Testing: One, Two, Three [Training]

It was a beautiful day, as the sun struck noon and the clouds did not disguise its glorious radiance. It was somewhat amplified by the environment here, at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Autumn was just starting out, and it was at the time when the Fall blended with Summer to give the trees a variety of entrancing colors, and a nice breeze that wasn't too cold or hot—just right. It was especially apparent in a place like this, where nature was far more present than any artificial construction; a surprising and impressive feat in a place like D.C. The canal was your greatest companion here, reflecting the breathtaking sites back again, and offering a constant yet calming trickle of water as it flowed down the river. With a high enough vantage, one could see the distant city, reminding you just exactly where you are. The area, though, was rarely frequented in modern times like these. Today, few people walked the canal-side trails this place offered, and it was tranquil.

And then there was an anomaly, as the air around a certain point began to ripple like a heat wave, swiftly becoming more sporadic. In less than a second there was a pulse of displaced wind as a slit of darkness appeared and began to open—a rift in space. When the portal stopped expanding, a female figure floated through the threshold just an inch above the asphalt trail laid by the side of the canal. Her eyes glowed a vivid electric blue, just as an array of runic symbols on her clothing did as well. The silence was broken by this emergence of dark sorcery, starting with a loud low-pitch boom and transitioning into a light hum of power originating from the rift itself. When this female had established herself in this reality, the rift began to shrink and shrink, causing the hum to soften along with it. It kept fading until the rift disappeared altogether into nothingness, with a quiet pop. And then there was silence again.

Zayra, the being's name, touched down to earth with the tips of her toes first, softly falling onto the back of her heels as the strange mystical force lessened the effects of gravity. When she was grounded, the glow of her clothing and her eyes began to fade away, leaving only a person who seemed entirely human. She appeared 19 in age, presenting a light frame and light skin tone, though she was clad in some very dark apparel themed around shades of purple. It was also not anything casual, seeing as her top left her bra and stomach exposed, and she wore a purple hood, scarf, and gloves. It was unique in a way that made her distinguishable as a Super, but in all honesty, Zayra was just at a lack of understanding on what casual attire was. It hardly mattered when she wasn't planning on meeting anybody; all she wanted to do was unlock her powers in this new world—the ones that had gone missing when she had shifted dimensions from the Void to here on Earth.

Zayra's eyes shifted left and right, just to scope out her surroundings and check for inhabitants of which there currently were none nearby. She took in what she felt, the breeze on her bare skin and as it blew her purple bangs around in the front of her face. She listened in on the distinct chime of birdsong in the trees around the area, and the rustle of leaves with each breeze. She smelled the scent of Autumn, something of nature and inexplicably of warmth. She witnessed the bittersweet deaths of leaves as they detached from their branches and fell onto the path and canal. She just had to take a moment now for this, for this place was so different from the nightmare realm she had lived in for over fifteen millenia. Earth was... fascinating.

She exhaled and now began to focus on her thoughts as she prepared herself. It was as good as any time to begin some experiments and workouts with her abilities. Her intent was to begin with her own power of telekinesis, testing different utilization of the ability as well as strengthening her force of will in conjunction with it. Lightly her eyes began to glow again, giving her that otherwolrdly feel once more. The runic type all over her clothing followed suit, burning with the bright blue color. Gravity became nullified once more as Zayra was lifted off the ground by an unseen force—one inch, two inch, three... soon the psychic was a foot in the air and gaining elevation. Two feet, three feet, four; her momentum slowing down now as she began to stabilize herself in mid-air. Her open palms began to move forward in front of her in the same direction she was focusing on. She was focusing her abilities on something nobody would miss—a tree across the canal.

The tree was strong, thick, and would probably stand tall and healthy for many years to come. However, under the gaze of Zayra its sturdy trunk began to sway, and cracks were heard toward the base. Seconds after they started to be heard, they could be seen as well. Bark began to crack off as the tree bent in directions it shouldn't have been, and wood was splintered out through the cracks. The branches of the tree now began to clash with others as the trunk was off-centered by 45 degrees, but they quickly snapped through as Zayra continued to push it down. She made a mental note in her mind at that instance, though highly insignificant, that the gaping crack in the tree actually appeared to resemble the mouth of one of her monstrosities... But then she finished with a twist of her arms and one sickening crack. The tree was separated from its stump and now held afloat by raw telekinetic power.

That warranted a small smile from the female.

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Days like these were the best. Especially on a full stomach, right? Within the brush, there would be a man laying face first in the dirt with a pool of blood gathered around his body. Sitting on the back of the dead man would be an albino boy with light blue tinted hair. The bangs that fell over his face curled up like the end of a bird's feathers, and the strong scent of blood was all around him. Taking a deep breath in, the boy would begin to laugh with a childish undertone. His eyes were closed, as he slid a finger into the blood and slowly lifted it up towards his face. Releasing his tongue from his mouth, he'd slide the finger onto the moist layer and lick it clean. Savoring the flavor, he'd smile and place his hands on his knees. "Mm, such a more potent flavor when they've been baking out in the sun for so long. It's almost like you can take the happiness in their veins, haha!" The albino Assassin would open his eyes to reveal two amber hues that seemed to glow. They were focused towards the sky above, as the childish boy simply sat there with a large grin across his face. Suddenly snapping out his trance, he'd snap is fingers. "Oh yea, I almost forgot the icing on the cake. Gotta pull yourself together, Echo. Business before pleasure, right?" Nonchalantly reaching into his vest, the Mockingbird would grab the stem of a black rose. Dropping it down into the pool of blood, his innocent smile turned into one of pure malice. "There we go. Justice has been served..Perhaps I overdid myself? Haha!" Saito pressed himself up from the corpse and stretched his arms, arching his back in the process. "Well, back to work I suppose. These new powers of mine won't teach themselves." Looking down towards the dead body, Mockingbird gave an innocent smile and gently kicked it. "I'll be volunteering you as a test dummy. If you have any objections, simply say so, okay??? Okay!" Giggling like a schoolgirl on the first day of camp, Echo would spin on his heel in rapid circles like he was dancing at prom. Skidding to a stop about six feet from the corpse, he'd face the face down man with a smile. Extending his arms forward and infront of his chest, Saito would bring his left hand over his right. Placing his fingers gently against the skin, and extending his fingers on the hand below, he'd give another sinister smile. "..Red Reaper.." Within a second, he'd separate his limbs, pulling one up while sending the other down. As this occurred, a crimson blade would extended from the top of the right hand, being held by the left. The unsheathing was fast enough to send a powerful shock wave out, and away from his body. It would be aimed directly at the body, and in an ear ringing flash, it'd tear it in half completely. The blood that escaped the body would shoot into the air and begin to rain down over it. Mockingbird, otherwise known as Echo, would give a wide grin to the slaughter. "Mmm, that's more like it. This time I didn't cut my hand off in the process, haha.." The albino mutant would giggle beneath his breath as the crimson blade would shatter. Turning on his heel, he'd begin to run around the body with his arms outstretched, even going so far to make airplane noises.

The childish antics would soon come to a stop, as the quiet nature was suddenly disrupted. It wasn't from his red reaper this time. No, it was something else entirely. Sounds of cracking and breaking. Like someone had just cut into a tree and forgot to yell out timber for everyone else to hear. Echo would only look in the direction of the noise, as he suddenly stopped his running. Before he knew it, he would see a tree floating over the brush without any kind of support keeping it up. Atleast not any type of support he could see with his own eyes. Raising a brow, his mouth would be opened slightly out of surprise. That was something he hadn't seen before, and he couldn't help but be curious of what was going on exactly. Was this the world telling him target practice wasn't over? Maybe so! With a large smile on his face, he began to run through the brush with his arms extended and a childish expression on his face. Coming into the slight clearing, he'd stop his run six feet from the floating tree. Tilting his head, he'd raise an arm and pinch his chin between the thumb and pointer finger of his hand. "Ohhoho. That looks cool. I think it's missing something though." Repeating the process from before, he'd direct his aim towards the tree and narrow his amber eyes. Ripping his arms apart, the hook blade would be unsheathed and send a shockwave straight towards the tree. If it hit, it'd slice a foot length's through, thanks to the speed and power, before dispersing. "Tch, so it has a range too? Well I'll need to take note of that, won't I?" The look of indifference was on his face during this small moment of realization, but would soon be replaced with another childish grin. Shifting his golden eyes, he'd look towards the young woman floating on the other side of the canal. How did he miss her before? With a tilt of the head, he'd begin to think to himself..The concept of flight wouldn't be too hard to create with the ability he had stolen from the alien man, would it?

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It had taken several hours for him to come to terms with what had happened, not the least of which was a total loss of dignity and a touch of madness around eight in the morning which he had managed to finally beat down. If one of the underworld's assassins had shown up during that time he would have laid down and bared his throat with relief, but Zayra had kept him from self-destructive tendencies and he was now in a frame of mind to thank her for her efforts at the very least. They had their issues in the past but the woman was becoming an asset. He knew that as soon as she got an advantage she would try to undo him. Yet he would cross that bridge when he got too. Definitely a curse in his mind, there would be no joy in his new power and his only recourse back to being in balance and harmony would be to turn them upon his people's self-inflicted disease of criminal cancers. And maybe that was what the Order wanted him to do. Surely he had already the perfect weapon for such in Nameless, why curse him into an eternity of despair and frustration? Yes, at this time he far better understood why Nameless thought of his powers as a curse at times, not a blessing. And after a lifetime of devoted service, to be used in such a way to this New Organization. No, he would resist that mass of twisted thoughts again, he had his own agenda he argued. It would get him no where except throwing himself from the nearest rooftops and failing whatever test this was to his soul. Damnable gods, playing games with his lives again even if not directly...

Whatever. His purpose might be clear, it was only the path which needed thinking upon now. If he, like Nameless was now a type of predator on others, he needed someone to perform as the cover to their secret plans. And with the new place coming to a completion then it was time to let others know about their choosing to be in his plans. Accordingly he had collected all of his final possessions, directing his attention to his new comrade. With perfect poise and slow movements he performed the proper tea ceremony as she watched, serving her first before himself in direct opposite of what he had been taught, for one you wished honor upon. Nameless of course would never apologize or thank a person but the gesture was their no matter how hard his exterior may have seemed. It was then that he saw the man that he had seen at the warehouse. A simple gaze was given as he took another sip of his tea and watched his next actions. A shake of his head was given as he already knew how Zayra would respond to such a thing. So he would simply spectate now that he had an opportunity to gather intel on his former visitor. He had gathered much mentally but seeing was believing.

Expressions tended not to last long on the ancient female's face, quickly disappearing after her success as it was only the smallest of steps to a considerable goal. This was scratching the bottom of the barrel in telekinetic prowess, and there was much more to relearn and fortify on her path to mastering herself on Earth. She was far too used to the power she exhibited in her own realm, so having to repeat the lessons of millenia past would take time and effort, and not just come to Zayra like a recalled memory. Just for the sweet nostalgia she reminisced over her feats in the Void—moving mountains with sheer thought, controlling armies of immortal terrors, and carrying out the hostile takeover of her entire dimension. Her power here and now on Earth was folly and pitiful compared to it. She wasn't even sure if it would be possible for her to regain such power outside the Void. Mysterious acts at work here.

A loud crack—sounding slightly different than the previous array created by the felling of the tree—sounded in the soothing quietness and brought Zayra out of her thoughts. She immediately noticed the laceration in the side of the tree that was not there just a few seconds ago. Logically of course her incandescent eyes scanned the area for the source of the attack, and didn't take long spotting it. A humanoid with light blue hair, yellow eyes, and a young male figure with feminine traits about him. Zayra may not have been on Earth too long, but she knew well enough to understand the facial expressions of humans. This boy had a smile and a curious tilt of his head, appearing innocent and comfortable with the fact that she was hovering. Despite the attack on the tree, he did not appear hostile, but some humans knew how to be unpredictable and she was wary of that fact. Zayra's expression remained null.

In the back of her mind she processed the fact that the slice that this boy had taken out of the tree was not by any normal means, and she determined him to be one of Earth's Supers, just like Nameless. Meeting Nameless was a surprise for her, because it came with some unexpected occurrences that did not work out to her favor. Shocking, yes, to figure out that she had lost her powers. Even more so that there were some very powerful inhabitants in this realm that she had underestimated. Nameless being the first to intercept her, her first impression of Earth's people proceeded in ill manner. Over time she lost her adamant distaste for him, but who said the next person she interacted with would prove any better? As Zayra had ignored most other humans and refused to appear in public for a long while, it would be this cyan-haired child that interacted with her subsequently to Nameless—her second trial.

He did not seem hostile, and so Zayra would not attempt to kill or maim him. Her hands dropped as the tree did, falling back down through the treetops and finally crashing to the ground with a chaotically loud clamor. She began to move forward through the air in the direction of the boy without taking a millisecond to blink. It was a minor detail, but Zayra was concentrating on smooth flight that gave her a graceful presence, which was more difficult than one would think using telekinesis as an indirect method. This flight was abnormal because she was using her powers on herself, using the mental manipulation to move herself to recreate the act of soaring, rather than the natural ability to move oneself without regard to gravity. Soon, she would be practicing at increased speeds of flights, but first it was time to find out what this boy's stance was.

She stopped in place three feet above the waters, ten feet away from the stranger. Her eyes, which still shined electric blue, fastened on him unblinkingly, and she waited for any action or reaction to her proximity. She would have him show her exactly what he thought of her.

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Mockingbird raised a brow as the tree began to fall from the sky, and head straight into the brush. Placing both hands on his hips, Echo licked his lips slowly. "So interesting. If only I wasn't already content with my meal..What a shaaaame!" He smacked his palm onto his forehead before turning back to the female floating towards him ever so slowly. Standing his ground, his innocent smile would spread back upon his face, and his eyes would lock onto hers. The boy took note of the distance she stopped away from him, and it caused him to chuckle. Lifting the top of his left hand infront of his lips and closing one eyes, the androgynous male would focus his attention onto her. "Why so far away? I don't bite very hard, you know? Actually, I think I'm quite pleasant. Kuku!" Stepping up on the balls of his feet, and begin to spin in circles, almost like he was dancing, as he twirled towards the edge of the canal. Stopping an inch from twirling into the water, the boy would place a hand on his hip and use his other to wave slightly. "You look interesting, now don'tcha? Like this whole 'Don't mess with me or I'll send you flying into space' sort of vibe. It's like I can taste it in the air." Waving a hand infront of his mouth, like he was waving away a foul smell or smoke, he'd raise a brow. "So, I guess you're the one who was manipulating that tree back there? That was pretty cool, you know? First time I've seen something like that in a long long time. And you can even fly! Pretty impressive! Is it like a gravity manipulating ability or something else entirely? I wonder.." The albino mutant couldn't help but bite the tip of his thumb at the thought. His mind raced on thoughts involving the word 'taste' several times. Shaking his head, he'd place both hands behind his back smile. "Whats your name, weird looking lady person?"

She had assumed it would prove difficult to get the stranger to talk, but such was not the case. He had begun his speech before she begun floating toward him, and continued to speak all the way there and even after she had stopped. She retained an disinterested face throughout it all, even waiting in silence a moment after he stopped to really make sure he was done. Besides that there were various instances of body language that made it seem as though he was enjoying something a little too much. She tried not to focus on his antics too much, paying more attention to the content of his words instead. Seven questions were asked; some of them were loosely related to another, while others were completely distinct from another. From what she understood, it was best to exchange greetings before one another got into such things as these. So, she answered one question only.

"My name is Zayra," she said, gently floating down to the surface of the flowing water. It would appear as though she had landed on the top of the liquid, but in reality she was still propelling herself upward to counteract herself from falling into the aqueous body. Still, the touch of her toes would send a light ripple into the fabric of the surface, quickly distorting and conforming with the flow of the canal. This was all managed while Zayra fixed her eyes on the odd-haired boy, showing that she could maintain this flight while dealing with another subject of attention. "I have power, and you have power as well. Tell me your name stranger, as I have told you mine." She was regal, and her voice was soothingly smooth to compliment that fact. Though the time of Queens on Earth was long past, Zayra epitomized one underneath the skin of her form.

[Sorry for late reply, things will pick up after this post]

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Mockingbird would narrow his eyes, as the woman continued to keep a distance away from him. His childish grin didn't seem to waver, as he lifted a hand towards a strand of his hair. Pinching a curled end between his thumb and middle finger, he'd let out a feint "keshe.." From under his breath. "You have 'power'? I believe your definition of power is flawed, 'Zayra'." The one who was labeled the 'Echo of the Order' would kneel down to wave a hand through the rippling canal. "Do you define power as lifting things without touching? Or simply having the ability to do something superhuman? Or in your case, superalien?" The albino mutant would begin to laugh under his breath before suddenly standing and giving a wide, deranged smile. "My name is Echo. I'm the response to all claims of 'power'" The childlike assassin would give a slight bow to the woman before narrowing his amber eyes once again. The childish smile on his face looked abit more sinister than before. "I hope you don't mind if I want to test this..'power'. Whipping an arm forward, the one named Echo would shoot a crimson tendril out towards the woman floating over the water. It moved about fifty miles per hour and looked to wrap around her waist and forcefully pull her towards him. Now it went without saying that the attack was rather fast, but wasn't un-dodgable. Fifty miles per hour meant roughly seventy three feet per second. She was within ten feet. This was more of a test of her method of control, and if she truly had the potential to say she had 'power'. Mockingbird gave her fair warning that he was going to attack, so that would also help her to dodge the attack.

If she didn't dodge, he would have yanked her with the tendril and sent her flying into the ground three feet beside him. However, if she did dodge the first attack, the Mockingbird would give a smile as two crimson colored wings would burst from his back. Taking flight off the ground, and hovering about ten feet about it, he would begin to send a series of attacks back to back, towards the woman. The first would be another swipe with the tendril looking to knock her down. The next would be a tendril shaped like a human sized fly swatter, looking to slap her down into the canal. However, this attack wouldn't come before a back handed tendril strike looking to knock the young woman into a tree. Throughout all these attacks, the childish boy was laughing like he was playing a game. Truly disturbing. Throughout this, the young Echo would make sure to position himself just close enough so his attacks were in range, making it about nine meters from the female.

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By now she had gathered the evident pretense of peace between the two, becoming increasingly more obvious the more serious his words assumed. She was pleased, at the very least, to receive a title to call him by, which she would proceed to use from now on; however, what chances were she would have a civil conversation with him became slim with the sudden assault he attempted onto her. The only warning Zayra had was his final statement, but the attack was still fast in itself. A red appendage protruded out of the boy's arm as he swung it at her, and before she could really use her telekinetic flight to move out of the way the tendril would circle around her waist and tighten—In that instance Zayra could feel the sudden pressure resound throughout her body, like she was feeling herself being tethered to the young one, which in fact she was. More or less taken by surprise at this action, the psychic would have to shrug off her casual mentality and transition into a battle state of mind. For whatever her stance was before, now she was being threatened.

Perhaps unusual to anyone lacking a highly powerful mind, Zayra perceived the environment very quickly, meaning that the element of surprise had already lasted its worth and was no longer relevant. Echo succeeded in rappelling the crimson tendril around her, but Zayra's counter arrived posthaste as her already-radiant hues pulsed an even brighter blue. Unseen forces discarded their conentional laws and worked to the woman's design; like a balloon around her skin had inflated into a round shape that stretched the ring of the tendril away from her body. Along with that, this forcefield adopted a spin that would undo the coils of the appendage until it finally fell away and completely freed her. Zayra took liberty in her new breathing room and raised her arms toward the tendril, pantomiming grabbing a rope of her own quite tightly.

The appendage he sent out would now be undone, and incapacitated as the unseen forces now clamped down on it and held in tautly in mid air. He wasn't too far from the water, and in fact an ample push in the right direction would send him splashing into the canal—this point did not escape Zayra. "That was power; that slice in the tree, that tendril you made. And this is power," she clarified, and finished by withdrawing her fists to her chest. The simple action would apply to the tendril, as it was pulled out toward the opposing shore in an attempt to bring Echo falling into the calm channel. All the while, Zayra hadn't moved her center of gravity an inch from its original position in mid-air.

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