Rachmaninoff

[center][size=3][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][b]Velocity[/b][/font][/size][/center] [size=3][font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif]â??[b]Good grief, Alex.[/b]â? Lucia snapped when they left the apartment with Karl. â??[b]Donâ??t you think you could have waited on all the questions till [i]after[/i] I got my scans?[/b]â? Alex took to the air, â??[b]No. I donâ??t. Iâ??m sure Iâ??ll have even more once Iâ??ve had a chance to think about all this.[/b]â? Lucia sighed. â??[b]I just hope we didnâ??t miss out on anything by waiting so long to go and check it out.[/b]â? â??[b]Does it really make that much of a difference?[/b]â? â??[b]Yes. Iâ??ve been working with Phaidra on scanning different types of magic, among other things, so not only would I be looking for traces of the bullet; I might also pick up traces of stuff the vampire might have used to make his aura so hard to pinpoint.[/b]â? â??[b]Oh.[/b]â? Alex frowned. â??[b]And magic tends to dissipate after a while[/b].â? â??[b]Exactly. If they used a bullet though, traces of that will be around for quite some time, even if they removed the remains.[/b]â? Lucia explained. â??[b]Itâ??s a pity Phaidra and Sarvel didnâ??t want to come along though. They understand magic far better than I do and might have picked up on something I would miss.[/b]â? â??[b]I didnâ??t want to come back either.[/b]â? Alex pointed out. â??[b]Youâ??re the one that insisted on this trip.[/b]â? Lucia gave him a look that indicated he was being stupid. â??[b]Alex, like I said before, weâ??re still going to have to do our duties. We canâ??t hide and hope this vampire has gone away.[/b]â? She made a little snorting noise and continued so softly that Alex could barely hear what she said next. â??[b]Besides, I donâ??t need yet another thing getting in the way of what I want to do.[/b]â? â??[b]What do you mean [i]another[/i] thing?[/b]â? â??[b]I didnâ??t mean anything.[/b]â? She replied, avoiding his questioning stare. â??[b]I think you do.[/b]â? Alex stubbornly refused to drop it. â??[b]If something is bothering you, let us know about it. We might be able to help.[/b]â? â??[b]Are we almost there?[/b]â? Lucia changed the subject. Alex raised an eyebrow before answering, â??[b]Yes, itâ??s just down that street up ahead.[/b]â? He looked about. â??[b]I donâ??t feel anything in the area so itâ??s probably safe.[/b]â? He glanced over to Lucia to see that she already had her little device out. â??[b]Donâ??t you find that a bit awkward if youâ??re in the middle of a fight?[/b]â? â??[b]Hmmâ?¦? Oh, I guess? I just leave it in my pocket so my hands are free.[/b]â? â??[b]You ever think about making something like those headsets that humans use?[/b]â? Lucia blinked. â??[b]No. Thatâ??s not a bad idea though.[/b]â? Lucia came to a stop, frowning. â??[b]You didnâ??t tell me that you ended up fighting with the vampire.[/b]â? She nodded towards the top of a building where an air conditioning unit was being worked on by some humans. â??[b]Oh, that.[/b]â? Alex shrugged apologetically. â??[b]The detached blades on my scythe acted on their own. Iâ??m not sure what happened, to be honest. I was gonna ask Nathan about it but I forgot.[/b]â? â??[b]Ask Gavrie about it. He can help you figure out what is going on.[/b]â? Karl explained when Alex looked in his direction. He nodded. â??[b]Okay.[/b]â? He turned to show Lucia where the spot was only to see her heading straight for it. â??[b]That one likes to avoid answering questions, doesnâ??t she?[/b]â? Karl observed. Alex laughed a little, â??[b]Yeah. I keep asking though. Believe it or not, sheâ??s gotten a lot friendlier since I first met her.[/b]â? Karl just snorted and followed her. The pair waited patiently while Lucia seemed to examine a section of one of the buildings for several long minutes. â??[b]Well?[/b]â? Alex asked. â??[b]Thereâ??s no doubt about it. The traces of the bullet here are from the same type of material.[/b]â? She looked at the pair. â??[b]Nathan was wrong. They [i]are[/i] making bullets that can kill us.[/b]â? Lucia toyed with her device for another minute before tucking it away. â??[b]I sent him and everyone else a message on that. I suggest you do the same for Gavrie. It doesnâ??t matter how fast you are, you wonâ??t outrun a bullet.[/b]â? â??[b]Are you sure?[/b]â? She sighed, â??[b]Depending on the type of weapon the vampire has, data posted on the net indicates that bullets travel anywhere from 400 to 4,000 feet per second. None of us can move that quickly, so yes, Iâ??m sure.[/b]â? â??[b]Hell.[/b]â? Alex swore. â??[b]Can we shield or block it?[/b]â? Lucia started heading back to her lab. â??[b]Not likely. The force with which something like this would hit would likely shatter any shield. A shield might slow it down but youâ??d be better off using a vest like the humans do. Your scythe might stop it, if you managed to get it in the way in time.[/b]â? â??[b]What about magic?[/b]â? â??[b]Iâ??m not sure but I doubt it. We could test it with regular bullets but theyâ??re not the same material so the test wouldnâ??t be very accurate.[/b]â? â??[b]That and we donâ??t have any guns.[/b]â? Alex said. â??[b]Thatâ??s not a problem.[/b]â? Lucia asserted. â??[b]Since when did you have guns?[/b]â? Alex was surprised. Lucia laughed. â??[b]I donâ??t. Iâ??ll just take one.[/b]â? â??[b]Lucia! Weâ??re not supposed to do that![/b]â? â??[b]And vampires arenâ??t supposed to be around either.[/b]â? She snorted. â??[b]I donâ??t care what we arenâ??t supposed to do; I donâ??t feel like dying over some stupid rule like that.[/b]â?[/font][/size]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]Note to self about teaching. I don't care if your parents are rich. I'll still flunk you if you can't be bothered to practice and learn. Anyway, I'm amused to see this thread still running. [/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"][center][b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cbUIUxvrU4"]Comprachicos[/url][/b][/center] Alex ended up waiting nearly an extra hour for Phaidra. She had messaged him to let him know it was going to be longer but he didnâ??t bother to go back to his place. It was a pleasant day out and Nall was off visiting Ruby anyway. He felt her aura as she approached the bench he was sitting on and stood up. â??[b]Sorry for keeping you waiting.[/b]â? She apologized. Alex shrugged it aside. â??[b]I wouldnâ??t worry about it.[/b]â? He started walking in the general direction of his apartment. â??[b]Iâ??m not keeping you from any assignments am I?[/b]â? He queried once she had fallen in step. â??[b]No, I donâ??t have any today.[/b]â? She assured him. â??[b]So, what did you want to know about shielding?[/b]â? â??[b]Well you know that Adrian and I have been doing exercises throughout the city, right?[/b]â? She nodded. â??[b]Right well you seeâ?¦[/b]â? He started explaining what he had in mind as they casually walked down several streets and along different alleyways between the buildings. Alex was deep into the discussion when an odd sensation brushed at his mind. Puzzled he turned right instead of left down an alley way between two buildings. It wasnâ??t odd for an unknown shinigami to be in the city but the other aura, though recognizable as a vampire, was also unknown. That alone wasnâ??t what puzzled him the most; it was that the two of them were so close to one another. He knew of ones like Victor but for the most part they tended to steer clear of one another. A moment later he had his answer though it made no sense and he halted in surprise, causing Phaidra to nearly run into him. [i]What in the world?[/i] A young, terrified, reaper was standing frozen in place less than five feet from the vampire, an odd individual in black with shocking neon orange hair, who was casually pointing a gun at the reapersâ?? head. Black with sleek brownish orange panels on the handle with triangle shapes, the numbers and letters 1911 R1 was etched on the slide. That was almost buried in what looked like an abstract design in neon colors similar to the color of the vampiresâ?? hair, etched along the gun. Before either of them could wonder what was going on the vampire said something that they couldnâ??t quite make out and then pulled the trigger. The shot echoed down the alleyway and faster than he could follow, the bullet ripped through the shinigamiâ??s head, tearing a hole in its wake. Alex heard Phaidraâ??s startled gasp as the reaperâ??s body collapsed, his aura vanishing as if it had never existed. Alex took a shocked step backâ?¦ and then froze when the vampire turned and looked in their direction and smiled. [i]Oh Godâ?¦[/i] He shivered as the strangersâ?? cold, empty eyes met his. He sensed movement behind him and then whirled when he realized that Phaidra had taken to the air in a panic. â??[b]Phaidra! No![/b]â? He went after her, catching her by the arm, pulling her over so they were on the roof of the three story building instead of in the vampireâ??s line ofâ?¦ Fear slammed into him at the sound of something landing on the roof behind him and Alex whirled frantically, calling his scythe forth. [i]Sh[color="#2F4F4F"]i[/color]t[/i] Since when did the vampires have guns? His scythe [i]should[/i] stop a bullet but would he see it in time to react? Would Phaidraâ??s shields stop one? The stranger took a step towards them and the image of the unattached spikes on his scythe somehow spinning in a circle flashed through his mind. He felt a deep hum run through his weapon as the unattached points suddenly shifted so they were pointed towards the intruder. Energy poured out of him in a rush, making him dizzy as the spikes launched themselves through the air towards the vampire with deadly accuracy. The dizziness intensified as one of the blades ripped through an air conditioning unit on the roof with a shockingly loud crash. Startled by the inadvertent destruction Alexâ??s thoughts scattered and the spikes, along with his scythe, vanished. He fell to his knees, exhausted. â??[b]Alex! Down![/b]â? Phaidra screamed at him as she hastily tossed a shield between them and the advancing vampire before phasing through the roof of the building and down to the lowest level, with Alex right behind her. â??[b]Are you alright?[/b]â? She asked him once he landed on the floor. He nodded. â??[b]What just happened? What should we do?[/b]â? She started but he shook his head, cutting her questions off. â??[b]I donâ??t know.[/b]â? He looked about for the vampire since he could still feel his aura but he couldnâ??t quite pin down where it was in relation to them or just how close it was. â??[b]We need to get to Nathan.[/b]â? He finally said before heading for the side of the building that was closest to another structure. â??[b]Why did you stop me then?[/b]â? Phaidra was looking about warily as she followed Alex closely. â??[b]Can you outrun a bullet?[/b]â? She didnâ??t answer for a moment. â??[b]Iâ?¦ I donâ??t know.[/b]â? She stammered. â??[b]Neither do I.[/b]â? Alex answered grimly. â??[b]I think our scythes would stop a bullet but I donâ??t know if weâ??d see it in time or not. We donâ??t know if your shields would stop one either and I donâ??t want to find out the hard way.[/b]â? â??[b]How are we going to get to Nathan then?[/b]â? Alex could hear the edge of panic in her voice as he worked to suppress his own similar feelings. He took a deep breath to steady himself as best he could. â??[b]They canâ??t phase through buildings, weâ??ll use them as cover to shake him off.[/b]â? It was a thought that turned out to be far easier said than done. Twice they were surprised to phase through a wall only to find the stranger waiting for them on the other side. Alex didnâ??t know how he was doing it but once the vampire was in the area it was extremely difficult to tell just where he was or what direction he was in. He was beginning to wonder if they even could lose him when an underground run to another building further away resulted in the aura fading and then vanishing altogether. He made even more runs to other buildings to make sure they had truly lost the vampire and then, they made for Nathanâ??s at top speed.[/font]

[quote name='Lady Shy' date='03 November 2010 - 03:08 PM' timestamp='1288818512' post='701499'] Do not believe this traitor, good people! For he is but the evil twin brother of Pr*ck Wizard! [/quote] [font="Trebuchet MS"]I was just thinking that it sounded like them. lol[/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]Good to see this moving again. I'm thinking we need to get together on it a bit to refresh just where we are going with this. Oh and Allamorph, I caught that the title for the second half of your post was for a song. So I looked it up and then laughed when I realized what it was. I enjoyed the other song you linked to in your previous post as well. Very fitting, both of them.[/font]

[quote name='Anomaly' date='28 July 2010 - 10:01 PM' timestamp='1280376115' post='698201'] [font="Garamond"]... that's what she said? Nah, I got nothin'. But sure, I'll stick around, profanity is like my 5th language, and easily my 2nd most fluent. I know all the gutter hotspots, LIKE A BOSS.[/font] [/quote] [font="Trebuchet MS"]She also loves puppies. Why is this relevant? I have no idea. I just remembered it when I read the post. o_O[/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]I don't really use sites like that very often since I don't read a lot of manga. So overall this won't really affect me much. I kind of sympathize with both sides really. People who want to check something out before they buy it and the people who feel that you should pay for it. I hope they figure something out since simply attempting to cut off piracy like that won't suddenly make sales any better. People will just go elsewhere like Gavin has mentioned. [/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]So, did Boo turn into a tomato yet? [/font]

[quote name='James' date='27 July 2010 - 01:03 AM' timestamp='1280214202' post='697986'] [font="Palatino Linotype"] It's ironic that some Americans don't think government has any responsibility for healthcare, yet they expect government to bear so much responsibility for an enormous natural disaster. Weird.[/font][/quote] [font="Trebuchet MS"]Plenty of us Americans, as it were, find that equally as weird. Anyway, can't say I see why we're supposed to fix their problem for them. [/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]I have today totally free. So naturally I'm sick. [/font]

[font="Trebuchet MS"]I'd be careful there CaNz. Your reply to Allamorph is like opening Pandora's Box. It's [i]never[/i] what you expect. [/font]