Achronum

Bounties of Space

Bounties of Space

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Location: Kol'Kill,Titan

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Danni sauntered up to the bar, sliding into the seat at the nearest end. He grimaced at the stickiness, but wasn't about to complain when Haxxal was in earshot and Danni was in mug throwing distance. He waited impatiently for Sandix to finish with their current customer.

It felt like forever before Sandix finally slithered their lizard butt over to him. “Sandix, my favorite bartender t'is side of Titan. ‘ow's business, ‘ow's t’e partner, ‘ow's t'e bed?” Danni wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, cackling at the flat glare it earned him. “Just a joke, just a joke, chiiiiiiill. I know it's all great. Never a bad time wit’ a ‘unk like ‘axxal over t'ere. Whoa, whoa whoa wait, sorry, sorry! Danni hit the bar hard, Haxxal's tankard hitting the wall where his head was just seconds ago. He used the upset to slip the holopad into Sandix's apron, praying the lizard didn’t stab him in the face, but all he got was another flat stare.

Seriously, how did you read a reptile?

Although there was a brief pause in conversations to see if a fight would break out over Danni’s ancts, Haxxal didn’t move from their spot and everyone moved on. The performer stepped off the stage, another small band taking her place, and she found the other empty table, a few over from the group's, and was quick to hail down a drink herself.

“Aaaaanyways, you know, just lookin’ for a little top off ‘ere.” Danni popped his flask on the counter. “And t'ree drinks for us at t'at table and whatever is quickest and easiest ta eat! We'll take t'e credits for t'ose rats ta T'e Triumverates!”

“Demanding little weasel.” Sandix rasped, already mixing neon green and sickly yellow liquids together.

“But your favorite little weasel, right?” Danni laughed, taking a quick swing of his flask before Sandix took it. He send a sideways look at the other guy sitting at the bar and after decing they were well into their cups, leaned in a little and lowered his voice. “T'ough, real question. T'e ‘aggar ‘it, ‘ow do our friends down under feel about t'at?”

“No official word but I'd say violent.” Sandix replied coolly. Danni nodded and grabbed the drinks they slammed in front of him and Danni beat a hasty retreat.

“So, good news, bad news, real bad news.” Danni announced, placing their drinks on the table and sliding into the open seat. “Good news, we'll ‘ave some more credits soon! Bad news, I t'ink ‘axxal wants ta kill me or ‘ate fuck me, but t'ats still not good. Real bad news,” Danni leaned in to the trio. “T'e Val'shan are not ‘appy ‘bout t'is bounty btw. Sendix said t'ey felt violent.”

Meanwhile, Dorian and April would see for just a moment, a strange electric flicker near the ceiling and that same metal pyramidal shape April saw earlier appear briefly.

Testing well everything!

Dorian

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Poltergeist

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Ability Scores

Melee 1	Agility 0	Resilience 2	Vigilance 3	Ego 2	Logic 2

Defense Scores

Melee 11	Agility 10	Resilience 12	Vigilance 13	Ego 12	Logic 12

Damage

Melee d6 x 2 + 1	Agility d6 x 2	Ego d6 x 2 + 2	Logic d6 x 2 + 2

Extra Info

Rank 2	Health (30 x Resilience) 60	Focus (30 x Vigilence) 90	Karma 2	Damage Reduction N/A

Biography

Full Name: Dorian Stephen Gray
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 17
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 170lbs
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brunette
Distinguishing Features: Left Ear Pierced
Origin: Mutant
Team: Excelsior
Base: Avengers Academy
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Hobbies: Gaming, Foodie, Traveling, Pranking

History

Life wasn't exactly normal for Dorian, especially towards the beginning. It's hard to recall his earliest memories, but if he thinks hard on them he always remembers a silhouetted man holding him and singing to him as an odd colored light surrounded them both. Later on in his years Dorian would learn that those earliest memories were of Max, his dad, using his magic to make his way home after grueling missions just to be able to put him to bed and say goodnight. While Max was away on missions his Appa, Ben, would always make sure to stay as present within his life as possible. The house they lived in was always warm and lively, and Appa made sure that Dorian felt as though he belonged.

Appa, ofcourse, was the stricter of the two. Always trying to teach him life lessons while his Dad simply wanted to have fun and enjoy what little time he had with his kid. At an early age Appa tried getting him to play a sport, to be normal whatever that meant. He rolled his eyes at the idea of football, didn't much care for track, tennis, or even soccer. But if he had to pick one he'd settled for baseball. The uniforms were cute enough, and it didn't involve as much running. So he was fine with it. The real joy came from seeing his parents' face light up everytime he hit the field. Win or lose they always supported him.

Years would pass and he lived next door to the Kingston's, knowing them as his second family and viewing Danni as his own brother. When he reached 7 years of age, Dorian was invited to come back with his Dad to Xavier's School. Ben wasn't exactly fond of the idea. No, to say that would be a massive understatement. The night the idea was brought up, Dorian was supposed to be asleep in his room. But as kids tended to do, he wasn't where he was supposed to be. He snuck out of his room, wanting to see if he could sleep with his dads, but as he rounded the corner towards their room he heard yelling. Muffled by the thick wooden doors of their home, but it was clear the subject matter was him and the school. Tears welled in his eyes as he quickly and quietly made his way back towards his room.

He had no powers to speak of and his Dad was still busy with the X-Men, but here he could learn, start school, and be closer to Max. Ben and Uncle Casper, had told him stories of this place, of his father Xavier and how horrible the man was. Dorian wasn't sure what to do. The following weeks were quiet in the household, facades placed before him as they pretended to be fine. Finally he spoke up. He wanted to be at Xaviers. He's spent so much time around other normal kids, he wanted to be around mutants for a change, even if the idea scared him a little.
When they arrived Dorian clung to his dad's pant leg as he entered, prompting Max to pick him up and carry him on his shoulders as they made their way through the expanse of a mansion.

It was different for Dorian, children and mutants running all around him and learning to control their powers while he was merely here to learn the basics. It was about this time that Dorian had begun to romanticize heroism and sword fighting. He waited for the day that they would visit the Kingston's each week, the adults getting together to talk about whatever it was they spoke of and him and Danni could sit in front of the television and watch their weekly show of She-Ra. It lit a fire in him and made him understand why his father did what he did even if it was with the X-Men. To be a hero, to save the world, and to know that even they have flaws and can be anyone, it spoke to Dorian in a way that he hardly understood. How any ordinary person could be a hero. So he studied the sword, he mimicked fighting techniques off the show, and most importantly he had his best friend and brother alongside him to fight crime with. It was just like the theme song said 'with mighty sword and flame we'll never fail you when you call our name.'

That was when another one of Appas life lessons came in. One day, after years at the academy, he had decided to take him somewhere private. Somewhere personal to him. It was his very own grave. There was a bit of heaviness to Dorian's chest, the idea that he was staring at the grave of his own Appa who stood right beside him. He wanted him to promise that he would be careful, to be safe. He needed to see just how dangerous being a hero truly was. And while Dorian had agreed to it, he didn't fully understand at that age, nor does he now. After all, Appa died before the Mutant Circuit, before his family was capable of bringing others back to life. To him, much like any other kid his age, he was invincible. But he'd never tell his parents that.

Dorian learned, and grew, spending most of his time at Xavier's and until he hit the age of 13. Life got a little weird there, he developed powers, found out he had the x-gene, and scared the crap out of his parents. That was the first time that Max had taken him and Ben to an old library, asked Doctor Strange and Wong for access to books on Astral Projection, and spent a majority of his time learning and teaching Dorian about his powers, the dangers, and ways to control them. Strange was...well strange. It was like Dorian's father was a different person around him, and it showed him a new side of his father he never got to see. But his childhood wasn't all study and practice, there were days, sometimes weeks, that Max would have off and even if he looked tired he would always come with a surprise. Family trips to Disney with the Mutant Underground, and those his father had met along the way of his life, impromptu vacations to Italy, Spain, Rome and more even as James protested.

Dorian was never a kid with wants. When your father has the power of magic, and can take you across the planet in less than a second of time then the world is quite literally your oyster. He always loved the trips with just the three of them, four if they could convince the Kingston's to allow Danni to come with. Dorian had heard tales of Max's...mishaps in his younger years, but that seemed so far ago and it always made him chuckle to see them all flustered with his dad's random worldwide trips. Sometimes they would just pop in with me, barely tell Uncle James, leave with Danni, then return less than a minute later having asked us to get the most touristy clothes we could find while gone. When we'd pop back to the Kingston's place we'd have large sunglasses, a splotch of sunscreen on our nose, and bright noisy clothes, it was one of the times Dorian could hear his father just laugh at the chaos and look on their faces. Sadly those Vacations would have to wait till summer once he turned 14, but it was a happy kind of sad.

Though Dorian couldn't see his family as often, he still had Danni. They got accepted to Avengers Academy (AA if you were one of the cool kids) and it was everything that they had worked for. Dee and Danni taking on the world and becoming heroes! There were...a few incidents where dad had to come in. Apparently the school didn't like it when someone possessed the lockers doors and flung them all open to scare other students. Or when someone snuck out of their room because it was too quiet. Really most of Dorians pranks were frowned upon, but someone had to livin' up the place, and a few of those pranks were just great pogger moments. Now its Junior year and its time to see what more they could learn about heroism and combat!

Personality

Dorian tries to be the life of the party. Alongside his best friend Danni, he never wants to let a moment die, trying to keep up the momentum and live life to the fullest. Ofcourse, all of that is pretty easy when your father has the ability to create things on a whim and your uncles command death and life respectively. Dorians never needed to consider any consequences because as far as he has been concerned there never were any. It's this sort of mindset that has lead to his more reckless behavior and allowed him to become quite the devious Prankster. After all within his first year at AA, Dorian spent a massive amount of time out in the field. Not caring for the physical education portion of his lectures, he decided to toss bird feed into the field and blow a whistle every day to call upon some pigeons. After a months of preparation when it came to the annual track meet, the coach blew the whistle only to have an insurmountable amount of pigeons flock down towards the fields and create utter chaos.

Dorian isn't all pranks and chaos however. He cares deeply for his friends and would do anything he can to help them. After all if he's learned anything from bith TV and real life, it's that the bonds you form along the way are what end up mattering the most in the end. He values loyalty and comradery amongst all else, and believes that friends shouldn't keep things from each other because it's the easiest way to allow a wedge to tear them apart. Though he's very doubtful that anything could ever tear him and his bestie apart.

Traits

• Signature Attack (Disrupt Person) - Dorian makes this attack with an edge.
• Surprising Power (Possession) - Dorian ignores rank and origins when selecting this power.
• Signature Attack (Possession) - Dorian makes this attack with an edge.

Tags

• Heroic
• Hounded
• Mentor (Ser Nemo)
• Obligation (School)
• Signature Weapon (Sword?)
• Sorcerous
• X-Gene
• Young

Powers

Possession:

• Phase Self: Dorian can become as intangible as a ghost.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Effect: Dorian and his clothing become intangible and can move through anything as if it wasn't there. Nothing can physically affect him, nor can he affect anything that is not phasing with him.
• Phase Walk: Dorian can walk on air.
  • Prerequisites: Phase Self, Rank 2
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Focus: 5
  • Effect: When phasing, Dorian can move in any direction as can anyone or anything phasing along with him.
• Quick Phase: Dorian can become as intangible as a ghost in an instant.
  • Prerequisites: Phase Self, Rank 2
  • Action: Reaction
  • Trigger: The character is attacked.
  • cost: 5 focus
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Effect: The character and their clothing instantly become intangible.
• Partial Phase: Dorian can me a portion of himself tangible or intangible.
  • Prerequisites: Phase Self, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: 5 Focus
  • Effect: Dorian can make any portion of his body and clothing tangible or intangible.
• Disrupt Person: Dorian can hurt someone with his phasing powers.
  • Prerequisites: Phase Self, Rank 3
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: instant
  • Cost: 10 Focus
  • Effect: Dorian and his clothing become intangible and can move through anything as if it wasn't there. Nothing can physically affect him, nor can he affect anything that is not phasing with him.
• Disrupt Electronics: Dorian can scramble electronics by moving through them.
  • Prerequisites: Phase Self, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: instant
  • Cost: 5 Focus
  • Effect: Dorian can scramble electronics when he moves through them while phasing, causing them to shut down or crash. In the case of Tech Reliant powers, they are unusable for one round while they reboot.

Magic (Demonic Set):

• Possession: Dorian takes over someone else's body.
  • Homebrewed Power , Changed Agility defense to a contested check.
  • Prerequisites: Cursed, Rank 5.
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: 20 Focus
  • Effect: On the first possession attempt, Dorain makes an Ego check with trouble against an Ego check of the target with trouble. On a success, Dorian takes over the the target's body completely. On a failure, further attempts of possession do not give the target trouble.
    Dorian's Ego Defense is the target number for any checks to end the possession.
    If Dorian attempts to harm someone with the possessed body, the target gets to make an Ego check to end the possession. If the target has the Heroic tag, they gain an edge.
    If Dorian attempts to harm the possessed body, the target gets an edge on the check. If they have the Heroic tag, they get a double edge.

Telekenetic:

• Telekinetic Manipulation: Dorian can handle physical things with his mind.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • range: Varies
  • Effect: Dorian can manipulate objects in line of sight with his mind. His maximum range is 5 spaces x rank. If someone would prevent Dorian from taking control of an object, Dorian makes a Logic check against their Agility defense.
• Telekinetic Attack: Dorian can punch or choke somebody with his mind.
  • Prerequisites: Telekinetic Manipulation, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Range: Varies
  • Cost: 5 focus
  • Effect: Dorian makes a Logic attack against the Melee defense of a target within 5 spaces times rank. If is is a success, it inflicts regular damage. On a Fantastic Success, the damage si doubled instead, and the target is stunned for one round.

Testing well everything!

Leah

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Jotunn

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Ability Scores

Melee 4	Agility 1	Resilience 3	Vigilance 1	Ego 1	Logic 0

Defense Scores

Melee 14	Agility 11	Resilience 13	Vigilance 11	Ego 11	Logic 10

Damage

Melee d6 x 4 + 4	Agility d6 x 2 + 1	Ego d6 x 2 + 1	Logic d6 x 2 + 0

Extra Info

Rank 2	Health (30 x Resilience) 90	Focus (30 x Vigilence) 60	Karma 2	Damage Reduction 2

Biography

Full Name: Leah Rose Jordan
Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 16
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 198lbs
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown and slightly curly... And weirdly coarse.
Distinguishing Features: She has multiple scars in random places all over her arms, back and chest. Most of them are old.
Origin: Mutant
Team:
Base: Avengers Academy
Alignment: Chaotic good
Hobbies: Boxing, traveling and reading

History

Mayra Pavon was born in southern Arizona as the child of a very bad man. Her life was relatively simple for most of her early childhood, except for her father being away on business trips a lot. Mayra's mother was a high school teacher, and her father was allegedly an account and lawyer for a large corporation. In hindsight, how he managed to do both seemed unbelievable, but neither was true. By the time Mayra reached the age of 12, her father had told her about his secret life, and her mutant genetics. He ran a test on her in his secret lab years ago, and planned for that day. Carlos Pavon told his daughter than he, too, was a mutant who went by the name Imperator. He was gifted with superhuman intellect, and had found a way to build things no other person could by applying this power to the field of engineering.

Imperator was a high-profile mercenary who worked for people he did not disclose to Mayra, and wanted to bring her under his wing. His reasons were varied, but one of them was to teach her to control her new abilities. Mayra wasn't given a choice, and so for the next two years, she was trained extensively in close-quarters combat by a man who could outthink her every move five minutes in advance. It was painful, being knocked on her ass every time she attempted to make a single swing on him, and it put a massive strain on her relationship with both Imperator and her mother, who believed she was simply away with her father on business trips. She never fully understood why things had to be this way, and she eventually rebelled against him in an act of rage.

One day when she was home, she confessed everything to her mother. Mayra told her everything, about her being a mutant, about the so-called training, even about Imperator's workshop. Unsurprisingly, she didn't believe most of that, but it didn't matter in the end, because Carlos Pavon came home just in time. When his wife questioned him, he didn't even react before he shot her. The whole house fell in on them. Imperator was a superhuman genius, but in his own hubris he failed to account for the possibility that Mayra's training had been more productive than he realized. There is nothing left of that house but a veritable mountain of stone and rubble.

She ran, and ran, and ran.

The rest is somewhat blurry in her mind, but she walked through the Arizona deserts for hours on her own, before eventually flying away on a rock when she came down from the emotional rollercoaster of watching her mother bleed out, and possibly burying her father alive. Mayra eventually found the Avenger's Academy, and used the opportunity to live a different life than what was destined for her. All she hopes now is that no one uncovers her history, or digs into legal records to see if her name is Leah or Mayra.

Personality

Leah has always been somewhat tough to read. She often prefers to just deal with problems the hard way and not make any attempt to convey how the feels. Letting people in or opening up is hard for Leah, because she feels weak and insecure when others have to go out of their way to tend to her. Leah regularly puts on a brave face and treats herself like she's invincible. Not out of arrogance, but out of a desire to be as little of a burden to those around her as possible, and because she has unresolved, bitter feelings towards his past that she doesn't want others to know about. None of that means she doesn't care about others, though. In fact, Leah can be viscerally protective of others who are in a position where they can't protect themselves. The victimized, the weak, and wounded are people she feels great sympathy for.

Beneath that stony exterior is a girl who feels conflicted towards herself. Deep down, Leah knows she can't deny where she came from, but refuses to acknowledge this and buries any trace of her home. Leah craves the act of living her own idea of being untouchable, she wants to be the strongest person in the world and build the highest walls because she's afraid of what could come back to haunt her. At the same time, Leah wants to be close to her friends, as much as possible, so she can be a part of their lives and be there for them when they may or may not need help. Even if she won't admit it to anyone, Leah is stuck between her insecurities and her own compassion for others. This can sometimes lead to self-destructive tendencies in which she exhausts herself to help people, but refuses to let them do anything in return.

Traits

• Abrasive: Leah rubs people the wrong way. She has trouble on Ego checks when persuading someone to help her, but an edge on Ego checks when trying to intimidate someone.
• Battle Ready: Leah is always mentally ready for battle, getting an extra 30 focus.
• Quick Learner: If Leah fails an action check, they gain an edge on the check if they try the same action gain on her next turn.

Tags

• Heroic
• Hounded
• Linguist: Spanish
• Mentor (?)
• Obligation (School)
• Supernatural
• Young

Powers

Basic Powers:

• Brawling: Leah is hard to hit.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Leah can use her Melee defense score against Agility attacks too.
• Mighty 1: Leah is superhumanly strong.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Leah is treated as one size bigger for lifting, carrying, and throwing things. She also adds +1 to her Melee damage multiplier, and she gains a +1 bonus to Melee checks other than attacks.
• Mighty 2: Leah could lift a bus.
  • Prerequisites: Mighty 1, Rank 2
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Leah is treated as two sizes bigger for lifting, carrying, and throwing things. She also adds +2 to her Melee damage multiplier, and she gains a +2 bonus to Melee checks other than attacks.
• Sturdy 1: Leah has protection from physical damage.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Leah's body is so sturdy that she has Health Damage Reduction 1.
• Sturdy s: Leah has protection from physical damage.
  • Prerequisites: Sturdy 1, Rank 2
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Leah's body is so sturdy that she has Health Damage Reduction 2.

Super Strength:

• Clobber: Leah's pummels her foe with enough force to knock them flat.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Instant
  • Effect: Leah makes a close attack. If the attack is a success, the enemy takes regular damage. On a fantastic success, the enemy takes double damage and is knocked prone.
• Smash: SMASH!
  • Prerequisites: Clobber, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Instant
  • Cost: 5 or more focus
  • Effect: Leah makes a close attack with an edge. For this attack, add +1 to Leah's Melee damage bonus for every 2 points of focus she spends. On a success, an affect target takes that total damage. On a fantastic success, an affected target takes double that total damage and is stunned for one round.

Elemental Control (Earth):

• Special Effects triggered by a fantastic success -
  • Earth: Target moves at half speed for one round.

• Elemental Burst (Earth): Leah fires off a boulder.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Instant
  • Range: 10 Spaces
  • Effect: Leah makes a ranged attack against an enemy in line of sight. If the attack is a success, it inflicts regular damage. On a fantastic success, the enemy takes double damage instead and the elemental type's special effect.
• Elemental Barrier (Earth): Leah raises a wall of earth.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Burst, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: 5
  • Effect: Leah forms a wall of earth within her line of sight and up to 10 spaces away per rank. This covers up to 2 spaces across (vertically/horizontally) per rank. Leah makes an Agility check and compares the results against the Agility defense of any target in the affected spaces. On a success, Leah chooses which side of the barrier the target winds up on. On a failure, the target chooses. On a Fantastic success, the target suffers the element's special effect too.
    Attacks against the barrier are against Leah's Ego defense. Any attacks against it that do 10 points of damage or less are instantly absorbed, and the barrier continues. If an attack does more than 10 points of damage, it destroys the barrier. Either way, the attack leaves those behind the barrier unharmed.
• Elemental Grab (Earth): Leah snares an enemy in earth.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Burst, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Range: Varies
  • Cost: 5
  • Effect: Leah makes an Ego attack against a target's Melee defense within 5 spaces times Leah's rank. If the attack is a success Leah grabs the target with Earth. On a fantastic success, the target is pinned and suffers the element's special effect. Breaking free requires a successful Melee check against target number 20.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

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Location: Outside -> Mad's dorm
Skills: N/A

“An open invitation ta bot'er you? T'e world must be endin’!” Danni gasped, fanning his face. “Doncha worry too much. I'll only abuse it a little bit. Can't keep me away once you open t'e door t'ough so look out!” Danni laughed as they settled in the dirt, spreading out and watching Leah fiddle with her little stones.

“‘onestly, I'm not sure why deat’ is such a big deal for people. It's not like it's t'e end, ya know? Benji was a ghost for… over a decade, maybe? But t'en Papa, Pops, and Maxie regenerated ‘is corpse and body slammed ‘im back in and now we're a big ‘appy family. It's not like it ‘as ta be permanent. Or ya can just vibe a a cool ghosty.” Danni scrambled to sit up as the sunflower grew, eyes wide as saucers. He looked between Leah and the plant a few times before gently brushing his fingers across the petals. His chest felt heavy looking at the flower.

“Tellement joli. Je suis un peu jaloux.” Danni whispered before he beamed at Leah. “T'ats so cool! I t'ought you only did stuff wit’ rocks, t'ough. You ‘oldin’ back ta keep t'e ot'er teams from knowin’ all your tricks? But ya said you don't care, so why would ya ‘ide stuff if ya didn't care? Or maybe you said t'at so t'at nobody would t'ink ta look further past what ya told everyone! No, no you're confused ‘bout t'is too so I guess you really didn't, don't care about it. Yeesh, t'e team is not gunna like t'at. Do you really only care ‘bout t'e contest for Princess and Beanie? Not ‘bout showin’ t'e world ‘ow great ya are?”

”Slow down like, a lot for a second, damn.” Leah stared at the flower and then at her runes. ”Agatha gave me these the day before she packed up. Haven’t had many chances to think about them, and I barely understand how they work.” I’m barely understanding a few things.

”I looked stuff up on my phone over the break. Can’t really get them to do much, and usually when I do, they don’t do anything for a long while after. I didn’t know that would work.”

“Oh, Aggie gave t'em ta you! She musta known ya ‘ad at least a little spark of magic in ya. Makes sense, makes sense.” Danni nodded thoughtfully. “T'en t'ey probably ‘ave a long cooldown ‘cause you aren't trained in magic. ‘Ave you talked ta Mads? She ‘elped me wit’ my dragon egg from Aggie and knows a whole ton ‘bout magic! She'll get ya all started up!” Danni offered.

”I told her, yeah. But everyone else is busy too. Including her..”

“Pssssh, nah we'll grab ‘er right after we all talk ‘bout t'e teams ‘cause she won't ‘ave any plans yet. I gotcha, no worries! We'll go on a little library adventure together today.” Danni decided. “So ‘ow you plannin’ ta talk ta Princess and Beaniab'bout not carin’ ‘bout t'e contest? Bot’ of t'em are pretty intense abou’bout it ya know.”

”If they’re doing it, I’m doing it,” Leah answered. ”That simple. I’ve given it everything I’ve got so far, it’s no big deal to keep doing that.”

“Oooookay! T'at sounds good!” Danni said after a long pause. He popped to his feet again, dusting himself off. “Well, ya wanna go grab Mads? Idk if Vicky's comin’ out right away ‘cause Couls asked ‘er ta stay behind but we don’t wanna get left out of discussions and if we box ‘er in right off t'e bat, we got ‘er all ta ourselves!”

”Sure, I guess. If she’s not busy.”

Danni stared at Leah like she'd grown a third head. “Okay, okay. What is wit’ t'is…” Danni waved all of Leah. “I don't know ‘ow ta put t'is but like, smallness? Timidness? T'at t'in’ you do when ot'er people ‘ave ta be involved in stuff. It feels like you're trying not ta take up space or somet'in’. T'is whole “if she's not busy” stuff is wierd AF. So sure, let's say she is busy when we got find ‘er. Are you just gunna leave?”

”Leave and do what?” She asked. "People have stuff to do, Danni. I mean, shit, it’s not that important.”

“Leah, you know like you can make plans for the future right? Like, let's say Mads ‘as a super awesome magic ritual t'in'y she ‘as ta do. People, and you are included in t'at, can t'en ask if she ‘as some time tomorrow or like, set a date and time ta meet up about it, but it kinda sounds like you don't do that? Like if someone is busy, t’ats all t’ere is ta it.” Danni put out there. “Like yeah physically, you're big and strong and stuff. But like, you kinda seem ta go outta your way ta be smaller t’an t’at? You know people will make time for your interests right? Like, people enjoy your presence and are ‘appy ta do stuff wit’ you if you ask. You know t’at, right?”

Well, that felt fucking weird to hear.

”It’s not that important,” She said, again. ”I’ll ask.” She didn’t see what the big deal was. Leah and Madalyne didn’t talk much, she had other shit to do besides being around Leah. But… Okay.

Another long pause.“Oooookay, we'll we're gunna go ask right now!” Danni went to lock arms with Leah, like he did with any of gaining friends, and found her already a solid step away. “No touchy, gotcha, gotcha. Just follow me t'en!”

”Yeah. Sure. And don’t do that again.”

Testing well everything!

Danni

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HotShot

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Ability Scores

Melee 0	Agility 4	Resilience 2	Vigilance 2	Ego 4	Logic -1

Defense Scores

Melee 10	Agility 14	Resilience 12	Vigilance 12	Ego 14	Logic 9

Damage

Melee d6 x 2 + 0	Agility d6 x 4 + 4	Ego d6 x 2 + 4	Logic d6 x 2 -1

Extra Info

Rank 2	Health (30 x Resilience) 60	Focus (30 x Vigilance) 60	Karma 2	Damage Reduction N/A

Biography

Full Name: Daniel Kingston
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 17
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 140
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown - Dyes it black
Distinguishing Features: N/A
Origin: Mutant
Team: Excelsior
Base: Avengers Academy
Alignment: Chaotic good
Hobbies: Cooking, Dancing, Gossiping

History

The adopted son of James and Casper Kingston, Danny was never a child without love. Although born in Genosha, his earliest memories are of New Orleans after James and Casper moved there following the collapse of Genosha. Pops worked at an auto shop, the strong order of oil caked into Danny’s early memories, and baby Danny was always dazzled and amazed at the outfits his Pape put on and the glitter, shimmer, and glamor of his shows. He remembers sometimes when Papa would be him because Pops had a guest at home and he always terrorized the backstage areas if they had one, wearing Papa’s feather boas and shoes even if they were too big. And when Pops would come pick him up, the half hearted scolding was seconds before the fond sigh, the quiet click of the camera, and a kiss on the forehead.

Although he was an only child, and he made sure to milk that he was with, Dorian was such a constant presence in his life, he felt like a sibling rather than just a friend. They’d watch Saturday morning cartoons, playing superheroes as their favorite show, She-ra and the Princess of Power, played in the background. When Danny whined at his parents to put him in dance classes so he could be a performer like Papa, his first solo performance was danced to the theme song and he demanded Dorian be there.

Of course, Danny was an impulsive wreck, moving through interests like clothes. One week it was painting, the next it was roller skating, and the cycle continued until he stumbled into cooking. The truth of the matter was, his family wasn’t known for their cooking skills. Pops had picked some up to feed the family and Papa wasn’t allowed in the kitchen unsupervised after the cupcake incident but sometimes Danny was craving a specific food and when he was, everything else was terrible and deserved to be trashed because it wasn’t the food so he decided he learn how to do it himself. As is expected when a 10 year old decides to cook without consulting his parents, the end result was an absolute mess but Danny had a blast through the entire process, even when half of it ended up on the wall. He was then also promptly banned from being in the kitchen unsupervised but got that lifted as he grew into the art.

Before his mutation presented itself, he planned to become a chef with his own shows and restaurants. He started his own Filterella, KingstonsKitchen, and grew it into a Snikt! and has a decent following that he likes to randomly pop on live with. He also posts random updates about his day under #shitIdo for easy filtering because he likes to and he finds it fun to include more people in his life (hear about how awesome and pretty he is).

Although he knew his family was wary about the x-men, he was always a little jealous when Dorian talked about his time there. He got to go to a hero school and Danny was stuck in normal New Orleans. They’d had dreams of being superheroes together when they were kids but between Danny’s struggle to stick with his interests, Pop’s general disapproval of superheroes, and a million flashier, easier things to get into, the interest faded until F-Day. His powers presented before Dorian’s and the old dream of theirs seemed realistic again. Sure he teased Dorian about getting powers first and sure he had to twist Pop’s arm to get him to agree (James barely lasted a day of tears and the cold shoulder before he relented) but with their approval, Dorian and Danny headed to Avenger’s Academy, bright eyed and bushy tailed, together.

Yes, it was hard and yes, it was a culture shock and yes, he called his parents sobbing to come pick him up because he missed home more times than he could count on one hand, but now, he's fully committed to rocking this Superhero thing. Superheroics are super interesting, the normal classes are bearable, and getting to set things on fire and looking fly as fuck doing it was right up his alley. Kicking butt in the Contest of Champions and taking top spot would just be the perfect thing to take home to Pops and show him this was exactly where Danny was supposed to be.

Personality

A difficult one to stay mad at for long, Danni is a highly energetic, fun loving, touchy feely golden retriever. He makes friends as easily as he breathes, and he attaches quickly and deeply with little more than a few days' time. He bounces rather than walks, sings rather than talks, and finds something to enjoy in every situation. He can make sunshine out of rain clouds and always has a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold, and a conversation to ease away the sting of all the unpleasantness life brings. He's silly and ditzy, seemingly directionless at times, but he cares deeply for those around him.

Of course, he isn't all fun and games. Danni's emotional state can fluctuate wildly, especially when he feels like he isn't being included or appreciated. He is used to being able to command all the attention at home, doted on left and right by his parents and family, but handles rejection, real or perceived, very poorly. He's the waterworks kind of kid, rather than the feet stomping, ground pounding kind, and he'll start sniffling if he even gets an inkling someone might tell him no. He is demanding of people's time, rarely pausing to consider that maybe not everyone likes a gangly teenager in their lap yapping away at a mile an hour, and rarely respects people's personal boundaries, always pushing, pushing, pushing until something snaps.

Traits

• Signature Attack: Elemental Blast (Hotshot) - Danni has spent two years training his control over his Hotshot, giving him an edge when making an attack with it.
• Clueless - Danni's difficulty to focus on any one thing often leaves him vulnerable. He has trouble on Vigilance checks to spot hidden or invisible things. Enemies have an edge of Agility checks to sneak near or past him.
• Quick Learner - If Danni fails an action check, he has an edge on the check if he tries the same action again on his next turn.

Tags

• Hounded
• Heroic
• Linguist: French
• Mental health condition (ADHD, PTSD)
• Mentor (Ser Nemo)
• Obligation: School
• X-Gene
• Young

Powers

Basic Powers:

• Flight I: Danni soars into the sky.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Effect: Danni can fly. His combat flight speed is equal to his rank times his Run Speed. outside of combat, they can move at three times his Flight Speed.
• Accuracy 1: Danni is an ace with ranged attacks.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • effect: Danni adds +1 to his Agility damage multiplier, and they gain a +1 bonus to Agility checks other than attacks.
• Accuracy 2: Danni is a sharpshooter.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Duration: Permanent
  • effect: Danni adds +2 to his Agility damage multiplier, and they gain a +2 bonus to Agility checks other than attacks.

Elemental Control (Fire):

• Special Effects triggered by a fantastic success -
  • Fire: Sets target ablaze, dealing 5 Health at the end of each of the target's turn.

• Elemental Burst (Fire): Danni Hotshots an enemy.
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Instant
  • Range: 10 Spaces
  • Effect: Danni makes a ranged attack against an enemy in line of sight. If the attack is a success, it inflicts regular damage. On a fantastic success, the enemy takes double damage instead and the elemental type's special effect.
• Elemental Blast (Fire): Danni hurls a fireball.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Burst, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Instant
  • Range: 10 Spaces
  • Cost: 5 or more focus
  • Effect: Danni makes a ranged attack with an edge against an enemy in line of sight. For this attack, add +1 to the character's Agility damage bonus for every 2 points of focus they spend. On a success, an affect target takes that total damage. on a fantastic success, an affected target takes double that total damage and suffers the elemental type's special effect.
• Elemental Barrier (Fire): Danni conjures a wall of fire.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Blast, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: 5
  • Effect: Danni forms a wall of fire within his line of sight and up to 10 spaces away per rank. This covers up to 2 spaces across (vertically/horizontally) per rank. Danni makes an Agility check and compares the results against the Agility defense of any target in the affected spaces. On a success, Danni chooses which side of the barrier the target winds up on. On a failure, the target chooses. On a Fantastic success, the target suffers the element's special effect too.
    Attacks against the barrier are against Danni's Ego defense. Any attacks against it that do 10 points of damage or less are instantly absorbed, and the barrier continues. If an attack does more than 10 points of damage, it destroys the barrier. Either way, the attack leaves those behind the barrier unharmed.[e
• Elemental Protection 1 (Fire): Danni envelopes himself in fire.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Barrier, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard or Reaction
  • Trigger: The character is attacked or otherwise in danger.
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: 5 Focus
  • Effect: Danni protects himself with fire. Any attacks against him that do 10 points of damage or less are instantly absorbed, and the protection continues. If an attack does more than 10 points of damage, it destroys the protection. Either way, Danni remains unharmed.
• Elemental Prison (Fire): Danni envelopes enemies in a dome of fire.
  • Prerequisites: Elemental Barrier, Rank 2
  • Action: Standard
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Cost: same as Danni's Elemental Protection power.
  • Effect: Danni picks a point within their line of site and traps any chosen targets within up to 5 spaces times his rank in a fiery prison. The character makes an Ego check against the targets' Agility defense inside the spaces. On each success, Danni traps the target inside the perimeter. On a fantastic success, targets suffer full damage and the element's special effects too.
    Attacks against the barrier are against Danni's Ego defense. Any attacks against the prison are absorbed as if against Danni's Elemental Protection power. If an attack does more damage than Danni's Elemental Protection power can absorb, it destroys the prison but no one inside is harmed.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: Headmaster's Office
Skills: N/A

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“Wait, are we all skippin’ over Zeld's ventriloquism act ‘ere or am I ‘allucinatin’? I really t'in’ t'at's not somet'in’ we should just ignore?” Danni waved at the corner where her voice came from. “Did ya just not wanna show up but sent like, a super tiny mic and/or camera combo ‘ere? T'ats's kinda rude. ‘Ow am I supposed ta give ya your friendship bracelet? I'll come bot'er you at your dorm wit’ it t'en!” He gave Zelda's tiny camera a thumbs up.

“But yeah, like tots babe! We can chat later. I need all t'e deets!” Danni nodded at Mads just as Leah blew up. Talk about needing therapy, sheesh! “If we wanna delay t'e whole team decidin’ t'in’, we can but Imma fight ta t'e death for Princess, Dee, and me on one ‘cause it's everyt’in’ we've been dreamin’ about for two years now and we don't get ta dangle t'at out in front of my face and t'en snatch it away wit'out me screamin’ and kickin’. Just fair warnin’!” Danni blew Beanie a kiss and whirled on the newest person to join, Zari.

“Just our bonding bracelets! ‘Ere I ‘ave one for you and one for Mr. Eyeball. You know for t'e whole we survived a supervillian t’in’.” Danni found himself quickly corrected, t’at they did apparently die but they still lived and then they were put in water for too long? Yeah, it made you look wrinkly but what did pruney skin have to do with time travel?

“Yeesh, y'all are real serious about t'is. Can't we like, eat candy and roll in t'e grass and ‘ave fun and just be glad we're alive? Oh, Couls I didn't make you a bracelet but you weren't t'ere so should I not make you one? But I kinda want ta, you know? I t'ink I will so email, text, or send a wierd letter on school paper tellin’ me what color ya want. I get a sunflower vibe from you.” Danni peered at Coulson hard before shrugging. “But yeah, I'm wit’ Princess ‘ere. We talk ta t'e shrink-and man, are t'ey gunna regret askin’ me ta talk. T'ey're gunna charge t'e school ta shut me up once I'm done wit’ t'em, ha!-we celebrate we ‘ave a chance ta keep rockin’ ‘ow great we are, and we fuckin’ slay t'e championship so everyone sees villians ain't got not'in’ on us. Now, y'all ‘it me up when we wanna talk teams. Leah left wit'out ‘er bracelet!” Danni paused, grabbing Vicky's bracelet off the ground and popped it on her shoulder.

“Sooooorry, you’re stuck wit’ me! I'm non-refundable! And t’at goes for all of you!” Danni cackled and bolted after Leah. “Leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Wait up! You forgot your bracelet!” Danni jogged after her, popping up next to her.

“Special delivery for one rocky woman!” Danni proudly held out the bracelet. “Man, I t'ink ya ‘ave me beat on dramatic exits for t'e week. You can't keep t'e tiara from me for long, but I'll let ya keep it for now. What's up wit’ t'at t'ough? Ya left before t'ey even talk ‘bout how we actually got pruney in t'e tanks, we didn't come out flawless Like I remembered, and apparently everyone went fuckin’ wild over it? And like, I know I care ‘bout my looks but a little pruniness after serving a serial killer? Not worth complainin’ ‘bout in my book. I know ya don't really like me much, but ya can go off wit’ me sis. Let some of t'at pressure out!”

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: Headmaster's Office
Skills: N/A

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See, nothing to worry about. Danni may have just skidded in at the last second before Couls started all this, but everything he heard was a win. Thank you for being awesome and amazing (minus the big award. Def points off for coolness Couls.), no more homework or classes for the semester with A's in everything, and their choice of teams?! His solid C average would have a cushy bump and they got to go to the Contest of Champions with a team of their own choice?! Clearly they needed to deal with supervillains more often!

Danni was going to say as much, but Vicky let loose on Couls and Danni took a step back at the intensity in Vicky’s words.. “Well, daaaamn girl. Go get t’em!’ Danni whistled as he shook it off, sauntering up to Coulson’s desk and hopping up to sit on it before realizing he wasn’t where he wanted to be. “But I am def uncomfy wit’ t’e energy in t’e office so I’mma jus-” Danni scooched across the desk so he was on the opposite corner. “T’ere! Now you can stick it ta t’e man wit’out gettin’ distracted by my pretty face and I can talk about t’e more excitin’ stuff ‘cause I am violently uncomfy wit’ t’e energy you’re brin’in’!” Danni gave her a thumbs up, dug around in his bag, and tossed her the Vicky bracelet he made with her name in blue block letters. “And a friendship bracelet! I made them for everyone, even Poisson-Pas! Nothin’ says friends forever like surviving a murder attempt!”

“Now, while Vicky is kickin’ ass and takin’ names, we’re tots redoin’ t’e teams right? Princess, Dee, and me are gonna be on a team ‘cause, like, it’s only been our dream since we got ‘ere. And then-” Danni blinked a few times as he came to a grinding halt, even his active avoidance of therapy taking a back seat to Mads. He’d plucked out April’s bracelet and was holding it out, but he just stared for a few moments.

“O.M.G. ‘ow did you not tell me ‘bout t’is! Like, t’is glow up is insane. Great look, 10/10 would recommend. I was just t’inkin’ we need a spa day just ta chill wit’ everyone and now I am dyin’ ta ‘ave one ‘cause I ‘ave sooooo many questions. Like, horn piercin’s? Yes, no? I t’ink it’d look great or like, oh! A tail bracelet, like an anklet but more of a… taiclet? Tanklet? Tail cuff, like an ear cuff? Jeez, ‘ow do people name t’in’s, everyt’in’ just sounds awkward. Poisson-Pas, you know what it’s called? You seem like one of t’ose people t’at loves trivia nights.” The bracelet clinked as he turned to face, catching his attention.

“Oh, shoot. Teams right, right!” Danni hopped off the desk and started handing his friendship bracelets out. “So yeah. Princess, Dorian, me, def Beanie, which means Leah and Percy ‘cause y’all are in t’at honeymoon era and t’en def Mads ‘cause she’s got wicked cool magic t’at can do a little bit of every’in’!”

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: Dorm -> Headmaster's Office
Skills: N/A

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The Roof, the Roof, the Roof (and everything else) is on Fire!

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Location: Kingston-Grey House, New Orleans
Skills: Pyrokinesis, Electromagnetism, Astral Projection

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The Nightmare

It was dark, cramped, cold. The kind of cold that seeped heavy into the skin and stayed there. Awareness came slow to Danni, though he couldn't tell if he woke or not. He blinked, or at least he thought he did. There was no light to tell him. He thought for a second he'd gone blind, but he still saw the fuzzies behind his eyes when he squeezed them shut so he figured that wasn't right. He stretched and frowned as his fingers tapped against something firm, cold, and smooth.

Danni pressed around him and he realized quickly he was in a cylinder of some sort. He tried every surface, his pulse rising as he realized he had barely any room to turn as his shoulders brushed against the sides of wherever he was. He couldn't find an escape, any sort of opening, and panic set in. He kicked and screamed and cried, throwing himself against the walls before awkwardly sliding down and sobbing in his hands as he curled into himself.

“Aw, all tuckered out already?” A voice in the dark laughed. A creaking accompanied the voice and a single, swaying light flickered to life. Illuminated by the broken, flickering yellow glow was Arcade. He was slouched lazy in a comfy chair, his laptop propped up on an arm, and the shifting light gave his glasses the cartoon evil glare.

“‘Cadie! T'ank God you're ‘ere! I don't know what's goin’ on.” Danni shot up as relief flooded him, pressing up against the tank glass. “You're lookin’ a little like villian you but you're ‘ere ta get me out right? I don't know when I got back in the Framework t'in’ but I don't wanna be ‘ere, please and t'ank You!”

“You got out? Please, as if you or your amateur friends could have outsmarted me.” Arcade dismissed the notion with a hand wave and a laugh. “Come on Danni. I know you'll have to dust them off but at least try to use some of those brain cells. I can force you to experience anything and you thought I would stop at video games? Come on, this is my debut! Why not have a little fun with it?”

“‘Cadie, t’is is not ‘ow you make friends. You wanted ta do better! You were sad and upset! T'at was real, right?” Danni asked, his back hitting the glass as he started shaking again. The realization that this wasn't quite a rescue was starting to bring the panic back.

“That was real, right?” Arcade mocked in a poor impersonation. “Please, I just made you see what you wanted to see. And it was fun, really fun, knowing that I let you have that little bit of relief before I tore it away. And now, I think it's time for you to die! Which way should we do it? Arcade tapped at his keyboard, dismissing options as he did.

Danni couldn't catch his breath. His lungs burned as they struggled and he couldn’t, couldn’t get enough air. The room started spinning, things started going hazy, and his heart was hammering in his ears. He reached for his fire but found nothing.

“Yeah, I took that away too. Couldn’t have you ruining the fun!” Arcade cackled as he finally found what he was looking for. “Well, Daniel. Its been fun but I have a few more to kill so I think it's time to wrap this up. Snakes away!”

The top of the chamber slid open and Danni screamed at the mass of snakes writhing in a ball above him. One by one they drop and it was all Danni could do not to pass out. “Please, please, please, please Ed! Please help me! I won't tell anyone! I'll do anything, I'll help you escape,I'll work for you, just please let me go!” Danni begged, screamed, through tears. His vision was going as he felt the snakes squirm around him, he felt bile burning the back of his throat, he felt pressure on every side as they glass closed in around him…

Then everything was on fire as he felt the flames tear themselves out of him. Danni couldn’t even scream as it consumed him too.

Dorian was laying in his bed, his bedroom door open so that his new pet raptor could come and go as he pleased from his room. He was having a wonderful dream about Percy and him going to visit some ruins in Italy, something he'd have wanted to do during this break if it wasn't for the fact that they were grounded because of the Arcade incident. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as a wave of heat blasted into his room. It quickly spread to make him uncomfortably warm, prompting Dorian to get up and see if his fan had somehow turned off.

At first he hadn't noticed it, too groggy from sleep as he shuffled over to see if the fan had any higher speeds. It wasn't until he noticed a reflection of red dancing across the glass of his PC. He turned to look towards the windows where the reflection would be emanating from and saw the blaze of flames that seemed to press against the panes of Danni's room. Every ounce of tiredness had shaken free from his body as Dorian began to run towards the hallway that conjoined the two houses and coincidentally also their rooms. The closet there always had a fire extinguisher in the event of a Max or Danni mishap.

He grabbed the extinguisher and pulled it's pin as he began to make his way towards Danni's room. The heat from this blaze was unbearable. Dorian tried to squeeze the foam out but it didn't seem to help, and the metal reached began to burn from the intensity around them. The extinguisher dropped to the floor with a clatter as Dorian quickly and reflexively went ghost. He couldn't feel the heat anymore, allowing him to move closer, but he couldn't barely see Danni within the inferno he'd caused. ”Danni! Danni! Wake up!” Panic laced his every word, and as much as he wanted to possess him and walk him out of there, he couldn't tell if he was still generating flames or not and moving him could bring more issues.

Dorian was desperate to grab Danni's attention, trying to think of a way that would wake him up. He needed something loud and fast. Searching around the room, he decided the best option was to toss Danni's TV. After all, they could always get another one. He'd meant to reach out with his telekinesis, to toss it onto the floor and cause a loud commotion, but as he reached out towards the TV, it quickly flickered on and static began to screech over the sound of flames. The volume jumped up to the highest it could go and suddenly, for a brief moment, an image of Dorian appeared on the screen, screaming. ”Danni Wake Up! C'mon!”

Danni's eyed snapped open and he was screaming, clawing his way out of the burning remains of his blanket and stumbling to the ground. He struggled to catch his breath in the heat. His heart pounded in his ears. He was sticky with sweat and he squinted against the harsh glow. He coughed and swallowed back the bile that threatened at the rancid stretch of burning plastic. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what was happening. Danni shook his head, trying to get the feeling of helplessness out of his head, the feeling of being crushed, trapped, suffocated.

“Fuck.” Danni whimpered and pushed himself unsteady to his feet. He took in the fire around him, raging in the wake of his nightmare, and he swallowed heavily, the discontent sitting like lead in his stomach. It would be fine. Danni could get the fire under control, the wierd Dee face in his TV would disappear, Maxie would just snap his wizardy fingers and poof, no problems! Danni reached out and called the fire, urging, begging them to listen and come to him rather than spread and for a moment, the fire stilled and shrunk, slinking back through the halls like a scolded child.

But it took everything in Danni to keep it that way. Fire wanted to grow and consume and spread at all costs and it fought So much kindling, so much fuel, and he was the only thing holding it back. Danni shook with the effort, clawing the flames back to him, but he was suddenly back in the tank, Arcade laughing at him and that feeling of helplessness... Danni screamed as the fire expoled from his control and he barely was able to stay standing.

“Dee? Dee?! W'ere are you? Please tell me you're okay.” Danni half sobbed, half coughed, smoke burning his eyes and lungs. Danni bolted out of his room, grabbing the closest thing to him, and nearly tripping over his own feet.

”I'm fine! I'm in the Astral but I can't ‘elp you from ‘ere. I don't know what to do! I'm not fireproof!” The image said, calling from the TV over the dull background of static and the sound of flames. Dorian just wanted to get them both out of there, but he also didn't want their parents coming back home to a house fire.

Danni barely registered what Dorian said, continuing to stumble his way down the stairs. They felt longer than he’d remembered and in the glow of the fire they seemed to grow two steps for every one he took. His breath came short and the world spun and he all but threw himself down the last few. His knees buckled and he hit the front door hard.

“Fuck!” Danni shouted, his wrist throbbing, but he threw the door open anyways and bolted out the front door unsteady. “Dee, just get outta t'ere! I- I can't anyt'in’ ‘bout t'e fire!” Danni shouted hoarsely.

Dorian watched as Danni began to leave the house, following behind him in his ghostly form before swooping down and taking over his raptors body to help lead him out to safety. As soon as they'd made it out of the house, he left his pet and a static-y image began to appear before the both of them until Dorian fully materialized, swooping up his little dino into his arms. ”It was gettin’ a little chilly in t’ere anyways. At least we ‘ave some warmth now.”

Danni finally registered what he'd grabbed, his dragon egg, and wrapped his other arm around Dee. Danni let his head fall on Dee's shoulder as they watched the house fire from the street. Danni knew it'd be alright in the end. Maxie would snap his fingers and everything would be fine again, but it still felt…

“Can we… not tell anyone ‘bout t’is? Please?”

“Ya know, I can't wait ‘til Couls congratulates us for puttin’ down a villian! It's time we finally get some recognition for bein’ awesome!” Danni said as he ruffled his hair, turning his head left and right in the mirror to make sure that everything settled just right. “Does this look natural enough, Dee? When Couls inevitably walks us ta t'e auditorium, I wanna make sure I ‘ave t’e surprise down pat, but stylin’ my ‘air too much will make him know ‘e ain't slick. I want t'is ta say ‘I woke up prettier than you’, you know?” Danni rambled, picking up his phone at the buzz.

Dee & Princess

Oh bb, please. He ain't kickin us out. We're on the same level as The Young Avengers now! He'd be crazy to kick us out. He's gunna tell us how “irresponsible” we are and then tell us that we did a great job apprehending the baddie and then give us an award right in front of everyone! Nothing to stress about!

“Couls got Princess all stressed out. Gotta ‘ave a spa day soon wit’ t'e besties next chance we get!” Danni announced, twirling and snatching up a little baggy that clicked and clicked as it shifted. He held up his phone, snapping a selfie with Dee in the background and uploaded it to the junior year folder he made over break before sending it out.

Beanie,Princess, & Mads

Your two favorite boys just finished getting ready! On the way!

“Oop, I got t'e door! Princess probs swung by ta grab us!” Danni all but jumped to the door and snatched it open, halfway to sweeping April into a hug before he stumbled and caught himself on the door frame when he was greeted by Percy instead.

“Whoops, shit, my b! Deeeeeeee, t’e boyf is ‘ere!” Danni yelled unnecessarily into their dorm. “Percy, we gotta work on t'at uniform. It needs… more. Like, a little less box, ya know? Hm… Whelp, I'll keep t'inkin’ about it and we can get our noggin’s toget’er at some point and make somet'in’ great!” Danni side stepped past Percy. “But I'll give some time ta t'e lovebirds. God knows ‘ow ‘e complained ‘cause ‘e missed ‘is boyf.” Danni teased, throwing a shit eating smirk at Dee.

Danni offered a lazy wave and spun to head out, but instantly turned again with a dramatic gasp. “Omg, I almost forgot! I made you a gift!” Danni dug into the bag and pulled out a handmade black bracelet with red block letters that spelled Percy and slapped it I'm his hand. “Since we're friends, I gotta start gettin’ ya gifts so t'is is our first one! But now, really I'll get out of you ‘air. Don't do anyt'in’ I wouldn't do!” Danni skipped down the hallway, humming a cheery song despite the little bubble of disappointment it wasn't April or Mads or Beanie.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

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Location: Framework Areas
Skills: N/A

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There was no use in fighting it. Their family was going to get contacted one way or another, so after another request to provide the number Dorian finally fished his phone out of his pocket to see if it still worked. Curse the waterproof technology (even if it was helpful most of the time due to his water attuned friend). He was glad to hear that Arcade would get a fair trial, and a part of him hoped that She-Hulk would be his lawyer to help with making sure the court or council would see Arcade's newest change. While She-Hulk was on the phone with his father, Dorian propped his back against the wall, running his hand alongside the back of his head where a phantom pain still lingered from where he had a recent injury.

He began to disassociate for a moment, thinking about how they finally came so close to being the winners of the Contest of Champions, and now it all threatened to be taken away because of one phone call. Years of hard work, and finally finding a guy who likes him that he likes back. Dorian's attention shifted to Percy, standing across the room from him as he and his sister spoke about something in private. He offered him a weak smile from where he stood, wanting to go talk to him but unable to as he waited for She-Hulk to finish the call. He must not have heard her voice the first few times until he felt a gentle hand press against his shoulder. She-Hulk was handing him the phone. It was on speaker, and the number on the screen was his father’s, Max.

” ‘ey I'm fine, we're fine. T'ere's no need to worry really.” Dorian explained trying to ensure he didn't get all riled up.

”No need to worry? No need to worry?! The Avengers are at your doorstep in the middle of the night for a threat and you think we shouldn't worry?” Max's voice rang through the phone. ”And where's Danni? Why can't I hear him?”

“‘ey Maxie! Dee's right, we're fine! A little wet, but not'in’ t'at won't dry out! Ya know, ‘ad a little too much fun wit’ a video game, t’at’s all! We just didn’t know what ta do wit’ t’e baddie, and t’en t’e Avengers got it all taken care of.” Danni spoke with quickly, grimacing at Dee. He’d really hoped that Maxie would have been a little more chill but if Maxie was stressed, Danni didn’t want to know the kind of chewing out they’d get from Benji and Pops.

“And, I t’ink we should note it down t’at we won against our first villian! T’ough, I kinda feel bad callin’ ‘Cadie a villian? ‘e’s super changed, like instantly when ‘e realized we beat ‘im! It was almost like magic, ‘onestly.” Danni frowned thoughtfully, but brushed it off. “Guess ‘e’s a good guy under all t’at wantin’ ta murder us stuff! But since everyt’in’ is easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy, we can just forget it all ‘appened and get late night beignets right?”

Max let out a long sigh, with equal measures of relief, frustration, and pride. The sound of a wooden door closing behind him in the background as he made his way through the house. ”Most of them are good people underneath it all. Just need a little understanding and a lot of help to pull it out. I'll say this before I'm within earshot of James, good job on both defeating and reforming your first villain. You two truly will make a change for the future.” His tone was a bit more collected now, leveled as he spoke until it took a sharp turn. ”Now comes the part where I get James involved in this all. You're Lucky that Casper and Ben are out this week on a trip, but not so lucky that you won't escape James' speeches and chastisement about safety.”

Dorian groaned. Lucky? They'd have to have this conversation twice now once the other two came back. The second one may even be worse than the first given who the pair would be. ”Really, we aren't even injured.”. Which was technically true, even if his face had strings of red drying off him from the injury that no longer existed.

What little preening Danny had done at Max's praise quickly turned into a grimace at Pops name. “Nooooooo! Maxie you're supposed ta be t'e cool parent. Don't tell Pops. Let ‘im sleep. ‘e'll be all grumpy about t'is! Can't we just like… wait until tomorrow? We can't reason wit’ ‘im when ‘e is tired!”

“When who's tired?” James voice was quiet, still far away, but it grew louder as he spoke. “Everything okay, kiddo? You're normally in bed by now. You sleepin’ okay, need anything to help?”

”Oh they have all the help they could need right now. They have the Avengers with them. You two want to tell him why? Or should I?”

Danni danced in place, a distressed whine making it clear he certainly did not want to tell James anything. “Cool parent card revoked.” Danni grumbled, ignoring the quiet snort of laughter from his Pops. “Pops, just remember when I tell you t'at really, not'in’ bad is permanent and t'at really it was a great lesson t'at we learned a lot from.” Danni laughed nervously. “Sooooo, we sorta kinda maybe like, snuck out ta train a little more and our friend Ed is like, so smart so ‘e ‘acked t'e virtual trainin’ t'ing’ so we all got in and t'en ‘e revealed ‘e was ‘Cadie and tried ta like, I don't know, trap us in a video game kill world and split us all up, but our friends are awesome and managed ta get us out and we overpowered ‘im and t'e only real problem was t'at we didn't know ‘ow ta get ‘I'm ta t'e authorities but t'e Avengers showed up and everyt'in’ is gucci!”

Max muted the line, silence taking their place as he looked at James with shock and a bit of jealousy. ”You're telling me those kids got SAO'd. It actually happened and not in a reality warping way but honest to god video game?!”

There was a long silence from the phone before it was taken off mute and Danni could see Pops rubbing the bridge of his nose and his voice firmly level. “Okay, okay kiddo, take a breath. Are you both alright? Is Dorian there too? Do you or your friends need immediate medical attention?”

Dorian looked at Danni, worried at how long the pause was. Usually the longer it took the worse they'd be. ”I'm ‘ere. We're bot’ fine and no one is injured. T'e Novikovas are ‘ere too along wit’ Wanda so no worries.” He said trying to cut in before Danni opened his mouth again. Why did he mention them sneaking out? That was worse than a villain! They could've gotten kicked out of the Contest for this or worse, grounded. He smacked Danni's arm and gave him a look saying ‘you said too much’.

‘Hey!’ Danni protested silently, rubbing his arm where Dee hit him.

“Okay, good. I'm glad that the Avengers have the situation under control and you two are okay. ” James sighed. “And you're both grounded as soon as you get home. We'll talk about what that looks like tomorrow once you guys get some food in you and a decent night's sleep, but it sounds like you two made some reckless decisions that put yourself and your friends in an incredibly dangerous situation. We talked about what was expected of you two when you went to this school and you didn't uphold your end of that deal. I'm glad you're okay, but I'm disappointed that you put yourself in this position.”

“Sorry, Pops. We just wanted ta be t'e best and t'is seemed like t'e best way ta catch up ta T'e Young Avengers.” Danni explained weakly, his voice cracking as his eyes started tearing up.

Dorian winced when James said they were disappointed. That was worse than being mad! At least with anger they could cool off and forget about it but this? It was a constant reminder of how stupid they had acted just to get ahead of other kids. ”Sorry…”

Max could understand where the kids were coming from. After all, they were competing against two children of The Scarlet Witch. It was a long shadow to have to fight through, but even so part of being a hero was knowing that it wasn't ok to put others in danger to further your own goals. ”I can see you two have already realized that what you did was reckless and also more dangerous than it was worth. But that doesn't mean we are having a lengthy lecture about heroism and the safety of others and yourself when you get home. James and I can discuss the finer points of your grounding in the morning. For now, we're just glad you're both safe.”

“Okay, we're going to get changed and portal over. We'll help you pack up ‘cause I know you were waiting until the morning, Danni. Do you need any extra bags or anything, boys?” James asked.

“Late nate beignets and hot chocolate?” Danni sniffled pathetically, tears already starting to trickle.

“Already planning on it when we finish packing, kiddo.” James chuckled fondly. “Dorian, do you need anything?”

”To be ungrounded because we reformed our first villain?”

“That's what the beignets are for, buddy.” James said. “We'll let you two say bye to your friends and we'll be over in a second. We love you both so much.” The line went dead and Dorian handed the phone back to She-Hulk.

Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: Framework Area
Skills: N/A

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“Whelp, shit.” That wasn’t meant to come out-Danni never had a great time with inside thoughts-but he found his field of fucks to give barren as the tanks burst. Danni screeched as the water hit him, throwing his arms up fruitless, and then promptly coughing as water surged into his mouth. Danni hacked his way out of certain, watery death as Leah and Sabine got April calmed enough for the water to chill out.

At least it was better than toilet water this time.

Danni laid on the ground for a few moments, just catching his breath and resisting the urge to intrude on the trip's moment, but rolled his head as new people came in. The West Coast Avengers sauntered their way in and took ‘Cadie off their hands. Two problems solved, with the healing thrown in, and Danni sighed, thankful that at least Pops wouldn't hear-

“WAIT!” Danni shot up, jumping to his feet and sliding on the slippery floor to an awkward, arm flailing stop in front of She-Hulk. “Please, please, please, please, please do not tell my parents. I'll do anyt'in’. Like Papa would be okay at first, but t'en ‘e'd get all dramatic and t'en tell Pops and t'en Imma be so grounded. Like, six feet under grounded. T'en I might not be allowed back and it took so much work ta get ‘ere in t'e first place, it'll all ‘ave been for not'in’.” Danni begged, giving his best puppy dog eyes in hopes it would change anything.