Zombiedude101

Verthaven: Days of Rain ☔ [COMPLETED]

Happy V-Day, folks.

Mass Effect: Borealis

So just to be clear, does the Borealis' hangar bay have room for a small gunship?

Mass Effect: Borealis

I'll get to work on my post when I get a chance. Valentine's Day tomorrow so might be busy.

Mass Effect: Borealis

Name: Iosif Shevchenko (Pronounced Joosif Shevchenko), (Alias: Lyosha)

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Class: Engineer, Pilot and part-time Navigator.

Appearance:



Standing a a rough height of about 5'11, Iosif possesses something of a wiry frame that's been honed by years of training and experience in the field, but is otherwise of an average physical complexion. Due in part to his having ventured out into the galaxy on his travels, his skin tone appears to have taken on a darker complexion than most slavs. Accompanying this are numerous faded scars of varying severity running across his torso, whilst across his back is a criss-cross of faded lacerations which resemble wounds caused by flogging. On the back of his neck is a faded barcode tattooed into the skin with several Batarian numerals and letters etched into the skin beside it. That aside, Iosif's left arm is clearly alien to the rest of his body: from the shoulder-down it appears that his arm is a cybernetic replacement, complemented with a synthetic white coating. Elsewhere, Iosif's pale blue eyes and the pronounced features of his face do well to point out his slavic heritage, with brunette-colored hair that's kept short with a crew cut whilst his jawline seldom develops anything more than a hazy stubble.

Background:

Backstory

Born in 2145, Iosif was the first-born son in a primarily academic family unit: his father was an R&D Technician who originally hailed from the Russian Federation before his assignment whilst his mother had spent her entire life on the red planet and had been a colleague of her future husband. A mere three years after his birth, the unearthing of a series of alien ruins and the subsequent wealth of research and technology which followed gave the family a dedicated assignment early on in life at Lowell City in Mars, which led to Iosif spending his childhood years within the confines of a residential facility for the families of the R&D staff with the frequently iterated expectation that one day he would follow both parents into a similar field.

This however only served to alienate Iosif from the pursuit of such a path and whenever he found the opportunity to spend time outside of the residential facility, he often visited the hangar bays and public sectors where cargo and transport shuttles most frequently landed and departed, as this granted him the opportunity to speak with the shuttle crews and the passengers aboard and learn more of the human dominion, taking interest in the idea of leaving the Solar System for other worlds via the newly discovered mass relays and FTL-technology. This interest piqued even further when humanity made first contact with alien life during the brief First Contact War before going on to be introduced to the greater galactic community. Drawn in by the appeal of seeing the wider universe, Iosif resolved to join the Systems Alliance Navy as a pilot when he was of age.

Naturally, his parents had already reserved a number of slots at various respectable educational institutions and with the influence of both mother and father he’d been all-but slated to attend, yet on his eighteenth birthday he ultimately followed through with his earlier resolve and announced his attentions to join the Systems Alliance, much to the chagrin of both parents. To them it was a mere phase, an immature notion generated by media depictions of exploring new worlds and performing epic feats of heroism, yet Iosif continued to stick to his guns until one final confrontation led to the two officially disowning their son rather than allow him to ‘throw their long-term investments away’.

Taking the first shuttle that he could to the Moon, Iosif enlisted at the recruitment center on Armstrong Outpost and began his pilot training over the course of the next two years. Unlike most, Iosif had aspired to pilot smaller craft such as the shuttles he often saw entering and departing from the hangars back on Mars, or gunships that were being used to patrol the newer colonies that humanity had established outside the Solar System. Once he’d completed his training, he was assigned to the 21st Airborne Division and soon saw deployment.

It was here that his training would pay off as Iosif manouvered his way through AA-vulnerable locations to ferry marines to-and-from their destinations whilst other operations saw him taking the reigns of the recently introduced A-61 Mantis Gunship.These next few years saw him develop his talent as a pilot, yet at the same time also saw him become slightly disillusioned with the Systems Alliance, if only for the fact that most of their resources were being thrown towards a few pirates and warlords, until it finally came to a head in late 2170.

During a routine patrol of one of the Alliance’s colonies in the Attican Traverse, Iosif’s gunship suffered catastrophic engine damage after a kinetic impact from an insurgent’s weapon and the subsequent crash-landing resulted in his left arm being pinned beneath the gunship’s mangled chassis, forcing him to undergo an amputation and later have the arm replaced with a prosthetic. Disillusioned with the idea of chasing after warlords, pirates and the occasional terrorist, Iosif took his medical discharge from the 21st Airborne without argument and opted to find a new occupation that met his own terms.

Recalling that his family had disowned him and otherwise unwilling to admit defeat, Iosif took to running private jobs to keep himself afloat, primarily hiring out to low-profile mercenary crews and PMC’s that weren’t particularly noticeable to the public eye.

Eventually, he crossed paths with and soon struck up a partnership with two fellow freelancers: Jedrah, a salarian infiltrator who’d deserted from military service in favour of the better-paying contracts found with freelance work and Rael’Dorvah nar Selai, a quarian who’d been exiled from the migrant fleet after causing the accidental deaths of six crew members whilst testing a hacking module which exposed part of the ship to an open vacuum. Together, the three made an unlikely extraction crew; Rael would be the one to head into the field, using his tech skills to hack his way through any obstacles and reach whatever goal they required, whilst Jedrah would provide covering fire from a distance. Meanwhile, Iosif would drop off and evac the two whilst also providing additional cover and fire support from a gunship when needed, making the crew ideal for clients who sought to acquire information or items of value from locations which were locked down tight. Iosif even began to regard the two with an odd sort of friendship, somewhat amused by the salarian’s matter-of-fact approach whilst growing fond of the quarian’s boastful rants and lectures of his supposed technical prowess.

Yet, during one contract in which a dossier containing blackmail material on a Citadel official was extracted, Rael also happened upon another dossier with an extensive amount of encryption barring unauthorised access. To a quarian, this was a challenge for sure but not impossible, so after a few days’ worth of extensive work he’d managed to expose the files with the majority of the information still intact. When the crew examined the files in question, they discovered a damning amount of evidence that would incriminate a number of private contractors - including several executives within a major corporation, with various connections to mercenary groups, criminal operations and the mysterious deaths of several people considered to be whistleblowers within the company.

Considering the implications of such information falling into the right hands, the three decided to sell it on to the Shadow Broker’s agents in exchange for payment which would have easily given each of them cause to take a long vacation from contract work. Jedrah established a meeting point and the two agreed upon it unanimously. However, treachery is often known to be a common practise in the freelance world: the date the transfer was due to occur, Iosif arrived at the meeting point only to find the quarian dead from a well-placed shot through the visor and suddenly felt the presence of another individual in the form of a gun placed against the back of his head.

In Jedrah’s own words, the betrayal was ‘nothing personal, a matter of simple business’ and that a third-party had made him a better offer. Whilst most would’ve faced a cruel, if quick death at this point, the salarian added insult to injury by stating that ‘out of respect’ for their previous business partnership, he had made an ‘arrangement’ for Iosif to live in a manner that he would profit from: enslavement, something he quickly realised after being marched at gunpoint into a waiting shuttle loaded with members from a known batarian slaving ring, some of whom Iosif had recognised from very brief encounters during his previous contracts.

In short time, the slavers shipped him off to Aratoht to endure back-breaking labour in the colony’s extensive mines. The experience left him somewhat traumatised, due in part to the inhuman treatment and beatings that he often suffered at the hands of the batarian ‘masters’. Yet something drove Iosif to press on, a desire for vengeance or perhaps to spite the salarian who had betrayed him through escape. Over the course of several months, he learned the routine of the overseers and guards who kept the mines operational and whenever he was assigned work at surface-level near the shuttles, he took every available opportunity to note down when the shuttles arrived and departed and for how long they were left unoccupied. At best, it left him little time for resting between shifts and at worst earned him a rough beating at the hands of whichever guard had caught him 'slacking off'.

Eventually he figured out a blind spot where a certain overseer often stopped to slack off between shifts and drink, and so he took advantage of the batarian's laxed attitude towards work and used a handheld mining excavator to bash the slave driver's skull in. With that out of the way, Iosif quickly removed the overseer's ID chip and used the excavator to bury the corpse beneath a pile of debris, absolving himself of any blame in the case that it were discovered - the batarians would simply dismiss it as a cave-in. However, this was only the first phase of Iosif's plan. Now that he possessed the overseer's ID chip he could unlock access to the armory, though not for himself. Instead, he left a small rumour that one of the guards had 'accidentally' left the armory unlocked whilst drunk, and within a few hours about half of the slaves in that sector had taken up arms.

In the resulting confusion that followed as the batarians rushed to quell the revolt, Iosif used the same ID chip to access a maintenance closet and after retrieving a rebreather for the journey ahead, he climbed up into one of the maintenance ducts and began to follow the route he'd mapped out in his head over the previous months. A short while later he managed to reach the surface, noticing that only half of the usual guard had been placed on watch whilst the rest had been dispatched to handle the situation in the nearby mining sector. Of course, there was a shuttle available and practically waiting, an unoccupied slave transport which conveniently fitted the ID of the overseer he'd stolen the chip from, and after spying a gap in the guards' watch he quickly bolted for the shuttle and climbed aboard.

After that, starting the shuttle was fairly simple - the ID chip got him through the automated security system and within a few minutes he'd dragged the vessel up into high orbit, too late for the batarians to do anything planetside, though it soon caught the attention of the other batarians vessels stationed around the system. Without hesitation or any regard for how much remained of the fuel reserves onboard, Iosif slammed the shuttle into FTL and bolted for the system's relay. Before the batarians could cut him off, he'd managed to cross reach the relay and quickly jumped over towards the other one outside of the system, placing himself outside the reach of his assailants and giving himself a freedom he'd been deprived of for almost a year.

All in all, the incident left him with an open grudge against batarians and the practice of slavery that would never truly heal, whilst his former partner’s treachery had left him with a muted distrust for salarians that he found difficult to subside, and so with little other option remaining he made a return to freelance work, only to find the market had changed in his absence, with many formerly prominent contractors losing business in the wake of the Blitz.

Remembering his would-be partner's betrayal, Iosif grew determined in his resolve to act against the salarian even though he'd since disappeared on Illium. Paying close attention to the news and word-of-mouth throughout the freelance networks, it didn’t take long before Iosif saw a potential opportunity to enact his revenge and make a comeback at the same time. Pooling together the credits that hadn’t been scrubbed from his offworld accounts during his absence, he re-equipped himself and grabbed a shuttle to the nearest spot.

Weapon List WIP

Elkoss Combine M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle
M-6 Carnifex Heavy Pistol
Modified Elanus Risk Control Services M-3 Predator - the weapon has been trimmed down into a compact form, sacrificing performance so it can be concealed
Mark 14 HE Grenades
Equipment List

Elkoss Combine Cipher Omni-Tool
Handheld Welding Tool (This also doubles as a crude weapon when used in close quarters)
Elanus Risk Control Services Light Guardian Armor


Powers:

Power List

Overload
Incinerate
Cryo Blast
Tech Armor
Disruptor Ammo
Fortification

Talents:

Fitness
Electronics
Damping
Assault Rifle Training
Pistol Training
First Aid

Mass Effect: Borealis

Yo, Dervish - long time no see!



Name: Iosif Sevchenko, (Alias: Lyosha)

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Class: Engineer, Pilot and part-time Navigator.

Appearance:



Standing a a rough height of about 5'11, Iosif possesses something of a wiry frame that's been honed by years of training and experience in the field, but is otherwise of an average physical complexion. Due in part to his having ventured out into the galaxy on his travels, his skin tone appears to have taken on a darker complexion than most slavs. Accompanying this are numerous faded scars of varying severity running across his torso, whilst across his back is a criss-cross of faded lacerations which resemble wounds caused by flogging. On the back of his neck is a faded barcode tattooed into the skin with several Batarian numerals and letters etched into the skin beside it. That aside, Iosif's left arm is clearly alien to the rest of his body: from the shoulder-down it appears that his arm is a cybernetic replacement, complemented with a synthetic white coating. Elsewhere, Iosif's pale blue eyes and the pronounced features of his face do well to point out his slavic heritage, with brunette-colored hair that's kept short with a crew cut whilst his jawline seldom develops anything more than a hazy stubble.

Background:

Backstory

Born on Lowell City in 2145, Iosif was the first-born son in a primarily academic family unit: his father was an R&D Technician who originally hailed from the Russian Federation before his assignment whilst his mother had spent her entire life on the red planet and had been a colleague of her future husband. A mere three years after his birth, the unearthing of a series of alien ruins and the subsequent wealth of research and technology which followed gave the family a dedicated assignment early on in life, which led to Iosif spending his childhood years within the confines of a residential facility for the families of the R&D staff with the frequently iterated expectation that one day he would follow both parents into a similar field.

This however only served to alienate Iosif from the pursuit of such a path and whenever he found the opportunity to spend time outside of the residential facility, he often visited the hangar bays and public sectors where cargo and transport shuttles most frequently landed and departed, as this granted him the opportunity to speak with the shuttle crews and the passengers aboard and learn more of the human dominion, taking interest in the idea of leaving the Solar System for other worlds via the newly discovered mass relays and FTL-technology. This interest piqued even further when humanity made first contact with alien life during the brief First Contact War before going on to be introduced to the greater galactic community. Drawn in by the appeal of seeing the wider universe, Iosif resolved to join the Systems Alliance Navy as a pilot when he was of age.

Naturally, his parents had already reserved a number of slots at various respectable educational institutions and with the influence of both mother and father he’d been all-but slated to attend, yet on his eighteenth birthday he ultimately followed through with his earlier resolve and announced his attentions to join the Systems Alliance, much to the chagrin of both parents. To them it was a mere phase, an immature notion generated by media depictions of exploring new worlds and performing epic feats of heroism, yet Iosif continued to stick to his guns until one final confrontation led to the two officially disowning their son rather than allow him to ‘throw their long-term investments away’.

Taking the first shuttle that he could to the Moon, Iosif enlisted at the recruitment center on Armstrong Outpost and began his pilot training over the course of the next two years. Unlike most, Iosif had aspired to pilot smaller craft such as the shuttles he often saw entering and departing from the hangars back on Mars, or gunships that were being used to patrol the newer colonies that humanity had established outside the Solar System. Once he’d completed his training, he was assigned to the 21st Airborne Division and soon saw deployment.

It was here that his training would pay off as Iosif manouvered his way through AA-vulnerable locations to ferry marines to-and-from their destinations whilst other operations saw him taking the reigns of the recently introduced A-61 Mantis Gunship.These next few years saw him develop his talent as a pilot, yet at the same time also saw him become slightly disillusioned with the Systems Alliance, if only for the fact that most of their resources were being thrown towards a few pirates and warlords, until it finally came to a head in late 2170.

During a routine patrol of one of the Alliance’s colonies in the Attican Traverse, Iosif’s gunship suffered catastrophic engine damage after a kinetic impact from an insurgent’s weapon and the subsequent crash-landing resulted in his left arm being pinned beneath the gunship’s mangled chassis, forcing him to undergo an amputation and later have the arm replaced with a prosthetic. Disillusioned with the idea of chasing after warlords, pirates and the occasional terrorist, Iosif took his medical discharge from the 21st Airborne without argument and opted to find a new occupation that met his own terms.

Recalling that his family had disowned him and otherwise unwilling to admit defeat, Iosif took to running private jobs to keep himself afloat, primarily hiring out to low-profile mercenary crews and PMC’s that weren’t particularly noticeable to the public eye.

Eventually, he crossed paths with and soon struck up a partnership with two fellow freelancers: Jedrah, a salarian infiltrator who’d deserted from military service in favour of the better-paying contracts found with freelance work and Rael’Dorvah nar Selai, a quarian who’d been exiled from the migrant fleet after causing the accidental deaths of six crew members whilst testing a hacking module which exposed part of the ship to an open vacuum. Together, the three made an unlikely extraction crew; Rael would be the one to head into the field, using his tech skills to hack his way through any obstacles and reach whatever goal they required, whilst Jedrah would provide covering fire from a distance. Meanwhile, Iosif would drop off and evac the two whilst also providing additional cover and fire support from a gunship when needed, making the crew ideal for clients who sought to acquire information or items of value from locations which were locked down tight. Iosif even began to regard the two with an odd sort of friendship, somewhat amused by the salarian’s matter-of-fact approach whilst growing fond of the quarian’s boastful rants and lectures of his supposed technical prowess.

Yet, during one contract in which a dossier containing blackmail material on a Citadel official was extracted, Rael also happened upon another dossier with an extensive amount of encryption barring unauthorised access. To a quarian, this was a challenge for sure but not impossible, so after a few days’ worth of extensive work he’d managed to expose the files with the majority of the information still intact. When the crew examined the files in question, they discovered a damning amount of evidence that would incriminate a number of private contractors - including several executives within a major corporation, with various connections to mercenary groups, criminal operations and the mysterious deaths of several people considered to be whistleblowers within the company.

Considering the implications of such information falling into the right hands, the three decided to sell it on to the Shadow Broker’s agents in exchange for payment which would have easily given each of them cause to take a long vacation from contract work. Jedrah established a meeting point and the two agreed upon it unanimously. However, treachery is often known to be a common practise in the freelance world: the date the transfer was due to occur, Iosif arrived at the meeting point only to find the quarian dead from a well-placed shot through the visor and suddenly felt the presence of another individual in the form of a gun placed against the back of his head.

In Jedrah’s own words, the betrayal was ‘nothing personal, a matter of simple business’ and that a third-party had made him a better offer. Whilst most would’ve faced a cruel, if quick death at this point, the salarian added insult to injury by stating that ‘out of respect’ for their previous business partnership, he had made an ‘arrangement’ for Iosif to live in a manner that he would profit from: enslavement, something he quickly realised after being marched at gunpoint into a waiting shuttle loaded with members from a known batarian slaving ring, some of whom Iosif had recognised from very brief encounters during his previous contracts.

In short time, the slavers shipped him off to Aratoht to endure back-breaking labour in the colony’s extensive mines. The experience left him somewhat traumatised, due in part to the inhuman treatment and beatings that he often suffered at the hands of the batarian ‘masters’. Yet something drove Iosif to press on, a desire for vengeance or perhaps to spite the salarian who had betrayed him through escape. Over the course of several months, he learned the routine of the overseers and guards who kept the mines operational and whenever he was assigned work at surface-level near the shuttles, he took every available opportunity to note down when the shuttles arrived and departed and for how long they were left unoccupied. At best, it left him little time for resting between shifts and at worst earned him a rough beating at the hands of whichever guard had caught him 'slacking off'.

Eventually he figured out a blind spot where a certain overseer often stopped to slack off between shifts and drink, and so he took advantage of the batarian's laxed attitude towards work and used a handheld mining excavator to bash the slave driver's skull in. With that out of the way, Iosif quickly removed the overseer's ID chip and used the excavator to bury the corpse beneath a pile of debris, absolving himself of any blame in the case that it were discovered - the batarians would simply dismiss it as a cave-in. However, this was only the first phase of Iosif's plan. Now that he possessed the overseer's ID chip he could unlock access to the armory, though not for himself. Instead, he left a small rumour that one of the guards had 'accidentally' left the armory unlocked whilst drunk, and within a few hours about half of the slaves in that sector had taken up arms.

In the resulting confusion that followed as the batarians rushed to quell the revolt, Iosif used the same ID chip to access a maintenance closet and after retrieving a rebreather for the journey ahead, he climbed up into one of the maintenance ducts and began to follow the route he'd mapped out in his head over the previous months. A short while later he managed to reach the surface, noticing that only half of the usual guard had been placed on watch whilst the rest had been dispatched to handle the situation in the nearby mining sector. Of course, there was a shuttle available and practically waiting, an unoccupied slave transport which conveniently fitted the ID of the overseer he'd stolen the chip from, and after spying a gap in the guards' watch he quickly bolted for the shuttle and climbed aboard.

After that, starting the shuttle was fairly simple - the ID chip got him through the automated security system and within a few minutes he'd dragged the vessel up into high orbit, too late for the batarians to do anything planetside, though it soon caught the attention of the other batarians vessels stationed around the system. Without hesitation or any regard for how much remained of the fuel reserves onboard, Iosif slammed the shuttle into FTL and bolted for the system's relay. Before the batarians could cut him off, he'd managed to cross reach the relay and quickly jumped over towards the other one outside of the system, placing himself outside the reach of his assailants and giving himself a freedom he'd been deprived of for almost a year.

All in all, the incident left him with an open grudge against batarians and the practice of slavery that would never truly heal, whilst his former partner’s treachery had left him with a muted distrust for salarians that he found difficult to subside, and so with little other option remaining he made a return to freelance work, only to find the market had changed in his absence, with many formerly prominent contractors losing business in the wake of the Blitz.

Remembering his would-be partner's betrayal, Iosif grew determined in his resolve to act against the salarian even though he'd since disappeared on Illium. Paying close attention to the news and word-of-mouth throughout the freelance networks, it didn’t take long before Iosif saw a potential opportunity to enact his revenge and make a comeback at the same time. Pooling together the credits that hadn’t been scrubbed from his offworld accounts during his absence, he re-equipped himself and grabbed a shuttle to the nearest spot.

Weapon List WIP

Elkoss Combine M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle


M-6 Carnifex Heavy Pistol


Modified Elanus Risk Control Services M-3 Predator - the weapon has been trimmed down into a compact form, sacrificing performance so it can be concealed


Mark 14 HE Grenades


Equipment List

Elkoss Combine Cipher Omni-Tool
Handheld Fusion Welder (This also doubles as a crude weapon when used in close quarters)
Elanus Risk Control Services Light Guardian Armor


Powers:

Power List

Overload
Incinerate
Cryo Blast
Tech Armor
Disruptor Ammo
Fortification

Talents:

Fitness
Electronics
Damping
Assault Rifle Training
Pistol Training
First Aid

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Guided Meditation

“Did you find them yet?”

”Kid, I'm a ghost not a metal detector. If you hadn't lost the damned things in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess, ‘Detective’.”

“I thought I’d left them on the desk this morning.”

”Anyway, what happened to that trademark Nathan Bishop sixth sense you usually have going on when you’re working?”

“Oh come on, don’t start on th-”

Nate halted himself mid-sentence when he noticed the keys resting in one of the open drawers of his smudged metal desk. He blinked for a moment to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things again - he’d already checked there earlier - and there they were. Glancing over to Gabe, who seemed to have something on his face, he realised he’d been had.

“You moved them.”

”Well, that depends Mr. PI,” A familiar shit-eating grin popped up, ”Am I under oath?”

“Ha-ha.” Nate folded his arms, grabbing the keys off the desk and popping open the filing cabinet adjacent to his desk. Another sheet of casework was still left in the printer beneath his desk, so he pulled it out and quickly stook it in a folder before locking up the cabinet once more.

”What?” Gabe outstretched his arms, playing innocent. ”Must be a ghost that did it, I’m sure.” The way he said it laid it on thick.

Nate smirked, “Yeah, maybe I ought to go around knocking over a certain ghost’s gravestone in town - walk over a burial plot or two.”

The dead man shrugged. ”Ah, c’mon. I needed an excuse to pick something up - being dead can drive ya’ a little stir-crazy sometimes.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel that second-hand..” Nate shot back, before chuckling and pulling up a seat. Inside the same drawer where his partner had stuck the keys was a bottle of tequila that he’d yet to touch. Deciding now was as good a time as ever, he cracked it open and grabbed two glasses from the same drawer. Pouring just one glass, he pushed the empty one towards Gabe with a smug look on his own face. “Thirsty?”

”Hah, fuck you too.” The late detective saw the funny side in that one. ”Last time I tried that was a waste of good scotch.”

Nate shrugged, before wrapping his fingers around the glass. “In that case, don’t mind if I do.” He offered a toast to the spirit and would’ve downed it were it not for a shadow passing by the shaded windows and twisting the door handle. “Yeah?” He called out to the mystery visitor, setting down his glass.

“Nate?” A familiar face addressed him as she stepped inside. A girl, no older than eleven, with a messenger bag hanging off her shoulder. Her name was Sarah Knights; a local kid. Or, well - that’s what she seemed like.

“Sarah,” He arched an eyebrow as she stepped inside, cross-legged with her hands closed together as if she was entering new school for the first time. Damn, even after knowing her for almost a year, she still almost had him fooled whenever she walked through that door. “What brings you here today?”

“Got something for you.”

Reaching into her messenger bag, she withdrew a small digital camera and set it on the desk. When Nate leaned forward, he found a couple of photos pertaining to another case he was working on. “Nice work.” He pushed a small wad of dollar bills her way.

“Aw, don’t I get a higher allowance?” Sarah pouted.

”Kid makes a good case. What is this, nineteen eight-nine?”

“Hah. Yeah, fine - here.” Nate pushed a couple of more dollar bills this way. “Not like you’ll spend it all on candy or anything.”

“Nope. I kinda grew outta that about a decade back.” She grinned a toothy grin, a sharp smile glistening.

If there was anyone who fit the combined definitions of honeytrap and jailbait, it was Sarah. She was a vampire who'd been turned before she progressed through puberty, an unfortunate and troubling predicament that she had learned to turn to her advantage by targeting the seedier denizens of the city, luring in would-be child molesters and other predators.

Nate had come to conveniently ignore that fact; he held no love for the kind of quarry Sarah fed on and regarded it as a lesser evil. Besides, she wasn’t that bad of a kid, even worked as an informant for him from time to time - stopped by the office and slept in the back on occasion. Well, what could Nate say? Both he and Gabriel held a soft spot for kids.
“So, got any other info for me?” Nate finally asked. Truth be told, he was hoping for a lead on the Somabra Slayer - Gabe shared the same sentiment.

“Nope, sorry. Buuut....” She leaned forward after glancing over her shoulder. “I found something that might help. Someone I know with the Nyctari; they’re looking for someone who’s good at keeping tabs on other people, if that makes sense.”

Nate furrowed his brow. “Nyctari? What? No. Hell no. I might not be a cop anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have standards.”

“Look, I knew you wouldn’t like the sound of it, but.. trust me, it’s not that kind of work. It’s keeping an eye on other stuff, like the Rats and the Bloodblooms. Not hurting people, I know you’re not like that.” Sarah explained.

Nate was about to speak up, when someone else cut him off. ”Hate to be the devil’s advocate, but this might be our best shot.” Gabe finally spoke up.

”Forget about the pay, forget about the suckers - no offense, kid - think about the opportunities this might provide. You don’t think I never had to get my hands dirty, in all my years of work? Over twenty-five years I’ve been on the force, there’s been times I’ve had to deal with people I’d sooner put in a cell in order to get results. We could track down some leads on the Slayer with this info, even gain an insight into how those Nyctari bastards operate as well, for future reference.”

Finally, he relented. “Alright, fine. I’ll consider it. Sarah, give me the run-down on this.”

Verthaven: Days of Rain ☔ [COMPLETED]

---

Sonya Mayfield, Lihua Vuhong, Quentin Taylor & Task Force RAVEN.

---

Psychonauts OST - Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall

---

Fortunately for the botched evacuation, NEST still had a defensive position back at the Headquarters (They still needed a base of operations to launch counter attacks against the Devil). All they could do was awkwardly stuff the surviving citizens back into the tents and buildings. They ventured so much, and lost far more than they gained.

Task Force RAVEN, who, at this point, were the only thing standing in the way of a total massacre, were assembled in their Meeting Room. Silently sitting in the chairs, staring at each other, at a total loss of what the hell to do. Maximilian seemed to have been hit the hardest by the recent events. He was standing, hunched over the table, with his hands pressed against the table. He was vaguely mumbling - only Sonya and Savannah (Two with keen hearing) could hear him mumbling things along the lines of "why didn't they give me more time", and "we were almost out". Other than that, the silence was certainly awkward.

Up until Leon broke the silence when he loudly cleared his throat, and all eyes were on him, "... Well, this looks bad." He said.

"This looks bad?" Helena parroted, almost in utter disbelief. "We're trapped in here with a bitch with a chip off her shoulder, that just so happened to win the god damn superhuman lottery - and not only that, we gotta deal with the Changelings and the Hands on top of that."

Leon threw his hands up, leaning back in his chair. He casually said, "You should relax... you're always so... high strung."

"Who isn't?" Helena said. "The evac failed, and we lost even more Agents - without getting a single civilian outside city lines."

The next to speak up was a reluctant Lihua. Closing her eyes, and letting out a loud sigh, "It pains me to say this, but I have to agree with Helena on this matter." She opened her eyes, and realized that all attention was on her. "The situation is bad, but what I have one thing to say... one." She put her finger up. "With the situation looking oh so bad for us - this could very well be the end of everything we once knew - we have two true options."

"And those are?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, Leon, don't act stupid. Just. This. Once." The matriarch folded her hands on the table, and stared ahead - at Maximilian who was across from her - as she let her words hang up in the air for a bit. "It's simple... we either give up, and let that lunatic kill us, or we launch a counter attack against her, and kill her with the precision that NEST is known for. I suggest the latter... I refuse to go down without dragging that whore down with me to the underworld."

"Yeah, yeah, right, like she's going to just let us go in and shoot her in the head." Helena scoffed. "We gotta find her before we even try that.... Or have your lost your touch during your suspension?"

"Child," Lihua hissed through her teeth, "You're always running your damn mouth without having the slightest idea of what you're even going on about." Lihua leaned over towards Helena, and pointed at her, "Shut up, and let the adults talk, okay? Because clearly, you're just a gun. Stop trying to act smart, and just stick to what you know. Which clearly isn't all that much."

"Hey, screw you, Vuhong," Helena hissed in response. "Condescending bitch."

"Oh? At least I earned the right to look down on nothings li-"

"Enough!" Maximilian pounded his hands on the tables so loud that it almost sounded like Echo hit the tables. "Agent Vuhong, Agent Page, don't you think we have more important things to worry about than your stupid feuds?" He was damn near about to punch the table in half.

"She was the one who-" Lihua tried to retort, giving Helena a disgusted look as she threw a finger in her direction - but she was quickly stopped by Max.

"And you played much of a part in it as her." Maximilian was barely containing his anger as he spat out each word. He gave the room one long scan. "Now, if you two are done being children, Agent Vuhong, would you continue?"

It seems that Maximilian was barely containing his emotions... Lihua knew when to quit, and this was it. She calmly sighed, before saying, "I'll just cut to the chase when I say that I've been reviewing, and compiling, intelligence. I believe that the Devil is the one behind the... gruesome attacks on Metahumans."

"The ones where hearts of Metahumans get torn out by freaky-ass monsters?" Leon said, putting his arms behind his head. "Yeah, yeah... got some theories on that, too."

"So, we're on the same page here when I say that she's using them for something, Vahan?" Lihua tapped her fingernail against the tabletop, and gazed at her fellow agents. This was all or nothing. "I believe she's bringing them directly to herself - something we can take advantage of... For example, we can, perhaps, poison a heart and present it to her beasts - and if that doesn't kill the bitch, then I also suggest we place a tracker within the hearts so we can at least track her."

"Hearts don't grow on trees." Helena stated.

Leon scratched the sides of his head, as he said, "Well, they don't grow on trees, but they kinda gro-"

"Irrelevant. Vahan." Lihua said, dead serious. "Agent Page... have you forgotten that we, essentially, have a vault full of Metahuman hearts." She said in a near grandoise fashion.

"Huh?"

"Are you stu-" Lihua was about to say, before she cut herself off. "The morgue. We have dead Metahumans in the morgue." She rolled her eyes. It was like talking to an idiot sometimes!

"Oh."

"It's..." Maximilian said, "The only idea we have."

"One thing," Quentin chimed in, noticing the potential for a flaw in that plan. "What if she only takes live hearts?" He folded his arms, before opining, "Maybe it's time Heartbreaker had hers broken for a change." The tone he used made it difficult to discern whether or not he was being serious about that option or not. Maybe both.

At this point, Lihua would have been fine tearing out Heartbreaker's own heart, and feeding it to the Devil.

Helena crossed her arms, and gave Lihua a cocky smirk after Quentin said what he had to say. Raising a finger up into the air that almost made Lihua hop over the table and tear her hair out.

"Agent Taylor has a point," Maximilian said, "We may need a live donation." He said. "However... we still need Heartbreaker." He looked over at Lihua, then Quentin. "Even if they recover her, I gave her a little something that'll lead us right back to her."

"So, what about the other four lesser Changelings we have in custody?" Lihua mentioned, referencing Fig, The Witch Mother, and the Colossus... the last one would be the perfect bait. There wasn't anything they could get out of the giant.

"Oh, onto the next matter I wanted to discuss." Lihua announced, pausing - not for dramatic effect, but attempting to gather her words. Find the best way to phrase this. Because she was certain that not everyone would agree on her with this one. "The odds are overwhelmingly against us. Only a limited supply of combat capable Agents, against an enemy that, as we believe, can infinitely produce an army."

There was no doubt about that. Lihua knew that if NEST tried to go the direct route, they would fail so miserably that it wouldn't be funny. "As it stands, we're.against an army that outnumbers us, and will sure as hell outlast us. Every second, more people are dying... We're going to need everyone we can. I know this isn't a good idea - but, down the line, we're going to have little choice. The circumstances force us to." Lihua sighed, before coming out and saying it, "...I suggest that we get some of the younger Metahumans to help."

"Huh, you mean like the kids your daughter hangs out with?" Leon said, scratching his head. "Them?"

"Yes...." Lihua suggested. "They might not seem like much - but underestimating them would be foolish. They are much more capable than they seem, and, if I have to be honest with myself, if we fall, then it'd be down to them, and they won't last long."

"What I wanna ask is... yeah... do you wanna put your daughter on the line like that?" Leon said... knowing that Meifeng would want to help.

"I don't." Lihua blankly answered. "But I have no choice. I'm not asking to throw them into the front lines like it's nothing." She said, "They can be like... our deputies. Assistants, yeah. They work under our explicit instructions. Take that grey-haired boy - if it wasn't for him, more people would have died trying to kill that giant."

Daphne raised an eyebrow - she was amused that Lihua, who was always fierce to keep her precious children off limits to any kind of danger, would be willing to offer such a plan...but even more so at her praising Shizuka (she had heard from Akemi that the two of them had quite an unpleasant first encounter back when they were trying to get out of Chinatown to Knightdale together).

Leon, once again, leaned back in his chair, and quietly chuckled. "That's how bad things are? That we gotta fall back on kids, huh?" He had to state. "Up to Maxi." He snickered.

Everyone looked at Maximilian.

"Hey, Maxi," Leon said. "If you're gonna agree to any stupid idea," Leon paused as he shrugged. "Miiiiight as well be this one."

"Well, Maxi," Sonya finally spoke up, raising her hand as Maria sat next to her in her true form. "That Obott-boy sure knows how to handle himself. Needs a little guidance, yeah, but he ain't useless." Sonya supported Lihua's ideas.... mostly so that she can have herself a sniper protoge! "Though, he kinda pisses himself in the face of danger - but so do I! That's why my suit needs to be washed after every mission!"

"... So that's what I keep smelling." Leon said, raising a finger.

"... Stop calling me "Maxi", Agent Vahan." Maximilian said, before Leon and Sonya went off track. "In these desperate times... we'll need everyone we can. Because the rules have now been blurred - if they haven't already been crossed off. Yes, Agent Vuhong, we'll let the teenaged Metahumans assist in our operations."

This was what Lihua wanted to hear. "I'll even lead our little group." She knew that, under her leadership, they cannot possibly fail. "I'll go ask who wants to be apart of our little unit."

Daphne couldn't help but smirk to herself - she was pretty sure that hard-headed phantom boy would rather drive the tough matriarch through the roof than being a slave to her ruthless (and possibly suicidal) orders. Still... "As usual, I will assist in providing backup along with Grue.

"Also, another piece of intelligence that I have...gathered, is that the Devil is most likely hiding in the sewers, where there is a huge reserve of those 'substances' she can keep using to create her monstrous army." In truth it was a conclusion drawn from her own deduction (she was unable to locate the target on land, and unfortunately her ability had very limited range underground) plus some bits of Shizuka's theories she had eavesdropped on with her flora network. She made a mental note to treat the young twin for a feast if they could get out of this hell alive.

Lihua was about to say something snarky at Daphne... of course she's hiding out in the sewers. Who didn't piece that together? It's the perfect hiding spot - it's out of the way, and she basically has pathways to anywhere in the city. The problem for NEST was getting down there... of course. She had every advantage in the sewers. The best bet for NEST was bombing the area from afar.

Quentin rubbed his jawline with a palm as he considered what to say next. If he was ever going to be level with them, he may as well have done so whilst it could still make a difference. "Should've mentioned this hell of a lot earlier, but... my power? It's not replication. It's transfer." He let off a wearied sigh, gaze shifting across the room. "I can pick up other powers and use 'em to a degree, yeah... but I can also give them to others. Sometimes even pull them away, though that's a whole other matter. If it's going to help, well... this is as good a time as any."

Everyone looked at Quentin, with a curious look on their faces - save for Lihua, who was already informed in a oh so off handed manner. So, all Lihua did was lean back in her chair, and give them a look. Time to see how close you are to your new friends, Taylor.

"Agent Taylor...." Maximilian trailed off. Feeling a little betrayed that Quentin hid this from them, but understanding why. "While I am surprised at this new revelation... you still have the full support of RAVEN."

"... That could have been good to know a while back, Taylor." Helena said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I should've mentioned it a long time ago, but... well, back then I wasn't sure what to expect with NEST. With you." Quentin's expression was sincere and for once, he was confident in what he'd said. "I was wrong, I earned your trust - and you earned mine."

"Hey, hey, hey, now!" Sonya loudly said. "Can't speak for the other lads, but you you always had my trust." Sonya's tongue flopped out of her mouth. "Did you think we would turn on you because of one simple white lie? Nope! It doesn't matter if you didn't tell us before anymore, Taylor."

"Wait," Helena said, raising a hand, "What about the Hands and the Changeling Unit?"

"This is bigger than the Hands, Helena..." Lihua started off, "We're talking about a Metahuman that can possibly destroy everything - we can afford to ignore the Hands and their aberrations just this once. Once this is over, then we'll go after them. For now, we'll have to let them go.... unobstructed." She sighed afterwards, she'll get her revenge eventually.

Leon let out a sigh. "Hate to hear that, but looks like we got no choice." He shrugged.

"Speaking of the Hands..." Lihua said, tapping a finger against her jawline. There was another matter that they had to attend to, that they had no choice but to address. "We still have our metal friend in custody, right?" Lihua said.

"That is correct, Agent Vuhong," Maximilian responded, shaking his head.

"That's a loose end that'll need tying up." Quentin noted.

"Agent Taylor just about summed it up. We need to address the matter of what we're going to do about him." Lihua pressed her finger against the table top. "As we know, he's incredibly powerful, and I doubt that, in these times, we can afford to have him removing more our Agents from the equation if he breaks free - which is much more likely. Both the Changeling Unit, and the Hands have a teleporter in their ranks." She said. "Which is why I'm suggesting that we dispose of him soon as possible. He's just too big of a risk."

"... Which is what we should have done from the get go." Helena spat out, crossing her arms, and leaning back in her chair.

"You sure it... 'he' can be destroyed, though?" Quentin raised an eyebrow, something else cooking in that head of his.

"NEST Headquarters has heavy duty equipment in the basement." Lihua said. "Drills, saws, etc. Just in case something like this happens. I suggest the smelters."

"Still, that's a lot of effort to go to when we're under siege," Quentin poked a hole in that idea. "And the way I see it, we've got a golden opportunity. Something like that's going to draw a ton of attention. Why not use our friend as a shield against these things whilst we move against the bitch? She'd probably do the job for us."

Lihua, who personally just wanted a front row seat to see the bastard die, didn't take too kindly to this idea. "Is that a risk we want to take... Agent Taylor?" She asked him, giving him a doubtful look. "He's with the Hands. Worst outcome, he goes back to them, and we gave them back another weapon to use against us." And I'm done fighting him.

That put a halt to his train of thought. He definitely didn't want to put something like that into those bastards' hands. "God-dammit."

"... Not necessarily, Agent Vuhong." Dana said, as she rolled into the room.

"Daaanaaaaa.... hey!" Leon said cheerfully at Dana. Daphne quickly fell in behind her direct superior - she was glad to see her alive and well.

"I've been reviewing the interrogation - which was thankfully recovered - and I deduced that he's not as loyal to the Hands as you think." Dana said to Lihua (But, it was directed at the entire Task Force). "He only joined with them so he could continue his research... Which we recovered when we launched the raid on their headquarters."

"Oooooh, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, clever girl?" Sonya said with a wide smile on her face.

"Yes." Dana said. "We offer to give him back his research if he plays nice, and agrees to fight the Devil for us. If he doesn't play ball, then we destroy him."

"if we do, then we're taking some precautions," Quentin said, "His powers. I'm going to.. borrow them, figure out who to pass them onto and make sure we have something on him."

"A lovely idea, Taylor!" Sonya said. "Why didn't we do that in the first.... Oh, oh yeah, you never told us!" Sonya's tongue flopped out of her mouth with her cheerful smile on her face. She was joking of course.

"Yeah, yeah," Quentin snorted, "Strongest powers I've ever touched are the ones I got when NEST first found me, courtesy of that big bastard in the mask. No idea what something like this could do." He wondered where the Nemesis was now. Probably reducing some of those things to a puddle of goo.

"While Agent Vuhong raises some points... she's forgetting her own point when she said that we "need all the help we can get"." Maximilian said, briefly turning towards Lihua. "We have to at least try Quentin and Dana's ideas. As Dana said, if PR-1 doesn't play ball, then we'll just destroy him - but, we'll at least have one powerhouse."

Lihua sighed. She was still heavily against the idea of doing anything other than destroying Peter - just because of the off chance that he gets away with all of this - but it seems that she's... outvoted. So, she'll play along, just this once. If it blows up in their face... well, with that super weapon bearing down on them, she likely won't even get the satisfaction of saying "I told you so". Though, she didn't want to say this, but she agreed with Quentin's idea - up until you considered just who he was going to give the power to. "... Very well."

"Alright, meeting adjourned." Maximilian said as he stood straight up. "Let's get to work, RAVENs."

---

Sonya, Lihua, Meifeng, Mika, Jennifer, Cindy, Trevor, Shizuka, Quentin, [Put other characters here] & Task Force RAVEN.

---

Psychonauts OST - Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall

---

"C'mon, darlings, you'll miss the big announcement!" Sonya said, as she pushed Cindy through the doors of the assembly room, with various friends - Consisting of, of course, Meifeng, Jennifer, Trevor, Shizuka, and Mika - following behind her.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Cindy pleaded as this crazy frog woman damn near threw her into the room.

The assembly room was what you'd expect an assembly room to be like; a large rectangle-shaped room, with plenty of chairs that sat on both sides of a path that lead directly to a large wooden stage (With a finely carved wooden podium). Which had Maximilian, Lihua (With Lihua standing behind the podium), Quentin, and Adam, standing on it. Sonya hopped from the door, over to the stage - earning a look from everyone as she awkwardly shuffled over to the fellow NEST Agents, and folded her hands behind her back.

Lihua rolled her eyes, as she said, "Everyone have a seat, please."

Everyone sat down in separate parts of the Assembly room.

Alright, let's get this over with, shall we? Lihua thought to herself as she saw the crowd of people. "Hello, children, I have assembled you all here today to discuss the poor situation that we're in, and how we can possibly get out of it." She closed her eyes, and let the words hang in the air.

"Yeah, how so?" Cindy asked, crossing one leg over the other. She looked up at Lihua over her glasses, "... And how does it concern us?" She had to ask.

Lihua sighed. "... I know this is very unreasonable of us to request of you all - you should be able to live without worrying about such matters - but, due to current circumstances, we are dangerously low on NEST Agents, and, due to... obvious reasons...." She let the words hang into the air, "Those numbers aren't going to get any higher." She shook her head.

"So... are you suggesting...?" Jennifer asked, putting her hands on her knees.

"Yes," Lihua said, giving Jennifer a simple nod of her head. "Each of you contain an ability that is very useful to NEST. Whether it's Cindy's glass manipulation, Shizuka's intangibility, or Trevor's drug. And we need them... now more.than ever."

The room continued to be silent as everyone contemplated the implications of what Lihua said.

She let out a sigh. "What we're asking is that some of you assist NEST in our operations against the Devil of Verthaven. If you choose not to accept, then that's okay. No one is forcing any of you to do anything. But, if you do, you'll be helping us save thousands of lives."

They were silent yet again. Lihua continued her speech, nonetheless.

"I know what you all are thinking - that we'll be throwing you in the face of danger. Not true. We'll be doing our best to keep you out of danger as much as possible. You'll be assisting NEST... specifically the RAVENS, as they do the dangerous tasks. And you'll have them as cover. You have some of the best Agents helping you... and I honestly can't say that any of you are completely helpless."

She took a step back from the podium, and put her hands up. "So, I'm going have to ask; who's with us? Like I said, we aren't going to judge you if you decline."

Meifeng was the first to hop up, without saying even a word. "I'm in." She said, so utterly sure of herself and her actions. She was made for this. She wasn't going to just stand by as everyone in this city dies.

The next to stand up was Trevor, slinging his bow over his shoulder as he slammed a fist up against his heart. "Agent Trevor, reporting for duty." He said, in a near-sultry tone as he looked up at Lihua. This was going to be the start of his NEST training.

"Where ever they go," Jennifer started off, and finished it with, "I'll follow. I can't fight, but... I know I can at least try." She wasn't sure if she should even be saying this. She was never a warrior... but, it was something about these fools she calls friends that made her want to at least try. In hopes of at least getting out of here, she was going to try to be a warrior, and try to keep them alive.

Lihua felt like she wasn't getting enough of them. She needed Cindy and her raw destructive power above all else. "... Did I mention you get to stay in the nice and comfy NEST Headquarters, and not on an uncomfortable cot in the slums out there?"

Cindy then raised her hand. "It ain't because of the showers... but I'm going to help."

"Sorry Auntie," Mika stood up, and began walking out of the room. "I'm not a soldier. I don't think I'll ever be one."

"I'm not expecting you to, Mika." Lihua nodded her head, "Someone needs to watch Lijuan."

"Wait, so you're just gonna bail on us like this and stand by as people die?" Meifeng asked, in utter disbelief. "This is your whole fuckin' problem, Mika. You still have that same bullshit "every man's an island" idea in your head."

Mika stopped and looked back for a moment. Almost like she was considering it."... Sorry, cousin, but you won't be able to guilt me this time." She said what she had to say, and then turned around to walk out the door.

Meifeng shook her head. "That girl's a piece of work..."

Shizuka watched the Asian girl - whom they called Mika - leaving the room; half of him wanted to follow suit to reunite with his aunt and twin, but he knew that his brother was right...besides, the probability of them getting out of this shit would be much higher as a collective whole - the previous battles had shown him how little he (and the rest of the Metahumans) could do with their powers. All alone.

"I guess you can count me into the suicide squad, then," he finally spoke, shrugging. "But if anything bad happens I'll save my own skin first." He narrowed his eyes at the NEST agents. "Even if it means defying orders."

Lihua couldn't help but roll her eyes at the comment. Oh you poor misguided fool. Lihua thought to herself. It's clear that Shizuka just says whatever is on his mind - because what would it accomplish by telling your team mates that you won't help them? It's only damaging cohesion.

"Child," Lihua said, "If you disobey an order, you'll be punish, simple as that." Lihua sternly said. "Because, if you were in an actual military of any sort and disobeyed an order..." She gave him a very narrow look. "... You would figuratively get your teeth kicked in." While Shizuka was acting quite obnoxious, she wasn't having any of it. Because the enemies she's faced... this boy wouldn't last ten seconds against what she has. Merely because he thinks he knows everything. People who think they know everything tend to get a reality check the hard way.

Shizuka raised both of his hands. "Whoa there, ma'am - I'm under the impression that I'm only here as a mere volunteer." He returned Lihua with an equally hard look. "Not a child soldier."

Everyone looked at Lihua, then back at Shizuka.

The first to break the silence was Cindy, scolding Shizuka, "Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind when your ass is in the fire." Cindy rolled her eyes at this comment. Her opinion of Shizuka went from being the "loony boy" to actively detesting him.

"Whatever the case, I'm sure some of you have abilities that'll be highly valued." Quentin stepped forward, arms folded. "Right now you've got the chance to share those abilities with someone who can pass them onto others."

Cindy and Trevor immediately gave Quentin a curious look. Being quite unfamiliar with the NEST Agent - compared to Jennifer and Meifeng who had some fond respect for the man.

He could tell by the looks on some faces that a few had their doubts. "You won't lose your powers and it won't be anything invasive of harmful, like what you've heard about from the Hands of Science... that's a promise from me." His gaze briefly met Meifeng and Jennifer when he got to that part.

"I don't know..." Cindy said, looking off to the side.

"C'mon," Meifeng said, "You can trust Quentin - he helped pull our ass out the fire when we needed it the most."

"I agree..." Jennifer said. "He's... not bad. Not bad at all. You can trust him."

"... So, what are you even plannin' when you mean "share those abilities"?" Cindy said. "Who are you even going to give our powers to? How are they gonna use it?"

Quentin paused for a moment; she'd made a good point, who was he going to give these abilities to? Fuck it. He'd figure it out sooner or later, and said "People that I'll trust. And they'll use it just like many of have; protecting yourselves and those around you from harm."

"I refuse," unlike the other teens, Shizuka was quick to decline, his arms crossed before him defensively. Lending a hand to whatever feeble tactics these adults might have was the only service he was willing to offer. Sharing his ability with random strangers? As if he would loan out his power to anyone like that! "It's not just about trust issue with that Metacop - my ability isn't something that should be shared openly." His power might not be anything flashy like Cindy's glass manipulation or that Vuhong woman's concrete ability, but in the wrong hands...

He shook his head. Everyone in this goddamned meeting had their mind fixed solely on the Devil - they wouldn't understand the need to take precautions in case of unforeseen circumstances. Now that all of them were trapped in this city, the mindless slimes wouldn't just be the only thing they had to fight against... A crowd of psychopathic survivors would probably be as bad, if not worse. He could care less about how much of a dick he's acting before the rest in the room - well, if it would make them chase him out of this stifling place and be back with his family, why not?

"Fine, that's your call. Like I said, I'm not going to force that choice on people." Quentin kept his arms folded.

Cindy was about to say something - but, for once, she kept her mouth shut. Despite being blunt, she realized that Shizuka was a real piece of work. They needed everything they could to survive - and having a power that's "not to be shared" openly was a stupid reason not to give them every edge they needed - which is what Cindy would be doing. Her glass powers would do a great deal helping clear groups of the bastards. Though, it might have been pride.

Lihua shrugged - it was just more stubborn stupidity on Shizuka's part if he doesn't want to share the very useful ability to cut the monsters off from their network. Though, she kept her mouth shut about it, since no matter what she'd say, it wouldn't make too much difference. The boy will learn things the hard way.

That's another story - however. Lihua wasn't going to mull about him that much longer. She had people with bright futures ahead of her. "Everyone stand up." She ordered them, and the group did as they were instructed. "From this day fourth... you all are deputy NEST Agents, and honorary members of Task Force RAVEN. You will be doing all you can to bring order to this city, and saving all the lives you can. It won't be easy - but I have utter confidence that, under our guidance, you can make a difference."

Lihua finished her speech with a nod. "Get going - we have arranged for your own sleeping quarters. Get lots of rest." Lihua said. "Because, tomorrow, we're going to get to work."

Everyone split up, and started heading out of the assembly room.

"This is great and all..." Jennifer stated as she got up. "But, I think I'm gonna start looking for my family." She got up, and started walking off.

"Alright, Jen," Meifeng nodded her head as she went another direction. "Stay safe."

---

Jennifer Marissa Caspin.

---

Stepping out into the cold rain, Jennifer was immediately reminded of how this city went from relatively peaceful, to a complete disaster, in no less than a day.

There were signs, of course. Signs everywhere.

Just that everyone chose to ignore them.

Jennifer simply nodded her head as she walked these wet streets. Quickly throwing her hoodie up as she started going from the grounds of the NEST headquarters, to the somewhat less crowded refuge the people of this city was forced to take. Jennifer, looking up, peered at the blue shield that was protecting the outside world (From them of course). She wondered if she'd ever be able to tell day from night now - though, that question was irrelevant with the storms and the grey clouds looming overhead. All she saw was darkness... hopefully some day she'd see the light that she started to crave since this disaster began.

Where do I even start? Jennifer asked herself as she looked around. The only thing she could think of was asking. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her cellphone. She went through the pictures until she found a photo of her family (Or at least what's left of them without big daddy Caspin). It was a picture of Jen in between her two younger brothers - who both had the same blond hair and blue eyes that Jennifer had - while they posed. Smiling cockily, and throwing peace signs. Both boys were the same age, twelve, and were both short and fiery as ever.

Her sister, Kaitlyn, was standing in front of them, and had her arms crossed as she gave the photographer a narrow look. She was only two years older than Justin and Cody - but her hair was worn out longer, and was much more flowing and graceful. Behind them was undoubtedly the matriarch of the Caspin, much taller than all of them, and yet shared the same features as them. Which heavily implied that they got their looks from their mother. She was just standing behind them, with her hands on Justin and Cody's shoulders, a warm smile on her face.

Sighing, Jennifer knew that this was a stretch. She just prayed they were one of the survivors of everything that happened. Only one way to find out. Jenny, using her phone, walked up to one of the NEST Agents that had been guarding the tents - wearing the standard battle dress with a helmet. "Hey, um, excuse me?" She said to get his attention, "Have you seen them?"

He shook his hand. "No, ma'am." He stated.

Before Jennifer shook her head, and let out a defeated sigh. She kept walking around, showing the photos to people, with no luck thus far. There was nothing more she could do, other than give into despair.

However, Jennifer approached a black haired teen that was standing on one of the corners, and tried her luck with her.

"Hey, have you seen any of them?" Jennifer asked as she showed the picture to her.

The black haired teen seemed to be more interested in Jennifer than the photo - but for the sake of concealing herself, she took a good hard look at it, and shook her head. "No, sorry." She said. Jennifer turned away disappointed - the teen grabbed onto her arm, stopping her. "But, wait," She started off, "Send it to me, and I'll keep it in mind and call you if I see them."

"Really?" Jen asked, surprised.

"Really." The stranger replied, "Now give me that phone."

The two quickly exchanged phone information, and the photo ended up on the stranger's phone.

"Thank you." Jennifer said as she walked off.

"I'll see you around." The stranger said with a smile that turned out to be false when she turned off and walked into an alleyway. The teenager pulled that phone out her pocket, and put on a devious grin as she punched in the numbers for her boss - being none other than The Contessa. She put the phone against her ear, "Hey boss," She said,

"... I got us leverage."

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

I've already got an IC post in the works, but I'm just trying to think of a means of working my detective duo into the current plotline.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Name/Nicknames: Nathan Bishop, Nate
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Race: Human - Spiritual Host
Appearance: An african-american of relatively average physical build and only just evening out at 5’10, Nate was probably the less imposing one of the two when he and Gabe were partners in the SSPD. In line with his cop days, he’s kept his hair fairly short whilst doing the same for any facial hair that dares crop up without his consent, leaving his face nicely smooth and clean-shaven and going well with his calm, hazel eyes.

Whilst in theory he has the appropriate shirt, tie and matching coat to give off the traditional appearance somewhere in the closet, Nate usually tends to stick to something simple; shirt, cargo pants, work boots and a black coat that reaches down to his waist. Tucked in under his pants is a holster for a CCW.

Personality: Whilst prone to the occasional sarcastic or joking remark, of the two detectives it’s Nate who could be considered the more light-hearted, yet focussed of the two. Despite having left the force well over a year ago, one thing that definitely hasn’t changed since he quit the force is his strong sense of justice, which he shares in common with his late partner.

In contrast to Gabe’s cynical, pessimistic demeanour and the spirit’s sarcastic remarks every couple of minutes, Nate’s the friendlier of the two and more agreeable at that - one more likely to compromise than the other and less likely to resort to throwing around objects (though having someone who can do just that on hand always helps) when looking for results. That said, he’s quite driven when he wants to be and when motivated can be just as persistent as his late partner’s stubborn.

Having come from a poor background, he sympathises with those who’ve had to deal with the same kind of upbringing and worse, taking an extremely dim view to those who’d take advantage of them with narcotics and would-be gang initiations. Likewise, whilst not exactly prejudiced, his caution towards vampires and werewolves stem from many years of dealing with the likes of the Nyctari, the Nyte Kyngs and the Hunters and likewise his partner’s dealings with the occult have led him to take an equally dim view of such matters.

Bio:

Nathan 'Nate' Bishop was once an up-and-coming detective among many working for Santa Somabra's finest with a career path that seemed to head skywards, having crawled his way out of the gutter of one of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods . Partnered with and mentored by one Gabriel Ward, a senior detective who saw something in the kid, the two made a fine duo, cracking cases left and right together. Yet there was one case that had for many months proved impossible to crack, despite a wealth of information - a series of ritual murders that looked outside the typical MO of the Nyte Kyngs or even the Nyctari

Gabe took a particular interest in the case due to its similarity to a cold case from the earliest days of his own career, even going so far as to chase up his own leads outside of work in an attempt to find out what the hell was going on. It proved to be his undoing - within a few weeks, the senior detective disappeared overnight and a few days later, Nate received a phone call in the early hours of the morning delivering news that he refused to believe. Arriving at the scene, he found his partner dead - killed via the same disturbing, ritualistic method as all the others.

Despite being told by his superiors to let it go, Nate refused to allow the trail to go cold and spent months sifting through case files and evidence lockers, desperate for any lead even if it meant he hardly ate or slept because of it. Eventually Nate's superior ordered him on a paid suspension for several weeks to stop him from working himself to death, yet even that didn't deter him - instead he went and chased up his own leads as Gabe had, ignoring the immense risk he was taking - not just to his career, but to his own life.

Out of options, he tried revisiting where they'd found Gabe's body - the scene of the last murder. It occurred to Nate that there had to be some kind of connection that he could grab onto here, if only small, yet instead of a lead he found something better. For a moment, he'd have sworn he heard a familiar voice - was he losing it? He thought so, yet the voice spoke again and he recognised who it was. He turned around to face the voice and found a familiar, albeit ethereal face. Gabe.

For a moment Nate thought he'd finally lost it, or that his lack of sleep had took a toll. He panicked and made a sharp entry yet on the way out he forgot to look before he crossed the road and wound up having a disagreement with a station wagon as it turned around the corner. Blacking out for a few minutes, when he woke up he found two people standing over him - one was obviously the driver of the station wagon, the other was Gabe. Seemingly unharmed by the encounter, he quickly dismissed the driver of the station wagon and went for a long walk - hoping to shake whatever it was off. It was only when Gabe finally spoke again and this time explained his predicament:

The grisly method of execution the killer had enacted upon him was a ritual which left his spirit bound to the crime scene. Since Nate was the only one who had such a close connection with him, Gabe was able to appear - if only for a brief moment - and would've tried to explain the circumstances had it not been for the former running off. That knock on the head he'd took from the car had almost killed him, enough to briefly separate his spirit from his body if only for a few seconds. With that window of opportunity, Gabe had jumped onboard Nate's body like a passenger in a car, jumpstarting his body up in the process and pulling the two of them into a new world.

Aside from reminding Nate that, yes, this was one hell of a strange city, his presence had bestowed him with a number of tricks, one of which was the ability to immediately distinguish between the mundane and supernatural.

Under (literal) spiritual guidance, Nate used his newly-found perspective to track down his old partner’s killer - a demon’s blood addict who restrained his victims and then used precise incisions with a ritual knife to drain their blood into a circle below, where symbols were drawn. It was this addict’s delusion that, through tribute to an ancient demonic entity, they would be made a warlock, trapping the spirits of the dead at their respective murder scenes as a side effect of this tribute. Unwilling to be taken alive, the would-be ‘warlock’ was killed in the subsequent exchange of gunfire.

Of course, a fair bit of scandal ensued - Nate hadn’t exactly been subtle in his questt and when a local journalist leaned on the department about a cavalier cop who’d embarked on an unauthorised pursuit whilst already suspended, he was all but pushed into leaving the force under the implication that he’d get a payout for resigning. Yet, that didn’t mean that either he or the spirit of his partner were done. In fact, Gabe found that his so-called unfinished business wasn’t particularly tidied up just yet and with the payout he’d earned, Nate found he was able to open up a PI agency - one that turned out to be quite the successful endeavour if only by a margin.

Well over a year later and with the ‘Sombara Slayer’ roaming around, the two couldn’t help but take an interest in the case. After all, given one of them had already been taken out through the tortured logic of a serial killer, they sure as hell weren’t going to sit on their asses and watch another run free.

Other notes:
Nate's connection to a spirit allows him to immediately distinguish whether or not an individual or object is mundane or supernatural in nature. It’s akin to being able to see in colour in a colourblind environment, so to speak. This also gives Nate, to a certain degree, a sixth sense - allowing him to sense anything out of the ordinary in his environment.

Finally, this connection serves as a two-way street; basically, if he were to suffer a life threatening injury, whilst this won't heal him or give him a get-out-of-jail free ticket it'll certainly give his body a jumpstart and slightly tip the odds in his favour, as Gabe’s spirit helps anchor his own in this world.

Of course, there’s a certain side-effect to this connection; Nate’s occasionally picked up one or two mannerisms and ‘aspects’ off of Gabe due to their spiritual bond, to the point he’s gained fondness for things he once had nothing to do with (a newly acquired taste for scotch and tequila are examples) or, more noticeably and alarmingly, the colour of his eyes sometimes shifting to match Gabe’s.

• Carries a concealed CZ75 compact as a sidearm, whilst keeping an Ithaca 37 ‘Stakeout’ model in the trunk of his car. He also possesses his late partner’s sidearm of choice; a Colt 1911, though that’s usually stored away somewhere for safekeeping.
• He's quite the scifi fan and among other things he keeps a number of ‘classic’ films among his personal favourites, including Terminator and Predator among others. And yes, he's a Schwarzenegger fan too.

Name/Nicknames: Gabriel Ward, Gabe
Gender: Male
Age: 49 (At the time of his death)
Race: Spirit
Appearance: Whilst alive, Gabe stood at 5’11 and, owing to his stocky build, looked like he could knock an Orc down and then some. His hair had prematurely started graying as a consequence of his long and tiring career, though he kept it fairly short-and-simple on his head whilst across his weathered face was a neatly trimmed beard that went well with his sharp, blue eyes. As a detective, he was seldom seen without a pale-blue shirt with an appropriate tie and pants, and sometimes he was even known to wear a coat when it suited him.

Now, as a ghost - he hasn’t changed that much. Rather, he’s just gained an ethereal quality to his overall appearance, coming across as somewhat translucent with a vague unearthly outline. His eyes stand out more than anything now - having taken on an even sharper quality than they had in life, as if they were piercing into the fabric of one’s soul.

The only exception to this is when he’s pissed - in which case his form is twisted into something that resembles his body at the time of his death - complete with the haggard, blood-soaked clothes and ritualistic wounds.

Personality: Gabe has something of a cynical approach that’s complemented with sarcastic, pessimistic remarks and an incredibly dark sense of humour. If he and Nate were running a good-cop, bad-cop routine, it’s clear that Gabe would be the bad. Of course, it hasn’t helped that he’s dead - it’s not like it did him much of a favour. Without a physical body and kept within certain confines, it’s a maddening existence. Touch, taste, smell.. all of these senses and more he’s been deprived of and were he a lesser man he’d have become a bitter, unfeeling spirit that saw only vengeance, so this attitude is something of a coping mechanism for him to work through that and avoid going off that tricky abyss.

Whilst earning his trust can take some difficulty (communication issues notwithstanding), when it’s earned it’s damn-well earned and those he considers friends, he’d go to the far reaches of the underworld and back for - no matter what condition he might be in - and there’s no friend that he feels a greater degree of loyalty towards than Nate, whom he regards as family.

This all aside, he possesses a strong sense of right and wrong and a preference for justice (albeit on his terms), much alike his partner - though that doesn’t stop him from taking a ‘means to an end’ approach when it comes to putting a vice on certain perps - and has an overall sympathy for the destitute and downtrodden, despite remarks that might indicate to the contrary and shares sentiments with Nate when it comes to those who would take advantage of them.

Whilst not particularly prejudiced, he holds a particularly dim view for the occult and those that dabble in it, given the unfortunate circumstances which surrounded his death. That said, he can be sympathetic towards vampires, werewolves whom never wanted their conditions as well as the undead - having learned what it’s like to be forced into a state of being that unexpectedly altered his ‘life’ to radical degrees.

Bio: Born into one of the poorer, run-down districts of Santa Sombara, much like his eventual protégé, Gabe originally spent a few years in the military before heading back home and becoming a beat cop in the SSPD. When it became apparent that he had a knack for investigation and case work, he soon caught the eye of the detective bureau and before long was among their ranks. Over the years, he earned his place as a respected, veteran officer and eventually came across Nathan Bishop, where the events explained above soon unfolded.

Other notes:

Being a ghost with a non-corporeal form, Gabriel is capable of passing through any solid matter that doesn’t have some form of supernatural protection on it, allowing him to survey his surroundings without too much trouble - the only problem is that he’s limited in how far he can actually travel. Whilst Nate’s keeping him anchored in this world, it also means he can only move so far away from him before he’s unable to move any further - akin to trying to having an indestructible leash around his neck.

Also, being a ghost - he’s capable of causing a little poltergeist activity by screwing around with a few localised objects (unless they already have some form of protection on them) and, depending on the circumstances, he can possess the corpses of the recently deceased for a limited period of time, though in doing so he’s incapable of straying too far from Nate. Made for a hell of a joke at the funeral of some ex-big shot mobster once.

• Has an ex-wife and daughter that survived him. Still keeps tabs on them by using Nate as a proxy, though.
• Shares Nate's love for scifi and other cult classics. As it happens, being able to watch the greats in the office is a great way of relieving the eternal boredom that can come with being dead.

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Got a sheet that's open to being a WIP, lemme know what you think.

Bishop/Ward

Name/Nicknames: Nathan Bishop, Nate
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Race: Human - Spiritual Host
Appearance: An african-american of relatively average physical build and only just evening out at 5’10, Nate was probably the less imposing one of the two when he and Gabe were partners in the LAPD. In line with his cop days, he’s kept his hair fairly short whilst doing the same for any facial hair that dares crop up without his consent, leaving his face nicely smooth and clean-shaven and going well with his calm, hazel eyes.

Whilst in theory he has the appropriate shirt, tie and matching coat to give off the traditional appearance somewhere in the closet, Nate usually tends to stick to something simple; shirt, cargo pants, work boots and a black coat that reaches down to his waist. Tucked in under his pants is a holster for a CCW.

Personality: Whilst prone to the occasional sarcastic or joking remark, of the two detectives it’s Nate who could be considered the more light-hearted, yet focussed of the two. Despite having left the force well over a year ago, one thing that definitely hasn’t changed since he quit the force is his strong sense of justice, which he shares in common with his late partner.

In contrast to Gabe’s cynical, pessimistic demeanour and the spirit’s sarcastic remarks every couple of minutes, Nate’s the friendlier of the two and more agreeable at that - one more likely to compromise than the other and less likely to resort to throwing around objects (though having someone who can do just that on hand always helps) when looking for results. That said, he’s quite driven when he wants to be and when motivated can be just as persistent as his late partner’s stubborn.

Having come from a poor background, he sympathises with those who’ve had to deal with the same kind of upbringing and worse, taking an extremely dim view to those who’d take advantage of them with narcotics and would-be gang initiations. Likewise, whilst not exactly prejudiced, his caution towards vampires and werewolves stem from many years of dealing with the likes of the Nyctari, the Nyte Kyngs and the Hunters and likewise his partner’s dealings with the occult have led him to take an equally dim view of such matters.

Bio:

Nathan 'Nate' Bishop was once an up-and-coming detective among many working for Santa Somabra's finest with a career path that seemed to head skywards, having crawled his way out of the gutter of one of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods . Partnered with and mentored by one Gabriel Ward, a senior detective who saw something in the kid, the two made a fine duo, cracking cases left and right together. Yet there was one case that had for many months proved impossible to crack, despite a wealth of information - a series of ritual murders that looked outside the typical MO of the Nyte Kyngs or even the Nyctari

Gabe took a particular interest in the case due to its similarity to a cold case from the earliest days of his own career, even going so far as to chase up his own leads outside of work in an attempt to find out what the hell was going on. It proved to be his undoing - within a few weeks, the senior detective disappeared overnight and a few days later, Nate received a phone call in the early hours of the morning delivering news that he refused to believe. Arriving at the scene, he found his partner dead - killed via the same disturbing, ritualistic method as all the others.

Despite being told by his superiors to let it go, Nate refused to allow the trail to go cold and spent months sifting through case files and evidence lockers, desperate for any lead even if it meant he hardly ate or slept because of it. Eventually Nate's superior ordered him on a paid suspension for several weeks to stop him from working himself to death, yet even that didn't deter him - instead he went and chased up his own leads as Gabe had, ignoring the immense risk he was taking - not just to his career, but to his own life.

Out of options, he tried revisiting where they'd found Gabe's body - the scene of the last murder. It occurred to Nate that there had to be some kind of connection that he could grab onto here, if only small, yet instead of a lead he found something better. For a moment, he'd have sworn he heard a familiar voice - was he losing it? He thought so, yet the voice spoke again and he recognised who it was. He turned around to face the voice and found a familiar, albeit ethereal face. Gabe.

For a moment Nate thought he'd finally lost it, or that his lack of sleep had took a toll. He panicked and made a sharp entry yet on the way out he forgot to look before he crossed the road and wound up having a disagreement with a station wagon as it turned around the corner. Blacking out for a few minutes, when he woke up he found two people standing over him - one was obviously the driver of the station wagon, the other was Gabe. Seemingly unharmed by the encounter, he quickly dismissed the driver of the station wagon and went for a long walk - hoping to shake whatever it was off. It was only when Gabe finally spoke again and this time explained his predicament:

The grisly method of execution the killer had enacted upon him was a ritual which left his spirit bound to the crime scene. Since Nate was the only one who had such a close connection with him, Gabe was able to appear - if only for a brief moment - and would've tried to explain the circumstances had it not been for the former running off. That knock on the head he'd took from the car had almost killed him, enough to briefly separate his spirit from his body if only for a few seconds. With that window of opportunity, Gabe had jumped onboard Nate's body like a passenger in a car, jumpstarting his body up in the process and pulling the two of them into a new world.

Aside from reminding Nate that, yes, this was one hell of a strange city, his presence had bestowed him with a number of tricks, one of which was the ability to immediately distinguish between the mundane and supernatural.

Under (literal) spiritual guidance, Nate used his newly-found perspective to track down his old partner’s killer - a demon’s blood addict who restrained his victims and then used precise incisions with a ritual knife to drain their blood into a circle below, where symbols were drawn. It was this addict’s delusion that, through tribute to an ancient demonic entity, they would be made a warlock, trapping the spirits of the dead at their respective murder scenes as a side effect of this tribute. Unwilling to be taken alive, the would-be ‘warlock’ was killed in the subsequent exchange of gunfire.

Of course, a fair bit of scandal ensued - Nate hadn’t exactly been subtle in his questt and when a local journalist leaned on the department about a cavalier cop who’d embarked on an unauthorised pursuit whilst already suspended, he was all but pushed into leaving the force under the implication that he’d get a payout for resigning. Yet, that didn’t mean that either he or the spirit of his partner were done. In fact, Gabe found that his so-called unfinished business wasn’t particularly tidied up just yet and with the payout he’d earned, Nate found he was able to open up a PI agency - one that turned out to be quite the successful endeavour if only by a margin.

Well over a year later and with the ‘Sombara Slayer’ roaming around, the two couldn’t help but take an interest in the case. After all, given one of them had already been taken out through the tortured logic of a serial killer, they sure as hell weren’t going to sit on their asses and watch another run free.

Other notes:
Nate's connection to a spirit allows him to immediately distinguish whether or not an individual or object is mundane or supernatural in nature. It’s akin to being able to see in colour in a colourblind environment, so to speak. This also gives Nate, to a certain degree, a sixth sense - allowing him to sense anything out of the ordinary in his environment.

Finally, this connection serves as a two-way street; basically, if he were to suffer a life threatening injury, whilst this won't heal him or give him a get-out-of-jail free ticket it'll certainly give his body a jumpstart and slightly tip the odds in his favour, as Gabe’s spirit helps anchor his own in this world.

Of course, there’s a certain side-effect to this connection; Nate’s occasionally picked up one or two mannerisms and ‘aspects’ off of Gabe due to their spiritual bond, to the point he’s gained fondness for things he once had nothing to do with (a newly acquired taste for scotch and tequila are examples) or, more noticeably and alarmingly, the colour of his eyes sometimes shifting to match Gabe’s.

• Carries a concealed CZ75 compact as a sidearm, whilst keeping an Ithaca 37 ‘Stakeout’ model in the trunk of his car. He also possesses his late partner’s sidearm of choice; a Colt 1911, though that’s usually stored away somewhere for safekeeping.
• He's quite the scifi fan and among other things he keeps a number of ‘classic’ films among his personal favourites, including Terminator and Predator among others. And yes, he's a Schwarzenegger fan too.

Name/Nicknames: Gabriel Ward, Gabe
Gender: Male
Age: 49 (At the time of his death)
Race: Spirit
Appearance: Whilst alive, Gabe stood at 5’11 and, owing to his stocky build, looked like he could knock an Orc down and then some. His hair had prematurely started graying as a consequence of his long and tiring career, though he kept it fairly short-and-simple on his head whilst across his weathered face was a neatly trimmed beard that went well with his sharp, blue eyes. As a detective, he was seldom seen without a pale-blue shirt with an appropriate tie and pants, and sometimes he was even known to wear a coat when it suited him.

Now, as a ghost - he hasn’t changed that much. Rather, he’s just gained an ethereal quality to his overall appearance, coming across as somewhat translucent with a vague unearthly outline. His eyes stand out more than anything now - having taken on an even sharper quality than they had in life, as if they were piercing into the fabric of one’s soul.

The only exception to this is when he’s pissed - in which case his form is twisted into something that resembles his body at the time of his death - complete with the haggard, blood-soaked clothes and ritualistic wounds.

Personality: Gabe has something of a cynical approach that’s complemented with sarcastic, pessimistic remarks and an incredibly dark sense of humour. If he and Nate were running a good-cop, bad-cop routine, it’s clear that Gabe would be the bad. Of course, it hasn’t helped that he’s dead - it’s not like it did him much of a favour. Without a physical body and kept within certain confines, it’s a maddening existence. Touch, taste, smell.. all of these senses and more he’s been deprived of and were he a lesser man he’d have become a bitter, unfeeling spirit that saw only vengeance, so this attitude is something of a coping mechanism for him to work through that and avoid going off that tricky abyss.

Whilst earning his trust can take some difficulty (communication issues notwithstanding), when it’s earned it’s damn-well earned and those he considers friends, he’d go to the far reaches of the underworld and back for - no matter what condition he might be in - and there’s no friend that he feels a greater degree of loyalty towards than Nate, whom he regards as family.

This all aside, he possesses a strong sense of right and wrong and a preference for justice (albeit on his terms), much alike his partner - though that doesn’t stop him from taking a ‘means to an end’ approach when it comes to putting a vice on certain perps - and has an overall sympathy for the destitute and downtrodden, despite remarks that might indicate to the contrary and shares sentiments with Nate when it comes to those who would take advantage of them.

Whilst not particularly prejudiced, he holds a particularly dim view for the occult and those that dabble in it, given the unfortunate circumstances which surrounded his death. That said, he can be sympathetic towards vampires, werewolves whom never wanted their conditions as well as the undead - having learned what it’s like to be forced into a state of being that unexpectedly altered his ‘life’ to radical degrees.

Bio: Born into one of the poorer, run-down districts of Santa Sombara, much like his eventual protégé, Gabe originally spent a few years in the military before heading back home and becoming a beat cop in the SSPD. When it became apparent that he had a knack for investigation and case work, he soon caught the eye of the detective bureau and before long was among their ranks. Over the years, he earned his place as a respected, veteran officer and eventually came across Nathan Bishop, where the events explained above soon unfolded.

Other notes:

Being a ghost with a non-corporeal form, Gabriel is capable of passing through any solid matter that doesn’t have some form of supernatural protection on it, allowing him to survey his surroundings without too much trouble - the only problem is that he’s limited in how far he can actually travel. Whilst Nate’s keeping him anchored in this world, it also means he can only move so far away from him before he’s unable to move any further - akin to trying to having an indestructible leash around his neck.

Also, being a ghost - he’s capable of causing a little poltergeist activity by screwing around with a few localised objects (unless they already have some form of protection on them) and, depending on the circumstances, he can possess the corpses of the recently deceased for a limited period of time, though in doing so he’s incapable of straying too far from Nate. Made for a hell of a joke at the funeral of some ex-big shot mobster once.

• Has an ex-wife and daughter that survived him. Still keeps tabs on them by using Nate as a proxy, though.
• Shares Nate's love for scifi and other cult classics. As it happens, being able to watch the greats in the office is a great way of relieving the eternal boredom that can come with being dead.