[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/w1eRoUs.jpeg[/img] [sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=796e9c][b]#796e9c[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]alloy[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/Keu4D2D][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=808080][b]descendant tower[/b][/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center] [indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Tobias disappeared into his penthouse after hearing the news about Iceman and his family. He remained locked away for the remainder of the evening, but he got little to no sleep. Most of his night was spent scouring the internet for any information he could find, like he did every time after a disappearance. And like every other time, he found nothing new… Nothing aside for an unaccounted for daughter. He could only hope she got away. That’s the most anyone could ask for. If he wasn’t in the tower he might have tried looking for her, but he imagined Luke or the I.H.A. was already on that… [i]hopefully.[/i] He managed to get a couple hours of restless sleep, before Tobias’s alarm woke him up just when the sun had started cresting over the horizon. With a groan, he slowly pried himself out of bed and groggily made his way to the shower. While he knew he was promptly about to go work out until he was dripping in sweat, he could never start a day without a shower and often accepted that he’d have to have a second one before noon. The tower felt like a capsule frozen in time while the world continued to change all around it. Everything about his penthouse was the exact same, even down to the stocked bodywash in the shower that he used back when he attended. There was a selfish part of him that was happy to be back in the one place that truly felt like home with some of the people he called friends. But the circumstances soured any contentment he could find in it. He wasn’t there to train and grow, but to solve a crisis, and he was surrounded by more unfamiliar faces than old peers. He felt like a stranger in his safe space. It left him on edge and floundering to ground himself. After a brisk shower, Tobias got dressed into something suitable for working out, a simple pair of shorts, a sleeveless hoodie and some running shoes. He made himself a water bottle, grabbed his phone, and put on his headphones. He lingered by the door as he turned on his workout playlist which, surprisingly, was mostly classical music with a heavy focus on the piano. With the volume up loud enough that it drowned out all other noises and half of his thoughts, he stepped out to the stairwell and started the long descent down to the ground floor. Like he did every morning back during his time at the academy, Tobias started his day with an early morning jog. He left his water behind in the lobby and set out at a casual pace down the street. Alone, with nothing but his thoughts for company, he ran the entire length of Descendants Drive, which came out to a little over five miles. With everything going on, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to run alone, but if nothing else, the one thing he learned during Helena’s abduction was whomever [i]they[/i] were… They didn’t want him. He wasn’t sure if that was his saving grace or just pure torture. But if he wasn’t in danger of getting spirited away, then he wasn’t going to let himself remain a scared prisoner in a tower. Nothing could be accomplished while hiding inside a luxurious fortress. With every step his mind replayed his and Helena’s attack like he’d done obsessively numerous times a day in hopes that he’d pick up on something new that he missed. But as Tobias’s speed quickened his thoughts shifted back to Luke’s message about Iceman and his family. There have been countless abductions but the killing of an innocent in the process was not something he was used to seeing. And the daughter… Luke said she didn’t appear to be taken, but wasn’t found. Westchester, New York wasn’t far away, an hour maybe if he ignored traffic laws. The temptation to leave and help search was hard to ignore. If that was Helena… or Mystique, he’d hope that someone, [i]anyone[/i] capable of helping would. She was so close, but he had no way to even begin looking. How the fuck could he search an entire county looking for one single person with no idea where she started or what she looked like? The frustration drove him harder until he was back at the tower, chest heaving and dripping in sweat. Tobias made his way back into the lobby where he found Alfred standing at the ready with his water bottle in one hand and a towel in the other. [color=d6d6d6]"You shouldn’t be out alone, Mr. Lehnsherr,"[/color] the man’s face was full of concern as he warned him. [color=796e9c]"They don’t want me, Alfred,"[/color] Tobias reminded him as he took the towel and started wiping the sweat from his brow. [color=d6d6d6]"I’d hate to see something happen to you due to false security."[/color] Tobias sighed, draping the damp cloth around his shoulders before taking his water and drinking half of it. [color=796e9c]"I’ll run on a treadmill in the future,"[/color] he conceded with a weak smile. If anyone else would have shown concern for his wellbeing, he probably would have shrugged it off and ignored it, but Alfred had been nothing but kind and caring since the day he arrived at the academy. Because of that, he found it exceptionally difficult to disregard him… And the man knew it, even if he never let on. [color=d6d6d6]"Thank you for humoring an old man,"[/color] Alfred said with a wary smile and a pat to Tobias’s shoulder. He gave the older man a tight lipped smile and a nod of his head before making his way toward the stairs. Tobias didn’t love the idea of running on a treadmill but if it made Alfred happy he’d suffer through it. The compromise was relatively painless, but that didn’t mean he’d stay locked in the tower forever if he knew he could help someone in need. No one needed to know that though. That was one thing he’d risk being captured or angering the others for. He could ask for forgiveness afterwards. Tobias spent the remainder of the morning in the gym, doing an obscene amount of reps on every piece of weight equipment possible. He took a break once when Alfred showed up with some breakfast and insisted he ate, but otherwise he worked himself near to the edge of exhaustion. It seemed anymore that was the one thing he had control over and with the world spiraling into chaos, control was the one thing he was desperate to cling to. He had lost track of time on his second rotation around the gym when J.A.R.V.I.S. made an announcement throughout the tower, the familiar chimes striking Tobias with a wave of nostalgia. [color=d6d6d6]"Good morning. Given light of recent events, Mr. Coulson has arranged a training session which will commence in thirty minutes, at noon, on sub-level six. He has requested you all arrive unencumbered with any uniforms, gadgets, weapons or any other paraphernalia. Thank you."[/color] He sighed, immediately regretting going so hard on his workout. Well, whatever. Tobias could train exhausted for all he cared. The likelihood of him always being at 100% in a fight was low. His muscles might have already been aching and he [i]definitely[/i] had a couple loose stitches in his shoulder, but he’d be fine. Using the towel Alfred gave him, he wiped off what sweat he could and discarded it into a dirty basket before making his way toward sub-level 6. Considering he made his way downstairs less than five minutes after J.A.R.V.I.S.’s announcement, it wasn’t surprising that he was the first one there. Even back during his days at the academy, it wasn’t uncommon for him to be one of the first people at training. Tobias made his way over to one of the benches in front of the viewing window that looked out into the simulation room. With a quiet groan, he took a seat and waited patiently for everyone else to arrive.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] [center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]