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Post by Acacia Bailey on Nov 14, 2015 16:18:01 GMT -5
Acacia sat in front of the mirror while the backstage crew finished with her hair and makeup. She was nervous, but at the same time it was really nice to know that everyone around her was feeling the exact same way. This was one of the final chances they would have to perform before graduation. Scouts from dance companies all over the country were supposed to be out there in the audience. Getting hired right out of school was the dream, of course. No dancer wanted to have to make the rounds and go to the gigantic cattle call auditions for months or even years before landing a single gig. Ugh, just the thought of that made her even more nervous. Great. Now she was psyching herself out. She needed to focus. All that mattered was the music and the story. Don't pay any attention to the people who'd already been onstage talking about how great they'd done, or how they saw the scouts writing something down in their little notepads, or the long lists of boyfriends, girlfriends, family that were out in the audience cheering them on. That was all out of her control. Thinking too much about all that was just a waste of energy.
Time to go on. Acacia made her way onto the stage in the darkness. The music started, her dance starting off with her in silhouette and then the lights slowly came up. They stayed low enough that she could still see the shapes of the people sitting in their auditorium chairs. Maybe she could have even seen faces, if she'd looked hard enough. But her attention was not on them. it was on her performance, telling the story that she'd been given. The piece had been put together by a world-renowned choreographer from L.A. who'd been hired for the event. It was the story of a young girl, her daily struggle to put her life back together after a battle with drug addiction.
As someone who really understood the language of dance, Acacia thought it was a powerful piece. She wasn't sure how well it would translate to the general populous, especially other college kids her age who weren't necessarily into this kind of thing. All she could do was perform it to the best of her ability. And that is exactly what she did. Every plié, grande jeté... it was all a fluid part of the story for her. For two minutes, she was a desperate woman struggling against her own demons. Trying to keep her head above water. By the time the music faded, a tear had escaped her and rolled freely down the left side of her face. The audience was silent for a heartbeat longer, and then exploded into applause. She'd never felt so alive. Times like this were when she knew for certain that she'd been given a gift. Dance was her calling. The lights came back up and she smiled, her tears already drying as she took her bow and quickly exited the performance area. Her part of the night was over now. Time to get out of costume and makeup and go about her merry little way.
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Post by The Sovereign on Nov 14, 2015 20:52:06 GMT -5
Most nights Roman would spend looking through old tomes and spellbooks in his secluded lair. But there was just something about fresh air that cleared the senses. As a man who enjoyed the finer things in life, seeing a flyer for a dance recital intrigued him greatly. It didn't take him long to get to the auditorium, where he was greeted by a particularly cheery woman asking for his ticket. "I don't need a ticket," he responded. The Sovereign went wherever he pleased. His intimidating demeanor made the woman back down a bit, but then two men made their way towards them asking if there was a problem. Roman's eyes narrowed, an energy glowing from them and trailing up at the corners. "You'll leave now, and I will pass to watch the show. If that doesn't happen...." he said in a low, menacing tone. A plant in the corner disintegrated in a flash of fire. "Imagine the rest of the auditorium going up like that. Women, children, elderly. All their screams on your head. And just to make it worse, you'll all live, just to be haunted by the memory." Without a word, the men parted, but the woman stood firm, protesting against his words about killing everyone there. One of the men pulled her aside, but she wouldn't budge. It actually intrigued Roman a bit, but she was still in the way. And getting in his way was a death sentence. He uttered a simple incantation and then gave a slight scoff. "Strong and steady for a woman in witness protection, Kathy. Or should I call you by your real name? Joan." The look on her face changed from angry to stunned. Her lip quivered, giving Roman a feeling of satisfaction as she stepped aside.
Inside was much more agreeable to him. He looked over the room, his eyes landing at the stage, where a very beautiful young woman was dancing. She was good. Very good, and she had the audience captive. There was something more about the girl though, something hidden. Even her tears at the end of the dance, it showed that she really cared about what she was doing. A low growl erupted from Roman though, when he heard the two men coming up behind him. He turned, his eyes glowing again with rage. "You were warned!" he shot at them. A split second passed, and the entire place erupted in flames. The men fell back, realizing that the flames weren't even touching them. They panicked, screaming out the question of what are you at the angry man. A small grin passed his face, a grin of pure evil as he answered. "I am the end of your life."
With a twist of his wrist, the man was lifted into the air, held aloft by seemingly nothing, He wasn't choking, or even struggling, but the life energy was leaving his body slowly, painfully. The fire was selective, so only those that he wanted dead were affected by it. So the woman, the two men, and the dancer were unaffected, at least physically. The other man and Joan were held in a suspended animation type grasp, not asleep, but forced to watch the building fall around them. The dancer was free to move around as she pleased, but the walls made the situation in the dance hall visible to her. The last bit of life force left the man held up in the air, and Roman dropped his lifeless body. "Call in the drones," he said to no one in particular. Within moments, small robotic drones were flying about the area, taking samples from the dead. A long, black car pulled up and a man stepped out, holding a gun out and walking towards Joan. "Give my regards to Mr. Caito," Roman said as the man took Joan with him. The other man got to see one final snarl from Roman before his neck snapped awkwardly, violently. Roman then turned, locking eyes with the dancer. He waited for her reaction to the situation.
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Nov 17, 2015 21:39:33 GMT -5
Acacia had still been making her way off the stage when the first screams erupted from the audience. Thoughts of getting changed back into her everyday clothes and ridding herself of all that show makeup quickly vanished from her mind. She turned her head, her eyes widening as the theater burst into flames, seemingly out of nowhere. The people themselves caught on fire, screaming in terrible agony. Even backstage she could hear the other dancers wailing. Then, silence… Just the sound of the flames and the building’s structure losing its integrity. It would start falling apart soon, and it was eerie beyond anything the young girl had ever experienced before. It wasn’t clear to her where the fire had come from, but what she really couldn’t understand was why everyone in the building seemed to be affected except for her. Why everyone had died except her.
But wait, there were other people unaffected by the blaze. She could see them through the smoke, vaguely. It was difficult through watering eyes. They focused on a large man who was literally lifting another man into the air. There was another unburnt corpse already at his feet, and a woman. Was this the man that was causing all this mayhem and destruction? It certainly seemed so. As she watched, a pair of men came into the burning building from outside and dragged the woman away. Acacia had no idea what the hell was going on, or even what she should do. Part of her was terrified and felt like she should run as far away as possible. Find the nearest exit that wasn’t on fire and get out before the man turned his attention toward her. But at the same time, another part was fascinated. She found herself transfixed at the scene in front of her. Her eyes were completely glued as he broke the neck of the last man. Then, as she’d feared, his eyes found her and locked with hers.
Acacia fully expected to burst into flames at any moment, but all she felt was the heat from the fires that were already burning. Why wasn’t he killing her too? He obviously was more than powerful enough to do so. Maybe he was still planning on doing it. Well, if she had to choose her death, she would rather die like that last man than all the others in the audience. Getting her neck snapped was infinitely more favorable than being burnt alive. She wanted to be cremated when she died, but that was something else entirely. So instead of just waiting for her death, she approached him. Any minute, he was going to do something and it would be the end of her life. No, he seemed to be allowing her to come closer. Close enough that she was within arm’s reach before she stopped walking. Her head tilted slightly. “You spared me…” Where she found the courage to even speak to him, she wasn’t sure. “Why?” It would bother her if she couldn’t at least know that much.
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Post by The Sovereign on Nov 21, 2015 22:39:38 GMT -5
Why? Why did he spare her? That was the right question for her to ask. Anyone else would have been more bothered by the situation at hand. More concerned by the fact that the entire building had just burned down around them, the people's agonized wails as they breathed their last breaths. Anyone else would have tears in their eyes, or show some sort of emotional response to the whole thing. A slight grin passed over Roman's face. He hadn't any intentions of doing this. Thing was, when someone tried to deny the Sovereign anything, he reacted badly. As far as he was concerned, these people deserved every second of pain he granted them. He lowered his gaze to look the girl straight in the eye. "A very astute question," he answered slowly. To him, remaining cool headed in dire situations like this was a sign of power. "There is something within you. Power. Power that I can bring out of you. You'll be an invaluable asset to me." She could be that and so much more. Every king needs his queen, after all. And that's what the Sovereign was. At least in his own mind. And who was going to stand in his way? This was a man who had battled, and defeated with relative ease, the Spartans on more than one occasion. Putting down the world's foremost superhero team made him quite the force to be reckoned with.
He squinted, and his eyes began to burn with power again, an yellow-ish orange energy rolling up the corners. He could feel her power, but still couldn't place exactly what it was. What did this young woman have? The energy dissipated and his eyes returned to their normal color. He took a deep breath. Using his magic sometimes wore on him, especially when what he was looking for wasn't clear. There had to be some reason why he couldn't place her power though. It was buried deep within her, but he knew that with time, he could bring it out. One of the drones quickly moved behind her, a needle came from one of it's arms and it pricked her skin, pulling blood from her. "Examine and return home with results," he ordered the drone.
He made a small hand motion and his eyes glowed with power again. In a moment's time, the entire room would go black to her and no sooner than she could blink, they'd be somewhere else. More to the point, they were teleported to a lavishly decorated chamber within his hideaway. "You are not a prisoner here. You are a guest," he told her. The drone came in the room and let out a few beeps and whistles. "Interesting. Return to your chamber. Sleep mode," he ordered the machine. He then turned to her. "Now I see why I couldn't identify your ability. You, young lady, have the negation latent gene. Once I have awoken it, you will be able to turn off the powers of those you come into contact with." He turned to look around the room, spreading his arms around. "This will be your chambers for the time being. You are free to roam about my home as you please, but I imagine that you must be weary. First time teleporting is hard on the body. Rest, and we shall speak again."
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Nov 27, 2015 2:12:18 GMT -5
He saw something in her? Some kind of power? Acacia didn’t fully understand what he was talking about, but she wasn’t going to complain. If that was what was keeping her alive, all she could do was wait to see what exactly this man had in mind. But was that really what she wanted? To be this man’s tool? Maybe it would be better off for her to just die right here. That was what people always did in the movies, right? Well, those people were the heroes, and Acacia had never really identified with that kind of person. She was a survivor.
It was strange watching the color of his eyes change. It made the way that he was looking at her even more eerie. It would appear that he was looking at her, trying to figure something out. Maybe this was about that power he’d already referred to. She doubted that he needed to use whatever powers he possessed if all he was going to be doing was checking her out. She felt a poke in her arm and turned her head to look. Some kind of robot. What the hell was it doing? Taking her blood? After the initial flinch from the surprise of her skin being pierced, she didn’t flinch away, merely watched as the sample was taken. The man told the robot to analyze the sample and return home. Apparently he still hadn’t gotten the answers that he needed yet, so he was relying on technology to give him the answer. Meanwhile she watched him curiously, wondering what he was going to do next.
It appeared that he had no real intentions of giving her a choice in whether or not she was going to be going with him to… wherever it was that he called home. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer in the ruined auditorium. It was a bedroom. A very regal-looking one. Acacia might have given him an odd look at the choice of locale, if she hadn’t felt a sudden wave of dizziness and unexplained sickness to her stomach. She tried to ignore it as another robot like the one from before came into the room. No, not another robot. The same one. She couldn’t help but wonder how close he lived to that theater if the robot was able to get back as quickly as they had when they’d teleported. Unless the robot somehow had that ability as well. Would be weird, but at this point she wasn’t about to put anything past this man. At least he was explaining her power now. “Negation?” She wasn’t so much confused about what the power as, more like how he’d discovered it. In thinking about it for a moment, though, it seemed like something that could actually be fairly useful. “I didn’t realize something like that could be determined with just a blood sample.”
So this would be her room. Now that he’d said it, she felt more comfortable with looking around a bit. It really was a very elegant room. And now it appeared that he was going to leave her alone, at least for a little while. At least he was aware that the whole teleporting thing could be taxing. “Thank you. It shouldn’t take me long to recover.” It was still too early for her to be going to bed for the night. Besides, she was still wearing the costume she’d danced in. While allowing for freedom of movement, it was not the kind of thing she wanted to be sleeping in.
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Post by The Sovereign on Dec 9, 2015 21:52:47 GMT -5
Roman watched her carefully. Teleporting was hard on the body, even after someone had learned to deal with the rigors of having your body pulled through an extradimensional space and transported to somewhere else on the material plane. He was sure that there were many people out there who would never get used to it at all. But this girl was special. There was more to her than she even knew, but now, now he'd informed her. And the results explained a lot. "Science holds half of the answers," he explained. "Many times, science holds the answers that magic cannot ascertain, and vice versa. When you've studied and mastered both, as I have, there is no answer you cannot find." Her latent power had been difficult to find, but that made sense just from the nature of that power. Luckily for him though, her ability would have no power over him. Magic was not an ability that was inborn. It was studied, learned, and thus not really a "power" per se. If she asked, he'd tell her that, but he wouldn't volunteer it. No need in overwhelming her with things like that just yet. Eventually though, she would need to know the potential limitations of her ability.
"Powers often have a resonating effect on personality. Have you never noticed just how separated you keep yourself?" He paused to give her a moment to think about that. "You didn't think you were just some monster with the inability to feel did you? You wouldn't be the first to think such a thing, after all. Most of them are called sociopaths. You, you are far from that." But enough of that, he thought. They would have plenty of time to talk of that and many other things. For now, he knew that she needed to rest. Explaining her power and bringing it to bear could wait a while. He pointed to a small armoire. "There are clothes in there. You may find something in your size. If not, just say so. I'll have more brought to you. I'll leave you to your rest." Without another word, he was out the door. One of the drones came in the door as he left, dropping off a small device and giving a robotic greeting. "Hello, Ms. Bailey. I am Tink. I leave this with you. It is a blueprint of the manor so that you do not get lost in your exploration. As my master has explained, the place is open to you fully. I recommend the courtyard. The sun sets over the horizon is very colorful and pretty. Good day, Ms. Bailey." A couple of beeps and whistles and Tink floated off.
Roman went on to a room just down the hallway. Leaving the door open, he pulled a few papers from a desk and looked them over carefully. Putting them all together, they displayed a large device that, once built, could level an entire city block with a single punch to the ground. He currently had no use of such an item, but Roman was nothing if not prepared to use everything at his disposal for whatever his means may be. It had been him, during the battle of Manhattan, that had teleported into the Omega's flying citadel and caused enough damage to distract the mad alien. He never needed the credit for giving the "heroes" the opening they needed to defeat the lunatic, but he knew what he'd done. He put away the papers and went to another room, again leaving the door open. He grabbed his welding tools and went to work at a smaller device.
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Dec 19, 2015 21:32:43 GMT -5
Once the robot Tink had delivered her a map of the building, Acacia was left alone. She had a lot to think about. At least the question of how the robot knew her name was fairly easily answered. He’d taken her blood, after all, and used it to find out what kind of powers she possessed. It wasn’t too far fetched to think the robot could have also discovered her name in the process. Mainly, her thoughts drifted to her mysterious, powerful host. She didn’t even know what to call him, but he seemed to know her well enough. That assessment of her personality had been rather astute, and had shaken her a little bit. Indeed, she had noticed over the years that she’d kept herself separated from people. Not physically, but emotionally. Most people never knew, and thought her quite friendly, but that was the screen she’d put up at least in part because she knew the value of having friends in the right places. But this man was certain that she was no sociopath, despite the fact that he’d never met her before now. Hmm. She wondered what it was that made him so sure.
Looking at the blueprints for a moment, Acacia’s first order of business was to locate a bathroom. Luckily there was one connected to her very room, so after going through the armoire for a set of clothes that looked like they might fit, she was off to the next room for a bath. Even as she soaked in the hot water, her mind was never far from the man who’d brought her here. There was so much more she wanted to ask him. At least it seemed that he was not averse to answering her questions, and since he’d brought her here she assumed that she would have time to sate her curiosity.
The clothes were a little big on her, but that was fine for her for now. The pair of jeans was very nearly her size, really, it was more the sweater she’d chosen that was a size or two too big. If it had been that big a deal, she could have gone hunting for something else to wear. Instead, she went out into the hallway to begin the exploration of her new home. At least, she assumed that she wouldn’t be going back to the school anytime soon. The robot had suggested the courtyard, so that was where she headed even though she knew that she’d probably already missed the sunset. Nighttime was her favorite anyway. True to its word, the courtyard was expansive and beautiful from what she could see in the failing light, with an amazing view. She found a bench and sprawled out across it as she watched the stars appear in the night sky. It was one of her favorite things to do, as strange as that may seem. It helped clear her mind, which was definitely something she was in need of at the moment. Shouldn’t she be freaking out about the fact that she’d just seen hundreds of people die in an instant? And that she’d been taken to the residence of the person who’d caused all that carnage? A normal person would. That had to mean something was wrong with her, didn’t it? Maybe she was just in shock right now and would collapse into a babbling mess later, but she didn’t think that would happen. She was just… calm. Curious about what her future would bring, but calm.
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Post by The Sovereign on Dec 21, 2015 11:02:26 GMT -5
Roman lost himself in his work, as he often did. An hour in, he pulled away and lifted the welder's helmet, wiping his brow and setting aside the tools. A small-ish gauntlet sat on the desk, freshly welded together, with electrical wires protruding from it. A leather, fingerless glove was attached to it, and it looked to be about the right size for a female to wear. He took a few minutes to put the wires together, crimping them and connecting those that were of the same color, and the gauntlet was finished. He gave a small glance, and his eyes changed color again, this time to a dark red. The gauntlet shrunk just a touch, and powered up. He picked it up and cast another spell, a locater spell, to find Acacia within the walls of the manor. The courtyard, Tink had apparently suggested that. The robot was an intriguing one, with an actual personality all his own. Roman had outdone himself at its creation.
A few halls down the manor, Roman came out into the courtyard and saw Acacia looking out over the darkness. It had indeed gotten dark out. He whispered a spell and the area seemed to light up enough that a normal person could see perfectly. With that though, she'd be able to see the city from the overlook. It really was a beautiful sight. "You have questions, and I will answer them all. But first, I have something for you." He pulled the gauntlet from behind him, extending it out to her. "This will help you when you use your abilities. It's not enough to just momentarily take away someone's powers. You can't take skill, and there are those that are highly skilled. This gauntlet has the capabilities to stun someone. In the time they are stunned, you can slip a dagger into their hearts. Remember when in battle that you can win as many fights as you want to, but you can only truly lose one."
He took a step back and used magical telekinesis to bring a chair up for both of them. He didn't bother to ask what she thought of the manor. Anyone who ever saw it was inspired by awe over the place. But, she was the first that he was going to offer the place as her permanent residence. The real issue here was going to be answering any questions she had, and he knew that she had a few. How could she not? This would be jarring for anyone. She was more than just anyone though. Roman sat down. "First, the world calls me the Sovereign, but that is just a call name because they don't know my identity like they think they do. You may call me Roman. That is my given name." Tink floated outside, carrying a small tray with two glasses and a bottle of wine. The robot set the tray down and poured out a glass for them both, then floated off again. Roman used his magical telekinesis again and floated the two glasses, one to her and the other to his hand. "So, what do you want to ask?"
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Jan 1, 2016 19:59:57 GMT -5
When the scenery slowly began to illuminate, she knew that the man had to be close. Still, she took a moment to admire the breathtaking view before she turned to give the man her attention. He offered to answer her questions. That was a relief. There was so much that she wanted to know about him, about why he’d brought her here. Some of those questions were answered when he have her the glove. It was a gift. It appeared to be highly sophisticated, but homemade. Had he just made it for her now, in their brief time apart? It would have seemed unlikely if she had not already seen the widely spread array of powers he possessed. She took the gauntlet from him and turned it over in her hand, examining it carefully. It fit her hand perfectly when she slipped it on, but she removed it and looked at him.
Before she could ask him what he’d meant, he pulled up a chair for each of them and introduced himself. At least now she knew what to call him, rather than just calling him ‘the man’ in her mind. Wine was next, initially brought out to the courtyard by Tink and then given to her by what she was assuming were Roman’s mind powers. The wine was the part which was slightly amusing for her, if for no other reason than just that she technically wasn’t old enough to drink yet. He had to know that, and obviously didn’t care. So why should she? It wasn’t like this would be her first time ever having alcohol. The ruby liquid appeared almost black in the dim light as she brought the glass to her lips for a taste. Delicious. She should have expected that given her surroundings and everything she knew about Roman so far. He took what he wanted, and that was only the best. And his latest acquisition was her.
Now it seemed he was ready for her questions. She took another look at the gauntlet in her lap, recalling his words from only moments ago before she spoke. “So, you brought me here because you want me to kill people?” was her first question. He’d already teleported her here before he’d discovered her powers. Had he just been that confident that whatever her power was, it would be useful to him somehow? The idea of taking a life did not revolt her as much as she knew it should, but she couldn’t help but wonder why. “Who is it that you’re fighting? It seems like you’re powerful enough that you can do just about anything you want, so I have a hard time imagining that you need help from someone like me.”
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Post by The Sovereign on Jan 17, 2016 22:53:22 GMT -5
Roman stood there admiring for a moment before it all came to the wine and her questions. He gave a small smirk when she asked if he wanted her to kill people. He shook his head. "I want you to be willing to kill people, if you have to," he answered. "You have an ability that most people would kill for. Imagine the dread on my enemies' faces when they can't use their powers against us. Yes, I said us." He took a small sip from his glass and looked back over the horizon. "Think of it. The world, at your fingertips. All you need to do is reach out and grasp it." He leaned forward in his chair. "Killing people, it's a means to an end. I'm not interested in turning you into a murderer. But I want you to know the power within you, and I want to see that you will step on anyone in your way." He finished the wine in his glass and set it down beside his chair. He pointed out towards the horizon. "All that could be yours. You can't tell me that you don't want more, that you don't want it all. Deep down you seek approval. That's why you dance for people." Okay, so part of it was obviously school, but Roman had a way of seeing through people.
Her next question really caught his attention. Really, it validated his choice of her. "Power means nothing unless it's used to its full potential. And even the most powerful of beings needs someone at their back. Do you know why the Omega failed to take over the Earth? It wasn't because the heroes were that good. It wasn't even my contributions. A goal like his, to be the last living being in existence, is only a worthy goal if the population is low. There are over a billion people on this planet alone. He failed, because he had no one's help." There could be no doubting how powerful the alien was. He'd killed four heroes in the first five minutes of combat, and there were very few heroes that could stand against him and get away without permanent injury.
"Vision is not three hundred sixty degrees. We watch each other's backs, and the world can never overtake us. I can teach you to use magic, in addition to bringing out your natural ability. I am quite powerful, but that's not something that I need to say. Actions speaking louder than words and all...." He gave a swirling hand motion as he said that, then leaned back in his chair. His head tilted slightly as a smile spread across his face. Tink came back to collect the glasses and then floated off again. "You'll want for nothing here. You'll never go hungry or cold. But it is your choice to make, and I will not hold it against you if you wish to leave. I'll even go so far as to reverse the entirety of these events and you'll not remember a thing. Take as long as you need to think on it, and ask any other questions that you have."
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Feb 2, 2016 23:11:01 GMT -5
Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong about the dancing, but he wasn’t entirely right either. Dancing was the only thing in her life that she’d felt truly passionate about in her life. She wasn’t even entirely sure why, but she’d been driven ever since she was a very young girl. Something about that art in particular spoke to her. That drive, when partnered with her natural aptitude for physical movement, had led her to believe that dance was her destiny. That one day, she would be standing on top of the dance world, as a lead for some traveling company or other. She’d always wanted to see the world. But now, she honestly wasn’t sure what the future had in store for her. Maybe her entire life of dance had led her to this night, and to meeting him. Roman had been the one who’d discovered that she had powers, after all. Maybe they were meant to be used to help him. Maybe it was a different kind of standing on top of the world that she was destined for.
“I don’t want you to reverse it…” she responded after a moment of thought. “I don’t think I should go back. For most of my life, I’ve felt a little off… like I didn’t really belong. I want to at least make an attempt and see what happens.” Maybe she wouldn’t belong here either, and she’d end up asking him to take her back to her old life. And maybe he would grant her wish… or maybe he would kill her. She couldn’t rule that out entirely, given what had happened earlier today at the theater. There was no real reason for her to believe him apart from the feeling in her gut. And logically, it didn’t make sense for him to lie to her. She’d already pointed out that he didn’t really need her, except maybe as someone to watch his back. There were undoubtedly others who would be glad to occupy that space, yet he’d chosen her. A complete unknown that he’d just happened to spot. Knowing that much at least gave her some peace of mind, as counterintuitive as that may seem. He didn’t need her. He wanted her. There was a big difference. Besides… he was going to try to teach her magic. That was pretty damn cool.
“I’ve never shown any signs of this negation power before. Are you planning on using magic to force it out?” She wasn’t sure if he had some other power that he hadn’t told her about, or another kind of technology he’d created to help with this kind of thing. Possibly not. After all, she didn’t know if he’d ever been in this kind of situation before. She just wanted to know if he had a plan, or if they were about to wander into this situation blind.
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Post by The Sovereign on Feb 25, 2016 13:09:52 GMT -5
Roman smiled when she said she didn't want him to reverse it. "Good," he answered. And it was indeed good that she wanted to at least give this a chance. This was truly the key to her finding her place in the world, where she really belonged. It was also key for him, being that her power was one that could truly benefit anyone of his ilk. Even though she didn't know, or had never used that power before. He listened as she finished her statement, and nodded at the end. "Magic, and a bit of science. Your DNA is powerful, and not I, but we, will unlock your ability." He looked at the wine glass and nodded, using his magic to lift it to his hand again. He extended the glass towards her. "I also said I would teach you some magic. A small start," he said as he shifted his weight towards her, leaning on the arm of the chair.
"Focus your eyes on the glass. Reach out with your mind. Allow your base consciousness to feel the wavelengths of the mystical world. Everyone has the inherent ability, but few have the training or the discipline to learn how to use it." He let those words linger for a moment. That was how he'd learned, after all. Started small, grew in power until he could control all the elements, travel long distances at will, and even alter the state of living things. "Now reach out your hand, and utter these words exactly," he said slowly. "Aan malaris dinee," he said slowly pronouncing every word fluidly.
If she did everything as instructed, and with a little bit of luck, the glass would float from his hand and to hers. It was the simplest of incantations, but even an initial failure at it wasn't damning. All magic took practice and patience. "Take your time, try it as long as you like. I've got nothing but time. You will be as powerful as you want to be, as powerful as you are willing to work at being. Make no mistake, it takes work...and a lot of it. But I believe you can master it. Now, bring the glass to your hand." He sat and waited to see if she could move the glass.
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Mar 20, 2016 21:55:28 GMT -5
Roman made it sound so easy. No he didn’t. He made it very clear that magic took a lot of hard work to master. However, he expected her to be able to do it now. To connect to the ‘wavelengths of the mystical world’ as he said. Whatever that meant. Acacia didn’t want to let him down, but at the same time she wondered whether or not he was really expecting her to succeed. Concentration had never been a problem for her, but all she’d been motivated to focus on before now was dancing. This man was basically turning the entire world she’d known upside down, and she was letting him with barely a second thought. Something was seriously wrong with her for wanting to continue an association with someone who’d just murdered an entire theater full of people, but that’s just the way it was. It just… felt like the right thing to do.
Leaning toward him in her chair, her eyes focused on the glass in his hand. She had no clue what these wavelengths were that she was supposed to be in tune with, but all she could do was give it a try. It didn’t seem like he was the kind of guy who would give up on her just because she failed her first try, but she still wanted to give it her best shot. She knew exactly what he could do to her if he ever ran out of patience. It scared her of course, but also gave her a bit of a thrill. "Aan malaris dinee," she said after extending her hand out toward his.
The glass shook a little, but did not move toward her in the end. “Damn…” she muttered under her breath. Furrowing her brow, she was determined to try it again. She’d made the damned glass move, after all, even if it was only a slight tremor. That meant it wasn’t impossible for someone like her. She remembered a kind of cold tremor up her spine for a moment when the glass moved. She tried searching for that feeling again, clinging to it before she spoke the words again. "Aan malaris dinee,” she repeated. This time, the glass moved toward her, sliding away from his hand and slowly but directly in her direction. Her eyes widened, so surprised that it broke her concentration and the glass fell only a few inches from her fingertips. Acacia snatched the glass out of midair before it could break on the ground and brought it up to her eye level. Her dark eyes examined it with a thoughtful frown on her face. If only she’d kept her focus, she might have actually succeeded.
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Post by The Sovereign on Jun 1, 2016 16:32:17 GMT -5
Roman could tell, if only just from seeing her dance, that Acacia wouldn't have any issues with concentration. Being able to dance the way she did took a lot of focus, and that's what she'd need to learn magic. Feeling the wavelengths of the mystical world was something that everyone was capable of doing. Only some were able to use that connection though. He had a feeling that she would be one of those.
He sat, watching as she started. "Magic is elemental," he said softly, non-distractingly. "Feel the gentle breeze in the air, use it." She said the words perfectly, and the glass shook. Roman nodded slowly. It was okay that it didn't move to her immediately. Had she succeeded on the first try, she would have been the first to have done so. He didn't react to her muttered curse. It only made sense that a tiny bit of frustration would hit her.
Then she tried again, and the glass floated to her. He gave a small smirk when she lost her concentration and it started to fall. But she caught it, and held it up to her face, staring at it as if the glass had moved by itself. "Good," he said. "It gets easier the more you practice it. You'll find that connecting with the mystical energies becomes easier as well. But it is draining at first. You'll grow weary easily until you have more experience." He spoke the words again, and the glass floated from her hand to his. "Tell me. What other spells would you like to learn?"
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Post by Acacia Bailey on Jun 19, 2016 17:47:21 GMT -5
Once he had taken the glass back, Acacia began to mull over his words. Magic is elemental… “Does that mean some people tend to be better with one form of magic over others?” she asked curiously. “Like, depending on Zodiac signs or personalities or something?” He certainly seemed to be able to do anything, so she knew that even if that was the case, nothing was written in stone. His answer might help her determine what kind of magic she wanted to learn from him. If she could start with the easier stuff, she might learn faster. Then again, if she could learn which type of magic was supposed to be the most difficult for her to learn, and master that first, everything else would undoubtedly fall into place.
Magic wasn’t the only thing she was going to have to work on. At some point she was going to have to unlock her powers, and learn to control them. That was likely to take quite a while. Even after that, there was actual physical self-defense. Acacia wasn’t sure how much of that kind of thing Roman would want her to learn, but she had to keep it in mind as a possibility. After all, he’d made her that glove for just in case a hero got close enough to hurt her. There were those who did not have powers, or who would still pose a threat without them. She had to keep that in mind as well.
There was one thought that immediately popped into her mind when he asked her what kind of magic she wanted to learn. “Fire,” she answered almost immediately. “Maybe not tonight, since I’m guessing it might take a lot more of my energy to be able to control…” But she wanted to be able to make and control fire someday. The kind of fire that he’d summoned tonight to take down the entire auditorium and kill everyone inside. Everyone except for her. Fire. Unpredictable but alluring. Mesmerizing, even. It was the element she most associated with the man in front of her. Maybe that was why she wanted so fervently to understand and control it. The chance that it would bring her closer to Roman was too good to pass up.
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