(I'm just realizing now that Evelyn's clothes make her look thin. She's not. She looks like Miruko in stature and body type, she just wears loose clothing.)
Evelyn
"True true, but the Hero Commission might come for your head. Don't even get me started on those brats, I could rant for days." Evelyn waved her arms in irritation. She opened her mouth to say something, but found herself interrupted.
"Umbral Haze, we need to get a move on. All of our students have finished up, we've been waiting for your pair to get done chatting so we could bring the group to their cabins." Standing aside with his arms crossed stood Boulder, two of the other Pros by his side.
To his left was Kora, the #4 hero. Spunky and upbeat, but to the point where it could be annoying for those around her, as she couldn't always read the room. A water quirk. To his right was Iris, the #39 hero, a small male with wide owl-like eyes. He holds the ability to see into anyone's past and have memories block out his enemies' vision when they stare into his eyes.
Ann
(Probably won't until later).
"Angel, since you did so well today I say we celebrate with a feast, yes?" Carnage's voice rumbled deep in his chest. Angel merely shrugged in response, still not uttering a word. It was against the rules, after all.
With a cheer, Carnage clapped his massive forepaws together. "Great! Come on Ire, I spent a week setting up the dining room table. I am sure there will be something to your liking there, blood quirks are common here after all." He nudged Angel, the girl subconsciously bristling her wings when the massive talons brushed against her delicate feathers.
"After we eat, we'll watch the tournament, yes?"
(I'm just realizing now that Evelyn's clothes make her look thin. She's not. She looks like Miruko in stature and body type, she just wears loose clothing.)
Evelyn
"True true, but the Hero Commission might come for your head. Don't even get me started on those brats, I could rant for days." Evelyn waved her arms in irritation. She opened her mouth to say something, but found herself interrupted.
"Umbral Haze, we need to get a move on. All of our students have finished up, we've been waiting for your pair to get done chatting so we could bring the group to their cabins." Standing aside with his arms crossed stood Boulder, two of the other Pros by his side.
To his left was Kora, the #4 hero. Spunky and upbeat, but to the point where it could be annoying for those around her, as she couldn't always read the room. A water quirk. To his right was Iris, the #39 hero, a small male with wide owl-like eyes. He holds the ability to see into anyone's past and have memories block out his enemies' vision when they stare into his eyes.
Ann
(Probably won't until later).
"Angel, since you did so well today I say we celebrate with a feast, yes?" Carnage's voice rumbled deep in his chest. Angel merely shrugged in response, still not uttering a word. It was against the rules, after all.
With a cheer, Carnage clapped his massive forepaws together. "Great! Come on Ire, I spent a week setting up the dining room table. I am sure there will be something to your liking there, blood quirks are common here after all." He nudged Angel, the girl subconsciously bristling her wings when the massive talons brushed against her delicate feathers.
"After we eat, we'll watch the tournament, yes?"
(I mean, looking skinny and ‘weak’ is a perfect ruse for Evelyn to pull… Even if it’s just baggy clothes. I will now not be able to unsee her as such now that it was pointed out to me.)
Camp Group
Neira looked like for a split second she was about to go full Karen on some of the heroes there… But settled for a much toned down version to seem more professional as she replied,
“Sorry about that, we got slightly caught up making sure nobody got seriously hurt if one of ‘em got struck with a nasty backlash or a collateral nightmare.”
But if any of y’all think you can pull rank on me, I will not so kindly pull a dominance move that is my inner Karen! I don’t care that I’m technically the lowest ranked hero around currently! I will show that the ratings mean hardly anything to me.
She thought as she clapped her hands rather loudly and said more to her group,
“C'mon! We’re going back to the cabins as apparently I’m the late one.”
She resisted the urge to make a joke about how she’d also been slightly too late to catch Vamp’s Ire the first time he killed as she started walking back towards the cabins at a pace that wasn’t too hard to keep up with.
Most of the campers started to go with Umbral, with varying amounts of energy and enthusiasm.
Lance made an odd sound between the noise a baby crocodile makes and a laugh as he replied,
“I have just enough of mom’s tendency to summon the manager and the figgin’ stubbornness to stand by my decisions… I’m also big enough to own up to my mistakes and flaws. A thing quite a few folks could learn from. So the Commission is gonna have fun with that.”
And if anyone asks about the noises I can make… I will literally just start a vocal showcase as a PSA… Maybe just my purr and growl though given they sound so similar.
He thought as he started to walk with his mother.
Adara smiled a bit and added,
“Guess I should be prepared to have my own reputation dragged down, as we planned on being a pair. And I have a horribly dark sense of humor but also can run a med bay like nobody’s business.”
And with Lance’s sensitivity to the smell of blood, it actually becomes super useful for finding aftermath victims that need to be prioritized for care.
She thought as she started walking.
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He stood up as he replied,
“True, more of the ‘undesirable’ quirks like mine seek acceptance down here… As for some of us, the suppressants cause us to get rather sick within a week or so of taking them regularly. Biological mother forced the ***** on us and that was a horrible few months… But I’m one of the luckier vamps that can still eat and drink other things. I don’t need to, but I do it anyways from time to time.”
I used to do it more, since Aida couldn’t live off of blood and liked sharing an actual meal with another person… But she never really had a taste for vegetarian options, inherited that taste for meat/iron that usually comes with the need to drink blood… Her’s was just a curiosity and liking the taste of it.
Luther thought as he added,
“And that schedule for the rest of the day sounds fine to me.”
He kept half an eye on Angel, but more out of caution than anything. As he had seen what she could do.
(I mean, looking skinny and ‘weak’ is a perfect ruse for Evelyn to pull… Even if it’s just baggy clothes. I will now not be able to unsee her as such now that it was pointed out to me.)
Camp Group
Neira looked like for a split second she was about to go full Karen on some of the heroes there… But settled for a much toned down version to seem more professional as she replied,
“Sorry about that, we got slightly caught up making sure nobody got seriously hurt if one of ‘em got struck with a nasty backlash or a collateral nightmare.”
But if any of y’all think you can pull rank on me, I will not so kindly pull a dominance move that is my inner Karen! I don’t care that I’m technically the lowest ranked hero around currently! I will show that the ratings mean hardly anything to me.
She thought as she clapped her hands rather loudly and said more to her group,
“C'mon! We’re going back to the cabins as apparently I’m the late one.”
She resisted the urge to make a joke about how she’d also been slightly too late to catch Vamp’s Ire the first time he killed as she started walking back towards the cabins at a pace that wasn’t too hard to keep up with.
Most of the campers started to go with Umbral, with varying amounts of energy and enthusiasm.
Lance made an odd sound between the noise a baby crocodile makes and a laugh as he replied,
“I have just enough of mom’s tendency to summon the manager and the figgin’ stubbornness to stand by my decisions… I’m also big enough to own up to my mistakes and flaws. A thing quite a few folks could learn from. So the Commission is gonna have fun with that.”
And if anyone asks about the noises I can make… I will literally just start a vocal showcase as a PSA… Maybe just my purr and growl though given they sound so similar.
He thought as he started to walk with his mother.
Adara smiled a bit and added,
“Guess I should be prepared to have my own reputation dragged down, as we planned on being a pair. And I have a horribly dark sense of humor but also can run a med bay like nobody’s business.”
And with Lance’s sensitivity to the smell of blood, it actually becomes super useful for finding aftermath victims that need to be prioritized for care.
She thought as she started walking.
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He stood up as he replied,
“True, more of the ‘undesirable’ quirks like mine seek acceptance down here… As for some of us, the suppressants cause us to get rather sick within a week or so of taking them regularly. Biological mother forced the ***** on us and that was a horrible few months… But I’m one of the luckier vamps that can still eat and drink other things. I don’t need to, but I do it anyways from time to time.”
I used to do it more, since Aida couldn’t live off of blood and liked sharing an actual meal with another person… But she never really had a taste for vegetarian options, inherited that taste for meat/iron that usually comes with the need to drink blood… Her’s was just a curiosity and liking the taste of it.
Luther thought as he added,
“And that schedule for the rest of the day sounds fine to me.”
He kept half an eye on Angel, but more out of caution than anything. As he had seen what she could do.
Evelyn
"Who put a stick up her a*s" Kora muttered to Iris, who just stood still. Staring into the void. Boulder just rolled his eyes. Dramatic. That was the best way to describe all of his coworkers. Too touchy-feely and sensitive, taking offense to something that wasn't intended to be harmful in the first place.
Evelyn took off ahead of the group, deciding everyone was being too boring to wait for. She ran forwards but soon ran back as she overheard Lance and Adara talking once more. "If you ever Karen out in front of me, I'll get a live grenade and I won't hesitate on pulling the pin."
Ann
With a sigh, Carnage led the group back through the hallways. "Undesirable quirk. Ha. I bet anyone a hundred years ago would have been pleased to get anything. People these days are too damn spoiled and stuck-up."
Angel trailed behind the two, lurking silently. 'As if that's not exactly the mindset you're feeding into with all these nomus.'
"I suppose that is why I am so adamant on rewriting hero society, no? The survival of the fittest and leaving everything to the heroes mindsets are just too toxic to remain. They must be eradicated. The best way to do that is to create an elite group of fighters. Unfortunately, Angel here is the only one that has survived this long, most bite the dust fairly young."
Evelyn
"Who put a stick up her a*s" Kora muttered to Iris, who just stood still. Staring into the void. Boulder just rolled his eyes. Dramatic. That was the best way to describe all of his coworkers. Too touchy-feely and sensitive, taking offense to something that wasn't intended to be harmful in the first place.
Evelyn took off ahead of the group, deciding everyone was being too boring to wait for. She ran forwards but soon ran back as she overheard Lance and Adara talking once more. "If you ever Karen out in front of me, I'll get a live grenade and I won't hesitate on pulling the pin."
Ann
With a sigh, Carnage led the group back through the hallways. "Undesirable quirk. Ha. I bet anyone a hundred years ago would have been pleased to get anything. People these days are too damn spoiled and stuck-up."
Angel trailed behind the two, lurking silently. 'As if that's not exactly the mindset you're feeding into with all these nomus.'
"I suppose that is why I am so adamant on rewriting hero society, no? The survival of the fittest and leaving everything to the heroes mindsets are just too toxic to remain. They must be eradicated. The best way to do that is to create an elite group of fighters. Unfortunately, Angel here is the only one that has survived this long, most bite the dust fairly young."
Camp Group
Lance laughed a bit harder at Evelyn’s response as he replied,
“In all fairness, there’s not many people that can have me screeching for a manager… And if I am there’s a valid reason. Or I needed to look the inventor of something dead in the eye.”
Or if someone looks right at me and calls me a vampire… LooK I know it’s technically correct but it feels too shallow. And gives people the wrong ideas and stupid assumtions that I can’t do certain things I’m more than capable of!
He thought as he started walking a bit faster.
Neira narrowed her eyes a bit at Kora as she said,
“The fact that I’m gonna be using a rather sad example tomorrow for how not to do things.”
She played with a bit of shadow on her hand, just making it wiggle between her fingers a bit before she added,
“But it’s offset by getting to teach search and rescue, a thing I love as I can share all my tricks to being professional and not seeming repetitive when comforting victims. After doing the necessary questions of course.”
If only some of you knew what it was like to see the moment a serial killer was born… And how sad it really is when you learn the reason behind the killing.
She thought, a little sadly as she twisted a piece of shadow around her finger and could see the Cabins coming into view.
And I’m gonna have to do a late night information deep dive, and all I can say is I’m glad we have the internet out here for that.
She added mentally.
Adara then said,
“Lance isn’t the one you wanna worry about being a Karen… That’s N-Umbral Haze, mostly does it to fast food places, but one of her signature moves is to bust into a hideout and demand to speak with the manager. Of a group of criminals. Seeing footage of it is glorious as it’s the definition of a joke gone too far, yet carried out artistically.”
She giggled a bit at the memory of seeing Neira sneak onto the other side of a door a small group of criminals had locked to keep heroes out and the clip shifting to Neira’s body camera as she stepped out of a shadow and elegantly put one foot on a chair before incapacitating them with shadowy bindings and loudly requesting their manager.
(SORRY I TOOK SO LONG DINGUS HERE MISSED THE PING FOR THIS)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
“Devout Darwinist then… I may or may not have mistaken the name you chose for the tournament to be a bit of a play on the Darwin award… For the most extravagant removal of oneself from the gene pool. Like home made rocket to prove the earth is flat levels of stupid. But yeah no… Survival of the fittest theme makes more sense in retrospect.”
Luther replied as he thought,
It’s the kind of world someone like Aida would have struggled in that’s Carnage’s ‘ideal’ world… As she didn’t have a very powerful quirk.
And I bet collateral damage would be more often, leaving others in similar situations.
He lightly touched his right shoulder for a second before putting his hand back down.
(The Darwin award is a real thing, and so is the whole rocket thing… No, the mad lad didn’t get the award as he didn’t die, but was in the running for it as his ‘rocket’ kinda worked but not really. It flew for a bit.)
Camp Group
Lance laughed a bit harder at Evelyn’s response as he replied,
“In all fairness, there’s not many people that can have me screeching for a manager… And if I am there’s a valid reason. Or I needed to look the inventor of something dead in the eye.”
Or if someone looks right at me and calls me a vampire… LooK I know it’s technically correct but it feels too shallow. And gives people the wrong ideas and stupid assumtions that I can’t do certain things I’m more than capable of!
He thought as he started walking a bit faster.
Neira narrowed her eyes a bit at Kora as she said,
“The fact that I’m gonna be using a rather sad example tomorrow for how not to do things.”
She played with a bit of shadow on her hand, just making it wiggle between her fingers a bit before she added,
“But it’s offset by getting to teach search and rescue, a thing I love as I can share all my tricks to being professional and not seeming repetitive when comforting victims. After doing the necessary questions of course.”
If only some of you knew what it was like to see the moment a serial killer was born… And how sad it really is when you learn the reason behind the killing.
She thought, a little sadly as she twisted a piece of shadow around her finger and could see the Cabins coming into view.
And I’m gonna have to do a late night information deep dive, and all I can say is I’m glad we have the internet out here for that.
She added mentally.
Adara then said,
“Lance isn’t the one you wanna worry about being a Karen… That’s N-Umbral Haze, mostly does it to fast food places, but one of her signature moves is to bust into a hideout and demand to speak with the manager. Of a group of criminals. Seeing footage of it is glorious as it’s the definition of a joke gone too far, yet carried out artistically.”
She giggled a bit at the memory of seeing Neira sneak onto the other side of a door a small group of criminals had locked to keep heroes out and the clip shifting to Neira’s body camera as she stepped out of a shadow and elegantly put one foot on a chair before incapacitating them with shadowy bindings and loudly requesting their manager.
(SORRY I TOOK SO LONG DINGUS HERE MISSED THE PING FOR THIS)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
“Devout Darwinist then… I may or may not have mistaken the name you chose for the tournament to be a bit of a play on the Darwin award… For the most extravagant removal of oneself from the gene pool. Like home made rocket to prove the earth is flat levels of stupid. But yeah no… Survival of the fittest theme makes more sense in retrospect.”
Luther replied as he thought,
It’s the kind of world someone like Aida would have struggled in that’s Carnage’s ‘ideal’ world… As she didn’t have a very powerful quirk.
And I bet collateral damage would be more often, leaving others in similar situations.
He lightly touched his right shoulder for a second before putting his hand back down.
(The Darwin award is a real thing, and so is the whole rocket thing… No, the mad lad didn’t get the award as he didn’t die, but was in the running for it as his ‘rocket’ kinda worked but not really. It flew for a bit.)
(Heard of both of those before. Oh the joys of humanity. Also, Carnage is so funny to me. His whole thing is that survival of the fittest is toxic, so he was creating a group of people who would be able to tear down the foundations of society to rebuild and restructure it into something more supporting to all types of people, and something not so reliant on heroes. A world where everyone helps everyone. But the man literally is trying to obtain this through the survival of the fittest method.)
Evelyn
"Suuuure. Whatever you say Shark Boy. Totally believe you." Evelyn clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
"We are not children. Let us refrain from bickering like ones." Boulder clenched his jaw and gave a sharp stare to Neira and Korra. The hero may sound stern, but in his defense, everyone knew he had been through a lot in his life. His grandparents had raised him well after living in an era where people with the ability to steal other's quirks existed. They had been tough on him. The commission had been tough on him. He was a strict man, but Boulder truly meant well.
Though not everyone got the memo.
"lEtS nOt FiGhT lIkE cHiLdReN." Korra parroted. "No one asked for your input stone boy."
"Oh, would you look at that, unhappy heroes. What an easy system to take advantage of and use to create an army of spies and villains from. Gee. I certainly hope that doesn't happen." Evelyn whispered to Lance and Adara.
Iris said nothing, staring off into the distance.
"I caught that! You slipped up! You f*cked up! I caught that!" Evelyn mused to Adara when she said an N before Umbral Haze's name. "Jokes aside though, I'd genuinely want to see her doing that to a big villain hideout." She raised her voice, "HEAR THAT, UMBRAL?! YOU'RE TAKING ME ON YOUR NEXT BIG MISSION!"
Ann
"Not a Darwinist, quite the opposite, really. The Pits however are a play on the Darwin awards. This is the only place where survival of the fittest should ever exist. It's humanity's low, a place where people are at their most natural and feral state. Which is why the greatest fighters to ever come out of this place are the ones who blend in best with modern day society."
The group arrived in a crowded dining room. Chandeliers were complimenting the golden and red color scheme of the velvet carpets and dark brown table that held an array of different foods all stacked on gold-encrusted plates. There were children, rich men, poor men, strong women, weak women, monsters and hooligans and quirks galore.
Ann noticed Ire's shift in demeanor, although she dare not ponder the idea of the man being sympathetic. That's how she ended up in this situation to begin with. Her wings bristled momentarily when she noticed the sheer amount of people, smells, and lights swarming in the large room, but she choked her agitation down and flattened the feathers. 'Great. Now I get the be in a crowded room with people who want to fight me. Just great. Love this.'
(Speaking of Karens, everytime someone raises their voice at a minimum wage worker it activates my fight or flight response. As it turns out, my body tends to chose fight).
(Heard of both of those before. Oh the joys of humanity. Also, Carnage is so funny to me. His whole thing is that survival of the fittest is toxic, so he was creating a group of people who would be able to tear down the foundations of society to rebuild and restructure it into something more supporting to all types of people, and something not so reliant on heroes. A world where everyone helps everyone. But the man literally is trying to obtain this through the survival of the fittest method.)
Evelyn
"Suuuure. Whatever you say Shark Boy. Totally believe you." Evelyn clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
"We are not children. Let us refrain from bickering like ones." Boulder clenched his jaw and gave a sharp stare to Neira and Korra. The hero may sound stern, but in his defense, everyone knew he had been through a lot in his life. His grandparents had raised him well after living in an era where people with the ability to steal other's quirks existed. They had been tough on him. The commission had been tough on him. He was a strict man, but Boulder truly meant well.
Though not everyone got the memo.
"lEtS nOt FiGhT lIkE cHiLdReN." Korra parroted. "No one asked for your input stone boy."
"Oh, would you look at that, unhappy heroes. What an easy system to take advantage of and use to create an army of spies and villains from. Gee. I certainly hope that doesn't happen." Evelyn whispered to Lance and Adara.
Iris said nothing, staring off into the distance.
"I caught that! You slipped up! You f*cked up! I caught that!" Evelyn mused to Adara when she said an N before Umbral Haze's name. "Jokes aside though, I'd genuinely want to see her doing that to a big villain hideout." She raised her voice, "HEAR THAT, UMBRAL?! YOU'RE TAKING ME ON YOUR NEXT BIG MISSION!"
Ann
"Not a Darwinist, quite the opposite, really. The Pits however are a play on the Darwin awards. This is the only place where survival of the fittest should ever exist. It's humanity's low, a place where people are at their most natural and feral state. Which is why the greatest fighters to ever come out of this place are the ones who blend in best with modern day society."
The group arrived in a crowded dining room. Chandeliers were complimenting the golden and red color scheme of the velvet carpets and dark brown table that held an array of different foods all stacked on gold-encrusted plates. There were children, rich men, poor men, strong women, weak women, monsters and hooligans and quirks galore.
Ann noticed Ire's shift in demeanor, although she dare not ponder the idea of the man being sympathetic. That's how she ended up in this situation to begin with. Her wings bristled momentarily when she noticed the sheer amount of people, smells, and lights swarming in the large room, but she choked her agitation down and flattened the feathers. 'Great. Now I get the be in a crowded room with people who want to fight me. Just great. Love this.'
(Speaking of Karens, everytime someone raises their voice at a minimum wage worker it activates my fight or flight response. As it turns out, my body tends to chose fight).
Camp Group
Neira sighed a bit as she shook her head at Korra’s mockery and thought,
Now listen here you little sh*t, I’m 41 and have seen things that would make most run in fear. I’m married to a guy with a vampiric quirk and my son inherited it and more. So I’ve seen some bloody crimes and ones that are eerily clean of almost all blood splatter.
I’ve seen mangled bodies and horrible wounds from rescues I’ve gone on.
Yet I don’t let that stop me…
For I root out the evil that hides in the shadows!
She then said,
“I was merely answering the question, despite how immature to indicate that I don’t tolerate people trying to talk sh*t ‘behind’ my back. Sorry to bicker Boulder… You’re one of the few that has the same sort of energy towards certain things I do.”
Now, I’m gonna have to think of a few of these folks as a golden ticket to sweet talk info out of with the right kinds of questions and shadow contact to see the surface of their minds.
She also thought as she made a willful effort to ignore Korra before the urge to crush a soul came out.
Lance smiled a bit without showing teeth as he said,
“Mom’s one of the better ones out there… She truly cares about saving lives. Spies also have more to worry about from her than you think as everyone forgets about the mind part of her quirk. You’d l-”
He cut himself off with a couple of coughs and cleared his throat before he said rather quickly between coughs,
“Sh*t! *cough* Not dying… *cough ahem* Just a pellet!”
Right as I’m trying to have a conversation! Why must my body decide to be weird as hell!?
He thought as he continued to cough and clear his throat.
Adara however picked up the sentence,
“What Lance was going to say is that you’d love working with Umbral, she’s just so extra yet efficient, friendly cussing is a thing at her agency as well and it's so great. I just about said her real name as I’m used to it… And Lance will be perfectly fine in a moment, and isn’t painful either.”
Neira wasn’t all that far from the cabins when she heard Evelyn ask to come on her next major bust and fell backwards into her own shadow and stepped out of Evelyn’s as she replied,
“Well, I feel like if I say ‘no’ you’ll take it as a challenge to get me to say yes. So let’s cut out the middleman and say yes then, shall we?”
She then did the same thing only to get back over to where she had been and acted like she hadn’t ever left.
(Yes Lance is coughing a pellet and yes it’s weird.
And Neira, she’s threatening yet can ask the right questions to get answers directly or indirectly.
And to add my two cents in I once denied a Karen the right to complain… by doing my job right.
My reaction to the whole thing is to stand there wanting to run but being too much of a coward or escalating it for them by getting the manager before they ask. Had a dumba*s b*tch I needed to do that for once.)
(Why do I have the cursed headcanon that Luther mostly got involved in actual fights down in the pits after seeing one dude nearly kill an on looker and just yeeting himself down there to ruin that man’s whole career b/c he about had collateral that wasn’t worth it. Not caring that he broke a rule as he was fulfilling a sworn duty and it looked rather cool.)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He was already seeing the irony in the statement as he thought,
How ironic that you are what you swore not to be?
Vamp’s Ire then replied,
“I was originally right then… Was probably a real treat when I showed up having killed a few heroes and several ‘stronger’ villains then.”
Once at the actual event he gave everyone the clear look of ‘start sh*t with me and I will tear out your heart’ as that tended to put a stop to anyone openly fighting with him. Who knew that letting the last thing someone ever saw being him eating your heart was a powerful deterrent to stupidity?
Luther noticed Angel’s slight discomfort as he thought,
Damn, I’d cut a note into my arm for her… But I’m currently kinda eating and it’d make it regenerate too fast to be of any use as a discrete note of I won’t tell if you need to hit the toilet for a quick power sob.
F*ck.
He only really stopped walking for a moment to pick up an empty wine glass and carefully empty the rest of the blood bag into it.
Camp Group
Neira sighed a bit as she shook her head at Korra’s mockery and thought,
Now listen here you little sh*t, I’m 41 and have seen things that would make most run in fear. I’m married to a guy with a vampiric quirk and my son inherited it and more. So I’ve seen some bloody crimes and ones that are eerily clean of almost all blood splatter.
I’ve seen mangled bodies and horrible wounds from rescues I’ve gone on.
Yet I don’t let that stop me…
For I root out the evil that hides in the shadows!
She then said,
“I was merely answering the question, despite how immature to indicate that I don’t tolerate people trying to talk sh*t ‘behind’ my back. Sorry to bicker Boulder… You’re one of the few that has the same sort of energy towards certain things I do.”
Now, I’m gonna have to think of a few of these folks as a golden ticket to sweet talk info out of with the right kinds of questions and shadow contact to see the surface of their minds.
She also thought as she made a willful effort to ignore Korra before the urge to crush a soul came out.
Lance smiled a bit without showing teeth as he said,
“Mom’s one of the better ones out there… She truly cares about saving lives. Spies also have more to worry about from her than you think as everyone forgets about the mind part of her quirk. You’d l-”
He cut himself off with a couple of coughs and cleared his throat before he said rather quickly between coughs,
“Sh*t! *cough* Not dying… *cough ahem* Just a pellet!”
Right as I’m trying to have a conversation! Why must my body decide to be weird as hell!?
He thought as he continued to cough and clear his throat.
Adara however picked up the sentence,
“What Lance was going to say is that you’d love working with Umbral, she’s just so extra yet efficient, friendly cussing is a thing at her agency as well and it's so great. I just about said her real name as I’m used to it… And Lance will be perfectly fine in a moment, and isn’t painful either.”
Neira wasn’t all that far from the cabins when she heard Evelyn ask to come on her next major bust and fell backwards into her own shadow and stepped out of Evelyn’s as she replied,
“Well, I feel like if I say ‘no’ you’ll take it as a challenge to get me to say yes. So let’s cut out the middleman and say yes then, shall we?”
She then did the same thing only to get back over to where she had been and acted like she hadn’t ever left.
(Yes Lance is coughing a pellet and yes it’s weird.
And Neira, she’s threatening yet can ask the right questions to get answers directly or indirectly.
And to add my two cents in I once denied a Karen the right to complain… by doing my job right.
My reaction to the whole thing is to stand there wanting to run but being too much of a coward or escalating it for them by getting the manager before they ask. Had a dumba*s b*tch I needed to do that for once.)
(Why do I have the cursed headcanon that Luther mostly got involved in actual fights down in the pits after seeing one dude nearly kill an on looker and just yeeting himself down there to ruin that man’s whole career b/c he about had collateral that wasn’t worth it. Not caring that he broke a rule as he was fulfilling a sworn duty and it looked rather cool.)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He was already seeing the irony in the statement as he thought,
How ironic that you are what you swore not to be?
Vamp’s Ire then replied,
“I was originally right then… Was probably a real treat when I showed up having killed a few heroes and several ‘stronger’ villains then.”
Once at the actual event he gave everyone the clear look of ‘start sh*t with me and I will tear out your heart’ as that tended to put a stop to anyone openly fighting with him. Who knew that letting the last thing someone ever saw being him eating your heart was a powerful deterrent to stupidity?
Luther noticed Angel’s slight discomfort as he thought,
Damn, I’d cut a note into my arm for her… But I’m currently kinda eating and it’d make it regenerate too fast to be of any use as a discrete note of I won’t tell if you need to hit the toilet for a quick power sob.
F*ck.
He only really stopped walking for a moment to pick up an empty wine glass and carefully empty the rest of the blood bag into it.
(Hey I mean, the headcannon could be how Carnage and Vamp's Ire met)
Camp Chaos
Boulder frowned at Korra who just shrugged and placed her hands behind her head. "Not my fault you're an old lady and still so sensitive. Now if you'll excuse me, I have students to watch over." She left no room for argument as she made a quick exit, Boulder made an attempt to stop her but sighed when she slipped away.
"I apologize, younger heroes are always brash. I've become so accustomed to working and handling them that it has slipped my mind how disrespectful they can truly get around their peers." Boulder gave a curt bow.
"She is right though. I will be meeting you and your groups in the mess hall tonight. I must take my students to their cabin. Iris will-" Boulder glanced around, Iris had already left it seemed. "... take his students as well. Right. Well, I will be seeing you in a few hours. Try not to let your students drive you up the wall." He gave a stern but not unfriendly look to Evelyn before leaving.
Evelyn whacked Lance on the back to assist his choking as she talked with Adara. "Damn straight she better be friendly with cursing. Cause I don't work with heroes that aren't, ya hear ya rat b*stards?" She swiveled around, "Also, you're damn right I would! If you say no to me going on a mission I'd just sneak out and find a way t go on it myself, whether you like it or not!"
The brown and gray-hair girl cackled manically.
Ann
"Eh, free entertainment is free entertainment yes? Now come on comrade, loosen up and have a few drinks." Carnage waved a glass. "It does not have to be of alcoholic nature, but just something to hydrate the system. It is good for you!" After making that whole speech, Carnage gave a small signal to Angel, who gave a firm nod and made her way to the table.
'food food food for the love of everything unholy I'm so hungry and dehydrated, I need iron I need salt I need-' Angel's mind went ballistic, forcing her to restrain herself as she calmly collected some food onto a plate.
There had been a couple of times in the past when Carnage had denied her food as punishment for not cooperating, but after realizing how much damage that did to her strength and endurance, he never did it anymore. For punishments now, he would either give an extreme form of training until she nearly slipped into a coma or... Angel's thoughts came to a standstill as she failed to repress the momentary shiver that trailed down her body, claws of unease sinking into her back like a lion tearing apart its prey.
The alternative punishment was having her primary feathers clipped.
Angel preferred the beatings.
'This food's actually pretty good... not that I'd never say that out loud, I'll never praise this pr*ck to his face. He can screw right off.'
(Hey I mean, the headcannon could be how Carnage and Vamp's Ire met)
Camp Chaos
Boulder frowned at Korra who just shrugged and placed her hands behind her head. "Not my fault you're an old lady and still so sensitive. Now if you'll excuse me, I have students to watch over." She left no room for argument as she made a quick exit, Boulder made an attempt to stop her but sighed when she slipped away.
"I apologize, younger heroes are always brash. I've become so accustomed to working and handling them that it has slipped my mind how disrespectful they can truly get around their peers." Boulder gave a curt bow.
"She is right though. I will be meeting you and your groups in the mess hall tonight. I must take my students to their cabin. Iris will-" Boulder glanced around, Iris had already left it seemed. "... take his students as well. Right. Well, I will be seeing you in a few hours. Try not to let your students drive you up the wall." He gave a stern but not unfriendly look to Evelyn before leaving.
Evelyn whacked Lance on the back to assist his choking as she talked with Adara. "Damn straight she better be friendly with cursing. Cause I don't work with heroes that aren't, ya hear ya rat b*stards?" She swiveled around, "Also, you're damn right I would! If you say no to me going on a mission I'd just sneak out and find a way t go on it myself, whether you like it or not!"
The brown and gray-hair girl cackled manically.
Ann
"Eh, free entertainment is free entertainment yes? Now come on comrade, loosen up and have a few drinks." Carnage waved a glass. "It does not have to be of alcoholic nature, but just something to hydrate the system. It is good for you!" After making that whole speech, Carnage gave a small signal to Angel, who gave a firm nod and made her way to the table.
'food food food for the love of everything unholy I'm so hungry and dehydrated, I need iron I need salt I need-' Angel's mind went ballistic, forcing her to restrain herself as she calmly collected some food onto a plate.
There had been a couple of times in the past when Carnage had denied her food as punishment for not cooperating, but after realizing how much damage that did to her strength and endurance, he never did it anymore. For punishments now, he would either give an extreme form of training until she nearly slipped into a coma or... Angel's thoughts came to a standstill as she failed to repress the momentary shiver that trailed down her body, claws of unease sinking into her back like a lion tearing apart its prey.
The alternative punishment was having her primary feathers clipped.
Angel preferred the beatings.
'This food's actually pretty good... not that I'd never say that out loud, I'll never praise this pr*ck to his face. He can screw right off.'
Camp Group
Neira smiled softly at Boulder as she replied,
“I’m more likely to be driven nuts at an odd hour of the night having the weirdest form of arguing ever… Or some hero whomst thinks I’m an old fart. But I’m more used to it, I have two kids and have taken all kinds of sass from more feral minded folks.
I’ll see you then as well”
She then dipped her head respectfully towards Boulder as she thought,
And I’ve got a calmer anchor in having someone like you around…
Lance coughed and cleared his throat a few more times before he coughed up a pellet about the size of his hand and said,
“I would avoid eating in ways that made me cough pellets, only it’s actually better for my health to have them. Yes, you can pick it apart to get a bit of an idea of how I eat, just like an owl pellet. Thank you for the bit of help coughing it up.”
And they always have this nasty after taste… That makes me want to put something better tasting in my mouth. And at the moment that’s a bit of blood or icing… I’m leaning towards blood at the moment.
He thought as he pulled out the second vial Adara had given him and held it in his mouth for a second before swallowing and adding,
“Too bad that I won’t get much out of eating with the rest of ya aside from the satisfaction of liking the way it tastes… I usually have the desire to really eat at around midnight that I take care of in the woods or by assaulting the fridge at home.”
He then walked up to the door of the cabin and held it for the moment.
Adara cheerfully said,
“Oh yeah Umbral’s agency is full of cussing, b*tch is sometimes used as a term of endearment, and motherf*cker can be a complement. It was a riot when me and Lance interned with her, I mean there was another guy that was also a hoot since he had one of the more ‘horror’ themed quirks that he was shy about until Umbral and Lance had at him… But we were all there for the legendary phone call from Shrapnel… As it happened our freshman year.”
Ahh… It’s so much fun working with Neira and some of her other interns… Like Wraith, that we kinda helped.
She thought as she walked inside.
(Note that Wraith is one of Moon’s characters, buuuut its extremely cannon that he interned for Neira and is only getting an honorable mention due to that)
(True, and Luther had a valid explanation in his mind for why he did that)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
Goddamn I really do need to get out of the hole I’m starting to dig for myself if it’s that obvious…
Why did I have to drop a hint about Aida to Angel earlier and make myself suffer?
Just stop thinking about it… And getting drunk definitely isn’t the answer as I’m either depressive or aggressive and there is no middle-ground. Nobody wants to see me crying while I attempt to slit their throat for seeing me cry.
He thought as he replied,
“Most of my diet is liquid, and blood contains a fair amount of water in it. But eh… Why the f*ck not?”
Ire then took a sprite to avoid alcohol and sat down as he got himself something to eat that was intentionally high in iron.
Camp Group
Neira smiled softly at Boulder as she replied,
“I’m more likely to be driven nuts at an odd hour of the night having the weirdest form of arguing ever… Or some hero whomst thinks I’m an old fart. But I’m more used to it, I have two kids and have taken all kinds of sass from more feral minded folks.
I’ll see you then as well”
She then dipped her head respectfully towards Boulder as she thought,
And I’ve got a calmer anchor in having someone like you around…
Lance coughed and cleared his throat a few more times before he coughed up a pellet about the size of his hand and said,
“I would avoid eating in ways that made me cough pellets, only it’s actually better for my health to have them. Yes, you can pick it apart to get a bit of an idea of how I eat, just like an owl pellet. Thank you for the bit of help coughing it up.”
And they always have this nasty after taste… That makes me want to put something better tasting in my mouth. And at the moment that’s a bit of blood or icing… I’m leaning towards blood at the moment.
He thought as he pulled out the second vial Adara had given him and held it in his mouth for a second before swallowing and adding,
“Too bad that I won’t get much out of eating with the rest of ya aside from the satisfaction of liking the way it tastes… I usually have the desire to really eat at around midnight that I take care of in the woods or by assaulting the fridge at home.”
He then walked up to the door of the cabin and held it for the moment.
Adara cheerfully said,
“Oh yeah Umbral’s agency is full of cussing, b*tch is sometimes used as a term of endearment, and motherf*cker can be a complement. It was a riot when me and Lance interned with her, I mean there was another guy that was also a hoot since he had one of the more ‘horror’ themed quirks that he was shy about until Umbral and Lance had at him… But we were all there for the legendary phone call from Shrapnel… As it happened our freshman year.”
Ahh… It’s so much fun working with Neira and some of her other interns… Like Wraith, that we kinda helped.
She thought as she walked inside.
(Note that Wraith is one of Moon’s characters, buuuut its extremely cannon that he interned for Neira and is only getting an honorable mention due to that)
(True, and Luther had a valid explanation in his mind for why he did that)
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
Goddamn I really do need to get out of the hole I’m starting to dig for myself if it’s that obvious…
Why did I have to drop a hint about Aida to Angel earlier and make myself suffer?
Just stop thinking about it… And getting drunk definitely isn’t the answer as I’m either depressive or aggressive and there is no middle-ground. Nobody wants to see me crying while I attempt to slit their throat for seeing me cry.
He thought as he replied,
“Most of my diet is liquid, and blood contains a fair amount of water in it. But eh… Why the f*ck not?”
Ire then took a sprite to avoid alcohol and sat down as he got himself something to eat that was intentionally high in iron.
Evelyn
"Hah! You're the kinda guy that makes 3 am shredded cheese runs, aren't ya Shark Boy?" She paused when Lance held the door, but the second it opened and shoved right past the two.
"Dips on top bunk!" Evelyn raced across the room towards one of the bunk beds, quickly racing up to the top and firmly staking her claim there. "Internships with Umbral sound fun, although I've never interned before so I'd have to wait until my school allows it to get one. Which I hate. Wish I had the freedom to just do whatever, but oh well, gotta follow some rules if I wanna be a hero."
'Not to mention I have to take special classes because of my... lack of an education in the past. As well as my destructive habits. Pff, who cared about that anyway? I still don't see why it matters, as long as no civilians get hurt. Which they don't.'
Ann
Carnage glanced to his friend with a hesitant look as his constant smile dropped for a moment. Muttering to himself, he quickly slapped the smile back on. "Come on, it has been long enough here, yes? We have had something to drink and the warrior has had a meal. Let us get to the real fun of the day, our first competition!"
His eyes sparkled with glee. If Angel were upset, she gave no indication as she turned at Carnage's signal and hurried off to her cell to prepare. 'Thank everything unholy he's not coming with me this time. I swear, my social battery died 3 hours ago and if anyone else tries to talk to me I might just bite their head off.'
Evelyn
"Hah! You're the kinda guy that makes 3 am shredded cheese runs, aren't ya Shark Boy?" She paused when Lance held the door, but the second it opened and shoved right past the two.
"Dips on top bunk!" Evelyn raced across the room towards one of the bunk beds, quickly racing up to the top and firmly staking her claim there. "Internships with Umbral sound fun, although I've never interned before so I'd have to wait until my school allows it to get one. Which I hate. Wish I had the freedom to just do whatever, but oh well, gotta follow some rules if I wanna be a hero."
'Not to mention I have to take special classes because of my... lack of an education in the past. As well as my destructive habits. Pff, who cared about that anyway? I still don't see why it matters, as long as no civilians get hurt. Which they don't.'
Ann
Carnage glanced to his friend with a hesitant look as his constant smile dropped for a moment. Muttering to himself, he quickly slapped the smile back on. "Come on, it has been long enough here, yes? We have had something to drink and the warrior has had a meal. Let us get to the real fun of the day, our first competition!"
His eyes sparkled with glee. If Angel were upset, she gave no indication as she turned at Carnage's signal and hurried off to her cell to prepare. 'Thank everything unholy he's not coming with me this time. I swear, my social battery died 3 hours ago and if anyone else tries to talk to me I might just bite their head off.'
Camp Group
Lance came inside as he replied,
“You bet I do, as I’m deada*s awake at 3am… But so is most of the family. I swear we all sometimes even skip a day or two of sleep. I do that regularly though… I’m only as awake as I am now because I slept on the way here.”
Adara snorted as she got into the top bunk she had claimed earlier and said,
“Lance, I’ve caught you passed out at your own front door covered in blood. I’ll be the judge of how bad your sleep schedule is.
And sorry to hear about your school being lame, our’s tentatively let’s freshies and gleefully allows all sophomores and up to get an internship. Umbral also has a really good track record for this kind of thing… So you know she ain’t gonna get a bunch of kids killed in a preventable accident.”
“Evelyn, I’m the sort of person that yells ‘intern’ and half expects to hear ‘boss’, ‘hero’ or ‘mother’ yelled back at me with a hint of sarcasm. I go back and forth with some of them like that to give ‘em a hard time.”
There was a slight pause before Umbral added,
“We root out the evil that hides in the shadows!
That’s the motto we uphold at my agency, and if you think you can honor those words… You’ve got a deal!”
Neira’s shadow moved in an elegant way as she spoke, creating root like structures that probed other shadows in the room.
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He smiled a bit and let his fangs be seen for a second as he said,
“Sounds great, and so long as none of the idiots try to hurt the crowd I’ll be good just to watch. I’d hate to have a repeat of what got me truly involved down here.”
There was that mix of joking and sarcasm in Luther’s voice that indicated that he was more at ease as he thought,
That was a moment that p*ss and vinegar ran through me… And the guy hardly had a chance to react before my blade dove into his chest and I was licking the blood off of it.
His right hand clenched for a second before relaxing, and could have easily passed as a simple force of habit for using the blade he hid there.
Camp Group
Lance came inside as he replied,
“You bet I do, as I’m deada*s awake at 3am… But so is most of the family. I swear we all sometimes even skip a day or two of sleep. I do that regularly though… I’m only as awake as I am now because I slept on the way here.”
Adara snorted as she got into the top bunk she had claimed earlier and said,
“Lance, I’ve caught you passed out at your own front door covered in blood. I’ll be the judge of how bad your sleep schedule is.
And sorry to hear about your school being lame, our’s tentatively let’s freshies and gleefully allows all sophomores and up to get an internship. Umbral also has a really good track record for this kind of thing… So you know she ain’t gonna get a bunch of kids killed in a preventable accident.”
“Evelyn, I’m the sort of person that yells ‘intern’ and half expects to hear ‘boss’, ‘hero’ or ‘mother’ yelled back at me with a hint of sarcasm. I go back and forth with some of them like that to give ‘em a hard time.”
There was a slight pause before Umbral added,
“We root out the evil that hides in the shadows!
That’s the motto we uphold at my agency, and if you think you can honor those words… You’ve got a deal!”
Neira’s shadow moved in an elegant way as she spoke, creating root like structures that probed other shadows in the room.
Luther - Vamp’s Ire
He smiled a bit and let his fangs be seen for a second as he said,
“Sounds great, and so long as none of the idiots try to hurt the crowd I’ll be good just to watch. I’d hate to have a repeat of what got me truly involved down here.”
There was that mix of joking and sarcasm in Luther’s voice that indicated that he was more at ease as he thought,
That was a moment that p*ss and vinegar ran through me… And the guy hardly had a chance to react before my blade dove into his chest and I was licking the blood off of it.
His right hand clenched for a second before relaxing, and could have easily passed as a simple force of habit for using the blade he hid there.
