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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 15:03:21 GMT -5
Kelsier waded to the other side and climbed out, still surprised to find himself perfectly dry. It was like the hissing pool behind him didn’t even exist. He noticed Nico stumble and started towards him on instinct, then stopped himself as he realized that probably wouldn’t go over very well. From the look of it, he wasn’t the only one who was having trouble with his powers, and though he didn’t mention it he suspected it had something to do with their deaths. Maybe they weren’t quite as invincible as he’d thought they were. “It looks like an easy climb to me.” He couldn’t help pointing out as Nico clung to the wall, clearly unable to get higher and unwilling to give up for several seconds. He smirked as the demigod touched the ground and walked forward, considering the stone ledge. “Watch and learn, prince. Watch and learn.” He backed up few steps, then ran at the wall, throwing down a coin in front of him in the same moment his feet left the ground in leap and he Pushed. It was so natural to use the metals in him that he forgot they weren’t working like they should, until his leap failed to take him in the graceful arc over the edge of the stone like he’d intended it to. He grunted as he hit the stone and tried to hang on, but his impact pushed him back and his fingers slipped. He hit the ground awkwardly and fell forward on his hands to catch himself, then straightened up and brushed himself off, color rising in his face. “All right, we need to go ahead and say it.” He muttered. “Dying seems to have weakened both of our powers. That should have been easy, and I saw you back there, almost collapsing after a little jump like that.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 15:42:22 GMT -5
Nico nodded. It wasn't looking good for either of them. "How do you know I'm not just naturally that terrible?" he asked wryly, but dread was settling in his stomach. If neither of them was at full power it meant that... well, they were even, but they'd likely be stuck in here if they couldn't find a way to get out. And there was no way he was relying on Kelsier to help him up. It wasn't personal... well, it was sort of personal, but there was more to it than that. The least he could do was use what was left of his powers even if it meant he was put in a vulnerable position. At least his powers still worked how they were expected to, they just took more out of him. Nico weighed his options, eyeing Kelsier warily. This wasn't ideal, but he didn't care. The sooner they got out the sooner he could get away from Kelsier, and if that meant he had to do some things he preferred not to, so be it. "Hold on," he muttered before grabbing Kelsier's wrist and transporting them both onto the ledge. He let go as soon as he was able to, but there wasn't much standing room and he was barely able to keep himself on his feet. A small laugh escaped him, for as bad as his predicament was, first time shadow traveling was an unpleasant experience for anyone, and he sure didn't envy Kelsier. Horror dawned in him once he noticed that there was still another jump to make to get onto the next stable platform. Best conserve their energy, right? Nico pressed himself up against the wall, his eyes closing for a brief moment as he heaved in a breath, trying to keep as much space between himself and Kelsier as possible.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 16:42:13 GMT -5
"Of course I would," Steve replied, brow furrowed. "I wouldn't just say something and not follow through with it," he laughed lightly. It was rather sad to him, that Myrnin reacted with such disbelief to a stranger offering to do something nice. Of course it would be rather difficult to find a stuffed animal and blink in with it at just the right time, but that didn't mean Steve wouldn't try. "I can't promise a large one because I probably can't carry that around with me, but I can probably find a way to get you a small one." He listened patiently to Myrnin's explanation of the animal, his brows furrowing as the description became more and more complex. It didn't sound like any animal Steve had ever seen, but chances are it was something from myth that wouldn't be too hard to find. At least Steve hoped it wouldn't be too hard to find... worst come to worst he could probably find a way to make one himself. "I will do my best to either recreate whatever animal it was the house tried to give you, or I'll find a teddy bear, if you don't mind. I won't do that unless I absolutely can't find your friend from the house..." yeah, it sounded unlikely that he'd be able to find that exact animal, but everyone loved teddy bears, right? Steve knew he had one that was still in his house that was far too well loved, not that he'd tell anyone. "What is a 'teddy bear?'" asked Myrnin, sounding slightly concerned. He thought it sounded weird, personally. Then again, a lot of things in the House sounded weird. This didn't mean it did for everyone and clearly Steve found this 'teddy bear' something that he would like. So Myrnin decided to trust him and shrugged. "Okay." He considered Steve for a long moment and then inquired, "You don't look as fancy as Sherlock. But your clothes are still weird." He stepped forward and with a complete disregard for personal space, leaned down and pulled on Steve's sock. Speaking as a boy who rarely saw anything even covering people's feet, he found the odd cloth covering a bit overkill. Why wear two shoes? Then there were another little case and he looked up at bit and poked a finger at Steve's belt. "And this." Then up a bit further, where he pulled at a button on Steve's shirt. "Hummmm?" Then he looked waaaay up at Steve's face, eyes wide and curious. "You're still fancy though. And tall." Steve laughed slightly at the concern in the boy's voice. It was a bit odd to him that there was someone who didn't know what a teddy bear was, but he supposed it made sense. "It's a more friendly version of a bear, much softer and made to look especially cuddly. They're uh... they're called teddy bears because one of our past presidents, Teddy Roosevelt liked them a lot, so the creator just sort of named the entire stock after him." He didn't know if that would make any sense to Myrnin - after all, would he even know what a president was? Probably not, if he didn't know a lot about the world, especially since he was probably from a monarchy. Steve frowned, wondering if he should explain it or wait to see if Myrnin asked. "Sherlock?" Steve asked at the mention of another person. It wasn't a name he was familiar with, but he supposed it was another person in the House who the boy had met. "I suppose clothes from your future must be weird to you," he laughed, looking down at his attire. "That's called a sock," he informed Myrnin, though he supposed the boy probably knew about socks... right? "And that's a belt. To keep your pants up. And the buttons..." he frowned, thinking of how to explain buttons. "I guess folks a long time ago needed servants to dress them and it was a lot easier if they could use buttons instead of pulling it over someone's head. And kid..." he ruffled Myrnin's hair. "I'm quite short, considering. One day you'll be taller than me."
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 16:45:55 GMT -5
Noah raised an eyebrow, but obliged to the whims of the joyful, shrieking child. He felt a little sad, almost, when Myrnin rolled away. Truth was, he wasn't really entirely sure how to deal with a small child. It had been forever since his younger sister had been this little, and he hadn't been able to be seen by any small children he could think of for years. He sincerely hoped he hadn't lost the touch so many had claimed he had when he had helped babysit or when he had spent time with his baby sister when he was just a kid. He adored little kids, but that didn't mean he knew what Myrnin would enjoy, especially considering he didn't have any toys or games on hand. "Do you... do you know any hand games?" he asked Myrnin. There were a few he knew that he would be willing to teach. At least... he thought he remembered them. It was hard to know sometimes. "Hand games?" asked Myrnin curiously. "Nope! Can you show me?" Of course he didn't know any. There had never been anyone his age or older to teach him. So that meant he was all alone and certainly hadn't come up with any which he could do on his own. He watched Noah with slight reverence - because here was someone who was not only willing to play with him but also knew games to play! That was amazing to Myrnin. He bounced a little and sat up straight. Even if Noah had lost his touch, Myrnin wouldn't have noticed. As long as Noah was nice, of course he would have Myrnin's undivided attention. "How do you play games with your hands?" Myrnin prompted. "Like ..." He wiggled all the fingers. "I suppose you could always always tell a story or something. But then I just use rocks or sticks." Noah laughed slightly at the comment. "Of course you can tell a story but at that point you'd probably have to have a flashlight or something so you could make it even better with shadow puppets," he replied, though he didn't suppose Myrnin would know what a flashlight was. "Okay... so... a lot of them involve clapping and things like that and most of them have a song or story that goes with them. This is a pretty easy one, so just put your hands like..." he paused, adjusting Myrnin's hands before giving a satisfactory nod. "This, and then bring your left one up and your right one down so it hits mine..." it was becoming quickly apparent that Lemonade was a lot easier to play than explain, but he was okay with that. This was the easiest one he knew, and he didn't want to throw anything too complicated at Myrnin right away.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 17:44:04 GMT -5
“You didn’t seem half bad when we fought.” The Mistborn pointed out, then regretted bringing it up instantly. He knew he was right though: dying meant less power, and the thought of losing any more ability to use his made his feel claustrophobic in his own body. He’d come to rely on his powers more than he’d admit to himself, and suddenly the House seemed a lot more threatening now that he knew he could lose them. He wasn’t going to turn his back on Nico again now that he knew how weak he was, either. His reflexes were still sharp and he was still quick on his feet, but he felt vulnerable in a way he hadn’t in a long time, and he hated it. “What-“ his question was cut off in a sharp gasp as the demigod’s hand closed around his wrist and the world seemed to tip over, his surroundings gone in the same instant they reappeared as new ones, his feet touching the rock of the ledge he’d landed on, then his legs giving out under him. He caught himself before his head hit the ground, but barely. He was gasping from the shock and at the same time trying to figure out whether Nico had just attacked him or not, and how badly he’d do if it came to another fight between them. Then he registered that he was looking down at the spot he and Nico had just been standing, and he realizing what had just happened. He hadn’t even thought of the possibility Nico could take someone with him at full strength, let alone as weak as he was. And why? Why put himself in that position for someone who had made it so clear what he thought that he’d already killed him once, and threatened to find a way to do it permanently? Kelsier didn’t look at the other blinker, his eyes still fixed on the spot he’d been standing moments earlier. These were not the actions of a cold-hearted noblemen. He was beginning to realize just how badly he’d messed this up, and the confused sense of guilt he’d began to feel twisted his gut into a knot. “Thanks.” He muttered, straightening up and moving as far away from Nico as he could get. He hesitated, but he knew he had to ask, and he wanted to hear the answer before they moved on, so he finally made himself look Nico in the eye as he asked it. “But why? Why not just leave me behind? It would have been easy. I wouldn’t have even known you could take me with you.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 17:56:21 GMT -5
Rue grabbed his hand as her balance faltered, steadying herself and barely managing to keep her feet on the board. Then she remembered to bend her knees. That helped, but she still gripped Noah’s hand for extra support, expecting herself to go tumbling off at any second. “You made this look so easy.” She breathed, but she beamed at the praise anyway. It was a warm, unfamiliar feeling, like burying yourself in a heavy blanket during a snowstorm, and she clutched it close to her heart where it couldn’t fly away. “I climb trees all the time.” She explained, hearing the surprise in his tone. “So I’m used to balancing. I-oh!” Whatever she had been about to say next was cut off as the board moved, and her center of balance shifted. Her feet slid out from under her and she toppled off the board, letting go of Noah’s hand just in time to break her fall and roll on her back instead of landing flat on her face. For a moment she simply blinked up at the sky, too surprised to suddenly find herself on the ground to react. Then slowly, a laugh that started deep in her lungs and worked it’s way up escaped her lips in a musical, almost birdlike sound. She sat up and grinned at Noah, her face flushed and her eyes bright with pure happiness. “That...was awesome. ”Noah shook his head. "Only looks easy cause I spent years and years practicing and got hurt too many times to count," he laughed slightly. He had practically grown up on the skateboard. It had sort of just been his thing, he supposed. He couldn't help but take a deep breath as he remembered what it was like to experience something - anything - for the first time. Rue's first time on a skateboard was a first for Noah, too. It was one of the first times he was able to share joy without remembering doing so before it happened - at least since he died. Everything since his death had been dulled by the fact that he knew it was going to happen. Everything was far too safe that way. "You can tell you climb trees," he replied, his eyes widening just after as he tried to catch her. She rolled on her own and seemed more or less unscathed, but Noah couldn't tell for sure until she straightened up. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of her laughter, but he had to admit it caught on, and he laughed too, the breathless kind where it feels as though you've been working out because the laughter shakes your body so hard. It had been years since he'd felt anything similar. It lasted only for a moment, but it was long enough to make a difference. "Maybe next time you'll stay on for a little bit... and then I can teach you how to jump. It feels like... well, it feels like nothing else I've ever done," he admitted. "You're going to love it." Rue sat up, leaves caught in her curly black hair, still grinning as though falling off the skateboard had been the best thing to ever happen to her. It felt like it was. With the reaping tomorrow and her name entered more times than she really cared to remember, it was hard not to feel like her life was as good as over. This moment, her ability to laugh so real it almost hurt...it was something she’d never expected to have. The House has given her that, and for it she was grateful in a way she could never express, so she simply let herself feel it instead. “Can I try again?” She asked eagerly, a note of uncertainty shading her tone as she walked back over to Noah and grinned up at him. “I wanna learn to jump as high as you did before I blink back, because I might never get to come back and try again, and there’s no skateboards in my world.” She tried not to let anything but simple that’s the way it is slip into her tone, but her voice shook a little on the last word and she looked away, determined to keep the smile from slipping away. She didn’t know how long she had, and she didn’t want to waste a second. “What did I do wrong that time?”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 18:06:44 GMT -5
Nico cocked an eyebrow, opening his eyes to watch Kelsier as the man realized what had happened and became more accustomed to his surroundings. He frowned, not quite understanding why taking Kelsier with him changed anything. It had been an act of instinct, almost. You don't leave someone else behind, and as quick as Nico was to hold a grudge, it wasn't as though Kelsier had done anything to warrant a grudge. Sure, he'd killed him, but Nico's own life mattered less to him than that of the people he'd cared about. Nobody in his world was in danger because of Kelsier, so there was no reason to leave him behind. Unless Kelsier decided to kill him again, but that was an issue to worry about later. Besides, part of Nico was itching for a fight that wasn't as high stakes as the ones in his world so often seemed to be. After all, he'd never died permanently in the House, had he? He realized he was staring, prolonging the silence for much too long, but the truth was he didn't know how to answer. He'd taken Kelsier because it had been the right thing to do. "When the House pulls two people into a room it usually means they both have to survive in order to get out." His words sounded harsh in his ear, and he knew that there was no such rule, but he hated the way Kelsier was looking at him. He hated the guilt, thinly veiled in the man's eyes. Guilt could easily become pity, and Nico really didn't need to deal with that at the moment. So he masked himself in the cruelty many believed was just second nature, not wanting to give Kelsier any reason to try to come too close. In his spent state, he wondered how effective the phrasing really was. He let his head roll back to rest against the stone wall, sighing loudly. "Not that it helped much," he added under his breath, regarding the next jump ahead of them. The truth was he didn't know if he had it in him to even take a step forward without blacking out... such a jump seemed almost impossible. Maybe Kelsier would take it and leave him behind. What a cruel twist that would be.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 18:14:40 GMT -5
Noah nodded, holding out a hand to help her up. He retrieved the skateboard and steadied it for her, looking up once it was ready for her to get on if she so chose. "We're gonna get to you to jump today, I promise." Promises were difficult things. He rarely made them because he hadn't appreciated them enough in life until the biggest unspoken promise made to him was so violently shattered, but this... well, this felt like it deserved a promise. Rue deserved a promise that could be kept. Doubt colored his expression for a moment as he considered whether he could ever give Rue this experience again. He doubted it, but that just meant they had to make the most of this. He wanted to thank the House for bringing them here, for allowing him a second shot at this, for giving him the gift of confidence and happiness again. The image of his old skateboard lying, bloodstained, on the ground in Cabeswater still lurked at the corner of his vision, but Rue had given him a gift as well. Laughter colored over top of it, brightening the image and placing one in front of it: this room and this second chance. "You have to let your body go along with it. Bend your knees so you can adjust when you feel it get a little bumpy, and for right now don't try to lean either way. Just focus on staying steady," he advised. "You can compensate with leaning if you feel yourself tilting, but right now don't try to adjust the direction of the board."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 18:36:01 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t really understand the expression in Nico’s eyes, or why it took him so long to find the words he needed. He didn’t break the silence though, determined to get an answer. He wasn’t used to this at all, this feeling that he had somehow ended up on the wrong side of himself. He felt like Nico was someone to fight and someone to protect at the same time, and he didn’t know which instinct to follow anymore. The boy’s answer both surprised him and made him feel a little bit better. If that was really true, it meant bringing him had been nothing but self-preservation, and that was much easier to deal with than....well, whatever the alternative was. “I see.” He said, shaking the thoughts that pestered him like flies away as best he could. This wasn’t the time to doubt himself, that could all come later, when he hopefully had his full strength back. He looked at the next jump, gauging the distance in his head, then back at Nico’s exhausted form resting against the stone. No way he could do that again, not without risk of hurting himself. Kelsier knew that much about powers, and he doubted this one was any different. “If only this room wasn’t stone.” He muttered, weighing his options. He wasn’t at all sure he believed Nico about that rule, but it did give him a good excuse, didn’t it? “Well, come on.” He said, reaching towards Nico without approaching the boy. “I’ll take us this time. If we both need to get out, we should do our best to conserve our strength.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 18:51:21 GMT -5
"What's wrong with stone?" Nico questioned, pushing himself off the wall just enough to fully support himself. If he had his full powers he could probably have built a bridge, depending on what the stone was made of. He knelt down, placing a hand against it and closed his eyes for just a few moments. "There's another platform above the one we have to jump to... and then I think we're done." The relief in his voice was practically tangible, though when he opened his eyes and saw Kelsier reaching towards him, the relief in his eyes turned to fear for the briefest of moments. He pushed it away, determined not to show any weakness, then, with a slightly shaking hand, grasped Kelsier's. How could he explain to the man that standing too close or when he had grabbed Kelsier's wrist or even this was hard? How could he explain that bodies too close to his, pressure in the wrong places took him back to something he shouldn't have survived? "Make it quick," he managed in lieu of a thank you. "And..." he hesitated, dark eyes flicking up to meet Kelsier's. "Don't take me if you don't think we'll both make it." Did that sound like a self-preservation instinct? Or something else. Nico didn't care anymore, he just wanted to get across. It scared him more than it should have, the idea that Kelsier might see through this mask he had created. He was used to building walls up around himself, but with everything going on in his world, they had never been this fragile before. The people he cared about were people he had met before the walls went up, and so far the only one who had been able to pierce through them, besides his half-sister, had been Myrnin. Right now, though, it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about it.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 19:20:02 GMT -5
Rue’s whole face lit up as she looked at him again. She realized that she trusted him enough to believe him. He’d promised, and he meant it, she could tell. “Okay.” She agreed, and stepped up again, determined to stay on longer this time. “Bend my knees. Don’t lean. Okay.” The board wobbled under her and her stomach muscles tightened to compensate, the same way they did as she balanced on a branch high above the ground. Once she was on, it seemed like the most she could ever hope for was just to be able to stay on, and jumping? It seemed impossible now but Noah promised, Noah promised, Noah promised. She glanced over at him, grinning as her balance seemed to level out a little. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.” She told him with as much enthusiasm as she could fit into the statement. She may have jinxed herself. A yelp leapt from the twelve-year-old’s throat as she tipped suddenly sideways, but the time she grabbed into Noah’s arm to stead herself and barely kept her feet planted on the board, though far less stable than she had been a moment before. “Maybe not. But I didn’t fall off that time...so maybe!”
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Post by Auransky on Jun 11, 2019 19:59:47 GMT -5
Elliot walked away from the 85 inch screen, approaching the pub in the far corner from where they stood. He overlooked the angel's reply to his initial apology, the smirk attempted for amusement didn't make any difference in Elliot's nuetral expression.
His head slightly tilted back as Sandalphon asked for further elaboration on his earlier statement. He didn't reply right away, instead focusing first and foremost on the counter. His eyes full of curiosity with the type of pub, which was familiar to him but also distant given the different architect behind the counter and its seating.
He leaned over the counter to look behind, raising a brow to see the cupboards were empty. "Exactly how it sounds." He softly replied, his attention returning to the Arch-Angel. "The word, 'world' is one way to interpret it, but I have also herd it described as 'lands' or 'realms', it depends where I visit." He further added. He rested his hands against the counter top. He looked towards his left, to see a way behind the counter but, he didn't seem in the mood to walk around. Instead he lifted himself on top of the counter, and slid across the table to get behind. "Every place I have visited is vastly different. Some places have more of a certain group, race, or the entirety of that place is a certain climate such as snow, or dessert. Some places the sun never sees,whereas others the night never rises." He was keeping himself a tad vague, it was more out of his own disinterest rather then secrecy. The others have mentioned that this place was like a safe haven away from his reality, and the laws which applied to his reality, but on the other hand, Sandalphon looked like a smart intellectual, he could two and two together, or ask for elaborate details.
He now ducked down behind the counter, his hands moving along the cupboards, and opening the wooden doors to find it all empty. Shame... if this is a new time, or new place then it should have new incentives to sway our prisoners into providing much needed information. He continued looking through the counter. There was only plates, and glasses, but no actual drinks.
He brought his head up, seeing the angel once more. His turquoise eyes were illuminating brightly. "Is there an issue with my statement?" He referred to world traveling. Elliot didn't seem convinced on the Angel's satisfaction. Rather then walking around the issue, it seemed better to address it directly.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 11, 2019 20:04:55 GMT -5
It would have been easier, Kelsier thought, if only the boy hadn’t come back. It was a horribly selfish thought, but he couldn’t help it. If Nico had stayed dead, the Mistborn might never have questioned the decision, the way he never felt guilt for taking the lives of the nobility he fought almost daily, at least weekly. He saw the flash of fear in those dark eyes, and he felt the tremor the younger blinker tried to hard so suppress as he took his hand. Prince Nico....or maybe just Nico...was not nobility. Or if he was, he was nothing like the people Kelsier knew by that name. In fact, the demigod reminded him more of himself than anyone else. He glanced at the layers of thin scars that covered both of his arms, then back at Nico, and even though the guilt over what he’d done in his anger still writhed inside him like snakes, his eyes mostly reflected respect as he dipped his head once and tossed a coin on the ground at his feet. “We’ll both make it.” He promised with a confidence he wasn’t entirely sure he felt, and then he flared his steel and Pushed. It should have been easy. But as they were both thrown into the air he felt just how hard it was now, especially with Nico in tow. He threw every shred of concentration he had into the metal burning in him, keeping it flared past the point it should have gone back to a normal burn as they were almost there, almost.... They landed safely on the ledge and Kelsier fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his steel burned away to nothing. It felt like running in a dream, when your body just couldn’t move right, and frankly it scared him more than anything else in the House so far. He sucked in a deep breath, trying hard not to pass out. If it got any worse, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. And if it never returned to normal....
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 20:51:14 GMT -5
Nico wasn't sure what to do when they got to the other side, when Kelsier collapsed to his knees. If Kelsier had been a demigod he would have given him some ambrosia and told him he'd be fine, but Kelsier would die from that. They were both at the very edge of consciousness, Nico could tell. Who knew what would happen if either of them passed out here. Without thinking, Nico removed the small water bottle from the satchel hidden inside his coat and passed it to Kelsier. Water wouldn't restore his consciousness, but it might help just a little bit. Not waiting for Kelsier to recover - after all, there was something that bothered Nico in the way Kelsier looked at him now - Nico turned to look at the challenge beyond. Green water. Or green liquid of some sort. He eyed it warily, glancing at the blue pin on his shirt. He had made Kelsier try the lava before they knew it was safe, it was his turn to take a risk now. Blue could mean it was safe for both of them or safe for neither of them. Or perhaps just safe for him because blue went into green? He didn't know, but he had a feeling it was something that impacted them both. With a quick glance back at Kelsier, Nico made a decision. Maybe it was unfair to make such a decision without Kelsier even likely being aware of what he was doing, but he wanted out as soon as possible. Perhaps he wouldn't die. It was a fifty-fifty shot, after all. He screwed his eyes shut and plunged his hand into the liquid. A sharp scream escaped him as pain spread up through his arm, and he could almost feel himself dissolving, the pain eating him up until there was nothing left. And then it stopped. He was standing just where he had been before, but when he turned around to look at Kelsier he nearly stumbled back. There was no hazy light around the man, like there was for every living person. It was just... gone. Or no... no, Nico couldn't see it anymore. He pulled at the nearest shadows, trying to cover himself, but they didn't respond. Panic clawed at him, but he did his best to keep a neutral face. "I guess we shouldn't touch that," he managed, hating how strangled his voice sounded. What was he without his powers?
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 11, 2019 22:27:02 GMT -5
Rue’s whole face lit up as she looked at him again. She realized that she trusted him enough to believe him. He’d promised, and he meant it, she could tell. “Okay.” She agreed, and stepped up again, determined to stay on longer this time. “Bend my knees. Don’t lean. Okay.” The board wobbled under her and her stomach muscles tightened to compensate, the same way they did as she balanced on a branch high above the ground. Once she was on, it seemed like the most she could ever hope for was just to be able to stay on, and jumping? It seemed impossible now but Noah promised, Noah promised, Noah promised. She glanced over at him, grinning as her balance seemed to level out a little. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.” She told him with as much enthusiasm as she could fit into the statement. She may have jinxed herself. A yelp leapt from the twelve-year-old’s throat as she tipped suddenly sideways, but the time she grabbed into Noah’s arm to stead herself and barely kept her feet planted on the board, though far less stable than she had been a moment before. “Maybe not. But I didn’t fall off that time...so maybe!” Noah grinned at Rue's longer stint on the board before she reached out to grasp his shoulder. He had never been more grateful to the House for making him solid. After all, there were times in his world where he felt like nothing more than a gust of wind, and there was nothing a gust of wind could do to catch and help a new friend. The House, it seemed, was generous with the energy it doled out to him. Nothing to stop him from being solid. "You didn't fall!" Noah echoed, obviously near to bursting with pride at Rue's small accomplishments. "Now when that happens, you do want to lean a little bit in the opposite direction of where you're falling. Keep your center of gravity low to the ground, that means you'll have an easier time balancing," he explained. "Lets try one more time and as soon as you feel comfortable with me pushing you, we can try to have you start on your own." Rue was certainly a quick learner. He hoped she was appreciated for that in her world. He hoped she was noticed and loved and appreciated, but just based on the few allusions she had made to her world, part of him doubted it. At the very least her world was unsafe, and that thought physically hurt. She deserved better than that. "Think you can do that?" he asked, offering a smaller smile than before, but one that was shy and sweet and filled with everything that made Noah Noah, even if it wasn't filled with as much ebullience as before.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 12, 2019 0:49:03 GMT -5
"Hand games?" asked Myrnin curiously. "Nope! Can you show me?" Of course he didn't know any. There had never been anyone his age or older to teach him. So that meant he was all alone and certainly hadn't come up with any which he could do on his own. He watched Noah with slight reverence - because here was someone who was not only willing to play with him but also knew games to play! That was amazing to Myrnin. He bounced a little and sat up straight. Even if Noah had lost his touch, Myrnin wouldn't have noticed. As long as Noah was nice, of course he would have Myrnin's undivided attention. "How do you play games with your hands?" Myrnin prompted. "Like ..." He wiggled all the fingers. "I suppose you could always always tell a story or something. But then I just use rocks or sticks." Noah laughed slightly at the comment. "Of course you can tell a story but at that point you'd probably have to have a flashlight or something so you could make it even better with shadow puppets," he replied, though he didn't suppose Myrnin would know what a flashlight was. "Okay... so... a lot of them involve clapping and things like that and most of them have a song or story that goes with them. This is a pretty easy one, so just put your hands like..." he paused, adjusting Myrnin's hands before giving a satisfactory nod. "This, and then bring your left one up and your right one down so it hits mine..." it was becoming quickly apparent that Lemonade was a lot easier to play than explain, but he was okay with that. This was the easiest one he knew, and he didn't want to throw anything too complicated at Myrnin right away. (Amazing enough, Myrnin apparently would have known what a shadow puppet was if it wasn't for the fact he 1) doesn't live in the right country and 2) wasn't in the poor class.) "'Flashlight,'" Myrnin tried out. "Is that another word for candle?" It was the only flashing light that he could think of. "Shadow puppets." There were so many words he didn't know, but his curiosity grew with every voice of them. Myrnin followed the instructions that Noah gave, trying to see where this was going before it happened. He held up his hands like Noah had asked him too, wondering if there was a song that went along with this or whether or not it would just involve clapping. "What next?" he asked, more as encouragement for Noah than anything. He wanted to make sure that Noah knew he appreciated the attention.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 12, 2019 1:04:11 GMT -5
"What is a 'teddy bear?'" asked Myrnin, sounding slightly concerned. He thought it sounded weird, personally. Then again, a lot of things in the House sounded weird. This didn't mean it did for everyone and clearly Steve found this 'teddy bear' something that he would like. So Myrnin decided to trust him and shrugged. "Okay." He considered Steve for a long moment and then inquired, "You don't look as fancy as Sherlock. But your clothes are still weird." He stepped forward and with a complete disregard for personal space, leaned down and pulled on Steve's sock. Speaking as a boy who rarely saw anything even covering people's feet, he found the odd cloth covering a bit overkill. Why wear two shoes? Then there were another little case and he looked up at bit and poked a finger at Steve's belt. "And this." Then up a bit further, where he pulled at a button on Steve's shirt. "Hummmm?" Then he looked waaaay up at Steve's face, eyes wide and curious. "You're still fancy though. And tall." Steve laughed slightly at the concern in the boy's voice. It was a bit odd to him that there was someone who didn't know what a teddy bear was, but he supposed it made sense. "It's a more friendly version of a bear, much softer and made to look especially cuddly. They're uh... they're called teddy bears because one of our past presidents, Teddy Roosevelt liked them a lot, so the creator just sort of named the entire stock after him." He didn't know if that would make any sense to Myrnin - after all, would he even know what a president was? Probably not, if he didn't know a lot about the world, especially since he was probably from a monarchy. Steve frowned, wondering if he should explain it or wait to see if Myrnin asked. "Sherlock?" Steve asked at the mention of another person. It wasn't a name he was familiar with, but he supposed it was another person in the House who the boy had met. "I suppose clothes from your future must be weird to you," he laughed, looking down at his attire. "That's called a sock," he informed Myrnin, though he supposed the boy probably knew about socks... right? "And that's a belt. To keep your pants up. And the buttons..." he frowned, thinking of how to explain buttons. "I guess folks a long time ago needed servants to dress them and it was a lot easier if they could use buttons instead of pulling it over someone's head. And kid..." he ruffled Myrnin's hair. "I'm quite short, considering. One day you'll be taller than me." ('One day you'll be taller than me'. One day will come and they'll both be around the same height and Myrnin will look Steve in the eye and say 'You liar'.) "Ooookay," said Myrnin, who only sort of understood. He didn't know what a president was, but he assumed it must be some sort of royalty. Who else would be getting something named after them? So he didn't ask. "Yeah. Sherlock. Apparently he is something called an 'insulting defective'. I think it might be someone important, but it sounded weird." His nose scrunched a bit to show his confusion. "These are clothes from the future?" he asked. "Does everyone wear such nice things or are you rich?" He knew a bit about rich people and royalty. Royalty were who the rich people talked about and rich people were the ones who bought things from the poor people. Myrnin actually didn't know about socks. And nothing about belts or buttons. Steve's explanation seemed a bit weird too, but he accepted it because Steve must know, right? "Will I really be taller?" he wondered. Steve looked pretty tall. The ruffling of Myrnin's hair caused the large mess to stick up even further. "What do you do anyway? If you aren't royalty and 'president' are?"
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 12, 2019 1:19:46 GMT -5
Someone was speaking to him and it took a second for Sam to realize it was Nico. This was mostly because something else had been taking his sense of hearing's attention. Running water. Or, well, water-ish. Following it was his best bet, so that had been what he was doing. He was on a raced, probably maintenance platform. Which made it mostly dry and clean, but he could occasionally find clear signs of rats and maybe even raccoons. Bugs too. He tried not to think about it. But he could hear Nico and Nico was expressing the fact that he could hear Sam. Sam took a breath in, regretted it, but started to speak, "Y-yes, I can hear you. Uh, unless the bridge comes underground, then I can't see it." Though this thing might dump out into a river. He was following the flow for that. "Might know where that is in a second. Give you one guess where I am. Rats are included." He hoped Nico wouldn't ask why he just didn't take an easy exit. He'd passed at least two ladders upward so far. But he also knew that even though he could get out, the thing which was waiting for him directly above would probably set him on fire. It was clearly full sunlight from the brief glimpses he'd seen. A bridge, however, might over shade. He was hopeful. "Where are you?" he questioned. "I take it not down here. How can I even hear you anyway?" Some ability? Or was it the House? "Underground?" Nico repeated, shaking his head. It didn't seem fair to him that he was placed out here up on the rooftops where he felt exposed and there were no shadows to jump through, and Sam was underground... and seemingly wasn't too fond of it. It was probably a game on the House's behalf, but that didn't mean Nico had to like it. "If there's a river let me know... I don't see one up here. I'm a rooftop somewhere. It looks like a pretty big city but the buildings are all at least somewhat level which is..." he shrugged. It was strange, he had to admit, but he had gotten used to strange in the House. That was part of the charm, he supposed. What would have been even weirder to him would probably have been just appearing in a normal city, and not an oddly level one. "Watch out for the rats," he added absentmindedly, hoping that they wouldn't be too huge an issue for Sam. Hopefully the boy wasn't afraid of them. "I... I really don't know how I can hear you, but I'm not about to question it in case the House decides we're ungrateful," Nico replied. He had to admit, it was better being exposed when he at least felt that there was someone he trusted within earshot - even if earshot was artificially enhanced. "Is that likely to happen?" asked Sam, sounding concerned. Could the House actually do that so quickly and be that finicky? The idea that it was a living thing at all had been a bit of a learning curve, but now it was more about the personality of the living creature. "And ye. It's underground." He was pretty sure he could hear the sound of water getting louder. He started jogging a bit, looking where his feet were being placed. At least he could see where he was going really easily. He turned a corner, still following the flow, and saw a barred grate ahead of him that had the vague look of sunlight about it. "Found that river," he said. "If you still can see the bridge, maybe it's the same one?" He ducked his head, trying to lean over enough to see whether he could get out this way. There was a door just ahead, so he was assuming that the old, metal thing let you out somewhere to check the flow of things and that nothing got broken. He wasn't sure how accurate this was for an actual sewer, but it was for the House one. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell very well if everything was clear. Stealing himself, he breathed out and gripped the handle. Slowly, he pulled ... Locked. Of course. He wondered if Nico could hear more than just his voice. He hoped not. Taking the handle in both hands, putting as little super human strength into it as possible (he didn't want to outright break more than the lock) he started to pull. There was a rend of metal, a small jerk, and then the door inched a bit open. Slivers of weak, filtered sunlight petered through. A bit hit Sam's arm. He yelped and jumped back, pain lacing along his arm. It looked like, in less than a second, he'd gotten a bad sunburn.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 12, 2019 1:25:12 GMT -5
</div> <Raintalon>Myrnin didn't really know, but his friend getting excited meant he got excited too. He bounced on his heals and looked over Hange's shoulder at what they were doing. "What's happenin'? What's happenin'? What's a screwdriver?" He looked around as if he could possibly help Hange find what they needed. He didn't know how to break into the metal box, but he wanted to help. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea! "Couldn't you just bust it open or something? Maybe hit it with something?" he questioned, since he couldn't help in a better way.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 12, 2019 5:44:15 GMT -5
Nico wasn't sure what to do when they got to the other side, when Kelsier collapsed to his knees. If Kelsier had been a demigod he would have given him some ambrosia and told him he'd be fine, but Kelsier would die from that. They were both at the very edge of consciousness, Nico could tell. Who knew what would happen if either of them passed out here. Without thinking, Nico removed the small water bottle from the satchel hidden inside his coat and passed it to Kelsier. Water wouldn't restore his consciousness, but it might help just a little bit. Not waiting for Kelsier to recover - after all, there was something that bothered Nico in the way Kelsier looked at him now - Nico turned to look at the challenge beyond. Green water. Or green liquid of some sort. He eyed it warily, glancing at the blue pin on his shirt. He had made Kelsier try the lava before they knew it was safe, it was his turn to take a risk now. Blue could mean it was safe for both of them or safe for neither of them. Or perhaps just safe for him because blue went into green? He didn't know, but he had a feeling it was something that impacted them both. With a quick glance back at Kelsier, Nico made a decision. Maybe it was unfair to make such a decision without Kelsier even likely being aware of what he was doing, but he wanted out as soon as possible. Perhaps he wouldn't die. It was a fifty-fifty shot, after all. He screwed his eyes shut and plunged his hand into the liquid. A sharp scream escaped him as pain spread up through his arm, and he could almost feel himself dissolving, the pain eating him up until there was nothing left. And then it stopped. He was standing just where he had been before, but when he turned around to look at Kelsier he nearly stumbled back. There was no hazy light around the young man, like there was for every living person. It was just... gone. Or no... no, Nico couldn't see it anymore. He pulled at the nearest shadows, trying to cover himself, but they didn't respond. Panic clawed at him, but he did his best to keep a neutral face. "I guess we shouldn't touch that," he managed, hating how strangled his voice sounded. What was he without his powers? Kelsier accepted the water, too exhausted to really register anything more about it. He too a shaky sip, and then another one, and it did seem to help. At least, his vision seemed a little less fuzzy at the edges now. He was unaware of the struggle happening next to him, and he hadn’t even noticed the green pool yet. ”Thanks.” He managed to push himself back to his feet, his muscles trembling a bit with the exertion but he ignored them. The sooner they moved on, the sooner they would find a way out of here, right? He turned to hand the water back and froze as the scream hit his ears, at the same moment acid seemed to turn skin and bone into nothing, eroding the boy in a matter of agonizing seconds. He reached forward. To help. Or maybe just to calm the twisting feeling that he was helpless against these dangers. And then Nico was back and he let out a shaky breath, stepping back to give the demigod some space and held out the water again. ”Unless you want me to see if red goes any better with green than blue does.” He answered, but his thoughts weren’t in the suggestion. Nico looked...scared, now, more than he had been before. The Mistborn didn’t think it was just the experience of dying, although he knew first hand how unpleasant that was. But Nico sounded different, in a way he recognized but couldn’t quite seem to place. “What is it?” He asked, keeping his tone level and his gaze steady. There was no point in being subtle here, when they probably both needed to know. “What happened?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 12, 2019 6:00:56 GMT -5
Rue’s whole face lit up as she looked at him again. She realized that she trusted him enough to believe him. He’d promised, and he meant it, she could tell. “Okay.” She agreed, and stepped up again, determined to stay on longer this time. “Bend my knees. Don’t lean. Okay.” The board wobbled under her and her stomach muscles tightened to compensate, the same way they did as she balanced on a branch high above the ground. Once she was on, it seemed like the most she could ever hope for was just to be able to stay on, and jumping? It seemed impossible now but Noah promised, Noah promised, Noah promised. She glanced over at him, grinning as her balance seemed to level out a little. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.” She told him with as much enthusiasm as she could fit into the statement. She may have jinxed herself. A yelp leapt from the twelve-year-old’s throat as she tipped suddenly sideways, but the time she grabbed into Noah’s arm to stead herself and barely kept her feet planted on the board, though far less stable than she had been a moment before. “Maybe not. But I didn’t fall off that time...so maybe!” Noah grinned at Rue's longer stint on the board before she reached out to grasp his shoulder. He had never been more grateful to the House for making him solid. After all, there were times in his world where he felt like nothing more than a gust of wind, and there was nothing a gust of wind could do to catch and help a new friend. The House, it seemed, was generous with the energy it doled out to him. Nothing to stop him from being solid. "You didn't fall!" Noah echoed, obviously near to bursting with pride at Rue's small accomplishments. "Now when that happens, you do want to lean a little bit in the opposite direction of where you're falling. Keep your center of gravity low to the ground, that means you'll have an easier time balancing," he explained. "Lets try one more time and as soon as you feel comfortable with me pushing you, we can try to have you start on your own." Rue was certainly a quick learner. He hoped she was appreciated for that in her world. He hoped she was noticed and loved and appreciated, but just based on the few allusions she had made to her world, part of him doubted it. At the very least her world was unsafe, and that thought physically hurt. She deserved better than that. "Think you can do that?" he asked, offering a smaller smile than before, but one that was shy and sweet and filled with everything that made Noah Noah, even if it wasn't filled with as much ebullience as before. Rue nodded, a small crease appearing as her eyes narrowed with concentration. Slowly she let go of Noah as her balance came back and she tipped a little but she didn’t fall, and that was all that mattered to her. ”Like this?” She asked breathlessly as she bent her knees even more and began to carefully, first to her right, then her left, and back again. It was easier when she didn’t think about anything else, so for the first time in what felt like a very long time, she didn’t. Her responsibilities, her siblings...they were frozen in the place she’d left behind for now, and that meant that at this moment she was free in a way she never had been. It was getting easier. She glanced up at Noah and smiled back, the smaller one warming her even deeper than his brighter one had. She couldn’t quite say why, but this expression felt like something fragile that should be held in the palm of your hand and treasured. It felt like a gift, to have someone look at you with that much pride. “I can do it.” She answered, determination bright in her dark eyes as she leaned a little farther to the right, a little farther to the left, and back. “I know I can.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 10:49:50 GMT -5
Nico took the water back numbly, but didn't bother to put it back where it belonged. He was too shaken up to really do anything. The sceptre in his hand now just felt like cold metal, not like a powerful tool. His sword too... he didn't know if he could even use it like this. "I'm..." how could he possibly phrase it? Kelsier wouldn't understand if he said he was mortal now, because he'd always been mortal by the regular definition, and he didn't want to explain his world that much. Human wouldn't sound much better. Yet that was the difference, wasn't it? He knew a lot of demigods didn't have powers, and certainly not powers as strong as his, but he just felt... hollowed out. "I don't have powers." His voice cracked as he said it, and he hated the weakness in his voice. "Don't die again," he advised, but any humor that was in the statement fell flat. Kelsier had barely seen the barest hint of what he could do. After all, the fight probably could have been over quicker and decided in a much different way had Nico used his powers to their full effect. It was hard to breathe, hard not to feel the stone under his feet and know what lay beneath, to look at Kelsier and not be able to tell how alive he was, to not hear the whispers of shadows or the stirring of the dead beneath him. He felt entirely disoriented. It had always been different in the House, but this was much worse. He sent a desperate prayer to his father and every god he could think of, worlds away, that his powers would return by the time he blinked back. Otherwise... otherwise his world wasn't going to survive. Nico squeezed his eyes shut, hating how warm his hands felt, hating the temperature of the room because he couldn't control it, even unintentionally. Everything in him felt far more intense without that familiar outlet through which to escape.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 11:11:11 GMT -5
"Exactly like that!" Noah replied, "You're a quick learner. I know you can. Do you want to try with me giving you a push or would you want to try to start yourself?" he asked. It would be nice if they had a shallow hill on which to practice, but everything seemed to be flat except for the skate rink right next to them. In the distance Noah could see higher obstacles, but the one in front of him allowed for a pretty high jump, and was probably a lot safer than a lot of what lay beyond. "When your moving, the way you lean and the shifting of your weight from one foot to the other impacts the direction you want to go. Put more weight on your right foot if you want to turn right, left if you want to turn left." He moved a few feet away, grabbing the skateboard the House had given him and placing it on the ground. In one solid movement he was standing on the board, then he turned to look at Rue. "Watch what I do with my feet. Sometimes it's easier to show than to actually describe, I guess." He let his left foot drop to the ground, pushing off and gaining momentum before pushing once more and placing his foot back on the board. He circled around Rue, changing directions with very deliberate weight shifts. "You'll find you won't have to do anything this extreme, but it's helpful for demonstrating," he advised, stopping himself and stepping off.
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Asexual
Lark
Hello, its just, me, and 1567396558397583479 larks
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Post by Lark on Jun 12, 2019 17:39:05 GMT -5
(I owe you my life for this response)
Dipper could barely hold himself together upon hearing what the other had to say. It as like finding a jelly bean in a bag of travel mix, a rarity and sometimes too good to be true. "Okay, that's crossed out of possibility. Nothing weird during the day but maybe it sensed something about you, probably trying to pick people off one by ..." He trailed off once again, a light sense of worry seeped further. Ideally he could talk about dangerous situations with anyone if he switched out a few choice words. Yes, it could apply here yet he couldn't hide his fair share of the paranormal this time around. "Oh, him? That guy? Well, he's not a guy and he shouldn't be even be able to talk to people with his bear mouth? Mouths? Look, nobody even notices he exists? You could literally just find him easily up the mountain!" He vented openly with a uneasy expression, flailing his arms. "If anyone would pay attention none of this would be happening, you wouldn't be stuck there and I wouldn't have to hide anything anymore. Hypothetically speaking, if adults actually adulted we could be kids." The brunette pressed himself against the aging couch all the while his slouched posture returned. For being a buzzkill he couldn't - wouldn't let a discovery hold him down. "Um, you said dungeons and dragons, so I'm going to assume its sorta similar, right? What's your favorite class? What about a favorite monster?" He pressed on with a smile peaking at the corners of his mouth. "I can't believe there's someone out there who actually plays the game! In a different universe!"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 12, 2019 19:36:59 GMT -5
Nico took the water back numbly, but didn't bother to put it back where it belonged. He was too shaken up to really do anything. The sceptre in his hand now just felt like cold metal, not like a powerful tool. His sword too... he didn't know if he could even use it like this. "I'm..." how could he possibly phrase it? Kelsier wouldn't understand if he said he was mortal now, because he'd always been mortal by the regular definition, and he didn't want to explain his world that much. Human wouldn't sound much better. Yet that was the difference, wasn't it? He knew a lot of demigods didn't have powers, and certainly not powers as strong as his, but he just felt... hollowed out. "I don't have powers." His voice cracked as he said it, and he hated the weakness in his voice. "Don't die again," he advised, but any humor that was in the statement fell flat. Kelsier had barely seen the barest hint of what he could do. After all, the fight probably could have been over quicker and decided in a much different way had Nico used his powers to their full effect. It was hard to breathe, hard not to feel the stone under his feet and know what lay beneath, to look at Kelsier and not be able to tell how alive he was, to not hear the whispers of shadows or the stirring of the dead beneath him. He felt entirely disoriented. It had always been different in the House, but this was much worse. He sent a desperate prayer to his father and every god he could think of, worlds away, that his powers would return by the time he blinked back. Otherwise... otherwise his world wasn't going to survive. Nico squeezed his eyes shut, hating how warm his hands felt, hating the temperature of the room because he couldn't control it, even unintentionally. Everything in him felt far more intense without that familiar outlet through which to escape. Kelsier watched as Nico struggled first to speak, then to find the words he needed to explain the panic in his wide dark eyes. He understood before he heard the explanation. Of course dying again took your powers away completely. It made so much sense, and yet Kelsier knew what Nico was going through right now because of it. The fear he’d felt for his own weakened state seemed like nothing in the face of this new possibility: losing it entirely. With no guarantee of ever getting it back. “Believe me, I won’t,.” He said quietly, a grim expression shading his eyes as he glanced away for a moment to see what lay ahead, then looked back at the demigod and the green pool resting innocently in its stone circle. If they were going to get out of here, he needed his powers even more now, and in their weakened state they still had to be enough for both of them. “Do these room effects normally last outside of the room’s end, or are they just a part of this puzzle?” He asked, only partly for his sake now. If he could get Nico to think about something, anything else, that should help.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 12, 2019 19:46:06 GMT -5
"Exactly like that!" Noah replied, "You're a quick learner. I know you can. Do you want to try with me giving you a push or would you want to try to start yourself?" he asked. It would be nice if they had a shallow hill on which to practice, but everything seemed to be flat except for the skate rink right next to them. In the distance Noah could see higher obstacles, but the one in front of him allowed for a pretty high jump, and was probably a lot safer than a lot of what lay beyond. "When your moving, the way you lean and the shifting of your weight from one foot to the other impacts the direction you want to go. Put more weight on your right foot if you want to turn right, left if you want to turn left." He moved a few feet away, grabbing the skateboard the House had given him and placing it on the ground. In one solid movement he was standing on the board, then he turned to look at Rue. "Watch what I do with my feet. Sometimes it's easier to show than to actually describe, I guess." He let his left foot drop to the ground, pushing off and gaining momentum before pushing once more and placing his foot back on the board. He circled around Rue, changing directions with very deliberate weight shifts. "You'll find you won't have to do anything this extreme, but it's helpful for demonstrating," he advised, stopping himself and stepping off. Rue was much too focused on keeping herself upright to notice Noah move away until he set the board down and she fell in surprise. She caught herself, grinning in a sheepish sort of way, and turned so she could watch his progress around her. The exaggerated movement made it easy to see what movement caused each turn, and though it was hard for her to imagine balancing well enough to stay on, moving looked easy enough. Right for right, left for left. Bend your knees. Only lean when you’re moving. There was a lot of information buzzing in her head, and she loved it. “I think I get it!” She turned back to her own board and tried to step on the way he had, but it slid out from under her and she had to go chasing after it to stop it from rolling into the park next to them. She set it down again and stared at it for a long moment, her forehead creased with thought. “How do you stop it from rolling away when you get on?” She asked finally, her voice smaller than it had been when she’d forgotten about that specific problem. “It’s easy when you’re holding it for me, but I don’t want to keep doing that.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 22:30:50 GMT -5
Noah laughed slightly at the comment. "Of course you can tell a story but at that point you'd probably have to have a flashlight or something so you could make it even better with shadow puppets," he replied, though he didn't suppose Myrnin would know what a flashlight was. "Okay... so... a lot of them involve clapping and things like that and most of them have a song or story that goes with them. This is a pretty easy one, so just put your hands like..." he paused, adjusting Myrnin's hands before giving a satisfactory nod. "This, and then bring your left one up and your right one down so it hits mine..." it was becoming quickly apparent that Lemonade was a lot easier to play than explain, but he was okay with that. This was the easiest one he knew, and he didn't want to throw anything too complicated at Myrnin right away. (Amazing enough, Myrnin apparently would have known what a shadow puppet was if it wasn't for the fact he 1) doesn't live in the right country and 2) wasn't in the poor class.) "'Flashlight,'" Myrnin tried out. "Is that another word for candle?" It was the only flashing light that he could think of. "Shadow puppets." There were so many words he didn't know, but his curiosity grew with every voice of them. Myrnin followed the instructions that Noah gave, trying to see where this was going before it happened. He held up his hands like Noah had asked him too, wondering if there was a song that went along with this or whether or not it would just involve clapping. "What next?" he asked, more as encouragement for Noah than anything. He wanted to make sure that Noah knew he appreciated the attention. Noah considered, then shook his head. "It's more like a torch," he replied, "It's brighter and helps you see things more than a candle would," he explained. He was a little bit frightened of candles. Truth be told, he was a little bit frightened of a lot of things, but the people that claimed to be able to speak to ghosts tended to use candles to try it, and that was a sort of magic that Noah wasn't really keen on. Powers in the House were one thing, but the magic he saw in his world was quite another. After all, said magic had needed his life to function. "Shadow puppets are..." he tried to think for a moment before he twisted his fingers into the position for a bird shadow puppet. "Like this. You put a light behind it and look at the wall closest to your hands and it looks like a bird." He gave a small smile before going back to the game. "Like this," he demonstrated, beginning to quietly sing the song that went with it. "Lemonade... then you clap three times, then go back to what we just did... like that, yes!"
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 22:39:38 GMT -5
Steve laughed slightly at the concern in the boy's voice. It was a bit odd to him that there was someone who didn't know what a teddy bear was, but he supposed it made sense. "It's a more friendly version of a bear, much softer and made to look especially cuddly. They're uh... they're called teddy bears because one of our past presidents, Teddy Roosevelt liked them a lot, so the creator just sort of named the entire stock after him." He didn't know if that would make any sense to Myrnin - after all, would he even know what a president was? Probably not, if he didn't know a lot about the world, especially since he was probably from a monarchy. Steve frowned, wondering if he should explain it or wait to see if Myrnin asked. "Sherlock?" Steve asked at the mention of another person. It wasn't a name he was familiar with, but he supposed it was another person in the House who the boy had met. "I suppose clothes from your future must be weird to you," he laughed, looking down at his attire. "That's called a sock," he informed Myrnin, though he supposed the boy probably knew about socks... right? "And that's a belt. To keep your pants up. And the buttons..." he frowned, thinking of how to explain buttons. "I guess folks a long time ago needed servants to dress them and it was a lot easier if they could use buttons instead of pulling it over someone's head. And kid..." he ruffled Myrnin's hair. "I'm quite short, considering. One day you'll be taller than me." ('One day you'll be taller than me'. One day will come and they'll both be around the same height and Myrnin will look Steve in the eye and say 'You liar'.) "Ooookay," said Myrnin, who only sort of understood. He didn't know what a president was, but he assumed it must be some sort of royalty. Who else would be getting something named after them? So he didn't ask. "Yeah. Sherlock. Apparently he is something called an 'insulting defective'. I think it might be someone important, but it sounded weird." His nose scrunched a bit to show his confusion. "These are clothes from the future?" he asked. "Does everyone wear such nice things or are you rich?" He knew a bit about rich people and royalty. Royalty were who the rich people talked about and rich people were the ones who bought things from the poor people. Myrnin actually didn't know about socks. And nothing about belts or buttons. Steve's explanation seemed a bit weird too, but he accepted it because Steve must know, right? "Will I really be taller?" he wondered. Steve looked pretty tall. The ruffling of Myrnin's hair caused the large mess to stick up even further. "What do you do anyway? If you aren't royalty and 'president' are?" "An insulting detective?" Steve repeated with a small laugh. He was pretty sure that either someone who wasn't Sherlock told Myrnin that, or at the very least Myrnin had misheard whatever Sherlock had actually said. Unless this Sherlock was exceedingly self aware, but Steve had met so few people who were that he found it difficult to believe. "I'm sure whatever he does must be relatively important if he's fancy," Steve conceded. "And a detective is a very important job, but I'm not sure about the insulting part." It struck Steve then that he didn't really know what he was doing here, speaking with Myrnin. Kids were something he didn't handle often, and often was very bad at handling, but he was doing his best. "I ain't rich, kid," Steve explained, his voice full of amusement. "I'm not too poor either, but I come from an immigrant family. It was pretty hard for us to get on our feet, but we've done well, considering. I'm better of than my mother was when she was my age, that's for sure." He thought about that for a moment, thinking about how his grandparents had immigrated, and how his mother had grown up in America, but never quite managing to be one because she hadn't been born there. Yet it was a country he was desperate to fight for... he shook the thought away, glad for a distraction. "You'll be taller," Steve promised. "For certain. And I... I'm going to be a soldier." He said it with all of the confidence he didn't feel, as though that could make it true.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 22:46:15 GMT -5
"Underground?" Nico repeated, shaking his head. It didn't seem fair to him that he was placed out here up on the rooftops where he felt exposed and there were no shadows to jump through, and Sam was underground... and seemingly wasn't too fond of it. It was probably a game on the House's behalf, but that didn't mean Nico had to like it. "If there's a river let me know... I don't see one up here. I'm a rooftop somewhere. It looks like a pretty big city but the buildings are all at least somewhat level which is..." he shrugged. It was strange, he had to admit, but he had gotten used to strange in the House. That was part of the charm, he supposed. What would have been even weirder to him would probably have been just appearing in a normal city, and not an oddly level one. "Watch out for the rats," he added absentmindedly, hoping that they wouldn't be too huge an issue for Sam. Hopefully the boy wasn't afraid of them. "I... I really don't know how I can hear you, but I'm not about to question it in case the House decides we're ungrateful," Nico replied. He had to admit, it was better being exposed when he at least felt that there was someone he trusted within earshot - even if earshot was artificially enhanced. "Is that likely to happen?" asked Sam, sounding concerned. Could the House actually do that so quickly and be that finicky? The idea that it was a living thing at all had been a bit of a learning curve, but now it was more about the personality of the living creature. "And ye. It's underground." He was pretty sure he could hear the sound of water getting louder. He started jogging a bit, looking where his feet were being placed. At least he could see where he was going really easily. He turned a corner, still following the flow, and saw a barred grate ahead of him that had the vague look of sunlight about it. "Found that river," he said. "If you still can see the bridge, maybe it's the same one?" He ducked his head, trying to lean over enough to see whether he could get out this way. There was a door just ahead, so he was assuming that the old, metal thing let you out somewhere to check the flow of things and that nothing got broken. He wasn't sure how accurate this was for an actual sewer, but it was for the House one. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell very well if everything was clear. Stealing himself, he breathed out and gripped the handle. Slowly, he pulled ... Locked. Of course. He wondered if Nico could hear more than just his voice. He hoped not. Taking the handle in both hands, putting as little super human strength into it as possible (he didn't want to outright break more than the lock) he started to pull. There was a rend of metal, a small jerk, and then the door inched a bit open. Slivers of weak, filtered sunlight petered through. A bit hit Sam's arm. He yelped and jumped back, pain lacing along his arm. It looked like, in less than a second, he'd gotten a bad sunburn. Nico nodded, taking a running start and flinging himself off the building he was on onto the next one. He could see the bridge a bit closer, and clear as day, several dozen feet below him was a river, sparkling in the noon sun. "I think it is the same one!" he crowed, triumphant. It took him a moment to remember that there was no way Sam could read his body language, so he'd need to learn to do more communication by talking rather than just nodding or shrugging. Pity. It was much easier to just nod and shrug. He tried to listen to what Sam was doing, but he couldn't hear anything but the boy's panting. In the moments when Sam was jogging, he took off and leapt another building, surprised that he had such a bound in him. It was more difficult than he cared to admit, and he'd always been at least a little scared of heights, at least since he had learned of Zeus' hatred towards him just for existing. After all, Zeus had proven he was willing to kill Nico's family in cold blood just because they had the gall to exist. There was no use risking that, but here he had to take to the open air. Nico sucked in a breath, standing on the edge of the next building. He was pretty close to the river, which hopefully meant that they were in a similar spot. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a small cry of pain. "Sam?" Panic filled Nico's voice. "Sam, are you alright? What just happened?"
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 22:54:51 GMT -5
(I owe you my life for this response) Dipper could barely hold himself together upon hearing what the other had to say. It as like finding a jelly bean in a bag of travel mix, a rarity and sometimes too good to be true. "Okay, that's crossed out of possibility. Nothing weird during the day but maybe it sensed something about you, probably trying to pick people off one by ..." He trailed off once again, a light sense of worry seeped further. Ideally he could talk about dangerous situations with anyone if he switched out a few choice words. Yes, it could apply here yet he couldn't hide his fair share of the paranormal this time around. "Oh, him? That guy? Well, he's not a guy and he shouldn't be even be able to talk to people with his bear mouth? Mouths? Look, nobody even notices he exists? You could literally just find him easily up the mountain!" He vented openly with a uneasy expression, flailing his arms. "If anyone would pay attention none of this would be happening, you wouldn't be stuck there and I wouldn't have to hide anything anymore. Hypothetically speaking, if adults actually adulted we could be kids." The brunette pressed himself against the aging couch all the while his slouched posture returned. For being a buzzkill he couldn't - wouldn't let a discovery hold him down. "Um, you said dungeons and dragons, so I'm going to assume its sorta similar, right? What's your favorite class? What about a favorite monster?" He pressed on with a smile peaking at the corners of his mouth. "I can't believe there's someone out there who actually plays the game! In a different universe!" Will shuddered at the idea of whatever it was trying to pick people in Hawkins off one by one... there were too many good people there, and it didn't quite seem fair that he was the first target. Unless he wasn't and they just weren't aware of anyone else. Yet when he was in that other dimension, he felt more alone than he had ever felt before. He wasn't inclined to believe there was anyone there unless they had been dead for a long time. There was also the feeling of not being alone, though. There was the monster who had taken him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else too. Something that didn't bear thinking about. Will was shaken from his reverie by the increase in volume of what Dipper was saying, and he was so caught by surprise that at first he didn't know what to say. "So adults in your world don't notice anything's wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He doubted his own disappearance had even been noticed yet, but that didn't seem to be because of incompetence. "My mom will find me. And if she doesn't then Jonathan will." Will's own voice was raised almost in an accusation, as though Dipper had accused Joyce and Jonathan specifically, though he knew he hadn't. "Sorry," he mumbled only moments later. "I know what you mean though. My best friend, Mike... his parents are useless. My dad was too. But my mom will find me. I know she will." The words escaped with the desperate certainty of someone who couldn't afford to believe otherwise. "Right. D&D." His smile returned, but without as much joy as before. "Mike makes up a ton of monsters for us, but we're gonna face the Demogorgon next session and I can't wait! And I always play Cleric."
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