Zoey Boey

A Stellar Tomb

Signalis mentioned
Signalis mentioned

Unfortunately this means i can't make a combat engineer looking for her wife. shit.

i am interested tho..!

World of Light

JURI HAN

Level 5: 15/50
Location: Carnival Games
Word Count: short
Points Gained: 1 +4
New EXP Balance: Level 5: 20/50

---

Juri was sick of Ballyhoo’s crap, and was ready to get out of here. The fact that this group of chumps was shrewd enough to rip him off and leave him without any reward for the games he let them play amused her. Juri would have done the same thing, though only by coincidence as she was just sick of this fake stuff and his annoying personality.

Still, she was interested in this ‘spirit’ stuff they were talking about. Juri got her rewards. They were like, a bunch of little pictures with people on the inside. There were a few monster looking things, an old guy, and some hot chicks. One of them, though, was purple. Really purple. She had short black hair with purple tinges, and some kind of tech implant in her head. It reminded Juri of herself. Of all of them, that was the one she was most interested in.

Problem is, she wasn’t exactly sure how it worked. She got the idea it was some kind of magical ability. Given how much that talentless cat had changed, maybe it was about stealing powers? Juri grabbed the purple lady spirit she wanted, and kept a few extras, too, but she dropped a lot to the ground.

She hung around in the outskirts of the Seekers conversation and not-so-subtly eavesdropped with a frown on her face. What were they doing? What were they talking about? Were they trying to fix this situation? Juri wanted out of here, ASAP. That weird turtle-ish mage wanted to explain something to her.

”I’m blowin’ this joint.” She said to them. ”Don’t think after all that annoying crap you put me through you can get away without me crashing at your place.” She said to all of them.

Then she looked at Kamek. ”And if you wanna explain what you think you know, that’s just fine by me. That giant laser dork should have put me somewhere more interesting if it wanted me to not come after it. Since this game sucks, I’m officially done hanging around here.” She said.

”You guys got some kinda giant ship or something? I’ve got a bike stashed in town. Don’t tell me you people just walk everywhere. It’s pretty fast and badass, so…” She shrugged. She could always just steal another one, but her current bike was really good.

Regardless, it was clear Juri was trying to tag along.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Crane

Savior Island

---

So, a few things happened. Crane was very confused by Albino's statement. "W- wind exhaustion? Oh, my. I have never heard of such a thing." She wracked her brain. "Do you mean heat exhaustion?" She asked, since the man seemed friendly enough and might have just mispoke.

Then Riley appeared, and did some things Crane found nonsensical. It was only when Eva surmised the situation quickly. "They are bad?" Her eyes widened in alarm. As Eva fired her first round of goop, Crane's first instinct was to cover up Emily Duff's body with one of her large hands. Fortunately, Eva's goop blast was not so callously aimed, so neither Crane nor Emily were hit. That was where Crane stayed as Mire grabbed Albino from below and Jellyfish activated his lightning power. Then, he teleported and took Eva hostage!

Crane stayed knelt by the director, trying to think of what to do next. "Oh, my! W-wait, um, just wait." She said, trying to placate the situation. That was when the scruffy coin man appeared, to try and de-escalate with words. Crane nodded along, still kneeling.

"Yes." She nodded, and nodded some more. She bent her hand to point at the man with the pale skin. "When you pretended to be the doctor, I thought: what a handsome smile!" She said, and it was true. "You seemed very nice. You can be nice, if you want."

And then she looked at the man called Jellyfish. "And your lightning powers? Very pretty!" She explained, eagerly. "Dazzling! You don't have to fight. There can be peace." She looked down at Emily under her hand.

"It was unkind of you to hurt her. And unkind of you to take my coworker hostage. That does not mean there is no chance for you. It is like the Mister with the coin says. Release her, please, and the strife today will end. Nobody else has to get hurt." She pleaded. She had no idea what they wanted, but Crane knew she couldn't give it to them. Personally, she valued the life of this poison lady over whatever object they needed to steal. But if they asked her for it, she wouldn't be able to get it. From a practical, tactical point of view, even with Eva hostage she doubted they would be able to succeed. They were outnumbered, and each hero here had versatile abilities. But Crane, nonetheless, didn't want to see any bloodshed. And if there was a chance to lower the temperature, she would take it.

The giant lady's big face was easy to read, emotionally speaking. She was nervous, and anxiously optimistic. She was going to take a defensive role, focusing on protecting the assistant director and her fellow heroes. She looked at Eva, and offered her a hopeful smile. "You won't die." She assured her. Given her ability to produce toxic goo out of her body, she might already have an escape plan. Crane hoped so.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Crane

Savior Island

---

The cookie didn't have much to tell her at all. Crane stared at the tiny little object between her fingers. "Hello?"

She realized she hadn't been paying attention to Ms. Duff's instructions. Or rather, she had forgotten them. Or perhaps, she wasn't sure how to translate what she had done for her normal sized fingers to Crane's fingers, which were six times bigger. The little cookie wasn't speaking to her, or telling her any humorous facts.

How did she...was she supposed to...like this, or..? Oh, she didn't want to drop it! This was no good at all.

Crane glanced over her shoulder. She was currently in the shade of the mega building, almost on the opposite side of where she was before, and she was mostly by herself, at least out here in the water. Not wanting to drop the little cookie, she cupped it in her hands and walked over to shore. She was going to find Emily and ask her how it worked: she really wanted to hear the fun fact. And despite being so big, it's not like she had anywhere to store it on her person. Not without risk of losing it.

So when Crane walked past the side of the tower she was on and saw Emily Duff laying on the ground, she was alarmed. Carefully, she walked over at the speed most people run at. There were two individuals she didn't recognize standing nearby. One was very pale, and one looked like the mushroom man but instead of a mushroom they were a jellyfish. Crane assumed they must work here: there were many heroes she didn't recognize, in all shapes and sizes.

"Assistant Director!" She called out. She squatted down a short distance away, keeping her hands on her knees. At that point she dropped the pyramid onto the grass, no longer caring about it.

"What happened? Did she faint?" She asked the two people nearby. Crane wasn't sure what to do. She was too big to apply any first aid herself. The most she could do was carry her inside, but she didn't know if that was the best decision. There weren't any marks on her, at least from what Crane could see. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Crane

Savior Island

---

Emily Duff, the Assistant Director, made the objective of the seminar clear. It would be a game! Crane loved games, though she didn't get to play them very often. Hide and Seek, Tag, Four Square...not really an option. But a scavenger hunt? Crane had participated in Easter before. It was difficult for her, and she had to be very careful with the eggs, but as long as she stayed low to the ground it was doable! Her height could give her an advantage sometimes, too, if the egg was in a place that would be obvious to her, only. Excited, she put her palms together and tapped her fingers together in a small clap.

One thing that people might not expect is how quickly someone like Crane blends into the background of a conversation. Just like anyone else! If she sat there quietly and politely listened to everyone talk, it was like she wasn't even there. It was nice! The effect was only boosted because she wasn't even that strange anymore. Already she was enjoying her choice to come to the superhero capital of the world.

There was a bit of disagreement about it, though, and she had to admit, she wished the loud girl hadn't challenged the older fellow to the game. "This isn't his orientation, but that coin seems as if it will let him find all the cookies very soon. Oh, my. I was looking forward to playing. Maybe next year!" She said with a small smile, that partially hid her disappointment. Due to Mire's complaint she had started calling them cookies.

She let out a sigh, and then put her hands on her knees. Her smile widened. "But, it's not over yet! We might be able to find some, and I want to learn more about my new home. Maybe we can beat that coin, hmm?" She rose to her full thirty foot height again using nothing but her leg muscles. One might see where she got the name Crane from, as the motion was graceful and bird-like.

She shielded her big eyes from the sun and looked around. "Ah!" She pointed out towards the water."I see something unusual. I think I will get there first!" She said, and began to walk over to it. At a decent walking pace she was much faster than most people's full sprint. Even still her step was light. At the water's edge she dipped her toes in and felt for solid-ish ground, and began to wade out into the water to the platform.

"I have done the scavenging! I am here." She declared. Forty feet was nothing to her! She grabbed the small platform with one hand to steady it, and then used her finger and thumb to oh so carefully pluck the pyramid from its place. Then she held it up against her ear. "Hello, little cookie. Do you have something to tell me?" She asked, muttering under her breathe.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Backup

East Side
Interaction with Alien Angel @DarkRecon

---

Suddenly, the hot dog eating heroine wasn't alone on her lunch break. Someone was talking to her! Backup turned around, looking at Angel while chewing. She swallowed and scoffed. "Que pasa? I''m eatin' a fuckin' hot dog, that's 'que pasa.'" She said. It was annoying that she was being interrupted on a snack break. She turned away from Angel and kept eating.

A.A. rolled her eyes for a moment but kept at it with her current VR window but based on the information, that was about the expected response.

"...oy I know you like your solitude but there ARE nicer ways to tell someone to piss off...BUUUT I'm one to talk.", Angel then said.

Should Backup look at her at this point, she might note the curious face she was making at her pink VR window. Then putting her finger to her ear.

Backup rolled her eyes. "Fuckin' A. You sure are." She glanced over at her.

"Another cyber chick. What are you doing? Can't you quit fuckin' around on my lunch roof?" She said, holding the paper container of her hotdog in one hand. Backup had favorite places to eat her lunch in all of the Boroughs. This was her East Side Lunch Break Roof, ontop of a combined laundromat and apartment. Mr. Reiz, the guy selling hot dogs on this block made the best in Castleburg. Backup visited him twice a month and enjoyed her lunch here. And now this pink lady with no shoes was yapping in her ear.

Angel then got up then said, "I have to now. Just found my "crisis" of the day and it's a nasty one too...probably will hear about it from Wiseman if you bother to use that Smartwatch." Backup worked her mouth up to the side, and glanced down at her Stopwatch. What's Wiseman got to do with anything?

Alien Angel then walked away from Backup, closing the VR window, then stood at the edge of the roof. Then, to perhaps the surprise of Backup, she transformed...

"...and hey, the name's Alien Angel...and it was actually nice talkin to ya señora."

Angel then leaped off the roof. Backup waved her away dismissively. "Yeah, whatever, fuck off with you."

"Finally." She said, enjoying the rest of her hotdog. There were tons of spices, vegetables, and sauces on it. Backup wiped her face and fingers down with a napkin and crumpled it up. If HERO really needed her help, they would summon her. So she didn't have jack shit to worry about until then. She leaned over the side of the roof into the alley and dropped her garbage into the open dumpster she knew was there.

She decided to change up her patrol route today. Instead of going left, she would go right. Away from that weirdo Alien Angel. The fuck kind of name is that, anyway? She didn't look like an Alien, or an Angel. Was she a new hero? She seemed to know something. But until Backup was given orders, she would go around doing her thing like she always did. Her boots pounded against the roof as she took a running leap to a building ten feet below, landing with a roll. She converted the momentum into a vault over an AC unit and then hopped up onto the next roof.

Patrolling was relaxing and she constantly honed her freerunning. When night fell, she would either continue patrolling, or if she was really bored, hit the underground fight or racing rings. And occasionally take a day or two off back at her apartment. Or God forbid that glorified daycare HERO One if she was there post-mission for some reason. Yuck.

World of Light

JURI HAN

Level 5: 14/50
Location: Carnival Games
Word Count: 584
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance: Level 5: 15/50

---

With the stupid racing game over, Juri reappeared back with the stupid others at the stupid hub area. She had fought Nadia for a bit, but she felt weird about it. They didn’t get to hurt each other at all, which was majorly disappointing in retrospect. But, only in retrospect. She was having a hard time puzzling it out, when suddenly, she was absolutely jumped by Fortune from behind. ”Yeah, well, that was a waste of time any wa- ah hey what the fucking oof augh-” The friendheart went into her and she flailed her arms around.

”So you wanna fight, is that it?!” She yelled, only realizing a few seconds later she seeing things clearly for the first time in a while.

She looked at Fortune as she turned away from her. ”Welcome to- how- how stupid do you think I am? Did you have to leave town to figure that all out? What a joke.” Juri said, brushing her fingers flippantly through her hair.

Then she strolled away, holding her hands behind her head, hiding her face from everyone so they couldn’t see how wide her eyes were. She was barely paying attending the rules- something about hide and seek?- when she was whisked away to the next game.

Normally, Juri would just out and eliminate herself. The last thing she wanted to do was pretend to be a freaking chair. But now having the opportunity to be invisible for a while appealed to her. She needed some time to collect her thoughts and plan her next move. Because apparently some giant space laser blasted her and her motorbike on the way to her apartment, and now she was living in a really, really stupid dimension. No wonder Fortune could get the jump on her- extenuating circumstances. Didn’t count.

Appearing in the town, Juri loitered. ”Piece of junk witch hat.” She let it fall to the cobblestones. She scampered off and started climbing the highest building she could find, which happened to be the tower in the center of town. There she lay down on the roof and stare up at the magically created sky.

Her first instinct was to get angry. That some giant laser beam freak could mindwipe her was insulting to her core. Control her mind? As if. She’d have to get even with god, though, that was always probably a little bit of her motivation anyway. If Miss freaking Fortune was on their team, they’d certainly need Juri’s help. It’s obvious they were a big group, and it was easy to tell the non brainwashed chumps from the brainwashed chumps, just by looking at them. Not that 99% of the population wasn’t brainwashed jumps back on her home world, anyway.

Her home world. What the hell? This was such bullshit. She didn't get asked to get whisked off to freaking Candy Land. Nobody told Juri what to do. Nobody at all.

If there was one upside to any of this, Juri had just solved her boredom problem. Once these stupid games came to an end, anyway. Her current strategy, due to apathy and a desire to be alone, was to lay down undisguised ontop of the seekers spawn room tower. Juri had bigger things to think about than the outcome of this literal children's game. Either she was going to get eliminated first and have some time to herself, or the seekers would hop down and start searching the floor and she would have some time to herself.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Backup

East Side

---

To call it a lake would have been generous. It was more of a pond. Short, black, loose hair with white streaks, a simple but effective black mask around her eyes that contrasted with her unnaturally pale skin; this was the place where those effects took place. There were white people, there were pale people, and then there was Backup. We're talking sheet white, here. Like a ghost. But her cheeks were full and her build was solid, so there was no typical gauntness to accompany it.

Her Stop Watch, as in her customized hero smart witch, lit up. "Attention, heroes. I need a group of you to assist me at the Johnstone Convention Center. If you are available, please come and meet behind the stage. You will be rewarded for your time."

Backup took the time to listen to the whole thing, but, she was way too far away to get over there. She was sure tons of other people would get it, anyway, considering how many were at the parade.

Maybe the HERO day parade had made her sentimental. TJ didn't dwell on the past very often. Or maybe, as much as she didn't actually care, it would have been farcical to not even LOOK at the place where she died first. Like, come on, that's a pretty strong memory. But it wasn't what she was here for. She was miles away from the parade because she'd literally be caught dead before she was caught looking at a fucking balloon of Hugo Powers. Seriously. He was just a dude. They just have a balloon of some guy. HERO worship was creepy.

But when a pre-teen boy runs up to you and begs for a selfie, as one did now, well, you're going to lean in and say "Always get back up!" and stick out your tongue. Because it wasn't that bad. And you liked the uneasy smile on the mothers face- that of all the heroes on the roster, her son chose Backup as his favorite.

When a fully grown man sees that and asks for the same thing, you tell him to "Fuck off, loser." because it wasn't that great, either. If he's really a Backup fan, he'll like that even more than the selfie.

Since she wasn't at the parade, and it wasn't night time so all of her really fun activities were off limits, the eternal question plagued TJ's mind. What to do now? While she was out and about in costume and didn't want to be bugged, she usually skipped the sidewalks. Moving into a nearby alleyway, TJ took a running start at a brick wall, ran a few steps up it and then pushed off to cling onto a fire escape. Rattling up the stairs, she stood on the railing and took one more leap up to the roof. Now the whole city had opened up to her. Skyscrapers and glittering ocean waves, the islands, even that hellhole Atlantica. Backup hated Atlantica. If she was ever going to become a supervillain, it would be to blow up Atlantica and sink it to the bottom of the ocean like it's namesake suggested.

TJ took a running start and leaped across a few rooftops, watching the distant concrete pass under her legs as she did. The sound carried well up here. She had good line of sight. She skid to a stop, planting her boot on the corner of a rooftop. This was what going on patrol was all about. It was the beating heart of HERO work, if boring at times. Backup ran around all of Castleburg, across all islands, though for convenience she usually avoided crossing the bridges mid-shift. And she avoided Passenger Island, as well. That place was boring as fuck.

TJ could spend all day and all night on the rooftops if she wanted too, due to her powers. All day, and all night, every day and every night. If she was up to it, that was what she did. The longest streak was a week. There was a particularly tall apartment building. TJ leapt over to it and used the tops and bottoms of the window sills to scale up the side. With no fear and more experience than anyone in the world at urban freeclimbing, TJ made short work of it. She climbed around the side of the building and hopped over onto someone's balcony. Then another, and then another. A lot of people weren't home. She pressed her face against the glass window. Some type of business woman in her mid forties was watching TV on the inside. Backup knocked on the window and she yelped. It didn't take her long to realize who she was looking at- even if she didn't know the specifics, it was obviously some superpowered miscreant.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked, approaching the door.

"Shit, lady, I'm just saying hi." Backup responded, and then leapt to the next balcony over. There was a bit of commotion, and soon she had a trail of confused people opening up their balcony doors to see who just moved across. She moved to the very last one and sat on the edge.

"We all good here?" She asked, her voice carrying to the row of people. The answer was probably yes.

"Well, actually," An elderly woman said from two balconies down. "There's been this troublemaker going up and down the block the last few days. We've not been sure what to do about him. Maybe you could speak to him, young lady? He kept me up all night last night."

Backup frowned. "Fuckin' what? Who is this guy?"

"Oh," the woman responded. "I think he calls himself..."

---

"...THE ONE MAN BAND!"

"Are you fuckin' for real, dude?" Backup asked with a laugh. In front of her was a man in a garish yellow and pink bodysuit. A large drum was strapped to his back, complete with symbol. He had a mount around his shoulders that contained a harmonica and a trumpet. At his waist was a guitar and in his hands was an accordion. Compared to her practical and colorless black and white wear, they were quite the contrasting duo. Over his eyes was a visor that also looked like a harmonica.

"Oh, I'm very real," He said. "Realer than you, hero." He began to stomp and march in a circle, playing the accordion and the harmonica.

"Dude. You fuckin' suck." Backup criticized bluntly. "Like I'm not even joking around. You're shit at that. It's total dogwater. Actual fucking audio diarrhea. Like it's one thing if you're good at it but you're not. Were you playing all night last night?"

"Shut up! Nobody can silence the One Man Band! Everyone in this apartment block will bow down to me. Then we will join forces and spread our music across the city!" He proclaimed.

"Then you wouldn't be that much of one man band anymore, would you, dumbass?"

"...SILENCE!" He began to stomp and march around even more, playing louder.

"Alright, that's it, c'mere, shithead." Backup said, walking over and reaching her hand out. The One Man Band turned to her and switched to his trumpet. Blowing into the brass instrument, Backup was deafened by the blast and found herself rolling and tumbling over herself on the ground. Everyone watching the encounter, including the old lady, disappeared back into their rooms in alarm.

"The fuck?!" Backup asked, pushing herself up to all fours.

"Too LOUD for you, Backup? You should wear ear protection when attending a performance!" He blew into the trumpet again.

"Oof!" Backup squeezed her eyes shut and fell flat on her back. This guy was kicking her ass! There wasn't much room to dodge in the apartment complex hallway. There was a T junction not far from her, but One Man Band was blasting her way too often for her to get to it.

"Comin' through!" She yelled, and shoulder charged into a nearby door. She burst into someone's apartment, blowing right through the lock. Her shoulder would be feeling that one in the morning- NOT. She saw the ripples and the dust as the villain's blast struck the place she had just been. Fortunately, it seemed like nobody was home in this one.

Infact, that gave her an idea.

One Man Band entered the apartment. "Where'd you go, hero? Afraid to face the music?" He looked across the room and saw that the balcony door was open.

"I'll give you a fuckin' beat," Backup murmured from behind. An ambush! She had gone out one balcony and entered through another! She kicked out the back of his leg and forced him face down to the floor. Before he could blow on his trumpet again she reached forward and wrenched it off his harness, tossing it aside.

"Unhand me!" He said, releasing his accordion, clenching his fists, and raising his hands on the floor. In a split second she realized the drum on his back was attached to his hands via a series of wires. She did not want to find out what happened if the sticks beat that drum.

"Shit!" She snatched the sticks before they could hit. Ripping them off, she produced a knife and cut a hole in the canvas of the drum.

"No!" He cried out in dismay. "Guh!" Backup punched him soundly in the back.

"Gotcha, bitch." In ten seconds flat she had his hands cuffed behind his back and his ankles cuffed together. "One Man- One Man Bitch, is more like it." She stood up straight and twirled her knife around in her fingers. "Heh."

"Damn you, Backup! You haven't heard the last of me or my wonderful music!" He said, struggling on the floor in a pile of discarded instruments.

"There's a scary fuckin' idea." Backup said, rolling her shoulder. There was a strange noise, almost like a very faint echoey pop from the inside, and she felt the pain disappear. Guess it had been 24 seconds since she busted the door open. The pain in her internals from the soundwaves was also long gone. Just like that, she was good as new. No need for so much as a breather.

"I fuckin' love being me." She grinned to herself.

---

She dusted her hands as the police shoved the protesting One Man Band's head into the back of a cop car. Basically everyone that was home had come down to the lobby to get in on the post-villain defeat party. She shook hands with the elderly lady, and reluctantly agreed to a hug. Backup was a bit distracted, though. Her thoughts turned back to the fight. If One Man Band had gotten the drum beat off, what would have happened? She should have known that more than one of his instruments could have been dangerous. The fact that he almost got one over on her was frustrating. Next time, she'd have to be better. She should have cut the drum canvas with the knife first, and then went for the takedown. Any villain could be dangerous if she didn't know their gimmick.

"Backup. Ms. Backup!" Someone said, pointing a phone in her face. "How many times did you die to defeat the One Man Band?"

Backup blinked, snapping back into focus. "What, huh? No times. No times at all." She said, seriously. "That guy didn't get me. Don't add anything to that fucking website."

"Are you sure?" Someone else asked. "I thought I heard you say oof."

"Well, okay, he blasted me, but I didn't fucking die." Backup insisted. "You want me to break your glasses or something?" That got them to back off.

"Is One Man Band your new nemesis?"

"If he is, I'm killing myself. Listen, uh, everyone shut the hell up. I'm leaving. Places to be, and all that shit." She said, pushing through the crowd.

"Can I have your autograph before you go?"

"No, fuck off."

Backup strode away from the apartment and found another fire escape, losing even the most diehard fan as she took back to the rooftops. That was fun. Castleburg was full to bursting with shit like that happening all the time. The secret advantage of her power was getting patrol long enough to run into so much of it, all on her own.

She thought this to herself, kicking her legs over the edge of the roof. Chances are, some more shit was going to go down before the sun set. TJ took some time to herself, enjoying the view. And the hot dog that she had bought from a street vendor. Good times.

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

Crane

Savior Island

---

The island was small, most people would say. Dominated by a single building. But to Crane, it was one of the most spacious places in the city. She had quickly decided Savior Island was her favorite place. It was quiet, with lots of fresh air and open space to walk around. This was particularly pertinent because like most people would say the island is small, most people would say that Crane is big.

Crane, or, Ting Feng to her friends, is about thirty three feet tall, give or take. Very muscular. Wearing a simple costume. Her bare feet, thankfully, aren't big enough to squish someone. She walks in such a way that she'll most likely shove or lift someone with her toes, first, if she somehow doesn't notice them. But Ting Feng's eyes are always on the ground when she is walking. Very deliberate, she'll often take a single step forward and then pause for several seconds, taking in the scenery. Much like her namesake, there is a slow, methodical grace about her. Nothing she does is careless, or even automatic. But instead of frustration, there is peace. Like she has all the time in the world.

...Well, maybe it's a little annoying, sometimes. But not here on this island, where she can be free to take long strides, almost like she was back home in the countryside.

Today was a big day. She hasn't been in Castleburg for very long. She's been eager to get to know the people in the city, to really make it her home, but before she could do that she just had to get acclimated. To that end, she has decided to attend a seminar given by the assistant director.

It was about time she stopped enjoying her alone time and get moving. While Emily may have felt like she was being watched, it wasn't difficult to know when Ting Feng was approaching. Her footsteps were surprisingly quiet, though, as she tread very lightly. At the very least, there weren't any vibrations to give her away. She caught the tail end of the previously ongoing conversation.

"Ah, hello. Ms. Assistant Director, yes?" Then she looked to Dahlia, Gemetria, and Mire, waving her hand to them. As she did, she lowered herself to the floor, sitting on her legs.

She set said hand on her chest. "I am Ting Feng. My hero name is Crane. You may have seen me around, yes?" She smiled.

She looked back to the Director. "I know I am not one of the graduates from hero school. But, I am still honored to be a new recruit. I have always wanted to go to the biggest city, even if in some ways, it can feel very small." She glanced over to the metropolis across the water.

"So many people in such a little place. I hope it never sinks." She mused, touching her finger to her chin.

"...Anyway, that is a silly thought. I am here to learn! I have many ideas, too, but I do not know if they will work."

World of Light

JURI HAN

Level 5: 14/50
Location: Carnival Games
Word Count: 2,899
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance: Level 5: 19/50

---

Juri hit the breaks as her passenger flew out the back of her cab. Not that she needed to hit the breaks- the woman on her hood must have weighed a ton. She gripped the wheel and stared at Nadia, and there seemed to be no hint of recognition in her eyes. ”Am I supposed to know you, fatso?” She asked, innocently.

“Fatso!?” Nadia half-laughed, half-gasped in dismay.

Then Juri shot from her seat like a bat out of hell, sending a flying kick towards Nadia to knock her off the hood. Either way Juri would be jumping out of her seat.

”Oh, wait!” She said as she landed, slapping the side of her own head. ”You’re the little pussy cat that ran away!” Juri said, pointing at Nadia. She dropped her feigned ignorance, her expression going deadly serious, and eyed Nadia up and down.

Then she settled into her fighting position, lifting one knee. ”If you want some more, come and get it.” She grinned like the corners of her mouth were being peeled back to reveal venom-soaked fangs. The invitational was rhetorical- this was happening, now.

Nadia sprang to her feet. While she’d expected some sort of cheap shot, Juri’s speed had still taken her by surprise. Not many people out there could fight with the intensity people like Juri did, but that went for Nadia too. More to the point, she hadn't felt that kick at all. It knocked her back, but dealt ni damage. While Nadia’s numbness meant she felt a lot less pain than most, feeling nothing was new. Wow, I'm so strong! she thought, forgetting that Balan disabled damage in this wonderworld. Very confident, she put her hands on her hips and leaned toward the martial artist with a smirk. “Damn straight I ran away–couldn’t get far enough from your smell! Or as I like to call it, the Jureek.”

”That’s probably just you smelling your own asshole, you literal mangy stray.” Juri spat back, raising her hands along with her knee.

That remark elicited a curled lip. Even if it had been a month or so since she last saw it, the cat burglar recognized her rival’s fighting stance. That worked just fine for her; from the moment she chose to remake Juri’s acquaintance, this encounter could only ever go one way. “Mew-sic to my ears. Oughta warn you though, I’ve gotten a couple upgrades.” She held up her firearm, revved it up like a drill, extended it upward, and then snapped it back down in a fist pump with a couple of yellow sparks. “I’m new and im-purr-oved!” Then with a glint she sharpened her claws and stepped back with her right leg, most of her weight on it as she bounced back and forth on her scars. “Showtime!”

Nadia began by leaping into the air, then airdashed forward on jets of blood. Her momentum would have brought her into Juri’s airspace if she didn’t cancel it into Cat Spike, launching her own detached head downward. “Heads up!” With her hair hardened as it span, however, it looked more like a buzzsaw than a volleyball. After a couple hits, either struck or blocked, it lost momentum, so after Nadia landed, she followed up with old reliable: her Cat Scratch sequences. “Wreck-a yo face!” For its third hit she chose El Gato, her flipping axe kick as strong as it was unsafe on block. This was a frame trap, however, and at her command her head zoomed forward to strike Juri low if she tried to punish El Gato.

Juri wasn’t going to take any claims of ‘upgrades’ lightly. She had dipped and dodged to the sides, back pedaling as the cat unleashed her onslaught of strikes. Nadia sent her head towards Juri, and Juri promptly smacked her head onto the ground with her heel. ”Literally the dumbest move I’ve ever seen anyone come up with.” Juri said flatly to Miss Fortune, though she’d still taken a little damage from the trade.

She brought her leg up, and then around, sending a streak light along the floor in a wave towards Nadia’s head. Juri dashed forward and did a spinning roundhouse kick over the wave to catch Nadia if she moved forward to go pick up her own head.

Wise to Juri’s game, Nadia quickly made an executive decision. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced her head for impact Juri’s Saihasho wave. Her head soaked the low projectile, allowing the feral’s body to focus on the main event. “Lemme give you a hand!” Ducking way down, she low profiled the high kick and punished the whiffed kick with an upward extension. From there her discombobulation meant that she couldn’t convert into anything too fancy, but a One-Two Pun-isher connected into Limber Up that led to a pop-up and knockdown.

”Oof-” Juri hit the ground and started to roll back to her feet, annoyed.

As Nadia shook her head to clear her vision, her body snatched it, then served it underhand. It would fly in an arc over Juri as she recovered, then come down like a spinning sawblade on her other side to apply pressure on wakeup. Nadia herself charged forward, much too late for a meaty hit but still eager to mix Juri up.

The sawblade head was coming at her at a troubling but predictable timing. Fortune always tried to give Juri too much to think about, but that was just because Fortune had a peanut brain. She decided to punish her aggression by spending some energy for an OD-Senpusha kick, erupting from the ground like a sawblade of her own. ”Bwahaha!” It would catch Fortune and lift her up with Juri before she slammed her foot down to knock Fortune onto the ground. Juri dropped back down to the ground and looked around for Fortune’s head to give it a solid punt. ”C’mere, it’ll only hurt for a second!”

When she hit the ground, Nadia tumbled for a moment, more disappointed than anything. Seemed like Juri was as cunning as ever when it came to reversals, but that was where her advantages ended. “You, hurt me? Puh-lease!” Nadia taunted, alerting Juri to the location of her head. When the martial artist kicked at it, though, Nadia sneezed to launch her head at Juri and start biting her all over. “Omnomnomnomnom!”

”You stupid little-” Juri said, swatting at Fortune’s uncannily mobile head. She managed to grab some of her hair and wrench her free. She started to maliciously smash her head against a nearby light fixture.

Though she dreaded the first impact, Nadia’s face became completely deadpan after one smack. The streetlight might have just as well been a cardboard box for how much it hurt. She made sure to mouth off between smacks. “This! Isn’t! Even! Light! Exer! Cise!”

Juri blinked, and stopped smashing Fortune’s head against the pole. She held it aloft and just stared at her. This close, and now ‘activated’, the Gleaming red could be seen underneath her purple and green eyes. Juri was having a hard time understanding her complete lack of ability to harm Fortune with her programmed command to destroy her.

By then, Nadia’s body was back in action. Using Fluffy Soft she transformed her legs into those of a white tiger, easily closing the distance in order to deliver a flying dropkick with heavy paws. A strike with them would have normally inflicted a defense debuff as well, but with all actual damage off the table it made no difference. By the time the feral recovered from her dropkick, her legs were back to normal, but her offense had only just begun.

Fortune’s head went flying out of Juri’s hand as she tumbled along the ground. Normally she would be so entirely frustrated with the lack of pain from Fortune, or even on her own end, that she would just give up and go do something else. At the very least she would stop taking this ‘battle’ so seriously. As Fortune approached she stood up and shifted her stance, moving slightly to the right. Then she sniped her approach with a long ranged kick, planting her back foot and twisting to shoot her front foot forward as far as possible. She began to chop, elbow, and kick at Fortune, trying to lock her and her mobility down and keep her grounded.

“Hmph!” Crazy good pokes Nadia could deal with, but if there was one thing she hated, it was being forced to sit there on defense. Fortunately, she didn’t need to for long. “Shove off!” While still in blockstun, the feral extended her guard into a pushblock, harmlessly shunting Juri back a couple steps. Then she crouched down, building up energy. The two of them might have been decently well matched a month ago, but since then Ms Fortune had embarked on a globe-trotting adventure against ever-stronger foes alongside tried and true friends, while Juri simply stagnated, picking on the weak. It was time to show her what she’d been missing out on.

Going with one of her new favorite strategies, Nadia used Charge. She burst forward as a streak of yellow lightning, blitzing into and through her opponent. When she rematerialized behind Juri, she spun on a dime to use Battery, a pair of electric slashes that became crits thanks to Charge, prolonging either hitstun or blockstun. Her assault ended with a massive spurt of blood from her neck, its Hydro infusion reacting with Cat-5’s lightning moves to leave Juri Conductive.

Juri was caught off guard by the streak of yellow lightning. She was numbly battered around, before backpedaling and spitting as Fortune’s blood got on her. ”You were always disgusting, but what the hell was that? You finally stick a fork in a socket or something? ” Juri asked, trying to play it cool. Truthfully, the idea of being outclassed by Fortune of all people was an uncomfortable one.

“No, but I can still socket to ya!” As Nadia’s head ran over, using her ears like little legs, her body pressed her advantage. Spraying blood from neck, biceps, and wrists, she created two copycats that took form beside her. “Me, myself, and I!” Finally, the blood welling up from her neck created a copied head, which winked at Juri before Nadia doubled over. “Get reddy, ‘cause this isn’t a drill!” She shot the fake head forward like a drill, followed by her clones running in from either side. One went low with Cat Slide, and the next second the other came in with an overhead Flying Screen Door. Finally, after scooping up her head, the real Nadia finished things off with Ear Piercing for a mid, low, high, mid sequence.

”Huh?!” Juri took a step back. Then her face hardened. ”Tch.” She leaned down, widening her stance, and the Feng Shui engine flashed white. She crossed her arms to block the fake head, and on the first clone, activated her Kasatushi counter. Where Juri was, suddenly she wasn’t, in a burst of speed that met Nadia’s charge from earlier. Juri was a short distance Fortune, crouched low and skidding to a stop, leaving a trail of dust in front of her. She pumped her leg into the air, stocking a Fuhajin. Then she backflipped, keeping her range from Fortune. She was picking up a burst in power from Fortune: she clearly wasn’t the same cat girl from a month ago.

The sudden movement allowed Juri to evade Nadia’s onslaught, but her copycats didn’t disappear. Instead they stood by, awaiting new impulses, but for a brief moment the feral’s attention was elsewhere as she tried to remember what those special stocks of Juri’s could be used for. Bah, whatever. She pointed at Juri, commanding her copycats to attack. They ran toward her on all fours in order to perform Cat Scratch, both ending in El Gato axe kicks one after another. Then from a distance Nadia used Charge again, its finite range placing her point-blank in front of her target. This time, though, the Conductive status on Juri caused an aftershock following Nadia’s electric attack, and so did another use of Battery with arms turned into tiger limbs by Fluffy Soft. This was starting to get out of hand; if Juri wanted to take her momentum back, she’d need to do now.

Juri retreated even further, zigging and zagging back down the street and towards a nearby alleyway. Fortune’s clone assault was relentless. She stumbled backward after Nadia’s aftershock, and then growled. She suddenly dashed forward and to the side, finding the positioning she wanted. She used a stock to enhance her special move. She swept her leg far and out, doing a wide-ranged spinning kick once, and then twice again. She was trying to knock the aggressive clones away while they were attacking, and then use the move to close the gap on Fortune herself. She spent some OD meter, and her drive gauge was low at this point, to send a slash at Fortune’s ankles. After that she did a shot hop kick to bring her foot down on Fortune’s head.

By this point, Nadia was acting rather carelessly. With all the mayhem, she took a solid couple hits from Juri’s kicks, the latter of which left her head spinning, and she did not manage to tech off the ground once knocked down. “Me-owch!” she cried, more for effect than anything. Her copycats would be on their way in a moment, but Juri had knocked them back far enough to give herself an opening.

Juri dashed forward and as Fortune rose, aimed to set a foot on her shoulder. Then she would step up and knee Fortune in the gut, before spinning and slamming her other heel into the side of her head like she was trying to knock it off entirely. ”Get lost!” She didn’t know how Fortune was controlling these puppets, but hoped to disorient her visually, at least, by throwing her or her head away.

With a mixture of quick thinking and luck, Nadia managed to mitigate the throw by taking the knee strike with her arms, then popping her own head off to avoid the follow-up. The maneuver still got her pushed back and disoriented, though, so she couldn’t launch a counterattack, and the two ended up at a stand-off. “Get her!” she yowled as she grabbed her head from the air, and her copycats approached in order to keep Juri busy with some rapid slashes while Nadia hopped back.

Juri tried to back dash but had to block. Something snapped in her posture and it almost looked like she lost a shade of saturation. ”Seriously pissing me off!” She ducked under a swipe and snapped her leg between both clones heads like a ping pong ball.

It had been an intense few moments, and even without any sign of injury, Nadia still felt fatigue starting to build. Neither of the two were getting anywhere, which meant Juri -under Galeem’s influence- would never relent. As exciting as this fight was, not being able to definitely beat the bully took the fun out of it. Once the wonderworld collapsed, though, things would be different.

Hurry the hell up and lose already, Falcon!

She pulled her Bait Launcher from her belt and considered it for a moment. Was annoying Juri really worth spending the ammo…? The feral grinned. Of course it was! She took aim and fired, shooting a slab of raw meat that plopped down in the melee. The next moment a big, burly tiger poofed into existence, ready to try and make mincemeat of any martial artists in its way.

Needless to say, Juri did not expect that. ”Hey!” She yelled, between heavy breathes. ”What’s wrong with you? You know those things are endangered!” She protested.

That shout took Nadia aback. “Huh? It’s not even real! And why d’you care, anyway? There’s only one Ms Fortune, and look how you treat me!”

”What are you, whining, now?” Juri asked.

Her summoned tiger attacked, swinging its huge arms again and again, but it neither moved very much nor lasted very long, meaning Juri could get away before the tiger poofed back out of existence. Nadia took the chance to absorb her copycats, noting that they’d be more useful if called out for a quick assist than an extended brawl. In a burst of pressurized blood she superjumped up, then used Charge to slam back down onto Juri’s position and get one final aftershock on her before the Conductive status wore off. As the dust and sparks cleared, she stood up, grinning at her opponent. “You look tired. Worn out already? You oughta try picking on someone your own size more often~”

Juri stood back up, catching her breath. ”Shut up, loser. You couldn’t stop me then and you can’t stop me now. Even with all your annoying new tricks. Just stupid gimmicks. I’ve basically got them all figured out now.” Juri said, swallowing dryly.

“Buhbuhbuhbuhbuh,” Nadia stuttered, making a flapping-lips motion with her hand. “Blubber all ya want. I’ve just been messing around, and that’s all you ever do. If you think you’re hot shit, you’re in for some serious misfortune!” Sharpening her claws, the feral readied up for another round.

There was a flash of energy, and Juri stood up straighter. ”Am I supposed to be surprised you’re making stupid baby noises, like usual? You’re not funny.” Juri dashed forward, compelled to try and smack Fortune around as much as she could. But before the pointless battle could recommence the game would come to an end, and they would both end up back in the lobby.