Aberrant: The Middle Children of History - It's my birthday and I'll party if I want to...

[Elspeth]

(Spends a quantum point to activate Quickness)

She felt a rush of emotion seeing all these people step forward to defend her against these, these... she couldn't think of a vile enough word for the money grubbing scum who would betray their own kind for the sake of that baseline pig Jarutu. Seeing that things were heating up and there was likely to be violence she infused her body with quantum energy to make herself more ready to react and possibly strike before they elites did. Just to keep herself from being an easy target she quickly attempted to teleport to the other side of Raijin-san.

Inwardly she was torn, she'd never raised a hand against another with the intent of doing them true harm, on the other hand it wasn't wise to let someone get away when they were bent on your capture or death. She just couldn't decide, so she settled for staying out of harms way and letting these older more experienced novas act first. If a fight broke out she would do her part, but she wouldn't be the one to start it!

[Dawn OOC]

In all of history, there had before been the sound of so this many pants filling up with so much pooh. But never had their been the sound of so many nova pants filling with pooh. It was an unheard noise, but there was no doubt that it was happening.

Or perhaps that was an exaggeration. Perhaps the looks on the five nova's faces were just similar to the oh-god-oh-god-scary-scary-scaryscary-justpoopedmypants.

The woman who hadn't moved much yet turned around, raised her arms and made a warp field. There's no doubt what she's planning to do. But the one who had spoken before held her ground, stepped forward and, with a clear quiver of fear in her voice, said, "We can talk." She's looking at Neil Preston, so perhaps she's picking who she wants to talk to.

[Ptesan-Wi]

"Good. A brief talk is in order." Ptesan-Wi's voice held an odd blend of gentleness and authority, two things that did not naturally blend together. Yet somehow, coming from this Lakota goddess, it worked.

"You have your warrant. But it hold no weight here, for two reasons. First, Elspeth holds political refugee status in the Lakota Nation, and as such is under my protection. Second, Elspeth is a minor who is effectively my ward while I am here as a representative of the Lakota, and as such has diplomatic immunity. I will not waive her rights under international law to allow you to take her away for a show trial and execution for the convenience of a military junta."

[Diplomacy check: six successes, including Persuader

DAWN --- roll witnessed in Beta Chat.]

[Elspeth]

Elspeth grinned at PW's words. She was completely correct legally according to the laws of the Lakota Nation and international law, these people couldn't touch her. Unfortunately, these elites would try again, and if not them then another group. She had wanted to wait on confrontation until she turned 14 and could be legally crowned according to Sierra Leone law, but it didn't look like that would be possible now. She could see that this group was scared and that was good. They would think twice before trying this again, but they'd also be out to get her now too because of their loss of face.

[Dawn OOC]

The man who'd been attempting to immoblize the princess stopped himself with a sigh and a shrug. "Maybe later, Your Highness!" he said. Turning, he leapt in a twisting roll through the warp and was gone.

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon watched the confrontation unfold from his position in front of Infinity, his youthful face impassive as green eyes darted from person to person, assessing the situation. He was hesitant to act, not sure what this was about and who was in the wrong, but it quickly became clear that these hired novas had no authority, legal or moral, to be carrying out this deed. He prepared himself for a fight mentally, ready to unleash a storm of golden fire, his birthright as his father's heir, on the enemy.

But reason prevailed. The calm words of Ptesan-Wi and Neil, and the overpowering displays of the other friendly novas present had cowed and persuaded the Elites to make their retreat. Phaethon watched them go, then turned to Infinity as the golden flame aura died from around him, the force-field dropping.

"Are you alright?" he asked her gently, eyes searching her face.

[Dawn OOC]

[OOC: Those left in initiative are either NPCs who are leaving, my character or controlled by a player who isn't here. I'm releasing everyone from the fiction and putting a closing cap on it - sorry this took so long. In the future, things will be much smoother.

Feel free to continue to react ICly with one another as long as you wish, but no one is being held because of combat.

Anyone who wants to follow up on the information below should contact me privately.]

The merc who stayed to talk was abandoned by her crew; she introduced herself as Tess and seemed quite upset that she'd been left behind. She does have a warrant for Elspeth's arrest - a copy which she gladly shows anyone who wishes to see. She also has extradition papers, which she again will show all and sundry.

The party continued after Tess left peacefully, though there was a more somber feel to the festitivies. A few novas stayed more than three more hours, and fewer stayed until the end. It seemed a dark and innaspicious way for the young princess to celebrate her thirteenth birthday.

[Mech]

Once Everything is quiet Connor returns to his normal form and smiles. "That was certainly an unexpected interruption." He walks over to the catering table and grabs a plate of food and something to drink and returns to the beach to sit on one of the many blankets set out. He eats alone and in silence.

Then he lays back to look up at the sky. It was still a pretty day, and even though he'd used a good portion of his reserves, he still had more left. Transforming always left him hungry and that little meal hit the spot, even though it hadn't really satiated his hunger.

[Elspeth]

Elspeth smiled at the fact that the villians left like dogs with their tails between their legs. She was glad she'd had all these other great novas around... if she had been alone and reacted just a touch slower she'd have been dead. That Tess woman had seemed decent enough which only made things harder. Elspeth knew the best thing to do would be to talk to her and gather as much information as she could on the enemy and his nova resources, but she just couldn't stomach being in the woman's presence. He good mood was thoroughly ruined. She tried to put on a brave face and chit chat with her guests but her mind kept going back to the fact that she was being hunted now. It was time for her do do some hunting of her own. Time to take the fight to that pig Jarutu, he didn't even deserve the term monkey. Monkey's were noble creatures compared to Jarutu. By the time the party was over she had made arrangements for her presents to be transported back to the apartment she had in Japan. The presents would be safe there even if she wouldn't be. For Elspeth it was time to go home to Sierra Leone.

Before it all wound down and her guests left she made sure to spend a few moments with each thanking them not only for their attendance, but also for standing up for her to the hired thugs.

For Conner she made sure to thank him with a kiss on the cheek putting all of her very considerable charm into it. "I won't forget that promised date. You owe me a premiere." Her smile could have set Paris sailing toward his destiny and the doom of Troy.

[Mech]

Connor returns her radiant smile with one of his own. "You have but to name the time and place Elspeth."

His face turns serious a moment later. "Will you be alright? I trust you have someone who you can stay with to keep you safe. I abhor nova on nova violence, but I would hate to even think about what would have happened if they'd been able to remove you from here even more."

There's a certain bitterness in his voice. "Some people will do anything for money, it sickens me."

[Elspeth]

Elspeth enjoyed the attention but her smile slipped a little at Connor's last words. "They are scum for taking money from such a vile creature as that Jarutu, but they are still novas. After the party I will be returning home, not to face their justice, but to give them one last warning to leave my home or face the consequences." Seeing the worry on her friends face she added quickly, "No, I won't face them directly, but I can move about unhindered and unnoticed when I need to and I intend to make Jarutu's life far less pleasant than it has been for the last two years."

[Mech]

Connor nods. "Be very careful." He stands to his full moderately impressive height and sighs as the sun begins to set. "Another day passes. Tomorrow it's back to Tokyo to continue filming, then a month later I go back to the states to start another one."

"I miss just having days where I flew for fun until I couldn't move..." There's a faraway look in his eyes for a moment and then he looks back to Elspeth.

"I should probably be going. Thank you for a wonderful party and for being a wonderful hostess. If you need something don't hesitate to ask."

There's a impish glint to his eyes as he finishes. "I do get to go home and tell them I scared a quintet of hardened Elites to the point I think they soiled themselves with a gundam form... I think the others will get a kick out of that one." His Eufiber is quickly reforming into the shirt and pants he came here with and his smile never fades.

"Happy Birthday Elspeth, may you have many, many more."

[Neil Preston]

Neil lets people unwind and sees the female elite off without incident. This had been a close one, but no blood had been spilled. The fight had been stillborn, and Neil was grateful for the power and control that had been exhibited on both sides.

A little later,

"Princess Elspeth, thank you for the party and I imagine I may be seeing you again before too long, if you keep to your plans. Again, I hope you have many more birthdays after this one."

He bowed once and made his way back down the beach. He wanted to be lone for a while.

[z-Infinity]

Originally Posted By: Phaethon

Phaethon watched them go, then turned to Infinity as the golden flame aura died from around him, the force-field dropping. "Are you alright?" he asked her gently, eyes searching her face.

Infinity bit her lower lip, drinking in the sincerety on his face. "I'm fine... good, actually, thank you," she smiled, slipping her arms around him to give him a hug. "My hero."

"Infinity." Katsuro and Stanley stood nearby; the Japanese man looked agitated. "Say good-bye. We're leaving."

"The danger's gone-"

"You agreed you'd leave if we deemed it unsafe," Stanley said.

"And we fucking deem it... is that a real word?" Katsuro asked. As Stanley made exasperated gestures, Katsuro added, "Anyway, time to go."

[Netherworld]

He had observed Tess from the shadows as she explained why her and her associates were there for Elspeth. It seemed to him that they were just doing their jobs and he was glad that things didn't get violent. Couriosly though, something inside him thought it might have been amusing to watch such a display. For now, he would be content to watch the others say their goodbye before approaching Elspeth.

After reintegrating his disparate selves, and removing his senses from the shadow realm, Netherworld relaxed near the food table as everyone started to say their goodbyes. Munching potatoe chips-at least that is what he assumed they were- while dipping them in a yellowish, slightly nutty flavored paste, he hoped that his reserves would replenish themselves. If he was going to make her a birthday present, he would need alot of energy.

As the sun approached the horizon, Netherworld watched as the robot-man bid his farewell. He slowly walked towards Elspeth and gave her a slight bow. "Thank you for the party." he said, with a slight French accent. "Now that the sun has dipped low in the sky, the shadows will be more cooperative. I will make you a present if you still wish it."

[Elspeth]

As Netherworld approached Elspeth thought that it was just another nova taking their leave of her and hoped it would be quick. This dead carcass of this party was starting to smell to her and she wished she could just leave, but that wouldn't be appropriate. Then the young nova made his offer to create her present and it brought a genuine smile to her face. "Thank you, I would like that." The display of his shadow powers would be very interesting to watch. She'd never seen anyone with shadow powers before.

[Netherworld]

Netherworld turned and walked towards the shoreline opposite the sunset. The shadows from the trees and were long and dark and would be an excellent canvas to work upon. When it came to making a sculpture of shadows, it was necessary to work in shadows. In the shadows, fine details are visible, whereas in the light, the piece is invisible. He stopped, turned and looked at Elspeth, seeming to scrutinize her face and body. After a few minutes, he turned away from her and brought up his hands. A look of intense concentration came upon his face as his body seemed to move out of phase.

Inky blackness ballooned from his hands and hovered in midair a few meters from him. It was joined by other shadows that seemed to slither from the surroundings and merge with the larger blob. These other shadows, though were not of the same inky shade, but of the natural purple shadows that the sunset cast. Quickly, the mass of shadows grew until it was the size of a large truck. It seemed to swirl and undulate with the different colors engaging in a maddening, chaotic dance. Indeed, to the onlooker, it seemed as if it was alive.

A twist of the hands, and the black mass froze as if it was made of stone. Inside and around it however, the purple shadow colors still moved. With every flick of his hand, a piece of the black solidified shadows fell away and dissapeared. This process was repeated, as the purple strands of shadows behaved like cutting tools as it excised varying sized pieces of shadows away from the larger block. Soon, a shape began to emerge from the amorphous block. It looked to be of a young woman. As more and smaller pieces flecked away from the stone, which was not stone, details began to emerge. After 20 minutes, the cutting ceased and the 10 foot tall staute looked to be finished. The detail was exquisite.

Netherworld brought his hands up, as if encasing them in his hands and brought them slowly together. As he did, the shadow statue began to shrink. Soon it lay gently resting in the sand, slightly shrouded in shadows. As Netherworld picked it up, the fog of shadows vanished to reveal the finished product. What had been fine details on the larger piece, were now miniscule and exacting details in a statuette only 12 inches tall. The young woman's facial expression was beautiful and exemplified leadership and determination. The body showed fearless defiance and determination in the way the arms were positioned and in the out-thrusting of her chest; the stance of a leader. The beatuy and workmanship were unmatched by any normal human measure.

He handed it to Elspeth with an exhausted smile. He was spent, and sweat glistened from his stone-like skin. When he handed it to her, it passed through one of the few remaining streams of fading sunlight. As the sunlight hit it, it briefly faded from view. It re-appeared when it was in the shadows again. "Happy birthday, Elspeth. It will keep forever, as long as you keep it in shadows." Netherworld paused as if distracted by an odor in the ocean winds. "If you ever feel the need for strength, I hope this gift helps give you the inspiration."

"I must leave now. The plane is waiting." With that, he turned on his heels and walked towards the surf, too spent to use his powers to get him to the plance in any other way.

(OOC: Shaping- 11 succ on Wits + Art roll)

[Raijin]

As the mercenaries flee like cowards before the might of the assembled Novas, Raijin cannot help but chuckle. What did they think would happen? That they could walk into an exclusive gathering of gods and expect the guests to just stand aside and let them cart away their host? Baka Kusotare! With a wave of his hand the roiling clouds clear away and once again the day is beautiful and serene, which goes a long way to lightening the foul mood that had settled over things. Raijin keeps a pleasent breeze blowing to purge the area of any lingering negative ki, before retiring himself to eat a meal of massive proportions. He almost single handedly destroys the catering group's entire supply of sake on his own.

He waits while everyone says their goodbyes and he observes the weary undertones of the young heiress, though she masks her fatigue well. After Netherworld finishes his impressive show, he approaches Elspeth, kneeling down to be closer to her eye level.

"I am sorry about what happened Elspeth-Sama, and am glad that things did not get truly violent in front of you. Still, I fear that this is not the end of the danger. For this reason I would like to offer myself in service to you, as bodyguard, until you are able to restore your rightful place. Our people need a place to call home, and right now you are our best hope for that. I would like to accompany you to your rightful home, when you visit there in pursuit of your claim. Besides," he adds witha gentle smile, "Pteheincalasanwin and I have much to discuss as well, as our conversation was so rudely interrupted. What do you say?"

[NodeSpark]

When conflict had erupted, Jordan had instinctively jumped to the fray, but...fortunately for him...it was over before it had begun. Observing the tremendous forces brought to bear by the others however he felt himself questioning his ability. What would I really have done? he thought in a somewhat melancholy mood. I pretty much pale before the rest of these people. If I really expect to be able to keep up, Im going to need some better tech. Feeling humbled, he goes back to his mental drawing board and makes a few notes...

After viewing the small maquette earlier, Jordan was indeed fascinated by Netherworld's abilities, which seemed to defy all logic and scientific principle. In awe of the golden eyed Novas perfrmance, he quickly ran after Netherworld when he turned to leave, barely remembering to thank the hostess.

"Thanks again Elspeth!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Hey! Netherworld! Wait up man!" catching up quickly he slowed to match his pace. "That was really incredible! Would you mind if I caught the plane back with you? I'd love to, you know, when you are rested and such, run some tests on the shadow stuff you emanate...would that be alright?" Jordan seemed both eager and earnest.

[Courtney Adams]

He smiled down at Infinity as she hugged him, then gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'll come and visit you in L.A." He told her quietly as her bodyguards tried to drag her away, then he watched her go with a faint smile. A warp portal opened up and Infinity half-stepped, was half-pushed through it, casting a glance back over her shoulder at him as she went.

He sighed slightly as he turned to view the rest of the gathering. Netherworld's art was breathtaking, and Phaethon smiled in genuine pleasure to witness the gift of solid shadow-stuff that was presented to Elspeth. But all too swiftly, the party was breaking up, and so the young heir to the Sun approached Ptesan-Wi, standing beside her as she made her farewells.

[Elspeth]

Elspeth was amazed at the skill and artistry of the young Netherworld. When he was done, she praised the statue and thanked him despite the shadows and darkness in her own heart. It seemed a fitting reflection of how she felt at the moment.

As each of the others took their leave she made the proper words and responses but all the while she was thinking of her home and all the people that had died because she wasn't there for them. That had to change, and it had to start today. Not that she knew what she would do or how she would do it, but she had to try. The people of Sierra Leone weren't novas, but even so her parents had instilled a sense of responsibility in her that could no longer be denied. It was time to go home.

She was becoming impatient to depart when Raijin approached and made his offer of protection. "I am honored Raijin-sama. I will accept your offer, but not yet. I will return home as soon as it is polite to do so, but I won't be going there openly. I need to learn first. I need to meet my people and prepare them to rise up, and those things need to be done quietly. I'll return home in disguise and make my way around from village to village talking to the people without Jarutu ever knowing I'm there." Floating up into the air to be eye to eye with the massive nova she placed one hand on his shoulder. "When I am ready to openly declare myself, I will call on you. Until then know that I am grateful for the friends I have. Friends like you."

[Raijin]

Raijin met her eyes with an understanding that comes with profound age. He nods. Turning to Ptesan-Wi, he remarks.

"I look forward to continuing our conversation. If anyone else should threaten you or intrude upon your homeland, I am but a thought away." He waits a moment to see that she understands and then vanishes in the blur of a flash-step.

[Netherworld]

Quote:

"Hey! Netherworld! Wait up man!" catching up quickly he slowed to match his pace. "That was really incredible! Would you mind if I caught the plane back with you? I'd love to, you know, when you are rested and such, run some tests on the shadow stuff you emanate...would that be alright?" Jordan seemed both eager and earnest.

Tests? he thought, as he started into the water to the plane. Why must people always ask me that. Usually, he tells them that if they want to do it so badly, that they could destroy a piece of his artwork. That usually is enough to quiet all but the most rabit of scientists. Are they all like this? he thought about scientists and their labs with their tools and machines.

Yet this young man was different. While he was still eager to study the shadow-stuff, he had made an attempt earlier to engage him in conversation. Netherworld thought that Jordan might not see him only as an experiment or freak. Friend? He had heard of the word before andhe wondered if it might be worth trying find out what a friendship was about. For mutual learning purposes, it was possible that he could make a piece of shadow for this earnest young man to experiment on.

"When we are back and I am rested, I will try to accomodate you." Netherworld's expression didn't change. He was weary and the prop plane would be loud. He would be lucky if he got any sleep on the way back. He supposed that once he had recharged some, that he could traverse the shadowrealm back to his home.

[NodeSpark]

"Hey thanks!" Jordan said, pleased at the response and a bit relieved he hadn't made a faux pas in asking.

"It won't be anything invasive. Strictly passive scans. I'm just really curious because your shadow stuff seems to defy a lot of the basic principles of physics and electromagnetism. Alot of Novas do amazing things that seem to bend reality but usually they still operate within the realm of observed phenomena. Quite simply, I've never seen...never even HEARD of anything like what you can do!" His enthusiasm is bright and genuine.

"I will probably have to invent new equipment, just to be able to take some readings...hmmm"

"Really Netherworld...er. You know that's a bit ungainly for casual conversation. Nether or Neth doesn't sound right either. Mind if I call you N-Dub? The Dub is short for W."

"Anyways I was just going to say that my abilities are pretty tame compared to yours. I generate plain old electricity. You on the other hand, may represent a blind spot in our understanding. You could very well represent a glimpse into a previously unexplored field of study. Perhaps it relates to Dark Matter..."

"Sorry, this kind of stuff excites me," he says a bit chagrined. "Crazy party huh?"

[Netherworld]

By the time Jordan had finished with his excited rantings, Netherworld had started to nodd off. It wasn't that he was ignoring the young man, it was just that he was exhausted. Making artwork was always a taxing process.

Before he drifted off into a slumber, he managed to slur to Jordan. "We can talk later. I am too tired to listen right now." With that, Netherworld drifted off into sleep.

[NodeSpark]

"Yeah, sure thing, no worries." Jordan replies. As the curious Nova drifts off to sleep Jordan wonders at his own inability to rest as of late. Not even that he couldn't rest so much as he didn't even feel the need to. With all that extra time and his mind always moving so rapidly it was imperetive that he keep himself busy lest he go numb with boredeom.

Jordan pulled a small personal computer tablet from his bag and got to work.