Location: Local Department Store
Time:1:30pm

David stood amidst the ruined shopping aisle, various products lay scattered around, some were battered but intact with only a few scratches or small dents indicating anything had happened. Most looked as if they had been thrown and dragged around the entire store, existing now in multiple pieces, or thrown out of their containers and scattered into the surrounding area as a part of the debris. The aisle shelves bowed outwards slightly to reflect the damage from the earlier supersonic screaming, and the lighting fixtures in the area blinked incessantly as if desperate to stay on. The floor tiles were also scattered into dozens of tiny pieces, along with being turned into finely crushed powder from underneath David’s feet as he slid. He turned around to face the voice from earlier; David knew he was in trouble, the other man seemed to fancy himself as a hero as well, only he seemed to be lacking in costume and appearance with only his welding mask offering any real protection.

“Listen to me; this is all a big misunderstanding!” David pleaded, he really didn’t want to get into a fight with a hero, it certainly wasn't the ideal debut.

“A misunderstanding huh? You look at this aisle, and tell me that this is a misunderstanding.” The man spoke back accusingly.

David wanted to explain himself, but trying to blame it on a bird lady with no witnesses wasn’t going to help him. But it seems the man no longer had any intention of talking and flew into a dive, aiming to drive his fists into David’s chest. David swiftly raised his arms up to block the man as he rammed into him, as their bodies collided David was thrown through the wall and outside, leaving an more than obvious hole in he wall. The hero that had just hit him followed after him in the air, clearly intent on continuing the fight outside.

Outside a small number of police cars blocked off a part of the road, apparently ready to move inside had they been called inside. Thanks to the hit from the earlier hero David was on course to crash right into a car and the men hiding behind it. So he desperately tried to correct himself mid-air somehow, and from what he believed to be a miracle or luck, David was able to adjust his body so he was now facing the road. In the split-second he had, David thrust his arms out and pushed his body upwards, so that he wouldn’t come careening into the car. The back of his hand accidentally crushed a side-view mirror, and scratched the top of the car as he lifted off into the air only to be grabbed by the leg. The hero that had sent him flying had continued by following up into a spin and threw David down back towards the road. David landed leaving a small depression in the road as he bounced and skidded across the road, giving off a grunt as he crashed into the ground.

“Usually I get a name before I get rough with my partners.” David quipped as he began to rise onto his feet again; although this other hero was strong, he wasn’t tough enough that he could actually take David down like this. But between Berenice’s screaming, and this new guy’s pummeling, David was starting to feel it.

“Sledge, when you’re sitting in wherever they put super villains you can tell’em Sledge sent you.” He said, with a hint of pride in his voice, it seems he has experience in the hero world.

“Then you can call me, Terra Firma.” The name sounds cool to me, and it’s somewhat related, so let’s see if it’ll catch.

Sledge came down again, seemingly ignoring David's words, coming at him just like last time, except there was more space between them now. David narrowly dodged Sledge, grabbed him from the side, and slammed him into the ground stunning Sledge for a few seconds.

Logically there was no way the cops could tell what either hero was really like, but they apparently decided to take their chances with the human looking one as they opened fire on David. However, the bullets pelted off him harmlessly, a growing amount of bullets bounced off him and fell onto the ground. Although David was currently bulletproof, he wasn’t used to it and jumped slightly as the guns went off, instinctively using his arms to guard his head and body.

I need to get out of here, no telling how things will escalate. Not to mention that I actually don’t want to hurt anyone, much.

Sledge shook himself and rushed David with a right hook; David dodged it but received a blow to stomach for his efforts. David threw a fist out himself, and followed up with a jab to the other hero’s head. Sledge had managed to catch the first punch, but found himself surprised at the power behind it, because of this he didn’t see the other punch coming and it hit him just off the side of his face. The mask dented with an audible ‘clang’ and Sledge flew back with a guttural sound, he tried to get back up but collapsed back onto the ground after softly mumbling something.

Alright he’s down for a little while now, maybe I can use my lightning to blind everyone and get away.

David held out a hand in front of him and electricity began to crackle between his fingers for only a moment before it dissipated, as if responding to his desire a new feeling began to take hold. Streams of yellow energy gathered around his body, David began to direct them towards his hand and a yellow orb began to form itself. It grew to the size of a football before David noticed the cops yelling to each other about something. This is definitely a good time to book it.

“Don’t blink or you’ll miss this!” David shouted as he slammed he orb downwards, it exploded and a brilliant flash of light exploded outwards. David flew towards the fallen Sledge and took off with him, intent to lose any cameras following them in the alleyways. As the light dissipated the nearby cops realized both ‘metahumans’ were long gone.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Location: Park
Time:1:45pm

Sledge awoke to a man shaking him awake under the shade of a tree.

“Sir, are you alright? Were you mugged?” David asked, now human again, doing his best to keep a straight face by swarming the man with questions.

“Huh, where am I? Who are you?” Sledge asked as he groggily rubbed his face, before quickly coming to reality. He quickly patted himself down, apparently checking for his wallet and mask, both of which were in his pocket and backpack respectively. He stopped as he gingerly rubbed a new bruise on his face.

“Calm down, you're in a park. Are you missing anything, do you remember your name?”

“No,uh, I'm fine. Uh, did you see how did I got here?" Sledge asked, seemingly regaining his calm.

Damn, he didn't give his name, oh well. It's fine I guess, I did the same too. David thought to himself as he continued to act innocent.

"No I didn't, I was out here on a walk and I spotted you."

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I gotta get going but thanks for checking on me." Sledge said, seemingly earnest in his thanks, he quickly stood up and ran off.

As soon as the man was out of sight David collapsed onto the tree behind him and let out a heavy sigh. Man that was exhausting, I did that to protect your identity too, but I’m not even sure I protected mine well enough.

“Ah, wish I could call Carmine to bring me to the university. That Berenice thing left me with a killer headache." David mumbled under his breath as he massaged the side of his head.

The police cruiser stopped a few dozen yards from Nicole, at the edge of the rubble that had been strewn over the street. The spotlight on the side had focused on the remains of the restaurant, but she was still washed over by the flashing blue and red from the light bar on the top. As the two officers of the peace exited the vehicle, guns drawn, another cruiser pulled up next to the first, and the angle it stopped at left her illuminated by the headlights. She briefly considered playing possum, but that had the chance of getting her in more trouble, so she opted instead for relaxing as much as she could in her little cage and waiting for someone to notice her. She kind of wished she cut bleed, enough to at least make her look injured.

As more first responders began showing up, combing through the wreckage, they found the dead Chinese guy first, and there was a whole lot of activity suddenly. An interminably long time later (perhaps two minutes), one of the EMTs arriving on scene caught sight of her. The woman rushed over with a shout, and Nicole was now the centre of attention. The lady knelt down next to her head, staring at the bars for a second, though Nicky couldn't tell if she was analysing the situation for injuries or she was simply dumbfounded by the girl's situation. Either way, it passed quickly, and she turned to Nicky herself.

“Miss, can you hear me?” There was a bit of worry in the woman's voice, she thought, though it was mostly stoic professionalism. Might appreciate that more if I was actually in dire need.

“Yeah, yeah, I can hear you fine.” That got a facial response. She looked surprised.

“Miss, are you hurt? I can't see any blood. I'm going to check for a concussion, okay?”

“Whatever. I'm fine, just get me out of here.”

The woman looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. A flashlight was shone into Nicky's eyes, which she had to fight the urge to roll. As the light was pulled away, she saw a firefighter coming up with some sort of saw. “Oh, dude! Kick ass! Cut me out of this thing!”

Seven minutes later, two firefighters pulled the last bar away from her waist and she was free. They gripped her carefully to pull her up, but she shrugged them off and stood up herself. The medic, whose name she had learned was Tina as the lady had talked with her throughout the cutting process (or at least tried to. That thing was loud), had ceased looking surprised a few minutes ago. Now, what looked to be a detective was walking over, and Nicky was struck by how absolutely clichéd the man looked. Long brown overcoat, fluttering in the breeze of these wee hours. Fedora. Pencil and pad held out as he talked to her. But this conversation was definitely not going to go the way he wanted.

“Okay, miss, can I get your name?” He looked at her as his pen touched the paper.

“Nope.” She crossed her arms.

“I'm sorry?”

Nicky snorted. “Yeah, probably. Look,” she gestured at the ruined building. “I was on the roof. There were some assholes speaking some crazy Asian language who came out of the building and then it blew up. End of statement.”

The detective stared hard at her. It made her itch. “You were on the roof.”

“Yup.”

“Can I ask what you were doing up there?”

Nicky sighed. “Scavenging for pigeon nests. What do you think?”

The man's voice went cold as he responded. “Miss, I think you had best drop the attitude and answer my questions truthfully.”

She glared at him. Her only temporary ally Tina had already walked away to the ambulance. Alone again. “Look, man, I was trying to find a place to camp out the night, okay? I seriously do not know who those guys were.”

“Camping out? Are you homeless?”

Ohhhhhh shit. “Uhhh. No? I like exploring and I was out too late to make it home before morning.” Nicole rubbed the back of her head and tried to meet the detective's eyes. She failed. And it was obvious from the way the man was scribbling away in his stupid notebook that he hadn't bought it.

“Hmmm. Look, Miss, what's your name?” The man was almost scowling now.

Nicky decided on brazen-ness and mock sighed, “Elizabeth Maxwell.”

Did his eyes just narrow? “Alright, Miss Maxwell, until we can understand exactly what has transpired here tonight, I am afraid I am going to have to place you under arrest under suspicion of committing this act of terrorism.”

“WHAT!?”

---

She stared out at the rubble strewn street from the back seat of the patrol car as the emergency crews kept at their work. It'd been nearly an hour since the bomb had gone off, and now Nicole's entire plan had been completely thrown into shambles. She had been so careful about avoiding police and anyone else who might take her in and try to 'fix' her life. What no one was likely to understand was that her old life was over. Everyone was dead, and now she would never join them, so she was left to try and stop evil like that from ever happening again, no matter the cost.

The earthquake, when it came, was so sudden that she had little time to even understand what was happening. One minute, she was idly twisting her wrists in the handcuffs, trying to figure out if she could pry them open or not, wondering at how uncomfortable the damn things were. The next minute the whole cruiser was shaking like a bouncy castle, and there was a horrible grinding noise coming from everywhere. For a second, she thought she was being buried in rubble again, back to the Worst Day, and a scream bubbled forth unbidden from her throat.

It took her several minutes to realise that someone was shouting over her own continuing scream before she managed to stop. She had, in her terror, curled up on the back seat of the cruiser, hard plastic thing that it was, into the tightest ball she possibly could, arms still locked behind her by the cuffs. The words spoken to her started to finally filter through, and she recognised Tina the EMT's voice through the haze. “Hey! You're okay! It's over now! HEY!”

“Buhhh.” Nicky looked up. Concern was clearly all over the medic's face. “'m okay. Not hurt.”

Relief was evident. “Good. We're going to be really busy now, but I've told the detective to go ahead and take you, okay? I put in my recommendation that you still need to get some x-rays, but he said you were fine and they'd do it later.” The lady reached into a pocket, pulling out a card and pen, scribbling something on it, and then put in in Nicky's front pocket on her vest. “If they refuse any sort of medical treatment, or you just need a friend, call me, okay? I don't know where your family is, but you've obviously been through something awful. If I can't come myself, I'll find someone else who can help.”

What the hell? “Sure. Whatever.” Nicky sat up, stoic and stony-faced, and stared off through the front windscreen. Tina stared at her for a moment, sighed, and closed the door. Almost immediately after, the detective climbed into the car, and they were off in antagonistic silence.


21:12

I hate my life, Nicky thought to herself as she sat on the rough metal bench of the holding cell, back against the cold concrete bricks of the rear wall. She stared out through the bars into the nerve centre of the Lost Haven police department, currently in a panic as they tried to coordinate recovery efforts across the entire city. Apparently that hadn't just been a localised earthquake like she had thought. Uniforms were racing back and forth, and dispatchers were literally sweating. It looked like the entire force was here, though they must have had other precincts. She idly wondered exactly what had happened, since even the walls here showed a few signs of damage, and the power flickered intermittently.

She was brought out of her own mind by a rough shove on her shoulder and a growling voice that she hadn't heard, but had apparently been talking to her for a while. “Hey, you listening, bitch? I said that's my spot!”

The holding cell was full of troublemakers, but this one, specifically, had eyed her from the moment she had been unceremoniously pushed through the cell door. The woman was huge, covered in tattoos and more than a bit homely. Scars on her face said she was probably a fighter, maybe a boxer. And she had apparently taken exception to Nicky's presence. Two smaller women who looked, if anything, nastier than their boss stood behind her. The rest of the cell's population, perhaps a dozen or so, looked on with something like hunger, waiting for the beating to commence. Nicky sighed.

“I sat here. Obviously, it's my spot.” She crossed her arms, staring up at the frankly mountainous woman. She might've been intimidated before she was cursed, but now it was almost funny.

“What'd you say, bitch?” Nicky saw her fist bunch up. Not a talker, then. She let herself fall as the swing came, letting the woman's fist slam into the wall instead of her face. Rotating on her hip, she lashed out with both feet as hard as she could and caught the woman in the thighs, shoving her back into her cohorts. One of whom pulled a knife from some hidden spot and rushed at her. Nicky was tempted to grab it, but decided to concentrate on the big one. She sat back up, gathered her feet under her, and launched herself at the fighter as she recovered her balance. She vaguely felt the pressure of the knife as it bit into her side, but she knew it didn't do anything and ignored it.

Within seconds she had ridden the woman back to the ground, knees on her chest, and was attempting, with gusto, to beat the back of her head through the concrete floor. She could hear cheers from the onlookers and shouts from the officers outside, but it all fell away as she lost herself, once again, in the fight. Several points of pressure impact hit her back, probably the knife again, but all of her focus was on taking down this bitch that had tried to punch her.

It took three officers to haul her off the woman as they poured into the cell. She grinned in grim satisfaction as she noted that her other two opponents were on the ground twitching, and the big one wasn't moving much except to try and cover her head from an opponent no longer attacking her. But her view was quickly cut off as she was dragged out of the holding area and brought into an interrogation room. The officers chained her new set of cuffs they placed on her to the table, and backed out warily, muttering to themselves. It took Nicole a minute to figure out why.

Several wires were dangling from her clothes, like some sort of weird silly string. Tasers she thought. That's why those other two were twitching. Ha! Those don't work on me either, huh? Now she knew why the officers had been worried about her. She glared at the one-way window, more angry than before. “They started it!” she shouted, hauling at the cuffs uselessly. She might be tough, but she wasn't all that strong. “I was just defending myself!” There was no response.

SHIT. Now they know I'm a meta, too. Sonofabitch. Think, Nicole! What the hell should you do? She rolled her eyes at herself. Break out and run for it, obviously. Duh. They were probably contacting some sort of containment unit for freaks like her. Oh shit, what if they think I'm a fuckin' villain!? She needed to handle this now. And there was only one name she knew off the top of her head.

"Hey, HEY! SHITHEADS! I know you can hear me, motherfuckers! Get me Icon! I'm only gonna talk to a hero! You shits don't know your assholes from your fucking elbows!" She thrashed violently, managing only to tip over the chair she had been sat at, leaving her dangling from the cuffs and sprawled along the floor. The fighting spirit hadn't left her yet, and she was seeing red, now. How had life gotten this unfair? "ICON! I WANNA TALK TO THAT FUCKER!"

Kelly filled up eight more glasses of water for the n’teenth time already from their kitchen tap water. After the first few trips between the kitchen and the couch, she decided that it would be far easier and more efficient to carry the glasses with her two additional arms while she was in her wasp form. With each of her thumbs and index fingers clamping together the rims of two cups, Kelly carefully carried the water over to where Taylor was sitting, whom Kelly, Sammy, and Zac first thought was some sort of slime monster.

At first, the three of them tried to give Taylor a blanket to wrap around herself. However, they soon discovered that the moisture generated from Taylor’s body would soak the blanket. After much trial and error (and of course Kelly placing one of her four hands over Zac’s eyes), they finally found that a water-resistant tarp would do the trick. They also had her rest her feet in a bucket so that she would not waterlog their living room floor.

Although she had regained an almost regular human appearance, Taylor still had some uncanny attributes. While she did retain the apricot hue, her entire body was semi-transparent. With this said, even with her skin’s transparency, you could not see any bones or internal organs, even though you could see a faint outline of your hand if you were to place it behind her. If it were not for the fact that her body was not collapsing upon itself, one might have guessed that she did not have these internal features. Her eyes also were only made of a single color that matched her skin. While she had defined eyes, with eyelids and all, Taylor had no iris nor pupil.

“So…” Taylor began to speak after she took another sip of water that she received from Kelly. “How do you guys hide your, um, powers?”

“Oh, we have these wristbands that suppresses our abilities.” Kelly slipped off the wristband from her arm. Since she had already deactivated the device, nothing happened to her appearance when she removed it from her wrist. “Maybe we should see if it works on you, too.”

Kelly then handed her power-nullifier over to Taylor, who slid the device over her wrist. For a moment, the device restored Taylor’s original appearance. However, while Taylor was placing the device around her wrist, her liquidy skin had already began to cover the device. After one small spark, her regular human appearance disappeared and her metahuman one returned. When she pulled the device from her wrist, the four of them saw that it was covered with a goo that Taylor’s skin consisted of.

“Sorry.” Taylor apologized for the condition in which she returned Kelly’s power-nullifier.

“Don’t worry.” Zac said, “That’s the second one Kelly has gone through.”

“Zac!” Kelly tossed a pillow from the living room couch in response to Zac little dig. “I didn’t have any control over the first one being snipped!”

“Just calling it how I see it.” Zac held up his wrist, which also had a power-nullifier that was near identical to the one that Kelly had. “I still have my first one.”

“That’s SO impressive!” Kelly rolled her eyes and then gave a smirk at her boyfriend.

“They’re just both jealous that they don’t have bling that masks powers.” Sammy whispered to Taylor from behind the couch while showing the ring on her finger.

“God, don’t get her started on Lyger. She’s supposed to have ended that obsession.” Zac shook his head in disappointment.

“Anyways.” Kelly glared at both Zac and Sammy. “If you want, you’re welcome to come to a little support group for any victims of the incident in Washington Park. I can let you know when we finalize the details.”

“I’ll think about it.” Taylor told Kelly.

“You also have to promise to keep our identities secret.”

“You mean your identity. I think it is public knowledge that Sammy and I are metahumans.”

“Same difference.”

“One question.” Taylor asked.

“Yes?” Zac and Kelly answered at the same time.

“Do you mind if I go home now?”

“I’ll give you a ride, since Zac is so worried about his secret identity.” Kelly hopped up from her chair and grabbed the car keys from the kitchen counter. “Love you, Zac.”

Collab between @Fdeviant, @Luna, and me

Yeong slowly pulled her body from the water, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of Ben, granted right now her mood was very sour. She felt the frustration slowly creep up her body as she continued to scan the area. The woman released a growl as she shook her fur fairly violent way. Yes, this was technically would really help with the soaked fur or even the much hated wet dog smell, but in its own way it did kinda help clear her head. Though it wasn't that much.

WheRe did the plan go wrong? Did the young pup already seen that coming? No that wasn't it. Most times when a young werewolf turned they would see what looked like flashes or sometimes they don't remember at all. The girl slowly replayed the scene inside her head as she activated her element. In a way she already knew when it had gone wrong, making Yeong finally understand why Ji always scolded her. It wasn't the movements that made things go wrong. It was her thought process. More accurately it was the fact the older werewolf had gotten way too cocky.

Ji sighed as she finally grabbed her bag. She hated flying planes, so stressful and time consuming. She had just returned to her birth place to make sure check up on their parents. It was sort of a every other month sort of thing for her to do. Reaching the outside, she looked for her sister who she hoped remember to pick her up this time and sighed. Once again she would have to call for a taxi to get her home.

She took out her phone and opened her private conversation with her sister. ’I'm at the airport. I'm getting a taxi to pick me up so don't worry about coming to get’

The woman’s ear twitched as she shook her head. For once the girl had grabbed her phone and now she was starting to regret it. The wolf walked over towards it, mentally happy the fur was at least dry enough to handle things. Her paws slowly reached for the zipper and pulled it back. She took out her phone from the front pocket and wrinkled her muzzle. ”Now she decides to return.” the girl thought to herself.

”Sorry sis. I promise I didn't forget. It's Ben’s first full moon and I went to check on him. Though the little troublemaker has escaped my clutches. I'm sorry for what I said and I now understand what you mean about me being childish. I'm asking your help on this one.” The woman texted.

Ji saw the message and raised a brow. Didn't forget, seems like she did. She wanted to smile when she saw the other half of the text. Finally, she gotten her sister to admit her childish ways. She sighed. ’Looks like I won't be relaxing tonight. I better go find the new born’ Calling for a cab’s attention, she walked over putting her bag in the open trunk.

’I'm going home and taking the car to search for him’ Ji got into the taxi and told the driver where to go.

Marie descended unto the lofty mansion below. Her flight from the city had left her winded. Hours she had spent investigating only to have to fly back to the valley to locate Ben’s home. She took a moment to catch her breath before inspecting the house.

And an impressive house it was. Marie peered through the windows to see an expensive labyrinth of vintage and modern decor, all lining the halls of what was already a beautiful shell. She should have expected as much from the DA’s salary. Which also made it all the more awkward for her to simply knock on the door to check if Ben were home.

Marie had come in full White Witch attire and it was still months away from Halloween. If the folk of New York hadn’t yet heard of the White Witch (or been privy to the innumerable costume changes she had made since her involvement with Pax Metahumana), then whomever answered the door might think her a madwoman. Not to mention, Ben’s family may have been painfully unaware of his lunar changes. No, stealth had to be Marie’s primary objective lest she arouse suspicion or stir panic.

With a swift jump, broom adjacent to her body, she glided safely onto the roof, Holt perched on her right shoulder as a jet-black raven, more tangible than he normally preferred. The pair moved atop the house, making their way to the pack patio where the pool, a bright blue gem illuminated by a plethora of lights, resided. There she caught a glimpse of one of the twins she had met earlier that day, though Marie couldn’t have known just by looking at her, for she held the appearance of a wolf. Marie gasped silently, covering her mouth and trying to keep quiet as she moved about the roof to observe the wolf’s actions.

Yeong glared at the device for a few seconds as her mind slowly scanned through a mental list of tasks. There had be so many things she wanted to tell her sibling right now but she knew that getting to Ben was much more important. Her right paw slammed into the ground, not hard enough to cause any sort of damage, but enough to help relieve some frustration from earlier events. The woman’s other paw carefully scooped up the device and replaced it where it was originally before zipping the bag back into place.

The wolf knew that she would at least need the blanket though the bag would have to wait. Yes, it wasn't quite the smartest thing to do but there wasn't really any time to actually bring the stupid thing with her. And right now every second counted. She inhaled the young man’s scent, grasping the old blanket within her mouth, as her form turned towards where his paw prints lead. Usually the girl would use her sense of smell but in a way she wanted to attempt to follow the paw prints until they disappeared.

The reason for this was just in case something has decided to appear and follow the girl’s path. Though with all the killings she had been reading in the newspaper it wasn't unlikely there was at least another werewolf in New York. Something that very much spelled trouble for those in hiding. The wolf’s figure continued to walk, stopping only when a new scent filled her nose, making her use her magic. The dark blue glow slowly streaked through her fur as the air around her picked up after a subtle movement.

Marie held her place, noticing the wolf's sudden change in behavior.

I believe it has picked up on your scent. Holt invaded Marie’s mind with his warning, slowly shifting from tangible to ethereal.

Marie lowered herself in response, trying to remain unseen. She felt more knowledgeable thanks to her counsel with the German witches of the Hudson Valley, but that information was not also backed by centuries of exposure to and interaction with Old World lycanthropes, and it was entirely possible that the wolf in front of her was of an entirely different breed given its strange magical aptitude. She was also unsure of how far along in transformation this wolf was. A fledgeling wolf could be either dangerous or skittish, and with the mannerisms of mature wolves she was altogether unfamiliar.

I don’t believe the wolf down there is Ben. Marie thought to Holt. If it were, he would have been more aware of my scent, the pull of my magic. This wolf seems more defensive than intrigued.

Marie was surprised with herself. That was a fair assessment of the situation given her lack of previous understanding on the topic of werewolves.

Holt tipped his beak in a sort of nod, agreeing with Marie.

In that case, we will have to proceed with greater caution. This wolf could very well be the target of our investigation. And if this is an Alpha, it will no doubt be highly aggressive.

Marie ended her mental conversation with her familiar, continuing to inspect the wolf’s behavior. She steeled herself for a fight, tensing her muscles and focusing her intent in case she had been discovered.

A new scent seeping into the werewolf’s nose caused the fur on her back and neck to stand up on end. Her brown eyes jerked to the right side of the opened area, gradually shifting towards the left side, as if searching for some invisible wall that was keeping her from moving another inch. Mentally the young woman knew it was familiar in some way though due to all the newly gained stress, she couldn't quite wrap her finger around it.

Yeong took another step forward and waited for the person to move. Her brown eyes scanned the area in front of her first in order to see if there was something unusual. Once she was positive everything was clear she turned her body to the right, catching a glimpse of a woman with an odd outfit. The girl’s muscles tensed up as she released a warning growl, only to mentally regret it when the person’s amulet come into view. The woman stood there glaring into the other woman’s eyes, as if searching for the reason she was here, only to turn her head towards the right side.

The wolf’s eyes turned back to the girl, glowing a light blue, as a gust of wind picked up towards her, not enough to cause any harm but to use as a distraction. Her body dashed towards the street hoping the person wouldn't caught up anytime soon. And if she did then Yeong would have to attempt to lose her once more.

Marie was taken aback by the strange gust of wind, momentarily stunned. It was a familiar feeling. It was then that Marie realized who she was dealing with.

This wolf, it’s one of those twins we saw at the museum, she conjured the winds as she came to Ben’s aid. Marie felt slightly relieved having come to this conclusion, though Holt quickly snapped her back into reality.

Even so, we know not how far along in her transformations she is. She could very well be a threat in her current state Given her magical talents, it is still best that we pursue her and confirm her identity.

Right, Marie thought, quickly mounting her broom, Holt taking his place at the mantle above a dimly lit lantern that acted as his spirit vessel. The pair sped off the roof and through the air, Holt directing Marie and tracing Yeong’s movements.

Eventually, Yeong came into view, Marie and Holt not too far behind.

The werewolf glanced behind her, content with the results the distraction brought to light. She growled once again, turning into another allway, while keeping as much in the shadows as possible, though where she was beginning to head down this protection would be less scattered. The woman’s paw nearly planted down as second thoughts flood her mind.

In a way the girl was very curious of why the person was following her. On the other hand she wished the woman would just disappear and move on.

” Do I continue on my way are do I go backwards towards the mansion? I mean it’s kinda annoying turning back into a human and then back into a wolf while there’s a full moon out...granted if I had a choice this is how I would stay. Let’s just get this over with.” Yeong thought to herself as she crept away from the light.

She placed the blanket into her paw, in order to get a much better grip, before placing the object back into her mouth. The wolf then looked towards Marie and jerked her head to the right. She then shifted right and tracked back towards the way they came. Once they arrived the woman laid on the ground taking about five minutes to turn back into a human. She placed the blanket in her hands and glanced towards the girl, not bothering to cover herself in anyway.

” You have my attention. Now what do you want?”

Marie was stunned by Yeong’s swift transformation, but happy to see that her assumption had been correct. She lowered herself onto the ground to confront the girl, trying to ignore her lack of modesty.

”Sorry to have interrupted your evening and giving you the chase. You may not recognize me in this costume, but we’ve met once before. I was there in the museum with you, your sister, and Ben. The White Witch is what I go by when dressed up like this, your name is Yeong, right?”

”You didn't really ruin my evening. As for the chase young lady, there wasn't much of one.” Yeong commented as she readjusted her stance. When her name was mentioned her eyes glared.” This depends on what exactly you want. Though I am grateful you helped Ji.””

Young lady? Marie thought to herself, knowing full and well that she was at least three or four years older than Yeong. She decided not to comment, however, attributing Yeong’s brazenness to her lycanthropy.

”I’ll get straight to it then.” Marie began, pulling out a few notes she took while investigating the fresh kill in the city. ”I’ve been looking into some recent disappearances since we last saw each other. Rumor has it that an Alpha has been terrorizing certain areas of New York, killing civilians, or turning them, and inviting young wolves into his pack. This particular kill, however, was sloppy. I figured it was either the Alpha being careless . . . or a young wolf who didn’t know what they were doing, and I think we both know someone who fits that description.”

It felt wrong to accuse Ben of such a horror, but she had no other leads. Though Yeong might not take it well, Marie hoped that she would understand how and why Marie had come to that conclusion.

The woman growled at the accusation, her eyes glancing towards the witch. There was no way that child slipped past them. If not them then that blasted organization. Not adding most of those kills were way out of his territory. This was because of a stupid werewolf Alpha who couldn't keep his fucking paws off of humans. People who never wanted this...this curse or gift to others. Why didn't they understand that human lives were nothing to play with.

” I hate to break it to you but Ben isn't your problem. What he does isn't your concern either. It's my sister’s and mine. There will not or ever be the three of us helping him through this little problem. Honestly I doubt that the teenager had a choice in this but by god he’ll learn to embrace it. Now run alone and go play dress up and leave the boy to me. Unless you want some trouble.” she growled.

The woman didn't wait for a response as she brushed by her. The only time she did turn around was to make one final comment. ” Any wolf can make a mistake in a pact. Even an alpha who thinks turning any aged kid is a great idea.”

We don’t have time for this! Marie sent Holt a mental message, visibly fuming from her conversation with Yeong. I didn’t come all this way to be yelled at by some hormonal wolf, I’ve got a job to do.

Remain calm, Holt replied, at the moment, she is our only lead. We can’t afford to lose contact with one of the few wolves who could be involved.

Marie nodded as if she understood, but walked angrily after Yeong anyway.

”Look,” Marie began, keeping pace with Yeong but remaining slightly behind her, ”I didn’t ask to be sent to New York to deal with the complicated lives of a bunch of teen wolves. This isn’t the direction I thought this day would take, but here we are. And you’re wrong, apparently all of this is my concern; I’ve had about three different supernatural entities giving me vague hints about my future that all lead me here, and the only thing happening in this godforsaken town is a turf war with werewolves, so I’m guessing I’m meant to be involved . . .”

”You think you're the only ones who have it hard? We never wanted to come to New York. We never wanted to have a brand new werewolf one our hands. We never wanted for everything to go wrong back in our old home but guess what shit happens. Now you either run along and keep away from my sister and Ben or I take care of you here and now.” Yeong growled as she continued walking. So far the woman hadn't been able to scare her, which wasn't unusual. Though right now she wished for the person to leave. Far away before she lost her temper completely.

Marie stopped, the realization finally hitting her.

”Oh, I am such an idiot!” she exclaimed, placing a hand on her forehead.

Holt gave her a puzzled look.

The werewolf glanced over her shoulder towards the girl.

”Of course I’m involved because Ben can sense magic, that’s why Puck sent us here. He knew that Ben was involved in this alpha nonsense that I would run into him again.” Marie spoke outloud to Holt, looking like a madwoman to Yeong. Regardless, she continued.

”He wants me to use Ben to find Gwyneth’s things. He identified the Eye for me, it stands to reason that he could do the same with the others.”

Holt opened his beak as if to respond to Marie, but was suddenly overcome by something else. He flew three times around Marie and Yeong, becoming more visible with each pass. On the final turn, he stopped in front of Yeong and Marie, still in the form of a raven. When he opened his mouth, it wasn’t Holt’s voice they heard, but Ben’s.

”Alright, it seems two ‘magicians’ have saved me from a vampire and taking me to Nevada… They need my help or so they say, I don’t fully trust them.”

After Holt had relayed the message, he took his place on Marie’s shoulder once more.

The girl shook her head attempting to piece things inside her mind. First off this human was speaking nonsense. Accusing Ben of killings that had been going on since the teen had been turned. Yes, this would make the young man a worthy suspect but he wasn't an alpha and from her and Ji’s experiences only a alpha could cause this much fuss. Then again no werewolves were known to be in New York City.

Second off the woman’s bird just spoke. Until the message it hadn't spoke a single thing. Not natural for one of Mother Nature’s creatures.

So much information to process and not enough time to process it. The woman mumbled under her breathe, using the blanket to cover herself with, then spoke with a little softer tone.

”Look. I don't have anything against you personally but I've learned long ago not to trust anyone but my sister. If you're going to keep stuck to that boy like glue than we need to know each other. Granted it will take me time to learn to trust you and Ben.”

It’s not her trust I’m interested in, Marie sent a venomous thought to Holt, preparing herself for flight after hearing Ben’s message. She might have expected Yeong to react more strongly given the information they had just received; she and Ben must not know one another well enough.

We may have need of her yet, Holt replied atop Marie’s shoulder. It would appear that she and Ben are poorly acquainted, but her sister may be more familiar with the young wolf. Perhaps we should involve the other twin so as to retain Ben’s trust, lest he look upon you coldly for your eager dismissal of his allies.

As much as it pained Marie to admit it, Holt was right. Turning her back on Yeong and her sister now would be irresponsible and a poor move if she intended on receiving Ben’s help later on. Staying in the good graces of his friends, who would no doubt follow him wherever he went and in whomever else’s company, was her best chance at convincing him to aid in her quest.

Marie took a deep breath.

”I know that today has been busy for all of us. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you and your sister, becoming part of a world so few understand, taking on more responsibility than what should be expected of you at your age. And for Ben, to have his world turned upside down, ripped right out from under him. I know that I haven’t been the most forthcoming, but right now trust that all I want is to make sure Ben is safe. I promise you, I will explain everything to you, your sister, and Ben once we find him. In fact, I’m sure she would want to help. It seems like she’s spent more time around him.”

Marie spoke with genuine sympathy and hints of true remorse. She could feel herself falling deeper into her obsessions, blind to the effect on those around her. If she was to continue this race to find Gwyneth, she would need allies. Now was the time to start building bridges.

Yeong listened while mentally rolling her eyes. Ji may have been fooled by this act but not her. Being the youngest twin ment that the world was much clearer. How it truly ran and what it expected out of those who lived there. Her eyes glanced toward the southern area before mumbling something under her breathe. The young woman knew she would regret this decision but what other choice was there. One that didn’t add to Ji’s already foul mood.

[color=mintcream]” Fine then but first off there are going to be rules set down. First off I’m taking you to our apartment blindfolded. As well as your little pet bird. Second if you make a mess of our home you clean it right away. My sister is bit of a clean freak. Thirdly you do as we tell you. No high road.” the young woman said while gathering her things.

Marie nodded reluctantly, mentally scoffing at Yeong’s demands.

She truly believes she has the upper-hand, Marie thought to Holt. Again, she assumed it was her age and her lycanthropy, but also hilarious amounts of ignorance. Marie knew that a blindfold would have no affect on Holt, but she didn’t let on otherwise.

Shows what she knows about this world. Remain vigilant while she carts me away. If she tries anything, stop her.

Holt nodded.

Of course, Holt sent a mental reply, remaining tangible and visible so as to be blindfolded by Yeong.

Yeong tore some of the blanket, tightening it so it wouldn’t fall off, and then tied the bird up. It’s wings were close to his body making movement a bit harder than usual. The young woman also tied it’s beak closed before wrapping it”s eyes. The girl walked them in different directions, trying to make them disoriented, then took the two inside where her twin was.

After seeing the news reports about the attacks perpetrated by the Hounds of Humanity, Icon had taken to the skies above Lost Haven in search of any sign of the hate group. While he did not find any trace of the Hounds of Humanity, he did find evidence of the minor earthquake that had hit Lost Haven, and as the reports came in, just about everywhere else on Earth as well. He didn’t know what had caused the quake, but he knew that chances were, sooner rather than later he would have to deal with whatever, or for that matter, whoever was responsible. For the most part, the damage to the city had been minimal, however, there was some minor damage done. Cracks appeared in some building foundations and some street lights and signs had been knocked over. However, some of the older or less structurally sound buildings suffered more damage. One such building, a low income housing apartment building on the outskirts of Little Ulster had half of the building collapse. The building itself, Skyview Apartments had been close to condemnation for years, however, through some sort of miracle, or more likely the greasing of the appropriate palms, the place managed to stay open. Unfortunately in a city full of superheroes battling super villains, demons and cosmic entities, a minor earthquake was enough to fell the entire façade of the building. Rescue workers were already on the scene when Icon arrived, having pulled the majority of the residents from the rubble. Icon went to work immediately, pulling bricks and beams from the remains of the building, helping some of the trapped residents get to safety. Unfortunately, not all the residents had survived the building’s collapse, and the efforts of the crew soon turned from rescue to recovery.

After assisting in removing the bodies of an elderly couple that had been crushed under the weight of the collapsed building, Icon was approached by a man who he had recognized as a detective with the Lost Haven Police Department.

Detective Thomas Bradley had been with the LHPD for over twenty years after moving East from San Diego. Between his time as an officer in San Diego and a detective in Lost Haven, he thought that he had seen everything that could be seen. Then he watched a blue and silver clad masked man catch a space station out of the sky, preventing it from crashing into the city that he called home. Then, things just got weirder. A demonic serial killer, “Meta Domes,” and a demon invasion, just to name a few of the oddities that he had seen in recent years. Bradley thought that the job was difficult when they just had to deal with regular people, some of which were very bad people, others were just people who made bad mistakes. But now they were contending with meta humans, some of whom were capable of destruction on a massive scale, and they were woefully unprepared for such circumstances. One of those circumstances had brought him here on this day.

“Icon, might I have a word?” Bradley asked after clearing his throat.

“Something I can help you with, Detective?”

“As a matter of fact, yeah.” The detective confirmed. “We’ve got a meta in lockup that we think is connected to a bombing in Little Tokyo. Only problem is, she won’t talk to us.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” Icon admitted.

“We don’t know who she is, or if she even knows anything about the bombing. All I know is there is lot of insane shit going on around here lately, and she’s just another problem clogging up the log book. We don’t know if this is connected to those Hounds of Humanity nuts, or if it’s some other nutcase blowing up a Chinese Restaurant in Little Tokyo…but if you can get her to talk, I’d really appreciate the hell out of it.”

“Of course, Detective. Anything I can do to help.” Icon said after a momentary pause.



The Central Station precinct of the Lost Haven Police Department was buzzing. Just moments ago, Icon had landed in front of the department and made his way into the building. Almost immediately, he was rushed by officers and visitors alike, while others jockeyed for position in order to get the best view possible. In that instant, Central Station had transformed from one of Lost Haven’s best and most decorated precincts to what could only be described as a high school like environment where everyone was trying to get the best angle for a photo of video to be shared on their social media accounts.

Once the chaos that was caused by his initial arrival had died down, detectives led Icon into the holding cells, where the young woman who was being held in connection to the bombing in Little Tokyo was being held. He had been warned that the woman was “colorful,” as the detectives recounted their earlier exchange with the woman.

Icon made his way to the holding cell which housed the young woman in question. She was a pretty girl with black hair and striking blue eyes, which almost seemed to widen in disbelief as he approached the cell door. He stopped in front of the cell and looked the woman in the eyes.

“I understand you wanted to speak to me?”

Basketball Court, Lost Haven. 12:00 A.M.

The tips of his fingers kept a steady rhythm's tap against the head of the basketball. Its round surface thundered against blacktop concrete and expanded out into the lonely midnight air. A quick switch from his right hand to his left and Hassan accelerated past the defender he had left frozen in place from the quick shift in speed. A second victim approached, this one far larger than the last and blessed with superior wingspan. Fathead was what the other kids called him for, as one may guess, his unfortunate cranium construction. But just like before, Fathead fell before Hassan's lightning quick ball control; one move through the legs and a single transition behind his back put Fathead on his behind. Hassan had free passage to the rim and this was game point.

He missed.

"You some ass, boy." Fathead scolded from the blacktop pavement. Hassan thought he should worry about lugging himself and his gargantuan noggin up from the ground and deal with the fact that he got dropped by a kid half his size first. But no worries, Hassan harbored no bitter feelings.

"Whatever, fool." Hassan returned, "Ball up!" he continued. A sacred mandate among his group of friends. One always had to honor this unspoken tradition; if you missed, no matter how bad or how embarrassing, the other team always got the ball next. These were the rules, and may God bless any soul who thought it acceptable to break them. Fathead chest passed the ball to Hassan, it was forceful exchange; an extension of Fathead's embarrassment for sure. Hassan's phone rang; he waved a finger at Fathead to signal a respite from the game.

"Yoooo?" he began, unguarded and unaware of the caller since he didn't bother to check the number.

"'Yo'? Is that how you answer the phone, Hassan?" it was his mother!

"Oom" Hassan almost choked.

"Where are you? It's late, you were supposed to be home TWO HOURS AGO!" Hassan almost felt the spit flying through the phone as his mother went on her tirade.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Hassan nervously re-assured.

"I know you're coming! Get. Your. Ass. Here. NOW!" Bibi capped. The phone went dead.

No amount of antagonizing from his questionable friend group could halt him from sprinting at what felt like mach 2 speed (he was only running at about five miles an hour) toward home. Wind cut by him as a knife through butter. In just under thirty minutes Hassan was home. Jubilee welled inside him, his mother's ire had roused her to sleep. Sleep seeped into Hassan much the same and he made his way to his room where he was prompt in unveiling his red, white, and blue covers away from his bed sheets. It took all of ten minutes for him to fade into REM sleep.

Then the visions happened.

_{banner credit to Nitemare Shape}



Time: Present Day - 10:00 PM
Location: Lost Haven, Maine

On the far east side of Lost Haven, the docks had quieted down. After the earthquakes earlier that evening, a lot of areas had shifted and for a few ambitious scavengers they took the opportunity to pick through what might have been impossible to sift through before. A pair of hooded figures leisurely walked down the docks, chatting excitedly for the spoils of the evening. At first glance they were scruffy to look at, old clothes, faces hiding beneath hoods. Figures difficult to discern their gender. Their leisurely pace from their confidence, working under the assumption no others would be out at this time of night to take advantage of the earthquake that kept the more skittish inside. One walking specifically with what looked to be a staff.

Upon closer inspection one would find they dressed ready for dirty work, dark browns and greys. Layered, most skin surface covered in spite of the summer heat still persistent even with the sun being set for hours. Knowingly choosing steel toed boots for where they were heading.

Earthquakes seemed to be the tip of the insanity iceberg, as of late. Especially for locals of Lost Haven, stranger things have happened and are happening all the time. Life went on regardless, no excuse was good enough to keep the brave off the streets.

The pair arrived to their destination, clambering deftly past no trespassing signs and fences. The abandoned warehouse had been all but picked clean, piles of haphazard machinery were stacked against the walls inside. Impossible to move aside safely. While the grounds outside of it were overgrown with weeds, tall grass, and littered garbage blowing across the open space.

It took two pairs of hands to force open the sliding door on the south side of the building, it gave way after a fair amount of cursing.

Twin shoulder flashlights lit up the area shining over displaced engines, rotors, all manner of heavy machinery parts. The taller of the pair removed her hood revealing dirty blonde hair tied in braids. Charlene Croll pulled down her dark brown mask to speak to her partner, “Smell that? Disturbed mildew and dust. Mask up, you were right the quake shifted shit.”

Yvonne Thompson removed her mask as well to reply, revealing dark brown hair twisted into a bun, a middle aged face lined with crows feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes with delight. “What’d I say, Charlie? We’re gonna have the pick of the crop tonight.” Clapping Charlie’s shoulder affectionately.

Charlene grinned toothily, “I got this area covered if you want to check out next door, yeah? I’ll radio you if I find something good.” She suggested gesturing with her wooden staff, the fluorite crystal catching the light of the flashlight. “Check in at the top of the hour.”

Yvonne nodded pulling her mask back up and stepping back out their entrance, jogging off to explore the warehouse one over. Pulling up her wristwatch and setting an alarm, it was just past 10 o’clock. Without further ado, she tuned the old, duck taped radio on her hip. Local news was playing, between music breaks. The radio and all other news sources were following all developments with the fall of STRIKE and attacks from a terrorist organization called Hounds of Humanity. Terrorist attacks rightfully scared the piss out of everyone. Magic and metahuman alike. Walmarts being blown apart, metahumans getting into a fight in the wreckage.

Then there was the gang wars raging across the west and south side of the city, everything was going to hell in a handbasket as far as everyone else was concerned. For Charlene, it felt like it was right at their doorstep. The rest of the Croll clan felt otherwise, they felt it was a world away. They kept to their own business, concern only reaching out for their neighbours and regulars. They lived in a half decent neighbourhood, most folk looked out for one another the best they could.

A point she and her mother, Julianne had butted heads on regularly. Jules wanted to keep her fresh university graduate home working in their shop.

With the news droning on Charlie set to work scrounging up parts that weren’t eaten away by the salty sea air. She picked through the piles the best she could, when the music returned she hummed along to the top forty charts, knowing most of the words to the latest pop songs. She moved through the piles, deftly examining pieces here and there scrutinizing parts while throwing some into her backpack immediately. At the top of the hour she climbed her way up to the second floor toward the foreman’s office radioing Yvonne.

“Checking in, Evie. Finding some good bits over here, how goes the hunt on your end?”

She paused waiting for the reply, it came through a few seconds later. “Yeah same over here, probably going to have to come back tomorrow with the truck to pick up some of the bigger- wait, hold up. Do you hear that?”

Charlie turned down her radio, listening intently. The sound of engines revving close by. “Hide. I’ll take a look.” There had been only a handful of times when they had to dodge the cops. Even in the abandoned areas, trespassing with a backpack full of scavenge was hardly offensive but… not something to be caught with. It was really unlikely for them to be doing a sweep through the area, they were too busy as it were.

She stepped up to the dirty window using her sleeve to wipe away a thick layer of grime, moving her goggles to her forehead. Squinting green eyes peered along the street looking for headlights. Down the far end two pairs of lights lit up simultaneously the sounds of engines revving loudly. The lights sped forward racing past the warehouses a few seconds later.

Bringing the radio up, unimpressed she spoke. “Street racers, Evie. I thought they were holding the races on the North end?”

Yvonne answered dryly, “Cops probably caught the rumours and chased them off over here. Let’s go before-! Shit! Char there’s some assholes at your front door! Get out of there!”

Charlene clutched the walkie talkie, making quick on hiding herself inside the foreman’s office. She replied seething, “I’m not going any fucking where. They’re responsible for all those hit and runs.”

“Charlie! No-” Charlene turned the walkie talkie off.

The voices below came through loudly as the door opened with a loud whine, rusty hinges protesting against the strain. She listened, grinding her teeth. A couple 49ers waltzed in beckoning the drivers in, Charlene heard a little Mandarin. Peering around the doorframe she counted three heads, including the one stepping out of the customized Mazda. Both vehicles were decked out with gaudy aesthetics spinning rims, green neon lights along the bottom of the car, rumbling chrome exhaust pipes. Lit up speakers thrumming with bass.

Eyesores. Charlie thought.

An idea coming to mind then a decision. She stepped away from the doorframe looking around the office, unafraid of whatever noise she could make being drowned out by the vehicles. Searching for anything she could use, she snuck around to the other side of a desk to find an abandoned homeless person’s bed. Opened soup and fried bean cans strewn about over a dirty sleeping bag. Snatching up all the empty cans, standing up she carefully placed each can in a line across the desk. She moved onto unscrewing some dead fluorescent lights. Stepping over puddles of water, seeing her last ingredient. The fire extinguisher.

She scrawled out old elemental symbols from memory, a steady hand while mumbling the formulas. Talking to herself through equations, as she was prone to do. Straightening them, gently Charlie opened her palm across the cans a deep breath through her nose, she concentrated on the mysterious forces of magic that dwelled within her blood.

The equation firmly in mind, the magic flowed through the scrawlings. The natural guidance of magic came as second nature to the likes of Charlene, deconstructing the base elements of the cans, separating them as the magic interacted with it, like following an instinct. Intimate knowledge of chemistry, the building blocks of life. Instinctually a skilled alchemist like Charlie understood what no microscope could provide the most dedicated scientist.

The metal in the cans seemed to spring to life, the aluminum sprang out the sides attaching to the cans around it. Moving like it was water splashing in every direction, the magic pulled all the cans together reshaping it into a larger and taller can with the available materials. Charlie made quick work again with the fluorescent light and fire extinguisher, instead of combining them she separated the more complex points of both objects down to what she needed, from there it was as simple as changing them to gas and sealing the can. Briefly considering the potency and deciding all she needed was an edge.

It was a little over a few minutes, the noise still evident by the drivers and their cars. By the time Charlie was done, the can was sealed with her surprise. A sly smile under the mask while she had worked.

Using both hands she carried her concoction over to the door peering around to see they had gathered in a small circle passing around a smoke. Adjusting her goggles, hood and finally mask. Taking another look at the trio of Triads. One sported a green mohawk, another wore a leather jacket, and the third was bald shaved down to the scalp a tattoo noticeably on the back of his neck. Pulling her ceramic knife from her hip she stabbed side of the can and threw it down to the group of 49ers, it landed rolling to tap against the one with the mohawk, the gas plumed around them.

Visibly the gangsters looked as if they were losing their balance, complaining. The bald one clumsily tried to reach for their gun, while the mohawk gangster tried to kick away the can. Pushing off the door frame she took a running leap over the railing, landing she pushed off from her crouch aiming for legs belonging to the man wearing the jacket. Her staff swept under his feet, he went down like a sack of potatoes. Her next target was baldy, with the gun in his hand. With the extended reach of the staff, she crouched low out of the crosshairs, spinning the tip of her staff against his hand, he lost grip, sending the gun clear out of his hand skittering across the concrete. He yelped holding his hand. Mohawk had snapped to attention.

Her grabbed her backpack trying to pull her off balance, cursing at her. Charlie shifted her foot back to compensate for the sudden pull, turning on her heel she brought her staff around in a one armed swing, connecting with his head with a audible crack. The hit sent him reeling, a final kick to his chest to sent him to the ground seeing stars. Baldy was recovering, her knock out gas still working him into a wobbly stance, he was on his feet trying to shake the effects.

Charlie circled holding her staff out, moving herself between him and the gun. He snapped something in mandarin, Charlie didn’t bother with a reply instead answered feigning left causing him to flinch. Ruthlessly she closed the space jabbing the butt of her staff into his chest, and much like the man who tried to grapple her she brought the staff around his head knocking him out cold.

The one on the ground rolled to his side, looking up at her and asked in a heavy accent, “P-please.”

“No.” She snarled then kicked him out cold with her heavy boot.

All three of them were out for the count, she left them where they lay and instead turned her attention onto sabotaging the vehicles. It was several minutes before she turned on her walkie talkie walking out the back entrance, radioing Yvonne, “We’re cool, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Behind Charlene the cars were unrecognizable. All the lights were destroyed, the paint peeling up all over the body of the cars, rusted out bumpers and fenders. The windows were all strategically cracked. The treads of the tires hiding pins that would only sink in when they moved. When the gangsters would wake, they would turn over the engines only then to discover it would burst into flame from Charlie’s tampering.

Whistling as she waltzed out of the warehouse, by the time she crossed the yard Yvonne was waiting for her nervously double checking over her shoulder. “Are you insane!?” She hissed.

Charlene shrugged, “I couldn’t just walk away. You’ve heard the news about how bad the street racin-”

Yvonne snapped, interrupting her, “No! The first time I let you beat up some assholes was because they were trying to mug some guy. Second time-” She held up two fingers, “-was because some drug dealer and his knife were between us and the exit. Today you had the choice to sneak out of there, you didn’t have to mess with them!”

Charlene rolled her eyes, “Come on, cut me some slack here Evie.”

Her friend snarled at her, “No! Look I make some pretty big allowances here keepin’ your weird magicy crap a secret because you’re a good partner and have gotten us out of some jams but you went out of your way tonight to show off.” She pointed at her adding, “Don’t think I don’t know you have an ego bigger than your head.”

“That is so untrue-”

“Reckless!”

“But I-”

“Absolutely stupid!”

“Uncalled for-”

“What will your mother think?” Evie demanded of Charlene.

Charlene let out a big sigh then smoothly slung her arm around her friend’s shoulder guiding her into a walk, Evie allowing her while she glared. “She doesn’t have to know shit, Eves. We did the neighborhood a favour, I just busted up their cars bad enough they won’t be back on the roads with customized eyesores any time soon.”

Yvonne stewed on that crossing her arms.

“The city’s got enough to worry about, now it’s two street racers less. Yeah?” Charlie said tilting her head her tone light.

Evie stuck up her lip then relented, “Fuck, girl. You’re a real pain sometimes y’know. Don’t ever shut off the radio on me again, got it?”

Holding up two fingers Charlie replied, “Scout’s honour, ma’am.”

Yvonne pulled on Charlie’s ear at ma’am, that earned a few chuckles from the pair.

Charlie pulled out her phone checking her messages, noticing in particular her friend Carrie, was trying to get ahold of her. Scrolling through her wall of text messages, something was wrong.



_{banner credit to Nitemare Shape}

Zoë reclined on the couch in her apartment, waiting somewhat impatiently for her hair to finish drying. Normally she would bake it so, but with the dye, she had no idea what effect it might have. At least her head felt much lighter with how much she had taken off, leaving her with only a bob cut. Running her fingers along her scalp revealed that it was still damp, so she had so time to kill.

Everything was now in crates, save the couch and her kitchen essentials. Her complète baise in using Russian instead of French at the base, the result of her layering a cover on top of another cover and forgetting which to use, had scared her enough about her residency that she decided to move, though it would be difficult to get everything from the practise areas. Still, the 'boys' from the neighbourhood had been very kind to pack everything up for her neatly and quietly move it all to a storage unit. This was especially useful since she was fairly certain some sort of authority figure would show up to inspect the building after the quake.

Why she had been such an imbécile escaped her for now, but she would have to scrub Ms. Evgeniya Dunayevsky from existence before her very flimsy cover was blown, if it wasn't already. At least the earthquake had bought her some time, and she easily had enough money to purchase a new one. Perhaps I will stay Français this time. It would certainly be less enquiquinant et compliqué. At least I will not have to attend any more of those très ennuyeux gallery shows.

Her reverie was broken by a chiming from her work phone. She glanced at the number for the incoming text, noted it belonged to one of her more reliable brokers, and flipped it open to read it.

Tasker : Have gotten word. Job available. Fits your restrictions. Following normal protocol. Interested ?

Forge : Any details ?

Tasker : None yet. Only gave me the contact info for their email. Said they'd call you if accepted.

Forge : Alright, let them know it's okay to call.

Tasker : Will do. Expect a call in the next 24 hours.

Zoë smiled as she closed the phone and tossed it onto the couch next to her. Tasker had always been good about protecting her, and was one of the very few of the jobs people that had actually met her. He was also the one who had scouted her, back when she was robbing jewelry stores for spending cash, and brought her into the trés lucratif mercenary business. As a result, she tended to prioritise jobs coming through him more than most. And a call this soon means someone else wants to nip this mess in the bud, as well.

Feeling energetic, she hopped off of the couch and strode across to the sliding door that led to the outside. There were lookouts out there from the locals who would warn everyone if she came out, but at this point she didn't care too much. The locals were scared enough without knowing she was an actual villain, after a few failed muggings, so if they wanted to scatter she would let them. However, when the door rattled up on its poorly maintained track, her face fell. The warm breeze was not comforting in the face of Rebekkah Newman, her civilian agent for her art, standing there looking extremely irritated. Merde.

Rebekkah didn't even wait for her to invite her in, she just stormed through the doorway, violently pink hair flowing behind her like a battleflag above her denim jacket and pants that made Zoë
feel like she was in the nineties, lime green and pale pink tiger stripes. Mon Dieu, that is odieux. She desperately tried to keep her disgust from showing out of politeness as the girl whirled on her.

“So where the fuck were you? I know Russia is on a different time zone an' shit, but you've been here for months and this showing was fucking important.” Bekkah stood glaring at her, hands on hips.

Zoë almost had to choke down laughter, but managed to keep a straight face and dropped into the monotone, bored Russian accent she had been using. “Honestly, it is not like I have ever liked going to those, Rebekkah. You know I do not give two <shits> what those <jumped up, snotty, trust fund ignoramuses> think.”

“Yeah? Well, you better soon, girl. You're paintings aren't good enough to ignore potential clients when they show up. As it is I only managed to make two sales tonight, which is a fucking embarrassment in this industry.”

Zoë perked up a bit. “Oh? Which two?”

Rebekkah rolled her eyes. “So now you care. The landscape sunset, and the impressionist self portrait.”

It was Zoë's turn to roll her eyes. “Of course, you sold the two worst ones out of the whole set. Both of those are <boring pieces of excrement>.”

“I really wish you would speak English, you know? You do live in America now. Anyway, those 'worst ones' are generally what pays your rent, so I wouldn't complain too much if I were you. Are you done with the new set yet?”

“Nyet. Will be another week, at least, thanks to this last ground shake.”

“Oh God, right. Okay, well try to hurry. The boss wants fresh stuff, and he wants better numbers, or he might drop you.”

Zoë held in the snort of derision as she walked Rebekkah back out, amid a tidal wave of rapid-fire gossip. The girl may have been annoying, but she certainly knew the work. If only she realised that Zoë knew it as well, and saw through tricks like trying to intimidate her with threats of being dropped. She had seen the work of other artists in the stable, and it was good, some of it, but the Zeitgeist Art Agency would not have picked her up if they hadn't been impressed with her to begin with, 'fresh off the boat and full of hope' like so many others that showed up in this pigsty of a town.

Her mood thoroughly ruined, she closed up and flopped onto the couch, wondering how her agent hadn't noticed that everything in her home was packed. The girl was probably too égoïste to realise what it meant, she thought to herself. Sighing heavily, she sat back, slouching magnificently, and flipped through channels while awaiting a call, either from her movers, her identity forger, or this mysterious new employer.

---

---

Nicky looked up as the door opened, hair tumbling around her face. For the past few minutes she had managed to right the chair and sat leaned over head in her arms. They had kept her in here for days. She was pretty sure that was illegal, but she didn't really trust clocks and calendars any more, either, and only really kept track of it being day or night anymore, which was impossible in the windowless room. She was opening her mouth to start yelling again when she saw him walk through the door. Tall. Confident. Heroic. Everything she wanted to be. Well, without the costume, though it worked on him, she supposed.

He also did not look happy to be here, talking to her. Way to screw it up, Nicky. she chided her self. He spoke, asking her what she wanted. Well, that made sense, she had screamed about talking to him for, like, three hours. And now here he is, and your stupid brain is locking up. Speak, dork.

“Uhhh. Um. Well. See.” She paused, organising the chaos in her head for a moment. “I used to live in New York, until three months ago. And then the green stuff came, and now I can't sleep, or get tired, or get hurt at all. No haircuts. Nothin'. So.”

Don't fuck it up!

“I was wonderin' if maybe. Um. Y'know. You could teach me? Because I don't know what all this stuff with heroes is all about?”

Perfect.

“Oh, and if they're blaming me for that fuckin' bomb, tell them they can shove it, because I was telling Detorktive Douchenozzle the truth. I have no idea who those assclowns were, they spoke a buncha Chinese or some shit and had a super strong guy with them. Though they musta fucked it up, because the bomb went off before they even started walking away.”

---

---

Around 20:00

Berenice was lost, alone, and confused. What had that being been, and where had David gone? She wasn't entirely certain she had liked him, but he had been the nicest of the larger humans that she had met. Still, she wasn't about to stick around to try and find him when there was some sort of monster running around in the Wally World. She had screamed at it and gotten away as fast as she could, and now she perched, miserable and alone, on the roof of a skyscraper, huddled amidst the pipes and air units with a few pigeons for company, wishing she was back in her nest with her toys. She hadn't even been able to take her bin, either!

The dawn woke her from a troubled sleep, warm sunlight glancing off of her brown plumage and swiftly making her overly warm. The sound of one of the air units failing to function properly brought her all the way awake, and she let her wings, which she had been using as a blanket of sorts, fall away and peered around. It didn't seem as though the pigeons roosted here, and there were no other creatures nearby. She stretched, wings and arms both extending in a wide arc above her, and a huge yawn left her mouth agape, showing the razor sharp teeth the light of day. She blinked lazily and waddled to the edge of the roof to look off the edge.

The sunlight was only touching the tops of the buildings so far, so she felt safely unobserved. Down below, there were still the big metal people-containers with the flashy lights. The kids had explained they helped people, so something must have happened somewhere, though she wasn't sure what. Sounds of banging and grinding drifted up from below, though, irritating her. Those sounds were not good like the little box she had had was, and the more she heard the less she liked. She rocked and leapt off the building into a dive, opened her wings, and soared away through the buildings.

She wasn't entirely certain what she was looking for, flying towards the rising sun, but that search was soon lost in her head as she marvelled, as always, at the sheer joy of flight. The wind whipping through her hair and feather, the very fine control she could get with just a twitch of muscle, the tininess of everything below and how the worries of her world just fell away. And then her stomach growled and she realised she hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. The morning meal was the most important, according to the kids, so she veered off to a park. Her vision focused onto the trees as she swept lower, and soon she caught sight of something small and fuzzy moving around out in an open area. She dove, wind rushing past her, and at the last second braked with her wings, shot her talons forward, and snagged the unfortunate creature and slammed it into the ground. Between the impact and the talons, it was dead instantly.

After breakfast, Berenice glanced at herself. She was spattered in gore again, and the kids had managed to explain to her bathing and why being covered in blood and dirt was bad. Thankfully, she could hear a stream nearby, so she glided across the park and settled near its edge. Taking a moment to arrange her well-worn and stained shirt, she hopped into the water and began splashing about. She took the shirt off and scrubbed at it in the water with her hands, releasing a trail of redness into the stream, and once she was satisfied that it was free of blood, she tossed it over to the shore and worked on herself. Amy had said that she wasn't washing enough, so she took an extra long time scrubbing at her skin, and then her feathers. She even took the ends of her wings and ran her teeth over them, trying to get out anything sticking between them, but she wasn't entirely certain if it was effective or not.

Unbeknownst to her, because of the splashing, several things were happening around her. For one, an early morning jogger had stopped, shocked at the sight of her, snapped a picture, and then took off before Berenice could notice. There were also more seagulls and crows gathering in the area than usual, and even the trees and grass were starting to respond, growing an imperceptible bit faster. And most noticeable of all, even if it was only to a very select few people in the area, the leyline nearby was bending towards her and swelling, and distant threads of energy were reaching out to try and find her, somewhat like balls on a very slightly dipped sheet, if she was the centre of the dip.

Berenice knew about none of this. She hopped out of the stream and grabbed her shirt, but was distraught when it tore on the stick it had landed on. She glared at the stick for a moment, and then held up the shirt. It would get tangled in her wings, now, but Amy had been very firm that she must cover her chest for other people's sake. Berenice wasn't exactly certain why, but she could work with this. She tore two of the seams with her teeth, and then ripped the rest of the tear through the cloth so that it was one long strip, then carefully wrapped it around her breasts so that they were at least moderately covered. It was the best she would be able to do until she could find another shirt, and it was actually more comfortable this way.

Having successfully had herself a bath, and eaten, she was feeling rather accomplished so early in the day. She had completely forgotten why she had been upset. But staying on the ground would be dangerous, so she fluttered up to a low hanging branch and commenced with one of her favourite activities in the woods: Watching. Meanwhile, it was just past six in the morning, and she was about to be very surprised at exactly how many people lived near this park in East Lost Haven.

The Wanderer had been sitting on a bench in a small park for a couple of hours. His thoughts had been all over the place and had spent the time since he sat down to collect them and process everything. The first thing that came to mind was the group Hounds of Humanity. Sure, there had been a small amount of infighting in the people in Settlement 149, but those were resolved around the common idea of surviving against the mutants that roamed the wastelands. Most of those arguments had been around the idea of him being one of the key protectors of the base, especially with the use of his psionics. Eventually, before The Officer betrayed everyone, everyone settled on the idea of the mutated sentinel for the base. If people in the future, even with the knowledge of everything that had happened in the past, could understand the fundamentals of using people with extraordinary abilities for the common good, then why aren’t people in the current time understanding that, even with the innumerable amount of knowledge they have? It was this fundamental question that The Wanderer thought that had made him dislike the Hounds of Humanity so much that the thoughts of killing them had crossed his mind, breaking a code he tried to stick to in his previous time.

The other main thought that he was processing was what happened immediately after seeing the group’s message. What the hell was that thing? was the main question that kept repeating his mind. There had been something in the future that was masking his psionic-detecting abilities, but not enough that it completely disrupted them. This being… not only did it shock his abilities from the shock of time travel, but it completely blinded him again until it disappeared. Not only that, but it seemed that whatever it was, it was looking at the area where the city was. And then just like that, it disappeared. How is there a being in this powerful that can mask that energy? Somehow, The Wanderer thought that whatever this thing was, it would be making an appearance to every key being on this planet.

Suddenly, a scream from nearby pierced the sounds of the night. With the origin appearing to be close by, the mutant sprung up from his perch and ran towards the source of the noise. A minute later into the city, he got to the origin of the source. A group of seven men in dark tactical suits were slowly encroaching a woman, assault rifles pointing at her. One of the men held a machete in hand. “So, you think you can align yourselves to the metas and not face any repercussions,” the man with the machete spoke as he walked up to the fallen woman. She scrambled backwards, her white coat dragging across the alleyway floor and hands getting cut up on the broken glass. “You know what we’ve said, ‘We will no longer tolerate the meta human threat to our world, nor those who support them.’ Well, guess you will be joining with your ‘friends’ shortly.” Taking one great stride, the Hound raised the machete and swung down.

Instead of the metal hitting textile, flesh and bone, it hit something hard, the blade shuddering with the brunt of the blow back up the man’s arm. As the man looked on, The Wanderer had suddenly phased himself into his field of view, his all-familiar psionic blade parrying the blow of the machete without any show of force. Before the man could react, the mutants left fists whipped around and connected with the tactical helmet on his head, sending him flying through the brick wall. As the other six men cottoned on to what was happening, they raised their firearms and aimed at the mutant. However, the same left hand that slammed their colleague through the wall was thrusted towards them, a purple veil rising between the two groups. Shots from the assault rifles rang out in the streets, but to no avail as they bounced off the barrier and settled, flattened by the impact. The Wanderer, while focusing on the Hounds, spoke to the woman, ”Get to safety and warn others about what has happened. I’ll deal with them. Now go!” The woman, without taking a chance to process the life that flashed before her eyes, scrambled to her feet and started running.

Now that innocent life was protected the mutant gave the men his full concentration, the flames of anger within his blue eyes. ”You think you are the future of humanity, wanting to protect them from what you call the metahumans. Instead, you are agents of chaos that will cause the ruin to this world. I am the future and I will be your reckoning.” As he spoke, the purple flames of his psionics rose, licking the air with unrelenting fervor. In his time, the psionic aura would be barely detectable to other psionics in the immediate area. With the abundance of life in this time, the strength of the aura could be felt for miles by other psionic users who can detect it. He phased from his position to the nearest two Hounds. Grabbing their rifles, he pirouetted them around and threw them at the others. The two men knocked one of them to the floor, stripped of their rifles in the attack. With his newfound strength, he crushed the rifles as rivets sprung from the weapons. The other three fired their rifles, though hitting thin air as he phased again. As he reappeared, the psionic blade reappeared. With such speed and ferocity, he began cutting through their weapons. Now with his enemies disarmed, he now began his beatdown.
-------
As the police arrive, The Wanderer had been waiting. His back was leaning up against the wall as he watched them. His left hand was raised as the seven men remained unconscious. As a precaution to these ‘Hounds’ waking up, a domed barrier was placed around them. As the police, unsure if the mutant was friend or foe, raised their own guns towards him. However, the woman that The Wanderer saved ran in front of them. “No don’t! He saved me!” Before anyone could react, The Wanderer disappeared, phasing both himself and the barrier from view. As the police looked around for him, the mutant watched on from the rooftops. As their search ended with nothing, the police went on to arrest the unconscious men. Satisfied with the conclusion, The Wanderer turned and began walking away, his left hand reaching up for the bullet wound on his right shoulder. Just before he disappeared from view, the woman caught a glimpse of him, smiling with a faint ‘thank you’ leaving her lips.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the opposite rooftop, a blue flamed wolf watched, examining the scene reach its conclusion.

-

With the mob war building a body count allready, there was more people on the docks then back a few months ago when Kaya was almost killed. She was of course, acutely aware of this fact. But this time, she had backup. And this time, gods willing, there was no crazy samurai styled hitmen to blind side her. They rolled up about 9 in the evening. There was a old highrise just two streets away, they had been staking the place out for two hours, tagging every element visible through high power scope and binoculars.

“I go in by the west side. You take the south. The harder and faster we hit them the better. IT might start silent, but you bet we are gonna end up in some heavy shooting before this night is over” She said. “I am most worried about the metas. See the guy with the red tie, no gun, no visible weapons, yet he is clearly a sentry.” She pointed a young man standing by the entrance to the warehouse that were their target. “And that woman.” The woman in question was talking to two of the yakuza thugs on the outer perimeter. She had a handgun, sure, but her shadow seemed to writhe regardless of the light.

Nodding, November viewed the guards through his own scope. ”I can handle Metas. Done it before.” Sweeping over the compound, viewing the guards once more, he puts down the gun dispassionately. ”What’s the plan if we have to fall back? Where will we regroup?”

“Over the water. I… Liberated a boat. The key is in and I have an reliable getaway driver.”



--

Ground side. 23:00

She moved in a crouch, all grey and black. A moving shadow among those of the docks many containers. So far, she stayed outside the thugs patrol pattern, mindful of any deviation. Climbing up on of the smaller container she ran almost without a sound, knife out. She waited for one of the thugs to walk past her as she fell down behind him, sliding that knife deep into his throat at an angle, severing the airpipe. As he fell, she janked the knife back out and moved into an aisle between three stacks of the shipping containers, she clicked her earpiece. “In position”

Simultaneously, November was creeping up on the south side, hypercautious, wary of anything. Silent, his all-black suit helping him blend with the shadow, Nick crept up alongside a container, approaching a guard from the side.

Too late, the man caught sight of the ex-SEAL in his peripherals, and as he turned, too late to do anything, he got a gloved hand over his mouth, muffling his shouts. Flailing for a bit, the man tried to break Nicks’ hold, but he failed, and got a knife in his jugular notch for his troubles, suddenly unable to speak, except for bloody gurgling. Dropping the man on the ground, letting him scrabble around on the pavement, clutching the base of his throat, Nick kept his hand over the mans’ throat, making sure the sounds didn’t get too loud, or draw too much attention from elsewhere.

Once the dead man ceased flailing, excepting the occasional dying twitch or so, Nick moved on, wiping his blade on the dead mans’ jeans, before re-sheathing it, quickly and professionally switching to his MP5 (complete with suppressor,) slung around his shoulder, holding it at the ready, scanning the area around him before moving to the edge of the container, peeking around the corner.

Pressing his identical earpiece, Nick spoke, cool, professional voice coming through. ”In position as well.”

“Alright. Proceed according to plan. Good luck” She said as November gave the all clear. She swept in, her footfalls barely audible yet urgent and quick. She came upon voiced to her right and crouched against the edge of staple of fishoil crates and peeked. Three men stood facing eachother in conversation. Speaking japanese, she could not make out what the were saying. She took a deep breath, sighted down the barrel of her gun and squeezed the trigger. Short burst of leden death impacted the one facing her, one hitting him in the cheek, one in the throat and two in the chest. AS the others hard to turn to face her, she put a series of bullets in their backs and sides, taking them down quickly and effeciently. She began to step forward, knowing she only had minutes at most before all hell break out.

She was wrong. She only had seconds. The firey ball of death came roaring at her from ontop a stack of containers. The Meta guy before smiled at her as she let go a burst of hot led his way. But before the bullets reached him, he teleported in a gout of flames.

“SHIT!”

November, however, was having a much easier time of it. Moving from shadow to shadow, quickly and quietly, he creeped up on a group, stalking them as they moved on patrol. The three guards didn’t notice him, over their loud, boisterous Japanese, and constant roughhousing, and he stalked ever closer, aiming his gun at the backs of their heads.

Waiting for them to come to a stop, Nick took a deep breath, let out half of it, and stopped as well, behind a stack of pallets covered by a tarp. Now.

Firing three times, one shot for each gang member, in the back of their heads, Nick killed them swiftly and quietly. It was true that suppressors didn’t silence the weapons, but they were far enough away from any other patrols, and close enough to the water that it didn’t matter. Falling quickly, the three criminals hit the concrete with a violent thump that probably broke the noses of the corpses, if not more.

Moving on, Nick was about to continue, when, from the west side of the docks, a burst of flame erupted. Kaya. Moving swiftly to cover further in, November looked about, making sure there was no one around, and pressed the earpiece.

”We going loud now? Do you need any assistance?”

“I got it! I got it! Use the distraction, get further in!” Josie said as she let lose a small burst. The answer was a roaring beam of flame that melted the a soccerball sized hole in the container behind her.

“But yeah. We are going loud. The meta somehow made me. He is a pyrokinetic.”

”Acknowledged. Moving in.” Voice calm and collected, Nick took this all in stride. Creeping up to the next patrol in quickly, he fired upon the small group of men, who were turning their heads in the direction of the explosion, catching them in center mass, or their heads.

Moving swiftly northward, November’s first clue something was wrong, was the lack of noise in his immediate area. He heard the distant gunfire, yes, but nothing to alert him to the location of a patrol in the immediate area.

Turning around, and scanning the containers he just came from, he was surprised as the well-dressed Yakuza lady just appeared out of thin air, aiming a handgun at him.

“It seems we caught a couple of rats. You aren’t triads. Who are you?” The woman spoke, but didn’t monologue or anything. She fired the first round as soon as she started to speak.

Ducking backwards, Nick hissed as he caught a round in the shoulder, and landed flat on his back, sweeping out with his leg in a kick. The woman, however, simply laughed, and stepped back, readying her gun to fire at him again, but Nick was already on his feet, running at her, trying to get inside her guard, keep her off-balance.

However, as soon as he got close to her, she disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing in front of him a few feet ahead. Taking this new development in stride, Nick rolled to the right quickly as the woman fired again, bullet hitting the pavement, and ricocheting into a metal container with a sharp report.

Standing up straight, Nick looked at the woman, carefully, judging her stance. She was cocky, yet capable. The sharp pain in his shoulder was a testament to that. However, she didn’t have the years of experience that Nick did. So, he did what she would expect. Try to get close, within her guard. Jerking forward, Nick made as if to run at her, and she reacted appropriately, teleporting away.

Then, Nick did a 180-degree turn on his heel, and ran into the shadows of the dockyard.

Meanwhile, Kaya was feeling the heat. Literally.

“Ahhhh fuuuuu-” She ran, a stream of fire hot enough to melt metal licking at her heels. “Ow ow ow” She rolled behind a cement barrier and ducked into safety. Checking her submachine gun, she found it was empty. “Mystical fire vs melt you into puddle fire it is.. Great.” Flipping the safety on her handgun, she headed deeper into the maze of containers. She could hear the man landing on to the ground to give chase.

Togewa Ruji was feeling good about all of this. He was fantastically bored before all of this started. But he was pretty sure that woman was the one Hideo had cut up before. If he got the kill, it would move him further on the food chain. One glowing ball of fire circling his head for light, he moved in the darkness with the poise of a tiger. And then, Kaya shot at him. He recoiled back as Kaya fired off four rounds that melted mid air, but as he looked towards her, she was close. To close. The punch, sent him sprawling and he kicked up gouts of flame to keep her from following up again. But Kaya was gone.

Kaya breathed heavily, leaning against the wall around a corner. Her left leg was slightly seared. She had meant to punt the man after the punch, but his damn flames seemed to almost reach faster then he did. Like a very burny, firey point defense system.

Nick could hear her. Every time she teleported around, she made a little pop sound. However, her weird shadow powers didn’t seem to help her find where he was, because November was lying on top of a container, watching the Yakuza member leap from shadow to shadow, looking for him, and getting increasingly frustrated.

“Where. Are. You.” The lady snarled, her eyes darting around to try and find November. Shijo Haruka was an assassin, one of some tenure and success. But usually, she killed whoever she got the drop on. This was unprecedented.

November, however, answered with a hail of bullets, firing his MP5 at the metahuman, taking her by surprise. However, as the first bullet hit her in the back, she teleported away, with a shriek as well as the small pop sound. Rolling to the side, off the container, November landed in a crouch, gun at the ready.

Meanwhile, Kaya moved towards November's position, slow and steady. Not making much noise. Not yet. The same time as she heard the MP5 fire, she tossed a grenade the way of her pursuer who had turned to look in the direction of the sound. His fire power reacted as she had thought, but the grenade was uncooked, and the fire was enough to set it off anyways. Melted shrapnel his the man who roared in pain as even melted, iron pellets hurt.

The woman was agitated now, if she wasn’t before, and was teleporting all over the dockyard, rapidly, with a bloodcurdling scream that slightly unnerved Nick. He had heard horses make a sound like that, but never a human. Yikes. Moving forward, November was wary, looking for any sign of the woman.

Pop.

Bedroom, Lost Haven, Dead of Night

Fire consumed the skyline, a cascade of explosions rocked the city streets one after another. Sirens blared, water hoses flared, and desolation claimed the night. A scathing heat brushed across the hooded figure’s face. Whether this was his mind’s way of re-painting the news reports of recent H.O.H. attacks or whether this was another prophecy of his illusion magic, Hassan couldn’t tell. The difference between prophecies, dreams, and illusions was all too slim for him to decipher. Another apparition formed before his sleeping mind’s eye—pure white, and she spoke riddles:

I am the greatest virtue
Soft as sand
Stern as rock
Untouched by darkness..

None of this made any sense. Hassan’s eyes shot open, and he felt a deafening light swarm his visage. The apparition wasn’t fake—and by the heavens was this one bright; it almost blinded him. A split second elapsed between his rise from slumber and the sudden weightless nothing. His entire being, his soul, had been lifted from its coil. How? He felt the need to breathe, but there was no oxygen. There was no hunger, no fatigue, no binding. He was outside of space-time; a different realm entirely. Everything fell still. The blinding light that was once unbearable grew translucent—what Hassan saw next robbed him of all words.

Space. The outer-reaches of the galaxy where no man had travelled; the universe in full expanse, stretched into the black abyss. He saw spirits of all types; angels, demons, uncleansed and yet innocent souls trapped in limbo. Wishes, hopes, thoughts, consciousness. A sudden pressure caved toward him on all sides, and everything he saw was sucked into one fixed point, one tiny sliver of light. Hassan floated—a grey, unfettered rendition of his spirit—in the mythic, extemporal darkness and in front of him the fixed sliver of light widened. A caped figure furnished in blacks and yellows from head-to-toe advanced toward him.

Silence crushed the atmosphere; a timeless silence, one no sound could breach. Whatever was in front of him had made its way toward him, its cape bellowed and touched the vacancy behind. When it finally reached Hassan (who hadn’t yet mastered how to speak while venturing the Astral Plane), the figure spoke,

”When you learn the answer, I will come to you.” it spoke in unison with what seemed to be hundreds of others.

And once again, everything in front of him had compressed and sucked into a single point—but this time it all vanished, and Hassan’s body jerked forward, a victim of nightsweats. His first set of breaths were thin; he was scratching for every morsel of air he could. His alarm clock added its own thoughts on the matter—time for school.

Once Aubrey had stepped away to get some more drinks for herself and Emily, Chris began to chat up Emily once again. Several months ago, prior to the Pax Metahumana crisis, Chris had actually casually dated Emily, although it was more like a couple nights before they decided to break things off. But since they both knew the type of relationship they were getting into, few feelings were hurt. Chris’ reputation for being a womanizer made sure that Emily knew not to get too attached. Meanwhile, Chris could not date other women seriously when Archangel would periodically appear out of the blue. Chris would not have liked to see what a pissed off android would do if she had walked in on Chris with another girl.

Emily was unlike the some of the other models and rich women whom he had dated in the past. Beauty is a fleeting attribute, slowly slipping away as one grows older. Instead of placing all her eggs into one basket in hopes of winning the lottery of celebrityhood, Emily also was training herself to become a nurse so that she had an occupation after her modeling career was over. Plus, she either could actually understand some of the technical parts of his job, or at least was good enough to fake it to make it look like she did. It is a fantastic change of pace when a date doesn't just nod and smile when you try to explain what you do for a living.

While he continued his conversation with Emily, Chris did not realize that Maya had slipped away. It would turn out that Maya was fortunate by sneaking away when Chris felt the cold metal of a pistol press up against his back. A man who was dressed in the same attire as the servers who were weaving around the crowded event stood behind him. He held the gun inside of his sleeve so that only the most astute bystanders would notice.

“Don’t make a commotion or I’ll make sure you will never walk again.” The man threatened Chris.

“What do you want?” Chris whispered over his shoulder.

“I woke up today to find that my wife, who was alive yesterday, somehow had perished during D-Day and my little girl no longer exists because of it. You are going to help me figure out what’s happening.”

“And your grand plan for getting me to cooperate is threatening me with a bullet to the back? Really?”

“I can always find another genius.” Chris heard a click originating from the man’s gun.

“And what do you expect me to do about you problem? I don’t have a magic wand that solves any type of problem, you know.”

“You’re a genius. You’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

“Is that a gun?” One of the bystanders at the party suddenly squealed when she saw the barrel of the pistol poking out of the man’s sleeve. A panic spread like wildfire when the other partygoers heard the word 'gun'. The man immediately threw his arm up and placed the pistol’s barrel up to the side of Emily’s head. Meanwhile, everyone else began to slowly back away from the danger zone. It was at this moment that Chris realized that Maya had walked away towards the bar where Aubrey was while he was talking with Emily. Although he wondered what she might have said to Aubrey, that mystery was for another time. He was just glad she was out of harm’s way.

“Okay. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Almost as soon as the first commotion erupted, the security staff and the police who were tasked at patrolling the event rushed onto the scene, surrounding the man, along with his two hostages. Chris also noticed that Aubrey had switched over to her superhero alter ego. However, he was surprised when he glanced over where Maya was standing and discovered that somehow Aubrey was also still there. He knew for a fact that Aubrey was this spider-themed drider, but he had no idea how there were TWO of them at once. Again, that was a mystery for another time.

“Alright. Can you make this easy on all of us and just surrender? The Aubrey wearing a spider-themed superhero costume and with a drider physique commanded the man holding the gun.

“How about no.” The man barked back. He then removed the barrel of his gun from Emily’s head and aimed it at Aubrey.

“Really?” Aubrey placed her hands on her hips. “You think that will deter me?”

However, before the man could pull the trigger, one of the rookie officers got a little trigger happy and fired his gun at the man in the center. Although the officer’s aim was true, long before the bullet even got near its target, it nosedived into the floor. The officer who fired his gun stood in shock at what happened to his bullet.

“There’s a reason why people call me Newton.” The man calmly stated as he sheathed his pistol.

“So you’re full of sugar, like the cookie?”

“No.” Newton gave Aubrey a glare because of her Fig Newtons joke. “I’m a master of gravity.”

Suddenly, all the security guards and police officers float off the ground, as if the gravity of the earth was no longer pulling down on them. The initial upward movement that these men and women experienced felt sent them rising up higher and higher until they found themselves pressing up against the ceiling of the Roy Walley Convention Hall. Even Aubrey’s arachnid powers struggled at keeping her on the ground. Eventually she was only tethered to the ground by a webline that she had attached to the floor. It took all of her strength to hold onto the webline to resist the upward motion the rest of her body was moving in.

“Do I now have your attention, Mr. Arthur?”

It was a disquieting scene, to say the least. The Neo-Ronin standing guard shuffled uncomfortably as sirens passed below them, headed towards the burning beacon of the apartment building across the street, filling the darkened room with an eerie dancing orange light. Arson was an unusual way to attract the attention of a meta, and it was all planned by the man standing quietly in front of the window, silhouetted against the burning light of the fire outside. He hadn’t done anything since the xeno was spotted except stand there, the sound of his strained, artificial breathing echoing cleanly over the sound of fire and sirens.

“You know, I get the Shogun wanting to make an example out of the alien chick,” one of the Neo-Ronin murmured to his compatriot. “But I don’t get why we had to set a building on fire to do it.”

“Why are you complaining? It’s not like you have to go in there and cap that meta,” his friend said, lifting the visor of his helmet to check his M1 over again.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t make much sense when you get down to thinking about it…” the Neo-Ronin remarked curiously.

“We’re trying to kill an alien who shoots purple shit out of her hands, regularly fights a four armed tarantula woman the size of a truck and helped take down that freak in a bathrobe that sent Pac Man after your kid brother last week, and THIS is what doesn’t make sense to you?”

“...I’ll just shut up now.”

“Good move, baka. Fucking hell, sometimes you just-”

“There.”

The pair of them jumped at the sudden sound of the man’s voice, sounding just as mechanical and strained as his breathing. Quickly rushing to the window alongside him, they easily spotted the purple-suited alien darting from one of the firemen to the door of the burning apartment.

“Nothing like a flame to draw out the moth,” the assassin said cooly. “Tell the others to get into position. Make sure no one interferes, and your ‘Shogun’ will have his prize.”

Before either of the Neo-Ronin could answer, there was a loud pounding against the door. The man turned his head sharply towards the intrusion, clenching his fist.

“I thought you said this building was abandoned.”

“I-it was! It should have been!” one of the Neo-Ronin said in his defense as he rushed to the door and tugged it open. “Hey who the fuck do you think-”

The intruder pushed past him into the room, crying out in shock at the sight of the firelight glinting off the assassin’s helmet. He backed against the now closed door in terror, eyes wide in terror, clutching at the red stain blossoming at the shoulder of his Neo-Ronin jacket.

“Don’t worry, he’s one of ours! Dude, what the hell hap-”

“We didn’t start that fire!” the wounded Neo-Ronin blurted out. The silence was palpable as everyone took in what was just announced to the room before one of them spoke again.

“...if this is a fucking Billy Joel reference or something-”

“No!” the man cried out again, wincing at the effort of moving his wounded arm. “We couldn’t start it! I tried to light it like you said but someone started shooting at us! Jem didn’t make it, I only barely got out before-”

There was a flash of movement and a scream of terror as the man was suddenly lifted on his feet. The other Neo-Ronin backed away in shock as the assassin’s fist clenched around the man’s throat.

“Who shot at you?” he demanded icily, his helmeted face inches away from the Neo-Ronin’s.

“I don’t know, man, just some guys…” he started to say before he was slammed into the heavy wooden door with enough force to splinter it. Tears came to his eyes as the vice like grip tightened. He felt something sharp pressing against the bottom of his chin, burning his skin to the bone where it touched.

“Do not make me ask you again. Who. Shot. St. You?”

“Don’t...know...” the man strained to speak. “Soldier types...black...armor…”

The assassin swore violently and threw the man aside like a rag doll, ignoring his whimpering as he turned back to the burning building, his head twitching as his mind worked furiously.

“Uh, boss, what do we-”

“We have a problem,” the assassin interrupted. “The Hounds.”

“Who the hell are-”

“Doesn’t matter. Tell the Neo-Ronin to get out of here, they’ll just be getting in the way.” The assassin roughly shoved him out of the way as he reached for a case against the wall and started unpacking as the Neo-Ronin stared cluelessly.

“What? But what about the hit?”

“Leave the alien to me.”



"Here Fullbright-san, have this. It's hojicha, good for your ailment."

Kira Sitko grimaced as the cup of hot tea was shoved into her hands. Her face flushed from the exertion of sitting up, she slunk back down onto the sofa gently and took a sip. To her surprise, her head did clear up a bit from the rich, toasty flavor, though the throbbing was still there, and she still felt like a bus had backed over her. Flu season sucked.

"Thanks Typhoon," Kira mumbled through her congestion, barely making out her own words as she spoke. The security robot dressed like a cyberpunk ninja gave a curt nod of his head and deposited the teapot back on its perch on the table.

"I made some for you as well, Monsutāneko-san, though the adornment upon your brow might impede it." There was an electronic series of beeps as the young man in a tracksuit shrugged his shoulders, the eyes of the robotic cat mask blinking in time to the tones.

"So about the credit union job," Kira continued, setting the mug of tea down next to an assortment of blueprints. "I think our best bet is to go on Thursday two weeks from now, when the new security checkpoints are cycled in. If we're lucky we'll only have to deal with the ground crew that day."

"And surely my nemesis will be there, ready to lock blades once again!" Typhoon exclaimed, drawing his ninja-to and posing dramatically. Monsterk4t electronically whirred in response, pointing at him with one hand and making a 'cuckoo' gesture with the other. Kira opened her mouth to speak again but broke into a coughing fit, prompting concerned looks from the two other villains. Monsterk4t beeped once and stuck his thumb over his shoulder, pointing out the window.

"Monsutāneko-san is right, we can do this some other night if you are not feeling well," Typhoon clarified.

"N-no, I'm getting better, really," Kira insisted, not entirely being truthful. "Besides, those robbers aren't going to wait to stash that money away while I get over a little bug. Those fat cats will regret the day they -urk-" She clasped a hand over her mouth, her dramatic monologue broken up by a wave of nausea. Monsterk4t squeaked and hid the eyes of his helmet behind his mask as Kira swallowed painfully, her stomach lurching in protest. She reached for the tea again but was cut short by a knock on the door.

"Helloooo, cutey! Still alive in there?"

"Oh! Uh, hold on a moment, I'm not decent!" In a panic, Kira tumbled to her feet and scrambled to collect the blueprints sprawled across the table. With another low whine, Monsterk4t leaned backwards and fell through the window and out of site with a crash as Typhoon, who was nowhere near a convenient escape route, struck a ninja pose and activated his camouflage systems, blending into the background and nearly vanishing from sight. Chucking the blueprints in the closet with her Fullbright armor, Kira managed to get back to the couch and flip the television on as the door creaked open. "Ugh, not so loud, please," she moaned, hoping her flushed features would be passed off as the flu.

"I thought you said you were feeling better," Jordan Fletcher said with joking indignation, slipping inside the apartment with a paper bag in her arms and pushing the door shut again with her foot. "Besides, guess what I got."

"Earmuffs?" Kira said grumpily, pulling the sheets tighter around her ears. Acting sick or not, her head did ache from the racket that Jordan caused when she barged in.

"Even better, subs!" the feisty Irishwoman said happily, pulling a foot long wrapped package out of the bag and holding it tantalizingly above Jane's face. "And it's Tiny Pete's! You know... Homemade Italian, provolone, extra ham..."

"...olive oil, fresh lettuce, extra peppers..." Kira continued, her eyes following the wrapped sub, her mouth watering at the thought of the succulent sandwich. "Oh my God I'm going to regret it but gimme!"

"There's a coooost..."

"Jordan, come on, I'm sick..."

"Don't care!" and before Kira could do anything Jordan had yanked the blanket down from her mouth and planted a quick kiss on her ailing girlfriend's cheek. Sputtering, Kira flailed her arms to get Jordan off of her, nearly knocking her precious sub aside as Jordan tossed it at her.

"You...You're impossible..." Kira grumbled, turning red for an entirely different reason as she angrily unwrapped her sandwich.

"And you love me for it!" Jordan reminded her, a point that Kira really couldn't argue with. Retrieving her own foot-long sub from the sack, the Irishwoman took a big bite and turned her attention to the television. "Anyfing goo' on?" Jordan asked through a mouthful of pepperoni.

"Nah, just some news reports and mediocre sitcoms," Kira grumbled. "Hey, you didn't get us anything to drink did you?"

Jordan paused mid-chew. "Aww...left it on the bike."

"So busy trying to be cutesy and adorable you forget the soda. Aces, Jordan, aces."

"Oh shut up," Jordan retorted, sticking a tongue out at her. "Fine, if you can bear to be apart from me, I'll go get them."

"Forsooth, the blessings of her absence!" Kira announced dramatically before collapsing into another coughing fit.

"Haha, you sound like that knightly villain that shoots light beams at Voyager," Jordan teased. "Lucky for you," she continued, booping Kira on the nose with one finger. "...you're much cuter then she is!"

"H-how can you tell, she wears a helmet," Kira asked defensively.

"It's my razor sharp instinct," Jordan declared, walking slowly backwards towards the door. "You need that in my line of work you know!"

"You and me both, Fletchy," Kira said, hoping she sounded casual with that blatant double meaning statement.

"Right, we need sodas! Hold everything, I'll return in a moment!" Spinning on her heel, she gave Kira a nice view as she reached for the door handle before the TV screen flickered, drawing Kira's attention.

"People of America," a heavily modified voice announced, "We find ourselves at the precipice..."

There was a metallic click as the door opened, and something rolled into the room next to Jordan. A can painted solid black with a metal knob on one end.

"What the...FUCK!"

Both girls recognized the device as Jordan ran and ducked behind the sofa as Kira rose to her feet. A split second later the flashbang went off, but as the room filled with blinding light, in an instant it was sucked in towards Kira's hands, rendering her eyes a solid white color before returning to their usual blue.

"KIRA, GET-"

There was a crash as the door burst open and a man in black armor charged in, wielding a deadly looking shotgun. Shots rang out as Kira dashed aside, and the man cried out in pain as the bullets from Jordan's sidearm struck him in the shoulder. Jordan took cover behind the couch and held her gun professionally astwo more men charged in during the chaos, one taking aim at Kira. Jordan fired again and the black armored invader collapsed instantly, blood spraying from the opposite side of his head. "Ha, get the fuck out, you bloody-!"

But what exactly they were that was bloody Kira never found out. There was an explosion of glass as an armored figure swung in from the window right behind the two of them. Jordan spun around but was met with a sickening crack as the intruder swung the end of his gun into her face. Kira felt the warm sensation of blood splatter on her cheek as the black armored man wrapped an arm around a stunned Jordan and retreated out the window with his prisoner.

"NO, JORDAN!" Kira made to run after him but felt something hard slam into her diaphragm. Collapsing in a wheezing heap, the man in armor painfully pulled back her hair and pressed the barrel of his gun to her face. Underneath his tactical headgear, a twisted smile crossed his face.

"Looks like we caught a Meta tonight after all," he said vindictively. "I've been looking forward to this a long time..."

"Sorry to disappoint you,"

The man gasped and released Kira, just as a blade erupted from the dead center of his chest. The air next to his face shimmered as Typhoon's camouflage switched off, his robotic eyes meeting those of his victim.

"You reek of cowardice, koshinuke," the ninja robot said as Kira stumbled to her feet, still trying to take it all in. "I do not have a sense of smell, but I assure you that from a metaphorical standpoint-"

A series of beeps sounded from the doorway.

"Ah, yes. Don't explain the metaphor. Thank you, Monsutāneko-san." Kira looked over to see MonsterK4t giving the two of them a thumbs up. With his other hand he tweaked the control pad on his wrist, and the remaining two soldiers dropped to their knees, their faces contorted in pain as they tried to move. Paralytic audio waves, courtesy of the DJ supervillain.

"Guys...they took her...they took Jordan..." Kira said, her voice dead of any emotion. It had all happened so fast, she didn't know what to feel. There was another flurry of movement as Typhoon, in a single movement, pulled his sword out, drew it across the man's neck, and sheathed it again, letting the dead body fall to the ground with a thump.

"They did, Fullbright-san. But, who are these demons..."

"We are the last line of defense against these monsters," the TV announced, oblivious to the carnage of the scene that just took place. "We are here, we are everywhere. We are the Hounds of Humanity!”

Location: Twin's Apartment
Time: About !0:30am

” so does this old hunk of junk actually work or…” The young woman to attempted ask as her friend readjusted the bottom bolt on the seat. Last night’s meeting between the three women personally shaken her up. The evidence of another werewolf in the city was exaggerating and adding into the fact that death still seemed to be hanging heavily in the air didn’t help. The werewolf waited for a few minutes before once again trying to redo the conversation. ” Alright I’m sorry. The bike isn’t a piece of old hunk. The bike is really rad Eric. so I ask again may I borrow it?”

“I want to know what the hell is going on with you Yeong.” The man commented in a serious tone.

“What do you mean? I’m perfectly fine. The anger issues are the some as always. My health is almost inhuman granted I managed to gain a death match with mother nature. What is it that I’m missing man?” The young woman shifted to the right waiting for his response.

“Nothing. Take the bike for now but keep in mind I know you’re hiding something kiddo. And I promise you I will find out what that is one way or another.” He stated before leaving his workshop. The woman frowned as she mentally worked out a plan to keep that from happening though unfortunately her phone alarm disrupted her thought process. About 10:30 am and there was still the long ass drive to Las Vegas just great. The girl hurried up her errand and drove back home.

Once there the werewolf noticed that the other two seemed to be packing up Ji’s car. She watched turning the bike off and smiled at the two. ” Anyone need a lift?”

_{banner credit to Nitemare Shape}



Time: Midnight
Location: Lost Haven, Maine

Charlene stared at her phone skimming through the mountain of messages from her friend, Carrie Ludwig. Carrie’s text messages ranged from all caps to strings of typos, different time stamps. The last message she received before the phone calls, was the most sensible one.

Char call me, this is driving me nuts!!

Charlie and Yvonne had walked back hauling their scrap. Yvonne shrugged at her when Charlie read the message out loud then decided to give Carrie a chat.

It rang a couple times finally Carrie picking up with a hello, “Everything alright?”

“Oh yeah! Glad you called, Charlie. I need your help with something, where are you?” Carrie replied cheerfully.

Charlie looked around then noted the street, “With Evie, your messages made me think something was wrong.”

Carrie paused a little then with all her might shouted into the phone, “HI EVIE! TELL HER I SAID HI!” Charlie flinched away from the phone in time for Evie to hear every word. The woman just squinted at the phone then shook her head. Carrie continued as breezily as before, “I guess so but can you come by and help me out with something? ASAP.”

Charlene looked to Yvonne who shrugged, “I ain’t got anywhere else to go. Triads are enough excitement for one night.”

“Alright, I’m just going to drop off my shit at home then step on over to your place. See you in 30.”



Hood down, a much lighter backpack, Charlie’s hand was on the old styled doorknob of her best friend’s duplex. Carrie opened the door wide as Charlie was reaching for it, stepping out into her immediate personal space. Carrie was never one to really acknowledge her immediate invasion of space. Behind her were sounds of various animals, the smell of them as well.

“Charlie! C’mon we’ve got a lot of searching ahead of us tonight, so I hope you wore running shoes. We’ve got some mysterious -- thing to find. It’s been bugging me, now it’s on the move.” She shuffled past Charlie her voice cheerful, energetic. Her massive amount of light brown hair tied into a messy bun on top of her head, dressed in a sundress and large hoodie to keep the evening chill off her shoulders. In her hands she held dowsing needles, ones Charlie recognized from previous midnight escapades.

“First of all, you have to let me in on what exactly we’re looking for. Two, those needles don’t do shit. Thirdly, it’s not exactly safe out tonight to go wandering around the city.” Charlie pointed out gesturing with her staff, “Maybe we should try in a week or something.”

Carrie gave her a strange look, Charlie typically being the first to take the lead on these searches. “What’s gotcha spooked? Didn’t think I’d ever see the day Charlie said no to a night out.”

Charlie shrugged, lowering her voice, “A witch and alchemist following some phoney dowsing needles isn’t going to look good alright? Who the fuck knows where the Hounds of Humanity are. They attacked clubs, magic folk, metas.”

Her friend looked at her thoughtfully then quickly gave her tall friend a tight hug, “That’s why I asked you to come with me. We can watch each other’s back. Here’s the skinny.”

The skinny? Oh my god. She thought, giving Carrie a brief one armed hug. Then listened.

“So, you might not feel it cause you’re the literal magical equivalent to a stick in the mud.” Carrie commented, Charlie huffed. “The past little bit there’s been this really weird, disturbance in the leyline crossing over Lost Haven. I don’t personally tap into it but it’s kind of a big deal for my neighbour downstairs. Been raving about not being able to sleep at night, then I heard him complaining how it was closer now than ever.” She held up her needles, “Hence why we’re going to use these.”

Carrie paused dramatically, grinning as they made their way down the street, “And that’s why we’re going out tonight. If it’s out here here on the East side then we might have a chance at finding it.”

“If it’s a someone then I want to help them before something else finds them.” Carrie finished sincerely. “Bleeding heart on my sleeve.”

Charlie’s slight frown turned into a smile, “Fair. Let’s find it. Lead the way.”

With that Carrie led the way, following the previously unreliable needles. Carrie was channeling her magic through a spell, focusing on the incredibly strange disturbance in the leyline. Neither of them were really familiar with the forces of energy that lay within the leylines. The Arcane Stream. Both Carrie and Charlie held magic within their blood and families. Carrie had an uncanny knack for understanding animals while Charlie understood alchemy.

While the needles themselves looked to be like simple thick knitting needles, along the stems were archaic symbols. They proved once again to be unreliable. They trespassed onto Gene Co property only to be chase out by approaching security guards, they wandered into the tennis ball courts at Lost Haven University to find nothing. They even walked as far past Sherman Square to find nothing but the nightlife turning down. They circled their way back to the east side, Carrie complaining she was getting cold well into the wee hours of the morning and Charlie’s feet hurting from walking all night. With their last stop at the airport proving to be a complete waste of time they made their way back home, both tired and ready to call it as the sun was starting to come up.

They cut through the local park and Carrie tugged Charlie down to sit on a bench with a grunt. She squinted at the needles and then chucked them clear into the creek. Staring at the spot for a second of consideration then she ran to retrieve them before they sunk too far out of her reach. Charlie watched rubbing the heel of her hand into her eye, stifling a yawn.

Her thumb rubbed an alchemic symbol on her staff idly thinking what could be causing so much trouble with the leylines. Obviously outside of Charlie’s expertise. She felt something strange, watching Carrie fish her needles out. It felt as if they were being watched. She sat up in the bench taking a look around, her imagination running wild now with her fears of Hounds of Humanity on the mind and extreme lack of sleep. Scanning the park she stopped on a tree, the vaguely humanoid shape sitting up in the branches caught her eye.

Standing up and not taking her eyes off the figure in the branches she walked over to Carrie, hand dipping into the water and pulling the needles free. “Look, someone is watching us. In that tree.” Charlie whispered gesturing with her staff.

“Huh?” Carrie replied then squinted against the morning sun.

Charlie hauled her to her feet, “I say we go confront them. See if it’s just some homeless person hanging out in a tree... or the something we’ve been looking for all night.”

Carrie nodded, holding her friend’s arm. They approached the tree together, now getting a closer look. Charlie’s mouth popped open with shock at what she saw and Carrie quietly squeed with delight.

“Oh my god! This is better than I thought!” Carrie said.

“What the fuck?” It was all Charlie could manage.

Location-Ji and Yeong’s home, NYC
Time-Night
@fdeviant @Fallenreaper@Demonic Angel

Sighing, she put her earbuds in and played some music, hoping to relax her mind. She couldn't leave for more than a day before her sister does something wrong. This time, she lost a newborn werewolf in a damn city. Give an unnatural growl, her taxi driver looked at her weirdly, which she ignored as she got lost in the flaming, lyricless music, she had on her phone.

She had gone back to her hometown to do a monthly check up on their parents, making sure they were alright and that they had no indication that she and her twin were alive and well. Lately, her favorite customer, Stacey, and her new boyfriend and her sister’s ex, Eric, have been scheming things lately and she couldn't shake the feeling that it involved her and Yeong.

As much as she wanted to be in her father’s arms again and feel her mother’s kisses in her forehead, she knew she couldn't go back to that life that was forced to let go that faithful night at Yellowstone National Park and that meant she had to let her parents and youngest siblings go.

She jolted from her dark thoughts of her parents and the last when the taxi stopped. Thanking the driver and laying the fee and a tip, she got out and got her bags from the trunk and went up into the complex before her.

Seeing the lights turned off completely as she opened the door told her she had beat her sister home, this gave her time to clean up a bit and then prepare to find Ben once again.

”I almost forgot how troublesome newborns could be. It's would be funny, if it wasn't for circumstances like this” mentally chuckling, she took a quick shower and dressed herself in a black and green tie dyed tank top and black shorts that ended just below the thighs.

She just finished butts her hair up when her sister walked in, but she wasn't alone, oh no. Standing with was the blindfolded witch from the Museum.

”Yeong, why did you bring her here. She is a risk to us” she said turning her glare to her sister.

Merlin’s insistence to let the vampire known as Katrina have her freedom was unnerving, she was never this nice to anyone before; sure Merlin wasn’t particularly kind by most standards but she did treat the vamp with more respect than she did her. Still getting out of that stuffy library would do her good, and the day seemed nice. About as nice as it gets in New York this time of year as wind blew papers across the street and cats cluttered back alleys it was a good thing Eva kept Dickens at home otherwise he’d run off and tear into strays. With her hands dug into her pockets and walked with her arms close to her body she looked at a quaint shop, there were colorful designs printed over shirts, pants and jackets. She liked this place it’s where she got the bulk of her clothing. The man who owned Starstruck was a tall Irish fellow stereotypically red hair and accent, looking like he had just immigrated from Ireland yesterday. With a smile he greeted one of his regular customers, “Afternoon miss Walsh. Care to see our latest wares, local budding designers have submitted more clothes for sale.”

”I am looking for a few things, do you have any capelets?”

Meanwhile. Just a few blocks over a man was being chased, skin had scales and his breathing was heavy as he gasped for air. The Hounds knew this, and closed in on him, these were not the militant types of Hounds seen on the news no sir. They were sympathisers, thugs more like it, one had a proper gun and the others whatever improvised weapons they armed themselves with. The meta before them was quite unlucky, breathing underwater was an alright gift but none helpful when someone is intent to kill you. The man could barely muster the strength to gasp out meek calls for help as he tossed just about anything he could find to slow them down but he was running out of alleyways and soon came to a dead end. With eyes only a man who knew death was at hand possessed he bravely took a trash can lid for protection.

“What’s he thinking of doing, smacking us upside the head!” A man laughed out.

Another stepped forward dragging his bat along the brick as it bounced off repeatedly. “It’s freaks like you who ruined my marriage, crashing through buildings, tearing up the town.”

“Oliver.” One called out. “As I see it you did that. Taking that blonde home thinking you’d have time for a quickie.”

“Fuck off!” Oliver said as he turned to the freak. “Cause of people like you, I lost my marriage hard to keep a fling secret when you’re fucking wall is torn down.”

As the men closed in there was a cough, and another cough. As a stranger began looming over the wall the meta had been backed up against. “You gentlemen seem to be forgetting something, this is a town of HEROES! And you face the World, and..” The World the towering Giant man said in dramatic fashion while a sewer lid popped open.

“THE MIGHTY FIST OF JUSTICE! SEWER GATOR! For I am like the gumwad stuck to the bottom of your shoe after you spat it out, seeking justice for all your wrongdoings! I am like the sting of the bee who’s nest you disturbed! I am like…”

Before he could continue, The World cut him off. “To Justice then!”

“To Justice!” Sewer Gator yelled in response.

Jeanette Forestier stood on the parapet wall of her apartment’s roof. For an ordinary person, a bystander would have called suicide watch if they saw someone standing on the edge of a roof. However, after the incident in Washington Park, Jeanette was no longer just a regular person. When a gentle breeze blew by, the blue avian feathers on her arms rustled. During the incident in Washington Park, Jeanette had watched her arms morph into the wings of a bird that were scaled up to fit her body.

Jeanette had never tried to fly since she gained her powers from the incident. What did she have to lose not trying? She took a deep breath and began flapping her avian wings back and forth while she built up the courage to make the leap. She nervously clicked the talons on her feet, which had also become avianlike because of the incident in Washington Park. While being a woman with arms and legs that were an avian and human mix (although they were more on the avian side), she also did not think her appearance was bad enough to end her life. The rest of herself was still one hundred percent human. She was just afraid that she might plunge to her death.

With one last deep breath, Jeanette bent her legs and launched herself into the air. At first, she could not tell whether she was flying or falling, but after a few seconds and an adrenaline rush, Jeanette found herself gliding in the air, where she had to flap her wings every once in a while to keep herself in the skies. It was an uncanny feeling to see people and cars on the street below from a bird’s eye view. Looking down from a plane is one thing, but, when you are the one flying, it is a totally different feeling.

After she felt comfortable with flying, or at least more than she did before she took off, Jeanette tried to get her bearings before setting course towards campus. She saw on Twitter that someone was holding a small support group for the victims of the Washington Park incident. Since she was already out now, she decided she might as well go. However, when she got closer to campus, Jeanette realized that she also had to figure out how to land. After circling the greens below her so that she would have time to recall how a bird lands, she saw out of the corner of her eye a small bird fly down to the ground.

Jeanette tried her best to mimic the bird’s form. Sure, she might look like a big goofball, but that was preferable than face-planting into the ground. Not only would that suck, but also hurt. A lot. While the landing was a little rocky, Jeanette did successfully return to the ground without getting a mouthful of turf.

She then turned towards Adams Hall, the building where the metahuman support group had been scheduled to happen. Since she was still getting use to her new avian feet, it took Jeanette a few minutes to walk over to the entrance of the hall. Once she got there, she was really fortunate that she still had opposable thumbs on her wings or else she would not have been able to open the door. Before she headed to room 307, Jeanette made a pitstop in the women’s restroom.

When she peered into the bathroom mirror, Jeanette saw that the wind had made a mess out of her hair while she was flying over here. It looked almost like she had ridden a motorcycle without a helmet. While most would have thought she had dyed her hair the same color as her wing feathers, that color was actually now her natural hair color. As she did her best to tame her hair, Jeanette wondered if she should cut her hair. She was not quite sure if she was ready for a pixie cut. Maybe a bob cut.

Once she had fixed her hair, or at least to the point where it would not look like she had just rolled out of bed, Jeanette proceeded to room 307. She found that flying up the stairs was far more efficient than walking up them due to her avian feet. After the going up two flights of stairs, she wandered around until she found the room. When she found it, Jeanette found four people waiting in there. Two of them were wearing regular clothes, although their cat and wasp traits (respectively) made it clear that they were metahumans. The third girl was wearing a raincoat, despite the lack of precipitation that day. The last person, who was the only man in the group, was wearing a superhero costume that was comprised of several shades of brown with black stripes on his back and dinosaurlike tail.

“Hey.” Jeanette introduced herself. The four individuals inside the room turned their attention towards the harpy girl. “My name is Jeanette, although you can just call me Jean. I guess I found the right place.”

_{banner credit to Nitemare Shape}



Time: Early Morning - Present Day
Location: Lost Haven, Maine

Berenice had been people watching for less than ten minutes before her eyes caught movement quite near her. Two girls had sat on a bench next to the creek, and were conversing tersely for a few moments before the brown-haired one threw a pair of slender sticks out into the water. The sticks themselves flared in her sight, and now that she focused on them, the girls glimmered a bit too, with slightly different colours.

One of the girls stared for a moment and then went after her little sticks, and it was but a moment before Berry knew she had been spotted. This was not normal, like the other large humans she had seen. One looked at her with genuine curiosity, and the other with what seemed cautionary optimism in her partner’s judgement. They began approaching, and she shifted uncomfortably on her perch, hands twisting together. No one had noticed her people watching before, and these two seemed awfully different compared to the other humans she had met. Though David had a similar sort of smell to him.

Whispering to Carrie, Charlie gripped her staff nervously. “That’s- she’s not, she’s not what I’m thinking right?”

“Harpy, Char. She’s got wings.” Carrie whispered back, clearing her throat she started with a hello, it was only rude to talk about someone while they were in earshot. “Good morning, little one. My name is Carrie.”

Charlene remained quiet letting Carrie take the lead, Carrie was good with animals and weird stuff. Instead she focused on studying the bird lady- harpy. Her wings were pressed up against her body, what light that was coming through the tree shined on motley brown feathers on the top. Little scraps of cloth were tied around her human bust, her hair was an utter mess. Her human torso shifted from skin to white feathers. Where ten toes should have been there were talons, similarly to the claws on her hands. If she hadn’t been in a tree, surely someone would have noticed a bird lady wandering around in the park before Charlene and Carrie arrived. Lost Haven was weird, but not that weird.

“Can you speak or understand me?” Carrie asked, sweetly. Her friend was relaxed, completely at ease. Charlie had a spot of jealousy for that.

Charlene thought to herself, Of course she would speak and know English. Sure. Make it weirder.

Berenice stared for a second. Her talons gripped slightly tighter into the tree branch, but the stranger’s voice didn’t sound agitated. Even more, Berenice herself wasn’t that surprised, even though most humans tended to put her on edge. Her golden eyes focused on the other one, though, the one carrying a stick much larger than the ones they had thrown and retrieved. She did seem nervous, but the harpy didn’t feel as apprehensive as she normally would because of that.

“Ya, I can unnerstand you, walker.” Her downy feathers fluffed slightly, as she subconsciously tried to look just a bit larger. “I have no food for you to steal, and I do not threaten younglings like the black clothed men think. I want a quiet day.”

Carrie put up her hands then took a step back, Charlie did the same and put down her staff as well. “We aren’t here to steal food. My friend and I,” Carrie gestured to Charlie. “Are curious about you, actually. Worried more than anything, truthfully. We don’t see beings like you around here.”

Charlie spoke up, clearing her throat. “Didn’t mean to bug ya, just noticed you were watching us. My name is Charlie.” Carrie nodded at her, encouraging her. “What’s your name?”

This was a question that had perturbed the harpy for her entire brief life. She knew that she had been named, though not how. “My name is Berenice.” Something clicked in the back of her head that Amy had said was important. Her voice shifted slightly, and she suddenly sounded like a twelve year old girl. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her head cocked to one side, much like an owl, and she was obviously studying them.

Charlie’s expression became confused at that, it sounded like an imitated echo. Like it didn’t quite fit coming from a harpy. Carrie nodded, actively listening.

Why do I know these things? was a thought that plagued Berry. She knew that she had woken up with all the knowledge she had of the English language. She had no idea, however, as to the why or the how of it. She also had woken with knowing how to hunt, and otherwise fend for herself, but even so, how did she know that, and the thought struck her just now, these humans would not be a threat. How did she know these things?

She shook her head, as if getting rid of an offending mite, and stared down at the young women, unblinking. Since she was adopting the tree as her temporary home, and they had been polite, she was struck with the need for hospitality. ”Do you like fish?”

Carrie noted, “We’re going to sit down, if you don’t mind. Charlie and I have been walking all night.” She slowly crouched then put her hands on the ground as she did, not breaking eye contact with Berenice. When Carrie sat Charlie did the same, relieved to be sitting again. She let out a sigh. Her staff was beside her, even from here she felt like she could at least defend herself a little bit if need be.

“I like fish, you like fish don’t you Charlie?” Carrie asked, friendly and light.

Charlie gave her a look, then replied. “Yeah sure. Fish are cool.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Berenice. So what- uh brings you to this side of Lost Haven? Magical folk usually stick to their own little pockets, are you lost?” Charlie asked leaning back on her palms, breaking eye contact to look around for anyone who might have been paying attention. Thankfully morning joggers weren’t interested enough to stop let alone look their way. Carrie hugged her legs, still smiling.

”No, I was born here.” With that simple statement, Berenice stopped paying attention to them and her head swivelled over to the creek. She hopped along branches, moving like almost like a sparrow, with a hop-skip and flutter of wings. When she was over the water, she stooped over for a second, then swung her wings out and swooped down across the surface, talons out to snatch a pair of tiny trout from the creek. With just as sure a movements, she pivoted midair and swept past the girls, releasing her prizes as she did and dropping the now very dead fish onto their laps rather deftly.

With a flirtatious dip of her wingtips, she guided herself back to the branch she had been on, braked with a few flaps, and perched again. “This is my home. Or, at least, my home is very near this place.” As she adjusted back to face them, her head rotated again in the same manner. ”What are these magic folk you speak of?”

Charlene wasn’t so sure about being fast enough to defend herself now, instantly regretting she wasn’t on her feet. Carrie stared wide eyed at the fish in her lap, as did Charlie. Carrie looked to her friend then gave a sheepish shrug. “You said you were hungry for breakfast right?”

“You owe me.” Charlie said, with both hands she peeled back the flesh from lacerations and popped a chunk of bloody fish flesh in her mouth without flinching watching Carrie. The witch who always struggled with her resolve when they played truth or dare as kids. Carrie gingerly peeled some flesh away, picking off the scales. Procrastinating, her face was pale. “Go on, it’s not that bad.”

Carrie squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately not to gag. She chewed the piece of fish briefly then swallowed. Holding her stomach, waiting for her gag reflex to relax.

Charlie grinned at her, answering Berenice’s question. “Magical folk like you, like me and Carrie. She’s a witch and I’m an alchemist. Reason why we ask is ‘cause it’s not safe for people like us to be out and about in the open like this anymore. Hell, it wasn’t really that safe before but now...” She trailed off, picking at some scales on the trout in her lap, Berenice had mentioned something about black clothed men. Had she already run into the Hounds of Humanity? Oh no.

Carrie nodded, “Yeah, if you need help getting back home or need somewhere safe to stay for the day I have space-”

Charlie tugged on her arm, “Carrie no, you want to paint a target on your back? I’m sure there’s another way we can help Berenice, y’know assuming she even wants help.” Charlie added for Berenice.

The witch glared at Charlie, “I did not just eat a raw fish for nothing. You said so yourself, it’s not safe for anyone of us. She may be a harpy but she’s one of us. Trust me on this, Char. I got a good feeling.” She softened considerably, patting Charlie’s hand.

Berenice though about their offer, producing a gurgling sound like a relaxed but talkative crow might as she did. These ones seemed to be nice, and they were offering her protection. The David had offered the same, or at least help, before he had been swallowed by the fiery Lord of Wally’s World. But except protecting her from a very ambiguous they, no one had yet told her what these dangers might be. Out of all the adults she had met, however, these two seemed genuinely interested in her well being and not studying her. That might not be completely right, she thought, fixing her gaze on Carrie.

Charlie’s slight frown warmed a little at the noise Berenice made, despite the strange aura surrounding the harpy she was… admittedly a little cute. Carrie smiled warmly when Berenice fixed her with her gaze.

Her resolve hardened a bit. After all, she was no youngling, even if she hadn’t been here very long. “Krrrr. Why is it not safe? The open is where I belong, and my nest is far towards the setting sun, so if there are great beasts in the steel jungle, I should know.” Her feathers settled down, though, and she moved a few sideways steps along the branch, closer to them. Her neck, even as human as it was, still craned forward like a raptor’s, as if eager for answers.

Charlie offered looking up to Berenice, finding a bit more of her own resolve as she spoke, “Bad men with guns, who want to hurt magical folk. They’ve-they have killed some of us, not to spook you…” The more she spoke the weaker her argument grew with Carrie. Her friend nodded. “If we can get you back to your uh… nest? Then that…” She sighed, defeated. “Means we’re all safer. What do you say Berenice? Do you want us to help you get back to your nest?”

Carrie nodded eagerly.

The harpy made a low, shrill whistling sound through her teeth. ”It would be good to go home, but you cannot fly, and most walkers do not seem to like me,except for the younglings.” She shifted down the branch again. ”How do you move quickly on those legs?”

Carrie squeed with delight, clapping her hands. “This is going to be so fun!”

The alchemist noted, “Back to my original point, how do we get Berenice from here to where’d you say? West? The other side of the city, without a car?”

“We just need a disguise. I’ve probably got some illusion charms or something kicking around at home.” Carrie said, waving off the problem as if it was nothing to worry for. She fixed up her hair bun a little finally taking into account how strange Berenice looked as it were. “Nobody is up this early anyway, we’ll be fine.”

Charlene had some severe doubts, then shrugged picking up her staff the fluorite crystal lighting up in the morning sun. “We walk, Berenice. We’re gonna have to stop at off at Carrie’s place to find something to disguise you with. She can work some witchy woo magic and hopefully come up with something.”

“Don’t call it witchy woo.”

“It’s nicer than calling it a trick.”

“Whatever, Charlie.”

Sensing they were ready to move, Berenice launched herself out of the tree and took off into the air, ascending quickly on a thermal and getting herself even with the tops of some of the larger buildings in the area, and then circled about, watching them with her exceptional vision and keeping a steady holding pattern above them so she could follow.

These were the times Berenice loved best, when she was up in the air, tracking something. Admittedly, she was not going to dive out of the early morning mists and slam into them with her talons like she would with a rabbit or something, but the hunting alone wasn’t really a large portion of the enjoyment for her. The skill it took for her to stay steady in the air and watch the ground, keeping herself from outpacing them and avoiding the gaze of some of the few other humans in the area; that was really fun. She did a few tumbles and loops just because she could.



Time: 7:00 AM
Location: Carrie’s Duplex, Lost Haven.

The walk back Carrie’s place was short, Carrie had a difficult time not watching Berenice fly Charlie tugging her out of the way of other pedestrians or avoid wandering into a stoop. Charlie was curious as well, sneaking the odd look up. Berenice’s wing span was much larger than she initially thought, even past that brief show of fishing she had done by the creek. It was really something to see her fly, she wondered briefly if she could snag a feather for Harry.

Carrie walked up the set of stairs, spiraling up to her apartment. Standing on the concrete landing Carrie fiddled with her keys. The porch was surrounded by potted plants all in bloom, green and healthy. A little overhang flowerbed on the railings notably from Nathaniel Croll’s own garden, Charlie’s grandpa loved talking shop with Carrie when it came to the garden. Charlie waved up at Berenice gesturing her to come down.

“This way! We’re going inside!”

Berry spotted the signal and swept down out of the sky like a thunderbolt, braking out of her dive only to have to turn about and circle once before she found a spot on the railings empty enough to accommodate her. Her head swivelled to and fro in wonderment at the assortment of plants, and she was on the verge of asking when a scent, or rather several scents, caught her attention. Her nostrils flared three times as she sniffed. “You keep food even in the middle of the square nests here? That is impressive, but surely it is harder to hunt.”

Charlie flinched away stumbled with her back against the wall clutching her staff at the sudden descent from Berenice. “Fuck me, you’re fast.”

Carrie wasn’t fazed. “Yeah, food and shelter protected inside.” She unlocked the door and a chorus of various animal noises resounded through the door. It was a wonder how her neighbours put up with it. “Come on let’s get inside, Charlie you keep her company while I go find my charms.”

She stepped inside, saying hello to her various pets. A couple dogs padded up wagging their tails. One was her old chocolate labrador his tail like a whip against Charlie’s leg, and a younger brown wiener dog snorting happily. A cat perched by the window watching Berenice curiously. While off in a free standing perch was a raven preening by an open window. It corked responding to Carrie’s hello. A couple cockatiels were whistling with her arrival. In the living room was largely set up for the pets, while as you travelled further in she kept a medium sized aquarium in the hallway, decked out with mini fake coral reefs and caves. Carrie walked up to the tall standing wire jungle where her ferret slept and opened the door wishing her a good morning. The ferret waddled to the edge of the door looking about.

Charlie patted the chocolate lab sitting on her feet, the animals all seemed to come about and all their attention went to Berenice’s arrival more so than their favourite human.

The siren made her awkward way through the door, with the waddling steps most raptors had, and stared about her in awe at the variety of creatures in this small space. Feeling slightly vulnerable on the ground, she flapped her wings once and got onto a counter, where she could more safely observe everything. She croaked at the raven in its own language, which seemed to surprise it, and then crowed at the other birds in turn, grinning toothily as she listened to their responses. After greeting her cousins she leaned down from her perch, talons digging into wooden panelling with an audible creaking, and stared at the land-based animals. After a few moment, she straightened up.

”This is a good nest, Car-lee,” she said, still grinning. She was obviously very pleased with her surroundings. ”All these animals are healthy and happy. Should I sing for them?” She combed a hand through her wing feathers as she talked, straightening out a few mussed ones in an idle fashion. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she kept a half measure of attention on the ferret. It looked delicious, and while she would not be rude enough to eat it, she was sore tempted.

The dogs sniffed curiously at Berenice while the grey tabby cat approached warily behind the dogs. Charlie commented, correcting her. “Carrie, Berenice.” She pointed at Carrie then placed her hand flat on her chest. “I’m Charlie.”

Idly commenting as she approached the Raven, “The zoo seems to like her.” She clicked with her tongue, the raven hopped off his perch and onto Charlie’s arm climbing up to her shoulder. Charlie scratched at his head. “Hey Oscar, must be in a good mood today to come see me before Carrie.”

He gurgled a little then pushed his head against her fingers. Charlie noticed the cracks in the wood Berenice made, wincing. “I’ll fix that before Carrie notices. She has a pretty hefty security deposit on this place ‘cause of the pets.” Charlie whispered to Berenice. Carrie had disappeared into a side office, audibly moving stuff around and talking to herself.

Berenice glanced down at where her talons had made a mess. ”Oh, was it important? Sorry. I have never been inside a square nest before. Though it is much smaller than I thought it would be.” Her stomach gave a grumble, and her face twisted. ”Car-lee, what do I do? Amy said I shouldn’t go inside places like this!” There was a note of panic in her voice, and she had begun leaning and bobbing from side to side, very much like a small child who is waiting to go to the restroom.

Charlie squinted, “Go inside…?”

Her expression dropped and she looked pained upon realization. “Okay calm down, I’ll show you to the bathroom. Just hold it as long as you can.”

Oscar flapped off her shoulder as Charlie beckoned Berenice across the living room to the small bathroom. She opened the door and felt like she was asking an obvious question. “Do you… know how to use a toilet?”

Berenice shook her head miserably, looking around. Everything in here was made of smooth surfaces! What sort of creature could use such things? ”Don’t even know which one it is.”

“Okay watch me.” She said, lifting the lid on the toilet and squatted over it and said, “You sit like this on the toilet, since you’re not wearing pants you’ll only have to worry about doing your thing. Then when you’re all done you flush the waste away like this,” She pushed down the lever and the water swirled away. “Now you try.”

Charlie stepped away giving her and her wings enough room, but already the soap dispenser and toothbrush were swept off the counter. “I’ll turn around and give you some privacy alright. Oh and-” She said pointing to the toilet paper roll, “Clean yourself up after by using the toilet paper there and throw it in the toilet.”

The siren listened as attentively as she could, watching carefully. As soon as Charlie was out of the way she scrambled onto the furnishing and turned around. There was a series of horrible screeches as her claws fought for purchase or the porcelain, before she finally balanced herself out.

A few minutes later, she hobbled out, then turned around and darted back in to flush. She gave Charlie an aggravated look as she exited. ”Clean myself with paper? Is a silly thing, Car-lee. Paper falls apart when it gets wet and sticks to feathers. Hands do not belong near that place, but I had to! Toilets are disgusting!” She placated herself by hopping over to where the grey tabby was watching her and cooing at it softly.

Charlie squeezed the bridge of her nose after seeing the poor toilet. “The toilet too I guess.” She rolled up her sleeves and paced over to Berenice’s original perch crouching in front of it. “It’s Charlie, ch-ar-ley.” She enunciated slowly rubbing her hand over the wood trying to remember what sort of wood it was.

Muttering from memory what wood was largely made of, “Carbon… Oxygen, hydrogen…” Magic seeped from her hand into the cracks of the wood panelling feeling out the other trace elements, pulling the space between the panels back together it filled with a little light when her hands pulled away it was in one piece once again, the grain a little off. Standing up, “You said you wanted to sing? I thought that was only, sirens or whatever. Mermaids.”

Berenice looked up from her position, breaking the staring contest she had started with the cat. ”I can sing very well. Don’t know what a siren is. Amy told me what a mermaid was, but I didn’t know they could sing. Singing underwater would be hard.” She straightened her back, and her ribs expanded as she took a deep breath, and then started, as she always did, making it up as she went.

This time she wanted to try something new with her song, so she began with quiet, almost inaudible notes, and slowly built up in volume and intensity, adding in little trills and other notes from songbirds as she went. Out of her control, the magic began to flow out too, as slowly as the first notes, rolling invisibly over the animals and instilling tranquility on those nearest her.

Charlie noticed the animals first when she was listening focusing on sealing over the damage the toilet suffered. They all gathered in a hypnotic gaze at Berenice, she began hearing the sound a little differently changing from unrecognizable to something more pleasant. Carrie popped her head out of her office to then her eyes went wide, “Charlie! Stop her from singing!”

“What’s the matter? The animals like it.” She asked, “It ain’t that bad.”

“No you- ugh you dumb nerd, harpies have enchanting voices. They can compel those who hear their song to do what they want. I’m still finding the charms, I think Crispers hoarded them away somewhere.” Carrie said returning to the office. “Don’t get brainwashed.”

Charlie huffed and grumbled something about nonsense fairy tales. “Hey Berenice, can you stop singing, please? It sounds nice, but I…” She was losing her train of thought, “Holy shit, Carrie’s right. Cut it out, Berry. I’m feeling foggy.”

”Oh, okay.” Berenice settled back to her ‘seated’ position. Her wings drooped onto her back, clearly disappointed in not being able to sing, but she had noticed people got weird when she did so. Her head craned over to look at Charlie. ”Car-lee, what does she mean about harpies? Is that what I am?”

Charlie blinked at Berenice, she knew next to nothing about such creatures from myth but it seemed Berenice didn’t really know much about herself either. A pang of sympathy for her shot through Charlie. “Hey Carrie, where’s your grimoire encyclopedia on supernaturals?”

Carrie’s answer came, “Top shelf, beside the tv.”

Charlie nudged the stepstool out of the way able to reach no problem and pulled the large grimoire free of the bookshelf. With two hands she held the book close then she shuffled in around the pets close enough for Berenice to read over her shoulder. The wiener dog scrambled onto her lap. “I’m far from being an expert on these sort of things, alchemy deals with the real world pretty exclusively.”

Carrie snorted loudly from the other room.

“But I know a thing or two about research. Being on your own is tough, I’ve got my family and would probably be as lost as you if I didn’t have them to teach me about my magic. We all need a little help. Yeah?” Charlie said smiling up at Berenice. “Let’s look up Harpy.”

She opened the tome, flipping past pages upon pages of hand drawn pictures of various creatures of legend. Notes, pasted articles of supposed sightings, printed pages, it looked like a particularly well loved scrapbook of the strange. She stopped on a page about them, Carrie had drawn male and female faces with bird like features, a few other birds as birds and combining certain details into a human.

Berenice quorked quietly as she saw the drawings, craning her head over Charlie’s shoulder. From this close, it was obvious she had no idea what toothpaste was, and her faint odour still remained on her skin, musky and slightly smelling of death. She extended a hand out and pointed at the pictures. ”Does this mean there are more like me?”

Charlene caught a whiff of her body odor and bad breath, but got a good look at her mouth full of canines. Charlie hardly flinched away from the smell, having dived into her own fair share of dumpsters. It was raunchy but none too offensive to the scavenger. Bird ladies that could pluck fish straight out of a creek could smell however they wanted to smell. “I think so. But look here,” Noticing a main difference between the harpies drawn on the page and the one sitting over her shoulder. “This one doesn’t have a human torso like you do, her arms are her wings. Way more bird than human. According to this description, while they are strange hybrids in nature…” Charlie lifted the page to read the handwriting, “They typically do not have the gift of human speech or song. So you may look like that but according to this you’re not quite harpy.”

Carrie popped her head out, “I thought harpies could.”

“According to your own notes, that is a no.” Charlie said, then started flipping through the tome again. “So maybe my stupid guess from earlier about mermaids wasn’t too far off base?”

It landed particularly on Sirens. Charlie was surprised. “I thought Sirens were always like, fish people who could sing. Looks like they’re humans with bird features as well but can sing like you, Berry. Shit, Carrie. Your memory starting to slip?”

A singsong shut up drifted out of the office.

“Let’s see what the notes say,” She said. “So according to myth, Sirens were creatures that would lure Greek sailors off course with their enchanting voices and singing. Mainly to shipwreck them, presumably eat the sailors or steal their resources. You see here,” She pointed to the drawings, “They are similar to harpies but the important thing being is having magical vocal cords to enrapture those around you. So you’re a long way from Greek waters, there Berry.”

She laughed to herself, “Ah this is really fucked up, we went looking for a magical disturbance last night and wind up finding a siren.” She shook her head. “Strange. Where does your magic come from? Do you know?”

She swiveled to Berenice.

Berenice shook her head. “I don’t know. Until Cay-ree said it, I didn’t know I could sing people like that. I was born three and a half weeks ago.” She reached up and scratched at a mite in her hair. ”The first thing I can remember is waking up in the place where my nest is, but it was smoking and it smelled like lightning and awful things that were burnt. I can show you.” she was fidgeting now, eyes sweeping over the pictures in the book. Another sketch caught her eye, near the bottom of the page. It looked like the mermaids she had seen on another page, but it had a question mark next to it. ”What about that one? Is that a siren, too?”

Charlie blinked at her, Three fucking weeks old?

Carrie finally came out of the office holding a studded silver hair beret. “Did I hear that right? You’re only little over three weeks old? You must have been created-” Her expression fell at the realization, her expression sullen as she studied Berenice’s face. Someone created a siren, at no doubt the cost of a woman’s body used.

The witch played with the beret in her hand, frowning. “Yes, there has been a lot of confusion over which is which. If Sirens are either bird or mermaid, or both. From what I researched, it hasn’t been conclusive. I don’t exactly have a lot of resources. My coven is pretty small.”

She took a deep breath in, shaking the sadness. There was no real point to dwell, beyond hoping Berenice being the only one created in such a way. There was no way of knowing for sure, just assumptions. “Here, Berry. This is an illusion charm, if you wear it it’ll make you appear human. My grandma knew some vamps in her day, real dead lookin’ ones. This beret helped them blend in no problem, made them look like a normal human. Let’s see if it works on you.”

She offered it to Charlie who plucked it out of her hands, “I’ll put it in your hair for you.”

The siren bent her head so it would be easier for Charlie to set the beret, though the tangled mess of her hair presented an additional challenge. While Charlie was working on getting it set, Berenice looked at Carrie. ”What is a coven? Is that the cooking thing? Have I been saying that wrong?”

Carrie laughed a little, “No, it’s what we call a group of witches. My family mostly.”

With the beret finally set on her head, Berenice shifted uncomfortably. It tingled, but it wasn’t painful like she had been expecting. She looked down at her talons, still gripping the counter, though gently this time. Glancing up at the pair, she said, ”Did it work? It tickles, but I still see myfeet.”

Looking at them from a seated position on the counter was a woman in perhaps her late teens or early twenties, normal in every aspect. She was on the small side, perhaps five and a half feet tall, with slender limbs. Her face was precisely the same, though her hair, having been combed out a bit and then disguised, tumbled down almost artfully in long, lazy golden-brown curls. Bright green eyes flashed from underneath, a light smattering of freckles across the nose and cheeks adding just a touch of childlike features to a face just a touch too long. Her chin was narrow and pointed, but as the image mirrored Berenice’s features and she smiled nervously, they could see that the wide grin that came through lent an almost impish look to the woman. She could easily be an actress or a singer for some semi-famous band. The disguise, however, seemed to neglect clothes, so she was left wearing only her little modesty cover across her chest.

Carrie smiled at Berenice keeping level eye contact while Charlie casted her eyes up and away. “That’s the idea, you look normal to yourself but to everyone else you look human. No wings, you have fingers and toes. Right now, very naked let’s get you some clothes.”

Carrie beckoned for Berenice to follow her over to her bedroom, to her closet somewhat organized but bursting with colourful fashion choices. Skirts, dresses, breezy clothing brought out of storage for the summer. Charlie noted at their backs, “Pants might be a bit ambitious, try a dress or a skirt!”

Carrie held up a light blue sundress, squinting at Berenice. “Charlie! I know this sounds weird but I think I might recognize her a little. Her face is ringing a bell.”

It was Charlie’s turn to snort from outside the door, she leaned with her back up against it. “Right, like you have seen a three week old face before.”

“No, can you put your skepticism on the back burner for like, an hour? We are deciding on how to dress a siren.”

“Fine, fine. Why do you think you recognize her face?” Charlie wasn’t a fan of where this conversation was going, nervously she gripped her staff.

“She was created, Char. Nobody is born and looking like an almost adult in less than a month, that’s even a stretch by magical standards. Someone was crazy enough to take a woman and mix her up with some bird and magic.” Carrie tapped her chin, a sort of sadness coming over her again. “Local.”

Berenice was half paying attention to the conversation, half trying to figure out the complex geometrical requirements necessary to get her wings through a dress. She took the sundress, careful of her claws, and got it over her head and shoulders fine, but stopped so she could remove the tattered remains of the shirt from her bust before the dress continued its journey. She had to stop again, with the dress covering most of her front and hanging from the connection of her wings to her back, and gave Carrie a pleading look. ”I think I messed it up.”

“One sec, Berry.” Carrie helped her shimmy it back over her head and opened the shoulders for her to step into it. “Careful now, one leg at a time.” Slowly they managed past her talons and legs then up. Carrie guided Berenice’s arms through the small sleeves and slipped the dress onto her shoulders. Helping to adjust the fabric around her sleeves.

“Underwear too?” Carrie asked out loud.

Charlie answered, “Yeah, stray wind, flight. Goin’ commando is not recommended.”

Carrie nodded then went to a dresser muttering something about buying a new pack recently. “Here we go, hopefully they fit. Just bought them brand new, so it’s not so, y’know. Ick.” Handing Berenice a pair of underwear. “Careful with those too, they just cover your bottom.”

Berenice looked at the piece of clothing apprehensively. Muttering to herself about silly human modesty, she carefully fit her feet through the opening, but became swiftly more disagreeable as she pulled them up. It became a slog to put the thing on, as she had to pause almost every inch to adjust feather out of the way, and staunchly refused to try and get it near her tail. However, the disguise illusion looked fine, and it seemed like this was about as far as they were going to get with clothing, as shoes were completely out of the question.

”I do not see why I have to have this,” she whined. ”I was perfectly fine without all this cloth.” However, she seemed to at least be somewhat satisfied, as she plucked at the dress fabric and made a noise like a pigeon coo. ”Are we going to my nest now?”

Charlie came around the corner and gave her a thumbs up. “Lookin’ good. Yeah, real sorry Berry but this is how we’re going to get you from one end of town to the other without being noticed. Remember you have to walk like us too, or this whole thing is just going to be for nothing. A flying girl is just as bad.”

“Let’s go-”

“Crap!” Carrie was looking at her phone now. “I totally forgot I picked up an extra shift today!”

Charlie’s expression dropped, “What! We were out all night and you didn’t think you had a shift this morning? I can’t take her across town by myself-”” Charlie said. Watching her friend fly around her room for her uniform. “Can’t you call in sick?”

“No! I already promised I’d be there!” Carrie defended, rather weakly. “I’m sorry Char, but you can handle this. I know you can.”

Without another word in edgewise Carrie flew out of the house in record time, pushing Berenice and Charlie out the door and locking it behind her. “Text me!” Was the last thing she said before running off.

Charlie drummed her fingers against the staff in irritation. Letting out a sigh she turned to Berenice, “Guess it’s just you and me. Come on, you said you lived on the West side right? Any landmarks or anything you can remember that is around your nest?”

”Krrr. I fly across the water towards the rising sun for a little bit and play at the park. It is on a rock point outside the paved areas. There are many trees below the point. Does that help?” The siren scratched at her ear idly. ”I could maybe find it on a map? I have never used one, though.”

She walked expectantly towards the front door, trying to see how this illusion was going to work. She couldn’t help but watch her own feet, trying to catch a glimpse of the magic she could feel working, but to no avail. However, it was immediately obvious that it was working, though her awkward waddling steps caused her to appear to be walking extraordinarily slowly. She glanced back at Charlie, and the image blushed a bit. ”I do not know how long I can walk, Car-lee. I do not move on my feet very often, but if this is the way than this is the way.”

Charlie thought a bit, “Many trees? There’s a couple parks on the west end, but no rock points… unless you’re out past Carver, all it’s hiking trails for the cliffs that way.” She brought out her old smartphone, clunky and older than most generations of phones. She brought up a map frowning at the device. “It’s going to take a long ass day of walking, so no better time to get used to it than right now. Trust me, I’m an expert at it.” She laughed sending off a quick text to her mom letting her know where she’ll be.

_{banner credit to Hellis}

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Time: Following Evening - After the Earthquake
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

The Ambassador stood in the dead center of the largest room of their hotel, furniture was pushed aside for the need of space. Surrounding her were sigils of various symbols and elemental background. She spoke amongst her various allies, most notably among them were Captain Esen in his wispy transparent eyes holding steady, the pool of water from which Princess Lassantra’s image lounged. Three other sigils were Jordaan, the fire sprite retainer of Rhys. Duchess Gelsey, swathed in spider silks, years after The Ambassador had taken her seat of power she could barely look the human in the eye. Some were family patrons ruling territories in Paris while others were nobility. Many of which all turned to The Ambassador when word of Pixie Stix was attacked, then inevitably of her appearance after it.

She dressed lightly for Las Vegas heat, but fashionable as always. A white long sleeved collared shirt, with pearlescent buttons, bright pink pants and for now barefoot. Her matching prada purse was beside her grimoire on the desk.

“Remain vigilant. Gather your resources, your warriors, please relay any information you have to me directly.” The Ambassador spoke, her eyes moving from one image to the next. “I have heard rumours that Nêuvean Winterborn is raising his own army in retaliation against his territory being attacked. He wishes to hold audience with me, I will not know more until I speak with him.”

Captain Esen spoke up, “Of course, My Lady. What of Queen Titania? She has returned to power as you said, will we be able to rely on her for help?”

She shook her head, tucking blue hair behind her ear. Carefully she replied schooling her expression away from scorn to neutral, the only one to pick up on it was seemingly Duchess Gelsey. The former Earth Fey Duchess shifted uncomfortably. “Our alliance has not yet been solidified, Captain. I do not expect to rely on her for this. For now, spread word Paris is safe. All I require of safe passage to and from Earth is their favour.”

Around the sigils the Fey all nodded, signalling the end of the meeting. A deep breath in and short exhale, Odette strode over to her desk where her grimoire lay open and the tricky box she had been studying since her return. The little puzzle was a good distraction from dealing with the Fey. Speaking with her allies had set a strange mood for her, a line of thought she entertained now with prophecies on the mind.

She scooped it up in her hand walking over to where Mandate was, the mercurial golem sat her red ‘eye’ following the human as she approached. Odette pulled the couch a little closer to flop into it. Playing with the box in her hands, she swung her legs up over the back of the couch and hung upside down. Out loud she asked, “Mandate.” Her tone curious.

“You must be built to live for a very long time. It sometimes makes me feel as if my time here on Earth will be just a blink. A drop in the ocean.” She gazed up at the golem, enunciating her next words slowly. “Une goutte dans l'océan.”

Bach snorted in the background, flipping through the pages of her spellbook. “Your birthday isn’t for months, did you find a gray hair My Lady?” He teased.

While Bach was seemingly content with teasing the Ambassador, Mandate found herself somewhat stricken. She stilled upon the couch for a moment, the glowing area within her eye that served as a sort of ‘pupil’ and central point seeming to focus upon nothing in particular.

That’s right, isn’t it? I’m going to be here for a long time. What about Miss Ambassador?

It wasn’t a new thought, per se, but it hadn’t crept to the forefront of the golem’s mind in any significant way until the human herself had brought it to attention. And now that it was addressed, it couldn’t be ignored, could it?

Finally, the golem shifted. Her eye focused briefly upon the Ambassador, before its attention fell to her own massive hands. She contemplated the sheen of them, and the thoughts came forward. ”You know, Miss Ambassador, I read recently in one of my books that the ocean is probably billions of years old. I don’t know if that’s the case, with magic and mystery and strange things that most people don’t know about. Maybe the ocean was made a thousand years ago as part of a fairy conspiracy, but I think that’s probably not true.”

Mandate giggled at the silly stray thought, tilting her head and finally refocusing upon the Ambassador. Slowly, she collected her divergent thought patterns as many little tangents were spun together. Still, she remained silent and focused upon the Ambassador for the moment, head tilted. She awaited further elaboration.

Odette smirked a little at that, “Who are we to assume a history book is fact.” Plainly ignoring Bach’s comment holding up the box. “Take this box for example. Gwyneth left this to be found centuries after her death. What will I leave to remind someone I had once existed? Will you live centuries into the future to speak of who I once was?”

Bach stopped to listen as well.

She paused thoughtfully then tsked. “Prophecies have turned my thoughts to how much I can accomplish - my own mortality.” Glancing at Mandate she noted, “Not an immediate thing to worry for, my dear.”

Mandate was silent for a time. Her head bobbed slowly in an acknowledging -or perhaps merely thoughtful- nod as her eye drifted to her hands once more.

These are our instruments, creators of our will made manifest.

Not a thought, but a memory. Something prickled on her outermost layer, and she shook it away mentally and -ever so slightly- physically. The Ambassador needed an answer there, in that moment. She collected herself, and spoke. ”I don’t know the future, Miss Ambassador, but I know more about the ocean than just its history.” Her burning crimson pupil was focused purely on the Ambassador’s face now, upside-down as the human was on the couch. The golem’s massive hand stretched out, and gently rested on her shoulder. It was a delight to touch.

”The ocean is also force-” Impact. -And even a droplet makes ripples. You’re smart, and powerful, and even strange things like fairies -sorry mister Bach- will look to you for guidance; I’m sure the way you move everything will be felt and remembered!” The golem’s mouth -previously inverted- returned to its smile as she delivered her ‘wisdom’ with a cheerful chirp. She was quite pleased with that one.

Slowly the smirk she had turned into a genuine smile gazing up at Mandate, resting her head on the golem’s hand. She replied, “That is very sweet of you to say, my dear friend. I am working on making my brief time on Earth a lasting impression.”

Bach watched on, he opened his mouth to say something then choose to remain silent. Idly flipping through the pages once again. Odette’s attention was on the golem. “Starting with cracking the puzzle on this box. But first-”

She swung her legs down, forcing herself to sit upright. “I have decided to hire someone new. A metahuman.”

Bach perked in curiosity, “Oh? Anyone in mind?”

She dug into her pocket to pull out her phone, dialing already, “Not yet, I want someone who is a hard counter to the likes of Racheli, I am finding that diversifying our allies has found quite a bit of success as of late. Broker, Silence, and of course Mandate.” She nodded with a smile at the golem. “There are quite a few gains to have ah- Bonjour, Jacque!”

In a short conversation in French, Odette spoke with her Shroud Syndicate contact, Jacque Morin. A man who came to her for work and she went to for accessing resources available in the criminal organization. They were in need of a metahuman willing to work for the right amount and strong enough to fight on her behalf or with her. The main requirements being heat/fire based, Odette knew Racheli's weakness was losing her connection to her virus through heavily applied heat. She gave Jacque no baseline for a starting price with vague instructions to set up a meeting when he found someone suitable.

Ending the call, she stood up from the couch holding up the box. “We have deciphered some of the runes on the box, I am ready to try unravel the magic keeping the contents of this sealed.

Bach nodded moving the spellbook aside, as Odette walked to the desk. Taking a seat, she placed the box in the center of a paper sheet with similar symbols drawn in a circle. Deciphering what they meant was a matter of translation and some background knowledge on witchcraft. While with research they were able to understand some but not all. The heavy lifting would be in untangling the wards imbued in the box. Warding, a skill Odette was highly proficient in.

Mandate, previously preoccupied with stewing in her own thoughts and fiddling with the necklace she kept off most of the time, looked up as the Ambassador spoke of the box once more. The possibility of meeting more new and interesting people was tantalizing, but this was more immediate. ”I wish I could help more, Miss Ambassador, but I don’t want to break anything and I don’t think I can do magical stuff.” the golem noted, standing from the couch and moving to instead peer at the box from over the Ambassador’s shoulder.

“Your moral support works it’s own magic, my dear.” She said sweetly, straightening her shoulders she placed both hands gently across the surface of the box already she felt the thrum of the ward without inciting any magic.

“Bach please be ready to intervene for whatever comes next.” She said.

He nodded his leafy head, his hands glowing with green now. “Ready.”

So she began calling upon the arcane stream, the familiar blue misty magic outlining her hands and eventually her body. Lifting her hair off the back of her neck. The spell to unlock the wards were Fey in origin, originally meant to tamper with wards a household fey would incite over a home. Naturally it was adapted by Odette, suitably for deconstructing more powerful wards used by different magic practitioners. It was flexible, the magic that seeped into the box filling the runes. Wards were often created in layers around an object or person, it was a simple matter to either cut through the layers or unravel them one at a time.

Find seams in a smoothed surface.

The spell progressed exceptionally, finding the seams working beneath the layers. Her breathing was even as was her tone as she spoke the spell in French.

What she felt next was the equivalent to a magical hammer over her head. The final layer she pushed through pushed back violently. The muddy light from the box overwhelmed the blue of Odette’s, instantly she lost consciousness falling forward in a slump. Abruptly with no sign nor warning. Bach hesitated staring at her then shook her shoulder trying to wake her up.

“My Lady?” He whispered, confusion clear in his expression. He tried to rouse her using his own magic but it simply rolled off of her like beading water. He checked her pulse next finding a steady one against her wrist. “I-... I don’t know what happened.”

To say Mandate’s reaction was energetic was an understatement. As soon as the human had slumped, the golem had begun to tense. Confusion, then panic. Her hands lurched forward on instinct, but she stopped short of grabbing the Ambassador, her thoughts in a flurry as her hands shook from indecision. Her mane of metal slivers shook and bristled, and her mind was already approaching a state similar to when the human had been seemingly kidnapped by the wind itself.

What? Why? Did she do it wrong? Miss Ambassador is smart, that doesn’t sound smart- did the box hurt her? Thoughts fluttered as rapidly as the beating of wings, and they only grew more frantic when the fairy reported rather inconclusively. ”What do you mean you don’t know?! the golem’s voice had risen to a level more reserved for cheers.

Rather than waiting for a response, she lurched forward in the vain hope that she could do more than the fairy seemingly could. Her hand shot out as an afterthought, gently shoving Bach to the side by the shoulder. That she did so hard enough to send him stumbling was still rather light by the golem’s standards, and the ‘sorry’ that slipped out in that same panicked clip was barely even a conscious thought.

”Miss Ambassador? Are you okay? Can you speak? What happened? Is it the box?” Questions were prattled rapidly at the unconscious ambassador, and suddenly her fear of hurting the human in her panic seemed less important. An index finger and thumb large enough to envelop the Ambassador’s wrist clamped down gently as she sought the pulse for herself.

Good, good- No, bad, she’s still not talking, she’s still unconscious, I’m failing again-

”Miss Ambassador?!”

Bach stumbled backwards he caught himself on some furniture then glared at Mandate, “Calm down! You idiotic golem, step away from her right now!” He raised his voice to a snarl, one that Mandate may not have ever heard before.

Bach stomped forward then snatched the box out from underneath Odette. “If she were dead, I’d be dead too!” He explained losing his temper, gesturing with the box, “We aren’t just partners her soul is attached to mine. Whatever happens to her, happens to me. Do you get it? Or do I need to reiterate to your impossibly naive and imbecilic programing that you are just a tool. Bah!”

“I need silence and I need to concentrate without you broadcasting your every conscious thought. Pick her up and lay her down in the bed.” He snapped the order, while Mandate’s hand was pressed to her wrist, Odette’s pulse grew weaker at being separated from the box unbeknownst to the impatient Fey.

Mandate’s smile disappeared from her face. Rather, her mouth disappeared entirely, leaving a blank expanse and her single crimson orb. It stared into Bach, as if intending upon burning a hole into him with its unerring lock.

And then the Ambassador’s pulse began to flutter away, and her mouth returned as its inverse. Pouting and yet otherwise inscrutable, Mandate’s hand snatched out, and clamped over Bach’s upon the box. Lifting the Ambassador gently with her free arm, she tugged ‘gently’ upon her grip, intending to place the cube against her regardless of if Bach let go or not. She towered at her full 8 feet of height.

”Okay. But the box stays with her. I think she needs it.” Her voice was its usual harmonious noise, and yet it was… Firm, and without cheer. It allowed for no argumentation. Her thoughts resembled a bubbling witch’s cauldron in their turmoil and implicit danger, but the negligible weight of the Ambassador was a swift reminder of her duty. Still, her eye’s laser-like focus did not waver.

Miss Ambassador comes first, of course.

Bach let go of the box, stepping back looking straight up at the golem. Feeling like someone just walked across his grave and spat three times. He said with no small amount of venom, “Now put her on the bed.”

He knew he should have some measure of fear to be left here alone with Mandate now, he certainly didn’t act like it. He grabbed her grimoire dragged a seat beside the bed and gestured with his chin, glaring.

Finally, Mandate’s gaze moved away from the fey, focusing down upon the Ambassador’s face, then upon the bed. One arm lifting the Ambassador became two, as she relied upon the human’s position to keep the box balanced upon her.

From there, it was a very simple matter to move her onto the bed, though Mandate was not at all brusque about it. Her hands hovered uncertainly over the Ambassador, as if struggling to decide whether to arrange her differently or not. She eventually settled upon simply seating herself on the floor beside the bed.