fourtimesnine

When the Earth met the Sea

A long tendril of water lashed out from the sea, moving rapidly towards Joel. Caught off guard by the attack, he hastily raised a wall of sand to block the water. Even strengthened by geokinesis, loosely packed sand does not make a sturdy barrier; the makeshift wall scattered in all directions when the water reached it. His action had not been entirely futile, however - it did slow the water down a little, turning a hard-hitting attack into a mere shove. Joel staggered back a step, but his strength and density permitted him to stay on his feet.

If this woman wanted a fight, she would get a fight. Joel knew that it would be unwise to engage an unknown enemy in combat, but the injustice of being yelled at and attacked without provocation, at least from his perspective, made him unwilling to back down. He wouldn't acquiesce to the demands of someone whom he perceived to have wronged him, and with that decision, their misunderstanding was set in stone.

In order to fight, Joel needed something more substantial than the loose sand at his feet. He reached to the edge of his range and began slowly bringing rocks of varying shapes and sizes from the forest to the beach. They generated an ominous rumble as they rolled along the ground, accelerating as they drew closer; the nearer they were to Joel, the more control he had over them, and the faster he could cause them to move. While he did so, Joel kept his eyes on Anna, not wanting to be surprised by her next move.

Go through the Alphabet before someone posts a My Little Pony Picture

C

When the Earth met the Sea

Joel watched as as the expression on the woman's face changed from mourning to hostility to rage. He felt confused, and slightly hurt - surely he hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction. Since he spent most of his time around people who already knew and were friendly with him, Joel had forgotten the effect that his brutish appearance could have on others.

She yelled at him with a powerful, resounding voice - not the voice of a young woman, but that of something old and fearsome. She cemented his impression of her when she dropped down into the water with the ease of a master. She didn't move like someone who was good at swimming; she moved like gliding through water was as natural to her as breathing. Joel didn't know who or what this person was, but he felt that it would be unwise to antagonize her. Unfortunately, he couldn't follow her instruction - nightfall was coming, and he couldn't possibly arrive home before dark if he had to blunder around in that forest. Even though he knew that it was futile, he made the hand sign for "sorry", then continued walking further onto the beach. Her hostile glare seemed to be burning him, but Joel didn't stop moving forwards. He optimistically hoped that she would just let him be on his way, or at least do nothing more than yell at him until he was gone.

//Deadly Labyrinth//

@XxLyraxX

William Jones

I take in the sight of the garden. Josh and Jason are there, along with a new addition to their group - a small girl with light hair and blue eyes. She might be the youngest of us, although her height might be causing me to misjudge her age - I hope she's adjusting well. Evening is coming, and I don't know what will happen then. For now, there's a new person to meet. I smile and wave. "Hi, I'm Will. What's your name?"

//Deadly Labyrinth//

@fourtimesnine@XxLyraxX@Flightless_Soul@BilboTheGreat@duskshine749 I am very disappointed in you guys. I made myself so much work with this whole thing. Where are you?

@KahleenCuthald

Sorry! I'm kind of still around, I just forgot. Don't think Will has much to do at the moment, but will write a post now anyway?

Dice

@Eklispe

In hindsight, it seemed pretty evident that Niel wouldn't have a cell phone plan. Kim could've kicked herself.

"Of course it's alright. Come on, I'll be quick," she said as she starting walking towards the gym. After a short stroll, she found herself in front of a large, blocky building at the edge of a plaza. Kim entered through the automatic doors and found herself inside one massive room lit by bright overhead lights. The floors were covered with soft padded mats, and there were numerous trampolines, balance beams, and other pieces of equipment scattered throughout the room. Adults and children of varying skill levels practiced their routines, tried various flips, or played on the trampolines within. She spotted a bored-looking woman sitting at a table next to a sign reading "COMPETITION SIGN-UPS HERE", and made a beeline for her.

"Hi. I want to sign up for next week's competition," Kim told the woman.

"Are you with a team?" the lady asked.

Kim shook her head, "No, it's just me."

"Take these and fill them out. When you're done, feel free to practice on the equipment - it's kind of a free-for-all at the moment," the woman instructed, handing Kim a packet of papers and a pen. Kim retreated to one of the folding chairs at the edge and flipped through the papers - there was a registration form asking for her name and address, a release of liability, an informational sheet... She got to work writing and signing. After a few minutes, she returned to the woman's table and handed the papers back to her. The lady glanced over them to see that everything was completed, then put the registration forms in a file folder and handed the informational pamphlets back to Kim.

"You're signed up," the woman said. "Good luck!"

Dice

@Eklispe

Essentially, the answer to her questions was no. Niel apparently thought of having clothes as stuff to wear, and food as snacks instead of, say, a fully stocked pantry. He was homeless, and he didn't see anything wrong with it. Kim sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration.

"That's not what- never mind," she said. "If you really are fine right now then that's ok, but if you'd like a more permanent residence, I might be able to help you with that. A lot of the upperclassmen at my college who live off-campus share apartments because it's cheaper to split the rent. I know that two of my male friends have been looking for a roommate; I could introduce you to them if you want. You'd have to pay a third of the rent, but you would also have a room of your own. And you don't have to be a student or anything, it's not owned by the school." If she had a couch, she'd let him crash on it, but she lived in a tiny room in an all-girls dorm building. Her friends were decent people - she thought that Niel could be happy staying with them, and it would be a lot quicker and easier than helping him get his own apartment. It would certainly be better than staying at a crowded shelter, although she'd respect his decision if he preferred his life as it was.

She checked her watch. "My friends are in class right now, but I could introduce you to them later today. Do you want to exchange phone numbers, so I can contact you later? I'd been on my way to the gymnastics center, and I do have to get there eventually." Kim paused. "Oh, but I could stay longer if you want to talk more. Or you could come with me. Or you could leave, if you have something you need to do also." She inwardly groaned at her own awkwardness. She definitely needed to put some points in Charisma.

Dice

@Eklispe

"You don't have any other friends. Or a car, or a permanent residence. That, that is not an acceptable situation," Kim said. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know it's not any of my business." She really needed to think before she spoke - he might have perceived that as an insult. If he was happy with his life, then she didn't have any right to tell him otherwise. Kim was still a bit worried, though. She asked, "Do you at least have a warm place to stay? Food? Clothes?" She knew that it was wrong for her to walk past homeless people on the street without a second thought, yet be concerned about the welfare of the person she'd just met. It was human nature, though; people cared vastly more about the troubles of the ones they knew than the struggles of anonymous strangers.

One of the things he'd said struck her: he was getting better, but not yet where he wanted to be. Kim had felt that way, a long time ago, before she realized that she would never be where she wanted to be. With the recent changes in her life, she was starting to think that way again, starting to have a place she wanted to be.

When he introduced himself again, she bluntly pointed out, "You already told me your name." On second thought, that had probably also been a rude thing to say - maybe her next dice points should go in Charisma. "Not that I mind," she amended afterwards.

Dreemurr (Scarifar x fourtimesnine)

Hesitantly, Chara accepted Asriel's help once again. They draped an arm over his shoulder and limped down the dark cave tunnel, towards something resembling a doorway. It was bordered by tall pillars on either side, and there was an inscription of a winged circle above three triangles on top.

Chara was still wary of Asriel and his mom and dad, but that chocolate bar, this strange place, and his inexplicable kindness had all piqued their interest. "What do you mean by 'monster food' and 'monsters'?" Chara asked as they continued forwards. They'd never heard of monster food, although the ones in the stories seemed to eat people, and 'nice monster' seemed like an oxymoron. Asriel seemed to be using that word differently than they were used to. "If your parents are monsters, does that make you a monster?"

Undertale: Above the Ground

Alphys smiled at Undyne's enthusiam and joined Undyne in washing the dishes - Alphys felt bad about letting Undyne do all the work. There were times when she still felt useless, but Alphys was getting better day by day. Once all the dishes and silverware had been put away, she started prepping for the day, then stood by the door nervously. It was easier than preparing to call someone, but she was still a little anxious about going outside. She reminded herself that was ridiculous - she didn't need to be nervous about talking to her friends. Alphys finally worked up the nerve to say, "Undyne, do you want to come find them with me?"