[hr][hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjk2LjY0OTVFRC5VMmhwZW5WcllTQlVZV3RoYzJocGNtOCwuMQ,,/murbia-demo.regular.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/U5iaTPQ.png[/img] [sup][@Mr Allen J] & [@tsukune][/sup][/center][hr] [b][code]Gaying at the cake area, DOVE Rally Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b] Now it was Shizuka's turn to raise an eyebrow. [i]Not only Quentin, but Maximilian too?[/i] He was as equally curious about this tall guy - who had just introduced himself as 'Daniel Forsythe' (weird surname that sounded like a swear word in some Asian dialect) - as the counterpart was towards him. "No, I don't think we've met," Shizuka replied, agreeing. "I'm Shizuka. A pleasure to meet you." Giving up on the funnel cake because it looked more disgusting on closer look, he continued to focus his attention on Daniel. "Oh? So how are you acquainted to both Quentin and Maximilian, even having Max as your mentor?" [i]Shizuka, now I remember him.[/i] Shizuka was someone both Max and Quentin spoke of, but never really met him. From the few times he went to headquarters, he never quite saw him as anymore than another agent. Strange how that works. Daniel shrugged, as he put his hand in his pocket. "It's great to meet you, too." He responded, but, his other question made him a bit worried. His eyes shot open a bit, before he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. He knew both Maximilian and Quentin were close to him, and he knew that Shizuka probably wasn't an idiot... so he wondered how he would react if he told him that he was the apprentice for a monster... The silence had gone on far too long, and it became obvious that Daniel was uncomfortable, and was just looking for a way out... before the perfect response hit him, and he felt stupid for not coming up with it soon. "There's a reason why I'm so close to RAVEN..." He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "...I just don't feel comfortable talking about it out here, with so many people." Daniel's nervous body language didn't escape Shizuka's sharp eyes. He could tell that Daniel was hiding something, but he didn't call out to this boy just to intimidate him (even if he was shorter). Besides, he was supposed to be discreet about his duty today. "Right," he said, glancing around to look for a more private spot... and bingo, there was a (conveniently) empty area around the corner just a short walk ahead from where they were. It was well hidden enough that barely anyone would go out of their way to purposely pass by there. "Are you in a rush? You can tell me more about it over there." He tilted his head in the direction of the deserted area. As he began to lead the way towards the place, he felt a slight, invisible wave of sorts trying to prod his mind. He frowned, selectively turning his head intangible for a brief moment. Strange... why would a cerebral Metahuman be using their power to look for him, or even try to peek into his brain at this time? "Not really," Daniel said as he followed Shizuka over. It felt strange telling someone outside of his little circle his past. He didn't know Shizuka that well, but if Max and Quentin trusted him, so did Daniel. He leaned up against the wall, and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, and gently placed it in his mouth. "...Don't tell Max or Quentin, please." He requested, as he put a thumb up, igniting it with a flame from his right hand. He sighed. "The reason why I'm so close to Max and Quentin is simple..." He started off. "I used to be apart of the Founding Family... their inner group of cultivators." He paused for a moment, as he tried to gauge Shizuka's reaction. "And... I became the apprentice of Blake Schmidt. Yes... I had a hand in some of their most inhuman actions, but I turned my back on that - and when I did, they turned their back on me. Reed saved me, but... now Maximilian wants to help me be a better person. To distance myself from that lifestyle, and become a [i]RAVEN[/i]." Shizuka crinkled his nose at the cigarette, but made no comment other than putting a little more distance between himself and Daniel, turning his head away so that he didn't have to breathe in the smoke that came puffing right into his face. Hearing Daniel's little story - the revelation that he was once a member of the Founding Fags, and even having Blake as his mentor before Maximilian came along - didn't garner any negative reaction the boy might be expecting from the Japanese agent. Instead, Shizuka only felt a pang of sympathy for him. "It's not like you didn't have any remorse or humanity like those Blessed Bitches anyway," he said, shrugging. "Nobody's perfect - people do make mistakes in their life. Being able to realize and face those wrongdoings, and making an effort to become a better person is what's most important." Daniel crossed his arms as he took in Shizuka's words. He basically said the same things that Max and Quentin told him. Daniel made mistakes, yeah. Long as he wasn't continuing to make those mistakes, then he could move on. He nodded his head. Shizuka paused for a moment, considering the last line that Daniel had told him. "Even if Max might've seen some kind of potential in you or something, It's ultimately up to your own choice whether you want to become a RAVEN, or contribute to the society in other ways." He let out a short laugh as he had to look up at Daniel to maintain any form of eye contact. "I mean, you ain't a kid, or anyone's underling anymore. I think you're old enough to decide what you really want to do from hereon. The people around you are merely your guides to show you the right path, but whether you want to walk down that path or not, is entirely up to you." It felt weird, that he, of all people, would be giving any sort of advice to another person, to a mere stranger. Maybe age was finally catching up with him on the inside, even though he didn't aged much appearance wise. "You can't go back to change history. Rather than running away from your past and trying to distance yourself from something that's already a part of you, learn to embrace it, and turn it into your strength to help you stay strong, become stronger. Otherwise you'd drown yourself in endless regret, and eventually lose your mind." [i]Just like someone I used to know[/i], he thought sarcastically, but not without a hint of affection. Everything that Shizuka said made an impact on Daniel. He should embrace his past. "The past is the past, yeah," Daniel answered. "I can't forget about the past... I used to be the shining example of everything the Family wanted me to be, but now... I'm my own person." He flicked the cigarette to the ground, and crushed it underneath his boot before he faced Shizuka. "I get to choose who I want to be, and right now..." He hopped off the wall, before he said, "...I want to be Daniel Forsythe, even if people will judge me for my past, that is who I am at my core. "Thank you for the talk," Daniel said. "It helped." Shizuka was a little taken aback when Daniel thanked him. He half expected to get shot down for being a nag - at least that was what he would usually get when he tried to be nice to people like Meifeng, or even his own twin. "Uh, sure, I guess," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. A habitual gesture when he felt either annoyed or awkward. Though, he had to mention this before they parted ways. "And... be careful. I've a feeling someone might be watching, or even targeting both of us. I dunno who or why, just a bad hunch." [hr][hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjExNi41RjlFQTAuVW1WcGJtRnNaQ0JaYjNWdVp3LCwuMA,,/mr-de-haviland.regular.png[/img] [color=teal][b]「 Lazy Day 」[/b][/color][/center][hr] [hider=Final Fantasy Type-0 HD OST - A Day Like any Other / Day of the Sun][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVga7kLnrY[/youtube][/hider][b][code]Wandering aimlessly around DOVE Rally site Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_[/code][/b] Reinald Young had been at the rally site early in the morning with the other "volunteers" - or rather, free labor in the form of his peers from Academy 61 - to put up the banners and decorations, preparing for the event. Including the main (and biggest) banner, which was hung at the entrance to welcome the crowd. It took Rein less than a day to complete that boring banner - he didn't need to put in too much work and effort when all he had to do was to make sure it looked professional... And thus, your usual, overused font types that valued readability over aesthetic appeal. Well, the academy program students weren't here just to do unpaid work for this event. They were here for another reason: to show the public that not all Metahumans were dangerous like the Devil of Verthaven, or the Beast of Prague... even the maniacal Founding Family. Using superpowers did help to ease some of the preparation work: telekinetics could assist in putting up decorations in high places that would normally require ladders to reach, fire and ice manipulators were helping out at the food stalls with their handy abilities... To show that as long as superpowers were used responsibly, it could benefit the people and society, and it didn't deserve the fear and hate the majority had been throwing at them all these years. He was a little surprised - [i]amused[/i] - at the turnout rate for this pro-Metahuman gathering, and one organized by DOVE at that. Metahuman regulation agencies such as DOVE and RAVEN had been under huge pressure ever since the Founding Family incident, blamed for various things that weren't even within their control, or even their fault in the first place. The fearful people had to put the blame somewhere, and DOVE/RAVEN was the most convenient source in Baybridge - or even the whole of North America - to make them feel a tad better, a false sense of control. Of course, even if their way of treating the Metahuman community was a form of disgusting prejudice, Rein was aware that their fear was justifiable to some extent. There were abilities that had to be regulated, or even locked away for their potential impact on the world. His power was one of such example. Although it didn't have obvious lethalness as physical or elemental abilities, it could upset the power balance of nations if he was used as a political tool. For now, his power wouldn't help much with the rally at the moment, so he was free to roam around the site, [i]trying[/i] his best to enjoy himself. (Big crowds like this would make him nervous, to be honest.) "Hey, Rein! [i]Rein![/i]" The Asian teen stopped in his tracks at the second time his name was called. It had been three years, and he should be used to this name. Not like the person who had raised their voice could notice the awkward delay - it was possible Rein didn't heard them the first time with all the noise around him. Turning around, Rein came face to face with a panting girl. An African-American, with her long dark hair tied in a nice braided ponytail on the left side of her head. Both of them were wearing the same black T-shirt with the DOVE rally slogan printed on their back, to identify them as helpers at the event. He had seen her around the academy campus a few times, but he didn't make much effort to memorize names. Rein gave the girl some time to catch her breath, then he asked, "Um... do you need me for something?" "Yeah," she replied, still a little breathless. She swallowed, and went on, "Your power is clairvoyance, right? I need you to help me find someone. It's damn hard to search for him in a crowd like this." Rein shrugged. "Uh, sure, I guess." He led the girl to the side, away from the throngs of people. The girl then showed him her mobile screen. A picture of a dark-haired green-eyed boy about his age, his face a gay mix of strong European features with a girly look. She explained, "His name is Daniel Forsythe. He's also an academy student like us." Rein raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen this guy before in Academy 61. Maybe he was from a different campus? Though he was curious why she would be looking for this person, the Chinese boy said nothing and simply nodded, agreeing to help her. He pulled his conscious away from the din around him, and the sound of chattering deadened, becoming more faraway. His mind slipped into his inner world - "Scape" - and the people around them were transformed into an endless corridor of colorful windows, the entrance to each and everyone of their subconscious. Their dormant dreams. [i]Daniel Forsythe[/i], he thought to himself as he walked down the gallery, scrolling through the windows for the boy. He repeated the name a few times until he felt a feedback coming from his right. Turning his head, his narrowed his eyes and skimmed the windows until he found the source. On closer look, the target seemed to be talking to someone - an Asian man, but it was possible for the appearance of the person to be distorted by this Daniel guy's own perception. The pair seemed to me moving away from the crowd to a quieter area, just a few steps away from their current position. However, when Rein switched his attention to the Asian man that Daniel had chatted with, he was surprised that he couldn't find this man's presence. Was Daniel talking to a ghost? [i]That makes no sense.[/i] The only explanation he could come up with was that whoever the other person was, maybe they had the ability that allowed them to resist cerebral powers. If the ability wasn't passive, it was possible they might have felt his mental probing. Returning back from his trance state, Rein's eyes refocused, and his vision was filled with the scene of the rally before him once more. Only to be suddenly blocked by the face of the girl, giving him a hard stare with those huge, dark eyes. "How's it?" "He's moving towards the empty stall near the dessert station," Rein spoke finally, but not without addressing the burning question on his mind. "Why are you looking for him?" The girl didn't answer; she simply gave him a wink and brisked off, leaving a confused Rein to watch her disappearing into the crowd.