Meleck

Invincible

Bella and Father Thomas

---

When Thomas got done at the shop, he got on the phone to the only person he could think of that might be able to help him convert hard assets into cash. So he dialed the number for a second time, knowing this one was probably going to cost him.

Bella Nova was being driven to the steel mill for her upcoming meeting with a guy that wouldn’t die and possibly a hitman that wouldn’t kill. She was already not in the best of moods, so when her phone rang, she couldn’t help but suck her teeth. Upon looking at the caller ID, she sighed. Her father would haunt her if she ignored a Catholic priest, so she did what the old man would want her to.

“Hey Father Thomas, how’s it going?” She started with the pleasantries. This was a man she may have to use in the future, and she didn’t want to ruin that.
“I hate to bother you, again,” he said. “I came into a couple items that I need help converting into cash and I am not sure how to do that.” He said. “Can I meet you some place?” He asked. “I have a couple gold bars,” he said.

Bella raised an eyebrow at the request. Not just because it involved cashing in gold, but because it was coming from a priest. Maybe a donation? Who the fuck donates in gold bars? She pursed her lips and went on to tackle this not as a kingpin, but as a face of the community.

”A couple of gold bars? Wait what? Thomas, um just meet me… Just drop a pin on your location and I’ll pick you up. If you have gold you need to trade in for cash, I can take for you, but I’m going to need someone to make sure it’s the real deal. Then I can forward you the cash. I can probably give you a rough estimate of what you’ll get back, but no exact numbers.”

“Okay, give me a minute,” he said fumbling with his phone. “Grrrrr,” he said as the phone beeped in Bella’s ear. Then he managed to send the message with his position. A Starbucks not far from the cemetery. “I think that worked,” he said. Thomas was fairly sure cellular phones were of the Devil.

Thomas had done only a quick search of the internet to find the standard size of a gold bar, 7" by 3 5/8" by 1 3/4" which was 400 ounces and it weighed 25 pounds. Carrying them in his back pack was kind of rough. But he needed money to survive and he needed a discrete electrician.

"Okay it went through. See you there." Bella said quickly before hanging up and texting an appraiser she knew to expect a visit. Bella assumed that this favor would be simple to fulfill. Boy was she wrong. A black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows pulled up to Thomas. Bella opened the door and looked down at the priest wearing a backpack. "Come on get in." She unintentionally barked the order but didn't raise her voice to do so.

Thomas was sort of use to taking orders. The image of the church that people had was one loving family where everyone got along. They also had their moments of disagreement and power struggles. Now with the “war” on enhanced people, he was on the bottom of the pile. Thomas climbed in to the back and closed the door.
He was glad not to be carrying his package through the streets of Atlanta. Though most people left priests alone, but fifty pounds of gold clacking together makes an impressive sound.

Bella watched Thomas enter the SUV with his backpack that clanked as he shuffled into his seat. She didn't even want to ask.

"Vincent... Take us around some. Bella said before raising her eyebrows twice at Thomas. "Gonna open the bag or what?" Color said playfully.

He nodded then pulled out one of the bars to show her. Nice and shiny. He handed it to her to examine while he kept a serious look on his face.
“It is not stolen,” the priest said. “But I was asked to keep the one who gave it to me secret,” he said, “You understand what attention having assets like this can bring on a person.” He was sure she did, since he had called her before because she had wealth and influence. He wanted to say hello to Vincent, but he knew that would be bad form, so he waved like a school child on the bus. It was much more classy.

Bella was speechless. The week had been very eventful, but this was just out of the norm. A priest had just handed her a solid gold bar instead of a pocket bible. By the sound and look of Thomas, she knew he wasn't messing around at the moment. Vincent noticed Thomas' wave and just nodded his head in the rearview mirror.

"So someone is just handing out this much gold... Thomas do you even know how much one of these is worth? You could... You could open up a mega church with this and someone just... Someone just gave this to you like it was five dollar bill?"

Thomas said, “I sworn not to tell who gave it. They swore it wasn’t stolen. “Thomas thought this was a time that less was more. He did not want to lie, more did he want to tell her, he created it out of nothing.... He dodged the worth question as he had no real clue.

"Fine. It's not like I can force you tell me." Vincent looked warily into the rearview mirror. He knew firsthand that Bella had her ways, but was just playing her businesswoman role. "Just leave it with me and I'll see what I can do... And you need to be careful. This one bar is basically a whole milli in the palm of my hand. And you happen to have two." Bella sighed. Thomas was a very lucky man. Someone else of her calibre might have scammed the man or disposed of him. "Is this a donation to the church? Do not lie to me."

Had too looks on his face utter shock at the value and sad that she would think that he would lie and with a bit of despair. He wouldn’t lie not when he was asking for a favor. “No, it was given to me. A donation that size would go right to Rome. The bishop sent me out, so no. I did not steal it from the church. I am still a priest.” he said. The priests that Vincent and he visited with were all dead plus a couple others in Atlanta. That had been in the news. He would let her draw her own conclusion. He figured that a couple phone calls and she would know that too and that they did not know where he was residing. “Special Assignment” is what the diocese would call it. There was more going on. A woman of her power and with her networking probably knew more than he did anyway. “If it were stolen, I would have refused it,” he said. He guessed that was really the issue. The fact that he was the one that gave it to him was a detail he did not want to give out. He had not really worked out his relationship with Bella.

"Then I'll take it... I won't ask about anything else, except that you tell no one about this. You don't know about these bars. You didn't give them to me. They don't exist. Oh and I'm taking a cut of it. It's the price for the service and your secret. Okay?" Bella said this sternly.

Thomas agreed with a nod. What was going was more than this. Her words had some stress to them. It was almost like... He wasn't sure. But she was almost losing her cool...

"Good. Here, put this one back in the backpack." Bella handed Thomas the gold bar. "Vincent, drop me off first. I can't be late to this meeting. Besides, I think you and Thomas should spend some more time together." Bella chuckled, but she also wanted Vincent to keep tabs on Thomas while she was not present.

Thomas noted what he thought was a protective tone to Bella. In a way he thought she might be worried that he might be getting into the wrong crowd or putting himself in danger. Like walking around Atlanta with twenty-five pounds of gold would put him in danger. So far they were the only three that knew.

He sat back in the vehicle after she got out. He would move up when he got far enough away that it wouldn’t cause a scene. But Thomas was not prepare for the night that he and Vincent were going to have…

The Girl From the Forbidden Kingdom

The motion caught Robert’s eye so he turned to see her wings. He looked a bit surprised as he thought they were white. He said, “You might as well stretch them out as your secret is out now.” He nodded to her as he said this. The sweat ran down his forehead from the heat of the furnace. He took this a sign of her getting more comfortable. “I’m guessing you are a long way from home,” he said pointing toward the Forbidden Kingdom. He made another adjustment to the waterwheel feed and wiped his face with a cloth.

He came back to a chair across fro her and sat down. “Would you like to tell me the rest of your story now? As you can see I did not draw a blade or run in terror. I’ve know for a while, since I used some of the magic to heal you on the road. That is why I did not take you to one of the share cropper’s homes that were near there,” he said gently. He did not feel the need to include the fact that the farmer would have probably put a pitchfork through her. She had not turned him into a dog, changed shapes, or had fire coming out of her mouth and eyes.

He was hoping for something. Adventure, knowledge, purpose, Magic,... He did not know, but Wren had brought with her the possibility of all sorts of things.

He waited patiently to see what would happen.

@Amberthealbedo

Post Removals

Please remove roleplayerguild.com/posts/5000572

I was in the wrong game.

The Girl From the Forbidden Kingdom

"Well, Wren. I should let you rest a bit. I need to work on trying my machine out for processing ore," he said proudly. He pointed to a contraption from the water wheel shaft hooked to two billows to a blast furnace.
He laughed, "If they don't see smoke, they might think I brought a mysterious woman into my shop from town." It sounded funnier in his head than it did when he said it. He let her rest for a bit as he changed into work clothes with a leather apron and gloves. He shoveled a large amount of coal into the furnace. Then from the fire he shoveled two scoops of coals. He released the wheel and the billows started to turn. He pulled a lever slightly in and they started to move faster. In the top he shoveled crushed ore, a broken plow and a gold coin for good luck. He sang a song that was calling up magic to the metal, but he did not know the words. It was the song that the miners sang in the mine and had for many years. It was a language he did not know, but it made him feel better. When the furnace got going he would attend to his guest some more after putting a bit of oil on the wheel and gears to take care of the squeaking.

ooc

I was thinking that the language could an old language from the other kingdom and the reason his magic isn't flowing from the spell is that he is mispronouncing words (and does not understand them)

@AmberTheAlbedo

Invincible

Father Thomas and Damon

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Thomas had been pushing himself and his power for hours. All of the anger and frustration he was feeling towards the sin in the world pushed at him. He was taught to practice indifference, but that is more easily done when people are not trying to kill you. In his struggling for meaning, he created a masterpiece. The church he created was beautiful. The altar was 6' long by three feet of solid gold. Marble covered the rest of the place. The Crucifix was also gold with silver accents to make Jesus' body really come alive. The eyes were gems that were so blue, it looked like Jesus was truly alive on the cross. Around the altar was a rail of marble, along with the floors, ceiling, pews, and walls. There were no seams anywhere. Behind the crucifix near the back walls were murals depicting holy Scenes in Jesus' life all made out of gems. On the altar sat a Patten and Cup made out of simple materials. Thomas near exhaustion kneeling at the rail in prayer.

A sudden "pop" noise was heard, and a man with a scar on his upper right forehead appeared a few feet away from Thomas behind the priest hard at working using his powers to build his church sanctuary for empowered individuals. "Hello Thomas, I always had my own picture in my head of this place you built. Although, I myself never got to see it." He looked around truly in awe of what he was building even it's current state, especially coming from an era where most of the world was dilapidated and torn apart.

The priest nearly jumped out of his skin at the man's voice. "I thought the doors were locked!" he said.

Getting a grip on himself. "What can I do for you?" he asked. He wondered if the droning of the generator had muffled the footsteps. "Please help me to the pew," Thomas asked the man. He had over extended his powers to the point of hurting himself.

Damon smirked at Thomas's reaction, although he grew to appreciate the priest in his own timeline before his own demise it was interesting to see a more idealistic Thomas not yet completely stained by the eradication of humanity & society. "The door was locked but I didn't walk in here Thomas, that's not my mode of transportation." He waltzed over to the priest to assist him to the pew as he'd asked. "Well what I've come to ask for is a-lot, really more then I've asked anyone ever well besides this one lady but that's aside the point." He'd made a minor reference to Governor Ivy but he knew that Thomas especially in this point in history didn't know her personally. "May I ask you a question?"

Thomas looked him in the eyes in a very pastoral way, looking for something deeper as the stranger spoke. "Ask," is all he said.

"Alright I don't have much time, really. It's quite simple, and I'm willing to do anything to provide proof. My name is Damon, I'm from six years in the future, and the human race is nearly extinct, I came back to get your help to quite literally save all of humanity." He sighed knowing that was a mouthful and even with everything going on figured he'd have to do some convincing to sway Thomas of both the authenticity of what he was saying, and the urgency to act on it

Thomas looked at him and smiled, "I don't need your proof," he said that is not how Thomas was. "What is it you need and if I can give it, I will?"

He's listening to Damon's story before deciding he is a nut job.
His prayer book that he lost would work.
I would with behavioral health people. People tell you all sort of things, doesn't mean it is true. Thomas sees the world going to hell in a hand basket.

Damon was taken back and shocked, he hadn't expected Thomas to simply believe him regarding his statement about the end of the world especially the part about him being a time traveler." Hmm well there are a couple people that you could kill, more then a couple if they were to die right now in 2019 it could quite possibly fix my future. But things have a funny way of happening one way or another from what I've seen first hand." He thought about his own attempts to alter time himself. "Honestly I find it hard to believe that you accept what I'm saying as truth, I certainly wouldn't. But your a strong man and you played a major role in helping people with powers, and building positive human & empowered relations, like the mutant MLK had the world survived you'd have gone down in history as one of the great influencers to make a true change on earth."

Thomas wrinkled his brow and asked, "Who is it that I am supposed to kill?" Fame, glory, pride was not things that were going to motivate Thomas to do something. There was more to the story and he needed to listen before judging Damon. Even if he was crazy, there might be some truth to his story.

"The telepath Kalep Jackson, President of the American Legion Division Malik Henderson, a girl named Ally Olson, political advisor John Brown, just to name a few but like I said I know you probably won't. You were one of my mentors before you died, and one of the most genuine men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Hence why I've sought out your help to change the past, to create a better future in whatever way you see fit based off the intel I supply you." He didn't want to give Thomas too many specifics, although he'd done so with Ivy he had specific leverage over her, not to mention Thomas himself played a big role in his life and progression as an empowered so he had personal stake in not altering Thomas's history too much.

Thomas now thought he was crazy. "You do know that Priests do go around killing people," he said with the implication that it was against the job description.

"Yes I'm well aware, you do know that I only traveled from six years in the future, and everyone is dead, the world is a smoldering boulder of mass death. Forgive me for my insensitivity about a few assholes who literally play major roles in this happening." Damon sighed hopefully Ivy would come through on the more cold hearted tasks/ideas to fix time.

Thomas looked at him and did not see any indication of a lie in Damon. He sighed then said, "If you were one of the people I mentored, you know how I operate. " He would need proof about the moral evil that would necessitate murder. Then he would need to see for himself. Then he would need to see if there was any other way to handle this.

Invincible

Governor Ivy and Damon

The pain driving Ivy

---

It had been a long day, quite the eventful one at that. Governor Ivy had so much to deal wit, the police station bombing, Pastor's Grady hateful message inciting violence in the streets against Empowered in Atlanta & other parts of Georgia, as well as the most devastating an entire hospital being destroyed by what appeared to be giant bullets as well as an explosion. One could only imagine what thoughts were flowing through her head as she was tucking her child into bed. A few moments later with whatever The Governor was doing she was able to notice that it seemed time itself had stopped. Any vehicle's outside weren't moving, any running water was "paused" as if there was a TV remote on her life, and a mysterious man with a scar on his fore head holding an automatic weapon was seen leaning against the wall. He said, "Hello Governor, we need to talk"

Ivy screamed in shock of having an armed man in her house and moved between him and her child. She did not know that the automatic weapon would rip through her and her daughter like a hot knife through butter.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she spoke in a tone with more authority than what she uses even as Governor. "What are you planning to do to my daughter?" she demanded. The fact that things had stopped around her registered in her mind, but the maternal instincts pushed them aside at the moment.

The man simply rolled his eyes not seeming to feel any type of way about her running to protect her daughter. "My name is Damon, and what I want is to prevent the extinction of the human & empowered population, on a more personal scale I want what you want? The people I love to be alive, and well." He'd waited so long for this moment, for this exact conversation, although he knew the risks of what he was doing, the alternative his current reality was far worst then anything he imagined could occur from the changes he would surely bring about with this "Assignment" of his. "Your daughter? I don't want anything to do with her Mrs. President."

Ivy was taken back, a little.. "I'm not the president," she said. John had talked about how she should run for the office and that she could balance out American politics. "Can we go in the other room?" she asked trying to get this stranger away from her daughter. Ivy was running through many different scenarios like John had taught her. What did he want from her and what was it going to cost her?

As they move to the living room, she noticed the T.V. program had frozen. A car going through a puddle put a splash into the air that just hung in the air. "What did you do?" she asked.

"Hmm I suppose not yet at least in this time." Damon mused making reference to Ivy's political success in the era he'd traveled from. "Sure whatever makes you more comfortable I don't have much...time to waste." He almost grinned at the last statement, but he was far past any jokes especially with the current predicament he was facing. Doing as the Governor asked he moved to the other room knowing she was at unease with him carrying a weapon, suddenly appearing in her home, and her daughter's safety being at risk in her mind. "Oh nothing much I just stopped time, as far you saying your not president?" Damon reached in his pocket and pulled out a torn newspaper article with the headline "Governor Ivy Smith from Georgia elected as first female president of the United States" the newspaper article date showing 2020.

She looked at the paper and looked at him. "Stopped time?" she said almost in shock.
She sank down into her spot on a couch with cushions made for decorations more than comfort.

"Yes you heard what I said ma'am look at the newspaper article really look at what do you see." He spoke still in a dry tone wanting Ivy to truly get a a slight understanding of the situation and an idea of where or rather when he was from

She looked at the paper and read it. John had told her that she could be president but she didn't believe it. "Your charisma and my coaching and we can set you in Washington, D.C. We could change the world," he had said to her. She looked up at him. "So what is it that you want from me?" she asked somewhat still in shock.

"You seem awfully calm and not very reactive to this whole situation? Or is that simply because you realize your inferior to a man who can both stop time & travel through it?" Finally some real emotion showed through a sense of superiority to Ivy, although this complex had developed long before he could ever tamper with the flow of time in any way shape or form. "As I stated when I got here, I need your help to change time. I'm from six years in the future, 90 percent of the human population is dead, and the planet itself is mostly a wasteland a cesspool of waste, violence, suffering & death. " He took a seat on the couch although leaving space from Ivy not wanting her to think he was about to make a sudden move on her. "Your one of the key people who can influence what happens in history, I need you to do so in a way that prevents the end of humanity."

"And has a gun," she said, "and Hun, it has been a rough couple weeks. People blowing up hospitals, playing with cars like they were hot wheels, and other evil things that I wouldn't even want to say." A good southern lady isn't going to show all her emotions to a stranger. John had taught her emotions get you in trouble when others can read them. She also learned that skill when she was on television.

"Forgive me but I know what's going on, trust me that's child play compared to what I've seen to what I've lived! I wish some exploding hospitals, and cars being flung around where the extent of what I've dealt with but it dosen't even scratch the surface. Honestly the powers, the people with them, and the technology that distributed them really play a large role in everyone dying." Being an empowered himself he hated to say it, but hell he'd made this very trip to the past by using the same technology. "Tell me how you really feel, honestly. If I wanted to kill you or your daughter you'd already be dead, I could just slit your throats with time stopped honestly I can't hurt you. The Butterfly effect, step on a butterfly in the past you might cause a chain reaction that leads to an extinction of an entire species. Your the first female president in US History, so your a pretty damn big butterfly to step on."

"Someone showing up in my house with a gun would put the fear of Jesus into you," she said with a southern twang. "People are unhappy with me right now. Some say I'm not doing enough, others want me to do nothing..." there was an and that hung there. Tears formed in her eyes as she was frustrated with fighting a fight from a position that people couldn't see or seem to understand.

"Well the world did end in the first term of your presidency, but it's not entirely your fault the Genesis Corporation however plays a massive role in our extinction." He spoke the name of the company with a hateful venom in his tone speaking of the business that had effectively ruined the world. "I can't tell you entirely what to do, I've done so much already just by coming back in time and speaking to someone of your importance. But I weighed my options, give it a year or two at most and every single person will be dead in my time. Honestly just do what your doing, you won so you must be doing something right or at least perceived to be that way.

"However you didn't answer my question. What do I have to do to prove to you I'm not lying? And are you going to do anything do you care? Do you understand I'm telling you quite literally that everyone on the planet is going to die in less then a decade, 90 percent in less then five years." He spoke re-iterating his point knowing this might be a lot to soak in, and not knowing how Ivy was taking all this.

She looked at him with the one thing she truely wanted more than anything else in her mind. "I want my son back," she said.

"All those articles and videos I've seen you up on the stand on youtube, about helping people and all you care about is your own flesh and blood?" Damon retorted although he wasn't disapointed or even concerned about what she said, after all while he ultimately traveled back in time to save the world what he cared about most was his own friends & family he lost.
"I can make that happen, you understand however that I'd be changing the course of time itself? And only you would be aware, well you and any others on this earth that are sensitive to alterations in the flow of time."

She looked at him with cold stare, "Even if I could only hold him for five minutes," she said, "It would give me the strength to fight this fight. That would prove you were not lying to me. I'd ask you to stop what ever caused the enhanced from happening, but you might not be able to do that. " She paused, "I could ask you to change lots of events and save people. But then other things might spin out of control."

"Well your right about that if i attempt to change something that would prevent me from having gained this power in the first place, it simply creates a paradox thereofre preventing me from going back in the past in the first place, but fine." Damon placed his hand on Ivy's shoulder and they vanished. They reappeared in the high school where the oxygen manipulalting teen was draining the air out of the lungs of the other students. Teenagers were dropping dead left and right. In her vision Ivy could see the teenager raising his hand to Tyler with fury in his eyes.
"You stupid piece of shit! You always thought you were better then me huh well fuck you and your whole family, you deserve to die." The kid screamed at Tyler who stumbled back in fear.
"Man you don't have to do this listen! There's got to be another way to use this power you have! Just because other kids bullied you, put you down, look at it another way, this power you have, you can help people, save lives make a difference Y...you." Tyler tried to argue with the kid but was also filled with fear.
"You don't know anything! IM NOT SAVING ANYONE! OF COURSE YOULL TAKE THEIR SIDE! WELL GO TO HELL WITH THE REST OF THEM!!!" The kid screamed at Tyler and began removing oxygen from him causing him to the hit the ground his face loosing color and before he died time suddenly froze allowing Tyler to breath, Damon having stepped in. "W...what th efuck what happened I'm alive?!" Tyler looked up confused seeing the empowered who was about to strip him of his life frozen in time and he slowly got up catching his breath seeing everytone running for their lives in his school was frozen, and then the next sight was even more breath taking." MOM?! Your here?!"

Ivy did what any mother would do, She ran to her son and grabbed him. "Where do you think I would be?" she asked. "I always said that if you needed me, really needed me I would come." She kissed him in that embarrassing way that Moms to do their teenagers. She held his face in her hands, "I'm so proud of you for trying to save others." She sat down on the floor and held him in her arms like he was two. "Always know that we love you and are so proud of you." Tears ran down her face, as she held her boy.

"Mom what's going on????? Why is everyone frozen, where did you come from" Tyler was overwhelmed, one minute he saw his life flashing before his eyes. Every moment up until his confrontation with the empowered individual. He'd wished and prayed he could see his mother one more time as everything was going dark,and even though he was confused tears welled up in his eyes streaming down his face as his mother embraced him. She felt so warm, the one thing he'd wanted more then in anything in his final moments was to see Ivy. "I love you mom, I'm so scared, I just wanted to help everyone, I wanted to be like you and dad.." He spoke his voice strained in between tears.
"Oh how romantic, not to interrupt kiddo just wanted to let you know were actually fromt the future, a future in which your dead, in about two mintutes actually. " As if on cue he looked at his watch although it was frozen with the rest of time. "So I mean I'll give you your five minutes a few more if you want to say good bye before time resumes and he's out of breath literally, I mean unless you want me to change...the past that's up to you though Governor." Damon smirked the ball now in her corner, he figured with the potential of her son to be alive again he could get her to do anything
Tyler was still locked in the loving embrace with his mother, although hearing Damon's side commentary caused his heart to race with fear, Ivy could feel her son's heart beating faster then ever. "Mom is he telling the truth?! Are you...really from the future..." He didn't know what to believe but he'd spoke to Ivy this morning, and it didn't make any sense that she was just there, and it seemed time was frozen. "Please...mommy is he lying? I...I.. don't want to die I'm so scared please...help me." Tyler burst out crying as he hugged his mom regretting getting involved with trying to help the other students and wishing he'd just left

She gave Damon the dirtiest look she had given anyone, "Yes, I came back with him to let you know how much we love you and how proud we are of who you are." She rocked him, "Tyler, I want to save you more than anything...." she said with her maternal heart breaking. Twice she was going to lose him. She said, in his ear, "Honey, If I save you many more people are going to die too. Maybe your sister, or even Dad or me. But, I did not want you to be alone."

Tyler started to wallow when he'd seen his mom some hope had returned into his body, he'd thought he was already dead but now he realized he truly was dead. Seeing everything frozen around him he clutched his mom tighter hugging her and holding her close his tears rolling onto her skin. "Please don't leave me I'..I'm sorry please please take me to the future, please mommy please I don't want to die! please." His voice growing weaker with every please on the verge of wailing his whole body envelopd in fear begging his mom to save him, begging the woman he came from to help him at all costs." Mom d-o-o-n't leave me please I love you please SAVE ME!! MOMMY!!!!!"

Ivy held him for as long as she could, willing her breath into him.

As Tyler grasped for air he clung to his mother scratching her arms and holding on to her pleading for breath and his life. Ivy pulled him close and cried out to Damon, "Save him you bastard. I want all this to never have happened." Then he as gone and all that remained was the tears and sobbing of a mother who had just lost her son for a second time and the prayer that she did the right thing.

"What is it that you want from me?" she asked...

Exalted: Fall of Creation

Cilia Cosgair

---

Link to Cilia's Sheet

---

Cilia listened intently to what people were saying and watching their body language. She had learned that how people moved tells you more than their words many time. She knew when someone was going to try to hurt someone long before the arm moved to strike. What struck her was how different they were and how much alike. Each of them was carrying some badge of shame from the past and it was defining them. No matter how much she learned from her dogs that what happened in the past does not mater, you learn from it and move on. She found it hard to live that way.

Fegus was a noble and after cracking his head on the rock,he was human. She doubted that he would bring charges against her. But she didn't find his humor as funny as he did. She decided money wasn't as important to him as was his pride and sense of duty. It had taken a while to think that maybe he had a hard time with emotional women worried about things that were not important to him at the time. She would have seemed flighty. But being around a Barrister was a scary thing. Many street people had lost hands or heads due to these encounters. This one wasn't that scarry, he made it clear that he didn't want to be mothered either.

Snow was two people at the same time. There was the Snow she knew - kind, compassionate, generous, forgiving, and protective. This was the one who helped her get the clothes on her back. Then there was the ridged Snow, the one that keeled before them to tell his story. This is the Snow she saw when he was teaching young women to defend themselves and boys that had the makings to be guards. This was the Snow that went to save people from the evils of the world, that carried a body back that had been killed. Cilia had been on the receiving end of his sternness once for going into a burned warehouse that was still smoking, after he had told her not to. In her eyes' Snow's life had been far from boring at his temple. He was always doing things and some of it was fairly heroic. She did not know much about battling spirits. She was amazed to hear that he did not like people telling him what to do. But, it made it clearer the number of times that he suggested to people they make a different choice rather than a harsh don't do that. She would have to listen to that differently when he said that to her.

Axley was one that did not like to much physical touch. Axley would let you touch her arm or hand. She had given little children at the temple hugs when they were crying, then quietly sing for them. She also knew the Crawford name from her childhood. She had heard stories about a merchant that came to the port to pickup goods and enjoy himself. But they were stories of her childhood at the brothel and they were all jumbled up in her head. Spending the time straightening them out and sharing them with Axley would not serve any good, she thought. It wouldn't bee good for her either. She was trying to remember the merchant that attacked her and left her for dead. It was not a good first experience and is large part of the reason that Cilia tries to stay busy and care for people. The thought that maybe she and Axley might even be half-sisters or cousins entered her mind. She had guessed that Axley knew the streets or poverty because she was around Snow and his flock. But she was determined and was overcoming the obstacles of life. She had talent that let her rise up. Her father was right in teaching her music as it gave her options.

She pulled her knees up and hugged them letting her hair fall around her like a shield. The nightmare of being raped would come again and she would have to fight it.

The Girl From the Forbidden Kingdom

“We about a half day ride from Rapid Falls,” he said. “My family was sent out here because people feared we had magic. We were blessed with lumber, mining, and some farming and life stock,” he smiled, “as you can see my Grandparents did alright for themselves.”

Invincible

Ashley Burns

Location: UIC - Vetrinary School

---

Ashley had her backpack worn on her back, with both straps on her shoulders. Showing her geek level was pegged at a solid 11. It made sense to do it, because of the weight distribution. But no one on campus did that unless they were a nerd. She had just sat through her freshman English Class. It was a complete waste of time. Two comments, and the prof was off ranting about the evils of Republicans, how white people were the problem to ever ill in the world, and white privilege was ... Well, you get the idea. The English prof picked Ashley out for her pale skin, red hair, and nice clothing as the poster child for all that was wrong in this country. You might as well put a make America Great hat on her head and a Trump for 2020 shirt on her. Not that she liked any political candidate, in her mind they all acted like animals.

"It's people like you that are causing the problems in this country," the prof growled. She was a middle aged Caucasian woman wearing a wool skirt in a Irish family pattern. That made Ashley want to scratch her head in confusion. Then she had a nerve to ask Ashley to name a famous black writer.

Ashley looked at her and said, "Maya Angelou who wrote the poem Touched by An Angel"
Then went on to recite the poem,

"We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free."

Her prof went nuts telling her she was making that up, till someone did a google search on their phone to prove her right. It did not mater that she knew Black poets, Mexican poets, and others. Her liberal prof was so open minded that she couldn't be open minded to anything but her own position. It wasn't that Ashley disagreed that the family she was born into was able to provide for her better than other families or that slavery or what was done to the Native Americans was wrong. But didn't the prof realize that she worked in a system that reinforced white privilege and quota's were not going to fix that nor would giving everyone an A for attendance. There needed to be some standard somewhere.

Ashley had to work hard to block her prof's anger at her and the classes bordem on the topic. On the window sill sat a grey squirrel, "You want to talk privilege. Dogs. They live in you house, they eat your food, and pampered while we live out in the cold," It's thoughts coming through clear, "and don't get me started on cats..."

After class, one of the African American women came up to her and said, "Good job, Carrot-top now we all get to write a five page paper for Friday about a Black writer."