ghastlyInc

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli

Eli turned his focus back towards the kitchen as Eliza sat down, grabbing a clean pan and what little remained of the eggs. He ignored the two girls, instead focusing his laser like concentration on poaching eggs. The attempt was....decent. Hardly note worthy to be fair, but they were decidedly eggs and they were decidedly poached, or atleast cooked. He gently shifts the food onto a plate as he feels bump into the back of him.

"...Good morning to you to Danvers. Please excuse my state at the moment. Me and Eliza were just recovering from something." He grumbles politely, awkwardly shifting with the plates of eggs in each hand. Carefully he brushes past the excitable woman as she heads to grab an apron, not thinking about it too hard as he sets the plate down in front of the would be chef turned would be arsonist. "Hope you do not mind it just being...this. I'd offer toast but I'm afraid I don-HEY!" A sudden eep escapes the young man as frills and pink fill his vision, a cold hand brushing past his neck.

The boy is stunned for a moment, before managing to stammer out a very confused, almost questioning, thank you. The apron was form hugging, which struck him as odd, almost as if it were meant to be worn as a singular layer. Would rather defeat the purpose of an apron if you asked him. The buzz of the PA system woke him from his fugue, and he welcomed it. This morning had turned very strange. "You two should hurry up and eat. Leave the plates in the sink and I'll get to them after....class? ...Let us go with class." He adds, quickly heading out the door.

It took him longer to find the testing area than he like to admit, still unused to the layout of the building. Eventually though, he managed to fumble his way into the office of DR. Childs. She sat, crossed legged in her office chair with all the haughty airs of a queen in court as an aproned, and slightly greasy smelling at this point, Eli stumbles in. He was pretty sure he could FEEL her amusement, but Eli was not in the mood to feed her ego further today.

He gingerly takes a seat in front of her, the two silently exchanging their greetings as he did so, careful to not ruffle his frilly apron. "So...."She begins, sizing him up from her chair as she gently removes a small glowing stone from her pocket. "Lets talk about your little episode last night Mr. O'Dell."

"...how did you..." Eli begins, gawking at the emerald stone as the 'good' doctor placed it on a scale on her desk. "I had it retrieved off you while you were sleeping....well. I had a grunt do so." She adds passively, as though that was a perfectly valid excuse.

"You have access to me while I am asleep?" he asks, his confusion punctuated by the staccato clicking of a fountain pin. "Do it again." She commands, ignoring his protest, her glare cutting into him. Eli continues to stare at her, somewhat stunned by the casual ease she had in brushing away his questions.

"I...I'll try doctor?" He manages to mewl in confusion. He closes his eyes, reaching out for the feeling from before while trying to ignore the harsh, almost violent, scratching noises as Dr. Childs took her notes. It came...more easily than last time, drawing itself from his mind to the air around the previously made rock. But the thread of thought, if it could be called such, felt weak, like trying to fish with spider silk.

Eli tried to probe further down this previously unknown portion of his mind, but he could feel his stomach begin to churn in protest. The space was too new still, to alien, so he could merely grope weakly at the patches of what felt so sturdy last night.

With a shakey breath, he lets it go. "That..that's the most I think I can manage Doctor." He manages to stammer, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Dr. Childs leans forward, examining the digital read out of the scale with a look that fell somewhere between amusement and dismissal. "Well congratulations Mr. O'dell, you have managed to produce 10 grams of a previously undiscovered element. How do you feel?"

Eli was about to protest when a wave of pain hit his gut, doubling him over face first (thankfully) in to the small waste basket next to the desk. "....Duly noted. Feel free to leave when you're done." She says, standing and unceremoniously stepping over him to leave, pocketing the stone as she went, leaving him to heave in relative peace.

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli

Cafeteria
Eli only dimly registered Eliza entering the room, still somewhat transfixed by the abomination of bakery nestled in the plastic coating of pure hatred he was consuming. How....How could something like this possibly....BE? With resignation, he gently wraps the remaining 'cake' back in the plastic before getting up to throw it away. He was about to start making something before Eliza made the offer herself. “Oh...That would be appreciated, thank you.” He says, before dropping the twinkie in the garbage can with an all too satisfying thunk. Normally, he'd be opposed to wasting food. But that was not food. Whatever that was, it had no place in the life of mankind.

He leans on the counter, only now noticing Caebyn face down in dairy product enduced slumber, the light rustle of Eliza collecting ingredients ringing in the background. “....I dont suppose you know if thats normal behavior for Ms. Danvers?”] He asks quietly, looking back over to see the young woman hapazardly attempt to 'cook'.

“Uh....” He begins, watching the second attempt proceed slightly better. “Are you sure you know what you are do-” As if on cue, the formerly docile, if ...calcium rich eggs burst into a small mouth of fire. As she rushed to fill something with water, he decided to intervene.

”Stop!” He barks harshly, his voice echoing through the cafeteria. He approaches the cabinets calmly, opening one and grabbing a lid and baking soda. “Throw water on that..” He says, the harshness of his voice now replaced with his usual indifference. “and you'll end up making the grease jump out of the pan and spread.” He casually rips the baking soda box open, moving the pan to the back burner, careful not to spill any of the contents. An unseen flaming bubble pops as the pan comes to rest, landing flaming droplets of grease on his shirt.

Most of the embers die quickly as they soak into the cotton, so Eli ignores them, instead dumping the baking soda into the pan and firmly placing the lid on. The dying gurgles of the flame echo in the pan for a moment, before it becomes quiet. “We should let that rest for a while..."He says, gently patting away the few remaining pin pricks of fire on his shirt. It was decidedly ruined, not polka dotted with holes and scorch marks, reeking of burnt oil. With a sigh he resignedly pulls it off, cleaning it would only worsen the poor garment. He tosses the shirt gently into the garbage before turning back to Eliza. "Maybe I should take over for breakfast?", he says, asking permission more so as a courtesy than anything else.

@CyanideSweetie@KimmiNinja

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

@noodles
There is a sharp cry from the front lines as Klaus' sword pierces through one of the bandits chest. She look at Klaus for a moment, her confusion mirrored on the faces of the two other men flanking her. She drops like a dead weight, sinking to the ground as men, in chaotic unison, swing wildly at the girl.

@Raineh Daze
The shieldwall seems to hold, albiet barely. What these men lack in precision in their swings, they seem to make up for in unrivaled fervor. A pair of large woman bare down on the shield wall eyes bloodshot with maddness, towing with them equally immense mauls. They slam into a lone knight on the shieldwall, the sound of bone and steel crumpling ringing staccato in the chorus of guttural woops. The duo rush through, leaving the gap to be further expanded by their companions as they rush the small silver haired woman, heedless of the waiting blade.

@TheFake
Indrau
The man recoils, hissing loudly through his teeth as his now severed hand flops to the ground, glaring daggers at Indrau. He takes a few experimental swipes at the elderly man testing his guard, seemingly only minor inconvenienced by his sudden asymmetry. The man wheels suddenly, the pummel of the spear slamming into the side of the elderly lion's knee, the man quickly jerking back to prepare for a finishing stab.

Salz
The spear strikes true, stapling the crazed man to the canyon wall. He screams obscenities about the spears mother and her relationship with live stock. That said, he was doing moderately better than the men currently with in arms reach of the giant, caught in a semi-permanent limbo of being thrown to the ground by the spear and raising again, only freed by a merciful albiet occasional, stab from knights passerby. There is the twang of steel once more as arrows whiz by the giant woman, the archers evidentally deciding her to be a fine target.

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli awoke, choking back the lingering taste of vomit in his mouth, the pit of his stomach aching in sudden violent protest of hunger. He wasn't sure how long he was out for, which was somewhat worrying all things considered. He drags his head up, glancing over at the nightstand and reading the digital clock, the bright red digits scorching his retinas for a moment before he adjusted. 6:33. Had he still been at home, he would have been prepared himself for a long lecture from his father about the dangers of idleness and sleeping in.

Thankfully, for now, he was spared the lecture and there were more pressing matter. He hops quickly into the shower, letting the cold water shake the last rogue elements of sleep from his system. He examined the toothbrush with mild confusion. It was...mechanical. Decidedly so. Though he questioned why. It was a brush. Adding a motor to it seemed to serve no purpose. Regardless, he brushes his teeth quickly (only stopping to experimentally press the button, only to be met with violent shuddering from the thing) and dresses before leaving.

He kitchen was barren for the moment, and he wasn't too surprised. If the others routines were anything like his own they probably already ate, though that was purely speculation on his part. He raids the cabinets, eventually happening on a box of....pastries he guessed? They were yellow sponge cake looking things with cream through the center. He wonders for a moment if they would be considered breakfast foods before his stomach growls his concerns away. He pops open the box, gingerly taking one before replacing the box, the plastic wrapping of the cakes crinkling at his touch.

He sits down, regarding the plastic wrapped...food for a moment before daintily opening it. It was soft, but felt dense in his hand as he leaned forward, taking a hesitant bite. “Oh Jes..heavens...” He begins, barely catching the swear. “That....is the single most vile thing I've ever eaten.” He concludes, continuing to eat the offending baked good at his stomachs demand. It was sweet beyond words, and his teeth ached as he bit into it, the cream not helping at all. The cake part was dense and tasteless, like someone had made an effort to shove as much into the small shell it was meant to be as possible as an act of pure spite against the eater. As he finished, he silently hoped there was a special place in hell for whatever succubus concocted these....Twinkies.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

The air around the caravan shimmers with divine light for a moment, a feeling of ease and protection falling over those within the spells effect. A woop echoes from high in the canyon, shrill and far to guttural to be human. High in the canyon, an outcropping of stones let loose another volley, and the roses summarily return fire, though few find their home in targets as they fought against gravity.

Twenty some men and women, clad in ramshackle armor, seem to ooze out from between the canyon walls. The singular woop evolves into a chorus of hollers,the clanging of weapons on stone, and the ding of arrows as volleys bounce against the shieldwall. The ease that the light had brought moments before is quickly swallowed and the light dies, the feeling of dread returning, though now pressing itself into the back of ones skull (as though it was offended you even tried to rid yourself of it in the first place).

The ambushers slide along the canyon walls towards the shield wall, advancing on the caravan from above with unnatural grace. A few stop, either to join their voices in the disturbing chorus or to shout incoherent challenges at their prey or to swat away stray shots from the roses archers. A few arrows strike true, but it seems to only amuse the assailants.

Indrau and the men nearest him are the first to make contact, the ambushers sliding (or in a few cases, haphazardly tumbling without a care) down the canyon wall to meet them. Some brush past them, rushing to make passing jabs at the shield wall. A dark haired man rushes Indrau, intent on bringing his spear head down on the elderly lion.

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli

Eli curtly nods at Sienna before dry heaves take hold of him, throwing his head back into the bucket. The announcement of phone calls echoed dimly in the chamber of the bucket, though Eli gave it little thought. There was only one phone on the compound, an old rotary model with white plastic that had long since been stained yellow by time. And that hadn't been connected to anything since he was a boy.

A final lurch brought forth the objecting former contents of his stomach. Clear, tasteless. Water, he decided, feeling the final rush of nausea subside. “And at any rate dont think there would be much to say...Atleast yet.” He thinks as his Adams apple resignedly removes itself from the bottom of his chin and back towards its home on his neck. Somehow, despite his optimism, he didn't see telling his father that he just willed a stone into existence would do any good.

“Speak of the devil...” He mumbles, weakly picking up the still shining gem careful not to disturb the bucket. Its surface was rough and uneven and it was more oblong than round than he thought it should be. And considering he just deposited what little was in his stomach back into the world to make it, it was upsettingly small. He rolls the pebble in his hands a few times, letting its weight settle his still churning stomach. Arthur's display earlier had seemed so grand. Pure even. His, on the other hand...Well, of all the things that could have been his divine gift, being a vomiting jewelry maker was not what he expected or wanted.

He shakily stands up, leaving the room with bucket in tow. He didn't feel like embarrassing himself further after that, not that there was much else to say. Finding his room took a while and he could not get the door opened fast enough, happily disposing of the bucket and its contents in the bathroom before falling flat onto the bed.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

As the caravan descended deeper into the canyon, the air grew stale and strangely cold. Grass gave way to alabaster stone, rough and unhewn by decades of rain wash. For those of magical inclination, a odd ache was passing through their temples, perhaps the onset of a migraine from the many days traveled. Indrau, near the front, the hooves of his steed clacking against the shale in a mock metronome of his pace, could feel Silence gain a faint heaviness, imperceptible to anyone but its master.

Gill fiddled with his armor once more, unable to find even the slightest reprieve from the numbness in his arm now. He wondered, idly, if this was another side effect from his experiment with Soulscale. A sudden twang echo'd through the canyon, breaking the line of though the young man had as a hideous base note of spun steel reverberated from off the stone walls. Numbness blossoms in his other shoulder now, dimly drawing his attention to the arrow now poking through the plates, emerald fletching swaying softly in the breeze. “Oh.” He manages, recognition far off in his voice, catching the sight of nine other members of the order who were not as lucky. Emerald clad arrows rising from their shields, horses, or (in one mans case it seemed) visor in salute of their far off masters.

The normal din of conversation is silenced for a moment and it occurs to him, with almost dumb after thought, as he slides backwards from his horse that he should probably raise the alarm to the attack. However, the arrow protests this action, numbness now bursting into red hot pain as his vision fills with white. The momentary silence is broken as he slams into the dirt, filling the air with the renching sound of metal clashing with meat.

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli

“Pleasure to meet you Ms. Danvers.” Eli says with a curt nod. “And do not be. Was more worried about your....state after the fall as it stood. I apologize.” He adds, giving a meek wave to Sienna as she enters. At least people were dressed now. So, things were at least starting to look up. He remained quiet as the group continued their debate on their circumstances, not really seeing much point in arguing further as to the intent of their hosts. Being there only for a day, there wasn't much evidence to draw an agenda from. Though if his instructor turned out to be evil, part of him wouldn't be too surprised.

“Hmm. A thought occurs though.” He says as the group resolves to avoid potential power triggers. “It seems a common thread between Arthur, Ms. Foxtrot and...I'm sorry ma'am, I don't think I know your name?” He says turning to Eliza before continuing. “Is that their powers seemed to occur when their minds where otherwise occupied. Arthur with grading and Sienna with the pool helix for examples. It might be safe to assume that, at least in these cases, there is a mental trigger rather than a purely physical one.”

He thinks further for a moment before standing, going to a far corner of the room and takes a deep breath. The exhale came with commanded slowness as he forced his mind to clear. It was something Reverend Lloyd had taught him, along with the other young people of the commune, as a way to distance one's mind from the temptations of technology when venturing into the world. Eli never thought much of it, only rarely engaging with it when his interactions with towns folks became upsetting (which is, perhaps, probably not 100% healthy truth be told). If Eli had ever been made aware of similar buddist practices, he probably would have found the overlap endearing. But he wasn't, and for now he simply focused on the exercise.

After a few seconds, he finally managed to find it. A weak, almost mute, line in the back of his mind. Almost tangential to this normal thoughts. He tugged at it softly (just in case he DID explode. Hopefully it would be a small one) bringing it forward. The air in front of his eyes glowed softly as dust seemed to rise from nowhere. He tugged again, this time bringing the line to the forfront of his mind and keeping it there, fighting what seemed to be a great resistance to him doing so. There is a quiet crinkle of what sounded like broken glass as an orb of light popped into life.

Excitement bubbled to the surface and his concentration lapsed, the line in his mind pulling free of his control and snapping back to its place just outside his thoughts. The ice cube sized ball of light dims considerably, dropping to the floor with a hefty clack for its size. Eli stares at in silence for a moment, before finally managing to say something. “I...I made a thing.” He stutters dumbly, pointing at the now visible rock. “I...” He starts, before a wave of nausea hits him like a truck load of nausea based metaphors keenly intent on ruining someones day. “ Think I'm going to go vomit. Trash can please?” He asks, leaning limply against the wall.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

A small voice trills up from behind 'Sult', “Black ravens are ugly. It should be pink!” it said (more yelled really) before a sudden thump landed against 'Sult's buttocks, demanding attention. A platinum haired child had planted her arms firmly around 'Sult's hips, her chin resting on the small of the older woman's back as she stared up. “Hi miss Knight!” Gwyndoline chirps in greeting, voice nearly cracking with eagerness. “Daddy said I could play er...walk with you if I didn't bother anything, can I? Pleassseeee” She begs, bouncing slightly up and down as best she could without relinquishing her grip on the woman. A few carts forward, a blonde man leans out from a carriage, interrupting the doubtlessly thrilling conversation Gill and the elderly grouch who drove them, throwing her an apologetic look of defeat. A choir of greetings echo off of Salz as the children greeted their friend from their positions on 'the mountain lady'.

More rocks began to peek through the sod as they moved, heading towards yet another crack in the rock, the last two hundred meter barrier before the caravan hit smooth road to Nev. Gill resignedly sighed as the Priest peeked out from behind Gambl, waving back into the crowd. Conversation wasn't going anywhere anyway. He shifted in his saddle, moving a pauldron. The air felt strangely thin to him and his arm was bedeviled by some strange vague numbness for the past hour. He'd chalked it up to riding too long.

“Any signs of trouble?” A soft male voice asks from the carriage, Margold peeking out once again, raising his voice slightly so Belwiss or the captain (not too far from them), would hear. “...aside from whatever my daughter might be causing...” He adds with an embarrassed laugh. The man seemed preternaturally young to be a father in Gill's mind, but good breeding could explain that away. Or divine favor. With clergy it was sort of hard to tell.

“Not since the last hour you asked...” Gill mumbles to himself, adjusting the pauldron again. The man seemed to be a perpetual worrier, and one long since accustomed to his previously sedentary lifestyle (if the slight punch he was starting to show spoke true.) Despite his prayers to Mayon, he doubted this would even be the last time such an inquiry would be made by the man.

House of Powers (reboot)

Eli

Eli began to stutter an apology to Arthur, but it died on his lips as the older man bent down to unplug the machine, finally manifesting as a disappointed grunt. ”I...apologize everyone. I'm not well versed in such things so....that seemed the most expedient way to help...” he mumbles quietly before pausing, realizing he has yet to ask anyone their names as of yet.

He sets whats left of the stool down, and takes it as his seat, face now somewhat red from embarrassment as he listened to Arthur. The man was taking the recent events...with surprising aplomb all things considered. If it weren't for him, Eli was pretty sure he'd still be attempting to probe the blonde girl for more information back in the pool area. Though, how successful that would have been he wasn't sure. ”Sh..” He starts after hearing Arthur's brief explanation, ”Should we really be working on the assumption that these manifestations of inhuman acts are possibly the fabrication of our hosts?” he asks carefully, wondering if he should also get a drink but deciding against it. Drinking this early seemed to be rather in poor taste in his mind, and he'd already soured the blonde gentlemens perception of him with the stool earlier. Best not risk it, especially considering he'd never even touched the devils water before.

He pauses again, waiting for a rebuttal. ”I just mean...well. Both the water, I presume your doing, and the electrical sparking from the young lady did not have any elements which would suggest earthly origin. Though...I admit my schooling in such matters may be woefully underdeveloped by comparison to others present.” He pauses once more, debating if he should even air the question that was nagging him about Arthur's suggested conspiracy. “ And even if they are the products of deception, what do our captors stand to gain from this intentional misguidance? ”

He leans forward, resting his hands on his palms as he thought further. ”As to what powers, I do not think that is so easily determined at this point. If you or the young lady could provide some insight into the state of your own mind when they first appeared to you, then perhaps it could lead to others with similar abilities to access them?” Though he tried his best to hide it, it was a somewhat selfish question. He was eager to see what boon god had deigned to issue him, though he desperately hoped his instructor's warning of hair in strange places was not accurate. Puberty had been a trial enough as it stood, and a second one would be as unwelcomed as the first...unless he could turn into animals.

The thought excited him and a wistful gleam came to his eye. ”That would be so neat....” he mutters to himself, now somewhat lost in the fantasy of becoming a hawk. The day dream was broken as Bailey entered the room. ”Oh uh...y...yes sir. I apologize. That...that was my doing. I'm um...Eli by the way everyone. Eli O'dell. It is a great pleasure to make your collective acquaintance.”