Lillium

The House of Powers

Lucie Valentine

Pool - Room 12

If this girl hadn't wanted an audience she should have picked a less public venue for her little charade. Perhaps somewhere like her room. They were all assigned rooms, after all. And perfectly nice ones, too. But of course that wouldn't have served the required purpose of getting the attention she so obviously needed. There wasn't much point in putting on a woe is me act if no one was around to see it.

All that fake drowning had obviously addled her eyesight as well as her brain, for she pretty much demanded that Lucie not talk about matters she hadn't seen. The girl found herself rolling her eyes at the stupidity of it all. Of course this drownee was upset at having her moment stolen. The girl's comments about the red head being 'thirsty’ - a word people on the internet used when they wanted to seem edgy, she remembered - more than likely stemmed from the fact that her cute little bonding moment with her savior hadn't gone as planned. For someone who thought she was making a clever comeback, she droned endlessly and incessantly.

“You tried to drown - wait, my bad, fake drown - yourself but I'm the thirsty one?”

Lucie laughed then, amused by it.

The blonde girl's comments about friendship and love and peace were obviously full of it. Nobody sincere or sane turned a total personality 180 like that. Lucie decided then and there that the whacko was best avoided. She was beginning to agree with the rather harsh statement made by the outspoken brunette. Which then led to more troubling matters.

This girl could read minds? That was creepy and potentially awkward for everyone involved.

“I do not envy you that.”

The rescuer had beat a hasty albeit polite retreat. The foreigner left as well, presumably to get some food. Lucie considered offering to join her, but then reconsidered as the thought of food made her stomach churn unpleasantly. Before she could leave, however, something entirely unexpected happened.

The teleporting guy appeared out of nowhere again and fell into the pool.

A muffled shriek left her lips and she jumped back, nearly tripping over her own feet as the guy landed with a splash. She was still splashed with water, though. It took her a few seconds to properly grasp the fact that he was naked. Random teleporting had been more shocking than nudity, at that point. The guy then proceeded to act as nonchalant as possible, no small feat considering the hilarity and the absolute awkwardness of the situation he was in. She had to admire that little fact, at least.

“Just a moment. I'll get you a towel.” Lucie attempted to keep her voice neutral and not burst into laughter. She was probably going to break a rib for her efforts.

It seemed like the extremely un-thirsty girl wasn't going to do anything more than ogle the poor fellow - attractive enough that he was, but still. She would have reacted horribly were she in his place. Probably started screaming and thrashing around.

The girl hurried over to the girl's locker room and found a large, fluffy white towel and hurried back.

“Here you go.”

She tossed it at him, taking care not to lean too far and fall into the pool. Just looking at the water was enough to make her feel uneasy. At this point, a noticeable flush had stolen along her cheekbones.

Feeling decidedly unsettled by the pool, Lucie muttered a hasty farewell and left the area.

@KahleenCuthald @HellHoundWoof

The House of Powers

Lucie Valentine

Room 12 - Pool

Nicely furnished as it was, the room provided nothing to take her mind off of the impending call. Pacing around really wasn't helping calm her nerves, surprisingly enough. Her earlier thought about going to see what the rest of them were up to seemed like the best plan. After ducking into the bathroom for a quick glance at the mirror to ascertain that everything was in order, Lucie was as ready as she would ever be to face her fellow inmates.

The door to her room shut behind her with a satisfying click and she strolled off into the hallway, trying her best to look like she knew exactly what she was up to. However, this was easier said than done for someone who barely knew the layout of the place and currently felt extremely awkward.

Even so, her feet managed to lead her to the pool, of all places.

A girl - the foreigner who'd had a shouting match with the tattooed guy earlier, she recalled - seemed to have had the same idea as herself. Lucie wasn't sure of the girl’s name but had the vague notion that it was something exotic. She had been quite outspoken back at the auditorium, unlike Lucie who had sat there too stunned to say much of anything. As interesting a character as this girl undoubtedly was, Lucie's attention was called towards the spectacle unfolding in the pool room.

A blond guy had rescued someone who'd tried to drown herself, was what she pieced together from the situation.

Silvery eyes widening in recognition, the French girl raised a disapproving brow. This girl, the drownee, had been escorted to the auditorium along with a couple of others. It wasn't a jump of logic to assume that had been because she'd been uncooperative or done something stupid then as well. Whatever the case was, she had a few choice words for this girl.

“If it is attention you seek, you should try screaming out loud the next time.” Lucie leaned down an announced in a tone that implied she was imparting the greatest of wisdoms.

“Or perhaps sing opera at the top of your lungs.” She continued without missing a beat, going so far as to imitate an opera singer in a long and drawn out note.

“See? Much more pleasant and less troublesome for everyone involved.”

It was then that she decided to shift her attention towards the rescuer - who she noticed was currently shirtless, as befitting someone who'd been swimming only moments prior. Clearly the only thing left to do in the situation was to very exaggeratedly check the hot guy out and see if he blushed.

And so she did.

Lucie crossed her arms across her chest and smirked, waiting to see how the events unfolded from then on.

@Wolverbells @Jinxer @KahleenCuthald

The House of Powers

Lucie Valentine

Auditorium > Therapy room > Room 12

The events at the auditorium had passed away in a confusing blur; all sense having fled through the metaphorical window somewhere between 'you all have powers’ and 'we kidnapped you for your own good’. It all seemed like a really bad dream - it wasn't, she'd checked - or a harebrained plot for a science fiction movie. Chaos had erupted and a girl had had to be sedated. A girl who looked like something out of that weird hybrid argonian mod she had seen for Skyrim. And then there were the adults. The kidnappers, as Lucie secretly called them. They claimed to be some sort of government approved organization who were looking to help control these powers. Crashing a car into someone or hijacking a taxi and jabbing them with a needle was all part of this helpful plan, apparently. Though the most baffling of all was the news that their parents had been notified; and had consented. That had stunned her, halting her thoughts for moment before kicking up like a dozen flurries in the wind.

While she'd been too dumbfounded to utter a word, to protest that she didn't have any powers, she found herself being assigned to a mentor who would no doubt help her through this extremely troubling time. Christian had been led away by someone as well, much to the girl's dismay.

“Hello, Lucie. I’m Dr. Alice White. I look forward to working with you.”

A stunningly beautiful woman was smiling at her, a perfectly manicured hand extended in greeting.

Do these people hire from a modeling agency or something?

Lucie found herself standing up, though she made no move to accept the handshake or make any form of reply. Social niceties could be skipped, considering the circumstances. At her full height, she was taller than Ms. White and therefore could look down on her; something that gave her a vengeful little burst of satisfaction.

“You can call me Alice, if you like. Would you prefer to converse in English or French? I'm fine with whichever makes you feel more comfortable.” The woman continued as if Lucie hadn't just so rudely ignored her friendly greeting. “Please follow me. This won't take long.”

“I think you're mistaken.” Lucie somehow managed to say despite her throat having suddenly gone dry. “I don't have any powers. I'm normal.”

She was a perfectly normal girl and she wanted to go back to her perfectly normal life that revolved around playing video games all day and disapproving of people. It was a wonderful life. A perfect life, she now convinced herself.

Slender fingers curled in on themselves, the black lacquered nails scratching at her gloves in the few seconds it took for the woman to answer.

“Your doubts are completely understandable and quite reasonable.” Alice began gently, “However, we have been extremely thorough with our analysis and are one hundred percent certain of the results. You do have latent abilities. For what it's worth, I'm sorry.”

The words hit her like a physical blow, pushing out the breath she'd been holding in. The woman, Alice, wasn't acting like Lucie was the lucky winner of a spectacular prize; that she was some amazingly special snowflake and being in this situation was somehow a good thing. Anger and quailing at the injustice of it all was difficult to maintain in the face of it. It would have been easier if that weren't the case. It was always easier to be angry.

“I would still like to see some proof.”

“Of course. We can do so at our session.” Alice was quick to agree and began to lead the way.

“English. I'd prefer English.” Lucie answered in reply to the woman's previous query.

She didn't want to converse with this woman in her native language, much as it would have been nice to be able to. The familiarity that would no doubt spring forth wasn't something she was keen on establishing here.

“Here we are.” Alice announced once they had stopped in front of a door with the number 12 on it. “I figured you might want to change into normal clothes before we begin.”

Nodding her agreement, Lucie stepped inside and realized it was the very same room she had woken up in. The wig was still lying rumpled on the bed from when she had tossed it. After hanging up her costume with more care this time, she took a quick shower, not caring that it wasn't polite to make Alice wait. Clothes hung neatly in the closet, eerily similar to the way she preferred to arrange hers. What was even creepier, she noted, was that the clothes were of the brands and styles she favored. She began to wonder just how much these people knew, and for how long she had been studied.

“All done?” Alice asked pleasantly once Lucie stepped out, no hint of impatience at having been made to wait.

“Your Morrigan cosplay was very well done. It was nice to see her original outfit rather than the fancy ball gown she's now known for, lovely as it was.”

“Thank you. I did plan on putting together her ball gown as well. It's too beautiful to pass on.” Lucie volunteered the information before realizing that she was having a normal, even pleasant conversation about a subject she liked. This woman was sneaky, she decided right then and there.

The glare she shot was lost on Alice, as the woman only smiled knowingly.

They arrived at another room and the session concluded without much fanfare. It was surprisingly brief and very professional. Lucie had been shown some charts and numbers that proved she held some sort of power within herself. The hope she had secretly been harboring was almost snuffed out like a lonesome candle. Almost, but not quite. The science could very well have been faked. Once the results from the blood test arrived, she was told that she would see more proof, if she liked.

She was also told that she would be able to use the phone in her room to contact her aunt. Lucie jumped at the chance but then cooled her excitement as she realized that Francesca would still be at work. She would have to wait a couple more hours until they could talk. Stomach tying itself into complicated knots from the nervousness, she pondered how to pass the time. Sitting in her room by herself would only prolong the wait and probably drive her insane. Perhaps she could see what her fellow inmates were like.

Even if she wasn't going to be staying here long.

The House of Powers

Wolverbells/Irina: Room 3 - Mentor: Esmeralda

Jinxer/Arthur: Room 15 - Mentor: Gisela

KahleenCuthald/Myriam: Room 18

Vocab/Mayuri: Room 7 - Mentor: Ami

Lillium/Lucie: Room 12 - Mentor: Alice White

HecateProxy/Mara: Room 6 - Mentor: Felix

Airalin/Lyra: Room 4 - Mentor: Nathan

Banjoanjo/Uriel: Room 8 - Mentor: Julia

Gonzo/Christian: Room 14 - Mentor: Jonathan

Thunder/Stasya: Room 5 - Mentor: Kara

The House of Powers

@xAsunaWolfx Hello. We'd like to inform you that you have 12 hours to make a post IC, counting down from the time stamp on this message.

If you are unable to make a post due to circumstance, please let the GMs know and we'll continue to hold your slot. If not, you will be removed from the RP.

The House of Powers

Lucie Valentine

Hallway; Auditorium

Christian's explanation of the crash was alarming. Though he didn't look to be critically wounded, it could very well have ended that way. Or worse. Kidnappers were usually after money or something else they could bargain for. Potentially killing their intended targets wasn't a very effective of getting what they wanted. Was it because they had taken so many teenagers all at once that they hadn't used more careful measures? Either way, the thought made her feel like shards of ice had formed in her stomach. Whoever these people were, they were looking worse with every little bit of new information.

"Oh... I see."

Lucie deflated visibly, seeming not unlike a wilting flower as the answer she had waited with bated breath for turned out to be a resounding 'no'. Christian didn't have a phone either. It had been a slim chance to begin with, that the kidnappers would have left him a way to contact help. Short of running around asking everyone else for a phone, her options had dwindled down to a scant few. Which was why when offered, redhead bit her lower lip and nodded her assent to Christian's plan without much hope. Though it didn't seem likely that the pool would have a way out when the place didn't even have windows, it was better than anything her panicky mind could come up with just then.

The others who had been gathered when she had first stepped out into the hallway had dispersed by then, though she hadn't a clue as to where. It was more than probable that they were searching for a way out as well. The sound of crying had quieted as well, which she found to be a relief. She had enough to worry about without some crybaby invading her thoughts.

"Maybe. It couldn't hurt to look." Lucie replied with optimism she didn't feel.

She began to follow him towards the pool, too caught up in her thoughts to realize that she still hadn't given him her name. Against her will and better judgment, her mind kept flashing to the way that guy had disappeared right in front of her eyes. She'd also heard someone else make a mention about powers. Lucie was a diehard fan of fantastical worlds and amazing abilities; but she kept them where they belonged. In fiction. That sort of thing simply didn't happen in real life... But that guy really had vanished. She'd seen it happen and there was no denying it. Christian had seen it as well, so it wasn't just her or stress or insanity or any other such explanation that could be so easily waved away.

A message over the intercom interrupted her train of thought before it could go any further.

Lucie stopped and frowned towards nothing in particular. This woman sounded far too polite and well meaning to actually be either of those things. She might have been more inclined to believe the words if she hadn't been apprehended and drugged. Perhaps this was their way of keeping them calm while the ransoms were worked out.

"I don't really believe that. Do you?"

Still, it didn't seem wise to ignore their very friendly and reasonable 'request'. These people hadn't had any qualms in resorting to violent measures to bring them here. It felt safe to assume that they had complete control of the place, if the way they had remotely unlocked the Auditorium doors had been anything to go by.

"I'm going to go and see what they have to say. Maybe there's a way out through the auditorium..." With that, she started walking in the direction towards the auditorium after she had looked at one of the maps on the wall.

Lucie secretly hoped that Christian would come with her. There was something about having someone at her side that made the whole situation marginally less daunting. If she was in hell, at least there was someone in there with here.

@Gonzo

The House of Powers

Great posts, everyone^^

Just a reminder though. Please note your character's location so that it would be easier for everyone involved.

The House of Powers

Lucie Valentine

Location: Still loitering around in the hallway...

English! He spoke English!

Lucie's tense frame slumped a little bit in relief, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her relief, however, was short-lived as a torrent of questions spilled forth and it soon became obvious that he knew as much of the situation as she did. As someone who wasn't a native English speaker, she had to concentrate a fair bit to catch everything. It was worlds different from hearing it in the movies or games - which were designed to be easy to understand, after all - and to hear it from a young man who seemed just as worried about the entire situation as she was. Disappointment dulled her brief spark of hope and gave way to embarrassment as he pointed out her odd choice of apparel.

"I like to be prepared accordingly and figured this was the perfect outfit to be kidnapped in."

Covering up her embarrassment with a healthy dose of sarcasm was proving to be more difficult that usual and though her words were flippant, she couldn't wipe the worry from her face or the tremor in her voice.

The girl had been too panicked for it to occur to her that she must look quite the bizarre sight until it was pointed out. Her outfit wasn't inconspicuous as far as clothing went, after all. Still, it was the least of her current problems. She could grit her teeth and bear a bit of indignity if it meant she could just leave this entire incident behind.

"What crash?" She asked carefully, suddenly not sure she should have talked to him.

Was this person talking about the car crash that killed her parents? It was highly unlikely that a random foreigner she happened to meet years after the incident in question would know about it; but the icy fingers of fear trailing down her spine had stirred up a cloud of paranoia and made it difficult for the girl to see it. The young man raised a careful hand to his side as if in pain and it dawned on her that he had most likely been asking about a crash he had been in. Loosening fingers that had been curled up into fists at her side a moment ago, Lucie felt the beginnings of a completely alien feeling. Sympathy.

Before Christian could ask for her name, they were both distracted by the guy with the mohawk - the very same one who had appeared out of nowhere - as he quite literally vanished. Letting out a startled squeak of surprise, Lucie nodded her acknowledgement. If they had both seen the same thing, it wasn't likely to have been a drug induced hallucination.

"I don't know! How would I know? People don't just vanish into thin air!" Notes of panic laced her voice and she shook her head as if it would somehow force the world to start making sense again. It didn't. "I don't suppose you know where the exit is? I need to get out of here. My flight leaves tomorrow. I-"

Lucie paled suddenly, drawing a sharp intake of breath as she realized she didn't know what time it was. There hadn't been a clock in the room she had woken up in, and her cellphone was missing. She had no way of telling how long she had been unconscious for. There didn't seem to be any windows either, through which she could see the outside world and make a guess at the time.

"Do you have a cellphone?"

@Gonzo

The House of Powers

As luck would have it, it turned out that Lucie hadn't stumbled backwards into a wall in her moment of astonishment. Rather, a very tall guy.

For someone who didn't like having her personal space invaded, this made for an awkward few seconds as she backed away to a more suitable distance. Sparing him a brief glance - dark haired, about college age - her wary grey eyes sought out the source of noise in the halls; the guy who had appeared out of nowhere and the girl who'd more or less broken his fall. They were talking loudly in an unfamiliar language she couldn't quite place. Just as it seemed like a fight would break out, another guy - just how many people were there in these hallways? - attempted to diffuse the situation. All this had taken place within a matter of moments.

Lucie decided right then and there that she wanted nothing to do with those people. It also brought up flutter of worries that only served to add to the leaden weight growing in the pit of her stomach. The best thing to do in this situation was to get out... though, just exactly which way was the exit? Perhaps the guy she'd bumped into would know something. He certainly seemed calmer than the others she'd seen so far.

"Do you speak English?"

She desperately hoped that he did. The girl couldn't very well handle it if yet another person started spouting words she couldn't understand. Wrapping her arms around herself as she waited for his reply, Lucie suddenly shivered as the image of a guy appearing out of nowhere replayed itself in her mind. That wasn't anywhere within the realm of normalcy. Were the effects of whichever drugs she'd been dosed with still active? Her knowledge of recreational drugs were solely limited to what she had heard from others in passing conversation.

The maps on the wall showed the way to other places, but strangely had no exits marked on it. The implications of it were chilling.

@Gonzo

The House of Powers

@Gonzo Approved~