What Happened in The Dalles

[Quiver]

'This is cool! This is so, freakin' cool!' Which was why she pressed the button on the camera five or six times, rather than just the one. Lyla wasn't nervous or trembling or anything; she just wanted to make sure she could preserve this moment forever.

Scribblers question made her falter though, for just half a second. Lyla looked at her. Was she mad?

No, that was dumb.Scribbler looked the same as any other epic. Better, actually, if Lyla was being honest. Most epics didn't know they were the subjects of photography, or expressed irritation at it. Scribbler was actually taking an interest.

Super. Best. Friends. Forever.

"Cool stuff, mostly," she said. Shiny had suggested letting her enthusiasm shine through, so she didn't bother trying to play it non-chalantly.

"My mom and dad used to be big fans of, like, nature walks and stuff. I guess that kind of rubbed off on me a little? So, you know, trees and flowers and animals and stuff. That's pretty cool. I mean, I don't really get a lot of time when I can go out and get photos of that stuff, but when I can, that's kind of cool."

It was also the kind of thing she wouldn't normally admit to liking, but she was already feeling connected with Scribbler. She was sure the feeling was mutual.

"But mostly, it's epics. I mean, I'm your biggest fan. Not you, specifically -I mean, you, specifically, are awesome!- but epics, in general, Ya know? You guys are so cool! I mean, I was thinkin' it would be kind of cool to join the guard, and get to work with you guys all the time. That would be so awesome! I mean, for a Vanilla, anyway. So I used to try and get the guard to pose for photos and stuff too, but they kept actin' like I was getting in their way and all, so, yeah. Mostly epics.

"Wasn't there a cat around here?" She started scouting the room for Games unfortunate pet. "We should absolutely get a photo with it too!"

[Edgedancer]

It seemed like even with Shiny Sparkle looming over them, the two girls were starting to bond. Granted, they had their awkward moments but both of them put an earnest effort into becoming friends. As touching as it was, it also felt like something he shouldn’t be watching. Plus he ought to get back to his patients. What worried him however was leaving them alone with Shiny Sparkle. Right now the Epic was jumping around behind him and musing about how adorable Lucy and Lyla were and how she wanted to give Lucy some advice on taking Lyla on a stroll through nature. Her intentions didn’t seem to be malicious but that wasn’t the same as them being pure.

Given that Lyla was already searching for her, there was only one solution. Baxter called Neko. The cat quickly emerged from wherever she was resting and greeted Baxter with a burble, as if he should appreciate her postponing whatever she was doing for his sake. Getting petted was luckily an accepted form of gratitude.

“Alright Neko, I want you to keep an eye on the two girls,” Baxter said to his cat, keeping his voice low enough to keep the others from hearing. “Make sure Shiny Sparkle holds a reasonable distance to them, alright?” He finished while gesturing at the Epic. She gave an agreeing mew and sauntered off towards the girls.
Raising his voice a bit so the others could hear him Baxter said, “Lucy, I’m going back to check on the patients. I’ll count on you to keep us save,” he told her with a friendly smile. “I’m not sure if you want to stay in position here or come along but feel free to tell me if anything’s amiss.”

Just as he finished talking, Neko reached Lucy and brushed herself against the girl’s leg. Then she mewed at Lyla, signaling her that she would be allowed to come closer. In about the same moment, Shiny Sparkle appeared behind Lucy and moved in to hug her but was distracted by grumbling originating from the cat at her feet.

“All right, all right, you can cuddle with them for now but I get to pet you whenever I drop by here again.” With that, Shiny Sparkle had apparently made a deal with his cat and slightly backed off from Lucy. It seemed like Neko would manage.

[Quiver]

"So. Cute."

Cute wasn't normally a word Lyla would be caught dead using, but it looked like Shiny was having an effect on worming her way into the girls vocabulary. Beside, was there really a better word for describing the way the cat was prowling around the epic?

For a very brief second, Lyla felt an odd sort of kinship with Neko. She squatted, staring at the cat. 

"I always wanted a pet," she said. She sounded as enthusiastic as ever, but there was something just slightly different about it. Her voice, her eyes and her smile were lacking that manic quality from before, replaced with...something else.

"I mean, I begged my parents," she added. "Like, literally, straight-up begged. Like, it could be my birthday present. Or a Halloween present. Or a Christmas present. Or a Hannukha present. I musta learned, like, every holiday on the calender so I could suggest it at them. Musta worked too, 'cause they said yes! There was this puppy I was thinkin' of getting. Or maybe a rabbit. But then..."

But then Calamity happened, and a pet didn't really seem that important anymore. And then Koschei happened, and- 

"So, hey, I can pet it right?" she said, looking up at Lucy. Her voice jumped up an octave again, that light sparking back into her expression. 

"I mean, to be straight-up, kinda jealous right now! Guess this shows cats are smart, if they make a beeline straight for the epics, huh?" 

She didn't really wait for permission; Lyla never really waited for anything. She reached out to pet the animal behind the ears. Whatever that tone a moment ago had been -pensieve? Reflection?- it was gone now; Lyla probably wouldn't have been able to say what it was, if she had even noticed.

[Edgedancer]

Never make a deal with a cat. Shiny had already learned that lesson but here she was again. Those furry animals just mercilessly exploited her weakness for soft and sensual cuddling sessions. How could anyone resist an ultimate life form that has weaponized cuteness itself to enslave humanity? Now she was stuck simply watching Lyla being caught up to by the sadness of her past.

Shiny could relate to that feeling. There wasn’t anything worse than feeling lonely, without anyone caring about you, pretty much unnecessary to the world. Having someone to cuddle helped with that. Someone that wanted to be close to you and returned the affection. Pet cuddling is an essential step for ensuring the mental health of children.

At least she had a good cat with her. Neko leaned into the petting and nestled herself more against Lyla, her purrs filling the room. The cat did a good job but Shiny couldn’t just do nothing right now. Lyla had unofficially been declared apprentice cutey, leaving her on her own was unacceptable… but how to cheer somebody up without extensive physical contact?

“So, uhm, Lyla,” Shiny said, her arms feeling like they should be hugging someone right now, “I could get you a pet next time I visit the Dalles. It might take a while for me to find something fitting but I’m sure any animal would be delighted to be owned by such a darling like you. Do you want your big sis Shiny to search for a puppy for you?”

[Quiver]

A puppy wasn't exactly the kind of gift Lyla would want from an epic, but it was still a gift from an epic, and a gift from Shiny. That was still amazing.

But something about what Shiny said nagged at the girl, something that put a dampener on the enthusiasm she should have been feeling. 

"Visit?" She looked up at Shiny. Her brow and lips creased into a confused frown.

"Your next visit? You're visiting?"

[Assassin in Burgundy]

First post ever on this RP. Hope I don't screw it up.

   Florist sat cross legged in the middle of serenity. His plants grew all around him, their green leaves casting shadows all around the clearing. Outside, a war was raging. But inside, there was peace. He sighed. Why can't all people be like this? He thought. Epics and vanillas fought over food and supplies. Both were complete idiots. They would rather shed blood over a limited supply of necessities then take the time to simply grow their own. Fruit trees, to grow food. Certain herbs, to heal the wounds caused by pointless fighting. Idiots, Florist thought.   

   He heard a whirring, and then a shatter.  Florist turned, and hissed, a feral, animal sound. One of the bombs that had been launched had landed, tearing through his trees and plants. He scrambled backward, putting distance between the device of chaos that had shattered the peace in his garden. He went onto his knees, not breaking eye contact with the bomb, and dug his hand into the ground, scooping up soil. Florist was reminded of a song he had learned when he was younger, before Calamity. 

   This is the Law of the Jungle. 

   He held up his hand, and gazed into the mound of soil. A small vine sprouted, fueled by his powers. 

   As old and as true as the sky.

   The vine grew, twisting, splitting, and speared the ground, runners splitting out from the vine, towards the bomb. 

   The wolf that shall keep it may prosper.  

   The vines crawled across the ground, sinuous and silent. It reached the device, and wrapped around it. 

   But the wolf that shall break it must die. 

   The vines split again and again, encasing the bomb. They constricted, and crushed it with an audible crunch. 

   As the creeper that strangles the tree trunk. 

   Florist was not done. The roots of the vine sank deep into the ground, and pulled the hunk of metal into the ground. 

   The Law runneth forward and back.  

   The ground swallowed the remnant of the bomb. All that was left was a scar of fresh dirt, where chaos had touched his peace. 

   For the strength of the pack is the wolf. 

   Florist wasn't strong enough. If he wanted peace for his garden, he could not do it alone. He would need help. 

   And the strength of the wolf-

   He let the soil in his hand drop. He would help the City Guard. He stood up, and strode out of his garden. There was chaos outside, but there was also hope.

   -Is the pack. 

Edited December 27, 2016 by Assassin in Burgundy
Added icon

[Edgedancer]

(Colaborational post from Quiver and I)

“Well yes,” Shiny said, ”I mean you know how it is, you can’t stop the wind of passions from blowing towards its next faithful encounter. Don’t worry though, I’m not going to stay away from an adorable little darling like you for long. Calamity, I couldn’t manage if I tried.”

"I'm not adorable! I'm like, sixteen!" Lyla's expression shifted from cautious to.. not quite angry. Or not just angry. The conflict was strange, on the face of such a simple girl. 

Deal with the cat be sparked, Shiny teleported right in front of Lyla and scooped her up in her arms. “Listen here Sweetie,” Shiny said, “this has nothing to do with your age. Every good woman is adorable, sparks, I am adorable.” Gently, Shiny cupped the side of Lyla’s face. “So when I call you adorable, I’m praising you as a woman, particularly one I could cuddle to no avail, so heads up darling, okay?”

The adorability wasn't Lyla's point, exactly. She wasn't entirely sure what her point was, come to think of it. What she did know was that suddenly, the prospect of Shiny cuddling felt cloying and fake. Like the other adults of the Dalles.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," she muttered, her tone dropping to a moodiness... if not an outright sulk. 

It appeared that a slightly more disciplinary hand was required with Lyla. Shiny grabbed her face in both of her hands. “Look here, you can’t just go pouting all the time. An adorable girl has a responsibility to her own cuteness and that means you should smile instead of pout. If you want something, just try asking me with puppy eyes instead.”
 

'Except I never got a puppy so I don't know what they're like.' But that was just Lyla being stubborn and obstinate. 

But fine...asking. Being direct about it. She couldn't manage the look Shiny wanted, but she could make the request:

"Take me with you."

“There you go,” Shiny said and proudly beamed at Lyla. “Okay, how about this, I still need to get stuff done, so I’ll go and do that while you pack your things and I get you tomorrow, okay?”

So her little Lyla was already in the age where she wanted to go wild and sow some oats. There was none better than her big sister to show her a road trip like no other.

"Wait, seriously? Seriously? Seriously?"

The moodiness evaporated, replaced with wide-eyed shock...then wide-eyed enthusiasm. 

Lyla had just thrown it out there, a random shot in the dark. Given how Shiny was aband- leaving for a while, she hadn't thought she'd say yes. She had almost expected a lecture, the kind she got from any Dalles authorities when it came to expressing her interests, about responsibility and growing up first and blah blah blah

She knew she should have had faith in her big sister.

"Yes," she said quickly, as if Shiny would take the offer back. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

“Wonderful, I’ll get you tomorrow then,” Shiny said before pressing a kiss on Lyla’s cheek and teleporting away. Back home Shiny dressed herself for her trip to Portland, who know with how well the day was going she might get lucky.

[Quiver]

Lyla stood in the clinic, stock still with bewilderment. She couldn't hear anything over the sound of her blood pumping. Which was strange, because she was certain - undeniably, unquestionably certain - that her heart had skipped a beat. 

She was, probably, dead. After all, an epic had just agreed to...she wasn't even sure what to describe it as, she didn't have the words, it was a minor miracle she wasn't hyperventilating on the floor. 

Lyla Robins had met multiple epics. Lyla Robins had befriended and had a conversation with actual epics. And Lyla Robins was about to go on a...a road trip with a flesh and blood epic. 
Lyla Robins, clearly, was in heaven.

Shock began to wear off, and when it dud, the girls legs gave out. She collapsed against a wall, eyes welling with tears as a strange, almost crazed laugh slipped out.

A day. She had a whole day to prepare. She should probably be getting on with that, but it wasn't as if she had a huge amount of personal effects to manage anyway. 
This was the best day of her life. Until tomorrow.

'Packing,' she reminded herself again. Okay, so she didn't have a lot of personal effects, but she had some. She tugged at her one of her pig tail's, practically quivering. She had some clothes that needed packing, obviously. Her photo collection (and her secret photo collection), she should probably say good-bye to some people-
(She shoved that last thought to the back of her mind quickly, ignoring the implicit, painful question of 'Like who?')
Point was, she couldn't spend the whole day loafing around. What if she didn't get everything packed, and was late, and Shiny left without her?

She scrambled to her feet, practically bounding out of the clinic.

She managed to get a few blocks away from the clinic before she couldn't hold it in anymore. She managed to hold it together long enough to duck into an alley - if people saw her giggling in the middle of the street, they might think she was weird - before doubling over, planting her hands on her knees and laughing.

She didn't stop herself this time; she laughed, laughed, and laughed. She felt like bouncing on the heels of her feet; she felt like her knees were weak.

She had thought the day had gotten off to a good start with all the Panda's; such a strange, cool thing, the same kind of off-kilter weirdness that the pig-tailed girl loved. She'd snagged a few pictures of the invasion, thinking she could have used it to convince people she was a bona fide epic lorist. Instead, it would be a forever tribute to the fourth-best thing to happen in the Dalles-

Fourth-best. The number one thing was something she couldn't talk about too openly. Second-best was Shiny's offer. Third was meeting Scribbler...
And all at once, the fact that Lyla had left Scribbler alone in her haste to get packing rushed back.

Oh Calamity. She had just abandoned her in Games' clinic, hadn't she? Well, she had had to, she had to go get ready, but it would still be bad if Scribbler thought badly of her because of it.
No, no way. Scribbler was cool; she'd totally understand how big a deal this was, and how important it was that Lyla get all her stuff ready. She'd understand what a huge opportunity this was for Lyla.
Heck, given the way things were going...

She cast an optimistic eye up, inviting the god in the sky to do... [isomething[/I].

After a few moments - her mood only slightly squashed by the fact that Calamity still hadn't made her an epic - she turned back to what she needed to do.

Packing, she decided firmly. She didn't have much in the world, and less of it was precious to her; her camera, her tattered hoodie, the photographs. She'd need to take a change of clothes or two, but the rest, the government of the Dalles was welcome to. Did she need to return that stuff, or would they send someone to collect it?

Get the photos produced, she realized, adding that to her checklist. She stopped, frowning.
Actually, that one might have been a problem. She needed to get the film in her camera developed; she was starting to run out. No doubt Shiny would be taking her to interesting places and to meet interesting people - what was the epic she mentioned, Skinny Dipper? - and if they were half as open and friendly and amaztastic as Shiny, they were sure to want their pictures taken. And of course they were going to be all that; they were epics.

It wasn't the first time when a digital camera might have made more sense. But getting film printed was trouble either way, and the camera around her neck had a sentimental value that exceeded it's battered frame and semi-cracked lens.

She was getting distracted. She was very distractable. Point was, she was going to need to get the film processed and fast. And if she was going to try and get something fast tracked, that probably meant appealing to some authorities.
At which point, the question became exactly who would be the most sympathetic to her situation. And - for that matter - who she felt like spending more than five minutes in a room with.

After a few minutes thought, the answer came in a spark. Okay, she might not be an epic, but her name was close enough to one. And Glass could be pretty shiny, if you viewed it in the right light.
Well, okay, that was a bit of a stretch. After all, as Autumn constantly reminded people, she was not, in fact, an epic; by definition she wouldn't be as 'shiny' as Shiny Sparkle. Stlll, she was probably Lyla's best chance at getting what she wanted, the person least likely to chastise and berate the photographer.

Still, even Autumn would probably need to be approached carefully about it. Even if she was nice -for a vanilla- and cool -for a vanilla- she was still just a vanilla. She was barely more likely to help Lyla than the likes of Vondra, but only barely. She considered for a second, then pulled the her pigtails out, letting the hair drop around her shoulders. She preferred the pig tails - Shiny seemed to, too - but long hair looked more "adult", grown-up and mature. That would probably be a better place to be bargaining from.

I could say I had some cool photos of the pandas, she thought, walking towards the church. It wasn't even a lie; photos of epics were the kind of thing the authorities in the Dalles would like. That would be a good way to start talking about things.

All I have to do is play it cool. Autumn was a total soft touch, a typical grown-up. She flashed a smile at the guards outside the church, turning her strategy over in her head as she was waved into the office. She even took a moment to straighten up her hoodie, to clean some of the scruff and dirt from of her camera. Cool and mature. Like a war photographer or something? Yeah, totally like that. I can do that.

After a few minutes, she pushed her way into the office, grinning.

"Hi miss Gla-" Wait, Autumn, I should totally call her Autumn, 'cause then we're peers.' "Hi Autumn! So, hey, I was wondering if I could- "

In retrospect, she maybe should have checked if Autumn was alone before talking. In hindsight, she should have asked if Autumn was in a meeting. Looking back at this later, she would probably hit herself for not thinking about what to do if Autumn was talking to the likes of Vondra or Arsenal.

It was a good thing the camera was looped around her neck; if it wasn't, she would have dropped it to the Church floor. Her jaw dropped, pupils dilating, and all thoughts rushed out of her head.
Well, almost all. There was one which didn't, and she quickly gave voice to that one.

"Holy calamity it's Vapour Snake." Her tone was flatter than it should have been, coming face to face with another epic in the space of so many hours.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Quiver

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Getting formal approval from Vondra took surprisingly less time than Autumn thought it would have. 

The Commander wasn't haphazard or rushed. He didn't skip any steps or soften his questions. But neither did he linger, turning one question into three or extrapolating disaster from Jack's answers. It could mean that Vondra was genuinely convinced Jack had recovered from his episode….but she knew it could just as easily mean that he knew the town needed all the Epics it could get and couldn't afford to be picky. Knowing Jack, he probably assumed the latter. 

There was a pile of paperwork waiting on Autumn's desk when they returned, reminding her that the trip to the prison, and then to Vondra's office, had consumed the better part of a morning. She got right to work, Jack taking his place near her desk. Autumn wondered if she ought to say something, to give some form of encouragement, but worried that might come across as patronizing, so she remained silent. If he asked for encouragement, she would give it. 

She wasn't sure how long she'd been working when the sound of quick, eager footsteps made its way toward her office, muffled until the door opened. 

"Hi, Ms. Gla—Hi, Autumn!" said a half-familiar voice. "So, hey, I was wondering if I could—"

By this time, Autumn had looked up and saw Lyla standing there, gazing in awe at the companion she clearly hadn't guessed would be in the room. Maybe something a step beyond awe. Something that didn't belong there, when it was a young girl looking at an Epic. 

"Holy Calamity, it's Vapor Snake," she breathed. 

"Er, yes," Autumn said, trying to keep her tone light. "Jack has been assigned as my bodyguard." They shared a glance before Autumn turned her attention back to Lyla. "What'd you need?" 

[Quiver]

Vapour Snake is your bodyguard? Lyla didn't want to say it out loud, in case it turned out to be an elaborate practical joke the two were playing. Actually, she wasn't entirely sure she could say it out loud; her jaw felt like it was hanging somewhere around her knees.

Dumb, she chastised herself. Dumb, dumb, dumb. After all, she was trying to look like an adult, but here she was just gawking.

But who could blame her? She was in the same room as Vapor Sparking Snake. He was in Lyla's list of top ten favourite epics; she had an entire page of her scrap book filled with pictures of him. And his unit, of course, but the point was Vapour Snake. If she didn't want to look like an idiot child in front of Autumn, she especially didn't want to do so in front of Vapour. If Lyla was going to have an epic bodyguard, she'd want it to be Vapour. If it couldn't be Shiny, of course. Or Scribbler. Or Kosc-

Why did they look at one another like that, though? Maybe Autumn thought that Lyla wouldn't notice; adults always seemed to think that kids didn't notice things they did. Even if Lyla totally wasn't a kid; she was still a photographer. She still noticed things.

Like how she noticed she was still staring at Vapour Snake.

She peeled her eyes away from him and focused on Autumn. After all, as cool as he was, Vapour Snake was just another epic. And Lyla had just spent the better part of a day with two other epics. If she could handle Shiny's aggressing cuddling, she could handle being in the same room as Vapour Snake without freaking out. Even if the bodyguard excuse sounded pretty flimsy.

"Right. So, miss Glass- Autumn. There was some stuff I was wondering about, if that's cool with you?" She took a step further into the room, trying to project all the confidence of the young woman that Shiny said she was. "So, like, I had some cool photos of the Panda Invasion that I figured maybe someone would be interested in, you know, for archiving purposes and stuff, and also I was wondering who I have to talk to about leaving the Dalles?"

She managed to slip that right into the conversation. Sparks, she was smooth. She tapped the camera around her neck, feeling inordinately proud of the subterfuge, and only taking a few, snatched glances at Vapour Snake. She absolutely, one hundred percent wasn't staring at the guy. That would be childish, and unprofessional.

[Edgedancer]

It felt good to be free again. He didn’t hold any resentment over getting locked away, after all he agreed to the process but that didn’t mean Jack had enjoyed the confinement. Barely a moment later, he was stationed with Autumn in her office. To quickly to get a chance to meet up with his squad but Donna should be informing them now. He could use that time to consider how he'd want to run them while employed as Autumn's bodyguard. He hardly could turn the church into a military base. Though, Autumn would likely approve of Banner as company.

 

Then there was the matter of him joining them in the field, there weren't any signs of Vondra planning to pull him away from the bodyguard post despite the chaos developing outside. Jack silently hoped it was only a sign of Vondra's confidence in dealing with the situation.

 

His eyes wandered down to Autumn, earnestly dealing with whatever paperwork that had gathered in her absence. The sight of her brought a smile to his face. His team would be able to handle themselves alone out there.

He shelved his train of thought when he heard footsteps approach. There was no sign of struggle with the guards outside. Just to be safe, he still stayed on guard. If someone had slipped past the guards posted outside, it was his job to stop them anyway.

 

The girl that entered was unlikely to be a danger to Autumn. In fact Lyla wasn’t a physical danger to anyone but…

 

"Holy calamity it's Vapour Snake."

 

Her enthusiasm towards Epics quite frankly made him uncomfortable. Epics were creatures with a poisoned mind. The fact that she was so eager to drink even the smallest drop of that poison she could find made Jack worry about the girl’s state of mind. Yet every attempt on his part to talk her out of it would only lead to her feeling validated by the attention of an Epic. She’d also try to make him give into his poison with her ravings and praise but at least she was so clumsy about it that there wasn’t a chance of it influencing her. He’d be more worried about the gushing running afoul of his mood.

 

He felt relieved when Autumn took care of the talking. They shared a short look and Jack gave her a thankful smile.

 

But while Autumn tried to pull Lyla’s attention on her, that didn’t stop the girl from staring at him. The way her eyes constantly hung on him like he was some kind of commodity made him want to squirm. He suppressed the urge to keep up appearance but couldn’t stop himself from pulling up his collar in a futile attempt to cover a bit more of his face.

 

No matter how uncomfortable he feeled in his skin, he still noticed Lyla jamming in a completely unrelated question after she mentioned the Panda pictures, which she likely had taken more for her own sake than for the city. He also noticed the look of self-satisfaction on her face as she yet again sized him up. His first impulse was annoyance at her acting as if Autumn was gullible enough to be duped by that. He held it back and tried to think of a reason for Lyla to act this way that didn’t make her look bad. As many problems as her Epic obsession caused, she never gave him the impression that she was a bad person.

“Lyla,” Jack eventually addressed her, “you aren’t planning on sneaking out of town to get even more pictures of the Panda, are you?”

[Quiver]

'Whoah!' Snake's words took her aback for a moment, but only for a moment. Lyla might have been able to pull the wool over Autumn's eyes, but she should have known that Vapor Snake would pick up on what she meant; after all, he was Vapor Snake. Lyla wouldn't expect anything less from the man who defeated Laserius.

"Nu uh," she objected quickly. "I wasn't sneaking anywhere, it's why I was asking for permission first! So, the epic  who came to town was called the Panda? That's cool! I was just callin' him that 'cause I didn't know what else to call him... are you saying that you guys know where he is?!"

Truth be told, Lyla wasn't sure what to say if Snake said 'yes'. She had managed to snag a few shots of the invading forces, animals, the guard and epics, but she didn't think she had a good shot of the Panda himself. Granted, until just a few moments ago, she hadn't been aware he was called 'the Panda', but that was besides the point; having that blank spot in her scrap book was going to bother her. She couldn't help it; she was a collector.

Of course, a single epic photo was nothing compared to the opportunity Shiny was offering... but the chance to go looking for an epic with Vapor Snake was tantalizing in it's own way. Shiny had skewed the list some, but Vapor Snake was still one of Lyla's top five coolest epics in the Dalles. There was something about it that just screamed 'cool'; the way he turned up his collar, the spark in his eye, the way he was appraising her. It was another thing that made him so cool; he was, without a doubt, one of the epics who recognised and totally respected her..

There was a special connection between them, after all. Sure, Jack had gifted his powers to a whole bunch of people when Laserius arrived, and okay, it hadn't lasted long, per se.. but still. There was a thing.

Fate worked in mysterious ways. If Lyla hadn't been caught outside during the invasion, she probably wouldn't have been sent to the medics. She probably would have just gone straight to the bigwigs to try and peddle the photos, probably would have met Jack, and ended up en route to tracking down the Panda as his apprentice. She did feel a little bit of sadness for the lost opportunity... but fate had put her on a shinier path.

"I mean, about leaving, I was just wondering, I guess? I mean, I was talking to this cool lady, and she said she was probably heading out of town and invited me to come along, so, you know. Figured I'd check out how to do the thing, ya know? Huh, Ms Glass?" Lyla turned back to Autumn, trying to look composed. "Is there, like, forms I have to fill out or anything? I mean, hey, 's'not like I can get any parental permission, heh..."

[Fatebreaker]

Quicksilver danced with Death atop a tower of silver.

His was a world of steel and fire, of iron will and burning rage. As Arsenal poured out the force of his fury in endless waves of destruction, Quicksilver fought back with relentless determination.  "Come on, you shackled slave," he shouted at his unseen foe, "show this city that you're more than just a glorified pet!" This was what he craved, what his mind hungered for: a contest of giants, a clash of Gods. The metal he controlled had ceased to be a tool and had become an extension of himself. His shining arms of steel swirled around him like serpentine messengers of destruction. They twisted and spun, tearing apart Arsenal’s missiles with incredible speed and power. Some were caught, some destroyed, some deflected and sent shooting into the city. Smaller tendrils grew from the base of the pillar of metal Quicksilver had formed, seeking out nearby sources of metal to absorb and use. Cars, fire hydrants, anything Quicksilver's innate metal sense could detect was harvested to replenish any metal lost to some of the more powerful missiles.  It helped that Arsenal kept building missile rigs, which provided a useful source of metal, but he wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough. He couldn’t afford to come up short in a battle like this.

A missile ricocheted off a tendril and slammed into the street with a thunderous explosion. Quicksilver gritted his teeth, knowing this was more than just a physical battle, it was a contest of wills. Quicksilver could sense Arsenal’s rage growing with each passing second as the attacks grew increasingly wild and powerful. An epic like Arsenal, one who tried to control their urges of destruction, had to bottle up their never ending rage. This conflict of their will and innate, destructive purpose built a pressure like a smoldering volcano. Crack the thin crust of self control, and the molten rage would erupt out, bringing with it destruction and death. The choice to hold on to the facade of humanity grew more and more difficult with each second of indulgence. Arsenal was leaving that choice farther and farther behind, until eventually his choice would be final and his rage would be fully unleashed on the world around him. To get Arsenal to lose control would be more devastating than killing him outright. Quicksilver fought the urge to go for the rival epic directly, forcing himself to focus on the missiles. He wanted to destroy Vondra's spirit, not just his empire. It would be so much more satisfying. 

It felt like the battle had lasted for eternity, as Quicksilver deflected missile upon missile, destroying rig after rig. The explosions became a drumbeat, building to a crescendo of pure destruction.

But then the missiles had stopped.

Somehow, Arsenal had resisted the allure of total release. He had forfeited the game, depriving Quicksilver of the total victory he hungered for. He roared with primal fury, the cry resonating through the metal encasing him. He had been cheated, his triumph snatched from his very hand! Rage bubbled up like molten steel, roaring for retribution for this unacceptable indignity. But soon his iron will reasserted itself, bringing him back from the roaring tide of blood-lust. This was not a total failure, despite his initial disappointment. He took in the surrounding city, gazing upon the destruction wrought by their battle. It was as if the apocalypse had come to rest on this small city. Homes were leveled, buildings were in flames, the damage was catastrophic. People would be dead, others homeless, and the rest angry. This would be a heavy blow to the stability Vondra’s regime and the credibility of his word when it came to controlling epics. And on top of that, his Slivers had escaped the guard.  What did these failures say about the power of the Guard and their ability to protect their citizens. The one significant downside had been those CHAMP missiles. Most if not all of his surveillance grid had been wiped out in a single attack, which was a devastating loss. The Guard would pay for that. It might very well be time for Quicksilver to initiate the Descent Protocol.

But for now it was time to disappear, but not before leaving a parting gift. Quicksilver sucked the remaining metal off the Guard’s Central command and formed it into a statue. It was a 20 foot statue of Arsenal, standing tall  with a wrathful gaze. His left hand was tightened around fracturing cross, while the other held aloft a missile. The base was rooted into the ground with long steel spikes and inscribed upon it were the words “Will gods be content to serve men?” It was the work of a moment. But it’s message would be lasting.

Quicksilver then collapsed the pillar he stood on, transforming it into a sea of metal that floated around him as he sank to the street. Once he was at ground level, it swirled before transforming into a rushing river, propelling him down the street like a flood of mercury. It was time to regroup and start the next round of this game. And it would be started on Quicksilver’s terms.

Pray to whatever god you serve, Stephen Vondra, for this nightmare is just beginning. Your dog has tasted freedom, and neither he nor your subjects will be content with this arrangement for much longer. The Dalles is beginning to fracture,"  

He he casually reached out and tore a squad car in half without so much as a passing glance.

"and I'm about to make it so much worse."

[Majestic]

Event Horizon, controller of all things gravity, was lazily chucking a black hole up and down in his palm when a commotion began. He slowly turned to hear the news. Apparently, Quicksilver had only gone and revealed himself, nearly driving Arsenal over the edge, and was on his way back.

Ah, propaganda. Event Horizon loved instilling manipulated facts into some filthy subjects. Before sucking their whole being into a black hole, of course. The noises it made was so soothing, especially the screams.

Event broke his trail of thought and returned to his little game. Quicksilver wouldn't be too long, and in all honesty, Event was anticipating a mission for him and the other Slivers. Preferably without BusDriver. Or anybody else, really. Without anybody else besides Quicksilver himself, of course. Just him and Quick, serving the Dalles, the chance to finally outshine the others and leave an impressionable performance. That earned a small grin of satisfaction.

Oh, Event Horizon was looking forward to the next few weeks. The Dalles would crumble beneath their rule, and the Slivers would be unbeatable.

But most importantly, he was back.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Majestic

[Modal Seoul]

Hello all! This is my first post for my character, Arthur Mifune. (Character profile: Page 16 of Question 20.) (Hopefully, I don't screw things up)

A car appeared in the distance, leading a trailer. But it was nearing The Dalles. At the wheel was Arthur Mifune. A weapons dealer at heart, he dealed with anyone who was willing to pay the right price. He looked at the shotgun seat briefly to look at his cat and only companion, Kurosawa. Right now, his friend was sleeping, calmly as all cats do. But Arthur was anything but calm at the moment. Yes, it was common knowledge that The Dalles was under control, but he had heard of the events that had been happening for the past few days.

That was why Arthur was setting up shop in the outskirts. Somewhere he could not draw a lot of attention to himself, but somewhere where customers would still come. He just hoped that things wouldn't be like back home. Home. There wasn't even a home anymore.

He looked around, then pulled over, parking. He got out of his car, and pulled a lever on the trailer. The trailer whirred, growing in size. Inside was his living space and weapons area. He lifted Kurosawa up and put him on his shoulder.

"Well, my friend. We're ready."