Aberrant: Mutant High - [ST-Dave] Dante's Inferno

[Warren Verona]

As the young Japanese girl approached the dancing couple they paused, glaring at her for a moment like babysitters who were making out and the kids kept bugging them for things to delay their inevitable bedtime. Warren sighed and shook his head, placing his hands on his hips he finally looked at Sakurako, obviously annoyed.

"What?" He asked, stiff arming some guy who, had Warren not pushed him aside, probably would have slammed right into Sakurako. "It's a dance floor. You wanna stare, do it from over there." He pointed at the table they were sitting at moments ago.

[Doryoku]

"It's not my staring that you should be worried about... Seems some... suspicious people have taken interest in us. We'd better get the hell out of here."

The look on her face seemed she brushed off Warren's bluster and she looked genuinely afraid. The still slightly pale girl looked more pale than usual.

"Please... let's just get out of here..."

[Warren Verona]

"Suspicious people?" Warren smirked. "Look around Squint, it's a night club of mutants, we're all suspicious. We just got here and you wanna dip? Forget it."

He shook his head. She could tell that inwardly he was mocking her, it was silent, but ever so obvious. The dark mutant turned back to his girlfriends and continued his flirtations. Neither seemed at all interested in the current dilemma that Sakurako and Daniel found themselves in.

[Doryoku]

Sakurako gritted her teeth. "This isn't the usual clientele! These look like the criminal element!"

"Dammit Warren..."

She knew she wasn't getting through. "Well if you're not leaving then we're going."

[z020]

Oneca snorted. She couldn't help it. "What makes you think we aren't part of the 'criminal element'?" Sakura could hear the air-quotes.

The tattooed mutant girl rolled her eyes. "It's a club. Relax. Unless they tried to kidnap you or slip something in your drink, they probably just want to hang out and see if you're anything interesting or useful." She eyed the girl up and down, "Which I think they'll figure out pretty quick on their own. They're probably laughing their asses off watching you run around like a mouse with a cat after her. Chill out. And we're you're ride, remember? Split if you want but you're paying for the cab then."

She frowned, biting back the rest of her snark and sighed. "Seriously. It's a club. Dance a little, meet some new people, have a little fun. If you're just going to run because someone noticed you, then why did you come at all? Just lighten up a little. Stick close to us if you're really that afraid. I'm pretty sure no one's gonna start a fight here." Not over you, was tactfully left unsaid. And her sister said she had no heart....

[Doryoku]

Sakurako held herself back, backing up to Daniel for some semblance of warmth from a cold realization that she's stuck possibly... She felt completely in danger here and that danger was compounding itself. She had already messed things up before... and now she felt that all she was here was useless... no one dared to even listen to her.

"I... I didn't think... ..."

She held her upper left arm with her right hand and started to rub it as if she was cold, even with Daniel standing next to her. She was at a loss of words.

[Hotstreak]

Daniel sighed. "For someone so smart, you jump to conclusions awful fast."

He nodded and put a hand to her shoulder. "Come on, it can't be so bad." He began moving to lead her away, towards the upstair section.

[Doryoku]

Sakurako didn't want to be alone, so she silently followed Daniel, looking back at Warren and company wondering why they were so callous.

"Daniel... just to make it clear I do this under protest."

She sighs. "And if we have to do something that I don't agree to, I am going."

[Hotstreak]

"That's fine Sakurako. I don't plan on doing anything bad, trust me. There's gonna be enough trouble from this as it is."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako gulped. Now she was wishing she had one of her first-aid kits with her. In case Daniel got hurt.

"Umm... let's not resort to violence unless necessary, alright? Maybe they honestly wanted to know us?"

Sakurako knew... just knew otherwise. Her resistance and near retreat though were massive losses of face already. Her coming back was just the final nail in her coffin social-wise and she knew her trouble would only get worse. Now she severely... severely... regrets helping everyone with their "jailbreak" and by god... she was screwed.

"But once this is squared let's get out of here... my hair feels like it's standing on end."

[Dave ST]

The posh V.I.P. booth that they were invited too was like a separate club in and of itself. From where the mutants sat they had a complete over the club below with a small dance floor not far from their own private bar. And so it went on all across the second floor in a 'horseshoe' shape all across the perimeter. The V.I.P. area was less crowded, they had a bar on one side and a bar on the opposite side to cater to all he need of the exclusive clientèle. As the couple approached the black man who had invited them simply morphed from the shadow on he wall closest to them and extended his arm, waving them through. "Glad you decided to join us..." His smirk was disquieting when he looked to Sakurako, knowing he probably knew she tried to bolt.

The area had two sofas and a chair on either side of a long, low table where several drinks were sitting about leaving rings on the glass surface. Around the table sat their hosts with the exception of the gorgeous raven haired woman who was looking down over the crowds below. She turned and Daniel instantly recognized her: Summer Astovik, the bitch queen of Hunt Academy. Her and her twin sister had been students at the academy for a couple years, but hadn't learned anything. Their parents were so rich that Summer, and her twin sister Autumn, pretty much had entitlement issues a mile long.

"Danny..." She cooed, turning around to lean on the railing. She was in a tight red miniskirt short enough that it was almost pointless to wear it and a matching red corset top that she was nearly falling out of. "Glad you could make it. Imagine my surprise when I saw you walk in the door... a little rebellious for you, don't you say?" She gave Sakurako a once over and then a dirty look that certainly said 'what's she, a pity date?'. "Who's the girl? Given Glacia the boot already? Aww... and it was going so well..."

Autumn, her sister, rolled her eyes. The Astovik sisters were identical in every way, save that Autumn usually chose to wear blues, as was the case tonight she was wearing a matching blue outfit to her sister's red, and although she didn't need them, she wore glasses. "Daniel." She nodded a greeting. She motioned to the others around the table.

"That's Touch." The pretty man simply grinned and offered a wave as he tilted his drink back. "Ox." She pointed to Touch's left at the behemoth of a man, who also offered a wave. "You've met Umbra." She pointed to the bald black man that made Sakurako's skin crawl. "I'm Autumn, and this is my sister, Summer." Daniel knew it was more for Sakurako's benefit than his.

"You can come sit by me little one," Ox patted the sofa in between him and Touch. "I don't bite and Touch doesn't like girls."

Touch rolled his eyes and sighed. "What the fuck Ox, why do you have to have to open with that every time we meet people. I swear I'm just going to get a stick on name tag: 'Hello my name is: Gay'. C'mere hon, have a seat, tell us about yourself. It's not everyday we invite people up to share a drink or two with us."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako sits down at a open seat... sitting near these strange people... mutants like herself... was intimidating. But now that her only means of escape would not only make her lose face but would make her a complete pariah, she at least played along.

"I'm... Sakurako." Sakurako says, adjusting her glasses. "I don't have any catchy name, if that was what you were looking for..."

She sighed. "And... I'm not a fan of alcohol personally."

[Dave ST]

Touch smirked and snapped his fingers at the scantly dressed 'devil girl' that hovered in the vicinity of their area and like a shot she went to recover something for the mutant. "Oh, hon, that's one of the ways alcohol is like God. You see, you don't have to really like it, for it to like you. I'll get one for you and trust me, you won't even taste the alcohol."

"The bitch said she don't wanna drink, get her a damn juice box or something..." Umbra's award winning personality shown through and almost made Sakurako think that Revenant was more pleasant company than Umbra. At least all Revenant did was ignore her, not call her foul names... well, not too foul anyway.

Ox leaned forward, away from Sakurako and toward Umbra. "Umbra, you keep talking shit and I'ma smack the black off you. Quit being a dick." He leaned back as Umbra promptly changed his tone (it was visible in his expression that he liked his black where it was). "Sorry about that little one, Umbra's got an attitude problem. So, 'Saku-rako', you said? Yeah, you need a real name. So, what can you do kid, huh?" He reached over to the table where in the center was a stack of fruit pies piled up in what used to be a very neat pyramid but was half gone. "Pie?" He offered as he grabbed one and tossed it in his mouth, chewing the thing whole like it was a cookie.

[Doryoku]

"You mind? I am a bit hungry." Sakurako said, looking at the fruit pies.

"I'm what a lot of the school calls a squint... I can pretty much build anything with the proper materials availiable... as for anything else... I can fly... if that counts for anything..."

She takes a apple pie from the available pile... and then she starts to nibble on it since he offered. Unlike Ox, there was a level of sheepish politeness. More like avoidant politeness in this case. With her holding the pie with both hands, she seemed mouse-like in stature. Almost seemingly vulnerable.

[Hotstreak]

Summer, of all the girls at the academy it had to be Summer and her sister that were inviting them up. Fan-fucking-tastic. He gave her a knowing smile. "A little rebellion is good for the soul, you know. I can't always be an upstanding citizen." He nodded. "Diana and I are doing quite well, thank you, and Sakurako wanted to come along tonight so she did, nothing more or less there."

"I'd have never imagined you inviting us up here, it's a pleasant surprise."

He looked to Autumn and gave her a more genuine respectful smile. "Autumn, it's nice to see you tonight."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako looked up adjusting her glasses and brushing off some crumbs off of the front of her sailor collar. "You know some of these folk, Daniel?"

Daniel seemed nice enough of a young man, so maybe these people aren't all bad?

She continued enjoying the pie. She never got such things on this level of decadence when she was ill.

[Hotstreak]

"Yes, They go to the Academy, same us." He nodded. "I've not met everyone here before today, but at a school like the Academy, it's hard not to hear things."

He smiled. "So to what do we owe the pleasure of such pleasant company?"

[Dave ST]

"Isn't it obvious?" Autumn asked, a slight bit of snip in her voice that seemed to subtly mock Daniel. "Summer totally wants your dic-"

"-TATION skills. You're dictation skills. Because... because... they're amazing." Summer swiftly interjected, mildly changing hue. "Miss Childs' anthropology assignment last week. The notes you took were, I mean, wow. They were perfect, like you recorded them or something..." She chuckled, masking a small amount of embarrassment while launching a glare at her sister that would need a ballistics team to sort its true meaning.

"Sure... let's go with that..." Autumn said with a drab monotone that Mandy would have been proud... if she cared.

"You mind? I am a bit hungry." Sakurako said, looking at the fruit pies.

"Hey," The large guy motioned to the pies with his palm up. "Me casa es something, casa lil lady."

Umbra rolled his eyes and the slap on hid own palm on his forehead was nearly audible over the music and conversation. "You dumb ass, that shit means 'my house is your house', and dis ain't yo house, we in a damn night club..."

"Shut y'mouth ink blot! Nothing says home like apple pie!" Ox shot back, with Sakurako now in a place between the two that didn't seem all that safe anymore.

"Man, you a dumb ass." Umbra waved off Ox with nothing but a swat of his hand to the empty space between them.

"And you're a bitch. So?" Ox didn't seem to phased by Umbra's jibes at him. For such a large angry man he didn't seem easily provoked.

Touch however, wasn't easily amused by the spectacle. Sitting next to the young Sakurako, he just sighed and shook his head. "Do see the riveting intellectual conversation I get stuck with on a near nightly basis? I'm tellin ya kitten, every night it's the same thing: 'blah, blah, cuss, spit, whip it out and measure... have pie.' I'm living in mutant hell." He patted her on her knee, "So c'mon sweet thing, tell us all about you. We know about Danny," Touch waved him off with what Revenant would have referred to as a 'less than hetero' gesture. "He's a boring goody, goody... all the dirt on him is old, but you're fresh meat. We're dying to know all about ya."

"Yeah," Ox's baritone vibrated Sakurako's eardrums. "So when did you figure out you were circus material, eh?"

Two conversations going on the moment, guys. If you switch up, just make sure I can identify which NPC you're addressing.

[Doryoku]

"Mental note, develop an airbag suit... that much kinetic trauma I could recieve could cease my life functions, or cause blunt force maiming." She thinks as she gulps back a Apple Pie that now doesn't taste as decadent. It tasted like a bit of a level of hell. "Pink and white would look cute." She completed in her mental addendum.

"Dante, you were right." She whispered before collecting her thoughts. Tilting her head to Touch, she spoke in an almost computer-like monotone. "You could always come to the academy. You may not be used to the regulations but I assure you you could find the peace and quiet you require."

She blinked. "As for your friends near me, I require approximately 1 meter of personal space minimum past their reach. I feel like the Oxygen to Carbon Dioxide ratio in my personal area has reached a critical level unsafe for human habitation."

Fear was no longer in her, At least Daniel she could trust, and if anything particularly bad happened hopefully her class mates down below would be coming up to save them. Hopefully.

"I did not make my last statement as a personal insult, only a grievance to the hospitality I and my classmate are receiving, my prescribed requests would be a adequate reparation of your effort to make us feel comfortable."

[Hotstreak]

"OH HELL" warning klaxons blared loudly in the young mutant's mind. Summer was a woman with a reputation. Bitchiness was the beginnings of it, but she was also someone you didn't cross.

"Thanks. After a certain incident, I have had to watch my grades and behaviour. I've found improved note taking helps." It was obvious he referred to the infamous streaking across campus.

"You know you can always borrow my notes Summer, or I can make a copy for you with a little advanced warning." He had caught Autumn's tone, and wondered how he could get out of here. It wasn't that Summer was unattractive. She was perhaps the most smoking hot student at the school. There was a good chance she wouldn't be harmed by the levels of heat he generated at close proximity. Maybe she wasn't such a bitch to everyone. Then an image of Diana, barely coming out of her shell and only due to his influence passed before his mind's eye and quashed at least temporarily any other ideas his teenage libido was looking to put forth.

[Doryoku]

"I also have a query then for all here... if academic notes were the reason behind this meeting all all of this... broadway production... why didn't you simply just ask in the first place? I am sure Daniel here would have E-Mailed them or I would have offered my services as a tutor. With my grades where they sit I have nothing but free time and my peer group tends not to require the services I can provide."

She adjusts her glasses. "Furthering your educations I am more than willing to assist with, that is with proper effort from those I help."

She smiled, odd and jarringly from her emotionless tone. She almost seemed, artificial. Although with her words there was earnestness. This would really disturb Daniel how she took on this sudden change of personality. Did she snap from the stress or is this a psychological defense mechanism?

[Dave ST]

After a brief, awkward silence there was a sudden burst of laughter from those gathered around poor Sakurako.

Summer, with her expression of evil coyness that she'd mastered long ago, looked at sweet innocent Sakurako as if sizing her up as prey. "Oh, sweetie, maybe one day when you grow hair on naughty places, we'll explain why why were laughing."

"Oh," Touch spoke up, trying to hold a hand over his lughter, "Harsh, Summer, harsh."

Umbra shook his head, glancing at Sakurako. "She's right though. I mean, hell yo', she doesn't even know who we are. Drumm's making you Academy mutants soft." He accented my sucking his teeth in disgust.

"You're thugs." Daniel said boldly. "And killers." He glanced at Ox, knowing that the gigantic mutant was the one who killed Drumm's wife and daughter three years ago.

"Watch your mouth, boy." Ox gave him a simple response laced with an unspoken 'or else'.

"Let's be civil, please." Touch, ever the diplomat, interjected. "Yes, there have been unfortunate 'accidents' on all fronts, Daniel, but we are neither of the things you mentioned. We call ourselves The Hellions and like you, we are backed by a sponsor who allows us to embrace our mutant heritage. Where you are sheltered within your school from the reality of the world, we are paid to use our talents to shape the world in anyway we see fit. Summer and Autumn here are our guests tonight, much like you."

Meanwhile...

The club beats thundered off the walls at decibels that should've been a code violation had the city not been paid off. For all it mattered, Warren may as well have been a stripper pole the way Oneca moved and gyrated around him. He had to admit that she had an abundance of energy, and he was thankful he hadn't worn boxers...

"Baby," He managed to wrangle her arm as she passed. He enjoyed dancing with her but they'd been at it for the better part of an hour and was getting a bit tired. "Let's get some drinks, you're sweating like crazy. You finished the song, I'll go get them and meet you at the table." He offered her a wink and a smile and in reply she smiled back and gave him a nod of affirmation.

He wasn't gone thirty seconds when she felt the grip of firm, strong hands on her hips. For a moment she thought Warren had come back until she was surprised to find a pelvis thrusting into her ass a moment later, so much so she could barely maintain her balance.

"S'up hotness." The guy looked like a jock fro ma local high school. Well built, blond buzz cut, and he certainly wasn't unattractive aside from his current antics not making very high on Oneca's 'people to meet and greet' list. The fact that he sounded like a retard didn't help his case any either. "You like that?" He kept on with his hand in the air like she was a pony or something. "That's it baby... pop it, yeah..."

This just wouldn't do at all...

[z020]

Her eyes narrowed and she made a swift shimmy with her hips that both freed her from the neanderthal's hands and gave him spanking material for the next month at least. "Sorry!" she shouted over the music, loud enough for most of the crowd to hear and her tone dripping honey and venom. "I thought you were my sister! They have pumps for that, y'know!"

She gave him a dismissive once-over and glanced to where Revenant had disappeared to for the drinks. She wasn't looking for her boyfriend to protect her, though most people probably assumed she was - no, she was looking for him so she didn't hurt this moron like she had her sister. They'd been practicing with her powers, but she had a temper and jerks like this set her off pretty quick. She'd decided she'd like to get out of high school without a homicide charge, justified or not.

[Dave ST]

"Yeah I'd like to pump you." He said with a dumb ass laugh. "So you and your sister get a little bump and grind going on? That's so fucking hot, she here tonight? We can go have a lil party of our own, know what I'm saying?" He laughed like an ass again.

Once again he moved into her personal space, his arms slunk around her waist and his large hands found purchase on her ass. When it was her boyfriend, Oneca was always certainly down with a nice pat, squeeze, pinch or even smack on the bottom, in fact it was one of their favorite flirtations... but the guy was certainly not her boyfriend and he was kneeding it like dough... by the third squeeze she was already sore and still unable to pry herself from his perverse death grip. Finally she was able to escape and he stood back a couple steps.

"What's your fucking problem, huh?" He had his arms out to the side like he was in some street fight. "You dress like a ho, I'mna treat you like a ho." Then he pushed her, hard. Had it not been for the thick crowd of people she'd had fallen over, but the several souls around her managed to actually help keep her from falling. "Fuckin' tease."

[z020]

"Khodeto bokun!" Oneca snarled, proving that she had paid attention to the Farsi lessons her father had paid for - at least the interesting parts. "Listen, you closet-case inbred, I dress however the fuck I feel like. You do not touch me."

She was barely holding on, the edges of her vision swimming in red - because her body was now glowing more brightly with hellish light. She had half a thought to walk away, but a ring had already started forming around them and the dance floor was suddenly flooded a rush of violent, expectant energy.

Neaderthal's face was red blotches now, his ham-fists clench at his side. "What the hell did you just call me, you little whore?"

"Inbred. Homosexual." she enunciated slowly, all caution lost in the rising heat of the fight to come. "You like to take up the ass-"

He moved faster than she'd expected, the back of his hand smacking her across the face hard enough to break the skin open and whip her head around painfully. She screamed, but didn't fall over; she'd grabbed his bare wrist, her hands barely able to reach entirely around. Not that it mattered, it wasn't like she was some goddamn ninja or martial arts guru. No, she was a woman who had made a pact with a demon and now had powers from Hell. And damn if some jackass with the IQ of a rutting bull was going to get away with hitting her.

The glow around her intensified, brighter now than the dim lighting for the dance floor, and the smell of brimstone and burning flesh washed over the other dancers. Her nails dug into his skin, making his fingers twitch as the burns made their way down past the epidermal and began to eat at his muscles; her golden eyes were now misted over with crimson, blood on gold. "Like I said, you remind me of my sister. I nearly took her arm off for touching me without my permission. And I love her." Her voice was loud as the club went still, the song ending just in time for her final words, "'Hope you're not attached to that hand."

[Warren Verona]

Like Moses through the Red Seas Warren nonchalantly strode through carrying a drink in each hand. He'd seen the whole scene unfold on his way back and knew damn well Oneca could handle herself. He wanted to kick the shit out of the fool who hit her, but at the moment, why add insult to injury, he had problems of his own.

"Baby," He said calmly walking up to her and offering her her drink. "I think you can let go now, he gets it. Yes, he's a douche bag, no one deserves what your about to do to this man. I know he hit you, but beat his ass and send him on his way. Death is easy, it's simple... let him linger for the rest of his years looking at those scars and remembering this night."

His black and yellow eyes met hers briefly. "Oneca. Let him go."

[z020]

A moment passed, then another. Finally, Oneca's fingers pulled away, one by one, from the ruin of Neanderthal's wrist. He hadn't even screamed yet, though sweat was pouring off him as his body tried to figure out what to do. The pain finally reached his brain, connecting at the same time he actually saw what was left of the end of his arm. His hand was hanging limply now, though the fingers were still twitching occasionally. He would have known that was a good sign - at least some nerves and muscles were still attached - if his world hadn't narrowed down to one bright spot of pain.

Oneca spun on her heel away from him, not caring if anyone in the crowd would actually have the thought to call an ambulance and maybe keep him from becoming a bad Captain Hook cliché or not. She held out her hands, the brimstone and hellish glow intensifying for a moment as she burned off the fleshy bits that had clung to her skin and nails, shaking her hands to dislodge the last of the loathsome ash before taking the drink Revenant had brought her.

"Thanks," she muttered, though there was genuine gratitude in her voice. She glanced up to where tag-along and tag-along had gone asked in a low tone, "We need to ditch the club now?"

[Doryoku]

"W---Wait... Killers?"

Sakurako's eyes become wide as saucers... Killers?!?!

"Um... uh...."

Sakurako looks to Daniel then to the rest. She starts trembling from the revelation.

"Oh god... what did I get into?" She thinks as the walls of the room seem to start to close in as everyone seemed to take attention to her. The girl becoming known as "Mouse" by some of her peers at the school... starts to look like her nick name as she turns pale and starts shaking... once again the coward comes foreward.

[Hotstreak]

Daniel looked at them. This could get out of hand. Sakurako was a serious liability if things went south, and he had no idea which direction Summer and Autumn would swing.

"Well, I take it then by the way you're talking that tonight's a little recruitment drive? Summer I understand, and maybe even myself. I don't know Sakurako or Autumn enough to hazard why you're looking at them." Inwardly he thought it might have been because sakurako was with him at the time, same as autumn and summer, Though they could just be looking for a brain they can bully into keeping quiet and doing the mental legwork for them as needed. Autumn was still a mystery.

"what makes you think I'm interested in being recruited? What can you offer me, offer any of us, that would make me want to say yes?"

He looked at Touch, but ws trying to be very aware of his surroundings as well. "Freedom? I got that, granted it tends to result in me getting in trouble somehow, but I always have the choice of using my gifts or not, I just have to accept the consequences afterwards."

"Money? Money's nice, and more of it tends to help in many occasions. But there's so much more to life than money." his tone wasn't the one of an idealist, but someone trying to be rational, and sound out this situation, wanting to hear more yet holding back, not quite stalling for time.

[Dave ST]

Autumn scowled at Daniel, which was the first hint of emotion she'd displayed thus far. "I'm just as gifted as my sister, I assure you Dan." She sneered at him, visibly irritated by his unintended insult. "And no, it's not a recruitment drive. We approached them. We know Touch from, well, back home."

"It's true, Daniel." Touch's face scrunched up with distain. "We're not recruiting them, or you, at least not to night anyway. But think about it Danny-boy: do you really think that school is making you into all you can become?

"He's right you know," Summer chimed up in that sultry voice of hers. "Think about it Daniel. It's a school, sure, but look underneath it. Daniel, it's a prison, just a very pretty one." She approached him doing that sultry walk he hated ever so. She placed one long leg in front of the other like she was on a runway and the sultry tone of her voice was enough to captivate him for hours. He was a good an, an honest one too, which is why he didn't hate himself too badly for enjoying the way her leather miniskirt hugged her hips and how she knew just how much cleavage to show to make him wonder if she'd be willing to show a little more. "We're given everything we need, sure, but we're kept away from the world, a world that despises and feas us."

She walked around, sliding her arms around his waist and reasting her cheek gently on shouler blade. "We're different, we're scary. We're the next step in an evolutionary chain that's been going on forever. The human race is not at the top anymore and it scares them, so we have to go to our rooms and play nice. Don't you ever wonder why we can't leave whenever we like? Why the school is so far away from a city? The power stripping tethers to keep us in check, the high security, and it's all run by a man whose family was killed by a mutant. Do you honestly think he has our best interests at heart Daniel?" Her hands began to slide down past his waist. Her perfectly manicured nails tickled him slightly as they glided down his thighs. "Where is our freedom? Are we not to be given the same rights and privelages as everyone else? Hiding in a school, away from the world where we'll never be given the opportunity to live and grow along side humanity... honestly, Daniel... is that how you want to live?"

She moved her hands back up, wrapping her arms gently around his waist.

[Hotstreak]

It was hard to think beyond Summer, but Autumn's tone showed he'd put his foot in his mouth big time. "It wasn't my intention to insult anyone here. I guess I assumed more than I should have. My mistake there.." His apology was geared to everyone, and he did his best to not put off a suffocating aura of heat.

he shook his head. "Life in a cage isn't what I want, no.But until I learn to control certain aspects of my gifts, I try to be careful."

"I'm thankful for the Academy because there, amongst other mutants. I am not an oddity. No one looks at me with fear in their eyes." he placed his right hand over Summer's and nodded. Still. I'm not progressing. I'm at the same level as when I arrived, so either the methodology is flawed, or there's something wrong with how I approach things."

He pat the back of Summer's hand once. "Of course we have those rights, but unlike regular people, we're more. We have powers we must learn to control, or at least direct at a whim, once we have that we are free to go."

He shrugged. "Or we can just leave the Academy. I plan to graduate at least, to pay back the faith Riva's placed in be but then, afterwards, who knows?""

[Doryoku]

"We're scary to Humans because there are those of us who choose to be scary."

Sakurako had enough... "Ever consider the fact for all the power you have you are no more enlightened or advanced than the average person on the street?"

She stared right at Autumn. "it's because of Mutants like you i can't fly in public and show my true talent to the world... a talent that could do so much to bring humanity around."

"People like you make me ashamed to be a Mutant."

[Dave ST]

"People like us?" The venom that hissed from Autumn's inquirey was enough to chill Daniel and Summer's spines, and that was saying something. She had remained relatively quiet until now but suddenly found herself with an itch to scratch. "Have you every considered that for all our power that we are nothing but persecuted, genetic freaks? That we're treated like the African Americans were back in the fifties and sixties? That we can not hold jobs simply because we are mutants living in a human and they see it fit to treat us like second rate living beings? Have you ever considered, for even a moment, that it's not mutants like us, who believe that you should have the right to fly free and as far as you please, aren't the ones holding you back? It's them, the humans." She stood up and crossed her arms, the warm air around her began to chill and a barely visible mist seemed to radiate off her.

"But no, you're so closed minded and naive that you want to scold us, like we're some evil plague of thought out to destroy the world. Wake up little girl, it's not humanity as a whole that's against us, and we don't blame them for our troubles. We all have human families, friends, loved ones, so please don't take the righteous path with me, I'll slap your scrawny ass off that perch before you know what hit you." Autum was on a roll and didn't look like Sakurako was getting out of this one any time soon. "It's the people in power, little girl. They're the ones holding us back and treating us like genetic garbage. We pose a threat to their control on this world. We can punch holes in tanks, fly faster than their missiles, walk through bank vaults, and can frankly do as we please, and they know it."

"They don't care if we want to just live our lives out using our strength for construction work, or our minds for the betterment of humanity. They want us controlled and they want to treat us like we were born criminals. My sister and I are guilty of nothing more than being hardcore bitches, and last I checked, jailbait, that's not a crime, but can we walk freely in the streets? No. Can we fly freely through the sky? No, lest we're shot down by choppers for 'violating airspace'. Wake up, little one, humanity isn't our enemy, it's the governments and the way they're treating us. If it continues, we'll only take so much before the mutants in this world will rise up and fight back. Imagine the decimation, the misery. I'll never be ashamed to be a mutant, but it's people like you, people that think that you can blame your problems on those who don't share your opinion, that sicken me. You want to help the world? Then help it, but don't place the burden of blame on why you can't fly through the streets on me or my sister when you know god damned well who's at fault."

Around the same time...

"A little ice on it?" Groaned the injured man as he gripped his near-disintegrated hand. "I got something better..."

Warren and Oneca were almost away from the scene Warren closed his eyes and silently cursed their luck. They didn't see the mutant absorb the texture and hardness of the black and red veined marble tiles they were walking on, Warren knew what a declaration of war sounded like, and that was it. He wasn't fast enough to counter the uppercut that sent him sailing through the air, ass over elbow.

"You know what?" Autumn said in conclusion, raising her hands, palms out, as she began walking away from the scene. "I'm really not in the mood for shit like this tonight, Summer, I'm out of here."

Daniel saw it coming but wasn't fast enough to react. Warren's body tumbled through the air and slammed into Autumn sending them both flying towards the couch. The three sitting on the couch could only look with wide-eyed horror as they knew what was bout to happen and the impact tipped the couch backwards with all it's occupants, plus Warren and Autumn, all lying on their backs admiring the ceiling.

The marble mutant gripped Oneca by one shoulder and slung her backwards, throwing her into the bar with enough force to kill a human instantly. "Playtime's over, bitch. You wanted to dance." He slammed his marble fists together and grinned evilly. "Then let's dance."

Meanwhile, as all this unfolded, the club disintegrated into a massive, mutant power fueled, bar brawl.

No need for initiative rolls, just act as you see fit, but no double posting, keep in mind others are in the squabble as well. It's a casual brawl, have fun with it.

[Doryoku]

Sakurako was about to say something, until the situation went downhill.

In her head her highest priority activated. Self-preservation. Before, that would mean hiding and whimpering for her Aunt. In this case, there was only one logical course of action. She can't hide, but hopefully someone could be of help in stalling this to a detente.

She picks up her glasses and brushes herself off after being unceremoniously dumped to the floor. "Daniel... fuck the politics. this is about to get out of control, and fast... we should get the others and bail. This isn't worth our blood. Unless you see some other course of action."

She stared at Autumn. "I can see before we deal with Humankind we have to get peace in our ranks..."

She shakes her head before watching the battle, carefully, before considering an escape route. Time to be her name sake and find the safest route between points, lest the cats in this place get her. Although this time with potentially others in tow.

[z020]

Oneca shot up from the ruined bar - literally. The dark-hued mutant was glowing in red now, floating far enough above the main floor to see that Warren was fine, if tangled up with the group that had invited Daniel and Mouse up to sit with them. He was still alive and that was enough for her to turn her attention back to Neanderthal, who was now dubbed Moron.

She stayed in the air, hovering over the ruined bar, and gave a lazy warning to the rest of the brawling mutants, "I'd step away from Moron, if I were you." With that, she raised her left arm and her tattoo shot off from it, a streak of blacker-than-black that struck the marbled man in chest and scattered out from there, twining around him like barbed wire and following his body down to the ground and outward, ensnaring anyone unlucky enough not to have heard her or to have ignored the almost flippant warning.

The tattoo burned into him, even through clothes and only slowed by the marble-enhanced flesh. It was eating away into him, into the floor, and even onto "innocent" bystanders. Screams of pain and panic started in earnest now as most of the patrons stampeded for the door before true hell broke loose and people started dying.

"You want to dance, little man?" Oneca sneered. "Then come and get me. I've seen Hell and spoken with the Devil. You're just annoying."

[Warren Verona]

"Mother fucker..." Warren fumed. He shot up like a bolt, litterally throwing Autumn off him like she wasn't even there. "Get off me." He told her as he pushed her aside. His fists clenched as he unlocked the potential within himself. His skin paled slightly and his eyes flared with a glimmering yellow swimming in oil slick pools of black.

He stepped forward, scooping up a fruit pie off the table he just flew over and within moments it was already flaring up with a violent purple, unstable energy. She ran and leapt, using the railing for footing he launched himself back down to the fray below. He launched the pie and it hit its mark square between Marble Moron's shoulders. It exploded in a burst of disintegrated pie filling and the force staggered the behemoth forward a few steps, right into where Warren wanted him. He tackled the man, landing on his back and gripping him round the neck in a tight hold.

For all the good it did, since the monster didn't need to breathe, but that didn't stop him. Angrily he slammed his fist into the side of the mutants head until his knuckles bled. Effortlessly Marble grabbed him and threw him in the direction of the bar. The bottles and glasses shattered as he slammed into the wall and fell below the view of onlookers. Then Revenant stood up, not Warren. Oneca knew this side of him well, the role of the Revenant, the undying spectre. HE matched Marble in height and physique, in fact he was a perfect, dark, marble replica save that his eyes glimmered yellow and the veins of marble were a glowing purple instead of a deep, flat red.

He faced Marble and his voice was hauntingly eerie, a mingling of Marble's and Warren's. "Playtime's over, fucker. You wanted to dance." He slammed his marble fists together and grinned evilly. "Then let's dance."

[Hotstreak]

Anything else he could have said in the previous conversation was interrupted by the flying projectile that was Warren striking Autumn and then hitting the three seated mutants. He looked to Summer, and sighed. "And we were having such an interesting conversation too. I have a feeling that I could have come to really enjoy your embrace before the night was done."

Taking advantage of her surprise, he gently slipped her grasp, confident that neither he nor she were hurt, and that there was an off chance that one of the five mutants lying on their backs might be.

Make that four, as Warren shot up and back into the fight. He quickly checked on the other mutants, then moved over to where Warren had tossed Autumn.

He'd heard the stories, and knew better than to interfere in Warren's fight. If it got too bad, he'd take Sakurako and leave. He might try to convince Summer and Autumn to do so too, but Lord only knew how that would play out.

"Are you alright Autumn?"

[Doryoku]

Sakurako hides as best she could. She was going to follow Daniel's lead as best she could. There wasn't any open opportunities she could take advantage of at the moment. Perhaps if a oppportunity produced itself...

She looks about and grabs a fire extinguisher and keeps it close. With this many cumbustable things around if the pyrokinetic-capable mutants about went off... well... maybe it might be of use?

[Dave ST]

Warren and Oneca

The Marble man and Revenant slammed into one another in a wrestler's grip, their hands locking and trying to over power the other. He could feel his strength wane as Oneca's entropic field continued to eat away at his strength, nearly blinding him with pain. To his advantage, he was a wrestler, Revenant, unfortunately, was not. His head slammed into Revenant's, staggering the copy-cat mutant just long enough to weaken his hold. His fist slammed up into Revenant's jaw, chipping marble with its titanic impact.

He swung his body low and scooped up Warren's ankle, gripping tight he hurled his opponent into Oneca, who saw he undead boyfriend swiftly get closer and closer until he knocked her out of the air where she was hovering. The marble man laughed. "Ha! You forgot your boyfriend, sweetie..."

They didn't travel far, but the couple smashed through a dividing wall and demolished three tables from the impact and the short slide across the tiled floor.

The V.I.P.

"Are you alright Autumn?"

"That slack-jawed, dickless, cave man you arrived with just slammed into me, ruined my dress, and threw me back on the floor," She glared at Daniel as her flesh suddenly gained a thin coating of frosty rime. Despite Daniels heat, her breath was chilled and frigid. "I'd say I'm pretty bloody far from 'alright'. What the hell was that about?"

Like a hound giving chase she soared off swiftly in pursuit of the man who ruined her skirt only to find that man was no longer present, Warren's disguise seemed to prevent him from receiving a a very cold reception from Autumn. Instead she took her frustration out on the nearest group of club goers looking to beat a hasty retreat. From her hands an icy blast of pure arctic cold blasted the area in a wide cone, blowing people off their feet and lacerating them with shards of ice and wind driven hail.

With a smirk, Summer leaned on the railing, overlooking the chaos below. She looked back to Daniel as her twin sister launched another blast that probably sent several poor innocents into hypothermia. "And here you thought I had the temper..." She raised her hand to get Autumn's attention. "Don't kill anyone, dear sister of mine, you know how Daddy hates paying off families and officials and such..."

[Doryoku]

Sakurako runs up behind Daniel. "Umm... something tells me we can't talk this situation down..." She says, holding on to the sleeve of his shirt or jacket... Sakurako didn't care at the moment to what she was tugging... as she was trying not to draw more attention to herself than she already has.

"Wha... What should I do?" She says, keeping the extinguisher close as she continues to read her surroundings.

"Wait a sec..."

Adjusting her glasses her eyes glow for a moment. She looks over the sprinkler system... considering a new move. "Perhaps we can change the situation. I wager... if these sprinklers go off a alarm will sound, perhaps even making a instant call to the fire department, right?"

"I doubt anyone present here will want official entanglements... perhaps we can stop this before any blood is shed?"

This whole night was a big mistake, in Sakurako's mind, right down to the hacking of the security system at the school. "How good are you at heating a spot at range?"