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5 yrs ago
Wraith smells like beans
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6 yrs ago
Conspiracy Theory: Mahz will never return from vacation.
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Bio

13 years and going strong.

I'm waiting for the moment someone in my city mentions roleplayerguild as their hobby.

Most Recent Posts

Looking forward to an OOC.
E L I




'No Signature Detected'


Eli pressed her lips together, her brows furrowed to express her minute annoyance. She was used to seeing that phrase by now, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. On one hand, Eli was upset that there hadn't been a single signature detected once over the course of three days. Nor from any of her other Mystery Inc. buddies. Yet, on the other hand, Eli was comforted by the phrase when she was in her apartment. The last place she'd want to detect this flubber bitch was near her apartment.

With a small huff, Eli locked her phone and stuffed it back into the pocket of her jacket. She'd opted to take the long route to the campgrounds, just in case her phone picked up on any blue goop nearby. Unfortunately this meant that she had to deal with passing through homecoming events. Two months ago, Eli would have been elated to have dance parties strewn across the space boat. She normally enjoyed those kinds of things, but Eli knew what the point of these dances were. They were a distraction. The Promise was just the rich parents gifting their troubled children expensive toys so that they would love them.

She looked at the throngs of parahumans, but she didn't see them dancing or stumbling drunk into the dance parties. She saw them crawling away from ominous figures in blood-orange jumpsuits. The uproars of laughter sounded like the screams of her people on the street below her. Eli shoved her hands into her pockets, gripping her phone tightly. She watched the ground, making sure to weave through the masses without getting too close to anyone.

Without even realizing it, she found herself stopping by a bridge. A few weeks ago, this bridge would have been covered in flowers, notes, candles, and there would have been a picture of a young man in the middle. Eli stared at the spot with an ache in her chest. She probably would have been there for a bit, if a passing boy in a button down hadn't bumped into her.

Waving off the drunk teenager, Eli turned and continued on her way. She ground soon switched from smooth pavement to rough underground. She was heading deeper into the wooded area on The Promise, and towards the peace of the forest. The further she left the sound of the parties behind her, the lighter Eli's chest felt. By the time she heard music and voices growing louder the closer she came to the campground, Eli was excited to drink with her friends. They didn't need a homecoming dance. They just needed some booze and a campfire.



Eli stepped into the light of a fire and found herself at the edge of a clearing. Various logs, lawn chairs, and blankets laid out around a bonfire at it's center. At one end of the clearing was a table covered in various bottles of liquor, mixers, plastic cups, 12 packs of beer, and a five gallon beverage cooler. A speaker nearby played music at a chill level.

"Eli!" A rosy-cheeked, redhead shouted as she walked over to greet Eli. The girl appeared to be around Eli's age. "You look amazing!"

Eli embraced her good friend, a wide grin on her face. "Oh, this? I just threw this on." She said with a giggle, her day immediately brightening at the sight of her friend. "It's my homecoming dress. Think my date will like it?" She joked, gesturing to her outfit. In fact, it was nothing close to homecoming-approved. None of the people around the bonfire were formally dressed. Eli's outfit blended right in. Later on there would be people dressed up when the dances were shut down, but for now, it was a casual party. Most of the people there had either outgrown stuff like that, or thought that homecoming dances were a bunch of bullshit.

"Girl, I think you're homecoming queen material."

Eli laughed, the two girls wordlessly making their way to the drinks. Eli took a cup from the stack and poured a good amount of white rum into the cup. She then filled the rest up with whatever jungle juice concoction was inside of the cooler. "Maddy, you have no idea how long it's been since I've had a drink." She said, raising the cup to her mouth and taking a big gulp.

Maddy watched her friend, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. She knew exactly why Eli hadn't been out in a while. She could feel the pain and anger within Eli, something Maddy had never really sensed before in her friend. After all, she was an empath. "Don't worry. We haven't done much without you."" She paused a moment before continuing. "We all needed some time after we found out about Zeke."

There was a heavy silence between the two, but their eyes spoke volumes. Eli nodded, swallowing and clearing her throat. "Well, I've missed you." She raised her cup into the air. "And I've missed this. Let's drink."

The two bumped their cups together and took a celebratory chug before breaking into laughter. They linked arms and headed towards the group that had gathered before the fire. Eli greeted her other friends and the guests that they brought with them. The group eased into their spots on the logs and blankets around.

The warmth of the fire and company lifted Eli's spirits. She took it easy on the alcohol after her first cup, preferring to avoid a blackout on her first night out in weeks. When she felt like it was an appropriate time, she sent a separate message to both Archie and Keaton.

'Hope you make it tonight! There's plenty of booze and firewood. Let me know if you need help finding the campsite.'


Vertigo

Location: Sisterhood Base
Skills: N/A




As the two neared the entrance to the building, Elara was once again caught off guard. Instead of busting through the door, or using any other means of forced entry, Psylocke simply produced a key card and voilà. They were in. As simple as that. Before Elara could voice her confusion, Psylocke began to explain why she had access to this building.

It's funny that the group would break into a building they could just ask permission to enter. The only indication of her thoughts that Elara gave Psylocke was a raised eyebrow. She followed into the building and the door shut behind her. That was easy. She thought sarcastically.

She stopped, surveying the hallway before them. It was quiet. Almost too quiet, but Elara decided that she had a moment to speak to Psylocke before they encountered anyone.

"Why would the team want to break into a building owned by Serval?" She asked, looking Psylocke in the eyes. "Did Gardner already deny them access, and they decided to take this into their own hands?" She had an odd feeling about this entire situation. There was something that Elara just couldn't figure out. It bothered her, but she put her trust in Psylocke's judgement. This woman had fought alongside the X-Men.

"It just bothers me that these loyal employees have suddenly gone AWOL." She added, deciding that she could trust Pyslocke with her doubts.
E L I




"Unlucky." Archie said, his smile speaking volumes.

“Real unlucky.” The smart girl repeated.

Eli glanced between the three with a sympathetic smile. These poor souls weren't even given some downtime on The Promise before it's curse leaked into their lives. They must have done pretty well on Earth to come aboard The Promise at such an old age. Or they were just great hiders. Either way, they didn't deserve such a shitty welcome to The Promise.

"Yeah, I hope Lynn's okay too. . . . Oh, yeah, hit it on somethin' on the way back. But that's... probably a good idea."

Lynn must have been the blonde girl's name. Didn't she spit steaming saliva onto the ground before stomping off, too? If she could burn his hand like that, the girl must be walking magma. An ability like that fascinated Eli. She'd always been jealous of elemental parahumans. To be able to control the physical world around you must be dangerously exciting.

Eli grew an amused smile as Archie perked up and removed his phone from his wallet. This guy was like a puppy. He handed her the phone with a polite smile and Eli took it without another word. She looked down to see that it was opened to a new contact page. Without hesitation, she entered her name and number. She even sent a text to herself so that she could save his number too before handing it back to him.

She was going to tell him that he could contact her whenever he pleased, but he'd already turned to Natalie. Eli could barely contain her smile as it seemed that he took her advice. There you go, Archie! A little awkward, but you got your point across. She glanced away to give the two some privacy, reminiscing the days when boys had been that awkward around her too. Her attention was quickly brought back by the friendly girl's words.

“I’m going to head off too, then. Eli, right? Are you sticking around?” Eli smiled, remembering that she had to ask for this girl's name before she left. “Let’s keep in touch. I’d love to hear more about how The Promise is and all, and you sound like the perfect person to ask if you’ve already been here for four years.”

Eli took her phone, giving her a friendly smile. "Feel free to message me whenever you'd like. I'm always open." She put her information into the phone and held the phone up to her. "I don't think I ever caught your name. We were all interrupted by Misters Black and White. You asked some pretty inquisitive questions. I wouldn't have even though to ask most of them." She stood up from the table, giving Natalie a wave goodbye before turning back to her new friend. Gosh, all of these girls are tiny. "We could meet up tomorrow. I'm off of work, but I have my training scheduled at 2 o'clock. Maybe you could ask those questions in the evening?"
E L I




Eli was surprised to hear Archie give the woman in the videos a name. She turned her head to look at him. He'd just come back from chasing after the angry girl. As he raised his hands she immediately looked to see that there was a fresh burn mark on one of them. Had that come from the steaming spit girl? What was that girl's deal?

The friendly girl didn't give Radvi a chance to answer Eli's questions. She instead asked the exact question Eli considered asking Misters Black and White- after Radvi explained himself. Although, Eli hadn't thought of asking if there were files on the woman. She had to have gotten aboard The Promise somehow.

When Misters Black and White remained silent, Radvi began to speak. Eli looked to him, crossing her arms. Now she would get her answers.

No file? Her eyes darted to Helmet. Did they sneak on board in similar ways? How many others have come aboard The Promise without permission? She pursed her lips and twisted them to the side, but she quickly dropped the expression and looked back at Radvi.

Eli's eyebrow rose higher and higher as Radvi revealed the blue goop's analysis. She'd never heard of an ability like this. It was hard to believe that every cell could act on its own in her body. Would Eli's ability even stand up to that? She swallowed as a twinge of fear manifested in these thoughts. If she ever saw this woman in person, it would take all of her strength to ward her off.

The idea of multiple wires decaying by acid threw up a red flag. This woman couldn't have produced the acid on her own. Had she placed the acid there before and somehow released it at the same time? Was there someone else on the boat that was working with her? There's no way this lady could control every cell in her body and spit acid everywhere. That kind of parahuman shit just wasn't possible... right?

Radvi removed his techy glasses, producing a small chip from them. He began to explain exactly what the chip did; this also explained why Eli thought he looked so faraway in thought when he wore them. It wasn't surprising that he hadn't found Arianna. The bitch was laying a low as she could get, and she probably spread out every part of her body to make it harder for the sensors to pick up her source. Eli pressed her lips together, her shoulders tensing as she thought of her. She was the reason her friend was murdered. The reason 300 people lost their lives.

She watched Radvi give a chip to Helmet, and she expected him to say her name next. She sat straighter and outstretched her arm, her palm laying flat open by the time Radvi turned towards her. Her eyes met Radvi's as he gave her the chip, and she nodded before she quickly turned her focus onto it. As soon as he explained what to do with it, Eli pulled out her phone from her pocket and inserted the chip.

Time to catch a murderer.

The program initiated before Radvi could even mention it. She looked up as he explained what would happen if the woman came into range. Make as much noise as possible. Maximum volume. She bit her bottom lip. Would playing a loud song from her phone be enough? No, no, she'd have to find a way to make more noise. Perhaps she had something up her sleeve.

Misters Black and White broke their silence, but were quickly interrupted by another security officer booking it towards the table. Oh, right. Helmet isn't supposed to be casually sitting in a mall. In fact, he almost looked disappointed that his time out in the open was over. Where did this guy hide? Was he always up above, watching and observing? What was his goal on this ship?

These were things Eli thought of as she watched him make his getaway. The security officer stopped to confront Radvi and Eli recognized his face. She sunk lower in her chair, hoping that he didn't notice her at the table. Radvi said his goodbyes, and before Eli could say goodbye he was gone. Misters Black and White also disappeared in their usual fashion. Now it was just the lovebirds and the smart girl that remained at the table.

Eli looked back at her phone, taking a deep breath before she put it in her pocket. It would let her know if the woman was nearby. Until then, Eli would have to wait. She looked at her food, but had no appetite left for it. So, she simply took one more bite before pushing it away from herself. Her attention returned to the three before her.

What were they thinking? What should she do now that Radvi and the rest had gone? Would they even bother talking to her more? Or was this her cue to leave as well? Fuck it. I need to make friends if we are to work together.

"You guys must be pretty unlucky, huh? I mean, in your first week you came across a murder. I've been here for four years now and I've never experienced something like that." She brushed the stray hairs back from her face, glancing between the three of them. "I hope your friend is okay. She seemed pretty upset when she left."

That reminded her of the burn on her new friend's hand, and she turned to look at Archie. "Is your hand okay? It looks like you should run it under some cold water."


Vertigo

Location: Sisterhood Base
Skills: N/A




Elara watched Psylocke as she spoke. Mercury, huh? Was that the guy who had superspeed? Also, when did another team member die? She had no idea that things like this were happening at Serval Industries. Would attacks like that happen often? Better yet, was Elara prepared to handle attacks from high-powered individuals? She couldn't start doubting herself now.

Psylocke continued speaking, relaying information about each individual rogue team member. Elara had been right about Mercury, but she never knew that he took the Flash equivalent of steroids to get his super-speed. Nightingale was one of the members she knew the least about, but she heard that she was pretty badass from colleagues at Serval. Belladonna sounded like a wildcard. Sapphire was the only one that had ESP abilities like Elara herself. Confronting these seasoned members was definitely going to be a challenge, but Elara was excited to see how the group worked out in the field. If Elara could make friends with a few heroes that had been with Serval for a while, it would make adjusting to this life much easier.

When Psylocke mentioned her name, Elara was caught off guard. She hadn't expected to go in alone with Psylocke. Being alone with someone who was used to missions would definitely mean that Elara had to step up her game. This would be the first time Vertigo was truly challenged. Instead of doubting herself, Elara welcomed it. Vertigo had faced similar problems. How could this be any different?

So as Psylocke headed towards the west side of the building, Elara followed obediently. She made sure to steady her breathing and clear her mind. She needed to focus. If any adversaries came their way, she would have to rely on her abilities to stop them. If that wasn't enough, today was the day Elara would take advantage of those combat lessons from Serval Industries. The two neared the building, and Elara looked to Psylocke to lead the way inside. Her eyes were fierce and determined.
E L I




Eli listened to the two beings answer the rest of the group. So, they were aware that some one had been behind the breakout. Big news. As if everyone believed that it had just been a technical error. They also wanted a shared network of information, but surely they understood that it would put the group's safety at risk if the rest of The Promise staff knew they were snooping around. That is if these two weren't here to dig up dirt on the group either.

Eli was watching the friendly girl as she asked her round of questions. This girl was smart. Was she already investigating on the side? She was just as ballsy as Eli, too. Absolutely no parahuman was ever granted access to cameras or files, unless they'd been given a job by The Promise staff. She liked to assume that Noelle, the woman with metal arms, was probably one of those persons. Her eyes moved onto Radvi, and then slowly turned towards the LED-display-for-a-head. The guy hadn't even said anything yet.

“A party concerned for the future of both the Promise and beyond.”

“As well, wishing to remain unidentified, and we intend to respect said wish.”

“We understand this answer is unsatisfactory.”

“But even we have rules we must abide by.”

Eli frowned as she looked back at the pair of monochrome men. It was true. The answer was extremely unsatisfactory. Why would the "party concerned for the future of both the Promise and beyond" want to hide in the dark? If they had sent these two here to act as information gatherers, why were they afraid to show their faces?

“We understand trust is an issue, and of course, we don’t expect all of you to trust us right away. Miss Wessex and Agent Radvi have their own opinions by now.”

Eli looked back at Radvi. She didn't have a clue how Radvi felt about Misters Black and White. She definitely trusted Radvi. Could she trust that he would be right about the men, no matter what he thought about them? She really didn't know. She wasn't that close to him, but he was the only human on board she truly respected.

“What about you, Agent Radvi?”

“Is there anything you’d like to share?”

The officer pulled out his phone, and Eli immediately thought of the blue goop. Maybe she'd hear his opinion and hear about the remains of the culprit at the same time. He and Freaky-D exchanged looks, and the latter suddenly stood and changed the image on his helmet.

Eli leaned forwards as she became absorbed by the footage on his helmet. A woman stood in front of a bloody man, and then a second later the camera was quickly advancing upon the same woman. Holy shit. He fought this chick? Her mouth dropped open a bit as she watched the woman's body morph and contract in the same plasma shape as the goop. How did he do that to her? Was it the vibrations from the music? The video stopped after helmet handed Radvi the mason jar.

Giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts, Eli sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. She looked around at the others, her gaze remaining on Radvi and helmet for a few seconds longer than Natalie and the smart girl.

“We are individuals concerned with the safety of this station’s inhabitants, and we feel - given the events you’ve all been involved in - that you will ultimately end up in better positions than most to aid said inhabitants.”

Eli understood what they meant, now. Somehow, each of them were connected. This encounter with Misters Black and White somehow brought all of the evidence out into the open. The friendly girl asked about the missing professor, helmet had footage of the blue goo woman murdering him, and Radvi was the one who ended up with the mason jar. So, where did Eli fit in? Was she simply there because she had been with Radvi that day, or was it because Misters Black and White sincerely thought she would help them?

"So, that woman is the one that has been causing trouble?" She asked helmet. After seeing this footage, she was definitely taking him more seriously. He was more than just a rollerskating bobble head. She then looked at Radvi and finally asked him the question she'd been waiting for. "What did you do with the jar after that day?"


Elara Wessex

Location: Last Known Location of Rogue Team
Skills: N/A




The ride to the rogue team was blissfully short. Elara was feeling much better about this mission now that they had arrived at their destination. She disembarked the plane, getting a good look at the building in front of them. It looked eerie. Like something out of a movie. What brought the team here?

“So, I forgot to ask. Who exactly are we looking for? I’m super new and don’t know anyone yet.”

Elara looked over at the source of the voice; the other person who had worn a mask out in the field. She glanced towards Psylocke in hopes of an answer, but another voice drew her attention. It was from the expressionless woman in the conference room.

"Current members unaccounted for who took the jet are, Demetria Clarke also known as Sapphire, John Watts who goes by Mercury, Belladonna, and Evelyn Holder also known as Nightingale."

Elara nodded in response, looking back at the building. There were a few entrances, but it would be hard to tell where the team went inside of such a large building. That didn't even account for what they might encounter from the staff of this building, too.

She thought about the team members listed. They were mostly comprised of senior members of Serval Industries. They had to have a good reason to go rogue. It couldn't be blamed solely on their grief for Harrison Snow's death. Did they resent the new CEO, Rae Gardner? Is that why they didn't consult her before taking off?

The girl with the journal began speaking to the masked man, but Elara didn't think it was the time to make friends. This was a serious mission, no matter what the premise was. They had no idea what they were walking into. Just like any other mission, really, but this was against some of their own people. She hoped it would go well.

"Should we head in as a team, or split up?" She said aloud, mostly aiming it towards Psylocke. "The team could be anywhere inside of this building."
E L I




Eli's smile remained as the super young looking girl stared her down, but on the inside she couldn't help but feel tense. They don't believe a thing I just said. What the hell am I gonna do? The blonde nodded, but gave no indication that she was going to speak. Maybe I should have told Archie to run. These girls mean business.

Sure, Eli knew that most of the parahumans that ended up on The Promise weren't goody two shoes, but she'd always managed to steer clear of the nasty ones. Well, there was that one "fight" she had with another girl her age in her freshman year of secondary school but that was nothing. Had her luck finally run out? These girls didn't appear to be the nasty type, but appearances meant nothing on the boat.

"Uh..." Radvi began. He hadn't even been acknowledged by the three girls yet. Eli looked over at him and she knew by the look in his eyes that he was going to leave. "Yeah, Eli, I’ll talk to you later when you’re free, I should just get back to my patrol." Eli felt disappointed. Now she'd never get to hear about the goop. It had taken a month to see him, and she was trapped by this awkward situation now. For a second she felt like ditching Archie and his friends. She could just walk with Radvi and ask her questions. What did these girls offer Eli other than hard stares and scrutinizing eyes?

She was just about to get up and follow Radvi when the entire group was startled by another sudden appearance. Misters Black and White stood two feet from Radvi, facing the entire group as if they knew that they would gather here at this time. Eli froze in her seat, shivers crawling down her spine. She stared at the faceless men. In the four years Eli had been on board The Promise, she'd only seen these men (if they even were men) a few times. Each time they'd given her the creeps. They always seemed to appear when she least expected; when she was at her most vulnerable. The first time she'd met them, she had just begun counseling. It wasn't a fun introduction. Even so, the two were always harmless; they even guided her into realizing a few things about herself. But why did she always feel so uneasy around them?

The resulting chaos of the black and white men's appearance snapped Eli back into a state of awareness. Radvi cussed them out, which normally would have gotten a chuckle from Eli. Archie nearly threw himself out of his seat, his fight or flight response battling for control. The blonde girl's forearms began to glow like nightlights and she nearly attacked Radvi, "What the fuck is this shit, Anderson?" Wait, is she blaming this on Archie? She looked like she was, and Archie looked terrified.

“We apologize for our sudden appearance.”

“Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“But we wanted to address all of you while you were still in one place.”

“Given everything that’s happened of late, it’s a rare occurrence.”


Eli's brows furrowed as she stared at the two. The creepy feeling these two gave her increased, with a little apprehension mixed in there too. While all of us are in one place? We just met.

The two continued, explaining to the newcomers who they were and what they did. Eli knew that this is what they did, but she always had a feeling that they were reporting their "attendant duties" to someone higher up. Someone that didn't want them to know who they were.

“We have taken a special interest in the lot of you due to the events that took place a month ago - and shortly further back, on your first day aboard this station. We‘ve read all of the reports, you see.”

Eli gripped the back of her chair, her body tensing. She never wanted to be on these two's "radar"; it worried her that she was drawing the attention of the higher ups. When the people around her started to draw too much attention, they tended to disappear. Where they went, Eli had no idea. Maybe they were sent to a "stronger rehabilitation sector", or maybe they were just put in jail. Either way, Eli always feared that it would one day happen to her. Was this because she used her powers against the escaped inmates? That was self-defense, so that surely wasn't the reason... right?

And now the rollerskating bobble head fell from the sky and crashed into a table. What the hell was he doing up there? Was he following Radvi? Did he have the same questions for him as Eli did? She stared him down as he sat in a chair near Radvi. This was the second time she'd been this close to him. Something about him gave her the creeps like Misters Black and White did, but a part of him didn't seem threatening. I really need to find that article about this guy again.

“...Right, then. Moving on...”

Black and White returned to facing the group.

“We consider matters that affect the Promise as a whole as matters that we must see to personally.”

“We apologize that this may come to you as an abrupt invasion of privacy, but we decided it best to be upfront in our conduct.”

“We see all of you, Mister Anderson…”

“Miss Holmes…”

“Miss Plasse…”

“Miss Ellis…”

“Miss Wessex…”


Eli held her breath after her name was mentioned.

“...as ‘core components’ in these events.”

Core components??

“Things are happening aboard this station that have resulted in great harm, and even death, befalling its inhabitants.”

“It is in our best interests to assist in bringing this matter at large to a close, though we cannot act directly against it due to certain… physical, non-physical, limitations.”

“To be brief, we are incorporeal.”


Eli released an incredulous puff of air, staring as the two phased right through each other. Her suspicions were right. These holograms, if they were holograms, were nothing but two faceless pawns.

“We cannot harm, and we cannot be harmed.”

“We can do nothing substantial to prevent further disaster from striking the Promise. The security force is also lacking in this capability, from what we’ve seen.”

“Not you Jacob, we know you’re trying your best.”


Eli looked over at Radvi with one eyebrow raised. Did he think that this was the weirdest situation he's ever been in too? That these two were just stating facts? Eli certainly felt that way.

By the time the two finished their little "speech", Eli didn't know what to think of them. Could she really trust them? Well, not them, but the person controlling them? The wizard behind closed curtains? That was the only question she wanted to ask them.

The blonde girl suddenly released a slew of accusations, questions, facts, and a few cuss words in the mix. Actually, there were a lot of cuss words. Eli stared at her, in awe of her confidence to speak out against these two "authority" figures. She made some extremely good points in the literal heat of her argument. Eli's eyes darted towards the bobble head when the blonde accused him of assaulting kids, which explained why Archie looked like he was going to explode when he saw him. That must be how the others were connected, but where did Eli fit in here? Yeah, she'd met bobble head on the day of the prison break, but it was just a handshake. He knew Radvi much better.

The blonde grabbed Archie's shoulder and Eli prepared for the worst. To her relief, the angsty teen relaxed. "The disaster is everyone in this shopping mall dying because you dipshits thought it would be a good idea to jumpscare the human T. rex." Eli stared at Archie for a moment before looking around at the girls who knew him.

Did she just say human T-Rex??

The girl spouted a few more things before storming off. Eli blinked for a few moments, as if stuck in a daze from the whirlwind of information that had just assaulted her peaceful evening. The girl had reasons to be distrustful of Misters Black and White. Really good reasons. Was this what Eli needed to hear to realize how she felt about the two? Or was this girl just blaming The Promise's mistakes on a pair of incorporeal men? She stared at the two as her curiosity grew. What was the truth, and what were lies?

"I don't know anything that you don't. You already know so much. Why do you need our help? I came here because I'm mentally sick! Because I need help!"

Eli's attention slowly moved onto Archie's crush, who looked distraught.

"I came here to get treatment! Because there was nothing Earth could do for me anymore! How am I going to be of any help to anyone else?! That's supposed to be your job!"

Her words made Eli's heart twinge. She was suddenly filled with empathy for this girl. What had happened to her to make her this way? Why did these two pawns think that she was going to team up and fight The Promise when she was fighting her own battles alone? Eli looked back at the two. It was just herself, Radvi, and Natalie now. Was it her turn to speak? She felt like it was.

"So," she began quietly, staring at the two beings standing before her. "You've been watching us, as you always have. You've taken interest in the way we've reacted to the absolutely terrible things we've seen here. You think we can dig up some dirt on The Promise because you can't. Even though you technically could because you've already snuck your way into the human space heater's interrogation?"

She shook her head and sat back in her chair. Her arms crossed in front of her, and she adjusted her jaw as she looked between Mister Black and Mister White. "I have questions. I've had a million questions in my mind since the day I came aboard. You know that. But-" She paused, hesitating for a brief moment.

"I want to ask the person that you answer to."
E L I




Eli was still chewing. The chicken wasn’t spectacular. Nothing like what an authentic earth restaurant would have been. Yet she still craved it every now and then; after eating it, she wouldn’t want it for another month or so. She looked back up at Radvi, expecting his response instead of Archie’s.

But, before Radvi could speak the center of Archie’s life stepped into view. Eli looked up at her, deciding she was just as dramatically pretty up close as she was from afar.

Hi, I'm Natalie. I don't think we've ever met. You are?” Oh god. She might have looked friendly, but she didn’t sound friendly. Was she jealous? Eli did appear to be hitting on her man. She sort of did that when she first smiled at him. Time to play it cool and let the jealousy affirm Natalie’s feelings for Archie.

Then two extra girls appeared with pretzels. Eli glanced at them as well. Man, how many girls does this guy hang around? She felt a little shy in front of three new people. But, she was always happy to make more friends. The most important part about The Promise was her connection to other parahumans on board. They were her people.

“Hey, I’m Eli,” she said with a casual smile, glancing between the three girls. “I was just saying hi to Archie. He had a question about the food around here.” She looked at the two newcomers. “What are your names?”
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