[hr][hr][i][h1][color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color].[/h1][sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr][hider=Adrisaurus - Soldier's Dance][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7iqzEErbI[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Greencrest Heights, White Coast_[/code][/b]

It was a little hard lying to Meifeng after all these years, but it was nothing but a little white lie.

While Lihua was not going to the Academy, she was heading to Courtbridge to go on a date. One of her co-workers set her up on a blind date, and Lihua only accepted it because - hell - the fifty-year-old woman had nothing better to do. Either she went for it, or it'd be another lonely night where she drinks herself to sleep. Maybe she'd meet a nice guy. Between working hard, and making sure Lijuan didn't grow up to be a psychopath, she didn't really have a lot of time to dedicate to meeting guys. And, of course, she also didn't have the energy to do so with all of her stress caused by her various mental problems. The only reason why she didn't tell Meifeng because she didn't want to hear Meifeng teasing her about it.

Lihua finally zipped up her navy blue dress. She was a little hesitant to wear this because it showed a little bit too much cleavage. That was probably the fault of her impressive bust than the dress. She would wear her qipao, but the last thing she wanted to do was to look like a giant stereotype. After getting ready, Lihua grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and drank a little bit of it raw, before storing it inside of her purse. She would make sure that she kept her eye on her drink. While she wasn't a young pretty girl, she wasn't going to get cocky, and let her guard down. Everyone's into [i]something[/i] these days. Though, she has a fully-loaded pistol and an itchy trigger finger to go with it.

Afterwards, Lihua stepped out the door and walked down her stairs, and peeked into the living room. Meifeng was playing a game with Lijuan on their tablet, one of the things that Lihua got for her to keep her busy. Good, long as Meifeng didn't see her wearing this dress (and by that, she meant her cleavage, and immediately figured something out). "Alright, I'm leaving, make sure to get Lijuan in bed by ten," Lihua said as she stepped out the door.

Ever since the Eco-Natura attack on Prince Edfield, Lihua had to drive a rental - because her insurance actually [i]didn't[/i] cover her car being crushed by a tree. God damn it. Lihua got into the car, and began driving. It wouldn't be that long of a drive, since it's a Tuesday night, and everyone was indoors.

[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

Just as Lihua had predicted, she arrived in around twenty minutes. She grabbed her purse, and then got out the car, taking slow steps towards the Orchestra Mall. It wasn't anything special: it was mostly just a mall that had all manner of shops - clothing, food courts, etc - but, it was known for it's music stores. Such as... Well, Lihua didn't know about for the life of her. Music was never her thing. Except for listening to classy music, with loads of violins... that would be the only instrument Lihua would ever be interested in, but she's getting off topic. Lihua walked inside of the mall with her purse in hand... she felt like she's stunning. Like a finely aged wine.

There was a restaurant in here where she's supposed to meet her date... Nirvana. It wasn't a posh or high-class place, but it was known for its seafood. One thing that Lihua loved the most! She stepped inside, and could smell the great food. Now... all she had to do was find her date. They had a table reserved by the window. Lihua walked up to the front counter.

"Oh, I have a reservation... David Piers. He isn't here yet," Lihua said, nodding her head. She hoped that she wouldn't be left with the bill.

"Oh? Right this way, then." The waitress lead Lihua all the way to her table... and he wasn't even there.

He said he'd be here at this hour. It's rude to make a woman wait.

[i]Especially Lihua.[/i]

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=aqua]Jennifer Marissa Caspin[/color].[/h1][sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

It was kind of sad.

Jennifer usually spent a little bit of her time after getting off work to head over to the Orchestra Mall... only because she wanted to try out their extensive arcade that was known all over Baybridge. Usually she would spend an hour here, and then head back to the apartment... but that hour quickly turned into three. She was just helping herself to the classic games... and the fighting games they had there. All while still wearing this awkward uniform. It wasn't out of any addiction - but it was a [i]distraction[/i] from what had happened earlier today with Haruka. She wasn't ready to show her past, yet she did, only because she was pressured. She felt ashamed of her past, but every time she tried to move on, she just got dragged right back in...

It was a sad, and vicious cycle, but it was one that she was condemned to long as she drew breath.

For now, Jennifer was just content with distracting herself with a game of Street Fighter IV on this arcade machine. She was always drawn towards Cammy, and Chun-Li, so she picked the former.

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=#900020]Samina Malbari[/color].[/h1][sub]([@defacto])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Rise & Shine Cafe, Orchestra Mall - Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

"You know how much it costed me to cover up that article?" Randall's eyes blazed furiously. "My boss wants me dead for covering the attack without his permission!"

Samina took a sip of her Turkish coffee. "No one has a clue about what happened. For all matters it was---"

"Terrorism!" he cut her with a voice loud enough to be heard at the next table. He continued in a low voice, after noticing the confused gazes from a couple sitting at the table, "I mean... soon the media will know it wasn't gang war and will start asking questions. Especially why we knew firsthand. They’ll question me, Samina. ME! It's my ass on the line." Randall raised his hands to his temples.

"You're really nervous, Randall." She cracked a smile as she took another sip. "Have you ever thought in trying out the Turkish coffee from here? It's wonderful. A few years ago I was in Greece, we had to smuggle a ton of missiles to the Middle East. Anyway, we found this little bar in Thessaloniki. I think the name of the owner was Nikolas - he taught me how to made the coffee. Did you know that the coffee is unfiltered, and is made with finely ground roasted beans? Most importantly: the coffee isn't boiled, they prepare it below the boiling point---"

"Samina, focus."

"What I mean is that its position in the newspaper is safe. No one will fire you because of the New York Times, much less connect you to SCAR. I'll have to see what they can do in the office, okay...? What's wrong with you? Is something on my hair?"

Samina waited for a response but Randall only tilted his head to the side as far as he could, continued staring with wide eyes and stamped fear on his face.

"What's it?" She turned around to see what he was seeing. "Looks like you saw death hims--- MOTHERFUCKER!" In a blink of an eye her hands were searching for the phone in her purse. Then she began writing a message and by the time one of the Intimidation Unit approached her, the message read:

[quote][code]MOM I LOVED THE DINNER.[/code][/quote]
To Samina's misfortune, he took the phone from her hand before she could send the message thus preventing her from starting any SCAR protocol. It would take time until SCAR found out what was going on with her.

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][/i][hr][hider=God Eater 2: Rage Burst OST - An Extravagant Moment][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6du1YfB9zqc[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

It had really been a long day for Haruka: first, with Jennifer and the reveal of the past she had kept for seven long years... then with Rori and Conor about a church claiming to be able to make Metahumans become normal people.

He wasn't really in a mood to hang out with his college mates right now. He wouldn't have bothered to show up if he didn't have to drop off Rori here... and for free alcohol.

"---Haru." He was jolted out of his thoughts when his elbows suddenly slipped off the table - the girl sitting beside him, Angela, was shaking him by the shoulder to get his attention. "You okay? I can't believe you're spacing out while we're talking about a road trip over the sem break. A road trip, for all of us here!"

"Sorry," Haruka mumbled, taking a sip of his beer. "Just... I'm a bit tired, that's all." All the caffeine earlier in the day didn't help, not one bit. He looked up at the ceiling - made up of glass that gave him a great view of the blue sky above. Angela worked part-time in this German-esque restaurant bar, situated at the topmost level in this mall; today was her treat, which was a great relief since the food here wasn't that affordable for a bunch of mere college kids like them.

"But you're definitely coming with us, yeah?" Sitting across him was a blond dude named Marcus who had his usual lopsided grin on his face, but that smile didn't reach his stormy-grey eyes. "Your brother is always out of town, so shouldn't be a problem to bring that bike of yours along for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, you should," Angela perked up, nudging Haruka's arm with her elbow playfully. "And make me feel like I'm flying again."

Marcus' face seemed to darken a little. "...Almost like he's got some sort of [i]superpower[/i] to control his bike." His unblinking eyes shifted from Angela to Haruka. "You're not a Meta, are you?"

Haruka held the blond's gaze, then he laughed. "...No way." He couldn't tell them the truth - most of the people in his course were normies, and he was aware that at least half of them harbored either fear or hatred towards Metahumans. Besides, his ability had nothing to do with his driving skill - okay, maybe just a little, but nowhere enough to fly the heavy bike into the air [i]literally[/i].

"Marc, stop teasing him." Ryan, who was seated next to Marcus, rolled his eyes. "If it wasn't for Haru's notes we would've bombed our papers. It's all thanks to him that we can chill out here and talk about a group vacation without worrying about having to repeat another semester."

Haruka shut them off his mind again while the three were chatting about the trip - there was something more important than their idle conversation (which he had no interest in, anyway).

Something... [i]bad[/i].

Just when he felt the strange churning air around him, the sound of terrified screams suddenly filled the mall.

[hr][hr][i][h1]The Black Hound.[/h1][sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

A normal night at the mall was cut painfully short when [i]they[/i] arrived.

Seemingly out of nowhere, portals appeared in the mall, and armed men donned in black armor appeared. It was obvious they were the Founding Family's Intimidation Unit, because they had the logo of the snarling dog on their armor. Dirty and faceless, they immediately began shooting violently in the air, causing a rain of stone and glass to fall down. Everyone was terrified, but before the natural reaction to run kicked in, they heard the strict order to "[i]Get on the ground[/i]!" as the men went through every store. Checking every nook and cranny for people. Before they outright dragged people out of the stores and restaurants and into the main hall of the mall. Each of the members closed the doors to each store, as they literally dragged everyone to the eastmost end of the mall, and lined everyone up against the walls, and storefronts. With their hands tied up behind their backs with plastic handcuffs.

It wasn't long before one last portal appeared, and the Black Hound stepped out slowly. Holding his light-machine gun over his shoulder, his eyes glowed bright red as he surveyed the area... and everyone gasped whenever he looked at them.

"Listen up," the Black Hound said, putting the massive weapon in his hand. He spoke as he took steps along his hostages. "If anyone forces my hand... I'll kill them. Simple as that. I don't plan on turning this into a bloodbath anytime soon. So, if you stay still, everything will go well. No one dies, and you can all go home..."

He stopped, and looked at everyone.

"...If RAVEN doesn't believe their prisoners are more valuable than your lives, that is."

That spelled bad news for the hostages, and worst of all, the Black Hound apparently didn't care for their lives.

"RAVEN and Negotiators should be on their way..." The Black Hound began walking off. "Just keep calm... your life may depend on it."

While they were arriving, however, it was about time that the Black Hound locked down the area. He knew that there had to be [i]some[/i] Metahumans in their midst, and the last thing he wanted was for their to be an... accident, because someone got cocky.

The Black Hound's mask scanned faces for the Founding Family's little database...

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=springgreen]Cindy Gabrielle Keagan[/color].[/h1][sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]DOVE/RAVEN Joint West Coast Headquarters_[/code][/b]

Cindy was hoping that she could get some cases done before she would head back home... maybe she'd take the day off. She hadn't had a real day off in ages. She should go check on Wendy, but Reed had that downpacked... actually, she should do that. Just in case the girl would do anything stupid---

"Cindy!" Scarlet slammed open the door, and got Cindy's attention almost instantly. "We have a situation!"

Aw damn it. Why couldn't she have one damn night to do some cases? The way Scarlet was acting, it had to be serious. Cindy made sure to grab her badge off the desk, and ran out. "What is it?"

"The Black Hound is holding the Orchestra Mall hostage," Scarlet said. "There has to be over a hundred hostages!"

...And it was [i]always[/i] the Black Hound now. Cindy was longing for the days when other super-criminals would start to cause problems. Worst of all... he was holding a mall full of people hostage. That's what made the situation worse. She was going have to head straight there, since the Black Hound's a known Metahuman threat, and he's currently the only person who has a Kill-on-Sight order on them.

He's that serious of a threat.

Cindy pressed her earpiece. "[i]Everyone, I need you in Courtbridge immediately[/i]," she spoke into the comms. "...It's the Hound."

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=aqua]Jennifer Marissa Caspin[/color].[/h1][sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]
[hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

While Jennifer was hoping to get away from it all... of course she had to have [i]another[/i] run in with danger.

A barrage of bullets outside gave Jennifer a jolt like no other. Her hand slipped - unfortunately that was the move that cost her the game as she was defeated with one light attack, not that she cared that much at the moment - and her body darted towards the door as she saw armed men rush into the arcade, shooting in the air. Usual intimidation tactics. Jennifer was about to fight... but, she quickly dipped behind some machines. She would rather not fight at the moment, especially when she coukd just hide. She was going to slip out and...

"Freeze!" Men aimed guns at her and Jennifer was immediately forced to raise her hands... but, to be honest, what the hell were they expecting Jennifer to do? She was one-hundred-and-twenty-six pounds... wet.

But everyone was waving around a Metahuman ability these days, and Jennifer was no exception. The men grabbed onto Jennifer, violently yanking her up to her feet (she felt one of them copped a feel... disgusting) as she was carried out of the arcade, and was quickly cuffed and shoved to the ground... then the Black Hound appeared. There was something horribly unnerving about the man, and she only heard about him. Like... what was his goals? Was he out to inflict as much pain and suffering as Luis?

She was praying that she could get out of this alive... but, he was clearly aiming for something [i]big[/i].

[hr][hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][/i][hr][hider=God Eater 2: Rage Burst OST - Puppet of Justice][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xUHAHPStQw[/youtube][/hider][hr]
[b][code]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b]

The Intimidation Unit rounded up every single person in the restaurant bar with quick efficiency. Everyone was handcuffed and gathered together outside the bar; nobody tried - or even feel daring enough - to go against them, not when these men had their guns trained on them in all directions.

"What the hell's going on?" Ryan asked in a low voice, and Angela shook her head slightly in response.

"Fucking Metas," Marcus hissed under his breath. "Why do they always get us [i]normal[/i] people dragged into their shit?"

The terrified murmuring that was growing louder was immediately silenced when one of the men made a clicking sound on his gun - the sound of the pin being unlocked.

Out of all the hostages around him, Haruka was probably the only one who could manage to suppress his fear - of course he was scared like the rest of them, but he had to control his emotions. The last thing he wanted was for his power to go berserk in this situation... and get everyone killed, again.

Taking in a deep breath, he tried to assess his current situation logically to calm himself down: the men were intimidating them with guns, but so far none of them got shot at - which meant that as long as they behave themselves, their lives would be spared... for now.

He remembered hearing some gunshots just now - probably on the other levels. He hoped that no one got hurt, and that meant they were being held hostage for a reason. Probably to use them to negotiate with someone - and that someone was obviously DOVE and RAVEN, which any terrorist organization in Baybridge would have an obvious grudge against. (And Shizuka would likely end up getting involved... if he was still in town.)

But what were they going to negotiate for?

His train of thought was interrupted by... Angela, again. "You're oddly calm about this," she whispered.

"...What do you mean?" Haruka tried to fake a nervous look, but he couldn't do it - he felt that Angela's stare could easily break his half-assed mask.

"Sometimes you have that expression on your face... like you've actually seen [i]hell[/i] before."