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| Stand My Ground.; tag; Rahne. | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 8 2014, 11:47 AM (360 Views) | |
| Paige Guthrie | Apr 8 2014, 11:47 AM Post #1 |
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Unregistered
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Paige was shaking slightly, despite the warmth and comfort of the leather surrounding her body. The uniform was something that the blonde had been looking forward to and dreading at the same time – putting it on meant she would accept the responsibility that came with it, but it also marked a major turning point in her life. It was harrowing, exhilarating to be in the sub levels and steadily making her way toward the famed and aptly named Danger Room. Paige knew she was in good hands – Rahne was a veteran of the X-men, a trusted leader, teacher, friend. She knew no harm would come to her under Rahne’s care, but that wasn’t really what was bothering her, not really… The omnimorph had had her first taste of battle recently, but she’d choked under pressure. She’d choked bad – and she still had the nightmares to prove it. It had been a week since the volunteering incident, something she was still trying desperately to put behind her. There were things she’d seen and heard that she would never forget…but she couldn’t afford to let her fear set her back. She’d waited years to come to the Institute, years to be with her brothers and prove what she could do. The country girl wasn’t the type to let a few bad memories and one big waking nightmare come between her and her goals…but what if she wasn’t really that good? Paige resolved then and there to suck it up and get over it – of course she wouldn’t be nearly as efficient as the others, because she had no combat experience. Unless one counted her nearly dying the week before…which she didn’t. That hadn’t been combat – that had been a slaughter house…one which she and everyone else had barely made it out of…to think mutants were capable of things like that…all the more reason for her to buckle down and be ready for the next time something like that happens. Paige wasn’t going to idly sit by and be useless when her powers might actually be able to make a difference when push came to shove. Rahne had guided her through the sub-levels of the mansion, giving her a brief tour and letting her get acclimated to the cool, steel atmosphere. The echoes of trainings and trials past still seemed to resound in there…despite being rebuilt recently. Of course, that was simply her fanciful imagination talking…but the tense, sterile atmosphere was one that reflected how serious and necessary her endeavor was. Even if she never fought any grand battles or made any huge difference…she would at least be better able to protect herself and those she cared for. And that, honestly, was all she could ask for. “Ah’m shakin’ like a leaf, Rahne,” Paige chuckled a bit at her own expense, noting the way her knees were basically knocking. The Scot had reassured the blonde time and time again – she had nothing to fear, not in the Danger Room, and not at the mansion. Performance anxiety was new to Paige. Traditionally, the blonde loved taking on new challenges and pressing her limits….she supposed it was simply the knowledge that her powers were new, and she didn’t really know that much about them. But, as Rahne had calmly reminded her before…that was where every mutant started out. She had nothing to worry about… Taking a deep breath, keeping in step with Rahne, Paige choked out, “Ah’m ready. Just open up the doors and chuck me in, before Ah chicken out.” She shot Rahne a half-hearted grin as they came to the entrance to the Danger Room. Paige in truth had barely paid attention to her surroundings, the maze of rooms and halls that made up the sub-level of the mansion…all of it was one big, sterile and chrome blur…because none of the rest of it mattered. Excitement caused her to bounce of the balls of her feet, long blonde hair flipping back and forth as she seemed to be mentally and physically preparing herself – it was clear the blonde was not exactly sure of herself from the way she was behaving…like she was facing down a horde of zombies instead of advanced technology. Paige was just thankful Rahne agreed to keep this little session between them; she didn’t want to have Sam worrying about her more than he already did… |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 8 2014, 04:28 PM Post #2 |
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Wolf Form
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Technically, Rahne was on maternity leave, and wasn't running Danger Room sessions or teaching class so to speak. But exceptions could be made, and Rahne got the impression that Paige needed her, if for no other reason than to be a trusted friend, offering support through her first scheduled session. Rahne could do that, no problem. She still had her access, still had her passcodes and overrides and whatnot. Granted, things were a bit different this time around. She still couldn't quite fit back into her X-Men uniform, which she usually stuck with even when she was up in the control booth, so school t-shirt and sweatpants took their place. She'd at least bear something X-related. That was a fair compromise. And of course, she had a baby to bring along with her as well. Slung in his little papoose thing, periodic jingles emitting from it as he played with his little plush giraffe with the bell inside, one of his preferred toys thus far. "Hey - relax. I'll nae be puttin' ye through anything ye cannae handle solo, I promise ye that," Rahne said with a smile as she put a hand on Paige's shoulder and squeezed lightly. She could feel the tremble in the girl, hear her heart rate pounding away. They made it to the doors, the entrance awaiting them, and she gave Paige one last look. The girl was determined, that much was certain. That good old Guthrie hard-headedness shone through, a refusal to do any less than her best. Rahne quickly tapped in her passcode sequence, one of the codes without which access could not be granted - a combination of fingerprint scanning and numerical code entry making it difficult for just anyone to gain access. The door hissed open, and two more beyond that. One door led straight into the Danger Room, the other up to the control booth. That other door was where Rahne headed, taking the short lift up to the top where she could overlook Paige's session. "Alright, alright," she said to Greg as she made it to the control panel. "What do ye think? Strength? Agility? Durability?" Greg's only response was thrashing his arms a bit, reaching up and flexing his fingers in grabbing motions, which Rahne took to mean that he wanted up and out of the sling, which she complied with, holding him up by his seat and leaning him against her so he could see. "Ye're right, Durability's a bit rough for starters. She did say she was rather bouncy, aye? Would ye like to see her bounce?" Rahne asked with a smile, before dipping down a bit and kissing her baby on the head. She scrolled through the menu, and found the exercise she wanted. "There. Startin' it up now." The Room before Paige shifted, but not in holographic terms, but rather mechanical movements. Platforms emerged from spots around the walls, each at about seven to eight foot height intervals until they reached a high point at about twenty four feet above the floor. Some were spaced apart for distance, others for height. "Alright, Paige. This one's relatively straight forward. There's a platform in this room what has a red flashing light over it. That's yuir goal. Let's see what kind o' time ye can make, aye?" |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 9 2014, 12:13 PM Post #3 |
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Unregistered
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Paige found Rahne’s presence even more comforting than she thought she would. Of course, the woman had put many a nervous new mutant through their first DR sessions, so she would be a natural at it. But she supposed her familiarity with Rahne and the fact that the lycanthrope was definitely a softie under all that roar helped. Not that Paige would ever point that out to Rahne…but she was sure the Scot already knew exactly why the blonde had asked her for this instead of her big brother without her even needing to get into the reasons. That was what she liked about Rahne – she either already knew through intuition or familiarity, or she simply waited for you to come forward with all the facts. She never drug anything out of Paige, just waited for her to come out with it in her own due time, no matter how many times she stumbled or fumbled with her words. The new mutant found herself entering the Danger Room as its doors opened, having kept her eyes fixed on them as Rahne took baby Greg up into the control room above, overlooking the entirety of…well, a Danger Room that didn’t look very dangerous. The walls, floors…all blank and smooth. Paige knew better than to assume that this was all that met the eye, but she had to admit she’d expected a lot more….lethality where this place was concerned. Which, honestly, was silly in of itself – the Danger Room was a training tool, not an execution block. Good Lord, she needed to get a grip on herself, and fast! Paige took a deep breath, letting her eyes wander the flat, steely surfaces of the floors and walls a moment, before Rahne gave her the signal and instructions. The omnimorph had jumped initially when the room suddenly buzzed to life, the platforms raising slowly, with eerie metallic whooshing sounds all about the room at varying levels. Paige spotted the red blinking light relatively easily, but saw that it was on one of the higher platforms. The blond guessed it was over twenty feet high, making impossible for her to jump without use of her abilities – Paige had never went that high in her rubber form, but only because it felt too weird. Guess she supposed she would have to simply get over it! The blonde gave Rahne a nod of understanding and a thumbs up to the control window, the majority of her unease dissipating. RRRRIIIIIPPPPPP Paige felt her skin and uniform tear away, the uniform flopping uselessly to the ground while her skin fluttered about her before falling, leaving her hair among the mass this time – but by the time it fell, she was already on the second platform. Paige had decided to treat this as a serious endeavor; this was important and vital to her survival, potentially. It felt odd, being in the rubber skin. She was a dull caramel color, her body completely smooth, moving fluidly and elastically – completely hairless. She was experimenting with the first few platforms, jumping as a normal human would, but with the aid of her form jumping far higher than any human could. She got to about the fifteen foot mark this way, in under two minutes, before pausing. The next platform was spaced differently, and Paige knew for a fact that a rubber ball could bounce it…but she was doubting herself about her ability to make it. And it was in those moment that Paige realized that logically, if a ball could do it she could. All it would take was a little faith on her part, and some aiming… With a deep breath, Paige took that leap of faith, only curling in on herself this time, her spine bending forward to an impossible level, giving herself a bit of a stretch that she didn’t even know she could be capable of, and then bouncing. If it hadn’t been for being slightly off balance when she made the jump, the effect of limited athleticism and nerves, Paige likely would have landed spot onto the platform. Instead, she thankfully was left gripping the edge of it, and was able to pull herself up onto the platform with the blinking red light in about three and a half minutes, leaving her enough time to simply jump from the top platform and bounce harmlessly to the ground below….only instead of actually landing, Paige went up again with all the force she had bounced down with, making her illicit a bit of a yelp, as it sent her right back up into the ceiling. Luckily, before it could become a bounce-a-thon, Paige managed to grip a ledge on the way back down, slowing her momentum, and allowing her to drop a modest few feet this time. Paige grinned sheepishly up at the control room, “Guess that means Ah coulda just took one big jump onto that platform, eh? Didn’t know Ah was quite that bouncy….” Paige laughed a bit before making her way toward the center of the room again, near her clothing, just in case. She felt the same itching pressure, the same need to change forms coming on, but she noticed it wasn’t quite as adamant as usual – probably because she’d been using her abilities more recently. “What’s next, Rahne? Does Greg think Ah passed?” |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 9 2014, 09:06 PM Post #4 |
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Wolf Form
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It was a curious, fascinating thing watching Paige work. The way her mutation worked, Rahne supposed one could consider it vulgar - perhaps even a little bit disgusting - but really, who was anyone to judge? And treating any of them as inherently vile - well, that just hardly seemed fair. Rahne herself crossed the species barrier - possibly more canine than human. Was that vile? She didn't feel vile. They would have to go about cleaning this up, though. The skin, the hair, all of it left behind like old detritus on the floor. Rahne found herself wondering - was Paige truly bald now? That could certainly save money on haircuts, that was for sure. Paige struggled at first - naturally. That was to be expected. This was a new experience and one she hadn't quite attempted before, and was in a form she wasn't exactly comfortable with. Of course she was going to be a bit awkward. But she persevered, and improvised. And that was a very good sign. "Excellent job, Paige! I'll extend a ladder f'r ye, an' then we-" Rahne's eyes went wide as Paige opted to just - jump straight down. Leaping upward was one thing. Going down? Oh, she just hoped that - SPROING! Rahne watched in wide-eyed surprise as Paige bounced back up to her own eye-level, smacking the ceiling relatively hard before going down and slowing her descent bit by bit. "Ye're alright though? Yuir poor noggin..." Rahne asked, glancing to Greg for a moment, who was quite content with his right knuckle in his mouth. "Och, I'm afraid he's a bit preoccupied at the moment-" "Bahbbllmm!" "I know, that's what I just told her - anyway. There are a good number o' things we could try. Perhaps impact resistance? Ye demonstrated inhuman flexibility there, which suggests an alteration deeper than the topical level... 'tis possible that in this form, ye've even got Mister Wagner beat in terms of sheer flexibility." Rahne couldn't help but wonder here. So little was known about what Paige could do. What she was capable of. "I'm curious then - an' this is something I'm nae so certain the room can test but ye definitely can on yuir own - just how far ye can stretch, bend, twist yuirself around? Let's just see what happens when ye really test yuir limits on this." |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 10 2014, 01:39 AM Post #5 |
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Unregistered
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Paige nodded, laughing a bit at Rahne’s worry for her noggin’. “Mah noggin’ is just fine – granted, Ah got a bit winded, but Ah’m right as rain, promise,” She said, shaking her head a bit. In truth, Paige could still feel the impact of her bounces and whatnot, though they were greatly muted. That smack up against the ceiling, however, had kind of jounced her a bit. Thankfully, however, her mutated skin absorbed the majority of the impact, leaving her able to still function despite the nasty collision. “Ah’m up for trying it out – not sure how much longer Ah can hold this form, but Ah guess that the only way Ah’ll learn to try an’ hold it longer is to well, try,” she said, giving Rahne another reassuring nod, before stretching out her alternate body. It was fluid but solid, rubbery and stretchy, rippling. She was a pure rubber substance – on the outside, anyway. Her internal organs were still very human and fleshy as far as she knew, allowing her to still breathe, see, hear, and metabolize. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she took a moment to focus herself, able to feel the slight burning itch that signaled she was starting to near her apex on how long she could hold a form. Exhaustion or self-injury was something she was going to have to risk in the name of progress – she couldn’t fully know the extent of her abilities unless she tried, after all. Paige reached a hand out toward one wall, and her other hand toward the opposite wall….but nothing happened. Huffing out a breath, the blonde figured some physical help would be necessary, and asked up at Rahne, “This room can generate a lot of different things, right? Can I get some monkey bars? Ah know it sounds silly, but just trust me on this.” Paige said with a little grin, before letting out a bit of a sigh when a set of bars released themselves from the nearby wall panel, resembling very closely the traditional playground instrument. Paige gripped one of the supporting bars with one hand and standing under the bars, reached out toward the other end, which was about six feet. Slowly, but surely, her arm began distending out further than possible, and with added concentration and several added moments, Paige’s right hand was gripping the opposite beam. She was showing some signs of strain, but was determined to continue. The burning sensation in her skin was growing more intense by the moment, but she was adamant on pressing her limits, until she absolutely had to change form. Paige’s breathing grew slightly more rapid as she began getting more experimental…she lifted herself up, both arms stretched out now as she situated herself in the middle of the monkey bars, her feet dangling several inches off of the floor. It was clear she was having some issues, but she was able to keep herself suspended long enough to flip her feet up towards the ceiling and thread herself through the narrow slit through the middle of the bars, showing off the fact that, with a little effort she could fit through small spaces in this form, thanks to it’s moldability. She was balancing herself on the top part of the monkey bars a moment, before swinging down and landing near her clothes. “O-okay Rahne, Ah gotta change, it’s startin’ to hurt somethin’ fierce,” she said through slightly clenched teeth, the burning in her skin having reached feverish levels, no doubt aided by the extra effort she had made to see how stretchy and flexible she was. RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP!!!! There was an audible sigh of relief when Paige took on a new form, her granite form. As before, her skin was completely grey and her eyes were glazed, taking on the hard texture from before. Unlike before, Paige’s hair was still gone, but she laid Rahne’s curiosity to rest, “And don’t worry ,when Ah go back to mah natural form, mah hair is back – Ah somehow regrow all that mess every time after my rubber form. Don’t ask me how or why it makes any difference. Ah ain’t got a clue.” She shrugged, before pumping her fist into an open palm and giving Rahne a grin. “Ah wanna see what kinda damage Ah can do.” |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 10 2014, 02:04 AM Post #6 |
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Wolf Form
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"'Tis unfortunate, but true, Paige - a good lot of progress in expanding yuir limits comes under duress, under pain or fear or both. I'll nae push ye on that, though. I can however, encourage you in yuir own decision," Rahne said as she complied with Paige's request. She knew too well what she was talking about. Almost all of her advances with her own mutation, steps forward in fine control, or levels of metamorphosis - came about thanks to times of hardship, of pain and stress. She had never known she was capable of making the full species change until she had been trapped alongside Jean, Jamie Madrox, Billy Kaplan, and the Dead Girl in what she could only describe as a haunted house. She had fine-tuned her levels of control after the Brood, so shaken and horrified by what had been made of her body that she intently took control over herself after the fact, resolved to never let anything else control her form again, by exerting ultimate control over her own. "Lookit that," she whispered to Greg as Paige literally stretched herself to her limits, who fussed a bit in her grip, complaining a bit in a way that sounded halfway like baby grumbling and halfway like a puppy's whine. "Oh, fine, I guess ye've really got no interest in that, do ye?" she relented, turning him around and propping him up against her shoulder, where he seemed much more content as he rested his cheek against his mother. "That was quite impressive, Paige," Rahne announced through the PA. She had done exactly what was needed to expand her limits, pushing past what she thought she was capable of, possibly even pushing her own time limits. "Just thought I'd let ye know that ye managed to hold rubber form for... seven minutes an' thirteen point eight two seconds. An' as f'r the hair thing, truth be told, I'm nae concerned in the slightest. Honestly, ye pull the bald look off better 'n most," Rahne chuckled, shaking her head. A wry smirk crossed Rahne's lips as Paige requested to test her raw damage capacity. She glanced over to Greg, who babbled idly on her shoulder, and bounced a bit in place, before typing in a quick command with her one free hand. "Ye want t' deal some damage? Give it yuir best shot," Rahne announced, and then a panel slid open in the floor. Out from that panel rose a vaguely humanoid form - tall, and impossibly thin - skeletal, even. A basic combat training drone. No advanced weaponry, not too terribly durable even. Not that Paige would know that. She would just know that it had risen from the floor and was now walking towards her with determination. |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 14 2014, 04:39 AM Post #7 |
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Unregistered
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The new mutant had pushed herself beyond her limits – the ache in her skin hadn’t completely faded from straining herself once she morphed again, but she was still able to concentrate and function with her abilities. For a little longer, at any rate. Paige offered Rahne a grin upon hearing she topped out over two whole minutes passed her norm, feeling a sense of ride in that accomplishment. The blonde laughed a bit at Rahne’s antics, waving to baby Greg from her position below, giving herself a moment to mentally prepare in between exercises, stretching. Her powers were odd, she felt more dense but wasn’t heavier; just a tad slower than usual. It would take her time to get used to moving around in her granite form, meaning she’d have to hit harder in the meantime to make up for it. Her worry was she had no idea what her strength was…but there was one harmless way to find out… Paige had been taught to stand up for herself and others from an early age; Sam taught her how to punch and her Ma taught her to never pick a fight but to most definitely finish it. The omnimorph was not a violent person, and an avid disliker of confrontation, but she knew if it came down to it she would be more than willing to intervene on the behalf of others if need be…and her abilities would most likely be required in any given combat situation. So, might as well get used to wielding them! Paige nonetheless hesitated when a shadowy construct began making it’s way toward her. She’d never really hit someone before – the odd schoolyard bully from grade school not counting. By the time Paige had gotten older, everyone knew better than to trouble her; Sam and Jay had apparently made sure to put proper fear into anyone who might think to harm Paige, or any of the siblings for that matter… Clenching and unclenching her right hand, able to hear the grinding sensation of stone on stone, Paige visibly hesitated, before inspiration occurred to her. She’d pretend this shadowy visage was the person who had tortured her brother. Immediately liking that idea, Paige planted her feet, letting the image grow in her mind before she really let the picture take hold, and a sharp, potent rage heated her veins. She had him right where she wanted him, all she had to do was strike. The country girl took several quick steps forward, plummeting her entire body weight and all the strength she could muster right into the center of that construct’s face, arcing her fist down with a loud, almost animalistic grunt… |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 14 2014, 07:10 PM Post #8 |
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Wolf Form
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Doing this - it was a bit of a gamble. Paige could react poorly to the robot, panic, falter, have any number of bad responses to it - did Paige have any idea how to present herself in combat? Was she capable of holding herself correctly? Clearly she was, as a solid blow swung out into the chest-piece of the training drone and staggered it back a few steps. In this form, Paige clearly had some considerable strength to her. Rahne glanced down at the control panel, tapping a red icon on the screen. Damage Report - Cracked Chassis - Torso Internal Calibrations Compromised Rahne glanced out the window and back down to the training room floor. The robot seemed unsteady on its feet as it stepped back towards Paige, definitely worse for the wear in this particular battle. She was doing well, no doubt about it, but that robot was getting its second wind. It staggered its way back, and reared its left arm back, seeking to strike Paige with a downward stroke. Not the most optimal attack, but it wasn't designed to be. It was designed to leave itself open to see if an opponent could capitalize on this moment of weakness. |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 18 2014, 12:42 AM Post #9 |
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Unregistered
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Paige wasn't a trained combatant by any means, so it was no surprise to her when she misjudged the distance and speed of the robot and ended up planting a fist into it's torso, landing a solid blow nonetheless. Grimly, she realized this was mere luck. She had a theory that Rahne was fairly testing her out in 'easy' mode - surely if the room was capable of the marvels Paige had seen so far, things she was still geeking out about on the inside, it was capable of producing far more insidious things... The construct stumbled back, and as anticipated, arced an arm up and made to strike back. Paige went on the defensive, side-stepping and trying to make up for sloppy footwork by making a quick and precise hit to the robot's side, where the vulnerable spot was glaring. This time Paige fared far better, hitting the construct with the whole range of capacity she possessed in this form (1 ton), sending the thing flying across the room, no doubt causing severe damage to it. The blonde gawked at her own clenched fist, feeling a rush of surprise and something akin to a pleasurable adrenaline surge. The country bumpkin couldn't say she liked pummeling things but she was starting to see why people did things like kick-box, work out, and start fights. There was a kind of vivid, earthy pleasure in exerting your strength, pushing your limits. Paige had brought her fist into the robot almost effortlessly, her shoulder doing most of the work as she aimed, reigning in and focusing, ensuring that she did as much damage as possible. She didn't want to reflect on what would have happened if that had been a person. Even her botched punch before would have crippled or killed a normal human being. Testing a theory, she threw a lazy, weak in her mind punch at the nearby set of bars - they bent. Yeah, it looked like she'd have to work on controlling her strength in this form. She really didn't want to be responsible for any undue injuries! The blonde gave a stretch, then a thumbs up to the window. "Ah think Ah got a bit more in me if ya wanna throw somethin' else mah way. Surprise me this time - let Greg pick, even!" she shot a grin upward, much more relaxed in the training area than she had been previously. She was still tense, still had the air of a very untrained and clumsy recruit who had no idea of their own strength, but she was at least starting to realize that she might at least have the potential to succeed..... |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 18 2014, 02:24 AM Post #10 |
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Wolf Form
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Upon the collision of stony fist to robotic torso, the mechanical construct went positively airborne, zooming across the Danger Room and smashing into the wall, bursting into pieces as it clattered to the floor like so much junk. "Wa-ho-ho, wow! Paige Guthrie's got some force in those wee skinny arms! I am impressed!" Rahne's voice came over the loudspeakers clearly, calling out in enthusiasm. A bit of baby babble came through as well, but whether Greg was just making noise or expressing annoyance at his mom's sudden outburst of sound was unclear. "So she wants us to surprise her, aye?" Rahne said to the baby leaning on her shoulder, right hand in his mouth. She glanced down to the touchscreen, looking over the potential exercises. Crush test, no. That was one Piotr was fond of, but that really wasn't something Rahne was comfortable with. She wanted to minimize the risk of hurting Paige. This was her first time in here, and she was all alone to boot. Not with a team, or with a partner or anything of the sort. "Alright, ye'd like a surprise, ye got one. Let's... tryyyyy... this one," Rahne tapped in a quick command, and just like that, the world around Paige began to shift and change. Pixel by pixel, one square of light at a time, the Danger Room shifted and changed. The bright, glaring lights of the dimmed and faded, steady white lights being replaced by the orange flicker of wall-mounted torches in a dark, stony labyrinth. And she was at the center of the maze. "Objective's quite simple. Find the exit. Only trouble is, ye're not alone in there. Keep yuir wits about ye, keep yuir mind sharp an' focused, and keep yuir guard up. Good luck." |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 18 2014, 04:13 PM Post #11 |
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Paige smirked at the pile of robot bits, feeling an odd sense of elation. This whole thing wasn’t so bad after all. She wasn’t foolish enough to have the impression she could handle anything that the more experienced X-men could, but she was beginning to realize she was far more capable than she had initially anticipated. The blonde could feel her form beginning to shift under duress, but she stubbornly held out as long as she could, in spite of the definite discomfort. It felt like she had a nasty sunburn, which was a step up from the slight itching beforehand. She realized this likely meant she was severely pushing her limits for the day, but Paige knew she had to keep going. This was a training exercise, one that would tell just how ready she was to be paired with the kids on her team. The Legacy Squad wasn’t just a bunch of kids messing around – Paige knew they were being honed, prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. They were the last resort, the last line of defense between the school and everything else… The omnimorph flinched a bit when the pixels surrounding her shimmered, creating another very solid holographic environment that made her blink. "Objective's quite simple. Find the exit. Only trouble is, ye're not alone in there. Keep yuir wits about ye, keep yuir mind sharp an' focused, and keep yuir guard up. Good luck." The blonde took a deep intake of breath, doing her best to try and calm herself. This was a bit more than she had been anticipating – but she should have known better. In asking for a surprise, she was asking for a challenge, and Rahne delivered. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe that all sessions were based around simply pummeling something before it pummeled her – sometimes she’d have to use her head, an exercise Rahne was enforcing now. The omnimorph could feel the tightening in her skin intensifying, and with a yelp, she was forced to take on a new form – wood. Eyeing the torches around her warily, Paige decided to only spend as long as she had to in that form before reverting back to granite. If she could, that was. The ache was relieved somewhat, but she still had to push herself to hold her alternate form as she cautiously moved forward, avoiding the walls and the torches on them carefully. “Not alone, eh? Well, Ah think Ah can live with it if Ah happen to find Jareth in here,” she giggled, obviously trying to relieve some nervous energy, referencing the Goblin King from The Labyrinth. Blue eyes were wide and watchful as she peered into the dim passageways of the tunnel, taking turns cautiously, heeding Rahne’s advice. She was crouched down defensively, though after a few minutes of wandering she straightened with a muffled curse. Somehow, she’d looped around right back to the beginning! At least, it looked like the beginning….. Her heart rate increased, some memories of that night in Mutant Town starting to tickle the edges of her consciousness – no! She needed to keep her head in the present before something decided it would look good on a pike! Paige visibly struggled to regain her sense of present before emitting a huff of effort, attempting to shift again after having an idea. It took her nearly a full minute, but sure enough, with a cry of slight pain and triump, there was a resounding RRRRIIIIPPPPPP!!! She was granite again, and she wasted no time in gouging her fingers into the nearby wall, making a sloppy but still legible white arrow into the stone wall, pointing in the direction in which she intended to venture again. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep this form up, so she moved quickly, taking a right at the fork this time instead of a left, and marking her progress as she went, throwing a cautious eye back to make sure the marked stones stayed marked. |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 19 2014, 07:21 PM Post #12 |
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Paige was clever, that much was sure. Once she realized that she was going in circles, she began marking the walls to determine where she'd already been. A good tactic, and one she could stand behind. Very smart, very clever. Hopefully that would be enough to get her through this exercise. Granted, Rahne knew that that alone wouldn't do it. She knew this exercise, had done it a time or two to put it through a testing pace. "Oh, Doug..." Rahne sighed with a smile and a shake of her head as she saw the proximity warnings before hearing the sound. A dry, crackling sound, the click-clack of hard, brittle dessicated bones on cobblestone. Doug Ramsey couldn't help his fantasy tendencies sometimes, and quite frankly, she wouldn't want him to. So yes, programming a labyrinth full of Ray Harryhausen style monsters was exactly something Ramsey would have done. And if she had her guess right, this was one of his for sure. Ahead of Paige, a wall. To her left, a dead end. To her right, from out of the darkness, the glow of many sets of red lights emanating from empty eye sockets came alongside the clatter. And then, they became visible. A group of animated human skeletons, clambering towards her - fleshless hands extended, jaws clacking with each step. A shambling horde of reanimated skeletal structures. "Well, this one certainly has a flair for the dram- oh," Rahne quickly quieted her voice, as the baby who moments ago had been content to babble away, chewing on his hand idly, was now completely asleep on her shoulder. |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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| Paige Guthrie | Apr 20 2014, 05:29 AM Post #13 |
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Paige wasn't sure what made her scream - the red eyes staring at her with an eerie, almost hungry gleam or the way the skeletons were shambling in a very unearthly manner. It took her almost a full second to realize what she was even seeing to have the sense to react - of all of the things she had anticipated, this had definitely not been one of them. She'd expected more constructs if anything, maybe a trick door or two - but that was the point, wasn't it? She had asked to be surprised, after all! And boy, had Rahne succeeded! The blonde didn't think twice before backing up a step and then another, realizing that they were pretty slow, or at least, they seemed to be. She made sure to keep her back out of corners and stay in the lit hallway, hastily shifting to her granite form. A bit too hastily, perhaps - searing pain made her yelp, her form shuddering and for a scary moment, it was patch-worked; wood, rubber, and granite all molded together in a slightly grotesque mosaic before smoothing out to the desired gray tones. She had taken too long to shake off the lingering burning pain however, because she was greeted by a surprisingly fast attack - three skeletons rushed her. She was able to feel the sharpness of the bones on their fingers, thankful she had managed to change back from wood - they might have actually damaged her had she not been stone in that moment! Thinking quickly, Paige reared back, landing a solid punch against one's jaw that sent it's head flying right off. The skeleton fell, but was promptly replaced by another, the mass moving forward as a whole, clearly wishing to swarm her with numbers since it was clear they were no match for her one on one. She was pushed back, and back, and back - she saw a flickering torch from the corner of her eye and made a grab at it, knowing she wouldn't have time to finish them all off by hand. She could already feel her form fighting to revert back to human form, and it took a great portion of her will to keep herself centered and granite. She promptly threw the torch into the center of the horde, followed by another, and another - the flames gathering and then spreading among the skeletons, the combined torches burning hot enough to turn some to charred, ashy bone, reducing her work greatly. With a few more well aimed punches, Paige had dismantled all but one - and naturally, that was the time that her powers chose to abandon her. With a pained yell, she shifted back to her human form, falling to her knees, twitching and whimpering. In her pained, slightly panicked state, Paige seemed to have forgotten that this was just an exercise, just a test. She unfurled from her position on the floor and grabbed another torch just in time to ram it into the ribcage of the last skeleton, that raked it's fingers across her forearm in the process, making four, long bloody furrows. Thankfully, however, the heat of the torch only took a few moments to reduce the skeleton to charred bone and ash, the thing crumbling before her eyes. Panting, sweating, and stark naked, Paige stood in the hall of the labyrinth, holding her injured arm, hissing a bit as the wound stung. The scratches were more like gouges, deep enough to need stitches - if she had simply asked Rahne to turn off the session she wouldn't have been injured, but still...it felt good to have completed it, even if she kind of...panicked near the end. Sheepishly, she looked up at Rahne, before letting out a slight whimper. "Well, as much as Ah'd like to say Ah'm rarin' for more...Ah think that's a wrap..." She'd stood her ground and in that moment, that was all that mattered. |
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| Wolfsbane | Apr 20 2014, 05:50 AM Post #14 |
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And just like that, it was done. Paige had gotten overwhelmed by the assault, and emergency protocols kicked in, shutting the program down. The room reverted to it's standard state, leaving naught but busted robot scraps all around her. "Oh, Paige," Rahne whispered, frowning slightly. Had she given her too much? Had she dealt out more than the young woman could handle? Possibly. But now she knew her limits. She knew what she had to push past. Carefully stepping to the back wall, Rahne opened up the supply cabinet and pulled out a large white towel, and a refrigerated bottle of water. Smooth, careful movements - didn't want to wake the baby... wrap the battle up in the towel awkwardly, using one hand to get the job done, and headed on over to the elevator. "Ye know," Rahne whispered as she stepped out of the elevator onto the central floor, navigating robot scraps and making her way over to Paige, bundle in her hand held out for Paige to take. "My first Danger Room exercise - well, nae really the Danger Room. We had somethin' similar on Muir, but nae nearly so... fancy. I was tasked with makin' it from one end o' the room to the other, clear the exit. That was all I had t' do. I was smart about it. I focused muh senses on the floor, sniffin' an' listenin' f'r traps. I was cautious, I was careful. Three quarters o' the way through, the floor caved out from under me. Dropped me down, an' I desperately clung on t' the sides, tryin' to climb back out - 'till the platform I was clung to decided to fling me right back out an' past where I'd started. Bruised muh hip somethin' fierce when I landed." Rahne smiled, glancing over to Greg as he shifted a bit on her shoulder, but stayed asleep. She quite liked watching him sleep. He was so angelic, so peaceful. And not at all up to any trouble. "Ye did well, Paige. Ye did very well an' I'm proud o' ye. Shall we get ye cleaned up and bandaged?" |
![]() [size0]Say the dog and butterfly, in the air they like to fly. Dog and butterfly. She knew she had to try, and she float back down to the warm soft ground, laughing - she don't know why, but she had to try, she had to try. Dog and Buttefly. Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much! | |
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8:59 AM Jul 11