Jasn_

Darren shook his head in response to the queried aid. "No, I think I just need to head out and go lie down for awhile. And besides that, I have an Exam I really need to study for."

Darren waved to everyone, turned, and walked home.

[ QUOTE ]
"Darren!" Winston called out, yanking him from his fall. He straightened him up and looked him in the eye. "Okay. One: You alright? and Two: What the heck are you doing here?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Darren clamped his hands around Sam's as he fought to regain his balance. His history book tumbled once more to the ground.

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine, just uh... just didn't expect to see another.. er reptile.. person. Let alone answering your door."

[ QUOTE ]
"From the looks of it, I'd say he came here to talk to you about history." she remarked while she crouched to pick up the fallen book, offering it back to Darren, "Though that cut really doesn't look good..."

[/ QUOTE ]

Darren nodded softly to Kia as he took the proffered book.

"Thanks for that... and sorry for my reaction... today has just been uh... odd, I guess is the word for it." Darren looked back to Sam. "Yeah I was kind of hoping for a bit of help with uh..." He holds up the history book.

"... Cut?.. Oh, this.. yeah. I took a bit of a tumble... into a park bench... at full speed. Stupid Skulls" He put his hand back to his head and blinked hard, trying to ignore his oncoming headache.

Darren gasped as the door opened and took a step backward, obviously not expecting a dragon to answer it. This step back placed his foot precisely 6 inches above anything solid, which in turn caused his center of gravity to shift back, resulting in Darren falling backward down the stairs.

As he began falling his eyes widened more than they had been and his hands flailed out for something to grab on to.

Darren approached the house of his former teacher slowly. His right hand still holding the cut on his head and his left toting his history book. His bag was slung over his shoulder and he was favoring his right leg. As he got to the steps in front of the house he noticed a car pulled halfway up on the curb and looked at it curiously, it looked vacant.

He shook his head and continued up the stairs. When he got to the door he resituated his history book and knocked on the door, calling out.

"Mr. Winston? You home?"

Darren was going had just started his senior year at Blyde Comprehensive, "School for norms". He was a generally bright lad, if not a bit clumsy, but had always had a failing in History, all those dates and dead people. He never understood why it was so important that he learn what day of the week Washington had crossed the Delaware. So he had planned on asking his retired history teacher for some tutoring lessons... Now he planned on asking him for a band-aid as well.

[ QUOTE ]
"Yes..just moved in actually, still getting to know everyone I'm afraid"

[/ QUOTE ]

Crestfallen noted her shock at his touch. Briefly he worried just what exactly she had sensed. He stood somewhat vacantly for just a moment longer than necessary before coming back around.

"Yeah, I haven't been here all the long myself." He turned to head inside giving Nyte a small wave. "It was nice to have met you."

[ QUOTE ]
"Hello again, Nyte." Erik said to the fellow empath as he exited the building, nodding very slightly to her. "You seem tired. Trouble from earlier?" Erik was completely ignoring Crestfallen, or at least appeared to be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crestfallen watched Erik as he spoke to Nyte. He was relieved that Erik seemed not to recognize him.

[ QUOTE ]
"'ey, young man." a voice that carried what sounded like a heavy and distinct Irish accent soon called after Darren, though it didn't shout, "Wait up ther', boyo. I think you done dropped this."

[/ QUOTE ]

Darren jumped at the voice and then quickly felt his bag, instantly knowing what was missing. He turned to face the voice, and upon seeing the speaker he quickly moved his bag in front of himself. A queezy sinking feeling struck him. "That's it, i'm done" he thought to himself.

[ QUOTE ]
"Tha' was a might nasty-lookin' fall." the dragon remarked with a motion of said book toward the gash above his eyebrow, "You all-rite? Wan' I should take a look a' that...?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Darren stood vacant for a moment, then realizing this being didn't seem to want to devour him he slowly formed his words as he reached out for his book. "I uh... yeah... er, no... I'm okay. Uh, thanks..."

After his book was back in his hand he slipped it back in his bag, which it promptly fell out the bottom again. He put his hand in his bag and felt the reason, the bottom had been split open in the fall. Darren sighed heavily and picked his book back up. On his way back up his eyes came across the begin again, this time it registered that the talking one carried another and Darren began to get weary again. "Uh, thanks again for the book uh, sir. I uh, need to get going, I'm expected."

With a small nod, Darren turned to head off towards his destination, once more holding his head.

Darren Forten pulled his book bag up over his shoulder as he exited the library. Performing a mental check before he began walking.

"Wallet, keys, bag, history book... Ok"

He turned and started down the sidewalk but soon became aware someone was calling to him. He turned briefly only to hear.

"HEY NERD! Come-ere, we wanna talk to you."

In a parking lot across the way Darren spotted three Skulls shouting and motioning to him. He picked up his pace, moving away from them. He could hear footfalls behind him and a glance over his shoulder told him they were following.

"Where ya goin little boy? Your mommy call ya home?" At that remark the other Skulls laughed and began throwing rocks at Darren.

He picked up his pace into a full run, trying to keep his bag on his shoulder as he ran down the sidewalk. After about 30 yards, Darren tripped and fell hard. His face coming down hard on the edge of a bus stop bench. Instantly riotous laughter erupted behind him as the three Skulls approached. Darren rolled over, sitting up now, holding his eye. A decent amount of blood escaping his body from a gash above his eyebrow.

"Heh you should really watch where you're going nerd. You might hurt yourself." The lead Skull said through a huge wicked grin.

"Yeah, that'll teach ya to walk down our street kid!" excalimed a second Skull.

Soon noises of battle could be heard from down the road as a group of heroes took a group of ne'er-do-wells into custody.

"Let's get out of here boys. This guy beats /himself/ up, no fun for us." They all glanced over at the heroes before making their way back to their haunt.

Darren in the mean time, righted himself, picking up his bag and shouldering it again. Still holding his head he walked off towards his destination, keeping a silent disdain for his large feet and lack of coordination.

[ QUOTE ]
"Thanks quite alright,I've done the same thing many times, I don't

think we've met yet..I'm Nyte"

[/ QUOTE ]

Crestfallen smiled softly and took her proffered hand shaking it as he introduced himself.

"I am Soren, Soren Chell. It's a pleasure to meet you." He pauses momentarily, looking up at the apartment building before asking. "Do you live here as well?"

If Nyte Shaide made an attempt to read Crestfallen's emotions/mind she would find his mind under severe duress and seemingly under dark pressure though the cause kept buried deep within.

Crestfallen watched quietly as the figure stopped and talked with another. After realizing they obviously knew each other Crestfallen retreated back around the corner, once more removing his disguise and packing in duffle bag quickly. He stepped out of the doorway and nearly right into Nyte.

"Oh, excuse me, I didn't see you there."

Crestfallen, slightly disturbed at the happenings, decided it was time for him to go.

Within a few great leaps he found himself a block away from the complex. Rather than fuss with porting inside, he removed his mask and overcoat, tucking them under his arm.

As he rounded the corner he spotted someone moving slowly toward the back of the building. Glancing about, he ducked into an empty doorway and re-donned his getup, how he hated disguising himself... Back around the corner he went, following the figure at a distance, watching.

Sam Winston's House

[ QUOTE ]
Sam just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, sir. I'm a little strung out. We just had a...mishap and I'm a little edgy. I'll sign for it." Winston said, taking the package and signing the piece of paper for it.

"Alright, here you go. Now, be careful ot there and stop by anytime."

[/ QUOTE ]

Ed tipped his hat at Sam. "No need to apologize, I understand more than most just how... trying this city can be." Ed accepted his clipboard and turned heading down the stairs and back to his route.

********

Well done! *applause* A great read

Crestfallen, As the Dark Defier, exited the Pizza Port shortly after Erik. He walked over to the charred spot of concrete where the wolf had spent it's final moments. Very slowly he circled the spot as if waiting for it to make a move. Finally he spoke, to no one in particular.

"I've got a bad feeling..."

Crestfallen threw himself to the side as he nearly got ran over by a giant flaming ...wolf? He watched as it ran off, and then exploded.

Turning back to the two inside the building. "So... This place gives gas eh?" With a much more serious tone he starts to ask if everyone is okay then stops and nods slightly to Erik.

"So, anybody know the what and why of that thing?"

Ed looks at Sam in... annoyance.

"Sir, I have no idea... They give me this mailbag here... See it? Yeah this one. And they say, Take the contents, and give them to the people on the label. Generally the U.S.P.S. frowns on the carrirer looking at the contents of the er.. contents." He takes a deep breath.

"Calm down Eddie boy, 5 1/2 more blocks and you can go home... Just leave the mail and move on" he thinks to himself.

"Look, either sign for the package or don't... I won't lose any sleep over it."

Ed suddenly feels very exposed standing before a roomful of people and yelling about the postal system. "Er.... Look, I'm sorry for getting so agitated... It's just, ya know delivering mail in Paragon City isn't the easiest task what with all the riff raff"

He sighs heavily and fiddles with his mailbag while waiting for someone to decided to sign for the package.

Ed smiled as the door opened. "Good day Miss, I have mail and a package for Sam Winston that requires a signiture." He peers in breifly at the room full of people, dargons and such, and proffers her his clipboard. "Will you be the one signing?"

Crestfallen sat straight up in bed in what would have been a cold sweat... that is if Demons could sweat. Instead his deep blue-grey skin took on a clammy quality. Slowly he rested his downward curving horns in his hands as he focused on recalling what had startled him. He wandered through his mind before recalling the event. He had heard screams and saw a very large wolf and Alex, Blake, Erik and countless screaming teens fleeing from a local hangout. This was not the first time he had had visions of his neighbors in varying degrees of peril, as he tended to unwilling form connections to those around him.

He drug himself out of bed, took a moment to focus as he morphed himself from a 5ft 8 red haired, red horned, blue skinned demon into a black haired 25 year old Caucasian male. Crestfallen was a large believer in secret identities, so much so that his secret identity had it's own secret identity.

As he pulled on his costume, cape and mask he mused at how tired he was. He had learned how to sleep from her, and now he could barely function without it.

Shaking off his nostalgia he locked his door and teleported several blocks away. By day he was known as Soren Chell, by night he was The Dark Defier. Only alone in his room did he become Crestfallen again.

Finding the scene wasn't difficult, even if he hadn't know where it was, the terror in the air was like neon signs pointing the way. He took a moment to wrap himself in darkness before making a giant leap towards the distressed pizza parlor.

He landed with a painful thump before the building. Most of the teens had cleared out, but he could sense life still inside so he wrapped his fists in nether energy and prepared to fight as he walked through the door.

((Sorry about the choppy intro, trying to catch up Great thread so far, I hope there is room for 1 more ))

Edward P. Fanglehaven pulled his authortive looking cap tighter over his eyes as he walked down the sidewalk. "Six more blocks left... You're almost done Eddie." Ed made his way from house to house, stopping breifly at each before continuing on.

Carefuly he eyed the items in his hands. "Hrmm, Winston... Winston... Winston... Oh.. and This too." Eddie approached Sam Winston's door, knocked firmly and stood patiently on the steps. His bag had to be getting lighter, but lately it seemed he was getting tired so much faster than he used to. "Well, thats what turning 54 will do to you Eddie." He thought and then sighed to himself before pasting back on his offical smile.

The kitten glanced back to the man following it as he rounded a corner and said. "Oh that will be no problem at all good sir." the kitten paused and had a rare moment of truthfulness. "I might warn you... She may appear to have an... altered grip on reality. But I assure you she will be very grateful." He stopped in front of the door and pawed at it. "Right here my good man.". Inside could be heard a strange sound... Singing?

*****
Crestfallen gritted his teeth and smiled a twisted grin. "Quite a mess you've got yourself into idiot" he laughed to himself. After cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders he sprang up with all his might, sending him vaulting into the sky above with barely his skin intact. Landing on a nearby building he perched while turning incorporeal once more, merely a puff of smoke.

*****
Lui stood in her cell her head slightly bobbing side to side singing some tune she made up with words of total nonsense. She knew the cat would come back for her. He loved her, or hated her, she couldn't quite remember which. The psy resonance echoed through the cell walls, drilling into her skull, but she paid little attention to it.

The Kitten tilted it's head at the being in front of it and said, in a thick British accent "I wonder if I could trouble you to spring a young woman before you toddle off with you device here" He pawed at the box beneath him. "It'll only take a mere thought from you I'm sure... I wouldn't ask... but she is quite insistent that life in a vault doesn't suit her. Why... I'd be willing to guess she'd even try to repay you. If your interested, it's out the door and down just away. I'll wait out front." With that and a whip of it's tail it lunged off the device and on to the floor and wandered back to the cell.

Crestfallen slowed up as his feet began to stick to the thick goop beneath him. And then the barrage began, all at once he was waylaid by the minions attacks. He encased himself in yet another dark barrier and persevered against the vomit, and the green cloud. It wasn't until he felt himself being siphoned away did he pause. Looking to the minion who had siphoned him Crestfallen used his dark connections to drain his target and restoring him a bit. He then proceeded to yell, "This is what you get when the milkshake sucks back!" With that he drew into melee range of the first of the minions and concentrated his focus on creating a circle of dark shadows that aimed to drain lifeforce from those within it.

****
Lui continued to pound on the wall when briefly she heard a laugh. "Heh, Lui... you are as ignorant as you are pathetic." She glanced to the blue and yellow striped kitten on her shoulder and growled. "You shut up you!" With another laugh the kitten jumped off and passed through the wall, calling behind. "Once Again, I'll save your hide."

The kitten strode past the battle in the hallway, bits of debris falling through it and wandered into the Lab. It looked briefly around the room before hopping on top of what seemed to be the center of some very intense scrutiny and simply said. "Hello there."

Crestfallen quickly took stock of the situation. Unable to locate the other Hero he sprang into action, moving quickly to place the zombies between him and the hulking mutant. Finding his ground once again he said aloud. "I'm the one that's gonna have to wash your stench off for the next 3 days." And with that he dove forward, his fists wrapped in dark energy, moving at a blur towards the first minion.


Lui heard all the battle going on outside of her sealed chamber. She began pounding on the wall yelling at the top of her lungs about needing lunch. (( She is just down the corridor from where the Doctor, General and Cassi are. ))

(( Howdy Folks, Hope ya don't mind if I join in. BTW, Great read so far. Also, good job on editing previous Posts, it's very smooth. Anyway, here we go. I will be entering 2 Characters "Crestfallen" a Dark/Dark Scrapper and "Lui" MM/Poisons (Guns) Lui may require a bit of a forward. She is nuts... plain and simple. She is a fairly potent psyker.... however she doesn't know it. She has Psychic manifestations that appear as Street Tough bodyguards that fire made up guns, with real psychic power behind em. And she talks to her stuffed cat who responds accordingly. Now then if anyone has any good entrance points for another villain please share Was thinking maybe she was Confined in the DATA building to study. *shrug* ))

Crestfallen stood watching the havoc below trying to discern friendlies from targets. His small blue skinned frame was nearly transparent in the hazy black fog that surrounded him. Seeing a lone hero standing up to the staggering force he decided to leap into action. With a jump he aimed himself to land near the zombies.

(( Just so long as he doesn't try to seperate and self-destruct...

Lol! Brings a whole new meaning to "warbridge" IE: Lower brain? ))

Jay hefted his bag over his shoulder and exited the room. Making his way to the nearest men's room. As he stood washing his hands, he glanced up at him self. A look of worry was etched on his face, He came from a long line of cops, he thought like a cop, he talked like a cop, hell he even /looked/ like a cop. For several long moments he looked himself over, and then with a sigh he opened his duffle bag and pulled out the clippers he used to trim his thick red beard. He plugged it in and flipped it on. It came alive in his hands and with one sad look to his head he began to remove his full red hair until it was about 1/2 and inch off his head. Next he pulled out a razor and cleaned the beard from his face. After he was complete he rinsed his head and looked back up, he barely recognized himself... and that was a good thing. He cleaned up and exited the men's room, bag over his shoulder and sat morosely on a bench, waiting for the play in the game.