sea_shelly:

It wasn't hard to find the reef Kassi had spoken of.  It was harder to make herself come.  Even though Kassi had offered her help unselfishly, pre-guilt over what might happen to her sister wracked Marrina.  What if she hurt her?  Or worse?  When her body and mind raged so much out of control as they had been, it was impossible to say what she might do.

Marrina took a deep breath as she bobbed in the water.  It would be so easy to just run away from it all.  From Namor and Mac and Kassi, and... Mason and...  and maybe not so easy.

But she knew what her mother had become.  Knew that she'd had to be put down.  She wouldn't, couldn't do that to her friends and family.

sea_shelly:

It was happening more and more frequently, and frankly, Marrina didn't know what she was going to do about.  Department H doctors had never had a clue how her biology worked to begin with (there were several organs they couldn't identify), even with all the records they'd kept on her mother.

And just as likely, Atlantis didn't know anything either.

But she'd nearly killed people, nearly...

She needed someone to talk to.  Marrina called her sister.

the_other:

Ben didn't know when it would start, only that it would. With all the anti-mutant sentiment going about, it was only a matter of time before it got to Midtown High School. A few people, people he thought he knew well, started going the other way when they saw him coming. Others pretended to be busy with a particular spot on the floor that kept them from looking at him. Gong from one of the most popular sophomores in school to near-pariah in a matter of days didn't bother him nearly as much as where the hate was /really directed.

( Read more... )

 

little_mermaid:

Kassi hated gym.  Hated it with a passion, even more now that they were very near the end of the school year and it was hot outside.  Heat didn't go well for a girl with a largely Atlantean physiology nor did it go well with those damn socks.  The socks were the bane of her existence and so Kassi tried to time it just so that when she went in to dress out for gym she could be alone, allowing her to free her wings for a moment before stuffing back in their little elastic prisons.

She had just slipped off her shoes and sat down thinking she was alone when she heard a noise.

little_mermaid:

Each round was getting harder and though she was loathe to admit it, it was becoming increasingly clear to Kassia that she did not know as much about Atlantis as she should.  It chewed at her, the idea that perhaps there was merit to the voices that were steadily whispering about how a pink royal was worthless and not truly an Atlantean with Atlantean interests at heart.  Except they used the term "bastard dirtwalker" in reference to her.  They still hadn't taken kindly to the idea of her.

She had to shake the thoughts from her head, though.  Namor and his army was going to attack again and she had volunteered to make this raid herself.  Anything to find where the opponent was camped and, perhaps, shut down some of his forces.  They'd managed to shut down the left flank of Namor's forces two days earlier with this technique, though Mac had artfully used a double-agent to execute that operation.  This, this was all Kassia.  She could do this.  She could shut Namor down, win War Games, and prove herself.  Gripping the spear that was her weapon, she took a deep breath and left the safety of the corner she was hiding behind, heading for her target as silently as possible.

wild_rose:

Rose always had a good head for dates.  When you planned on living as long as she probably would, it was probably important to have one of those.

Besides, this one was easy.  Annie was practically a sister to her, though she'd also admit that Frosty was kind of supplanting her in the best friend department.  No slight to Annie, but while Annie was the friend who would bail her out of jail, Frosty was the one who'd be in the cell with her.

Never the less, there were few people she was closer to.  Rose had gotten her a new leather jacket and the promise to get her a fake id so they could go drinking.

fleetfootmac:

He'd headed to work as soon as he got up in the morning, barely stopped for lunch, and worked some more. Valentine's Day at a plant shop was kinda busy; go figure. Then there was the charity thing and a beautiful evening with Andrea. Mac had had an exhausting but excellent day.

And then he got home, and knocked on Kassi's door to check on her.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent was single this Valentine's Day, but he was determined not to let himself be dragged down by that. To that end, he'd arranged friend-dates with three ladies he was inordinately fond of.

the_other:

Ben Parker listens to Coach Thompson in the huddle, getting his assignment for the play. He does his best not to look up and try to find Kassi in the crowd. She said she'd come, but he hadn't seen her yet. Then again, he'd only been able to take quick glances around, and even those were dangerous. Already, he'd allowed one steal to turn into a fast-break situation that allowed the Rochester High Roadrunners to score.

Coach was /not/ happy about that.

Now, Midtown High was down six points in the fourth quarter with two-minutes left in regulation. Ben was loathe to do so, but now, he might have to rely on his secret weapon to secure the win for his team.

( Read more... )( Read more... )</div>

notyetqueen:

Tina had informed Anastasia about their younger sister, Kassia, moving to New York City at the request of her father, Namor. She should have called her sooner, as she wanted to get to know her youngest sister, but certain circumstances (Tina being kidnapped by a time-traveling villain, for example), had delayed things.

Rather than show up at Kassia's doorstep, Anastasia took the number that had been given to her by Tina and dialed.

fleetfootmac:

He'd found one -- an all-ages karaoke bar. A night out for him, Andrea, Kassi, and Ben. No mention of the trouble at home for now.

"A root beer, please -- Abita, if you've got it -- and the lady will have a Cherry Coke."

ng_atlantis:

Messengers arrive with official transport for Kassia, Marrina, and MacKenzie, all duly informing them that the time has come to speak with Prince Namor regarding the whole unfortunate string of events that recently took place.

got_the_touch:

Mason was wearing two parkas as he and Marrina waited at the set coordinates on the Nova Scotia shoreline. An official envoy from Atlantis was supposed to pick them up here. He was holding her hand, and what of his face could be seen between his scarf and his hat looked worried. He nodded to her.

"Just in case I get killed..." He squeezed her hand. "I love you. And you were worth it."

little_mermaid:

Day Two of public school did not appear to be headed down any more positive a path than Day One.  Kassia arrived early so she could stop by the office and pick up her class schedule, only to discover that they did not yet have her name correct.  She was now "Grace McKenzie".  She gave up at that point, realizing that any further protestations would just piss off the administration and also likely leak her identity as an Atlantean princess, which would piss off Namor.  Truth was, Kassi had no documentation with her name as Kassia save for Atlantean paperwork.  That they were able to get the McKenzie right was a step in the correct direction and she took it.

There was then the matter of her locker.  Kassia couldn't make the lock open, her efforts resulting in the lock breaking in her hands.  She was going to have to carry her stuff in her bag, which was fine.  She could handle that, but she was late for her first class, got lost finding her second, and by the time lunch rolled around she managed to spill juice on herself...and discovered there wasn't a single vegan option available.  And asking for one had gotten her weird looks from the cafeteria staff and students alike.  By the first class after lunch, Kassia had earned the badge of "Weird New Girl".

This wasn't going well.  When Study Hall arrived, Kassia found a spot at the furthest table away from everyone else and wished briefly that invisibility was one of her abilities.  She could use it.

fleetfootmac:

He wanted a job. A regular sort of job, that you could work hard at but not have to worry about much. Delivery for the plant store was perfect. Running around making sure people got what they paid for in a timely fashion. Flexible hours wouldn't interfere with helping out the Avengers or walking Kassi to and from school, and he was pretty damn qualified for getting things places fast, if he did say so himself.

Well, what do you know. Second day on the job, and he already had a really interesting one. Three Venus flytraps to Andrea Denker at the Baxter Building of all places. Not bothering to hide his ankles since he wasn't escorting Kassi, he made his way quickly there, rang the buzzer, and told the lady at the desk whom he needed to see about signing.

discardedheir:

When the smoke and the dust and in some cases the blood finally clears, there's just the electronically sealed vault door separating the combatants from their captive parents, grandparents, and employers.

Kristoff gets to work on the locks, and soon the door rolls back. The technicians surrounding the prisoners are all cowering in fear with their hands up.

The prisoners themselves -- Silver Sablinova, Victor Von Doom, Namor McKenzie, T'Challa, Magneto, and Exodus -- are all under heavy restraints and hooked up to IVs, so heavily drugged that they cannot access their abilities or think straight enough to plan an escape. They have only recently been brought to enough basic consciousness to -- HYDRA had assumed -- watch their children die on the television screen provided.

burnwithlight:

Just before they got near Symkarian airspace, they'd gotten a message from Vernard that he and his brother would be going. Another point in the 'Nazi Trap!' column.

And again they answer a few basic questions from SHIELD before they're even allowed past those border checks.

Eventually, they're in. Giovanna's hand hangs onto Andrew's arm in a girlfriendly fashion. The better to shock him at an instant's notice.

Symkaria's cleanup look like it's going very well.

discardedheir:

Kristoff sent a message to SHIELD. Full Disclosure. Doom was not in Latveria, and the Doombot signals had apparently been hijacked.

Then he got to work trying to raise Atlantis on the communcations system. Even once a signal got through the general difficulties connections with Atlantis sometimes did, it was something of a wait for anyone of the techs on the other end to be willing to take a call coming from Doomstadt right now. Even then, it some work to get someone to take "Please put His Majesty or Her Highness through as soon as possible. No, this is not a trick, this is Kristoff Vernard of the Fantastic Four" seriously.

nextgen_holiday:

In Canada today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

little_mermaid:

If the Doombots were supposed to cause panic and mass chaos under the sea they failed, at least with the citizenry.  Certainly there was a good bit of noise and confusion, but no one ran screaming or jumped behind buildings for cover.  The Atlantean people had dealt with Lemurians for goodness sake.  A Doombot was cause for concern but not full on Nathan Lane-style drama.  No, that type of drama was reserved for the advisers inside the palace.  The first Doombot received notice and almost immediately there was great shouting and flailing and someone actually yelped that the sky was falling.  It woke Kassia from her half-nap and she, like everyone else in the inner sanctum, came running to the war room to find out what the King would do.

Except...there was no King.  Just a lot of nattering, worrying, and flailing.  It went on for about twenty minutes before Kassia realized that something was off.  "Um.  So where's the Army?"  She was told that only the crown could call the Army.  "So where's my Dad?"  No one had an answer. Kassia looked at each adviser in turn, then rolled her eyes. "Oh for fuck's sake...fine.  I'm the crown.  Until my sister can get here I'm the damn Queen.  You there in the...skirt-like toga with the ruffle thing...call the Army.  We're under attack, people!" 

"Goddamn worthless advisers...gotta do everything my own damn self..."  Kassia shoved past palace staff and went straight for the throne room.  Her dad hat a triton in there somewhere.  She'd seen it.  Crowned heads wield cool stuff, right?  Once she found the triton, she grabbed it and then, as advisers yelled after her to seek refuge in the safe room Kassia charged for the door.

"The Fist of Atlantis doesn't cower in safe rooms when her people are under attack." 

***

An hour later, while the Army was dispatching the bulk of the invading 'bots, Kassia stormed back into the palace, a little disheveled and a little scuffed up, and headed straight for the war room...dragging what appeared to be the mangled leg of one of the Doombots with her.  She heaved it up and slammed it down on the table.

"And THAT is how we deal with invaders.  Get my sister on the line.  NOW."

She may have well been Namor Jr.

sea_shelly:

Atlantis was never a far trip, not if she was swimming full out.  Sure, she could have arranged for pick-up of some kind, as befitted a princess, but Marrina was occasionally about establishing her own independence.  She knew she'd been given incredibly free range in terms of royal demands on her, with her education in matters of state taking place on the side and sliding into her own schedule...

She wondered if all that was finally catching up with her.

In no time at all, however, she was at Atlantis.

little_mermaid:

Kassia had done exactly as Julian instructed the night she took down Sebastian Shaw.  She'd found Big Nick's with ease and made sure that people saw her there, a simple task seeing as she was probably the only vegan to have ever walked into the burger joint in its entire history.  Having ordered what amounted to a bun with tomato and lettuce with a big side of fries was certain to make an impression with the waitress as the girl kept looking at Kassi weirdly after.  After the restaurant, though, Kassia was on her own.  She spent the night in the city and the next day did a bit of shopping--another task that seemed like it would make for a good cover.  It didn't feel right, though.  It all felt strange and off.  She also found it hard to focus because every few minutes her mind would drift back to Shaw.  He had put his hands on her...there wasn't enough soap in the world to wash that from her.  And he had done the same and worse to Christina for years.  Then there was the whole business of having poisoned Shaw.  It all swirled around in her head and Kassia knew that she needed to talk to someone.  She needed her mother.

The door to the penthouse was unlocked when Kassia arrived, something the young woman noted as being weird but she pressed on just the same.  The front rooms of the apartment looked normal and still.  Her mother's handbag sat on an entry table untouched and there were fresh flowers like there always was. 

"Mom?"

As Kassi moved through, however, normal disappeared.  As she turned towards the inner rooms the young woman saw signs of struggle.  And blood.  Smeared on the carpet, some on the wall, and a great deal of it on the bathroom floor, Kassi saw blood and knew instinctively that something was very, very wrong.  She backed out of the rooms and fled to the untouched kitchen where she scrambled in her purse for her phone, dialing Julian.  She barely gave the man a chance to answer.

"Julian, my mother's missing and there is blood smeared all over her apartment."

hellfireprince:

Julian's message to Kassia Frost is simple and to the point.

"I have what you seek. Room 112." he says. He doesn't bother leaving his name or saying hers; she knows what he's talking about as it is. He hangs up his phone as his limo sets off toward her hotel, and he takes a look at the small container in his hand. It's hard to imagine that something like this will bring him his heart's desire, the thing he's sought since he came to this city, but all the waiting, the watching, the planning will have been worth it if it does.

He makes a call to Paulo, who is on a plane to New Jersey to oversee the final touches on The Violet Room, and after this call, he'll be headed down to New Orleans to begin work on his next club, Hedonism. Howard Entertainment Group is growing rapidly, and Julian is the driving force behind it, X-Factor, and several other pursuits.

He smiles to himself as he pulls up to the hotel and enters, heading to room 112 to wait for his partner in revolution.

little_mermaid:

Kassia waited until Marrina was asleep.  The girls had decided to wait until morning to return to Canada, which was plenty of time for Kassia to decide that letting her father handle things wasn't something that she could do.  The longer she sat with her thoughts the more she grew angry and wanted the darkest justice of all: revenge.

She had so many names and contacts thanks to where she had grown up and the people she had met.  None of them seemed particularly trustworthy now, save for one.

Julian Howard.

<i>It's Kassia Frost, can you meet me somewhere tonight?</i>

The call was made quietly from the bathroom and if he agreed, she'd ask him to meet her at a coffee shop a few blocks from her hotel.

little_mermaid:

Kassia returned to the hotel she was sharing with Marrina, but it wasn't as quickly as she had made it seem like it would be.  Instead of being back in just a couple of hours it was near four in the morning when she made her way back into the room and smelling faintly of alcohol.  Her eyes were wide and her entire person seemed rattled.  She came into the room and sat down on the couch, the bag with evidence from Frost dropped on the floor as though it were the least of her concerns.

And for the moment, it was.

little_mermaid:

Disguises were easy.

So was convincing people that they were seeing and hearing what you wanted them to see and hear.  Easy if your last name was Frost at least.  From her outpost in the black Mercedes with the tinted glass Kassia had no trouble seeing to it that Marrina got into the building with unfettered access to everything that lay beyond the security desk.  The building was empty of people, of course.  An attack of what some idiot news source tried to term economic terrorism had left the building closed for business but there was still a treasure trove of information on the inside.  Kassia was interested in two things: confirmation that her sister, Tina, wasn't inside and whatever suspicious devices and odd evidence might be there.

They bought it, Marrina.  You have complete access.  I suggest heading to the damage zone first and telling me what you see.  Or rather, thinking it.  I can hear you clear as day.

Her sister wanted a cheeseburger.  That she could hear clearly, too.  Kassia sighed, realizing there was a trip to a fast food place in her future.

little_mermaid:

Kassia was getting fidgety.  She hadn't contacted her mother or her sister, Christina, since she'd reconnected with her father.  She'd been very good, obeying her sister Marrina's every word and while she didn't actually count herself on Marrina's team, she kept active and picked up the place a bit as needed.  She made cookies and indulged in cookies, read a ton of books, and watched television.

That was what made her fidgety.  Various news reports of issues at several Frost Industries facilities around the world.  It was weird.  Some of the reports weren't specific enough for Kassia to figure out what facilities were damaged and though they all said no one had been hurt, that didn't mean she believed them.  Tina could have been in one of them working off clock, or even her Mother.  She wanted to call them, or at least Tina, to make sure things were okay.  But Dad had said not to contact them.

Frustrating.

Before she did anything rash, though, she decided to ask Marrina's opinion.  She knocked on her sister's door.

sea_shelly:

They could have swam it, but Canada (and Alberta in particular), was quite the distance away from Atlantis.  And frankly, what was the point of being a Princess if you couldn't ride in style every now and then?  So the daughters of Namor were being taken home (or to the shore, at least), in an Atlantean Royal transport.

It was luxurious, if slightly military, but comfortable to say the least.  Marrina sat on one of the couches, idly munching on candied sea urchins.  Her father had introduced them to her on one of her last visits.

Her sister.  She was bringing a sister home.  There were probably going to be all kinds of diplomatic issues involved (especially once Emma Frost found out), but she would do everything she could to keep her sister safe.

"So..." she ventured.  "You told me a little about you.  Only fair if I talk too.  Anything in particular you want to know?"

nextgen_parent:

Namor allowed Kassia to rest while he waited for Marinna and considered his plan. The idea he'd come up with was a more cunning plan than any other he'd ever engineered, and it was worth mentioning that he considered not following through upon it for Kassia's sake. She'd been hurt enough as it was, and he'd lost enough time with her. What time was there to waste upon vengeance on the one responsible for taking her from him? Perhaps it would be best to let bygones be bygones and allow Kassia's mother to live with the knowledge that Namor could strike at any time, and never know when or how the day was coming.

But if Emma Frost possessed even THAT scant knowledge, she would attack him first, likely with Shaw's aid.

And Namor's decision was made.

"Paras, you are to arrange a meeting with Victor Von Doom for me, to take place after my meeting with Marinna. Neither of us need travel; I will speak with him from the war room. Word of this is not to be breathed to anyone, not even Marinna. Are we clear?" he says.

"Yes, my King. And speaking of the Princess...she has arrived." Paras says.

"Usher her to me, then leave us." Namor says, sitting down upon the throne.