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Jeremy glanced up at the sky, deciding that he would have to be quick today if he was going to get home before it started to rain. He was finding more and more that he ended up doing things like shopping at the last possible minute. In these moments he was tired, slightly cranky, or simply unable to concentrate on the task at hand. If he really thought about it, Jeremy supposed he was all of those things regardless of the time of day these days. Things were simply hectic in his life... It wasn't just work and stress on the job. It had a lot to do with his marriage, trying to raise Bianca while Ashley was working... and that was just for starters. Jeremy wasn't even at the point that he could readily think about the Adele situation yet. <p>

Shaking his head, Jeremy glanced down at the list in his hands in order to remember where he had left off. It was in studying the list he realized he hadn't even started yet -- he hadn't made any purchases, and he was already smack dab in the middle of the market. Jeremy groaned inwardly. He really hoped he hadn't missed anything thus far. It would suck to have to turn back around and start over. With another glance at his list, Jeremy decided that there was anything he didn't find in the second half of the market, then he wasn't going to get it. There was no point in wandering around in a giant circle all day trying to find fresh vegetables and fish; Jeremy hadn't really labored over the list when he had originally made it. In fact, Jeremy had merely jotted things down that had come to mind that he hadn't remembered seeing in the kitchen lately. He had no real idea whether or not he was just preoccupied with other things, or whether or not he actually didn't have these things...<p>

That was definitely a sign that things were jumbled up in his life right now. If he was having trouble remembering things when he normally had a good memory, then things were bad. Jeremy didn't know where to start to get things back on track -- although it might be a good idea to start with getting the groceries on the list and getting home before the rain started... He seized that thought and tried to focus on it. Garlic, an onion, ginger root, and fish. Was that all? He glanced at his list once more, trying to make out the rest of the words on the paper. Jeremy finally gave up and decided that it would probably just be easier to try and concentrate on the onion, garlic and fish. That was only three things, quick and easy, and he could bother with the rest of the stuff later. He shoved the list into his pocket and glanced around for the appropriate stalls selling what he needed.<p>

Jeremy hadn't chosen a bad time of day to go -- it was right after school, and with it being cloudy, people were filtering out of the market to get home early. That made it easier for Jeremy to spy the stall selling onions and garlic; he made his way over and asked for one of each. After it was bagged up and paid for, Jeremy moved away and in the opposite direction. He vaguely recalled that the fish stalls would be along this path. All he really needed to do was wait for the smell to hit him; that was usually the best way to find fish -- it was far easier to find that in a large crowd than the vegetables. If it started raining, however, Jeremy might have a problem finding anything. The rain would wash out the fishy smell and then Jeremy would have to forgo the fish, which he didn't want to do. He was pretty sure the reason it was on the list was because he had plans to actually cook it up tonight. At least, he assumed that was what he had planned...<p>

"Excuse me, but am I going the right way if I'm looking for the fish stalls?" Jeremy finally decided to ask since his sense of smell wasn't picking up anything and he had finally felt a raindrop on his cheek. Time was running out now.

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Stelka is a creature of chaos, despite being originally moulded by human hands. When undisturbed, the creature resembles a pillar of glass. However when disturbed, Stelka, the glass plates reform to take a human like look, covered with sharp edges to wound any who are touched. Currently residing in an antiques shop where it was sent after the death of a previous "owner," Stelka waits to carry out chaos' bidding in purging the earth of its dominant lifeform. Already Stelka's malice has been the end of four collectors of fine art, though no one has yet made the connection to the pillar all once owned. With the sharp ridges all over its body, an ability to appear almost invisible in movement and a piercing screech, Stelka is not to be underestimated despite its fragile body make up. <br></div>
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<div style="width: 450px; color: 242223; font-size: 40px; font-family: georgia; letter-spacing: -5px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: center; line-height: 75%">set up & information</div>
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setting --- mid afternoon. school is out for the day and with the dinner hour soon approaching, business people are either nearly done for the day or are sneaking out early to pick up ingredients for a meal. the local market with its collection of outdoor and indoor shops is starting to empty, though a healthy sized crowd does remain.
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needed --- at least one or two other civilians or observers is needed in addition to jeremy - as this is the monster that will cause his awakening and go head to head with.
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notes --- to avoid confusion, there will be a posting order for all monster attacks, so please try to keep that unless there's a note by the monster account to skip someone. the monster will "attack" as soon as i feel the right amount of people (or even those needed for the thread) have already posted.
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remember --- once the monster jumps in with the attack, the minimum word count drops to 100. at that point we'll start up the rolls (if you haven't already granted permission in regards to how monster attacks work, please do so here.), and you'll learn how the monster attack will affect your characters. anyone can be grabbed/injured by the monster, so be prepared for that just in case your character is the one grabbed/injured.
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questions --- if you have any about monster attacks in general, then ask the miaface! account. if it's about this particular monster attack, please pm this account. thanks!
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Sammy Tsukino had always abhorred the idea of going shopping. It was just something that he had never really seen the appeal in. Yes, it was necessary, and yes, everyone had to shop in order to buy things that they needed, but the fact that so many people he knew lost their minds over the idea of spending their money on what he considered to be junk just baffled him. Not only that, but he had been forced for years to accompany his mother on her various shopping outings, as Serena was often busy doing other things, and there was no way that their father was going to accompany his wife just to watch her buy things. Thus, the task fell onto Sammy -- precious little Sammy, who, being the youngest and the apple of his mother's eye, couldn't refuse. No, seriously -- if he tried, she had a tendency to just brush off his complaints and drag him along anyway. Many afternoons had been spent not with his friends, but with his mother, following morosely along behind her and carrying her bags as she scoured the storefronts for anything that would seem remotely interesting. And even though the forced companionship had been lasting for almost a decade, it was still something that Sammy had not gotten used to. Each and every time that his mother would suggest -- well, demand, really -- that he get ready and go shopping with her, he would groan, and complain, and whine, and bicker, and do everything he could to get out of it. But as a Tsukino, his mother seemed immune to all of that -- and considering the fact that she had two kids that whined and complained about nearly everything, the fact that his mother could so easily brush him off was certainly no surprise. Nonetheless, that didn't keep him from trying -- he'd make new complaints, raise new arguments, and cause a whole lot of hell with each new 'suggestion' that he accompany his mother, but each time, his efforts proved fruitless. It was inevitable.

Well, not entirely fruitless, perhaps. Because his mother had begun to use her brain -- though Sammy had no choice but to go along with her and cater to her every whim when she wanted to shop, it was blatantly obvious that he wasn't enjoying it. He wasn't a fun shopping partner, and the way that he saw it, she'd just gotten tired of hearing him complain all the time. So she'd started bribing him. Offering to buy him some video game that he desperately wanted, or buy him a few chocolate bars, or fund his and his friends' next outing to the arcade. She didn't always follow through, no, but the fact that she might was enough. Enough to make Sammy plaster a smile on his face and at least seem moderately interested in what his mother was purchasing. Because really, as long as he was getting something out of the deal, hanging around with her was at least moderately bearable. But it was this, this that was just too much for him to handle without complaining. His mother had quite literally offered to buy him some chocolate if he went grocery shopping for her. Grocery shopping for the entire family. By himself. For a chocolate bar. He'd wanted to refuse, because shopping with her was one thing, but shopping by himself was an entirely different animal. But she hadn't given him the chance, had stuffed some money into his pocket, and sent him on his way to school, making him promise that he'd return home with the shopping list she'd given him completely checked off. So it was with a frown on his face and an endless stream of frustrated muttering that Sammy found himself in the market, not having had the chance to even go home and change. He sighed quite loudly, glaring at the few people that bothered to give him odd looks, and yanked the list out of his backpack, eyes moving down it and widening with each passing moment.

Milk, eggs, bread, butter, kiwis, oranges, juice, fish, chicken, bologna, ice cream... The list went on. And on and on and on. His mother apparently expected him to cart an abundance of food home by himself, a task that seemed to be quite daunting, if not outright impossible. But his mother had given him a task, and he wanted some chocolate, so he ran a hand through his hair and started off into the, mercifully enough, rather empty market. There were still a fair number of people there, but between the fact that most students were just getting home and that it was starting to rain, there wasn't an abundance of people that he needed to weave his way through. Which was good -- he didn't have the patience or the ability to carry all of the food that he was expected to carry and still manage to avoid bumping into people. His eyes roamed this way and that, seeking out the stalls that he needed to buy from and making his way as quickly and efficiently as he could throughout the area, adding each new purchase to the steadily growing mountain of groceries piled up in his arms. It was grueling work, and was certainly not pleasant in the slightest -- as a result, before he knew it, he was uncomfortable, a little sweaty, and generally ready to just be done with what he needed to do and be on his way. Motivated by the thought that he was almost done, Sammy trudged his way away the damp shoppers, wholly focused on the stall that he knew sold his mother's favorite flavor of ice cream: rocky road. The woman wouldn't eat anything else, something that he had learned on one of their little shopping trips. So focused was Sammy on that stall, that he failed to notice someone calling out to him before it was too late.

So when he finally did hear the voice, he jumped about a foot in the air and dropped everything in his arms to the ground, unintentionally. Frustrated and dirty, it was with anger in his eyes that Sammy stood up once more, just in time to hear this stranger's question. "No, you're not. Completely wrong way, actually. No fish stalls anywhere around here." Which was certainly not true, considering the simple fact that the fish stall was maybe twenty feet to their left, but he wasn't about to tell this stranger that fact. "Now can you help me pick this up, dude? I have somewhere I have to be, and I really don't have the patience to sit here for hours trying to pick it all up on my own." Yes, his tone was harsh, but as far as he was concerned, his tone was justified. This stranger had wronged him by not paying attention, and it would be this stranger's job to make things right. So, rather than just walking away, Sammy stood there dumbly, waiting for this unfamiliar guy to either pick up his things, or at least respond. Because Sammy certainly wasn't moving unless he had to. Of that, he was damn sure.

Finally. After eight gruelling hours fielding telephone calls regarding the same stupid questions, having to redo all of the admin assistant's work (what was that woman being paid for?) and basically looking over his shoulder, Artemis was out of that darned office building and free for the next ten hours or so. Assuming his pager didn't go off during that time. Which the young man sincerely hoped it didn't. Ever since last February, Artemis was having a hard time spending extended amounts of time with his boss and given his "double life" even phone conversations after hours were giving him bad feelings. But he was resolutely going to put those sort of thoughts out of his mind and relax until he had to go back to work again.

Besides he had more immediate concerns to deal with. Such as dinner. The power at his apartment complex had been acting funny in the last couple of days and Artemis didn't exactly trust the refrigerator that came with his room to care for certain products for more than a few days. Especially since there was a seemingly invisible line (that he swore moved every six weeks) in the fridge part that would freeze items or not cool them at all. Which meant that though it was probably going to turn out more expensive in the long run, Artemis was buying single or double sized servings of items for meals each day when it came to perishables. Especially milk - never again was he going to buy bottles, bags or plastic after the explosion. If he wanted that drink, he was getting it at work. (Which explained the rows of pop and water bottles at home. Easy to store at room temperature and able to survive a short stay in the fridge of death.)

Despite the build up of the expenses in the long run, Artemis had to admit he did like shopping in the small markets - it had been hard to get in some of the big cities in England but the few times he'd visited relatives up north, they'd had all sorts of little shops - as it was far more intimate than a grocery store. Not to mention people who ran stalls weren't adverse to a little haggling and the fish mongers had fresher stock than some of the chain stores. And for a fish eater like Arty, that could be a real clincher. I have rice at home and should probably get some veggies. he considered as he walked the lane towards the fish stalls. His work schedule was certainly gruelling and didn't leave a lot of time for eating - or at least eating healthy - but he wouldn't stay somewhat fit if he didn't make an attempt to eat well. There was only so much running around for or after Catherine could do as a fitness regimen. Not that Artemis' diet was varied; being a stereotypical Brit there was only so much he could cook and while he had never mastered the art of a good batter, fish was his (only) speciality.

However it seemed that his hunt for ingredients would be a little delayed. As he was walking from the "veggie section" (as he'd dubbed it when he'd come back) he noticed a slight commotion involving a slightly older man and a teen. Trying to hide a smirk - after all one did not normally see grown men tumble into someone else due to a lack of attention - Artemis moved himself to the side so he could keep walking and not disturb the fallen groceries. However he couldn't stay aloof as soon as the kid opened his mouth. Man is it just me or do the shrimps get ruder ever year? he wondered. "Jeez kid, where are your manners? You could at least say please." Gesturing to the man he'd bumped, he added "Especially since you have no idea if this man is some kind of bigwig who could make your future miserable because he remembers you as that rude kid in the street." A good policy to have - he'd refuse to hire a couple of summer interns based on observation before hand as well as the fact one had ruined a nice jacket with coffee in the rush to get to the Lovebeam building.

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Jeremy blinked. To be quite honest, he hadn't expected that response -- he had actually thought he was in the right area, but to hear that he was actually on the opposite end of where he need, and wanted to be, was, well, surprising. He could have sworn he had smelled fish, but perhaps he had just imagined it. After all, it was possible that someone had bought fish and was now currently shopping on this side of the market -- so Jeremy could really just be smelling the fish that person had bought, and not the stalls that sold fish. <p>

But he couldn't really be sure of that. The surprised look on his face quickly moved into a small frown at the boy's next words. He could concede that perhaps he had surprised the kid as well, and that was why he had jumped and dropped the items in his arms -- but the fact that he had sort of barked out his plea for Jeremy to help pick things up didn't really sit well with him. He was an adult, and that alone should have been a reason for the boy to respect him a tad. He wasn't sure if the boy just didn't know better, or was late, or if his parents were rushing him around the market -- but, despite the rudeness, Jeremy couldn't bring himself to really lecture the kid outright. It wasn't really his place to do that.<p>

Unless the kid said something else that didn't sit well with Jeremy. He could excuse a lack of manners one time, but more than that? Even Jeremy had his limits. He dealt with teenage boys on a regular basis, and this particular boy, while young, still fit the image of a teenage boy. They were surly, a bit rude, a bit immature, and always sure they were right. It was enough to make Jeremy consider sending his daughter to a convent of some sort just to protect her from the teenage boys of the world. Ashley often laughed at him when he mentioned it, but Jeremy knew that teenage boys were often the most difficult species to get along with. How he had managed to get along with his students was a mystery. Of course, he couldn't really say that he got along with them. He just knew how to ignore their vocal jabs and put them in their place while in his classroom.<p>

Shaking his head, Jeremy bent down to help gather the fallen items, only glancing up when another voice joined the fray. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or more surprised that someone else was calling the boy out on his lack of manners, so he ended up just glancing back and forth between the two. That didn't last long, of course. Jeremy was too polite to not say anything at all, and it couldn't be helped that he found himself saying something in the boy's defense. "It's alright. I think I surprised him when I asked where the fish stalls were. I don't think he was expecting it." It wasn't a very strong argument for the boy, because Jeremy had initially had the same thoughts as the other man about the boy's words, but he felt it could work for the time being. He had surprised the kid with his sudden question, so really, wasn't he a little at fault for the whole thing too? Jeremy felt he was, at the very least -- but he was also grateful he wasn't the only one that felt the boy could have been a little more polite as well.<p>

"Of course, he doesn't have to worry about my being terribly important -- I'm only a teacher, so unless he's going to be attending Brennan's Academy anytime soon, I don't think I'll be deciding much in the way of his future."

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tag: stelka, sammy, artemis
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1. samuel --- you rolled a six -- corrupted by Chaos! though you have no true powers of your own with all the awakened stars seeded amongst the population an innocent might be just what Chaos needs to seek and destroy those of power. the details of your corruption (and your temporary mission) can be discussed with the chaos account. your corruption will last for the next four threads after this one.
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2. artemis --- you rolled a five -- hero for a day! something deep inside you has inspired you to heroics to protect the people around you from harm. and they will definitely need your help. you can either distract the monster or act as a hero to an innocent bystander. unfortunately your efforts will be for naught as you will fail when it comes to preventing injury.<p>
3. jeremey --- you rolled a one -- physical injury! given the nature of the monster's physiology it is not surprising that you will sustain serious gashes over the course of your battle with the monster, be it from the creature itself or outside interference.
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<br><br><div style="width: 425px; text-align: justify;">the creature normally spent her days on display in the nice shop that had recently become home, content to be admired and purchased by a suitable victim. however on this occasion her peace had been disturbed in a rather rude fashion when someone banged against the window where she was on display. stelka didn't mind humans stopping and admiring her disguise of the day - she was a creature that liked to be admired - but the poking and the banging of the smaller humans was extremely annoying, especially since the older humans did nothing to control it. <br>
this of course meant that it was very understandable that stelka's patience finally broke and she lashed out. if the humans wouldn't silence themselves, she would take matters into her own hands. not only would it bring the peace and quiet she desired but it would allow her to complete her assigned task. with a piercing shriek that was hopefully painful to the ears of the humans, stelka shifted from her guise as a pillar and leapt through the window pane of the shop and launched at the small human who had previously been banging on it. a larger human pulled the smaller human out of the way and the crowd began to scream and run. but no matter - stelka was going to find that small human and slash it to pieces and no crowd was going to prevent that.<br></center>[/dohtml]

Sammy wasn't usually a rude individual - he was a prankster, and he had been known to interject and speak his mind from time to time, even if his opinions were less than pleasant, but it was rare to really see him mouthing off to anyone. His mother had taught him better than that, after all. But it was when he was inconvenienced that Sammy really tended to get upset - when he had something to do, or somewhere to be, and something prevented him from doing so. And the man's request was just such an annoyance. The market was a truly unpleasant place, as far as the teenager was concerned, and he had wanted nothing more than to purchase what he needed to purchase and get home, so he could make plans with one of his friends to do something that he actually enjoyed. And yet here was this guy, a man that was certainly many years his senior, keeping him here. The guy didn't seem to be particularly mean-spirited, indicating that the question had not been intended to make Sammy spill his purchases everywhere, but nonetheless, the simple fact that he'd caused the bags to topple out of the teenager's arms deeply upset him. He wanted to go home, he wanted to be out of here, and he was being questioned by a man that was either incapable of, or just too damned lazy to actually look around before making an inquiry to a helpless, busy teenager. So really, Sammy's temper was justified - the question was an inconvenience, as was the dropped groceries; so when another man approached, one that was younger than the first man, but old nonetheless, the glare that was directed at him really should have been expected. Sammy was upset with the first man for something as simple as making him jump; having another stranger try and teach him etiquette was the absolute last thing that he needed. Back was straightened in an attempt to appear a bit more imposing - because really, at his height, even an angry Sammy wasn't all that intimidating - before arms were folded across his chest and he turned his attention fully to this new arrival to the conversation.

"Jeez, grandpa. Isn't it just as rude to stick your nose in other people's conversations?" It was true that Sammy probably should have at least said please, a lesson that his mother had been attempting to teach him from the moment he could understand what she was saying, but manners weren't the first thing on his mind when he was frustrated. And truthfully, referring to the stranger in such a way was juvenile and against everything that his mother had taught him, but he was angry, and he had a tendency to just spout off the first thing that came to mind when he was irritated. Eyebrow was quirked at the man's follow-up statement, and Sammy just scoffed, unfolding his arms and pointing at the questioner. "Him? A bigwig? Really? Okay, no offense, but I don't think that someone who can completely overlook a food stall - which is right over there, by the way - is going to be altering the course of my life anytime soon, even if they are a teacher." Shoulders were raised in a sort of 'deal with it' shrug, before he leaned down once more to attempt to gather up the groceries that were getting increasingly dirty with each passing moment. A glance was spared towards the man that was now, thankfully enough, assisting him with gathering the groceries, but he didn't speak up, despite the fact that he was actually attempting to defend Sammy, regardless of what had been said. It was partially because Sammy didn't really know what to say in that situation, and partially because he was afraid that his temper would get the better of him again, and he'd start an entirely different argument as a result. No, it would be better to just get his purchases gathered up and be on his way, mainly because he didn't like his chances when confronted by two adults, particularly if one of them seemed quite ready to lecture him. A few moments passed in silence, during which time Sammy spared a glance up at the more argumentative of the two adults, to see if he was ready to go off and try and teach him another life lesson, before any noteworthy sound reached the teenager's ears; though when such sound manifested itself, it did so in a very big way.

Cacophonous shriek rang out through the market, almost immediately causing Sammy's face to screw up in pain, hands flying up to press against his ears in a rather pointless attempt to block the noise out. It was horrible, painful even, and he had no idea where it was coming from. Either some piece of technology had broken down and was making a horrible noise as a result, or something was seriously wrong. Feeling as though discovering the source of the noise was quite important, Sammy struggled to his feet, palms pressed flush against his ears all the while, cerulean gaze passing over the surrounding area as fast as he could. It didn't take long for him to spot it: a human looking... thing that the sun literally reflected off of. Almost as if they were a walking mirror or something. Which wasn't right, of course; mirrors didn't walk, and they certainly didn't make noises like this one had clearly been making but a moment before. Three steps were taken in pursuit of the thing, more due to the fact that Sammy wanted to know what on Earth was going on, before he stopped dead, brow furrowed in confusion. It almost felt as though there was something focused on him, something not far behind him, which didn't quite make sense, considering that many of the shoppers were running and screaming in every other direction, and the two adults that Sammy was with were otherwise occupied. Turning on his heel, Sammy caught a flash of black, fleeting but certainly there, which just confused him more. And though he tried to run away from it, considering that inexplicable flashes of black weren't normal, it appeared in front of him once more, this time seeping through him, into him, taking hold over him. Confused look melted into a blank expression for but a moment before slipping even further into an irritated scowl, and Sammy turned to pursue the monster without a moment's hesitation. He wasn't trained to fight something off in any way, no, but he was frustrated, and this monster seemed sure to put on a good show, at the very least. And a show was what he needed; because this day was certainly turning out to be a less than pleasant one.

Artemis didn't know if it was a sign that he was getting old that the boy's manners appalled him or if it was a sign that teenagers of this day and age were about 200% ruder than they were in recent years. He would have never sassed anyone more than five years older than himself (aside from his cousins, but that was different) to the their face at that age. Hell even his interns, who ranged between the ages of eighteen and twenty six, at least waited (or tried to) until he was out of earshot before calling him names. The worst thing they did was respond to his quips with sarcastic politeness and roll their eyes when he either started ranting or monologuing. But this kid...this kid seemed to be another story entirely. Especially with the "grandpa" quip - how old was this kid? Twelve? And couldn't he tell that Artemis was clearly younger than the other man?

"I think you need your eyes checked kid. No grandfathers here. And I only interrupt conversations when it appears a small fry lacks manners." Artemis retorted, fighting to roll his eyes as the kid continued to disparage the older man - who first tried to wave off the kid's behaviour and then mentioned being a teacher. For a moment Artemis had to blink in surprise; teachers and excusing rude behaviour were two concepts that were mutually exclusive in his mindset. His teachers back in England were more than willing to ride their students with a bit and spurs if they acted up too much and he had naturally assumed that in Japan they would be just - if not more - strict. Either that or teachers had gotten nicer in the years after he graduated. Go figure. He was about to say something else along the lines of teachers controlling the destinies of lowly students like himself when their conversation was rudely interrupted by a scream. Not that Artemis blamed the person after he saw what they did.

"Bloody hell!" he cursed, started back into his native English. Whatever it was looked like a human. Only completely transparent, covered with spikes and with lethal looking claws. And though it was hard to tell, Artemis thought the thing looked extremely pissed off. "We're gonna have to cut this short kiddo." he remarked as a screaming child tore past them followed by several adults and then the creature. "Unless you want that thing to gut you." Pushing the kid and the older man into the direction of the crowd, Artemis got ready to follow when he noticed someone behind him trip and fall into the path of the creature. Oh I wish I had a better idea than this. he thought as he reached into his man purse satchel and grabbed the container for his sunglasses. After removing the glasses, Artemis took aim, cocked his arm and tossed the case at the creature's head. "OI! Over here you pea brain!" The noise certainly got the creature's attention but somehow Arty was certain he no longer wanted it. Okay, how was the second part of this plan supposed to work again?

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Jeremy's face blanched at the boy's next words. He had been able to overlook things the first time, but he couldn't overlook the boys words this time around. He was being rude, and there was no reason for it. Either the boy was deeply troubled by something, or used to making life difficult for others -- neither of which were a good reason to lie to Jeremy, or snap at the other man trying to be helpful. Jeremy even opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, perhaps even scold or lecture the boy, but his words were cut off by a sudden noise. <p>

A monster! <p>

He was starting to think he was cursed with bad luck. First that vampire thing back at the park, and now this -- two might not seem like bad luck to others, but to Jeremy, it was two more than he had ever wanted to deal with in his lifetime. What was going on with the planet now that monsters had to even exist in the first place? Where had they come from? And why was he letting himself worry about them in the first place? Now wasn't the time, nor the place, to wonder about the existence of monsters -- now was the time to run. <p>

Obviously the other guy had the same idea, because he pushed at Jeremy and the snarky boy to mesh with the rest of the crowd running away. Jeremy turned, briefly, to be sure the guy was coming too, but he was distracted by the boy turning to run toward the monster. What the hell was the kid's problem? Jeremy cursed his luck again, but rather than continue fleeing, he turned to chase after the boy. He had never felt a noble need to do the "right thing" like this before, but as a teacher, he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't save the boy from getting himself hurt, or worse. <p>

Jeremy wasn't sure if the other man had seen the boy run in the monster's direction, or if he had found someone else worth saving, but out of the corner of his eye he saw him toss something in the monster's direction. Pausing momentarily, and struggling to keep the crowd from pushing him away from the scene, Jeremy watched as the monster turned in the man's direction -- that definitely spelled trouble. Catching his breath, Jeremy felt anger course through him. It was strange, because he wasn't normally an angry person, or one to let his emotions get the best of him -- but this, this he couldn't seem to keep away. It was almost as though he could feel the heat of his anger... In his pocket? <p>

With a small frown, Jeremy tried to move aside from the crowd, one hand going into his pocket. A moment later he had pulled out the small crystal crescent moon he had found all those weeks ago. That was strange -- he had forgotten about it. But he must not have forgotten about it completely if he was still sticking it in his pocket every day... <p>

He brought the crystal object before him, allowing the light that caught off the gem to flash in his eyes. He couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about the crystal that called to him. He curled his hand around the crystal, his eyes closing. It was definitely like a call -- almost like a siren's call -- and without knowing how, or why, Jeremy knew exactly what to do. It was like he was no longer himself -- like someone else was taking over his body. <p>

Moving the fist with the crystal above his head, Jeremy heard himself calling out before he could stop himself. "I call upon the power of Iris!" <p>

Even with his eyes closed, Jeremy could see the flashes of blinding light surrounding him. He could feel the warmth, too, as if he was being cocooned by the light source. He felt lightheaded, as if he was moving around, but Jeremy kept his eyes tightly shut. Moments passed, and only when the lights seemed to subside, and only when he didn't feel as if he was moving anymore, did Jeremy open his eyes. <p>

Although he thought it was himself, he didn't think it was him -- he certainly didn't look like he had a moment ago. He now wore a Roman outfit of old, colored in bronze and purple, rather than his everyday clothing. The pleated skirt, the sandals tied up to his knees, the cape, and even the crown heavy on his head, told him he wasn't himself. There were a million questions swirling in Jeremy's head, but he shook them off, knowing that once more, now was not the time or place for such questions. For whatever reason, Jeremy had just been given the opportunity to stop the monster, and he wasn't going to question it. <p>

Stepping out into the crowd, Jeremy made sure he was in the line of sight of the monster -- if he had been gifted with such a cause, then he was going to use it to the best of his ability. That would allow others the chance to get away. <p>

"You!" he called out to the monster. "I think you've done enough damage for one day." Placing his hands before him, almost in a cupping motion, Jeremy summed up a power he had never known he could possess. "Shimmering reflection!" A bright light appeared before his hands, swirling about as Jeremy focused his attention on the monster. He couldn't say how he knew what to do, or how his powers worked, but without having to think, he found himself focusing on coming up with an image that stop the monster in its tracks -- he only hoped that it would work.

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[dohtml]<center><div style="text-align:justify; width: 400px;">Right when he decided to see what this glass reflecting thing was the younger of the two grandpas started to push him and the older one away. Of’ course the population would want him to avoid the show. The guy was definitely was a grandfather. If he was anywhere close to a ‘cool’ adult age he would know the urge to see what everything was about. Sammy was in a bad mood. His groceries went everywhere, old people wanted to lecture him and now the same old people wanted to stop him from seeing an action scene that would make his day. Yes, people could get hurt from it but the young teenager’s mind was not on that thought process currently. He scowled, trying to move around to make it possible to go back to the action.
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That didn’t seem to be necessary. He was no longer being pushed and he glanced behind him to see the guy throw something at the monster. Did he seriously think it would work? Sammy thought it was stupid. He had enough video games in his experience to know something flimsy being thrown at the monster will do no good. This was not a game but he felt no need to play a hero. He was about to tell the stupidity of such a thing when a different voice rang out. He turned his head and what he saw almost made him laugh. It was some guy in a Roman-esque outfit and he was challenging the glass monster. Samuel refrained from laughing. It would seem out of place and though he was not the smartest egg in the basket that laughing at a scene like this would make him look like a psychopath. Samuel Tsukino was not a psychopath. He was much classier than that.
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The idea struck him that this will be an interesting to play out in a fighter game. It was not his style. For one thing, the Roman general dude who was calling an attack of some sort was completely ridiculous. Plus, the creature was hard to look at. If he rather laugh or squint to see this show of craziness pan out it was not worth it. He turned on his heel and started walking away. He had more interesting and havoc wreaking pranks to plan.</div>[/dohtml]

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The noises the humans were making were becoming both painful and annoying. Didn't they understand how sounds affected its delicate nature? Not that it would matter for very long; as soon as she got a hold of the small human and opened it up, she could eliminate the others who made too much noise. Assuming she could catch it. The crush of people seemed to be shielding the child and even with the slashing of human arms, bags and torsos, a path wasn't opening easily. Letting out its piercing cry, Slekta advanced as humans reacted to her noise.<p>
When an object suddenly connected with the side of its head, the creature whipped around to face the human who had thrown the offending object. The interloping human was standing by a fallen member of its specie, obviously intending to distract the creature. With another piercing hiss, Stelka leapt at the two humans and swiped out her arm, managing to catch the arm of one of them. As it got ready to make a second strike, a voice of power called out. Turning a third human was there, looking every inch a challenger. However before the creature could react a ball of light appeared that showed the human child that had started this mess in the first place. With an angry trill, Stelka leapt at the ball of light, never realizing the picture it showed was a false one.<br></div>
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Arty was definitely feeling that the whole "distract the monster" idea had been an extremely stupid thing to do as the glass/crystal thing got closer and closer, revealing limbs that looked more than capable of gutting him like the fish he had originally intended to buy. When one of the arms came up to strike, Arty stepped back and lifted one of his own to shield his face, yelling in pain a few moments later when he felt the glass make contact. Clutching his wounded arm the young man realized that if he didn't start running, his head would be next - or his shoulder blades as what happened to the person he'd been trying to shield. He had every intention of trying to help the person who now sprawled on the pavement for the second time but another swipe of the creature's arms forced him to back off.

While his own attempt at heroics had failed - after al heroes didn't allow innocent bystanders to take a blade to the middle of the shoulder blades - Arty registered the voice of someone else deciding to step in. Too wary of the creature to groan or roll his eyes as he would under normal circumstances, he still couldn't help wondering who was stupid enough to want to intervene, especially given that he had a nice big scratch to show off as a warning. Still the person's emergence - What the hell is that man wearing? - got the creature's attention off of him. Like the injured person he'd tried to save earlier, Artemis didn't need any prompting to run like hell so that he could watch from a safer distance. By the time he felt he was a safe enough distance away, Arty's jaw dropped as he watched the man let loose a glowing ball which distracted the glass creature, which was now swiping at something only it could see. Bloody hell. First a monster, now a guy looking like a bleeding centurion throws magic balls of light. What is wrong with this city?

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Jeremy didn't know what to expect. Some part of him seemed to know what to do, but he couldn't say how or why he knew what to do. He wasn't going to question it, of course. He was potentially saving lives here, or at least providing them with a diversion so innocent people could get away. At least, he hoped that was what he was doing. He had sort of just acted without thinking, letting himself go through some sort of motions rather than reason things out like he was used to doing. What if he did it wrong? Or what if it didn't work? Or what if it strengthened the creature? Jeremy was only assuming he was doing something that might help innocent people; he could just as easily be going about it all wrong. <p>

And people certainly seemed to be running away from the melee. Even though he wasn't glancing every which way to be sure who was running, Jeremy was catching glimpses of people turning away out of the corner of his eye. He was partially relieved by that, because it had been one reason why he had stepped into the fray, feeling partly foolish and partly invigorated. Later he would probably stop to question his sanity, and even his intelligence in acting without thinking. Nobody in their right mind would do anything so completely reckless. But did that really matter in light of what was happening at this precise moment? Jeremy could only hope that the boy and the other fellow he had been talking to moments ago -- or ages ago, it seemed so long now -- had gotten away safely. It would be better if everyone got away safely, but Jeremy didn't know what his powers... or whatever they were, could accomplish. <p>

He took a step back as the monster leaped toward him and toward the ball of light, unsure what was going to happen. Some part of him told him he should probably prepare himself for an attack, but his body was slower to react. Jeremy threw up his arms to shield himself as the monster came crashing toward him, unsure if he could stop it that way, or if he'd end up knocked to the ground. But given that the monster seemed to be made of glass, Jeremy was assuming that it would end badly for both, although he was really hoping death wouldn't be his fate as well.<p>

The one thing Jeremy was sure of, was that he was going to feel the pain tomorrow.

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words: 424
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Making a lunge for what it thought were actually victims, the monster let out a surprised screech when no harm was caused after the first swipe to the unprotected throats. Such a thing had gone against every experience the Stelka had ever had when it came to slashing humans. A second strike passed through the middle of a shoulder and while her claws came away bloody, the image of the human remained unharmed. The attempt to process the information however proved costly; something it could not see was tangled with its legs and pulling it towards the ground. In the last moments before impact with the unforgiving concrete of the street, Stelka noticed the humans disappear into a ball, revealing the costumed human, with a few wounds of his own, who had already hit the ground. <br><br>And when the creature finally shattered, all it could do was wonder why...<br></div>
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