Morose

Bounties of Space

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April winced as the ship rocked, as Danni threw them into reverse and evidently hit something. They didn't take their eyes off of the gunnery window though. It was like being told that a car crash might happen and finding yourself unable to look away - April was transfixed by it. They felt somewhat immobilized as well, disconnected from their own body, like this was something that could potentially happen to someone else. Nothing happened though. The beginnings of the crack stayed just that - beginnings.

Their attention was pulled over by the sound of a scream and hum coming over comms - and then soon Dorian's actual voice, rather than the borrowed one. "Hmm, can't imagine why," they said sarcastically. They had briefly debated making some sort of comment about how even the dead Ravager had wanted Dorian to hurry up with things, but had decided not to. April wasn't always the most fond of conflict. It was part of the reason why they honestly preferred bringing in bounties cold - it was easier on the conscience for them, not having to look someone in the eye and argue with them. Dead bodies couldn't complain about what happened next.

Finally, finally, finally, Dorian was back on the ship. And they could go back to the hard part - getting through the Belt. "Yeah, well, if we lost out on fifteen million credits, I'm spacing you," April lied. They wouldn't space Dorian. They couldn't imagine a set of circumstances where they'd willingly kill either Dorian or Danni - an alien would have to be bursting out of their chest cavity for April to even consider it. "Unless this second score turns out to also be fifteen million credits, then you're safe." Of course, April was pretty certain Dorian could survive being vented out into space - as long as he could go ghost fast enough.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Guin Stark

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Location: the Mall!
Skills: Telepathy, Unarmed Combat
~Fit Check~

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"Pietro!!" Guin cried out, her eyes wide as Exodus threw him into a trashcan more or less, and then made sure to put on a healthy heaping of anti-semitism as part of his exit. Her fear for her husband let Phantazia get an opening on Guin, kicking her in the stomach and sending her flying backwards. But even then, Guin's attention was still mainly on Pietro - she was extremely glad to see Lance going and helping him, and she knew that he was going to be okay, but her mind was still having flashbacks to the time Pietro's future self had died in front of her. She couldn't watch Pietro die again.

Hang in there, babe, it's going to be okay, I promise! Guin urged Pietro, hoping his unconscious mind could hear. She then turned her mutant gifts to Phantazia, and it took a lot of effort thanks to Phantazia annoyingly disrupting Guin's powers. Once she managed to break inside, Guin went diving through her mind, looking for her intentions - if Phantazia would just leave if Guin held her hands up, then fine, that was good enough for her. Pietro was dying. She had bigger priorities than kicking this woman's ass. As best as she could tell, Phantazia just needed a win - for whatever reason.

"Okay, bitch, you need to win so fucking badly? Fine," Guin spat, before swinging and clocking Phantazia in the jaw. "There. I surrender. You win. Now leave us the fuck alone!" Guin gave Phantazia the middle finger, before rushing on over to Pietro and Lance. "How can I help?" she asked Lance, kneeling down next to her husband.

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Neil Spellman

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Location: the Mansion
Skills: Necromancy
~Fit Check~

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Neil didn't know what Pyro was talking about either - paradise? What even? And what did that have to do with fighting the X-Men? Had Pyro gotten one too many concussions during superhero brawls? Neil couldn't voice these questions though, as Frenzy was upon him yet again. She asked him about the ill fated mutant nation as her hand gripped his throat, squeezing tightly enough to make it difficult to breathe. "I - uh - here?" Neil choked out.

Unlike the other X-Men who had been off in space, Neil had been at the X-Mansion when Genosha was founded. He had been curious about it, if not somewhat wary - Magneto was a part of its government, as were other foes of the X-Men. He had meant to go and check it out, probably with Mira and Carolina, but that just... didn't end up happening. He stayed in Westchester. He saw on the news when Genosha was attacked - when its population was decimated. And he did... nothing. He did X-Men things. He didn't go to Genosha. He regretted that. He should have gone. He should have... he should have done something. He should have been there.

Neil couldn't help but come to the conclusion that Frenzy was right.

Was this why they were being attacked - for not being there when mutants were massacred?

Neil was taken out of his guilty thoughts as the cosmos seemed to vomit up three corpses - three corpses summoned by Max. They were a horrific and ghastly sight. Two of them were clowns - one of them decapitated, cradling its head like a basketball, and the other bent up in weird pretzel like knots. The third body wore a police officer's uniform, a gaping wound in their chest that looked like a tree must have impaled them or something. Somehow, Neil knew that Max had killed these people.

His heart twisted in terror - what had Max done over his centuries long life? And what would he do to Neil if he knew the truth?

Neil's eyes glowed a bright yellow, with bits of smoke of the same color almost emanating out of them. The corpses rose stiffly, bones and joints snapping audibly - and the same yellow color shone from their empty eye sockets. The zombies advanced upon Frenzy, moving much faster than popular culture would have had you believe. And the three of them were enough to surround her, forcing her to drop Neil as the zombies pushed Frenzy, cornering her and advancing upon her. The decapitated clown held his head out, the jaw opening up to show menacing shark-like teeth.

And then the zombies began to feast, ripping and tearing and shredding her flesh.

"Thanks," Neil said to Max, his voice strange and distant - as if Neil wasn't really there, as if upon animating the bodies, something else possessed the young Spellman... "Why'd you kill them, Max?"

Bounties of Space

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April gasped as they heard Danni pull out THE NAME. It was a rare occasion for any of them to hear their full names - largely because they were supposed to be dead. They weren't supposed to have been spirited away by Nemo and saved from the fiery holocaust that had killed every super powered person in the Sol system at once. And then Dorian had the nerve to dismiss completely what Danni and April were saying, going on about how he found a secondary ship, he'd be there soon, blah blah blah. "No shade but what the fuck, Dory?!" April chimed in over the comms. "I'm fine with dying in the vacuum of space but ideally not for a piece of fucking scrap metal!"

The ship was rattling, twisting and turning as they spun like a top. They heard Danni's voice over comms again, this time specifically directed at them. "Oh, just peachy - what about you, bossman?" April replied. They had thought about maybe trying to reach out and immobilize all the ice in the field, but they had caused this mess from the poor control, and it had taken a lot of work to manipulate the ice to begin with. They were powerful when it came to manipulating water, sure, but they had limits.

They couldn't help but screech in fear as a CAR SIZED PIECE OF METAL hit the gunnery window. April's heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. Or maybe even faster. "Okay okay okay, you're okay, that window is made out of... I don't know what it's made out of, but it's fine, there isn't even... Oh shit there's a crack forming... Oh shit oh shit," April muttered, before going back on comms. "Uh, boys? Problem maybe. Gunnery window took a good whack, I'm worried another one and she'll burst. So... Get the fuck back here already, Dory!!"

And then, as Dorian had FINALLY abandoned the cause April had deemed foolish from the start... They got to do what they do best.

And what they do best isn't very nice.

With one eye on the spider web break in the glass, and the other eye on the scope, April targeted the Ravager ship. And they let the flying piece of junk have just about everything the Excelsior was equipped with. It only took one or two shots before the Ravager ship exploded, clearing a path from the destruction to the Excelsior for Dorian to traverse.

Bounties of Space

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April screamed as they started spinning wildly out of control, as something had crashed into the ship. Luckily, they had already been strapped down into their seat, otherwise they would've been flung around the gunnery bay like a porcelain doll. It was also fantastic that any motion sickness from space travel had long since been worked out - as otherwise, April might've also ended up redecorating the place with the previous day's dinner. And no one wanted to see that. "Dee what the hell did we just dooooo?" April yelped, their vision swimming ever so slightly before thankfully clearing. "What did we hit???"

They had no idea that it was the consequences of their own actions they were currently reaping.

They gasped, though, at Danni's suggestion that the Ravagers were controlling the asteroids! For a brief second, they considered if maybe... no way. But... okay, they had to admit there was maybe a 5% chance that this was somehow their fault. "Um, Dee, that might've been me. I was trying out something new and the ice chunk kinda slipped and maybe it caused everything to go crazy almost like in a pinball machine," April suggested awkwardly. "But it's okay, because we're okay, and we're going to kill these assholes, get out of the Belt, and get those credits!!"

Their left eye twitched slightly. They didn't like failure. They didn't do well with it.

Then it turned out that they actually could not kill those assholes. Because Dorian was possessing them. And more importantly, he just explicitly asked them not to. April groaned. "But it's gonna take so much more time to haul that piece of shit, Dory! And we're gonna miss out on the scientist dude and then we aren't gonna get the money and then we would've busted the ship a lil' bit for nooothing," they complained. "Is there anything even worth it on that ship? Because I think we blow it to pieces and get the fuck through the Belt."

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

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Megan Pendragon

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Location: Atlantica -> Rapunzel's Tower
Skills: N/A

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The party was off in the carriage again, which quickly dove under the sea. Megan watched with interest as more and more of Hook's sinking ships came into view, destined to make their homes at the ocean floor. She smiled and waved ever so slightly at the mermaids she had rescued, glad to see that they were returning home. The smile quickly faded from her face. Megan wasn't always the most expressionistic of people. A smile from her was rare - and when it happened, people usually told her that she looked at least somewhat unhinged. Demonic, even.

When they made it back to Atlantica proper, they disembarked from the carriage. Hansel and Gretel had talismans that they then used to open up a portal - on the other side, Megan spotted a tower and what looked to be a shooting range, as well as some familiar faces. She stepped on through the portal after Ariel and Sierra, emerging on the other side. Truthfully, she had forgotten most of the names of the other group - it had been a while since she had seen them, and she hadn't been exactly close with any of them.

Sierra called out to the group when they arrived - Megan recognized two of the boys that they had come here with, as well as... the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat and Tinker Bell. She blinked for a moment. "Where's Merlin?" she asked, after one of the boys got off a lucky shot of lightning. Maybe Jack could've used to have been here, learning about his powers. "Also, you should be more on your guard - I could have slit your throats by now."

Avengers Academy 💥

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April Flynn

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Location: the Field (School Carnival) - Agatha's Tent
Skills: N/A
~First Day Fit~

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The tent flap fluttered shut behind April, as the young girl gasped in astonishment. She had never taken any courses with Professor Harkness, but she had heard a lot about her from her roommate, Mads. "This is just like Doctor Who!!" April couldn't help but squeal. The tent was far bigger on the inside than on the outside - it was bigger than even their dorm rooms at AA, and those were (as April's mother was fond of reminding her) incredibly spacious. Crystals floated through the air, reflecting the light and casting rainbows. Books and potions and candles and cards and other magical tools drifted about, enchanted by the master sorceress herself, Agatha Harkness.

"Hi! It's so good to meet you! Well, um, we have met before but, like, not officially. Or not for a long time. Anyways. My name's April Flynn - my roommate's in your class, or was in your class, Mads? She said that you are, like, THE witch. Thank you so much for doing readings, I'm so excited!!" April chirped.

The candlelight flickered as Agatha peered at the young girl, the light source casting long shadows on the back wall of the tent. Through Agatha's mystical senses, she could see the third presence in the room - a grey warrior with the sharp keen eyes of an owl, her gaze boring into Agatha's. "Γκρίζα κυρία."

"Bless you," April immediately chimed in, assuming that Agatha had sneezed or something.

"... Thank you, child," Agatha replied after a short pause. Her eyes flickered back to the shadow on the wall of the tent, before resting on April again. "I believe I met your sister earlier, Zelda...? At any rate, what is it that a Mistress of the Mystic Arts can do for you? What forbidden secret shall we conjure up from the ether?

April's heart began to pound, as a million different questions went through her mind. Unlike her besties, she had never really gotten her fortune told before. Yes, there were a few witches in her family, but April was estranged from them at best. She had never had information about her destiny given before - what sort of person would she be? Would she be a hero like her parents... or a villain? Would she fall in love? Would she get married? Would she finally manage to take home the crown in the Contest of Champions - would she check off everything on her high school bucket list, Prom Queen, Class President, and so on? Would she, Dorian, and Danni stay together as a trio? Would something tear them apart from each other? Was she fundamentally destined to be good or bad? And then... Then there were things she did not understand about herself, feelings she hadn't examined, hints of something...

Agatha Harkness probably knew more about April than she did herself, April figured.

"So, like, I have tons of questions but I think the most important one - when you're talking to like one of the most powerful witches in the world, so you need to make the question count - is... What kind of person am I going to become? There's... there's some bad people in my family tree. I guess I just want to know... if I'm going to be good enough..." April asked softly, blushing bright red. She didn't have a famous last name, but she did have a famous grandfather. And aunts and uncle. And cousins, too, with the way things were working out for the Minimoff twins.

"Mmm, yes, I see," Agatha said, fixing April with a somewhat pitying gaze. There was more than just one legacy that this child had to bear. "Not everyone in your family is wicked, my dear. And perhaps those you believe to be are falsely accused. Now, let's see what the Cards have to say..."

April cringed in embarrassment and shame, about to trip over her words, only to be cut off by Agatha raising a finger, indicating for her to be quiet.

"Not now, dear," Agatha said. The tarot cards began to dance and swirl through the air, crossing back and forth, forming strange shapes and patterns. They cascaded down to the table in the shape of a helix, before bouncing back up into the air to continue the dance - only one card fell out, hitting the table directly in front of April - the High Priestess. April wasn't quite sure, but she could've sworn she caught Agatha rolling her eyes??? But then, three cards darted out from the shuffling pack, coming to a rest on the table.

"There we are," Agatha mused. "Now, I have done for you a simple past-present-future three card spread, although as I am quite sure you observed, the High Priestess insisted on making herself known. Your mother has the blessing of the goddess Athena - this perhaps is her making her presence known. However, it also speaks to distance from the spiritual influences of your family. You are disconnected from them, the people you are so afraid to become like... and yet, you have much to learn from them. Seek out those connections, my child. And grow."

"As for these three cards, in the past, you drew the Eight of Pentacles. This is a card of effort and dedication, of perseverance, work, and reflection. You have been striving towards your goals for quite some time and have set yourself up for success. In the present, you drew a card of major spiritual forces - the Devil, Reversed. This is a card of freedom, releasing yourself from chains that bind you. I sense that these chains may be your own preconceived notions of yourself and what you are expected to be," Agatha explained somewhat sharply.

"Which then brings us to the question of your future and who you might become... the Empress. Again, this card speaks of a major spiritual force. The Empress is the divine feminine, compassionate, caring, and free. That is the person I see you becoming, my dear. A good, kind person."

April was too overwhelmed at first to speak. She hadn't known what to expect when asking Agatha that sort of question - what to expect from any question - but she felt like her spine had been twisted. Everything about the reading felt... wrong. It felt uncomfortable. It was like Agatha had pinned her to a wheel and started throwing knives of accusations at her. The admonishment for her fears about her family stung, but truthfully, it was the last thing Agatha had said that felt just... wrong to her.

April didn't know what it meant, but she didn't want to be the Empress. But hadn't she always wanted to be a hero? Hadn't she always wanted to be a symbol of female empowerment, just like her mother? Shouldn't be told that she was going to be some divine feminine, good and caring and kind, be the ultimate win from this reading? Why did it make her feel sick and twisted inside? Why did it make her feel like running away from the tent? Why did the eyes of the Empress feel like they were boring into April's skull every time she glanced at that card?

Why did it feel so wrong?

"I, um, wow, thank you!" April forced herself to say, feeling like the silence must've stretched on for an eternity. "I'm sorry if I, like, offended you with the stuff I said about my family - I know you know a lot of them - I just... Yeah I've never really met them and you know what's on Wikipedia and all about what some of them, well most of them, have done and I... Yeah, it was stupid of me. I'll do better. I promise!" April's heart wasn't really in it, though. She couldn't help but fixate on that Empress card, it was eating away at her, and she had no idea as to why.

"Um, can I ask another question?" April added. "I probably should've gone with this one instead, it's not nearly as heavy, totally chill if you like don't wanna and just want to have me leave so the next person can come in, but... What do you see for my love life - like, am I gonna find Princess Charming?" While she was deeply curious about this, it was also just a distraction - something to take her mind off of that reading and then have something she (hopefully) would be more comfortable sharing with her friends.

"Of course, child - you may ask as many questions as you like. Space isn't the only thing that operates differently within this tent. Time does as well," Agatha explained. "We could talk for hours and to your friends outside, it would be just ten minutes. Now, let us see what there is for your love life..."

The cards danced again, the Empress card and all the others shuffling themselves back in. This time, no extra cards forced themselves to appear. The three cards Agatha drew were the only ones that danced down to the table, coming to a halt in front of the two women. This time, the cards were Four of Wands, Temperance Reversed, and the King of Wands. Agatha chuckled slightly.

"What?" April asked, rapidly turning pink again.

"Oh, you drew the Honeymoon card - rather appropriate," Agatha explained, tapping the Four of Wands. "This card is for a joyous celebration, a momentous occasion filled with love and beauty. At any rate, Temperance in its reversed position here indicates a period of realignment in your life, one that is often needed in order to bring balance and equilibration to you, body and soul. And then the King of Wands is a card of fiery passion - but more critically, asks for you to manifest that which is needed. In short, you will find love, my dear... but only if you choose yourself to pursue it. It will not come to you unbid."

"So I have to make the move?" April repeated, having gone from pink to fierce crimson. Her thoughts immediately went to Sabine. Would Sabine like that, being pursued? Or would Sabine want to be the one doing the pursuing? Could April even muster up the confidence to ask someone that perfect and beautiful out? Sabine barely even knew who she was! Maybe Danni could wingman her? But then her mind went to what Dorian had said, was he right? Would Danni get upset about all of this? The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt. "Well, um, thank you so much! I'm gonna - I'm gonna go and I can leave the flap open or closed? And I can tell the next person to come in?" she said, standing up and getting ready to leave.

Her brain felt like contradictory mush.

"One moment, my dear - you see, I am trying to leave the students of this institute better than I found them. And today, that means distributing a variety of magic items to those who come to see me, ones that I hope will aid you on your heroic journeys of self-actualization," Agatha explained. She snapped her fingers and a tiny vial of a clear, shimmering liquid appeared. The glass vial had a small hole at the top, allowing a silver chain to be threaded through it. "This water comes from the River Styx. There is enough for just one use, but I hope it will serve you well."

April stared intently, taking the fragile vial into her hands. She could feel the water inside of it and it felt... strange. It felt almost hot and yet hardened at the same time, slippery and static. She knew enough about Greek myth thanks to her mother to recognize the Styx as the river Achilles had bathed in, the river that flowed through the Underworld. What Agatha thought she could do with the water of the damned, she didn't know...

It made her uneasy, but she put the vial's cord around her neck anyways.

"Th-thank you, Agatha. I hope you have a good time at your new school and... and I'll think on what you said," April said, before remembering. "Oh, also, I almost forgot, but do you have, like, a dragon care manual for Danni? He's kinda losing his mind out there."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes," Agatha said, giving her familiar Ebony some scritches behind the ears. "There should be information in the occult section of the school library. Ms. Crane can show you to it."

Avengers Academy 💥

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Ogobrogo@Blizz@Ever Faithful@Kirah@Natsu

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1:50 PM - Mon. Sep. 13th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute

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@Kirah@Blizz: "Il-il-ilegal? Me? What? No! Never!!" Ed insisted, practically tripping over his own tongue at Leah's playful accusation. If it hadn't been obvious yet, it would be now - this guy was a geek. He probably had never even gotten so much as a detention at the Institute, and if he had, it probably would be for something like getting too high of a score on a math test. His glasses almost fell off of his face and he frantically pushed them back on up. "S-sorry, just a little bit jumpy," he apologized, as Leah told him to relax.

At Andy's question though, he seemed to become more confident and engaged. "It's called the Framework. Basically a totally immersive virtual reality, simulates your powers and different scenarios. It's like the Danger Room the X-Men use, but better, because no one gets actually sweaty. I've been... well, I've been porting in a bunch of my favorite video games into the software, some of them are pretty retro, but I've always been really excited by the idea of actually playing my favorite games. Like, can you imagine being Link instead of just button smashing?" Ed explained excitedly.

"Oh, uh, that's too bad," he then said, as Andy made her excuses to leave. "Wait, here, this is my SuperLink - hit me up if you ever wanna try something out with the Framework. We aren't supposed to use it without the teachers but... where's the fun in that?" he said, before giving both of them his social media info. "My handle's @ArcadeAA."

@BlueSky44@Forsythe: The King's shoulders didn't slump until Vicky's particularly withering remark. They dropped the faux-Medieval act quickly. "Look, I'm just trying to do something nice for people here, okay? You don't need to be nasty and insult me," King told Vicky, clearly hurt. "There's an anti-bullying initiative here at the school. I think you might want to consider looking into some of the resources for it, maybe you'll learn a thing or two about how to treat other people."

@Ever Faithful@Natsu@Ogobrogo: Ogo is back, so have fun you three! :) Maybe this could be the start of a beautiful friendship - or maybe not. One thing though that would occur to Teddy however is that Mary Sue's last name, Sullivan, is the same surname as one of the new teachers at the school - Oliver Sullivan. Sullivan is supposed to be helping out with the speedsters on campus, as well as teaching some math/computer courses, so Teddy is likely more familiar with him in the former context rather than the latter.

@Trainerblue192@Achronum@Nallore: When Mads took out the deck of Tarot Cards, she'd notice (likely for the first time) that they weren't exactly standard cards. There was an odd sort of magical resonance about them, a sort of magic that she had never felt before. It was almost like they hadn't been crafted by someone from this dimension.

"Here, I can go and ask her if she has, like, an instruction manual - it's my turn anyways and I don't wanna hold up the line too much if someone else shows up wanting a reading, I'll be right back, Dee, I promise," April swore. "And up to you if you wanted to do a movie night, Dorian - it's your day, I'm down to do whatever you wanna do," she said, before heading into the tent.

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Percy Novikov

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Location: Carnival - Food Trucks
Skills: N/A
~New Outfit~

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Percy rolled his eyes at his sister's aspirations - because that was how siblings behaved. Truthfully, he thought his sister would make a good Avenger. Or maybe she'd even decide to get involved in mutant rights and go join the X-Men. The only thing she could really do to piss him off would be to join the Fantastic Four - Percy hated the Fantastic Four. Well, he really hated Mister Fantastic - the rest of them were okay. "Not going to found your own team, sis?" he teased gently. "Could do an entire theme of bow and arrow based heroes. Get both of the Hawkeyes on it with you."

Zelda's answer interested him, mostly because it was surprising. Basically everyone at this school he had assumed would want to be on one of the prestige superhero teams. The Contest of Champions, in which high schools had to participate, was basically an elaborate scouting opportunity for the Avengers, the X-Men, and so forth to find new recruits for their ranks. "So you want to be Edna Mode?" Percy asked, referencing an old superhero movie he had watched a lot as a kid. It held up pretty well for something made over thirty years ago. "This isn't me being an asshole, but what is your opinion on capes? As much as people joke about them, a lot of heroes do wear them. Are they even functional anymore?"

Song of Heroes - a Percy Jackson RP (Morose & DragonicQueen)

The Pavilion...

Lorna barely managed to get to the pavilion in time to get an actual seat at the Hermes Table - and even then, it was one of the ones on the end. It could've been worse though - some of her siblings had essentially just a single butt cheek on the bench, half squatting in place just to be able to eat at the table. The unlucky ones who didn't get there fast enough groaned and sighed in disappointment as they ended up with a floor seat, a position that required you to watch your fingers constantly and protect your plate and cup, as people would (whether or not it was on purpose) kick them routinely.

She glanced towards the middle of the table, where Luke was sitting and chatting with Percy. He did have a certain resemblance to Kitty, she had to admit. They had the same sort of restlessness in their eyes that reminded Lorna of the choppy waters of the sea. She wondered what that would mean, however... There was a reason there weren't very many children of the Big Three at Camp - the last one before Kitty had gotten turned into a tree. And then, there was the prophecy - one that Lorna had never heard herself, only that she knew it referred to a child of the Big Three...

Did it mean Kitty... or could it actually refer to Percy?

At the front of the pavilion, Chiron stamped his hooves, calling everyone to attention. "Listen up, demigods! I have a few announcements that I would like to make, before this evening's meal."

Bounties of Space

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"I missed two of the cute little shits, that's probably why, Dee," April explained over the comms, frowning. It was going to be almost impossible to shoot them off the side of the ship with the guns - and probably stupid to try, with the damage the shields were taking. Their eyes darted over towards the ice chunks and it gave them an idea - maybe they could use that water source to grab the stupid buzz droids and get rid of them? But before April could give it a shot, the ship shook as Danni took immediate evasive action. Where before there had been nothing, April saw on the viewport a Ravager ship. "Dank farrik," they muttered under their breath.

It wasn't like they should have been surprised or anything - Ravager scrapper droids didn't just travel by themselves. And the Belt probably was ripe with the destroyed vessels of idiots that the Ravagers could go pick apart for valuables. April wondered how long these assholes had been up to this - if they were a large part of the reason almost no one survived the Belt. The odious voices of the Ravagers filled the ship and it made April's skin crawl. In that moment, they wish they had the abilities of their grandfather - that they could just crush that stupid tin can of a ship like a bug. "Fat chance they'd put us in an escape pod - there's no way they're letting us get out of here alive," April muttered.

The ice chunks were looking really tempting. April loved guns.

But make no mistake, they themselves were a big gun.

Reaching out with their power, April felt the solidified water crystals out in space. For a brief second, an intrusive thought suggested to them that maybe they ought to throw those popsicle corpses at the Ravagers ship. Instead, they let their powers wrap around a chunk of ice - it was difficult and weird, manipulating something through the vacuum of space, taking more concentration than they could really afford away from the guns... It felt like trying to delicately manipulate using a pair of tongues attached to your tongue while balancing on a spinning top. Almost impossible.

They tightened their mental grip on the ice chunk, hoping to drag it - but instead, like squeezing a bar of soap in the bath, the chunk shot upwards. Cursing, April spotted another chunk - fortunately, they were everywhere - and repeated the process. It was a little easier this time, but still, not a simple ordeal. This time, they didn't use as much pressure, focusing more on the fling part of the movement than the grab - and the chunk shot off in the direction of the Ravager ship.

Before they could cheer though, the Ravager ship avoided it.

April groaned. "You have got to be kidding me!" This they didn't say over comms.

Star Crossed: a Star Wars Story (BlueSky44 & Morose)

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Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight

25 pts (Light-Side)

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"Dank Farrik, I hate a monologue," Raynor complained. He especially hated that Jarothe hadn't understood his clear sarcasm, but whatever. As annoying as a monologue was, at least it was a clear confession. Of course, Raynor hadn't been recording it. And he doubted Jarothe had been. But still, his word as a Jedi ought to be enough. Had he been cynical, Raynor might've figured that the Senate would be glad to seize Colbol Corp by any means - but for now, he was still optimistic and blinded to the corruption of the Republic. Many of the Jedi were.

His lightsaber deflected most of the blaster shots back at the droids, damaging a few of them. However, they were still greatly outnumbered. He couldn't just stay on defense forever - and it wasn't just himself he was worrying about, he had to make sure that Shakka got out okay. "Damn, nice shot," he commented, as Shakka took out one of the droids. "I sense there's more coming. Is there another exit, besides that door?" Raynor asked. Sometimes, people like Jarothe had secret exits and entrances. Raynor wouldn't have minded one of those right now.

He glimpsed an opening and rushed forward, sweeping his lightsaber dangerously, decapitating a small portion of the droids - but it left him vulnerable, a bolt hitting him in the shoulder. He grimaced in pain at the burning wound. He was just lucky it wasn't the side he carried his lightsaber with.