The Forgotten Zodiac

((Lotus. Poor Timothy. He should have stayed with Tyler.))

Tyler sniffled and poked Subject in the head vengefully. "It's not my fault! Sylas said it was true, and I didn't know he was going all crazy." He sniffed again and pressed his nose, which happened to be freezing cold, onto the back of Subject's neck. "I'm sorry, Subject."

((Shall I have James show up just before they arrive?))

((Consarnit, Lotus. Why can I not remember that? U! UUUUU!

That would be good.))

"It's okay," Subject shook his head, still jogging steadily. "Let's keep going."

"Where'd the others go?" Werr opened his eyes at last, rubbing his eyes. He frowned at Quinn, who just shrugged and shifted uncomfortably.

((He'll leave pretty quick. They only let him wander around because it's easier than dealing with him, and he's evil.))

Tyler nodded acceptingly and let Subject continue to carry him. "You're not mad at me? I promise I'll tell you next time."

Right as Werr asked his question, a loud knocking came on the door, followed by the sound of it opening. "Anybody home?" James' voice rang through the hallway, which was too short to give them time to escape.

((Alrighty then.))

"I'm not mad. Let's just hurry," Subject shook his head. "I can't talk anymore, I need to save my breath for the run so I don't slow down. Okay?" He said, then pressed onward. Aurora found it difficult to keep up with him; he was very fast, remarkably so.

The reaction was immediate. Werr stood (a little too quickly, as his broken leg caused him to nearly topple over), and Quinn scrambled to the kitchen and turned on the sink, ready to attack at a moment's notice. She left the water running and Werr threw a solid rock wall up, giving Quinn the cover she needed to run and try to find Michael.

((Or, actually, I could kill off James right here.))

Tyler nodded again and held onto Subject's back, not talking or bouncing. He did everything he could to make himself light, as difficult as that was without being able to fly.

Kyle heard the noise and hurried down from the upstairs of the building. "More guests, Werr?" He jumped the banister on the stairs, slowing himself with the air, and came up behind James. "Can I help you?" he inquired, having no reason to distrust him.

Michael was at the end of the backyard, hanging upside-down from a tree branch. Apparently, he was related to Tyler.

((But then who would be a bad guy? I was going to kill Lotus.

I suppose I can bring in someone more exciting...))

"K-Kyle, no! That's James, he's an enemy," Werr growled, but he dropped the rock wall, as Quinn had already made it outside.

"Michael! Mi-Michael...James, James is..." Quinn panted, looking up at the boy. "James is here!"

((Indeed. I don't like these villains. I'd almost say reset everything, but this is awesome. Let's kill off both of them and come up with something good.))

James turned, smiling at Kyle as if he was a decent person. "I'm with the Institute for Gifted Study, and I'm looking for some runaway test subjects. Could you-" He broke off as Kyle pulled all the air out of his lungs and blasted him forward toward Werr.

"I hate the Institute. Please die."

Michael flipped out of the tree and landed on the ground, then ran toward the house after Quinn.

((Oh, I HAVE something good. >:3))

Werr immediately brought up a rock wall again, which James hit. Another rock wall formed, this time in front of the boy. And sliding rapidly towards the boy. Werr literally intended to crush James between two thick slabs of stone.

((Pray tell! I need a compelling villain this time.))

James shot shadows out from both hands, blocking the rocks as the slid. This only stalled him for time, but he jumped into the air and shadow-stepped his way out of the rocks. Sadly for him, he jumped into a wind-blast from Kyle, which shot him past Werr and out of the glass window, into Michael's heat wall. He fell through it quite quickly, but his body was nastily 'sunburned' by the time he hit the ground.

((The head of the Institute that most of our characters escaped from. They'll know it's him, too. He's only a supervizor of one 'clinic', though. But he'll have information of who's funding the entire set of operations and whatnot, and our little group will be able to solve their problems with the agents and stuff.

By killing the leader. o3o))

Quinn dragged water from the sink inside, solidifying it and using it to pin James to the ground through his shirt, locking him in place rather quickly. As long as she held her control, the ice wouldn't melt, no matter how hot Michael made it.

((That's a good plan. From there, we could go to how they explode the world. Since that happens (See our second roleplay that failed.)

Have you played FFTA?))

James swung his legs forward, sending shadows with them that shattered the ice holding him down. He stood up and attempted to run, only to have the air pulled out of his lungs by Kyle. This allowed Quinn to pull him down again.

Michael looked down at him in pity, then looked up at Werr. "Werr, do you suppose there's anything to be gained by keeping him alive, or would you like to do the honors?" Of everyone there, he would best be able to kill James with mercy.

((I suppose. But I kinda don't like the second roleplay. It was a nice idea, we just...didn't really have much to do with it. :I So maybe the world doesn't blow up. Maybe they get to kill the CEO of the institutes and have to turn around and deal with the Iyouis?

And only a little. I've played through FFTA2, but only a few minutes of FFTA1.))

Werr's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "There's no point in keeping one of our major annoyances alive. I would indeed enjoy doing 'the honors'." Werr pulled a pebble from his pocket, floating it over James' head.

Then it shot down like a bullet, piercing his skull quickly and lodging in place, not allowing any blood to seep out. But James was most certainly dead, almost instantly. One thing was for certain, he hadn't felt anything. One second there, the next...gone. Werr turned away. "Get rid of the body. I suggest burning it, Michael. Goodness knows we don't want any investigations on our hands." He glanced aside in time to see Subject jogging towards them, a strange woman following suit. "We have company."

((That soundeth good. What're the Iyouis doing? They're aliens, we could do something with that.

Darn. I've played both, but I love FFTA more. It's a better game.))

Michael lifted James' body and carried it back to the field, knowing Werr and Quinn would keep Subject and Tyler from seeing what he was carrying. With James at the back of the lot, he started clearing a space to burn the body.

Tyler jumped off Subject's back immediately and ran to hug Quinn, burying his face in her leg and starting to cry again. "We're back, Quinn. Sylas went by himself."

((We could...

Haha, I'll take your word for it.))

Quinn immediately knelt and hugged Tyler tightly. "There, there...what do you mean, Sylas went by himself? Where's Timothy?"

"The Iyoui suddenly became very hostile." Aurora tutted. "He flew off with the smaller boy."

"Flew?"

"Grew wings and flew away, yes." Aurora shrugged. "My name is Aurora. I've devoted my life to hunting Iyouis and protecting the Gifted. There is no cause for alarm." She said smoothly, already taking note of Werr's dark expression.

"Like I believe that. But you brought Tyler and Subject back, so...you have once chance." Werr frowned.

((Alien invasion isn't really my style, though. What about having the Iyouis take over the world? We already have enough of a dystopia going.

Don't take my word for it. Buy the game and play it.))

Tyler held on to Quinn with every intention of not letting go. He looked over her shoulder at Werr and shook his head. "She's nice, Werr. She made Lotus not hurt us, when he was gunna eat me." He wrapped his arms around Quinn's neck and pulled slightly. "Up, please. Sylas did fly away, with his big new wings. They were pretty, but then they turned ugly."

((Or attempt to.

I don't think I have the system...))

Quinn stood up, holding Tyler now. "That's...sad." She said quietly. "Sylas has always been so sweet and kind..."

"Not anymore," Subject shook his head. "I dunno what's gotten into him, but it's not kind. Nowhere near. He said...he hated you. And me. And Tyler, even..."

"Hate?! I didn't think that word was in his vocabulary!"

"Me neither..."

((GBA? You don't have GBA? That's sad.))

Tyler, even as upset as he was, jumped to Sylas' defense. "He didn't hate me immediately. He wanted me to go with him, but then he was mad because I didn't want to come, and then he didn't want to be my friend anymore." He sniffed again and started breathing carefully, lest he start crying again.

((Oh. I have a DS lite. It can play GBA games.

But I also lack money.))

Quinn rubbed Tyler's back, sensing his upsettedness. "It's okay, Tyler. Sylas...won't be gone for long, right? He'll come back..."

"Don't give him false hope," Werr tutted. "It's not healthy."

"It's better than the poor prince being depressed over a lost friend," Aurora pointed out.

"...Prince?" Werr's eyes narrowed again.

"Yes. Tyler is Gifted, is he not? He is. I can sense it. You are too...all of you are." She smiled. "I told you, I've devoted my life to the defense of the Gifted."

"Calling him a 'prince' is a bit far-fetched, though."

"Why? He's superior to myself in any imaginable way, as are you." Aurora shook her head.

Werr sighed through his nose. "We lost the loopy alien and gained a loopy human. Great."

((That's very sad. Money-lacking is a tragic thing.))

Tyler turned his head and glared at Werr, tears trading out for annoyance. "Stop being grumpy, Werr! I'm your boss, and you'll be FIRED if you don't start being nice!" He crossed his arms, then relented. "If you'll be nice, you don't have to be fired. I'll give you a raise, if you'll be nice."

Kyle came in from the hallway, surveying the damage in the floor. "Werr, are you feeling alright? How's the medication working?"

((Indeed.))

"I feel fine," Werr just growled in Kyle's direction, then turned a glare on Tyler. "You can't fire me. I quit." He turned and made to stop off, yet he hardly made it five steps before he collapsed.

Quinn rushed over, only to stop short in alarm. Blood was practically pouring from his mouth. She quickly rolled him onto his side to let the fluids out, so he wouldn't suffocate. She pressed her fingers to his back, trying to feel where the blood was coming from. She almost immediately recoiled, terrified. "He's full of holes!" She whimpered. "His lungs, his stomach...what medication did you give him?!" She rounded on Kyle, trembling.