[hr][hr][center][h2][color=00ffbb]Lawrence B. Ellison[/color][/h2]
[img]http://i67.tinypic.com/zkl46a.png[/img]
An Apartment Somewhere on Campus. Again. Population: Lawrence, Hazel, and Emma
[@Diggerton][@GreenGoat][/center][hr][hr]

Lawrence's day had been surprisingly... typical after a morning that started with a nudist roommate. Classes, moody Aberrations interrupting his reading in the library, a cheap dinner from the cafeteria, and of course more coffee than could be considered healthy. Boring was the way he preferred life, and it looked as if the day was going to turn out to be a good one after all.

Then he got back to his dorm. Both of his roommates had returned for the day, and Lizzy was as ever present and hungry as she usually was. He took a sip from the same mug he had been using earlier- refilled with coffee from a different part of the Institution- before opening his mouth to greet the three.

Then everything went to shit.

The alarm, the briefing, his anklet changing, his dreams of a boring day shattered. To add to this Hazel quickly turned to him and started spouting nonsense.


"[color=fff79a]Then, I recognize you as my handler, access Alpha, ID 2EFD89. Please do not hesitate to give me any orders. Keep in mind, I will prioritize the handler's safety first, my survival second, and any other orders third. I cannot comply should any orders conflict with the first or the second. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.[/color]"

There was too much information hitting Lawrence at once to process all of it. Instead he took only the important bits and began to move. Mission: That was important. Menagerie: Slightly important, knowing the opponent wouldn't change things right now. However it did mean that monsters should be expected. Lawrence being deployed: IMPORTANT. Hazel's handler: Important, but could be sorted out later. Team designation: Not important. He'd deal with what he was given because he had to.


"[color=00ffbb]Lizzy! Jacket![/color]"

He didn't have much time to waste before his door would be assaulted by the Institution's guards. First priority was to secure morale: his coffee. He hastily set his cup on the desk, spilling some of the precious liquid within, and ran to the kitchen. Throwing open one of the cupboards, he removed an impressively large thermos and began filling it with the remains of that morning's brew. A thump in the livingroom indicated Lizzy had done her job, and he met her half way towards his bed, snatching up the jacket and slipping it on as he knelt beside it.

Pounding began to echo in the room then, accompanied by shouting:

"[color=f7976a]You guys need to MOVE, this is an emergency![/color]"

"[color=00ffbb]One of you open the door![/color]"

Emma, apparently, was the first to move, quickly complying with his request. He would have given her a "[color=00ffbb]Thank you.[/color]" but now wasn't exactly the time for politeness.

After barking his order, Lawrence reached under his bed and pulled out a footlocker that was nearly as wide as the bed was long, throwing it open to reveal an assortment of small arms. Lawrence was never deployed for his combat capabilities, it was always in support. Keep the injured calm, keep the soldiers from losing their nerve. To think he had been safe this entire past year was completely absurd though. No. He had scars to accompany his tattoos, and had taken liberal use of the requisition forms in his time since arriving.

Still he had no time to hunt for the best equipment. Monsters. That meant a shotgun. Might be at range, so a shotgun that was passable at a distance. A knife. Utility.

"[color=f7976a]HURRY UP![/color]"

No time. He yanked the lid shut after pulling out a third item and slid it haphazardly back under the bed. Now that he had roommates he [i]should[/i] start locking it, but he could deal with that later. In front of him lay exactly:

[url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgm-content/sites/armslist/uploads/posts/2012/07/24/485166_01_tc_encore_50_cal_walnut_an_sta_640.jpg]A breech-loaded 12-gauge shotgun.[/url]

[url=https://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/721/721187.jpg]A box of 12-gauge slugs, shoved into the pocket of his coat.[/url]

[url=http://www.switchbladekits.com/images/products/large_566_BOKAKALS74BT.jpg]A switchblade, stuffed into the pocket of his jeans.[/url]

[url=https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-919db1c6213b76e9493ef4de56200103?convert_to_webp=true]Finally, a flare gun with a single flare, tucked into an inner pocket of his jacket, over his chest.[/url]

As satisfied as he could be under the circumstances, Lawrence stood up with shotgun in one hand and thermos in the other. He both gave a nod to the guard and motioned his roommates to follow him. Lizzy, for her part, knew better than to try to follow him, and instead contented herself with licking some of the coffee he spilled off of the floor. It was abundantly clear that her master's safety was not the first thing on her mind.

Lawrence wished he could say the same.

[hr][hr][h2][center]“[color=f7976a][i]The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.[/i][/color]” ~ [i][u]Meditations[/u][/i] by Marcus Aurelius[/center][/h2]
[center][hider=OOC Notes]While the other sections of this post are told exclusively from the perspective of Lawrence, this section is a multi-person collab featuring [@January][@GreenGoat][@Piercing Light][@RedDusk][@Diggerton] and yours truly: [@Snagglepuss89][/hider][/center][hr][hr]

Discomfort wasn't really the right word for what Christmas felt, bundled into the back of a military truck with five other subnaturals, three of them black X's. "Fear for his life" was more accurate. He found himself wedged as far as he could go into the corner, sandwiched between Sander and the guy he recognized from the containment chamber as "Lawrence." Both were intimidating in the same way the weather stilling into calm before an approaching storm was. 

But for all his terror, he had been raised--coerced, really--into a good boy.  

[i][color=f7976a]"And good boys know how to help others, Christmas! Isn't that right?"[/color][/i] his mother's honey-drenched words were fire pokers in his mind. Compelling in the most fearsome ways.  

[color=8493ca]"Sander...?"[/color] he turned to the boy beside him, Director Zhang's information about Sander still parsing in his mind. [color=8493ca]"Do you--"[/color] he gulped, wondering if he could really offer what was on the tip of his tongue [color=8493ca]"--n-need blood?"[/color]

Lawrence stopped reading mid sentence as Christmas' words reached his ears. He tried to let his flash of annoyance slide- it was after all the first combat they'd seen- but he found it harder than usual to let go of. Perhaps the stress of the day was starting to have an affect on him. Slowly, he slipped the book into his free pocket and gripped the boy's shoulder, in a non-magical attempt to calm him down. With an effort to keep sarcasm out of his voice, he answered before Sander could.  

"[color=00ffbb]Your blood is the single most valuable commodity here. You need to value yourself like gold, because we may need every drop of it here shortly. Be stingy, evaluate who [i]needs[/i] it with a level head, and don't get yourself killed. We might just need you tomorrow too.[/color]"  He took a sip of his coffee, as if for emphasis, before continuing.  

"[color=00ffbb]If he needs blood I'll volunteer some of mine first, but I need a level head to do my job properly. He'll need to look elsewhere to get the whole gallon.[/color]"  

His eyes flicked meaningfully to the guard, before flashing the man a reassuring smile. Truth be told using them as living bloodsacks was a smart, if cold, move. No need to give Subnaturals a worse name than they already had though.

Christmas saw the gaze, but didn't follow Lawrence's look. There was only one person sitting in that direction anyway, keeping as far a distance as possible from everyone with an assault rifle at the ready.  

The more pressing matter (in more ways than one) was the insistent hand on his shoulder, a gesture he was more than familiar with every time one of his parents bent down to speak with him. He had long been conditioned to understand that gesture as a response to a mistake.  

Looking down at his feet instead, Christmas nodded soundlessly.

Kusari looked on silently as Christmas offered to give his blood to Sander. He seemed a little too ready to give it up, almost as if he felt he had to. Thankfully Lawrence explained to him exactly why that was a bad idea. Kusari leaned towards Christmas and glared at him with her crimson eyes. [color=662d91]"When you first tried to help those students that were shot, I assumed you were perhaps more courageous than you appeared. But you're really just kind of stupid, aren't you? How about using your head before you try so desperately to act like a hero? You shouldn't be giving more than two pints of blood anyway, unless you have a death wish. You keep trying to rush in to help at your own detriment and we'll be the ones to suffer, got it?"[/color] She said. Her arms crossed, and she looked to Sander as Christmas shrank even further into his corner seat in response to her sharp commentary.

[color=662d91]"I'll give you all the blood you need. My body is basically immortal. The blood will regenerate soon after, at least it should."[/color] Kusari had never explained her ability to people her own age before, it felt odd, like she was flipping up her skirt or something. [color=662d91]"All that you NEED, no more..."[/color] She added, suddenly remembering Sander's behavior since she'd met him. The boy seemed to have a strong fixation on blood, just like a real vampire.

Sander lifted his gaze, if only just, to give Christmas a puzzled stare, his reeling mind still hadn’t finished processing what the blond boy said. When it finally did though, someone else, an older boy with messy blond hair, had spoken up and refused in his stead.  

“[color=cyan]He’s right.[/color]”-Sander gave a shrug that was barely there, his gaze dropped again – “[color=cyan]It does not matter to me where it comes from.[/color]”  

The words barely left his mouth before his second roommate, Kusari, spoke up. Her words were abrasive, as usual, but it was her revelation that surprised him. – “[color=cyan]I see…[/color]”-He looked up from the floor once more, arching an eyebrow- “[color=cyan]So your accommodation assignment makes sense. But…[/color]”-He glanced sideways at Christmas, hesitated to finish his sentence. He didn’t, in the end.  

“[color=cyan]I will do what I can[/color]”-Instead, he just gave Kusari a tight-lipped smile, something akin to hunger gleamed in his blue eyes.

[color=662d91]"That perverted smile does not engender any confidence in your self control, Sander...[/color] Kusari groaned, noticing the disturbing look on her roommate's face.

Emma had been mostly quiet up until now, offering up little more to the conversation than a nod in agreement with Lawrence’s assessment and a glare of disapproval at Kusari’s admonishment of Christmas’ willingness to help. She suppressed any comments she had; she wasn’t in the mood for an argument, which owed largely to her silence. In truth Emma was living more in her head than in the current moment. She never dreamed she’d ever describe what she was doing as ‘riding into battle’. 

Despite her urge to keep quiet she looked at the others. She felt the need to say… something. She was used to being people’s emotional support, even if this group didn’t see her as such. She knew they were going into a dangerous situation… after all, the voice said that Menagerie, a precursor, was out there and that he was the enemy. [color=8A3DFF]“Let’s just… let’s all do our best, okay! Things are going to be dangerous but… if we work together we’ll all be fine, yeah?”[/color] She gave an encouraging look to the others, hoping that they could all get along.

Christmas continued staring at his feet, afraid to make any more mistakes in polite company.

Kusari looked over to Emma, who appeared to be trying to cheer them on as if this were a football game. She let out an audible scoff. [color=662d91]"Platitudes aren't going to do anything to help us. We need actual plans if we're going to survive."[/color] Kusari looked the girl up and down. She didn't appear particularly strong, but then again neither did many of them. [color=662d91]"We don't even know what ability you have, you can fight, right? Or is your ability cheerleading?"[/color]

Emma’s smile was slowly replaced by a slight frown as Kusari turned her apparent scorn towards her. She felt Kusari’s eyes examining her, trying to determine her worth- Emma estimated that the girl’s assessment wasn’t a positive one. Emma was slow to respond, [color=8A3DFF]“Well… I’ve never really been in a fight before, but I do have powers like everyone else…”[/color] the sentence felt strange as it came out of Emma’s mouth. She wasn’t used to telling people that she had ‘powers’, and her awkwardness was only amplified by the fact that she just made her uselessness evident. 

[color=8A3DFF]”I’m able to summon creatures powered by my emotions… they all have do different things based on what emotion I use to make them… but I’m not really good at using them to fight…”[/color] Emma trailed off. It was clear that she wasn’t confident in battle, and it felt odd describing her power to someone else- something she had never really done. It was like telling someone what color panties you were wearing; It simply felt like an oddly private piece of information. 

[color=8A3DFF]”But either way we all need to do our best, right? I will too… if we all work together we’ll make it through this!”[/color] Emma did her best to seem confident, but she quickly realized she was merely echoing the same sentiment that Kusari had already disapproved of. She almost wanted to take her statement back, for she was sure that it would only serve to further Kusari’s mistrust of her.

Kusari let out a sigh, and veered her gaze away from Emma. The girl didn't fully understand how to control her power, that wasn't her fault. She herself had only recently learned that her body was nearly immortal, before she simply assumed her ability was limited to accelerated healing. It wouldn't make sense to continue berating Emma, if anything the fact that she was able to be positive and not break down was a good thing. [color=662d91]"That's it? Fine, just... Try not to die when we get there, I'd rather not see that again."[/color] Kusari ruffled her white hair in irritation, She wasn't accustomed to working together like this. [color=662d91]"If you get into trouble just stand behind me. I can take a hit, you can't."[/color]

Emma gave Kusari a slight smile, nodding. [color=8A3DFF]"Thanks... I'm Emma by the way."[/color] She said cheerfully, encouraged that they might actually be able to get along.

Kusari's eyes glanced at Emma for a moment, then went back to staring out at the passing scenery. [color=662d91]"I'm Kusari, Kusari Bloodworth."[/color]

Lawrence was content to ignore the back and forth bickering as long as it didn't evolve into anything further. Instead he focused on his weapons, those being his shotgun and Hazel. Trying to think of the best way to phrase his question, he set his coffee in his lap for a moment and removed a shell from the box in his pocket. Breaking the action on his gun, he set the shell in and let it rest, bent, in the crook of his arm, ready to fire the moment he snapped the barrel back into place. Satisfied, he finally looked up at his ward, question ready:

"[color=00ffbb]So, can you explain to me exactly what your power is? And more importantly what I can expect if I remove your collar? I don't want to do something without know what I'm getting myself- and everyone else- into.[/color]"

He paused for a moment to take a sip of his coffee, before adding:

"[color=00ffbb]I suppose it's a bit rude to ask without returning the favor. I guess you could say I have a bit of mind influence going on. If I'm calm I can make people calm, if I'm angry I can make people angry, and everything in between. I mostly help Aberrations stay sane when their stigmas are going off the charts.[/color]"

Christmas leaned away from the shotgun as Lawrence prepped it, shoving himself against Sander without thinking, before quickly backing off and realizing he actually had no way of existing any less between an effective vampire and a guy with a shotgun. Despairing quietly, he settled for a fearful stare at the gun on Lawrence's lap. 

The simple motion knocked Sander out of whatever train of thoughts he was entertaining at the moment. He leveled a curious glance at the blond boy, trying to decipher the cause behind his actions. After a few seconds though, he dropped his glance and tried to move away from Christmas, giving the boy the space he clearly wanted. Noticing the new elbow room, Christmas breathed a bit easier, hoping it would remain that comfortable for the rest of the ride.

Hazel opened her eyes, having been addressed for the first time since she got on the truck. "[color=FFF79A]It has been called, Void Impact. Range, 15 meters. It has been classed as a variant of telepathy, using one's limbs to focus the ability. Effects, material displacement of anything within range, and powerful impact towards living beings.[/color]" She paused, before continuing. "[color=FFF79A]To visualize the effect and how it works, it would be akin to a larger version of the affected limb being used to attack.[/color]"

Blinking, she tilted her head slightly. "[color=FFF79A]Would you like to know more?[/color]"

Once again, Sander lifted his gaze, but this time he directed it at Hazel. He regarded her quietly, eyebrows crunched up in concentration as his nostrils flared. A look of realization dawned, then his eyes dropped to her collar. His frown deepened momentarily before turning away. 

Christmas's lips parted in a grimace of fear as Hazel described her powers. He kept his eyes on the floor, but couldn't help the mounting sense of dread.

Lawrence paused. 15 meters? He could, at max, stay about 50 yards away from the enemy if he was required to keep her under the affect of his powers. Not ideal, but it was room to work with. 

"[color=00ffbb]What about non living things? They work like your limbs, so can you catch objects out of the air or block magic with them? Essentially, does it have practical defensive applications?[/color]"

"[color=FFF79A]Any objects would be destroyed should I use my ability on them.[/color]" As for that last part, she did not know. Perhaps the people back in that facility knew, but she certainly did not. "[color=FFF79A]I have not tried my ability on magic.[/color]"

"[color=00ffbb]And that collar, how exactly do I remove it, and what can I expect to happen after?[/color]"

She froze but for a moment upon hearing that, barely noticeable, but there. Holding the collar by the logo on its front, she rotated it to display the hinge on the side, and then again, to display the simple lock mechanism on the other. "[color=FFF79A]Simply depress the button here, and pull. It would stop suppressing my ability and everything that it brings.[/color]"

He sighed in reply, running a hand through his hair. She was either being dodgy or didn't know herself. Either one was problematic for him. He would just have to hopefully keep the device on, or deal with the consequences of remove it when the time came. Perhaps he could take her to Ground Zero after the mission to get a relatively "safe" idea of what exactly he was dealing with. Provided they survived.

"[color=00ffbb]Thanks for the info Hazel, we'll try to keep it on unless it's a last resort then.[/color]"

As far as he could tell, only two or three of them could do much damage in combat, magic wise anyway. His own "conventional" firepower was enough to take down most animals on earth without much of a fuss, especially at 50 yards, but monsters weren't exactly in the same class as wildlife. Still, he could only do what he could do, and he fished out his copy of "[i]Meditations[/i]" from his pocket and began reading from it. A final comfort to take the edge off his stress now that the conversation had finished.

Christmas tugged on the sleeve of his jacket repeatedly, chewing on his lower lip and wondering how and when to bring up potentially important information without interrupting the other important conversations. And now Lawrence was reading. Was that important, too? He squinted at the book, trying to discern if [i]Meditations[/i] and Lawrence were two things he could safely step between for a moment. Lawrence had mentioned needing to be calm to use his powers, so perhaps interrupting here would destroy any hope of that.

Still trying to figure out when best to open his mouth, Christmas unconsciously leaned a bit towards the book, staring at it intently.

[i][color=f7976a]Tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own—not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and...[/color][/i]

The narrative in front of Lawrence crumbled as an intrusion made itself known. A curious glance, burning holes into the cover of his book. Christmas. Lawrence dog-eared the passage, an act that obviously common staring at the corners of the pages, and closed it. It was not as if he was completely engrossed in the book at the moment- after all he nearly had it committed to memory by that point.He offered it to the boy, adding:

"[color=00ffbb]Interested? I've read it a hundred times by now. I can find another copy.[/color]"

[color=8493ca]"O-oh..."[/color] Christmas automatically took the proffered book, uncertain if refusal would be rude or expected in the situation. He fumbled with it in his hands for a bit before looking back up at Lawrence. [color=8493ca]"Uh, thank you,"[/color] he mumbled, eyes skittering left and right for a moment as he tried to put together the information he had been told earlier by the staff member. 

[color=8493ca]"Someone told me it just takes fifty milliliters of my blood to heal small wounds,"[/color] he blurted out in one breath. Another big breath into his lungs and his mouth ran through the rest of the information like he had wanted to get it off his chest for a while, [color=8493ca]"And, uh, more blood helps things heal faster and I can--um--put my blood on things? To make them heal that way, too, but it's not as good and I--that's all she said and I thought you should know because it seemed important but I didn't want to say anything because you were talking to the others and--and I didn't know if I could interrupt, but then I was looking at your book, uh--and I can't heal myself and--"[/color] Christmas paused to breathe properly, taking several deep breaths this time [color=8493ca]"--sorry."[/color]

Lawrence nodded slowly, partly in exasperation. If he had the jitters this bad before the battle even started... Well, it wasn't a good sign. Still, the information [i]was[/i] useful. He wished that he had a piece of paper to write it down on, but there were a lot of things he wished he had at that moment. Thankfully, coffee was one of the lucky few possessions. After a sip of appreciation, he answered Christmas once more.

"[color=00ffbb]I appreciate the info, it'll come in handy. Try not to get too worked up about what other people are doing though, especially if it's important. Somehow I think that book would do a lot more for you than me at this point, give it a read sometime.[/color]"

[color=8493ca]"O-okay,"[/color] Christmas nodded quickly in response, tucking the book into a loose hug around his stomach, looking to all the world like he was cradling some precious treasure. [color=8493ca]"But--um--I can't read in cars,"[/color] he looked up at Lawrence again, sheepishly. [color=8493ca]"I get carsick. S-sorry, I'm sorry. I, uh, promise I'll read it later instead of playing my video games,"[/color] he blurted out before quickly falling silent.

Lawrence was content to leave things at that, grateful for some peace before their ride was completely over. The trip had been bothersome, but productive. He couldn't say that he was amazed at the selection of powers in the vehicle, especially compared to Ethan Sonnino, but he had to work with what he was given. Perhaps if the "basically immortal" one of them survived the mission wouldn't be considered a total failure. He didn't have time to contemplate further though before the truck finally came to a stop.

He was about to be thrown onto the battlefield again. What a pain in the ass.

[hr][hr][h2][center]"[i][color=f7976a]The strength of magic will enable us, a small but faithful band, to overcome the multitude of the faithless.[/color][/i]" ~ (Not Quite) Robert Guiscard de Hauteville[/center][/h2][hr][hr]

"[color=00ffbb]Just try not to be shown up by the newbies![/color]"

Lawrence called out to Eric as the, well, [i]brief[/i] briefing concluded. He wasn't quite friends with the other mages that were deployed, but a year at the Institution had bred a certain sense of familiarity with most people that were there. After all, they were expected to fight for their lives together, that tended to forge a bond no matter how unlikely it would be under other circumstances.

Still, there was no time to waste catching up. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his switchblade and tossed it to Kusari. Nodding towards Sander afterwards.

"[color=00ffbb]You agreed to donate first right? I'll take second rotation.[/color]"

Lawrence tried to take note of what they were fighting before engaging. However, as with most monsters, there was no precedent for the situation in front of him. Fight only dragons and you could at least learn how to kill them pretty effectively, such as with nukes. These though? Fuck if he'd ever seen anything like them. In particular, that eye seemed like a dangerous threat. Life could hardly be called fair, but magic at least had a weird sort of logic to it. If something took time to power up, it was usually more powerful than something that could be cast instantly. Also-

“[color=8493ca]Um… Do you… think he needs help?[/color]” 

The bastion of cowering uncertainty from the truck broke him away from his thoughts. Lawrence, of course, had taken note of the screaming, and their naked comrade lying on the ground. It hadn't, however, registered as unusual to him. He had seen a lot over this past year, much of which he'd rather forget, but a shapeshifter was one of the more tame oddities. 

"[color=00ffbb]He'll be fine, he's just readying his magic. Some of us are luckier than others in that department.[/color]"

Speaking of magic, Lawrence and Christmas began to be surrounded in a visible white glow. It was the telltale sign Lawrence had flicked his own power on. The others, are far as he could tell, were at least stable while being faced with the battlefield. Christmas on the other hand had been [i]obviously[/i] on edge since the truck ride over. Influencing him without his permission wasn't the most polite thing to do under the circumstances, but risks were not something he wanted to be taking right now.


"[color=00ffbb]Try to relax, all right? Stick close to me and I'll try to keep us both alive.[/color]"

After those words, he turned to the others in the group once more.

"[color=00ffbb]I mentioned my power on the ride over? This glow means my magic is being used. Normally I'd ask you guys ahead of time before screwing with your heads, but this is a life or death situation. You can bitch at me afterwards if we live.[/color]"

As the younger boy grabbed his Jacket, he focused his attention once more on the eye-leg-thing, now fully upright and glowing once more. Lawrence dropped to one knee and closed the action on his shotgun, aiming high on the eyeball to at least try and topple it over again if the slug didn't penetrate. His only warning was a quick:

"[color=00ffbb]Cover your ears![/color]"

Before firing. Instantly he regretted his lack of ear protection, an unfortunate side affect of being rushed into the battle. He opened the action once more, waiting for the ringing in his ears to subside, ejecting the spent casing automatically. As he fumbled for a new shell in his pocket, he spoke a final time.

"[color=00ffbb]I suggest whatever we do we start doing it quickly.[/color]"