Phoenix Rising (Open)

Nick walked at a quickened pace down the lowly illuminated sidewalks of the housing district he lived in. The skies were blackened and cloudy, and a light drizzle fell from the sky that made Nick rush even more. He didn't want to stay in the rain any longer than necessary. He looked over his shoulder at the apartment he just exited from. The thought to go back for an umbrella crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside right away when he looked down at his watch. 5:30; The first bus was going to arrive in five minutes or so. The streets were bare at this time of the day, but that didn't stop him from constantly shifting his eyes about to check his surroundings. It was like he expected something tragic to occur at every turn.

He spotted the bus stop in the distance, which caused him to spring into a jog to hurry up and shelter himself from the rain. He took a seat on the bench and sat down. He thought he was just in time, and that the bus be breaking through that wall of fog that blockaded his view down the street at any moment. He waited for a minute or two and the bus never came. He checked his watch again. 5:30; It was stuck. Nick slapped his palm to his forehead in exasperation. Either he was too early, or he was too late and missed the bus. The watch was the only time-telling tool he had available at home since he barely unpacked his things. No clocks, no TVs, not even a microwave.

He spotted a small shop across the street. Even with the rain obscuring his sight he could tell that a clock behind a large glass window was at 5:16. He had a while to wait, but at least he wasn't late. Nick went into his book-bag and pulled out a random biology book to flip through for the sake of passing time. He wasn't in any kind of studying mood. His page flipping ended up placing him right in the middle of a lesson on cell division. Ironic seeing as he had a power related to it. Thinking of his regeneration made him think of his lost little brother and how he failed to save him, mainly because tomorrow would be the anniversary of his demise. If only he could've boldly took the bullets for his brother, like he would have now. Even though he would survive it, he couldn't help not fantasizing how different his life would be if he took the bullets and survived on top of that. While his thoughts wandered, his didn't bother surveying his surroundings and he kept staring at his book.

The pale asian walked through the rainy weather with a childish grin on his face. Both eyes were closed, yet he was walking in a complete straight line, heading directly for the bus stop. Reaching out, he'd grab the pole holding the sign for the bus to stop, and spin around it like a child. Spinning a total two times, he'd let go and be sent down onto the bench next to the man who seemed so lost in his book. Echo would tilt his head to the side, shifting his body to look over the man's shoulder, and look towards the pages of the book. "That looks like a fun read." The boy's voice was playful, as he was abnormally close to the other. Putting his hands in his lap, he'd give a wide smile while leaning forward. His hair would be in the man's way from reading for just a second, before the pale asain would lean back and press his back against the back support of the bench. Looking up towards the grey skies, he kept the grin on his face as the rain washed down his face. "Such a beautiful day. It's been awhile since I've seen the rain. Heheh.." He laughed under his breath as he extended a hand to start forming a puddle of water in his palm. Once it got too large, he tipped his hand and allowed the rain to follow down to the ground in a mini-stream. "You're probably thinking 'who is this boy? Man he's weird!' Or maybe..'Wow, this guy is pretty incredible! Hahah!" His voice was sly and smooth, as his amber eyes shifted to their corners to give the man an innocent gaze.

Reality flashed back to Nick when he caught movement out the corner of his eye. His head snapped to the side to scope out who it was. A boy. A harmless looking boy, yet he still looked so weirdly out of place. He was also acting odd. Not a threatening odd, more like he was just an air headed guy with nothing better to do. His eyes stayed trained on the boy, since he couldn't dare rule him out of being up to no good. It was five in the morning and a guy like this was out running the streets and swinging from poles in the rain? It sounded suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

Nick didn't realize it until now but he was looking alarmed. He cleared up his face and forced a small smile. A fake one. He didn't want to jump to conclusions so fast. While he was over analyzing things, the giddy boy had sat down next to him to take a look at what he was reading.

"That looks like a fun read." Nick nodded absentmindedly. He didn't find reading school books fun. It was more of a chore to him. "Such a beautiful day. It's been awhile since I've seen the rain. Heheh.." Nick started to breathe a little easier when the guy started making small talk. Maybe he was just here to catch the bus like him? Maybe he was a student too. "Really? I wouldn't know." He said back in a tone that lacked general interest. The weather was the farthest thing on his mind. He went back to staring back at his book, and even turned the page to make it seem like he was actually reading.

"You're probably thinking 'who is this boy? Man he's weird!' Or maybe..'Wow, this guy is pretty incredible! Hahah!" Charismatic. That was the first thing that came to Nick's mind after this foreign boy said that. "The first one." He spoke without looking up from his book. "I'm Nick Ryker. You are..?" Nick sounded dull right now, but that was mostly because of how early it was. It was impressive how upbeat the guy was... he was probably a natural born morning person or something.

"Nick Ryker huh? Pretty name." The pale faced boy's wide grin would remain the same, as he gave a subtle nod to the name. "My name is Echo. Strange huh? This is my first week in the states. You could say I'm here on vacation, and business. You see, I'm a collector of rare objects." The pale albino would lift a finger and wag it infront of Nick's face. "It's just a hobby of mine, but he profit is more than you could ever imagine. Once upon a time I had collected so many items that people were envious of me. But after a certain event, I lost them all. Now I'm simply trying to reclaim everything I had lost...It's a very troublesome situation, but I'm persistent enough to keep working towards my goal. Kekek!" With a slight bow, the pale asian would lift a hand towards Nick, requesting a handshake. "Yoroshiku! In other words, it's a pleasure to meet you, Nick Ryker." It had been some time since Saito had any human interaction after his reappearance. What someone would think was odd, was completely normal in his eyes. Being overly happy and playful was how the young mutant would through is day by day play. Though behind that childish exterior was something abnormal within. Something hidden from the average eye, basking beneath layers of deceit and lies. Who would ever expect a child of being foul or malicious? Especially a child who always kept such a happy grin on their face?

Nick closed his book with one hand and set it aside on the bench after Echo waved his finger in front of his face. He took it that the guy wanted him to pay attention, so he did. It wasn't like he needed the book anymore for keeping himself busy since he had company. He started to give the boy his undivided attention now, and even met hands with him to complete the requested handshake. "It's nice to meet you too Echo." His faked smile slowly became real. This was the first real miscellaneous socializing he had with anyone since he moved to D.C. and the boy seemed friendly enough. "Collecting rare objects, right? That sounds... adventurous. Wish my life was that exciting. I'm just a student on my way to school, on the road to becoming a doctor..." He picked up the book he had set down and showed Echo the cover. It was a textbook labeled 'Life Science'. "What brings you to Washington D.C.? You're not here to take the Declaration of Independence, are you?" He smirked jokingly. He didn't sound like he was serious in the least about Echo stealing the declaration, but you never know. A 'rare collector' might be a cover up to hide that this person might actually be some kind of foreign master thief! He juggled the hypothetical thought around in his mind while he put his book away into his book bag.

After the handshake, Echo would pull his hand back and place it behind his head in a nonchalant gesture. "Becoming a doctor, huh? I'm pretty sure that's just as adventurous. Imagine all the bodies you'll be able to examine..All the samples you'll be able to collect...kekeke..." For that split second, a sadistic smile came over the pale boy's face, before it was quickly replaced by an innocent one. "Just kidding of course. But if you're attempting to become a doctor, then you must be pretty smart." As the young man lifted the book, Echo would grasp it and take a closer look. As Ryker asked his question, it was like Echo was lost in a daze before finally snapping back and giving an innocent laugh. "Oh no no no... Declaration of Independence? I'm more interested in other things." As he spoke the last sentence, Echo lifted a hand and gave a finger tip a lick. "More like, I'm looking for certain people like me. Not to collect them and kidnap or anything like that..Something abit better..kukuk.." The albino would place the book down and press himself up from the bench. Stretching his arms up, he'd look up to the sky that was currently clearing. "Looks like the rain's about to stop. That's a shame. It always rained in Europe. Like, constantly." Hopping up on the bench, he'd place both hands on his hips and give a wide devious smile. "I suspect I'll find what I'm looking for out here..I can smell something interesting in the air."

Nick's eyebrows raised when Echo mentioned looking for certain people like him. His intentions of what he planned to do with 'those' people came off vague. "Looking for other collectors?" He asked while he secured his book bag over his shoulder. The bus was expected to show up at any moment. "Good luck with that. Sounds like you have it all planned out." He sat with his back to the glass back wall of the bus stop, slouching slightly. The areas beneath his eyes were slightly darkened. He looked tired, to put it bluntly. He never was much of an early riser. Up until recently he was used to sleeping late into noon. Nick yawned out, "Still sounds more exciting than tending to hurt people." He was silent for a short span of time before he popped a new question. "Ever imagine what it would be like to live the life of a superhero? Must be tons of excitement in that... saving lives up close and personal. A doctor only gets to clean up the aftermath of all those heroics..." He almost sounded disappointed when he said his last sentence. He shrugged, and clicked his eyes up at Echo, who was now standing on the bench beside him. "I probably shouldn't complain. Saving lives is saving lives either way." Truthfully, he didn't think the life of a doctor was for him. He wanted to put his abilities to use. What good is being able to heal yourself if you're never in danger? He started to imagine himself being a cop like his father. If only he was old enough for that.

The young man beside him seemed to really loathe..Well perhaps loathe wasn't the right word, but he really seemed to have some kind of resentment for being a doctor. And his whole question about being a superhero made Echo chuckle beneath his breath. Shifting his hand, he'd put it on Nick's head and attempt pull out a strand of hair that would make him flinch if successful. "You feel that? That pain proves you're just human. Dreaming about being something much more than you are is kinda childish, huh? Kukuku..." Echo laughed under his breath, as he threw his hands behind his head and slouched to the side slightly. "Ironic coming from me, huh? I digress. Everyone has had that small thought in the back of their head on what they'd do if they had the power to do it. Even myself. But even so, you're right. Saving lives is saving lives. But humanity is so frail..Saving them all is nearly impossible, don't you think? Why waste the time? Hahaha! Maybe that's heartless of me to say." Echo's smile was wide and devious, as he hopped down from the bench and landed on the sidewalk with a soft thud. Stretching out his limbs, Echo would spin off his heel and give a bow towards the young man. "I see a bright future for someone like yourself, believe it or not! Ya know I can tell alot about a person from a conversation, and it seems like you want to be much more than just a doctor. You may not be a superhero, but nothing is stopping you from becoming the hero you inspire to be. Heh." The teen's ears would twitch at the sound of pavement being crumpled, and behind him the bus would have finally arrived. His amber eyes would shift to their corners to look towards the ride before looking back towards Nick. "Ryker, you should choose your own destiny. Not follow the one society has laid out for you. Who knows. Maybe you could become a superhero one of these days...kekek..."

Nick instinctively made a move to try and slap the hand coming for his head away, but alas he was to slow from his tired reflexes. "Ow! Hey!" He rubbed at stinging scalp where the hair had been plucked from. The eccentric boy spoke with so much insight, while at the same time keeping a mysterious quality. Nick didn't know what to think of him anymore. He was an enigma. "It's not about saving them all. Sometimes you can't save them all. Sometimes you don't have the will for it... at the time." He spoke in reference the the event of his brother's death that relayed in his mind over and over again, as the boy jumped off the bench and bowed. The boy's skills of observation was impressive; he analyzed Nick like a simple text book. He shifted himself to his feet upon hearing the roar of the bus engines coming down the streets, but his focus remained on the foreign boy. His wisdom was just what Nick needed to hear, even though he didn't show it. It set him at a crossroad. Should he pursue his learning to be a doctor, or go try to be the hero he aspired to rise into? He shrugged his shoulders again, meaning the choice was going to go unselected for now. "Maybe. For now, I think I should inspire myself to not fall asleep in class on the first day. Nice chatting with you Echo." He threw up his hand to make a small wave to Echo. The doors of the bus creaked open and Nick disappeared into them. He choose a seat near the window after paying his owes with a bus card, just to see Echo off if he wasn't getting on the bus. In fifteen seconds past, the bus would have saddled up and been half way down the street.

[Possible Exit]

Echo waved with his right hand, as the young man named Nick Ryker boarded the train. "Dewa Mata, Nicku Rykah-san!" He spoke in Japanese and gave his usual childish grin. Turning around, he'd extend his arms like an airplane and run the opposite way the bus pulled off. His childish grin turned into a sinister grin, and his playful amber eyes narrowed into scheming ones. Soon he'd turn into an alley on the far end of the sidewalk and stop near a dumpster. "Superhero, huh? In a world like this, there are No more Heroes." Opening the palm of his left hand, he'd be holding the strand of hair he plucked from the man's head. "How he spoke, it felt like he wanted a higher calling. I wonder how he tastes!" The mutant put the stand of hair on his tongue and swallowed it whole. Licking his finger, he'd turn back towards the street with his glowing amber eyes. "Someone who wants to save lives huh? Humanity is frail. We'll probably meet again in the future if he truly does go the hero route." Tapping his stomach, the boy gave a giggle as he disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway.

[Exit]

Ability:

[Submitting for Prestige]