Survival Of The Fittest

Up until recently maintained as a museum, the childhood home of the Braddock family has been pressed into service as classroom space for the University. Additionally, the increased demands have led to the main ballroom being converted into a cafeteria for University students on a meal plan. The old library has been bolstered with college textbooks.

Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:15 pm

It's around noon when there's a sudden commotion at the front gates.

"Attention, fellow mutants!" a shout echoes across campus. Just past the open gates a man is standing in the gravel driveway, facing the mansion and dormitories. He's wearing a plain shirt with the top buttons undone and nice but worn slacks. Hanging on his belt are all kinds of knives and blades.

Slightly behind him and to the side is a young woman in a leather-jacket, her short hair swept over in a side-shave and her eyes nothing but bright glowing flame, heat distorting the air around them. She looks familiar to those who stopepd the bank robbery some months back.

"It has come to my attention that the people of this little town don't seem to treat you with the kind of respect you deserve. For that I can't blame them, seeing how you go against your very nature to try and fit among them. It's condescending!" His voice carries more than it should, seeming to reach across the entire school and he doesn't seem to care that his immediate audience is non-existent. At least initially. Soon enough students begin to step out of the buildings to see what's going on. "And so it falls to us to remind you of what you could be if you tried even a little bit. What you should be, really. It's time to stop pretending that you're something you're not. 'Humans' will never accept you for who you truly are. They're right in that regard, because we're not human. But how can they respect you if you act like deluded fools. There's only one thing they understand deep down and that is that we! Are! Better!"

"Void!"
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:15 pm

There's a sound of metal scraping from beyond the fence and a moment later there's a large shadow in the air as something is thrown twenty, thirty feet into the air. As it arcs down again it becomes clear that it's a car. A police-car to be exact and there's only a moment to notice the terrified faces of the officers inside before it hits the ground with a massive crash. For a moment the car stands on it's crumpled front, the men inside hurt but still moving against the airbags that somewhat cushioned their impact.

Then there's another, smaller shape in the air, following the same trajectory. This one is a woman, stark naked save for the thick metal collar and the massive chains draped around her. She's completely free of color, nothing but shades of grey that look almost out of place in reality, which seem to extend to her movement. She's not fast in the way a speedster might be, nor carrying the chains with enhanced strength, it's more that she seems to be moving completely unhindered by gravity or even wind resistance. Like the rest of the world is stuck in one of those nightmares where moving feels like trudging through molasses.

And when she lands on the teetering trunk of the car the vehicle compresses underneath her like tinfoil with the screech of metal that thankfully drowns out the squishier noises that accompany the gallon of blood that is forced out of the completely crumpled vehicle like water from a sponge, splattering across the gravel driveway.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:20 pm

Haley was out for a run with headphones on when the commotion started so it wasn't until bit of a crowd started to gather and the fleeting thoughts across campus started to flutter past her awareness that she pulled them off and started jogging back to the front gate. At the sound of the crash she tucked away her phone and headphones and took to the air just in time to see the crash and the subsequent squish that caused the contents of her stomach to execute their escape through her mouth.

Now there was even more of a mess for the grounds crew.

She heaved and gagged as she floated down to the ground.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she screeched at the strange woman.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:27 pm

"What's wrong with her? She's shucked off the shackles of a society that doesn't appreciate her." the man answers Haley.
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Thu Oct 04, 2018 6:27 pm

The woman simply turns her head and grins at Haley, grey lips peeling away from white teeth filed into points. She reaches out with one hand and her fingers dig into the metal of the car and she tears out a chunk with casual ease, chucking it at Haley with the flick of her arm.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:30 pm

Aiden had seen the flying police car and began heading towards the scene quickly as was possible.

"Some people deserve their shackles," Aiden muttered overhearing the exchange as he pushed his way through the crowd of students. Just in time to see a piece of car thrown at Haley.
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Aiden Mitchell
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Fri Oct 05, 2018 2:53 am

Haley lashed out with her TK, slamming the piece away from her and towards the ground to hopefully avoid a fucked up game of catch with this weirdo.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:24 am

The chunk of metal deforms even more from the sudden telekinetic force and it goes tumbling across the ground until it crashes into one of the garage doors nearby.

"Void, play nice." the man says and the woman looks disappointed for a moment before doing a one-handed cartwheel over the remains of the police car with an almost flippant disregard for gravity.

"You, blonde girl. You have potential. You should let your temper flare. It's beautiful." With that his hand slips down to one of the blades at his belt and he swings the razor up to his face in an arc aimed at Haley. It takes a moment to register but then suddenly Haley's shoulder burns and blood soaks runs down the front of her arm from the cut that has opened up from the almost casual motions of the man's blade.
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:42 pm

Haley hissed in pain as the blood ran down her arm. "Keep it up, asshole, and you'll be eating through a straw for a few weeks."

She narrowed her eyes and tried to snatch the blade from his hands. The man was doing a good job of goading her: she was already getting pissed off, and the TK pull was excessive in force enough to dislocate some fingers if he wasn’t careful. If her aim was true, at least.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:41 pm

With the second attack against Hailey Aiden decided maybe he should do something and advanced towards the pair of whoever they were.

"Attacking a school full of mutants seems a bit unwise," Aiden said.
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Aiden Mitchell
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:07 pm

The man smirks and yanks his hand away the same moment the blade goes flying towards Haley. For a moment as it twirls through the air small knife cuts or marks appear on the gravel, on clothes here and there, but they stop after a moment and the razor lands at Haley's feet.

"Now now, this isn't an attack, boy." His eyes dart across Aiden's clothes, settling on the emblem he wears. "Genoshan Preator. You should know what a mutant attack looks like then. It's not pretty, is it?"
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Laura Kinney » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:29 pm

"You killed two humans and hurt one of my students." X-23's voice growls as she steps out from between the crowd of people. "That's close enough in my book." That's all she says before breaking into a run, twin blades snapping out between her knuckles. The man casually pulls another knife from his belt and throws a number of cuts at her that close up again almost as fast as they open. Not even really noticing, much less letting it slow her down X-23 jumps, arms pulled back to strike at the man when she's intercepted at the last moment by Void tackling her out of the air and the two go tumbling across the ground.
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Laura Kinney
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Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:31 pm

X-23 comes out on top, straddling the woman's chest as she punches straight down at Void's head, the blades coming to a stop a hair's breadth from her grey-scale eyes as she grabs X-23's wrist with both hands. She opens her mouth and with a coarse voice that sounds unaccustomed to talking says "This is going to hurt."

She suddenly bashes her head forward, blades sinking into her eyes. Or at least that's what it looks like at first before Laura's blood-curdling scream makes it abundantly clear that something is very wrong.

Void stands up, casually lifting Laura up by the wrist with one hand and dangling her like a trophy. The two blades sticking out of Laura's hand are crumpled, blood and bits of bone oozing out from between the folds of adamantium and more blood bursts out from between Void's fingers and runs down her arm as she crushes Laura's wrist in her hand. With an almsot dismissive motion she throws Laura towards the group of students where she lands in a heap, cradling her ruined hand.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:55 pm

Reach wrote:The man smirks and yanks his hand away the same moment the blade goes flying towards Haley. For a moment as it twirls through the air small knife cuts or marks appear on the gravel, on clothes here and there, but they stop after a moment and the razor lands at Haley's feet.

"Now now, this isn't an attack, boy." His eyes dart across Aiden's clothes, settling on the emblem he wears. "Genoshan Preator. You should know what a mutant attack looks like then. It's not pretty, is it?"


Seeing X-23 beaten by Void makes Aiden hesitate and instead of closing the distance he stops and begins circling the pair of attackers.

"Praetors don't attack civilians," Aiden said punctuating his statement with a blast of energy to test Reach's defenses.
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Aiden Mitchell
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:46 pm

Either he doesn't have any or he's trying not to show his hand in that regard because he carefully sidesteps the blast by moving to bring the car-wreck between himself and Aiden.

"That's a bit arbitrary, isn't it? Everyone here's technically a civilian, including me, so maybe you should re-evaluate your moral code. But as much as I would enjoy debating the finer points of your hypocrisy, that's not why we're here. I've watched the Brotherhood shrivel and die over the years. Founding a country so full of itself it can't see it replaced one oppressor with another. Splintered groups that care more about padding their own pockets and quibbling over personal rivalries. Political parties that stain our name with talks of cooperation and co-existence while governments everywhere take walk all over you. And still, still you bemoan their loss?" For the first time he seems to get agitated and kicks the car wreckage for emphasis.

"Fight. Struggle. Evolve. Or perish." His voice once again carries across all of campus, possibly even the whole town. "Their morality is how they keep you under their thumb, but I will show you the way. By force if necessary. We're the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!"
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:53 pm

A voice answers his, "That's a sad refrain sung by people who use the name to justify being assholes!" Tereza steps out of the crowd, eyes glowing white as she moves to stand between Laura and Void.
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Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:08 pm

"You're not wrong." he laughs. "But I'm certain there are others who feel this way. Or... at least who could be convinced to under the right circumstances. It is exhausting to constantly keep your powers reigned in, police yourself, unable to truly appreciate the beauty of what we can be."
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:16 pm

"It is exhausting not murdering people and committing acts of terrorism under the cover of creating freedom," Aiden said as he circles around the car towards Tereza and Laura.
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Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Char » Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:39 pm

"Now you're catching on." Char speaks up for the first time, her voice sounding as cold as her eyes are smoldering.
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Char
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:39 pm

Haley watched in horror as one of the strongest people she knew just got wrecked by the strange girl. “You sick sons of bitches are going to fucking pay!” she roared, lashing out with angry blasts of telekinetic force towards the two attackers that left impressive craters in the ground where they missed.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:09 pm

"Found a new pack of thugs to run with, I see," Tereza says, taking note of Char for the first time. Fog rolls off her hands as she shrugs out of her own leather jacket, tossing it back towards someone in the crowd just as Haley explodes and starts wrecking the grounds which distracts her for a bit.
User avatar
Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:17 pm

Char and Reach take cover behind the car-wreck, which is getting partially dismantled by Haley's scattered TK blasts while Void simply stands there as telekinetic force smashes into the ground around her. Haley can almost feel it rolling over and off of her, like a dead-zone of physics that is just completely unaffected by the storm of kinetic forces all around, only the chains hanging off of her occasionally getting knocked around. Void calmly starts walking towards the small blonde girl with a grin on her face.
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Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:40 pm

Char wrote:"Now you're catching on." Char speaks up for the first time, her voice sounding as cold as her eyes are smoldering.


"Does the brotherhood only recruit fools?" Aiden asked rhetorically not wanting to walk into the TK storm Haley was creating.
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Aiden Mitchell
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Fri Oct 05, 2018 10:54 pm

Haley's inability to affect the terrifying...thing...walking towards her only fueled her rage further. Her irises flared with a fiery blue glow as her she tried to seize on the only thing she seemed to be hitting, the chains hanging from the girl.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Char » Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:13 am

"Fools and maniacs." Char says, a slight smirk breaking her otherwise icy facade.
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Char
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:18 am

Void stops as her chains are jerked to and fro by Haley's telekinetic rage, tieing her in place as she almost jokingly snaps at Haley like a chained dog, struggling against her bonds. At least so it seems until she reaches for the thick collar collar around her neck that some of the chains attach to and tears it off of herself, severing some of the chains in the process. She holds it up and let's Haley's telekinesis tear at it as it collapses in on itself around Void's hand. She looks at it and back up at Haley, if anything looking more excited.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:29 am

Char wrote:"Fools and maniacs." Char says, a slight smirk breaking her otherwise icy facade.


"Don't forget cowards," Aiden said watching Void more than Char since well Void seemed more dangerous, incredibly so really.
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Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:42 am

Tereza takes the opportunity of Void's focus on Haley to launch herself at Void's flank, her hands sprouting claws of ice that she tries to slash at Void, looking to just slash and keep moving on beyond her.
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Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Mon Oct 08, 2018 4:25 pm

Tereza jumps, the storm of telekinetic energy whipping her hair dramatically as her blades of ice strike Void's shoulder. And shatter on impact. The woman spins around after Tereza and before she can even really finish landing a kick sends the former Brotherhood member flying, pain blooming out where Void's kick broke her arm and carried through enough to bruise her ribs, flaring when she hits the ground and rolls a couple feet before coming to a stop.
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Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Mon Oct 08, 2018 4:25 pm

"She's got spirit!" Reach laughs and casts a glance over at Char who gives a slight nod in response. "Well then, I believe that's everyone." he says cryptically and loudly claps his hands once. "The Praetor, the small Blond, the Icy Hot-head and I believe Manikin has made his pick as well. We'll be putting the four of you to the test as prospective members and ah!" he lifts a finger. "I know, you'd never! Yadda yadda, spare me the speech, we all know that's not true and it is up to you to prove me wrong."
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Mon Oct 08, 2018 4:37 pm

The pain haze makes it hard to think, harder still when she'd already been made so angry to begin with. "Been there, done that," she growls, struggling to one knee as the fabric of her shirt and jeans stretches and starts splitting. It's not pleasant to watch and even less pleasant to hear, but Tereza really can't contain the beast in this much pain and with interlopers on her territory, she really doesn't want to. One way or another the shift is coming and she gives in.
User avatar
Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Aiden Mitchell » Mon Oct 08, 2018 5:04 pm

Reach wrote:"She's got spirit!" Reach laughs and casts a glance over at Char who gives a slight nod in response. "Well then, I believe that's everyone." he says cryptically and loudly claps his hands once. "The Praetor, the small Blond, the Icy Hot-head and I believe Manikin has made his pick as well. We'll be putting the four of you to the test as prospective members and ah!" he lifts a finger. "I know, you'd never! Yadda yadda, spare me the speech, we all know that's not true and it is up to you to prove me wrong."


"Come and try to force me yourself, Cretin," Aiden said moving between Tereza and Void to give the werewolf time to recover.
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Aiden Mitchell
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Reach » Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:57 pm

"Now that's interesting..." Reach smirks at Tereza's transformation. "Praetor, I'm afraid that'll have to wait. But I will be seeing you all." he says with a slight bow.
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Reach
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:57 pm

Void seems to take this as the cue that it is and stops advancing on Aiden and falls back. Or rather she casually walks over to Reach and shrugs off the remaining chains hanging off of her, the heavy metal loops clattering to the ground.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:16 pm

Haley shifted her tactic as her TK wasn’t doing anything: a brute force psychic assault with her telepathy on Void. It was raw, it wasn’t especially well focused, but if she could land it, it would HURT.
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Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:16 pm

The transformation complete, the wolf launches herself after the retreating Brotherhood members. One arm's still mostly useless, whatever Void did to it keeping it from regenerating quickly. She's still got power in her legs and she leaps at Void and Reach, trying to get her good hand on whichever one is closest.
User avatar
Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby The Void » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:24 pm

She might have gotten the drop on Void, for whatever good that might do, had Haley's attack not drawn her attention. The monochrome woman looks almost surprised for a moment, then excited even though her head is twitching sideways a little bit. Haley can tell that she's causing her pain on some level, but whatever effect is making Void impervious seems to extend to at least the physical aspects of her brain. Haley is hurting her without causing any actual harm.

Of course, in turning around she notices Tereza and grabs her arm as she sidesteps the attack, then the world turns into a blur as she's whipped around, blood shooting into her head and making her see red before she's send flying, crashing into Haley with all the bulk of here werewolf body.
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The Void
 

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Tereza Rozanov » Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:18 pm

For her part, Tereza slumps into unconsciousness on top of Haley.
User avatar
Tereza Rozanov
Student
 
High Concept: Winter Wolf
Aspect: Chip Off The Old Ice Block
Aspect: Escaped Asset
Aspect: Servant Alpha
Aspect: Partner To The Fey

Re: Survival Of The Fittest

Postby Haley Crusek » Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:52 pm

Haley was about to push harder with her telepathic assault when a wall of fur and muscle came flying at her. She reflexively blocked with a TK shield at the last second that slowed down the lycanthropic projectile a little bit, but she still got completely bowled over and was now trapped underneath a VERY heavy werewolf.

“Ow....” she groaned.
User avatar
Haley Crusek
Student
 
High Concept: Pint-sized Powerhouse
Aspect: Wannabe hero
Aspect: Shitty psychic
Aspect: Hothead
Aspect: Walmart-brand Tinkerbell



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