[IC] Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

[Simple Unicycle]

12:41 PM, November 3rd, 2019
Silver Spoon Bar; Hub City, Illinois

---

Oscar's attention was diverted from Preston as both cheering and cursing erupted at the same time. He looked around, smirking slightly as he noticed that Hayes was winning the fight. Just a few moments later Ives was down, and Hayes was declared the new champion. Oscar let out a small whoop to fit in with the rest of the people who cheered for Hayes, his smirk growing into a smile.

He turned to Preston as Preston noted that they put money on the fight and won. Oscar nodded, "Yeah, I put about 15 or so bucks on Hayes, should be getting it..." Oscar trailed off as a man approached, saying that they didn't make bets, before moving his jacket aside to show a gun. The vigilante scowled, watching as Preston submitted to the man and didn't do anything. 'Was hoping to relax for a few minutes. Oh well.'

Oscar stood up, stepping between Preston and the thug. Though he was definitely a few inches shorter than the man, he didn't worry; after all, he had taken down larger enemies in fights before. "What do you want, punk?" The thug growled, moving his jacket aside to showcase his pistol once more. That was a mistake.

As fast as he could, Oscar stuck his hand inside the jacket and pulled the gun out. The man barely had time to look surprised before the barrel was jammed under his chin. "My new friend had money on this fight. So did a few others. I want you to pay him and anyone else who bet on Hayes. Understand?" A gulp, followed by a jerky nod. Oscar grinned. "Good." He pulled the pistol away from the thug, unloading it and dismantling it in a few quick motions.

He sat back down on the stool, grinning at Preston. "Well, while you're here on business, remember: someone threatens you, don't sit down and take it. Do a quick assessment and take him down." Oscar downed the last of his beer, wiping his mouth and letting out a satisfied sigh, before standing up.

"I'm heading out. Don't really care about the money. Here's my number if you want to chat, or if you're in town and need a friend or something." The trench coated vigilante pulled out his journal, turning to a blank page and writing his phone number down before tearing the page out and handing it to Preston. With a tip of his hat, he turned and left the bar. About a block away, he slips into an alley, pulling his mask on and continuing his patrol as The Question.

[Taytay]

12:40 PM
November 3rd, 2019
Duos Penthouse #1, Midway City

---

"Ladies and gentlemen, by way of knockout, and the NEEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WOOOORRRLLDD. . . "MIRACULOUUUSSS" MAARVVIIINN HAAAAAYYYEEEEESSS!" the television said. The room was aroused into an uproar by this news and all Ira did was sit back and stir his drink with a satisfied smile.

"Well congrats, you just came into even more wealth. You should told me you were good at gambling, we could have bet in Vegas." Jacob said with a smile that is plastered to his face. The man hated to lose, and to lose to a 20-something year old, one of his upstarts no less, hit his pride hard.

"Well, I am just as surprised as you are, but you are correct, I have more wealth and its all thanks to Mr. Hayes." Ira said with a sly smile. He would receive a check for a lot of money on Monday, and Ira contemplated send some to his investment. Ira was growing tired, and after taking a mental inquiry of the room he found that there was nothing interesting left to see or do so he stood, shook Jacobs hand and departed.

Ira left and went out onto the city, he walked around and listened to the thoughts of everyone around him and did something he rarely could nowadays, he connected his mind to others and no longer felt alone. He only did this every once and awhile and it kept him sane.

[DragonofTheWest]

November 3rd 2019

12:35

Brooklyn New York

Knock, Knock

The wooden door of the two story house opened slightly ajar as a man of relatively good stature peaked out “Johnny? Is that you?” The door fully opened. The man was roughly in his mid-fifties was in relatively good shape for his age. Upon sighting the young man before him, he smiled with a joy he hadn’t felt in years.

“Hey, uncle Mike. Hope I’m not bothering you” John stated, his tone rather low. “You know me Johnny boy, I’m just glad to see ya! Come on in” The man was excited considering he rarely ever saw his nephew. Running away from home tended to cause things like this to happen but of all the people in the world, Uncle Mike was maybe the only other person left alive who knew of John’s true origins and perhaps the only one who had a care for the young man.

“You know I’m glad I have a visitor. You know, wife’s dead, my kids all grown up and moved out, it’s good to have company. Matter of a fact you came at a good time! 2nd round is about to start!” While mike was excited, John came off relatively disinterested. John stayed quiet as he looked around the living room. For a man who lived by himself the house was in relatively good condition. Mike walked of quickly to the kitchen, fetching both a bottle of beer but John waived his hand to refuse the drink. Mike shrugged and led the pair over to the couch before the flat screen television.

“You know Johnny I missed you at your father’s funeral. You alright?” Mike questioned. It was a small talk but hey, something had to pass the time as the fight was set to continue.
“I was there.” John replied bluntly, his focus also on the television.
“No you weren’t. Come on. You think I’d wouldn’t be able to see my own nephew at his father’s funeral? No way you was there. Only way you was there is if you was… you know, flying or something” Uncle Mike chuckled at the thought but when he turned to look at John’s blank expression he realized that maybe he just found the answer himself. Suddenly tension filled the room and despite the excited sound that came from the television, the two men sat there silently. While one man reflected on his super human abilities, the other recalled that the person next to him had abilities that nobody seemed to understand.
“You know John, that could have been you” Mike said as he gestured towards the television trying to lighten up the situation.
“I would have beaten them all.” John replied, another blunt answer. Mike shrugged in agreement but noticed there was hardly any arrogance to his response; in fact John said it like some clear cut fact that was to be expected.
“Hey you right… ya super heavyweight space man” Mike chuckled at his statement but John again refused to budge. Maybe the joke had a rather sharp sting to it. “Look John you know I’m messing with ya. I’m just really glad to see you. When I heard you ran away from home, I was heart broken. Then a few years later your back all grown up and all of a sudden your dad kicks the bucket and you aren’t at the funeral, shit man I thought I lost you again”

“Did my father ever talk about me when I was gone?” John asked, not bothering to address his uncle’s previous statement. The question caused Mike to pause. “Look Johnny, I know you got to reconcile a bit with your father before he passed but I mean it when I say that he tried to be a father to you, he just couldn’t help himself. Some of us grieve in different ways and when your mother died, he just… didn’t know how to act. But yeah he did miss you” Mike took a long sip of his beer and sighed. “You know Johnny, when you was growing up you could do no wrong. They called you uh… Super Boy? Yeah that was nick name or something right?” Mike clearly wanted to change the topic of conversation, he wasn’t in the mood for a depressing conversation.

“I hated that name.” John replied.

“Hah, you may have hated that but it was true. You were the best damn athlete I ever saw, you did everything right. I think the crazy thing about you is how easy you made it look, like you weren’t even trying. Then when you got to high school and all these kids tried to clown you, jeez John you were ruthless. You talked real good shit, just like your dad did back when he was fighting”
“It was the only way I knew how to have fun.” John replied his focus remained on the fight but his tone lowered, there was sadness in his voice. “Any time I played serious, kids got hurt. At least by talking some shit I could entertain myself but you know how it is… winning by itself was boring”

“Yeah… you really were something else.” Mike took another sip. “Look kid real talk… I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. You don’t gotta tell me how you could afford that fancy jacket and shoes and stuff but… you are special, no bull shit”. John gave his uncle a concerned look knowing full well that his uncle was implying things or possibly assuming things in his own head.
“If you think I’m here cause I killed someone… I didn’t. But yeah I’ll be honest, I haven’t done things exactly legally”

Mike took another long sip and belched stretching his neck before turning to his young nephew “I know kid… I know. I aint one to judge, your father and I… we did all sorts of dumb shit too growing up. But you know, I think you gonna do something special, soon. You are too gifted with all this super space shit that you are gonna be something special, you’ll see.”
“I hope you are right uncle…Thanks.” John replied. At least for this moment, John believed him. As Hayes scored his knockout victory and celebrated wildly into the night with his team, John stared back at the television, possibilities running in his head on what could have been.

[Korkoa]

10:43 AM, Corsica Street, Coast City

@Ceta de Cloyes

Lauren! That was the lady's name! Not that Jessie would bother to remember it, if she had her way she'd never work in the shop again. She shook Ezra's hand vigorously, flashing him a toothy grin. "Why would something be wrong? Your lady friend just wanted to browse, my dad's going to take care of her order when she decides." The young lady fell into step beside Ezra, the guy seemed kind of nervous. Time to turn up the charm, maybe.

"I think I've seen you around school too, haven't I?" Jessie asked, slinging her backpack onto her shoulders and swinging her arms back and forth. "It seems weird that we've never really talked before, right? I mean, we go to school together, work next door to each other, I guess we know the same people. Why haven't we ever hung out? Like, what are you studying in school? How's the gym job? What do you do for fun? You know, boring small talk!"

[Ceta de Cloyes]

November 3rd, 2019
10:43 AM, PT
Corsica Street, Coast City

---

Echo

Ezra’s typical school day consisted of a single class, an hour and a half long, each day from Monday to Thursday, usually around noon or a little after, carefully calculated to be out and about when the sun was fully up and the brightness of his eyes could be easily missed, and then back to work or home for the remaining daylight hours. It was a little unfortunate, as those were the busiest hours, but it was the best he could do. Most of his actual coursework was done online, which was perfect in his opinion, the less he had to interact with the human instructors the better, their science was janky anyway.

It did mean he saw a lot of students though, but it wasn’t often they stood out enough for him to recognize them elsewise. Since she mentioned it though, he supposed she did look like he might have seen her on campus before. “Er, CCU right?” Even though he usually wasn’t invested in something like school rivalries, he was still stubbornly referring to Coast City University as CCU and those Central City twats could get over it.

“I guess that’s the reason isn’t it; “boring small talk,”” he quoted, but allowed himself a hesitant grin. Few people were outgoing enough to outright approach him and ask questions about him, and the girl looked harmless enough… he was just thinking about how he should hang out with people more often, though maybe making a new human friend was pushing it…

She was right there though, and he wouldn’t want to be rude. He gave mental shrug and decided to indulge her; “The gym is boring, I sold a new membership card last week, and that’s about it. Mostly I just tell people where the bathroom is and open the doors every morning.” There was a bit more to it than that, he had to update the logs occasionally, make sure cards were up to date, schedule appointments with personal trainers, but it was all boring and tedious stuff, nothing people actually expected from someone who worked at a gym. He did have a free membership card though, so there was that.

What else has she asked about? School, that was right; “As for my classes, I’m taking a bunch of science courses: some engineering stuff, some physical stuff, a bit of biology.” Things he would need in order to be an astronaut it was true, but also because they were the things he’d been studying before, the kinds of things his parents had studied and built their technology around- technology that had destroyed their planet yes, but it had also revolutionized everything, and more than that it was their legacy, his legacy… he should know about it.

“What about you?” He asked, seeing as fair was fair and if they were going to be friends, even if it was a relationship born of proximity, he should know as much about her. “How’s juggling school and working for your parents?” They were nearing the Corsica Station, and he’d take the skytrain to Waverly Station, but he didn’t want to cut the girl off, he was curious now.

[Korkoa]

10:45 AM, Corsica St., Coast City

@Ceta de Cloyes

Jessie beamed as the slightly-odd green-eyed man began to speak, seeming to be opening up to her. He seemed nice, if a bit shy, but she didn't care much about that. Jessie knew she tended to ramble anyway, maybe a more mousey type would let her do that without getting scared off. "Hell yeah CCU," She gonfirmed, pumping her fist in the air. "Screw those Central elites!" She cried out, eliciting a glare from a group of tourists from across the street. She stuck her tongue out at them, figuring they must be from Central and were, therefore, elitists.

"Man, your work almost sounds more boring than mine!" She said as she turned her attention back to her companion. "Do they let you work out while you're there? They should, it'd only be fair. I should get a membership too, I need to get fit." She said, sparing a glance at her twiglike arms. The girl didn't expect to get into any fights when she began to enact her plans, but it'd be better safe than sorry.

When the subject of school came up, Jessie listened a bit more closely; school was one of the few things that didn't bore her immediately, and she was glad to hear some of her studies may overlap with Ezra. "Man, that sounds like a wide courseload! Engineering, huh? I'm a comp-sci major, but I'm taking some electrical engineering classes too. Technology moves forward every day, and it's our job to keep up with it! You know, if you ever need help with your biology stuff, my dad might be able to help, depending on what it is. He used to be a geneticist, until his small-brained colleagues laughed him out of a job over a theory they were incapable of understanding." Jessie said, letting an edge of bitterness into her voice. She could still remember the day her father had lost his position, and the spiraling the family had done after that. But soon enough, they wouldn't need to worry about that anymore.

Jessie perked up when Ezra asked about herself, flashing him another grin as the hint of a foul mood evaporated. "Oh, me! My favorite subject!" She quipped, only half-joking. "Well you already know about school, I only work part time at the shop over here, my parents run it and have some high-schoolers to help them so I'm mostly weekend work. It's real boring, I gotta tell you. And everyone expects you to know everything about all the flowers, and I can barely remember when they got watered last! Plus the smell... People always say 'Oh it's so nice in here, you must love it', but everything just blends together and gives me a headache... Good thing it's only part time, and I even got our early today!" Jessie could see her turn coming up, and she doubted Ezra was heading the same way she was after that, but they still had a moment if he wanted to talk some more, and it wasn't as if they'd never see each other again.

[Ceta de Cloyes]

November 3rd, 2019
10:46 AM, PT
Corsica Street, Coast City

---

Echo

He could definitely sympathize with her plight, his own parents had been mocked for their studies harshly before their success, and though he hadn’t cared for their work either they were still his parents, and they had been right after all. That was before he- well, it was before he came to Earth. Their work was important to him now, better late than never right? And hey, maybe if this human girl was any good she could help him, since they knew each other now and frequented the same areas he’d have every opportunity to decide. He gave an absentminded nod, mostly to himself as he silently resolved to do whatever it took, even if he had to ask a human for help; he’d get used to their funny sciences eventually.

He slowed as they began to reach the stairs up to the station, letting her finish speaking and making a split second decision to share his number: “Always good to get off early,” he agreed lightly, remembering he had technically gotten out early given Farha had come in early. Usually he got off at eleven, but his coworker’s timely rescuing him from the terror known as children was a momentous occasion deserving reward, maybe he should get her a gift? He finished writing down his number and handed the shred of paper he’d pulled from his backpack over to the girl. “This is me,” he explained, jerking his thumb behind him to indicate the steps. “I’ll see you around, and you can text me about your classes or whatever?” It’d be good to get an idea of what kind of stuff she was studying- or just to talk, he reminded himself, that was the whole idea, to stop hiding from the aliens- locals, whatever.

[Korkoa]

10:46 AM, Corsica St., Coast City

@Ceta de Cloyes

Jessie gave Ezra a small, genuine smile as she accepted his number and slipped the paper into one of her many pockets. She pulled a pen from her backpack and scribbled her own number on a piece of paper before handing it to him as well. She didn't like most people, and made no secret of that except when she was working. But there was something different about this guy. He was kind of strange, no getting around that. But it seemed obvious that he knew that too, and possibly was even okay with that. Someone who was okay with their own weirdness was alright in Jessie's book, she figured. Besides, now that the boring small talk was out of the way, they wouldn't have to go through the painful ordeal again.

Jessie stepped back as Ezra motioned to the station, nodding as he said goodbye and waving at him. "Yeah, I was about to veer off myself. It was good talking to you Ezra, we should do it again. I'm pretty much always up for a distraction!" She said with a chuckle before turning and heading off down the street. Jessie tied her hair up into a short ponytail as she began to jog again, smiling to herself as she considered the idea of having a friend. Depending on how it went, maybe he could even be some kind of confidant in her escapades. If she could get her damn goggles working, that is...

[Blackstripe]

6:25 AM, November 4th
The Wedge; Hub City

“Ugh…”

The sound of that obnoxious beeping once again ripping Karen from her sleep heralded the approach of yet another shitty day of school. Rolling over in her bed, she folded one end of her pillow over and pressed it against her exposed ear. That was much better. The alarm was out of reach—something she had foolishly done on purpose—so turning it off was too much of a pain.

How long did she ignore the alarm? No clue. Long enough for the sound of her dad beating on her door to draw yet another groan from her.

“Karen, get up and fix breakfast!” He yelled from the other side.

“Fine, fine!” She snapped back, slowly sitting up. She’d forgotten about that part, again. Oh, how she hated having to be the one that did everything around here. Why couldn’t her dad learn to cook something?

It sucked ass having to get up a whole hour earlier than the other kids just to make sure the laundry was done and food was prepared.

~
6:50

“You not make any bacon?” Her dad asked, eating his fried eggs and whole-wheat toast, still eyeing his plate critically even as he wolfed its contents down.

“Do you see any?” Karen muttered. “The doctor warned you about your cholesterol, so no, ‘I not make any bacon’.”

Would it kill him to eat a bowl of cheerios for once? No, that would actually probably save him. And save them quite a bit of money in groceries, too, now that she thought about it. At least he wasn’t perpetually drunk anymore.

He had never been quite the same since her mother died. He still went to work every day, but there was seldom a smile on his face, and he refused to contribute to the housework or do any sort of chores. She could definitely understand being depressed, but it wasn’t as if she wasn’t exhausted after getting home from school, too.

“You should make pancakes tomorrow,” he ripped her from her thoughts with his unwanted suggestion. “We still have syrup, right?”

“Well, I appreciate your advice, dad, I’ll take it into consideration!” Karen growled, shoving in a mouthful of cereal. She hadn’t felt like fixing anything more for herself, so this would do.

Hopefully her dad wouldn’t start texting her a menu for supper on the way home.

~
7:10

The Wedge was always so pleasant to stroll through. The scent of a burning barrel, the echo of distant gunfire, the hobo vomiting into the ditch...there was no other place in the world quite like it.

That was Karen’s hope, at least.

Apparently, the gang war she heard yesterday afternoon had broken up by “The Question”, according to those who had witnessed it. A lot of people in the city apparently thought he was just an urban legend, somehow…but everyone in The Wedge knew he was real. Onlookers had caught him on their cellphones before, though, and the cops seemed to understand that he existed.

Not that they would do anything about it, so long as he stuck to slums like this one. After all, it wasn’t as if the cops ever came here.

Offering a wave to the cluster of homeless people she passed every day on her way to the train stop, Karen otherwise kept her head down and her hoodie up. Overall, it was generally a good idea to avoid making eye contact in places like this, lest someone consider it a challenge.

Said train station was always packed with people commuting to and from work and school, and it was there that she had met Clarissa: her very first friend in elementary school.

“Heya Karen!” She waved, standing in the doorway of the train. That was probably against the rules.

Raising her own hand in greeting, she smiled. “Hey. You hear about the gang war yesterday?”

Stepping aside to allow her onto the train, Clarissa eagerly nodded while they walked to the nearest available seat that wasn’t coated in something unpleasant. “I heard. The Question—“

“—IS SO HOT!” Clarissa exclaimed with entirely too much glee.

“Wah?” Karen laughed, briefly leaning away from her. “But he wears a mask and a trench coat! How do you even know what he looks like?”

Clarissa tapped her chest. “I know in here. I mean, he’s a hero, right? So he must have a kind and gentle face, and a slender but toned physique…”

“Guess I know what your next upload to DeviantArt will be about,” Karen muttered.

Clarissa was actually a really great artist for her age, practically a prodigy! She could easily draw Manga when she grew up. It honestly made her just a little jealous.

The sound of a man hacking up something onto the floor of the now moving train caused Karen to scoot closer to her friend in revulsion. Such a thing was pretty common, but it was something she would never truly get used to. Not that she held it against the man; it probably needed to come out, but wowzers…

Oh well, things would probably be better at school, right?

Haha, yeah no.

~
Hub City Elementary, 2:47 PM

Karen enjoyed reading articles online that delves into concepts such as societal entropy. Looking around her, she felt that Hub City Elementary embodied that concept fairly well. Not just in the dilapidated state of the building, but in the way the teachers carelessly threw packets onto their desk with an expression that said they would rather be anywhere else.

Her grades trended in the “pretty high” direction, at least. In truth, focusing on her studies in class helped her avoid noticing just how shitty this place was. It wasn’t like the view outside was any better, either: they were next to a gas station run by the guy NASCAR banned from their events for being too much of a redneck.

Hopefully, one day they would allow her to get into a good college, if she could somehow scrounge up the money.

That was her thought, at least, as she slammed the door of her locker shut. The day had been long and tiring, per the norm, but it was thankfully close to being over…

“Please, just...I just want to go home…” A familiar voiced whimpered.

Feeling her jaw clench, Karen turned to see an equally familiar sight: Poor Jennifer Mateo being backed against her locker by two girls, Kendra Walters and her best skintag, Rebecca Brooks.

“What’s wrong, are you in that much of a hurry to stuff your fat face?” Kendra taunted, reaching out to seize a hunk of Jen’s cheek. “Or are you afraid they’ll stick you in a zoo if you’re caught out too late?”

Rebecca gave her obligatory laugh at this point.

Watching Jennifer tear up at this was just a bit too much for Karen to walk away from, even if her better judgement told her she was a bit in over her head. Reaching out, she firmly placed a hand on Kendra’s shoulder and pulled her back away from the other girl. “I think this school smells badly enough without you airing your stank-ass breathe everywhere, Kendra. Back off.”

Spinning to face her along with Rebecca, they closed in around her as best as two people could. “Hey look, Becka, it seems the garbage just keeps on piling higher here.”

“Says the girl who is a walking landfill,” Karen noted, honestly feeling a little sick due to her notable body odor. Didn’t she bathe?

Scoffing, Kendra folded her arms. “You’re one to talk, living in that shithole neighborhood. Bet you have to give it up crackheads just to get home safe!”

“I’ll bet the crackheads would send you home just to avoid having your rotten ass give it up,” Karen replied.

That seemed to do it. And by do it, she meant get her slammed against the back of the lockers as Kendra and Rebecca began to pull at her hair and scratch at her with their dirty nails. She had raised her arms in defense, but that just meant they took the punishment instead, and some still got through.

She could hear the other kids cheering on their ‘fight’, while Jennifer screamed in the background for them to stop. Thanks for the moral support, Jen.

There wasn’t really a chance for her to attack, nor was there a chance for to escape. Thankfully, the booming voice of Principle Dolton brought an abrupt end to their assault.

“Walters, Brooks, in my office, now!” He barked to the two girls. Quickly backing off of her, they gave Karen one last glare before disappearing behind Dolton’s broad frame. His gaze was now firmly on her.

“Hernandez, I don’t know what your role is in this, but I may need to have a word with your father,” he stated. She knew he probably wouldn’t, though. He didn’t care that much. Kendra would just get a slap on the wrist, again. “For now, though, head to the nurses office before you go home. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir,” Karen replied, turning to head to the nurses office.

Probably to expose her cuts to unsterilized equipment.

[Bluetommy]

10 AM
Wilderness outside Hope Springs, West Virginia
November 4th, 2019

A bird crying out in the distance awoke Harris from his slumber. The cool darkness that surrounded him drained him, he needed to have breakfast, or else he'd just fall back to sleep.

Outside of Harris' little coven, the forest rested peacefully, blissfully unaware of the protector amongst them. Suddenly a creaking and a snapping broke through the air, a tree began shaking in the wind, snapping and letting off leaves and bark as it did. The snapping grew louder, more frequent with every passing second, the tree shook ever faster.

Finally, it shattered like so much glass, debris flying across the landscape as the tree's southern half was ripped asunder. From within stepped out Harris. The sun was bright for so earl in the morning, at least he thought it was early, he didn't have a watch or anything. He stepped into the sun's warm embrace and felt his body grow satiated, devouring the sunlight andharvesting it to produce sugars, those which fueled him.

He had little planned for the day, it wasn't as if he had anything to look forward to. Lifting his right arm, he sharpened a finger and carved into the bark-like flesh of his arm.

"Day 127, I appreciate the freedom my new form has given me, but i have no reason to pursue anything, I feel complacent, perhaps a bit of experimentation would do me well"

[Hr]
12 PM

Experiment log 1: Hypothesis; considering the fact that I seem to be able to cause hyperactive growth in plant life, and my body appears to now be 100% plant based, it makes sense for me to be able to regrow limbs, hopefully I am correct, though considering the wounds I had received prior to becoming... this, it is doubtful i lack the ability.

Procedure: Step one: sever left arm at elbow. Step two: attempt to regrow arm.

Results: my arm was successfully regrown within moments, almost as if it hadn't been lost.

Experiment log 2: Hypothesis; my ability to regrow limbs and cause hyperactive growth in plant life suggests that I have control over other forms of life. My hallucinations suggested this is limited to plant life, but perhaps it is not.

Procedure: Step one: approach bear. Step two: attempt to control bear.

Results: this was a poor idea. I suffered horrible wounds and was forced to kill the bear when my attempts at control failed, my ability is henceforth limited to plant life.

Harris sighed. Two experiment and little learned that he didn't already know, and an innocent creature died due to it. He was always a failure, a fluke, his life was nothing but a series of mistakes up to this point. He gritted his teeth and stood. He might as well go look around, perhaps he could find something to distract himself with.

7 PM

Well that day was a waste.

Harris thumped down onto the ground, resting his head upon his fist. He had done nothing but bore himself and experiment fruitlessly. He tore off the plate from his arm and placed it within the tree with the others, the journal was all thst kept him from losing his mind. He could go into town, but he wasn't in the mood to sneak around. So he climbed back into the tree and resealed it, he fell asleep immediately afterwards.

[Simple Unicycle]

6:15 AM, November 4th, 2019
Oscar's Apartment; Hub City, Illinois

R-rrr-ring... R-rrr-ring... R-rrr-ri- Oscar groaned as he hit his alarm, silencing it. Sitting up in his bed, he rubbed his eyes, glancing at the alarm clock in disbelief. "Morning already...? Shit." With yet another groan, he stood up and stretched, cracking his neck as he did so. "Well, train won't wait for me." And so he got dressed in his usual attire, sliding a coat on afterwards before making his way to the kitchen.

Not bothering with breakfast or coffee, he grabbed a handful of sugar cubes out of a bag in the fridge, unwrapping one and popping it in his mouth, munching on it and savoring it as he felt some energy return to his body. A few moments later, he made his way out the door, locking it and heading downstairs. His apartment was on the third story of an apartment complex in one of the more pleasant parts of Hub City. "Another day, another dollar." Oscar muttered to himself, before walking to the train station.

~
7:10 AM

Having gotten on the train at 6:40, Oscar sat in a seat that was less than savory, listening to the people around him. His commute went through The Wedge, picking up some less than desirable people. He heard the doors open once more, letting in a few workers and children heading to school. Two of the kids sat in the seats across from him, ignoring his presence as they began to talk about a gunfight yesterday.

"I heard. The Question—" "—IS SO HOT!" Oscar had to stop himself from chuckling as he heard that. 'As if.' He thought wryly, sticking his hand in his pocket and digging out another sugar cube. The wrapping was on the floor and the cube was in his mouth moments later. However, he chose the wrong moment to take a breath, and began coughing up the sugar cube moments later. One of the girls across from him scooted closer to her friend, more than likely disgusted.

'God, when does this commute get to the next stop?'

~
Hub City General Hospital, 11:34

7:47, apparently.

Oscar had gotten into work at around 7:55, started his computer at 8:00, waited for it to go through the normal start-up routine until 8:02, before loading up QuickBooks and going about his work at 8:04. It was like this yesterday, the day before that, and practically every other day since he started working at the hospital with the occasional change in routine.

At 11:30 it was his lunch hour, and he made his way to the cafeteria, arriving at 11:32 and sitting down with a tray consisting of a turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, and a can of Coca-Cola at 11:34, AKA just a few moments ago. He took a bite from his sandwich, glancing around at the other people eating with tired eyes. He didn't notice that someone was standing near him until he heard their tray clink against the table.

"Hey Oscar. How's it going?" It was Rita, a nurse that he occasionally had lunch with when their lunch hours aligned. During his first few months as a hero, he had saved her from being raped, though he had known her before due to the aforementioned fact that they occasionally ate lunch together. Looks like this was one of those occasions.

"Hey Rita. I'm doing fine, and you?" He replied before taking another bite from his sandwich.

"I'm doing alright." She replied, and that was that. Their lunches were mostly spent in silence, not an uncomfortable one, but not exactly a warm one either. There just wasn't much to say. A few minutes passed before Rita broke the silence again, "I heard there was a gang shooting in the Wedge yesterday."

Oscar snorted, "What's new?"

"Well, I heard that this guy they call the Question broke it up."

"I thought he was just a myth, an urban legend to keep criminals awake at night?"

"No, apparently he's real. There's even a video of it on YouTube. It's gone viral." This made Oscar's blood go cold. He stopped eating, just staring at his food for a moment. "What's up?" Rita asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Just kinda shocked, is all. Weren't costumed vigilantes banned in the seventies?"

"'67, actually."

"Ah. Well then this guy is breaking the law."

"Yeah, he is, but he's doing some good. The Wedge won't clean itself up. Maybe it needs a guy like him."

"I guess." The rest of the lunch was spent in silence, Oscar leaving at 11:46 after finishing his food. And for the rest of the day, nothing remarkable happened, and Oscar made his way home at 5:00 PM.

~
6:43 PM

Oscar slipped out of his clothing, getting into his normal vigilante attire. Grabbing his fedora and mask, he stuck the latter in his trench coat pocket whilst setting the former on his head. He made his way to the streets, slipping into an alleyway before taking his fedora off, sliding his mask on, and putting the fedora back on. Donning his disguise, he becomes the Question, and climbs a fire escape and heads to the rooftops. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he makes his way to The Wedge, where he will continue his one man war on crime.

[Ceta de Cloyes]

November 4th, 2019
7:30 AM, PT
Satomi Towers, Coast City

---

Echo

“Hiss reeyee shuks.” Ezra tried, words muffled by the damp wash cloth hanging from his mouth. He was sitting cross legged on the floor beside his bed, facing a large mirror leaning against a corner. His hands were buried in his hair, and stained completely black. This was a simple process, he had done it many, many times, but somehow he had managed to burst the bag of hair dye, sensing sudsy black splotches all over himself, the floor, and, of course, his new starry space themed bed sheets.he used to do this in the bathroom, where it was safe, but nooo~ he's done this a million times now he could do other things too, it'd be fine- bam, ruined sheets.

He sighed, giving up on his half dyed hair, there simply wasn't enough dye left to cover it. Usually the dye would fizzle out in a day or so, the ecto-energy gradually burning it away, but he had a way of expediting the process: a sudden ring of intense white energy appeared around him, forming at his waist and splitting into two, one going up and the other down. By the time the two finished spewing large amounts of ecto-radiation all over him his hair was once again white, the dye burned away, and his clothes were cool to the touch, but smoking slightly as if singed by heat.

“Well,” he said to himself, “guess I should try and clean this up.” He inspected the spilled hair dye on his sheets before sighing again and shoving a grey beanie on his head. He wasn't going to class today, not after that disaster.

---

8:45 AM, PT

An hour and so later and Ezra was heading to the roof. Living in an apartment with only two rooms, one of which was a tiny bathroom, did have its advantages; mainly being cheap, but it also had drawbacks; there was nowhere to hide his stuff! The roof was the only place he could work with, he'd actually managed to hide his pod up there by breaking the locks and jamming the roof access door, meaning only he could reach the tiny shed that was up there.

Really it was a lucky find, but he'd had his share of close calls, and now everyone thought the building was haunted because he'd worked so hard to keep anyone and everyone from getting up there. It was worth it though, and a few seconds after floating straight through the ceiling and landing on the roof he was walking through the door, not bothering to open it, and was met by the low glow of bright green emitting from his old pod. Hanging on to this thing had been a pain, but it was one of his only pieces of Ectonian tech and thus invaluable.

It also had another invaluable function; ”Pod,” he addressed, in Gholish, ”scan system for ecto-signatures.” Given ectoplasm was in everything on Ghol, from their bodies to their technologies, the presence of ecto-signatures would stand out as an unmistakable sign of his people. After a few minutes, during which Ezra opened a panel on the pod and began studying it’d internal functions, the pod let out a trill, a mix of Gholish words he barely heard anymore. He'd long memorized the response; two external ecto-signatures, one of which was him, the other was his Zon Tube. He wanted to improve the range, maybe piggyback off someone else’s network, so he could scan further, but even if he could it wouldn't be easy to get off Earth.

He ended up wasting another few hours there, tinkering away with the pod and trying to sketch new plans for improvements or technologies he could recreate.

---

10:00 PM, PT
The Small Café, Coast City

The front entrance was nice, all long windows, dark wooden tables, very open, and bright lighting, but Ezra didn't go there, instead he turned invisible and walked down a side alley, only appearing again when he was underground, slipping down an old subway maintenance entrance that had never been completed, and there in the corner was a door into the lower level of The Small.

The door had no handle, it was featureless and made of a dark metal, but there was a slightly raised square where the handle would normally be. Ezra touched it for a second, waiting until there was a soft ‘click’ and the door opened a smidge. It was a scanner, determined if the touched was human or not, and while humans were allowed in theory, none had ever been invited in, and that was the unspoken rule; a human needed an alien to trust them to get in, but while a few had human friends who were in the know, no one would be happy to have one turning up in their one safe space.

The lower level has a similar theme to the first, with dark woods and nice open space, but the lights were much dimmer, and there were no windows, instead the walls were painted with alien motifs and icons and scenes from a wide variety of worlds, species, and cultures.

Ezra shook off his nerves about being scene, forcing the lingering paranoia out of his mind and taking a steadying breath as the door closed behind him. He could finally relax, at least a little. He removed his sunglasses, which he'd worn despite the darkening sky and his invisibility trick, and allowed his glowing green eyes to see the room unfiltered, and he pulled off his beanie, letting his snowy white hair breathe.

“Ayyy! Ezra!” A gruff and cheerful voice called from the behind the bar as he approached, taking note there were a total of four patrons today, only one of which he knew, and the lone barman- which was a surprise.

“Yoski, you work here now?” Ezra asked with surprise. It shouldn't be that surprising, this was literally the only place he knew of that an alien like Yoski could work at. He was a small alien, essentially a yellowish green octopus or jellyfish, with stubby tentacles aplenty, and a convenient ability to float in Earth’s air as if it were water. There was no passing him off as an Earthling, even if he did speak with a ridiculously American accent and used all the slang perfectly.

“Man, are you out of the loop or what?!” Yoski exclaimed, soft jelly-like skin vibrating cheerfully. Ezra gave a small bemused smile as he settled in at the bar to hear the latest gossip, out of the corner of his eye he caught the approach of a red-skinned Lauren as she abandoned her table to come say hello. He had promised her he'd turn up hadn't he? Well here he was...

[The Whacko]

@Ceta de Cloyes

6:25 AM, Burnley, Gotham City

"Tommy! Come on down and get your breakfast!" Clayton Toombs shouted, turning over the slabs of bacon sizzling in in the pan, more rest on a plate along with scrambled eyes and a steak for himself. In the Toombs house, it has always been the hulking bull of a man that had been the breakfast cook, a task which he enjoyed to no end as his family gather around the table, bonding over the hearty meals he favored. Now it was just Tommy and him. He did his best for the boy, to teach him about manhood and about his odd heritage. He could still see Elena's eyes whenever he looked at Tommy.

The dull ache of her loss in his heart never grew easier to bare. But he did it for his son, and that was enough. He slapped the last of the bacon onto the plate and carried it all over to the table, taking his usual seat and unfolding the newspaper, one of the last that still delivered in this part of Gotham, and the headlines were about as he expected. The sports column was all about Hayes' incredible upset of the previous champ, with all the speculation that went along with such an event. Aside there was all the usual news one could expect out of Gotham. Missing persons, a new murder that would more than likely never be solved, and a spike in gang activity that was sure spurred on by the Fae's ongoing turf war with the Vampires. He made a mental note to pay both parties a visit.

"C'mon on, Tommy! It'll get cold soon!"

[Ceta de Cloyes]

November 4th, 2019
6:20 AM, ET
Burnley, Gotham

---

Hex

There were so many, bright and burning and so, so far away. They called to him, beckoning, they wanted him, begged him, just for a minute, come and stay for a moment, just come and see us.

There, a planet, big and bright and purple, with two rings of violet energy orbiting it in an ‘X’ pattern. He was on the surface, a great big… thing was… pushing buttons? On a large featureless disk. It turned, and another entered, this one was not a machine, it was- it was a- her eyes!

”You are not ready.”

---

Tommy jolted up, sweating and breathing hard. Just a dream. A very freaky dream. Maybe he should stop falling asleep with magical runes scattered everywhere. All across his sheets were torn out pages of incomplete or incorrectly designed runes, arrays, matrices, and off to one side, teetering on the edge of his bed, was a sketchbook filled with the actual correct ones he’d managed to make.

He groaned and flopped back down bonelessly. Magical rune induced nightmares, great… he actually did feel kind of great, despite the weird dream he felt oddly more refreshed than usual.

He shot a suspicious look to one of the closest pages. Magic rarely did favors, best not to let it happen again.

"C'mon on, Tommy! It'll get cold soon!" Right, his Dad was calling him, and judging by the smell it was time for breakfast. He rolled out of bed, scattering papers everywhere, but only rolled his eyes and ignored them. He’d pick them up later, in the meantime he was he was hungry. He didn’t bother dressing appropriately before heading downstairs, simply pulling on an oversized tee he definitely hadn’t stolen from his dad, and a pair of basketball shorts. He could change after he had a chance to shower.

He hoped forward with a slight grin, shoving a slice of bacon into his mouth in the same breath he offered a nonsensical morning greeting.

At some point his phone appeared in his hand, and he began checking messages and chat boards. Someone was trying to tell him about Ando again, a lead he’d investigated, but dismissed; Ando had nothing to do with Anodites. Pads had a new design for him, some kind of odd bat inscription at the base of it, but the runes checked out after a quick glance. Anna had texted him, she’d be in most of his classes this semester- she was smart, and she’d liked their first geometry class together, and then Tommy had waxed poetic about hexecontahedrons, and stellations, and sacred geometry and corrupted her into as big of a shape geek as he was. Oh, and look at that, another email from Bex demanding he sign up to all three clubs she was currently leading; D&D, GSA, and the dreaded chess club. With any luck he'd make the swim team this year, whose meets always coincided with chess clubs meetings.

He could dream anyway.

He rolled his eyes, pretending he didn't have a fond smirk on his face, and set down his phone, giving his breakfast and his dad his full attention; “Anything interesting?” He asked after noticing the paper, resigned to the fact his dad would probably never use the app instead.

[The Whacko]

6:27 AM, Burnely, Gotham

"The boxing managers are stampeding over eachother to get a piece of Hayes. Betting Barenziah is gonna be having a coniption fit that'll last all week." Clayton said, smiling over his paper as he watched his son take his seat. The boy had taken after his mother, but he could see little bits of himself in Tommy. "Fae and the Vampires are going at it again too. And the parental section is wondering when you're finally going to ask Anna out already." He flashed a smirk at Tommy at that, noticing how his son had reacted to checking his phone's messages. "She's a nice girl, Tommy. I've seen the eyes she makes at you."

The smile faded a moment later as he looked at his son closer. He almost felt it more than he saw it, the lingering touch of something haunting on his boy's mind. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it either. He set his paper down, his breakfask forgotten.

"You had the dreams again?" It was a question, but his tone said made it sound like a statement, thick arms folded before the man as he faced Tommy. "Your mother said that sorta thing might come sooner or later. Christ knows I had some weird dreams when I found out I was a necromancer. Wish were here to tell you more."

The big man rose then, moving to the empty seat beside his son, a baseball-mitt sized paw resting on the teenager's shoulder. "You need to talk about it?"

[pyroman]

What.
A
Badass.

Preston surely wasn't expecting his new friend to come to his rescue, but he appreciated the help nonetheless. Oscar dismantled the gun and made sure that everyone who won the best got their share of the pot, except for the man himself. Preston couldn't let himself take Oscar's money, so he let some other person have it. Oscar left Preston with a number. Maybe one day he'd get the real scoop on Preston.

It wasn't much longer that Preston stayed at the bar. Fight was over, and he could go home. It shouldn't take him long to back to Coast city.

His hands were in his pockets again, and the ring was slipped on. He found himself a nice and quiet alley to hide in while he made his transformation. He could feel the burn of pure energy wrapping over his skin like a bodysuit, but didn't feel any of the pain that should have come with it. He still needed to get used to his new station as defender of the sector.

---

November 4th, 2019
Coast City C.O.C. 7:50 AM

The flight back home was as short as Preston expected it to be. The mask he had kept dust and such from getting into his eyes, and even had a feature where it could white out his eyes, preventing further identification and even retina scans. He liked that option because it looked cool.

When he had gotten home late the night before, Preston thanked his lucky stars that he he still had all of his belongings on his person. He needed to replace all of the food and liquids in his fridge, and that took only all night scraping through convenience stores.

He was able to fine some sleep, though. Nothing could compare to those Satenian materesses that were in the Barracks in Oa. Maybe he'd have to see if he could bring one home these days. Even without the perfect bed to sleep on, Preston was able to get up nice and early in the morning, ready to tackle the day and find an excuse as to why he had been gone for three weeks.

He certainly would have been fired after that, had an old friend of his not stepped in and provided a vague enough alibi to keep Preston from losing his job right then and there.

"I promise, I'll tell you all about it later." Preston sighed as he fell back into his chair. He spun around and faced his friend. "Look, Tony. I could tell you here, but you won't believe me. I'll let you in on everything later. My flat, okay?"

"Fine." The reluctant Tony agreed. "But you're buying beers. Lost my money on that fight last night.."

[Ceta de Cloyes]

November 4th, 2019
6:30 AM, ET
Burnley, Gotham

@The Whacko

---

Hex

Barenziah huh? And the vampires… maybe he should wrangle something else out of Pads, maybe something Elder and stake-like? Maybe a cold iron grip… but damn, wands were so Harry Potter, he wasn’t sure he’d ever actually be able to wield one without descending into a geekgasm.

Despite his words, Tommy didn’t believe his father actually knew anything about Anna looking at anyone any kind of way. It was a proven science, studied by teenagers everywhere, that parents didn’t actually know anything about their kid’s love lives. Or he hoped that was the case anyway, if Anna really did like him like that… nah, no way.

Somehow his dad seemed to know about his weird dream, but again he wasn’t sure how much stock he was going to put in the man’s knowledge when it wasn’t even his dream. “I dunno, probably just the runes,” he offered, dismissive. It wasn’t a big deal, and he was decidedly not wishing his mom was here thank you very much, she was dead and that was how it was, otherwise you end up with things like zombie moms or possessed dolls. No thank you. “I’m good dad,” he said, giving him a more earnest look and an unconcerned smile, “really.”

He snatched up his phone again, typing out a few quick responses one handed so he didn’t get food grease on the screen. “So, when's the next time I get to go out with you? I got a new suit and everything, it’ll be great!” Said suit was a bit trenchcoat-y, which he wouldn’t admit was inspired by his dad’s own, but it also had some of the more glowy cartoon hero vibe, except darker and less flashy. It was painstakingly bartered for, the price of which he wouldn’t divulge under pain of death, but well worth it.

[hagroden]

8:15 PM
The Wilderness of Hope Springs, West Virginia
November 4th, 2019

The Wanderer

---

Shawn's boots fell gently as he hiked forward slowly, taking in the scenery around him as he walked, a sense of comfort and peace evident in his eyes. While he eyes were often narrow and dilated, it was times like these that his furrowed brow relaxed, times he was alone with nature. He walked several yards further, before sitting on a small ledge formed by a few large rocks. From here, he was able to look over the stunning view he had walked himself into. Shrugging his pack off his back, he reached into it's front pocket to remove a Rx bottle 3/4th the way full of small pink pills, the label reading "Oxycodone, 10mg." Shaking a few in his hand, he gathered about 5 of the pills and tossed them into his mouth, chewing them slowly. He didn't swallow them immediately, instead letting his saliva dissolve them slowly, accelerating their absorption into his digestive system. After a few moments of savoring the salty, blissful flavor of the pills, he removed three more from the bottle, crushing them on the relatively clean rock, and using a small wooden "straw" he had made himself ages ago, snorted all three of them in a single line.

He stayed seated comfortably for several minutes, lighting himself a cigarette to pass the time until the euphoria began to kick in. As he felt the steady rush of warmth flood his body, he stood up with a satisfied sigh, and continued hiking, only to find himself in front of a worrying scene; A man unconscious with a tree on his body, as well as a truck with a fairly damaged passenger door and seat. With caution, he approached, calling out as he moved.

"Hello? Who's out here?"

[Taytay]

6:30 AM
November 4th, 2019
High Rise Condos, Midway City

---

Frakedi woke up in his home on Mars. His bed was a dark maroon, almost black, with silk like sheets on it. The room was illuminated by the day time light, and you could see his shelf full or war books, the hall way to his bathroom and his balcony that gave a great view of Narjkiu. The city itself was one of the many underground ones and light was funneled through tunnels to the surface. It was cool during the scorching summers and warm during the frozen winters, and easy to grow things down there.

Frakedi could hear his family in the next room, his two younger sisters, his mom and dad. He walked over and saw them, eating breakfast looking happy and smiling. But he could not hear their conversation, it was as if a glass wall was separating Frakedi from them, not only vocally but physically too. He was stuck at the entrance of the dining room and watch them eat and laugh together, then out of no wear he saw a flash of light from out the window and his whole family looked at him and gave him sad smiles. In the blink of an eye they where turned to stone and the entire city along with its residence was whipped out.

---

-10:45 AM
Ira woke up in a sweat and looked around his room. He was back on earth and in his condo. The dream he had was a frequent one, it was a mirror of his sisters last memories while he was still connected to her. He could feel her pain and then her death, and the death of his people.

He got up and started his daily routine, he was due a visit from Cheril at any moment, since he was up late any ways. She usually came and woke him around 7 to start his day, with meetings or some sort of shoot, then they would go and meet with different people and "talent search" so they could contract some rookies. After the shower he went out into the main area that had the kitchen and den, Cheril was sitting on his couch eating breakfast.

"Oh your awake, good did not know how long I should let you sleep, your plates on the stove." She said as she got up and went to fetch his plate. The news was playing in the back ground, reporting on the rise in crime rate in the city and the firing of another police commissioner.

"Its getting choppy out there, what do think the city is gonna do? Oh and before I forget, how much money did I make off the fight?" Ira said while he chowed down on some pancakes, Cher's chocolate chip pancakes where to die for and it was one of the few things that could get Ira up early.

"The mayor is supposed to have some kinda conference later on today to discuss the problems, and don't worry about the money its already being handled." She said with a smile.

Ira was not as interested in the money as he was in the crime, he like his new home and did not want anything to happen to it, especially nothing near what happened to his world.

[Bluetommy]

8:15 PM
Wilderness outside Hope Springs, West Virginia
November 4th, 2019

---

A voice awoke Harris from his slumber, his eyes shooting open as he heard a call ring through the forest. He had to wonder why the person was here, perhaps a hiker.

Harris' eyes widened and his pupils contracted. He'd forgotten to handle the poacher. He was just laying there, pinned under a tree. Thankfully it hadn't been that long, he'd be alive, if a little shaken. Unfortunately, this hiker had spotted him, meaning that his cover was blown now more than ever.

Harris you idiot, why didn't you think to do that?

Harris had to confront the man, or else he'd just wake the poacher and only get one side of the story, the wrong side. He couldn't just reveal himself, but what choice did he have? He could scare him off with his abilities, but that would only bring a witch-hunt and make him out to be a bad guy, he wasn't a bad guy, at least he didn't try to be.

He placed his hand on the wood in front of him, and the tree opened slowly, the sound of wood snapping being let off as he walked out of the newly created doorway. A bearded man stood before him, examining the scene that Harris had created, the poacher lying there, thankfully not conscious, and his truck, which Harris remembered doing a lot of damage to.

Harris flexed his fingers as he took in the sunlight, enjoying the feeling of fullness it gave him, he tilted up his chin and allowed himself to be bathed in it. It was a good feeling for sure, but it was very distracting, he had to focus.

Tilting his head back down, Harris looked at the hiker with a neutral expression.

"Greetings," he stated simply, the first time he'd spoken to someone since his transformation, this person had a Dixie accent, not an Appalachian one, so he wasn't from the area, he wouldn't be able to convince many people of Harris' existence, considering he was an outsider. "I am the defender of this forest, the Vine Stalker."

That sounded good enough, he supposed, intimidating but still not altogether belligerent. Hopefully the man would be cowed into hysterics and flee, that would make it far easier for Harris to simply sneak back into the forest, hide for a few days when cryptid hunters eventually come searching, not that he'd need to, they never found anything.

He rose his arm, and trees grew beneath both the poacher and his car, lifting them skyward, the tree then tipped, passing it to another, which grew right next to it, it continued in this same way far into the distance, towards Hope Springs.

@hagroden