Framing A Moose

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Location: The Labyrinth
Skills:

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Almost as soon as the guitar strings stopped vibrating under her short, chewed up fingernails, her body, recently relaxed from her music, went tense upon hearing Emily's voice ring out behind her. She'd thought she was alone, or at least no longer in the company of people who really knew her.

"Oh, uh, like I said, that was all just...off the top of my head, so it's not gonna win any Grammy's," she said with an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of her head. For a moment, more than the madness or the monster-filled maze, Waverley was scared that her music had reached Emily's ears before it was ready. But it didn't take long for her to realize how ridiculous that was, at which point a small smirk spread across her lips, and a huff of amusement exited her nose. She reached down and laid her hand upon Emily's vine, finding comfort at its touch. "Thanks for staying, Em...and, uh, sorry for holding you back from the...war," she said. The voices were gone, a fact she attributed more to Emily than herself. And for a moment, she was relaxed. That is until she felt a body bump against her back as another legionnaire was shoved into the labyrinth.

"Hey, hey, you oka-" Waverley began to ask, before she was interrupted by a smooth, elegant voice cutting through the silence. Waverley's eyes shot wide open as she spun around to look at the source. It was...a woman? A beautiful woman with deep black hair and none of the beastly feature Waverley was expecting to find on something that lived in the labyrinth. She stepped out in front of her fellow legionnaire, putting herself between them and the stranger stepping out of darkness. Waverley's brow was furrowed, and her lips were curved down in uncertainty. "You're...you're awfully pretty for a monster. Is this, like, a siren situation? Where you lure us in with a false sense of security and then eat our skin?" she asked, her voice trembling. She didn't know the history of most of the gods, let alone what they looked like, so she didn't let her guard down.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Spaaaaaace!!!!
Skills:

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Despite her rather meager entertainment supply that consisted of a small stack of books (mostly on poetry and philosophy), a journal, and a rather hefty amount of weed, Iris was loving the long trip through space. She found tranquility in it, in the complete and utter silence of the universe, even if she was separated from it by the soft humming of the ship and the sounds of her friends.

She spent most of her time meditating; for hours at a time, she'd sit silent and cross-legged, letting her mind melt into the emptiness outside. She found that the way the absence of the universe cradled them helped her to better become one with it. She was doing just that, outside the cockpit in the more spacious bit of the ship, sitting across from the fighting Annie and not too far from the reading Ed. She'd been like that for roughly an hour and a half when her eyes finally peeled open, staring past Annie's frenzying fists out at the starry abyss of space.

"She's so beautiful," she quietly said, a small grin spreading across her lips. She'd said it every day of their trip at least once, usually more than that. She'd come to refer to space as a she, and if anyone had it in them to ask why, she'd launch into a deep philosophical discussion on the subject, one that'd either end in the inquirer walking away, or Iris getting so high she'd forget what she was talking about. Eventually, after about a minute of staring out at space, her eyes flicked over to Annie. "Man, you really showed that air."

The Gifted - Concluded

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Location: The Mutant Underground
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"Real? Holy shit, that's wild! So we're talking more 'those Scooby Doo live action movies where the monsters are actually real' level shit. Wait, should've prefaced that with spoiler alert, sorry," Waverley rambled, watching as Sunshine began to devour the waffle held out in front of her. More than any speaking of specters, it was Sunshine's dispassionate manner with which she ate that worried Waves. It was so unlike her. She contemplated asking about it, but what exactly would she say? 'Hey, I noticed you were eating weird, what's up with that?' No, that was weird, especially after Sunshine made it perfectly clear that she didn't need a caretaker at the moment. So instead, she let the matter lie for the moment, instead focusing on what Sunshine had gone through back on that island. She contemplated asking Casper to help, but she quickly came to the conclusion that, despite his power, the height of his paranormal knowledge would likely be half-remembered (likely inaccurate) factoids he picked up while binging Buzzfeed Unsolved high as a kite. But who else would be able to help? Just as the thought came to mind, Z popped in, offering answers on a silver platter.

"Er...well, you're a Valkyrie, right Z? Or, rather, a Valkyrie-in-training, I guess. Which means you probably deal with the souls of the dead a lot. So maybe you can help us figure out what the deal was with this ghost Sunshine saw on her trip," Waverley suggested. She had plenty of questions she wanted to ask Zarina, but she wanted to keep her focus on Sunshine. While she was trying to keep herself from being too mushy or overprotective, she also didn't want to divert her attention away from her roommate just yet. She looked back over to Sunshine. "If you don't mind going into the full story, that is."

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Location: The Fucking Labyrinth, Apparently
Skills:

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Waverley's lungs collapsed in a deep sigh as the Sphinx withdrew from its circling prowl around her trembling body. She could feel her whole body relax, her head leaning back as the monster slinked away. The silence left by the Sphinx only lasted a second, as it was quickly replaced by an array of hushed whispers. At first, they were unclear enough that Waves assumed it was the rest of the fifth cohort just outside. But it didn't take long for them to sharpen, becoming clear.

"Lovely..." she mumbled, the voices dripping into her mind. She shot a quick glance over to Demi as he told her to stay, giving him a small nod, both of affirmation and gratitude. As her friends began to peel away, she began chewing on her lip. She backed up into the invisible force field blocking her from the sewers, before using it to slowly slip onto the ground, plopping down on the cold hard stone and crossing her legs. She found the voices...not comforting, that wouldn't be right. They were awful, but they were awful in a way that was familiar. She had more experience with voices whispering cruelties to her than she did with sphinxes spouting out riddles. Her fingers began to gently stroke the strings of her guitar, making a quiet melody. "Yeah, you're right...no one wants me here. Or anywhere, really...do you mind if I play you a song, disembodied voices of madness? Don't judge, I haven't workshopped it at all. In fact, you'll be the first people - people? - to ever hear it, so...don't be too critical," she said into the empty labyrinth. She took a deep breath in, and her idle picking turned into strumming.

"Don't wanna be a Roman,
Just wanna go home again
Not that I could find it even if I tried

I'm just a vagabond
Take back your magic wand
I didn't know what it cost when I applied."

She started out slow, almost shy despite her lack of an audience. But as she played, she fell into her groove, the groove that always fell into when she played, and her strumming became more assured, fast, passionate, as did her voice. It wasn't the tidy, packaged voice you find in studios. It was raw, emotional, but beautiful nonetheless.

"I wanna go back to the tracks, that's where I wanna be
But I went and left them behind me, behind me, behind me

Wanna turn around, but I don't
Could look behind me but I won't
Because I fear, all I have here
Will slip away and disappear

Wanna turn around, but I can't
Could look behind me but I shan't
Because I know, I'll sink below
Away from any home I might one day know."

Waverley's melody continued for a few moments after her voice stopped, but it too eventually ended. Once her little indie punk tune was over, she took deep breaths, a bead of sweat surfacing on the temple of her head as she leaned back against the barrier. "Like I said, it's a work in progress, so don't be too harsh."

Held Roll

Waves is doing her best to use the power of music to keep the madness at bay, with her musical empathy ability, as well her guitar skill and her singing skill. If that's necessary.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Liberty Island
Skills:

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"Shiiiiiit, same dude," Iris said with a giggle as Klara brushed off the burns that had lined her neck. "One time, I got straight up decked by a space gorilla. Compared to that, a little splishing and splashing ain't so bad." Despite still seeming exhausted from the fight, Iris' attitude seemed to be becoming closer to her normal, exuberant self. The smoke dispersed, leaving charred bits of her clothing and the dark, scorched grass as the only evidence that there'd been any fire at all.

"So, now that we're not trying to kill each other, do you two-" she began to say, before looking to her left and finding that Annie had slipped off to check in with her other friends. "...do you one want some...refreshments?" she offered, her signature smirk playing at her lips. She dug her hand into her pocket, rummaging around for her weed, before pulling out what she'd been searching for, holding out in her palm. She let out a soft gasp when she saw it. The heat from her flames had melted the Ziplock bag, the plastic clinging to the weed. It was unsalvageable. She stared down at it mournfully. "Damn...well, I've got more back at the mansion if you wanna come back with us." She raised her head back up to look at Klara.

The Gifted - Concluded

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Location: The Mutant Underground
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Waverley's tight embrace didn't seem to lessen even as her friend tensed up. The hug hadn't been for Sunshine's sake; it'd been for Waverley's sake. A little something to make sure the girl was really there, and to, for at least a few seconds, keep her from disappearing again. She didn't at all mind when James came up behind and joined in, followed by Casper. She didn't even mind when Max was pulled in, inches away from her in the semi-suffocating group hug. She was too invested in soaking in the love to leave room for any of her usual disdain to slip in, though it didn't hurt that he only stayed for a few seconds.

"Good thing I have one to spare," Waverley warmly chimed in response to Sunshine's threat, giving her one last squeeze before finally letting go and worming her way out of the hug. When Callie mentioned food, Waverley bounced excitedly on her heels, and a lightbulb went off in her head. "Oh, I bet you're starving! One sec, Echo made waffles this morning, I'll go grab some of the leftovers!" With that, Waverley sped off to the kitchen. It didn't take her long to find her plate of cold waffles and fruit, somewhat soggy from syrup. She grabbed a fork and quickly went back out, reconvening with the group and shoving the plate out towards Sunshine with almost violent jubilance. The hug had been for Waverley, but the food? That was purely for Sunshine's enjoyment. It was clear that Waverley had gone into full caretaker mode, a setting that could be found in all older siblings. "A haunted island? What kinda Scooby Doo shit happened there?"

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Location: The Fucking Labyrinth, Apparently
Skills:

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Waverley's teeth dug into her lip as the creature didn't seem to soften its hungry stare that appraised her every inch. It continued to prance around her, though she took its small frown as a sign of her victory, though she stopped her lips from splitting into the grin, though her mood was dampened a bit by the creature's rejection of her friendship. "Uh, as flattered as I am by you calling me tasty, I should probably let you know that I tend to prefer girls who...don't have animal bodies and who aren't trying to eat me, y'know?" Waverley joked with a nervous laugh. Then came the riddle, and her mind sharpened back to its intense focus, running through all the options in her head.

"Um...Well, I'm not the biggest fan of being cooked alive, so I'd prefer to be served rare, if that's okay," she slowly replied, answering the creatures question as a way to stall for time. As her head came up empty of an answer, she heard a shout from behind her, seeing the young blonde man standing just at the edge of the labyrinth. It took her a second to process what he'd said, but after a moment, she whirled her head back to the Sphinx. "Yeah, a joke! That makes sense to me!"

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Iris Rivers

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Location: Liberty Island
Skills:

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As the mass of water collided with her and Annie, Iris was flung backwards. Oddly enough, her expression didn't change from her small frown, lips just parted enough for smoke to spill out in a constant stream, even as she collided with the ground and a dull ache rippled throughout her body. She slumped forwards, her blue flames flickering along her hands, as she kneeled back up straight. Her glare turned upwards, straight at Klara, not caring for the chaos that was happening around them. She raised her flaming arm, preparing to let loose once more, though before she could, Klara's voice shifted, becoming high-pitched and worried, rather than the mocking tone she'd been using only seconds before. It was enough for Iris' conscious mind to awake once more, forcing her arm down as she attempted to restrain the flames that brewed just beneath the surface.

As the love goddess came to try and help her up, she had to hold up her hand to stop her, not wanting her to get burned. She began to take deep, relaxed breaths. After a short while, she, with the help of their resident DILF and his healing hands, managed to get herself under control, convincing her chaotic psyche that she was no longer in mortal peril and that it could drop its mindless, adrenaline-fueled rage. Once she had, the fire dancing across her limbs turned to smoke, and she gave a nod to Klara, allowing the girl to help her back to her feet atop the charred grass.

"Yeah, I'm...fine," she replied as Klara pulled her to her feet, letting out a deep huff, exhaling the last bit of self-produced smoke that remained in her lungs. "Don't worry, you weren't the only one out of control. Are you okay? Burns hurt like shit, even the little ones."

The Gifted - Concluded

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Location: The Car -> the Mutant Underground
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Waverley gave a nod to James as he noncommittally filed away her advice for possible future use, not at all seeming disappointed or let down by his slight lack of enthusiasm. Her attention was taken off him, though, when Jack clarified to whom Echo had been referring to. She immediately and visibly perked up at the mention of her friend's safe return, her lips turning into a small smile even as the dire circumstances were discussed. This smile was only widened when Echo, an alumnus of the school she'd privately obsessed over since her tweenhood, called her a natural. It'd been a long time since she'd smiled for herself and herself alone, and yet, almost in spite of herself and the darkness that hung in the car with the arrival of this new threat, she beamed as she directed her eyes out the window.

"Well, you gotta do the best with what you got, right?" Waverley bashfully mumbled in response to the compliment, though the grin that stuck on her face the whole ride home did a fine job of showing just how much it had meant to her. Not even the apparition of Casper's constant cadaverous companion and subsequent speck of spit that landed in her eye was enough to shake it, instead simply causing her to burst out in a fit of barely stifled laughter and wipe her eye with her sleeve. "Gotta say, as far as first impressions go, that was pretty solid Ben. Nice to, uh, sorta finally meet you," she chirped, despite the spectral guest having vanished from sight. Almost as soon as the van stopped moving, Waverley unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the vehicle. She followed behind Callie, right up until two familiar blondes came into view, at which point she quickly dashed past her and towards them.

"Sunshine!" Waverley exclaimed, throwing her arms around the girl. She had to get onto her tiptoes to give the girl a proper bearhug, gripping onto her tightly, as if to keep her from being swept away again. Her protectiveness over the girl might've looked a little ridiculous, given how Sunshine loomed over her, but that wasn't going to stop Waverley from fretting over the girl's wellbeing like one would over a baby duck. "Are you okay? Did Max do anything to you? Where did her teleport you to?" Waverley's shot the questions out one after the other, not leaving room to answer until after she was done asking all of them.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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Location: The Fucking Labyrinth, Apparently
Skills: Musical Empathy, Guitar, Pop Culture

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Some of the fear that had built up in Waverley drained from her as she felt the creature's hand slip into hers, reciprocating her offered handshake and gave her a big ol' smile. Sure, the smile was filled with razor-sharp teeth, but that wasn't the creature's fault. Waverley returned it with a small smile of her own, one that was somewhat forced, with traces of fear still lingering as the creature began to elegantly prance around the purple-haired girl. Waverley slowly spun around, following the creature with her gaze. When it allowed her help from her peers, she quickly shifted her attention back to them, listening for their help. None came - in fact, the only thing she heard was bickering concerning what they should do, with the only person hellbent on helping her being a young athletic-looking man she didn't recognize. As the Sphinx crossed in front of the forcefield that kept Waverley in, she shot a glance at Emily, a twinge of betrayal in her eyes as her truest friend in New Rome's intent to help her seemed to be outshined by that of a stranger. The glance lasted for only a second, as her eyes shifted back to follow the strutting sphinx.

"Um..." Waverley began, digging through her memories, trying to remember the details of the childhood riddle speed rounds she and her sister would partake in to make road trips less boring. God, Riley would not be struggling with this as much as she was. She bit down on her bottom lip, thinking for a few more moments, before speaking. "Is it...is it rain?" Waverley asked, her stomach tied into a tight knot. Her grip on her guitar loosened, letting it rest in her arms into a playing position, as her fingers slowly began to strum a soft cover of Have You Ever Seen the Rain. "Can we please cut the life and death stuff? I mean, when was the last time you just...hung out with someone? I'm up for continuing the riddle game, but why don't we bet, like, money or having to do funny dares, instead of, y'know...my life."