shylarah — Roleplayer Guild

The siblings exchanged a glance as they climbed in the transport.  It was not the first such vehicle they'd been in: serving in the Swiss army since war had broken out almost two years before, they were quite familiar with the military, even though they'd not seen many pitched battles.  Izkry then took a better look at his new fellows in arms.  Belasý hadn't stopped assessing them since they'd arrived.  A few were quite young, and most were about their age, somewhere in their twenties.  The Japanese woman was tiny, even though she seemed to be an adult.  Belasý wondered how she'd ended up so far from home.  Had the Axis powers in Japan forced her out as well?  She wouldn't be surprised if they had.  But if she was here, she had to have some sort of ability, and that made her highly questionable.  It was the same for the tiny little Polish girl, who was almost as quiet as Belasý herself.  The Spaniard was nervous, then suddenly not, and she was instantly on guard against him.  He bothered her, something about him just didn't seem right.  A hint of a smile crossed her lips as the Frenchman made a reassuring comment that was entirely false.  She'd seen him with a rifle case, and the memory made her wonder yet again how good a shot he was.  Perhaps she'd get to see.  The man with the glasses looked as out of place as the tiny ladies, like he should be at a desk and not on the field.  But he had a power, and thus he must be dangerous.  Belasý had decided she would not underestimate him, and took pains to remind herself of that.

Izkry clapped the young English noble sitting next to him on the back as he commented on his fear.  "You will be fine.  Perhaps if I catch you, it will be less scary?"  The man was handsome, in a quiet way, though he clearly had not done much fighting.  Most soldiers had a look in their eye.  He could see it in his sister's, at times, but part of that had always been there, ever since the disaster as children.  Izkry himself could not be kept down, and even the time they'd spent on the front had not dampened his spirits, so he did his best to keep others cheerful as well.  The tiny girl beyond giggled, though she did it without sound, which was interesting.  Izkry flashed her a wide smile.  "It is good to see someone else still laughing," he told her, still using English, "even when you are scared.  Do not forget laughter.  It is precious."

The man -- Henry -- introduced himself, and the girl did not reply immediately.  Izkry decided to fill the pause.  "I am Izkry," he told them, with a slight bob of his head.  "Or at least people call me that."  A nudge from his sister made him glance over at her, and then nod.  "My sister, Belasý."  The nicknames were Slovak, but they'd stuck.  Aron had given them to just about everyone.  "Henry is your real name, or your cover?" he asked.  "Remember, this is an undercover mission.  Better to be familiar with the name we must answer to if things go wrong, instead of our real one.  For us, we have nicknames that are nothing like our real ones.  But if I was giving you my name-name, I would say we are Izaak and Mieli Meyer, not...not the ones we were given as children."

Beside him, Belasý tensed.  She did not like even recalling her birth name.  At the center, she'd been given a code.  That one she had not even mentioned, not since escaping.  But her birth name was tied to that day on the ice.  The day she'd found out she was a monster.  She would not use it, would not even answer to it.  The young woman let her outgoing brother chat, and looked again at the Frenchman, the sniper.  He thought they were inexperienced.  She could tell -- he had that faintly amused, faintly condescending manner of veteran soldiers looking at newcomers.  When she felt his gaze on her, she brushed her dark hair aside, just for a moment, and met his eyes with her startlingly blue ones.  Just for a moment, the cold determination she felt in battle flashed at him, coupled with defiance, almost a challenge.  She was not nervous, not about fighting.  She was less afraid than she would be back at home in Switzerland, going to her job, worrying about rent.  She was a monster, just like him, and Jean should remember that.

But that lasted only a moment before she dropped both gaze and hand, without a word spoken.  It fell to Izkry to say, "Nice to meet you, Jean."  He managed to get the pronunciation at least close to its proper French.  "...Perhaps a little nervous, but that keeps you sharp.  I would be far more worried if I was not."

Alias: Mieli Meyer
Nationality: Swiss citizen, German-born
Age: 25
Height: 5'8/173cm
Weight: ~150lbs/65kg

Appearance: Belasý is fairly average height, with a well-toned physique that is a little on the soft side.  Her skin is sun-bronzed but will lighten a few shades over the course of the winter months.  Her wide eyes are a startling blue that would be the envy of any Aryan supremacist, and frequently hold a nervous or uncertain expression.  Her hair is dark brown with a slight natural wave and she wears it long, often using it as a barrier to separate herself from others.  She also frequently bites her lip, or plays with her hair.  She uses subtle makeup, nothing eye-catching, and likes having her nails painted.

In a similar vein, Belasý has a fondness for cute or pretty clothing.  She likes dresses, though nothing too fancy.  Simple and classy is best, in her opinion.  However she is aware of what clothing is appropriate for a situation, and her everyday dress is on the higher end of casual.  She likes loose cut or flared pants, long sleeved shirts, and oversized jackets.  She always wears a bracelet on her left wrist, just simple shells and deep blue glass beads -- her favorite color.  It was a gift, and she values it highly.

Superpower: 
hydrokinesis - Belasý is able to control water and direct it to follower her will.  She cannot create water, nor change its temperature, and must have a source of some kind, be it a lake, a puddle, water vapor, or even the liquid inside of living cells.  Pulling water from the air is not possible where it’s very dry, and in most cases will only yield a small quantity -- a glob perhaps the size of her fist.  Pulling from living sources, particularly animals, is generally more difficult and a slower process.  Once the water is separated and under her control, she can shape it as she wishes and move it around.  This includes using it as an offensive and defensive weapon, as a small jet of water under pressure can have surprising cutting power.  She can control it as ice or steam, if it is already in those states.  Steam is fairly easy, ice is a bit harder.  Other applications of this power include purifying some quantity of water (time consuming, done by moving the water and leaving the impurities which are not under her control behind), making or calming waves in bodies of water, and some interesting applications underwater -- such as trapping bubbles of air under the surface.  Belasý’s control is fairly good, but she lacks the power her brother displays, and instead must use her skills wisely, if she wishes to have a significant effect.  Brute force is not an option, and her strongest ability in terms of force is actually a shield formed of two layers moving in opposite directions, and it functions more to turn objects aside than actually stop them.  If sufficiently upset, angry, or otherwise emotional, her ability is not entirely stable and water sources around her may react violently.

Skills:
An excellent marksman, particularly with time to aim properly.  She has sniper training in particular, and is quite good at it.  She's something of a gun buff.
CQC training both unarmed and with knives, as well as use of makeshift weapons.
Quick to learn new languages, and fluent in several.  She speaks German best, able to switch between Swiss Standard German and German Standard German (the one spoken in Germany) without difficulty.  Close seconds are lightly accented British English and a Swiss German.  She knows French, though it’s accented.  She knows enough Russian to be able to get by in a pinch, though it’s quite rusty (if she uses it a lot she’ll remember more).  She can have a simple conversation in Italian, Slovak, or Yiddish, if the speaker didn’t go too fast.  She also recognizes the sounds and a scattering of words from various other European languages.
Tactical ability, though nowhere near that of her father.
Superb swimmer, ironically.  She does love the water, particularly the ocean.
Excellent cook.
Knows a bit of ballet and some ballroom dance, as well as swing.
Not a bad singer, if she can be convinced to sing.
Can use her left hand for some things, though she is not fully ambidextrous.
General survival skills, navigation, basic first aid, etc.

Personality: Belasý is a withdrawn individual, reluctant to interact even with those she knows.  She prefers to let her brother do the talking, and will go so far as to practically hide behind him.  She doesn’t say much, and avoids eye contact and physical proximity to others.  She is generally nervous or even frightened in social situations, and often uncertain of where she stands with other people.  When on missions she does somewhat better, able to hide her nerves, though the shy demeanor remains.

Despite her introverted nature, she can be a sweet person.  For her very few friends, she is willing to go far above and beyond what she would do for herself.  She has a good sense of humor though it rarely shows, buried underneath uncertainty and a lack of confidence off the field.  On the rare occasions when she is pushed into losing her temper, she can be fiercely protective and often unreasonable.  Her protective side can also be seen in silent disapproval, or when she simply moves between the one she wishes to defend and whatever she is trying to ward off, creating a wordless but stubborn barrier.

She is not generally violent, but when it comes to the Axis armies she has little mercy.  They threaten the lives of those who have done nothing, and need to be dealt with.  Nazis especially she hates, as that first facility was unofficially associated with what eventually became the Nazi party, and she feels they ruined her life and killed her father.  Furthermore, she actively dislikes powered individuals, particularly herself.  She sees them as threats to society and believes that if they do anything to harm civilians, they must be removed.  She is reluctant to use her own power unless there is no good alternative, and in training scenarios it’s not uncommon for her to choose injury over a powered defense.  She accepts injuries without flinching in many cases, and her pain tolerance is high.  She also has good self control in general, but the switch from calm to out of control is abrupt instead of gradual.

Equipment:
lightly modified Karabiner 98k (carbine) with scope
Luger P08 (pistol)
combat knives
large canteen of water carrying fine grit, with modified cap for rapid access.  
Victorinox Offiziersmesser (later known as a Swiss Army Knife), hers is simpler than Izkry’s
small notebook
torch
lighter

Other:
As a child she was much bolder, outgoing and even bossy.  Some of the bossiness remains, but only on the field.
Hates and fears superpowers, including her own -- especially her own.
Does not seem to have a romantic interest in anyone.
In general, Izkry is the one she loves and trusts, and he is best able to understand her.  A single word, slight gesture, or subtle change of expression can convey a lot between these two.  Without him around she tends to be even more awkward than usual, if that’s even possible.
She does not answer to Valentine, Val, or any variant thereof.  She /might/ if Izkry called her that, but he never does.  Nor does she ever call him anything other than Izkry.

Alias: Izaak Meyer
Nationality: Swiss citizen, German-born
Age: 22
Height: 6'1"/185.5cm
Weight: ~150lbs/70kg

Appearance: Izkry is a tall young man, over 185cm when he doesn’t slouch.  His light brown eyes approach amber, bright and lively, and he has a broad, easy grin that often puts others at ease.  He wears his blond hair spiky, and keeps it cut short save for a slender braid at the very nape of his neck.  He’s slightly tan, what with it being July and spending much time out of doors, but he loses that in the winter months.  His time in the Swiss army has him riding the fine line between athletic and just plain thin.

Casual clothing is the rule of the day for Izkry.  He hates suits and other formal attire.  Tshirts and jeans are where it’s at, maybe slacks and a button down if he wants to dress a bit better.  He would rather parade around in a revealing dress than put on a tie.  He favors brighter, cheerful colors, particularly sky blue, yellow, and orange.

Other Appearance: Izkry has a faint but noticeable scar on his right temple just at the hairline, a memento of a childhood injury that needed stitches.

Superpower:
technomancy/technopathy - Izkry has an electrical affinity and a sensitivity to machinery.  While he is capable of generating a lightning bolt that can strike up to a few meters away, this attack is not particularly accurate, and he cannot limit what is hit.  He can deliver a considerable electric shock by touch, from just enough to be noticeable to enough to incapacitate (though generally not enough to kill outright).  While he can restrict the generation point to a specific portion of his body, he cannot limit where it goes.  If he shocks someone touching him, and there’s another person touching that person, both will get shocked.  The single exception to this is his sister, who he can avoid hurting as long as he doesn’t use too much power.  He can generate current to power devices, or fry circuitry with a touch.  Physical contact also allows him to feel if a device is in good repair, and if not to tell what’s wrong with it.  This ability is very finely tuned with electronics, but will work in a broader sense for most machinery.  If he touches a machine, he can then control it -- but this takes all of his concentration, and he is completely vulnerable while doing so.  A side effect of his power is a complete immunity to electrical shocks.  

Skills:
Limited firearms skill.  He’s better with a pistol than a rifle.
CQC skill, primarily unarmed.  He can use a knife, but he’s really not much good with it.
Whip and lasso proficiency.  He’s a huge fan of Western novels and movies.
Speaks a couple languages.  German Standard German is his best, though he is fluent in the somewhat different Swiss Standard German and extremely different Swiss German as well.  His English is strongly accented, and his French is understandable but not good.  He can have a very slow conversation in Italian if he must, but he’s shaky at best, and knows only basic words and phrases.  Anything beyond giving directions and making purchases is beyond him.
Excellent driver, and very familiar with the workings of cars and a variety of other engines.  His power helps, but it’s not the only thing he has going for him here.
Excels at tinkering and repairwork, likewise aided by his ability, but not limited to that alone.  He likes taking apart pocketwatches and reassembling them, second only to car engines.
Playing guitar (and reading music).  He can play piano, too, but not well.
Pretty good at blackjack and checkers, and loves games in general.
General survival skills, navigation, basic first aid, etc.

Personality: Izkry is cheerful and laid back, preferring to go with the flow.  He neither angers nor takes offense easily, and he tolerates others' quirks and shortcomings without giving it much mind.  He is friendly and generally smiling, always looking on the bright side of things.  His upbeat personality is nice to be around, and his good humor frequently rubs off on those around him.  He loves socializing and is happiest in a room full of people talking, laughing, and otherwise having a good time.

He does not like killing, though he understands it is sometimes necessary, particularly when defending something.  He managed to avoid much of the brainwashing that the German facility tried to impress upon him, though he is quite loyal to people he knows, and is willing to do a lot for them.  The idea that some people are better than others makes no sense to him -- after all, wouldn’t it be better if everyone helped whoever they can?  He likes his power, and the insight it gives him into mechanics, one of his passions.  He’s a sucker for a person in distress, particularly the elderly and children.  He doesn't like seeing people upset, and will provide a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on for just about anybody.  These traits, along with his ever-present cheer, make him very likable and he makes friends with ease.

Although he is younger than his sister, he still looks after Bits as if he were the elder.  He allows himself to be used as a crutch, keeping others at a comfortable distance for her, and doing most of the communicating.  He loves her dearly, though he wishes she would open up and hopes she someday will learn to rely on him less.  Still, he doesn't have the heart to force her.

Equipment:
Karabiner 98k (carbine)
Luger P08 (pistol)
combat knife
7ft (just over 2m) bullwhip with shortened handle, synthetic fiber with metal threaded through it to allow transfer of electrical current
Victorinox Offiziersmesser (later known as a Swiss Army Knife), his has more tools than Belasý’s
torch
lighter
Swiss pocketwatch, a gift of sentimental value
small change in a few different currencies

Other:
Oddly enough, Izkry was actually rather shy as a toddler.
He’s bi, but with a definite preference for guys.
Izkry is exceptionally good at understanding Belasý, to the point where it looks like they have a mental connection.  He can understand her gestures and expressions like none other, and it only takes a slight motion for her to communicate a great deal.  This also means she has trouble keeping things from him.
He answers to both Yohan and Izkry.

Johan and Valentine Siskin were born to Armin Siskin, a decorated German military officer.  He enlisted prior to the first World War and served during most of it, quickly proving himself to be an exemplary soldier in combat.  He was eventually promoted to sergeant, and greatly respected by his fellow soldiers.  When his lieutenant and a number of other commanding officers died in a particularly vicious battle in late 1916, Armin found himself promoted to fill the vacancy while in the field, and eventually was elevated to captaincy.  He was badly injured near the end of the war and honorably discharged.  By then, much of his once-bright patriotism had dulled to disappointment and a desire for a quiet life.

Valentine was conceived while her father was home on leave and born in July of ’16.  Her little brother followed about a year after the end of the war.  Even though the country was in a depression following the sanctions imposed by the victors, Armin always believed that better days would come.  The family of four did not have much, but on the whole they were happy.

When Val was six and Yohan three, a bully decided to pick on Yohan.  They were out on a frozen river, and the ice was uneven.  When the older boy pushed the child down, he hit his head hard on the edge of a large fallen tree limb sticking up out of the ice.  Upon seeing the blood, Val was absolutely furious.  She said something unkind, something threatening -- and the power she didn’t know she had broke the ice, sending both boys into the frigid water.  She managed to grab her brother by the hood and keep him above the surface until someone could pull him out, but the one who’d been causing trouble went under.

By the time they could get him out from under the ice, the boy had drowned.

Things changed dramatically from that day forward.  Val herself became an entirely different person.  And within a month, armed men working for an unofficial military program to train powered children came to collect both the girl and her brother.  Armin and his wife did not wish for them to go.  He had no desire for his children to become soldiers, or tools for the government.  A quiet life, that was what he wanted, both for himself and for his family.  But it was not to be.  The children were taken, and it was the last he saw of them for a number of years.

The facility was nothing like the two were used to.  Yohan adapted quickly, even though he didn’t really like some of what he was taught as he grew older.  Valentine did not, refusing to speak to people, and refusing to use her power, even when the alternative was injury.  She took far better to much of the military training, but on the whole she was seen as something of an uncertain asset, at best.

Meanwhile, their father was livid.  He had done his duty, had served his country -- had been nearly killed doing so, and yet now they wanted to take his children from him?  Unacceptable.  And while he had never once thought of speaking against the German government outside the privacy of his home, he had heard others blame everyone and everything for the trials they now faced.  Quietly, discreetly, he contacted those he thought might be willing to help him.  He knew there would be only one chance, and so he had to make /sure/ they would succeed.  It was eight long years of plotting, planning, and quietly gathering what he and those he persuaded to join him would need.  He managed to stay in occasional contact with his children by way of an uncertain guard he’d known in the war, who admired Hauptmann (Captain) Siskin der Polarfuchs, and sympathized with the man’s desire to get his children back.

In very early spring of ‘31, Armin and his group made their move.  The attack was swift, almost surgical, with the tactical brilliance that had earned Captain Siskin his nickname of Polarfuchs.  A number of the team were killed, but they’d known there would be a poor chance of survival going in, and they managed to destroy a respectable chunk of the facility in the process.  Val and Yohan were not the only powered children freed; Val had quietly figured out who there might be interested in leaving and she’d helped handle organizing things on the inside.  The group made for the Swiss border on foot, by car, and by train.  It was not an easy trip, but between the tail end of winter and the start of spring with its rain and mud, as well as Armin's understanding of tactics and misdirection, they managed to reach the border.

Crossing was harder.  The guards there had been alerted of the fugitives, and told to keep an eye out.  An encounter with an unexpected patrol turned to tragedy, resulting in the death of one of the children and several of the adults.  Armin, knowing that the group would be done for if the reinforcements called caught up with ten, entrusted the children to his former sergeant and a couple others.  The remaining men he took to lay a false trail.  It was the last time Val ever saw the man, and she believes him to have died, along with most if not all the others with him.

In Switzerland, they met up with sympathetic locals who helped them link up with the powered community there.  The adults went their separate ways, with the sergeant keeping the teens with him.  They eventually settled near Geneva, in a small apartment, and with the consent of the teens all three enrolled in a nearby boarding school for youths like them.

The sergeant though kind, never replaced her parents for Val, and Yohan barely remembered them.  Both gained their nicknames at the school from a young teacher whose parents were Slavic Jews, Iskry for his power, and Belasý for her eyes.  It was this man that finally convinced the young lady to learn proper control of her power.  She never did learn to like it, but at least she could use it when she wished -- and more importantly, maintain control even when upset.  As the Nazi party took power and threatened war with various countries, including Switzerland, Belasý wished to oppose them.  She continued to practice her skill with firearms, and in CQC, things she'd never entirely given up since coming to Switzerland.  She enlisted, her brother with her because he felt they should stick together.  Because of their powers, they were assigned to a special unit of the Swiss army.  Though mostly kept in reserve, Belasý's skill with a gun did find them sent to target high ranking officers or other significant targets from time to time, as well as participating in a few skirmishes on the Swiss-German border.

When the call came for powered individuals, the pair heard the news.  Switzerland was officially neutral, so they were not offered the option of joining, but Belasý was dead set on going somehow, and with a bit of negotiation they were officially discharged, though with the consideration that they’d be allowed to take something equivalent to their previous positions back if they wished upon their return.  The pair immediately set off for Great Britain.

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shylarah Member

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