Blazion

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

Slowly, a grin blossomed along Kailani's face, her dark eyes glittering. Well, wasn't that just perfect? Though she seemed alarmed about the fate of Edgar's corpse - probably thought she killed him or something. The islander waved her hand in the air with little concern.

"Don't worry! Like I said, you're the first person to have survived getting here - he was already dead. I'm not a savage. More importantly!" Smoothing back her deep brown hair and fixing the feathered accessory hanging from a lock near her temple, Kailani placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out as she stood proud. "My name is Kailani, and I am the best shipwright on the island!" ... Mostly because she was the only shipwright on the island, but that was neither here no there.

"So the solution is simple! We'll remake the Striker - which, if you're worried, was specifically built to withstand Ka Li'Ai," Kailani gestured toward the storm, "Then get me to land, not geysers. Then in exchange once we're outside I'll build you a ship! The best ship you could ask for! I've been studying and taking them apart all my life! It's perfect!" The dark skinned girl couldn't help but grin widely, pumping her fist in the air. Slowly a frown tugged at her lips. She could almost hear the beating of drums on the wind.

"... Well, it would be perfect if I wasn't being forced to marry today. You know anything about faking your own death?"

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

Oh, the girl was doing something again, this time with the metal case. Kailani made no effort to hide her curiosity as she watched the metal box open up, though she jumped slightly at the hiss. Huh.

"Neat!" Kailani tilted her head at the stranger as she marked off the name on the paper. Bad luck, that. Then she was speaking once more, causing the islander's dark eyebrows to furrow. Something about a swordsman, an offering - weird, they had just met- and finally, she sealed up the case and made to leave.

"Oh no. No, no, no." The bronze skinned girl moved in front of her taller counterpart, placing her hands on the arms of the wet suit to stop her. She blew some brown hair and soaked feathers out of her face. "Sorry isn't going to cut it! Look, I need off this island yesterday and you destroyed my ship! Do you know how long it will take me to make another?! I don't have time!" Kailani's eyes flicked upward, taking in the position of the fiery orb in the relatively clear skies above the eye of the storm. Noon already, no doubt her mother was getting restless about her absence.

"What'd you need that Edgar guy for anyway? When did he disappear? If he's the man who washed ashore a few weeks ago I still have some of his things, might even have some of his bones around my fire if you need them. Sorry, didn't save any of him though - he'd be rotted anyway." Her bronzed fingers came up, grabbing the collar of the wet suit and standing at her full height - still nearly a foot shorter than the stranger. "And even if you don't feel any guilt for destroying my ship we can still trade! Do non-islanders need gold? I'm wearing some right here!"

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

"Rude," Kailani huffed again as she sat up in the sand, having been very unceremoniously dumped onto it. Not very friendly, the non-islanders. Then she just walked passed her! This is what she was braving the Ka Li'Ai for?

... Still worth it.

Picking herself up from the sand, Kailani shook off some of it but with her wet clothes most of the grains still stuck. Finally she focused back on her guest as she began yelling, only for the islander to pause. Was that... was that a fin? None of the others who had washed ashore had those! Did they fall off when they died? Maybe she was just unique? That made more sense since she was the only one who survived the storm. Speaking of which...

"He didn't survive," Kailani chirped matter of factly, rather cheerfully despite talking of a man's death. "Well, I assume anyway! You're the first person that's ever survived coming here. Mostly it's just corpses and the remains of their ships. Is it impolite to touch your fin?" As usual Kailani's thoughts changed gear mid-conversation, having been approaching the back of the pale woman. She was abrasive, but that didn't put off the islander near enough to stop her curiosity. Which is why she was currently poking the tip of the shark-fin coming out of the tall woman's back.

"Oh! It's real! Is that how you survived? Are you part fish? Well, of course you are - you have a fin." Briefly Kailani regretted that the woman survived - she probably tasted like something completely new! Oh well, look at the big picture here. The chieftain's daughter turned her head away, making a thoughtful noise as she tapped her fingertip against her bottom lip, seemingly speaking more to herself than anything. "Going underneath the storm... I might be able to make a boat that could do that in brief spurts, but not with the time I have..."

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

Okay, so, Kailani expected some problems when she went out into the storm. That was fair, her first attempt didn’t go so smoothly either - to put it lightly.

This was just unfair, though. She didn’t even reach the black wall of cloud!

Kailani had no doubt that her ship was solid. She built the Striker herself, after all! Yet the makeshift shields against the jagged rocks, the cut of the nose against the water, none of that mattered against a geyser. Seriously, why did Ka Li’Ai decide now to start doing weird things?!

The petulant thought wasn’t helping against the water that was filling her vision, her mouth. Kailani had no idea what direction she was even facing anymore but the telltale crash of splintering wood let her know that Striker had struck out. Completely unfair.

A second crack, and a feel of solid cord beneath her legs and back, and at least she could breath again. Coughing up a glob of water that splattered over her already soaked ceremonial dress, slowly Kailani’s gaze took in where she was. That was a fair question after all that, along with why she hadn’t at least broken something after being caught up in … whatever that was.

Okay, so back on the beach, wood splintered everywhere. That was expected. She wasn’t on her own two feet though. Slowly Kailani’s chocolate eyes trailed up, meeting the green orbs of the person holding her.

… Huh.

That was a person.

A person definitely not from Pekelo. Who had, if Kailani was taking in her words and strange accent correctly, destroyed her ship with the heart of water.

What.

Excitement and anger battled for dominance in the chieftain’s daughter, for a moment her only staring at the other woman. On one hand, her ship was broken beyond repair and there went every hope of getting off the island that way. On the other, this was the first person that ever made it onto the island alive! And she somehow did it without getting a single scratch from Ka Li’Ai! … Could she carry passengers?

Okay, with that thought excitement won out!

”That was awesome. Well, it would’ve been more awesome if you didn’t destroy my Striker - rude, by the way, I worked hard on that! How did you get passed Ka Li’Ai?! Does your skin always look this way or are you sick?” Kailani’s bronze fingers came up, touching the stranger’s face and curiously squishing her cheeks. She was so white! Like the inside of a coconut! Probably didn’t taste like coconut though. They never did.

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

That means I get first character recruitment! Hurrah!

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

Pekelo Island
West Blue

There wasn’t much time.

Scratch that, there was no time!

There was so much to do, so many things that needed correcting, and Kailani was so close. Yet even now the beat of drums still echoed in her ears, the vibrations of too many feet as the sprawling tribe gathered, a stern voice telling her to not wander far - the Tournament would be starting as soon as the sun was high above. As the golden orb’s rays spread out over the land, peeking over the lip of Ka Li’Ai’s churning black clouds that served as the island’s ocean borders, every second ticking away brought her closer to her doom. If Kailani didn’t get this ship going, then eventually when she didn’t show up her caretakers would be sent out to drag her back - and her chances of escaping dwindled to none.

After all, if Mella’s brother won the tournament Kailani had no doubt that he’d want to impose his own punishment for her ‘crime’, and he was the frontrunner. That was no surprise, Ywa’n was every bit as determined, as brave as his sister - the whole family was. They just didn’t understand. Mella wanted off Pekelo as much as she did, had their positions been reversed … well, she’d have probably been very confused trying to build a ship, but the attempt would’ve been there!

Now this was Kailani’s last chance. If they found her, they’d put the ship she was working on to the torch, and to the Tournament she’d go. If she was honest with herself, she would’ve been nowhere near ready if not for the split hull that washed ashore that month, right in her secluded little patch of beach. High trees surrounded her, the leafy green of their tops shading the small stretch of sand no bigger than thirty feet. It was here that her ship was being built out of whatever supplies the islander could bring. Wood was in abundance on the island, rope was easy to come by, even carving out parts necessary. It was all the same song and dance, just on a much shorter timescale.

With the latest ship that came ashore it solved Kailani’s last problem - she couldn’t use the forge in her village without rousing suspicion. Stripping the metal from the strange vessel it was almost easy to adapt it to her Striker. There were even pieces she was impressed with on it - it was almost like the man aboard was challenging the great storm. It made her last three weeks of work much simpler! She made sure to burn his heart, as per tradition, for his help.

She felt a little bad she didn’t share the rest of him with the village, but that’d have tipped them off to another boat. At least she ate well that week.

Now, attaching the last ‘shield’ of wood to the side of the ship, acting as a buffer against the wicked rocks, it was time to go. Her vessel was small, only enough for a few days supplies and herself, but that’s all she needed. Kailani pulled her thick brown hair back, retying it with the ornamental thread and feathered hairpiece that had been so carefully applied this morning. Had she a choice, she’d not be wearing the ceremonial outfit that she had been forced to wear, with its heavy golds and abundance of feathers, but a girl had to make due!

Now, it was time.

Thigh-deep in the sloshing water Kailani began to untie her boat, casting one last glance to her island, before her dark chocolate eyes roamed to the heavy storm of Ka Li’Ai. A crack of thunder echoed in the distance, a familiar and comforting sound that, with any luck, would be far behind her before the day was through.

”Wish me luck, Mella.”

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

Kailani, Shipwright

Name: Kailani
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Species: Human
Height: 5’4’’
Weight: 123 lbs
Devil Fruit: None

Appearance

Weapons
Bone-tooth Dagger: This little dagger has a silver of metal running along the edge of bone and dotting the point to give it that extra bite.

Carving Knife: A short blade of metal set into a bleached-bone handle.

Skills

• (Are You Really an) Expert Shipwright: Having been afforded the opportunity to pick apart and examine nearly all but the largest of ships sailing the seas, Kailani not only has years of experience with them, but a seemingly innate understanding. The former has afforded her hands-on know-how, the latter an almost ravenous absorption of knowledge she couldn’t find on the island. Well, except for one thing. Although she tore through whatever teachings she could find off the possessions of dead sailors, Kailani is largely self-taught. As such, when discussing ships she has her own terminology, which often makes it seem as though she has no idea what she’s talking about. Who calls the Fin a ‘rudder’? What a stupid name.
• Constructive Hands: Living on an island that was completely self-sufficient, everyone had to pull their weight - even the daughter of the Chieftain. Kailani is quite adept at either jury-rigging parts or outright crafting them herself, and not just when it comes to ships! She can have an operable shelter up within minutes if the necessary supplies are within reach, and can whittle a replacement part just as quick.
• Iron Can(nibal) Stomach: Although Kailani’s tribe never killed anyone who came to the island, they never had to - Ka Li’Ai never left a survivor. It was often seen as a gift of flesh when a body or entire crew would wash ashore, breaking up the monotony of their island staples. Though respect was paid to the body by always burning the heart, the rest of it was fair game. As Chieftain’s daughter, she’s had her fair share of delicacies. As such not only can she stomach actual odd meals, but Kailani is also quite adept at seeing bodies in a detached way and is never made queasy by death.

Background

The island of Pekelo. Lonesome, except for the closely knit tribe that webbed out over the land. Secluded, except for the crash of broken ships and bodies against the shores. Quiet, except for the rolling thunder that ruled the skies without end.

The crescent island of Pekelo made its home in West Blue, but remained a stranger to its neighbours for generations. Nestled in the eye of the Ka Li’Ai, a storm that raged without end, nothing left the island and nothing arrived - in one piece, anyway. While the island and its inhabitants were self-sufficient, they were also ignorant of the outside, except for the information obtained by those who cared to scrape out of the broken hulls of ships unlucky enough to get too close to the Ka Li’Ai, cracked open on the shores. Of course, most Pekelians were far more interested in the feast of flesh offered to them by the great storm, breaking up the monotony of their staples. It made no difference to them after all, no one survived the storm.

Yet there were always oddities.

Most of those who lived on Pekelo accepted this was their place in life, none could fight against Ka Li’Ai. Kailani, daughter of the village chief, didn’t. From a young age she took delight in exploring the rotting carcasses of the great wooden and metal ships, seeing how everything was put together, and her mind seemed to have an innate understanding in grasping how everything worked. Whenever a new vessel washed ashore, a splintered coffin for the crew contained within, Kailani was always eager to begin stripping the inside of anything useful, dragging her best friend Mella along while the other tribe members were more interested in retrieving any corpses that weren’t too water logged.

At first, it was amusing watching them being so interested. It was always believed that she would grow out of it, like many children curious of the great man-made beasts. Yet as she grew older Kailani’s interest never faltered. Her obsession became manic. Mella had never held the same desire to tinker with the ships, her sharp eyes instead picking up any information about that outside world, and musign adventure must lay out there. In time the two girls began to try to repair the more intact ships. That’s when it was no longer a joke, no longer an adorable little quirk. It didn’t stop them.

The first few attempts to get the ships into working order varied in success. Sometimes her parents found out what she was doing and set the nearly repaired vessel ablaze, sometimes it was trial and error rebuilding it - the very first one Kailani pushed back into the water, she didn’t think to anchor it and the thing drifted right back into the storm. Oops.

It came to a head when finally, finally Kailani had a ship she was willing to brave the storm with. Mella was all too eager to join her, trusting her friend’s ‘expertise’ with the ship and the thought of the unknown thrilling. There were so many ships that had broken upon Ka Li’Ai, but this, this was the one.

It wasn’t.

Flashes of thunder, rocking waves, the crack of wood.

Crimson mixing in the water.

Mella’s screaming, cut off as her head disappeared beneath the waves.

The grain of wood beneath Kailani’s fingers, clutching to this single life line as long as she could.

It all came back in flashes, dreams and nightmares. The last intact memory Kailani had before waking up was Mella grinning to her as they pushed the boat off the shores. Then the roof of her bedroom, the particular stink of the island’s disinfectant, her father’s angry, sad eyes watching her, and her mother’s voice yelling. A pain that burned across her torso.

Kailani bore the mark of her failure, wicked scars that tore across her front from shoulder to hip. The healer had suggested she had hit one of the sharp reefs surrounding the island as she was pulled back to shore. Mella didn’t even have that - Mella didn’t have anything.

Mella was swallowed whole by the storm, and never returned..

As soon as she could move again Kailani returned to her ships - or what was left after her mother set them ablaze in a fury - to try and to figure out how to make them better, stronger. Perhaps it was this unfaltering attitude that made it seem she didn’t care about her best friend’s death, which made Mella’s family incensed. Even the strongest cries for justice went unheard however - the Chieftain’s word was law, and though Kailani suffered punishment for her actions it wasn’t nearly as harsh had her and Mella’s fates been reversed. Unrest grew, which was why the Chieftain suggested the Tournament.

In the past, when a Chieftain’s child couldn’t pick or outright refused a suitable partner, it was decided via a tournament of skill and strength. Simple and to the point: a fight. The only rule was to not cripple or kill the other competitors. Otherwise, it was a free for all of strength, of wits, of cunning.

With her impending bond to another fast approaching, Kailani could only put her nose to the grindstone for one last chance, one last attempt at leaving the island. Repairing another ship didn’t work, and only shards remained of the great beasts, leaving her one option. She would build her own.

She owed it to her friend to see what was out there, after all.

One Piece: The Romance of Blackfin (OPEN)

A CS, for your approval. Don't look too closely.

Kailani

Name: Kailani
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Species: Human
Height: 5’4’’
Weight: 123 lbs
Devil Fruit: None

Appearance

Weapons
Bone-tooth Dagger: This little dagger has a silver of metal running along the edge of bone and dotting the point to give it that extra bite.

Carving Knife: A short blade of metal set into a bleached-bone handle.

Skills

• (Are You Really an) Expert Shipwright: Having been afforded the opportunity to pick apart and examine nearly all but the largest of ships sailing the seas, Kailani not only has years of experience with them, but a seemingly innate understanding. The former has afforded her hands-on know-how, the latter an almost ravenous absorption of knowledge she couldn’t find on the island. Well, except for one thing. Although she tore through whatever teachings she could find off the possessions of dead sailors, Kailani is largely self-taught. As such, when discussing ships she has her own terminology, which often makes it seem as though she has no idea what she’s talking about. Who calls the Fin a ‘rudder’? What a stupid name.
• Constructive Hands: Living on an island that was completely self-sufficient, everyone had to pull their weight - even the daughter of the Chieftain. Kailani is quite adept at either jury-rigging parts or outright crafting them herself, and not just when it comes to ships! She can have an operable shelter up within minutes if the necessary supplies are within reach, and can whittle a replacement part just as quick.
• Iron Can(nibal) Stomach: Although Kailani’s tribe never killed anyone who came to the island, they never had to - Ka Li’Ai never left a survivor. It was often seen as a gift of flesh when a body or entire crew would wash ashore, breaking up the monotony of their island staples. Though respect was paid to the body by always burning the heart, the rest of it was fair game. As Chieftain’s daughter, she’s had her fair share of delicacies. As such not only can she stomach actual odd meals, but Kailani is also quite adept at seeing bodies in a detached way and is never made queasy by death.

Background

The island of Pekelo. Lonesome, except for the closely knit tribe that webbed out over the land. Secluded, except for the crash of broken ships and bodies against the shores. Quiet, except for the rolling thunder that ruled the skies without end.

The crescent island of Pekelo made its home in West Blue, but remained a stranger to its neighbours for generations. Nestled in the eye of the Ka Li’Ai, a storm that raged without end, nothing left the island and nothing arrived - in one piece, anyway. While the island and its inhabitants were self-sufficient, they were also ignorant of the outside, except for the information obtained by those who cared to scrape out of the broken hulls of ships unlucky enough to get too close to the Ka Li’Ai, cracked open on the shores. Of course, most Pekelians were far more interested in the feast of flesh offered to them by the great storm, breaking up the monotony of their staples. It made no difference to them after all, no one survived the storm.

Yet there were always oddities.

Most of those who lived on Pekelo accepted this was their place in life, none could fight against Ka Li’Ai. Kailani, daughter of the village chief, didn’t. From a young age she took delight in exploring the rotting carcasses of the great wooden and metal ships, seeing how everything was put together, and her mind seemed to have an innate understanding in grasping how everything worked. Whenever a new vessel washed ashore, a splintered coffin for the crew contained within, Kailani was always eager to begin stripping the inside of anything useful, dragging her best friend Mella along while the other tribe members were more interested in retrieving any corpses that weren’t too water logged.

At first, it was amusing watching them being so interested. It was always believed that she would grow out of it, like many children curious of the great man-made beasts. Yet as she grew older Kailani’s interest never faltered. Her obsession became manic. Mella had never held the same desire to tinker with the ships, her sharp eyes instead picking up any information about that outside world, and musign adventure must lay out there. In time the two girls began to try to repair the more intact ships. That’s when it was no longer a joke, no longer an adorable little quirk. It didn’t stop them.

The first few attempts to get the ships into working order varied in success. Sometimes her parents found out what she was doing and set the nearly repaired vessel ablaze, sometimes it was trial and error rebuilding it - the very first one Kailani pushed back into the water, she didn’t think to anchor it and the thing drifted right back into the storm. Oops.

It came to a head when finally, finally Kailani had a ship she was willing to brave the storm with. Mella was all too eager to join her, trusting her friend’s ‘expertise’ with the ship and the thought of the unknown thrilling. There were so many ships that had broken upon Ka Li’Ai, but this, this was the one.

It wasn’t.

Flashes of thunder, rocking waves, the crack of wood.

Crimson mixing in the water.

Mella’s screaming, cut off as her head disappeared beneath the waves.

The grain of wood beneath Kailani’s fingers, clutching to this single life line as long as she could.

It all came back in flashes, dreams and nightmares. The last intact memory Kailani had before waking up was Mella grinning to her as they pushed the boat off the shores. Then the roof of her bedroom, the particular stink of the island’s disinfectant, her father’s angry, sad eyes watching her, and her mother’s voice yelling. A pain that burned across her torso.

Kailani bore the mark of her failure, wicked scars that tore across her front from shoulder to hip. The healer had suggested she had hit one of the sharp reefs surrounding the island as she was pulled back to shore. Mella didn’t even have that - Mella didn’t have anything.

Mella was swallowed whole by the storm, and never returned..

As soon as she could move again Kailani returned to her ships - or what was left after her mother set them ablaze in a fury - to try and to figure out how to make them better, stronger. Perhaps it was this unfaltering attitude that made it seem she didn’t care about her best friend’s death, which made Mella’s family incensed. Even the strongest cries for justice went unheard however - the Chieftain’s word was law, and though Kailani suffered punishment for her actions it wasn’t nearly as harsh had her and Mella’s fates been reversed. Unrest grew, which was why the Chieftain suggested the Tournament.

In the past, when a Chieftain’s child couldn’t pick or outright refused a suitable partner, it was decided via a tournament of skill and strength. Simple and to the point: a fight. The only rule was to not cripple or kill the other competitors. Otherwise, it was a free for all of strength, of wits, of cunning.

With her impending bond to another fast approaching, Kailani could only put her nose to the grindstone for one last chance, one last attempt at leaving the island. Repairing another ship didn’t work, and only shards remained of the great beasts, leaving her one option. She would build her own.

She owed it to her friend to see what was out there, after all.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

August 3rd, 7:53 PM
Kasimir Castle, Gotham City

”No, eye slits won’t work. They’ll impede my vision, plus it might make the visual displays in my goggles wonky. Hmm… just a visor then, the lights can be mounted to the side like usual. Oh, satellite receivers on the sides? … Fuck, that makes it look like dog ears. Jaina will make fun of me.” Zoey Kasimir couldn’t help but huff, turning her pencil around to rub the eraser against the diagram.

… After a moment she re-added them.

”Fuck her, the dog theme is her fault anyway.” The notebook was rather low-tech compared to her usual methods, but there was something soothing about the glide of graphite against paper. Her initial diagrams were always done this way. As it was for the latest draft that she had been working on. The last couple pages were filled with with the same thing, a body of armor - a suit, nearly. It was only recently she had begun filling in the specifics, as the close up of a helmet currently provided.

… Well, mostly provided. Zoey wasn’t a very good artist, but that’s what the multitude of notes were for.

An alert on the computer drew those steel-blue eyes from the pages of the graph paper, going to the screen beside her. Zoey’s feet were propped up on the metal surface of the desk, leaning back in her chair in her favorite ‘lounging’ shirt - a threadbare light green science camp shirt from her teenage years.

Cheerleaders could go to science camp, that didn’t make them nerds.

Zoey had a multitude of alerts set up on her computer, from current large crimes being committed, to simple reminders about mundane things - like field trips for David, or refilling medication. This one, however, made the firm muscles of the billionaire tense up, coiled as though ready to strike. Her feet slid off the surface as she sat up straight, taking in the title of the news article.

… No, it wasn’t anything current. Zoey huffed, almost throwing the notebook to the side of the large desk. Her pale arms crossed as she couldn’t help but glare darkly at the article that had popped up, published less than a minute ago. It was obvious which of her alerts picked it up.

’Anarkee: Insane or Freedom Fighter?’

Spoiler alert, she was insane. Zoey really needed to filter out some of these more radical websites.

To be honest there was a tidal wave of people talking about Anarkee’s latest crime when Grim had returned from the middle east, once again having been away when she had struck. It had made Zoey … paranoid. More than usual. This was twice in a row that the criminal had struck as soon as she was away from Gotham, with very high profile crimes. Did Anarkee know her civilian identity? At least Zoey knew that there was nothing watching her hangar doors.

Of course, she knew this since as soon as the thought had entered the billionaire’s head she had scouted the entire area around the doors with precision over the next thirty six hours without rest. Well, there was one rest - David brought her a coffee and she had checked over his homework. Her boy was so smart. Maybe he’d be a doctor, if she could get his mind off vigilante work.

Bit of a hypocrite there, Grim.

Anyway. Anarkee. It had been nearly a month so the … hype of what happened in Gotham City’s most prominent bank had died down mostly. There were so many people speculating what the message could mean once it was released, some had even gotten it right. Carved into the faces of each victim were letters, or Anarkee’s particular symbol.

Seriously, which one of those police officers released that message anyway? … Well, not like there was an end of options for that. Gotham City was nothing if consistent in its corruption. Fuck, Zoey hated this city. The only good thing that ever happened to her here was the mural to Grim, and finding her son.

A swipe of her pale fingers on the keyboard had the screen switching off the news article, after a moment her own notes popping up. The bank was swarming with police officers, paramedics, news vans, and busy bodies even when Grim got back from the Middle East. Jaina had kindly forwarded all the files they had on the incident to her so she could get to work on figuring out what was going on behind Anarkee’s fucked up head, but seriously? Zoey was an engineer, not a psychologist! At least the message wasn’t hard to decode, not when compared to the message left on the stadium before.

March 13th, painted across the wall of the stadium for everyone to see, “BEWARE the rise OF the GRAVES”

July 7th, encoded across the faces of twenty victims, “Graves Are Watching”.

Graves, graves, graves! What was it with graves?! Zoey was starting to think Anarkee was a necrophiliac! Maybe Jaina’s theory about her being a necromancer made some sense! The internet was alight with people wondering if Anarkee was somehow related to Killian “The Wraith” Graves, the leader of the old Actor Activists, or just a really fucked up fangirl. Zoey had dug through everything about him she could find, even some of her grandfather’s records from working with The Impossibles. Nothing that she could find.

Nothing!

Zoey cursed, snapping her pencil in her hand. She angrily tossed it into a trashcan full of other snapped pencils before grabbing her phone to send a text message.

>Nicole, have someone bring some more pencils over. I’ve snapped my last one.

The redhead dropped her phone on her desk and huffed, crossing her arms. This week - this entire month had been a mess of fuckery. From what had happened in the Middle East, to finding out Karen’s little secret, fuck, she had even found out one of her old friends apparently had a metagene! Was everyone in her life going to have this shit?! At this rate Jason was going to rise from … the … grave …

… The grave.

Jason Graves.

Emma Graves.

Old friends, siblings, one dead, the other disappeared. Not related to The Wraith, but still holding that last name.

Slowly Zoey’s slender fingers rose, her hand covering her lower face as she stared off into space. Her already pale visage only became whiter. No, no it was impossible. Completely stupid, there was no way. Jason… Jason had died. She knew it, because he had followed in Grim’s footsteps of wanting to help others! Venturing in the streets, trying to turn the tide of corruption. Zoey had hunted down every single person who had a hand in his … his horrific death.

Yet Emma had still disappeared. She had lost her older brother, the last pillar of support in her life. Zoey had looked for her, both in her civilian guise and as Grim, but there was nothing.

… Who else would be obsessed with Grim and Graves?

No.

No!

Emma was sweet, and kind, she fucking volunteered for a charity organization for fuck’s sake! Jason’s death had broke her, but not - not that badly.

… Had it?

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

August 7th, 9:03 AM
Hope Springs, West Virginia

The chirping of birds, the soft rustle of leaves in the wind, the occasional crunching of an animal’s paws against the forest floor. The sounds wove together in a gentle song, sunlight filtering through the waving tree branches above, a peaceful scene deep in the heart of the forest…

Then a loud snore broke the tranquil air, followed by a yawn.

Joshua Christophe, AKA ‘Demon’ to most people, slowly roused as the heat of the morning sun spilled over his navy skin, prompting his glowing white eyes to slowly open. The sight of the green above his head immediately got a grin to blossom on the youth’s face, stretching around the large, pointed white teeth jutting up from the bottom of his mouth. It had been nearly a month, and he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of waking up to that sight! Sure, it wasn’t his bedroom back home with the posters of athletes and that one korean pop star he liked, but it sure as heck beat the sewers!

Plus, he had a bed now! … Sort of.

Slowly the large teenager lumbered to his feet off the hammock he was occupying, the large swath of vines and leaves stretched between two trees. Josh rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms above his head, cracking the joints. Slowly he rose up, scratching his onyx nails against the thick black stubble on his jaw as he looked around for his ‘mentor’.

Though… to be honest, there hadn’t been much mentoring going on. Well, no, that was super rude to Mr. Harris! He had done lots for him! He even made a pair of pants for him which were sort of weird since they were made of leaves, but super soft. Plus they discussed his powers, but considering how destructive they were he couldn’t really… you know … use them in the forest. Apparently it made ‘The Green’ angry. Or when he drooled in his sleep and accidentally burnt a hole into the forest floor. Josh made sure to apologize to one of the trees for that one, at least. His bad.

… Still, it had been nearly a month. Josh was sort of expecting… you know, to do something. Like stop the riots, like Mr. Harris had! That way people would know he’s not some monster!

A roar sounded throughout the forest… as Demon’s stomach rumbled. He felt red - purple? - even beneath his navy skin and began to venture out of his little ‘bedroom’ - AKA the hammock area - to find his mentor.

“Mr. Harris?”

Harris was rather tired to be honest. He had never expected to be tutoring someone on a subject he didn’t even understand himself, especially not one as energetic as Joshua, he had to have a shouting match with the Green just to let him stay after he burnt a hole in the forest floor. He was just glad to have the chance, a year or so ago and he wouldn’t have even had the chance before the Green took over his body and… well, he didn’t want to think about that.

He could tell that the teen was at least a little bit disappointed, even if he had told him over and over again that he really had nothing to teach. He had come to Harris expecting to meet this heroic figure, when all he’d found was… well, Harris, a big loser who also somehow had become a plant deity. Harris strode out of a tree-trunk, a large branch sprouting under his feet as he walked. He had to admit to himself that he related to Joshua, he had been in the exact same situation, and the time that they had spent together, though somewhat awkward, was enough for Harris to understand that the kid was a kind soul.

Harris sighed and thumped down onto the branch, holding his chin up with a fist and swinging his feet over the forest below.

Then a sound, a rumbling, and a beeping, he knew that sound, he’d lived in a city. That was the sound of construction.

”But there’s no city in miles, Hope Springs never builds anything, and I’m in the middle of a forest, what the hell is going o-”

A hideous screeching noise from within his skull interrupted his train of thought, and gave him a splitting headache that’d probably last for the rest of the day. Thankfully he had the ability to morph his head to the point where all the original nerves were no longer there, meaning he no longer felt the pain… for about five seconds. Clearly this construction was happening somewhere in the forest due to the Green’s screeching, so Harris tapped into it in order to discover where in fact it was coming from.

The southeast portion of the forest, closest to civilization, that made sense, now just to deal with them and get the Green to shut the hell up and then he’d come up with something to tell Joshua-

Harris was struck with a realization. This was exactly the opportunity he needed to come up with a “lesson” for the blue teen. Harris smiled and walked back into the tree.

He appeared from beneath the ground not far from Josh’s hammock, where he seemed to have already awoken, Harris maintained a smile as he approached the massive boy.

”Morning Josh,” Harris said in a chipper tone of voice. ”I’ve got big plans! I can’t wait to show you!”

Josh let out a yelp at the sudden sound of his mentor’s voice, the ground shaking slightly as he jumped and whirled around. His large hand went to his chest and he tried not to look as startled as he felt.

”Y-You sure are sneaky when you want to be, Mr. Harris!” Demon stated weakly, but quickly straightened up. As soon as the Vine Stalker’s words registered the demonic youth brightened, the glowing white of his eyes seeming to grow in intensity and his lips turning up into a wide grin.

”Seriously? We have somewhere to go?! W-Where?! Do I need to bring anything? … Should I cover up my horns?”

”Hold on a second, we’re not going anywhere,” Harris responded with a wave of his hands. Perhaps that was a little less calming than he thought it would be, he was probably right to assume that living in a forest isn’t the best environment, but hey, it was better than lying, he supposed. ”We’ll still be in this forest, but It’ll still be fun, or enlightening or something. I know I haven’t exactly taught you anything, but that changes today!” Harris exclaimed with an over-exaggerated stomp.

Harris turned towards the direction where the construction crew had begun their work and placed his hands on his hips.

”There’s something that requires my presence over thataway, I’d like for you to come with me so that you can watch and learn,” Harris said confidently, perhaps as confidently as he could be. He supposed he’d have to tell Josh what they were doing rather than keep it in secrecy as he had planned on doing at first, though that would have greater impact he doubted Josh would understand what he was intending to show by beating up a few construction workers. ”There’s a group of workers over there planning to… do something that the Green is very, very displeased with, so it’s probably clear-cutting or something of the sort, what I have to do is stop it from happening without hurting the workers too much. I know you don’t have the same abilities I do, but perhaps watching what decisions I make can help you be better at stopping bad guys without hurting them too much. Not that… construction workers are bad guys, it’s just that they’re in the employ of the bad guys… well, they’re not really bad, they just want money so that they can live good lives… you get my point.”

Harris summoned up two pieces of a wooden shell from the ground, positioning themselves on each side of Joshua.

”That sound good with you?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

”...Oh.” Josh blinked slowly at the revelation of what his mentor’s plan was, slowly nodding along. As he did so a grin worked its way onto his face, and the giant of a man almost bounced in place. ”That’s so cool! We’re gonna protect the forest! I can help, right? I mean, Mr. Green is still sort of mad at me so I can help and get back on his good side! While learning from you! Yeah!” The demonic looking youth pumped his fist in the air. This was so awesome! He was finally going to get to see Mr. Harris in action! Well, at least in real life - he’d seen news reports of the riots occasionally, and clips from one of those metawatch channels late at night back in the sewers.

Then the shells came from the ground, Josh staring at them with puzzlement clear even on his warped features. He tilted his head, scratching at one of his horns.

”What are these for?”

Harris had to take a step back at Joshua’s usual brand of enthusiastic word-salad. He had become at least a little bit used to the kid’s enthusiasm, but it still was a little much for him sometimes, not that he’d ever say anything to him about it, Harris wasn’t exactly one to just state his mind without another thought. Hey, he supposed, at least he knew Josh would be a hand in case things went wrong, not that there was really any reason to believe something would go wrong, but the reinforcement was appreciated.

This is an awful idea.

The Green voiced its displeasure.

It’ll be fine.

Harris reassured it.

How routine those two things had become.

”Yes you can help, just follow my lead, and don’t do anything you don’t think you’re ready for,” Harris said with a smile, which grew as he heard Josh question the wooden shells that had appeared around him. ”Oh those?” Harris said coyly.

”Don’t worry about them.”

As soon as Harris finished speaking, the shells slammed shut around Joshua.

”Think of it like an elevator, it won’t take long,” Harris reassured as the shell lowered itself into the ground, visible to Chris through the seam where the two halves met. Harris gave a small nod, and then sunk into the ground himself. The shell was pulled through the dirt by massive tree roots at a speed that was probably just enough to make Josh uncomfortable, Harris would have to apologize. Soon after, the shell forced its way out of the dirt and split open not far from the hum of heavy machinery and the roar of chainsaws.

Harris’ voice echoed from the spent shells;

”Watch and learn.”

”Hear me!” Harris roared in his “serious voice”. ”You have disturbed this forest, and as such you have drawn my wrath, I, the Vine Stalker, demand you retreat from this place!”

”Or…” Harris’ voice boomed from the trees. ”You shall pay the consequences!”

As he said this, a massive vine sprung from the ground and lifted a bulldozer ten feet into the air.

“Holy shit!”

“It’s true! The stories are true!”

The screaming of the construction workers informed Harris that he had done a good job, but the bang of firearms informed him that he hadn’t been altogether successful.

“Get back in there you idiots! These meta-humans are all frauds!” one of the construction workers yelled over the popping of gunshots. This clearly wasn’t some normal construction. These people had heard the stories people told about him, and they had come prepared. Harris sighed and prepared to force himself out of the ground, he didn’t want to have to hurt people, he wanted to show Josh that you could be a hero without doing that.

Oh well, not much he could do about it now.

The ground trembled suddenly, as the huge, demonic creature that had emerged from the shell, watching over the scene with his glowing white eyes… threw himself to the ground. A whimper built up in Josh’s throat and he pulled one of the shell halves in front of him, seeing how his large hands shook in doing so.

… Great, great impression, Josh. A+.

He couldn’t help it, though. The excitement that had built up in him through the, admittedly rather rough, ride through the ground in the two shells had died an ignoble death the instant those gunshots rang out. A phantom pain had blossomed in his head, turning the quesiness from the ride into pure, stomach-twisting fear. Now here Josh was, cowering behind the shell and shaking like a leaf.

That’d be kind of ironically funny if he wasn’t so afraid he thought he might vomit.

Harris felt through the shell as Josh grabbed onto it and hid himself behind it. Harris sighed, at least he was paying attention.

Harris appeared before the men, a massive creature, with insectoid exoskeleton and wings, and focused, single-colored eyes. One of the men had been behind him when he shot up, and turned to gawk in horror at Harris, which was rude. Harris punished his rudeness by extending his tail and wrapping it around the man’s neck, slamming him face-first into the ground and into unconsciousness. He dropped the bulldozer on its side and pulled the worker from within, roaring in his face and leaving him to run away. A bullet slammed into his hard chest, shattering the exoskeleton, but not penetrating the soft tissue within. Harris rose an arm, and a plant-fist rose from the ground, wrapping its fingers around the man and lifting him off the ground. Harris growled and made one last motion with his arm, causing the fist to toss the man through the air, where he slammed into another gun-wielding worker.

They were just doing their job, he knew, but he had to protect himself. With one massive punch, he knocked the last worker on his ass. Examining the knocked out workers for a second, he turned and looked over towards Josh’s position, giving him a thumbs up. One last worker rose behind him, preparing to shoot him in the back of the head. Harris knew about this, but ignored it, giving Josh a chance to help out, would make him feel good, Harris knew.

Wasn’t like he was in any danger, the bullet wouldn’t get through his armor.

As bullets continued to ring out Josh slowly edged from behind the shell to peek over at the fight going on nearby. Well, calling it a fight was a bit of an exaggeration. Mr. Harris seemed to have it all in hand - which was no surprise! He was a hero, after all!

He even had time to give Josh a thumbs up. Wow. Mr. Harris really was amazing at what he did! Josh fumbled to return the gesture, but movement behind his mentor caught his attention, making his breath catch in his throat and an icy dread to fill his chest. There was a man, and he was raising up with his gun while Mr. Harris was distracted - distracted with him! His stupid, stupid, scared little tag-along!

The roar that ripped from Demon’s chest absolutely shook the air, more than any construction equipment. The strength contained in his new body coiled before he shot forward, in a flurry of motion football-tackling the man. He learned that in high school!

… And there was a crack. Oops.

Josh stood over the man now on the ground, a few feet away from him from the sheer force of him slamming into him. He was rolling around, clutching his arm.

”Ohhh,” Demon whimpered, his glowing white eyes darting around unseen. ”I… I didn’t mean to do that! I’m sorry, dude! I just wanted to - well you were gonna shoot - don’t shoot people!”

Harris was surprised by the loud roar that Josh let out, and the ferocity of his tackle was another surprise, this kid could be quite a force if he knew what he was doing.

The sickening crack that rang out informed Harris that no, he did not know what he was doing, ouch.

”Okay, okay, okay, it’s fine you’re fine he’s fine I’m fine the Green’s fine we’re fine.”

He felt like he was more trying to convince himself than he was trying to convince Josh. He placed himself in front of Josh and held up his hands in what was intended to be reassurement but probably didn’t come off that way. He moved towards the rolling man’s head and crouched next to him.

”You okay? Yeah, you’re okay,” he said softly. In one smooth motion he rose his hand and slammed a fist into the man’s head, knocking him out. He stood back up and shook his hand, clearing off any blood. ”Good job Josh! You saved my bacon there!”

’Saved my bacon’? What the hell is wrong with me?

”Just next time try to knock the guy out without breaking anything, you know, be kind,” Harris instructed, trying for once in his life to act like he knew what he was talking about.

”I’m - I’m still - I’m really sorry - I didn’t-” Demon’s stutter was obvious as he fumbled over his words, even beginning to tear up. No, no, no! That wasn’t cool! Heroes didn’t cry, especially not in the middle of the ‘battlefield’ or in front of their mentor! Well, unless their mentor was like, an old dude who just imparted wisdom on them… Josh didn’t think Harris counted.

Nope, okay, yeah he was crying.

Josh sniffled and raised a large hand to rub at his glowing white eyes, peeking up at Harris. ”... I’ll be more careful next time. I was just - I was worried. He was gonna shoot you, and I hate guns. I didn’t want you to be shot! … And now I want bacon...”

”You do know I can’t be hurt by bullets right?” Harris asked with a bit of humor in his voice. ”Don’t worry about it, you did the right thing, you should be proud!”

I shouldn’t be parenting.

Then get him out of my forest!

No thanks, I got this.

”As long as you make the attempt to do the right thing, no-one can fault you… unless you do it reallywrong, but that shouldn’t be a problem, you’re not that kind of kid, I know that much, you’re a good guy, Josh,” Harris said reassuringly. ”Now come on, let’s bring these guys into town.”

”...Oh,” Demon said lamely in response to being told Harris was bulletproof. He rubbed a little more furiously at his eyes, specifically the one that was destroyed by a bullet all those months ago. The teenager was of course very, very careful not to let any of the acidic tears hit the forest floor. Mr. Green didn’t like that. ”O-Okay. Thanks for … you know … believing in me, Mr. Harris.

“... Can we use my burrito coupon while we’re in town?”

”Yeah sure, just don’t overspend, I’d rather use my own money than have to give it to you. Not that I wouldn’t help you if you didn’t have enough it’s just… I don’t have a lot.”

”That’s okay, I have 15.74!”