Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - Touch of Divinity

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline finally piped up over the link, sounding forciably composed and the whistling of wind coloring her message, 'If you think that best, Butch, I wouldn't be too opposed. And I'm getting the impression out here everyone needs to lay off Maia and her boyfriend for a bit. Please.'

She blurted Warren a sensory impression of a small rocky island, mediteran-looking amid endless waves, a 'warp me in please' attached.

[Maia]

"Yes, I get it, you all think I made a mistake."

Walls went up in her mind, not severing the link, but shuttering the doorway in as it were. She was tired, sore, and not in the mood for the "You screwed up speech" from the peanut gallery of her siblings. She knew she'd pushed too much, but still she couldn't bring herself to regret choosing this path. She squeezed Justin's hand beneath the blanket, glad he was with her, and with a simple squeeze of his own, he reassured her silently that she'd made the right decision.

[Quantum Fire]

Justin looked at Alex and Butch with a measure of incredulity as they spoke to Maia in such a manner then he spoke up, and his tone was chastizing and harsh even as he gave Maia a gentle squeeze from the bed. "Wow, Shen at least was kind enough to say that he loved her, you folks sound like brats who have never made a mistake in your life, maybe your harsh words are your way of saying the same, but she's hurting here, don't you think that's enough without adding more to it? Sheesh, what's done is done, it can't be changed, live with it.. besides, couldn't one of have kept a closer eye on her, after all, i didn't see you around when she was attacked, I was there to save her then, so maybe you folks should apologize to your sister about distressing her while she's ALREADY HURTING!!" The last was said with as much force as he could muster, and a lot more force then he realized.

He's never had them before, but he just activated Awe Inspiring, Persuader and Dread Mein all at the same time, he's not exactly aware of what he's doing, he's just making his displeasure known as much as possible.. and with his mega-socials.. that's a lot.

M. Manpulation - Persuader: Krul *rolls* 9d10: 5+1+5+3+1+4+6+10+3: 38 - Last 3 mega - 3 success

Dread Mein Charisma Roll: Krul *rolls* 12d10: 5+1+8+1+2+1+8+1+10+9+4+7: 57 - Last 5 Mega - 9 success..

Add 6 for Mega-Appearance 6 With Awe Inspiring, sense trying to make a persuasion and chastisement here..

9 to persuade and 15 chastise..

His words have a degree of superhuman force behind them... but I believe those present can push it back, though if what he's saying aligns with your characters own ideals, it's a hard to disagree with him.. at the very least he seems to have a point that beating Maia up about this isn't making her feel better, though it's a new situation for you all. Up to you how you react it.

[SalmonMax]

Alex stiffened, riding out the abrupt, irrational urge to apologize...even beg forgiveness. She'd hardly even done anything after all...just made an offhand comment about learning lessons. It'd been half-joking anyway, and Maia had seemed fine with it.

Bleh. This was one of the things that made novas a pain to deal with.

"Justin, if you want to discuss any of the things you brought up, we can do that," she said calmly. "But you're going to calm down first, or we'll leave you to have your tantrum in peace. And as angry as you are at us for not being entirely fair when we get on Maia's case, imagine how much more angry you'd be if one of us almost killed Maia and took her away from you forever. Well, that's how we feel about what happened. She could have died. We're happy she didn't, but we're scared too. And of course, you're getting the echo-room effect. No one of us is really out of line...but when you get all of us, all doing it, one after another...it adds up."

She went over to Maia and stroked her fingers through her sister's white hair gently. "As I was about to say, before the echoing started, I'm just glad you made it through this time."

[Courier]

Warren had just opened Cora's gate when Justin's shear force of personality came through. Warren blurted out, "I'm sorry. Really I am. I just... there's nothing I can do here except make the mother hunters sorry. No, that's right, you're right, I could have been there. Wait, I still could have been there."

Warren disappeared, breaking the family link.

[Maia]

Maia's arm came out her hand taking Alex's and she smiled. "Me too."

When Warren disappeared, she frowned. "This might be bad..."

[Butch_Cole]

Butch was caught in a net of mixed emotions. His first reaction was shock at Justin's outburst. Then he felt the overwhelming urge to apologize,which he managed to hold off. That was quickly followed by pure rage. Those standing near him could feel a sudden increase in air temperature. If anyone listened close enough, they'd hear his teeth grinding and his hands flexing into fists.

But he choked it all down. He was thankful for Alex's measured response as it echoed what he wanted to say and it gave him a moment to calm down.

And then Warren vanished into time.

"Goddamit!" Butch shouted. He closed his eyes and counted. One. Two. Three. Four-fiddily-fie-fuck! And five. "First no more powers for you, hoss. I'm gonna drain your juice so you don't inadvertently cause any more of us to do anything dangerous. Now I'm asking your consent, but I don't need it if necessary. I realize this is hard for you and I'm sorry but this is the way it's gotta be. Everyone's safety first. Warren disappearing like that? Not safe. We have no idea where he is or when he is and no way of getting in contact with him. And where's Cora? Now we have no way of getting in contact with her either. Goddamnit! This is a Charlie-foxtrot and a half."

He took a deep breath and didn't let loose anything else that was on his mind.

[SalmonMax]

"Butch," Alex said gently. "You can't control everything. Whatever Warren and Cora are up to, we'll deal with it. We'll handle it. We can't make everyone live in little boxes. All we can do is try to think ahead, and be ready to clean up the messes."

[Quantum Fire]

Justin had been about to calm down a little with regards to Alexandra's words when Butch pulled him completely out of calm and into pure anger and he was about to react badly when Shen spoke up himself. "Stop." Power flowed out of him and unlike Justin's which much more diffused and unsure, Shen's power was directed toward one individual, and he reached out and touched Justin's forehead. "Sleep boy." And he went out like a light.

Shen then turned to Butch a moment. "That wasn't the best way to calm things down, Butch, he would have refused and forced you to hurt him by fighting you, you' d have won of course, but, he wasn't thinking with his head, but with his emotions, he's been over excited, filled with taint and power, and to be fair, still thinking like a baseline human rather then a nova with superhuman capabilities. He's still not use to being what he is now, and the only thing to him that matters right now is Maia, if she was at full strength she would be fine.."

He looked over at Maia who looked concerned, but still held onto Alex's hand. "Don't worry, Maia darling, he's fine, he'll just be out for a while.. when he wakes, ask him to see me, I need to start teaching him to meditate and control himself better.. as for you, I've a thought of where you would be safest.. I havn't talked to him in years though.. he would take you under his protection though."

[Karren Gaunt]

Meanwhile, somewhere between Santorini and the Greek mainland, a quantum angel of dancing lights stared at the place where her gate home had ever so briefly opened and then slammed shut again. The link had went dead, too. That probably meant an issue with Warren rather than Pip, or she hoped so anyway. And today had been such a nice day off with Norman, talking and sketching and modeling with just the two of them, before the link went crazy with news of Maia under attack and some strange Nova she had found or made and trusted as her boyfriend...

It had taken more than a little of Coraline's self control to not rush off imediately and arrange her next get-together, share a quick explaination of what happened.

Fortunately, even without the link and the gates, Cora knew they had Maia on the island. And that was ten minutes away from here at most now. Her photonic form flickered up and down with emotion at even that delay, but a thought and a further mote of quantum, and she was off, a small daytime star that shouldn't draw any attention from anyone.

[Butch_Cole]

"Thanks for pointing that out, Uncle Shen," Butch said, softly, calmly. "The next time we bring an out-of-control-and-completely-unaware-of-what-they-are-capable-of nova here, I'll do nothing. I'll let them wildly use their fun, new powers as much as they want. I'll just sit back and wait for you to do something similar to what I was suggesting anyway. I wasn't aware of the protocol in that situation, but now I'm clear on it."

As all of this was happening, Butch was concentrating on Maia's bioenergy, trying his damnedest to fix her. Whatever it was that she had done, the damage wasn't normal. Frankly, Butch didn't think she'd be back to anything near normal for at least a few days. Try as he might, Butch just couldn't do anything to speed that up. It was becoming clear to all that he was incredibly frustrated and not just by the situation in general.

He continued, very calmly, "Now, please tell me that you have some sort of way of finding Warren. From the sound of it, he was gonna go and do something brave and dangerous like take on the Motherhunters that were after Maia all by his lonesome. Who knows what he could've meant by 'make the Motherhunters sorry'? Hey, maybe his idea of doing that involves a direct assault on Project Utopia's HQ because they're the ones behind Proteus and by extension, the Motherhunters, right? Maybe it involves killing a bunch of Directive operatives because they might have access to Motherhunters, too, right? Why worry, though, right?"

He paused, then rubbed his temples, and sounding very tired, said "Sorry everyone. Before y'all go jumping at me for being sarcastic and touchy and whatever et cetera et cetera, I apologize. For everything. In all seriousness."

He pulled a chair next to Maia's bed and leaned in closer to her saying softly, and with genuine feeling, "Maia, I'm having a hard time doing much to fix you right now and it's making me feel pretty damn tits-on-a-bull useless. I really wish I could do more, but your body just ain't cooperating. Now, I'm gonna stay right here and keep working at this until you're all better. You'll see. Soon enough you'll be taking your fella Zero-g dancing and turning heads at the Rainbow Room again."

[Maia]

Maia smiled to Butch. "It's alright Butch. You all need to figure out what to do about Warren now, before he does something he might regret later. Justin and I will be fine for now in the short-term, But all of you are the only ones who can go help Warren now I understand where you were coming from, and agree in part."

[SalmonMax]

"Relax, Butch. Warren's not stupid. He's not acting rationally now, but once he's away from here for a minute or two, the effect will clear up and he'll be able to think things through again. Odds are he's gone back in time to when Maia and Galahad here were attacked, and he's planning to exact some frontier justice." She sighed. "Definitely not what I'd have recommended, and I'm not happy about it...but there are things that are out of our hands, and this is one of them. All we can do now is hope he plays it smart, and doesn't leave too big a mess to clean up."

[Quantum Fire]

"I'm not say you were wrong, Butch, I am saying.. next time, don't give the warning, and simply knock them out, you could have done what I just did without riling the boy if you just simply put him to sleep." He responded to Butch's words with a bit of advice and a hint of an apology in his tone.

"I might have done the same as you if I hadn't seen the results played out in one of a dozen futures I glanced at.. there might have been a better choice, but to many things happening now and in the future to see them before they happen.. I am getting snapshots at the moment, and not able to make the right choices fast enough. As to Warren, warren is somewhat clouded to my sight, and by that I mean, he's difficult to see, his pattern shifts and twists in a thousand ways, time is in constant flux around him.. Cora is almost as bad, but she doesn't add vanishing forward and back into the timelines to the matter as well, causing thousands of other shifts. Wait a moment."

He closed his eyes for about 30 seconds, concentrating. "If it helps, Butch, he reappears in all futures I can see, having taken direct action with regards to those who attacked Maia."

He looked at Butch taking a seat beside Maia's bed.. "You'll be able to keep her from feeling pain, but not restore her back to full strength, she can force that with strength of will, but only temporarily, I'm thinking here isn't the best place to keep her, there is a minor chance of Pax and Team Tomorrow showing up here looking for her, and the Primus is out cause of the boy, he needs more time to adjust, and needs to get used to people with his new powers as well, he won't be willing to keep moving in the shadows all the time... that leaves an old friend I haven't spoken to in years.. not sense certain events.. I'm taking them to Einherjar... I'm sure that he'll take care of her."

When Maia looked up from the bed. ""How do you know him Uncle?"

"I helped him a long time ago, but when he seduced my cousin... your aunt Serenity, and got her pregnant, matters got a bit strained.. especially as Serenity erupted as nova that week. Of course, that turned out alright, his daughter and serenity's, who you know as Harmonic has done a lot to sooth rising tensions between baseline's and nova's.. even done a few concerts in Congo at her father's request." At the startled look from Butch he looked at the young man and raised an eyebrow. "Never bothered to ask me who Norman and Harmony's parents were did you? Now, I need to go talk to Einhejar first, but we're moving you and Justin to the Congo, Maia dear."

With that he vanished for his talk with the Chieftain of Chiefs of the Congo.

For being a really good sport about the mid game nerf, after already using the power: 7 Nova XP to Maia (to counter the 7 xp I asked to be spent on raising Quantum Supremacy to 2 dots)

For all participants in this thread(including Maia): 2 Standard XP + 2 Nova XP

End of Thread

[Karren Gaunt]

After everyone clears out to give the two recovering Novas some time and room, Coraline padded up to the door, a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup with a spoon in one hand, and knocked. "Maia, Justin, I'd like to come in," her voice calmly called, features composed, having gotten the outline of what exactly was happening and thought long and hard on it before coming in. The last thing Maia needed was *another* round of hasty judgement, so she had tried to leave them behind. Besides, she needed some help herself if she could pry Justin loose for a few minutes of alone time with her sister, and Maia might have potential judgements of her own.

"I have soup. Fresh chicken noodle," she finished, waiting for the door to open, dressed in a warm-colored sundress and sandals crafted from eufiber.

[Maia]

Only one of them was awake, "Come one in Cora." Maia was weak, but still She always made time for Cora.

They were laying in the bed, and Maia smiled to her. "Sorry to interrupt your excursion. You didn't need to worry, everyone else..." She stopped, taking a moment to reach out and stroke Justin's hair. "He saved me, then Warren brought us here."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline nodded and scooched a chair close to the bed containing Maia and her newly-empowered boyfriend. "I'll have some time in the next few days to get together with Norman again. Uncle Shen is giving me a few days off before starting me on my Qi Meng training," she replied, even chorus softly conveying her belief she had no place *but* rushing home when she got the news, "So tell me about Justin. I'd like to know first hand what kind of person is worth my older sister putting herself through so much trouble."

She hefted the bowl of still-steaming soup, smiling, "Or you can eat this first if you're hungry. Your call. I owe you for that time you nursed me back to health after I banged myself up that first run in the danger room when I didn't quite corner fast enough."

[Maia]

Maia smiled. "We're sisters, who's keeping score?"

She took the soup and between spoonfuls, she spoke. "I met him by chance on one of my small-town shopping trips."

He came up and started talking to me, and unlike so many others, he didn't start by asking me out. He just genuinely spoke to me, and only near the end did he ask me out. I had time, and so i went with him. "He didn't make a move, or even try. He was the perfect gentelman."

She looked at him and nodded. "He didn't hide his attraction to me, but he did restrain himself. The entire time we've gone out, he's let me set the pace Cora."

"He's not the least bit intimidated by me, and isn't affraid to correct me, or in at least two instances call me an idiot for thinking what I did."

She sighed. "He always has treated me as i'd expect he'd treat a normal girl." She shook her head. "No, more, he treated me like a person, not a baseline or a nova, just another person. Even now, after what i've done, he's still like that. "lm not used to being protected, not like he seems to wish to do. "It's all chivalrous, and charming."

She stroked his hair. "I did this to him Cora, I wanted him to be able to defend himself, should the need arise. I gave him the choice, and I tell you, I'd have stayed with him whatever he decided, but now, I've cost him his previous life, and I went too far, which has affected us both."

She looked down. "I know the others say it was a mistake, and it well could be. But to me, it isn't. He's worth the pain to me."

She nodded. "And I'm worth it to him."

[Karren Gaunt]

"Long as you consider it worthwhile, and it makes both of you happy and safe, that's the important thing," the young metamorph answered, glancing at Justin's quantum aura and then her sister's, "It's going to be good to have some company training with Uncle Shen, though I think he'll probably put the two of you through T'ai Chi Ch'uan first."

She looked away and chuckled, chorus melodic, "I'm the last one with a right to yell at you over something like this anyway. God, I went out on my first night to the Rainbow Room, meet Norman, find out he's another 2nd Gen who beat all of us through Apothesis and more, and it's still... working out. A person I can trust and like and... I never expected to meet someone like him."

[Maia]

"I knew you would Cora. There's someone for everyone." Maia smiled as she finished eating. "I'm glad you found someone, even if he's someone I owe an apology to."

She shook her head. "Butch and I were rude to him last time I think, it it insulted him.."

[Karren Gaunt]

"It did, a little, and I can understand why," agreed Maia's younger sister, taking the bowl back, "But he's understanding and willing to accept an apoligy when the oppurtunity comes, no grudge for a choice made in haste. He's asked me to accept a mental link with him a few times. Wean myself away from dependency on the family link now that the worry is mostly us protecting others instead of just ourselves. I... The idea is more than a little scary to me, but if Alex could make some kind of gadget to replace it... I was considering it, at least before today happened."

She frowned a little pensively, blue-on-black eyes asking her sister's opinion on something that was obviously gnawing at her inside.

[Maia]

"I've never been very comfortable around Novas who can play with emotions so easily." She nodded. "Well, more, I guess it's the male half of the population that can do that that bothers me."

It was an admission, Pip didn't bother her, and they all knew what she could do. It did explain why she generally kept her distance from Darrik, especially knowing his background.

She smiled. "Still, I love all my siblings, and there's little I wouldn't do for you all."

She chuckled. "Though my means are tiny right now."

"As far as dropping the link, that's your call. I like having it it keeps us all connected. That said you and I both tend to put up our own barriers I've noticed, We both have means to keep things private we don't wish to share."

"That's perfectly normal, and okay."

She gave Cora's hand a squeeze. "Do what makes you happy Cora, I'll support you as I always have, as you've been there for me."

[Karren Gaunt]

The young metamorph smiled down at her sister and squeezed back gently, protective instincts rousing at how weak that grip felt.

"Thanks, Maia. You have no... No, you probably have a very good idea how much that means to me. I'm going to give it a good long think before doing anything. At least not before you recover," She responded, changing the topic to gentler waters, "The others told me a little about the Congo and this old friend of Uncle's. Sounds interesting."

[Maia]

"Why don't you come along? I'd feel safer with you there Cora. I know it's selfish because you're in training, but it's true."

[Karren Gaunt]

And that got Maia a smile which would have one of the photographers at their modeling shoots in a swoon and thanking his lucky stars if he managed to catch it in time, open and affectionate and happy. If Justin hadn't been there sleeping, she'd have laughed, too.

"If I can and am invited, I will, Maia. I promise. I only train with Uncle Shen for most of the day, after all."

[Maia]

"I have a feeling Justin and I will be joining you soon as well."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline nodded, "Sounds like it. You'll do fine. You've always been more well-rounded than me. I swear, I had to learn just everything Uncle Shen was teaching me from the ground up, especially the mental parts, and I'm not nearly as smart as... Well, most of you. Thank goodness for Butch. Norman helped, but that hour meeting each day, no powers, no politics, just being family, helped alot."

"I'm not playing Go with him again though. Ever."

[Maia]

Maia chuckled. "You learned that lesson too eh?"

"Butch isn't your only resource there Cora, you can always come to me too."

She reached over and squeezed her hand. "So how are things with you and Norman?"

[Karren Gaunt]

"Good but complicated," answered the young metamorph with a complicated expression on her face at just how complicated it really was with the 'baggage' of the background Norman asked her to hold in confidence, "He's... I like him. And he likes me. And that scares me a little, but he makes me happy. We dance and talk and model for one another's art. He pushes me to try new things we can do I never considered doing before, but is always gentle about it and accepts the first no. It's amazing, really."

Her expression grew considerably less complicated as she spoke, melting into the flush of first love on her cheeks and a smile on her lips and a laugh in her eyes.

[Maia]

"So you understand how I feel about Justin completely then."

"Think it's like that for Pip and Warren? Or Darrik and his little Harem?" They both knew it was by no means Darrik's first time, but still the idea of him in love made Maia smile. Of course as siblings, she loved them all, but of them all, probably due to the shortness of time he'd been around, her connection to Darrik was weakest.

"I'm glad you're happy, and that he obviously respects your independence."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline did have a little trouble with why a baseline of all people, but that was just one of her own hang ups she suspected so the young metamorph kept silent on the matter.

"I try not to abuse the kindness and keep an open mind, though. Just because something sounds strange and dangerous doesn't mean it is, I'm finding. It's a nice feeling really," Coraline responded with a wry chuckle, "And don't know about the others. They seem happy enough, even Darrik and his pregnant wife to be."

[Maia]

"Agreed."

She looked at Cora and smiled. "Sometimes it is though."