First Sunset [open]

[Deleted]

((Note: This takes place the evening following Cyrus' first transformation, so it is before any other threads unless someone wants to go back and play the response to the museum robbery. Also, yes, he made the news; the museum robbery and werewolf rumours should still be fresh.))

It had been a trying day. Trapped by the knowledge that he was now a wanted criminal, Cyrus had been edgy and restless, yearning to recover the freedom he had felt the night before. He had reverted to human in his sleep; then shifted back into a werefox, then back to human when Tom -- the friend he was staying with -- pointed out how much he was eating. Finally, as afternoon drew to evening, he left the apartment.

Now, it was sunset. He stood atop a department store, twenty stories up, looking out over the roofs of the city toward the bay, where the medley of crimson and gold was doubled in the calm water. Behind him, his shadow stretched over the empty tables and chairs of a rooftop dining area. He stared into the fiery glow, inhaling deeply, drawing the evening in. Letting it merge with the fire he felt inside him…

"Ahhh…" The fire erupted within him, spreading through his veins, to his limbs, into his head. His sigh of pleasure was soon mingled with pain as mystic flames rose from his skin, running over him, searing through his clothing, leaving fur in their wake. He held his arms out, his back arching, fingers flexing as his nails reworked into claws. His muscles bunched, rippled, and filled out, bursting through already damaged fabric. The sounds of popping bone and tearing muscle were overlaid with his growling and panting; yelping at the sudden stab of pain as his tail tore free of his slacks, the release of pressure as his shoes burst from around his paws.

As the transformation neared its climax so did his cries of pain. Finally he screamed, the sound warped by his developing muzzle. As his body trembled in its last throes, the sound changed, rising into an exultant banshee shriek. It was done.

For a moment he stood still, breathing deeply, letting the pain fade. He ran his tongue over his teeth, carnassials and fangs; then he licked his nose. The feeling of energy was returning in a surge, and with it, hunger. Drinking in the aromas of the dusk, he began to salivate at the traces of meals eaten earlier. He spun, bounding for the door to the stairs, tearing off the remnants of his shirt as he did so. There was a food court on the floor below. That would be his first destination for the evening.

[Deleted]

The great, twenty story shopping center that the Werefox was standing atop of, had an unusual guest. Then again with all the villains and heroes that filled Jump City, could one more odd hero really be considered that unusual? It was hard to say, but Titan Lumini...and she could call herself a Titan now, it was so exciting! Titan Lumini was sitting in the food court, with a tray of food from no less than three of the available restaurants in the food court. She was once again sampling human food, and since she still didn't have taste sensors, she was sampling which foods were 'dry' enough for her body to be able to combust it for fuel. So far, she had found the fries at this location to be a bit too greasy, unlike fries at other establishments, the taco was a pleasant surprise, once the cheese and sauces were removed, and she was currently trying a churro.

Her thoughts were quite focused and excited. Only the day before she had met Cyborg, one of the biggest names in the Teen Titans, and he had given her a communicator without her even needing to ask! Said communicator was on her even right now, stashed away in her robotic body, where she could easily grab it if she needed it. Oh but she was excited, soon she'd be going to Titans Tower and meeting Cyborg again and maybe some other Titans, then they'd give her some tests, see what she was capable of! She would get to patrol and fight bad guys and all sorts of things! It was not quite a dream come true, but it was incredibly exciting, a great and worthwhile thing to do while she studied human culture and technology. Right now, it was just food time, the tall, purple clad robot simply looking around curiously. People of all kinds were about and eating, talking, minding their own business, families, friends, individuals just stopping for a bite to eat, all kinds.

Then, the shriek came, it was muffled by roof, walls and ceiling, but such a loud, exultant cry was still somewhat audible. Most of the people seemed not to notice it, but Lumini's head perked up, blinking in surprise. What was that? Did anybody else hear it? It...didn't look like it, no one was raising a panic or starting anything...so it must just be something she hadn't encountered yet. After all if it was anything serious, someone would have said something when it sounded, right?

[Deleted]

Mnemosyne was taking some time off to go to the movies maintaining two identities was trying at the best of times, and downright crazy at the worst of it, so taking some time to decompress was a must. The last few days had been strange, Mnem took a look at the sapphire necklace she hand wrapped around her wrist. For Nth time that day she wondered what it would been like if they had been born under different stars. She squashed that thought and rolled back down her sleeve. It was just past sunset so she had time to go grab some french fries before heading home.

The food court was fairly empty, except for a few stragglers...and robot? Mnemosyne turned and tired not to think too hard, maybe it was later than she had thought. Several of the vendors had closed up shop already, thankfully the fry place hadn't. Oh salty piping hot greasy stick of potatoy goodness, what a way to end a day. Absolutely horrible for in terms of nutrition but sometime you just had to say screw it.

Mnemosyne sat to down to eat her fries, but paused seeing the robot, at this point Mnemosyne still wasn't sure, look up. The iron manipulator looked up too and around too. She listened this time, and heard something faint coming down the stairs...Mnemosyne stood up her late dinner forgotten. Something was off.

[Deleted]

He bounded down the stairs, skipping several in his exuberance. He did not pause at the landing, turning the handle of the door and bursting into the food court in one motion. He slowed down then, but did not stop, stalking forward into the large dining area. He was breathing heavily; but from excitement, not exertion, and it gave him a pretty good idea of what was present. Amongst the dwindling crowd, someone stood out.

Well, something. Garish by any standards, the figure smelled more like some sort of machine than a living being. He sized her up. It could have been just a very good suit that locked in her natural odour. Either way he suspected she was a super of some kind. At least those colours didn't look like something Slade would use, which was a relief.

Hard of hearing or not, everyone was looking at him now. The scent of fear was mixing into the already heady aroma of meats and fruits. He licked his lips, and chuckled wryly at the reaction this evoked.

"Oh, don't be so frightened. I am not here to eat you… only plunder your food. Don't resist, and no-one will be hurt."

[Deleted]

Looks were something that Lumini got pretty much all the time here on Earth. It was just a fact of life, like wind, rain, and rust! As such, Lumini didn't even notice one more girl staring at her with everyone else, instead she just kept on eating, focusing on her food without worry. It wasn't until the Werefox came bounding down the stairs that Lumini truly pulled her attention away from her food to look up at the creature.

She blinked slowly, and people were starting to look nervous, of course, he hadn't outright done anything yet, and they were used to a green kid turning into alligators and all sorts of things, but the wrong move could get them all stampeding. Some were looking at Lumini, and well she was a Titan, she supposed this did kind of involve her...but honestly, he was just after some food. The guy needed fuel, she could relate to that, he must be some poor bastard who had no money, she was willing to bet that with all of that fur he couldn't get your usual jobs from the mess. So she simply lifted up a hand to wave, "Oi, no reason to do that. If you're really that hungry, I'll buy your food." No one should be running on empty after all!

[Deleted]

Mnemosyne stared at the fox hybrid as it addressed who she assumed was the robot. She rolled her eyes at the snark, big bad wolf much? It made her pause, there had been a report on the news about...Oh it was that guy it looked like. She grinned a little, no harm in having a little fun with the guy, see how tough he is. "So dog bait, did the museum thing not work out for you? Reduced to robbing food courts?"

She watched as several of the people realized what she was talking about. A few were pulling their phones out and taking pictures as well as calling the police hopefully. The fluffy tailed metahuman was the newest villain in town, or at least the newest one that had a profile. Mnemosyne grinned picking up a knife, sharpening it with her power before tossing it at the fox. She grinned and crossed as she looked at the fox expectingly. "Can't say I'm impressed."

[Deleted]

The offer from the robotic girl took him by surprise. Being helpful instead of judgemental did not fit his opinion of either a villain or a hero. He considered; it didn't sound quite as much fun, but it could save a lot of trouble for the bystanders and make a good impression if he accepted.

Unfortunately before he could speak some random girl decided to play the "hero". He glanced at her, snarled slightly at the taunts. Swishing his tail, he turned to face her. Then she threw the knife at him. Catching it blade first and not noticing the unusual sharpness, he tossed it onto an empty table.

"I'm not here to impress you, little girl," he responded. "Now, why don't you mind your own business, or we'll see who really ends as dog bait."

He looked back at the robotic girl. By this time he was salivating, and had to lick his lips again to clear away the excess moisture. He shifted on his paws, moving closer to the nearest food counter (belonging to a burger chain).

"You, miss, are too kind… may I ask who and what you are?" He sensed a fight. He would have no problems subduing the knife-thrower, he was sure, but he wanted to establish the identity of the big girl first.

[Deleted]

Lumini needed to keep an open mind and be respectful, as an ambassador and explorer of the Mechanista race, being judgmental of things that were different was really, really bad. So, naturally she needed to at least try and be reasonable. Keeping an open mind was very important, and was what led her to offer to pay for him. Sometimes people stole out of necessity, not out of cruelty, and in fact she'd wager that was usually why they did.

However, while she had made that offer, someone else had done something far more rude..and a knife was sent hurtling towards the strange furry creature! Her eyes widened, but while she was standing up...he just caught the knife and set it down. Well that was a relief, and so she stood up, glaring at the strange woman, and her face, robotic or no, had a full emotional range, easily equal to a human. "A male down on his luck is not deserving of attacks! Why would you just throw a knife anyways, I thought you organics were supposed to be fragile!" She said, with a sniff.

She walked over to the food counter the Werefox had moved to, but still kept looking at the girl. "Don't you try that again, or I'll clobber you good, squishy organic or no." Then, she turned back to the strange furry creature, her expression all smiles once more. "I'm Lumini Geminus, and I'm a Mechanista. Nice to meet you." She says cheerfully, letting him order what he liked.

[Deleted]

Mnem blinked a little surprised and rolled her eyes at the scolding, watching as robot offered to by the Fox dinner, not that man behind the counter was being very coherent by the looks of it. She a little surprised and impressed he hadn't jumped into a fight, but also it seemed his threat was empty. "I'm sure you would be surprised by the result...mutt."

The iron manipulator shook her head. Her arms fell to her side as she turned to leave. "Some are more frail than others, and he started it by threatening me. I only acted first. Studies show that the one to strike the first blow are more likely to win the fight. I would get your food to go, I suspect that police are no doubt on their way and he is still wanted for that museum robbery."

[Deleted]

The robot continued to surprise and amuse him by dressing down the silly human. The girl's response nettled him though. He put his ears back, but -- mindful of the unknown power of the robot -- restrained himself to a merely verbal response.

"I've no doubt she's concerned for your safety, little girl. It's quite obvious who the most frail person is here, after all -- and the least intelligent too. Seriously, you think my reassuring the good folks here was a threat aimed at you? Or that I'm a dog. Tch." He shrugged. "At least you've the sense to run away rather than try to back up your words."

The police could very well be on their way. But that didn't concern him; they couldn't have improved any from last night. So he answered Lumini.

"I am Cyrus, and I'm a werefox." Then he added, irrepressibly, "The only Werefox in the world, and not a mere Device." Technically he wasn't sure if that was true, but who cared? Besides, if someone corrected him it would make his day. Or night. "The pleasure is mine."

He bowed slightly, then said to the poor man behind the counter. "Why don't you take a break? I can serve myself, and you can bill the nice Mechanista later." So saying he grabbed a tray and vaulted behind the counter, whereupon the man left by the other end.

[Deleted]

The robot 'huffed' as the human girl went on about 'striking first.' According to what Lumini had learned, striking first was for those with no defense. Of course, she might be referring to striking first as in, a surprise attack, but if the enemy was on guard and prepared, then the first strike would just lead to a vicious counter that floored the opponent! Besides, if you were going to strike first you should do that if you knew what the enemy could do, not if they were a complete unknown, and she clearly didn't know considering Cyrus has to immediately correct her on what he was. Ah wait, she had let herself get off on a tangent...what was the last thing that woman had said? Museum...robbery? Oh dear...she had assumed the museum thing was a job of some sort, not a crime. Still, this needed to be handled tactfully, she was just a rank 1 Titan, and so far Cyrus had been quite reasonable. She also didn't know why he had stolen it, context was important, this was something that had been drummed into her head during her training for exploring the stars. Context was important, especially in foreign cultures. This was still clearly illegal buuuut...

As Cyrus leaped over the counter, she moved around it as well, moving up to the cash register, staring at it for a few minutes, before she began to lightly tap on the keys and screen, noting down everything he was purchasing. She made a...few mistakes, but fortunately they weren't too hard to fix. "So, what'd you steal?" She asked conversationally, depending on how he had perpetrated this robbery, and how destructive it had been...he might be able to get some really lenient time from the police...admittedly she wasn't particularly familiar with the law, but ever since New Years there had been rumors that even villains were getting clemency in exchange for training...it might be worth mentioning depending on how touchy he got on the robbery.

[Silv]

“BYEEEE LOOOOOSERRRRR!” Rose made a face as the boy she'd been playing Mega Monkeys Six with for the past...shit was it really that late? The girl glanced at the time on her phone and rolled her eyes dramatically. Twelve missed calls. Rose didn't understand why Will cared so much, but then...it was better than her father who didn't seem to care at all. Rose deleted the messages. She was going to be late for curfew. Again. Which meant she'd get another lecture. No need to start early.

The girl had spent the entire afternoon at the mall after getting out of the torture that was schooling. Her group had left as soon as school was over. Which was kind of lame because she hadn't had time to change out of her uniform. They'd had a project, which Rose had pretty much just pawned off the work on her teammates, and then she'd decided to let them work while she went to kick butt in the arcade. It was a history project. She'd ended up in the lame group that had to do something about women's rights. Snore. Rose had been hoping to get a war, or at least something exciting. Not a bunch of ladies holding signs and complaining about stupid stuff she already had.

With her group dutifully working (or she would kick their butts) Rose hadn't even thought much beyond beating every single challenger that wandered into the arcade. She hadn't even touched the rest of her homework that was due tomorrow. The chem worksheets, and the algebra homework wouldn't take her long. Rose could see the point of those subjects. The book report, though...yeah that wasn't getting done.

Rose snagged her backpack from where she'd left it leaning against one of the arcade games. It wasn't heavy to her, despite the amount of books stacked inside, but that was one of the pluses of being a teenage super soldier. She dusted off her plaid skirt, and tried to tug the wrinkles from her jacket sleeves. She wasn't fooling anybody. The littlest Wilson sauntered out of the arcade and into the dining area. Her group was gone. If any of them had tried to tell her they were leaving she hadn't noticed. The schoolgirl scowled at the empty table, and continued on her way until an odd sight gave her pause.

Was that a werewolf and a robot? In the same room?

The day had totally just gone from mediocre to awesome! The schoolgirl's eyes lit up, and she made her way over as though running into a werewolf and a robot were the most mundane things in the entire world. But then, when your father was a supervillain, your brother was a Teen Titan, and your mother was an exiled princess...well, it was rather difficult to define the word normal.

She passed by the other human girl, who was only a few inches taller, and stopped by the robot, staring up up at the thing's face. It was even taller than Daddy! It was also really well put together. This was technology even beyond her father's level. And it was cool. Then the girl glanced over at the werewolf. He wasn't as awesome as the robot, but his teeth were still pretty cool.

“Don't worry,” she said conspiratorially. “I won't tell the vampires you guys are forming an alliance.” because everyone knew that vampires and werewolves hated each other, while robots were a bit more on the fence. Though, it was odd because in most of the games she played the robots actually teamed up with either the pirates or the ninjas. Neither of which had an active representation here. It was also rather apparent that she was totally oblivious to the werewolf's museum robbing shenanigans, or the robot's Titan status. She watched them with a shameless, and slightly abrasive curiosity.

“I didn't know werewolves could use spoons.” she mused. This was quite the learning experience.

TAG: @feudalism @lumini @werefox

[Deleted]

Mnemosyne stood and watched as the Robot finally realized what she was saying. She watched a moment as another girl came and joined the party. As interesting as the new guy had been as first, Mnem quickly decided he wasn't worth sticking around and dealing with.

Then again she should have taken a clue that he wasn't all the great when he gave away his identity. The Iron Maiden gave a mock wave as she walked away, not caring what happened to the Robot or to the Fox. He thought himself high and mighty and had some control over his temper. He also seemed to have tough skin, that was a lot of good information if she ever ran into him again. She was willing to bet she could still beat him in a right. He had a temper and if she could just needle it a bit more she could use that. People are stupid when they are mad.

Mnem reached the doors of the mall and stepped out into the night. It was a nice night, maybe she would take a walk. She was in no rush to be home.

(Mnem and I are out of this thread. Have fun guys!)

[Deleted]

Werefox immediately busied himself with cleaning out the refrigerator. He was disappointed to find only ten patties, moreso in that they were already partly cooked. Raw meat, he supposed, would have to come later. Then he began indiscriminately piling things on top of the meat -- lettuce, onions, cheese, a few buns. He tasted a pickle and decidedly, regretfully, that he no longer liked them. He made the same decision regarding mustard when he smelled it. However he upended the mayonnaise over the now full tray, as though it were some kind of salad dressing.

All this time he remained alert, his ears twitching to track the movements in the food court. But most everyone seemed to be leaving. The belligerent girl made no further comments and must have left with the rest; he must have put her in her place. That brought a satisfied grin to his muzzle.

The robot was another issue. He watched her warily, not happy about her proximity in the enclosed space. However he held back his natural reactions, other than a few twitches in his tail.

"A fox statuette," he answered. "Only yesterday I was a human too. Then I found it, touched it." He stood up, turning to place his tray on the counter, and to see that a different girl was approaching them. He broke off his explanation to watch her. She seemed different, and not just because of her hair colour. The air around her was saturated with confidence.

It took him a few seconds to get what she was talking about. Then his lips quirked in an amused smile. He chose to interpretation her mislabelling his species as true ignorance, and so didn't take offense.

"It's werefox, miss." He scooped a mixture of vegetables and hamburger into his hand. "Wolves never looked this good. And who's using a spoon?" He shoved the mess into his jaws and began chewing,

[Deleted]

Lumini rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she typed on the register, it was...kind of difficult to keep track of what the Werefox was purchasing honestly. He wasn't going by conventional orders, but fortunately there was a means to add in manual ingredients, and so she basically just jammed tons of those in on an average combo order. Would what he was making be considered disgusting by organic standards? She could never tell with human food, after all they seemed to have a completely different metric for disgusting. Lumini's version of disgusting was poor burning, or heavy pollutant fuels, such as that awful gasoline they put into their cars. The mere thought of it was almost enough to make her shudder!

So, the statue he had stolen, it was what gave him this odd form? He had been human before apparently. "Did you know the statuette was going to do that? Do you even still need the statue now that you've transformed?" She asked, still carefully probing....but that was when the girl ran up to them...annnnd, Lumini had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She wouldn't tell the vampires they were having an alliance? Did...did she think Lumini was a part of some Earth based organization? Was this Werefox fellow actually a part of some other group? Was she actually setting up the illusion that she was allying with a criminal that needed to be hidden from some...what even were vampires?!

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, what vampires? This isn't even a proper diplomatic meeting, I wouldn't call this an alliance!" There was a distinct tinge of worry to her voice, an impressive feat of engineering in and of itself, and it was quite apparent that she was not in on the joke.