Framing A Moose

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Danger Room
Skills: Pyrokinesis, Aikido

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"Mira, my partner in this crazy game we call life, and more pressingly Jumanji, if you don't like the way I fight, I'd be more than happy to sit on the sidelines eating my pecans, but somehow I think that'd irritate you more." Despite Mira's verbal pokes and prods at Iris' defensive fighting style, Iris was grinning ear to ear. She quite liked their little back-and-forths when they weren't overly aggressive. The observation she'd made in previous such interactions bubbled to the front of her mind; their verbal fighting styles were much like their normal fighting styles. Mira would throw her argumentative jabs at Iris, and Iris would prance from side to side, dodging with her own conversational deflections. Sometimes Mira would manage to hit a nerve, but this was no such time. Iris looked over to Bethany, giving a nod of affirmation at her detestation of the name. "If you insist...what about a different plant? Like Nightshade? It's another pretty flower, but it's a pretty flower that can be, like, super deadly and stuff too."

When Mary started yelling, Iris was aghast. Iris always expected attacks from Mira, but she was friends with Mary. She couldn't keep her smile from falling off her face. Her wide-eyed expression of horror was only cemented in place as blood from the freshly ripped hyena splattered across her face. She was frozen like that for a few moments, before her face morphed into something that looked to be a mix of determination and frustration. She raised her hands in the air, before quickly lowering them, quenching the ring of fire. In those moments when the flame inside brought her blood to a boil, when she was acting on passion that was so often buried under the smoke polluting her mind, she didn't need to ask Upsilon's permission. She was like a conductor and he the orchestra, rather than the usual dynamic of a petulant child and a strict guardian they so often portrayed. But as soon as the fire was out, Iris let out a huff from her nose, the anger inside dimming to annoyance.

"I'm not going to damn these creatures to hellfire for the sin of being hungry," Iris lectured at Mary, though her eyes were staring down at one of the hyenas that had just tried to attack her. Her martial arts were usually meant to be used against other humans, but that wasn't a necessity. She sized up the animal, before imagining it's face as a hand. After a moments more hesitation, she flung the candied pecans into its face and dropped the mug, grabbing it by its throat while it was distracted and flipping it onto its back, where she pressed her knee to its underbelly to keep it pinned. It took her a few seconds, but eventually she choked it to the point of unconsciousness. She repeated the process with another hyena, talking to Mary as she did. "Only the truly awful deserve to burn, and that's not them. I kinda thought you of all people would get that."

The Gifted - Concluded

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Waverley Watts - Feedback

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Location: George Washington University
Skills:

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Waverley's heart sunk when the young Valkyrie explained that she wasn't there for Cayden. It made sense, of course; if she were here to take his spirit to the afterlife, she'd have had no reason to stick around this long. Admittedly, though, hearing her say that another of her kind had done the deed was comforting. Even if Zarina was just some kid who escaped the psych ward, which was the most likely scenario, Waverley didn't really have the mental or emotional energy to doubt the origin story she gave. Especially considering all the insane things she'd learned in her time with the Underground. When you live with a boy who can speak to the dead and the literal queen of limbo, your stance on what's possible can get a little more broad.

Waverley's head popped up when Veil mentioned Magik's fate. The simple, straight-forward sentence hit her like a brick. For Cayden's passing, she'd been allowed a pillow of denial to cushion the blow. She'd had reason to believe he wasn't dead, even if the belief was unrealistic. But with Magik, there was no reason to deny it. Her chest tightened, feeling as though it'd been caved in. She hadn't been as close with Magik as she had been with Cayden, but they were friendly. What really hurt, though, was the thought of Sunshine's reaction. The pair had had a special relationship, the specifics of which Waverley could only guess. This would crush her. So, with that thought, Waverley swallowed her own grief. Perhaps putting others' problems before one's own wasn't a healthy coping mechanism, but it was one Waverley subscribed herself to often. All she knew was that she'd be okay. She'd bawl her eyes out under cover of night for a few weeks, and then quietly mourn for a few more, but the day would come where she was okay. The same, she felt, couldn't be said about Sunshine. Waverley loved the girl dearly, but she feared she was a timebomb, with every tragedy that happened to her bringing her one step closer to exploding. Who knew what would happen if she ever did? It was something Waverley wanted to keep from happening more than anything in the world.

When the car came to an eventual stop, Waverley slid out of the car, leaving the gas station snacks in her seat. She was still clutching her arm, trying her best to keep it from moving as she walked into the Underground. Once she was inside, she immediately felt queasy seeing Sunshine on the sofa, Magik in her arms. She approached the two of them, but when she slowed to a stop in front of the sofa, she realized she'd made a mistake. This, with a broken arm and Sunshine still clutching to her beloved, was not the right time for comfort. Still, Waverley couldn't continue onward to the medical room without saying something.

"I'm sorry...I know she meant a lot to you...if you need to talk to someone, I'm always here, ready to listen..." she mumbled, the silence between the words as prevalent as the words themselves. She wanted to say more, to do more, but she knew that it wasn't the right time. So, after a moment of standing there silently, she walked up the stairs and made her way towards medical, passing by a loopy Luna and an uncharacteristically helpful Negasonic. Once she got there, she stood at the door, looking inside. It wasn't exactly Disneyland. Casper and Max were both in less-than tiptop shape, with James standing over the latter. It was still stressful for Waverley to see Max laying there as a member of the Underground rather than an enemy, and she did her best to avoid such occurrences as much as she could. She leaned against the doorframe, waiting a few seconds, unsure whether she should interrupt or not. "Um, hey James...I took a bit of a tumble and banged up my arm a little. When you get a minute, I'd appreciate a little help with it, but don't make it a priority. In fact, just say the word and I can come back another time." Waverley did her best to undersell the injury. It hurt like a bitch, but she knew she'd live. There very well could've been more pressing matters he needed to attend to, and she didn't want to keep him from them.

Forgotten Space

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Location: Galley
Skills:

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Cal let out an involuntary huff of morbidly amused disbelief as Luke proclaimed that they weren't going anywhere. It was only matter of time before they joined up with the others, and she'd be alone again. Again? The strange word latched itself onto the end of her thought like some kind of vocab vagabond jumping into the last railway car of her train of thought, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just referring to the isolation to which she'd woken up to. Or maybe it was something more. Either way, it wasn't the most important thing she had to deal with. Her eyebrows popped up in surprise as the people around her jumped into action, taking her uncertain suggestion to be the beginning of a plan. It felt a bit weird to Cal, having people go along with something she'd said without needing to push or guide them to her way of thinking. But it was a good weird. She jumped a bit when Kyle pushed the warm beverage into her hand, still on edge from the memory that seemed to render her mind raw and sensitive.

"Uh, thanks mate...she sounds like a lovely woman," Cal replied. There was a very subtle undertone of bitterness in her voice that seemed to go unnoticed by her as she took a long sip from the cup. Once the warm liquid was down, she let out a deep sigh as she tried to relax. To some degree it worked. When she spoke, her voice had less of a tremor to it. "Alright, unless there's anything else we need, I say we put this bad boy together. It'd be embarrassing if the others came back with the secrets of the universe in their grasp and all we had was the power of friendship and a fuckin' sandwich."

Maybe Roll Request?

Cal will be down to help the others put the thing together. If it's a roll, her improvisation might help with the makeshift crafting.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Waverley Watts

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Location: New Rome - The Augery
Skills:

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Waverley gave a nod when Alexandra answered her question about commissions, as if she were satisfied with the answer given. She wasn't, of course; 'depends' was only ever a helpful response if it was followed up by an explanation as to what it depended on, which Alexandra had unfortunately left out. Still, Waverley didn't want to upset the girl. She didn't seem like she was having a great day. Honestly, she didn't seem like she'd had a good day in a long while. Waverley was happy to see the smile that the girl flashed her way, which she took to be a sign that her attempts at kindness were helping. Though that didn't stop her from wincing when she tore into the stuffed animal.

"Yep, no problem. Happy to help," she replied, though she didn't sound as happy as she claimed to be, watching the stuffing get pulled from its body. She could almost hear it begging for its savior to save it once more. But Waverley held herself back. When the psychic painter began to read the animal's fuzzy insides, Waverley let out a nervous laugh. "Monsters, great. Good thing they're sending New Rome's first line off defense, eh?" the musician joked, giving a thumbs up to the gardener and the barista she'd walked in with. Clearly they were the fiercest warriors Camp Jupiter had to offer. She then nodded in agreement when Emily when she mentioned meeting up with the others, but before she followed them out, she gave a wave to Alexandra. "Thanks for the help! We'll try to bring you back a souvenir!" With that, she pranced out of the Augery, following behind her two companions.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Danger Room
Skills: Pyrokinesis

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"Holy shit Bellflower, have you been holding out on us? That was dope!" Iris said with excitement when Bethany rendered the mass of animals uninvited from their little Danger Room party. Her massive grin faltered, however, when Elizabeth and Carolina evaporated from existence. It took her a moment to process the sudden change, and catch what had happened: the game had sucked them up, and it sounded like the only way to get them out was to keep playing. Iris was about to volunteer herself and Mira to roll next when Guin went instead. Not long after the riddle was read out, cackling laughing sounded throughout the room. At first, Iris half hoped it was the trickster god coming out to play himself so they could beat his ass. Instead, a whole pack of hyenas began to slink towards them.

"Well, on the upside, at least there's someone around now who will laugh at my jokes," she mused with a smirk, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. She watched as a number of the critters came forward with the intent to kill, with Bethany trying to fend them off, but finding herself unable to do so. Iris looked over to her wall of fire, and then to Upsilon, still standing among the rubble of the partially repaired wall. "Alright Upsilon, it's time for a burning ring of fire!" she called out like a demented Pokémon trainer. To her surprise, Upsilon complied, using the pre-existing wall of fire as base, wrapping it around the group of X-Men. In addition, the flames rose up, with the end result being a circleof fire that rose to roughly the height of Iris' neck. It looked like it'd be high enough to offer them some protection, and she hoped that it'd be enough to scare the creatures away without them trying to jump through it. She didn't like the idea of killing animals when it could be avoided. "Shoo! Shoo, before you get yourselves killed!"

The Gifted - Concluded

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Waverley Watts - Feedback

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Location: George Washington University
Skills:

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Waverley's shoulders slumped forward as Echo gave his explanation as to why Cayden was in the van, an audible sniffle coming from her slouched form. She sat with her head down for a time, before turning back to look at what was left of Cayden. He was motionless. Left without his jubilance, without his spirit. She stared. As much as she didn't want it to be the case, the truth was all too clear. With every passing minute, her denial became more and more unbelievable, until it was a small, desperate voice drowned out by the facts: he was no longer himself. He was devoid of all the joy and life that had made him who he was. Now, propped up in the back of the van, he was no longer a he. He was an it. And it was a corpse.

Waverley blinked out more tears as she turned away from the body, going back to her slumped position, wincing as she held her arm tighter to her chest. It was hard to ignore the young green-haired girl prattling on about mythology, especially given the fact that, under different circumstances, Waverley would be first in line to geek out about it with her. But as her words filled the car, Waverley's mind slowly crept back to what the girl had said when she'd first appeared, causing an uncomfortable question to pop into her head. It was a question that lingered there as they drove, and remained even as they pulled into the gas station. It wasn't until Echo came back with food that she spoke, mumbling out an almost inaudible, "Thanks." She made no move to eat the food, instead opting to give it to Sunshine once they were back at the Underground. It was something she'd made a habit of doing whenever her appetite fell victim to stress, anxiety, or, in this case, mourning. Even so, the cold beverage on her lap helpful, managing to pull her out of her own mind. She raised her head, blinking for a few seconds, before looking over to Zarina.

"You..." Waverley began, before pausing. The question that had been on her mind the whole car ride sounded even more ludicrous as it started to leave her mouth, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to think about anything else until she asked it. "You said you were a Valkyrie. Are you...here for him? Are you here to take Cayden to Valhalla?" Waverley asked, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. It was true that Christianity was Waverley's preferred religion, but when Thor and his brother came along, she'd cut Norse mythology out some wiggle room.

Forgotten Space

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Location: Galley
Skills:

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Cal squeezed her eyes shut tight, wringing out the tears from her eyes out like water from a towel after a rainy beach day. She quickly covered them with her hand, using her thumb and forefinger to put pressure on the corners of her eyes and the rest of her fingers to wipe her cheeks clean. As her sight was cloaked in the darkness of of her eyelids, she looked back, trying to focus on the memory that had just surfaced in her mind. She narrowed in on the pain, trying to use it to unlock more memories with little success. It was like trying to build a bridge from the middle outwards. After a few moments of holding the traumatic memory under a microscope, she let go of it, letting it float back into the empty section of her brain where the memories would stay if they were there. She cleared her throat, taking a second to compose herself, before pulling her hand away from her face.

"I'm fine, I'm good. Just a...flash of somethin', that's all. It's gone now," Cal said, standing up straight from her position leaning over the table. She didn't want to get into the reality of what had just happened. She'd much rather do something, anything, really, to take her mind off it. "So, we were talking about the space roombas. I s'pose we could just peer in their little cubbies, but I'm not sure how much we'd be able to find out from that. Could we make a camera maybe? One we could, I don't know, tape onto a roomba?" Despite her best efforts, her voice was still shaking as she spoke.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Waverley Watts

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Location: New Rome - The Augery
Skills:

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Waverley had been so focused on the painting that she jumped when Alexandra spoke up. Her head spun to look at the painting's creator, only to find that Alexandra was glaring directly at her. It didn't take much to intimidate Waverley, so as the intense artist stared her down, she felt like she was shrinking. She gulped, giving an awkward smile in response to the hostile eyes being thrown in her direction. Waverley loosened up a bit when Emily spoke up, cutting straight to business, with Marco following suit. She felt a little bad for skipping over the small talk and pleasantries that usually start conversations, but she guessed there was a pretty good chance that Alexandra wasn't a fan of such things anywho.

"Um, yeah, that's the main reason we're here. The ladies in charge sent us over to check in, see what you could tell us..." she explained, her eyes flitting back to the painting. When she saw it again, though, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Alexandra. Constantly having people come in and out, all of them seeing her paintings as utilities rather than art. Waverley couldn't imagine how she'd feel if people only cared about her music because of the magic it could do. So, with her uncomfortable grin still plastered across her lips, she looked back over to Alexandra. "I like the painting, though. You did a good job on it. Do you, um...take commissions?"

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Main Entrance -> Danger Room
Skills: Survival Skills, Pyrokinesis

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The perpetually high X-Woman didn't seem all too phased by the series of teleportations, one right after the other. The only real effect it had on her was giving her an expression of mild shock, which she blinked away in a manner of moments. She shot a sympathetic frown Neil's way, seeing that he didn't handle the trip nearly as well, before looking over to Lance, one eyebrow raised. "Oh man, that's new. First Bellflower, then you? I wonder who our next teleporter will be...I wonder if Upsilon and I could, like, fire teleport. Maybe we should try. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Iris quipped, trying to lighten the intense mood. She quickly flipped her mind from her bard duties to instead think back on the index of wilderness survival tips her mom taught her in Oregon. A long list of mosquito tips came to the forefront of her mind. "Mary, what kind of seeds do you have? Rosemary, lavender, basil, and lemongrass are all natural mosquito repellants. If we can grow a bunch at the entrance of the Danger R-" she began, but stopped when she felt the ground rumble.

Her gaze shifted to Annie as the girl did her fun psychic thing, predicting a stampede coming there way. Oddly enough, it was comforting to know that the rumbling wasn't thunder, or else Iris very well might've made like Elizabeth and ran for cover. Instead, she held onto her mug with both hands, eyes scanning the room, waiting for the animals to bust in. It didn't make it any less surprising when they eventually did. They plowed through a number of her teammates, but either due to dumb luck, her training in the maneuver-focused art of tai chi, or a combination of both, she managed to get herself out of the way, clutching her pecan mug tightly to her chest. She was just as dazed as everyone else as the beasts kept moving to the other side of the danger room, but instead of plowing through the other wall to go become someone else's problem, they turned, and seemed to be intent on coming back at them. As they did, however, Iris caught sight of Upsilon stepping out the hole they'd just made, walking through the rubble.

"Upsilon...RAISE THE WALL OF FIRE!" She yelled in a loud, booming voice, raising her arms into the air like a powerful witch drawing upon the earth for a devastating attack. A line of bright blue flames sprung from the ground in between the X-Men and the animals, rising to the impressive height of...two feet. Iris lowered her arms, looking back at her delusion with a frown. "Come on, dude, raise it a little higher than that." Her voice came out whiny, a stark contrast from the powerful shout she'd released moments earlier. Upsilon stood there motionless for a few seconds, before pointing over to the flames. When Iris turned to look, they were a foot higher. "When I said 'a little' I didn't actually mean a little!"

The Gifted - Concluded

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Waverley Watts - Feedback

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Location: George Washington University
Skills: Perception (failed)

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Waverley visibly flinched backwards as Sapphire began to yell at her, her entire body tensing up. Her shoulders shrugged up against her ears, and she shuffled backwards a few steps as the pale-haired woman hounded her. Her face, which had previously been, to some degree, sharp and determined with the excitement of being useful was instead doe-eyed and hurt. Her backwards shambling was eventually stopped by a hand on her shoulder, which, when she looked over, she found belonged to Echo. Despite his late arrival to the group, he was quickly rising on her list of favorite Mutant Underground members.

She relaxed under his grip as he shed validation on her, and defended her against the torrent of angered yelling Sapphire threw her way. She had been trying to help. She assumed having some water to work with would help, even if it wasn't necessary. And as far as the car went, she had no way of knowing Polaris would be able to lift it up so high into the air. There hadn't been time for a briefing before the fight, and she didn't recognize the woman like she had recognized the other two. Though perhaps, she admitted to herself, running over Pyro was a bit much. Having had a power that was more useful for utility than combat, she always just made due with whatever was around.

She shot a glance over at Pyro, hoping the rise of his chest would be obvious and apparent, but she had no such luck. She looked back to Sapphire, walking away from the group, and part of her wanted to speak up, defend herself, but her anxiety held her back. Instead, she simply stood there, her clothes and body getting damp to fit her mood. The cold would be setting in soon, so she turned to head to the van, only to hear Veil speak up suggesting the do just that. But something else she said caught her attention.

"Cayden's not dead. One of the Echos got him to the ambulance. We're gonna have to pick him up later, and we'll have to do something about the bill, but it'll be worth it," Waverley replied a bit too confidently to be sincere, especially from a girl who was usually too nervous to tell the fast food place they got her order wrong. She was still denial, it seemed. Still, she climbed into the van, taking the first available seat. Glancing back in the van, she caught sight of Cayden's lifeless body. She didn't stare at him long enough to determine there was no more life in him, instead whirling her head to look at Echo in the passenger seat. "I-I thought you were going to take him to the ambulance. I don't think he'll be able to make it back to James!"