Role Play What You're Wearing

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"Oh for crying out loud!" Falana yelled in exasperation. "What is it with you people these days, 'who are you, where are you, I need to know everything about you and the past and where I'm going and the future and life and the universe and everything before I'm going to do anything blah blah BLAH!'" Her voice was thick with sarcasm and frustration as she ranted on. As she spoke with more energy, her form grew more solid until only the tiniest outlines of things behind her could be made out.  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"Well geez, you could have just answered the question..." Cadhla replied, rolling her eyes. "At least I can mostly see you now!"  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"I could not have answered," Falana told her, "for I know not the answer. And the reason you can see me is because I've moved you a little closer to the threshold of the spirit world. Normally I'd just move myself wholly to the physical world, but I don't have the energy to do so at this time. So I borrowed a little energy from you and now we're both slightly transparent. Sorry for the inconvenience."  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"Not like I care what other people think of me. What do you have to tell me?" she asked, watching the little messenger intently. She had always tried to stay out of trouble, until the darn collar came along...  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Falana winced and held her hand to her head. "Please don't think so loudly," she asked politely. "Worry not, I'm not a psychic, it's just when we're both in this form and connected in a way, I can feel bits and pieces." Rubbing her head for a moment more, Falana then dropped her hand and stood up straight and proud, all business now.

"Dark One of the mortal plane," she began formally, her voice taking on the weight and authority of the ages, "thou art summoned to great things. Thou art at a threshold, a crossroads, and thine actions have greater weight than thou canst imagine. Tread wisely." Falana stopped speaking and shrugged, the weight of time slipping from her shoulders. "That's the message. At least what I have now. Your message is odd. I have to be your companion, because parts of it can only be unlocked at critical moments." Falana gave an apologetic, and sympathetic, smile. "Sorry."  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"You'll be my companion...forever?" Her face changed, confusion spread across it as she thought of the message. "Why am I so important? I've done nothing! I don't understand nearly half of the stuff that's been done to me."  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"No, not forever, I have other things to do, and believe me, all of time is longer than you can imagine. I am to stay with you until all of the message is delivered and this great event happens or whatever it is." Falana paused, trying to recall how she would have reacted to this kind of news when she was alive. It'd been a long time since she was mortal, and she sometimes forgot how fragile people were. "I'm very sorry you were chosen," she told her softly. "I wouldn't wish it on anybody. When great things happen to and around people, they're often confused, and with good reason. I'll try to help however I can. I'm Falana."  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"I'm Cadhla. I don't know anything about this 'great thing'. I'm just simple me! I didn't ask to be great!" Putting her hammer down, she leaned on it. "Can you get rid of the collar?"  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Falana smiled sadly at the "simple me" comment. She'd heard various people claim such things over the centuries, but it didn't change anything.

"Maybe. I don't know how much I can interfere in the mortal realm, though. And I don't know if I should, even if I can. It could shift a balance." Falana tired of all this tiptoeing about, feeling as though she was walking on eggs. She couldn't interfere too much with the mortals, it could change everything, etc. At least this wasn't as bad as time travel. That made her brain hurt.

((Edit, so as to make it easier for Roland.))

At that thought, she glanced over her shoulder at the mercenary. Falana hadn't told Cadhla the full truth in what she'd done when becoming visible. Not only had she brought Cadhla closer to the spirit world and used the energy to bring herself farther from it, she'd also used the energy to create a time pocket. It was nigh on impossible to slow down time for all reality, so instead to get the same effect, she'd sped up time in a pocket around her and Cadhla. But it was quickly draining both her and Cadhla, though the woman wouldn't notice until tomorrow, most likely. She hadn't wanted the mercenary to get away when she was distracted with the dark one, and if she didn't at least try to explain to the dar- to Cadhla, then she'd run off. It had happened before, with others. Satisfied that Cadhla would probably not run off, she returned their bubble of time to normal, almost collapsing against the wall in exhaustion as she released it.  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"Are you ok?" Cadhla asked, concern flashing through her features. "Who is he?" Joining the two, she leaned against the wall. She felt slightly weaker, but not much at all. It didn't really bother her. She had a small headache, but it was probably just from the confusion.  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland finished his cigarette in time to see a stray cat bounce away from sight. "Such a simple life. The only thing you have to worry about is where to find your next meal. You don't have to worry about how to get rid of those goons..." With that, he thought aloud "Screw it. Let them raid my place, I don't care. I've got everything I need right here." His mind went to his two pistols strapped to the back of his belt, and the twin arm blades strapped to the sides of his legs. His mind was also brought to his gloves, and he sighed. "I really wish I could get the chance to put these things to good use again."

The gloves themselves had an energy pocket on the back of each hand, which can be used to take the form of whatever he desired. They also have one other unique skill. When used the right way, the energy from the gloves are released into the surrounding area instead of being solidified into a form. This energy is then used to slow the flow of time to a stand-still, which by extension gives him the ability to warp.

Roland looked down at the ground, feeling a bit shameful. "Without using these things in so long, I've almost lost the ability now. It's gonna be hard to get it back." With that, he picked up the nearest piece of debris - a beer bottle top emblazoned with the logo "Budweiser" - and tossed it into the air. while it was in the air, he attempted to freeze time, and was saddened to see that it only slowed it's movement by about a third.

With that, he pulled his arm blades out of their sheaths and weighed them in his hands, and did a few practice swings. He briefly considered charging the group like a madman, then decided he was at an advantage in the alleyway. He then began thinking out loud about how he could get them to rush the alleyway.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

As Falana caught her breath, she felt that something was different. Something was wrong. First, the mercenary hadn't reacted at all to her or Cadhla. Taking a deep breath, she opened an eye to examine a couple layers of the world. "Ah, I messed up," she thought aloud softly. "Neither of us can interact with the living right now..." her voice trailed away as she noticed something very odd, and she pushed herself off the wall, staggering with dizziness for a moment, to look at the mercenary. "The gloves..." her sluggish thoughts frustrated her, and she briefly realized she hadn't rested or eaten after her last mission. "I've never seen anything like it!"

She turned to Cadhla. "I'll be alright. Drained and tired is all. That man is the other half of my mission. I have a message for him." Falana paused, listening to what the man was saying. Thinking out loud was a strange habit, she thought. Not that she didn't do it, but it was strange none the less. "How good are you at fighting?" She asked Cadhla softly.  

[Kaz Likes Cookies]

"Not too shabby. Not great either but I know how to use this hammer. The collar just gets me down," she replied quietly. She didn't understand what was going on besides the fact that she had to help Falana.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

"Might need that hammar," Falana muttered to Cadhla distractedly, starring at the mercenary's gloves. As long as she was invisible, she thought to herself, she may as well get a closer look at the gloves. In all her years -millennia, a small voice corrected- of existence -servitude- she'd never seen the like. As her hand got closer, she felt a strange pressure in her head, and before she could blink, a surge of blue energy jumped from the gloves to her body, engulfing her for a moment before she absorbed it. With an audible pop, she and Cadhla became visible in the physical plane, and Falana jerked her eyes up to stare wide-eyed at Roland.

"Uh..... hi."  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland almost defecated himself. He immediately went into a defensive stance, arm blades in front of his body with his legs poised to run backwards. Four things were going through his head at once:

"People appearing out of nowhere isn't exactly normal."

"He who turns and runs away lives to fight another day."

"Maybe I'd be more willing to take my chances with those goons..."

"Hrm. Maybe I should have eaten a bigger breakfast..."

After a bit, Roland shook his head and looked at the two people who just appeared out of nowhere. "Who are you and why were you invisible?"