Sovereign

You somewhat listen as you are told what is going to happen. You're joining a gang which requires, in no better words that can come to mind, a blood ritual. This seems more like a cult. But you agreed because you despise the government, and you want to help overthrow them and set up a better government.

"Are you ready?" The leader asks, watching you intently. You nod, and the process begins. They start by taking blood from themselves, and then some blood from you. Then as they inject the blood, you black out just as you feel something new coursing through your veins.

You're recalling when you first meet them. It was a strange encounter, with a lot of dancing around touchous subjects. You fast forward to when you meet them again. This time you didn't dance around. It was very straight-forward, and they asked if you wanted to overthrow the government.

You wake up in a bed, and you feel different. Something else flowing in your veins. There's also a 14 year old child's face that appears 6 inches from yours. "Hey! Welcome to your new family. Here's a bit of advice, as I'd hate to have waited for you to wake up rather than be out stealing people's stuff. Don't cross your own gang. Y'know like don't let them down, don't sell them out, don't murder them, oh and definitley do not cross Lennox. He's pretty much the de facto leader. What you can do is cause chaos when it comes to the government, and just have fun! Also, don't shoot me. I'm just the messenger, alright? Anyways, gotta dash!"

Just like that he was gone, faster than the speed of light.



There are five gangs: the Speedy Gonzalezes, Magna Matters, Reality Weavers, Psychics, and Shockblasts. Each was started by a defector from the government who brought with them the knowledge of how to transfer powers. Each gang has certain powers that they can transfer to gang members.

The relationship between the gangs is like that of a squabbling family. Currently, there is an alliance between the Speedy Gonzalezes and the Shockblasts. Other alliances/rivalries will be determined through plotting between the DMs and the roleplayers who claim the other leaders!

More on the transfer of powers: the transfer takes place with a ritual requiring a few drops of blood from both the power giver and the power receiver, both of whom must have the same blood type. The power giver keeps a container with some blood from both people. This container is required for the ritual in which a power is taken away, meaning if it's stolen or destroyed, that person's power cannot be taken away.

See the list of the powers associated with each gang below:

Spoiler

Speedy Gonzalezes

• Speed - they move faster than the human eye can track. Often slim and very hungry.
• Slow-mo - they can slow down other people and processes (basically any kind of movement, including the spread of poison). Requires focus and causes their own movements to temporarily slow down as well, however.
• Teleportation - they can teleport! Kind of like coming apart molecularly and then reforming. But where they teleport has to be within eye-sight, or somewhere they know very well.

Magna Matters

• Gases - they can control gases not inside living things (ex: smoke, air, clouds to a certain extent). At high levels, they can use the air to levitate for short amounts of time. It's difficult to control gases, as they tend to spread out on their own, and users of this power can become airheaded/scatterbrained.
• Fluids - they can control fluids not inside living things (ex: water, lava, drinks). Often thirsty and prone to crying while using their powers (lowers visibility and concentration).
• Solids - they can control solids not inside living things (ex: metal, wood, food) and can reshape them. Using their power too much can cause their body to become inflexible.

Reality Weavers

• Self Multiplication - they can multiply themselves, but the molecular structures are unstable as there are more, which can cause chromosomal damage, or mutations.
• Biotic Multiplication - they can make multiples of something living. It can cause molecular unstability and chromosomal damage.
• Abiotic Multiplication - they can multiply non-living items. It can cause molecular instability.
• Illusions - they can create illusions, but they need a source of light to bend. It's hard to create complex illusions, the easist being sight.
• Fabrications - people in this area are good at either one thing or the other. Not both. They can either create great ideas, or they excel at creating the things from said blueprint.

Psychics

• Telepathy - they can hear and transmit thoughts, limited by range. However, they can't hear other things while listening to thoughts, and some telepaths sleepthink (meaning they need to take care not to accidentally leak their thoughts).
• Empathy - they can slightly tweak emotions, like make someone sad happier, but they get feedback on what they do to other people (meaning they feel a little of what they make others feel). They also feel other people's emotions all the time.

Shockblasts

• Sound - they can scream and create a sonic blow, as well as see sound. However, screams are limited by air and they will lose their voice if they use it too much. It is also rather annoying to see sound always.
• Magnetism - they can attract/repel magnetic substances. Can mess up the iron concentrations in areas of their own body though, so they can move some parts very well, and others not so much.
• Energy - they can harness any kind of energy, including a person's energy. They can overload as well as cut off energy in circuits and whatnot. They can store energy in their body, and release it in a powerful blast. Their hair often sticks up kind of funny when they do so.

Characters Needed

Leaders (will need work with RP creators, also more abilities with a power than their underlings - can use all the abilities associated with their gang)

(We're hoping to have at least 2 members per gang. Feel free to create multiple characters!)

(Government agents are open as well...)

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Pronouns:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Power:[/b]
[b]Gang:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b]
[b]Shipping?[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

Spoiler

@JazzElectrobass
Scipio Lennox (Shockblasts Leader)
Hermes Ivy (Speedy Gonzalezes)
Tessitura Andante (Psychic)
Noname Unonio(Reality Weavers)
Vanilla Isander (Shockblasts)
Seeoh Min (Magna Matters)
Sovereign (co-rped by Jazz and Mint)
@Spearmint
Nix Weathervane (Speedy Gonzalezes Leader)
Florence Tam (Magna Matter)
Crescendo Andante (Psychic)
Malachite Min(Magna Matters)
Cielo Marquez (Reality Weavers)
Chocolate Mocha (Shockblasts)
Orion Unonio (Reality Weavers)
@WeepingWisteria
Lorna Parker (Psychics Leader)
Ambrosia Meadows (Shockblasts)
Tacito Ricci (Psychic)
@KateHardy
Stacy Aisling Parker (Reality Weavers Leader)
Seraphina Aura Sanchez (Speedy Gonzalezes)
Staysa Sidrova (Psychics)
@chrysanthemumcentury
Aster Thillus (Magna Matters Leader)
Mercury Aichtuo (Magna Matters)
(Magna Matters)
@RangerofIthilien
Sasha Merlot(Speedy Gonzalazes)
(Psychics)

The sun was shining and there were various clouds in the air, one of which was shaped a bit like a chicken. Nix paused in the middle of their stroll and smiled. It was a beautiful day to take down the government.

Of course, he phrased it differently in his head-- it was a beautiful day to take out the groceries. One never knew if there were telepaths around. It became a double-game of hiding your thoughts from both others and yourself sometimes. The telepaths from the Psychics were fine (Lorna usually kept them in check), but Sovereign... well, Sov had people of all kinds of powers working for her, didn't she?

The Speedy Gonzalezes leader pulled out their cellphone and sighed. Well, they didn't have much time for a casual stroll. There were people to contact and chickens to plant on Sov's farm. Right on cue, his phone started ringing. Nix picked up. "Aloha. Did you see the chicken cloud?"

"The what? Are you in Hawaii or something?" Scipio's voice came through.

"Mmm nope. Just a few blocks away from the Gonzalezes HQ. What's up?"

"I think we need to have a meeting. One with all the gangs."

"Yeah? How soon?" If it was an all-gang meeting, there was only one topic they could be discussing: taking out the groceries.

"Soon. How does 3 days from now sound?"

"Perfect. You hosting? Or who?" Nix tapped his fingers on his shorts.

"I was thinking that we should use the safehouse in the west, rural area. It's large enough to hold everyone if I'm recalling correctly."

"I'll bring pineapple upside down cake. Be ready." Nix felt a grin spreading over their face. Finally, they might see some real high-stakes action for the first time in a while. They knew their prep work had been leading up to this and was just as important, but they couldn't help but be excited for how things would move faster from here.

"Will do. Can you tell the other gangs? Or at least send someone."

"How about Hermes?"

"That's fine."

"I'll see you soon then, Scip."

"Thanks Nix." He hung up.

Nix started to hum. Indeed, it was a beautiful day. A slight breeze stirred next to him, and there was a scrawny boy, eating cashews. What perfect timing! "Sup?"

"Hermes. Great to see you! Would you mind popping over to Lorna, Stacy, and Aster informing them of a whole-gang meeting three days from now? West safehouse, the one in the rural area. Y'know, near the cows."

"Wow, straight to the point are you? You sound like Scip, but with actual understandable words." He ate another cashew.

"I know! I think Scip's rubbing off on me." Nix shook his head. "Oh, right! Hermes, have a protein bar. I stocked up on them for our gang. Razzle-dazzle raspberry this time." Nix pulled out a protein bar in a shiny maroon covering and handed it to Hermes. "How's the thieving been recently?"

Hermes perked up like a dog at the word "treat", and put his emergency cashews in one of his pockets so he could eat the protein bar. "Thanks! It's going pretty good. A good amount of money, some pieces of jewelry that I can sell off in a pawn shop, or trade to another gang. There was one guy that I stole a crepe from, man you should have seen his face!"

Nix laughed uproariously. "Did I tell you about that one time some pals and I stole a wedding cake? The reactions were priceless."

Hermes cackled and shook his head.

"There one moment, gone the next. We didn't leave even a drop of frosting behind." Nix wiped a tear of laughter from their eye. "We should pull a stunt like that again sometime."

"That would be awesome! That reminds me, did I tell you about the time I had a whole bunch of paper airplanes, so I went on top of a roof? Yeah, I managed to hit like 7 people. Priceless reactions."

"Ohh, I can imagine! You're just walking down the street, minding your own business, and then a paper airplane flies down and jabs your arm as if it was simply saying hi." Nix pantomimed flying a paper airplane with their hand and hitting themself. "I suppose a reasonable person would wonder where it came from... I would throw it back, of course."

"Yeah." He laughed, and pulled out a ring. "Look at what I got today. I think it's a ruby gemstone in the center. I think it's 18k gold?"

Nix examined the ring and its gemstone, watching how light was reflected off the various facets. "Very nice. Not something an average person would carry around. Must've been a pretty rich target."

"Yeah, this lady was wearing a silver dress. That could not have been cheap."

Nix nodded in approval. "Good job, kid."

Hermes beamed. "So, the rest of the leaders, get their members and meet in the west rural safehouse?"

"Exactly. In three days. Tell 'em I'm bringing my famous pineapple upside down cake too!"

"Yes! Alright I'll do it."

"Thanks, Hermes. Have another protein bar." Nix tossed another brightly-colored, cellophane-wrapped bar to the speedster.

"Yes! You da best Nix!"

"Why thank you, thank you. Now skedaddle! I'll have more food for you later." Nix grinned fondly.

Hermes grinned back, and in a blur of colors he ran off.

Lorna leaned against the wall, watching the wind disturb the leaves. They flexed their left hand, watching the burn scar ripple and bend. It didn't hurt anymore—at least they thought so. Pain was a distant, fuzzy thing to them. They looked back up to the street. It was quiet—so far away from the noise they were used to. If Lorna felt the definition of words, they would say almost peaceful.

The government wanted to take it all away.

They let the thought pass without fretting over it. No psychic was strong enough to invade them. That was their job, to invade where they were unwanted. To wipe away any hesitation and find the warm, vulnerable answer beneath. Lorna sighed, shaking their head. They went down these thought patterns too often, like their mind was trying to find something but kept hitting the wall. They pinched and tugged at the burn scar to keep their thoughts leashed.

"Salutations, dear Earthling!"

Lorna hummed. "There you are, Stasya."

She did a little twirl, holding her arms out like one would if they were wearing a long robe, which at the moment she was not.

"I am there and where and bears are polar."

Lorna blinked.

She bowed low. "Emperess Emotionless the Emote Master. Stasya at your service."

"I already know your name."

She gasped dramatically and fell to her knees. "It's a great honor."

Lorna watched her. "Maybe I don't know you."

She broke into tears, collapsing on the ground spread-eagled. "I'm not worthy."

Lorna stepped back, deeply... uncomfortable.

She lay there, sneaking glances at them but pretending to lie flat and motionless.

"Did... did you need something?"

She sprung up immediately to her feet. "Not particularly. I was merely checking in."

"Oh. Well... I am... here."

She nodded. "Apologies for any inconvenience caused."

"You haven't?"

She nodded gravely. "Well, thank me for all the conveniences caused then."

"T-Thank you?"

She smiled sweetly. "You're most welcome." She promptly leaned in and pecked his cheek.

They blinked.

She patted their head. "There, there."

"I'm not a dog."

"Is that a trick question? The answer is the cat is the imposter."

"That wasn't a question."

"Or was it?" She tapped her pocket as suspenseful music started to play.

"It wasn't."

The music increased in volume. "The plot thickens as the denial grows stronger. Was it a question, or was it never a question? What even is a dog? Can you bark? These questions shall forever remain unsolved." She tapped her thigh, making a spooky sound effect play, and then it cut out.

"It was never a question. Dogs are a type of mammal descended from wolves."

She fiddled in her pocket before a loud howl played. "The wolf, you say? Clever. Clever."

"I did say wolves..."

She cackled and promptly howled at the top of her voice.

"That is something you could do."

She nodded gravely. "To do or not to do. Something must fry."

"Are you making dinner then?"

She looked confused for a moment. "Dinner?"

"You said fry. So, are you going to fry something for dinner?"

"I could. Did you want something fried?"

"You said something must fry. So if you're offering, I won't say no."

"You'd accept something I cooked?" She looked genuinely surprised now.

"I mean. Yes? Do you dislike cooking?"

"No. I." She looked down at the ground, playing with the hem of her top. "I. I quite. Somewhat. A lot. An undisclosed amount. Like it."

"Oh. Then I say, please fry something then."

"Yes. Yes. I..umm. I will. Umm. Coming right up Empress Emotionles the Emote Master.. She managed her trademark grin again.

"Thank you."

She bowed low again. "May I leave then?"

"If you want to."

"I well. I want. To. Cook the duck. Duck the cook."

"Alright then. Good luck."

"May the force be with you."

"Thank you."

"Peace be with you."

"There will be when the government's gone."

"Indeed."

"See you after you're done then."

"I will."

Lorna watched her leave, sighing softly again. There was quiet once more.

"What's up?" a boyish and light voice said, one he'd known from previous interactions.

Lorna didn't even look at him. "Clouds. Airplanes. The International Space Station."

"Wow. Being literal today, aren't you?"

"I prefer keeping things clear."

"There's no smoke or fog around, so it's pretty clear to me," he replied, unphased by his lack of emotion. He looked around, making sure no one was around.

"Oh, I apologize for the misunderstanding." They weren't sorry. Hermes was probably mocking them. "I meant I prefer to keep conversations understandable."

"Would you prefer them to be straightforward as well?" He asked, partially sarcastic.

"I can't control that."

"Well, duh." He swept his hair out of his eyes and munched on the protein bar he had been given earlier by Nix.

"So. Nix sent you here, hmm? What did he want?"

"Well, it's not really him." He felt slightly agitated, as he did not enjoy having his thoughts open to someone else. "It's Scipio."

"Mm. Also, you're fine. I'm not reading right now." Lorna glanced at him for the first time. "So? What are the orders?"

"Right. Not reading." His mouth twitched, and he looked around again. "He says we're having a mass meeting. West safehouse, the one in the rural area."

"I see. What time? Tacito is still out, so I need her back before then."

"In three days, and it starts at his favorite hour, 9:00 AM. Also, Nix is bringing his pineapple upside down cake. The famous one."

"Lovely. My people will be there. Maybe Stasya will bring something."

"Coolio! By the way, do you happen to know where Stasya is?" He pocketed the remnant of his protein bar and looked at him curiously.

"The kitchen. She wanted to fry something for dinner."

"Alright, that's cool. Thanks, Lorna!" He grinned his signature lopsided grin, one that had mischief written all over it.

"Of course."

"See you in three days!" He zipped off to said kitchen to talk to Stasya.

Lorna just sighed and leaned against the wall again. Looks like it will be a busy three days.

Ambrosia chewed on a pen as they scanned the bank's security page. It looked like an easy enough job. Well, for her, at least. She let out a small giggle. And Scipio was worried about funds. This was easy money! Sure, it didn't technically exist and would take careful maneuvering to get handheld cash from it, but she knew what she was doing. She understood exactly what to do here. She should tell Scipio, though, so he wasn't surprised.

She pushed back her computer chair, looking out the doorway to see if she could spot if anyone were making noise. From there, she could see where Scipio's workshop was, which he was often in. He probably slept in there, too. But at this moment, the door opened, and he actually walked out, headed towards her.

Ambrosia startled and looked down to see if she was presentable. In all fairness, his hair looked like he just took a stroll through a hurricane, so she should be fine. He walked into the room and signed. Hi. How things go?

Good. One bank easy target.

Good. No get caught?

I no get caught.

Good. I arrange a meeting. Three days from now.

Oh? She furrowed her eyebrows. What for what?

A plan. Reason I in room long time. Positive good before presenting.

She raised her eyebrows. Need help?

He shook his head. Good.

Okay Ambrosia smiled. Get money? Little at a time. No caught.

No caught. Okay. No caught. He gave a very small smile, which, for him, was the equivalent of a large, caring smile.

Ambrosia grinned and nodded, turning back to her desk to get to work.

Tess felt like being in the mood of a more violent rock, so she started by warming up with the bass line to "Z" by The Warning. She loved the feeling of power that was emitted from a bass guitar. She felt as if she wanted she could bring the whole place down, and she could let everyone feel her wrath, dare they bother her.

Just then, someone bothered her. The door was kicked inwards, and in the doorway stood Cress. She played a few jaunty notes on the piccolo, then swung a dramatic arm towards Tess and said, "Great morning, sister o' mine." She perched on the very large bass amp and grinned. "Want to hear an idea I had?"

Tess grunted, continuing to play on her bass guitar rather than stop. If it had not been her sister, she would have thrown a potted plant at whoever entered.

Cress improvised something on the piccolo, then dropped it again and said, "Okay, so you know how the switching of sugar and salt is so common and overdone?" She didn't wait for a response. It would have just been another grunt anyways. "Well, what about coffee and cocoa? Or mixing in cinnamon into coffee grounds?"

Another grunt. But a thoughtful one, meaning she wasn't entirely ignoring her. Why waste time with words with your sister when she could understand your grunts by tone?

Cress's smile grew wider in response. "There are night owls and early birds among the Psychics, but no one's usually up at four a.m. And you know some of them have gotta fix their caffeine addictions."

Tess grunted another thoughful one, a corner of her mouth twitching upwards.

"Tonight. I'll see ya." Cress played another jig and then twirled out of their room. Tess returned to playing her bass, but she played "Soulshine" by The Allman Brothers Band, another way to show her thoughtfulness.




Cress woke up at 3:59 and turned off her vibrating alarm. She climbed down from the top bunk, already fully dressed in her sneaking-around clothes: a black shirt and pants along with thick socks for minimum noise. She carefully shielded and quieted her and Tess's thoughts, then tapped her sister on the shoulder.

Tess's eyes were already open, and her arms crossed. She got up, dressed in leggings, a t-shirt, and socks. Her socks were thin, as for her that was quiet enough. Even without socks, you could barely hear her walk. Most likely Tess was already shielding their emotions.

Cress slid towards the door, a smirk already lighting up her face. The two of them crept down the hallway towards the kitchen. But there was already someone in the kitchen. Light leaked from the archway and into the hallway.

Cress caught her breath and exchanged a glance with Tess. Tess was watching the person intently. Cress angled her head for a better view. Short, messy hair, large baggy jacket, and inhaling a cake. She didn't even have to see his face to know he was Hermes. Cress let out a breath of relief and stretched her awareness towards Hermes. She wasn't the best at sending messages telepathically yet, but she could at least send an impression of quietness, then an image of cinnamon and coffee. She concentrated for a moment, then relaxed. Hopefully the right message had gotten through, and not something about an invasion by mice living on Mars again. Hermes looked up, and around until he was facing their direction.

"Okay cinnamon in coffee is just gross. Well, it depends on what kind, but still." He said, not whispering a bit.

Cress frantically put a finger to her lips and glared at Hermes. "Shhhh," she hissed.

"Sorry." He replied, much quieter. He zipped the short distance, stopping a foot away from Cress just because. "Whatcha doin'? Trying to break your fellow psychics' habits of relying on caffeine?"

Cress nodded and grinned. Then she carefully pulled over a stool and stood on it to reach the cabinet where the cinnamon and coffee were stored. She set them down on the counter in front of her and Tess. Tess was right beside her as always, and Hermes was on her other side, perched on the counter. Tess quietly unscrewed both containers, as she was probably better at this part.

Cress grabbed a spoon and handed it to Tess. She trusted her sister would know the right amount that would be disgusting and yet not cause anyone to choke. Most likely. This would probably be a horrible mistake. Tess dumped in most of the cinnamon, but left enough in the container that it wouldn't be suspiciously sitting in the trash can, and it also would not leave a smell in the coffee. But the amount she put in the coffee grounds would most likely cause sheer chaos in the psychics. Hermes made a face at the amount that she had put in.

"Man, that's gonna be so gross. I'm glad I won't be the unsuspecting person."

Cress smiled. She vigorously mixed in the cinnamon with the coffee so the color looked approximately the same as it was before. Then she placed them back in the cupboard and carried the stool back to its original position. For good measure, she wiped down the counter in case any cinnamon dust had fallen on it. For another good measure, Tess and Hermes kicked around the stuff on the floor. Can't be too careful.

Finally, the three of them glanced at each other. Cress nodded, signaling that she thought they were done. Hermes grinned and resumed eating cake.

Tess and Cress snuck their way back to their room, and Cress changed into pajamas. She put away her outfit in a safe place, then checked her phone. 4:18. Perfect. She'd still get eight hours of sleep. Tess was already in bed and snoring. She could walk silently but her snore..... well, sometimes Cress thought it rivaled the chords Tess played on the bass guitar. But she was long since used to it and had no problem falling asleep as well.

Tacito watched the house across the street, her MCR playlist blaring in her ears. At this point, she could mostly tune it out but couldn't help strumming her fingers against the body of her sniper rifle in tune.

There was a gentle pat on her shoulder.

Tacito had to work hard not to flinch and looked behind her.

Sorry. Couldn't think of another way to get your attention.

Tacito frowned. It was Seraphina—bubbly, over the top, right in your face. She sighed and patted her shoulder.

She grinned and promptly pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away.

Well Hiiiii. How is my favorite assassin doing? Perfecting that look to kill people with just your stare?

She gave a half-interested shrug.

She made that facial expression that she'd informed her was apparently her cooing. You're looking cute today.

She blinked.

Soo. What are you up to?

She gestured to the very obvious sniper rifle.

Having a dance with the old rifle? She winks. Rifling through your playlist?

She deadpanned, waiting for her to be done.

She did a little twirl. Are we sniping at idiots on Instagram? Planning a little pun-ishment for someone?

She sighed.

Seraphina grinned and booped her nose. C'mon. That's not how you smile. She produced a very exaggerated smile. It's like this. Try itt. You'll love it.

Tacito turned around and went back to her sniper rifle.

Seraphina didn't seem to be deterred, worming her way in front of it. Gimme your best shot.

She grabbed Seraphina's face and moved it out of her line of sight before looking through the scope.

Seraphine dramatically stumbled backward. There was peace in the world again.

She took a deep breath, aiming. As soon as an opportunity opened, she took the shot and fired. She watched a body fall through the window. With a satisfied hum, she stood up, picking up her rifle.

The dreaded smiling assassin appeared again. Good job. You're so cooll

Tacito nodded and started dissembling her rifle.

She booped her nose again. Tacito just turned around and kept going.

Seraphina swirled around again. Now, now. Remember what I taught you. If you want to exorcise the Seraphim. Tell her to go away. She pouted. Or look at meeee.[i] She winked again. [i]With those snippy looks

She looked up at her with her driest, most deadpan look.

She gasped and pretended to stumble backward. You don't want me to leave. Am I dreaming? She proceeded to pinch herself, then hold up four fingers. How many fingers is this?

Tacito just gestured at Seraphina's hand.

She shook her head. How did you do that? What is this sorcery?

Tacito finished packing up her rifle and slung the bag over her shoulder.

Not going to share your secrets with me? Am I just not Rich E enough for you?

Tacito just stared at her, trying to convey to her face how stupid it was to ask her to say anything.

Seraphina pouted. A smile. Can I at least have a smile, milady?

Tacito kept the same face to show that request was just as stupid.

Seraphina produced the most serious look she'd managed up to now. Mark my words, Tacito. You will smile one day. All of the Tactics will be employed. She winked yet again. Or I will dye my hair neon pink.

Tacito shrugged. Pink nice.

Seraphina threw her hands up dramatically. If that's what it takes.

Tacito patted her shoulder in a very sarcastic, placating manner.

Seraphina slumped onto the floor. Tacito sighed and gestured for the crumpled mess to follow her.

She jumped up, immediately back to full energy. Yessss?

She started walking off. Seraphina followed close behind.

Tacito sighed, realizing she was subjecting herself to whatever Seraphina thought was a good idea. Whatever. It couldn't be that bad, right?

Seraphina followed behind Tacito excited to see where this was going. Mostly to see how easily she could kidnap them...well strongly suggest they go elsewhere but she didn't have to know that yet. It was for her own good. People needed to smile every once in a while.

Tacito didn't seem to have a strong feeling about where they were going, she was just wandering across the sprawling streets.

Seraphina slowly decided Tacito definitely didn't have anywhere they were heading towards and took command of the situation, directing them to her favorite ice cream store. Tacito seemed hesitant to follow, but didn't protest.

Seraphina dragged her inside. Black Licorice right?

She nodded, seeming a little unsteady. She took out her phone, her thumbs flashing across the screen in a practiced hurry.

Seraphina marched up to the cashier. "Hi Denise. The usual please."

"Coming right up. That'll be."

Seraphina was already dropping the bills on the counter.

"That. Thank you. Give me a minute."

She turned back to Tacito with a big thumbs up.

Tacito had her hands in her pockets, her head bobbing to some tune.

Table or to go?

She shrugged.

She huffed. Out into the sunlight with you then.

Tacito seemed to grimace, but didn't protest.

Seraphina picked up the ice creams with a smile and a thank you and proceeded outside. Tacito followed her.

I know a spot.

Tacito just followed.

Seraphina took them towards the little pier she'd gotten fond of. It had a nice view and most of the time it was just about empty enough. Tacito followed quietly behind.

She sat down, patting the spot beside her and handing the ice cream to Tacito. She sat down beside here, gently cupping the cup of ice cream. Seraphina slowly ate, settling into the silence. Tacito seemed to hesitate before slowly joining her. Seraphina cautiously scooted a little closer and settled in, content to let the silence take over. Tacito didn't seem to notice. Seraphina hummed a quiet tune to herself as she waited taking her time to work on her ice cream. It was just barely cool enough that it wasn't melting all over her hand. Tacito seemed to go slow, sucking the ice cream off of her spoon. Seraphina didn't mind matching her pace. Tacito didn't seem to notice, off in her own world. Seraphina hummed, trying not to stare, looking out at the view instead. Eventually, Tacito just set her cup down, bobbing her head even more. Seraphina finished up her ice cream and simply waited, honored enough to get a little glimpse of Tacito being quite so calm. She closed her eyes and drummed her fingers against her thigh, a much slower beat than what Seraphina saw her listening to. Seraphina smiled softly to herself discretely snapping a picture. That was going in the birthday album she was making.

Tatico checked her phone before shaking her head, looking over to Seraphina.

Yes?

She gestured to Seraphina's ice cream.

What about it?

She shrugged.

Seraphina tilted her head for a second. Is it because its empty?

She nodded.

Fast eater? Sorry.

She shook her head.

Are you asking me why I'm still here?

You done?

Done eating yes.

We go?

We can stay. Its up to you. It's been fun.

She shrugs.

You. You're beautiful. When you're all calm. And just happy. Its a good look on you.

Tacito blinked before halfheartedly shoving Seraphina. She stood up, gathered the trash, and marched towards the bin.

What? Is the truth illegal now?

Tacito didn't seem to see her. Seraphina huffed and got up to follow her. She threw away all of the trash, adjusting her gun bag. Seraphina walked right up to her.

Why you running?

Tacito combed a finger through her hair, hurriedly messing with something on her phone.

Tell me. She produce her best puppy eyes. Pretty please.

Tacito put her phone away. Home.

She huffed. Very well. Keep your secrets. Very Tacito full of you She giggled.

Tacito didn't respond and walked away.

She huffed again and followed, knowing she wasn't going to get an answer today or probably ever.

Stasya tentatively took a bite out of the first Chebureki. She let out a little satisfied hum. It tasted as good as Mama made. But would Lorna like it? Was he really serious about wanting her food? Was this some sort of elaborate prank? Mind games?

She shook her head. No. no. Focus Stasya. Rambling like this was going to get you nowhere. Just finish making the food. Lorna wasn't exactly one for just lying and pretending for no reason. They'd at least give the food a fair appraisal.

"What's cookin'?" A familiar voice asked.

She turned around. "Ooh hello there."

"Hey!" Hermes grinned, walking up to her.

"What brings a youngling to the land of the mystic arts?"

"Well, there's food for one." He examined the food she was currently making.

She tapped her waist a mystical twinkling sound played. "There is food indeed. Are you in need? Or is this just out of greed?"

"Hey that rhymed!" He beamed. "Well, I'm a speedster, so I'm always hungry. I currently just have a protein bar that Nix gave me."

"Speedsters are a hungry bunch." She waved her hands about and reached behind Hermes' ear. "Luckily it seems you have." She made a little flourish with her hands. "Some chocolate on hand."

She produced a little chocolate bar and held it out.

He grinned, and took it. "Thanks! Chocolate is much better tasting than a protein bar."

She grinned right back. "You're most welcome o' speediest of the speedies."

"So what are you cooking right now?" He bit into the chocolate bar, savoring the taste.

"This is a Chebureki."

"Ooooooo sounds and looks good. Smells good too." He sat down on stool, his free hand being fidgety.

"Why thank you."

He grinned. "I may not cook but I'm still a kind of food expert."

She smiled. "Well I'm happy to conjure up anymore chocolates if you need it."

"Thanks! I'll always know where to find you I suppose." He hopped off of the stool and stretched.

"That you would. And it won't take you long will it?"

"Nope, not at all!" He replied cheerfully.

"Yup. So what brings you to the chicken, I mean the kitchen?"

He laughed. "Well the food. And you. Mainly you of course. There's going to be a meeting between all the gangs in three days and Nix is bringing his famous pineapple upside-down cake."

"The upside down pineapple. My my. A big occasion then. Well thank you for the message."

He grinned a lop-sided grin. "Well, I'd hate for there to be no competition."

"Competition shall be provided. Don't you worry."

"Aw, if you had said 'never fear' that would have been so much cooler!"

"Well you must never fear, the food will be here, and the plates will be clear, at the end."

"Yes! So cool!" Hermes did a fist pump.

Stasya bowed. "At your service."

"See you in 3 days."

"See you in 3 nights."

He grinned, tipped and imaginary hat, zipped up his oversized leather jacket, and zipped off to go find Stacy.

Stacy scanned the little memo for the fortieth time. Oh this was going to be a stressful weekend. She made her way to the little whiteboard in the corner, frowning for the fiftieth time about it being mounted "conveniently" low so she could sit and write. Honestly she could stand for like a whole fifteen minutes before the pain was a bit much.

"What's happening?"

She whirled around frowning. Hermes. He grinned.

"What's not happening would be a better question."

"Oookay, what's not happening."

"Work."

"What kind of work?"

"The kind that gets us more money and resources."

"Hey, I stole about a hundred bucks just in the past few days."

"Well you've been more useful than half of my crew then. Well its not their fault exactly. It was an unlucky break, but a setback is a setback."

"What happened?"

"One of the keys duplicated for a heist turned out to be the wrong key, we get in but couldn't open the safe."


Hermes winced. "Maybe they should stick to the magic trick shows and pulling rabbits out of hats."

"That's exactly what I said."

He laughed, and just decided to lay down in the middle of the floor while eating cashews. "I'm not visiting just because this time, unfortunately."

Stacy raised her eyebrows. "Oh? What is it this time?"

"Mass meeting. West safehouse, rural area. I think Scip's finally got something going in that big brain of his."

"Well about time I'd say. When would this be exactly?"

"You know, his favorite time. 9 am. 3 days from now."

"Ahh yes. Well tell him we'll be there."

"Cool! Also, Nix is bringing his famous pineapple upside down cake and Staysa is bringing some in competition against it."

"Naturally. We'll attempt to compete of course."

"Yes!" He did a fist-pump and chirped. "That's great! Good good good."

Stacy chuckled. "It will be."

"Oh! I almost forgot, one of the shockblast members needs another door. Another victim to Vinny. I'd steal one but a door is very awkward to carry."

"We can procure a door. How quickly is it needed?"

He tilted his head and thought for a second, a small mischievous glint in his eyes. But then again he always looks like he's up to something. He grinned. "Not quickly. Take your time to etch in the cartoon characters."

Stacy couldn't help but laugh. "Oh and exactly which ones would you like?"

"Well, it's not my door, but I think they'd like some princesses on their door." He grinned wider, and more mischievous.

Stacy nodded as solemnly as she could. "A few princesses can be arranged. Tell them they can have it by the end of the week."

"Yes ma'am." He couldn't smother his grin, but he definitely looked like he was holding back cackles of glee.

"Wonderful."

"Do you by any chance need my dutiful messaging and thieving services? I'd hate to find out after I leave."

"Hmm. At the moment no. Besides the things I've already mentioned."

"Easy enough." He stretched and got up off of the floor, pocketing his now empty cashew wrapper.

"Thank you then for the message. See you at the party."

"See you!" Like that, he was gone. Just a faint stirring of the air was left.

Stacy waved at the spot he'd been. She had some preparing to do.

Mocha woke up with a feeling that something was subtly different with the temperature in the room. As a thermal energy-based Shockblast, ey were sensitive to such things. In this case, the room felt cooler, as if it was more open than usual.

Ey sat up and rubbed eir eyes blearily. Then ey saw it. Eir door was gone. Nothing was left of it except for some burn marks on the doorframe. "Ohhhh, I know what happened here," Mocha muttered. Quickly, ey pulled on a jacket and went to find Vanilla.

Vanilla was sitting with her boots on the table of the common room, casually carving a candle. Mocha approached her with eir hands on eir hips. "Soooooo my door is gone. Would you happen to know anything about that?" Ey raised an eyebrow.

"I might have a hint." Vinny responded, not looking up. Or well, she didn't move her head. It was hard to tell with her sunglasses.

Mocha nodded. "Okay, a hint. How about I give you a hint too? A certain person would really appreciate a new door, and just might reward the door-provider with a freshly-baked mug cake. Steaming hot, with chocolate that melts in the mouth and maybe even a scoop of ice cream."

Vinny just hummed, carving away at the candle. Probably not even paying any attention.

Ey sighed and took a seat. "Whatcha carving?"

"You'll find out."

Mocha nodded and was content to wait in silence. Ey took out a piece of paper from eir pocket and started folding an origami lily. Vinny didn't bother to do anything about it, keeping her attention on her own project.

After a few minutes, Mocha tossed the flower into the air and excited the molecules in it to light it up. The lily was consumed by a bright flame and quickly curled inwards until it was nothing but soot particles that Mocha incinerated as well. Ey got Vinny's attention. Well, most of it. Like just a little over half of it.

Mocha smiled sweetly. "So. Door. Mug cake. I'll toss in another dessert if I don't wake up to find my door gone again in the next twelve months."

"Tempting offer. But I'll pass." She gave a half smirk.

"Hey. Clearly Scip is a better target than me."

"After a while it gets boring when burning down one person's door."

"I'm sure Scip's reaction is always priceless. And by that reasoning, why stick to doors? Why not branch out to something more interesting and incinerate his table?" Mocha considered that for a moment. "Actually, that might not end well for you."

"No, no that would not. I'd end up being incinerated." She snapped.

"Just like you incinerate doors? Sounds like karma to me." Ey smirked. "Just kidding, of course. Don't get incinerated."

"Wow. And I thought you were the sane one here."

Ey gasped in mock outrage. "Of course I am! Well, saneness is a relative thing, and relatively, I win."

"Relatively, I think you surpass me in insanity now."

"You're the one who burns down doors." Mocha crossed eir arms. "I bake mug cakes. Clearly the saner one."

"You're the one who's bribing me with sugar after burning a door." She responded, still focused on her candle carving. It was looking boxy so far.

"Bribing with sugar is always a valid course of action." Mocha craned eir neck to see the candle better. Vinny wrinkled her nose.

Mocha decided to change the topic. "So. Meeting between all the gangs in two days. Soooo excited for all the bickering. Oh, and Nix's cake! That one I'm actually excited for."

Vinny yawned. "Bickering. Nix's cake. Whoopee. Let's hope he didn't cook it too long."

Ey winced. "Right. I do remember that one time... But I shall hope they've learned since then. Surely even Nix can gain baking skills."

"Mhmm." Vinny hummed.

Time passed. Vinny made progress on her candle. Mocha took a short nap. Vinny set the carving in front of Mocha and walked off. You see, it was a door carved out of that wax. A small door. One that looked exactly like what Mocha's used to look like.

Mocha woke up a few minutes later and peered at the candle and the door carved on it. Ey laughed. "Very funny, Vinny." Ey took out another piece of paper and scribbled something on it.

Then ey slid it under Vinny's door. Mocha was tempted to burn it down, but ey resisted. After all, ey weren't a property destroyer, unlike some people.

The paper had a doodle of a mug cake with a note saying, "Thanks for the door. Here's your mug cake. Much love, Mocha."

Noname stood outside of the reality weaver's building, just getting some fresh air. Well, and to watch Onion do his shenangians that he does in grass.

Onion attempted to do a forward tumble but ended up sprawled in a jumble of chubby limbs and pulled-up blades of grass. Undeterred, he got up, then launched himself forward and started doing a log roll, giggling madly. Noname watched amused, chuckling to himself. Nowadays he didn't laugh so much. But this child brought out the best in him.

"Daddy, look! The world is spinning!" Onion shrieked.

"The world is spinning Onion." He replied, trying to not laugh.

Onion rolled a little farther away, leaving behind an uneven path of flattened grass. Suddenly, he switched directions and rolled at just the right angle to collide with someone sitting and sketching in the grass nearby. Onion dissolved into giggles again, but the person continued staring intently at what they were sketching. Noname stayed within a certain distance from the child, not alarmed as he knew said person.

Onion poked at the papers, and finally got a reaction in the form of the person leaping backwards, startled. "Oh! It's you, Onion. I mean, Orion." Cielo Marquez, a Reality Weaver who specialized in Fabrications, grinned awkwardly.

Noname waved from the tree he stood besides. C gathered up their paper and pens and strolled over to the tree. "Hm. A way for children to avoid collisions, or at least not be hurt by them... An inflating vest might be too uncomfortable. Invisible barriers?" C jotted down some notes.

"Onion is fine. Children learn by getting hurt. We can't protect them from everything." Noname yawned and watched Onion.

C set down their pen. "That's a good point. Oh, what about an upgrade to coffee? A way to increase the caffeine-" They picked up their pen and started scribbling again.

"Now you're just trying to give me heart palpatations and the feeling of an incoming heart attack." Noname, leaned on the tree.

C made a face. "Sorry. You're right. It's just that I have so many ideas sometimes." They folded up their papers and tucked them under their arm.

"Hey, it's what you do." He patted C on the shoulder. "Any good ideas yet?"

"Ohhh you might regret you asked." C grinned, already making Noname regret. "So there was this one weapon I was thinking could be effective against criminals who firmly believe they haven't done anything wrong, kinda like a mirror but emotionally, and there was this other food I came up with that's a hundred times more nutitious than Nix's protein bars, and this other thing..." They rambled on for a good five minutes. "...and that's the last idea I had this week. Just gotta have someone weave them into reality and let me know how they work."

"uh huh." Noname said, which had been saying for the past five minutes, just watching his child.

C tapped their fingers on the paper, clearly floundering. Then they burst, "How's Orion doing? Also, sorry if I rambled on for too long... I just get excited about my ideas, and it's a lot easier to talk about them than it is to talk about other things with people, and uhh yeah. Orion. How's he doing? Still breathing?" C paused, then facepalmed.

"He's still alive and well." Noname nodded to Onion, who was a few meters away.

C nodded. "Yes. Excellent. I uh- I think I'll take my leave now. More ideas to sketch..." They hastily walked away, muttering under their breath.

"Ooooohhhkay then. See ya."

Onion rolled back to Noname, pieces of grass sticking out of his hair. "Nana. Banana. Can we get ice cream?" He looked up with puppy-dog eyes.

Noname couldn't resist. He laughed and picked some grass out of Onion's hair before lifting him up onto his shoulders. "Yes, we can. Daddy's in the mood of some ice cream too."

"Yayyyyy!" Onion cheered, waving his fists around and making noises as if he was flying. Noname laughed, and jogged, holding onto the child of course. He slowed down at the ice cream place.

It was a little store wedged in between an office building and a laundromat. The door chimed cheerily as they entered, and an employee looked up with a smile. Onion squealed in excitement at the colorful choices. "Choccy- Wait no, mango- No, that one!" He pointed at a bright green carton of ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate. "Mint choccy chip."

He chuckled. "Alright kiddo. Your wish shall be granted."

"Hooray!! You're the best, Daddy." Onion grinned and messed up Noname's hair. Noname grinned, and ruffled his child's hair to the best of his ability before ordering. He handed Onion his chocolate mint ice cream, while he himself had rocky road. He walked back out of the store, headed back to headquarters.

Onion thoroughly enjoyed his ice cream and may or may not have dripped on Noname's jacket. Noname was painfully aware of this, but knew he could just wash his jacket when he got back. He had of course, finished his ice cream faster than Onion. When they got back, he took Onion and swung him off of his shoulders. (whee)

"Whee!" Onion landed perfectly on his feet.

"Aw look at that! You could be an acrobat!" He grinned.

Onion dropped to the ground and started cheerily log rolling again in response. His clothes picked up bits of dirt and dust, but Onion gave them absolutely zero regard. Noname smiled, and enjoyed the last few free moments he had for now, before he had to go and get back to work.

Planning. Planning a million different scenarios. Making back up plans. Piecing together the ceramic bowl, bit by bit. It was delicate work, and the pieces had to click together like pieces in a puzzle. Scipio sat in his workroom, with chalkboards, whiteboards, and a 3D holographic projector. He had not been very talkative with other gangs for months, and he knows that it has no doubt descended into chaos in some way. But he'd deal with that later, as those things would come up at the meeting.

He liked to keep his gang smaller than the other gangs. The Speedy Gonzalazes were the largest by far. Sure, they'd need a good amount of members, but Scip simply just didn't want to have a whole bunch of people to managed. He did somewhat manage the other gangs, but in small quantities. He did chose some rather odd people though. His door had been burned down again, and he was seriously considering booting Vanilla. But it did give him incentive to get out of his workshop every now and then.

He'd never told the members of the gangs about his past. He preferred to keep his life private. Only the other leaders know, but they don't mention it either. That he's known anyways. He's debated on whether he should tell them, but he's never come to a final decision. The only one he's never made. But on his priority list it was not on the top and would continue to be pushed down.

"Scip?" A voice floated down the hallway through the entryway to Scipio's workroom, where currently no door existed, thanks to Vinny. Speak of the door-burner. Mocha's next words were, "Vinny burned down my doooooooor."

Mocha appeared in the entryway. "And she gave me a carved door, but that's not nearly as good as the real thing." Ey held up a carving made out of, was that wax? "Admittedly, it's a pretty good carving. But I want my door back."

"I'll be sure to have Hermes pass on the message to the RWs." He looked up from his work. Currently, he was designing a backwards grenade, where the pin exploded rather than the actual grenade. But it could be used like a normal grenade with the flip of a switch, which rotated the mechanisms inside. Especially great for when the enemy decides to use your weapons against you.

"Thanks, Scip!" Mocha grinned, eir chocolate brown eyes twinkling with good humor once again. "Can you ask them to carve a little sign with a vanilla bean in a no symbol? The one with the circle and slash. If it's not too much trouble."

"The prohibition symbol? I will be sure to take a note of that." Scip sighed, and stood up as he added another sticky note to his board that was entirely covered with them. He had a lot to do.

Mocha's glance flickered over the board. "Need any help with anything? In particular, anything for me to heat up or explode? Oh! Or a drink or some mug cake?"

"I do have a weapon you can try." He went over to his shelf, and went through the list until he found it. It was pistol sized, and the same kind of shape. "Like a flare gun, but not really. Small flare like objects, which can be shot horizontally. Taken from inspiration from someone aiming a flare gun at another person's face."

"Oooh!" Mocha tucked the carving away in a pocket and bounded over. "Lemme try! Lemme try!"

"Careful- and only aim at the target this time, yes?"

"That was one time!" Mocha protested. Ey rolled eir eyes. "But finee. Target only. I promise."

"That was more than just one time." He gave em a look, but handed over the weapon.

Mocha took it eagerly and aimed at the target. Ey fired. It hit the wall next to the target, and the flare bullet burnt a hole in the wall. Scip watched, suppressing the urge to sigh a very large and dramatic sigh.

"Oops," Mocha said. "Just testing how destructive this thing can be." Ey fired again, hitting the side of the target this time. Better. Somewhat. The target itself burned in that area. Very much blindingly bright too. "Ah, quite destructive. Love the sparkle too." Mocha laughed. "Cool weapon, Scip. Any others in the works?"

"So far, that's it. Of the working ones."

"What about the non-working ones?" Mocha eyed the various notes scribbled on whiteboards around the room.

"No." He eyed her and crossed his arms.

"Yes."

"Absolutely not."

"Absolutely one hundred percent yes."

"No. Just no."

Mocha pouted. "Would coffee bribery help?"

"I'd take the coffee, but you won't be touching any of the malfunctioning death contraptions."

"Sad. I'll still get you the coffee though. I'm just nice like that." Mocha stuck out eir tongue.

"Thank you."

Ten minutes later, Mocha was back with a steaming cup of cappuccino. He took it with another thanks, and returned to work.

"Can't wait for my new door! Thanks, Scip," Mocha's voice receded down the hallway as ey danced away.

Peasants. Measley peasants. Do they not think she'd been ruling fairly? Were people that senseless that they were so ungrateful? It was utterly ridiculous. Not even her own lead scientist had been grateful, along with a handful of other misguided people.

Sovereign shook her head in disgust, her white curls bouncing over her shoulders. At first sight, one might think her a kindly grandmother, with her soft hair and charismatic smile. But her eyes would give her away-- they were steely eyes that had weathered countless battles and deaths, all to gain her current power.

Along with the rebellion, there was another thing irking her-- how could a handful of people just disappear like her officials, and not be found? There have been reports of people with powers, which was no doubt the work of them, so they must still be in the city. And if they were in the city, she could track them down. A cold smile curled on her lips.

But for now, she needed to maintain a little portion of her focus to her current task. A group of civilians were rebelling. The first one in a very long time.

Sov stalked down the corridors of Echohce, the main building she directed her operations out of. She hardly noticed the marble floors that gleamed under the light cast by ornate sconces on the walls. A maid scurried to get out of her sight. Good. She had a lust for violence. These people felt they weren't getting enough? It was time they knew her wrath for being tested

As she entered the intelligence wing, she snapped, "General Potato, get me the latest report on the rebellion."

General Potato saluted and handed her a crisp folder. Now you may be thinking, Why does she have a general with such a ridiculous name? Well, she did find it amusing herself. Plus he had good general skills so she saw no reason to get rid of him. Case in point: he had all the information ready for her as she walked in. She gave a grim smile and started flipping through the folder.

Suspected leader: James Farfetch. What an ironic name. The only farfetched thing here was the rebellion.

Other notable members: Anna Harbringer, Merlow Rockefeller... Sov skimmed the names and faces, committing them to memory. That one right there, Rockefeller, he was one of the defective officials of hers. Of course. He never was subtle, nor sneaky. You'd hear that man coming from ten kilometers.

Once she'd finished reviewing the information and the location (Parlor's Peak), she snapped the folder shut and handed it back to General Potato. "Expect me back in an hour. I'll be wanting a full report on the missing officials then."

"Yes ma'am." Followed her through the hall.



Parlor's Peak was the name of a town in a valley. (Ah, the irony was flourishing today.) It was five kilometers from a military building that housed weapons: both physical ones and ones in development. The report had mentioned that the rebellion was marching towards the building with the aim of destroying the weapons, so Sov teleported to the building and used speed to dash across the landscape until she encountered the civilians. Then she self-multiplied.

At first, the civilians murmured amongst themselves, held up their makeshift weapons of pitchforks and pots and pans, and tried to keep marching. But soon enough, Sov's clones blocked the way. Sov and the versions of herself stood among the trees, across the road, and in the middle of the crowd, all wearing the same self-satisfied smirk. And in her eyes, a wildfire that craved to burn everything down. And so she started doing so.

Sov savored the chaos of their thoughts. Their emotions. Their pain. She pushed energy into their bodies, watching them run as if they were ants. Which really, they were. So simpleminded. They were poor, delusional ants who had dared to defy her, and now they would know the consequences. She tweaked their emotions, adding more panic. Sneaking thoughts into their heads. Attracting and repelling pieces of metal. Crafting illusions of their greatest nightmares.

At last, it must end. So she surrounded them with CO2. When it was over, only silence remained. It was a pity, really. In hindsight, she should've left one alive to tell the tale. But no matter. She looked down at the body of her former official. Such a shame he chose such a route. But it was his own fault. It was all of their own faults.

Sov surveyed her work for a moment longer, then teleported back to Echohce.

Sasha skirted her way between two rooftop gardens, trying her best not to trample the vegetables as she swiftly made her way to the edge of the building. The metal in her pockets jingled as she ran but luckily didn't fall out due to having zipped up her pockets right after tucking the shiny objects away there. She was almost to the HQ but was still in line of sight of the person she had stolen from if they chose to look, so after making a couple daring leaps across rooftops she pulled her signature move with a dramatic dive after sliding down a shingled roof and beginning to plummet towards the ground below. She always loved the feeling. The feeling of flight and freedom. The wind whipping through her hair as she fell. But it could only last for a second, maybe two at best, or else she would find herself in not the best condition, although that's what made it exciting. Glancing at the quickly approaching concrete below, she teleported to a nearby balcony and just barely managed to land on her feet in the confined space. As soon as she managed to gain her footing she began to make her way down to the street below. She very well could have just teleported to the street but that wasn't nearly as fun. At least in her opinion. Soon enough she reached the entrance to the HQ and went inside, pulling out the shinies from her pockets to admire them. "Hellooooo anyone home?" She called as she blindly walked, more focused on her new treasures then anything else really.

"Hello! In the kitchen," a voice called out. There was a puff of flour from an entryway on the right.

In the kitchen, Nix was fussing over a battered old recipe book and staring at a large pineapple. "Now, how does one get from a whole pineapple to those nice little pineapple rings again?" They scratched their head. "Pretty sure I just bought the pre-cut rings last time."

Then Nix wiped their hands on their "Don't Steal From The Cook" apron and looked at Sasha with a grin. "What's up? Other than the flickering ceiling light. I know, we'll get that fixed soon."

Sasha smiled proudly and held up one of the necklaces she had stolen, the delicate silver and diamonds glinting in the flickering kitchen light. "Oh, just a successful little mission." She then quickly noticed the baking supplies out. "Ooo what are you making?"

Nix rubbed his hands eagerly. "Diamonds! Lovely. Excellent work, Sasha." Then he gestured towards the pineapple, the bag of flour, and the various pans scattered across the counter. "I'm trying to recreate my famous pineapple upside down cake, but I can't quite remember how I made those pineapple rings last time. I might just cut it into chunks? Surely the cake will taste the same even if it's triangles instead of circles."

Tucking the necklace back in her pocket along with the rest of the jewelry she tilted her head slightly and glanced towards the pineapple then back at him. "did you just buy precut pineapple last time?"

"I must have." Nix scratched their head again, unknowingly streaking more flour onto their black hair. "Eh, whatever." Nix became a blur as the pineapple was quickly peeled and cut into medium-sized wedges. A few seconds later, Nix stood there again, wiping sweat off their forehead, hair still streaked with flour. "There! Triangles! Hoo boy, not speeding up again for a while. It doesn't get any easier. Hey, how much experience do you have with baking?"

Sasha chuckled "enough to make brownies but that's about it."

Nix nodded as his breathing slowed down. "Well, you can taste test, right?"

She grinned, excited to taste test. She couldn't possibly ever disagree to being a taste tester unless it was something particularly vile but this was a cake. no one could possibly mess up a cake too bad. "Absolutely!"

"Perfect." Moving at normal pace, Nix melted butter in a large circular pan, sprinkled brown sugar over it, then arranged his pineapple triangles evenly in the pan. Then he added maraschino cherries and arranged them to create a large smiley face. Nix followed the recipe to create the batter and poured it over the smiley face, then popped the pan into the oven. "45 minutes bake time... Well, surely it won't be too tiring to speed it up a little."

Sasha sat on the counter and watched curiously as he made it, bright blue eyes peeking over his shoulder every now and then. "I forget you can do that sometimes," she hummed, "speeding up the time things take instead of just yourself."

Two minutes later, the oven dinged. Nix looked slightly more exhausted, but much happier. "Yes! I hate waiting for things to bake." Finally, Nix took out the cake from the oven, flipped it, and cut an unobtrusive little piece from the side. They placed it on a plate and offered it to Sasha.

She instantly accepted the piece of cake without any sort of hesitation and happily took a bite.

"So? How is it?" Nix's eyes glinted with curiosity.

She made a judgemental face and considered factors of the cake silently. After a long suspenseful moment she finally grinned, "it's amazing like always. You've done it again. I think the fresh pineapple really gives it an amazing flavor."

"Hooray!!" Nix cheered and danced around the kitchen, dripping flour and pineapple juice everywhere. "Very glad to hear that. Can't wait for everyone to try it."

Laughing, Sasha dodged a bit of flour so that it wouldn't get on her stark black outfit. That was one reason why she didn't bake often was because it always got flour everywhere and she hated when there was a random white splotch of flour on her flawless black clothes. "They'll love it."

"I sure hope so. Now, for cleaning up." Nix groaned. "Okay, I'll be a kind person. Go on, shoo, before I rope you into helping me clean."

Sasha cackled at being let off the hook and hopped off the counter before beginning to hurry out of the kitchen with the last bit of her cake. "Yes! Thank you for the cake!"

"You're welcome!" There was more grumbling and a last puff of flour from the kitchen.

She dodged the puff of flour on her way out with a quick short teleport and chuckled before plopping on the couch and examining each piece of her new jewelry before putting it on. As she did so though, a thought crossed her mind. "Nix? Why are you making a cake?"

Nix poked his head out of the kitchen. "Oh! That's right, I forgot to tell you all. We have an all-gang meeting tomorrow morning, at 9 am. West safehouse, the one in the rural area. Could you tell everyone else? I'd ask Hermes, but I have no idea where he is and I have cleaning to do."

At that she perked up, eyes shining curiously. An all gang meeting? That could only possibly mean one thing. "Sure, I can tell them."

"Many thanks!" A clattering came from the kitchen.

"Anytime!" She continued to leisurely look over her shinies before eventually getting up to find the rest of the gang and inform them of the meeting. The only problem was that she had absolutely no clue where the rest of the gang would be. Best start looking around the compound. Unless Nix knew that was. "One more question," She called towards the kitchen, "Do you know where the rest are around here? Besides Hermes anyway. I really don't want to have to be looking through every room in this place."

The clattering stopped. "Oh. Right." Nix's head popped back out of the kitchen, somehow with even more flour in their hair than before. They seemed to ruminate for a while before saying, "Actually, I have a better idea. Just teleport to a few places and yell, 'Nix made their famous pineapple upside down cake and there's a limited number of pieces!'" The Speedy Gonzalezes leader smiled ruefully. "That'll save time, and the cake probably would've gotten dry by the morning anyways. I'll make it again tomorrow."

Sasha grinned, blue eyes glinting with a mischievous light just like her namesake, a raven's, would. "Brilliant idea! But, I request the first piece."

Nix peered at Sasha for a moment, then beamed. "But of course, my trusty messenger." He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared with a large slice of pineapple upside down cake. "Here is your payment, paid upfront!" He handed the cake to Sasha with a bow and a flourish.

She beamed and happily accepted the piece. "Even better! Thank you!" She joyfully took a bite of the delicious cake, savoring it before speaking again. "I'll be right back with the others."

Nix gave a double thumbs-up and disappeared once more into the kitchen.

Sasha gave a wink right before he disappeared then disappeared herself, teleporting some way down the hall with her cake still in hand. The words "Nix made their famous pineapple upside down cake and there's a limited number of pieces!" echoed from random places around the compound as she teleported around, beckoning the other Speedy Gonzalezes. Soon enough she appeared back outside the kitchen again, quite tired from all of the teleporting she had done. She peered inside the kitchen with a grin, "they'll be here soon enough. As for me, I'll be out here enjoying the cake."

The kitchen was sparkling clean. Nix was wearing a new Hawaiian shirt and standing in the center of the room, breathing heavily. They still managed a smile. "Turns out scrubbing crusty pans is harder work than speeding up. Thanks, Sasha! I'll start cutting the cake."

Sasha happily nodded, "anytime! And as for the pans, I would image so. That's exactly why I don't do them." She gave a smile that was halfway between an impish one and a smirk before taking another bite of her cake.

Nix rolled his eyes. "Do I need to start assigning you some chores?" In the common room, the Speedy Gonzalezes started appearing. A few teleported while others sped in while others simply ran in. Nix started serving slices of cake.

"No, no. There's no need for that. I do my part, just not the pans." She leaned against the wall as she ate her cake.

"Fine, fine." Nix bounded into the larger room and handed out slices of cake on little plates with almost as much speed as if they were tossing frisbees. When the last slice of cake was handed out, Nix clapped their hands and in a booming voice, announced, "Helloooooooo everyone! We'll be having an all-gang meeting tomorrow at nine in the morning, at the west safehouse! Y'know, the rural one. Think cows. Okay that's it enjoy the cake!"

Sasha laughed a little at the 'think cows' part and grinned. "That was an excellent speech."

"Why, thank you!" Nix brushed some crumbs off his shirt. "Now, I'm off to take a nap. Baking is hard work." He grinned, snapped his fingers, and disappeared.

She grinned and ate her cake, sliding down the wall so she was sitting in a comfortable position on the floor. "See you later!" She almost always enjoyed her interactions with Nix, especially if it meant there was cake. Now as for a meeting, it was quite interesting that one had been announced on such short notice, especially an all gang one. They never had all gang meetings. She'd just have to wait and see what it was all about, although she had a pretty good idea. She just hoped she would get to be a part of the action although she had a feeling she would since she was one of the only Speedy Gonzalazes to have teleportation besides Nix himself.