Lasrever

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Zoe Fletcher

---

𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 / / 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 / / ~𝟘𝟝𝟚𝟘

---

Thanks to her athleticism, Zoe managed not to tire much at all on the way to the lighthouse. The knowledge provided little comfort as they reached their destination, finding it empty of their disappeared classmates and confirming her worst suspicions. Sander's words only reinforced that the teleporting idiots had, in fact, gone back to the mansion - if he could tell, he'd surely have said the others were nearby, right?

Which meant they weren't coming. How many was that, then? Four. Four classmates dead if they completed their escape now. Of course, she knew fine well that staying could well increase that number - hell, Lawrence had told her as much, it was why she'd stayed with the fleeing group in the first place. But what was a necessary sacrifice, what was acceptable... this wasn't it.

This was too many.

No-one else gets left behind. That was the deal.

Her emotions were muted at the moment, but she knew she'd be furious the moment that ended. Possibly dangerous. She'd almost definitely want to kill something, to tear someone apart slowly and hear the slow rip of flesh, the popping and cracking of tendons, of bone. Maybe that was what was happening to the others right now. She could imagine it, Brent with an ear hanging on by a thread, Siena with shattered bones protruding from her arm, Gregory screaming as--

Don't fucking smile.

So maybe things weren't exactly looking fantastic on the mental stability front. Maybe she really needed the calm-down aura right now from a purely logical standpoint. Nonetheless, if Lawrence tried to stop her from fighting this time, she'd keep to her earlier promise and take him down one way or another. That was something she'd made clear enough when it came to the change in circumstances. Getting on that ferry would mean abandoning the others for real, and she couldn't do that.

Pretty selfless, wasn't it? Or did she just want an excuse to go out there and hurt people? Get hurt herself?

It wouldn't make a difference. The actions were what mattered, not the motives behind them. Besides, the others weren't vicious enough to win this fight without her taking the lead, that much seemed certain. Sander's words had only confirmed that they weren't alone, and her gaze wandered over to the staircase. A lookout point - someone up there too, maybe, if the blood and footprints were any indication. A possible ally? That, or just ammunition for a ranged attack depending on how useful they were. Either way, it'd be a good start.

That being said, there was another issue to deal with first. Namely, the two assholes who'd decided the middle of a subnatural attack with their teammates' lives on the line was the right time to lie to her fucking face. Suddenly she felt a lot less bad about the earlier threats, not that she could properly follow up on them right now. Instead, with absolutely no warning she chose one of the two at random, span around, and launched a full-force kick right between Marcus' legs. Okay, she hadn't strictly been aiming there, but...

Well, it certainly made her point.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

_@Sickle-cell

Yeah, this whole thing was a mess, but Robin kinda liked it. Or at the very least, she wasn't nearly as worried as she should have been, watching things begin to escalate. She'd managed to keep her head down as more capes appeared, but sooner or later she'd have to make a move. The faster she made an impact, the better her chances of being gone before the town's glorified babysitters turned up to stick them all in time-out.

Not that she was against the idea of shutting down the violence per se, she just didn't want to be there when it happened. So, 'efficiency' would have to the word of the day. Fine by Robin - a time trial was as good a test as any. Speaking of which, she'd have to pick a target. At first she glanced towards the other independents... couldn't be sure if they were on Gladius' side or Wonderland's until they started trying to murder her, which meant the Wonderland targets were priority.

And that leaves us with two.

Or two that she could see, anyway. Freakshow's creatures were something she didn't know if she could deal with, but they seemed to be making close-range attacks for now. Askaryan, on the other hand, seemed to be going for longer-ranged attacks. It was a simple decision - if nothing else, she knew which one she needed to surprise if she wanted a chance at this.

Taking advantage of the distraction provided by the exploding car, Robin grinned to herself.

ᴄʟᴏᴀᴋɪɴɢ : ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ

Sixty seconds, give or take. No more time for hesitation.

Of course, there were unwritten rules to obey - rules that would keep her from using the element of surprise to decapitate anybody, even if it'd probably mean one less person wanting to murder her in future. Wasn't as if she ever planned on inviting Wonderland's pet psychos to a dinner party, so she was okay with burning that particular bridge. Really, she was being pretty damn reasonable about this, all things considered. Live and let live, as much as this situation would allow.

Not that she expected Askaryan to see it the same way, as she sprinted towards the other cape - strength letting her move faster than any normal human would - and lunged. One arm aiming to slice a blade across the back of their legs and remove any mobility, the other launching an armour-clad punch at the back of their skull to hopefully knock the parahuman out.

Had to hope it worked, though - she could already feel the cloaking device starting to heat up already, and knew whether her attack succeeded or not, she was about to become a whole lot more visible.

Man, I really need to fix this thing.

Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy, Boss Battling Epic

Dwyn

"Dwyn!"

That voice... they were alive? Those footsteps were--

No. Dwyn's eyes widened in horror. Because if those approaching were her companions, then their trials weren't over. If she were better, stronger, faster, perhaps she could have protected them for once. If she had the fortitude, the willpower... but she didn't, and she couldn't. All she could do was lie there, exhausted, and fail them yet again.

I'm sorry. How cruel was it, that they'd survived that onslaught, made it out for another day, only to die at the hands of a madman? For her benefit, no less, as he'd chosen to keep her alive through his misguided defence. Oh, gods, I'm sorry.

Lying, hopeless, eyes staring towards her insane saviour. Her words would not deter him, surely. She doubted it would be possible to shake his conviction. But he was human, more human than those priests, than that monster had been before. And her companions had surely brought this misfortune upon themselves with their foolish insistence on fighting, their arrogant posturing, the marks of a group with no idea what they were doing.

They didn't deserve to be struck down before they ever had the chance to learn.

But she couldn't save them. Her reply to Ihosha was weak, choked out between shuddering gasps.

"It's a trap--" And in that moment, watching the stranger launch his attack, she knew the warning would have come too late. Pain in her throat, fear in her mind, Dwyn didn't even try and look towards the others. She didn't want to listen to them die, to know that she could so easily have helped them. But she would, because there was no fairness, no justice. That had all been lost to the dark. There was nothing, absolutely nothing she could do for them in this moment.

Forgive me. She had no right to ask that of them, after leaving them to this.

As she lay awaiting her fate, Dwyn's tears flowed freely at last.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

With all their organisation, you'd think Gladius would give me a few days' notice.

But judging by the fact that a hooded, masked, synthetic skin-less Robin was currently sprinting through back alleys like a bat out of hell, that guess would be way off the mark. Dropped in at the deep end, with very little idea of who she was up against - other than that they were part of that 'Wonderland' freak-show. Which meant that whoever they were fighting, they wouldn't be the pinnacle of fair play and mental stability.

Of course, it was completely possible that she didn't get that intel because they didn't care whether she lived or died. As far as most people were concerned, Automaton had nothing much to do with Gladius, so they no doubt wanted her to take a fall if this went belly-up, but she didn't care too much. When it came to stopping needless, purposeless violence, taking on Wonderland could only be a good thing. It made siding with Gladius the lesser of two evils, at least.

The very real possibility that she could die didn't seem to occur to her. Not that it mattered either way; if she broke her agreement with Gladius she didn't exactly think they'd invite her to their Christmas party. Robin was smart enough to know when something was basically suicide, and if she dumped them in the middle of an operation she'd be as well cutting her own head off to save them the trouble. Besides, working alone as she did, there was no hope of actually beating them in a fight.

So for now, all she could do was deal with it. If her estimation was right, she wouldn't be too far from the location she'd been ordered to attend. As if to confirm the thought, gunfire rang out just around the corner, leaving her thankful she hadn't been a little faster. Somehow she doubted they'd have held back on shooting just 'cause she was there, and catching a bullet to the brain wasn't what she'd call a good health decision.

Robin smiled to herself, not too bothered by the prospect of the upcoming fight. At least I got the right alley, huh? At least the directions had been good, if nothing else. While the noise confirmed she was in the right place, the fact that it was regular gunfire also left her pretty sure she was the only cape on Gladius' side right now. Not good odds, but perfect for testing herself.

As she approached the corner, she stopped. The moment bullets stopped flying, she planned to switch on her cloaking device and take down the nearest Wonderland psychopath. If she was, as she expected, outnumbered, then she wasn't above a sneak attack or two; though there wouldn't be a chance for much more before the camouflage wore off.

For now she extended her blades, listened, and waited for her chance to strike.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

@Sickle-cell Little late since I haven't really had time to do much today, but just for future;

Robin/Automaton's been in Boston for almost a year at this point, spending most of her time see-sawing between tech robberies and interfering with crime. Most of what she does right now is just based around getting hold of new materials or picking fights to try and figure out how she needs to upgrade, so she's undoubtedly managed to annoy most of the factions in one way or another.

For now, I could see her being on the hook with Gladius in a 'I'll help you out if you let me do my own thing & don't murder me' type of deal. So she could get called in if they feel like it, but she's not a member or generally associated with them. Generally functions as an independent, but makes a convenient bit of extra muscle / potential scapegoat.

She wouldn't join any faction properly without some sort of catalyst, because that would require her to actively take control of her life instead of just going with the flow. Which isn't exactly something she ever does right now.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

Automaton

(Appearance Note: The cybernetics are covered by a synthetic skin most of the time. Which can be removed by water, heat, fire, and also torn off very easily, because it's not part of her and therefore she sucks at making it.)

Name: Robin Stirling

Cape Name: Automaton

Theme Song: Memtrix - All You are

Aspects

High Concept: The Industrial Evolution

Trouble: Lost to the Machine

Origin: Grease-Monkeying Around

Growth: Inconsequential Impotence

Adventure: New Body, New Start

Bio

Personality

Personality: Surprisingly easygoing and never quite seeming worried by anything, Robin is very difficult to throw off. There's a certain level of detachment in how little she seems to care, as though she genuinely isn't afraid of anything - a trait which is as admirable as it is a massive problem. Most of her actions are motivated by a borderline obsession with 'upgrading' herself, whether that be robbing a secure shipment for rare parts, or picking a fight with a powered-up gang just to see how well she does.

She's certainly not unintelligent, but doesn't take into account the big picture - preferring to dedicate her wits to defensive snark instead. In fact, even when confronted she completely dismisses the consequences of her actions, preferring to do whatever suits her in the moment. In a word, she's painfully naive; and in a city full of powerful players, that kind of thing can really come back to bite you.

History

History: It's been said that everyone's the main character of their own story, that they play a part in someone else's. If you were to ask Robin, that's a complete lie. Because the world is filled with people whose tales would never be written. The boring, the predictable, the utterly forgettable. You can't be a character if there's no story there to tell - if your existence is so completely inconsequential that you're little more than a footnote on the great big book of life. When every day's an exact routine, every night's the same damned dinner and the same damned room and the same damned bed...

You might have a name, a face, and an address, but you're nobody at all.

A fittingly pathetic description of her life, one that seemed made up of a thousand filler episodes and not a single thing of substance. Completely average. Never wanting for enough to struggle, never rich enough to fill her days with excitement.

When she came to this realisation, at the age of twenty-two, she made it her mission to change it, to become better. Desperation set in to find something that would give her an identity, some reason to be remembered, to be somebody for once in her life. But it all felt wrong, and it all rang hollow, and no matter what she tried she'd come back home to the same vapid entertainment and bland, flavourless, food.

And eventually, after months of trying, she reached a tipping point, failure after failure building up - a frustrated scream, lashing out against a glass door and putting her foot straight through it, when something changed. She didn't know what exactly until she woke the next day, the lacerations caused by the glass completely healed over.

The main feature of her particular power set was difficult to realise right away, and for a while she thought the slow healing was all she had. Still, she kept feeling a temptation to gather parts, to work. And soon enough, she gave in, going on a shopping spree for whatever she could get her hands on and giving in to the urge to use them for something. Picking up a knife in her hands, she got to work.

The memory of that first session is hazy, but waking in a pool of her own blood and looking down at her foot to see something as much machine as flesh was more than enough to realise what she'd done. It should have been a horrifying revelation, to know that she'd torn away her own skin, but she smiled.

Because this, this hybrid of man and machine... this was something. This was someone. And while her abilities seemed practically non-existent when it came to things outside herself, she had enough expertise to craft a synthetic skin that would cover her hybrid appearance. A skin that, admittedly, was easily torn away, flammable, and for whatever stupid inconvenient reason water-soluble, but it covered up well enough.

And within the next couple of years, she'd saved up enough to buy a garage in one of Boston's cheaper areas, working as your everyday, run-of-the-mill mechanic. Partly because her abilities put her on the level of a slightly unreliable human worker, but mostly because it gave her an excuse to have an actual workshop where she began to properly recreate herself - not that she'd let anyone in there, mind you. The bloodstains would be very difficult to explain.

Still, every fight won, every shop robbed, every crime stopped was worth it. Because finally, even if it was in secret, Robin knew she was finally leaving a mark. Even if no-one suspected the ever-cheerful mechanic's identity, hidden under synthetic skin and shabby outfits, she knew the truth.

And Automaton, at last, was someone with a story worth telling.

Abilities

Current Classification: Tinker (5), Brute (1), Stranger (1)

Ability Description

Specialising heavily in self-alteration, her tinker abilities are almost exclusively limited to being used on her own body - rather than the creation of weapons and gadgets, everything she makes has to be implemented into herself, replacing or reinforcing what is already there. Of course, the nature of having to change out her own parts makes improving herself a painful and drawn-out process, considering she has to remain conscious the entire time. The power won't allow her to try anything on her vital organs, either - presumably a restriction preventing her from killing herself by accident.

In order for her to make her alterations safely, she also has increased regeneration. Not enough to make a significant difference in a fight, but enough that most wounds heal within a matter of hours. If she loses a limb or something similar, it's not growing back - she'll be stuck trying to make a replacement. As is, making a major alteration can leave her incredibly vulnerable for anywhere from 10-12 hours, not to mention that she'll likely pass out as soon as the recovery process is completed.

Current Modifications

Detailed Description

Her limbs are the only part where she's made any significant modifications so far - they're armoured to the point of being almost bulletproof, joints upgraded to allow a far greater-than-normal range of movement, and implemented a retractable blade into each arm which can be extended forwards from the wrist, or back from the elbow. While she's toyed with the idea of adding ranged weaponry, she hasn't found the materials to do so yet.

In terms of the rest of her body, there are two notable alterations. First are the reinforced muscle fibers which leave her better able to take a hit and significantly (around 3x) stronger than the average human, though she can't compete with many genuine Brutes. Second is the prototype cloaking device she's currently working on, though it currently only operates for about a minute at a time without overheating and shutting down - and is designed more for camouflage than genuine invisibility.

She has also claimed to have a built-in cup holder, but that might just be a joke.

Handy Gear list and Stuff

• Retractable Blades, both arms
• Light armour, arms & legs
• Increased joint mobility
• Muscle Reinforcement, Full-body
• Cloaking Device (Prototype)
• ...Cup holder (?)

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

Automaton

(Appearance Note: The cybernetics are covered by a synthetic skin most of the time. Which can be removed by water, heat, fire, and also torn off very easily, because it's not part of her and therefore she sucks at making it.)

Name: Robin Stirling

Cape Name: Automaton

Theme Song: Memtrix - All You are

Aspects

High Concept: The Industrial Evolution

Trouble: Lost to the Machine

Origin: Grease-Monkeying Around

Growth: Inconsequential Impotence

Adventure: New Body, New Start

Bio

Personality

Personality: Surprisingly easygoing and never quite seeming worried by anything, Robin is very difficult to throw off. There's a certain level of detachment in how little she seems to care, as though she genuinely isn't afraid of anything - a trait which is as admirable as it is a massive problem. Most of her actions are motivated by a borderline obsession with 'upgrading' herself, whether that be robbing a secure shipment for rare parts, or picking a fight with a powered-up gang just to see how well she does.

She's certainly not unintelligent, but doesn't take into account the big picture - preferring to dedicate her wits to defensive snark instead. In fact, even when confronted she completely dismisses the consequences of her actions, preferring to do whatever suits her in the moment. In a word, she's painfully naive; and in a city full of powerful players, that kind of thing can really come back to bite you.

History

History: It's been said that everyone's the main character of their own story, that they play a part in someone else's. If you were to ask Robin, that's a complete lie. Because the world is filled with people whose tales would never be written. The boring, the predictable, the utterly forgettable. You can't be a character if there's no story there to tell - if your existence is so completely inconsequential that you're little more than a footnote on the great big book of life. When every day's an exact routine, every night's the same damned dinner and the same damned room and the same damned bed...

You might have a name, a face, and an address, but you're nobody at all.

A fittingly pathetic description of her life, one that seemed made up of a thousand filler episodes and not a single thing of substance. Completely average. Never wanting for enough to struggle, never rich enough to fill her days with excitement.

When she came to this realisation, at the age of twenty-two, she made it her mission to change it, to become better. Desperation set in to find something that would give her an identity, some reason to be remembered, to be somebody for once in her life. But it all felt wrong, and it all rang hollow, and no matter what she tried she'd come back home to the same vapid entertainment and bland, flavourless, food.

And eventually, after months of trying, she reached a tipping point, failure after failure building up - a frustrated scream, lashing out against a glass door and putting her foot straight through it, when something changed. She didn't know what exactly until she woke the next day, the lacerations caused by the glass completely healed over.

The main feature of her particular power set was difficult to realise right away, and for a while she thought the slow healing was all she had. Still, she kept feeling a temptation to gather parts, to work. And soon enough, she gave in, going on a shopping spree for whatever she could get her hands on and giving in to the urge to use them for something. Picking up a knife in her hands, she got to work.

The memory of that first session is hazy, but waking in a pool of her own blood and looking down at her foot to see something as much machine as flesh was more than enough to realise what she'd done. It should have been a horrifying revelation, to know that she'd torn away her own skin, but she smiled.

Because this, this hybrid of man and machine... this was something. This was someone. And while her abilities seemed practically non-existent when it came to things outside herself, she had enough expertise to craft a synthetic skin that would cover her hybrid appearance. A skin that, admittedly, was easily torn away, flammable, and for whatever stupid inconvenient reason water-soluble, but it covered up well enough.

And within the next couple of years, she'd saved up enough to buy a garage in one of Boston's cheaper areas, working as your everyday, run-of-the-mill mechanic. Partly because her abilities put her on the level of a slightly unreliable human worker, but mostly because it gave her an excuse to have an actual workshop where she began to properly recreate herself - not that she'd let anyone in there, mind you. The bloodstains would be very difficult to explain.

Still, every fight won, every shop robbed, every crime stopped was worth it. Because finally, even if it was in secret, Robin knew she was finally leaving a mark. Even if no-one suspected the ever-cheerful mechanic's identity, hidden under synthetic skin and shabby outfits, she knew the truth.

And Automaton, at last, was someone with a story worth telling.

Abilities

Current Classification: Tinker (5), Brute (1)

Ability Description

Specialising heavily in self-alteration, her tinker abilities are almost exclusively limited to being used on her own body - rather than the creation of weapons and gadgets, everything she makes has to be implemented into herself, replacing or reinforcing what is already there. Of course, the nature of having to change out her own parts makes improving herself a painful and drawn-out process, considering she has to remain conscious the entire time. The power won't allow her to try anything on her vital organs, either - presumably a restriction preventing her from killing herself by accident.

In order for her to make her alterations safely, she also has increased regeneration. Not enough to make a significant difference in a fight, but enough that most wounds heal within a matter of hours. If she loses a limb or something similar, it's not growing back - she'll be stuck trying to make a replacement. As is, making a major alteration can leave her incredibly vulnerable for anywhere from 10-12 hours, not to mention that she'll likely pass out as soon as the recovery process is completed.

Current Modifications

Detailed Description

Her limbs are the only part where she's made any significant modifications so far - they're armoured to the point of being almost bulletproof, joints upgraded to allow a far greater-than-normal range of movement, and implemented a retractable blade into each arm which can be extended forwards from the wrist, or back from the elbow. While she's toyed with the idea of adding ranged weaponry, she hasn't found the materials to do so yet.

In terms of the rest of her body, there are two notable alterations. First are the reinforced muscle fibers which leave her better able to take a hit and significantly (around 3x) stronger than the average human, though she can't compete with many genuine Brutes. Second is the prototype cloaking device she's currently working on, though it currently only operates for about a minute at a time without overheating and shutting down - and is designed more for camouflage than genuine invisibility.

She has also claimed to have a built-in cup holder, but that might just be a joke.

Handy Gear list and Stuff

• Retractable Blades, both arms
• Light armour, arms & legs
• Increased joint mobility
• Muscle Reinforcement, Full-body
• Cloaking Device (Prototype)
• ...Cup holder (?)

Modifications will probably be updated as she makes new additions/alterations throughout. It's only likely to happen with an actual reason for her to do so (i.e. someone beating her into the pavement), and I'll probably run them by you @Sickle-cell whenever I'm thinking about adding new stuff.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

Just gonna pop in and say I'm here!

Currently working on a tinker with a focus on self-alteration, so that'll hopefully be fun. Or messed-up. Probably both.

Worm - A Gritty Parahuman Roleplay Interest Check

Well, I was going to just silently creep on look at some interest checks, but I have a terrible, terrible weakness for gritty superpower RPs and love Worm in general, so count me in!

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Voice of Reason

Zoe | Lawrence

---

𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 / / ℤ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘'𝕤 𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖 / / ~𝟘𝟝𝟘𝟘

---

For his part, Lawrence took the evacuation of procedure, it was far from his first emergency wakeup since joining USARILN East. Not that it made things any less of a pain in the ass. Not bothering to put them on yet- there'd be time for that when his life wasn't immediately at risk- Lawrence grabbed the pants he wore yesterday off of the floor and his jacket hanging by the door. With a quick motion for Lizzy to follow, he opened the door only to find someone already waiting on the other side, poised mid-knock to get his attention. With a sigh, starting to button his shirt with his free hand, Lawrence and Lizzy walked past him into the hallway.

“So where are we going?”

*****

Unsurprisingly, Zoe was a little off-balance after the sudden evacuation - not to mention that she looked like a goddamn mess. Being dragged out of bed at this time wasn't good for anyone, and it had taken her a while to try and figure out what's going on. But one particular statement had caught her attention, a panicked shout. A quick glance around the room confirmed it. We're missing people. But they were in the middle of being evacuated, so she'd held on and waited in the hopes that they'd turn up.

It didn't happen. As Aldrich finally arrived, his words didn't do much more than make her certain it wouldn't. Hostiles on the island - the Amigos, even. Hadn't the guy in town mentioned them? Regardless, it left very little doubt in Zoe's mind as to the situation. Whatever had happened to their teammates, they weren't coming. The order to leave said as much, but she wouldn't accept that they were dead. Angel and Gregory were out there somewhere.

And these guys wanted them to just up and leave. To 'evacuate'-- more accurate to say they'd be running away like cowards. Fleeing while their teammates were exposed to who-knows-what. It didn't take her long to make the decision, hell, it was hardly a decision at all. The expression on her face was resolute, cold anger the overriding emotion in her gaze as she nodded to herself. Instead of following their plans and leaving like they were supposed to, she turned to run straight towards the hatch that led outside, even as several of the staff members shouted after her to stop.

She didn't get far. Almost immediately her right leg was enveloped in a white light and went entirely rigid- throwing the aberration to the ground mid sprint with more force than Lawrence (Now fully dressed) would have preferred. Still, he hardly cared at the moment, a few bruises were preferable to a suicide charge. An insanely stupid suicide charge. To say he was annoyed would be an understatement, but at the moment he had to try to push those thoughts back the way he always had. It'd be too much of a pain in the ass to transfer irritation into Zoe at the moment.

As soon as the redhead hit the ground the glowing around her leg stopped, and was replaced by the familiar aura of Lawrence's power. The mild irritation was still present, but it was a minor element of what he was transferring at the moment. For the most part there was simply... calm, rational calm that was slowly forcing its way into his teammate's psych. He was not going to be taking any chances today with two members already dead, or most likely dead.

“Zoe, what the Hell do you think you're doing?”

Taken off guard and winded by her sudden crash to the floor, Zoe didn't even have time to try and stand before a sense of calm set in. Feeling the effects of the power, it wasn't exactly hard to figure out who had been responsible for prematurely ending her flight. She had an idea how pissed she'd be if he wasn't messing with her thoughts, but for now she was forced into being mostly reasonable. So, as it was, she got to her feet slowly, turning to look back at Lawrence.

It would have been logical to assume the lack of panic might bring her to her senses, but her voice was firm.

"I'm going out there. If nothing else, I can do some damage in the forest, and there's no point wasting time."

“And what point is there in doing damage? We've been here for over an hour, most of us are accounted for. You're going to run off and... what exactly? Did you tell me everyone needs to know what the priorities are? The team is here and at any moment The Amigos might be too.”

It was one thing to lose Gregory and Angel- even if he had never spoken much with the former- but right now everyone else was alive and accounted for- and potentially surrounded by enemies that were more capable than most of the team. If they had found Angel and Gregory by this point with the intent to kill them, he was 100% sure that they were already dead. If for some reason they wanted the two alive, then they were still alive anyone. If neither had been caught yet- well it wasn't a scenario that was worth throwing away everybody's life over.

“We know everyone here is still alive. What do you think is going to happen if they get attacked and you've run off?”

"Well, I could kill the fuckers. Amigos can't come for any of you if they're dead. Simple enough." Zoe shrugged, seeming almost uncharacteristically dismissive of Lawrence's reasoning - but then, it wasn't like she had no ulterior motive here. A cowardly one, perhaps, a selfish one, and certainly not something she'd ever reveal to the rest of them. But a motive all the same.

"Besides, you can handle yourselves--" she frowned before correcting herself, "you should be able to handle yourselves without me. It's not like I can babysit forever." Though she couldn't help but be aware of her hypocrisy, being cocky was as good a defence mechanism as any. "And even if I don't win, I can be a hell of a distraction while you guys get out."

“I seem to remember you telling me that you don't trust them to keep each other alive, Zoe. So where the hell is this newfound confidence coming from- because I don't recall this team winning any fights in the meantime.”

Irritation was beginning to pick at him more strongly now, and he drew closer to Zoe as he spoke, trying to at least keep some privacy to the argument, even if that was a far secondary priority. His intention right now was to keep her- and by extension probably everyone else- alive. If it meant airing some dirty laundry in the process they could settle that when their lives weren't in imminent danger.

“If Angel and Gregory are out there, you're abandoning more than a dozen people to go after two. If you 'don't win' then we've just lost three people, including one of the only ones that can help everyone else stay alive right now.”

Zoe was beginning to get the distinct feeling that she would have punched Lawrence if he wasn't zapping her; her brow furrowing into a scowl at his first comment, which only added to the number of things that would have set her off by now. Like him, she lowered her voice slightly, but subtlety wasn't exactly her strong point. "So I'm supposed to leave them to die? I doubt I'm the only one that plans on staying."

What she wanted was to run - to go out there and do whatever it took to not lose people again. Even if it meant her own life, Zoe knew she'd make that sacrifice gladly for a chance that one of her own wouldn't fall.

But thanks to the arbiter's power, her head could rule over her heart, and that clarity changed her decision. It wasn't like she hadn't made necessary sacrifices before - wasn't like she hadn't agreed to make more even while on this island. She looked towards Callan, appearing to think something over before nodding. Pragmatism. Necessity. Somebody has to. Even if she hated what she was about to say, she had a role to fill and promises to keep. I hate that you're right about this.

"If we're going, everyone here comes with us whether they like it or not. I'm not leaving anyone behind that we don't need to. I don't care if that means I have to cripple these dumbasses and drag 'em down that tunnel myself - no-one else gets left behind." Zoe sighed, forcing herself to lock eyes with Lawrence. "If that's not something that can be done, then I'm going out of that hatch even if that means taking you down to do it."

“I'm trying to keep everyone alive Zoe- including you. I don't really care how injured we get in the process as long as Christmas and Lily are there at the end of the day to patch us up.”

He answered her gaze with a shrug. Of course he didn't want any of the team injured, but there was the bigger picture to focus on. The Amigos would probably do far worse to them than Zoe, although dealing with the ill will generated would be... troubling. Still, death was a far more permanent problem than distrust, and he was willing to take on some of the former in exchange for avoiding the latter.

“I want to keep my power on you until we're out of danger. This isn't really asking permission, just- You can sort it out with me afterwards all right?”

"You..." Don't trust me. Zoe looked faintly hurt. While it was more than justified from her track record, the implications that she couldn't help but read into weren't exactly fun to confront. Concerns for later though. A tentative nod, knowing he'd probably do it regardless. "Fine. You can keep using it. This time's fine." She really wasn't okay with it, but also had enough sense not to start a fight with Lawrence right now.

Like he said, she could talk to him about it later, though it was clear that part of her wanted to argue as she looked away. For now, the main priority was securing their escape. After a moment's thought, she gestured towards the tunnel, speaking quietly. "Think we could block it somehow? Don't want to risk any attackers getting through." Of course, that'd remove the servants' escape route as well, but she didn't particularly care.

“Maybe, but I think getting a head start on moving would be a better use of our time. We're taking a big enough risk just standing here and talking.”

With that he turned away from the door, and checked his pocket for the flare gun he usually kept in his jacket. Any other gun would have been appreciated at that time, but bitching wouldn't change what he had to work with. Silently he did a quick head count, forgetting Zoe for the moment. Then with a frown he did another.

And a third.

“Speaking of, we might be getting left behind as it is. Am I going blind or there fewer of us now?”

Eyes widening, Zoe looked around the group, double-checking Lawrence's count. She hadn't seen anyone flee, but it didn't take her long to join him in realising there were definitely people gone who shouldn't have been. As for who... as she caught sight of the dog in Ernie's arms, the pieces came together all too quickly. "Shit."

But that wasn't right, was it? No-one had tried to exit through the hatches, she knew that. So how--

Of course. "Siena can fucking teleport." And why the hell hadn't Zoe thought of it sooner? Because she'd been too caught up in her own suicide run, probably. Great going - not only was she still around, her actions had let her classmate zap off somewhere to be killed. Shaking her head guiltily, Zoe sighed. "Should've shut her down before she had the chance."

“... Looks like Brent hopped along with her.”

Right, the guy he had tied up and stolen from during that flag match ages ago. Siena he'd never had much interaction with, but her teleportation abilities rang a bell. Still, were they teleporting out of, or into danger? It was callous to leave the rest of them behind if they were just heading to the boat, but utterly stupid to take on The Amigos with just the two of them.

Cowards or idiots? He didn't know either well enough to judge.

“All the more reason to get moving now. With any luck they've gone to the ferry ahead of us.”

"Maybe. Waiting around here won't do shit either way, but still..." Zoe sounded unconvinced. There'd be no reason for them to warp over to the lighthouse - if anything, it would be taking a risk for no reason. If it turned out their secret escape wasn't so secret after all, walking into an ambush with the whole class on-side seemed way better odds.

"You can stop anyone else that tries to run, right? I'm gonna have a word with those two about this," nodding towards Ernie and Marcus, "see if they know what happened."

“I think you've seen that I can stop running, Zoe. Teleporting is a bit out of my league though if anyone else has that up their sleeve.”

"Just seemed worth asking." Zoe shrugged. "But I haven't ever seen anyone else teleport, so unless somebody's got a new trick, you're good."

At the very least, Lawrence's insistence on keeping her artificially calm meant that she was taking this remarkably well - relative to her usual behaviour, anyway. At the very least, she wouldn't blow up on anyone right now. Glancing down at the light that coated her hand, she smiled drily, a momentary hint of warmth entering her tone. "Just yell if anyone's giving you trouble, alright?" And without another word, she turned to walk away.