66 Posts
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10 Years
male
"batty"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Shiloh Dubois on Jun 8, 2020 14:20:50 GMT -4
give and take LIFE HAS A WAY OF CONSTANTLY REAFFIRMING that people aren't invincible-- from children who've known more sorrow than anyone their age deserves, to foolhardy teenagers who think they can take-on the world, to adults who bite-off more than they can chew. Life was always there to test their mettle.
For Shiloh and the Atkinson brothers, the most recent reminder came in the form of Fuchu. They'd been slumming around together for a few weeks when the outbreak rocked all of Japan, when they'd all been scared to the core by real, actual villains. They'd withstood the onslaught, only barely, and only because if Bishop's Barghest form.
The next few weeks that followed were filled with "meetings" with big, scary men. Wesker had insisted that the men were supposed to help the trio… but Shiloh didn't think the men were the "helpful" kind. They argued with Bishop about deals and money. Bishop never had enough money to buy what he needed.
Each time they left as they had arrived: empty-handed.
Bishop seemed more and more frustrated each time after he met with the scary men. And the meetings made him meaner. Now, almost two months later, desperation was settling in. Bishop got mad at Wesker. Shiloh tried to calm the tension by offering to take whatever it was that Bishop needed. They took so many things anyways! And their ragtag family needed it more than those scary men!
This assuaged Bishop only slightly, earning Shiloh a pat on the head and a dismissive word of thanks, and a tired insistence that it wasn't for the bat to worry about.
The bat-child still worried about it.
The answer to their troubles came in the form of an outdoors' supply store at the edge of Aoyama. It was in a nicer neighborhood, and thus the store carried brands that were well outside of the trio's budget. But Bishop was still insistent that they check the selection of clearance winter-wear… besides, they could make a game out of it-- count the security cameras. If they all got the same number, they could get ice cream!
The trio did, in fact, count the same number of cameras as one another. No winter-wear was purchased, but ice cream was, and Shiloh was swift to forget the store.
Shiloh was roused that night by a light jostling of his shoulder. The crisp silence in the air told the bat that it was very late, or very early. A thin hand patted the child's cheek-- Wesker-- and the smaller of the two brothers insisted that Shiloh wake up-- they had somewhere to be.
Shiloh obeyed, only because he understood that if he stayed behind, he would be alone.
The three walked along quietly, their breaths coming out in small, visible puffs. Shiloh brought up the back of the group, his short legs heavy with sleep. The boy yawned wide, stretching his maw so massively that his ears flattened against his skull and all his sharp, little needle-teeth glinted in the night. His face reassembled itself into something less nightmarish, tears pricking the corner of his eyes.
"Why do we gotta come back so late?" the youngest boy of the group mumbled, "I'm sleepy."
He was hungry, too, but that was how things sometimes were when you lived outside. They were all hungry. Any trace of fullness from Shiloh's previously-cushy lifestyle had been melted away in the challenging months he'd been on the street. Though food would be nice-- being hungry was still better than being forgotten in an orphanage. So the bat-child would not complain about being hungry.
Being sleepy was, however, free game in terms of complaining. When no answer came-- or perhaps the answer came too slowly-- Shiloh would reiterate his question.
"Can't we come back when the sun's awake?"
| quirk: e-rank echolocation, flight, speed; f-rank durability, multilingualism |
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52 Posts
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Post by Wesker Atkinson on Jun 17, 2020 3:55:11 GMT -4
 | Hard days made me, hard nights shaped me
I don't know, they somehow saved me | |
>> "Sorry, bud. We're trying our best to NOT be noticed. It just can't be any other time of the day for us to keep from getting in trouble."Wes started walking backward for a moment to check for anyone following behind the three of them, and to see how far Shiloh was falling behind. It seemed that their scout needed some (low-volume) words of encouragement. >> "Today's kind of a big day...or should I say evening...or should I say morning?...Whatever...This is a good moment for us to get some valuable resources. The kind of things that can scare people into getting what we need without anyone getting hurt. We all gotta be on our guard by the time Bro starts making any loud break-in noises. If this ISN'T a success, getting more food might truly be too difficult with all the stuff happening around us recently."Allowing the gap between him and the bat to shrink, Wes stopped walking backward and sat on the balls of his feet for a moment. The bat-boy would probably walk right into Wesker if he wasn't paying enough attention! >> "We have quite the risky job ahead of us, so you gotta be ready to help us out so nothing bad happens. We're counting on you; we know you're plenty talented seeing with sound in ways the police and other pros can't hear. You're our little movement detector that's gonna watch our backs so we can get out of there, just in case someone finds out faster then we can leave again. I know you already know this. I'd say it's so easy, you could even do the job in your sleep but...that's what I'm worried about right now."Wes got on one knee facing to Shiloh's left, looking over his shoulder. He started gesturing for Shiloh to get on his back. >> "Come on, now. We need you more awake when we finally reach the store. I need Batty Backpack to recharge for a moment."▲ WORD COUNT: 329 ● NOTES: The new Batty Backpack ver 10.2 (Pat. Pend) comes with quick recharging technology. Back to full power in only 6 to 8 hours! |
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52 Posts
0 EP
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15 Years
Male
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Post by Bishop Atkinson on Jun 25, 2020 15:22:14 GMT -4
throw out the map, don't look back  “I know, I know, it sucks. But we can’t do this when the sun’s awake, kid. We’ll be able to sleep soon. Might even be some sweets in it for you.”
Honestly, Bishop would rather not have to be doing this either. Sure, it wasn’t the first time he and Wes had pulled a store break in, but it had never had to be this cloak and dagger. This was complicated, and if he was totally honest with himself, the plan was crazy. They usually were able to just roll in, distract the people at the register, and take what they needed. ...But then again, they’d never needed this much back when they were pulling those. It was always small things, always stuff you could pocket or put up your shirt. Bags of chips, wallets, clothes if they were feeling daring. But now? Now that just wasn’t going to work.
They just couldn’t pull even the old simple jobs anymore. The police and Heroes alike were watching everywhere like god damn hawks at all times, the time for casual crime was gone. Not to mention that their competition had gotten worse with all the new people on the streets. Everything had to run through someone, and they just didn’t have the money to deal with middlemen. The more the deals had failed, the more desperate they were finding themselves, and now...now they were here. Trying to pull some cloak and dagger plan that would only work as long as no one was around in earshot.
“Plan still the same? Let the dog out, see if he can get us in without setting anything off?”
He let his brother handle the explaining, knowing that he was in a better state to do so right now. Bishop was tired, tired in a way he hadn’t been since the great run across the eastern US. And without the food to keep himself running, much less all three of them...it was showing. He couldn’t just push it down anymore, he felt that familiar irritability bubbling up deep within him, felt his control starting to slip, felt the dog demanding his due. A due that never came. It was starting to keep him awake even when they weren’t having to try and pull alleyway deals. If that wasn’t enough, he also couldn’t close his eyes some nights without seeing that damn tiger, and knew that one of them had to stay awake just in case. It might as well be him. The bags under his eyes were strong against his pale skin. He was keeping it under wraps...but he felt it all piling up. Above all, he wanted to provide for his little family here, but he was also very aware of his own selfish needs: he needed food.He needed a place to sleep at night. He needed to not be having do…this. That said, he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t looking forward to letting the dog off his leash, even if it was temporary. He kind of needed it. A release.
He listened to his brother’s words, nodding along to confirm them to the bat. He was an important little cog in this plan. He knew it was a lot to pile onto the bat, but...someone had to do it, and this plan just straight up didn’t work without him. He’d become an important member of the team, and whereas they’d used his benefits before...never had they had so much riding on it as now. That said, he also got it. It was late, and he’d be lying if he said he was even remotely at his most awake himself.
“Just recharge, batty. We’ll wake you up when we get there, and like I said, I promise this’ll all be worth it. Just need to take a big step in the right god damn direction instead of what we’ve been doing.”
WORDS: 649 - TAGS: @username - NOTES: The ghost of recent misery still has a song to sing. |
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66 Posts
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10 Years
male
"batty"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Shiloh Dubois on Jun 26, 2020 19:05:48 GMT -4
give and take THE CHILD'S FACE WAS SET in a sort of misery—as if being awoken while it was still dark out was the greatest tragedy they knew, as if tears would be imminent at the soonest harsh word. Both brothers addressed Shiloh’s complaints, insisting that this was the best time for the three of them to go on a mission. Bishop even offered the added bribery of “sweets” and imminent sleep.
“Okay,” the child sighed, though his tone was clearly none too happy about what the brothers were telling him. In no uncertain terms, they were telling Shiloh that they had no choice.
The rest of it kind-of blurred together, talk about how if they didn’t pull this off, it might be harder to get food. And talk of how important it was for Shiloh to do his job and keep a look-out.
“I don’t want to be the movement detector,” the child fussed, “I want to sleep.”
Wesker hunkered-down, urging Shiloh to clamber up. Hm, well, if someone carried him, he could probably get at least a little bit of sleep. Using Wesker’s bent knee as a step up, the child clambered onto his back, wrapping his wings around Weskers’ shoulders like a cape. Once Wesker secured the child’s legs, the child would nestle his head into the older boy’s shoulder.
Wesker would notice, after mere minutes, that the weight upon his back was going slack. The usual, shallow youthful breaths would even into something much slower. The bat had nodded-off with almost no prompting, and no blanket, and (unless Wes was careful) might began to slough off of him.
The streets around them were quiet—barely any motor-vehicle traffic, no pedestrian traffic (besides the odd trio), and perhaps a periodic raccoon or night-dwelling bird. Elsewhere in the city, the faintest echo of a car-horn might carry on the crisp air. But otherwise, it was still. Tranquil, even.
| ft. bishop + wesker atkinson, tsutsuji hachi quirk: e-rank echolocation, flight, speed; f-rank durability, multilingualism |
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52 Posts
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Post by Wesker Atkinson on Jun 28, 2020 6:59:44 GMT -4
| Hard days made me, hard nights shaped me
I don't know, they somehow saved me | |
Usually, carrying a fairly large bat-person would have been easier. Bats are designed to fly, so of course someone like Shiloh would have to be lighter then the average 10-year old if he were to even begin to glide the way he had done so many times before. But alas...he was still completely limp on his back, and it was tiring to keep him from slipping off or falling backward. The walk was supposed to take them 30 minutes, but Wes could only assume it was almost 50 and. He needed to stop for a few minutes to rest quite a few times. Shiloh was sound asleep for all of it, and his heavy breath on the back of Wes' neck made it hard for him to cool down. Japanese evenings were so damn humid sometimes... There was a half-moon out. The evening was a perfect blend of darkness to potentially hide in, and brightness to clearly see with his human eyes alone. The group reached the business district, still slightly behind schedule, even if they didn't have a strict one to begin with. Early morning was early morning. 2am to 4am was the butter-zone for a party of three that didn't want to be noticed or talk about the weather in broken Japanese to a random street walker. The lack of family residences was comforting too; there were no lights from any windows indicating human activity. >> “Plan still the same? Let the dog out, see if he can get us in without setting anything off?”>> "Exactly. We'll keep all four ears out for anything between impacts and if we do it right, it should be all quiet afterwards. You can squeeze in and I'll jump in there with ya. Just be destructive enough to make a human-sized hole. I wouldn't want to be the only one that fits through the breach, or I wouldn't have pockets for stealing in the first place! Heh...but honestly, I'm sure you'll be fine. It's our diminishing luck with staying unnoticed that I'm more worried about."Bishop had some comforting words for Shiloh, and it softened Wes' heart a little to hear his brother try to keep Shiloh's worries at ease. It didn't happen all that often, and Wes knew there was some frustration in his voice, but it was the thought that really counted. Still, he didn't have the heart to tell Bishop that Shiloh had definitely fallen asleep before that sentence finished. Wes simply filled in the space with: >> "He's right, just rest up and we'll get there soon..."__________________________________________________________________ Quiet storefronts with lowered metal roll-outs became less frequent as the night walk continued. In their place were some larger and fancier stores, more unique then the average store front. It was a nice touch that more windowed surfaces were there to reflect the moonlight just a bit. Wes hadn't gone on a long walk in a while. It was all business and sleep for them lately...at least since all the crazies broke out and put the police on such high alert. Although getting from point A to point B was still an important job, his mind could wander just a bit when uninterrupted for this long so late at night. Shiloh even muttered something in his sleep that inspired Wes to try imagining what he was dreaming about. It almost distracted him from how sore his arms and back were getting...and how quiet Bishop was for the rest of the walk. Wes wasn't keeping track, but it had been about an hour since they left on their mission. If Shiloh had been asleep the entire time, maybe he'd have a full sleep cycle under wraps. But unfortunately that wasn't the case. Their destination loomed about 30 minutes into Shiloh's power nap, and Wes' arms certainly couldn't handle much more. The outdoor equipment store wasn't anything too fancy, but it was definitely the one to steal from. The owners obviously had the money to add furniture and some other flavors to the decor on the inside, but the 2-story tall columns of marble interspersed between the sections of glass providing the store's walls were actually something more hollow (and cheaply made, by comparison). Wes suspected after scouting the scene that it was most likely plywood with a marble-looking finish over it. A bit of a gamble, but...it possibly wouldn't set off the alarm the way breaking glass most certainly would. It was a bit ironic...the thick panes of glass would be a lot easier to break then the wood panels given the right tools, but one could only assume that the people designing the security system were thinking that too. They probably assumed no one would do something crazy like...bring a portable saw plugged into a very loud generator at night, so it wouldn't be worth spending the money to secure it. Just make sure people know when the glass breaks. Be ready for normal criminals. All the cameras were set to observe mostly the entrance, and the registers. They planned to head around to the hunting knife section the unexpected way. Just replace the saw with a food-fueled bundle of fur and muscle. Just normal criminal stuff. >> "Okay Bishop, we'll set ourselves up in the planter box to the right. In that corner with the wispy stuff. Some 3-foot tall blobs of partial cover is certainly better then nothing. Or at least...it'll make me feel better if Shiloh wasn't in plain sight while he scouts, just in case. Once you get through the first panel, there should be some crude support structure lining the inside you can work around and a way to remove the panels on the store-side without needing to bash in a second one. This thing is large enough around; I wouldn't be surprised if there was a water-heater closet in there or something...but even if there was, it wouldn't be on. All signs say you're good to go in a few moments. Just lemme try waking him up before you make noise and scare the piss out of him."Wes hopped up on the dirt of the 4-foot planter box that took up the right hand-space of the building, next to the fake marble column. He set Shiloh down leaning against the nearby wall, since the edge of the planter was flush with the back wall that lined most of the buildings on the block. Between the couple of large shrubs, the wall outside, and the side of the store, there was a fairly defensible corner to work with. He prepared himself to switch to fake-excitement mode and loudly whispered to him, shaking his shoulders lightly from left to right. >> "We made it, we made it! This is your chance to see Bishop chop some wood with nothing but dog-power! Front-row seat! He's gonna make the circus people jealous, boyo! You don't wanna miss it!"▲ WORD COUNT: 1,153 ● NOTES: It's about to get all Barnum & Bailey up in here. |
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52 Posts
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15 Years
Male
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Post by Bishop Atkinson on Jul 2, 2020 1:51:13 GMT -4
throw out the map, don't look back Whereas Bishop did speak up now and then at first to comment on passing landmarks, where they were, and ask about smaller details of the plan, he stayed pretty quiet on the walk over. If his brother was observant, he likely saw that after a point he’d just put his headphones in. A familiar sign of ‘do not talk to me’ between the two. He needed to get in ‘the zone’ after all! Well, or maybe he just didn’t want to talk, it was hard to tell. Bishop certainly wasn’t telling. Outside of some humming and low-key following beats from his headphones with drumming on his hips, it was a pretty quiet walk. Gave all of them plenty of time to think at least.
And think Bishop certainly did. This plan was...risky, and he was honestly torn on it. If they got caught, especially now, they were boned. He already saw how much Shiloh was weighing his brother down, and the kid was already already asleep. If they had to run, there was gonna be problems. Higher scale outdoor store like this, the cop response would probably be decently quick. It always was in the nicer areas. ...But there was also a part of him that couldn’t wait. Finally, a break from having to deal with people, a chance to get theirs. Once they started getting close, he turned off his music and let the headphones hang for a moment as he listened to his brother. He nodded along to the plan, looking to the pillar and rolling his shoulders as he sized it up.
“Yeah, I can do that. Sounds good. Get the kid awake so he can help out, we need him. Good on ya for carrying him. I’da offered, but I kinda doubt he’d want to be on my back anyway. ...You better be right about this, because if the dog headbutts actual marble, he is gonna be pissed. ...And I’m not the one he’s gonna go after.”
Bishop let out a short laugh at that, then started preparing. He pulled one of the bags they’d snagged for this off his shoulders, just a cheap generic backpack. Easy to get rid of if needed, hard to track. Not getting anything distinctive was one of the early decisions after all. The same had applied to the shirt just in case, just a bland black t-shirt, no logo. That store had barely even noticed it missing. While his brother and that bat got into position, he shed his shirt and jeans, pushing them into the bag before focusing. Time to go.
“Showtime. Let’s open this fucker up!”
He let out a short whoop before the mist rose, and in his place stood that oh-so-familiar black dog. He snaps up his backpack in his teeth and took a moment to just stare at the pillar. Moment of truth, let’s see if Wes knew what he was talking about. He took a few steps back, making a show of pawing at the ground like a bull just for showmanship before he rushed forward, head down.
Three sounds came in quick succession. First, a loud crack as the plywood exploded around the dog’s head, sending splinters and pieces in a small cloud around him. The second, a loud metallic CLANG as his head collided directly into a water heater, leaving a not-inconsiderable dent. And finally…”FUCK!” before the dog pushed inside to the space around it. Well, so good so far. If Shiloh hadn’t been awake before, he probably was now. Pressing into the space, Bishop pushed the dog back down, leaving another trail of mist to come spilling out of the hole as he shifted back. He quickly threw his clothes back on before going feeling along the wall for the telltale paneling they’d seen. Pushing on it a few times, he nods, pressing his back to the heater before throwing his shoulder forward and sending the panel clattering down. After removing a couple more, he peeks back out the hole.
“I have a headache from hell, but we’re in. Set up the ol’ batty surveillance system and come on in, we gotta move fast. No idea if that set anything off. Don’t hear any alarms, but I know damn well that wall is gonna draw anyone who’s actually around this late. Shiloh, keep an eye out. I promise we’ll grab you somethin’ nice. Maybe that frisbee so we can toss it around. Or that ball that bounced really high when it fell off the shelf!”
He was trying to be energetic, but it was hard. He tried. At that, he pushed back in, going through the hole in the panels to scope the place. Alright, knives, clothes, some survival gear...whatever would fit in their bags. Well, and of course some toys for Shiloh. Lock and load.
WORDS: 805 - NOTES: Dog Ram: Busting down walls since 2074. |
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66 Posts
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10 Years
male
"batty"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Shiloh Dubois on Jul 6, 2020 2:49:46 GMT -4
give and take. DRIFTING-OFF HAD BEEN EASY. Shiloh was dead to the world within minutes, his arms going slack around Wes’s neck, his breathing evening-out. Periodically he might stir, particularly when Wesker shifted his weight, but he was clearly out cold. He might’ve drooled a little bit, but being asleep, didn’t have the chance to care. His nose might’ve gotten a little cold, so he did his darnedest to tuck it into Wesker’s shoulder, where it was decidedly warmer.
Shiloh began to come-to when Wesker set him down. The warmth of being draped over someone else replaced with cold stone and cold dirt. The bat shifted, making a small, discontent noise, scrunching his eyes shut tighter and frowning as he stretched.
He tried to get cozy again—a difficult feat, when one was sitting atop a planter, against an unrelenting commercial building—but was again interrupted by a light jostling of his furred shoulders.
Wesker’s excited whispering did nothing to quell the child’s grumpiness. But it did prompt the ten-year-old to open his eyes. Shiloh sat a little taller, nodding his head at what Wesker was saying.
“Bishop’s gonna do a trick?” the child echoed. A soft series of clicks reverberated from his throat, seeking the larger brother out. Shiloh finally turned his head to face Bishop once Bishop wooped, his already-fuzzy outline shrinking to dog-height.
Even if Bishop was Shiloh’s friend, the form still made the fur on the back of Shiloh’s neck stand up on-end. He shivered involuntarily, but continued to watch.
What ensued was… spectacular. Dog!Bishop stepped back, theatrically pawing at the ground. Where was he—what was he—? Bishop took-off full-tilt towards the building where Shiloh and Wesker were stationed, his paw-falls thudding closer when BAM!
The first impact made Shiloh jump, his eyes and ears snapping to forward alertly. But the tension eased out of his shoulders for the second, and then third, impacts. Bishop broke clean through the plywood, past the water-heater, and into the store, leaving a very impressed baby bat.
“Yeah!” Shiloh cheered quietly, raising his claws skyward, “That was awesome!!”
Celebrations were short, though, as Bishop re-emerged. They had to move quickly, before anyone showed-up on-scene. Shiloh sat a little taller as Bishop directed the odd trio, reiterating that it was Shiloh’s duty to keep watch outside.
“Understood!” Shiloh squeaked cheerfully, raising one “hand” to his brow in a faux salute. He could keep watch just fine from the vantage point on this planter box, which faced the parking lot alongside the sports-supply store. The process of a reward made Shiloh want to do this job well, curious what prize the bigger of the two brothers might select for him.
As the Atkinson brothers physically and mentally prepared themselves to head inside, Shiloh prepared himself as well. He adjusted his weight, crossing his legs so as to have a more stable, and more comfortable, sitting position. He shrank a bit more behind the bush, mostly out of sight from the street, spare his ears, so that he could still surveil the area.
“Good luck!” the bat theater-whispered.
| ft. bishop, wesker, + hachi quirk: e-rank echolocation, flight, speed; f-rank durability, multilingualism ooc notes: best alarm clock = a black dog giving themselves brain damage by using their cranium as a battering ram. |
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52 Posts
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Post by Wesker Atkinson on Jul 9, 2020 20:54:45 GMT -4
| Hard days made me, hard nights shaped me
I don't know, they somehow saved me | |
Wes had certainly conjured a worst case scenario from this one. His 5% chance came through after all, and his brother's head probably hurt a lot; the expletive and comment afterward affirmed Wes' assumptions. People say "they just don't make 'um like they used to" a lot. But none of those naysayers ever saw a large black dog ram his way into a water heater and find that it was sturdy enough to keep from bursting completely. It was certainly bent out of shape though, and probably leaking at least a bit. Nothing the three of them cared about now though. As long as it didn't give his brother any 2nd degree burns or anything, the plan wouldn't be hindered one bit. >> “I have a headache from hell, but we’re in. Set up the ol’ batty surveillance system and come on in, we gotta move fast. No idea if that set anything off. Don’t hear any alarms, but I know damn well that wall is gonna draw anyone who’s actually around this late. Shiloh, keep an eye out. I promise we’ll grab you somethin’ nice. Maybe that frisbee so we can toss it around. Or that ball that bounced really high when it fell off the shelf!”>> "You never cease to amaze me, bro. Even when we were dealt the worst hand, the game was still hardly a match for you." Wesker continued with a low whisper once everything was settled. There was an almost deafening silence after the impact, and they couldn't afford to be careless now. >> "Alright, follow my lead and we'll avoid the cameras. We're grabbing what's necessary and getting right back out again. You know what to do, batty.">> "Understood."Wes bent down and carefully lowered himself to the concrete floor inside the blast zone without getting any unneeded splinters. His shoe splashed a small puddle of water on the step down. Wes looked back to Shiloh as he went and tried to smirk optimistically. >> "See ya back here in two shakes.">> "Good luck."He was glad to hear those words from Shiloh, because deep down he wasn't sure this whole thing would pan out. There were so many risks involved, that he couldn't help but worry silently. With Bishop right behind, he stepped around the dented water heater carefully, and through the other side of the plywood framework to the shop floor. Wes had eyes up at the half-assed security camera set-up as he nervously emerged from the plywood panel, even though he knew they were out of sight. Lighting was left brightest around the register area towards the left side of the front entrance, but otherwise pretty dim and relatively comfortable for sneaking around, all things considered. >> "I'll go make some decisions on the sharp stuff, you head around the right hand side and see what else we can use while we're here. I'll meet up with you."Wes took a left and kept lower then the 4-foot high shelves that made up the isles. Halfway down the isle, a right turn, and a left. He'd gone over this in his head a bit more then a few times before-hand. It would be alright. Their identities would be mostly safe. Hopefully. There was always a chance that... He stopped himself again. No time to be worrying about things now. He had to keep making calculated decisions until they got out successfully. The section of hunting knives was in front of him. Quite a few of them were locked in sections of glass casing. It seemed like the glass was trying to make the products look fancier, rather then keep them from being stolen though. The lock was weak sauce. Not to mention these things were made to hang up on a wall, not to use for self-defense or intimidation. Over-sized, colorful handles of various patterns that were superficially outdoors-man-like attached to unwieldy and shiny blades. These were all out of the picture. But still eye-catching and mentally distracting. Next to the cases were the targets. Between 'pocket knife' size and 'ridiculous' size, there were some good 8-inch blades with a black finish and an easy holster to carry them around. The cases were hung and contained with a weak plastic "please ask associate for assistance" latch, easily twisted and broken off. With 5 different blades of that style in their holsters and straps all wrapped around each other in his arms, Wes looked up over the isle inside a camera blind spot. Now he just had to get these into Bishop's backpack. He would have brought his, but only Barghest can move a backpack full of goods when using his quirk. But wait...where did Bishop even go?... ▲ WORD COUNT: 790 ● NOTES: Where'd that damn kid run off to now? |
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52 Posts
0 EP
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Total
15 Years
Male
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Bishop Atkinson on Jul 11, 2020 21:20:07 GMT -4
throw out the map, don't look back Hearing the bat’s compliments and oh so genuine wonder over what he’d done mixed with brother’s compliments felt...good. In fact, it felt good enough that the two got something from Bishop that didn’t come as often these days: a genuine smile. None of that half-hearted smile Shiloh got with the headpats and empty platitudes, none of the forced ones Wes would know all too well at this point. Validation felt nice, even if what had caused it was causing his head to ring still. The dog’s head was hard, but that didn’t help the human. But that was alright, he’d gotten validation and done something good that was helping his family. That was what mattered. He felt that satisfaction settle in his head, but before he could think about it too much, there was that familiar pull in his head, his expression dropping back to it’s prior business mode.
Focus. Get what we need, get out. Don’t get caught.
“We’ll do our best, Shiloh. Just keep those eyes open and those ears up.”
At that, he dipped into the building after his brother, a hand rested on his shoulder so that he didn’t lose him. Not that there were many places to go, but it was dark and it was just a natural instinct. Once they made it to that space, he slides his body through the space properly and stretches out as he looked around. He heard his brother speaks up, listening before nodding.
“Alright, don’t like tight places as a person any more than as a dog...but got it. You go get the sharps, I’ll scout this side. Get us something good, none of that display shit. Hopefully we don’t have to use ‘em, but gotta be ready. ...Get a couple of big ones too. Just for show. Might make people fuck with us less. See ya on the other side, bro.”
He gave a single encouraging pat to his brother’s shoulder before moving over to his side, taking a moment to bring an earbud up to hang over the back of his ear. Being that he couldn’t do the whole ‘one earbud in’ thing anymore, having it against the back of his ear will have to do. Able to hear what was going on and get some vibe music going on at once. He started up his music, and then he was off!
Get. Take. We need this. We need all of this. We need it more than them.
Bishop had a sort of ‘shopping list’ in his brain. He made a bee-line for the hiking section, remembering that that was where a lot of the stuff he had his eye on had been when they’d gone through their casing before. Alright, one backpack was all they had, had to use the space well. Stuff they could easily transfer to other bags after all this in case they needed to ditch the backpacks. ...He could do that. In true sweep fashion, he started his process. Shirts? They needed those, the ones they’d come over were either destroyed, falling apart, or gross. He makes sure to grab one in Shiloh’s size too, kid could use something new. He made sure to get the most generic ones, just nonspecific graphics of sentiments about travel and adventure. No designer brands, those would get stolen off their backs. Food? They always needed that, so he snags a big bag of trail mix for sharing. Emergency medkit? No question they needed one of those.
More. Get more. Get what we deserve.
With so much to find, he however might get a bit distracted. ...A pocket radio? Well they didn’t need that, but it could give them music and updates so that things like them missing the breakout don’t happen again. In it went after being unboxed and the box folded up and shoved into the bag alongside it. Filtered water bottles? ...Risky, but it’d be nice to not be drinking straight river water, so into the holders on either side of the bag it went. So was the way, until the bag was pretty full.
Wes would likely find Bishop rooting around in a bin, pocketing pins and patches, a bandana pulled up over his lower mouth. The distinct sound of crunching from under the mask showed that he'd snagged a snack in the process too. He looked up at the sound of his brother, immediately throwing a bandana to Wes as well.
“Hey, catch, put it on. Think I avoided the cameras, but just in case, don’t make it easy for ‘em. Get the knives? Open up the bag, shove ‘em in. Should be room. God, this place is fuckin’ gold mine, we’re gonna be set for awhile.”
There was a certain...growly aspect to the boy’s voice, but the tone itself seemed entirely happy and content. There was always a thrill to pulling a big thing like this, that they both knew, but this was...different. He was hyped, and the instant Wes opened up that bag, he’d find that there was indeed space for at least most of the knives, but it was packed to the brim.
“You good?”
WORDS: 858 - TAGS: - NOTES: Welcome to the first outdoor store in the world that gives you money! So get ready, 'cause you never know what's going to happen on Wilderness Store Sweep! |
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Jul 12, 2020 13:29:56 GMT -4
 You may not have my eyes or smile,
but from the very first moment, you had my heart.
She had lost the ability to fly.
When she had been found by that burning building in Kawagoe with fractures from her fall, a bruised throat, and a laceration in her right eye that was bleeding heavily, Hachi could not have grasped the amount of lasting damage that had been dealt to her. That she had survived was luck in itself, as her biology was so alien to most that the doctors who tended to her had to guess what would work and what wouldn't. When the shock had passed and she had not died, what remained was treatment and healing. The fractures healed with a few visits from Nakahara Nimue, and eventually her throat stopped aching when she spoke. But her eye...
Compound eyes works differently than that of a human. Where humans have a single lens connected to multiple receptors to intake light per eye, that, when damaged to a certain point, ceases to function, a compound eye has multiple lenses all connected to individual receptors. In essence, it is dozens of smaller eyes, all making up a single unit. When Thunder drove a dagger of pure electrical energy into her eye every lens that it had touched had been burned away, rendered dead and useless. But the rest of her eye, in theory, could see.
Could was different than did. The pain that the wound still had, as well as the psychological damage done by the attack, was not as easily taken care of as saying that she still had some vision in her right eye. Trying to see with it only hurt her. And for that reason, she kept it "closed"--metaphorically, as she did not have eyelids--and only made use of her left eye to see. For now.
Which brings us back to flying. Without her proper vision, without retraining herself to function with half of her sense of sight, Hachi had been forbidden from flight. It wasn't a legal issue--her license was not taken from her due to her state--but it was something both her higher ups and her co-workers pressured her to do, informally. She understood their worries. She would be just as hard on anyone else were the roles reversed.
But she still felt an ache, deeper than injuries or scars, at the thought of staying land-locked like this.
It also meant her jurisdiction for patrols was smaller than it had ever been. Even if she were hovering--she could still hover perfectly fine--she could not go nearly as fast as she could in flight. The way her wings moved between hovering and flight was too different for her to keep that same level of speed for so long. Because of this she couldn't travel from rooftop to rooftop, moving as fast as she was able from emergency to emergency. She could only respond to what was near enough for her to get to quickly, but not nearly as fast as she could go. That was very frustrating. She felt...useless.
Still, she refused to let her smaller range and inability to fly remove her from her heroic duties. Hachi was in Tokyo City tonight, taking advantage of the very early morning shift that was usually not her go-to for work. She usually preferred to work in the afternoon or mornings, when there were more people for her to observe, and more work to distract herself with. But she didn't want people to see her in this weakened state. And she'd been having trouble resting since...
Alright, she had been having trouble falling asleep well before she was injured, but it hadn't helped anything.
So here she was, hovering quietly through the streets of a more well-to-do shopping district, the only sound of her presence a faint, gentle buzz made by her wings as they vibrated against one another, keeping her aloft. Aoyama was very, very wealthy, but also pretty well prepared for criminal activities. Many of the shops had their own security alarms in place, some the kind that went off with loud noises and bright lights to frighten away potential robbers, and others the sort to go off in silence, giving the police (or in this case, nearby heroes) a chance to catch the robber off-guard. Hachi had a small tablet that showed her which shops on the street had such security devices, as well as the location of police stations in the area, patrolling cop cars, other heroes--there were none in the immediate area at the moment, but Mikhail was in Akasaka, as the two continued to work correspondingly if not in tandem. He was one of those people encouraging her to stay low to the ground. How awfully hypocritical that snake could--
Hm?
Hachi came to a pause as one of the buildings on her tablet changed from a calm light blue to orange, and a red ring popped up around it. She clicked to get its location in relation to herself. Only two blocks south of her. But...an outdoor supply store? Not a place she would have anticipated a break-in at this hour, not when there were much higher-value items in neighboring shops. But there were plenty of reasons one might go breaking into any shop, ever, so Hachi started quickly in that direction, pushing her limits just a little in the empty streets. She wished she could just fly over.
Hopefully this was something she could handle alone. If she needed to call somebody else in to help chase down a thief...she had very little pride to begin with, but what she did hung delicately in the balance. Letting a criminal escape just because of her condition would be more than just a slight embarrassment...
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66 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
10 Years
male
"batty"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Shiloh Dubois on Jul 15, 2020 16:58:23 GMT -4
give and take THE CHILD WATCHED AS HIS TWO COMPANIONS slipped through the makeshift opening and out of reach of Shiloh’s echolocation, effectively out of sight. He could hear them straining through the entry, then their steps faded into nothingness.
Now it was just Shiloh, the bush he was tucked behind, and the empty parking lot. The air was chilly, which should’ve been enough to wake anyone up, but the youth’s thick, dark fur kept him well-insulated.
The bat slouched slightly, ears still up, making shrewd little clicks with his throat as he cased the parking lot. If he wanted a better vantage point, Shiloh would’ve walked the perimeter of the lot, widening his radius, but… he was too tired to walk. This would be fine. It was so early, no one would be out.
Eyes open and ears up, eyes open and ears up.
Shiloh closed his eyes—he was basically blind, anyways, so keeping his eyes open didn’t do much good. With only his ears, he could do just as well keeping a lookout.
Shiloh wrapped his wings one over the other, around his body, trying to keep the heat contained. It was really cold… much colder now that he wasn’t dozing on Wes. Bluh, how miserable. Hopefully the brothers were quick.
He lost track of time—thoughts were getting syrupy—Shiloh snapped to attention.
Still no brothers.
His head lolled forward.
Then he snapped to attention again.
Still quiet, still no brothers.
God, he was bored.
And sleepy.
So sleepy.
His head lolled forward again.
And this time, it did not snap back to attention.
What harm would a little catnap do? There was no alarm. No people outside. And the youth was so, so tired.
| ft. wes, bishop, + hachi quirk: e-rank echolocation, flight, speed; f-rank durability, multilingualism ooc notes: 3-2-1, out go the lights! zzz... |
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52 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Wesker Atkinson on Jul 16, 2020 16:21:34 GMT -4
| Hard days made me, hard nights shaped me
I don't know, they somehow saved me | |
Wes struggled to find where Bishop went. He could swear his brother mentioned stuff that looked useful in the hiking section, but he wasn't there anymore. There were only opened shoe boxes, shirts and other things littering the floor in his wake. He had to relocate a bit to get another angle and look up over the shelves again without being camera spotted. Peering over the shelf, his brother's face suddenly came into view right in front of him. Wes hadn't expected him in the portable tech section at all. >> “Hey, catch, put it on. Think I avoided the cameras, but just in case, don’t make it easy for ‘em. Get the knives? Open up the bag, shove ‘em in. Should be room. God, this place is fuckin’ gold mine, we’re gonna be set for awhile.”>> "Oh damn. There you are. Uh...yeah, it sure is. There's useful things everywhere around here. Too bad we didn't bring two backpacks. But I'm sure these 5 holsters should fit fairly easily in th-"Wesker should have checked his expectations at the door. There was definitely no room for all of the knives here at all. >> “You good?”>> "Uhhh...."He took a moment to process a slight change in plans. All 5 of these hunting knives were similar. And it might be hard or even impossible for Shiloh to hold a knife properly the way his claws worked. One for each, then. >> "Yeah, just had to make a few sacrifices, that's all."He threw aside two of the knife-holster combos and placed one inside the bag, barely managing to zip the main pocket shut. Then he fastened the other two to the outside, securing them from falling out unexpectedly and tightening the synthetic chord wrapped over them. >> "You did...a pretty good job filling this pack. This should keep us way more prepared for just about anything the world throws at us, honestly. If I was gonna do all that, we'd probably be here a while anyways."Wes didn't want to say anything more, but the weight of this pack would most likely prove to be too much to run away with if they were noticed that very second. But he never doubted his brother this much before, so why start now? When Bishop puts his mind to it, hardly anything could hope to change it. And if he decided to fight life's inventory restrictions now, he'll probably win that battle regardless. >> "Alright...Let's blow this taco stand!"He brushed his hair out of his face with his fingers and looked at his brother. Against all reasoning, Wes had a big dumb grin on his face. ▲ WORD COUNT: 422 ● NOTES: "Let me see what you have." "A KNIFE!" |
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52 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
15 Years
Male
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Bishop Atkinson on Jul 17, 2020 0:22:24 GMT -4
throw out the map, don't look back The mask-clad teen honestly wasn’t paying much attention to what his brother was doing behind him. He was much more focused on pocketing pins and patches of the store logo and generic travel sentiments, joining the ones he’d slipped into the bag already. Badges of honor for later. Was it dumb? Yeah, probably. But this job was actually working out, and he’ll be damned if he wasn’t going to take some souvenirs. At the very least, they had some cool designs. Surprising for some high-scale store, but then again, those days on the run had given him a sort of love for the more forested areas. They were safe to sleep in and test their powers, and he couldn’t help a certain sentimentality about that. Once he heard that zip, he tuned back in to what his brother was saying, turning to face him. He looks down the knives on the ground and snorts, reaching down to turn it in his hands.
“We could totally fit these in our pockets for the way out. But if you got enough, I’ll trust ya. Knives were your thing. And thanks, yeah, this place is fuckin’ packed. Tried to grab the stuff that’ll help us out. We should have brought two bags, but we’ll figure it out...I’ll give you the rundown later, we gotta get out of here.”
No, there was something he was forgetting. He furrowed his brow for a moment, then suddenly looks back up. Shiloh. He’d gotten the clothes for him, but he’d forgotten to get something special. Yeah, that wasn’t going to do.
Take more. Look after your people.
“Hey, go check the way out, see if the way’s still clear. I’ll be over in a sec, forgot to grab something for Shiloh.”
And at that, he was off again. Where he was going to manage to fit anything else was anyone’s idea, but he seemed to have a plan at least. He made his way over to the more ‘toy’ section, quickly scanning his way through. Alright, frisbees, balls, small stuff for him to entertain himself with. He snagged a ball first, considering before shoving it into one of the water bottles. Alright, that was good.
Don’t have space for a frisbee, but we need the frisbee, he was so excited about it. Does he need the hard one or would a soft one work too? Soft one will be fine, grab one of the rubber ones, the cloth ones will get torn up. Good.
He seeked out one of the rubber frisbees, letting out a short bark of a laugh when he saw that it was actually intended for dogs. Yeah, that works. He tears it out of it’s cardboard, wrapping it around a water bottle and shoving it back into the very tightly packed bottleholder before heading back towards the exit.
...But there was so much left in the store. So much he hadn’t grabbed.
You got what you needed, but you didn’t get all you wanted. Get it. Get more, get it for them. Get it for you. We need it more than these bougie fucks.
Surely some snacks wouldn’t hurt. He swings by the stacks of protein bars, granola, and other snacks near the front, shoving his pockets full of them before actually heading towards the exit. That should be enough. ...Well except for the small things that joined the snacks in his pockets, but he actually made it to the exit eventually, peeking through.
“Alright, place is done, go, go, go. We all good?"
WORDS: 591 - NOTES: Well, it's just a simple fact, when I want something I don't want to pay for it. And it's mine, mine all mine. |
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287 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
33 Years
Female
"Yellow Jacket"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Hachi Tsutsuji on Jul 17, 2020 10:45:51 GMT -4
You may not have my eyes or smile,
but from the very first moment, you had my heart.
Hachi rounded the corner of the last block mere moments after Shiloh had slipped out of consciousness. Feet still off the ground she squinted at the dark building, not seeing much. She had a flashlight in her helmet but she would need to get closer. Where had the thieves--or wild animal, sometimes that happened--gotten in from? She hovered closer until she was only about three meters from the building itself. She could hear something from here. Soft noises, rhythmic and gentle, like breathing. Without another lead she followed it. To a planter box? Hachi hovered around it and the corner of the building, and sat there was something fuzzy, curled up, asleep.
Maybe it was a wild animal after all?
Hachi flicked the flashlight on her helmet and shined it a couple of feet up from the fuzzy mass, as to not startle it. And then her breathing stopped short.
This is...
Hachi drew in a small, sharp gasp. The little figure curled up and covered in fur was decidedly not some wild animal. Their body was unmistakably that of a bat with the enormous ears, stout snout, and leathery wings wrapped around themselves. But bats did not grow to be this size. Bats in Japan were little yellow puff ball-like things. So then this had to be a person. A child, from the look of them. Hachi landed next to them and knelt down to get a closer look. Her face could not convey the concern or sadness that was chilling her from her very core. Looking the child over, she suddenly recalled something, from a long while ago.
There had been a little boy with a bat mutation that another hero, Zombie King, had come across. They had escaped him before he could bring them somewhere safe. A child who had been abandoned by their family here in Japan, who, if she recalled, hardly spoke any Japanese. After not hearing about them--or finding them herself, she had put it to the back of her mind and hoped for the best. Hoped that their family had found them. But there was little doubt in her mind that this was the same Shiloh Dubois as the one they had lost.
They were still out here. Still on their own?
Hachi heard a crash inside the building.
Maybe not as alone as I thought...
She glanced towards the building. She heard some more noise inside, but couldn't clearly see an entrance from here...but going to look for one would mean she would need to leave this child here, asleep and without defense. She couldn't do that. And what if they were with more people, who were the ones rummaging around inside the shop? It was not an improbable thing in Tokyo for little groups of homeless Quirker children to come together. Some of them became vigilantes, but others became criminals of a different sort. Maybe this was a group of the latter. Still. She couldn't leave him.
A long thin arm extended out as Hachi sunk into a kneel, her equally long and thin legs tucked under her body like a sitting bird, and she touched the little bat on the shoulder. It had been some time since she had spoken English at length, but she had to try...
"Shiloh...is your name Shiloh? Shiloh Dubois?" She spoke, softly, trying to stir the child awake without frightening him. She flicked on the flashlight in her helmet, then removed it, and set it aside so it better lit the area. It would help her to see, whether or not he needed it. "Please don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I am the hero Yellow Jacket. Are you okay?"
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66 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
10 Years
male
"batty"
Civilian-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Shiloh Dubois on Jul 18, 2020 2:05:23 GMT -4
give and take HE HADN'T MEANT TO FALL ASLEEP. Really, he hadn’t. But with fur as an insulator and nice, cool air, it was hard not to. Shiloh nestled right into his wings and nodded-off. It wasn’t until someone jostled the child’s shoulder that he started to cut through the fog of sleep.
“Nnn… Wes...?” the bat slurred.
Hm? That didn’t sound like Wes… wrong gender all together. Maybe he was still sleeping? The child’s brow twitched, and he sat-up a little taller, inhaling deeply. As if he was drawing himself to wake-up. But then… he rolled over.
"Five more minutes, Wes."
Maybe if he went back to sleep a second time, he’d wake-up for real after that. Maybe Wes's voice would sound right after that.
But someone was still shaking his shoulder.
Pieces fell into place, as the stranger with the feminine voice spoke softly to the bat, shaking his shoulder lightly. Not Wes’s voice—not Wes’s hand—or Bishop’s, for that matter. Big, fathomless black eyes blinked into wakefulness, and the child drew himself up again. Someone was behind him, a blip on the radar. Massive. Foreign.
The child sat up for real, this time, unfolding his wings. His weak eyes went right past Hachi, pointed skyward as he lifted his muzzle.
A series of clicks emanated around him, from his throat, painting a clearer picture of the individual before him.
Don't be afraid? Not going to hurt him?
The realization was tangible-- the child's shoulders went stiff, and he froze. Where there should have been peaks and valleys of facial features—eye sockets and eyebrows and noses—it was flat. Where arms should have curved with muscle, the limbs were pipelike, the hands were no hands like Shiloh had known.
Monster. Alien. Here to abduct you.
His throat had seized up. So his mouth moved quietly. His eyes stung.
No, a hero. The hero Yellow Jacket. The voice echoed in his skull.
"You shouldn't be here,” finally, his voice remembered to work, although it was just a squeak. Shiloh began to edge back… further behind the bush, back flat to the wall, edging away from the strange mutant. The spell began to work, for tears began to well-up in his eyes.
“I messed up, I can't believe I messed up,” Shiloh creaked, "I can't do anything right."
He was so focused on the hero before him, so confused by having awoken somewhere he never should've been, that he totally disregarded looking for the edge of the planter. The claw that he’d been using to guide him planted towards where more “planter” should have been found open air, and the child toppled out of his hiding spot, hitting the ground with an “ahhh!”
If the brothers hadn't heard Shiloh's sniveling before, they certainly heard the shout-- and what followed. The force of hitting the ground seemed to jar him out of his stupor, however, for Shiloh scrabbled to his feet and yelled, his voice pitching upward in a panic.
“Pro Hero! Bishop! Wes!” the child yelled, “Fuyez! Run!! There's a pro!”
Frantic, frightened shouts—wet around the edges—the shouts of someone small and scared and in-need of someone to protect them from someone scary and big. Shiloh scrambled to his feet, his brain a sludge of adrenaline and panic. What to do? What to do? Run? Hide? Fight? He couldn’t remember.
Run.
Of course, in his stupor, the child forgot he should've run towards the brothers. Fear made it hard to think. He ruined everything! Bishop was going to be so mad about that… and the Pro Hero was going to capture them and put them in kid-jail where they'd all be forgotten, forever.
That was even worse than being forgotten in an orphanage, forever.
The child scrambled to his feet, his forearm stinging. He must've scraped his wing on his way down. He had to get away. Shiloh spread his leathery wings and kicked-off of the ground, fluttering frantically away from the parking lot.
He couldn't leave his brothers, though. He took-off, out of sight, around the edge of the building, but banked upwards into the din, away from the streetlights, towards the roof of a sports store. He landed near the edge, where he could see the lot.
| ft. wes, bishop, + hachi quirk: e-rank echolocation, flight, speed; f-rank durability, multilingualism ooc notes: where pro heroes are aliens and bats come with complimentary tin-foil hats. (any translation errors are the fault of google.) |
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