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Morose female Member

✨Krakoan Princess✨

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6 yrs ago
My power grows exponentially each day as we come nearer to Halloween.
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In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 1 day ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Achronum@Blizz@Forsythe@Kirah@Nallore@PatientBean@Trainerblue192
4:10 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Agatha turned away from her charges, as Madalyne came up to greet her. For a moment, her face was vacant, her eyes ever so slightly squinted as if searching for something just out of reach, a memory that was difficult to unearth. "Oh! Yes! Mackenzie, it's so good to see you! How's the family? Your dad doing okay?"

April Flynn
Location: New Orleans - Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Khaki-Colored Work Jacket + Grey Tank + Light Wash Jeans + Combat Boots
April's phone vibrated with incoming texts, and despite being as obsessed with her phone as any other teenager, there was something she was obsessed with more demanding her attention: Danni. The emotional high that had swept over her only increased as he eagerly returned her hug, his energy matching her own. She barely managed to keep a grip on the forms she'd filled out, as she hugged him as tightly as she could. And yes, Dorian definitely needed to join in too!! It had been waaaay too long since she'd seen them both, way too long since their last hug and cuddle. "Dorian come ooooon!! I've missed you!!!" she begged, before giving Danni a quick bombardment of kisses on his cheek.

"Oh also, I don't know if you guys saw but I met Evanthe Moore!!! And Harry Simmons!!! They were at the hotel and everything and I took selfies with both of them!!! It was so cool!!!" April gushed. "I wish you two could have been there - not that I wish you were staying at that hotel, it's kinda rundown but it's what was affordable and available y'know? And I wish I was staying at your house obviously because you're my brothers and I love you and I wanna spend time with you!! But I got to meet them both!! They're so nice and so pretty and everything you'd hope for!!!"

She took a breath, before giving Danni some more kisses - and if Dorian would just come and join the group hug, she'd give him tons of them, too!! They had plenty of time to go in and get their examinations done, what mattered right now was that they were together again!! She felt so strong, so energized - like she could single handedly take on an army of Doombots without breaking a sweat. She felt like running and spinning and jumping and doing everything she could think of all at once. Her heart was beating faster and faster, and even the slight tremors in her hands didn't seem to be bothering her, as she was just riding this high. "Ahhh and baby Amélie!!!! You're so adorable!!! Such a good girl!!! The bestest of girls!!!"

She then gasped, as a brilliant idea popped into her head. "Wait wait wait!!! Do you think we could go and do the exam together? I don't wanna stop huuuuugggiiiiiiiinggggggg."
Percy Novikov
Location: New Orleans - Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room -> Exam Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Dorian Approved Outfit #2 - Sunglasses, Flannel, Skinny Jeans
It was finally Percy's turn.

Clearly, Tommy Maximoff's superspeed didn't extend to medical examinations. The older boy took about ten minutes in there, just the same as everyone else. Percy could only hope that the entire process felt torturously slow to the speedster - and when he caught a glimpse of an irritated Maximoff emerging from the exam room, Percy couldn't help but smirk. It served him right. (Of course, not that not cutting in line in front of Percy would have made the process more bearable for Tommy, but beggars couldn't be choosers when it came to being petty).

The examination room looked like a standard doctor's office, albeit with somewhat tacky decor, as if the budget had only been able to purchase reject decorations from the Haunted Mansion. At the very least, the pair of physicians in the room looked normal - he didn't see any visible stitches winding down the front of their face, or bolts sticking out of the side of their head, or trails of dried blood coming from their lips. He'd been half expecting for a ghost to be running the examination, or some sort of cryptid - that he would open the door and the Jersey Devil would be making small talk with him (Percy hated small talk) about his hopes for the contest.

As for the exam itself... Percy hadn't really had physicals before. He'd never been overly interested in physical activities, not until somewhat recently. He'd never played sports, always preferring to find a quiet space off by himself to read. However, at least the start of the exam seemed more or less as he had anticipated - they measured his vitals, such as his blood pressure and heart rate, and listened to his breath and heart.

"I need to feel your abdominals. Is that okay?" the doctor asked, once they finished noting some value in his chart.

"Do I have a choice?" Wouldn't he be disqualified if he said no, if he refused to see this exam through all the way? As much as his stomach churned at the idea of the doctor touching him, even with gloved hands and through the (somewhat) safety of his clothes... He didn't want to jeopardize his ability to participate in the contest. It would be mortifying to come this far, only to be turned away because he couldn't handle a few seconds of discomfort.

He then shook his head, before the physician could answer - "Yes, yes that's okay. Just be quick about it."

Percy grit his teeth, and held his breath, and tried to fight the urge to jump out of his own skin - to find a way to do what Dorian did and just not have a body at all.

"You're doing great, Percy."

"Don't patronize me," he muttered.

The doctor paused, before looking at him somewhat sharply. "I'm not."

Shame flickered through him briefly. He'd assumed that they were - because it was what he would have done.

The next few portions of the exam were more irregular, but also more interesting. He had no magical knowledge or training, so he had no idea how the amulet was supposed to work, as it was twirled around his head three times. The blood draw was much more routine, and it thankfully didn't take them too many attempts to get the set-up in place, as he intentionally looked away - just in case the sight of his own blood being collected would make him nauseous. If anything, the speed of the test was impressive - Elizabeth Holmes would have been envious. The following portion was what looked essentially like a radar gun, emblazoned with the logo of the Future Foundation - he scowled. Percy hated the Fantastic Four. It was a rivalry he had inherited from his mother.

The device seemed to feel similarly about him, as it beeped harshly.

The physicians frowned.

They stared at the readout.

They stared at Percy.

They quickly began tapping away at their tablets, pulling up information, perhaps? Or entering in their findings?

"What?"

Percy's anxiety spiked. What had they found? He was fine. He was healthy - Dorian's father had, unfortunately, already made sure of that. Was the device alerting them to the presence of his x-gene? He wasn't legally required to disclose that he had one. No one was. It wasn't the 2010s anymore. Perhaps this device was just telling them that he had had things purged from his system recently - perhaps it was just picking up on some stray residue from James' power.

"Percy," one of the physicians then said carefully. "Are you aware that you're entangled on a quantum level with Dorian Gray? According to our records, he's competing in the Contest of Champions, too, for Margaret Carter."

What?

"I'm... entangled?" Percy repeated, a faint blush spreading across his face. He knew that he and Dorian had entangled, but hadn't known that they'd entangled... His mother was a quantum physicist. He wasn't an expert on quantum science, but he'd heard enough around the house growing up - had glanced at enough papers spread out on the kitchen table, covered in annotations. One immediate way that their atoms could have been bled into one another came to mind - their entanglement had entangled them.

Strangely, the thought that Dorian was a part of him now, and that he was a part of Dorian... It made him feel warm. Safe, even.

He'd examine that later.

"Yes, approximately five percent. This unfortunately likely means you cannot both compete in the Contest of Champions, Percy... One of you will have to withdraw."

His eyes widened. They couldn't both compete? But... His brain was scrambled for a moment. They'd worked so hard to get here, Dorian especially. This was his dream - he'd been trying with Danni and April to get to this place for years. And he didn't have very many chances left - just one more after this one, unless he failed (which despite his inability to pay attention to assigned readings, Percy had no doubt that his boyfriend would graduate next year). And as much as Percy wanted to be here - as much as he wanted to win, to prove himself... He couldn't ask Dorian to give up on his dream for him. He couldn't ask that of him.

He'd make the sacrifice himself. He still had three more years. And he didn't want it as deeply as Dorian did.

"I see," Percy hesitated, before standing up, sliding off of the exam table. "Thank you for your time. I will withdraw, then."



In Château de La Lune → 4 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Miguel de la Cruz

ǝʇɹǝnW ɐl ǝp lǝnƃᴉW
Location: Château de La Lune: Azalea
Skills: N/A
Miguel shut off the spirit box, groaning a bit as he set the device down on the bed - he'd been tempted to throw it, as he had been tempted a thousand times before, but it was different now that it was his own money paying for the tech. He couldn't afford to abuse his equipment. He didn't have a big corporate bank account to fall back on - not that trashing equipment on purpose had been acceptable back then anyways. It was small, at least - small enough to fit into his backpack, where he'd stashed more of his ghost hunting equipment he'd need. The family didn't want him poking around the paranormal here, so he wasn't going to leave this sort of stuff in his suitcase.

He took another moment to look around the overly pink room, before something caught his eye that he hadn't noticed before - some papers left on the desk. Wifi information, a schedule of everything that was going to happen, dinner options, and an info-sheet about the château. Miguel picked up the papers, his stomach growling a bit as those dinner options looked more and more appealing, before he spotted something horrifying. He gasped, his hands going cold as he dropped the papers, everything completely forgotten, even his hunger.

It was a photo of a gravestone.

Bruno de la Cruz.

Miguel stared at the photo for a long while, before he snatched it up, the nausea skyrocketing as the world looked a little blurry, as it swayed around him, and for a moment, he was sure that he was going to faint - that any attempts at clinging to consciousness were futile.

On the back of the photo, written in neat, precise handwriting:

"How does an ofrenda work?”

What the actual fuck was going on here?

Did they know?

Could they know?

Miguel turned the photograph over again, and again, and again. It was the same every time. He didn't know what to do about it. He didn't know what to think. What sort of sick joke was this??? He felt trapped, like a cornered animal - caged in on an island with people he didn't know, people who were trying to play some sort of game with him. If they knew, he'd rather they just say it with their fucking chest, he'd rather -

Jeanne.

She might know something.

Her text from earlier had said she'd be in the solarium.

Without another thought, Miguel was out in the hallway, his gaze a bit crazed as he closed the door behind him, and gave an awkward smile to the employees with the bags. "Gracias!" He saw they had his bag. He wanted to go find Jeanne. But he hated to be rude. "I can take that," he added, before grabbing his suitcase. He turned around, reopened the door to his room, and practically chucked the suitcase inside, before locking the door again behind him. "Mondays, am I right?"

Location: Château de La Lune: Solarium
Skills: Acting
By the time Miguel found Jeanne in the solarium, his nerves had not yet abated. Any attempts to keep the photograph from becoming a crumpled, crinkled mess were in vain. He alternated between holding it out in front of him, staring in a mixture of horror and disbelief, and shoving it into his pocket, so no one else could see. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about his brother - that he didn’t think about Bruno. He didn’t smoke, but he would have killed for a cigarette.

“Hey,” Miguel said, forcing a smile onto his face that didn’t meet his eyes. “What the fuck is going on?”

He held out the photograph to her - not accusing her, but rather, accusing this place, this family.

If she’d been following his content for as long as she said, then she’d know about Bruno.

Jeanne's face lit up when Miguel came into the solarium.

“Hey,” she frowned and looked at the photo he held out. Her face fell the rest of the way. “Oh. God. Wait, what do you mean?” She looked up at Miguel with pure confusion on her face.

“I found this in my room,” he explained, starting to pace back and forth, the photo still held out in front of him as if it was an active hazard - as if its toxins would adsorb to his skin if he let it come too close. “A photo of my dead brother’s grave. Asking how to get in touch with his ghost - as if I hadn’t tried to talk to Bruno a thousand times before.”

Jeanne was the only one in her family with any interest in the occult. Her cousins didn't care. Her aunts and uncles didn't care. None of them gave one single iota of care toward the magnificence that was the home they lived in. Sure Jeanne wanted to move to Paris but who wouldn't want to move from their isolated home to the best city in the world? She didn't even think any of her family would have a clue who Miguel was. His referral for the award hadn't been from any of them. The staff were all old, well except for the two maids who were barely competent. She started chewing on her nails.

“I don't know who could have left it. Who would even know.” She shook her head. “No one here even knows you. The awards are nominated from the community and the family. I know no one in the family nominated you. So they couldn't know,” she told him. Her voice was raising with worry.

He stopped in his pacing for a moment, as relief flooded him. No one in the family nominated him? They didn’t know who he was? As soon as the tension faded though, he couldn’t help but be frustrated with himself. Had Jeanne done this, then? Was she an obsessed fan he had made the mistake of trusting?

Miguel stared at her for a moment. His gut instinct told him to trust her - that she was genuine - that this wasn’t her. So it was someone else, then. Someone who took the time to learn enough about him to know about Bruno. He didn’t talk about his brother very much - just one or two mentions over years of content. It was painful to think about what had happened.

“Okay,” he said finally. “Okay. Who nominated me? And who has access to my room?”

Jeanne opened her mouth to say something then snapped it shut. She looked down at the ground. Her cheeks and ears turned red. “I nominated you. Anyone in the whole house has access to your room. But I nominated you. I didn't think it would work. I didn't think you'd reach out to me. I didn't even know for sure you'd get shortlisted. But you did.” She looks back up at him, chewing on her lip. “I promise I didn't plan anything. I just wanted to give you a chance to win and if you did it'd be so good for you. And I didn't think I'd ever tell you. No one is supposed to know who nominated them.”

Miguel nodded, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on her arm. “I believe you,” he reassured her, even as his mind was turning. “But now I need you to be my man - my woman on the inside. Can you figure out who’s handwriting this is? Do some snooping where I can’t?”

Jeanne smiled brightly, and nodded. She took the photo and looked at the writing. “I don’t recognize it. But I’ll poke around.” She had access to the private areas of the house.

“Sick,” Miguel forced another smile. He hated this. He hated all of this. It was supposed to be an interesting video topic, a guaranteed million views. It wasn’t - it wasn’t supposed to dig up the literal skeleton in his closet. “You’re a real one, J.”

Some tension left Jeanne’s shoulders. It had been there when she confessed to having nominated Miguel but it left now. The nervousness in her was the thrill of mystery. Who was behind this photo? “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll see you at dinner. We might have better luck pretending to not know each other during dinner. That way no one thinks you have someone on the inside. Right?”

“Oh shit, yeah, good idea,” he agreed, a bit embarrassed for a moment it hadn’t even occurred to him yet. “Let’s meet back here tonight - around midnight? If you want, I can even bring the spirit box, and we can take it for a whirl in the foyer.”

“C'est génial.”
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 9 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Achronum@Blizz@Forsythe@Kirah@Nallore@PatientBean@Trainerblue192
4:00 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana
As the clock struck four, a purple, shimmering mist solidified in front of the main entrance, condensing into a visage that some would know all too well - with long silver hair, a cunning grin, and an elegant purple gown that despite being constructed centuries ago showed not a day of age, Professor Agatha Harkness appeared before the gathered children. She surveyed the space for a moment, noting that it seemed everything was going according to procedure - not that she was in charge, of course. She was here strictly as a coach for the Strange Academy team, the Hex Girls (or Hex Gurls, she could never remember the spelling).

If she had received a note from a former student, she made no indication of it. Her eyes didn't even settle on the Avengers Academy students, passing over even her prized pupil, Billy Maximoff. Instead, she made her way through the mob of students, going over to where her own charges were gathered. "You all know how to spell and read, right?" she asked, with a slight wink. "You don't need me to fill out these forms for you?"

Meanwhile, the very student who had been looking for her had tragically already left the waiting area for the medical exam - had Vicky looked back, she would have noticed something odd about the door she just left from as well. It didn't look entirely real, as if it was painted into the stone walls of Strange Academy. A simple sign that read Contest of Champions Examinations - Closed to the Public had been taped onto the painting, the only real indication that it was a door at all. It had been physical and tangible moments ago, perhaps this was an illusion or another enchantment?

That, of course, was Vicky's other problem. She thought the Kingston-Gray house was dripping in magic. The levels of magic here at Strange Academy made the Kingston-Gray home look truly like a low, mild, barely registrable level of magic. The thick haze of magic saturated her sensors, showing her only a fraction of what was truly there, and everything else was barely visible, just faint little blips through a colorful, swirling haze. The amulet protected her, kept the magic from seeping into her, but it could do little for her immediate surroundings.

Two things would then happen at almost immediately the same time:

1) Vicky would spot a boy walking through the corridors, roughly the same age as her friends, with a charming face and dark blonde hair. Perhaps this could be the local she was looking for?

2) Her system would alert her to a file from September 13th of that year that needed her attention.

April Flynn
Location: New Orleans - Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Khaki-Colored Work Jacket + Grey Tank + Light Wash Jeans + Combat Boots
April was still feeling jittery and weirdly energized as she filled out the questionnaire. She had such a strong urge to run up to Danni and Dori and give them both the tightest of hugs, and apologize for scaring them, and reassure them that she was fine now, that it was all good, that she was better - but they didn't have the time for that right now, as much as her blood was pounding through her body. Everyone else was finally there, including Sabine and Leah - she refused to let her thoughts focus on them, instead just offering them a wave. Leah's text message had been concerning. But everything seemed fine now! And strictly speaking, Leah was her competition. She needed to focus on the contest - on doing her very best to not let her team down, not when they were so close to achieving their dream. It's what Nemo would have wanted her to do.

She filled out the questionnaire quickly, feeling a weird twinge in her gut as she put down her legal name. It felt nauseating - but just for a second, and then the feeling passed as quickly as it had come on. A similar sensation came up when she stared at the portion for the emergency contact. She didn't want anything to do with her parents. She wasn't speaking to them. She didn't want to speak to them ever again. And given that the form said emergency contact, and not guardian... April decided to put down a different name entirely.


April then glanced at the different lines, before purposefully picking one that seemed longer than the others - in hopes that Danni and Dorian would be able to catch up with her, and that they could chat. She already missed them so much! And it had been less than day since she'd seen them last! She waited in the line for about five seconds, before she couldn't take it any longer - and she made a beeline straight for Danni, pulling him into a tight hug. Dorian was with Percy, so she figured she'd start with Danni. "Danni Danni Danni Danniiiiiiiiiii!" April squealed. "We're finally here!!!!"

The Vision, of course, hardly shared April's excitement - instead being left to ponder just what exactly Leah had been hinting at...
Percy Novikov
Location: New Orleans - Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Dorian Approved Outfit #2 - Sunglasses, Flannel, Skinny Jeans
Percy dutifully filled out the questionnaire, taking great care to ensure that every detail was accurate and correct. It seemed like the sort of form that ought to have been signed by a legal guardian, but there were many things about the Contest of Champions that seemed a little odd on reflection. Most schools did not allow children to simulate fighting each other to the death - and yet, Percy was fairly certain the scenario in the previous year's contest had been a last stand of sorts. He'd woken up one night to Dorian reviewing it on his phone.



"I'll see you in a bit, then," Percy bade his boyfriend, giving Dorian a kiss on the cheek as he was still filling out his form, before making his way in line. He scowled slightly as he spotted his sister out of the corner of his eye. The idea of dropping out of the contest just to attempt to hurt Diana's chances at winning did occur to him, but he dismissed it almost immediately. He wouldn't allow Diana to ruin this for him. He was here to compete, and he did genuinely wish to do so. Of course, he was still refusing to speak to Diana, but his maturity could only go so far.

He was about to enter one of the examination rooms, when a gust of wind blew in front of him - and Tommy Maximoff beat him to the chase, slowing down just enough to smirk at Percy before slamming the door shut behind him.

"Asshole," Percy grumbled, his fist tightening around the paperwork, crinkling the form.

In Château de La Lune → 10 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Miguel de la Cruz

ǝʇɹǝnW ɐl ǝp lǝnƃᴉW
Location: Los Angeles, California
Skills: N/A
Miguel closed the apartment door behind him with his foot, bag of groceries from Lazy Acres in one hand, his venti hazelnut latte with three pumps of espresso in the other, his keys dangling from the carabiner looped around his left pinky, and his teeth holding onto a thick stack of mail. His eyes instinctively went down the hallway, looking for the familiar padding of paws rushing up to meet him, but there was only silence. It had been months since he'd moved out, and yet, the silence still got to him.

He set down the coffee and keys on the little bookshelf near his entry, the bag of groceries down on the floor, and with his hands free, he took the mail out of his mouth. "Alexa, play... play Doechii everywhere." Driving, energizing music immediately filled the small apartment. The walls were scarcely decorated, and moving boxes still littered the living room and small kitchen, some of them doubling as furniture at this point, and others already having collected a fine layer of dust. He flopped down onto his thrifted couch, and kicked his shoes off, as he went through the mail. Some of it was forwarded from the old office - it still crushed him to see their names listed together - some of it was bills, some of it was just ads, and then, there was something unexpected. A thick, elegant envelope that didn't belong. He frowned, immediately assuming it was just some sort of new scam - some sort of scheme to trick people with a fancy appearance.

"What the fuck..." Miguel murmured, as he tore open the envelope, and read the most bizarre letter he'd ever received. He was being nominated for an award? Because of his ghost hunting? A free trip to France, with a chance at an insane amount of money and a trip around the world? There was no fucking way this was real. Miguel crumpled the letter up, and tossed it across the room, narrowly missing his trash can. He wasn't that stupid.

...

...

He sighed, getting up off the couch, and he grabbed the crumpled up letter, as well as his coffee. It was obviously a horrible scam, but it was at least an interesting one. And his only plans for the rest of the day had been to watch I Love Lucy and try to convince himself to cook dinner, rather than ordering takeout again. Maybe other people had gotten letters like this and posted about it online - at the very least, a quick bit of Google searching would satiate his curiosity.

> Vorace La Lune Award of Achievement
> Chateau de la Lune
> Elenore la Lune
> Vorace la Lune
> La Lune scam
> La Lune fraud

By the time he closed the lid on his laptop, his coffee had long since gone cold, and moonlight filtered in through his windows.

This was going to make the video of a lifetime.
Location: the Private Jet
The plane was... unsettling. He didn't like it. He hated flying in general, preferring to drive places whenever possible. Usually, though, if he had to fly, at least he was with people he knew - he rarely traveled alone, even after everything that had happened. They'd known how to help settle his nerves, how to keep this thoughts at bay.

The edible had helped, but only for a little while. After a few hours, its effects had worn off. The movies he adored, they weren't really holding his interest, either - cinematic masterpieces that they were.

"You're not taking me to some island to hunt me for sport, right?" Miguel joked nervously.

He knew where he was going. No one was going to hunt him for sport - and if someone did, he was going to be absolutely pissed. Terrified as fuck, of course, but pissed. He was here to investigate a haunted French estate, and secretly film the entire thing. The drama and rumors surrounding the family was an added bonus. He didn't care about the award. The award wasn't going to get clicks. And after everything he'd learned about it, he did not want to be a winner. His anxiety already made it feel like he was walking into a trap.

He wanted to avoid that fucking curse however he could.
Location: Château de La Lune: Foyer -> Azalea
The rest of the trip wasn't nearly as quiet, but it was just as uncomfortable. The Château de La Lune required a boat in order to access it, and Miguel found himself people watching in a desperate attempt to not get seasick. He barely recognized anyone else present - well, a particular face or two stood out to him. Miguel raised an eyebrow as he caught a glance at someone he was used to seeing in a YouTube thumbnail, videos he never clicked on but the algorithm suspected he would like - a face that was attached to a name that would sometimes come up in the comment sections of his old videos, asking for a collaboration.

He raised his water at the other ghost hunter in recognition, before Miguel went back to watching everyone else - hardly anyone seemed to be talking, instead looking like they were getting ready for a photoshoot, their hair flowing in the French breeze as the boat cut through the water. Miguel wanted to talk to them. He wanted to ask them all what they'd been nominated for, why they were here, and if there had been anything odd about their invitations, about anything - he wanted to start getting footage, maybe some testimony from his fellow passengers, before they made it to the estate...

But no one was talking. And Miguel refused to be labeled as the weirdo who couldn't read a room, never again. So instead, he matched what everyone else was doing, looking out across the water and wondering what exactly awaited them.

The strange vibes continued all the way to the estate itself, too, as Elenore gave a rather brief speech that answered little questions for him. It didn't explain why them - why this random assortment of people. He didn't trust it.

The room they'd put him up in was rather pink, with a bathroom that seemingly connected to someone else's room - a design that he hated, but it was a free location, so he could hardly complain. A familiar package was waiting on the bed for him, and a quick look around the room verified that there were no cameras - that he was truly alone.

The world's greatest ghost hunter then turned on the spirit box, and introduced himself.

He didn't get anything that was clear - anything that wasn't nonsense beyond the word wine.
In Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω → 14 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
🌈👻 Leda Storm 👻🌈
Location: Tartarus
Skills: N/A
Leda cleaned her sword on the leg of her pants, the last remnants of monster dust falling away. It was convenient how monsters didn't immediately reform in the exact location they died in Tartarus - convenient and lucky. The respawn period was a blessing. Although, if Mads were to die down here, Leda wasn't sure if she would find it so great then - and if she were to die... Well, at least then she would have an answer to some of her questions about her status. She had spent her entire life relying on faith, faith in the gods and the stories. She ought to have been able to subsist on that a little longer, to just keep the faith that things would work out, that she would have her reward... But it felt increasingly hollow, increasingly meaningless. She had died for something she didn't even know if she believed in anymore.

"Why the mountain? Don't you know which way we're going?" Leda asked, turning her attention to the giant. He'd brought Percy and Annabeth to the Doors of Death before - wouldn't it be as simple as retracing his steps? Was there something else that Mads wanted to take care of at the mountain? And if so - what was it?

But those questions went unanswered, as her companions headed in the direction of the mountain - and Leda froze, in terror, disbelief, and thrill, as a dragon's roar pierced her ears. "Bloody hell..."

☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️
Location: Camp Half-blood
Skills: N/A
Nancy nodded slightly, replaying what Zeke had said through her head again - it was a succinct summary of the plans, and she cringed internally a bit, both appreciating and yet ashamed by the fact that the refresher had clearly been for her. She should have been more on top of this, this was Mads they were talking about - this was her chance to right the wrongs she had done to New Rome, to bring back the person they had lost, and then... Then they could rebuild, and the Twelfth Legion wouldn't need her any longer. Her service would be over, and she would swear a new vow, a new vow to...

Her thoughts froze for a moment. It wasn't Lady Diana's name that came to mind.

It was Niah's.

She didn't know what to do with that.

She then stared at Demetri, as he explained his philosophy. She didn't know how much she agreed with it - it was both foreign to her, and intimately familiar. The legion taught that they needed to rely upon one another, that the strength of the group was what mattered, rather than the strength of the individual. But to be nice to everyone? Even a stranger? That was something that Nancy couldn't comprehend. She didn't trust people she didn't know, she didn't rely upon people that had not been tested.

Nancy then looked away. "I'll see you then," she then said, before leaving and making her way for the Roman side of camp - to do what preparations she could as the only praetor left standing.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 15 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@Achronum@Blizz@Forsythe@Kirah@Nallore@PatientBean@Trainerblue192
3:50 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana






April Flynn
Location: Bourbon Street, New Orleans - the Sorcerer's Inn -> Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Khaki-Colored Work Jacket + Grey Tank + Light Wash Jeans + Combat Boots
April felt completely dazed. Not only had she gotten selfies with Evanthe and Harry, but Evanthe had hugged her. She hadn't even asked for a hug! And one had happened anyways! Her body felt like it was tingling, the excitement shaking throughout her. She hadn't managed to hug Evanthe back the way she would have liked to - she'd held her hands purposefully a bit away from the pop star, not wanting the trembling to freak her out - and her brain was still short circuiting, playing that all over and over again in a loop.

The minute she had her phone back, she quickly sent the pictures in that same group chat to Danni and Dorian, captioned with only a !!!!! But before she could add anything else, she saw a notification in a group chat she had thought she'd muted - one that hadn't been touched since her time in CAGE. Ordinarily, the sight of that chat being active would have filled her with dread, her stomach twisting into knots. But she was so energized from meeting Evanthe and Harry, it was like the bad feelings couldn't touch her - like she was immune, some sort of energy shield bouncing them away harmlessly.

The texts in that chat didn't make sense though - Leah had been the one to leave the bathroom, she knew where April was - or rather, where she had been. The lobby wasn't far either, so there was no way Leah would have missed her. And who was he? And Vicosn? She tilted her head slightly, torn between looking at the pop stars more in awe, figuring out what Leah meant, and doing as Vision said and heading to the examination for the Contest of Champions.

... For the Contest of Champions.

April's eyes widened as it hit her. They had less than ten minutes to get to Strange Academy!! They needed to show up for the examination - if they didn't make it to the examination, then they couldn't compete! And if they couldn't compete, then the rest of the team would be let down by their absence! And then when the team couldn't compete, it would be their fault! And she refused to allow that to happen. The stars had aligned to let her onto a team with Danni and Dorian, this was destiny, this was fate - they were going to win, with Ser Nemo's ghost smiling down on them. The Young Avengers, they were just kids, they weren't gods, they weren't invincible - and what better underdog story would there be than the new kids beating the old champs?

Meanwhile, the Vision looked around to see if all of his charges were accounted for - and all of them were, save for Ms. Bassard and Ms. Jordan. He pursed his lips slightly, and sighed. There was only one of him. And it would not do for them to be late. He glanced at his own students. "Ms. Chavez, if you would be so kind? One portal to the school, and if you would, please leave it open - I will wait on this side for our stragglers."

America grinned slightly, popping her gum. "On it!" She then cracked her knuckles, and threw a punch forward - reality cracked where her fist connected, as a gigantic star shaped fissure appeared, entangling two distant portions of space - the hotel lobby, and a mystical waiting room of sorts, where dozens of students were milling about with clipboards, filling out paperwork and awaiting their turn to be seen by the medical examiners to qualify them for the contest.

"Go on through, children."
Percy Novikov
Location: New Orleans - Strange Academy: Medical Waiting Room
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Dorian Approved Outfit #2 - Sunglasses, Flannel, Skinny Jeans
Percy nodded slightly. He knew how important the Contest of Champions was to Dorian. He cared about it, of course, but his reasons were different. He hated losing. That was his primary reason. Had he been on a team with his boyfriend, still, he would have given the secondary reason that it was important to Dorian, therefore it was important to him. But in the shuffle, Percy had been reassigned, placed on a team with his sister despite the redundancy in their powers - and despite the way his mind filled with a thousand scathing insults to direct her way. Diana was lucky Percy didn't have any healing powers, because if he had, there would be little chance of him directing healing her way during the match.

"I'm sure your debut will be incredible," Percy said, even with a slight pang as without me ran through his mind. It occurred to him it was entirely possible that he'd have to face Dorian in the arena in the next few days. Would he be able to fight his boyfriend, in order to secure a win? Could he raise up his axe and charge at him? He honestly didn't know. "What would you say your weaknesses are?" he then asked playfully. "And the main strategies that you are going to utilize?"

A clipboard would the shimmer and appear in the hands of each student there to compete in the contest - it contained several key documents, such as a summary of the Contest of Champions rules, as well as a medical questionnaire. Percy raised an eyebrow, as he glanced at the paperwork - some of the rules seemed too obvious to have to be spelled out. Only being allowed to compete on one team - who would try to compete on multiple? He rolled his eyes slightly.

Meanwhile, as more and more students continued to file in, a voice was projected all around them, such that no one would be able to determine its point of origin - "Welcome, Champions! Please fill out your pre-examination packet, and then proceed to the nearest available examination room once you are ready. If you need assistance or have any questions, please raise your hand and a staff member will come to assist you."

The room then blurred slightly, as ten doors appeared - ten different examination rooms, ready to handle the almost one hundred students present.





And before Percy could begin to fill out his forms, a star-shaped crack in reality appeared before him - and through it stepped the current champions, the Young Avengers!! (And Mary Sue, Zelda, Gideon, and April).

He was beginning to suspect his mutant gift of teleportation was not nearly as special as his mothers had insisted.
In Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω → 22 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
🌈👻 Leda Storm 👻🌈
Location: Tartarus
Skills: N/A
"Poison's the least of my concerns, luv - I'm dead remember?" Leda reminded Mads. Whatever she was, she wasn't alive. She wasn't like the last demigods to have found themselves in Tartarus, still possessing a mortal form. She was a ghost, a shade - able to interact with the world tangibly, but she wasn't alive. At least, she didn't think that she was. Her body was up on the surface, in the real world, if it was even still intact - if she hadn't been burned with her burial shroud. Had her siblings mourned for her? Did her mother even know? Not Iris, her mortal mother - had anyone told her? It felt strange and empty to think about the world up above, continuing to turn, people continuing to live their lives and she was... she was just dead, as if she had never been alive.

She swung her sword, killing the first basilisk that had jumped at her, only to scoff a bit at Damasen's suggestion. "Mm, yeah, next time I see the Lord of the Underworld for tea, I'll just ask him - real cas." If asking Hades or Thanatos had been an option, she would have done it by now. And besides, she knew her mythology. Odds were admitting to Hades that she was supposed to be dead and a ghost would only force him to keep her in the Underworld.



☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️
Location: Camp Half-blood
Skills: N/A
Nancy was completely stunned, completely and utterly shocked. When she woke up that morning, she never would have expected this - that of everyone on the planet, Demetri was the one responsible for getting them to the Doors of Death. He was the last person she would have imagined she would owe her gratitude to - the last person who could be so crucial in reuniting her with a missing piece of her soul. Mads had been there since the beginning - since the Lotus Hotel. Despite being forced to live in one, Nancy genuinely couldn't imagine a world without her - could find herself struggling to breathe in the middle of the night, knowing that Mads was dead - that she was trapped and Nancy was powerless to save her. On some level, she knew that it was guilt - and that she clung to Mads as a lifeline, as the last memory of the person she had been before her trauma, before that night. She knew it was a fixation - that in some ways, she loved Mads because of what she represented, beyond who she really was. It was selfish of her - toxic, even. And it wasn't that she didn't love Mads, she did. It was just more complicated than that.

Demetri had every reason to hate her, too. They had come to a truce, yes, but she still had been cruel to him. He must have... He must have asked Thanatos for this earlier - before they'd come to an understanding. Had he been this person the entire time? Guilt swirled within her. She'd always assumed he was a liability, a whining, weak little thing that needed the approval of others in order to function - someone without grit, without substance. It was that shock that unmoored her for a moment, that untethered her - that kept her frozen in place, continuing the hug rather than immediately pulling away. She had assumed the worst of him.

She always assumed the worst of people.

"You didn't ask him just now to do this," she argued, as she let go of him, her eyes narrowed and her face pinched. "I can believe you doing this for Zeke. But for me? I took every opportunity I could to make you feel less than. Why are you kind to me?"

For once, the discussion of the plans and logistics were lost on her - for once, she didn't fully register as the Argo III was mentioned, as the supply considerations were raised, as Niah went off to inform their fellow Romans as to the plans, as they agreed to meet at the beach in half an hour. She was stunned, confused - and a little horrified, not with anyone else, but rather, with herself.
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 22 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu
3:40 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana
@PatientBean: "A contest rookie, beating us? Big talk pretty girl. Hope you aren't too disappointed when I have you on your knees, all tied up like the present you are." Thuy laughed. "But why wait until after the contest? We could have a little fun tonight. You, me, your girlfriend, dinner and drinks and maybe a little more fun if the night takes us that way. I know you have curfew and all that jazz, but you won't be the only student out on the town." Thuy pressed another kiss against the inside of Sabine's wrist before letting it fall away.

"I typically hangout at Beach on Bourbon, so come see me if the two of you want to live a little." Thuy offered, one hand in her pocket as she stepped back and sauntered towards the opposite end of the hall. "And heads up rookie. If you're late to the exam, you're disqualified!"

@Blizz:

Leah's father tutted slightly, shaking his head. "Marya, I raised you better than that - snarling, really? So juvenile." He strolled calmly towards her, not a single weapon or piece of armor in sight. Perhaps he really was unarmed, defenseless. Perhaps this was all just a dramatic show, to emphasize how much power he had over her simply because she believed it to be true. Or maybe he really was the nightmare she feared - maybe the weapons and strategies he had at his disposal were ones she could not see, a trap threatening to spring at her first misstep.

"I had wanted to afford you a bit of dignity that this... charming hallway doesn't afford you, but I suppose you're quite low on that these days anyways," he chastised. "Very well. I've come here to tell you this - your silly game, dressing up and playing hero? You have only been able to play it because I have allowed it. You will complete this school year, work diligently in your course, and then you will come home. If you do not, there will not be a school to return to. Do I make myself clear?"

He smiled. "Good." He hadn't waited for her to respond. "Good luck with the competition, Marya. I expect nothing less than greatness from my child. I'll be watching." And then, as quickly as he had appeared, his form flickered and he vanished.





April Flynn
Location: Bourbon Street, New Orleans - the Sorcerer's Inn
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Khaki-Colored Work Jacket + Grey Tank + Light Wash Jeans + Combat Boots
April didn't look at her phone for a few minutes, even as she felt it vibrate with an incoming message. It was probably from Danni or Dorian. They were probably worried about her - not that their fears were unfounded. She'd been a danger to herself. Maybe she still was one, as she shook with tears in the bathroom stall of the hotel, a swirling black cloud occupying her brain, a self perpetuating storm of fear and self-hatred and guilt and grief. It was supposed to be a good day. She was supposed to be happy, excited. She was competing with her friends - with her very best friends - but instead everything felt so incredibly wrong. She wasn't where she was supposed to be. She wasn't who she was supposed to be.

When she looked in the mirror, she didn't recognize the face staring back.

Her hands felt like ice as she rubbed them against her eyes, her face already swollen and puffy. And as she got up the courage to take a peek at the message, her heart shattered.

Why did she run from the people who cared - from the people who mattered?

What was wrong with her?

"I'm... I'm sick," April whispered, a bit hesitantly. She stared at the screen of her phone, as if another message would appear - as if Danni would be able to reach out again, even with his phone taken away. She could only guess that was her fault too. "I'm sick and that's okay." Maybe she hadn't been ready to leave CAGE. Maybe she should have still been there. Maybe that was where she belonged.

Slowly, she started to type, deleting each message before even sending it:

I think I need help. I'm really struggling, and I'm scared.

You didn't do anything wrong! I'm just losing my mind.

Sorry I didn't want to scare you! I just hate that everyone is there but me. I'm jealous.

I'm in the bathroom at the Sorcerer's Inn. Can you come?

I think I need to go back to CAGE.

Everyone seems to hate me, and I think I hate me too.



And then -



And -



Maybe they liked Vicky more than her.

There was a gentle knock at the door to the women's bathroom. "Ms. Flynn?" the Vision called out softly. Her uncle, technically. Well, ex-uncle. She stiffened. As much as she knew she needed help, hearing an adult put her on edge, bringing all of her defenses online. Was the night at the pool about to play out again? She both did and did not want Vision to tell her that she was going to be taken to the hospital - that she wouldn't have to struggle against her own mind, that she could let the doctors and the nurses and the pills do it for her.

"We need to leave for your examination at Strange Academy momentarily," the Vision then paused. "Are you alright? My sensors indicate that you are in distress."

"I'm..." She could lie. She could tell him that she was fine. If she didn't lie, would he take her away? Would she watch everyone else compete in the contest without her from a medical ward? Would her parents pull her out of school? The thought of them made her nauseous. She never wanted to see them again. "I'm having a hard time," she admitted, her voice breaking.

"But... I'll be okay," she added. She didn't want to miss the examination. It was part of the agreement to participate in the contest - a moment where they could be checked to make sure that no one was trying to cheat, that no one had hired a super skrull to pretend to be them or were abusing mutant growth hormone to get ahead.

She took a deep breath, and dried her eyes on the sleeve of her coat, before unlocking the stall, and then opening the door to the woman's restroom to face the Vision.

April avoided eye contact with him for a moment - and when she got the courage to meet his expression, it was surprisingly tender for a robot. Was he pitying her, seeing the familial curse play out once more? She had never really interacted with him - he didn't teach any of her courses, and she had never been picked for his team for the Contest of Champions. He was a stranger, the ex-husband to an aunt that April had never really known.

"You're not alone, Ms. Flynn," the Vision said gently. "Remember that."

They did not speak, as April returned with Vision back to the lobby, where only a few remained - The Young Avengers, Gideon, her sister, and... April's jaw dropped.

"What the fuck?!" she stage whispered, her eyes wide. Evanthe Moore and Harry Simmons?! They were both just... just casually here in the hotel?! It wasn't even a particularly nice hotel, it was one of the cheapest ones on Bourbon Street - that was part of the entire reason why they could afford to stay here, after all. The school wasn't paying for the rooms. Her brain short-circuited, the intense feelings of sadness and self-loathing and fear and insecurity vanishing for a moment, replaced with starstruck awe.

"Language, Ms. Flynn," the Vision chided. He then blinked, and text messages would appear on the phones of all of his charges: Please proceed to the lobby. We must depart for your examination or you will risk disqualification.
Percy Novikov
Location: New Orleans - Kingston-Gray Residence
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Dorian Approved Outfit #2 - Sunglasses, Flannel, Skinny Jeans
Casper tilted his head slightly, a little perplexed. He could have sworn there was something going on between Andy and Zari, but technopath hadn't made a single move to go off after Andy. It wasn't something he could relate at all to - even in his own marriage, he whined a bit every time James went into a different room. He still "pretended" to be bad at pool and other activities, just for an excuse to get his husband to put his arms around him and guide his hands. The honeymoon phase had never really ended for him - so whatever was going on with the little lesbians, it was... He just couldn't understand it.

It was so confusing that he completely missed his husband's slight irritation, still trying to figure out what was going on between Andy and Zari. Had it been another set of tiny girls on Genosha he was thinking about? Was he mistaking them for Sunshine and Marrow? Where were Sunshine and Marrow, anyways - weren't they coming to see their nephews compete? He spun around on his heel, trying to see if there were any half-feral adults breaking into the house, as was their custom, but he didn't spot anyone. And as he finished his spin, he did catch his own name. "What?"

He replayed what Max had said. Casper you heard James, this can wait until later. But what had James said? He furrowed his eyebrows, concentrating as much as he could. Max went on to talk about the seance. So it must have been that James didn't want the seance to happen now. Or did he even want it to happen at all? Was he not supposed to summon ghosts for children? Was James worried that the kids would be scared of the ghost of their dead teacher? Casper had been terrified of ghosts as a kid - and as an adult, too, well into his thirties. "... Right. No summoning ghosts on the lawn... Or before dinner," he said very sagely, nodding his head.

He wished Ben was here - he was always so much better than him at paying attention to things.

He then gasped slightly. Ben was here. Casper then desperately tried to capture his eye, hoping his ex-service ghost could give him a brief rundown on what he had missed while he was... What had he been doing, again? What had distracted him? He couldn't remember. It had been important, right? Right? It had something to do with... He had no idea.

Meanwhile, the portal to California had finally closed, after Firestar had promised to send Max a text as soon as she found out if a seance was okay - ordinarily, she would have consulted with Lady Nimue, the magic professor, on this but with her off in Otherworld after Nemo's passing... Firestar was going to have to spend some time combing through the teacher handbooks and pray that there was a mention on whether or not students were allowed to commune with the dead.

As for Percy... He turned a faint shade of pink as one of Dorian's fathers remarked that he was having issues with his key. All of this magic, it was very new to him. He didn't understand it. He didn't intuitively know what he was supposed to do with a glowing key, and his lack of knowledge being advertised by Dorian's father made his skin crawl with a bit of shame - shame that compounded on top of the fact that another one of the parents knew that he had been extremely hungover. He'd barely said a word to them and already, he was messing it all up. He just wanted Dorian's family to like him - to make a good impression for his boyfriend's sake. A few months ago, he would have bitten back with a snarky comment, likely snapping that he wasn't having issues with his key, that he was having issues with the over zealous use of magic - that there was no reason to use a magical system to find a room, instead of just telling people where they were.

But he'd changed since then.

Instead of lashing out a bit to hide his insecurity, Percy sat with it. He was both grateful and embarrassed as Dorian took his hand, and guided him into the house, and along the glowing path lit by the key. Once the door opened, though, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Is this... supposed to look like your half of the dorm room?" he asked. It was like a carbon copy of Dorian and Danni's room at Avengers Academy, only with Danni's space mysteriously missing, as if it had never been there. The same decorations were up on the wall, the same bedding on the bed - even the same nicks in the desk, worn in there by either Dorian or some student before him.

It was a magic house.

His eyes widened, as a deeper blush hit his features. "Dorian... Are these rooms enchanted beyond the keys?" Agatha had told him on the first day of school that he was hopelessly in love with him. Was the house saying the same thing? Or was this a mind game from Mr. Gray, a way to let Percy know that he knew how obsessed he'd become with his son? Or was this just Dorian's room, and the key had made a mistake? He wouldn't have been entirely surprised if his boyfriend had recreated his room at home at school.

Percy was still feeling flustered as he put his bag down - not on the bed, of course, he didn't want to let the dirt from the suitcase's wheel touch the sheets - and stared around the room for a moment. It made him feel strangely calm. He didn't know how to examine that feeling - didn't know what to do with it, instead turning his gaze to meet his boyfriend's eyes - and in the moment, that sense of peace spread all the way across him.

Agatha had been right, of course.

He was hopelessly in love with Dorian Gray.

He leaned forward and kissed him gently, softly.

Meanwhile, Ben and Casper were both still out on the lawn, as Danni hauled the stragglers into the house. Ben let out somewhat of a sigh of relief, all of the children finally sorted. It had taken a shockingly long time to get everyone inside. He walked up to his husband, and propped his chin on Max's shoulder for a moment. "You're going to have to open up portals beneath their feet to get them anywhere on time," he murmured. Danni and Dorian were already enough of a handful. But at least most of the time, they weren't outnumbered. And now they were. Three adults and Casper against six children. "Are we allowed to use those backpack leashes? Or one of those long ropes they use to escort a group of preschoolers around with?"

"Beeeeeen we can't put kids on leashes that's inappropriate!" Casper chided.

"Not those kind of leashes, Casper."

Moments later, the lawn of the Kingston-Gray residence was finally empty, as the adults - and Casper - reentered their home.
In Château de La Lune → 1 mo ago Forum: Casual Interest Checks
Hey there demons, it’s me, ya girl!
In Avengers Academy: Junior Year 💥 → 1 mo ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Blizz@Kirah@Natsu
3:30 PM - Sun. December 12th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana
@PatientBean:

She took Sabine's hand, pulling herself to her feet, and bringing Sabine's hand to her lips to press a kiss to it. "Only when they look like art and royalty all wrapped up in one pretty package." She grinned, a little crooked, and chuckled at Sabine's revelation. "Yeah, on the Strange Acadmy team myself. Getting the parents settled before this afternoon." She took half a step into Sabine's space, drawing her hand to rest on Thuy's should and thumbing at the inside of the wrist softly. "I'm Thuy. I don't have anything goin' on until the exam so maybe we can... play around with something else you'd wanna call me." Thuy glances down at Sabine's mouth. The shadows on the wall stilled and drifted back down onto the floor.

@Blizz:

While the Sorcerer's Inn may not be the most extravagant of hotels, it makes up for it in character - with old peeling paint, dusty carpets in desperate need of resurrection, and furniture that must have predated the Battle of New Orleans. And of course, one of the more notable features was the almost random procession of hallways, a veritable maze with poor, inconsistent signage. It was easy to get lost - she must have passed the same copy of Circe Invidiosa at least half a dozen times when she would feel her goosebumps crawl up and down her arms, and a tingling sensation at the back of her neck. She would feel his presence before she saw him - before she saw her father at the other end of the hallway, dressed in a button up-shirt and shorts like he was any other tourist, a soft smile on his face.

"Mayra. It's good to see you, dear." He took a step forward, before holding up a finger, shaking it slightly as if to chastise her. "Now, I obviously do not need to tell you the consequences will be severe should you run off to any of your friends. Such as your girlfriend, Sabine Bassard. Huge fan of her social media. Such a pretty face. It would be such a shame if her brief brush with fame had to come to a premature end. So you will come with me, then, and I will talk, and you will listen. Do we understand each other?"

@BlueSky44@Nallore@Natsu:

The Vision regarded Mary Sue carefully, a pang of sympathy running through him. He had often wondered the same thing - for the loss of people he loved, through death or other means. He had grieved the loss of his marriage, just as he had grieved the loss of friends. Nothing in his programming had provided him with an answer to that same question - what was the function of grief, when faced with an unsolvable problem? Many feelings had a utility to them - pain was no different than an alert, a notification that there was a problem that needed to be solved. Even love was a sign of safety and trust, the foundation by which communities could be built in order to ensure survival, from simple companionships to larger families to entire peoples.

But there was no function to grief - no actions that must be implemented, no strategy beyond to simply feel it. It was only after Wanda had left him that he began to glimpse the true purpose of grief, to see that it was simply a different emotion under another name. He knelt before Mary Sue, bringing himself to her eye level. “Grief, my child, is love persevering. To ask what is the purpose of grief is no different than asking what is the purpose of love.”

He then rose back to his feet, considering Diana’s question. “There will not be replacement coaches. I will be here to offer you guidance in their place. I believe there will be additional teachers coming to act as chaperones, but they are not prepared to coach you, nor have they been approved by the Contest of Champions organization to act as coaches.”

Gideon, of course, wasn’t listening. Any conversation that didn’t involve her or something she was interested in, it was like it didn’t happen. Just in one ear and out the other. At best, if she really focused, she could catch a few sentences here or there. But it was soooo hard to bring herself to care about what the robot was saying. She didn’t listen to her vibrator so she definitely wasn’t going to listen to Vision. Instead, as she looked away from her phone for a brief second, her eyes latched onto an absolutely fucking gorgeous ginger across the way. She pulled down her sunglasses to get a better look, hardly believing what she was seeing.

Evanthe fucking Moore. Her favorite artist's favorite artist. She didn't even notice the other celebrity next to her, instead completely starstruck. Pop wasn't usually her taste, however songs about eating box definitely were. Gideon pulled her sword out of its scabbard, where it had been strapped to her back, and made a beeline up to Evanthe, the two-handed broadsword easily six feet long, if not longer.

"Would you sign my sword?" Gideon asked. "Please? You're, like, a legend, my dude."

Wiccan approached the pop stars a bit more nervously, constantly glancing back to Teddy with a bashful blush. Was he sleep deprived, stressed, and in the middle of learning about a demiurge problem that threatened all of existence? Yes. Was he a teenage gay boy meeting Harry fucking Simmons and Evanthe fucking Moore? Yes. "I love all your music," Wiccan gushed, preening a bit as he stood in front of Harry and Eva - as if Vision hadn't just told them one of their teachers had died. "My boyfriend and I, we got them to play David at prom last year, it was absolutely incredible. A-and your last album, Evanthe, can I call you Evanthe? It's a masterpiece. I'm - I'm Billy, by the way. It's an honor to meet you both!"





April Flynn
Location: Bourbon Street, New Orleans - the Sorcerer's Inn
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Khaki-Colored Work Jacket + Grey Tank + Light Wash Jeans + Combat Boots
"Okay," April said softly to Leah, as her insides briefly felt like they were curdling. For a brief moment, she couldn't help but wonder if she had hurt her - if she should have stopped the call to go talk to Leah instead. It wasn't what she wanted for herself, right now she just wanted to talk to Danni and Dorian, if she talked to anyone at all. And yet, she felt anxious, guilty that maybe she should have gone to Leah - even if they were exes, even if nothing was the same anymore and they could never go back to the friendship they'd once had - even if her fears were right and Sabine really had messed with her mind, and maybe then Leah's, too...

There were times, when talking with Danni and Dorian, that April felt like an alien. Her tears stopped for a moment, as she listened to Danni explain that it was fine, that Nemo was just a ghost now, and they could call him back to talk as much as they liked - that his death wasn't really any different than someone going home for summer break.

Death to her, it was... Final. Scary. Horrifying. It was an end. It couldn't be walked back - sure, some superheroes managed to get resurrections, but most of the time, death was death.

But just like money, death meant something different to Danni - it seemed almost... meaningless.

She stared at the phone. If she had gone through with it - if she had died that night - would he have been just as cavalier about it? Would he just have casually asked his dad to summon up her ghost? April wanted to hide from the thought, to bury it and never return to it. She wanted to break the promise she had made - the promise to not hide. "D-Danni... Is this what you would have done if I had died?"

Then Dorian dropped a bomb - Nemo wasn't supposed to die yet. He'd somehow seen this on the Astral Plane - April didn't know anything about how that realm worked or operated, had Dorian been seeing visions all along? Or was this something brand new? But if Nemo wasn't supposed to be dead... She didn't know what to make of that. Was the TVA going to come and prune their entire timeline then, because someone had died who was supposed to be alive? Had Nemo faked his death with Nimue's help? Was Nemo going to be resurrected somehow? Was the grave in Dorian's vision just incorrect?

Hypocritically, she couldn't help but be hurt too that Dorian hadn't told them - that he hadn't trusted them with this information. If she had seen that... it would have messed with her head. Hadn't they all just promised no more secrets? What else had Danni and Dorian been keeping with her? First the house, now this...

The emotional rollercoaster continued as she heard Danni ask one of the dads if they could do a seance, and then shouted out by name all the kids who had been lucky enough to get to stay there, including Vicky... Her body tensed up. It was killing her that Vicky, the person who had gone out of her way to bully her in Coulson's office and then again at CAGE, got to be at the home of April's best friends - meanwhile, April was stuck in a hotel with people who hated her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

All the water in the pipes came to a complete standstill.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her hands felt like ice.

And her heart was pounding so furiously she thought it was about to burst.

"I-I have to go," April squeaked out, before hitting the end call button, and a fresh wave of tears rocked her.

She'd been doing better. She really thought she had been. She thought the meds and the new tools from Dr. Whitehall had been enough. She'd thought they'd fixed her.

But she felt just as broken as ever before.
Percy Novikov
Location: New Orleans - Kingston-Gray Residence
Skills: N/A
Outfit: Dorian Approved Outfit #2 - Sunglasses, Flannel, Skinny Jeans
Percy didn't know what to think, as he caught onto the course of the conversation - that Ser Nemo was dead. He had the vague sensation of his skin crawling, discomfort enveloping him. He knew that death was natural and that it happened - that one day, each person on the lawn outside of the Kingston-Gray home would be dead, including himself. But death was normally distant, something that happened to people he didn't know. He didn't know how to feel about Ser Nemo dying. He hadn't liked Ser Nemo. He had hated him at times. Percy hadn't known exactly why, either - there was just something about the old man that got under his skin, that brought out this irrational anger he couldn't entirely control.

The others were discussing holding a seance to call back his ghost, and whether or not he was even dead. Dorian was on the phone, so Percy had made sure to hang back, unlike some of the others who seemed content to crowd around and join in on the conversation. Phone calls were supposed to have some element of privacy to them, even if Danni and Dorian had decided to have it in front of everyone else, so Percy did his best to respect that. In some ways, it felt almost like an out of body experience, as he watched so many strong opinions and personalities interact and clash, while he felt completely lost and untethered, an outsider looking in. Even Zari was preoccupied with other things.

"Weeell..." Casper paused for a moment, glancing over towards James. No conjuring ghosts on the lawn. Not after what had happened last time. He nodded, before giving his husband two big thumbs up. "I gueeess if your father says it's okay, then sure! Your coach wasn't violent, right? I might not be as scared of them now that I have babes around to help protect me, but I would love to not have to deal with an angry violent ghost if I can avoid it. Wait. Babes! Do we need permission slips for them to summon ghosts? Or is it okay since it's their teacher's ghost?" He then spun around, quickly locating Max. "Maaaaax can you make everyone really cute seance outfits too, if we are doing a seance? We all need to match the ✨aesthetics✨ of the room you built for me for this or it won't be nearly as fun!"

Needless to say, Ben wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that his sons' teacher had died - and he was somewhat concerned about the idea of hosting a seance. Not everyone had the relationship to death that his family did. And even among his family, Ben was somewhat of an outlier - he still usually excused himself whenever Casper summoned up a ghost for them to chat to, even if it was for the best of intentions. He remembered all too well what it was like to be on the other side, stuck, unable to change, while the world moved on without him. His tentacles grew restless inside their pocket dimension. "Yeah, let's all go inside, and get everyone's stuff put down, and then we can talk about this," Ben agreed, before trying to catch Max's eye.

"Thank you," Firestar said softly to Max. "I... I have obviously never had to do this before," she admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "And... yeah. I might take you up on that later. Thank you," she repeated, before stepping back away from the portal, still in California, as she had seen all of the children safely through. She had so much going on today, she wasn't able to step away to go attend the Contest of Champions - couldn't do more than just this one little duty to help fill in.

"...Yes. I will participate," Percy shifted his weight a bit uncomfortably. He didn't really want to - Nemo's death made him feel strange - but he assumed it would have been rude to decline, especially given that one of Dorian's dads would be running the seance. He wanted to make a good impression. So he would chat with the ghost if that was what was required of him. And then, having seen no one move towards the door, but still motivated to try to win over Dorian's parents...

Percy stepped forward, and carefully gripped the door handle. His hand jerked away from it suddenly, as an antique key appeared in the palm of his hand, the metal cool to the touch. The door then swung open, and a small glimmer of light shone off of the key, leading towards one of the staircases. He quickly looked back at the adults present, before specifically looking at Dorian. Was that supposed to happen?
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