[center][h2][b][color=#B5140E]A[/color][color=#BB1D0D]d[/color][color=#C1260D]u[/color][color=#C8300D]m[/color][color=#CE390D]b[/color][color=#D5420C]r[/color][color=#DB4C0C]a[/color][color=#E2550C]t[/color][color=#E85E0C]e[/color][/b][/h2][/center][hr]She'd woken up early that morning, looked outside to see the rain, and a smile had played across her face. She had gotten out of bed, brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face to rouse herself just that extra bit. She'd showered, even knowing that she'd have to deal with the rain, and then she'd donned her costume, slipping into the red dress, placing the mask on her face, making sure her hair was in order, her dress without splits, tears, or discolorations. Then, she had sat down on her bed, crossed her legs, and waited.

Thinking back to it was a fun thought. Just knowing that she could make things play out [i]just so[/i] by sitting down, closing her eyes, and [i]thinking it[/i] brought that same smile she'd had when she woke up to her lips. She ran the idea through her head again, the causal relationship between actions and results. How things rippled out, causing larger and larger changes as time went on and the dominoes fell. It was beautiful imagery, and it was all real, and it was all there in [i]her[/i] mind, at [i]her[/i] fingertips...so she'd used it.

She'd pulled the strings, adjusting the covers of her bed [i]just so[/i], deciding to water only two of the nineteen plants in her spacious apartment, throwing a rock out the window towards a [i]specific[/i] spot on the street. Knocking on each wall of her rooms with [i]juuust[/i] the right patterns and then finally...she'd walked up to her door, knocked twice, waited for four long minutes, and walked out. Even her footsteps were measured, exact, the sound of her feet against the floor sometimes louder, sometimes quieter, sometimes [i]sharper[/i] or more muffled and dull. It all had to be exact and when it was--which was when she chose to make it so--the result was [i]harmony[/i] or [i]discord[/i] all dependent on which she decided to sow. In the moment all she wanted to do was keep the flow of the early morning, keep her neighbor Jane Kailey from leaving two minutes early for work, or the man who lived two floors down from leaving when she entered the hall. It was all orchestrated just so she could walk from her apartment room, down several flights of stairs, and out the building, without a single person, or a single camera really seeing [i]her[/i] for who she was.

The kicker? The scary reality? It worked, but it didn't end there.

She stepped out into the rain, just on time, her gait elegant and measured all at once, a strange grace to her movements. Her fingers twitched and flowed, as if plucking the strings of an invisible instrument only she was aware of. The tips of two fingers touching a light post, while the pinky of her left hand grazed a [i]specific[/i] set of raindrops. Street cameras blinked, lightning flashed, thunder boomed, drawing people's attention, causing lights to flicker and feeds to show static for just several seconds...and she was gone.

Three blocks away and [i]no one[/i] had seen her leave the building or walk from point A to point B. The smile graced her lips again, a feeling of joy, of power, filling her chest and spreading outwards into her limbs, touching her fingertips...which were warm despite the rain. In fact, the rain almost seemed not to really [i]touch[/i] her. She was wet, but not cold, her hair looked sleek and it shone when light struck it, but it never acted as if it were truly soaked like it should of been. The effect wasn't that limited however, it applied to her clothes too, which didn't droop under the weight of soaked in fluid, but instead was tight and flowed as if not a drop of water had [i]really[/i] touched it.

It made her look almost [i]ethereal[/i] like she didn't belong in this world, like she wasn't really [i]there[/i] even though it would be easy to find out otherwise. All it would take was [i]one touch[/i] and you'd know she was just as physical, just as present, as anyone else...but then she'd withdraw and the brief reality would fade away as if it had never been and the ethereal woman would be there again, instead of the human being. It must have been eerie, she thought, to watch her and not really [i]know[/i] what was going on like she did.

Not that it mattered. Not that [i]knowing[/i] would do them any good. It was unlikely they could really use that knowledge against her, after all, they hadn't had any [i]luck[/i] yet...had they? She laughed lightly, a chuckle, the sound carrying despite the pouring rain, as if it was bouncing off the water and spreading, instead of being [i]drowned[/i] in the sound of pattering rain.

She shifted her focus, her attention to other things, slipping out of the reverie of her power and the thoughts using it brought, and directed the ability elsewhere. She wanted to be [i]somewhere[/i] specific, somewhere interesting, a place that something [i]new[/i] was happening. She closed her eyes, shifting her head lightly to the side every few seconds, the movement slow, her fingers dancing as she almost rolled her neck to move her head, as if listening to a tune only she could hear. Then she stopped and smiled again as just the right notes cascaded through her thoughts. She hit the notes again, her fingers plucking invisible threads, and then she turned and walked across the street with her eyes closed.

No cars struck her, no one called out to the mysterious red lady J-walking, and all was well, all was just [i]so[/i] as it should be, as she wanted it to be...to a degree. As her foot touched the sidewalk, she opened her eyes and turned again, the action sudden, drumming her fingers against the wall in a steady rhythm, before lightly gliding them over, then dragging two fingers, then one, then all five, before she moved them off the building, turned the corner and let the heel of her foot tap that same corner lightly.

She continued on, crossing the city and not seeming to tire in the least. It was almost as if the world was working in her favor so she didn't tire, didn't miss a single step, or trip, or be seen by just the wrong people, or be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Working towards a single goal, the world pushed her on, or maybe she pushed the world around her to do as she bid it? It was hard to say, even for her. Her smiled widened again and she glanced at a store briefly, her eyes lighting up with recognition before she quietly walked past, tapping one edge of the glass before ceasing most of her actions--her fingers going still, her footsteps ceasing their unsteady rhythm and evening out.

To everyone else the shift would be practically imperceptible. The rhythm of the falling rain shifting just a pitch or two in several places, the sound of traffic becoming just the slightest bit more pronounced, the position of a parked car shifting .0001 millimeter to the right, but to her...all the tiniest details were crystal clear. It was as if someone was pointing every single one of them out, and then telling her, clearly, concisely, and with all the detail she desired, how to shift those little variables just a [i]little bit[/i] to cause a cascade of events that would not have occurred otherwise. Of course, that was just one side of the spectrum: [i]harmony[/i] the other side was...less pleasant, at least for everyone else that was. She laughed quietly to herself at the thought as she settled her back against the wet wall of an alley near the store. She was obscured by the tall dumpster to her left, making her impossible to see from any angle except one from above if you entered from the store.

Her power gave her a sense of completion, so she folded her arms under her chest, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back against the wall. She [i]let[/i] water run over her face and through her hair and into her clothes, though not all the way through, just the surface. She needed to look [i]natural[/i], that much she knew. She would wait for only five minutes, minutes that she let herself almost get lost in the sensation of the rain on her skin, the sound of it hitting the ground and the dumpster, resounding somewhat in a constant staccato of sound, as if nature was pounding against the man-made construct of civilization. She enjoyed every minute of it, but the time didn't fly, nor did it drag on for her--it simply was. Then she heard it, she [i]felt[/i] it, movement, activity. She opened her eyes and glanced to the street to see a mother pulling her young daughter along as if to escape something, but not in too much of a hurry...as if not to draw too much attention to themselves.

Her fingers began to move, the rain, over the next few minutes, slowed ever so slightly, but only just. She leaned back into her former position, eyes closed, smiling, but now she tilted her chin down, letting the hood shadow her face, the fabric hanging lower from the weight of the rain's constant beating. Those minutes passed and the footsteps came, a feeling of glee almost causing her to laugh as it shot through her, endorphins almost egging her on to do [i]something...anything![/i] She didn't, she waited, the time wasn't right, her power...her [i]passenger[/i] wanted her to tap into its [i]other side,[/i] but she knew it wasn't time yet. It had to be just right.

Her gaze shifted as the girl stopped in the alley, still not having noticed that she wasn't alone, that someone was watching...that Adumbrate was there. She saw the tears, the fear, she could read it in the girl's posture, her expression, her body language. She could infer it from the loud shots she'd heard...and it finally allowed her the opening, the chance to [i]act[/i].

She stepped out, the movement slow, almost [i]gentle[/i] somehow. She didn't move her fingers, instead she twitched her toes and let subtle movements of her body do the work. She [i]flexed[/i] her power, letting it radiate outwards, spreading almost like a virus. She didn't close the distance between them, though it was only 2 meters that separated them.

She let the girl's awareness of her sink in, making no move to attack, her posture, her demeanor, all of the little things, telling the girl she meant no harm. She had even averted her eyes from the girl's face, looking instead at the sky, her view of the new cape only peripheral. [b][color=#B5140E]"[/color][color=#B6160D]I[/color][color=#B8180D]t[/color][color=#BA1B0D]'[/color][color=#BB1D0D]s[/color] [color=#BF220D]o[/color][color=#C0250D]k[/color][color=#C2270D]a[/color][color=#C42A0D]y[/color] [color=#C72F0D]t[/color][color=#C9310D]o[/color] [color=#CC360D]b[/color][color=#CE390D]e[/color] [color=#D23D0D]a[/color][color=#D3400C]f[/color][color=#D5420C]r[/color][color=#D7450C]a[/color][color=#D8470C]i[/color][color=#DA4A0C]d[/color] [color=#DD4F0C]y[/color][color=#DF510C]o[/color][color=#E1540C]u[/color] [color=#E4590C]k[/color][color=#E65B0C]n[/color][color=#E85E0C]o[/color][color=#E9600C]w[/color][color=#EB630C],[/color][color=#ED650C]"[/color][/b] she said gently, her voice soft, though it struck through the rain as if unimpeded by the drumming sound. [b][color=#B5140E]"[/color][color=#B5140D]T[/color][color=#B5150D]h[/color][color=#B6150D]i[/color][color=#B6160D]s[/color] [color=#B7170D]l[/color][color=#B7180D]i[/color][color=#B8180D]f[/color][color=#B8190D]e[/color] [color=#B91A0D]i[/color][color=#B91A0D]s[/color] [color=#BA1C0D]h[/color][color=#BB1C0D]a[/color][color=#BB1D0D]r[/color][color=#BB1D0D]d[/color][color=#BC1E0D],[/color] [color=#BD1F0D]b[/color][color=#BD200D]u[/color][color=#BD200D]t[/color] [color=#BE210D]i[/color][color=#BF220D]t[/color] [color=#BF230D]c[/color][color=#C0240D]a[/color][color=#C0240D]n[/color] [color=#C1260D]b[/color][color=#C1260D]e[/color] [color=#C2270D]r[/color][color=#C3280D]e[/color][color=#C3290D]w[/color][color=#C3290D]a[/color][color=#C42A0D]r[/color][color=#C42A0D]d[/color][color=#C52B0D]i[/color][color=#C52B0D]n[/color][color=#C52C0D]g[/color][color=#C62D0D].[/color] [color=#C72E0D]I[/color][color=#C72E0D]t[/color] [color=#C8300D]c[/color][color=#C8300D]a[/color][color=#C9310D]n[/color] [color=#C9320D]b[/color][color=#CA320D]e[/color] [color=#CB340D]a[/color][color=#CB340D]n[/color] [i][color=#CC350D]e[/color][color=#CC360D]s[/color][color=#CD370D]c[/color][color=#CD370D]a[/color][color=#CD380D]p[/color][color=#CE380D]e[/color][/i][color=#CE390D],[/color] [color=#CF3A0D]a[/color][color=#CF3B0D]n[/color][color=#D03B0D]d[/color] [color=#D13C0D]i[/color][color=#D13D0D]t[/color] [color=#D23E0C]c[/color][color=#D23F0C]a[/color][color=#D33F0C]n[/color] [color=#D4400C]b[/color][color=#D4410C]e[/color] [color=#D5420C]f[/color][color=#D5430C]u[/color][color=#D6430C]n[/color][color=#D6440C],[/color] [color=#D7450C]b[/color][color=#D7460C]u[/color][color=#D8460C]t[/color] [color=#D8470C]y[/color][color=#D9480C]o[/color][color=#D9490C]u[/color][color=#DA490C]'[/color][color=#DA4A0C]v[/color][color=#DA4A0C]e[/color] [color=#DB4C0C]g[/color][color=#DC4C0C]o[/color][color=#DC4D0C]t[/color][color=#DC4D0C]t[/color][color=#DD4E0C]a[/color] [color=#DE4F0C]b[/color][color=#DE500C]e[/color] [color=#DF510C]a[/color] [color=#E0520C]l[/color][color=#E0520C]i[/color][color=#E0530C]t[/color][color=#E1540C]t[/color][color=#E1540C]l[/color][color=#E2550C]e[/color][color=#E2550C].[/color][color=#E2560C].[/color][color=#E3570C].[/color][i][color=#E3570C]d[/color][color=#E4580C]i[/color][color=#E4580C]f[/color][color=#E4590C]f[/color][color=#E5590C]e[/color][color=#E55A0C]r[/color][color=#E65B0C]e[/color][color=#E65B0C]n[/color][color=#E65C0C]t[/color][/i] [color=#E75D0C]t[/color][color=#E85E0C]o[/color] [color=#E85F0C]a[/color][color=#E95F0C]p[/color][color=#E9600C]p[/color][color=#EA600C]r[/color][color=#EA610C]e[/color][color=#EA620C]c[/color][color=#EB620C]i[/color][color=#EB630C]a[/color][color=#EC630C]t[/color][color=#EC640C]e[/color] [color=#ED650C]i[/color][color=#ED660C]t[/color][color=#EE660C],[/color][color=#EE670C]"[/color][/b] she glanced down at the girl, knowing her mask would once again be donned, and smiled. There was a certain reassurance in her gaze. Provided the girl appeared more secure in the moment, she would extend her hand as an offering of friendship, if brief before she spoke again. [b][color=#B5140E]"[/color][color=#B5140D]D[/color][color=#B5150D]o[/color][color=#B6150D]n[/color][color=#B6160D]'[/color][color=#B7170D]t[/color] [color=#B7180D]w[/color][color=#B8180D]o[/color][color=#B8190D]r[/color][color=#B91A0D]r[/color][color=#B91A0D]y[/color] [color=#BA1B0D]t[/color][color=#BA1C0D]h[/color][color=#BB1D0D]o[/color][color=#BB1D0D]u[/color][color=#BC1E0D]g[/color][color=#BC1E0D]h[/color][color=#BC1F0D],[/color] [color=#BD200D]I[/color] [color=#BE210D]c[/color][color=#BF220D]a[/color][color=#BF230D]n[/color] [color=#C0240D]g[/color][color=#C0240D]e[/color][color=#C1250D]t[/color] [color=#C1260D]u[/color][color=#C2270D]s[/color] [color=#C3280D]o[/color][color=#C3290D]u[/color][color=#C4290D]t[/color] [color=#C42A0D]o[/color][color=#C52B0D]f[/color] [color=#C62C0D]i[/color][color=#C62D0D]t[/color][color=#C62D0D].[/color] [color=#C72F0D]A[/color][color=#C82F0D]f[/color][color=#C8300D]t[/color][color=#C9310D]e[/color][color=#C9310D]r[/color] [color=#CA320D]a[/color][color=#CA330D]l[/color][color=#CB340D]l[/color][color=#CB340D],[/color] [color=#CC350D]I[/color][color=#CC360D]'[/color][color=#CD370D]m[/color] [color=#CE380D]A[/color][color=#CE380D]d[/color][color=#CE390D]u[/color][color=#CF3A0D]m[/color][color=#CF3A0D]b[/color][color=#D03B0D]r[/color][color=#D03B0D]a[/color][color=#D03C0D]t[/color][color=#D13D0D]e[/color][color=#D13D0D].[/color] [color=#D23E0C]T[/color][color=#D33F0C]h[/color][color=#D3400C]e[/color][color=#D3400C]y[/color] [color=#D4410C]h[/color][color=#D5420C]a[/color][color=#D5430C]v[/color][color=#D5430C]e[/color][color=#D6440C]n[/color][color=#D6440C]'[/color][color=#D7450C]t[/color] [color=#D8460C]c[/color][color=#D8470C]a[/color][color=#D8470C]u[/color][color=#D9480C]g[/color][color=#D9490C]h[/color][color=#DA490C]t[/color] [color=#DA4A0C]m[/color][color=#DB4B0C]e[/color] [color=#DC4C0C]y[/color][color=#DC4D0C]e[/color][color=#DD4E0C]t[/color][color=#DD4E0C],[/color] [color=#DE4F0C]s[/color][color=#DE500C]o[/color] [color=#DF510C]t[/color][color=#DF520C]h[/color][color=#E0520C]e[/color][color=#E0530C]y[/color] [color=#E1540C]w[/color][color=#E2550C]o[/color][color=#E2550C]n[/color][color=#E2560C]'[/color][color=#E3570C]t[/color] [color=#E4580C]c[/color][color=#E4580C]a[/color][color=#E4590C]t[/color][color=#E55A0C]c[/color][color=#E55A0C]h[/color] [color=#E65B0C]e[/color][color=#E75C0C]i[/color][color=#E75D0C]t[/color][color=#E75D0C]h[/color][color=#E85E0C]e[/color][color=#E85E0C]r[/color] [color=#E9600C]o[/color][color=#E9600C]f[/color] [color=#EA610C]u[/color][color=#EB620C]s[/color] [color=#EC630C]t[/color][color=#EC640C]o[/color][color=#EC640C]d[/color][color=#ED650C]a[/color][color=#ED660C]y[/color][color=#EE660C].[/color][color=#EE670C]"[/color][/b]

With that she would turn, and her fingers would dance, subtly as she walked, not ran, through the alley, hopefully with the girl in tow, heading away from the scene of the crime, the crime of a girl she hoped would become an ally, if not a friend. She had every intention to make it [i]both[/i]...and her intentions tended to go through.[hr][center][h2][b][color=#000000]G[/color][color=#19000E]a[/color][color=#32001C]e[/color][color=#4B002A]l[/color][color=#640039], [/color][color=#970055]V[/color][color=#B00064]e[/color][color=#C90072]r[/color][color=#E20080]e[/color][color=#FB008F]n[/color][color=#E20080]s [/color][color=#970055]E[/color][color=#7D0047]s[/color][color=#640039]t[/color][color=#4B002A]r[/color][color=#32001C]a[/color][color=#19000E]d[/color][color=#000003]a[/color][/b][/h2][/center][hr]The rain drummed against the roof of the warehouse, his men, goons, some thralls, some hired, paced or played cards, but left him alone. The gears of his mind turned, and his pen tapped in time with the rain against the paper of one of his many notebooks. His expression was blank, his costume on, though his hood was back. If he willed it, none of his men would remember his face...no matter how hard they tried, no matter what thinker or master pried into their minds. They had all been his thralls once. Their minds made pliable by his intrusion. It had all taken time, but it had been important, another necessary step in the plan, the grand scheme, the great dance.

He almost smiled, but instead the corner of his mouth merely twitched. A thought came to mind, the hivemind dancing circles before each fragment of a person-made-whole moved into lines and boarded their subsequent trains of thought. His pen twirled between fingers as the trains moved smoothly along their tracks, sometimes altering course as their tracks were shifted.

What came next? Who needed to be leveraged? What players were important [i]now[/i] and how could he leverage others later? When would the PRT or the Family notice?

He actually smiled at that last thought, the train speeding up, fueled by the [i]hunger[/i] of his ambition.

The pen stopped twirling, his eyelids twitched, and its tip touched paper, he began writing. To everyone else it might look measured, to him it was calculated, halting, methodical. His body was a shell, a machine, a [i]vehicle[/i] that his mind operated. It was a tool, but it was his most indispensable tool. If its systems stopped function, so too would his mind, though he hated to admit that. It was the truth, and he valued that, even if the truth could be harsh, brutal, and unpleasant. He was used to those things. They were almost...[i]comfortable[/i] to him now.

He glanced down, the page was filled, and the two after it as well, both sides on all of them. He looked it over briefly, then closed the notebook, pushed it into its rightful place, tapped a series of levers and buttons disguised as flaws or normal aspects of his desk, and all of them folded in, hinged on a mechanism. In moments the desk was flat and bare of all except a laptop and a pen. He stood, turning naturally and pushing the chair in as he left it. His hands slipped behind him, the back of one resting against the small of his lower back, before his other hand laid on top of it, grasped loosely by its twin.

His expression blank, he walked out of his personal quarters, turning some attention to the [i]rest[/i] of his power, pushing his influence outwards, flexing and shifting the intricate web of his influence as someone else might limber up their muscles before a run. A small smirk slipped onto his lips, before quickly fading as he used one of his minions to check the time, noting that it appeared [i]Fae[/i] would be just slightly late. [i]Good enough,[/i] he thought as he approached the one of several doors that led into or out of the warehouse.

He moved his arms, raising on horizontally before him, checking his wrist watch, and the moment he knew the time, the knock came. He smiled, a full smile, but on his face it only looked devious, if somewhat charming in its way. Chuckling and shaking his head, before letting the emotions slip slowly away, he stepped forwards, knocked back, and then opened the door.

[b][color=#000000]"[/color][color=#040002]H[/color][color=#080004]e[/color][color=#0C0006]l[/color][color=#100009]l[/color][color=#14000B]o[/color][color=#18000D],[/color] [i][color=#200012]F[/color][color=#240014]a[/color][color=#280016]e[/color][/i][color=#2C0019].[/color] [color=#34001D]Y[/color][color=#38001F]o[/color][color=#3C0022]u[/color][color=#400024]'[/color][color=#440026]r[/color][color=#480029]e[/color] [color=#50002D]o[/color][color=#54002F]n[/color][color=#580032]e[/color] [color=#600036]m[/color][color=#640039]i[/color][color=#68003B]n[/color][color=#6C003D]u[/color][color=#70003F]t[/color][color=#740042]e[/color] [color=#7C0046]a[/color][color=#800048]n[/color][color=#84004B]d[/color] [color=#8C004F]t[/color][color=#900052]w[/color][color=#940054]e[/color][color=#980056]n[/color][color=#9C0058]t[/color][color=#A0005B]y[/color] [color=#A8005F]f[/color][color=#AC0062]i[/color][color=#B00064]v[/color][color=#B40066]e[/color] [color=#BC006B]s[/color][color=#C0006D]e[/color][color=#C4006F]c[/color][color=#C90072]o[/color][color=#C4006F]n[/color][color=#C0006D]d[/color][color=#BC006B]s[/color] [color=#B40066]l[/color][color=#B00064]a[/color][color=#AC0062]t[/color][color=#A8005F]e[/color][color=#A4005D],[/color] [color=#9C0058]b[/color][color=#980056]u[/color][color=#940054]t[/color] [color=#8C004F]t[/color][color=#88004D]h[/color][color=#84004B]a[/color][color=#800048]t[/color][color=#7C0046]'[/color][color=#780044]s[/color] [color=#70003F]a[/color][color=#6C003D]l[/color][color=#68003B]r[/color][color=#640039]i[/color][color=#600036]g[/color][color=#5C0034]h[/color][color=#580032]t[/color][color=#54002F].[/color] [color=#4C002B]I[/color][color=#480029]t[/color] [color=#400024]w[/color][color=#3C0022]i[/color][color=#38001F]l[/color][color=#34001D]l[/color] [color=#2C0019]h[/color][color=#280016]a[/color][color=#240014]v[/color][color=#200012]e[/color] [color=#18000D]t[/color][color=#14000B]o[/color] [color=#0C0006]d[/color][color=#080004]o[/color][color=#040002].[/color][color=#000000]"[/color][/b] Those words said he turned, knowing she'd follow, perhaps even hanging off of him as she liked to do...some attempt to bother him, he had figured, and headed in the direction of his quarters. With barely a conscious thought one of his thralls moved to close the door behind her. It really only served to make the warehouse less suspicious...and to keep the sound, and the wetness of the rain where it belonged: outside. Nonetheless, he had better things to do, or well, [i]they[/i] had better things to do, he supposed. After all, while he couldn't maneuver her like he did many others, she was still a piece on his board. She was someone he could use, if not as a chess piece in quite the same sense.

She was an asset, he had to admit, in more ways than one. He would have smiled, but that would have been telling, wouldn't it.