Michael nods. Solmira should her density manipulation now, that should help her out. "Right. On it!" He turns and takes off in the direction Acerbic fled, taking to the air in an attempt to cut into the villain's head start.
The people pinned + Quentin{Tox}
You're able to shift some of the bricks, while Michael{Solmira} flies away. Not nearly enouh, Acerbic did a number on the wall. Lios{Turnabout} feels a weird sensation in their body... maybe a biological difference, maybe a power. What do you do?
Michael{Solmira}
Getting up high, you can see Acerbic making a beeline for the mall. lots of hostages, plenty of places to change out of his costume, and assume his civilian persona. you'll have to fly fast to catch him before he gets there
I can't get you lose! If only I could vibrate you free...
I can do this....I can do this....
Jae-Lin focuses, trying to activate Sorrel's power. It wasn't always like this, working and studying everyday. He watched as his team fought in battles before, and he recalss on what Sorrel had told the team for the sake of safety.
Just need to secret the hallucinogen, just like toxins. Enough of it should...
It doesn't take long after enjoying the first half of his much-sought bounty for Quickardo to start feeling guilty. He'd run out on his friends in the middle of an operation. Sure, he had reasons, but now he wasn't sure if he hadn't left too soon. He checks his pockets again (Kid Quickman's suit hastily pulled over the sweatpants he'd been wearing since the night before) but he was reminded that they were empty now.
He couldn't go back yet. He wasn't feeling that guilty. He was just concerned and distracted.
Michael beelines for the mall, pushing his control over Solmira's abilities as hard as he can to get there before Acerbic, and without drawing the villain's attention.
This felt way to weird. If these were her powers she was feeling, then even they didn't feel right.
She wanted her body back. She desperately wanted it back.
But Michael, Michael would be focusing, he would be helping. Tox was trying to get them out, so if these were the powers she thought they were, she needed to use them now.
"Right." Focus, hope it worked about the same. Tox would be able to get them out just through forcing things with the plants, but it needed a finer touch. SolMichael attempts to ramp up the density a little on their body to give themself more to work with, before focusing on some specific sections of brick to either lighten or become far more breakable while they pushed themselves up as best they could. Just needed the right bricks to move, and the right ones to shatter so that the rest would go the right way.
A burst of strong and lush ivy break from the breaks as if they were seeds of stone, and the pile lifts into the air, relieving the weight on those pinned below. Some bricks shattered from the explosive growth, while others seem to be pushed aside by like being softly brushed by a broom.
"Let's move!" Tox yells as he scrambles from underneath the lifted mass of bricks, his hooves scraping against the ground to try and get momentum.
Michael{Solmira}
Solmira-flying is hard, man! it's not quite an extension of density control, but that plays a factor in it. my point here is that most power copier's/body snatchers would have had difficulty, even before accounting for the fact that your body suffers from narcolepsy.
you arrive at the mall, a total of almost 1.5 minutes after Acerbic. Odds are, he's out of costume, and in civilian guise. Technically, you could scan the crowd psychically... but that would break at least a dozen rules, including a big one on psychic privacy invasion. What do you do?
Richardo{KQ}
As you sit there, a person with inconsistent length hair dyed scarlet and indigo, at least 3 facial piercings, and Quite a bit of makeup, walks in, wearing something that looks like it was taken from Bowie's rejects pile. He walks up to the counter, and greets the server by name, asking for the usual.
they go to wait, and spot you. they say, friendly, jovially even, but Loudly They take a seat and lower their volume considerably I sure hope you aren't hiding out here to avoid Quicksilver, because that would be... very inadvisable
The formerly imprisoned
Freedom! Sweet freedom. now if only you knew Michael's situation, or where Richardo is.
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Quickardo actually spots the colorful visitor as soon as they're inside. He watches them, silently judging, innocently asking himself all the wrong questions. When they turn his way, he catches himself, and busies himself with his food.
When they speak, it's all Quickardo can do to keep from literally jumping through his skin. "W- hey! It's ah, a meatball with black olives and jalapeno." He has another small spike of anxiety considering running into any of Quentin's family. He still wasn't sure how safe it was to be open about the team's situation. "I don't know, maybe I want to be found? Maybe I feel guilty? Maybe I want to taunt her? I don't know. It's been a heavy few days." So many words, and none of them were 'what are you?' So far, so good.
I help my teammates get to their feet.
I click the communicator to an open channel.
"Michael", "Kid Quickman" do you read? I think this situation under control. Are the hostages safe? Any luck making contact with Acerbic?
Richardo{KQ}
As you sit there, a person with inconsistent length hair dyed scarlet and indigo, at least 3 facial piercings, and Quite a bit of makeup, walks in, wearing something that looks like it was taken from Bowie's rejects pile. He walks up to the counter, and greets the server by name, asking for the usual.
they go to wait, and spot you. they say, friendly, jovially even, but Loudly They take a seat and lower their volume considerably I sure hope you aren't hiding out here to avoid Quicksilver, because that would be... very inadvisable
Dad is Quickman (of course)
A dozen people move into your way, most of them armed (two with guns). Quicksilver controls this neighborhood... Leave. the leader says, brandishing a knife. Slam and Hyla seem to be getting into fighting stances, what do you do?
SolMichael brushes herself off now that she's out from under the rubble, and looks around.
...where did Ricardo go?
She frowns, and shakes it off. Got to do as heroes do, got to do as Michael would.
She takes off in the direction Michael left in her body, rummaging around for Michael's communicator before firing a message off.
@Sorrel
Wrong communicator.
@KQ: Where are you? Where did you go?
Quickardo
No, you don't want to be found. they say Word is he's out for... Wait, Taunting "her"? you don't... Ah frick, Zack is so much better at these word games. He's hired some second-stringers to f*%$ you up, and We want you to be not in this neighborhood when they find you.
@Turnabout:There is no response from Kid Quickman's communicator.
It takes a second for Quickardo to catch up. "The acid spitter and Mr. Sword-splosion? We just got done with them." He wipes his lips with his thumb and folds the wrapper over the remainder of his sandwich. "-or is this more of an open call to all Z-list lowlifes? -they had hostages. I don't mind moving along, but I'd rather know where I can go to get this mess over with."
Zack, this... one... Who is Quicky hanging with if he's getting the inside scoop on villain activity? They weren't a TITAN student, or at least not one in the dorms. Sorrel would have recognized anyone who stuck around campus.
It's becoming painfully clear that Ricardo isn't coming back. This...this is bad.
Why isn't he picking up? Do...you don't think he...stole my body?
Michael curses under his breath when he realizes his quarry has escaped. He waits for a few minutes, watching to make sure there's not another hostage crisis about to start. I could scan them... But I can't get myself in that much trouble. Can't get Solmira in that much trouble.
Unless something dramatic happens, Michael heads back to his team, pulling out Solmira's communicator.
@Team: Acerbic got away. You all ok? Katanonball in custody?
@ "Solmira" Yeah, we locked him down, thanks. I'm sorry Acerbic slipped you but that happens. Hey...you haven't seen Kid Quickman, have you?
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Jae-rel rubs his aching muscles, brushing flecks of bricks off Sorrel's natural fur.
"What do you mean Kid's right- Oh! Right, Kid. He's not answering to the communicators?"
Jae-rel tries pinging for him.
Quickardo
Yeah, Acerbic and Katannonball. I suspect he will hire others, until you can get him in custody, or make some show of submission. They state very matter-of-factly. Their order comes out, and they stand, flourishig a little as they pay, giving a sizable tip
Lucky you, though. you can just run home to daddy. They say, a little contemptuously as they head for the door.
Something is really wrong. It's not like...Kid Quickman...to just drop off like that. Do you think he's maybe in trouble?
"Claro." Quickardo whispers as he wraps up his sandwich. A footlong seemed like nothing when you literally had four stomachs. Hopefully he'd have time to finish it after he figured out how to call in the team. "Shouldn't have ditched your com... This was supposed to be the obvious place to look, where is everyone?"
Quickardo sets out for TITAN to see if Quicky has a spare comm in his dorm room.
Jae-rel sighs as he stops the ping.
"If he's getting it, he's not answering. He doesn't have superspeed, so he can't be far...Should we just try searching the usual places?"
Mine or his? And why would he just...leave? Something is wrong. Should we go to the institute? We can maybe use their answer override and force a call in
Jae-rel nods.
"Let's do that then. We need to act. I don't like this waiting around. Maybe we'll even find him along the way."
I go to the institute with whomever joins me.
Michael flies back to the group, rejoining as they head for the Institute. When he gets there, he asks "himself", "Hey, Michael - can I see your comm for a minute?"
By the time SolMichael gets to the Institute, she's frustrated.
First, as she's following after Michael as he flies about in her body, she spots him going back the way she came overhead, and has to backtrack.
Which wouldn't be so bad, but Michael's body can't fly.
She then trips three times on the way back to the rest of the group, to find they're just setting off back to the Institute.
But probably the worst bit of it all is the suffering that was transportation.
She really, really wanted her body back. She was no good at being Michael.
As Michael then asks for his communicator, she glares at him briefly for the lack of effort made to try and act like her, but there's nothing behind it. It fades quickly, and she's soon handing him his comm. "Here."
Solmira then finds herself trying very hard to keep a twisted expression off Michael's face.
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Huh, the clopping sound of hooves on pavement is actually kinda nice.
He was going to have to stop it with the weird Sorrel body thoughts. He had already had to make one visit to the restroom last night. He really didn't want to.
when the group had gathered at the Institute, he watched as Michael and Solmira started on something.
"Have an idea?" he asked Solmira's body.
Michael takes back his comm, and steps back from the group slightly. He taps in a few commands, trying not to draw the rest of the group's notice; a map pulls up, with a blinking indicator showing the location of KQ's communicator.
"Is it broken?" Jae-rel asks, concerned. "We might check Sorr- I mean my- I mean."
He sighs.
"Let's check Sorrel's room."
Maybe check "Quentin's" room too?
Quentin's comm unit is rocketing across the city. It's not following roads. In the time it takes for Michael to recognize the area the device is traveling across, it comes to a stop. It's uptown, near a shopping district. Then it starts moving again.
Kae-Lin finds Quickardo in his room. "Oh, good, you found me. Any news on getting things switched back around?" He laughs nervously.
Not yet, but I think Mirror might help. Let’s get back to the common room. We were worried sick.
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Quickardo swallows hard. "Figured Tox deserves better."
They proceed to the common room.
"I don't know how you ever walked with these things Sorrel. And I've been doing it for the past while."
Tox, now actually focused on the task of walking rather than letting the muscle memory do its thing, finds the ground somewhat unshaky, and every footstep noticeably louder.
Seeing no evidence that the others were ready to blame Quentin's body snatcher for running is a visible relief. "Once you get the hang of it, you can outrun cars. -not on the highway, b-but still... I'm glad you didn't have any other problems."
While he was relived Jae-Lin didn't suffer in that body, that relief was colored by envy. He hadn't gone through an examination. He hadn't seen the numbers. He had no reason to accept that body. Sorrel would have to, whatever that meant.
SolMichael draws closer as she sees her body pull away and start putting in inputs on the comm. "What are you..."
Dots. On a map.
Slow as Michael's brain felt to her, it was more than enough to realise what she was looking at. The fact he had a means of finding her didn't bother her too much...more so the implications of what else he might have access to. She looks into her own eyes with a piercing gaze, a desire for answers clear in Michael's eyes.
But she doesn't say anything yet.
She tracks the comm as it rockets about on the display. "Unless Quentin has some new powers, he doesn't have his comm any more." She steps away, seeming less open than before. "Let's meet up with the others. Plan things out."
Trying not to think about walking, she heads for the common room.
I walk in with Sorrel in my body. "Great news everyone! Look who I found.. I'm feeling quite relieved that my suspicion about Sorrel's motives were wrong...and a little ashamed.
As much fun as I'm having being Tox, and believe me, I'm having SO much fun...but...can Mirror help us out? I miss showers and getting dressed with my eyes open.
Quickardo laughs, and it visibly releases tension. "Yeah, I had to stuff your sweats into your costume. It's getting pretty rank."