Finetales

the Alliance of Liberty City

Queen of Gold

She turned to face the angel, blowing a loud kiss towards her. “I'll see you again. You can count on it.” She then turned to face the camera woman, a frown planted on her face. ”And you had better hope I don't find you.” Then she fell backwards into the ground and vanished under its surface, the ground solidifying after she made her exit.

@BunniesOfDoom

Kate watched the strange woman speak to both her and the tree-thrower, her face neutral as her brain continued attempting (and failing) to decipher either of them. After one had melted into the ground and the other walked away after snapping one more picture, Kate took a brief look around before gently setting herself down in the park, recalling her wings and weapon constructs, and letting out a heavy sigh. "By the ancients...what have I gotten myself into?" she said to herself, as she began walking through the park to the north end.

A short while later, Kate was back in her Middle Park East apartment. She had changed clothes and was sitting on her couch watching the news on her television. She expected there to be news about the chaos in the park just now, but then again...maybe any reporters on scene had been swept up in it? She got her answer soon enough; after a brief segment about an attempted bank robbery, footage from Middle Park filled the screen.

"The cause of the brawl remains uncertain," a male reporter said. "Some think it happened naturally, while others think it was the result of outside agitators - maybe even supers." A clip of Kate flying over the crowd, yelling at them, played as the announcer continued. "But the big question on everyone's minds is, who is this winged woman?"

The camera cut to various people being interviewed on location.

"I don't know...I watched the whole thing and she never attacked the crowd. I couldn't hear what she was yelling at them, but I do know that after she flew at the stage the crowd calmed down quickly. I can't tell if she was causing the chaos or not."

"It was HER!" another man (whose bruises indicated that he had been involved in the brawl) said. "Who else could it be??"

"Honestly I think she was trying to stop the fighting. The brawl had started before she showed up."

"It stopped when she attacked someone on the stage. I saw it clear as day."

"Come on, you're telling me that an angel of fire was NOT the cause? I call bullshit. That's like...textbook villain shit."

The camera cut back to the first reporter in the booth. "The identity of this 'angel' is unknown. She isn't on any superhero records, and was not part of the Alliance. Authorities are currently investigating, but have not yet been able to determine the cause of the brawl."

"Well...shit," Kate muttered. The fact that some of the public thought she had caused the chaos in the park, and even that she was a villain, was not ideal. Worse still was the fact that the strange woman who had actually caused the chaos apparently got off undetected. Kate could tell that woman would be a thorn in her side, especially as she was apparently infatuated with Kate. Life in Liberty City was already much messier than Kate expected. It turned out humans were very unpredictable, and Kate needed to get used to that.

@BunniesOfDoom @Eviledd1984

the Alliance of Liberty City

Queen of Gold

” That was quite a lot of fun. I haven't felt so exhilarated in such a long time. But sadly, we're gonna have to end this little dance.”

@Eviledd1984

Kate looked over at the now airborne woman with a mixture of annoyance and contempt, and replied in a voice laced with accusation. "WE had 'ended the dance' until you started throwing shit. We were done."

” I am on your side. You want to end this madness, and I want to help you. I have a plan. I'm going to hurl a rock at her head to try and knock her out. She'll probably fall off the stepping stones. And when she does, I want you to catch her. I hope this will be enough to end her reign of madness."

@Eviledd1984

Kate let out a sharp laugh. "HELP me?! I don't need any help. Look around and listen for one second...what do you hear? The crowd is no longer at each others' throats, emergency services are arriving...the chaos is over. Which, by the way, was all MY doing, while you stood there with your little camera being of no use to anyone." Kate pointed to the chaos-bringer, while still looking at and addressing the tree-thrower. "I had her pinned down. Her 'reign of madness' was over. We were DONE. All you have done is throw a tree and a car at me, and then claimed to be on my side. You-" She cut herself off mid-sentence as she launched herself at the chaos-bringer, slamming into her mid-air in order to move her out of the way of the incoming rock. "-are such a nuisance!" she finished, glaring at the tree-thrower.

Sensing that the chaos woman would say some flirty comment to her about saving her, Kate explained herself, still glaring at the tree-thrower. "And you have no honor, either! Stabbing an opponent in the back when the battle is done is barbaric, and the work of a coward. If you insist on prolonging this battle further, fight your opponent face to face with honor, as I have. Or...you can run along and go take your pictures somewhere else."

@Eviledd1984 @BunniesOfDoom

the Alliance of Liberty City

Collab Post! Eris and Queen of Gold

“You'll have to kill me else I'll do it again. And again. And again. Can you do that, angel? Can you kill someone in cold blood?”

@BunniesOfDoom

Kate was taken out of the moment with the strange woman's dare and let out a hearty laugh, before looking back down at the woman with her smile gone. "I've killed thousands...one is nothing."

Eris was taken aback by the woman's response, her eyes growing wide with a wild glint. "Oh, that's hot."

Kate tilted her head and contorted her face in confusion. This woman was clearly on a different wavelength than anyone Kate had encountered on battlefields past. She had to admit, it was a refreshing change of pace, but she also didn't appreciate being distracted so much. Thankfully, her mind returned to the situation at hand by the noise she heard...or rather, the lack of it. It seemed the chaos in the crowd had subsided since Kate had tackled the woman. It worked! But she still had to deal with the woman herself. She mentally shook her head at the woman's next quip...a goddess Kate may have been, but she was useless in a medical emergency. After all, she was the goddess of war, not the goddess of healing. But before she could reply, the strange woman pulled her close and...kissed her??? Between the kiss itself and the fact that this woman was apparently melting into the ground, Kate found herself uncharacteristically confused. She clearly still had a lot to learn about this world, and worse still was the fact that she wasn't entirely mad at being kissed. "What...was that...?" she whispered to the woman, a bewildered look on her face.

A sick grin crossed Eris's face as she leaned forward once more, placing a hand on the girl's cheek. She was about to respond about liking a hero who could throw her around when the sounds of tree roots ripping from the ground echoed. Her eyes snapped over to the newcomer and she frowned fiercely.

"I'm gonna need you to hold your breath." She reached up with a her free hand to grab a hold of the front of her outfit before she flung herself back, pulling the two into the ground. Any projectiles thrown their way crashed into the liquid ground and began to sink but they were safe under it all. Of course, they couldn't see since there was no light to be found underground and it wasn't a good idea to keep your eyes open in liquid earth. Eris pulled them along, groping around until she found the barrier of solid earth where her magic ended. She dug her hands in, clawing along the wall until they pushed through the surface again. Crawling their way out of the ground, Eris took a deep breath before looking ahead at the enraged telepath. "Oye! Get your own hero! This one is mine!"

Kate managed to hold her breath just in time, completely unsure of what was going on but hating every second. Somehow her brain had calculated that this strange woman that had just kissed her was more trustworthy than whoever had just thrown what sounded like a tree at them, but she wasn't happy that her brain had reached that conclusion. In any case, the second they left the ground and were back on the surface, Kate shot up with her wings to distance herself from both strange women who were apparently very interested in throwing either things or themselves at her. Before she could say anything to either, the first strange woman called out to the other and claimed possession of Kate? This caused Kate to violently shake her head, wishing for this apparent free-for-all to be over. "I hated that," she said to the woman below her, not even acknowledging the tree-thrower. "And I am most certainly not 'yours'," she said with a snarl.

Eris peered up at the angry angel, a sly grin crossing her features. ""Oh come on! You came to get me first, right? Some crazy telepath doesn't get to keep you just cause she can throw trees-" She peered around at the items flying about in a vortex, ""And signs. Is that a car?" She frowned at the overpowering sight before her as she turned her eyes once more on the photographer. ""Okay, I'm a little jealous. I wanna throw cars! You work with what you got, I guess." She shook out her arms, loosening her shoulders as she smiled at the enraged woman. ""Let's see how we can do this, yeah." She summoned condensed chaos into her hands and launched a bolt at the woman before compressing it down into stepping stones. These stones acted as a trail for her to follow as she stepping up into the air, quickly joining the angel there in the sky. ""You think she can hit this high?"

"I'm not hers either!" Kate exclaimed, growing more agitated. "Are you two fighting over me right now?! Can we just-" She was interrupted by a car flying directly at her. Without time to fly out of its path, in a split second Kate manifested a great sword, set it alight with flame, and sliced the car in two as it reached her, sending the two halves past her on either side. She turned to look at the first woman, who was now standing next to her in the air because of course she was. "You know, I actually do think she can hit this high," Kate said sarcastically.

Eris peered down at the woman, stroking her chin in thought for a moment. She ran a bit away from Kate, watching as the woman followed her path before hurrying back to the angel's side. ""Oh yeah, no. It's definitely me. Jealous?" She said with a snicker as she peered up at the angel with raised eyebrows.

Kate rolled her eyes. "It is not physically possible for me to be less jealous of you than I am right now," she said with an annoyed edge. Finally, she acknowledged the other woman. "Will you stop throwing things?! Whose side are you on??"

Eris chuckled lightly as she turned back to the woman on the ground. ""Yeah! Go away! I had a good thing going here!"

@Finetales@BunniesOfDoom@Eviledd1984

the Alliance of Liberty City

Queen of Gold

Middle Park

“Great,” she muttered to herself as she gained control of the spiraling vortex about her and condensed it down into her hands. “Yeah, me! What about me?”

@BunniesOfDoom

Kate scowled as the mysterious woman on the stage threw back sarcasm her way. She knew this woman was the cause of all this chaos, and she couldn't see anyone else that could put an end to it. There was another woman, taking pictures of both Kate and the chaos woman, though she seemed to have her hands full between taking pictures and fending off attackers on the ground. Had Kate been in a level-headed state, she would have made a note to try to help that woman and find out what she was up to. But in her current, artificially-frenzied fury, she could only focus on her target.

She fired the condensed chaos at the woman. She hoped it would at least by her some time as the wooden floor of the stage began to liquefy and she began to sink below it.

@BunniesOfDoom

Kate couldn't avoid the condensed chaos nor stop it with her physical shield, and it hit her psyche like a ton of bricks. She growled in frustration and leapt into action. Her shield vanished as she used her massive wings to shoot up high and then dive like a falcon at the woman. On the way down Kate saw the woman begin to sink into the stage, and knew she had only seconds. It was going to be close. Her steep dive began to level out as she entered a collision course with the woman. With all her might, and additionally spurred on by this heated anger that this woman was no doubt causing, Kate slammed into the woman before she could finish sinking into the stage. It was somewhat of a tackle and somewhat of an uncontrolled crash, but it worked. The two shot out of the back of the stage, ripping through the canvas and somersaulting violently through the park behind it, bouncing and tumbling until they came to a bruised and battered, but otherwise unharmed stop.

The little journey had ended with the mysterious woman with her back on the ground and Kate on top of her, who quickly sat up and pinned the woman down with her arms. Kate noticed that her fury seemed to have subsided somewhat, but she was still angry on her own accord. "Who are you and what have you done with these people?!" Kate demanded, her voice hot with anger. "End this madness...now!" She held up her left arm threatening a strike, her fist clenched and flames dancing across it.

@BunniesOfDoom

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Yuna Xu

Scott's "Office"

-lots of text I will spare you all from quoting 2 posts down-

@Rhona W

Yuna sat and listened as Scott spoke. She could see the line he was walking play across his face as he figured out just what he could - and should - say, and that alone was enough to tell Yuna a great deal. She nodded as he summarized his first time in command, even if not "official". When Yuna was assigned to Cobalt Haze, she had read Scott's file over and over, just as she had for every other name on the roster. She wanted to have as much of a leg up on a sea of new faces as she could. But she had read Scott's a couple more times than most, on account of it being one of the most interesting files of the lot. Heroism and a bit too much about the A-6 Intruder, some of which she was still eager to see if they were tall tales or not.

She lifted her eyebrows in surprise and even a bit of admiration as Scott had placed a beer in front of her. Of all the ways to make a good first impression on Yuna as a CO...well, Yuna figured that was just about at the top. Light beer or not, it looked to drink (not necessarily "good to drink", just..."to drink", which was enough for Yuna), and she began taking some swigs as Scott continued, finishing his story and moving on to the events of last night and this morning.

Oh, and for the record? So far, you don't seem particularly like an asshole. Also, you did a hell of a good job with the CQB last night; I was very impressed". He smirked at her and winked, his rugged features fitting the expression well. "And not just because you covered my ass from getting shot to pieces...!"

@Rhona W

Yuna laughed at Scott's last comment. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but not seeming particularly like an asshole is kind of my thing," she said with a lighthearted tone and a smile. "Unless everyone else in the squadron is all spick and span and sucking up...then it's my job to be the resident asshole. You should have seen some of the shit I pulled in Kazakhstan." She looked off to the distance, an almost wistful look in her eyes. "But here, the position of "squadron asshole" seems to be one that a lot of people are fighting for, so I'm happy to stay far away from that." She chuckled to herself and took another sip of her beer, before continuing on a more serious note.

"And thanks. CQB obviously isn't what I hired on for, but if you ask me it's one of the most fun things you can do wheels down. And it was nice to clear some rooms knowing that you had my back on the other side. I'd push a building with you any day." She gestured with her bottle before taking another swig. "I'm sure some of the others would hate me if I told them this, but I wouldn't mind doing a little more of that. In between dogfights, of course."

@Rhona W

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Yuna Xu

Upon Scott's call of "it's open!", Yuna opened the door to find Scott at his laptop, clearly getting the boring part of this gig out of the way.

"Calico," he said in greeting. "Come in, take a seat. What can I do for you?"

@Rhona W

Yuna sat at the available chair nearest to Scott's very fancy folding desk, and set her now-empty coffee cup and partially-eaten breakfast burrito down in her lap.

"Hey, Heartbreak. I know you're the CO and supposed to be extra professional and all that, but somebody's gotta check on you and see how you're holding up once in a while. Especially after last night, and...whatever that was a few minutes ago." Yuna chuckled, before continuing. "Can't imagine us assholes make your job easy."

@Rhona W

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Yuna Xu

"That's because they don't offer complimentary baguettes with every meal or three course meals with snails as the starter. They make actual food that everyone else eats."

@Hyperion338

"I give the French this: unlike the British and their wayward colonies, they can make food that's worth a damn without being drenched in grease. Give me a tartine over navy beans, any day of the week."

@Smike

Yuna chuckled to herself as Griffin and Jefe continued talking about the merits of British and French food. Griffin and Chevy would have lots of material to banter at each other with...the French and the British having it out for each other was in their blood. Yuna could tell that she would be hearing many a snide remark from one about the other, if not straight up arguments. And although Yuna overall preferred French cuisine to British cuisine, she felt she'd probably end up rooting for Griffin on account of Chevy's grating French haughtiness. That said, if Griffin came after French wine, Yuna would have something to say about that.

For the time being, she let Griffin and Jefe discuss it as she finished making her coffee. While it was by all accounts pretty low-grade coffee, that's what she was used to drinking at her various deployments throughout her career, so she didn't mind. After all, coffee was a tool, not a pleasure. A tool that would have her fully invigorated by the end of this cup...or maybe the next?

"You think they're going to let us off base still?" she asked Yuna, sprinkling a pinch of salt into her coffee. "Or did our friends in the mechanic bay ruin that?"

@Smike

Yuna turned to her drinking buddy at her question, her eyes widening a bit in agreement. "God I hope so," she replied. "We rode by a ton of spots that looked promising last time. Plus, if I can't get away from these hotheads once in awhile, I'm gonna be counting down the days until we're shipping out of here." Yuna thought for a moment. "...Actually, I'm gonna try to find that out right now," she decided. "I'll be back when I have an answer. Don't have too much fun without me!", she said in a sing-song way as she turned around, stopped to grab one of the last wrapped breakfast burritos left, and walked out of the mess hall in search of The Answer. She assumed Scott would probably know, but maybe it was down to the base staff. Either way, she had a vague idea of where she might find them, so she aimed in that direction and began wandering the halls, alternating between taking a bite out of her burrito and a sip of her coffee.

Eventually she reached the closed door that held her CO's name on it. The thin door being what it was, she could hear sounds of typing from inside. She hoped she wouldn't be bothering Scott, but maybe talking to someone less...antagonistic...would improve his mood. She could tell he had been frustrated when she left the planning room earlier. But he also might have The Answer. Yuna figured it was worth a shot either way, especially as so far Ximena was the only person she'd befriended in the squadron, and it would be nice to get familiar with another face. She tucked her partially-eaten breakfast burrito under her right arm (whose hand also held her coffee), and gave three healthy raps on the door with her now-free left hand.

@Smike @Hyperion338 @Rhona W

the Alliance of Liberty City

@Finetales YAY! A Hero! So this wouldn't just be a mess between villains!

@BunniesOfDoom

Yes, Kate couldn't let the villains have all the fun!

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Yuna Xu

"It's a shame I won't get to see Meow Flight throw down, [...] But I'm sure you can protect the Kitten as she numbers about in that hog of hers."

@Smike

Yuna chuckled at "Meow Flight." "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to run with us cats soon enough. We have nine lives, after all."

Griffin looked at the Singaporean woman and reached out his hand to shake hers in kind. At the mention of breakfast, his stomach growled. "I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. Long flight. A proper fry up will sort me right out. I'll follow you." Griffin said as he held the door open for Calico and Jefe.

@Hyperion338

She honestly had no idea where the canteen was, she hadn't eaten anything since the sandwich she had scarfed down on the flight over. Hopefully Yuna knew the place better than she did, because Ximena was following her.

@Smike

Fortunately, Yuna had found the mess hall the previous night, so she knew where she was going. There were 3 priorities for her in any deployment: a place to sleep, a place to eat, and a place to drink...not necessarily in that order. As she began leading Griffin and Jefe down the halls towards the mess hall, she idly chatted about the mess hall, to both of them. "I mean, it's not going to blow you away, but it gets the job done. I've certainly had much worse. Think good hotel breakfast level, you know? It's really not bad, no matter what the Captain says."

"You missed a lot of fun yesterday, a real clusterfuck of a thing. There was a cell of saboteurs in the mechanic bay and we had to clear them out ourselves. CQC bullshit, like we're marines or something. Hell of a thing, and a hell of a lot of fun."

@Smike

"Can confirm," Yuna chimed in. "Was a hell of a way to be introduced to the squadron. Definitely more fun than most first days. A little room clearing as a warm-up? Yeah, I'll take that any day over signing papers." She gestured to Jefe as she continued. "And when you have Jefe here raining hell on that LMG, it becomes even more fun. Well, except for your ears."

The trio presently arrived at the mess hall. "Here she is," Yuna stated, immediately making a beeline for the coffee machines.

@Smike @Hyperion338

the Alliance of Liberty City

Queen of Gold

Middle Park

It had been a few months since Kate had chosen to stake her claim in Liberty City. After she was essentially banished from Khodali as there were no more wars for her to fight, she had wandered around the universe aimlessly, traversing just about every Khodali portal out there in search of a world ravaged by far. She knew she had hit the jackpot when she stumbled upon Earth, a world infested by a sentient species full of hate, greed, and war. But they were also capable of love, selflessness, honor, and profound beauty, and she decided to set down roots here.

Liberty City had been an easy choice. Every facet of humanity, good and bad, presented itself on a daily basis in the gritty city. Though Kate still resented the Khodali Emperor for sending her away, he had ensured her new life would be a comfortable, befitting a goddess like herself. She had been set up with enough money to never want for anything, and in a place like Liberty City even the richest stood out. To strangers she passed and people she met and befriended, she appeared to be just another upper-class eastside woman who worked in fashion and had a shopping addiction.

Of course, her real purpose was to find wars to fight, so she could fulfill her duties as the Khodali goddess of war. And in Liberty City, she found that that usually manifested in the form of busting crime. The criminal network in Liberty City was extensive, with formidable villains coming and going. It was a normal part of life for the city's citizens, but it at least gave Kate an opportunity to do some good and get some fighting in.

Today, she was relaxing at one of her favorite coffee shops near Middle Park. But she wasn't enjoying it as much as usual, on account of the loud music happening nearby. She tried to pay it no mind, but even at a distance the volume made it hard to think. She was about to leave and walk south a few blocks to get away from the noise, when she started hearing a different kind of roar from the crowd - one of violence. Her ears perked up and she grew concerned as the commotion became increasingly peppered with yelling and screaming, and not the joyous kind. Feeling obligated to learn more, Kate took a final swig to finish off her coffee, stood up, and exited the coffee shop. She began walking towards the commotion, and as she turned the corner she beheld an all-out brawl between concertgoers and police alike. She noticed that it wasn't just concertgoers fighting the police, either; cops were fighting cops and civilians were fighting civilians. It was pure chaos, plain and simple.

Kate couldn't see the stage through the crowd, but she jogged closer to get a better look. As she did so, she could feel the chaos, and she didn't know why she started feeling angry herself. But she steeled her resolve and pushed forward. She still couldn't see the stage from where she was, and there seemed to be no impetus for the raging brawl going on in front of her. The police alao fighting made her suspect that this might not have been a natural occurrence.

She doubted that she could snap them out of it, but she could at least distract them before anybody else got hurt. Gunshots were ringing out, and people were dropping. Katee snarled and entered a sprint, sprouting her great white wings from her back as she did so. She took off as soon as she was able, her wings bringing her upward with great force and drama. Once aloft, she manifested a large circular shield, to stop any bullets sent her way. But to reduce the chances of the bullets hitting her, she never stopped above the crowd, instead flying quickly in circles about 30 feet above the the crowd. She deployed the voice she had used to command armies, knowing it would be loud enough to hear even over the chaos below her. "HEY!!" she yelled, her voice tinged with the uncertain anger she continued to fight down. "HEY!!! Stop! Chill the fuck out!!" People began looking up at her, giving her traditional Liberty City greetings such as "fuck you!" and "make me, bitch!"

Guns started pointing up at her, but those who weren't distracted tackled, beat, or shot most of them before they could shoot. Still, a few bullets flew past Kate, and a handful hit her shield. "Lunatics...", she said to herself, finding it harder to ignore the sourceless anger she felt. She spawned flames enveloping her shield and licking her arms, both to be more intimidating and to give her anger an outlet. As she continued to circle, she looked around, trying to find the source of the chaos. She glanced at the stage, which was now empty except for...a woman casually sitting on the edge? Kate's eyes narrowed as she focused on this mysterious girl. "You..." she said, her anger building as she connected the dots.