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[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

[And now that everyone's started showing up again, it was time for the resident angry space necromancer to chime in over the network. Mostly because it was the confirmation he'd been waiting for.]

For anyone who knew them, Miss Tano and the Skywalker brat appear to have left us.

I've been aware of their departure for some time, but I felt it prudent to await the return of everyone else who'd gone and disappeared to confirm it. They are not among those who returned.

[Which was really about as close as he was ever going to get to admitting he was being optimistic about something. Or someone, even if he couldn't tolerate one of them for more than an hour or two at the most.]

On a somewhat related note: I find myself lacking a suitable dueling partner. If anyone left has a weapon that can survive a lightsaber blade, your assistance would be welcomed.

Comments

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[plentystrong]

Guess he can go be preachy at home then.

[ Translation: she was starting to warm up to the guy but she'll never say it. ]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Oh now that is unlikely. I did get a glimpse of the skeletons in his closet, and I doubt he'll stay preachy for long.

permavid

[killtime]

For all the difference it makes. Thanks for the PSA anyway.

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[privatepurchases]

You stayed here.


[What's up roomie]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

I did.

Video

[mysterioisthetruth]

More people missing...

I have an urgent need to test my powers against a blade such as yours.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

I can't imagine theatre props holding up particularly well, Beck.

[mysterioisthetruth]

What are you talking about? I'm not talking about the show. I'm talking about real powers.

[His Mysterio powers became real the moment he arrived here - but he had to be wearing his suit to use them. As such, he hadn't made full use of them and had continued to use them more as a prop for show. With a recent fluctuation and Porter trip, now the powers have adapted and he can use them without the suit. But they're a bit unstable and he has to learn to control them as an everyday thing. So he wants to test - his energy blasts, suitable for battling many elements, could have interesting effects against a lightsaber.]

Or are you too afraid of me?

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Dueling, Beck. With blades.

If I wanted anything else, any idiot would do.

[mysterioisthetruth]

I don't have that sort of weapon.

You should train to go up against any foe.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Do not patronize me, Beck. I've already faced threats you've yet to dream of.

But you? You I could deal with from here.

[mysterioisthetruth]

You can't strike at me with a lightsaber through a video.

[He's scoffing, for the moment forgetting there are other powers through the Force.]

But I'd like to see you try.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

As you wish.

[Tempting as it might be to just snap his neck on the spot, Nox does opt for a more instructional- and less homicidal- approach of giving him exactly what he asked for.

So while Quentin would suddenly feel something squeezing his throat like a vice and hoisting him off the ground, it would only prove fatal if prolonged long enough. And while he'd be sure to stretch out this particular learning exercise, he would be keeping a close eye on the other man so he'd know when to release him.

That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun getting as close to that point as possible though, right?]

And, as a point of fact, I could. It would take only marginally more effort than this approach.

[mysterioisthetruth]

[Choking, Beck is confused and startled at first by the suddenness and the power. He struggles to no avail, clutching at his throat. Then his powers automatically kick in; his hands bursting with a green energy that quickly surrounds his entire body. It crackles defensively around him but can do very little against this attack. It can't reach through the network itself and there is no actual physical target in the room for it to attack. Even as a shield it's currently useless, with Nox's Force power having already broken through.]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Now then. While I have your attention, there's something you should be made aware of.

[And he'd really appreciate it if there could be just a little less struggling and a little more focus, which is precisely why that grip tightens further still.]

It takes more effort to avoid killing you than the opposite. With enough hatred behind it, you would be dead before you knew what had happened. In other words, Beck, you are alive only because I wish it.

[There'd be yet another sharp squeeze at his throat just to drive that particular point home as well.]

Nod once if you understand me, Beck.

[mysterioisthetruth]

[He struggles a moment longer, then the grip tightens and he hears the words. He wants to protest, fury rising. Strangely it's about his lacking control over what was happening more than the threat to his life that drives his emotions here, although he also doesn't want to die. So he does nod.]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Good.

[And with that, he releases the man. Not just the grip around his throat, but over him completely.

Whether or not Beck gets his wits about him fast enough to land on his own two feet isn't really something he's concerning himself with.]

[mysterioisthetruth]

[He barely has time to think but his powers right now almost have a mind of their own and a swirl of thick green smoke had been forming around his feet and now keeps him floating once he is released. He coughs, hand around his own throat and trying to regain his composure. He finally notices he's still hovering, buoyed by his own power. He looks confused and stressed for a moment, the poisonous green energy also still glowing around him, then his gaze turn to the device again; at Nox.]

So you made your point.

[His voice is hoarse and bitter and he winces, rubbing his sore throat. The smoke cloud lowers him gently but then he collapses to his knees once on solid ground. He makes a frustrated sound.]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Excellent. Because I am not fond of repeating myself.

[mysterioisthetruth]

[He looks like he wants to say something else, fury on his face, but then he just cuts off the connection.]

video

[ct_7567]

...that's unfortunate news.

Were you close?

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Miss Tano remains one of the few Jedi I respect- and that is a very short list.

In my experience, most of her Order routinely fails to abide by their own professed ideals. They turn a blind eye to a great number of troubles plaguing the galaxy in favor of isolation or ineffectual preaching, to say nothing of their tendency for near-religious fanaticism and an alarming capacity for hypocrisy.

She may no longer have considered herself a member of the Order, but I would consider her one of the better examples of what the Jedi should be.

[ct_7567]

I asked if you were close, not what your thoughts on their creed were.

[ Anyone who's attuned to the Force is just Like This, aren't they? ]

But I suppose that answers my question for one of them, at least.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

Spend as much time living with the reality of the two factions at war, and you'll find individual ideologies and how they contrast to their representative factions to be far more important a topic.

Doubly so when you then have to make the two sides get along in the face of something far worse.

I just wish she'd been a part of my own era instead of yours. Her assistance would have been invaluable.

[ct_7567]

I have. I was built for the very same war. I just don't find it particularly applicable to where we are here and now - or to friends that are now gone.

Though I have to say, I'm happy she was in our era. We need her as much as you would have.