Futuristic 🅤🅣🅞🅟🅘🅐 || 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭!

@: N/A

Location: Urban District > New Apartment > Near Team Demise HQ > Shopping Center

In her childhood home, Rachel stood as a silent observer, captivated by the intricate dance of dust particles illuminated by beams of light streaming through slightly bent metal shutters. The space was a sensory mosaic – the zesty aroma of citrus wafting from a generous bowl of lemons and cara cara oranges, the comforting scent of her mother's preferred dish soap lingering around the kitchen sink, where a large pot lay soaking. The distant symphony of heavy machinery provided the familiar soundtrack of her home in the Industry District. Yet, Rachel found herself perplexed, questioning why she was here. Following a heated falling out with her father, she hadn't set foot in this place for over a month. Yet, in this inexplicable moment, she stood in the midst of her childhood haven, unable to recall what led her to this juncture. Then, the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the space.

“Hello?”
“Hey kiddo, I’m home,” her father's familiar voice filled her with a conflicting mix of dread and longing.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel turned toward the hallway, her silent resolve guiding her toward the doorway. Despite her confusion about the circumstances that led her here, she knew, with a profound certainty, that her father, despite recent differences, would help her. Yet, as she stepped over the threshold from the small, quaint kitchen to the hallway, reality twisted and distorted. The hallway stretched and expanded, doubling and tripling in length – a blatant sign of the dream world asserting its whimsical influence. This surreal alteration shook Rachel from her passive acceptance of the dream realm's arbitrary rules.

“Figures,” she muttered, her eyes closing within the dream realm. Clearing her mind of the preconceived world her subconscious had built, she opted to shape her current environment. In her envisioned dream flat, she conjured an almost empty space – a mattress on the ground and unopened moving boxes scattered in a corner. Rachel spent the next hour exploring different ways to style the area until finally, the sound of her alarm in the real world beckoned her.

In the waking realm, Rachel found herself on a modest twin mattress, adorned with nothing but a fitted sheet, a single pillow, and a blanket. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat up, realizing the grand ideas she had formulated in her dreamscape seemed nearly impossible when confronted with the stark reality of her space. With no time for contemplation, driven by the urgent need to replenish her dwindling funds, Rachel reached for a gallon jug of water, chugging it vigorously before preparing for the day. Dressed in athletic wear with a rubber liner, she filled a more portable water bottle, adding a few electrolyte tablets before snatching her tekpad and wireless headphones.

Now situated in the Urban District of Sentinel City, Rachel set out to familiarize herself with the area. After a brisk run, she returned home, engaging in the ritualistic process of collecting every drop she could before tossing them into the centrifuge, all while immersing herself in a rejuvenating shower.

A few hours later, with the afternoon sun casting its warm glow, Rachel emerged onto the streets of the Urban District, proudly displaying her "team" colors – grey boyfriend-cut jeans with rolled cuffs, a teal tank top under a navy blue puffer jacket. The cherry on top was the dull grey gloves with glowing teal insignias embroidered with tiny bags and specks of stars wafting out of them, signifying to those in the know, she was Dreamscape.

Despite having made trips already to the post office, Rachel used the digi-map to navigate to her destination. In her mind, it was a habit she would never break when delivering vials. A lot of bad things happened in this City, and she would have been a fool to think otherwise. Her discarded digi-map with her starting destination and where she never made it to seemed like it would make a great lead for anyone should something happen to her. Now it had not happened yet, but one never knew. That was the type of clue she would appreciate if she were assigned to a missing person.

She had heard many stories over the last few months from those in the path of the chaos that ensued over the madness at the festival with the dangerous mutant on the loose. Unfortunately, she had not been there to aid her faction due to the fallout in her personal life. Plus, what good was she going to do? Run up and put everyone to sleep?

Rachel walked down the street, following the path on her digi-map, purposely passing several suitable mailing points along her way. Instead, she opted for the postal services just across from Team Demise HQ. A bit on the nose? Yes. But come now, who else would have a flair for the dramatic? After a few minutes, the vials were out of her hands.

That had been the important matter of the day. With each step, she felt the weight of the vials she had just sent off for delivery. The importance of her role in Team Demise resonated in her mind. She wasn't just an individual navigating the complexities of the city; she was a part of something bigger. A slight smile played on her lips as she pondered the potential camaraderie that could be forged within the team. The idea of connection, though currently elusive, appealed to her deep-seated longing for companionship.

As the sun dipped below the towering skyscrapers, casting long shadows across the urban landscape, Rachel found herself standing in the vicinity of Team Demise's Headquarters. The imposing structure stood as a testament to the power and influence the guild wielded in the city. It was a place of strategy, collaboration, and perhaps the forging of alliances that extended beyond mere professional bonds.

Rachel hesitated at the entrance, her gaze fixated on the emblematic insignia of Team Demise. The teal glow of her gloves seemed to pulse in sync with her contemplation. Should she step inside and embrace the potential connections waiting within those walls? Or would she continue to drift in the currents of isolation that had marked her recent past?

The saxophone player's rendition of holiday melodies on the street corner provided a whimsical backdrop to her thoughts. In that moment, she made a spontaneous decision. Instead of entering the guild headquarters, she moved away, continuing down the street, allowing the music to guide her. The mellow tunes wrapped around her like a comforting shroud, momentarily easing the tension that lingered within.

She found herself in a small plaza adorned with holographic projections of swirling snowflakes. A holographic Christmas tree shimmered in the center, casting a warm glow on the gathered people. Rachel took a seat on a bench, her gaze fixed on the festive display. The juxtaposition of the holiday cheer against the gritty reality of Sentinel City sparked a contemplative mood.

Lost in her thoughts, Rachel didn't notice a figure approaching until they took a seat beside her. It was a fellow citizen, a stranger in the vast expanse of the city. A simple nod passed between them, acknowledging the shared experience of finding solace in the midst of the urban chaos. The saxophone player continued their melodic journey, and for a moment, Rachel felt a subtle connection – not to Team Demise, not to her family, but to the shared humanity that persisted despite the harsh circumstances.

As the holiday tunes echoed through the city streets, Rachel allowed herself to be immersed in the music, finding a semblance of peace in the midst of uncertainty.

Days off for SOTO tended to fall on the whim of crime and mutant activity in the city. It wasn't exactly a predictable job but her position allowed her to pull strings... sometimes. When Audrey, Jeremy, and Grayson all got a mutual weekend off just in time to get into the holiday spirit, Ivy never confessed to mucking with the schedule to make it happen. It was odd that the opportunity had even come up, usually they were all working overtime this time of year, Christmas was an easy target for villains. She was sure that they would be more swamped as the holiday rapidly approached. Without any family close she was already prepared to spend most of the holidays either on call or out in the field as necessary. For now on the fresh winter morning she was determined to take advantage and had lured her coworkers out for some good old fashioned team building.

She'd bribed them with lunch if they'd come out and do this with her, an uncharacteristic offer. Ivy was normally enigmatic at best. It wasn't that she didn't like her coworkers, she just didn't like talking about herself, or talking in general. It wasn't like her to actually reach out and plan a daylight, intentional, outing. They were all good at deflection but she liked to think that she'd gotten lose enough with them since taking on the assistant captain position especially, that some fun might do them good.

The truth was that Ivina's mind was like a dog with a bone sometimes, if she didn't have some kind of crisis to chew on, she'd make one up. She needed some sort of problem to solve, or she'd just go in circles in her own head, her therapist had recommended building on some of her friendships so they could be relied on as distractions. Well, distractions wasn't the word she'd used, what she'd said was to develop a support system. This wasn't really that, but she was coming as close to following the orders as she knew how to, and hopefully the team would benefit from some bonding. Jeremy, Audrey and Grayson agreeing to come on this little excursion was as much a favor to her as it was a team building exercise, not that they needed to know that.

True to form, when she pulled up on her bike there was no one else at the little escape room business. She took street parking by the entrance and pocketed the keys. Not exactly a popular morning activity then? She was 20 minutes early to their time, because of course she was. At least this time she actually went in instead of neurotically waiting outside until closer to the arrival time as she often did. She greeted the man at the desk, catching him in the middle of a voracious breakfast of cheetos, to fetch the teams waivers. She'd booked the challenge mode, made for teams with mutations or prior experience. The waivers were, naturally, not insubstantial. They were also a little bit orange now. Ew.

She didn't take the small talk bait the man offered, deciding instead to take her waivers to the other side of the little front room, perching on a worn chair to fill out her paperwork and patiently wait for the team in peace.

MAUSOLEUM — RAFFERTY.

Although what could have been a nice, quiet day off turned out to be a trap laid by her boss, Audrey was excited about the day ahead. When Ivy asked her to come, she pushed back a little, really wanting to say no. Spending a free day with her coworkers didn't sound ideal. But, as the assistant captain tried to convince her to come, she could tell this was important to Ivy for some reason. So, she agreed. As much as she liked to give Ivy a hard time about being uptight and kind of boring, she really did care about her. Besides, who was she to pass up a chance to mess with Grayson?

This outing was sold to her as nondescript team building, accompanied by a bribery lunch paid for by Ivy, but when she was given the address, Audrey knew exactly what they'd be doing. An escape room. She could be wrong, but that was a rare occurrence. She'd passed by the building a few times before, so she recognized the address. She had considered doing one at some point but figured that even the hardest room would be disappointingly easy for her. Still, she planned on not offering up much help to her teammates if the room was really that easy for her. Chaos never failed to amuse Audrey, and she looked forward to sitting back and watching the struggle.

Audrey was up early, as usual. It would be weird if she wasn't up before seven, even on a weekend. She took some time to relax, lounge around her apartment a bit, had a bite to eat, then began to get ready. She opted for clothing that was more casual than her typical work attire and threw her hair up into a messy ponytail before heading out the door. Still ahead of schedule, and not being a little freak who liked getting to places before everyone else, she stopped to grab some tea. She didn't like coffee; it made her brain all scrambled and if she managed to keep her cool, it gave her a killer headache. But a nice herbal tea was a great way to start her day.

She finally pulled up to the escape room building, parking nearby. She spotted Grayson's car and Ivy's bike, but no sign of Jeremy yet. That was a shame; he was the one out of the three she really considered a friend. She had nothing against the other two, but Jeremy just clicked with her more than either of them. It was lucky for Gray, though; he wouldn't immediately be bombarded by two people making fun of him. She entered the building and was greeted by the receptionist, who had just put a Cheeto into his mouth. Audrey gave a friendly nod in response, but scrunched her nose a little in disgust at the toxic orange color around the man's mouth. Avoiding chatting with this man, she headed for her coworkers, who sat there looking stiff as ever.

"It's a little chilly in here," she said, giving a mock shiver, taking a jab at the cold nature of her coworkers. "Sorry to interrupt mommy and me time." Grayson would, naturally, be annoyed that it was no longer just him and their boss. He was always sucking up to her; it was disgusting really. Audrey could never bring herself to suck up to anyone; she knew her worth, and if other people didn't, they could suck it. "So excited to be locked in a room with the team, this is like a dream come true," sarcasm seeped into her tone, a common occurrence when she spoke. Quickly noticing the waivers Ivy had, she snatched one up before plopping down on a chair across from Ivy.

"Are you planning to tell us what all of this is about?” She raised an eyebrow at him, having thought the location had made things quite obvious. It wasn't exactly a clandestine destination. She handed him one of the waivers.
"I'm sure you'll deduce the answer in no time, Sherlock." She commented, eyes flicking to a sign that described the available packages. She didn't hand him a pen, busy using hers to fill out her own waiver. He either had a fancy one of his own that he had some persnickety attachment to, or he could brave the front desk again, either way he'd live. As if to prove Grayson's complaining right, the fluorescent light above them flickered a bit.

"Only you would be thinking of OSHA violations on your day off. Don't tell me that's what you do for fun, Lavicchi, contemplate building codes?" she answered. Normally she was the one to put a stop to their coworkers dogpiling on the occasionally obsequious lawyer, but she wasn't above poking some good natured comments at his expense on occasion. Just not normally when their coworkers were in earshot lest she start a chain reaction. That, and the late night hours of most of their off work interactions meant that Grayson sometimes saw more of her humor than the others did, even if it usually seemed lost on the man. He wasn't what most people called good company but that meant Ivy didn't have to worry about being good company either. His deference of authority had him put her on some kind of pedestal though, it could be a difficult balance to strike.
Audrey came in with a gust of activity, stirring up the room from Ivy and Grayson's admittedly dispassionate demeanor's in a stark contrast of activity, not that Audrey seemed generally full of the warm fuzzy feelings herself, those types tended more toward TEC or Majestic it seemed. Ivy smiled at her awkwardly. The awkwardness wasn't anything personal, her smiles, and pretty much any other attempted friendship gesture, were always terribly awkward unless they were unintentional. The only reason she suspected they worked on Grayson was because the man was either too caught up on her being in charge, or because he himself was just to awkward to notice, Audrey though, Ivy always got the distinct impression that Audrey could see right through anyone if she tried.

"So excited to be locked in a room with the team, this is like a dream come true" the sarcastic comment was expected, the snatching of the waiver took her aback. Sudden and decisive, it shouldn't have been a surprising move from Audrey. The two of them had her questioning how wise of a decision this was, but after the blood rain at the fall festival that everyone working together had only barely saved that girl, they could do with some shaping up and communication and cooperation were, as evidenced by literally everything about both Audrey and Grayson, not their strongsuit.

She didn't feel the need to quip back at Audrey, unsure she'd be able to think of something clever in time anyway. She always thought of them a few moments too late, after the window had past. The man at the desk stood up with a groan, running his hands down the front of his jeans. He shuffled over, sneakered feet dragging on the linoleum.
"welcome... to the Fear Factory Escape Rooms... May I take your phones?" He practically wheezed the words out, and Ivy couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not. He'd been a heavy breather sitting at the desk, and when his hand held out a little basket to drop their phones into, it shook visibly.
"Are you alright?"
The man shook of her concerns.
"Phones." He insisted, stepping closer. "No phones allowed for the escape room."
Disconcerted, Ivy gingerly picked her phone out of her pocket and ensured that it was locked before placing it delicately inside the man's little basket.
"Right. That's SOTO property. It gets back uncompromised or its both our heads." The man just nodded.

@: nova.the.alien
Mentions: dikdik

Location: Urban District > Outdoor Shopping Center


It was unclear how much time had passed, but the stranger who had momentarily shared the moment with Rachel was soon drawn to continue on their way, leaving her alone once again. Inhaling deeply, she then forced the air out sharply. The burst of heated air caused a cloud of condensation to collect in the air for a moment. This made her ponder whether, during the cold seasons, her breath could render someone unconscious with the right conditions. Perhaps it would be worth some experimentation down the road.

However, the glow of the emblem on her glove caught the corner of her eye. It seemed so important, and yet, she felt anything but. A frown played on her lips as she wrinkled her nose. This floating, isolated nonsense had been going on for too long. Rachel wanted to blame it on many other things, but at this point, they were no longer valid. There was, in fact, only one thing that was delaying her inclusion, and it was herself.

Stuffing a hand into her navy blue puffer jacket, she snatched the tekpad and flipped it open to contacts. After a few flicks of scrolling, she found what she was looking for. Opening a new message, she took a deep breath, sneering at the screen.

*Pretend its a TekPad*



Sent.

Rachel forcefully jammed the tekpad into the oversized breast pocket of her jacket, wincing as the device pressed against the bruises on her wrist and forearm. The pain served as a tangible reminder of the altercation at Kaleidoscope, vividly replaying in her mind. The once pristine white boots she had worn now carried the emotional weight of that obnoxious encounter at the club. As the recollection unfolded, her blood pressure surged, and a momentary headache gripped her. Clenching her teeth, Rachel propelled herself to her feet, determined to escape the haunting memories.

As she approached the window fronts of various shops, she slowed her pace, taking in the array of different wares on display. The shop before her seemed to be a haven of home decor items, drawing her curiosity. Rachel stepped inside, immersing herself in the aisles adorned with pillows, bed sets, and various knick-knacks. Yet, none of these items captured her attention until she meandered past a section dedicated to plants, featuring both living and artificial greenery.

Her interest ignited, Rachel mused aloud, "Maybe I need a pet," as she meticulously examined the different potting options, plants, and their needs. An outside observer might have mistaken her for selecting a living creature, given the care and concern she poured into the process. After what felt like an eternity of consideration, she made her choice, eagerly turning over payment to become the proud owner of Bob, her very first fern.

Nestled within a pale ceramic pot, Bob found a cozy spot at the bottom of an oversized brown paper bag with twin handles. Untrusting of the flimsy twine to support Bob's weight, Rachel cradled the bag in her arms, feeling a mix of responsibility and satisfaction. As she navigated the streets with her newfound green companion, she contemplated the ways in which this tiny plant could become a symbol of growth and resilience.

MAUSOLEUM — RAFFERTY.

Unexpectedly, Casper ended up spending the better part of the day working. Gross.

He woke up from the night before, a bit hungover after exploring a random club he had never been to before. Really, a standard night for the days he knew he didn't have to worry about working in the morning. Though, on top of the mild hangover, he was a bit annoyed, remembering that he had no plans for the day ahead. He was going to spend time with Ariel and Jeremy, but Jeremy had some work outing to go to, and their plans dissolved. He definitely gave Jeremy shit for choosing some lame SOTO pigs over his super awesome fun best friends. Casper didn't actually care that much about Jeremy's choices; he just hated not having anything to do. Still, he was sure he could come up with something.

Peering out his apartment window, he decided to take a little walk. He smiled the second he stepped outside. He always loved cold weather; he wasn't sure why, but it always felt so refreshing. He wandered the Southern Sentinel streets aimlessly for a while before growing bored. As he thought about what to do, he found himself at Team Demise's headquarters. Maybe his subconscious had led him there. He didn't really want to work, but as he approached the building, ideas started stirring. So, with nothing better to do, he set food inside, heading to his little office. That led to him spending hours arranging media coverage and dropping some rumors about Team Demise's evil deeds. He also did some negative campaigning against Team Majestic, using social media to cyberbully Demise's apparent primary rival. Really just harmless little insults he thought would be entertaining for everyone involved. He knew that any of Team Majestic's members could kick his ass, and thanks to one of his best friends being a member, they'd know who he was, so that kept him from saying anything too atrocious.

He actually had a lot of fun at work. Still, the thought of him becoming an eager, functioning member of society who was happy to accomplish work didn't sit right with him. That's not who he was. He definitely wasn't supposed to care enough to come in on a day off, so he'd dismissed it as a time killer, a lame cure for boredom that barely worked. If anyone asked, he'd never admit to enjoying it, lest he be labeled as some sort of work-obsessed nerd like Jeremy. Finally leaving, he began to head back to his apartment, feeling like he deserved rest after a surprise day of work.

Casper found that the streets of Southern Sentinel had become more crowded, with people arriving to prepare for the nightly holiday parade and set up booths. It was a nice event, but as someone who lived right by it, he had already explored the festivities multiple times, so it wasn't so exciting at this point. If anything, the constant crowds of people traveling from other districts were actually getting mildly annoying, especially when he was just trying to walk home. Turning a corner, he discovered that this street was momentarily blocked by some people setting up for the parade. He huffed, turning around to begin to go another block over. The detour really wasn't that big of a deal; he was just dramatic and hated when things didn't go his way.

Before he got much further, though, he noticed that he was right by the Cosmic Cabaret. Considering his options for a moment, he decided to make a stop. One drink couldn't hurt, and it would boost his spirit as he made his way home through the crowds. He made a beeline to the bar; he didn't care much about the other services the establishment had to offer at the moment. It was still kind of early; not many people were out for the night yet, so the place wasn't too crowded. He spoke up to get the bartender's attention. "A vodka tonic, please." He placed his order, and the bartender turned towards him. Meeting her eyes, he was taken aback for a second, not expecting the woman to be someone he knew. Someone who had disappeared from his life with no explanation. On two separate occasions, actually. "Viviana? What the fuck? You work here?"

Seeing Grayson's face settle into a glare after she spoke was a sure sign Audrey had done something right. A little treat that began to make the morning outing worthwhile. Apparently, her greeting wasn't up to his standards. "Outdated? No. Boring? Absolutely. And that's more your area of expertise, not mine."

Ivy never spoke up upon Audrey's entrance, but as the subordinates bickered, Audrey could sense an inkling of disappointment from the assistant captain. She wasn't one to bend to her boss' wishes, but she did feel a little guilty. Ivy clearly wanted this team-building thing to go well. Although Audrey didn't feel the same need for the day to go smoothly, she didn't want to completely dash Ivy's hopes. So, in an act of grace and goodwill, she took a break from harassing Grayson. She was such a good person. Her attention shifted to filling out the forms in front of her, pretty standard waivers of liability. She was no lawyer, but she'd seen enough of these basic forms to know what was up. She signed rather quickly.

Before boredom could strike, the team member she had been waiting for entered. She looked over her shoulder to see Jeremy give the man at the front desk some tissues and let out a huff of amusement. Finally, someone had the courage to address what no one else had dared to. She smiled in greeting as he took a seat next to her. "Yep. Couldn't go wrong, right?" She confirmed his suspicions of the activity ahead of them with irony, noticing her coworkers flicker when he realized what they'd be doing. It was only a split-second change in body language; if she hadn't glanced over at him in that moment, she probably wouldn't have noticed a thing. But Audrey tended to notice anything out of the ordinary rather quickly. Perks of the mutation. She silently commended Jeremy's quick restoration of his positive mood and ability to move on right to the thing that really mattered. Terrorizing Grayson.

Audrey smirked at Jeremy's comment about being locked in a room with Grayson. "Aww, how romantic," she cooed. She loved it when their insults became a team effort, and judging from the playful elbow to her rib, Jeremy enjoyed it as well. She gave him a little nudge back. Grayson spat an insult right back at them, which she laughed at. It was fun when they all came together for a good bout of bickering. She was about to give a retort before he seemed to notice their little elbow motions, calling them out in a rather paranoid manner. "What elbows?" Audrey feigned confusion. She was a natural liar, but this was different. An exaggerated joke, meant to be as obvious as possible. "I don't remember doing anything with my elbows. Don't know what you're on about." She shrugged, turning her attention to their new orange-dusted friend.

She rolled her eyes at the request to take their phones but dropped hers in along with the others' despite her lack of enthusiasm—a shared sentiment among the group. As usual, it seemed as though Jeremy was on the same page as her, making a lackluster comment about fun. "I'm having the time of my life, actually. And the real fun hasn't even started yet."

A few months had passed since the kidnapping of the Mayor's daughter, Nisha, Viviana wasn't involved with much after Nisha was swept away to the lower levels of the casino. Though, from what she heard through the grapevine, things went just as planned. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for SOTO and Majestic to catch on and find out where exactly she was taken. It did seem as though they had put her through just enough trouble in the few days that they had her, but that would mean the Red Court would have to take a step back to cool off from any suspicions.

The Winter Festival was in full swing today, but to avoid an incident like the last time, security was amped up, and this time you knew where they were. Viviana makes her way through the urban district, heading toward her job at the Cosmic Cabaret, typically if there were any hijinks occurring, she would request the day off, but that was not the case today. A cold breeze brushes past her as she gets closer to the club, sending a shiver down her spine, maybe she should've put a jacket on, sadly, hindsight is always 20/20.

Warm air embraces the girl as she pushes open the door to the cabaret, putting a smirk on her face, Viviana wasn't fond of cold weather, but there was no way that she could avoid it. Thankfully, for the next few hours though, she could forget about the freezing temperatures while working the bar, part of her would've liked to be on stage, having movement help her keep warm, but with the amount of patrons in the building, she would be moving quite a bit when serving drinks.

"A vodka tonic, please." A voice spoke up behind her back, the first customer of her shift, the voice sounded familiar though, but she couldn't exactly name who it was. As she turned around, Viviana realized who exactly was speaking to her, Casper, a friend from her childhood, but also a frequent patron of the cabaret, though he had only once been served by her, he didn't seem to remember that occasion though. "Viviana? What the fuck? You work here?" The tone in his voice was a genuine surprise, solidifying the suspicion that he didn't remember the last time they saw each other.

Grabbing the bottle of vodka, she speaks up, giving a friendly smile, "Well, duh, I was your bartender the last time you were here. Maybe this time, don't drink so much so you can remember this." She giggles and gives a playful wink, teasing her old friend. Viv wasn't innocent of being a heavy drinker on occasion though, so her comment was very lighthearted. Quickly, she finishes up the drink Casper ordered, placing a napkin down, and the glass on top of it. "So, how have you been?" She asks, propping her elbows on the counter, there was a little time to kill before peak hours, so why not use them to catch up with an old friend?

Winter was always a nice season. An easy one, even.

There was a chill on the air, the city lights seemed brighter, snow often coated the ground in beautiful sheets of pristine white… and people wore more clothing: heavy coats, bunches of fabric with their scarves, and the hats that just couldn't quite stay on their heads or the gloves that never seemed to stay put in pockets. It was a pickpocket's dream!

So in other words, it was Leiko’s dream.

To be honest, she had already spent the better part of her morning taking advantage of the cold weather, and was now shamelessly finding her way into a local coffee shop that had caught her eye. While it was best to be careful about stacking up on caffeine - making sure it wouldn’t affect her nimble fingers and whatnot - it didn’t mean that she couldn’t have a little treat to brighten her already pleasant enough morning.

Just as she was about to order using some of the money she’d pocketed from a few unsuspecting passersby, Leiko heard a voice that she could only assume was being directed at her. Well, no one was screaming accusations in her ear, so it most likely wasn’t someone who had finally noticed that their change was missing.

"I'll have what she's having. Both on me," followed by a, “Hello there.”

Leiko’s crossed ankle over the other did a slow pivot towards the voice, her brain already shifting to accommodate its thinking to the role she was about to play with this newcomer. Instead of a smooth transition into the bubbly and outgoing personality she often put on, it felt like an electrical charge shocked through her body as the following words entered her mind in a desperate voice. ’Pretty lady.’

After a moment of recovery, Leiko allowed a smile to ease onto her face as she ran a hand through her hair to push it back for a clearer view of the brunette in front of her. A murmur to the cashier of her order of drip coffee with milk (hey, she had offered to pay!) followed by a snap back to the person pursuing her, she returned the conversation with a smooth comment after her first fumble, “Good morning. You certainly know how to make an impression, buying someone coffee without any questions.”

Minor TW: vague flashback with deep sense of hopelessness

As her name escaped his lips, Cass faded into the background, snapping Roman back in a startle as the glass crashed on the concrete. He paced towards Miranda, dropping the basil, too. His foot skidded over the shards of the champagne bottle, lurching him forward in a half-trip, barely keeping himself from falling. He wasn’t fully focused and needed to find his way fully into his body; gripping his fists closed in an attempt to ground himself, Roman caught her eyes, his own widening still as she whipped around and ran into the night.

Anything substantial, even marginally coherent thoughts, escaped his- twisting, inky-dark memories flashed in front of his face; memories that had no owner, but still belonged to him somehow- mind.

-screaming intensified into a shattering shattering into deep sheets of rain rain into warmth and warmth into cold, he’d never feel it again he’d never find it again he couldn’t hold it cold into breathless night he’d never escape he couldn’t get out he-

Out out out! Get-

Mind. Three voices rung in his head, rattling around each other in chaos before he caught himself running shoulder-first into the corner of a building. Miranda had just rounded the same corner. He must’ve followed her an entire block through crowds and a crosswalk or so before he realized what he was doing. Roman was concerned he’d glazed over enough of the last minute for her to get away, but his auto-pilot really was good sometimes. He caught just the smallest glimpse of the end of her fall into an absolutely disgusting heap of trash in the alley she’d chosen as an escape route. No turning back now!

“Oh, man, this is a wild fucking ride!” A cackle escaped his mouth as he shared the hysteria of the moment with Cass, rubbing his shoulder and wincing slightly at its dull throbbing. He strode over to her, stopping just out of her reach. He pondered what to say for just a moment, remembering all the times he’d half-rehearsed what he’d do if he ever saw her again. Roman gave up.

“You look like shit.” He crossed his arms- “Smell like it too.”

-waiting on anything from her.

Casper's unexpected reunion didn't seem nearly as surprising to the other party as it did to him. Viviana just had a calm, friendly smile on her face as she fixed him a drink. As she vaguely recounted an earlier reunion, her reaction began to make more sense. He didn't remember whatever she was talking about, but it definitely sounded like him. He took a quick sip of the drink placed in front of him before speaking.

"Makes sense, I probably don't remember a good thirty percent of my nights out. That must've been one of them. I'll watch myself tonight though, wouldn't want to forget about you again, gorgeous," he bantered with a smirk, matching his old friend's playful energy. It had been a while since he'd even thought about Viviana, but as they greeted each other, he realized he really did miss being around her. She was easy to talk to, a real charmer. Someone he could very easily cause a lot of trouble with. He shrugged as the woman asked about him. "Well, you already know about the excessive drinking, and that's just about the only fun thing I've been up to lately. Oh, get this though- I have a job now. In PR. Office and everything."

Realistically, an adult having a job shouldn't be a shocking thing. But the last time Casper saw Viviana, he was in his rebellious slacker era, going against everything his parents asked of him and refusing to do anything remotely responsible. A stable job, especially one that he was starting to put some effort into, was a pretty big step away from all that. He did still have the typical no-shits given, lively Casper energy, but he had changed a bit from the deadbeat he was a few years ago. Call it growing up.

Talking about himself only made him more curious about what Viviana had been up to, though. "How about you? I'm assuming you're not under lock and key anymore since you're working at this joint, huh?"

She nodded at Jeremy as he arrived, honestly kind of impressed that the other two didn't mention that it was 2 past the meeting time. It certainly wasn't enough time for her to be pressed about it. She was glad when he managed to do the one thing they'd all been thinking about and get the attendant to make a half decent attempt to remove the orange remnants of his ill-chosen lunch.

"Good morning, Kitzinger." If she wanted to bond with them, she really ought to start referring to her coworkers by their given names, but she always felt so awkward doing it, like 'Jeremy' would stumble on her tongue, or infer a friendlier relationship than they had and offend him or something. None of those things were likely, Americans were very casual people, but every time she considered it, the thought stressed her out, so kitzinger it was.

“What was that.”

Ivy considered keeping the peace in her workplace to be a primary job responsibility on an average day. Normally that included keeping Audrey and Jeremy focused on their respective jobs rather than spending their work hours terrorizing coworkers for entertainment. Ruining their fun had done as much to earn her a stick in the mud reputation since she'd taken on her role as her quiet and studious personality had.

Unfortunately for Grayson, her protection only went so far as unprovoked attacks and sometimes the lawyer was as much a victim of himself as he was his comrades. He often made it much too easy and if she didn't know better, she might assume he was egging them on intentionally, but his pinpoint focus was only ever shifted from work if it was forcibly moved, he just came by his catastrophic social skills organically.

She bit back a sigh, having predicted where this would go, he would work himself up, and work Audrey and Jeremy up, and then no one would concentrate on anything else. “That there. The elbows.” She could defend him, but it was his response that was about to set them on a downward spiral, she wouldn't reward that with defense that he would smugly interpret as favoritism, and thereby dig a deeper hole for his coworkers to bury him in.
"What elbows? I don't remember doing anything with my elbows. Don't know what you're on about."
She was surrounded by children, and suddenly regretting every recent life decision. Maybe this was a lost cause after all. They were all dysfunctional, and they needed intervention if they were going to be efficient in another high stakes encounter, but maybe she should have just gotten the approval to hire a professional. Maybe they would have just terrorized a professional too. Either way this was shaping up to be a bad idea. She shouldn't have tried to make it fun, and she definitely shouldn't have mixed work and personal priorities. She should have just stuck to beating the lawyer at darts, or asked if Jeremy or Audrey wanted to do something normal. Her mind came up blank with trying to determine what 'something normal' there might mean.

"Fun indeed, right guys?"

"I'm having the time of my life, actually. And the real fun hasn't even started yet."

The man in front of them interrupted what was sure to be a string of sarcastic quips with a coughing fit that made Ivy physically recoil from him. Maybe the real escape room was to try and get out of this guys presence before they all caught something.

"Is everyone in attendance aware that you are embarking on the deluxe package? This room has a 60 minute time limit, a 10% success rate, and a 36 minute and twenty four second record. It isn't recommended for single players, as some puzzles will require teamwork." He rasped, pausing to breath before he continued.
"I need verbal confirmation from each group member that you read and understand the increased risk, this experience is not advised to non-mutant groups and carry's an increased risk of injury."
The knowledge that this wasn't simply an unlocked room with some middling riddles might at least hold the attention of her coworkers.

"I'm sure we're more than capable of getting out without injuring ourselves or each other. Right everyone?"

For placing so much emphasis on the need for the verbal acknowledgement, the man didn't wait long for each team member to comply before he lead them down a worn linoleum hallway, which appeared largely unchanged from it's past life as some kind of office building.

"Welcome to the Broken Branch Inn. Many have tried to reveal the truth of what happened here, but none have succeeded in unveiling the mystery and keeping their lives. The property has been abandoned for twenty years, except the caretaker. If you encounter the caretaker, turn off your flashlights. He's not used to light, and he may act... unpredictably."
The man sounded like he was rattling off a script for the millionth time as he handed each member of the group a flashlight.

When AJ laid eyes on a beautiful woman, she had a one track mind. Somewhere between hopeless romantic, and floozy, as her grandma might put it. Hitting on someone from behind was always a risk but Ariel had the unique ability to sniff out a ten anywhere she went like a bloodhound. Her gaydar didn't come with the same precision, and she'd long given up trying to guess someones persuasions before making a move. Rejection had never phased Ariel, what wasn't to love? Obviously it couldn't be personal, so she didn't take it that way. Her family found this strategy absolutely detestable, not that she cared for the tried and true 'find someone with money that mostly tolerates you and fuck just enough times to pop out a couple kids' mentality that most of her family seemed to follow, even most of her younger cousins were old and crusty already in terms of lifestyle. Life is short, and she was absolutely going to shoot her shot with anything delicious she was fortunate enough to encounter.

The girls momentary surprise, and gorgeous eyes, simply served to fuel her fire. If She'd stood a chance of going about her day without Ariel hounding her for her number, she certainly didn't any longer. AJ leaned in enough to make her flirtatious intentions unmistakable, excitement spreading across her features.

A drip coffee. She would normally call it boring but from a pretty girl? Sophisticated in it's simplicity. She'd get her uber sugary boba, frap, rainbow whatever the fuck later, she could sacrifice her planned sugar injection to seem smooth.

"Oh I've got questions alright. Do you believe in love at first sight? Or do you need to turn around again?"
It was horrible, cheesy, and a bit arrogant. All words that AJ's friends would also use to describe her. The truth was though, girls liked cheesy if you did it right, and sapphic women were pretty shy about making the first move. A silly line that would get a scoff and an eyeroll for her male friends usually at least got a laugh out of the girls AJ went after. It was silly and ironic coming from her, though her intentions weren't any different.

Being faced with the immediate threat of bodyguards had NOT been what Rhett was expecting. What kind of house came with it's own security and intercom system? That was like something out of a movie that she hadn't ever expected to actually run into. For a girl who'd just been possessed and kidnapped, maybe being kept under armed guard made sense. Not that a big tall guy with a gun would actually be able to get that far in stopping a mutant like Rhett. The more she thought about it, the more she saw the necessity for tight security, especially when the girl in question opened the door.

Rhett hadn't had very much interaction with Nisha, but on TV and from afar the mayors daughter had always looked practically radiant, with glowing skin and a bubbly but intelligent personality. There was a reason the city loved her. It was like looking at a different girl now. She just looked so tired in a way that seemed to just seep deep into her. Flowers had probably been a stupid idea, bothering her with something trivial must be the opposite of helpful. She should have called Naomi or Jetta beforehand and asked what to do, they would have known the right thing to say. Having smart, gorgeous, older friends was amazing, but she felt like kind of a little kid sometimes compared to the more experienced women who put up with her on the regular basis.

"Rhett, right? Do you want to come in?"

That was a good sign! She smiled nervously at the girl, glancing at the interior of the large house behind her.

"Oh! Sure, I'd love to!" She was choosing to see this as a good sign, that the mayors daughter wanted the company after all. "Do I take my shoes off or anything?" This looked like the kind of place you were supposed to take your shoes off for. Nisha looked soft and comfortable in her blanket, so house rules couldn't be all that rigid, though despite the outfit, she hardly seemed actually relaxed.

"I've been meaning to just come check and see if you were still ok. It got pretty rough out there but we don't usually do hospital visits because some of the charities have us come in uniform to do tricks for the kids and stuff so any time we go it ends up being kind of a zoo which isn't super helpful if you've just been kidnapped or something, but I brought you something! Since I didn't bring them by the hospital like a normal person. They seemed like ones you would like! The grocery store didn't have very many that weren't for like, dates but I thought you'd like how colorful these ones are!" A normal person would have been out of breath by the time Rhett's nervous rambling came to an end and she held out the bouquet of wildflowers.

"Aw, shit!" The exclamation left Robyn's mouth as some sparks flew out of his latest invention. He'd figured out what the problem was, far too much power was being diverted to one quadrant of the device. Quickly, he removed a glove and tapped a finger on that part of the device, mentally zeroing in on the section of metal he wanted to turn to glass. In a split second, part of his contraption was an icy-looking chunk of glass. The sparks subsided and Robyn let out a sigh of relief, at least he didn't start any large fires today. And now he knew what the problem was, so he could fix it next time.

He perked up when he heard his TekPad buzz faintly. Well, the device itself was probably set at a normal volume, it was just loud in Robyn's lab. Pop music was usually put on full blast when the man was left alone to work. Some people found the noise distracting, he found it energizing. Looking around, he wasn't immediately sure where his TekPad was. Robyn's workspace was total a mess, as always. His eyes scanned the general area he heard the buzz come from. The thing buzzed again and he found it sitting behind some tools.

Picking up the device and opening his messages, he grinned upon seeing Yusuf's name. He'd been trying to convince his coworker to hang out with him outside of the office for a while now, and today he'd set his mind to it. Even he'd admit that his relentless attempts were getting to be a bit much. But, at this point, he was just so excited that Yusuf hadn't given him a no. Sure, they were pushing back a little, but that's just who he was. As they'd been messaging throughout the day, it seemed like Yusuf might just be on board and sure enough, when he opened his messages he was met with the suggestion of getting drinks. It was especially exciting to Robyn because the idea wasn't even his, Yusuf was the one who made the plan. He was happy to do what his work friend wanted, as long as they got to spend time together. Robyn typed out an eager response and hit send- perhaps it was a little too eager, he had a habit of being quick to use all caps during bouts of excitement.

Setting his TekPad down and slipping a glove back on, he got back to work. At the moment he was focused on creating technology to aid in security, something deemed necessary after some recent thievery. He fell into work for the remainder of the day, messing around with wires and bolts and all the technical stuff he loved. Robyn always felt right at home working in his lab, hours felt like minutes and before he knew it he was doing a double take after looking at a clock. It was time! He quickly wrapped up what he was doing, sloppy tidied up his workspace (it didn't do much), threw on a jacket, and headed out to find Yusuf.

Heading through the halls of Romeratech, Robyn was aiming for Yusuf's office but ended up running into the man himself. "Hey!" he greeted with a warm smile, energy practically radiating off of him as he spoke. He raised an eyebrow in genuine confusion when Yusuf said something about his... tactics? Robyn didn't think he had any of those. He just shrugged. "I don't know dude, you suggested drinks. And it was a great idea, I am so excited about this, we're gonna have the best time!" Robyn began walking out of the building alongside Yusuf, letting his coworker lead the way. "So, where's your favorite spot?"

Antonia hated admitting weakness. She was raised on a mentality of 'you're either capable, or you aren't, but advertising your ineptitude helps no one.' Her ineptitude when it came to progressing toward controlling her newfound mutation knew no bounds. If people's stray thoughts and feelings kept bouncing around in her head any time her skin brushed someone elses, she was going to start losing track of what actually did belong there, not to mention the things burned into her synapses that she'd had NO desire to see at all. Her paranoia that someone would feel her unwittingly snooping was also starting to get to her.

It hadn't been nearly as difficult when it had first developed, mostly because she'd isolated herself for months. It might just be her growing frustration with trying to balance it with ever increasing responsibilities, but it felt like the power was getting more and more unweildly.

The worst was that she came up with new business related ideas for how she might harness the mutation nearly every day, and simply lacked the know-how to implement them. Learning required another person, and she'd accidentally barged in on far too many private thoughts for her own comfort, let alone that of anyone around her. Thank fuck Silas was a patient person, around her at least. They had enough history that they didn't have much to hide from each other in the first place, but there was only so much she was willing to ask him to put up with, he'd spent enough of his life as a Romeratech guinea pig, she wasn't going to use his head as a training grounds.

Intervention was a necessity at this point, or so she had to keep telling herself. Her lack of ability to concentrate and interact normally with others, and her leaving opportunity on the table by not fully utilizing the ability were both fast becoming liabilities both personal and financial. As much as she was loathe to advertise her inability to master her own mind to anyone, another reason she'd kept much of her struggle with the new mutation from Silas, she was even more hesitant to reveal the existence of her mutation at all, even under threat of persecution. She didn't even want one of the Romeratech lawyers knowing enough about the situation to draw up proper NDA's. Everything about the letter she'd sent out, and the meeting she'd arrived obsessively early for made her skin crawl. Recruiting someone who helped people refine and control mutations professionally was the only one in a pile of bad ideas that she thought even had a chance of working, so she'd hand delivered a vauge and slightly ominous letter to TEC detailing the need for a well paid, discreet, private instructor in hopes that they could reccomend someone comfortable with being wrapped head to toe in legal red tape to help her in their off hours.

One had reached out to the burner email she'd included as her only contact information, unwilling to reveal anything identifying until she had some kind of assurance they couldn't use the information later. They were supposed to be meeting up shortly and Toni had still failed to give the responder hardly anything to go off regarding the situation or people involved. All she knew was his name, and that he was an instructor in good standing. She could have dug deeper, and likely should have, but it hardly seemed fair. Ideally she would just be inside the guys head soon anyway. One benefit of the mutation, she was an exceptionally difficult person to lie to now. All that was left was to do was wait.

She'd given out her primary address as soon as an initial NDA had come back signed. It might have been better to request they meet at her other place in the residential district, as walking into one of the nicest residential buildings in central sent a sort of, intense first impression, but they would both feel more at home in her actual home, she didn't spend much time here, and if anything, her office looked more lived in than the two floor luxury apartment, but her office wasn't an option if she wanted discretion. So she simply populated her calender with a vauge appointment blackout for the afternoon, and stood awkwardly in the kitchen waiting to brew some coffee until a bit closer to their scheduled meeting time in hopes that a fresh pot would make the interior seem less stark and lab-like. The residence was colorful, and personalized, just hardly lived in. She'd left the door unlocked, but was tense, ready to spring into action at the sound of knocking or a doorbell, a bundle of nerves unbecoming of her station.

Casper seemed more surprised about seeing Viv than she was him, but after explaining that most of his nights out ended up being forgotten, it made more sense to her. In response to asking how he was, Casper mentioned that he had a job in PR now, which surprised Viviana based on the man that she had known before. People began to fill into the club, a few making a b-line to the bar, even though this was her job, she would rather be able to catch up with her friend uninterrupted.

"That's awesome to hear! I'm happy for you." She gave him a warm smile as she poured up a few drinks for some customers who had come up to the bar. A few people here and there would be easily manageable, but it appeared that it would be getting more difficult pretty soon with the number of people walking into the club. She checked her phone to see the time, 7:43 pm , it was almost peak hours, so she had to get in as much conversation as possible so that she could be fully present.

An inquiring question came from Casper, asking how the girl was doing, assuming that she was no longer under her parent's watch. "I'm great! Haven't been up to much lately." Her mind goes back to a few months back, meeting Nisha and helping in the kidnapping of her, but that was something that she couldn't freely speak about to just anyone. She paused to make an order of shots, pouring them up without a drop spilling out, she had plenty of practice over the time working at the bar to perfect her pouring.

Viviana nods at Casper in response to the parent portion of his question, "I got out of there as soon as I could, there was no way I was going to continue living like that." She rolls her eyes and scoffs quietly, her parents weren't necessarily horrible people, but they weren't winning any awards for Parents of the Year anytime soon. Orders began to come in faster than she could process, pouring and mixing drinks as fast as she could, she turned to look at Casper, "Let me catch up with these and I'll get back to you!"

It took about 15 minutes to catch up with the orders that she had, but once she did, Viviana turned her attention back to her friend, resuming the conversation. "So, where's this fancy PR job at? You like it?" She looks down at a bowl of mixed nuts in front of her, they had a few across the bar for the patrons, but that didn't stop her from taking a handful here and there. Viv reaches into the bowl and grabs a few, tossing the ones that didn't look very appetizing into a trash can next to her.