[hr][h2][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5180054][color=8dc73f][i]Myrtle Gardner - Wallƒlower[/i][/color][/url] / [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5185848][color=8882be]Ray Clayton - Madjick[/color][/url][/h2][hr][h3]Seventeenth of November (Afternoon, Arms Park/Secret Bunker)[/h3]
[color=8882be]"Really?! You want to team up?! Excellent!"[/color]

Ray seemed rather excited about the prospect, especially since he wouldn't need to do this job of heroism alone. [color=8882be]"Patrol, train, whatever, it's your pick, my treat."[/color] He then lurched forward, whispering to her ear. [color=8882be][i]"I can also tell you how to win my man's heart."[/i][/color]

[color=8dc73f]"You-you would really do that for me? Tha-thank you..."[/color] Myrtle stammered, her heart fluttering with renewed hope. She put her hands together and wiggled a bit, with her hoodie sleeves flopping around as she moved. But this wasn't all about repairing her relationship with Kotov.

Myrtle smiled gratefully up at Ray and then nodded.  [color=8dc73f]"We should train first-- get to know what the other is capable of. That way, we can work more effectively in the field."[/color]

[color=8882be]"Hmmm. Okay."[/color] Ray didn't have a lot of ideas about her and Kotov, other than the fact that she was head over heels in love, and that he was... well, not really returning the favour. Either way, they should start on getting familiar with each other's abilities now.

Ray chucked the rest of the ice cream into his mouth, and then downed the cone itself to the point of getting some of the stuff on his beard. He wiped it with his jacket's sleeves, and then looked back at Myrtle. [color=8882be]"Let's get to it, then. I have a secret place where I train..."[/color]

Myrtle giggled quietly, hiding her laugh with one sleeve, as she watched Ray take care of his cone.  [color=8dc73f]"A secret place, huh? I can't wait to see," she said as he finished.  She looked into his eyes and clapped her sleeves together in a quiet thud. [color=8dc73f]"So, how do we get there?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"My bourgeoise friend Caitlin Le Roche has a testing facility a few blocks away."[/color], Ray said, pointing past a few buildings beyond the part. [color=8882be]"She's been kind enough to let me use her basement. And I told her that I might be bringing a friend, too."[/color]

[color=8dc73f]"Sure, that sounds awesome! And very generous of her, too."[/color] she remarked, giving him a curious smile, wondering what kind of relationship they shared.  [color=8dc73f]"...Much better than trying to hide out in the woods, like I normally do. So far out of the way, and you always have to worry about hikers or hunters..."[/color] Myrtle babbled, getting psyched at the idea of some real superhero training. [color=8dc73f]"Please, show me the way!"[/color]

[color=8882be]"There are also lots of plants for you to use in there, before you ask."[/color], Ray said as he began to walk towards a rather old building. It was a dilapidated thing, and was probably around since the 40's. The wood creaked with every step they made, and the dust was rather annoying to the nose. 

Even Ray sneezed, as there was quite a lot of fine dust just floating around due to neglect. [color=8882be]"Sorry about that."[/color], he said, hunching over an old rug. He summoned one of his spectral hands, which then pulled the piece of sheepskin off the floor. There was a trapdoor under it, though it could only be opened by hitting these six switches on the walls simultaneously...

[color=8882be]"Get down."[/color], Ray said to Myrtle as all six of his eldritch hands came into existence. They then charged for a brief moment before firing, heating every one of the switches until they all opened. And with that, the trapdoor opened as well.

Ray jumped down the trapdoor, and once Myrtle had followed suit, she would find a rather spacious basement; it would seem that this was a Cold Era bunker, built to survive a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. Now, it was a training ground; burn marks on the far side of the wall told them much. 

Putting an arm over Myrtle's shoulder, Ray started talking again. [color=8882be]"She'll be here soon."[/color]

[color=8dc73f]"This place is awesome... a real war-time bunker! I heard these things existed around Manchester, but never could find one. And-and those custom switches, are they Tinker made?  It's a-it's ah... ahh-chu!"[/color] Myrtle sneezed cutely into her elbow, sounding almost like a little mouse.  [color=8dc73f]"Scuse me, sorry."[/color] she giggled self-consciously. [color=8dc73f]"This place is perfect for our training... and I can't wait to meet your friend."[/color] she nodded, looking up into Ray's eyes with a smile, and then around the room in anticipation.

[color=8882be]"Well, not Tinker made."[/color], Ray answered. [color=8882be]"Caitlin is just a brilliant engineer, and she made those so that I'm the only one who could access the bunker from that trapdoor. They're calibrated to resonate with the eldritch energy that my spectral hands emit. Pretty neat huh?"[/color]

As if in cue, a door opened, and out came a rather young woman, dressed in a grey sweater, a lab coat, and holding a cup of coffee in her hand. [color=8882be]"Speaking of which, [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzJTLJaX4AA29qf.jpg:large]this is Cait[/url]."[/color], Ray then introduced Myrtle to her. [color=8882be]"Caitlyn, this is Myrtle Gardner. You know, the one I told you about?"[/color]

"Yeah, nice to meet you, lovergirl.", Caitlyn simply said with a wink. She then whispered to her ear. [i]"My guy friends are so cute, right?"[/i]

[I][color=8dc73f]Lovergirl![/color][/i] Myrtle closed her eyes, embarrassed, and blushed red at the young women's comment, laughing nervously.   She looked at the undoubtedly beautiful and brilliant women up and down, heart sinking. [I]This[/i] is somebody she has to compete with?!

[color=8dc73f]"Um, the pleasure is all mine, Caitlyn. Thank you for having me here."[/color] Myrtle said, looking her in the eyes and nodding graciously. [I][color=8dc73f]"They are very cute, hehe..."[/color][/i] she giggled shyly, smiling and looking away from her.

Then, looking  to both Ray and Caitlyn she spoke up, [color=8dc73f]"Um, is there anything else I should know?"[/color]

[color=8882be]"We're not in a relationship, if that's what you're asking."[/color], Ray answered with a shrug. [color=8882be]"Cait is my girl best friend. We've known her since college, and she's like the one that keeps the insanity that Kotov and I exude contained."[/color]

Caitlyn nodded. "The two of them are like my younger brothers. I care a lot for them, but to feel romantic about any one of them feels... wrong."

Myrtle took a breath and felt a weight leave her chest, nodding thankfully. It was not the question Myrtle meant to ask, but it was the answer her heart was looking for. To her relief, the perfect woman in front of her was not Kotov's hot new girlfriend but rather a trusted friend as close as family. 

[color=8882be]"Aaaaanyway..."[/color] Ray pointed towards the potted cactus nearby. [color=8882be]"We should get started."[/color]

[Color=8dc73f]"Yes, let's get started!" [/color] Myrtle replied enthusiastically.  She set her bag on the floor by one wall, then knelt next to it and pulled out her mask and gloves. She stood back up and pulled her big hoodie up over her head, accidentally tugging her shirt up a little. She righted it, then put herself together now appearing as Wallflower.

After stuffing her hoodie away in the bag, she turned back to the others and smiled. [Color=8dc73f]"I'm ready. Want a demonstration or should we just get down to sparring?"[/color]

"Let's see what you can do first.", Caitlyn said to Myrtle. "You can make plants grow really fast, right? Anything else?"

[Color=8dc73f]"Yes, that's basically it, but not all.  Here, um, let me show you..." [/color] Myrtle trailed off. Her heart was pounding at the thought of having an audience,  but she was itching to finally show somebody what she could do. She took a few moments to awkwardly toss seeds around her,  then closed her eyes and activated her power in full force. 

All at once Myrtle was aware of her surroundings: the roots behind the walls of the bunker, the plants seeping through the cracks, the seeds on the floor. The seeds and her own body began to take on a faint glow. Soon sprouts were shooting out and blossoming into hundreds of tiny pink flowers. Seconds later thousands of tiny pink petals shot into the air, swirling almost as if they were riding a gust of wind. Half of the petals circled Wallflower while the other half began to take on a feminine human shape. Wallflower and the petal-girl walked and then ran, circling each other until they were face to face. The two struck out in a punch, exploding into a rain of petals.

Then all at once, the petals dropped to reveal Wallflower wrapped up in vines. She was held off the floor by four vine-legs. Two vine arms whipped around. With a look of fierce concentration, Myrtle raced across the room like some kind of strange insect, reaching out for her target. [Color=8dc73f]"Ahhhh-YAH!"[/color] the girl called out, lassoing the potted cactus around the neck and pulling it to the floor. She skid to a stop at its feet.

Wallflower stared at the fallen cactus, breathing hard. She put one hand over her heart and closed her eyes as she lowered herself down to the floor, where she took a deep breath. Soon her breath returned to normal. [Color=8dc73f]"Uh.. uh... s-sorry about that...[/color] Myrtle apologized nervously as she walked back toward her companions. She rubbed the back of her head and closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed. [Color=8dc73f]"Sometimes I... um, the more I use my powers--it's like something else is taking over me."[/color]

[color=8882be]"That was... uh... spooky and really weird, but awesome, nonetheless."[/color] Ray gave a nervous chuckle, and then summoned his own spectral hands. [color=8882be]"Everyone who gets powers feel like something else is taking over.  No one is sure what that is; could be the feeling of power, maybe there's something about power acquisition that causes shifts in our brain chemistry. When I first had these hands, I didn't feel like myself for a time until I realized that these newfound abilities change who we are, somewhat."[/color]

Caitlyn snickered in an effort to lighten the mood. "You're still the sweetest, though."

Ray winked in response. [color=8882be]"Now that is something that will never change!"[/color]

Myrtle gave them a small smile, although she was not feeling much better. Her display had gone a bit out of control, and didn't exactly go as planned. What she intended was to show off her decoy and mover capabilities, but a weird aggressive part of her came out. This [i]thing[/i] inside her made her do it, and freak her friends out in doing it. To be honest with herself, she felt less in control than the last time she practiced. Maybe it was because of her recent emotional breakdown? She would have to find a way to defeat enemies and be a hero without drawing too much of her power, for fear of losing herself. 

She walked over to the fallen cactus and righted it back up. She laid her hand on it and let her power flow, causing the plant to heal and blossom on top. Myrtle sighed, looking at the cactus.[Color=8dc73f]"I much rather use my gift in small ways. It feels.. safer.  Like tripping, binding, disabling and hindering movement,"[/color] she began, then turned back her companions. [Color=8dc73f]"But... I can and will fight with every trick I can think of if that's what it takes to protect those I care about."[/color]  Wallflower explained, looking back to Ray and Caitlyn in the eyes, smiling sadly.

Then, chuckling a bit, she shook her head and added, [Color=8dc73f]"I used to think about how I could use my power to solve world hunger, instead of crime-fighting."[/color]

[color=8882be]"I thought about using these hands for sewing stuff en masse and to be the first pianist with eight hands."[/color] Ray joked. [color=8882be]"And then I found out that they're basically made of rock, so it was impossible to do anything more complicated than grab and punch things with them."[/color]

Caitlyn chuckled in response, and gazed at the light bulb above them. "You should have listened to Kotov when he rambled about becoming a power plant when he was as high as a kite."

Myrtle couldn't help smiling for real, hearing their own fantasies. The two guys were just so cute and tender-hearted.

[color=8882be]"Anyway, I get it. Everyone with powers has a tendency to lose themselves... we're all here to help you get the hang of it. After all, you haven't possessed abilities for a long time, unlike us, who had it for years."[/color]

[Color=8dc73f]"Thank you--thank you both. I-I never had friends like you who really cared about me..."[/color] Myrtle admitted. She crouched down on the floor and pretended to sweep at the petals, her long hair hiding her face and the tears welling at her eyes. 

[Color=8dc73f]"I should clean these up before they die-- since I-I can't control or revive dead plants--if I want to make it to my second shift on time. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon..."[/color] Myrtle apologized as she got back up, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. She had time to make it to work, but right now she was an emotional trainwreck waiting to happen, and she needed to take time away from people to calm down.

Ray nodded, placing both of his hands on Myrtle's shoulders as a friendly gesture. [color=8882be]"Okay."[/color], he then said to her with utmost care. [color=8882be]"Be careful out there, hmmm? Come here, gimme a hug before you go."[/color]

Myrtle nearly burst into tears at Ray's touch but tried to hold it in resulting in a sniffle. She looked away from him, smiling sadly.  It was bittersweet--she was so happy to have found a good friend but couldn't help hating herself and her weakness. Sniffling quietly again, she hugged him tight, taking in his warmth and sighing. A few moments later, she let go, feeling more composed.

Wallflower stepped back and with a wave of her hand, the plant debris around her began to swirl and form a cloud that followed her as she moved. She picked up her bag and nodded her thanks with a grateful smile to both Caitlyn and Ray. [Color=8dc73f]"Okay, I should be off now. Thank you again for having me here. I hope to come back soon."[/color]

[color=8882be]"Well, that was something."[/color] Ray watched as Myrtle fled the basement, the trail of plants following her like a whirlwind. [color=8882be]"She's going to need every bit of guidance to ensure that she stays on the right path."[/color]

Caitlyn chuckled. "Yeah, and she's definitely going to fall for one of you guys." 

[color=8882be]"Nah.",[/color] Ray turned to her with a wry smirk. [color=8882be]"She already has."[/color]