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Current Ay, mariposas, don’t you hold on too tight; both of you know It’s your time to go~
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Ay, mariposas, don’t you hold on too tight; both of you know It’s your time to go~
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I hate dice. I refuse to elaborate as to why.
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Sanzhar Kravchenko and Karma Coltrane

Collab Between The Man Emperor and Chulance
Revelations
Interactions/Relations: Everyone




Karma Coltrane sighed as she looked around at her surroundings. Staring out the window of the Uber she was in, she always thought if she’d come to California she’d be more happy. But the reason for this visit was hardly social, especially considering she was in San Francisco days after the infamous Lorzilla event had taken place. There was a fear in the atmosphere among the citizens, as if any moment that monster would return stomping through the streets slaughtering innocents. That of course had a rebound effect of causing an uptick in dislike & discrimination towards altered humans, but considering what happened in this city even she could hardly blame them.

Still this was important to her, perhaps the most important thing to ever happen to her. At least that’s how her brother had felt, and while she’d been mostly dismissive of him, the fact that he was dead added validity to the things he was saying. A single tear rolled down her eye as she remembered her brother’s infectious smile, but she quickly brushed her eyelids dry. The despair & sadness gnawing at the very depth of her soul literally eating it apart had to be quelled. There was only one thing that would be able to satiate this emptiness in her being, and time wasn’t it. She had just flown in to San Francisco this morning, on an flight that was mostly empty. The energy plague had caused all international flights out of the country to be temporarily ceased, but she hadn’t expected domestic flight to be as empty as it was.

Then again considering she was heading to somewhere that just experienced the most horrific mass murder in modern American history it made sense. To say that the event was damaging to the tourism industry would be an under-statement. She only had a small suitcase, and a backpack with her, having packed very light for this spur of the moment trip. Before long she reached her destination, tipped her driver a $20 bill and hopped out the car taking her belongings with her. “Well here goes nothing, I wonder if Sanzhie remembers me.” Karma spoke aloud to herself as she rolled her suitcase along the ground walking over to the front door of his house and then rung the door bell. I hope he’s here, I probably should have said something before I just came here, but if everything Trent said was true then I can’t even risk talking about this on the phone

The door swung open, showing a sleepy eyed Sanzhar still on his bed robes. He had his glasses on, and got a cup of steaming coffee on his hand.
"Hello... Uh...
Wait, give me a moment... You're... Karma, yeah? What... what are you doing in these parts?"


Really, what was the sister of his friend doing in this cesspool of a city? She knew better than to come here... unless if she was in here for something crucial.

Karma allowed a slight smile to come across her face upon being greeted by Sanzhar. Although she’d never spoken about it or even confessed it to anyone including her brother she’d always had a crush on him. She was surprised that this repressed feelings came flooding back upon being face to face with him. More so because of the dire pertinent nature of this visit, which was hardly of a primarily social nature.

Still she’d been wallowing in hennesey & crown filled depression the past six weeks, so any positive feelings she experienced right now we’re strong. “Yeah it’s me, I was wondering if you’d even remember me Sanzhie.” She said finding herself speaking with a much more positive tone then she’d thought possible considering the circumstances. “Sorry to just pop in on you like this I promise I wouldn’t show if it wasn’t for well…everything going on.” Her voice trailed off finally matching the reality of everything she was going through. “Look it’s Trent, my brother…he’s….he’s…” A brief pause as a painful lump formed in her throat before clearing her throat. “He’s dead…..and…..and your the only person I feel safe talking too about it.” She finally finished her voice heavy and full of pain from having to speak of her brother’s demise.

Sanzhar's eyes flickered. The taint of shock and grief crept into his features, but he still kept his composure, somehow.

"I'm... sorry. You should come in... tell me more." Sanzhar stepped off from the entrance and motioned with his hand towards the living room.

Sanzhar knew that being a herald of truth was a dangerous task. Every journalist like himself knew the risks of trying to unearth conspiracies and lies. Many have priced the ultimate price in their efforts to broadcast what is true and fair to the world.

Karma noticed that Sanzhar didn’t broke into tears or anything of the sort. He handled the news far better then she had, but then again that was to be expected as Trent had been her blood brother.

“Thank you so much Sanzhie.” At this point using the nickname she had for him was a habit, one she didn’t even think about it as she stepped into Sanzhar’s home bringing along her suitcase as well.

Karma followed him into the living room & took a seat. Finally able to pull her somewhat heavy backpack off and set it down. Pulling the zipper to the side she unearthed Trent’s laptop as well as some printed files that she’d sorted through & organized.

“Again I’m so sorry to bring this to you, I just didn’t know where else to go. But if at any point you….you want me to leave just tell me please.” Karma spoke practically pleading, honesty was something she was craving. “I….didn’t take him serious.” A few sniffles interrupted her before she resumed. “I wish I believed him, maybe if I did he wouldn’t be gone. He…was investigating…the election Sanzhie, he said the Forrester’s cheated, he said they know more then there letting on about everything going on with altered humans.”

"Election fraud?" Sanzhar took some of the papers that Karma had with her, skimming over their contents. They were filled with notes and evidence, pointers towards the notion that the Forrester Administration had cheated in order to get into position.

"One Forrester is the president and the other is the CEO of a giant corporation... it would make sense in hindsight..." Sanzhar frowned as he kept reading. "I... see. Trent had always wanted to uncover the truth. And when he got too close, the bastards had him killed. Damn it."

Running his hand over his hair, Sanzhar continued. "As for the Altered Humans... When the mere public usage of powers can get you arrested, that's already pointing towards something more sinister."

At this point, he was speaking from experience. "I'll have to tell some friends about this... Thanks, Karma."

“I…I…don’t know if you should, but I know you’re not a dumb man. But please be careful this is still the president we’re talking about.” Karma replied pleading with Sanzhar whilst looking into his eyes. His mention of “telling friends” had elicited feelings of worry from Karma, as her brother had told few people yet still ended up dead.

“That’s not all Sanzhie my brother…just like me he got turned into an altered by the plague.” Karma went on not even paying attention to the fact that she herself had not very subtly admitted to being an altered human. “His power allowed him to “see” the history of objects he touched, for him that was the perfect power.”

Karma briefly paused & winced still finding it painful to bring up Trent. “He saw a vision of a woman touch a voting machine inside a booth, and then votes started rapidly pouring in for Forrester. He also heard a voice in the background telling her to hurry up & do her thing but make it look good.” Karma started to get quiet before speaking again. “Lots of the stuff Trent was saying about this story just didn’t make any sense to me, to be honest I thought he was so obsessive he was loosing his mind. That means two years ago the Forrester’s used an altered human to hijack the election, which means the plague that started 3 months ago isn’t the source of all the powers. This is bigger then election fraud Sanzhie, I spoke to him on fictive a few hours before he was found dead. He sounded distressed and said they were coming for him, that it’s all about the storm & that it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” She looked down and pouted.

“He hadn’t slept in days, and had been talking my head off about all of this. I got mad at him, told him to stop being crazy and get some rest.” A few tears formed in her eye which she quickly brushed followed by another sniffle. “The next morning I got a call that he was found dead with no injuries not even a single scratch, like someone just snapped their fingers and took his life away.”

"You too?" Sanzhar nodded. "So, there are more of us in this club, then." He went on to take an earth ball from the jar placed in the center of the table and etched the globe on it with just his metal bending abilities.

Sanzhar listened on, hearing about how Trent had clairvoyant abilities. "Being able to see the past and future isn't the craziest thing I've heard of, considering... what has happened in the last few weeks. I suspect that they also used an Altered in killing him. It's the only explanation..."

There was still the matter of the storm, being the supposed source of abilities, having not yet passed by the time this supposed technosorceress fudged up the voting machines. "Surveying this critically... I believe that the Storm itself was, in fact, probably the power experiment that went haywire and spread across the nation. That explains how Trent saw someone with abilities before it even happened..."
Sanzhar trailed off. The Network would have to learn about this new development. And, eventually, the world.

Karma’s eyes widened when she saw Sanzhar using his power. It made that background crush she’d had on him all these years sprout up even further in attraction. That wasn’t even including the fact that when it came to her brother’s situation which was so dear to her, he was the only one she trusted.

Hell Sanzhar was the only person besides her that Trent trusted to have the details of this investigation passed along to after death. “Wow sometimes seeing other people’s makes me feel like mine is less fun, but I’m basically able to control bodies, people’s biology.” Karma addd pointing at Sanzhar causing a small pimple to appear then start growing before vanishing completely.

She giggled a little bit about her demonstration of power but the humor in her mood fell away as quickly as it came. “So now we don’t know what to believe really, we’ve been made to believe this plague was the source of all this altered occurrences. But if my brother’s late vision is true about an altered playing a hand in fixing the election then that’s not the case. Ya know no telling what events in history have been tampered with due to powers. Or perhaps this storm has caused a massive bloom in the altered populace to such an extent that it couldn’t help but be uncovered not to mention everyone having a camera on their cell phones nowadays. “ I can’t lie Sanzhie dosen’t this scare you? I mean I’ve started to feel bad about unloading all of this on you, whether Trent wanted or not, and whether or not I felt alone with this burden. My brother’s gone, if we meddle in these waters isn’t it possible the same thing might happen to us.” Karma questioned Sanzhar intently with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Oh, no, it's fine." Sanzhar replied, crossing his arms. "I have... gone through some things too. Can't say I am shocked."

He continued to fidget, albeit awkwardly. "I think I know what to do with this. We have to dig deeper... and then show it not just to the American public, but to the world."

Karma almost wanted to roll her eyes it was if Sanzhar didn't really understand what she was saying, either that or he'd been through things that she couldn't imagine since becoming altered. "Well I wouldn't use the word fine, I wouldn't forgive myself if you wound up in a ditch over this and I brought it to your doorstep literally." Karma retorted as the whole scenario started to feel more overwhelming by the minute. "With the plague most of my classes are online now but I rented an airbnb out here because it was hard to wake up everyday in the apartment I shared with Trent now that he's not there plus as scared as I am I...I...want to avenge my brother...bring his killer or killers to justice." Karma concluded noting that despite her immense fear she wanted nothing more then whoever murdered her brother to have to face justice. Show it to the whole world huh, Sanzhie you're something...




As soon as Karma had left, Sanzhar proceeded towards the phone to contact Jace, and in extension, Floyd. He used codewords that would, at the surface, seem to be simply an innocent message, but in reality, they were an important call for something, something that couldn't be discussed in the airwaves.

Father wishes to take us fishing.*

We need to meet.+

The fish will be good.*

It is urgent.+

* The code words
+ Meaning of the code words


Lysander Shen




"Tell me, Lysander. Why are we going through these tight corners and dark alleys? The stench, the filth, I cannot bear witness to such disgusting spectacles!"

Lysander simply shrugged off the annoyed comments of the dragon that he created. They kept ringing into his mind, what with their psychic connection, and to be honest, it was getting a little distracting to him. Sometimes he would accidentally bump into another pedestrian in the sidewalk, much to the other person's consternation.

He can't focus. Not when Shenron was constantly complaining about the planet. The only time Shenron quieted down was when he was studying. Otherwise, he talked and talked and...

Lysander scowled, making a turn towards a particularly grubby alley. "Shush, Shenron, my head is getting painful from your constant complaints. It's like a metal screw is being jammed into my brain!"

Shenron's psychic bond reverberated with his echoing baritone. "But you have yet to explain unto my ignorant self why you always choose these... dangerous routes. You are aware of the nature of this city's denizens, yes?"

"Uh, yeah?" Lysander replied. "Because I'm one of the denizens of this city, as you placed it? I'm going through there because I'm... uh, I don't want anyone to know I'm Altered."

"Right, forgive me. But you know what I mean."

Lysander chuckled. His creation... pet, whatever it was, had much to learn.

He was about to take another turn when a smell entered his nostrils. Something distinct from the stench of the garbage piled up as high as towers in this alley. It was...

Was that smoke and fire?

"Fire and smoke, a sure sign that destruction has been wrought unto some segment of civilization."

"Right, we're connected. I think we should go-"

He froze. He had, in his constant mindscaping, unwittingly strolled right beside the building from which the smell of flame wafted out, and he had set his eyes upon this... man. He had just come out of the rear entrance without so much as a hurried gait, no less!

"I don't like him, he exudes... super-ill."

Ignoring Shenron, Lysander slowly backed up. "Good... afternoon, sir. I... uh, I definitely didn't see you come out of that door-"

"Damn it, you fool!"

Fool indeed. He had just confessed that he saw it.


Sanzhar Kravchenko and Jace Williams

Collab Between The Man Emperor and Chulance
Setting Things Right







Finbarr Callaghan and Nero Kayakos




"So, onions, eh? Dis for the guy that's coming on board, or can anyone try?"

Anyone working the kitchen would remember that while Nero wasn't an accomplished chef or anything, his cutting skills in any context were wizard, and he still could cook for himself. Finbarr was just better at it. So, at the very least, he had a competent assistant to work with, if he needed it.


"Oh, these?" Finbarr wiped some of the grease off his hands with a paper towel, glancing back at Nero with his same reactive set of eyes. The crackle of the frying onions filled the air, and the aroma of well cooked food wafted throughout the kitchen, what with at least six of those placed neatly on a plate. "Well, you heard what was said earlier by the Joey person back on the meeting. Kanarusians have a huge appetite because they're shapeshifters, are magical, and are about twice as big as a fully grown man. So yeah, I'm getting onto these before the whole shabang with the liaison comes down. Besides, this brings back some memories of home..."

Finbarr fell silent. He remembered that many of them have little to no memory of their old lives because of the trauma of the experiments. He was one of the lucky ones. Would that even be a blessing to begin with, anyway?

"Anyway, you can help me by cutting up those..." Finbarr pointed towards a bunch of uncut onions lying in a tray on the counter. "You're good at cutting stuff up, yeah?" He added with a slight chuckle.

Nero remembered his past properly - apart from the parts that Dr. Vallance sealed up, though they were released now - though they were all basicallu unpleasant memories. So, his response to Finn's cooking was more-or-less a shrug with the respons of "You musta' had a better one than me.", noticing that this was the other Marine basically in nostalgia mode. It wasn't something that he himself had because of his orphan-hood. Technically, these post-war times were the best he's ever had in his life. It was why was willing to participate in other people's stuff, getting involved or even giving a damn about others. They were alright, so he looked after 'em. Besides, it's not like anyone else had ever been comfortable around 'im. So, when Finbarr offered him the job of cutting, he smiled.

"Fuck the hell yes."

Yeah, look at Mr. Yan Can Cut up here in this place! It was some rapid-fire work that you'd see only happening in those advertisements for really sharp knives, and he barely had to even look. He did return to a bit more serious after a bit, though.

"This punishment's bullshit, though. I'm not giving up my snacks. Most of us didn't even DO anything. In fact, if I read it right, everything but the stock trading was a setup, and we did everything in our power to get the hell out, safe and sound. Hell, I didn't even spend much money, really. If Jonny Asshole wants to treat me like it's still the Ascendancy here, he can suck it."

In a quick and flashy manner, he produced one of the knives as akin to a middle finger, handle lodged between his other fingers, for emphasis. Nero didn't think much of people giving him hell for things he neither had anything to do with nor had any means to even prevent.

"Good, good." Finbarr nodded at Nero as the latter took out one of his knives. Had it been anyone else not included in their merry little troupe of magic children, he would have locked them into a space time bubble while asking a thousand questions, but this was Nero. The guy who slices and dices.

"I know, it's ridiculous." Finbarr shook his head, remembering the punishment thing. "It's not like you and I were the ones that went on to gamble in the stock market. It was our two love birds."

Then he remembered that he and Narvia are a thing now... But he'd call their pairing something else. Something that doesn't have 'bird' on it.

"Good for you that you got to spend some of it." Finbarr shrugged. "I haven't even touched it. I would have put it all in a box or something, for future use. Now that dream is all gone..."

It was actually kinda' funny, calling those two lovebirds, and not because of the irony involved. Those two were just generally chill about it publically., as far as Nero knew, or cared. He didn't actually care, either. Still, the two of them flubbing this shit up WAS something to get on their case about, and only their case. The dumb idea of punishing everybody for shit was all on Jonny Fuckwit and his ability to make poor decisions. In any case, Nero picked up on the nature of Finn's lament.

"I get it. You had some big plans, or at least wanted it secure for something big later. Those two actually thought I should go into farming. Me! I just bought some shit because I didn't have any big ideas. I know you just had yours dashed, and...well...dreams like that are just dreams to guys like me."

He stopped, not only because it was Real Talk, but because the onions were done.

"I got into this for the revenge, to get the satisfaction of putting an end to the fuckers that started this mess, and all the ones that caused me hell. That's what we wanted to do, that's what I got on board for. Everything else is extra. Being treated nice, having spending money, eating decent food - that's gravy. Thing is, though, I like the gravy. I just don't think it's always gonna be there, so I shouldn't plan on it.

Now, a smirk came to his face, before a shadow would briefly envelope them both. This was an extension of his Shadow-Step that prevented sound from leaving his shadowy form, which was currently encompassing the two boys. Nero just wanted to be sure they weren't monitered.

"That said, I'm not giving over anything I bought, snack or otherwise. I'm hiding my shit. I've explored every nook and cranny of this spaceship. Anyone else who wants to get in on the action, you lemme know. I think this is a proper use of our powers."

"Same, really." Finbarr took out one of the finished fried onions and placed it onto a plate covered by paper towels, letting it soak up the excess oil. "I'll be keeping my stuff as well... luckily for me, I don't really have a lot of anything here. So hiding it wouldn't be too hard..."

He noticed that the Nero was projecting a Shadow-Step around the two of them, eliciting a little chuckle from him. "Ah, good job with the silencing thing, by the way." He reached out and patted Nero at the shoulder. "So, uh, after we bring down the government. That is, if we do succeed... what are you going to do after that?"

That shadow was just to their plans to rebel against the so-called first mate private. It was gone once they were talking normally again, meaning if anyone WAS listening, it would be as though it stopped after Nero was talking about the problem of big plans, and then there'd be an awkward pause until the next thing heard was Finn asking about the bringing down of government and what comes after. To that, Nero shrugged and sighed.

"I dunno. The twosome figured I should settle down, but I don't think it's in my nature to. Fighting and sneaking around are what I'm good at. I'm probably a merc for life. I mean...realistically...if we take down government, and anyone looking to take charge has to work real hard to re-organize things, do you think they'd really leave us alone? Yeah, sure, we might disappear, but the best way not to be found has got to be to keep moving."

"Or to be somewhere far away and isolated." Finbarr shrugged in response as he placed the last of the fried onions on the plate. "That is what I was planning, anyway. Get my family off Titan and then go to... Somewhere quiet. We've always wanted that. Oh, and I'll be with Navi too."

Sniffing, Finbarr turned towards Nero. He took off the apron that he had been using and placed it back on the counter. "But, if we are to do some extra work to stabilize things and get paid for it... why not. Its not like it all ends when the head of the snake is cut off, anyway. There will always be those groups that would try to make a counter-coup, or something like that."

There was kind of a fiendish 'Oh...heh heh heh' kind of a look when Finn mentioned Narvia, even a chuckle from the knife-wielder. Not that it was much of a secret anymore, but rather that though Navi kind of blurted stuff out, it was funny to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Still, he nodded at what Finbarr had to say.

"Least it won't be bored. Now, do we do anything special with this stuff, or is that the end of it? I got some things to do, and some cake to eat. Jonny Appleguts isn't getting any."

Yup, the naming convention he'd started with the crystal lemon bar maker had found a new target.

"Maybe some mayonnaise and dressing." Finbarr shrugged in respond to Nero's question. "And yes. John Appleguts will not lay a single finger upon these. Because I'll be taking it all."

Then and there did Finbarr just pop one of the fried onions in his mouth. His face contorted a little bit as it was still hot, but he downed it nonetheless. "Mmm, good and simple. Anyway, you're free to get some, but if your cake just happens to be better... Well, nothing's stopping you."

Since Nero's face soured when Finn mentioned mayo and dressing for the onions, we can safely conclude that - apart from the onion piece he slipped into his mouth when his hands were working the magic - he would not be partaking.

"You kidding? It's a fucking great cake. Almost made me forget that one of the people after us is another shadow user. So hey, if you see a shadow-thing and you think it's me, better double-check it!"

Oh, oka- Wait, WHAT?!

Nero saw something, but Finbarr didn't seem to comprehend just what the other boy was detecting. He would just shrug in disbelief as Nero walked away, seemingly in a hurry.


Zeke Salazar




"Breakfast," Rafael repeated. It was a good idea, especially after a night of drinking. He also noted mention of a hospital. "Alright, Z-Man, since you insist, I'm happy to let you treat me to some grub," he announced, choosing his words carefully. "And then, maybe after, we can-" Rafael was shoulder was checked by a passerby going in the opposite direction on the sidewalk. "Ow, bro! Watch where you're going," he shouted back at the pedestrian who appeared to ignore him entirely as he continued on his aggressive stroll.


Zeke chuckled a little bit as the pedestrian just bumped Rafael without so much as a word of apology. Ah, well. This wasn't Canada where people apologize all the time. This was America. They either smile at you even if they're strangers, or ignore you completely. It depends, really. "Come on, now, we have to eat something for our famished stomachs." He remembered that Rafael said that being hit by a car didn't hurt him at all, but this morning, bumping into a pedestrian apparently elicited his pain receptors. Huh. Either he was drunk or his strength powers only work at night. Or... ugh, never mind. Neither of them know.

Zeke sighed. He still had a lot of savings left over from the past five years, and it wasn't like his siblings and parents were just going to let him starve. They'd have to give him an ample weekly allowance while he looked for a job to replace the one that literally got smashed into pieces when a titanic woman knocked over the building where it was happening. He was pretty frugal, too, and wouldn't spare more than a dollar for the average meal. He had his ways of compressing his budget, like avoiding picking up vices and taking the cheapest options, even if it were a little bit inconvenient. He'll manage.

Since he was the one leading the way, Zeke eventually got them to the nearest restaurant. It was just your average dining place, with options for steakd, fries... basically fast food. Though they also had salads and mashed potatoes.

Zeke quickly ordered the two of them the same thing; steaks with fries, with a side of mashed potatoes. They were soon seated across from each other, knives and forks at the ready. Zeke whispered a quick prayer before beginning to eat, though his phone rang, and interrupted his breakfast.

"Yes...? Oh, Mrs. Kontis?" He recognized the voice of Leon Kontis' mother. She had a thick Greek accent, and was very, very loud. He had to turn down the volume just not to get deafened.

"Uhm... yes, yes, I'll pay him a visit today. No, as far as I know we're the only ones... yeah. Okay. Bye."

Hanging up, Zeke dug into the food again. "So, you said that being hit by a car didn't hurt at all, yeah?" He asked Rafael. "But when you got bumped by that random pedestrian, you looked like you were hurt and irritated. Does that... shed any light on what you can do?"

Huh, shed light. Right when his powers can make the darkest place shine as bright as morning.



Lysander Shen




"Hello, Father."

"For the last time, I'm not-"

"Forgive my choice of words, I have yet to be accustomed to the circumstances upon we have been placed..."

Lysander shook his head, sighing softly. He looked up towards the seven foot tall fire dragon, whom he had neglected to give a name to just yet. He hadn't even named it when it was still a little stuffed toy hanging on one of the zipper handles of his backpack. He hesitated to name it... him. Did gender even apply to it? It was a being made from woven cloth, stuffing, and magic flame. It did have a rather deep baritone voice, though. And it definitely identified as male.

Lysander did, after all, almost have a son. Almost.

"Alright. What I was trying to say was... you shouldn't come out every time someone is threatening me. I mean, if it's just school bully, you shouldn't show yourself! I'd get... very bad things. Very bad things will happen if a lot of people see that I'm an Altered. What with what is happening in the last few days..."

Instinctively, he held his hand pretty close to the dragon's snout, feeling the warmth of the eldritch flames that encompassed the beast of war.

"Fa-, Lysander, err, Yongzheng." The dragon said, lying down on the stone floor of the warehouse. "I have no knowledge of the events that had come to pass in the outside world. All I have known was that your dreams forged my souls from the deep, sending me into this vessel. And then I knew when you needed aid..."

"A giant Altered woman killed tens of thousands of people yesterday." Lysander replied. "And now... I think I have to be extra careful. And you too."

"Who is this woman that you speak of?" The dragon demanded. "I must seek her out, purge her from this world, so that her evil may no longer stain your kind. What do you say?"

"Don't even get me started." Lysander frowned. "I don't want to do anything big, you know? I just want to finish college and get a job..."

"You do not treasure our companionship?" The woven fire dragon pouted. "That wounds my heart."

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant at all..." Lysander shook his head. "You're... very kind. And will do anything to protect me, yes?"

"If my annihilation ensures your safety, then that will be how it goes." The drake answered wholeheartedly. "You are my maker. My directive is to protect Shen Yongzheng, or as the others call you, Lysander Shen. Though it saddens me that I have yet to be given a moniker to go by."

"Ehhh..." Lysander look away. "I just don't know what to name you... You can pick your own, I guess?"

"My own?" The dragon nodded. It remembered something faintly. A memory of the long last, a figment left over from Lysander's own mind. It had been his dreams that forged its soul and consciousness, after all.

"Then I'll go by Shenron."

Lysander blinked. "Shenron? As in the dragon in Dragon Ball?"

"I know not what is this Dragon Ball you speak of, but Shenron sounds like a mighty name, doesn't it?"

Lysander shrugged. "Shenron it is. Now, Shenron. You gotta turn back into a plushy. I have to study soon..."

Sure enough, he'll soon be out, walking towards his morning classes in San Francisco State College. As he strode the streets, he prayed that there won't be another titan woman, or else...




Finbarr Callaghan

The Galactic Bazaar




The hologram then turned to Ashton and Flame, the former which had frozen in shock at the consequences of his attempt to be 'clever, while the latter clenched his fists, "...And also gave the OIS a pretext to put hundreds of thousands more people under surveillance. But that's beside the point - Most of the money your crew acquired due to speculation has been stolen from your accounts, let it be a lesson for not coordinating with us."


"Oh, great. Just great." Finbarr shook his head, not bothering to look up as he inspected the unignited hilt of his trusty plasma blade. He had added a few decoration to it, with a pair of intertwined silver snakes being etched unto the surface. He glanced towards Narvia, silently lamenting the kind of misfortune that their future together had just suffered. He was this close, this close towards achieving his goal, and now, it was all gone, just like that. Not only that, but a lot of people have been turned into collateral damage by the reckless actions of someone, no, some-two. "I was planning to invest my portion into worthy causes..." Finbarr trailed off, his tone betraying a lie. ""Welp, life is life, and life sucks."

Fortunately enough, they were going to have a visitor soon, one going by the moniker of Doruva Aoshen, scion of the House of Aoshen. Finbarr remembered the Kanarusians from their previous field operations while fighting their fractured houses; shapeshifting reptilian beasts gifted with elemental magicks that made it difficult for regular forces to deal with them. They were as capricious as they were cunning, the propagandists said. And now they'll have one as a friend!

As the conference continued, Finbarr's mind wandered to whole other dimension. His imagination filled with fried onions dripped in oil, just like the ones that were his favorite back on Titan. The lyrics of the French onion song that was used for marching rang within his head. Oh, and burgers. One can never go wrong with burgers...

Finbarr continued to fly around the tenth dimension until the end of the meeting, wherein he quickly zoomed towards the mess. He was an itty bit famished after running around the Galactic Bazaar and fighting Goblin monsters, and since they were just waiting around for the Kanarusian liaison to arrive, he figured that he'd make use of his time in a way that didn't involve turning into a cat and going to a ten hour nap. They weren't particularly short on money, or ingredients, and as such, he did what he daydreamed about: make fried onions. The smell of frying would filter in from the mess hall of the Xuanzhang, and there he was, perhaps waiting for Narvia to ask him about their future finances. Or anyone, really. He would truly appreciate if someone were to volunteer to taste test.


Sanzhar Kravchenko and Jace Williams

Collab Between The Man Emperor and Chulance




Jace had a nice buzz from the vodka he got offered by Anya back at the safehouse. Plus he picked up a nifty key which meant he now had three locations to go including his main residence. After reverting his alcohol tolerance back to normal he'd hopped in the charger and headed back to the safehouse he dropped Sanzhar at. They were in the clear with the police, but now the only problem was Adam who wanted to blackmail them into murder. Now I need to figure out whether i tell Magneto Kent about the blackmail murder for hire or just go handle these bozos myself Jace pondered when an idea ran through his head, one that might be a solution to the problem and still get Adam off his back. "oh Jace you sly bastard." He said to himself with a grin as he pulled up to the safehouse and parked his charger. A plan was flowing through his brain, a way to get revenge on Adam without having to turned into his extorted killer for hire. He'd consult Sanzhar on the logistics of the plan, after all this was the last thing they needed to deal with in order to be free. He put the key in the door and opened it stepping into the safehouse. "Yo I'm back, I got good news, and bad news about the footage, I spoke to my friend." Jace said referring to Anya.

"Okay, tell me the good news first." Sanzhar turned around from his seat, eyeing Jace. He still had his metallic ballpoint pen scribbling on the notebook on the table, while the breakfast that Jace left behind was completely annihilated. Sanzhar even went as far as wash the dishes.

Jace noticed the pen in his hand & notebook he was writing in. He knew he was a journalist but didn't want him writing about his hidden identity as Shade. "Aye you not writing about me like my vigilante shit right? I ain't trying to get locked up or have reporters banging at my door." He added with some aggressiveness in his tone not threatening his friend but giving him a warning. "The good news is you ripped up your phone for no reason, the footage didn't catch your face, no cops or government agents managed to snag a look at you during the monster fight or the chase." Jace finished telling him the "Good" news.

"Don't worry, Jace." Sanzhar winked. "I know not to spill secrets. I'm only cataloguing how the law chased me down for saving people."

Then Jace continued on. Apparently he was safe. There was no footage of his face, and thus, nothing to worry about when he got home. "Ah... that is indeed good." Sanzhar nodded, his writing pausing for but a moment. "Thank you for confirming it... heh, now I have to get a new sim card... so, what's the bad news then?"

Jace noticed Sanzhar’s wink & shuddered in response as it made him a bit uncomfortable. So your gonna publish a story about getting chased AND escaping the authorities, oh brother

Jace had no time to really ponder on Sanzhar’s self incriminating writing. “Yeah you do, probably shouldn’t a ripped it to shreds but I can’t blame you for being cautious. Hell the bad news is Half the reason I don’ blame you look at this” He took out his phone and went to the second private youtube video Adam had sent him. It showed Sanzhar without his mask briefly using his powers. “Some dude named Adam got footage of you & me using our powers without masks and unless we kill two people he owes money to he’ll show the world.” Jace remarked informing Sanzhar of the bad news.

"Kill people?" Sanzhar shook his head. "No way! No, no, no! I can't even crack a rat's spine, much less a person!"

Sanzhar frowned. Just as he thought he was free, some idiot made this thing... because he had a debt or something. Oh, bother!

"Killing... you can do it, but I can't. Best I can do is lockdown..."

Jace sighed it seemed Sanzhar wasn't taking the news well which is pretty much what he'd expected. "It ain't a good situation trust me I know, but you see the video. That leaves you well us with two options kill these people and keep our freedom or let them live, become wanted fugitives, risk our family getting killed by anti-altered extremists or arrested for being related to us oh and us ending up in prison ourselves if we get caught." Jace concluded pointing out the series of negative events that would follow if Adam exposed the footage of them using their powers to the public. "And hey! I ain't no heartless killer, I only target violent criminals not innocent people, he didn't tell me who the people he owes are but if there innocent." Jace paused morally conflicted about their choices "I don't know if I'll be able to spill their blood either." Jace added pointing out that he didn't want to spill innocent blood.

"Maybe we should hope that these people he owes money are the big fat cat drug lords here in the city." Sanzhar chuckled, attempting a bit of a joke to soften the situation. It probably didn't work.

"Maybe I should ask my IT brother to pull a DOS attack on that guy's internet..." Sanzhar mused. "If we can trace his IP address... Bah, he'll just switch or do a more direct approach."

On that subject, he had an idea. A big maybe. "You know any Altered with technological powers? Digital manipulation, hacking, anything that could delete files remotely...?"

Jace shook his head and looked down to the ground. “No I don’t, Your the FIRST other altered I’ve spoken to since getting my powers. It’s not like I joined a Facebook group for Altered.” Jace frowned thinking about how few altered people he actually knew.

“What the hell is a DOS attack? I ain’t no tech guru, outside of uploading videos to youtube & teaching courses on zoom.” Jace pondered on what exactly Sanzhar was suggesting his “IT Brother” do to help them & an explanation for what he was recommending they do.

“I get that your trying to lighten the mood, so if the people he wants us to kill are scumbags then what we kill them? I can live with that, my only concern for going down that road, is what if it don’t end there, how can we guarantee he’ll get rid of the footage after that instead of trying to get us get rid of “one more person” Jace mused on the potential that this Adam figure might go back on his word and use the evidence hanging over them to force them into offing more people afterwards.

"A DOS attack pretty much stops someone in the afflicted internet address or device from accessing the internet." Sanzhar responded sheepishly. "Say, someone trying to get into a YouTube while being afflicted by such an attack will just have an error page in front of them..."

People are creative. Adam would just use emails.

"Then maybe we cut the head of the snake." Sanzhar nodded as Jace was concerned that he'd be used an improvised attack dog. "If that happens, we'll have to deal with Adam himself... whatever that means."

Can he kill anyone? No! Not yet.

"Hmm I see where you going with that but I can still see some potential problems. "Jace admitted not exactly having the same line of thought that originated from sanzhar. He stil had some idea of how a DOS attack or anything of that nature similarly might not get them entirely out of the water with Adam's extortion scheme. "I'll go ahead & make contact with Adam then, I don't like sitting around waiting. In the event that the targets are real innocents I rather have time on our hands to take alternative measures pre-emptively." Jace took out his phone and went to his recent calls to examine the mysterious number Adam had called him from. "As for cutting the problem off at the head that's something I wish we could do now, but honestly wouldn't mind if we could just get rid of some scumbags in exchange for learning a lesson about being more careful using our powers in the open." Jace concluded

"... Okay." Sanzhar sat back on the chair, rubbing his forehead, a sure sign of stress. "I... ugh. I don't know anymore. Everything sucks."

Jace let out a laugh at that response. "Shit man, not everything but a lot of it does. Alright well at least we gotta plan now, I'm going to get in touch with Adam & let's get this show on the road." Jace wasn't entirely satisfied with the arrangement of the outcome they reached, but at least it was something. A chance to salvage & maintain the secret of their abilities without comprising on morality. "I need a damn drink." Jace muttered to himself going to the fridge to retrieve a beer and going to take a seat whipping out his phone to make contact with Adam to inform him of being ready to proceed & comply with his demands in return for the footage.


Doruva Il'Kays Ao'shen




The Blackfang floated lazily within the Crab Nebula, awaiting the arrival of the freighter that it was supposed to meet right here in these clouds of stardust. This ship was deceptively small, being no more than 40 meters long, but it was still a state of the art vessel made by the shipwrights of the House of Aoshen, the second most powerful faction with the Kanarusian Federation. The symbol of the House, a sun surrounded by a pair of circling dragons within a roiling lightning storm, was painted on both sides of the frigate, showing just who owned the thing, and that to mess with it was to invite the wrath of the creatures that the Ascendancy spoke great ill of in its propaganda campaigns.

On its prow, a single railgun was mounted, capable of dishing out devastating damage with each shot. Two pairs of point defense cannons were emplaced on four hardpoints in even intervals across the vessel's sides, while rocket pods provided most of its long range offensive firepower. The signature azure paintjob of all of the ships marked as belonging to the House of Aoshen covered much of it, though bands of matte black would distinguish it as a warship, and another symbol, a sword hanging over the galaxy's heart, showed that it was, in fact, property of the intelligence agency of the Federation, which was a united effort by the seven houses.

"Can you feel it, Mizrahir?" Doruva whispered to the captain of the Blackfang, whom he had known for some time. "They're coming."

"I don't even know why you volunteered for this thing." Mizrahir grumbled as the shipboard radar told them that the Xuanzhang was here. "Those children, they turned quite a few of your comrades into dust..."

"Exactly, Mizrahir!" Doruva smirked. "Think, Mizrahir. They were most certainly kidnapped from their homes to serve the twisted institution of the Ascendancy. They're powerful. And I see that with their aid and desire for vengeance, we might be able to topple the existing structure, and hopefully someone that has more positive views towards us gets in charge. If the House were to give me more help, maybe even end up making a puppet-"

"Curb your bubbling optimism before I vomit." Mizrahir waved him away. "Get the hell out already. We just hailed them and the shuttle is prepped."

"Why, yes, if you say so." Doruva skipped away. "You're missing out."

Mizrahir grumbled and sighed deeply as Doruva eventually got on board the shuttle. Why must he suffer like this?!




It won't be long now. The shuttle had departed from the Blackfang, and a message for a docking procedure had been sent well in advance, and was well received. What form will the scion of Aoshen take form, then? A great serpent of yore? A walking lizard? Or merely a man?


Zeke Salazar




He moved quickly through the apartment and out the front door. There was plenty he needed to get done today but, at the forefront of his mind, was to get an understanding of his new abilities. He also needed to at least attempt to make amends with Dave. And it seemed like there was something else he was forgetting. What all did he even do last night? He paused for a moment to consider, but all he could recall was going out for drinks, getting wasted, and then something to do with a Zebra...


Speaking of zebras...

Zeke's head was spinning. Not literally, of course, as that would be fatal. He had an annoying hangover, his first one, in fact. Zeke had never drunk anything alcoholic for his whole twenty seven years of existence, being the 'good boy' of the neighborhood. But now, the stress, the explosions, and the thing about being apparently betrayed and fired from position... too much was happening in these few last days. Thousands dead, the laws of the government turning against people like himself...

Still, Zeke wasn't completely out of his head. He had woken up much earlier than Rafael did, after all, and slept about a few hours sooner, too. He didn't bother getting out yet, though. He was too busy doing absolutely nothing at all, lying on the sofa while swiping through his Facebook newsfeed. There, he found that... well, many of those he knew had lost people when the giant woman crushed her way through the downtown area where he worked.

That's a lot more funerals for him to attend than he initially thought.

He barely noticed Rafael come out of the apartment, his form barely registering in his peripheral vision. If anything, he was still blasted by last night, after all. His mind slowly took it in... and he jumped out of the sofa, briskly walking after Rafael.

"Good morning, Raff..?" He chased after him, quickly catching up. "You good? I was planning to pay a certain hospitalized friend today. After breakfast, anyway."
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