#— ic.

[fortruechaos]

"Well if it's the only lead you got we should probably check it out; between Shard and I we have more than enough speed to justify looking into these 'small' leads," Shadow pipes up again, his head raising slightly to half-squint at the hologram of the General. "If your scepter's location is different from universe to universe, it might even suggest that Chaos energy differs from universe to universe too...maybe." He scratches his head. This whole thing is beginning to confuse him a little, but he'll be damned if he lets himself get washed away or overwhelmed by everything the other hedgehogs are saying.

Shadow half-turns to Silver. "I'll even lend you my bike, the Dark Rider." Silver can go pretty fast without lagging too far behind even when Shadow's hitting top speed, but the Dark Rider is that much faster, and from what he can tell it sounds like they don't have time to waste. A small half-quirk of a smile surfaces on his face. "Just don't mess up the paint."

"Yeah, Shadow.... er, PAST Shadow does have a point. I'm pretty attuned to sensing chaos energy too, and this Emerald FEELS fine." Silver points out. There's nothing visibly wrong with it, and there's nothing wrong with the energy it's outputting aside what Shard detected on the scan.

"Unfortunately I cannot guarantee the answers to anything," The General huffs, his arms folded with a note of irritation in his tone. He's not happy about this either. "We only discovered the scepter recently. We don't know how long it's been in the Holoska Area, where the Subzero Crater now lies, and what was inside it prior to being broken open. There's too many unknown factors to definitively say anything."

"Then why don't we go to Holoska and check for ourselves?" Shard pitches. "That way if we find the scepter in the same place Gamma and I found it when we were there the first time, then we'll know if the scepter's been there the whole time? After all, Holoska is very much NOT a crater right now, so it's worth a look."

"That is important, but it still doesn't resolve why we can't sense this strange energy," The General grumbles. "Holoska is a lead, even if a small one, but we need to find a source before the chaos emeralds loose their power. Sonic and I were caught off guard when the tragedy struck our timeline, meaning this non-existent energy drained the emeralds beforehand, like it was planning ahead to stop us from using our super forms."

[wingherc]

@gaiaspoken

｢𓆄｣ Dropping by the flower shop was definitely a surprise. Hawks had wisened up to the girls this go around and managed to sneak around the back going undetected, even with his arms full. Fortunately, he's quiet as he entered the boss lady's office.

And it was finally starting to look like it was all her's now: finally! To make his presence known, he let out an impressed whistle at the decor and smiled.

"It's not stuffy in here, you really livened the place up."

"I would've warned you I was dropping by. But. My phone kinda fell outta my pocket and got smashed to bits. So I'm getting a new one here soon." Hawks warned as he casually sauntered into the office, and pulled Aerith's long insulated winter coat over her.

"Can I steal you away for a little bit?"

[vierandancer]

@theazureblade - continuing from here

"Aye, you can," Meiko grinned. She wasn't going to really drag Aymeric out of the office against his will. She knew when to take a hint when someone told her to plainly fuck off. But she also knew Aymeric would never leave his office if he wasn't encouraged to do something a wee bit irresponsible. "Feel free to blame me as much as you like."

[fortruechaos]

Her deflation is pretty apparent; oops now I gave her too little, Shadow thinks, but before he can try to make it clear that he isn't upset anymore, Amy jumps right into the last card. And that deflation is quickly replaced with fondness. Shadow is glad because he wasn't really sure how he was going to say sorry for being too closed off again.

Shadow looks from the card to Amy and back and curiously picks it up in his hands at her look, tilting the card a bit from side to side to watch as the holo catches the light. "Hm." He thinks he likes this one too. KNOWS YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THEM. Well, if Shadow was like Amy and took it to apply to some sort of romantic love, that would be nice. But even applying it in a way he's more predisposed to want to, the way that speaks to his general connections and self of sense, he's happy to have gotten this card. In the way that his friends all push him to be able to fulfill that guiding wish from above; stars upon stars, stars leading back to the Polaris that is Maria's hope for humanity. "So...overall it's a positive read?" He sets the card back down on the table. "It seems like it is."

To be honest, it is kind of surprising how much match-up there seems to be in the cards to his own life. From The Hermit (name of the card aside) being a man traveling on his own to seek self-discovery and actualization, to forging specific close bonds that carry him forward in The Chariot, all to help push him in fulfilling wishes and healing as represented by The Star. Shadow won't go as far as to say he believes in any of this stuff, but now he can kind of get the appeal. Actually get and not just hand-wave it with a semblance of understanding.

Amy can't help deflating--The fact he responds to basically nothing that she says leaves her feeling like maybe this was a bad idea. BUT!!! Shadow said to keep going; He must not be totally over it yet. Good, because Amy's sure a partial reading would drive both of them insane once they put the cards away.

"Yeah, okay..." She clears her throat, trying to gather up some of her knowledgeable excitement again. "So your third card can represent your friends, forces around you--whatever resonates the most." Amy flips it to reveal an orange and pink Mobian woman pouring out a jar of water--Above her hangs a glittery star that seems to reflect all the colors of a rainbow, like the chaos emeralds. Holographic foil is so cool.

"The Star..." For a few seconds, Amy just stares at it. Fond and knowing. Rebirth, renewal, recovery. They push the card over for Shadow to take and their smile goes warm. "This one is all about healing and hope. Someone or something that helps you reach those things, or knows you've been fighting for them. You may already have a light guiding you and they try to help you follow it." Amy sees this card often in her own readings; It has a kindness to it that she can't explain, a caring nature. Shadow doesn't believe in the occult, but Amy wonders if the feeling might be there for him, too.

[pavlovianpanic]

❝ i told you already, ❞ he says, taking a few test shots, ❝ you're fine. no one is going to see these but me, anyway. you're worrying way too much. ❞ nathan is oddly comfortable, but that must mean it's because he's in his element. he's relying a lot on natural lighting today, the clouds parting perfectly for just enough drab and just enough fab. you're leaning too much, he seems to say, gesturing to stand straighter. there we go. perfect. ❝ see? you're fine. hey, tilt your head a bit for me, huh? ❞ — open ( nathan p. )

[chounaifu]

" By the age of six, EVERY child should know how to hot wire a car and steal from government buildings!!! I'm gonna personally give every impressionable six year old a pocket knife and a bag of candy full of red dye for the EXTRA POWERFUL BRAIN CHEMICALS. "

[gyokutoll]

I’m tired of being in situations.

[gravesung]

❝ ...? ❞ leeeans down to where they're sitting. ❝ hey, you okay? ❞

[fortruechaos]

@familylightfox said: ❛ i don't look like a ghost, do i? see? warm. ❜ (From Volt since he's had a few changes since they last saw each other. ;p)

So Shadow had hit his head a little hard when Zone-warping this time. Whatever. He sat up from where he'd tumbled onto the ground and rubbed at his forehead, squinting at Volt when the other said that and reached his non-cybernetic hand out to help him up, which Shadow accepted after just a moment longer of staring at Volt. Warm, indeed.

"No, you don't." When he was on his feet again he squinted at Volt once more, although not for doubting his existence this time, but rather because he simply looked changed from the last time Shadow had been here. "But you do look different. Have I been gone long again?"

[wingherc]

@gaiaspoken

｢𓆄｣ When the invites for the party had come out, Hawks had sent a text Aerith's way, effectively inviting her to go with him. With her acceptance of his invitation, he suggested with the nature of it being a masked ball, that they try to find each other! And while they'd at least coordinated a color palette, neither one knew what the other would be wearing, so it kept it fresh.

And, with Hawks' late arrival, when he was in proximity of the manner, he could already hear the atmosphere of the party through one of his feathers. Sooo, maybe he had an added perk, but, he wouldn't find her right away just to even out the playing field. Even so much as to moving farther away when he was mingling with some other party goers.

After being at the party for about thirty-ish minutes, he decided the jig was up, and it's when she was being invited for a dance, is an arm thrown around her.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." A playful laugh escaped him as he guided her away from the crowd. "You haven't been here long, have you?"

[vierandancer]

@starrymused

After everything that had gone on with Garlean Empire, Meiko had felt her stomach sink at the rumors of another mysterious magitek machine accompanying an equally mysterious man in black.

"Not fuckin' the day," she muttered as she made her way out into Thanalan. Despite the potential danger of yet another Asican making trouble, however, she hadn't reached for her Linkpearl to alert the others. Not even her brother. She would, of course, if the rumors proved true...but people were sometimes blind. Or paranoid. Or stupid (herself included). And if it truly were a threat worth investigating, someone would've come running into town screaming already. So, hopefully...

...

Huh.

It wasn't all that hard to spot the strange magitek vehicle from a distance, but she nearly missed the lad curled up in front of it looking like how she oft did after too many firewaters. Perhaps that was why she didn't draw her weapons as she approached, albeit cautiously.

"Y...You all right, lad?"

[zat4nna]

[ hair & lean ]  –  for the sender to brush a strand of hair out of the face, and lean in slowly for a kiss.

zatanna remembers what it is like to be kissed by john constantine. it's just the two of them, she does not know why she let him so close. but it's easy. it's easier than running and trying to put a sea between them. she's looking at him and he's older, stopped being that young man she fell in love with. it's not like he has changed, but maybe she has, the circumstances certainly have. she sees him and she does not see the fire, or death looming grim over his shoulder. she just sees him, getting lost on blue eyes. he leans in. and the old zatanna would've moved away. the old zatanna would have been upset. but she's been livining stuck in the past, like a broken record, living like a ghost, like she was the one who died.

but her mind clears, her cheeks warm. and her hands on his shoulders, the hesitation of pushing melts into the intent of pulling him just that little bit closer. leans closer and faster than him. a conscious decision. zatanna almost melts into it, the tension leaving her body. and she remembers, it's this very silly warm feeling. it's like casting magic without any of the words. she's twenty again, it's all the good with none of the bad. the rub of his stubble, the way the smell of cigarettes kisses the airs. damn you, john constantine.

[z0mburger]

CONT'D. @sillymuses

💀 — “ Oh, no, no. I hear ya, sister! You're preaching to the choir here. ”

[ though the undead isn't ' evil ' enough to wish any ... extreme harm upon the living, the scrambling firemen have it under control. that's what they're paid for! once that moral quandary is settled, he's good to justify the other one.]

“ I've had my share of ' accidents ' involving some property damage. People get on my ass about it! But if a layman had access to the Necronomicon or some shit, potion of fiery explosion – ? They'd do the same. Good to get it out in one go; you feel better now, don't 'cha? ”

[mystalwartheart]

"I saw you out there, fighting for your life." Kelpie hissed out. They was stalking after the women. Not knowing if she was part of the BSAA or any of the groups that were hunting them.

Jill spins on her heels to find the source of the voice addressing her, and sees someone standing before her. They look human, but not...exactly, and it's clear by their physical condition they've been through hell themselves. She's cautious, sizing the stranger up, but not yet reaching for her weapon.

"You've been watching me," Jill observes plainly and calmly. Evidently, there are other actors at play here. She wonders if the stranger might be an undercover operative, or a B.O.W. sent to kill her by Los Illuminados, the KGB or some remnant of the Spencer family or Umbrella Corporation, but she's never seen a B.O.W. display such obvious sapience before: Typically they're uncontrollable shambling monstrosities, or soldiers programed to obey orders without question with no free will of their own.

She decides to take a chance, slowly beginning to raise her hands, but not keeping them far from her holster.

"May I ask who you are, and why you're following me?" Jill asks carefully and politely.

[gravesung-moving]

❝ NOW, NOW — THERE'S NO need to get so worked up. ❞