[LOCKED: April, DBFS Journals] Vortex Traps Aftermath

[twinpharaohs]

((OOC: The following journals are likely to turn up at some point: twinviziers, fmalchemist160/Edward Elric, stonebluesorrow/Zelgadis Graywords, toreador_saviour, lionheartedgangrel/Harry Potter, and any of the DBFS NPC journals (all begin with "dbfs_").))

When Yugi turns up in the Nexus to meet April, he looks considerably more battered than he ever has before, bandages wound around one arm and several cuts on his face held shut with those little white medical strips they use for small cuts. One of his legs bounces nervously, and he's rubbing at his bandaged arm. He's twirling what appears to be a Tarot card—or at least, something superficially similar to a Tarot card—between two fingers. Yami is nowhere in sight—for now.

Comments

[lionheartedgangrel]

He smiles. "I'm aware."

"For the most part, it's working," Kat adds, quietly. "It's just when magic comes into play that's the biggest problem."

Harry nods in agreement. "The Imperius curse and any spell that has a similar effect can cause a Kindred to enter a Frenzy, if that's what the caster wants the spell to do."

"And that's exactly what Isat wanted her spell to be able to do," Yugi notes. Harry nods again.

"Exactly." He smiles at April. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know what you've already taught Kat."

[slayers_desire]

"I was teaching her to control her Beast through meditation, using a matra to place it under a mental slumber." April replies carefully.

"She said that your type of vampire always try to control their Beast. Instead of accepting it and embracing it... like many of my kind do."

[lionheartedgangrel]

Harry blinks, arching an eyebrow. "Psychic tranquilizer? Interesting."

Harry shrugs a bit. "From what we've seen, most Kindred who give in to their beasts end up like the Sabbat, not much better than wild animals. And all of us retain less and less of our former humanity as we age." The centuries have certainly taken their toll on Harry's humanity, though markedly less than most Kindred.

[slayers_desire]

"Because you are not human." Vampires on her world seldomly keep their humanity. They become Demons. And life life accordingly. "And I would agree that the Beast is a wild animal... because I definitely don't feel that way about mine."

[lionheartedgangrel]

"No," Harry replies, a tone of polite diffidence in his voice, "but if a Kindred wants to avoid hurting anyone more than is absolutely necessary to survive, they have to remain as close to human as they possibly can." He shows her his left hand, which has been in the shape of a bird of prey's talons for almost as long as Harry's been Kindred. "I've only ever lost control to my Beast once. I keep my control by staying well-fed, and by keeping as much of my former humanity as I possibly can." He pauses and adds, "Because this"—he points to his left hand with his right index finger—"is what happens every time a Gangrel like myself loses control. I've already got one feature that makes it harder for me to blend in—I don't want any more."

"Your Beast and ours are two different animals, if you'll pardon the expression." He smiles a bit. "But, since the method you taught Kat seems to be working for her, that might not matter much."

[slayers_desire]

"The thing is... I can't hide mine. Bad things happen when I try."

[lionheartedgangrel]

"And that's your path, your situation," Harry reminds her gently. "If we let what we are show, we could bring another Inquisition onto ourselves. We have to hide, if we're to preserve ourselves."

[slayers_desire]

"Which is why I wonder... if I am meant to help Kat at all."

[lionheartedgangrel]

Harry's quiet for a moment. Then he replies, "There's a difference between controlling one's Beast and keeping one's true nature and abilities low-key. Whether you're meant to help Kat or not remains to be seen; in the meantime, you keep trying. I have my own ways of controlling my Beast, and they're effective. For me. They might not work for Kat; in fact, I somehow doubt they will, given the differences in our ages and Clans. Your methods, however, seem to be working."

[slayers_desire]

"I am glad my methods are working. I want to help Kat find her own inner peace and balance with her Beast."

[lionheartedgangrel]

Cue a flattered sort of smile from Kat. Harry smiles a bit and replies, "There are still things that I need to teach her, other aspects of being Kindred. But as far as self-control goes, I think you may be of more help to her."

After a moment, Kat adds, "There are things I could learn from pretty much everyone here. Zel's a master swordsman, among other things. Ed's one of the most talented Alchemists on his homeworld."

"Didn't Ed already start teaching you the basics?" Yugi asks.

"Yeah, in London," Ed answers.

[slayers_desire]

"Sounds like you have a well-rounded education."

[toreador_saviour]

"Will have," Kat corrects gently, smiling a bit. "Only just starting to learn most of this stuff, and my first lessons were when we were more or less in the heat of combat."

[slayers_desire]

"That must be one advantage of working as a team, you all learn from each other. And become stronger because of the people you are learning from."

[toreador_saviour]

Kat's smile broadens. "Very true." Then she sobers. "Unfortunately, not all of the teams are able to work as smoothly. Chris's team comes to mind; Inuyasha is... kind of a contrarian, sometimes."

[slayers_desire]

"Clark had struggles with the Justice League. But he is really coming into his own leadership now."

"You just have to find the balance between different personalities."

[toreador_saviour]

Kat snorts a bit. "Easier said than done with some people." She shrugs. "Though Inuyasha and Chris work together well enough under pressure."

"Think we'll ever be large—or coordinated—enough to need a... I guess, a general leader?" Yugi wonders aloud.

"Who knows?" Kat replies with a snort. "Even if we do end up needing one, probably won't be me."

"Oh, I dunno," Yugi tells her, smiling a bit, "you stepped up to the plate pretty well during some of the Traps."

[slayers_desire]

"Clark didn't think that he would be able to lead the Justice League, but he now is... and doing wonderful."

[stonebluesorrow]

Kat smiles, the expression a bit tight. "Not sure I have the necessary charisma. But I guess we'll burn that bridge when we come to it."

After remaining silent for most of the conversation, Zel asks April, "So, Ms. Kent... this alternate of mine you met. Did the two of us talk about anything in particular?"

[slayers_desire]

"He asked about promises, and what lengths one would go to keep those promises. At that time, I had promised Jor-El not to enter the Fortress without permission..."

[stonebluesorrow]

Zel smiles a bit. "I see. Who's Jor-El? And to what lengths would you have gone to keep that promise?"

"I don't break my promises," Ed notes, casually.

"No, generally speaking, I don't either," Zel responds, "except when the person I made the promise to breaks their end of the bargain first."

[slayers_desire]

"Clark's father... sort of... the Artificial Intelligence of his birth father. And I stayed away from the Fortress, kept my word. Even when I was worried about Clark himself, I didn't go in the Fortress."

But did stand outside it once talking to the door.

"I try not to promise anything lightly, especially since keeping promises are important." And especially for her friends.

[stonebluesorrow]

Zel smiles a bit. "That goes without saying. Though not for everyone, I suppose."

Ed pipes up with a curious question about then. "You said you promised not to enter without permission. Were there any times when you got permission to go in?"

[slayers_desire]

"A couple of times. Clark gave me permission to enter, when the Fortress had been inactive, and I was able to help bring it back to life. And of course, we recently went there... to tell Jor-El that I am pregnant."

[fmalchemist160]

Ed blinks. "How does one 'bring a fortress back to life'?"

At the "pregnant" bit, Ed turns a just a leeetle bit pink; apparently he's something of a prude. (Cut him some slack, he was raised in the equivalent of a 1910's-20's.) After a moment, he smiles and replies, "Moms are amazing. They bring new life into the world without needing to sacrifice anything. No alchemist can do that."

"What did Jor-El say when you told him?"