PatientBean

£ 𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 £ - A Murder Mystery RP

Working on a sheet, will have it up probably tomorrow as I am snowed in and don't want to leave my house

£ 𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 £ - A Murder Mystery RP ( 5/4 Roles Filled )

Well, it seems the four spots got claimed super quick, but if there's an opening, do let me know

Château de La Lune

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Millicent

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Location: Château de La Lune
Skills: N/A

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Millicent actually took a second to pause as Brendan brought up a good point. She had been so hyper-focused on the sheer weirdness of this entire journey here, on top of the blackmail letters, on top of the, now what is increasingly looking like, murders that she hadn't taken a minute to ascertain the danger they were all in.

It seems all of them had some type of presence outside of the home. Whether it be followers, actual hired staff, friends, family, etc., all of them had ties outside of here, so their disappearance under mysterious circumstances would surely raise some eyebrows. But did any of them know they were here, specifically?

And what of the family's history? With Renee and Miguel both gone, would anyone investigate the family, the home, possibly other dealings outside of the immediate concern? Or was this going to be the super-rich getting away with crimes?

"I don't think we're in any immediate danger. It wouldn't make sense to bump anyone else off unless they suspected we were getting close to the truth. So be on guard, but I think we are okay provided we aren't obvious about it."

She wanted to get food, but was told lunch would be served at 3, which gave them some time. She wanted to speak to Eleanor privately anyway. "Let's go find Eleanor before lunch. I want to ask more about the family, especially her husband. In my experience, spouses will often share more about their partners than the partners themselves."

〖 𝚁 𝙾 𝙶 𝚄 𝙴 𝚁 𝙾 𝚆 〗⌠ The Fall from Disgrace ⌡⌠ British Espionage / Crime RP⌡

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Avalon lay in her bed as the alarm on her phone rang after three attempts at snoozing it. She mentally cursed the very passage of time as she sat up, the cascade of shadows showing in her room from the sun trying to breach her curtain defenses. She eyed the time and cursed again, knowing she needed to get up and dressed in some semblance of having her life put together despite feeling anything but.

She walked over to her dresser, picking out a change of undergarments as well as a light gray shirt. She grabbed a navy overshirt and matching slacks and got dressed. She nearly fell over putting one leg in and grabbed the bed frame for support as she plummeted on her arse on the mattress. It was as if the universe was telling her to stay in bed, forget the job, forget everything, commit arson (though she often thought of committing arson daily, usually when she was on the tram surrounded by people).

Dressed and in a sensible pair of heels, she checked herself in the mirror as she applied some make-up to hide the dark circles and the ever presence of age showcasing how she was not so young anymore and her body was betraying her every day on top of the constant reminders from advertisements and men (and some women) she came across who told her she "would be so pretty if she smiled" or some other such fucking nonsense. She brushed her hair and, once satisfied, she looked vaguely human, left her flat.

It was still early so not many people were around her neighborhood. As she strode toward the Underground, she passed by Mrs. Rigsby, who was watering her flowers. Typically, someone with as good a green thumb as Mrs. Rigsby would be joyous and pleasant, but she had such a snarky demeanour on her facial features that Avalon crossed the street rather than engage in any social contract with the woman who, at one point in time, screamed that their neighborhood was "being overrun" by people with certain color skins and complexdions. Avalon bit her tongue at the time, knowing full well the country was being invaded, just not by who Mrs. Rigsby thought.

Once she got closer to the entrance, she noticed more people were out, and she groaned to no one in particular. She shuffled and elbowed her way through, finding a seat next to a woman with a snoring toddler on her lap and a man who checked out her chest but assumed he did so secretly. The man also conveniently had his hand close to her bum as she sat, and she fought off the urge to break his wrist as she apologized. She didn't hear what he said, but she thought she heard "tramp" from a few seats down, but they could be speaking to anyone, surely.

As she rode the, admittedly, short distance to her new job, she thought about how she got here. How someone of her intellect and background (it wasn't bragging if it was legitimately proven true) could have wound up in her position. She thought back to the arsehole who strode through her work, happy as you like, knowing he was pulling the proverbial wool over everyone's eyes. Rupert fucking Nathaniel fucking Jacoby fucking The Third. The "new darling" of MI5, whose background was so impressive that it essentially fast-tracked him into any role he wanted. He made friends easily, caught the eye of any man or woman close to his age due to his rugged good looks (even some geriatrics in admin who clucked together about how they'd like to 'file his paperwork any day').

But Avalon knew better. There was something in his expertly told stories, the body language, the eye contact, the use of certain words, and that disarming charm that she didn't trust. Everything too good to be true usually was, in her experience. And when she dug, she found inconsistencies. She did her job, what she was literally being fucking paid for to do, and no one believed her. She had never had a track record of going against MI5's interests. Never was found to have anything but the utmost respect for the job and her role in the agency, until she decided to go after Rupert Nathaniel Jacoby III. She chastised herself consistently for missing the mark. She knew his family, knew the power they held, knew how easily they could hide things.

So, of course, no one believed her. "Avalon St. Sebastien is not a team player". God, it reminded her of school. Teachers constantly praised her to her parents about how smart she was, how clever she was, how much she had going for her, and how bright her future was sure to be, if only she knew how to play well with others. Avalon didn't hate other people. She rather liked people, more or less. She just refused to put up with their bullshit. And, as was so very often the case, other people had a LOT of bullshit they liked to push. So you would have to excuse her if she refused to play with little Tiffany Fairchild from her grade after Tiffany was overheard calling Avalon a colorful assortment of newly learned swear words, and Avalon, in response, broke little Tiffany's nose.

What could she say? She returned energy.

So MI5 sacked her. If she couldn't do her job, she had no place. Avalon suspected they were being strong-armed by the Jacoby family, but couldn't prove that either. So she left with grace. Oh, no, sorry, she left with Grace, one of the security officers who was assigned to follow her out, lest she take the firearm she had and pull a Columbine to the office. No, Avalon left in a litany of curses and 'you'll regret this'-es.

And, sure enough, years later, Rupert was discovered sharing trade secrets overseas. Turns out the Jacoby family had been traitors of king and country for millennia. Anyone who so much as attempted to out them was either disappeared or found dead. Avalon was sure that if Rupert hadn't been discovered, her body would be floating in the Thames.

But did anyone thank her? Did anyone confirm she had been right all along? Of course not. Instead, the two agents who discovered this (and though she couldn't prove it then, she was sure they used her investigation notes to figure it out) received the commendations, the awards, the glory. Golly gee, these two agents saved MI5 from being a laughingstock!

And Avalon St. Sebastien was pushed back into the shadows. Because no one in MI5 could admit they made such a careless mistake.

When the opportunity presented itself, she grabbed it. She missed the work, missed the feeling of figuring things out, reading people, putting it all together. She needed it, like an addict.

But she didn't have to be fucking happy about it.

The Underground burped her out on the street of her new employer. She went through the busywork of getting in and getting settled. She hoped she would be working with competent co-workers, or at least ones who wouldn't bumble everything and make her work 10 times harder.

But she wouldn't hold her breath.

〖 𝚁 𝙾 𝙶 𝚄 𝙴 𝚁 𝙾 𝚆 〗⌠ The Fall from Disgrace ⌡⌠ British Espionage / Crime RP⌡

So who else is supposed to be joining us?

I am also working on a post as we speak

Avengers Academy: X of Swords ⚔️

A quaint brick and mortar shop with ivy growing up one wall and a small black iron stairway climbing up the other, the Hideaway was an upscale steakhouse and wine room and offered its namesake to its patrons: privacy. The main dining room was actually ten feet beneath the street and offered both main dining room seating and private rooms to those willing to pay the excessive fees. The main dining room was an elevated wine cellar: large shelves with elegantly labeled bottles creating winding paths across lush carpet and around gorgeous artwork on walls. A five string quartet played soft, rich, and complex music that floated across the space and the thrum of conversation filled the rest.

Dotted around the room, various mahogany doors offered deathly or influential patrons privacy in their meal. Each room offered access to a dedicated waiter, their in-house sommelier, personalized music and cable viewing selections, and artwork purchased out of decaying museums. The table was simple but well made, flowers arraigned in a crystal centerpiece, and the chairs matched the black and gold trim of the room. Whoever arrived and offered the name Bassard found themselves escorted to the room quickly, the family's wealth and name easily removing whatever concerns the staff had permitted three underaged children access to a private room. It was there Sabine had summoned her commanders to wage the war that started the second the Contest had ended.

Sabine had ordered herself a fancy mocktail and was nursing it as she waited for Danni and Dorian to gather. She had been plotting and planning ever since her conversation with the Hex Girls. In front of her was a giant purple binder. Not intimidating, but enough to cause a double-take. Inside was information on all of them; social media handles, old accounts, pictures found (intentional or not) on the internet, etc. All gathered to prepare for Social Media War.

The portal shut behind them in a flare of sparks and Danni bounced on his heels. It was only a few days and Danni'd been texting his friends all weekend but the high of the contest made him want to stick to them all like glue. Danni adjusted the belt around his waist, thrilled to show off thefun suit he'd stumbled across when he'd been out window shopping. “Wow, is t'is t'e right place? Ya t'ink Pa got mixed up? T'is seems a little…” Danni gestured at the quant exterior. “Ya know? Yeah, ya know. Well, not'in’ like good food and great company!” Danni slung an arm across Dee’s shoulder and dragged him down into the restaurant.

Danni offered Sabine's last name and it was quick enough they'd been shown to the room the family often found themselves enjoying, with the very person responsible for this meeting laying in wait. Of course the second Danni laid eyes on Sabine, Danni was off like a rocket. “Omg, Beanie! It's been so long! Well, I mean not really, but ya know, it's t'e sayin’ people say even if we saw each ot'er like t'ree days ago! And what's t'is drink? ‘Cause I wanna try some, can I try some? It looks good, does it ‘ave alcohol? I ‘aven't tried alcohol ‘cause ya know, it's bad in t'e fam and I really don't wanna so maybe I won't try it. ‘Ey, what's up wit’ t'e fancy place? I feel like a super spy or like a mafia boss down ‘ere. Also, ‘ave you ever considered what ‘happens if t'e ceiling collapses ‘cause like an oil tanker crashes and explodes? Idk, just t'inkin’ about is kinda…. Okay, no, can't t'ink about that… wait what's t'is binder? Are you makin’ us do school work? Ugh, nooooooo Beanie, I got A's for one semester and I'm never doin’ it again. Cs make degrees is what Papa always says. Or maybe its Appa. Idk, Papa is more like drop out and ‘ave fun wit’ t'e life.”

Dorian had been a little busy since the days following their win. He was certain everyone had been in some ways or another, but the heavy conversation he had had a day or two prior still weighed on him. Part of him wondered if he should even be here right now, if perhaps he needed to be by Percy's side if at least to ensure he wasn't a flight risk. Then again, he needed to trust that he wouldn't be. Dorian was quiet as they made their way in, not that his outfit didn't speak loud enough for him as he wore a vibrant red turtleneck with a royal blue wool peacoat. He'd already ordered two drinks for the table, one of whatever Beanie was having for Danni, and something pear inspired for himself as well as two glasses of water. He waved Hi at Sabine, not wanting to cut into Danni's barrage of questions as he pulled his chair out and sat down.

Sabine chuckled lightheartedly at the barrage of questions from Danni. She expected it, of course. ”Hello Danni, Dorian. It’s nice to see you both. This is a mocktail so no alcohol, but feel free to try some Danni. This is a restaurant my father frequents a lot and, as such, is open to me for my personal use. The bill has been paid so, please, order anything you want.”

“As for the binder and why I invited you both here: I need help. With our recent win at the contest I am sure you boh have noticed a recent influx in messages on our various social media accounts. The standard business opportunities, sponsorships, and praise mixed in with the other side of it, horrible messages, death threats, and perhaps a doxxing attempt or two. I know you both are familiar with this as we all have significant numbers on social media. However, our team has been pushed into the spotlight and with our win we have angered some people. Those who bet money on the match who expected the Young Avengers to win, those who are big fans of them who wanted them to win, as well as some powerful people in high positions who may have expected them to win and, as such, have made movements, financial or otherwise.”

“It came to my attention that, while we are all familiar with the highs and lows of being famous on the internet, the rest of our team is not. Hell, Andy only recently got into social media and Leah is famously internet-averse, for the most part, though I have made strides in tha area. So, I need both of your help. I want to get in front of this, maybe construct some ideas to help boost our image and put off any potential damage from our friends. In the binder I have some notes, some graphs, some potential areas of improvement as well as areas where I think, should the worse come to pass, a person might target us or the others. Do either of you have any ideas for things we can do to help?”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Me! Me! Me! Me! I want ta- Oh, t'ank ya!” Danni accepted the drink Dorian had ordered him, took a sip, and hummed happily, kicking his feet. “Oh t'is is so yummy! I wonder what t'e recie- No! I need ta ‘ave ideas! Cause I do! For one, we need ta post more content for Spicy ‘cause ‘e was uh…. ‘e was Spicy. Like, Dee ya got photos of ‘im bein’ like cute and stuff, not t'rowin’ insults like bombs, right? And I can get everyone on t'e channel! Cookin’ videos are super pops when ya make t'e silly! Ooo, and we ‘ave some fun stuff wit’ ‘merica and Eli comin’ up and t'en maybe we can do like, a group ‘an'out somewhere public, let t'e ‘razzi sneak some fun shots of us all chillin’ and ‘avin’ fun!” ]

”I ‘ave a few pics yeah…but most of what I've put on ‘is socials is t'irst traps and edits if us toget'er. I can try an see if I can work a different angle and make it more of a soft boy era. Id say a public apology video but not only would ‘e ‘ate t'at but I don't even t'ink ‘e can play a ukulele.” Dorian grabbed his drink and took a sip before holding his hand out towards Sabine. ”Mind if I see aht you ‘ave planned? Or do you wanna tell us personally instead of read it? Some of t'e normal stuff I can ‘andle. T'e doxxing, and social media stuff is fine enough for me to navigate but fixing public image? T'at's…a bit trickier especially wit’ Perce and ‘ow ‘e acted. I'm desperately open to ideas.” A darker part of Dorian wanted to use Percy's stint at CAGE in a more positive light to grab the audience's sympathies. Maybe even blame the harshness of social media trolls and say they themselves drove him to do so which would help alleviate some pressure off of the others for public fear of driving another teen down a dark road. But it felt gross to even think about it.

Sabine pushed the binder closer for Dorian to look at. Inside would be files on each member of Excelsior. Their social media handles, some photos, some highlights of their strengths that could be used as well as areas where less desirable people might target them (Leah’s father, as an example). ”I am all for using cute videos and pictures. I was thinking of getting a Team Excelsior social media handle going. A place where we can put team photos and videos on. I think with Percy, admittance is a good first step. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest he blame anyone, but maybe we can coordinate with Dr. Whitehall on that. Maybe she has suggestions on what he could say? For the others, I think a team photoshoot or something could be cute, possibly with the Young Avengers. Danni, any way you can coordinate that with them if they are willing? I know you and Eli are close.”

“Ooooh, tots my goats! I love ta! I'll def wrangle t'e ot'ers! Is t'ere any time we want? Actually, don't stress. You asked me ta do it, I'll get it done for ya!” Danni saluted, still sipping on his drink. “And a group social? T'at'll be fun! Can we make t'e rest of t'e group do costume shots? I want ta see Leah in a kitty cat outfit. She'd be so cuuuuuute! And we can give Percy… Oh! An armadillo costume! Wouldn't ‘e be a cutie patootie in t'at? Hmm, Beanie needs ta be like… a super zoo person cause she is wranglin’ t'e ‘erd and actually, you and Spicy needed ta be rats ‘cause t'en you can be a couple o’ Fred's! And t'en I can be a… peacock! ‘cause I'm so pretty! Rillie is def a dolphin ‘cause she so smart and Andy can… what can Andy be? A ‘eron? A snake? A raptor? Deeeeee, I t'ink she should be a panda, a ku-fu panda ‘cause you gunna catch t'em paws!”

Dorian flipped through the document, mostly skimming it to grab the surface intent of everything that was inside of it while listening to the conversations being had. He had to give Sabine credit, she really did her homework on this. He wondered if this was How she managed all of her socials or if it was just for the intensity of having to deal with so many varying ones that she had done this. He mostly just kept a notebook with repeat offenders in his chats to keep track on bans or potential bans from his community. ”Apology videos are always such a pain, and it ‘as to be a video because if it’s just a statement or text t’en people will say its just a PR rep doin’ it on ‘is be’alf which, ok it is but still.” Dorian let out a sigh before taking a large swig of his drink. He waved for the waiter to enter back in and ordered a few plates of food. He needed to be munching on something if they were going to be here a while, especially with such stressful topics. He needed emotional support food. ”Perce should be a Pangolin, wait wait no! Make Leah a Kangaroo and Perce a little Joey! It’d be so cute ‘ow could anyone stay mad?”

Sabine had seen her fair share of apology videos and, more often than not, they are done terribly. Either pulling out a musical instrument or blaming others. No accountability held, it was always to avoid more people getting mad and them especially wanting things to stop so they can continue to make money. ”An apology video is a must, but we should still coordinate with Percy and Dr. Whitehall. It needs to be sincere. For the photoshoot, I love the idea of animal onesies! Though Leah is not gonna be a cat. A kangaroo would be cute though. Okay, Danni can set up tha photoshoot. Dorian, do you want to get in touch with Percy? Make sure he’s doing okay and is comfortable with this? He should have a say in this also. And I will get the social handles going for our team. What about Vicky? She opted out of the contest so she might be safe, but she’s still part of our team, in a sense.”

“‘eck yes! it’s gunna be- Wait, a kangaroo?? I guess, but Spicy is gunna eat ha alive for t'e idea of bein’ Leah's kid. Maybe Spicy can be t'e kitty cat - ‘e is a smol and it would probs look good on ‘im. T'e whole femboi t'in’ is still a big craze and t'at might ‘elp ‘im win some solid support.” Danni agreed. He took his phone out and started a little notepad with just names and animal outfits. “I'll pin’ Vicky! I'll get ‘er ta wear… oooooo otter! Yeah, I t'ink she's an otter! It'll be so cute, get ‘er in a comfy otter - omg, its animal pajamas! All animal themed onsies. Omg, omg, omg Beanie pleaaaaaaaase.”

”T'ey're called Kigurumi's. Also love Perce as t'e cat. Everyone loves a spicy femboi, soft but wit’ an attitude. No worries Beanie I can get in touch wit’ Perce about all t'is and walk ‘im t'rough why it's all necessary.”

Sabine felt a lot better. ”I think the team should be made aware of the reason for this. We don’t have to be all ‘doom and gloom’ about it, of course. We’ll be there for each other as a team. Kigurumi’s sounds cute so let’s push that. Once that’s all concluded we can prepare a party with the Young Avengers and post that on the social to show we are all on good terms. I can probably coordinate with the Young Avengers also, make sure they are good with their socials. It’s going to be rough, but we’ll get through it.”

“Yeah! We got t’is!” Danni cheered, almost sloshing his drink over the rim in his enthusiasm but quickly took a long sip.

”Sounds to me like we need to ‘ave a slumper party. Equal parts sharin’ Intel and fun. Could even turn some of t'e do's and dont's questions into a bit of a party game to keep people more engaged.”

Sabine liked that idea. She knew she would eventually have to share with the others, but she felt more confident with Danni and Dorian’s aid. ”A sleepover sounds like the best idea. We can coordinate with everyone in a comfortable setting. Plus, I need to see Leah and Andy’s socials, make sure they have protections put up.”

“I feel a lot better about this. Thanks you two!”

Avengers Academy: X of Swords ⚔️

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Sabine had given it some thought. The contest showed that her abilities, while beneficial in certain contexts, were not offensive enough. She had done relatively well with her force field sword, though she was untrained in how to use the actual weapon part. It was clear she needed more training with her abilities and her skills.

But who could she ask for help? Ser Nemo was dead (or was he? Hard to say anymore), none of the other staff seemed willing to step up or they left, and she didn’t trust her father to offer any assistance. Vision was a possibility but he was juggling his duties for the school as well as screening any resistance the team was getting from their win. She-Hulk was also a contender having been there for Leah but Sabine felt awkward going to her for help. Plus, She-Hulk was brawn, did she understand mental abilities and psychic knowledge?

That left one avenue to pursue and Sabine hesitated even then. The Kingston-Grey family was…well things were still not good. They were better, especially after their win and she hoped Danni helped pave the road with her good intentions, but she didn’t want to rock the boat. So when she reached out to Max, again, for help, she fully expected to be shut down.

”It’s Sabine. I need help. It involves my psychic powers and learning how to use them in combat situations. I’d understand if you refuse to help, but if you know of anyone who could help me, I’d appreciate it.”

Max had been sat at his desk, hunched over scrolls, papers, and holocrons that his students had sent in for grading. His forefinger and thumb massaging his temples as he wondered where these kids got the idea that any of these formations were appropriate, let alone a good idea. His phone went off and he glanced to see what emergency the kids had gotten into that he may need to fix, he was surprised to see it was Sabine.

”I know many who could help you, but I can aid you in whatever ways I can if you wish. Just say the word…and your location.”

A text came back almost immediately.

”In my hotel room getting ready to pack up and leave. And word :P” Sabine had a good talk with April before, but before she fully left New Orleans she wanted to see if she could get some help from Max. She knew he was busy and it bothered her to take up more of his time. He could have said no, she would have understood.

A portal opened in Sabine's room, though on the other end of it wasn't Max, his home, or his school office. It was a location wholly unfamiliar to Sabine, a run down mansion, tattered and old, yet still barely holding on. It was condemned, and nothing surrounded it as far as the eye could see. ”I'll be with you shortly. Head on through and I'll meet you there, and yes, the location is right.”

Sabine eyed the portal and, by extension, the location Max had picked out. She fought off the instinct to turn back, but Max surely knew what he was doing, right? So she stepped through.

She eyed her surroundings, unsure. Was this a training ground? That must be it. Could have picked a nice field or something, but rundown mansion was certainly a choice.

A few minutes passed, the portal having long since closed after Sabine stepped through it, before Max finally showed up. He donned his yellow wool coat that he wore back when he was a teen, a matching felt hat atop his head as he stepped through his own portal before motioning towards the location. ”Quite the site isn't it?” Max looked towards the opening he'd used years ago, making his way towards it before looking back at Sabine. ”Are you coming?”

Sabine followed slowly at first, but picked up the pace, following Max forward. ”It is definitely a site. What, was a run-down funhouse with animatronics taken?” She joked, but she felt like even that place would be better than here. ”Does this place hold some significance or are we here for the ambiance and the vibes?”

”Both.” Max jumped down and into the building. ”This was one of the first places I called home. One of the places I attempted to make a difference, and a place in which I made many mistakes. Lost good people here.”

Sabine looked crestfallen. ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to make light of it. Thank you for sharing this space with me.” She waited a beat and followed Max down. ”I kind of like the aesthetic, honestly.” Admittedly, she was chomping at the bit to see what Max was about to offer, but she didn’t want to be rude. She was taking up his time. She wanted to be respectful.

Max led her down a hallway, turning the corner into what should've seen like an empty room, but when he opened it inside was a state of the art Danger Room. ”I made this when I was 18. Crazy right? I really thought back then that it could rival Xaviers. I think I did pretty good.” He stopped and turned to face Sabine, a nostalgic smile across his face. ”If I could make this at that age, think of what you could do with your powers now.”

Sabine was impressed. She had heard of the Danger Room, of course. This set-up was impressive and if Max made it at 18 he was more powerful than she gave him credit for (which was a lot, to be fair).

”Please, I’m no Charles Xavier. This isn’t in my wheelhouse. For you though, impressive work. Does it run just like the one at the X-Mansion? Is that why we are here?”

”No idea. Soon after it was made a terrible virus swept across mutant kind killing us slowly. We got attacked by my wonderful neighbor because some selfish prick amongst us stole his daughter, and then I was frozen in space as time pressed forward. So…never even got a test run. As to why we are here, its to show you a very important lesson. Most who seek guidance and aid go to Kamar Taj, or the Halls of Strange Academy. They seek temples and locations of power in a hope to find some truth amongst it all. But you don't need any of that. Most don't. Most people simply need to see that they have to think beyond what they're given.”

”I have a feeling you're here, asking me for help, because you feel you didn't do enough, didn't have enough, to help how you wanted to within the Contest. I know what that feels like, and sword training or combat training isn't something you just pick up, you understand that, that's why you asked for help with your abilities and the answer to that is to expand your mind. So, explain to me how they work, what you currently can do.” a cane materialized from Max's hand as he began to lean against it.

Sabine took in the information, slowly realizing there was a lot of history she was unaware of. She knew of some mutant history, but it wasn’t like it was taught at school. To be standing here in a spot that should have been a haven for them that ended up being a battleground was not lost on her. She could sympathize, even if she could never fully understand what they had gone through.

”Well, memory manipulation is the main thing. I am able to rewrite memories, manipulate them, control them, make a person forget something. It can be as light as just forgetting a recent conversation or, if I put full force behind it, I could make a person forget who they are entirely. Shave them down to nothing but a breathing husk of who they were. I can make people forget they have powers so they don’t use them, I’ve inputted memories of something to make them think they were a different person. With Arcade, I shone a light on some bad memories and made him think of good ones which altered his state. I am also able to recall memories from objects and I am able to bolster or weaken a person’s skills by altering their mental state.”

“And you’re right. I felt like I could have done more during the contest. Don’t get me wrong, I recognize the importance of having utility heroes in helping out in fights, providing support and weakening enemies, but there were so many moments where I could have done something and either failed or forgotten. Hell, for the first couple of fights I forgot I even had a sword. Chalk it up to a lot going on in the background, but I still feel my powers can be used more in those situations.”

Max’s eyes hardened as Sabine spoke. A simple tongue click showing a tinge of disapproval. She was young, but she needed to learn to grow. ”There's your first problem. You've fallen into the telepaths trap. You focused so much on how you can manipulate others, take away from them and leave them nothing, that you didn't stop to think of how you could bolster yourself. You can see memories of objects, that's good. You can view memories of people or implant some, that's better. Now why haven't you tried that on yourself?” Max stopped leaning on the cane, hitting the bottom of it hard against the stone flooring as the sound echoed across the room.

”Versatility is the key to any good fight, if you cannot have a versatile team, you cannot achieve anything. And if you yourself can't be versatile, then you can fall just as easily should you ever get caught alone. For me I took martial arts when I was younger. I learned to use a weapon with some reach and that could be readily found anywhere should my magic fail me.” He twirled the cane in one hand before catching it with both. ”I have two ways I may be able to help you, and they both involve a lot of trust, and may involve a bit of pain. But know this Ms. Bassard, on the battlefield there is no ‘things going on in the Background’. There is only you, your team, and the enemy before you. If you're distracted even for a second, forgetful for just a moment, you could die…or worse, someone you love will. Take it from a person who's been distracted. So, do you think you can handle this?”

The words may have been harsh, but Sabine stepped into this knowing she wouldn’t be hand-held. She needed someone who cared enough to tell her when she was being stupid, but kind enough to know how to help. ”I can do this.” She said this to Max, but she needed the reassurance to herself too. A reminder she was doing this for her team, her friends, her loved ones, but she needed to do this for herself. To show she could be more than everyone’s expectations on her shoulders.

”What do we do first?”

”There are two way I can think of helping you. It is up to you which we will do first, which you feel more comfortable doing. One method is using your powers to create an illusion within another's mind. Nothing complex or elaborate. For now as it's just you and me, you will try and supplant the memory of yourself in my mind. Make me believe that there are more than one of you do that my target is harder to hit. I, will attempt to attack you.

Sabine hadn’t considered this avenue before. She had implanted memories before, but usually for things in the past, never for what was going on. And memory was an ever-changing thing. We constantly learned new things, processed it, and then stored it.

Sabine took a battle stance. She reached out her mind into Max’s. Once inside she shifted herself to the present rather than the past. It was a new feeling. Weird, but also good. Inviting. Like something unlocked. She formed an image of herself in her present state and put it on the field with her that Max could see. She tried to do so again, and again, but she noted that some illusions were shifting, some looked a little bit off. She shook it off and tried again. The more she did so, the better the illusions got.

She broke off once she was somewhat satisfied, leaving five illusions surrounding herself. They began to move and so did she, hoping to confuse Max.

She opted to stay silent this time, but she would need to practice it in the future. If she spoke now it would be a dead giveaway.

Max watched, waited, as Sabine began to create her mental tricks. Noting each time one failed in one way or another as he stood there. Finally she locked in, five illusions, each moving with her but none of them speaking. Good. But still it took her too long to conjure, too many tries to succeed. Of course she was new to it all, but he'd need to reel it in a bit. ”Not bad, but it was slow and more importantly, overzealous. Try and limit yourself to three only. It may not offer as much chance for cover but it'll be more consistent, harder to spot the differences.”

Max moved in an opposing fashion, shooting magic towards one of the illusions. He'd meant to send off a bolt of fire, but instead sent an array of streamers towards it. He didn't let on that wasn't his intention. Either way it pointed out one of the fakes to Sabine before he shot another stream of confetti towards a second illusion. ”That's two.”

Even when she succeeded, she still failed. Par for the course really. With two of the illusions down now, she focused more on maintaining the two that were left. She moved around, allowing the illusions to get closer to her, almost touching her. Each one looped around, trying to confuse. ”So, do I attack you or is it just practicing this?”

”That is up to you. Do you feel you have fine enough control over it to attack and keep them up already?” Fire began to build up in the palm of his hand, when he remembered she was just a kid, one he is meant to look out for. If she came back flame-grilled Max would never hear the end of it from James. So the flames quickly became currents of water, spiraling in his hand. ”Pulling them in is smart, confuses the target on a different level. Good, you're already adapting, but remember this…the closer they are to you the easier it'll be to hit each one.” Max flicked his wrist towards Sabine, the marble of water colliding against her and exploding as water hit her and the other two illusions.

”Let's try that again. This time I won't stand still. Try and create the three illusions simultaneously. Attack me if you wish to, whether thats before, during, or after you create them is up to you. I will fight back, use whatever weapon you wish. I'll also be adding something to simulate a bit more of a challenge for you.” Max swiped his hand in the air, a digital panel appearing in its wake as he began to type something out before the pair of them were scanned in. A portion of the wall opened up, a mixture of short range and long range weaponry inside it for Sabine to choose from. ”When you're ready.”

Sabine scanned the weaponry in front of her. It was equal parts thrilling and unnerving. She didn’t want to hurt Max, though she suspected it wouldn’t be so simple. She opted for a rapier-like weapon. A bit on the nose for her, but she had done some fencing in the past. Once selected she readied herself.

She entered Max’s mind again and created her illusions. Each one holding their own rapier. Three illusions surround her, close enough to cause confusion but not so close to allow for easy differentiation. She then strode forward, but the scene around her changed. Suddenly she was no longer in the run-down manor. Instead she was on some battleground and surrounding her was her team. Leah and April. Danni, Dorian, Percy, Andy, and Vicky. They all appeared in varying states of offense and defense. So this is what Max meant. It meant she needed to focus more too.

She would need to be able to do multiple things at once. She noted that April was on the ground with Leah over her, checking to see if she was okay. One of the Sabine’s ran over to check while the other three went forward towards Max. One of them lashed out her rapier towards him while the other two flanked him on either side.

Interesting. Max hadn't expected for one of them to break off and head towards the injured. He'd merely wished to help steel her mind with things that could be so that she was prepared for the worst. Three of them broke towards Max, attacking him with rapiers. One (an illusion) had swung in an unnatural way, the elbow bending backwards inhumanely as Max went to block another's blow now that he knew the first was a fake. He'd meant to teleport away from the third shot, but she was quicker than anticipated. The blades edge lashed out against his side as the fabric of his coat tore moments before Max vanished and appeared between the Sabine running towards Leah, and Leah. ”I really liked that coat.” He quipped before quickly taking it off and tossing it to the side, revealing a small ribbon of blood against his otherwise white shirt.

Sabine didn’t mean to hurt him. She had thought that this system would have it where the participants were unable to get hurt. One of the Sabine’s was by Leah, tending to her while the other three stood in front of Max, rapiers at the ready. ”Didn’t mean to hurt you, sorry,” the Sabines said, in unison. She was getting better at that.

Still, it was far from over. Two Sabines ran up towards Max, striking forward with their rapiers. The third remained back, hand to her head, looking like she was about to do some mental psychic attack.

”Don't apologize Ms. Bassard, we are in combat. One of us was bound to get injured. After all, I cannot train you properly if you become distracted by pain, by injuries.” The clones came rushing towards Max as he began to weave a complex spell. His movements fluid, not only in the way he had begun to cast, but also in the way he dodged each attack. ”Now put all your effort into it. Everything you have, everything you are, you've got to give on the battlefield, when everything is chaos. And you have nothing but the way you feel, you're strategy and your mind. You just think about the life you'll have together after the war, and then you do it for her, thats how you know you can win.”

As Max spoke, the scenery began to shift, adding more atop the battle that was already happening. Scene's depicting Sabine giving it her all, her new skills fully realized, some he'd already began to show her, some he had not, hinting towards the next lesson as she fought her way to Leah. That scene vanished, replaced by a new one, showing moments of the Contest in which Sabine had forgotten something or been overwhelmed by the opposing team, all the while continuing to weave a spell.

”Deep down, you know, you weren't built for fighting. But that doesn't mean you're not prepared to try and what they dont know, is your real advantage, when you live for someone youre prepared to die.” Sabine had seen Dorian fight many times now, in training, in the Contest, practice. He was always calculated, scoping out the enemies and figuring out the best angle for each. But there were moments, times where he was brash, and did whatever it took to win the fight and help his friends. This was where that side of him came from, this was his ability to self sacrfice for the greater good. The spell began to click into place, a small mote of fire surrounded by rings of thin flames, bright blue that swirled around it. Max was about to wipe the field, if Sabine wanted to protect herself she'd need to put up her shield or take cover, or she could take the brunt of it.

Sabine saw the spell formulate. She didn’t have her sword with her here so she couldn’t create a force field around her. She scanned the area for cover. She spotted some debris from the battlefield and dove behind it. What had she seen? Images of her, from the Contest, from times not yet witnessed, what was this doing apart from confusing her? But she had to trust the process. As Max said, the battlefield would not wait for her to get ready. She needed to take action.

The rings came out first, encompassing the area as a dome shimmered around them, and then a blast centered on Max. Flames engulfed the arena, the heat licking at Sabine but never harming her as she hid behind the rubble. When it finally cleared, the simulation had ended. They stood in a white room once more, Max holding a hand over his wound as he began to heal it. ”Good choice, I'm not as good a healer as James is. When overcome with options the ability to make a split second decision is important to both your life, and that of those you care about. You seem to be getting a handle on your mental illusions too, by the end it was hard to distinguish which was which for me without using my third eye.” He made his way over towards her and held out a hand to help her back up.

Sabine took the hand offered and stood up. ”If I had my sword I would have used the force field, but I get it. I won’t have it all the time. So, what was all that back there? I saw images of the past as well as things that haven’t happened yet. Is that part of the simulation?”

”Part of your training. You've seen your flaws. Understood them and are trying to grow. But I need you to open your mind to seeing your potential as well. You're already picking up on training tips without my need to say so, you're smart, clever, and decisive. Now I want to show you a possibility that goes beyond defense, how to use your powers to aid you in battle without harming another's mind. You pull memories from objects, you can also supplant memories. Combine the two, pull the muscle memory from my training in combat, duplicate it, and supplant it to yourself. It won't be a permanent change, but it'll be enough to help you in a pinch during a fight.”

That was something Sabine had never considered before. She knew she could boost others, possibly herself, but to take memories attached to skills and put them into her own psyche, it was honestly genius.

Sabine stood ready and sent her mind out into Max’s. She scoured his cerebellum for the memory he spoke of. Since he brought it up it would be easy to find. She saw some images of Max training, combat ready and focused, and latched on. She struggled a bit; this was something she never did before. But she grappled the memory and pulled it out, reeling back into her own mind where the memory attached itself to her memories.

It felt…odd. Like a warmth internally that started in her gut and worked its way throughout her body, through her nervous system. It felt both sticky and welcoming, like a new sweater. She tried it out a bit as she lowered herseff into a combat stance. It was finicky and weird, but her body moved on its own almost, though she stumbled a bit.

”Holy shit. Pardon my French, but wow. This feels….weird, but good weird. Right weird. I never knew I could do this.”

”It is hard for us to know what we do not know.” Max tossed his cane towards Sabine for her to catch as he produced a new one with his magic. ”Let us see how reactive you are with it.” He knew she wouldn't be 100% reactive. It was like running a game through a streaming system. There would be latency issues and she would be a few seconds off, but better to react slightly slower than not have the skill to react at all. He rushed towards her, swinging at her with his staff.

Sabine grabbed the cane, though it bounced a bit off her palm, but she latched on. She surprised herself, so much so she didn’t catch Max’s movement until he was closer to her than she’d have liked. She lifted the cane up, but it didn’t deflect the blow all the way as she felt the cane smack into her upper arm. She bounced the cane back off of her and backed up, getting ready. ”Okay, I felt my body react but my mind wasn’t as quick on the uptake.”

”That'll happen. This isn't natural for your mind or body, so there is a bit of a lag when reacting. But you managed to fend off a bulk of the attack that would've otherwise left a lot of damage. A better outcome wouldn't you say? Try attacking.”

Sabine, as quickly as she ever did, swung the cane in her hands directly at Max’s midsection. It was like her body acted on its own, like it had trained night and day to learn how to move with the weapon she had in her hand. Again, her mind lagged, but she felt it catch up quicker.

Max took a step back, moving his body backwards as the cane quickly moved to block Sabine's attack. He swung for his own and her body reacted quicker than he expected, not quite blocking it fully but it was the closest that Sabine had gotten. Mere milliseconds of reaction that staved off most of the attack. ”You're getting quicker.”

Sabine felt her body and mind connect in a way it hadn’t before, as if someone else was controlling it, but she still had autonomy. This skill, if she practiced it more, would be invaluable. She could easily switch from defense to offense and back. ”Yeah well, I had a great teacher who I stole a memory from,” she joked.

Max actually laughed at Sabine's joke. It had layers, and was well enough to be a good quip in battle. If there was anything Max loved beyond his family, it was a good quip and conversation during battle. ”Stealing my ability to quip as well? That's just downright diabolical.” He joked back.

Sabine chuckled, feeling more at ease than when she first started. ”Two for the price of one, can’t beat a good deal.” She put her arm down, handing the cane back over to him. ”Two new skills to help going forward. Thanks again. Vision’s words during the party were great, but I didn’t fully believe it then. I am starting to now.”

”I know the feeling. James always said such beautiful things about my powers, and all I could see was the destruction I wrought. But we cannot see the forest for the trees, and we must trust in those around us to help guide us when we ourselves can't see the path. You'll do well Ms. Bassard, you've proven that.” Max took back the cane, having it vanish into cosmic dust once more.

Sabine felt it now, deep down. It took her a bit, but she was starting to feel like she could be the hero she wanted, the one she hadn’t believed in before. She also felt that if her mom was here, she would be proud. ”Thanks Max. Truly. You’re a great teacher.”

Avengers Academy: X of Swords ⚔️

Skyler Ravenloch responded almost immediately when Sabine reached out, eager enough to set up a meeting with her. Only three of the Hex girls would be in attendance: Thuy, Skyler, and Tatiana. The venue? Mureil's Jackson Square, a creole restaurant in the heart of New Orleans. Known for its historic ambiance and spooky history, the restaurant itself held nothing of import for the group. Upstairs, Sabine would find a seance room quietly sequestered on the opposite end of the building that, although the crooked sign said closed to the general public, no one seemed to stop her from ascending the tight stairs and arriving at the dark mahogany door. It was barely cracked and the Hex Girl's laughter spilled out.

Beyond the door, red fabrics and brown leather chairs dominated the room. It was sectioned off with heavy red and gold drapery that was currently drawn shut. A red and gold tray sat on a small coffee table in the center, a candle warmer lit next to a small arrangement of cheeses, crackers, and fruit. A sofa took most of the space on the right and three arm chairs took the left. Thuy sat in one of the arm chairs, typing away on her phone, while Skyler tossed a grape up and tried to catch it with just his mouth. However, Tatiana snatched it out of the air just before it landed and shoved it in her mouth. She cackled as Skyler made a noise of protest. Thuy snorted and shook her head, sending Tatiana and Skyler into a laughing fit.

At first, Sabine didn’t know what she wanted when she reached out to Skyler in hopes of speaking to them as a whole. She mainly wanted to speak to Thuy, especially with some of the information she found out. When Skyler responded with a place and time, Sabine had to admit she was nervous and a little scared. She knew they were powerful magic users and this was New Orleans. If they wanted, they could take her out easily. Sabine didn’t think they would, but the thought still persisted.

She got near the door and heard them laughing with each other. Perhaps they were just friends hanging out and not incredibly scary witches. She knocked gently as she opened the door. ”Sorry to interrupt, but thanks for agreeing to see me. It’s….nice to see you all.”

“Hey, you're here! Kinda thought it was a prank or something.” Skyler laughed, gesturing across the table to a chair. “Take a seat if you want! We got some snacks, tea, a sandalwood candle, the whole nine yards. You eat cheese, yeah?”

“If she doesn't, it's just more for us.” Tatiana shrugged, leaning back into the couch and kicking one leg up. “Shocked you reach out to be honest. Y'all were pretty intense even after the contest. And then you didn't even show to get wasted with us. Missed opportunity, really.”

“Now, now. Let's play nice with the Princess.” Thuy flipped her phone and slid it in her bag, which hung off the back of her chair. “After all, we won't bite unless we're asked.” Thuy smirked and leaned back, one leg over the other.

Sabine walked in, already feeling the intensity of this situation. She sat down and took some cheese that was offered. ”Can’t say no to cheese.” She savored it a bit before she pressed onward. ”Admittedly, I think the contest brought out that intensity in us, but there was also a lot going on beforehand. I won’t get into it, not that important. But that’s not why I wanted to talk. I guess I am here for clarity, if nothing else.” She took a breath. ”So, contest is over, results are in. Nothing to be done about it, so let’s put all the cards on the table. Did you all cheat?”

The three looked at each other for a moment and then Thuy snorted. “Well, yeah. We cheat every year. Little uppers, pumps our magic up. Too much use makes your magic start to eat you inside out, but it's not really a secret we cheat every year. Your goodie two shoe buddies didn't tell you? They figured us out the first time, but didn't care enough since they smoked us.”

Skyler nodded in agreement. “Wil and Ava stay clear of it. They actually wanna use magic to better the world, the rest of us…” He shrugged.

“We just want to do magic, make out, and get high.” Tatiana offered.

Sabine hadn’t expected that reaction, but she supposed it made sense. The fact they did so and got away with it every year was a little concerning, but also the fact they cheated and then lost, multiple times, was funny.

But that’s also not fully what she meant. She knew about the drugs. She had found that out easily. It was more than that. ”No, that’s all well and good. You do you. But there’s more. One of my team members got a message from their father, a very bad man who has caused them so much trauma and hurt that it nearly messed with their head, right before our fight. They were given a way to find out who exactly it was, but as far as I know they haven’t bothered to check. So, was that any of you?”

Tatiana shook her head. “Nah, we only just got your number and we had Bubble’s from from before. Haven't texted y'all at all.”

“We don't sabotage other teams. Just bump ourselves.” Skyler agreed. Thuy just nodded.

“We knew that she had some parental issues. The coach gave us some deets on y'all, but no way to get ahold of you.” Tatiana continued.

It very well could have been all lies, and Sabine could have easily found out, but for some reason, she believed them. So she nodded in understanding. ”Fair enough. I had to check. It really messed with their head. If anything, it made them fight all the more harder in our battle.”

“But while we are on that subject, why do you all cheat and boost yourselves? Your skills seem incredible and I have no doubt without the…uppers you would have given us a run for our money no matter what.” Sabine made a mental note that their coach gave them details about all of them for later. That might be something to check up on.

“No real reason other than we like the rush. Not only are we getting magic juiced up, its also a challenge to figure out how to get it past the examiners. Fuck up and you get outed, your name dragged through the mud, and all that jazz. Get away with it and you look way better than you are “ Skyler explained, Tatiana nodding behind him as he took a sip of her tea. Thirty sighed.

“And this one specifically makes it a little easier to keep this demon on a leash, Princess. Blood and brawling makes it want to come out and it genuinely would have been a second before they could have reigned it in. Between Thelms and the drugs, low chance of tearing that giant girlfriend of yours in half.”

Sabine processed the information. If Thuy had something that chaotic and dangerous within her, it was hard to see how she walked through life normally. Sabine knew April struggled with holding in her power, but that was different. ”I mean if it’s a necessity, then I wouldn’t quite call that cheating. Have you tried some other ways to manage it? A friend of mine got in contact with a powerful sorcerer and was freed from a burden she had. Though I suppose being at the magic school, you would be surrounded by experts in that area.”

“Well, either way, you lost.” She directed this mainly at Thuy. ”I told you not to underestimate us. If I am being honest, the main reason we all didn’t come party with you is that you all kind of acted like major assholes, deserved or not. Plus, the cheating thing, though I don’t think any of my team knew the reason behind it. But, I am woman enough to admit I was wrong about you all. You guys are really good and kind of decent people. Still assholes, but tolerable assholes.”

“Damn, ice fucking cold.” Tatiana cackled. “You can blame Thelma for fucking everything up. She got sentimental and she knows it. If she'd stayed on the field, would have been a different story. The sunshine brigade woulda still handed us our asses on a plate, but we wouldn't have come in third.”

“Chill on Thelms, dude. Its growth, we should be encouraging it.” Skyler shot back. “You remember our first practice sesh when she fucking ran me through just to get to the imp that used me as a meat shield? Ugh, I still have that stupid scar.”

Thuy smiled and adjusted her glasses. “Yeah, she's come a long way from who she was. Tati, go get me a drink. I think you're the only one who brought a fake ID.” Tatiana rolled her eyes but hopped to her feet.

“Sky, what you drinking? And Powerpuff girlie what's your poison?” Tatiana asked.

Sabine let the nickname slide. ”Something strong and sweet. Dealer’s choice.” Once Tatiana left, Sabine continued. ”Do you mind if I ask how that came to be, this ‘thing’ in you?”

“Death cult. This fucker got a bunch of people thinking they were going to bring about the end of the world and then rule whatever remainded and convinced them to make me, a mortal host or whatever nonsense they call it.” Thuy shrugged, a flip of the wrist signaling that it wasn't a big deal. “Instead, they all got either eaten, dragged to limbo, or their brains fried after Mẹ popped me out. Mẹ and Bõ were fine because they ushered in the glorious coming of this bastard. Now they spend all their free time plaguing the museums of whatever shitshow city they settle in for the season. So much for the cool death cult parents.”

Skyler tossed Sabine a grape. “So what about you, what's your story. Telepaths get shit on pretty regularly outside magic society. You gotta have some crap on your plate you wanna offload.”

Sabine caught the grape and twirled it in her fingers as she thought and responded. ”Oh you know the classic tale. Girl born with rich parents. Mother dies when girl is young. Father doesn’t know how to parent at all let along single parent so he throws money at the problem. Marries horrible woman clearly hell bent on spending said money like its going out of style. Meanwhile girl develops psychic abilities early on which scares parents leading to father outright distrusting the girl. Mother is the only one to show support and understanding but as mentioned before, dead. New mother hates girl so forces father to send girl to new country and then to new school to get rid of her, all the while blaming girl for things she does like spending money at multiple stores in a single day. Girl is not trusted in school, blamed for things she never did, then girl gets sent to superhero school where she initially hopes they would be understanding of her struggles only to find that they, too, do not trust her. After being labeled a villain for so long the girl decides she is going to be said villain. And then girl meets a good group of people who like her and want the best for her and she learns she can actually do good work and show the world she isn’t the villain her powers make her seem. Despite this, she still struggles making choices for herself, constantly worried about being judged for her powers, her looks, her words, her actions, and has to fight every day to eat something or avoid slashing lines along her wrist to let the pain that’s swelling inside out for god damn once.”

Sabine takes a beat and eats the grape. ”So you know, we all got issues.”

There was a beat of silence. Skyler snorted just as Tatiana hip checked the door open and stared at Skyler, who had slid to the floor from laughing so hard. “Aight, who brought shit and isn't sharing ‘cause I got two friends for you to meet.” Tatiana offered Sabine a hurricane, a mojito to Thuy, and a rum and coke to Skyler.

“Girl, the way you-HA!” Skyler wheezed as he accepted the drink. Tatiana settled in with her bourbon and kicked up one foot on Skyler's shoulder where he was sitting on the ground.

“Sabine was just telling us the woes of her life. Said that shit funny as hell.” Thuy got herself under control quickly, mixing the mint in and sipping. “But yeah, people suck. Gotta stick with the good ones, even if they are cheating assholes. As someone who knows something about not letting shit out, you sure you don't want something to take the edge off? Don't have to take what we do, but we got options. Take that urge to slash away, let you eat what you want, gives you a decent chunk of your life back to you. Won't be able to stop taking it, but at least shit won't hurt anymore.”

“Oh, you looking to hook her up with Fell?” Tatiana blinked, seemingly surprised. She considered it for a second and nodded. “Yeah, that's some good shit honestly. Got clicked in the face once while I was on it and I didn't throw a knee in the guy's dick before he had a chance to apologize so I'd say it's pretty solid.”

Would it be that easy to just take something that would allow her to feel everything without the hurt involved? Sure, that was an easy way out. It was an option. But it wasn’t her option. ”As much as I appreciate the offer, I am going to have to decline. I’d rather feel like this and find decent people to unload it all with. Possibly while underage drinking.” She said as she sipped her Hurricane, letting the alcohol do its work. ”Fucking decent assholes, actually. Let’s not be strangers in the future. Fuck knows we could use all the allies we can get.”

“Amen to that, sister!” Tatiana raised her glasses in a toast. “To drinking with decent assholes and fucking up anyone who gets in our way!” Thuy and Skyler raised their glasses too, clinking them together and looking at Sabine expectantly

Sabine raised her glass, clinking it with the others and then she downed the entire thing, slamming it to the table. ”Fuck, I needed that.”.

“Heeey yo! You actually gonna hang with us, fuck yeah!” Skyler cheered. “Alcohol makes all those pesky problems disappear for a bit! Like when that dick dumped me last year, uuuugh. I was dead for like three days after. Called outta class and everything, til Croan dragged my ass outta bed and locked me in with one pissed off spirit. Haven't missed a class since.”

Thuy took another sip. “And like when Ava got the flu for the first time. Devils below, you'd have thought the world was ending. But if she's gunna hang with us…” Thuy's eyes flashed, literally, and she grinned. “Tell us about that giant. Does she treat her princess right where it counts?”

Sabine didn’t drink much so she knew her tolerance was low. She would have one, otherwise who knew what she would be admitting? ”Hits just right everywhere it counts. Girl knows what she’s doing. Hard when she needs to be, soft the other times. Just…that hair…hard to pull when it’s like gripping and pulling on sandpaper.”

“Yeah, she that good? Kinda thought it'd be worse. Nearly broke my hand when I threw a punch.” Tatiana shook her hand out just remembering the flare of pain that came along with the memory. “If everything is rough, is her tongue like a cat's? All sandpapery and callous.”

Skyler made a face at that. “God could you imagine gettin’ eaten out by something that rough. Just thinking about it makes my ass hurt.”

Thuy kicked her legs up on the arm of the chair. “How'd you all get together? Giantess and a Princess seems a little fairytale to me and the people in this room ain't living in one that's for sure.”

”Um, no, her tongue is fine. She’s not literally made of rock nor is she a cat.” Sabine shook her head, more so in amusement than disdain. ”Would it blow your mind to say enemy-to-lovers trope? We butted heads almost instantly when we first met. I was a snarky bitch, hold for shock, and she was trying to prove something. We sparred and it got heated. And then we became roommates. Yes, I know the joke. But one thing led to another and we bonded over terrible dads and terrible memories and…yeah. We were also with April for a bit, but we sort of jumped into that part of the relationship too quickly. I actually need to talk to her about all of that.”

“Hm, seems complicated. I'd just leave that to hang as it is.” Skyler offered. “Like, you broke up, did your team stuff, just go your separate ways, play nice when you have to hang out. Doesn't really need to be more complicated than that, does it?” Skyler yelped and groaned, glowering at Tatiana after she kicked him in the ribs.

“And that's why you're still single. Emotional range of a god damned spoon, I swear.” Tatiana rolled her eyes.

Sabine chuckled softly, the team dynamic between the Hex Girls was different than her own, but there were noticeable similarities. ”I’d argue most of the relationships formed in our team were spur-of-the-moment. But also we’ve been put through a decent amount of trouble. Like, we all died essentially. But through some time-hopping shenanigans, we were all brought back. That changes the dynamics.”

“So everything's just a trauma bond? Rock grounds for a relationship. Though, far be it for me to judge.” Tatiana laughed. “Prue cast a bad spell once a few years back and we all had a full time telepathic link for like, two months? Took the profs forever to figure out and then break. That little guy in Thuy's head was fueling the damn thing, slipping in behind all our eyes.”

Thuy groaned at the memory, rubbing at one temple. “Nah, fuuuuuck that shit. A fantasy I was really into was like, astral fucking you know? All of the pleasure felt in tandem, none of the mess, but now I just think of when Wil had Charhagen's and how we all fucking felt it every time they threw up. Mood killer immediately.”

Skyler looked at Thuy concerned. “Hey, when's Thelma redoing your wards btw. I know she's in a mood after all that, but you got pretty work up out there.”

Thuy shrugged. “I'm good. Besides, the spell is a bitch and I don't really wanna get messed up cause her head isn't straight.”

Tatiana snickered. “Bitch, there ain't one straight person in this group so good luck.” Thuy flicked her off and Tatiana winked at Sabine. “So, how you all doing after that last magic? That shit was wiiiiiild.”

”Oddly enough, I have a telepathic link with someone now also. Happened when I was attempting to enter someone’s mind and things went wonky. She sort of got roped into the memory also and now we hear each other’s thoughts. Incredibly annoying, but also useful. She wasn’t part of the contest but I guess she’s part of our team still? Hard to say anymore.”

Upon reflection, Sabine had noted she was doing better than before. Perhaps it was the dynamic the Hex Girls had with each other: unparalleled support but also not afraid to call each other on their bullshit. She imagined doing so with someone like Danni and getting waterworks instead or doing so with Leah and her going off to punch some rocks. ”I think everyone is fine for the most part. I think it rocked the Young Avengers more than it did us. In fairness, I think a lot of us went into the contest super messed up anyway. I am truly surprised we won, if I am being honest.”

“Yeah, same. Absolutely no one thought you were going to win. A lot of people got blackout drunk after you won.” Skyler laughed. “Thankfully, gambling isn't one of our many, many vices so we did not in fact lose anything. Did win a lot of drinking contests though so I guess we did win in the end.”

“Probably want to be careful with that link then. Ours was full blast all the time - every bit and piece got sent through to everyone else all the time. Made it really hard to get out of a fight when you were just eating everyone's anger out of it.” Tatiana warned. “It's was a rough patch and even after, we thought the group was gunna break up. We worked it out in the end but not having secrets can be a deal breaker.”

”Yeah, we’ve been practicing a bit more with it. Seems distance makes it harder to hear, though I imagine with practice that would get easier. I also have a ring that blocks my powers and when I wear it we can’t hear each other, so I am allowed some privacy at the cost of my own abilities.”

Sabine hadn’t actually considered just how much people expected them to lose. It made sense; the Young Avengers were the darlings of the contest. And here came a group of disorganized messes all dealing with their own battles internally that shook it up. People were going to be mad. Hell, she had gotten death threats but she chalked it up to incels being mad at her for whatever reason. It might actually pay to start reading them. She wondered if everyone else was the same.

She was good at social media. She knew how to handle the waves of cancel culture and insincere apologies. Danni was good at it also, so was Dorian, but she didn’t think either of them could handle the incoming storm.

”Shit, that explains the sheer number of death threats I got. More than typical. I’m going to have to do damage control. Another headache to add.”

“I do not envy you. And with your group, yeesh. It's going to be like wrangling cats.” Thuy laughed. “Some of the shit your friends do, woof. Better let them know it's going to be a few weeks before the media gets off their asses. They sneeze too hard and it'll be on the front page the nextnext day.”

Someone has to though. ”They’ve been through hell and back and still showed up and won. It will be hard but they deserve the win and don’t deserve people harassing them. So yeah, I’ll do what I have to do.”

She stood up, a little wobbly, but she had all her faculties. ”It would be a lot better if we could count on the Hex Girls’ support. Things got heated but you all aren’t bad people. We’re better as allies than enemies.”

“Support? Girl, we ain't promising anything.” Tatiana snorted. “You reach out and we'll see if we're bored enough. We're happy to hang anytime but that sounds like work and I can tell you I ain't here for that.” Skyler raised his drink in support and then downed it.

Thuy stared at Sabine like she wanted to say something, but made no move to do so.

Sabine stared back at Thuy. She wasn’t so much surprised at Skyler or Tatiana’s remarks, but she hoped Thuy would be different given her history. ”Fair enough. When shit hits the fan that’s when you know who your real friends are. Thanks for the hang and the alcohol. We’ll hang in the future once I get this media storm off our backs.”

It was a few moments after Sabine left the room that the door opened and shut once more. Thuy stood alone in the hallway, the door shut on Tatiana and Skyer. Her usually sassy smirk was turned down and a nervous energy rolled off her. “Hey, I just… I don't know who was texting your girl, but I know who tried to mess up her head. We found out after the fact that Prof A hired the Macleod twins to fuck with you all at the hotel. I don't know about the texting thing, they hate most modern stuff, but we didn't know, I promise. She let it slip when she was chewing us all out for being pathetic bitches. Whatever they did, they're illusionists so it wasn't real at the very least. I know it doesn't make up for what she did but if you need some help, Thelms and I will rally the rest. Just let us know, aight?”

Sabine felt a small sense of satisfaction knowing she read Thuy correctly. ”I appreciate you telling me. For what it’s worth, you all aren’t pathetic bitches. You fought hard. Granted, cheating is not great, but knowing what I know now I think it was better for your’s and your team’s safety. I’ll let you know if we need help, but hopefully we can manage. I mean, we all were killed in some video game program and came back so how bad can a social media hate barrage be?” She joked, but a small part of her knew it would get worse before it got better.

”Take care of yourself Thuy. And if you need help with your situation, let us know. We got some capable people on our side also.”

Avengers Academy: X of Swords ⚔️

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Despite the victory, things were winding down. Sabine was still getting messages and notifications, but they were more manageable. She had taken a night after their party with the Young Avengers to turn social media off for the day and just…exist as a kid. Sabine had decided to stay at the hotel for that night, not wanting to rock the boat more with the Kingston-Gray family. Despite Danni’s protests and Dorian’s insistence, she felt like it wasn’t fully her place. One day, in the future, distant though it may be, it might be.

Plus, that was also April’s home. It didn’t feel right to insert herself into a loving environment crafted to take care of those within when she had nearly disrupted it.

But before she went back to the school, she needed to speak to April. There was too much unknown swirling around internally. The break-up, the fight, the reconnecting, the kiss, the other kiss, Sabine nearly beating April to a pulp, the victory. A lot of unanswered questions and Sabine could not rest so easily without at least trying to talk to her.

So Sabine walked up to the KG house and waited to see if April could talk. If not, Sabine would just head home and hope she could speak to her later. Sabine had a lot she needed to address anyway.

The last few days had been a whirlwind - one both good and bad. April hadn’t fully had time to process everything that had happened, and if she were to be completely honest with herself, there were certain subjects she’d avoided thinking about entirely. It was easy and fun to think about how they’d won the Contest of Champions - how they’d made a freshman year dream come through, defeating the very best teams of heroes from around the world. The attention was a lot, but there were moments where April was truly subsiding off of it, floating through the world - times where everything that was a little more shitty seemed to fall away - where she didn’t have to think about being bipolar, about Ser Nemo’s death, about kissing Sabine twice just weeks after the break-up, about her increasing confusion with her body and her identity… None of that sparked joy to think about, instead just inviting more stress and indecision.

So as she heard a knock on the door, April set her crochet aside on the couch, quickly adding a stitch marker to keep track of her place, and she jogged on over to answer it. It was probably just one of her friends, doubling back for some forgotten item. And yet, as she swung open the door, her jaw dropped slightly in genuine surprise. “Sabine! Did you… did you forget something in your room here? I can help you go look, if you’d like? Or… did you want to come talk to Danni or Dori? They’re around here somewhere, I can always go grab them or… Sorry, I’m rambling. How are you? What’s up?” Her face had flushed bright pink.

Sabine was hoping Danni or Dorian would have answered the door first. Hell, even James or Casper, but instead she faced April. No time like the present. ”April, hello! Um….no I didn’t forget anything here. I actually wanted to talk to you before I head back to school and figured this would be the best time since we won’t see each other for a while. Are you free? I can come in or….if maybe I’m not invited anymore we can go elsewhere. Up to you.” Sabine was unsure if the KG household welcomed her anymore and she didn’t want to put April in a weird predicament of inviting her in when she shouldn’t. But even then this felt awkward and weird.

April tilted her head slightly, her face scrunching up a bit in confusion. “Why wouldn’t you be welcome here?” And then, she hesitated for a moment. She knew that Pops could be… a bit strong. And the event with him and Papa that night… That had been a lot. But everything had been worked out - Sabine hadn’t been thrown out of the house, as far as April knew she wasn’t banned or anything. Or was she more referring to the fact that they’d broken up? Or had something else happened April wasn’t aware of? Was Sabine fighting with Danni? “But if you’re not - if you’re not comfortable here, there’s a park not too far from here we can go to. Um. What did you… what did you want to talk about?” she asked, as her face went from pink to crimson.

She didn’t need to be a telepath to know what Sabine wanted to talk to her about.

She barely understood her actions herself, and now Sabine was here, ready to demand answers - to probably chew her out over it, chastise her for playing with her feelings, for being so inconsistent and flaky and… April took a breath, trying to stop the mental train of thought before it completely derailed. “Is it… is it about you-know-what?”

Sabine waited a beat. It was best to not beat around the bush. ”Yes April, it’s about the kiss. Or rather, both of them. Let’s get inside and sit down.” Sabine made sure her ring was still on as she moved to walk in, allowing April to lead to a good place to sit.

Once there, Sabine got into it. ”The first one I can understand, somewhat. Heat of the moment. Hell, I didn’t hate it. The second time was….a bit unorthodox. I had just punched you. Granted, I thought I was someone else, but still. And it was during an intense match with tons of people watching. With our friends watching. And I can’t help but be…confused? We broke up. And for a good reason, I know that now, and eventually I was okay with it and we started talking more and I felt like we were connecting again. And then you kissed me and it….made things feel wobbly. Good wobbly, but still. I’m not putting you on the spot, but what even happened?”

April bit her lip so hard she thought it might bleed. Her heart was pounding faster and faster the more that Sabine talked, and even though she understood that Sabine was indicating she actually enjoyed the kisses, her mind still distorted it into something she ought to feel remorseful for - something to feel ashamed about. She glanced down at the ground, wishing it would swallow her up. Pa could probably make that happen. She doubted he would, though. She’d texted in the family group chat letting the parents know a friend was over already. “Um, well… Is it totally crazy of me that I don’t entirely know either? Like um - well the first one was we needed a distraction and it reminded me of that old YouTube recording of Black Widow talking about how kissing makes people uncomfortable so I just - I just kinda did it - which is really shitty of me, since we broke up - I mean I’m the one who even started the breakup and I don’t… Um, yeah, and then the second time - I just - the thought popped into my head and I just… I just did it? Which I liked it - I always like kissing you, you’re very good at it - but I also - we had been in such a weird place and I don’t want to go back there and I don’t - I don’t think I’m good for dating anyone but… But maybe if you wanted to kiss sometimes, that would be okay. With me, at least. I don’t know how you feel about it. I’m kind of - I’m kind of a mess right now?”

Sabine had known her own thoughts were a mismatch of disjointed lines, but it seemed April was worse off than her. Still, that didn’t excuse it. Sabine knew all too well what it was like to make a decision for someone without asking them. ”So, first off, please take some deep breaths. I am not mad and you should not be feeling as bad about this as you are right now. If I was truly upset I wouldn’t even be here. I don’t think we should be dating. For multiple reasons. But before we even dip into what else we can do with each other I think we both need to get our heads on right. I can only speak for me but I am not in a good place at the moment with everything going on. I haven’t even spoken to Leah about the contest and what happened after. So I am not in the best place to be making decisions on who to kiss and when. It’s not a no, but it’s not a yes. Just…communication needs to happen more. For both of us.”

April’s shoulders slumped - not necessarily from disappointment, but more from relief. She nodded, and took a few deep breaths, counting as she did so as they had taught her in CAGE. Gods. CAGE felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few weeks, and already so much had changed. They had all changed. She hoped for the better. She really did. “I’m sorry,” April started. “And I do mean that - I… I shouldn’t have kissed you, either time, without asking you about it first. I don’t know why I did it again, but that’s not an excuse, and I’m going to work on it. It won’t happen again. I promise.” She then frowned, leaning forward slightly as she clasped her hands together. “If you… if you want to talk about the contest, and what happened, I’m here - I know I tend to ramble, but I can listen. If that would help you. I do - I still - I care about you a lot. Maybe we can be friends? We never-we never really were friends before.”

”No, we sort of jumped into things. Which was a mistake. A good mistake, but one regardless. I’d rather be friends anyway. Can’t have enough of those.”

Sabine thought about the contest, wondering how to approach the topic with April in mind. She wasn’t upset with April, not really, but it was still a mix of feelings. ”Part of me feels guilty for leaving the contest early. I was in a bad state and wouldn’t have lasted much longer, but I also couldn’t continue after what happened with Dorian and Billy. And Danni. I saw how it impacted the Young Avengers, and it didn’t feel right to just carry on like it didn’t happen. It felt wrong somehow. And perhaps part of it is due to the fact I am constantly wondering if my actions will paint me as the villain everyone sees me as. Like if I decided to continue and attack Patriot or Hulkling, people would assume I was some heartless freak. But I couldn’t in good conscience continue. I wanted to win, but I was never in this as heavily as you all were. I knew I could be a hero even if I didn’t win the contest. But you all fought so hard and I wanted to be there, but it felt wrong.”

She nodded, fidgeting into more of a cross-legged position as Sabine spoke. She knew how badly Sabine had wanted to win - how badly all of them had wanted to win. Even a week ago, April couldn’t have imagined a situation where she would have surrendered, couldn’t have imagined that the gestalt would form, that Hulkling - that Teddy would look at them from across the field, with so much pain in his eyes. She glanced down at her hands. “I get it. After what happened… I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do. Attacking them… it didn’t feel good. Especially not Teddy or Billy. I don’t blame you for deciding you didn’t want to continue - and… I’m proud of you for making that choice. I know you worry a lot about how people see you. I do too. I think… One thing that’s come up for me a lot in therapy is setting boundaries and being honest with yourself. I think that was your boundary - your limit - and the fact that you saw that, and made a choice for yourself and not based on what others want you to do… That’s rad. That’s cool as hell.”

April shifted in her seat again. “If it helps - I didn’t keep on fighting for other people. I love them, but I didn’t even do it for my brothers, and we’d been talking about this for years. I did it because I wanted to. I let what people think of me and expect from me rule my life. I don’t want to live like that anymore. And I don’t think you should either.”

Sabine should have known April could relate. ”Easier said than done, but I’m trying. It’s hard when you don’t have people to look up to that should be modeling the behavior you want. Hell, I don’t think I’ve spoken to my father since the thing with Arcade. He hasn’t messaged me about the contest victory.” She thought of Max, of their conversations. One of few people in her life she wanted to impress, to make him proud. It was silly, he wasn’t her father.

”We all have to make a choice and sometimes that choice will be hard and not make sense, but it’s better than making the wrong one or one that hurts people. And I have to learn to give people that chance to choose good.”

She nodded, her face falling slightly as Sabine explained her challenge. She had spent half of her life in this house, with four incredible fathers, and she still had struggled so much. All the love and care and attention hadn’t been able to fix what was wrong with her, hadn’t been able to keep her from hiding her thoughts and feelings away or making decisions because she thought it was what other people wanted. April didn’t know how long she had been like this, if the craving for desire and approval had been a part of her when she was little, before she’d met her second family. She didn’t know what to say to Sabine to make any of it better, however. She didn’t know how to give Sabine the role models and guidance that she wanted.

“Fuck your father,” April said instead. “He hasn’t talked to you since we - since we technically died? And nothing about you winning the freaking Contest of Champions? He’s not being a father to you. He can go to hell and rot,” she insisted. “Blood isn’t always family. Family isn’t always blood. I know things are - I know things are weird, and they’re tough, but we’re all here for you. Everyone on Excelsior is here for you. If you want a family… maybe it can be us.”

Sabine smiled warmly. She had felt closer to the team than ever before. The contest win was great, but the fact they bonded together, came through for each other in the midst of such difficulty, that was what family did. ”You’re right, fuck him. It’s times like these that make me miss my mom. She always knew what to do or say to make me feel better. She never just threw money at me or sent me off somewhere when she didn’t want to deal with me. I wish she was still here, she’d be proud. And she would love all of you.” But that was not the case. She was gone. Right?

April nodded. She could relate to this - wishing that people who were gone were still around. She didn’t remember her birth parents, but she remembered her grandmother. She sniffled a little bit, before offering Sabine a sad smile. “I’m sure she’s incredible. I don’t know if you’d ever want to but - I know the seance with Nemo didn’t work out but… Papa - Casper - could try again, with your mom. I’m sure he would if we asked.” She’d never asked him to show her her grandmother or her birth parents. It was a door she was scared to open.

Sabine shook her head. ”After the last seance, I think I’m done. And even if it went well, I think I’d rather just keep the memories I have of her.” Sabine waited a beat. ”I’m glad we talked about this finally. And I am glad we are friends again. I hated not talking to you for so long. I admit part of it was my anger, but I also felt guilty. Now I just need to talk to Leah and things will be better. Hopefully.”

“Things are going to get better,” April said. “They can’t get much worse, right? Between CAGE and Arcade and the drama at the Contest… I think we’re due for a fresh start and some good luck. Things are going to turn around for us. They have to.” She didn’t doubt either that Leah and Sabine would be able to sort things out. Even when she had been dating both of them, she’d been able to see how strong their bond to each other was. It had been intimidating back then, but now that she could just be friends with them, it was sweet. It was good to see how they were ride or die for each other. They deserved it.

Sabine hoped that was true, but in her experience things often got worse before they got better. But maybe there would be a few moments of bliss before the other shoe dropped. ”Thanks April. Sorry to drop in on you, but I am grateful we spoke. At least before I went back and we wouldn’t see each other for a bit.” She stood up, wanting to give her a hug, but not wanting to invade her space. She didn’t know if they were there quite yet.

“You know, you can always message me,” April teased slightly. “I privated my accounts to get away from all the social media fame stuff - but I didn’t delete them since I wanted you all to be able to keep in touch. So give me a holo whenever, okay?” She stood up as well, and hesitated. She didn’t know what they were supposed to do now. And she’d already overstepped boundaries twice.

Sabine made the choice then. Good for now, but who knows what the future held? ”Yeah, I get that. I took a social media break after the contest. I can only handle so many messages. But gotta get into the swing of things now that we are all famous!” She walked to the door and stepped out. ”Let’s talk later? And when you come back we can go get some boba or something. My treat.”

April smiled slightly. “Yeah, that sounds fun!”

〖 𝚁 𝙾 𝙶 𝚄 𝙴 𝚁 𝙾 𝚆 〗⌠ The Fall from Disgrace ⌡⌠ British Espionage / Crime RP⌡

Very excited for this!

Is it okay if I use the color code for my CS in my post? I think it's easier to delineate who's speaking that way, but it's your RP