October Catch-All

[backwordscompatible]

Characters: Aya, Midii, Zatanna, & OPEN
Date: Month of October
Location: Keelai
Situation: Various (specified in openers)

Warnings/Rating: none to start; will update if necessary



A. - Zatanna

[She felt overwhelmed.]

[So much had happened. The death of the Turtles. Rising theories about Asti and Malicant and...things that the last exploration group had come across. Tensions were rising, and the worst part of it all?]

[They were in the proverbial calm before the storm. Which meant waiting.]

[Zatanna hated waiting.]

[She was a busy person by nature. Sitting still? Not an option. She would fidgit. Her hands, usually. Flipping a coin or a pencil or some other manipulative. Often, it was subconscious. She didn't even realize she was doing it.]

[Like right then. It was a small card. Not a tarot card, like the kind she'd used at her work in the past--for a time, she had considered the option, but even her skills weren't good enough to actually use the art to predict what would happen. Not with enough certainty to be of use. No, this one was your average playing card. A four of hearts. Arbitrarily chosen from the pack because it was there. Keeping her left hand busy while her eyes scanned the shop store windows. It was October. Which, to her, signified a lot of memories. Of costumes and friends.

[Halloween.]

[More than once, she found herself wondering if they would celebrate this year. With everything going on...probably not.]

[Shame]


B. - Midii

[The soon-to-be teen girl was hardly ever without Riva at her side these days.]

[After what happened...both of them had only just barely stopped crying. For the mutual losses they shared. Out of fear of what was to come. Midii wasn't a fighter. She had always known this. Her strong suit was knowing, but when it came to the enemy...she was too vulnerable. Bad enough when it was her life at stake, but if something ever happened to Riva? She would never forgive herself.]

...I know, girl, I miss them too.

[Sitting on the grass, out in the open, near one of the lakes, she gave Riva a soft pat on the neck. The weather was a bit cooler than it had been during the summer months, but Riva was still in need of constant hydration. An attempt to distract from all the loss. Not just her brothers and sisters...but from the pair that had been her co-parents for so long. First Rapunzel, and now Septimus.]

[They hadn't been particularly close, but Midii had liked them both. She hadn't been lying about missing them. Riva would know.]


C. - Aya

[The message she had translated was...concerning.]

[The latest theories regarding Malicant were even more so.]

[With only just barely enough returns to her assigned quarters to check on her soul lantern, Aya had all but taken up permanent residence in the Laboratory.  She found a great comfort being surrounded by like-minded individuals, in proximity to tools in which she might be of use.  She was a fighter, yes, but she was also one of the most advanced pieces of technology known to exist.  An asset, against an enemy such as Malicant.]

If it is true that the enemy has infiltrated the Network itself...then perhaps there is some way we may use this knowledge to our advantage?

[Her leading--and only--theory.]


D. - (Misc.)

((If there's another scenario you'd like any of the girls to be in, feel free to set up and I will absolutely follow accordingly!))

Comments

[insertdadjoke]

[ Cain notices... something. He isn't used to magic and he isn't used to his thoughts being influenced but he does know his own mind and such a turn isn't quite normal for him. His brows furrow, slowly relax, and he takes a deep breath. He's obviously confused, trying not to show it too much, and it's not a good look on him. ]

What was that?

[unetrustworthy]

[Confused was good. Confused wasn't angry. Yet.]

That depends.

You're not going to freak out if I tell you, are you?

[Some people freak out.]

[insertdadjoke]

Is freaking out really a reason to not tell someone?

[ He does seem a bit irritated, but Riva's calming influence is going a ways in helping him just be more tolerantly exasperated than anything. ]

[unetrustworthy]

Yes.

[It doesn't have to be a good reason, but it was a reason.]

[insertdadjoke]

[ Cain sighs, filled with obvious exasperation, and rolls his eyes. ]

I won't freak out. [ His lips quirk upward. ] Much.

[unetrustworthy]

[She was going to hold him to that.]

When Riva formed a connection with you...that extended emotionally. She can't tell what you're thinking every moment, but she's going to know if you're sad or happy or weirded out or two seconds away from freaking. [IN CASE HE WAS GETTING IDEAS] ...sometimes she can send little waves of happy whenever she thinks we need to be cheered up. But we'll always know it's her, and she can't outright change our moods. Not any more than anybody else could.

[insertdadjoke]

[ Cain is very deliberately quiet as he takes that in. He's good at holding himself back if necessary and he's promised to do that here, so he lets himself absorb it before really reacting. ]

She's gonna nudge me around if she doesn't like what I'm feeling?

[unetrustworthy]

[All things considered...he was taking it pretty well.]

Yes.

Unless you specifically tell her to stop. She's stubborn, but she does listen most of the time.

[insertdadjoke]

[ There's something to be said for the particular type of life experiences Cain has had, as well as the sheer number of them. If nothing else, he's learned to deal with shit as it starts hitting the fan. ]

Guess she hasn't learned that even negative emotions can be good for a person every now and then, huh? [ He says this as he eyes the turtle next to him, brows quirked somewhat sardonically. This really is a child he's dealing with, one with some bit of supernatural sway over him. That's new, but raising kids isn't. ]

[unetrustworthy]

[Riva gave him a sideways look, and Midii couldn't help smirk as the thought entered her mind: He knows I can hear him, right Midii-mama?]

She says she can hear you.

Tell her yourself.

[insertdadjoke]

I thought I just did. [ His head tilts as he inspects her. ] Do you not like words, Riva?

[unetrustworthy]

[It was Riva who responded, assuming that this was permission to direct her thoughts straight into his mind:]

I like words. I like positive words better.

[insertdadjoke]

[ His first and immediate reaction is to shake his head like he just got water in his ears or something was buzzing around him. Then his brows draw together and after a moment of silence, he lets it fall and chuckles softly. ]

Positive is very good. But there's a balance. Ever heard of too much of a good thing?

[unetrustworthy]

Yes.

It's something older people say a lot.

[insertdadjoke]

Older people say it because they've had time to see how true it is. Sucks, but that's why we have elders to tell us this shit, right? Maybe we won't end up doing the stupid stuff ourselves.

[ There's a laugh there, because yeah right. Also because he is one of the older people and knows it for the painful fact that it is. ]

Just think of it this way. How do we know something is positive? Because it's not a negative.

[unetrustworthy]

[There was a moment of...almost static background noise, only mentally. As if Riva were attempting to process what he had just said, and her very brain was humming in thought.]

Are you playing one of those word games on me? What you said sounds like a word game.

[insertdadjoke]

Sort of. [ His head inclines momentarily. ] It's confusing, but the end message is pretty clear. You can't have up without down, light without darkness, good without bad. We kind of need all those parts if we're gonna appreciate the good, or else it's just... there.

[unetrustworthy]

I don't see the bad part about that.

[She sounded smug as her thoughts penetrated Cain's mind. Too smug; behind her, Midii both winced at the play on words, and glanced Cain's way in hopes that he wouldn't take it the wrong way.]

[Riva wasn't entirely joking, but she had these moments where she thought she was so clever....]

[insertdadjoke]

[ It's okay, Cain understands and laughs. It is actually quite clever for someone so young and kids always appreciate being appreciated. Knowing how Cain is, he's had plenty of clever and smartass children in his time. His entertainment is obvious, as is some of the breadth of his experience. ]

Give it time. That's the fun part about growing up. Don't waste it, huh?

[unetrustworthy]

Wasting fun? Never. Otherwise, I might grow up to be as serious as Midii-mama...

[It took less than a second for Midii to realize she was being spoken about,]

Hey!

[insertdadjoke]

Is that something we're going to have to work on?

[ It's to the both of them, clearly teasing and somehow already a bit fond. ]

[unetrustworthy]

No.

Yes.

[A side glance Riva's way, and she calmly folded her arms across her chest. Defensive.]

...maybe.

[insertdadjoke]

Don't worry about it. Riva and I, we'll figure out what you like to do for fun.

[ He's not really intent on changing anything, not someone he's just met, but he will admit he wants her to lighten up. They're connected now. Why not help each other out? ]