SCANNING…IDENTIFICATION COMPLETE. ENTER: ELOISE PENNYWORTH, GRANDCHILD OF: ALFRED PENNYWORTH. CODENAME: THE ARCHITECT. A 24 THIRD YEAR ENROLLED IN THE ENGINEERING SUPPORT TRACK. ABILITIES INCLUDE ENGINEERING, INVENTING, HACKING & BOMB BUILDING. THEIR PRONOUNS ARE SHE/HER FACIAL RECOGNITION MISTAKES THEM FOR CHARLOTTE NICDAO.
eloise was born to julia & miranda remarque-pennyworth. julia was an accountant, and miranda was a police officer, both very good at their jobs. her mothers loved her and her grandfather doted on her, though for the first eight years of her life eloise saw him seldom.
after her grandfather suffered a stroke, her mothers decided to move to gotham to be closer to him. within two weeks gotham turned their lives to shit.
miranda suffered a major injury in the field, resulting in irreparable damage both to her body and her career.
eloise had forgotten to lock the door after her mother had asked her. the visit to the hospital had been hard on mother and daughter both. eloise had wanted to play outside, forgot to bring her key, and so she left the door unlocked. maybe if it’d been locked her mother could have called for help, she could have had enough time to hide herself. or maybe she wouldn’t have died alone.
julia had been home alone, though she thought her daughter was home too. so when the invasion occurred she didn’t call for help or hide, she thought eloise was playing. she never saw it coming.
after julia’s funeral miranda and eloise moved to a smaller apartment. the house was too big without her. alfred became a bigger part of their lives, but not even he had the power to sway eloise from what became of her.
she became paranoid in locking herself away, scared to ever open the door. she made use of her computer and engineering prowess, but locked herself away from the rest of the world.
eloise had been content only having her remaining mother in her life. she took care of her. and once eloise turned 18, she spent six years only seeing her mother and grandfather. she communicated with many heroes over coms, finding the name THE ARCHITECT for her designs, skills and technology.
it was recently her mother passed away, and with her grandfather growing frail eloise would have no one left. it was alfred who encouraged her to join lee-kane university, and it was the fear of being completely alone that compelled eloise to agree.
"We deserve the opposite of pain.” Cat didn’t know what had possessed her to speak her most inner thoughts, but there she was whispering them to her childhood friend. They had been through so much; individually and as a school.
Cat was the opposite of who Eloise was. Strong, confidant, bold but--- in this Eloise did agree. “We do.” She responded quietly. “I think happiness-- if that speaks as the opposite of pain, I think it would be quite lovely.”
“No thankfully. Just an unlucky guy.” Marina bent down, touching the corpe’s arm with the back of her hand. “Still warm. The killer might still be in the area.” she said standing up. Instantly her blades were out, scanning for anything suspicious. “Call it in to the PD. I’m going to look around.” she told her. “Try not to move too much. We don’t want to contaminate the crime scene.”
“Very unlucky. I wonder if he smelled this bad before the corpse-ining or if it happened post haste.” And just how long had he been there? Had someone not noticed or was it recent? If it was recent he certainly smelled that bad beforehand. “I’m sorry what?” The killer still in the area, Eloise was decidedly far less chill. “What if he decides to killer us next? I’d rather not become a corpse, should we go back? Call for backup? Please don’t say we’re going to look for him.” Oh there were the blades. “Don’t leave me alone, that will make it too easy for him to kill me next! I’m sticking with you.” Eloise declared, pulling out her phone and putting out the PD as instructed by Marina. “Do know if you do leave me I will 100% end up dead and I will haunt you.”
“It’s not my first body….hell it’s not even my tenth.” she sighed looking down at the poor soul. They were on a school approved recon and while it all was supposed to be observation shots had ended up being fired and they had been too late. She tried not to show how much that ate her up inside. she was always too late. “are you alright?” she asked as she started to look for evidence. The police would be here soon but maybe she could give a head start.
OOOF. not her first body. sure eloise had seen pictures, heard people finding corpses on comms, even seen through their headsets in some situations. but being face to face with the rotting gross smell, and--- was this normal?? for people people or even just them, superhero-type people? “is it a student?” she found herself asking. eloise didn’t know why the question was relevant, she didn’t know what else to say. was she supposed to do a prayer? “oh i’m alive.” she assured the girl, eyes remaining fixed on the corpse. “how long do you think they’ve been dead?” marina did say she was familiar with the dead.
Closed starter for @sheismisery | from event startercall & after plot drop
“You know what I said earlier about not having my suit because of style, I take that all back. I’m an idiot for just having the gauntlets.” He said as he managed to take a quick breather. Monsters, yeah he can crossed that off the list of things he fought. “At least my web has been holding up but not for long. You okay?”
A light smack to his shoulder. “Just having the gauntlets is a lot better then having diddly shit.” He was doing a lot better then the rest of them, especially Annie herself. Her fingers twisted around the fabric of his shirt, fear gripping her tightly in the chest of the monsters awaiting them. “Fuck no.” She told him trying to sound stronger then she felt. “Monsters. And they’re hungry.” She felt their hunger, picking up on the odd emotion in them. It was a fear sharper then she’d known ever before.
it was in this moment when theo already loosen up his orange scarf a little bit, looking for his partner of costume. as he looked around he glanced over at annie, his eyes wide open never in his life would think he’d see her like that, dress, soft colors. she looked beautiful but his ego didn’t let it express it too much. “you have something on your dress.” he said as he got closer to her and waved it off.
theo. it was nice to see him when he wasn’t glaring at her. “... thanks.” she said, not sure how to take the compliment. she was typically better at waving off crass things then actual kind ones. “you look groovy.” she teased him, slipping back into the old pattern if only for a moment. “oh- thanks. can’t reach that far.” she joked. “these shoes are not made for walking, and this dress isn’t made for reaching.”
“That’s a new one.” Valentina laughed. “That’s because you don’t know me. If you did, trust me…Medusa is more than fitting.” she told her. Valentina looked her over again. “Maybe. Better than being under dressed though no?” she asked, one golden painted shoulder shrugging. “You look fire.Maybe not as great as me but great all the same. Fuck anyone who says anything else.”
“Okay, so maybe you are Medusa.” Annie didn’t speak it like a bad thing, but more like a food for thought. “What’s so bad about that? Girl takes care of herself, is a badass bitch, and could turn whoever to stone. What’s not to admire?” A smile played at her lips. “Okay I’ll give you that.” Especially given she had so much experience in the underdressed department. Fire. It made Annie feel a bit more confident to hear. “That’s my kinda tune you’re singing. Fuck everyone else. I love that song.”
open: “ i kind of love this vibe.” zoe said as she started to move her shoulder to the beat of the music. she did hope people would feel the same, but she couldn’t blame anybody here, because the last time an event like this ended up horrible. “ you coming to dance? ” she asked the other, hoping to raise up the mood around. @lkustart
“can’t argue,” annie said. “halloween is the only time where no wrong vibes.” the one night where any freak could come out at night and be accepted into the atmosphere. her favorite holiday, always. “god no.” was annie’s speedy reply. “i keep tripping when i walk.” dancing would be asking for a twisted ankle.
Valentina could feel eyes on her, not that she could blame them. Her hair had strands dipped in gold,matching the golden snake crown she wore. Her form fitting black dress with a large slit that left very little to the imagination. And the vibrant emeralds she…borrowed…made her own green eyes practically glow. She looked ethereal. she knew that much. “You know, if you stare medusa in her eyes you supposedly turn into stone.” she said out loud, turning her gaze to meet that of her admirer. Okay that may have been a little conceited but the outfit had her in a more confident mood….as if her ego needed more boosting. “You look good.” she said as looking them over. She was being…a little nicer. Only because it was Halloween. It was the one time of year you could be someone else…
For an autumn day the girl made it hot. Annie had heard of her before but she didn’t know Valentina personally, her escapades were pretty famous though. Before LKU she heard of La Muerta, and putting a face to the title had been a peculiar feeling. She wondered if thats how others felt about her when she’d been found out as Misery. “Medusa isn’t the Greek Myth I’d call you.” It wasn’t even flirting, it felt like stating the obvious. “I’d lean towards Aphrodite.” Maybe Apollo with the sunshine in her dress alone, or Athena with the cutting stare her eyes held. “Funny you say that, I was feeling overdressed.” She wasn’t the type to wear normal dresses, let alone one like this.
As a little kid, Annie didn’t have too much interest in being a princess. Any of em. She was even thinking more towards a skeleton before the desire for Cinderella bloomed itself with her childhood favorite movie. So here she was. Cinderella. She wasn’t one to typically wear dresses or heels normally, so she found herself tripping more often then not. Nonetheless she was pretty happy with the costume. She felt nice. The good Halloween vibes in the air sure helped too. It was the first time, in a long time, she felt good without shutting off emotions at all.
“ well, i guess i shouldn’t care if it doesn’t matter right? i need just to let go, not give a shit about what happened.” he said waving his hands. “don’t you fucking get it annie?” he let out his anger. “ i know villains, i know them– my whole family used to be like that – used to be villains, every fucking person around used to do something wrong! but they owned it. they stood by it and they redeemed themselves somehow. it looks like you’re not even sorry.” he added and let a big sigh out of his mouth. he felt betrayed by her, that’s all– was it reasonable? all he could feel was a kind of guilt and it wasn’t even his fault. maybe guilty for being so blind, not noticing her. “ you don’t play with your friends, you play with dolls. so that makes me a stupid doll.” he spat it out so fast he almost wanted to punch something so he had to leave. “ i think you’re forgetting who’s my mother.” he said softly. his mom went through so much because of her so-called ‘gift’. she’s done wrong things that she’s not proud but now she’s one of the most famous x-men heroes. “ don’t tell me that you ‘can’t’ just tell me that you won’t.”
there was a part of her that wanted to agree with him. let go, don’t give a shit about me anymore, life would easier that way. yet the more selfish part of her didn’t want that, she wanted nothing more then things to fold into how they used to be. for him to care, to be friend, for them to laugh together. “how am i supposed to be sorry for something that i didn’t fucking ask for?” she responded. “i didn’t have the time to be sorry, i was too busy feeling furious or confused or frustrated or sad or anything at all that wasn’t MINE. being hit like a frey train by all everyone’s shitty emotions because of course those are the strongest ones. nothin like wanting to punch a stranger out cause of somebody else’s strong emotions! nothing like it in the world. except feeling nothing, that was a LOT better. and i mean it. seriously, being numb was a welcome release. and if it took doing whatever was needed to stay there then fuck it. consider it done.” she spoke. “can’t be sorry for needing to breath, just can’t.” she did what she needed to survive. “as for you? you’re not a fucking doll theo. i just-” frustration loomed from her chest. “i wanted you to feel better. call me fucking selfish i guess, but i thought maybe my friend deserved to feel some goodness instead of all the shit on his shoulders.” at the time it had felt like the right decision, a kindness. “i’m not your mom, theo. i’m not a hero and i’ll never be a hero. i can’t save people, not with my powers.” the most she could offer was a fake emotion for a small portion of time, what shit was even that? “won’t what?” she asked him. “it’s not an on or off button, don’t you get that? there is no choice here, not for me.”
Today, Stella found herself in a good mood. Cheer practice went well, her classes are a lot more interesting, and she found one Kit-Kat left in the vending machine. The one by the gym was always out when she went, so luck appeared to be in her favor. However, she wasn’t the only one hungry for chocolate.
“Puppy eyes stopped working on me years ago, so this is mine.”
@lkustart
“Puppy eyes? Me? C’mon you know me better then that.” Despite herself, a smile was creeping onto her features at the sight of a familiar face. She was unsure if Stella would be as happy to see her as Annie was, but there was a relief at seeing someone she actually knew compared to a sea of strangers.
Another faint smile graced Maggie’s lips. “You could try,” she said. “I’m tougher than I look, believe me.” She glanced over at Annie as the girl spoke, shrugging. “It’s less of a friendship, more of an…extended family sort of thing,” she said. “Or extended family friends, really. It’s a little complicated.” She shrugged. “But yes, you’re right about one thing. I don’t think I could stand being able to read minds.” A soft soft fell from Maggie’s lips, and she shrugged. “My mother is the Scarlet Witch,” she said. “She can manipulate every shred of reality at her whim. So she did.” She gestured at herself. “And created me from just longing and loneliness.”
“Naw you look pretty tough.” After all, the magic swirling around them kinda screamed about her badassary. The control alone was impressive, but the power too? Annie would be jealous if she wasn’t so fucking thankful for the timely intervention. It was this wasn’t the begging of a beneficial beautiful friendship, she didn’t know what was. “Complicated is my middle name.” Actually she didn’t have a middle name but she was sure Maggie got the gist of what she implied. “The Scarlet Witch.” Annie mused the title, she’d heard about it somewhere before but her memory failed her on where. “So that sounds fuckin awesome.” It really did, she wasn’t bullshitting the other girl. “So does that make you the Emeralds Witch?” She asked, only to take a second longer to process her words. “Hold a sec, did you say created? Did I hear that right?” Holy shit.
