Black Fall - The IC Edition [Superhuman RP]

[The Ghost Note]

Saturday. December 12, 2015. 6:00 PM

Winter has come. Black Fall was coated in a white, sparkly, blanket of snow. It was well shoveled, it was kept off the streets of the city. The sidewalks, aside from some stuck pieces, were all clear and perfectly walk able. However, no one could escape the chilly winter winds. However, at the moment, there were small flurries of snow dropping, with signs that it's only going to pick up. It's already nighttime here in the city, daylight savings means the night comes quicker. It's recommended that everyone puts on a scarf or a jacket. However, this particular night was the night a special event was supposed to take place. The annual Black Fall Christmas Yacht Parade. Hosted in Arcadia Heights, Yachts, Sailboats, and more, of all sizes and shapes are dressed up in Christmas decorations and paraded up and down the Arcadia Heights water ways. People can watch, or be the ones partying on one of the many yachts.


Deborah, Jago, & Aisha "Newt" Termellio.

Toro y Moi - Say That

It was just a wonderful day for Deborah Termellio - and the rest of the Termellios actually. Deborah herself was pretty excited for what was going on today. The yacht parade! But the day waiting for it was just so boring. It was to the point where she was just sitting around playing music, hoping for time to pass. Not the best way to pass time if she had to say anything. Deborah tells everyone she likes the boats, but really, she was likes all the new faces that choose to show themselves there. Learning their stories and reasons for being there with just a look. Two people out on a date, families that love boats, and strange loners that just wanted to watch the boats. Deborah found herself being the silent observer that recorded these new faces. Just out of her own curiosity. But the time is almost here! Deborah was facing the mirror on her room, casually brushing her hair. The parade was about to start soon, and she didn't want to miss it. She was just about ready when...

"... You motherfucker! Why'd you touch that!?" Deborah's lovely younger sister shouted loud enough to be heard through the goddamn floors.

"I told you like twenty times! Don't put your lizard shit on my dresser!" ... Her brother replied just like Deborah expected him to do.

"It's not a fucking lizard you retard!" Her sister replied loudly (and crudely) as possible. "It's. A. Fucking. Sal-a-mander!"

Which was followed by a loud smash, followed by some more screaming and shouting - and more stuff breaking! Deborah jolted at the first smash. Before she rolled her eyes as she immediately got up from off her chair and rushed upstairs. For the love of God. Can't these two little brats keep their hands to themselves for one second? It annoyed the hell out of Deborah, but it looks like she's going to be the one to stop them. Once she got to their room, she all but kicked it down to see her two lovely younger-siblings at each other's throats - metaphorically. Jago was standing in the middle of the room with his palm pushed forward, a dark-purple transparent flim separating him from Newt... Whom was obviously invisible, or else Deborah would be staring right at her. Newt's muffed voice shouting all but confirmed something she was sure of. They didn't even notice Deborah, they continued their little fight with Newt pounding her fists on Jago's shield. Screaming swears and other insults at each other.

Okay, this had to stop right now. Deborah managed to guess where Newt was from the way she was shouting. She yanked her younger sister by her shoulder(?) and broke her concentration enough to get her to turn visible. Her bones, flesh, and skin quickly appeared in that order. Good, that was enough to get their attention. Which was enough for Deborah to act on them, "Hey, hey, hey! You two, act like you have some sense just for a minute!"

They both pointed at each other (With Jago dispelling the shield) and shouted at the same time,

"... She started it!"
"... He started it!"

This prompted yet another roll of her eyes. "I don't care who started it," She shook her head in sheer annoyance. "We have to...." Deborah's eyes peered towards her little sister and they immediately widened. "Newt! What the hell are you wearing!?" Her little sister was wearing an outfit that just won't fly. A skimpy yellow bikini, with fishnet stockings and platform boots - where did get that from - and going off the jeans and winter coat on the bed, she was going to wear this trashy outfit underneath them. Oh hell no. This ain't going to fly. "Change your damn clothes right now, little girl!" She demanded.

"Fine!" Newt immediately turned invisible (with the first thing disappearing being her skin) and the bikini and stocking dropped to the floor as she moved to the drawers and picked out a more 'conservative' outfit (Of black jeans, a yellow dress shirt, and socks - she was planning on wearing that winter coat) before closing the bathroom door behind her.

Deborah let out a sigh and turned towards Jago. Whom was more sensibly dressed in baggy jeans, and a jean jacket with a black t-shirt with a sugar skull on it. He had on tan work boots. Deborah and Jago engaged in a brief staredown as Jago raised an eyebrow - brushing some of his dreadlocks back. "... Whatchu' want?" He asked her.

"You ready?" Deborah quickly scrambled for an answer to avoid an awkward conversation.

"Yeah, yeah... Just gotta wait for Newt..."

"Good." Deborah said with a nod. Before turning her attention to her wild hair. "... Now can ya'll let me get ready?" She walked back downstairs to finish brushing her hair.


Shannon, & Blathnat "Sugar" Balore.

Parov Stelar - Hurt

Just another day in the city of Greed and Godhood... Shannon was largely different to the Yacht Parade. It's nothing but a clusterfuck of drunkards, rapists, rich people stroking their egos, and crooks searching for an easy target. And it smelled bad... And Shannon has a really sensitive nose. But Blathnat, Sugar, really liked the Parades. She always went their with her father like it was a tradition! While Shannon herself didn' like it after Sugar's accident, she wasn't sure if skipping it was such a great idea (It was selfish, even for her standards). Sugar liked it, and while it wouldn't be the same without her father, the most Shannon could do was take her. The ginger girl nodded her head as she did one roll call throughout her household. She stepped through it, one hallway at a time. O'Brien and Sean were fast asleep in one room, Cassidy was passed out on a sofa in another (The woman had taken heavy drinking since her husband was put into a coma). That just left little Blathnat. Whom was casually playing in the living room with her barbie doll house, her binder was placed at her side. The girl was wearing one of the red dresses Shannon made for her - Yeah, the one that had all the flowers embroided into it.

Shannon herself was wearing a flowing white dress with the night-sky expertly crafted onto it. With long black cowboy boots underneath it. Shannon walked over to Sugar and sat across from her eight year old fire-headed sister with her legs crossed. "Sugar," She started off, getting the young girl's attention, "Are you okay?"

Sugar raised her eyebrow as she turned towards her sister, it was hard with this prosthetic leg she has. "Mhm, Sir Reginald has been playing with me." She turned towards her invisible familiar - whom was sitting right besides her, facing Shannon. He was quiet.... He never speaks, but he understands.

Again with the imaginary friend... Shannon was certain that there was far more to this. She wasn't stupid, nor was she going to go the narrow road and dismiss like everyone else. Shannon narrowed her eyes at her younger sister. "Do you want to go to the parade?" She asked casually expecting a more excited response.

"Yes!" Shannon's theory was certainly correct. Sugar immediately jumped to her feet (which was surprising sans leg) with a wide smile on her face. "I was wondering when you'd ask!"

"Come with me, then I'll dr-" Fuck. She's afraid of cars... "I'll... uh... I'll walk you." Shannon walked out the front door, holding it open for Sugar.

Sugar nodded her head as she followed her sister out the door - while Sir Reginald tailed behind her.



Yacht Parade.

Black Lagoon - Let Me Know Your Name

Arcadia Heights was full of activity this night as many from all over came to see the Yacht Parade. Through Black Fall's waterways, there were boats of all types (That could fit in the rivers, of course). Some of the best boats in the East coast were here on full display. Populated with people who're either wealthy enough to party on them, or illustrious enough to get invited. Everyone else was watching from the harbor and streets. Traffic through the Arcadia Heights district was heavily regulated and diverted to other areas, as the streets were populated by people watching the show, or vendors attempting to sell food and other services. It's safe to say that the parade is a very popular.

Police and NEST are on scene to maintain a intimidating presence that'll scare off any criminals.


Deborah, Newt, & Jago Termellio.


"God dammit, I hate wearing a lot of clothes...." Newt quietly hissed under her breath as she walked alongside her twin brother and older sister. She stuck out her tongue as she looked around.

"What? Like lookin' like a hooker?" Jago teased.

"Shut up." Newt rolled her eyes as she blew a strand of hair. The real reason why she would rather dress lightly is because it's less effort on her part to use her powers - namely turning invisible. She wanted to do a little pick pocketing. Which is really hard when you're dressed up like, well, it's the middle of winter. Well, at least she could wear her trusty red scarf, tightly wrapped around her long neck. Which she shoved a finger under to scratch a certain itch.

Deborah, of course, was paying no attention to them. Her eyes were wandering around picking up on every activity and person that stuck out to her. The mother with her child (Actually her niece), the man smoking a cigarette in the corner (He's waiting for someone) and the family posing for a photo Tourists. Mhmm. She knows that these people have a story behind them and she must find them out.

"... Earth to Deborah, you there?" Newt said as she flashed a toothy grin. Looks like ol' Debby here is playing detective. That means it's time to plaaay! "Let's have some fun." Newt buried the sibling rivalry that fast. They found common ground when they could cause some trouble, and immediately lose it the second they caused all the trouble they could. Newt scanned the area, and saw a couple taking a photo with a boat in the background. A friend was holding up the camera... leaving a perfect window for the twins. Newt grabbed onto Jago's forearm and both of them faded away (with their skin disappearing first) into invisibility. They creeped behind the couple, and got into goofy, invisible, poses.

"Now everyone say cheese..." The camera-man said as he held the camera up.
"... CHEESE!" The twins both loudly shouted in unison as they became visible, revealing their prank to them. They were each on one side of the couple, holding one hand. Newt had one eye closed, her tongue out, and had two fingers up. Jago merely looked cocky as he flipped the camera the middle finger.

By the time they were noticed, the picture was already taken. The couple and their friend were staring at Newt and Jago as the twins walked away like a pair of impetuous brats. Laughing like maniacs. Newt even had the gall to taunt. "How about you take a picture, it'll - Oh wait! Hahahahahaha!"

"... God help those two..." Deborah nearly got a headache from that display. "No, God help me...."

 

[Danny]

"Hah! I beat you! I.Beat.You!" Lelia shoved her fist up in the air, a victory pose to seal her win. "You're so going with me, lazy bastard!"

"I promised…" Layne responded with a heavy sigh and lowered his head in defeat. An airsoft match had just ended with their team, The Bolts, having won. Layne came out with five 'kills' and Leila beat him by a single point, holding it steady at six. Every team was composed of fifteen members, so they both did very well but Layne promised his friend that if she beat him, he'd accompany her to the fair. He had no interest in going, rather spending his time playing video games but she had been saying that he needed more of a social life and insisted that he'd go out with her more often.

"Hey, don't be so sour! You might actually find prince charming!" She laughed, placing her equipment in her locker. They kept all of their things at the training centre which they returned to after every match. Carrying airsoft weapons and protective gear around would cause obvious problems and thus they kept all the equipment in one place. The fitting room was unisex and no one had expressed any objections so far.

"Uhm…" The boy blushed slightly and turned from Leila, slipping into his jeans. Prince charming? That came out of nowhere. Was she going to be matchmaker now? Layne really wasn't interested in finding a love interest, and certainly didn't want someone's help getting there. That spot in his mind and heart had already been filled by an unreachable goal and honestly, it felt good to know that it wouldn't ever go anywhere. It was a safety he clung to as he couldn't possibly get hurt by it. He wasn't going to blame Leila for trying to help, though. She was just that kind of girl. "I think I'm okay."

"Oh, come on! A sweet, pretty guy like you?" She reached over and pulled him into an embrace before letting go and patted him on the shoulder. Leila was much more muscular and taller than Layne, spending many hours at the gym. She was impressive indeed, having been an athlete for as long as she could remember. It was mostly because of her parents who threw her into the life of sports as soon as she could walk. Leila was a tall girl standing at 5'9" feet at sixteen years old. Her short brown hair was incredibly boyish and so was her choice of clothes which had her mistaken for a male at times.

"Thanks, Leila…but I think you should focus more on you." He pulled on a black sweater and finally slipped into his blue jacket. The cold outside easily seeped through his skin and gripped him with deathly chills. Needless to say, Layne hated the winter and even airsofting was a tedious chore in such a cold environment. Luckily, they had most battles indoors at wintertime.

"Alright, alright. I'll drop it." She raised her hands in truce, winking teasingly. "But I'm here when you need me."

"Always…" Layne replied, offering a soft and appreciative smile before they left the training centre and started down the road towards the fair. There was going to be a lot of people there and the thought of struggling through all those individuals wasn't very appetising. What if Cliff was there? What if Newt and Jago were there? "Wouldn't you…maybe wanna' go to the movies instead…?"

Stopping in her tracks, Leila turned to her friend and raised an eyebrow. The movies? She wasn't particularly impressed by the suggestion but chalked it down to social anxiety on Layne's part. "Look." She began, pulling him closer by the shoulder. "We'll be fine! There is nothing to worry about!"

"I know, it's just…" He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Nevermind, I'm just…overthinking it." It wasn't like Layne wouldn't enjoy the fair. He was sure that he'd have a lot of fun, but the thought of running into problems was always close by and he knew that he needed to discard such paranoia to enjoy himself. "You're right. We'll be fine." Perhaps uttering the words himself made it easier to believe and allowed for less paranoia.
After a short walk, the amount of people on the streets thickened and it was safe to assume that the two airsofters had reached the fair. "If they have a shooting competition, I can beat'ya again!" Leila laughed, cracking her knuckles.

"We'll see." Layne replied with a humble tune. The two of them were always competing but their strengths were different and worked well with the other. Layne was very accurate with his shots and had been given the spot of sniper in The Bolts while Leila was quick on her feet and a real survivalist, being a vicious front line assault. While that was all good, Layne knew all too well that he was back in 'reality' now, and he wasn't the warrior he was in the game. Here he was just Layne, weak little Layne. "Just uhm…don't run away too far…please?" The boy averted his eyes, blushing slightly.

"I'm not going anywhere! Stop being so worried, buddy." Leila reached over and patted her friend's shoulder as they walked into the thicket of people.

"Can we maybe…walk in the other direction…" Layne gulped, seeing a sudden prank happening in the distance. It was Newt and Jago, of all people. 'Thanks, fate.'

"But the boat I wanna' see is over there!" Leila responded.

"But….but…" Lowering his head, Layne eventually nodded. "Okay…"

 

[Allcure]

Nathan's room was filled with a curious whipping noise, interspersed with a steady, rhythmic thud as he whirled the skipping rope around him. He thought of little else as he finished his workout, already exhausted from the sleepless night he had just endured. He soldiered on though finishing his twenty minutes of skipping and collapsing on the bed breathing deeply. A glistening layer of sweat had formed across his brow which he wiped away with a semi clean towel before leaving his attic room to go take a shower.

It had been a month since the move to Black Fall and Nathan still had nothing to fill his days. His mother had managed to rent a small three floored house in Westgate for the two of them with the money she received from the various insurance companies after the accident. A house he had been locked up in for far too long. He refused return to school, knowing that the last few months he had missed meant that trying to catch up now would be futile. He had yet to look for a job either, he wanted to look at least presentable before he applied for any and his recent stint of insomnia ensured that that wasn't going to happen. He had heard about a small boxing gym in Arcadia Heights and though Nathan hadn't boxed for almost three months now he felt confident that he could slip back into it with ease. Anything to get out of the house

He arrived downstairs after his shower to find his mother already eating breakfast at the small dining table, only enough room for two. All the room they'd probably ever need now, Nate thought bitterly. Towelling off his hair as he walked in Nathan grabbed an apple off the counter and chewed it wordlessly. His mother was quietly sipping her own cup of coffee, Nathan couldn't help but notice the open bottle of whiskey by the kettle. He knew anything he said would provoke an argument, not to mention be extremely hypocritical, so he remained silent, finishing his apple without a word and leaving the room.

He returned to his room, throwing an old leather jacket over the hoody he was already wearing. Beneath that was a simple t-shirt. On his bottom half he wore a plain pair of jeans supported by a thick belt, thick socks and a pair of converse. Packing some gym clothes, his gloves, hand wrappings and gum shield into a duffel bag, he sung it over his shoulder and walked back down to the front door, pausing at the kitchen. His mother hadn't appeared to move, but a fresh cup of coffee sat in her hands and even more of the whiskey was missing. Nathan sighed and walked over to the front door, picking up his wallet, keys, lighter and cigarettes off of a small table by the door. Reaching into his jacket pockets he pulled out a grey beanie and a pair of fingerless gloves which he put on wordlessly before leaving the house, closing the door quietly behind him.

In the driveway sat a second hand Harley Davidson, shining a dull burgundy in the afternoon sun, a gift from his mother in hopes of helping the two recover, start over. It was brought with the same money they used to buy the house. Money that Nate wished they had never come into. He left the Harley in the driveway as he walked down the street.

He hadn't anticipated the crowds around Arcadia Heights, everywhere he looked he could see people in high spirits. It was impossible to walk in a straight line and he knew he'd never find the gym amid this chaos. It seemed to be some sort of holiday so he doubted it would even be open.

"Excuse me?" He spoke firmly tapping a nearby girl on the shoulder. "What's going on here?" He continued, gesturing to the crowds around them.

"Oh." She paused, noting clearly from his accent he was either new or a tourist. "It's the yacht parade, just a time for everyone to enjoy themselves." She gushed before chasing after a group of friends. Enjoy themselves? Nate mused. No he wouldn't allow himself that luxury, he didn't deserve it. But the thought of returning to the small apartment he was forced to call home haunted him, the sorrow and guilt… He couldn't face it. No it would be much better for everyone if he at least hung around for a bit. Who knows, he might come across something interesting, he thought, weaving his way deeper into the crowds.

 

[The Ghost Note]

Deborah, Jago, & Aisha "Newt" Termellio.


Now that was a funny prank. It may have left some people salty, but that was the point! Jago needed something to drink. Because he's always thirsty as he didn't know what. Thank God this place had some working vending machines. There was even one two steps away from him. The boy scurried his way over towards it, and took a little gander inside. There was everyone he could drink. Juice! Gatorade! Soda! Drinks, drinks, and more drinks! Hmmmm... He had money on him, but he could also use his telekinetic nonsense to grab him something. That might piss off NEST, but they can't see everything, can they? Well, he figured that he might as well find out. His right hand started glowing dark-purple as he eyeballed a bottle of Pepsi. He gestured for it to float upwards by raising a finger, and lo and behold, the thing started floating. But before he could snatch it, Big-Sister just had to notice something.

"Boy, don't. You. Dare." Deborah hissed through her teeth as her head turned straight towards Jago. For the love of God, this boy can't act like he has some sense for once? What if NEST saw him? They would cart their asses right into a Box and throw away the key.

Oh, geez. Looks like miss goody-two-shoes must not approve of his decision. Whatever, he halted his action and his hand stopped glowing. Jago was (begrudgingly) fine with simply ponying up the cash and moving on. He shoved a dollar and two quarters (Damn, why are these so damn expensive?) and got the soda anyway. The means didn't matter long as he got something to drink - though, he would have liked saving a little bit of money. He slid the bottle past his lips and started slurping down on it. Jago looked around the area. This place was pretty dead. Nothing but a bunch o' nobodies here. But, there were two familiar shapes heading right towards them. Wait a second...

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Jago said with a smirk. He intentionally spoke loudly enough to get the attention of Deborah and Newt. "It's little Layne." He followed it up with a small bout of laughter. The White-Boy barely deserved his respect. Layne was Egyptian and all that, and didn't look white, like, at all - but it's not about the color of your skin. True whiteness comes from within! Jago was surprised that he could bag a girl like Leila. She had a fly bod, and was just about as tall as Jago was! Sexy too. She was everything Layne is not - in fact she made him look like an underdeveloped gnome fetus just by standing next to him!

Upon seeing Layne, Newt had immediately burst into laughter as she walked over to him, throwing her head back and placing her palms against her stomach. Because this short little fuck is rich. She's taller than he is - in fact everyone is! God help his sex life because that willy must be like a noodle. "Whatchu' doing here, shortie?" She quickly said with a smirk, "Ain't it past your bedtime?"

The informative Secret Keeper, Deborah, was watching them from afar, picking up bits and pieces of information (Layne goes to the same school as them - they aren't on good terms). That explains a little bit - providing that little spark of context Deborah needed to go off of. She watched him (Shy, normally introverted, likely doesn't want to come over here) and the girl he came with (Close friends). The boy himself was a young, olive skinned (Possible African roots) and incredibly short - like wow, everyone here were shoulders above him. If it wasn't for his facial features (And her power), she would have pegged him for someone waaay younger. Well, she ought to introduce herself to him. Just to see what more her power can tell her about him.

Deborah elbowed her way into their conversation - literally, she pushed both Jago and Newt with her elbows as she walked up. "Heya!" She greeted them, "I'm Deborah and... you are?"

Both of her younger siblings gave her a narrow glare as they watched.


Shannon, & Blathnat "Sugar" Balore.


Ah, the good old yacht parade.

It was no different from last year's.

Didn't matter. Shannon was only here because of Sugar, and long as she was enjoying it, she would have to swallow that disdain for nearly everything just for one hour. Usually Sugar runs around like she took several hits of cocaine and heroine and then burns out like she was drunk. But something was off here... Even as she walked through Arcadia Heights with her younger sister in hand, she was... apathetic. Just walking with a blank face like nothing here excited her anymore. Shannon briefly wondered what was wrong here. Maybe it was the fact that she can't be here with her whole family was the problem. That was a shame, but a fact of life. Shannon wished O'Connor was up on his feet as much as anyone, he was the family's lifeblood-

"... Can you get me some cotton candy?" Sugar asked her, looking up at her big sister. The young girl had a taste for some cotton candy, or just anything sweet in general. Hell, there was a reason why she had that nickname (Other than the fact that her given name is weird). Because she's sweet as Sugar. But the point was that she had eyeballed a cotton candy cart.
Unfortunately, Shannon had to say no. "Sorry, Sugar, but I can't." The child needed to cut back on the sugared sweets - or she's going to be losing some of her toes. Plus, the fact that they're a little short on cash here. Everyone here inflates their prices on everything so that it's expensive as. She can't be spending willy nilly.

The young ginger-haired girl pouted with a quiet sigh of disappointment. It was like she could never have fun these days! It was bad enough Daddy was asleep... She wished that she could be here with him. But wait, she had another way of getting it. Sugar looked up to Sir Reginald, whom was hovering over the pair. Can you get me some cotton candy? Sure it was stealing, but... no one would get hurt, so it's okay. She nodded her head as Reginald began floating away towards the cart as Sugar watched as he grabbed a fluffy cone and came right back. It appeared as if it was simply floating towards her, due to Sir Reginald being invisible to all but Cerebral types. However, it wasn't completely subtle, a few people caught a glimpse of it as it flew into Sugar's hand... Including two lovely NEST Agents.

"Hey, wait, where'd you...?" Shannon asked Sugar with a raised eyebrow. At the corner of her eye she saw the two NEST Agents, all suited up in all black armor and visors like soldiers. They had their guns on full display. A rifle on the back, and a pistol at the hip. Aw, crap. She thought to herself as she bit her lip, eyes wide.

One agent pulled out this device that looked like a flashlight - Shannon recognized it as
a scanner. There's a chip in everyone, and they use these to show the information they have on Meta-humans (In addition to proof that they're registered, of course). "Ladies. Your wrists, please." He asked.

Shannon quickly stretched out her wrist, and flipped her whole hand over so that it was palm up, just like the agent had asked, and the Agent hovered the device over her. He paused for a second as the device showed their information.

SHANNON BALORE: ELEMENTAL-TYPE 6 - POSSESSES CONTROL OVER FABRICS AND OTHER LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS. OFFENSES: NONE. STATUS: SAFE.

"You too." The very same Agent said to Sugar, but she didn't put her wrist out - she was petrified. She had even dropped the cotton candy stolen for her. However, the Agent wasn't too patient - he simply grabbed her wrist and flipped it over to scan it.

BLATHNAT BALORE: CEREBRAL-TYPE 8 - POSSESSES AUTONOMOUS TELEKINESIS AND TELEPATHY. OFFENSES: NONE. STATUS: SAFE.

The Agent let go of Sugar's wrist and stood straight up. He looked right at Shannon. "You... Keep a closer eye on her." The Agent spoke sternly, his voice was muffled by the mask he had on. "We cannot tolerate thief during this event - but I am going to throw you slack since she is young and hasn't had a recorded offense before." He looked down at Sugar. "... But, if this happens again, I will have to write you up."

"Look officer, I'm sorry." Shannon said, shaking her head and tilting it. Praying to God that this doesn't backfire. "... Everything's just... ugh!"

 

[Dunruffle]

Lazlo briskly walked through the alleys with a wide smile on his face, it was his favorite event of the season and he could barely contain his excitement. While he did appreciate the yachts, Lazlo's excitement was for the almost limitless thieving opportunities that presented themselves during this event. Last year alone paid for two months worth of rent with a decent amount of spending cash left over. "Ah i love the winter air! So cold that everyone bundles up and focuses on keeping warm instead of watching their valuables." Lazlo muttered to himself happily as he walked up a wall and over the rooftop to walk down the other side of the building and join the crowded street on the opposite side. While his blatant use of powers garnered several inquisitive stares, Lazlo simply ignored them and made sure his fingerless gloves were snug and secure on his hands. While he would usually go without the gloves, having numb fingers due to the cold air would result in fumbles and mistakes.

Lazlo scanned the crowd with an experienced eye, while most of the people on the street were middle class it was the rich couples that rarely left their houses that Lazlo sought out. Seeing a man in a nice tuxedo with a matronly woman in a large fur coat on his arm Lazlo made his move. Discreetly stalking the two from a distance, Lazlo waited until they were crossing a crowded bridge then briskly walked up towards the woman. With a gentle nudge in passing to cover the feeling of his probing fingers Lazlo uttered a quick apology before breezing past the unaware couple. Waiting until he put some distance between the two Lazlo grinned and quickly rifled through the woman's purse, extracting her wallet, a jeweled brooch, and a high end cellphone. He then pocketed the items and dumped the ostentatious purse in a nearby trashcan. Lazlo chuckled and winked at a cute girl as he passed her, "tis the season to be jolly indeed."

Lazlo continued his one man crime spree in glee, pickpocketing golden pocket watch from a gentile old man walking hand in hand with his granddaughter, swiping a gold bracelet from a drunken party girl, and liberating several wallets from a group that was waiting in line to get on a yacht. Lazlo was practically skipping by the time he was walking down the street, his pockets heavy with ill-gotten loot. Stopping to grab a smoke, Lazlo was about to light his cigarette when he noticed two teenagers photobomb a couple's picture using invisibility. While Lazlo had more than enough in his pockets for a hefty payday, his greed got the better of him. While the couple and their friend were staring at the backs of the teenagers in shock, Lazlo went through their pockets one by one and quickly walked away whistling nonchalantly. Suddenly he heard the couple talking in loud upset voices. "Hey my phone is gone! Where is my wallet! It must have been those two kids!" While Lazlo could have easily walked away and left Newt and Jago be, he was a prankster and the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Taking out the phone and wallet that he stole from the couple, Lazlo passed between the two siblings with a gentle bump. Putting the phone in Jago's back pocket and the wallet in Newt's coat pocket. "Whoops,sorry guys." Flashing a smile at the two after his apology, Lazlo quickly walked on and disappeared into the crowd in front of them. After walking a bit Lazlo leaned against a wall and lit up a cigarette before looking around and smiling in satisfaction, "Damn I'm good."

 

[Danny]

Damn, he had been spotted and hell was knocking on the door. "Hey, guys…" Layne spoke quietly, doing his best to avoid their gaze. Looking into peoples eyes was a bit uncomfortable to begin with but these two were almost worse than Cliff. The main reason was the fact that they were a twin disaster, literally. A young woman stood besides them, a third set of eyes fixed on Layne. She was polite and spoke kindly, probably their big sister. Like them, she possessed dark skin and had similar features, so it was only natural to assume their family relation. Then again, was that shallow? Perhaps, but once she forced herself through the twins, she stretched out a hand and introduced herself as Deborah. It was honestly rather unexpected, and caught Layne off guard. He took a step back as she came closer but noticed how she had no ill intent. "Layne…Nice to meet you..." The boy responded and reached his hand forth after careful consideration. She was associated with these devils but she seemed like a better person, more mature. Hopefully she was an older sister, or a cousin or something.

"Jago and Newt…still picking on him? When does something get old with you two? Damn, give it a rest." Leila rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. Needless to say, she didn't like these two. She went to the same school as the three younger kids, but didn't meet them too often due to the years apart. Layne and Leila had started hanging out after they met that day at the shooting range but they vaguely recognised one another from the get go. It's hard to forget Layne after seeing him, though. He did stick out more than he wanted.

"It's okay, Leila…" Layne interrupted. "It's just…harmless…fun…" Layne was never a good lier and his words were obviously transparent.

"Harmless fun my a-.." The athletic girl snapped but stopped herself, turning to Deborah with a forced, yet polite smile. "Sorry…I'm Leila. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Deborah." While hot headed and vicious, Leila knew when to be respectable and snapping at the twins in front of their sister maybe wasn't the best idea. Besides, they were meta-humans and Leila wasn't stupid. Getting into a fight with them wouldn't be the best idea.

Layne knew that no matter what he or Leila said, the twins wouldn't leave him alone. You could look at it from any angle, but being 'Little Layne' got you bullied around some people and that was a sad truth he had accepted many years ago. Perhaps he'd grow taller at some point in the future but right now, Layne was just happy to know that some people liked him and he had a few friends. With these two in front of him though, he just wanted to disappear into his jacket but for once, he wore something that actually fit his frame. Seeing a NEST agent walk past him was enough to bring his thoughts back to reality and he felt a slight chill creeping up his spine. These armoured soldiers were an intimidating sight to say the least and made Cliff, Newt and Jago look like toddlers in comparison. NEST, they were the governments loaded gun and he sure didn't want to get on their bad side.

Speaking of bad sides, Layne clearly heard that someone had lost their cell phone and saw a man pass by Jago and Newt as an accusation was thrown. This could turn ugly...

 

[The Ghost Note]

Deborah, Jago, & Aisha "Newt" Termellio.

Pttf. Jago couldn't believe his eyes (but he found himself rolling them). Ms. Leila is suddenly standing up for White-boy over here? Unbelievable. If Layne can't fight his own battles, then that's his fault. "Wow..." Jago said cockily, as he put up one finger, a rather rude gesture for Leila to hold on a second. He unscrewed the top of his soda and took a rather long gulp, keeping that finger up the whole time. Delicious. When he was finished, he tightened it and smacked the top of his mouth with his tongue to savor the flavor. "He right, it's all in the name of good fun! Just chill..." He gave a smile that was supposed to anger her further. Because if Leila was worth anything to Jago, he would have maybe reacted differently. Maybe.

Well, wasn't this funny? Newt kept an impish grin on her face the whole time. Never flinching, and hell, never even blinking either. To unnerve them. She didn't say a word, but her body language was delightful enough to speak for her. This is going to be a fun time at the fair, isn't it? Though she broke her trance once she noticed that there was a bit of snow amassing in her hair. She ran her hands through them as she tried to brush the snow off.

Everyone here told Deborah a little bit about themselves - not in the direct way. To Deborah, people say more about themselves by being quiet, not saying what they mean. That said, Deborah noted that Layne was the quiet, reserved, type that gets picked on a lot, but takes it all in stride. She thought he was strong for having such an attitude - other kids would receive some mental scarring ... But how could she really know he doesn't? Either way, Deborah figured that she could, you know, help him out a little bit. It's the least she could do, since these two know better than to harass someone so small... and kinda cute, she had to say. Not in the endearing, but like a teddy bear.

"Layne," Deborah started off, "You're nice, you know that?" She started laughing, and got looks from both her younger siblings. "You don't have to worry about Jago and Newt causing you anymore trouble... Riiiight?" She threw glances towards both of them.

They both let out sighs and groaned in unison, "... Fine." Looks like Big-Sis ruined their fun again after all. If she told Mom and Dad, that could be the end of all those activities they love doing! While picking on the White-Boy was fun, they would rather continue their various skills.
"Good." Deborah nodded her head and turned back towards Layne. She was about to tell them that the twins were her younger siblings, but then some creep had to roll past and bump into them - (He's reverse pick-pocketing them) - and just like that Deborah's eyes widened. Deborah quickly looked at the couple they had pranked earlier, and heard them mention an accusation towards her younger siblings (They are missing their phones and wallets). Her eyes darted towards the man and her power managed to make the connection (He planted the stolen items on Jago and Newt, as a prank). Wait? What? As a joke? Does this guy know how people are these days? They could try to kill them over this! Or they could get busted by NEST. There were a lot of possible outcomes here, and Deborah saw them all. She couldn't even decide which one would be worse. Her head turned towards him.... He didn't even leave the scene - the asshole stuck around to see his handiwork. She balled her fists, and was about to say something to him, but she calmed herself and unclenched them. There was no need to cause a huge scene (Especially when he can easily deny all of this - it's the word of one Meta-human who could easily be trying to lie her way out). But she had to worry about what was at hand here.

But how the hell was she going to handle this? Going over there and trying to explain everything would be stupid, and a great way to get shot. She... Actually, the best thing to do right now would be leaving. "You two, no time to explain, but check your pockets." Deborah quickly ordered.

"Why?" Newt asked.

"Just do it!" Deborah snapped.

And so they did. They pulled out the offending items and both twisted their faces up, making a "Huh?" sound.

"Yo, we didn't snatch this." Jago said as he dropped the phone to the ground with zero fucks given.

"Right, I believe you, but I think we should go. Like now." Deborah started walking. "Nice meeting you, we'll have to do this again, but...." She stopped.

"Neat. I got a wallet." Newt said with a toothy grin as she looked inside. "What the fuck? There's no cash. Screw this!" She threw the wallet over her shoulder.

They quickly disappeared into a crowd.

 

[Danny]

If these were Deborah's true colours, she was a completely different person than Newt and Jago. Her assistance was greatly appreciated and Layne couldn't help but offer her a gentle smile, the first one so far, and nodded. "Thank you." He uttered, meeting her eyes with his own large orbs resting above his nose. His small stature naturally made his eyes look bigger than they would've if he was a larger individual and added to a 'cute' appearance, depending on who was judging.

"Oh, uh…bye." Leila raised her hand to wave at them as they hurriedly disappeared into the crowd because of the event that had taken place. Neither Layne nor Leila had picked up exactly what happened but judging from what the kids had said, someone had slipped something into their pockets which they hadn't stolen. Whoever did it had to have been a very talented, or skilled, thief. "Let's go before we're interrogated by NEST soldiers." Leila pulled the smaller boy along as she quickly moved away from the scene. This was to be expected to some extent. It was a fair with countless people roaming about. One or two of these individuals were bound to be full of ill intent. "Damn…" After they had picked up their pace, the two stopped a distance from the scene and found a less crowded area right next to a bench accompanied by a lamppost. "Well, that Deborah seems nice, doesn't she! Maybe Newt and Jago get their come-uppin's after the stunt that was just pulled." She laughed.

Despite everything, Layne didn't laugh at her joke. He stared at the ground for a moment before commenting, malice completely absent from his eyes. "It's true that I sometimes wish harm on people who pick on me but…" He sat down on the bench, placing his gloved hands together. "Dad always says that hatred and suffering goes hand in hand…Maybe Jago and Newt have a rough time." Honestly, how much better was Layne's coping device? Sure, he didn't harm anyone but he used tools meant for killing to shoot on targets when he wasn't engaging in the illusion of war. His compensation for weakness and being picked on was a reenactment of the very thing that ruined this world, so how much better was he? "I hope they'll be okay…"

"Aw, come on! They deserve to be caught by a NEST soldier and locked up!" Leila expressed a more zealous point of view. It was almost funny how different these two were. She was a fiery beast while Layne was calm and harmonic, given that he was a scaredy cat but still. "Bad childhood or not! No one has the right to treat people like that."

"Maybe one day they'll change." His father's teachings had been highly influential and rightly so. They had shaped Layne into what could be considered a wise kid and while he did wish ill on others at times, he tried to be the best person he could be. Of course he wanted a NEST soldier to beat the crap out of those two but where would that lead? Darkness does not dispel darkness and it wouldn't have given Layne any joy apart from a twisted, temporary satisfaction. He knew the difference between harmony and maleficent satisfaction and the latter was misguided as well as temporary.

"Why do you have to be so…Good!? Well, I'm sure if heaven exists, you have a 1st class ticket." Leila placed her hand at her hip and grinned at Layne. "I'll be in hell swimming in lava. Send me a post card once in a while, eh?"

"I don't believe in heaven." He got up from the bench and grinned back at the girl before taking a few steps away. The boat Leila wanted to see was in that direction and if she was still interested, they had nothing better to do. Though, with the event having taken place, Layne had a hard time getting Jago and Newt out of his mind. Why did they find it so amusing to pick on him? Their pasts could have been filled with misery and sorrow and perhaps brought them to this. Everyone has a reason for acting the way they do, after all. While bullied, Layne had a wonderful father who loved him unconditionally and always helped his son through life. Not everyone had that, and he was thankful to have been so lucky. "Wanna' see your boat?"

"Yupp!" Leila stretched and started towards her destination. "Come on!" Her long legs allowed for a quick stride and Layne had to practically jog to keep up.

 

[Peanut]

"Cheers!"
The cheer came from a group of women from the Red Wing Medical Centre. An eclectic group of doctors, nurses, technicians and one or two secretaries stood gathered in Arcadia Heights for their annual 'Girl's Night Out'. Somehow, and she still wasn't entirely sure how, but Rose Wells found herself in the midst of it all, nursing a glass of cheap champagne. She was dolled up to the nines, her brunette hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail and draped over one shoulder, make-up done expertly, a brand-new, low cut black dress that flattered her curves while remaining not entirely slutty, and a pair of four inch heels that were in constant danger of sending her toppling over and breaking her ankle.

"Beauty is painful, darling!" Her friend had chirruped earlier, brutally attacking her with a pair of tweezers. Knocking back her second glass of the night, Rose instead found herself highly uncomfortable rather than in agony. She shrugged internally -- there was nothing she could do, she had to fit in and show her face one in a while after all. There was another cheer, empty glasses were raised and an unfortunate, good-looking teenager just about got away with his dignity from a multitude of cougars. Poor thing, Rosie thought with a chuckle as he shot a terrified glance back at the group. He'd return; half of that group in particular were meta and couldn't resist luring a catch like that back eventually.

Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, and unconsciously she glanced over to catch a glimpse of a vaguely familiar red head in obvious distress. The memory of the little girl hit her like a lead brick.

It had been a pretty quiet night, and Rosie had ended up on the night shift. When news of a car crash came in, she herself had been slow to respond; the doctors here usually could cope with the worst of situations without her help. But seeing the bloody and battered body of Bláthnat Balore had triggered a reaction within the woman. She knew exactly how much blood the human body carried, but was still shocked that a little girl could lose so much... Saved by a mysterious stranger, it was a miracle she had survived, one of the paramedics had claimed. An angel, maybe. It was no miracle when Rose's abilities fed her back only one answer, when her blood manipulating abilities weren't enough. The unforgettable overwhelming feeling of despair when she realized there was only one way to save the girl's life. The doctors couldn't make the call so she did.

Leaving her colleagues behind, something drove her towards Sugar and her sister, named after the river... Shannon. She soon saw what, or rather who was causing the upset, setting her face into a frown as she approached. The last thing this kid needed was more stress from a NEST asshole.
"I'm sorry, but is there a problem here officer?" Rose called, her face serious. "You seem to be upsetting my patient, Miss Balore."

 

[The Ghost Note]

Shannon & Blathnat "Sugar" Balore.


"Ma'am," The soldier immediately turned to Rose and addressed her. "This child was just caught stealing using her abilities." He stared at her dead through his visors. "That is a serious problem, and it was my job to keep...." He trailed off, dragging out the last word of his sentence, looking to find the right words. "... them in line."

Shannon sighed. Another woman had appeared out of no where and started talking down to the NEST agents like she was some revolutionary. Shannon had it under control, when other people start getting involved... Wait.... "Ms. Wells?" It took a moment for Shannon to recognize her, but it was clear. This was the doctor at the Red Wing that saved Sugar's life. And she had to owe everything to her for that. Normally, Rose would have had a rather negative reception from Shannon, but after that... the ginger woman had warmed up to Rose for that.

In this situation, Sugar most likely wouldn't have noticed Ms. Wells approaching because... she messed up, and now she's going to get both of them in trouble. If it wasn't for Sir Reginald telepathically nudging her towards her nurse-friend, Rose would have gone ignored. Sugar looked up at the woman briefly, before hanging her head in shame. No, no, no. Why is she here? Of all moments? Sugar had gotten them in trouble, and now she's roped another person into it. "I-I'm... I'm... sorry."


Deborah, Jago, & Aisha "Newt" Termellio.


"Now what the hell that!?" Jago kicked some of the snow off his boots as he marched through the fair. That was so fucking confusing he didn't know what happened. Him, steal? No. He would never steal... Oh, well, he did try to take something out of the vending machine. But that wasn't the point. He wouldn't jack those morons shit. Wallets? Cell-phones? Bah. Nothing Jago would find worth stealing unless he thought it'd make for a funny prank. It was a set-up! They were trying to pin the thief on the poor black people for their crime - Who were they? The white man of course! "We ain't take shit!"

Deborah was asking herself that question. What was that man's damage? If she wasn't in such a rush to leave, she would give that man a piece of her mind. Hopefully that was the end of it. "Well... I didn't want to make a big deal about it...." Deborah trailed off, briefly wondering if telling them would be the best idea. Given how rowdy and rambunctious they acts sometimes. But they know that she knows more than anyone. "... That guy who bumped into you? He put them in your pockets...." She wondered what they would think.

"That motherfucker!" Newt immediately shouted - with no care for everyone around her, there were even children in earshot. Because that guy was a real motherfucker. No, matter fact, the real motherfucker. "I ought to go back there and slap his shit!" Who the hell pins two kids for his own crimes? A bitch, that's who. Well, whatever. Long as that motherfucker doesn't pull anything else, then it won't be his problem. Because that's what you get when you fuck with the Termellio twins. A problem! Two problems!

Expected reaction. Deborah merely sighed. "Don't worry about him." She said as she stopped and gave her sister a look - putting her hand on her hip. "That jackass is behind us, he ain't worth it."

"You right. He nothing but garbage." Jago looked at Deborah as he finished downing his soda. Well, looks like he's all out. Time to shine! He tossed the bottle towards the garbage can, and when it was about to miss he swiped his hand aside and telekinetically adjusted it's flight pattern so that it went inside the trash can. Scored! He smiled as he turned back towards his sisters. "Well, I'm bored. What we gonna next?"

That was a good point, what are the illustrious Termellios going to do next? Deborah looked around the area and hoped that there was something for them to do. They could watch the boats... Or better yet.... Deborah eyeballed a yacht at the harbor, and saw that one of them were letting people onto it. Not just the rich - Or, honestly, important - but anyone who was nearby. Those were pretty rare, well, they usually get filled up in a second, but in this case, it seemed to be just right.
"Let's get on that." Deborah said, valiantly marching over there with Jago and Newt in tow.

 

[Danny]

Layne was having a fun time with Leila but it was as he had expected. The boats didn't interest him in the slightest but as long as his friend wanted to stroll around, he felt obligated to accompany her. It would have been a really disrespectful move to up and leave, despite the cold and stinging chills. He breathed out and saw the mist escape from between his lips and floated away, disappearing as it did. "I wonder how much these things cost to make!" Leila exclaimed, happily analysing the boats. Her fascination of boats was completely new to Layne as they had never really talked about it, despite a friendship that had spanned a full year since she moved to Black Fall. "They're so big and prestigious. Can you imagine riding in one of these? The wind blowing through your hair, the feeling of freedom and just sunbathing in the middle of the ocean? God, it would be wonderful."

"It sounds nice…" Layne replied, barely even looking at the boat, but rather kept his eyes peeled for the countless people around him. Being this close to so many individuals was incredibly unnerving and he preferred not to get pick pocketed, which was why he kept his hands firmly in his pockets. It wouldn't be very hard for a pickpocket to force his wallet away, but the spectacle would be enough to gather attention to the scene, something no thief wanted.

"Hey, do you want some candy?" Leila continued, having shifted her attention back to Layne. It was honestly too cold to eat candy and apart from pickpockets, Layne kept his hands in his pockets to preserve warmth.

"Hotdogs?" He asked, noticing the stand further away. It had been a while since they'd eaten and while a hotdog out in the cold wasn't preferred, at least it was something warm that could even out the cold for a brief minute.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Leila rummaged through her shoulder bag after her wallet.

"A bit…" Needless to say, Layne didn't eat much and a single hotdog was enough to keep him going for several hours.

"Phew, I found it…" She sighed in relief once she found her wallet in her bag. "I thought I had been thieved…damn. I would need to gun someone down if that was the case!" Leila laughed but cleared her throat and kept her voice down once she saw a NEST soldier close by. It was never a good idea to talk about shooting people with the armoured force nearby. At least she wasn't a Meta-Human and that had to put her on a better standing with them from the get go.

"C'mon." Layne finished, heading towards the hotdog stand and bought himself a meal along with a hot drink. Leila followed his example and they both dropped down on a bench close by, finishing their food.

"Oh, look!" The girl motioned towards the yacht that seemed to be public access. Were they for real? "Wanna' get on?"

"Eh…" Again, boats didn't interest him.

"Awesome, come on!" Leila chuckled and grabbed her small friend's hand and pulled him along towards the boat. It seemed they were destined to meet once Layne and Leila ran into the twins again. For a big fair, it sure was small. "Oh, hello." Leila offered a wave towards Deborah, at least that woman had been polite.

"Hello." Layne repeated, it sounded forced but he couldn't deny that Deborah had made a good impression on him. She was nice, and while he didn't know her, she seemed like the one who had gotten every respectable cell in the Termellio family. Speaking of respectable, Layne did attempt to live up to that no matter if he was harassed by the person in question or not.

 

[Dunruffle]

Lazlo sighed in disappointment when the termillo twins discovered the stolen items in their pockets and promptly escaped the NEST soldiers. "Well damn i guess it just was not in the cards." Flicking the burning stub of his cigarette into the river, Lazlo quickly walked off to stash his ill-gotten goods. After hiding them away on a nearby rooftop in a plastic bag, Lazlo was back on the streets looking for entertainment. Fist he stopped at a hot dog stand to grab a bite to eat, then he stopped at a hat vendor and bought a beanie with a purple pom-pom on it. As he wandered around Lazlo clicked his tongue stud against his teeth while looking around.

Suddenly he stopped and smiled widely. "Well hot damn it looks likes this is my lucky day." Trotting over to the yacht that was letting people on he quickly got in line, chatting amicably with the people around him. But Lazlo was unaware that he had gotten in line behind the very same twins he had attempted to frame earlier.

 

[Allcure]

Nathan had to admit, the cheery atmosphere and grandiose show was cheering him up a bit, even if it was by making him forget. The abundance of fast food and smiling faces in the cold winter air ironically had a warming effect on him, even coaxing out the occasional smile when he made eye contact with a cute girl. He was also taking the opportunity to ogle at the NEST personal milling around. With gun laws being as they were back in the UK the NEST agents there were nothing more than glorified policemen. Here however, here they were truly intimidating. That wasn't all he kept his eyes out for however, he was fascinated at seeing the small actions of metas all around him. Again it was just so different from home where metas were treated with such a stigma.

They did kill your father, a dark thought reminded him, instantly killing him mood. Nathan looked down to the floor, trying to shake off the macabre feeling that had descended upon him. A distraction, that's what he needed, looking up frantically. A few hundred feet away he saw one of the yachts open to the public. Eager to take his mind off those dark thoughts he made his way towards it, joining the rapidly growing queue before climbing aboard.

 

[The Ghost Note]

Deborah, Jago, & Aisha "Newt" Termellio.


(Oh god dammit. I didn't describe the boat. Letme fix that.)

Sniff, sniff. Newt's acute nose picked up some scents of course. Even before she walked onto the boat, she could smell alcohol. The cheap kind every redneck with two red cents could get. All this alcohol would certainly interfere with her sense of smell. She rolled her eyes, she knew she wouldn't find any good liquor on this boat even if she tried. She rolled her eyes. Actually, she had to give this boat a nice long look. It was a massive boat, at least large enough to fit a massive crowd. It's open design was made to fit crowds too. Like... a party boat. The place where they were standing had tons of tables, and booths, all open enough for them to get around. Was this a normally restaurant boat or something? The boat was strung up with so much ugly-ass Christmas decorations that Newt thought their cheap ass Rudolf at the bow was going to vomit candy canes. Christmas lights, those green fuzzy things, candy canes were everywhere! Oh... During her little scan she eyeballed a bar. Counter was made out of a hard dark-brown hood, and behind it was some actually good alcohol! She was a little young to be drinking, but hell if hasn't tried it before.

That was the aesthetic, but what about the people here? Largely faceless. Most were drunk, but there were a few faces that stood out to Newt... Suddenly, she recognized a very familiar scent, even over the triad of smells here. It was hard to pinpoint, but that's why God gave her eyes! She turned towards Layne and Leila - Oh them? She was hoping they'd go someone and fuck off for the rest of the night, but they're certainly insistent on bothering the Termellios, aren't they? Newt rolled her eyes and pressed her thick lips together very tightly. A gesture to tell that her lips are sealed.

"Yo." Jago said to Layne casually. Well, because his hobbies have been threatened, maybe he'll try to give Layne a little bit of respect. Key word being try. Though, it looked like he was talking less to them and more of his big sister. Awwww, little Layne probably has the hots for his big sister. Jago could see it! But too bad Layne's richard is like a tiny ol' noodle. Heheh. But he wasn't going to say anything.

"Hey Layne! "Deborah personally didn't know what it was... but she always loved how she connected with people. Regardless of who they are. Maybe it was because of that power of hers, but she'd rather say it's a skill rather than a gift. Point being, there was a large gap between herself and Layne - the biggest one had to be age. But there was at least one similarity; they were both good hearts. "It's nice to see you again." She laughed quietly, using her hand to cup her mouth. "... Even though it was just a few minutes ago."

She caught a glance of Jago and Newt rolling their eyes in unison, but that only made her smirk.

 

[Danny]

It was almost a surprise not to be attacked by the twins as soon as Layne entered their vicinity. Judging from their body language, they liked him being there about as much as he liked their presence close to him. "You too." Layne offered a polite smile and nodded towards Deborah. Even though Leila did most of the talking, the Termellio family seemed to be mostly interested in Layne and kept their eyes on him.

"Find anything interesting?" Leila pitched in, asking the family if their journey through the fair had brought any fruit. Layne sure as hell knew that this was all a waste of time, but he stayed quiet about that and pretended to like it just a little bit more than he was, for Leila's sake. It was getting harder once on the boat, though. In there, he was forced to be even closer to other people and the stench of alcohol was overbearing. It was disgusting to say the least and since Layne had never had alcohol apart from having tasted it once, it was very powerful and alien. Back home, neither him nor his dad were interested in the like and needless to say, they had no alcohol in the fridge.

It was honestly becoming a bit much. The cold, the countless people around him and now alcohol? He really wanted to leave and was really close to telling Leila that this had gone over his limit. He knew that being a good friend involved doing things you didn't like at times but so far he had struggled and had been attacked by the Termellio twins. Sure, he had met their sister who seemed like a nice woman but one good thing rarely held up the myriad of bad additions. "I think…" Layne sighed, looking down. "I wanna' go home…" As usual, Layne spoke quietly, almost a whisper, but as he stood close to the others, all of them would clearly be able to hear him.

"Aw, are you okay, buddy?" Leila reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. She was somewhat of a big sister to Layne and felt a need to 'protect' him. You might call it self entitlement but it wasn't like Layne had anything against someone being there for him and standing up for him.

"Yeah…just…very cold." It was obvious that there was more to it but Leila wasn't going to push it. The Termellios would probably have a field day with Layne's 'weakness' but at this point, he didn't care. He was getting incredibly tired of the fair and the cold was starting to seriously get to him. "Sorry…" Layne's lack of tolerance for their current environment was a disappointment to him but in all honesty, he never wanted to come to begin with. All the while he spoke, he tried to avoid Jago and Newt's eyes, not wanting to look into their judgmental depths.

"Alright, can we just check out this boat and then we can leave?" Leila finished, patting Layne on his head playfully.

"Okay…" He liked her, a lot, but her patting him on the head was a little patronising. She didn't mean anything by it though, of course.

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Sarah woke up from her nap,sitting up and glancing around her currently darkened apartment. She yawned and stretched her arms, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She threw open the curtains of the window that were situated by her twin sized bed. Outside she could see other buildings and the hazy winter atmosphere. Down on the side walk below, she could see people walking, seemingly in one direction. Hmm, was there an event going on?
Sarah looked behind herself to see a her calender up on the wall. The image for this month was a group of women in fire man's pants and suspenders as well as skimpy sports bras posing in front of a fire truck. Ah, just the thing one of her old friends gave her in a teasing way. Sarah looked at today's date to see that she had used a purple inked pen to crudely scribble, "Yacht Parade."
She snapped her fingers to herself as if coming to a conclusion. Ah, the yacht parade! How could she forget it? Sarah liked to go to see the array of people as well as the boats, as she had a small fascination for such things.
Sarah swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up, throwing her black covers over her bed to make it a bit more presentable, not that anyone but her would see it. She walked over to her small closet and scanned its contents. She switched out her current outfit of loose sweatpants and a sports bra for dark blue jeans, her trusty black combat boots, and a long sleeved black v-neck shirt with a red and black hooded flannel buttoned up over it.
Then she made her process of brushing her teeth and fixing her layered brown hair. Next she placed all of her small silver piercings in their proper places on her ears. Then she stuffed her wallet in her pocket and slid on her black gloves to keep her hands warm.
Remembering she had to return a library book, she placed it in her small black backpack and slung one strap on her shoulder. Then she headed towards the door, grabbing a black beanie from where it had been left on her coffee table,and sliding it on before exiting.
Sarah walked down the stairs of the building two at a time until she pushed open a door on the main floor. The cool winter breeze met her face as the door behind her shut. Now she was in an alleyway that would lead to a sidewalk out front.
She paused in thought. Why witness such crowds of happy people as a shy girl when she could pose as a friendly dog? Well, of course this could also have many drawbacks, but it seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. After she made sure no one was looking, she closed her eyes and began to focus.
Her mind veiwed an image of a german shepherd with tan fur and a large black spot on its back. She imagined it with kind amber eyes and black, fluffy ears. Next thing she knew, she was a German Shepherd dog.
Smells and now louder sounds assaulted her new senses and made her head reel. Dizzy, she leaned against the brick of the apartment building alleyway as nausea overcame her. She leaned down and retched, dispelling a bit of water and bile.
Disgusted, but otherwise fine, Sarah slowly recovered and got used to her senses. She then walked forwards and out of the alleyway to the sidewalk. Now she walked along the pavement with her body lower to the ground in the classic German Shepherd gait. Her pelt provided some protection against the bitter chill outside.
As she walked by others, they would look curiously down at her, usually with a smile because, c'mon, dogs are cute. It was sort of odd to see a dog so determined looking, that's because it was actually an intelligent human with the ability to become a dog. The only complaint she had now was that the ice and snow residue on the pavement was cold on her paw pads.
Sarah made her way towards where the crowd was gathering and pushed her way through. She eventually paused as she caught sight of the river and all of the cool boats it held. Woah...
Sarah curiously walked though the crowd until she reached a spot that was less crowded and sat down, now looking at the boats in an interested way. She heard the laughter of others and smelled the damp atmosphere. Some others in the crowd laughed at her, as she was seemingly just a dog attending a parade.

 

[Dunruffle]

As Lazlo wandered around the boat he leaned against the railing and looked out over the water. He fumbled around in his jacket and pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. Flicking the lighter Lazlo cursed as he suddenly dropped the lighter into the dark water below. "well fucknuggets..." Looking around with the unlit cigarette hanging from his lips he walked over to the nearest group of people, not realizing it was the same people he had attempted to frame earlier. "hey, sorry to bother you all but do any of you have a light?"

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Sarah scented the air, smelling the salt of the water, various scents of people, and some food. She stood up and walked forwards, looking up from her lower dog vantage point. She received a few looks from the armored up NEST officers, making her fur stand on end. She decided she would not shift around them, maybe she could just pass off as a cute dog that wound up in a festival.
That's when Sarah scented another canine. Her upright ears swiveled a bit, alert. She heard a low growl and turned her head to one side. There were two regular city police officers with two German Shepherds on short leashes. They were growling at Sarah, who just looked and smelled like another German Shepherd.
The police officers didn't seem too thrilled to see a dog within the crowd, as street dogs could be troublesome and Sarah hadn't picked the most harmless breed of dog, but one of her favorites instead.
"I don't see a collar or liscence on this one."one officer said, peering down at Sarah, whose paws seemed frozen in place.
"Probably a feral one. We should chase it out, might cause trouble. Those dogs are sneaky bastards and I know well what they can do."the other replied, voice quite nasally and certaintly not happy.
Before Sarah could process the decision that was made, a boot was sent her way with the word, "Shoo!"
She flinched away and felt the air caused by the kick brush her fur with a whooshing sound. Sarah turned tail and ran as people jumped out of her path, feet scuttling on the frosty concrete of the pier. She heard barking behind her and soon the click of claws on a hard surface as the dogs behind her were released.
Sarah focused hard on the image of a grey hound and began to feel twinges as her body began to change. She skidded to turn as a head ache attacked her briefly. The dogs behind her growled, one yelping in suprise as its target had went from its own kind to a new breed with a new scent.
The crowd parted way with suprised shouts as the dogs barreled through the crowd, the now Grey Hound looking Sarah putting distance between herself and the two shepherd dogs.
Up ahead, she spotted one of the boats docked near with people lounging and drinking. The same yacht Deborah and the twins had boarded. She made a few more sharp turns in the thicker crowd and lost the barking police dogs behind her. She focused hard again, willing herself to shrink and change fur to become a Yorkshire Terrier, a fitting breed to not be thought twice about in a yacht with a few rich people in it. She sat down, head reeling a bit as her small nose began to bleed. She cringed as she licked it up with a small pink tongue. It wasn't a fun task, but she didn't want anyone to suspect something was off about the little dog. Well, not too many people bothered to look down and soon Sarah had to stand up and dodge the scuffling of feet.
Sarah didn't like hie small and frail she was, and that her vantage point was so low, but his was a more casual way of finding some safety. She padded towards the area where people were walking onto the boat, and weaved through legs carefully. Sarah walked onto the yacht, receiving a few looks and shouts at the crowd over who lost their precious lap dog. Sarah tried to stay out of sight as she walked around the deck of the boat, wondeirng what to do next.