Daxam

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

<Snipped quote by Daxam>

We’re looking for the coolest of the cool.

@Punished GN

Oh, okay, I'll see myself out, then.

I'll have a CS up soon as possible lol

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

Hey, you guys still looking for people?

Young Justice

Vincent and Pei

---

Vincent’s bare fists slammed against the punching bag, each punch fueled by his anger. At first, his mind focused on the debriefing, how almost everyone was so ready to, the way he saw it, punish KJ for something he didn’t do. In hindsight, however much he didn’t want to admit it, he knew they were right. It would be best if he didn’t join them on any missions, at least until he could get…whatever that was under control. But that wasn’t why he was pissed.

He knew why he was angry. The real reason. He was furious with himself. Furious at letting himself end up in the position he did, furious at the way his ribs screamed at him with every breath. He was angry that he had let himself be weak, again, like he was when his parents were killed or when he didn’t stand up to himself when his cousins were being cruel, or when–

He grit his teeth and let out a roar as he slammed his fist into the punching bag with all he had. He felt his knuckles split open as the bag bounced on its chain, but other than the warm blood that seeped from his knuckles, he hardly felt it. He stood there, breathing heavily as he glared at his shaking hand, irritated that he couldn’t tell if it was shaking from anger, pain, or something else.

Pei peeked around the corner of the gym. When he wasn’t in the training area or the infirmary, she guessed he might be in the gym. He didn’t seem to be the type to lock himself in his room. Compressing her lips, she saw the emotional state he was in. Screaming and punching himself bloody. Not great signs. A far cry from the happy-go-lucky guy she first chatted too about fighting Nightwing. It was a little scary. She stepped back, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then stepped into the gym.

She walked slowly, meanderingly, taking steps to the side. Slow, unsteady progress towards him. ”Hey, buddy. How, uh, how ya holdin’ up?” She asked.

Hearing Pei’s voice, Vincent looked up from his hand. Pulled from his thoughts, his body reminded him that he was injured and he winced. Unsure of whether to rub his knuckles or his ribs, he settled for both, rubbing his ribs with his injured hand while he placed his other hand on top. ”Peachy,” he grumbled. He was quiet for a few moments after that, then asked, ”Did you guys decide what to do?”

Locking and unlocking her fingers, Pei grimaced. ”Well, yeah. We gotta bench him, Vincent.” She said quietly. ”Are you mad?”

A long sigh, then Vincent spoke. ”No. No, not about that. It sucks, but I understand why we have to. I just hope he understands, too.”

He walked over to one of the benches against the wall and slowly sat down with a groan. ”Damn ribs,” he muttered, more to himself than anything. To Pei, he added, ”Sorry I blew up like that. I’ve never had the greatest handle on my temper and I’ve got shit on my mind, so…yeah.”

Pei brightened. Vincent had given her an opening. She planned on taking it. She plopped herself down next to him, swinging her legs a little. Reaching into a zipped bag in a belt around her waist, a fanny bag if you will, she produced a first aid kit.

”So, you’re not mad about that. But if I had to hazard a guess, you’re definitely mad about something. That shit on your mind; Could I take a look?” She asked, absent-mindedly fiddling with some soap to clean Vincent’s cut knuckles.

”Gonna have to take a look at that, too.” She murmured so quietly Vincent could barely hear her.

Then she spoke up again. ”My dad says: Words have weight. You gotta say the words you’re thinking, otherwise your head’ll get too heavy and you’ll fall over. Something like that, anyway. Kind of like a bunch of people were doing out there in that AAR. Just hopefully less scary this time.” She said with a little smile.

Vincent looked at the soap in Pei’s hand, then down at his own hand before he held it out to her. ”Go nuts,” he said with a shrug. A moment later, he added, ”Thanks, I mean.”

”Oh, uh. Okay. We’d have to get it washed and stuff, too.” She muttered, wrapping his hand with some Justice League supplied bandages. ”If nothing else it’ll stop all the dripping.”

After that, he was quiet for a little while. On the one hand, he hardly knew Pei and he wasn’t sure about baring his soul to someone who was essentially a stranger. Though, on the other hand, after their first one-on-one talk, he could consider her the first friend he made since he had joined the team. He sighed quietly, then said, ”I hate feeling weak. If I have to die, I don’t mind it so long as I’m on my feet and I can do something about it. But when I was pinned on my back, underneath whatever Kila had become…I was as helpless as I was the night my parents died…”

Pei bit her lip. She set her hand on Vincent’s shoulder and stared into the middle distance, trying to choose her next words carefully. Both the AAR and her conversation with Kila after the bank had been playing on loop in her memory. Clearly, if she was capable of choosing the right words, she hadn’t done it yet. Her heart rattled against the bars of her ribcage. Do something right for once! It can’t be that hard, right?

”Uhh…hey. I’m sorry that happened.” Pei said. Still not really sure what else to say to someone’s trauma. But she still felt like she had something to offer. ”But no way you’re weak. I don’t really buy that. Losing doesn’t make you weak, y’know. When you’re a superhero, you’re taking hits for people who can’t take them for themselves. That means you’re gonna fall over sometimes.” Pei said.

”Maybe even a lot times.” She added.

”I get what you’re saying and I appreciate it,” Vincent replied, ”but it’s not just the fact that I lost that’s getting to me, it’s the way I lost.”

He sighed and looked at his hand. ”The Old Man got me as far as he could, he quietly said. ”I wouldn’t be who I am without him and what he did for me…but it’s not enough, not anymore.” His fingers curled and he clenched his fist. ”I need to talk to Nightwing. If anyone can help me get stronger, it’s gotta be the bat’s first sidekick.”

”I mean, go for it. By all means.” Pei said. ”Nothing wrong with, y’know, training montages. Running up and down mountains, doing handstands on wooden poles at the top of a mountain. Carrying water in two pots up a mountain. Lots of mountains. Maybe if you found a training mountain- y’know we live on a mountain now.” At that last revelation Pei gasped and smacked Vincent’s shoulder with the back of her hand.

”Still might lose, though. In embarrassing ways. Like running into a burning building, bonking your head on one of those pull-up bars some people put in their door frames, not realizing it dislodged your mask and then passing out on the stairs. Just uh, y’know, as a hypothetical example.” Pei said.

Vincent looked at Pei for a few long moments before he finally burst out into laughter. ”Can you…can you imagine? I go flying into a fight, like at the docks, ready to fight, and get taken out by a fucking crane?”

Pei grinned wide, doing an exaggerated shrug. ”I dunno! It could be dark!” She laughed.

He probably laughed more than he should have, but given how he had been feeling since the previous night, he didn’t care. He felt himself relax and the anger he had been feeling all morning fade, not completely, but enough to not be so intrusive at the moment. He wiped his eyes, gave Pei a pat on the back, and said, ”Thanks, Pei. I needed that.”

Pei was over the moon. ”Always happy to do a help. To help.” She said.

”Think you might be done with boxing practice for the day, or..?” Pei asked.

”Yeah, I think so,” Vincent said as he looked down at his bandaged hand and added, ”I gotta go get this treated and figure out lunch for everyone. Might cobble together a pizza or something. Other than that, thanks for coming to check on me, Pei. I appreciate it.”

Pei stood up and saluted. ”What are friends for, right? Good luck with the treatment. And the cobbled pizza.” Pei said. ”I’m gonna head on out.”

Rounding the corner and out of Vincent’s sight, Pei pumped her fists. ”Yesss!” She raised them victoriously. ”Iceburn!”

JRPG-inspired magic school RP with a heavy focus on story and characters!

Hey, I know you've got a bunch already interested, but is there room for one more? This kinda thing really seems right up my alley.

I'll be able to get a CS written up after work tomorrow!

Operation Eclipse

Hey, if there's still room in this, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. Seems like it could be pretty fun!

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

It was early morning when the island came into view. Like the briefing said, it was a small island, the most dominant features being the large forest that gave it its name, as well as the tall lighthouse that dominated the center of the island. The light was out, though whether that was the work of the pirates or simply because the sun had started to rise, Sol wasn’t sure.

“The island was deserted when we claimed it,” Lieutenant Nelson said. She and Sol stood at the bow of the ship and watched the island, silhouetted by the early morning fog, as they approached. “It became a small observation post, manned by a handful of Marines and their families. Their job is to report on the comings and goings of all sorts of vessels, civilian and pirate alike. If need be, the lighthouse is fitted with cannons on each level, all the way around, so they could fire on threats from all sides.”

”According to the report, the pirates made their approach early yesterday morning, when the fog was at its thickest, just like we are,” Sol said. ”It explains how they were able to sneak up on them, given that our men would have a full 360 degree view from that lighthouse. I just hope we aren’t too late.”

Suddenly, his ear twitched as a low rumbling reached him just before something splashed into the sea to their portside. “Cannon fire!” a crewman yelled.

”Evasive action!” Sol yelled as he stepped closer to the railing. He glanced at the rising sun behind them, getting his bearings, and added, ”It’ll be hard for them to get a bead on us with this fog, but stay sharp,” he told Nelson. ”You’re in charge. I’ll go on ahead and try to draw their fire. Tell the helmsman to keep heading due west and you should find the port pretty easily.”

Before Nelson could argue, Sol kicked off of the air and, using “moonwalk,” he quickly ascended above the fog. He drew his sword, the very same one that the young man from the day before dueled him for, and felt the weight in his hand. It wasn’t a heavy sword by any means, but it never felt right for him to wield it. The rapport of a cannon rolled along the sea, drawing his attention back to his job. He kicked off of the air and shot forward as a cannonball hurtled toward him. With ease, he swung his weapon and cut cleanly through the cannonball.

Sol passed between the two halves and continued his approach on the island as more cannons roared to life. Each cannonball met the same fate as the one before it, cut cleanly in half while Sol practically waltzed through the cannonfire. On one hand, he was protecting himself, but his own ship and crew were never far from his mind, often going out of his way to cut through a cannonball that may have hit his ship, otherwise. Before long, when Sol had reached the halfway point between his ship and the island, he let out a breath. ”Shave,” he said.

One moment he was there, but the next, he was gone, a soft boom left behind in his wake. As the defenders in the lighthouse peered through their viewports, trying to see where he went, Sol moved with incredible speed toward the lighthouse, combining his moonwalk with the speed of his “shave” ability. Combining the two techniques made his legs cry out in protest, but Sol ignored it for the few seconds it took him to reach the lighthouse. ”Symphonic Blade: Prestissimo!”

He lashed out with his sword, slicing through the stone wall of the lighthouse as easily as if it were paper just as he crashed through. The pirates on the other side cried out in surprise, suddenly face-to-face with a Marine captain. Sol slowly scanned the pirates gathered around him, noting the shock and fear on their faces. ”My name is Captain Maxwell Rackham. Take me to the one who commands you and I promise we’ll be lenient,” he warned.

Those words seemed to shock some sense back into the pirates, many of whom reached for their weapons, though the look of fear never left their faces. Interesting. They’re more afraid of their own captain than they are of me, he thought as he readied himself. I’ll find out why soon enough, I suppose.

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

A misshapen club of an arm crashed down on the spot Luna had been standing just a moment before, cracking the earth. Her ear twitched and she threw herself into a back handspring just as the other creature swung one of its arms, this one sharp as a sword, nearly cleaving her in half. ”The hell are these things?” she muttered as the pair began to advance on her again. Is this that Low guy’s power? He’s gotta be close, then! she thought, but a quick glance around showed her that the only people nearby were the two henchmen she had knocked out, the workers having taken the chance to run off.

Her attention was brought back to the golems as they sped toward her, surprisingly fast for their twelve-foot frames. The one with the club arm swung downward again and Luna sidestepped, then watched in surprise as the second one melted into the first, rather than step around it to get to her. She punched the flat side of the second’s sword arm, deflecting its downward slice. Her ear twitched again as the first’s club arm morphed and shot a spike out toward her. She dodged it, but just barely, wincing as the spike grazed her side.

Luna jumped back to put some distance between herself and the constructs, holding her side as the pair separated again. ”Alright, you assholes are getting annoying,” she growled as electricity began to spark from her body. Rather than let them close in again, Luna dashed forward as her cloak fell from her shoulders. She jumped over a swing from the bladed golem and lashed out with a kick in midair, connecting solidly with the lump that jutted out from its shoulders, which she guessed could be considered a head.

Her leg sank into the soft, malleable clay, then stopped. ”Shit!” she exclaimed as the lump suddenly extended into a long tendril. It lifted her into the air, then slammed her to the ground, hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs. She laid there, stunned as she watched the club-armed golem approach. It raised its arm and she closed her eyes as she braced herself for a sudden end to her journey.

I’m sorry, Sol…

“Hey, you bastards, over here!”

She opened her eyes just in time to see the club-armed golem get hit by a jar filled with some kind of liquid, the stench of it potent enough to Luna’s sharp nose to make her eyes water. She covered her mouth and nose as the golem’s raised arm suddenly fell to the ground, the clay having crumbled almost like soil. A second jar crashed against the clay tendril that had trapped her leg and she watched as the same thing happened. Before she could react, she felt someone grabbing her by the wrist. “What’re you waiting for? Stand the hell up before they can put themselves back together!”

Luna looked up to see a man with dark, disheveled hair, his face criss-crossed with scars, pulling her to her feet with his left arm. Where his right should be, there was nothing but an empty sleeve folded up to his shoulder and sewn closed. She scrambled to her feet and followed the man as he ran through the vineyard. ”Who are–”

“There’ll be time for that later, Princess!” the man interrupted, his grip on her wrist ironclad as he pulled her after him. “We’ll talk more once I get you somewhere he can’t see us!”

Questions swam in Luna’s head, but she held her tongue as she and the stranger entered the town. They zigged and zagged, sped through back alleys and side-streets as they took a circuitous route through the town. Eventually, they came to the wooden door of an old, run-down building. The man walked up to the gate and knocked on it three times, paused, then gave four more taps, each one spaced out seemingly at random. A moment passed in silence, then Luna’s ears picked up the sound of a lock disengaging just before the door opened into darkness. The man, without pausing, walked into the building and disappeared into the darkness. Luna hesitated, then followed him, unsure of what to expect on the inside.

Young Justice

Location: Harbor
Interactions: Stormcaller @Blizz

---

Before Talos joined up with the team, any time he fought was in a ring or cage, so he rarely had the chance to cut loose against a group of people. Save for the occasional street fight, of course, which would always end with a chastisement from his mentor. To Talos, there was nothing quite like going up against impossible odds--For regular people, anyway--and coming out on top. As he carved his way through the people firing at him from both sides, he felt the same familiar surge of adrenaline flood his system, his face split in a wide grin as he felt each bullet bounce harmlessly off of his dermal armor, doing less damage than bug bites. "Come on, don't you guys have anything stronger? Give me a challenge, already!" he shouted as he slammed a man against a shipping container. The metal warped around him and crossed over his chest and around his wrists, binding the man to the container.

He heard a gun cock behind him and turned to meet his new 'friend,' only to watch as Stormcaller fell from the sky, using the unlucky man as a landing platform. There was a brief flash and the man was still, aside from the occasional groan or twitch. "Good looking out, Sparky," Talos said with a nod. "And don't worry. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping someone's attention." He watched as she drifted upward, then brought his gaze back downward as another gunman took aim at her.

Talos's wings flapped downward and he shot toward the man just as he started to pull the trigger on his pistol. His hand was suddenly in front of the end of the barrel, but thanks to his carbon armor, the round collided with his palm, then fell harmlessly to the ground. "Uh-uh," Talos said in a singsong voice, complete with a wag of his finger. The criminal was quick to turn swivel his aim at Talos's head, but the young hero simply rolled his eyes. "If that shot didn't do anything to my hand, you really think you'd have any better luck shooting me in the head?"

Talos didn't give him a chance to answer. The pistol suddenly fell apart in the man's hands, each neatly disassembled piece clattering on the ground. The would-be shooter slowly looked up from the pieces of his gun and met Talos's eyes. The hero shrugged, then suddenly lunged forward. His forehead connected cleanly with the criminal's, knocking him out cold. Before the man fell to the ground, Talos was already gone, laughing as he eagerly sped off toward his next encounter. "It's been way too long since I've had this much fun!"

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

It took a few minutes for Sol to recover from his relief at seeing Luna’s wanted poster. For fifteen years, he had thought she died that night. He lost a lot that night, losses that he still had yet to get over, but losing her had hit especially hard. Now that he knew she was alive, he felt the weight on his shoulders lessen, if only slightly…until he realized he had been looking at a bounty with her name and face on it. And for sixty million beris, no less!

He carefully read through the Northern Financial, one of the newspapers Lieutenant Nelson left behind. He ignored the bits that disparaged his homeland, though it was hard to not feel upset by what was written about Luna’s father, Comet. The part about him consorting with pirates and other criminals was completely fabricated, as far as Sol knew, but what really upset him was how the paper described the Lunar Emperor as little more than a savage beast. Comet had always been kind, not only to his daughter, but to Sol, his family, and the people of the empire. When he realized how angry he was getting, Sol calmed himself, a skill he had become extremely adept at over the years.

With a sigh, he set the paper down, leaned back in his chair, and covered his eyes, now understanding the reason behind Luna’s high bounty. In truth, Sol had always known about the part Captain Arbor played in the downfall of the empire and had planned on taking care of the captain, himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Luna to beat him to it.

He once again looked at her picture. The only thing he truly recognized was that mischievous glint in her eyes. Though she was shy and quiet most of the time, whenever Sol was alone with her, she would get that look in her eyes and he’d knew they were about to do something that could have gotten them in trouble, whether that be stealing pastries from the kitchen or sneaking away into town. If anything, judging just from the picture, it seemed like Luna had grown into the type of person she truly was. At that, Sol couldn’t help but give a small smile.

The one thing he couldn’t figure out, though, was why? Did she just happen to come across Arbor, discover who he was, and let her feelings get the best of her? But how did she beat a Marine Captain? Did she really get so strong over the years? Was Marcus really harboring her all this time and how was he doing?

Sol shook his head and set the bounty poster down, placing the newspaper on top of it. He wanted nothing more than to go after her, if only to have those questions answered, but two things stopped him: he had no idea where she was and he couldn’t afford to risk everything just to see her. I’ve come too far and I have farther to go, still, he thought. If I survive, I’ll find you after I’ve done what I need to do. Until then, please, stay safe, Lu.

Ring, ring, ring. Ring, ring, ring…

The sound of his transponder snail interrupted Sol’s thoughts. He picked up the receiver and spoke, ”Captain Maxwell Rackham speaking.”

“You have new orders, Captain Rackham,” the snail said. “We’ve received word that a group of pirates have attacked a place called Green Isle. The base we have there is a small one and it seems that the pirates involved are more trouble than they can handle, so you’ve been ordered to give them some support.”

”Yes, sir,” Sol replied as he examined one of the charts ever-present on his desk. ”From the looks of it, we’re about a day’s sailing away from there, but we’ll do what we can to get there faster.”

With that, the call ended and Sol rose to his feet as he draped his coat over his shoulders. He glanced at his desk once more, at the spot he had placed Luna’s poster, before he made for the door. There would be time to think about her later.

He had a job to do.

Young Justice

Location: Harbor
Interactions: Zatara @Crimson Flame

---

Another day, another stealth mission. Or rather, recon. Whatever it was, Vincent was yet again delegated to sit by the sidelines. When he joined the team, he thought there would have been more chances to be in the thick of it. Sure, saving the hostages in his first mission felt good, but not as good as taking on a horde of bad guys. Besides, he didn't understand why they were only watching these groups, letting them complete their deal rather than take them out. Drugs are against the law, right? Breaking the law is bad, right? So, what's the harm in knocking some heads together to do good? he thought. At least, he thought it was drugs. That's what gangs usually traded, right? Truth be told, he zoned out a bit during the briefing.

In the time it took for the groups to meet up and conduct their business, Vincent had quickly grown bored and begun to pace, molding iron into intricate shapes above his hand while occasionally pestering Zach with games of "Guess What's Behind My Back," for no other reason than to stave off boredom. It was clear he had no interest in watching the proceedings, but he was still going to behave, at least until things went sideways.

Not only did things go sideways, but upside-down, too. Vincent had been sitting in a corner, dozing, when the first shots rang out. He was quickly up on his feet and standing next to Zach, an excited grin slowly spreading across his face. He heard Zatara say something, but Vincent was already rushing into the fray, his steel wings glinting as he flew through the air, practically skimming the ground as he hurried to join the fun before someone could stop him. When he was close enough, he drew in his wings, rolled, and jumped up to his feet as he waltzed into the midst of the gunfight.

The gunmen closest to him stopped firing at each other, stunned that there seemed to be someone crazy enough to leisurely walk into the middle of an active gunfight. "I guess the deal must've gone sour, huh?" Vincent asked, completely unaware of the injured civilian somewhere in the harbor. "You know, I've actually been wondering: how good is your health insurance, if you're so eager to start shooting at each other like this?"

He turned just in time to see someone take aim and fire. Vincent's reflexes took over right before his head rocked back. He staggered backward a couple of steps before he managed to steady himself. Chuckling, he straightened up, the squashed bullet falling away from his hardened forehead. "Apparently, it's pretty great!" he shouted. The steel casing around his implant burst open as he unfurled his wings and brought them down in a powerful sweep, launching himself at the man with the itchy trigger finger. As a reward for shooting Vincent in the head, the man received a hardened backhand to the side of his head.

As the first crumpled to the ground, unconscious, Vincent's body blackened as he hardened himself just as bullets began to ping off of his skin. He unfurled his wings and swept them around him, knocking everyone nearby off of their feet before he launched himself across no-man's-land to give the other side some attention. "Now, this is more like it!" he shouted, inadvertently drawing more attention to himself.