01 - The Rudest Awakening

[birdinthehand]

A - Joji Yuki's Place - Closed

There was pursuit. An almost endless chase after a man in colorful clothes. That was the most important thing, to keep that man in his sights. He couldn't let him slip away, couldn't, but he felt a pulling, felt something dragging him back, away, into-

Moments after the red medal halves were fused together, the newly whole Core Medal began to clatter wildly on the workbench. There was life in this thing, along with some sort of unnatural magnetism. Loose bits of the same material that had forced the medal back together were being drawn in from the edges of the work bench, and other things resting on shelves and in drawers were rattling around and eager to get in on the excitement, too. As more and more pieces clung to the core, a shape began to take form... and then with a flash of red light, the entire mess solidified into an inhuman, red-armored hand and forearm. It twitched, its fingers curled, and then it let out a ragged, human-sounding gasp.

"...what the heck?!"

B - Generally Out and About in Venture City, Early Evening - Open

Ankh might not have been able to remember much, but he knew things. He knew what he was, knew what he ought to be able to do, and knew that he was missing entirely too much of himself. He wouldn't find any of it just hovering around inside that damned scientist's workshop. He'd have to go and find it himself.

Which is why there is a disembodied armored hand and forearm floating around, looking about as curious as a hand can manage to be. He's peering over shoulders to read newspapers, rifling around in unattended bags, and sizing up passers-by for their potential usefulness. If they haven't got some sort of strong desire, well... maybe he can smack them upside the head, latch onto their arm, and siphon some knowledge out of their head. His English skills aren't what they really should be, given that he's now in the United States. If he can't complete himself with more Cell Medals, then he can fill up on knowledge instead. He'll take anything. He'll take it all.

.oo1

[okayeverybody]

a; anywhere and everywhere

There is a man with a camera around his neck sitting somewhere discreet and snapping photos. Whether those photos are of you or of someone else is entirely up to you! But he sure is snapping them. Every third photo or so he shifts and looks at the display screen to check the photos, deleting them if they didn't turn out like he liked or going right back to it. Apart from his camera, there is only him and a short can of black coffee, which he periodically raises to his lips and tips backward in a short gesture to take a swig.

Please, someone come tell him to stop being a creep.

b; a van, down some side street in the city

And down this particular side street, there is a van, the words "Pleasure Way" emblazoned across the front of it just above the passenger's side tire, and a man that keeps exiting and re-entering the van from its open side doors. From the sound of it, he is having some kind of conversation, though there doesn't appear to be anyone with him.

"Why don't you just look it up yourself?" There was a woman's voice from inside the van, quiet and consoling in tone. The man stepping out of the vehicle did not match the sound at all. As he stepped to the ground, his posture changed drastically and he tossed his head, snarling a touch.

"Isn't that what you do? Find things, learn? You're always tacking away at your computer." This voice was much deeper, harsher. He sounded angry, this time. His posture shifted again, then, his shoulders slumping and his right hand pushing his left from where it had been waving wildly.

"Have neither of you considered that I don't want to?"

Oh. It appeared this guy was having a conversation with himself. Do with that as you will, Venture City.

Rumblr Update

[bun_bun_maru]

So I'm pretty sure something's up.

[Attached: Various photos of heroes doing unheroic things and villains doing unvillainous things. Your character is only among them if you want them to be.]

All over the city, heroes are acting like villains, and some villains are even acting like heroes. Unless like a hundred people each just had a dramatic change of heart at the same time, there's something forcing people to change personalities.

What could do such a thing? Well, that's the problem with living in Super Central, I guess - it could be just about anything. Aliens? Time-traveling space crystals? The sky's the limit.

But don't fear - Aya Shameimaru, Teen Reporter, is on the case!