EVENT: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: October 24 - October 31
Location: Throughout Exsilium
Characters: ALL; tag yourselves in
Summary: The Transports return from their mission to find the island crawling with monsters.
Warnings: Violence, possibly injuries (notify a mod if there's cause to add a particular warning!)

The Transports return from their mission to Medieval Russia, but the Initiative Hold is eerily deserted. Normally, their would be a number of Initiative personnel prepared to meet the Transports at the end of their mission for debriefing.

Instead, there is only silence.

That is, until a distant thumping sound can be heard. It is growing closer, and suddenly the beast is bursting into the room. It lets out a roar and charges. Within minutes, it is easily defeated, but damage has already been done -- it collided with the Transporter machine, which is now making a low fizzling sound and lets off a couple sparks. The commotion is enough to draw the attention of the few remaining Initiative personnel who still inhabit the Hold, who arrive immediately afterwards. They are able to tell the Transports two things: that the machine is broken and currently unable to sent anyone back in time, and that the island has been overrun with aggressive, mutated beasts sent by the United Earth. They have been under siege for months, with the island's population reduced to a mere fraction of what it had once been.

Comments

[implying]

Why, what a coincidence, so could I!

[ He happily takes that as invitation to thread both arms around her waist and pull them together, looking pleased. There are a few places along the rooftops he'd taken note of earlier that would do nicely for a quick respite. Not that he seeks them out — it's just that he always notices them. It's a skill. ]

And then back toward the Hold, mm? It's a good deal safer there. You can stay with me until we've cleaned out the neighborhood of your house, if you like, I'm quite sure my roommates won't mind.

[studieswaitressing]

[...there were worse ways to pass the time here, and this had given her that sort of familiar jolt of adrenaline and hormones that she'd felt a time or two before. This is easy and Vanadi is -- not terrible looking, not at all, and being this girl is sort of working out for her.

Except when her mind tracks back to it, she has the same worry as she did whenever she found herself in this position with another person -- could she hold this form?

What if she couldn't? It'd kept her from intimacy until she was sure that someone might not mind -- Erik -- and then that had gone less-than-ideally too. She wasn't about to admit to anyone that she was less experienced than she wanted people to think, but...it wouldn't really be fair to this guy, would it.]

...or maybe just straight back to the Hold.

[She half-backs-up and rubs her neck, at least having the good grace to look guilty.]

[implying]

[ He blinks, looking puzzled— and from there, it's straight into concern. This is entirely different from the Lynn he knows, and the only explanation he can think of is that there's something wrong. So he steps in again, but this time with less slinking suggestion. One gloved hand drops lightly to her cheek, and he leans in for a closer look at her. ]

Lynn, are you alright? [ He drops his hand to her shoulder, instead, and leans back to look her up and down. ] You haven't been hurt, have you?

[studieswaitressing]

[Well, time to 'fess up. Now's as good a time as any, she thinks, so with that familiar blue ripple -- she's back to her normal self, brows furrowed -- after she backs up a little in case he reacts to this with undignified horror or something.]

She's back at the compound, and she's -- fine. I doubt she'd leave her house in this sort of situation.

[She brings a hand to the back of her neck and leans her head back.]

I just needed to get out of the Hold for a while without anyone recognizing me. So much for that.

[implying]

[ This time there's a little more surprise in it, even up to taking a half step back, but... well, that definitely explains a lot. He drops a glance at his mask, but vetos the idea of putting it back on. It would just be silly, at this point, wouldn't it? So he leaves it tucked under an arm, considers the situation, and... has to laugh, really. ]

So much for that, is right. I'm terribly sorry! That must have been somewhat startling, hmm?

[studieswaitressing]

[At least he's taking this way better than she was thinking he was going to. That probably means he and that girl weren't that serious, or he's just -- that nice a guy.]

Yeah, to say the least. It was a good thing you were here, though, I guess.

[What with the whole 'beast charging her' thing and all.]

...I'm Mystique. I think we might've spoken on the network.

[implying]

Pleased to be of service, my dear.

[ That with a fancy little bow, and he offers out a hand as he pulls out of it. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you more officially, Mystique! I'm Vanadi.

[studieswaitressing]

You know, you're taking this pretty well.

[Then again, it wasn't like she was doing anything with this body that was considered 'untoward' or inappropriate or ... illegal, really.

She looks at his hand for a second or two before reaching out to sort of half-shake it.]

And I take it you knew -- know -- Lynn. Good to know for the future.

[implying]

[ That 'knew' is a little worrisome. Vanadi hopes it isn't 'knew', but he really hasn't seen Lynn in some time. Not since they'd left for Russia. A little cloud of worry passes over his face, but he waves it away with another smile. He'll worry about finding Lynn at a better time for it. ]

Well, your change was a good deal more graceful than the changes the skinrippers undergo, at home. Now there is a sight to put you off dinner!

[studieswaitressing]

[Also good to know, even if she doesn't say as much out loud. She half-laughs and then relaxes herself a little, shrugging.]

With a name like 'skinrippers' I'm sure I can at least partly picture it.

[That's the norm with shapeshifters in other worlds, it seems, even if Mystique isn't fully aware of that yet.]

-- did you still want to head back to the Hold? I can always make my way back there.

[...probably.]

[implying]

Oh, certainly. I can't say no to such a lovely escort! [ He holds out an elbow, clearly looking to take her arm, but... pauses, seeming to consider for a moment. ]

Ah, unless you had other plans. Or would prefer to stick to the original plans? I would hate to be inconvenient, the Hold will still be there later on!

[studieswaitressing]

[She can't help the snort. It's still such a strange thing, people calling her lovely when she's like this. It's -- nice, but still not something she's used to.]

I can't say no to someone who calls me a 'lovely' anything.

[No, really, she can't. She takes his arm easily enough -- it'll be good to have a second set of eyes for the way back, anyway, and that's about enough adventure for her for today.]

[implying]

Oh, careful, I may be tempted to abuse the power, lovely. [ That with a particularly smarmy grin, of course.

He doesn't start moving immediately, but pauses to sweep his ears back and up against his skull, brush his hair back, and click the mask back into place. Then he's ready, and starts moving. ]

[studieswaitressing]

[She doesn't ask about the mask, really. It covers his scars, sure, and she understands wanting to hide from people.]

Just trying to be honest. 'Blue and scaly' isn't exactly considered all the rage back home.

[implying]

Well, then back home has terrible taste! Some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen happened to be lovely shades of azure. I used to believe that the most attractive of all of them was a half-harpy from the east, until I met one particular lady with scales instead of feathers, and the most striking gold eyes I'd ever seen! Well, needless to say, she supplanted my harpy very quickly.

[studieswaitressing]

[It actually takes her a couple of seconds to figure out that he's probably talking about her, and then she actually smiles and ducks her head.]

You really are charming, aren't you.

[Men like him probably only want one thing, though that's not necessarily a bad thing.]

[implying]

Well, it's what I am for. [ He cocks his head over, grinning. ] Is it working?

[studieswaitressing]

Trust me, you'd know if it wasn't.

[She'd be using her waitress-fu to somehow get you uninterested in her.]

So, you said that you've met a lot of blue women -- your world has a lot of non-humans, then?

oops that was supposed to be aim* for not am for

[implying]

Glad to hear it!

[ Not that he ever doubted it, of course. He's still smiling when he looks ahead again. ]

Oh, certainly! The exact numbers of populations are always shifting, but traditionally, humans only ever make up fifteen percent of any international council.

[studieswaitressing]

...huh. I mean, I guess it makes sense that humans aren't the majority in some places, but ... still, it's strange.

[She's just glad he still isn't flipping out at her over the whole impersonation thing.]

And you're -- not human, right?

[implying]

[ That gets a quick glance over, and though the mask hides it, the quirk of eyebrows below it makes the smile a touch humoring. ]

I may not be as blue as you, my dear, but I do hope the teeth and long ears are good for something. [ Namely, marking him as Totally Not Human. ] We call ourselves kitrites, though humans seem to prefer "imps".

[studieswaitressing]

Well, what do you prefer? I mean, I think I'd be kind of insulted if someone started calling me an imp without my permission.

[Even Jack's nickname for her had gotten a few half-hearted glares the first time she'd used it. 'Blueberry' wasn't exactly ... flattering.]

And hey, for all I knew it could've been some sort of isolated mutation -- like me.

[implying]

[ Insulting is the right word for it, but it's nothing Vanadi has ever minded too much. So he shrugs. ]

Kitrite will do, but I won't be terribly offended if you forget the word and revert back to the other. I know we're a bit unheard of, outside my world. [ But enough of that, she's given him something more interesting: ] That's quite the mutation you have, my dear. I must say, I'm a fan.

[studieswaitressing]

[She is fine enough with moving on to the subject of her mutation. The more she talks about it, she has argued with herself, the easier it'll be for her to accept it.

That might actually be true, provided the people who she talks to about it react to it well.]

It's one of the more explicitly useful ones, I guess.

[implying]

Oh, I should say so! [ And he actually can say so, having had a lesson on this subject once already. The nose of his mask tips as he glances over thoughtfully. ] Tell me, can you take any person's shape that you like?