Lazo

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

The idle chatter between Sand and Allen was interrupted by someone crying out the girl’s name. Sand glanced up, startled, to see Robert racing up to them.

“Sand!”

Robert stopped before them and paused, winded. Sand and Allen exchanged a look, but before she decided to ask what was wrong, Robert haltingly spoke up. Sand frowned as the boy apologized, searching her memory for whatever he was talking about.

“Oh.” It took her a moment to remember, and when she did, she looked at him, bemused. “Don’t worry about it.”

Certainly, Robert just leaving when he did without a word of thanks or goodbye had roused a twinge of annoyance, but it was nothing to get so worked up about. Not to mention, back then that other girl had been waiting for him in front of the room and—

It was then that she realized that very same girl was there looking somewhat winded herself. There was little doubt in her mind that Robert had suddenly dragged her off with him when he decided to apologize, and isn’t that something you’d be better off saying sorry for? But rather than being directed to Robert, the girl’s hostile regard was focused entirely on Sand. She found it rather irritating, truth be told.

Do I know you? she wanted to ask, but something told her she would be better off being diplomatic.

“So, who’s this?” the girl asked, clearly referring to her.

"This is Sand, one of my teammates."

"You didn't say she was a girl," she answered, and Sand realized that while she did not know the pink-haired girl, the pink-haired girl certainly knew her. She’d likely made up a whole story in her head the moment she had laid eyes on her.

Sand had to suppress a sigh. When she had thought that her life looked like it was turning into a romantic comedy, it was meant as a joke. Allen had been smiling knowingly besides Sand since he noticed the girl glaring at her, but at that he could feel his grin widening. And why not? Joke or not he had told Trad’s parents something very similar only a few minutes ago.

"Does it matter?" Robert asked, and Sand found herself thinking that it was ironic how such an oblivious person could also be so self-conscious.

“Oh boy,” Allen mouthed, sucking air in a wince. He picked up his plastic cup from besides him and pushed it up to the boy’s hands. “Have some water kid. Looks like you need it.” If he was trying to shut Robert up, she would have to thank him later.

Sand looked at Robert and his girl and gave them what she hoped looked like a pleasant smile and not a pained grimace. “Sorry you had to come in a hurry. This here’s Allen,” she pointed to her side, hoping introductions would help smooth things over. Better than leaving them to Robert, she suspected. “Allen, this is Robert, one of the new teammates I told you about.”

“The one you walked out of the infirmary this morning, right?”

Sand looked at Allen, smile twitching and not quite reaching her eyes.

“Yep, she brought me muffins too. Sand’s a great teammate,” Robert replied to Allen, having no idea the hole he was digging under both of them. As he finally took a sip of the water he’d been handed, Sand wished he had swallowed the question with the drink.

“Muffins?!” Priscilla practically screeched before clutching onto Robert’s arm as if afraid he might be suddenly swept away, her nails almost digging into his skin. “Why the hell are you bringing my man breakfast?”

Allen was turned away, but she could feel him shaking. Trying to hold back laughter, the ass.

Sand’s smile turned exasperated. Something told her that if she even tried to apologize, the pink monster in front of her might take it as an admission of some kind. After a moment of silence in which she hoped the screaming girl had not attracted too much attention, her shoulders slumped in surrender. Choosing to face what was to come with a semblance of dignity, she put out a hand, offering to shake.

“I’m Sand,” she said simply, and kept out what she really wanted to say, You’ve got it wrong, please don’t murder me in my sleep.

@Guess Who

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@NarayanKIt's like when a cat falls asleep on your lap so you live on that chair now.

The Crucible - a 'multiversal' tournament with your soul on the line

Interested, as I've said. Have a character in mind already and everything.

Question. Say there are parts of a character's character sheet that I want to leave out of the public submission because of spoilers or something of that nature (the wish, for example, or the specific significance of the echo). Can we keep them out of the public CS and send a complete one your way, or do you think it'd be best to have the whole thing on display since other players will likely be controlling our characters at some point?

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Decided to write out Sand finally reaching the Athletic Center and seating her somewhere. Had her break away from the little group for the moment, @SevenStormStyle, @Awesomoman64.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Sand stared off into the obstacle course, eyes fixed on one of the several mechanical components the organizer had set up. The machine had a rhythmic, distracting movement that reminded her of the swing of a pendulum.

A stout man trying to squeeze through the seats broke her reverie, and she glanced to the side to see Allen sit down beside her with a plate filled with assorted foodstuffs. His hand fell on her arm, and she paused, suddenly startled. She had been trailing the irregular path of an old scar on the palm of her right hand without noticing. Sand clasped her hands instead, looking at the pale hand that rested against her darker skin. A few years ago, the sight might have made her melancholic, but now she simply appreciated the contrast with a curious look. Allen gave her a soft pat and withdrew his hand.

They had reached Beacon’s outdoors Athletic center only a few minutes ago, the pair leaning their heads close to each other to trade a year’s worth of accumulated barbs. She had pulled him away from the rest of the group then, leaving Trad, Sepia and their families behind as the speaker’s announced the beginning of the race. Truth be told, Sand wanted to keep Allen to herself. At least until he turned unbearable.

“What about betting on who wins the race?” This from the man sitting close to her.

“We don’t even know who’s running,” Sand commented. Students still hadn’t lined up at the starting line, despite the initial call from the speakers. She suspected they were allowing a few extra minutes for late participants.

“You don’t need to know who’s running to bet on who wins.” Allen gave her a look that said she had failed to understand something obvious. “I could bet on your green friend. Or that Sepia girl.”

If they were even allowed to join the race at this stage. “You’re shooting for long odds,” she drawled.

“I could bet on you winning.”

“I wouldn’t say no to free money.”

Allen leaned forward, hand on chin and elbow propped up on his leg. “You’re really not running, then?”

What tipped you off? was the biting reply that came to mind, but she swallowed the words. Instead, she gave the gathering crowd a cursory inspection and grimaced. She was not particularly intent on putting on a show if she could avoid it. There were other reasons that came to mind. More prominent ones, at that, but she dared not bring them up with Allen next to her.

The man seemed to guess at the surface of her thoughts and laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed? And here I thought your time at Atlas might make you more outgoing.”

Sand glanced away, exasperated. She couldn’t help but flush guiltily if he of all people pointed it out so readily. Still, her tone came out neutral. “I’d rather not work during a holiday.”

“Hah. If this is work to you, I should rest easy!” Allen laughed good-naturedly, patting her back.

Sand shook under the weight of his arm and faked the half-smile she knew he’d expect of her, but the mirth did not quite reach her eyes. He had just admitted that she worried him, after all, and that was the larger reason for her reluctance.

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Fenn flattened another small tree as he passed, nose pointed in the direction of the scent he had caught. Occasionally he caught sight of something that clearly indicated the presence of his quarry, such as footprints and crushed plants. Once he noticed a small clump of severed vines lying on the path, the ends cut so neatly he doubted it had been done with an ordinary weapon. The idea that an artefact of such unbelievable power as that sword could have been used as a machete made even Fenn, whose body was as a weapon in an of itself, distinctly uncomfortable.

As they marched, the hound found his attention diverted. Even as Fenn attempted to focus his ears on the sounds of the jungle, it was inevitable that he would catch the conversation that took place a few paces behind him. As he resolved to snap back at the Imp and the Magpie to quit their chatter, the human’s words reached his ears.

“But either I make it somehow, or I die and I’m free of this mess. Win-win.”

Fenn stopped very suddenly, though the reason was not that he had caught wind of a threat nearby. Much the opposite. The jungle around them was eerily quiet, the animals having retreated at his advance, and the sounds of battle that reached him were still distinctly far away.

“Hoh?” Even the slight breeze that made the underbrush rustle seemed to have frozen, as though the jungle was holding its breath.

It was the words that had given him pause. Fenn quickly recognized it as the bravado of an anxious youth, one attempting to ridicule their fears in order to make the burden easier to shoulder. However, the message conveyed by the words themselves struck painfully against something unsightly within the dog’s mind. Such words tossed out so carelessly made the whole of his being seethe.

How could he take that as anything other than an invitation?

The demon craned his neck towards Souta, a predator’s eye falling on him like an executioner's axe. Even with the flames that often surrounded Fenn’s dark coat notably absent, his body radiated oppressive heat. The towering behemoth began to turn with deliberate slowness, keen fangs bared in a lupine smile as he faced the young man. “In that case, you should not mind if I devour you here. Humans do not make for satisfying meals, but mayhaps those carcasses you carry will add to the flavor,” rumbled the words from the hellhound’s chest.

The large beast took a ponderous step towards the small human. And the other participant in the conversation stood in his path.

Lily stopped mid-stride and turned slowly away from Souta to face Fenn. She took a single step forward and looked up at the larger demon, eyes flickering dangerously but otherwise expressionless. When she spoke, she did so slowly as if choosing each word with care.

"Fenn," she began, “Did I not tell you to restrain yourself?" Her tone, neither threatening nor scolding, still managed to sound loaded with a single message: Do not cross me.

A light breeze swept over the proceedings, like an exhaled breath. Fenn’s still-alert ears twitched, and the spell was broken. The demon’s expression went from murderous to vaguely exasperated, as though slipping out of a mask, and the tense atmosphere vanished.

Lily gave him an irritating smile.

He glared at the Imp that saw fit to interrupt his game. For the demoness that stubbornly held onto her carefree demeanor, even the bulk of her commands rather pathetically taking the form requests, she had been oddly forthright in her interruption.

His eyes fell on the human again and comprehension dawned on him.

“Truly, Imp? This one? I thought you to have a more discerning palate.”

“Oh? What would you look for in a man, pray tell?” she asked with mock curiosity.

Fenn knew he was being made light of, so he replied in kind. “More meat on their bones, to start with.” Even as a joke, the words came out drenched in acid.

“Is that jealousy I hear, Fenn?” Lily asked, her smile becoming a grin.

The dog snorted, instantly dismissing the idea. "Hardly. I ought to pity the fool.” Then his brow furrowed, and his gaze was drawn away as he remembered himself. “Or perhaps not. 'Tis the folly of all males to happily fling themselves into such snares."

“Even you?”

“Once.” Fenn bared his fangs and gave her a sardonic look. “I tire of being trapped, I’m afraid.”

She nodded. “Understandable.” She then looked pointedly behind Fenn, to the trail he had been following. “Now, I believe we were trying to find someone?”

Fenn sniffed as the Imp none-too-subtly brought them back to more immediate concerns. “Be silent, then,” he admonished, returning to the path as though having lost interest. “I shall not bear the blame if the enemy hides the sound of their approach under your prattle.”

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Lazo

I plan to. I'm just waiting on someone to post so I don't leave them hanging. : )

@SevenStormStyle

I get the feeling most people with characters in that room are waiting to see what others do. I kind of am, at least.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Out of curiosity, who's participating in the race?

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Fenn clenched his paw, feeling the soft earth shift under his digits. Vegetation spread out around him, blanketing the area in myriad shades of brown and green only broken by the intrusive facades of long ruined structures. What he saw might have been an alley between dwellings many years past, but the jungle was quick to swallow the abandoned ruins.

The dense underbrush would no doubt prove troublesome for beings of human stature, but Fenn’s mass allowed him to flatten most obstacles with little concern. Fangs bared, ruefully. He had little doubt that clearing the path would fall to him.

They found themselves on Earth this time, searching for another Seal of the Apocalypse. The demon did not know what to make of the fact. He did not know what it meant for his misgivings regarding the Seals to confirm that multiple had indeed been hidden on the Third Realm, and their taskmasters saw little need offer explanations beyond their immediate desires. Perhaps the mage would see fit to share new insights if he came across anything new, but Fenn would not hold his breath. Peaceful as the encounter had been, it had been brought about on a whim, and the chances of it bearing unexpected fruit were slim. Perhaps he ought to wonder why this time they were spared the presence of the lead Watcher. Regardless, such thoughts could be put away for the time being. They were, after all, a mere puzzle to distract him while he awaited the next battlefield.

And Fenn had little doubt that there were battlefields to be found within this jungle. Its denizens were restless, the sounds of frightened cries and of scampering animals reaching him from afar, and the slight breeze that managed to snake its way past the trees brought with it the intermixed scents of hell and the heavenly host. It would not be long before the sounds of the fighting itself reached him, he well knew.

While he sensed no threats in the immediate vicinity, the anticipation made the demon’s posture vaguely threatening.

“Must I restrain myself?” The wording made the grumble seem like a complaint addressed to himself, but not far from him stood the woman who had brought him there.

Lily, still in the guise of the Sídhe lady, albeit wearing loosely fitted shirt and pants, let her gaze wander around them, not looking at Fenn as she answered, “Yes. The quieter we are, the better chance to surprise any opponent, and not be surprised ourselves. For now, don’t burn anything, or topple any trees.”

Easier said than done. The hound could be deceptively quiet when the mood struck him, but his hunting grounds had been rocky ridges and rugged plains with little to no vegetation. With the dense foliage, that kind of stealth would prove quite difficult for him, particularly when he was chasing after prey.

Nonetheless, he grunted his understanding. He could restrain his flames. The forest burning around him would not bother him one whit, but alas, he did not have the pleasure of working alone for this. Not to say, there was no reason to think that the snake they sought would not be able to use the confusion to its advantage.

Still, Fenn continued staring at the Imp even as she looked at their surroundings. The objective she was given by the Council was simple. Obstruct the snake and defend the seal. That said, while she had been given the freedom to operate as she wished, the location to the latter had not been revealed.

The dog was certain the order would come, but he was not good-natured enough to volunteer his services.

“Fenn,” Lily said, finally looking at him, “can you search for Sevrin’s scent?”

Only then did the hound move. Forcing this request served its own purpose, even if there were few to see. He had lent his loyalty to her, not to the Council. It was a matter of principle for this to be shown in action and not just in word.

The hound’s muzzle moved closer to the ground, sniffing along as he trudged forward. “Naught but animals have frequented these parts in a long time,” he rumbled, nose still close to the ground like a dowsing rod. “If the snake was seen here, finding a trail should not be difficult.”

The demoness sighed. Of course things wouldn’t be easy. “Keep alert for anything, be it new smells, birds suddenly being spooked, or other sounds. I’ll keep eyes and ears open as well, but your senses are still sharper.” She glanced around before focusing solely on a patch of trees where there was a relatively large amount of free space to move. “That way,” she declared, pointing. “It is, to my knowledge, towards the center of the ruins. I suspect anyone, and anything, to do with the Seal will head that way. We will have a higher chance finding our colleagues, as well as Sevrin, that way… wherever they may be.”

But Fenn was hardly paying attention to her at that point. Something had caught his notice. The dog lowered himself near a patch of vegetation behind one of the ruined houses, led by his nose. The clumps of green nearby had been disturbed, leaving bits of leaves and branches littering the path. Among the plants, he thought he could make out the shape of a shoeprint on the earth.

The dog’s nose twitched as he memorized the scent.

The trail seemed to lead vaguely in the direction the Imp had pointed at, and the hound found himself recalling the tunnels under the human settlement where he had come across her. There was something ironic regarding the idea that humans had built their dwellings around the artefacts meant to herald the end of their world.

The dog let out a heavy breath through his nose. “You may have the truth of it,” he called out to the woman. “Now follow.”

Fenn set out at a brisk pace, scent held fixed in his mind. Catching up to the snake would require some haste, and the dog was reluctant to let others steal his prize. Lily followed behind him, content to let him have the lead for the time being.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@SevenStormStyle@Awesomoman64Guess it's time to move to the Athletics place?