Shapeshifters in WWIV: A Roleplay (Celebrating Ten Years!)

Louis took a step backwards, uncertain. He stared at her suspiciously, looking for some sort of proof.

((Heh, okay.))

Kurt had found that ten minutes or so was generally the upper limit for stories like this, even for well-behaved kids like Destiny. The story he told, of course, had a happy ending. He didn't always do that, but right now, these girls needed it. The story itself had a fair amount of struggle, but it led to a feel-good conclusion with a message of hope.
The whole time Sabel listened with rapt attention, soaking up every word.

---

Anja nodded earnestly. She'd seen the news stories. It was a very dangerous world for shapeshifters to live in.
"I don't think," she said after a long moment, "that shapeshifters are evil, or even more dangerous than regular people. Anybody can be dangerous."

---

Nate raised his eyebrows as he accepted the cup. "What kind of backwards world have you been suffering through, where it's a common and acceptable thing not to like hot chocolate?" He took a long drink, and stepped towards the door to push it open for Faith with his free hand.

((Oh also, Dawn, yes, shifters can shift from one animal to another without becoming human in between.))

((Oh, whoops. Sorry.))

Schwarz was in the basement, door shut though not closed, and did not hear Lillian. The basement, as it had been when she'd bought the house, was a humble thing, a dank storage area--which she had transformed into a multipurpose area for a WhiteKingdom soldier, including though not limited to the four screens each showing a feed from one of the security cameras on the property and all the tapes therein, one of which, of course, was hidden just above the front door, pointing down to show the porch and the entirety of the sidewalk leading up to it. Also in the basement was exercise equipment, a short firing range, and a small wall entirely covered with weapons. But none of that mattered right now. She was, at this moment, intently rewinding and fast forwarding the tape from half an hour before, searching for the moment she and Christoph had arrived home and gotten jumped.

Destiny had closed her eyes as she listened. It was only her wanting to hear the ending of the story that kept her from dozing off. When he finished, she tilted her head back to look at him. She was surprised by the happy ending, but it was a good one. "Can we stay in here with you?" she asked. "I don't want to go back to our rooms."

---

Nichole smiled at her way of thinking. "You're right. Anyone can be dangerous if they want to be. If doesn't take the ability to shift to become a threat. But it's the fact that most people don't understand shifters that give us a bad rep. And all the shifters who do try to become threats that make people think we're all that way." She shrugged. "There's no way of winning. Even if shifters are deemed innocent or non-dangerous, there's always going to be someone who will always see us as creatures that need to be locked away or killed."

---

Faith laughed and nodded in agreement. "Just making sure. You don't know how many times I've given a hot chocolate to someone only to it returned with a few choice words," she said, following him out of the cafe. While it was rare, she had experienced a few customers who were that difficult. They were the kind of people who had superiors attitudes that never do anything wrong. They would order one thing while talking on the phone or to a friend, and then claim that she had gotten the order wrong when given the drink. Over the years, she had learned how to deal with those people.

---

Archer sighed. "Look, I know you don't trust me. You have no reason to. But believe me when I say that they won't stop until they get what they want. You may be strong enough to hold out, but what about your companion? Felix, am I correct?"

"I'm here because I was told to be here," Archer answered. "I will give you some assurance. They won't do anything to you or your companion at the moment. They'll wait a week or so before they start using more unpleasant methods. I will try to pardon for you, but I can't promise anything. If you can think of anything that I can tell the Lieutenant, maybe it can buy you and your friend some time."

As the jaguar didn't leave her alone, Ivy decided to shift. Cats are afraid of dogs, she thought. She shifted into a wolf, the ultimate dog.

"Because I don't want to see you tortured," Archer replied, his expression softening. "Despite what you might think of me, I don't like seeing people being beaten to an inch of their lives because they're too stubborn to talk. I don't like seeing innocent people being bleed dry because they weren't found to know anything until it was too late. If you truly know nothing about the WhiteKingdom, then I don't want you to suffer because of it."

{{ Neither does Ivy. Hmm... }}

Ivy had no way of getting clothes until she got back to her "home." Or, rather, a small camp. She had a small camp in an area accessible only by difficulty or shifting to an animal. She tried writing in dirt, except it was rock. She shifted into a bird, taking off into the sky. It was faster, but Ivy was getting tired from shifting. She flew low and slow, not exactly caring if the shifter followed.

Louis quickly shifted back to the hawk, shoving his bag back behind the dumpster. He took off and followed the other shifter.

--

Jennette glared at the man, but said nothing.

((Icestar, for convience's sake, could we maybe say shifters without a chip are able to shift with skin tight clothing?))

"Glare all you want, but I truly do want to help you," Archer said, his voice lowering to a mutter. "I've heard what happened to your mother. I've seen what they do to shifters. Experienced it. You were right to try and leave, but if you don't help me give you a chance, you'll never get another chance to be free."

((I'm not really sure what you mean, Dawn. Non-chipped shifters can still shift wearing clothes, the clothes will just fall off or burst or stay on but be a dead giveaway, depending on the size and shape of the animal.))

Schwarz finally located the few seconds she was looking for. The maniac had flown at her in the form of a... of... of some bird of prey, she couldn't tell which, and then shifted into a human in midair. Christoph had been ready to shift, she could tell, but the man the bird had become immediately shoved a cloth over his mouth, and the boy went lax in a matter of seconds.
The man was tall, with dusty blond hair and a moustache. He appeared young, but he carried himself in a way she had seen before, a way that indicated many years otherwise invisibly carried.
He wasn't Wolfgang Möer. But she knew who he was.
She only said, very softly, "Oh."

---

"I don't know when visitation hours are," Kurt said honestly, and put his arm around her to hold her close. "But you can stay as long as they let you."
Sabel scooted backwards, not sure whether that invitation was extended to her as well. As she moved, she put her hand down in a place where she would have expected to find Kurt's left foot, but instead her hand was met only by the sheet immediately on top of the mattress. She looked down, blinking at the sight before her, slowly coming to terms with the shape underneath the sheet.
Kurt had been about to assure Sabel that she was perfectly welcome to stay too, but on seeing where she was looking his eyes were drawn to the same place. He stared down at his feet, or rather... at his right foot, and the place his left foot should have been. What was this? Some trick of the mind? Could it be the morphine?
In a quick motion, he pulled the entire sheet off of him, drawing it towards the girls and uncovering his entire body in all its wounded glory. His left calf was covered in bandages, right up until the point where his leg simply stopped where it ought to have continued into an ankle.
Kurt froze, mouth opening and closing, staring blankly at the place his foot should have been.

---

Anja nodded thoughtfully. She had more questions, of course, but... but there would be plenty of time to ask them. "We should study for my maths test," she said.

---

He tutted. "Sometimes people just don't get it." They stopped outside the café, and Nate glanced in both directions before inquiring, "So, what's on the docket for tonight, boss?"

((I meant could they please be able to absorb light clothing as if they have a chip?))

Lillian watched the scene play out on the monitor. "That's his father?" she asked urgently. "Do you know where to find him?"

--

Louis shook her hand. "Well, better than behind a dumpster, anyway. Nice to meet you, Ivy."

Archer cast the woman a small smile. "Not everyone here shares the same point of view," he said. "Yes, I'm loyal to my country and to this cause, I don't share same feelings towards what we do. While I do want to learn more about shifters and the things we can do, I don't like the methods. Shifters shouldn't be tested to the point of death. That just makes things more difficult for us. If they could only find a more humane way..." He let out a long sigh. "Yet it's that kind of thinking that will have everyone laughing in your face. I have to be careful not to tick off or annoy the wrong people."

---

Destiny smiled at his answer. She knew she couldn't fight the guards if they came in to take Sabel and her back to their room, but she was glad Kurt didn't want her to leave. The girl had been about to make another comment when she saw the look on Kurt's face. Then he was dragging the blankets off of him. At first, she didn't know what was going on. Not until she spotted his foot. Or lack thereof."K-Kurt?" She stuttered, eyes wide. "W-what happened? Where's your foot?"

---

Nichole smiled and nodded. "Yes, we should. Wouldn't want your father to think we've been watching movies all night "

---

"I'd thought I'd take you downtown to start with," Faith responded. "That's were most of the places to be are."

Destiny had never seen him like this. Kurt was always the calm one, the person that knew how to handle any situation. Even during the bombing, she hadn't seen him look this shaken. "K-Kurt? Are you okay?" she asked, not sure what to do to help the man.

---

(Sure! What's your plan?)

---

Faith smiled and took the lead. The town wasn't huge, which was good for them. They would be spending hours walking just to reach the downtown area. She had spent many days down here with her friends, so she knew the streets well. All the while, she made sure to tell Nate the important details if he ever got himself lost. Dinners, stores, theaters, anywhere she had visited once, she mentioned, but didn't go into great detail unless the man asked about it.