Elite Comic Universe PBP

Arturo walked along the beach. He stared out at the water as the sun set behind him. He was far from alone, but it was relatively quiet.

Iris had snuck out later and made her way quietly down to the beachfront once activity had started to die down.

It had been a long day but still, she supposed one's work was never done.

He hugged himself absently, as if still trying to warm up.

Babble wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:15 pm

He hugged himself absently, as if still trying to warm up.

"Hey Babble!" Iris waves casually.

"That was a lot, today, right? Kinda appreciating the climate here. You did great though, those tech skills are handy...Hey do you do repair jobs? Overclocking?"

"I have never seen snow before." He said. "Cebu is similar to this but more rain. I could probably do that, yes. What did you have in mind?"

Babble wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:34 pm

"I have never seen snow before." He said. "Cebu is similar to this but more rain. I could probably do that, yes. What did you have in mind?"

"You've never seen...oh, huh. Well that must have been weird."
She shifts awkwardly.
"Maybe a ski trip after all of this? Usually snow is nice not you know, trying to kill people. Not a great first impression."

Nodding at his answer.
"I've got this home rig I use for editing and it's giving me all kinds of grief and I'm not paying the damn adobe fees and I was wondering...if your tremendous superpowers might be able to get around that sort of stuff and give it a boost?"

He nodded. "I should be able to help. As long as there's no snow. Even our mountains don't get snow."

Babble wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:57 pm

He nodded. "I should be able to help. As long as there's no snow. Even our mountains don't get snow."

"If there's Snow in my room something has either gone very wrong or...well no, that's just in the something going really wrong category. But thanks! I'll owe you one. What do you like, can I get you something in return? Snacks? Cool jacket? Headphones?"

"With the Frankies around, an indoor blizzard would not surprise me." He shrugged. "Maybe you could take some photos for me. Something nice I could send back home."

Babble wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 25, 2025 12:34 am

"With the Frankies around, an indoor blizzard would not surprise me." He shrugged. "Maybe you could take some photos for me. Something nice I could send back home."

Half-second pause.

"Oh? Uh, sure yeah that's easy. You want some ones of you? Or shots of the city, the campus, that sort of thing?"

"Of me. My mother will want them for our family albums." He answered.

Babble wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 25, 2025 6:29 am

"Of me. My mother will want them for our family albums." He answered.

"Nice, cool you have a good relationship with your folks and all that."

Iris then raises her camera and without any ceremony takes a couple shots of Babble unposed with the water behind him, humming to herself.
"Tough being so far away from them?"

"I talk with my family often, but this is the longest I've been away." Arturo looked out across the water. "It's not clear where I'll end up once this is all over. I'll go home again, but I doubt I'll stay there."

The seraph's arrival was eerily quiet. For once not breaking the speed of sound (he had discovered that the sonic boom could sometimes alert the camera crews as to where he had gone), he cruised into the waterfront at a gentle 600 mph (he still had to outrun them, after all), and simply dropped out of the sky next to Arturo and Iris.

"Good evening," he ventured, suddenly a bit more awkward than he had been feeling before he interrupted their conversation.

"Susmaryosep!" Arturo stared at Uri-el for a moment "Sorry, Catholic reflexes. My mother would be prostrating herself. How are you tonight?"

Malik smiled. "I am sorry to have surprised you. I am never sure what reaction to expect." He chuckled. "I should probably wear a 'be not afraid' sign."

A breath. "But the night is otherwise going well for me. No sign of trouble. No mysterious encounters. Very nice. What about you?"

"Good. The beach is a good place to get away from radio signals, especially once the sun goes down." he explained. "Fewer people with fewer cellphones. Cell towers are further away. No WiFi. Can't really escape the satellite or broadcast frequencies, but it's nice to get away from all of the other noise."

Uri-el nodded slowly. "It is important to have places of refuge. I did not realize the world pressed upon you so. And you, Iris, must also bear a burden of this kind, yes?"

Uri-el wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 25, 2025 12:07 pm

Uri-el nodded slowly. "It is important to have places of refuge. I did not realize the world pressed upon you so. And you, Iris, must also bear a burden of this kind, yes?"

She grins.

"Nearly as perceptive as me Malik. Yeah it can be a lot. Like a lot a lot. But you learn to deal with it. Or go completely insane I guess. But I have this really great sensory deprivation tank if you ever want a break from it all."

"I have faraday cages." Arturo said. "My hood has some faraday shielding. But, out here is quieter. Which makes it a bit easier to search for specific signals."