Heroes: Shadows over Millenium

[B4UTRUST]

Kyosuke nodded slowly.
"I'll keep an eye on her as I can. Hard to keep track of teleporters though."

[LadyTevar]

"Then let's join the party below..." Lei said, once again shifting to her dragonshape with its mix of Oriental dragon features and western-style wings. A second later, they emerged from the shadows into Blackheart's apartment, just missing the toast.

Lei left Gravitas and Kyosuke to deal with Em, while she walked over to Blackheart's side. "Mind if I give you the details privately?" she asked, nodding towards the balcony Legacies had just entered from.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart nodded, downed his drink and headed toward his balcony.

[LadyTevar]

Lei stepped out onto the balcony, a shadow tendril closing the door once Blackheart had joined her outside. "I should have asked you first, as Legacies pointedly informed me, before teleporting up to the roof, however Emily seemed very definately in danger." It was as close to an apology as Lei was going to offer. "She was under attack... from within her own mind, it seems."

[Cynical Cat]

"Don't sweat it," said Blackheart. "Putting out fires always comes before signing the forms. At least as long as I'm running this outfit. Hmmm. Maybe you shouldn't become to attached to that wasy of doing things." He shrugged. "I don't much understand teep stuff. Been around it so I'm not exactly totally ignorant, but . . ." he shrugged again. "Not my field."

[LadyTevar]

"As an empath, I can tell you a bit more," Lei said, looking past him into the apartment and the continued drunken revelry. "First... alcohol and drugs weaken our shields. The moment she took a drink, she was vulnerable. She ran because she was overhearing every thought we had." Her black-on-black eyes meet his squarely. "I hope you were not thinking anything top secret recently."

[Cynical Cat]

"Teeps have trouble reading me, unless they really try. Super tumour's bad karma waves again."

[LadyTevar]

Lei tilted her head at that, as if reaching out to read his emotions. "I ... see." she replied, once again straighting up and meeting his eyes. "So that is why there seems to be a ... 'humming' ... around you."

She did not mention the resignation and regret she'd read from his mention of the tumor. His conversation with Kyosuke made it clear that the tumor was blessing and curse, and he expected it to kill him eventually. "Unfortunately, Emily is hearing another voice besides ours," she continued, knowing Blackheart would want to know this. "A voice that seems to want control of her."

[Cynical Cat]

"Great," replied Blackheart. "It isn't enough that Captain Can Do No Wrong and Super Bigot are on the Team, Litttle Miss Torture Alot might be getting brain jacked. And I though we had enough problems just with the team's voluntary actions. Anything you can do about it?"

[LadyTevar]

His frustration was clear, the descriptions equally so. Lei wished she had better news for him. "Unfortunately not. What blocks emotions doesn't work as well for teeps. I did ask Gravitas and Kyosuke to keep an eye on her." she explained. "Mainly because of where she was when she claims she first heard the voices... inside the Astronomer's lair."

She looked away, still feeling a little odd to say this to someone. "Kyosuke is ... fanatical... but he is a demon hunter." she sighed, once again facing him to deliever the news. "If Emily's voice is demonic, Kyosuke may be her best protection. Everything else..." she shrugged. " .. there's Gravitas. And it makes him ... complete ... when protecting someone. As if that is what his powers are there for."

[Cynical Cat]

"I trust the extradimensional power house far more than the fanatic. Fanatics always see what they expect and then go off the rails, the willfully blind bastards.. Fuck it, its not like I can do anything about it. Or do you have an idea?"

[LadyTevar]

Now, Lei looked away, and didn't look back immediately. Up til now, she'd seemed to understand that Blackheart prefered to talk eye to eye. "Not... really..." Lei answered. "Another teep would be the best bet. Perhaps one that knows something of possession."

She did not want to repeat Legacies' suggestion to Blackheart.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart took out a match and lit it with a burst of his flash vision. The ran the flame slowly under his hand. "What aren't you saying?"

[LadyTevar]

Blackheart took out a match and lit it with a burst of his flash vision. The ran the flame slowly under his hand. "What aren't you saying?"

Lei didn't jump. She did't even startle. No, honestly.

"Ember used to use that trick..." Lei said wistfully, remembering her former partner. "Followed by those exact same words..."

She sighed, turning away to look over the balcony at the city basking in the afternoon sun like a contented cat. "Legacies had a suggestion... in case Emily did lose control of her powers." Lei was shielding tightly now. Hopefully it was enough to prevent Em from hearing her thoughts. She turned back, stepping closer to Blackheart. "If I say it aloud, she will overhear it in my thoughts. I dont' think she can read his thoughts, because of what he is."

[SirNitram]

To hear Gravitas' thoughts now would be... Extraordinary. The Nova followed Em, staying close. Calculations utilizing math that had not yet been created in this timeline churned away, as the gravity-bending superhuman attempted to plot the most likely avenues for possession through the various dimensions, realities, and sub-partitioned sections of space that made up the multiverse.

The cocoon he was spinning was unlikely to have any effect here in normal fourspace, but one by one, he closed off other realities to the telepath. It was exhaustive work with almost no visible effect, but it wasn't the magnitude of power that was testing him. It was the precision. Each little knothole must be closed to perfectly seal out outside influence. If the entity was already in her.. He'd leave that to the sorcerer.

Anyone watching and wondering why he wasn't singing would see the effort, see the sweat beading off him.

[Cynical Cat]

"I'm used to that. Field expediencies. Such a nice name for a nasty buisiness." He ran fire slowly over his palm. "If it has to be done, I'll do it. My team, my responsibility. I'm carrying enough ghosts for her to have plenty of company."

[LadyTevar]

Lei nodded slowly, her eyes half-hooding as she watched the flame flicker over his skin. "You and Garth both..." She took a deep breath. "Although, as ordered, we have found someone to help shut down the link, at least temporarily. That should stop any more ... problems... with my emotions crossing over to him."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart held the dying match in the palm of his hand. He crumbled the blackened stick to piece and dropped the pieces into the wind. "Is that what turned him into a whiny little bitch? Survivor's guilt? What is it between both of you anyway? Why do you give that bigot the time of day?"

[Charon]

Legacies actually took a seat as the party slowed down some. The silver figure slumped down into one of the chairs where it sat unmoving. Distantly, he could hear Argent and Blackheart discussing, something. He couldn't tell exactly, but it wasn't hard to piece together.

Gravitas was concentrating on something, concentrating with almost all his might. On what was completely beyond Legacies as he watched Gravitas, but it was certainly not something that he should be distracted from. Legacies kept an eye on the extra-dimensional meta as he scanned the rest of the room. For the most part things were going as they had been. Kyosuke was still not drinking, Saibot... no... Garth was still making up for the alcohol he and Kyosuke were not drinking, and the others were trying to relax after the past trials.

"How... mundane..."

[LadyTevar]

Lei blinked at him... and then blushed a little. "oh... so that's what that was..." Since that comment was sure to get an odd look from him, she explained.

"You sometimes give off a trio of emotions around me. The first is very flattering. You're cute too." She gifted him with a smile, before it fades with her next sentence. "The third is regret.. resignation. Sour Grapes over something you know you'll never have. But the middle one.. that one confused me. You were curious and jealous both."

Again, she turned her eyes away from him, this time looking inside the balcony's door to where little blue figures were dancing around Saibot's head. "I can't say why it's continued... but I have a guess as to what caused the bond. Look at his ring's powers. Some would call that wish fulfillment. Whatever he desires, imagines, wills into being, the ring creates or provides for him."

Her voice was quiet as she continued to speak, telling Blackheart what she feared was the truth. "When I faced off with him in the park, I knew I couldnt' fight him. He was too powerful. So... I tried to subvert him." Her eyes were flat as she glanced up at Blackheart. "I could demonstrate... but I don't think you'd like that."

Her eyes go back to the figure spawled on the couch. "All I meant to do was get him to lust after me... wanting to fuck more than to fight, if you will. It... worked, although it was a fierce battle to break through his will to get it there. But for the next few minutes, all he wanted, all he desired... was to make me his woman, in the most primal way possible."

"Ironic, is it not? I ignited a desire, the ring grants it. Only later do I discover he's the broken remnants of a hero I once worshipped."

[Cynical Cat]

"Sounds like you got the short end of the stick. As for bitterness, I've gotten used to not having things. Family, pets, love of a good woman, a life. Still sucks, but I can bear it. After all, it could be worse. Childhood leukemia, lymphoma, all sorts of shit could have already killed me. I'm probably going to check out in a few years, but Alexander the Great died young too."

[LadyTevar]

"Somehow... I doubt you would have fallen for the trick like he did." Lei replied softly. "For now... I can only try to help him remember who he once was. This..." she shook her head sadly. "This is guilt. Pain. Self-blame, thinking he killed not just the Guardians, but his family as well. It's not something I can just pull out of him. He has to face it first. Then...." she looked down, falling silent. then he might not need her anymore.

[Cynical Cat]

"You can't make him be a man. He's got to stand up and do that for himself."

[LadyTevar]

A small laugh, touched with bitterness. "What is the saying? behind every strong man is a woman propping him up?" Lei shook her head, letting out a sigh. "For now... he needs me. He loves me, thanks to this bond between us. As for me..." her eyes hood again, as she tries to figure out her own emotions. " ... I've never understood love before. Hate is a simple emotion, like a sharp blade. Love..." she shook her head, trying to put it into words. "... so many different parts to it, different lesser emotions tied into one, like twine braided tightly to make s stronger rope."

[B4UTRUST]

Kyosuke sat down on a couch and followed Em with his eyes. After a few moments of this Kubira came over and began to poke him with increased irritation after his lack of response to her. Finally he looked up at her as she turned her glare first from Em and then back to Kyosuke. Kyosuke blinked in confusion, laughed and shook his head before returning to his watch of Em. Kubira threw up her hands in disgust and resignation before going over to the table and grabbing a bottle of liquor and beginning to drink.

She tipped the bottle back and chugged, downing half of it in a single pull. Kyosuke felt he really should stop her before she did something stupid, or worse, horribly silly and potentitally embarassing. But he was to busy contemplating other things at the moment. While he could not see the taint of the demonic in the girl there was something bothering her. Who knew if it was just deeply hidden and subverting her or if it was there at all.

He sighed glancing around the room at the others. What a hell of a group to get paired up with. He would have to thank his superiors when he got back to Japan.