Patryk

Reform

Louis shrugged off-handedly. It was the best lie he could come up with on the spot. Admittedly, it was a fairly transparent lie at that. No one in their right mind drives out into the dunes to camp when the beach isn't far off. He watched as the two exchanged looks over their cigarettes. What a weird way to bond. Louis thought to himself, wondering if it would be risking too much to attempt this ritual of nicotine addicted bonding. Thinking back to the explosive capabilities of his abilities, he again talked himself out of the idea.

"You can stick around and talk, if you want," Louis began, "but we've been out here quite some time and were getting ready to scrounge up a meal. You'll have to have this conversation while we cook." It was a baited lead. One that the man couldn't possibly guess. If anything happens while we're chatting over a fire, I should be able to use my abilities by using the fire as a sort of catalyst... It was a plan. Admittedly, not a great one, but far less transparent than his earlier fib.

Reform

Louis sighed. Not a cop. Don't blow the car up. Talk your way through this first. Finishing the final touches of straightening out his clothes, Louis walked tentatively towards the stranger. He offered out the cigarette and Louis chuckled to himself. "I'm not sure I should be anywhere near hot coals. Listen, man. I don't know what you were expecting to find out here; we're just out camping for a few days. You know, enjoying the weather." His lie was apparent, Louis wasn't very quick with fibs. He glanced back to his two...

friends? Acquaintances...? friends.

...friends in hopes of someone coming to bail him out of his horrid attempt at a farce.

Reform

Louis had been digging around the clothes for a while before deciding on what he wished to wear. He had managed to produce a nice pair of jeans that were designed to look worn, a t-shirt with a the smallest imposing logo, brand new shoes that felt like heaven on his aching feet, and a lightweight hooded jacket. He was just putting on the finishing touches to his new outfit when his mates pointed out a beat-up whip. Louis thought nothing of it until he heard the concern in Isaac's voice.

"A smoke bomb? I could just detonate the car, if necessary..." He trailed off as the trio watched the car closely, waiting for the tiniest of reasons to defend themselves. "... Here's the plan. If they're after me, the two of you are my hostages, clear? No sense in us all getting sent to prison."

Reform

The sun was scorching above, staring directly down upon the runaways. Sweat beaded in the creases of Louis's face as he struggled with putting a tent together. Not long after beginning, he gave in to his frustrations. "Ugh, this is stupid."

"Did you read the instructions?" Issac's sarcastic voice swept across the sands from where he was happily sitting in the shade of his constructed tent. The gloating only made Louis's frustration grow from simmering to searing.

"Okay, could you just, okay?" Louis was frantically gesturing at the tent when he realized what was about to happen. A force entered his skull, something akin to a headache. Not what I meant.

"I know," Isaac's voice crossed the sands again, calmly, perhaps absentmindedly, answering Louis's thought. "But this is easier." Louis watched as his hands calmly and efficiently constructed the tent. Once the tent was finished, the weight inside Louis's head vanished, leaving him slightly weary.

"Next time, not without explicit invitation, okay?"

The rest of the time was passed with idle jokes and thw occasional training session as they set up their new homes. They stretched a tarp out from the tree and staked it into the sand for another area of shade away from their tents. They dug a fire pit and tapped the tree. By the end of the day, Louis and Isaac sat underneath the tree exhausted; Ryan was busying himself lamenting over his bike. It wasn't long until Louis began nodding off.

Louis's REM was spent in fire with Curse parading him around the destroyed world of the future. Despite the context of the dream, Louis slept the deepest he had since he walked out of the hospital. He woke slowly, fighting desperately to climb out of his dream. The sun wasn't quite above the horizon yet; streaks of color blanketed the sky and Louis found himself once again appreciating the beauty of the world. He sat up straight and stretched. He had apparently fallen asleep against the tree instead of in his tent, his chilled bones ached as he roused. Louis pondered for a moment if Ryan had caused the sleep or if it had come by naturally. He guessed he wouldn't know. He cursed his past self for not digging a latrine like he was supposed to do, now having to dig it whilst desperately needing to use it. He dug the trench, soaked its walls, and zipped himself back up. He observed himself as he walked back. His clothes were ratty and unfit for camping. "Hey, uh, did we happen to... um, steal any clothes?"

Reform

Louis watched the desert hills aimlessly as they traveled. It would be much drier here than they were used to it being by the sea but they needed an area clear of bystanders to train. It was Ryan that broke the tense silence in the truck. "So where exactly are we going?"

Louis stirred in his seat. He had apparently begun to nod off again, "We're just trying to find the perfect spot to lay low right now. Get some more practice in and figure out our next step." Louis turned to look behind them. "Not to mention, we need to decide if it's smart to keep me around now that there's a manhunt going on."

Reform

A man exited the building entrance, coming through a slight fog designed to obscure any camera that could see their faces. The man brought them a cart chocked full of what appeared to be a jump start for a hardcore camper. Louis looked at the receipt. Glad I'm not that guy. Have fun explaining this to the bank. They wheeled the cart and loaded their ill-gotten supplies into the back of Isaac's truck. "Let's go!"

Ryan peeled off on his bike as Isaac and Louis followed in suit in the truck. The feeling he had was exhilarating. The excitement made his fingers quake; Louis felt like they could get away with anything they wanted. They drove for a few hours before cutting off the beaten path and taking a winding road to the vast empty desert. Eventually, Ryan's bike bogged down in the sand and he refused to drive it any further or leave it.

In a rare moment of ingenuity, Louis pulled out one of their new tarps and set it on the ground behind the truck. Then, he rolled Ryan's bike onto the tarp and gently laid it down. "If we go slow enough, it should be alright." Right?"

Forever Fall

Mate lazily knocked away an imp. Exhausted from the several light bombs he'd cast earlier, it was all he could do to parry each claw that tried to grab him. Tora was still nearby; thankfully he was distracting the majority of the imps with his presence. Nate rallied his strength and sliced through an imp, quickly reposting and going back on the defensive. "We need to end this quick before you're going to need to find a new light user."

Forever Fall

"Don't worry, Tora. I'm not out yet." Nate rose wearily to his feet, halfway using the halberd as a support. The leader was surrounded by lesser Imps, each more invigorated than the last by the arrival of the greater demon. The surge of water surprised them. They fought the current but were each eventually swept away. Nate carefully began to move forward, one step at a time. Then, he felt his knee buckle under him and he faltered, falling to his hands and knees, halved resting just beyond his reach. "Damn. Over did it."

The Band of Fools

Gerard had managed to find his father in a meeting with several other members of the cavalry. He waited patiently aside as the men spoke. He watched the other folk of the company mill about, doing chores and tasks, busying themselves until mealtime. The meeting had departed during his daydream and Gerard had to catch up to Johannes. "Father. Did your meeting go well? You seem concerned."

"It's trivial. It does not concern you, son." A quick response, short and to the point. Gerard had honestly expected nothing less. He followed his father for a short time until gathering the words needed to ask.

"Lem demanded everyone work even harder now. I wanted to prove myself on the digging crew."

"...Very well. You are relieved for the day. Work hard, son." Johannes briskly walked away. Gerard wondered for a moment if the request had made his father proud. He let the thought pass as he raced to find the rest of the digging team.

Reform

Louis sighed. This was a turning point for them. Perhaps this is the path that Curse had referred to and Louis was foolishly following it. It was too late now. They needed this and they had no money.

Alright, my turn. Louis walked to the front door and lowered his head. This was the important part. Lou dropped his hands to his side. He channeled his power as much as he could, as much as he had learned how, and released the energy. A thick smog billowed from his palms, black clouds enveloped the entry way. Louis focused again and grabbed at the wisps with his mind, pushing the haze further into the building.

"The smoke is moving towards the cameras. Ryan, sleep the security; Isaac, we need an insider to bring the gear to us."