Hiding In The Crowd

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Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 9, 2021 0:11:03 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 9, 2021 0:11:03 GMT

Uncontrollable Accident

Psi would cross the street, moving quickly and blending in by simply crossing into the crowd. And course, he would feel a sharp pain in his arm and the side of his head - a sharp, pirecing headache. He'd let out a small grit, holding back a sigh with a grunt and leaning on a lamp-post.

With a sigh, he'd tried to catch his breath - holding his head with his other hand while he leaned against the post... And not really noticing as his power started lashing out agressively around him, using the lamp post as an outlet. Course, he felt all bent up inside - hurting physically...

So thats what happened to the lamp-post. It would twist, and bend and swirl around before crashing violent into the middle of the street - right on top of a car. Cars would stop as the lamp post blocked the road, and Psi would step back stumble back.

He'd slowly stumble back, coughing and pushing his way into the forming crowd. Hiding within it as he knew something like this, as much as it was an accident would draw attention. Quickly, he made his way into a thift store as people gathered around the accident. As much as he did regret doing that to someone, he was the perfect diversion while he snagged some new clothes.

((Bump and such.))

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Street Rat
Member

Posts: 150

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 9, 2021 1:11:13 GMT

Post by Street Rat on Dec 9, 2021 1:11:13 GMT

Cities were easy to get lost in. If you were already lost, though... well, cities weren't easy, but no where else was, either. Sometimes people just walked by. Sometimes that was the best thing that could happen.

The alleys were a city of their own, really. An intricate web of people, all fighting to survive, most of them not noticed by the rest of the world around them. The alleys were sometimes safe havens, but other times they were battlefields or death traps.

The girl in the alley did not mind the death traps. She was fairly familiar with the idea of death, after all. A mouse crouched on her shoulder, nuzzled up against her neck. Some days it whispered secrets in her ear, but today was a quiet day. Some days other things whispered secrets in her ear, but those days... those days were not quiet.

The girl didn't have a name. She'd had one once, but it was gone now, into the empty space, the devouring void. It hadn't eaten the universe, but it had eaten her name. Some days she cared about that. Today was not one of those days. If the people around here called her anything, it was Street Rat, from her tattered clothing, the mouse on her shoulder, the mice and rats that tended to follow her. One squeaked from the entrance to the alley, and the girl moved forward. There was a scream - not a person's scream, she knew the difference. A metal scream, cold and twisted. A lamp post fell on one of the cars, and she watched it happen with eyes too jaded to think about helping people any more.

The mouse said something about a boy. He was skulking around the alleys as well, though he wasn't someone that the mice and rats knew. The girl sent one of them to follow him. He was headed into a thrift store, maybe to buy something, maybe to steal it. She didn't like stealing, but sometimes the rats stole things for her. Rats were like that. Mice were kinder, but she couldn't always be kind, not any more.

Maybe the rats would steal her a hat this time. It was getting colder.

Last Edit: Dec 11, 2021 14:36:26 GMT by Street Rat

Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 9, 2021 15:06:18 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 9, 2021 15:06:18 GMT

Thift Store "Heist"

Psi would keep walking, avoiding the cameras of people with phones and moving into the thrift shop - letting out a sigh as he looked around. A tired place in the city that never sleeps. With a sigh, he’d start to walk around - sort’ve browsing the store as the staff walked up to the windows to see what was happening outside. The psyker, opportunistic as ever, would just raise his hand up to the counter as the staff were distracted… Taking advantage of their curiosity by cracking open the cash register slowly, and pulling some money towards him.

Was it stealing? Technically. But more importantly, it was survival. He needed that money for the clothes, and what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. As he snagged the money, and sneakily put the cash register back into place he’d keep browsing - unaware he might be watched by a rat who followed him.

Looking around the discarded clothes, he would roam - peering into jackets and looking at some boots, before letting out a sigh. None of these matched his style at all. Then again, what was his style? As much as he disliked the scientists before, he did like their shirts and tie looks - though he wished they looked a bit more rugged. You know, for style?

With a sigh, he’d look before finding an old looking smart shirt - creased and gray, it’s pearly white washed out with years of use. It’ll do. Then he found a rugged looking long coat, and a pair of jeans. For good measure, he got some old looking duty boots too; metal toe lining, probably some old workers boots but something he could use. He’d walk up to the counter, dropping some cash on the counter before just getting changed between the isles.

May as well walk out now, while everyone was focused on the car accident. In “new” clothes. After getting changed, he’d walk back towards the exit as one of the staff saw him leaving.

“Hey you should pay for-”

Psi would cut them off with a small cough, pointing towards the counter where the money lay. Then he would walk out, bandages still covering his hand but for the most part his arm covered up just in case he was recognised. He’d reach a hand in his pocket, pulling out some of the stolen cash and counting. Enough for a meal. He’d just squat somewhere tonight, it was NYC. Surely there were some places where he could crash.

Right?

Eitherway, he should find somewhere to lay low. He didn't know if anyone was watching him, but that store wasn't very out of sight. He mainly relied on the fact everyone was distracted, but very easily someone could have watched him steal from the store.

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Street Rat
Member

Posts: 150

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 9, 2021 17:11:27 GMT

Post by Street Rat on Dec 9, 2021 17:11:27 GMT

From what the girl could tell when the boy made it out of the store, he was pretty weird, but he didn't seem to be a superhero. Superheroes didn't steal stuff. That was a good sign, as far as the girl was concerned. She didn't like superheroes. He had some money, too. She knew that it was stolen. There had been a time in her life when that probably would have mattered. Now, though... well, now she knew that look. It was the one that was trying to figure out how much he had and what he could buy with it - what would be the most filling and keep him from being hungry for too long, and whether he could go somewhere that had places to sit down. Somewhere not too busy, so they wouldn't mind him taking up a table for a while, because any time out of the cold was better.

The girl remembered not knowing those things, once.

Her rat returned, dragging a ragged knit cap. There was a hole in it already, which probably meant it had been in the back room with all the other stuff the thrift store couldn't put out. The girl had learned about those back rooms. It was easier to... get things... from there. A hat that someone had donated rather than throwing it away themselves, and was just going to have to be thrown away by the employees instead. It was warm, though. She poked her finger through the hole, then put it on. Her hair felt odd under her fingers. It was mostly white, now. There was still some dark brown in it, from those times before, but things had changed. She had changed. The scars on her hands and arms and face proved it, didn't they? She might not remember everything, but the scars remembered what she didn't.

The boy probably shouldn't be waving money around. She could tell he was looking for somewhere to hide - she knew all about hiding, didn't she? She'd hidden herself away so well that no one could find her, and she'd forgotten who it was she didn't want to find her in the first place. They wouldn't, though. She couldn't even find herself.

She probably shouldn't talk to him. People weren't good, usually. But at least he wasn't a hero.

Her voice was rough, the way voices were when someone had been outside too long, with that lingering cough that probably hadn't quite gone away for months. "Hey." An invitation, from another alley. What was she supposed to say now? He'd probably noticed her. Being noticed wasn't good. "You should... hide that."

Last Edit: Dec 11, 2021 14:36:09 GMT by Street Rat

Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 10, 2021 3:34:23 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 10, 2021 3:34:23 GMT

The girl was right, Psi wasn’t a hero - but he wasn’t an ass either. After walking for a bit, he’d hear her, stopping and holding his cash out. The air around him when he stops was, still… And for a moment, dangerous. But once he saw her, his eyes softened and so did the tension around him. This girl didn’t mean any harm, he could tell by the advice he was given - another wanderer looking out for another or something of the sort.

“Oh. Don’t worry about me, I can look after myself. Thanks for the warning, though.”

He’d reply with a smile, before looking over her hat and clothes. The hole in her hat bothered him for a moment, before he just walked over slowly - stuffing the money into his pocket and just looking at the hat. It’ll be good practice to fix it, and to do something nice for someone. All this stealing, thieving and… Well, the lab was starting to spoil his thought train.

He’d hold out his hand, smiling and just pulling some thread from his jacket. He’d wrap the spare string around his finger - one missing string in an old jacket wouldn’t matter, and honestly he’d probably just steal another sooner or later.

“Let me fix that hat for you. Not gonna keep you warm with a hole through it.”

An offer that was just a random act of kindness, his arm would tremble gently in disgust. Seems the parasite didn’t like that he still had some humanity in him. He really didn’t give a damn, really. As he held out his hand, the girl could probably see his hastily bandaged arm, with an inky darkness under them - like he was severely burned, scarred deep on his arm. Really he covered it because it was a very identifiable trait of his, not like he was ashamed. And this girl seemed like she hid just like him.

He didn’t need to know why. But he’d help her at least for at least offering some words of wisdom.

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Street Rat
Member

Posts: 150

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 11, 2021 14:35:49 GMT

Post by Street Rat on Dec 11, 2021 14:35:49 GMT

The boy approached, and she stepped back instinctively, the sort of move of someone who's putting in enough distance that they can run if they need to. Her distrust of him was evident - not personal, not anything about this boy in particular, just a generalized distrust of anyone. Anything. The mouse on her shoulder twitched, and she raised a hand, covering it, fingers moving through the soft fur. It moved under her fingers, and something about the motion wasn't normal. A disjointed lurch, as if its body weren't fully connected the way it should have been, the back end pulling forward just a moment to late, like a somehow vaguely horrifying version of one of those slinky-dog toys that kids sometimes had.

She didn't care. She liked mice. Even the broken ones. Maybe especially the broken ones. She regarded his smile with the look of someone who'd been smiled at before, someone who knew that a smile usually meant someone wanted something, something that she didn't want. Even if they thought they were doing the right thing. Even if everyone else thought they were doing the right thing, too. Just because it was "right" didn't mean it was what someone wanted. Her eyes were wary, and when she turned her head to the side, the light caught the scarring on the side of her face, tight and eerily outlining the bone structure beneath, an illusionary corpse grin in response to his smile, though her own lips remained unmoved.

She considered his offer to fix her hat with more gravity than it likely warranted. She knew he was a thief, and she didn't want him to steal it - but on the other hand, if he had wanted to steal a hat, he could have done so in the store, and probably would have. Slowly, she removed it and handed it over, her gaze still watchful, wary. His arm was strange, quickly covered, with darkness bleeding out beneath. That was... comforting, in its own odd way. Horrible things were easier to fathom than people, sometimes.

"I don't... need help." I don't want help. She knew what happened when people tried to help, didn't she? Sometimes she did. Sometimes she didn't remember, just like all the other things she'd made herself forget to protect herself. People who offered to help just wanted to do what they thought was good for you. Not what you wanted.

That much, she remembered.

Last Edit: Dec 11, 2021 14:39:27 GMT by Street Rat

Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 11, 2021 19:19:16 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 11, 2021 19:19:16 GMT

“Never said you did.”

Psi would respond, looking at the girl and just… Pondering for a moment. The girl was scarred and for some reason it motivated him a bit more to help her. Seeing the scar reminded him of himself; how she was lurking in alleys like him too just helped that perception just a little bit more. Though it didn’t scare him, or even put him off a bit - despite looking so young his eyes looked old, like he’d seen the worst in people before. In truth, he had. But she didn’t know that. That distrust hit him not too long ago, till he realised that anyone who did want to harm him wouldn’t fair too well against his powers.

Was that a bad thing however? That he wasn’t scared because he knew people around him were weak?

With a small nod, he took the hat and looked at the string in his hand. He’d probably need more, and so he’d rip at the sleeve of his other arm - tearing it and just ripping threads from it suddenly. And then he held on to that hat, putting two fingers either side of the tear as he grabbed the threads from his sleeve. Psi wasn’t much of a thinker, he was a person who charged into his problems head on. It only hit him after that he’d probably need to fix the own hole in his sleeve now later, but that was a problem for later.

With a small sigh, he’d hold the threads against the hat; using his powers to thread them through like a needle. Quickly, and precisely, they would thread through the hat like a sewing machine, closing the hole quickly - a dim blue light surrounding the threads as he patched the hole using his powers. A skill he picked up, maintaining his clothes while on the trail here to NYC. After threading it once, he got another bundle of cloth from his sleeve and closed it over the threaded hole, before tightly wrapping it on; completely sealing it with patchwork. Not a clean job, but enough to keep the hat intact for a while.

After testing the patched hole by pinching it, he’d smile - it wouldn’t tear easily now. It would be enough to last a little while.

“There. That should last you a couple weeks. Cold nights aren’t fun, really.” That much was true, walking the road here was filled with those. Cold, frightful nights. “Don’t mention it. Names Psi.” He would say, holding the hat back out to her with a nod.

---

Cassidy
Senior Member

Posts: 516

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 12, 2021 6:47:24 GMT

Post by Cassidy on Dec 12, 2021 6:47:24 GMT

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Hiding Inside

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[attr="style","display:inline;font-size:110%;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-stroke: 0.7px;"]Location: New York City

Music:

Spider-Bite

[attr="style","font-family:'Impact';font-size:20px;text-shadow:2px 2px 1px #40cbde;margin-bottom:1%;"]A Little Help

A lamppost had fallen.

One might thing this was not a superhero's job to clean up necessarily. Superheroes saved people and stopped natural disasters and all that.

Yet superheroes or even heroes in general should have been more than that.

And, while it may not have been walking someone across a street or to their place or helping a cat from a tree, removing this lamppost safely from the road and placing it somewhere safe and out of the way on the sidewalk was something that was good to do. Not with any intention of a reward or being praised.

Just to help ease someone's day.

I looked at the car. It had been badly damaged from the hit. It would probably be best not to have anyone try and drive it.

Someone exited the car. A man, dressed for work by the look of it, and visibly cursing at what had happened.

That man knew only part of the story.

I knew all of it. The alien did too.

It was that guy, the one with the bandages and the strange arm. The arm that was lightly causing my sixth sense to react. Like it was something else. Something living.

There was no way, right?

The alien kept an eye on this person while I handled the wreck and everyone involved.

Afterwards, the alien notified me about the stolen money and the clothing. Something that had to be rectified.

I simply set more money on the table.

"Take it. You were scammed. This should cover it. Don't ask. I'll handle it. Alright?"

I stared at the girl manning the register before she nodded. I smiled and nodded as well.

"Good. Have a nice day. I like your shirt."

And I walked out.

Why was I so cavalier at this moment? Because my sixth sense could track this person. Whatever psychic output he was producing was noticeable to my own strange extrasensory perception, and it was not leaving anytime soon from what I could tell. It was too potent, too overwhelming and nauseating.

At least, that is what I would assume would be the case for another psychic metahuman. My sixth sense was more streamlined and refined, focusing distinctly on certain areas of the psychic medium, and it did that very well without issue. If I was a telepath or something similar, then I might have a headache and maybe a whole lot worse to go with it.

So I followed, keeping back and walking across rooftops and walls.

Until the young man stopped. He stopped for a girl.

One with white hair and a strand of brown with many rats around her. An odd number of them as well. Far too many to be natural.

Two metahumans?

And out on the streets. Alone. And quite possibly soon to become desperate or involved with the law if things went wrong. I had no idea about their abilities, about the damage they could cause if conflict broke out for whatever reason. The alien considered these things. The kids could become potential threats in the future, threats that needed to be nipped in the bud soon. And by soon, it meant right now.

There was always the options of taking them out right here before either knew of my presence.

While it was better to be safe than sorry and step in, that was not how I operated.

Besides, they were out in the cold with not a whole lot going for them. It would be cruel to do nothing, or cause them more trouble for the potential danger they may cause. Besides, helping people came in all shapes and sizes. A true measure of hero is being able to handle all those challenges reasonably and carefully and not be limited to one particular set of circumstances, right?

Assuming I did not mess this up.

So I leapt down at the entrance of the alley way, standing in the middle and keeping my distance. I gave a friendly wave and kept my arms where they could be seen. Nice and open body language and posture as I held my hands open.

I spoke.

"Um, hello? Hi. I'm Spider-Bite. I promise you two aren't in trouble."

That is just great. That is totally not how every time someone is in trouble sounds like at the beginning. Time for the next part of what I had to say.

"You both want food and maybe some warm coffee or hot chocolate? I'm buying. Honest."

Last Edit: Dec 12, 2021 23:06:13 GMT by Cassidy

Street Rat
Member

Posts: 150

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 12, 2021 14:12:48 GMT

Post by Street Rat on Dec 12, 2021 14:12:48 GMT

The boy twisted the hat up with little bits of string, tearing them from the jacket he'd stolen. Now the jacket had holes, of course. She wondered if he'd steal another one. He gave the hat back, though. She hadn't been sure he was going to. She took it in her hands, cautiously, probing at the hole that was no longer there.

And he gave her a name. Not really a true one, though, but it was something. The girl shivered, in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Psi." She repeated it, in a way that tugged an invisible string taut, not something seen or heard so much as felt, on a level that most people weren't even aware of, until suddenly they were. Usually that was too late, especially if it were a real name. "You shouldn't... give away your name. There are people that can... do things, with a name." Coupled with the odd feeling he'd had a moment ago when she'd spoken it, it was all too clear that this girl was quite possibly one of them.

Not that she cared to use it. "I don't... have a name. Not... any more." Her speech was stilted, little pauses in the wrong places. "I used to be... someone. Now I'm... just a street rat." She did smile a little at that, but there wasn't any joy in it. Maybe she would have said more, but suddenly there was someone else. A man, in a strange costume, his body language open and trying to be nonthreatening. The only people who had to use deliberate body language to show that they weren't threatening were people who thought they could be a threat.

He had a name-that-wasn't a name. She knew what that meant, too. She stepped back, farther into the alley, her expression gone from cautious to closed, not so much prepared to fight as prepared to run and hide. Her hand left the mouse at her shoulder and came forward in a warding gesture.

"No... no heroes." Her words invoked a greenish shimmer, a barrier between herself and the newcomer. The rats scurried away to hide, or... did something like a scurry. Skitter skitter skitter -lurch- skitter skitter skitter -lurch- It was somehow all wrong, and if someone spent a little more time looking at the rats, it would become evident why. Not all of them were precisely rats - or, at least, not entire rats. One was missing most of the right side of its body, another one dragged tiny decaying entrails behind it when it ran. A white shadow on the wall wasn't just a trick of light, but a creature that was no more than bone any more.

They were there, for a horrifying instant, and then they were gone, vanished into the cracks, leaving only the girl and the mouse on her shoulder - who, if any had the presence of mind to really look at it, was no less dead than the others.

"Heroes... ruin... everything."

Last Edit: Dec 12, 2021 14:14:08 GMT by Street Rat

Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 12, 2021 18:47:56 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 12, 2021 18:47:56 GMT

A name was a powerful thing, but Psi - or more likely Subject 16 - knew what their true name was. It wasn’t Psi, and it sure wasn’t 16. The darkness around his arm shivered too, crawling and shifting under the bandages; it was hard to see but it was moving, like a constant stream. When it shivered, it became obvious that it was moving now. Hard to see initially, but easy to watch now. That feeling of tugging would make him stop for a moment, before the parasite on his arm trembled - and then when the second wave came for him after she told him about what a name could do, it was subdued. A mental block that he himself wasn’t creating, but the thing on his arm was. A weak enough shield, enough to subdue the feeling of her saying his name but probably not enough to block out anything powerful; not while Psi himself was so calm.

“Strange. I use Psi as a cover. There’s people that would like to hurt me if I told them my real name.”

Then he listened, crossing his arms for a moment as he heard her speak. She… Didn’t have a name? Or did someone use hers against her, like she explained to him? He took note of her smile, before his own shifted into concern.

A man. Someone else. Spider-bite. His arm trembled and he would flinch in the sudden pain of it, before raising his arm towards the sudden newcomer; bandages unravelling slowly to reveal his arm all covered in inky, void darkness.

That person is just like us. Different. But like us. I do not know what it is, but he could be sent by those government spooks that took us away originally.

Psi would step back, looking at Spider-Bite with a stern look in his eyes and a dangerous aura around him. It was such a change, clearly he didn’t like any hero types as much as she did either.

“No offense, but not really my style to go off with people who might be my enemy the next. So I’d prefer to be left alone before anything bad happens between us.”

Despite his distrust and overwhelming urge to also run away, it wouldn’t help him at all. That… Damned Empath, or whatever he was. Alvis. Remembering his stupid statement forced Psi to at least act civil and not cause any issues right off the bat. A statement unwillingly imprinted in his head.

“I got money, so I don’t need any charity right this second.”

---

Cassidy
Senior Member

Posts: 516

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 12, 2021 22:01:27 GMT

Post by Cassidy on Dec 12, 2021 22:01:27 GMT

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[attr="style","font-family:'orbitron';font-size:300%;background-color:black;"]

[attr="style","color:transparent;display:inline;"].

Hiding Inside

[attr="style","color:transparent;display:inline;"].

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[attr="style","float:right;font-size:35%;padding-right:15px;font-family:'Jura';padding-top:5px;"]

[attr="style","display:inline;font-size:110%;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-stroke: 0.7px;"]Location: New York City

Music:

Spider-Bite

[attr="style","font-family:'Impact';font-size:20px;text-shadow:2px 2px 1px #40cbde;margin-bottom:1%;"]A Little Help

The girl was panicking. Not so much so as to run away, but enough to cause me to stumble a bit mentally.

What did she mean?

No heroes?

I know some people had a bad opinion of heroes in general, but there were always a good amount of good ones around, right? There had to be.

Or was I one of the few left that was in any way half-decent? Who tried to do good and right with everyone no matter what?

That was not the important question, only part of it. I knew my fair share of heroes who were jerks or narcissistic and greedy individuals as well as a few anti-heroes with no regard for anyone or casualties.

I could have thought this was another case of someone suffering from the consequences of a metahuman's actions or something similarly bad had happened.

But there was also the idea that maybe someone had gone out of their way to hurt here. The lenses on my mask widened to beyond their regular size, softening as I simply sat down, still holding my hands out.

"No heroes. Okay. Got it. I'm not a hero. I'm just a guy."

I willed the NanoSym to drop the suit to take on a more normal appearance. It fought me, resisting my mental commands. The rats were not natural and neither was that shield. The way it was summoned indicated more metahuman powers or even magic, considering barriers and wizards almost went hand-in-hand as much as metahumans and forcefields did. My sixth sense was reacting to it a little, leading me only slightly to the latter. Whatever the girl's powers were, she controlled small rodents that should have been dead or were undead. Nothing could survive and walk around like that. Not with that damaged of a body or completely lacking any organic muscle to perform such movements.

The symbiote wanted us to stay back, to observe. To get away. What if we were in the radius and her powers could decay and control us somehow?

However, my sixth sense had yet to inform me of any threat towards my person, neither accidentally or purposefully from any sort of meta power on the girl's part or from the young man with the psychic abilities.

Speaking of which, the alien shivered as it gazed at the boy's arm, raised towards us, covered in inky blackness. Was it a fellow NanoSym? No, the composition, texture, the look and the way it writhed, and everything else was just wrong and not quite correct or natural for a fellow NanoSym. Some type of goo this psychic manipulated? Or another creature of similar parasitic or symbiotic origin?

Even more reason for neither of us to drop our guard.

We're not here to make enemies. We're here to have them trust us and for us to help them. If I sense danger, then we deal with them then. Okay?

My suit shifted and changed as the symbiote receded everything but the gloves and mask of my original suit, revealing my normal civilian clothes underneath. Casual wear only accompanied

"I, uh, sorry. Did someone hurt you? A superhero? Police? I can find them and deal with them. Make sure they don't hurt you or anyone else again. I'd just need a description or a name. Is that what happened or . . . "

Then the boy spoke. I turned and tilted my head slightly in confusion.

"Why would I be your enemy? What? I'm sorry. I'm confused. If I wanted to be your enemy, I would have nailed you when you took the money from the register. Don't worry, I paid off what you took. Like I said, you're not in trouble. Neither of you."

I brought a hand to the back of my neck, rubbing it for a moment before releasing it.

"You got money, but does she? I'm just offering a free meal and some help. I sorta do this thing in Duskburg sometimes. Although I wasn't expecting to meet two metas at once. Haven't had that happen for awhile."

Just keep talking. Get familiar. Give out details about yourself without giving the whole secret identity thing away.

"You're outputting a lot of psychic energy. I can sense it, and I'm sure it's giving any telepath close enough to here a real migraine. You're lucky this is New York and not Millennium, or else I'm sure some sensors would have picked up on you and someone else would have found you."

I shrugged before I pointed to the two of them.

"And both of you are lucky you haven't gotten the attention of Legion or Mettle. Trust me. I'm the best guy there is around here. I honestly want to just help or talk or whatever you all are comfortable with. I just think I can bring a few ideas to the table you both might want to consider. I won't force you to stick around and listen."

I placed my hands on my lap.

"That's not how I roll. But I certainly don't think I'd sleep well knowing the two of you are still out on the streets during the winter and Christmas season. Y'know, season of giving and all that jazz."

And here's where I shut up.

Last Edit: Dec 13, 2021 19:43:29 GMT by Cassidy

Katpride
Senior Member

Where's your sense of whimsy?

Posts: 655

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 13, 2021 19:00:07 GMT

Post by Katpride on Dec 13, 2021 19:00:07 GMT

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A flash of light deposits a teenaged time-traveler at the far end of the alleyway. The light fades, and they’re left in the gloom, sitting on the ground with their back against the wall.

To anyone familiar with them, Lark looks a little worse for wear. When they glance up at their new surroundings, it’s clear that a fresh bruise is blooming on the side of their jaw. Their bulky loathing makes it impossible to tell if there are more injuries hidden elsewhere, but the way they hold themself speaks to a certain soreness.

That’s the last time they try to play hero, they swear. At some point they have to learn when to leave well enough alone.

Lark’s eyes settle on the tense standoff in front of them, and they freeze. They mistimed this, didn’t they? Ah, well, that can be remedied. “Don’t mind me.”

Another flash, and for a moment there are two Larks, one standing and one sitting. The standing one helps the other to their feet, and then the first disappears, traveling further down the timeline in search of a more suitable time to exist within this particular alleyway.

The remaining Lark seems briskly unaffected by the preceding events, the bruise on their face now faded, nearly gone as they grin at the other people in the alleyway. It isn’t the foolhardy grin of a hero or the satisfied smirk of a villain, just a kind of tired friendliness disguising something much sharper.

“What’s going on here?” They ask, alert eyes scanning the girl, the man, and the hero. Something tugs at their memory when they lay eyes on the spider-themed boy, but they don’t linger too long on him. The other two seem much more… Interesting.

“Is he bothering you?” Their gaze settles on the girl, glancing at the mouse on her shoulder with more curiosity than repulsion.

Lark | Spork | Adelyn | Venus

Street Rat
Member

Posts: 150

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 13, 2021 20:14:25 GMT

Post by Street Rat on Dec 13, 2021 20:14:25 GMT

It wasn't his real name. That was good. The girl had nodded a little at that, accepting it as fact. She was still glad she had said something. If he hadn't known... well, it could have gone badly. And he'd fixed the hat. That had to be worth something, even if it was only a few words.

But they weren't talking about that any more. They weren't talking much at all, because the hero had shown up. Psi pointed out that it wasn't really a good idea just to wander off with someone, which the girl found herself nodding along with. Psi understood. She could appreciate having someone understand, once in a while.

The hero didn't understand, but that was expected. He sat down to talk, and then he did it. He talked, and talked, and talked. That was familiar, too. That was what heroes did. The rats were gone now, and that was good. She wouldn't have liked if something happened to them, even if rats were replaceable. She supposed people were probably replaceable, too, but... she hadn't done that. It wasn't safe. That sort of thing drew attention, after all. Rats and mice were better. No one paid attention to them.

Another person arrived, and then... arrived again. And then was gone, except one remained. This was strange, but not necessarily a threat. This person was weird, but so was the Street Rat. So was Psi. She didn't know if the newcomer was a hero, but at least they asked first. Asked, and waited for answers.

Is he bothering you?

"Yes." Yes. Oh, yes. She made a little sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cough. "You just... want to help... so you feel better. Because it's... all about you." Because that was what heroes did, wasn't it? They gave people the help they thought they should have, whether people actually wanted it or not. They talked, and they never listened. They said here's what you need and not what do you need? They pushed their help on people and then they patted themselves on the back for what a good job they'd done, and they never looked back at the mess they'd caused, or they pretended it had never even happened.

"You don't... know me." That was the way she liked it. She didn't even know herself, not really. But that was also the way she liked it. And who was he, who thought he knew what she needed, when he didn't even ask? "Go away."

Dusty
Member

To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen.

Posts: 211

Hiding In The Crowd Dec 13, 2021 20:36:46 GMT

Post by Dusty on Dec 13, 2021 20:36:46 GMT

Of course he didn't understand it. Everything Street Rat said was true, every bit of it. And Psi would just shake his head, before just lowering his arm - unwrapping the bandages and taking off his jacket. Slowly, everyone could see how bad the parasite had took his arm, all the way up to his shoulder. It was like an inky darkness, being repelled back from his own physic influence. If he wasn't so strong, it would have probably taken him fully - and everyone here would have another issue. As he displayed his arm, he would raise it back up; palm facing Spider-Bite with a squint.

What are you doing? You're showing your weakness to him.

"This is what heroes mean, right here. People who think they're doing good but ultimately make things worse. And it's not even heroes too, agents and even the police; they all just get in the way, and the reason why I'm here. And I don't know about her, but I'd hedge my bets on it being the same for her."

Each word made Psi even angrier, and he would just clench his fist in annoyance - causing some of the pebbles and trash in the alleyway to float around him. He didn't care how much output he was making, if anyone had a problem with him he'd take them. Like he'd fight Cassidy if it came too it.

And then someone else arrived behind them, but Psi was too annoyed to care. They didn't seem like a hero, and they were checking to see if Street Rat was okay. All the psychic wanted was to be left alone, and Spider-Bite may have had good intentions but he was the polar opposite to Psi right now.

Maybe if he was in a different position, and different place he'd indulge the hero - but for now he wanted no heroic attention on him.

"Mettle? Legion? Whoever they are, I'd take them on - I'm done being at the whims of self proclaimed heroes and the whims of others. And I won't take the help from someone who might end up helping the ones who did this to me."

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