Lurking in the Shadows (open to all)

[Deleted]

Mallory walked swiftly through the streets of Astaria, her hands tucked away in her pockets. Her shoulders were tense as she briskly walked to nowhere in particular. She breathed out a shaky sigh as she closed her dark green eyes and tried to think of home. Not the small apartment her family now shared, but her real home. She tried to focus on the cool air back in St. Petersburg, the familiar sounds and smells of her old neighborhood, the smell of Russian street food and the music played by street musicians. Instinctively she hugged the trench coat tighter to her form. Taking a deep breath she could smell her brother’s faint scent. It had been many years since he had worn the coat, but the subtle scent still remained. The gentle scent of cheap vanilla-scented cigars, the illegal kind, mixed with the smell of her brother’s favorite cologne. Her heart ached.

When Mallory opened her eyes she found herself in a rather desolate part of town, specifically the threshold to the Port. Her hands clenched tightly as she glared at her surroundings. She hated this place. She hated this city. She hated this whole country. Я просто хочу домой. I just want to go home.

I should go back. Papa said not to go near the Port. Mallory gazed into the night sky. She had left home to cool off, and cool off she shall. Besides, she never really listened to her parents before. Why start now? She gingerly grabbed the hood of her coat and pulled it over her head, the shadow cast by the hood darkened in a rather unnatural way, so much so that it gave her the appearance of being headless.

The girl walked comfortably in the shadows, little black wisps would curl and wind around her feet as she walked toward one of the many warehouses. She doubted there would be anything of interest, but she could at least trash the place if she desired it. Her own shadow gave a muted laugh at the thought.

“What?” The word was barely audible as it left her lips. Only partially covered in the shadows she stared quizzically at one of the warehouse doors. The large steel door was already cracked open. Furrowing her eyebrows she pressed on. The shadows grew a bit more dense as she inched closer. She looked less like a girl and more like a shapeless black mass.

Whatever was in there, she would be ready.

[Ophelia Courtney]

The Abandoned Warehouse District was good for many things. Most of them very firmly illegal. As such, you didn't often find people on the right side of the law here. There was a few homeless people scattered about making use of the decrepit buildings, but the local shelter did a damn fine job keeping them warm, fed, and on the way to affordable housing. Even with all the illicit deals and a handful of people trying to scrape out a life, the AWD was usually just that, abandoned. Which made it a perfect place for Catalyst to focus and concentrate when she took on an enhancement contract that was more than one person.

A water manipulator that really could only make a cupful dance around and woman with just the barest hint of superstrength had heard of her services and somehow managed to come up with her fee. They wanted to hit First Astaria Bank. Like every other wannabe supervillains. Would they be caught? Probably. Could they be traced back to her? Hell no, they'd only be able to report Cataylst helped them boost their powers, no locations, no description of her appearance that was worth anything (the entire point of the helmet-mask), and all that was basically free advertising to people that could actually pull off their heist. That was the part that made her accept.

So she was sitting, cross-legged in an abandoned warehouse, in her full Catalyst catsuit and helmet, just in case, focusing on these two lunkheads as they blasted water and smashed walls with their boosted powers until Aegis came to take them away. Then she heard a noise. She stood up quickly, shooting her eyes to the door from beneath her helmet. A black, semi-formless mass was inching its way in.

"It's not really safe to wander around the AWD alone. If you're here to take advantage of my services, there's really no need to slink about. Come right in, dear, and I'll be with you in a moment."

@mallory

[Deleted]

The girl rose a brow at the sight before her. She had expected a drug deal of sorts, but it seemed as if she found something much more peculiar. Poking her head into the warehouse she noticed a woman in an odd bodysuit sitting alone. She quickly surveyed her surrounding. The rest of the warehouse was strangely empty, though something inside her told her that this woman hadn't come here to simply enjoy the scenery. Back in Russia, many super powered individuals would go to places like these to practice their powers, but Astaria wasn't like that. She had seen people preform in the streets with their powers for money, so why was this woman here? Her curiosity peaked as she watched the woman a bit more closely. Her face covered by an odd helmet, what an odd thing to wear, unless you wanted to keep your face hidden. The shadows around her loosened a bit as she fully stepped inside the warehouse.

With each cautious step she took toward the woman her shadows drifted further and further behind her, though they still lingered. The place was dimly lit, so her shadow creatures could still maintain their form. The shadows scattered a bit. Some went up walls while others crawled by her feet. Her own shadow detached from her form tip toeing around the women of its own will. The more she shifted her focus to the woman the more her shadows seemed to scatter about at will. The shade under her hood remained as black as ever, concealing the curious and mildly confused expression on her face. 

"Who are you?" Her voice was calm but cautious. There was the slightest hint of an accent to her voice. No matter how hard she tried the Russian tone in her voice was a bit to hard to shake. Mallory stopped a comfortable distance away, only a couple of meters. "Services? What services?"

Mallory placed her hands in her pockets as she watched the woman closely, her green eyes narrowed. The woman didn't look too dangerous. Then again, looks were often deceiving.

[Ophelia Courtney]

As the shadows dissipated, Ophelia could see that her guest was just a girl. Her eyes narrowed, wary of a trap. It wouldn't be the first time one of her competitors had tried to use the soft spots she had to bait her into making a mistake.

She lifted her hand, starting to reach out, then pulled it back. She wanted to touch her, get an idea of what exactly this girl had up her sleeves when it came to powers, but focusing on the two idiots that were attacking the bank was taking all the concentration she could muster at the moment.

"I'm called Catalyst, dear. As for my services, it depends on what you're looking for. I have connections that can get you almost anything you might be looking for."

Catalyst stood up, and moved toward the girl, walking around her, looking around her, trying to get a read on her, but keeping her mind on the futile bank robbers hundreds of blocks away.

"Most people, when they come to me directly, are looking for something to do with their powers. That's my specialty. I can take those superhuman things you can do, and make them better. Help you surpass your limits, remove restrictions. If you want, and can find the fee, of course. If cash is hard to come by, depending on what you want to do with your temporary enhancement, we could come to an arrangement of favors."

She circled back around to the front and smiled at her. "So, darling. Who might you be, and how can we help each other?"

@mallory

[Deleted]

Mallory recoiled a bit as the woman reached for her, her hands clenches slightly as she silently beckoned her shadows a little closer. The scattered creatures did hone in on the two, but made no sudden moves. Mallory often boasted her love for breaking the rules, but she had never been in a fight before. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried at the woman's presence. Mal gave a small sigh as the woman backed away.

At first, Mallory figured the woman was a drug dealer of sorts. Though the idea was quickly dashed when the woman began to elaborate a little more. The woman, or Catalyst as she introduced herself, mentioned something that peaked her interest. So that is your ability. Your power is enhancing others. интересный. 

"You enhance the abilities of others." She said more to herself than to anyone else. Mallory gazed at her own hands. She briefly remembered her childhood. Those nights she would stay up with Viktor, messing around with the limits of her ability. She remembered the day she first made a shadow creature, and how it escaped her grasp and tore through the farmer's market back in Russia. "невероятный."

"My name is Umbra." Mallory introduced herself in quiet voice. "I originally came here to blow off some steam. I was going to let my creatures wreak some havoc in the empty warehouse." She gestured to the shadows that lurked in the darkest corners of the warehouse. They weren't quite mindless drones, but they weren't exactly free-willed either.

"Could you enhance my abilities as well?" She asked in a small voice. There was a part of her that knew that this was a terrible idea, but the more mischievous side of her didn't care. She had no love for this city, why should she care if she had a little rampage through it?

[Ophelia Courtney]

Ophelia smiled. This child had the makings of being someone that she could leave an impression on. Ophelia still was wary of a trap, something set up by her competitors to take her down a peg, but she saw promise, opportunity.

She dropped her focus on the two idiots robbing the bank, grunting as the fatigue hit her all at once. They were already close to their time limit, they'd just assume that they'd lost track and hit it.

"Of course, dearie. I'm a catalyst for improvement. I haven't met anyone that I couldn't enhance the abilities of. But now the question becomes a different one, a very important one."

She stretched a bit, coming back into herself from the previous enhancement. She was ravenous, but she was pretty sure she could manage one more enhancement tonight.

"The question, now, darling, is what will you offer me? You know my offer. Your powers, taken to their full potential. You, freed from the limitations you may have. But what will you give me in return? I can't work for free, dearie, it's not good business. You could surprise me, but I don't think you can manage my usual fee. Not unless you have tens of thousands of dollars ready to go."

@mallory

[Deleted]

The girl couldn’t help but widen her eyes at the woman’s words. Someone who could enhance my abilities, someone who could take me to new heights. She was briefly reminded of her brother. Viktor had always told her that her powers were strong, something she should be proud of regardless of what others said. She could practically hear her brother’s voice in her ear, urging her to take the leap. Viktor had always loved pushing the boundaries of what she could do.

Her mouth gaped for a moment. As much as she wanted to give this deal a try she knew she had nothing of value to offer this woman. Her family wasn’t rich, Mallory herself only carried twenty bucks at any given time on her person. There is the bank not too far from here. With an enhancement I could-

“There is a bank I could get into. You see, I can travel through shadows, teleporting from one dark corner to another, but the bank is currently out of range. With an enhancement I could warp inside a vault and get you the money you seek.” The words left her mouth so effortlessly it surprised her. Mallory was often down for pranks, schemes and mischief. But crime? Well, there was a first time for everything.

“But I have to ask, are there any catches?” Mallory asked as she eyed the woman curiously. Her shadows would defend her if she needed it, though she still worried if the woman had an ace up her sleeve.

Ophelia Courtney

[Ophelia Courtney]

Catalyst grinned. She had this one on the hook, just needed to reel her in. The bank idea wasn't a bad idea, but it needed more refinement, maybe a redirection.

"Oh the bank, darling? How much have you thought this through? It's not a bad target, per se, but there are better ones, ones that are not expecting people to try to warp inside of them. You're much more likely to get caught than pull off a successful heist of that level."

She walked around behind her and leaned in over her left shoulder, putting her hand on the girl's right. "Darling, no catch, just business. How about this. I power you up, and then... you owe me. I could give you a discount on... let's call it a package deal. Multiple smaller robberies for me, easier targets, convenience stores and the like. I can give you a list. Bring me oh, let's say 90% of what you take, and keep the rest as... incentive, to keep going. The laborer deserves her pay, after all."

She pulled back and went and sat back down on her chair, relaxing back into it, showing she was really not worried about anything happening right now, she felt completely in control. She saw potential in this.

"I see something in you, dearie. A spark. A special something that tells me that you're unique, that you might have what it takes to make it here in the hard underbelly of the city. It could be incredibly lucrative for you, darling. You could look at me like... a mentor. A teacher. Your senpai, if you're into the animes. They're apparently all the rage with you kids lately."

She reached out and extended her hand to the girl. "So do we have a deal?"

@mallory