in a world where the people who deserve good luck get good luck, kade would have remained out like a light. sadly, this is the world where rogue robots run amok and cause mass destruction, and a world where altering people to be faster and stronger and more capable in every way is normal. kade can hear her. he’s slow to sit up. he’s tired.    “    you really thought you could sneak right by me ?    “ 

    “    yeah, rin. don’t mention it.    “   it feels good to be on top of the food pyramid. it’s sexy up here, you know. good view. kade smiles bigger.   “    fine. let me re-phrase. eat any men lately ? and ah, i’m sure he had it coming. good work, sis.    “ 

    well, he supposes not, but it might’ve been better if she had. there’d be a lot less tension if she’d just fallen over herself, but that’s neither here nor there now. kade holds onto his own smug expression, not seeming in a rush to move. who would be ? he’s a lot of things but he can safely say he’s never been an idiot. thank god for that.    “    i’m pretty sure you do, actually.    “   kade’s pretty insistent on being annoying so he just goes completely limp on top of her.

   "    hey kid. how ‘bout a status update ?     “   jack speaks right to tracer, sparing her a fleeting smile before he’s leaning back in his chair.   “    not too bad for a first mission ?    “   he asks of uprising. / @enlumaria.

    ah.    “    have you asked multiple people for five dollars or what, rin ? you can’t buy anything with ten bucks.    “   shucks, he knows he has to smile too. so he does, pearly whites all on display for her to see.    “    you’re welcome, but uh, do you need more than ten dollars. have you ate any nice guys lately ?    “ 

   she might not wanna read between them if she feels she might get nervous. dunno, though.   “    what kind ?  --- no, no. surprise me !    “   justine loves surprises. can’t relate.

      “    love the imagery. i might. we just gotta see how this thing goes, over.   “ 

    well, there’s no point in sparring if no one is having fun. then it’d be like torture and for a dude as maniacal as kade, he’s not into that ! as in, he hates to be tortured. he hates when he’s not having fun. kade makes a noise, perhaps a huff, or even just a laugh as he goes down. it isn’t a surprise to him that he does. he knows just what this looks like. it might be the future, folks, but cliches are the same, and casanova men like kade know all the tricks. he has the nerve to look solemnly into merilee’s laughing face as if he isn’t almost nose to nose. kade’s got a scar on his upper lip from having it busted open as a kid and he’s got freckles that pop out like stars on a clear night sky, or something like that if anyone knows anything about being poetic. but mostly,     “    if you wanted me on top of you, you just had to ask.     “   zing. his grin shows he knows that he’s being annoying, a grade-a dickhead. he’s really kidding, though.

    one would think, but to kade it’s just genuine fun ! there’s such a human element in fighting -- though he finds he’s moving further from that label all the time -- the element of survival is such a human one. stomach knocks the wind out of him for a moment and reminds him to focus up, another grin bursting over his face as the pain does. kade just manages to avoid the shoulder, as he just manages to miss the leg sweep ; it isn’t fair that his muscles tensed beforehand with warning, and that he attempts to use merilee’s momentum against her to toss her into the mat. 

    a lot of his speed is natural. some of it isn’t. he has moira o’deorain to thank for that, the soldier enhancement program too. when the world was looking to alter the people within it, kade was more than glad to step up to the plate. kade stumbles back with a laugh, again ignoring the pain. pain brings clarity, in his opinion.   “    that’s more like it.    “   kade regains his composure with another sure grin, pacing before he gestures for her to try to hit him again.

    well, he likes a good fight. that’s nature, could be nurture, too. kade bears his teeth in a smile at merilee, disregarding the throbbing pain in his jaw as he takes a step back. she’s a wonderful fighter. she’ll just have to be faster if she wants to clock him twice.     “    i’ll tell you what,    “   kade inches closer with a nod of his head,    “    you only gotta be faster.    “   he’s a slippery guy.   / @wulflune.

    god isn’t about to make a girl that looks like justine weak ! she’s at ultimate power, no stopping her !   “    oh, good. you can sleep over.    “   dakota needs to relax. all that ballerina stuff is hard. it couldn’t be justine. justi smiles again, wide and bright.   “    don’t sweat it.    “   oh, she’s just glowing with the attention ! stop ! 

       “    dying to get your ass beat. how’s it going, andres ?    “