Walnut's hands fidgeted slightly. There had not been nearly enough excitement after the entire chair debacle. As much as she wished to question this man and uncover secrets or at least brewing tension against the Shadowell Family (she could only hope), she was growing weary of merely exploring rooms. Titian was a pleasant distraction, but she was not one to be entirely won over by a display of physical prowess. It was a shame that the hunt had been cut short as well. Yet as someone called out for a doctor, her ears perked up slightly. Was someone about to die? Now that, that was interesting!
"Did your current employers remove your tongue?" Walnut asked. It was a decent place to start and would help her gauge the character and resolve of the Shadowell Family. If it had been them, then it lined up nicely with the assumptions she had made about the family thus far and would give her license and leave to... Well, to entertain herself more freely. Her eyes darted over towards Titian. She assumed that he had to have been blackmailed as well into this affair, but for what crime? She hoped it was something violent and dark. If he had merely stiffed someone and wished to hide it, well, then that would be a disappointment.
"And my second question," Walnut said, having waited for the tongue-less man to either respond or fail to respond to the first before speaking again, "is if we might borrow one of these weapons?" She then looked at Titian once more. "We need to be well armed for a proper hunt."
Hearing someone directly mention Jamie, since his kid was spotted, it was as if the furnace to hell had been opened inside of Jack. They hadn't done anything yet that was directly hostile, but he didn't trust people as easily as he had before the Outbreak. He trusted his friends, not strangers. And with someone pointing out Jamie, asking how old he was... If Jack was Spider-Man, his spidey senses would be tingling like mad. He had to consciously keep himself from glaring, ever fiber of his being screaming at him to go and be the overprotective husband and father to Tatiana and Jamie respectively.
Seeing Ash's hand signal, Jack didn't move forward but he was tensed and ready to go if needed. Maybe he would have been more relaxed if Tatiana and Jamie weren't exposed, but things changed when you had a wife and little kid. Ash then rattled off a speech filled with military jargon and Jack more or less understood Ash's approach. As a cop, they had their own style of jargon - sure, he didn't really know what Same Zone meant but that introduction, it seemed like... Well, it seemed to Jack that Ash was hopeful that these people weren't their enemies.
"Stay calm," Jack whispered. Perhaps it was to Tatiana and the girls or perhaps it was to himself. He was following Ash's orders and all he could do was wait to see what the outcome was going to be.
Beatrice Decker
Location: Wewahitchka C4 -> C5 Skills: N/A
Beatrice wasn't sure how fond she was of the idea of spreading out. Alex was barely mobile with his peg-leg and Thalia was still a badass, but she was down a limb. She'd prefer to have them all stick together as a unit, especially since Manny was on the older side. She was the one in the best physical condition and with Thana either dead or merely dead to Beatrice, she felt the pressure to lead the group. It was a different skillset, helping people other than herself survive.
Case in point, Thalia was currently having a fight with a rubbery ducky. Beatrice raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth rising slightly and she couldn't help it. She started to laugh quietly at her friend. After all of the shit they had gone through, Thalia was defeated by a rubber duck. Manny was laughed a bit as well and Beatrice had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep the smile down. "Looks like you've got a new friend, Thalia," Beatrice said softly. Unlike Manny, she didn't apologize for losing her professional demeanor.
"Do you need help?" she then asked Thalia. Balancing on one foot while removing a duck wasn't always easy - and she wasn't sure how much losing a limb had thrown off her sense of balance. Besides, Thalia had gone this far without removing it, indicating to Beatrice that she might need a hand.
Cecily recognized the name of the city instantly - it was where her roommate and potential future girlfriend(?) had grown up. It was also a bit hard to miss everything that had gone down there, given that she lived with Riley, one of the key players in the mess. She nodded, taking Gavin's card and she looked it over for a moment, before she put it in her pocket. As nice as he was, it made her feel a bit better that it was just her and Roy. A small part of her wanted to text Caesar and let him know that his company was tied up in this mess - about Natasha's death and everything... But she wasn't sure if she could. She had left with the medical examiner, after all.
"Yeah, let's go," Cecily told Roy, nodding. "...Who all is in Grimm right now?" she asked. She couldn't remember if she had already been told - everything was stressful and she was only just now starting to calm down after Natasha's death. The words Natasha had said before she died still bugged her. She still didn't know if it had been natural causes or not... If Natasha had been murdered because she was helping her...Or....Cecily just didn't know what to think or what to believe.
Location: Chemical Laboratory - First Sub-Basement --> Hallway --> Pool Skills: Mental Link with Pietro Maximoff
"Be careful, Lando, wouldn't want you to get any new scars," Guin commented. She then hesitated for a moment. It was an awkward sort of sense at times, but she knew that Pietro was nearby. Though at the moment, she couldn't focus properly so she wasn't sure just how near that was - he could be in the mansion or in the nearest city. She hadn't heard any sounds of distress from Richard cursing his fate, which was to be honest, at least a little bit disappointing.
Guin pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it for a second. There were eight missed calls from her father. Three of them had voicemails. She sighed, taking her phone out and she listened to them. She felt antsy anyways. One of them was an actual apology. Glancing around at the others, Guin shrugged a bit and grabbed her stuff - including the collapsible bow she kept slung over her shoulder. "Gotta take this. Smell you later," she told them, heading out into the hallway.
She then called her father back. "What?"
"We didn't get to finish our conversation Penguin... I'm sorry for what had happened..."
"Are you really? Or just sorry that I found out about it?" Guin asked, walking down the hallway. She opened the door to the pool and glanced inside. No one was there. The gymnasium was probably filled with stuff for the musical.
"No, I am sorry about what I did!"
"Why do you always yell at me?!"
"I wasn't meaning to yell..." Guin took a deep breath. She recited from memory the last few hosts of Saturday Night Live to calm her down slightly, as she walked inside and stood on the edge of the pool. "...Sorry for losing my temper..." She had a bit of an urge to jump into the pool, fully clothed, and just let herself sink to the bottom and see how long she could hold her breath.
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry Guin..."
"Why'd you do it, Dad? Why hurt Pietro?" Why hurt me like that? she thought.
"...I got really annoyed with the kid alright? You know I never really liked him... Actually, sad thing is didn't take much, PHIL apparently already had a partial grudge against the speedster of his own, sort of just nudged it in that direction a bit more..."
"But I like him, Dad! And he likes me for me and not because my dad is freaking Iron Man.... He makes me really happy." Guin's eyes were watering slightly. She was pacing back and forth. The pool water was looking more and more tempting.
"...I get that now Guin... I didn't lie when I said I'd been meaning to fix his coding or something... He's kind of grown on me so I don't exactly hate him..."
"Dad, you can't just kill my boyfriend even if you don't l-l-like him!" She had accidentally triggered herself, bringing up memories of Muscles and his death.
"...Who said anything about killing?"
"PHIL, constantly, all the time! Because of what you did!"
"He hasn't tried to kill him Penguin, I only programmed PHIL to make the occasional comment in Pietro's direction, maybe make fun of him. Or on occasion maybe make a threat or something about what'll happen if he hurts you, anything else was from him, not me."
Guin calmed down slightly."Well PHIL is dead to me anyways now. Sorry if that ruins your dream of tracking my every move or whatever like a stalker." Her father had already admitted to installing PHIL's violent tendencies - but the AI had been far from perfect to begin with. She could see it being a mixture of the two sources.
"Alright, that's fine with me Guin... You are an adult after all and can make your own choices now..."
"You promise? No tricks?"
"Promise Penguin."
"Is that a full promise or 12% of a promise?"
"Full promise."
"....Love you Daddy," she mumbled. She wasn't certain if the full promise would end up being a real promise, however. Her father was a trickster at times.
"I love you too Penguin." The phone call ended and Guin turned her phone off, before putting it back into her pocket. She knelt down by the edge of the water and looked at it intently. "Do you count as important water? Will I find out if I'm a real princess or not?" Guin asked the pool water. She didn't expect an answer and truthfully, getting one would have freaked her out a little bit. The water didn't respond of course and she sighed, brushing a bit of hair out of her face.
Everyone else on the team had amazing powers and abilities - but when she looked at her reflection in the water, she saw just herself - just Guin. Someone who shouldn't be on the team - someone who might have somehow caused Muscles' death by being in a battle when they shouldn't have been. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Her hands where shaking and her mind was starting to suggest sad thoughts to her - that maybe Pietro was avoiding her since he was nearby and hadn't come to say hello. Logically, she knew it was stupid - but emotionally, it felt like ages since she had seen him.
Dean Kesseli
Location: Patio - Outside Skills: N/A
Dean huffed a bit as Mary came up to him. He was fully prepared to yell at her too, to point out that she was running a team that was filled with a hostile work environment. If his family had been rich enough to have a family attorney, he would have been ready to call them and ask to sue the school for trauma. But as she brought out the customized plant with his favorite colors, the tension in his shoulders lessened slightly. He took the plant from her and instantly felt stressed - was he responsible enough to care for a plant?
"...How'd you know pink, orange, and blue are my favorite colors?" Dean asked her, a bit stunned. His cheeks then flushed. Had Mary found his secret Pinterest board with wedding decor and the likes? He hadn't been brave enough to admit it to anyone just yet, but he was really getting into planning events of any sort of kind - and weddings just made his heart sing. He didn't quite know what else to say to Mary.
Dean then glanced, seeing the craft land and his eyes widened. His first thought? "...Crap, aliens?" he whispered. Mary however didn't seem to be alarmed at all and he clutched his potted plant protectively. He really liked his plant already and had named it Princess Peach secretly. One of his friends, Quicksilver, then showed up and Dean looked at him, confused.
"...Pietro, what did you do?" Dean asked, nodding at the hat.
"Oh, this? I've had one for a while... Lost it a few years back though, so I just stopped by while I was racing back to New York and well... The rest is kind of history..."
"...You broke into the Pentagon to steal a hat?" Dean asked, incredulous.
Neil nodded, as his group agreed on taking a slight break while Mira ran outside. As much as he was curious, his legs felt like jelly as Sara winked at him. He folded his legs up onto the seat and grabbed his sketch pad. He then took out a pencil and started to draw. His checks had a slight blush to them, since he knew what his hand had started to draw, but it was just a gift to someone who put up with his lackluster DMing skills. Or maybe he would never even show it to her!
His sketching was very quick and dirty. It was probably a good idea that he had decided not to show it to her. His proportions were all off and by the time he finished, well... It looked more like a pig than it did Sara. His eyes widened slightly and he quickly scrawled Pig by N.S. underneath as the title. He wished that he could just disappear as he tried to fold more and more into himself. At least they couldn't see his sketchpad, right? Neil frantically flipped to a new, fresh sheet of paper in it. Oh god, he was ruined... His heart was pounding about a thousand times a second and he felt like he might die if Sara even looked at him right then.
Present Day - The Castle: May 4th, 12,508 - 1:15 PM
We've finally hit the afternoon on May 4th and that means it's been a long time we've spent on the morning. To make the afternoon go by more quickly, you are all going to be assigned to cases. These cases work like collabs. You will PM/DM me for roll requests as needed, but you have a lot more free reign. Please look below to see what cases your characters have been assigned to. It will include the goal of your case, as well as how much time you have allotted to complete it.
My intention is that we have one round of cases, then transition into the wedding of Bruce and Myth. Characters do not have to attend the wedding of course - but it is a public wedding. If you do not attend the wedding, enjoy the continuation of your personal storylines!
Case Name: Tavern Brawl Lead Reason: Discuss what you learned from Nera and plan your next move Secondary Reason: Party bonding time! Player Characters: Arnora Skadidottir, Jazen Grimspound Dyrki, Ahote Proudstar NPCs: Minerva Frost, Bartender, Various Patrons Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
The Aricie is still undergoing repairs and according to Harlianne, it won't be until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest that they'll be able to leave the Port. No other vessels have open spots for passengers so you are going to have to either wait for repairs to finish or decide to continue your adventure at the Castle by foot. It's about midday but daylight won't last much longer due to the time of year and where you are in the world, so eventually, your party finds itself inside the Wicked Maiden - the rowdiest and most highly recommended tavern at Port.
"I'll have a Dragon's Kiss," Minerva said, looking over the menu of exotic drinks. She hadn't divulged with Grimspound just what exactly was so important she would be willing to burn a historical home filled with ghosts to the ground for.
Here are the most popular items that the tavern serves, along with cost:
The Kingslayer - two different types of whiskey, butterschnapps, and goldschlager - 1 shilling 8 pence
The Dragon's Kiss - Blood oranges, lemon, lime, vodka, and sugar - 1 shilling 5 pence
Please send a starter for the case in a PM including everyone involved. Message me on discord in the chat groups I'll set up for rolls as needed.
Case Name: The Dark Knight Returns Lead Reason: Retrieving a Questing Stone Secondary Reason: Find a cure for Fayard Player Characters: Rhys Asher NPCs: Ernie; Various as needed Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Ernie looked at Rhys, flabbergasted. "What is it with you and pulling me into alleyways?!" Ernie exclaimed. While he had been genuinely glad to see Rhys last time, this entire routine was getting a bit old. "Ya can't keep doin' this, mate... If I were you, I'd just go talk to Miss Rincewind. She's a bit cold but I think she'd go easy on you," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Especially with that boy of hers always around... Muller or something..."
Since it's just you, message me for rolls as you need them and responses from Ernie as needed.
Case Name: Something Wicked This Way Comes Lead Reason: Tend to your fallen Secondary Reason: Find a cure for the Sickenesse and plot the downfall of Queen Valda Player Characters: Fleur La Mallificum NPCs: Assorted witches Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Princess Meadow nodded. She was quite weary after long travel to this place from the Lagoon. "Of course. I am going to go collect my thoughts and rest - may peace be with you," Meadow told the Witch Messiah. She was then escorted by one of Fleur's helpers to a place where she might sleep.
Of course, Fleur's life is hardly easy. Another helper comes and informs her that two more of succumbed to the disease: a young witch named Aphrodite and an older witch by the name of Sherry. A few more seemed to have worsened in condition and there was also detection of activity at their old home at Port. So many threads to pursue, so little time....Time for Fleur to get her house in order!
Since it's just you, message me for rolls as you need them and responses from NPCs as needed.
Case Name: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Crown Lead Reason: Princess Luna's Secret was revealed Secondary Reason: Figure out the next steps for the Royal Family Player Characters: Amarantha (526), Queen Valda, Princess Luna NPCs: Hopefully none Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
We are doing a bit of a timeskip here to get the crowd out of the room. Prince Myrus was taken over to his room and he continues to sleep, making no real improvements but also not getting any worse. Arya is dressed in the borrowed clothes from Queen Valda, since they're about the same height and build. The ExtraOrdinary Wizard then went to Prince Myrus' room in order to give the royals space and to study his condition.
Anyways, wrap it all up in here. You all have a lot to discuss.
Please send a starter for the case in a PM including everyone involved. I'll be making us a little discord group for roll requests.
Case Name: Nature or Nurture Lead Reason: Study Prince Myrus' condition Secondary Reason: Cuyler needs to meet his mother Player Characters: Cuyler Eysteinsson, Arya Rincewind, Myrus Silvers, Skaoi Silverveil NPCs: The All-Mother Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Myrus was moved to his room, and as mentioned in the previous description, Arya was given a dress of Queen Valda's to wear. She looks very regal in it, enough that some of the ghosts stop and stare, confusing her for a Castle Queen for a moment. The four of them are in Myrus' room and Arya is seated, looking over the sleeping prince, and trying to figure how she might be of assistance.
Please send a starter for the case in a PM including everyone involved. I'll make a chat for us on discord for rolls. Include @BlueSky44 in the PM as well, since she is controlling an important NPC for this one.
Case Name: Rock Bottom Lead Reason: Skaoi gave her a list of chores to do Secondary Reason: Frightening Rainbrook Player Characters: Lyra Laurek NPCs: Various ghosts Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Rainbrook looked at Lyra for a moment, his head tilting to the side like a confused dog. He wasn't really sure if she had meant it just to be polite, if she was blowing off chores, or if she was interested in him. Romantically. He wished that his dad had given him more advice in this arena - his mother, well, sometimes he found it was a miracle she even took her nose out of a book in order to meet his father. "Uh...." Rainbrook stammered, tripping over his legs as he moved backwards and fell to the floor.
Then Skaoi came out and gave Lyra a list of chores, disappearing but not before suggesting Lyra was looking for a husband. He didn't know what to say or do as he picked himself up, but one thing came to mind. "I'm so terribly sorry, miss...I think I'm gay."
Case wise - This is very much up to you. Lyra has essentially been given a list of chores. The ExtraOrdinary Wizard is in with the Prince, Skaoi, and her boyfriend. Amarantha is inside with the Princess, Queen, and Tristan. Will Lyra wait patiently? Will she do her task? Or is she going to...well, go wander off? Send me your progress as you go in this collab and ask for rolls and responses. Depending on what Lyra does, this could get intense...
Case Name: The Banner Family Lead Reason: Meet and greet Secondary Reason: Get ready for the wedding Player Characters: Bruce Banner, Myth the Muse NPCs: Astrid Banner, Halley Banner, Runa the Goddess of Lies, Lance Banner, Nova Banner Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Bruce's last sister, Nova, is going to show up in this collab. Now, you all have been doing introductions for a while and I imagine it's getting old. In this case, you need to wrap up all of those - grab whatever clothes you need to bring with you - and head to Wizard Tower. There's a space there for you two to get ready in, so Myth just needs to grab her bag filled with wedding supplies. All of the heirlooms and whatnot required for the ceremony are already there.
So please...Get to Wizard Tower before this collab is up. Antonije, Sylvi, and the twins will be traveling separately.
Please send a starter for the case in a PM including everyone involved. Message me on discord in the Banner family chat for rolls as needed.
Case Name: Moody Millennials Lead Reason: Get ready for the wedding Secondary Reason: Figure out what Antonije is planning Player Characters: Sylvi the Bard, Antonije Magnisky NPCs: The Twins Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Antonije and his siblings are down in the basement. They're clearly keeping something from Sylvi. Figure out what it is and also, make sure you get ready for the wedding. Get to Wizard Tower before the collab is over or risk the wrath of Myth and Bruce! You will be traveling separately - since otherwise this case would be too confusing for me as the GM tbh.
Please send a starter for the case in a PM including everyone involved. Message me on discord or in a separate PM for rolls as they are needed.
Case Name: Home Alone Lead Reason: Tristan is Bored/Confused? Secondary Reason: Very free form Player Characters:Tristan Alvissen NPCs: Various as needed Time: 10 Days Real Life - 4 Hours IC
Once more, this is really up to you. Tristan is off by himself. So you get to be the master of your own destiny. I don't know what to do with him at the moment or what you are intending for him to do next so... Have fun! Send me your progress as you go in this collab and ask for rolls and responses. Depending on what Tristan does, this could get intense...
And since why not...Sickenesse notes have been updated. We have a lot more deaths now.
Rhys:
First Symptoms: May 4th
Current Stage: One
Symptoms: Minor fatigue, headaches. All around feeling awful but can still function more or less normally. Some Physik remedies can help ameliorate symptoms temporarily. -1 on all physical checks.
Arya:
First Symptoms: March 29th
Current Stage: Two
Symptoms: Significant fatigue, abdominal aching, nose bleeds, bloody stools. You can get by if you live a sedentary life, but people can tell there's something wrong pretty immediately. -3 on physical checks, -1 on Mental Checks.
Valda:
First Symptoms: April 22nd
Current Stage: One
Symptoms: Minor fatigue, headaches. All around feeling awful but can still function more or less normally. Some Physik remedies can help ameliorate symptoms temporarily. -1 on all physical checks.
Atkin:
First Symptoms: March 12th
Current Stage: One
Symptoms: Minor fatigue, headaches. All around feeling awful but can still function more or less normally. Some Physik remedies can help ameliorate symptoms temporarily. -1 on all physical checks.
Fleur:
First Symptoms: March 14th
Current Stage: Two
Symptoms: Significant fatigue, abdominal aching, nose bleeds, bloody stools. You can get by if you live a sedentary life, but people can tell there's something wrong pretty immediately. -3 on physical checks, -1 on Mental Checks.
Only those with a Physik skill or who make a successful check will be aware of these stages. Message the GM for a check if needed~
Stage One: Minor fatigue, headaches. All around feeling awful but can still function more or less normally. Some Physik remedies can help ameliorate symptoms temporarily. -1 on all physical checks.
Stage Two: Significant fatigue, abdominal aching, nose bleeds, bloody stools. You can get by if you live a sedentary life, but people can tell there's something wrong pretty immediately. -3 on physical checks, -1 on Mental Checks.
Stage Three: Skin turns pale or grey, eyes turn black, veins turn dark. All symptoms of stage two exacerbated. Most have to remain in bed at this point or risk worsening their health further. -5 on Physical rolls, -3 on Mental.
Stage Four: Comatose. All symptoms of stage three are still present. Stage four always advances to stage five within one week.
Stage Five: Death.
Date listed is when initial symptoms began~
Esmeralda - May 4th - Stage One
Blaise Rowland - February 21st - Stage One
Marya and Medea Magnisky - May 2nd - Stage One
Bernice - February 21st - Stage Two
Jarvis Yule - April 17th - Stage Three (Location Unknown)
Constance Langdon - May 2nd - Stage Two
Asha the Magykal - April 28th - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest in the Big Wild Land)
Badger (Rhys' Apprentice) - April 30th - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest in Rhys' Home)
Date listed is when initial symptoms began~
Ordinary Wizard - March 30th - Stage Four (Comatose, housed at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Apprentice - February 25th - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - February 10th - Stage Four (Comatose, housed at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - May 2nd - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - May 3rd - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - May 3rd - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - February 2nd - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - April 10th - Stage Three (Confined to Bed Rest at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - February 5th - Stage Four (Comatose, housed at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Ordinary Wizard - May 1st - Stage Four (Comatose, housed at Wizard Tower Sick Bay)
Young Witch, Age 12 - February 14th - Stage Two
Young Witch, Age 14 - February 5th - Stage Two
Ordinary Apprentice - February 2nd - Stage Three (Collapsed on Wizard Way)
Ordinary Apprentice - February 3rd - Stage Two
Ordinary Wizard - April 22nd - Stage Two
Ordinary Wizard - February 8th - Stage Two
Ordinary Wizard - April 4th - Stage Two
Ordinary Wizard - February 11th - Stage Three (Collapsed at Larry's Dead Languages)
Ordinary Wizard - March 27th - Stage One
Ordinary Wizard - February 12th - Stage One
Ordinary Wizard - March 31st - Stage One
Ordinary Wizard - May 2nd - Stage Four (Unconscious on Alchemie Way)
Location: Mutant Underground - D.C. Station Skills: Leadership, Perception,
"Yes, it is walk in park," Colossus agreed with Callie. He turned his head and gave her a metallic smile. "Havok, behave yourself or we will have problem," he added, already expecting more trouble from the hula hooping mutant of doom. Havok groaned. He missed Lorna and this wasn't helping, but Veil just snickered slightly in her seat of the car. Once everyone was buckled up, Colossus pulled out of the garage and headed onto the main road.
The car in front of them had a purifier logo on the bumper. Colossus had shifted out of his metallic form, but it still caused Veil's stomach to twist with nerves. "No powers until we get to the apartment complex." Havok sneezed slightly and shot Sapphire a look. He was definitely certain that she was making the car cold on purpose. It made him want to jump out of his skin or use his own powers to warm the place up.
Thankfully, the drive wasn't too long and Colossus parked a block away from the apartment complex. It was off of a main road, but there was a nice amount of sidewalk and trees. The sun was shining and it was hot and humid - but that's normal for this area. Inside the parking lot are the residents cars and then beyond that parking lot is the apartment complex itself. There are easily 20 units there. Most of them look cheap and rundown.
"We'll split up into two groups. Havok, you're with Colossus. Spark Plug and Sapphire, you're with me."
Sunshine
Location: Millennium Plaza - Comic Book Store Skills: People Reading
Sunshine wished she had a piece of gum so that way she could pop it in Max's face. Unfortunately, gum cost money and she didn't have any of that at all. "I'm annoyed with you, that's why," Sunshine said. It didn't help that she still found the entire get up to be annoying. Superheroes wore costumes like that - but just because you had powers didn't make you a hero.
It was somehow even more annoying that he was genuinely trying to be nice. "Your power I take it is to make awful masks?" she said with a sigh, before she turned towards the counter. The worker still couldn't see them. Sunshine held her palm flat in front of her and blew, gray smoke seemingly appearing out of nowhere. It hit the worker in the face and she blinked rapidly, before clutching her stomach and she stumbled to the bathroom.
"I'm Electra James," Sunshine introduced herself. She could hear the store employee vomiting. "I can make people sick."
James continues to have plenty of luck. Dunkin Donuts has the usual sort of people - there's even a few cops in the back, chatting with each other idly as they eat a bagel and enjoy a cup of coffee on their break. As he heads into the Dunkin, he'll be able to hear the alarms now coming from the boutique, and the cops start to stand up. They don't pay him any attention but they're reaching for their radios and weapons - apparently they're about to go and respond.
Now, at the Boutique...
The alarms are blaring and the lights are flashing. The system is designed to coordinate a police response. The patrons in the boutique look up, staring at the girl in the doorway who triggered the alarms. None of them had triggered them - she had to be a mutant. "Your type is not welcome here!" one of them shouted, grabbing a hook used to retrieve items hanging up high and holding it like a weapon.
"Get out, mutie sc-sc-scum!" another customer squeaked. The employees were backing away slowly. They didn't get paid enough for this - who knew what this girl could do? There were mutants on television who could manipulate metal, turn into flames, control people's thoughts...With the day to day abuse customers gave them, they were not going to defend these assholes from the mutant kid.
One of them, however, had a bit more nerve than the others. "Sweetheart, if you want the alarms to go off, step outside - they'll deactivate once the police show up and restrain the mutie."
The Playground - Location Classified: August 30th, 2020 - 9:30 P.M.
@BlueSky44: Agent Raynor wasn't waking up. He had taken too many bullets. His clothing was not unlike Pietro Maximoff in the MCU's Age of Ultron - but will he live or not? Sure, he is an alien but even aliens can be killed by bullets. Most of the horror film industry relies on that fact. The guards aren't responding either - they might be dead, they might be knocked out, who knows at this point? Either way, Sparky will recognize that Raynor needs medical attention pronto... But how can she help him here?
However, Sparky needs to check behind her. A guard was about to stab her in the back, when a creature wearing a mask appeared and grabbed the guard's hand. The guard struggled, only for the attacker to stab him in the stomach and kick him away. The attacker then took off her mask, looking at Sparky. She was a face Sparky would recognize easily: Janet van Dyne, the Wasp.
@Nallore: Bonnie looked up at Cassandra. "We were robbed - all of the schematics we recovered, they're gone. All that's left is the digital data we obtained, since it was on a flash drive and pretty sure Tempest has it right now," Bonnie bit her lip. She knew what it had to have meant. There was only one person who would have been able to take all of the schematics out from underneath their noses. It was probably done while they were all eating... "Cass, it was him." Bonnie then said the name of the mole.
Dominika Novikova
Location: the Playground - Dining Skills: N/A
Hawkeye hadn't been running off to throw a fit. No, he opened the door to the mole's bedroom and let out a heavy sigh. There was no sign of him. How could they have been so blind, so stupid? HYDRA wouldn't have been able to do all of that without someone with high clearance - someone who knew all of the missions, all of the powers, and would be skilled and experienced enough to keep it hidden. "Damn it..." Hawkeye sighed.
Novikova looked up at Maria, feeling awful but also wanting to just crumble. Her best friend was stuck in the quantum realm and Novikova knew that with each minute that passed, the odds of finding Sparky and saving her before it was too late got a little smaller. She knew that she should have been more worried about the mole, but her mind just wanted to focus on Sparky - oh and Raynor. Though truthfully, if she could only save one, that wouldn't be a hard decision to make. She bit her lip, about to confess something to Maria when Maria's demeanor changed completely.
Novikova's heart broke a little bit. She doesn't like you like that...It's fine. You have better things to worry about right now. She then nodded at Niah and placed her phone on the table, but she had a gut feeling everyone would be cleared shortly. On Tempest's screen, there was a blinking message that came from a chat: Enjoy. It had been so easy for Tempest to get in, it meant that there was a leak on the inside. Someone with access to the bank's security had decided to leave a backdoor wide open.
"That's amazing," Novikova praised Tempest.
Hawkeye then returned to the room. "Agent Abercrombie, guessing you guys came up empty? Here's why," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The mole has been with Phase Three since the start - had high enough security clearance to set this trap - and was with SHIELD long enough to be indoctrinated."
"It's Kennedy. I checked his room - he's gone. Window was jimmied open. Our entire base here is compromised."
Location: Ville au Camp - Kitchen House Skills: N/A
Hearing that the Watch was going to be gone for a while brought up some logistical questions for Andromeda. If Giouse was gone, would no one else be able to get to the Loop? She knew that Nancy had gone off somewhere - would she be able to return? Would Evelina be able to? She frowned slightly, already having a million and one questions about the mechanics of time manipulation - a cosmic irony, no doubt, given her death. Time manipulation at a carnival - as much as she wanted to escape her past, it kept on coming back to smack her in the face.
She agreed with James - hiding on their own turf? That didn't sound right to her. "James is right - we shouldn't hide. Even beyond just the paranoia, it'd be like ceding control over our own turf...We can't go on the defensive in our own home," Andromeda reasoned. She knew a lot of the Paradoxes had spent ages going into battle situations. She was relying on gut feeling and intuition. Hiding in Ville au Camp to sneak up on the carnival folk? It almost reminded her of the opening of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - with the game of hide and seek and running away from the housekeeper.
She was glad James supported her line of questioning and was about to say something else when Gil hobbled into the kitchen. She wasn't certain how to feel when Gil said that he was proud of them - but it did stir something slightly in her - as if an uncle had come and said good job when you handled the house and the parents were out. Andromeda nodded in recognition as she was told her trip with Gil was canceled - it was unsurprising. Evelina, Nancy, and Gio were all gone - not all of the Emendators could just leave, right?
She took another sip of the coffee James had given her. When Gil stopped for questions, Andromeda couldn't quite help herself. "Are you alright?" she asked him, concerned for the Emendator's wellbeing. She didn't say it, but he looked terrible.
Name: Strange Yellow Dress Girl Darke Name: ~Unknown~ Age: Appears 6 Gender: Female Position: Ghost Summary: She haunts the old Port Witch Coven house and tells those about to enter that they are about to die. Extras: N/A
Grimhild
Character Overview
Name: Grimhild Darke Name: Dlihmirg Age: Mid to Late 20's Gender: Female Position: Leader of the FjΓ‘ndmaΓ°rvΗ«llr Summary: She is responsible for the deaths of Myth's and Cuyler's families. And likely others' too. Extras: N/A
Mavis Moll
Character Overview
Name: Mavis Moll Darke Name: Sivam Age: 17 Gender: Female Position: Senior Alchemie Apprentice Summary: The ex-girlfriend of Myrus Silvers, Mavis Moll is the best Alchemie Apprentice the Castle currently has. She works for Selesia Rincewind and loves to play board games. She is good friends with the prince, yet they have not talked much since she broke up with him due to his immaturity. Extras: Her father is from the Land of Long Nights
Fayard
Character Overview
Name: Fayard (Badger) Darke Name: Drayaf Age: 8 Gender: Male Position: Rhys' Apprentice Summary: Fayard is the son of Rhys and Esmeralda. He never met his father when he was born and his mother's brother offered to help look after him. He ended up getting turned over to the Young Army and in a twist of fate, he was rescued by his father. Called Badger then, he decided to accept Rhys' offer and became his apprentice. Extras: He was born with one green eye and one blue eye.
Esmeralda
Character Overview
Name: Esmeralda Darke Name: Adlaremse Age: Mid Thirties Gender: Female Position: White Witch/Seer Summary: Esmeralda has always been an independent individual. She owns her own shop on Wizard Way, using her skill in Divination to make ends meet. Her main goal is to secure her son's safety and once that's done, she intends to move to the Big Wild Land Over the Ocean with him and never return to the Castle. Extras: N/A
Elysium Crow
Character Overview
Name: Elysium Crow Darke Name: Muisyle Age: Mid Twenties Gender: Male Position: One True Coven Warlock Summary: Not much is known about him and that's the way he likes to keep it. He has a good sense of prophecy, able to divine arrival of the Lagoon officials for Fleur. Extras: N/A
Jezebel
Character Overview
Name: Jezebel Darke Name: Lebezej Age: 17 Gender: Female Position: One True Coven Witch Summary: Jezebel came from a cold and uncaring family. She compensated for their lack of love and attention with food, eventually one day discovering that she had a talent for Magyk. A native of the Farmlands, she stole her parents' horse and rode out to the Port in search of others like her. She found Fleur's Coven and has been a faithful member ever since. Extras: She had a crush on the Magnisky twins and is skilled at prophecy.
Acantha Hex
Character Overview
Name: Acantha Hex Darke Name: Ahtnaca Age: 21 Gender: Female Position: One True Coven Witch Summary: A bit rebellious and sneaky, Acantha is skilled at FleetFoot and has a penchant for thievery. Many have compared her to the twins, but Acantha is arguably more dark and twisted than they are. Her grandmother had been a Coven Mother back in the day and Acantha craves that same power. Of course, she also suggested robbing the Manuscriptorium to Fleur and is a bit trigger happy. Extras: She went on a few dates with Antonije Magnisky
Princess Meadow
Character Overview
Name: Crown Princess Meadow Marissa Mariegolde Darke Name: Wodaem Age: 18 Gender: Female Position: Crown Princess of the Lagoon Summary: Next in line for her country's throne, Meadow is the younger sibling of King Nicholas. Until he marries or produces an heir, the order of succession will not change. She serves as an excellent enforcer and righthand, though she is fascinated by Magyk and inspired by women in power. Her dream is to one day have a throne of her own. Extras: She is the cousin of Queen Valda and also the top archer in the Lagoon.
Caspian Rainbrook
Character Overview
Name: Caspian Rainbrook Darke Name: Naipsac Age: 24 Gender: Male Position: Ordinary Wizard & Creature Expert Summary: The son of a powerful sorceress and a warrior from the Land of Long Nights, Rainbrook has always been at war between two aspects of himself: the call to Magyk and the call to the sea. He united them through his journeys around the world, learning about Magykal creatures. He is currently in the Castle as he wishes to help with the Sickenesse, knowing that something similar nearly killed his mother. Extras: He's fluent in New Nordic and has a mild charmspeaking ability. He has a crush on Zekarra.
Minerva Frost
Character Overview
Name: Minerva Frost Darke Name: Ikol Age: Late Teens Gender: Female Position: Renegade Witch Summary: Born Mildri Liutdottir, Minerva's mother came from an ancient line in the Big Wild Land Over the Ocean. For reasons Minerva's mother never explained, her family had relocated to the Land of Long Nights roughly a hundred years ago, abandoning a life of wealth, position, and status. Her mother, Luta Skialgdottir, had been married three times, each marriage ending in tragedy. It gained her the name Sort Enke, especially as she had retained the majority of her husbands' wealth.
It was during her third marriage that Luta became pregnant - yet the child was not her husband's. She had fallen in love with the god Loki and he had fathered a child, having been presenting as a male during their romance. Luta had wanted to name her child Asfrith, believing that she was pregnant with a boy due to every possible Magykal test she had heard of, yet she gave birth to a girl, Mildri, instead.
Her mother's lifestyle did not lend itself easily to children. She had caretakers that would watch after her, encouraging the child to learn what she could - yet Minerva always gravitated to untraditional pursuits. When she was 14, her mother conceded to Minerva's requests and sent her daughter to travel the world. She was accompanied by her mother's triplet sisters - sisters who had retained the original family name - and they taught Minerva of the family line's true traditions. She has been working for her aunties ever since, using her unique abilities to further the cause. Extras: She is a member of the Hellfire Club.
Runa, Goddess of Lies
Character Overview
Name: Runa, Baldur's daughter, Granddaughter of the Eternal Flame, and Mistress of Lies Darke Name: Anur Age: Appears to be early 30s Gender: Female Position: Sorcerer Supreme Summary: Runa has been alive for quite some time and it took a while for her to achieve happiness. She is considered to be one of the most powerful Magyk users in the world, having studied Magyk unique to each of the Nine Realms. She spends her days protecting Asgard and the Nine Realms from mystical threats. She is married to Lance Banner and has four children: Bruce, Halley, Astrid, and Nova. Extras: Her first boyfriend was the Greek god Apollo.
Astrid Banner
Character Overview
Name: Astrid Klara Banner, Traveler of the Nine Realms Darke Name: Dirtsa Age: Appears 16 (9,991 years old) Gender: Female Position: Traveler of the Nine Realms - Myth of Four Summary: The third child of four, Astrid is usually seen as the oddball of the family. While the rest are quiet and subdued, she is excitable and outgoing. She adores animals and has her own animal sanctuary, where they can live in peace without worrying about being hunted or anything. She hates science, a stark contrast to her father, and never seemed to find an interest in Magyk, contrasting with her mother. She also can never quite stay in one place very long. Extras: She has a pet niffler named Tinsel.
Captain Harlianne James
Character Overview
Name: Harlianne Elizabeth Winnifred James Darke Name: Ennailrah Age: 37 Gender: Female Position: Captain of the Aricie Summary: Harlianne James was born in Port Royal during its English occupancy, when five forts defended the port. Two years later in 1692, a massive Earthquake struck Port Royal, practically decimating the settlement. The disaster was speculated to be brought on by the wrath of God, perhaps as punishment for only outlawing piracy in the colony in 1687. Either way, Harlianne's parents perished as part of the settlement collapsed into the sea. The young girl survived by a miracle, as her nurse had stashed her away on a boat, allowing her to survive as the island partially collapsed.
Her small vessel, of course, meant she was alone for a full day. Pirates had come to loot the wreckage of Port Royal, and instead, they found the young girl in a boat, all alone. Her family crest was on her clothing, allowing the pirates to identify the infant by her Christian name. They took the child in, initially intending to hold her for ransom, but realized that her small size could be advantageous. Not only would the English government consent to sending in regular payments to ensure the wellbeing of the young Duchess of Albemarle, but a small kid would be good for thievery, crawling into spots that others couldn't.
She grew up aboard pirate vessels, getting her sea legs properly before she could really talk. The crew became her family and raised her as best as they could, teaching her the tricks of the trade, and ensuring that she'd never go hungry. It was an incredibly different upbringing than what her parents imagined for her. By the time she made it to adulthood, she was sailing under Calico Jack, working with famous pirates such as Anne Bonny. Unlike most of society, pirates didn't care what was between your legs--her sex didn't hold her back.
She eventually captained her own vessel for a short period of time - the Bellona - before it tragically sank the same day she lost her first mate, Sirena Ikaria. She then formed a new crew and sailed in another stolen vessel, the Syren. Yet the others eventually moved on, leaving the Caribbean for new adventures. But the Caribbean was in her blood and Harlianne couldn't leave. Instead, she was offered a rare opportunity by the English government - a pardon. She was sanctioned to commit acts of piracy against the Spanish and the French. The alternative was to be executed.
A few years went by and eventually, Harlianne was surrounded by French navy sailors, their muskets aimed directly at her. She had been in the midst of attempting to sack one of their ports - a rather hairbrained scheme but that was her M.O. - and it had gone horribly wrong. Right as she raised her hands in surrender, a green light enveloped her - and suddenly, the militiamen were gone. The fort had vanished as well - there was nothing left on the island. She constructed a crude but sturdy raft, piling up the needed supplies for a voyage. It managed to get her from one island to another, yet this one was inhabited.
She had stumbled upon a sacred site for the rulers of the Big Wild Land Over the Ocean. Fortunately, their chief wizard recognized that Harlianne was one of the Displaced. After going through a few things of rum, Harlianne finally came around to the idea that she wasn't in the 18th century anymore - not even close to it. She was offered a position as the captain of QuickeSylver, with the only stipulation being that Harlianne tell them everything she could remember about the strange green light that had enveloped her. And while Harlianne doesn't take kindly to authority figures, Asha and Taj never acted like the overbearing peers she was used to. Instead, they treated her as an equal and promised her adventures. Extras: She still hasn't quite adjusted to this time period, yet she does not want to go home.
Sasha Yule
Character Overview
Name: Sasha Yule Darke Name: Ahsas Age: 14 Gender: Female Position: Ordinary Wizard's Apprentice Summary: A young yet brilliant apprentice, Sasha is very warm and inviting. She tries her best to make sure everyone feels included. Atkin had been confiding in her about his thoughts on leaving Wizard Tower behind forever and she helped him make his decision. Extras: Jarvis Yule is her uncle.
Becky Rowland
Character Overview
Name: Becky Rowland Darke Name: Ykceb Age: 54 Gender: Female Position: Royal Physician Summary: A bit batty, Becky grew up in the Forest and was taught to heal by her mother. She had an older brother, Blaise, who had become the apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard and they were rather close. Not very many people know that the two are siblings. Extras: She loves cats.
Jarvis Yule
Character Overview
Name: Jarvis Yule Darke Name: Sivraj Age: 32 Gender: Male Position: Ordinary Wizard Summary: Jarvis was the second of Rowland's apprentices. Although many expected him to be made ExtraOrdinary Wizard, he never wanted that life and was happy when Arya was chosen. He was content to be a high ranking Ordinary, allowing him to start a family. He even managed to get his niece, Sasha, to become an apprentice. Extras: He is happily married to his husband of five years.
To Be Upgraded to a Major NPC CS
Marya and Medea Magnisky
Character Overview
Name: Marya and Medea Magnisky Darke Name: Ayram and Aedem Age: 14 Gender: Female Position: Renegade Witches Summary: The twin speedsters, you can always tell they're around if there's a silver streak in the air. While they have Magykal talent, they prefer to spend their time running around and annoying their brother. After their parents' death, they were adopted by Bruce Banner and taken in by him properly after they joined the Port Witch Coven. They are the younger siblings of Antonije Magnisky. Extras: They're identical twins.
Bernice
Character Overview
Name: Bernice Darke Name: Ecinreb Age: Late 50's Gender: Female Position: One True Coven Witch Summary: A long time member of the Port Witch Coven, Bernice is deadly with spells and hexes, and gentle with the younger members. If you need a job done, Bernice has probably done it before and can advise you on it. Extras: Noted to be good friends with Constance
Constance Langdon
Character Overview
Name: Constance Langdon Darke Name: Ecnatsonc Age: Late 50's Gender: Female Position: One True Coven Witch Summary: The adoptive mother of Antonije Magnisky, Constance craves power. She abused her son and took advantage of him for his skill with metals and mechanisms - her main regret is that she couldn't have properly gotten use out of his twin sisters, too. It's suspected but not proven that she is behind the death of their parents. Extras: Noted to be good friends with Bernice
Blaise Rowland
Character Overview
Name: Blaise Rowland Darke Name: Esialb Age: 62 Gender: Male Position: Ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard Summary: The older brother of Becky Rowland, Blaise was born in the Forest. He ventured out into the Castle and scraped by, barely making enough money to be able to attend school at the Ramblings. He educated himself the best he could, learning Magyk on the fly and eventually was picked as ExtraOrdinary Apprentice. He was the ExtraOrdinary Wizard for over thirty years after he graduated, having a total of four apprentices. Extras: He sees Arya Rincewind as his daughter.
Virginia looked at the man for a moment, mulling over everything he said. She didn't feel wary of him - he seemed to be a decent fellow. Perhaps he was a bit simple and insane, but her mother had been insane so that in itself didn't quite bother her. His character was good and that was all that mattered. The reference of the two hour to walk to Gretna Green... That was significant. Elizaveta had described it in her visions. She wanted to pursue the lead of the Grand Duchess, yet she had heard the voices of the circus.
"I must ask - my friend that was abducted by the - I believe minocranies, yes? Can we do anything for her? Or would my efforts be better put towards taking the road that leads to Gretna Green, to see if my closest friend needs help murdering her husband to be?" Virginia asked. She had faith in this man and he knew Ludwig. But more importantly, he had knowledge of these Soulless. Yet hearing her own words, Virginia shook her head slightly. Millicent would be fine. Elizaveta, she was the time pressing concern.
"Forgive me. That was irrational. Will you help me save my friend who was spirited away by the minocranies?" Virginia asked.
Maeve Brennan
Location: Annan Carriages Passing Skills: Sewing
"What's de matter witcha? Walk much?" Maeve scolded, as Rutherford comically failed to pick up Calum or the rosary. She heard the near whisper on the wind and smiled slightly at it. Calum had given her one last jester like performance - and it was endearing. She just wished she had had a chance to speak to him. It felt as if a story had been ended prematurely. She sighed slightly then as the young woman attempted to help. "Back aff, yer lot," Maeve told the company assembled.
Bending down, Maeve expertly untangled the rosary without damaging it. She simply viewed the task like untangling thread or a sewing project - especially the few that Roisin had attempted to 'help' with. Maeve then neatly stood up, holding Calum's rosary. She glanced down at Rutherford, as if daring him to ask for her help to stand. She delicately thumbed one of the prayer beads, hoping that Calum's soul was safely delivered to heaven and that dear Roisin would have no difficulties reaching Rome. "Me lady - unless yer want it for yerself, I would like ter keep de rosary," Maeve then said, looking at Lady Kirkpatrick respectfully.
Achronum
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