Allamorph

[FONT=Calibri]I don't think this was one of my better posts. =/[/FONT]

[center][FONT=Arial][b][u]Masterâ??s Apprentices[/u][/b][/FONT][/center] [font=calibri][b]â??Hello, boys!â?[/b] exulted the blue man, waving his arm in a wide sweep. [b]â??Did you miss me?â?[/b] [b]â??Who spiked [i]his [/i]coffee?â?[/b] muttered Adrian out the side of his mouth. [b]â??I think itâ??s a quote from The Mask,â?[/b] Alex offered in the same low tones. Adrian rolled his eyes. [b]â??So you planning on telling us why you dragged us out here?â?[/b] he called, not bothering to mask his irritation. [b]â??Sure thing, soon as you get up here,â?[/b] came the blithe reply. [b]â??And bring your better halves with you. Youâ??ll be getting to work with them again today.â?[/b] The four spirits floated up to the buildingâ??s summit and settled on the roof; Adrian crossed his arms and leaned on an air unit. [b]â??Right!â?[/b] said Nathan. [b]â??Today itâ??s time for target practice.â?[/b] [b]â??Again?â? [/b] Adrian looked less than thrilled. [b]â??Oh nonono,â?[/b] the blue man replied,[b] â??this is different. This requires flying.â?[/b] He grinned broadly. [b]â??I have set up little energy nodes around the city that, once triggered, will produce one of the target circles weâ??ve been using. These nodes keyed to each of your auras. Some will activate when only one of you approaches a certain distance from it, others will activate for both of you.â?[/b] [b]â??So we fly around finding and shooting circles, then,â?[/b] said Adrian. [b]â??Sounds easy enough.â?[/b] [b]â??Ah, but Iâ??m not finished.â?[/b] Nathan grinned again. [b]â??Not only will I be timing you on how fast you can find all of your targets, but each target will only remain active for a small time window. If you donâ??t hit it fast enough, itâ??ll disappear, so Iâ??m also going to be checking how many you manage to hit. â??Theyâ??ll feel like this.â?[/b] He waved a hand at the air. Nothing happened for a moment, and then a circle unfolded into existence about a foot away from Nathanâ??s right side. He put a fire bullet into its center and it collapsed. [b]â??Your familiars should be able to sense those nodes better than you can. Theyâ??ll be your spotters while you search, so listen to them if they say something. â??Your time starts now. Go.â?[/b] Adrian blinked. [b]â??So wait....â?[/b] [b]â??Go! Git!â?[/b] Nathan ran at him, and he took off, with Alex following behind him. As they flew off to begin their search, Nathanâ??s voice drifted to them from behind. [b]â??Try looking in different directions!â?[/b] [center]--------------------------------[/center] [b]â??Tsey have progressed tsat far?â?[/b] The man nodded, though his contact could not see the motion. [b]â??Yes,â?[/b] he said. [b]â??The synchronisation is still sketchy for them, but it shouldnâ??t be long before they manage to reconcile it. After that, all thatâ??s left is immersion.â?[/b] [b]â??I must apologise,â?[/b] said Victor suddenly. [b]â??I know tsis must be hard on you.â?[/b] [b]â??It isnâ??t.â?[/b] [b]â??If you insist.â?[/b] The vampire paused. [b]â??How long do you tsink tsey will need until tsey are ready?â?[/b] [b]â??If they havenâ??t figured it out by First Watch, Iâ??ll be surprised,â?[/b] said the man. [b]â??Mmm. Tsree weeks. We will be tstarting a good ways behind, tsen.â?[/b] [b]â??I thought that was what you didnâ??t want happening.â?[/b] [b]â??You cannot rush tsings of tsis nature. Otserwise you risk catastrophic failure. And [i]tsat [/i]is not an option.â?[/b] [b]â??Very well, then. I will be in contact soon.â?[/b] [b]â??[i]Au revoir[/i].â?[/b] The screen flickered to black, and the man stood, pulling the cowl of his robes up over his head. He paused to check for other auras nearby, and when he felt it was clear he stepped through the wall and into the lighted hallway. He navigated the Capitolâ??s halls quickly, his head downcast, assuming the persona of a Monitor between assignments. Most Monitors spend their time sleeping or reading energy patterns in unlit seclusion, and as such disliked light in large doses, so his furtive posture, which otherwise might have raised suspicion, went largely unnoticed by those he passed in the halls. The guise went so far as to divert attention away from the shock of blazing orange hair that managed to protrude from the cowlâ??s cover, and which otherwise might have drawn passing eyes by its color alone. He achieved his destination quickly, and the Capitol swallowed him again.[/font]

[FONT=Calibri]Your purple isn't deep enough.[/FONT]

[quote name='Indi][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]The real question is do they actually have enough people there to completely surround the place that tightly.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Yes. [quote name='Indi][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Indigo"]Unless the League is unbelievably stupid, I don't see them doing anything to civilians who stay out of the fight. My impression, based on conversations with Kei and Allamorph, is that those who are not a threat or not truly involved, will not be attacked.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] Attacked? No. But they [I]will[/I] be subdued; Bugsy doesn't take chances, and he does take prisoners. Another discussion earlier this evening produced a plan. I will be discussing it with the concerned parties later. Thanks for the input, guys. I appreciate it. Keep up the chatter.[/FONT]

[quote name='Mr. Maul][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=DimGray]Hot damn, [B]Allamorph[/B]. It appears as though we have at least one thing in common.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Heck yes. Good man. Although if we're talking about color then I'd much prefer one in deep purple. Mmm.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]If I could have any car in the world, any car at all, bar no expense, [URL="http://www.taberg.info/motortraffar/2004/traff_5/bilder/Corvette-stingray-rod-fr-st.jpg"][COLOR="Blue"]it would be this one[/COLOR][/URL]. Lord have mercy.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I told him.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]Casual discussion with [COLOR=DarkRed]Timber[/COLOR] last night brought something interesting to my attention, so I figure let's toss it out, see what happens. I am not entirely sure what's going on with the civilians in Ecruteak. I don't know how much of them were evacuated and where, or even if there was the chance for an evacuation at all. They could be safe somewhere at Morty's discretion, they could be SMACK DAAAAB in the middle of this thing. I haven't given this facet any thought at all. Hasn't occurred to me to do so yet. :p And I haven't discussed it with [COLOR=DarkRed]Kei[/COLOR], either, since last night's chatter came about two in the morning for me and she was long gone. So I figure I should toss this out here for people to mull over and shoot back ideas on. On that note, I probably wouldn't have noticed this angle at all if we hadn't been talking last night, and we weren't even really being specific about anything. She had a few questions about the political/social situation globally and a couple of related issues, and I was just walking through stuff when that thought struck me. She also got my head straight on the Johto port city, which I'd temporarily mixed up. :p So thank you for that, babe. But I think that's one of the better discussions I've had with someone so far. Made me very happy.[/FONT]

[quote name='Ace][FONT="Comic Sans MS"']Now let's discuss spears that can pierce any shield and shields that can defend against any spear.[/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Zeus is intolerant of such paradoxes and destroyed them both. Look what he did to poor Laelaps. :([/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]In fact, the reason I said Saul was using Yasha as an interpreter was from exactly that thought process that [COLOR="DarkRed"]Ace[/COLOR] is using. Saul can't understand chittering, and body language only gets you so far, even with lots of time together. Although as a point of order he relied more on Ra, his Meowth/Persian, for translation at first, since Yasha only gained telepathy after becoming Ninetales.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Stop trying. Unless you like digging holes. Then I expect Shia Labeouf could use a hand.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I've already got a telepathic Ninetales, so I think you're fine.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]Darren passed the test already. Probably did so long before I even met him. You can tell these things.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I am terribly squishy.[/FONT]

[quote name='Sangome][FONT="Microsoft Sans Serif"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="#862A51"]I dunno, man. I think she should get points for being able to argue with him to begin with.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]The only people who aren't able to argue [I]with[/I] me are those who think they can't.[/FONT]

[CENTER] [IMG]http://www.marriedtothesea.com/101309/revolutionary-shot.gif[/IMG] [/CENTER]

[quote name='CaNz]why is it that i find J-pop much more upbeat than anything in America... sure I dont understand the words, but [B][U]the random tiny girl voice[/U][/B'] makes me happier than lady gaga....[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]That would be why.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]That's usually what's said when a person has failed The Test more than once. It's the same reason Participation Awards exist.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]There is no you kind. You don't get a kind until you have passed The Test.[/FONT]

[QUOTE=taperson][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="1"] Caf? Did you just abbreviate an abbreviation?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [FONT=Calibri]Not to my knowledge. Unless you know of a café that serves pancakes and eggs and biscuits and has cold cereal dispensers and what, I'm pretty sure what I said was short for cafeteria. I'm actually not sure what else you might mean....[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I had a great morning. Forgot to buy milk yesterday so I ate breakfast in the caf (yay pancakes), dozed through DiffEq because I taught myself all that stuff last night without realising it was today's lecture, then two classes later 76-Trombones'd my Mechanics professor to the amusement of half the class. Yesss. Also, [COLOR="DarkRed"]Magus[/COLOR], half the fun of that video is the guy's voice itself. "**** you, Blooper!" ("How the **** do you—what?!! What are you doing there?")[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]Incidentally, Bugsy's advance isn't going to be slow, and it's coming from all sides. Resistance Leaders should be getting a shout from Morty right about now.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]My roommate just turned off the light. Me: "AH CAIN'T SEE MAH MAC AN' CHEESE" :animecry: Him: "Eh, I don't think it's goin' anywhere." :animesmil[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]It's not the size of the post. It's what you do in it. I've had some teensy ones mahself before. Don't sweat nothin' just 'cause other people like to be verbose. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes changing up the size is needed. [B]Edit:[/B] Of course you know, this means war. [CENTER][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Foghorn_Leghorn.png[/IMG][/CENTER][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][align=justify]From the top of the rise west of Ecruteak, the road a stone’s throw to his right, the young leader of Azalea knelt, one knee drawn to his chest, and surveyed the movements in and around the town below. Behind him, a makeshift command center had been constructed in the shelter of the forest. The muted clamor of orders and communication from the encircling forces drifted across the ground to him, but he remained pensive and silent. He did not relish the battle that was to come. If there had been another way to make Morty see reason without bloodshed, he would gladly have taken it. But the League would not survive with poison in her veins; it was this conviction that had driven Bugsy to march from the opposite end of the continent, and the same conviction would see him through the fight. [B]“Sir, our front line is reporting in. They have engaged several of Ecruteak’s scouts.”[/B] Bugsy flinched; he hadn’t heard his subordinate’s footsteps on the grass. He raised his eyes from the town and thought for a moment. [B]“They saw us coming,”[/B] he mused, wondering when Morty had been compelled to take such precautions. The opportunity for total surprised was lost now, and he sighed. [B]“Tell Joshua to engage and press forward,”[/B] he told the man. [B]“Use whatever force he deems necessary.”[/B] [B]“Yes, sir.”[/B] The man saluted and returned to the outpost. Bugsy remained where he was, still observing the town. [B]“They’ve had too much time to prepare,”[/B] he told the air. [B]“We can’t let them get dug in.”[/B] He patted the Heracross beside him. [B]“Signal the attack.”[/B] The insect dipped its head in acknowledgment. Lowering itself, it lifted its wing-covers; its wings began to whirr, and a loud screeing sound rose from its hindquarters. All around the city, other pokémon began to join in, and soon the valley’s air throbbed with the stifling sound. Bugsy glanced quickly between points he’d memorised through countless hours spent over maps, and was rewarded with motion: the circle of his troops was starting to close. [CENTER]- - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/CENTER] [I]–We have a visitor–[/I] Saul drew his eyes away from the welcome sights of the Viridian plains and looked forward to where his Scyther, sent ahead to give Ra the heads-up, was racing back up the road to meet him, clearly enjoying the open space again. Saul lowered an eyebrow. [B]“Chit said that?”[/B] [I]–No, I was talking to the rodents–[/I] Yasha shot back. [I] –Chit said Ra wanted him to tell you–[/I] [B]“Funny,”[/B] said Saul, [B]“I didn’t hear anything.”[/B] [I]–Of course you didn’t. Your ears are terrible–[/I] Saul rolled his eyes. [B]“Did Ra say anything else?”[/B] he asked the Scyther, who had just arrived. The Pokémon nodded and made a low chittering sound. [I]–He says she’s from Blackthorn, and she seems to have something important to tell you–[/I] [B]“Hunh,” [/B]said Saul. [B]“Well let’s pick up the pace a little, see if we can keep her from waiting too long.”[/B] [CENTER]- - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/CENTER] Falkner leaned against the front wall of the gym’s conference room, staring impatiently at the table before him while the last of his team leaders assembled, his fingers tapping against his arm. He waited until the door to the room was shut and his people were settled before speaking. [B]“I’ve just received word that Azalea Gym has laid siege to Ecruteak,”[/B] he said flatly. There was a collective murmur. One of the leaders on the front row made as if to speak, and Falkner nodded her on. [B]“Azalea is south of us, though. Wouldn’t they have had to come right past us?”[/B] [B]“I would have thought so,”[/B] Falkner answered. [B] “But apparently Bugsy took his force around the other side of the National Park after passing Goldenrod City, and stayed under the cover of the forest until he reached Ecruteak.[/B] [B]“But that’s not the main problem.”[/B] Falkner lifted himself off of the wall and leaned on the table. [B]“The problem is that the credit for the first action taken by the League is going to a seventeen year old [I]boy!![/I]”[/B] The table shuddered at the impact of his fist. [B]“So do we help him, sir?”[/B] Falkner glared at the speaker. [B] “That runt can dig his own grave,”[/B] he said scornfully. [B] “He’ll have to spread himself thin to surround Ecruteak; he might weaken it, but he can’t hope to conquer it.[/B] [B]“No, we let him handle his decision himself. We go after Blackthorn.”[/B] The Leader withdrew a map from a drawer under the table and spread it across the surface, and he beckoned for some of his subordinates to join him. [B]“As of now we can only come at Claire from the sky,”[/B] he told them,[B] “which gives us no advantage and her an easy defense, since Mahogany is barricading itself against everyone.”[/B] [B]“What about coming over the Ice Caves?”[/B] someone asked. [B]“Good idea, but it still leaves her with a wall at her back, even if we attacked from all sides—and there’s still nowhere to coordinate from. The best way to get to her is to go through Mahogany first. That’s where we’ll base ourselves when we get rid of her.[/B] [B]“Prepare assault teams and stand by for orders.”[/B] The leaders dispersed obediently, the clamor of voices rising as they discussed the situation with each other. As they left, Falkner caught sight of one in particular he’d been meaning to talk to and motioned her over. [B]“I’ve been getting some disconcerting reports about you,”[/B] he said after Aesera had joined him. [B] “Most of them label you a malcontent, and say that you’re going around trying to stir up trouble with your tongue.”[/B] [B]“I’m just speaking up for my beliefs, sir,”[/B] she said calmly. [B]“Mmm,”[/B] he said. [B]“Well if I were you I’d try a bit harder to keep it down.”[/B] [B]“I’ll try, sir, but don’t expect me to sit idly by and–”[/B] [B]“I expect just that,”[/B] he interrupted. [B]“This isn’t about what you want to do or think you can do, Aesera. This is a direct order.”[/B] [B]“But–”[/B] [B]“Keep a lid on it. Dismissed.”[/B] The woman opened her mouth as if to speak, snapped it shut, mumbled a flustered [B]“yes sir”[/B] and made a hasty exit. Falkner sighed and stared at the ceiling. [/align][/FONT]