Aberrant: 200X - International Party

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

March 1st 2009

It was an unseasonably warm afternoon in San Francisco, easily over the eighty degree mark. Ryusei stood on the main outer deck of the pleasure yacht he'd rented for this little excursion and smiled.

Below him the caterers were working furiously to bring aboard all the food he'd had them prepare, and the three chefs understtod they'd be cooking for a variety of nova sized appetites.

There were nearly a dozen cabins on the Yacht, a necessity due to the overnight nature of the trip. There was also a smaller set of rooms for the crew.

It had not been a pair of easy weeks for Ryusei by any stretch. Just before Finals, Noriko had been in a hit and run accident that left her paralyzed. He'd tried going to her afterwards, only to be rebuffed by her grandfather.

He'd returned later in the evening and entered through the window, and Noriko simply stared up at him. He'd tried to console her, telling her he'd find a way to help her, but she rebuffed him, saying that he shouldn't waste his time. She laid into him hard with words that cut him to the core, and he left,broken-hearted and empty.

He took his Final Exams a week later, Earning perfect marks across the board, as much for himself as for anyone, since it was one of the stipulations for the party. The next week was spent at school, though he generally avoided everyone but Kaien, whom he largely seemed unable to hide from.

Ryusei frowned. Kaien had Begged off on this trip, saying that he'd missed too much school, that even with his marks he was still in danger of having to repeat a year. It was so uncharacteristic he'd just nodded and wished him well.

One of the administrative people had come up to him while he sat and thought.

"Mr. Hideyoshi will there be anything else sir?"

"No, Mr. Golden, your company's service has been exemplary. I trust all the personnel aboard have signed the agreements and will be discreet?"

"Yes sir they have and will be most discreet. As per the agreement Everything has been provided, and we have a helicopter ready should you require more supplies."

"Good. I thank you for your service Mr. Golden."

"Carnival Lines Thanks you for your generous patronage."

He leaves, and all nonessential personnel do as well. Ryusei makes his way around, spending a moment with each of the porters and chefs, the crewmen in the engine room and bridge and the Captain himself.

After outlining his Itenerary He returns to the main deck, decked out in a loud Hawaiian shirt and black Swim trunks and deck shoes and waits for the others to arrive.

[Mr Fox]

Daniel wasn't sure how long the flight from NYC to San Fran would take so he made sure to leave plenty early. He was making such good time that he'd even stopped to eat in Denver and had a hell of a ribeye steak at Ruth's Kris. Somewhere over the Rockies he stopped to take a piss. Doing that from 10000 feet up was and experience. He was only 19 and things like that still struck him as funny. The rest of the trip was scenic but uneventful. As he arrived in San Fransisco he made a quick loop around the Transamerica Pyramid then headed for the Golden Gate bridge. In the last few months he had decided to collect photos of famous places from different angles than the average person got to see them from. He settled down on top of one of the support towers and pulled out his new Samsung cell phone, and took a few shots with it's 8 mega pixel camera. Perhaps in a couple years he'd publish his photos, it would probably sell since he was a nova. He chuckled at the way the world worked. When you were a star you could make money at crap that the average person couldn't.

He smiled as the looked over the harbor and took to the air again. There was the ship right down there. He flew in and transitioned to an upright position as he came in for a landing at the top of the boarding ramp. He was immediately greeted by a crewman. "Welcome aboard sir. Mr. Hideyoshi will be pleased to know you have arrived. If you will follow me I will show you to your cabin where you can put your things." Daniel followed, it would be good to get a shower and take a nap. Not that he really needed sleep any more but flying cross country was a little tiring.

Once in the cabin he thanked the man and added, "Please tell Mr. Hideyoshi that I will join him after I've had a short rest." Daniel still felt a bit strange talking like that, but he had learned over the last year that it was important to portrait yourself how you wanted to be seen, and that was as an adult not as a 19 year old kid. It had been a constant fight over the many months since he'd become a known nova to manage his public image. First they'd tried to paint him as just another boy band. That had been the toughest fight, but a few appearances on shows like Leno had shown people that his music was as mature as anything out there. He didn't dance around like some little male Brittney wanna be, but sat on stage on a stool with a guitar in hand and sang music that resonated with the listeners. Then had come the inevitable comparisons to Alejandra and getting out from under her shadow had been nearly as difficult. After nearly a year he'd finally begun to shake those labels and become his own person, the one he was defining, not what some corporate suit wanted him to be.

This party would be fun. It was what he wanted. Some relaxation time to just be himself again and not some image.

[SalmonMax]

Everything turned bluish in front of her when she moved. No matter how often she saw it, Keiko never got tired of it. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the world fading into shades of red.

She was in the middle of an open field it looked like. The highway she was nominally following was just off to her right. When Keiko stopped moving, everything seemed unnaturally still around her. Only a sharp eye would see the achingly slow waving of grass in the wind. A look at the freeway would be more productive. The cars were visibly moving...though at a speed that a brisk walk would easily outpace. Sounds were distorted too, quiet and deep, with most noises hovering around the lower range of hearing.

Keiko called it 'slow-time.' She could keep this up for hours if need be. When moving, she'd be nothing but a blur to most eyes. Her self-conducted trials clocked her at just over two hundred miles an hour running flat out. That was from an outside frame of reference, of course. To her, it was just her usual hard run.

Which made San Francisco from LA the equivalent of a brisk afternoon jog.

Keiko got to SanFran in plenty of time, and re-entered normal time to sight see a bit. The bay was as gorgeous as she'd hoped, and the city alive with people and color. It was easy to forget, on a day like this, the things that lurked in the shadows. The backroom deals being cut in those very skyscrapers that gave the city its distinctive skyline. The secret military prisoners being held in the naval base, and in ships just out to see past the mouth of the bay. The world might be a dark and cold and dangerous place...but this day was bright, and warm, and it felt safe.

Which just meant she had to be more careful. With her sunglasses and red and orange knit cap she wouldn't be easily recognizable on the traffic control cams that adorned every street corner. She paid cash for everything, of course. Card activity was monitored. The things she was bringing to the party were in a cheap nylon backpack she'd bought just before leaving LA (with cash), so it wouldn't give her away.

A few simple precautions went a long way towards helping her relax and enjoy this vacation!

Finally she made her way to the pier that she'd written down on a piece of paper in a quick, shorthand cipher. Nothing the NSA wouldn't be able to crack, of course, but it'd buy time if anything she wrote in it fell into the wrong hands.

There was the boat. It looked majestic! Just thinking of how expensive it must be made Keiko's toes hurt. But of course, novas tended to have plenty of money. Her research indicated that. The question was...was all that money on the up and up?

There was a man waiting on the ship. Just one. It made Keiko suddenly nervous. Wasn't this a party? Was it just for her? What if it was some kind of trap? It didn't even have to be aimed specifically at her. Online predators were rampant. Imagine a nova online predator, luring people with promises of boats and parties. He didn't care about her quest or her name...he just wanted to hear her death rattle and squeeze the lifeblood from her frantically pumping aorta!

Keiko froze where she was, shading her eyes and looking up at the man, trying to memorize his features in case a quick escape was needed.

From Ryusei's perspective, an asian girl in loose fitting jeans, sandals, and a Hello Kitty tank top with a backpack slung over one shoulder was just staring up at him, shading her eyes despite wearing dark sunglasses.

[Eingar]

LAX to San Francisco was not far, as the nova flies.

Einherjar rocketed through the air 10,000 feet up, his hearing tuned to local transponder relay stations. If there was an aircraft at this height and they were playing by the rules, he'd hear them and be able to alter course. If they weren't playing by the rules... tough luck for both parties, though the big Elite knew who'd come off worse.

It was a fine day, the bright sunshine making his blue-white aurora all but invisible this high up. His eufiber was currently in it's default configuration of his Elite outfit, or 'barbarian commando chic' as he called it. He'd change that before he landed, naturally. But the configuration was fine for flying.

He carried no bags, having already made arrangements to pick up things he needed in San Francisco. Today, he was going to relax and enjoy a cruise. Maybe there'd be more to it than that: after all, Jael would be there; but all he was expecting was a lot of drinks and a lot of laughs, albeit with a crowd that at most times seemed incredibly young. He pondered that for a few moments as another few miles scrolled away beneath him.

In due course he descended into the City on the Bay, his eufiber shifting as he landed at the gateway to the Marina. By the time his feet touched down, he was clad in loose blue swimming/beach shorts and an open white linen shirt. Looking around, he noticed the passers-by stopping to gawk and smiled pleasantly at them before moving to the gatehouse itself.

"Hello. I believe you're holding a package for me? The name's Einherjar." he smiled politely as he introduced himself to the attendant there, who to his credit only gaped for a second before ducking out of sight and re-emerging with a large, clinking cooler. Straining slightly, he dragged it round to the door, Ein stepping forwards and lifting it easily. "Steady there." the Elite grinned as he tranferred the family-size cooler to one shoulder while fishing in his pocket. "No need to break anything of yours. But thank you." The hand emerged with a few bills which were deposited in the attendant's hand. "Thank you very much for minding that for me." The man looked down. Three $100 bills just for practically sitting on his ass for two hours watching something! He blinked and looked up, but the Herculean blond figure was already stepping lightly down the pier, nodding with absentminded politeness to the occasional awestruck bystander as he passed them.

He saw the familiar figure of Ryusei at the rail of the impressive yacht and waved once as he approached the gangplank. There was a girl stood there at the bottom, shading her eyes and staring up at the Japanese nova. Ein grinned faintly. An admirer, perhaps. He came up behind the backpack-wearing kid without making much effort to stay quiet, the clinking in his cooler being a dead giveaway to anyone that was paying the slightest attention.

"Going aboard?" The lionlike rumble of a voice practically vibrated the decking under Keiko's feet as the sun was blotted out for a brief moment, a cooler passing overheard like some giant starship at the beginning of a space opera. Pale blue eyes sparkling with good humor, the recognisable Elite looked down from his six and a half feet of height and winked before continuing to the foot of the ramp. "I've got the grog, Cap'n. Permission to come aboard?" No Norse pirate could have boomed the request any more impressively, despite the wide grin on the big Elite's face.

Without waiting for a reply, he started up the gangplank with easy grace. Reaching the top, he offered Ryu his hand. "Good to see you again." He looked around, nodding. "Nice day for it."

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

"Permission Granted my friend." Ryusei shook the offered Nova's hand and smiled. "Thanks for bringing the spirits, though I admit this time is a bit different. I got my Father to handle arrangements, which of course means there's enough booze and sake on this ship to supply a Pirate Fleet...." He smiles impishly.

"I was thinking that myself. We counldn't have asked for better weather. You can set that cooler down in the main dining area and Then go choose one of the cabins belowdecks if you like. I have this ship for three days because people asked for a vacation, I figure it should be a good one. Daniel Fox is already down below, it seems he was a bit drained after his flight here."

He notices the young Asian on the docks and smiles. He excuses himself from Einherjar and walks down the boarding ramp. "Welcome to the party. Please come aboard. Tadah-Oh I presume?"

[Adrian Moss]

He came walking up from the depths of the ship. He was quiet for a man his size, not exactly large, but not small - more a medium build with broad shoulders. Size wasn't his defining physical trait though. The man wore a full-body, head covering white eufiber suit. He wore a conservative beige business suit over it and a fedora on his head. His shoes were brown and definitely italian.

"Permission to come aboard as well," he said in a voice as friendly as a summer breeze coming off a mountain top. "Or, more appropriately, permission to stay aboard. I found it easie to make my entrance below decks. I hope you don't mind."

He looked, or seemed to look down at the two gathered novas as well. Could it be he was offering them a smile? He turned back to Ruysei and added,

"I'm Everyman."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko, still frozen like a deer in the wake of the giant who'd boarded just a moment ago, refocused on Ryusei. Abruptly she realized her mouth was hanging open in surprise, and she quickly managed to make it a smile instead.

"You can call me Kay...uh..."

Abruptly she realized she'd started to use her real name, and after so carefully drilling herself to introduce herself as 'Sachiko.' In a heartbeat of panic she decided to just say her real name, in the hopes that he'd think it was fake. The moment of hesitation there would then help her instead of harming her!

"...ko. Keiko. But I signed in under that name the other night, yeah."

Keiko offered him her hand.

"This is pretty impressive!"

Then she caught sight behind Ryusei of another nova walking over. When he introduced himself as 'everyman,' she blurted, "Every man? Your name is every man?"

[Eingar]

Ein nodded to Everyman in greeting. Dressed for fun in the sun, are we? he thought wryly. The guy had to be weird even by nova standards, dressing like Rorshach minus the inkblots for a three day boat ride.

Well, we all have our funny little ways. Ein grinned to himself and headed down to snag a cabin, the huge cooler still on his shoulder. He let the crewman show the cabin off while he set the cooler down under the porthole, then politely shooed the man out, locking the door after him.

People who knew Einherjar as the 'large friendly guy who happened to do a dirty job in far-off lands' would have been chilled at the calculating look in his pale eyes as he surveyed the cabin, the smile far less jovial as a result. He stepped over to the bed as his eyes continued to move over the walls and ceiling. There. An air vent above the bathroom doorway, held in place by four screws. He turned and went over to the cooler.

The lid came off with a snap and a faint hiss of escaping air. Lying on top of the ice was a large duffel bag. This he unzipped and emptied with fast, smooth motions. First out was a small toolkit and a roll of tape, followed in rapid succession by a sleek, compact submachinegun, a suppressor, and five clips of ammunition. Ein loaded the gun and made sure it was safed, then crossed to the vent. Five minutes later and the MP-7 and it's clips were taped to the inside of the vent to prevent rattling, in easy reach of, say, a large man who could rip a vent cover off in seconds.

Going back over to the cooler, Ein lifted out his last 'party favour'. Just over two metres of finely crafted tungsten-carbide blade slid lovingly from the kevlar sheath sewn into the duffel, and the Elite took a moment to admire it, as he always did, before stashing it under the bed at an angle, the hilt near the left hand side where it would be within easy reach. If necessary.

Ein believed that his preparations probably wouldn't be necessary, but he wasn't going to spend three days on a boat with unknown novas without some backup close at hand. If all went well, none of this would be needed and he could carry it all off after the cruise with no-one the wiser. He tossed the duffel into a closet and refastened the cooler, picking it up again and heading back up topside. Jovial smile back in place, the large blond man set the cooler down to one side of the dining area before turning to the others present.

"There's plenty of good rum in the cooler, but I'd ask that people lay off the Guinness. That's for a few select folks." he said with a rumbling laugh.

[Adrian Moss]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Then she caught sight behind Ryusei of another nova walking over. When he introduced himself as 'everyman,' she blurted, "Every man? Your name is every man?"

What went on behind the mask was unreadable, but it could have been a smile.
"Yes, that's my handle, Keiko. It's not my real name of course, but one can't be too sure about who is who in this world of ours, now can we?"

"I prefer a mask so that I can pass in my normal life. All these paparazzi, novaphiles, and the like make it very difficult."

[BrokenSunlight]

The airplane food hadn't been that bad. The worst part was the stares Pasquale wasn't supposed to be aware of. He hadn't made much of a name for himself even outside Florence, and thus the sight of the inhumanly beautiful, blind nova sitting calmly in coach wearing a speedo and a blue sleeveless shirt and eating peanuts was a little too exciting. Maybe the speedo hadn't been such a hot idea.

Pasquale approached the yacht, travel bag slung under one shoulder, bare feet padding over the ground almost soundlessly. He'd let himself go blind in the taxi, but now he willed his strange hearing-vision into focus, the colours and images of the dock blurring and eddying in a strange haze that wasn't visual and wasn't quite auditory either.

In some ways his synesthia was more useful than sight; it allowed him to see in all directions at once, for instance. But things were hard to focus on as precisely as with ordinary sight, and things tended to get a bit jumbled in very visually 'loud' situations where conventional eyes would have no problems. Plus, seeing and hearing with the same organ gave him a headache after a while.

He padded up behind the pretty girl standing and looking up at the boat, trying to place her as someone he might've talked to before. The Japanese figure looking down was probably Ryusei, and the other guy -

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Then she caught sight behind Ryusei of another nova walking over. When he introduced himself as 'everyman,' she blurted, "Every man? Your name is every man?"

was Everyman. Whoever that was. Pasquale smiled his brilliant white-toothed smile up at them and tapped the girl on the back, hoping she didn't have the power to instantly vaporize people when surprised. "Hello," he said in his heavily Italian-accented English, turning up the charm. "My name is Pasquale. Is this the boat for novas?"

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei nods to Keiko. and then looks back to greet Everyman. "Some of us never had such a luxury as annonymity, but I understand your desire. It can be rough."

He heard Pasquale's voice and smiles, "Yes it is welcome aboard."

With that he starts making his way back up the ramp . come along you can all choose your rooms."

He Returns to find Ein back in the dining area and smiles. "I've never had Guinness before. Though I've heard from a few people that it's among the best."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko jumps a little when tapped on the shoulder and looks around at Pasquale. There's a tiny, barely noticeable 'skip' in her movement, like a film someone had removed a few frames from. Mercifully, no vaporizations ensue.

"You heard the man," she answers, waving at Ryusei. "I'm Keiko. I haven't been a nova long enough to have Everyman's problem. I've been kind of low-key with the whole thing, really."

She follows Ryusei up the ramp and into the dining room, then breaks off to check the cabins out, giving Ein a shy nod as she hurries past.

It doesn't take her long to come back though. "The first one on the left, if it's all right," Keiko requests.

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

The limo driver wasn't having the best time today. The three passengers in the back were clearly novas, and also clearly young novas. So far, so good. But they were also all extremely attractive young novas, two guys and one girl, and one of the first instruction he had been given was for the driver to keep the screen down so they could see out the front. The Chinese girl had delivered that instruction, her dark eyes gazing deep into the driver's, standing too close to him, a faintly knowing smile on her rosebud mouth as her perfume made the man break out in a sweat.

They were all three of them beautiful, distractingly so for a middle-aged married man who was old enough to be their father. The other Asian, a well-formed and gorgeous young man with hazel eyes who seemed to be related to the girl, started making eye contact through the rear-view mirror, his depthless gaze seeming to promise more than mere glances. The man shivered, disturbed by his arousal. Chrissakes, he was straight! The third one didn't really catch his attention, sitting quietly between the other two as they sprawled together on the back seat, hands and arms interlinked. The driver could make out dark hair and green... or were they blue eyes? In any case, the boy was silent as he sat between the other two, eyes half-closed.

Jesus, are those other two... kissing? Yes, they were indeed. Each one was leaning across the one in the middle, soft moans and murmurs coming from their embrace between kisses. The obvious taboo, the wrongness of it somehow aroused the driver further, his hands trembling on the wheel in excited shame. Thank god the Marina was dead ahead.

He got out, glad of the fresh air, and opened the door for his clients. One by one they stepped out, the girl first, followed by her brother(?), then finally the third one that had sat between them, who turned his head as he stepped out to meet the driver's gaze ohmygoditsanangelitstheDevilgettheebehindmegodkillmebecauseI'mdamnedforsurenow

Glittering pale green eyes snared him, the driver feeling himself shiver in delight and fear as the boy Devilit'stheDevil smiled with cruel perfection.

"Thank you, Jeremy. You have been most... efficient." The angelic lips, neither male nor female but a disturbingly arousing combination of both, formed the driver's name. "We will be back in three days." Green eyes held him up more certainly than a strong man's hand on his collar could. Jeremy knew he'd be here. Nothing could keep him away.

Then the boy turned away, walking between the other two down the pier. The two Asian's looked back and smiled a litte, amused.

* * * *

"That was entertaining." Tomas said quietly to his two lovers as they moved down the pier towards the large yacht. He felt good bracketed by them, feeling their unconditional love for him even as he let them feel his for them. Do demon princes love? This one did, but in a way that was as alien as it was familiar to the human version of that emotion.

He smiled at Saori, beautiful in her red sundress, large designer sunglasses adorning her hair, her dainty feet twinking in their sandals. He felt her eagerness: no sign of trepidation at the prospect of facing her half-brother. She was looking forward to the first act of her revenge on her father, and so was Tomas.

On the other side of him was Kei, as xe now called himself. The changeling was, for today, wearing a male shape. Xe had fashioned it to look like something of a cross between Ryusei and Saori, blending the attractions of both and surprising Saori with it this morning, to her delight and slightly shamed arousal. Kei was dressed simply in red trunks and an open shirt, sandals also adorning xe's feet. Both of Tomas's companions carried shoulder bags containing towels and other assorted useful paraphenalia.

As for him, now that he had taken the slightly mind-fogging obfuscation from himself he walked in his full beauty between them. Dressed in an open loose white shirt, with loose white pants to match and white deck shoes, his black hair brushed against his shoulders like nightfall, framing a pale complexion and green eyes that were ethereally dazzling in the sun's light. He too wore a pair of shades pushed up on his head, but he left his eyes uncovered as the three of them made their way up the ramp and onto the deck.

"Hello the ship?" Tomas's mellifluous voice carried to the dining area. "Is this the right place for the party?"

[BrokenSunlight]

"It is that," the well-formed Italian man in the blue shirt and speedo said from his spot near the door, casually leaning against the wall, hands cradling his head and bag at his feet. "There is a rush to claim the cabins that you will be sleeping in. I cannot decide on the betterness of any cabin to any other cabin, so I am waiting for the others to get done first." His accent was heavy but intelligable, voice rich and mellifluous to match Tomas' own, though a trifle deeper.

He smiled, teeth gleaming very white against his skin. "My name is Pasquale, but some too say me Luce Solare Rotta, and Broken Sunlight. It is a chance that we have spoken before?" There was something to the way he regarded Tomas that made the beautiful young man suspect he might be blind, though he didn't move with the hesitation of a blind man, and no cane was in evidence.

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei nods to Keiko. "It's yours, just set your stuff on the bed so others no it's occupied." Ryusei turns and exits from the dining area out onto the deck to see Saori, Tomas and someone he doesn't recognize speaking with Pasquale. "Welcome aboard my friends. Please make yourselves at home."

He takes note of how close the three walk and smiles. I see some people enjoyed the party enough to continue it elsewhere at another time. The realization that Tomas had likely been the one to tell her what he said hit him as well. Dammit. That's how she knew. God I'm an idiot.

[z017]

Kei stepped forward from the group, producing a small brightly wrapped box seemingly from nowhere. He bowed and held it out to Ryusei with a polite, "Ome ni kakarete kouei desu, Hideyoshi-san."

The boy retreated back to Tomas and Saori once his gift had been taken from him, his bout of boldness apparently entirely used up in the single phrase.

[Jael Carver]

A form shot low across the water, kicking up a small spray as it approached. For all that Jael Carver was rumored to have reckless tendencies, she was careful to avoid boats and people as she flew across the harbor, approaching from the south. She rose only far enough to clear the railing, landing on the deck with the softest of thumps. "Hey, Ryusei!" she called, offering her hand for a shake. "Good to see you."

Beyond him, she saw a handsome Mediterranean man talking with two people she recognized. Looks like that Pajamma guy wasn't able to keep them apart for long, Jael mused, her eyes darting back to her host. And they found a friend. She was a little jealous. She'd always wanted to try two guys at once, but her current bevy of playful studs wasn't into that sort of fun and games. You'd think that Kazuo wouldn't fear the competition, and Paul was way too vanilla. Einherjar was, well Einherjar, and wasn't one of her line up anyway - yet. She intended to fix that at some point. And of course, Fox was around here somewhere. Add in that there was the unknown Med guy and Ryusei, plus God only knew who else still to come, and this weekend was shaping up to be sweet.

"Where can I put my stuff?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling over the rim of her sunglasses.

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei nods and bows slightly after accepting the gift. "Domo Arigato. Please make enjoy our stay on the ship."

He was about to leave to place the present in his cabin, but Jael's arrival stopped him in his tracks. He quickly shook the offered hand. "Jael, good to see you again. I was just about to go to my own cabin for a moment, I can show you to the others and you can choose one for yourself."

He led her down into the cabins and gestured to the free ones. "Each of these is unoccupied. The occupied rooms all had been tagged with a red handle over the doornob, the unoccupied ones had blue still. "You may have any of them. Please Make yourself at home." He walked down near the end of the hall to the last room. It was clear that that one was his when he opened the door. He left the present on his bunk and then exited the room.

He quietly made his way back out to the main deck, mentally preparing to continue smiling and being a good host. This was made easier by the presence of novas he counted as friends, but things still weren't as easy as they'd been in the past.

[Mr Fox]

Below deck Daniel woke suddenly feeling a little disturbed. The dreams he was having were dark and this wasn't the first time he'd had them. On waking all he could ever remember was Jael's face and a feeling that something was wrong. Unconsciously he rubbed at the scar by his collar bone not realizing he did so. The scar wasn't something he thought about, it was just there and he had no memories of receiving it. Getting up he splashed a little water on his face from the small cabin sink and checked his reflection in the mirror. The same inhumanly handsome face stared back as always and his hair looked like he'd just styled it. That was one thing about being a nova he really liked. He always looked good.

Now that he was awake and somewhat refreshed he concentrated for a moment and his eufiber transformed into a pair of comfortable but fashionable beach shorts and a loose t-shirt and sandals. He left his bag still sitting on the bed where he had tossed it on first arriving. When he stuck his head into the hall he noticed that there were several people milling about looking into the empty rooms.

He smiled as he stepped out of his cabin and headed up to the deck, "Hello, I'm Daniel." He looked to all the new people he'd never met before. A couple he recognized, Ryu the host, Jael, and the musician Pasquale although he'd never actually met the musician. He made a proper bow to Ryu, and smiled to Jael.

Daniel had grown and filled out in the chest and shoulders a bit in the ten months or so since he'd last seen them. He now stood a full 6' and his blond hair was fashionably shaggy and unkempt in that perfect way.

[Dozer]

Dozer pulls up to the parking structure nearest the pier where the boat was leaving from, and parks his rented van inside. He steps out, and gathers up his backpack, and large sleeping bag. He approaches the large yacht, the sunlight glinting off his steel-colored body.

His shirt is a large white pirate shirt, with lacing down the center of his chest. The pants he wears are maroon, form-fitting and downright 18th century, with black lacing down the outside of the legs. His boots are standard work boots, however. On his back is a small backpack with a large sleeping bag rolled up on top of it. On his left hip, and looking like a child's toy is a saber, but it looks like it's made of plastic. Dozer trundles up to the ship. and says, "Ahoy. Is this the party cruise?"

[Jael Carver]

"Hey, Daniel," she said casually, but she gave him a pointed look. She still wanted to talk to him. Man, this could suck...

Jael took her time unpacking. This was a luxury for her; she was blowing off a lot of classwork and time with Shelly, Ross and Paul to come here. She was glad Paul hadn't come; while he could have, she suspected that Shelly had made Jael's plans clear to the nova. Paul really wanted to date her, and seeing her running around fucking whomever she pleased wouldn't make him particularly happy. It was her problem, but she was glad he wouldn't be upset by it.

With her cabin secured, Jael went back above deck to see who was here.

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei returned to the deck and laughed as he saw Dozer. "Hilarious." He walked over and smiled. "Good to see you again Dozer, I see you're getting in the spirit of things early."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko nodded at Ryusei, but was blindsided by the parade of novas that started to arrive, and never did put her backpack in the chosen room. They were all so...larger than life. Unspeakably pretty, constantly confident...they were like people in movies come to life. Even more intimidating was that they all seemed to know each other. Keiko had never felt so out of place, nor so alone even in the midst of so many.

Well what had she thought it would be like? She stole into a chat room once and from that she thought she was one of them? Being a nova was more than having powers, Keiko realized then. These people, from wildly different backgrounds and disciplines, shared a common bond. Now they were meeting again...so of course it felt like a high school reunion for a class she hadn't graduated from.

Give it time, she reassured herself. Eventually they'd be done sniffing each other's butts and take notice of the new faces. Or...face, as the case could be. She could wait. She had as much time as she could ever need.

[Contessa]

"No way." Contessa said as she spun around in her chair. "Mixie, my dad will kill me. It's in San Fransisco!"

"C'mon!" The dark haired asian retorted with the sly tone to her voice. "Tess, you need. I need this. Einherjar is going to be there! You have to get his autograph, for me, or his sword... if you can swing it."

"Get bent," The gorgeous blond laughed as she spoke. "I'm not going."

Mixles swung her body around and sat upright on her best friend's bed. "Ceej, I love ya dearly, but you can't just sit this room all the time hanging out with me. You need more, you deserve more. Look, I'll cover for you, but meeting others like yourself is healthy for your growth as a nova. Half the fun of being a teenager is living on the edge once in awhile."

She sipped her Coke, cocking one eyebrow. "When the heck did you get so wise?"

"Dr. Phil."

"My Dad has faith in me that I'll do the right thing, he said no warping, no flying, and no partying!" She got up and walked into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door. "One: he'll kill me. Two: they'll kill me, those people are nuts! Nuh uh. I'm not going."

"Aye," Ming nodded as she leaned up against the door jamb. Her scottish accent was horrible... "Go to the party and you may die. Stay home, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your bed, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell your father that he may take your life, but he'll never take... YOUR FREEDOM!" She pumped her fist in the air as the audience of stuffed teddy bears, WoW Orcs, and plush Taurens cheered silently: Alba gu bra!.

The door opened a crack and Contessa's head poked out. "You did not just Braveheart me."

"Oh," She panted, nodding her challenge. "Oh, I think I did."

There was long, deep silence as the pair looked at each other...

"Get me a dress." She said with a determined tone. One did not just turn down a challenge that went into the Braveheart magnitude. You just didn't do it. With a squeal Mixie hopped and clapped and dashed off to rummage for clothes while Contessa got ready for a shower.

*****

"Thank you again for agreeing to come with me Ms. Kieran." The ripple in space gave way as Contessa and Caitlin stepped through the portal. The salty sea air was certainly refreshing and the warm California breeze lifted her spirits immediately. "I think that's the one over there. And don't worry about going home, I have my cell, just call me and I'll zip right to you." She shot Caitlin a cheery million watt smile. It was so obvious that she was about as nervous as a person could be...

[Tomas Saint-Etienne]

Originally Posted By: BrokenSunlight

"My name is Pasquale, but some too say me Luce Solare Rotta, and Broken Sunlight. It is a chance that we have spoken before?" There was something to the way he regarded Tomas that made the beautiful young man suspect he might be blind, though he didn't move with the hesitation of a blind man, and no cane was in evidence.

"Ah, Luce." Tomas smiled at the handsome, no, beautiful man. "I remember you from the chatroom." He looked around at all the others as the bustle on deck increased, one arm slipping around Kei's waist as xe retreated to his side after presenting Ryusei with their gift. He saw Jael arrive and smiled, catching her eye and nodding respectfully to her as she came back up on deck. Then there was Dozer's arrival, and that ridiculous ensemble actually got a small laugh. There was a young Japanese woman off to the side he didn't know, and he considered her with his glittering eyes for a moment before turning back to Broken Sunlight and stating, loud enough to carry between them. "I am 'Skein' from that chatroom."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko glanced over at the man called 'Skein,' remembering him. The 'sociopath.' Or rather, the one she hadn't apologized to for suggesting he was one. He was good looking, even for this crowd, but in a sort of emo-sinister sort of way.

Seeing him did remind her of something though. The DAT in her backpack!

She pulled the pack around to her front, unzipped it and pushed aside some of the contents to find the small black case. More digging turned up the earpiece monitor and the mic. She plugged them in and slipped the earpiece on, then switched the backpack around over her shoulder again. The mic was fairly small, fitting comfortably in her hand and looking like a cigarette lighter with a little mesh top.

Keiko held it about two feet from her mouth and said, "Testing, testing," experimentally. It sounded about right to her. Satisfied, she clipped the mic to the strap of her backpack and turned the DAT off to conserve its batteries.

There. Gear ready. Now she just had to select her first victim.

[Caitlin Kieran]

It had been almost six months since the last time Caitlin had tried attending a "nova party," but memories of that brief foray into a quantum-fueled social life still burned brightly in her mind. She certainly hadn't planned on going on this little pleasure cruise, and she'd found any number of good, sensible reasons to stay away... particularly when she remembered the reason for her abrupt departure at the previous gathering. Perversely, it was Tomas's post on the OpNet that had finally convinced her to find a way to San Francisco, and now the photochromic lenses of her sunglasses were finally darkening under the California sky.

The athletic-looking girl was dressed casually in nondescript white trainers (sans socks, of course), khaki cargo-style capris that settled loosely around her hips, and a faded brown t-shirt bearing the ivory Guinness logo. Her bright red hair was bound up into two short french braids that hugged the back of her head, and a canvas overnight bag was slung over one shoulder.

She returned Contessa's grin, a few loose tendrils of copper fire dancing about her head as the two young women stood on the breezy, sunlit pier. The girl was gorgeous, Caitlin had to admit, and it was almost impossible to tell that she was still in high school... At least, until she started talking. She didn't think that'd stop any potential predators (Tomas) from trying their luck, though.

Behind henna-coloured polycarbonate lenses, Caitlin's eyes narrowed as her mind ran through a dozen scenarios in which the stunning blonde ended up on the wrong end of a burst of quantum. None of them were pleasant.

"Why don't you walk up with me?" she asked the sophomore bombshell.

[Dozer]

Dozer clambers up the gangway, and drops his gear off on the deck near the entryway to belowdecks. He looks around the gathered Novas, and smiles. Then he notices the young nova girl in the Hello Kitty shirt and heads over towards her. He sees her fiddle around with some sort of electronic device, and speak into it. Hmmm, I remember someone in the chat saying they'd be bringing something to record with... but who and what was it?

He makes sure his feet scuff at the deck, so that when he says something he won't startle her. He grins, and says, "Excuse me, miss? I'm Dozer. Welcome to the party. Please excuse my outfit, but I figured with some of the comments made about Pirating after the party, I should be prepared."

[Eingar]

Einherjar came out of the dining area onto the sunny main deck, his hair and beard glinting gold as he took a look around, an open bottle of rum dangling idly from one large hand. Okay, there was the girl who'd been gawking up at Ryusei, so he guessed she was invited. There was Tomas and Saori, with another...guy. Ein blinked. The three were obviously closely knit. Interesting. Looks like some things have been happening since the last party... The beautiful trio seemed to bask in each other as they mingled, smiling easily.

Ein took a pull from his bottle and sighed, glancing around further. The big dude had to be Dozer. Nice outfit. the Elite thought with a rumbling chuckle. And there was -

"Jael." The big Elite's voice carried across the deck as he descended on the tall girl like a large friendly lion. He scooped her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before setting her down, his grin infectious. It wasn't intentional, but Einherjar tended to attract notice when he moved through a social situation. The large blond man's expressive gestures and rumbling baritone voice caught the eye when he was being sociable. "Good to see you again. It's been a little while."

[Contessa]

"Okay." She replied. Second thoughts tumbled through her mind as she suddenly felt over dressed, unprepared, embarrassed, you name it, and she was worried about it.

She took a deep breath and straightened the white sweater-dress she was wearing, smoothing it out for what had to be the tenth time since she'd met Caitlin just ten or so minutes ago. The neckline plunged into a sea of cleavage that she didn't care for overmuch but of all the dresses she had in her closet, this was the only one that seemed 'tasteful' (to Mixie anyway). A white headband kept her straight blond hair pulled back which accented the thick belt resting on her hips.

She checked her cell phone one last time for texts. 11. Jeez Mixles, let me at least get there first. She kept her head as clear as she could as she smiled at Caitlin and started walking towards the huge boat in the harbor, wondering for the hundredth time if she was overdressed each time low heel of her boots echoed along the pier.

The approach was easy enough and as the pair reached the deck of the ship and she caught her first real sight of all the novas present, her courage floundered. As worry gripped her heart she traced a perfectly manicured white finger nail over and behind her hear as if brushing away stray hairs, which were currently held back already by her headband.

"Oh, wow. I'm so overdressed..." She whined silently. "I feel so stupid."

[Caitlin Kieran]

Blinking behind tinted lenses, Caitlin could only stare as the other girl preened self-consciously.

"'Tessa, dear," she began patiently, only the faintest hint of her heritage surfacing in her accent. "If you're overdressed, why not just go change?"

The bewildered, apprehensive expression on the other girl's face was the only response she needed, and a quiet, good-natured laugh spilled past her lips.

"You look fine. Better than, really," came the speculative addition. "You're drop-dead gorgeous, you know that? Relax, girl." She nudged Contessa in friendly fashion, urging her up the ramp. "And thanks for the ride, by the way. I appreciate it."

She didn't feel the need to describe the acute sensations of vertigo and nausea that had accompanied the brief trip through one of Contessa's spatial distortions, or the fact that her brain had been momentarily convinced she was drowning; the poor girl was already out-of-sorts as it was.

"Just follow my lead," she murmured sotto voce, and offered a broad smile and casual wave to the group on-deck.

[Eingar]

"Caitlin!" came the not-quite-roar of jovial greeting as Einherjar, still standing next to Jael, waved one large arm above the crowd. "You made it. Get over here and have a drink, the pair of you."

As the two young women approached, Ein studied the beauty with Caitlin. Young, gorgeous, and I'm going straight to hell for even thinking about her like that. Ohboy.

"Glad you came Fianna." Ein shook her hand with a smile, gesturing with his bottle towards the dining area. "You'll find a sarcophagus-sized cooler in there with some bottled Guinness if you need to wet your whistle." He radiated confidence, a subtle magnetism that drew the eye without being nova-level overpowering. "And who's your friend?" His blue eyes regarded the strange blonde frankly, sparkling under his golden brows.

[Caitlin Kieran]

Originally Posted By: Einherjar

"And who's your friend?" His blue eyes regarded the strange blonde frankly, sparkling under his golden brows.

"Off-limits," the red-head replied, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth as she peered up at the blonde titan, hints of green eyes just visible over the top of her sunglasses. There was a playful lilt to her voice, but her physical proximity to the younger girl and the faint tension in her shoulders bespoke a measure of protectiveness rather than intimacy.

[Contessa]

Tessa couldn't help but grin sheepishly at Fianna's 'off limits' comment. It made her feel good to know she was not here alone, despite being able to leave any time she wanted.

"Um, I'm not supposed to drink." Contessa said politely to the blond god. He was beautiful beyond words, and the more she looked upon him the more she felt her heart quicken and her cheeks flush. What she felt, was attraction, what she did was dodge it. "In the state of California, no one under the age of 21 is allowed to consume or possess alcohol. It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Content of .01 or more if under the age of 21. Anyone 21 years of age or older may not drive if they have a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher."

She grew a slight bit more embarrassed as she realized that among novas, no one really cared (or so she thought). When she saw the way the powerful man just seemed to look at her, all she thought to add was: "Sir."

[Vixen]

About a hundred feet away from the docks, Roxanne Richardson stood, knapsack at her side. She had shorts on, and a T-shirt, and sunglasses and a ball cap, her outfit showing off the tan she'd acquired and her white hair tied into a ponytail. She dialed a number on her cell phone and held it to her face. After a moment, she spoke.

"Hey, you! ... oh, my flight was blah. Being stuck in a metal can for eleven hours isn't that fun. There was a guy a few rows down who got sick from bad peanuts. ... PEANUTS! Not the other word! Your mind's filthy, honey.

"How's the course coming? ... that many? Wow. You usually get half that. Did they give you photos like you asked? Nice. Any video-conferencing in this virtual classroom, then? ... oh, the VirGOG set died. Dammit. Freaking Sony. Shoulda bought an Apple - I am NOT a cultist. I'm not! Oh, well, if anyone here's being insane it's you, mister I-will-never-touch-anything-Steve-Jobs-touched-by-proxy. Uh huh. Yeah, haven't heard that joke before.

"... I miss you too. Listen, I'll be home soon. It's just for a couple days. ... because I get worried with you in the same room with - no - no, I don't think I'm in danger. It's just - yes, you can take care of yourself, I realize that but - I can take care of myself too, you know - look, there's a guy here who goes to war for a living and he doesn't need a gun, he just uses this big sword and - oh Jesus, I can't believe you said that - look - look - just - I love you, you know that, and - okay. Bye."

She folded up the phone, and took a minute to compose herself. I hate fighting. I hate fighting with him.

I could always go back. I can afford the early ticket.

No, no. I came all this way, and it'll be good to see them. She picked up her bag, and walked towards the pier. Ha. Well, at least when I have a fight with Mitch we just use words. When this bunch fights the floor shakes. One up on them.

[Eingar]

He nodded slightly to Fianna in response to her comment and dropped a wink that said very clearly "I agree and have no quarrel with that."

He then blinked as, rather than telling him her name, the lovely girl blushed and reeled off what sounded like a chapter and verse recitation of the law. He tried, he really did, to fight the grin that threatened to erupt on his face as she tacked on a very nervous "Sir" at the end. Okay, this one was cute as a button. Though she probably didn't realise it, the young miss had made a friend.

"Well..." he paused as he considered her words. "Seeing as you're a nova, you could probably drink any five human soldiers under the table without getting more than a need to visit the bathroom." He grinned impishly. "BUT, in deferrence to the law while we are within California, I shall not press you to consume the demon drink." His grin faded to a smile. "There's plenty of softer stuff too, so I wouldn't worry."

"But in all this legal banter, I still haven't caught your name." He offered the girl his hand, smiling. "Mine's Einherjar."

[Ryusei Hideyoshi]

Ryusei sees Caitlin and a stunning young blonde approach and makes his way over to them. He smiles genuinely as he greets them.

"It's good to see you again! I was hoping you'd decide to come."

Having heard Contessa's recitation of the laws governing consumption of alcohol in the State of California he chuckled. "Your friend's right. I had to study the laws before coming, hence the trek to international waters in about thirty minutes."

He looks to Contessa. "No one will be forced to do anything they don't want to do on this voyage. This trip is about having fun, nothing more or less. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you before. I'm Ryusei."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko looked around at Dozer and blinked up at him, momentarily taken aback by his sheer size. Then she smiled brightly and put out a hand that was absurdedly tiny compared to his own.

"Hi, Dozer, I'm Keiko. Good to meet you."

She gave his outfit a once-over and laughed.

"I think your outfit is cute. What is that...rolled up...that thing there?"

She pointed at the plastic roll that served as his costume's 'sword.'

[Contessa]

She smiled and it turned out broader than she intended as her eyes moved about trying to avoid constantly staring at him in all his wondrous divinity. His smile was radiant, and his charm was certainly practiced. It wasn't until he said his name that her mind tumbled about a bit more than it should have.

'Einherjar.' He was a killer. A man who took contracts out on the lives of people and places. The Elite was bred for war and it was obvious while she took in his appearance once more. Similar to Caitlin's instincts a fight or flight tingle rose up in a the back of her mind, if by flight we meant 'cower in the corner and whine that he can't kill you because dad is expecting you home'.

Despite her judgments being grounded in ignorance (she really didn't know what Einherjar did) her hesitation was apparent to those who knew what to look for. Simply put, the man suddenly scared her.

"C-Contessa." Her voice gave out slightly, she wanted to speak clearly and with confidence, it just didn't happen that way. She cleared her throat. "Um, Contessa, I mean. Contessa Danae. Nothing fancy... just Contessa." Looking as lame as lame can be in front of spectacles like 'Einherjar!', 'Dozer!', 'The Way-More-Awesome-Than-You Man!'...

Quote:

"It's good to see you again! I was hoping you'd decide to come."

Startled by the host, unintentionally, Contessa turned on her heels taken completely off-guard. Her hair flowed around with the momentum, settling over her shoulder and she rested her hand on her chest, as if it's presence would somehow slow her increasing heart rate. The poor girl was about as high strung as one could be, like a gazelle on a deck full of lions.

"I'm right?" she muttered, as Ryusei approached. He was simply stunning. The world seemed to slow wit every step he took and Contessa found herself embarrassed and looking for those stray hairs to brush behind her ear once more.

"Oh, the law... yeah. I read the California Legal Code once..." she looked about to the rather 'physical' group. "Because... yeah... I'm an egghead..." Just shut up Tess...

"I'm Contessa Danae." She offered her hand to the handsome asian nova. "Thank you for inviting me." Oh wow... Mixie would be all over this guy.

[Jael Carver]

Jael grinned as the large blonde man swept her up and kissed her cheek. She thought momentarily about making things more "fun," but she decided to save her fun for later. Plenty of time, this weekend. "Einherjar," she greeting him, returning his hug, "good to see you."

She was about to start the usual small-talk - something she hated but that was required by society - when two other women came over. Jael waited for Einherjar to make introductions, but after a while she realized he wasn't going to. Never one to just sit back, she took the first opening and said, "Oh, Contessa! It's nice to meet you, I'm Jael from the boards. And Fianna... you're in... New York? Do I have that right?"