Starsign

Ashley's face was rather red upon receiving the kiss. She didn't think that Blake would plant one on her like that. She did not want this relationship to advance so quickly, yet she couldn't help but feel such pity for her friend. She didn't know what to say either... "Uh... Um... Yeah." was her only quiet response, with a small smile in there. Heading back to the rides, Ashley had a look at one of them. It was a spinning ride with seats as strawberries. No tilting was there. "Blake, I'll be going on that ride." she pointed to it. "Do you want to come?" She already started making her way there.

Ashley listened to his story in shock. She had heard of this family with an... exquisite taste in art, that came off as unique and refreshing to public (most of them anyway). Then, nearly a year ago, they died of unknown causes. there wasn't a clue of what had happened aside from something that they picked up right before their untimely death, and their only child was AWOL from thereon out. They were quite notorious afterwords. It may have been a wild guess, but Blake's family seemed to have been the family from the story. Ashley, not sure what to say, gently grabbed Blake's hand. She did not expect him to have this kind of reaction. By explanation of the story, Blake couldn't seem to connect with his parents, and this was the result of it. Ashley's own parents was killed, but they loved their daughter. They cared for her, and did what was best for her. Not like Blake, who's parent's left him alone and left this world without a parting goodbye. Ashley now started to think how lucky she was... and how others were in more dire need than her. After a long moment of silence, Ashley started speaking. "Blake... I'm... sorry for asking. I... didn't know your past was like that." She found it difficult to find the words and the courage to speak. "If... there's time, maybe we could have a look at the place where they got the book?" It was hard for something to do unknowing with just a clue for support. She wanted to know what happened to Blake's parents. "Blake... if your alright with it..." Ashley wasn't sure how to put it... "I can... always be there to help you. Just... give me a call or a shout, and I'll be there."

Ashley didn't seem to mind Blake's arm around her shoulder. It didn't seem romantic, but rather, comforting, like there was someone to lean on in times of trouble. Her smile persisted, "I suppose we will find out when we get there. I'll get an appointment when possible." She sat up again and gestured Blake to walk again. Ashley felt like this was heaven. It was all peaceful, beautiful, majestic. She could live here if possible, but it wasn't. Wanting to know Blake some more, she asked, "Blake, I wanted to know. How did your parents acquire the Necronomicon? I'm curious to know what a book was doing in their hands..."

The man was strange to Tank. The issue wasn't the motive however, it was that there was an unwelcome guest. A guest who had put the hostages in a rather dangerous situation. Seeing as a fight here may cause unneeded injury, the Elderri decided for a more 'peaceful' resolution. "Better idea," Tank said slowly, trying to put up an intimidating pose. "" He spoke in Grue language, maybe to show that the Elderri might in fact be in league with the alien invaders that came and went (which he wasn't, Tank would be disgusted if he ever had to). He pointed to the cargo door that was blocking their way out as he spoke.

Ashley gave a sweet sigh. "Dr. Archeville was one of the scientists that worked with me back in Germany. Not 'on', 'with'." Her voice was a quiet hummingbird, as if not to catch attention. "He was like my father, but with more understanding." She leaned back on the bench, looking up into the sky. It seemed a bit irregular today, but that didn't matter for Ashley. "I met the Doctor a year and a half before I left Germany. What he had was amazing. Such high-tech equipment, he could use it to pinpoint every vein in my body." She could remember the more pleasant tests that Dr. Archeville performed. No prying eyes, no media, just complete solitary with the two. "I learned much about science from him, and he learned much about me in the process." She thought about the odds that the two met together again. "It seemed rather implausible that we had met again, much less have a job at his company." Ashley brought another smile to the world. "Blake, would you like to meet the Doctor one day? He talks on and on how magic is just an delusional term to describe supernatural abilities." She turned back to Blake, her smile turning from joy to smug, "I'd like to see if the Doctor could find out how your powers are 'science'."

Initiative roll: 1d20=16 Not bad. And Tank will use intimidate at +24 Skill Mastery.

Ashley had a bit of an emotionless face as she spoke, "Please, don't worry about it. I'd like to talk about the positives now." She started walking again, "Let's find a quiet place to talk." The two went to a nearby place in the park. It was a lush place in comparison to the other areas. Trees and flowers were planted and carefully raised while the grass walkway was spot-clean and easy to walk through. The two teenagers sat down on a nearby bench, licking off ice cream that was on their lips. After a moment, Ashley began speaking. "I found school like a haven in comparison to labs. The other students were so curious about me, since I was in 5th grade when I arrived, without any indication of me being from another school." She paused to close her eyes, remembering her time in school. "I remember it... vividly. Students were gossiping about how mysterious I am, they tried to act like friends to figure me out. They never did." Ashley's voice started to lighten up, "The best part there was the teachers. They... respected me, trusted me that I was uncomfortable with other people. They were the reason I was able to pull through each class. She opened her eyes, the lush scenery hit her like a sweet aroma. She turned to Blake, "Do you know Dr. Archeville, over in Hanover?

Shall I make another Initiative roll for Tank, or can I use my previous roll? Regardless, I'd like to wait for Basarin to post before Tank goes into combat again.

The area Tank entered was not the deck like he'd have hoped. It did look familiar in some ways to his company area. The stairs would have led to the roof, if the cargo door was opened. Tank had a look around, asking, "Anyone here know how to get these doors open?" He asked, pointing to the cargo door that led to the roof. The group split up in the room to figure out what would open the doors. Tank checked the crane station, with little success on any progress. As he went to check another machine, he noticed a barrel coming towards him. It simply knocked against his feet and stopped there. Tank looked where the barrel came from, a rather difficult-to-see area, which the Elderri started walking towards...

Alright, I've edited my post now.

Tank mostly understood what Mae meant. "So they are related?" he thought, not understanding her gesture of communication. "Is there something else she is hiding?" As they looked at the door, Tank saw Mae's gesture, this time knowing it's meaning. Tank made a nod and yanked at the door with little effect. In frustration, Tank grabbed the entire door and tore it up like he had with the previous doors here. The sound of the tearing could have been heard all across the ship, and Tank knew that well. "Oops." he said, "Let's hurry up." The quietness bugged Tank. "Mae, how long have you known Lukos?" He wanted something to talk about in the meantime, get to know the human's some more.

Tank made a nod and went out the door they came in, bringing a few workers along with Mae. There was a long hallway from where they entered, followed by a fork that went forward, or to the left. Tank went left, climbing the stairs as he went. He had already forgotten the way they came in, so he may be walking in circles within time. With curiousity welling up in him, Tank paused a moment to ask Mae, "Excuse me. How well do you know Lukos? There's something about him that is rather alien..." The Elderri had not a clue about other species in Freedom City like vampires and werewolves.

Actually, I forgot about Tank. Please send him to Objective 1, the riots.

Basarin, since it's your turn, you can decide whether or not he/she is currently there. Your call, no pressure. ;)

Ashley had a look at the merry-go-round. It did seem more casual than the previous one, perhaps too much so. "I should be more specific... she said downheartedly, "I don't really mind the spinning, I'm just uneasy when sideways or upside-down." They passed the ride as they kept looking for another one to go on. Ashley didn't like to bring up her past. Much less out in the open. She whispered to Blake, "Fun was never a word used in my dictionary." She was hesitant to speak. She stopped walking a bit to take a deep breath, then explained. "Much of my life was either being mentally challenged, or being tested on my abilities." She was getting tired of the same story being told over and over again. First it was Danielle, then Ashley's aunt and uncle, then the school principal, then Aiko, NOW Blake... And yet, Ashley felt that she needed them to know about it. She couldn't hold off on her past forever, it would have gotten out eventually. After a moment, Ashley continued her past. "There were only two things back in Germany that were enjoyable. School, and Dr. Archeville..."