Legs stretched out along the living room sectional while they shuffled a deck of cards, Z couldnāt keep their mind from racing. They were hesitant to come here, hesitant to leave their life behind - their friends - but it didnāt seem like a choice.Ā
While theyād been briefed and told they could ask for anything that they wanted, they were pretty sure asking for weed within the first week would be frowned upon. Unfortunately for Z, that meant that social interactions were going to be rough around the edges. Though they werenāt generally psyched to meet new people, being high made it easier to play nice.
Looking down at their hands, they let out a smallĀ āOh, shit.ā At some point while they were shuffling, the cards required less manual effort and seemed to shuffle themselves. Of course, once they noticed, the deck fell to the ground.
He wasnāt spying. Nothing like that. Bastien was just taking a little break in the doorway, which happened to be, by chance, one with a view of Z in a comfortable habitat. They seemed more of a loner, which was fine, of course ā just not necessarily the easiest kind of personality to be assessed for integration into the Team Plan.Ā
As he watched ā as he rested against the door ā the deck Z was shuffling began to move on its own and they dropped it to the floor. Something gravity-related, psychic, maybe. A perfect opportunity for Bastien to approach ā It wasnāt difficult for him to get along with liberal arts types. He was a liberal arts type. Technically. Academically. This would be fine.Ā
āHello, Z.ā He ambled over, picking up a few escaped cards on the way. āSomething similar happened to me the other night,ā he told them.Ā āI was playing solitaire, and...ā He held his palm up flat with its pile of cards and willed them to blow away. It... worked. It took a second. They flew upwards, and, thanks to his natural talent and not the whim of gravity, six of the seven floated gently onto the table. He picked up the last one and handed it back to Z.Ā āHow are things going? The cards looked very well controlled. For a moment.ā
Ā The moment he entered the gym, he noticed one other person already on the elliptical trainer. It takes a while for him to catch the personās attention, but once he does, he lets out a quick nod and exchanged a few words with him before occupying the machine next to him. He was trying to convince himself not to leave the gym because of someone else, but once he noticed that it was Bastien, he persuaded himself to stay.
Ā They worked out in silence, only the sound of the machine working filled the large room. Xander made sure to keep his focus on training himself, not letting himself get distracted by anything until his attention was captured by the flashing television. The sound was not on, but still, he could read the personās lips. The first thing he observed is that the man and Bastien bore an uncanny resemblance. āCould they be related?ā He shook the thought out of his mind. No distractions. Instead, he directed his attention back to the screen. The man was saying something and the look on his face made Xander deduct that it was something convincing. Soon, the segment ended and he was still confused about what he was saying, it looked important.
Ā Suddenly, Bastien spoke. Surprise written all over his face, he was right. They were related after all. He watched as Bastien seemed to take back his words. Maybe he didnāt want him to know. āThe two of you bear a striking similarity to one another.ā Xander acknowledged, attempting to keep his breathing steady as he exercised. āI havenāt too,ā He admitted, sighing slightly. āIām,ā He paused, trying to gather the words in his head to form a sentence, āIām just at a loss for words really. I donāt feel like saying anything to them.ā
Ā He shook his head, slowing the machine down. It would be hard for him to continue working out when his mind was filled with unnecessary thoughts. His running pace slowed down to a speed walking speed, in an attempt to clear his mind. He fails though. āI donāt know anymore. My mindās in a mess. Iām afraid that if I call, Iāll just start blaming them for not telling me. They donāt deserve it though. They certainly donāt.ā His voice wavered slightly.
A striking similarity, huh ā Bastien cocked his head. The particular polite smile for this particular line of dialogue tugged a practiced nerve somewhere on his face. He let it float up. It had felt like a compliment before ā it still should, really. Nothing... nothing had really changed save a full shuffle-up of Bastienās life and meaning which had been sleeping somehow in a twenty-nine year secret and the awareness that heād never deserved to know it. ...But, everyone had their reasons. Heād take it as a compliment.
Bastien glanced sidelong at Xander, whoād ended up somehow in a walk. He slowed his machine to a jog, not quite enough to match.Ā
āMm,ā he said, trying to calculate his steps into murky territory.Ā āItās difficult to...ā Know what to feel. Know what youāre feeling, might be what he wanted to say, but that seemed more vulnerable than sympathetic, and he managed to catch himself.Ā āNobody told me anything, so I wouldnāt know what to say, either,ā he offered, although when it came down to it he would certainly straighten his posture and say Hello. Iām settling in.Ā āWe donāt know much beyond the fact that weāre here, do we. Whoās responsible. Why...ā He let his eyes wander to the corners of the room, where no cameras were immediately visible. Not that that meant anything, of course.Ā
āSo you forgive them?ā he asked. Maybe his vocabulary was accusatory.Ā āYou... seem like a good son,ā he said.Ā āTo be understanding at a time like this.ā
āAish, you make it sound worse than it isā he mumbled, watching the pebble slide across the floor towards his own face. Why couldnāt that stupid tiny rock listen to him? All it had to do was leave the ground for a few seconds.Ā āAnd you heard the dude from the first day: we areĀ only useless when we are in contact with our negator. That means Iām useless without your help, thanksā his bad mood felt like a rain cloud that followed him around and he didnāt like it one bit.Ā
āYes, it seems that Iām only a pretty face and a wonderful body,ā he stayed on the floor, only moving his gaze to stare at Bastien, ābecause no matter how great I am, my powers arenāt working as much as I want them to and the initiative is going to kick me out of the program and I wonāt have anywhere to go, because I bet my manager already fired me for not showing up to my audition, which reminds me that that whole thing is already a mess and terrible for my rep, and my parents will be too ashamed of their failure of a son to take me in and I will end up living on the streets and probably freeze to death during winter because New York Cityās weather sucks!ā He finished his rant with a shout that made the pebble shake.
Bastien did an admirable job of schooling his smile from amused to sympathetic.Ā āAnd itās been... a week since then? Less? Nobody can learn something this new this fast,ā he said, although, personally speaking, he learned new things very fast and often perfectly. But that was irrelevant and neednāt be shared.Ā
āKim,ā he said when Joon Sung was finished, voice packed with mock sternness. Or maybe it would better be labeled real sternness disguised in a more fun and relatable tone.Ā āYouāre right about one thing āā he straightened his posture for emphasis.Ā āāĀ you areĀ great. Thatās what gotten you this far. I see that youāre struggling ā and that means that youāre trying. That spirit will always lead to progress, even if itās in ways we donāt expect. And. It might be difficult. But we canāt dwell on our lives out there right now. We have to believe that they have plans for this, if theyāve known about it all of our lives. Right? Would your manager really abandon you like that? Your... fans? If they were here, theyād be cheering you on.ā He didnāt necessarily know what he was talking about, but it felt right.Ā āKim. Youāre driven. Youāre passionate. Nobodyās giving up on you.ā Caught up in his pep talk, Bastien grabbed Joon Sungās shoulder to give him a firm, inspiring shake and held out the other one for him to use to stand.Ā
For as long as Olivia could remember, sheās always been a morning person. It was both a blessing and a curse. Like clockwork, she was always up usually by eight and no later than nine, her body waking her even if she didnāt have an alarm set. The latest she could get to was twelve, and that only ever happened when she was hungover. The island did nothing to shift her early bird routine. After waking, she dressed and got in a work out at the gym. Following this, she retreated to her room, where she showered and got dressed for the day. Hungry for breakfast, Olivia made her way down to the kitchen to get a catered meal.Ā Ā Ā
Her plan to beeline it to the kitchen shifted when she spotted someone as she passed the dining room. Doing a double take, a small smile played around her lips as she recognized who it was. She thought she had spotted him earlier during the initial announcement, but those first few days were filled with so many bad vibes that she couldnāt quite be sure. Now that she could clearly see that she was indeed right, well. Letās just say there was suddenly a very bright spot on the very dark hell hole that was the island. āWell well well. I knew my eyes werenāt deceiving me. Bastien Wo.ā Olivia greeted as she entered the dinning room, allowing a wider smile to grace her face. āWho would have guessed weād both be subjects?ā This was one of the few times Olivia willingly brought up the subject of their entrapment, though she did so only for playful banter, clearly not intending to truly talk about powers.Ā
So he hadnāt been suffering any trauma based hallucinations on that first night. Olivia Harrington walked into the room the kind of way heād seen her walk into receptions and dinners and charity fundraisers ā if she looked exhausted at all... he figured it was his own projection. Bastien took care that his eyes didnāt go dark or dead. ā It wasnāt that he disliked her. No, there was even a part of him that was glad to see her. It was more like... he had to play the game now, even here ā which he could handle, of course, but. But. He would have to go into his brain and reallocate some resources. But since this was what was happening, he would consider her as his ally.
āHarrington.ā He offered her the mug, and some dimensional rift collided with their timeline to transform it for a moment into a glass of wine. āIt seems they have taste.ā He smiled, one of the cold and knowing ones they all liked to use among themselves at a certain level of society.Ā āI wonder if they knewāā he raised his free hand to gesture somewhere up and behind him, meaning their parents and this... funny coincidence.Ā āHm. I wonder how this worked. If they were asked, or if they... applied. Considering the character of our... acquaintances. I wouldnāt be surprised if we recognized 30% of the list.Ā ...I can name some of the couples who would have been rejected.ā He sipped his coffee.
They had a lot of options here when it came to exercise - in more ways than one, now that they had to work out... whatever part of their body it was that held government potential. The 90% of their brain. Or whatever. Even a simple jog could make use of the entire beautiful beach outside, so why Bastien was sweating it out in the gym on an elliptical... Humans work in mysterious ways.Ā
Only one other elliptical was occupied ā Xander kept up a steady rhythm nearby. They had exchanged greetings and appropriate small talk when he had entered, and now ran in companionable silence. ā It was hard to say at the moment what kind of trust existed between them, but at least he was a friendly face.Ā
The TV flashed silently from the corner of the room. Bastien glanced over as the news cut from aircraft carriers off a particular coast to an update on the stock market, to a certain forum in Dubai. Hm. At this time of year. He watched detachedly, even though he knew what he was about to see ā the camera panned down the participants to pause on Marcel Woās distinguished white head nodding solemnly, mouth moving to form words that were sure to be very precise, most likely powerful, probably convincing enough to make every who heard them nod along and go Hm. Hm. Of course!Ā Bastien stared blankly at the screen til the microsegment was long over, then blinked and looked back around the room, back over at Xander still at it on the elliptical.Ā
āMy father was just on the news,ā he found himself saying with a hint of laughter - a casual aside to his running partner, as if he was chatting about a new study in the university gym. The words left his mouth before he had a chance to catch them. Was the exercise making his head loose?Ā āI havenāt...ā seen him for however long, he started trying to say, but couldnāt remember when theyād last been in the same country, so he finished,Ā ācalled him yet. Either of my parents.ā ā which was true, even this close to a week in. He held his urge to speed up the pace on his machine, but didnāt hold back a dry,Ā āI wonder if anyone has.āĀ Ā
Joon Sung stared at the pebble, still lying facedown on the tiles, even after two hours of it not moving. The pebble seemed unaffected by his oncoming existencial crisis, just like it had been, earlier, during his practice. This stupid pebble he had picked up during his first day in the house was mocking him and enjoying it, and if rocks could talk, Joon Sung was sure this one would be a spiteful, petty creature with no sympathy for humans.Ā
āCrush me with a rock and leave me to dieā Only then, when someoneās shadows creeped on him, did he give signs of life.Ā āLet the irony kill me.ā
All things considered, Bastien wasnāt as surprised as he could be when rounded the corner to see someone lying motionless by the pool. āWhen he made out the figure to be Joon Sung he was... even less surprised. He strolled over to his side, suppressing a slight shiver as he felt the air grow thinner.Ā
āShould I go?ā Bastien smiled wryly down at Joon Sung.Ā āOr would you feel better knowing thereās a reason for your. Impotence.ā He squatted - primly, like a gentleman - until he wasnāt towering over his negator, and held a hand out towards the pebble as if he would blow it away. Nothing happened, of course. āYouāve been having trouble?ā He leaned forward to nudge the pebble a few centimeters with an absolutely mundane physical finger.Ā
Aside from the moody housemates and the fact that everyone had highly dangerous powers, Milo had to admit there was a certain charm to the island and the mansion in it. Waking up early to go for a jog wasnāt just something he was used to anymore, but rather an enjoyable moment of calmness as the waves crashed next to him and the sun came out clearing out the dark sky. It was beautiful, and Milo was actually excited to get some breakfast and head back outside with to explore.Ā
Taking a quick shower back in his - very luxurious - room took less than ten minutes and before his body had even cooled down, Milo was clad in his most comfortable sweatpants and hoodie as he followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee towards the dining room. Now, of all the things he expected to find, a man looking ready to go to work was definitely not one of them. For a moment Milo looked down at his own clothes, panicking that this was actually one of the scientists in charge of the program but he remembered his face from the last day during the broadcast. He was one of them.Ā
āMorning,ā he muttered as he walked in shaking his still wet hair. The man looked calm and reassuring, smiling kindly at him. It was so surprising to finally find a friendly face, Milo almost groaned in relief. Most of the others were stiff, jumpy, like they were scared of hiding something. This guy lookedā¦ calm. It did wonders to Miloās already good mood. āSmells great, is there any coffee ready? Iām gonna get some toasts too, want some?āĀ
āThis is for you. Freshly brewed.ā Bastien raised a mug at the wet guy and put it down snugly on one of the kitchen islandās coasters.Ā āIām Bastien. āToast would be wonderful.āĀ Wet Guy... he might have seemed spooked for a moment but it was impossible to tell now. What could possibly be appropriate to surmise as certain was the fact that he was in a state of mind to be up early, shower (?), and eat breakfast. Interesting and promising.
āDid you sleep well? āMay I ask?ā Bastien sidled around to lean against the counter by Wet Guy, who must be slowly drying.Ā āI doubt many of us did.ā He paused for a moment to consider how much he should reveal - and in the same moment realized he had no cards to hold, and that it was strange to even approach this situation like that, when they were all on the same side. āI wrestled my nerves enough to get into bed, but there was this draft... The windows were closed. It was coming from me.ā He waved his hand vaguely through the air in a loose simulation of last nightās experience, peering at Wet Guy over his coffee.Ā āItās happening quickly, isnāt it.āĀ
Ā A simpleĀ āgood morningā and the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee was enough to distract Xander from his train of thoughts.Ā āGood morning,ā He greeted, returning the smile he gave with his own grin. āIs that an extra cup of coffee?ā Xander let out a cheeky laugh as he gestured towards the seat beside him, requesting him to take a seat. The dining room was starting to smell like roasted coffee beans and Xander could not help but inhale happily. It reminded him of going to the coffee shop right beside the hospital to grab a cup of āgive-me-your-strongest-brewā, before going to work.
Ā Ā āSo this whole initiative, as they call it.. It seems riveting, doesnāt it?ā He asked, wanting to know his opinion on everything that was going on. A negative reply would signify heās unhappiness towards this project, while a positive reply would signify the complete opposite. It was really simple to tellĀ ā but Xander really just wanted to see how cautiously he should approach them about their powers.
Ā Xander then glanced at him again, realising that he still did not know his name. āIām Xander by the way, sorry for not introducing myself sooner. Itās a pleasure to meet you!ā He exclaimed, extending his hand out towards him,Ā āWhat powers were you given, if I may ask?ā
The first new face was... a veryĀ friendly one. Bastien nodded agreeably and put the second mug in front of his happy guest before taking a seat.Ā
āRiveting is a word,ā Bastien said with a smile. It would be unwise to start having opinions at this stage - and certainly to share them. Not that he had anything concrete to share.Ā
āXander. Iām Bastien. I admire your attitude.ā He gave him a firm handshake. Xanderās chipperness was genuinely remarkable given whatever trauma everyone must have experienced in the last 24 hours. āIām not quite sure what theyāve done to me yet,ā he admitted. He ran his thumb up the handle of his mug until it hovered over the liquid - the surface trembled slightly like it didnāt know what to do. āI think itās something... atmospheric. I have a. Breeze.ā ā Wo. What happened to thinking before speaking. ā He took a sip of coffee before he said anything else. In his defense, this conversation didnāt exactly have a precedent.Ā ā... But Iām sure weāll be briefed in detail once weāre settled. Have you figured out yours?āĀ
Their first sunrise came in through a clear, blue sky - Bastien had seen it turn the kitchen from grey to white as he figured out the bits of the Aeropress. Whatever the intention of the Initiative, they certainly took care of their subjectsā creature comforts - if he had only one issue itād be that his luggage had been packed for five weeks in the Gobi Desert and not a new life on a luxurious island prepping the forefront of humanity. The work-appropriate white shirt heād put on this morning was one of two.Ā
These little things he could think of, but his mind still felt slow, still parsing things out. It would take a few days to get a handle on his team - heād only been able to do a general survey during the meeting - who seemed bored, who seemed anxious, who seemed scared, who didnāt.
But thereād be no more time for reconnaissance - every second would be data in the Initiativeās reports, for better or for worse. The smell of coffee reached up and out, and Bastien poured out two cups. Someone should be coming in soon. It wouldnāt be surprising if most hadnāt even slept. He straightened his posture and took the coffees towards the dining room, ready to put on his most comforting smile with a reassuring...Ā āGood morning.āĀ
GUIDING WIND THEY WAIT FOR YOU IN HALF RED SKY. IN HALF DARK HALF LIGHT WHO CANĀ SAY WHO TAKES WHOSE HAND. YOU HAVE GOOD EYES SO USE THEM.DO NOT LET THEM FALL FROM YOUR SHOULDERS. DO NOT MISTAKE THE SHADOW BY YOUR SIDE FOR MAN. DO NOT FORGET THAT ZEPHYROS KILLED FOR LOVE.
Hi ppl ^_^ Iām katsu, iām just an idiot in my final year of university in tokyo.. Really looking forward to meeting you guys! Hereās Bastien aka Zephyr, the self appointed leader who your character.. might have an opinion about. Of course by that I mean everyone will love him because heās so easy going and his favorite thing is simply to be funny kind and compassionate. His motto is reallyĀ āLive And Let Live. Live Laugh Loveā.Ā
[ bastien wo ], subject [ zephyr ] has arrived at the facility safely. the [ twenty-nine ] year old arrived from [ inner mongolia ] and theyāre pretty [ thoughtful ]. watch out though, iāve heard theyāre [ controlling ] too, so they might cause some trouble there. { bang sung hoon. male. he/his. }
brief history
Born in Zurich but is a global international school b*** . I didnāt consciously make him a Scorpio but he is a Nov 25 baby.Ā
Youād think heād be an executive by now, right. His parents are rich as f*ck and both leading figures in their sector (father is more of the charismatic business lord type and his motherās a terrifying genius researcher). But Bastienās a PhD candidate at Oxfordās Faculty of Religion. His parents REALLY encouraged him to continue his education and the dude has been at school for like 25 years.Ā
Growing up he received conflicting visions of the future. On one hand, in terms of socialization and intense conversations in The Office, he felt like he was being groomed as his fatherās successor, especially as an only child. On the other heās been pushed into academia, though heās managed to rationalize it as philosophical training.Ā
Obviously the reason for this is that as he developed a human ego his parents realized they couldnāt necessarily control him in the utter way you can a child, so they were like. Oh quick put him somewhere. Back in the incubator.Ā
Bastien can have serious tunnel vision so he does not realize heās treated like a company asset. When he woke up on the island he was likeĀ āWow it really makes sense. Guess my parents were really smart to keep me on hold while I was apparently totally incomplete and worthless.ā
On the surface heās like āExcellent, now weāre hereā but his stress centers are like āWHAT IS GOING ON BROā and his lizard brain is probably like āfunny how for so long I was just a clueless b***, well now Iām a necessary and genuine leader so yeah sure feels good that these people need me, a natural leader, the big bossā
His immediate reaction to the powers was to latch tf on to it because itās what he was apparently waiting for his whole life and itās like. The only way forward for him at the moment. But his eventual reaction will basically depend on if he comes around on how f**cking weird his parents are for, first of all, pre-natally selling him to scientists. Like he might be like āOh actually I have no autonomy and now weāre all here with superpowers, guess we need to find a way forward and reclaim our very lives and identitiesā or heāll be like āCool well we all have superpowers nothing much to be done there, ok people gather round for our third quarter superpower island meeting, joining us today is our superpower overseer here with our newest projections from the black ops government, now Iāll divide you into groups so we can brainstorm how to bāāĀ
Sorry I havenāt even mentioned his main character trait which is. Controlling b***. Heās a controlling b*****. Not in his defense but this probably comes (subconsciously cause heās totally clueless) from his absolute lack of control over his own life and an internalization of the way heās pulled around like putty and his need to ensure a world of order around him in the world he can see. Also he NEEDS people to need him. Heās kind of desperate. Sad guy. Go to therapy.
But donāt get me wrong, he is like. An effective and well-intentioned leader, like he genuinely wants people to depend because heās capable and he wants to be there like āGood work teamā when they reach their goal together. Bastien WILL listen to you and ask what you need and what he can do. His attitude during this can vary and heās stubborn so heāll likely try to dialogue everything into his corner. But his heartās there..
Heās fresh in from the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region where he was leading an excavation team to a funny old Buddhist site until he was. Stabbed with a needle and kidnapped. Would he have gone willingly? Sure. Would explaining everything and asking for his consent take too much time and trouble? Heheh. Yeah. Did his handlers understand enough of his idiocy to know heād take this whole thing in stride? Sure did.Ā
First things first on the island he definitely will try to/tried to talk to everyone once to see how they felt and what they need. But his aura can easily be interpreted as either.. a reliable rock.. or.. a f**cking annoying overbearing asshole.Ā
Oh shit I have to leave in 5 minutes so hereās some funny interaction ideas. -Training. Itās so fucking windy. Youāre like Why is it so f*cking windy I canāt hit the bag. Stop the wind.Ā -Jk I gotta go. NICE TO MEET YOU.
((& Ok so the bulk of itās here now but IĀ pasted my app right into the bio page for the time being if anyone needs to look at the whole business... not pretty at all just my heartfelt conviction of bastienās character... the ramblings of a madman with a son))
