Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 13, 2016 12:56:03 GMT -7
It was the second time he was doing this, running through the city looking for a certain wolf super after a battle. The differences were he was traveling by his power rather than motorcycle, and this time he had an even wider search radius. He knew it wasn’t at all feasible, but finding other supers would be way easier if everyone just had phones. It’d been about an hour and a half since Blue Jay had set out to find Lobisomem, and almost a day since the dragon had first attacked. The sun was setting on the horizon. He’d already done a pretty good sweep of the blast zone of the dragon’s final attack for fear that he might find his friend some distance from the area of the fight, still unconscious. It was a relief of a kind when he didn’t. From there he had begun working his way back into the suburbs, going in and out of the areas destroyed and places left untouched by the dragon. It was sickening at first, the gore in the rubble the dragon had left behind, but after the amount he’d seen today, he was starting to grow accustomed to it. That was unsettling in its own right. He was beginning to zone out to the steady motions of landing on a rooftop, scanning the empty streets below, and teleporting once again. At one point he found himself nodding off. He’d had to quickly snap himself awake as he threatened to try to displace into a wall. But, at last, he found them. Their form was unmistakable, even in the growing shadows. Blue Jay felt another wave of relief. They were up and moving and they were here, and that meant they were alright. Alright as any of the supers after that fight, anyway. He teleported down to the ground. “Lobisomem!” He called. His voice was no louder than what he normally spoke with, but the silence and emptiness of this area amplified the name. He ran towards the super, quickly closing the last twenty feet between them. Lobisomem
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 13, 2016 14:22:12 GMT -7
Lobisomem hadn't shifted from their beast form since the dragon fight, even when the sun threatened to reveal them.
They weren't sure exactly where they were going, having wandered to their house to discover it was absolutely crushed. Thankfully, the scent of their parents and various other people lead to the edge of the city. They wondered briefly if their parents thought that they had died, the very thought made their already burning eyes fog up again.
Now, they were here. The scent of gore was wafted away by the breeze and nobody was out and about, either hiding at home or trying to flee the city. Naturally, this meant Lobisomem needed not to worry about the police trying to shoot them. It was the perfect place to lay down and try not to pass out or cry.
Their wounds stung horrifically, the burns worst of all, they didn't want to discover how much it would hurt once they turned back into a human. Still, that wasn't why they were upset. For what they had managed to see, Blue Jay was dead. They never expected it to hurt this much! It felt like their heart was stabbed, why did someone they knew have to die!?
They didn't react at first to someone calling their name, convinced they were somehow imagining it, the only person that knew their name was Blue Jay after all. They started to doubt this thought as footsteps sounded behind them.
No
They leaned their head back and drew in a scent, and froze. It was Blue Jay. They sprang to their feet, ignoring their body's screams in protest as they whirled around to find an alive Blue Jay! A toothy grin split their face, terrifying to anyone who didn't know they were happy.
They sniffed at him as if to make sure their eyes weren't tricking them, "You're alive!...How!?" They were still trotting around Blue Jay, panting raggedly due to their injuries centering on their chest.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 15, 2016 13:11:23 GMT -7
A smile spread on Blue Jay’s face to match the other super’s. The feeling was mutual; seeing them here and up was a weight and a very large worry off of his shoulders. It was nice to get good news in a day so full of everything going wrong.
The question was anticipated, but knowing it was coming didn’t stop his face from falling when they asked it. He paced slowly over to the one wall that still stood of an otherwise destroyed apartment complex. Even in its comparatively unbroken state, it only reached as high as a second floor. He leaned against the brick. “I wasn’t the one who died. It was another Bulwark, Stunt Double. He just looked like me.” His words sounded rehearsed. At this point, he’d repeated these lines enough that they came out almost subconsciously, hardly registering in his mind as he spoke them. They felt like the cough one made after being punched in the gut.
He wanted to change the subject. “I’m glad,” he would have said ‘that you’re alright’, but he wasn’t sure he could. “I’m glad to see you.” He settled on. “Are you okay?”
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 15, 2016 16:29:29 GMT -7
Lobisomem stood stock still as Blue Jay told who had died, wearing his appearance incidently. They couldn't pinpoint an exact emotion to feel, it was a shame someone had died, but why shouldn't they feel happy at Blue Jay's survival!? Worst of all, sadness didn't make itself known at the announcement, they didn't know this Stunt Double! They sucked in a breath before settling on a "I'm sorry." That was usually what you said in moments like this...right?
They pointed to their burns, which while they matched their black fur, was a more brutal shade with peeling skin, "Not great." They grinned resigningly, this wasn't even getting into their more superficial cuts and bruises.
"You?" They indicated to Blue Jay's body, "Not hurt?"
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 17, 2016 0:58:04 GMT -7
He just nodded at their apology. He was happy to leave the topic at that.
Did anyone get out of that fight uninjured? Blue Jay grimaced at their wounds. He hadn’t been paying very close attention to anything besides defeating the dragon, but they’d gotten into the thick of it, hadn’t they? At least they seemed to be pretty good at healing. They’d been alright after the run-in with Unhallow, he told himself, trying to quell his worrying.
He chuckled tiredly at their question of his own status. Outwardly, he probably didn’t look that bad. He knew he had a fairly large bruise on the shoulder that’d taken the brunt of his fall from the dragon, as well as around his waist where the tail had attempted to clamp him. “Mostly tired.” He said truthfully. His voice had a bit of a crackle to it, a lingering effect of the dragon’s smoke on his lungs. “Nothing that won’t heal in a few days.”
The bulk of what he was feeling was the after effects of the amount of energy he’d exerted, both physically and with his powers. He rarely fought to the highest of his destructive abilities against other supers because of the risk of great injury and collateral damage. He’d gone all out in that fight with the dragon, and it didn’t help that it’d done... something to drain his energy halfway through.
“So, uh, this is going to sound random,” he prefaced, “but if you were going to join a faction, or a group of supers, what would you want from it?”
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 17, 2016 9:19:52 GMT -7
Lobisomem eyed Blue Jay carefully, he didn't seem to be lying, but they still couldn't take their eyes off him till they were certain.
They were settling down, resting back on their haunches, even if their tail slapped the ground fitfully.
They tilted their head at Blue Jay's question, where had this come from? He looked kinda serious with the question, it was probably really important if he would ask now of all times.
What would they want in a faction? Considering they weren't in any factions, they should have an immediate answer, but it still gave them pause. Finally, they pondered over an answer and decided it fit their thoughts, "Trust." It was actually a little embarrassing how simple it was.
But the fact still stood. There was no way in hell they'd work with someone who'd willingly leave them to die, or who looked at Lobisomem like it was only a matter of time till they would devour them. So trust, that worked!
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 22, 2016 20:40:40 GMT -7
Blue Jay nodded. Trust, huh? That could mean a lot of things to different people, but the word brought to his mind one major idea: being able to trust one’s allies to know what they’re doing and to be of aid to you, and to trust the same of you back. He’d done a lot of complaining about the Bulwarks already today, but that was one of his major complaints - not that he couldn’t trust them, you could give just about any of them a hundred thousand dollars in a suitcase and they’ll hold onto it for you better than any bank, but that they didn’t trust him. The worst was assumed first; he was in the wrong until he proved himself in the right, and his reasoning had better be damn well solid.
“I agree with you.” He said bluntly, nuance escaping him. “I don’t think there’s a lot of trust in any of the factions.”
He yawned and settled down on the dirt at the foot of the wall, his feet out in front of him and his hands rested on his kneecaps. The air was silent, besides for the two of them and the occasional crumbling of rubble, and smelt of smoke and upturned earth. Even speaking quietly, and even with the dull buzz in his ears, sounded like a yell.
“Another friend of mine, Titan, and I are thinking of setting up a group of supers. Cross-faction, with the point being to lessen super in-fighting and focus on preparing for, well,” he gestured to the broken city around them, “this. I can’t guarantee trust and I don’t want to make a forced argument just to try to convince you to join a group that might not suit you, but I don’t want to be a part of a group where you can’t trust or aren’t trusted by the people around you either. Being part of just one of those is plenty.” He chuckled absently at his own joke, ending with another yawn. “I don’t know if it would suit you, but you were the first person I thought to ask.”
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 22, 2016 21:26:56 GMT -7
Lobisomem sighed at the fact even factions didn't trust each other, exactly why were they helping each other then? Hence why they didn't join anything, Blue Jay here was probably the one exception they had ever made, otherwise they wouldn't be caught up in these situations.
They pulled themselves into a more spread stance, but their legs were noticeably tense as ignoring they somehow were still scared of being attacked. Still, having no more home to return to, they thought these thoughts weren't exactly unwarranted.
They blinked in confusion at the prospect of a...group...of some sort. Against dragons, now that was an idea that they could get behind! Just one look around made their face curl into a snarl, even the smell didn't make them hungry for once, all they wanted to do was puck. To stop this scene from happening, and idiotic thought, but it was their only hope right now. Not to mention, there was no way their parents were coming back, at least without knowing Lobisomem was a super. No way. They were better off thinking they were dead.
"Good idea...I like it." They answered, "I'll join...but anyone hurts me...I hurt them." They waited for his reaction, the idea of a possibly violent teammate didn't appeal to them or most other people, it was clear they wouldn't tolerate anything against them. Regardless, they would try to be on their best behavior.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 22, 2016 23:38:19 GMT -7
They’d accepted. Blue Jay didn’t known what he’d expected; nothing violent or rude for sure, but a ‘no’ seemed a lot more likely than a ‘yes’. It made him happy to think that he’d be on a team with his two closest allies. Not just occasional battle buddies, or faction friends in Titan’s case, but official teammates. As official as such groups went, anyway.
“Of course.” Blue Jay yawned. “If someone hurts you, I don’t think anyone’ll expect you to not fight back.” That was pretty reasonable. Obviously there’d be problems if people were starting things, but that was on the people doing the starting, not those defending themselves. “At the very least, if that happens, I’ll have your back.”
He stared off into the ruined buildings, letting silence hang in the air. The ringing in his ears sounded over the wreckage out of a zombie flick like staticky white noise. Black was on the edge of his vision. The lingering stinging in his eyes wasn’t as bad as some of his worse run-ins with Aurora, but it’d be nice when he finally got to rest them. Despite the block’s state of broken but not so much that it wasn’t eerily recognizable, it was peaceful. This was the calm after the storm.
Blue Jay snapped to attention as he felt his head hit his shoulder. He’d only closed his eyes for a second… stretching his arms in front of him, he forced himself to wake up and suppressed yet another yawn.
“Do you have any other questions? We don’t have a lot nailed down, but base ideas are at least something.”
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 23, 2016 10:24:35 GMT -7
Lobisomem's mouth yawned open as their vision blurred for a second, just stopping to talk seemed to have drained them of any adrenaline that was keeping them walking.
A question? Yeah, they had millions of questions but it'd probably keep them here all night! They resigned themselves to only a few questions, "Where are we going to be and...We aren't taking in...serial killers or anything...right?"
Just one kill would make them mad, a person who enjoyed killing? Not that would pass them off.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Jul 24, 2016 21:36:45 GMT -7
“We’re thinking my place.” He mumbled. “The address I gave you earlier. It’s a boarding house for supers. We’ll-” he was interrupted by a yawn. “We’ll be safe meeting there.” He figured Lobisomem still knew the place and numbers and memory was escaping him, and thus he didn’t repeat it.
“I don’t think we’ll take any serial killer types.” He said, pondering the notion. He wasn’t entirely sure what kind of people they were going to get, and where they were going to set the bar of acceptance. His face flashed to a grimace. “I don’t think any of us get along with those kinds of people.” He certainly didn’t.
As quickly as the frown had come, it vanished, replaced with his encompassing fatigue. He felt like he had something else he’d wanted to ask Lobisomem, or say to them, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember. Was that everything? He’d succeeded in both of the things he’d set out to do; confirm they were alright and ask if they wanted to join this new group. They could both stand to be in better shape, but this meant the group now had three members, right? Maybe this was actually going to work.
Now he needed to see if others wished to join, and check up on other supers, and see if he couldn’t help with some of the damage caused to the city. They’d made one hell of a mess. The unpowereds would probably not want but need some help.
These needs seemed hazy. Distant, and, for once, not immediate. The sky was dark with evening and black with smoke, and seemed to grow darker with each passing minute. His limbs felt heavy. His head more so. Absently, he realized it’d been almost twenty-four hours since he’d last gotten any sleep. He’d tried a couple hours after the fight that’d left him more physically and mentally exhausted than he’d been in memory, but nightmares had kept him from more than twenty minutes of actual rest.
But there was only so long he could go, and there was only so far between Blue Jay and the ground. He tilted slowly to one side. His back slid along the brick wall, and like a compass turned ninety degrees, Blue Jay came to rest parallel to the ground. The jar that normally would’ve woken him elicited little more than a snore. Indeed, very little would wake him now, and he wouldn’t likely be up until tomorrow. His dreams would let him be for tonight.
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Jul 25, 2016 14:45:32 GMT -7
That place again. The boarding house, a place to hide supers. Lobisomem hoped that Blue Jay wouldn't be attacked there, he did just say it was his home.
He didn't know? That seemed better than nothing, they'd have to be real stealthy about killing to hide it. They resigned themselves to keeping an eye on the members, a guard dog, if you will.
These events had slightly taken a bit of sadness off their back, the need to keep moving was suddenly dying down, letting them take account on how their body felt. Their paws hurt...their bones were tingling...they could feel where their fangs fell out...all in all, the worst they had ever felt. They couldn't even feel themselves healing, which meant this was going to take a while.
They tilted their head at Blue Jay's obvious exhaustion, "H-huh? You ok?" They didn't have time to even move before he flopped over, dead in sleep. They had never seen someone fall asleep like that, all they could do for a second was stare, as if to make sure he wasn't hurt or something.
Damn, how long had he been looking for them? Why would they even do that!? They almost laughed, who knew they'd find an ally they could trust just by being a super?
They cast a glance around the general area, confirming it was safe. That was good, cause quite frankly, Blue Jay was looking pretty comfortable there, and Lobisomem was wondering how nice sleeping would feel right now.
They settled nearby, their bulk shielding Blue Jay from prying eyes. They themselves were hidden by the fact from a distance, they were indistinguishable from a pile of rubble.
Their own sleep was full of images...of screaming faces and blood splatter as usual, yet they never awoke.
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