FIRST EVENT THREAD GO!

[unoriginalhero]

Who: EVERYONE
Where: Metropolis
When: Late evening.
What: The barriers are activated.
Rating: TBD

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[makeyoucrazy]

Ace hadn't really planned on going anywhere in particular. After her brief time in Las Vegas, she traveled the country; there had been no real need for her to stay. King, Queen, Jack and Ten had all been done in by the Justice League, no doubt taken back to Section 12 (a high-tech facility in the middle of a desert, in the middle of nowhere) shortly afterward. She might have felt sorry for them, had they at least played with her from time to time. But no, all they cared about was trying to prove who was stronger than who, even though the answer to that question was all but obvious.

Aimlessly she roamed about until finally, she found herself here; in what was supposed to be the city Metropolis. Staring up at the lightning streaked sky above her with an almost blank look on her face. The familiar sounds of people shrieking in terror filled young Ace with a faint sense of familiarity. Of times in Section 12, when Miss Waller wanted to see her mental powers first hand and what she could do. Whatever became of those scientists, she wondered? Not that it really matter. They were just as boring as the 'games' they made her play anyways.

Slowly she swayed back and forth, on the swing set she had formed out of thin air and plopped in center of a patch of green grass. She was alone in this part of town (or so she thought), the people who had once occupied it all long gone. Chased away by whatever was going on around them.

[unoriginalhero]

Red X had taken advantage of the chaos caused by the appearance of the barrier to sneak the painting out of the back. Unfortunately, he had to drop it when the police stormed after him. It would be too much trouble, and whatever the hell was going on with this blue light, it wasn't worth the painting. Throwing the painting a fair distance in the opposite direction, Red X used his teleportation device to quickly lose the officers in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, Red X would then appear a good forty yards away from Ace. His motion sensors in his mask's HUD picked up the swinging motion, causing him to quickly turn his head in her direction, the xenothium conduits primed to form shurikens. But... this girl... she was obviously a member of the Royal Flush Gang, from her outfit and hairpin. Last he had heard, they weren't exactly good guys. Red X instinctively crossed his arms, and snorted.

"Well, isn't this peachy. I expect to run into that panty-clad alien fuck, and here I find..." Who was she, anyway? He had heard of a girl of her description in Slade's (relatively empty) database on the Justice League, and... wait... was this Ace? The one with telekinesis?

Well, this was going to be fun.

[makeyoucrazy]

It seemed Ace hadn't notice him, as she continued swinging back and forth, her wide-eyes still gazing up at the sky. Maybe if she had been someone else, if she had been normal she would have attempted to flee this place like everyone. But she wasn't.

And she had felt him standing there.

Her feet sliding against the dirt patch at her feet, Ace finally stilled herself. She hadn't counted on someone actually stopping to stare at her curiously like he was. Not when everyone else seemed so concerned with other things at the moment.

"Did you come to play?" She asked, her eyes now locked onto Red X instead.

[unoriginalhero]

"Play?" Was that a euphemism for fight? But... no. She was a little girl. About the same age as him, but probably with one of those developmental things. Red X crossed his arms, one of his hands on his forehead. Well... it's not like he had anything better to do. And a member of the Royal Flush Gang wasn't likely to be the thief-turning-in type.

"Uh... yeah, sure. Whatever." Red X slowly walked up to her, his arms still crossed, completely taken off guard. What in the hell was she doing out here, when everyone else was going batshit fucking insane? He leaned up against one of the support beams for the swingset nonchalantly, unsure of what to make of this. He normally wasn't the babysitting type, but if this was really Ace... hell, it might even be worth the embarrassment.

[makeyoucrazy]

Odd, that she would let a complete stranger come so close to her. Considering his appearance, most people would have probably chose not to deal with him; unsure of just what he might do. But Ace knew that at least for now it was safe to let him come. There was more of a curious feel about him anyways, no doubt as he tried to figure out just why she was here and who she was.

Even though he already clearly knew it.

"Everyone was leaving in such a hurry. I'm almost surprised you're still here." She began to swing again, back and forth, back and forth. Her gaze leaving him to stare at the empty space in front of her.

[unoriginalhero]

The thief was curious, definitely. Yeah, she was strange, but... he liked it. Kind of like that Raven chick from the Titans. He watched her swing, his back leaning against the swingset. Yeah, there were people running away. Did she not see the big blue light around the city? There was obviously a giant barrier around all of Metropolis, and yet she acted like she didn't care at all.

"I should be. I guess seeing a member of the Royal Flush Gang was more interesting than the idea of a cold beer and a good night's sleep," he said while shrugging. Why was he here, anyway? Not even Red X knew. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he was looking to get laid. Who knew anymore?

[makeyoucrazy]

Almost instantly she came to a stop again, glancing ever so briefly in his direction before looking back straight ahead. She wasn't surprised; during her traveling, many people in the towns and cities she had moved through recognized her. Many avoided her, fearing what she could do and others who were brave enough (or complete idiots; honestly it was hard to tell sometimes) approached her with the intent of harm or even worse, taking her back to the facility.

Ace didn't want to go back there. She didn't want to play anymore of their 'games'. She didn't want to be lectured about how becoming what they government wanted to be would be beneficial to their lives. And she most certainly didn't want that detestable headband of theirs placed upon her head whenever they feared her powers needed to be suppressed. Not that she felt it would do any good now. She had changed since they last saw her. Evolved.

A hedge bush to her right began shaking, it's leaves turning brown and brittle and falling to the ground crumpled and dead. It curled in on itself, twisting and turning, sprouting thorns as it moved to surround them. Creating a barrier around both Ace and Red X that would prevent anyone from getting in. And anyone from leaving.

"Then you know what I can do to you."

[unoriginalhero]

"I do," Red X said, noting the thorn barrier surrounding them. Wouldn't stop teleportation, but that wasn't what he was here for. He wanted to talk to the girl. She was... interesting. And kind of cute. "But why would I want to hurt a sweet little thing like you?" It was hard to tell if Red X was mocking her, or complimenting her at this point. His arms crossed, he slouched back against the bars of the swingset, his eyes never leaving the little girl on the swing.

"Truth be told, I thought your story was interesting. You've been through more than I have, that's for damn sure."

[makeyoucrazy]

Sweet...? That was suppose to be a compliment or something, wasn't it?

Of course, Ace didn't say anything in return and just stared at him. And emotionless, blank expression on her face. Whether or not it was a joke, it didn't matter to matter to her.

"...it's not interesting."

[unoriginalhero]

"You escaped from some government pigpen. I'd say that's exremely interesting." Red X returned her stare, occasionally glancing off to look at the blue dome, to see if it was still there. It was. Something told him, it was going to stay that way for a loooong time.

[makeyoucrazy]

"Only because of the Joker." It was his idea after all that got them all free. She was at least somewhat thankful to him for that much, at least. Last she saw of him was in Las Vegas and honestly, she'd have like to keep it that way. She wasn't afraid of him, no. She just didn't feel like seeing that traitorous man at the moment.

"I probably could have tried to get out on my own if I wanted to, though."

[unoriginalhero]

"Who knows? You're here now. Though, I wonder..." Red X said, turning on the pole so that he was almost laying on it on his side, his invisible eyes practically locked on hers. "What are you going to do now that you're free? Find your friends? Get a job and live a normal life? Look for some old couple to take you in? Or..."

Red X said, leaning forward so that he could get a better look at her. It was almost possible to see the devilish grin behind the young man's mask. "Do you want to find someone who can really show you how to have a good time?"

[makeyoucrazy]

There was no change of her expression, even when he leaned in closer to her. She just stared at him for a bit, not really understanding what he was getting at with the last part of his statement. But just as quickly as she had turned to face him she looked away again.

"Nothing." She had no plans, no goals in life for herself. She just went wherever she felt, moving from place to place, gathering playmates that wouldn't stay in her company for longer then a day or two. She'd gotten used to being on her own; as much as she hated it.

[unoriginalhero]

"Oh, bullshit," Red X said, waving her answer off. "I can tell just by looking at you, you want a real thrill." What did the thief mean? Epic heists? Sex, drugs, and booze? Who knew. Red X was the most hedonistic prick this side of John Dillinger, and nobody could ever tell whether he meant his words literally, or if they were a euphemism.

Who knew. Better yet, who cared?

"I've got a penthouse I rented with the payoff from my last heist," Red X said. "One grand a night, and I haven't even broke my ten-kay yet. Two king sized beds, three bathrooms, with jet-bathtubs. Or you can sleep out here in this shit." Was he inviting a little girl to his hotel room? Yes! Yes he was!

[makeyoucrazy]

Having the ability to bend reality, it had been easy enough for Ace to construct whatever she had wanted in however fashion she chose. Meaning, she could very easily make herself some place to stay on her own if she wanted to. But today was a strange day. Not because of the strange light in sky, but because there was actually someone who knew who she was and was capable of, making no attempts to kill her or avoided talking her because of fear.

"Why?" A simply question to which she hoped the answer would help understand what exactly he was thinking. Though, there always was the possibility that there was nothing more to his offer. Maybe he just intended to use her powers like the Joker had and felt it would be easier to just keep her close.

[unoriginalhero]

"Why?" Red X said, taken aback slightly. "Because, you interest me. You have quite the story, and I want to hear it."

Honestly, how more simple could it get?