Idlaide - The Rays of Fortune

[Heron]

The Ray behind her seemed to get warmer, the comforting heat seeping through her shirt to wrap around her. Yukiko buried her head in her hands, trying to think, before whispering, "Demeter." The ship rumbled, seemingly in agreement. Demeter, the goddess who went to all ends to protect her daughter, and keep her by her side. It seemed proper, somehow, and also the ship seemed to be trying to comfort her, a motherly-like thing to do.

Yukiko sniffled a little, then leaned her head back, resting against the ship and closing her eyes. The sobs had receded, but a few tears still slid down her cheeks.

 

[egglegg]

Elijah had always been taught to listen when someone was speaking to you, that it was very rude to do anything but. So as Max spoke he looked straight at him and gave the older man his full attention. He was afraid to miss any details and make himself look like a fool by not knowing what to do when the time came. It was reasuring at first to hear that not everyone was picked by the first Ray they tried, it would give him hope if he had to go through all of them only to realize that none of the Rays wanted him.

He waited patiently as he watched the others go up and be picked by their new Rays. It was certainly an encouraging sight. Although, the girl who was now crying was doing nothing to help his nerves. He took a deep breath, bit his lower lip and stepped forwards, approaching a Ray at random and sticking his hand in where he had been told to stick it earlier.

Elijah held his breath as he waited, about to pull his arm out when he felt a searing pain in his arm. He hissed out the air, doing his best to keep still as the Ray fastened the wristband to his arm. It took slightly longer than it had for the others and by the end of it he had tears in his eyes but still didn't scream out. He was always the type to suffer in silence. Finally when the pain had subsided he pulled his hand out slowly and cradled his arm for a moment, looking at the band now fused to his skin.

"I suppose I should name you now.," he murmured as he looked at the ship and touched the side of it gently "Augustine will do. We are connected now after all, practically twins." the new pilot gave a small laugh. He wasn't sure why he had thought to name it after his sister but it had just come to him. Perhaps he was missing her already.

 

[WhoopDau]

Greg was one of the last to try, which was what he wanted of course. By process of elimination, it should be easier to find his ray if he was actually chosen for one.

Finally stepping up, he breathed for a moment and braced himself for some pain. Sure he would look like an idiot if he wasn't chosen, but ultimately decided that it was just a consequence he would just deal with later. Taking his hand out to one of the rays, waiting a few seconds passed he would move on to the next. None of them responded. Rolling his eyes in submission, he was about to turn away but a burst of incredible pain stopped him from doing so. He had dropped his guard once he thought he wasn't going to be chosen, and silently cursed the ray for the late reaction. He only flinched in pain, but brushed it off after regaining his composure.

He was now wondering wether this was a good idea or not. Greg sighed before saying, "I'll name it Pluto." Maybe naming it after a god would give some good luck, particularly with riches and death.

 

[Quiet One]

Max saw that there wasn't much else he could do for Yukiko. If anyone could offer her comfort now, it would be her Ray, Demeter. They were surprisingly good at that.

He walked away and continued watching the others choose. He saw the next boy get chosen, impressed to see him stay silent through it all. His took longer, too, like his Ray was testing his inner strength. Max could picture sending him into tough situations with confidence. Another man stepped up, this one seeming in the beginning to be just as unlucky as Yukiko's brother. At the last Ray he'd chosen, Max shook his head, when suddenly it clamped around his wrist. Pluto had chosen him.

"Color next," he reminded those who hadn't customized their Rays yet. "We don't start real training until everyone here's set."

 

[WhoopDau]

Gregory looked up at his ray; it was now standing next to him. Or rather, hovering next to him. After giving some time to think about it, he ordered it to become darker except for the tip of its nose. After Pluto did so, Greg ordered it once more to make the tip brighter.

Soon Pluto was a shaded ray with a white glowing point. Greg did this on purpose, not because he was too lazy to think of some other design. He has hunted before, and came to learn that camouflage could actually really help you when stalking, and this was the probably the best he could do with the ray. He added the white in to alert the others that they shouldn't shoot.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Marissa had hung back, she wasn't in any rush to find "her" Ray. She knew what they said about Rays "choosing" their pilots, but she didn't care about that load of crap, because she was going to be a fantastic pilot and any Ray would be lucky to have her. She was just going to march up to a Ray, shove her hand in it and then that would be it. The Ray would then grow larger and stronger and bend completely to her iron will as she became one of the most successful Ray pilots in the universe. She had decided it, so it would happen. That was just how her life worked.

As the majority of the other Rays were taken by the other pilots, and one bystander, Marissa decided to just get it over with. She approached an unclaimed Ray on the left and stared down at it. This Ray was nothing special, and it was no different to any of the other Rays that were here, but she was going to make it her Ray, and that would make it special. Walking confidently, as she always did, Marissa approached the Ray, hearing its light hum, and forcefully shoved her left arm into it. She braced for a moment... and nothing happened. She pulled her arm out and shook it, before trying again, only to get the same result.

"Damn it, what's wrong with you?" asked the redhead, staring down at the unresponsive Ray. Its humming grew slightly louder, as Marissa turned and tried her right arm in the hole, getting the same non-reaction that she had received twice already. In frustration, she yelled out and kicked the Ray, "Work you worthless piece of crap! I picked you, so you're going to do what I tell you!" She growled and then kicked the Ray again, only to be rewarded with a face full of coolant from the Ray's anterior port for her efforts. Marissa staggered backwards and hissed, wiping the viscous orange fluid from her face and glaring down the Ray. She stomped forwards and swung for it, letting her temper get the better of her, only for the Ray to roll itself so that her fist went straight into its hole. The Ray then clamped down and Marissa felt a searing pain in her forearm before she even realised what was happening. Once the Ray released Marissa's arm she pulled it out, rubbing at the sore skin and the new piece of jewellery she found herself wearing, still glaring down at the ship. The Ray made a loud thrumming noise, managing to sound almost as if it was laughing, only for Marissa to shove at the front end of the ship.

The Ray dipped slightly with the pressure from the redhead's hand and as Marissa let go, she saw an orangey-yellow handprint left behind. Blinking curiously, she saw the colour spread out across the top of the Ray, gradually progressing to a deep red on the underside. "Huh," she scoffed, shaking her hand and still holding her wrist, "You look like a Tequila Sunrise. I could do with a strong drink right now."

The ship seemed to nod at the first comment, but shook when Marissa mentioned going for a drink. It dipped its wings to the left, and Marissa sighed, "Oh get over yourself. I know it's not noon yet, I'm not going to start drinking now. God." She turned around and slumped down onto the wing of the Ray as it hovered. "I guess I'll call you Tequila Sunrise anyway, since it seems to piss you off," she added with a smirk as her Ray gave a disapproving hum.

 

[Quiet One]

Max was suddenly alerted to one of the would-be pilots calling out one of the Rays. When she kicked it Idlaide behind him gave a deep, threatening hum. There was also a click from her, and Fouxet had to shake his head to keep her from firing. It wouldn't do to have blow any of them up, even this hothead.

Besides, the ship seemed to have things under control. It spat coolant at her, giving her attitude back. Max laughed at that. Then she swung at it and suddenly felt the bracelet wrap around her. Max actually was the only one not surprised at this exchange. The fact that the Ray had reacted to her at all was proof that they were meant for each other. Otherwise Tequila Sunrise would have just sat there and taken it.

"Well," he said. "Seems like you're a fighter, and so's your Ray. Try not to fight too much, you two. You'll need to work together. So...that everybody?"

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Marissa looked over at Max and gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Whatever. Shouldn't a teacher know how many pupils he has?"

She waved her hand in the direction of a long-haired gentleman that was currently without a Ray. "Maybe you can go and give him a nudge, instead of telling me stuff I already know?" Marissa heard a louder hum from Max's Ray and responded with a hiss of her own. "Keep moving," she hissed, before turning back to Tequila Sunrise and looking over the two-tone Ray. "God, I hope you're not going to be as pissy and judgmental as that one when you get bigger."

 

[Reaper Jack]

Max was suddenly alerted to one of the would-be pilots calling out one of the Rays. When she kicked it Idlaide behind him gave a deep, threatening hum. There was also a click from her, and Fouxet had to shake his head to keep her from firing. It wouldn't do to have blow any of them up, even this hothead.

Besides, the ship seemed to have things under control. It spat coolant at her, giving her attitude back. Max laughed at that. Then she swung at it and suddenly felt the bracelet wrap around her. Max actually was the only one not surprised at this exchange. The fact that the Ray had reacted to her at all was proof that they were meant for each other. Otherwise Tequila Sunrise would have just sat there and taken it.

"Well," he said. "Seems like you're a fighter, and so's your Ray. Try not to fight too much, you two. You'll need to work together. So...that everybody?"

A fairly deep, but somehow baroque, voice responded.

"No."

Jorik was then, the last of everyone. It didn't bother him in the slightest, it just told him that the last Ray to choose had waited specifically for him. He allowed himself a grin at that. Now, best not get too cocky with ourselves here. The grin faded fast, Jorik's features returning to their usual, more stern appearance. Stepping up to one of the few Rays remaining, he gazed across the hull, drinking in the sight of it; it looked much the same as the other had done. For now.

Moving forward and standing beside the ship, Jorik, brushed one hand against her; taking her in. Without warning, a sharp pain shot through Jorik's wrist, lasting a few moments, causing him to twist his face in a slight grimace. Once over, a silver wristband was evident in place of the pain, just as predicted. Smiling, Jorik patted the hull of the Ray lightly, letting it know about his approval, hoping to define their relationship somewhat.

"I think...you shall be...Freyja. Yes, that's a fitting name for you."

At those words Freyja's hull darkened, becoming a dark, aquatic green fading into black, the very edges and sharper outlining sections fading to a dark orange. Jorik mused a little at that. The colours of my deceased family...who knew? Stepping back, he nodded his head approvingly, happy with his new bond with Freyja.

 

[Quiet One]

Idlaide hummed again, and she gave a bunch of clicks and beeps. Max sighed and glared at her. "No, eight's not 'enough.'"

Another click.

"I don't care if she is being a bitch, we're not blowing her up!" he insisted. "Besides..." he turned to the high-strung redhead and smirked. "This could be fun."

The deep hum died down as she reluctantly agreed. Idlaide could sometimes be more aggressive than her pilot, but that was because of the motherly aspect of her. These little Rays were like children to her, and she didn't like anyone bullying them.

He watched as Jorik stepped forward and selected his Ray. A little disappointing that three still remained without pilots, but they'd wait. Forever if they had to.

"Okay. Now that's everyone."

 

[Daws Combine]

Wayne sighed and pulled his knife from the sheath on his waist. Small wonder it didn't stab me, when I fell. He thought. He looked around for the piece of wood he was carving earlier, frowning when he couldn't find it. Being born on Aguaceles to a poor family, wood was rather precious, to him. It was rare and expensive, making losing any a big problem. He looked up at Persona non Grata. "Yo. Did you take my wood?" The exhaust pipe by his head let our a burst of smoke, sending Wayne into a coughing fit. He was used to city smog, but ship smoke was something entirely unknown, to him. It was roughly three minutes before he recovered enough to speak. "Fine, fine. Hot damn, PG. Take it easy." PG..... that sounded good. Had a nice ring to it. An unusual and... rather strange ring, bit a ring, nonetheless. He sighed as he realized that his wood was lost, now. Damn the gods... that was shaping up to be a masterpiece. The stress of the situation was really playing into his knife work. Now all that effort was lost....

It was then that he spotted it. The half finished statue of a chickadee in flight sitting on the ground, covered in dirt. But the dirt wasn't the problem, right now. It was who his little birdie was resting by. Cynthia had rubbed Wayne the wrong way from the first time he saw her. She was clearly someone with money, which made Wayne cautious. She had practically shouted that she was a slave owner, which made Wayne angry. And, on top of all that, she was clearly a self-entitled, judgmental, prissy bitch. It was all Wayne could do not to stab her. But, for now, she was the Cerberus to his chickadee underworld. He was going to have to get past her to get what he wanted.

He gave a high pitched whistle in Cynthia's direction, waving at her with his knife hand. "Hey! Girl! There's a wooden chickadee at your feet, roughly 30 inches to your left. Can you pick it up and give it to me?"

 

[Orbital]

Trent was familiarizing himself with the intricate design of the ray. It all felt familiar. Axor seemed very alien and weird when he saw it, but as soon as he got the glorified wristwatch the Green and blue ship seemed oddly familiar. "Mind opening up?" He said to Axor. The ship complied and a hatch opened on the right side of the ray. He peered at the cockpit inside. An intricate array of controls, gauges and some stuff he didn't quite recognize were fitted around the pilots seat. "Awesome." He said before climbing into the cockpit.

 

[Quiet One]

Max watched Trent climb in and gestured to him, smiling.

"There. He's got the right idea. Everyone open your Rays up. Time for a quick flying lesson. We're not going far. Not yet. You'll notice the control panel's a bit...chaotic. That's because you haven't chosen a way to control your Ray yet. Some go with joysticks. Others choose handlebars or levers. The Ray will simplify itself for you, but the controls are usually straight forward. Go up to pull up, push forward for forward, etc."

Idlaide, however, had gotten so big that he couldn't just climb in the cockpit like they could. He had to go into an entrance in the back and climb his way up to the far roomier cockpit at the top of his beautiful Ray. He sat there and watched everyone else get in. "You're not to take off without me, and you will follow in formation!"

 

[Lyra Meiko]

While the orders were still being given to change the color of the chosen ray, Cynthia laid her palm on the nose of Vincent.

"Since you're mine now, we should be in uniform. I'm wearing black and white today, so do something nice like that." She said, her smirk still plastered on her face and a slight sneer in her voice. Vincent did as she said, turning horizontal stripes of black and white, almost looking like an inmate. She liked it.

"Wonderful!" she chirped as she clapped her hands together in delight. "You already have a good idea of how our relationship is going to work out." She was glad her ray was not much of a fighter at this point. Thoughts ran through her head about such things, until she was interrupted by a whistling sound. She looked over to see the source, and saw it was the man who had gone first. She listened to his request, and then looked over in the direction he noted.

"Hmm, you mean this?" She said as she reached over and picked up said item, holding it up as she stood up again, her hip jet out slightly to the side. At the moment she was being given orders, but she wasn't really interested, she could catch up in an instant. So she started boarding like everyone was being instructed, but kept her gaze locked on the one talking to her.

 

[Reaper Jack]

Jorik climbed up into Freyja's cockpit; she wasn't big, not yet. Though he found the cockpit to be both comfortable and ergonomic, closing Freyja's hatch above him. He hummed softly; it was an old, tragic tune, one his mother used to sing to him, though he couldn't remember the words, or even if, for that matter, if there were any words to begin with at all. All the same, he hummed it to Freyja still, just as his mother had once hummed it to him.

He looked about inside the cockpit as his throat hummed out the tune. Taking it all in, a number of instruments were all in various places; which he chose to use was up to him. He paused his humming for a moment to ask the ship a rhetorical question.

"What about you girl? What do you think I'm best suited to use?"

He wasn't sure how the Ray might respond; but her response was both fast and brought a smile to Jorik's face. Four pads raised themselves from the floor; two for his feet, and two for his hands; each was situated on the end of a long cylinder complete with a hood above each control panel. Designed in such a way that Jorik could insert his extremities under the hood and onto the panels both comfortably and efficiently. Each panel itself was a simple touch-plane, with those on his feet being able to be moved back and forward, and those on his hands being able to be moved sidewards, forwards, backwards and swivelled too, these were also slightly rounded, whereas those on his feet were flat.

"You are clever aren't you?"

The response this time was different, the ship warmed ever so slightly, like a child being told she'd done well. Jorik smiled...yes, they'd get along just perfectly.

 

[Quiet One]

Max watched as the last one to choose his Ray was the first to have his controls customized. The two were already getting along.

"That's good!" He called to them from Idlaide's cockpit. "Now to get off the ground. Don't try anything too fancy! Just hover at first."

He then saw Cynthia and Wayne, two of the first to select a Ray, talking about a wood - thing. "Hey! You two! In your ships and start them up!"

He sighed. A lot of them seemed slow to actually get in their Rays, despite how eager they'd been to find them. The only one who's reluctance Max could understand was Yukiko's. She hadn't come with the intent of getting a Ray, and Demeter had hurt during the bond. Her reluctance was understandable, and he wondered if he'd have to climb down to encourage her into her ship. And Cynthia - the rich bitch of Rivas. Of all of them he was most wary of her. Her upbringing could be an obstacle in the real world, and he'd have to be wary with her and Vincent. A completely submissive Ray was just as dangerous as a completely dominant pilot.

 

[Daws Combine]

"Yeah. Just.... Keep it with you. In one piece, preferably." He sighed as his Ray opened up for him, understanding what Max wanted them to do. Wayne climbed inside and sat down at the controls, looking over the layout, for a second. This was far too damn complicated. He had only ever driven the motorcycle that he had owned. He wasn't even sure how he felt about being in this thing on the ground, much less when it took off to the air. Why did he do this, again? Oh, yeah. Jail time. He brushed his hands over a few of the buttons and sighed. The very least they could do was put labels in these things. The only control elements that made any sense was a single stick that he assumed was the rudders, two small buttons shaped like arrows pointing up and down (Presumably the lift control), and a lever that even he could tell was the throttle. Why did they have all the other things? These three controls were obviously the most important ones and, in fact, might be the only ones he needed.

"Yo. PG. Could you do me a favor?" The sound of the engine starting rumbled throughout the cabin. Wayne smiled. "Great. I want you to limit this interface to only the things that make you move. Simplify the remaining controls and label them. English is preferable, but I can handle Portuguese, if you wanna be that way." The control panel shifted until only the stick, lever, and buttons remained. Small amounts of smoke rose from near the controls as black letters naming each for what it's function was. Wayne smiled again, running his hand along the chrome panel. He was starting to like this thing. He gripped the stick and placed his fingers on buttons. He would have to find a way to have this thing make more sense, to him. In whatever down time they got, he would huddle up with Persona non Grata and sort out controls, and the like.

 

[Orbital]

As Trent sat in the cockpit the controls changed around him, changing to meet his preferences. A throttle on the left, joystick between his legs with buttons controlling Axors armaments and pedals beneath his feet. The gauges and indicators moved to either side of the panel. A screen was displayed in the middle, showing feeds from cameras that viewed Axors 6, O,clock. "Aye captain." Trent said in a fake scottish accent. He looked out his window and watched the other pilots enter their rays.

 

[Lyra Meiko]

Cynthia analyzed the foreign object for a moment. She had seen things like this before, she had just never used one. She had an important public image to keep up, as she was almost a celebrity in the business world. Some people in her field splurged themselves with items like these and whatnot, and while did spoil herself, never with things like this. So, she simply slipped it into the zipper pocket of her jacket and zipped it up to make sure it would not fall out. It didn't have much worth to her, but she figured some interaction with the other pilots would be good for her. This was simply a key that fell into her hands.

Soon, she heard the repeated command of their teacher, and did what the rest were doing. She boarded into Vincent completely, and glanced around at her surroundings. All of the buttons and levers were so foreign to her. Back home, she never had to deal with driving or piloting anything. She had people to fret over those things for her, of course. I mean, she had a permit to drive a car, but she didn't earn it. It was bought. She sighed slightly under her breath, trying to analyze her situation. She assumed the rest would at least have half of an idea of what they were doing. She also sensed that their teacher wasn't going to aide her in this, or if he did, he would make fun of her before helping her. So, she needed to figure things out quickly.

It seemed Vincent could sense a bit of her distress, because some of the different buttons and levers started to glow. They lit up in different colors and pulses. One object would glow once, then a second twice, and a third three times. It seemed like he was trying to give her directions. It only took her moments to understand what he was trying to get across, and a look of relief came across her for a moment, before regaining her composure.

 

[WhoopDau]

Greg wanted to see how far his ray would follow his orders, so he gave it a simple command, "Come closer to the ground, will ya?" He had enough upper body strength to pull himself up because he was light, but still wanted to try anyways.

Pluto edged a few feet away from Gregory and slowly descended but not fully landing. Even a child would be able to climb on if it wanted.

Greg tried to ask it if it could go even lower, but all he got was a light jab to the gut. Making a small mental note of his findings. Finally getting inside the cockpit, he sat himself down and looked at the controls. My god, did they make him feel stupid. But that feeling vanished once Pluto readjusted the controls. He smiled at the nostalgia he felt once realizing what his ray had changed for him, though it's been a while since he had last flown a helicopter. Closing the hatch, opening the throttle and then pulling the collective control upwards gently.

He hovered Pluto where he was, of course he wasn't going to bother going forwards, the risk of him crashing into someone was high. And the fact that just because the controls were familiar, didn't entirely mean that it would be easy so he waited for further instructions.