Titans Reborn - Year One (IC) CLOSED

[Xivilai]

OOC Thread

Setting

Everyone thought that nothing would happen. Surely the supposed "End of the World" was a load of crock. But something did happen on that day, December 21, 2012. There was a very rare alignment among the galaxies, one that supposedly wouldn't happen again for tens of thousands of years. That alignment caused an eclipse that changed the world forever. All super powers were erased from existence. Once powerful heroes now forced to walk among the average people, no having super powers with which to battle evil. Even those on the side of evil also lost their power. The devout immediately credited the mysterious event as an act of God, believing that he grew tired of his world constantly being inhabited or threatened by such powerful beings as super heroes. Only the few who fought evil with no powers remained able to fight, but of course they are only human, eventually aging and dying like any other human does in time. The Teen Titans, once a renowned team of teenaged heroes, were not exempt from the events of the eclipse, and most of their members were made powerless. Months turned into years, years into decades, and as the world sees the dawn of the year 2055, there have been no superheroes since 2012. But, just like the eclipse of 2012, something is about to change the world once again, something that will bring about a new generation of heroes. Whether the change is for the better or worse, remains to be seen.

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Jump City, approximately 9:32 P.M.. While some people retired to their homes for the evening, the nighttime crowd began to emerge. Some simply had night shift jobs, some would attend parties, and others would simply take to the streets as if they owned them. In this day and age, they practically did. Whether it was as simple as a street gang or as complex as a crime family, without the watchful eye of groups like the Teen Titans or the Justice League keeping them in check, many cities were slowly becoming like Gotham City had once been before the rise of the legendary Batman. And while Gotham, or Neo-Gotham as it was now called, still had the seemingly immortal Dark Knight watching over it, Jump City was not so fortunate. The only thing left of superheroes and vigilantes in Jump City was the iconic T-shaped Titans' Tower, still overlooking the city from its small island off the coast.

And as Jump City went about its business there was, unknown to the people, an object outside of Earth's orbit. The object in question was a ship of unknown origin, carrying beings of equally unknown origin. The ship was largely triangular in shape with a large sphere in the center of it. The sphere served as the location of the bridge, where several armored beings sat about computers or went about other business. All the while a more distinguished one stood at attention, looking out a viewing window at the blue planet called Earth, "Are they ready?" asked the armored figure in a deep, calm voice to one of his staff.

"Yes, Commander." they answered quickly and nervously.

"Then launch them now." replied the Commander, turning around to leave the bridge.

The staff officer turned to another, "You heard the Commander, launch the probes droids!" at this, several small and spherical objects launched from the triangular ship and fell toward the planet.

[MysT3CH]

Approx. 9:58 pm

Everything comes to an end. Love, hate, betrayal. The greed of wealth, the lust of power, the comfort in religion. In the final moment, everyone falls, even the kings of empires and the princes of darkness. In the silence of the tomb, we all get what we deserve.

Relieved by the thought that for him that day was far away, Avis Lancaster let out a sigh. Closing his novel as he rubbed away at his weary eyes. Glancing up he then took stock of the bus on which he traveled, his tired eyes passing over the other four passengers before lowering themselves back to his book. The last snowfall. Avis smirked as he studied the black book's cover, an idle hand running itself along it as it traced the gold and red flowers sewn into it's felt. He then let his mind wonder, continuing his idle caress as he recalled the story of if infinite 'what ifs'.

Raising a hand as to cover his mouth, he yawned, looking out the window to his right as his mind snapped back to reality. Again his hand reached up, this time making for his left ear. Closing his eyes he scratched it, suppressing a slight groan of satisfaction before reopening them. Looking through the glass, the eighteen year old watched as two children, each not much younger than himself, chased one another in the night. Their mother yelling excitedly at them as she looked on. Amused, Avis looked back, straining his neck as a smile lined his face. He mouthed the word "cute".

Before long Lancaster once again found himself lost in a trance, his mind lost from reality as he re-immersed himself in his book. His face shifting from looks of content, intrigue and disgust as he scanned the aged pages of the novel. A baritoned voice then shot through the bus, resounding across it's hull in echoes as it cried out the address of it's next stop. Taken aback by it's suddenness, Avis raised his head in superfluous haste. Partly frightened by the realization that it was his stop, he slammed his elbow against the horizontal yellow strip just under his window. The bus came to a stop.

Jumping up, he grabbed his black laptop bag, shoving his book into it before tossing it over a shoulder. Apologetically he nodded at the bus driver, assuming that the elderly woman would be annoyed by his late request to stop. She simply smiled. Stepping off of the bus, Avis reached into his pocket with his left hand and unlocked the phone he had pulled from within. His steps became languid as he dialed a number in.

The line connected. "Ello?"

"Elise, It's me. How are things?" Content with the fact that she had picked up, he smiled and continued to gaze upon his black leather sneakers as he listened to her voice.

"Avis? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" It was more of a statement than a question, as her voice held a tone of annoyance she had so poorly attempted to hide. Gingerly Avis pulled up the collar of his leather jacket, eyes still upon his feet as he crossed a side road.

"No, I switched to the early shift." His voice lowered, subconsciously, he switched to an injured tone. "I can call back if I'm interrupting..."

Her response was instant. "Sorry. So what did you want Lancaster?"

"Nothing." He lied. "Just wanted to say hi." At this point the teen had looked up and was peering down the street, his dark eyes squinting periodically as oncoming headlights rushed past. A few more minutes and he made a left, leaving the sidewalk as to start across a community park. He had gotten about half way across the grassed expanse before a sudden gust, algid and firm, slammed against his frame. Instantly causing him to react with a slight shiver as he briefly, and futilely held his open jacket over the white of his shirt as to shield himself from the cold.

"Where are you?" As the voice came through the phone, he let himself smile as he walked up some steps prior to knocking upon a door. With a whine, it opened.

"Home." Unprepared for her lunging hug, he staggered, nearly falling off of the ledge before embracing her in return. Smelling her hair as they hugged. For a few moments they stayed quiet, holding each other in the doorway without so much as a squirm. However, the moment was ended when Elise muttered something incoherent.

"What?" Looking down, Avis held them apart. His eyes finding her green irises as he whispered with curiosity.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Though she seemed innocent enough, something about the way she asked the question worried him. Though he had thought nothing of it at first, he then glanced at the bed robe over her naked frame, suddenly fearing she was not alone. Rather than ask, he simply shot her a look, one mixed of anger and pain. Understanding, she simply hugged him, kissing his cheek apologetically before grabbing his hand as to lead him inside. Shaking his head with a smirk, he shut the door.

[XxSkittlezxX]

Dusk had long since passed and the painted sky had melted into a uniform black. It had been awhile since Ali had seen the stars out to play; never had she witnessed them wander into city skies. Perhaps they were afraid. Afraid of all the darkness. The kind of darkness Ali couldn't manipulate though it thrived among her, the kind of darkness that lived in people, the kind of darkness that lived in Jump City.

At this time of day, everything was cloaked in darkness. Even the good was veiled in black and gray. The world at her fingertips and she didn't want it. Her parents would be ashamed. She sighed as her keys fell into the change dish with a distinct 'clink'. She touched the pad next to it and the light above illuminated her room.

She sighed, reaching around the many empty photo frames she intended to fill and picked up one of the several strips of paper littering her dresser before lifting a pen. She hesitated before writing down her thought: "I want to do something better.". Once she finished, she folded this into a tiny five point star and dropped it into a jar amongst glitter and other tiny star papers. She sealed the jar and smiled, lifting her camera off the desk.

"Maybe that one will be a bit easier to accomplish," she suggested to the device. Quickly, she changed out of her uniform into normal attire and set out to test her limits with her mechanical companion.

The city seemed more alive at night than during the day. Flashy outfits, loud voices, bright lights flashing, all while black hung overhead. Ali had a tight grip on her camera, not bothering to bring her custom back-up at this time of night. Lifting the camera, she snapped frames of each worthy scene to sort through and most likely delete later. As usual, no one seemed to notice, too absorbed in their own lives and problems to notice a teen girl taking pictures of the streets.

When she had worked her way through a few blocks she crossed the street into a cafe and ordered a chai latte, which her most recent roommate had introduced her to. Already beginning to sort through the frames, she sat as she waited for the drink.

'Because, if you find you can't sleep, you might as well do something productive,' Ali reasoned

[Amodeus]

Night had fallen, and once again Amodeus took to the streets. His bokken was fixed to his side, hidden within his pant leg. his mask as tucked into the side of his coat, hand holding it at all times. He never knew when he would need to go incognito. He weaved through the groups of people still left on the street, mostly drunks. He kept his head down, hood concealing his face.

He loved the darkness after the sun fell, the feeling of anonymity in the streets of Jump City. The night sky resembled a canopy with a few holes poked in, and it was the perfect analogy for this city. A place mired in black, covered in trash, filth, and crime. Only a few bright spots remained.
He considered himself one of those rays of light, a small beacon of hope against the ever growing plague that consumed his home. Jump City was dying. He had known it since he was a young child. He was old stories of the heroes of old, and how they lost their powers. Without most of the legendary heroes, crime came back with a vengeance, sinking its teeth into the previously maintained cities. The stories seemed so archaic, so outlandish, but the derelict T Tower still stood. Amodeus wished to see it returned to its former glory.

He walked by areas with greater amounts of foot traffic nightly, passing diners and convenience stores with high chances of being robbed. He kept an earphone in, listening in to a police blotter through his phone.This was not of much use; not much was ever reported, and he didn't want to get involved in domestic disputes or petty things like public drunkenness. He assumed for most large scale crime, the police had already been paid off to look the other way. They're criminals too, just like the rest of this city.
Amodeus passed by a small cafe, quickly scanning over the people there. The only one who caught his attention was a girl with red hair, fumbling about with some kind of small papers. Before he could get a good look, however, his ears picked up something else in the vicinity, a noise differing from the normal sounds of the city. Escalating voices, not far off. He walked towards the sound, a small convenience store across the street, sliding his mask over his face and removing his bokken slowly. Looking through the window, he could see five men. One armed with a handgun, semi-automatic, motioning to the cashier to fill his bag. The other men had simple melee weapons, probably to rob patrons with. This was the kind of event he longed for.

He ghosted into the building using his "shunpo", as he liked to call it. He didn't consider it true teleportation, because it placed a massive amount of duress on his body, but it functioned similarly. He found himself on the gunman's left, just in range. With a sweeping arc, he brought his now energized bokken upwards through the barrel of the pistol, cleaving it in twain. He kept his angular momentum, bringing the blade down behind the would-be robber's kneecap. He made sure to de-energize the blade, so not to gravely injure the man, and it upended him. The gunman's body hit the ground hard, skull bouncing off the tiled floor. Continuing the swing, Amodeus brought his bokken down across the man's temple, rendering him unconscious. The entire attack lasted only 7 seconds, and the robber's cronies stared at him in disbelief. "H-How did you d-do that?" one of them stammered. Amodeus said nothing, and proceeded to engage the others.

One by one, he took them down, breaking ribs and wrists of the men trying to fight back. With each man down, Amodeus smiled faintly under his mask. It was his first successful attempt at fighting crime. He glanced over the four bodies, feeling a bit of pride. Wait, there were more than fo- His thought was cut short by the thundering crack of wood striking him in the left parietal region of his skull. A white light flashed in his eyes as his head hit the floor, the sure sign of a good hit, and a possible concussion. Amodeus could feel the blood rolling down his cheek, but rolled over quickly, seeing a boot traveling with a fair amount of velocity towards his face. He lifted his hands to shield his already injured head, bracing himself for the incoming pain. Yet, it never came. Removing his hands from his field of vision, he realized the boot had stopped an inch away...

[XxSkittlezxX]

Standing a few feet away was the girl with red hair. She was holding her fists out before her, watching the man intently as the transparent shadows held him in place. "He seems to be tapped out, I believe that makes it my turn," she suggested. Without a moment of hesitation, she slammed him into the nearest wall. She released him and lifted one of the discarded weapons into her hand and readied herself.

The man clambered to his feet and assumed a shaking stance. "What are you?!" he demanded. "What do you want?!"

"I'm here to go as many rounds as you like," she responded calmly. She watched as he weighed his options, shaking his head.

Finally, he decided, "Fuck this!" He turned and took to his heels, for good measure, she flicked her wrist sending some small debris flying his way. He stumbled but continued, not daring to look back.

She turned and began to wipe the black makeup from her face with her sleeve. He probably wasn't very happy behind that mask. Shr probably should have knocked him out and locked him up, but she was more worried about what state he was in. "I'm sure that wasn't quite the ending you were hoping for," she sighed, bending towards him and offering a hand.

[Xivilai]

Titans' Tower, approximately 9:45 P.M., and even though it appeared abandoned on the outside, there was at least one person who called it home. That person was one Daniel Cain, and despite the somewhat outdated technology, the tower still proved useful. After all, it still held a seemingly limitless supply of training utilities, bottled water, and non-perishable emergency food rations. All in all a pretty good place for an otherwise homeless vigilante like Red X to call home and use for his base of operations. The only real issue with the tower was the power, which had long since been cut off. If it just could be switched back on, the facility could potentially be used in full again. Of course, a venture like that required a lot of funding and unlike certain billionaire playboys, Daniel was pretty much broke.

Daniel was currently in his room, or rather what was once Robin's room. It was easy enough to tell the rooms apart, the closets still containing their spare costumes was pretty much a dead give away. In any case, Robin's was the bedroom that could be found on the highest floor among the living quarters. Something about having a towering view of the city was just so appealing to Daniel that he couldn't resist commandeering the room for his own. Plus there was still the odd Batman or Robin trinket lying around which these days would make decent collector's items. Daniel, as per his usual routine, was on the floor doing pushups. Next to him was one of Robin's private police scanners that Daniel had managed to get working again. Like most of the tech in the tower, it was kind of outdated but it served its purpose well enough.

Daniel had just switched to one-armed pushups when the scanner picked up on a dispatch call. Something about an armed robbery. With nothing better to do, Daniel pushed himself to his feet and opened the closet revealing the Red X suit that he, like Robin's room and the Tower itself, had commandeered for his own use. With a quick change Daniel had suited up and in minutes Red X was already taking to the rooftops, using them to traverse the cityscape. An actual vehicle would have been nice, but all X had found in the Tower was an old motorcycle with a big R labeled on it, probably one of Robin's, and he simply hadn't gotten around to working on it just yet. Until then, free-running the Jump City rooftops would just have to be enough.

It was approximately 10:00 P.M. when X had arrived at the reported scene, some convenience store across the street from a cafe. X was in time to see what he could assume was a fleeing suspect and... objects being thrown at him invisibly? X shook his head and looked again, certain that he had been seeing things. The objects he thought had been sent flying lay uselessly on the ground, so perhaps it was his imagination after all? In any case, X turned on his cloaking device and jumped down a fire escape to pursue the fleeing suspect. Catching up to him wasn't hard at all. The guy was hardly a trained sprinter and X was simply more athletic and had greater stamina. Once in range, X thrust an invisible palm forward, which launched a rapidly expanding red substance shaped like an x at the feet of his target. Upon connecting, the x-shaped substance wrapped tightly around the man's legs and he fell straight forward. He naturally turned over and tried to free himself, but that elastic bond was much too strong for guy like this to break out of. He looked around frantically, desperate to find the person who had shot him with the substance, "Who's there! Show yourself!"

By happenstance, X stepped in a puddle which briefly shorted the cloaking device for a moment so that the suspect would a very quick look at the dark-clad Red X before he seemed to vanish in thin air, "I bet you were thinking you had gotten away, that this would be one hell of a bragging right story you could tell your buddies in the morning, didn't you?" X asked in a voice that was clearly being altered by his mask. He didn't give the guy a chance to answer. Instead he simply forcibly pulled him to his feet and threw him against a nearby wall, all while still invisible. As soon as the guy hit the wall, his arms were suddenly pinned to it by two more of X's elastic bonds. His pose was now actually eerily reminiscent of being crucified. X then turned off the cloaking device so that he could be visible again, and generated another small X-shaped object, only this one was hardened and sharpened into what was essentially a throwing star. X threw the blade at the wall, the weapon lodging itself pretty good into the wall right next to the crook's head. X then rushed, and moved as if to make another blade for a killing stroke.

The man was about to scream but rather than be killed, his mouth was suddenly taped shut by a bonding. X had never aimed to kill him, but only make him look nice and presentable for the police when they eventually showed up. As for the x-blade that came close to killing him? That was just a statement, and pretty clear one at that. It was basically a calling card, so that Jump City would know who had done this and could be reassured that there was still at least one good person left in a dying city.

[MysT3CH]

Laying awkwardly across the queen sized mattress of Elise's bed, Avis ran his hand along her freckled cheek. Glancing down at her as she snuggled against his him, his heavy jacket now replacing the red robe she wore over her bare skin. Having been half leaning against her bedroom wall, he watched the screen of her mounted TV with departed interest, flicking from channel to channel as he listened to her oral report on physics. After another minute Elise began running her hand up and down his stomach, tracing his abs through his shirt as she concluded her report.

"So, how was it?" Having only listened to the main points and notations, his answer was a type of half truth.

"Good. I'd revise that bit about the Gravity being 'the greatest joker' though." Again he shot her a glance, smirking as he waited for her response.

"Why? Gravity is unidirectional, it is attractive only. There is no equal and opposite anti-gravity." Playfully, she pounded on his chest. She then rolled over to her stomach, quite exaggeratedly, and pressed her bare chest against his as she smiled and looked to him.

He simply raised his left brow, letting his eyes roll as he issued his response. "Recall that there’s gravity, time and entropy. If we look at gravity and time, you get a lopsided, unidirectional relationship. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity tells us that the higher the gravitational field, the slower time passes. However, the passage of time influences gravity not a bit. Gravity gets neither stronger nor weaker with the passage of time.

If we look at the relationship between gravity and entropy, we'll find gravity has no apparent broad-brush effect on the natural decay of the universe from order to disorder. Entropy in turn can’t affect gravity because gravity itself just is; it has no more or less order today than it did yesterday. However, when gravity becomes extreme, say when you form a Black Hole, what you get in the center, the heart of a Black Hole, is a singularity which is about as uniform a bit of stuff as you are ever likely to encounter. Well, uniformity is in fact the highest state of entropy – maximum disorder – that you can obtain. You can’t get more disordered than something which is one hundred percent uniform, for example like the ultimate ‘Heat Death’ of the Universe. A singularity has no structure, no architecture, and no distinguishing features that can further degrade into something even more disordered and bland.

Which leaves time and entropy. Time flows in one direction; entropy flows in one direction. However, in some cases, one can change the direction of a small bit of entropy albeit while adding to its general unidirectional flow in a broader context. For example, one can assemble a jigsaw puzzle, going from an initial disordered state to a more ordered state. However, that’s at the expense of energy expenditure on your part, ordered energy that has been transferred now into energy that’s no longer available to you after-the-fact – an overall increase in the disorder of the universe even if a small part of the universe, the completed jigsaw puzzle, has locally reversed the general trend. That’s not a trade-off that’s possible with time. You can’t grow a bit younger at the expense of making something else grow a bit older a bit faster.

Thus, time is the ultimate joker in that it’s unidirectional everywhere for everyone. And despite all the speculation about physics allowing time travel to the past, we just don’t see time travellers from the future coming around to gawk at their primitive ancestors. Even taking into consideration Stephen Hawking’s 'Chronology Protection Conjecture'."

Elise sighed, loosing a "whatever". She had crawled up his frame as to kiss his lips, but with a tug Avis moved away. Sitting up before gently setting her aside as to hop off of the bed. A worried look lined her face.

"I have to go." While he offered her no verbal explanation, he let his eyes lead hers to the new feed upon the TV. Kissing her forehead reassuringly, Avis then turned as to exit the room. When she whistled after him and threw him his jacket, he merely sighed. Annoyed by the fact that, yet again, he was unable to stay.

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Clandestinely perched upon a nearby roof, hidden among the shadows by his black suit. Avis, as Dirge, watched perspicaciously as several members of the J.C.P.D. finally managed to pry a terrified crook from a wall illuminated by the headlights of they're cruisers. From his seated position upon the building's ledge, Avis then languidly let his left heel repetitively kick off of the wall. A frown lining his face beneath the visored mask covering his face. Red X. The name had haunted him for weeks, along with the question he had longed to ask him since the first time he had seen his masked face. How had he survived? A wayward flash of light caused Dirge to alter his gaze.

Convinced he had missed him, Avis quickly wrote off the trip as a waste. Thus, using the one leg actually on the ledge, stood. Rancorously, upon it he paced. Debating whether or not to pursue the ghost of a man apparently aiding in the city's protection. Albeit in a very ironic, loudly mysterious kind of way. Having finally made up his mind to do so, the masked teen quickly threw himself of the side of the building into a darkened alleyway. Executing a series of Gainers and Saltos as he made his descent prior to landing squarely upon the seat of his black BMW bike. A vehicle he had shamelessly come to call "The Coronach" during the few weeks he had spent as a crime fighter. Revving the engine, effectively causing the bike's engine to release a hum-like growl, Avis then raised the stand and made his way towards Titan's Tower.

[Amodeus]

Amodeus watched intently as his "savior" dispatched the remaining robber. She said something, but in the haze crowding his mind he didn't really hear. He was furious with himself. His first attempt at cleaning this place up and he had almost succeeded. He just had to remember that he wasn't God, and to be more careful. She watched as she threw objects at the man, seemingly using only her mind and waves of her hands. Well, if I have powers, and this girl has some sort of ability as well, maybe they're coming back....

He took her outstreched hand, pulling himself up. She had begun removing her makeup for some reason, and though she just did him a huge favor, there was no way he was removing his mask. "Aeterna. Thank you," Amodeus said plainly, voice muffled. He pushed his bokken back into his belt loop, feeling that he wouldn't need it out in front of this girl. Another naive move, to trust a stranger with abilities like him, but he assumed she wasn't looking to hurt him. Besides, she had just greatly helped. He stared into her eyes from behind his mask, looking for her to give away anything without speaking. It was no use, though. Her body language was a closed book.
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a card. It was the size of a business card, and only had a triskelion on it, but Amodeus grabbed a pen and scrawled his number into the white card stock. He had intended to leave these, blank, at would-be crime scenes to "make his mark", but this victory was not his. He held it out for her to take, and when she grabbed it, he simply said "Call me," and flashed out of the building, heading for his apartment. He broke into an open sprint as he reached the ground outside, not wanting to be followed.

He reached his house, and flopped down on his bed. He was tired, bruised, both physically, and with a battered ego. He grabbed ice from his freezer to place against the swelling forming on his head. At least he could treat the physical symptoms of having his ass handed to him. He took some ibuprofen, and laid back. Flipping through the TV, a news story caught his attention; that of a criminal bound by some red material with a red x placed nearby. He remembered there had been a Red X in the legends, but he never expected this. Resolving to find some answers tomorrow, he switched off the set. He eventually nodded off to some much needed sleep, the image of that girl's smeared make-up and red hair still burned into his mind.

[XxSkittlezxX]

As his mostly gloved hand wrapped around hers, she pulled him gently to his feet and released her grip. The slight contact had only given her a second or so of emotion that quickly faded before she had time to decipher it. She blinked away the moment as he studied her. Decisively, he pulled out some sort of odd business card and scrawled something onto it.

"Call me," he said, handing the card to her. She looked down to it, it held his number and a symbol similar to that of his mask. While distracted, a flash appeared in her peripheral vision and when she looked back up to him, he had vanished.

"Right," she mumbled, tucking the card into her jeans pocket. She continued wiping the make up off her face before exiting, so as not to attract any unnecessary attention. She returned to the cafe, just as they were about to close and the barista handed Ali her camera and offered her a smile and "Have a nice night!". Sweet girl.

For the second time that night, she entered her apartment, placing her camera on the counter and the card on the fridge. Emma wouldn't notice it, she wasn't very observant. Ali stashed her things back in her room and tossed her clothes into the laundry. She should start taking her suit with her, but it seemed like such a hassel for the occasional mishap. She changed and dropped onto their couch, flipping through channels. She stopped at a news report displaying the man she'd scared off earlier. He had been subdued. But not by herself, and she assumed not by the man she assisted. This seemed to be a new character. Perhaps a bit more organized that herself or the other. They were calling him "Red X". As she watched the story unfold, she drifted off to an uneasy slumber.

Ali awoke somewhere between seven and eight the next morning, when Emma switched off the screen. Emma quickly offered an apology and Ali waved it away, thanking her for not letting her sleep any longer on the stiff furniture. Emma nodded and left as Ali approached the fridge, sliding the card out from under the other papers and tapping it into the touchpad apartment line. The call went to voicemail after only a few rings and she rubbed her forehead in doubt.

"Hi, I really hope my call didn't wake you. If it did, I'm incredibly sorry. Anyways, we met last night and you asked me to call you so I obliged. If you want to talk you can give me a call and we can make plans or whatever you'd be comfortable with," she began. Hesitating, she gave her nickname and cell number before ending the message. Unfortunately, she had quite a few hours left to kill before the midday shift. She sighed and set to work cleaning the apartment until she could start to get ready for work.

[Shoryu]

Dushir was doing as he often would during the dark nights of this town, wandering aimlessly in search of something fun, trodding about with headphones on and thick clothing to 'keep warm', even though he knew he wouldn't need it, for pretty much the exact same reason that he didn't seem to sleep much. His clothing was all nice and black as well, though some red was present it was also quite dark, making him considerably difficult to see as he weaved about through the back alleys of Jump city, humming quietly to himself as the music quietly played as 'background' for his nightly romps.

It didn't take him long to come across an alley through which he could hear considerable noise and see a number of flashing lights, and upon more direct investigation at the other end and across a street he could see a number of police stopped at a convenience store over there packing some unconscious men into their cars. "Hmm, That's different, the cops actually doing their jobs for once? What a... ohhhh." He noticed one of the carrying a red X shaped object in his hand "Heh, cute, 'him' again, I'd be dissapointed in them if I wasn't already smart enough to know the cops are too corrupt to do their jobs without someone making it as easy as being a chauffer to the scum of the city."

He paused then as he happened to barely notice a shadow move atop one of the buildings, barely noticeable at all with the flashing police lights in the way, but it was a distinct hint to those who are used to walking the night, and a grin crossed his face, about to take a step around the corner when he heard a sudden click and felt something pressed up to his head. "Well kid, you look like you gotta have at least a 'little' cash, how boutcha cough it up and I won't splatter you allover the alley." His smile turned quickly into a frown as he gave a little sigh to this and replied.

"Sorry to disappoint you getaway driver, but I haven't got a single solid bill... However, I do have something you would probably want to have 'more' than money." In that instant he pushed back against the barrel of the gun, his hair turning pitch black suddenly and pouring over the metallic object, invading it's mechanism and rendering it completely useless as the man in black let out a frightful scream and jerked his hand away before it could be devoured. He let the gun clatter to the ground as he turned his head to look back at the man, a psychotic grin on his face that hinted at a form of deadly insanity, of course 'he' knew it was just an act. "Best you get over there and turn yourself in... I'm sure you'd like to avoid becoming a snack wouldn't you?" He was bluffing, he wouldn't devour someone, but he was good at faking it at least.

And so, A moment later a sixth man dressed like the other robbers came running and screaming out of the alley towards the cops shouting something similar to 'SAVE ME, TAKE ME IN', And Dushir moved on with a little chuckle, starting to ponder what to do with the rest of his night, having little else to do aside from wander, and once he was in the next alley over, barely spotting something in the distance over the skyline of the buildings that gave him an idea. "Well... I'm just being useless again, Why not do something fun tonight?" What he was looking at was Titan's tower, a place he'd never bothered to investigate, usually figuring it was either abandoned and useless, or inhabited by someone who wouldn't want visitors... Of course tonight he was feeling adventurous, and little can really get the blood flowing quite like having a gun pressed to the back of your head. Which lead him to the docks where he could see the tower on the little island across the water, pondering various methods to get there, though also right out in the open of a random pier where anyone who looked could see him standing in the moon-light.