Achronum

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 7:05am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

The Countess was in… Varis would say rare form but putting her foot in her mouth seemed the norm for her. Honestly, her skill rivalled the Spellman’s and he’d thought that was a feat in and of itself. Aggressive and sharp and bumbling, it was like watching a little vampire learn how to feed from a vein rather than a bottle. An utterly disgusting and humiliating display truly. He’d started out with a little pity for her and now he just felt nothing but contempt. But it would be fun to egg Count Benjamin and the Marivaldi on in the future. Maybe when he got bored with this institution, he’d pit them against each other for the fun of it.

“Count Astorio, I didn’t know you were a vampire of hidden talents. I never would have assumed you a comedian!.” Varis laughed at the question. How perfect! He’d practically given up on playing this angle but he couldn’t say no if the brute was going to open the door to opportunity. “He’d have to have any talents for me to squander them. He’s come to me even worse that your average house trained mage. He actively seeks out opportunities to prove himself to me that are barely a challenge.” He turned to Count Benjamin and waved his hand in disbelief. “That’s how our mages came to cross blades, actually. I directed him to find himself a sparring partner so his skills stay sharp―a simple task surely, I thought, for someone with ten years of experience under his belt―so he found your mage and he expected me to praise him as if he found some sort of decent challenge.” Varis’ heard the tell tale clinking of the boy coming with the next round and continued with a smirk at the corner of his mouth. How wonderfully fun!

“And at the dinner that got your mage caught up in this Red Hand business, Count Astorio, the boy made an utter fool of himself in front of both the Queen and my Lady! The Princess and I gave him very simple instructions on how to avoid drawing my Lady’s attention and that of her mind mages and at the very first chance, he threw it all into the wind because another mage got a little woozy. While it’s grand that chivalry isn’t dead, that left him defenseless against her and she wiggled her way into his obstinate, dull head. Varis clicked his tongue in disappointment, taking the glass as the boy poured it but otherwise ignoring him. He took a break in his ranting to take a sip, savoring that touch of brightness beneath the citrusy flavor, and resisted throwing it back like a shot. “Not that there seems to be much in there―he couldn’t figure out how to affix cufflinks without me, after all―but he certainly knew plenty about the Eve mage and his family. As much as a pride myself as a skilled strategist, her mind is still an enigma. Who knows who or what caught her mages’ eyes.” He closed his eyes as he took another sip, letting himself relish the taste. This was a dangerous thing;he’d have to start going back to bottles to keep himself from draining the boy empty.

“And the most infuriating part is that no corrective action so far has proven effective. I took away all his doors because he hasn’t earned privacy yet, he’s written plenty of lines and his handwriting is barley improving, he drafted and presented public apologies for those he put under my Lady’s attention and now they’re hanging in his room as a reminder, and just recently I’ve had to take away his Noila toy sword for a whole month because he went behind my back on the matter of his schedule. At least it makes an excellent foot rest at the arena. Too bad I’ll probably have to have it melted down if he keeps misbehaving.” Varis sighed. “I’ve tried being relatively tame with my punishments, he’s adjusting and all that, but I expected more from even a throw away Starag. It just means I’ll have to introduce him to proper Sinnenodel punishments sooner than I’d like to.”

He glanced at his pocket watch, clicking his tongue again. It was a little late in the morning so they’d have to wrap this up soon. That would explain why they skipped the Spellman boy’s blood. Varis couldn’t say he was upset by the decision but he’d make the boy sweat to explain it nonetheless. And if anyone brought it up, what an excellent opportunity to damage the boy’s reputation here.

Aaron's blood

Orange and Cloves with a pleasant brightness

---

She’d thought Firefly was adorably amusing but it definitely did not have the same impact as Maestro. Firefly got a shake of the head, amusement or irritation she wasn’t sure, but Maestro had Aaron red. Maddie watched Aaron as he hurried back to the kitchen, little wheels turning in her head. She turned her attention back to the group and smiled at Max and Salem, neither speaking up at the mention of the invitation. “Don’t feel pressured to come, of course. It’s just meant to be laid back and fun.” She offered them, letting them step out without an awkward no slamming into Lilie’s excitement. “If you do make something Lilie, let me know. I’d love to bring something too!”

All in all, the evening had been… interesting. Max was someone to avoid, especially as he called the Princess a lying bitch. That was a mess waiting to explode and she didn’t want to be in splash radius. Salem was odd but he seemed harmless. Lilie was nice and sweet but there was a landmine to avoid around her labeled “Vampires” and she didn’t want to navigate that. She made a note to avoid gatherings with her if vampires were likely to be in attendance. Aaron was the only one she didn’t have any rela misgivings about because she knew where he stood and he knew where she stood and they didn’t have to play games about what not to talk about and what to lie about. She’d have got advice from Amaris about this whole mess. Maybe she’d have a good idea how to navigate this mess.

“So when did you have the opportunity to see Aaron play? I knew he danced but I wasn’t aware he was an accomplished musician.” Maddie asked.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Healing Factor

---

---

“Yeah, you’re a little well done right now, honey. Nothing we won’t get fixed sooner or later.” James smiled appreciatively Waverly as she took Casper, a groan escaping him as the weight came off. The man was nothing but dead weight right now and James was barely in any condition to be schlepping him around. He gave her a thumbs up and laid down on the floor for a few seconds longer to catch his breath. He even closed his eyes but he felt the pull of sleep and he snapped them right back open and forced himself up onto one knee and then up the rest of the way. He rolled his shoulders for a few seconds, rubbing away the soreness of laying on the floor, and turned to follow Waverly.

Just in time to see Casper hit the floor. He winced at the nasty sounding thud, another bruise or bump he probably couldn’t mend right now, and made his way over as Casper rambled about Ghostbusters. Waverly tried to keep him moving but she was barely faring better than he had been. “Since no one else is in danger of dying or bleeding out, give me a second to try and close him up one more time and then maybe together we can keep him off the floor. Teamwork makes the dream work and all that, right?” James suggested as he knelt down next to his boyfriend one more time. Everything, and James literally meant everything, in him protested but he laid his hands out again and focused, searching for that familiar feeling. It took a moment, long enough that James was sweating at the thought of yet another fail, but finally he clung onto that familiar heartbeat and fixed the remaining bullet hole.

“Oh, thank fuck.” James sighed as he hoisted Casper to his feet and got him moving to the car with Waverly. “Making sure Echo was okay took way more out of me than I thought. Does it wear you out to use your gifts, Waves? Do you do any training to make it less exhausting to handle stuff?”

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

@Hero@Scribe of Thoth

Clarissa considered his evaluation of the Blue Lions and the Crown Prince a moment. He clearly put deliberate thought into his words but whether or not that was because he was still getting his thoughts in order on the subject or because he was treading carefully, she wasn’t sure. Still, it seemed he was in a similar position as herself given they’d had little time to get to know everyone. Everyone was still a bit of a mystery in the other Houses at least. Her own were infuriatingly straight forward and the future headaches she was expecting were unpleasant. Maybe she ought to acquire a remedy sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, one detail sat out in Auberon’s commentary. Kellen, the boy who stumbled over himself in his introduction, was noticeably absent. Perhaps Auberon had even less time to figure him out but he at least theorized about Lienna. Maybe that’d be something to keep any eye on.

“I think you have Jorah perfectly described.” Clarissa laughed. She was perfectly content with that answer for now; Clarissa would follow up later in the year. Jorah had plenty of wonderful qualities, even if she’d probably jump out of a window before telling him otherwise his ego would swell twice its size, and she knew his familiar attitude in these situations could turn the serious kind away. “We certainly are an unusual group but I hope you’ll persevere through their antics. I doubt you'll find people more loyal to each other and those they call friends but I know they may be a tad overbearing for a few months. Jorah’s reunited with one of his closest friends and has two new ones to make and he has the uncanny ability to wrap everyone up in his exuberance. If you ever need advice on how to handle them or just need them out of your hair, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I have plenty of experience keeping them from going overboard.”

Her attention shifted to the Archbishop as soon as she started speaking, For such a young child with an impossible burden on his shoulders, he certainly held it well. She nodded along with Ionnias,practically beaming as he explained himself. Everytime he spoke, she found her respect for him growing. This was exactly what she believed would benefit the Leicester Alliance, high and lowborn reducing the significant gap between them and unifying together for the betterment of their country as a whole. Jorah must have had too much sway over her because she was two seconds away from picking him up and whirling him around she was so excited but she had to remind herself this was not her little brother and it would be far too improper to swing the Archbishop around like he was, no matter how excited she was. She cleared her throat and kept herself perfectly still.

“I appreciate your honesty, thank you! Actually, that’s similar to how my family governs. With our limited size and resources, we rely almost entirely on the weight of our economy so reducing the wealth gap between all citizens improves our financial status and helps us maintain our relevance in an increasingly aggressive production age. I have no doubt we can raise ourselves to your expectations, if for no other reason than to give others proof that you deserve to be involved in anything you decide to put your mind to. If there is anything we can do to help you further, you only need ask and I will do my best to assist you.” She offered with a determined glint in her eye. The last part had just slipped out, a spur of the moment decision she made as his situation struck a chord with her. She was no stranger to being dismissed because she was young and she wasn’t about to have this child, Archbishop or not, struggle because his clergy wouldn’t support him. Absolute nonsense. He clearly had ideas and dreams and if she could make the path to achieving that a little easier, she would do everything she could to make that happen. “That being said, I’m afraid I’ve lingered for far too long. I’d intended to get a lay of the grounds, get my things put away, and then talk with Professor Euphemia about a few things but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to chat together. Maybe the three of us can have tea one evening? My father and I used to make a habit of it and I’m afraid I’m going to miss it dearly.”

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:55am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

Varis should have expected it but the Countess’ pathetic attempt at expressing her scorn and vexation startled him. He hadn’t realized someone of their age and stature could fumble such a simple exchange. He’d given her too much credit; he assumed she’d at least put her energy into a productive and creative outlet while on her self imposed exile―Varis certainly didn’t buy into this grieving nonsense, after all. They weren’t mages.―but clearly she’d only wasted away. No wonder her father didn’t want her to take over the family. She’d probably run it into the ground with how she sold away her potential for melancholy.

“Only confirming the process is moving. The sooner the boy figures out his plan, the sooner he’ll be able to focus on learning to be a proper Sinnenodel mage. I don’t need him stumbling like this at Chaend.” Varis sighed, fiddling with his glass. “Though I’m interested in your lack of faith in Count Eve and his mage. It’s true that the Spellman boy is certainly trouble; he was put under investigation for possible rebel ties after he spoke against the Queen at dinner in the beginning of the year. I’m certainly surprised Count Astorio hasn’t put him on a shorter leash considering he nature of his employment for the Council.

---

“Oh, that’s definitely interesting.” It was most definitely not interesting. In fact, it had all the hallmarks of messy and Maddie was more than content to stay far, far away. She was thinking maybe a test was put in the wrong place or maybe it just didn’t complete the way it was supposed to and his vampire couldn’t leave it well alone but the Princess and her mages offering various excuses and lies that fail to line up? She couldn’t very well believe a seven or eight century old vampire would fail to make sure her various mages didn’t have the same story at the very least. She could believe it out of a pair of six year olds trying to get out of trouble but not some who survived a war and the political minefield of a modernist that challenges her own family values half the time. This is about where she’d just leave the room back at home but here she did not have that option.

And stars only know Amaris would probably care for this information. Hopefully, she’d just find it interesting, they could leave it alone, and move on but a little voice in the back of her head laughed at her. If only she had magic to turn abc time and never ask the stupid question. This was all clearly well above her paygrade and she was certainly content with staying the fuck away from this. “If you take out the constant fear of death, the challenges were fun ways to learn more about each other and how we think and act under stress. It definitely made the Countess much more understandable than she was before.” And speaking of teamwork, Maddie forgot she was supposed to ask Lilie and Aaron something while she had them all.

“That reminds me! Kanalie and I were talking before I started getting ready and she told me to tell you guys that she’s planning some sort of party for Moon’s Mirror before we head into break and she wanted to know if you guys were interested. Apparently, one of Alexander’s friends specifically told her to make sure Firefly shows up because, and I quote, “That guy needs a fucking break before the shit hits the fan.” Maddie chose, very gracefully she thought, not to laugh at all of that. “I asked if I could extend the invitation to everyone here and Kanalie only said the more the merrier so just let me know and I can give her a number. Apparently next semester is a monster for the seniors and they won’t have a ton of time to hang out."

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Healing Factor

---

---

James hesitantly backed away when Callie told him too, hovering nervously as Callie expertly cauterized the wound. The stench of burning flesh barely bothered him. All he could think about was getting Casper safe, whole, and home again, tucked away where no mysterious dickhead could put a bullet in his chest. How come he could piece together Echo’s spine and have them walking around barely five minutes later but a bullet in his boyfriend’s chest was too much? Logically, it’s probably because he’d condensed an absurd amount of healing and recovery time into those five minutes and it drained him but logic went out the door at the sight of Casper on the ground. All he felt now was frustration and anger and worry and exhaustion. If his ability was going to fail him when they needed it desperately, maybe he needed to talk to Sapphire about getting some first aid lessons or some sort of kit with at least bandages so when shit like this happened he had options other than sear it shut.

“Gotcha.” James nodded to Callie’s command, taking Casper from her so she could get back into the fray. He cradled him gently, keeping Casper’s head propped up on his shoulder, and matched his breathing again, settling neatly into his heartbeat as they synced up. James wasn’t about to move him with fully open wounds and pushed himself to at least close something. Casper seemed to settle a little more and the wound on his back closed itself. James panted, his lungs desperately clawing for air again, as he came back to himself. Little speckles danced in his vision, his head spun, and everything ached. He was definitely pushing himself too hard. He finally got himself together in time to see their attacker vanish and James just swore. Well, fuck him too. Hopefully, his little gizmo was as reliable as Max’s control and he ended up in a god damn volcano or something.

James stumbled as he pushed himself up, hauling Casper up with him in the process, and then promptly found himself hitting the floor again as a wave of dizziness stole away his vision and turned his legs to jelly. He curled protectively around his boyfriend, shielding him from the brunt of the fall, but his own back didn’t fare that well. The pain knocked the wind out of him and he sat there stunned. “I… I think I need a little help with him.” James admitted, eyes shut as he waited for the room to stop spinning. “Everyone else good? Last call for patching up cause I think getting back to the car’s going to take everything I have left.” A headache bloomed behind his eyes as he shouted over the music, the pain beating in time with it. He really wanted to put a bullet in them just to shut them up.

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:45am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

Varis only shook his head in disappointment at the lack of initiative from the Marivaldi and the Astorio. Squandering away an opportunity he practically handed them on a silver platter. Even if they weren’t politically motivated, certainly they had to be somewhat curious about their newest addition. Why wouldn’t a relatively unknown noble Ryner snatched out of the woodwork and elevated to the public scene not spark some interest? The only reason Varis could come up with was there wasn’t enough there to spark. A couple of simpletons with little more than air between their ears and instinctive thirst for blood. Perhaps Varis would pity them if he didn’t find them utterly repulsive for it.

Eris took the reins of the conversation with Count Benjamin once Varis released them for the others and Varis chuckled at his commentary. Shocked into silence indeed. Eris kept rolling after that, not bothering for splash value anymore, and his little pot stirrer was interesting, if not entirely ludicrous. The Eve mage looked like a strong wind would push her over, much less an adequate dueling partner. She was the sparring partner the boy tried to claim as a suitable candidate despite the fact that he dismissed her skills entirely. “It’s probably a good thing. The boy had the opportunity to cross blades with her the second night here and he found her lacking. Ten years of study and apparently she proved too aggressive for her style, leaving her easily dealt with as he put it.” Varis ignored the posturing the Eve threw out, not particularly interested in a measuring contest, but it did remind him he unfortunately had business with the Marivaldi.

“While we’re here, there was something I needed to discuss with you Countess since their platedate seemed to go well the other night. The boy has discovered a compelling interest in mental magic and as part of his required entrance preparations, he needs to develop some sort of a routine to help relax him or some nonsense. He requested that he have permission to attend regular dancing sessions with your mage. Has yours reached out to you about this yet?” Varis still wasn’t sold on the boy mingling with a Marivaldi, a fire wielding gremlin of a Marvaldi nonetheless, but at the very least he could have some fun watching the Marivaldi struggle her way around the issue. Mage loving freaks they were, the Countess probably wouldn’t want to disappoint her little pet but probably hates the idea of letting her mingle anymore than she has to.

---

“Oh, that’s definitely awkward. I couldn’t imagine having to kiss a vampire, much less one that I have to live with. But your others sound like fun!” The second one sounded vaguely terrifying but probably just some sort of grudge the vampire families still held against each other and they took the opportunity to poke at the Sinnenodels over it. “We almost lost all of our tokens in our last game. We were at a casino and all these cards had our faces, our vampires’ faces, and the faces of the Lords and Lady of each family and we had to figure out which one the little riddles were talking about but we had to put our tokens up against theirs to play. We won our way to a 95 and then Ari―I mean, the Countess―took on the double or nothing round. I thought we were going to lose everything.” Maddie felt her face heat up at the mistake. She wasn’t supposed to use her name at these things but she was just so used to saying it, it just slipped out. Oh dear, hopefully Ari wouldn’t be too upset with her later.

“It sounds like Salem lucked out on the practical then. The rest of us had a… weird time and he found a new way to use his magic. Lucky!” Maddie steamrolled over her mistake, not giving herself a second to continue considering it. “But what made you think there was a mistake, Max? I mean, there are some pretty awful things circulating about the mental classes and the students who take them, it must have been pretty bad if you wanted to get messed up with all of that.” Especially since he made it very clear he didn’t really want anything to do with basically most things, it struck her as odd that he’d willingly trudge off into the crazies. ANd they certainly were crazy if even half the rumors about them were true.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

@Hero@Scribe of Thoth

Clarissa returned Auberon’s nod with her own, giving the Archbishop the first response. How fortunate that the House Leader at the top of her priorities to make introductions walked himself straight into the conversation. Two birds with one stone was certainly an apt way to put it. Clarissa smiled at the Archbishop’s words, briefly reflecting on how much the Goddess’ words carried her through. She had no doubt that whatever tribulations brewed on the horizon, she’d find familiar strength in Her wisdom.

“Please, call me Clarissa. Standing on too much formality will only hinder us and I have no doubt we’ll be working together closely during our time here. Your introduction left an impression; out of all the House Leaders, you seem the most experienced with the position. How do you feel about leading the Blue Lions and working with Prince Hresvelg and Jorah?” Establishing Auberon’s opinion of the other House Leaders now would give her a better look into how she measured with the Galatea; so far, they were quite similar. Auberon gave the impression of a matured and focused man while his fellow Blue Lions seemed like children still nervous to be toddling around without their mothers, a situation in which she could empathize greatly. Well, she wished she could call them nervous. She had exactly the opposite problem, toddlers too curious for their own good.

“And speaking of our group Archbishop, Professor Lysnader told us you hand picked us for the Rose unit! I’m honored to have caught your attention but if you don’t mind me asking, what was your thinking behind bringing us together?” Clarissa asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. If he didn’t want to answer, Clarissa could certainly understand that but hopefully it would put to rest some of the unease she still had trailing her out of the first meeting.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Healing Factor

---

---

James sighed. Maybe they should just carry something around for Casper in the future, just in case they ran into any more conveniently inconvenient pieces of his boyfriend’s color, and apparently patchy, history. James smiled as he got a kiss on the cheek, following Casper into the club. He was overwhelmed immediately. Strobe lights flashed, music was blaring, and James really didn’t know where to put his eyes. They guys pole dancing were practically Greek statues come to life and James would have to be blind not to be very, very appreciative of that but he also had his boyfriend right here and while Casper wasn’t exactly shy in his admiration for other guys, James would rather talk about all that and get those ducks in a row before he even considered toeing that line. Casper was amazing and fun and James knew he wasn’t as experienced as him in any part of a relationship and he’d be devastated if he lost Casper because he was stupid.

However, as James looked around, he definitely felt like this was a wild goose chase. No one was sick, nothing was on fire, and no one was panicking so the troublesome duo couldn’t be stumbling around in here. He could only imagine Sunshine suddenly popping up in here and releasing all hell on everyone because she was pissed at Max. He was about to say so when Echo ame running out, yelling it’s a trap, and then the gunshot went off. James’ hand immediately when to his ICER, fumbling a bit when he realized he didn’t have one, and watched as Waverly thankfully knocked it out of his hands. “Knock him and out restrain him! If we can get him alive, we can figure out if anyone else knows the MU’s information lines.” James shouted over the commotion, doing a quick headcount in the meantime.

“Oh shit, babes!” James hit his knees as soon as he realized Casper was on the ground, clutching at his chest. He gently took Casper’s hand, giving him a weary, reassuring smile. He placed his other near the wound and he was very distinctly reminded of the time he and Jack both showed up half dead on the MU’s doorstep. “We really gotta stop meeting like this, sweetheart. Give me a second and we’ll have you back on your feet.” James took a breath and let himself fall into the familiar rhythm of Casper’s heartbeat. It should have been a simple thing, nights nestled against each other chests under the covers as they chuckled before they drifted off to sleep made him intimately familiar with the feeling. But something was wrong. The music and the screaming and most of all, the exhaustion clinging to him after the morning wouldn’t let him settle. He tried again and again and again and he felt the room start spinning. He opened his eyes with a gasp, clawing air back into his lungs. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath.

“What the fuck?" His words slurred even as he shouted. He felt weak and worn and overwhelmed. The last time it hadn’t worked, the last time he failed, someone died. He failed again. Casper couldn’t die. It was just a gunshot wound, right? A haze of panic settled over him and he scrambled out of his shirt, not quickly enough, and pressed it to Casper’s wound. His words wouldn’t come out right, slurred and panicked, but still he shouted. “Jack! Jack, I can’t―”

Of Blood and Magic

_{December 7th, 6:45am - The Sinnenodel Dorm}

“The frivolity of youth indeed. Perhaps your aspirations would have found traction a millenia ago when the world was still wild and chaotic and utterly untamed. It is fascinating to contemplate what could have been if our predecessors hadn’t stagnated our society so. I’ve always wondered what we could have done with such limitless potential at our fingertips. What we could change, what we could improve, but it’s all an exercise in futility. We can only work with what we’re given I suppose.” Varis sipped again at the blood, setting it down and leaving it. It wasn’t his favorite but at least it wasn’t awful enough to compel him to toss it on Eris.

“But forgive me, you must feel as if I’m interrogating you. I’ve barely given you a moment’s rest.” Varis laughed as he relaxed into his chair. The Eve was an interesting specimen. The “modernist leanings” were an absolute gem; Count Benjamin practically handed him everything he needed to a silver platter. Varis didn’t bother hiding the sly little smirk on his face. They all expected him to be plotting and everything was falling into place so perfectly that he felt justified letting everyone know he’s gotten exactly what he wanted. “You have an entire noble’s court interested in you right now; certainly you must have some pressing questions on the tip of your tongue. Or anyone really. While I could easily talk the rest of the morning away, what host would I be to steal away your opportunities to mingle?”

---

A professor attacked a student? That alarmed Maddie more than a little but clearly he was fine so it must have been for educational purposes. She hoped. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ever be in that position. She’d run as fast as she could. At least Lilie’s seemed normal―anyone could be forgetful after all even if it was shocking―and Aaron clearly hadn’t had any issues. That was reassuring for the future. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get anything crazier than singing a song for safety.

“Well, that certainly must have been shocking but at least that’s the extent of it!” Maddie said cheerfully. “Not really interested in having our professors try and impale us so I’ll try to steer clear of that. Maybe they’ll calm down as we get into our majors, maybe. Hopefully.” Maddie was at a bit of a loss as to where to move the conversation next. They’d kinda touched most of the surface level stuff at this point and sitting around in silence didn’t much appeal to her honestly.

“So I have to ask but did anyone else have a… strange time during the practical?” Maddie asked, perhaps a little hesitantly. Honestly, she made the decision to move past it but people liked to talk about weird things so maybe this would push things along a little. “I wasn’t sure how much was an illusion and how much was real but when I was stuck in a box at the bottom of the ocean or a lake with a crack in the ceiling and water rushing in, I didn’t care much about the difference.” Nor did she appreciate Ari's enthusiasm for the whole thing but she wasn't about to admit to that little detail.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Glitter Factory
Skills: Hide in Plain Sight

---

---

James nodded his understanding of the plan. Get in, sweep the building, get out. Hopefully, this party would give them enough cover to avoid the trap everyone thought this would be. James cast a quick glance over the line. There were a lot of civilians. No matter the truth, mutants involved in any altercation here would be media fuel against them and considering the rest of the hell going on in the world, the MU didn’t need any additional heat coming out of this. As mortifying for the pair as this may be, he really hoped they’d find them here and quickly. He felt oddly out of place, not quite able to pinpoint why but he felt like an awkward teenager again, not quite comfortable in his skin. He was more than ready to grab the two and get the hell out of here. If anything, this just confirmed clubs, gay or not, weren’t really his scene.

The bouner’s didn’t even offer a token resistance as they passed by, more a formality than anything James hazarded a guess, and that would have been his queue to slip into a few of the spots Wav’s mentioned when heard his boyfriend’s name suddenly growled. Casper dated a guy named Hot Daga and now he was about to walk back into his apparently successful ex-boyfriend’s place to look for their missing family members. James wanted to be a little jealous but honestly, someone named Hot Daga, really? The fact that Casper couldn’t even remember who they were talking about definitely didn’t do anything at all to keep that jealousy from flaring up at all, no way, but James would admit that it was at least consistent with Casper’s wild and colorful history. James wasn’t really sure how to handle this (he sincerely doubted the new boyfriend of the guy who broke their boss’s heart could make the situation better) but Callie saved the day and instead he turned to Jack.

“Well, this is going to be a little bit of a problem. Do we have anything to hide Casper’s face at all?” James asked quietly as they waited for Casper to join them. “Regardless of what happens, I doubt intervention from Casper’s past is going to help us much.”

Held Roll because I’m paranoid

Reactive Adaptation if attacked please!