Catalyst

˙ ˖ ✶ Kaan

"You just keep getting more interesting by the second, huh?" Arden mused, listening to the way Kaan spoke about The Pleiades with a familiarity he'd never seen before. "Lucky me, and hopefully the smell of stardust is something you'll come to like a lot more since we're not enemies. Stheno, if I know my Greek myths, she also has sisters, two if I'm not mistaken." he'd recalled having heard that name before, probably in one of the many video games Maestro had shown him, and as his mind searched for answers, it clicked. "Kaan, my pleasure, truly," he found it peculiar how sweet his name sounded when he spoke it aloud.

"So you think I'm pretty?" Arden said, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. "From popstar to snake charmer was not the career change I was expecting, but I'm not complaining," he said in jest, somehow feeling secure in Kaan's space. "Guess I can finally mark off meeting an enigmatic and captivating man with a giant snake off my bucket list."

kaan laughed as arden took his hand so easily and he squeezed the hand in his own leaning in whispered into the other's ear. "i quite like the smell now that i know the source."

kaan pulled arden with him into the building, reaching up to gently brush hair back from arden's face. "of course i think you are pretty. anyone with eyes should know that." he said matter of factly. "beautiful even. just like the stars."

kaan moved his hand, spectral looking snakes shot out to move the furniture in front of the opening they had come out of, blocking the door and the windows so they could rest. everything he touch with his snakes slowly converting to stone. the spell would last for a few hours at least.

fear   swelled   in   his   chest,   slowly   spreading   through   his   limbs   as   darkness   consumed   the   city,   until   it   left   him   frozen   in   place.   without   light   or   electricity   to   empower   him,   leon   felt   incredibly   useless.   going   out   under   those   conditions   sounded   stupid.   uncharacteristically   reckless.   and   yet,   how   could   he   ignore   someone   in   need?   he   would   not   be   able   to   live   with   himself   if   he   didn’t   do   everything   in   his   power   to   protect   people   from   that   nightmare.   courage   was   never   about   the   absence   of   fear⸻   it   was   about   overcoming   it.   without   warning   anyone,   leon   left   the   safety   of   his   home   and   stepped   into   the   nightmare. phone   clutched   tightly   in   his   hand,   he   kept   trying   to   reach   the   people   closest   to   him,   desperate   for   any   sign   that   they   were   safe.   every   call,   every   message,   every   attempt   failed.   around   him,   it   was   like   being   in   a   very   elaborate   set   for   a   horror   film.   but   there   were   no   cameras   around.   no   director   to   lead   the   scene.   only   destruction. the   first   creatures   he   encountered   came   in   a   group   of   six.   without   any   other   source   to   absorb   from,   leon   fought   the   mindless   undead   with   his   own   fists,   taking   advantage   of   their   lack   of   coordination   and   making   sure   every   hit   counted.   every   time   he   connected,   his   strength   increased,   energy   building   up   inside   him.   his   best   efforts   could   only   keep   them   away,   but   he   couldn't   kill   them   with   his   own   hands.   that   wasn't   the   goal   anyway.   he   was   only   stalling   until   he   could   fully   recharge.   taking   damage   occasionally   was   part   of   the   deal.   he   thought   about   levi   and   tried   to   mimic   his   actions,   having   watched   him   since   he   was   a   kid.   the   guy   knew   how   to   take   a   punch. more   groups   of   undead   made   their   way   towards   him,   attracted   by   the   noises   from   the   fight.   from   his   palms,   small   explosive   blasts   kept   the   undead   at   a   safe   distance,   a   little   display   of   his   ability,   though   he   was   conserving   as   much   energy   as   possible.   when   the   horde   surrounded   him   and   gave   him   nowhere   else   to   run   to,   leon   unleashed   all   his   energy   into   one   destructive   blast,   attacking   any   (non)   living   creature   around   him. his   body   fell   to   the   ground,   clothes   evaporated,   as   well   as   anything   in   a   big   radius.   he   was   conscious,   but   barely.   he   told   himself   everything   was   going   to   be   okay.   he   only   needed   a   minute   to   catch   his   breath.

curiosity devoured him as he hopped over to where about it was, and honestly it wasn't hard to find. the smell of burning meat and the blast radius made it easy. and what did he find in the middle? a man. how curious indeed. a naked one. and he was fit as fuck. "hey mister you can't lay around on the ground naked, there are monsters around." he shouted cheerfully as he slid down the side of the crater that had been made to the middle where the other man laid.

kneeling down over him he reached out and checked his pulse. gently petting his face's cheek as he pulled his hand away. "normally i'd pick your pockets but you have no pockets so. i guess this time around i'll just have to save you. how sad. be lucky i don't save people you know? but you're a hottie so it would be a shame if you got eaten."

˙ ˖ ✶ Kaan

"So that's what it's called," Arden nodded along, smiling at the other man, and it was nice to finally put a name to the power he's been using for so long. "I'll try to be a little less fragrant for you next time." It was rare for someone to know of his powers, of the sisters who whispered in his ears, the seven who had forged a contract with a child during his time of need. "Basilisk, it actually sounds badass. If you'd prefer not to call me Starchild, my name's Arden."

"Course I do, your beauty here reminds me of Ophiuchus. I like snakes, besides, Taygete would scold me since she's all about nature." Arden mused. "As for the flirting, well, what can I say, a man shows me his big snake, and I'm not supposed to blush? Sounds outlandish to me."

kaan smirked and looked the other up and down. "my my such a charming pretty little thing aren't you? let's get somewhere we can rest for a bit hmm? i can send out some hunters while we wait." kaan offered out a hand to arden and gestured to what looked like a gutted out building to the left of them. still enough structure they could fortify it.

"says the most male model looking politician to ever grace this city. you look like you belong on a gq cover." of course cayden was partial to the other man, they had bonded at the funeral and he was drop dead gorgeous. even if he had made a lot of other people drop dead. cayden wasn't doing something to outlandish as saving people out there though, he was actually out there looking to take samples of the creatures. if they could recreate something similar for godkin to use as minions. he bet godkin would pay him more than handsomely for the efforts.

"only to save my own hide. believe or not i do not enjoy spitting acid. it's the only thing people focus on like i didn't create the most potent and effective truth serum in the world." cayden sighed as he took a seat on the bar and leaned forward. "can i actually get a drink to clean out my mouth? it tastes gross. besides there are so many others things i want to do with my mouth to show you that has nothing to do with acid."

🧠    ⸻    rules  were  often  difficult  to  follow.  but  there  had  been  a  certain  strictness  in  the  cadence  of  his  father's  instructions  when  ox  received  them  -  hugh  forcing  him  to  endure  a  video  call  with  poor  camera-work  on  his  old  man's  side.  protect  catalyst  the  nerd  and  do  not  -  under  any  circumstances  -  touch  anything.  one  should  ignore  the  fact  he  has  almost  unintentionally  compromised  the  same  experiment  no  less  than  three  times  in  quick  successions;  attentions  repeatedly  drawn  toward  a  carnival  of  colourful  concoctions  bubbling  and  brewing  beneath  the  glossiest  sheen  of  glassware  ox  somewhat  recognised  from  his  father's  own  personal  laboratory.  though  ox  could  not  help  but  notice  the  personal  collection  often  proving  much  less  polished  and  perfected  than  what  had  been  laid  out  around  him.

“what  does  this  one  do  again?  this  blue  one?”  ox  questioned,  brow  furrowed  deep  as  he  reached  out  to  point  and  restrained  himself  from  taking  hold  of  the  burbling  beaker.  instead  he  distracted  himself  with  another  thick  dollop  of  greyish  paste  onto  his  outstretched  tongue,  the  expression  that  followed  nothing  short  of  unpleasant.  “and  the  snacks  you  got  here?  suck  bad.  i've  eaten  protein  powder  dry  that  tastes  better  than  this  stuff.”

 think  tank  was  far  from  his  usual  crowd  -  the  building  brimming  with  big-brained  nerd  types  -  but  ox  was  far  from  a  bullying  type. 

think  tank  laboratories    ⸻    eternal  night    (  @hero-ish  )

cayden looked at ox and sighed, he had to appreciate what the other was there to do, which was look after him. it wasn't like cayden's miracle was meant for full on combat scenarios. in fact it was probably most potent and useful here in the lab. shaking his head he went to the fridge and pulled out an actual protein bar and held it out to ox. "how simple you can be is actually the sweetest thing you know." with his free hand he tapped on his tablet taking what the other said about taste into his notes. it wouldn't matter how perfect he could make the paste nutritionally if he couldn't get astronauts to stomach it. "don't eat too much of it ox, one serving is a full days amount of calories and nutrients. the downside is that it does not fill the stomach so you will experience hunger like normal. i was thinking of offsetting it by creating something that was void of calories and minimal nutrients to be the filler between meals." he said with a hum.

"Isn't this nice? Just you, me, and the end of the world in between us," Virgil had mused out loud while bracing the door, the low grunts and roars of hellish fiends heard from behind. Virgil was never one to look for trouble-- that was a lie; though he suppose it all depended on what people mean when they say trouble. Virgil enjoyed causing trouble. Get caught in the midst of trouble; well, that was a whole different ball game. Virgil had a habit of getting on everyone's bad side, it only made sense he would start to annoy the lives of the dead as well.

With the help of his companion in witnessing the end of the world, Virgil managed to place heavy furniture in front of the door. For good measure, the merc managed to board up the entrance like the holiday cinematic classic Krampus. "There, they won't be getting through that any time soon." He chimes.

"my hero. so handsome and strong. how can i ever repay you?" he asked with a smirk as he pulled a flask from inside his jacket taking a sip and offering it up to virgil with a wink. "you and those baby blues got a name or should i just swoon over you nameless?"

˙ ˖ ✶ Kaan

"No kidding, I've had to really get creative just to do any damage at all now, and it's becoming a lot more taxing than I would hope for." Arden had opted to use Maia's powers today, knowing he could always rely on the sheep cooks later on and use his summon in battle should the need arise.. For now, Maia's thread magic and his rapier were all he thought was necessary. Piercing through the monstrous beings and wringing them together with his threads.

"If you're getting tired, eat something I'll provide in a bit. I'll have to change forms soon to use one of my physically strongest celestial spirits," Arden spoke up, looking at the giant snake with fondness. "Don't know how much we'll pull off unless we pull out big moves, but something tells me that's what they want, to get us tired enough to finish us off."

"I'm Starchild, pleasure to team up with you, um...Sorry, I didn't catch your name. I was distracted by your adorable friend and your handsome features."

"i go by basilisk. it throws people off and i think that's pretty funny. but i admire you ability to flirt in a time like this." kaan slid off of his snake and touched down on the ground, the serpent leaning down to put it's snout in his hand. "you often find giant snakes to be endearing do you?"

" I could have thrown cars, yes. but I just got my nails done, and I didn't want to ruin them. " glamour says, lifting a hand so she can admire her manicure. in her diamond form they would have been fine, but she was content using her vanity as an excuse to get up close and personal. she would definitely need a long shower once they got back to the penthouse, especially after having to climb all of those stairs. for once she almost regretted wearing six inch heels. when max implores her to pay attention she glances over. " ooooh! " her eyes light up. she takes the string of pearls, admiring them in whatever dim lighting she could. " they're perfect, maximillian. "she pecks the boy upon his cheek several times. " I would hug you, but I'm covered in blood and guts. remind me later. "

max smiled under his mask as his mother kisses his cheek, the metal shifting so that he could get his kisses. "i love you mom. i'd do anything for you." he beamed as he stepped over bodies to fall into line with his mother. hand outstretched he called back any of the broken wires, making them meld back into the length of his weapons. compressing the edged back into razor sharp points. "i saw some of the bigger things around out actual penthouse, but i think i could take one out if you gave me enough time to charge up a neodymium magnet with enough velocity. maybe like ten minutes to get it going fast enough? rail gun that shit out at it."

with   another   blast   of   pure   light,   another   bat   creature   that   seems   to   have   picked   up   on   their   scent   is   taken   down.   seizing   the   moment   of   silence   that   follows,   lucky   jumps   from   where   he’s   perched   and   lands   just   beside   the   other   hero    ...    or   so   he   thought.   instead,   a   strong   pang   of   pain   flared   on   the   side   of   his   body,   which   caused   him   to   skid   across   the   pavement   and   almost   eat   shit   on   the   asphalt.   the   injury   on   his   side   really   fucks   him   up   more   than   he   thought.   when   he   recovers,   he   gives   the   other   hero   a   smile—the   best   one   he   can   manage   at   the   moment.

"       you're   the   guy    ...    who   can   make   drugs   with   your   body?       "        lucky   asks,   racking   his   brain   for   who   and   what   kind   of   hero   they   are.        "       let's   go   inside.   it's   much   better   to   speak   there.   we   have   a   lot   of   injured   people.   do   you   think   you   can   help   them?       "

cayden wasn't weak and he helped pick lucky up and let the man lean on him. "if you have water and perhaps something to eat i can go longer, i have to convert the chemicals in my body, so blood, saliva, that sort of thing to be able to produce the chemicals." he he let the other lean on him so they could get into the theater, cayden was already synthesizing something to stimulate cell growth in his atomizers so that he could stem bleeding and close wounds. unfortunately he was medically minded enough to know which civillians would be beyond saving.

"how does your miracle work exactly? i can make better plans if i know more variables."