trafix

rissa

the clairvoyant pterodactyl
Original poster
VENGEANCE
DONATING MEMBER
MYTHICAL MEMBER
NEVER NORMAL
TRAFIX




JANUARY 1ST 2022​


At five-forty-five am the intercoms wailed their morning songs, rousing the sleeping members of Macintosh’s squad. For ten minutes straight the song continued, ending only when everyone had gotten out of their bunks and began readying themselves for the day. Mac’s voice came out of the intercom shortly thereafter, warning them all not to be late for breakfast and their daily briefing at seven-fifteen. As members of the squad showered or shaved, stretched or slumped, dressed to the nines or simply decided their pajamas were enough, the chefs in the kitchen were whipping up a fine meal.

Though different scents wafted throughout the island estate, nothing was as strong or as mouthwatering than the smell of fried bacon. When the team arrived in the kitchen, the long bench-like table sported a hefty dip in the center, sagging under the weight of food. A variety of fresh fruit were sliced, quartered, and displayed at either end, as were platters of hotcakes, sausages, potatoes in three different styles (hash browns, homefries, and drowned in butter and herbs), eggs in every style imaginable, pastries, bagels with whatever toppings desired, as well as muffins, milkshakes, coffee, and tea. It was a normal fare for breakfast at Macintosh’s. The only difference between today and yesterday, was the lone balloon tied to a serving platter that held a certain someone’s favorite food.

Macintosh was sitting at his normal spot in the middle of the table, already eating handfuls of bacon and sipping his usual black coffee. He greeted everyone as they arrived with a somewhat sleepy grunt. Per usual, Macintosh said little as the team had their morning conversations and their fill of food. When everyone was finished, however, he stood, cup of coffee in his hand, and spoke to the group as a whole.

“Mornin’ all,” He said without hesitation, “And happy birthday, Vinno.”

He waited a moment, to ensure everyone had the opportunity to wish happy birthday, and then continued.

“We’ll be doing basic training runs today— short and to the point. Once you get through the obstacle course, you’re free to spend the rest of the day at your leisure. Nathan and his subteam will be going first. Riya’s team will go after.” He spared a moment to read all their faces, take another sip of coffee, and then, “Nathan and his team will take care of decorations after their run— meanwhile, team two should focus on finishing any schoolwork left undone for the week.”

Thirty minutes later Nathan and his team were dressed in their training uniforms and about to start the obstacle course. Each course was different in layout, but each tested and trained the same thing: there was running, jumping, scaling, and climbing, and even reactionary impulses. When the course was through, Macintosh asked each to perform something they’d been privately practicing in front of everyone— Nathan being the last to go.

All in all, it lasted about three and a half hours. They were given an hour to freshen up and change before receiving instructions on how to decorate before it was time for the next team to meet in the Sims Training Center. In similar fashion, Riya’s subteam were put through an obstacle course they’ve never been through before and then told to perform something power related in front of everyone.

By then, it was nearing four o’clock and team one was finishing the last of their decorating. Once team two was freshed, they were ushered back into the commons and the kitchen by an intercom message from Macintosh.
“It ain’t often we got somethin’ to celebrate, but today we do. Come on down to the commons and help us celebrate Vinno’s nineteenth birthday!”

The commons itself was bedecked with streamers and balloons and a small stack of birthday presents were piled on the coffee table, which was covered with a shiny red tablecloth. The kitchen was once again alive, the chefs, different from the morning shift, were already preparing a variety of different foods, though snacks lined the table. The head chef stood at Macintosh’s side, awaiting Vinno’s birthday dinner request, while Macintosh himself stood in front of a towering three tiered cake, lit with nineteen candles.

“Happy birthday, Vinno.” Mac said with a rare smile.

“Yeah!” River said from across the room, emptying her lungs into a party blower, her eyes lit with excitement and joy.


 
The Calm Before the Storm

PSX_20200625_213654.jpg

Kevin frowned up at the ceiling, ignoring the building anxiety that the musical routine brought him. Time to get up. Time to move. Things to get done. His limbs were difficult to move, however, and even raising his hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes was a chore. But he did, and with even greater effort, he sat up. His lungs seized in response, and he loosed a barrage of phlegm into his shirt sleeve. The fit over, he forced himself to stand, grumbling at the effort, and began the next stage in his daily, tedious routine: becoming presentable.

An hour and a half was more than a reasonable amount of time for anyone of reasonable health. Kevin had to tap some of his Investure to make it in time, though he stopped as soon as he felt River's subliminal boost. He had to pause, as he nearly did every time he can into her range, and just breathe. Just be. His limbs no longer ached so badly. His chest didn't hurt any more. And he could breathe. Times were, he'd think of her in angelic terms, for the relief her simple presence gave him. Far from romantic, but rather, like a weary farmer relaxing in a hot shower after a long day. He felt at ease around her, like a trusted friend, and her soft and honest manner just made him want to keep her safe all the more.

Even if that meant being closer to Macintosh.

Even after leaving the meeting, having received his team's assignments with everyone else, he still glowered into his coffee cup. Though he stared at the mathematics textbook, the numbers and formulas dancing on the page in a pattern he couldn't follow, his mind wandered, seeking as ever it did now for justification for his continued involvement. But an accidental spill of the as yet still hot coffee onto his hand brought him back, and muttering a curse to himself, he shook his head and tried to focus.

The obstacle course was a refreshing change of pace. While Kevin was slow academically, his 'enhancement' allowed him to excel in the field. A simple tap of Investure, and he gained the strength and agility of a collegiate athlete, leaping and spinning and climbing as naturally as any Olympian. Nor did he race ahead, always ensuring that the others of Riya's team got through just fine. But then came the demonstration. He focused his Investure, brow furrowed and sweat beading rapidly on his temples, as he channeled it into only the forefinger and thumb of his right hand. Picking up a small stone, he cupped it in his forefinger, aimed it, and launched it with his thumb. The pebble rocketed forward, splitting a wooden training dummy six inches down from the top. Demonstration over, he released his power and nearly dropped; it was the first time he'd been successful at it, and that much focus had wiped him temporarily. With help, he made it back to the dorms.

But Mac wasn't finished with them. Kevin shuffled back into the Commons, again feeling that relief from weakness. At the sight of the cake, his expression similarly rose, and he clapped Vinno on the back.

"For real, man. Happy birthday."

Smiling, he dropped a small box on the table beside the cake, carefully wrapped in brown paper, before falling back onto the nearby couch. It wasn't often they got to have a bit of levity.

@Cresion Breezes
 
Last edited:
neostone.regular.png

@everyone (featuring a lil cameo by @rissa)

Raini had lost her grip on the distinction between early bird and night owl a long time ago.

In an isolated palace with an alarm that rang true at five forty five every day, her body knew the schedule whether or not she had slept the night before. Raini was sure that even in the deepest slumber that song would rouse her awake, her brain so accustomed to the tune, but this time it didn’t get the chance, since she wasn’t asleep to begin with.

Did three am constitute a very late night or extremely early morning? Either way, it was her favorite time. A stillness hung in the air that made her feel alone in a way that wasn’t lonely, just her and her thoughts and whatever music she played or whatever craft she busied her hands with. Nothing else existed at three am until suddenly it went right to five forty five and the day started.

By then she was on autopilot. Shower, brush teeth, change clothes. Trying to get used to the face in the mirror as the light of day crept in. Raini pulled her hair into its signature one-sided braid and then tugged at her cheeks, the dark circles ever present. Resisting the urge to pick at every minute bump on her forehead, she threw on a knit sweater of her own design over her athletic wear and focused on wrapping up Vinno’s present.

There was always a surprising amount of elegance to Raini’s gifts, in contrast to her crude mouth. Wrapping in brown craft paper was a crocheted cardigan, black and gray with a boxy fit to easily mesh with Vinno’s androgyny. It was packaged with a delicate bow of twine and no other marker that signified it was from her. Raini always packaged her presents like this, and it was obvious enough who’s it was once they opened it.

With the gift left on her desk to be brought out later on, Raini exited her room only to travel a short distance to River’s door. After three short raps on the wood, she entered.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Raini said, gently but firmly as she pulled River’s blanket off of her half asleep form.

River shivered, cold air waking her more than the wailing alarms ever could. She groaned slightly, though it sounded more like a soft squeal, and cracked a sleep filled eye. Raini. She smiled, a broad sleepy grin overcoming her face.

"G'mornin' Raini," River said in a sleep filled voice.

A snort escaped Raini. River was a literal kitten; every squeak, yawn and stretch sounded like a mewl, and it never failed to make the tenseness in her shoulders slip away with ease. "Up, up. You're gonna be late." She huffed, though a brightness still played on her lips as she drummed once more on the door as she slipped out.

“M’not gunna be late,” River cooed, quite literally dragging herself out of bed and towards her bathroom.

“Tch,” Raini retorted as she left the room, “We’ll see.”

Despite the extravagant breakfast that was always laid out for them, Raini generally kept to the same foods. Though it was easy to get lost in the indulgent array, she tried not to let herself be entirely swallowed by the spoils that Macintosh gave them to make up for whatever the hell was their life. A few pieces of bacon, scrambled eggs, some hash browns, and her ever present mug of coffee filled to the brim. It was strange, to sit at the breakfast table with their captor… their controller. But Raini had done it for many years even before Macintosh had swept them away, so it felt almost familiar to glower at her food as if it were her enemy just to avoid eye contact.

With breakfast finished announcements laid out, off to training they went. Raini performed every task coldly and calcutively - she trained intensely, as if the battle were there, and when it came her turn to display a new trick, her precision was clear. First, her familiar orange glow blinked into existence as she twisted her forcefield around her body, creating a skin-tight suit that allowed all attacks from the SIM to ricochet effortlessly. This move wasn’t new; she used this suit often on missions. It was what came next. Shards ripped themselves from her shield on her forearms, shoulders, and legs, all amassing in a deadly formation in front of her, ends razor sharp. With a menacing flick of the wrist, her teeth clenched with concentration, the hundred pieces of forcefield were flung to the other side of the room at an alarming speed, embedding themselves in the target. Even when the shards disappeared the puncture wounds remained.

And then just like that she was hanging up streamers for a party, as if their entire existence wasn’t centered around hunting to kill, or rather, sending their targets to worse fates. With the dawn of a new year Raini’s resentment resurfaced, jaw tight as she placed her gift on that shiny red table, fully prepared for it to be cast aside as most of her gifts usually were. She wasn’t sure why she put effort into anything anymore. The people surrounding her didn’t care to perfect anything like she did. But a deep part of her feared that if she ever stopped trying, she would find it impossibly hard to crawl out of bed in the morning. The only reason she kept going…

Raini’s gaze trailed to River, who’s eyes were alight with excitement and reflecting the flickering of the birthday candles. Her shoulders drooped.

“Happy birthday.” She murmured in no particular direction, desperately waiting for a moment to exit to present itself. She hated these stupid parties.
 
No one liked an alarm at 5:45am but discipline formed habits and Riya was already awake and rolling out of bed by the time it went off.

By 5:50am, Riya was at a desk she'd 'purchased' years ago, set against the bay window overlooking the ocean. Still yawning, she ran a hand through her tangled, thick black hair and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. And then she got to work on the text in front of her; 'MCAT Physics and Math Review, 3rd Edition' from her Princeton Review MCAT Subject Review Box Set. A year ago, she'd finally stopped ignoring her dreams and gotten back to work. Life in the compound took care of the morning run she used to do, so now these precious minutes before the day started were some of her best studying time.

By 6:50am, her own alarm went off marking the time and Riya stuck a bookmark in the text before making use of the full bath to shower up and get changed. She was down at the kitchen with five minutes to spare, and killed the time picking out a bagel, coffee and a selection of fresh fruit. Her usual seat was next to Macintosh; not that she liked him but someone had to sit there and if it was her, it wouldn't be a teammate.

At Mac's mention of Vinno's birthday, a rare smile graced Riya's face and she added her "Happy birthday!" to the mix.

The news of basic training runs wasn't exactly surprising, though one never knew what their boss had planned. The option to finish up schoolwork was a welcome one and she gave Mac a brief nod to show she appreciated the opportunity.

@Red Thunder @Sairento @Rouge Rogue @Cresion Breezes
Once breakfast was over, as people got up to get on with the day, Riya circled up her team with a familiar circular motion of one finger. "Hey, looks like we've got the morning to kill. Mac's idea is a good one. Let's get anything we've got due done so our heads are clear for training this afternoon...and so we can focus on Vin and her party without thinking about deadlines. As always, if anyone needs a study buddy, hit me up." It was common knowledge that Riya was the only one of them to have actually gone to college before her kidnapping, and anyone who'd studied with her in the past was well aware she was a good tutor.

__________________________________________________________________

For the afternoon training course, Riya approached the course with her typical single-minded ferocity. She didn't finish first, of course. She never did. Her focus was on pacing with anyone who lagged in one particular phase of the course or another, hitting the challenges with them and taking mental notes of what they might need to work on. The responsibility of leading a squad. Riya didn't particularly appreciate the way her role made her another level of coercion in this system Macintosh oversaw but she couldn't argue with the results.

They were all still alive. And she planned to keep them that way until she found a way out.

At the end, Kevin, Justine, Cyril and Vinno each got an encouraging pat on the shoulder or a hug depending on comfort, and they all got smiles as she praised them for specific things they'd done well. Praise in public, critique in private. She didn't know where she'd read that but the message stuck with her and it was one she put into practice wherever possible.

__________________________________________________________________

By the time everyone showered up and headed down for the birthday, Riya had her still damp hair pulled back into a pony tail to keep it out of her face. The decorations made her nod in satisfaction. Vin wasn't the easiest girl to get to know, even after all this time, but she was a teammate and she deserved a nice party. Honestly, Macintosh's taste for things like birthdays were nice-to-have, things their captors certainly didn't have to provide.

So when River blew enthusiastically into a party blower, Riya picked up one and blew as well!
 
TREMAINE


Cold wooden planks sent a shock through Tremaine's skin. It helped to stir him some; his eyes heavy with sleep, he had all but rolled from the bed to the floor, and the quick transition from warm to cool shook some fog from his head. The sooner, the better - he had things to do today. His limbs moved mechanically: one hand sloppily shoved an earbud into his ear, and the other scrolled through the playlists on his iPod until he found the right one. He glanced blearily at the time.

5:44. He pressed "Shuffle" on the playlist and tossed the iPod off to the side.

“Laaaa laa la la, wait ‘til I get my money right.”

The beat dropped in Tremaine’s left ear, and the alarm blared in his right.

His arms tensed. With a grunt, the young man lowered himself to the ground, nose barely brushing against the wood before he raised up again. It was his daily routine: he liked to start the day cracking even before their set time to wake. It was that macho mindset of his, but what exactly he achieved by doing so was hard to explain. Something about taking back control in what little ways he could. Taking the day by the horns, so to speak, and letting the rap push him on even before the compound's alarm did.

When the ringing noise stopped, he stopped, coming to stand with a long, leisurely stretch. There was a good forty minutes left before breakfast, and the man wasted much of that time fighting the urge to dive back under the covers. The last ten minutes were crunch time: in a rush, he showered and brushed his teeth, and he waffled between outfits before, with a light shrug, just opting to step out in his pajamas.

He never saw as much waste as he did when it came to mealtimes. Chefs at the compound liked to cook enough to feed a group twice their size - nevermind half the kids there barely ate much, if anything at all in the morning. Sometimes he wondered where all the leftovers went after it was picked over. Deep down he knew, and - look, it wasn’t his food or his money, but damn if that didn’t leave a sour taste in his mouth. Tremaine was going to eat his fill. If they cooked it? He would eat it. Used to be a time when breakfast was his only meal of the day, and the mentality lingered as he piled on to his plate.

He got what he always got.

Grits. Biscuits. Sausage. Potatoes.

After finishing his bountiful breakfast, Tremaine listened listlessly as Macintosh ran through the itinerary of the day. Sounded like an easy day; knowing Mac, however, Tremaine knew something else was bound to be thrown their way. There could be no rest for the wicked. Not in the way he’d ever dreamed of having, anyways. Soon they were dismissed, and off Tremaine went, Run the Jewels blaring noisily into his left ear.

Training was treated with the same lackadaisical attitude that he gave everything else. Minimal effort was expended on Mac’s little circus. Sure, it was enough to get by, but he sure as hell wasn’t breaking his neck trying to impress anybody. His reluctance to participate intensified tenfold by the time it came to their “show-and-tell.”

The pop of his gum smacked loud within his mouth. He feigned disinterest as others went before him. When it came to his turn, he detached slowly from the wall, wiping the nervous sweat off his palms on the sides of his pants.

He was loath to demonstrate this new ability of his. It was a monstrous thing, what he had created, and he resented himself for allowing others to push him to achieve it. Unfortunately, in order to demonstrate it, he needed a meta, and while he claimed to hold no great love for the people in that room, he found the idea of using it on them...disconcerting, to say the least.

Pop! went the gum against his tongue. He shoved his hands in his pocket and took a breath.

“I need a target or sum’n.” Chewing idly on his gum, his eyes swiveled to where Mac watched the group, and he gestured lightly with his head. “Can I-”

Use you? Borrow you? Break you?

“-practice on you?”

Mac grunted approvingly and he stepped forward with little hesitation. "Do what you must."

Tremaine concentrated.

Perception manipulation was a one-trick pony. It was always intrusive. To pull the wool over someone’s eyes, to reach in and turn the lights out in their heads. The majority of the time Tremaine just went after a subject's perception of him and his team, but today? Tremaine was reaching in further. He wanted what made a meta themselves. What they thought defined them - their powers, and how to use them. He sought it out like a flower’s petals to the sun. And when he found it?

Tremaine went for Mac’s meta ability and attempted to hide it from his own mind.

He despised every second of it. This was Nathan's arena, really, and the Southern teen was not too keen on staying. When he felt he had successfully shrouded Mac’s mind properly, he exhaled, the only outward sign of his own discomfort. His eyes lifted to look at his “partner”.

“Feelin’ somethin’ or nah?”

Mac blinked. In truth, he hadn't really felt much of anything, just a subtle touch in the back of his mind, like a soft breeze in the middle of summer. But he was expecting it and each time Tre practiced on him, he grew more accustomed to the mental touch of his abilities.

Abilities.

Abilities...

Abilities.

Memories flashed through his mind. His daughter being killed, finding a group of kids with powerful abilities, getting the order to kill Gen... He crossed his arms over his chest, realizing that Tre had successfully erased his memories for the first time. Mac grunted, arms crossing over his chest, wondering if it was his age that allowed the memories to come back so quickly or if it had something to do with his own powers. Either way, he nodded approvingly. "Good job."

A bitter knot twisted in his stomach. Without a word, Tremaine slunk away. Should the others ask what was done, he refused to answer. His eyes bore a hole in the wall for the rest of the session until they were dismissed.

Tremaine did what he could to help with party decorations.. He slipped away as early as possible to take a quick nap before the party, and when he returned, he was fairly more presentable - if you could call a black Nike hoodie and sweatpants that. More effort had been put into taming his fro, and there was the faint scent of Fahrenheit cologne wafting from his body. The gum in his mouth had been swapped for Frito’s chips, and he ate noisily as he made his way over to the birthday girl.

Next to Kevin’s box, Tremaine placed his own gift: a black velvet jewelry box, cheaply made, and small in size. In lieu of wrapping, a white bow had been tied to the top, and on a yellow post-it stuck on the side, “VINNO” was written in a child-like scrawl.

“Happy birthday,” Tremaine mumbled.

Back home, hugs were more everyone’s style, but some of his so-called teammates didn’t appreciate the same Southern hospitality. Instead, he shoulder-bumped his friend lightly, flashing her a small smile before retreating back into the foreground, coming to sit on the couch alongside Turi.

Wordlessly, he offered the bag of Fritos to her.

collab with | @rissa
 
Last edited:
giphy.gif
giphy.gif
giphy.gif

Georgia
root@georgia:~/20220101$ run start_morning.script |


When a computer was slow to boot, or to run a required program, Georgia could make it better. A clean up, a tune up, and it would be back running smooth as silk again in no time. Machines were easy to reprogram, to make do exactly what you wanted them to do. Even after five years of the same routine, following every piece of advice given by colleagues, doctors and the internet, every bit of hearsay, the technopath had failed to reprogram her own internal systems. The melody that blared from the speakers stirred her from a sleep, dreamless slumber. Still in a semi-conscious state, she reached out to the speaker to turn it off. The only thing George succeeded in doing was tripling the volume, which did the trick. Right. Someone had found out about that habit of hers, and Leo - on Mac's behalf more than likely - was quick to step in and remind her who was boss here. Without an official warning, there was a time where she might have considered it a challenge for her to rise to, but since Genevieve... Well, she'd been a lot more careful about pushing her boundaries. Stumbling out of her duvet cocoon, she slid into her morning routine.

There was only one device turned on in her room, that controlled all others she still had access to. A virtual assistant she'd built herself, extensively reviewed and approved for her personal use. It turned on as she passed, adjusting the lighting in the room to a suitable level and listing through the weather, trivia and undoubtedly vetted news reports, as focused on technology as they were. As it finished the updates, it chimed cheerfully that it was Vinno's birthday, reminding her that she'd left her present to sit in the kitchen overnight. She showered quickly, brushed her teeth, her hair, before arriving down for breakfast with her hair braided back into a bun, a touch of make up applied and a reasonable amount of time to spare. She grabbed her usual breakfast - a large coffee and two doughnuts. Whatever Mac had in store today, she was confident she would need the fuel.

Georgia flashed Vinno a smile and added her birthday wishes to the group, before her attention flicked back to Mac and his schedule for the day. Well, seemed like an easy enough day, she could get on board with that. It had taken her a while to come around, especially since Leo had ensured that she could not tamper with any of the sensors involved from day one, but these days she almost enjoyed the training runs. She was not the most athletic member of the team, but she couldn't deny that she liked the results. Plus, it meant she got to indulge in as many sweet treats as she wanted, she just needed to push herself to earn them.

George watched her teammates and their displays with interest, still catching her breath when it was her turn to step up to show off what she had been practicing. Her powers didn't immediately lend themselves to showing off, and audio video manipulation, and hacking into various photo accounts very quickly lost their novelty. She tried to explain the technical details of the attacks and manipulations she was most proud of, but breaking down her powers, what she actually did... it was hard for her to explain the hows and whys. Today wasn't something she hadn't been practicing especially per say, but it was something she'd overlooked previously and failed to use to her advantage. She knew better than to ask for anyone's device - they'd probably all learned their lesson by now. Instead she pulled her own phone from a secure pocket, placed it on the floor and kicked it a short distance away. "You might want to stand back." She announced, hands in her pockets, as she reached out mentally towards the phone. She needed to find that switch, find that little weakness... There. A second or two passed without anything happening. Instead of looking worried however, there was a trace of a smirk on her lips. There was a loud crack, before sparks went flying and smoke started billowing and the phone caught fire. It was far from the subtle work she usually put out in the field, but who knew when it might come in handy. Exploding batteries made for useful distractions, or painful weapons.

Out of training gear, into a cute dress and party planning mode. It was a contrast to say the least, but George threw herself into it nonetheless, filling the air with cheerful chatter as she worked. She would try and keep things upbeat, as she half-recalled reading something about a new year and new opportunities. That even stretched as far as letting Tre go, with no more than a roll of her eyes and the pretense that she hadn't seen him. With any luck, he would take the opportunity to ditch the gum before he was forced to swallow it. There was always Nathan to help her reach the taller places that she couldn't quite reach.

Georgia fetched Vinno's present from the kitchen, placing the neat box filled with sweets, baked and otherwise, onto the coffee table, with a note with neat cursive wishing her a happy birthday. She grinned as she spotted the birthday girl, joining River and Riya in blowing a party blower before sitting back into a couch with crossed legs. Levity like this was nice once in a while.
 











Being born on January 1st was hardly something special, it was simply a fact, a coincidence, that some individuals may have been conceived when the Earth was in an arbitrary position of its orbit. Vinno of course knew that, yet something about that fact boasted her confidence, in an illogical and irrational way. Perhaps it didn't even matter, if not for the slightly unusual date of birth, she would have found else reasons to be self-assured as such, after all, Vinno knew she was a chosen one.

When the morning songs began to ring out throughout the room, Vinno wasn't exactly asleep, it was more of the lucid state between dream and awakeness that slightly fogged her mind like frosted glass. Despite so her body felt the passage of time quite clearly as the sound of music continued, she still had time, she had quite a few shortcuts available in comparison to her teammates after all. In a few minutes somewhat unwillingly, the lazy figure moved. And in the next second, rolled off the bed and on to the floor. Letting out a sigh, Vinno's body vanished from the ground and reappeared back on the bed.

Vinno sat up after teleporting back onto her bed, many would have judged this action as extra, but to Vinno, getting up on the floor in the beginning of the day was simply unacceptable. There was no way she was going to settle for something of such callousness when perfection sat within such reach. And with such self-enforced perfection, the young woman went on with her morning routine, mending any hiccup with a small twist in space. When the time for leaving came she was dressed in her usual outfit, which was slightly too formal in the opinion of some other. With a clap the final piece, a business jacket appeared right above Vinno, who nonchalantly grabbed the article and threw it on, heading out towards the day.



The morning was nothing out of the ordinary, despite it being her birthday. The only difference was the 'happy birthday' wishes from her various colleges, which she one by one thanked while wearing her usual smile, from her teammates to the facility staff to Mac himself, all with the same warm but distant response while picking at the few osmanthus petals that laid in her special portion. The rest of the day seems easy enough, she chuckled as the others went about their breakfast routines.

Training runs weren't exactly Vinno's strong suit, as she had a much better method getting from one location to another built right in, it naturally eroded the more mundane aspect of movements. Despite so her past experiences still served her well enough, she wasn't the fastest or strongest, naturally, but dexterity and quick wittiness were essential to a teleportation user. She went about the training in her usual fashion, with a small smile, before, during, and after. As well as when others were showing off their abilities, making sure to do a small clap after each person's turn.

When it was her turn, Vinno tilted her head a bit. Teleportation was simple, yet complex at the same time, being able to take one thing and put it somewhere else sounded simple, but philosophical definitions of one's mind were quite the boundary to break. She walked up to a metallic training dummy and simply stared at it for an awkwardly long amount of time, raising a hand to single for the others to wait a bit more when she can feel the air behind her growing stale. Then suddenly, without any warning, a chunk of metal appeared in the air and dropped onto the ground with a loud clang. Vinno proceeded to teleport the metallic chunk on the ground into her hands and held it beside the training dummy, showing that the piece was almost the same shape, except a bit smaller in diameter. She then knocked on the training dummy, the clear sound of echos within a hallow container can be heard. ...To move a part of one thing to another location. After all, a part of one thing is still a thing.



After the training, Vinno knew that there would be a birthday celebration for her, there was one for everyone after all. Her steps were a bit lighter than usual, it was another thing that she enjoyed about the squad, no one ever celebrated her birthday in her old life, there were always more important matters. She decided to put on her most expensive jacket, despite most of the team's inability to tell the difference between a generic and luxury brand business suit, before heading into the common room.

It was about what she expected, River, Raini (probably coaxed into it by River), George and Kevin were cheerful wishing her a happy birthday, while the lazier or more serious members seem to be trying to avoid the party miasma. Vinno smiled, a bit more noticeably than usual this time as she politely gazed around the room, trying to address everyone present: "Thank you all," she began, even patting River on the shoulder while trying to avoid looking at Raini's reaction.

The concern was quickly thrown away though, as Vinno looked at the lit candles on the cake, and made a swiping motion with her finger at them. From a distance, one can see that all the candles were extinguished, but upon closer inspection, it is evident that the tip of the candles was simply gone. Vinno walked further into the room as she discarded the small bits of wax that fallen into her hand into a nearby trash can. "Feel free to think of this as a New Years celebration as well, I hope we'll all do great this year too!". Vinno knew that some of her teammates weren't exactly happy with the things that they "do", but the statement was quite genuine in both tone and meaning, at least for herself.
 
Keturah Hudson
It's a blur.

Vinno stood there, and she knew every single molecule of her body, it seemed like, in the least romantic sense, anyways. But in reality, exclusivity seemed the heart of romance-- and she knew the paths of every person in that room within six feet of her. Kevin, who'd headed up to give that gift, and now had was leaving to see Nathan. Tre moving toward her, already with a bag of chips ready for her to mooch. The sprite-ish movements Georgia made with every dance of a fidget.

Causal paths.

Rewind.

The day started, and like always she was up before that chiming song, so much sweeter than the bark of some matron's voice at the door. She'd indulged-- another ten minutes in bed, savoring it. A daily practice, a little bit of a theft, just for her. Eventually, she'd rolled out of bed, her calendar marked with a large circle. On came a black halter crop top-- gym shorts-- hair tied back. Shower later, live for now.

Breakfast. Mountains of food. Whatever she could stuff. She never ate to sickness-- but since she'd come to the compound, she never ate to modesty either. Eggs, hashbrowns, toast, two muffins. She always inhaled her food, already finished well before her compatriots.

Practice. Practice, practice, practice. A toned body, moving through and over obstacles with unnatural grace and perception. She knew every inch on the first lap, a constant nag. By this point, it was rote, moving with her teammates, and as much as Nathan was a raging dickhead, he knew how to delegate, just like he knew exactly when to back off when it seemed like one of the girls had about had enough of it from him. What for, though? Why?

Gen managed them all at the same time.

Can't think about it too long. Keep moving, like always.

Nothing terribly special about her new 'trick'. A permutation of a prior ability, dodging baseballs chucked at random over 90 mph, blindfolded, twisting out of the way. She still had bruises from her false starts, but those were easy to hide with enough concealer and fabric.

Party favors. A blur. The days passed by, highlight reel. She wanted to make time slow down a little, but it had that inexorable property of forward momentum, the way a passing elbow made a glass of soda victim to gravity--

A hand darted out and caught it smoothly, putting it back up onto the table beside her, Coke barely sloshing the sides. Tre sat down beside her, and she took the entire bag of chips, popping it open, as she saw the gift that Tre got Vinno on the table. She scrunched her nose, looking at him with amused disgust.

"Did you seriously just buy something off Wish?" she muttered around a mouthful of chips. Her own gift was wrapped in brown paper, tied with twine-- a miniature portrait the size of Vinno's palm, of her at some opportune moment, light dancing from blinds across her face and eyes looking straight ahead in a spotlight stare. It hadn't been hard to do. She had a distinctive face.

@Kuno / metioned: @Cresion Breezes
 

-Birthday Bliss-
Justine was already awake by the time the alarm went off. She was used to waking up early; it was a habit she’d grown into while growing up, and had since been easy to maintain with the time they had to wake up. So what did she do in the mornings, in the wee hours when barely anyone would be awake?

Well, besides enjoying long hot showers, she used her free time getting hours in on reading, playing Emerald, and idly taking notes on the health of her teammates.

It wasn’t a stalker thing she did. Or at least, she tried not to make it a stalker thing. It was like a daily doctor check-up; she gave people a one-over, made sure they weren’t hyperventilating tragically in the bathroom, and went about her day.

Humming to herself as the alarm blared, she saved her game just outside the sixth gym leader before picking herself up off the bed and looking over her clothes. It really made her heart ache when she looked over her entire wardrobe, knowing that at least a quarter of it wasn’t practical to be worn on training days. Nor was it practical for being out in the field (at least, when she didn’t need to blend in, and those were rare cases).

Still, she liked to do what she could. Slipping into some comfy black jeans and a tank top, she threw a light windbreaker over it all. While it was never cold in Hawaii, mornings in January were still a little chilly, and it would be easier to lose layers later rather than put them on.

After applying some simple makeup and combing the bed head out of her hair, Justine finally bounced down the stairs. She wasn't surprised to be there before anyone else, save for Mac. A quick check of the time marked her early; still almost half an hour before anyone else would probably show up. She slid into her usual seat; diagonally across from Mac, the table a grand barrier between them, and gave a brief and polite hello before she stuck her nose into her phone until the food was ready. Sometimes she considered coming down later in the morning, but this was still the easiest way to check on everyone without doing something weird like waiting outside their rooms or coming late and trying to read them all at once.

After grabbing a platter of waffles and eggs, she gave each of her team members a perky hello as they showed up, her eyes shining periwinkle for the briefest moment before the glow faded again, enough that it would easily be called a trick of the light. She’d never say it aloud, but her eyes fully changing colours to periwinkle did at least make it somewhat easier to use her powers around those who knew. At least if it was bright enough the glow wasn’t so distinct. Plus it wasn’t like her powers actually did much to affect others.

Giving an extra bright smile to Riya as she sat down across from her, Justine briefly toyed with the idea of playing footsie before turning her attention to her food and Mac’s announcement. It was a week day; there would be time to hang out after the day was over.

Chiming in with the others as they wished Vinno Happy Birthday, she then turned her thoughts to the tasks for the day. She had bought Vinno’s present weeks ago; she wasn’t that good at making or baking or things of the like, but she had a decent sense of fashion, and Vinno’s style made it easy to pick out a nice tie for her. She hoped it was enough though.

Such was what she mulled as she skimmed over her most recent notes. It was more fun to study with others, back when she wasn’t the main team medic. Which was why she nabbed Riya. Even if all they were doing was studying, it was nostalgic of older days. “Technically not wasting work time either,” she thought, occasionally poking Riya to get her to read over something with her.

-----

When the time for the daily training rolled around, Justine was...ambivalent. She took her training seriously. She knew she was in really good shape, they all were. But she wasn’t always on the front-front lines, hell, it was usually better for her to only go out when needed, when someone got injured.

She almost threw herself up the last wall of the obstacle course, scrambling and finally reaching the end, before taking a moment to wipe the sweat and exhaustion. She didn’t let herself stay still for long, grabbing some water before starting her cooldown. Giving a gracious smile to Riya for the praise (and well, she like, she loved hugs, but she was sweaty and that made it icky. Still, she wouldn’t say no), she continued her cool down until Mac called for them to show and tell.

Justine was nervous for a bit. Her powers were...so unflashy it was entirely boring. Being able to see people through walls had lost its novelty very, very quickly. Especially since her powers were only really visible to her. And it wasn’t like she could easily show off her first aid skills; in fact, she preferred to have to not show them off. Less injuries was good.

Still, it didn’t mean she’d been doing nothing. Just nothing to do with her powers. Heading to the obstacle course again, she cracked her hands as she prepared to go at it...differently.

She was tired. Pretty tired. And she didn’t feel pretty. Part of her really really really wished that Mac made them do this before they had the entire obstacle course so she didn’t feel like death. What’s done was done though. Wicking the sweat from her hands, she soon climbed up over the first wall, and then ran across the course.

Not once did she hit the ground again, jumping, clutching, and bypassing the obstacles she needed as she forged the fastest path she could to the end. Finally jumping and landing in a crouch, she let out a breath before letting herself relax again, exhausted from doing the course again.

“Been...practicing parkour,” she said between gasps. “Mostly...fun...can make...running...easier…also...makes...legs look great...” she finished, going into stretches to cool off.

-----

Already starting to sore from the day’s training, Justine did her best to put it behind her. It was birthday time, and she was damned if she wasn’t going to celebrate too! Having dipped back up to her room to grab her present (and to make herself look presentable again), she happily joined the others in celebration. Singing, blowing favours, Justine did her best, trying to have a good time and spread good feelings.