shylarah

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

@Eviledd1984 have a good vacation!

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

[ Amuné ]

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Hero Three

Amuné plopped herself down into a seat next to Austin, wrapping her arms around her elbows an tucking her head. The young hero was upset, that was easy enough to tell from her body language. She knew Austin was busy, but then again, he could multitask like nobody's business. So, after the ICOSA staff had left the room, she started talking. "Austin, have you heard of Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis?" she asked quietly, voice subdued. It was a mostly rhetorical question. If it existed, he'd probably heard of it. "The doctor thinks I'm at risk for it. And she's probably right -- that's her specialty, after all." Amuné took an unsteady breath. "I don't want to go crazy. But what kind of person has no attachments?!" She unwrapped her arms long enough to pull her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them. Voice muffled, she continued, "And even if I did quit being a hero, I'd still be at high risk. Just having family and friends is a risk!" Even now, the tiny feeling in the back of her head that said Jareth was in danger was active. She'd known he would be -- terrazards were smart, fast, and deadly; how could he not be at risk fighting them? "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

[ Jareth ]

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Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant

Jareth managed to kill some of the terrazards, but the lizards just kept coming. He was starting to be overwhelmed and need to retreat when Luna called to group up. He moved towards her, gathering a bunch of small rocks with his power and spinning them around, sending them one at a time into the skulls of lizards. It wasn't as efficient as a sinkhole, but there were just too many 'zards to deal with efficiently. With Luna and Mire in the lead, the bulk of them were getting destroyed, leaving him and the others to pick off the ones that they missed.

He worked quietly but diligently, gathering more stones as he went. He could get them up to a good speed, enough to smash the skulls of the terrazards, but he needed space to do so. That meant Jareth placed himself towards the middle of what would hopefully be a team of heroes moving forward together. Damn, why didn't Hero do teambuilding exercises? It was hard to predict the movements of people you barely knew, much less work effectively with them as a team. And with this many 'zards, they needed to be an effective team!

A Sea of Spells [Chapter 1: A Scrap in The Galley]

@RoseKnightJason Hope your new job is treating you well. <3

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

We should probably also ping @Wayward. You working on a character?

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

@Eviledd1984 your map image is borked.

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

Woo, shiny new thread!

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

Emma /// Elian

Emma Ellison /// Elian Zefra

The Chaos Butterfly

click for full image

“If you want me to heal you, STAY WHERE I CAN @#$%ING HEAL YOU!”

O V E R V I E W

_{N A M E}

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Emma Ellison

_{A V A T A R}

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Elian Zefra (also answers to Elly, Zef, and a few other nicknames, including her unofficial title of Chaos Butterfly)

_{A G E}

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31

_{G E N D E R}

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female

_{A P P E A R A N C E}

---

Emma is a fit young woman, her body shaped by years of dance classes. She is solidly built, not willowy, and if she isn't mindful of what she eats she gains weight. She's taller than most women, but this doesn't stop her from wearing heels if she wants to dress up a bit. Her dark hair is untamably curly and she keeps it cut very short so it is manageable. Her eyes are an unremarkable hazel, her brows thick, and her face rounded. Emma favors intense colors, be it vibrant crimson, royal purple, eye-searing green, or jet black. Outside of the dark and the bright, she also likes metallics, and a lot of her jewelry is metalwork, where it's not chunky modern-art plastic. Her fashion sense is a bit quirky, and she is just as likely to be wearing a blouse and a skirt as she is jeans and a T-shirt. One thing she does insist on is comfort -- if it bothers her too much she won't wear it, whether she's having a day in or a night out. Because she can't do much with her hair, Emma has a whole collection of hats, and she'll wear one more often than not.

Emma is very aware that her avatar is not herself. While she might embody Elian while she's logged in, and while MMOs are really not roleplay-heavy in most cases, outside of specific groups, her concept of Emma-as-Elian and Emma-irl are quite distinct. Since that is the case, it's not too surprising that Elain only somewhat resembles Emma herself. The build is the same, with perhaps an extra inch or two of height, but her brown hair has darkened to jet and her eyes lightened to gold. Since it was an option, she elected to get her hair permanently straightened. It's still a shorter style, but now the back is completely off her neck while the very front reaches her collarbone. Her skin tone is slightly darker too, more bronzed than tanned, and she's come out with elfin ears, just pointed enough to have the tips show through her hair. She's traded her hats for a woven golden circlet, but her fondness for dark colors is still very much in evidence. Her favorite attire is three pieces of black velvet, a close-fitting tank top, a long-sleeved jacket, and flowing pants. The pants might be mistaken for a skirt at a distance, cut loose in the leg and widening from hip to ankle. The waist is broad and snug, providing a bit of padding between her skin and a leather utility belt. Her jacket has no collar and only a single, small button near the top so it doesn't fly completely open. Unlike shirt and pants, this garment is covered in gold filigree, Even the smallest movement is accompanied by sparkle and flash as the embroidery catches the light. Leather boots with a slight heel finish off her outfit, with sturdy soles and metal reinforcement for the toes. She wears a light leather vest with a soft lining underneath her tank for defense, as well as bracers and kneeguards, but these are all hidden by her outfit. In addition to the utility belt, Elian often also carries a leather satchel of holding strapped to her thigh to carry somewhat larger items.

_{P E R S O N A L I T Y}

---

Emma is generally kindhearted and compassionate. She's known among her friends for being a good listener and willing to lend a hand. She is mostly cheerful, with a good sense of humor, and fluent in sarcasm. She is willing to laugh at anything, including herself -- and all the inappropriate jokes as well. Her outlook tends to be a mix of optimism, pragmatism, and cynicism. She did well though not great in school, but she is particularly adept at puzzle-solving and thinking on her feet. She's mostly dependable and trustworthy, though she tends to have trouble learning names, and will forget when things are if she doesn't write them down. She enjoys a good party, so long as it's not too loud, and is perfectly at home among strangers. Emma is outgoing, eager to meet new people and make new friends. This desire for new experiences leads her to be the sort of gamer that enjoys exploration.

She's always had one foot in the virtual world, and the people she befriends online are just as real to her as those she knows in the physical one. She believes there are advantages to each sort of relationship. She's had a number of boyfriends over the years, some starting irl, some starting online, but she's yet to find the person she'd like as her permanent Player Two.

Emma is a huge geek, and acknowledges her various fandoms openly. She is also a dedicated gamer, though she does not play competitively. For her, gaming is a way to step away from any worries she might have and immerse herself in another world, a chance to be whoever and whatever she likes. It's not that she dislikes her life -- indeed, she is quite happy with it. But that doesn't mean there isn't time to let her imagination take the lead while chilling with whomever happens to be on.

Emma is quick to anger, but just as quick to forgive. She's mostly a good sport, though she never likes losing. She hates trolls and people who mess things up for others through sheer stupidity. It should be noted that kindhearted does not necessarily mean kind or polite. She tends to give those she likes a hard time, teasing, taunting, and being generally snarky. This verbal abuse is given with the greatest affection, a casual lack of concern for what's proper or polite that shows she's truly comfortable with that person. Of course, if she really hates someone she's likely to insult and mock sincerely, and this can be a bit confusing if one is not sure where one stands.

As a gamer, Emma tends to be a completionist, and she enjoys experimenting with what a game will let her do. She loves turning up secrets and the accompanying thrill of discovery. Her temper also shows in games, and there is a dent in one of her game room's walls where she once threw a controller a bit too hard after some idiot turned a challenging but doable boss run into a TPK. It's interesting to note that while she doesn't often yell at people in the real world, she has no such qualms in virtual combat and an impressive array of curses to boot. All of which she will unleash on...well, just about anyone. The guy that got the party killed. The camper that keeps killing her. The one that steals her kills. The teammate that ruined her perfect shot -- even the tank she was healing who moved out of range. But give her a brief break after a fight and she will settle down again.

Emma will play any class, but tends to favor melee DPS fighters and ranged DPS casters when playing alone. However, because she is very familiar with the shortcomings of MMOs, she knows that a healer and support caster will rarely lack for willing companions in dungeon runs, and these are the areas she chose to have Elian focus on.

_{B A C K G R O U N D}

---

Emma's life has been nothing particularly exceptional. She grew up in midwest America, the elder of two siblings from an upper middle class family where affording the latest game system was never much of an issue. Both her parents had jobs dealing with computers, and Emma entered the world of the internet and video games young. She'd try just about anything, but has always gravitated toward puzzle games, rpgs, and open-world games. With a network of fellow gamers that spans the globe, it was no surprise that she heard about TOE very early on. She had to tighten her budget and do some saving, since dance instructors don't exactly make a ton of money, but it was more than worth it when she first entered the world of Endoroth.

A T T R I B U T E S

_{R O L E}

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caster (primarily healer and support)

_{P R O F E S S I O N}

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healer, dancer

_{W E A P O N O F C H O I C E}

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Butterfly's Wings - Rather unconventional implements, the Butterfly's Wings are deadly weapons masquerading as ornate, ornamental fans. The ribs are quite sturdy, made of metal with wooden handles and extending beyond the dark fabric of the fans themselves. Those tips are sharpened, as well as the leading edges of the outermost ribs, designed to slice and stab as effectively as long knives. Each fan can open as far as a hundred and eighty degrees, revealing a bright swirl of butterflies on the fabric, and she can lock the fans in any position, to keep them from collapsing on impact when this is not desired. The hingepoint of each fan consists of a large gemstone, a magical focus allowing the wielder to cast much like with a wand or a mage's staff.

_{O T H E R E Q U I P M E N T}

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Healing and Mana Potions - It's always a good idea to have some of these on hand.

Rope and Grappling Hook - Good for climbing.

Cooking Supplies - Useful in the wild.

_{M A G I C}

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Healing and Restoration - Elian specializes in magic with healing properties, whether for a single person or for a group. She can resurrect a fallen companion, remove curses, and cure wounds of all kinds.

Buffs and Defense - Pumping up her allies is a key ability for a support caster. More speed, more strength, resistance to various forms of energy, protection from evil, these are all things Elian has under her belt.

Utility - Things like spark, light, and prestidigitation, these spells are not combat oriented but still very useful to have around.

Wind - Elian started playing as a wind mage before she decided to focus on healing, and she has kept a couple wind-aligned spells under her belt, including featherfall, jump, and one rather unique spell that allows her to retreat unhindered after a strike on an enemy.

_{O T H E R S K I L L S}

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Healer - Elian specializes in magic with healing properties, whether for a single person or for a group. Because she's cast so many of them, the healing effects of her spells are improved, and she is better at casting them.

Support Caster - The vast majority of Elian's participation in combat is as a support caster. Because of her experience, she has excellent endurance when it comes to casting, much better than mages who only dabble.

Battlefield Awareness - Healers are responsible for keeping people alive, and this means knowing when they need help. Elian has done her best to consistently track her partymates and healing them when they need it, and now she has a general though vague awareness of who is in trouble, and how badly.

Danger Assessment - A squishy healer does not last long if she doesn't know how to avoid danger. Experience (and a number of early deaths) have taught Elian how to recognize unsafe terrain and places where unpleasant things might lurk, and now she is much better at noticing such things, almost like a gut feeling at times.

Dancer's Grace - Elian is a dancer, like her player, and she makes use of these skills even when not dancing. Between practicing routines and pushing herself in exploration, Elian is flexible and acrobatic. Her balance in particular is superb, and she can keep her footing and land jumps even on difficult terrain, where it's all but impossible to do so.

Agility - Before Elian started partying up regularly, and before she'd developed her skills as a mage, she employed a nimble in-and-out fighting style. She still relies on her agility to react to threats and make herself a more difficult target, as well as for getting past obstacles in her explorations. As a result, Elian is highly agile, able to get close and then fall back, and changing directions easily. She can pull maneuvers that others could not.

Saw It Coming - Elian relies mostly on grace and agility, trying to avoid taking damage as much as she can -- particularly since if she goes down, there's usually no one to come to the rescue. Practice anticipating and avoiding has left her better able to identify attacks that will hurt her in time to cast a counter spell or get the heck out of the way. Sometimes she can avoid attacks that she did not anticipate.

Identify Monster - Emma enjoys the tactical aspects of combat, and she believes that is important to know your enemy. To this end, she's made an effort to remember the appearance and location of various foes, and what sort of abilities they used. Upon reaching a town, she would look up the things she'd encountered to learn more about them. Her dedication and research have paid off, and now in addition to knowing almost all of the ones she's encountered, there is a small chance that Elian has skimmed over the entry for a monster that she has never encountered herself and knows a bit about it and what it is capable of, even if she never read the entry properly.

Enemy Assessment - If she identifies an opponent, she may know this automatically, particularly for common foes. For others, Elian tries to keep track of what works and what doesn't, and she thus has some skill identifying weak points and what kinds of attacks are effective based on the ones tried. Once she has, she is highly likely to retain that information for future reference. This is possible even on foes she's never heard of.

Pathfinder - With her love of exploration and taking the road less travelled, Elian has honed her pathfinding skills. She is quite good at figuring out ways to get somewhere, including less conventional routes. Her chances of noticing hidden doors, shortcuts, and less dangerous routes is increased, even if she's not actively searching for them.

_{R O U G H V I R T U A L H I S T O R Y}

---

Elian has been in Tales of Endoroth since near the beginning, though she spent a good amount of time getting used to an entirely new system, and then playing with it. For Emma, the new system was fairly familiar, being a lot like other games she had played. Once she got the hang of it she immediately set off to see what she could do. A lot of time was spent exploring, whether by herself or with a party. A lot of solo explorations ended in death. Embarrassingly many, actually. She still likes solo exploration, as she does in just about any game, particularly the open-world ones, but Emma's learned that Elian's far better off travelling with a group in many cases. There was some benefit to all the dying, and it takes the form of Elian being able to actually land hits in melee combat and then get out of range. She can even do respectable damage for a character that isn't offensively oriented.

To the community of TOE as a whole, Elian is known as a reliable healer who will do everything she can to take care of her party. She's known to be adventurous and not afraid of a challenge. She is, however, also known to be a real firecracker, between her habit of shouting profanity at friend and foe alike, as well as her low tolerance for fools. One rather interesting rumor says that after a particularly close call, the feisty healer ressed, killed, and then reressed her party's DPS archer multiple times in a row, since he'd drawn aggro on not only the mobs they were fighting but several more beside, and then failed to back off when he was told he was making a mess of things. The rumor isn't true, of course. Elian only killed him once. And she had help.

_{N O T E S}

---

Relationships

name - description.

Emma/Elian uses FFCC55.

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

@Eviledd1984 There should definitely be at least local voice chat...though that might make it hard for our actor friend to hide he's a guy. Hmm...maybe he just claims not to have a mic. I know some people that don't, or that can't talk for whatever reason.

I figure there's adventurer guild hubs that give out quests and stuff. I dunno about user-run guilds, but probably?

《 Super H.E.R.O. 》

[ Amuné ]

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---

collab between @shylarah, @Zoey Boey, and @Hitman
Hero Three

If Backup was being totally honest, she was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. TJ had never gone in for evaluation, therapy wasn’t really her thing. She didn’t need it. HERO work was her therapy. It was pretty much the best thing that had ever happened to her. If she needed to suck up to some ICOSA pencil pushers to keep her dream job, she’d do it. She was taking up an entire couch to herself, arms behind her head, shaking her foot back and forth over a crossed leg.

Amune, the wispy little girl they called Oracle, offered to go first. Wiseman was doing some eye-rolling tough guy act over the internet, and Riley was playing the bratty teen.

”I do mind, actually. I’m going to blow my brains out if I have to spend any longer in this room.” She stood up, slapping her thighs. She was still in her superhero costume after a day of patrolling. She smelled like warm concrete and leather. Peeling her superhero mask off her face and shoving it into her pocket, she treated the therapist and british guy to a crooked smile.

”I get cabin fever real easy.” She said, brushing some hair behind her ear.

Amuné sighed internally. She hadn’t actually expected anyone to protest. “It was a rhetorical question. If you wanted to be first, perhaps you should be a little quicker on the uptake,” she said, voice mild.

”What a rotten thing to say. Just lying for no reason! You should be nicer, kid, I just told you I’m suffering, here.” Backup said with a pout.

"Now, now," Randolph said as he looked between the two. "Let’s not get into a tizzy over here, everyone will have time for this interview. In fact, to speed it up, we’ll do split duties. Does that sound alright?" Randolph glanced over at his psychologist associate, who gave a conciliatory half-shrug, half-nod. "Let’s have Ms. Jennings come with me.. I wouldn’t want her to ‘blow her brains out,’ or ‘get cabin fever,’" he said, with a clear and pronounced mocking tone of voice. "Conveniently, there’s a spare office here for us to have our conversation. And then after I’m done with Ms. Jennings, I would love to speak to you, Mr…Lindell," the British inspector added, pronouncing Stray’s name with a certain degree of indignation or, perhaps, incredulity. Perhaps Lindell was a rotten name in England or something.

"Then Ms. Ris can join our lovely Dr. Reininger, and afterwards the good doctor can speak to…how about Mr. Basilov first, since he seems particularly unhappy to be here as well?" Randolph gave a good chuckle. "Oh, now that’s efficiency! Anyway, come with me, Ms. Jennings. We have much to discuss."

”Sounds good to me.” She said, rolling her shoulders. TJ left, glancing back at Amune with a smile before she left them alone.

The psychologist escorted the younger heroine back into the office space that she had seized for the purpose of these interviews. As a result, it certainly lacked the aesthetic that your average psychologist would have available to them. There were no bookshelves, no long couches, none of that. Instead, there was just a sterile office with bland, khaki-colored walls, two chairs, an office desk that looked like it had just been purchased from IKEA, and a harsh, overpowering light above head.

Dr. Reininger gestured to one of the two chairs (the less comfy one, noticeably) before taking the cushioned chair for herself. She was a woman that looked way too tired for this job. Her brunette hair was lazily done into a bun with several strands sticking out, her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her weak smile betrayed the fact that she looked like she was not at all happy to be there. Yet she was here, of course, and she had a job to do. She picked up her clipboard and pen from her desk, lounging back slightly in the office chair as she looked up at the young girl from behind her glasses.

“Amuné Ris, A.K.A. Oracle. Age 16, superpower limited clairvoyance, identity still largely obscured. Do I have that right?” the woman asked, her tone clearly attempting to be charitable and pleasant but with overtones of the steeliness and unyielding professionalism that had largely characterized ICOSA since their arrival.

Amuné followed Dr. Reininger to the office. It was nothing like her therapist’s office, which was cozy and inviting. This was almost a clinical feel. She was privately glad that Mr. Randolph was not going to be part of the interview. The less she had to deal with him, the better. She settled into the uncushioned chair offered, sitting with her back straight and her hands clasped in her lap. “That’s right,” she said. Unlike with her therapist, she probably shouldn’t volunteer information that hadn’t been asked for.

The psychologist nodded, taking a note down on her clipboard. “Now, I want to be clear about something. This isn’t a therapy session, this is only a little chat to make sure that you’re, well, psychologically fit to be a hero. This line of work can be very taxing for people, especially young people, so we want to make sure that you’re capable of dealing with it.” She looked up from the board at Amuné. “I’m going to delve into some uncomfortable territory, so let me know if you want me to stop at any point, alright? Now, it’s true that you were in the…custody, we’ll call it, of several villains for a number of years, correct?”

Amuné sighed. She’d expected to have to talk about her past, but the doctor really wasn’t wasting any time, was she? Still, there was no helping it. “Yes, for roughly four years.” Even now she occasionally still had bad dreams about the Ring, and what they’d done. Therapy had helped immensely, but she’d probably never be truly over the experience. She could cope, but the memories would always be there.

Dr. Reininger nodded, making another note on her clipboard. “And it says here you’re still attending therapy as a result of that incident…perfectly reasonable and healthy, of course.” She nodded, seemingly to herself. “How much would you say that those memories, and the trauma they’ve instilled, affect you day-to-day?”

“Honestly?” Amuné shook her head. “Very little. There’s certain things that remind me, but...for the most part, I’ve come to terms with what happened, and moved forward with my life. Ongoing therapy is currently more because I feel it does me good to talk to someone in that capacity than because I’m actively dealing with significant trauma on a regular basis. And, as you said, hero work can be taxing. I want to make sure I’m in a good state of mind.”

Once again, the woman nodded and scribbled something down with her pen, as if she were a robot and that was her programmed response to any answer. “That’s very good,” she said. “I’m glad to hear that progress has been made. A couple more things, if you don’t mind. First, your identity. It’s generally common for heroes, at least in this part of the world, to have fairly public hero identities, something you have not opted for. Could you explain this decision? Does it stem from fear of re-identification? Or is there something else at play here?”

Amuné looked thoughtful. “In part, it’s fear that the Ring or those like them will come for me again.” She looked away uncomfortably. “People hear ‘Seer’ and think I have some sort of...great power to predict the future. It’s nowhere near that simple. And I don’t want to be used the way I was as a child. I also worry about what might happen to my family and those I care about outside the hero world, if my identity is known. But beyond that...I don’t need the fame and recognition when I’m going about my everyday life. It’s simpler to be a nobody.”

“I’m glad you brought up the subject of family,” the doctor noted, her eyes peering at the teenage girl from behind her glasses like she was examining a particularly interesting specimen. “You have…an adoptive brother of sorts, let’s call him. Also in HERO. Terraformer. Can you elaborate on your relationship with him? I’m seeing here that he actually put off joining HERO in order to be able to register at the same time, is that accurate? And what do you think the reasoning for that is?” The woman’s voice was calm, steady, and cool, but the way she asked questions somehow had a more sinister undertone, as she prodded away at these personal questions with near-wanton disregard.

“He’s my best friend. As for why he waited...we never discussed it outright, but I suspect it was his way of looking out for me.” Amuné smiled slightly. “He’s like that. But you’d have to ask him to know for sure.” On the inside she wondered why her relationship with Jareth was such an issue. Surely it wasn’t odd for people to have best friends. Or did they think the two of them were something more? The thought made her nose wrinkle.

The woman had no smile in response. “We were going to ask him, Oracle, but given the injuries he’s just sustained, I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility,” she said, with only the slightest hint of emotion ringing through her steely facade. “Terrazard attack. Brutal way to go.” She pursed her lips in a moment of contemplation, before speaking again. “Of course, having friendships within the organization is perfectly acceptable, but there’s also the possibility of danger that we’re concerned with.” The woman looked up, her face unmoving. “Speaking of which, I’ll imagine you’ll want to visit him soon. We should probably wrap this up soon, then. I wouldn’t want to stop you from visiting him in the infirmary; I’m aware they operate on limited hours.”

Of course, the woman felt a little bit bad about spinning a dreadful lie, but she wasn’t just a psychologist, she was a [i]meta-/i]psychologist, who had to deal with meta-humans. This was just how you had to handle people with supreme abilities. With supreme measures.

Amuné sat very still for a moment, then shook her head. “If Jareth was in serious trouble...I think I’d know. I’ve known every time someone close to me was in danger in the past. This would be a first, for me to be caught unawares.” When he’d fallen off his bike and broken his wrist, she hadn’t been outside, but she’d known. When her mother died, she knew. When her adoptive mother had been rear-ended, she’d had a feeling. The closer she was connected to a person, the more likely she’d be aware of imminent threat and danger to that person. “In fact, if I try...” She touched her earpiece, the one that held her mask, the one Jareth had made for her. “He’s just outside the Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant, I believe. That’s where their current mission is, isn’t it?” Amuné narrowed her eyes at Dr. Reininger. “If you want to know how I’d react to his death, ask me. But please don’t lie.”

If the good doctor showed regret, she did a damn good job of hiding it. Instead of speaking, she made another jot on her notepad. “I apologize for the deception-” (she certainly didn’t seem all too sorry, but regardless) “-but sometimes, it’s necessary to see an authentic reaction. Especially in circumstances where it could have dire consequences.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “I study something called Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis. Individuals, such as yourself, with metahuman capabilities are particularly vulnerable to rapid and irreversible mental breakdowns. Usually, they’re associated with some type of trigger event, and they’re also associated with near-total loss of control of your abilities.” She looked the girl up and down. “It’s customary for organizations such as HERO to screen to make sure that there aren’t any major risks for this condition, and to limit possible ‘triggers’ for the indisposition.”

She seemed to be mincing her words a bit. She coughed into her sleeve. “What I’m trying to say is that my reason for requesting a sitdown with you is to, well, consider whether or not that’s a risk here. Frankly, with pre-existing traumatic experiences and close personal ties within the organization, you check a lot of the boxes,” she said bluntly as she leaned back in her chair, adjusting her glasses on her nose. “I was hoping to get a more genuine reaction with my misleading story, but a simple verbal response will suffice in this case. If something were to happen to Terraformer- God forbid he were to lose his life- how badly would that affect you?” She paused for a moment, allowing to harshness of the question to settle in. “I don’t want you to imagine what the incident looks like, just how it would feel. I know this is tough, but you have to understand that this is necessary in this field of work.”

“I’d be upset. Distraught, even. I was when Kel died.” Amuné frowned, remembering the death of the only friend she’d had while in the Ring’s hold, another Seer who’d done her best to protect the young girl. “And angry, if Jareth had been killed by someone. I -- I have tools now to deal with grief and anger, but...I don’t know how well they’d work in the moment. I don’t think I’d lose control of my powers -- they do have some basis in emotion, but it’s more emotional connection than emotive control. But I suppose I can’t be certain.” She sighed, then ventured a question of her own. “Is my friendship with Jareth a problem for him, too?”

“Possibly, though not likely. He doesn’t have the same temperament that makes him as…vulnerable,” she explained. “And while I appreciate the efforts to work on healthy coping, you also need to keep in mind that your powers are, well, not fully-developed yet. Not even close, in fact. In reality, none of us can know what the upper limits of your powers are like.” The shrink jotted something else down on her notepad. “I appreciate you having this discussion, though. While it’s sensitive, we’re brushing up on important issues here.”

“Mm.” Amuné’s response was noncommittal. She didn’t want to be a liability, but she also didn’t want to give up on the profession she’d worked towards. She wanted to be able to help people, the way she had been helped. The idea that the very past that had inspired her to become a hero might now keep her from being one was upsetting.

At least the interview was over, it seemed. Dr. Reininger rose to her feet, and Amuné followed suit, following the doctor back to the staff room where the others waited.

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

@Wayward I saw your status. I hope you're okay!