Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 23:03:26 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. Nico clenched his jaw, not daring to look Kelsier in the eye. Instead he cast his gaze above, chin raised as though acting haughty could get him out of this. He knew it couldn't. Did Kelsier believe his lie about needing two to get out? If not then why hadn't he taken advantage of the fact that Nico didn't even have powers to defend himself with? If he was so keen on getting rid of Nico, on killing him, this would be the perfect opportunity. "You'd better hope this lasts beyond the room," Nico returned, leveling his gaze and hardening it as much as he could. "If you still want a chance at my life." It was a vague threat, but one he knew full well he couldn't follow through on, not in this state. "I've never had the House take away anything like this before. Usually whatever it does goes away once the room's over, but I don't know about this," he admitted, turning back to face the pool so he wouldn't have to look at Kelsier. If he died again, what would happen? Would he really be dead? No chance of coming back? Would the House spit Kelsier back into the living room as the victor? He turned back to look at the man. "How do you propose to get us both out when you almost knocked yourself out last time, huh?" It was almost an accusation, but the anger was more directed at himself. At this point, it would be better for Kelsier to finish alone, and then Nico could wait until the House was kind enough to blink him home. Not that he'd say that little plan out loud...
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 12, 2019 23:12:19 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.” Noah watched, holding back laughter. It may have been seen as mean spirited from anyone other than Noah, but he was so unthreatening that it was obviously not meant in a malevolent way. It was just the surprise of the board just rolling away, something he had struggled with a lot in his early days, when he had just gotten his first skateboard and had been desperate to try it out to prove to all of his friends - well, his singular friend... well, Whelk - that he was cool. He had made a complete fool of himself. "You need to have one foot planted firmly on the board, alright? And once it's there..." he kneeled down, pointing at the place on the board where Rue could get enough grip in order to stay on, "You can gently lift your back one on. Eventually you're just going to push off on your back foot and then you'll be able to put it back on while in movement, but maybe we should practice stationary at first," he advised, stepping back to give Rue enough room to try. "Also keep in mind that as soon as you get in motion, you'll probably have an easier time balancing because your momentum will be with the skateboard. That's what most people experience anyway."
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Asexual
Lark
Hello, its just, me, and 1567396558397583479 larks
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Post by Lark on Jun 13, 2019 0:38:42 GMT -5
The truth of the matter couldn't be avoided any longer as dramatic as that may seem. For something of that caliber it surprised the young boy that it came from that low quality prank show. Justin Kerprank? The name was lost to him. "It's whatever. Not really whatever because you could get hurt or worse. My point is-" Dipper turned his eyes from Will for a brief moment. A sense of dread followed his worry only anticipating the worse outcome that could come from this strange, unheard of creature and the competence in question of the people looking after him. "-what's the hope of adults noticing the weird things happening if they can't notice you, for you?" He sighed, forcing himself to keep looking at Will as if he had the right to speak about a sore subject. "What I'm getting at is these weird things happen because the adults just push things away, its what happened to me. I got pushed away up to Oregon for some "fresh air", now me and sister have to fight off monsters every week." He reminisced bitterly at the thought. "But we'll always have each others back. Does Jonathan do the same for you?" "Then there's my uncle who tries to look after us but he's in it for the money since we have to work at the tourist trap he runs. Its a mystery why anyone still visits." He figured the old man didn't deserve a graceful introduction after making him swat a bat out of the kitchen. Bad times. "There's other people working for him but that's like another journal entry to write for another day." He couldn't help but to gush about his experiences now that he didn't have to tuck them away in some old journal. It didn't come across his own thoughts of another secret spilled, one that should have stayed secret for awhile longer. "I didn't always pick what game to play or a campaign, since, um, there's usually no one willing enough to play it with me. You're party must be the coolest, probably all the best spells and weapons anyone come up, like lasers. I've always liked lasers."
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 13, 2019 1:27:07 GMT -5
“You doubt they’re going to find me, don’t you!” Will took a step back, his brows furrowing. This was all he had to hold on to, and Dipper was just assuming that all of the adults in his life were absolutely useless, probably like the adults in Dipper’s. “And what do you mean by noticing ‘you, for you’?” He demanded, crossing his arms. There were things that even his mom didn’t know about him, but those were things he wouldn’t ever share here, because he was too afraid of what the consequences would be. Did that mean Dipper knew something about him that he had tried to keep a secret, or was Dipper just talking about his own experiences? How could Dipper possibly know what Will tried so desperately to hide? There were bullies that assumed, for sure, but nobody he could call a friend had ever assumed anything like that, even if it was true… Will pushed the flood of anxious thoughts away, standing his ground as he looked at Dipper. “Maybe your parents can’t see things clearly when it comes to you, but my mom isn’t like that. She… she’ll find me.” he insisted, his earlier fears forgotten for the moment. “She has to,” he added, his voice just a little bit quieter. Nobody else was going to… of course Jonathan and Mike and Dustin and Lucas would try, but he knew if anyone succeeded… he shook his head again. “I’m glad you have your sister,” Will added, his voice reluctantly calm. “Jonathan’s gotten me through a lot of stuff, especially when my dad…” he clammed up, not sure why he had almost just volunteered the information. How much could he tell Dipper? He wasn’t sure. “Maybe your uncle cares about you more than you think he does,” Will suggested, but he didn’t know if that was true or not. He knew his father probably still cared, but he didn’t care enough not to walk out on them, so that was… beside the point. “Maybe one day I’ll see your world and you’ll have someone a bit more competent to fight monsters with. I’d be like… a third leg of your team. And then we can play D&D or… what is it in your world? DD&MD? It’s not fun alone. My party…” he gave the barest hints of a smile. “My party’s pretty great. Though we don’t often use lasers,” he laughed.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 13, 2019 1:33:51 GMT -5
('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. "I'm not sure what the detective pit is about," Myrnin admitted. "But apparently it involves explosions and 'serial killers.'" His nose wrinkled a bit more as he remembered what Sherlock had said. He still wasn't confident that he knew what any other blinkers were talking about. But he kept trying. He nodded a bit, and the action seemed to hold knowledge far more aware of what the world was like than other children of five should be. He knew what it meant to be getting on your feet and 'being better off'. His mother said things like that a lot. He smiled, if possible, even wider at Steve at the affirmation that he'd be taller, but the smile became a bit of a frown as he heard the word 'soldier'. His proximity to Steve was still pretty much the same after the examination of his clothes. But that didn't make the ease in which the boy proceeded to wrap his arms around Steve's shins any more surprising. "Don't," protested Myrnin. "Being a soldier is dangerous." His eyebrows were almost a single line. "You'll die. And I just met you and I don't want you to die." He looked like he was only a couple steps away from either shouting or crying.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 13, 2019 1:44:45 GMT -5
(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!" But Noah had distracted Myrnin for just a second. When he described shadow puppets, Myrnin reached out with far to small hands, and tried to cup his hands above Noah's in an attempt to create enough darkness to see its shadow. It didn't succeed, and he looked just a bit disappointed. But he'd tried anyway. Afterward his hands moved back to their previous placements, though Myrnin looked a bit sad that he hadn't gotten to see the bird. But he got over it pretty quickly and watched what Noah was doing again. He repeated the action which Noah had done, eyes the bright way that children's eyes got when they were both excited and just a little confused. "Is 'lemonade' a good thing?" he questioned. The boy was full of questions. Like they were curiosities landing in a very small bucket - they just kept overflowing. "How does the game end?" Not that he wanted it to, but he was slightly concerned. Most of his games ended when he had to do his job or his mom found him.
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Post by ~∂єѕтιиу on Jun 13, 2019 13:34:03 GMT -5
(Gm folks! I’m back from a job interview and nervous af — how’s life everyone?? I think I might start trying to rp on the forums again here soon!))
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 13, 2019 17:52:09 GMT -5
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. Nico clenched his jaw, not daring to look Kelsier in the eye. Instead he cast his gaze above, chin raised as though acting haughty could get him out of this. He knew it couldn't. Did Kelsier believe his lie about needing two to get out? If not then why hadn't he taken advantage of the fact that Nico didn't even have powers to defend himself with? If he was so keen on getting rid of Nico, on killing him, this would be the perfect opportunity. "You'd better hope this lasts beyond the room," Nico returned, leveling his gaze and hardening it as much as he could. "If you still want a chance at my life." It was a vague threat, but one he knew full well he couldn't follow through on, not in this state. "I've never had the House take away anything like this before. Usually whatever it does goes away once the room's over, but I don't know about this," he admitted, turning back to face the pool so he wouldn't have to look at Kelsier. If he died again, what would happen? Would he really be dead? No chance of coming back? Would the House spit Kelsier back into the living room as the victor? He turned back to look at the young man. "How do you propose to get us both out when you almost knocked yourself out last time, huh?" It was almost an accusation, but the anger was more directed at himself. At this point, it would be better for Kelsier to finish alone, and then Nico could wait until the House was kind enough to blink him home. Not that he'd say that little plan out loud... Kelsier tried to meet Nico’s harsh stare, and found that he couldn’t. Because he was right. Looking in the face of someone he’d decided to kill, and regretting it, he wasn’t used to that. He was used to being the defender of the Skaa, a hope where there wasn’t any. He was used to killing, sure, but not regretting it. Never regretting it. He swore under his breath as he glanced up again, and this time he did meet the demigod’s eyes. “All right, I know I said we should get out of here first, but it turns out I’m not a patient man.” He said, and drew his dagger again, though this time he didn’t look angry. He looked...resigned. He looked like two bad decisions, and choosing the one you thought you could live with easier over all. He flipped the dagger around and offered the hilt to Nico, looking him in the eye as he did. He didn’t know Nico well enough to know how he would react, but he had to do something with the gnawing guilt, and this was the only thing he could think of. He realized his hand was trembling, almost unnoticeably but it was. He smiled a little. “I made a mistake when I killed you, Prince Nico of the Underworld.” He said the name slowly, this time not mocking it, just tasting it in his mouth. “You’re not what I thought you were, and I’m sorry, but I know that isn’t enough, so I’m going to offer you the only other thing I have.” He glanced at the blade of the knife in his hand. “One more death, and I’ll lose my powers, right? That’s who I am, Nico. It’s called Mistborn, and if you take it away from me, I don’t know what I’ll have left, honestly.” He had to be insane. His heart was beating frantically. Why was he offering this to someone he’d barely even met, to someone he’d been ready to kill not long ago, how could he know he would get them back? What if he didn’t? What then? ”but if I hadn’t killed you, you would still have your powers, though weakened.” He forced himself on. “So it’s only fair that we’re in the same situation. We’ll find another way out, or we’ll wait until we blink back, but I doubt I can carry us both out of here with my Allomancy as it is now anyway. Besides, this is your only opportunity to do the exact same thing to me that I did to you, and you won’t have blood on your hands. Deal?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 13, 2019 18:07:58 GMT -5
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.” Noah watched, holding back laughter. It may have been seen as mean spirited from anyone other than Noah, but he was so unthreatening that it was obviously not meant in a malevolent way. It was just the surprise of the board just rolling away, something he had struggled with a lot in his early days, when he had just gotten his first skateboard and had been desperate to try it out to prove to all of his friends - well, his singular friend... well, Whelk - that he was cool. He had made a complete fool of himself. "You need to have one foot planted firmly on the board, alright? And once it's there..." he kneeled down, pointing at the place on the board where Rue could get enough grip in order to stay on, "You can gently lift your back one on. Eventually you're just going to push off on your back foot and then you'll be able to put it back on while in movement, but maybe we should practice stationary at first," he advised, stepping back to give Rue enough room to try. "Also keep in mind that as soon as you get in motion, you'll probably have an easier time balancing because your momentum will be with the skateboard. That's what most people experience anyway." Rue nodded, determined to at least figure out how to get on the board, if nothing else. He chances of jumping before the room ended were slim, she knew, but she wanted to. She didn’t even know why it felt so important to her, but it did. She carefully placed her foot in the spot Noah had indicated, then hesitated, feeling the board slip unsteadily back and forth under her. But if she pushed straight down it would stay still, right? She tried lifting her foot, then yelped and hopped forward on one foot while the other was still firmly placed on the board as it tried to leave without her. “This is so hard.” She muttered, trying not to feel discouraged with how slow her progress was. She wasn’t really successful with that. “But I’m going to do it, I am going to step on and stay there, and I'm going to do it now.” She focused on that thought and at the center of the board, and tried to lift her foot again. The board sped away. She chased after it and dragged it back. It took seven tries, and finally she just closed her eyes and lifted her foot and she was on, she was on and she felt like she was going to fall off at any moment but she was standing on the board and grinning ear to ear at Noah, pride bursting from every inch of her. “I did it! I did it! I’m-“ Whatever she was going to say was cut off in a squawk of protest as her excitement proved too much for her balance and she had to jump off to avoid falling on her face. “...on.” She finished lamely, but she was still grinning, because it was still progress and that was enough,
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 13, 2019 18:52:47 GMT -5
"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?" "I'm - I'm fine," Sam lied to Nico. He was nursing his arm, staying out of the sunbeams which were still coming in from the crack around the edge of the door. He really couldn't say why he choice to lie, other than the fact that he didn't want Nico to panic. Anyway, he would be fine in a couple more minutes. "I have ..." he trailed off. The sunlight was weak. Was it possible that he could make it from the doorway and dart into a nearby shadow? Was Nico watching? Sam looked with hesitation at the gap before he nudged it open further with his shoe. It was just his arms, head, and face which was exposed. By the look of it, the shadow of the bridge was only a couple feet away. He looked up, but without getting closer he couldn't see much more than the side of the river bank. Before he could second guess himself, he hurriedly darted out the opening and danced into the shadow of the nearby bridge. He had to hold in another hiss of pain as he pressed his back against one of the bridge's braces. His shoulders, arms, and the tip of his nose hurt the most. He breathed out a couple times before he said, "Okay, I'm by the bridge. Under it, rather. Where are you?" He slowly cracked open his eyes and looked over his arms. Red, but they were slowly heeling up.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 11:04:51 GMT -5
Noah watched, holding back laughter. It may have been seen as mean spirited from anyone other than Noah, but he was so unthreatening that it was obviously not meant in a malevolent way. It was just the surprise of the board just rolling away, something he had struggled with a lot in his early days, when he had just gotten his first skateboard and had been desperate to try it out to prove to all of his friends - well, his singular friend... well, Whelk - that he was cool. He had made a complete fool of himself. "You need to have one foot planted firmly on the board, alright? And once it's there..." he kneeled down, pointing at the place on the board where Rue could get enough grip in order to stay on, "You can gently lift your back one on. Eventually you're just going to push off on your back foot and then you'll be able to put it back on while in movement, but maybe we should practice stationary at first," he advised, stepping back to give Rue enough room to try. "Also keep in mind that as soon as you get in motion, you'll probably have an easier time balancing because your momentum will be with the skateboard. That's what most people experience anyway." Rue nodded, determined to at least figure out how to get on the board, if nothing else. He chances of jumping before the room ended were slim, she knew, but she wanted to. She didn’t even know why it felt so important to her, but it did. She carefully placed her foot in the spot Noah had indicated, then hesitated, feeling the board slip unsteadily back and forth under her. But if she pushed straight down it would stay still, right? She tried lifting her foot, then yelped and hopped forward on one foot while the other was still firmly placed on the board as it tried to leave without her. “This is so hard.” She muttered, trying not to feel discouraged with how slow her progress was. She wasn’t really successful with that. “But I’m going to do it, I am going to step on and stay there, and I'm going to do it now.” She focused on that thought and at the center of the board, and tried to lift her foot again. The board sped away. She chased after it and dragged it back. It took seven tries, and finally she just closed her eyes and lifted her foot and she was on, she was on and she felt like she was going to fall off at any moment but she was standing on the board and grinning ear to ear at Noah, pride bursting from every inch of her. “I did it! I did it! I’m-“ Whatever she was going to say was cut off in a squawk of protest as her excitement proved too much for her balance and she had to jump off to avoid falling on her face. “...on.” She finished lamely, but she was still grinning, because it was still progress and that was enough, Noah watched patiently, calling words of encouragement when it seemed as though Rue was particularly frustrated. He understood - he had a tendency to get frustrated too, when he was alive. How long ago it seemed that he was first learning to get on a skateboard. "You can do it," he told her, hoping his words didn't sound hollow. He felt a mixture of pride and excitement as Rue came closer and closer each time to succeeding, and he actually hopped up and down and gave a round of applause once she managed to get on by herself. It was a huge accomplishment, even if she did fall not too long after. "You did it!" He congratulated her, patting her on the back not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to convey what he meant. It was the sort of friendly roughhousing he had so often participated in during life, and it didn't feel unnatural to do it now - although he'd never liked it when Whelk would hit him hard on the shoulder and say it was in congratulations or just friendliness, when it hurt and they both know it did. Noah was the kind of person who wasn't willing to hurt someone else. "Here, try it again a few times until you feel stable, and then I'll start teaching you some of the smaller tricks. One of the easiest to do isn't a jump like I did before, but it's still a jump and it's a fantastic starting point," he informed her, smiling.
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 11:35:14 GMT -5
Nico clenched his jaw, not daring to look Kelsier in the eye. Instead he cast his gaze above, chin raised as though acting haughty could get him out of this. He knew it couldn't. Did Kelsier believe his lie about needing two to get out? If not then why hadn't he taken advantage of the fact that Nico didn't even have powers to defend himself with? If he was so keen on getting rid of Nico, on killing him, this would be the perfect opportunity. "You'd better hope this lasts beyond the room," Nico returned, leveling his gaze and hardening it as much as he could. "If you still want a chance at my life." It was a vague threat, but one he knew full well he couldn't follow through on, not in this state. "I've never had the House take away anything like this before. Usually whatever it does goes away once the room's over, but I don't know about this," he admitted, turning back to face the pool so he wouldn't have to look at Kelsier. If he died again, what would happen? Would he really be dead? No chance of coming back? Would the House spit Kelsier back into the living room as the victor? He turned back to look at the young man. "How do you propose to get us both out when you almost knocked yourself out last time, huh?" It was almost an accusation, but the anger was more directed at himself. At this point, it would be better for Kelsier to finish alone, and then Nico could wait until the House was kind enough to blink him home. Not that he'd say that little plan out loud... Kelsier tried to meet Nico’s harsh stare, and found that he couldn’t. Because he was right. Looking in the face of someone he’d decided to kill, and regretting it, he wasn’t used to that. He was used to being the defender of the Skaa, a hope where there wasn’t any. He was used to killing, sure, but not regretting it. Never regretting it. He swore under his breath as he glanced up again, and this time he did meet the demigod’s eyes. “All right, I know I said we should get out of here first, but it turns out I’m not a patient man.” He said, and drew his dagger again, though this time he didn’t look angry. He looked...resigned. He looked like two bad decisions, and choosing the one you thought you could live with easier over all. He flipped the dagger around and offered the hilt to Nico, looking him in the eye as he did. He didn’t know Nico well enough to know how he would react, but he had to do something with the gnawing guilt, and this was the only thing he could think of. He realized his hand was trembling, almost unnoticeably but it was. He smiled a little. “I made a mistake when I killed you, Prince Nico of the Underworld.” He said the name slowly, this time not mocking it, just tasting it in his mouth. “You’re not what I thought you were, and I’m sorry, but I know that isn’t enough, so I’m going to offer you the only other thing I have.” He glanced at the blade of the knife in his hand. “One more death, and I’ll lose my powers, right? That’s who I am, Nico. It’s called Mistborn, and if you take it away from me, I don’t know what I’ll have left, honestly.” He had to be insane. His heart was beating frantically. Why was he offering this to someone he’d barely even met, to someone he’d been ready to kill not long ago, how could he know he would get them back? What if he didn’t? What then? ”but if I hadn’t killed you, you would still have your powers, though weakened.” He forced himself on. “So it’s only fair that we’re in the same situation. We’ll find another way out, or we’ll wait until we blink back, but I doubt I can carry us both out of here with my Allomancy as it is now anyway. Besides, this is your only opportunity to do the exact same thing to me that I did to you, and you won’t have blood on your hands. Deal?” Nico's eyes widened almost imperceptibly when Kelsier drew the weapon, sure that the man had reached the same conclusion he had: if one of them died for good in here, the House might blink them back into the living room. He stood his ground, however, knowing full well he probably couldn't even use his sword if it came down to a fight. Stygian Iron worked on mortals, yes, but it was probably extreme difficult for a mortal to try to use it. Nico wasn't sure he was ready for another crushing disappointment like not even being able to use his own sword. But then Kelsier did the unexpected. Nico watched warily as Kelsier flipped the dagger over and offered it. He didn't understand... thousands of thoughts flickered through his mind, unsure which of them to pounce on. Earlier, perhaps, Nico would have taken it and done enough damage to at least knock the other man unconscious, but now... Kelsier had nearly knocked himself out to help Nico when his own powers were spent. The use of the title sent a shudder down Nico's back. He hated it. He couldn't quite grasp why, but it was a defense mechanism he used when he was desperate, and it was a future he didn't want to think about. There was only one thing he wanted out of death: to see Bianca again, not rule over the dead. Of course he supposed that would be a better alternative to forgetting his life, right? "How do you know what I am?" Nico's brow furrowed. "I could be exactly what you think I am, you hardly know me." He kept his words even and measured, though his mind had been made up. He squeezed his eyes shut, unsure how much to say. Did he open up to Kelsier? Did he pour out his life story to this man he barely knew who had been so keen on killing him earlier? "You still have your powers and I'm defenseless without mine. What makes you think you made a mistake before?" He took a step forward, but only to pick up the sceptre he had dropped with his last death. "How do you know I'm not the sort of person who'll kill in cold blood, or who relishes the suffering of others?" Although he didn't know why, anger was bubbling close to the surface. To many, he was probably seen that way. The boy who spent more time talking to the dead than the living. The boy who didn't let anyone get too close, who always seemed to sneak up from behind, who was probably half-dead himself. The boy who had betrayed them all when it was necessary he help, who could never quite make up for what he did. Was he the sort to take a life because his own had been taken? He was no stranger to killing, he had done things he never wished to think of again, let alone speak of. And did Kelsier have a death wish? It hadn't seemed so earlier. Nico shook his head firmly. "I'm not sacrificing my way out of here just so you can feel you were benevolent and fair by giving up your powers." The words were cold, but Nico couldn't quite meet Kelsier's eye. There were reasons he couldn't kill him, though he honestly wasn't sure why. Was it a selfish decision or was there the possibility he was actually a good person? There was no time to ponder that. He turned around and backed up a few steps before running forward, striking the sceptre on the ground right beside the green puddle, and using it to propel himself over. He landed with perhaps an inch to spare, but he landed. He couldn't make himself turn to face Kelsier.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 14, 2019 15:03:36 GMT -5
Kelsier watched as Nico stepped forward, wondering whether he’d take the dagger. He could just use his sword, of course, but Kelsier didn’t know whether he needed his magic to wield it, and he’d purposefully offered his own knife to give the impression that he required a specific weapon to kill him. What? He regretted what he’d done deeper than almost anything else in his life, but he didn’t intend to die permanently because of it. Too many people needed him alive for such a selfish move as that. And he didn’t think his powers would be gone permanently. Of course he didn’t know that, but there was no way he was getting out of here if he only made safe choices, and maybe the way out was to sacrifice your powers anyway. That was the problem with trying to figure this place out: it was probably choosing to do the thing they least expected on purpose to keep them on their toes. As Nico made his choice, the Mistborn smiled a little. Relief flooded through him, and only about half of it was because his weakened Allomancy was still his for the time being. “I didn’t know.” He addressed Nico’s back, quietly but so that the boy could hear him from across the green pool. “Until you made your choice just now. Don’t misunderstand me; if you had chosen to kill me I wouldn’t have held it against you, and we would still be far from even. But the person I assumed you were wouldn’t even have hesitated at such an easy opportunity, they would have killed me and then killed me again until I stayed dead.” He hadn’t missed the expression in Nico’s eyes at his own title, and it puzzled him, but he wouldn’t use it again unless he had to. Instead, he took a couple steps back and ran for the puddle, threw down a coin and Pushed himself over it. He landed and stumbled, panting but safely un-dissolved. “You...are not a bad person, Nico.” He finished, and wiped the sweat from his forward, got to his feet, and continued on without looking back. Nico would follow. Where else could he go? “And who knows. Maybe we need to lose our powers to get out.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 14, 2019 15:14:18 GMT -5
Rue seemed almost to glow at the praise, the skin under her eyes wrinkling as she grinned back at him. Her eyes widened a little bit, and if possible she seemed to light up from the inside even more at the familiar pat he gave her, gentle enough not to remind her of the Peacekeepers but not so gentle that she felt fragile, breakable. The gesture felt familiar and foreign at the same time, like doing something you’ve dreamed of doing a million times before, and on impulse, she threw her arms around him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Then she released him and ran to where her board had rolled away, dragging it back with much more energy now that she’d succeeded. It was still hard, and the first few tries seemed no more successful than when she’d first started, but she kept at it again and again until, finally, she was doing it more often than she wasn’t. She only looked up once she’d done it right three times in a row, her face flushed with effort and pleasure. The skateboard still felt unsteady under her, but it was starting to feel familiar too and she could even clap her hands without falling off. “Look at me! I’m actually on. I am so ready to try a trick now.”
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 16:08:43 GMT -5
Nico frowned. Here was this stranger who seemed to think, from this one room, that he knew him well enough to make such claims. Although he never had any bad intentions that he could remember, the fact remained that he had made too many questionable decisions. He clenched his jaw, finally looking back at Kelsier. “You don’t know me.” The look in his eyes was dangerous - though not nearly as dangerous as it was when he actually had any ability to back it up. It hurt to realize that, without his powers, he was essentially just a kid who didn’t know what he was doing. Of course there were a fair number of blinkers who literally were just normal kids who made it work, but it had been a long time since Nico hadn’t had a way to appear dangerous. While he wasn’t intentionally trying to goad Kelsier into attacking him, having enemies was more comfortable than having friends. At least with enemies there was nobody to disappoint. Anger - at himself, perhaps, or at the room - coursed just under the surface, but there was no physical manifestation this time. He was just a boy with a sword he wasn’t even sure he could use. Anger no longer made him dangerous, and it was an oddly hollow feeling. He had made a reputation for himself that protected him, and losing it now in front of a stranger was… well, not ideal. “Your death wish, not mine,” Nico replied after a long moment, finally following Kelsier. He let his hand drop into the pocket with the Hades Mythomagic figurine, shaking his head slightly. What would Bianca have thought of the House if she knew? What would she have thought of what he was saying and doing now? It was strange to think that so many people in the House had only known him after he’d lost her. Would it be different had Kelsier met the excitable, obnoxious ten year old he had been not five years before? Emotion clawed up in Nico’s throat, but he pushed it away. Now was not the time to think of that. He noticed a lever in front of Kelsier, rounding around the other side to look at it. Out of habit he tried to close his eyes and feel for anything underneath the stone, but of course he couldn’t. There was no knowing if this was a trap. “If you’re so eager to test out that theory why don’t you pull the lever then,” he deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow - a challenge, really - at Kelsier.
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 16:27:54 GMT -5
Noah nodded, grinning. He was honestly impressed with how quickly Rue seemed to be getting the hang of it - it wasn’t exactly easy. His eyes widened imperceptibly at the hug, and although it took him a moment to respond, he reciprocated, doing his best not to let his cold hands ruin the moment. He knew a lot of people could find them disconcerting… there was a lot about life that he found disconcerting though, so most of the time he didn’t mind. He watched again, giving words of encouragement until Rue managed to do it with some consistency. He then stepped away and grabbed his own board. Flipping it up to catch it and then approaching Rue again. “Watch what I do, and then see if you can tell me what I did, okay?” He asked with a soft smile. He set the board on the ground again and picked up speed, heading just in front of Rue when he shifted his feet, pressed his back foot down hard and vaulted into the air, landing about a foot away and circling back towards Rue. “It’s a bit hard to get the hang of, but you should try to do it stationary first."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 14, 2019 16:50:50 GMT -5
“Nor do you know me.” Kelsier answered quietly, a small smile slipping its way into his expression as he heard Nico begin to follow him, reluctant though he was. It was true. He didn’t know Nico, he didn’t even know he’d been wrong in killing him, and he’d certainly been wrong about people before...that though hurt, but he moved on, ignoring the face threatening at the edges of his mind, the memory of a smile that wasn’t his. He didn’t look back as he made his way forward. He didn’t believe was something you gave someone, or something you could earn. Trust was a choice you could make, and it was always a risk no matter how well you thought you knew someone, because the truth was that you never really knew anyone but yourself. Trust wasn’t something you decided someone was worth, trust was deciding that someone was worth the chance of them breaking you. And it was something you could lose, just like the ability to smile with your eyes and laugh so hard you can’t stop. That was why he still trusted people. It was another way to prove that despite everything he’d survived, he hadn’t come out of the other side broken. He was living proof that you could make it out without losing yourself in the process.
The Mistborn stopped in front of the lever, gazing at it without seeing it. Of course, it would also be stupid to trust someone you’d been prepared to kill with no hesitation not an hour earlier. But he was willing to see what happened if he tried, without trusting him, just to see who he really was under the barbed wire. “”Well, I do have less to lose.” He pointed out reasonably, and grasped the lever firmly. If he lost his powers now.... Well, doing nothing wasn’t any better than trying something, was it? He pulled the lever and took a quick step back, looking around for any clue as to what he’d just done.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 14, 2019 17:08:56 GMT -5
Rue watched, a critical look in her eye, as Noah mounted his own board and took off. It looked so easy when he did it. But she was beginning to notice things she hadn’t seen before, like how he weight was evenly distributed, and how he leaned to turn, and how his knees were bent just enough to keep himself steady as he accelerated. How at ease he looked was still a mystery, but she would get there too. She clapped for him as he jumped, hopping us and down herself and practically trembling with excitement as he came back towards her. “It looked like you stomped down really hard.” She offered. “Oh! That pushed the other side up with you on it, didn’t it?” She looked down at her own board, poking her tongue between her teeth, “so I just stomp?” Without waiting for an answer, she threw every bit of force she had into slamming her heel against one end of the board. For a moment, she thought it had really worked, and she did technically jump, but about halfway up something went wrong and the board spun away, leaving her to catch herself painfully on her hands and knees, breathless yet again. “Okay....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 14, 2019 17:13:55 GMT -5
Nico watched, tense, as Kelsier pulled the lever, his eyes widening when he noticed a part of the platform above dropping down to create a way up to the next platform. Without hesitation - even though he knew there was the possibility it wouldn't hold his weight, he leapt up and grabbed at the platform, hoisting himself up in a rather undignified fashion that pulled his jacket and shirt up just enough to expose that mess of ugly scars before he finally found himself steadily on the platform. He knew he probably should reach down and give Kelsier a lift up, but he had already had enough contact with this man who was little more than a stranger. He found the idea of more slightly sickening, but it was no fault of Kelsier's. Instead, he moved back so there was enough room for Kelsier as well on top of the platform. It struck Nico that without a doubt, the man below him was an enigma. He couldn't quite wrap his head around him, and the weird part was that he found he sort of wanted to. He wanted to know why Kelsier had been willing to give up his powers, even for a short time, and why he felt guilty about a death that hadn't even lasted. Not that he'd ever admit any of that out loud, of course. After all, the less Kelsier knew about him, the better. He was perfectly fine being given a certain amount of respect from a distance. He knew from past experience that he was capable of accepting friendship, even now, but he had to admit the idea of letting someone else into his life - to judge him, or to worry about him, or to betray him - was terrifying. And the thought of worrying about someone else in another world that he couldn't help? That was scarier. No, he couldn't get close to Kelsier, and he couldn't let him get too close either.
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 17:21:19 GMT -5
Noah opened his mouth to offer her more guidance than "stomp," but it seemed that Rue had decided herself that she knew what she was doing. She wasn't entirely inaccurate either, and Noah had to admit that he was a bit impressed by the first attempt. She had courage, it seemed. That was something he'd been nervous to try when he was first learning, and it had taken him several days to even get as far as Rue had gotten with her first attempt. "Bring your knees up to your chest as you do so," he advised, "It's easier to have balance when they're up higher, and it allows you to get a little bit of height. Don't worry, the board will go with you if you stomp hard enough. Let the board come with you, don't try to push it down." He frowned for a second, thinking of what other advice he could give. "Also, when you're in motion, you slide your foot back to one side of the board and just press down, don't necessarily lift it. But that was amazing for a first try!" He grinned. He glanced back at the drop in right behind him, a plan forming in his head. He'd let Rue get this stationary jump, and try it while moving if she really wanted to, but the House would probably let two people onto one skateboard, wouldn't it? Then he could show her what it felt like to do what he had done before... what had taken him years to work up to.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 14, 2019 17:53:40 GMT -5
Kelsier didn’t really expect help, and he certainly wasn’t offended by not getting it. Out of the two of them, he was the one with access to his powers, wasn’t he? He backed up a few steps, then took a running jump, throwing down a coin out of habit as he went. He realized at the last second though that he probably had a better chance of making it without Allomancy, and he restrained himself from using it as he leapt, grabbing onto the ledge with both arms and hanging with his feet kicking uselessly for a few minutes before he managed to pull himself up. He smiled at Nico as he stood up, brushing himself off. Maybe all they had to do was keep going up to get out, after all. “That wasn’t so bad. I think I’m getting the hang of this.” He announced, and looked around for the next lever or dubious liquid or whatever was in this level. “I think we might make it out of here in almost one piece, eh?”
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strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on Jun 14, 2019 18:02:21 GMT -5
Nico looked at the next jump, cursing under his breath because it seemed higher, and there was no room to get a running start. He looked to Kelsier, seeing what the man would do, as he was probably the one who had to move first given their cramped position on the temporary platform. Nico was half terrified that at some point it would crash down and they'd be back where they started, this time with no way out. And if his theory was right, this was probably the last life he had before he died permanently - though he wasn't sure if it was permanently permanently or just for this room. The House was never convenient enough to just give them answers, was it? He frowned, hearing Kelsier's words and frowning, slightly. "Don't jinx it," he returned, trying to catch a glimpse of what might be next. If he was right, there seemed to be a purple glow on the next platform, but he couldn't tell for sure what it was, or even if it was real. It was entirely possible he was hallucinating. He muttered something extremely rude in Ancient Greek, hoping that there weren't that many levels left to combat.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 14, 2019 19:21:37 GMT -5
</div>It was a very dangerous vicious cycle - the more excited Hange got, the more excited Myrnin got, which, in turn, made Hange even more wired up. It seemed possible that the two of them would eventually just explode if they weren’t interrupted. ”Mmm, I could, but I’d hate to damage whatever’s inside,” they explained, squinting at the edge where the lid met the rest of the box. “It could be mechanical. Delicate. Hmm...AH! I know!” They stood up very straight as an idea whipped through their brain. “The glass! If there are still any pieces left from whenO fell out the window, I should be able to use them as a sort of screwdriver.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Jun 14, 2019 19:26:14 GMT -5
Bashful bashing resonated against the bare walls and stalls spread throughout the park. With bated breath he inched closer to steal a peek around the corner. From his improvised view point there wasn't much he could get out other than the aforementioned ride. What was normally a tall and proud sight now torn down, scattered across the ground in clumps. He bit his lip at the sight, there were no intentions of being a gruesome pile himself. That couldn't be said for the only other person with him - maybe he was into trash piles. "Now you want to bring up the house?" Joey snickered. Those deft hands of his began to reach around his neck tightening the bandana around his neck. "It made itself pretty clear that we're going to end up dead if we didn't leave. Now move it!" He whispered tensely under his breath, standing up to his full height. He didn’t have to tell him twice. As soon as Joey gave the word, he was off like a shot, sprinting as fast as he could go across the pathway towards the outer fence of the park. When he’d run a few paces, he stopped and turned, waving Joey on to make sure he was following. Even though the taller, fitter boy would almost certainly catch and outpace him soon anyway. “Alright, come on! We’re almost there!” Attracted by the voices, and by the sudden movement of the two boys, the distant monster turned, black eyes scanning the ground until it spotted them. With an enraged ROAR, it began to charge them, flattening everything in its path as it neared them at breakneck speed, murder in its empty gaze. ”Aw, shit...” said Matt, and he turned, beginning to run again, heart beating almost painfully against his ribcage. “GO! GO GO GO!”
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Post by --cato phoenix on Jun 15, 2019 0:46:07 GMT -5
When Arlo appeared leaning against the wall near the entrance of the kitchen of the castle room she looked much better than she had the last time she'd blinked in. She'd managed to get most of the bloodstains out of her tattered clothes, her hair was partially tied back again as usual, and her gaze was alert as she scanned her new surroundings. Aside from the tears in her clothes through which oddly dark scars could be seen and the cloth wrapped around her hands in place of her gloves, there was nothing to suggest that anything out of the ordinary had happened to her.
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 15, 2019 5:39:17 GMT -5
</div>"Glass?" questioned Myrnin, still looking around. He had no idea what they meant, but he still wanted to be helpful. By using assumption and a bit of deduction, he could assume it was the sharp bits he'd avoided on the way there and that Hange had been with when they had fallen into the pool. He knew what a window was, so glass had to be that clear stuff. "I'll get it," he said brightly, turning away. He found some that wasn't in the smelly water. The edges looked sharp, so he very carefully picked them up before returning to Hange. "Will these help?" he asked. The pieces were a bit small, but they might work. <Raintalon>
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Post by mintedstar/fur on Jun 15, 2019 5:45:47 GMT -5
When Arlo appeared leaning against the wall near the entrance of the kitchen of the castle room she looked much better than she had the last time she'd blinked in. She'd managed to get most of the bloodstains out of her tattered clothes, her hair was partially tied back again as usual, and her gaze was alert as she scanned her new surroundings. Aside from the tears in her clothes through which oddly dark scars could be seen and the cloth wrapped around her hands in place of her gloves, there was nothing to suggest that anything out of the ordinary had happened to her. The Doctor blinked back in, gasping a bit for breath, only to find out that running really wasn't needed right now. At least not yet. She appreciated the chance to catch her breath. Bracing a hand against a wall, she looked around. "Oh," she said lightly. "This place again." She rummaged around a bit and found that she still had the two previous jewels on her from what they'd hunted so far. That was good. "Hello," she said to Arlo. "Who might you be?"
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Post by --cato phoenix on Jun 15, 2019 6:36:42 GMT -5
Arlo showed no sign of being surprised by the sudden appearance of another person, by now she was so used to people appearing out of thin air that it rarely startled her unless she was half asleep... which had happened a lot recently, but not this time. She tilted her head to the side slightly, observing the other blinker as if trying to remember her from somewhere- which she was. If her eleven year old self had recently stopped blinking, it was possible that some of the newbies she'd met then were blinking now. She was pretty sure she hadn't met this woman yet, but her memories of those blinks were a bit fuzzy so it was hard to be sure. "Hi, I'm Arlo Crimson," she replied, her gaze traveling momentarily to the jewels the other blinker was holding. She looked curious but didn't ask about them- not yet at least. "I don't believe we've met, have you been blinking very long?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Jun 15, 2019 11:12:15 GMT -5
Noah opened his mouth to offer her more guidance than "stomp," but it seemed that Rue had decided herself that she knew what she was doing. She wasn't entirely inaccurate either, and Noah had to admit that he was a bit impressed by the first attempt. She had courage, it seemed. That was something he'd been nervous to try when he was first learning, and it had taken him several days to even get as far as Rue had gotten with her first attempt. "Bring your knees up to your chest as you do so," he advised, "It's easier to have balance when they're up higher, and it allows you to get a little bit of height. Don't worry, the board will go with you if you stomp hard enough. Let the board come with you, don't try to push it down." He frowned for a second, thinking of what other advice he could give. "Also, when you're in motion, you slide your foot back to one side of the board and just press down, don't necessarily lift it. But that was amazing for a first try!" He grinned. He glanced back at the drop in right behind him, a plan forming in his head. He'd let Rue get this stationary jump, and try it while moving if she really wanted to, but the House would probably let two people onto one skateboard, wouldn't it? Then he could show her what it felt like to do what he had done before... what had taken him years to work up to. Rue nodded seriously, repeating the advice in her head until she had it memorized. She retrieved the board and got on, only falling off once before she managed to stay on, the hesitated. She wanted to get it right this time, and that meant going through every step in her head before she did it, so she could execute it perfectly once she was in motion. “Three...two....one!” Rue kicked and back of the board and leaned forward pulling her knees up just like Noah had told her to. Surprise and pleasure shot through her as the board actually did follow her feet up and for one moment she was airborne, not high but her feet on the skateboard and the wheels on nothing but the wind. She landed and instantly toppled off, landing on her shoulder hard enough that she knew she’d have a nasty bruise later and rolling a few times before she came to rest on her stomach. Her curly hair was a windblown mess and her whole body felt sore from how often it had hit the ground today, but pride coursed through her veins as she sat up the both hands up towards the sky and let her laughter explode from her chest, loud and high and saturated with the joy of that one moment.
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