Infinite Cosmos

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Wings Of Law.

Wings Of Law.

Wings Of Law.

Wings Of Law.

The thought slowly materialized in his mind. Seraph’s smirk. Mr. Impressive’s smug smile. Sea Serpant’s...fucking face. These lowlife, scum of the earth, no good, second rank motherfuckers. They were the ones behind this shit. There has to be a way to get a recording of whatever was said between Nero, Grace and Eliza. William was going to make sure the Wings of Law no longer existed after this ordeal.

Some dark, disturbing things popped into his head along the way. Things that sounded like the word lay.

Taking a deep breath, his previous feeling of inebriation is now completely gone. The group has split up. At this point, it no longer really mattered how they were split. After all, everyone present are capable, powerful heroes in their own right. And if Nero, or Seraph, was to kill any one of them, it would be hell to pay. Nero surely isn’t so dumb that he thinks that it would be ok to fatally harm an official hero.

William hoped anyways.

William exhaled heavily at the mention of the stench. His mind had been too boggled previously to have paid attention to it. Now that he has snapped back to reality, it was as if all of gravity hit him all at once. The smell came with it. William shuddered.

“If this fuck willingly employ such creatures, he shouldn’t be alive... They smell so foul...”

Brie then took off towards the bathhouse, saying something but the ogres not being there, and how there would possibly be a clue there. There wasn’t much choice. He wasn’t going to split himself up away from Brie. He gave an encouraging nod to the rest of the heroes present and took off to chase after Brie, as per usual at this point.

“Hey, slow down, let me go in there first!”

William called out to Brie before the part, and whoever else decided to join them, entered the bathhouse.

@Danvers

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Arken was near the gathering spot for the ceremony when he sort of snapped back to reality, realizing he was just wandering around, waiting for the ceremony to actually begin. It also looks like some of his fellow witches were doing the same. However, the whole being alone and in silence just didn’t sit well with him.

Slowly, he wandered back to where the younger coven members were gathering before. Off to the side, he spotted Hana, still at the table, looking sort of flustered and unsure of herself. A thought flashed in his mind, and he decided to approach her again, perhaps to just strike up more idle conversation.

Or maybe it was something more...mischievous...

Sitting down next to Hana, Arken tapped her shoulder softly and spoke in a gentle tone.

“So, Hana. What sort of magic are you most familiar with?”

He said, as he idly shape a earthen ball into a disc, then into a small mug, then back into a ball.

“As you can see, I’m an Earth magician. My family all are, I suppose. It’s...kind of what we’re known for.”

The earthen ball seems to dance in his palms, now changing from a small star into something heart shaped.

“Ah. There. Thats what I wanted to make. Here. This is for you. It’s a heart.”

He said with a soft smile. The earthen heart slowly hardened until it was dry to the touch. He leaned closer to her, and whispered softly to her

“I don’t often give away my heart. Be sure you take care of it, yeah?”

He leaned back and gave her another wink. He was holding back a grin, knowing that Summer probably saw this and won’t let Hana live this down. Was this act a little devious? Perhaps. But, to Arken, it was just a harmless cantrip, designed specifically to fluster Hana and maybe to incite something in Summer.

@Akayaofthemoon@Danvers

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Well. So much for a peaceful 4th of July celebration. It is like that one line in Harry Potter from decades ago. "Why is it when something bad happens, it's always you three?" Only this time it is the group aptly named The Gang from H.E.R.O. William vaguely remembers seeing an orange mist engulf the party venue. Whatever happened next was hazy at best...

When William slowly woke, his head was pounding and essentially threatening to explode. He grimaced, reaching up to massage his temples with his right hand. He blinks a few times, looking around him to take in the atmosphere and assess the situation. The TV, and Nero, couldn't have been louder than the music at the party. However, given his current state, the sound was deafening and not conducive to the pounding headache he was experiencing.

Listening quietly and looking up at the TV to see a battered Grace and bound Eliza, William sighed and shook his head. "Hey Tom, look, its your girlfriend..." William made the useless comment aimlessly, though he addressed Tom directly with it. He tilted his head to give Brie a small kiss on the forehead as she leaned against him. Rubbing her shoulders softly, William continued to make some more useless comments "Why is it always us that get caught up in some bullshit? This shit tier villain wannabe was probably hired by some cheap fucks to get at us anyways. Lets just blast our way directly to his actor and grab Grace and Eliza. I need some water...and a fucking nap... I can't be asked to do all this..."
Some among the group that are in the same predicament as William made comments and suggestions that were way more logical. Rumi, being who he is, made some logical explanations about their current situation. Tom was obviously very invested in the situation and behaved as such. Some new guy William has not interacted much tried to be the hero among them and go off to fight some...ogres? What the fuck are ogres? Like the movie monster? Maybe this actor wasn't as shit as he thought. If he managed to get actual ogres in here...

"Oi New guy," William spoke to Alpha nonchalantly. "I get it you want to fight, you're not the only one here about that hero life." He said. Yes, he sounds and is behaving more calloused than usual. Blame it on the drinking and the drugging. He stood up, though with more effort than usual. "Right. So. I heard something about a Bath. That means water, like Loverboy over there said. I'll go there, I would say I'll take someone else with me too but I don't know who to take. Brie maybe?" He said. Was there some logic behind his thinking? Perhaps. Water and electricity, when controlled and paired correctly, can be extremely powerful. But, truthfully, William wanted to keep Brie close, as to keep her away from harm. "That leaves the coliseum and basilica. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say we should split the teams as such. Brie, myself and perhaps new guy into the bathhouse. Sam, Tom and Blake into the coliseum and the rest of the Gang into the basilica. Here is my reasoning. Water-based locale for me, obviously. Alpha can be our like... personal guard if things get too close. Sam, Tom, and Blake are potentially ones among us that are the most suited to deal with a physical fight, as it happens in coliseums. Tom can use his aerial mobility to provide support. And Sam is... big. The basilica. People sing in church so Patricia would be great there. Besides Jamie can provide enough firepower by herself. With Rumi controlling the situation, that shouldn't go too poorly, granted that she listens to him. And for JoJo, just... use your powers and don't die, I suppose. There. Did I miss anyone?" William said, visibly tired from all this thinking and plotting.

William looked down the hallway to get a physical assessment of what they're looking to deal with. "Wait. There are a fuck ton of those ogres down there... We'll switch the groups around. Blake's group heads to the basilica and maybe JoJo can help there instead... And for God's sake use your fucking powers this time... But then...the groups are all mixed up. Ugh." William grumbled. "Ok. Here. The bathhouse group is now Brie, myself and Tom. The group charging into the ogres should be new guy, Blake, Jamie and Rumi, with Rumi providing battle plans on the fly. The coliseum group then becomes Jojo, Patricia, and Sam and Angie. With Jojo primarily tasked with keeping the group alive... There. God that made my head spin even more... Any objections or whatever?" William said, massaging his temple some more to try to alleviate the pain some.

@Hitman@DarkRecon@DClassified@canaryrose@KaijuBaragon@Scarifar@Danvers@Amethyst@Rabidporcupine

《 H. E. R. O. 》

The music choice from the DJ was not something William is much used to. A mix of Top 40, Pop, and R&B it seems. William moved somewhat awkwardly, not really know how to act in such situations. Should he put his hands on her waist? Should he try to imitate those scenes from a club that he has seen through various media outlets? All the thoughts made his movements stiff and unnatural, as if he was trying to find a balance in between being an young adult in a club and a responsible adult dancing with their partner.

"I'll take handsome. You're the pretty one." He replied with a soft smile. Somehow, her words always relaxes him. His gently placed his hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When she stumbled slightly, William moved to wrap an arm behind her to steady her. "Yeah. I would offer to take your shoes off and carry them for you but I don't know how clean the floor is so..." William said, shrugging slightly.

At Brie's comment about dancing with him, he leaned down slightly to give her a small peck on the cheek. "And I like dancing with you." He whispered to her. In reality, his first thought was saying something along the lines of 'I like spending my life with you'. But he obviously thought better than to just blurt that out. It wasn't a guarantee that she would remember it anyways. In any case, William continued to sway, albeit awkwardly, to the beat of the music with Brie in his arms. Meanwhile, his thoughts would randomly drift from the party to actually spending the foreseeable future with Brie. What would that even look like? What would that even be like? If Brie was to look at him during this, it would seem like he was just absentmindedly swaying and he was peering into the distance.

The music change snapped him back to reality. Ugh. Why was Starbright's song being played here... Shouldn't Blake pop out of whatever canoodling he was currently engaged in and put an end to this? In any case, the song started, and a flock of drunken guests rushed to the dance floor to aggressively pose, like some idiots. One of them, some no one that more than likely snuck into the party actually had the audacity to barge in to the mass of people so aggressively that they essentially pushed Brie down in the process. For William, it was more the fact that one moment they were standing and dancing, and the next William felt his line of sight suddenly change. In an attempt to not fall, Brie grabbed William and dragged him down. Taking a moment to process everything, William immediately turned his attention to Brie. "Ah. I'm ok. Are you hurt?" He got on one knee and checked on her, gently moving her arms and dusting her off a little. In between caring for Brie, he would glare up at the buffoon that charged past them and knocked Brie down. It was his lucky day that Brie was here and he was a no name.

In one swoop, William swept Brie off of the ground, one arm under her legs behind her knee and the other behind her back holding her up. William stood up and walked off and out of the dance pit. Finding a small clearance, he set Brie down and looked her up and down, making sure she wasn't hurt. "I'll go get you some water, or would you rather I stay here?"

@Danvers

《 H. E. R. O. 》

William reached out with both arms to steady her as she got up. It was quite easy to tell that she had been drinking, and a lot of it by the looks of things. Of course, this was a celebration after all.

“I’ve been away, after the mafia situation I thought I needed some time alone, just to...you know...be away from H.E.R.O. And the day to day things there. I was around, and I’m sorry to have been so absent. I’ve missed you...”

There were more words he wanted to say to her. But, his logics and judgement stopped him. Brie was under the influence, and probably would not understand or appreciate his sweet talk at this time anyways. For some reason, he feels like his words and actions often go unnoticed. The occasional smile, the light blush. All those things. It wasn’t so much as resentment. It was more so he wished Brie would be more open and display her emotions.

Such a minuscule things should not bother him. He felt secure about their relationship. Secure enough anyways. It is perhaps just that it would be nice to see and know what and how she is feeling.

“I think handsome is the word you’re looking for. You’re pretty though.”

William said, finally taking his first glance at her outfit. When Brie clambered over the couch and took his hand, he feel a small shock. One that would be essentially harmless and near painless to others. However, for him, it was somewhat amplified, because of the interaction of his powers and hers. He let out a silent grimace. He was being led to the makeshift dance floor that some of the guests have fashioned.

“Oh no no, I’m not nearly drunk enough to dance to this sort of music...”

He said, chuckling and drinking the content of the glass bottle he held rather quickly. William smiled as they made their way into the dance circle. He pulled Brie close to him, holding her by the waist and swayed, however awkwardly, to the beat of the music.

@Danvers

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

"Mm. Thanks Charles. I don't think I've ever spoken to her before..." He made a quizzical look before letting his attention drift again. Overhearing some idle conversation, Arken leaned back and propped himself up with his arms while sitting on the bench. Glancing over to Summer, she was practically the Queen Bee, or it would seems like she is styling herself out to be. As much fun as it would be to bring her down a notch, this is neither the time nor place for that. There would be plenty of other opportunities for that, Arken thought.

Eavesdropping on Summer's interaction with a newbie was interesting. It was so obvious that she was being sarcastic. She had no desires of getting to know the new kid. She is feigning kindness, almost too dramatically. Of course she has to throw in that her family has been a part of the coven for ages. It would not be a conversation with Summer Abernathy without her mentioning that. In reality, the Abernathys and Stones probably go back a long ways, being some of the more prominent families that have been a part of the coven. Sighing softly and rolling his eyes, he had half a mind to step in and interject as well.

Before that thought became reality, Sister Deborah stepped up and spoke to the initiates. Finally. The show was getting on the road. There were apparently quite a few initiates this year, with Arken being one of them. When Sister Deborah called out Hana's name, Arken felt the slightly flutter in his chest. How odd. Here is this girl who chose to hide on the fringe of the gathering, and for some reason she piqued Arken's interests. In any case, Arken got up and started making his way to the location Sister Deborah had mentioned.

On his way, he swept past Summer. As he did so, he leaned down and whispered to her "Leave the new kid alone, Abernathy." He said with a wink and playful smile. Continuing to make his way towards his destination, he brushed past Hana as well. "Hana, right? Well, I'm Arken. Good luck with the rest of the ceremony. I'll see you around." He gave her a wink as well, before turning and heading towards the gathering location Sister Deborah had announced to them moments ago.

@Danvers@Akayaofthemoon

《 H. E. R. O. 》

The fact that it is the 4th of July and he was going to Blake's house was enough for him to opt for an Uber instead of driving himself. William thought. Knowing the people that will be there, it is an understatement to say that there will be drinking. In fact, it might as well be labeled as "Bacchanalia at the Von Brandt House". A veritable festival of epic proportions.

In any case. William, dressed ever so casually in a pair of cargo shorts, a short sleeved button up shirt that was a size too big as to induce a flow-y feel, and a clean pair of sneakers, arrived right outside of the Von Brandt compound. After paying and tipping the driver, William stepped out, smoothing out the wrinkles of his shirt. "I wonder if Rog would be around..." He thought to himself as he approached the slightly parted gate.

The closer he got to the actual house, the louder the music got. At first, it was the muffled booms of the bass. That then got clearer and clearer as he approached. Then came the mumbled words of whatever song happens to be playing. That gained clarity as well. Randomly, the thought of the lesser water heroes H.E.R.O. has on their payroll flashed though his mind. If he sees them here, he might have to avoid them, for fear of them clinging to him like flies to a flytrap...

The sound of the music became deafening as he opened the door. Whatever creaking noise the door might have made was completely drowned out by the rumbles of the speakers. William chuckled slightly as a few drunken guest stumble past him, slurring out whatever greeting they can muster. His thought was focused on one thing. Well, two, to be honest. The first was to locate one Ms. Brianna Hart. During the time between the mafia mission and now, William has been an absentee boyfriend at best. Sure they talk and videochat and all that. But, the fact remains William has not been around a whole lot. Hell, he didn't even get her a house warming present for moving in with Jamie. And the second task at hand was to acquire alcohol.

He had thought they would move in together somewhere, but in reality it might be far too soon for that anyways.

He did these tasks in reverse order, apparently. Having snagged a fresh beer from a nearby cooler, he set his mind to finding Brie. Noticing a girl whose hair attracted him like magnet for iron, he made his approach. As he got closer, the urge to just wrap her up in a hug naturally grew. Noticing that the girl was having a hard time opening her beer, he chuckled and confirmed to himself that she was the one he was looking for. When he got close enough, he deftly reached over her shoulder, took the unopened bottle of beer from her and replaced it with the one he had recently opened without saying a word.

@Danvers

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

Song for the time

"Yes mother! I've got everything I need!" Arken called out, running down the granite spiral staircase that led to the main double doors of their ancestral home. In a wooded area in upstate New York, there was no way the Stones can afford such an estate in their current economical situation. Luckily for them, the home was built in the early 1920s, made to be palatial, even by the gaudy standards of the Roaring Twenties.

The Stones, leveraging their latent talent to manipulate things of the earth, made a name for themselves as the premier stonemasons of the age. Crafting buildings of awe and splendor for those who could afford them. The skills of which were made to be on display within the Stone Estate, as it is known. The solid granite staircase with inlaid gold trim. The intricate patterns in which the stones were hewn into the floor. The grand columns that lined the halls. All of which seemed like a marvel of craftsmanship for the time. Of course, there have been updates to both the internal and external structure of the building, to keep up with the ever evolving technology of the times. The fact remains, the estate was fit for a family of their standing.

With the door slamming shut behind him, Arken tossed his plain sand-colored backpack onto the front his of his open-air Jeep Wrangler, hopping through the open front door, or lack thereof. Clipping on the seat belt, the key turned and sent the oversized engine into a frenzied roar. Two dull clicks, as Arken set the car in gear and took off for the event du jour.

On the radio, soft melodic voices swirled, singing of whiskey and morphine.The wind in his hair, the sun on his skin, everything felt right. Of course, this was his initiation. Through previous meetings and family events, he had met most, if not all, of the initiates this year. Should be a decent social event, he thought to himself.

Absentmindedly reaching into his backpack, he took out a bottle and drank from it. The water flowed freely, and the cooling sensations quickly filled his mind. Within some moments, Arken made it to the previously disclosed location. Haphazardly parking his car, he hopped out and slung his pack over his shoulders. As he approached the gathering crowd, he surveyed the groups present, to see if anyone he'd care to interact with are present.

"Ah. Good. I see Charles, Dak, SumSum, Rowan, Calypso and the usual gang. Should be fine..." Ark thought to himself as he approached the group. Tugging on the tail of his grey t-shirt, he made somewhat of an attempt to fix up however he was looking at the time before giving up all too quickly. Overall, his hair flowed freely, his shirt was free of wrinkles and his jeans sat a little too low on his waist for the time being. His shoes though, were clean and neat enough.

"Gang, fret not. For Arken Stone has arrived and the party can now officially start. " He proclaimed in a matter of fact way. "Kidding. How is everyone?" Noticing the random bits of food and smells everywhere. "It seems like they actually cared enough about the event to cater some food. Seems nice." He made a small quizzical scowl, analyzing the food. Of course, before proceeding any further, as it was customary, "Charles." Arken said, to the red head in the group.

His attention fluttered to and fro, lazily scanning the surroundings. Someone caught his eyes. "Who. Is that? There?" He motioned with his chin in Hana's general direction. "She new? Or...do I just not remember her name?"

@canaryrose@Jumbus@Danvers@KaijuBaragon@Akayaofthemoon

《 H. E. R. O. 》

"You'd be worth the jail time, if you were a mobster..." William said, working up a weak smile. The intense focus needed to first drive mist out of an air vent against the current and then to reform the dissipating gas back into high pressured jets of water was very draining. It could perhaps be the most intensive use of his powers he has ever attempted.

Not to mention the fact that he was trying to get things done as quick as possible. Couple that with the internal pressure of 'If I fuck this up, Brie is going to get even more hurt, or worse'. He was under the utmost pressure unlike anything he has experienced. He gritted his teeth, occasionally turning to Brie and offering the most reassuring smile he could muster. All the while beads of sweat formed around his forehead, arms and back.

The shells in which the electronics were housed in were indeed tough. As they should be. William, even with using nearly all of his powers, was not making much progress. By this time, he had hoped to have cut open at least one of the machines, and thus disabling the plasma cage. However, he was only able to make a 2 inch deep incision into the shell of the machines. "Fuck, this might take longer than I want... I can't do this for much longer either..." A sudden wooziness came over him and he stumbled slightly, landing on his knee softly as he did so.

William exhaled and relaxed his focus slightly. The jets of water pulled back from the original position as he did so. As he gathered and refocused himself, the doors to the room that they are in were thrown open. William stood up and shielded Brie instinctively and the jets of water turned to face the person that opened the doors, ready to strike.

William then recognized that it was Jamie that had burst onto the scene. "Jamie! What are you doing here!" He exclaimed. The jets of water slowed down and slowly started to dissipate. He drew in and exhaled several ragged breathes. Seeing Jamie shatter and break the machines that once held them, William folded like a lawn chair onto one knee, taking slow, deep breaths. He had regained his powers only a short time ago, and to use them to such extent would have been taxing under optimal conditions, much less the shape he was in. "You... You're over doing it. Slow down. We need to get Brie out of here... She lose her powers for the time being... Did... Did anyone else come with you?" William asked of Jamie, between breaths as he worked on recuperating.

@canaryrose@Danvers

《 H. E. R. O. 》

"Ah. I'm sorry... I didn't know about..." William's voice trailed off as Brie mentioned not knowing her father. Such a subject is often very sensitive. For him to mention it so nonchalantly was awfully thoughtless of him. However, there was no way for him to know that she has had familial problems before. William chewed on insides of his lower lip softly, trying to think about how to broach the subject under more suitable circumstances.

Seeing Brie trying to work out of her restraints, William spoke up softly. "Here, let me see. I never actually saw what sort of restraints they used on us..." As he looked, he saw that they were simple plastic zip cords. "Cheap bastards. They really tied up heroes with zip cords. Hold your hand steady and I'll cut it open..." William said. With a snap, a thin jet of water passed through the restraints, freeing Brie of her hands. "Shhhh..." He whispered to Brie, knowing that she would exclaim in excitement from being released of her restraints.

With another snap of his fingers, his own restraints were cut free with the same thin jet of water. "Now, to disable this damned containment shield..." William looked about, noticing that there were two complex looking machinery near their containment cell. "I'd bet those are the things sustaining the shield... They look expensive. Would be a shame to get some water damage on them..." William said, slightly grinning. Scanning their immediate surroundings, William noticed an air vent on the floor. "Hm. I wonder..."

William turned to Brie. "Wait. So, undercover mission. Powers sent you, Angie, Patti, Tom, and Grace... That is a lot of people to send on a stealth mission but I'm sure they all serve a purpose and the gravity of the mission called for it... Well. Yeah, hopefully Grace and Tom are keeping the kids in line, so they say." William breathed out a small sigh of relief. Tom, despite his lecherous rendezvous, is very reliable when required. Grace, is essentially a female Tom, without the sinful parts. As he thought about it more, William became slightly surprised that Blake didn't come charging in with Brie, seeing as his better half was sent to be undercover inside a mob compound. "I don't suppose Grace can portal us out of here this time, seeing as not even we know where we are exactly..."

William took a small step back. "Right. I haven't said this to you yet. You look great, Those heels give you legs for days. And again. I can never be angry with you." William offered a genuine smile. It was perplexing how she is able to simply pull off any sort of outfit. From gowns made for galas, to whatever she is wearing now, to waking up in bear pajamas. There was just a natural charm to her that William simply could not resist. It could be her optimistic disposition or her confidence in herself. William could not put a finger on it specifically. In any case, William turned to the small air vent on the ground. "There is something I want to try...Hopefully it works. And quick. We won't have much time after I start... Can you run? Fuck it. No matter. I'll carry you out of here if I have to."

William took a deep breath and mustered up whatever strength he had. A thin veil of mist swirled around them, and was promptly push out of the vent. William visibly straining to push the water vapor against the air flow coming into their containment cell. As soon as the water vapor made it out of their cell, William concentrated and formed it into two thin jets of water. Using the highly pressurized streams, William got to work on cutting open the shell of the machine that were near them...

"Hopefully this works..." He muttered.

@Danvers