Avatar of DClassified

Status

Recent Statuses

3 yrs ago
Current Oh shit. I’m 1610 days in. I’m a Ultimate now.
4 likes
4 yrs ago
Ya know...I don't think my last status aged well.
5 likes
5 yrs ago
To all y'all whose 2K19 New Year's resolution was to make it to 2020. We lit out here.
15 likes
5 yrs ago
Man, Discord out here playing GAMES.
6 likes
5 yrs ago
Praying for all y'all in the Bahamas. Dorian ain't being the best tourist.
6 likes

Bio

You can call me DC.

Been roleplaying about 9+ years now. Trying different websites out to see what happens, so, if I happen to have encountered you before, don't be afraid to give a shout out.

I work nights and am usually up for most hours of the day. Because of that, I'm often running on no sleep, so that's a thing.

Want to know more? Just ask.

Most Recent Posts

I’ll keep an eye on this, no promises tho.
Interaction | Rain AKA @FunnyGuy
Mirage AKA @Mistress Dizzy
Zatara AKA @Crimson Flame
Location | Atlantic Ocean, Submarine

Kila paced briefly between windows to see if anything gave him a clearer indication of what was happening outside. Meanwhile, he overheard the Speech Devil’s comment about it likely ‘just being a Lovecraftian horror’. Recalling the chronicled series about old world monsters, Kila briefly considered the possibility. Although Zatara had sarcasm in tone, The Meta couldn’t decipher the level of which. Given the world they lived in, and how little he knew about magic being fact or fiction; ”Potentially…”

More relieved to hear Kassy’s voice come from the outside, his expression quickly became more stern. So, it was a giant squid that seemed to be attacking their transport. That seemed difficult to topple, but The Meta paid attention to their team leader’s words carefully. The sharpness of her tone indicated urgency, and…strangely, he felt a palpitation ripple through his chest, not in fear but admiration? There would be time to address that later.

For now, he was assigned to the outside team. As such, he went to quickly assemble and quickly equipped the armoured wetsuit from earlier. While he did, Kila readied his mind for the strategy necessary for underwater combat. He didn’t quite have any ranged weapons, and he couldn’t rely on the animal abilities that he didn’t quite understand. Perhaps his role would be in providing on the field tactics opposed to direct conflict. He clicked Iwisa’s gauntlets into place on the suit’s arms and momentarily closed eyes, asking Anansi for wisdom.

On his way to the hatch, he felt another rumble and quickly jogged to the front. When he got there, Kila opened his mouth to say something to Talon but walked in on Viktor condescending to him instead. He didn’t care much to comment on their dynamic right now, but he did take note of Rain’s last phrase. Regardless, The Meta stepped up behind Talon.

”Once we’re all outside, it would likely be best to maneuver out of the ink cloud, less damage to the vehicle…and only prepare to use lethal force if Mirage deems necessary.” Kassy’s wingman stated bluntly on his way out, pressing two fingers into Rain’s chest firmly as he did so. As he understood the assignment from their team leader, she specifically said to “chase off” the squid, not to kill it. Kila was no stranger to killing being a means to an end. However, this just appeared to be Rain micromanaging opposed to focusing on his own given task. That was not only less useful, but detracting from the team’s cohesion.

Climbing up through the hatch and following Brightheart directly, he propelled himself out right after her. For a second, he let the other two get out so that he could reclose the hatch. Just after Kila slammed it shut and twisted, he heard Nymph scream. Before he could look around or even start swimming in a direction, a strong impact clapped his back. A brief explosion of rushing water came to his ears as he was knocked out of the squid ink cloud.

Thankfully, his suit absorbed what he assumed was a majority of the blow as he only felt a minor aching across his upper-back and and neck. He took a deep breath to steady himself, extending his arms. There was a faint screeching that he still heard, but he was sure the ringing in his head would lay off soon.

For now, he swam the perimeter of the ink cloud until he could get a wide view of it. That way, he could see his teammates and the squid’s approximate location in the same field of view. ”I am clear of the ink. Mirage, what do you know that deters squids?”
@ThisIsFine
Yall down for an alt Iron Fist droppin in? Not Rand himself but either an iron fist in his place?

I could also do a former Kun’Lun resident.
Interaction | Professor Bingly
Mirage AKA @Mistress Dizzy
Location | The Submarine

Leading up to this moment, the young lion had been quite calm and collected. Despite having never been under the ocean, always flying over through planes, he didn’t feel all that intimidated. If anything, he found himself in quiet awe of this world he never knew. Thus, he was situated at a window for most of the trip. Every so often, his glance would switch over to Kassy when he could see her. It felt much different to see her in her element. Her ease and clear sense of comfort out in the blue brought a small smile to his face. In a rather literal sense, a fish out of water, she was no longer.

That said, the rest of them were in uncharted territory as far as team experience went. Which, eventually led him to Viktor’s comments relating to her question. Although only musings, it was clear that he had never been around or under a king before. While some of his thoughts were valid guesses, Kila didn’t believe them to be true. It felt like an oversimplification of the situation.

Unlike the ‘King’ that Kila had served under, from what he had learned, Atlantean citizens seemed to have a positive view of Aquaman. Even if they didn’t all, the King could just send an announcement through the kingdom about the handful of outsiders and that would be it. Moreover, even if all the mystery was about ‘Smuggling in’ this professor, why not send a covert contingent from his own army for the escort?

Aquaman instead chose this team, as Kila noted to Kass earlier, which was composed of mostly ‘outsiders’. Otherwise, it would be a way to alienate his own people, and would certainly create a disconnect between king and people. In which case, that would be only worse in the long run, the boy knew firsthand and believed Aquaman to be wise enough to know already. For these reasons, Kila was more of the impression that this particular mission was more than it seemed, and as such, they should be ever more alert.

Before he could state his counter-argument though, he was met with the Professor himself. There were many questions in a short time span that the excitable man had asked. Many questions that, Kila himself had no answer to currently. It made the conversation somewhat confusing for both parties. He tried to answer Bingly’s questions as best he could, basing his answer around the abilities of his amai. She told him that his power of the Red was much like hers.

Though, even thinking about that led him back to what Kassy had explained to him before he left. How he was different from a few weeks ago when he had been actively using his abilities in the circus. It was apparent enough that the others could tell that he was using them. It led him back to the same line of thinking before they left, about figuring out a way to remember through the blurs in his memory. All the while, a sense of tension rose within him. Kila wasn’t quite sure why though…the feeling felt external in the most backwards way possible. A tingling in his spine, not unlike a feeling of being watched.

Danger… In an instant, he heard his body’s warning internally and the same sinking feeling that he got from Casper in the past washed through him. Something dangerous was close, but it came from no one inside the vessel. The water grew darker. Just as Talon had mentioned such, Kila’s thoughts went outside; Kassy was out there. Without missing a beat, his left hand went up to his comms.

Before words could leave him to try and get Mirage’s status, the submarine was struck by something strong enough to make the ship wobble. They clearly weren’t alone. Eyeing his teammates briefly, he got up and started walking towards the head of the submarine. Although it would be easy to overreact, Kila kept his cool and continued on with his message.

”Mirage, we just got hit. What do you see?”
&
Interaction | Kassandra / Mirage
AKA @Mistress Dizzy
Location | Kassandra’s Room


While the escapades of their ‘break’ between missions proved interesting, it was honestly still a little strange a feeling to be doing nothing. Well, that was an overstatement; Kila couldn’t ‘do nothing’, but with regard to doing things catered more towards his leisure. Even in the year with his amai, it felt strange to be separate from militarian activities. She explained that the stains inflicted within him would take much time to mend. All that said, even Kila could admit that he somewhat enjoyed himself that night with Viktor and the Speech Devil.

However, there always came time for duty to be handled. This time, it would take them to the seas, as Red Tornado had explained. Despite the simplicity of the mission’s description, Kila had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t be as simple as an escort. If it were, why not select only one of them? Regardless, there was a certain familiarity, being in the presence of a king, even if only digital. Kila instinctively felt the need to stand up straighter and maintain eye contact when King Arthur spoke.

There was no surprise, especially given the team’s tendency to switch between leaders every mission, that Kassy was selected. It was her homeworld after all. Yet, when she spoke, Kila’s head turned to her. It irked him a little, the level of confidence she was lacking. He waited until Red Tornado essentially gave them clearance to move freely before deployment.

Briefly excusing himself, Kila found himself on the elevator after Kass had gone to her quarters. He wasn’t sure why, but a sort of warm prickling came to his core as he neared his destination. It wasn’t quite anxiety that he felt though…

The doors to the elevator opened to a small corridor, exposing an open space through another, smaller open door to Kass’ Room. He instinctively walked through it, but caught himself mid-motion and walked backwards out of it. Despite being open, Kila knocked on the stone surface.

Kassy’s doorframe was neatly decorated with a shell-covered sign that simply read “Kassandra”. Alisa had clearly assisted with some fancy calligraphy. The Atlantean girl inside was sitting in her tank bed, knees tucked to her chest, breathing in shudders. The idea of leading their team was clearly getting to her. She was partially dressed in the green leotard part of her costume, the orange surcoat draping a dresser. She was mumbling to herself.

“I can do this. It will be easy. They’ll listen to me and everything will be just fine.” A soft groan. “Ohhh, I can’t do this. Why send all of us for a simple escort? Who is this man, is he in danger of some kind? What exactly is he researching? Something doesn’t feel right.”

At Kila’s knock she jerked her head upward, orange eyes wide. “Oh!” She relaxed visibly when she saw who had darkened her doorway. “It’s just you. Hi.” She paused, wondering how long he had been standing there. Maybe if she ignored that fact, he would too. “...did you have questions?”

Kila’s lips pursed, studying her posture. He heard the questions she had murmured aloud, but didn’t comment on them. Instead, he took a few steps in, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. She was clearly more on edge than Kila originally thought…He wasn’t quite sure how to offer reassurance correctly, so he imitated his Amai.

“I do…it is a simple…but still very important question…Are you okay?”

Kass was taken aback by his question. She had been expecting a mission inquiry. Instead he had just come to check on her.

"Um." He had bothered to show up, it wouldn't do to lie. "No. I'm not. I've never led anything in my life and my brain is full of everything that could go wrong. And it will be my fault." She sighed, running her hand through her thick white curls.

"But I must do as my King commands. I have no choice."

Kila took her words in and slowly nodded. “I understand that feeling. I was sixteen when I first had to take the lead on missions. Through my failures, I’d learned to remember that I was not alone. To trust in my squad’s specialties, and that they would trust me in turn.” He didn’t realize that his eyes had started to wander, nor that he paced a bit, walking through his memory. Still, he continued:

“You are smarter than I was then. Your attention to potential failures proves so. What you also have, that I did not, is a team that is also composed of your friends. You have us to fall back on. Some are more bull-headed than others, but we can follow a lead that we trust. Who of us would be greater to trust in the oceans than you? Besides, your King could have sent someone else to guide, and we could have been back up. Yet, he chose you. Which must mean he trusts you, maybe you should trust yourself…at least this once.”

Kila continued walking through his thoughts aloud to her before pausing. Looking up at her, his expression came to a quick flash of a smile before faltering. In a moment of some vulnerability, he struggled with this next question. “Does that make sense…?”

Kassy quietly watched as Kila walked and talked, her eyes following him back and forth. He brought up some interesting points; not to mention a tidbit about his past that she hadn’t heard yet. Then again, some of them really didn’t talk about what came before the team, Kassy herself included.

It was nice to see him smile though, even for just a moment.

“Yes, I think it does. I wouldn’t have thought that this means the King trusts me specifically. I guess that’s a good sign.” Chin in hands, she wondered aloud. “Although my brain is still full of the possibility that something is amiss here, I feel better thinking that I wasn’t just an afterthought.” She would just have to question this Dr. Bingley about his work when they met. “It’s strange. I still don’t feel quite ready - and I don’t think I actually will until the mission actually gets underway. But I do feel much better.” She flashed a sharp-toothed sunny smile at him. “Thanks. I think I needed the pep talk.” Pausing, toying with one of her curls, she tipped her head in question.

“Are you okay? You’ve been…” She gestured loosely with her hands. “Different, since the circus. Not a bad different, I promise. Just… more quiet and serious. Did something go wrong with the tiger, or was it just seeing a poor animal in such a state that upset you? I think I’d be bothered if someone was pulling out a shark to do tricks.” Atlantis had their own brand of entertainment, but carnivorous animals were usually left out of it.

Kila’s smile returned when hers emerged but his eyes wandered towards the ground. Different? The young man himself hadn’t noticed much difference in his mannerism since the circus…was he more distant than usual? The memories from the tiger did leave an unsettling pit in his stomach when it happened…but that was weeks ago now. Still, whatever change was going on with him was enough for Kassy to notice.

“The tiger was neglected by the circus…it was a mother…plucked away. From both the wild, and its cubs…It struck a chord within me, I suppose. Having been taken from my home and family once…to do things at the will of someone else.” The more that he spoke, the more he realized just how much that tiger was like him. The realization was written all over his face.

“But I am okay now…Thank you for asking.” Was his answer, returning his attention to Kassy. It felt strange, even if only for a brief second. He came down here to relieve her of personal issues, only for his own to bear on him.

Kassy seemed to recognize some of the silent pain within Kila. She might have given him a hug, but she was soaking wet from her tank, and didn't want to mess up his clothes. "Good." She murmured quietly, but sincerely. "The ocean may be beautiful, but it is also dangerous. I want you to be able to focus properly. You're going to be my… oh, what's the word that Zach uses… ah, wingman! My second just in case trouble arises. Since you're the only other person who can really swim with me. What animals do you think you'll need?"

Kila’s nod and attempt to smile in support was interrupted by her last question. This was yet another reference to him having some animal ability…Did he display something to the team prior? It was constantly referenced, but, outside of those instances of inner impulses from Daphne and the tiger’s memories, Kila felt nothing.

“I…Tell me something…when was the last you have seen me use my animal abilities?”

Kassy frowned slightly, thinking about it. “Well, you definitely did something with the tiger at the circus. And then after that, you…” She stopped, her frown deepening. “Actually, I’m not sure past that. You haven’t really been active as much.” It took a bit of thought, but her mind made a subtle connection.

“Did something happen at the circus? Did someone mess with you like they did with Talon?”

“I…do not think so…yet, I also don’t remember…The exact events before containing the tiger are a thick mist to my thoughts.” Kila responded. Perhaps the times when his memory fogged were when his animal abilities took over? He could ironically recall many events that happened apparently through a blurred lens in his memory…The idea of which unnerved him a little. To do things without cognitive control or accurate memory.

The young soldier again caught himself blinking at something a thousand miles away from the current moment. “I am sorry…I didn’t mean to come down here to steal away your focus…”

Kassy shook her head. “It’s really okay. I’d rather know now if something is wrong, rather than in the middle of the mission.” Still, it was worrisome that he couldn’t fully remember. She asked the next question as delicately as possible. “Um. Do you think you’re up to this? It’s really okay if you’re not. If you tell Red Tornado that something is wrong, maybe he’ll let you sit this one out?” She definitely did not want to just kick him off - it was more that she was concerned about him.

Kila chuckled, oddly enough. “It is okay, Kassy. I do need time to figure this out…but, I have a feeling that is something I will be doing for the rest of my life. Besides…how many opportunities would I get to see a kingdom under the sea? Much less with a smart and caring leader?”

The resulting smile felt both foreign and natural to him, shared with the enchanting ocean girl. “I trust your leadership, trust my ability to support.”

Kassy grinned back at him. Why was it so warm in the room, suddenly? “I’ll be glad to have you, then. You’re going to love Atlantis, it’s so beautiful there.” She was relieved that he’d make the mission - he was the one she trusted the most.

“Alright. I think I’m ready to face this now.”

Kila slowly nodded, taking a few steps back towards the elevator. There was a certain warmth in his chest now that replaced the anxious prickling from before. She was the cause, the boy was not fooled by his body’s responses. However, there’d be a time to attempt to break it down further. For now, they had a mission to attend, and that was more important.

The blur in his memory…the connection to his power, there was some kind of correlation. His question though…would it overtake him on this mission? Is there a way to make himself remember?

There was only one current way to find out.



&


Location | Innocuous Warehouse |
Missions | A Dish Best Served Cold |
Mentions | @Zoey Boey |


It was a bumpy road. Or rather, rooftop. They were moving fast, and Shadow Scythe Vengeance could barely make out the ground they were covering beneath them. She was set down on a roof, probably a block away from the warehouse.

”Hey…” She said. ”Blur Rabbit? That’s you, right?” The girl asked, still laying on the ground. ”...Did HERO set me up?” She asked, and even though her voice was modulated to be deep and intimidating, one could make out that she would be hurt by the idea.

”You should have people keeping tabs on the tips you receive…” Solomon answered over his shoulder, peering back over to the facility through his mask, spotting vehicles outside. He didn’t recognize them, which made the appearance of the strange “strong boy” more concerning. Looking over at SSV more directly, he walked closer.

”And, yes, they did. Went to some strange lengths to do it as well…” Was his reply. He heard her question about his alias, and he debated on whether he should confirm or deny. Though, from the few encounters they’ve had in the past, she was likely to recognize the strike, if nothing else. Still, he’d rather not have her calling him that left and right. There was always bound to be someone listening.

”You can call me Ronin.”

”Cool.” Shadow Scythe said, understanding what he meant. But then the previously mounting anger that had been briefly undercut by Ronin’s cool new nickname bubbled to the surface.

”But for real, fucking seriously?! Me!” She exclaimed, her voice going high pitched with indignation. It sounded pretty weird being filtered through her mask. ”Out of all the shit in this town! They leave us to fend for ourselves and then step on our fucking hands the second we try to climb even a little bit higher! I- I DO have people check it’s just- I didn’t think they’d- Oh God damn it- can you unparalyze me, please? I can’t move!” SSV wanted to throw her arms around in protest but was just a useless sack of potatoes on the ground.

”Answer me this first; HERO has you in their sights now. What is your first move?” Sol asked, crouching down.

The vigilante was silent for a moment. ”...I guess I’ll need to get some volunteer moderators for my website. Vet the tips that come in more extensively. Or maybe I could use donated money to pay them. Once I tell the public about this, they’re sure to be outraged on my behalf, so that might get me more attention.” She said.

”You’re likely going to need a new site or perhaps ditch the idea of a website altogether. Being that they already have the information to this one, it’s already too late, and will only be a matter of time before they track you down. Burner accounts and devices are likely your best bet on posting any information related to your missions on social media.” Was Solomon’s response, swift and blunt. The vigilante didn’t say anything, but her jaw was set underneath her mask.

Being that some sort of interference should be clear to the ones inside by now, it’d likely be in both of their best interests if he set her back in motion. He lifted her up from where she lay on the ground and bent her over his knee. Setting fingers along the back of her suit to try and feel for the correct bones, he warned; ”This is likely going to hurt.”

”I wouldn’t worry about that.” SSV responded quietly. Taking her words as a prompt, Sol sharply jammed his fingers into the central area of her spinal cord. It was a trying process. Too far to any direction other than dead center would likely just cause damage, pain, or even extend the period in which the paralysis would last. Several small crackling sounds later, he raised his hands.

”Give it a few moments before you go running or jumping. Your limbs are not fully awake yet.”

Shadow Scythe Vengeance rolled calmly to her feet. She didn’t visibly react to the sensation of being unparalyzed. Brushing off her pants, she adjusted her mask on her face to make sure it was still firmly in place. She gathered her composure. Then she pointed a finger at Ronin defiantly. ”You don’t know a lot about how I work. Vengeance(dot)net is a public site. Anyone can go on it. I need the website if I’m going to help Castleburg. They don’t have shit on me, they just tricked me one time. The only reason I would shut down the sight would be if I was done...doing this.” She clenched her fists by her side. ”And that’s not happening.”

”Honorably stubborn as you may be, I am warning you from the perspective of an ally. Many Villains have power, few have structure, and fewer have resources. HERO has all three. I may not always be around to warn and pull you out.” The young man admonished before standing up straighter to head back towards the warehouse.

”From the looks of things here, now there is a problem going on in the warehouse. I’m going back to keep up the facade.” Solomon started walking, but paused to look back at her again briefly.

”I have a measure of trust in your ability to look after yourself. However, don’t let your confidence become arrogance. Be careful…For now, go get a head start and I’ll take care of what I can from the inside.” Were his last words. Raising his hands to chest level, Sol extended two fingers from each hand and flapped them before vaulting from the roof’s edge.

Caught between being a huge fan and being sick of being talked down to, Shadow Scythe Vengeance took a few pointless steps forward after him. She had more questions. But he was gone, with an exit so cool it sent chills down her spine.

”Damn it.” She punched the air, and was left alone on the roof. Sighing, she cast a longing look towards the warehouse in the distance.

Interaction | Currently None
Location | Haly’s Circus


Kilamanjaro bounced about on the balls of his feet to the introductory music, being more percussive in origin. It sounded like they were trying to imitate the tones of a Djembe drum, trying to set the tone for his act. The name he had given them, despite the anxious feeling it gave him, was that he was to be called “Ja Zaki, King of Beasts”. Despite the fear that the name gave him personally, it was all he could think of in the spur of the moment. Besides that, very few would actually know that name, much less common American people.

The green and brown colored costume offered was weird in fit. The torso had a full sleeve on only one arm, yet came with a smaller detached sleeve for his uncovered forearm. Then on top of that, it was tight up top, with the pants being the opposite as they were swishy and loose. Ja had also gotten Kassy to tie his hair back into a puffy sort of tail on the back of his head. That way the top could fit under a golden colored bandana that covered the scalp, eyes, and nose. Even for Ja’s liking, he felt a little goofy, but he didn’t mind much.

The surprise about this act was that Ja didn’t know what animal they’d be bringing out. He told them to bring him whoever among the animals they had, and he could tame them to perform actions. In order to do this, he’d have to impose his Spirit of The Wild on them though. He didn’t like to do it, it felt wrong to project his will onto them opposed to asking, but this mission needed to be completed effectively. There could be no room for error, like the last mission.

Before long, two burley men walked out with a cage on wheels, covered in cloth. As they came to the center, Ja felt a foreboding feeling come to him in response. He felt something akin to heartache, rage, and hunger coming from the cage.

“For our next performance, we have Ja Zaki the King of Beasts. He claims to be able to tame any animal he comes into contact with. However, can he navigate 250 pounds of pure muscle and unbridled ferocity?! Allow us to present…”

The fake Djembe drumming picked up. Rings of varying circumference size and heights flicked to life with fire. Then, in a sudden motion, two of the men pulled the cloth from the cage to reveal a young female bengal tiger. The sudden lights and loud sound caused the tigress to flatten her ears and snarl in a defensive position.

“Bhoomi!! And the Flaming Rings of Fury!!” The announcer shouted followed by the guitar riff for Eye of The Tiger, causing the crowd to cheer in astonishment. Ja stared at the tigress and his jaw nearly dropped but he caught himself. To most, she would appear muscular and fearsome, but off the bat, he could tell that she was underweight. If Ja could guess, it appeared that they fed her just enough to keep up appearances. Already, Ja wasn’t happy about the circus anymore.

One of the men from before came to him holding a whip and a bucket of meat, another holding the door to the cage. To the man with the “taming” materials, Ja didn’t even look at him again, waving him off, to which the announcer made commentary to boost crowd reactions.

”Open it.” Ja commanded, to which the attendants hesitated. They looked to the ringmaster, who gave an approving nod, and they complied.

With one metal wall of the cage opened, the attendants all took a step back, clearly on edge. Ja, in the meantime, crouched down and kept his eyes on Bhoomi, who surveyed the opening of the cage. In an instant, Bhoomi zoomed out of her cage, forepaws thrown directly into Ja’s chest. As he crashed on his back with the tiger atop of him, there was an abundance of crowd gasps and concerned murmurs following quickly. A few more attendants started to move in and there was a moment of silence in the crowd, the music turned down. However, they stopped.

From under the tiger, Ja had raised one of his arms, waving them away from Bhoomi, who looked all around her with a growl. Ja put hands to the sides of her head, causing her to abruptly stare down at him. Upon eye contact, Ja felt the flow of the Red surge through him, flowing out to Bhoomi. In a moment’s notice, it could be observed that Ja Zaki started rubbing up and down the tigress’ neck. Then with a small groan, she seemed to playfully roll over and off of him.

Just like that, Ja popped up from the ground, looking around the crowd. Remembering that this was supposed to be a performance, he smiled and raised his hands. The additional attendees backed off and the announcer simply picked up where they left off playing it off as though part of the act. Bhoomi stretched her shoulders and upper body with a much calmer aura.

“And so the Ja Zaki has proven to finesse the feline femme fetale!” Was the remark, to which the crowd built itself back up to cheering. The man from earlier that had the bucket of meat, having relinquished the whip now, tried to approach once again. Ja once again waved him off. Food, even if for a reward for jumping through the rings, would be too much right now. With the tigress in mind, seeing memories through her eyes, Ja now knew that she was long hungry.

It would have to wait until later…for now, he elected to slap the ground instead to get Bhoomi’s attention. Carrying on with the act, the King of Beasts ran towards one of the larger, lower rings of fire, jumping through it with ease. Once through, Ja turned around and beckoned for her to follow, which took no time at all. With the first completed, the music cued back up, and the crowd’s cheers built back up.

With that, Ja continued jumping through rings, and Bhoomi continued to follow through. Each set of rings increased in difficulty, shrinking in size, increasing in number of jumps necessary. This went on for a little while, as they didn’t seem to anticipate “Ja Zaki” to be able to tame the tigress for that long.The crowd seemed to like it, so the attendants started readjusting the rings in new patterns while the act was going on, to which Ja and Bhoomi simply adapted. At this point, they were going beyond what was rehearsed when it was just him earlier.

Ja was starting to break a sweat, but it wasn’t because of the heat. Given how feral in mind she was from the mistreatment by this circus, Ja had to completely focus on tasks and getting her to complete them by copying him. It was a huge mental strain, and he felt his adrenaline level going the wrong way as her fury crept into him. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up.

“And now… the final challenge. Ja Zaki and Bhoomi now must jump through not one, not two, but three rings!” Went the announcer’s charismatic voice as they set it up. Ja sighed, bending over with a hand on his knee, but waving with the other hand for the crowd to cheer louder. Looking back at Bhoomi, she seemed to be a bit off, looking around as though bewildered. A small, low rumbling growl caught Ja’s ears. His hold was loosening as he was getting tired. He eyed the three rings in particular, which were setup to be a little taller than he was. Thankfully they were close together.

All he needed was one more push…thus, standing up straighter and jumping a few times in place, he sprinted for the rings. Jumping up, Ja dove through, narrowly avoiding flames, and rolled upon impact with the ground. Taking in a breath, Ja rested on his hand and knee for a second after getting out of Bhoomi’s landing path. Though, there was hesitation from her this time, clear resistance to his compulsion now.

It was an awkward sort of pause in the action, and Ja felt it. With the potential of jeopardizing this mission on his mind, and Bhoomi’s feral drive fueling his disposition, he yelled out to her directly: ”Kurumidza, Bhoomi!”

After which, he felt a pang in his head. The young man’s body started to feel weak, and vision became blurry for a moment as he rode the wave of a sudden headache…
By the time his vision was restored, he rubbed the space between his eyes before opening them and looked around him. It was clear that Bhoomi had gotten through the rings, as the audience gave them a round of applause.

The tigress in the meanwhile was pacing about. Going by her body language, and the way her ears started twitching, he somehow realized what had happened. What would follow, wouldn’t be pretty if misexecuted. He quickly got up to his feet and jogged in her direction.

”You! The bucket, give it here! Give it now!” Kila called the same man with the meat bucket from earlier. Clearly irritated, the man started walking over with the item. When Kila got close to Bhoomi, he stopped, as now she was looking right at him. He opened his palm for the man with the bucket to stop. Instead, he opened and closed his hand. As if instinctively understanding the gesture, the man tossed a turkey leg his way.

Bhoomi watched the meat as it crashed to the ground. She growled, then roared at Kila as he was slowly reaching down to pick it up. Rearing back, she pounced for it and the young warrior dodged to head towards the man with the bucket. With her briefly occupied, he took the bucket and made a break for the cage. Following her nose after having only gotten a morsel, the tigress dashed after Kila.

Trying to keep up with the act, “Ja Zaki” waved to the crowd as he was running with the bucket. With some oohs and aahs, the crowd clapped along. Bhoomi, in a feeding frenzy, jumped to pounce on the boy to end the chase.

In a single motion, Kila jumped to the top of the top of the cage and threw the bucket into the cage for the slightly bloody chops of raw meat to spill about inside. Barely missing him, the tigress followed her stomach and went after the dead meat instead. Once inside, Kila pulled the latches to close the cage’s metal door.

Exhausted, Kila remained laid on top of the tiger’s cage, to which attendants came to roll them off.

“Give it up for Ja Zaki and the Flaming Rings of Fury!”
&


Location | Innocuous Warehouse |
Missions | A Dish Best Served Cold |
Mentions | @Akayaofthemoon, @Hitman, @Mintz, @Sassy1085, @Zoey Boey |


Solomon kept hold of Shadow Scythe Vengeance, trying to keep her down and listen in on what was happening with the heroes looking for them. The diversion for the two searchers seemed to work well enough with Beth’s chirped expletive. Peering briefly over the counter that he managed to duck behind, he took note of Nilin walking up to the group afterwards.

With her running a sort of interference, Sol’s thinking process could swap from another diversion to potential escape routes instead. His eyes went to the windows. Not so good, too much noise, and depending on where they exited from, the heroes could spot him which would allow them to send in a description. The door wouldn’t work, too many hero affiliated people just exited and are likely still around the premises.

That’s when the blue haired recruit’s flashlight started panning about again, to which Sol ducked back down. SSV in the meantime had been kicking his leg, trying to get free. He had endured worse and ultimately wasn’t much injured by it, but this was starting to get annoying. He hoped he wouldn’t have to do this, but her stubborn nature wouldn’t let her listen. Not on the scene, at least.

Thus, he let her arm go.

The vigilante, assuming her kicks had worked, took the advantage. She rolled backwards and into a three point pose. She reached for her chain and prepared to wrap it around her enemy, but when she looked up, he was gone. She paused for hardly a moment, before refocusing on her escape, but she felt an impact between her shoulders. Shadow Scythe went to whirl around and counter attack, but instead she lost her balance, limbs not responding. Her entire body was full of static, and felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. With a heavy thud the vigilante landed awkwardly on her side.

Sol released a smooth exhale that felt more like a sigh as it was coming out. With her now in a more manageable state, he took a glance at the anti-hero’s utility belt. Taking a guess at which held the smoke pellets she used, he pulled one out. Picking the girl up, he made sure to relocate behind inventory shelves stocked with what was likely more drugs. He still couldn’t quite believe the carelessness put into HERO’s plan.

The Hare kept his ears wary and eyes on a swivel, throwing her over his shoulder to climb up the shelves. He was sure that the maneuver made some noise, so he laid on his stomach when up at the top. Listening in again, he took note of another voice. Someone new had entered the fray, but his manner of speaking sounded off, and ‘Strong Boy’ didn’t roll off the man’s tongue well enough for that to be his name. It made Sol suspect if this ‘Sam’ was part of HERO’s plan.

Regardless, there wouldn’t be much time to ponder the pretender’s purpose right now. Instead, Solomon took note of a particular vent that had been left open, likely from her earlier entrance. Not a good escape route, given the tight squeeze, but a good enough point of interest.

While up there, he took note of a green light from a small second floor area of the warehouse, likely the office where the ones in charge would typically do computer work. The green light, despite the power being out, was an indicator of an emergency exit. Given that there was no real work going on here, it meant that no civilians were evacuated from there.

Shadow Scythe Vengeance’s mind was racing. For a moment, she had been afraid that her career as a vigilante was over. The jig was up. But her captor hadn’t delivered her to HERO. Instead, he seemed to have his own agenda. Being flung and carried around by luggage wasn’t ideal, and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Still, was this guy...Blur Rabbit? Was she being rescued right now? That kind of sucked, considering she felt like she was about to escape herself. But also, if it was, that would be kind of cool. It was weird to see him out of costume.

SSV couldn’t move, so she couldn’t get the full picture. The two of them were up on some shelves, and she was over his shoulder. He had stolen one of her pellets earlier. Now he used them as a diversion, throwing it into the vent. It exploded, making it look like she might be going there. Which was, y’know, smart. Did he have another exit? They were on the move again, her arms trailing limply behind, like the worst cape ever. Penny cringed under her mask. He must think she’s so lame.

With noise and visual cues going to the vent, hopefully the distraction would last them long enough for the heroes to believe either: A, she had already escaped and was on the roof, or B, SSV was trying to distract them and was still lurking around. Either option left no idea to check the office. Vaulting over the railing to the platform just in front of the office door, Sol went for the handle. Which, of course, was locked.

Placing SSV down to a sitting position between the stairs and the door, he looked at the window. Bad idea to simply smash through the window to get inside, too noisy, and trying the metal outer door would be much worse. Not to mention, he’d need to generate more force to burst through. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he thought of what to do.

Studying the door itself, specifically the handle, he took note of the small space between the door and the doorway. Given how old this warehouse was, along with how infrequently used, the door’s lock hadn’t been updated. He looked around for something flat, yet flexible enough to fit through.

His eyes first trailed to SSV, but most of her equipment was likely metal, and he didn’t have the time to search her for something more useful. Solomon hadn’t brought any of his own equipment on this mission per se, given that he wanted to ensure there was nothing that could connect him to the mission site.

That was…except his mask. It had a straight edge at the top, and was made of flexible enough materials. His glance went back to SSV. He weighed the chances of them encountering each other in the times Sol would be out of costume. It was only a moment though, as surely their followers would be searching more thoroughly now. Deciding the long term risk was outweighed by the immediate one, he unstrapped it and placed the straight edge of his mask through the door slit.

Quickly fiddling it behind the bolt of the door, he used the mask in tandem with pulling at the handle to open it. Not wasting the time to try putting his mask back on, he scooped the girl back up and dipped out of the emergency exit in the office…

Interaction | Daphne Or @Dreamingflowers
Collab-Written Flashback


It was nice and sunny, barely any clouds and a soft breeze that was just right. Compared to Gotham, Happy Harbor was a much brighter place to live. The buildings were smaller and not cramped together. The ocean wind breathed into the streets, instead of the city smog. Daphne loved it here, it was peaceful and quiet. It gave her room to process all the crazy things that had happened to her this last year.

Her thoughts went back to the mission at La Hoya. She walked further out into the grassy fields at the back of the HQ, her ponytail swaying from side to side. The first hour on comms went great, but her powers turned it into a disaster for everyone. Ja insisted it was his fault too and as nice as he was, he probably pitied her.

Daphne glanced over her shoulder. Her teammate wasn’t there yet. She was early though. It gave her a head start to mentally prepare herself. She kept walking, heading for the clearing they used for combat training. At first she hesitated to accept Ja’s offer to help her learn to control her powers. He asked her the day they got back from la Hoja. Daphne was having a pity party by herself, wallowing and feeling very sorry for herself. If even the Martian Manhunter couldn’t help her, Ja probably wouldn’t succeed either. The day after her solo pity party she realized she would be an idiot to turn down Ja.

She got to a good spot and checked her bag for the snacks she packed for Ja and her. Yup they were still there. Daphne put her bag on the grass. She could probably get in some stretches before Ja got here. She reached down to touch her toes, sucking in her breath, feeling her leg muscles straining a bit.

It wasn’t long before sounds of leaves rustling from the trees could be heard. It was loud and quick, but ended just as abruptly as it arrived. Next it came from the bushes, this time, the sound of a chipmunk’s chatter followed. Surely these sounds could have been merely a coincidence, given her place outside. What couldn’t have been though, was the sudden appearance of Ja floating above her head upside down.

Channeling the power of a Hummingbird’s flight and Owl’s silence, he smiled and waved to her in a way similar to how he did on the jet that day. When they got back, Ja let her have time to breathe and recover. However, he decided that he could try to teach her how to control her power. To be able to build strength on her own with her inner nature.

The words of Viktor during that time really struck a chord with the Jungle boy. Not because anything he said about her powers were incorrect, but it was wrong that he blamed her for their failure. It was wrong in the way he said it, and wrong in the place he said it. Perhaps that harshness was supposed to be her punishment, but she didn’t deserve it. Daphne wasn’t the one that was spotted.

The mission in La Hoya was her first one ever, but only one of hundreds that Ja had been on. He was the one that failed them because of his own weakness of mind. If he had been paying attention, maybe they get more than Alisa’s drawings. Maybe they get more information about the strange car. Bluntly, if Viktor was so adamant about something being said to him, he could have said it himself over the comms. Ja, while understanding of tactics, recognized the rivalry between Viktor and Talon behind the planning. He sensed it even before their staring contest on the jet…His thoughts on that was for another time.

“Hai Daffy-Knee!”

“Hi Ja!”

Daphne stood on her tippy toes and interlocked her hands with Ja, pulling him down to the grass. She smiled, now face to face with the curly haired boy. “Did you eat breakfast already, if you didn’t I brought some snacks” She knew Ja loved to eat. It was the least she could do for him, seeing as he was helping her. Besides, Daphne liked taking care of people.

For a moment, Ja was shrouded in darkness as some of his hair flooded his eyes from the sudden wind change. He felt no need to clear it when down with Daphne on the ground now, chuckling playfully instead. When she mentioned snacks, Ja’s smile became more toothy and gluttonous. While he certainly had not missed eating breakfast, he didn’t want to lie to get the snacks.

“Mmm….I had breakfast…but I did not eat brunch yet!” He explained before sitting criss-cross on the ground before her. Pushing his hands from his chin up his face to move hair out of the way, his bright and cheery eyes now visible. “But, I can wait until a little later. I don’t want to accidentally fall asleep during our lesson today.”

“Are you sure….??” Daphne teased, reaching into her bag. She built up the suspense only to come up with an empty hand.

“Okay okay, let’s focus” The teen girl stopped messing around and sat in the same position in the grass. Legs crossed underneath the folds of her skirt. The breeze felt nice on her skin and she breathed in the fresh smell of the grass. Daphne closed her eyes to enjoy it.

She opened her eyes back up and looked at Ja’s happy face expectantly. The maned young man smiled.

“I am sure you have felt it before in your time with these abilities. You feel urges within you. I am not sure what exactly you feel, because mine is the Red. The force of nature that connects to you, is called the Green. My Ambuya, or the american word…grand…ma? Grandma. My grandma taught me that, the Green is what connects all plant life together on earth.” Ja explained, leaving a second to let it sink in.

“So any time you feel something from the plants around you, it is the Green speaking to you. You may not always understand what it is trying to tell you, but that is okay, that takes time, and practice. Today, I just want you to get used to focusing on that feeling. It is still lively outside today…” Ja paused, looking around briefly. Then he pointed out a small patch of flowers in a small clearing between the trees getting some sunlight.

“Close your eyes, and maybe try to focus on what it feels like when the sunlight touches your skin.”

Daphne remembered Ja mentioning the Green weeks ago. At the time she’d brushed it off. Later during her sessions with the Martian Manhunter he also mentioned the Green. He helped her understand the why and how she was connected to this natural force. She smiled encouragingly at Ja’s struggle to find the right English word to express what he meant.. He was doing really great. There was a warmth she saw in his eyes when he talked about his family. He probably missed them, being all the way in America with the team and her.

Daphne narrowed her eyes slightly, concentrating on what Ja was explaining about the Green. He had an understanding of it because he was connected to a similar force, the Red He would be able to teach her things the Martian Manhunter couldn’t.

She glanced at the direction he was pointing at, seeing the small patch of flowers. He wanted her to focus on the sunlight. A little smirk appeared on her face. That was too easy. She could do that with her eyes well closed. Daphne untied the ribbon in her hair and set it down next to her. You could hear a quiet rustle while her transformation spread, starting with her hair and tracing down the rest of her until she was completely verdant.

Daphne opened one eye to peek at Ja.

“Don’t startle me please '' She knew Ja liked to joke around and so did she. Daphne had come a long way with controlling her powers, but having them fail twice lessened her trust in them. She returned her attention to the sun. Daphne could tell she was photosynthesizing because her skin tingled when the light triggered the cells to grow.

“As you are feeling this, try to focus on those flowers I gestured to. To feel familiar with them…”

Ja’s smile shrank just a bit as he waited for her eyes to close back again. For a moment, Ja himself closed his eyes, exhaling and rolling his shoulders. As he felt the Red’s flow through nis body. As much as he didn’t want to do this, this lesson was one he wanted to get out of the way first. Clawing his fingers, he crept around Daphne using the silence of a leopard. Once near the clearing where the flowers grazed the sunlight, he waited for just a few more moments.

Keeping an eye on Daphne, Ja raised one of his clawed hands and he swiped them up from the ground suddenly. Like knives, his talon-inspired attack sliced a few of them in half and uprooted the others in one simple swoop. If done correctly, and if she had the connection to the Green as he expected…

Daphne kept the flowers in her mind's eye, remembering the way they swayed in the w….
“Aahhhh!!!” Sudden cries of pain reached her ears, ripping through her. She covered her ears. The sounds came from further away, like some sort of accident happened in the distance and she was hearing the victims cry out. They turned into a soft distant moaning. Daphne shot up from the ground and transformed back, breaking the connection with the Green immediately.

She put her hand over her chest, feeling her heart beat fast. What happened?
“What happened…?” Daphne looked over to Ja, seeing him with a fistful of flowers in his right hand.

“Your first test, unfortunately.” Was the young man’s reply, resting the flowers on the ground in front of her. “You have a strong connection to them...If not, you would not hear their cries.” Ja paused to let that feeling sink in, his expression soft and almost apologetic.

“As those who have trained me figured out...pain is the easiest thing to recognize…” He let the specific animals of the red flow out for the time being. He placed his left hand on Daphne’s shoulder.

“However, while I will not do to you what has been done to me, it will make you stronger to do these sorts of tests every so often. It will build your inner strength, so that the Green does not hurt or hinder you in the field…” Ja carefully explained, making sure to use the correct english words to convey what he meant. The maned young lion smiled again though.

“You did better than me on my first test. You did not panic…” He commended, eyeing the ground where he placed the flowers.

Daphne smiled. Ja’s words encouraged her. She wondered what he alluded to, it sounded to her that he might have experienced mistreatment in the past, involving his powers. She didn’t know what that felt like, but she did feel for him. There was much more to his smile. Daphne looked down at the grass and picked up some of the flowers, twirling them in her fingers.

“Thanks Ja, it means a lot to me to have someone help me understand my powers better. The meditation techniques the Martian Manhunter has been teaching me can only take me so far. Lately I’ve been feeling like it’s a waste of time. It didn’t help me at La Hoya one bit.”

She looked at the flowers, their simple beauty making her feel better. Daphne changed the subject, glancing at Ja with her warm brown eyes. She reached her hand up and tucked a red poppy in Ja’s curly mane. It stuck there immediately.

“Flowers for some reason are much easier to talk to, I don’t know why. My dad suspects it’s because they’re more social than some other plants. They communicate with bees and butterflies during their short life. Trees are different, they are more independent.”

Daphne shook her head, smiling at herself. “Not that this is useful information to you though”

She retrieved her bag from the ground and held it up to Ja. “Snack time?”

Ja grinned. So far, today seemed like a good lesson day. She didn’t panic AND she wasn’t sad about the first test, as painful as it might have been. Plus, he got to learn more about her when she opened up some. Despite her belief that some of the information was irrelevant, to Ja, it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Snack time.”


Current Day

Interaction | The Team + The Newbs
Specifically Zachary AKA @Crimson Flame
Location | Sanctuary’s Base Level


Kilamanjaro couldn’t help but marvel at the legendary Batman, even though it wasn’t an actual bat-man. Ja also didn’t sense any animal abilities but maybe that made him more impressive. The man carried himself very seriously and, in a way, reminded him of King Lion. He was somewhat surprised by not being pulled aside after having a hand in the team’s major failure…Though, he supposed that container he found made up for it to some extent. It was a change of pace at least, and one of the many differences from what he grew up with.

In the meantime, he made sure to pay attention to what Batman was instructing them to do next. Infiltrating a ‘circus’ took Ja a moment to process. The word was foreign at first, but it clicked when he thought about Zachy. Whenever Ja watched his videos on the computer, other videos showed up on the side as suggestions, and a few of them said ‘circus’ on them. When he watched them, it was essentially a bunch of silly and fun stunts! Though, given this was a mission, he guessed being silly wasn’t so much to be a part of things.

He also brought up the situation around Hex and Gold Rush, being their teammates’ replacements. Both of them strangely disappeared right after the last mission. Hex disappeared into the realm of spirits, and it made Ja wonder what would cause him to get stuck there. Although worrying, apparently Hex had gotten stuck there before and made it back to the realm of the living. In Gold Rush’s case, Ja had seen a few movies about time travel to guess that something in the present may have changed something in the future. Did…did the team failing the mission mess up the future? Was Gold just gone forever now?

It made Ja sad to think about, but he didn’t dwell on it too long as their new teammates came in. There were two girls this time. The first one, Maya, was clearly a special swords-person. She must have had a lot of skill with sharp things, like Talon did. Ja smiled to her and waved. The other one with the blonde hair on the other hand, made him wonder. She spoke venom, throwing it around the room with each person she laid eyes on. Even their senior and commander, she spoke too with disrespect.

Ja was taken aback by her impression that he had forgotten her name and his smile disappeared. A tingle of fear and a protective snarl rumbled from the bottom of his throat when Daphne approached her. With her more friendly response to the flower girl, Ja’s nerves eased. Returning his mind to the mission, he listened to the others as they discussed potential acts.

It was easy to figure which act would likely suit him; anything related to animals. However, he didn’t know if this particular circus had them, and even then, which ones. Otherwise, he hadn’t a clue what he could do for an act. Zachy had the most experience with this stuff, so it made sense when the others asked him questions. Maya mentioned being a knife thrower, Aleen’a a strongwoman, and he suggested Kassy to be a singing mermaid.

The memory of Kassy’s voice brought a warm and twitchy feeling to his chest that stole his attention away for a moment. She didn’t like singing to people though. Blinking back into focus, Ja returned to the moment and crawled over to the magician. ”Ooo! What can I do Zachy?!”
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