Project Freedom [IC] 23: Oddities

[ClassDunce]

Charlie: Strong Girl
HP: 1 Condition: Good

"Oh," Trouble says. Then, after a moment, she asks, "But what are human rights? I ... think I understand the words, but I'm not really very sure ... where I grew up, I don't think I had them."

Charlie sighed and nodded at that, leaning back again in the seat, the theater was really emptying out during the intermission. There were a lot of drinkers out there. She didn’t know a lot about Trouble’s child hood, she knew it couldn’t have been normal just by how she behaved. She was always surprised by how bad a lot of the people around her had it as kids, her parents never had anything but love for her. It was the rest of the world that treated her like something less than human.

“I’m probably not the best person to talk about this with Ladybug, I don’t really have the words for it.” She crossed her arms across her chest and tried to be smaller, her brow furrowed as she tried to find some words. “I think… a lot of people believe that it’s about every man and woman being equal. That no one life is worth more or less than any other, that everyone has the same rights to everything that everyone else has. The human race as a whole decides what those things and rights are.” She shrugged, “That’s what VIPER fights for as far as I can tell. They feel that they and the rest of us deserve more freedoms from the tyranny of government and they’re willing to kill thousands of civilians to get it.” She sighed and shook her head. “Really it’s just an excuse for them to blow shit up and feel like they’re better than the rest of us because of it.

If you ask me most human beings only think they want more freedom.” She let out a jagged little laugh, “Really they cling to the social order, rigid laws, materialism, the only freedom most of us want is the freedom to become comfortable.” Charlie looked up to the stage and thought to herself that she may have went off on a tangent there.

[Davies]

“I’m probably not the best person to talk about this with Ladybug, I don’t really have the words for it.” She crossed her arms across her chest and tried to be smaller, her brow furrowed as she tried to find some words. “I think… a lot of people believe that it’s about every man and woman being equal. That no one life is worth more or less than any other, that everyone has the same rights to everything that everyone else has. The human race as a whole decides what those things and rights are.” She shrugged, “That’s what VIPER fights for as far as I can tell. They feel that they and the rest of us deserve more freedoms from the tyranny of government and they’re willing to kill thousands of civilians to get it.” She sighed and shook her head. “Really it’s just an excuse for them to blow shit up and feel like they’re better than the rest of us because of it.

If you ask me most human beings only think they want more freedom.” She let out a jagged little laugh, “Really they cling to the social order, rigid laws, materialism, the only freedom most of us want is the freedom to become comfortable.”

"But ... comfort is important, isn't it? Isn't that one of the little things that, when you don't have it, makes you feel ... lessened?" Trouble asks quietly. Then she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I have the words for this either."

She pauses, looks down, then looks up at you. "Charlie? Why do you like me? I lied to you. I put you in danger that you wouldn't have been otherwise. So ... why did you seek me out to invite me to see you again?" She sounds just a little confused.

[Shock]

Robin / Songbird

"The campaign managers of both sides in your forthcoming mayoral elections are courting our donations. Who are you favoring, out of curiousity?"

"Um... I dunno. I haven't really been following that closely. Grant said that Project Freedom deserved more recognition for our actions which sounded good. But everyone said that would actually be bad." Robin frowned. "I've never voted before so I don't really know how to figure it out."

[ClassDunce]

Charlie: Strong Girl
HP: 1 Condition: Good

"Charlie? Why do you like me? I lied to you. I put you in danger that you wouldn't have been otherwise. So ... why did you seek me out to invite me to see you again?"

Charlie looked down to Trouble, a smile beginning to spread across her face again. "I'm in danger every time I get out of bed in the mornings Ladybug. I don't mind a little danger, hell I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I started feeling safe." She laughed, "And honestly, I can look past a lie pretty quick. I learned a long time ago that everyone has their own truth and a lot of people have to have multiple truths to make it through the day even me. I like you Ladybug. I enjoyed spending time with you over there. We had fun, sure I got knifed by a crazy lady and blown up but that's... Tuesday." She shrugged.

[Tattooedman]

Curve
[Donnie Benis]
HP: 3

"Excuse me, Donnie, but there's a young lady here who's come to visit you," says Mona's voice.

Donnie jumped up from his seat in the common area where he‘d been trying to distract himself with some cop show on TV that he couldn‘t even remember the name of. So he turned it off and answered back, “Ah‘ll be there inna minute Mona, thanks.” He couldn't hide the enthusiasm in his voice nor remove the smile on his face, he had been looking forward to this visit almost as much as he had looked forward to his first visit with Mallory.

Once he put the remote on top of the TV he made his way to the lobby, hovering at a speed that was well above his normal walking pace.

[Davies]

"She's an older woman, yes, but she's had quite a sudden shift over the last few weeks."

"I had suggested to her that a vacation might be in order, but I doubt she'd consider it while she's saddled with that oppertunistic politician. Ah, sorry, I suppose that was a rather redundant description of him, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a little. I think we may be seeing the last of that guy soon, though. He was really freaked out by what happened a while back ..."

"Um... I dunno. I haven't really been following that closely. Grant said that Project Freedom deserved more recognition for our actions which sounded good. But everyone said that would actually be bad." Robin frowned. "I've never voted before so I don't really know how to figure it out."

Midas frowns and shakes her head. "That's not good, Robin. Someone in your position -- either of them -- cannot afford to be oblivious to politics. Your teammates may be able to turn their noses up at them, but as their leader you have to keep a larger perspective."

"I'm in danger every time I get out of bed in the mornings Ladybug. I don't mind a little danger, hell I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I started feeling safe." She laughed, "And honestly, I can look past a lie pretty quick. I learned a long time ago that everyone has their own truth and a lot of people have to have multiple truths to make it through the day even me. I like you Ladybug. I enjoyed spending time with you over there. We had fun, sure I got knifed by a crazy lady and blown up but that's... Tuesday." She shrugged.

"I see," she says, sounding a bit unhappy. "I was hoping that you saw something about me that was ..." She trails off, looks away.

"There's a man," Trouble says. "I think ... he likes me ... I think I like him ... but I don't really understand why he would like me. It ... worries me."

[Shock]

Robin / Songbird

"That's not good, Robin. Someone in your position -- either of them -- cannot afford to be oblivious to politics. Your teammates may be able to turn their noses up at them, but as their leader you have to keep a larger perspective."

"Well... I wasn't old enough to vote until last year. And I was in prison then. And I wasn't leader until last week. This is the last thing I expected to happen to me. And Wainwright pretty much handles the political stuff." Robin shrugged. She hadn't noticed Zane ever worrying about politics. "I'm just the field leader. What can I do?"

[ClassDunce]

Charlie: Strong Girl
HP: 1 Condition: Good

"There's a man," Trouble says. "I think ... he likes me ... I think I like him ... but I don't really understand why he would like me. It ... worries me."

“Oh.” Charlie gnawed on her lip this time more to hide the soft smile that appeared on her face than anything else and put both her feet squarely on the ground. She didn’t think she was the best person for anyone to talk to about this kind of thing but if Trouble felt comfortable enough with her to open up to her like this then she wasn’t about to send her away. “Well… Um… We don’t always know why we’re physically or emotionally or romantically attracted to people. It’s not something that we can just explain, it just happens.”

She leaned over putting her elbows on her knees, “When I first left home I rented a room in this big house in Southside, about six people lived there and we each had our own rooms but we shared everything else. The kitchen, the living room, the one bathroom, it was actually a lot like Project Freedom that way.” She smiled as the memories kept coming, “I moved in late one night and when I was downstairs the next morning eating breakfast I looked up and saw this woman, Carol, walk into the room. I felt so strange. My legs wanted to carry me to her, but my head was telling me to stay away. The feelings were so strong that I felt like I was gonna pass out."

Her smile was spreading a little, “Once I worked up the nerve I introduced myself to her and we spent the rest of the morning just talking. The connection was just instant. That was it we were together every possible moment for like four months.”

She put a hand on Trouble’s knee, “We like people because we do and we don’t need a better reason than that. Ladybug you are plenty likable, I can totally understand why anyone would go heads over heels for you. If you feel a draw to the guy too then give it a chance, take him out to coffee and see where it goes.”

[Jalinth]

Zalman

Zalman decided to acquire some food just in time to see Donnie go flying away. Not doubt for a moment why the man was in such a hurry, he settled on the couch and waited. It would be interesting to meet his friends child.

[Arkrite]

Fredrick Astrovik Zane: Dr Sane
.
HP: 1 LP: 1 CND: Normal

Zane frowns, "Yes, I believe that little brush with his mortality may come back to haunt us later. I don't believe he ever thought about how dangerous our powers make us. We were just some chained thugs he could order around without any concern."

"I'm afraid Wuxia has torn that away, though I suppose we should just be happy he didn't physically assault the man."

He sighs, "I'd bet you he'd be pushing for us to be locked up again if he hadn't already spent so much time associating himself with us for his little photo ops."

"I am suddenly greatful for his self serving antics. I'm not exactly interested in seeing the Project turn into a smaller version of the very prison I joined the Project to get out of."

He snorts, "I suspect that what most people wouldn't see is that most of the project would turn on anybody attempting to escape as it would take from us what little freedom we have."

He sighs, "Of course with Wuxia's little escapade I'm not sure the general public would care, even if it was actually AEGIS that lost him."

[Arkrite]

The Epilogue can be found here.

[Arkrite]

Shameless bump before the thread gets locked.