Son of a biscuit!
Summer 2021, Week 4, Sunday midday
Text Messages
Unbreakable
To: Rock man guy?Hey, if you're free tonight I need some help training meet at henry and I'll find you? Oh and it turns out my ribs were broken. TTYL starving rn.
Ari Thomas
To: Unbreakable Sure, dude. I can meet you there. Maybe after we're done I can help with some cleanup, too.Sunday afternoon
Earthen Designs, Victoria Field
Ari Thomas
Fire. Everywhere. Consuming everything. His family, his shop, his friends, EVERYTHING. There was only the fire. He panics. His skin turns to earth, to weather the flames, endure their heat. He feels the fire lick at his stony body, stinging kisses of pain. A familiar feeling that clings at the edge of even more painful memories. His throat closes, unable to scream from the grips of freezing fear that clutch at his mind. The fire draws nearer. It burns hotter. Its crackling, roaring laughter mocks him. It is strong, powerful. It mocks Ari's weakness. It belittled his accomplishments. It was always stronger. It will always be stronger. Fear mixes with rage, a pressure building within from the chill of fear and the rising anger. He feels it welling up inside of him, a force he fears he cannot contain. He screams. His vision goes dark. He panics. He screams again. He lashes out with the stone beneath him, lances appearing from the solid foundation he stands on. Lances shooting towards the darkness, towards the source of the pain, the raging fire around him. He wakes up. His heart runs cold as he looks upon his shop. Concrete lances jut from the foundation and pierce through random shelves and tables. Two of his potter's wheels lay in pieces. Shelves are either knocked down or pierced with concrete, their contents spilled and shattered upon the floor. No.. No... What have I done? He looks down to his hands in disbelief, seeing something entirely new. It is a dense, obsidian-like material that seems to flow around his body, making it look somewhat like a black, glass shell around his body. What.. is this? He moves his hand, testing the mobility of the new material. He takes a finger and scratches the concrete foundation, testing its hardness. It leaves a fine white scratch upon the concrete, indicating it is stronger, harder than other stone he's used before. This.. He looks back up to the carnage that ravaged his home. This is terrifying.. Will I be next on their list?.. He shakes his head, as if to shake away the nightmares and fear, then slaps his palms against his cheeks twice with a loud CLACK CLACK, followed by a loud "AAAAAOOOOOWWWWUUH!" His jaw was still very tender and bruised, and even light smacks on his cheek felt like a jolt on his face. Refocusing, he starts to right the concrete to its original place, slowly but surely, bit by bit. It almost felt.. easier to pull and shape. Like it were softer, more malleable like clay that had been more saturated with water. It took well over half an hour of concentrated and conservative effort to make the lances disappear, back to the foundation they sprung from. He looked to the holes in the sheet metal that made up the walls of his garage workshop, and felt a twinge of curiosity. If stone is easier.. maybe metal will be, too? He reaches out with his will through the foundation, into and up the metallic wall. He feels it with his power, and tries to will it back together. It seems to resist his will slightly, but with focus and effort he bends the metal, creaking and groaning from his power until it was mostly back in place. All righty. Progress. He smiles slightly as he admires the amount he fixed in the walls. I wonder if I can fix the breaks.. Reaching out his will once more, he attempts to fuse the edges of the metal together. The edges of where the breakage came about begin to expand, forming to the other edge of the breaks in a strange weld that scars the wall. Eying it, he decides it is good enough. Better not get ahead of myself. It could look nicer, though.. He shakes his head suddenly, as if to drive the last thought out of his head, and smacks his cheeks again, sending a jolt of pain into his face with a loud CRACK CRACK, followed by another groan of pain.[Earth/Metal Manip., (-3EP loss from the nightmare) Normal x1 (Cumulative Basic actions over a long period of time), -3EP (19/25)]
[Earth/Metal Form, Normal x1 (from nightmare), -3EP (22/25)]
Welp, better.. better see about maybe signing up for self defense classes. Maybe that'll help me keep in control of myself. He pulls out his keys and remembers: "Aw, crap! Gotta fix my car's tire. Son of a biscuit!"Sunday early evening
Henry, The Wards
Storyteller឵
The scars of the nightmare still remain on the streets of Henry, construction having only just started working on reparations and cleanup. A lone '08 Ford Taurus makes its way off of the exit and maneuvers to a legal-ish parking space.Ari Thomas
He takes a deep breath before exiting the car. Glad I know I can still seal a tire to a wheel. And had a spare one to seal. Great work planning ahead, past me! He examines the spot he parked in, a little ways away from traffic cones and security tape. I mean, if nothing else I can claim that I'm just repairing the damage I caused, right? I'll definitely do that after, too. He looks to the sky, searching for his roof-jumping buddy amongst the vast, darkening expanse.Unbreakable
Ari would hear the sounds of muted music pumping through headphones from high above upon squinting his eyes Unbreakable was seen flying admittedly better then last time they saw each other but at a leisurely speed his mask up and fries being shoved into his mouth. God I'm so fuckin' hungry what the hell was that shit this morning? God it's made me so hungry... He pulled his mask down finishing the fries and speeds towards Ari slamming into the ground and sliding, less like tom cruise in risky buisness and more like a child trying to walk on ice but manages to keep himself on his feet blazing past Ari before he comes to a full stop inches away from a fence. "Op oh shit. Uh Hey Geb? Nice to see you got my text. How are ya holding up?" He casually and confidently put his hands in his pockets from what little of Unbreakable's face he could see the teenager had seemed to heal perfectly and in a near impossible amount of time. No cuts, bruises or scars. Hell not as much as a little scratch.Ari Thomas
A big smile spreads across his still bruised face; seeing his buddy was a very welcome distraction from the darker thoughts creeping at the edges of his mind. "'Sup, dude! Doing.. ah.. fine, I guess. How abou-" He notices that Unbreakable has little to no injury left on his body, and maintains a smile as a confused expression takes its place on his face. "Cripes, you look good as new!"Unbreakable
“I dunno what you’re on about. I just had some broken ribs it’s nothing. I’m mostly water anyway so it’s all malleable and photosynethetic and stuff.” I hope that’s enough to fool him that I just heal quickly and wasn’t hurt that badly. God it hurt. Why did I pick random science words? Bad idea what if he’s smart? Though he did jump off a building to try and help you which was a kind thing but not the smartest… Unbreakable shook his head. He knew that didn’t matter. “You sure you ain’t lookin’ too well. Then again we did get our asses wiped. I was actually gonna talk about that. I suck at flying and moving around y’know I got all this bulk but no mobility. So I was thinking you could throw stuff at me and I could try and dodge and we could test out anything you got.”Ari Thomas
His eyes widen with surprise at the mention of a broken rib, but laughs at the comment on photosynthesis. "Um.. I'm not a doctor, but don't ribs take, like, a week to heal? And risk poking a hole in your lung or something?" He shakes his head and holds up his hands in a 'nope, not touching that' gesture as he adds "Y'know what? None of my business. What matters is that you made a very fast recovery." He nods, and replies "Yeah, I took quite a beating from a strength dude, and was shot at with big guns. I'm.. kinda lucky I'm here now. I can throw rocks at ya if you want to improve your reflexes and stuff, but it looks like you're getting a lot better at being in the air." He smiles and adds, "Though I think I will stick with rocks and concrete. Just started-" His throat closed in a lump as his expression grows cloudy for a second, remembering the reason he even needed to shape metal. He shakes off the thought and resumes his sentence, forcing a smile and pretending everything was okay. "I just started getting the hang of metal now." He remembers another thing,, and adds, "I.. uh.. I found something I want to try and replicate." He says, pulling a shard of the dark crystal he found in the warehouse. "It was from that person in the rock form, kinda like me. But.. I've never seen anything like this before. It looks like obsidian, but it's harder than that. Weird, huh?"Unbreakable
Fuck he's smart what even is photosynthesis? I shoulda listened in class. He grinned under the mask when he held up his hands and decided it was none of his business laughing to himself a bit before he listens intently. "Oh fuck I'm uh sorry about that man. You alright kinda glazing over there? We ain't gotta do that at the moment if you need a bit to get back to yourself. Y'know no shame." Unbreakable added hypocritically. He was burying his negative emotions about last night like he usually did. "Uh Yeah I wanna work on my reflexes but we can try your thing first lets go somewhere a bit more private." Unbreakable took the crystal and rolled it between his fingers before handing it back. "I dunno don't ask me I'm an idiot."Ari Thomas
A sad smile spreads across his face now that he realizes he's been found out. "Eh, just.. a lot of stuff to unpack, yanno? But it's fine, I can deal with it later. If we just waste time, more shit like this could happen." Need to be better. Stronger. In control. He nods in agreement, a more private place would be much better, away from prying eyes and potential traffic cameras. "For sure. We can find somewhere to go. There's a few abandoned buildings, I think." He grimaces as he instinctively signs 'No' in response to the claim of being an idiot, almost a reflex from all the times his brother Derek said something similar. "Naw, man. You seem to have more sense than a lot of folks. That's a kind of smart I need to figure out." He laughs, believing it to be true.Storyteller
They managed to find a place shortly, a strangely empty warehouse that seemed to be in decent shape. Whoever was using it previously seemed to have moved anything stored there somewhere else.Unbreakable
"Hey dude burying it down is bad. Just make sure ya do it, and don't worry I'm gonna take up Victory's job while he's outta it.....speaking of do you know his like patrol route or whatever?" Unbreakable instinctively shook his head back at Ari. "I've repeated before so I dunno if you can truly say that alright? All I'm good at is gettin beat up and doing this stupid job. Still learning how to do that." Aloy lead Ari to a spot he knew, He usually used this spot when he needed a break from volunteering and didn't want to deal with gangsters, like that was an issue now. "Alright we'll do your thing first then mine."Ari Thomas
He laughs, finding still funny that everyone seems to think he is a member of AERI already and has connections. I didn't even make it past the interviews yet. Making an attempt to dodge the advice for self-care, he speaks up on the subject of the patrol path. "Not a clue. I'm still off the AERI roster for now, so I don't have a clue where hot spots would be. Kinda around here, maybe? Or quick flybys over other neighborhoods?" He raises an eyebrow quizzically. "I mean, you can take the hits better than a lot of people. And I'm just learning to get better for the same kind of job, too. So maybe we can get better together, right? I'll help you train to avoid hits and you can help me with durability, focus and strength." After being led to the spot, he takes a look about. A decent place to hang out and train. He grins, and replies "Only of you're good with that, dude." He remembers something that has been nagging on his mind while driving there. "Hey, do you think I should go by 'Earthquake' or 'Geb'? Like, I picked Geb because he was a fun character to play in SMITE, but I think Earthquake is more.. recognizable? I dunno."Unbreakable
"I was gonna patrol around here and everywhere else, just hoping for an effective route, since I'm y'know diet Victory. or like a draw then?" He kicked up some cement off the ground, there were many reasons he chose this place, it was one of the few warehouses that wouldn't collapse if a kid took a single step on it. Perfect for taking some abuse from two superpowered airheads. "Yeah so what? it's my job to make sure other people live. Hell I shoulda gotten shocked instead of victory. I mean I probably would have recovered by tomorrow and been outta the hospital wednesday, who knows if he's gonna even make it. I hope he does, once summers out this is gonna be hard to balance y'know?" He quickly shook his head listening. "I'm alright with it but I dunno, right earthquake is agressive, right, like Unbreakable scares the people I am gonna fight but tells the people I protect that they'll be safe when I'm around. Earthquakes are bad for everybody right? Why not like stonewall or something?" He had a genuine interest in helping Ari pick a new name, and it was reflected in his thoughtful voice.Ari Thomas
He raises his hands up, signing to say 'easy, easy, calm down', even if the meaning is lost on Unbreakable. "Hey, hey, easy there. What happened, happened. And I am sure you were doing what you needed to do, right? You did what you could with what you knew then." His brow furrows with worry, for both his friend and Victory. "And.. I hope he's okay, too." He mulls over the suggestion, then chuckles as he replies "I kinda like it. Yeah, earthquakes are kinda bad for everybody, but.. yeah, no, I see why people might have started calling me that. But Stonewall has a good ring to it. Better than 'Brick' or 'Cinderblock', for sure." He takes a deep breath and focuses. Focusing on the concrete beneath his feet, the metal supports around he warehouse, and the steel siding. Feeling them. His body begins to shift, taking his normal rocky form for the time being.[Earth form, Normal x1, -3EP (22/25)]
Geb
He cracks his neck, rolling his stony head from one side to the other with a grating CRUUUNCH CRUUUNCH, preparing to try and make himself metal once more. "Here goes.." He rumbles quietly as he focuses on making his form stronger, harder like iron. Flecks of metal appear across the rocky form, slowly expanding and smoothing the features of the stone exterior. But flecks they would remain, at least for now. Not nearly enough of them to make much of a difference, either, the flecks remain about a millimeter each in diameter, sparsely spread across his stony exterior. "Darn it.. not quite enough.."Unbreakable
"Eh, nothin' really just coulda done better. but it's nothin' to mull over now is it? I just gotta get better." He shrugged slowly wrapping his hands up in fighting tape as he watched ari transform. "Geode maybe or something? but hey it looks great, so hard hard should I punch? Cus I've got like four levels. I can go full force or a nice medium and I ain't gotta worry about breaking my hand because well. Y'know Evo shit." Unbreakable kept looking over to "Geb" at the current moment before rubbing his chin with a smile beneath the mask. "But hey, I didn't become this Unbreakable in a day. Though ignore the minute detail of me having this for only like a week or two...."Geb
He hesitated for a moment, and decided You know what? Let's stress test this form and see how strong he is. "Then let's go all out. I wanna see how tough I need to be." He braces himself, getting into a sturdy stance and baring his chest. Harder. Stronger.Unbreakable
“Are you uh you sure? I haven’t even tested my limit yet and with a minor effort I shattered skulls. Like..” Unbreakable proceeded to lunch his face and reinact the admittedly terrifying (yet slow motion) screams of pain the gangsters made before they fall silent. “So uh it’s pretty intense…”Geb
Reconsidering and relaxing a bit as he actually thinks about it, he states "We can keep it around a one or two, if you want to. We can leave the strength test for blocks of concrete or steel." He gives Unbreakable a stony smile and pats his own chest with a CLACK CLACK before bracing himself once more. "It's a test for me, too. I think I just got a little.. over-enthusiastic."Unbreakable
“how about a nice soft one and then we’ll scale up from there. Cus my max is, unknown to me actually.” He chuckled a bit and closed a fist doing a few practice punches first. “Alright ready?”Geb
"Sounds good. Let's warm up, then. Ready!" He braces himself confidently, a sturdy being of stone.Unbreakable
“Alright Geb on three. Count down with me.” He cracked his knuckles and counted up to three straight on the chest where Ari/Geb wanted. Hitting him square in the chest with pretty poor form but still managing to salvage about 125 pounds worth of weight into the punch with a little bit of effort.[Minor X1 -1 24/25 enhanced strength]
Geb
"Three.. two.. one-" He counts before the blow landed. He definitely felt the force of the blow from the transmission of kinetic energy, issuing forth a grunt as it did. The stone itself did not crack yet, the material he currently wears can withstand a compression strength of about 12000 psi. "Oof! Man.. Heh, and that was a half-assed punch, right?" That'll be sore later. He rubs the area like it was going to bruise. "I think it should be Stonewall. I want to be a solid defense from now on."Unbreakable
“Yeah but that’s without comboing it with flying, something I’m planning to do next time we gotta go against bolt. Ready for the next one?” Unbreakable rubbed his fist and waited for confirmation. “One…T-“ When he had finished one Unbreakable with as much force as he could muster punched straight into Geb’s chest again.[Normal x 1 -3 21/25EP enchanted strength]
Geb
"True, that momentum would add even more oomph behind the punch." Yep. Definitely gonna bruise. He rubs the area a little more before confirming "Ready." "One.. OOF." A section of his chest rock fractured from the stress, a singular fine line appearing in the solid stone as he is sent stumbling backwards, and reflexively wills his rocky body to right itself. To Unbreakable, it looked like he threw out his hand and willed his own body to lurch back forward.[Earth Manipulation, Minor x1, -1EP (18/25)]
"Jeez! Wait.. huh? What... what the heck?" He looks to his hand, then to his body, then back to Unbreakable, visible confusion on his face from both the strength of the blow and the impromptu recovery.Unbreakable
"Sorry bout that, I was just trying to see if you'd be okay with something you don't expect coming, you did good." Unbreakable watched as Geb looked confused betwee the two of them and rubbed his neck "Yeah, i'm pretty strong, not uh what dp you wanna do, I haven't punched harder then that, though I could uppercut you if you want?" He had presumed that the recovery was something he could just do so Unbreakable wound up ready to punch again.Geb
He chuckles nervously, wheezing a little from the impact. "I guess I didn't realize I.. could control myself. Like I do with other rocks. But it's good to keep me on my toes, because crazies like Bolt and that Laslow asshole won't give any warning, right?" He thinks hard, and reverts form to access his pockets.Ari Thomas
Reaching into his pocket, he retrieves the sample of dark material. "Do.. do you think you can snap this in half? I want to try something. He holds the Shard out for Unbreakable to take once more.Unbreakable
“I dunno I can try.” Unbreakable took the shard gingerly pulling it close to his goggles and inspecting it’s deep dark colour before holding it up to the roof where there were enough light to see if it would be clear in it. “What would you do if I snapped it in half?”Ari Thomas
"To be honest, I don't know exactly what it is. It looks like black glass, but much harder. I wanted to keep a piece to figure out what it is, and the other piece to test out something with my rock form. I want to see if I can make the rock body.. that. From what I've seen, it scratches that rock you cracked earlier, so it's definitely harder."Unbreakable
“I think there’s another term somethin’ science-y. About how tough a crystal is or something, I dunno.” He half assed the correct given he thought there was something else but wasn’t sure. “Well I mean I ain’t the strongest guy you know. Seeing as you’ve seen Victory. But I’m maybe the strongest teen-.” He cut himself off with a grunt having slipped a small slither of his identity. “Uh anyway. Yeah I’ll check now. But hey man you good, got that kinda messed up expression again.” The crystal, or whatever the fuck it was, glided and threaded between his fingers like a sewing needle of a trained old lady.Ari Thomas
"Yeah, there's Moh's scale of hardness for one.. it seems to have a conchoidal fracture like glass, and I can't quite put my finger on its material composition." His distant, sad look is replaced by a puzzled and thoughtful one. "I guess Victory would be the strongest, but the longest interaction I had with him was when he asked me to stay behind with the officers. The person on AERI that I've talked to was miss Sloane, and even then it was brief." He seemed to pay no notice at Unbreakable's slip with his identity. "Sorry, just.. I'm just still processing what I did last night. And.. it was likely all over the news. Kinda makes me wonder if they are going to disband AERI, and if EHEA is gonna be on me again."Unbreakable
“Yeah yeah that fuckin’ scale thing or something. I dunno. Didn’t really learn anything growing up. Except for right, wrong and that big grey area between.” Not to forget that people suck, and I gotta protect people even if they hate me. Unbreakable squeezed the crystal rock thing between his hands slowly increasing the strength and waiting for results. Making it go through a similar process to going deeper and deeper into the ocean. Though that plan failed the moment he heard about EHEA and he squeezed his fist in anger. “It’s alright I get it. Don’t worry we had to do what we had to do. The best with what we got, all we can do is learn, And if EHEA bothers you contact me. I’m tired of them treating people like shit. If they start harassing you call me. I’ll give you a place to stay and if they keep harassing you I’ll deal with them”[Enhanced Strength normal X1 -3EP 19/25]
Ari Thomas
"Well, my dude, if you visit me enough you might pick up a lot on rocks." He watches intently as Unbreakable makes his attempt to break the piece, only to see that the frustration and anger at his comment about EHEA disrupts Unbreakable's focus. Taking the comment with a grain of salt, he opens up with a small, heartfelt smile. "Thanks, dude. I might not have much at my workshop, but if you need somewhere to stay, too, mi casa is su casa." Taking back the shard, he rubs the smooth shear of the dark material, and takes a deep breath before muttering "Here goes.." He clutches the shard tightly as he closes his eyes focuses on it, so tightly that it starts to dig in to his skin and causing a small amount of blood to pool in his hand. He reaches out with his earth manipulation power not to actually change its shape or composition, but to feel what the composition is. Starting to maybe get a feel for what it is, he focuses intently on changing himself into a being made of a similar material. Though it isn't.. quite the same, he produces body made of a material that looks similar, and has the same strength and density as a blackened quartz crystal.[Earth Manipulation, Minor x1, -1EP (17/25)]
[Earth Mimic, Strenuous x1, -15EP (4/25)]
Geb
Catching his breath, he looks at his new form, a sort of jagged dark crystal body. "Dang it.." He mutters as he sees it is not quite the same as the shard that remains in his hand.Unbreakable
"Oh yeah whys that rockstar?" Unbreakable had managed to do a little bit of damage to the crystal. though it seems his anger threw off any concentration and form he had while attempting to crush it, he'd studied EHEA outside of school hours and learnt some troubling things about it but didn't care to share. "Well, hopefully I won't have to take you up on that offer but, I dunno. I got this bad feeling y'know? Like that weird feeling just before it storms, or like we're just in the eye of the current shit tornado." He looked up to the new figure and rubbed his neck. "Well you look exactly like how I feel. maybe try not to do that in front of people, doesn't really scream lovable hugable friend y'know? Looks rad though but I'm sure you'll figure it out."Geb
"When I realized what my abilities are I did a deep dive into geology. Well, whatever free learning I could off of the internet, that is." He chuckles, a low rumble with his current form. "So I guess you have every right to call me a rock dweeb!" "I know what you mean. I've only heard of hurricanes and that the center is like, this calm space that is really spooky. And it kinda feels like that is what we're in now." He examines his new form, seeing the jagged edges and spiky protrusions that covered his body. "Huh.. Is that.. all the time you feel like this?" He motions to his spiky body. "Or just after last night?" "Yeah, I think I might stick with the normal rock until I smooth this bit over. You want to try some of that flying training now?" He smiles, a slightly unsettling sight in the current dark form despite the genuine willingness to help train.Unbreakable
"You are the only person I've ever met who's proud to be a dweeb about something.....You do realise dweeb means like....not good at something right? You'd be more of a rock nerd? I mean I think they're in now right? or is it geeks? I don't fucking know." Unbreakable shrugged, he was trying to make the pint that Ari was smart about rocks but got a bit lost after he made his point. Being intelligent wasn't his thing. More like being beat up and beating people up. "Yeah that fuckin' thing where it's calm before we get flung up into the sky and die a horrible death, I checked on some forums this morning and people aren't too happy with our performance and I've seen a few rumours going around that EHEA might bring back the Hostile Evo Interception unit. A few people thing its justified but I'm pretty sure that's the worst idea that could happen." Unbreakable chuckled at the question about how he feels. "Well as Not Unbreakable yes. but as unbreakable after last night and the aftermath of what happened." He nodded as his body began to slowly float upwards and he uneasily seemingly stood on air, his hoodie softly rustling like a current of wind was around him holding him there.[Power: Individual Flight basic x1 0 15/15EP]
Geb
"I mean.. I think nerd is trendy, and geek is respectable. And then dweeb is.. well.. me. Smart, but totally a loser." He winks, making the statement more confusing on whether it was a jab at himself or an attempt at self-deprecating humor. "Alright, dude. Do you want me to just throw rocks, or make some hoops to, like, test agility?" He extends his will into the earth, feeling the foundation and the ground around it with his power, ready to shape it or move small sections as needed.Unbreakable
"Y'know I only have like a single braincell, I'm gonna drop it I ain't smart enough to open that pandora's box of confusion." Unbreakable proceeded to rub his forehead as he floated there a bit it was clear he had gotten at least a little better at flying. Since he could stay still and the building wasn't full of him sized holes. "I dunno, I'd prefer if we didn't make the building collapse and maybe accidentally kill people so maybe just like throw rocks soflty?"Geb
"Can do, bud. Think fast!" He exclaims as he wills the earth to spit up a chunk of earth about the size of a basketball towards Unbreakable at a modest speed.[Earth Manipulation, Basic x1, (17/25)]
Unbreakable
"I should probably get further from this s-..shitttt." Fuck fuck fuck move Aloy move. Just lean away...lean away why are you frozen? Unbreakable's gaze became distant for a few seconds as memories of last night filled his head. He'd never been so scared before so fight or flight, usually he knew if he lost he'd check get a black eye. Death was never a true threat. Just like now......if he moved a quick shake of his head and the voice in his head came back in louder. To a point where he just listened and moved as it spoke. ALOY FUCKING MOVE. All Geb saw though was unbreakable staring at this chunk of earth as it veered closer and closer.....and closer....He was going to move right?.......Well he did quickly and uncontrolably veered off to the side at the last second slamming straight into a nearby supporting wall at one of his mid-tier speeds before he slid down and landed on his back. Physically he was fine just a bit rattle. "Ow, shit. I mean could done worse for my first attempt dodging right? Building is still standing."[Flight Minor x1 -1 14/25EP]
Geb
When he released the shot of packed dirt, it was as if time started crawling along very slowly. He watched as the ball of earth continued to sail closer and closer to Unbreakable, his nerves growing more and more on edge the closer it got. Is.. is he going to dodge? Should I have given him more of a warning? Why isn't he moving? Crap. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrap He readies to try and extend his will into the flying ball of dirt when Unbreakable launches himself into a supporting wall at the last second, leaving a small dent from the impact but still structurally sound. The ball of dirt flies off and crashes into the foundation near the rear of the warehouse, scattering dirt and small rocks across the concrete. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Are you okay?" He exclaims as he rushes over to where Unbreakable fell to the ground. "Umm.. I think yeeting yourself into a wall isn't the best attempt at dodging.. but I guess it's a start?" He offers a dark, rocky hand to assist helping Unbreakable up.Unbreakable
Alright, well Is still feel like i'm in one piece so just roll the arms and legs if it doesn't hurt I'll be fine right? Unbreakable rolls his shoulders on the ground and softly kicks his lets and checks his arms smiling as he took the hand up. "I'm fine, I'm still not used to flying indoors. I mean big improvement from holes in buildings right?"Geb
He smiles, a creepy sight with the wicked, jagged edges of his dark form even if it held no malice behind it. "A super big improvement. But.. maybe we just need to do agility training. It looks like you've got the speed, but only in one direction at a time. Maybe the hoops won't be so bad. It'll be like.. that ninja warrior show for fliers."Unbreakable
"Oh god don't do that again, the smiling thing no offence it looks....like an evil rock monster or something...." Unbreakable looked at him and tilted his head onto the side. "I uh don't watch TV...."Geb
"Oh, uhh.. gimme a sec." He closes his eyes and focuses on returning to his normal form. But.. his form resisted. Almost as if it wanted to stay that way, to remain an 'evil rock monster'. His brow furrows, and focuses harder on returning to normal, the black shards and jagged edges retreating and smoothing until his normal chocolate brown body stood before Unbreakable.[Mimic, Minor x1, -1EP (3/25)]
Ari Thomas
"That.. was weird. Normally it doesn't take me that much to go back." The frown that took place on his face slowly returning to a smile. "But, uh, Ninja warrior is pretty much people going through a crazy intense series of obstacle courses to get the best time. I think that if we can get you to move and change direction quickly, it'll help with reaction time, and every so often I can add more obstacles or make hoops smaller to add more challenge."Unbreakable
“I think it might be smart to avoid going into that form then, and hey I didn’t mean that you’re a rock monster I was just trying to say it didn’t look like I think you’d hoped it would. Like baymax from that movie….y’know the big marshmellow looking robot?” He shook his head softly and smiled back he somehow forgot the movie but remebered the character. “Oh well that might be useful but I think I should get over some mental stuff, last night was really rough on me.”Ari Thomas
"Heh.. I think I'd prefer to be a marshmallow monster than a rock monster. But yeah.. that might have to be for extreme cases." He scratches his head and smiles sheepishly. "Yeah.. can I join that club? Like an AA for insane stuff like that?" He almost forces a chuckle before continuing. "Though if ya need to unpack that shit, a therapist might help. If nothing else, I can keep a conversation between us. Last night was.. awful."Unbreakable
Unbreakable shrugged as Ari talked. And shook his head a bit. “Well your identity is public so there might be, mine…..I can’t go public……I think I killed three people last night.” The poor teenagers voice wavered as he said this his hands shaking like he’d been constantly shocked as he looked down. “T-technically t-there we’re g-gangsters b-but still i-I just punched t-them as s-soft as I could but like a ball of dirt t-their skulls just s-s-shattered a-and the people I-I should have been p-protecting o-ones head exploded right in front of me….I-I think the other bled out, I-I wasn’t even I-in control. I-it’s my fault and I need to get stronger and better. I-I need to control it..” Oh god it was me. I did that I’m horrible. As he explained the events happened his tone was like someone reliving an experience of war, wavering, broken down, slightly dissociated. He was reliving every minute detail. The sound CRUNCH The blood oh god the blood The smell of copper.Ari Thomas
Seeing his friend starting to break down, he tries to snap him out of it with a "Hey, hey! Dude! Look at me." He points at his eyes to guide Unbreakable's gaze to Ari's face. "Look, shit was insane, and it was life and death last night.. but I can tell you did the best you could. The gangsters would have killed you, given the chance." He wanted to put reassuring hands on his friend's shoulders, but feeling the strength of his half-assed punches made him wary of provoking a snap in his natural form. "We can be better. We will be better. Okay? It's.. it's sad that we couldn't save everyone.. but we were totally unprepared, and had little to no practice for things like that."Unbreakable
“I-I’d been in fights before but y’know never l-like that……I I almost died….I mean I watched the guy who was meant to help me with all of this stupid fucking evo shit almost die while ‘stayin alive’ was playing in the fucking background!” Unbreakable kicked the ground sending some small pebbles flying away. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’ll make sure to talk to victory about it. Get everyone properly trained…”Ari Thomas
He nods in agreement. "I'm definitely going to bring it up when I'm officially on the team. We're going to to need all the training we can get, and maybe some field experience if we have a super-powered criminal out on the prowl. Like that bank robbery with the bees."Unbreakable
“Oh that’s just fucking great some cunt can now just use bee’s? Oh fuck man. Just grab a like smoke or fire guy for that. Not me god not me.” He gave a hefty sigh. He knew it’d be hard. But c’mon bees! God they suck. Man my summer classes start this week how am I gonna keep up this and that going? Fuck what about when high school picks back up?Unbreakable
“Also what if there is a lady robber? Like is it okay to knock her out? But then I’ll be kind of an ass for hitting a woman? But she’s robbing a bank?”Ari Thomas
"I dunno, dude. It's kinda sad to see bees being used like that. But that would be a job for Inferno if he can make smoke." And maybe help train out my problems with fire, too... He looks up thoughtfully. "Huh... I mean, if she's robbing a bank and threatening lives, I think it's acceptable. A criminal is a criminal. And a monster is a monster, no matter how trained.Unbreakable
“I guess but y’know I’d rather not die by being stung to death… and I dunno man, I’ve known people who had to steal to survive, sometimes being a criminal isn’t a choice it’s the only option, I wouldn’t blame anyone for choosing crime over death.”Ari Thomas
Giving a heavy sigh, he nods. "Yeah, I can't deny that. I don't blame 'em either if that is what they need to do, but.. they are still putting people in danger if they do it. And that is not right in my mind. There are plenty of ways to get assistance from the government if they're having troubles. I should know, because I needed help when I moved here with my brother."Unbreakable
“It might not be right but, I mean look at me. I’m technically one of them. I ain’t with AERI. Yet I am a vigilante now. Some people can’t get assistance from the government, or don’t trust it. I mean look an Evo’s for a start, or any other group in America, but, I mean it’s good they helped you.”Ari Thomas
"Yeah.. I'm not gonna try to turn you in, bud. Just keep it at vigilante and not bank robbing or some shit." He winks and grins before giving another heavy sigh. "Man, things were so much simpler making sculptures and working on cars."Unbreakable
"Yeah, probably a wise idea not too. It's kinda why I can't join AERI either, can't y'know my identity, even if I wasn't arrested everyone around me would start treating me different... But yeah it was so much easier when it was just classes and volunteering."Ari Thomas
"Totally get that. People weren't exactly friendly when.." He blinked a few times as he paused, remembering the angry groups of people, the judgement, the hate for yet another aspect of him that was different from them. Here, it was less so, but now that things would be all over the news.. "When I had to leave the state I called home. People started to treat me even worse than before, y'know?" The last comment from Unbreakable painted a small insight into Ari's mind on the alter ego for the young hero. Where does he volunteer? And are they college classes, or is he still in high school? Nah... better not pry. He deserves respect for his privacy. I know I would've appreciated it if I had a choice. Slapping his knees, he changes the topic. "Welp, should I get you some obstacles to train with, bud? I can pull from the surrounding area to make them solid stone, if you'd like."Unbreakable
"Yeah, I dunno what it is but people get scared of new things. Which historically they didn't have a reason too but I mean now. like look at us, you can mess with stone and shit and I can fly. It's just up to us to do I dunno, show people that we aren't what they say we are. Just gotta resist and keep helping even if they throw stones or whatever the stupid sayings are. We just gotta keep working and hope things don't escalate." He gave a deep sigh and looked down at his hands. He thought he was a monster, it was hard not to after what had happened the previous night. The chaos, the death. He knew his wasn't but there was that tiny voice in the back of his head it sounded just like his mother did, nagging and winging about how all evo's are the same and they shouldn't be allowed with us normal people. He was glad she lived seperate from him. "I dunno, I-i uh think this might be a good spot to stop, I still gotta patrol tonight so I can't push too far."Ari Thomas
"Yep, just gotta keep doing our best to be 'helpers' and not just 'heroes'. No matter what kind of hate stuff they'll do. Just need to remind them and ourselves that we're only human, powers or no." "All right, bud. If you need an obstacle course for flying or something, lemme know and I'll whip one up lickety-split. I think... I just need to do something before I drive home. I think my big bro has enough to deal with for city maintenance, so I'll clean up the mess by the exit quick."Unbreakable
"Yeah, yeah. Just gotta prove 'em wrong, though Evo's probably won't be treated any better in our lifetimes so, we just gotta try and make progress right? And yeah we are just human, but.....y'know its hard to remember with the yelling and shit." "Alright dude I will, good luck and hey don't do anything I wouldn't do....or anything I would do. I'm kind of an idiot."Ari Thomas
Grinning and giving him a small salute, he replies "Got it. No jumping off tall buildings." Bidding Unbreakable farewell, they part ways at the warehouse, Ari walking back towards that freeway exit. As he extends his will into the surrounding area, he can still feel the echoes of the other earth manipulators presence lingering in the ground. The lances that were theirs and Ari's own, the faint trace of the blind fury that Ari devolved into.. and the body entombed in concrete. "Be a hero" Victory had told him. This.. this wasn't heroic. Leaving the officer's sides to take the fight to the other evos was questionable, at best. He tried to stop the other earth user and take on that strongman on his own. It was more than Inferno and Rosy were taking on, and picking up the hothead's slack.. but I should have been able to handle it. I should've stayed with the police.. but if I didn't, that strongman would've been in their faces, and I'd risk getting them hurt, anyway. Tears began to well up in his eyes, tears for the fallen, tears that belied how helpless he felt, tears of frustration that he could have done so much, but ended up falling short. Taking in a shaky breath, he exhales, pushing out all of those thoughts. Inhale He takes the thoughts and feelings of helplessness and uselessness, and pushes them away. Exhale The ground almost responds in time with his breathing, rumbling slightly with each breath as he exerts his will, forcing out the presence of hurt, of anguish and conflict. He forces out the will of the other earth user, pushing it out as he fills the earth with his presence. Inhale He focuses on the areas that were not as they should be: the barricades, the spikes, the random pillars, the stony tomb. He focuses on them and envisions them being brought to right. Exhale The ground shook, protrusions retreating back into the earth like cat's claws retracting back into the paw. The tomb slowly pushed out the still body of Richard, the strongman Ari had buried alive. The barricade slowly retreated back into the ground. Then, when everything was back to normal, as if nothing had happened, the rumbling and shaking stopped. Ari, exhausted from the effort and concentration, fell to his knees again, supporting his torso with shaking arms, the floodgates of pain and anguish finally bursting forward.[Earth Manipulation, Strenuous x1, -15EP (2/25)]
Ari Thomas
After a few tear-soaked minutes, he finally composes himself, walks back to his car and climbs in. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he drives off back to Canfield, where he gets a massive order if Wendy's food and drives home. Shortly after arriving, he dials 9-1-1 to report Richard's body and hangs up before they have the chance to track his call.
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
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