Arashi

Stell sighed and looked at Experiment with a raised eyebrow. While she wasn't overly fond of the idea of rooming with a guy, so the options seemed Experiment or CC, so....

"Yo, anyone want to trade me? I've got one mentally unbalenced pyro inhabited room."

<I 'heard' that!> Cortianna's mental voice sounded out from the hall.

((Aww... I didn't get to introduce Stell. Ok, time-shift powers activate! Right before Tom's intro. ::cheesy Wyane's World flashback sound:)

"Yeeeaahh..." Stell shook her head. "I'm Stellarmare, but you all can just call me Stell. I'm a human-Kheldian fusion and hero here in Paragon." She jerked her thumb at Hal, "I'm not quite at Hero of the City just yet, but they did label me Justice Incarnate. Sounds hocky to me, but what can you do?"

~~~ ::bewodop bewodop bewodop:: ~~~

Stell looked at Lyden before looking at Cortianna. The teen gave the collage student a smile. Stell turned to the others and raised a hand.

"I'll trade for nearly anyone else."

Cortianna harumphed and grabbed her bags with her mind and walked for her room.

Insteed of answering, After-Image faded from view and passed through the wall on her way down to the captive Legacy Chain mages. She'd had far too many bad experiences with the Circle and the Pantheon to even think of freeing them. Someone else would have to work with them.

Cortianna blinked before realizing it was her turn.

"I am called Cortianna. I get annoyed at beings who think too loudly and tend to burn them into silence. I'm not a native of the Rouge Isles, but my school is there."

The pyrokinetic blinked and looked at the next in line intently.

((And here they are.))

Miles away from Paragon and the gathering of asorted personalities, in a building compound labeled St. Raven's Academy for Trouble Youth, another prepaired for her own deperture. If somewhat, reluctantly.

"Why must I go... there?" Cortianna asked, already knowing the answer thanks to her telepathy.

"It'll do you some good," Headmaster Deathagar smiled, "And provide an opportunity to gather our own information about other participants." His smiled dropped and he pointed toward the glowing ring of the teleportation portal. "Now stop delaying and go."

"... Yes headmaster." Telekinetically lifting her bags and shoving them through the portal, the dominator followed at a leasurely hover.

On the other side of the glowing apature, from an apparent empty spot in the air, two duffle bags hurttled out to strike at some of those gathered. They preceded the appearence of a pale, sixteen-year-old. Her mini-skirt held by a leather belt with chain loops used to bind... unco-operitive patients. Chains also encircled her dark blue boots and slender throat. An ash-grey vest with similar blue trim covered her simple an also dark blue tubetop. Light purple hair framed an intense face dominated by a pair of eyes so pale as to seem white. Against her pale skin, the vains in her temples stood out starkly as did the intricate tattoos covering her lower arms.

Cortianna surveyed the others with a slight twitch in her left eye before smiling at Essex and holding out her hand. "Hello. I am Cortianna." She said in a strained voice, before the android girl could even think about taking the offered hand, it burst into flame. "Sorry," She didn't sound it, "But you look very... flamible."

"Cortianna." The man's voice sounded behind her, as the top half of her headmaster stuck through a rift in the air. "You forgot your spare medication. Remember to take it regularly. The Academy will not be able to help you if you forget and burn the place down after driving everyone mad." A bottle was sent sailing toward the girl's outstreched hand.

"Yes headmaster." Slipping the bottle into her vest, Cort looked back at the other and gave them a not-all-there grin.

----

A vactaion, huh? Stellarmare thought as she coasted along the road in her simple but gas-efficient car. The part-time university student and full-time Kheldian hero was feeling decidedly burnt out following finals and shutting down a conspirecy within the Council's top American commanders. Finding the invitation to a social experiment seemed almost too good to pass up. Making suitible arrangements with the leader of the Violent Femmes supergrup she was third in command at was a cake walk compaired to the hoops she had to jump in order to get the time from Paragon University.

Sheesh, save the free world and they'll throw you a parade. Ask for a few weeks off and you might as well be a convicted serial killer asking to buy a gun.

Pulling into the address listed on her invitation, the Peacebringer was treated to the odd gathering outside the doors to the massive manor. Parking her car, she opened the door and got out to face her apparent housemates. Adjusting her glasses back up and briefly hoping her dirty blonde hair didn't look too wild, she walked forward. A few jerks of her shoulders settling her burgundy jacket and white dress-shirt with it's black tie and matching black slacks and shoes, making the twenty-three year old look more like she was there for a job interview then a vacation.

"Hi there, guess we're all here for a few weeks at least hmmm?" She smiled.

"Would be grateful if loud American would be quite." Svetlana muttered before heading over to Wielder. "Da. Shall assist for the greater good of the people."

--------

After-Image drifted to the window, the cold not affecting the spirit.

Is odd, Altered Ones never deleved into arcane that I have heard of. Believe Ancient Mages are deserving, but Chain do not.

((Claims last spot while out of breath. Have one, still determining the other. Will introduce them in a bit.))

Stell hurried up to Virelai, only stumbling once when she tried to lift into the air by reflex only to find herself grounded. Recovering before she fell, the kheldian child kept even with her friend and smiled.

Looking up from her notepad, Ani poked a foot at her immobile toys before shrugging and walking after the others. A few notes appeared on her pad about setting up low-tech traps in case of further power-dampenings.

Svetlana, however, was forced to wait until the paralysis had worn off before moving forward.

"What ever happened to sensible heroes?" She wondered as she gathered 'Pariah's' dropped loot. "Is odd though, am wonderink what capitalist wants with these."

------

After-Image giggled hollowly again before coasting along the hallway.

Milly stiffiled a yawn as she truged through the additional security. Having arrived back at her home well past midnight, she managed to get spared from any lectures from either her mother or father. With both of them leaving early, she avoided it even longer.

Deciding to ware pants today, she had chosen a simple pair of light brown slacks to go with another blouse and vest. Throwing a jacket over she had managed to wait for the morning bus moderatly warm.

Giving a friendly, if still slightly tired, wave to the security personal, she opened the mail room door and began sorting out the morning deliveries. A larger package cought her eyes. The box was about the size of a dinner plate and, aside from being addressed to Dr. McChord, was completely unmarked.

Setting the package on her cart, Milly began sorting and gathering the mail for the first run of the day. An hour later she was pushing her cart into the elevator and keying it for the R&D level.

"Dr. McChord? There's another package for you today, sir."

After-Image's form wavered slightly, she really didn't like her nature being the topic of conversations, it tended to make others more aware of death. In most minds that tended to bring their own mortality into uncomfortible focus and they, inevitibly, blamed her.

Final destination unclear. Not seen or been there. Feel other dead passing Beyond but not know where. Have been bound to land following my murder.

After-Image raised an eyebrow.

Violence hangs on you like cloth. No deals will be made. Not interested in living. Time came and past.

Living problems very ammusing from this side. After-Image smiled as she floated by Reginald. What destiney seek?

Svetlana pulled back in her flight and stared at Weilder. Looking up at 'Pariah', her eyes seemed to be saying. 'See what I have to deal with?' With a shrug, she sent an electron haze at the figure, the wave intended to knock him back, hopfully in time for her intellectually questionible companion to get out of the sewage water.

Behind her faceplate, Svetlana Valyov blinked at the tanker before sighing.

"Americans." With a shake of her head, she followed him into the sewers.

"Is not a good idea to be followink him alone comrade." Rad Spike said to Weilder as she moved next to him. "Am offerink my aid in tracking down theaving capitalist."

-------

After-Image looked at her allies and pointed ahead.

Odds are it is trap. Sensible thing would be to call red and white soldiers. But that is not going to occur, is it?

Stella blinked, then sneezed. She closed her eyes, slowly opening them to see what form she was in this time. Seeing her normal, human form, she smiled widely.

"Yay for Miss Essex!" She cheered as she jumped up and down.

Ani blinked looked at the others before harumphing and going back to her notepad of traps.

((I guess so. Misunderstanding between 'godmoding' and 'plot advancement'.))

Milly smiled slightly as she looked at the form, several of the more generic, employee-wide answers she knew. Her wonderings in the building and conversations also good. She pointed to the sections she knew and told Ernesto the information. Some line items pretained to Jack himself and would have to remain blank until they counld either get the man to tell them or call the Records Department back in Tharomar Tower.

Sufficiently recovered, After-Image remanifasted laying down a wide field of nether energy that slowed and weakend the Kraken as it tried to bring the beast into the afterlife. After-Image smiled slightly as she then directly focused her power into the Kraken, sapping it's strength and blinding it.

((Tar patch and Darkenst Night))

Her imediate work done, she sent bursts of sound at the monster, each one doing minimal harm, but the harmonics weakened it's structure for a moment.

"Owie!" Stella flashed green for a second before jumping on Muck and slapping him repetadly.

"Stupid boy!"

Stella blinked at the fairy and the sword, distracted until she saw another heading for her. With an 'epp!', the Kheldian child hovered backwards, a bubble of translucent blue-white appearing before her that the sword bounced against before flipping to the floor. Stella looked at the sword then the bubble before grinning wide and charging the Knight, her fists shimmering with light.

I have trillian for all my (minimal) chatting needs. Covers AIM, YIM, IRC and MSN.

Wha? Aw man, that bites. But please say you'll keep hanging around the board. That dosen't require any money I'm pretty sure.

Stella jerked at the sudden, sharp barks, dropping back into human with a startled look on her face. Her attention on Devin had caused her to not notice the remaining going on's around. Seeing others beating on Blightlord, she shrugged and shot out a photon blast at him. Everyone else was beating him up, so he must have done something wrong.