Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Tess shivered in the magical prison that contained her, wishing for the first time in the minutes that had passed that she had had her sweater with her. She had left the garment back at their resting place in a backpack, sure that their scouting mission wouldn't take long and that she could go back willingly anytime should she get cold. The problem being that she couldn't willingly return anymore, she felt like a captive and really that was what she was, she was caught in a trap and all there was left to do was wait and see whether she would be rescued or would become a hindrance to her team.
She wished again that she had brought her watcher with her, desiring to know whether it had really been so long a time as she believed or if her paranoid mind was playing tricks on her. Some part of Tess believed that Scott would be back as he had promised and that it would occur any moment now but the overwhelmingly emotional part of her felt like hours had passed and that she was completely helpless. Having regularly been in human form before now the experience of being in her faerie form was now one that seemed unpleasant to her. She felt vulnerable to everything around her and irrational as it may have been Tess worried especially about bugs. She had always had a problem with insects and to now be on their level was a thought the drew chills from her slim body. All she could hope was that animals wouldn't be able to make their way into the trap and that before anything approached she would be free.
It was at this point in time that Tessa thought she knew how it felt to be claustrophobic. For the past five minutes she had been pacing the trap that held her, walking back and forth in a pattern which was not as reassuring as she had hoped. Forcing herself to take a deep breath Tessa sat down on the moss covered floor like a small child lost in the woods. "Upon our return we shall dismantle the trap and release you" Scott's voice rang in her head, certainty clear as a bell in his tone. Tess wanted to trust him and she knew that he believed it but she, despite having been rational at the moment of her capture, was on edge and letting her emotions rule her head.
"Yah I'll be just fine until you return," Tess muttered under her breath with a slight undertone of disgust. It was just a trap though she she knew she had to remember that. She also knew that she had been right and that this way at least the rest of their team would be protected or at the very least would be warned of an attack and whichever team they were up against would lose the element of surprise. In the meantime all Tess could do was wait and hope that she wouldn't be useless to her teammates nor would have handed herself over to their predator team however unwillingly.
~*~
As the trek began Lexi wondered briefly if she should be trying to form somesort of plan in case they encountered another team or if she should be doing something more productive than simply walking into a potential trap. As it was the silence resounded so Lexi, feeling the need to do more, spoke up.
"We haven't encountered a team yet and I would like to think that it will hold but we can't afford to take chances like that. The team we may face, whoever they will be, won't have the element of surprise on their side but while that's helpful and Scott and Tess have done a great favour in realising there was someone else about we do have to be prepared." The redhead paused for a breath and even though her back was to most of her team, an action she knew could be constrewed as rude but that would also slow her down in her leadership role, she continued to speak to them.
"To be honest we're a new team and although we're doing very well for a new team I think we haven't had the time of others to find out about eachother's powers, strengths and weaknesses. We each know our own powers best, that's a given. I know that I can weaken a person's eyesight so that we'll be able to get in some blows if we need to." This time Lexi paused for effect more than for her own needs before she hurried onwards, keeping up the pace all the while. "I can also decrease touch so that a person's hand will feel nearly numb for a time or I could make sure one person doesn't hear our moves being planned. I want everyone to think about how they can use their powers in a practical fight situation while we get to Tess because that knowledge might be needed to make anysort of plans and so we aren't caught so off guard. Please remember that we are aiming not to actually harm anyone seriously. They may gain a few scratches or bruises and really so might we but don't go overboard. I trust you guys."
Lexi was about to ask Scott how close they were to their last team member but it appeared as though they were almost there for Scott seemed to stop for a moment. Lexi took that last opportunity to add quickly, "Oh and everyone be on the watch for traps, we don't want to lose all our team to them. As soon as we've gotten Tess out we'll try and pin down the exact location of the team, I can try and enhance someone's eyesight and earsight to do this if I have a willing volunteer." This last bit was said with a brief smile to show that she was partially joking by saying willing volunteer as if it was something dangerous. At a signal from Scott Lexi knelt down and saw the trap which had imprisoned Tess within it.
'Oh thank goodness,' was Tess' first thought as she saw Scott hover near her and Lexi lean down nearby. She rose somewhat awkwardly from the ground she had been sitting upon and breathed a sigh of relief that she hoped would go unnoticed. Glancing around Tess could see the others for the most part although they all seemed so tall to her and almost far away. She was about to make somesort of a relieved comment when Lexi turned to Scott and asked him, "Do you know how we can get Tessa out of here?" Almost everything else Lexi had said so far on their journey had been with a tinge of nerves or uncertainty but now she sounded more sure of herself and more in control as she phrased her question. The violet-eyed girl was very glad of this for it made her feel safer in turn. "Is there anything we can do to help with this?" was her other rather responsible question before she turned her head towards
"May, Ben, Hood can you please keep an eye out to make sure no one is coming and to warn us if you see or hear anything?" Lexi asked, granting each of them a glance since it really was important that they weren't caught offguard here. The Green Strike Force leader then focused her attention on Scott and Tess hoping this would be a relatively simple action.
(OOC: This is for both teams but can we please first let Green Strike Force get in a few posts and rescue Tess before Silver happens along? Thanks )
As always it felt wonderful to be free, uninhibited by the physical restraints that bound him as Michael. Swiftly he floated down to where the others were waiting listening in to their conversation as he solidified his astral body fully becoming Hood. Bens question as always was pertinent, bringing a smile to the as yet invisible mutants face. Darklight always seemed to be calculating, working out all the possible courses of action and their drawbacks. It was comforting in a way but Michael suspected that it was an attitude that caused the older boy a lot of sleepless nights.
The question had certainly confused Scott who struggled now with the obviously daunting concept of human distance before giving up and simply stating "It is not too far," Well far or not they had to go and Lexi was already giving them the signal to move out.
It made such a difference no longer having to concentrate on every step. Hood was at home in the woods and moved with a fluid grace that contrasted sharply with Michael’s usual halting progress. He listened attentively to Lexis advice and instructions, noting her abilities and they possibilities they offered as they continued towards the place where Tess was held captive, keeping a careful look out for any further traps that might await them, not sure exactly what he was looking for but vigilant all the same.
Soon Scott seemed to slow and Lexi spoke again"Oh and everyone be on the watch for traps, we don't want to lose all our team to them. As soon as we've gotten Tess out we'll try and pin down the exact location of the team, I can try and enhance someone's eyesight and earsight to do this if I have a willing volunteer." Michael wondered if Lexis powers could enhance the senses of someone who didn’t really exist at least not in the traditional way *‘the mind is willing but the body is….. astral’ * he thought with a grin, as they caught sight of the cage in which Tess was imprisoned.
Although he had knew that it was only a training mission Michael was nevertheless relieved when they arrived at the spot to find Tess apparently unharmed although obviously glad to see them. He flashed her a reassuring smile as he approached, keeping some distance between himself and the magic trap just in case it should react badly with the astral substance his Hood body was formed from.
He had already had one run in with a magic trap in the Centre of Inquisition and it had almost cost him his life. While he was convinced that the ones set here were designed to contain rather than cause actual harm he preferred not to take any chances, after all the student who had set them couldn’t possibly know about his power and so couldn’t be expected to have taken his safety into account when they had laid them down.
Lexi seemed to have the situation well in hand, obviously directing Scotts knowledge of all things magical towards the immediate problem of delivering Tess while assigning to the others the role of guard and scouts.
"Ill go take a look." Michael suggested. "I should be discrete enough in my invisible form, and Hoods a fast mover, so I could circle round in a radius of about say 300 yards from our present position and make sure no one sneaks up on us. What do you think" he asked the others, making sure they would be aware of where he planned to be before he dissapeared from their sight. "Does that sound about right?"
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Ben waited expectantly as Scott thought about how far the trap that now imprisoned Tessa was. “300-350 … dilsa… perhaps?”
Ben had to refrain from sighing; it wasn’t Scott’s fault that he didn’t know anything in meters. Besides it could go both ways it could be considered that Ben was just as useless because of his lack of knowledge regarding fairy measurements. But all the same it was frustrating not to be sure about anything.
As it stood they didn’t know where the other team was, exactly what team they were coming up against and how far away they were from the trap. To Ben all of these things seemed vitally important… but then again to Ben anything that could improve a plan of action was vitally important.
He blamed it on all the fantasy books he had read because through his reading he had developed a keen interest in the art of strategising. He would have liked to have the opportunity to create a plan of attack for an army; not that he wanted to see anybody hurt. It was just that he couldn’t help wondering if he would be good at it.
And so it was that when Lexi declared that they were leaving the clearing towards the trap he had to bite his tongue to stop from blurting out that for all they knew they were going to be walking into an ambush. Oh well it appeared that he was just going to have to keep his eyes pealed and hope for the best.
As they followed Scott towards the trap he couldn’t help but go over the fact that he would at least of sent Hood out to determine the exact position of the other team so that they could avoid them.
"We haven't encountered a team yet and I would like to think that it will hold but we can't afford to take chances like that. The team we may face, whoever they will be, won't have the element of surprise on their side but while that's helpful and Scott and Tess have done a great favour in realising there was someone else about we do have to be prepared."
Being prepared seemed like a good course of action it seemed a bit late to be stating this but then again it was Lexi’s first time as a team leader and it’s always said better late then never. Ben mentally gave himself a shake; it was infuriating to be of two minds about things. He couldn’t help but pick wholes through Lexi’s plan of action it was just the way his mind worked. But he felt ashamed of being so condescending about everything the rest of his team had done so far.
He had come to the realisation that he was being a hypocrite seeing as all he wanted from his team mates was for them to make him feel like a worth while part of the team. He was disappointed in himself that it was taking such a conscious effort from him in order to return the favour.
"Oh and everyone be on the watch for traps, we don't want to lose all our team to them. As soon as we've gotten Tess out we'll try and pin down the exact location of the team, I can try and enhance someone's eyesight and ear sight to do this if I have a willing volunteer."
He smiled; Lexi was trying so hard to keep the mood light while keeping her team safe. What she really deserved was his help not his superiority complex…
But his train of thought was interrupted by their arrival at the trap. Tess looked vastly relieved to see them and by the looks of things he had been worrying for nothing, the other team was nowhere in sight.
Ben watched as Lexi examined the trap and asked Scott if he knew of a way to dismantle it. It appeared that it was going to take a relative amount of time to crack it so as Lexi asked Michael, May and him to keep a look out he figured he should supply the only other immediately relevant information he knew.
But before he could make his mind up on how to formulate it Michael had offered to go and scout around in his invisible form. Ben grinned at him; team work really was a marvellous thing…
Ben waited for Lexi to answer Michael’s question before giving proffering his information. “The only person I can think of that would be able to set a trap like that one is Dawn. She has no mutant power but she is a witch, however the only thing that I can think of that might render her powerless is to gag her.”
He didn’t quite manage to hide the smile that that thought brought to his lips.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
(*Spends all day try post darn post* Here's a quick thingy, sorry I took so long!)
Agile movements polished every aspect of the royal fairy, swift yet graceful, calculated and yet so instinctive. Wars surrounded his homes borders, the fairies not the only ones touched by the dangers of greed and power. The Devark lineage was destined to protect their people, a handful of royals up against an entire throng of foes, the support of their kind defending the Kingdom and its borders while the power and magic of the King and Queen protected them and their lands.
And yet one fairy in Scott’s care – the only one he had to worry for – had been captured. What did that tell them of his capabilities? Being the youngest it was no surprise he had to fight for others to realize he wasn’t as inept as many elders instantly assume due to the young age and lack of experience. To say he could handle being a guardian and caretaker and failing on his first go was demoralising to say the least.
"We haven't encountered a team yet and I would like to think that it will hold but we can't afford to take chances like that. The team we may face, whoever they will be, won't have the element of surprise on their side but while that's helpful and Scott and Tess have done a great favour in realising there was someone else about we do have to be prepared." Hearing her words spill out behind him, Scott dragged his mind to focus on what she was saying, a tree in his path causing a rather unusual aerial spin, pushing his body to right with a thrust of his wings and falling into a spin, his body suddenly being dragged down by gravity while the elegant wings folded onto his back. Only a few spins and the tree’s trunk was dodged. It was hard not to enjoy the freedom of flight and since it didn’t delay his journey it wasn’t something that was considered a waste of time. After all, it was only natural for him to look for the brighter aspects of the moment, even when things were at their darkest – perhaps especially when things seemed so dark.
"To be honest we're a new team and although we're doing very well for a new team I think we haven't had the time of others to find out about eachother's powers, strengths and weaknesses. We each know our own powers best, that's a given. I know that I can weaken a person's eyesight so that we'll be able to get in some blows if we need to." May’s face was still free from any form of mask. Usually when going into battles she wore her symbionts mask, but as they were not really her enemy, May felt the mask wasn’t entirely needed. As she had done in the danger room, maskless for others to see her face. The power described by Lexi sounded interesting enough, handing when on the run from someone, "I can also decrease touch so that a person's hand will feel nearly numb for a time or I could make sure one person doesn't hear our moves being planned. I want everyone to think about how they can use their powers in a practical fight situation while we get to Tess because that knowledge might be needed to make any sort of plans and so we aren't caught so off guard. Please remember that we are aiming not to actually harm anyone seriously. They may gain a few scratches or bruises and really so might we but don't go overboard. I trust you guys." Trust? That had to be earned. The hazel orbs scanned the remaining team before diverting off to passing scenery with disinterest.
Not hurting others was easy enough for the fairy to do, whether this was a good or bad thing was still something that needed to be worked out. Because unless a fairies or innocent animals life was in danger Scott didn’t believe that serious injuries where needed. Then again, he’s yet to see how violent and dangerous people can be, especially humans with their weapons and other tools of death and destruction.
"Oh and everyone be on the watch for traps, we don't want to lose all our team to them. As soon as we've gotten Tess out we'll try and pin down the exact location of the team, I can try and enhance someone's eyesight and earsight to do this if I have a willing volunteer." Waiting for Lexi to once again finish speaking, Scott then motioned down to the stones forming the mystical cage around Tessa. At least they got to her before any of the other teams found the female fairy, but that did little to curb the bruised ego Scott was attempting to recover from.
"Do you know how we can get Tessa out of here?" The Prince’s form drifted downwards to the earthy floor, the tips of his feet gently touching the ground as he silently collected his thoughts. "Is there anything we can do to help with this?"
"May, Ben, Hood can you please keep an eye out to make sure no one is coming and to warn us if you see or hear anything?" May turned her attention towards Micheal, or Hood as he calls himself, when the male began to speak up.
"Ill go take a look." The other dimensional crime fighter felt a little awkward playing these games. But now it struck her a little heavier, this was all so simple and none of it was necessary for her. This time could be put to better use doing some REAL assignments and helping other people in need who were trapped in dire situations… not prank traps made up by eager kids for a more realistic game. "I should be discrete enough in my invisible form, and Hoods a fast mover, so I could circle round in a radius of about say 300 yards from our present position and make sure no one sneaks up on us. What do you think"…. "Does that sound about right?" Since May hardly cared to start idle chit chat after already having been given her orders, the Spider empowered mutant turned around and quietly left the group to their prattling discussions. Her agile form disappearing quickly into the foliage and from there she removed her jumper, discarding it for the preference of her symbiotic disguise. The fact she was wearing green only helped hide her into undergrowth she walked among. Sin coated the slender frame of the young Parker, the clothes formed over her by the alien host mimicked the colours surrounding her like a true chameleon. Okay… so it was obvious May had communication issues, everyone had their down sides that needed working on.
Meanwhile Scott took the chance once Ben finished speaking and the Prince had yet again gained Lexi’s attention to explain the simple yet straining way to free Tessa. All she had to do was break the circle of stones, but it wasn’t like she could just effortless kick one away. The energy field offered that extra bit of protection that seemed to drain the energy from the person in such a sudden burst that it was as if they were thrown in a freezing cold storage room. But it sucked at the energy and Scott was just too small to handle any loss of energy, his body would likely not handle the stress, whereas a human could recover given a few minutes or so.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)Once again Lexi Moore was greatful for her immensely cooperative team as Michael volunteered himself to circle around and check for approaching teams. Also appreciated was the fact that he actually had addressed this to the team and to her, wondering if it was okay to scout. The actual asking of permission was as valuable to the new leader as the request itself had been and greatfully she nodded.
"That sounds like a great idea Michael," Lexi said, making sure her thankfulness was evident in her tone of voice. This may have been her very first mission and she may have been missing some details or even some pieces in the big puzzle but she couldn't have gotten a better team, of that she was sure. With that matter taken care of, Lexi turned back towards Scott, the slight smile that had graced her face disappearing as she returned to the seriousness of the matter at hand. Her train of thought was interrupted a few seconds later and she turned back to the speaker, who was in this case, Ben.
“The only person I can think of that would be able to set a trap like that one is Dawn. She has no mutant power but she is a witch, however the only thing that I can think of that might render her powerless is to gag her.” He offered and Lexi thought that over. Personally she didn't know Dawn other than by sight and reputation but the redhead did pick up on the reference for she had had friends like that in high school before she had come here. That comment drew away her look of concentration for a moment and it was replaced by thought. "Thanks, now the question is does anyone know what team Dawn is on?" Having been fairly new to the whole team leader thing Lexi hadn't been able to learn the members of the other teams save for those she knew herself and she could only hope that someone knew of Dawn else the information, however kindly offered, was of no use to them.
As Lexi gazed around she realised May had already taken off, presumably to observe for them but even still Lexi almost wished the fellow redhead had been there. On the otherhand she didn't seem like she was neccessarily the most knowledgable when it came to other teams so it was more than likely that she would not know which team Dawn was a part of. Scott had regained her attention now though and she gave it fully, concentrating on the amethyst-eyed faery and upon Scott himself. His explaination of how it was that they could free Tess sounded difficult at first but if there was one thing the sense mutant could do it was to listen and so she did.
Within her magical prison Tess had managed to stop pacing and to feel more like herself rather than like a scared girl in a not so pleasant wonderland and the fact that Scott knew what he was doing was a relief even if it seemed like he couldn't rescue her personally. As she thought about it though it was, perhaps, not so bad a thing that Scott wasn't the one to break her free. That was a little too damsel in distress cliche for her liking.
On the other side of the invisible walls Lexi thought things over once more, eager not to make things worse or to trap Tess for longer than was neccessary. Knowing that time was of the essence as long as another team could be approaching their location she repeated her instructions to herself and in a strange way to Scott to make she was going about this correctly.
"Alright so I take one stone and pick it up the circle will be disrupted and I'll feel drained for a bit and Tess will be free." Lexi reached her hand through the barrier in an instant, thinking as she did so that this was like an episode of Star Trek or a poor quality sci-fi movie. The sensation was strange and she drew in a breath before closing her fingers on the stone closest to her and picking it up. The redhead pulled her hand back and she could see a few sparks of colour as the barrier collapsed. Momentarily the sensation of dizziness passed over her and Lexi sat back, reassuring herself that she'd be alright shortly.
The newly freed faerie breathed deeply the air outside her temporary prison. A smile and some colour returned to her pale face and Tess fixed amethyst orbs on Scott. Her words were directed at the whole team and even more so at Lexi but the sentiment was fixed on the direction of Scott. "Thank you so much." Simple and to the point, her gratitude came through in her voice. Realising she was still in minuature Tessa was about to transform back but she glanced over at Scott once more. Torn between her two sides momentarily, Tess fought the internal battle over whether to transform or not. Her brief encounter had made her wish desperately for her human self back but now faced with the similarly transformed Scott there was more doubt. In a split second decision she remained in her present form, convincing herself that it would be easier to fight while small if they came into battle since she could fight unseen and wouldn't be a standing target. The thought that it was Scott who had unconciously convinced her didn't cross the faerie's mind.
Lexi, under the weather as she currently felt, smiled to herself. She was glad to have her team member free and equally happy that they hadn't yet run into a team of any sort. All there was left to do was wait for the team members to return with either relieving or worrying information.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Lexi greeted his suggestion with approval so, with one last friendly glance towards the imprisoned Tess, Michael dematerialised and, still looking round warily for any signs of magical traps that could perhaps detect his phantom presence, made his way towards the perimeter he had volunteered to patrol.
The thick forest that surrounded him was far different from those he had been used to in Scotland. Not that he’d really spent much time in one before just the very occasional school nature trip. He had been a town boy, the rest of his family more comfortable in the pubs and clubs of Glasgow than in the great outdoors. But Michael had always wanted something different, a freedom he had found only in the pages of his books and in the realms of his own imagination.
Something in him related and relished the lush green surroundings, the same part no doubt that had prompted him to adopt a forest dwelling outlaw as his astral form. Now he smiled as he sped through the undergrowth, his immaterial self untroubled by the branches and brambles that had so hindered his physical body. *Its not Sherwood* he thought with a grin*but it’s not that bad all the same.*
As always it felt good to be out as Hood, free of the restrictions and problems he knew as Michael. It felt even better to know that he was at last useful to the team, running on ahead of them instead of holding them back. As a scout he was ideally suited, there were few who would even know he was there as he made his way around his teams position and fewer still who could catch hold of him if by any chance they did sense him watching. *Don’t get overconfident* he told himself * Someone out there can use magic There’s no telling what I might run into.*
Besides he was far from underestimating the potential powers of the mutants who made up the other teams Although he was horribly new at all of this, the few short hours he had spent with green strike force in the danger room had shown him something of the range and diversity of abilities that could be found within the Xavier institute. The students were an impressive bunch and he wasn’t about to lower his guard or his concentration when some of them were very probably close by.
In fact……….. The snapping of a twig alerted him to someone’s approach even before the person came in sight. Instinctively he looked around for a place to hide, while his rational mind told him that whoever was approaching would have virtually no chance of detecting him. Yet some of the demons had.
He remembered the sightless sensing of his presence that had so unnerved him back at the Centre of Inquisition. *Frodo and the Nasgul.* he thought. That was what it had felt like back in the Centre. Something obscene and inhuman crawling over his soul He shook his head, striving to clear his brain of these unwelcome thoughts. Now was neither the time or the place for such reflections. He had to concentrate on the mission and that meant on the threat emerging from the bushes.
Though at first sight it didn’t seem to be much of a threat. A pretty girl, slightly built and about his own age was walking towards him, obviously alert for possible danger. *So they have their scouts to* Michael though *Or maybe she’s on her way to check the trap.* Given her steady course towards where green strike force were waiting that seemed the most likely explanation. *That means the others probably won’t be far behind*, he reasoned. *They’ll be using the com badges to keep in touch. I bet they could be on us in a flash if she called them.*
He let the girl pass then turned and raced back to where his team leader was waiting. *So what do we do now?* he asked himself *Try to hide or turn their trap against them?* He didn’t know what this girls mutant power was, though he guessed she was far from being as harmless as she looked, but he reckoned that his team could probably handle her.
But was that the object of the exercise They were supposed to be prey not hunters *Still* he thought with a grin *Even prey can turn and fight if its cornered. Guess that’s for Lexi to decide.*
Passing effortlesly through the trees that slowed the girls progress he soon reached his team members, pleased to see that Tess was now free from her magical prison.Taking only the time to rematerialise, his form smoothly passing from transparent to solid, he made his report. "Theres a girl heading this way" he said "Medium height, brown hair, about my age, no visible mutation. I reckon we've got maybe five minutes max before she arrives. So far shes on her own but its clear others wont be far behind."
He glanced at Lexi in anticipation. "So chief what do we do now?"
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Lexi had always been the careful type, cautious with her powers and just about everything else with the possible exception of her personal life. As a result of her careful thought she was very rarely drained of her abilities and at the moment she longed for the responsible weight of them coursing through her as a child might long for their misplaced special toy. She was connected deeply to her abilities even though they didn't directly influence her and were instead used on the senses of others and the few minutes she was currently undergoing in which they would be lessoned was painful to her emotionally. Her head pounded from the thought and the loss and Lexi wished that she had remembered to bring Asprin or some other such mild painkilling medicine in case of any problems. She did after all get pressure headaches from the weather and as a girl Lexi had gotten headaches whenever stress was prevalent in her life.
The return of Michael seemed at first a welcome distraction from the sensation but the team leader realised with his next words that she was not being granted a distraction here but a problem which had to be dealt with. A girl, undoubtedly from the team that had planted the magical trap, perhaps even that very designer of the trap but either way a problem. Five minutes was enough time for Lexi's power strength to return slowly but surely to her but was it enough time to form a coherent plan of action or for May herself to return to the group? Those were questions that would be answered shortly in certainty and for now all Lexi could do was do her best...that and wish for the miracle of asprin.
"So chief what do we do now?" It was the inevitable question that one of them would have asked and although it probably was an exaggeration Lexi felt all eyes of the present members of her team fixated on her. Violet, azure, it didn't matter, all wondered the same as Michael it seemed and for good reason.
What were they to do though? Remembering what one of her school teachers since departed from Xavier's had taught her about going through all plans of action and tried to focus.
They were a prey team and not a hunter team but in the wilderness even the hunted could stand up to it's hunter. There were natural defenses like a shell or spikes just as they, as mutants, had natural defenses in the forms of their mutations. So they could fight back but what were the odds of actually winning a fight against an experienced team and of escaping with all team members untagged. It was a risk but one that might have to be taken. The other option was to hide but with the mutations at the institute someone would probably be able to find them whether through beastial senses, telepathy, premonitions or some other such power. Or there was the better option, fight in order to create a diversion and attempt to weaken the team members then escape. They'd have to doubleback for Michael's body after awhile which made things difficult and although Lexi thought most of them had mutations handy for defense and escape she had her worries about Ben, having not seen much of him in action save for their danger room excursion that morning.
"Alright there doesn't seem to be a foolproof plan," Lexi began after a quick moment's pause to consider her options. She told it as it seemed to her, knowing that any better ideas would hopefully be put forward. "The way I see it we can try and hide but with the variations of mutations like animalistic senses and telepathy we risk being found easily. We could run but how long can we hold out and how far away could we make it." Here Lexi didn't want to mention Michael and his situation by name, knowing that he felt badly about hindering the Green team at all even though he had contributed a great deal as well. "We can fight or we can attempt to fight for a time and distract them but to make a getaway so that they don't see. I can manage to dull the senses so at least some of them won't see where we go and perhaps Scott and Tess can manage to get nature and her creatures on our side." Lexi paused again, her speech to this point in time rushed so that she could take as little time as possible.
"That's how I see our options and I'm going with fight, distraction, escape myself but if there are any flaws in this plan or merits in others that you can see I need to know and I need you to speak up now. Everyone who is in favour say so, those not say why and quickly because we've got to make a plan here and fast." Lexi finished and her hazel eyes gazed around the team, deliberately making sure she held the gaze of each person as she spoke to make them seem included. Now was crunch time and she wished only that everything would be alright and that she wasn't making a huge mistake as a leader.
(OOC: Alright so obviously we need to go around in one more circle of posting for Green with everyone speaking up and if there are any massive disagreements or alternate plans then Lexi will have to approve again. After that it's Silver's time to jump in. Hope this sounds alright to everyone!)
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)"Thanks, now the question is does anyone know what team Dawn is on?"
Regrettably that was not something Ben had the answer to and for the first time since he’d met her he regretted not paying attention to Dawn. He nodded at his leader and as she turned to Scott who was to give her instructions on how to disarm the trap Ben walked away from them and took up his position as a lookout. He did not stray far because he knew that May and Michael were most likely to see anyone than he was; but if anyone did slip past them he wanted to be close enough to Scott, Tess and Lexi to be able to defend them.
It wasn’t long before he realised that Tess had been freed from her magical prison and he was just about to tell the others over the com badges, which had been retuned to the team’s frequency only, when Michael rematerialised not far from Lexi. He moved closer so as to listen to what Hood had to say.
"There’s a girl heading this way Medium height, brown hair, about my age, no visible mutation. I reckon we've got maybe five minutes max before she arrives. So far she’s on her own but its clear others wont be far behind."
So he had been right it was Dawn and she was headed this way. He looked at Lexi and it was apparent that she needed at least a short time to recover from disarming the trap; so what were they going to do now?
It appeared that Michael was thinking the same thing and as for May well there was no sign of her. He looked at Lexi’s face as she struggled to come up with a plan on such sort notice and he decided that he might as well call May back to them. So he pressed the regroup button on his com and hoped that the red head was not far off.
"Alright there doesn't seem to be a foolproof plan. The way I see it we can try and hide but with the variations of mutations like animalistic senses and telepathy we risk being found easily. We could run but how long can we hold out and how far away could we make it. We can fight or we can attempt to fight for a time and distract them but to make a getaway so that they don't see. I can manage to dull the senses so at least some of them won't see where we go and perhaps Scott and Tess can manage to get nature and her creatures on our side."
Ben listened intently as Lexi explained the plan she had developed and went over it in his mind. She was right about there not being a foolproof plan; they had been careless and were going to pay for it. It also seemed that hiding around the trap was never going to work it would be to obvious and seeing as they had no idea who they were coming up against it was not a sound plan.
But he did not like the fight and flight idea either, it felt to risky. If they risked a confrontation then things may go wrong and in having watched to many animal programs he knew that prey only fights when cornered and they were not done for yet. Besides if they ran while the other team were in sight then blinded or not they would probably have some chance of tracking them.
If they could take the five minutes it would take Dawn to get here to let Lexi recover and hide somewhat, then when Dawn got here then they could incapacitate her and with Lexi recovered and Dawn's team still minutes away they could make a break for it.
Then if they were caught they would turn and fight. He did not like to question Lexi’s plan but he felt as if he should put forward all of their options.
“Ok here’s what I think. I’m worried that however much we weaken this opposing team we’ll still come out weaker and if they can see us when we run then, even if it’s through reduced vision then they have a better chance of following. So I suggest we wait here till Dawn shows up, so that you can get your strength back Lexi. Obviously we’ll stay relatively hidden and when she’s here we can get May to web her up and then we could make a break for it. I know we still risk being caught but I’d rather face a fifty fifty chance of getting away then charging straight in when we don’t know what we’re up against. And besides if they catch us we can always stand and fight.”
He let out his breath and waited for his plan to sink in, they might not agree with him but at least he’d put it forward.
OOC: I’m not trying to avoid the confrontation I’m just being me and coming up with what I think is the best plan. Sorry for forcing another round of GSF. Edited by: catfood74 at: 1/22/05 1:51 am
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Well it’s a completely logical solution Karen. So it make’s sense someone like Ben would come up with it, and thanks for calling back May! *Liked that added detail*
Life never seemed so complicated as it did now, and although Scott was beyond relieved to see Tessa freed, the following situation made him realize something very important. They were training him to be a fighter. And if not a combative one then at least someone who knew how to handle himself during the combative situation if he took part in it or not. Wasn’t he sent away to be protected from wars and fights? Instead now he was learning how to handle himself within them, he was being taught something by humans, the people so much more adapt at war and violence then the fairies of Scott’s home.
Gorgeous eyes stared downwards, lost in an emptiness only they could see through. What if the humans taught him how to be a better fighter then his brothers? They only knew what father and the general of their ‘armies’ could teach them, and being such a peaceful people that was reduced only to scenarios out of books and explanations on how to handle different things. Gaps riddled their schooling on the matter and they were unprepared for the pure hatred and violence they had seen on the battle fields in the heart of the mystical woodlands that spanned around the enchanted kingdom.
"…perhaps Scott and Tess can manage to get nature and her creatures on our side." The Prince’s attention was lifted to the red headed leader as she mentioned his name and that of his female counterpart. Was Tess a fighter? The bright blue gems shifted over towards the enchanting female with an air of curiosity, tainted by thoughts of wondering how something so delicate and charming could know the arts of war and combat.
"…besides if they catch us we can always stand and fight." Now was not the time to be thinking of personal problems, they were plotting things and his mind was barely registering what Ben was saying. The prospect of standing and fighting their hunters was both nerving and admittedly even exciting.
The discussion was unheard by May who was swiftly approaching the group on her almost silent feet, carrying her hastily and stealthily back towards them after having earlier received the message for her to return. At least May assumed that’s what it was, she’s not familiar with the badges and it wasn’t a voice message, so she wasn’t sure who sent it and way but assumed logically it was some sort of signal for her to return, or that the team was caught up in something and needed her help. In truth May had doubled back and scouted the area around Michael’s body as well, making sure that the woods around his position was still secure why she was close enough to easily shift him without anyone missing her company.
From her scout it seemed safe, the Spider-sense was quiet and her own keen instincts hadn’t warned her of something lurking about in the shadows. The real clothes she wore had been discarded and buried carefully within the heart of a collection of thick bushes where the earth would not be seen as having recently been disturbed unless you crawled right in there and poked around with a knowledge of what you’re looking for and the skills to go with it.
A smooth leap over some shrubs and bushes landed her into the area the others were hanging around in, sharp eyes scanning the situation and an annoyed echo in her mind vibrated around to signal Sin’s displeasure at being summoned without any real reason, at least a reason he felt was important. May’s clothes now were an earthy camouflage, long sleeved shirt and her now duller green jeans, just produced by Sin instead of the ones she had gotten out of the wardrobe this morning.
With swift steps the otherworldly young woman appeared beside Ben, arms raising to be folded over her chest, the glasses that had been resting on her other chest earlier now worn over her eyes a, the greyish purple shade slightly out of place with the rest of the colour scheme. Already restless in the first moments of having returned, May waited with a touch of impatience to figure out what was going on.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
In all honesty Tess wasn't listening as astutely as she would later think that she should have been. It wasn't that she meant to disregard the red haired woman appointed the leader of their makeshift team, it was just that she was free and the sensation of being close to nature rather than encircled by it yet seperated from its energy was empowering. From what she heard the plan sounded like it had its faults but her clouded mind couldn't seem to decide upon anything more likely so she simply nodded at what seemed to be the right times and heard the general points of the plan that had been organized on their behalf. In this state Tess completely overlooked the possibility of other plans, assuming that this plan would be the one they would procede with.
It came as somewhat of a surprise to Tessa when Ben spoke up and it was something Lexi had dreaded. It wasn't that she didn't respect Ben or even care for him, it was just that she was full of insecurity and rashness that came from nerves and as a result her decisions were often flawed. Having been a top student and having wanted for years to become a leader on one of these very teams while being a respected teacher herself having her opinion bettered by a teammate was embaressing and she knew enough of Ben to believe even before he had finished his sentiment that his comments would not all be sunshine and roses.
In her insecurity the troubled leader didn't look at the glass half fill and she overlooked the fact that her team members respected her and were obedient and willing not only to help out but also to come up with original and thought out plans themselves. All she could see was that Ben had a plan and not only was it a possibility it was a probability, a plan that was thought out carefully and looked over for holes as hers had not been. Lexi could try and hide the pink flush rising in her cheeks and with quick actions she managed to hide most of her embaressment but still something showed for the more observant. It felt like she was a schoolgirl again, a girl who was for the first time being told that she wasn't neccessarily right by a respected teacher. His concern was evident in his plan with the reference to her regaining her strength and that lessoned the sting slightly but even still a mark had been left.
Ben seemed to have stopped to take a breath and Lexi could see the faerie girl nodding to one side of her. She didn't have to look at the others knowing that their thoughts were probably similar to her own. The plan was an excellent one, one she wished she had thought of herself to be honest and that was why she felt a certain amount of embaressment and self-blame. She was the team leader, what would have happened if she hadn't had Ben along to point her in the right direction and if this was more than a leader in an exercise? If she couldn't even lead in a mock training exercise how would she fare in a true test of X-men abilities where the lives of her and her team were at stake?
Trying to put aside her self-doubt the sense mutant said aloud as she nodded, "It's a great plan". The pride that should have come through in her voice didn't and now Lex felt a certain amount of guilt. She should have been happy that someone on her team was there to doubt if she was ever impaired and to offer such fine suggestions so why wasn't she?
Lexi cleared her throat. "We'll have to keep a close watch and be hidden. We'll also have to make sure we can," the insecure leader paused here, unsure about how would be the best way to say 'take out' the other team's member who was even now approaching. "take out Dawn before she can reach her comm badge and alert her teammates".
Tessa liked to think of herself as a good friend and the type who was a very good listener and an excellent observer so she noticed the slight flush in Lexi's cheeks and the hidden embaressment and felt a rush of emotion. One part of her was slightly upset, the part that wanted to roll her eyes and tell the perfectionist to get over it and to think on the optimistic side but overwhelmingly Tess felt instead pity, knowing how difficult it was to try and lead anyone. She had so rarely tried and from those few experiences she had learned that at this point in her life she wasn't much of a leader. The amythyst-eyed fairy felt also some of the lonliness that Lexi must have been feeling. Despite having all of them she had a responsibility unlike theirs and she had a few years on most of them which Tess thought would make things difficult. She could mingle and she could treat them as equals but in a way she had duties different from their own and that conflict had created a faint line. The blonde was torn from her thoughts as she noticed Scott's brilliant eyes on her and wondered what he was thinking of.
"We'll also have to double back at some point after we've lost this team in order to get Michael's body once more but I think with Ben's idea with can lose them first," Lexi said, speaking out once again and this time with slightly more confidence. She noticed also that May had reappeared at some point in time and mentally slapped herself for not signalling May back at once herself. That wasn't something to be worried over now though, she was back and that was all there was to it.
Directing her next comments in the general direction of May although it was a nice refresher in case someone had missed a part of the conversation Lexi said, "We've decided to, that is if we all agree, to hide and wait for Dawn to come to this location. Once she has arrived we're going to take her out and to safely web her up, thereby providing us with some time to escape before the rest of Dawn's team arrives in search of her. Remember as we go away from here will will have to be very careful about making tracks, for those of us who have to worry about that sort of thing." The last part of her remark, said with a half smile was directed at the two flying members of their party specifically although it applied to others she knew.
"So the questions now are where to hide and who is going to take out Dawn. Once she is within view I can dim her senses in order to blind her as we carefully incapacitate her but anyone want to volunteer for that position? Anyone nursing a personal grudge?" Yet again humour was directed into her last sentence in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. That was all she could think of at the moment but Lexi wondered if she had missed something once again or if she was right in her reasoning this time around. She could only hope that her comments were justified and could be quickly and easily answered.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
It seemed releasing Tess from the trap had taken its toll on Lexi just as Scott had predicted it would. She still looked rather pale obviously not yet fully recovered from the effort she had expended but her mind was still working as quickly as ever. Succinctly she formulated a workable plan and laid it out before them, calling as she had done from the beginning on the other team members participation. Not through any indecision on her part, if this had have been a real battle where every second counted Michael had no doubts they would already have been implementing her instructions, but given that they had some time in hand to fine tune their plans, from a desire to improve upon the outlined scheme and no doubt learn more about her teams ability to think on their feet.
And it didn’t take long for Ben to come up with his own suggestions, building on the base Lexi had provided while modifying it to take into account all the elements they now had at their disposition. It sounded like a good plan, now it all depended on what Lexi thought of it. Michael turned towards his team leader for confirmation his own opinion of her strengthened as she recognised the merit of Ben’s scheme. *She really does want us to contribute* he thought *and she’s big enough to let our ideas be implemented if they’re good enough.*
It was a nice feeling, knowing she was there to make the tough choices but still being included in the decision making. The faint blush he had seen colour Lexis’ cheeks he put down to excitement rather than embarrassment after all there was no reason for her to have been embarrassed in his eyes. She had merely done what a leader should do. Listened to her men and then chosen the course of action.
Now she was setting out the details of the plan, reminding them of factors they might have overlooked such as the com badge and also gently underlying the fact that Dawn should be handled as considerately as possible This was not a battle and Dawn was far from being an enemy.
"So the questions now are where to hide and who is going to take out Dawn. Once she is within view I can dim her senses in order to blind her as we carefully incapacitate her but anyone want to volunteer for that position? Anyone nursing a personal grudge?" Lexi asked teasingly.
“I’ve never met the lady myself” Michael said lightly “But Id be more than happy to catch her if May webs her up. Maybe the gag would be the first thing to put in place?Then” he went on more seriously “If you don’t think it would be too much of a risk Lexi Id like to stay with her in my invisible form till someone finds her. I don’t like the idea of her being all alone and helpless for any length of time just in case anything happens. This way she might be uncomfortable but she wouldn’t have to be scared, knowing someone was keeping an eye on her."
"Ill be able to catch you up, I could even get back to my body instantly if I have too so I wouldn’t be slowing the group down. And I don’t have to worry about tracks so there'd be little chance of me leading the other group to our team." He stopped now trying to read Lexis expression. “What do you think?”
Ben saw in Lexi’s eyes that the fact that he had come up with another plan had hurt her in some way. He felt retched about the whole thing, they had not had enough time to get to know each other and he figured that he must sound like an insufferable know it all to the others. He wished they had had more time to improve the plan as a group rather than him always putting forward what he thought was best.
He had seen that Lexi was pleased that they all contributed to the effort but this time it was different. He had picked holes in her plan and although it was necessary it was not a pleasant thing to have to do. He liked Lexi and would have wanted to help her build her strengths as a leader rather than knock her self esteem.
He was even more hurt when she finally did speak. The praise that she gave him was hollow; it was not that he needed someone to tell how brilliant he was it was just that it reflected the confidence blow he had just given her. How had he ended up being the bad guy in all of this?
But now was not the time to think about this, maybe if she got to know him later on she would see that his annoying habit of rationalising everything was not directed at her. But right now Dawn was getting closer and they had to do something.
He turned somewhat as May appeared at his side. Ben decided that he really did like this strange girl she had this kind of superior look to her. He did not think it was intentional it was just that she obviously knew what she was doing and the fact that she was going around with a bunch of “newbies” made her stand out. He wondered where she had learned to handle her powers like that, he knew she was not on any of the older X-men teams (OOC: please correct me if I’m wrong) so she must have learned somewhere else. And he was sure that somewhere within her she must be prepared to take things into her own hands if things went horribly wrong.
By this time Lexi had taken his suggested plan and run with it. She obviously had the mind of a leader she just needed to believe in herself a little more or he smiled a push in the right direction. She turned to May and gave her a brief summery of the plan which was lacking only the important detail of who Dawn was but Ben figured that May could probably work it out for herself.
The problem of tracks was one of those things that Ben could not really see a way around for him and Lexi the others would not have a problem. Maybe he could ask the fairies to get the plants to cover their trail. He was amused by Lexi’s question about whether or not someone here had a grudge against Dawn. He didn’t really he just found annoying, besides his powers would not allow for him to incapacitate her. And in the end he would get what he wanted: she would be gagged. It was probably something he was going to remember for the rest of his life.
Michael’s reply to Lexi’s question nearly caused Ben to laugh out loud, his friend had a way with words and well hi referring to Dawn as a Lady was pretty funny. He had obviously never met her. But the next bit of reasoning was something Ben had not thought of. It was true that he had just assumed that the rest of her team would find her straight of. But then again they did not know what kind of animals roamed the island. He did not think there would be anything dangerous but then again you never knew.
So as Michael offered to serve as a guard Ben started looking around for areas in which he could hide himself. and then he remembered that he had been meaning to ask the fairies about covering tracks.
"Scott, Tess is there any chance you could ask the plants to cover mine and Lexi's tracks? because no matter how carefull we are you still do a better job."
OOC: Lady I think Angie is waiting for you to post a reply to Michael’s comment next.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
((OOC: I apologise for the quality of this post. I had one typed up more than an hour and a hald ago but Internet explorer closed right when I was posting and I lost everything. Since otherwise schoolwork would prevent my from posting for probably a week (midterms approaching, very swsamped) I wanted to get it over with despite not being keen on rewriting something so here this is. It's now almost three o'clock in the morning and I was planning on going to bed at two so you understand my crankiness at the moment and I'm sorry if this isn't up to par.))
Although it was only a few moments before Michael formed a reply to her questions and concerns Lexi managed to think about her own weakness and worry about how her team viewed her. More pressing on her mind was the growing realization of just how childish she had acted when Ben criticized her plans and formed one of his own. She should have been proud and certainly full of praise and instead her feelings had prevented her from doing as she should have. The redhead suposed that was what made one human but even still her actions weren't excusable so simply.
Before she could sink into deeper thoughts and into regrets Michael spoke up, putting forward his own idea. She focused, trying to drive away the emotions that could interfere with her leadership at the moment, and nodded slightly as he said a gag would be best to put in place first. But what do we use for a gag? Lexi thought to herself and made a note to ask if anyone had something handy for that since it certainly didn't come with the X-men Leader's manual.
Although she didn't register it in a visual sense, more than a quick somewhat sad smile in Ben's direction, Lexi did try and get across to him that she had been wrong and at the same time thanks for filling in the just arrived May on the plan of action. Expressions could only say so much though and Lexi thought hers couldn't carry such conflicting emotions as those. Somehow she would have to find a way to indicate that she had let her sensitivity get in the way of her leadership and that she had been wrong.
Michael was continuing now, speaking about how he wanted to stay with Dawn and at this the new leader brightened considerably. His idea was not only sound but it was compassionate and she liked that. She not only had a team that could think independently, work together and obey directions, she also had a team who were compassionate and kind. The pleased smile on Lexi's face gave away her thoughts without speech but she affirmed her approval anyway.
"It's a perfect idea, this way we can make sure Dawn isn't harmed and yet it won't compromise our team in any way, just ensure that we're careful. Go for it". Having brightened slightly Lexi turned her attention to Ben who was just asking the faeries a question. Listening to him speak Lexi was beginning to realise that his earlier criticism had been true to form rather than an attempt to pick holes in her plan although really how she could she have thought otherwise? He certainly wasn't a malicious person and that was the last thing on her mind. It was a benefit really to have someone so logical on the team yet Lexi didn't want to praise him too quickly now while she wasn't sure whether the faeries could accomplish this or not. In fact she feared saying that it was a great idea and then have to deal with an awkward moment if neither faerie could accomplish what was asked of them.
Although Tess had been paying attention to the entire conversation she had said very little and was beginning to feel badly for it, asking herself what she really had to offer the team in comparison to Michael and Ben who were so actively involved in team discussions. Adding to her depression over not having done much was the fact that Tess had been the cause of all these problems, her her mind anyway, by stumbling into that stupid trap. If she had only been watching where she was going and being more careful as she had been told to. So many if onlys but they didn't help and she was torn from her thoughts as Ben directed a question at her and Scott.
Unfortunently the question, even with its flattery, didn't have a pleasant effect on her because for the faerie girl it only represented one more thing she couldn't do for the team. Despite having powers and the ability to communicate with animals even effortlessly at times Tess wasn't able to do the same with plants. The most she could do was, sense a sort of energy and their awareness of her presecence but anything beyond that was too much for her. Tess shot her amathyst eyes over to Scott, wondering if his powers were different and strong enough to perform this task that she could not.
Turning back to Ben the blonde shook her head reluctantly. "I can't talk to plants," she explainned with a tinge of negativity in her normally cherry voice. "I only communicate with animals but maybe Scott..." she trailed off and turned her violet orbs on him once more with hope. She couldn't help the team at this moment but perhaps Scott could offer something.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
((OOC: ..Poor Lady… it seems that day was cursed for both of us, you lose ya post, I get dragged off to my relatives place in the middle of nowhere for a mass gathering (and when I say mass… I mean relatives of long distance relatives related to people who are just friends of my family (related by blood/marriage) swarming the area as well!) Why can some days be so cruel to us?))
The miniature creature, full of grace, elegance and beauty, shifted a crystal gaze to study the astral mutant offering to stand before and protect Dawn. Smiling with a mixture of approval, surprise and pleasure, Scott glanced back towards their leader and wondered if she agreed to let Michael stay behind. In Scott’s world that was very noble, to stay with the enemy and watch over their safety, in many cases warriors would let them be, but those of true noble nature would stay and guard the fallen – eve if it was their enemy. Of course there were exceptions where running was always the better options, it depended on the enemy, more importantly the enemies personality, though sometimes ‘what’ they were would taint the judgement.
As Lexi spoke a delighted sensation of loyalty swelled within him, anyone who would agree to caution such as that was worth admiration in his eyes, and the fact Michael suggested it boosted the royal’s opinion of the mortal all the more. Try as the Prince might, he would always be too compassionate to be fierce warrior, and if he did try and throw away his compassion, he’d feel empty and hollow, unlike his eldest two brothers who were praised for being fantastic warriors in the enchanted army. Though it was more their leadership and heart that drove them high in peoples minds… and they could never much the brutality of many other warriors from other races. The talent of communication with nature in all areas was probably their greatest survival skill, for nature was a dangerous enemy to have on and around your doorstep.
Emotions were high and low, a constant shift of degrees that confused Scott who didn’t understand the reason for the anxiety Lexi felt and Tessa was not her usual babbly self either… not that Scott’s known her long but she had been more towards the happier side of things around him since they met… this morning… A blink of surprise was followed by his eyes turning back towards the other fairy, had it really been so short a time? Ben’s words pulled his thoughts from the disbelief they entered to an alert look thrown towards the speaking human. The reply didn’t burst from the Prince’s lips right away because it was up to those around him and not just the fairy himself. What if the nature didn’t want to be called on for every moment he had an issue? His thoughts would have been laughed at if nature could have such an obvious ability, especially in these troubled times where all creatures and life were pulling together in the other realms in order to fight against the darkness trying to swallow his lands.
Noticing an odd look from Tess, the male fairy gazed over towards her, sensations of negativity soaking the precious entity. Why? One can only do so much and different people can and can not do different things, was the further drop in her emotions due to the possibility that she was unable to do as Ben desired? The pondering thoughts distracted the Prince and instead Tessa was the first to reply while his azure gems remained focused on her in a tender stare.
Unfortunently the question, even with its flattery, didn't have a pleasant effect on her because for the faerie girl it only represented one more thing she couldn't do for the team. Despite having powers and the ability to communicate with animals even effortlessly at times Tess wasn't able to do the same with plants. The most she could do was, sense a sort of energy and their awareness of her presecence but anything beyond that was too much for her. Tess shot her amathyst eyes over to Scott, wondering if his powers were different and strong enough to perform this task that she could not.
"I can't talk to plants," So it was her lack of ability, he sympathized understandably with Tessa due to his own short comings back home when there were elder brothers with far great years of experience pushing them significantly ahead of the youngest Prince. "I only communicate with animals but maybe Scott..." A smile of assurance with a string of serious words entwined with a tender tone spoke softly to his female winged companion.
"You may not hear their words, but they always hear yours." Spectacular iridescent wings lifted from where they rested against Scott’s back, poised ready as the Prince looked back towards Ben with a hast of returning to the issue the eldest human brought up. "I shall ask for assistance once you have departed." And if that failed? Scott didn’t want to think negatively but he tended to reflect the sensations around him and most where drifting in the negative areas. At this moment the Prince wished for Jacob’s presence, the loud mouth mutant with an endless pit of energy was a tremendous burst of positivity – which was exactly what the Prince needed since the shortly after meeting the new arrival Scott only then discovered the drastically short lifespan of humans. Sure Scott knew they were mortal, he figured they would live at least a few millennia’s… it seemed a crime to live only a single century, but his father often mentioned it would be disastrous for humans to live as long as elves. Surrounded by his current group Scott would have to disagree, but the Prince had been too isolated from humans to really know what they could be like at their worst.
(Due to Lady being gone, how do we want to do this, Karen do you want to post Ben (and Lexi and Tess) leaving, or do you guys want me to go ahead and have Dawn arrive/May bound Dawn and followed up by Scott covering their tracks? I didn't want to assume anything since the post might get rather large with a fair few different actions occuring)
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)OOC: sure I'll move us out of the way... but I just had a thought concerning the rule thing. If we tied her up and marked her on a vital organ then she could be rescued but when confrontation time comes she would not be able to get involved. It would give GSF and advantage...
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Once again Ben was faced with the now rather reoccurring feeling of guilt. He had not remembered that Tess was limited to speaking to animals. And now it seemed that she felt that because of that she felt she had failed them. He decided that after this mission he should probably go and hide in a corner for a while until everyone had forgiven him for putting his foot in it.
But for now Scott came to his rescue by reassuring his fellow fairy that she was not as powerless as she thought which seemed to cheer her up. Ben relaxed a little as Scott turned to him and said that he could cover their tracks. I gave them that extra advantage that might mean that they would get away. Speaking of advantages, what did the rules state already? Ah yes, in order to eliminate and opponent they had to be marked on a vital organ with one of the special dyes they had been given.
He turned to May that was standing at his side. “When you tie up Dawn if you could mark her as out it would reinforce our advantage.” He figured that May would have worked this out for herself but one could never be too careful. He smiled at Lexi and nodded indicating that he was ready to move of. He watched as she and Tess made their way back towards the place they had left Michael’s body. He knew they would not got too far so as to be able to help if things went wrong.
Before he left he turned to Michael, “be gentle with her because if your not we’ll never hear the end of it.” He grinned before walking away; he really wished that he could stay and watch as Dawn was caught but it just didn’t fit into his plan. He was careful to walk down the same path as Lexi had taken so as to not add any more footprints for Scott to cover.
The poor fairy prince had his work cut out for him, they had made a significant number of tracks as they arrived and they all needed to be cover or else Michael’s body might be discovered. He joined Lexi and Tess out of sight of the clearing. They were relatively far away but Lexi was going to monitor things by enhancing her hearing. So they would be able to know how the others were doing. Ben was expecting Scott to join them once he had finished covering tracks and May’s return would be their signal to move out as fast as possible.
OOC: Right I’ve NPCed a bit so if any of it is wrong I’ll edit if not take it away guys
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
It seemed rather pointless to even attempt to try and figure out what had caused the drop in Ben’s emotions. Then again most of these reactions the people were having was tending to go over Scott’s head because he was seeing the brighter side of things instead of thinking of the negative parts. They were doing really well so he couldn’t understand why everyone wasn’t bouncing with delight, Riley had been really upset with the lack of teaming his group did. Most already knew each other but with Catherine leaving and Riley’s months of depression and solitude the team really never developed despite the fact Riley was a competent leader, even if most people had no clue of the vast experience he had over the last few years. And although Scott didn’t know much he did know that Riley was really upset that he had fallen so low and it had been one of the main factors in X-Force’s lack of growth, where as Lexi was pulling her team together fantastically and they were all still around – and none appeared to plan on leaving any time soon… well the prince wasn’t sure about May… But he tried hard not to judge the spider-like mutant, despite the eeriness she caused to shiver through him when they were in close proximity.
The otherworldly woman, trapped in a time she considered her past, gave the group a rather offhand focus. Not entirely noticing their emotional struggles and more keen on being watchful as the others chatted, her hazel eyes drifting around the area in sign of any intruders approaching their location. Ben’s body turned to face her and somewhat reluctantly Peter Parker’s youngest daughter diverted her gaze towards the male.
“When you tie up Dawn if you could mark her as out it would reinforce our advantage.” If May had brought her web-shooters she would have poured the dye into the webbing and focused on the neck of her would be victims so that it would hint towards her having broken their necks. But since she was relying on her natural webbing it wasn’t really worth thinking of ‘if’ and instead she focused on ‘how’. At the moment May decided to see how the capture went and from there decide on how to handle the situation.
“be gentle with her because if your not we’ll never hear the end of it.” Curiously Scott watched as they left, not really understanding the real meaning behind Ben’s comment and figuring it obviously meant they’d get into a lot of trouble from the X-men elders if she was hurt. The Prince turned his bright cerulean eyes over towards May with an uneasiness related towards feeling so small and so helpless in addition to having her nerve racking company. At least Michael was around… the thought was assured this was true as Scott looked over towards the male mutant and then focused himself on doing the job he offered to attempt.
Letting out a slight sigh, the Prince mentally prepared himself for the negotiations about to take place. His silken wings lowered to his back as his tiny form landed on the ground, once again giving an illusion of a delicate cape woven of moonlight threads as the handsome and graceful entity readied himself to call for assistance in his native tongue. Melodic words slipped from his lips in a soft hymn, like a prayer to the heavens as the Prince had closed his eyes in an attempt to focus his attention on the world around his miniature self.
A rustle of the green leaves signalled the trees responses, followed unusually by the tender trail of wind as three playful air elementals replied to the summons. Air elementals came in all forms, depending on who summons them or where they are or what shape they personally desire to be. These ghostly visages held a fairy like appearance to mimic that of their summoners race, though they’d be unseeable to the human eye unless they desired to be seen, Scott also had some trouble seeing them and relied more on ‘sensing’ their presence.
The mischief giggles echoing from their ghostly forms, unable to be heard by human ears, left Scott staring in their approaching directing rather wearily. ‘Ooops’ sprang to mind when searching for a phrase to explain this unusual surprise, though he ought to have known that elementals often come to play, usually the fire elementals would dance with the fairies, it was quite common and if a fire was lit Scott would honestly expect there to be dancing and enchantment to follow. But when there was no form of entertainment many of the elementals grew mischievous and playful, and sometimes they’d not ask for permission to play. Of all the times he asks for company and playful souls now had to be the time they’d come.
A swirl of wind entangled the prince as they flew around the small fairy, causing Scott’s eyes to squint a little against the rising dust from the earth he stood upon. They’d never seen a prince before, a wave of delight flooded their playful nature and soon all three dispersed in different directions, a swirl of dirt and leaves fluttering in their wake as they went in opposite directions from the Prince’s location. Well… at least they’d help cover the tracks… as long as Scott could avoid getting ‘tagged’ by them, why did some creatures only offer help with rules attached?
"As you desire…" The hesitation in his soothing voice basically screamed ‘but I have grown so tired’ and yet the elementals felt that only meant they had less effort needed in order to beat the Prince at their game. "…on my mark." The prince requested the trees who rustled once more in preparation, the air elementals having decided Prince Vohan had a long enough chance to prepare himself for their game and in a flurry of excitement turned and homed in on the fairy’s location. Once again Scott took to the air, trying to focus first on picking up his momentum before clearing the tracks since he’d need speed to be an effective flyer and challenge the airborne entities. At any rate the clearing was not that large… which was also rather a negative aspect because he’d have to avoid three individual entities while focusing on trying to clear the tracks.
The flow of air behind the prince when he was close to the ground was not a logical trail his own wings and speed could cause and so an intellectual eye could probably tell there was something unusual occurring, that’s if they ignored the sharp areal movements Scott was almost perfectly preforming in an effort to avoid the elementals and negotiate the area needing their attention. Twice he almost got tagged, their extremely close proximity disrupting his flying and their unnatural gust of wind nearly throwing him off balance.
"Now!" The Prince called rather breathlessly while still being chased, his tiny form spiralling upwards as the leaves trailed down to add additional cover in case anything was miraculously missed. May’s eyes followed the darting fairy until his zooming form disappeared into the canopy above, the elementals speeding after him as he knew they would and he had no desire for them to disturb the layer of leaves elegantly falling to the earthy floor.
The young photographer raised a brow slightly at the display, trying to seem detached still and yet unable to deny the vibrancy of life almost radiating from the trees and the greener then usual leaves fluttering to the ground. It seemed like eternity for May and yet in truth it was only a few more minutes before Dawn arrived into the clearing, her long hair loose and her eyes carefully studying the area around her. There was an obvious suspicion in the witches movements and the hidden form of May wasted no chance in allowing the girl any chance of preparing any sort of spell or defensive state. A firing of webbing sped towards the lone spell caster and while one shot was aimed at her lower face another shot entangled the girls upper arms.
It surprised May when there was actually a fight still in the other girl. As May’s mask covered her facial features and her attire morphed into her symbiotic suits she had launched herself at Dawn from the bushes and instead of pouncing on Dawn the human girl had masterfully ducked the attack and defensively prepared herself for a fight despite being semi-bound and gagged. Quite honestly May found it rather amusing… but kept her sceptical thoughts to herself, allowing Sin to mockingly whisper his own opinions in the back of her mind. Swift motions followed, Dawn’s secret training as a potential slayer surfacing as she deftly avoided a burst of webbing aimed at her legs with a rather impressive swerve to the side that only her enhanced abilities could be credited for.
An air of irritation struck May who gave up being careful and went into combative mode. If the girl wasn’t going to give in easy then why should May be expected to with hold her strength? After all… it was a training exercise to test their strength and weaknesses as well as team work… wasn’t it? May didn’t dwell on any thoughts on the matter as a tendril whipped out towards the legs of the girl while another two shots of webbing were launched towards her, resulting in Dawn avoiding the tendril and trying to dodge one attack of webbing and yet unable to masterfully avoid the other. Stumbling to the floor once she lost her footing with the impact, the mysterious mutant Dawn had never seen before landed on top of her with an effortless single leap. Pinning the smaller girl down wasn’t as easy as the former Spidergirl made it appear, Dawn was much stronger then she appeared and underestimating her had cost May precious time – if it was a serious battle she could have lost it because of her lack of care. May held up her right index finger, the tip of it turning into a rather dangerous looking point as she placed it gently against Dawn’s heart.
"Stab. You’re dead." A rather disgruntled glare was Dawn’s reply as her wiggling ceased. May dipped the point of her finger into the dye they had been given and – unknowingly to Dawn – placed two little dots on her neck followed by a semi-circle, producing a rather mocking display of a smiley face on the side of her neck where vital veins were. "And a sliced throat for good measure, just so we know you’re dead as dead can be." A muffled reply came from Dawn and it didn’t sound very charming by the tone but luckily the girl was gagged and the words were lost.
Meanwhile Scott was finally being left to his peace as the elementals had their fun of colliding into him and effectively ‘tagging’ the prince, despite their chore already being done they were intent on ‘winning’ by tagging him, in the end Scott let them, not that he could keep up the pace much longer. Twisting around Scott dived once more downwards, pulled additionally by gravity to increase his speed and yet his swift manoeuvres kept him from colliding in any wayward branches as he passed once more through the awning of the trees, a silver streak trailing behind his swift movements.
At the same time Scott was returning to the main group, May leapt up into the branches above and used her tendrils to help carry her out of the clearing in a different way to the direction the team left… just in case certain dead people accidentally point their team mates in the right direction. So while Scott fluttered with exhaustion to where the others were, May rounded the area and took an additional minute before to rendezvoused with Ben and the others with a stealthy silence she spent years learning to master… something she had also received as a talent due to her abilities. Usually it was the instinctive habit of babbling that revealed a Spider’s presence, unfortunately May lost the will to talk so freely and her witty remarks faded with her happy days. Not that a world controlled by Sentinels was exactly something one can find many moments of happiness in.. but at least she had family at one point, their death and destroyed everything she found worth fighting for in her life.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Lexi again seemed Ok with his suggestion, this time the smile coming more easily to her face as she accepted his input. Michael was relieved. The idea of simply leaving the girl and walking away bothered him It was good to know that his teammates felt the same way.Not that being bound and gagged was exactly a picnic he acknowledged yet still he supposed it was par for the course on these training missions. *Heck I’ve been webbed up a tree myself and Im on their team* he thought with a laugh *so I suppose its only fair we do the same to our so called enemies.*
Now that the plan had been established they moved swiftly and silently to execute it. Michael nodded to Ben as he took off into the woods with Lexi and Tess and then settled down to wait the few short minutes till Dawn’s arrival. Almost instantly though his attention was drawn to Scott’s aerial acrobatics.
Michael knew that he was supposed to be covering the teams tracks but being unable to see the elementals who were teasing the fairy prince was a little surprised by the dazzling flying display that seemed to be necessary in order to achieve the desired effect.Still Scott was good! There was no doubt about that, his mastery of the air evident even if the cause of his actions went unnoticed.
As he suddenly shot upwards Michaels mind snapped back to te job in hand just in time to see the slight figure of Dawn emerge cautiously into the clearing to be webbed almost immediately by a waiting May. He started to step forward, thinking to g to her assistance before she fell but this was no damsel in distress. In fact it was more like a hellcat as Dawn faught and struggled to free herself from Mays sticky bonds.
Mays fighting prowess he had already witnessed in the Danger Room but Dawn’s resilience came as a surprise. *Remind me to be nice to her at all times* Michael thought impressed, as the potential slayer battled with her unexpected opponent. Still the added handicap of the webbing soon proved to much for the smaller girl to overcome and May bore her to the ground marking her as ‘dead’ with obvious relish. *One down, who knows how many to go* Michael reflected. *Still! Yay for us!*
Now he did approach the trussed up young woman, noting the anger and frustration in her eyes, offering her a sympathetic grin in response. “Lets see if we cant make you a wee bit comfier” he said softly picking her up and carrying her to the edge of the clearing before gently setting her down in a seated position her back resting against one of the trees that surrounded them.”I’m Michael by the way” he said pitching his voice so that it would not carry. “Not the best time for introductions I know but I’m pleased to meet you all the same.”
He looked briefly round for his other team mates, noting that they had taken their leave silently and discretely he turned back to Dawn. "Don’t worry" he went on "I’ll stick around till your team comes for you. Not that I don’t think you'd be able to handle anything this place could throw at you" he added at least half seriously Even bound there was no doubt that this girl as capable of taking care of herself . Still there was no point taking risks with anyones safety so..." Better to be safe than sorry thought don’t you think?” he added brightly.
He moved round carefully making sure he was fully in her line of vision as he said “Now Im going to disappear but I’ll still be right here if you need anything OK?” And with that he started to fade, not quite like the Cheshire cat but still doing a good job of leaving a grin behind him as he went.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
Now this was a sticky situation Dawn had gotten herself into. The sarcastic thought almost caused the spell caster to roll her bright eyes. That’s the last time she wanders around without someone else to play as her human shield! The potential Slayer could almost hear her former trainer’s disappointing remarks, where she went wrong, what she did to get herself into this situation. God how she hated having Angel’s voice in the back of her mind, he lost all right to resonate there annoyingly when he lost his soul and snapped her sister’s neck. To add to the irritation, there was someone staying back, Dawn’s first thought being Michael was there to gloat and make sure they all know she’s ‘dead’.
“Lets see if we cant make you a wee bit comfier” If he so much as touches her Dawn mentally swore she’d scream, let’s see how he likes getting Sean’s optic blasts slammed into him when her boyfriend hears her mental distress. It wasn’t intentional for Dawn to be so negative at this point but she’s usually in a great deal of threat when held captive and so she becomes highly defensive before settling down to think logically and she knows full well a lot of guys think of her as some toy they want to try out.
The uncomfortable young woman cringed slightly as he picked her up, he seemed friendly, so she was relaxing as common sense started settling in but she didn’t like being lugging about so helplessly. The potential Slayer had been helpless once and she lost everything she had left in the miserable remains her life had been, and she swore never to feel so lost and helpless again. This was bordering breaking her vow. An agitated pout lingered on Dawn’s attractive features as she was sat down against a tree.
“I’m Michael by the way” A mixture of slight suspicion, mild confusion and surprise appeared in the girls eyes as Dawn looked up at him. “Not the best time for introductions I know but I’m pleased to meet you all the same.” She knew when a guy was flirting and Michael wasn’t giving off any warning bells or signals. So she was safe from that sort of drivel at least. Now the popular girl was curious on who this nutter was! It’s hard to over look really polite individuals, that’s why people like Connor, Riley and Heath stick out like such sore thumbs. Heath and Riley were possibly the worst at the whole gentle men thing, Heath easily taking the cake. Riley was getting better with acting more his age instead of some guy trapped in those old English movies. Sure Dawn thought it was cute, and it’s sweet they way they are so polite, but people who take it to extremes are just… strange. Connor was better in his handling of politeness, he was polite, and yet not intentionally so, the feral was quite contradictive in Dawn’s opinion, but as detached as Connor could seem, he always seemed to at least try and be nice without going over board like Heath tended to do, which made her uncomfortable.
"Don’t worry" Infamous last words, this is where all hell breaks loose and people start dying. At least when her family starts trying to comfort someone, it’s usually because they’re about to die or at least have only the slimmest of chances to survive. The Demore’s were too stubborn to be anything less that somewhat cocky in the heat of a battle, if they could handle it, they’d make sure everyone knew they could, if they couldn’t… ‘don’t worry’ or the like were often uttered to cover the fears. "I’ll stick around till your team comes for you. Not that I don’t think you'd be able to handle anything this place could throw at you" Flattery? What did he think, she was going to not try and kick his butt next time they meet each other. Pfft. He better not hold his breath and hope for her to take it easy if they’re positions are ever turned. Then again, Dawn was a friendly person but she tended to be rather straight forward and to the point, taking her goals and objectives seriously. After all, she only had one life, and if she was activated as a slayer it would end by 25 – the average age slayers die – and she’d rather live every moment giving her best at the things she does. That’s probably why Dawn feels the urge to talk with people about anything and everything, serious or silly, she wants to get involved and experience life before it’s stolen away from her and she’s lost all chances at living.
"Better to be safe than sorry thought don’t you think?” Taking a moment to scan the guy from head to toe, Dawn wasn’t going to lie, he did have looks (not like Sean in her opinion, but not everyone can be that handsome she thought readily). But at the same time he still didn’t seem to be a threat so Dawn’s defences lowered. Her fears weren’t unwarranted, Dawn’s years in the school were spent butting heads with the infamous school bully, Max felt she had no right to be in the Institute since she was nothing more then a pathetic human. Well… now she tuned into the supernatural to a greater degree he’s backed off – thrashing his goons seems to have wanned them off her back. But Max still was repulsed by her, at least the physical shoving and constant bully had died somewhat so now she can walk the halls without worrying about every corner she had to turn in or pass and what possible dangers lay there.
Of course when Connor and Riley found Dawn getting hassled again they fluffed up their chests and did the manly thing of saving the damsel in distress and made it more then clear what would happen to Mark, Tony and Max if the three didn’t back off. Although Max played it cool Mark and Tony hadn’t been at all pleased with gaining the wrath of the Wolverine’s son, they got enough from Logan himself!! Dawn like’s to imagine it’s her developing powers that are keeping the bullies at bay nowadays and not the lingering threats of the team captains…
“Now Im going to disappear but I’ll still be right here if you need anything OK?” How many times has she heard that before? Basically exactly what her father said and yet he never returned to their lives, even when Dawn’s mother died and then when Jennifer died… when everyone died no one ever came to comfort her. But this was different, this wasn’t her old home and they weren’t fighting demons, so Dawn tried not to get herself worked up over it. She hasn’t been on any missions before so this was still new to her. The potential Slayer sighed as best she could while still being gagged by May’s webbing, turning her eyes over towards where she hoped Talia and the others would appear at any moment.
(OOC: Uh… mmh... this may be totally random so tell me if you want things changed and added... basically gonna make up a scenario…and NPC…>>…<<…)
The boring part of being a Hunter had always been waiting for the Prey. The time Rogue had set for everyone to prepare their traps had passed with acceptable pace since there had been something they could actually do, something to keep their minds busy and set at the task at hand but afterwards, when they had all gathered once more to inform one another about those snares position and way of functioning and Rogue had shortly explained that they’d try getting into a favourable position once a Prey team had showed up and make them run into some of their snares – afterwards all that was left was boredom.
They had split up again, everyone hovering close to their set of traps with the order to remain disguised and inform the other via stealth-mode intercom before acting in any way. Truth be told, the southern belle didn’t expect them all to follow this command but disobeying would certainly teach them a lesson, one way or the other, and thus was as good as when if they had stuck to what she had told them. After all, those “fights” weren’t real, it was all for education’s sake which of course didn’t mean she intended to lose.
However the case, between checking back with everyone and trying to make up tactics for all possible encounters – something Rogue as the “first slam, then ask” type of fighter had never been actually good at – the absorption mutant still had plenty of time alone with her thoughts. Sometimes you hate privacy. The same question returned again, nagged her, teased her… if only it had stopped pestering her, she might have been able to start closing this chapter of Spike the lover and opened a new in which he was nothing but a friend. Yet would they ever be able to become just that, friends? From enemies to lovers… was it possible to go through another change and not return to what they had once been? No matter what Rogue tried to distract herself with, the big “Did I do the right thing?” always returned, covering even those other doubts and worries with much greater uncertainty.
Chain of thoughts interrupted by a silent intruder, Talia’s voice whispered in her mind. Always shy and even too timid to speak things out loudly without any pressing reason, the psychic mutant appeared as unsuitable for fights as can be, yet Rogue had always put a strong trust into the other and tried to motivate her where possible, hoping she would one day rise from her cocoon like the beautiful butterfly she was. Someone was approaching… and Dawn was closest.
”Target appeared, location two…” Rogue had given out numbers to everyone’s area to make it more difficult for non-Silver members that somehow intercepted the message to know which group they had spotted where. There was always the risk that one of the Hunters got kidnapped which would turn the com badge into a highly disadvantageous device. ”Attack from four.” Another code specifying the spot where everyone was supposed to gather. Area four was north-western to Dawn’s position and Rayne’s territory; perfect to attempt to chase the other team south-eastern towards the majority of the traps.
”Confirm.” Mentally ticking her team members, Rogue listened to the quiet replies – the intercoms set to a volume which only their bearer could pick up on. One was missing… and considering who it was made worries everything but unfounded. ”Dawn, confirm.” She allowed another minute pass before cursing under her breath and soundlessly kicking off from the ground, speeding towards the young witch’s latest known position. Low to the ground she flew, leaving no trace, her speed making her but a blur of motion, a trick of light.
*F#ck!* When the gagged and tied up girl came into sight, only her heightened agility prevented the southern belle from bluntly dashing into possible ambushers’ sight. A tree as cover, the Silver Strike Force’s leader pressed her com badge again.
”Hunter’s become the Prey, gather a’four, hide’n wait for meh!” Beginning to widely circle the other group’s estimated position, Rogue made her way towards the meeting point. This change of events was not an usual but certainly interesting one. Spiderweb’s hinted at Green - apparently Lexi was doing a good job. This could prove entertaining enough to keep her thoughts wandering back to the past day. The fun part could begin…
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