canaryrose

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Jamie followed Blake through the gardens, crushing significantly more lettuce than he did. Head after head was crushed under her unforgiving boots. It wasn't that she didn't care about the lettuce patches- she did, and it crushed her to see them destroyed. It was just that she was rather... distracted. Her gaze was flicking from side to side, bush to bush, searching for the Iguanosaur. She didn't want to allow the thing to just roam around Passenger Island, eating toddlers and whatnot. And the money... well, the money was a big motivator, too.

As they walked, Jamie plucked a few ripe cherry tomatoes off of the vines, popping them into her mouth and letting the juices flow. It was probably technically stealing, but whatever. Nobody would ever miss a single cherry tomato. Or five. She frowned at the acid marks when they came across them, but walked along, still following. The acid marks didn't seem to perturb her much. Despite its acid-spitting, she knew that killing it would be a simple task for her.

Once they got to the backyard, Jamie blinked, confused. It was... a backyard. A swing set in the corner, an apple tree next to it. "Blake, there's nothing here, silly!" She patted his head, smiling. "It's okay, we can all be dumb sometimes-" Then, suddenly, she was cut off by the ground-shaking roar of the Iguanosaur.

It leaped out at them, more than a foot taller than Jamie. Much greener, too- and much scarier. It loomed over them like a beast out of a fantasy novel, angry and large. She approached its back, not wanting to get in front of its acid spit. She had forgotten how much of a pain these things were to fight. Acid burns were a bitch to treat. Jamie extended her arm and channeled her power, sending out a large concussive blast to hit the beast.

But... it missed. And hit the fence instead. With a crash, the fence collapsed, creating an opening. "CRAP!" she yelled, going for another try, but it was already sprinting away through the hole. With a huff, she ran after it, beckoning for Felix and Blake to follow.

@Hitman@Ryteb Pymeroce

---

Brie and Patricia had discussed the plan on the way in, and Patricia was not enthusiastic about it, to say the least. While this did sound like a challenging, complicated mission, Patricia had her reservations.

One of them was that Brie expected her to seduce a mafioso. A 57-year-old, poker-playing mafioso. As soon as Brie started to outline the plan to her in the car, a scowl had settled on her face. It had stayed there until they got to the bar. At least she now knew what the outfit was for. Of course, she would admit, however begrudgingly, that the plan was a good one. Brie knew her stuff about crime, had spent her fair share of time here, in Brookside. She knew what would work, and Patricia trusted her. Still, though...

As they started to head inside, Patricia picked through her purse and took out her fake ID, flashing it to the bouncer. It read 'Bianca Romano'. Bianca Romano was a 21-year-old cosmetology student with a summer birthday and a knack for singing. Her favorite things were cherry-flavored candies, free Sephora samples, and Cardi B. Bianca Romano was also, coincidentally, not real. Patricia supposed that there were probably quite a few Bianca Romanos in Castleburg, as it wasn't an uncommon name, but this specific one didn't exist. She had been forged specifically to get Patricia into the Gugliano facility without raising eyebrows and to get her into bars. Not that she would be drinking, though. Alcohol was disgusting.

Patricia flashed a glance at Grace as the both of them got into the bar. The girl raised some conflicted feelings. She had liked her enough when they had fought Quizzical, but her presence in Castleburg probably had a big something to do with ICOSA's presence in Castleburg. Which was an issue. Her hazel eyes hardened as she looked at the woman, and she grabbed her arm. As far as Brie had told her, this mission was supposed to be classified, and ICOSA shouldn't know about it. Grace would almost certainly blab if given the chance- so she needed to keep her away from the operation itself.

"Listen, Grace," Patricia whispered to her, pulling her into a small alcove where nobody else was near. She gripped her arm tight, mouth in a thin, unsmiling line. "We're on a... an operation, right now. Something really, really important. Classified, too. You need to stay out of the way. Go find something else to do, get a drink or... something, and when we're done we'll help you get back to your hotel. Got it?"

Without waiting for a response, Patricia let go of Grace's arm and walked off. Hopefully, she would listen, but for now, she just needed to find that Gugliano she was supposed to flirt with. She scanned the bar for a few minutes, standing idly in the corner. She even ordered a (virgin) Appletini. After watching for a few minutes, she thought she saw a door to which men were going to, but, strangely enough, not coming out. It was labeled a men's bathroom, strangely enough, but a gangster-looking man stood at the door, watching like a hawk. One thing was certain: that wasn't a bathroom. And it was where Patricia could find the man she was looking for.

She walked over, still sipping on her Appletini, and then saw a man she recognized from the file. He was clearly walking over to the backroom, wallet in hand. He had a suit on but still looked gangster. A Gugliano lackie, she remembered- someone important, but not too important. She briefly grinned and made a beeline in his direction.

Once she got sufficiently close to him, Patricia had to do something she detested. Act... cute. She had to hold back a shudder. The guy wasn't even attractive in any sense of the word. Still, though.

Patricia purposefully ran right into him- not enough to bowl him over, but enough to make him drop his wallet onto the ground.

She gasped in horror, eyes blinking fast and hands raising to her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! she squeaked, shaking her head bashfully. "I'm such a klutz sometimes, I swear. Here, I'll get that for you... She bent over slowly, miniskirt riding up her ass and her breasts right at his line of sight, before coming up again with the wallet in hand. She giggled, blinking rapidly again and holding out his wallet. "H-here... if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know." She then winked at him, giggling again.

God, she hated this.

@Hitman@Danvers@KaijuBaragon@Amethyst

Off the Map (High Seas Adventure RP)

Ooh, sounds cool. Might be in.

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

-132

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Jamie waved hello to Felix, too, an exuberant smile on her face. Splitting the money three ways wouldn't be that great for her bank account, but who was she to say no to him? He looked so excited, and she was sure they could use the extra help. Plus, Felix looked strong enough to fight an Igaunasaur, or whatever they were called. He had some sort of strength power, she thought. One involving his cute fox tails... maybe he'd let her pet them! She fantasized about that for a moment, not really paying attention to what Felix and Blake were talking about before Blake said her name.

At her name, she popped back out of her mind. Something about... driving? That was right. It'd make sense, at least. She had a car. A trashed car, but still a car.

Jamie nodded, giving a thumbs-up. "Of course! I parked it downstairs, let's go."

Jamie's car was a tan 2019 Toyota Corolla, and it was wrecked. The passenger window was practically duct-taped on, and the windshield had several patches of duct-tape that seemed to be covering various holes and cracks. One of the rear-view mirrors was broken, tilted to the side and hanging off the car. There were several dents and scratches in the paint itself. Jamie smiled guiltily, rubbing the side of her head, and opened the door to the back of the car. The back was messy, to say the least. Old McDonald's wrappers, cups, and bags were strewn across the back seats, and it gave off a certain odor. She hurriedly swept most of it to the side, clearing a space for someone to sit, and opened the passenger side door. It was... moderately better, but Jamie still had to sweep a couple wrappers off the seat and onto the ground.

"Get in and buckle up!" she told the two cheerily, before hopping into the driver's seat and checking the mission details. There was a fairly recent location on the Iguanasaur, which was good. Looking back at the others, she started the car and drove to the location listed.

Once they arrived, Jamie hopped out of the car and looked around, pursing her lips. "I don't see him anywhere. Oh, Iguanasaur! C'mere, Iguanasaur!"

@Hitman@Ryteb Pymeroce

---

Patricia raised her brows when she got a text from an unfamiliar number, but read it anyways. Grace? She vaguely remembered the name, but definitely recalled the incident. Hadn't been an amazing day, if she was being honest (her nose had been broken and she had almost been shot), but Grace had seemed alright. What was she doing in Castleburg again, though? Hadn't she been from some fancy Asian version of H.E.R.O? And at Club 21, no less... ICOSA could be spying on their operation, for all she knew. Still, the poor girl seemed like she was in trouble, and had clearly made a couple wrong turns.

"Brie, remember Grace, from that whole Quizzical thing? She got lost in Brookside, and got stuck at Club 21... We're gonna have to help her out," she told the other girl in the driver's seat.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Brie's car, Patricia tapped out a response.

You're in Brookside, the really bad side of town. Lots of crime. You're in luck, though- I'm heading over there right now. Get inside of the club, park your car and lock it, and hide all of your valuables so that they couldn't be seen if somebody looked in the windows. Don't fight it if your car gets robbed or if you get mugged, they WILL pull a gun on your ass and WILL use it. We'll be there in 5. Try not to look suspicious. Actually, try to look like you're not someone to be fucked with. They can smell your fear.

Patricia

She sent the text after a minute of thinking about it. The last part was probably a bit dramatic, but a little humor never did some harm. She tried to put the phone back into the pocket of her jeans, but, then, remembering she was no longer wearing jeans, put it into her purse. At Brie's urging and after Lefty's suspicion of her unsuspicious appearance, she had changed into something a little more... trashy. Despite her strong protests, she was now wearing a black miniskirt, a very low-cut red tank top, and garishly red (and pointy) high heels. She had a fur jacket wrapped around her shoulders and black tights to fend off the cold. Golden hoops had been clipped into her ears, and her hair had been hair-sprayed to an insane degree. Bright red lipstick had been painted onto her lips, and a pretty trashy amount of foundation and mascara had been applied to her face. In short, she felt like a clown, and did not like it one bit.

Once they parked at Club 21 five minutes later, Patricia stepped out of the car, wobbling a little but then regaining her composure. She waved to Tom and Angelica.

"Hey, you two. Before we go inside, we should probably get the plan from Brie," she told Angelica and Tom, then turning to Brie expectantly.

@Hitman@Danvers@KaijuBaragon@Amethyst

Men vs. Women Race to 1000: Version 2.0

-131

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Jamie read the texts before she sped off towards H.E.R.O One in her car. Choices, choices, choices... gosh. She tapped her finger against her chin, thinking. Stopping a drug trade sounded like it would do a lot of good. Drugs hurt people, right? Right. On the other hand, a bank robbery wasn't really a good option, since she had a track record of bringing down banks. But the lizard... it wasn't human, so she wouldn't have to hold back. And it wouldn't offer any chance of accidental destruction, something that she needed to avoid today. She tightened her hands on the steering wheel, taking a left towards the bridge to Savior Island. Lizard it was. At a red light, Jamie texted him back.

be there in 5

lizard pls

Jamie

5 minutes later, Jamie parked in front of H.E.R.O One. Somehow, she had managed to not go over the speed limit this time. In fact, she had restrained herself from slamming the on the gas pedal too hard on the bridge- better not to get pulled over and ticketed right before a mission. She opened her car door and stepped out, and then popped open the trunk to grab her freshly dry-cleaned costume. After the Ambleweed job, it had been covered in all sorts of icky plant goo and had needed a wash badly, so she had sent it off to the dry cleaner's. But now it smelt weird. Like, clean. But, still, she had to change into it for work.

Jamie waved to the receptionist as she came into the building, and he greeted her right back with a smile on his face. She took the elevator up to the second floor and went into the bathroom to change. She laid out her costume, and sighed at the sight of it. Ugh. Why did they have to make my costume so complicated? In truth, it wasn't that complex of a thing. ts base was a two piece black bodysuit, the first piece reaching from chin to mid-thigh and the second going from lower thigh to feet. She squirmed into it. There were orange-yellowish gauntlets and leg braces, too, that acted as both an arm brace and as an absorber for the vibrations that would normally pass through her body and break her bones. She had bulky, tinted swim goggles mounted on her face purely for coolness factors. Hanging those around her neck and tying her hair into a high ponytail, the costume was complete.

She raced up the stairs to the third floor, not bothering with the elevator. It had definitely been more than five minutes, now, and she hadn't wanted to keep Blake waiting in the first place. Seeing him, she ran over, waving.

"Hey, Blake! Sorry, had to change..." Jamie gestured to her costume and smiled. "You picked the lizard job, right? Ready to go?

@Hitman

---

"Oh, thank god, there's not a party," Patricia muttered under her breath as Brie put down the manila folder. The idea of having a party at H.E.R.O. One while Powers was gone had genuinely terrified her, probably more than the idea of going undercover in the mafia.

Wait, that was wrong. Going undercover in the mafia was definitely more scary. As Brie spoke, Patricia's worry about the mission grew. Then, she paged through the gigantic manila folder, and it skyrocketed. These guys were clearly not to be fucked with, and... they were about to fuck with them. Patricia definitely trusted Brie- as one of her closer friends at H.E.R.O., at least- but she knew that the girl had her faults. She could be reckless, destructive. Plus, she had invited Tom on an undercover mission. That said a lot about her sense. And, even if she would trust Tom, Angelica, and Brie with her life (which she would), there were so many other things that could go wrong. These people were going after heroes- kidnapping them, taking them off the streets. What if they were found, kidnapped, never heard from again? Tortured or killed or something worse?

As her nervousness ballooned, Patricia kept stress-eating Angelica's sandwich triangle things. Pretty soon, she had eaten two entire plates, and she blushed and attempted to hide them behind herself. During the planning process, she contributed a lot- told them that they needed to rent an apartment in Brookside, get food and bedding, establish disguises, get really good fake IDs, buy new clothes, and figure out how to infiltrate the Gugliano compound to get the information she needed.

At the end of it, Patricia grabbed her burner phone and headed toward the door. She nodded at Brie's re-affirmation. "Mhm. Let's get going, we don't wanna burn daylight. You can keep the candy, Angelica, as a thanks."

@Danvers @Amethyst @KaijuBaragon

《 H. E. R. O. 》

It was springtime, and Jamie barely had enough money to buy an Egg McMuffin.

The superheroine known as Quake stomped out of the McDonald's with a scowl on her face and a breakfast sandwich in her hand. What did they mean, she didn't have enough money on her card for a McFlurry? There was no way that she could be that poor. It must've been a mistake, a miscalculation, she thought. An error. Maybe if she tried again, it would work! In fact, she turned around right there and went back in to try again. After all, third time's the charm. Surely that applied to debit cards, too.

The glass door opened with a whoosh, letting in the chilly air of April. At the sound, the cashier turned to look, a smile on his face. But that smile quickly turned to an exasperated look at the sight of Jamie. He was a young man in his teens, all pimply and gross. It was the third time she had tried to buy a milkshake in 10 minutes, and he did not look like he wanted to try to run her card through the machine again. Even though she absolutely noticed his negative reaction, Jamie still sidled up to the counter, trying to look as casual as she possibly could. God, she really wanted this milkshake.

"Hi, could I have the Oreo McFlurry, please-" Jamie started, putting on her best smile.

"Ma'am, please." The teenager seemed to wilt as he tried to look anywhere but at her face. "Your card's been denied twice already. We accept all other forms of payment, you know."

Jamie sighed, holding out her card. "Just run it again!"

The cashier reluctantly took it from her hands and ran it through the machine. Jamie crossed her fingers, hoping hoping hoping and... declined. Her heart plummeted, and she scowled, ripping her card from the cashier's hands. Either this machine had a bias against her, or she was truly out of money. Her face went red as everybody in the store stared at her, some people mumbling words of pity or words of condemning. She seethed. She wasn't unemployed! She wasn't homeless, down on her luck! She was a superhero, goddamnit. As she stomped out of the McDonald's and back to her car, she wondered where she had gone wrong. She had gone on at least four jobs in the last two weeks, not even counting patrols! And, plus, that huge Ambleweed job-

Oh, shit. The Ambleweed job. The meeting this morning that Powers had held. That's why she didn't have any money. Now in the driver's seat of her car, she winced as she remembered the total of five buildings that she had collapsed, the streets that were destroyed. But... but she had killed the Ambleweeds! They were dead. Nobody had been able to get to to the big villain, but did that matter? So what, the buildings had been destroyed? She still should've been paid. But her paycheck had been more than halved- quartered. Which meant she was completely out of money. Unless she could figure out a way to make more...

Having a good thought for once, Jamie pulled her cellphone from her pocket, opening up her Contacts. Who to call, who to call... someone smart. Someone who could handle a big job, one that would net them a lot of money. Enough money for her to be able to buy McFlurries again. Blake! She should text Blake.

i need money wanna go on a job text me back pls

Jamie

She hit send, grinning. This would be so good!

@Hitman

---

The worst thing in Patricia's life was, by far, algebra. Sure, being a superhero was hard, and dangerous, and exhausting, and so was having a dad that was a literal serial killer, but algebra just sucked on another level. It was just... so... boring! And hard. Why did she need it at all? She was a superhero, goddamnit, not planning to be an accountant. But dropping out would be a huge mistake, as she reminded herself nearly every day. If she ever lost her job for some reason, she'd need an education to fall back on.

Didn't mean that it wasn't mind-numbingly boring. Patricia slammed her laptop closed and fell back onto her bed. She screamed into her pillow. she probably would've actually understood the course a little better had she actually been able to attend the live lesson this morning. Instead, she was stuck at a stupid mandatory hero meeting, listening to Powers lecture everyone about the disaster that had been the Ambleweed infestation. Safety and responsibility were good values that she tried her best to uphold, but, really, what was the point in lecturing everybody in the agency if most of them hadn't even committed the damage? She hadn't done anything particularly damning, after all. And ICOSA intervening? She fumed just thinking about it. What assholes. At first, she had thought good of them, but, now, having seen the reality of hero work, Patricia couldn't help but think badly of them. A bunch of nosy, patronizing assholes, the lot of them.

It was time for a break. Patricia hopped off of her bed and left her room, braving the minefield that was the living room. Sneak past her mother and her mother's boyfriend on tip-toes and take a left to inch her way into the kitchen. Open the pantry, take a look... sweet! Chips' Ahoy! She ripped open the container, ready for sweet sugary goodness, only to find... nothing. It was empty. Who the fuck leaves an empty container in the pantry? Her face turned from hopeful to scowling in seconds, and she threw the container into the trash, making a loud noise.

"Patti, is that you?!" yelled a loud, male voice from the living room.

Oh, goddamnit. "... Yeah!" she hollered back, wincing.

"Be a sweetheart and get me a beer, will ya?"

Patricia's scowl deepened, and she threw open the fridge, taking out a beer and marching over to the man. Larry. A fat, middle-aged guy that had been lazing around in their apartment for months. Just another asshole. As much as Patricia loved her mother, she had terrible taste in men. Probably the one who had left the container of cookies empty in the pantry. She dropped the beer in his lap and turned, speedwalking as fast as she could back to the sanctuary of her bedroom. Better not to talk to him.

Patricia dropped back onto her bed, sighing again. So much for a snack. She could still take a break, though... Opening her computer back up, Patricia went to YouTube and clicked on one of her favorite playlists- the Hadestown musical, one of the best things ever made, in her opinion. Eva Noblezada was a goddess among men. Pressing play, she laid back onto her pillows, contentedly listening.

Then, the playlist was interrupted by a text. Patricia ground her teeth but pressed pause in the middle of Wedding Song, opening the message. It was from Brie, and... oh God. A party?! At the absolute worst place possible? She gasped aloud. Okay, okay, she could fix this. Dissuade them. She could stop them! Angelica's house, Angelica's house... She opened up the H.E.R.O database, entering Wish into the search tab and crossing her fingers. Her address was... okay, that was kind of close to Patricia's own apartment. Just a 10-minute walk, plus time needed to go to the corner store and buy snacks. Brie never joked about snacks. Patricia stuffed her things into her backpack, swung it over her shoulder, and practically ran out the door, sprinting down the stairs and onto the street.

The corner store down the street would probably be a good place to start. She pushed open the door, bell jingling as she entered. In a rush, she grabbed a bag of watermelon Sour Patch Kids and a bag of off-brand Cheeto Puffs from the shelves, and paid for them hurriedly. She was out of the store in less time than it had taken her to get there, and speed-walked all the way to Angelica's apartment building.

As she walked into the building, Patricia noticed Tom by the elevator, looking a little confused. Of course- hadn't he been on the group message? At least he had a teensy bit of sense compared to some other people. Hopefully she would be able to convince Brie to not have this party, or, at least, to leave her out of it.

As she brushed past Tom, Patricia said, "Apartment #305." Hopefully he got it. Getting onto the elevator, she pressed the button for the fifth floor. Angelica's apartment building wasn't that bad. Maybe a little nicer than her own.

When she got to the door of what she was 75% sure was Angelica's apartment, Patricia rapped demandingly on the door. "It's Patricia Donnelly, Aria, from work? Brie sent me a text message to meet here?" Then, she ceased knocking and waited for the door to open.

@Danvers@Amethyst@KaijuBaragon

✯ Our Brightest Stars - Always Accepting!

Time: 5:31 PM, Monday
Location: Campus Commons
Interacting: Aaliyah @Aurora Primrose and Echo @Amethyst, mentions Mia @VampireOracle, any observers.

At Echo's suggestion, Naomi's panic calmed. Going to the library would fix it. Nobody would suspect her if she had simply had to leave the green to calm down, and, plus, she wouldn't have to be around while the prank irritated everyone else. And, when the clocks were eventually found, she wouldn't have to lie when someone inevitably told. Yes, that would fix it. Not completely, but she would feel calmer than she did in the swell of students. She released her vice grip on Echo's jacket and raised her head to sit on their shoulder. Still laughing (well, more like hyperventilating), she took a deep breath. Then another. They were labored, almost gasping breaths, but got in air nonetheless.

"Y-yeah. Pl-please?" she said between gasps. She shut her eyes closed and inhaled shakily again. Why couldn't she just calm down? It shouldn't be that hard. But the idea of getting into trouble petrified her. Every time she thought of it, she felt a rising nausea and an almost uncontrollable urge to flee or cry. Maybe this prank hadn't been such a great idea. But, then again, maybe it would pay off. Maybe she would laugh for real later.

Just as she was calming, Naomi felt a tap on her shoulder. Her breath hitched in her throat and she whirled around, only to see a person who was probably one of the worst people to be behind her behind her. It was Aaliyah Meadows, one of the debate coaches. Fuck. Naomi's expression twisted into one of absolute and utter terror as her laughter (no, definitely hyperventilation) hitched up again. They were so dead. Aaliyah was a college student, and she would definitely tell. Oh, Jesus. She noted cheerleaders behind them, starting to root through bushes and look under picnic tables for the sources of the sounds. They were in for it now.

Clinging to Echo's shoulders even more now, Naomi managed to squeak out a few sentences between gasps. "Aa-Aaliyah! I-I swear, we d-didn't do an-anything, I swear-" Then, her panicked gasps were cut off by Echo and she nodded along to what they said, trying to smile convincingly. They were in such deep shit if Aaliyah didn't believe them.

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

This looks really interesting. I'll have to see about joining but I just might!

[CANCELLED]

I have never roleplayed in the Recollections Universe but I ADORE witch covens. Would we get to roleplay the witches themselves, or are they the villains?