Bad News (open)

[Derik R. Locke]

Looking around it was quiet and deserted on the beach even if the weather was absolutely prime for the usual beach crowd. However the news was vibrant with colors and words all about the bloodiest messes, videos go viral, and anger rises. No doubt many are pointing fingers at the metas before they came the place was peaceful. Even the children hadn’t caused much of a ruckus before now. Still the crash landing of the Arc decimation spreading miles and now various other strange happenings are occurring. Some might strongly imagine that there were dark days creeping closer

Derik’s internal monologue matched tones from classic noir detective movies. His leather boots crunched on the sand which had already been picked clean and investigated. There was quite a bit he understood about what happened but being here helped him try to put it into perspective. His child sized suit and tie were freshly pressed and designer tagged. He removed one hand from the silk pockets of the pants to adjust the sucker from his cheek to guide it over his tongue for a better taste of the sour apple melting sugar. He felt like he was aesthetically looking about like he was smoking a cigarette. Of course he was too young to really smoke but not too young to act like some big shot.

Something rustled in the distance and made him jump startled a bit. Looking he noticed a plastic bag tumble across the sand. He reached to the top of his noggin took a while to heal from the blow another guy knocked on him and it left a bulbous scar from the stitches he needed he wasn’t sure if he was excited or nervous about possibly meeting that guy again. Derik was no chicken but that was quite painful.

[Claire Weiss]

"Oh? A little boy all on his own?" a voice would question nearby.

Claire was squatting down in the sand, looking as though she were investigating it. Or at least had been at some point. Her gaze now rested on Derik, almost surprised to see a child with no adult.

Almost.

She supposes these things weren't nearly as rare with so many orphans. It still caught her by surprise though, now and again.

"You're very brave. This was a very scary place just some time ago."

[Troy Wilde]

Standing behind Claire, as always, is Troy, watching the young man from his higher position.

He slowly tilts his head, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Don't you have parents? Or are you a runaway, squirt? I don't think there's a circus in town."

[Derik R. Locke]

Derik completed his turn around to see the new pair by him. He didn’t say anything for a moment his one arm dropped from his head but the other remained on his sucker. He pulled it out still staring at the two about to say something but it didn’t come to his mind very quickly.

“Uh... I’m older than I look.” He waved his sucker in dismissal of what he just said. “Mentally... I’m more mature... than I look.”

Of course that wasn’t very convincing.

[Claire Weiss]

Claire would giggle.

"Is that so?" she'd question, standing up and brushing her dress from the sand.

"Do tell. Are you a man stuck in a child's body? A genius, perhaps? No, mentally enhanced? Or the eldest of many siblings?" Claire played at guessing why that might be. He certainly still looked like a child, especially with that sucker stuffed in his mouth.

[Troy Wilde]

"Maybe he's mind controlled a child. Should we shake him upside down and see what comes out?"

Troy chuckles, taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Maybe it's a tiny alien in a robot suit."

[Derik R. Locke]

His face contorted into a look of further confusion at their suggestions. “None of that, just well read. Ah... you metas from the apartments?”

He popped the sucker in his mouth and straight not into it with a loud crunch to reach the gum center. The rock candy membrane was getting thin.

[Claire Weiss]

She momentarily looks surprised as he calls her a meta, blinking a quickly a few times. After thinking about it, her expression would suddenly soften and she'd give a small laugh.

"Metas? Yes, I suppose that's what we are, now." she'd say with a glance at Troy before shaking her head in response.

"No, I've existed here since before the Arc. Or the appearance of the orphans."

[Troy Wilde]

Troy just looks back at Claire, before shrugging and turning his attention back to the child.

"Natives, through and through. You could even call us Indians, except... this isn't India."

[Derik R. Locke]

“Natives with Qi? That’s a first but I can’t say I’m surprised. Bound to happen eventually.” He paused again looking between the two. “You do have Qi right I’m not just assuming that?”

[Claire Weiss]

Claire just sighs at Troy's...joke.

"We have...Qi...indeed." she'd say, as if the word were foreign to her. It definitely was a new one, at the very least.

Her eyes would drift to glance down the beach, as if she were searching for something.

"Not so long ago, when the city was attacked by strange dogs, they suddenly manifested. We were not the only ones. I can imagine there's a lot of confusion at the moment. I take it you veteran metas will be asked a lot of questions."

[Troy Wilde]

"Qi knows what Qi's talking about."

Troy chuckles again.

"How long have you been a Qi master, little boy?"

[Derik R. Locke]

Derik looked to the man. “Never said I had Qi, I assumed you did since the meta apartments are not far from here.” Just to get that straight. “But I was born touched by it...”

His gaze turned towards the woman to continue that part of their conversation. “Would you say they were similar dogs that have popped up near this area?”

One thing interesting he had assumed before the orphans that this place was completely untouched by Qi influence but it’s been seeping through here for a very long time. Shoot for all intents and purposes it could be happening since the beginning of time for all Derik could figure. Maybe that’s just what his father could have tried to tell them a time or two.

[Claire Weiss]

"Pardon our own assumptions. A child on their own tends to have come from elsewhere." Claire would say, despite the fact the assumption had been correct.

"As for the dogs, I heard they didn't quite look the same, here. The series of events, however, was very much the same. People were attacked, some were killed others escaped with the use of their new powers."

Was it okay to talk like this with a child? Claire was raised to treat children like small adults so she likely didn't see anything wrong with it.

"I think certain people from the arc tried to help. The people should be grateful..."

SHOULD.

[Troy Wilde]

Troy just puts a hand to his chin, looking up and blinking at the sun.

"Would you have to use Qi to be a Qi master? I dunno, I think it'd be similar to how people who've never played football think they know better than everyone they supposedly cheer for."