Marvel, Rebirth:

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"I can tell, bae," Ric sighed softly, with an implacable, understanding grin that could have meant anything. "If you weren't a walking corpse, you'd have forehead wrinkles. Let me help with the planning. It's the least I can do."

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"Corpse!?" She replied in shock, a disgusted look taking over in her blue eyes. "That's insulting! I'm not sure if I want to plan anything with someone that calls me that." Lynae said with a huff and crossed her arms

Edited April 28, 2014 by Queen Elsa of Arendelle

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Oh, come on. I've died six times in two years. Three times it was a family member who did me in. Don't take it personal."

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"I don't like being called a corpse... It makes me feel like some disgusting creature." She said, giving him an unhappy glare. "Like I'm rotting.."

[Constructelf]

IC: Reyson, NPC HYDRA mook

"Sir, two unidentified objects of human size have begun attacking the base. Radar scans of the area show a nearby aircraft flying at low altitude from which they could have emerged. Our automated anti-air defenses have already begun to engage the objects." Reyson, who had changed from his usual robes to a more combat ready jumpsuit, monitored the security feed of the outside of the base. "Very likely that this is just a diversion," Reyson spoke half to himself, half to the crew in the inner sanctum with him. "Judging from what we've seen so far, their offensive arsenal-plasma cannons and what appear to be impact pulses-don't have sufficient firepower to perform a head on assault of their own. Monitor the approaching aircraft and check for anybody else dropping out." Reyson then turned to a microphone connected to every speaker in the building. "Attention all forces: hostiles have appeared in the area. Everybody to battle stations immediately."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Oh, don't be so self-conscious." Alaric smiled that little smile of his, like a kid toying with his far older sister or cousin at a family reunion. "You know why Annie was the way she was? Because all she's ever had to do is work to be alive. In five years, fifteen years, fifty years, she'll be dead, she'll be rotting - and it'll all have been for nothing. Me, too, more likely than not. You, on the other hand..."

 

Sigh. He inhaled deep and exhaled softly.

 

"Look, I'm sorry. Kay? Repeated deaths and ugly rebirths have turned me into a bit of a fatalist. I'm sorry."

 

-Tyler

Edited April 29, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"I can tell..." She said as she looked away for a moment. "Please don't talk about your death.... It's not something I like to think about. Or Annie's. Not happy things to talk about." The vampire gently rubbed her arm as she looked away.

 

"Let's go shopping now. Please."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Ric shrugged casually and pushed himself off the wall with a boot; this time he took the lead walking forward, only stopping for a second to give Lynae a one-armed hug around her shoulders. "I lied to your face yesterday, you know. I really do trust you." When he was done whispering, he pulled his arm away from Lynae and wrapped his hand around the back of his own neck, underneath his shock of fine, coal-black hair.

 

"GETTING MY HAIR DID!" he crowed exuberantly at the end of the hall, as though the preceding conversation had never happened; the automatic doors parted for him as he yelled Expelliarmus! at the motion sensor, and then the Black King and all his quirks and insecurities and fatalist life lessons disappeared from view, slipping into the lobby like shadows.

 

-Tyler

Edited April 29, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"I know." She whispered softly before he pulled away, a soft smile on her tender lips. She tussled her hair and sighed softly as they walked down the hall.

 

Lynae rolled her eyes as Ric walked in front of her. "Remind me why I'm hanging out with you?" She replied with a laugh.

[Light]

IC: On the other side of the world...

 

Betsy screamed. She snapped awake in bed and she screamed, a sound that never, never, ever came from her mouth. For an instant her unseeing eyes weren't purple, they were dark, darker, darker than her hair, darker than night, as dark as pure shadow.

The scream stopped quickly, the psychic biting down on her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed, the red liquid flowing down her chin to drop onto the sheets that had been pulled off to follow Warren so little ago.

 

Betsy sat up and shivered, and it wasn't from the cold. OOC: It was from Lynae's tender lips.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Infamous Ironic Iguana

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Remind me why you're hanging out with me?" Alaric retorted, pulling his sunglasses from his back pocket and opening them with a flick of a wrist. They covered his eyes in tinted, tan shades, and he looked back at Lynae and tilted his head.

 

IC:

 

I've done...weirder? Maybe? Aleksandr took a seat beside Ashley and tilted his head at the large oak. "Great Tree, Ashley and I are sick of heart. We come to seek your...err...favor?"

 

-Tyler

Edited April 29, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

The vampire sighed and pushed past him, pausing at the door. "Do you want to drive?"

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley

 

Ashley let out a sigh, her eyes largely focused on the massive willow tree. The tree itself let out a slow, lumbering rumble, as if it was thinking it over.

 

"YOU MUST...." It paused...for an awkwardly long time.

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"..."

 

"???"

 

"!!!"

 

"...HUG...."

 

It was important to note that Ashley taught the tree everything it knew.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Can I trust you with my Ferrari? I've had it since I was teaching. We're very close." His eyes may have been hidden by his sunglasses, but no tint could remove the beam from Alaric's grin. "Are you getting tired of me answering your questions with questions? Don't you love me?"

 

"Oh of course I love you." She said with a joking smile, "otherwise I wouldn't be here. Anyway I'll drive, I have been driving longer than you."

 

Alaric winked - at least, it looked like he did - and tossed Lynae his keys. They caught in the light of the sun and glinted a ray of light off the metal before landing in Lynae's hands. He sidled into shotgun dutifully.

 

IC:

 

"I think I get it?"

 

IC:

 

Betsy sat up and shivered; when her deep eyes, haunted with the telltale violet shadows of gripping fear, looked up, Warren was already on the bed (freshly showered; his hair was damp, tossed lazily about, and he smelled distinctly fresh against all the blood and tension in the room) and holding the sheet up to her torn lip. The linen darkened against her mouth and Angel squeezed her knee while he tried to put pressure on the cuts. After a bit of time, the bloodflow had slowed and stopped, and Warren dropped he sheet over the edge of the bed to hug her. "It was just a nightmare, Betts, you're okay. Ssh, just relax, you're right here. You're with me. Fine. See? We're home. We're in bed. Nothing happened - just a nightmare."

 

"N-not just a nightmare."

Warren's brow furrowed softly and the comforting arm around Betsy's shoulders drew her back under the blankets, where they could pretend there was some modicum of safety. "What are you talking about?"

 

"War-Warren... It... It felt like d-dying all over again."

Warren took a deep breath and then kissed Betsy softly on the cheek. "You're alive. That's what counts. You're alive, and you're staying alive."

-Tyler

Edited April 29, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley

 

"The Deku Tree doesn't know english very well yet, so it has a hard time putting what it feels into words..." Ashley explained, looking at Aleks with her usual perkiness.

 

"What he's saying is, we need to think about all the good times we had with Matt, and...and not be sad...because he wouldn't want us to be!" Ashley kept the appearance of a cheerful outlook, but Aleks sharp and watchful eyes noticed Ashley's fists were...clenching? Consequently, the garden and the life it held seemed to be greatly affected by Ashley's mood, the normally quite lively plantlife seemed rather still all of a sudden.

 

"Aleks..." Ashley spoke rather seriously, not looking the russian in the eye. "...if...if you ever come across the guy who...took Matt away..." She hesitated, she wasn't sure she really wanted to say what was on her mind. She was feeling a strange emotion...one she'd never felt before...she couldn't explain it...except that she felt it very strongly toward Matt's killer.

 

"...kick his butt!" She immediately clasped her hands over her mouth in shock, she couldn't believe she'd just said that! The tree looked shocked as well...for a tree.

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

Lynae gave Ric a mischievous smile as she slid the key into the ignition, making a soft click as the grooves connected.

 

"You might want to put your seatbelt on." She warned as she pressed down on the gas, speeding away as if the Ferrari was a race horse and the gate had just dropped.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Alaric grinned and calmly sat back in the passenger's seat of the California - without a seatbelt. I've driven crazier. "So, you never told me how I could help with Hellions preparation. Or at least the gala. There's no one alive who could help you plan a better party than me."

 

IC:

 

Girl in arm, Daken Akihiro swaggered into the breakfast joint to follow up with the rest of the Dark Avengers. He ordered a massive pancake meal, complete with huge bacon reservoir, eggs, and drinks for him and Asa to split, and when he had receipt in hand he ushered the team over into the circular corner booth. He sat in the center, Asa coiled like a serpent on his lap. Angela and Nate slipped in on his right, while Leah Kaida cautiously sat to his left. None of them talked, but Daken was still smiling, sure of himself as ever, and now Asa had a semblance of her typical bluster back in her as well after Akihiro's reveal in the parking lot.

 

Casually, he brushed crimson hair away from one of her startling eyes. The room was quiet, and he savored the silence for all it was worth until the food arrived.

 

-Tyler

Edited April 30, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"I know, that's why I'm planning the party." She giggled as she kept pushing the vehicle faster and faster. "I just need your help with some minor details.. Seating arrangements, making sure your outfit coordinates with mine..."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"You don't even trust me to dress myself?"

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"I ordered a tux from Angelo for you already... I think you'll like it." She said with smile. "That's why it took so long for my dress to come in."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"We're double dipping on Angelo? God, we're going to be adorable, aren't we?" Alaric pushed his fingers through his hair, as thick and black as coal; when he was satisfied enough he flicked the visor back to the roof and leaned back in his seat, one arm stretching back and holding his headrest, and the other around Lynae's seat. "What'd you drop for the matching attire?"

 

IC:

 

"As-salamu alaykum, New York Cityyyyy!"

 

Brooklyn practically leaped down the stairs from the Carlisle family jet, while Rebekah paced down each step like she was determining whether there were mines below her feet. Spring was dawning, and Brooklyn had insisted they both dress as such; she sported a garish pair of pink sunglasses, with circles for shades, with a black tank-top and denim cut-offs to make her shades pop. Even Rebekah had given in somewhat - she still wore her typical skinny jeans and dark shirts, but at least she wasn't wearing a hoodie or jacket over her shirt for once. Brooklyn had spent a third of the flight heaping praise on her for daring to go outside with one layer on. From the looks of it, she wasn't totally regretting it - her expression was more akin to a child when they first decide to try and swim in the deep end of the pool. She's only looked for snipers twice! Brooklyn thought, with a huge swell of pride; she rewarded Bekah with a pouncing hug as soon as her feet were solidly on the runway.

 

"We're home, love! The whole world is at our fingertips now! Let's march into the city and show off lightly tanned Bekah Fell!"

 

-Tyler

Edited May 1, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"Well... You can look adorable, I'll just look stunning." The vampire teased as she drove his car hastily to the small, luxurious boutique. "What I dropped for our outfits is none of your concern. I have plenty money and I'm only getting more. So just hush your pretty little mouth if you're thinking of trying to repay me."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Well, look, I'm going to just gift you something back, then. And believe me - we are shopping today. I have needs, Lynae." He relaxed his posture a little in the seat, idly flicking his unused seatbelt away with an elbow. "I never got how you could have a pretty mouth. I mean, lips, yeah. Your lips are nice. But a mouth?"

 

"It's an expression, Ric. Don't worry your pretty little head about it." She said with a wink.

 

Alaric beamed and spun his ring in a circle around his finger.

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

Suddenly they entered the city and she pulled up to the boutique. "This is it." She said as she parked and slid out of the car. "I hope you'll like what I chose."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Oh, I'm not as picky as all that. I trust your eyes. Kinda." He closed the door with a backhanded swipe and sidled up to Lynae, taking off his sunglasses and hanging them from the neck of his shirt. "So the sun thing. Not a big factor in the real world?"

 

"My kind of vampire is resistance as long as... Well let's say if a huge hole was cut into me and my bare flesh and organs were to be exposed to the sun... I'd die."

 

"Well, so would I, so I guess we're kind of in the same boat? Maybe?" Alaric bit his lip and grinned coquettishly when he reached the door and held it open until Lynae passed into the boutique. "Well, I'm glad you don't turn into dust bunnies at the first sign of some Vitamin D. Sunlight's a good look for you."

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"At least I don't sparkle." She replied, walking into the boutique behind him.

 

"Ms. Rosewood!" One of the women working there exclaimed as she entered. "Oh it's so good to see you! Your dress came in! It's so beautiful!" She said, fawning over the vampire.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

While Lynae was distracted with the employee, Ric lifted his phone out of his pocket real quick and sent two quick gala invites over his phone (Lynae would probably fuss that he hadn't handwritten them, but as far as he knew Rebekah Fell burned all physical mail) to his sister and her girlfriend. It was a quick job, in and out, and he was standing (relatively) at attention four seconds later.

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

Before she knew it, Lynae was dragged into the dressing room. She carefully was helped into the dress, the black fabric contrasting with her light skin.

 

"This must be yours.." The attendant said, handing over a tux to Alaric. "Would you like to try it on?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"She'll rip my throat out if I don't," Ric politely accepted; even if he was only half-joking the attendant laughed and handed off the tuxedo, and the Black King held it gingerly while he moved into his own dressing room. He stood there for a second, himself in the mirror with long hair, two sets of designer clothes, and a face that looked more regal and proud than his own. I'm pretty, she said, thought Alaric Carlisle, reaching out with his free hand to try and catch his own reflection, but all he could think when he touched his face is that he didn't look like him anymore. When he took off his shirt, there were cuts below his right pectoral. Daken Akihiro. I saved his brother, and he shanked me for it. There was a diagonal nick by his third rib, right side, where he'd been picked clean through with a bullet saving Zack Summers. Suddenly, his neck began to ache. With this thing, I can count all the ways that being a hero killed me.

 

He blinked, and the moment of self-reflection was gone. Lynae will want to see the tux. It was a handsome set of garments, well-made; somehow she had acquired his measurements. Anberlyn, was his first though, with a rueful smile, but it was just as likely that she'd bought them off of Lacey, or even just gotten them herself through some means. He swapped out of his casual clothes and into the tuxedo, brushing his tousled hair back into place as much as it would go, and then slipped into his black leather laceless Margiela's. Before taking his leave, he took a quick second to look at himself. Definitely handsome. He was lithe and lean, and the tuxedo brought out the color of his hair and managed to brighten his eyes. A single blue rose had come attached, and he looked down at it and grinned. Enough staring at yourself. You spend half the morning doing that as is.

 

When he walked out of the dressing room and turned to his left instinctively, looking for Lynae, he half-expecting to see some ghoul of Ashlynn or Tara. His throat caught when they focused on her. Lynae?

 

"Does it look alright?" She asked as she looked at him. It was a strapless black gown, ruffling down in a river of midnight black. Below her chest the fabric became bit sheer and was covered with a modest amount of diamonds, actual diamonds not those silly cheap things. As she spun slowly in the dress for him, the bottom ruffled and took the appearance that it actually flowed.

 

You're the most beautiful thing I've seen in years, he almost said despite himself, before he thought of Ashlynn. "Well, you were right. Stunning. Don't forget to mail a tip."

 

-Tyler

Edited May 1, 2014 by LONG LIVE TYLER

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

Her cheeks flushed a bit before she grinned at him. "My god... You look so handsome!" She said as she took his hand as she inspected him. "The rose was a nice touch... My necklace has the same rose."

 

"... Thank you." She said softly.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Well, nobody can ever say we're going to be outshone at our own party."

 

-Tyler

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

Handsome... What an understatement. She thought as she looked at him. If her heart was beating, it would've ached at the sight of him. For now, she could only smile at him and blush. God it was like she was sixteen all over again... Except back then she had been smiling and blushing at Deren, the stable boy.

 

It was odd, being so flabbergasted by another being. She hadn't felt like this since at least years before Alaric had even existed.

 

"No... I don't think that's possible." She said with a grin.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Only thing stopping us from perfection is getting our hair did." The fingers that was in her hand snapped sassily.

 

"Shouldn't we get our hair done the night of the gala?"

 

"You said you wanted it cut. As always, my hair is yours to command."

 

-Tyler

[Snelly]

OOC: THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NO ONE TELLS ME I NEED TO POST D:

 

IC: Rook

"If you're sure," Natalie responded, getting into the driver's seat.

 

IC: Tasha

 

"You make is sound like it's dangerous." Tasha quipped as she fastened her seatbelt.

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

"Hmmm yea, you need a trim at least.... Let's go.. As soon as we change." She said with a nod before returning into the changing room.

[Havelock Vetinari]

OOC: As discussed with Tyler, and due to some overzealous pruning of my schedule on my part, to free up parts of it for FTL...

 

*Chanting*

 

Yig preserves.

 

IC (Romulus, Congo)

The foothills of the Congolian forests were not a pleasant place at the best of times, hot, home to a thousand different diseases which only had a tangential relationship with modern medical knowledge and last but not least, home to enough small, venomous crawling creatures to give even veteran soldiers a moment of disconcerted pause. This already inhospitable place becomes notably more hostile when one adds in a millennia old cult armed with the firepower of a small nation. The Legion was well-equipped, the legion was well-funded, the legion was led by a man who seen just about every type of battlefield on the planet.

The Legion was also losing at least five men every two days, assuming only normal operations took place. Actual battles caused that rate to shoot up to the hundreds on bad days, dozens on good days. They had no solid intel on their enemies numbers, no solid intel on enemy leadership and any contact with the remains of the Congolese military in the region had been lost a week ago when their stronghold, the city of Goma, had been wiped off the map. The Brothers of the Yellow Sign had triggered a Limnic eruption in Lake Kivu. Most of the city had keeled over and died when carbon dioxide had hit them. The rest had been butchered when the yellow-masked, unnaturally tough soldiers in the service of the Brothers had rolled in, slaughtering all they found.

Romulus pondered all this and more, as he sat in tent, clad in one of the best suits of power armor money could buy, minus the helmet. They need to break out of the forests, that much was clear. They’d taken the forest from the Brothers easily enough, but their offense had stalled there. The Brothers had seemingly dumped their entire force (or at least what he hoped was their entire force) around the area, sealing the Legion in. Almost as though they were buying time for something, for a project, a troop movement or something else entirely. Romulus knew that when the Yellow Sign was involved one could not afford to make assumptions. Assumption burned cities and ravaged nations; one only had to look at the humiliating defeat of the Congolese armed forces to see that.

The Legion could not afford to stick to the defensive; it was counter to the entire reasoning behind this enterprise. They couldn’t afford to wait for reinforcements, which would have to be airlifted in at this point, calling in the militaries of the surrounding nations would likely make the problem worse, for Romulus had no more confidence in their ability to put down the Brothers then he had in the shattered remnants of the Congolese. That left him with only one option. Attack. He gestured at the ever-present Thistledown, who despite the climate, was still wearing the long wool dress she had sported in New York. With no evidence of discomfort, the fact she managed to keep an ancient laptop running in this hot and wet climate was also worth noting.

Romulus had long since decided to stop asking question when his secretary was involved. They tended to lead to responses like “how did you convince the police to arrest the entire school?!’ or the always lovely ‘why, pray tell, did you throw a brick into the mayor’s bedroom?’. Questions or no, his men needed marching orders. “Thistledown, if you would take a message. To be delivered to the heads of the I through V Legions. I want a full artillery barrage laid down on the entire front, with the focus points being….”

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Alaric watched her walk back into the dressing room and then lifted his eyebrows and grinned knowingly to himself. When he ducked back into his own dressing room and changed back into casual ware, he was sure to take the utmost care with the tux, and when he put his sunglasses back on the collar of his shirt he caught another look at himself. This time, the image was nebulous. He wasn't sure what he was.

 

Lynae was waiting for him again when he stepped out.

 

-Tyler

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: The glow of an automated turret exploding lit Persephone from behind, the concussive force making her ponytail lash around like the tail of a hyperactive scorpion. She and Vivus were wreaking havoc amidst this first layer of defence, turrets were falling left, right and centre. The problem (from HYDRA's point of view anyway) was, well...automated things were stupid. Persephone realised that, as only one or two steps above the turrets herself, this was either snobbery or maybe even outright racism but it was essentially true. All they could do was follow the predetermined rules someone had put in their heads, there was no room for initiative. Which is why, when Persephone got a missile to thermally lock onto her, then led it right back to the turret that had fired it, you know, like she was now, the turret didn't think to try and pick the missile out the sky, it just opened fire on her again. She when she fly past and suddenly twisted in the sky to put the turret between her and the two missiles it had fired at her itself...

Kaboom.

Another one bit the dust.

Still, there was a problem for the SHIELD forces as well. If all HYDRA was throwing out was the automated stuff, then all their guards were still on the inside. That was going to be hard on Team Sneaky Monkey. They needed to try something here to lure them out.

 

"Marauder, you in position?" He should be by now. The plane would have landed to drop off him and Sam before retreating to a safe distance with Sneaky Monkey so there were no signs of them teleporting in. "I need you and Vivus to cover me, I'm going to up the pressure."

 

She dropped low to the ground and cut out her flight, rolling as her armoured form clanked into the concrete. Most of the turrets were designed to attack the air, they were befuddled by something on the ground (yet another strike against leaving automated systems to do your work for you), but she still felt safer if Vivus and Marauder, not to mention their combined arsenal, were watching her back.

She stomped her way over to the entrance to the base and pointed both hands at the doorway, opened fire with all the plasma power she dared. The entrance was undoubtedly covered to the hilt with armour, but she was channelling the raw power of the bound star within her. Nothing could stand that sort of heat and force for long. If HYDRA wouldn't come out then maybe it was they thought this was just a fly-by shooting. If she made a concerted attempt to force entry, maybe they'd take the attack more seriously and send out the guards. Or the tanks, or whatever else they had in there that Sneaky Monkey didn't want to run into

Knock knock HYDRA. Knock knock.

[Eevee]

IC: Lynae

 

The vampire held her hand out as he stepped out, an inviting smile on her face. "I've already paid... But you drive this time. I don't know where you get your hair done."

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC:

 

The Southern-belle picked herself up off the floor sometime later and wiped her eyes. She'd decided she needed a distraction, something to numb her pain. She walked down the hallway before slipping into her room and closing the door.

 

Christine walked towards her bed before removing the glove that Sierra had totally stained with her blood before tossing it into the waist basket. That had been a gift from Aleks, she thought as she then bent under her bed before pulling out a bottle of whiskey she'd been saving for a special occasion.

 

Well, down the hatches. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a swig. She didn't mind the burn, as long as it helped ease the burn in her chest. If only I had been with them... and not turned into a flying monster because of that girl...