daybreakacademy | Danger Zone

Entry tags:

Danger Zone

WHO: Maya, some open, some closed
WHAT: A collection of things for the latter half of February
WHEN: Let's not focus on details like that
WHERE: All over
NOTES: Various things will probably be tagged with specific content warnings as they come up. The usual Maya stuff. Also her permission post as is standard.

(Open) A. Learning Lessons

After the dance Maya's more than a little... aware, of her shortcomings. And if she plans to help put this final countdown on hold, she'll need to step up all the skills she uses. She isn't a fighter because learning to fight has never been one of the things she was good at, she's the band nerd sister. If Katie had powers, she could beat up anyone she wanted. But here she was.

So Maya can be found making a pest of herself in the Legionnaire Quarters, working out and trying to keep in shape. She's also skulking around the Mythril Cage watching other people spar and practice, she might be impossible to hear coming but she's very visible if you look at her. And asking all sorts of questions about what can be made when she's around the Anvil of Hadur.

All her activities run toward the same idea: what sort of tools can be made to fight with, that are easy to learn, and can be minimally loud magically speaking. That last one propbably takes more explaining than Maya directly offers.

(Open) B. Practice makes Perfect

Maya's taken over one of the band practice spaces and set up several speakers and music playing devices she's found in storage. Record players, a boombox from the 70s, her computer, her phone, each one playing a different 'thing' for her to practice on. Mix tapes, Best of Queen discs, youtube covers, a few TED talks.

A bunch of things that shouldn't be playing at once. And fortunately for those that pass her door... only one thing is making noise at a time as Maya practices muting the various objects around her. Controlling the sound so that only one thing can be heard and all the other objects in the circle around her are quiet.

...Of course sometimes trying to balance so many things at once gets too much and she gets frustrated, turning off the sound of everything in the building for a few seconds. But- what can you do, you have to practice right?

(Open) C. Overcoming Obstacles

Maya had a half-dozen objects made, tiny things the size of baseballs to be hidden around the school for her to go and find. She enlisted her friends to help her on this. Each one had a magical camouflage to them, that once set would make them invisible. But as it's magic, it meant it created a specific noise that Maya could follow.

They were meant to do two things, first is she had to hear past the chaos of the campus to find them, helping to control how overwhelmed her senses were. The second was to work on hearing things further away, focusing her mind to better track a noise.

No point in learning to fight, while letting her natural gifts degrade to being useless in the process.

So Maya's moving around campus trying to grab things from trees, under bushes, and in the various buildings. Invisible things. Naturally this looks weird to anyone who doesn't know her.

W.Wildcard

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Maya had been in her room, listening to music while doing homework. Normal, non-magic, homework. Which meant she might as well listen to music. This should have been a nothing sort of thing. Except eventually a song came on and Maya just- stopped. She left her homework all over her bed as she researched the song that just came on and where he came from.

--- Later that Night...
Maya couldn't find Hector during the day, she looked but he just- wasn't anywhere, so she did the smart thing and went into town. Then listened for where he might have been to go find him. She had to talk to him anyway, give him back his money now that she had a new plan for how to defend herself... eventually.

But now she had a new reason to see him, and it was more pressing than that. Much more pressing. It didn't make any sense, and it seemed like she'd get more answers from Hector than Ms. Rivera. And there was much less chance of Maya needing to answer for her own past talking with the more open of the ex couple.

Once Maya found Hector she did what she normally does, forget she doesn't make any noise and sneak up on him. "Who is Ernesto de la Cruz?"

Maya figured going to Sari's room was better than Sari coming over to her's, for starters the pretense for showing up would be less weird with Sari's roommate than with Maya's. Zaka is a good kid, but he's a boy, and given how hard Sari's been flirting with Maya- anyway.

That wasn't the only reason Maya wanted to talk to the rune expert, but it was certainly an interesting way to break the ice. Maya listened at the door to hear if Sari's magic was in, took a steadying breath, and knocked on the door. And fortunate for Maya... she made noise on the very first attempt.

Maya's not a combatant - decidedly not - so it's interesting to see her here, among loud noises and louder people and the sound of weapons being made and honed to their peak in the Anvil.

He's here to see if the spells on his knives need renewing, and to maybe do a little maintenance that he doesn't usually have the time for.

"Miss Matlin! What a surprise." His voice is pleasant as ever. "What business brings you here today?"

"Oh, um, figured I should learn a little more about what sort of things can be made here. How all that works." Maya's reacting to sounds nobody else can hear, but that's pretty standard for her. And being here is seeming to take its toll, but she's being a trooper about it.

She hesitates, not sure where to start with what she's looking for, but that Mr. Gehring would probably know something to help, from what she's seen of him in combat, "Maybe figure out what spells weapons can have that are more... pleasant, for me."

Tonight, he's on his way to try and collect some notes for later morning tutoring sessions, possible new essays to go over too. He's made himself a checklist for what to grab, just to be sure, eyes upon it as his cane tap, tap, taps along the ground.

And then suddenly, there's a voice there behind him, and he's letting out a high scream. The list goes fluttering off and the cane clangs to the ground and he whirls only to find a girl, no monster at all. His hand goes to his heart, the other to his knee as he slumps.

"Oh... Maya... dios mio, don't do that to me. Oh god..." He groans and rubs at his face, reaching down for his cane and bracing on it then as he catches his breath. "I'm sorry, what did you say...?"

Maya helps by collecting up his list, she looks guilty. Right, she should warn people where she is. Except that'd still be her making noise behind people without any warning. Eventually she'll figure out how to show up in front of people not behind them.

"Ernesto de la Cruz. Who is he?" She's going to offer him his list while repeating her question. She'd researched the name but couldn't connect him to Hector, just that his guitar was definitely the guitar.

He reaches for that paper, only for his hand to go still. There's a quick rush of panic, of anger, of that deeper gut-churning sickness to think that if she knows of Ernesto then she knows of those... of that...

He steels himself, closing off with a frown. He turns his eyes down, dusting off that list and folding it up to tuck away. And have the excuse not to look at her.

"Some famous musician?" He just barely keeps the venom from his voice. "Why are you asking me?" Did Peter tell her?

"Are you any good with weapons?" His tone is neutral, with no hint of judgement. In an almost absentminded way, he flips his main knife out of its sheath with effortless motion; it becomes a blur between his hands in short order. It helps him think, so it's not really for show. He just prefers his hands to be busy rather than idle, when giving such a matter thought.

"Though perhaps I should phrase it another way. Are you prepared to risk someone else's life at your hands, even on accident? It's a heavy burden, to take one up."

Edited 2019-02-18 04:40 (UTC)

Maya looked very unimpressed by that pokerface, and that answer. It was obvious he wanted to avoid her eyes as he took the list. If only because she knows that isn't it.

"I heard him play while I was doing homework. He's playing your guitar." Maya's arms cross over her chest as she considers how to better get an answer. "Now, wanna try again at who he is?"

Right, being good with them, that was a question she had zero answer to. She's never picked up a weapon. Ever. The second question does cause Maya to visibly hesitate, the phrasing kinda runs to Maya's core.

"I... know that I need to do something, doing nothing is just as much of a risk to someone else's life." She wasn't able to do much in Paris, she couldn't even keep track of one of their party (although Killua is terrifying so she shouldn't blame herself). And the demon fight she got so overwhelmed she needed rescuing. "But I've never touched a weapon in my life."

"If you are unwilling or unable to master a weapon to an adequate degree, then...do not."

He smiles, a little, as if the answer to her question is that simple. "You should work on your strengths, Miss Matlin. Not that having something to hand isn't useful, but there is a significant difference between something designed to kill-" and here he sheathes his knife and leaves his hands empty, "and something designed to defend yourself."

He clasps his hands together. "So, let's work on this together, shall we? Tell me what you think your strengths are."

The pokerface immediately shatters. He can't maintain it with the way his mouth twists, thinking about that music playing for all to hear. But it does explain, now that he's thinking about it.

"A backstabber and a terrible friend?" He suggests, the venom fully getting out this time. "I'm guessing your power told you the guitar was mine?" His knuckles go white around his cane. He really doesn't want to talk about this.

"We grew up together, in Santa Cecelia. I taught him how to play and, in turn, he repaid me by taking my things and destroying my memory!" His voice cracks a little. "But you know, it's over with, he's... Ha, in a manner of speaking, he is dead to me. If you're looking for his autograph, you're not going to get it from me."

Maya listens, it isn't that hard to tell this is deeper than just 'terrible friend.' Much deeper. She doesn't believe it's over with either, not for him. Not with all the ripples going on.

"I'd need to meet him in person to hear who he is, but he sounds like an asshole." Recordings, live presentations, they don't capture the nature of people, not like she can get from being somewhere. The mundane sound, an object who's nature matches Hector and Ms. Rivera? That was all she had, "I just know that guitar he has, the white one? It has the same sound you have. And Ms. Rivera. That sound that made it clear you two were connected? That can't just be an accident."

It might be because it was just that fresh for him. He'd only very recently found out after all.

He snorts when Maya calls Ernesto an asshole. Hardly anyone thought so, with how charming he could be. The rare few that did would hear from him, saying 'he is, but he grows on you, really'. If he could go back in time he'd shake himself.

Bringing up the guitar just makes him grind his teeth. He tries to explain anyway. "That guitar... was a wedding gift. From Imelda... for me." He pinches the bridge of his nose a moment, then restarts. "It was my guitar. So, no, it's not an accident. I lost it when-- when I got lost. In the outlands. We were separated, so to speak. I was in there, he was out here getting famous. And it's not that I expected him to look for me, as I'm pretty sure he thought I was dead, but you know, maybe telling my family would've been nice or- or- giving me credit on the songs he took or--" His hand moves again, covering his eyes, pressing his temples. He takes a minute, breathing in, breathing out. "I'm sorry. I don't... can you do me a favor? You want to listen to his music, go ahead, but I... I don't want to ever hear that man again."

Edited 2019-02-18 05:34 (UTC)

She has to think on that. Could she kill? She took on the weight of so many things she couldn't stop, but could she kill. She wasn't gone yet, all the things she blamed herself just pushed her to do more, and knowing how to fight, to stop bad things from happening.

"I'm very aware of my surroundings. Keeping track of people at a distance. And nobody can hear where I am, seers can't see me, just- generally stealthy?" It meant when she tripped over herself nobody turned around and saw it. She isn't really coordinated enough to have looked too much at the hand to hand weapons too closely, but she was asking about them too. "But- can we move away from this room?"

Maya's fairly good at a poker face... usually. However everything she just heard made her blood boil. Which is an interesting feeling, breaking her constant numb.

"Nothing about any of that is okay." Maya would drag herself through hell for her cello. She'd punch someone for stealing her songs. To just let that go, no matter how much time, only explained one thing. Why Hector wasn't into playing for others anymore, why he hid his talent and stayed out of the limelight. And that wasn't okay, "If I want to hear your songs, I'll ask you to play them."

He laughs bitterly. "No. No, it's not," He agrees. God he is anything but okay with any of this right now or even just okay in the long term.

"I'm a sickly homeless man who doesn't know what he's doing. My family hates me. I wrote these songs for them-- Some only for them. And now, as far as they can tell, I'm nothing but a worthless deadbeat who left them alone for years and sold off the ways they matter to me so it all belongs to the world! I shouldn't have gone on tour, I shouldn't have left home, I shouldn't have picked up a guitar--"

His hands flare out to his sides, one with his cane and the other without. He takes a minute. Then drops both.

"Okay. Okay, okay. I'm fine. I'm fine. I apologize. Getting worked up is... it's not going to change anything. I'm fine..." Another brief silence falls. "Thank you, for understanding."

Maya takes a few moments to respond to that, it's a very hard to balance thing to react to, how honest should she be? Should she lie to him, help him feel better. When the truth might help in the long run, but will also be harder to swallow.

When has reality ever made things easy, "Lie to me again, tell me you could write those songs and not want to share them with someone. Anyone, even just your family. And all of that would require a guitar." She could see where Ms. Rivera got her hatred for music, she couldn't understand it, but she saw where it came from. But that wouldn't have changed who Hector was, merely change his fate a little. And it wouldn't change what happened to him at all.

"He hurt you, in ways I don't think even you accept fully. And getting mad can't fix it, but... you can try to make something new out of it? You can't take back those songs he stole, that time he stole. But you can write new songs, songs that would be just for your family." Maya had a lot of things she regretted how they went, places she could have done more. Time she could have used differently had she known then what she knew now. But all of that was just a trap, "You can be more than all that, just- not thinking this way."

This did explain his sound, why it was so- damaged. Whatever he went through he wasn't over it yet. Maya was glad nobody could read her the way she reads others. She fears what they would hear.

She speaks, trying to help-- these kids were always trying to help-- but it just makes his face twist, voice quiet as he all but begs her, "Maya, please, I don't..."

His words are lost however as she carries right on. He shakes his head, not in answer, just in wanting to draw back from all of this somehow. God, he hasn't even had time to process all this, he's been trying not to be killed, only just learning his wife hates him, that his best friend, his brother could do this to him.

You can write new songs.

"...I don't want the songs. I don't want that guitar. I never cared about the fame... I want my life back, my home. I want my daughter!" His voice cracks through. He bends, curving over the cane, as his head hangs.

"I... I can't... they wouldn't let me write home after the outlands. It breaks the secrecy the hunters keep. I keep trying things to get home and I end up worse than how I started. And every time I explain it, it gets harder, and riskier, and that's more time I'm going to miss, so I can't tell anyone. I've already lost so much time. I can't give up, I won't... but music is not going to help me reach my little girl. Neither will Imelda or Ernesto. If it would work, if it would let see my Coco without some insane catch... I'd never play music again. And that is the honest truth. Nothing's more important to me."

"Of course. Please, feel free to lead the way to somewhere that makes you more comfortable." He'd already noted her sensitivity to noise in general, the way she jumps and flinches at things that her power lets her pick up. He'll adjust to fit her needs.

Maya takes a few moments to listen to her surroundings, then lead to an area a little less noisy than right outside a busy workroom. There's a lot less people working in this area, and most of them seem to be researching and planning, not building yet.

"I just- I'm no good to anyone if someone has to spend their time babysitting me while chasing monsters. I'm learning more sounds, able to figure out the nature of things, I'm getting better at picking apart illusions. What's the point of me being here if I'm still more liability than useful?"

Maya can see how she's fucked it all up, again. That was so much more important than music... well, to other people. Maya didn't really think she'd sacrifice music for anyone in her life. Of course, music has snaked its way into every aspect of who she is slowly and surely from the age of about four. So there's not much she can do there.

"That's bullshit. There's no way secrecy is worth that." Maya looks even more ready to pick a fight with anyone (Imelda) over how this looks. Keeping Hector from his daughter, not even being able to write because- what, he got lost in the outlands. Imelda has a pet cat monster, that's probably not keeping her from Coco. Secrecy can't possibly worth separating families. "I'm sorry. It's- that doesn't help, but... this is way outside of what I can do."

He can't deny it. He doesn't think any of this secrecy is worth it at all. So what if the world knew he was dead? Why did it matter when it didn't to him? Except for when it came to things like this because apparently, it did matter.

He's not sure if it's a laugh or a sob that comes from him as she goes on.

"Oh Maya..." He rubs at his face, and slowly lifts himself, straightening, to look at her. There's obvious pain there, and his eyes are no doubt watery, but he forces on a smile. Of course that was what this was about. That's what it was always about with these kids. Just sweet kids trying to help.

"Niña," He says. "I didn't expect you to be able to do anything. You're a kind girl, and crazy talented, don't get me wrong. Smart as a whip and wise to boot. But I wouldn't ask that of any of you kids. This is my own mess. I won't pretend I don't find it difficult, but that doesn't mean I want to drag any of you into this. Or that I'm not working hard as I can to drag myself out."

He straightens up that little bit more, pulling a deep breath and exhaling. "I'm not okay. But I'm trying to be. And I believe I'll get there eventually. The only thing I want from you kids is to keep trying to take care of yourselves too. It's been really nice here, getting to know you all. I'm grateful. Even when things get crazy or someone stumbles into my personal mess of issues." He laughs weakly.

"Facing things on your own is noble and all, but it's also stupid and dangerous."

Maya brushed her hair over her ear, how to actually say it. Does she just say it, she's too young to try to act like she knows everything without owning up to some of her own mess. She hasn't actually said what she did, on the roof, before. "It helps just knowing people are around too help. Cause- if you think you're alone, that you've messed up too much, and there's nothing else you can do to help others. That's when you make stupid calls. Like-"

Deep breath, which just looks weird when you don't make noise. Her fingers brushed over a ring that spread over two of her fingers with a guitar on it, "trying to take yourself out of the world, to make it easier on everyone else. It isn't really dragging us in if we're volunteering."

"I'm assuming when you say kids like that, one of them is Peter. He's sweet, an idiot, and has to meddle."

Otoha's senses were beyond those of a mundane human, but they still weren't great. So, as far as she could tell, this girl was just poking around at the corners of campus, grabbing at nothing whatsoever. Weird, but not the weirdest thing she's seen in the last week.

Rather than ask what she's doing, Otoha decided to just watch her for a bit, not exactly hiding herself but not saying anything either. Let's see how long it takes her to notice.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 6

Danger Zone

CLOSED to Hector - Sound of Strings

CLOSED to Sari - Tattoos and Touch

A

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

C