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At World's End

Taengoo

the kid leader
Joined
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@Flaze;

The West Continent, though commonly known for its sporadic tendencies in terms of the weather, cast a cold atmosphere over the busy populace of Albion - Winterstone Heights in particular, seemingly one of the richest neighborhoods Umbra had ever set foot in. The cityscape was a well-rounded blend of aged architecture and futuristic structure, giving it a classic feel in retrospect. It was slightly unnerving, being in the presence of more wealth than you yourself were even worth, Unbra found herself thinking.

Penumbra Mingus Forsyth was, by no means, someone that easily scared. But when she had gotten a phonecall from one of the richest families in all of the West Continent (regarding a job offer, no less), suffice to say she was more than a bit suspicious. She glanced around at the meeting place - a well-maintained garden with flowers of nearly every variant - and waited for someone else to show up.

The skill user made a point to show no apparent nerve to the strangeness of it all. She had been given no further details about the job; only the warning that it would take longer than her usual assignments. She'd done her fair share of odd jobs to keep the rent, so this naturally set her on edge.

And thus, Umbra waited.
 
Zara sat bored in her lavish room, staring at the roof above her desk as she looked away from her computer for a second. She pushed her glasses back as she noticed someone entering the mansion's grounds, immediately frowning. Was this the person that her parents had called?

She hated the idea of having to get someone to look after her due to her parents own senseless worries, did they not trust her to look after herself or something? Either way, she wasn't going to have it. He stood up from her chair and scanned the woman that was down below, flicking her brown hair aside. She certainly didn't have to stay for that.

She turned back to her desk and grabbed her phone before grabbing her jacket and sliding it over her back, taking the chance to pocket her phone.

***

A young maid walked out of the mansion once Umbra had arrived. Her outfit was clean and pristine and added an air of elegantness that suited her short, clear blond hair, pale skin and blue eyes. "Ms. Penumbra I take it?" she asked cordially with a heavy Albionean accent. "Master Lucas and Mistres Rachel are ready to see you now," with that she immediately turned around, motioning for her to follow.

The Chevallier mansion certainly lived up to its name. It was huge and adorned with many trophies and decorations from top to bottom, with a spacious study room that could be seen from the entrance with multiple shelves filled with books. A long, white and polished flight of stairs led to the floor above and it, along with the floor of the mansion had a wooden floor polished enough for Umbra to see her own reflection.

She was however led to the living room, which stood on the side of the house, overlooked by a large window that faced towards the garden outside. There were two couches on the side along with a pair of pristine white sofas and a glass table, all standing over an artesan rug. Zara's parents Lucas and Rachel sat on the sofa in front of the windows, their eyes immediately going to Umbra and greeting her with a polite smile.

"We're glad that you could make it Ms. Penumbra," Zara's father stood up to shake her hand. He had grey black hair along with a moustache, everything about him screamed fancy really as he was even wearing a tailor made suit, even on a saturday.
 
"..Ah, just Umbra is fine," she replied in a subdued tone, hesitating a bit before cautiously taking his hand in a firm, quick handshake. Little wisps of smoke-like vapor danced from her wrist, a nervous tic of hers that Umbra had developed over the years. She tried her best not to make a big deal out of the sheer amount of wealth surrounding her at the moment, but the mercenary's heterochromatic eyes faltered nonetheless. She was certainly far from dirt poor - but her casual dress of a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up, combined with the ash-colored jeans and the loose white tee pulled over her base layer made her feel extremely awkward, out of place. Rich people had connections - they were dangerous, if not more so, than the hoodlums she commonly dealt with.

"Before we start negotiating the job," she began, gathering her courage and composure, swallowing her anxiety before looking back into his eyes, her own unnerving pair of crimson and teal seemingly gazing right into his soul. "I'd just like to thank you for inviting me here in the first place. I know that I'm not exactly what you'd call.. of noble descent..." She paused, gathering her bearings again, "but please know that I must be wary of you all the same. I've had deals go sour on me before. So what is it you'd like me to do for you?"
 
"Oh, we understand," Luca replied politely as he sat back, taking the moment to look over Umbra carefully. "You won't have to worry, we're willing to compensate you generlously for your work," he adviced, exchanging a look with his wife before continuing. "We'd like you to act as a bodyguard for our daughter, Zara," he stated simply. "Over the last few weeks we have received information that there are people after her and we figured it'd be best to make sure she's okay while we sort the issue out."

"We do take the librety of not revealing the reason why she's being targeted however," Rachel added, her tone sterner than her husband's.
 
"That's understandable," she replied, her mismatched eyes drifting over to the older woman. "It's nice to see parents that care for a child this much. A good change of pace, I suppose.." Umbra mused to herself. "I do have one request though. You and I both know there are quite a lot of dangerous people out there, willing to do whatever they can to get what they want. If my life is well-beyond compromised," killed, she added silently, "then you are to send any compensation to my brother instead. He is very important to me, you see."
 
The parents both looked at one anohter before nodding their heads. "I guess that's a fair arrangement," Rachel replied as she looked back at Umbra. They didn't want to say it, but upon hearing Umbra they finally took notice of how young she was, something that actually made them pity her a little bit, but that's also a reason why they chose her. "You should meet our daughter while you're at it. Miriam, could you please go get Zara?" she requested of the maid, who simply nodded her head respectfully and walked off.

She cam eback a couple of minutes later, looking as emotionless as ever as she glanced at the two. "The mistress is gone," she said before doing a courtsy and walking off.

Charles and Rachel sighed in frustration at this. "Not again," the mother said as she rubbed her forehead.

***

Zara had managed to sneak her way out of the mansion and was walking along the neighborhood, smiling as she fidgetted with her phone. "Now, where should I go today," she said to herself as she walked. She didn't want to meet the bodyguard, she hated the idea of having someone follow her around just because her parents were worrywarts, so hopefully seeing how much trouble she was worth would make the guy quit, all she needed to do was bide her time. The brown haired, blue eyed girl grinned as she walked past a jewelry store, staring at a silver pendant with a crystalinne blue stone in the center. "Should've brought more money," she frowned playing with her hair a bit before looking around. "Eh, I'll just go eat some chips."
 
"Hm," Umbra muttered thoughtfully, more wisps of smoke and vapor escaping the surface of her skin, "I might know someone who could track her down, if you'd like?"

Konstantine sat in the plaza square, casually observing the wandering people as he sipped on his coffee. His own heterochromatic eyes landed on Zara for a brief moment, but he chose to say nothing. It typically wasn't his business getting involved with the rich types, anyway.
 
"Yes, please," Rachel said with a loud sigh. "Our daughter, she's just a bit stubborn when it comes to people worrying about her," she stated as she glanced at the mercenary turned bodyguard. "I hope this isn't too much trouble for you, we can increase your wage if you'd like."

***
Zara let out a yawned, leaning back on a chair as she ate some chips with ketchup outside of a small restaurant. She leaned her head back, taking in the fresh air of the approaching winter. "This is the life," she muttered as she grabbed one and bit down into it happily.

Unbeknownst to her, a shadow was lurking from just outside the building, elongating as it waved to get a good glance at Zara.
 
"Hey, Kovu. Have you by any chance seen a possibly rebellious-looking rich teenager who looks like she's just run away from home?" Umbra spoke into the phone, before giving physical details, courtesy of Zara's parents.

"Looking right at her, Mingos," Konstantine replied into the phone, getting up to throw away his coffee. "Come to the plaza real quick, if you can."

"Okay. And stop calling me that, it's so embarrassing," she glowered lowly into the phone, before cutting the call short. She then turned to the older man and woman before her.

"Alright, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find your daughter." And with that, she evaporated into a dark column of smoke, vanishing through one of the windows. She could only hope that she would make it on time.
 
(note: the following post is the result of @Flaze 's limited access to the forums, which has been restored recently, so as a notice to any moderators checking in, this is a combined post which came from the both of us. thanks!!!)


Zara was still eating her fries, looking around every once in awhile. It felt like she was being watched by someone, it made her uneasy when added to the situation with the bodyguard.

She got up from her seat, deciding to finish her meal somewhere else. However, as soon as she stood up a shadow lashed out from behind her, wrapping itself around her and absorbing her into itself.


Kovu almost immediately cursed, left hand flying up instinctively as he rewound time, until it stood at a standstill. It wasn't often that he managed to actually pause time, but it came in handy with the more dire situations he found himself in. He moved towards the girl in stasis, hoping that maybe he could deter the attacker by not giving him an easy target. He was still several feet away when he resumed time's course, looking up at the sky uneasily. A sigh of relief escaped his throat as the familiar trail of smoke came into view.

For whatever odd reason, Kovu's time powers did not affect Umbra's smoke-vapor form whatsoever. Which is why he was counting on exactly that. The Greek boy kept glancing up, hoping to see his twin sister.

"Mingos, you're cutting it awful close," he remarked as his twin materialized before him, a pissed-off look contorting her countenance.

"Shove it, Kovu. And don't call me by that abhorrent name." Umbra replied with a scowl and a glare that could melt most grown men into a puddle of nuclear vapor. Konstantine wasn't fazed by it, however.

"Right, well. Your wonderful ball of sunshine over there," he gestured sparingly towards Zara, "will be attacked by a shadowy opponent, who will then proceed to possess her. At least, that's what it looked like."

"Yeah, okay. This'll be a problem." Umbra muttered, a cigarette magically appearing between her fingers as she proceeded to take a drag.

"By the way.. is there any... particular reason you took this job?" He asked in a knowing tone, smirk spreading over his face. "She is your type, after all."

Umbra almost immediately turned away from him, clicking her tongue in annoyance. "I...have no idea what the fuck you're talking about, brother."

The (lie) answer came a tad too soon for it to be believable by Kovu. He simply chuckled at her expense. "Just keep your eyes on the prize, sister dearest!~"



Unfortunately, during their little chatter after Kovu had rewind time the shadow was still able to wrap itself around Zara and was now sliding away from the area .



“Not on my watch, fucker,” the Greek mercenary-turned-bodyguard snarled, harnessing her control over gravity to stop the shadowy assailant in its tracks. She began her approach towards the two of them, Umbra’s crimson iris twitching in annoyance.


“Not to ruin your fun or anything, but you don’t own any watches, to my knowledge at least,” Konstantine piped up with a slight grin. He wasn’t one to typically get in the way of his sister’s wrath. He knew how mad she could get...from experience, of course.


“I don’t have all the time in the world to argue with you, unlike your stupid fucking Timelord power, Kovu.” She muttered irritably, using her influence over gravity to start dragging the attacker in her direction.


“Okay, but it is so unfair that you can smoke without smelling like an ashtray. And you don’t have to waste precious money on cigs. Like, ever.” Kovu pointed out, almost sounding like he was whining.


“Yeah, well you get to rewind any confrontation you want if you don’t like the outcome. Boo-hoo, you have a Skill that can fucking bend time and space? Talk about cheating life.” She sneered in response. He couldn’t help but shrug - Umbra wasn’t wrong, anyway…



The shadow tried to move away from Umbra’s control, but it was to no avail. Because of this it decided to fight back as a pair of dark tendrils shot out from itself and lashed at the woman.



The teenager dissolved into a monsoon of vapor, her own tendrils of smoking constitution wrapping around the figure, some of the hazardous substance attempting to infiltrate the attacker’s figurative lungs to try and disable the opponent from within. It wasn't a foolproof method by any means, but correct execution would end the fight quickly. Precision was key to Umbra’s line of work, and unless she was eager to make a fatal mistake, she would need to avoid putting a sloppy initiative into the brawl.


Kovu, on the other hand, seemed largely unconcerned with the conflict before him. He slunk away to the cafe, planning on getting some more coffee. He wasn't heartless to leave his sister to fend for himself; quite the opposite, really.


First of all, he knew she could handle herself just fine - years of independence had only served to solidify that claim. Second of all, it wasn't his business interfering with her job. He won't guard the princess from shady individuals, and Umbra won't hunt bounties… or something along those lines, anyhow.



Umbra’s attempt seemed to prove fruitful as the shadow began to unwrap itself from Zara, causing the girl to fall to the floor and cough as she tried to recover her air.



Umbra didn't bother with wasting time inquiring on Zara’s well-being, for good reason, too. She continued to suffocate the attacker, using her control over gravity to generate a small explosion, in an attempt to get the figure away from her quarry. She re-materialized in a defensive position, lighting up another cigarette and sizing up her opponent with practiced caution.


“Leave,” she grumbled, narrowing her eyes and flicking the ash from the cancer stick between her fingertips. It wasn't clear whether she was talking to the would-be captor, or the girl behind her.



The weakened shadow fluttered in the air for a moment, it turned towards Umbra, only to quickly sink back into the ground and vanish.


Zara groaned, trying to push herself up as she looked up at Umbra. She froze, stark the at the girl, first with uncertainty and then with disdain. “You must be the. Ew guard dog.”



“Yes, the guard dog that just saved your sorry ass,” Umbra muttered in response, taking another drag from her cigarette. “Look, I get that you don't like me, with all the ‘I don't need a babysitter’ sort of attitude you got going on here. In case you haven't noticed though, this is kind of my fucking job. You get kidnapped, it's on me. You get hurt, it's on me. You die, it's on me. So maybe consider your own fucking safety for once in your fucking life.”


With that, she snapped her fingers, the cigarette crumbled away to nothing as she walked off in the direction of the plaza. Konstantine was there to greet her.


“Trouble in paradise, sister dearest?” He inquired with a slight smirk.


“You know, I could really do without your sass right now, Konstantine.”


“Ouch. Back to first name basis already? Don't tell me you’re angry with me, Penumbra?”


“I’m angry at everything, you’re just collateral.”


“Dear me, you wound me with your bluntness, Mingos!”


She responded with a swift jab to the shoulder. He clutched the area in mock agony.


Umbra couldn't help but crack a slight smile at his (however abysmal) attempt to cheer her up.



Zara glared at Umbra as she turned back. She still didn't approve of the idea of a bodyguard, as if she was some kid who couldn't look after herself. “Well guess what, guard dog,” she hissed as she walked over. “My parents were the one that hired you, not me, so you can whine all you want, i don't have to listen.”



“Well gee, at least you have parents who care!” She snapped, turning to regard Zara with unnerving mismatched eyes. “You could be rotting away in a basement fifty feet under for all they know with these stunts you seem to be keen on pulling. But no, there are people out there that care about your safety and well-being, and you're too stubborn to realize that. So you can either stop being an ungrateful brat and let me do my job, or you can see where that bitchy act will get you in life. No skin off my back if you get yourself killed though, right?” She spat bitterly, eye twitching in severe annoyance.


“What she means,” Kovu interjected placatingly, “is that you shouldn't blow off your family’s concern, or take it for granted. Not everyone can afford a luxury like that.” He shot a meaningful glance sideways at his twin. She simply scoffed and turned away from the both of them, before her body composition dissolved and scattered out of existence.


Kovu sighed at this. “Well, this is just great.”



Zara sighed in frustration as she saw Umbra vanish. “Who are you supposed to be anyway?” She asked as she eyed Kovu.



“Well, for starters,” he began, taking a sip from his Irish coffee, “we’re fraternal twins, if you couldn't tell. I’m not here to force you to go along with anything. I just like poking fun at my sister, just so we're clear.”


“My name’s Konstantine, but you can call me Kovu. My hothead of a sister is Penumbra, but she goes by Umbra. I have plenty of embarrassing nicknames for her, though.” He grinned in a pranksterish way. “By the way, holy shit. You broke a record today, I’ve never seen ole’ Sister Nicotine that pissed-off. Like, ever...well, actually, I have. But that’s not important.”



“Is this your thing?” Zara asked as she glanced at Kovu. “You talk a lot, she barely talks?” she sighed in annoyance, crossing her arms. “Anyways, can you just tell me where she must’ve gone, I probably shouldn’t go back without her.”



“Uh...yeah. I imagine that would be bad.” Konstantine muttered, taking a sip from his Irish coffee. He paused for a moment, before sighing and facepalming. “So, uh. There’s a slight issue with that. She kinda has a habit of taking her smoke break pretty high up.” He gestured to the tallest building in sight, which happened to be a very fancy-looking black building. Zara would probably recognize it as the Zeitgeist Tower, notably famous for its status as the headquarters of the Zeitgeist Conglomerate.


“So, either we attempt to find her on top of the roof, or I could try to coax her back down. Your choice.”



“Yeah...how are we getting up there?” Zara asked with a frown.



“Well, unless you like sneaking around in rich company headquarters, I’ll try and see if she’s in a good-enough mood to come back.”


With that, he began dialing her number with his phone.



Zara sat down as she stared at Kovu call, still annoyed that she was stuck in this whole situation. “I have a feeling. We’re going back to have to go up there anyway”



“Tell me then, young padawan,” Kovu began with a mischievous smirk, “how do you feel about breaking and entering?”


(skip)


As it turned out, with Zara’s status, it wasn't that difficult to sneak in. However, as typical with most conglomerate companies, the Zeitgeist Tower was quite impressive in size. It would be at least another five minutes before they would reach roof access, even with Kovu’s rather convenient control over timespace continuum.


He didn't notice the two guardsmen that had been subtly tailing them.



“I knew this would be more complicated than you made it out to be,” Zara groaned as she followed behind Kovu, crossing her arms as she walked. “Does she always throw tantrums like this?”



“Not always. Just when we have big fights, is all.” He replied with a slightly melancholic smile. “I don't think she's doing this for the money, by the way. I can only hope that you don't hold it against her.” The roof access, unsurprisingly, was locked. It didn't hold up to Kovu’s creativity, however, and was broken open in less than ten seconds. “Ta-da~. I can be helpful, sometimes!”
 
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"Aren't we breaking like a bunch of laws here?" Zara asked hesitantly. She said that, but she was actually kind of excited, even if they were just going there to talk to Umbra it reminded her of the heist movies and books she always liked reading, being so high in a building and walking around with the posibility of being caught.
 
"Oh, definitely. Kinda exciting, the first hundred times. Sometimes it gets old when it's what you do for a living, though." He shut the door behind them, taking note of his twin, who sat close to the edge of the impressive building, one foot dangling precariously over the side. She honestly didn't seem to care that much, however, evident by her slouched posture as she took a drag of her cigarette.

She didn't seem all that keen on moving away from her potentially dangerous overlook of the city, but it wasn't as if falling to her death on the concrete several thousands of feet below was really that much of a danger, considering her Skill.
 
"It's not like she's going to die if she falls," he replied with a shrug. "Oi, Ms. Edgy-shounen-manga-protagonist, smoke break's over!"

"Never thought I'd see the day that someone else actually lasted an entire conversation with you, Konstantine," Umbra remarked drily, turning to direct her mismatched gaze at Zara with a brow arched in surprise. "Oh. Are you here to make me hand in my resignation? Or is there something you'd care to tell me?"

She hopped expertly onto the railing, springy as a rabbit as she looked expectantly between Kovu and her charge for an answer.
 
Zara glanced at Kovu with a frown, she couldn't believe she actually had to apologize to Umbra. Alas, she couldn't let her parents know about what happened either. "I...I'm sorry for getting heated back then and speaking rudely to you. Especially after you were hired by my parents."
 
She shot Kovu a mildly accusing glance, before sighing as she tossed her cigarette away, not caring to watch as it vaporized into nothingness. The teenager regarded Zara with a level eye, before finally speaking again after a moment of pause.

"It's...it's fine. Look, I don't really like this arrangement any more than you do. I'll try to make this as unstressful as possible for you, so just..." she made a somewhat abstract gesture with her free hand, "go live your life, or whatever. It probably just sounds really creepy without any context, but-" she sighed again, "-I'm only trying to look out for you, here, and I'll try to stay out of your personal life as much as humanly possible, but you have to let me, for this to work."

"Yatsuri almighty, you two actually made up! Maybe wanna get the show on the road, though. The whole 'making up on the tallest building in the Continent' trope kinda gets old." Kovu piped in, his expression comparable to that of a smirking prankster. "Mingos, why don't you do your thing? You can still carry passengers, right?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I can. Did you hit your head or something?"

She paused for a moment.

Then furiously shook her head in denial at what he was suggesting. "Oh, no, sirree, I am so not doing what I think you're about to tell me. Not listening, dumbass!"
 
Zara listened to Umbra speak, feeling a bit bad about her own treatment of her earlier. "Fine, I guess I can let you do at least tha tmuch," she replied with a sigh as Kovu and Umbrea began arguing amongst themselves about something she couldnt' quite understand. "Uh...what are you talking about?"
 
"Just- oh my god, you.. Ugh. I can't believe you." Umbra grumbled, apparently giving up on the argument. "Okay, you know what? No more falafels this month, for the shit you just pulled. None." This statement very quickly wiped the smug look right off Konstantine's face.

"You evil woman," he scowled. "Fine! No gyros for you!"

At this, Umbra just flipped him off with a withering glare, making her way towards her charge. "For the record, if you didn't trust me with your well-being before, I really hope you do now," she remarked, before seizing Zara bridal style. "Well, kid, I hope you're not afraid of heights. This is gonna suck, otherwise."

With that, Umbra hopped over the side of the building, the both of them plummeting to the ground at gradually terminal velocity. Securing her hold around the other girl, the both of them suddenly broke apart into a haze of smoke particles, drifting loosely through the air, condensing as they began their approach towards ground level.

"Also, for the love of god, don't forget how to breathe."

For Zara, it would feel leagues above free-falling, and weirdly intense. The sensation was still there, but it felt deep-rooted, and muted. Breathing would be hard if she started panicking.

Umbra was obviously not expecting her charge to handle the particle reformation terribly well, but she prayed to every obscure deity out there that Zara wouldn't flip the fuck out.

She hoped, anyway.
 
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"Wait, what are you-" Zara began to ask as she was grabbed by Umbra, only for her to see the edge of the building come closer to her. "Wait, stop it! stop!" she yelled out as Umbra jumped off the building. She took in a deep breath, trying to keep calm as she held on to Umbra for dear life. She couldn't understand what was going on, but she knew that she didn't want to find out what not breathing would cause her. All she did was hold her breath and hope for the best.
 
The two of them made it to the ground rather quickly, Umbra quickly taking control of the situation, restoring both of their body compositions as they touched down without injury. It was quick work drawing out any leftover vapor the girl might've accidentally inhaled.

"Okay, I'll admit that was probably uncalled for and not what you were expecting, but there really isn't a quicker way down." She explained with a hint of apology in her tone, underneath the bluntness of it all. "I should probably get you home before anyone else shows up.. We can, uh, walk, if you want."
 
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