Blazion

HEROIC

Dibs on the sentient pile of garbage who's severely misunderstood and only wants love.

HEROIC

Thank yooouuu. I slapped down a little post to at least end the night so Joel can have solo adventures.

To answer your previous question, Zoey's favorite outfit is slacks and a button up - looks professional enough, but can be casual.

HEROIC

“Great, because the guy who tried to have us murder one another is definitely someone that I want to spend time around.” The words were admittedly a little petulant, but Grim felt justified in it. Even if the events were slightly skewed, since Grim was the one attempting to murder Wraith and not vice versa when Mindraker decided to take the Shadowmancer’s sense of reality for a spin.

“But you’re right,” Grim exhaled heavily. “Mindraker seems to know more than he should.” The hero mulled over everything silently, peering out the window. The events of the night, the previous day, the mystery laid out before them. In truth, despite the complaint of sleep it was likely he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not only was this a puzzle that needed to be looked at from all angles, if Grim gave himself even a moment to bring his thoughts to himself his mind would wander back to that warehouse. To the bodies, to frantically trying to keep dying people alive, to a person who should have died and instead suffered in order to cling to life.

When he finally heaved a heavy sigh and turned back to the other occupant of the room, Joel was fast asleep.

“There’s a bed.” Again, a petulant mutter. For a moment, Grim debated just leaving Joel there. Despite how uncomfortable the position might have been and how stiff it would leave his neck in the morning, trying to wake a man who almost daily makes enemies of the nightlife didn’t seem like a good idea. On the other hand, if it really was his first real sleep in years it could very well be like trying to wake the dead.

At least, trying to wake the dead when you’re not NecroMandy, a very odd criminal who’s career didn’t last long since she was afraid of graveyards.

Teenagers.

Mind made up, Grim stalked off to the bedroom and returned with a pillow and blanket. He set the pillow up before stepping back, lifting a hand as he manipulated the shadows to gently move Joel to at least lay down on the couch properly. Then the blanket was draped over him, and almost on auto pilot the shadows tucked the blanket in.

Zoey blanched behind the mask.

Grim took a large step back, abruptly turning. He took a moment to finish off his drink before dropping the bottle, which disappeared into the shadow at his feet without a sound - a shadow claw holding it stretching from the recycling bin in the kitchen to place it gently in. With Joel… tucked in… the hero cut his losses and exited out the window. Once again the shadows moved on auto pilot, this time replacing the traps connected to the window to protect the occupant while he slept.

He’s just gonna blame that one on the stress.

For now, it was time to return home to do some more research - and maybe find some others along the way. After all, it hadn’t slipped Grim’s mind that the rabbit faced woman from the other night had purposefully shown up to an apartment connected to this.

HEROIC

Sorry guys, I know this is the longest I've not posted - I got covid and I've pretty much been out of commission. Didn't even think about posting to say so. I'm starting to feel better now. Again, really sorry!

HEROIC

@ThisIsFine I can't believe you'd let a character in who is 12.

HEROIC

Is Bouncer fucking 12???

HEROIC

<Snipped quote by Blazion>

Be honest, are the shippy ones extra special?

@ThisIsFine

Absolutely. She's left reviews on some of those ones. Her account name is "Not Grim" and she thinks it's funny.

At this point in time, how old does everyone guesstimate the characters to be? My guesses are Bouncer: 25, Akeno: 21, Zoey: 32

@ThisIsFine

I'm pretty terrible at ages ngl, but I'd say Akeno: 20-22, Bouncer: 23-25, Joel: 30ish?

HEROIC

“Perhaps not, but if these people have been keeping tabs on you-” Grim trailed off as it seems Joel was distracted by another conversation. Except it was one Grim himself couldn’t hear. The hero tilted his head to the side, seeing nothing but empty space beside him that the other man was reacting to.

He was reminded of all the stories of Wraith’s insanity, and how equally insane this night was.

To be honest, aside from Granny back at Wraith’s apartment and the folder he had, there was nothing but Joel’s word to go on. Grim was honest enough to admit to himself that at least part of the whole reason he was going along with this was likely a shared trauma bond after the earlier events of the night.

Earlier events of the night. Christ, this has been far too long of a night already.

Still, it seemed Joel had an epiphany from talking to … whoever. Grim raised a hand to press to his mask, running his palm down it as though it were his bare face.

“So you’re saying Ellison has not only been doing this for three years, killing how many people considering what we saw of one truck, but no one has noticed before? And - does that mean you might not be the only one that survived?” Here Grim paused, frowning beneath his mask as he crossed his arms. His foot tapped as he tilted his head to look to the ceiling thoughtfully. “Memory loss, set up, an influx of people of any background, age, gender, body type. Monitoring. You never had that suit or talked to… to whoever, before, correct?”

He gestured to his side, to the empty space Joel was talking to.

“Perhaps Ellison is looking to tap into previous research that has made artificial powers, or finding out which mutations in a person’s DNA cause them. It wouldn’t be the first time a man has tried to force these things. It would explain your … differences from before, and why he would monitor you.”

The hero huffed, then turned and went to the kitchen section of the open room. The fridge opened and he retrieved a bottle of Stella, using the edge of his mask to pop the top. Keeping his back to Joel, he fiddled with the headgear enough to be able to lift it and tilt his head back, taking a few long drinks before replacing everything. Only once the voice modulator was back in place did he speak.

“This is a whole fucking mess and neither of us have slept. Me for the night, you in god knows how long. We should reconvene - and I should check out a hospital in the morning."

HEROIC

To answer your earlier question, Zoey's favorite color is blue.

She also knows not only all about her persona's online presence, she has categorized Ao3 lists of every single fanfic posted with Grim in them.

HEROIC

I was looking at it more like posting blocks, haha. I'm working close so I'll get a post up tomorrow then.