The Variable Project

[jeshem]

Mordecai continued to eat silently, barely noticing June and Alexis and all but ignoring Eva and James. "You want to be part of this too, June?" he said without looking up. "Are you sure? Well, the more the merrier." He look up at Pytor after several more bites and his lips formed into a malicious smirk upon making eye contact. He sat up and stretched before looking at Alexis. "June has already decided to join, Alexis. Now either you jump in too," he said quietly while standing up. "Or step the fuck back."

While Eva continued to take Pytor's attention with her taunts, Mordecai straightened his jacket and placed a hand underneath the table. Several things happened at once from there. First, the table was flipped onto Pytor and June, covering them with scrambled eggs, sausages, and leftover breakfast. Second, the table was telekinetically sent forwards into Pytor and June. Third, using the table and food as a distraction, Mordecai quickly snatched his butter knife and tucked it up his jacket sleeve without notice.

"I'm asking for your attention, little pyro," he growled. He spread his arms out, hands open and empty. "Now where is it?"

 

[Vicious Radiance]

Almost immediately, the ripples of his chant were beginning to pass through the surrounding atmosphere, like the storm brewed by a flap of a butterfly's wing. Pure artistry in motion; he was absolutely loving it. A downright devilish grin spread across Blake's face, and his chanting trailed off, its desired effects more than achieved. Poor little Alexis was struggling to diffuse the building tension, but it was already far too late, Blake could tell. June was joining the fray as well, and... What was this? The poor sad puppy of a boy was trying to warn him away? Blake just turned that wicked, charming smile on him. "Like to see 'em try," he said with a wink and a click of his tongue. But June was already gone, headed to take his side by... Pyotr, of course. Blake couldn't understand for the life of him what they all saw in that guy.... Sure, he was awfully pretty, to be fair. But despite being holed up in here most of his life, Blake had seen enough to know that someone needed a whole lot more than pretty to be worth sticking around for.

His eyes brightened as Eva pointed towards him and the dominoes continued to fall, sending her a smile and a couple of finger-guns right back. Her next question surprised him, however, and he gave his long-haired head a shake. "Take sides? Nnnnaaaawwwww, you kiddin'? I'm here to watch." So saying, he leaned himself back, body gone lax and languid, moving only to pop dry cereal into his mouth like it was popcorn. "Feel free to join me whenever you want, y'know. View's great from here." He inclined his head, gesturing him over. It would be fun to have someone to watch and swap catty comments with... It would keep her out of the line of fire, too.

And then... It HAPPENED. Bacon and floppy eggs sailed through the air, the lunch table closest to Pyotr and June doing a magnificent midair pirouette. Blake felt as if he were watching it in slow motion, each detail of the beautiful chaos scintillating in his wide, joyful eyes. He downright howled with laughter, clapping his hands and stomping his feet in utter devilish delight. "Holy shit you didn't..."

 

[FieryCold]

Pyotr threw Eva a sulphurous glare before turning to Alexis. "Stay out of this," the Russian firmly warned. This was his version of kindness, for he had no desire to see the one person he considered friend in harm. June may be willing to stand by his side and fight, but Alexis looked like he would not be able to stomach the violence that was about to ensue. However, it was too late. The next thing Pyotr knew, the table was being hurled at them. He allowed himself a curse as he pushed Alexis aside. Egg splattered all over his clothes and some pieces of food got caught in his hair, but he did not let that distract him. Instead, he put all his attention on the table. The damned thing was just mere inches from his face when he managed to completely stop it. It hovered mid-air before Pyotr slammed the table against the opposing wall, so harshly the spindles all but buckled from the impact. The main goal was really to trap Mordecai, maybe scare him a little for what it was worth, perhaps even give him a bruise or two. Pyotr felt no sentiment for this man. The Russian's anger was almost murderous.

Pyotr willed the shattered remnants of glassware and plates to rise. They shuddered at Pyotr's feet before soaring in the space around him, orbiting his body so that anyone who would dare come close would get cut by the jagged pieces. Beads of sweat trickled from his temples as he concentrated. He was so focused on his work that he could not bring himself to respond to Mordecai's insults or Blake's amused remarks. Talking, at this point, was just a burden.

 

[Wryneck]

'I'll be fine,' Esme replied to Merci, still keeping his eyes on his book. 'I haven't had any incidents since that time, mind you.' Even in mind, Esme was as monotonous as ever. More than anything else, it seemed to portray a lack of emotional depth. He wasn't one who easily connected with anyone, nor was he one to even bother trying. Such things were illogical. Merci never wanted to argue the point for fear of him disconnecting even from her, but she disagreed with him on this. Interacting with others wasn't completely without point. It was just difficult for them was all.

For a majority of the event that transpired behind them, the two ignored their shenanigans. Merci stole a glance every now and then, slightly worried for their welfare. Esme, on the other hand, only paid enough attention to defend himself should he get caught up in the crossfire. 'They're at it really hard today...' she told him, to which Esme simply nodded. It worried her how their behaviors grew increasingly more reckless with each passing day. She could only blame it on the stresses of being in captivity though. Stockholm hadn't developed so easily for them. Maybe they would've been better off if it had.

"That's enough, that's enough!" James spoke out, making his way over towards Pyotr and the others. "Why can't you guys save this energy for training? Seriously..." After looking the group over, he sighed and motioned towards the table that was tossed around like a play thing just a moment ago. "Put that glass down, please, Pyotr. Eva, Mordecai. Both of you clean this mess up." He spoke firmly, but not in a condescending tone. He liked the group, but he could do without the daily commotion they caused due to their differences. It was all part of dealing with them though. His tolerance was the reason behind him still being their overseer after all these years. "It's almost time for training, so wrap it up."

Merci tugged at Esme's shirt at the announcement, and he, in turned, closed his book and rose from his seat, taking his plate with him. He wouldn't leave it to Merci to do everything for him. Not what he could do for himself, outside of making sure he ate properly. Merci took up her own plate, watching for a moment as the others straightened up the mess they'd made, albeit unhappily. Even though it was troublesome, some part of her wanted to smile. This was probably as close to a normal life as any of them would ever have within these walls. It wasn't so bad, so long as no one got hurt. 'Right?'

 

[Stray Shinku]

Alexis was more than happy that James finally intervened to stop the senseless fight between Pyotr and Mordecai. He sighed with relief, brushing off some flakes that landed on his hair after Mordecai literally flipped a damn table toward Pyotr. He clicked his tongue with annoyance and give a death glare to everyone involved in the fight, especially at Eva. That little brat was the one that triggered everything and Alexis knew it was all for her own amusement. He also couldn't believe that Blake also assisted her. "She adorable and all, but sometimes I just wish to throw her through a damn window," Alexis thought, kind of satisfied that James ordered her and Mordecai to clean the mess they did. He didn't comment either thought something about Mordecai because he knew that he would lose his temper. That rude and egocentric guy really made the monster inside of Alexis go out. That's why he always avoid any chance to interact or have something to do with him. He simply couldn't bear him.

Letting go a deep sigh to calm down, Alexis turned to his right to follow Esme and Merci, which stood up from their table to go to the Training Room. As he passed by June and Pyotr, Alexis kindly ruffled June's hair with a small smile. "I'm glad that you did your best to not get involved in that, June-kun," he told him before looking at Pyotr. He couldn't say the same thing to him, but he knows the only thing he did was defend himself. He even pushed Alexis aside when Mordecai launched the table at them to save him. Apparently, Pyotr may still be considering him as a friend after all. Chuckling happily, Alexis put his hands in his pockets and continued to walk without telling him something that Pyotr will probably deny without hesitation. "He should be more honest with himself," he thought while laughing in a low tone.

 

[Boss Megu]

June flinched as bits of egg hit his face and looked as Pyotr managed to send the table to the wall, wincing at the sound of the impact. The legs of the table breaking brought about a flash of unwanted memories; his mother screaming along side an image of a wall of covered in blood splatter, making him freeze in place. But it was gone as quickly as it came. "No one screamed..." he whispered, though he was certain that those near him could hear him. "Right. No one is screaming." He reassured himself and readied his stance, clutching his sketchbook tightly as he watched all the plates and glasses rise into the air with morbid fascination. 'This could get ugly really fast,' June thought to himself as he watched Pyotr's actions. Just as June was mentally ready to do something to ensure that Pyotr was defended in his murderous rage, James sliced himself through the action.

"That's enough, that's enough!" James told them, "Why can't you guys save this energy for training? Seriously..." June looked at him with detachment, rolling his eyes at their handler. He's raised them all this time, you'd think he'd know their quirks by now. "Put that glass down, please, Pyotr. Eva, Mordecai. Both of you clean this mess up." James instructed and June relaxed. Pyotr wasn't going to be left with the imp and the ...well, Mordecai, he needed no other description. "It's almost time for training, so wrap it up." James told everyone and June went to the next table and stole the napkin holder and walked back to Pyotr, offering the tissues to clean up the mess that was on them. Well, June looked to himself and shrugged. He wasn't all that dirty. There was just eggs on his clothes and his face, but it didn't look as bad as the one on Pyotr.

Alexis stopped by with a smile and to ruffle his hair, again. If June didn't know any better, he'd think that the half-Jap thought he was a puppy. 'Well,' June blinked, 'that may not be a far off description.' He stared as Alexis commended him, "I'm glad that you did your best to not get involved in that, June-kun," before he gave a look at Pyotr. Watching the other teen walk away, June scoffed, amused at Alexis' words than anything. He was going to get involved, one way or the other. "I just didn't get to do anything yet..." he muttered and shook his head, though part of him not joining in was because of that unwanted flashback. He shivered and quickly shook it off. It was neither here nor now.

June turned his way to the taller teen, looking up at him in question before looking down. He glanced at Eva and Mordecai and felt a sense of panic. He wouldn't put it past those two to start something...again. Glancing at Pyotr again, he shifted in place and glanced at the door that lead to the training room. "Pyotr..." he started softly, "Maybe we should head to the training room?" He asked as he put away the napkin holder, but not before he stole a few to wipe his face. "I mean, only if you want to? That is if you want to!" June exclaimed, not entirely sure why he saying things at all. Glancing at the imp and Mordecai, he looked back at Pyotr and looked down. "I mean, I'll wait if you need to change or...something," he ended up nearly whispering, embarrassed to have spoken at all. Scratching his neck, June shifted in place and narrowed his shoulders to himself. "I'll...j-just shut up now." He muttered with a wince as the two of them began to tread towards the training room. Smooth, June, smooth.

 

[Kit-n-Kat]

Eva turned to look at Blake, with her usual grin across her face. He did have a point, but Eva was far more active to just be a bystander. Blake was one of the people she actually bonded with, albeit through screwing with everyone else. It still was fun. She didn't have much time to react to what he said though, as the moment she received the expected death glare from Pyotr, There immediately was a table in the air. She jumped up to be crouching on her chair, right about to toss some eggs straight into the fray, with a more than satisfied grin on her face. Unfortunately for her, as she was about to stand on the chair, James intervened with his usual peace talks. "Ughh... Willl dooo..." The girl spoke, before quickly sitting back down properly and quickly eating what she could in the span of 15 seconds.

Figuring she wasn't that hungry at the moment anyways, and she'd need to eat after using her mental variable anyways, the girl stood up from her seat. For some odd, and completely unknown reason, Eva expected a death glare or at least 3 from those who had been behind Pyotr. 'What a surprise.' She thought to herself, before turning to face the three, June dragged Pyotr outside and towards the training room, along with the awkward Sweeden duo. While pacing backwards to return her plate, she shrugged to Alexis. "Oh cooooome on, what did I do? It's all in good fun, and I'm just an innocent little gi-" The girl cut herself off in laughter, gently tossing her plate on the return counter. "Sorry, I couldn't get that one out properly~" She stuck out her tongue, before returning to the scene. Telepathically balling up whatever was on the floor, she shook her head.

Adjusting her tie, she smiled to Blake and Mordecai. The girl tossed the ball of broken glass and assorted food into the trash, allotting the rest to Mordecai. "At least we've got two fun people around here. Thanks for playing." The 'imp' gave the two of them the same left handed, two fingered salute she gave to Merci earlier, before turning towards the walkway to the training room. "Hey, James, is that good enough? I really didn't throw anything." She asked their guide, turning around to be pacing backwards. She kinda wanted to just let everything fall into place, and let Mordecai take the table, though she was kind of afraid that he would drag her back into the room for avoiding responsibility. Which she didn't really do, she just wanted to avoid... Extra work. There we go.

 

[jeshem]

Mordecai didn't even bother moving out of the way of the table, taking the hit and riding the table all the way into the wall. The impact knocked some air out of him but he quickly recovered before bursting into laughter. "Getting warmer but still no burn!" he said as he pushed the table off of himself. He grabbed the table by the side and was about to make his move when James moved between the two fighting teens. "That's enough, that's enough!" James told them, "Why can't you guys save this energy for training? Seriously..." Mordecai clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Put that glass down, please, Pyotr. Eva, Mordecai. Both of you clean this mess up. It's almost time for training, so wrap it up."

The group slowly dispersed, leaving only Eva, Mordecai, and James. Eva quickly cleaned up her part of the mess but Mordecai stood silently, gripping the table so hard that his knuckles began to grow white. James looked up and sighed at the teen. "Come on, Mordecai-" The man was cut off as a wooden table, spinning like a blade saw, was flung inches past his head. The table slammed into the opposite wall, splintering with a terrific crash. The man looked back at Mordecai only to be met with the teen's glaire. Mordecai ground his teeth and forks and knives slowly began levitating into the air as murderous thoughts towards the one who interrupted his fun ran through Mordecai's mind. After several tense seconds, the teen's face shifted into a scowl. "Just as it was getting fun too," he grumbled, letting the utensils fall. He began walking out of the room.

"Mordecai, you can't go yet," James said in a warning tone. A fork levitated up to the man's face. All but one of the center prongs of the fork was bent downwards. "Fuck you."

===========================================================================================================================================

Mordecai splashed his face with cold water in order to force himself to calm down. He dried his hands and face and took off his jacket, catching the stolen butter knife as it fell out of his sleeve. He pulled the same sleeve up to reveal a long, red line on the underside of his arm. Hiding the knife in his jacket had allowed him to steal it but resulted in a large scratch. He'd have to sharpen it before it would be of any use to him. What he would need this knife for, he couldn't say but it was always nice to be prepared.

 

[FieryCold]

As expected, it had only been a minute into the scuffle when James finally intervened. "That's enough, that's enough! Why can't you guys save this energy for training?" Came the man's mildly exasperated cry. Pyotr did not respond. After all, he had only been trying to defend himself. "Put that glass down, please, Pyotr. Eva, Mordecai, both of you clean this mess up. It's almost time for training, so wrap it up." Eva reluctantly acceded to his request, but Mordecai looked about ready to murder James. Pyotr allowed himself a semi-triumphant look before carefully letting the broken pieces of glass and plates float to the nearest trash bin.

He did not even realize that June had left his side until the boy came sauntering back with a napkin holder between his palms. When June offered the napkins, Pyotr took them with some hesitance. It was then that Alexis approached them. He ruffled June's hair, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. "I'm glad that you did your best to not get involved in that, June-kun," he praised, before turning to Pyotr. Alexis did not say anything to him, though. Instead, he simply let a chuckle slide past his lips and walked away.

"What's he so happy about?" Pyotr murmured to himself at about the same time June muttered something under his breath. Having failed to catch June's words, the Russian curiously glanced at him but decided not to prod.

"Pyotr..." June began tentatively, "Maybe we should head to the training room? I mean, only if you want to? That is, if you want to!" He glanced over at Mordecai and Eva, then at Pyotr, then at his feet. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I mean, I'll wait if you need to change or... something." Pause. "I'll...j-just shut up now."

A small sigh escaped Pyotr's lips before he could stop himself. He didn't understand why June seemed so uncomfortable around him. In all honesty, it was making him slightly uncomfortable too. "It's fine. If I change now, it'll be a waste. I'll change right after training." He replied as he started for the door. He looked straight ahead as they walked to the training area. "Thanks for earlier. For the napkins... and everything," he stuttered awkwardly; his voice was so low he wasn't entirely sure June caught what he was saying. But he figured he owed June as much.

 

[Vicious Radiance]

Blake tensed as the shards of glass rose, ready to bolt from his seat, take action or flee, at a moment's notice. Thankfully the moment never came, James rushing over to break everything up before blood was spilled. Blake was fine with this, blood had never been his intention after all, and from his vantage point behind James he was able to pull faces without him noticing.

He returned Eva's grin with all the satisfaction of chaos well-caused, only to roll his eyes as James declared Pyotr was getting out of cleanup duty. Well, job almost well done, at least him having literal egg on his face had been hilarious, and his own contribution to the fight had gone completely unnoticed, just as planned. He was sneaky that way, or at least, he tried to be. (It wasn't like there weren't plenty of times he'd been caught, painting their scarlet marks across his record.)

They were all ordered to the training room, but Blake took his time, guzzling down the rest of his cereal before uncurling himself from the table, taking several long, slow strides to the training room. He returned Eva's adorable little salute, then pointed his little finger guns at her in what was swiftly becoming his signature. Then he was out the door, itching to get his hands on his variable again.

 

[Wryneck]

James watched over Eva and Mordecai from where he stood by the hall door, making sure that neither of them slacked off. Mordecai, of course, made sure to only do the bare minimum, and Eva wasn't trying to do her share either. He shook his head, but didn't say anything. There were some people that he supposed would never change. Once everyone was all cleaned up and ready to go, he turned towards the metal door that led to the training hall. There was a retina scanner next to it, that was set to only open the door when someone with authorization was scanned. Once the door was open, the motioned for the others to go in. "I'll be going to get your variables now, so just try to sit tight for now and not cause anymore trouble."

Once everyone was inside, the door closed behind them. The training hall was expansive; it was easily the largest room in the whole facility. There weren't any windows, but there were plenty of lights. Targets littered the room, some of them still displaying signs of damage from previous training sessions. There were also a number of dummies around, which were used for close range combat. Even though they'd been here for years, it was only recently that they were granted variables. Most of their time spent here was just training to get their powers under control. They were, for the most part, more than capable of keeping their own powers in check now, even if some of them were faced with side effects from extended use.

Merci took a seat beside Esme, who'd seated himself almost as soon as they entered the room. They couldn't do much in here until they had their variables, although hers and Pyotr's abilities weren't very useful for serious combat. She was able to detect where Psychokinesis signals were coming from, as well as translate various languages, while Pyotr was exceptional at understanding complex systems with ease, as though it came naturally to him. Because of their abilities, they mostly practiced with moving objects around. Even without physical variables, they could still serve as good distractions with normal objects.

 

[Stray Shinku]

As James left the Training Room to get everyone variables, Alexis looked around the place. He began to walk around with his hands on his waist. He has been here a lot of times but hasn't got accustomed to it yet. As he stood stopped in the middle of the room, flashbacks of his past training sessions appeared on his head. It all started a couple of days after he was brought here alongside the rest of the Variables. He could remember that time when he passed out after using his ability for the first time. His brain and body weren't accustomed to keeping his Psychokinesis for more than 6 minutes. He was able to last longer after keep training. Right now, he hit his milestone and is able to use his Psychokinesis for 25 minutes, but he will fall asleep if he uses it for more than that.

Everybody's training changed when James introduced them the variables, some kind of weapon that only they can use. Each of them has a different type and Alexis type Long-range Physical variable. Alexis remembered the first time he used the weapon and how he almost killed James when he suddenly lost the control on the variable. Right now, he can control the object at the perfection.

Sighing, Alexis looked down at his right hand and gripped it twice before crouching to pick a rock that was on the floor. Tossing it once on his hand, he stood up straight and made the rock levitate from his hand. He couldn't divide or shape it like the variable, but he could launch it toward anything. He looked over at a dummy that was a few steps away from him and bolted the rock toward him, doing a headshot. Not realizing he used to much power on that shot, the rock suddenly ricocheted toward him, but he quickly stopped it with some Telekinesis. "T-That was dangerous," he mumbled, stopping the Telekinesis and letting the rock drop back to the floor with a thud.