OPEN | Of Unicorns and Snow Sculptures

[atypical_echo]

Who: Mark Bryant atypical_echo, Leonardo Hamato faceguy, Open
What: A Monthly Mission and A Snowy Arts Event
When: Mid December
Where: Outside Sunset Falls, In A Central City Park
Content Warnings: If needed

I. Snow Shaping Spree | Open

Given it's Central City, the competition starts in the daylight hours. Mark can't blame the organizers who have cleared a whole area in one of the moderately sized parks. And hey, he's got the day off so he didn't mind being tapped to do photography for the event. Which of course he's doing now. Just wandering through the work areas where people are making snowmen, snow mermaids, and snow gargoyles among other snow sculptures, taking pictures so that people's creations can be recorded and shown off online.

Of course there's always down time, and while the judging is going down Mark makes his way away from the crowds to one of the unused plots. Considering the snow he thinks, before moving to start getting his hands into it. Time to start rolling. Soon he's got a few large balls of snow all put together into one and he's busy turning it into a long tube. Clearly he's got a plan here. Maybe someone should ask what it is. Or perhaps offer to help.

II. To Catch A Creature | Closed to Leonardo

When the mission orders came down, Mark spent a long time staring at them. Which was of course bad because this was something that he wanted to do sooner rather than later. Still, it takes him a bit to process what he's being asked. There was even a moment where he wanted to ask the agent in charge of the briefing if this was some prank, or maybe they were assuming something about his... romantic history. But no, it's a job, and one they think he'll be able to manage. Okay, yeah, he can accept that.

The good news is he can call for help, and there aren't many options Mark thought he could turn to. They needed to be Alliance, they needed to be able to make up for Mark's lack of powers, and sneakiness would be a plus.

So, at last, here they were. Two guys (or guy and turtle teen), who have been wandering a non-meta sburb of Sunset Falls for a few hours, in costume, following the leads to find a group of children who might have more information. They had absolutely been getting a lot of side eyes throughout it all, but Mark was going to soldier on.

"I don't know how to talk to kids," Mark lamented as they made their way to a group in the middle of what seemed to be an energetic game of hide and seek. "If we can just get a break on where to find this thing, we'll be set."

Especially since Mark had already talked to a Sunset Falls affiliated Alliance member who had enchanted some ropes for them. Ones that they just needed to say the trigger words and throw to successfully lasso the thing without harming it. But first they have to get close enough.

III. Wildcard
[Have another idea? Reach out to me with a direct message here or to Churbooseanon. Old CR or new, it all works for me. Mark's a photographer by trade, works at the Orpherium in Central City, and is sort of an Alliance member whose power is that he's a ability mimic, all of which might be ideas on how to start. Or just throw something in there in Central and I'll find a way to fold him in (like, he gets mugged a LOT).]

Comments

II let's gooo

[faceguy]

Leo hadn't been expecting to go on a mission his first month back at the Alliance, but Mark had called him about the unicorn and he'd jumped at the chance. It's exciting to learn unicorns are real in this universe, and even more exciting to have the chance to see one up close. That's a chance he never thought he would get!

Unfortunately the quest to capture the unicorn thus far hasn't been particularly magical, since they've just been trudging around this suburb looking for any sign of the horned horse. But maybe their luck will turn now that they've found a group of neighborhood kids to talk to.

They may be strangers, but Leo is a strange teenager, so he's hoping they talk to him. Hopefully the fact that he's in his turtle form right now won't startle them.

"Well lucky for you I'm great with kids," says Leo, "so just let me do the talking."

This is a bluff, since Leo hasn't really interacted with kids much (Baxter Stockboy is an outlier and should not be counted), but being a big kid himself does give him an advantage.

Hello Fellow Children

[atypical_echo]

"You are?" Mark/Echo asks, frowning. "How much experience do you have with kids?"

Because Mark is half worried they are going to embarrass themselves further. If he has to flash his Alliance credentials again to prove himself, he'd die of embarrassment.

[faceguy]

Why is he calling his bluff…

“Well, besides having been one recently? I have a younger brother. And I took care of Dee for a bit after he got baby-fied again.”

And yeah, that’s… mostly it. He grew up in the sewers, after all.

[atypical_echo]

Babyfied again? God what in the world is this place?

"You know being a kid doesn't really mean you're good at this," he sighs. "Maybe don't play up that angle?"

[faceguy]

Leo folds his arms.

"Alright, so what angle do you want me to play up?"

[atypical_echo]

Mark closes his eyes and considers. And then he nods to himself.

"People out here don't seem very excited about superheroes. But these are kids. And kids always like heroes. And you're clearly not a basic human, right? So just be honest. We're heroes, we've been sent by the guild, we're trying to save something that needs help."

[faceguy]

Not a basic human is one way to put it, that's for sure. Maybe these kids will like turtles, though... It's worth a shot!

"Alright, we'll go with your plan, bossman." Leo gives him a grin, before looking back toward the kids and giving them a wave to get their attention.

"Hey!"

[atypical_echo]

The kids, for what it's worth, have the proper initial response of 'stranger danger' and look nervously at the voice. Until they see Leo. They try to look like they don't think he's interesting, but that's clearly failing with how interested they look.

"Hi?" one of them says."

[faceguy]

“Don’t be shy,” he says, though he doesn’t come closer. “We’re superheroes, from the Alliance.”

He points at himself. “I’m Leo. Nice to meet ya!”

[atypical_echo]

The children watch the pair nervously, and Mark stays a bit further back because of that.

"That's a bad hero name," one of the boys says. Because of course some kids have opinions about everything.

[faceguy]

Leo just laughs that off.

“Yeah, I guess I never needed anything other than my own name back home. I was a secret hero then.”

He strikes a pose. “You can call me Neon Leon instead.”

Yeah, that’s still what he’s going with.

[atypical_echo]

A secret hero, like an Atypical. Yeah, that makes sense. Except they really didn't count as heroes Mark supposes. Not like he and Leo are now.

The kids gather together and whisper for a moment or two before the one that is clearly their elected leader turns to face Leonardo.

"Yeah, we decided. That's a way cooler name. Who's the dork behind you?"

Mark winces. Clearly he's with Leo even if he was giving them space. He does take a step forward though.

"I'm called Echo. We're here on Alliance business, but Neon here, he's in charge. He wanted your help."

Which wasn't true at all. This was Mark's mission entirely. The kids don't need to know that.

[faceguy]

Nice. See, he told everyone Neon Leon was a good name!

Leo doesn't give anything away when Mark says it's his mission. He slides easily into his role without missing a beat. The benefit of being the former (self-appointed) face-man of his old team.

"We're here to help a magical creature; a unicorn, actually." He grins, bouncing on his heels. "It's a super delicate mission, and the adults here? They just don't get it. But we thought maybe you guys could help us."

I do not share Mark's opinions here

[atypical_echo]

Maybe you shouldn't listen to children as to whether or not a name is good. Children like fruit loops. Clearly they have poor judgement. Still, the kids are really paying attention to what Leo says and nodding along.

Helping things sound like a hero thing to do. And a unicorn is definitely a good thing to help. He wins a lot of points to when he says that adults don't get it. Clearly the guy has got it!

The kids turn to each other to whisper once again. Then the leader looks to Leo and crosses his arms over his chest.

"You super ultra swear that you're here to help it?"

lol

[faceguy]

"Super ultra. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Leo goes ahead and mimes crossing his heart on his plastron. He does it very solumnly, to make sure the kids know he means it.

"Unicorns are one of my favorite animals, actually. Helping one would only be an honor for me."

His love of unicorns is at least a little bit ironic, but it's also a lot sincere. Either way, the kids just need to know he will absolutely not hurt the unicorn.

[atypical_echo]

Okay, that was not what the kids were expecting, but they clearly respect the serious level of swearing there. Even nod approvingly at it.

"Alright then. You guys gotta follow us. But be sneaky, okay?" the lead kid says before nodding to his group and heading away from the playground and toward the tree line.

[faceguy]

Leo nods seriously. "We're great at sneaky."

He has no idea if Mark is good at sneaky. But Leo makes no noise at all as he follows the kids.

[atypical_echo]

Mark probably isn't great at sneaky, but he does follow after Leo and the kids. Even ends up next to Leo to speak to him, his voice pitched quietly.

"Neon Leon? Geez."

[faceguy]

“What’s wrong with Neon Leon?”

That’s his go-to hero name! Don’t knock it! He pouts, but smooths it out quickly before any of the kids notice. As far as they know, he’s still in charge here.

“Are you going to tell me that this is nerdy too?”

[atypical_echo]

"Everything," Mark says. Like, man, taste?

"No, there isn't anything wrong with kids liking you. Doesn't make you a nerd. Just makes you a kid at heart."

But he thinks the turtles are young, so that's fine.

[faceguy]

He's not a kid, he's all grown up! This is what his sixteen-year-old mind thinks, anyway.

But he actually doesn't mind if kids like him.

"Hey, it's good to be on kids' good sides sometimes. Like right now."

[atypical_echo]

"Any clue where they're taking us, beyond forest," Mark asks. For all he knows, the kids are evil and could be out to capture them. But something tells him not.

[faceguy]

"Well, it's a unicorn, right? Maybe it has its own... glade, or something."

He says that like he knows what the word "glade" means.

[atypical_echo]

"I suppose that's possible," Mark says, as they move now into the tree cover. Soon the children are stopping in front of them.

"I think you need to talk to them now," he says with a nod at Leo. "Be our guide."

[faceguy]

He nods back, then gives Mark a little salute. He's got this!

He saunters forward to the kids, grinning at them widely.

"So what do we do now?"