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DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

_{Somewhere in Texas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.04: The Killer Inside Me

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.01.03: The Claim

"Finally... they really need to space these gas stations out better."

The two men let their heads fall back in the blazing heat of Texas as they were relieved to finally see a gas station just up the road, trudging along each carrying a gas can a piece. The two looked like an odd pair as always, with Roy wearing his simple trucking hat, half a mechanic's jumpsuit, and a tank top. Jason, on the other hand, wore the same black turtleneck and black pants. Of course, their odd match was the first thing the gas station clerk made a note of as they entered into the store. Jason immediately made his way towards the back, grabbing a few waters. Roy, in the meantime, went up to the counter. It was a rather fine gas station, a regular gas station chain. Hanging up near the clerk was a tv with the sound mostly off, the news playing.

"We're gonna be filling up a couple cans... We'll take 10 gallons on pump 1."

The clerk looked over to Roy for a second, then looked back up towards the tv while mindlessly typing away at the cash register. The total popped up on the screen, and Roy put a crisp fifty on the counter. The clerk was enraptured by the news story, something practically out of a comic book. The subtitles were struggling to catch up, but the gist was concerned with some criminals assaulting some local Texans outside a bar. One of them even used a bow and arrow. The clerk shook his head. "Can you believe that... some fucked up people."

Roy's head turned towards the tv, and his face literally turned white. He watched in horror as the clerk, who was moving remarkable slow, saw the police composite images on the screen and then turned his gaze back towards Roy. The recognition wasn't instant, and the clerk had to do a double take. The former army sniper shook his head. "Listen... those guys were racists, beating up some defenseless man. We couldn't just..."

Roy heard the roaring sound of two pick up trucks pulling up to the gas station in that moment, country music blaring on their respective radios along with a lot of whooping and hollering. The clerk's face went white as his gaze turned to Roy after seeing the trucks. "You and your friend need to leave out the back. Now."

The red-haired vigilante was confused, but chose to oblige. He quickly walked towards the back, motioning for Jason to follow. The vigilante, carrying a couple bottles of water, obliged. The two shuffled behind an "employees only" door, slipped through a small maintenance area, and arrived out the back of the gas station. The two could still hear the blaring country music, followed by a gunshot. The two men looked at each other for only a moment before they shared a nod. Jason dropped the water bottles and reached towards his back waistband, as Roy did the same. The two pulled out handguns in unison, pulling back the hammers on their guns, before slowly entering back into the gas station. The two crept towards the door, and were able to clearly hear the exchange inside.

"Need I remind you, Jim, that there are some radical liberal assassins prowling about the place. I know you sit there watching the news. So when I see some gas cans sitting over by that there pump, and a van a while back up the road that matches what they were driving... I'm beginning to think you're harboring terrorists. And that's something the militia doesn't support."

The sound of a thud could be heard, along with coughing. At that sound, Jason grit his teeth, and immediately shoved his way through the door into the gas station proper. In that second of shock, Jason saw a few things. He saw three armed men in bulletproof vests carrying AR-15s, all with shaved heads and exposed biceps that had various military tattoos designating their branches and units served. But Jason's eyes gravitated towards the clerk, Jim, hunched over on the ground with a small glob of blood on the tile underneath him. Jason's anger caused him to yell as he quickly fired the gun at the man closest to Jim, two bullets lodging into the side of the man's head and killing him instantly. The other two, shocked and disoriented by the spray of blood, quickly lifted their ARs in Jason's direction, only to fall limp themselves as a bullet lodged into each of their skulls. Roy, having followed Jason into the fray, only needed to fire two shots to take the men out. Jason quickly walked forward, moving towards the glass doors at the front of the gas station. As he looked outside, a burst of gunfire broke through the glass. One bullet grazed against Jason's left arm, forcing him to hide behind a shelf.

Roy quickly moved over towards Jim, ushering him behind the counter and out of the way of the oncoming fire. Jason clutched at his arm, removing his free hand to see it covered in blood. That was going to be a problem. He looked at the shelf behind him, and sighed in relief at seeing a display of bandanas. Grabbing an American flag one, the ex-spy quickly wrapped it around his upper torso tight, using his teeth to help tie off the wound as best he could. It was makeshift, but it would help him for now. Roy, comfortable in Jim's safety, peeked his head up over the counter. He couldn't quite see the trucks out the front door from where he was, but he did notice a large mirror hanging from the ceiling that was installed so the clerk could see people approaching the store before they got in. From this mirror, Roy saw two more armed men approaching the door slowly. Military formation... they were professionals. The former sniper made eye contact with Jason, holding up two fingers, before waving for Jason to fall back. The latter man did so, ducking back into an aisle deeper into the gas station's store.

Roy took a deep breath as he saw the two men approaching. His eyes turned towards the door, and they made eye contact at the same time. Roy, again, fired two shots. Each embedded themselves in the men's foreheads, and they fell immediately. Roy sighed, his hand beginning to shake slightly. The gun fell from his grip onto the counter, and Jason ducked his head out from the aisle. The next moments were a blur for Roy. He didn't remember hearing anything. He didn't remember the store clerk yelling about how he was going to call the police. He didn't remember Jason knocking the clerk unconscious or grabbing some supplies. And he didn't remember getting into one of the pickup trucks as Jason drove back off towards the van.

He just kept looking as his hands. It had been a long while since he had killed anyone. And this was definitely the first time he had killed an American. As his hands continued to shake slightly, reality kicked in as Roy found himself in the passenger seat of his own van. Jason slammed the driver's side door as he hopped in, turning on the van. Seeing Roy's eyes begin to wander over towards him, Jason looked at his close friend with concern. "You ok there, Roy?"

Roy shook his head slowly, his eyes wandering off to stare at nothing in particular. "I need a drink."

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Nikolai "Demo" Markov

---

Ashford Institute for the Gifted

Interactions: Una, Matt, Daniela

Mentions:

---

---

What the Hell does 'stuff' mean?

Nik walked out of the Danger Room with one hand in his jean pockets. His shoulders were slouched, and it was clear he was surprisingly tired for this time of day. His mind was clouded with the memories of the night before as he turned his gaze down towards his hand... the one firmly clutched in Una's. Nik's eyes widened for a moment, before he simply turned his head to hide his blushing cheeks. He hadn't even realized they were holding hands... and his thoughts were racing. When did this happen? She's... she's probably just scared or something. Don't think too much about it...

Nik kept walking forward, out of the underground area and towards the cafeteria. He felt Una's hand slip away. He had been too focused in his own world to hear her say anything, and turned back to see her standing and seeming to admire the sunlight somewhat. Nik smiled a little as he saw her seeming to glow in the sun... rose-colored glasses were a hell of a drug. He turned his gaze towards his other companions, shrugged, and motioned towards the cafeteria. "So... where are you from? I'm from Seattle, personally. Would have killed to live out here in LA though." He flashed an awkward smile as he began walking backwards towards the cafeteria, making sure he was giving the two of them enough eye contact.

Avatar - The Fall of Si Wong City

"You heard me, the Avatar stunt." Sho chuckled as he stopped walking, looking down towards the ground as he shook his head. Kira and Lon stopped, raising their eyebrows as Sho's short comrade looked to his reluctant leader. "What? We did it before!"

Sho wiped away the imaginary tear from the corner of his eye as his gaze fell on Li. "Do you remember what happened last time we ran that show, Li?"

Kira, dressed in her traditional Northern Water Tribe robes, rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around Sho to lean on him. "Oh, wasn't this the time that I had to save Li from getting some earth benders after he was trying to brag to their girlfriends about being the Avatar's best friend, or the time we were stalked for like a month by some shady figures who thought you actually were the Avatar? Hmm... Oh, of course, that was the same time."

Li opened his mouth to speak, his eyes looking to his hulking brother Lon for help... only to find his brother folding his arms and shaking his head in his direction. Li turned around in a huff and just continued trudging forward while everyone followed. The Elements had been on the road for years at this point, and they'd grown accustomed to marching long distances on foot at this point. Lon was carrying a large pack that had most of the group's camping supplies, while the others carried their own personal equipment. Li, without a word, simply raised his left hand with two fingers as he was walking forward, and Kira immediately responded by uncorking her waterskin. With a simple wave of her arms, she managed to extract one small globules of water from the waterskin and float them in Li's direction. Li turned his head and opened his mouth, and one slow motion from Kira moved the water into his mouth. He let the cool water cool his tongue before simply nodding his head and shooting a thumbs up behind him.

Sho's eyes weren't on the road or his companions. He instead glanced between the treeline on either side of him as the group was marching through a forest path once again. At the sound of any branch snapping or leaf rustling, Sho's head would snap towards the direction it came from. The memory of those people stalking his friends had set in a relapsing paranoia. Something in the firebender's gut told him that something wasn't right. They hadn't seen anyone on this trail at all that day, and they'd been marching for nearly four hours in total. They were about another day's journey from the next town... but surely they should have seen someone at this point. Anyone. There had to be something going on.

Sho's fears were confirmed correct when he felt the ground beneath him seem to shake slightly. Having lived in the Earth Kingdom for years, the feeling was familiar, and always unnerving. The path had shifted slightly, with two hills on either side of the path as the river the path followed bent around the right hill. A large stone wall lifted up in front of Li, who immediately began backpedaling until he lost his balance and fell on his ass. Kira instinctively uncorked her waterskin and held her other hand near it, ready to strike at any given moment. Sho, on the other hand, simply stepped forward and looked to his left and right, seeing two men in green tunics sliding down the hillside to flank the travelers. Before he could say anything, the two strangers landed in the dry riverbed. "Sorry to interrupt your trip, but you're going to have to pay if you want to continue on here."

Sho raised an eyebrow, his expression serious as he examined the two men. The one on the left, the one talking, seemed to be a bit older. Mid thirties by the look of him, and a bit more built. The man on the right seemed to about the same age as Sho, and of an average build. The looks on their faces, though, was what made Sho's blood boil deep inside. They both sported smug grins as they looked down on Sho. The Element's leader spent only a moment looking between the two before he decided on his response. "Why?"

The stranger on the right seemed confused as he looked to his partner, whose grin transformed instantly into a grimace. "The local militia keeps this road safe from bandits, and you've got the pay the militia to be under their protection."

Sho looked back to Kira and nodded. She knew what to do when the time was right, and took a few steps off to the side. Sho's gaze fell back on the two militiamen. "Bandits... you mean the kind of people who strong arm travelers into handing over their coin int he middle of the forest?"

The stranger on the left clenched his hands into fists and took a small step forward,standing up a bit more straight as he looked down towards Sho. At the same time, Sho's stance shifted slightly as he placed all of his weight onto his back foot to ready his left foot to strike. Before either could make a move, the other stranger took a step forward as well and placed a hand in front of his comrade before speaking. "Look... you hand over some coin and this doesn't have to get messy, alright?"

While the man on the left seemed to back down slightly, Sho remained ready to strike. "I see... well... the problem is we don't exactly have any coin on us..."

The man on the right shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh. "We'll take something other than coin if you've got anything worth while..."

A small smirk graced the edge of Sho's lips. "I see... Well... I suppose we could trade some water..."

On cue, Kira quickly sprung into action at the peripheral of the two militiamen's vision. She jumped forward into the air, rolling her arms over her head and forward as a wave of water was pulled from out the river and over Kira's head to crash down on the two men. While the water torrented onto them, she lifted her hands towards her lips and pushed towards the water while blowing air to freeze the water. Before they knew it, the two men's bodies were covered in a block of ice as their heads remained free and clear. They began struggling to break themselves free, but this hadn't been Sho and Kira's first shakedown. Li and Lon seemed as stunned as the militiamen as the two foreign benders simply smiled and turned towards their earthbending companion, motioning towards the stone wall in their way. Lon was able to lower the wall easily after planting his feet and swinging one fist down towards the ground, and the Elements continued on their merry way to the sweet sounds of swears and pleading from the two men who had tried to shake them down.

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Nikolai "Demo" Markov

---

Ashford Institute for the Gifted

Interactions: Everyone

Mentions: Everyone

---

---

Nik wasn't sure what to say. Cleo, Oriana, Ronnie... they were all rightfully upset. But he remained silent. Quiet. He wasn't sure what to do. He had been attacked. He could have been killed. His friends too. And up until minutes ago he was terrified of Una too. He listened as everyone went off at Una's direction. Before he knew it, he found himself taking a step forward to his friend and placing a hand on his shoulder.

_"Enough."

His words were quiet, weak, and surprising to Nik himself. He lifted his gaze around towards everyone, took a deep breath, and gave Una's shoulder a slight squeeze. "Enough... Seriously, that's enough. Everyone needs to cool off and calm down." He looked around towards the others, his words sober and lacking the usual energy and enthusiasm they usually had. He was just... tired.

Nik looked towards Drake, Cleo, Heidi, Jasper... the friends he had fought alongside last night. "I'll be honest... I'm still shaken after last night. Not just because we fought a giant monster in a nightclub while some of us were pretty drunk... Our mutations felt real for the first time last night. Up until now it's felt like some movie or something." Nik chuckled to himself a little, before his gaze turned towards the newcomers. "We didn't really rope you into anything, though. You have abilities that most people don't. And while part of coming here is learning how to control them... the Dean talking about people plotting against this school sounds... well, it sounds like it's something that's been happening before last night."

Nik's reassuring grip on Una's shoulder weakened as he let his hand fall back to his side. "We all need to cool down after last night and just process that. And while I'm not hungry... I wouldn't mind grabbing a bite to eat so I can hit the gym later." Nik shot a weak smile towards Matt with the last statement.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Bounce can't be the only one with an eleventh hour post. Decided to go a different direction for this outlaws post last minute.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

_{Ural Pass, Vlatava - 4 Years Ago}

Issue 1.01.03: The Claim

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.01.02: Stagecoach

"Jesus I'm bored. There's nothing out here."

Roy was resting inside of a small sniper's nest in the stark white landscape. He moved away from the sniper that had been set up. Sitting up in the booth with him was a slightly older man, who simply shook his head in response.

"You're a good sharpshooter, Roy, but you're a shit sniper."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "What do you know about being a sniper, Slade? You don't even have any fucking depth perception." With that, Roy motioned towards the eyepatch covering one of his comrade's eyes.

A small smile grew on Slade's face. "I don't need depth perception to kick your ass, Roy."

The two men chuckled for a moment, but within an instant things grew tense. Slade's challenges had become rather notorious in Team 7. Usually there was some sort of wager. And yet, every now and then, the challenges would go unnamed and unspoken. A bet of skill against skill. And as the two men chuckled, their eyes locked and the challenge was made.

Roy, with great speed, reached for the sidearm on his hip. He was only able to unholster the gun when he heard the sound of something impaling the plywood next to his head. Roy's eyes locked with Slade's before he turned his gaze to the knife that impaled the simple plywood wall of the sniper's nest. Terrifyingly close to his head and embedded in the wall was a simple throwing dagger. As Roy went to catch his breath, Slade simply leaned forward in his own seat. "You'll never be able to take me on, Speedy. Not alone."

---

"Slade... meet me in the war room."

Slade Wilson almost looked ridiculous in a suit. His silver buzzed hair and eyepatch made him look far too much like a military tough guy. So, needless to say, Slade jumped at the opportunity to get away from his desk. After all, he always hated being stateside. James Bronson, one of the younger recruits in Team 7, was carrying a stack of folders and a USB as he briskly walked towards the room on the other side of the pit of Team 7 intelligence officers, towards a conference room with floor to ceiling windows.

As soon as James entered the room, he tapped a single button on the light switch, and the conference lights turned on while the windows went from perfectly clear to having a white opaque frost to them. Slade closed the door behind him and leaned against the window, watching his coworker set the files down and slide a USB into a small device in the center of the conference table. He grabbed a small clicker to turn the projector on, and the lights in the room dimmed significantly. The projector always took a moment to boot up, so James started anyways. "Ok... now, I need you to stick with me here, Slade. But you know how we always have someone tailing our discharged operators?"

"Of course."

"Well, the Sparrow lost his tail."

Slade's body immediately became stiff. His eye widened for a moment, before he was able to regain his composure. "You're telling me we don't know where Jason is... shit."

James shook his head. "We don't know exactly... but I've got some leads. Jason was last seen in Tulsa about twenty four hours ago. Coincidentally enough, a blue Toyota Camry was reported stolen yesterday a few blocks away from his last known location. It was found in Ada this morning." As if on cue, the projector finally booted up and showed three images: a map of Oklahoma with a highway route from Tulsa to Ada highlighted, and the image of a blue Toyota Camry.

"So he's heading South... Heading for Texas?"

"I think so... but you're probably wondering why he'd shake a tail to head towards Texas. I might have the answer to that."

James pressed the clicker, and the image on the projector changed. There were several images now: the driver's license photos of five men, an image of an organization's symbol, and a crime scene photo of an arrow. "A few men with connections to the Aryan Nation reported being assaulted by two men a couple hours north of Dallas. One seemed to be a skilled martial artist, while the other was using a bow and arrow. I've had one of our FBI contacts get in touch with the local PD about getting some sketches drawn up... but I've got a good idea of who the second guy is. I mean, who do you know that can knock two arrows and cripple two men's promising flag football careers with a precision shot to the shoulder?"

Slade stood there silent for a moment before he briskly walked to the door. "Grab your shit, let's go."

James tilted his head as he quickly turned off the projector and ripped the USB from the conference table's console. "Where are we going?"

"We're reporting this to Lynch now, before they start causing a scene. We don't want people finding out who they are."

Avatar - The Fall of Si Wong City

Sho

S H O D O H

_{'We perform, we get paid, and we get out. That's our lifestyle.'}

---

Character Age: 23
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Earth Kingdom (currently residing), Fire Nation (Originally)
Bending: Fire Bending - Intermediate
Skills:

• Acrobatics - Advanced
• Baton Twirling/Staff Performances - Advanced
• Cooking - Intermediate

Weaknesses:

• A Hot Temper: Sho has an issue with just letting things slide. If someone slights him, or if he feels like he's been slighted... it's best summarized as you take a penny, he takes a pound.
• An Idealistic Savior: While he's not some kind of vigilante hero, Sho does firmly believe in the idea that people should have equal stake and power when it comes to government and freedom. This means that if he sees the opportunity to knock someone on top down a peg, or manage to see an opportunity to exploit the rich for the sake of the poor, he'll take it.
• Alone in a Crowded Room: While Sho is not antisocial, he is fiercely independent. Instead of relying on the help of his friends and co-performers, he would much rather go things alone and suffer the consequences on his own. It's a rare mix of an inability to recognize the strength of others and a desire to protect those closest to him.

Possessions: Sho's possessions are sparse, but important to note. Sho's usual attire is his performance clothes, though he does keep a spare set of dark clothes and scarves to obscure himself if he needs to do something less than legal. His go bag includes basic cooking utensils and spices. On his person, at most times, Sho carries a metal staff designed to fit two cloth bags on each end. The metal staff has a pin that allows it to expand and retract in size depending on the situation of the performance or combat, and was originally designed for "Fire Twirling" performances by Li.

Biography:

Before Sho left the Fire Nations, his life was surprisingly unremarkable. Shodoh was born to a somewhat large fire nation family in one of the many Eastern islands. He was the youngest of four boys. His father became a higher ranking officer under the warlord Diyu, and most of Sho's older brothers served Diyu as well. When Sho was fourteen, all his older brothers and his father had basically gone in full service of the Warlord. Which left Sho at home alone with his lonely and unstable mother for two years. The only thing that kept Sho sane in these years was practicing his firebending at the local school, and self practicing long into the evenings. It wasn't until Sho's oldest brother died in conflict and Sho's mother went hysterical and just left home that Sho truly felt alone at home in the Fire Nation. Feeling neglected, abandoned, and angry at the circumstances of his life, Sho did the only thing he thought he could at the age of 16: he left. He used what little money his family had left behind to buy his way onto a ship heading for the Earth Kingdom.

Sho wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he knew it was just somewhere else. Somewhere he wouldn't necessarily feel alone and like an outcast. Unfortunately, that's all he felt once he reached the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. Some didn't trust the young man, and some just didn't like him. So Sho continued to feel neglected and abandoned until he managed to stumble upon people like himself: outcasts. He had stumbled upon a street performance by a young waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe named Kira. She was a lost soul like himself, but she wanted to see the world. Traveling required money, so she tried to do little performances around Earth Kingdom towns in order to keep herself afloat. Sho and Kira hit it off fairly quickly, and the two fourteen year olds started Sho's first traveling performing act: Fire and Ice.

The two traveled along the coast of the Earth Kingdom while developing their performance styles. Kira's specialty was in developing little "scenes" by manipulating water into shapes and figures. Sho's self routine was more about controlled firebending, in which Sho would do anything from light a bunch of candles with expert precision while blindfolded to doing twirls and spins while juggling flames. The two managed to catch the attention of two brothers named Lon and Li. Lon was a talented young earthbender pacifist who didn't want to be enlisted in some sort of army, while Li was a rather talkative and gossipy apprentice blacksmith whose name was sort of tarnished after a tryst with his master's daughter. Needless to say, they all wanted to move on. And so, that's when "The Elements" performing group was made.

Sho sort of became the unofficial leader of The Elements about two years ago. He had strong opinions on where they should go, and seemed to be competent when it came to delegating tasks and making sure his friends had a place to sleep wherever they went. Besides, Sho was mean with a skillet and some spices. He cooked the crew's meals, and no one complained. Everyone had responsibilities, work, plenty of downtime to explore and do as they like. They're all happy.

Everyone but Sho. While he'd never admit it, he's become more and more restless in the year and a half he's been leading The Elements around the Earth Kingdom. He's been getting into more fights and seeking out literature against the unification of the Earth Kingdom, but also been delving into testing out new recipes and spices. He's in a weird conflicted head space: he isn't sure if he wants to pursue a personal desire to start up a restaurant and settle down somewhere, or if he wants to become politically active in taking a more direct role in trying to stop the Earth Kingdom's more militaristic method of unification. At the end of the day, he is just a performer...

Supporting Cast:

• Kira - An optimistic and charming young woman with a strong wanderlust. She wants to see the world over and hear all sorts of stories... and then share said stories with different parts of the world. She also has a strong fascination with stories about spirits seeming to become more prevalent lately. Lately, she has been spending a little more time sparring with Sho and trying to coneptualize an old "dueling" routine that Sho had scrapped when they were a duo some years back.
• Lon - While not exceptionally talented as an earthbender, he's very loyal to his friends. He's a pacifist by nature, and spends a surprising amount of time in meditation or just in quiet thought for such a large man. Lon has been, on his free time as Sho has been contemplating moving The Elements to Si Wong, dabbling with sandbending. He has shown a little progress, but is barely able to do anything than shift sand a little worse than just kicking it would.
• Li - It's a wonder Li hasn't ended up in a jail cell or with a broken arm. Li loves three things: his work, his lovers, and rumors. While he's fantastic at getting the word out about The Elements, Li is also usually the reason why The Elements have been forced to move on from certain towns. Li's gift for blacksmithing comes from his vision and his understanding of his friends. He tends to whatever tools and performance props The Elements need for their performances.

---

Avatar - The Fall of Si Wong City

Open to feedback.

Sho

S H O D O H

_{'We perform, we get paid, and we get out. That's our lifestyle.'}

---

Character Age: 23
Character Gender: Male
Character Race: Earth Kingdom (currently residing), Fire Nation (Originally)
Bending: Fire Bending - Intermediate
Skills:

• Acrobatics - Advanced
• Baton Twirling/Staff Performances - Advanced
• Cooking - Intermediate

Weaknesses:

• A Hot Temper: Sho has an issue with just letting things slide. If someone slights him, or if he feels like he's been slighted... it's best summarized as you take a penny, he takes a pound.
• An Idealistic Savior: While he's not some kind of vigilante hero, Sho does firmly believe in the idea that people should have equal stake and power when it comes to government and freedom. This means that if he sees the opportunity to knock someone on top down a peg, or manage to see an opportunity to exploit the rich for the sake of the poor, he'll take it.
• Alone in a Crowded Room: While Sho is not antisocial, he is fiercely independent. Instead of relying on the help of his friends and co-performers, he would much rather go things alone and suffer the consequences on his own. It's a rare mix of an inability to recognize the strength of others and a desire to protect those closest to him.

Possessions: Sho's possessions are sparse, but important to note. Sho's usual attire is his performance clothes, though he does keep a spare set of dark clothes and scarves to obscure himself if he needs to do something less than legal. His go bag includes basic cooking utensils and spices. On his person, at most times, Sho carries a metal staff designed to fit two cloth bags on each end. The metal staff has a pin that allows it to expand and retract in size depending on the situation of the performance or combat, and was originally designed for "Fire Twirling" performances by Li.

Biography:

Before Sho left the Fire Nations, his life was surprisingly unremarkable. Shodoh was born to a somewhat large fire nation family in one of the many Eastern islands. He was the youngest of four boys. His father became a higher ranking officer under the warlord Diyu, and most of Sho's older brothers served Diyu as well. When Sho was fourteen, all his older brothers and his father had basically gone in full service of the Warlord. Which left Sho at home alone with his lonely and unstable mother for two years. The only thing that kept Sho sane in these years was practicing his firebending at the local school, and self practicing long into the evenings. It wasn't until Sho's oldest brother died in conflict and Sho's mother went hysterical and just left home that Sho truly felt alone at home in the Fire Nation. Feeling neglected, abandoned, and angry at the circumstances of his life, Sho did the only thing he thought he could at the age of 16: he left. He used what little money his family had left behind to buy his way onto a ship heading for the Earth Kingdom.

Sho wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he knew it was just somewhere else. Somewhere he wouldn't necessarily feel alone and like an outcast. Unfortunately, that's all he felt once he reached the mainland of the Earth Kingdom. Some didn't trust the young man, and some just didn't like him. So Sho continued to feel neglected and abandoned until he managed to stumble upon people like himself: outcasts. He had stumbled upon a street performance by a young waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe named Kira. She was a lost soul like himself, but she wanted to see the world. Traveling required money, so she tried to do little performances around Earth Kingdom towns in order to keep herself afloat. Sho and Kira hit it off fairly quickly, and the two fourteen year olds started Sho's first traveling performing act: Fire and Ice.

The two traveled along the coast of the Earth Kingdom while developing their performance styles. Kira's specialty was in developing little "scenes" by manipulating water into shapes and figures. Sho's self routine was more about controlled firebending, in which Sho would do anything from light a bunch of candles with expert precision while blindfolded to doing twirls and spins while juggling flames. The two managed to catch the attention of two brothers named Lon and Li. Lon was a talented young earthbender pacifist who didn't want to be enlisted in some sort of army, while Li was a rather talkative and gossipy apprentice blacksmith whose name was sort of tarnished after a tryst with his master's daughter. Needless to say, they all wanted to move on. And so, that's when "The Elements" performing group was made.

Sho sort of became the unofficial leader of The Elements about two years ago. He had strong opinions on where they should go, and seemed to be competent when it came to delegating tasks and making sure his friends had a place to sleep wherever they went. Besides, Sho was mean with a skillet and some spices. He cooked the crew's meals, and no one complained. Everyone had responsibilities, work, plenty of downtime to explore and do as they like. They're all happy.

Everyone but Sho. While he'd never admit it, he's become more and more restless in the year and a half he's been leading The Elements around the Earth Kingdom. He's been getting into more fights and seeking out literature against the unification of the Earth Kingdom, but also been delving into testing out new recipes and spices. He's in a weird conflicted head space: he isn't sure if he wants to pursue a personal desire to start up a restaurant and settle down somewhere, or if he wants to become politically active in taking a more direct role in trying to stop the Earth Kingdom's more militaristic method of unification. At the end of the day, he is just a performer...

Supporting Cast:

• Kira - An optimistic and charming young woman with a strong wanderlust. She wants to see the world over and hear all sorts of stories... and then share said stories with different parts of the world. She also has a strong fascination with stories about spirits seeming to become more prevalent lately. Lately, she has been spending a little more time sparring with Sho and trying to coneptualize an old "dueling" routine that Sho had scrapped when they were a duo some years back.
• Lon - While not exceptionally talented as an earthbender, he's very loyal to his friends. He's a pacifist by nature, and spends a surprising amount of time in meditation or just in quiet thought for such a large man. Lon has been, on his free time as Sho has been contemplating moving The Elements to Si Wong, dabbling with sandbending. He has shown a little progress, but is barely able to do anything than shift sand a little worse than just kicking it would.
• Li - It's a wonder Li hasn't ended up in a jail cell or with a broken arm. Li loves three things: his work, his lovers, and rumors. While he's fantastic at getting the word out about The Elements, Li is also usually the reason why The Elements have been forced to move on from certain towns. Li's gift for blacksmithing comes from his vision and his understanding of his friends. He tends to whatever tools and performance props The Elements need for their performances.

---

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

_{On the Road Again in Texas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.02: Stagecoach

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.01.01: Taste of Violence

The van continued to speed down the lonely highway, fields flanking the left and right of the two outlaws. Jason was behind the wheel, his foot pressed firm on the gas. The only people who lived out in these parts were farm workers, and none of them cared much about some shitty van careening down the road. Of course, those farm workers were certainly a ways off the road. Especially as the sun was lowering down over the horizon. The two men in the van remained almost deadly silent, until a strange noise could be heard from the engine. It was a slight rattling, and as Jason looked at the dash, the string of swears he listed were rather crude and specific. All the while, he pulled the steadily drifting van over to the side of the road as it began its natural slowdown to a complete stop. Jason seemed to calm down for a moment as he sat there with his eyes closed and his hands firmly grasping the steering wheel.

"Fuck."

Roy raised his eyebrows, his amused and cocky grin evident by his smug tone that began boiling a rage inside of Jason's chest. "What?"

Jason grunted out through gritted teeth, "We're out of gas."

Roy gave a slow nod, his hands rising to begin a very painstakingly drawn out clap. "Good job, Jason. I told you-"

"Don't you fucking-"

"I told you that-"

"Roy, I suggest you shut the f-"

"You remember like 20 miles ago when we passed-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Jason practically ripped open the door of the van as he fumbled to quickly get out of his seat belt in his frenzy of rage. He slammed the van door shut, it not properly shutting as he heard the frustrating sound of the seat belt getting caught in the way. So, Jason did the logical and polite thing: he opened the driver's side door again, flicked the seat belt back into the interior of the car, and then continued to slam and bash the van door open and closed as he screamed an incoherent and soul-wrenching wail. After an uncomfortably long time spent indulging his anger, Jason finally stopped himself mid slam to gently close the door and walk around to the back of the van, where Roy was sitting in the open bay doors with a sport's drink in hand and a cooler. Roy lifted the drink from his lips and motioned it towards Jason, who quietly nodded. The red-haired outlaw wordlessly opened up the cooler and handed his friend a drink, and the two sat there quietly for a minute. Unsurprisingly, Roy was the first to break the silence.

"So do you want to talk about-"

"Nope."

Roy nodded for a moment up and down, making a clicking noise with his tongue. "Didn't think so."

After an awkward moment of silence, Jason sighed. "My last mission went sideways. Some dude in a red mask beat me into a coma... last thing I remember him saying was something about... Vertigo."

Roy tilts his head for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Vertigo... You afraid of heights or something?"

Jason shot an annoyed glare to his partner. "I halo jumped to infiltrate Ducal while you sat on your ass covering a mountain pass in the Urals. Do you really think I have vertigo?"

Roy sighs, shaking his head. "Hey, I'm just checking. I don't know what it means either."

The two stared out at the rapidly darkening sky. They didn't have much time until they were left on a fairly deserted road in the middle of farm country with no clear sign of traffic passing by. So, Roy finished up his drink and placed the plastic bottle in a small recycling bag mounted on the inside of the van. Roy looked out over his current home: The left wall of the van when looking in from the back had a pull down bed that, while uncomfortable, would allow for two people to sleep there. The ceiling contained a strange metal contraption that acted as a sort of picnic table with benches. The right wall contained metal cabinets that were locked up fairly tight. While a normal eye wouldn't expect them to be super special, Jason was able to identify the metal as heavy armor plating: the kind of stuff you use on a tank, not a van. Hell, the more Jason looked over the van in his few hours being a passenger in it, the "defensive durability" was more clear. The entire van was covered in the same durable plating, and the tires were the same kind of blow-out resistant tires that Team 7 used on their vehicles. This van wasn't just some hippie van that Roy was living out of: it was a compact mobile fortress. Roy packed up the cooler, climbed into the back of the van to talk towards the front cab, and looked back to Jason. "It's cozy, but it's somewhere to stay for the night. We can figure out our plan in the morning."

"Fine. But no spooning."

Avatar - The Fall of Si Wong City

Damn it Sep, I'm in.