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OverconfidentMagi

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The Masquerade TroupeAct 3

prologue 1 - the Invitation


Hello. If you're reading this, it must have worked. Seeing this message is more important then you might think, and was very difficult to manage. I can assure you, it's worth your consideration

You must be wondering, who am I? A random message, doesn't just come out of thin air right? A sender behind it is guaranteed. Telling you who I am, at least my real name, serves no purpose unless you accept. So for now, you may call me 'Bird'. It's the title I go by here, so that's what you may refer to me as. But who is, 'Bird'? That's a question asked quite often, but there's almost no answers. Of course I know who I am, but not many others do. But...here's what you should know.

I am a man of high standards, looking for thrill of the utmost severity. To put it simply, I'm a 'super villain'. A roamer. Or at least, those are the titles my world attaches to people such as myself. Without meaning to brag, I'm actually quite skilled in what I do. I go around the world, taking jobs that are of 'high risk, and high reward'. I've never once failed any job I've undertaken, if that means anything to you. So far in my career, I've run solo. Haven't had a need to do otherwise...till now.

Being of such skill, I haven't gone unnoticed. More and more people are looking out for me, watching for the next time I strike so they might catch me. They never will, I assure you. However, such security has made it harder to pull off my jobs...so having someone to help will be required before long. That's where you come in. If any of the things I've said thus far make little to no sense, don't be concerned. The reason why, is because this letter is coming from a different world then yours. I get that might seem...ludicrous. Impossible. Some sort of gag made for a prank...but it's not. I never lie.

In my world, I'm called a Legend. No, I don't mean it in the normal sense. It's what my species is called, because it seems like we were born from legends of old. We live alongside humans, much like yourself. The only difference, is we have powers. Super powers, as you may call it in your world. Abilities. That's what I am, and its what's allowing me to write this letter to you now.

If you see past your own disbelief, and accept my invitation...I can promise you many things. Wealth beyond what you could ever hope to acquire. You would be famous, but not necessarily in a good way. Plus, I'm certain that if you came here, you would have powers. I can't promise that last one, but if what I've heard is true...you will become a Legend. All you have to do is press on the seal of this letter, and hold it against your heart. Utter the words, 'I accept', and my powers will do the rest for you. I hope to see you soon

-Bird





Aaron reread the letter he'd first read three years ago, in another time and another world, and tears rolled down his face onto the paper. His cold glacier blue eyes reflected the orange twilight beams coming from the window. He was alone in the darkening room, but still he felt shame even as he cried. He'd been trying so hard to keep his emotions under control, constantly, for six months now. Six months since Bird had disappeared. He erased Shame and wept openly. Colors in the room ran as if done in watercolor, blending into an uncertain grey until he felt Pain stirring from deeper within. That he couldn't let out, so he covered up Sorrow for now.

"Bird, where are you? You never finished teaching me how to keep myself together. I can't do it alone."

Fear rushed to fill his mind. Aaron clutched the letter to his chest as he struggled to stay in control of himself. The light streaming in through the window split around him, spraying broken up splashes of all different colors across the walls, a prismatic murder scene that matched the chaos inside Aaron right then. "I accept," he said for the second time. Those two words had saved him once. The light faded as his body seemed to deflate. His pale grey-green eyes just looked exhausted as he set the letter down on the table and walked to the bedroom. He was tired, not physically but mentally.

He set his hand on the doorknob and for no particular reason he could have explained, turned back to look at the letter. So he just happened to see a tear in reality open up and the letter disappear into it. He stood there dumb for a long time, and once his mind was working again, he rushed to find the rest of the letters Bird had never sent out. Aaron wasn't entirely sure what he hoped to accomplish, but it was something Bird had done once, and he'd been copying the person he'd become obsessed with for so long that it just felt right. As if by doing so he was taking a single step closer to wherever Bird was.



prologue 2 - the Greeting

Welcome








Aaron stared at the one word he'd written down an hour ago. He hadn't been reading it this whole time. No, it was just where his eyes had fallen as his mind had drifted off to other things. How should he greet whoever showed up? Would anyone show up? He really had no idea how Bird's powers worked, and even less understanding of what the super villain had done to pull people from another world to this one. Just because the letters had disappeared was no guarantee that they'd actually appeared in the other world. Or if they had, who was to say the people that accepted would arrive in the same place? They could be thrown anywhere in the world, anywhere in any world. The letters might not even find people from the same world he'd come from. There were so many unknowns. He was used to that by now, but he still hated it. People's minds, this world, it was too chaotic, impossible to predict. That was what made it so exciting.

He was smiling as his white-gold eyes refocused on the paper lying in front of him.


Welcome, one and all, to my world. It's a pleasure, honestly.








The exact words Bird had used to greet him, Ryan, Angela... and Sophia. His eyes darkened as regret tinged his smile. He would never say it, but he missed them, all of them. He would probably never be given a chance to say it. He deserved that. He banished the sadness he'd begun to feel and reread his words, Bird's words. He lifted the pen. No, he couldn't just reuse Bird's words this time. This wasn't even his world after all. He crumpled the paper and pulled out a new one. Now that he'd made the decision to not copy Bird he found he couldn't even think of one word to start. The pen moved on its own in his hand.


Welcome










the Arrival
When Aaron and the others had first arrived in this world, they had appeared inside the entryway of some big fancy mansion. Bird had been there waiting for them. He'd known where and when they would appear. Aaron had neither of those advantages. He could very well be scattering people all across a world they did not belong in and knew nothing about. That was a very real possibility.

Without Bird to ask, Aaron could only use what little he did remember about his own arrival. The timeline. Bird had once said it had been two months between sending out the invitations and them arriving. Aaron had wasted half of that searching for his second clue: the mansion. In truth, what little he did know about the place he'd first arrived in had bothered him more than all of the unknowns about inter-dimensional travel and it somehow granting super powers. The mansion had been huge. He'd only stood in the entryway and seen the lounge/bar, but what he'd seen pointed towards it being owned by someone who didn't care at all about money. It had been clean, certainly not abandoned, and the bar had even been fully stocked, seemingly quite recently from what he could remember. More concerning, Bird had claimed to both not own the property and not know who did. Most concerning, he had shot down any ideas of investigating whomever the place did belong to.

He sighed and placed another cookie in his mouth. Just another secret, just another reminder of the distance that existed between Bird and his flock. He took a gulp from the glass of red wine sitting on the step beneath him. Aaron Massimo, the last of Bird's old flock, sat on the top step of the opulent staircase in the entryway of the mansion where he'd first arrived in this world just over three years ago. He'd finally managed to find the right place. It hadn't been an easy feat, not even close. He now suspected some power was at work in keeping the place hidden, but he'd gotten lucky. He'd come to strongly hate that word since being in this world, but he was forced to admit he'd relied on it. He wished he hadn't.

The mansion was not exactly how he remembered it. The structure was still massive and opulent, but it had begun to show signs of disrepair. In all likelihood, the place had been vacant and unmaintained since that night three years ago. The place had only existed to serve one purpose, and its owners had left it to rot since. Dust and cobwebs filled the place. Aaron had cleaned out one bedroom for himself while he wasted away the days waiting for his flock to arrive, but otherwise couldn't be bothered to clean up such an unreasonably large place. So he'd let Apathy take over. Day after day he'd sat on the stairs, just waiting. Sometimes he had food, sometimes a book, sometimes he'd just sit playing games on his phone, though the signal here was disappointing. Today he had a box of Girl Scout cookies and wine. Truly this must be the life of a king, no? This was what he'd imagined when he'd accepted the offer to become a super villain. Spending weeks sitting in a spider-infested old house waiting for something to happen.

On cue, a spider climbing the railing towards his head caught Aaron's eye. Small, black, thin legs. Could very well be a black widow. "You don't want to," he warned the creature. It crawled closer. He blew at it to convince it to turn around. It stopped but then continued closer. "Fine. I did warn you." Aaron's grey-green eyes darkened and shifted more towards blue. His power was meant for people, but it did work on animals as well. It was easier if the animal was intelligent, so to get any response from something as inhuman as a bug he had to push, hard. The light around Aaron's body blurred and edges became hyper-sharp as if the world was being seen through a lens having trouble focusing on any one thing. The spider froze. That would be terror. The spider moved its leg forward, slowly continuing its exploration of the railing. Aaron sighed again. Well, that wasn't what his power was for anyway. "You win this time," he conceded to the spider as he stood to move his body out of the spider's path.

That was when they arrived. At the bottom of the stairs appeared things that Aaron would have trouble accurately describing. Swirls of light, every color and then some all mixing together and almost instantly becoming too bright to look at. He kicked his box of cookies away behind him and lifted his glass of wine, a white-gloved hand covering his eyes until the light show ended. And suddenly it was. The space seemed too dark by comparison now, but there was nothing he could do to fix that now. Aaron stood atop the stairs, staring down at the fresh faces deposited by the unnatural inverted black holes.

Bird had greeted his flock in full costume, masquerade mask covering his face and radiating the colors of the universe. He'd shown off his power to add validity of some of the claims in his invitation. Aaron was not Bird. Not nearly. So he greeted his flock more plainly.

He was dressed well - he made a point of always being presentable - but not as the Jester, his super villain persona, just as Aaron. Average height, homebody-pale skin, pushed back light blonde hair, eyes that were still shifting back to green from blue as Fear receded into the background then towards a lighter green as Kindness pushed forward. A black leather jacket over a plain dress shirt, a loose tie, white gloves, jeans, semi-formal black shoes. He looked distressingly plain for a super villain. He looked down at them for a moment more, look another deep gulp of wine, and took his first step down the stairs.

"Welcome," he said, eyes and smile and arms all spread wide and open, "to a whole new world."

 
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You will become a legend...

These words practically leapt off the paper into Kimi's already drawn-in point of view. It was a hook, line, and sinker. And, it had caught the young lady on its mysterious fishing pole. But, alas, is this a trick? Was she being fooled? Is this just some sad lonely stalker that wants her thumb print? It couldn't be, as much as she would like to be, she was not important enough to be the target of someone's pitiful obsession. But, this is what this letter was offering- correct? That was the whole reason that she was entertaining this dramatic potential farce. She was on the couch of her living room, her morning tea on the edge of her table and the lights off while the sunlight of the window was beaming through to light her room. The glow of the warm sunshine was competing with the glow that was floating over Kimi and Kimi's glow proved quite the challenge to outdo.

It was the kind of glow that illuminated from the young girl when she had her metaphorical thinking hat on. She had to contemplate about the possibilities, the chance that this wasn't fake, and the risk of her passing this up. To die in a world of mediocrity, to never have the world hear her name, and to suffer as another body in the wave of sheep walking on a plain ol road to nowhere. This would not be her fate. Staring down the seal on the letter and listening to the words on the page intensely, she took a deep breath. This was it. Either she confessed the confirmation of her desire, or look like a complete fool in front of her furniture. Her small finger covered the seal, bringing the paper against her chest where her beating lion's heart lied and she whispered aloud..

"I accept....."

"I SAID, I ACCEPT!"

-

Describing what happened, after she confirmed and confirmed again her ambitions to follow the letter, would sound like she had finally lost her marbles or had too much trust in a wild dream. Who would listen to her rambles anyhow? If this letter was true and, it had more than proven itself that it might be- she would no longer be in her own world to gossip about said events. In a flash of illuminations and multicolored orbs in the air, her life would never be the same. Snatched into this...vortex, she oddly enough didn't scream but her eyelids had expanded and her pupils trembled at what was occuring in front of her very being. As she was pulled through, she felt scarily similar to Alice falling down into wonderland after following hurried white rabbit. What lingered beyond this space-age like transport was a mystery but one that would not last too much longer. Kimi was petrified, to put it lightly.

When she was dropped down onto the floor, she made sure to catch herself on her feet. It was the sheer thought of touching an unknown floor that scared her enough to react quickly.
'Who knows what's been on this floor?' She thought to herself, but more importantly.. she pondered where she was as she stood up straight. Her eyes did not lower from its thunderstruck expression, her brows creased and as if she was ready to burst into running at any second- she looked around her surroundings and stood completely still. The petrification from the start of this wild phenomenon needed more seconds to wear off.



"Welcome..to a whole new world." A new voice spoke.

She was quick to turn her head in the direction and her eyes landed on the blonde. With a suspicious once over to the brand new individual who seemed to know what the hell was going on, she was back to looking around the place. She wanted a complete scan, but she knew she was likely have to wait to know more about this brand new setting. Kimi stood without a word, letting silence be her response for a few more seconds than she should have- turning it into a pause. And finally, she spoke up with a quiet tone and with total solemnity.. "The new world seems a lot filthier than I would have imagined.."



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Clickety-clack. Clickety-clack. Clicketly-clack. The sound of the tube-train rolling on through London's underground was steady as a clock. Arthur sat hunched in his seat staring dead-eyed out of the window; watching lights flit past and listening to the seconds of his life him pass by. In other words, it was Monday.

Almost without conscious thought Arthur's hand had reached up again and felt the round piece of plastic pinned to his chest, he looked down and re-read the words: “Happy-Birthday Arthur!!!” written in garish bright comic-sans, it was the only sign of colour in his otherwise grey business suit (the paper hat lay crumpled in a bin three stops back) and Arthur sighed. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack.

He had smiled his way through the forced office celebrations, taken a few bites from the bland super-market bought cake and hugged his pretty work colleagues, getting a tantalising smell of their perfume. Then thanked everyone for the thoughtless cards and got back to work. Birthdays had stopped being a celebration for Arthur long ago. Twenty-six...how had that happened? At the printing schedule-office for eight years almost now, he seemed to remember it had stopped being fun after the second hour. What had he done with his life? He had been 18 it felt just yesterday, blinked and found he was 26, how old would he be if he blinked again? There was no change in sight, like an endless subway tunnel. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack.

Arthur drew his birthday-cards out of his briefcase and thumbed through them to find the one that had been playing at the back of his mind. Was it meant to be a joke? If so he didn't get it. Bird? Powers? He stroked the dark stubble on his chin as he considered the strange words. There was something enticing about it, as stupid as it obviously was. This was the first interesting, the first 'out-of-the-ordinary' thing that had happened to him in longer than he cared to remember. Arthur had spent his whole life waiting for his life to happen. Well here it was? He gulped, then looked around feeling stupid, but pressed his thumb and spoke the words anyway. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack. Clicket-

Arthur froze in shock at the instant abounding silence, the train had stopped somehow. In-fact...everything had stopped. The tunnel lights streaming by were stuck in mid-blur...a woman two isles down was locked in a perpetual coffee sip, the fly buzzing near him hung in mid-air. Arthur's astonishment turned to terror as he realised he was frozen too. He tried to scream then but no noise came out, he couldn't even seem to send the signals from his brain. And it lasted...he had no idea.

ty-clack. Clicketly-clack. Clicketly-clack. Then everything resumed, the lights went by, the fly buzzed, the scream at last erupted out of Arthur's mouth as he flailed suddenly, gasping onto the floor. Clicketly-clack-clickety-clack-clickety-clack. But the train was speeding up now, lights sped into a constant bar across the window. Clicketyclackcliketyclackcliketlyclack. It went faster, the people coming to help him moved now with superhuman speed, the fly was going like a bullet. Clickclackclickclackclickclackclkclkclkclkclkclkckckckckkkkkkkkkkk. Things went from fast forward to impossible speed, everything blurred, Arthur himself was uncontrollably fast and train must have shattered all speed records.

Then light surrounded him.

“Welcome, to a new world.” Arthur was trembling, deep shakey breathes. Things were...They were back to normal. It felt that way. But, where the hell was he.

“I...?” He turned wide-eyed to the blonde boy, his voice unsteady. “What?”
 
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Charlotte sat in her office alone, sipping on some expensive wine "You will become a legend" That's what the letter said, it was difficult for her on deciding whether to accept the invitation or not. On the one hand her emotions were telling her to go for it since that's what she wanted to be. Two more sips and then she refilled the glass, on the other though this may indeed be a prank, although she gathered that since nobody even knew that this was where she was, that idea was doubtful. Another sip of Wine as she twirled the invitation in her free hand. Superpowers and becoming a villain, she already was one of those things, but becoming something more powerful than that, that's what was getting her to slowly come around to the idea of accepting. Another sip, another refill "Heh ok, then I accept your invitation" At first she just sipped her wine as nothing happened then the bubbles in her wine started growing bigger and float into the air before popping, bigger and bigger until there was one big enough to envelop her and envelop it did. She was scared at first and as she tried to pop the bubble, it wouldn't pop at first then it popped on it's own, she was enveloped in light, her glass falling and shattering, spilling what was left in the glass

Her eyes blinked multiple times, trying to blink away the light and slowly it did "Welcome to a whole new world" A voice said "Well wasn't that an interesting way of transport, Hello sir" she said her tone calm and refined yet her accent gave away the fact that she was indeed irish
 
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Undisclosed Juvenile Detention Center, Japan​

What the fuck?

Haruto closed Ryu Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue. The scene he read was shocking to say the least, but he supposed being bombarded with obscenity was better than drowning in historical prose. After all, it was one of the only books in the prison library published after World War II. He placed the book back on the shelf and paced around his cramped cell. In less than five minutes, he kneeled on the thin zabuton, staring at the blank wall. This would've been torture for him two years ago, but now? It was simply routine. With a strict speaking policy, Haruto found comfort in three activities: reading, walking, and staring— all done as a cycle in the three hours of his free time. He used to write letters to his family in Osaka, but he found it futile after receiving no response.

No interesting conversations, no memorable meals, no new escape plans. It seems that another day was wasted. Haruto sighed internally— he had to endure this hell for at least two more years. He felt himself chipping away, unaware of his family's well-being.

Until he saw a sheet of paper on his knees.

Haruto grabbed a pencil and notebook to look as if he was writing a letter, since foreign documents were prohibited in the prison. He glanced at the paper's content, which was written in English. Luckily, English was one of the only classes paid decent attention to in high school; he figured that the language would be useful in his stints. It was an invitation from Bird, a so-called legend from another world. Apparently, if he joined forces with Bird, his greatest wish would be granted. He had a flash of his family before snapping himself back into reality. The letter was way too similar to a beginning of an isekai. Still, it was absurd for the letter to appear out of thin air, especially in a facility with stringent security. It also didn't hurt to try. He followed the instructions at the end and muttered, "I accept."

Within milliseconds, he was engulfed by a myriad of bright colors. As he was being transported to Bird's world, he was just able to make out his guard's panicked calls. He snickered in response and looked up at the never ending light, wondering what Bird's world would be like.

Only to realize that he was being dropped a couple dozen feet above.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

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Unknown, U.S.A.
Haruto fell face flat into the ground. The impact rendered him immobile for a few minutes. While he was subjected to the dusty floor, he realized that he could now feel his stomach's every move, from the dust entering his cardia to the antrum mixing mackerel with gastric juice. It felt like there was a steam engine inside him, churning whatever goes inside his body. Although it didn't add more to his pain, it definitely made him queasy— never had he wished for an enhanced stomach. After the initial shock faded away, he began standing up, unexpectedly coughing out physical debris. He stared at his bare feet now covered in glass shards and wood chips. He wasn't too excited about his new powers.

There were three people in proximity to him, two females and one male. One of the females acted like a scared chipmunk, her eyes darting back and forth. Haruto could envision her visiting the National Museum of Art in Osaka. The other one was much calmer, maybe even smug. While he couldn't deny her allure, there was no way he could be romantically involved with someone high-maintenance (looking) like her. The man appeared to be the most anxious out of the three, frantically breathing as sweat drenched his face and suit. It looked like he already had second thoughts about accepting Bird's letter.

Haruto faced the grand staircase in front of him. Despite its opulence, signs of decay were starting to shine through. The gaps between the handrails were occupied by cobwebs, and the stairs themselves were plastered in dried substances of all kinds. Everyone looked up to a plain-looking blonde, who broke the silence with his footsteps. The blonde gulped a glass of wine and threw his hands outward.

"Welcome to a whole new world," he exclaimed.

This can't be Bird.
 
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POST-01
ROSA DUPONT
Rosa sat near a large window, peering downwards as the golden glow of the sun caressed the city's skyline. She leaned her head against it, observing in pure bliss. Rosa was exhausated, and moments like these were her salvation. Minutes passed in silence, and Rosa remained in this state. She breathed in the soft, rich smells of whatever scented candle her sister had recently purchased, waiting for something to take her away from this moment.

Eventually Rosa heard the click of her condo's door being unlocked, before hearing sharp and punctual footsteps enter the room. "Rosa, I'm home," a voice called out to her.

"Ah⁠—welcome back," Rosa casually replied, taking her head off the window to face the source of the voice. It was her elder sister Elyse. She was visibly tired, which was made apparent by her slouched posture and the bags under her eyes. Assumptively coming home from some sort of important business meeting, she was better dressed than usual⁠—which was quite an accomplishment given her high standards with fashion.

"Did everything go alright today?" Rosa questioned. She wasn't even sure what her sibling had been engaged in, though she was sure she'd hear about it sooner or later.

"It was fine, I'm just tired. Oh, and I found a letter that seemed to be meant for you. Here," Rosa's sister produced the letter from her satchel, passing it over to Rosa. In return she gave her a quick "thank you" while shifting her focus on it. With her sister's delivery complete, she turned away from Rosa, beginning to make her way towards the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. Call if you need anything"

"Understood," Rosa replied, flipping open the letter.

From an initial inspection it seemed far more official than any other letter she's received as of late. Even having a seal near the bottom, Rosa was immediately intrigued. Perhaps new opportunities awaited her. Reading the letter, however, Rosa was more baffled than anything. In spite of its rather official appearance, it spoke of nonsense⁠—almost as if it were some sort of lame prank. Though while she had suspicions, there was a certain gut feeling she had, almost as if there could be a small chance it were real. Nonetheless, as Rosa had little to no other things to occupy her time with, she chose to discover if the letter was genuine. Placing her thumb on the seal and bringing it close, she murmured the words, "I accept".

Almost instantaneously, her surroundings didn't seem quite right. Suddenly the sounds of her sibling came to a halt as an eerie silence filled the room. "S-Sis?!" Rosa called out, though there wasn't an answer in return. Her heart was raising, perhaps the letter was genuine. Then, the world around her plunged into darkness.

--

It only took what felt like a moment for Rosa to open her eyes once again, to be thrusted into a new environment. It was posh, though signs of decay within the building was still evident. She stood near a few other individuals, all seeming roughly her age. In front of here laid a grand staircase, and standing atop it was a well-dressed man.

"Welcome to a whole new world," the stranger exclaimed.

Rosa's heart immediately sank upon hearing those words. She wasn't sure how to process everything that had just occurred, if it were even possible to make sense of it. Thus she simply stood there, completely dumbfounded, uttering only the words, "Oh no..."
 
full

Drifting.... Watching... The warp and weft of reality spread out in all its glory. Pinpricks of disruption appearing, flitting away, leaving trails of fire in their wakes.

"Not again," the watcher thought resignedly, attention turning from the immaterial to the material. Intervention was always so, messy. Maybe someone else could be used to deal with this.

--RING-- --RING-- --RING--

Ryan looked up from the component he was placing, one eyebrow rising as he contemplated the ringing telephone. Only two people knew the number for that phone. One was dead, and he rather doubted that the other would ever stoop to calling it, no matter how dire his situation.

--RING-- --RING--

Shrugging to himself, Ryan reached over, lifting the receiver on the old-fashioned land line. Might as well see what Aaron wanted.

"Yes?" he said.

"Hello Ryan," an unfamiliar, female voice said. "Or do you prefer to be called Joule these days?"

"Ryan is fine," Ryan replied, carefully masking his surprise. "You now have thirty seconds to convince me not to hang up. Only one living person knows this number, and you are obviously not him."

"Aaron is why I'm calling," the voice said. "He's doing something he's not prepared for. Something even his mentor wasn't fully prepared to face the consequences of."

"Aaron is always doing something without fully preparing," Ryan said scornfully. "Fifteen seconds."

"You may call me Lachesis," the voice said, "And Aaron has managed to activate Bird's Invitations. I'm sure you remember those. After all, you accepted one to come here."

Ryan sat bolt upright in his chair, his project forgotten as Lachesis spoke. No one except Bird and the four of them who had accepted his invitation to come to a new world knew about the Invitations that had brought them here. At least, that's what Bird had said. Apparently, he had been wrong.

"You have my attention," Ryan said slowly, "But why should I care?"

"Because, like his mentor, Aaron is disrupting the balance of this world, and with far less appreciation of the consequences of his actions. Those consequences, improperly managed, could come back to haunt you. Here is where he will be, and when he will be there."

Ryan grabbed a pen and pad, writing down the coordinates Lachesis gave him, as well as the date and time.

"How do you know this?" he asked when she fell silent.

"I observe," she said. "You should be there. After that moment, all is Chaos. Perhaps you can order it, perhaps not. Maybe Aaron can succeed where Bird failed, perhaps not. We shall see. Good luck, you'll need it."

The line went dead, leaving Ryan with far more questions than he could possibly find answers to. Looking at the time and place he had written down, he frowned, then stood. He had a long way to go, and just under two days to get there.

Two days later, Ryan found himself in a familiar mansion, although unlike his last visit, it was far from pristine. The three intervening years hadn't been kind to the structure, and obviously no one had been inside since he and his companions had arrived. Aaron was somewhere inside, probably in the same grand hall where they had first appeared, and Ryan moved carefully, quietly, slipping inside and making his way towards where his memory said the hall should be. A faint sound from ahead slowed his steps, and Ryan cautiously cracked the door leading to the arrival location, peeking inside. Aaron stood at the top of the stairs, right where Bird had stood, gazing down at five roiling clouds of riotous color that twisted the eye and mind into unnatural patterns. A flare of light too bright to look directly into, and the clouds inverted themselves, becoming tears in the fabric of reality that disgorged five forms, one being deposited several feet above the ground to fall face first into the unyielding floor.

"Welcome," he heard Aaron's voice say, "To a whole new world."

"The new world seems a lot filthier than I would have imagined.."

“I...? What?”


"Well wasn't that an interesting way of transport, Hello sir"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"Oh no..."

Ryan pushed the door fully open, stepping into the room, his expression sardonic as he gave Aaron a slow clap that punctuated his words.

-clap-

"Welcome indeed."

-CLAP-

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone could you Aaron?"

-CLAP-

"You just had to try and be Bird, didn't you?"

-KRACK-BOOM-

A brilliant blue-white flash erupted from Ryan's hands, electricity arcing wildly and producing a peal of thunder that shook dust and dirt from the rafters. Ryan took advantage of the moment to take in the new arrivals. Three women, two men. Mixed lot. Their expressions ran the gamut from interested to appalled, and Aaron looked, resigned?

"You managed to out do Bird in one respect," Ryan said, looking directly at Aaron. "He only managed to lure four of us here. You managed five. Congratulations. Do you think you can do better than his fifty-percent survival rate? Do you think you can go longer than Bird did before losing one of them? Did you have the same kind of welcome speech prepared? Let me save you the trouble."

Ryan turned his attention to the new arrivals, sweeping them with an appraising glance. He hoped they survived.

"Welcome indeed," he said again. "I don't know you, and I don't know why you decided to accept that invitation that appeared out of nowhere, but you did, and now you're stuck here. Congratulations. Just so you know, those invitations were crafted by a sociopathic madman who was looking for lackeys. Expendable lackeys. Now, he's missing, and I hope quite dead, but it appears Aaron here is stepping up to try and fill his shoes. Or do you prefer to go by Jester these days? Anyway, four of us arrived. Sophia went missing on the first night, just because Bird brought her here. Aaron here barely survived our first outing thanks to a little scuffle between our 'benefactor' and one of his many enemies. Then Angela, remember Angela Aaron? The woman who died saving us because of another of Bird's fuck ups? The woman who Bird dismissed before her body was even cold?"

Ryan's stare had turned hard and cold as he spoke, but he visibly reigned himself in, taking a deep breath before continuing to speak in a slightly calmer voice.

"At least one person knows that Bird's invitations were activated, and that some were accepted. She said there would be consequences. I hope you survive them. I hope that Aaron is ready for the responsibility he's just taken on, or at least more ready than Bird was. I suggest that you make your exit far more expediently than we did Aaron."

Ryan started to turn away, then stopped, turning back to stare directly into Aaron's eyes.

"Do you want to go ahead and tell them what your power is?" he asked, his voice cold. "Or would you like me to?"

OverconfidentMagi OverconfidentMagi , Pyosimros Pyosimros , C c6474 , Xcelgamer Xcelgamer , notabot notabot , TheTaleTellers TheTaleTellers
 
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Aaron's eyes shifted from surprise to sorrow to a chilled Kindness in the fraction of a second it took him to process Ryan being here. Being here, now. Had she told him? Was this also her power at work? Well, he wasn't bothered by it. Kindness' warmth reached his eyes, a soft golden color, as he smiled at his old friend. "It's good to see you again, Ryan. I wasn't sure you'd come."

He set his glass down on the stairs, seemingly not bothered or hurried by Ryan's accusations. "You have my apologies," Aaron said. "I did have a whole grand speech planned to welcome you all here, but since Ryan here has taken it upon himself to spoil the mood, I think it might be better saved for later." After brushing himself off of the dust Ryan had kicked up, or rather knocked down, in announcing himself, Aaron stood straight and met Ryan's powerful gaze. "There's no need to be curt now, tell us all how you really feel." He smiled and resumed his casual descent, seeming to be more focused on his new flock than his old friend. "Feelings. I believe that's what he's digging at. Ryan was blessed with a flashy, destructive power, as he so kindly demonstrated for us." Aaron's eyes slid across Ryan again as he stepped between the man and his flock, that smile still on his face. He nodded politely to acknowledge the dark-haired woman's greeting. He then looked over the boy that had arrived most unceremoniously into the hard floor, making sure he was at least mostly unharmed; physically, if not with his pride entirely whole.

Aaron spun around, leaving his back open, unguarded. "I wasn't quite so lucky," he said, an odd stress on the word. "My power is so boring by comparison. Not weak, I wouldn't say that, though Ryan here could surely kill me in an instant if he felt so inclined, and there wouldn't be a single thing I could do to defend myself from him. I alter emotions." He said it simply, sounding as if it was the least important bit of the words leaving his mouth. "Make people feel happy, sad, amused, fearful, angry. However really. It's not an exact science." He clapped his hands together, not unlike Ryan had done, but for a different purpose as he lowered his head to his flock. "I'm really sorry if any of you end up with a mental power like mine. Having been around for a while now and seeing the wide spectrum of powers in this world, physical powers really do seem like more fun."

He straightened himself again, his smile becoming something tinged with a sad kind of regret. "And a power like mine, as Ryan so kindly has implied, makes it somewhat difficult for others to ever really trust you... me." He turned his head to look at Ryan, but turned back before his eyes reached the man. "Which is why I'm so happy that Ryan came here anyway. I will not twist your emotions nor his words. The things he said happened, most more cruelly than he implies."

"But those are a story for another time, I think. If this place has been compromised, then I think maybe we should conclude introductions while heading elsewhere. If you don't want to come after what Ryan said, you are free to stay behind. Good luck."

"You haven't fried the car batteries again, have you, Sparky?" He grinned at Ryan, facing the man again as he stepped closer, both towards Ryan and the door. "I don't think they'll make it if you have. It's a long walk to anywhere."
 
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KIMI MYLES



"
Well, if this is 'Bird' guy was looking for expendable people than he's got the wrong girl." Kimi declared with the utmost certainty in herself, her mouth muffled by her hand clapping over her lips. Just in-case dust happened to try to settle in. A putrid thought to herself. She was done taking a glance around the room and it came to her conclusion that she was not the only one who accepted it. She was speaking towards the male with the outstanding entrance, one of the second instances of power she's seen. Besides the others entrances that seemed to have been dumped alongside her. Listening politely, she took in everything that he was saying that the first male wasn't and kept mental note. Powers were mentioned in the letter and these two apparently know each other, as well as have powers of their own. Different, mentally and physically. Flashy or not, to see supernatural powers with her very eyes- were breathtaking to say the least. It almost made the fact that she was standing in a filthy place-bearable. "And to trust anyone after entering a brand new world off the spot from a random letter is nothing short of idiotic and naive..."

Kimi stepped forward, her sentence cut off by her turning to face the blonde who was walking away towards the door and the other male, Ryan,who knew what was going on- as well. "Bird or not, I've made it this far and I'm not going to be abandoned in this grimy scuzzy waste of a beautiful home in a place that I have no clue where I am after making it this far. " She placed her hands on her hips, the oversized brown jacket of hers slipping off of her shoulders, for a moment - her certainty faded off of her face and she found herself avoiding eye contact. She tapped her fingers together and worry seemed to start draping over her face, "But... the letter..is it..you know,true?"

Although Kimi knew she wasn't planning on staying behind, she was still on the fence with whether or not accepting the letter would really get her- what she wanted. After all, the one who wrote it... is supposedly, missing. So, who exactly is this Aaron..or Jester? That was all she cared about and it was written over her face. She would be willing to do anything to achieve what was promised.


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Arthur felt the dust, he rubbed it between his fingertips softly, examining the touch of the dirt, watching it as it slipped through his hand. He felt the dampness in the air and his skin had that goosebumps feel from the discharge of electricity. Was this real? Could it be? It made sense to try to rationalise all this as some bizarre dream but what if it wasn't? Or if it was, did it matter? He pinched himself for good measure.

Slowly the cogs in Arthur's mind began turning, five minutes ago he had been on the underground. Had it been five minutes? He was no longer sure anymore, time seemed to feel a lot...looser in this place. Perhaps he had died? The thought seemed to echo strangely through his mind, it would have been a push to say he had really lived. That moment where everything had frozen could have been his brain shutting down on him. So where was he now?

“I'm sorry.” Arthur said quietly, almost as much to himself as the others. “But I don't think any of you are real.” He turned his head to look each of them in turn. “Maybe I'm dreaming, or I'm in someone else's dream...Bird's maybe.” He paused for a moment, or it could have been several he couldn't really seem to tell anymore. A strange detached sort of smile flitted across his face, but then it was gone and he looked over back to Aaron.

“I'm in.”


(( @ Xcelgamer Xcelgamer ))
 
As Arthur was interrupted by apparently another legend, Ryan was his name, her mind was quietly racing, this was most likely real, considering how careful she normally is, it was nigh impossible to kidnap her so it had to be that had indeed been transported to a different world, especially given what both Arthur and Ryan were talking about, they weren't even the first to have this happen to. Ughh this was annoying, especially when the place they were summoned in was such a filthy place "Well, Miss, considering that we all pressed the seal when we said I accept and if Mr. Ryan, was it? Well if Mr. Ryan is not performing some impressive illusion and he has some form of lightning abilities, I would say yes, the contents of the letter was real" Her tone implied that even if her choice of words sounded condescending that wasn't her intention

Charlotte stood up calmly she went to clear her throat and as she did a tiny bubble came out and was gone with a pop "Ahem, sirs as you've both have said the five of us are not from here and if I'm being honest, I am not if this is real but I am deciding to take a chance and trust my senses." She adjusted her dress and dusted herself off before eyeing Ryan "I thank you for looking after us however and it may not be the best decision but I am fine with placing my trust within Mr. Aaron or Jester or whatever he calls himself, because we are not from here, we do need at least a guide" She smiled sweetly at Ryan "So sir while I am agreeing to joining him, I would be adverse to having a second person who already knows what he is doing here. Even if it is to keep an eye on us" She said her words were coated with honey but she genuinely meant every word that slipped past her lips. She then walks over to Kimi "Hello Miss, I am Charlotte Boilgeoga, may I be graced with your name?" She said calmly and did the fancy and gently kissed her hand
 
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Haruto's arrival was followed by two more people. The first one was a prim-looking woman with a long, strawberry blonde ponytail. Like the suited man, it seems that she had second thoughts about accepting Bird's letter. The other one—Ryan—made a much grander entrance, practically marching in with crescendoing applause and an explosion of lighting. Haruto felt like he would've had a stronger reaction to it, but he didn't. He blamed it on juvenile detention. While Ryan's speech was a bombshell in itself, he was more surprised by the blonde's calm response. Well, it would be concerning if the first thing the new recruits saw was a argument, but the mansion didn't have the most welcoming presence either. And his guess was right: the blonde—Aaron, Jester—wasn't Bird. Something about his appearance didn't match with Bird's flowery writing.

The brunette and the suited man expressed their concerns about the letter and the "whole new world," and he agreed with them: for all he knew, this could be one huge acid trip. Or a shared dream like the suited man said. In all honesty, he didn't care what it was—he was just glad that he was out of jail. Then there was the high-maintenance lady, who kissed the brunette's hand and introduced herself as Charlotte. He let out a chuckle. It was pretty awkward given the situation, but he did acknowledge the Charlotte's courage. Even as a daredevil, there was no way would he do that out of the blue.

Like the brunette, he was most concerned with the letter's validity. He wanted to reunite with his family and bring them prosperity, whether that was through wealth or happiness. Juvenile detention damaged his well-being, and he knew it was doing the same to them. Tamiko. He wondered what his little sister was up to. He wondered if Bird would even bring him back to the original world. It was something he should've thought about before accepting the letter, but it was too late now. He wanted to see Bird, not Aaron or Jester or whatever the blonde preferred to be called.

He made direct eye contact with Aaron.

"Where's Bird?"

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POST-02
ROSA DUPONT
Rosa, a woman known for her unwavering spirit and incredible tenacity, found it difficult to stay composed under the circumstance she was faced with. She continued standing here, absolutely frozen with a loss for words. Thrusted into a foreign environment with strangers who share her cluelessness, it almost seemed unbelievable—as if the letter had brought her into a sort of dream-like state. Though there was a certain instinct inside her where Rosa knew she was still in reality, no matter how plausible the events up to this point were.

Clap....clap...BOOM.

Rosa immediately yipped at the sudden noise, seemingly coming from the man who had just entered. While before she wasn't sure what she should be feeling, Rosa now felt fear. The colour flushed from her face as her attention was focused on the newcomer. He began to further explain their predicament, something related to the letter being created to gather "expendable lackeys", how few people survived the mysterious man's last attempt to bring outsiders. Rosa quickly deduced that the two men standing in front of here were Bird's previous lackeys, and that they were likely the last survivors.

The conversation soon transitioned toward's the other man's powers. He calmly discussed his ability to manipulate the emotions of others. It all seemed like something out of a comic book, and the entire situation seemed wholly unbelievable. Powers don't exist in the real world, though teleporting letters shouldn't exist either. All this information was retained in Rosa's head, though she couldn't seem to make sense of it all. While her fear began to subside, her anxiousness and confusion did not.

"What're you...going to do to us?" Rosa questioned with a concerned expression before going into a whisper. "I just wanna go home..."
 
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"No fledgling," Ryan replied sardonically. "Your transportation will start. I may not approve of what you've done, but I'm no monster."

Ryan turned his attention to the small woman, more like young girl, who had asked if the letters were real.

"Quite, quite real," he said, holding out his hand, palm up. A twisting ball of blue/white lightning formed in the palm of his hand, twisting and twining as the scent of ozone permeated the air. Ryan closed his fist and the ball lightning vanished as though it had never been. Only the smell of ozone lingering in the air made it clear that it had really been there at all. "Of the three of us who lived past the first night, all three of us developed powers."

Turning to the man who seemed dazed, unable to accept his new reality, Ryan snapped his fingers under the man's nose twice. Then poked him hard in the chest.

"This is your reality now," he said. "And it's just as deadly as our world. Actually quite a bit more deadly. If you don't accept this, whatever power you might develop could kill you just as dead as a bullet."

The woman who seemed to be treating this like an outing to a singles club received the full weight of Ryan's stare, his eyes measuring her.

"Aaron and I have only been here three years," he said. "We're not from around here, anymore than you are. I will admit that Aaron has managed to survive, so he might be able to keep you alive. He knows my number if he needs or wants help."

"As for where Bird is," Ryan said, "I hope that he's rotting in a field somewhere. He was a Roamer. And, just for the record, Roamers are universally insane. He had at least three personalities, one of which was a psychotic killer. He had major enemies, and while we were with him, we were targets just by association."

Ryan turned his attention to the young woman who appeared to be taking in the new reality the worst, and his expression softened, his voice becoming compassionate.

"I'm so sorry that you got caught up in Aaron's bad decision," he said. "But you can't go home. Even if Bird were standing in front of you right now, I doubt even he could have sent you home. As for what Aaron will do, hopefully he will teach you, train you, and protect you until you can protect yourself. If you ever doubt that he is doing any of those things, call the number on this card."

Ryan pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and withdrew a plain card with a single phone number on it. After a moments thought, he pulled four more out, offering one to each of Aaron's new 'recruits'.

"I'll come and Aaron and I will have a discussion about responsibility."

OverconfidentMagi OverconfidentMagi , Pyosimros Pyosimros , C c6474 , Xcelgamer Xcelgamer , notabot notabot , TheTaleTellers TheTaleTellers
 
"Yes, I know. It remains your biggest character flaw."

He changed gears and spoke louder. "I'd be careful about where you're lighting those sparks, Static Shock," Aaron said with a grin. "Some of the... contingencies I prepared here are of the electrically-sensitive variety. I'd very much prefer if you didn't set those off." He laughed over the genuine worry that Ryan would accidentally kill them all. "Just in case," he added with a wink. "We've all got our enemies, after all."

His yellow-green eyes passed over the members of his new flock. Suspicion. Fear. Disbelief. Apathy. Fear. Confidence. Desire. Fear. Anger. Fear. He exhaled, closed his eyes, took a breath, and then Aaron used his power.

Bring everything down a bit. Make them more Calm. Bolster their unsteady spirits with Confidence. Not that one. Even if he thought she needed the boost, he wanted to keep observing her genuine feelings without tampering. He preemptively drained away some Anger and replaced it with Despair before answering the boy's question. "Bird isn't here. You cannot unmake the choice you made. You cannot unsay the words that you spoke. You. Chose. This." He'd moved on from the boy and onto the blonde woman. "Even if I am not Bird, I will take on his promises. I will guide you and train you, make you into something greater." Confidence, with an undertone of Fear. Fear was necessary when speaking of the future, good or bad. Aaron smirked at the woman he'd left unmolested by his power. "I will show you how to become villains." A flash of Joy followed by Shame. He pushed a little more shame onto the brown-haired girl, left her heart and mind to figure out that lingering emotion. He nodded to the man who looked like a business man, dressed in the formal way that Aaron's entire appearance seemed to mock. He'd break the man out of his shock later, if it lasted long. For now he could work around it.

He'd made a kind of loop in front of the group, stopping next to Ryan. Aaron could have used his power on his old friend. At the speed of thought he could have plunged Ryan into despair a hundred times - a thousand times what he'd so lightly touched the redheaded boy with. He didn't. Like the woman whose amusing reactions had piqued his curiosity, Aaron actively kept his power from touching Ryan. Not that Ryan would be able to notice either way. Aaron's power was subtle. Anyone who really knew what it could do was forced to assume that Aaron was always using his power on them. He hadn't been lying when he'd said his power made him someone impossible to trust. That Ryan would get as close as he was without instantly acting to kill Aaron, it meant something important. When Kindness faltered, Fear rose to the forefront, Aaron's eyes shifting to a darker aqua color as the emotions reordered their influence over him. Aaron turned to face the door, his hand on the warm iron handle.

Aaron was afraid. He'd been afraid since the day Bird had disappeared. But when it came to pushing down emotions, he was more capable than most. The blue tint of Fear faded into a cloudy shade of grey. Apathy. He could work with that. Aaron pushed the door open, revealing a limousine parked in front of the mansion. "If you don't have any qualms about getting into the vehicle of a self-admitted dastardly villain, pile into the back. And if you do have qualms... well it's a bit late for that isn't it? There should be some wine left in the cooler if you can find it. Might help with the nerves."

Aaron caught Ryan before the man could slip out himself, and after making sure none of the others were still close enough to be listening, he said, "Six million. To protect them until morning." His grey-green eyes met Ryan's, for once not slipping away onto some other target. Aaron was out of character, acting serious. "I liked Sophia," he said, the connection between the two disjointed statements coming after a short silence... "She was killed as a warning to Bird, for bringing us to this world." He pushed Fear back as it tried taking control, warning him he shouldn't be telling Ryan this. "I doubt the people who killed her will let me off with just a warning. I will try to keep them all alive, but... Bird couldn't protect us all, and I'm still far below him." Aaron's focus tried to shift away, and he had to force himself to maintain eye contact. "You're right. This is my responsibility. They are my responsibility. So I won't ask for a favor or anything petty as that. I will offer to hire your services though." Aaron had only just now come up with the idea of using Ryan in his plans, but as soon as it had entered his mind he was sure it was the correct path forward. It made sense. Why else would Mari have sent Ryan to him?

Tarmagon Tarmagon
 
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"Who are you and what did you do with Aaron?" Ryan asked with a wry chuckle, then his tone turned serious. "But I didn't expect such forthrightness from you about accepting your responsibilities. You've surprised me in a good way. Six million eh? That seems, excessive, but then again, you seem to be expecting trouble."

Ryan frowned for a second, remembering Lachesis' words, then nodded.

"But, I'm not in the middle of anything that can't be put on the back burner, so I accept your offer. And in the spirit of full disclosure... Does the name Lachesis mean anything to you? She called on the phone that only you had the number for, called me by my real name, and told me you had managed to reactivate Bird's letters. That you were even less prepared for the consequences of your actions than he was, and that if I didn't show up, here and now, those consequences could reach out and touch me."

Ryan had begun to pace back and forth as he recounted his conversation with the mysterious Lachesis, but now he stopped and looked Aaron in the eye.

"She said that after the arrival of your little flock, all was Chaos, and you could definitely hear the capital 'C' in Chaos. That it was up to me to try to order things, and up to you as to whether or not things succeeded after that. Does any of that mean anything to you?"

OverconfidentMagi OverconfidentMagi
 
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KIMI MYLES



Kimi narrowed her eyes at the female whose lips touched her hand in an dramatic way of introducing herself. Had this been any other time, her artistic display would have made her marvel at her confidence. Her own lips pressed together, her eyes that had landed upon Charlotte gazed up and away. Without a smile in sight, she was as cool as a cucumber and had little sense of humor. “Myles.” She answered shortly.

Putting her hands down, her attention was more upon her situation. And less upon making friends with total unknowns. At Least for now. She put her hands in the pockets of her dingy brown jacket, listening to the strangers as they spoke. The young female watched Ryan’s hands, with extreme intent to survey exactly what she was seeing. No trick, no illusion, but full on sight of real live superpowers. It almost felt like a dream. This Bird guy was not a factor, nor was he a requirement it seemed to fulfill what Kimi was after.

When it was her turn to receive the card from the powerful male, she gave a blank gaze without moving an inch to get her palm out to get the card. Going over whether or not she should take the offer of potential back up aid, it takes her longer to come up with choices then she should. She even started moving her hand in her pocket when she was leaning towards possibly taking it. Listing the downsides and good sides would take too long, and she was already taking up too much time just to grab a card- instead of standing there like an idiot- she decided to grab it.

Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Her eyes glanced away anyways, knowing upon the surface she could appear like a total moron for just staring at a card. She swirled it inbetween her fingers, like a papery fidget spinner, and slipped it into the pocket of her jacket. Stuffing her hands back into her pockets, she began to take notice to the blonde male in charge speaking. Her stare never left and she gave him both ears on what he was speaking about.

Once the door opened revealing the limo and the choice was given, she walked out without a word. Her hands in her pockets, standing straight and her head held high. She held zero qualms. Not even the fact that this was her first limo ride would distract her from her thoughts as she made her way to the vehicle outside. ‘Bird isn't here. You cannot unmake the choice you made. You cannot unsay the words that you spoke. You. Chose. This’ The words she listened to the male say to one of the recruits, continued to ring through her head.

She stopped when she reached the back of the limo, she didn’t yet sit in- she grabbed the handle- opening it up so that she could hold it for others who were going to follow her into the limo. Even in a different world, the manners her grandparents taught her would transcend realities.


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Arthur scowled as he rubbed at his chest where he'd just been poked by the muscular man. A bit of annoyance brought him closer down to earth, or wherever this was, even without his electric powers Ryan didn't look like someone to get on the wrong side of...Even if Arthur wasn't a complete pushover. But maybe in this world he didn't have to be a pushover?

The shock was still with him, he felt as if he had barely experienced a single thought in his whole life and now they were coming at him unbidden, big and unwieldy every moment. Was he free? Was he trapped? He felt as if he was probably in some danger but any fear he had was eclipsed simply by his inability to take it all in.

“For the record, I still think you're a mirage.” Arthur said with a strained smile as he snatched the card off Ryan, forcing himself out of his own thoughts. His eyes fell upon the wine Aaron mentioned and wasted no time in seizing it and taking a long swig. “It's my birthday.” He said with that same unconvincing smile, pointing down at his badge. “So who else fancies some otherworldly booze?” The humour was admittedly jarring in a room where the tension could be cut with a knife, but Arthur thought for now it would do as an escape while he processed all this. And afterall, it was his birthday. Raising a glass to Kimi as he passed, Arthur stepped into the limo.
 
Charlotte smiled sweetly as her request was fulfilled by Kimi "Thank you for indulging me And my request" She stood as she stood up and slightly adjusted her hair before moving her shoulders like she was trying to get a pain out of them "So this fellow was merely an appretince of this Bird fellow, interesting" She thought to herself as she expertly returned the glare, measuring him back

Her mind was racing, constantly trying to figure out everyone and what the angles to all this could be. Actually being transported to a different world had her on edge not that she wanted to show her fear in front of all these people especially not the experienced two, so she fell back on the thing she knew that worked best, to make friends with these other people and so far she had gotten to one person

She smiled curtly as she walked to the car taking one if Ryan's cards "Thank you sir for worrying about us" She said with a sweet smile as she tucked away the card "And thank you Madam for opening the door for all of us." She said continuing the smile and stepped into the car pouring a glass for everyone else "We'll then sir, Lá breithe shona duit, that's uh Happy birthday in Irish and besides it's 6 pm somewhere in the...Well I guess the multiverse now" she said raising her own glass to Arthur "Boilgeoga, Charlotte Boilgeoga, how do you do sir...?" She extending a hand waiting for him to return her question with his own name
 
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"You. Chose. This."

Aaron's response pierced through Haruto. He knew he did. Was it dumb of him to accept the letter with much thought? Probably, honestly, yes. He was desperate to get out of juvenile detention, and it led him to this: an unknown world, a corrupted stomach, and the fact that he will never reunite with his family again. The opposite of what he expected from the letter. His heart felt like it was going to be crushed by his intestines below. Bird essentially ditched Aaron and Ryan to do his dirty work, and now he and the other recruits are dragged along. He couldn't care less about becoming a Villian, but the fact still loomed over him. The most he can bet now is that Bird will grant his wish... if he could even tell him.

He watched as Ryan gave his number to the blond woman. First Charlotte, now him— what was this, Terrace House ? He snapped back into reality and saw Ryan standing in front of him with a card. It looks like Ryan was just being generous. He grabbed the card with both hands and bowed. Since he had no phone on him, he couldn't do much with the number. Maybe he could secure his role as a Villian by stealing one.

Aaron's sky blue eyes were clouded by a tint of gray as he commanded the Haruto and the other recruits to enter the limousine. Now that Haruto thought about it, Aaron's eyes were jade when he first greeted the group. Was it a mutation that Aaron developed when entering this world? If sudden mutations were a thing here, that would explain Haruto's increased sensation with his stomach. He thanked the brunette holding the door and entered the limousine. Its leather chairs and polished wooden frames was much different from the flashy design he was all too familiar with. Hopefully the wine could drown his sorrows away. He poured a glass and raised it to the other recruits. "O-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu; that's 'happy birthday' in Japanese," he commented. He gulped down the glass and poured himself another one before placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Bet you didn't expect to celebrate your birthday like this, huh? Happy birthday man." He stumbled his way to the back of the limousine. He was never good at handling alcohol.

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POST-03
ROSA DUPONT
As the other new recruits began conversing amongst themselves, Rosa kept to herself. Her worries kept her company, and those worries made her more inclined to focus solely on the two villains. The man named Ryan began to address each request and comment from the new recruits. Beginning with the younger woman, Ryan stated the letters were quite real before—to Rosa's astonishment—a ball of lightning began to materialize atop his palm. Rosa's eyes widened, amazed by the man's second display of power. Though the loud clapping was impressive, this current display of power was visible and wouldn't have been possible in any other circumstance.

Ryan then began to address every subsequent individual, before finally responding to Rosa's words. Rosa was understandably heartbroken by his response—she had to suddenly abandon her previous life for whatever this new one may hold. Though she felt reassurance in the fact that the two self-proclaimed villains meant no harm towards the newcomers, offering them training and protection. Concluding his responses, Ryan then began to offer a card to each of the newcomers. Rosa quickly snatched it away, her eyes averted to the ground. While she began to calm herself, Rosa still couldn't make sense of the entire situation. Though strangely enough, as Aaron began to speak, Rosa's attitude changed.

She felt a wave of calm wash over her, as if she had let go of all her worries. Rosa took a deep breath, embracing the sudden emotions flooding through her. By the time Aaron had pushed the doors to the mansion open, Rosa found tranquility and focus—growing more capable in tackling anything that could come their way. The newcomers were then given some time to talk amongst themselves, with the unkempt, older gentleman mentioning his birthday. The others wished him happy birthday, with Rosa following soon after.

"Happy birthday," she replied simply.

Rosa then began to make her way into the limo, shooting a quick smile of gratitude towards the brown-haired girl who had opened the door for them. Making her way inside, the raven-haired girl poured a glass for everyone inside. Ignoring the unsanitary swig the previous man had, Rosa picked up a glass and took a quick sip. There wasn't much else Rosa could do, she simply needed to get comfortable now for whatever lies ahead.
 


"Lachesis?" Fear repeated the name. He shuddered, shook his head. "She sounds like someone scary. I don't want to have to deal with anyone that can see the future."

"It doesn't take a clairvoyant to say Aaron's scheming. He's always scheming." Anger laughed from where he lay on his back on the perfectly green grass.

"That is mostly your fault, I think." Kindness smiled down at the red-eyed emotion. He sat on a metal chair nearby, Apathy sitting in the other seat across the stone table.

That silver emotion was still thinking on the name. Apathy's memory was much better than the other emotions present, especially when it came to names. "I don't remember anyone by that name. I don't think we an do anything about it for now, but we should research it soon in case she becomes an enemy."

"I hope she does," Anger said hopefully. "I want to cut lose on someone. I haven't had anything to do in months! It's so boring."

"It's not good to fight girls," Kindness reminded Anger.

"How would you even win against someone that sees the future?" Fear was less thrilled with the idea.

Anger just laughed. "Figuring that out would be the fun part!"

"Don't worry about fights that might not ever happen," Apathy said calmly. "Focus on the fight to stay alive to see tomorrow."

"The Dark Angels." Anger and Fear spoke together, and even Kindness added his voice to name the enemy.

Apathy nodded. "One enemy at a time..."

"... until no more remain." Fear's voice held firm.

"We will find Bird..." Kindness spoke assuredly.

"... or rid this world of his enemies in the search." Anger smiled wide.

The emotions that lived within Aaron's mind often fought and warred and struggled for dominance, but on this matter they agreed.


Aaron passed the name around in his mind a few times. His dull green eyes searched the far wall for an answer. They settled on some uncertain point off in the distance behind Ryan's head, narrowed, and then meandered back to his face.

"The name isn't ringing any bells. I don't think that's anyone I've annoyed recently." He said with a dismissive wave of a white-gloved hand. "And really, I wouldn't go around trusting everything some wannabe fortune teller tells you over the phone. Knowing I'm up to know good is hardly an impressive power. The odds are as good as flipping a coin and calling it won't land on its edge." He mimed flipping a coin and catching it between his fingers, the best demonstration he could give without having any change on his person.

"I don't think I have to worry too much about that warning," Aaron said with an assured smile. "I'm not aiming to accomplish anything grand by doing this. Consequences and chaos are the only prizes I'm after."


Aaron climbed into the driver's seat of the limousine, checking the mirror to make sure he could see the back. He'd put down the separator between the sections of the vehicle so that he could interact with his flock on the drive back into the city. Sure, there was a speaker to talk, but that felt so impersonal. He'd rather be able to talk with his flock directly. He pushed the gas and turned the limo onto what would eventually become a real road. There were many miles between here and the place he'd prepared.

"So, aside from powers - that'll be a long talk that I'd prefer to save for tomorrow - is there anything you'd like to say or ask? It's a long drive, and you really don't want me turning on the radio. This world has developed terrible music tastes. The classics are still there and good, but finding a station around here with them isn't likely. Nothing but country and pop in this area, maybe some pop country if we're particularly unlucky. Terrible stuff."

 


The dark limousine flew over miles of mostly empty roads, nothing much but desert ad scrub passing by outside the windows. The barren scenery gradually pulled away as the roads became wider and the buildings became more numerous and taller, followed by more grand and flashy buildings as they entered the city of sin proper. Aaron swung past the neon-lit replicas of famous locations that would be shared between this world and in all likelihood the one his flock had been stolen away from. It didn't take them long to figure out he'd brought them to Las Vegas. It was the most fitting place for a brand new villain to make their debut.

The limo drove down a ramp into an underground parking lot. Aaron had lost Ryan in the city's traffic, but he assumed Ryan would be able to find the right place. If not, well he did have Aaron's number to call, not that he'd deigned to use it yet. That was a two-way street though, and he was just as guilty in not reaching out. Their relationship hadn't been in a healthy state for a long time. Since Angela? Probably before that, but that had certainly been the breaking point. Bird's flock hadn't recovered from that blow. Bird hadn't. That line of thought caused Pain to stir within Aaron. He shook his head and returned his phone to his pocket. There was no chance of Ryan calling it.

Aaron escorted his flock to an ugly old doorway that looked like no one had touched it in years, covered in faded peeling green paint. He pulled it open without hesitating and strolled right through. There was a long hallway beyond the door, with a nearly identical and equally ugly green door at the far end. Aaron walked with a slight bounce in his step and hands clasped behind his back, merrily humming a broken tune as he stopped just before the second door.

"When Bird brought me through this door for the first time, he made sure to warn me, us, to not trust those beyond it. It was good advice, but I don't think you can't be friends with someone just because you can't trust them." He touched the door, and when he did it transformed. Run down painted wood became clean silver metal of double doors. Aaron winked at his flock and pushed both open. The room beyond was large, the silver of the doors carrying on into the main space, mixing with the dark browns of the wooden bar and tables, the floor transitioning from red carpeting to dark wood where patrons were likely to spill. For what looked like a shady underground bar, for what was a shady underground bar, the place was packed.

Aaron had been afraid of many of the people in this room when he'd first seen their ugly faces years ago. Now he considered most of them losers, a few as useful losers, and an even fewer as a close approximation of friends. Bird's warning had been as much about these people as it had been his own paranoia. Aaron had kept the warning in mind, so even now he didn't trust anyone here, but he didn't dislike them either. And that was why would have regrets about this tomorrow.

He smiled as he spotted Alexis in the crowd. One familiar face at least. He'd make sure she left early if possible. "Samuel," Aaron knocked on the wooden counter to grab the attention of the man behind the bar.

"Aaron, it's good to see you back," the man responded without slowing his work sliding drinks into the right hands. "Care for a drink? Gin with mint if I recall?"

Mint, green. No sign of trouble. "Good man. You remembered. Sorry, but not tonight. Just passing through. The room is still available?"

"Of course." Samuel eyes the people standing behind Aaron. "Friends?"

"Something like that, I suppose so." He smiled, and on a whim born from guilt as he looked around the room, he decided to be generous to these people that hadn't made him feel unwelcome in the time he'd known them. "Drinks are on me for the rest of the night," he said in passing to the man behind the bar. "I'll leave the details to you. Oh, and let me know if a man comes in looking for me. No trouble, just a friend."

"Yes sir."

"Follow me," Aaron motioned for his flock to follow him across the crowded room, to a small door set into the far corner of the room. He swiped a card, and the door clicked as it unlocked, revealing a surprising thickness to the metal as it swung silently open on its hinges. The only thing behind the door was a staircase leading up and another identical door at the top of those, which was also opened by the same key card as the one below.

"Mi casa es tu casa," Aaron held the door of the penthouse suite open for his flock to enter. The room was large, with plenty of seats and couches for everyone twice over, a kitchen off to the side, and a hallway with more rooms beyond. "It's not much, but I figure I shouldn't spoil you all right from the start," he smiled at the group. "Drinks? Anyone hungry? I'm sure I can find something to make." For now he settled with pulling out a bottle of red wine and some glasses. "We're in no rush, let' spend a while getting to know each other."

He stretched himself comfortably across one of the loveseats. "Ryan ruined a lot of my own introductions, but whatever. Name's Aaron, Aaron Massimo. Villain name is Jester. I manipulate emotions. What I lack in raw power I'd like to think I make up for in a winning personality. Others might disagree, but I tend to disagree with them. 25 now, been in this world for little over three years. Came here the same way you all did, answering one of those letters from Bird. Except he was actually around to greet me. He's kind of MIA ATM, so he wasn't able to make it for your first day. Sorry about that. He isn't dead though, regardless of whatever Ryan says. If he was dead, none of you would have gotten here. Bird's power is what pulled you from one world to another. No one else could manage that, so he's for sure still around."

 
full
Ryan was unsurprised that Aaron claimed not to know anything about the strange woman who had contacted him. Of course, knowing Aaron, even if he had known something he would likely only have admitted it if the admission would somehow have served to get him ahead in whatever game he was currently playing.

"Fair enough," he said as Aaron headed to the limo. Ryan turned and headed behind the building where he had stashed his motorcycle and riding gear. He quickly drew the suit of dark Kevlar and carbon fiber on over his casual clothes, settling it into place with the ease of long practice. The riding suit would actually stop up to medium caliber pistol rounds, and the carbon fiber plates in the chest, back, arm and leg guards could, in theory, turn a small caliber rifle round. Ryan had never had cause to test this claim, and he had no intention of doing so. Settling his helmet over his head, he gave a wry chuckle. Aaron would most likely make fun of his protective gear, but Ryan was a villain, not suicidal. If he got knocked off his bike, even at high speed, he was probably going to have nothing but minor injuries.

Turning to his motorcycle, Ryan swung up into the seat and flipped a switch. The display came to life, and Ryan headed for the front of the building, only the crunch of gravel and the quiet hum of powerful electric motors heralding his approach. As he turned the corner, he saw the limo turning onto the road. Shrugging to himself, he let the limo get about a quarter of a mile ahead of him, then turned his bike in pursuit. He stayed far enough back to keep an eye on their surroundings as they travelled, but close enough that Aaron would be able to see him and he could close the distance in moments if required. He was starting to have a few suspicions about where Aaron was heading, and as the glow of Vegas appeared on the horizon, those suspicions hardened into certainty. They were heading to Bird's old roost. Shaking his head, he wondered how much of their own first couple of days Aaron was planning to revisit. The first night in the roost they had lost their first, and then Bird had tried to cover it up.

"Not this time," Ryan thought grimly, letting the limo pull away from him as the traffic thickened around them. Once he was sure Aaron was out of sight, Ryan turned down a side street and twisted the throttle. The hum of the motors rose in pitch as he sped along, weaving through the traffic. A familiar building loomed ahead, and Ryan slowed, taking his time to circle the building, checking for any obvious watchers. Nothing stood out, and he headed down the ramp into the garage he had entered for the first time just over three years ago. Parking in a shadowed corner, Ryan dismounted then glanced around. There, that would do.

Stepping over to a large conduit, Ryan laid his hand on the metal, feeling the power humming through the cables within. A moments concentration, and he was one with the electricity that coursed through the building. Lights, appliances, security systems, computers. Ryan cataloged and noted everything he could sense, concentrating on the area around the old roost. There were some impressive backups tucked away, feeding into a labyrinthine tangle of wires and switches. There were a couple of solenoids, like the kind used to allow the flow of gas or fluid, and Ryan noted their proximity to the sprinkler and ventilation units. Whatever they controlled the flow of, he was willing to bet it wasn't healthy. A truly impressive tangle of wires, densely woven between the bar area and the upper floor caught Ryan's attention. The backup's seemed to feed into that tangle, but most of the wires... Ryan pulled his awareness away as the configuration registered fully. Detonation wires. And judging by the density of them, there were enough explosives to completely level the building.

"Well shit," he muttered. He didn't know if that was all original Bird work, or if Aaron's natural paranoia had reached impressive heights. Either way, he really didn't want to head into the building proper, but he had accepted a job, and he would do it to the best of his abilities. After all, his word was his bond, even to Aaron. Hell, it had even applied to Bird, at least until Bird had broken faith with them. Insinuating his awareness back into the electrical system, Ryan took note of the vulnerable points in the system, what would have to be drained or burned out in order to disable the nastiness, or what would have to be given a nudge to trigger the whole shebang. Satisfied that he could trigger or disable the systems at a moment's notice, and contact with an outlet, Ryan headed into the bar.

Memories flooded into Ryan's mind as he entered the bar. There was the table he had played poker at, starting to establish the network of contacts that had grown in the intervening years. There was even a game in progress, new players perhaps, but still the same general air. Moving up to the bar, Ryan accepted a beer and a nod from the bartender. The bartender cut his eyes to the familiar door, then upwards, and Ryan nodded. The barkeep would be on the phone to Aaron the instant Ryan turned his back, and that was fine. He spent a moment or two checking out the bar's patrons, then knocked back his beer and stood. Nodding to the bartender, Ryan strode over to the door and contemplated the card reader. A light touch and a brief negotiation with the electronics and the door clicked open, revealing familiar stairs. Shaking his head, Ryan ascended and repeated his negotiations with the locks, Aaron should really have considered what he had been able to do before they parted ways and known Ryan would get nothing but better at it as the years rolled by. Entering the apartment? suite? whatever the hell this place was, he heard Aaron holding court in the living area.

"Ryan ruined a lot of my own introductions, but whatever. Name's Aaron, Aaron Massimo. Villain name is Jester. I manipulate emotions. What I lack in raw power I'd like to think I make up for in a winning personality. Others might disagree, but I tend to disagree with them. 25 now, been in this world for little over three years. Came here the same way you all did, answering one of those letters from Bird. Except he was actually around to greet me. He's kind of MIA ATM, so he wasn't able to make it for your first day. Sorry about that. He isn't dead though, regardless of whatever Ryan says. If he was dead, none of you would have gotten here. Bird's power is what pulled you from one world to another. No one else could manage that, so he's for sure still around."

"I never actually said Bird was dead," Ryan corrected, leaning on the wall near the entrance to the room. "I said I hoped he was rotting in a field somewhere. Unfortunately, your logic holds a ring of truth. If he was dead, the letters probably wouldn't have worked. But only probably. Maybe I'll get a chance to have that 'discussion' I promised him if he ever betrayed us."

As he spoke the last sentence, Ryan's eyes had turned cold, the ice at the heart of a glacier gleaming deep in their hearts. In that one instant, he was no longer a sarcastic wise-ass or friendly if odd man... the stone-cold killer looked out of those eyes, promising swift and final retribution on any who deserved it.

OverconfidentMagi OverconfidentMagi , Pyosimros Pyosimros , C c6474 , Xcelgamer Xcelgamer , notabot notabot , TheTaleTellers TheTaleTellers
 

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