sellsword

reality is that which i have not yet created.

[annacastillx]

wcvingtheflag

Grant takes the seat offered with a weary sigh, this had all been playing on his mind more than he would be willing to admit to anyone. “I was given all of this by who I thought at the time was Mateo” he allowed a second for this bombshell to sink in “I hadn’t had time to really look into any of this before the news dropped. But whatever all this shit is I don’t appreciate being a pawn.”

Anna sat up the instant she heard that it had been ‘Mateo’ who had given this information, reaching for the papers and scanning over them. “Mutant experiments?” she muttered, before looking up and searching Grant’s expression. “Why would he give this to you?” She needed context to figure this out. Nothing about this made sense, and Anna was rather determined to get to the bottom of it.

[annacastillx]

wcvingtheflag

Grant was still inherently annoyed after finding out that his supposed meeting with Mateo had in fact been anything but, the investigative reporter didn’t appreciate the wool being pulled over his eyes. Nor knowing he was that close to that close to the bastard that was responsible for his sister’s death and he had walked out of it, still very much alive. “You’re going to want to hear about this” Grant announces, the whole situations causing him to sound somewhat more jaded than his usual of easygoing, holding up the information he had been given by the Mateo look-alike before the reveal.

A skeptical expression made its way onto Anna’s face as she refocused on Grant. “Am I? Or am I going to be even more exhausted afterwards?” Despite her words, she looked over to papers and gestured to the seat in front of her. “What news do you bring?”

[annacastillx]

open

“If it’s important, then you can schedule it some other day,” Anna said, shoving aside a stack of papers and glancing up to see who had just entered the room. “I’ve got about three days worth of paperwork to deal with and unless it’s an absolute emergency then I don’t want to hear about it.”

[3d3nsr0s3-blog]

@annacastillx

“Annaaaaaaaaa!”

His exasperated wails cut through the stiff air that hung through the Union’s office. Head’s turned towards the ear splitting sound despite the fact this was a regular occurrence. It was normal to watch the resident attorney stalk around the building looking for his next prey to drag into his office and give an ear full too. The sound of cracking wood rebounded off the walls as he threw open an office door and stomped inside. The door slammed shut behind him and all went silent.

He yanked out a chair and threw himself into it with an exhausted huff. “Is he a fucking idiot?” He didn’t actually expect her to answer, he just really needed to get that off his chest. “I’m guessing the bastard went into hiding after murdering his own fucking child in cold blood- He’s gone off the rails.” He ran a hand through his hair tugging at the ends as his rant grew gradually more frantic. “Do you realize how much shit this has put the union in? It hit the fan and now we’re buried in it! I spent thirty minutes on the phone being called a myriad of curse words before they got so out of breath they had to hang up.” He threw his hands into the air and pulled them down over his eyes with an audible smack.

“Honestly I might just quit. Change my name and move to a different country.”

[annacastillx]

Unlike Dimetre’s clear and rather over the top panicked reaction, Anna had taken the news of Mateo’s death and Raul’s apparent not death relatively calmly. Calmly as in, she managed not to throw her laptop across the room in a screaming rage, and instead spent a large portion of her day screaming internally.

“You’re asking me if I know what shit is going down?” she asked, exasperation and annoyance clear in her voice. “I just had to deal with the deputy basically hounding me trying to figure out if the Union had anything to do with the whole switcharoo, and I’m pretty sure this whole circus has compromised our entire security system, not that it hadn’t been a right mess to begin with.”

Anna slumped back against her own chair, too exhausted to keep up the familiar bickering with the attorney. “Besides complete identity changes what the hell are we going to do?”

[annacastillx]

fireandicerowan

Rowan was silent for a moment, a rarity with him, as he swirled the ice inside of the glass before looking back at the other with a smile. It wasn’t nearly as large as one he usually wore, but it seemed genuine. “A little sore, but.. Okay. I’m kind of bummed that we didn’t… Y’know… get to him in time… But I guess that’s one less I have to learn about being a hero. Sometimes.. You can’t help everyone.” His smile faded as he took another sip of his water. “Are you holding up okay? How is your leg?”

The kid’s concern for her was nice, and she gestured to herself with a reassuring expression. “I’m all patched up. We have a good healer with us.” Her words were meant as a balm, but Anna was still concerned about this new jaded feature in Rowan’s thought process. She knew the feeling all too well. The loss of someone you were meant to protect. Of someone you were meant to save. “It doesn’t mean you can’t try to help everyone,” she said, her voice soft. A moment of silence, and Anna tilted her head, searching the expression in front of her. “Do you still want to be a hero?”

[annacastillx]

3d3nsr0s3

Shit.

Had he been traveling too close to the Union center, he had always made the conscious decision to stay blocks away from that place. Wouldn’t want to cause a scene…like he was right now. This had to be possibly one of the worst heroes to run in to, it’s not like he worked closely with many but of course, he had to come face to face with the woman who was well aware of who he was. He could pretend like he didn’t know her, or that he was the figment of a guilty imagination like one of those shitty Christmas Carol ghouls, but that wouldn’t work. He had seen that look of shock before, she was too far gone.

He didn’t want to make this whole ordeal any worse- Wait, was she at his funeral? Did she notice that he was wearing the exact same clothes he was buried in? Fuck. Guess there was no escaping the ghost thing. He extended his arm slowly, as one does when trying to calm a frightened wild animal “Anna. Don’t scream-“ That probably wasn’t the smartest thing to tell a terrified person, so he tried again “It’s me. It’s really me.”

Don’t scream? The thought hadn’t really crossed her mind to do that. She’d been far more concerned about the fact that she was seeing a supposedly dead kid in front of her. “How-” she cut herself off, trying to find words to describe what was going on. “How the fuck are you here?”

Anger replaced shock, and after anger came guilt. She swallowed around the giant rock in her throat, nearly shaking in confusion. This was not something that she’d been prepared for at all. “I watched...” she trailed off. “I let you die...”

[annacastillx]

isabellaheals

“Oh, jeez.” Bella crouches down in front of Anna, searching for where she should start the healing process. Not seeing anything immediately visible and knowing that her friend is still verbal, she asks, “Where should I start?” Though she doesn’t wait for a reply before getting to work. Clearly smoke inhalation had done a number on Anna and it didn’t pay to waste precious seconds. There were a lot of wounded who needed tending. Bella hovers her hand above Anna’s chest, trying to use her power to clear clear out her lungs. This wasn’t a typical wound she was dealing with, so she didn’t know how well and how fast it would work. But she had to try.

“Arm,” she managed to say. “I don’t think you’ll be able to heal my lungs properly without getting all the ash out first, but I really would like to use my arm again.” The statement was punctuated by a sharp wince then a series of hacking coughs. “I loaned my smoke mask to another kid. Didn’t think I would have to run inside again.”

[annacastillx]

Statement 003

Where truly was your character during the Gala? Exactly where she said she was. Mingling in the gala with all the other guests. For the most part she did stay in the gala room, with maybe one bathroom break in between. She did leave to go home early.

Is your character the murderer? Holy shit no way in hell. Anna nearly idolized Raul until after his death and subsequent defamation. 

[annacastillx]

@isabellaheals

Anna hates the med wing with a burning passion. So she’s not in the med wing when she finally collapses to the floor, shoving herself up against the wall in order to keep herself from completely keeling over. Her arm keeps shooting pain up to her shoulder, and her lungs feel like they were thrown into the desert. A cough shakes her whole body, and when Anna looks up to see her friend, she offers a weak smile and tries not to let the consequences of the fire show. “You’re a welcome face,” she rasps before getting sent into another coughing fit.

[annacastillx]

strpaloma

She was glad the woman she’d chosen to follow seemed to know what she was doing and had come prepared. It was hard to make out things in the chaos, but she was probably a union hero or DCPD, making this the only occasion Paloma could remember that she’s been pleased to see a member of either organization. She followed behind the woman as they made their way through the halls, hoping that she did actually know where she was going. “Nah. If you’re leading I’d like to know you can breathe. Besides, lord knows I’ve inhaled enough smoke in my lifetime already.”

Anna only hesitates for a second. There’s no space for uncertainty in the face of an emergency, and the heroine nods in assent before moving forward. The smoke begins to cloud her vision, and she realizes belatedly that she probably should have also brought goggles to help her see. But she blinks away the ashes as best as she can and eventually, they manage to make it to the stairs. She is completely relieved to find that there is no heat behind the door, a sign of an intact stairwell, but pushing at the door is futile. Her eyes search for the cause, and find the rim around the door partially melted, bending it into a shape that makes it near impossible to move anything through. Anna curses under her breath, stepping back. “It’s wedged, and I need more force to open it.”

[annacastillx]

@3d3nsr0s3

“You’re dead,” is the only thing that comes out of her mouth. “You’re supposed to be really fucking dead.” It’s like her brain is on a loop, and she’s not entirely sure what she want’s to do about that. Because the boy who she had failed to protect was standing (floating?) in front of her, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do about that. “Is this a prank?”

[fireandicerowan-blog]

Rowan sat outside a small cafe, reclining in the chair as he watched the television through the window. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, of course, but he knew what the reporter was talking about. The fire seemed as if it was only a few minutes ago. The smell of smoke still filled his nostrils to an extent, and the small burns served as a reminder that he was there. It served as a reminder of what was to come if he followed down the path of a hero. He took a sip of his water, locking eyes unintentionally with a passerby.

[annacastillx]

She hadn’t meant to stop, really. Anna had only meant to grab her coffee and leave. But the familiar face halted her in her tracks. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she should just move on or stop and say hello, but the decision was made for her when she made eye contact. It’d be rude to leave now, so she moved forward and took the seat beside him. “How are you holding up?” she asked, her expression curious, but her tone betraying concern.

[annacastillx]

strpaloma

Paloma was doing her best to exit the building, but she worried if she took the more direct route, just smashing through some walls, she’d bring the building down around her with everyone inside. She fashioned her shirt into a makeshift mask and tried to exit through actual doorways, though it was getting increasingly difficult to see where those were. When she heard a voice calling for help she moved towards it, hoping they knew a good route out. Seeing that the woman wanted help moving a beam, she was relieved. Now that was something she was qualified to assist with, “I got it.” Paloma easily lifted the beam out of the way.

Relief flooded through Anna when the other woman managed to get the beam away. “Oh thank you,” she replied before moving forward and pressing her hands to the door, hoping that there wasn’t too much heat so they could get through. “This way,” Anna said, forcing the door open when the heat on the other side didn’t feel as bad as the heat inside. Smoke still blew out of the corridor, but at least she knew that there were stairs down this way. Anna looked up, finally noticing the makeshift mask. “Do you need this?” she asked, pointing to the actual smoke mask on her own face. Civilians first.

[annacastillx]

inscnnewcrld

Sanne pauses, her brush hovering over the canvas. Because of where she was found shortly after the death was discovered at the gala she had been taken off the case directly, can’t have a suspect further handling the body, possibly covering up the method of murder. Not that it did them much good, with the body missing now everyone in the coroners office is under suspicion regardless. “I suppose they would have had to carry it out” She responds, her tone lacking any humour “or he got up and walked out himself.”

Anna wasn’t entirely sure if the lack of humor was because it was total sarcasm, or if Sanne was dead serious. “Yes I know they would have had to carry the body out,” she frowns. “But how would they have gotten in in the first place. What exits or entrances might have been broken into?” The heroine crossed her arms and rocked back a little. “Knowing the method might help catch the actual perpetrator.”

[annacastillx]

ofsonias

───── 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙙𝙚 !  why wasn’t it possible for her to just walk past the smoking building.  it wasn’t hard to do so.   left foot,    right foot.  other peoples misfortune was an aphrodisiac to the woman who’d spend much of her childhood suffering from it.    she just wanted to see what  ( or who )  was burning.  so she’d wandered through what had been accessible doors.   they weren’t anymore.   she watched from afar as a woman frantically attempted to move the debris,   until they turned to her.      

she didn’t  WANT  to use her powers in front of possible government officials.    this was city hall after all.  emphasis on was.          turning her head,   she directed her words at the woman,    ‘  help… what’s the point? ’  covering her face with her sleeve,   she walked  over to the  avid helper slowly.   sonia did not move at fast paces,  even in an emergency.      ‘   it’s every woman for herself.  ’

“Those are words used in survival,” Anna shot back, used to hearing those words from panicking victims. “Do you not want to survive?” God, she couldn’t believe she was going to have to have a philosophical conversation with this lady in the middle of a burning room. “Fine, burn for all I care.” She did care. But if this lady wasn’t going to help, then she was just going to have to cut through the wood by herself and hope that the entire structure didn’t collapse. A psionic blade appeared in her hand, and Anna began to hack away at the wood.

[annacastillx]

cleoraja

“Cyberbullying has no age limit,” Cleo pointed out, blandly, since she honestly didn’t have a stake in that argument. “And obviously, you know what you’re talking about with the DCPD and all, so clearly you know I’m full of shit. You a narc too? Tryna get me to say something off the record?”

Rolling her eyes, Anna fiddled with the bike lock. “Well clearly there’s something you know that you’d definitely want off the record, but that’s none of my business anymore.” False. She was rather intrigued, but she figured she should probably limit herself to being part of one interrogation per day. Instead, she shoved the bike lock into her bag and pulled out her helmet. She turned, trying to remember if she’d ever seen this girl before. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”

[annacastillx]

@fireandicerowan

Anyone who was still in the building was trapped, and Anna was about to lose her mind. Fifty percent of that worry was because she was stuck in a burning building and she was going to need to pull everyone in out of there, twenty percent of it was trying to figure out where the hell the mayor was, and the last thirty percent is because she saw a kid trying to help out without any form of protective clothing. “Kid!” she yelled, trying to be heard over the crackling and the snapping of wood. “Hey Kid! What the hell are you doing here!”