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Post by Shinko on Oct 29, 2016 11:11:16 GMT -5
Bill seemed a little bit taken aback by Ms. Marković's speech, accepting the satchel of letters wordlessly at first and gaping a bit before Ossie elbowed him in the side. "See Dad, told you that you're too hard on yourself." "Oh, stop it," Bill retorted, smirking as he reached over and ruffled Ossie's hair. Turning back to the teacher, his expression softened. "Thank you ma'am. I don't hear such things often, so it does mean a lot for you to say that." "He usually gets to hear about how he's the most terrible awful person who ever existed," Ossie put in. Bill aimed a thwack at the boy's head, and Ossie nimbly danced aside, his smile widening. "And how everything that goes wrong in Heraclia is his fault." Bill managed to hook his son around the neck, catching him in a gentle headlock. "You talk too much," he informed the boy as Ossie flailed in a playfully ineffectual way. To the teacher he added, "he's right though- again, I thank you. And I'll see about having your letters delivered to their rightful recipients. It does the heroes good to hear that their actions make a difference." Ossie and Bill finally get a scene together to interact, and Bill is greatful (and a bit flustered) for the kind words. Reiqua
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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Oct 29, 2016 13:37:08 GMT -5
((Dr. Faust actions approved/written by Moni)) Mizshu ran back and forth, trying--and--failing--to take in all the festivities. She didn’t know where to start, with all the games, the songs, the bright colors--it was all too amazing to absorb all at once. “Auntie Faust, come on!” the girl cried, tugging the woman’s sleeve this way and that. “There’s funnel cake over here and oh! There’s a balloon popping game here--oh can we get cotton candy later?--perhaps we can win a plushie or even do the tiny-bowling thing I’m absolutely terrible at it but it’s oh so much fun, Auntie Faust, do you remember what it’s called? Skewball? Here it just says Ice Rink but that’s a silly name to give a game that doesn’t have anything to do with ice and oh my goodness there’s a thing that flips you every which way and looks like a giant zipper can we try going on that? This is just so amazing! Where is everyone? All our friends? Have you seen Daniel around? Laima bean? Zenith? Felicita? Tabitha--oh…” Mitzi stopped her tirade for a moment to reflect on this. “I didn’t tell Tabitha I’d be here with you.” Mitzi looked at her shoes. “I’m probably going to be in trouble when I get home.” The word, though at least three months old, still felt a little foreign on her tongue. Home. The one-bedroom in Carroll Gardens with her parents, the greenish-black waters she’d swim in once a week, the subways that screeched almost melodically, the familiar bodega on the corner of Court Street and 5th--she still missed it, definitely, but now, it didn’t even seem like home at all. Tabitha’s house, on the other hand, was very large and very proper--providing numerous hiding places for her two cats, whom Mitzi played with frequently. On rare occasions, Mitzi wondered if she was annoying by tagging along almost wherever Tabitha went, or by protesting whenever she had to wear something fancy. Running and hiding among heroes, changing her name every day or so, working to fend for herself by being a bike messenger--even Mitzi had to admit that was a poor lifestyle to lead, especially for years at a time. Stan’s arrest had shocked Mitzi a little bit, but, looking back, the girl could see that being put on Hero City was a Very Good Thing indeed. All her friends were nearby, and they all looked out for her in their own way. And nobody made her the monkey. “Well, I’m not going home yet,” Mitzi grinned mischievously, keeping just out of Dr. Faust’s reach. “There are people to find, things to do, and life to live!” Mitzi dodged a protest. “That’s what you told me long ago, isn’t it?” With a giggle, she dodged through the crowd, mentally squealing at a certain blond man as she fled Dr. Faust in jest. “Glad to see you’re taking that lesson in earnest,” Dr. Faust said. She breathed a sigh of relief; Mizshu absolutely did not know how to take one thing at a time, and while she didn’t mind that, it was starting to get a little overwhelming. Children had much energy to spare. Herself, not so much. Mizshu was startled by a few fans asking for her autograph--now that would take a great deal of getting used to. The girl acquiesced, this time holding her tongue from saying “oh no, I’m not a hero.” Because, in a way...that was what she’d become. Mitzi is having a blast at the festival, running around here and there and almost literally everywhere, trying to take everything in. A little background/inside Mitzi’s head goes on here. She lives with Tabitha ( Celestial) but visits Dr. Faust( Moni) often, and delivers things for her for free. She takes Dr. Faust’s advice from the cold night to heart, and races around without a care, searching for her friends. (If any one of you happens to stop by, you’re welcome to interact with the energetic girl. >w<
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Post by Tiger on Oct 29, 2016 15:06:48 GMT -5
Most of Heraclia was sunny and bright today - behind the facilities that turned Heraclia’s waterfall into hydropower for the city, however, it was darker, cooler, quiet. It smelled of water and wet stone. Pandora didn’t have a permanent lair; her supplies and furnishings could move as easily as she could, and “stationary” simply wasn’t in her nature. This part of the hydroplant was one of her favorite spots, though; water slowly opening passages through stone was an aesthetic she could get behind. Her work was similar to the waterfall, in a way - a consequence of forces and a provisioner of resources, but nobody attributed motives to waterfalls. Pandora did have a motive, though a very simple one. It was enough, though, for her to take into account when choosing her name and her gimmick. Curiosity. People and their potential for greatness - perhaps terrible, but great - had always fascinated her. In what way a thing was great didn’t matter quite so much; great was great. And after all, wasn’t a powerful and terrible person the perfect motivation for another to step up and strive to be their very best? Pandora had long-ago decided that the best potential for her powers was in helping as many other people as possible find their full scope of ability and drive. And so, the boxes and their clues, hints, and supplies - most crafted herself, a few commissioned, all tailored as best she could toward their beneficiary’s needs. ...After solving a puzzle or winning a game, of course. Even a helping hand should be earned, and there were things she could learn by the way her giftees worked. Pandora turned away from the railing of the ledge overlooking the hydroplant, turning her gaze to the cabinets. Each one was filled with neatly-ordered rows of tiny blue and gold boxes. Many of them were open, the lids slightly ajar, and If Pandora chose, she could open any one of them and see its recipient, their puzzle, and their prize - or their intended prize - neatly written on a tiny scroll. Most of the boxes were still closed. The prizes inside would rattle or jingle or thump or rustle if Pandora were to take its box off the shelf. Some of the closed boxes were the ones she had just planted a few months ago, and she was disappointed to see they were still not open after all this time. A box she had left in the drawer of a cat’s desk, and the one beside it, which was meant for a portal-opening superhero turned CEO, were especially unfortunate. But unopened now didn’t mean unopened forever. Looking over her cabinets, Pandora smiled under her scarf. Nobody could resist opening a box forever. Pandora motivations revealed. It is probably not as complex as you were expecting but *shrug* 8D
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Post by Celestial on Oct 29, 2016 18:38:20 GMT -5
((Collabed with the one and only Gelquie)) No matter the season, ADMAX always looked the same: stocky, intimidating, uncaring, a place that lived up to its purpose of keeping the most dangerous criminals away from threatening the rest of the general population. Tabitha did not flinch as she walked confidently up to it and presented the guard with her identification as well as stating her purpose for being there. This had all become fairly standard procedure by now, and by the way the guard’s eyes skimmed her ID and radioed instructions to prepare for her arrival, she got the impression that she was not the only one who thought that. The guard lead her through the prison, past rows of jail cells where she could feel the eyes of the prisoners on her. Tabitha, however, kept walking on, her head held high, refusing to be intimidated. Eventually, the guard opened a door and guided her into the meeting room, divided as always by plexiglass. She sat down on the chair provided and from her bag, took out a travel-sized chessboard. While waiting, Tabitha began to set up the pieces. White on one side, black on the other, though she kept the board facing sideways to her until the other player showed up and chose what he wanted to be today. After a short time, the door on the other side of the glass opened, and a guard marched Espin inside. All through prison, Espin still apparently managed to keep a handle on his hygiene and appearance, but it was ruined by the appearance of his orange jumpsuit. Espin looked up at Tabitha, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips at he dutifully sat down in the chair on the other side of the plexiglass while the guard stood near the door and proceeded to look bored. “We meet again, Miss Kingsley,” Espin went on. “Maybe it’s just my sense of time in this place, but it’s felt like longer than last; have you been busy?” He looked down at the board. “You can pick which side you want to play this time.” “How kind you are. Perhaps prison is doing you some good, doctor,” Tabitha replied with an impish smile. Without a word, she turned the board around, white pieces facing him. “Same old rules: you call your turn and I’ll move the pieces them for you.” She rested her chin in her hand, watching Espin through the screen. “I have been busy, you are quite right: I do have a job outside the Hero City show, and I have a young lodger to take care of now. You might know her: Mizshu,” she told him. “And how is life for you? I do hope you have finally gotten used to your surroundings.” Espin declared his first move to Tabitha and began talking as she moved his piece. “Life in prison is precisely the same as always. It’s less getting used to my surroundings by this point as it is trying not to be bored. Though I don’t envy you taking a lodger, even if it is a child superhero lodger.” He let out a sigh. “I’d still prefer it over the all the legal work over my court cases. Which, by the way, I should tell you, they’ve been progressing steadily, they’re just going piecemeal over my crimes.” He paused, his words suddenly taking weight. “They’re going to make some of their decisions on my crimes at the university soon. ...So I’ll be busy this next month. And after that, I might finally get a firm timeline on my sentence.” He frowned. “I’m sure you and I already know the general answer to it.” Tabitha nodded slowly. “I have been following your trial. By the sound of it, doctor, you are going to be in here for a long time. My condolences but it is, undoubtedly, exactly what you deserve,” she made her move and looked up at him, sympathy in her eyes. “I assume you have informed your parents by now? They deserve to know what happened to you, after all.” Espin turned away for a moment, attempting to avoid her look, but was unable to avoid the contemplative look in his eyes. “...They’ve kept in contact, actually. I never told you, but not too long after I came to prison… They came. They found out what I was doing through the show. They flew over just to see me.” He went silent for a brief moment, biting his lip before looking up. “They’ve been helping me with legal work with me and my lawyer. And when they can’t come over, they’ve… kept calling.” He declared his move before giving a rueful smile. “They won’t stop. I’m sure the frequency of their calls annoys the guards. ...But I do have that. And in return, I’ve been keeping them up to date.” “That is good,” Tabitha said quietly, her expression acquiring some genuine warmth. “You may be a criminal, doctor, but everyone deserves to have the support of their family. And I will not deny that it does warm my heart to hear that they still care about you, even after all you have done,” she made her move and looked back at him, a hint of steel in her eyes. “However, I do hope you appreciate just how much they care; not all family would go to such lengths for someone who has been declared a pariah in the eyes of the law as you have done. You are a very, very lucky man.” “Hmm, I suppose you’re right,” Espin said absently. “But you don’t know my parents. They always stuck themselves out for my sake, always encouraged me. They even…” Espin shook his head before declaring his move. “Well, they’re loyal. And really, after my little breakdown on the show concerning them, you doubt how I appreciate them?” he asked this with another rueful smirk. “I saw that episode some time after it aired. I still can’t believe I went on like that.” His smile disappeared. “Well, in any case, they want to help me, but I can tell they’re not happy with me. I can tell by how they act. They just, to use their own words, ‘aren’t letting me out of their radar anytime soon’ after I disappeared.” This earned a polite laugh from Tabitha as she moved her knight. “Well, yes, doctor; parents can be like that. Even if they love you, they will disapprove of what one does. My parents still do not know about my little visits to you, since you have earned special condemnation from them on account of trying to kill me and all that,” she grinned playfully. “They never approved of any of my boyfriends.” Espin’s eyes went wide, and he looked like he was about to stammer out a response when Tabitha burst out laughing. “Oh do relax, doctor, I am only joking,” a smile continued to play on her face as she looked at him. “Agh, Miss Kinglsey, you have no idea how much the other inmates have taken it seriously,” he muttered. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate all this and the company; I do. But well, rumors aren’t that much different within the cells than out in the world. If anything, they’re worse.” He shook his head. “But in any case, you’re right in that they would likely never approve anyway. I don’t imagine most parents would. And yet you sneak here anyway. How duplicitous.” He gave a playful smirk. “I’ll make a villain out of you yet.” “Oh you are most certainly welcome to try but we both know that is not going to happen!” Tabitha exclaimed, shaking her head before her expression returned to a more serious one. “Regardless, it seems that your parents understand the harsh reality: that after all that had occurred and all you have done, this is the only place you can be,” she crossed her arms in front of herself. “I do hope you will not fight that, doctor, because if you do, well, I am afraid I will have to stop you. Nothing personal.” “Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Espin said slowly, staring her straight in the eyes. “Not even a shot to the leg has stopped you. The question would be how effective your efforts would be.” He paused before shaking his head. “As curious as I am to find out, our little chess games will have to do. Which, by the way. Move that piece there.” He smirked. “And that would be check.” “My, my, so it is,” Tabitha frowned, concentrating on her next few moves. She was forced to go on the defensive as Espin’s pieces cornered her but ultimately, that proved to be a futile endeavour. “Ha, well then,” he told her which piece of next move, his words deliberately slow as a smile crept on his face. “Checkmate.” He let out a short laugh. “I told you I’d get back at you for last time.” “I suppose that is only fair. Now the score is even,” Tabitha said with a smile as she began to put the pieces back in their place. “It is nice to know that prison has not dulled your mind too much, doctor. That would be a real shame now, would it not? You are here to learn a lesson, after all.” “I think I understand the lesson well enough. ‘Do exactly what we say or else.’ And yet the school that provide the best education often do the exact opposite, or so I’ve found. Still though, I prefer to give myself something to do. It’ll only be worse for me if I let my brain rot and I go mad.” “As easy as it would be for the rest of us, I will admit, it would be a shame. You do have an exceptional mind; it is sad, however, that your personality is less than stellar,” Tabitha shook her head, smiling as she spoke. “Probably why you do not quite get the lesson that is being taught here but you have time and I will be coming along every now and then to help tutor you,” she ran a finger along the edge of the chessboard. “This is quite good fun, after all.” “It is. And it’s good to have an opponent close to my level. Come to think, we’ve alternated wins each time, haven’t we? So I suppose my new goal will be to get two wins in a row.” Espin rested his chin on his hand. “Anyway, I’d say I know the lesson well enough, your opinions on me aside. But you’re more than welcome to try. At the very least, it’s entertaining. Far more entertaining than staring at the walls and hearing guards try to make attempts at grand speeches to the big grand villains. ...Though that can be entertaining in and of itself if they either have an ounce of creativity or if they’re entertainingly sloppy at it.” “They are only doing their jobs, doctor, let them be,” Tabitha chided. “Really now?” Espin went on, tilting his head. “I didn’t figure that making grand speeches on their moral superiority was part of their job description. Though I understand the confusion, as that’s highly encouraged in the heroes’.” This earned an exuberant laugh from Tabitha. “Well, I suppose one does imitate their role models, doctor, you can hardly fault them for that. I, for one, applaud them trying to inject some showmanship into what would otherwise be dull prison chit-chat,” she remarked. “I would think, given the time you spent with Nyx and the Queen, you would understand the merits of a good performance.” “I think perhaps I did pick up a few things from the showboaters,” he responded with a smile. “It’s just a little aggravating at times when the guards are poor at it, but not entertainingly so. Or they just parrot what they heard on TV. At least the heroes can be creative about it, or give me something to bounce off of.” “I suppose you can also try to hurt or kill the hero too instead of simply having to listen to their speech like you do here,” Tabitha stated. “Though it is ultimately to your detriment: you are actually rather decent company when you are not trying to murder me.” “I’m honored,” Espin put dryly. “It was… a desperate time, and you were doggedly following me every step of the way. But I suppose it’s a good thing I failed at that if I was going to be arrested anyway. Your visits have provided good company. And don’t worry, I have no plans to ruin them, even if I did have any way to fight back. This has been something to look forward to, actually.” “That is certainly reassuring. I shall take the fact that you are glad you did not kill me as a compliment, doctor,” Tabitha could hardly keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “Not to mention it would have made your already terrible situation even worse if you had added another murder charge to your already long list of crimes.” “It would have, but that was not what I was thinking of at the time,” Espin responded. “I think if I could do it again, though… I’d maybe choose a different route.” Tabitha raised an eyebrow. “Is that an apology? From yourself, Dr. Espin?” Espin blinked, pausing. “I’m… saying that perhaps there were other ways I could have apprehended you that day. That perhaps would have deserved some more thought.” “You would not have been able to convert me to your side with a grand speech, doctor, if that is what you are thinking,” Tabitha stated, smiling wryly at him. “And I am not quite sure what other methods you would propose that would not cause me harm and have my parents be out for your blood. However, the thought is appreciated. It is nice to hear that killing me was not your plan A.” “Hmm, well…” He smirked. “I could tell you other things I thought of after the fact, but I’d rather leave you wondering. Rest assured, I already know I couldn’t convert you with a grand speech. At least, not alone. Has a grand speech ever worked on anyone, besides in movies?” “Not unless the person was already questioning everything they have believed in, a fact that is not true for me, you will be sad to hear,” Tabitha leaned forward, a mischievous smile on her face. “I am curious now, doctor, what you would have done to try to win me over to your side. Would you have given me a hypnosis potion kiss, like Zenith did to Timothy, only in reverse?” Espin blinked, his eyes going wide again before he cleared his throat. “As if you’d accept it,” he said casually. ...Then he realized how that sounded and blinked. “And as if I’d give it. At least, not beyond pure practical reasons. Although it looked to me as if Zenith’s was beyond practical. Perhaps we should’ve kept a better eye on him after that confession cam.” Tabitha looked like a cat who had not only gotten to the cream but the tuna as well. “Oh you have no idea, doctor,” she remarked slyly, her eyes darting back and forth. “But I have sworn an oath of secrecy in regards to Zenith, even if you were interested in such gossip. Let’s just say that them and Tim are doing splendidly. In fact, after this, I am off to meet them now.” She put her hands on the table and pushed herself up from her chair. “It has been a pleasure, doctor, as usual. Same time next month?” she picked up the chessboard, placing it into her purse. “If court doesn’t hold me up, then certainly. And we’ll see if I manage to get two wins in a row next time. Until then, farewell…” He waved. “And tell Hikes I said hello.” “I shall try, though you will have to forgive me if the sentiment just happens to slip my mind,” Tabitha retaliated with a pleasant smile despite the hint of venom in her voice. “How rude,” Espin said. Tabitha chose to ignore that remark. “Do keep practicing your chess, doctor, since I can assure you I will be practicing mine. Good day,” she tipped her hat to him. “Count on another loss next time,” Espin said with a smirk before he waved. “Until next time.” With that, the guard on the other side of the plexiglass came and escorted Espin out of the room. With him gone, Tabitha did not waste any time on an exit, allowing the guard who let her in to also guide her to the gate, until the next time. ’Ship tease: the post. Tabitha goes to visit Espin( Gelquie) in jail, something that has become a regular occurrence by now. There is much banter and playing of chess. Spoiler: Espin wins (the chess, not the banter. I think the banter is a draw.)
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Post by Thorn on Oct 29, 2016 18:50:16 GMT -5
((collab with Gelquie and Twillie)) Espin was escorted back to the common area, where prisoners were roaming about, either congregating around the television, forming groups to chat with each other, or playing games at the various tables. It was all heavily guarded, of course, but for Espin, it was a nice gesture all the same. It was far better than the tedium of staring at the same jail cell walls and attempting to shout out through the tiny barred window on the door to talk to other prisoners before the guards told them to stop. Opportunities like these were mostly intended to keep the prisoners from going insane, and though Espin wasn’t always much for company, he sought others out anyway to compensate for his isolation. He picked up a deck of cards from one of the shelves, absentmindedly shuffling it as he gazed around the room, looking for anyone he knew when he spotted Nyx. He waved to her, holding up a deck of cards and giving a look as if to ask “want to play?”. Nyx shrugged, only too glad to leave the group of scatterbrained fools she'd been conversing with behind. Games like this had become pretty commonplace since arriving here and, while occasionally tedious, were a decent enough way to pass the time. “So what are we playing today?” she asked, pulling up a chair and squinting past her companion. “Is that the Queen? When was the last time we even talked? Too good for us now, I suppose.” Espin turned to see Natasha, sitting by herself at one of the tables, head in hand as she dully stared into the distance. “I haven’t talked to her lately either, but I’ve also been focused on my trial… I have talked to her on occasion, though she’s been… quiet lately. I’m not sure why.” He contemplated. “We could try to find out, while we’re all in this room. The game I had in mind is better with more players anyway.” At the sound of her name being called, Natasha turned her head to see Espin and Nyx waving her over for a game of cards. The tired look on her face didn’t change at the sight of them, and it took her a moment before she ultimately got up to join at their table. Wordlessly taking a seat, her head remained lowered so as to avoid either of their gazes. She waited for the cards to be dealt. “Ah, Queen, hello, we get to see your face up close again,” Espin teased gently as he shuffled the cards. “It’s a little worse for wear, but I guess so,” Natasha muttered. Although the splint they had put on her nose was removed, faint bruises still surrounded it. “Mm, I hadn’t noticed, but those will heal,” Espin went on. “If it helps, I don’t think any of us are looking our best.” He looked down, scowling at his orange jumpsuit. Nyx ran her fingers through her no longer glorious, much shorter than usual hair, but said nothing. Espin explained the game and its rules before handing out the cards to each player. “Basically, the winner is the one with the least amount of points. We’ll play until one of us gets 100 points, or whenever we get tired of playing, and then we’ll compare our totals.” “Sounds fun,” Nyx said, and smirked at the Queen. “Try to keep up.” “Might as well try winning at something, right?” Natasha sighed, gathering her cards. “There's a first time for everything,” Nyx’s tone was more teasing than outright mean. “You’ll pick it up,” Espin assured them. “Here, we’ll do a practice round. Whoever has the two of clubs, set it down, because you’re going first.” Seeing this card in her hand, Natasha laid it on the table as Espin said. As their game started, she asked in a rather dry tone, “So, what’s the news for either of you? Up to anything lately?” “Meetings with police and lawyers and sitting in my trial while people talk about me,” Espin said with a sigh. “When I’m not staring at the walls bored. I’m supposed to get my sentence this month or next, but I can already guess what it’s going to be. I don’t suppose any of you are having better luck with yours?” Natasha just shrugged. She honestly didn’t understand much of the legal process she was being forced through, putting faith in her lawyer that they’d get her a good sentence. She wasn’t picky-- just one that would ensure she’d receive proper help. As is, her first month of adjusting to prison life went rough. After telling her story, she was just told that they would “investigate” it, and was left to her own accord. So much alone time left in suspense, added with the stress of trials and court visits, brought Natasha to multiple breakdowns in and out of her cell. Counseling soon came her way, but she still waited to hear word on how they might deal with the potion that poisoned her. Nyx scowled. Her trial had been comparatively short, there wasn't too much room for contention. Bits of it had been fun- she enjoyed the parts where she got to actually speak, for example- but that was overshadowed by the fact that they'd utterly destroyed whatever remained of her carefully crafted alien identity and, for the main part, she just had to stand there and take it. “Usually I like people talking about me. It's somewhat...different, this time. Not that it matters anyway,” she lowered her voice as she played a card. “If old Generic can make it out, so can we. We're way better.” Espin blinked, but lowered his voice in turn. “If they could make it out, there has to be some way. And it’d be a far better fate than here. I know I’m going to get a long sentence, if not a life sentence. This is no way to spend a life. ...We could probably do it if we tried, if we’re careful. After all, I’ve seen what you all can do last November.” At first, Natasha held her tongue. Although not a cure, the therapy ADMAX has been providing helped to an extent, and she still had hope that a true cure could be found with their help. She hesitated to tell this to her comrades, though. Perhaps she could still flatter the topic, at least. “My options are much more limited now, in case you forgot.” Natasha lifted one of her wrists to show Espin the mihtium band on it. “Any ideas?” “Hmm, true, that would limit us. And Nyx is much in the same situation…” Nyx cleared her throat pointedly. “You're the genius, Doctor. They can’t really take that away. As for me-” her hand went instinctively to her amulet, even now- “it's gone, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.” Yes it is it's the worst. Nyx could still feel the amulet at the edge of her mind, but something about the mihtium bracelet stopped them from fully connecting. If they even still could. She hadn't even recovered from the concussion when they slapped on that band and...no, she couldn't think about that. Nyx collected her thoughts and continued: “They'll underestimate us. Generic doesn't have powers either, not that I know of anyway, and look what happened there.” “True. And I’ve broken others out of here before I was arrested, and I never suddenly gained powers.” Espin sighed as he placed down a card before taking the stack, forced to take the points. “It’s just harder to do when you don’t have the tools or are in no position to act. If I decided we needed magical help, I’d need to figure out how to take care of the mihtium bracelets. But it’s not going to be so easy now that I don’t have my tools, and they’re careful with leaving items out with which I can improvise.” “I’d also rather you not end up electrocuting me,” Natasha mumbled, “You’ve done enough of that already, I don’t need a turn.” As Espin reached for the stack, she couldn’t help but finally break her neutral expression with a small smile. “Is it an option to recruit anyone else here?” Nyx glanced at the group she'd been previously mingling with. “Maybe. Just not them.” She cast her gaze around the yard, tossing a card onto the pile. “A lot of these people still have grudges with me over the 'hero thing', the twats. Anyone you would recommend?” “Hmm… We’d have to be careful who we pick up,” Espin warned. “We don’t know all their skills, and we can’t take too many people, or the guards will definitely know something’s up, if not the whole prison. And I don’t quite to conduct that kind of jailbreak.” He thought. “If we were to pick up one more, though… If Tripwire were here, I’d definitely take her. And there could be Poison Oak if he-- augh, the black queen! I’ll get you back for that.” He swiped the cards from the pile, glancing at the guard that was passing by, and indicating to the others of the guards’ presence to warn them. “Like I was saying about Poison Oak, I’ve played a few games with him and he’s very good. Perhaps I’ll get him to play with you two later, once you get the hang of the game.” “Surprised you didn’t see a card like that coming from me.” Natasha quirked an eyebrow at Espin and played along with him. As the guard left, she lowered her head again and let Espin’s voice vaguely register in her ears. His planning made her increasingly weary, and as he talked she let out a sigh-- perhaps a bit louder than she had intended. Nyx raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong? Are we boring you?” Natasha flinched, quickly thinking. “No, it’s just… Poison Oak, I don’t know about either of you, but I find him pretty… sketchy…” “Yeah I'm not really his biggest fan,” Nyx scowled and picked up. “His persona is too tacky for my tastes. He's competent enough though. His skills could be helpful.” “I think the tackiness of his persona is intentional, and besides, it’s worked well…” He shook his head. “Nevermind, if you don’t think you’d work well with him, there are others we could find that are up to par. Or if not, well… we could be cohesive enough alone.” “Don’t fix what isn’t broken,” Natasha snorted. Her smirk lasted only a second, though, and it faded as she reached for the stack. “At the very least, we can still fight old age together, right?” “If we do, I’d rather do it outside,” Espin whispered. “There’s still so much more I can do than pay for mistakes that are already made and can never be undone.” “We did work well together,” Nyx asserted. “We got unlucky but we've learned from that. And we will make it out. There are far better things for us to fight. Same time tomorrow?” Natasha gave her a small smile. “Yeah. I mean, you gotta learn how to beat me before you can fight anything else out there.” She tossed her cards in front of Nyx, rising from her seat. Nyx rolled her eyes. “Yes, you did well for your first playthrough. But I took it easy on you,” Espin said with a smirk. “Next time, you might not be so lucky.” He lowered his voice. “We can’t talk about this every day, or the guards will suspect. Tomorrow, think about a routine we’ll follow. One that wouldn’t be obvious.” “Of course,” Natasha muttered. She thought back on her counseling and the gradual easing on her mind. Then, she drifted to the potential cure she might have discovered months back. “And yeah, maybe things won’t be so lucky.” Just not sure if I want them to be this time. Espin sure does love games, doesn't he? This time he joins Nyx and the Queen for cards during yard time at ADMAX. They gripe a bit. They scheme a little. We learn that the Queen has been undergoing counseling and isn't sure that she wants to continue a life of villainy, sadface. But for now she's happy to play a nice little card game with the rest of them!
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Post by Coaster on Oct 29, 2016 18:55:23 GMT -5
(The week after the chaos...)As they pulled up to the regional office and Randy made to exit the car, Melody interjected, "Any word from your folks lately?" "Oh--they've been in touch, kind of hands-off about everything, though. Mostly talking about superficial things as if I'd been still staying with them the whole time, but they did mention they would be going to counseling, so that sounds like improvement?" Randy replied with a somewhat tense shrug. "That's something, at least! And relax a bit, I'm sure your appointment will go fine!" The car drove away, and periodically checking the handwritten directions, Randy entered the doors, took the elevator a few floors up, navigated the halls, and, coming to the door marked "V. Cythera", knocked politely. There was no answer, but one end of a phone conversation, amiable yet... somewhat loud, could be heard muffled through the door. 11:23... I guess I am still a bit early, Randy thought, waiting for the conversation to be over before knocking again. This time, the knock was met with a beckon of "Come in, come in!", and Randy did so to be met with the sight of a mostly-orderly room, a much-less-orderly desk strewn with papers, and a slightly exhausted, but still composed and professional and surprisingly young-looking, dark-haired woman assembling a small stack of the papers. "Ah, you must be the one with the special appointment," she said as Randy entered. "My goodness, it has been busy. Apologies for having to reschedule; last week's debacle has created a lot of extra work. Granted, it's likely twice the work for PR and marketing, having to balance both establishments' reputations, but that's a secondary concern at the moment--it is Randy, isn't it? Have a seat." Randy obliged in the seat directly across the desk (finding it odd that Gyro City and Shawarma Shah were owned by the same company), replying, "Uh--yes, ma'am. Just not 'Mr. Clark', please." An odd shadow passed over Ms. Cythera's eyes briefly, and she relaxed her posture slightly. "Fair enough. I take it you were advised to see me by another professional?" "Yes, uh--" Randy stammered, trying to find a comfortable way to reply. "I've... had a lot of trouble with... things, especially lately, and started seeing a counselor, and they recommended I talk to you about it. For work and such, I guess?" Cythera took a long pause, folding her hands in front of her mouth and closing her eyes as Randy sat feeling rather awkward. She opened her eyes again, staring squarely at Randy's, and responded: "Would I be correct to assume that there is more to your counseling than employment concerns? I can only help you if you are honest." Randy remained silent and motionless, save for a lowering head even as a couple tears began to form. Cythera paused again, exhaling slowly, folded her hands onto her desk, and continued softly, "Randy, would you like me to refer to you as 'she'?" Randy's hands clenched her knees, and the tears spilled as she nodded weakly. "And would you accept my offer to help you transition?" Randy lifted her head again, now wearing an expression of surprise. "Not all powers can really be televised, you know," Cythera responded with a small smile. "So, why don't we talk about how you are doing, and make a plan from there?" Randy nodded again, choked slightly on the tears, and replied weakly. "So, um... I still think I'll keep the name Randy, just... short for Miranda." --- "Oh, certainly not--there's no need to put you on medication or send you for surgery--barbaric, really, those leave so much behind; just come back every so often as you and your counselor feel that you are ready for further steps. Ideally, your parents will have come to their senses by then as well, but you're old enough that they have no legal say in any of this." By now, both of them had relaxed substantially, though Randy was visibly shaking with relief. "Y-yes, of course! But, uh... how does it even--where does a superpower like that even come from?" "That," Cythera interjected brusquely, "is my own business. But rest assured that although I am not on television and therefore not a 'superhero', my abilities are registered and the relevant professionals--such as your counselor--are aware of them. Although, that's likely for the best: I will admit that it can be devastating to some, as you would know, to suffer them in less polite circumstances; you could say there's a story of mythological proportions behind that," Cythera concluded with a bit of a smirk at her overt pun. "I guess that makes sense," Randy replied, then paused a bit in thought. "I can't really think of anything else to ask right now, so I don't want to take up too much of your time--but thank you so, so much, and I will see you soon!" "Yes, take care, Randy, and do let me know. In the meantime, I will adjust your Gyro City paperwork to reflect all this. It may be awkward for any customers that recognize you, but we do have a very diverse hiring policy--although, I may need to reconsider the Villainous Day Job program given what happened in the kitchens..." Cythera turned back to the pile of papers, and Randy left, still shaking and eager to share the news with the Hiers. --- (Present day...)"Thank you, sir, have a great day!" Kaysha called cheerily after Cold-Man as the latter took his Mutton Olympus--with a slight double-take at the odd employee who still seemed to be wearing Randy's nametag, whom he hadn't seen for a while--and retreated back to the Jubilee's crowds. "Spicy A'Chiles Combo is ready to go!" Randy chimed in, passing it to the next waiting customer who came back up to the food truck window. "Eeeeee!" Kaysha squealed, giving Randy a tight hug during the next lull in the lineup. "I just can't get over your voice! I don't know if it's your new confidence or Cythera's thing but I'm just so excited for you and you sound so cuuute! And how the dang Woo is your hair so much softer than mine?!" "Probably both," Randy chuckled, trying to release herself from Kaysha's vice grip, "but the hair is probably genetic. More importantly, there's another customer!" "Oh, right, right!" She released Randy and swiveled around and leaned over the counter to greet the customer with even more enthusiasm than usual. "Good day, welcome to Gyro City! What would you like today? Enjoying the Jubilee?" Coaster is self-indulgent; Randy is trans; Gyro City's HR person has superpowers that conveniently come in handy for that purpose.
More relevant to right now, Gyro City has a food truck at the Justice Jubilee! Who's the next customer? Is it you?
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Post by Liou on Oct 29, 2016 18:59:09 GMT -5
“I am not paying for it,” the young man protested again, his blue eyes sharpening with determination. “It’s mine. It’s always been mine!” “I don’t care if it’s yours or the mayor’s, lad!” The shop owner roared. “This bike has been sitting here for weeks now and I’ll have payment for it! You abandoned it kiddo - your loss! The bike is not yours anymore, it’s mine!” “Abandoned it?!” Tim gasped angrily, obviously losing his temper. “I just…! I would never! I left it safely in a train station as it is every man’s right, and you-” he argued. “You stole it! It was not your right to take it!” “I’d never steal it! I’ve never stolen anything in my life, it was handed over to me by the authorities who found your darned bicycle rotting out there!” “Jun!” Timothy yelled in disbelief, “this crook won’t listen to me! Maybe he can hear you? Tell him I did not abandon it!” The taller customer hanging behind Tim stepped forward, suddenly straightening up to their full height. "That sounds fishy to me," Jun told the shop owner calmly. "If the authorities have anything to do with an abandoned bike, it's kept for at least a month for the owner to claim, and we’ve already checked them all. In any case, we can produce dozens of pictures of this guy right here riding this bike, over many months." “Aye, aye we do!” Timothy nodded confidently, turning his head from Zenith to the shop owner. “That bike you got there, man - it’s basically part of me. You can’t imagine how many times it brought me safely home after a hard night. It’s the only bike that survived me drunk.” “You can have the bike!” The shop owner smiled flatly. “For 80.” “Eighty? Eighty friggin’-!” Timothy snapped. “Alright, that’s it, Jun - I’ll reverse this bloke a few hours and we just get the bike and go. He’ll never know, you’re in?” Jun immediately extended an arm and flicked their fingers against Tim’s forehead. “Be good,” they said sternly. They had been inspecting a row of bicycles off to the side, much smaller second-hand bicycles. They seemed somewhat weathered, but very sturdy. Jun put an arm around Tim’s shoulders and gently turned him to face the bikes. “Do you see anything good in these?” they asked quietly. “There’s a great girl we know who deserves a new bike…” “Oh.” He said, his eyes widening at the sight. “Of course. We do know a great girl in terrible need of a bike.” Timothy immediately stepped into the line of bikes and began inspecting each and every one of them “Well, one of these should certainly do - they’re surprisingly in good condition, considering how things run around this place.” “Hey!” The owner hissed. “My shop is the best in this side of Heraclia, you twat!” The old man then grumpily turned to Zenith, realizing they were the only one who would listen to reason. “Can’t you control your boyfriend?! He’s got something wrong his head! First he wants this old dutch bike and now he’s got eyes on the little ones! Tell him he won’t fit on ‘em!” Jun was about to retort angrily at the suggestion of controlling him, when they were distracted by the mental image of Tim riding a child's bicycle. They had to cover their mouth to stifle a fit of giggling. “First off, yeah - I got something in my head, but no - they can’t control me,” Timothy yelled, lost in a sea of handle bars and bicycle wheels. “Second: JUN, I FOUND IT! It’s perfect! Check it out: it’s sky blue! No, swimming pool blue? No, it’s kind of...it’s just blue, and it’s steady and I think it can handle her, because if you think I am a hard-core cyclist...well, wait until you see Mizshu. And there’s a basket on it, too - you think she likes baskets?” "It looks watery to me," Jun said approvingly, leaning to inspect the bike as best they could. "And baskets are good." They straightened up to glance at the shopkeeper again. "Isn't it lucky that you have my man here willing to buy off an old bike? Pity that he'll only buy it if he gets his own one back. All the kids go for flimsier little bikes these days..." Tim’s head perked up at Zen’s comment, he had realized what direction they were heading towards. “Yeah. Quite convenient, no?” he nodded energetically. “And like, this bike man...I don’t think it’s getting sold anytime soon, right Jun? I mean blue bikes are just...not “in” anymore.” The older man's face had taken on a purple tinge. "Let me guess," he grunted. "Now you want two of my bicycles for free? Maybe a limo to drive them home?" "Of course not," Jun said hurriedly. "We’re just giving you an opportunity to get rid of an old thing. For a certain discount." They lowered their voice. "That way, I won't be interested in checking just how abandoned bikes end up in your shop." It took ten more minutes of haggling, yelling, and Jun pacifying Tim, but they eventually made it out of the shop with two bicycles in tow. “Oh, you’re back home at last!” He gloated, grasping the handle bars with a child’s excitement. “I missed you oh so terribly much. I’m so sorry, I’ll never take my eyes off you again…or you, Jun. Don’t be jealous, please - there’s enough of Tim for the both of you.” Gazing at the happy reunion with a fond smile, Jun had to refrain from laughing again. "Oh, I don't know, Tim," they said with a mischievous smile. "I've missed this bike too, you know." Their hand ran slowly up and down the bike's stem. "We might just elope together without you." “Oh grand, first love-triangle that actually works.” He nodded approvingly. “I’d give you a ride but...Mizshu’s bike. Gotta bring it over to...well, wherever she is. Oh, but before we do…” Timothy suddenly halted. His smile stiffened until it faded from his face, and even though his mouth opened the words did not come out immediately. Jun paused at the same time as him, their bright smile soon replaced by a serious gaze as they prepared to listen. “I, uh…” He swallowed. “I need to ask something of you, Jun. You’re not gonna like it, but I...it means...it means a lot to me. I understand if you don’t want to come, but it would mean the world if you could just...be there. With me.” Reaching for his pocket, he pulled out a small note and handed it over to Zenith. “I got this sometime ago. She wants to see me.” He said. “ And no: I am not going because she wants it, I am going because...because I need to. I need to see her. I need to look at her without being...Glitch. Just Timothy. Your dork.” The boy could feel his throat drying up with every word he spoke, until eventually he could no longer find them. All he could do next was to just look at Zenith, and hope they would understand what he meant. They listened silently, taking in his every word until he had stopped. Slowly, Jun leaned in and slid their bicycle-free arm around Tim, drawing him into a hug. "I will be there with you," they told him calmly. Their firm tone belied the tension that they could already feel at the mere idea of Tim facing his abuser again. But he had made his decision. Timothy couldn’t help but relax at Zenith’s response. Once again his smile bloomed and his eyes brightened. “Thanks.” He breathed in. “I want to say ‘hey, it’ll be fun’ but uh...no. Hey, we can still get wasted afterwards! Now we have something to look forward to, ain’t that uplifting?” Jun rolled their eyes slightly and stroked his back. "Yes, we'll get wasted." That means you get wasted while I have a few and navigate you home.“Ooor…” he said, “Let’s go to the Jubilee first, get wasted there, gift Mizshu and then go to jail.” He smiled. “Oh wait, I mean, visit the jail. Or we can go to jail, too - whatever you want, Junebug.” The nickname got a chuckle out of them; they pretended to cringe. "Try not to get wasted before we visit the jail, or right after. It would be too convenient for them to keep you there... Timbear," they said with a cheeky smile. That nickname had come into being when they were tipsy, but now found its way into their usual vocabulary. They leaned their forehead against Tim’s. "I'd like to go to the Jubilee first. To celebrate my favourite hero." “Oh, “Timbear” now, is it?” He repeated in disbelief. “Okay, have it your way. - and yeah, I wanna celebrate Fireflyman, too.” He shrugged playfully and kissed their lips. “Off to the Jubilee, then!” Jun started - he'd caught them first again, darnit - then kissed him back tenderly. It took them a moment to remember where they were and where they needed to go. Once they had changed into their hero outfit, Zenith crept into the festival through one of the walkways at the back. They glanced at Tim, unsure how two celebrities could discreetly smuggle a bright blue bicycle to surprise a third celebrity. They could fly above the crowd to search for Mizshu, but that would immediately gather more fans around them. “Fear not, Zen.” Timothy laughed. “You forgot you’re with the hiding master.” With one hand on the bicycle’s handlebar, he reached for Zenith’s hand. As soon as they touched, the world slowed down around them. “See? No stress.” He shrugged humbly. “Let’s get moving, we got a little girl to find.” Zenith stared open-mouthed at the world in suspension around them. It was not their first time in hyperspeed, but it never ceased to amaze them. “You know, the world always seems to stop when I’m with you, but this is something else,” they laughed while dashing around the festival grounds. They flew as high as they could without letting go of Tim’s hand, gazing at the heads of the crowd, until they pointed at a small figure. “There she is!” Two grinning heroes and a watery blue bicycle suddenly blinked into being right in front of Mizshu. “Shoemaker!” Timothy yelled, “Wir haben etwas für dich!” Dju and Zenith team up together to heroically rescue… Tim’s precious bicycle! They resolve this hostage situation by freeing another bicycle from its prison. They talk about visiting Twillie in her tango cellblock. Then they head to the Jubilee, bringing along a PRESENT for Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) ! @shippers: yes, yes it is sailing. All aboard!
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Post by Celestial on Oct 29, 2016 20:21:02 GMT -5
Tabitha took a train back from ADMAX, stopping briefly at her house to change into her costume for the Jubilee and feed her cats. The house was quiet, and Arthur and Suleiman rushed to her as soon as she opened the door, which indicated that Mizshu had already gone out. Tabitha smiled, scratching the two cats behind their ears. It was nice for Mitzi to go out and have some company, especially since she had said she was meeting up with Dr. Faust earlier, or Auntie Faust as she called her. Perhaps she might even run into them there. Adjusting her hat and checking that her tailcoat was not too covered with cat hair (it had been a mistake to leave it out: she had found Suleiman lounging on it), Tabitha picked up her umbrella and strolled out towards the grounds where te Jubilee was being held. She always enjoyed this particular day of the year. In particular, Tabitha stopped to watch one of the performances that was being held, doing her best to mingle with the crowd, which was quite a feat considering she was dressed in a very recogniseable costume. Nevertheless, it was a mark of a fine actor that even if they saw her, they would do their best to continue with the performance. Though Tabitha's profession was opera, theatre was a large part of it and she thus knew what to look for in an play. This particular play was being done by the Heraclia Amateur Dramatic Society; a fine institution, if a little slapdash in places. She spotted one of the supporting cast shoot a nervous glance her way and immediately seem to pull herself up by the bootstraps, perhaps a little too much. The main lead, however, was doing an excellent job. Not only was their performance smooth but they were engrossed in it completely, hardly aware of the audience and yet displaying an excellent stage presence. They easily had potential, and just before she wandered away at the end of the act, she made sure to leave a note commenting on that. Signed, of course. She wanted to be sure they knew it was authentic. It was then that one of Mr. Sinclair's people caught up to her, handing her a letter. Tabitha raised an eyebrow, wondering what it could be. She ran a glvoed finger through the folded over paper envelope, carefully opening it and producing a note which she began to read. With every phrase, however, her smile grew until she was beaming. Of course she remembered young William at the Waterfall Theatre. Indeed, how could she forget? The young man did indeed have a great deal of potential, especially at his age. It warmed her heart that he had taken the comments so much to heart. Folding it over and placing it into its envelope, Tabitha placed the letter into her inner jacket pocket and left, wondering where to go. As much as she wanted to see another performance, was not going to wander around judging the creative works of others for the whole Jubilee. There were certain people she had to find and ask about the latest gossip. It did not take long, however, before a flash out of the corner of her vision caught her attention. Tabitha turned and grinned widely when she saw not just one or two but three of the people she had wanted to see. Walking up to them, she cleared her throat and smiled widely. "Zenith, Tim, Mitzi, what a pleasure to see you all," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around each one of them in turn. "Have you been keeping him out of trouble or has he been getting you into trouble?" she asked Zenith as she hugged them before turning to Timothy. "You two are such lucky things: most couples can only make time methaphorically stand still. Appreciate it," Tabitha winked at Zenith. "Though I have no doubt you already do." With the mischievous grin still on her face, Tabitha stepped away, looking over them all. "So, what have you been up to this morning, aside from being as sweet as you two usually are together? Don't worry, I won't tell," her eyes hovered over the new bike as realisation dawned on her. Tabitha grinned. "Oh, you two really are sweethearts," she ruffled their hair in turn before turning to Tim. "Continuing the generous streak? I hope you are not doing this out of obligation, Timothy," there was a pause in her speech. "The good doctor says hello, by the way. He is doing as well as could be expected, though he beat me today, if you were curious." Tabitha gets home and after rescuing her costume from the cat, goes to the Jubilee. After being an impromptu theatre critic, and recieving a letter( Reiqua), she spots Zenith( Liou), Tin( Dju) and Mitzshu( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)). She teases the 'ship for a bit (not like that) before noticing the bike and telling Tim that she hopes he is not being generous out of obligation, as well as passing on Espin's hello.
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Post by Shinko on Oct 29, 2016 20:49:35 GMT -5
Soon enough the letters had been delivered to their various recipients, and once again Bill and Ossie set about exploring the festival- together this time. Wheatley trotted at Ossie's heel, occasionally pausing to scarf up a bit of dropped food as his masters talked. "Hey," Ossie said, pausing midstep to point at a large VR projection that had been set to one side of the lane they were travelling down. "Look- they're doing a documentary on old heroes. Wonder if you're in it?" Bill glanced towards the tent, brow raised inquisitively. Abruptly, his heart leapt into his throat as he realized that he recognized the face in the magenta mask looking back at him, smiling confidently from the virtual projection. "Star..." he whispered. Ossie blinked, confused, before understanding dawned over his expression. "That's... Star Prophet, isn't it? They were a hero at the same time as you and Dossier Dame. They..." "Yes," Bill said, looking away. "They're why I decided to become CEO of the network after I retired as Gatekeeper." He watched the VR projection sadly, as the image of Star Prophet opened their eyes wide, the normally brown orbs flaring with brilliant pink light that stood out starkly against their coffee colored skin. The documentary was explaining the hero's power of farsight, to look into the distance and see things going on far away as long as they had a focal point to focus on, usually a person or location they'd seen before. He started to turn away, but before he could, the feed changed to a scene that made his stomach knot. One he'd seen a thousand times before in his nightmares. The villain Saber was standing with his back to a sheer cliff, heroes surrounding him on all sides- Star, of course, as well as Bill in his guise as the Gatekeeper. Mechafalcon flying high in the air beyond the cliff. And a huge, muscular bear of a man in army fatigues. Richter. Bill's jaw clenched. They'd thought they had Saber cornered- and about time too. The man was a lunatic, able to control a pack of werecats and using them to rule the black market of the city by ordering any competition brutally mauled. "Surrender!" Mechafalcon called, his eyes narrowed behind his visor. "We have you surrounded, Saber!" "Oh do you now?" the villain sneered. "Just who has who surrounded, I wonder?" He abruptly stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave a loud, sharp whistle. A loud roar caused the heroes to spin, whereupon they found themselves facing not one, but three of Saber's werecat goons. They grinned ferally, leaping towards their master's tormentors with nails like talons. "Star, stay behind me," the Gatekeeper called, knowing full well that Star Prophet was best suited to play a support role, and couldn't fight very well on their own. As one of the goons was about to close on him, he opened a portal that sent the man careening into the wall of the cliff side. A second came at him from the side, and managed to score a strike across the Gatekeepers cheek before he dropped the man into a portal underfoot that deposited him back up on top of the slope. However, while he was distracted, Saber was already making a break for the hole in the hero's guard. "Richter!" Mechafalcon called- being the oldest of the then current roster of heroes he often took a leadership role in the field. "Cover 'Keeper and Star, I've got Saber!" "What, and let you steal the points again?" the muscled hero demanded. "Just do it!" Star called to Richter, making the big hero grind his teeth. The goons had gotten wise to Gatekeeper's portals, and now they were circling slowly, skipping away from gates opened underfoot and weaving around ones summoned into their path. But whenever the Gatekeeper tried to use a portal to stop Saber's flight, he got a slash across his face. Not waiting to see if Richter would obey his orders, Mechafalcon shot after Saber, both of them soon vanishing around a blind corner. Giving a snarl of rage, Richter rammed towards the villains surrounding the Gatekeeper, sending one of them flying into the wall, and a second careening into Star Prophet. They and the werecat tumbled over and over, stopping just shy of the cliff face. "Hey!" Star called, irate. "Watch what you're doing!" "If you're gonna demand to be saved, don't criticize my methods," Richter shot back. "Teamwork doesn't net any points, you know, I'm doing this out of charity. Now if you two will excuse me, I'm going after the real quarry!" And he'd tried. But it seemed that Saber had truly been prepared, because wave after wave of snarling criminals stopped the trio from getting anywhere. Richter tried to demand that the Gatekeeper portal him away from the fight, but the blonde was far too caught up in his own fight. Too busy trying to protect himself as well as Star, cornered up against the edge of the cliff. "That," Richter snarled finally, "Is enough!" An aura of orange light haloed Richter's body, and realizing what he was about to do, Star called out, "No!" "Richter, stop!" the Gatekeeper howled, his blue eyes flying wide- but it was too late. Richter brough up a single, huge foot, and slammed it back down onto the rocks underfoot. The cliff below the assembled heroes rolled and quaked under the force of the burly hero's stomp, a crack racking through the rocks towards the edge of the drop off. Star barely had time to cry out in fear before the earth beneath them shattered like a glass under the blow of a hammer. " Star!" the Gatekeeper cried, tearing himself free of the werecats and charging towards the side of the cliff. No good to catch a portal under them, they already had too much momentum, they'd still die when they came out the other end. Instead he opened a portal in front of himself, just above their head, and lurched into it just in time to catch their hand with his. "Keepsy," they warbled, using their pet name for the Gatekeeper. "God, d-don't let go, please don't let go!" "I-I have you," the Gatekeeper gasped. "I'm not going to drop you. Y-you're okay." But he could feel his grip slipping. Both of their hands were slick with sweat, and even though he was standing vertically in front of his portal gravity was still working on their end. "R-Richter, get over here, drag-" At the time, all the Gatekeeper had been aware of next was an explosion of splitting pain in the back of his head, a momentary loss of consciousness- and then absolute agony like nothing he'd ever felt before. His memories of what followed were a fog of pain and cold and confusion. But in the VR feed, Bill could see clearly what had happened. He watched helplessly as one of the werecats snuck up behind him, slamming him on the head with a rock. As he blacked out, losing control of his gate so that it closed around his still dangling arm, severing it. Then the feed cut away from him, to watch from a distance as what looked to be a scrap of magenta fabric fell down the side of the cliff. Fell and fell and fell. Bill looked away, blinking hard. Richter had been arrested for manslaughter after that, but the image of Star begging the Gatekeeper to save them had stuck with Bill for months. Years. Shaping him into who he was now, the man who'd sought to reform the way Hero City worked, to show the heroes that teamwork and justice mattered more than victory and self-promotion. "Dad," Ossie said softly. "You told me that Richter never apologized for what he'd done. That he just kept saying it was an accident, that Star was in the way. But... the heroes now work together. They're friends. They risk their lives for one another. Apologize when one of them is hurt. It's like that teacher said- things are different now. Even Tim; he saved me when he couldn't even save himself. Not because it benefited him, but out of compassion." "Yeah," Bill said softly, reaching over to stroke Wheatley's floppy ears. "You're right. Maybe things aren't perfect. But we're growing. Learning." He looked at the gloved hand of his metal arm. "The scars of the past will always be there, but... they're just reminders. Reminders of mistakes not to make again. And we won't. I know we won't." Some backstory and context for Bill Sinclair (featuring Wheatley Avery)
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Post by Draco on Oct 29, 2016 23:48:38 GMT -5
After the events of last season, Kizuna ended up in the hospital for about a week, where he was then transferred to his clinic in care of the dastardly nurse there that ruins all of Kizuna's good times... There he was stuck for another week before she allowed him to move around, but no heroing or using his powers. When he was finally free to do what he wants to do he found he had a new sidekick in fighting crime... Or partner... If she caught him saying sidekick, he would be the one getting a kick... The nurse now followed him around helping out when she could, and she was a formidable foe when she wanted to be... She struck fear into many, including Kizuna... She went by Kizu Nurse, based on Kizuna and the fact she sort of stole his original coat as part of her uniform. Back at the clinic things ran pretty smoothly. Between Kizuna and Kizu Nurse, everything was kept in control like normal. Plus they had the help of Dr. Scrubs as backup. So the clinic stayed calm, relaxing (when Nurse wasn't going on a power trip), and safe for heroes and normals alike to visit. Rumor had it the janitor was secretly training to fight with his mop, but no one can prove it. In Kizuna's spare time he sometimes visited the prison to see the inmates. Mainly to visit Nyx Nightshadow and remind her of their time together. He usually just came to make a few jokes, maybe pinch himself and pass the pain along to her to bother her, and overall just taunt her a bit. She usually just screamed at him, which meant his work was done and he would then leave. Usually while rubbing his arm, which still hurt sometimes. --- And now it was the day of the Jubilee, and Kizuna could be found trying to juggle in his hand as many things of food he could carry. He was a bit of a glutton when it came to the food at the Justice Jubilee. There were treats and snacks that sometimes never appeared in town except for this special occasion, and he made sure he was going to get some. He sat down at a bench with the pile of snacks and treats around him and began to snack. He looked out at one of the game booths, where he "donated" some prizes. And by donate, he dumped a crate or two of his rejected Kizuna Plushies. If he wasn't going to be able to sell them, might as well get rid of them somehow. And hey, these sort of games tended to have goofy knockoffs and stuff anyways, so some possibly possessed dolls weren't going to be given that weird a look, would they? He watches as a doll says something weird and scares a kid... Maybe they would... Kizuna has a lot of recovery time. Gains a sort of unwanted and forced partner... Clinic is running well. He likes to visit the prison to pick on Nyx ( Thorn) --- He's pigging out on food at the Jubilee, and he donated Kizuna Plushies to the game stalls...
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Post by Reiqua on Oct 30, 2016 1:02:04 GMT -5
People say that father-son time is a beautiful thing to watch, but poor Andrea had no idea what to do with herself as the two Sinclairs had their moment. At least Bill seemed to have received her comments well? Fortunately the two men didn't seem to need her to contribute, so once she had the assurance that her class' letters would be delivered, she went on her way leaving Bill and Oswald to enjoy the festivities together. She supposed it shouldn't surprise her too greatly that Sinclair - a man who'd already shown himself forgiving and good hearted - might also have his moments of being a good father. Miss Marković wandered somewhat aimlessly through the bewildering variety of stands. She paused for a moment to watch a young boy crying and clinging to his mother whimpering something like "I don't like it mummy!" His mum picked him up and gave him a hug even though he was strictly speaking a little too big for that. "I think we might have to take our game tokens somewhere else, sorry" she said to the stand operator, not unkindly. The owner didn't look too pleased though as his potential customers walked away. Behind him a dilapidated plush toy was squawking "Let me take away the paiiiin..." *** Elsewhere in the carnival, William watched fascinated as a caricaturist completed yet another portrait. The gentleman who was his subject roared with mirth when he saw how he'd been portrayed and showed it around to his companions. It was a good likeness. Though to look at the gentleman you'd hardly have noticed that his jaw was quite so prominent, or that his eyebrows quite that thick. "Go now, sweetie," Nicola whispered to William, "before he's got another customer." Breaking away from his mum, William darted up to the artist and began asking him about his work. The older man's eyes crinkled in a smile at the boy's enthusiasm. "The key is not to look at the face as a face," he told the boy, "you've got to look at the individual parts that make up the face. That's when you see what stands out, and what doesn't, and that's what you draw your picture about." William's eyes were wide, he nodded wordlessly, resolving to try it out when he got home. Though performing arts were William's main interest, he was always on the look out for other outlets for his creativity. "Of course, I do have a bit of an advantage," the old man said, "since I have prosopagnosia." William was about to ask what prosopagnosia meant when the next group of customers approached - a gaggle of chattering teenagers who pushed forth a boy looking to be about 15 or 16. William, a quick learner, noticed the youth's ears protruded more than the average person's and thought he knew at least one feature of the caricature that was about to be drawn! He slipped back to join his mother and they set off together to explore more of the carnival. "Mum, what's proso... prosopagonscia...?" he asked as they walked. "I dunno sweetie, would you like me to look it up?" William nodded. Nicola took out her phone and pulled up Woogle, trying to determine the spelling of proso-whateveritwas. She allowed herself to be guided by her son, not really looking where she was going. Then suddenly her son stopped short and pulled on her sleeve way more violently than was strictly necessary. "Look mum!" he whispered intensely, "it's Miss Kingsley, look, she's right there!" Nicola looked in the indicated direction and there indeed was Miss Kingsley. In fact this seemed to be a veritable hub of superheroes - Mizshu, Zenith and Glitch were all standing around chatting to Miss Kingsley as well. "Do you think I can go and say hi mum?" asked the little boy earnestly. "Of course, dear," smiled his mother, "that's what today's all about, isn't it?" But still the boy hesitated. "Would you like me to come with you?" Nicola asked. William simply nodded. Then taking his mum's hand he pulled her in the direction of his favourite superhero. There was a lull in the conversation and he pulled his hand away from his mother's (it wouldn't do to be seen to be a baby) and extended a hand towards Miss Kingsley instead to introduce himself. "Miss Kingsley," he said like a proper little gentleman, "Nice to meet you, my name is William," Miss Marković leaves her chat with the Sinclairs and walks past a game stall trying to flog some CreepyKizu™ plush toys ( Draco ). Meanwhile William watches a caricaturist with prosopagnosia. (It's congenital prosopagnosia, Moni, since I'm sure you'd want to know - rare, but it exists) This is mostly because I realise I've done very little character building with many of the kids since there are just too many of them! FYI, we have met William before (very, very briefly here), and we've met his mum here. Point is, William then goes on to spot his favourite superhero and greatest role model, Tabitha Kingsley ( Celestial ) Also present: Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) , Dju , Liou
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Post by Pixie on Oct 30, 2016 1:44:40 GMT -5
Scaletta was at the Justice Jubilee with Cornelia wrapped snuggly around her arms, her saxophone resting in a proper harness, and a calm expression on her face. She had been ready for the festival for a long while. She was in uniform and in her environment. The musician liked crowds, especially when the crowds were so joyful and eager to greet their celebrities. She fell into the comfortable rhythm of mingling with fans, shooting smiles at those still lukewarm to her, those who hadn’t forgiven her for the things she quietly regretted, encouraging children and adults alike who, in spite of it all, seemed to look up to her, to follow the paths that their hearts led them along. She had plenty of time after the major confrontation with the villains to have replaced her torn-up clothing and carefully mend her coat and mask. She set her scales shining at a cheerful brightness in hot pink, purple, and green, although calibrating the the pink to be the exact same shade as her lipstick had been a bit tricky. Music note clips kept her hair off her face and her mask, displaying the scar and all of the brilliant scales. She nibbled on a warm pretzel she purchased from a street vendor, and surveyed the crowd see what Salamandy was up to at the Jubillee. Instead she laid eyes on Zenith, Glitch, Mizshu, and Tabitha, all gathered together. It had been wonderful that Glitch had been freed from what had taken him, and that all their lives had changed for the best in other ways over the past few months. She still felt unnerved around him, though, and had to consciously stop herself from merging the version of him who was really him, and had free will, with the version that didn’t and had hurt her badly. Nonetheless, she shook off the irrational feelings and walked closer towards the group. Tabitha seemed to be teasing the couple. It was good to see them getting along. Scaletta realized that everyone there had been kind to her. Tabitha and Zenith had been forces of reassurance, Mizshu had healed her, and Glitch had given her something to fight against when she was turning against herself. She decided to take a short break from chatting with fans to greet them, and maybe save the poor couple from further embarrassment while she was at it. As she made her way to the group, a young boy also approached. Scaletta waited for him to speak, and after he introduced himself as William, engaged him with along with the heroes. “I’m glad to see all of you here” Scaletta said warmly, holding out the corn snake towards the other heroes and the boy, “Cornelia says ‘Hi.' If you want to pet her, I got sanitizer in my coat in case you want fair food after. Are you enjoying the Jubilee? How’d you like some music?” Scaletta is having a good time at the Justice Jubilee mingling with fans. While trying to track down her partner Rabbit ♠ in the crowd, she spots Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) , Dju , Liou , Celestial , and Reiqua 's William. She joins them, greeting them and offering permission to pet Cornelia if they want, and saxophone music.
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on Oct 30, 2016 10:12:55 GMT -5
Mattress Comet and Fireflyman wandered around the Justice Jubilee, hands entwined, greeting fans and well-wishers on the upcoming season. Fireflyman seemed oblivious that his lips were smeared purple. A letter was delivered to Mattress Comet, and she opened it and read before showing it to Fireflyman. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she asked, “I need to find a camera and reply to this.” It felt a odd looking for a camera, but she wanted this to be face-to face. After she found one, she situated herself in front of it and read the letter out loud. She looked up, smiling at the camera. “Harald, I’m so glad to have received your letter! Yes, it does hurt when I get walked on, especially by high heels. That’s a lot of force concentrated in one small surface. I can actually hear when I’m flat! Initially I couldn’t, and I had to practice a lot to get to this point. Something I still haven’t figured out how to do while flat is speak.” She glanced back down at the letter before looking up again. “As to how I became flat in the first place--it wasn’t from eating flat food. You should eat the fruits your parents give you, fruit is good for you. My favorite fruit is mango! No, the first time I went flat I was being nice to my brother. He was in trouble with our parents and they wouldn’t let him have a cookie after dinner, and that made him very sad. They put the cookies up way high, but I’ve always been a great climber and I could get to them anyway. I got my brother a cookie and it made him happy. When I left him I was running my hand along the wall, but suddenly it was like the wall wasn’t there. I looked at the wall and saw my arm flat against it, and stuck! I started crying because I didn’t know what was happening, and I called out for my parents. They didn’t know what to do either, and my brother came to see what was wrong and he started crying too. Our parents gave us both cookies and after we had calmed down I managed to remove my arm from the wall. I remember my mother picked up a copy of that ‘So your child is a metahuman’ book, and started working with me on training my ability. So while I don’t necessarily recommend stealing cookies for your siblings, do be kind to others. You never know what might happen!” Comet and Fireflyman are at the festival together, and Comet gets some fanmail ( Reiqua) she decides to reply to in front of a camera.
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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Oct 30, 2016 12:59:28 GMT -5
It’s strange how things can happen in the blink of an eye. One moment, Mizshu was racing here and there leaving a somewhat exhausted Dr. Faust in the dust of the crowd, and the next, she was stopped at the sight of Timothy and Zenith and almost crashed right into the former. It wouldn’t be the first time she'd done that, but still. Mizshu screamed, startled at the sudden appearance of the two. “Shoemaker!” Timothy yelled, “Wir haben etwas für dich!” Mizshu blinked, startled yet again. “Nicht war?” she replied on instinct, recalling the language of her parents before seeing the prettiest blue bike she’d ever laid eyes on. Her jaw dropped. "No. WAY...is it..for...?...” A subtle pause of confirmation was all the girl needed. The smile across her face seems to crackle as it spread across her face like a shift in hard, dry earth. Mitzi became a tiny storm, squealing and squeezing Timothy, Zenith, Dr. Faust, that poor guy who was just trying to eat a candy apple--it was eerily similar to how a child of her apparent generation would react to the latest gadget on Christmas morning. Mitzi’s excitement was tapered by the arrival of Tabitha. Upon seeing her, Mitzi straightened up her back and lowered her frenzy to trembling and a wave in her direction, her joy tainted by fear of not having told Tabitha where she'd run off to. "Zenith, Tim, Mitzi, what a pleasure to see you all," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around each one of them in turn. Hugs from Tabitha were the BEST. Hugging her back, Mitzi instantly relaxed a little. Maybe the girl did tell her she’d be with Auntie Faust and forgot that she'd mentioned it in the first place. Tabitha noticed Mitzi’s new bike and grinned. "Oh, you two really are sweethearts," she said, ruffling Zenith’s hair. Mizshu privately rolled her eyes. Adults. "Continuing the generous streak?” Tabitha turned to Timothy. “I hope you are not doing this out of obligation, Timothy," she warned. “Obligation?” Mizshu puzzled. “We've been hanging a lot but he and Zenith always beat me at running. And we don't owe each other anything.” Mitzi shrugged. “If anything, this came out of the blue!” Mizshu paused for a few seconds, realizing the color of her bike, then laughing at her own pun. Just then, Scaletta wandered by, stopping by her group of heroic friends, as did a child somewhat smaller than Mizshu. He walked over to Tabitha and introduced himself, making Mizshu's heart feel a little warmer than before. “I’m glad to see all of you here,” Scaletta said warmly, holding out the corn snake towards the other heroes and the boy, “Cornelia says ‘Hi.' If you want to pet her, I got sanitizer in my coat in case you want fair food after. Are you enjoying the Jubilee? How’d you like some music?” Mitzi’s eyes widened. “That's your snake isn't it?” She crooned, giving Cornelia a gentle scratch between the eyes. “And of course I'd like some music!” Mizshu gestured grandly to the festival before them all. “No better time or place, I'd say!” (Later) Mitzi pulled off yet another hair-covered sheet off the lint roller, attacking Tabitha’s couch once more with great ferocity. Those cats were good at what they did, but Mitzi was better. The girl knew very well to be wary of the coffee table in case she accidentally broke it, but today she saw a letter on top of it...addressed to her! Throwing caution and rules to the wind, Mitzi began to read and had to steady herself on the very glassy coffee table just to keep from falling. Dear Mizshu,
I am your biggest Fan! I love Watching you on Hero city and i was so sad wen you dident win this Seazon. i write a fanfiction that has you in it. its called “The Amayzing adventures of sally Mae” and you can find it by Typing it into woogle if you want to reade it. (I cheked and it works) It mite be intresting for you cos then you could see yore Powers from a diffrint Perspective. It also has a girl colled Sally mae (obviosly) and she is a hero Caracter that i made up. I think you would like her.
Love from your Biggest fan, Jo
There was so much to get used to about this hero business...but...someone, evidently a much younger child, was able to look up to Mitzi so much that she even wrote about her. Mitzi stared at it and read the letter over and over. Mitzi stared at it and read the letter over and over. Mitzi stared at it and read the letter over and over. A piece of fan mail. Mizshu squealed--right out loud. After reading the story on her smartdevice and blushing while laughing at its charming points, Mitzi wasted no time. She dumped several sheets of paper and a few colored pencils on the coffee table. Surely Tabitha would understand the reason for the mess. With that settled, Mitzi began to write… Dear Jo,
Thank you for such a great letter! It really made my day. Winning the show really isn't everything though (I'm actually surprised at how close I came because...well you saw what I was like in the beginning.) It's good to have friends by your side. I loved your story and how helpful Sally Mae was throughout the story. You should definitely keep writing. I'd say your story was a great example of serenity serendipity. (I'm learning big words just like you are). Thanks again for the letter that was really nice of you.
Your friend, Mizshu Just then, Mitzi heard the door click open and rushed back to the couch, pretending to fall asleep on it to avoid incoming trouble… Mitzi loses her marbles over the bike and hugs Timothy ( Dju), Zenith ( Liou), Dr. Faust ( Moni), and a poor hapless stranger or two. She then pets Scaletta’s ( Pixie) snake, enchanted by this really cute animal. Mitzi thinks she's going to get in trouble with Tabitha ( Celestial), but she doesn't. Several hours later at Tabitha’s, Mitzi does a bit of fur cleaning before she notices Jo’s( Reiqua) letter. Mitzi replies right away with a letter of her own, writing on the extremely glassy coffee table. As someone (probably Tabitha) walks in, Mitzi pretends to be asleep on the couch to avoid trouble, leaving both letters in plain sight. also no I meant the character Sally Mae let's make that clear ahaha
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Post by Reiqua on Oct 30, 2016 14:49:32 GMT -5
Carved into the mountainside above Heraclia, nearing the top of the waterfall there stood a spacious, well-appointed house. Actually, several spacious, well-appointed houses stood here, but in the particular spacious and well-appointed house in question, Catriona Woodward, CEO of a successful marketing firm and mother of Harald Woodward, was standing at the gleaming granite worksurface of her kitchen bench, chopping pumpkin. Of course the maid could have done the work of making the pumpkin soup, but Catriona enjoyed using her temprablend and couldn't see why the maid should have all the fun of doing so. The polished floorboards beneath Catriona's feet smoothly transitioned to the lush beige carpet of the lounge room where her robotic vacuum cleaner was working its way across the floor - on the quietest setting so as not to interfere with the TV. Fortunately, Harald was not lying on the floor just now. The vacuum cleaner, while adept at navigating furniture, seemed to have trouble when encountering an irregular, child-shaped lump on the floor and it didn't clean quite as effectively. Today was the day of the Justice Jubilee. Needless to say, taking Harald there was entirely out of the question. He did not do well with crowds, or loud noises, or bright colours, or... let's just say carnival's weren't really his thing. But the TV was still tuned to Hero City Network - the paid version of course, in the on-season this meant they enjoyed watching complete coverage without adds, in the off season it just meant they got to watch wall-to-wall reruns without adds if they wanted to. Today of course, the network was covering the celebrations at Justice Jubilee, the footage played unobtrusively in the background while Harald knelt at the coffee tables, narrating some imagined interaction between his Mattress Comet and Fireflyman toys in an inaudibly high-pitched, squeaky voice. Suddenly Harald's head snapped up as Mattress Comet appeared on the screen, reading a letter. His letter. Wiping her hands on a teatowel, Catriona wandered out of the kitchen to sit beside her son on the couch. Even on her day off and holding a teatowel, the CEO looked about as pristine and proper as her spotless kitchen. Mattress Comet finished reading the letter, then looked directly at the camera and smiled. "Harald, I’m so glad to have received your letter!" she said. Harald launched himself across the couch and clung to his mother like a koala. Extricating an arm or two from his grip, she squeezed him tightly back and felt him relax a little. The boy listened in stunned silence, his eyes sparkling with delight. Though when the super reached her part about "fruit is good for you," Catriona noticed her son's eyes closed and knew that that meant he had closed his ears to that particular section. Slowly, she became aware of his teeth biting into her shoulder and gently but firmly released them before he could bite too hard. She located the chewy pendant around his neck and gave him that to gnaw on instead. When Mattress Comet finished her speech, mother and son sat in blissful silence for a moment. "Did you write that all by yourself?" Catriona asked Harald, giving him an affectionate squeeze. She took the silence to mean 'yes'. After several long minutes more in which she resolved to look up the scene and download a recording of it in HD (VR if she could find one), she set about the process of extricating herself from Harald's firm grip so she could go back to chopping her perfect pumpkin in her perfect kitchen. She must show this to Grant when he got back from work at the bank this afternoon too. Gah, why is ASD so hard to write?? Because you're ignorant and have very little personal experience of autism, ReiquaRegardez Harald. Harald is at home watching Justice Jubilee when he sees Mattress Comet's response to his letter ( The Scrac that Smiles Back ). He likes it xD (Harald was first introduced here, and we saw his father (and mother) here.) I'll post again with William soon, just wanted to give Celes a chance to respond first. Also Cassie, I might see if I can squeeze in a reaction from Jo, but I'm a bit busy from now until the deadline so no promises. I'm sure she loves Mizshu's letter, though!! xD
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