Aberrant: 200X - Nova Year

[z-Xiao Saori]

"I think I've only posted there once, to announce this party," Saori said. "But I've seen both of you posting." She elegantly ate another piece of sushi. Turning to the dead nova, she asked, "Where do you live? Have you joined any nova groups? Tell me about yourself."

[Eingar]

Ein smiled absently as he listened to Revenant and Sampajanna talk, studying his companions with idle curiousity. A thought occured to him as to why Sampajanna and Saori might be reluctant to meet his gaze. He cleared his throat and leaned forward over his plate companionably, addressing the others.

"I want to apologise, by the way. For that little scene back there." He nodded back at where Zombie had accosted him. "I don't know what that woman was playing at, but I don't know her, haven't worked with her, and certainly am not on 'sweetheart darling' speaking terms with her." He took a drink, shaking his head. "To be honest, I was as weirded out as any of you."

[Sampajanna]

Sampajanna smiled. "I sort of figured that. Something in her tone struck me wrong, perhaps. Or I didn't think you were that great an actor." He winked, then caught himself and took a bite of pizza to cover it up.

"You're acting like Knockout," the pizza said unhelpfully. Sampa chose not to dignify that with a response.

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

"That was fairly weird wasn't it?" Ryusei continues eating having refilled his plate. For a relatively thin man he ate a huge amount of food.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori gave Einherjar a smile. "I missed that scene," she said easily, and her undertone was clear: that's not why you're getting secondary attention to the Revenant. "I am sorry that I missed that, and that you had a bad experience at my party. Many pardons, Einherjar."

[Eingar]

"Not your fault." He smiled wryly at the lovely girl, and took another bite of a hot dog. "I'm having a better time already."

He leaned back in his seat, still chewing, and shifted his arm in its sling. The DV medics had told him that the bruising to his shoulder and ribs would fade in a couple more days, and the cold-burns on his hand were not serious enough to scar. Scant comfort, but "Play rough games, and don't cry if you get hurt." To distract himself, he glanced over at Sampajanna, eyebrow raised curiously.

"So tell me: people really call you Santa's Pyjamas?" He asked with a quirk at one corner of his mouth.

[Sampajanna]

"Well..that was mostly Vile Bill," Sampa explained. "Most people call me Tobias." He shrugged. "I don't care, really. Never got the hang of the nova de guerre, and since I'm not a popular nova it's never been an issue." He sighed, looking at Einherjar a bit too intensely. He was being about as obvious as someone with enhanced quantum wits could be; if he was anyone else he'd probably be salivating.

[Warren Verona]

The nova shrugged. "I live wherever. Being able to possess the living, pass through walls and becoming invisible has it's advantages, like never having to knock."

He picked up a piece of sushi as well, pinching it with his index finger and thumb. "I'm in between between jobs at the moment, last boss shoved a metal spike in my chest and I woke up... well... back at home. Don't recall how I got there. As for a little about me... well Iwas shot in the chest and killed while trying to defend my parents during the all the crap that broke out on N-Day. I woke up in my coffin buried alive and spent days clawing and digging my way out of my own grave, and 11 year olds today think they got it rough."

He scoffed and chewed his raw fish. "What about you?"

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori stared wide-eyed at the nova's story, her horror at his story clear. For all that she acted worldly, Saori had been sheltered by her protective mother. Her exposure to the darker parts of the world was limited, and Revenant had just dragged them out of the shadows and draped them across her shapely legs. "I..." She looked like she might cry, for just a second.

But while she was sixteen, she was also a nova. She looked down, took a breath, and when she looked up again, she had it under control. She might freak out later, but for now she was alright. "That is wild, Revenant. I am sixteen, I live at home with my mother and have been homeschooled. I erupted when a pervert went too far with me. Otherwise, I am very... dull." The last was said with a tone that suggested that she was anything but in the right circumstances.

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei doesn't hide his shocked look, but doesn't say anything. wondering just how messed up something like that could make a person.

[Warren Verona]

"Sorry to hear that." He said politely, without looking at her, referring to her cause of eruption.

He did turn to acknowledge the last part and his eyes gleamed a bit as he gave her 'the once over'. "I'll bet."

He took a drink and wiped his mouth with the sleeve. "Aside from that, glad you have it good. Some people have, some don't. Some live their lives, other waste is away. Doesn't really matter, one day it's all over and all that's left is regret. Enjoy it while you got it."

[z-Xiao Saori]

"Perverts are perverts. In Japan, they mostly stick to buying used underwear and masturbating into it. But rarely, one will do more," she said, then shrugged. "I got unlucky, or perhaps lucky."

She listened to Revenant philosophize on having or not, and nodded. "Yes, my father takes very good care of my mother. But if he falls out of love with her, or decides that he can't see her anymore, the money might stop. My mother will have to find another suitor to support her, or maybe it will be my turn to find a rich man to care for us. So I do enjoy it." She glanced at him and spoke softly enough that what she said was clearly for him. "I will not be poor. Ever." Her voice rose as she added, "But as a nova, the chances of that happening are so tiny that I don't worry. And if my mother is cast aside, I will take care of her. She's taken care of me."

[Warren Verona]

"Good to hear." He set his plate away from him. "Well, it's been real. I thought this would be hard, jumping into the deep end of the nova social circle and all. Imagine my shock to find it's surprisingly more shallow than I expected. If you'll all excuse me, I don't know any of you and really I'm wasting my time. I'mna grab a handful of popcorn shrimps and some tater tots and blow outta here."

He rose from his seat and walked straight ahead, through the table and through Einherjar and another who were sitting across from him. "Thanks for the meal. Stay frosty, I'm out."

Quietly the nova, footsteps crunching in the snow, walked to the caterers (who all seemed worried by hi approach) and started stuffing tater tots in his hoodie's front pocket.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori was flabbergasted for a second, then she rose to her feet and walked around the table, following him with a smile. "Thank you for coming," she said. "It was most interesting. I know that you don't know anyone here, but if you always run away from people, you'll never get to know anyone." Her smile had an edge to it, but she wasn't being completely harsh. "Have a safe trip home, Revenant." She gave him a bow and turned to return to the table.

[Warren Verona]

"Yeah, sure. Been a blast. Catch you around, Xiao." With that he walked off, his body fading from view a bit and becoming transparent while passing through objects rather nonchalantly as he went like they weren't even there.

[Eingar]

Nice guy. Einherjar frowned at the dead man's back as Revenant walked straight through and away from him, then mentally shrugged and turned back to his food. Probably going to go cut himself and find a rainstorm to cry in. No skin off my teeth if he wants to act like a twat.

He stood up with a nod to the others and went to refill his plate.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

He came walking out from the luminescent frost-tinged night, appearing first as a graceful silhouette cut from the darkness itself. Those who had been at Central Park were struck with a sense of deja vu even before the moon-pale face of Tomas became visible from under the fall of black hair and his glittering green eyes glanced over the assembly. His breath condensed in the chill air as he silently filled a plate before approaching the host. The painfully shy boy from before was not in evidence tonight: instead, the perfectly androgynous features were composed and quietly confident.

"Thank you for the invitation, Saori." He did not smile, though his eyes were warm as they looked into hers, and his perfect lips seemed to caress her name as he spoke. "I am sorry to be late, but I needed to collect something for you."

Now he did smile, an almost-shy expression despite his otherworldly air of calm, as he took a small wrapped package from his thick woollen coat and offered it to her.

"A pretty bauble for the lovely hostess." His emerald eyes shone with amused pleasure.

((OOC: Clicky To Unwrappy ))

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori took the package and bowed, smiling broadly. "Thank you... I'm sorry, but I don't recall your name," she admitted, her cheeks flushing a little. "I remember you from New York, but I don't believe we talked much. If you would be so kind to remind me what your name is?" She was quietly relieved to see that he had lost that fragile, broken look.

For now, she didn't unwrap the gift. She'd wait a reasonable amount of time, but her fingers were itching.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

"No apology necessary." He seemed to stare into her soul, even as the angelic smile widened. "As you say, we didn't speak in New York. I am Tomas." He offered her his free hand, head tilting to one side as he spoke. Dark hair the softness of a raven's wingfeathers brushed against the luminous skin of his neck and face. Something electrifying glimmered in the verdant depths of his gaze he looked at Saori.

((OOC Note: Using Seductive Looks & Seductive enhancements. 2 QP's spent. 26 left))

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori felt his gaze, like an electric shock running all the way from her lips to her groin. It was all she could do to not wilt under that look. And that scared her as much as it tantilized. This is what she did; it shouldn't happen to her!

Swallowing hard, she said, "Enjoy our hospitality. Please join us when you are ready." She forced herself to walk away and move back to the table. She was both excited and overjoyed that there was an empty seat next to her.

To her shame, she felt that particular jelly-like sensation between her legs as she sat down. She hadn't felt that since Yuri had tried to force her. I'm a bad girl, she told herself, as bad as my mother.

[Sampajanna]

Sampa stared at Tomas intently, momentarily distracted from the hulking man-god sitting beside him. Tomas' was a more delicate beauty.

He sighed. These pretty novas were going to drive him insane.

He gulped and turned back to Einherjar. "Your name is Scandinavian in origin, I can guess. What does it mean, exactly?"

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Her fear, shame and desire washed through him with an intensity that was as delightful as it was heady. Who could have known? Her passions were so strong, so much more powerful than he was used to receiving from human playthings. It was like drinking fine brandy after being used to orange juice. As he watched Saori reluctantly tear her eyes from him and walk back over to sit down, he felt her emotions as keenly as if they were his. It was intoxicating!

Tomas felt something very much like love in that moment.

He realised that there was a flush to his own pale cheeks, and taking a deep breath stepped over to the table that Saori had seated herself at. Stepping around it, he took the seat across from her and settled down, smiling and murmuring a greeting to the others present.

He began to eat slowly, his lips lingering over his food as green eyes occasionally flicked up to gaze through dark lashes at the girl opposite.

[z-Xiao Saori]

Saori didn't want to eat; she wanted to stare at the vision of beauty across from her. Instead, she settled for opening the gift he'd given her. She focused on peeling back the paper carefully, making her mind stick diligently to the actions she was committing. When she revealed the lovely trinket, she gasped with delight. "Thank you, Tomas," she said softly, lifting it out of the box. She pinned it to her coat, then smiled at the table, with effort. "So many of us from New York! What has everyone been up to since then?"

Yes, it was a lame attempt to start conversation. She needed the distraction, desperately.

[Eingar]

Originally Posted By: Sampajanna

Sampa stared at Tomas intently, momentarily distracted from the hulking man-god sitting beside him. Tomas' was a more delicate beauty.

He sighed. These pretty novas were going to drive him insane.

He gulped and turned back to Einherjar. "Your name is Scandinavian in origin, I can guess. What does it mean, exactly?"

Ein nodded in answer to Sampa's observation. "The einherjar were the bravest warriors that fell in battle. Hand picked to enter Valhalla, there to drink, feast, wench and fight until the Final Battle." He grinned tightly before popping a sushi roll into his mouth whole. "I've got no problem with that definition."

Turning to answer Saori, the blond giant shrugged. "Working and playing." He replied with a smile. "I don't think talking business would be in keeping with the party atmosphere, so suffice to say that I'm doing well."

[Magnum Opus]

Oh. Him.

Knockout looks at Tomas for a long moment, then shakes her head. The second he shows up, suddenly Flicker treats me like I don't exist. Jerk. She took another bite of her food.

[Jael Carver]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Toyko, other people were celebrating the new year just a little bit differently. Some where singing Karaoke, some were at home, sitting quietly with their families, and some were celebrating with friends. And in one stylish - and a bit dirty - apartment, one mix-matched couple celebrated their own way.

One was blond and superhumanly beautiful, an American with a sun-kissed tan that bespoke her many hours spent training on a tropical island. The other was handsome, or would be, were he not covered in scars over every inch of his body. They were visually an odd couple, but a better match mentally - and sexually.

,,

Jael arched her back just a little more, and the world exploded. That last inch had been just what she had needed to bring on the orgasm that had been hovering for the last few minutes. Her shuddering cry rang through the room, making her partner underneath her grin with victory.

He lifted her and turned at the same time, and she ended up on her back under him. "I win," Kazuo proclaimed, making subtle changes to their position. They'd had a bet about who would orgasm next, and neither could resist such an interesting challenge.

"I let you win," Jael said, sliding her arms around his neck. She was almost purring with pleasure as she added, "I should have left half an hour ago."

"Shit, bijin, you should know that two hours wasn't enough time for a 'visit,'" Kazuo grumbled before putting his mouth to a better use than talking.

Jael knew he was right, so she shut up for a while, focusing on sating Kazuo long enough that she could get away for a bit. She was sure he didn't want to go to the party, but she wanted to at least swing by for a bit and see people. When Kazuo flopped back in satisfaction, she gave him a quick kiss and hopped out of bed. "Eh? Where you going?" Kazuo asked, lifting his head. Before she could answer, he was fumbling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"I'm borrowing your shower so I don't smell like sex at the party," Jael said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Forget the party," Kazuo ordered. He gave her a winsome smile. "Stay here with me, and make some more nani."

Jael grinned at the Japanese slang, but didn't slow down. At the door, she paused and said, "That is tempting. Tell ya what. I'll come back right after the party, and we can pick up where we left off. And you could go to one of those bars you like and get all horny for me again."

"M'kay," Kazuo said, hopping out of bed and following her. As he prodded her into the shower, he added, "I can do that, but ta tell the truth, I'm already horny, Jail."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

So Jael was that much later for the party. She didn't mind at all as she set down in the park, noting that the ice was abandoned and everyone was indulging in a nova's second favorite pastime: eating. Drawing her jacket around her a little more and wishing she'd dried her hair, Jael moved to the food table and got a plate before joining the other novas. It was a little weird, being around people who didn't know what had happened to her. Back at home, her mom knew, and at school, Paul. But outside of those she had e-mailed, it had all been kept so quiet.

"Hey, guys," she said, growing a little uncomfortable as she realized she didn't know a single person here. She had heard of a couple of them, on the OpNet and then, she realized that the half-Japanese kid with the blue eyes was Ryusei, whom she had seen at Cleveland. "For those I don't know, I'm Jael Carver. Nice ta meetcha."

There were some really attractive people here, and Jael gave everyone a thorough look. Hot tamale, she thought as her eyes settled on the green-eyed hottie. There's someone I have to talk to before I go.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

On hearing the new voice he paused in his eye-contact cat-and-mouse game and looked away from Saori (for which the girl was no doubt profoundly grateful). Her shame and Knockout's jealous fuming were delightful condiments to the food but the gaping wound inside his soul, the scar left from the circumstances leading up to his eruption, kept the young monster constantly looking, searching for... something. The green jewel-like gaze that had drawn Jael's attention fixed on her eyes for a long moment, inscrutable and ageless in a young face. Then his eyes flickered, dropping to her feet before travelling up to her face once more in almost shy contemplation.

"Hi Jael." He smiled then, the fog of his breath drifting like ethereal mist from his mouth. "Call me Tomas." He shuffled sideways, making a space for her to sit beside him at the table.

[Jael Carver]

Jael scooted into the spot between the handsome blond man and the gorgeous dark-haired boy. "So," she said as she prepared a hotdog to ketchup and mustard perfection, "I've met Tomas, now who is everyone else? C'mon, don't be shy. I don't bite unless you ask real nice." She gave the silent people at the table a smile that said nothing and promised everything.

[Eingar]

Ein swallowed his current mouthful of food and offered Jael his tanned left hand. "Einherjar." he introduced himself with a smile. "Pleased to meet you."

He finished looking Jael over as she sat beside him, and the Elite made a mental note to thank Tomas later for his invitation to the girl. Tall, shapely, and without looking soft (except in the right places), Jael Carver definitely caused a stirring of interest behind the icy blue gaze that Einherjar made no real effort to hide. Sure, he wasn't being vulgar and leering, but he was definitely giving her whatever of his attention wasn't focused on snaring more sushi.

[Jael Carver]

Eyen-hairy-ar? That's worse than my name. But he's cute, so I can let it slide. Everyone here was cute, handsome or just appealing, even the girls. Jael didn't like girls, but she might start liking them for Knockout, because DAMN.

Jael grinned to herself as she felt that blue gaze on her, and she was pretty sure that there was another green one on the other side. This party was becoming more interesting. "Einherjar, eh? That's... unusual. Is that your Christian name?"

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei nods. "It's good to see you again Jael. It looks as if life has been treating you well." He digs into his third plate and Kaien sits back down next to him.

[Kaien]

Kaien smiles to Jael and then gives Ryusei a conspirational grin. "MY God Ryusei, the lovely women you meet in your globe-hopping. First Saori, then Danielle, and now Jael all come to this party. Next you'll tell me you know Ausrinne or someone else like her."

He nods back to the ice. "Feel free to lace up some skates and enjoy the Ice."

[Eingar]

Originally Posted By: Jael Carver

"Einherjar, eh? That's... unusual. Is that your Christian name?"

"You can call me Ein." Lips curved in a lopsided smile as he winked at her. "It's my name in full. I had it changed from the one my old life wore." He shrugged offhandedly, a stiff gesture due to his strapped up arm. "A little dramatic, but I'm not the same person anymore, so it fits."

[Jael Carver]

"Cleveland, right?" Jael asked, looking at him. "Sorry, I don't remember much of that day. It's... don't tell me... Rye... Do tell me."

But she got the name from Kaien. "Aren't you a charmer," she said to him. "But it sounds like you need to come to more parties with Ryusei. And yeah, I'll go skating later. But first, I need to fill my face."

"So like Cher or Prince, you get to have one name," Jael said, smiling a little. "I've thought about changing my name, too. But I should wait until after college, I think, when I'm making my name as a heap-big nova."

[Eingar]

"Heap-big nova, huh?" Ein's smile was less abstract now. There was a down-to-earth charm in Jael that was hard not to respond to. "So what's your schtick?" He gestured with a burger before taking a bite.

"Y'know. What sort of things do you do? Or is that ranked 'Top Secret' along with weight and childhood crushes?" He grinned at her.

[Magnum Opus]

Originally Posted By: Jael Carver

"I've met Tomas, now who is everyone else? C'mon, don't be shy. I don't bite unless you ask real nice."

"Uh, Danielle. Knockout. We met at, uh, at Cleveland." Danielle waves gently. "I hope you're feeling better, you seemed a little out of it."

[Jael Carver]

"Schtick? Oh, you mean these," Jael said, holding up one hand and popping her claws. The metallic blades glittered softly in the light coming off the lamps. "And I fly, but that's less a schtick and more a club. I mean, half of us can fly, right?" The claws disappeared and she added, "My blades can cut through just about anything pretty easily. I've met one guy who I can't cut easily, which is good, because the wounds I make don't heal as quickly as others. The guys studying me at Stanford think that I am actually destroying the tissue that I press my blade edges against, which explains why it's hard to heal. They've actually weighed items I've cut with a scale that can measure incredibly small variations in weight, and found small losses in material. And, uh, this is boring.

"As for what I do, I'm a freshman at Stanford," Jael finished.

Originally Posted By: Knockout

"Uh, Danielle. Knockout. We met at, uh, at Cleveland." Danielle waves gently. "I hope you're feeling better, you seemed a little out of it."

"Hey, Danielle. Yeah, I was really out of it," Jael admitted without shame. "Either I got my hands on some Ampwells or I had my memory wiped by a mental dominator. I'm still sorting out my memories to figure out which is the real story." She grinned. "Kinda makes me wish I'd taken up scrapbooking, ya know?"

And she wouldn't have a problem with pheromones again. While there were a few in the air, she'd gained enough self-control to ignore them. And if they got too bad, that was what having friends who smoked for. Kazuo would raise hell when he found the cigarettes missing, but Jael was sure she could turn that into the fun kind of hell. And if she had to pay for her little theft, well, she was sure that Kazuo would extract a payment both exacting and exciting.

[Magnum Opus]

After making small talk for a bit and generally keeping to herself, Knockout checked her watch.

"Hey. Oh! Hey, it's gonna be 2009 in about a minute and a half!"

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei nods and lifts a glass. "To another year as novas."

[Magnum Opus]

"Oh, I'm not much of a drinker..." Knockout's gaze drifts to the firecrackers. Gingerly she plucks one out, and lifts off from the ground, intent on setting it off high in the sky.

This ought to give 'em a show.

Down below, she hears people counting down to the year 2009. She fiddles with the wick on the firecracker, which reads E-Z-Lite and has a picture of a Japanese cartoon character gleefully lighting a high explosive. "Now how do - these - things - argh - "

The countdown ends, and the sky lights up with fireworks. Danielle's face is lit up with wonderment as seeing so many, and so close. "Oh wow," is all she can say, the firework clasped to her chest. So enraptured by the display she was, that she failed to notice a burning cinder fly straight towards her.

The wick was flawed, but the firework was not. It went off in her hands, spraying blue sparkles and orange flames everywhere. "Ah! Shit! Shit shit fuck shit crap on a hat oh fuck me - "

She beats at the flames furiously - and with futility - while winding her way down. By the time she's a foot off the group she's aflame from the waist up. She coughs at the astonished assembled novas.

"Uh... I'm not complaining but I'm sorta on fire..."