School House Rumbles 3: Act 3. Warriors and Liberators.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"Yep, no speed. Just the two of use at normal speed, if you think you can manage that. As for stakes..." She stops for a minute to think. "Ah, the winner gets one favor, at any time, from the loser, no questions asked."

He nodded. "Won't be hard. I can get by pretty good without speed. Unfortunately I can't do anything about my durability... or my bones. So just be careful about how hard you hit. S'all I got." In truth he hadn't really expected to be playing for stakes, but hey. "One carte blanche.. alright. I'm in."

[WickedElphaba]

"Um. Doesn't leave too many options, really." He paused. "Skye, maybe... Could always invite your friend Sloane, too."

"Sloane and I already have a rubber match in the wings at some point. Skye sounds like a good match, if she's feeling up to it."

"Alright. And I'll ask Skye when we're done here." He paused. "Though, I'm thinking about doing the soul thing again. Sound good?"

Skye hears her name mentioned repeatedly in the whispers of the small group's huddle. She turns to Cammy and says "Be right back."

She walks over to the group and says "Listen, if you're planning my surprise birthday party then you're too late. It was a couple of weeks ago." She grins. "Who's been praying to the Skye Goddess?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

Skye hears her name mentioned repeatedly in the whispers of the small group's huddle. She turns to Cammy and says "Be right back."

She walks over to the group and says "Listen, if you're planning my surprise birthday party then you're too late. It was a couple of weeks ago." She grins. "Who's been praying to the Skye Goddess?"

"Your birthday, huh? Guess I'll need to get you a present. Maybe something from one of those fancy Sector One shops." Casimir smiled. "But no, no party. Was planning on asking if you'd like to train with Ramilla, Max and I, later."

[Nik Hasta]

Cammy looked at the ground for a moment before her eyes returned to his.

She had to be strong. This wasn't the right way. At all.

After a breath, she spoke, "You watched holo-shows when you were young, right? Like with superheroes and stuff. The Power Squad, with all those empowered fighting for justice, or all those shows with heroes? Do you know what people said when they turned evil or were about to do something terrible when they normally wouldn't?"

After hearing him clarify himself for the umpteenth time, Maxana smiles and turns back to Casimir. "Even though he has changed, he is still the same kind hearted person he was before we left. And he has already said he is open to other ways to deal with Takeshi," she whispers back.

This is the first time she has seen him show this kind of emotion. Someone a rock hard, and immovable as him shaking with emotion.

It is rather hard to watch a big man like him like this. "I have your back, Elewa. I will not leave you hanging."

Robert snorted. "You want to take responsibility for the human race when you can't even bring yourself to save one man? If that's a joke I am not laughing."

Seriously, did people think it made them mature? Was accepting the futility of being kind smart?

Did surrendering to the world made you wise?

"If you want to help people, don't go around discarding the very thing that makes us people in the first place. Because if you do, any thing you build is beyond worthless!"

As far as Robert Dalts was concerned that was the mentality of a loser.

"Heh, I intended to do that since the beginning."

Elewa looks around at the people talking to him, disagreeing with him, swearing to stand by him, worrying about him.

A few months ago this would have been a nightmare situation for him, the simple act of communication being something that tended to paralyse him outside of smoking and nervously avoiding looking at anyone in the eye. Not now though, now this situation held no fear for him, he held eye contact with the others and smiled slightly at his achievement. For all his theoretical feelings about his psychological change, this was a decisive step for him as a person and proof that he was genuinely changing.

He opened his mouth to begin responses, assuring Cammy that he was fine and he wasn't looking to abuse his power and that, if anything, he was looking to take responsibility for it for the first time, thanking Max for her support and confirming that he would equally back her up no matter what came of this and rebutting Robert who's blind concern for the needs of one was jeopardising the needs of everyone else.

All of these words hung on his lips and then were stoppered when it happened:

"Enough".

The words are not spoken loudly, or with anger. They are spoken softly, a whisper carried on the wind.

But the force of that single word echoes throughout the room, and for one single moment, Father Jacob is not Father Jacob. Instead, something far larger and far more powerful shines through him. A power that makes Bardic and Rana, that makes everything the Cadets had ever seen before, pale in comparison. The power is not evil, or vile, or corrupt, but shines like the most purified light imaginable, with a vastness of the ocean of stars above their heads. That single word silences their arguments, and for a single moment, as it lingers on the air, the entire room, their senses, and their very inner beings seem to quake in awe.

And then it is gone, and Father Jacob is but a man again. He smiles kindly at them and raises a hand.

"Please, such talk is a touch gruesome. Let us move on from there to the next stage of the plan, if I may?"

Power. And endless sea of it. Elewa had no special gift for sensing the powers of others but he didn't need it hear. He felt the might contained in Jacob and that reinforced his words. It blotted out everything else and brought silence to the room once more.

Using his power to subjugate. That was wrong. Elewa's brow furrowed as he glared at the older man.

He figured that this is what his talk of leading was to some of the others. He could see how this would be the logical conclusion when an empowered and angry young man talks of taking command of a city, one thought of conquest and martial law and pushing people around if they didn't obey. Elewa hated that they might suspect that of him, he wasn't that person, he would never be that person.

To him, a leader did not coerce or threaten or bully, they carried their people, they protected them and bore the burdens that they could not.

But this guy.

"Could you not?" he said to Jacob, his deep voice clearly displeased, "Dese are legit talks that have to happen. Might be gruesome and might be unpleasant for you but it's the kind of stuff you gotta deal with when you plan to take down an evil dictator superman with his own city and army of goons. So yeah, less of the godly harmonics and more of the actually being useful maybe?"

He turned to Cammy and then opened his comment to the room at large since it was going to have to be said sooner or later.

"I get you might be thinkin' that I've been actin' a bit weird since... you know... desert and... you guys on Mars and shit because Imma bit different now, yeah? Lemme lay out my position so there is no misconception or you tinkin' bad things of me. All I want is to free Eden and protect the people and home dat I love. I- we all have power and that makes us able to do things that normal folks cannot do. We have a responsibility as the people with power and as people who know the truth to save erryting we know and love from Volkov,"

He licked his lips slightly as he framed the next words.

"If we take out Volkov and bring down the dome, there is going to be a rush of folks seeking out new lives and society is going to change a lot. I'm scared of what could happen so we need to give de people someting or someone strong to rally around so not everything goes to shit. In absence of any other choice right now, I volunteer to take that role. I would die to protect my city and the people who live there. This ain't a powergrab, I don't want to rule, but in order to prevent this from happenin' again or worse, we need to make sure the people are in the right hands once Volkov is gone. Don't know about you, but I trust my hands. I trust dem as I would trust most of you. Whatever happens, I am going to save my city or die tryin' and I need all of you to help me... so..."

His voice trailed away, he was still new at speaking publicly.

There he stood though. Dusty, dirty and his eyes cloudy and faraway, but a man who loved his city and his people and nothing more.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

He nodded. "Won't be hard. I can get by pretty good without speed. Unfortunately I can't do anything about my durability... or my bones. So just be careful about how hard you hit. S'all I got." In truth he hadn't really expected to be playing for stakes, but hey. "One carte blanche.. alright. I'm in."

"That's fine."

When he starts speaking French, she smiles. "Cute. What did you say?"

Skye hears her name mentioned repeatedly in the whispers of the small group's huddle. She turns to Cammy and says "Be right back."

She walks over to the group and says "Listen, if you're planning my surprise birthday party then you're too late. It was a couple of weeks ago." She grins. "Who's been praying to the Skye Goddess?"

"Your birthday, huh? Guess I'll need to get you a present. Maybe something from one of those fancy Sector One shops." Casimir smiled. "But no, no party. Was planning on asking if you'd like to train with Ramilla, Max and I, later."

Ramilia remains silent while they talk.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

Elewa looks around at the people talking to him, disagreeing with him, swearing to stand by him, worrying about him.

A few months ago this would have been a nightmare situation for him, the simple act of communication being something that tended to paralyse him outside of smoking and nervously avoiding looking at anyone in the eye. Not now though, now this situation held no fear for him, he held eye contact with the others and smiled slightly at his achievement. For all his theoretical feelings about his psychological change, this was a decisive step for him as a person and proof that he was genuinely changing.

He opened his mouth to begin responses, assuring Cammy that he was fine and he wasn't looking to abuse his power and that, if anything, he was looking to take responsibility for it for the first time, thanking Max for her support and confirming that he would equally back her up no matter what came of this and rebutting Robert who's blind concern for the needs of one was jeopardising the needs of everyone else.

All of these words hung on his lips and then were stoppered when it happened:



Power. And endless sea of it. Elewa had no special gift for sensing the powers of others but he didn't need it hear. He felt the might contained in Jacob and that reinforced his words. It blotted out everything else and brought silence to the room once more.

Using his power to subjugate. That was wrong. Elewa's brow furrowed as he glared at the older man.

He figured that this is what his talk of leading was to some of the others. He could see how this would be the logical conclusion when an empowered and angry young man talks of taking command of a city, one thought of conquest and martial law and pushing people around if they didn't obey. Elewa hated that they might suspect that of him, he wasn't that person, he would never be that person.

To him, a leader did not coerce or threaten or bully, they carried their people, they protected them and bore the burdens that they could not.

But this guy.

"Could you not?" he said to Jacob, his deep voice clearly displeased, "Dese are legit talks that have to happen. Might be gruesome and might be unpleasant for you but it's the kind of stuff you gotta deal with when you plan to take down an evil dictator superman with his own city and army of goons. So yeah, less of the godly harmonics and more of the actually being useful maybe?"

He turned to Cammy and then opened his comment to the room at large since it was going to have to be said sooner or later.

"I get you might be thinkin' that I've been actin' a bit weird since... you know... desert and... you guys on Mars and shit because Imma bit different now, yeah? Lemme lay out my position so there is no misconception or you tinkin' bad things of me. All I want is to free Eden and protect the people and home dat I love. I- we all have power and that makes us able to do things that normal folks cannot do. We have a responsibility as the people with power and as people who know the truth to save erryting we know and love from Volkov,"

He licked his lips slightly as he framed the next words.

"If we take out Volkov and bring down the dome, there is going to be a rush of folks seeking out new lives and society is going to change a lot. I'm scared of what could happen so we need to give de people someting or someone strong to rally around so not everything goes to shit. In absence of any other choice right now, I volunteer to take that role. I would die to protect my city and the people who live there. This ain't a powergrab, I don't want to rule, but in order to prevent this from happenin' again or worse, we need to make sure the people are in the right hands once Volkov is gone. Don't know about you, but I trust my hands. I trust dem as I would trust most of you. Whatever happens, I am going to save my city or die tryin' and I need all of you to help me... so..."

His voice trailed away, he was still new at speaking publicly.

There he stood though. Dusty, dirty and his eyes cloudy and faraway, but a man who loved his city and his people and nothing more.

"Elewa." Casimir sighed. "Saving Eden has been the plan from the beginning. The only thing that's changed in the month we've been gone... is you."

[WickedElphaba]

"Your birthday, huh? Guess I'll need to get you a present. Maybe something from one of those fancy Sector One shops." Casimir smiled. "But no, no party. Was planning on asking if you'd like to train with Ramilla, Max and I, later."

"Great, I'm a size six!" She snickers. "But, sure, I'd like to go a few rounds with you folks. But only if you promise not to mostly die."

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"That's fine."

When he starts speaking French, she smiles. "Cute. What did you say?"

Ramilia remains silent while they talk.

Ah, it means blank check. That's basically what the stakes are." He replied.

"Great, I'm a size six!" She snickers. "But, sure, I'd like to go a few rounds with you folks. But only if you promise not to mostly die."

"Hm. I was thinking something smaller, more expensive.. it's my area if expertise." Casimir chuckles."Ramilla couldn't do it earlier. So we should be good. Besides, I'll be wearing the armor this time." He smiled.

[Hazard]

"Elewa." Casimir sighed. "Saving Eden has been the plan from the beginning. The only thing that's changed in the month we've been gone... is you."

Robert yawned.

"What he said," Robert said. "Really Elewa, It's not like we are going to stop saving Eden because we don't agree with you."

"As for rulership and taking care of things in the city, yeah no. You're unfit for it."

Robert only had ideals. He knew that. Just concepts in his mind with no clue how to put them into action. Not yet at any rate.

On the other hand, Elewa seemed to have figured things out. The desert seemed to have helped him come to his own conclusions. In that sense, he was pretty lacking compared to the taller man.

However, a man that planned to use another as a monster was just way too lacking. Pretty intentions. Pretty feelings.

Worthless.

[Chrosis]

"If we take out Volkov and bring down the dome, there is going to be a rush of folks seeking out new lives and society is going to change a lot. I'm scared of what could happen so we need to give de people someting or someone strong to rally around so not everything goes to shit. In absence of any other choice right now, I volunteer to take that role. I would die to protect my city and the people who live there. This ain't a powergrab, I don't want to rule, but in order to prevent this from happenin' again or worse, we need to make sure the people are in the right hands once Volkov is gone. Don't know about you, but I trust my hands. I trust dem as I would trust most of you. Whatever happens, I am going to save my city or die tryin' and I need all of you to help me... so..."

His voice trailed away, he was still new at speaking publicly.

There he stood though. Dusty, dirty and his eyes cloudy and faraway, but a man who loved his city and his people and nothing more.

Cammy tried her best to ignore the anxiety settling in her gut. Elewa was still a good man, just... changed. More active, but in the wrong ways. She rubbed her arm, looking away for a moment to gather herself before making eye contact.

She spoke softly, "There is a choice, but you want to rule. I know you think it's for the best, but there's more to ruling than just wanting to protect people, Elewa. I'm sorry, I just don't think you're the right man for the job."

"Elewa." Casimir sighed. "Saving Eden has been the plan from the beginning. The only thing that's changed in the month we've been gone... is you."

Cammy nodded in agreement.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Ah, it means blank check. That's basically what the stakes are." He replied.

"Yeah, that's right. Since when do you know French?"

"Hm. I was thinking something smaller, more expensive.. it's my area if expertise." Casimir chuckles."Ramilla couldn't do it earlier. So we should be good. Besides, I'll be wearing the armor this time." He smiled.

"I guess I'll wear mine as well."

[Nik Hasta]

Robert yawned.

"What he said," Robert said. "Really Elewa, It's not like we are going to stop saving Eden because we don't agree with you."

"As for rulership and taking care of things in the city, yeah no. You're unfit for it."

Robert only had ideals. He knew that. Just concepts in his mind with no clue how to put them into action. Not yet at any rate.

On the other hand, Elewa seemed to have figured things out. The desert seemed to have helped him come to his own conclusions. In that sense, he was pretty lacking compared to the taller man.

However, a man that planned to use another as a monster was just way too lacking. Pretty intentions. Pretty feelings.

Worthless.

Cammy tried her best to ignore the anxiety settling in her gut. Elewa was still a good man, just... changed. More active, but in the wrong ways. She rubbed her arm, looking away for a moment to gather herself before making eye contact.

She spoke softly, "There is a choice, but you want to rule. I know you think it's for the best, but there's more to ruling than just wanting to protect people, Elewa. I'm sorry, I just don't think you're the right man for the job."

Elewa shrugged expansively. While he was a touch slimmer than when they had last seen him, he was still a big man and there was a lot to shrug.

"Then who?" he replied evenly, "If we do take out Volkov, however is happens we're gonna end up making an amount of chaos and anarchy. If we don' plan right, then lots of people could die. I'm not gonna stand by if that's the case. It ain't a matter of want, it's a matter of duty. If we bring chaos to the city, we gotta end that chaos too. Clear up the mess you make an' all that,"

He looked at Robert. Cocky little man had been all about fighting and threatening people when he didn't get his way. He'd been an example of everything that was wrong with the empowered as Elewa saw them. Ignorant, violent and unwilling to listen to sense. Dating an android, well... maybe... the 'bot had been pretty quiet so far, maybe somethin' happened. Whatever, it was still kind of ironic that someone so woefully under qualified to lead was giving him shit.

He looked at Robert and raised an eyebrow.

"Berto-berto, you always been a cocky little fucker," he said, his voice perfectly even. The words were clearly not meant as an insult more just a statement of the facts as Elewa saw them, "You say I'm not fit for it but, as I recall it, you can't even have a disagreement without punching someone in the face. Not sayin' you're lookin' to lead or nothing but I can't rightly see why you'd have any idea of what makes a good leader. So yeah, the whole punching folks until you get your way? Dat still true or did someone finally get killed because of it?"

[Chrosis]

Elewa shrugged expansively. While he was a touch slimmer than when they had last seen him, he was still a big man and there was a lot to shrug.

"Then who?" he replied evenly, "If we do take out Volkov, however is happens we're gonna end up making an amount of chaos and anarchy. If we don' plan right, then lots of people could die. I'm not gonna stand by if that's the case. It ain't a matter of want, it's a matter of duty. If we bring chaos to the city, we gotta end that chaos too. Clear up the mess you make an' all that,"

He looked at Robert. Cocky little man had been all about fighting and threatening people when he didn't get his way. He'd been an example of everything that was wrong with the empowered as Elewa saw them. Ignorant, violent and unwilling to listen to sense. Dating an android, well... maybe... the 'bot had been pretty quiet so far, maybe somethin' happened. Whatever, it was still kind of ironic that someone so woefully under qualified to lead was giving him shit.

He looked at Robert and raised an eyebrow.

"Berto-berto, you always been a cocky little fucker," he said, his voice perfectly even. The words were clearly not meant as an insult more just a statement of the facts as Elewa saw them, "You say I'm not fit for it but, as I recall it, you can't even have a disagreement without punching someone in the face. Not sayin' you're lookin' to lead or nothing but I can't rightly see why you'd have any idea of what makes a good leader. So yeah, the whole punching folks until you get your way? Dat still true or did someone finally get killed because of it?"

Cammy quickly became irritated at Elewa's train of thought- he was worse than Cas!

She stared at him, "They had a democratic system in place before all of this happened that worked perfectly well, Elewa. We have political prisoners in the Gulag, including the Paragon commander. If you think I'm gonna let you throw all that away just so you can rule, you have another thing coming."

The more she spoke, the more clear it became that Elewa was unstable, "And what were you planning on doing with Takeshi after you declared yourself King? Put him in a fancy uniform and have him take care of anybody who disagreed with you?! Because you're pretty much doing it now!"

She took a step back, as if she had suddenly had an epiphany, "I was wrong. Cas is misguided, you're insane."

[Hazard]

He looked at Robert. Cocky little man had been all about fighting and threatening people when he didn't get his way. He'd been an example of everything that was wrong with the empowered as Elewa saw them. Ignorant, violent and unwilling to listen to sense. Dating an android, well... maybe... the 'bot had been pretty quiet so far, maybe somethin' happened. Whatever, it was still kind of ironic that someone so woefully under qualified to lead was giving him shit.

He looked at Robert and raised an eyebrow.

"Berto-berto, you always been a cocky little fucker," he said, his voice perfectly even. The words were clearly not meant as an insult more just a statement of the facts as Elewa saw them, "You say I'm not fit for it but, as I recall it, you can't even have a disagreement without punching someone in the face. Not sayin' you're lookin' to lead or nothing but I can't rightly see why you'd have any idea of what makes a good leader. So yeah, the whole punching folks until you get your way? Dat still true or did someone finally get killed because of it?"

Robert raised an eyebrow.

"I am sorry Mr. "be my monster" is this an irony competition? 'cause if it was I'd totally have brought my joke books."

"You complain about my way risking getting someone killed, when you are already planning on the possibility of having someone killed. I understand the desert has no mirrors but really? Really?"

[Nik Hasta]

Cammy quickly became irritated at Elewa's train of thought- he was worse than Cas!

She stared at him, "They had a democratic system in place before all of this happened that worked perfectly well, Elewa. We have political prisoners in the Gulag, including the Paragon commander. If you think I'm gonna let you throw all that away just so you can rule, you have another thing coming."

The more she spoke, the more clear it became that Elewa was unstable, "And what were you planning on doing with Takeshi after you declared yourself King? Put him in a fancy uniform and have him take care of anybody who disagreed with you?! Because you're pretty much doing it now!"

She took a step back, as if she had suddenly had an epiphany, "I was wrong. Cas is misguided, you're insane."

Elewa looked slightly shocked. Were people just not listening to him. And this little person had the arrogance to suggest ideals of establishing a monarchy or manufacturing a death squad? With fuckin' uniforms? Calling him insane?

Well... the last part could be a little accurate, hallucinations in the desert and so forth but the rest stung.

His jaw set and his voice grew a little harsher but remained controlled.

"I just asked who do you wanna have as ruling. I din't say I was gonna kill nobody to take power, nor that it had to be me who was in charge. I said that I don't want to through the city into chaos without a lifeline for it to survive. If you got candidates in mind, then put 'em forward. I'm just gonna refuse to leave my city in the lurch. I did not say anything 'bout bein' a king or having a fuckin' death squad. I try to be fuckin' clear but still people gettin' confused,"

He gestured at Takeshi.

"As far as 'Keshi goes, if he don't wanna be human then how's he gonna live with people? We either keep under wraps and may as well put him to good use or what? We abandon him? Lock him up forever? He already said he don't wanna be human and he's just gonna resist attempts at helping him. Speaking personal, I'd rather have a self-confessed monster on a leash than runnin' around doing whatever he wants. If you wanna call the shots on 'Keshi then go right ahead, as I said to Berto, makes no difference to me,"

Robert raised an eyebrow.

"I am sorry Mr. "be my monster" is this an irony competition? 'cause if it was I'd totally have brought my joke books."

"You complain about my way risking getting someone killed, when you are already planning on the possibility of having someone killed. I understand the desert has no mirrors but really? Really?"

Elewa chuckled humourlessly. Obfuscation. A trick. Ad hominem technically if he remembered right. Trying to distract from the question.

"Oh right, stupid of me to think dat we might need to kill the incredibly powerful psychic dictator fuckwad who has taken over our home, the last city on the planet. Yeah, certainly nobody needs to be considered for killing there. Not like we have a guy who really wants to kill him and is willing to stay in line if we give a shot at killing him. How the fuck stupid am I for thinking of a reasonable way of using what we got?"

He threw up his hands slightly as if appealing to the skies for patience.

"Still ain't answered the question as well little man. You still lookin' to punch heads where words would suffice? Or you grown out of that temper tantrum phase?"