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IC(Ryjak - Blackrock) The Toa of iron silently cursed as Larikon all but ignored him for Rakona. Gritting his teeth, he spoke up. "No matter. I will infiltrate Po-Koro as an industrial worker. Rakona's pride obviously prevents her from being of use."

IC(Houren - Onu Streets) The soldier took the blow, his eyes watering a bit in pain, but he was able to stand his ground. With his free arm he hooked the Phantom's bent elbow to keep his enemy in place and drove his knee up towards his opponent's groin.

IC(Houren - Onu Street) Houren heard the sound of a rock down the alley and recognized the ploy. Maybe convincing, except that Houren could still see the shadow. Out of clips, he quickly traded his crossbow for his saperka. "You see, there are tons of people like you. Cowards too scared to fight Matoran, but willing to kill innocents from behind." He swung down at the perceived position of his opponent, striking like he was holding an axe.

OOC: Yes. I apologize for the absence of his profile; I was doing work on my profile page recently and must've accidently deleted his. It's saved on my other computer, so I'll put it up tonight. It's not like I can pull something out of nowhere- he's and Onu-Matoran and you know how Ussalry members are armed. As far as the voice recognition bit...I'm sorry, but that sounds like something one would put in a pre-existing post rather than tell me OOC as an afterthought. So be it. IC(Houren - Onu Streets) As soon a Houren reached the bottom of his clip, he realized he had hit nothing- his opponent had moved. Had he run? Houren was about to return to his patrol, having successfully overcome the Toa, when the target responded to his earlier statement. He slowly reloaded and kept talking. "Petty criminal? Killing off lowlifes? Nah, y'all don't scare-" he stopped short. The shadow from earlier was overlapping his own. The killer was right beside him. Only one course of action. He let loose with another clip at point blank range.

IC(Houren - Onu Streets) "Oh, you're that guy. Yeah...we see twenty guys just like you every Friday. Don't kid yourself son." Houren racked his brain, trying to remember this one criminal who thought he was a big deal. Indeed, he was wanted dead or alive. Houren didn't have to play nice. He scanned the area in front of him, watching the shadow he'd seen earlier come closer. The little song and dance the Phantom had been doing with his voice had no effect- maybe if he had concentrated it on one spot, it would've been believable. As it was, he had just revealed his abilities. With the seemingly inhuman speed of a soldier, he simultaneously dropped his saperka and drew his crossbow and sprayed the area with bolts. It was a repeating crossbow, and as such fired in great number. The Phantom would be hard-pressed to dodge every bolt.

IC(Houren - Onu Streets) The soldier just looked to the ground, still chuckling. "Three seconds more, and you have the fiercest military force on the island on your back."

IC(Kol - Lighstone Bar) "As I said. It's yer choice." (Houren - Onu Streets) "I won't, given you make yourself visible immediately and disarm yourself."

I agree. It makes a HUeG difference in gameplay.

Indeed, a HUeG margin.

IC(Houren - Onu Streets) "Killing a Matoran in the open. You're bold." The voice was accompanied by a shring! of metal on metal as a saperka was drawn. Though Houren could not see the killer, he knew he was there by the shadow. Even at night, Onu-Koro was well-lit. A simple patrol had turned interesting. The Ussalry Matoran hopped off his steed and prepared for combat. "Surrender now and I won't have to kill you," he chuckled.

It's a crime that this hasn't gotten more recognition. But I guess part of its beauty is how it goes unnoticed like its subject. Now I can feel like a hipster by saying it's among my favorite poems. As a recent victim of hospitalization, I thought some of these same thoughts (though the injury was nowhere near-fatal ) and this poem explored the topic expertly, capturing the essence of finality in 90 words. The afterword was easy to appreciate and reigned in my thoughts perfectly. In conclusion, thank you for this piece. It gave me something meaningful to think about.

IC(Kol - Lightstone Bar) "That is entirely up ta you...but you would be wise to consider picking up at least one piece of technology. No reason ta refuse on the grounds that you already have a weapon. This migh' not even consis' of aggressive machinery."

IC(Kol - Lightstone) "Consi'er me yer colleague. Un'ner one condition. Our first order of business is tha technology expo. Our entire group will be outfitted with modern equipment. Tha' will be standard." He produced a scrap piece of paper with information he'd seen on the flier on the way to the bar.

IC(Rano - Sado Marketplace) "I simply urge us all to err on the side of caution. If we are wrong, and if they are all as deceitful and violent as the Six... The results would be devastating."

IC(Kol - Lightstone Bar) It was with a grave tone he answered. "I fight for the side of the weak."

Honestly nobility is much more fun to play.

IC(Roshinua - Beach) Rosh sped up his backstep towards the sled a bit as the Skakdi stood down. Whether he was being genuine or not had yet to be determined, but the detective could not help sighing in relief. "We appreciate your graciousness. As of right now, you've done nothing but defended your lives and your property in the eyes of the law."

IC (Rano - Sado Marketplace) Rano nodded as Senavysh spoke. "I will admit I spoke brashly- the entire species is not deserving of extinction. Though one would be hard-pressed to find a single one among us who would be quick to trust their kind."

It's been lampshaded multiple times.

IC(Ryjak - Blackrock) The Toa of iron nodded sagely, offering a small smile. He produced a widget of high value from his cloak, examining its golden allure by the light of the fire. "What is wealth but the means to an end? It can be the object of our obsession, it can be that which we long for, that which we serve... In the end, it matters not. In the end, we all burn." He cast the thin coin into the fire, its form becoming indistinguishable from the blazes. "On a brighter note, however, it was long been my belief that Ak'rei'an was an advocate for celebration when it was appropriate. In honor of your sacrifices and courage today, please celebrate with me, my brothers." He reached into the endless void that was his cloak and produced a flask. Marking's on it read only a date- it looked to be ancient. "What was Po-Koro's finest tea. I have kept this among my possessions since before my transformation; a remnant of my past. I feel it is only proper to drink it now- to do away with it in a way that I will remember. Moving on with an eye on the past, as it were." With the ale in one hand, he conjured three metallic chalices in the other, giving one to Jaaku and one to Larikon. "To the young men we were...but also to the wiser men we have become."

OOC: Responding to an old Humva post. IC (Leah - Wichita) From her rooftop perch, Nizhoni heard the sound of sizzling. The building she sat on happened to be one of interest- a jewelry store. In the early morning, the shop had two hours until it opened. The thief- Leah -would have come late at night. That would have been ideal. However, the store had hosted an expo which ran late into the ungodly hours of the morning. It was 3 AM before everyone had left, and even then it wasn't a safe hit until about 5 o'clock. AKA, right now. In all aspects, the shop was a perfect hit. It was small enough that it needed no security guard, but large enough that it had high-quality products. Her major worries were the cameras and motion sensors. That was why, as Nizhoni vigilantly watched for crime, Leah was behind the building frying the circuits with well-placed flames, as to eliminate automated security.

Name: Leah Rosalline Kaida Age: 21 Gender: Female Loyalties/Faction: N/A Power(S): Leah controls flames and the like with the following caveats: -She cannot create fire modules larger than about the size of a basketball -While she can manipulate existing fire, she cannot make such fire grow in size or change the heat of it -Fire can only be emitted from her hands, and will automatically disappear after crossing a twenty-five foot area In addition to this, her body is +20% faster and +20% stronger than a grown man. Appearance: While muscular, her form remains slender, allowing agility and flexibility. She has an attractive face, and a body most would find attractive, though not incredibly. Her facial features are sharp, but her eyes are perpetually bored. Her wardrobe is almost exclusively black, as a means of stealth (necessary in her profession) but often her clothes are casual, such as jeans and a jacket, rather than a stereotypical theft outfit. When on the go and such, she will commonly wear a trench coat. She stands about 56, not an imposing figure by any means, but can be intimidating due to her confident posture and (largely) because of her abilities. Most of the time, she wears a pair of sunglasses that shield her eyes from her own fire. Weapons: Leah carries a .48 Colt Diamondback Revolver, stolen from her parents. She most commonly carries it in her trench coat and therefore the possession of the two at any given time will often correlate. Skills: She is a surprisingly good shot with a revolver, honed by years of practice. Using her increased abilities, she is a capable hand-to-hand combat fighter when given a proper environment and no restrictions. In addition, Leah is a good climber and can use this to escape in an urban environment when needed. Personality: Naturally, Leah is shaky and unfocused due to her condition, which makes her an uncanny thief, but an imaginative thinker. She can often come up with ideas to solve her problems simply because she will come up with a considerable amount of ideas in a small amount of time. She can be violent and, when given aggressiveness as an easy choice and diplomacy as a somewhat tougher choice, she will choose the former with reckless abandon. Weakness: Leah has a moderate case of ADHD, which consistently causes problems on and off the battlefield. Bio: Born and raised in St. Louis, Illinois by a pair of superstitious middle-classers, Leah was grown up to be cautious above all and continuously put herself above others if she wanted to survive. She was obedient for most of her childhood despite her skepticism of her fathers beliefs and her parents general weirdness, but when her folks tried to get her involved in cult practices, she knew she had to get out. She managed to make off with $300 and her mothers gun, but not before she realized her parents had neglected to tell her about her very-much-diagnosed ADHD. Thus came her life as a thief. She immediately set across the country, determined to become powerful and wealthy. At the age of sixteen, she realized her parents had forgotten to tell her something else: she could cast fire from her bare hands. Name: Perish Wesson Codename: Shaman Age: 17 Gender: Male Loyalties/Faction: HYDRA Powers: Shaman has a small control over magic, and his abilities largely lie in his powers to inflict ill status on his opponents. Each of his powers has a specific range and effect time: Paralysis: Manifesting in a small, painless bolt of pseudo-electricity, this power can keep an enemy completely still for three seconds, which allows Shaman to escape. However, its regrettable side-effect is making his opponent all but invulnerable for those three seconds, barring him from using this power to stun and kill the paralyzed enemy in one go. This can fire up to ten feet from his person and cannot be used on himself.Blinding: Manifesting in the form of a flash of light, anyone who gazes on the attack dead-on will be blind for a period of time depending on how close they were. If within ten to fifteen feet, they can lose their sight for ten seconds. Any more, and it's a mere 3-5 seconds.Disorientation: This attack manifests in the form of loud noise which will cause it's target to experience severe dizziness and confusion until they can remain still and gather their thoughts, which varies from opponent to opponent. A highly cognitive target can shake it off with relative ease. A weak-minded opponent can be stuck for almost a minute before regaining complete mental clarity. However, whenever Shaman uses this a lot, he himself experiences its effectsFlashstep: Shaman can teleport to anywhere in sight (within reason; if he cannot clearly visualize the spot, he cannot teleport there) in an instant. However, the further he goes, the more physically exhausted he is. Each flashstep takes the equivalent toll of sprinting half that distance. So, for instance, if he teleported two miles (which he can't) he will feel as though he ran a mile. For this reason, he uses this sparingly for travel.Appearance: Shaman is suited out in a black three-piece suit at all times, making an effort to look official when possible, and to blend in enough that he won't gather stares, but standing out enough that he garners admiration and a bit of envy. His long silver hair is kept in a tight braid to elbow length, with sideburns kept to mid-ear level as to not interfere with his soft jawline and large, absorbing eyes. He stands 5'5', somewhat short to his peers. Though he has at times grown facial hair, he tends to look better clean-shaven. He wears a square pair of glasses at times, though when on the job he wears contacts. In all honesty, he looks a bit like an anime character. Weapons: At all times, Perish carries a concealed handgun and extendable stun baton. In battle, he carries a few sticky bombs, some hand grenades, and a knife. Skills: Perish has a knack for climbing and parkour, and a bit of urban exploration. In fact, he can climb entire buildings given plenty of handholds and enough time. Personality: Perish is, deep down, kind of a nice guy. He'll hold the door open for ladies, walk your elderly mother across the street, and make it back in time to buy you a drink before last call. Unfortunately, this is corrupted by a rather terrible wicked streak in which he thirsts for violence and desires power on an emotional level. He will do whatever he can to accomplish his goals, especially if that means he likes hitting children with daddy's belt to get what he wants. When chilling with his team, he is often extremely hyper, though more the type of a small dog than a child. When he develops a bond with someone, he is incredibly loyal, even beyond his violence streak. Weakness: Perish is small and built for stealth; he isn't strong and won't hold up in hand-to-hand combat for very long. His powers are incredibly draining, and he can't use them within a minute of each other. Bio: Growing up in New York City, Perish became accustomed to certain degree of luxury, and kept this with him for the rest of his life. He always had to have the biggest and newest and baddest. But his interests were mostly held by war documentaries and the violent stories he heard on the news. So one day, when someone kicked his dog, he sprained their leg. One thing led to another, and he was put under arrest for caving in a pickpocketer's head with a brick. When he heard of HYDRA, he was interested. When he heard he could become part of it, he became infatuated. When the Battle of New York allowed him to escape (just go with it) he made a beeline for the malicious organization, bags packed and spirit eager.

IC (Norman): "Norman..." he muttered, turning to face Dominik. Looking from Shiloh, to Jesika, and back to Dominik, he decided his time would be better spent helping with relief efforts. He hefted a pack of water bottles and began passing them out.

IC (Norman): "Uh, Norman," he said in a kind of forced chuckling way, attempting to alleviate what he perceived as awkwardness, "you can call me Norm."

IC(Kol-Lightstone Bar) The Onu-Matoran nodded, sitting back down. Part of him was fascinated, but part was skeptical. "Tell me more."