Teen Titans: Heroes of the North [CLOSED]

[Hotaru987]

Hearing Hikaru call out to her that she was supposed to go downstairs towards the door, she skidded to a stop, "Oh! Hehe, sorry." She laughed bashfully before shanging her direction from the roof to the front door. She really needed to pay attention. The thought of fighting these guys again really had her adrenalin pumping, and her excitement racing. Along with wanting to help protect Elena, she was slightly insulted that they thought they could ambush the teen titans like this. So Milani really wanted to teach them a lesson they weren't bound to forget.

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik was surprised, though only a little, at how quick Hikaru was on the uptake. She'd taken him as only a musician before -a significantly, perhaps ridiculously, apt musician, but a musician indeed- but his instincts were sharp as any officer Kresnik had served with before. And at the very least, he seemed to have a better grasp of her own abilities than Evergreen seemed to.

The roof was an open space; by virtue of heavenly objects, it could never truly be dark enough for Kresnik to function at peek potential. Likewise, Titan Tower was situated on an island- the essence of the sea was all around them, sapping at her shadow's powers. Kresnik would have an advantage in the tight, dark chokepoint that was the entryway, especially with Hikaru's sensory-affecting abilities aiding her. If the Extinctionists were capable of breaking past even that barrier, she and Kowen would be able to retreat into a guerilla scenario using the rest of the tower, something both of them were well-equipped to due given their respective abilities. The only issue provided was their grouping's lack of true offensive force; without a way to break through the Extinctionist's armor, much of Kresnik's power was neutered. But she could work around that, if need be.

She nodded at Hikaru again when he entered the elevator. She hadn't commented on what he saw her search, but that was a conversation to have another time- his attempts at fostering teamwork were admirable, even if they did lead him uncomfortably close to her personal case. Kresnik trusted her team mates with her life- as, of course, she had trusted every other group she had entered combat beside- but there were things Kresnik held closer to her than her mere life- Her justice, her confidence in her own skill. Her grudges.

Those were things she couldn't trust to others.

Not yet anyway.

"I'm willing to work with you, Hikaru," she said simply. She could place trust in his skill, at least.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Titan's Tower, Aurora City]Despite the fact that he had been spotted only a few moments earlier, the element of surprise was still on Kowen's side as he struck out at the Extinctionists scaling the walls. The closest black-clad man turned, but before he could react, the young Titan was upon him, his suction-padded feet striking him across the face with an unpleasant squelching sound. The man screamed and attempted to remove them from his face; in his confusion, he neglected his grip on the walls of the Tower. With a wince, Kowen released the man from his sticky clutches, watching as he plummeted towards the ground—at the last moment, his fall was stopped by the sturdy rappel cord securing him, but not before his body spasmed with a painful crack.

Obviously shocked by the young hero's ferocity, the remaining Extinctionists nevertheless gathered themselves and began to formulate a counterattack. As one, they pushed off from the wall momentarily, landing back against it boot-first. Straightening until they were perpendicular to the Tower's surface, they regarded Kowen coolly. Evidently, the undersides of the enemies' boots had some kind of specialized sticky surface, intended to hold them upright against the wall. With a smooth simultaneous motion, the Extinctionists drew their blasters and brandished them in Kowen's direction, opening fire with a burst of scarlet energy bolts. As the young Titan crouched and swerved haphazardly to avoid the attacks, he realized that the adhesive battle had taken a turn for the worst.

===

Luxa rolled her eyes as she set off in pursuit of Milani, who had apparently decided to completely disregard Evergreen's orders and proceed for the roof instead. She didn't even bother attempting to follow her teammate up the stairs, however, preferring to take the elevator instead. Surprisingly, they both arrived at the stairwell to the roof around the same time. Before Luxa could attempt to formulate some kind of battle plan, Milani had burst through the door and onto the wide pavilion, intent on taking down the black-clad invaders that swarmed the roof.

As she watched her teammate hurtle towards the enemies and strike out with her silver staff, Luxa attempted to dismiss a sinking feeling familiar to the one she had experienced earlier in the afternoon. Milani was strong, swift, and skilled—by most standards, a human fighter at the peak of her physical condition.

[i]But these Extinctionists aren't pushovers either[/i], the French girl thought grimly, watching as the black-clad foes adjusted easily to Milani's offensive. Within moments, the young warrior was surrounded, her staff feverishly parrying the slashing daggers of the enemies around her. [i]They're not quite as skilled as she is, but we're definitely outnumbered here[/i].

Luxa's slender frame tensed as she summoned her demonic plants, her long blonde pigtails swaying fitfully in the wind. Despite the fact that there was no love lost between herself and Elena, she fully intended to hold back the Extinctionists as long as possible.

"Milani!" she called out, her voice echoing across the rooftop with impetuous command, "fall back!"

At the girl's words, Milani nodded and leaped high and backwards in a tightly controlled back-flip, springing towards her teammate's side. She watched in awe as Luxa advanced slowly, stepping back slightly to avoid the two demonic plants that had emerged from her shoulders. For this conflict, she had chosen to invoke the Infernal Rose, one of the more popular and aggressive demonic plants in mythology. The plants were long and flexible, swaying like scarlet serpents with a sinister grace. At their ends, a burst of dark purple petals in a rose-like arrangement framed their heads, which lacked eyes and were dominated by a large oval-like mouth. At the unusual sight, the pace of the advancing Extinctionists slowed, as if they were unsure to proceed. Before the group could recover completely, however, Luxa made her move.

"Burn," she said softly, watching as a thick spiraling column of scarlet-black flame burst from the throat of each plant. Many of the Extinctionists screamed in agony as the supernatural fire engulfed them, burning with a wicked intensity despite the protection offered by their black body armor.

===

Hikaru and Kresnik had arranged themselves cautiously near the entrance area of the Tower, ready to deal with the Extinctionists in the event that they managed to break through. At Kresnik's request, they had also dimmed the lights completely, until the area was in complete darkness. As the pair nestled more deeply into the shadows of the room, they could hear a loud and repetitive booming noise as the enemies attempted to blast down the door. Even with its defense systems disabled, the physical infrastructure of the Tower was still quite sturdy—that didn't mean, however, that it was impenetrable. With a final volley of explosives, the invaders managed to blast open the door, swarming into the room as it collapsed backwards onto the floor with a deafening thud. Their swarming advance slowed for a moment as they were greeted with an inky darkness that seemed to swathe the room in its black folds.

Across from the room, Hikaru nodded in Kresnik's direction—even though his feeble human eyes couldn't pierce the blackness, he knew that hers would be able to do so. Furthermore, as a superior musician, Hikaru would be able to play his instruments by touch and sound alone, unimpaired by the darkness they had created to confuse their enemies. With the board set, the duo sprang into action.

===

Up on the Central Complex of the Tower, Elena was seated alone before the interface screen, attempting to keep up with all three of the situations through the security cameras. She watched in amazement as Luxa's offensive covered the enemies with supernatural flame and squinted into the shadows of the entrance area, attempting to discern Hikaru and Kresnik's plan. At the sight of Kowen, however, battling furiously on his own, she bit her lip and an anxious light came into her liquid brown eyes.

"Kowen," she whispered softly.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright, everyone. Now that we have all posted, I think the time is right to advance this siege scenario to its next steps. I hope you are all enjoying this mission and the situations I have devised for you—I feel that they present a unique opportunity to highlight your character's skills in combat in most cases. Hotaru, I decided to disregard your post and have Milani and Luxa go up to the roof instead; it makes more sense that way, so I'm actually grateful. Let me know if you have any questions; for now, continue to engage the enemies/respond to their attacks in your own way. Hotaru, now that Luxa has weakened the Extinctionists with some firepower, you have a better chance of engaging them in hand-to-hand combat. Hydra and Shion, I hope you don't mind me arranging such an elaborate set-up: the chance to have Hikaru play music from the shadows while Kresnik attacks seemed too good to pass up. Renegade, make sure to make use of Kowen's versatility, now that his adhesive powers have been matched. If you have any questions, I will address them in the OoC Thread.[/spoiler][/center]

[Ren✧]

Kowen felt a surge of triumph, knocking the first Extinctionist off the building. That of course was quickly crushed at the sound of the man's snapping body, just by listening to the sickening noise Kowen could tell that even if the unfortunate criminal did survive he would never walk again. He felt sick for a moment, ruining someone's life like that was not something he enjoyed doing. These thoughts were pushed out of his head as an energy bolt whizzed past his head. The rest of the Extinctionist had recovered from their surprise, and from the looks of it, the battle field was now more than even. Kowen was dramatically outnumbered, and no longer did he have the advantages he had carried only moments before. He could hear Luxa's scathing voice now, [i]'You shouldn't have hesitated. Now figure a way out!' [/i]The thought brought a smile to Kowen's lips.

Kowen knew he would need to act fast, he didn't want to be caught in their fire. Jumping around, Kowen dodged their energy blasts. For the time being it seemed pretty even, the Extinctionist couldn't get near Kowen, but Kowen couldn't get near them. Sooner or later Kowen would make a mistake and it would go from bad to worse. As he was in midair, jumping from one window to another, a voice whispered in Kowen's mind. At first he thought he imagined it, but as time went on he became more sure of it. It sounded like Elena's voice, whispering his name. Her voice reminded him of why he needed to win. And to win, he would have to pull out all the stops. "Things are about to get gnarly."

Releasing his grip on the building, Kowen allowed himself to plummet, the harsh ground beckoning him from below. His arms and legs returned to their normal form, he was completely at the mercy of the wind. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He tried to feel the air around him, he tried to imagine it lifting him up high above the clouds, he imagined it supporting his wings as he glided carefully through the air. Then he felt it. A tingling in his spine, a clenching in his gut. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer falling, but suspended in air, desperately flapping the large wings he had grown, protruding from between his shoulder blades. The wings went far past his arm length. He imagined himself looking like an angel, the idea made him laugh. He didn't have time to laugh though.

He gave his wings a mighty beat, soaring upwards. As he neared the Extinctionists, he could only imagine the look on their faces when he had decided to let go of the building. As he approached he adopted a familiar transformation, the claws of a jungle cat, of a panther. Dodging several energy blasts, he slashed out an Extinctionist. Not even bothering to see if his attack was effective, Kowen attempted to kick the gun out of another of the trained criminal's hand. The playing field had once again turned to favor Kowen.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

The playing field set, Hikaru nodded at Kresnik, knowing she could see him, even if he couldn't see her.
[i]Let's now begin with a dark dance, [/i]he thought to himself.

The dark. Most, if not all, are afraid of it in some way, shape, or form. Afraid of what they cannot see. Afraid that something will reach out and grab them, and when they cry out for help, no one will answer, and the only response is unspoken as they are dragged into a world ruled by the shadows. Although many claim to have overcome this fear, it is still an ingrained part of one's inner mind, and buried deep within the soul.

And Hikaru would drag it out with sheer emotional force.

He had himself situated behind a few sturdy crates in a far corner. This would allow for relatively unexposed cover should gunfire break out while allowing him to continue his music without interruption. Placing his fingers and bow on his cello's strings, he waited until the final Extinctionist member was bathed by shadow. And then he struck his strings.

His music was dark, put simply, and he placed complete and utter focus into his music if he hoped to produce his desired effects that would begin with his very first note. The first tones to be emitted were screeches from his cello, that would hopefully startle the targets, and hopefully bring their fear of the dark closer to the surface while giving his teammate an opening to begin her stealthy strikes if it became available. The music would not only provide the crucial opening, but also give his teammate a boost in the strength of her strikes if she so desired.
He would then transition into long draws of his bow across his strings in hopes of paralyzing his targets in utter fear of the dark.

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik waited in the darkness, silent and immobile as a statue, until Hikaru gave his signal. Her red eyes scanned the dimensions of the room and the blind humans who stumbled within it, taking in as many details as she could- despite their advantage, the Extinctionists had superior weaponry to any of the Titans, and their armor would make conventional combat difficult.

She wondered why she felt a small thrill at that.

Hikaru gave the signal, and a number of the Extinctionists jumped at the sudden noise of the cello. Her own sensitive ears rang slightly, but she pushed by it into action, launching into the fray with a jumpkick to the back of a foe's neck and throwing their enemies into chaos. She turned and kneed another in the chest, rapidly relieving him of his weapon and breaking it into three distinct pieces before kicking him in the face. She turned once more and interrupted another man reaching for his gun by summoning a long tendril of Antilife Energy from her claws, travelling quickly through the darkness to sear his palm and knock the weapon out of his hands.

One or two of the Extinctionists seemed to be recovering despite themselves. Kresnik couldn't hear the music playing through the sound of her heart pumping in her chest, but it seemed that they had recovered enough of themselves to try and rat out the source of the sound. Kresnik could have intercepted them easily if she ran over to it, but for some reason that didn't seem... adequate...

Without even noticing she'd done it, Kresnik licked the tips of her canine fangs and wrapped herself in shadow, falling back into the darkness of the room. She emerged, tendrils of antilife energy dripping from her cloak briefly, immediately behind the creeping extinctionists, and lashed out with clawed hands, breaking a gash through the enemy's helmet; he cried out in pain, and the rusty scent of blood hit the air.

[i]Blood of the hunted, [/i]Kresnik giggled to herself in her own head. The man's lifeforce dripped from his neck down his side, delicious soul ripe for the taking.

[i]The music is so nice, [/i]she thought to herself, her mind beginning to cloud slightly. Her body moved on its own, moreso than usual- it was like she'd done this a hundred times before. Humans were slow, predictable beasts, their precious blood sloshing through them like bloated sacks of grain. Her claws felt thick armor- pathetic shells, like insects, attempting to cover intrinstic weakness. Their purpose was to fall to her claws, fall to her fangs- she was the Hunter, they were the Hunted.

And then she blinked, and in shock, tossed away the ragdoll-body that was leaning against her. Her mouth tasted of blood, and she could feel the memories of a soul building up in the back of her head- albeit only for a second, before they retreated into the darkness of her own head. None of the Extinctionists were still standing- she couldn't tell if any -or perhaps all- of them were dead, but many had their armor torn in various fashions. At least a couple had been bitten. She felt her stomach heave a little at the thought- she hadn't been thinking. She had attempted to relax, allow Hikaru's movements to guide her actions and...

Had it been the music? Kresnik didn't lose control. She had no yearnings for blood, necessary may it albeit be to her. She especially didn't kill.

"...Let us return to the others, Hikaru." she said carefully, keeping the note of panic out of her voice. What the hell had happened there?

[Hotaru987]

Saying that Milani was watching in awe, was an understatement. She was in complete admiration of Luxa's abilities. Her vines appeared, swaying in an enchantingly dangerous dance that was nothing short of elegant; the same as its wielder. Milani knew she was good, heck she was among the best, but when it came to Luxa and the others they were in a completely different league than she was. Luxa's vines slithered up towards the Extinctionists, the flowers that rested upon its ends leering at the black-cladded men. With a single command of 'burn' flames spewed out from the flowers, engulfing the men and burning them. She winced, never wanting to know how it felt to be burnt alive, and from their screams it was just as painful as she believed.

Their body armor did nothing to protect them, as the dark flames crawled along their bodies. There was pretty much no reason for her to be there, and the thought made her frown. Was she really any help to the team? They were already so great without her, and so far it seemed she was only slowing them down. Milani shook her head [i]'Gah, this kind of thinking isn't any good. I'm just over imagining things, besides at least it looks like most of not all of the Ectinctionists have been taken cared off all ready.' [/i]She looked at Luxa, "That some handy ability you got there. Pretty sweet if you ask me."

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img]

[b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Titan's Tower, Aurora City]Even after Kowen released his grip and began to plummet towards the ground, the Extinctionists maintained their cold and murderous resolve, firing volley after volley of energy bolts towards the young Titan. As he fell, he could feel them burning past him, searing the air and prickling his skin with their uncomfortable proximity. For an instant that seemed to last an eternity, Kowen seemed to stand before the abyss, his eyes closed as he reached out desperately for the mysterious power he had been gifted with. Then he felt it.

With a triumphant yell, Kowen soared upwards, his large feathery wings beating furiously as he flew back towards the enemies dotting the surface of Titan's Tower. Although they were temporarily startled by his latest transformation, the Extinctionists quickly recovered and opened fire once more. Weaving through the scarlet barrage, Kowen struck out at the closest black-clad foe with the savage claws of the panther, raking her back viciously. The woman let out a scream of shock and pain, slightly muffled by her helmet, and arched her body. Still screaming, she neglected her grip and also plummeted downwards until the rappel cord halted her fall. In an extension of the same movement, Kowen lashed out with a swift kick, knocking the rifle out of the next Extinctionist before he could react.

Snarling with anger, the man lunged towards Kowen, attempting to smother his wings and drag him towards the jagged rocks. "You're dead, kid!" he roared.

With another soft laugh, Kowen dodged to one side with a graceful swoop of his wings, watching as the man missed and began to fall towards the ground. He howled as the rappel cord sprang into effect, securing him and dangling him in the air. Before Kowen could engage the remaining enemies, however, a fierce snarling noise rent the night sky above him, followed by a chorus of screams. Looking upwards, the young Titan could just make out a lithe feline form, inky black, scrambling across the walls. As the creature sprang past the enemies, it lashed out with flashing claws and a whip-like tail in a breathtaking display, dislodging the Extinctionists with a hunter's precision.

"Elena," Kowen breathed in amazement, watching as the Black Panther was finally unleashed.

===

A heavy silence lay between Hikaru and Kresnik as they hurried back towards the Central Complex, weaving through the multitude of felled enemies towards the elevator. As the doors closed behind them with a mechanized ding, the musician leaned against the wall behind him with a sigh of relief, but also unease. There was no doubt that their plan had worked, perhaps too much so...

Although his innate sense of courtesy would never allow for vulgar curiosity and premature judgment, Hikaru still felt a touch of unease at the result of their ambush. True, he had planned to immobilize the invaders and enhance Kresnik's natural abilities... but had he really meant to injure the Extinctionists so seriously?

He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing the scene of chaos and violence they had just left behind. Savaged bodies—many of them bleeding—scattered across the floor and draped over crates, like so many broken toys...

Hikaru directed his gaze to Kresnik as the elevator came to a halt. As always, the vampire-girl's eyes were partially in shadow, and her extraordinarily pale face was almost expressionless. There was no way of knowing what she was thinking, but still, the question remained—had Kresnik meant to wound the enemies to such an extent? Or had she temporarily lost control?

As the two Titans strode into the Central Complex, they were surprised to see that it was empty. Apparently, they were the first group to have returned, and Elena was no where to be seen.

====

Luxa merely nodded perfunctorily at her teammate's heartfelt praise, focused on dispatching the enemies that surrounded them. A lovely smile curved her rosebud lips as she whirled around, pleased to see that many of the Extinctionists were limping or hunched over from the enchanted flames of the Infernal Rose. With a graceful spinning motion, Luxa pirouetted into the fray, the scarlet tendrils sprouting from her shoulders lashing out like whips, knocking the foes to the ground with resounding cracks.

Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eyes, she could barely see Milani, reduced to a dazzling silver blur as she leaped across the rooftop, incapacitating the remaining enemies. With swift and efficient motions, the young girl brandished her titanium staff, delivering full-power blows that struck the black-clad invaders down and kept them down.

"Not too shabby," Luxa remarked to her teammate as Milani back-flipped to her side, crouched in a ready stance, every muscle perfectly tensed. The French girl tossed her head, long pigtails swaying, and dusted herself off; meanwhile, the demonic plants on her shoulders began to sway and shrink, until they had completely disappeared underneath the smooth creamy skin of her shoulders and upper back.

"We're done here, let's go back to the Central Complex."[/spoiler]

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright everyone! I apologize for this extreme delay, I have been on a personal vacation since last Thursday and was unable to post. I am really grateful for your patience and cooperation, and I can assure you that I'm not planning on any such delays in the near future. I hope you enjoyed this GM Post, as it should resolve most of the battle situations and provide some opportunities for teammate interaction (Luxa-Milani, Kresnik-Hikaru, and Kowen-Elena) before we continue. We're moving into the final phase of this mission, so stay posted for further developments![/spoiler][/center]

[Ren✧]

Kowen's muscled shrieked in pain as he fervently beat and swiveled his wings to dodge the onslaught of crimson energy bursts. He silently berated himself, if he had only been able to use his wings before, and master them, things right now would definitely be going differently. If they had been fighting on even ground Kowen was sure he would be able to handle these guys no problem. Just as Kowen thought he might have to try something else, a ferocious roar cut through the quiet of night. In a flash of black fur, a feline figure erupted into the battle. The figure took out the rest of Kowen's opponents. "Elena," Kowen said under his breath, his tone slightly awed.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep her purchase on the relatively smooth building for long, Kowen dived towards Elena, retracting his claws, he picked her up. With a final effort, he carefully maneuvered the two of them through the window he had broken through earlier. Setting her down, Kowen gladly relinquished the aching wings on his back. Even after they had disappeared, the muscles in Kowen's shoulders and back ached fiercely. "You're not hurt are you?" Kowen asked, taking Elena's hand. Even though she was in her Black Panther form, he could feel the similarity in her feline-padded hand and the supple skin from before.

[Hotaru987]

Having had enough of standing in the background, and watching Luxa work, she decided to take care of the men who were lucky enough to avoid the vines. She ran along the roof, her balance and speed making her agile like the feline they were trying to protect. Brandishing her staff, it appeared only as a flash of silver as she delivered blow after blow upon the Extinctionist, actually making them stay down this time. [i]"Not too shabby." [/i]She heard Luxa remark as Milani performed a backflip and landing in a squating position beside Luxa. She grinned up at the girl, "Well I try." Luxa retracted her vines, and Milani stood up panning over the battle field to make sure there weren't any who were still around. Though it was unneeded since every one of them were groaning on the groud, unconscious and most of them dead.

"Yeah I guess you're right." She replied as she followed Luxa back into the building. This time she took the time to take the elevator down, and during this time she randomly blurted, "We should get some elevator music. The type that gets stuck in your head and is super annoying." When the elevator made it back down, Milani headed towards the Central Complex wondering how the others were holding up.

[Yang Xiao-Long]

As the lights were switched back on and his eyes adjusted back to the lit environment, Hikaru could only gaze at the bodies of the Extinctionists that were strewn about like broken toys.

As he and Kresnik stepped into the elevator, he let out a sigh of relief and unease; relief in that their part in defending the Tower was complete, but unease at the result of doing their part. He closed his eyes as the scene of what they had just left behind swept over him like a wave. The sight of broken bodies left him utterly speechless; their plan worked, yes, but at what cost? Lives, possibly? He was never one to condone murder, if it did indeed happen back there, and yet he now viewed himself as something akin to the criminals who had taken his father's life that fateful day.

He could only look down at his hands; his stoic expression gradually molding into one of shock and disbelief.
[i]What the hell have I done?[/i]

He looked over towards Kresnik. He was never able to discern her expression due to her habit of hiding her features in the shadows, but he could only wonder what had happened to her back there. [i]Was that her bloodlust manifesting in the dark? Was it my music amplifying her dark strength? Could it have been both, with my music being the final catalyst to breach her self-control?[/i]

Hikaru did his best to keep his pessimistic mood in check, but at that moment he could only blame himself. [i]This...was all my fault...[/i]
As the elevator continued its long ascension, he bowed his head and let loose silent tears amidst the shadows of his hair.

When he and Kresnik arrived at the Central Complex, he did his best to take advantage of the moment of surprise in noticing its emptiness in order to try and render himself stoic. "It appears...," he began to say as he shook off his tears, "that Elena has gone to help one of the remaining Titans. Pretty obvious whom she's helping."

He still desired to punch a wall in hopes of getting off the blood that only he could see on his hands. Dried tear stains flowing down his cheeks were still noticeable; he sincerely hoped his fellow Titan didn't see them.

[Hydra of Ages]

Kresnik tried not to think about Hikaru's hidden tears as they ascended the elevator. Indeed, she tried not to think about anything in particular, really; while the young girl prided herself on her quick thinking usually, she wasn't quite willing to allow her mind free reign at the moment.

She might be shock, she rationalized after half a minute. That might explain why her hands were still trembling a bit, though she still shoved both into her pockets. Can't let the others see my weakness, she said to herself. Kresnik didn't go into shock. Just like she didn't kill, use her abilities needlessly or above all, [i]lose control. [/i]Kresnik was the type of person to pride herself on her self restraint, her amount of control over her thoughts and emotions, and her ability to view events objectively. If she couldn't do that, then what was she? Hunting after Kudlak wasn't worth a fig if she couldn't cage her own self first.

Ah, that was it. That was what got her riled up after all- the torn bodies, the lifted blood memories that sunk deep into her subconsciousness- it was reminiscent of what a monster like Kudlak would do. Kresnik considered herself to be her nemesis' antithesis; she countered random violence with structured law enforcement. This episode however had smudged the line a little- from now on, Kresnik would question herself every time she felt anger at what Kudlak had done, been allowed to get away with. Even worse, now she would have to live with not only what she had done, but what she knew [i]she was capable of doing in the future.c[/i]

It was very lucky Kresnik had experience in repression.

They were the first two to enter the central core of the tower, and Kresnik took the opportunity to reorient herself, though she had her hat adjusted still to shadow her face; while one's face could be kept blank, the eyes hid nothing from a skilled reader. She took refuge in the shadow of a nearby pillar and quite specifically proceeded [i]not [/i]to talk to Hikaru.

An apology simply wouldn't be sufficient for an action like that. She simply had to hope he had similarly decided to forget the event entirely, or at least for the moment.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][img]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Heroes%20of%20the%20North/teen_titans_communicator_logo_by_phaeton99-d389ryu-1.jpg[/img]

[b]GM Post: "Marked For Death"[/b]

[spoiler=Titan's Tower, Aurora City]"Kowen," Elena breathed, her golden eyes glowing with relief and emotion. She embraced the young Titan with a sudden motion, falling into his arms and laying her head against his shoulder, her dark hair falling over her face in long silky tresses. As Kowen returned the embrace and closed his eyes, he felt another invisible pulse; blinking in surprise, he gazed at Elena, who seemed to have returned to her usual smooth-skinned human form. With a slow, delicate motion, the girl pushed her hair over one ear, her dark liquid gaze trained upon his face in an expression of soft happiness. It was as if all the hardships of her life had fallen away in a few seconds.

"My hero," she whispered softly, tracing the curve of his cheekbones and jaw with one finger, making him tense slightly at the unexpected sensation. With an extension of the same movement, she ran her fingers over his lips, relishing their texture. "My angel," she whispered, running the other hand over his shoulders, where his brilliant wings had been only a moment before. Standing on the tips of her toes, she arched her head and pressed her lips to his in a smoldering kiss.

===

"Elevator music?" Luxa asked flatly as she crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed by her teammate's suggestion. "I thought that was only for office buildings or retirement homes?"

Milani didn't seem to mind the blonde girl's lack of enthusiasm or rude tone; on the contrary, her cheerful smile only seemed to widen at the remark.

Luxa rolled her eyes, making the effort to appear as her usual disdainful and sarcastic self. "Look," she remarked in a tone of vexation, pointing with one finger towards the elevator's interface pad, "you pressed the wrong floor! We're supposed to be going to the Central Complex, not the floor below it—"

At that moment, the elevator came to a gentle stop and the pneumatic doors slid apart silently and quickly, revealing a most remarkable scene. For a moment, Luxa gazed blankly at the sight of Elena and Kowen kissing passionately, her lovely doll-like features arranged in an impassive expression, her rosebud lips slightly parted. At her side, Milani's jaw dropped open, but she remained silent. As the young Titan and the dark-haired girl broke apart from their romantic embrace, however, Luxa reacted decisively, pressing the button for the Central Complex. As the doors closed, the young couple stared in surprise at Luxa, dismayed by her slightly narrowed eyes and cold smile.

Luxa didn't say anything to Milani as the elevator ascended to the floor directly above them. When the doors opened once more, she strode forwards with her usual impudent grace. She walked past Kresnik and Hikaru with little more than a perfunctory nod, clearly taking for granted that they had completed their mission successfully. She sat down on the closest divan, spreading her ruffled skirts about her gracefully, and crossed her legs at the ankle. Waiting.[/spoiler]

===

[spoiler=OoC. Please read.]Alright everyone, now that Hydra has posted, we can wrap up this mission! I was actually planning on having Evergreen arrive and save the day with the other full members of the Justice League, but I guess I'll have to save that for another time. In any case, now that most of us have gathered in the Central Complex, we're just waiting on Kowen and Elena. Renegade, I give you permission to control Elena in a minor way and have her accompany you to the Central Complex—clearly, there's a showdown that's about to take place. I'm really looking forward to moving onto the next mission, it will give you guys so much more autonomy and freedom to characterize your heroes.[/spoiler][/center]

[Ren✧]

Kowen was slightly surprised by Elena's sudden hug. He of course wasn't opposed to it though, he hugged her back. Feeling her hair tickle the skin on his face, breathing in her exotic scent. An embarrassed smile donned his lips when Elena called him a hero and he became red in the face when she called him an angel. No not [i]an[/i] angel, [i]her[/i] angel. And if Kowen was surprised by Elena's hug just moments before, he was completely caught off guard when she kissed him. At first he was too astonished to return the kiss, but after a moment of awkwardness he kissed her back.

Kowen had of course read books, not by choice, of romantic moments when fireworks would spark, giving life to the love between two people. While he was not cliche enough to believe in moments like that, kissing Elena cut it pretty close. He could feel himself getting lost in her embrace. In fact the kiss was so intense he didn't at first when she pulled away. Kowen opened his eyes, a goofy look on his face as his lips were still slightly puckered. He looked at Elena, wondering what was wrong. He turned to see what she was looking.

He turned just in time to see the elevator door closing and he thought he caught the sight of light blonde hair. [i]Luxa, [/i]Kowen thought to himself. He looked back at Elena. Her cheeks were slightly red, probably from embarrassment of getting caught kissing Kowen. [i]'Looks like the moment has passed,'[/i]Kowen thought ruefully. "We should probably meet everyone in the Central Complex." Kowen suggested. Elena nodded, "Yeah," She agreed.

Not wanting an awkward silence in the elevator, Kowen took her hand and led her towards the staircase. The two quickly climbed the single flight of stairs needed to reach the Central Complex. Kowen walked, Elena trailing behind him. It looked as if they were the last to arrive.

[Hotaru987]

"Look, you pressed the wrong floor! We're supposed to be going to the Central Complex, not the floor below it—"

Seeing that she made a mistake, Milani laughed blowing it off, "Well at least we get to spend more time together." Right before the doors open, revealing a surprising sight. Kowen and Elena were...Kissing!! The young martial artist couldn't believe her eye. Her mouth dropped, and her voice was stuck not that she would have spoken up even if she could. Luxa was the one to close the doors, though not before the two saw they were caught. With the elevator now on it's proper course to he Central Complex, the doors again opened, Kresnik and Hikaru already there - and thankfully not making out. She sat down in a daze, not entirely sure what to think. Moments later the elevator dinged again allowing Kowen and Elena to enter. Seeing them Milani instantly blushed and looked down. For the first time since being there Milani was without words.