Collateral ( A Super Hero RP with Consequences) IC

JohnR
John Reidenbach/Spectre
April 2, 2018 - April 3, 2018 | night - morning | Manhattan, NYC—the Nook - Newton, MA—John's home - Manhattan, NYC—Starbucks

Valerie (mine), Vanessa/Emerald Dream (@Gands), Anastasia (@Huntress), Amiee/Firefly (@Michale CS)
everyone, John (@LuckycoolHawk9), Icarus (@slifer), Felix (@slifer)

"I dunno what's happening on your end, but these files are totally corrupted. I can't access them at all. What's weird, though, is that they're the only ones that are corrupted. What's going on?"

Spectre released a wry chuckle. "Let's just say my night went from zero to a hundred so quickly that I feel like my brain has gotten whiplash."

"Fun stuff," Valerie noted sarcastically, an undertone of sympathy for the vigilante sneaking in. "Well, I'll have to swing by the courthouse in the morning to look into the cases further, assuming you still need that information then."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," he affirmed wryly. "Thanks. I have to go but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. G'night, Spectre."

"Good night, Val."

Ending the call, Spectre returned the phone to its pouch on his belt. Looking up with the intent to engage the others in the bar again, he found the rest making their way toward the door, the detective muttering in a frustrated-sounding tone about the morgue. The vigilante was perplexed as to why everyone was suddenly leaving when there seemed to be a number of things left of importance here, but oh well, he could work with this.

Meanwhile, a new figure seemed to have emerged from the bathroom, looking a bit worse for wear. Spectre couldn't help an amused half-smile at the tone the haggard-looking young man attempted to take with the metahuman waitress. From his own experience with her, he was certain that that attitude would get him nowhere.

When Dream approached him with her card, he accepted the card from her and quickly jotted out a note with his own number in return—he didn't yet carry business cards like she apparently did although he had been considering it for a while. Committing the number to memory with a glance, he added it to another pocket on his belt.

"Pass my number to Firefly as well, alright? I noticed the two of you have exchanged numbers. My job's pretty flexible, so if you two want to get together for discussion tomorrow, let me know."

Once the new stranger, "Icarus," had left with his agitated next of kin—Spectre hadn't been paying a lot of attention to that particular interaction but it had been hard to miss that interchange—he passed a slip of paper with his number scrawled across it to the waitress as well. Whatever kind of meta she was and whatever her current status of activity as a meta, he had a feeling she'd be important.

With little else to do here as the bar rapidly cleared out, Spectre then left himself. The night was still far too young to be heading back home just yet, so he returned to the patrol route that he had been working along when he discovered this case.

The rest of his night was pretty quiet, especially compared to whatever he'd gotten himself entangled with now. At one point he thwarted an attempted break-in at a local business, but mostly he spent the time gliding just under a thousand feet off of the ground, musing over the case. Extended crime-work wasn't his forte, but he did love a good mystery, as hectic and ominous and a bit terrifying as this was.

Around two in the morning, he headed home for a quick three hours of sleep before whatever the next day would bring, once again grateful that his mutation made such a short amount of sleep optimal.


Having gotten up at around five, John had been working for a couple hours when his phone chirped with a text from Emerald Dream, informing him that she and Firefly were meeting at a Starbucks in Manhattan. Immediately he packed up, returned the ferret curled around his shoulders to his cage, pulled on a jacket to hide his scar, and drove over to the location she gave him.

He walked in about ten minutes late due to travel time, ordering a simple flat white—he had already had his morning coffee, but there was nothing wrong with having another cup, and besides, it was Starbucks—before locating the two heroines in their civilian aliases in a far booth.

"G'morning, ladies," he greeted them, sliding into the booth beside Dream and perhaps sitting a bit closer than was strictly necessary. "Valerie's at the courthouse collecting information on the cases, but she hasn't gotten back to me about them yet."
 
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Valerie
Valerie Newmann
April 2, 2018 - April 3, 2018 | midnight - morning | Brooklyn, NYC—Valerie's apartment - Chinatown, NYC—the courthouse

Victoria (@Gands), Dean (@LuckycoolHawk9)
Spectre (mine), Emerald Dream (@Gands)

Valerie had been getting ready for bed, her kinky black hair released from its usual high ponytail and lithe body clothed in a simple tank-top with loose-leg yoga pants, when Spectre called, and as she laid her phone back on her night stand, the alertness spurred by her mutant friend's urgency faded away, replaced by the exhaustion of a long and busy day. She jotted out a quick reminder to herself for the next day's errands, then crashed, asleep in moments.


As usual, the young woman woke early the next day. Throwing on some clothes in her usual, military-esque style as inspired by her father, she ate a simple breakfast accompanied by enough caffeine to wake her the rest of the way and, with her mission in mind, drove out from her Brooklyn apartment to Chinatown.

At the courthouse, she was pleasantly surprised to cross paths with her peer and long-time friend, Victoria Murphy.

"Hey, Vick!" she called to the other lawyer with a wave, hurrying over to walk in stride with her. "What's up? You here for the business last night as well?" She had known for a little while that Victoria was a sort of sidekick to a local hero just like she was, it having come up shortly after Spectre first encountered Emerald Dream.

Noticing then the familiar man also walking with Victoria, Valerie greeted him with a nod and a respectful "Judge Chambers."
 
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JohnR
Vanessa
Amiee
John Reidenbach/Spectre | Vanessa O'Toole/Emerald Dream | Amiee Reed/Firefly
April 3, 2018 | morning | Manhattan, NYC—Starbucks

collab with @Gands and @Michale CS
Cyndee (@Michale CS), Valerie (@Astroblaze), Warren (@LuckycoolHawk9), Mike (@LuckycoolHawk9), Logan (@LuckycoolHawk9), Ana (@Huntress), Victoria (@Gands), Mystification (@LuckycoolHawk9)

When she entered the Starbucks, Vanessa was well-dressed with her standard dark blonde hair and confident air about herself. She was carrying an extra bag and laid it on the table for Amiee.

Amiee looked up from her drink, the shocking redhead smiling shyly at Vanessa. "Hey, thanks for bringing my stuff." She grabbed the bag and put it beside her in the booth. "When you said 10:30, I forgot to tell you I worked early today. Don't worry: I called in sick, though my boss probably thinks I called in hungover because he knows I hang with Cyndee- Oh, I'm rambling, sorry. Good to see you again, Vanessa."

"Are you nervous, Amiee? It is good to see you again. I've been meaning to talk to you about more than just the case."

"Nervous? Uh, yeah sorta." Amiee looked around a bit. "I just normally work alone, with Cyndee handling the logistics of me getting my stuff back after I do some, you know- Huh? More than the case? Like what?"

"Let me assure you, I normally work alone, too. But I have a gut feeling about you, Amiee. I think we can be of assistance to one another."

"Err... Okay..." She blinked and shrugged. "My loadout is pretty much always the same: get small, fly places, burn stuff. If you need any of that done, I guess I can help. Unless you've got an opening for a recent graduate with a Physics degree cum laude from CalTech? Oh, and I can balance like nine plates when I'm serving as a waitress. Apparently insanely stupid good reflexes and balance come with my package." She stopped her ramble with another drink of her Frap.

"Physics is something I can use. My strong suit is computers, artificial intelligence, electronics. There are other things, but it's always good to have more than one point of view, don't you think? That and I'd be... sympathetic to certain hobbies we share." Now, it should be noted that there were moments that made Amiee feel odd because Vanessa's attention did not seem to be entirely on the conversation as she was constantly surveying the room.

"I've scoped this place out: only hipsters and SJW's for miles around. Unless you're expecting someone else?" Amiee reacted first to her wandering attention before the words she said. "So, let me get this straight: you're offering me a job? One that'd let me do that stuff on the side without having to worry about job security? Doing what, exactly?"

"Let's make an appointment for you to see my personal facility, so you can make your decision from a basis of knowing what's what. Ideally, using your mind for more than a paperweight!"

"Uh, sure. I'm pretty sure I'm getting canned from my current job so my schedule is about to be wide open... but, about yesterday. When that dude became bug-sized and took off, he didn't notice me following him as far as I could tell, but I lost his heat signature when he ducked behind a hot dog cart near the courthouse. Could it be that he works there? I mean, someone who did that would have access to all the Collateral case files, right?"

"One more thing, Amiee: once you see the facility, I want you to make up your own offer. So we can just have it written up, okay? As far as Chinatown, yes, it makes sense for it to be his primary area. I have drones searching for him now."

"My own offer?" She blinked. "I'll think it over."

Walking up to the booth at that moment, John sat down beside Vanessa. "G'morning, ladies. Valerie's at the courthouse collecting information on the cases, but she hasn't gotten back to me about them yet."

"Good morning, sir," Vanessa greeted him, "you've met Miss Amiee? I have an attorney at the courthouse, too."

"Only as Firefly." John looked to the redhead, noting her name.

"Yeah, about that... I've been pretty quiet about the secret identity thing until yesterday, but with so many of us showing up at that bar, it was uncanny." She rubbed the back of her head and looked over at him. "So if you could keep it under your hat, I'd be really grateful."

"And my name is Vanessa."

"Certainly," John affirmed. "I, of course, am, well..." Hesitant to speak his hero name in public, he pushed a quick mental trigger, turning his irises a brilliant, glowing lime green for a moment, then he blinked and his eyes were hazel again. "So I completely understand the need for secrecy. My name is John. It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

"We were about to talk about the case or cases. I don't have a lot to add myself yet. Computers are still unravelling what they can and my drones are over Chinatown searching for any of our subjects."

"And I lost track of the shapeshifter somewhere near the courthouse. Followed him when he thought he was too small to be noticed." Amiee shrugged then sipped her drink again. "God, I love cold drinks. Anything cold. Because, duh."

John chuckled at the irony of Amiee's comment, taking a sip of his coffee. "A pyrokinetic who loves cold drinks while I, the ghost mutant with a body temperature about 20 degrees lower than normal, prefer mine hot." He considered Vanessa's analysis for a moment. "I don't really have any new information either. Valerie will presumedly text me or something when she has the case files, but I generally don't get involved in the legal side of things, and I don't have the kind of resources that you do." Thinking back to the previous night, he tried to remember if he'd learned anything that he hadn't already mentioned. "Both the pyrokinetic and cryokinetic parts of the fused shifter knew nothing about the whole affair, but I wasn't able to properly speak with the original shifter himself and his hasty retreat is a bit suspicious."

"It's not Michael and it's not the last guy... it was the third one."

"Yeah. I don't know his name, though, or that of the hotheaded pyro."

"I was too put off by that waitress to do much downstairs, so I kinda just did my usual and watched for an opportunity to do something, and all I did really well was... uh... leave."

Vanessa laughed a bit at Amiee's sheepish comment. "I have pictures and other data forthcoming. This is my lawyer's information, John, Amiee." She handed them each a card for Victoria Murphy.

John huffed with a wry grin, accepting the card from Vanessa. "Yeah, she had attitude to spare for sure." When he looked down at the card that Vanessa had handed him, he frowned in surprised recognition. "Hey, that's a familiar name: I think Valerie's mentioned being friends with her." He chuckled. "Small world, huh?"

Amiee had no clue who she was, so she just chuckled and tucked the card in the bag that Vanessa had brought her. "Small world."

"Guess it helps to be in the same types of circles." John slipped the card into a front pocket of the book bag he had brought along.

"Let me know: for the long term, I am willing to take on Valerie's salary for the duration of the case. We'll need all the help with legwork we can get!"

John blinked in surprise. "That's... very generous of you, Vanessa. I'll be sure to ask her."

"Well... legwork, or wingwork? I guess? I can do..." Amiee felt really out of her depth and it showed.

At the slight distress in Amiee's tone, John looked over to her in mild concern. "You okay?"

"My own powers may not be as useful as others," Vanessa commented, "but I can bring wit and wealth to the table."

"I'm not an investigator," Amiee declaimed. "Like I told Vanessa, I generally just fly up to the bad guys and burn or melt stuff off of them until they give up. I'm not dumb, but I don't have any kind of training." She shrugged.

"I'm not an investigator, either," John agreed. "I'm just a guy with powers who likes mysteries. I leave most of the heavy lifting so far as investigating to the legal authorities as a general rule. I'm a little out of my depth here as well," John admitted with a slight, self-conscious laugh. "I can provide raw power and technological prowess, but I'm still working on my deduction."

"I believe, John, that most of us will be doing things outside of our comfort zone to deal with this Myst. Perhaps tomorrow, I can have you over to my shop to go over what I've unravelled by then."

"Is that where you want me to go, then, Vanessa? Your shop?" Amiee clarified. "To talk about the stuff we were talking about earlier?"

"Probably a good idea, Amiee. I will probably need to tend to the drones for a bit."

John looked between the two of them curiously. What had they been discussing before he arrived? "Sounds like a plan, Vanessa."

"Now, if any of us discovers anything, it is imperative that we contact each other," Vanessa declared authoratively. "Amiee managed to follow the shifter to Chinatown, and we both think he is based in that area."

"I have your number, but not Amiee's." John turned to the redhead. "You have my number, though, right? I asked Vanessa to pass it to you. As for the shifter, I can make a pass through Chinatown if it'd be helpful. Being able to literally turn invisible makes stealthy recon easy," he noted with a slight laugh.

"I think I could pick up his heat signature if I sensed it again, but I'm not sure. He might be able to change that too." She dug in her bag and found her phone, and shot him a text using the number Vanessa had given her. "There, now you have mine."

John's phone emitted a muffled ding from his bag. "Got it."

"Yeah, being tiny makes stealthy recon easy... if I don't get too close to smoke detectors," Amiee added.

"Very good. I am anxious to get back to the shop. I have my limousine on call if you don't mind, Amiee. Can I drop you off somewhere, John?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll be alright." John involuntarily cast a glance out the window to his little blue Honda parked on the street.

"I haven't been in a limo since my senior prom. Sure." With that, Amiee finished her drink with a loud slurping sound. "I have a car but I almost never use it. Good thing, too, because it almost never has any gas in it."

"Since we aren't trying to spy or hide at the moment, I don't think the limo will be an issue. Good luck, John. We will be in touch!"

"Alright then, guess that's all for now." John scooted out of the booth so Vanessa could get past him. "Where should I look for your shop?"

"It's an old police building at the north end of the island. I had it rewired and rebuilt. I'll text you the address."

Meanwhile, Amiee excused herself to go to the ladies room—she had just chugged a frappuccino after all—and rejoined Vanessa shortly afterward.

"Alright. In the meantime, I think I'll head over to Chinatown to see if there's anything that needs looking into."

Vanessa moved past John towards the exit, shaking his hand as she passed. "Good, keep me appraised."

John was caught a bit off-guard by the offered handshake, even more so by how much he appreciated the contact. Trying to hide that he'd gotten a bit flustered, he nodded, a bit too quickly. "Yeah, I'll, uh, I'll keep in touch."

As the two heroines left in Vanessa's respectfully high-class and polished black limousine, John watched the vehicle cruise down the road for a moment before getting into his own little car with a sigh, running a hand through his hair and pulling out his phone. He had finally realized something and he needed advice.

John: Valerie, I have a problem
 
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April 3rd, 2018 - 12:00 AM - The Nook. NYC

Most of the patrons of the bar, which had now been unwillingly involved in this whole situation had left by midnight. The white-haired vigilante had also left a note with a number for Ana and the one man that had been part of the three in one package had lingered for a bit, he hadn't said or done much but Ana, cautious as she was, had kept her eyes on the dark haired male. Despite the whole situation that had unfolded Meghan chose to keep the bar open just a little longer. Not a single soul made it's way into the establishment and eventually the blonde decided to call it a night. Ana locked the doors upon Meghan's request and turned the 'open' sign off. Returning to the bar she noticed Meg looking at the stools that had been thrown around. The blonde sighed noticing that one of the legs had been bent and crumpled.

Biting her bottom lip Anastasia looked away and exhaled softly through her nose. "Sorry." She whispered.

Standing up Meg looked at the brunette and shrugged with a small smile. "It's okay." The blonde responded. "We have a whole bunch downstairs." Meg stepped closer to Ana and met her gaze. "It happens, I get it. You don't have to apologize, it's justifiable. Things got a little intense for a moment, you were only acting naturally." Her smile although still soft, was genuine. "I'll just bring a new one up then we can finish cleaning and get out of here. This whole ordeal has been draining and reminiscent of things I was honestly trying to forget." She chuckled. "I'll be back." Meg spoke simply and took hold of the stool as she made her way to the basement.

12:08 AM

Flicking the light on Meghan made her way down the stairs. Upon reaching the ground she clenched her jaw and halted at the sight of the cracks that ran across the concrete. She hoped that no one was hurt down here while they were doing whatever they had been doing. Exhaling heavily as she swallowed back she placed the ruined stool next to the stairwell and made her way to the office. Turning on the computer she started all the 'end of day' paperwork to finalize closing the store. Reaching for her phone once she was done she made sure to gather her belongings along with Ana's and grabbed a new stool before making her way back up. One more glance at the damaged floor and she flicked the lights off before stepping back into the main bar area.

Ana had managed to get the bar cleaned up and the taps sealed rather quickly, Charles had taken a seat at the corner of the bar with a beer as he watched Ana clean in silence, she seemed off but the man chose not to comment and just focus on his drink and the screen on the wall. She had been sweeping when she heard the basement door close, her eyes flicking towards Meghan as she came into the main area. Placing the stool down by the bar Meg walked to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer before taking a seat on the new stool next to Charles. Opening the two bottles she held one out for Ana who was coming by with the last bit of swept up dirt and dust. Smiling softly Anastasia nodded in thanks before taking the bottle and a sip. Placing it back on the bar she carried on with her sweeping.

"How are you doing Charles? You okay?" Meghan asked as she looked at the cook.

The man nodded. "I'm okay, yeah. It was weird to see something from the past like that again." He chuckled. "Thankfully it didn't end the same way." Charles responded and took another sip from his beer.

"Glad you're okay." Meg smiled gently.

Finishing with her sweep Ana tossed the dirt and dust away and pulled out all the garbage bag to be thrown out once they left. Taking a seat next to Meghan and pulling her beer close Anastasia glanced up towards the screen, staying in silence as she stared blankly. Her brain wasn't processing the images flashing before her, she was simply lost in thought. The events that unfolded today. What would happen next? What had they all been dragged into? Why had this Myst character chosen all those specific people? What was the purpose of all this? She never liked questions and she hated not having answers. She didn't even know where or how to begin attempting to figure this out. Sighing she dropped her head and shook it. The only leads they could've had were lost, because of her. Because she had been distracted by conversations, by focusing on Meg. Clenching her jaw she flared her nostrils and scoffed before taking a swig of her beer.

There was a subtle buzzing that caught the brunette's attention. Turning to look towards Meg's purse she glanced at her friend. "Your phone's ringing Meg." She spoke simply and was met by a raised brow as the blonde dug through her purse to find the mobile device.

Pulling the phone out Meghan scoffed as she just missed the call. Narrowing her eyes and furrowing her brows she scrolled through the plethora of notification on her screen. "What the hell?" She muttered. Her question was enough to warrant Ana's attention, voicing her question of 'what's wrong?' with a raised brow Anastasia waited for a response. Cloudy green irises met browns. "The home alarm was triggered." She spoke as she returned to her phone. Pressing something she placed the phone by her ear. Ana listened, Charles watching the two of them.

You have one new message, ten-oh-six pm.
'Miss O'Neill, we've been informed that your system was breached. We are calling to ensure that you are safe and to notify you that the authorities have been contacted and dispatched to your location.'


Meg looked at Ana with worry. Hanging up she put the phone in her purse. "The alarm—"

"I heard." Ana interrupted as she got off the stool. "That was two hours ago. We should go." Her words were urgent.

Meg turned to look at Charles. "Are you okay to lock up?" She asked as she got off the stool.

The man nodded. "Yes, it's no problem, go make sure everything is okay. I'll see you tomorrow." The cook was quick in his response.

12:26 AM
Getting in the driver's seat Ana was quick to pull out of the spot they had parked in in the back of the restaurant. Tearing off down the street she intended to make it back home as quickly as possible. "Relax Ana, slow down. Careful. For all we know it could be the stupidest thing and the police might be gone by now." Meghan spoke as she gripped the armrest on the door. Their eyes locked as the brunette continued to rip down the streets until they got closer to home.

April 3rd - 2018 - 12:41 AM - 136 Bank St. New York - Meghan's Home

The flashing lights from the parked emergency vehicle's could be seen from far enough that the worry in both women began to rise. Slowing down as they got closer, both Ana and Meg tried to see what was going on. The street had been taped off, a small lift crane parked right on the edge of the property. The fire department was also present. Parking the car the two women got out and approached the scene, an officer halting them from coming any closer.

"I'll have to ask you to step back please. This is dangerous and currently a scene we're investigating." The officer spoke calmly and simply.

"This is my home." Meghan stated as the two women moved closer.

Ana's eyes grew wide as she looked upon a sight that wasn't necessarily shocking considering her past but somehow still was. Perhaps it was the idea that this was where she lived and that's why she was so shocked at the sight of a car dangling off the top corner of her home. Shattered glass, broken aluminum, splintered wood and crumbled bricks littered around the area. "What the fuck..." She muttered as Meghan moved closer to her and gripped the back of her shirt tightly. "How the hell did this happen?" Ana asked, her gaze vicious as she looked towards the cop.

"We're not sure m'am. There were several calls from the area reporting this incident along with some more damages a little further out. The reports link up with metahuman activity, we haven't been able to investigate exactly how this was caused. We've been focusing on getting the car unstuck and off the property to find any possible links to the method used to do this." The officer explained. "Unfortunately I cannot let you onto the property. Perhaps you can contact your insurance providers and figure out something until we can safely remove the vehicle from the building." The man nodded.

Meghan's grip grew even tighter on Ana's shirt. The brunette finally looking down at the blonde before pulling her in closer. "We can't afford to fix this." Meg whispered as their eyes locked.

Ana swallowed back and exhaled through her nose as her eyes never left Meg's. "We'll figure it out. They'll find whoever did this and they'll pay for it. Don't worry." She embraced the blonde tightly. "You make sure to get that car out with as little structural damage as possible, or else the city will be paying for it." Ana spoke in frustration as her eyes shifted from the cop to the man operating the small crane. The sound of groaning metal causing her stomach to knot.

The cop seemed offended as he clenched his jaw. "I understand your concerns and worries m'am but I would appreciate it if you spoke to me with a little more respect, we are doing the best we can here and we will make sure that we remove the vehicle and pursue the case to find the culprit. For now I recommend that you find a place to stay the night and perhaps check back tomorrow, we will be working on this overnight to get it resolved as soon as possible." The man almost huffed as he placed his hands on his hips.

Taking a deep breath Ana remained silent as she led Meg back to the car. Getting in she slammed the back of her head against the seat and groaned. Looking over at a paled and visibly distraught Meghan, Ana frowned. "Hey." She turned to face her. "It's gonna be okay. We'll figure it out, don't worry. For now we'll just stay at one of the units above the bar and play it by ear. We'll be fine, I promise." She spoke sincerely as she fastened her seat-belt. Starting the car Ana turned them around and drove back to The Nook in a painfully heavy silence. Meg's attention had been on the passing scenery until they came to a stop and parked. Anastasia had been lost in her thoughts, thinking about the situation, what she could do to help, who she could call...who she knew and what favours were owed where. She'd figure this out one way or another, she had to. Meghan was important to her, more than the she knew. Ana could easily say that she owed her life to Meg, and that was an understatement.

April 3rd - 2018 - 12:53 AM - Apartment above 'The Nook', NYC

The two women entered the upstairs unit from the back door. Meghan taking the lead as she had the keys. It was a small one bedroom unit, still furnished as Meg typically rented it out on short term leases for a little bit of extra cash. It wasn't anything extravagant but it also wasn't a dump. Just simple and plain. Ana sighed as they walked in, shutting the door behind them. Keys clattered across the section of the counter that served as a breakfast bar as well. Meg placing her purse and Ana's bag on the same section. Stress and sadness scrawled across her features and seeped off her body language. She watched with a frown as she swallowed back. "I'll uh— I'll take the couch. It's a pull-out right?" She asked quietly. Meghan glanced at her and nodded before approaching the couch. Rushing around the piece of furniture Ana stopped the blonde. "You go get comfortable in the bed and rest up. I can handle a pull-out couch Meg, don't worry. Maybe sleep will help you." Greens met ambers. The frown was deep, eyes glistening. Ana's shoulders dropped at the sight as she frowned more. "Come here." She pulled the blonde in and held her tightly against her chest.

Her sobs had been quiet, the tears quick to overflow as she pushed herself against her friend. Why? What had she done in life that was so wrong that she deserved more misfortune? She had never done anything out of spite, or revenge, she had never hurt anyone, she had always been kind, tried to help. So what was the reason for this? Why was she being punished? Her home almost ruined, her past coming back to haunt her which also had a new added layer of danger to many not just a few. She didn't understand and it wasn't fair. Holding on to Ana just a little longer Meg sighed shakily before pulling away and looking up into the woman's eyes for just a second. "I'm gonna go bring some pillows and blankets." She sniffled and walked off.

Watching with a clenched jaw Ana sighed. Turning around she pulled the small coffee table aside and unfolded the double mattress out from the couch. Meghan appeared a few moments after, pillows and blankets in hand as her head was tilted to the side to see where she was going. Plopping them on the bed she put her hands on her hips and looked at the bed. "Do you mind if I uh, lay down here for a bit to watch some TV. I don't wanna sleep yet." She met Ana's gaze.

The brunette smiled and nodded. "Yeah, no problem." She spoke simply as she turned to reach for the remote and handed it to Meg. Getting the sheets, pillows and blankets situated she sat on the edge of the right side of the bed as she pulled her jeans off and let them fall off to the side. Taking her t-shirt off to reveal the tight fitting tank top underneath, she tossed the shirt onto the coffee table that was off to the side and slid under the blankets. Glancing over at Meg, Ana's brows came up as she muttered an 'oh' and turned away, not realizing that Meghan too was getting comfortable in the living room, catching an eyeful of the blonde's rear as she had bent forward to get her jeans off. Clearing her throat and swallowing back as her cheeks burned and her heart raced Ana waited until she felt the mattress shift, springs groaning before she turned to face Meg who was pulling her arms out from under the blanket.

"Anything you wanna watch?" Meghan asked as she flipped through the channels in an attempt to distract her mind from the thoughts racing through it.

Ana's response was a shake of her head as she didn't necessarily care about what would be playing in the background. She was formulating a plan in her head, so other than the partially undressed woman next to her she wasn't really distracted or straying from those thoughts. She had noticed the trouble that the city workers were having with the vehicle stuck to the corner of their home. She highly doubted that they would work through the night to get it out, and if they so happened to actually keep their word and do so, they were sure to take a break. Ana would take advantage of whatever decision they made and get that car off the property. The sooner they were done and out, the sooner Meg and herself could figure out how they would fix this problem. Ana had some favours owed to her just as she owed some favours to others, she intended to work out a deal with some people from her past to get this situation dealt with. It was the least she could do for Meg and she would. "Make sure to call the insurance people tomorrow so we can figure all this out. Better sooner than later." She spoke rather monotonously as she turned on her side to face Meghan. The blonde remained silent and nodded as she watched the television.

Ana would have to wait for Meghan to fall asleep before setting anything in motion. Closing her eyes with a sigh Ana hoped to get some rest, even if just for a couple hours.

04:33 AM
She had been restless in the small amount of time she had managed to doze off. Coming to with a sigh Ana opened her eyes to Meg having fallen asleep next to her. Not that she was complaining about the situation but she had wished it hadn't happened this way. Getting up in bed Ana kept her attention on Meg who took a deep breath and rolled over to the other side with a small mutter of nonsense. Taking advantage of the movement Ana was quick to get off the bed and start pulling her pants on. Grabbing her shoes and walking on her toes in an attempt to remain as quiet as possible, Anastasia found herself in the bedroom as she slid her black zip-up hoodie on. Leaving the bedroom door open just a crack.

Taking a deep breath she opened the window and clenched her jaw she focused for a moment. It had been a while since she had done this. Dropping out from the window she managed to kick into flight just before hitting the ground. An exhale of relief escaped her as she rose into the sky slowly. Pushing forward through the air with a barrier shattering boom she managed to get to their home swiftly.

April 3rd- 2018 - 04:32 AM - Meghan's home, NYC

Remaining a safe distance from the ground she watched the small crew below still attempt to remove the car. Pulling her hood up in hopes that it would conceal her identity just enough, she continued to watch.

The officer she had spoken to stepped into his cruiser; the few city workers operating the machinery moved towards the flatbed truck that Ana assumed they had arrived on location with, and stood around chatting. She didn't listen in on any conversations. Instead she quickly made her way to the damaged area of the building and approached the teetering vehicle. moving to the right side of the car she analyzed the dented and scratched scrap of metal. Checking the left as well she grunted as she couldn't find exactly where the car was stuck. Jumping back into the air she hovered around the vehicle in an attempt to spot what was causing the issue. Lowering herself she studied and analyzed whatever she could see. Finally spotting the wrought iron bar that had pierced the wheel well she hovered towards the vehicle. Reaching for the piece of metal she halted as she heard a voice.

"Move away from the vehicle!" The officer called out.

Groaning with a roll of her eyes she didn't move.

"I said move away from the vehicle!" He called out again.

Snapping the metal bar right where it had bent, the car shifted. Her left hand shooting forward and pressing into the damaged grill.

"I won't ask again. Get away from the car!"

"If I move, this thing is going to fall and cause more damage than it already has!" Ana called out in an evidently irritated tone.

"I have permission to shoot, so this is the last time I'm asking. Move.Away!"

Moving her right hand to get a better grip on the Nissan she moved up as the full weight of the vehicle was taken in her grasp. Her hands tightened against protesting metal. Before she could move any faster to get the car out of the way she heard the distant click. The ricochet of the bullet was loud enough to make her ear ring for a moment. If her intentions had been evil or bad this cop wouldn't have even had a chance to fire at her, let alone see her, he would've been dead already. Bearing her teeth in annoyance she continued to push up, the car finally coming loose from the building. Another shot was fired, the impact against her shoulder was a nuisance as she turned her head to reveal a snarl towards the officer.

This was the reason she had stopped helping, stopped trying. Terrified humans that would rather shoot than talk, she wasn't a wild animal that would kill on site. She could be spoken to just like any other human being, but most seemed to prefer killing a potential threat than reasoning with another person. Anastasia was thankful her hood was still mostly in place the last thing she needed was to get arrested for trying to help.

Flying towards the officer with the car in her grasp, the trigger happy cop didn't seem to learn from his experience and continued firing at her. Dropping the car a safe distance from the man, it slammed against the pavement loudly, pieces coming off and falling to the ground around the car. Landing in front of the cop Ana walked towards him. He stumbled back like a terrified animal, weapon still aimed at her. "Standard issue?" She questioned. The officer swallowed back with a nod. "No point in trying, you're empty." She spoke with confidence and stopped walking once the man backed into his cruiser. "I came to help, relax." Ana spoke simply. "I'm not a bad guy but," she stuck her finger in one of the holes in her hoodie and pulled the fabric up slightly "you ruined my sweater. I can look passed that officer" she glanced at the name tag on the man's vest. "Dunham. Next time just take a second before pulling that trigger. We're not all bad and we're not all bulletproof." Ana stated before leaping into the air, an explosive sound following her action before she was out of sight.

April 3rd - 2018 - 5:36 AM - Apartment above 'The Nook', NYC
Re-entering the apartment via the same window Anastasia was quick to take her hoodie and pants off. Sneaking into the bathroom she tore the sweater up into tiny pieces before disposing of the remnants. Stepping back into the main living area she checked to see if Meg was still asleep. Thankful that she was Ana crawled in next to her and closed her eyes, a small smile spread across her lips.

9:45 AM

The sound of sizzling was loud, obnoxiously so. The smell of eggs and bacon was quick to follow and the familiar voice of Meghan soon joined the odd symphony of sounds that began to swell in Ana's ears. Her conversation seemed distant and in her half asleep mind the brunette was confused, few key words followed and Anastasia eventually managed to gather an idea of what was being spoken about. Sitting up slowly with a groan that melded into a yawn she sighed and stretched out. Her body felt oddly energized, the opposite of what she expected after not having used her abilities in what felt like a very very long time.

Turning around to face the blonde Ana leaned against the back of the couch, the smile pulling at her lips hidden by her arms. Amber eyes explored, travelled, wondered and lingered. "Whatchu making?" She finally spoke in a groggy tone.

Meghan glanced towards Anastasia as she placed her phone on the counter, a soft smile coming across her lips. "Nothing special" she responded "just some eggs and bacon." Her attention returned to the food. "I know yesterday was hectic, chaotic and frustrating. I didn't want to wake you so I was trying to let you sleep in." Meg looked back at Ana. "I didn't think sizzling bacon would be loud enough to get you up. Sorry." She frowned slightly, her tone sincere.

Anastasia chuckled and sat up a little more straight. "It's okay. We have to open the store anyway."

Meg clenched her jaw as she placed the food on plates for them. "That's something we need to talk about." She swallowed back and filled two mugs with coffee as well.

Ana didn't like the sound of what Meg was saying. Had she done something wrong? Said something wrong? Had she been too harsh towards the customers last night? Worry about things like that didn't often affect her, but right now it was, and it was only because of Meghan. Her heart began to beat faster as she watched the blonde bring the food and coffee over to the bed. Clenching her jaw Ana swallowed back. "What is there to talk about?" She asked taking the plate from Meghan.

The blonde returned to the kitchen to grab her own food and coffee before heading back to the pull-out to sit with her friend. Taking a sip of her coffee and a small bite of her food Meg sighed as she remained silent before glancing up at Ana. "I can get Terri to cover your shifts for you or I can hire someone for extra help."

"I don't understand why you're telling me this. Did I do something wrong?" The brunette's worry continued to grow.

"No, no, not at all Ana." Meghan spoke as she chewed on some food. Scooting closer she placed her hand on her thigh. "It's the opposite of that." She put her plate down and moved as close as she possibly could. Both hands resting on Ana's thighs before she took hold of her hands and looked down for a moment. "Last night was a reminder to me," she took a breath and looked up at the woman opposite her "it brought back thoughts and memories I had forced myself to push away. I was trying to look passed things, trying to carry on with life as if everything was normal, that there wasn't anything different, that nothing had changed since that day I met you." She swallowed back and looked off to the side. "The truth is that it's not. It hasn't been. But don't get me wrong, things have been good for the most part. There's been hiccups here and there but due to things that are out of our control." She stopped for a moment. "What I'm trying to say here Ana, is that you are capable of helping people in ways most can't. You can do things that are unreal. Things that some of us can only fantasize about." Meg sighed. "I don't want you to stress about trying to fit in and be normal. You can help and I want you to help, I will support you with everything I have." Their eyes met intensely. "Just do the right thing, help the right people, the ones that need it."

She took a moment to let her words sink in. Her feelings were genuine. She did want this and she would help her however she could. Ana had saved her life and helping her save other lives was only a fraction of what she could do in assistance. Her debt could never be repaid but she could keep the positivity flowing and she would. As the dragging seconds carried on, Meg kept her gaze upon the other woman. She grew worried, the silence growing heavy.

"You want me to be a Hero?" Ana finally broke the silence.

Meg grinned and nodded towards her.

Clenching her jaw Anastasia shook her head. "No, I can't." She looked away and sighed heavily. "It has been made a difficult thing to do now days Meg. I...I just can't. Besides, there's so many other things that I need to be worrying about and helping you with that I don't have time to be flying around in spandex trying to help people that are most likely going to turn on me before they even let me help." Ana clenched her jaw and looked at Meg with a hint of sadness and frustration. She wasn't sure if she could ever go back to being a hero and she hated to disappoint Meghan, but it was the truth.

The blonde stared for a moment before getting on her knees and pushing forward a bit. Sitting on her heels she blinked a couple times before clearing her throat. "You can fly?" She asked.

Anastasia's eyes grew wide at the realization of the information she may have given Meg unwillingly. "I uh—" She chuckled nervously and tried to brush the comment off "What? No, I can't fly it was just an example Meg." Ana took a moment, eyes shifting away from the blonde as she cleared her throat. "You called the insurance company this morning? From what I heard." Would changing the subject help? Would she be able to get Meghan off this weird, 'save people and be a hero' kick? Ana truthfully didn't think so, but it was worth a shot.

"No no, the subject isn't changing Ana. You said 'I don't have time to be flying around in spandex'. Is it possible that it was an example? Sure, but I truly think otherwise." Pulling away Meg folded her arms across her chest with a sigh. She had already seen Ana do some extraordinary things, was flight impossible for her? Was it shocking? Not necessarily. Her friend had been very open about things and she had also been very secretive about things. Meghan liked to say that she knew who Ana was, but even saying that with confidence felt like a lie, like all Meg had been able to learn and memorize about her was the tiniest fraction of a much larger canvas. Shooting a glance towards Ana she took hold of her plate and sat facing the TV. Turning it on she started to flick through the channels.

No response had Ana also turning away with a clenched jaw, eyes remaining on her food as she picked at it while sipping her coffee. She couldn't help but peek at Meg every now and then. She hadn't meant to upset her. She just wanted to keep her safe and away from all the nonsense that came with being involved in that sort of lifestyle. The danger was a daily issue, or at least had been when more people were active in the field of vigilante justice, if it could even be called a 'field of work.' There was no income, you would almost never know what you were dealing with day to day, one day could've been a mugging the next a rampaging metahuman in the core of downtown knocking over buildings. There was absolutely no reward for anything you did. If the Police knew who you were, you got a bill sent to you describing your damages and when to pay it by.

Most people simply complained about meta's that would try to help. Praise had been a rare feat and for some that praise every now and then was enough to keep them going. Unfortunately for Ana it hadn't been. She had been treated poorly infinite amounts of times, and she had been treated nicely very rarely. At some-point people had begun to simply expect her to show up and help, it had become the norm for citizens. Their attitudes only got worse and when she finally stopped, all of New York thought they had the right to complain. Just remembering all of it irritated her, how ungrateful people were, hypocrites and straight up assholes.

Finishing her food and chugging back her coffee Ana finally got up off the bed and made her way to the kitchen to wash her dish and mug. Her frustration and irritation was evident, it oozed off her. Brows knitted as she scrubbed the plate. Meghan didn't know, she didn't understand and perhaps that's why she thought she had the right to be upset about Ana not wanting to pursue that path again. She didn't know that Ana had been there and already done all that. Better that she hadn't told her and better that she didn't decide to tell her.

"I thought we didn't have secrets Ana. My mistake for assuming that surviving a life or death situation together would've been more impactful." Meg's words were rather flat, monotonous. "Then again...it was never life or death for you." Her mutter was near silent, but the blonde was well aware that Ana could hear her.

Ceramic cracked and fell into pieces against the sink. Closing her eyes and flaring her nostrils Anastasia exhaled sharply as she dropped the sponge and slammed the tap off. Stomping into the bathroom she slammed the door shut and locked it. Gripping the sink she lowered her head and tightly shut her eyes. Why? Out of nowhere...why was Meg acting like this? Why was she saying these things? What was she trying to achieve? Was she trying to get under her skin? Was she trying to get a certain reaction out of her? She didn't understand and she didn't know if she wanted to understand.

Looking up into her reflection Ana just stared at herself, her breaths grew heavy. The surrounding sounds beginning to swell in her ears. The TV, the city, cars, buses, voices, conversations, sirens, radio static. She could feel her heart punching against her chest, she could hear Meghan's heart, her breathing. The two explosive knocks startled Ana as she almost jumped where she stood, her body growing tense for just a moment. Exhaling and relaxing herself she approached the door and unlocked it. Opening it she went to move passed the blonde but was stopped by a palm pressing against her stomach. Silence consumed the two women as they simply stared at eachother.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for..." Meg finally broke the deafening silence weighing down on them. "I'm sure you have serious, justifiable reasons for choosing what to do and what not to do in your life. I've been on both sides and I'm bitter towards certain things and also terrified." She looked up at Ana. "I know that I can't help people in the way that you can. If I could I would, believe me, but that's who I am. You are obviously your own person and you do things a certain way. I have no right to judge that or tell you what to do." She sighed. "But I can give my thoughts and I can ask you for favours. Ana, please" her hands slid up the brunettes body as she cupped her face. "Help those people that were in the bar last night. I know there were meta's there and I know that most of them did what they did for the better. To get answers. You have information that can help them and you are more than capable of standing on the front lines with them. Two people are already dead because of this Myst person. There were civilians in the bar last night, people that don't stand a chance even against a low level enhanced human being." Meg clenched her jaw as she interlocked her fingers behind Ana's neck. "You don't want to do the big hero thing and that's fine, but do this, for me, for us. We've already been unwillingly involved in it. Help settle it."

Ana's jaw was tense as she looked into the green eyes opposite hers. "I'm no hero Meg." She spoke quietly and sighed before looking away. Not anymore she told herself. "For you. That's my reason for agreeing to this. To keep you safe. To make sure you're okay. I don't like the idea of innocent people dying, but you are my priority, remember that." Ana sighed again. "What happened with the insurance people?" She finally asked as she took hold of Meg's wrists and looked at the blonde.

"They said they'll be looking into it. Nothing they can do right now other than provide us with a place to stay. Once the damage is assessed and the culprit is found they'll be able to figure out everything." Meg closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. "Don't worry about the bar and the house right now Ana. Try to stop this psychopath before things get worse." She looked into amber irises again. "Please." She urged.

Ana nodded. "Okay." She swallowed back. "I will." Her smile was small and soft. "Finish your food, I have a phone call to make." Meg nodded in response and held Ana's hand as she led them back into the living room.

10:48 AM

Rummaging through her bag with occasional glances towards Meghan Ana eventually found what she was looking for. She still didn't like this idea. She wasn't sure if she was ready to return to something like this. What if she was recognized? What if resurfacing brought things back from the past that were dangerous? She grunted and shook her head. There were several questions she couldn't answer and thus Ana decided that she would stop asking. There was no point in overthinking and lingering on things that were maybe's, it was only a waste of time, which in turn allowed Myst to advance. Finding the piece of paper that the white-haired man had given her the previous night, she pulled her phone out and dialed. As it rang she waited and chewed at the little dead pieces of skin on her bottom lip. She had no idea what would come of this.

10:53 AM
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INTERACTIONS:


ANASTASIA
- Astroblaze - Spectre



MENTIONS:
LuckycoolHawk9 - Warren Tanner
 
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Victoria Murphy. Chinatown.

"Hey there Val ! How are things ?"

"Yes, matter of fact, I am on the clock on that same affair you are. "

She glances at Judge Chambers for a moment.

" We wont be the only ones either. !"

"I have a thought," ( she whispers carefully to her friend ) " One of us should go check the morgue. The other can follow up here and we'll exchange info when we are done. "

" What do you think ?"

@LuckycoolHawk9 @Astroblaze
 
Icarus Valaith and Felix Valaith- CHINATOWN

Now, Icarus was a Valaith, and the name meant something in the upper echelons of society, as it was a name both filled with age and more importantly wealth. His mother had left him peniless and had kicked him out, but at least she left him with his name, something that opened doors for him. His name gave him access to reources-like his family's lawyer Victoria Murphy. On his itinerary, he had wanted to see the woman to find out what she knew. Of course, he offered his services to her and usually sweetened the deal by giving her organic homegrown teas and coffee beans and herbs just for her. The only problem was Felix. He was a teenager, but he could most certainly get into trouble on his own. Well...this was important, and he did need to trust that Felix wasn't going to do anything stupid. Also it was 10:30 am and no self respecting villain did crime before 12pm.

"Felix, I have to go. Can you get yourself home from here?" Icarus asked his little brother, pulling up her number to make an on the spot appointment with the lawyer through her receptionist. Felix nodded eagerly at Icarus, wanting to be out on his own for once. He loved Icarus, but needed some alone time outside. "Definitely. If anything comes up, just call me." Felix replied, trying not to look estatic at the prospect of exploring and doing what he wanted. With that, Icarus pulled Felix close, hugging him desperately before letting go, taking out his wallet and pulling out a fifty. "Make it count. Your metro card is filled to the top like always, and you have an emergency twenty in your wallet. I love you." Icarus took off, leaving Felix to still make the desicion on his own of which bag to buy.

Looking around the store, Felix spotted some guy rummaging around the store. "Dude. Can you tell me which one looks better? I can't decide between them." The teen's body blocked the other from view, making it look like he was talking to an employee instead of a random kid he had laid eyes on in the store.

CITY HALL
After making said call and booking said appointment, Icarus ran to the courthouse. He went through security, which took awhile but finally made it inside. He texted Victoria, preemptively asking what the sic cases were about. Hopefully, he could get more insight on case 100, because every little detail mattered. Hopefully, if she needed payment or something at the moment, she took debit and possibly some of his speciality teas he carried around all the time. He made it to her office, knocking politely on the door to ask permission to come in.

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Valerie
Valerie Newmann
April 3, 2018 | morning | Chinatown, NYC—the courthouse

Victoria (@Gands), John/Spectre (mine), Johnathon (@LuckycoolHawk9), Layla (@LuckycoolHawk9)
Vanessa/Emerald Dream (@Gands)

"I'm doing well, thank you," Valerie responded cheerfully. "Got to talk with my dad over the phone for the first time in a while a couple days ago." One narrow eyebrow rose at Victoria's glance to the judge. "I'm... not sure what you mean by that?" She paused as Victoria leaned in to her, then nodded at what the other woman whispered—John had texted her earlier that morning with a summary of the previous night's activity. "Good idea. I'll go do that and rendezvous with you later."

As she walked away, Valerie looked down at her purse when her phone dinged in its pocket. Pulling it out, she found a text from John with an all-too-familiar phrase.

John: Valerie, I have a problem

She sighed, pulling up her messaging app to respond.

Valerie: What did you break
John: No no no not that kind of problem
John: I'm pretty sure I have a crush on one of my colleagues

Oh. Well, that was new.

Valerie: oh ok then
Valerie: I fail to see the problem tho

John: Seriously? I'm the most tactless and socially inept person on the surface of the planet! What do I do?!
Valerie: Oh come on, that's hardly fair
Valerie: There are definitely people way worse at this whole interacting-with-people deal
Valerie: First thing you gotta do is calm the heck down boi, you're fine
Valerie: So you have a crush on a girl, big deal
Valerie: It is a girl, right? I always read you as straight but...

John: Yeah I am and yeah it's a girl
John: It's Emerald Dream—I think I've talked about her before

Valerie: Ohh well duh it's her
John: ?
Valerie: Yeah you're not great at hiding feelings for someone, especially when you yourself don't realize you have them
Valerie: You're really mild-mannered so you never got all starry-eyed over her or anything but I can tell you see her differently than anyone else

John: Well that makes one of us
Valerie: Glad you came to the realization yourself—it's kind of an awkward thing to try and explain as you can probably imagine
John: Yeah
John: So what do I do?

Valerie: Well I already know you're gonna suck at flirting so not that
John: Well thank you for the vote of confidence :/
Valerie: Fortunately you're already giving off cues to your feelings, especially now that you're aware of them
Valerie: Problem is, I know even less about Dream than you do so I have no idea if she'll notice or how she's going to react, tho I have my suspicions she'll approach you first if she does notice
Valerie: For now I'd say just keep going the way you are, let it progress naturally if it's going to—there's no rush

John: And considering what's going on, the timing's really bad as well :/
Valerie: It usually is, you just gotta roll with it
Valerie: Just, you know, don't be super abrupt and say and do what feels natural and appropriate—idrk what to tell you beyond that

John: Alright, thanks
John: Now I'm on my way to Chinatown to see if I can gather any information about the others who were at the bar last night

Valerie: k, good luck
John: Thanks

Valerie shook her head with a smile as she put her phone away. Formidable though he was, John could just be so innocent and clueless sometimes.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out again to find another message from John.

John: Oh, by the way, Dream offered to cover your salary while you're working this case
Valerie: Oh wow. I'll certainly take her up on that. Thank her for me, k?
John: I will

That seemed to be all he needed to add, so she returned her phone to her pocket and continued on her track.


When Valerie arrived at the morgue, she would head straight in to meet with John and Layla unless she was stopped.

"Victoria sent me. How can I help?"
 
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Ana
John Reidenbach/Spectre | Ana Kestner
April 3, 2018 | morning | Manhattan, NYC (driving) - Chinatown, NYC

collab with @Huntress
Valerie (@Astroblaze), Mystification (@LuckycoolHawk9), Vanessa/Emerald Dream (@Gands), Amiee/Firefly (@Michale CS), Colton (@LuckycoolHawk9), Icarus (@slifer), Felix (@slifer), Meghan (@Huntress)

Once he wrapped up his conversation with Valerie, John, feeling at least a bit more reassured about his interactions with Vanessa, set his phone in the cupholder and pulled away from the Starbucks for the nearly half-hour drive to Chinatown.

Barely had he gotten on the road, however, when his phone rang. Keeping his eyes on the road except for a glance to note the number—not one that he recognized and certainly not in his contacts—he answered the call, holding the phone to his ear with one hand while the other remained on the wheel.

"Hello?"

Ana was just about ready to hang up the phone with a sigh, but whoever was on the other side picked up just in time. Hopefully, this was the real deal and not some stupid fake number. The man from the bar didn’t seem like the type to joke like that, but it wasn’t impossible.

"Uh, hi." She paused for a moment and tried to remember if she knew the man’s name. Scoffing as she couldn’t recall, she decided to carry on. "I believe this number was given to me last night by a man with white hair. Is that who I’m speaking to?"

If it was, great, if it wasn’t she would have to approach finding some of these people from the bar in a different manner.

A man with white hair—that sounded like Spectre. "I believe it is," John affirmed. "Are you the waitress from the Nook?"

"Glad to know I got the right number," she responded simply. "My name is Anastasia—Ana if you prefer the short version. I understand that you were well-acquainted with most of the witnesses of last night’s event." Her words were a statement. "I’m gonna be straight up with you. I’m not looking to make friends or allies. I’m getting in touch because I want to stop whatever is about to happen with this Myst character. People important to me have been unwillingly involved in this and I’ve dealt with enough shit in the past that I’m not about to let anything happen to those people. I can help and to be frank I don’t really care what anyone thinks about me." She clenched her jaw and swallowed back. "I can assure you that I am more than capable of handling most dangers. I could try to go at this alone but I’d rather not. I don’t know what this Myst person has planned and seeing what has happened so far is worrisome to say the least." Ana explained. "How many metas are involved in this?"

"Ana," John repeated to lock the information in his mind. "Glad to hear from you again. I'd hardly say I'm 'well-acquainted' with most of the witnesses: up until literally just a few minutes ago, I only knew Emerald Dream and Firefly in passing, and the rest not at all. So far as I know, the two heroines are the only metas involved so far as helping with the case, although there are also the three who made up the shifter and the warlock, Colton, who separated them. I have my doubts that they'll get themselves involved."

Recalling who had been in the bar that night, he remembered the man who had emerged from the bathroom shortly before the group disbanded. "I'm curious about the one man who spoke with you shortly before everyone left last night. I've never seen him before. Did he seem like anything more than a civilian to you?"

"Emerald Dream and Firefly?" she questioned. "I’m going to assume that one of the two was the woman who I met." The callous one who was rather blunt and disapproved of Ana’s actions and words.

Listening to what the man was asking, Ana took a moment to think. "I’m not sure. He was very curious about the case involving the bar, number one-hundred. He also had a worried child brother. I can’t honestly say what his deal is. Unfortunately, I can’t sense other metas, so I can’t really tell you if he was normal or not." She stopped for a moment to glance at Meg who had started washing her own plate and mug. "Are you just planning to dig for information on everyone?" Ana asked, returning to the conversation. "Do you have some sort of plan of action?"

"At the moment yes, I'm just digging for information. I most likely won't have any form of a solid plan until Valerie gets back to me about the cases that Mystification listed," John explained. "I'm actually en-route to Chinatown at the moment. I've heard that the shifter who slipped off last night is there, among others. He's the only lead I have at the moment."

Ana sighed slightly at the mention of the cases. Clenching her jaw, she exhaled through flared nostrils. "Valerie is the person you called last night? Your lawyer friend?" Although her tones held questions in them, Anastasia mostly intended for her words to be recaps for herself. "Chinatown? That’s an odd place to be," Ana stated. What was down there that was so important? Glancing at Meghan, who was cleaning up her mess, Ana frowned. "I can make arrangements to be down there if you need an extra set of eyes, I have someone I need to speak to there anyway."

"She is," John affirmed, "and if I recall correctly, Chinatown is the location of the courthouse that holds the files for all closed collateral cases. And yes, if you would join me, I would appreciate it." Considering his location, he added, "I think I'm pretty close to the Nook right now. I can swing by and pick you up if it would be helpful."

Ana raised a brow—the courthouses for the collateral cases were in Chinatown? Always clueless on what seemed to be the important stuff Anastasia responded to the man’s statement with a simple ‘oh’. Clenching her jaw, she swallowed back and once again glanced at Meghan, for no apparent reason, in truth. “I can meet you down there. Just give me an address and time and I’ll make sure to be there.” She said hoping to have enough time to meet with Satei before hand. She wasn’t too sure what this man was planning other than digging into paperwork but if this was the first step then so be it. After whatever would happen in Chinatown she would try to visit Reece.

"I'm not sure what exactly I'll get into while I'm down there, so is it alright if I text you when I'm good to meet? As for location, outside the courthouse would probably be a good option. Address is 111 Centre Street, by the way."

"Okay. Text is fine. I guess I’ll meet you there when you’re ready." Ana’s words were rather blunt, unintentionally. "Your name?" she asked. She had given hers but he hadn’t divulged her. If they were going to work together she didn’t want to call him something like guy, dude or bro. Neither did she want to say white-haired man all the time.

John was silent for a moment, trying to decide whether to introduce himself by his alias or his real name. He wasn't sure which form he would end up meeting her in, either. He usually wouldn't be so quick to reveal his identity. And yet, these were not normal circumstances, and he knew she was hardly ordinary herself.

"John. My alias is Spectre."

"Pleasure to officially meet you, John. I guess we’ll see each other shortly."

"Indeed. Did you need anything else?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Alright, then I'll probably see you in a couple hours. Oh, and for the record," he added as a sidenote, "I have no doubts of your strength and abilities, despite not having witnessed them at this point. You're far too confident while clearly not crazy to be bluffing."

Ana's response was a hybrid of a scoff and a chuckle. "Let's hope no one need to use their abilities to any percentage to deal with this whole situation." She paused. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. See you." With that, John ended the call.

Returning his phone to the cupholder, he refocused his attention on the task at hand: the drive to Chinatown and whatever would transpire there.


Having parked his car in the outskirts of the city for ease of travel, John strolled through the crowded streets of Chinatown, appearing no more than a casual tourist but with roving eyes keen and searching for any familiar faces.
 
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Victoria Murphy. Chinatown

Icarus seemed to be running lated. She watched Valerie head out to the morgue. By her younger sisters lengthy explanation, the lead detective had issues of a significant nature with the morgue. Valerie had good connection, was creative and charismatic.

She received the text from Icarus now. She returned the text letting him know where she was waiting in line for access to the files.
Last nights events worried her that this unknown Myst might start targetting the investigators. So she contacted Icarus for a quick bodyguard gig.

@LuckycoolHawk9 @slifer @vantas
 
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April 3rd - 2018 - Apartment above 'The Nook', NYC

Meghan leaned against the counter as she watched Ana finish up with her phone call. A small smile pulling on her lips as she was happy to see that the woman was willing to listen to her and help the others with this whole situation. Their eyes finally met after Ana had dressed. Pushing off the counter Meg approached the other and met her eyes. "You go do your thing and I'll take care of the bar today. Don't worry. If I need anything I'll call you, but I'm sure I'll be fine." She smiled brightly before grabbing her things. "I'll probably check on the house too, see if we can at least grab some stuff from there while they do whatever it is they need to do." The two women left the apartment together and made their way downstairs. "Here, take the car." She handed her the keys. "I mean, good luck trying to park it but it'll be easier for you. Keep me posted and I'll do the same. We'll talk later Ana. Have a good day." Meghan once again locked eyes with the brunette before entering the store from the back, Charles was already in the kitchen prepping for the day.

Ana looked at the car keys in her hands before clenching her jaw and watching the backdoor to the bar close. Sighing she turned around and got into the vehicle. Making her way into Chinatown she made her first pit stop.

April 3rd - 2018 - Bamboo Moon, 89 Bayard St, New York

Although not of Chinese origin, and to some, out of place in Chinatown itself, Ana walked into 'Bamboo Moon', a sushi restaurant owned by an acquaintance, that's what she liked to call him, he thought otherwise. Ignoring the staff and moving straight to the back she entered the office. The man who was buried in paperwork took a deep breath for a moment, finished what he was doing and eventually glanced up. Clenching his jaw with an unimpressed look he returned his attention to his work. "What do you want?" He spoke bluntly.

Pulling out a chair and taking a seat, Ana lowered her gaze in an attempt to meet his. "Nice to see you too Satei." She spoke simply before leaning back in the chair, her right leg crossing over her left as she rested her right elbow on the back of the chair. "How's business?" She asked with a smirk.

Another deep sigh and the man finally looked away from his paperwork, sitting up straight, his arms rested on the table. He was very evidently irritated. "Why are you here Ana?" He asked again. "I've done nothing wrong."

"Just cashing in on a favour." She responded simply.

"Tell me what you want and be on your way. I don't need any trouble. My record has been clean." He stated.

"I'm not here to rat you out or snitch on you. I need something fixed quickly and properly." Ana began to explain. "Apparently there was a meta last night who decided they wanted to go on a fun little rampage. Long story short, a car wrecked a good chunk of where I'm living, police are investigating and I have nowhere to stay. The property has been cleared so they'll be looking into who did it but I'm not patient enough to wait for insurance to figure things out. I need it fixed ASAP." She finished.

Clenching and unclenching his jaw Satei looked away with an exhale. "Address?" He asked, although seemed hesitant.

"One thirty-six Bank street." She gave him the requested information. Satei rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You shouldn't have a problem, high-profile or not. I'm not asking you to do anything illegal Satei, relax, I'm just trying to speed up the process. Let me know when it's done yeah? Catch you soon." Ana grinned and got up off the chair.

April 3rd - 2018 - Chinatown, NYC

Leaving the matter at that Ana walked out of the restaurant and chose to leave the car parked where it was. Reaching for her phone she unlocked it and scrolled through her contacts until finding what she was looking for. Clicking on 'Reece Stevens' she placed the device against her ear and carried on towards the address that John had given her.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
INTERACTIONS: N/A


MENTIONS:
Astroblaze - John Reidenbach
 
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Draku

Draku would stand at the edge of the Empire State Building, arms folded across his chest, lost deep in thought. After all the time he spent here in this new age, things were still so alien to him, and being no stranger to the supernatural, he still could not wrap his mind around how many super powered beings now occupied this world. If not for the the aide of his mortal companion, he would have made many an attempt to intervene in many a situation that arose between villain and hero alike.

Many an opportunity to protect the mortals of this world did present themselves however, Draku seemingly always being in the right place at the right time. In the three years he resided in this era, he had saved countless innocent lives from all sorts of disasters. Natural and man-made. He didn't always have the smoothest way of doing things, sometimes causing more damage to the surrounding area than the original disaster itself would have caused, but he always saved lives.

Though he took no side, he also answered to no one for what he considered a good deed. Saving lives seemed more important than bothering with the governing forces that ruled these lands, earning him the title of Anti- Hero by the presses and several other media outlets. It was a bit comical to him, the term made little sense, yet it filled him with a sense of accomplishment. But for that very reason, he wasn't on good standing with the law.

Once again, if not for Daniel, things would probably end up a lot worse than they could have been.

The two never stayed in one spot for too long, mostly due to Draku's own nomadic lifestyle and mostly to stay as far under the radar as they could go, a method that aided both he and Daniel; who was involved in a lucrative herbal business that had him scouring the globe for the best seeds. In the wise words of his friend, 'There's no way to find someone whose been dead longer than the Collateral Law has been in play. You technically don't exist.'


Daniel
They landed here long before the one named Myst began to wreak havoc upon the city, Daniel having conveniently been in the bar that he had given his message out for all that occupied the building that night. To be truthful, none of it really made all that much sense to him. He didn't know anything about the cases that were named off and listening in on all the conversations that were going around sure as hell didn't help him make any sense of it. He knew one thing and one thing only, it probably wasn't a good idea to remain in the city much longer than they already had been.

He had spent a good portion of his morning setting up weed deals and making extra cash to get them out of New York. He always made sure to keep Draku out of situations that involved other supers, seeing as how the majority of them were such goody- two shoes that that they would more than likely attempt to bring Draku in. Daniel shook his head at the thought, that would definitely do nobody any good here. Especially in a place like this. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he would begin dialing out to Draku's burner phone.

He didn't even want to mention what he heard last night, Draku was becoming too curious about the other supers for Daniel's liking and this would give him too much of an opportunity to get involved.

The phone rang and rang until it went to the all too familiar automatic voice of the machine letting him know the mailbox was still not set up. Big surprise there. Daniel would sigh, sliding the cell back into his pocket. Looks like he was gonna have to find the big guy the hard way.
 
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Samuel
Felicity
Samuel Alerio | Felicity Alerio
April 3, 2018 | morning | Chinatown, NYC—street

John/Spectre (mine)
Valerie (mine), Vanessa/Emerald Dream (@Gands)

Samuel Alerio walked along the crowded, bustling Chinatown street, teen sister Felicity at his side. Having found a break in each of their schedules, the two had determined to spend some time together at the local tourist attraction, planning to stop by a few stores that each wanted to look through and then to have lunch somewhere before heading home. The heavy congestion of the walkways had the young meta casting anxious glances about himself as crowded areas so often did, but the attractions made up for the discomfort of being surrounded by strangers in an area with a high metahuman population.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he spotted a familiar face among the crowds: a young metahuman friend of Valerie with ghost physiology and a tendency for heroics. John was one of the few metas who Samuel didn't automatically fear, but he recognized the look of determination in his eyes disguised by a casual posture. He was a man on a mission, and if he was on a mission, there must be a meta who he was pursuing. Beginning to feel an all-too-familiar sense of alarm rising in his chest, he quickly nudged Felicity's arm with his own.

"Hey, uh, let's go check out that store," he suggested, pointing semi-at random in a direction opposite John.

Felicity gave him a confused look. "Huh? But I thought we were going over there." In pointing across the street to the shops selling bags and such, she spotted the very person who he had been trying to keep her from noticing. To his despair, her face brightened immediately. "Oh hey, look, it's John! Let's go say hi!"

"Felicity, no-"

His attempt at stopping her came too late, however, as she was already making a beeline for him. He remained frozen in indecision where he was for a moment before making an arbitrarily frustrated gesture and hurrying after her.

"Heya, John!" Felicity called out as she ran up to him. "Fancy seeing you here. What's up?"

Turning at a familiar voice calling his name, John's mouth split in an amiable smile in greeting. "Good morning, Felicity, Samuel," he added with a nod and a smile to the young man in question as he hurriedly joined them. "You two just on a casual outing?"

"Felicity, come on, let's go, he's obviously busy..." Samuel muttered to his sister, anxiously prodding her side in the desperate hope that she would notice his plight. When John's eyebrows rose in a silent question at that, he elaborated, "You know, you have that look that says you're on a mission, and, well, I'd rather not get involved..."

Understanding what Samuel meant, John offered him a reassuring smile. "Only gathering information, Samuel. If there were any immediate danger, I wouldn't be out like this." The implied reference to his hero form, Spectre, was obvious. Continuing, he explained, "I'm looking for a number of people who I encountered last night, but I'm not entirely sure where to look and I'm worried I'll walk right past them in this crowd. I should've asked Vanessa if she had located any of them..." he added in a mutter to himself.

"Well, I doubt we can help you. Come on, Felicity, let's go. Felicity."

Unfortunately for poor Samuel, Felicity didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Vanessa? Who's that?" The girl grinned. "Is she one of your hero friends?"

John cast a quick glance around the passersby before responding, seeming a bit uneasy. "This isn't the greatest place to be discussing this, but yes: she and one other. I just left a meeting with the two of them and now I'm working on recon. I probably should be in my other form to make things easier," he noted, again in a mutter.

Felicity lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Would it help to have another couple sets of eyes on the scene?"

"Felicity-"

John nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps, but you don't know who I'm looking for, and at least two of them are likely very dangerous. Besides," he added, looking to Samuel with hazel eyes soft in sympathy, "I think you're neglecting your brother's wishes."

Samuel's relieved sigh at John's timely observation nearly became audible. He didn't understand why Felicity was always doing this to him. She knew full-well that he was not a hero, nor did he want to be, and yet she continually attempted to get him involved in matters that he would much rather stay well away from. He cast yet another nervous glance around the area, hoping that they hadn't remained too long and thus gotten entangled in whatever John's business was.
 
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Draku

Draku would hear the sound of his cell phone, breaking him from his meditative like state. He didn't like using the thing, but he knew that Daniel was the only one to ever attempt contacting him on it, meaning that he either needed to start picking up the phone or just figure out an entirely different method of contacting each other.

With a heavy sigh, Draku would step from the edge of the building out into open air; allowing himself to plummet towards the ground below, taking the 1,250 foot drop without so much as a spike in his heart rate. Within the near 10 seconds it took to reach the ground below, he would have created a powerful gust of wind beneath him; compared to that of a vertical wind tunnel used in indoor skydiving facilities, to slow his fall. As he saw it, he'd rather kick up some dirt and debris than crater the concrete from the impact of his landing; limiting the amount of collateral damage he was capable of causing altogether.

Daniel would be proud, he thought with a smirk.

He would land fully erect, his coat billowing about him as the wind dispersed, sliding his hands into his coat pockets and walking away from the awe struck bystanders.

Might as well make it easier for Daniel to find him, he thought, he was surely already seeking him out at this point.

Daniel
Daniel would run his hands through his hair in slight frustration. Why on earth couldn't Draku ever bother with picking up the fucking phone? It was maddening! The bigger question though was why the Hell did he even bother buying Draku a phone in the first place? He always lost them anyways. The guy couldn't hold on to a phone to save his life. With a slight chuckle, he would mumble softly to himself, "The life of a super..."

Probably why all the other supers have those high tech communication devices opposed to cell phones anyhow, he thought.

Daniel would shake his head, interlocking his fingers behind his head and looking to the sky. He didn't even know why he was stressing, Draku always ended up finding him after he missed a call. Easy for him to do with those heightened senses of his, added on to the fact that Daniel usually smelled like a pound of high grade marijuana.

With a grin, he shrugged off his backpack; reaching inside and procuring himself a nice fat prerolled, leaning up against a graffiti tagged wall and sparking up right there.

There was no better way to relax and get his mind off the stress than this, he would think as he inhaled the mind altering smoke deeply.
 
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City Hall
Icarus Valaith

Mentions- Victoria Murphy @Gands
Icarus looked at his texts, seeing that no, she wasn't in her office, and more importantly, she had a job for him. Score! So he left, wandering around, trying to find her, until he saw her on line. "Ms. Murphy!" Icarus called to her, going into a professional persona as he walked up to her.

"Icarus, such a pleasure to see you." She looks him over for professional look. "I am concerned with the nature of the case I am working on. I hope you are a quick read!" She hands him a written report.

Icarus scanned the room, letting his powers wobble around them intangibly before he read the documents. "So is there a reason why Myst had to name everyone with nicknames? Is there a common thread to everyone who was present at the bar? Also, I'm going to need a copy of these if possible, and also I will soon have to make an important phone call." Icarus said, handing her back the files before snapping back to attention.

"I am preceding here to get a series of copies of those cases." Victoria replied.


It seemed like everyone wanted those cases, which meant actually waiting on line. Icarus himself was on edge, as he would be for the duration of guarding Victoria Murphy. It wasn't her fault, it was just his way of staying on top of things.

Victoria has always been nearly matchless when it comes to poise and appearing without any apparent difficulty. She nearly always took things in stride. This includes the present situation of course. Part of the reason she had chosen the path she did was relying on her own gifts. Confidence and poise were an incredible asset in a closing or opening statement. "Thank you for being available on such short notice my friend. One of my other clients is up to her neck in this case. She is worried enough about the situation to take on your salary as part of case expense."


Icarus was equally as professional as she was at the moment, meaning he could handle the physical side of things as well as the behind the scene paperwork. "Of course. Now, how long per day do you need me? We can work out rates and sign contracts whenever you're ready. I'll get you a receipt for your records. We can talk about rates later. All I need is a few minutes to arrange something, because I won't be around to take care of it." Of course, he was going to charge her a fairly reasonable rate, although this was a business, meaning there would be some overcharge for the suddenness of the whole situation.


Victoria noted something on a tablet and mailed it to him. A basic but thoughtfully complete contract. 125 % of average metahuman bodyguard rate with allocations for overtime and childcare. "Check this out Icarus, let me know how this works out for you. Adjust how you see fit and send it back to me."

Icarus took out his phone, moving to the corner of the room so he could make a very important call. He let his powers form around her, an invisible shield that would become visible the moment something tried to penetrate it. Once he finished his conversation, he could focus on Victoria and her colleague. "Which colleague also wants my services?" Icarus asked before he went to his contacts. Splitting his time between two people would be a pain in his ass unless they spent time together.


"For now my friend, let us say, our colleague is more interested in the safety of folk here than her own. Like you, she has abilities. She is Emerald Dream, another of my clients." Victoria said.

From what he knew, Emerald Dream was a hero who was less about the money than he was. "Alright then. I'll need a few moments to review the contract and then I'll sign it." Icarus spent a few minutes making an important call, before pulling up the contract. "Tomorrow night at 9pm I will need a half hour to take care of things, but other than that, I'm free whenever you need me. At what times will you need me, because there is no way I can stay by your side 24/7?"
"I think we can see where we are at when this China town trip is over Icarus. Then we can rethink. Fair enough?"

Icarus sighed, shoving his feelings down to close his phone for now. "I can accept that." Icarus replied, feeling like he was probably going to take the job but wanting to know exactly what the terms would imply.

"Tell you what, set the contract for a minimum number of hours per day."

Icarus had to think for a moment before answering. "9 is the minimum and 12 is the maximum unless a problem occurs which then I will stay with you indefinitely. The hours can be broken up if you so wished it. I assume this is at least for 5 days a week?" "Minimum number of days on the contract. Is five."

"This may be a dumb question, but do you want me to start today or tomorrow?" Icarus asked, covering his bases. "Also I need a clause saying that if I need to protect you, Emerald Dream and another person, then I can drag that person along. Don't worry, the boy's only 15." Icarus asked, perfectly willing to sign non disclosure agreements for Felix.

"First my friend, start today, now. Dream is not part of this contract. So, any time you need to include someone, that's fine with me." Victoria answered him.

Icarus gave her a soft smile at her assent of the clause. "Alright then, I think we're good to go." Now that Felix was extra taken care of, he could focus on the job of being a bodyguard.







 
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Reed
Icarus
Reed Overton/Agent Fury | Icarus Valaith/Shielder/Plant Overlord
April 3, 2018 | late morning | Brooklyn, NY—Reed's apartment

collab with @slifer
Felix (@slifer), Victoria (@Gands), Mystification (@LuckycoolHawk9)

Reed was at his desk poring over a small stack of paperwork, assorted heavy metal playing in the background, when his phone started buzzing along where it sat on the desk, a similar melody style to what was currently playing over the speakers emanating from it.

The broad-shouldered man's intensely purple eyes flicked to the ringing phone as he set down his pen and lifted it from the desk. Noting that the caller ID identified the caller as "Plant Boy," he paused his music, leaning back in his chair, and answered it in his terse, sharp voice.

"The fuck you want? I'm busy."

Icarus rolled his eyes. Agent Fury always sounded like an asshole. Usually, he would dish it right back to the man, but not right now: he was asking for a favor.

"I have a job for you that you'll like. No limits. Use as much force as you want. I need you to protect my little brother. You'll obviously be compensated for the trouble," Icarus explained, getting straight to the point. His new bodyguard job would pay for this, thankfully. There was the hook: all he needed was for Reed to take the bite. From what he knew about the man, he would love the idea of a job coming from him without the usual barriers. "We can finalize the contract later if you want to, but for now I just need to know if you're in."

Since he was busy with protecting Victoria Murphy, he would still make a profit as he would somewhat overcharge her for protecting her and then use some of it towards this... endeavor. The man was a crazy asshole, but he was usually trustworthy, to the limit of his contract.

Reed humphed, mulling over what Icarus had just told him.

"No limits, huh?" His lip curled into a sharkish grin. "Speakin' my love language, sweetheart. I can forgive you the part where I'm basically playing the role of a fuckin' babysitter here. Where d'you need me?"

Yup, he was letting a tiger out of its cage, but for Felix, he would burn the world down. He had a bit of apprehension about this but it soon vanished. "You're to make sure that nothing happens to him. A villain is copying some cases, and I don't want the villain hurting him to target me. Right now, he's in Chinatown. I'm sure you know what he looks like now."

Now he was doing that part again, the nicknames. Like the man actually thought of him... romantically.

"If the city burns down because you protect him, it's fine with me. Though... don't do anything yourself that would endanger him." The threat was implied, and it was one filled with menace. The more mild-mannered man would fuck Reed up so badly that the man would wish for death. "Not that you would, of course." Icarus's voice had darkened before lightening again. When it came to Felix, Icarus made Reed look sane and well adjusted.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Reed assured him, his voice seeming to take on a slight purr. "No need to worry about me roughin' up your precious, and I'll make sure no other fuckers touch him, either. I'll be there in five. Oh, but hey," he added, "Chinatown's a big-ass place. D'you have any idea where exactly he is right now? 'Cause otherwise I'm gonna have a hell of a time finding him."

For a moment, Icarus stopped, hearing the purr in Reed's voice. Shit, the lonely part of him was responding to the attention, one of the few things he was emotionally weak against.

It took a few seconds to shake the feeling off so he could respond to Reed, telling him the store he had left Felix at. "He might have wandered off, but he probably wouldn't go that far. When do you want to meet, to finalize the details?" Now the regular Icarus was back, after that slight hiccup.

Reed took note of the pause before Icarus spoke again, a bit worried about what it might mean but hopeful all the same.

Wait, what? Why the hell was he worried? He shook his head briskly, baring his teeth in a silent snarl. Damnit, snap out of it, Reed. He had to stop letting this man get to that vulnerable side of him he used to think had died over a decade ago.

"Whenever," he responded to the other's question, forcing an extra ounce of dismissive nonchalance to make up for his temporarily shaken psyche. "I don't have anything scheduled, so just as soon as you can get around is fine. I know you won't cop out on me."

Wait. Fuck. Why did he say that? That sounded way too trusting, shit. After a moment of frozen indecision, he quickly saved himself with a threatening grin and an ominous "You know what would happen if you did." He could only hope that would be just enough to allay any suspicions Icarus might have.

"You know I wouldn't cop out on you. You know how many chances I had to do so? Seven. It was seven chances. I came through each and every time." That alone was his ego recovering from Reed's harsh tone: the reminder to himself that there was no way Reed would ever be nice to him outside of business. He was only fooling himself at this point. "Where do you want to meet, then? Unless it's the usual place." Maybe he was being too unrealistic in getting Reed to meet him. The man was... okay to him, beyond the layer of pure asshole. Somehow, he didn't mind it 100% like he used to, although he did wish he could trust the man outside of the contract. Unless Reed tried to actually fuck with him, he would never try to turn him in. That was one of the reasons why now he was pretending the pause never happened, because that meant that he was reading too into things.

Oh shit, Icarus sounded hurt. He must've overdone it.

"Yeah, the usual place is fine," he affirmed, doing his best to get just the right mix of his usual aggression while leaving any threatening tones on the back-burner. "When are you free to meet?"

As usual, he was reading too into things, because he could hear that Reed had pulled back just a hint on the aggressive tone.

"I suppose tomorrow at 9pm could work. I'll be able to pop over for a half an hour or so. Can't stay away for too long," Icarus confirmed, adjusting his shield's area so it was a little smaller than before, about six inches smaller. Using his powers helped center him, helping him to hide what his ego showed: that he knew the fact that Reed didn't care for him or why that actually mattered to him. Even though it didn't. For sure.

"It's a date, then," Reed noted with a low chuckle, feeling that he had recovered enough from his earlier emotional setback for one more suggestive comment. "In the meantime, I'd better get going: got your kid brother to babysit, remember?" His tone was light, even joking, as he concluded. With that, he hung up before he could fuck that up as well.

As Reed hung up, all Icarus could do was stare at his phone for a moment. That man made his head spin every time he talked to him. Well, at least Agent Fury was going to guard Felix, and his mind was currently at peace. The fact that he trusted Reed was a problem he could solve later. Right now, he would make a profit off of the bodyguarding and then put said money into savings in case a dry spell occured again.

Setting his phone back on his desk, Reed rested his arms on the wooden structure, lost in thought for a moment. Even though it had been months since he first started noticing an attraction for his ally, he still wasn't sure how he felt about his feelings, or how much he even wanted to pursue them. What kind of mercenary let himself engage in romance, and with a client of all people? Nonetheless, there was no mistaking that the feelings were present, and they probably weren't leaving anytime soon.

He huffed, running a hand through his hair. At least the job was an excuse to escape this goddamn paperwork. Pushing away from his desk, he left his chair where it had rolled and headed into his bedroom.

In his dresser, carefully hidden under a false bottom in the lowermost drawer, lay his Agent Fury costume, neatly folded and arranged in preparation for use. He removed the costume from the compartment, exchanging his civilian garb for the white muscle tee and trousers, then took the makeup kit and headed into the bathroom. Taking out the set of false pointed teeth, he applied them to his top canines and lateral incisors, snarling at the mirror to test the look and grinning at his own reflection as he could already see his alias forming. Then he applied the twisted, clown-inspired face-paint with practiced ease, making sure it was fully sealed before leaving the bathroom. Finally, he pulled on the sleeveless charcoal suit-jacket, fingerless black cycling gloves, and steel-enforced combat boots and precisely arranged the polished black horns on his head before surveying the completed look in his mirror. Hell. Yes. Now this was more like it.

Storing the extra pieces back in the hidden compartment, he pocketed the brass knuckles, his phone in a sturdier case, and a protein bar from the kitchen—ever since that one time early in his career when he got too hungry to function, he was careful to be prepared—and opened his back window, climbing out onto the fire escape. Eyes flitting back and forth watchfully, he eased the window mostly shut behind him, leaving it cracked just enough that he'd be able to reenter that way later, and made his way cautiously and quietly up the fire escape.

When he reached the top, he leaped upward, his outstretched hands latching onto a familiar ledge as he hauled himself up onto the roof, rising from the poised crouch and checking the map on his phone for the best route before setting off in a sprint.


Just under an hour later, he leaped off of the semi that had unknowingly carried him along the highway to his destination, landing smoothly in a crouch before slipping away from the road into a darkened alley. It took him a little while of sneaking along back ways to locate the shop that Icarus had named, but once it was in sight, he did spot a familiar teen face within. He grinned, muttering "There you are" under his breath. With his charge located, he slipped back into a dark, removed corner to observe, arms folded and eyes narrowed.
 
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Angelo Ryan Rose- Angelo's apartment

Angelo really hoped that was a spot from her sweating and not from something else that happened during the night. Thankfully, no matter what happened, the sheets were cheap enough that he could buy new ones.

Angelo raised an eyebrow at the song playing radio, but figured it was a different station. " Well, that is good for me since I'm honestly starving," he said to her.

He got himself casually dressed, throwing back on some of his lounge wear for around the house. He wasn't reporting, but that didn't mean he couldn't look good for breakfast. It was a good thing his hair never ruined in his sleep. He walked out in a gray muscle t-shirt and some jean shorts. " Yeah, that is mostly for late nights and company and when I need a fix, usually have tea or water. A healthier option after all, less addicting too."

@Michale CS

111 Centre Street- Dean Chambers

Dean had really hoped he would avoid nearly colliding with people he knew in the city. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case. He had tried going for the cases earlier, but the crowd had deterred him.

" Good Morning to you, Miss Murphy. I doubt that anything I will say will deter you from walking with me, so we might as well walk to the courthouse together. It would seem that whatever was happening is certainly strange. Apparently, the power went out on the entire block besides the bar, so whoever did it certainly only wanted the select few, but word travels fast, so I'm not surprised more people know already," he replied to her.

He rolled his eyes as more people would arrive and he decided to let them catch up as he walked into city hall. He walked straight up to the counter and asked for the case files. " I'm very sorry, Judge Chambers, but those cases have been recently been "missing".... we are looking for all five of them..." she said.

" How did you lose five files?" He asked.

" Well...… you see, some really famous people came and asked to read them and some people with some really good fake IDs asked for them and a nice old lady asked... and they just didn't seem like they would take it, so I started to text my boyfriend and before I knew it, the files were gone.... but it's okay, everybody has to write their names down, so you can check that," she said.

Dean wondered how that had happened and sighed as he read the names aloud for the others. " Ian Booker, Laurette Couldn'tcomeupwithalastname, Nasty Harley, Gary Gum and Cole Breaks... you know, I'm really starting to wonder how you got this job," he said. " Descriptions please... also, I was here earlier, so I can tell if you are telling the truth, but I doubt it will help us."

The woman crossed her arms and refused to answer the judge as he had insulted her, leaving the others to get information about her.

@Gands @slifer

ChinaTown Shop- Michael Chambers

Michael hadn't suspected to anyone to ask him questions and he panicked. It turned out that the aging power had actually been his, since in his panic of a stranger talking to him, it kicked in. He could tell since there was a mirror in this shop.

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God, he hoped that this wasn't a common thing that happened to him now. " Uhh… the one on the left," he said, picking a random bag. He wasn't sure why, but he felt uneasy in the shop now more than before, but it wasn't exactly going to be easy to leave and explain this to his brother. Guess he was stuck here until he could figure out how to calm down and shift ages at will. Thankfully, the clothes shifted with him or this would be awkward.

@Astroblaze @slifer

Chinatown Stall- Warren Tanner

" You know most hangovers are better with this," Warren replied, as he handed Carter a remedy for feeling better. If he looked up, he would … get a brief haze at the man before it kicked in that it was Warren. It wasn't uncertain why, but he looked different, though it was difficult to put your finger on how.

cc0982b66821654e3c981b6451e6a003.jpg

" I'm guessing you have some questions for me," he said.

@vantas

Location: Morgue- Johnathan Clark and Layla Jones

Johnathan hadn't expected Valerie Newmann. " Well, the bodies from the crime yesterday has been lost by the morgue. They were brought in and then somewhere at night, somebody stole them, so we are in trouble since they may have provided some enlightenment on the case.... so, that's our main problem now," he blankly said, not caring who knew at this point. Layla nodded in agreement.

@Astroblaze

On Ana, John, Aimee, Emerald Dream and Meghan's phone a text would ring on it. I manage to procure something you may want. A case file that Mystification wants to make disappear. Somebody has been wanting them to disappear. Come alone to the Met, second floor, Greek Medusa exhibit -PW. If you had been in the superhero industry for a while, you would recognize PW as Phantom Writer, a masked adversary who was unknown to most. He had disappeared for a while, but he seemed to be back.

On Daniel, Draku, Samuel, Felix , Reed, Dean , Victoria, Icarus, Carter, Warren and Felicity's phone, an ad would ring. Come try the latest in superhero technology. Bring a hero to win the contest. with At Central Park today, noon -Provided by Superior Industries. First place is a very cool document procured from 111 Centre Street.

A mysterious text would come on Eloise's phone. How would you like to help me? ~Myst XOXO

@Michale CS @Gands @Draku69 @Astroblaze @vantas @slifer @Huntress
 
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It was most definitely not sweat, as he'd find out later when it dried, but that's a matter for another time. Cyndee put on a pot of hot water for tea, in case he wanted that as well.

She sidled up to Angelo, sliding against him for a moment and tugging on an earlobe with her teeth for a moment before settling in.

Breakfast was... nothing less than amazing. Somehow with the ingredients he had lying around, she had made some of the best pancakes that Angelo could remember having.

"So... my standard question on the morning after is, was this no strings or can I expect a repeat performance? And my standard answer to one of your most likely questions is that I'm on the pill." she sat down across from him and started in on her food, regardless of his reaction.

She clicked a button on her phone, showing that she'd linked her Spotify by Bluetooth to his stereo system, playing...


@LuckycoolHawk9

{{ Amiee/ Firefly's response coming later probably a Collab effort with Emerald Dream }}
 
Daniel

Daniel's eyes would light up with excitement as he misread the text message on his phone. All he gathered from the ad was bring a super, win a contest. Central Park.

He threw the phone, his jars and all the money he just earned standing around smoking pot into his backpack before clapping his hands together and rushing off into the bustling city of New York.

Draku

Draku would look to the phone in his hand, attempting to figure out how anybody other than Daniel could possibly have this number, before balling it into a crumpled mess and tossing it over his shoulder.

"Telemarketers..." he mumbled, using the most familiar line that Daniel would use after getting an unexpected call on his device, to a surprised bystander before continuing his walk towards the proclaimed destination in the message. It couldn't hurt to see what this sponsor wanted with a park full of Supers. Not to mention how adamant Daniel always was when it came to unnecessarily exposing themselves to the 'Goody-Two-Shoes', as he liked to call many of the lawful supers who always did what they could to defend this world. It always made him want to do it even more. He's certainly done no wrong.

He would look to the ground and close his eyes, allowing his acute senses to guide him towards Central Park. All without the single use of his ocular functions.
 
Aimee ( Firefly ) & Vanessa (Emerald Dream )

Given the address, Aimee heads out to a quiet industrial section of town. A small pristine industrial building with a significant and obvious security presence.


Amiee gets out of the car and looks for whomever would be letting her into the place. "Hi. I'm Amiee Reed. Vanessa is expecting me?"


The initial stop is automated, with an enclosed camera system that looks bigger than it should be. " Hello Aimee, my name is Ernie, I'm on the security team. Open the gate when you hear the buzz okay ? "

She jumps slightly, then nods. "Uh, yeah. should I drive my car in or leave it out here?"

"The neighborhood is pretty quiet, but it will be secured in here, pull it around to the rear of the building and I'll make sure the next gate opens for you automatically. "

"Oh okay." She rushes to get her car stashed and does as he asks, waiting for the gate to open for her at the end of it.

The gate seems to pause to allow for her to start up the car and again at the second gate into an underground garage. The outside of the building does rather successfully look very not busy. A very professional security person is waiting for you at the entrance into the building. A female, Stacy on her badge, with a company name, * O'Toole Electronics *


"Uh, hi Stacy." She wanted to say more but she knew that everyone knew why she was here so explaining that again would be silly.

" Good morning Miss Reed, I'll walk you up to the office, HR is working on your paperwork right now. "


With that, the ever efficient Stacy, who does at least appear like she haunts the mixed martial arts competitive circuit. She takes you down the elevator two sub basement 2, opening into a sparkling looking industrial office area.

Amiee whistles. "I feel like Dorothy being led to the Emerald City."

Stacy laughs, " The main trick for security is to remain ... awake. " She smiles at you. " But we are told to be on high alert right now. '

She gets you into an office area, Her communicator goes off. " Bring her right in Stacy, thanks, and tell HR we'll have the paperwork sent out in just a bit. " ( Vanessa's voice )

She just follows, her arms behind her back, hands folded together.

Aimee is lead into a large office area. There are probably a half dozen screens going on top of the Holo screen in the center of the room where Vanessa is dealing with a number of images and controls of flying things in China Town.

"Whoa. You look... busy. You sure this is a good time?" She walks up and waits nearby.

" Not to worry Aimee, part of how I work when I'm alone. These are the drones I have looking through China town. I have not as yet spotted anyone of interest yet though. The computers on your left are working still on getting information on the phone hack. Was it an easy drive ? "

"Yeah, once I got my car started." She laughed lightly and shrugged. "I am looking around here and well... I don't know what I'd do here that you don't already have covered. I'm not an inventor or anything - I'm just decent at physics and am really, really good at thermodynamics. So unless you're doing stuff like firefighting, making rockets, or well... forensics involving arson or whatever, my best stuff isn't gonna matter much here. Though a lot of Collateral cases do end in fires..."


" I already thought of that Aimee. I do believe Drones fly ? And since they fly, they might have improved Aerodynamics ? Thermodynamics ?


" You make them fly better, I'll make sure they have the very best energy source and semi A.I. computer brains."


"Yeah, air pressure is highly affected by heat, thermal differences. If a predictive piloting application could be programmed into them they could use far less energy, be more responsive, and overall more efficient. I do that kind of math in my head when I'm flying. It's just a matter of turning that into something useful for a drone." She rattled off, coming out of her shell suddenly, moving over to an unused screen and starting up the basics of a formula rather quickly.


Vanessa smiles at the response, finally assigning the dubious assignment of the drone watching to someone else. " Doctor Watson, please continue surveillance with drones one through sixteen for the people assigned to your list. "

She takes a breath, finally moving to a Desk further into the room. The top of the desk is fairly spotless only a couple of pictures for decoration.

" So did you have time to think of my offer ? "


"Yeah... well here's the thing. I don't really know how much I should be paid. I mean I did a little research but the amount of money product developers make is kind of high? I don't want to ask for too much." She turned to face Vanessa, closing with her. "I could be pretty well off on about seventy k a year but the average developer makes six figures and that seems a lot to ask."


Vanessa looks thoughtful for a moment. " Okay, here is my counter offer Aimee, Annual salary 80K for the four month probationary period, 160K for the rest of the year. How does that sound ? "


Amiee stares wide-eyed at Vanessa. For a moment her mouth works a few times but no words come. Finally she nods swiftly and clears her throat. That's way more money than she ever expected to be making, like, ever. "S-sure. Sounds awesome. I-I don't know what to say besides yes. It's crazy generous. I promise I won't let you down. Oh... I did have one other product I had an idea for. On a more personal level. I had a possible idea for a high-strength carbon fiber weave that'd be extremely heat-resistant. I think I have the chemistry worked out but I've never had a facility to test stuff like that..."


" Okay, I keep my stuff down here. Let's go find you a lab space upstairs. We make our own computers here, that's all first floor basic stuff. The advanced electronics is manufactured on the first subbasement."


She nodded, and it was about then they both got the text on their phones from the Phantom Writer - "I managed to procure something you may want. A case file that Mystification wants to make disappear. Somebody has been wanting them to disappear. Come alone to the Met, second floor, Greek Medusa exhibit -PW. " "Uhh... did you get this too?"(edited)

Vanessa grimaces and pulls out her phone. Pulling up her text and reading it. "Yes, Sadly yes. Doctor Watson, please check the most recently received text, Investigate who sent it and from where to the best of your ability, end assignment. I tell you Aimee, we are working on our own cell phone company. Much better security...."


" Lets go take care of this business before we get given the business. "


With that, she takes Aimee up to the second level up where a sizeable lab space i.e. room to fly the drones around... has been emptied pending her arrival.


"Cool. So... you want me to start on the stuff for the drones now? Or are we gonna follow up this text? I mean you're the boss now, so just point me in a direction." Of course she was going up to one of the computers and already starting to type in formulae...


" Under normal conditions, I expect you to work largely without supervision, perhaps a tech support meeting every couple of days. You'll need to set up your department Aimee. You have employee budget space for 40-50 K for an assistant. Back ground reports take a couple of weeks, so bear that in mind. For now she sighs Lets go see what this individual wants, if it's even who he says he is. It will take me a moment to summon my gear. I have a vehicle in the parking sub basement. Did you bring your outfit ? "

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't take a lot of room." Amiee pats her purse. "Right now I just have one that fits at my smallest sizes. Which is why I want the carbon fiber. My design would be sort of like springs that would uncoil and give me more room to change size. Right now I like, kind of use heat blur to hide when I'm not actually wearing anything. I used to be really embarrassed about that but most people can't even see me so details would be really hard- I'm rambling again. Yeah, I can go."

" Okay, just you and me for now. We'll do the paperwork when we get back. "


@LuckycoolHawk9
 
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Reactions: Astroblaze



Date: April 3, 2018
Time: 10:13 p.m.

Collab with: @Huntress

As Carter laid down and perpetually opened the flood gates in his esophagus to a toilet in an inconspicuous stall besides 平底锅 [The Saucepan], all the reasons why he gave up drinking seemingly came to him in bursts similar to the way he vomited out all the rum and coke he had the night before.

In a way, he was grateful because this hangover concreted his promise to go cold turkey once more, and to not overestimate his alcohol tolerance considering he quit addling his system with soporifics for more or less, half a decade.

- - - [ A WHILE BEFORE ] - - -

As he parked his bike with the efficiency and finesse of a baby making a curry with a plastic spoon, before he could fully unload his gastrointestinal sac onto the pavement, he fished out a small pack of Tylenol and, before his "waterworks" could take effect, immediately popped one and swallowed.

Vomiting earlier at his house helped reduce the clouding in his vision. Hopefully the paracetamol would reduce the constant pounding in his head. Carter knew he was making this a big deal but hey, a hangover is a hangover. He made his way out of the stall, blinking twice. He still has a reason why he made his way here, and he'd be damned if he came home empty handed.


The phone had been ringing for what felt like a very long time. The dial tones just dragging on forever. “Oh come on Reece!” She muttered as she had begun to walk at a quicker pace, it’s not that she had anywhere to be yet, she was still waiting for that message from John, but she had hoped that she could see Reece or at least talk to him before having to make her way to 111 Centre Street and whatever the plan was for there. His voicemail came up and warranted a curse under her breath. “Reece it’s Ana, I need to meet up with you, we’ve got some things—” Something collided with her right side. She felt her elbow jut into something or quite possibly someone, the rest of the force coming against her as she stood her ground like a boulder and caught a glimpse of the man stumbling backwards and falling to the ground. Time slowed for just a moment as she watched. Her arm shooting out in a blur as she took hold of the man’s shirt and stopped him from crashing against the pavement. Pulling him up to his feet she went to speak but stopped as she recognized his face from the rather eventful evening at her bar.

Remembering who he was, what he said and did, Ana clenched her jaw as she exhaled heavily through her nose, the brunette wanted to shove him backwards but chose against doing so on a busy New York street. “Maybe pay a little more attention next time.” She swallowed back after speaking bluntly and letting go of him to carry on her with her route.


Carter's vision readjusted as he was pulled up to his feet by this stranger he bumped into as he tried to trudge on despite his hangover. In retrospect, it was pretty stupid of him to consider that he would've been able to still be functioning to his usual self despite what happened last night but he was already there, and he's not the type of person to leave the bed without fixing the covers.

The little bump hit some sense to his optical nerves however, as his eyes slowly sharpened to its usual wariness, if only for the moment as he realized that he bumped into the bartender he saw last night through his peripherals. Whatever ill will she has apparently felt in that event seem to have carried into here as Carter saw the brunette almost fall to violence before apparently deciding against it, much to his luck. Carter rubbed the area where the bartender grabbed his shirt as he felt the fabric slightly stretch out, before breathing in. "Yeah, sorry about that. Not in the best of spirits." Carter bit back small groan as he realized he made a pun by accident.

Carter was about to try to clear the air before he realized that she apparently has a phone call to worry about. He nodded and stepped sideways to give her some space to move to where she going.


"It's fine." Ana responded in her typical blunt tone and hung up the phone. Hopefully the half message she recorded was enough to get Reece to call her back. If it wasn't, she hoped that the man still lived in the same place, then she could pay him a visit.

Standing tall with a sigh she clenched her jaw and looked at the man. She had caught him grabbing at his shirt. "Are you okay?" Amber eyes looked from his chest back up into his gaze. "I didn't bump you too hard did I?" In the heat of the moment it was hard to pay attention to every external factor. Ana had learned to focus on every detail in the past, it had been drilled into her brain, it was part of all the training. A time when life or death was a serious thing, something she had to actually be weary of. But as she carried on in life and stopped giving a fuck she also stopped paying attention. It had never been a good thing to stop paying attention. It had only ended up causing her more issues.

Ana was trying to be more cautious again, to focus, to pay attention, but some times, when it slipped her mind, it more often than not led to more issues. A bump like this had potential to be fatal. Crossing the road and not paying attention? 'Here's what you have to pay in damages to my car, and for my broken clavicle.' Said the guy that would've killed her if she had been human.

It had always been a lose/lose for her no matter what and that was a reason to start paying more attention and being more cautious but it was also the argument in the back of her head saying why the hell are you doing all this? Trying this again? She wasn't sure at this point but hopefully she'd figure it out soon. Go with the flow. She had been unwillingly involved in this, which in turn led Meg to be dragged into it as well. Ana would help put things to rest with this situation and she'd make sure that the things that were meant to be hidden away, stayed that way.


"Yeah, so far. Nothing broken, nothing lost." Carter answered, assuming his usual stance and posture as if to signify that nothing was wrong.

It does seem strange, however. Both of them were in a rush, and the force of impact upon them was equal in terms of how they stumbled; but what sidetracked him the most was the fact that she did not stumble at all. His weight wasn't on the heavy side to begin with, and with the way not only did she stand perfectly normal, she also was able to prevent his fall with only one hand from his shirt alone. The touch at the area already inspected the cloth to be stretched, no way could she have picked him up so easily with only one hand without something going on.

Either that bartender was a steroid addict or she could be a-

A sheen of understanding overcame Carter as his pupils dilated at the revelation but he closed his eyes before he gave his thoughts away. Instead, he simply smiled and scratched his hair. "I believe we've gotten off at the wrong foot here." he started, "And it is partly my fault for not looking where I was going." Carter looked at the brunette in earnest, a small plot at the back of his mind lurking, "Can I at least repay you somehow. Maybe get something to eat? We've all had a rough night."



Nothing broken, that was a relief. The last thing Ana needed was more collateral damage stacking up because she was on the phone. "I think we're both at fault here." She clenched her jaw. Anastasia may have been as stubborn as one could be, but she knew when to accept that she was wrong or on the wrong side. They both weren't paying attention and that's what led to this situation. Her reaction at first had been rough and blunt as that was her go to, to keep people at a safe distance. She had been scarred from her past and had learned that it wasn't wise for her to keep people close or let them in.

Looking off to the side with a sigh she turned her attention to her phone screen as she unlocked it to check the time. A photograph of her and Meg posing together at a shooting range showing up on screen. John still hadn't contacted her; that's all she was really waiting for. She was in the vicinity, so it wouldn't be hard to meet him once he got in touch. She had had breakfast with Meg but, it was no surprise to her that she was still hungry. Although, in truth Ana could literally eat every hour of the day and still be hungry. She wasn't really sure if she should be kind to this man, his flirting with Meghan and prodding questions about case one-hundred had raised some flags for Anastasia. Perhaps if he intended to prod more she could do the same, it was only fair and maybe he had useful information. Besides, if Ana was to do what Meg had asked of her, she would have to get used to socializing again. Being able to handle crowds and just overall dealing with people in a non-abrasive manner.

Clenching her jaw she sighed again and looked at the man. "I'm just waiting to hear back from someone, I should have time for a bite." She folded her arms across her chest. "You buying?" Ana raised a brow while keeping her expression serious.


Carter smirked at the question. "As long as the restaurant doesn't have fancy curlicue text for the logo and has stereotype French butlers, it would be my pleasure." he quipped, "It isn't really repaying you if you have to cash in as well." He idly patted his pocket, mentally visualizing the amount of money he can splurge on for this occasion. The photographer isn't rich to begin with but with the sake of Patreon, and also the fact he recently sold a polaroid photography album, he finally can afford it. At least once.

But definitely not in some restaurant with fancy curlicue text for the logo and has stereotype French butlers.

Although despite there being what was obviously thick air between the two of them, to have an enemy Carter doesn't necessarily hate is something that doesn't sit well with him. The fact that he may also be probably dealing with bad blood between someone who can bash in your skull with the ease of popping bubble wrap is also a good incentive so it will be more than worth spending time and money just to clear the air up. He may have to formulate a plot to find out what is it may be that ticked her off so bad that it carried all the way out here. Maybe something down the basement that can also be interconnected to Myst? Either that or his peripherals rang true and that maybe she's just annoyed that he cozied up to her colleague last night but he's not gonna go jump to that assumption because they're adults, not prepubescent lovestruck elementary students.

Oh god, the things that stupefy him under the influence.
Carter swears it's gonna be the complete end of him.

He readjusts his earphones before taking his right one off, his original objective still present but of lower priority. Who knows, maybe they'll somehow inexplicably meet them along the way. "So," he started, looking at the bartender in the eye, "where do you wanna eat?"


"I mean, you haven't really done anything so wrong that would require payment." Ana explained. "But I won't say no to free food." She smirked. "Fancy or not." A small shrug followed before she started looking around them to see where they could possibly go. "Well we are in Chinatown so that's kind of the obvious choice, but I'm pretty sure there's a McDonald's somewhere around here if you're not a fan of Chinese. I honestly couldn't care less about what we eat, food is food so I'm good for whatever." She shrugged arms still crossed over her chest.

Clenching her jaw she kept her eyes on the man. She didn't like to assume things about people, but she still did, and she knew nothing about him. Considering the events from the previous night Ana couldn't help but to dislike him. It was going to be hard to get rid if these feelings she had towards him. She'd have to figure out how to do it because this attitude would cause problems once the mask was on. A sigh from her nose was followed by a scoff at her thoughts and a small shake of her head. She would have to break off the pieces of her that caused these problems, she didn't know how she was gonna do it but she had to figure it out. Amber irises came back to the man's gaze. "You choose." She spoke simply.


The young photographer chuckled at her philosophy of free food. The best things in life are free, and moreso for food.

Carter pondered about it before realizing that McDonalds would still probably the more expensive choice, considering he has prior experience there with mostly their chicken sandwiches. And it isn't very often he gets to try out Chinese, so he'll make an exception for this even though there's a realistic chance it's gonna be more expensive than a trip to McDonalds.

Carter stared at the bridge of her nose so his peripherals can fully see her face for any betrayal of emotions while acting like it's taking him longer than expected to make a decision. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the subtle rising of her nostrils as she sighed as well as the slight shaking of her head but didn't pay it any heed any more than what he'd simply regard as a bump in the road he wants to traverse. It will take work to try and crack why she seems to be mad at this situation, but seeing as how they were still tied by the plots of a scheming mastermind, it's already a hefty prospect to assume that they'll be working together more than just employee to customer, and Carter doesn't want to be at the wrong end of the stick once it arises.

"I can go for some Chinese." Carter replied, shrugging. "I think I know a decent place where we can get some noodles if you don't mind backtracking."


"Sure, noodles sound good to me. Lead the way." Ana put her hand up towards the direction he had come from, assuming they were going that way after he had stated that they would be backtracking. "It was Carter, right?" she asked as she played through the conversation she had listened in on last night. Putting her hand out towards him for a shake she tried to smile softly. "My name's Anastasia, I don't know if that was mentioned at any point last night. Ana for short." She nodded slightly, Someone had to initiate the awkward introduction and it seemed like Carter was just as cautious as she was. There also seemed to be some sense of fear or worry coming from the man, although that could be a wrong assumption. She would have to get back into the swing of reading facial cues and body language. Hopefully it wouldn't have to be for interrogations and torturing purposes though.


Carter took a small glance at the extended hand, expecting it to grab hold of something or maybe something else that might mean the assimilation of his person, before realizing it was a friendly gesture. Inwardly sighing in relief, he decided to quell any pretenses of caution for now, hopping along the train of thought that she may have probably only been in a deplorable mood due to the events last night. He extended his hand in return and shook the hand the bartender now known as Anastasia offered.

He was almost about to ask how she knew his name unless she wasn't eavesdropping on him and Meg's conversation before deciding against it and smiling. "Carter Quimora." he confirmed, "It's nice to meet you, Ana." He started out onto the direction from where he came, slightly slowing down the pace so the distance between the photographer and the bartender shortened slightly enough for small talk.


Ana's grasp was probably tighter than it needed to be but bones weren't broken or bruised so that was a good thing. Her feelings towards the man wouldn't magically change over some food, but it was definitely a good start, on his side. For her it would take time to warm up and become the person she would need to be once she pulled that suit out of the closet. Baby steps. She told herself.

Shoving her hands in her pockets she walked next to the man but kept her eyes straight ahead, unless being spoken too. "So what brings you to Chinatown today?" She questioned. Human or not, Ana wasn't too sure, although the way Carter had acted suggested human, she wondered if he was here looking into anything that could be linked to the events of last night. Of course there was the possibility that this was also just one of those right moments at the right time type of situations. She found the second thought unlikely and leaned more towards the first.


Carter looked subtly behind his shoulder before looking ahead, turning a corner and checking on Ana to see if she's still following. He tried to weigh the pros and cons of telling her what may be his purpose before simply focusing on a gray area after a split-second's thought. "Looking for someone to help a friend." he answered simply, "Wouldn't know what I would actually do afterwards but hey, I'll make it up as I go."

He stopped by the sidewalk as he waited for the traffic lights to turn red so the two can cross the pedestrian lane. "One thing to note at least is that it's important to the point where I still came all this way while suffering from hangover." Carter said in a volume loud enough for only Ana to hear, putting his hands on the pockets of his jacket. "I'm sure you can fill out the blanks."


"Helping a friend while dealing with a hangover. Must be an important person if you're going through that much trouble." There was a chuckle, Ana wasn't quite sure if this was a joking matter or not, but the words had been said and there was nothing she could do about it now. "Does this have anything to do with last night?" Might as well come out with it. She would have to work on her patience some more. Beating around the bush had never been Ana's thing, why she was trying it? She was unsure. "What kind of help does this friend need? What sort of person are you looking for." He had started digging last night with Meg, now it was Ana's turn.


Carter smiled, knowing that he broke the ice at least a crack. His smile melted into a thoughtful frown as his habit when thinking when he was affronted with a question that put him teetering between blowing his cover or keeping it safe. A taxi ran by as he weighted on what to say before figuring that lying will essentially get him nowhere. Is this what Meg felt? Jesus christ, being interrogator is not a job for him.

"It does." he answered. "I just want to help the best I can with the things I currently have before this thing vortexes into something I can't contribute anymore." Carter shrugged as if it was no big deal to him, downplaying the worry he actually feels with insouciance and perhaps reckless optimism that everything will go alright. "The friend was a euphemism for all of us." the photographer said, clutching his bag strap, "and we need all the help we can get."

"I'm looking for the guy who threw the chairs in your bar." Carter simply said. "That or the guy who froze the floor on your basement."



Ana chuckled as she listened to Carter. Turning to look at him she shook her head. "You attempted to save that and failed." She stated simply, spotting that lie didn't require any special training or skills. "If you don't want to answer questions truthfully that is fine. Just don't expect me to give you any answers, if you've got questions." What's fair is fair. If he didn't want to share information that was fine, Ana wouldn't either, it was as simple as that. "I think in the end, any help would be appreciated by anyone in figuring out Myst's next steps. There were enough meta's in the bar last night that I think people will be safe enough to be able to stick around and help." Anastasia explained. Clenching her jaw she folded her arms across her chest, amber's gazing towards Carter. "The shapeshifter? Well...not anymore but— Why?" She asked. "Do you know something that makes him important? A priority?"


Carter took this all in and sighed, nodding at Ana before walking across the pedestrian lane as the traffic light grew red. He only answered when both of them were on the other side of the sidewalk. "Believe what you will if what I say is true or not," he said, "I've answered." Carter veered right, pressing the button on his earphones twice to switch from The Bee Gees to Karen Souza. "It's not about safety per se and more of the capabilities of what we can do." he explained as if he was just explaining why the sky is blue, "Like cheerleaders and football players. The cheerleader can only do so much to make their team win the game before they start to feel unnecessary." And I don't want to be useless was the statement that died on his tongue as he decided against it.

"I have a friend who's already trying her best to help as well with the cases." Carter looked back at the staring brunette, "With her help, we might have more situational awareness on what case that orchestrating cuntwhiffer is gonna reenact next," he spat venomously, "as for the whole shapeshifter gooes chase, he might be our only lead as to figuring out what may be aforementioned cuntwhiffer's intentions or end game. And when the chips are down, I'd rather know how to act than to sit like a duck."


"So you think that your knowledge and skill won't be needed at somepoint in this whole ordeal? You want to be a part of this? Is that what you're getting at?" Ana asked in genuine curiosity. "You have a friend working on the paperwork while you search for two men who could be dangerous." Anastasia started as she was attempting to understand Carter's reasons, actions and motives. "What makes you think either of them are in Chinatown out of all places? New York City is massive, do you know how hard it is to track someone? Especially by foot with no information to lead you anywhere?" Her rhetorical question may have been blunt and rude, but she couldn't help but try to point out the obvious error in the man's decision. "I think your best bet would be trying to figure out who these people are so you can get some information on where to start looking for them. Or else you're gonna be spending a whole lotta time walking around New York and getting no results. Personal opinion." Ana shrugged with what seemed like an unsure face.


Carter grinned at Ana's skeptical outlook on his decisions; the bartender had a reason to seem rather inclined to disapprove with his notions but he knows better. The real decision was if he wanted to let her know as well, and with a small look over his shoulder at the shrugging brunette he cryptically said "Let's just say, I got it from a reliable source." he stated, "Thanks for the advice though." and that was the end of it, not before Carter threw a sly wink at a random direction to no one in particular.

It was dumb but hey, that's just who he was. He intentionally didn't answer Anastasia's string of questions before, however, and he looked onward feeling as if it's becoming less detached to the task at hand and more at him. Carter looked onward as the two were nearing their destination, feeling slightly guilty for leaving his companion's curiosity on air but still weighted by the assurance that she doesn't need to know.


Ana shrugged at the response she was given. Shaking her head with a sigh she carried on. There were a few things she could retort with but it would lead her nowhere, as Carter had made it obvious to her that he had no intentions to give her any answers. Anastasia could play the secret game too. Should he ever come to the bar again she would make sure that Meghan also complied with giving out
no information. In truth, Ana had expected to get even a small bit of something that she didn't know. Other than the fact that two of the three men where in Chinatown for whatever reason she had gained nothing. Except that Carter had a friend that was looking into getting copies of the cases. Running through names in her head she tried to think of anyone that might be able to help her in gaining more information about these cases. Who was that lawyer that Meghan had hired for all those cases? Scoffing she shook her head as she couldn't recall. She'd figure it out. Did she have anybody else that she could talk to?

Stopping herself from getting lost in her thoughts, she pulled away from all the rising questions in her head. Exhaling sharply she remained quiet as she followed Carter. At least she was getting free food. Maybe she'd get a chance to prove to Carter that she actually was a good guy, someone that he could trust with information despite the fact that Ana did not like him for petty, almost childish, personal reasons. If the man still didn't want to trust her, then that was fine. You win some you lose some and not to be cocky but Ana thought that she was a pretty good person to have on ones side. He would learn and whoever else ended up becoming a part of this would learn aswell. It took time to break through to Ana, but situations were sometimes capable of allowing quirks like that to be put aside for the moment, until the greater threat was dealt with.

She wasn't looking for friends, she wasn't hoping to make any friends out of all this, she honestly didn't care. She just wanted this to be dealt with and over. She couldn't see the future, so whatever happened after was in the air; her only goal was to stop whoever this Myst was, to prevent anyone from getting hurt or killed and then return back to normalcy.


Carter was, by all means, not a secretive person per se. He was an open book to his opinions, and he made it perfectly clear to anybody he would meet that if it isn't his business, he wouldn't pry and he expects them to do the same as an unspoken modicum of respect. It may be almost unethical, rude even, but it was a defense mechanism he couldn't shake off his system. There was once a time where blind trust was a major aspect of his life but it led to nothing but his ruin and betrayals that he spent years trying to stomach; a means to protect himself. A reflex he wants to let down just this once, lay down the hatchet for a bit to stop what may be the catalyst of the life he built for himself, but he couldn't.

It was too childish to say out loud, let alone confess, but it is what it is. Carter closed his eyes and stomached the sinking feeling that's stabbing his gut but he didn't let it show out of his person. A slight aversion to metas maybe the leading factor? Did he just relish being a smartass to everyone he meets? Carter steeled his resolve, not allowing himself to slip right now when someone is near him. There will come a time where he'll finally trust her, and there will probably be an inevitable time where he'd have to trust her with his life, but he quelled any negative thoughts. He would keep an open mind, but for now he'll play it safe.

Carter smirked. He's already accepted his fate that if there was an opportunity for Ana to save either him or Meghan, she wouldn't hesitate to save the latter, maybe even rub it in by blowing a raspberry at his corpse, and he wouldn't even blame her for it. He would've done the same thing anyway.

He simply walked familiar routes, finding unease and solace at the silence, until he finally reached the noodle shop. 平底锅 [The Saucepan] was a fairly popular establishment, but not popular enough to warrant advertisements. He remembers going here once on a blue moon when he cosplayed as Jackie Chan ironically for Halloween for a dare. Carter glanced back at Ana, making sure she was still near him, before nodding his head to the direction of the door and entered.


Silence. Thick, heavy silence making the sounds of Chinatown deafening. They had come to this silence for a reason, it seemed. Ana was too stubborn to keep talking and giving out information for nothing in return, and Carter obviously didn't want to give anything away. Clenching her jaw with a sigh the brunette followed the man into the restaurant. Free food was free food, whether it was in awkward silence or with a rowdy crowd.

Taking a seat Ana quickly grabbed a menu and started browsing. Glancing up towards Carter from behind the list she raised a brow before looking back at the menu. "What's good here?" She asked simply, almost monotonously.


Carter took a seat from across Ana as he browsed through his menu in return, munching thoughtfully on complimentary garlic sticks that was on every table. He was already deciding on what to order before his acquaintance's question snapped him out of his concentration. Raising his eyebrows, he almost smiled before realizing it would've been misconstrued as something condescending, so he opted to say "Don't worry."

As a waitress swung around their table, Carter pointed at an entry on the menu and said "Chicken dandanmian for two please." The waitress nodded as she scribbled it on a notepad she carried as she proceeded to take the menu away from the two patrons. "Any drinks?" she asked the two with a thick accent but tangible enough to understand, as the brunet man asked for a large glass of iced tea. The Asian waitress wrote down the beverage as she looked towards Anastasia, waiting for what she would order.


Ana watched Carter as she waited for a response. Catching the waitress moving towards them she returned her attention to the man across from her. Placing the menu down she rested her arms against the table and leaned forward slightly. Her attention was soon on the waitress who was taking orders. She didn't know what she wanted to have so instead she was trusting Carter's decision. She wasnt sure how she felt about sharing a dish, hopefully it would be enough to fill her up.

"I'm gonna have a coke please." She responded to the waitress. Amber eyes returned to the man as Ana waited for her to leave before speaking up again. "What are you willing to tell me that can help me with this whole situation?" Anastasia asked casually.


Carter looked at the waitress then turned to look at Ana as he contemplated her question. He took a sip of water before sighing, propping his elbows at the table as they awaited the food. "You're very straightforward aren't you?" he mused as he sat back to his chair. He paused his iPod and took off his earbuds and placing both into his bag as he leaned forward slightly.

"To be honest with you, I really couldn't say a lot because I don't know a lot." he sighed, "and the very few that I know is private. Think of it on a similar vein as the attorney-client privilege." Carter confessed, taking another sip just to make an interval. "If I was being in any way difficult, I apologize but I'm not a guy who likes making promises that he can't keep." The photographer reached into his bag and a slight ripping sound can be heard as he took out a ripped piece of paper and a pencil, scribbling a name into it. He slid it across the table innocuously, looking out the window from his peripherals.

He scribbled in A Sightseer on it, along with 4, 1, and 3 at the bottom. "That's the person I got the info from. I know nothing else except for the fact that they're the central thread from a deep web of informants." as he said so, he pulled out his phone and opened the contact photo for Eloise Chandler. "She's the friend I've mentioned. If you're quick enough at eating-" he grinned, "-you still might catch her leaving City Hall. Go say you're looking for a sightseer, and that you're customer 413." He sighed, looking curtly sideways, "Tell her Terqui sent you."


Ana smiled at the observation as she kept her attention on the man. Indeed, she was very straightforward. More often than not people didn't like it or couldn't handle it but it was who she was. "Well, to be fair case one-hundred, was also supposed to be confidential, but you snaked your way into that one didn't you?" She raised a brow casually. Her words hadn't been malicious, harsh or evil in any way, they had been rather matter-of-factly. Simply stating a thought and opinion.

"Difficult? You were definitely being difficult, but that's not what the problem is." She clenched her jaw. "Obviously you've got something going on here and it's tied to people that you care for and that's fine. I'm only involving myself in this for someone I care about as well." Ana explained. Looking down towards the piece of paper that was handed to her she raised a brow again in confusion. 'A Sightseer' she questioned internally. What the hell was this all about? Her question would somewhat be answered a moment after. "Sorry, recap, what information did this person exactly give you?" The brunette questioned. Looking at the picture placed in front of her Ana raised a brow and cocked her head to the right slightly, eyes narrowed as she studied the image as quickly as she could. Cute. She thought to herself. Looking back at Carter she clenched her jaw. Okay, so maybe this guy just needed some time to warm up to people. Understood Ana nodded to herself. "Don't challenge me to eat fast." She smirked. "Trust me I could probably finish whatever is about to be placed on this table before you're even ready to start eating." Ana chuckled.

"Turkey? Like thanksgiving?" Her question was entirely serious. It was an interesting nickname that she hoped was attached to an awesome story to back it up. But that was a potential question for another time.


As Carter saw the brunette read the note he hastily scrawled, he was already bracing himself for the inevitable question he doesn't need to say out loud lest his tomb was already sealed, and luckily and accursedly for him, he didn't need to. Carter, however, took this in stride and smoothly answered without even any evidence of ruffled feathers. "They operate on a very tight-knit need-to-know basis. You have to be very specific with your question because you will only get one asked for free." he groused, thinking back on the night where he has decided to contact help from a certain friend. "The price is very steep and the only reason I even got to know them was because of Eloise. How she knew them, I have no damn clue."

"Simply put, the question I asked was, in loose colloquial terms so I can wiggle through a loophole, was where in hell was the shapeshifter guy." Carter told her, trying his best to put up an honest affront without breaking the rules of his agreement. "I first asked who was this Myst figure but surprisingly, even they don't know; which is why I'm worried because if this Sightseer person can't even dig up dirt on them, then who knows what they can do." he said casually even though the topic in hand was as heavy as the weight in his shoulders. He only grinned at the brunette's retort. She among many others don't know what he's capable of with what he can do with the metabolism in his gut that can rival a ravenous demon's gluttonous fit; but that was a challenge for another day.

His grin broke at Anastasia's question though, the thing that hit him the most however, was the fact she was asking legitimately. Carter looked Ana straight in the eye devoid of any sense of amusement and pure annoyance not directed to her but the damn nickname. "Carter Quimora." he simply said for answer, emphasizing Ter and Qui. He pledged then and there that if she even did so much as a snort, he'd clock her in the jaw regardless of whatever her status is.


Anastasia was rather confused by this whole situation. Everything seemed too intricately interwoven for her, and honestly it all felt way to complex to try and breakdown. Being as lazy as she often had been the last few years didn't help this much either. "So...to get this straight, you have an 'in' through a friend with some deep-web, cult, group of hackers or whatever who charge steep prices to give answers to people who go to them?" She nodded slowly as if trying to process things while speaking, perhaps not the smartest strategy. "If they don't know who this Myst person is or what they want from all of us then this all-knowing cult is useless to me." Ana slid the piece of paper back to the man. "Sounds like a bunch of nerds trying to be bullies if you want my honest opinion. I think they need someone to step in and maybe slap some sense into them. Whether that literally or figuratively" she shrugged "I dunno. Have to see how they would react in person." Taking a deep breath and sighing heavily Ana's eyes met Carter's. "Didn't mean to waste your time like this," she clenched her jaw "at least we'll be getting some good food out of it." she stated simply.

Upon explanation of the nickname Ana smirked. "So there isn't an awesome backstory to the nickname then? It's just actually part of her name?" Her eyes shifted to the waitress and back to the man. "That kinda sucks. But it's whatever. Nicknames aren't always as epic as we want them to be. Mine is literally for convenience, who wants to be saying Anastasia all the time?" She brushed off the thought with a shrug as their drinks were placed in front of them and the platter they had ordered coming right after.


"More or less." Carter gave her a lopsided smile as he too, understands what it means to be lazy. "Hey, in the world of cheerleaders and football players you gotta learn how to make due with what you have." he took the piece and crumpled it as he tossed it back to his bag. "If you can't track a mama bear, you look for the cubs because you'll always know their mom is close by." He sighed, sitting back to his normal position, "Feel free to go comically smack them sideways like a slapstick 80s cartoon. That would be a sight for sore eyes." the man mused, his lopsided smile turning full once more.

"Don't worry about anything though." Carter reassured, "I would've probably done the same if I was in your shoes, albeit with a little more finesse." he jabbed lightheartedly. "Trust me though," he said as the food was served and he reached over his pocket and tipped the waitress, "if there was a mythic ten-chapter epic of how I got Terqui for a nickname, I would've worn it like an Olympic medal." As the noodles simmered slightly in the post-heat and the smoke and smell of the dish wafted among the two of them, he immediately knew this wasn't a meal, but the survival of the fittest. He grinned as he winked, almost daring the bartender.

"Bon appétit."

- - - [ PRESENT ] - - -
In retrospect he was an idiot for being a part of an eating competition while having a temporary lapse of immunity to the hangover he STILL has.

What made him more of an idiot was competing in aforementioned eating competition even though he knows full well that his hangover will impede his chances of winning, and now that loss will most probably be the turning point of what was going to be a relationship marred with moot victory.

At least his sense of sportsmanship was still intact.

After paying the bills and wishing luck to whatever Anastasia will do, he immediately took a detour and paid for his sins in the form of projectile vomit inside a stall that was thankfully, quite near the shop, none the wiser to anyone who would enter it.




CARTER QUIMORA
@LuckycoolHawk9
@Huntress
 
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