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Post by Big Martin on Aug 20, 2016 20:53:11 GMT -7
Like water gradually seeping through the nooks and crannies of a cobblestone street, outrage was spreading across the city. Phones buzzed, sirens wailed, newscasters babbled, social media statuses updated, and whispers passed from mouth to mouth, as the story of recent events was told and retold, twisted and distorted, imbued with hundreds of different emotions and opinions. An earthquake had shaken the foundations of life in Emerald City, and now the continents of the microcosm were shifting, major powers slowly adjusting to an unanticipated change. All because some woman had kicked the mayor in full view of the public. To be fair, it had been the magician who had set events in motion, and his plans could never have succeeded without the aid of several other powerful supers. To the people at large, however, this would not matter. They had seen Aurora Disicio strike the mayor, causally usurping what ought to have been the greatest power in Emerald City, while giving a speech intended to draw out supers and bring them into her villainous organization. Her villainous organization. People would be talking that way now, pictures filling up the newspapers and websites, labeling her as some sort of villainous queen of Pandaemonium. In the wake of her momentous actions, however, Aurora had simply walked away. She needn't have done so- powerful allies surrounded her, and the Bulwarks had been running around like headless chickens of late -but if anything she seemed eager to get out of the spotlight. Unfortunately for her, things weren't that simple. She'd get off the stage easily enough, and likely get through the crowd without any interruption, but tiny eyes were watching her the whole way. The moment she made it out onto the streets, she'd find her way barred by rank upon rank of house cats, a mosaic of every color and shape, each animal standing straight and staring right at her. Around her, others scurried into view. Surrounding her, watching every angle. Whether she chose to advance, retreat, or try to maneuver around, she'd need to fight her way through. A heavy thump announced the arrival of Big Martin, sitting astride a massive tiger with a scar running down its face. Cats lay all over him, hanging on with their claws and covering most of him from sight, as if he were dressed in their pelts. Each one was alive, however, and the black of an expensive suit was visible in places between their bodies, though so much hair covered its surface that one could easily mistake it for more fur. He was still some distance away from her, and wasn't approaching just yet. Strong as he'd proven to be, the catomancer wasn't reckless enough to put himself close to her if she chose to fight. Instead, he called out. "Aurora Disicio! Tell me, what were you thinking back there?"
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Pandaemonium
Posts 381
Power Level 31
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Post by Aurora Disicio on Aug 21, 2016 20:04:01 GMT -7
Aurora kept her hands at her side while she left the stage, walking slowly and casually showing exactly how much she cared about what just happened. This was the third instance just this month that she had to shut down an anti-super function. If she was lucky, maybe they'd finally get the hint that they shouldn't do this and keep their stupid opinions to themselves, but she doubted they were that smart. It changed nothing, every time they started one of these rallies, every time they tried to come up with a way to cure superpowers, every time they did something to other supers, to make the weaker ones feel worthless and afraid, she'd be there to stop them and show those supers that it wasn't true, and she would do it as many times as it was needed. However, that event was done now. It was time to think about what to do next.
Once she was a fair distance from the stage, far enough that it was unlikely the crowd would be watching her anymore, she spawned one of the slings she kept in her first aid kit. Aurora wasn't sure how many things that slam to the pavement broke, but she was pretty sure her arm and shoulder were broken at this point. With some effort, she was able to get her arm into it, so hopefully it wouldn't get worse than it already was. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't have the time to wait for this to heal properly, so she was going to have to see Dullahan about fixing it. Normally she avoided letting him touch her as though his very touch would cause her skin to melt because of how he described what he could do for her. The last thing she wanted was for him to be messing with her head, her anger was a valuable resource, she didn't want to get rid of it.
With the fight over, the adrenaline running through her system was starting to die down and the obvious signs of exhaustion were starting to settle in. How long had it been since she slept at this point? She couldn't remember. It was becoming a habit to only sleep when she absolutely had to because there was just too much work to do. Aurora wasn't hallucinating yet, so she figured she was probably fine for now. The feeling would go away once she go back to the docks and got back to work.
At first, Aurora didn't even notice the cats. They were few enough that they could have been anything, but as they started gathering it was obvious what was happening. She chose to ignore them. If the cat super wanted something, he could find her. It wasn't hard to find her. Once they blocked her path and surrounded her, she stopped. They had 30 second to explain themselves before she just went over them. Sure enough, the super himself finally showed himself. She blinked slowly a couple of times, her expression flat and tired.
"It was an anti-super rally. I stopped it. I will stop every last one of them. Now what do you want? I have things to do."
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Dead
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Post by Big Martin on Aug 27, 2016 20:48:54 GMT -7
From behind his veil of cats, Big Martin sighed. "You're over-simplifying. Though I suppose that does answer my question." Silently, he ordered the swarm that covered him to shift slightly, letting him peer out at Aurora and get a better look at her. How old was she? He couldn't tell exactly, but she appeared to be one of the younger supers he'd encountered.
He tilted his head slightly. Was she bluffing, or had she truly not realized the consequences of her actions?
"I thought I should warn you," he said finally, "about what you're getting into. Hear me out, and I'll let you go without a fuss." He smiled, the cats shifting around him as he did. "You may even find this helpful."
His tiger prowled forwards, bringing him closer, so that he could be heard more easily. "The man you kicked back there was the mayor of Emerald City. Kind of a big deal. Word's going to get out big-time, and you know it. Supers will flock to Pandaemonium, and they will flock to you, and your pretty colored lights you've so kindly informed them about."
He extended one arm, pointing at her sharply. "It'll be on TV, in the papers, online- your little speech will spread everywhere. Which poses you two major problems."
"First, supers will listen, and come to Pandaemonium. With that kind of numbers and power, nobody will be able to stop your faction- or perhaps I should call it a family -any longer. The Bulwarks are a mess after losing Stunt Double and getting their asses handed to them by Gilgamesh, and the Keepers just want their secrets. If things keep going the way they are, Pandaemonium is going to rule this city." His arm dropped, and he leaned slightly towards her. "Do you want that?"
He didn't give her time to answer. "Second, you've just announced yourself to the world. You're notorious now, and the so-called heroes will be after your head. I'm sure you were ready for that... but have you considered the other side of things?"
Here came his pitch, albeit in an indirect manner. He spoke slowly and quietly, trying to convey the seriousness of the matter. "You were already quite a big deal in Pandaemonium, based on what your associates have told me. Now, you're only going to get bigger. People know you now, have seen Giza deferring to you. You looked like a leader today, Aurora Disicio. Like it or not, you're going to start gaining a great deal of influence- and that won't go down well with the established powers."
His tiger turned slightly, avoiding getting too close to Aurora and instead circling around her, while its master continued. "People with power tend to want to keep it. Mosh Man is going to look at what you did today, and see you as a threat. He's going to come after you and your allies, and it's going to hurt." Big Martin's eyes narrowed. "Which is why I suggest you go after him first, while you still have momentum. Cut out the cancer from your family, and take responsibility for all those people who gather around your colored lights."
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Pandaemonium
Posts 381
Power Level 31
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Post by Aurora Disicio on Aug 28, 2016 15:12:50 GMT -7
"Do you think I'm so clueless that I didn't know that was the mayor?" Aurora asked flatly. "Obviously I knew what I was doing. I'm not an idiot. My intentions should be clear to anyone paying attention by now. Hell, my intentions should have been clear from the very beginning from my name alone. Aurora, mostly a reference to the way my power looks, but I also rather liked the imagery of announcing the arrival of the sun. Disicio, to scatter, disperse, break up, divide. It can refer to objects, but it was also commonly used to refer to armies and could also mean 'to overthrow.' If that doesn't make my intentions clear I don't know what will. I've been planning this for years, this is hardly a spur of the moment thing.
"In fact, if you were keeping up with super news you'd know this isn't even the first time I've addressed the city or announced my name. You'd also notice that there was a distinct shift in how I used to talk versus how I talked today. Before I only encouraged supers to rise up and find their own place because they should have nothing to fear. Today, I told them I could give them a place to be because I finally have the means to do so. In other words, something changed between then and now and it shouldn't take a genius to figure out what that something is. In other words, you should take some time to do your homework before accusing me of not doing mine."
Even though Aurora was fairly short, she had mastered being able to look down on people, even if they were significantly taller than her. She planned every move she made meticulously to ensure as few mistakes as possible would be made, and this was no different. She was well aware of what was going on around her, and the only reason she hadn't exploited it to its fullest potential was because it was unexpected. She was so used to people not wanting to be around her at all, that suddenly everyone wanting her to lead them took her by surprise. Part of her still found it really creepy, but she had largely made peace with it. She turned back around, towards where she was headed in the first place and looked at the sky. Mosh Man was still a bit of a sore subject with her. Her voice was quieter, somewhat solemn even.
"I'll do things at my own pace. This isn't something I can rush into. I have to make absolutely sure that by the time I decide to confront him that I know I will win. If people get hurt before then, then so be it. It'd be even worse if I lost."
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Dead
Posts 113
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Post by Big Martin on Aug 31, 2016 17:14:50 GMT -7
Aurora looked, and a thousand bright and predatory eyes stared back. A regal regard might have worked well against a two-eyed super, but the swarm had a great deal more visual firepower than she did. The rising star of Pandaemonium might have been able to literally look down on many of the cats, but when it came to sheer stare intimidation, they had her outmatched.
Big Martin, however, wasn't trying to scare her. His eyes were concealed by his furry servants, but his mouth could be glimpsed among them, and to use the obvious metaphor: he was grinning like a cat that had gotten the cream. "There we go. That's the thinking I'm looking for." His initial question had been met with a terse response, which was to be expected, given the lack of prior contact between them. Opinionated lectures, however, had a tendency to draw out more thorough answers, emotions and disagreements breaking through the barriers of suspicion. Now, Big Martin had a decent idea of where Aurora stood, as well as her goals and outlook. It all roughly matched what he'd heard of her, but it was always best to make sure.
He turned away, his tiger moving as he did. "A slow pace is just as dangerous as a fast one, Aurora. This city changes every day, and others may not wait for you to make a decision." He glanced back at her, a cat shifting to reveal one of his eyes. "But I'm glad to hear you share my feelings regarding this matter. If you want to be certain in your mind that you can win, then please, factor me in on your side. Perhaps it'll make a little difference."
Moving as a whole, the army of cats shifted, opening up a wide path through their ranks. Big Martin had said what he'd needed to say, and now he was content to let her speak or leave as he pleased. Perhaps his words had only made a shallow impact on his target, but at least he could be more certain, now, that Pandaemonium could and would become an organization worth aligning himself with.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 381
Power Level 31
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Post by Aurora Disicio on Sept 5, 2016 14:02:23 GMT -7
"It's not a matter of fast or slow, it's a matter of win or lose. I have to make sure I'm fully prepared for what I need to do because if I hesitate for even a moment, I could easily end up being the one that ends up dead instead."
When the cats started to spread out, she looked down at them and blinked slowly a few times. Her expression turned from contemplative, and a little irritated, to completely flat in seconds with her lips being almost a perfect line. She turned back to face the super, both her coat and aurora flowing in an arc behind her.
"That's what you stopped me for? You wasted all this time and energy just for that? You could have easily just sent me a message or walked along side me for thirty seconds. Next time don't waste my time jackass. Some of us actually have important things to be doing."
With that, she turned back around and stomped through the area the cats cleared. Her boots were always loud on hard surfaces, but the weight of her footfalls made their clanging even louder than usual. It figured that someone that was spending most of their time derping around the city wouldn't understand the weight of what she was doing, or how much more work she had to do, or how valuable her time was.
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