Tackytaff

Titans

Stephanie had shown up to the diner thirty minutes before the agreed upon meeting time, only to find her father already seated at a booth, casually sipping a small cup of tea. He looked well enough from what she could see, and no one else seemed to take any notice of him at all. The picture of a perfectly un-remarkable New York dock-man coming off a shift. They'd met in person a few times since his release three weeks prior; but she'd been keeping tabs on him from afar, all as part of her own personal monitoring project. New York's parole officer Seyers was a perfectly fine cop, but Steph doubted anyone in the NYPD could recognize the patterns of a prestiged Gotham lunatic.

Or dad, as she liked to call him.

She did eventually have to enter the place. After pacing the block for some fifteen minutes, Steph finally worked up the courage to enter the dingy 24-hour breakfast joint. Smells of wet boots and bacon grease hit her, nearly in tandem with a greeting from her father; standing up from his seat before the door could close behind her.

"Steph! You made it," In a few long strides he reached her at the half-way point between the entrance and his booth. Once they were within arms reach Stephanie began to stretch out her right hand, only to realize too late that he had been moving with both arms out-stretched. They both changed course at the same time to match the others, until the pair ended in an uncomfortably stiff one-arm hug.

"'course dad'," She said as they parted and he began leading her to the both where a waitress was already bringing out a plate of food. "You seemed pretty pressed to talk on our call."

"Coffee?" The woman demanded of Steph, either oblivious or uncaring to the conversation her customers were having. Steph nodded in reply before taking a seat, and a steaming mug appeared beside the un-requested platter.

"Asked Jess to keep them warm for you. You still like waffles, right?"

She un-pursed her lips into a tight smile and nodded, but made no move for the food; instead she only fumbled idly with the cutlery while deliberating how to navigate the conversation. "You said it was an emergency?"

"I'm sorry, that was... a rash over-statement. Just had a bit of a scare, and got worried about you." As quickly as his smile had faded at her question, it returned again as he leaned forward to generously pour syrup over the food. "But you're good and healthy. How's school been? You're going to graduate this year right?"

Steph shrunk down in the booth, face darkening with a blush at the direction of conversation. It all felt so awkward. As much as Arthur might still see her as his daughter, she was having a much harder time compartmentalizing the murderous Cluemaster from the aged, doting man smiling at her with such hope. "Same as always." She replied, ignoring the graduation query, and took a sip of the coffee- only to promptly spit it back into the mug.

"Sorry, should've warned you," her father reached across the table again to offer a napkin. "The coffee is dish water. But the food's worth it, I promise." He nodded to her plate again. The heat from the waffles had already melted the whipped cream into a puddle. With a sigh, and another forced smile to her father, Steph cut into the treat and took a small bite.

Shit.
They were good.

She managed to force herself to stop after two bites, followed by a single strained swallow. "What was this scare about?"

Arthur sighed, frowning at the question. "Guess it's better for you to know than not." He leaned back in his seat and reached into the inner pocket of his coat.

There was a clatter, drawing the attention of the diner's few other patrons as Stephanie's fully-loaded fork clattered onto the floor. Her father had just produced an uncomfortably familiar red bat-a-rang.

"It's not what you think," He hurried, clearly concerned by whatever look of horror her face had frozen in. "I found it at work yesterday and got a bit freaked."

"Give that to me."

He blinked, raising his eyebrows at her in surprise. "I was just paranoid- turned out a few of the guys had actually been making some shady deal, but I had nothing-"

"I'm serious dad," Steph retrieved her dropped utensil and pushed it and the plate of food away as she leaned in, lowering her voice as she continued. "I believe you, but do you realize the trouble you could get into if someone else caught you carrying that around?"

He stared at her a few seconds longer before setting the weapon down on the table between them. It had barely hit the linoleum surface before Steph snatched and tucked it away. "You're right," he sighed. "I'm still paranoid to be honest. The timing, being outside of Gotham..." His eyes glazed over as he seemed to get lost in thought, staring just over her head.

Stephanie patiently took the time to recompose herself from the sudden panic while polishing off her ice water. Eventually, she reached out to clasp his hand, drawing him out of the trance. "I believe you, dad." Her words and smile seemed to reassure him somewhat. "Coincidences happen, don't let it distract you from what's important."

"You're right." Arthur agreed, "Going to finish that?" He nodded towards her barely touched plate, and she shook her head in response.

"No, sorry, but I really wasn't planning on all this." She vaguely gestured to the table and shrugged. "You did say it was an emergency." She added quickly, suddenly aware of how dismissive that sounded. "Sorry I just mean-"

"No I get it," Arthur interrupted, holding a hand up to stop her from explaining. "It's the 4th, you probably have a million better things to do than listen to my paranoid ramblings"

She had forgotten the holiday completely. "Right, thanks for understanding. We still good for next Thursday?"

He only nodded, making no motion to follow as she stood- neither of the pair eager to repeat the uncomfortable greeting-dance from earlier. Only when she'd reached the diner's door did he call out a final time:

"Steph! Promise you'll be careful, right?"

She swallowed the urge to return the sentiment, and instead just gave a wave and a final forced smile before leaving.

Her bike was parked three blocks away, tucked neatly away behind a dumpster and under a black canvas tarp. The covering was put away, and the back compartment opened to reveal the red-and-green self-made costume. Stephanie fumbled with the bat-a-rang in her hands, pressing the inner button to no effect. Water damaged. She cursed quietly and slammed the box shut with the weapon inside, before kicking the bike into gear. At least she hadn't been totally careless. The damned thing had fallen under the port and washed ashore. She was just unlucky.

She couldn't afford to be unlucky though, not if it meant sending her dad into a spiral all over again. After all, she'd been patrolling the docks for his benefit in the first place. She'd just have to do better. Even if it meant diving into the Hudson.

The reminder of the holiday brought Steph further into Manhattan. There was sure to be trouble about, and her plan had been to start a patrol route anyways. Bright fireworks peeked out between buildings as she wove her way between the midtown traffic, eventually pulling up to the park. Friends and family crowded into the out of place green space to picnic under the lightshow. It was a nice sight, nice enough for Steph to take a moment peace- were it not for a sudden beeping in her right ear. She managed to pull over just in time to catch a beam of bright yellow light- too large to be a firework- streak across the sky, followed by a crash and ground-shaking impact.

As usual it seemed trouble had found Steph rather than the other way around. She dove behind her bike, quickly undressing the outer-layer of her clothes while attaching the accessories of her robin-suit. Her helmet cycled through differing vision modes as she did. An incredibly high temperature figure seemed to be the source of the initial energy burst- and the proceeding smaller green blast that came after. The things that followed them were decidedly inhuman, wielding weapons completely unfamiliar to her.

Already other vigilantes in the city were making themselves known. Superboy himself was the first to arrive on the scene, uncannily human looking as he directed in monotone. Steph popped her grapple to raise herself atop the building across the street from the original crash sight. The lone fighter was holding her own, but certainly causing some damage. The super-android was soon joined by two more; a speedster and a flying teen Steph didn't recognize. Three heroes standing around while aliens continued to wreak havoc.

"Whitty quips and questions later maybe?" She said, dropping to the ground just behind the group and looking up to examine the underside of the airborne kid's supporting trash-lid.

"Too many exposed people here, either they gotta go or the aliens do."

Her bo-staff extended with a snap of the wrist while she spoke; she immediately used it to push off the ground and flip herself into the fray. A single bat-a-rang flew from her hip and lodged itself into the closest enemy's weapon the moment she landed.

Titans

Character Name

Stephanie Brown-Gordon
Spoiler
Robin

Age

16

Attributes & Abilities

An unofficial and uninvited member of the bat family since '82, Stephanie's entire teenage life has been spent honing her vigilante skills. Her younger years were spent mastering the physical aspect; training with Robin, Nightwing, and Batman for months on end before she was permitted into the field. The mental training she found much more difficult, but through time spent with Batman and knowledge imparted from both her fathers she did eventually develop a keen investigative mind, though she remains too impatient and reckless to be considered fitting of a world-renowned detective.

While trained in the use of most modern armaments, she favors a collapsible bo-staff. She wears a self crafted bat-suit made with the same Waynetech dura-fiber used in The Batsuit, and of course a utility belt to match. On the belt she stores a host of batarangs, two pagers, a minimalist crime scene kit, a grappling hook, lock picks, flash bombs, handcuffs, a deployable rebreather, a deployable net, smoke bombs, and a small first-aid kit. Her cowl is programmed with the ability to receive short-rage communication from accepted Wayne-tech devices, alongside also having night vision, infra-red vision, and satellite navigation functions.

A parting gift before leaving Gotham, Steph's motorcycle is really a hand-me-down of Tim's old Robin bike. Fondly nicknamed 'Raven', the bike has the typical gyroscopic handling shared with all bat-cycles, along with the standard hefty towing and carrying capacity. Deployable road spikes, nets, and a pressurized water cannon all come included. The bike's antennae can serve as an internet and cell tower, while the power source can act as a generator; and all interfaceable with her devices.

Character Synopsis

Stephanie Brown never had much of a chance at a normal life, even if she was able to keep herself out of trouble. Her father was put away for the first time when she was 6 years old, resulting in a quick divorce. A sad beginning, but one not at all uncommon for struggling Gotham homes. During the case, Steph's mother would be introduced to Detective James Gordon. Their relationship grew quickly, until the two were married by Steph's tenth birthday; barely before her father would be released from prison for the first time.

Whether it was the loss of his wife, the absence of his daughter, or his treatment in lock-up; the time away had not been kind to Arthur Brown. No sooner was he put on probation than he began to lose it. Stephanie attempted to visit, only to find the man muttering to himself and tinkering with things the young girl didn't recognize. Until she saw one of the devices on the news. A bomb delivered by one Cluemaster to the Gotham Knight's stadium. She brought her concerns to her then Police Sergeant step-father, and while he respected her intuition enough to listen, was unconvinced there was enough evidence to go after his wife's ex-husband without it looking like an abuse of power. So, Stephanie took matters into her own hands.

Aware of Gordon's 'personal' relation with the bat, Steph donned her own purple out-fit and hid in the shadows of the Gotham PD roof for the better part of the night, waiting for Batman to arrive. He never did. Instead, a scrawny teenager dressed in the red and green turned up and exchanged a few brief words with Gordon before leaving; while Steph silently followed.

Thus began a strained relationship between Stephanie Brown and the Bat Family, and a tumultuous relationship between herself and the Robin at the time; Tim Drake. After months of training and butting heads with Batman, Cluemaster was sent away to Arkham and 'Spoiler' had become a respected ally to the Family. For nearly four years, Steph was able to hone her skills with the best of the best: Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, and Richard Greyson.

Until Tim Drake unexpectedly retired from the caped-crusading business just after his senior year of highschool had begun. Part pressure from his parents, who'd long grown suspicious of his absences and injuries, and in effort to contribute good to the world in more traditional ways. Whatever the reason, the spot of Batman's Kid-Wonder was vacant, and Steph wasted no time volunteering for the position, only to be met with disappointment. Bruce had no desire to take on another ward, least of all her: she had a family already, after all, and her proximity to Gordon posed too much a risk. With Dick brooding in Bludhaven, Tim nowhere to be found, and her parents obsessing over her 7-year-old prodigy half-sister, Barbra, Steph has found herself rather alone and feeling abandoned.

Titans

here we go again

Character Name

Stephanie Brown-Gordon
Spoiler
Robin

Age

16

Attributes & Abilities

An unofficial and uninvited member of the bat family since '82, Stephanie's entire teenage life has been spent honing her vigilante skills. Her younger years were spent mastering the physical aspect; training with Robin, Nightwing, and Batman for months on end before she was permitted into the field. The mental training she found much more difficult, but through time spent with Batman and knowledge imparted from both her fathers she did eventually develop a keen investigative mind, though she remains too impatient and reckless to be considered fitting of a world-renowned detective.

While trained in the use of most modern armaments, she favours a collapsible bo-staff. She wears a self crafted bat-suit made with the same Waynetech dura-fiber used in The Batsuit, and of course an over-prepared utility belt to match. On the belt she stores a host of batarangs, two pagers, a minimalist crime scene kit, a grappling hook, lock picks, flash bombs, handcuffs, a deployable rebreather, a deployable net, smoke bombs, and a small first-aid kit. Her cowl is programmed with the ability to receive short-rage communication from accepted Wayne-tech devices, alongside also having night vision, infra-red vision, and satellite navigation functions.

A parting gift before leaving Gotham, Steph's motorcycle is really a hand-me-down of Tim's old Robin bike. Fondly nicknamed 'Raven', the bike has the typical gyroscopic handling shared with all bat-cycles, along with the standard hefty towing and carrying capacity. Deployable road spikes, nets, and a pressurized water cannon all come included. The bike's antennae can serve as an internet and cell tower, while the power source can act as a generator; and all interfaceable with her devices.

Character Synopsis

Stephanie Brown never had much of a chance at a normal life, even if she was able to keep herself out of trouble. Her father was put away for the first time when she was 6 years old, resulting in a quick divorce. A sad beginning, but one not at all uncommon for struggling Gotham homes. During the case, Steph's mother would be introduced to Detective James Gordon. Their relationship grew quickly, until the two were married by Steph's tenth birthday; barely before her father would be released from prison for the first time.

Whether it was the loss of his wife, the absence of his daughter, or his treatment in lock-up; the time away had not been kind to Arthur Brown. No sooner was he put on probation than he began to lose it. Stephanie attempted to visit, only to find the man muttering to himself and tinkering with things the young girl didn't recognize. Until she saw one of the devices on the news. A bomb delivered by one Cluemaster to the Gotham Knight's stadium. She brought her concerns to her then Police Sergeant step-father, and while he respected her intuition enough to listen, was unconvinced there was enough evidence to go after his wife's ex-husband without it looking like an abuse of power. So, Stephanie took matters into her own hands.

Aware of Gordon's 'personal' relation with the bat, Steph donned her own purple out-fit and hid in the shadows of the Gotham PD roof for the better part of the night, waiting for Batman to arrive. He never did. Instead, a scrawny teenager dressed in the red and green turned up and exchanged a few brief words with Gordon before leaving; while Steph silently followed.

Thus began a strained relationship between Stephanie Brown and the Bat Family, and a tumultuous relationship between herself and the Robin at the time; Tim Drake. After months of training and butting heads with Batman, Cluemaster was sent away to Arkham and 'Spoiler' had become a respected ally to the Family. For nearly four years, Steph was able to hone her skills with the best of the best: Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, and Richard Greyson.

Until Tim Drake unexpectedly retired from the caped-crusading business his senior year of high school; up and leaving Gotham overnight with barely a goodbye sent Stephanie's way. Whatever his reasons, the spot of Batman's Kid-Wonder was vacant, and Steph wasted no time volunteering for the position, only to be met with disappointment. Bruce had no desire to take on another ward, least of all her: she had a family already, and her proximity to Gordon posed too much a risk. With Dick brooding in Bludhaven, Tim nowhere to be found, and her parents obsessing over her 7-year-old prodigy half-sister, Barbra, Steph found herself rather alone and feeling abandoned.

So once again she set out on her own. Convincing her mother to allow her to spend the year in New York with her newly-released criminal father wasn't about to fly, so instead she spun the lie of an early acceptance to the NYU Tech program, official-looking acceptance letter and all. In truth, Stephanie's prospects look rather bleak, but New York City promises a fresh start to make a name of her own, and an easy way to ensure dear'ol'dad wasn't slipping back into bad habits.

Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

Makenna's first call was to her father. It was well overdue; with her hearing taking nearly three days to fully return. Through-out the recovery persisted the suffocating presence of Officer Haynes, repeating the same amendment to the Connecticut constitution each time she asked**. He recited the passage with such monotonous detail as to trigger a flare up in her still-lingering tinnitus with a subsequent migraine. Still, a phone did come after four cycles of sleep spent in the sterile, windowless, hype-proof cell.

It was old-fashioned, lacking even a touch-screen. Nothing but a keypad to dial the two numbers provided to her on a notepad.

The first call was to her father, but it was her grandmother who answered. The call had gone poorly from that moment onward. Rose Coultier had never liked Makenna's mother, from her first arrival in Lafayette; claiming she could sense the white woman's bad energies. Jaida's flight shortly after her daughter's birth had done nothing to help the old woman's superstitions. Makenna had hardly finished explaining where she was before the line went dead.

She sat in stunned silence, listening to the dead tone for some time before promptly pushing the interaction out of her mind and punching in the second number provided. Carson. As loathe as she was to even let him know what happened, he was the only person in a position to give her any real support.

"Ken? Are you okay?" She'd hardly heard the phone ring before it was answered. Carson was on the other line, worried for her, but patiently listening as she carefully explained the events of the past few days to him: The bachelorette party, the karaoke, the event and the following fog.

"Hold tight Kenna," and then his final words to her: "We'll figure this out". Over the phone he sounded just confident enough for a small part of Makenna to believe him.

---

_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

First Class #2.41: Change

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_{Interaction(s): Suzie Poots @Kuro}

Previously: N/A

Another PCRU afternoon, another ceremony. Makenna wondered if they'd decided to hold this particular one in the stadium incase Cassander's body hadn't quite made it past the horizon in time. A burning corpse visible from the field sure would have been a mood-killer. Dead, gone, and mourned; the faculty had clearly decided Cassander's time was over and they'd all better get back to the ever-important campus traditions.

Two armbands and an envelope. Makenna wasted no time removing the piece of fabric already attached to her arm. While far from certain about what her final choice would be, Makenna wasn't one to chose a losing team. One team member in the hospital, another dead, and the rest eager to follow; Blackjack wasn't looking much like a group of winners.

Which left her with Firebird or Eclipse. She took the time to further evaluate each group as the introductions and speeches droned on in the background.

Firebird seemed obvious. They'd withstood the attack without a single soul lost or turned, but that kind of unity was a obstacle in itself. In Firebird she'd be the outsider; a mismatched piece from her own team seeking refuge in another. Eclipse, however... she looked to the much smaller group sporting the crescent band. There were so few left. Those remaining had felt betrayal, and were no doubt lost; confused. Barely a team really, but it could be the start of one; one which Makenna had the chance to play a pivotal role in shaping.

A roaring of cheers finally drew her out from her thoughts. She looked up to see Trace, the first of Blackjack to step forward and make her intentions known. It made sense, she supposed. They'd been the first to bolt at the campfire after all. She stepped forward with Trace, face perfectly fixed with a self-assured smile, as blackjack's armband fell to the ground. Firebird's remained tightly balled in Makenna's left hand, while Eclipse's waved freely in her right.

"Don't worry about me, I heard the rules," She said in a sickeningly sweet tone to the transfer student offering up unsought opinions. "I know what I'm doing."

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Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

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_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

First Class #2.21: Fine (II)

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_{Interaction(s):}

Previously: N/A

Makenna folded her arms and glowered at her surrounding classmates. So much for turning the conversation to less volatile topics. She gave a few moments for the others to speak and reign in her own emotions before letting out a long sigh and eye-roll following Luce's departure.

"All well and good for the immortal girl to go chasing death." Makenna said as Luce walked away, only for Haleighto push herself after her. "Or the one too powerful to even stand near us." She did nothing to hide her eye-rolling condescension now; exhaustion had extinguished her usual ability to mask her nastier emotions.

"I don't know what the rest of you saw last week. But to me it looked like a bunch of scared, unprepared kids way out of their league, and one of us was killed for it."

With that, she too stood up to leave. If they all wanted to get into trouble with both Hyperion and the school that was their problem, but she wasn't putting herself at risk further by witnessing it. Distantly, she was aware of the vibrating message notification in her pocket.

"I, for one, will do everything in my power to prepare and not be the next body we send floating down. Hope the rest of you can manage the same" She pointed to the horizon where Cassander's flaming boat had disappeared some time ago, before turning to leave the group in search of her dorms.

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Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

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_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

First Class #2.15: Fine

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_{Interaction(s):}

Previously: N/A

03:11

Makenna's phone nearly blinded her with the familiar home-screen. Herself and Carson, smiling and dressed to the nines; proudly posing, arms extended to flaunt the shining ring on her hand. Some other student had woken with enough of a start to disturb her trance for what felt like the fifth time that night. With an over-dramatic sigh, she fell back down onto her pillow. She'd always been grateful for her own absence of nightmares; but ever since the trails... Well, at least the others had something to wake from.

A week since she'd been able to rest; the comfort of the installed tent mattress and soothing rain splattering outside, only to be ripped awake and thrown out into the harsh winds. If only the cold had been the worst of it.

She shut off her phone again and willed herself to close her eyes and sleep, to no avail. Tired as she was, her heart-rate increased, and her slow deep breaths turned shallow and rapid as the feeling of an immense weight began pressing on her chest.

It wasn't real, she knew- a figment of a memory: her own voice being choked out mid-scream.

Unable to bear it any further, she opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust to the darkness once more. Another night was spent tracing the invisible panels in the ceiling as Makenna did her best to regulate her thoughts and emotions.

---

07:00

Barely two notes of an alarm played before Makenna had shut off the device and was out of bed. Careful to reduce the amount of noise she made in the shared room; she picked through her belongings for the essentials before slipping into the bathroom. As painfully exhausted as she was, daytime was a hundred time better than night. Getting assigned to infirmary duty was unfortunate timing; but at least it was something to occupy her mind and time. The silent darkness of night had become oppressive - the absence of activity leaving her mind nothing to do but wander and inevitably replay the events of the camping trip cut short.

Lacking any real nurse training, Makenna was relegated to glorified maintenance duties: Restocking gauze and swabs, transporting monitors and clipboards to wherever they were needed. She was strictly prohibited to enter the rooms of her injured team-mates. Not that she had much anything to say to them if she had the chance, but the brief glimpses she caught through windows; bodies of mostly bandages, with the only bits of flesh exposed unrecognizably dark and swollen, were more than enough to deter her.

---

14:42

The vibration of the phone in her pocket made Makenna jump. She'd silenced most of her notifications for the past few days. Carson had been the one flooding her inbox for once, and yet she couldn't bring herself to so much as read his messages. Hyperion and the boy she'd never know were all she could think about, and she wasn't so stupid as to believe her communications weren't monitored. She'd been watching the news, or lack there of. Who knew the repercussions of letting out what happened. Once they were done with the funeral, it would be as though Cassander Charon never existed.

"...You there Kenna?" Carson's voice came through.

She'd answered the call without saying anything. "Mhm, here. Sorry, just been a bit distracted"

"Oh, thank god," He actually sounded relieved. "You've been ignoring my messages and I was getting worried."

Rational, balanced Makenna would have held onto the fact it had taken him an entire week to be worried enough to call- But she was neither; only sleep-deprived, stressed, and stupidly grateful there was someone out there who would miss her. She held the phone at arm's length as she muffled a sob in a handful of tissue.

"God Carson, I'm so..." What could she say? "It's so good to hear your voice." She finally managed to choke out before another hiccup of tears came; beginning an outpouring of liquid from her eyes and nose.

"What the hell has been going on, Ken? You sound awful."

"Nothing - nothing." She muttered before placing the phone on the bed in front of her to use both hands to staunch the flow of snot and tears. "I've just been so fucking lonely." The confession was so honest it shocked her into silence again. Exhaustion really had turned her stupid.

The silence was reciprocated on the other line for a few painful seconds. "Is there anything I can do? Anything you need?"

Makenna sighed and looked down to her left hand, ring glinting between balls of used tissue.
"I need you here" She finally breathed. "I'm so tired of all this dancing in circles Carson. "All I want is to see you"

"The semester just started, Ken, and there are interviews for the paper-" She'd been determined not to interrupt his excuse, but couldn't help a sharp intake of breath that gave them both pause. "I'll look at my schedule and call you tomorrow."

The last thing she wanted was for him to hang up, but she'd behaved pitifully enough for one phone call without resorting to begging him not to go. "I love you"

"You too" Was his short reply before promptly hanging up.

She held the phone to her ear as the dial tone played. Eventually, she stood to scrub the evidence of the outburst from her face; she could hardly go into her psych appointment puffy-eyed and red-faced.

---

17:34

It was too early to be expecting a response, never mind confirmation; but the entire funeral service, Makenna had been only be able to think about Carson and what a visit from him might entail. So much between them remained uncertain and unsaid. She worried pushing him too hard too fast would force him to the wrong decision; but in a moment of weakness, that was exactly what she'd done. She pocketed her phone again, and surveyed the courtyard for her classmates.

Multiple teams were there, the intended 'opponents' of the trials. As though competing in dodgeball would ever have been enough to prepare them for something like Hyperion. Trevor stuck out as a familiar face, as did the grouping of Rory, Trace, and Haleigh.

"Lovely service" She murmured on approach to the latter bunch, plastered smile friendly enough to appear oblivious to their prior conversation. "Sad as it is none of us really got to know him," She added, right hand moving to twist the ring on her left before nodding towards Rory. "Your speech was very touching anyway."

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Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

There should have been more noise.

Makenna's eyes told her as much. The blinding lights of police cars, ambulences, and firetrucks should have come with whailing sirens. The flapping mouths talking at her should have sounded words. Instead there was nothing but a high-pitched ringing that threatened to split her head in two. Somewhere between drunk and hungover - Makenna wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. But a pair of prodding hands kept her from doing so each time her eyes began to drift shut.

Vaguely, she was aware of their fingers silently snapping inches from her face. Willing herself to focus, Makenna looked up to the face of a middle-aged man staring down at her, mouth opening and closing. She reached up to her own head, hand brushing against dried blood crusted into her hair and on her neck.

"I can't..." Her throat hurt as she tried to force the words out, and she faltered after only a few syllables before coking into a fit of coughing that only ended when a styrofoam cup of ice water was placed in her hand. There'd been a bar. Her bachelorette, all her friends had been- A wave of adrenaline hit Makenna as the context of emergency vehicles changed. Her previously blurry vision zero'd in on the non-uniformed civilians and the handful of filled stretchers.

A firm hand gripped her forearm the second she made to move from here seated position on the curb. She looked up to see the ever-present staring face of the officer. He spoke his words slowly and with enunciation, enuh so she could understand them from the mere movements of his lips. "You're not going anywhere."

---

_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

The Homecoming Trials #1.100: Don't Look Any Further II

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_{Interaction(s):}

Previously: N/A

The wheel-chaired girl followed up, with such candid vulnerability it nearly made Makenna wince. Perhaps she should have gone into further detail with her own introduction, at least given the illusion of opening up. But about what? Carson and her family were too much of unknowns for her to parse through even with the provided phycologist. She blinked black her own thoughts and made to at least look like she was listening intently to each heart-felt outpouring. First from Haleigh, Rory, and even Banjo.

Calliope of course ensured the topic of conversation didn't stray from her long. Makenna managed to hold back an eye-roll as the pretty blonde girl told her harrowing journey of growing up with silver spoon, only to collapse under the perfection of it all. Worse still was the image of every person in the group eating it up like it wasn't absolute horseshit. Even as Luce began speaking her piece, Makenna's eyes remained on Calliope a moment too long, a brief grimace of disgust breaking through her maintained friendly expression at the notice of her blonde pet's arm around the shoulder. She'd really wasted no time sinking her teeth into that one.

Makenna forced herself to listen to Luce, despite it mostly being a rerun of their earlier talk. At least she managed to hold herself from showing all her scars this time around. Makenna inched closer to her as she finished her piece, eager to repair whatever damage she'd done by ditching so suddenly before. She reached in the left pocket of her jacked and pulled out a pack of gum, offering one to Luce as Iñigo was waved over.

"Sorry for bailing," she half-whispered with a bashful smile, "False alarm, but I thought it was an emergency." After a moment she pocketed the gum again and surveyed the circle while Iñigo made his own presence known.

"Oh, don't worry Iñigo" She quickly spoke up, unprompted. "We're all opening up here, no more secrets. Share with the class." Her tone and smile were pure affability, internally she was desperate for something to end the circle of trauma dumping, and whatever petty drama had involved Calliope's new boy toy seemed a wonderful distraction.

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The Hourglass Order

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♫

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_{Silas Rieger@Tackytaff, Yuliya Ilyanovich Vasilieva @Suicharte, Nazih Iqbal@Ziegenkonig, Esmi’nesta’tawaar@BlackRoseSiren, Yvain de Berbignon@jasbraq, Penelope 'Penny' Pellegrin@Force and Fury, Sven Bjørnsson}

The people of Tagayungri never trusted Nikolai, despite his near decade living there. He ate with them, worked with them, and at times even laughed with them. But his true heritage was never to be forgotten: He was a foreigner forced upon them first and foremost, neighbour and comrade far behind. Not that it stopped the villagers from taking advantage of his freely-offered talent in the gift whenever a child fell ill, or their crop began showing signs of blight. It had been Nikolai’s magic that had saved the first harvest after an unexpected frost, and it was his efforts again that ensured each of the evacuees made it to the safe harbor of the mountains.

The last man out, despite being in good health, stumbled and twisted his ankle in his mad dash to safety. Nikolai lent the man his shoulder as they hurried towards the shelter of the mountains, his gift rushing through the wound with each further step until he was nearly able to bear his own weight and they’d reached safety. The tremors of the oncoming Begemot could still be perceived even in the mountains. Now and then, loose pebbles would fall tumble from the high walls; reminders of their precarious situation. Uneasy whispers echoed off back, slowly escalating to panic, forcing Nikolai to abruptly gather the group’s attention with a sharp clap.

“Friends! Remain quiet and calm. The visitors and I will ensure the threat is removed-” Any further remarks were cut short by another thundering shockwave that sent Nikolai staggering to the nearest wall for support. There was no longer time to waste. He pushed past the grasping hands and the questioning voices until he was overlooking the steppe once more.

The Constansian students might well not have existed. The full view of the Begemot lay before Nikolai; her front rearing upwards to the darkening sky, trunk and horns reaching high enough to pierce the low fogging clouds of the upper steppe. Legs wider than any tree Nikolai had ever seen kicked in the air as she drew in an enormous breath; large enough he was able to feel it from his distant position.

“Get DOWN!” He barely had time to shout to the few that had followed him so far, as the monster let out a bellowing trumpet-scream in frustration. The aftershocks, sent the dead grass of the steppe rolling outwards from te Begemot in every direction.

Nikolai was prepared, and as those around him cowered, he braced to absorb the full impact of the force and sound as it reached them. With practised efficiency the Vissoaryian mage harnessed the tremendous kinetic energy, and reversing the force, shot himself through the air towards the monster and helpless students.

The earth at his landing spot was all but destroyed; ankles sinking deep in the mud the moment he landed. Half of the young foreigners had been knocked on their backs, and the familiar probing of healing magic hummed for targets as they recovered themselves.

The Begemot’s display of frustration had only sunk her deeper into the ground, but her strength proved the greater force as she slogged forward; at least now, she was only walking. A few of the students scrambled to pull on her momentum. Stubbornly though, she pressed forward with impossibly long strides that pulled on the ground under her, threatening to turn the mess of earth into a sinkhole. So that is where Nikolai sent his energy; doing his best to convert the mud to stone. The Begemot was too strong; shattering what little rock he managed to produce between her movements. Suddenly though, she stopped entirely. The sheer impossibility of it had Nikolai searching to find the source. He saw the largest of the students mounted atop one of Dastan’s horses, turned away from the direction he was meant to be going and hand outstretched towards the Begemot. A brief tableaux, before the begemot’s student stop piled the earth around the boy enough to engulf him completely in mud.

Whatever the young man had done was enough to halt the beast, and that was enough opportunity for Nikolai. He scrambled through the mud from his position to reach the Begemot - still but very much alive. Her tusks, trunk, and most of her front torso sunken further still into the ground. He stopped as close as he dared to tread near her, and reached down to spread his magic throughout the muck in another attempt to encase the Begemot in stone.

“Get your friend out!” He shouted to the closest body; the blonde boy, dressed in fine clothes ruined well beyond repair, and gestured to the area he’d seen Sven buried as best he could with his hands in the ground.

He looked around to the rest of the group wildly. Already he could sense the slowed heartbeat of the monster quickening again. “You need to decide what to do. Now.” He demanded of the biros.

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They’d been riding less than five minutes before something went wrong. Ilvir didn’t know what the first happening was, but one of the two that were meant to follow him had turned to stay behind- or if they were really that stupid, to face the Begemot head on. She would crush him, but giving him more warning would only put the others at risk again. Not that Ilvir had a language to communicate he would understand. The dark tall one had taken the second horse, another partner that was useless as deaf. Ilvir did his best to signal Nazih to follow at a good distance using his hands, but the older boy failed to understand, or didn’t care enough to listen.

Another low thundering sound broke across the steppe. Quieter than the trumpeting of the mature begemot’s rage they’d heard from behind seconds ago. The second was fainter, almost an echo; emitted from ahead, the direction they were galloping towards at full speed.

“Ucha!” He shouted backwards, just in time to see the stupid long-foot ruining their hastily crafted lure. Half a carcass shining with ruce-seed oil broke off disappearing in the steppe grasses behind them.

Action Opportunities

Deadline for next post is Friday May 12, 12PM EST.

Your post should include:

What you did to prepare for the Begemot fight
Your reaction to the Begemot arrival, was your character one of the ones knocked down?
How you initially tried to slow/stop the Begemot
What you intend to do during these precious few seconds it is incapacitated

If you require reactions from an NPC, or intend to do something directly to the Begemot please DM or ping me on the discord, I’m always available to help.

Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

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_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

The Homecoming Trials #1.78: Don't Look Any Further

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_{Interaction(s):}

Previously: N/A

It wasn’t Carson messaging her at all. That sent Makenna pacing for a few moments, rapidly slapping her phone against her palm in frustration before eventually making it back to her pitched tent.

Inside, she fell backwards onto the mattress again and raised the device to read the two words a few dozen more times.

Behaving yourself?
- Unknown Number

A few dozen more waves of nausea hit. Each lesser at least, there was a chance she’d even have an appetite for dinner. Makenna didn’t need to know the number to know the sender. Detective Haynes of the Hartford police department wasn’t meant to have contact with Makenna beyond her initial arrest and interrogation. Not that it has stopped him, even before the promotion from regular beat cop.

She deleted the message from her phone and her mind. The man had never been more than a nuisance, and for as long as she was at PRCU, she was untouchable. Makenna focused her attention to the contacts list.

Three rings before Carson’s infuriatingly cheerful voicemail greeted her. She sighed and tossed the phone to the bed. It’d commanded enough of her attention on what should have been a full first day making connections.

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Makenna exited the tent to find the group already convening around a started fire and, infuriatingly, Calliope.

”Oh thanks,” She replied with forced friendliness as she was directed to the kebabs, took none, and sat herself down in an empty spot.

One by one, the others in the circle introduced themselves. A redundant process, but she guessed the others were taking the ‘blank slate’ bussness seriously. Makenna tried to listen to each with an open mind, or at least told herself so. In reality, it was rare for her to go back on her snap judgments of people, not when she found herself so often proven right. Trevor seemed a safe act to follow - if at least to save everyone from any further limb puns.

“Makenna, She began her introduction, shining smile at the ready as it came her turn. “Full merit scholarship Yale undergrad, treasurer of the Yale Daily News, and recipient of the Goldfarb Community Service award.” She paused for a moment, wanting so much it could have ended there. “Not that’s what any of you really wanted to hear about me.” She continued, still smiling as she folded her hands together, looking over the group.

“Four delta esoteric expulsive; vocal projection and mimicry. I can sound like whatever or whoever you want,” Her head tilted as she innocently lifted her eyes to the darkening sky above. “Or just a real screamer if it’s called for.”

With a final flash of white teeth, she looked expectantly to her left to continue the chain.

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Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - [CLOSED]

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_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University, - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

The Homecoming Trials #1.54: Step by Step (III)

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_{Interaction(s):@Jarl Coolgruuf @Roman}

Previously: N/A

“East coast so...” Makenna leaned over him to look out the window “Not all that different from here honestly.” She leaned back in her seat, she could take a hint and if the boy wasn’t going to bite she wouldn’t throw herself at him. Absently, her fingers pressed the button at the bottom of her phone. No new messages showed on the screen.

Her smile didn’t even flinch, and she hardly missed a beat. “I was studying out there, actually, before getting… offered the H.E.A.T. deal.” It was strange to think some of the students here would volunteer to join this psycho experiment of a program. Still, it seemed the better admission to take than ‘I was court mandated and blackmailed by my absentee mother into enrolment’

“How about you? Seem a bit old to have finished high school too recently. What did you do before enrolling?”

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Previously

Behind the forced smile, Makenna’s eye twitched. God the girl really was a hopeless. “No need to be so modest,” She encouraged, pulling out her phone and taking a step back to leave the group as quickly as she’d joined it “There was all that unstoppable stuff too, right? Plus you’re from the area and been camping before, you’ve got to have all kind of tips for us.”

From inside its pocket, her phone was already lighting up from tapping. “We’re all here to bond after all- I just need to check one thing, then I’ll catch you all for dinner yeah?” With a wave, she turned and left the group to give her undivided attention to her phone.

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