modest…

“Who cares what the wicked witch thinks?” Leo’s rhetorical question would remain unanswered, mostly because Leo already knew how Luci would reply. “Didn’t you say she probably wasn’t going to go anyways?”

Luci released another tense sigh before continuing, “She said she wasn’t feeling very well so she might not go, but she’s used that excuse to make a fancy late entrance before…” Her voice dropped to a grumble as the sentence progressed.

Leo blinked a few times before narrowing their eyes. “She what now? I swear to the gods, rich people-” They shook their head and rolled their eyes. Before Luci could even say anything more, Leo stood. Now on their feet, they towered over Luci, and firm but gentle hands landed on her shoulders. “Lulu, you look radiant. In fact, the word doesn’t even cover how stunning you are in that dress,” Leo laid the praise on thick, and although it did embarrass Luci, it also filled her chest with warmth. “Everyone will think you are gorgeous. And you’re going to wow them with that equally gorgeous voice of yours. Everything is going to go great! I promise.” Everything about Leo was just so kind and warm, Luci couldn’t help but relax, even if it was just a little bit.

“I… I did already commit to this, I can’t back out now,” She relented with a sigh, but her mind was still wracked with anxiety. All she could think about are all the eyes, everyone staring at her. And she had no clue who was even going to attend the party! She knew Mikey and Leo would be there, but so would Bella… And Morgana’s family had influence, surely she would be there too… The thought of her current crush seeing her in this dress made her stomach fill with butterflies. “Ughhh…” She groaned and covered her eyes. Without even thinking about it, her wings extended and curled around her, as if trying to hide herself away. Then, she remembered something. The main reason why she needed Leo here, other than the emotional support of course. “Oh, there’s one more thing. Xavier also gave me some… accessories to go with the dress.” Luci walked carefully in the gown, making sure not to trip, and grabbed a medium sized box. Upon opening it, she began to place all of the objects on her bed. First, a masquerade style mask designed with the same crystals that lined her dress, a pair of matching stilettos, and then a satin pouch about the size of Leo’s fist.

“You’ll even be wearing a mask! That’ll help with the nervousness, I’m sure.” Leo continued to do their best to comfort their friend, but most of it fell on deaf ears. “Honestly, I’m surprised Xavier even offered the mask. He’s hiding your beauty!”

“Oh, stop with the compliments. I’ve had enough of you already,” Luci scolded her friend, although it was gentle. “I think it's because Xavier asked me to perform as Raphael, not as Lucille Simon. So… The mask fits, I suppose.” She was thankful that at least some of her cheeks would be covered. But the mask wouldn’t be able to do much for the lower half of her face and neck, which she was sure would turn just as crimson as her cheeks. “The mask isn’t what matters. I need your help with these.” Luci picked up the pouch, her movements as delicate as her fingers, and pulled open the draw strings. Then, she poured only a small fraction of the contents into her palm, and Leo’s eyes widened for perhaps the tenth time in the past few minutes. In her hand sat even more crystals, all a teardrop shape, with little clips on the end. “I’m assuming he wants me to put these on my wings, and I can’t do that myself...” It was clear what Luci was requesting, but her tone was just as sheepish as it always was.

Leo nodded, perhaps a bit too excitedly knowing they would be able to help, as they got to their feet. “I get what you mean! I just need to clip them to your wings, right?” They plucked one of the crystals from Luci’s hand and walked behind her. From there, they could see how the back of the dress worked, and they were utterly perplexed by the witchcraft at play keeping the garment secure. The entirety of Luci’s back was exposed, obviously due to her wings, with the covering only starting at the bottom of the small of her back.

The hesitation on Leo’s part only reinforced Luci’s embarrassment. She could feel the waves of heat in her face. “Eyes up here, Leo!”

“Sorry, sorry! You just look… Really really nice,” Leo shook their head, as if to break themselves from a haze, before returning to the task at hand. They took their free hand and pressed it to Luci’s wing, an action that made the short woman tense, but they were just searching for a nice long feather. After finding a suitable one, they clipped the crystal to the top of it, hoping that the “christmas tree” method of hanging them would work. And so far, it was going well, it looked secure. Leo even batted at it once to see if it would slip off, and it held fast. “Perfect! Alright, I know what I gotta do.”

Meanwhile, Luci had to fight to sit still. She wasn’t used to people poking around in her wings, so it was an odd feeling. It almost tickled, but mostly it just made her shiver. “Ok. I’ve got my hair mostly done, but I still need to do my make-up. Can we relocate in front of a mirror?” Luci glanced back at Leo as she asked, and an exuberant thumbs up from the taller hero was all the answer she needed. She shambled over to a vanity she had in her room, and she took care to tuck her dress under her as she sat on the stool. “Alright, attach away. We don’t have much time left.”

Luci really thought she could do it. At first, it wasn’t too bad. Leo started closer to the tips of her wings, where she was much less sensitive. But her nerves coupled with the tingling on her skin from Leo’s touch was making her hand shake. She was growing more and more frustrated by the second. They didn’t have time for this! She had to keep trying. She managed to get a layer of foundation, but now it came time to add the highlights, and she was struggling. And these were supposed to be the easy parts! How in the world would she do her eyeliner like this? “Fuck, I can’t do this!” She exclaimed suddenly, and it made Leo jump. Mostly because Luci so rarely cursed, they knew something was horribly wrong. But before they could even ask, Luci was explaining, “I-I can’t do my makeup, my hands keep shaking… Can you do it for me Leo? I know I’m asking so much of you..”

Leo walked around Luci so they could talk to her face to face. “Lulu, you’re not asking me for that much, and I would love to. Problem is… I am dreadful with makeup. You do not want me doing it. It would come out better if you did it during an earthquake.” As much as Leo possessed skill in many areas, makeup was not one of them. They had people who would do it for them for that reason.

The stress was starting to get to Luci; she was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. The tightness in her chest shifted up her throat, and a quiet sniff caught Leo’s attention. “I don't know what to do…” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she fought the urge to cry. It was all just so overwhelming.

“Oh, please don’t cry! We’ll figure this out, I swear. Let me just… Hmm… Oh! Let me make a call.” Leo dug into their pocket to pull out their phone. In seconds, they had a number dialed. They didn’t put it on speaker, but considering there were no other sounds in the room, Luci could hear the ringer going off. She wasn’t sure who her friend was calling, but she couldn’t help but grow tense as she waited. But eventually the recipient picked up. Leo’s chipper voice rang out first, “Hey cutie!”

A semi-familiar voice replied. “Hey Leo! I was just grabbing my suit from the cleaners, what’s up?”

“I need a favor. But first, I have a question.”

“Hit me!”

“Do you know how to do makeup?” Leo asked, and Luci’s brows furrowed. She realized who it was. That was Harold, Leo’s personal assistant. Why would they call him? Surely he doesn’t know how to-

“Of course I do! What kind of question is that?” Harold’s reply clearly stunned Luci, and she blinked a few times in surprise. “Do you need me to do your makeup for the party?”

“Not me. I need you to do Luci’s. She’s having trouble because she’s so nervous about performing.”

“Oh, sure! Luci… She’s Raphael right? The pretty blonde one?” Harold’s compliment made Luci blush.

“Yeah, I’ll send you the address! She’s not too far from my place,” Leo pulled the device away from their face to type in her address.

There was a pause, one that Luci assumed was Harold reading the address and punching it into a GPS. “That’s not far at all. I’ll be there in 10!”

“Thanks, you’re the best. I owe you one.”

Harold laughed. “I’ll add it to the list.”

With that, the call ended, and Leo returned their attention to Luci. “You get all that?” Leo asked, a pleased smile on their face. Luci could only nod. It was all so much, she was practically too stunned to speak. “Alright, I’m going to keep attaching these things, just sit tight and focus on keeping calm.”

The minutes that ticked by felt like hours. In that time, Luci had to come to grips with the fact that the second person to see her wear this dress would be Harold, and she worried over what his reaction would be. What if he thought it was too much and made fun of her? She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched the clock, twitching occasionally as Leo touched her wings. When her doorbell finally buzzed, Luci thought she was going to jump out of her skin. She went to stand, but Leo beat her to the door and let Harold in. He was dressed rather casually, but he held a hanger with a long cover on it. She assumed it was his suit and couldn’t help but feel bad. She was inconveniencing him, surely.

But if Harold felt inconvenienced in any way, he sure wasn’t showing it. There was a broad smile on his face, one that was so similar to the one on Leo, it was almost comical. However, the moment Harold’s eyes landed on Luci, his smile faded away and was replaced with something else: awe. “Oh my god, you look… Incredible,” He spoke in an almost hushed tone, accurately expressing his amazement.

Luci flushed and averted her gaze; she was already feeling the heat in her body that came with being the center of someone’s attention. “Th… Thanks..”

Leo thwacked Harold on the back of the head. “Now is not the time for ogling! We’re running out of time, let’s go,” They had already returned to their task by the time they finished speaking. They weren’t even halfway done yet, and they only really had an hour or so left.

“Alright, alright. So Luci, what kinda look are you going for?” He stepped closer, his eyes inspecting both her face and the wide variety of makeup sitting next to her.

“Ah… Nothing too crazy. I have some… some silver eyeshadow to go with the dress. Mostly just.. A subtle look, I suppose?” Luci has never needed to explain her makeup to someone else; she’s always done it for herself. So it was hard to not be vague.

“Ok, you got it!” But her vagueness did not dissuade Harold. He already knew what he needed to do. There was no hesitance as his fingers cupped Luci’s chin to tilt her head up further. “Just hold as still as you can.”

Luci did as she was told; it's not as if that was the first time she had been given a command like that before. It was a difficult task, but she did as best as she could. Any soft orders from Harold were compiled with immediately, things like, “close your eyes”, “tilt your head up more”, etc. Before anything else, Luci’s mother raised an obedient woman. And it's not as if she had the wherewithal right now to resist. Her mind was a whirlwind. Her heart had been racing for so long, she was already exhausted and the night hadn't even begun. At least now, she didn’t have to think too much about what was happening. Harold worked quickly, but perfection can’t be rushed. The minutes ticked by, and they were getting so close to their time limit. Finally, Harold took a step back to survey his work. “Almost done! All that’s left is your lipstick. What color were you going to go with? Red?” He asked, already reaching for the crimson red colored tube.

“Well, red seems like a lot, doesn’t it? I was thinking something a bit more subtle, a nude color-”

“I don’t know. The red would complete the look so well! Trust me on this,” His smile was just so genuine, it was hard for Luci to resist. After a short pause, she relented, giving him a nod in response. Skilled hands applied the gloss to her lips. It was a bright red, with a shine to it, and it popped in comparison to all of the silver she was wearing. “All done! And we’ve got just enough time to spare. I can drive you guys there if you want. Let me just get changed really quick.” Harold took his suit and disappeared into the nearby bathroom, leaving Luci and Leo alone.

“You really do look gorgeous, Lulu. Here, let me get your mask on.” Leo picked up the delicate, fancy accessory and fastened it to Luci’s face. Once that was done, it was clear Luci was on autopilot. She stepped into her heels and stood straight and tall instinctively. Even with the stilettos, she was several inches shorter than Leo. Leo paused. Luci could tell there was something on their mind, but she didn’t have the energy to ask them to spill. It's not like Leo would keep it to themselves anyways: being quiet wasn’t in their nature. “You should look at yourself in the mirror so you can see just how beautiful you are.”

“... No, I.. I don’t…” Luci was losing strength, and unbeknownst to the people in her apartment, she was spiraling. She was glad that Leo and Harold couldn’t hear the sound of her heart. She thought it was going to explode. While he had been doing her makeup, she didn’t even bother taking in her own appearance.

Leo pursed their lips. Without saying anything to her, they turned and marched to the other side of the room and into Luci’s walk-in closet. When they reappeared, they had a full length mirror in their hands. Before she could be embarrassed over Leo knowing about said mirror, they plopped it in front of her. “Look, Luci! If looks could kill… I would be dead on the floor right now,” Their words may have been a bit silly, but Leo said them with so much seriousness it only added to the ridiculousness.

Luci’s eyes drifted to the mirror, not lazily, more numb. But upon seeing herself, she was taken aback. With everything on her, she looked… Wow. She couldn’t help but turn, her gaze holding on the mirror. She shined and sparkled with every move, and Luci couldn’t help but feel like a little bit of a princess. However, something was bugging her. She knew what it was, but it was as if she couldn’t accept it. Luci paused, only to glance at her friend, who had such a big, soft smile on their face, she couldn’t help but feel braver, if only a little bit. There was no hesitation as she reached around the back of her head and untied the mask from her face. “I think… I think I look better without it,” She said, and for once, she didn’t look to someone else for their opinion. Now, with her blonde locks down and teased into wavy curls, her outfit was complete. She was as ready as she would ever be.

Harold emerged from the bathroom, smoothing down his rather sharp but classic black suit. When he lifted his head, he spotted Luci, and for the second time, he was stunned in place. For a few seconds, they were both frozen in place, blushes painting their cheeks. “Wow…”

“Alright you two, we’ve got 20 minutes, and the party is 15 minutes away. Get your asses in gear!” Leo, yet again, whacked Harold over the head. He nodded, silently making his way to the exit. Now, mostly alone, Luci went to grab her clutch, but Leo lingered. “Hey, I wasn’t joking earlier. Everything is going to go great, I promise. You’re going to kill it,” Their words were so sincere, Luci couldn’t help but believe them, even though it was so difficult.

“I hope so.”

The drive to the party wasn’t silent. Being silent around Leo was next to impossible. So, for the most part, Leo and Harold were talking back and forth, but Luci was too distracted to participate. As soon as they stepped into the venue, Luci was whisked away by the stagehands. She barely got to say goodbye to Leo before she disappeared, but they gave her two thumbs up and another smile, and that would have to be enough. While the mic was being attached to her ear, Luci had to remind herself to keep breathing. She recited the songlist over and over again. Even though she memorized it weeks ago, she found comfort in repeating it. Without even realizing how much time had passed, she was being pushed onto the stage as someone announced her name. This was it. All these preparations, all of that anxiety, all of it would amount to right now.

And Luci killed it. She walked, no, she strutted onto that stage, one foot after the other. She ignored the heat that exploded in her face as each step caused her dress to reveal the skin of her thighs. She ignored how much of her body was screaming to run away. She ignored the fact that her nervousness had now turned to nausea. Instead, Luci walked to the center, and she smiled, perfectly warm and radiant, no matter how fake it was. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and in it she spotted some familiar faces. Leo, Harold, and Aisling stood together, with Leo waving and using their free hand to force Aisling to wave with them. Bella was there, taking pictures for the social media pages. Clarence was off to the side, dressed as some waitstaff, but her powerful eyes found him nonetheless. Mikey was somewhere high up, keeping a close eye on everything. A familiar head of red hair belonged to Ada. Other than them, there must have been almost two hundred faces, many of them Luci recognized. And yet, there was one in particular that Luci was searching for. Even after surveying everybody, she couldn’t find the short, raven-haired woman who had been occupying much of her thoughts lately. A disappointment washed over her, but she couldn’t show it. No, she was in the spotlight now, shimmering and shining as much as her dress. Now, she couldn’t be anything less than perfect.

As time passed, people went about their party-going tasks: conversing with elites, tasting the fanciest of alcohol and hors d'oeuvres, putting up fronts and closing deals. Some still lingered by the stage, just to watch Luci sing. Xavier picked the majority of the songs, some older, jazzy classics, and Luci didn’t mind. Now that it had been some time, she could feel all of the links. Her hold had long since wrapped around the majority of the guests; even those resistant to her Siren Song would feel its effects due to the extended amount of exposure. She urged everyone to be calm, open, and relaxed, and it was working.

Luci’s mind was on autopilot. “When she walks she's like a samba that swings so cool and sways so gentle, that when she passes, each one she passes goes ooh…” She sang the Frank Sintra song, a few metered steps across the stage on beat accompanying her. Luci had always loved this one. It was so sad and tender, and she adored the lyrics. “But I watch her so sadly…” And now, reciting the lyrics, she couldn’t help but relate to them in a new way. “How can I tell her I love her?” That line came out a bit too strong. Luci saw more than half of the men in the room suddenly turn to look at her. Whoops… With a wave of her wrist, they all blinked, as if they had been snapped from a sort of trance. “Yes, I would give my heart gladly. But each day when she walks to the sea, she looks straight ahead not at me..”

It was all going well enough, but Luci noticed that, one by one, all of her friends were disappearing before her very eyes. Her eyebrows knit with concern before she shook that away. She couldn’t; she was on stage. Her expression returned to the listful, pleasant one she had earlier. If there was an emergency, her comms would go off. She had to assume that everything was alright. But at that moment, Luci couldn’t help but feel utterly alone. Her friends were all gone, her mother hadn’t even shown up… And she was trapped. There were more than a hundred people in this room, and she was lonely. She was lonely and stuck, forced there by responsibility and social expectations. And still, she smiled, and sang, “Tall and tan and young and lovely. The girl from Ipanema goes walking…”

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2022-03-13 23:51:47, as written by partially-stars

bella clayton.

outfit. #772222.

kit cassidy.

outfit. #698B69.

Instinctively, Bella jumped as the door burst open, finding herself in a fighting stance. But as Kit burst through it, twirling his staff around, and sending Mikey flying, Bella instead burst into laughter. “Now, that’s what I call an entrance!” She cheered. She raised her eyebrows as he held a silver band out to her, before her eyes got big with excitement as he explained what it was. “Ooooh! I can’t wait to try this!” She said, putting it on. Even if the others didn’t have their earpieces yet, she could already hear their thoughts much clearer than usual. The voices weren’t overly loud or overwhelming either. “Kit, I love this! It works so well! You’re a genius!” She gushed. “It’s gonna be so helpful!” She looked up and waved at Clarence as he arrived. “Clarence! Look at this really cool gadget Kit made for me! It’s to boost my telepathy to help us communicate! Isn’t that cool?”

So much just happened at once for Kit. He just sent Mikey flying. He was pretty sure she was going to kill him for that one. At least he impressed Bella? Except now that presented a whole new set of problems for him. She liked his entrance. Was it because he embarrassed himself? Oh god, what if she thought he was a complete loser now? He really needed to stop screwing up his chances to impress her. But then she loved his device. Kit’s face started to burn while his heart started racing again. He couldn’t believe that she actually liked it and was showing it off. He kept looking down at his feet while he spoke. “It’s nothing that impressive… I–Uh–Umm… I’m glad you like it.” He put in his own earpiece not entirely sure what she was going to hear. His face was still flushed while he looked up slightly. Still unable to maintain eye contact while he chose her left shoulder as the spot his gaze fixated on. It was a nice shoulder. “Umm-I–I’m Sorry I–I couldn’t test it until now. I–I don’t know if it works on me yet.” Even if she could read his mind right now, all she’d be hearing is him calling himself an idiot on repeat after that failed attempt to talk to her.

Bella raised an eyebrow as Kit said it wasn’t that impressive. “No, this is really cool!” She said as she started trying to hone in on people’s thoughts. It took her a few minutes before she could actually focus on anyone’s thoughts properly, and when she finally could, she found that it was Kit’s that she could hear. His thoughts were swirling but she could see that he was annoyed with himself. “Kit! You’re not an idiot! You’re brilliant!” She gushed, holding out her fist to him for a fist bump. “This works so so well!”

Kit’s cheeks started burning thanks to the knots in his stomach over Bella praising him. He didn’t know how to wrap his mind around her like his invention. Sure, it happened to be perfect timing considering their comms had just gone down but still. How was anything he did impressive in comparison to everyone else. Like Bella. She’s just absolutely amazing in every way Kit could think of. Her smile, the way she always bested him when they sparred, how awesome her powers were. He loved the fact that she wasn’t scared to go out into the field and actually be a hero. He didn’t really think he could call himself a hero with how often he chose to hide in his lab instead. He was just tech support compared to them.

It took a few minutes before Kit got the answer to her being able to read his thoughts for the first time. Oh god she can now hear everything. She’s gonna really know how much of a nervous idiot I am now. He wanted to stop thinking at that moment but his nerves were screaming inside. Mostly to try and not think about Bella. Which in hindsight, would mean his head was screaming with thoughts about Bella. He needed to change the topic quickly or else he was screwed. His brain really needed to shut up. The mission! Right! He needed to get back on the mission. That was the smartest way to not make himself look anymore like a blubbering dork with the world’s biggest crush on a girl way out of his league. “Thank you.” He acknowledged her praise again softly. “So, um, what are we supposed to do now?”

Once Bella had determined that she could, in fact, hear Kit’s thoughts, she immediately decided to try it on some of the others. It worked for everyone and made it much easier for her to hone in on them. She guessed that that also meant that it was working for everyone else. Kit was brilliant enough and smart enough that she didn’t doubt for a second that it was the case. She was constantly amazed by how smart he was and how he’d been able to build something like this. It worked perfectly for what they needed it to do, but without being uncomfortable or making things too loud for her. She could barely work some of the especially complicated photocopiers in work, but he’d been able to build something like this, and so easily. And his enthusiasm about it had been so cute, as had been his embarrassment. He was really just so cute-

Wait. Could the others hear her thoughts as well? Shit, shit, shit. If Mikey had heard any of that, Bella would never live it down. She nodded at his thanks and tried to look as professional as possible as he asked what they were supposed to do. “Well, by the looks of it, Leo and Mikey dealt with the bad guys. So, glorious leader, do we go back to the party or do we get to kick a bit more ass?” Bella asked, looking at Mikey.

Kit may be a genius, but he somehow managed to also not be the smartest in the room when it came to social intelligence.While he was worrying so much over Bella hearing his embarrassing thoughts he’d completely forgotten that the entire point of this was for everyone to be able to mentally communicate with each other. Meaning his thoughts were a beacon to everyone else unfortunate enough to be linked to our two clueless geniuses with very obvious crushes on each other. Bella just happened to be the first person everything would pass through as she was the ‘home base’ for their mental link.

He distracted himself with his wristwatch. Another special invention of his as it projected small holographic images for him to interact with. He pulled up a scan of the entire building and everyone in it and made the projection larger for the group to see. “Who do we grab first and how many more goons do you guys think there are?” Kit spoke calmly finally. It was easy when talking about this kind of stuff. He understood how to talk about missions and plans and of course anything science related. He kept staring at the projection trying to think about what the most practical solution could be. Maybe he could find the answer and be useful. He could be a better help to Mikey than the dork who ran her over with a door.

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2022-04-16 00:42:57, as written by Saracen_Rue

Leo Lambert

Quantum | Hero | #FFD201

Mikey Santo

Skadi | Hero | #197b5b

Mikey didn't know how long it had been since she made that desperate call for help on the comms, hoping to someone that one of her teammates had gotten it and were on their way. As much as she despised relying on others to come and help, especially as she was playing Head of Security for this event, she had more than enough reasons to want to be able to do this on her own. Hell, she should have brought something else that wasn't just the knives hidden along her right thigh, that she had covered with her dress. But here she was, one hell of a long fall if she went over the railing. Dodging and weaving out of attacks from the two masked figures that stood opposite of her. Normally she wouldn't have an issue, but there were multiple reasons she was having difficulty. One, it had been a stupidly unexpected ambush. Mikey should have known better. Yet here she was. Xavier wouldn't let her live this down, and that made her feel even worse. Second, she was wearing an all too form fitting dress, that alone made combat even more difficult, and of course lastly, the weather.

From up this high, and the current time of year, it was absurdly cold. Which made every movement even worse as the wind would pick up every few seconds, before dying down. Truth be told, Mikey didn't know how much longer she could keep it up in these conditions, when something unexpected happened. She heard another voice speak up. At first, dread filled her as she was prepared to have to fight a third, but after a few seconds, it hit her. She knew who that voice belonged to. And with a quick side-eye glance, a wave of relief washed over her as she saw it was none other than Leo, or well, Quantum.

Everything that happened next, happened too fast. Somehow her senses were dwindling faster than she'd like to admit, and Mikey even felt a bit sick. However, with the masked figures' attention now on Leo, Mikey knew it'd be fine. And sure enough, Quantum was able to take care of them all too quickly. And the ordeal was over in a matter of seconds. Both of the unconscious forms of the attackers were slumped over by the time that Mikey looked back over at Leo, Mikey had been partially leaning against the freezing, metal railing. Trying to recompose herself once again. After a few moments, Mikey gave Leo a small, kurt nod to their question of if she was alright.

At the mention of being late and the comms not working, Mikey gave a small shrug, before looking up at the Titan, giving a feign smirk. "It's fine. I knew someone would arrive soon enough anyway, not surprising that it was you. All things considered. Everyone else was probably too busy to come help anyway." she said with a somewhat bitter tone. Carefully taking Leo's arm as they offered it for support. Mikey's grip was a bit tighter than she had meant for it to be, but at this point, she could barely feel her hands. I need to get inside, she thought to herself. It was only when Leo asked who were the two attackers and how they managed to get in, once more she gave a shrug, "Hell if I know. Nor do I care. But what I do know? Is that they knew full well people would be here, they didn't come here expecting normal security...Which isn't what's sitting right with me..." her voice dipped for a moment.

As Mikey gripped Leo’s arm, they placed one of their hands over hers to keep a good grip on her; they noticed just how cold she was. The energy bouncing around inside them helped stave off the cold, but clearly Mikey didn’t have anything like that. Their eyes watched her every move, ready to catch her if she fell again. Leo nodded as they listened to what Mikey said. Why were those guys here? Obviously, they had some ulterior motive. Even those not in Xavier’s inner circle knew the event was being held. So surely they must have known that security would be tight. Leo’s attention traveled back to the figures on the ground. “Yeah, something isn’t right… There have to be more somewhere,” Leo mumbled as if deep in thought.

Movement caught Leo’s attention. They tensed, as if preparing for more enemies, but instead, Leo’s eyes lit up. Bella approached them, looking absolutely stunning in that dress. Whatever she said to Mikey went right over Leo’s head. Instead, when Bella greeted them, Leo released their grip on Mikey to wave at Bella. “Hi Bells!” They chirped over to her, a big, dumb smile on their face. The compliment from Bella warmed their skin and made their chest feel all fuzzy. “Thanks! That dress is gorgeous! Not as gorgeous as you though,” They complimented her right back. If it was possible for a human being to have heart eyes, Leo had them at that moment. It was only then that they realized they had essentially dropped Mikey. “Ah, oops, sorry Mikey,” They leaned back down and hooked their hands under Mikey’s arms. With their eyes bouncing between Mikey and Bella, it was obvious their attention was struggling to find a place to rest. Leo hoisted Mikey off the ground and placed her back on her feet.

It was only when the door opened that Mikey's attention was drawn away from Leo for the first time since she laid her eyes on them. A small, awkward grimace was on her face as Bella questioned her on what was going on. "Like I told Quantum here, I don't fucking know what's going on. Some assholes got the better of me, Quantum showed up, and now we're here. My guess is that these bastards fucked with our comms all together. Shiloh's comms were acting weird moments before I even came out here to survey the floor and well...Now we're here." Mikey shook her head, gently pinching the bridge of her nose before she grimaced. Taking her hand away as pain shot through the arch of her nose and into her head. She assumed one of the attackers got a good hit in and did enough damage to warrant some pain. God damn bastard.

She looked up when Leo had extended their hands to help Mikey back to her feet. Awkwardly taking their hand as she got to her feet. [/b]"Thanks, Leo."[/b] she said with a small nod, before looking away from the giant of a superhero. Things were still a bit awkward between the two of them, and she doubted it would change anytime soon. But now wasn't the time for that.

Mikey turned her attention back towards the door, where she began to lead the others as they talked. At least, that was what happened until suddenly, Mikey felt something slam into her and once again felt herself hitting the cold hard ground. "I swear to fucking god, if one more rat bastard hurts me again, I swear I will-" Mikey began one of her long winded tangents once again, before looking up. Her eyes landed on what had hit her, or more precisely, who. Or even more so, who caused what to hit her. Her eyes narrowed on Kit who was rambling on about something about a new gadget to Bella by this point. Her head now throbbing by the door having slammed into her, and knocked her off her feet. "Could you be any less careful?" she grumbled, not even bothering to get up off the ground this time.

It took her a few moments of sitting on the ground to piece everything back together again, looking around at the group that had formed by this point. Kit, Bella, Leo, and now Clarence. Mikey blinked a few more times, before slowly getting back to her feet, warily looking around incase anything else planned on knocking her down again. With an arched eyebrow, she gave a small shrug, "Well, I doubt that's the last we'll see of them, nor are they the only ones. No one would only send barely a handful to a party like this." she practically mumbled to herself, fingers resting under her chin as she thought.

It was only then that a pit formed in her stomach, looking over her shoulder to the ledge where Mikey and Leo had last piled up the goons.

"Uhm...where the fuck did they go?" she cursed, pushing past the others, sure enough the goons Mikey and Leo had taken care of earlier were nowhere in sight. "Xavier is gonna kill me."

The events that transpired soon after were so fast, Leo had to pay attention to keep up. Although, by now, it was apparent their eyes were struggling to find a place to settle. They bounced to Mikey to make sure she was ok, then back over the Bella to marvel in the beauty of her formal outfit, then to Kit who was looking so adorable all flustered like that, they just wanted to pinch his cheeks, and then to Clarence, who was almost more adorable in his little waiter outfit. There was so much going on, so much Leo wanted to say, and with that remaining energy bouncing around inside them, it was getting difficult to stand still. But it was clear to everyone around them, Kit and Bella were having a bit of a moment, and Leo couldn’t help but sit by and watch. They’re both so cute, they mused, a pleased smile on their face. But they’re sooooo oblivious. They obviously like each other. They should say something to one another! Leo couldn’t help but wonder, with so little introspection it was practically baffling.

Bella was just praising Kit’s newest invention when Mikey caught Leo’s attention again. They turned to glance at her, a touch of confusion causing them to tilt their head to the side. But as soon as they heard what Mikey said, their eyes widened. They turned fully to peer behind her, and sure enough, the goons they had dropped were gone, as if they had vanished into thin air. “What the…? How…?!” Their head whipped around as they searched the walkway, as if there was anything the goons could have been hiding behind anyways. They darted to the edge, fearlessly leaning over it, perhaps a bit farther than they should have, before standing back up straight, unbothered. “They’re just… gone!? That’s not a good sign,” Leo reapproached the group before peering over at Kit’s map. “Are there even any more?” They asked.

Mikey couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, really not that bright, huh?, she couldn't help but think for a moment. Looking around for a moment at the others before returning to look at Leo, "My best guess? Thicker skulls than we thought, and knowing how to play dead real well." Mikey folded her arms before looking back at Kit as Leo has asked him a question, "I'd assume so, no one would only send barely a handful to scoutout a place like this, knowing full Supes, like you guys, would be mixed in with regular security." Mikey had chosen her words rather carefully, her dual-sided identity wasn't exactly primarily known, even amongst the others. And she'd prefer to keep it that way.

With a small, exasperated sigh, "And if there is, wherever they are…No longer my problem. I think my bruises have bruises now, no thanks to someone." she shot a pointed glare in Kit's direction, before turning on her heel. Not being able to fully ignore the slight blur of vision she experienced for a moment, "I think I need a drink…Or two."

Leo observed, the concern in their expression multiplying by the second. Why would anybody attack a party like this? They glanced over their shoulder again, as if making sure the two goonies had actually disappeared. Once their attention returned to Mikey, they could detect the slightest sway in her movements. Leo blinked, as if considering their options. However, as much as they would have loved to stay and drool over Bella for a little longer, her and Kit were having… a moment. There was still an undeniable discomfort between Leo and Mikey, but they did their best to ignore it at all times. They weren’t necessarily friends, but they were professional with one another. And now wouldn’t be any different. “Alright, Bella, Kit, Clarence, keep your eyes peeled. We have no clue if more goons like this are going to show up, but we have to be ready if they do. Now we can communicate faster if something happens. Brain page me if you need me, I’m going to help grumpy pants to the infirmary,” Leo flashed them one last smile before saluting and darting after Mikey.

“I think what you actually need is to get checked out. By a doctor. If… that wasn’t clear,” Leo added that bit at the end as they kept pace with Mikey. They facepalmed mentally. Hopefully Bella didn’t feel it. Nice one, dumbass. This definitely isn’t awkward enough. They sighed and put their hand on Mikey’s shoulder; the touch was their attempt at being comforting while also implying that she could lean on them if she needed to. “Seriously. I don’t have anywhere I need to be, let me help you,” They offered, their voice soft, displaying how much they did actually care.

Mikey had all but in her own thoughts when she managed to catch the last few parts of Leo's first comment as she felt their hand on her shoulder. Initially causing her to freeze and flinch momentarily. Taking a moment to take a deep breath, before turning to look at the other, who was only an inch or two taller than herself. Even when Mikey wore heels, Leo still managed to be ever so slightly taller than her. Annoying, but she'd get over it. Simply giving a small shrug, "Please, no one within the whole span of the city would be in their right mind. I think I'm good there." she attempted at a joke,"But yeah…Maybe taking a bit to sit and chill for a bit would be fine. Last thing I need is Xavier getting on my ass about this…I really didn't need to fail this badly as head of security. Or well…At least try to make a point of it, I guess."

She took a few steps, before instinctively reaching for Leo's hand on her shoulder as she could feel herself wabble again, "...Maybe it would be a good idea to get checked out after all…Just uh…Need to figure out how to not get spotted by the others." she took a moment to think, before glancing at Leo for a moment as the two continued to walk, "Thanks though, for uhm…not giving me a hard time about this? Or well…everything. So…Thanks, Leo." she said with a half smile, seeing as that was about as much as she could muster in the moment.

At Mikey’s attempt at a joke, Leo chuckled. It was pretty funny, but they also did want to try and move past the awkwardness of their own statement. They were usually so eloquent… Mmm, well, that’s not entirely true. So they would take all of the help they could get right now. However, they were glad that Mikey wasn’t protesting about getting checked out. They had dealt with a hardheaded, stubborn certain someone for so long who was always refusing help, so it was a breath of fresh air. However, Leo hadn’t expected what Mikey said at the end, and their stomach twisted a little bit. Leo was horrible at holding grudges; they can’t stand the way they make Leo feel. Mikey may have broken their best friend’s heart, but she was still human. Leo would never treat her as anything less than such. So, their gaze softened, and they smiled a little bit, especially at the use of their actual name instead of their codename.

Once Mikey leaned on them more, Leo hooked their arm through Mikey’s, so they were walking linking together. From there, Leo could rest a hand on Mikey’s forearm, to make sure she would maintain balance. Plus, to an onlooker, they just appeared to be strolling around together. “I could always carry you, but… Perhaps if we walk like this, throw in a random, exaggerated laugh or two, people will assume we’re just two friends with one being a little more tipsy than the other,” Leo offered, but their tone revealed that they were joking, if only a touch. “Of course I wouldn’t give you a hard time about it… Or anything else,” Leo spoke rather matter-of-factly, as if this was common knowledge. “That’s what heroes are for, right? To help?” Now Leo was laying it on thick, a broad smirk on their face.

Mikey gave a small nod of agreement, at least if anyone managed to find them, they'd be none the wiser. At least not anyone connected to Aegis. "So, pretend to be stuck up rich people? Sounds easy enough." she quipped as the pair continued along. At the mention of being a hero, Mikey snorted. "Please. There are plenty of other things a Hero like yourself could be doing right now, that doesn't involve helping me not get spotted by my boss." Mikey spoke softly as the two continued walking down one of the many hallways, before taking a turn down another corridor.

"How about this, I pay you back sometime for being so charitable? And not because you're a Hero. But because you are a much too kind person, that I happened to inconvenience. Sounds fair?" she asked with one raised eyebrow as she looked up to her companion, which happened to be the most unlikely person, if she was to be honest with herself.

Leo laughed and shook their head. It took a lot of effort not to roll their eyes too. “Please. I’m here to help. As far as I’m concerned, helping is helping, so there isn’t anything else I’d rather be doing,” They beamed down at Mikey, their voice and smile as sincere as always. “Plus, Xavier loves me! There’s no way he could be that mad when I’m the one with you,” Leo added in hopes that they could dissuade Mikey’s anxiety a little. And they weren’t lying either; their relationship with the famous Xavier Hale was quite positive.

However, at the offer of repayment, Leo’s surprise was obvious. Mikey wasn’t really the charitable type, at least they hadn’t pegged her as such from the pair’s previous interactions. The compliment did make their smile broaden though. “You don’t have to, Mikey. I told you, it's my job to help people.” It was true. Leo didn’t see themselves as kind; they just believed that everyone should be willing to help someone when they’re in need. Their eyes followed the corridors as they traversed, allowing Mikey to lead them in the proper direction.

Mikey had patiently listened as Leo spoke, nodding along. Unable to hold back the small snort at the comment of Xavier liking Leo. Xavier was a man of many things, and knowing how to well 'people' was simply one of them. So knowing how to properly make outside of Aegis connections weren't too farfetched, nor was it that Mikey knew exactly who Xavier was. But that wasn't for here.

Turning to face Leo once again at their last statement, she gave a small nod. "Ya know…I'm probably not thinking straight anyway. I probably won't even remember this conversation, as I bet I got knocked around pretty badly so…fair enough, I suppose." she said with a small shrug.

Leo was surprised by how quickly Mikey relented; it seemed as if Mikey was going to continue to surprise them tonight. Although, they couldn’t help themselves with their next statement, “It's us you’re talking about. Are we ever thinking straight?” The joke could have landed horribly, and Leo still wouldn’t have been able to stop their own laugh that followed. Once their giggling had died down, Leo squeezed Mikey’s arm softly. “If you wanna do me a favor, you can do this for me: take it easy, and take care of yourself. And try to steer clear of any big steel doors for a little while, god knows who could come barreling through one of those,” They had to force their final joke out through their ever-growing grin.

Mikey couldn't stop the following comment by the time it had already left her, "Huh, Bash told me otherwise, I do believe-" a clearly playful tone was laced in. Soon followed by a small nod, "But sure, I will stay away from all big doors for the rest of the night. You can count on that much from me." Mikey said as she rubbed the back of her head, "Gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow, I can tell that much though…" she groaned, as if she needed any other reasons to have a headache.

Leo laughed instantly, and they shook their head. “Hey, I’m genderqueer. As far I’m concerned, anything and anyone I’m involved with is at least a little bit gay,” They joked with that same broad smile. “And I topped the shit out of Bash anyways,” They added that last bit with a smirk. Once Mikey replied, Leo nodded. They were glad that she would at least try to take it easy, though they weren’t sure what that even meant to someone like Mikey. “That’s why we’re headed to the infirmary! Hopefully there they’ll give you something that will make it hurt a little less,” Leo’s tone remained just as excited and positive as it always was. “Speaking of, we should be there soon…”

Mikey couldn't help the small scoff and roll of her eyes, she didn't need to know that information, "Unlike a certain someone-" she muttered under her breath. Only giving a small nod at first, but soon regretted it as the motion caused the pain in her head to worsen, "I sure as shit hope so, infact, I hope it makes me forget this whole night all together." she grumbled as the two continued to walk down the various hallways.

"It should be one of the next few doors, actually. If I remember correctly that is." Mikey sighed, before turning one last time to look at Leo. Giving them the smallest of genuine smiles that she could muster,"Really though, thank you. After...everything, it's nice to know that at least someone doesn't still hold things over my head.."

After they had made it to the door, Leo only released their grip on Mikey once they were sure she wasn’t going to topple over. Even then, they kept a watchful eye on her. Leo had to fight to keep their smile from faltering a bit. What happened between Ris and Mikey… Leo hadn’t been there for that. They knew that Mikey left Ris heartbroken, and although Ris is Leo’s best friend… Leo isn’t the type to hold grudges. They would never let something like that impact how Leo treats people. But it was still an awkward situation that required some delicate handling. “Hey, I told you not to worry about it. That’s what heroes are for! And if you need me for anything else, let me know.” Leo smiled at her again, hoping she wouldn’t notice that they had specifically avoided talking about what happened between her and Ris.

Mikey was only able to give a small nod, clearly able to discern that even Leo was dancing around the subject. Mentally kicking herself for even bringing up the topic in the first place. Maybe she really did just need some alcohol, a blanket, and some movies. That way she could shut the fuck up and not make already awkward enough situations, that much more awkward.

Letting out a soft sigh, Mikey looked down at the floor, before looking back up at Leo, "Noted. Guess you really were my hero tonight after all, huh?" she mused for a moment. Before pausing, finally remembering what had been bothering her this entire time, "I am a complete idiot." she started, looking back at Leo once again, "Your suit. Back there...Any and all damages to your outfit tonight will be paid for personally by me. And I will not take no for an answer, got it?"

There was something so satisfying about being called a hero; for Leo, it never gets old. So when Mikey repeated the sentiment, Leo felt that usual warmth from praise heat up their skin. In truth, that would have been repayment enough, but Mikey continued, and Leo couldn’t help but playfully roll their eyes. “Oh please. You can try if you want, but I don’t even own the damn thing. This is all Switchblade company property. It’s nice though, right?” Leo held their hands out and did a little spin. “You should see the jacket, it's the best part. At least I had the foresight to keep that from getting wrecked. Come find me once you’re done here, I can show it to you,” Leo beamed, their genuine excitement not hidden in the slightest.

Mikey gave a resignated and final nod, Leo had won this round apparently. "Fine, Mr. Fancy-Pants." which came out as more of a grumble than she had anticipated. Mikey watched as Leo gave a small spin before continuing to explain, and offer to meet back up after everything was said and done. "I'll let you know what the dire results are afterwards, then." she said with one last look before she took a few steps away towards the door. "And uh, try not to get too drunk tonight, yeah? You Heroes still have a mission tonight."

Leo was glad this had gone well. Or, as well as they could have gone, at least. They nodded in reply, excited about the prospects in the future. However, at the remark about them drinking, Leo laughed. “You don’t have to worry about me. I promise I’ll lay off the strong stuff, but I will keep sipping bubbly for the rest of the night. Luckily that stuff is practically apple juice to me.” Leo smiled at Mikey one last time before beginning to make their way back down the hall. “I’ll see you later!” They waved just before turning a corner.

Mikey simply gave Leo a small smile and nod, watching as they not too long after turned and left. She waited a few moments, before looking down both sides of the hallway, and ducked into another room, softly closing the door behind her. She took out her earpiece once more, once ensuring that the voice modulator that Phantom had installed was activated, "Skadi once again ensuring all agents are in position? We got a mission at play, folks. Let's not fuck it up, yeah?" her voice was a few octaves lower whenever she was in her hero persona, a precaution she had learned from Phantom and a few other Heroes that wished for their identities to remain hidden. Besides, it was okay if Mikey had disappeared few a hours, Skadi had to at least make some sort of appearance tonight, even if she remained in the shadows, watching from afar.

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2022-04-23 01:10:06, as written by partially-stars

bella clayton.

outfit. sentinel. #772222.

xxx the sun's starting to light up
xxx when we're walking home
xxx tired little laugh, gold lie promises
xxx we'll always win at this

Mikey didn’t exactly tell them to go back to their stations, but Bella presumed that’s what they were supposed to do. So she made her way back down to the party, marvelling as she found herself still able to tap into the other’s thoughts over the increased distance. Mikey’s were still a little slow and groggy after the fight. Leo was… well, Bella had learned the hard way before not to try and listen to Leo’s thoughts for too long. And then there was Kit, being as brilliant as ever. His invention really was great. When Mikey spoke over her comms to ask the heroes to get back in position, Bella decided to try out the device a little more. Instead of speaking aloud, she telepathically replied, “You got it, boss!”

She meant to ask if it had worked, even though she had complete faith that it would have done. And then she got to the main party, and the noise there wiped out all of her own thoughts. She could hear everybody. Not just the heroes wearing the matching earpieces. Everybody. And the noise was… overwhelming. Immediately, Bella felt like she was going to throw up. She couldn’t abandon the mission though. She had to persevere. It would get easier once she got used to it, she told herself. She tried and failed to force a smile onto her face, and instead settled for just not looking like she was about to throw up and then pass out. Pain was beginning to seep into her temples, but she just snagged a glass of water from a passing waiter and downed it in the hope that might help.

It didn’t help. She found herself drifting aimlessly around the room, trying to find a spot that was less loud than others. She found herself too close to the stage at one point; the worst mistake she’d made so far that night. Luci’s thoughts were as clear as Kit’s had been. One name kept cropping up, along with a face that Luci was looking for, and neither belonged to Bella. The pain in her head threatened to seep into her chest, and so she made a beeline for the far side of the room. She wanted to leave, but wouldn’t. She wouldn’t let her team down. If more bad guys showed up and she wasn’t there to help, she’d never forgive herself. She hadn’t been able to help Page, she wouldn’t let herself be unable to help everyone else.

She tucked herself into a quiet corner, somewhere where things weren’t quite as loud, and glanced at her phone. It was going to be a long night, she knew it already.

kieran gallagher.

outfit. mask charon. #757576.

xxx the sun's starting to light up
xxx when we're walking home
xxx tired little laugh, gold lie promises
xxx we'll always win at this

Hearing Cameron’s voice over the comms was a welcome sound. His comment about Kieran’s hair looking good just made him smile. “I would like to add for the record that I would bet my apartment on the fact that Variant is also looking damn fine today,” he replied. But before anyone else could berate them for using their comms to flirt, black-clad figures filled the room below them. Kieran swore, ducking behind the statue he was hiding behind as gunshots broke out. Chills ran down his spine as the stench of death filled the air. Why couldn’t he have just been assigned to the other party?

“Hey! Sir Percival!” He hissed.
“Young knight!”
“You wanna go slay some witches?” He asked. The ghost’s face positively lit up with delight. “Go slay some witches!” The ghost solidified into something resembling a human, a sword like the one in the case beside Kieran appearing in his hands. Sir Percival raised the sword and leaped from the balcony, running one of the black-clad figures through. He apparently did not consider Kieran himself a witch then, something that Kieran had taken a gamble on. None of his ghosts had tried to kill him yet, but he felt like it was a matter of time. He shot one more glance at the sword in the case beside him, decided it wasn’t worth a complaint from museum security, and instead just drew his knife. He glanced over the balcony and at the scene below, briefly considered his options, and decided to take the stairs. He, regretfully, wasn’t as indestructible as Ris or Bash.

He made a sprint for the side stairs, digging down deep as he did so. Ghosts were the better option here, he figured. But before he could actually summon any of them, he needed to get to safety. Somewhere nearby, but with good cover. But as he got to the bottom of the stairs, he was met with a barrel of a gun, aimed squarely at his chest. But something solid, fast, and familiar collided with Kieran and dragged him out of harm’s way as the bullet shattered the air where Kieran had been moments ago. Maelstrom dropped Kieran behind a pillar, looked him up and down, nodded to make sure he was okay, then dashed off again. Kieran exhaled, his back pressed against the pillar he was hiding behind. He wasn’t of use in a situation like this; why the hell did Aegis keep sending him into them? They kept sending him into gunfights with nothing more than a knife and his abilities. He wasn’t even sure there was bulletproof protection built into his suit. Not to mention, being in an active fight made him feel like he was about to die himself, with the amount of death reeking around the place, no thanks to Ris and Bash. He had to do something. He dug deep and felt all of the ghosts in the building. They were restless. They wanted to help. Good. It would make this easier.

“I’m about to summon a shit ton of ghosts to come help you guys out, but I’m going to need some cover,” He said into his comms. Summoning this many ghosts would leave him vulnerable for far too long, and he didn’t trust this pillar to shelter him that long. “See you all on the other side.” He closed his eyes, and pulled every ghost he could reach into the material world. There was a second where he thought it hadn’t worked; and then the visions came crashing in, lives and deaths and everything in between. The crash was so significant that he could vaguely feel his legs buckle and his back collide with the pillar, but he wasn’t able to stop it. He just had to ride it out and hope that the ghosts were at least helpful.

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2022-08-24 03:12:10, as written by phoenixheart

xxxxxADAxxFORREST

Outfit The Druid Hex:#b54ea2

“Anyone?” Hearing nothing but static on the other end, Ada dropped her earpiece into her bag. She would have to speak to Kit about it.

To: Kit
Ear not working. Where are you?

A brief snippet of music filled the room as the door opened and closed. Ada paused and heard heels clicking against the tiles. A cubicle door locked and Ada released a sigh of relief. Ada waved her hand over the sensor to flush the empty bowl. She would probably find it weird if she had heard someone leave a bathroom without flushing. She unlocked the door and peaked out to make sure the coast was clear.

No one else. Good, that was good. At least she wasn’t about to be ambushed in the bathroom. She placed her hands under the tap and waited for the soap and water. Ada methodically washed her hands; palms, nails, between the fingers, back of the hands, 30 seconds. She moved along to the hand dryer, the warm air blasting the moisture from her hands. She heard a flush behind her and her eyes flickered up as a dark-haired woman stepped out of the cubicle. There was an awkward smile exchanged between them before Ada shook her hands and grabbed her bag to leave. The woman was probably harmless but Ada wasn’t about to hang around to find out.

She left and half-walked, half-jogged back to the party. Soft, old-school swing music filtered through the room. Ada looked up to the stage and felt a pang in her chest when she saw Lucille up there singing. The lights danced off the stones on Lucille’s dress, only adding to the dazzling show. Lucille was beautiful, everyone always said so. Her mother always said so. Up there, under the lights, she looked ethereal. Ada didn’t even have to look over at her father to know the comparison was there. Everyone loved Lucille.

Well, now you’re just upsetting yourself.. Ada couldn’t argue with herself. She looked around for a waiter and took a champagne flute from one as they passed by. The flowers beside her drooped slightly as she drank. “Well, there’s no need for you to be upset as well,” she said as she stroked the petals. Her eyes swirled a bright emerald green as she conjured life back into the flower arrangement before settling to her usual olive colour.

xxxCAMERONxxJENSEN

Outfit Variant Hex:#1a7572

The Variants smiled when Kieran’s voice came over the comms. “You would be completely right about that.”

The Cameron that was waiting by the stairs heard the gunshots echo through the building. Ah, shit. This was going to hurt. He began sprinting along the upper walkway, following the sounds of screaming and gunshots.

In the security room, Cameron watched the carnage unfold. Muzzle flash disrupted the cameras’ view of the room, and, more importantly, his teammates. A stray bullet took out a camera in the room. Wait… The cameras were way to high to be hit by a stray shot. No one was that bad a shot, right? Cameron looked across the control panel as screen after screen turned to static. “Now, I don’t wanna alarm anyone, but they’ve taken out the cameras on the opposite side of the museum, heading down to the basement level.”

Back in the exhibition hall, Cameron was fleeing down into the carnage. Kie’s call for cover came through. “I think I can manage that,” he answered as Variants split off in every direction, an army of dark uniforms making a nuisance of themselves while Kieran summoned his ghosts. There was a brief moment of searing pain as a bullet pierced his abdomen before he was absorbed back into himself, the bullet falling uselessly to the ground, the clatter lost in the cacophony of sound around them. All around him black coats were separating and disappearing into themselves, almost dying but not. Isimir was a good enough shot to miss him so long as he was careful. Friendly fire wasn’t something he needed to worry about. The delightful gentleman in front of him was another matter entirely.

Cameron closed his hand around the barrel of the gun, redirecting the rattle of bullets up and over his shoulder. The barrel was hot, even through his gloves. Cam dreaded to think how painful it might have been with bare hands. The man tried to wrestle back control of the gun and received a swift kick to his kidneys for his effort. The natural reaction to protect the wounded area meant his grip was loosened, giving Cameron enough leverage to prize the weapon away and crack the butt against his opponent’s head, sending the man sprawling. Cameron stood over him, pointing the gun at his knee. “Now I have your gun, and a lot more people than you do, so why don’t you tell me what’s going on here and you can keep your knee caps. Seem fair?”

“Fuck you.”

Beneath his mask, Cameron scowled. Around him, he was fighting between and alongside ghosts and whatever else Kieran had summoned. The man began to scramble away and then yelled in agony as his kneecap was shattered into thousands of fragments. “Would you like to lose the second one?”

A Variant had made it across the room to Kieran. Not that Kie looked terrible, but Cam had definitely seen his friend look better. He reached over and held Kieran’s arm. “You doing ok, Prince Charming?”

His voice crackled through the intercom. It was still weird hearing his own voice on the comms. “I’m heading over to the basement. If someone could come along and cover my back, that would be amazing.”

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2022-09-13 18:07:54, as written by therealmcdreamy

bastien delacourt.

outfit. #360B0B.

This entire ordeal was annoying. Bash really didn’t want to be here. He just wanted to be at a party with his girlfriend instead of dealing with annoying bad guys at a gala. Somehow Bruce seemed to be enjoying herself. Same with Isimir as per usual. But Bash wanted this to be over already and sadly his method for ending things quickly was currently frowned upon.

Bash had been busy taking care of three men who decided to try and attack him at once in hopes of subduing him when Charon asked for back up. Thankfully, Variant was there to answer the call. Bash then swiftly disposed of his assailants though refraining from feeding was growing more difficult as these fights dragged on. Bash was feeling hungry again.

“I’m heading over to the basement. If someone could come along and cover my back, that would be amazing.” Bash happened to be closest so he responded first. ”I’m right behind you.” Another was also heading with them to the basement that Bash used his speed to get to first. He slammed him against the wall and took a bite out of his neck. He’d used up his strength anyways. He deserved a quick snack.

kit cassidy.

outfit. #698B69.

Everyone had broken off to the party while Kit opted to stay behind for a bit. He wanted to gather his tech first and find a secure enough place to comb through security footage. Something just wasn’t sitting right with him about this. He couldn’t really find much of anything that would be useful which only furthered the anxiety he was having about this.

He put his things away and began making his way into the party as much as he dreaded it. He had to make an appearance but he hoped he wasn’t going to have to socialize with any of the benefactors. He found a table at the back corner of the room. He kept checking his phone to monitor footage but then his phone began to buzz.

Ear not working. Where are you?

Kit looked up and scanned the room. Seven was pulled into conversation with some people instead of finding Ada like she was supposed to. Kit rolled his eyes and texted back.

To: Ada
At the back of the party. I have new comms for us.

He finally caught sight of her as she was giving life to one of the plants in the party. His heart raced a bit as he remembered the crush he once had on her but there was no time to think about or dwell on what ifs. At least not right now for Kit as he made his way across the room over to Ada. ”Hey,” He said from behind her. ”Take this new earpiece. It links us all through Bella’s telepathy while the comms are down.” He briefly explained how it worked but became distracted when his phone buzzed with another message.

SOS, gadget not working right

”Shit. I gotta find Bella.” Kit abruptly left. Not paying attention to if Ada decided to follow or not as he walked and looked for Bella.

To: Bella
Where are you?

[/justify]

Setting

Atlas

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2023-01-15 14:30:10, as written by partially-stars

bella clayton.

outfit. sentinel. #772222

xxx the sun's starting to light up
xxx when we're walking home
xxx tired little laugh, gold lie promises
xxx we'll always win at this

The calm that had come from her conversation with Luci and Luci’s powers had long gone. Without the calming, grounding presence of another human being, the noise was loud again. She was sitting on the floor, curled into as much of a ball as she could manage, her head on her arms, her eyes squeezed shut to stop any light from coming through. Light hurt, sound hurt, everything hurt. The voices were so loud, and there were so many thoughts that she didn’t want to hear. Thoughts of violence, thoughts of anger, she couldn’t separate them from her own thoughts any more. Did she want to do those things? Had she already done them? Or was she just surrounded by awful, violent people?

She’d sent texts, or at least she was pretty sure she had. Maybe that had been somebody else’s thought as well. But after texting Kit, the time she’d been waiting felt like an eternity. She’d texted Mikey too, something along the lines of “powers bad, plz help.” When she felt the buzz of her phone in her hand, moving her head and her hand to look at it was almost painful. She had to squint at the screen to be able to make out the text. It was from Kit, that much she could see. Texting would take too much energy. Maybe it would be easier if she went and found him?

Then she moved too fast and felt, once again, like she was gonna throw up. Moving was a bad idea. She folded herself back up and took a photo of her view, sending it back to him. She felt like she should send an actual text too but the room was swimming far too much for that. She sank her head back onto her arms and prayed that somebody else would find her soon.

kieran gallagher.

outfit. mask. charon. #757576

xxx these are the eyes
xxx and the lies of the taken
xxx these are their hearts
xxx but their hearts don't beat like ours

When Kieran came back to the room, he was sitting on the floor, his head leaning back against the pillar. His whole body hurt, but it was the usual post-power ache; looked like he’d managed to avoid getting shot at least. His vision was still blurry but he could just about make out somebody beside him. They put a hand on his arm and spoke to him; a familiar voice, perhaps the one he wanted to hear the most. He smiled instinctively, a soft smile that betrayed his relief at seeing Cameron of all people. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. He glanced down at his hands, seeing the too familiar sight of blood on his hands. “Nose bleed but no nausea, I’ll take that much,” he said, glancing back at Cameron and grinning again.

Now his vision was cleared, he could see something looming up behind them. Not something, someone, in an unfamiliar suit and with their eyes set on Cameron. Without even thinking about it, Kieran grabbed his knife and lunged towards the figure, his knife plunging into the figure’s thigh. They stumbled back, giving Kieran the chance to get his hand on their leg and dig deep again. He didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to use the control he usually tried to use. And so their would-be attacker turned to dust before their eyes. Kieran sank back to a sitting position, not looking at Cameron. He hated people seeing him using his powers like this, seeing how horrified they could be. And he couldn’t even blame them for feeling like that.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m fine again if you wanna go… rejoin the fight or whatever,” he said. He wasn’t fine; he’d still need another while before he felt okay to stand unassisted, and his hands were shaking. But he knew people didn’t want to stick around after seeing that.

Seen 8 Times • Page 1 of 1

Announcements: Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » USERNAME CHANGES » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »