A rather plain but large basement room, the walls obviously thick and reinforced. They arrive here by going down an elevator shaft. The walls show signs of soot scars and other markings.

Present are Kemp, Grey, and Mariel.

Anne

She rode down in the elevator with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Yet when the doors opened, all of that just became a big lump in her throat. It took her a moment to convince her legs to move, she had to stick her hand out to keep the doors open so that she could exit.

She looked around the room examining the walls. She didn't know if she was supposed to talk, but talking was helping her mind adjust to the changes. "I see lots of different kinds of powers have been tested here. How will this work? I want to learn more than just what my mother taught me, which was to kill. But I also don't want to hurt anyone if it comes to that."

Mariel:

“Yes. This place used to belong to my father. He made this room.”

She let that remain hanging.

“What we are going to do is try to invoke your power harmlessly so we can watch what is happening. What I want you to try to do is draw from yourself. Cycle your own energy within yourself. I think it’s likely I’ll see something, and I want to see that. Can you try?”

Anne

"I have used energy that I have taken, no stolen from others to heal myself, and to reinvigorate myself. That is partly why I don't, haven't eaten as much as other people. It isn't as necessary or at least hasn't been."

She moved a bit further into the room, so that she was equidistant from them and the doors. Closing her eyes she took a moment to reach down into that place that was deep within her. She thought of an ancient chest that only she held the key, and using that key she opened it and released the energy. It was an animal without a master, so she had to take control. She had to be the master or... well she didn't know what would happen if she weren't the master, but it seemed like a really bad idea. Nyx had never talked about just letting things run wild. She wondered if that was what Alchemy did?

The door open to her heart she felt the flow of energy into her limbs and out into her body. She cycled that energy around, healing the damage that had been left from the eventful night. She would need some sort of recovery using up that energy she imagined, but it didn't matter. It felt great to not hurt, and to feel all that power rolling around in her body.

She looked at them to see if they were learning anything, if it showed in their faces. Did it show on her body, she looked at her own limbs, her hands to see if there was an obvious effect, other than the wounds closing, and bruises going away?

T wasn’t something she had thought about much, but there was, to her eyes at least, a bit of a flickering purple glow, moving around her, almost like liquid black light.

Mariel, watching her closely, looks over at the others and nods.

“Yes. At its base, I know some of the mechanism for what you do. Not surprising, given blood and genetics. I mainly know because I tap to some degree into the same basic source, although in a different way.”

Anne

She was reluctant to put it back in its box now that she had her play toy back out. But what else could she do with it? She honestly didn't know. "What would you like me to do now? Put it away?"

Kemp:

“Take my hand again, ungloved. We will try to replicate what happened the other night.”

Anne

Her hands shot to her sides, straight down palms flat against her thighs. The look on her face showed it all, eyes wide, darting to find someplace to run. "I don't want to hurt you," she said slowly evenly as if she were controlling everything about herself in that moment. She hadn't had the power active when she had touched him and it tried to steal his life force. Now that it was active and she was using it, wouldn't it be so much worse? Or would she have more control? She didn't know.

"I have never touched anyone with it active like it is now. It has always been just one of those things, touch and take." She was trembling ever so slightly as she held herself too tightly."

Kemp:

“I can take it. The contact will be only brief. Believe me. I have taken worse. But I want you to concentrate on what you just did, circulating energy within yourself, and imagine doing that and including another person. Try circulating in, through yourself ... and imagine it continuing out of the other hand back to its source. Will you try?”

Anne

"So take energy from you, through me, and back to you?" She tried to understand what it was he was asking.

She stopped standing so tensely, and took a tentative step forward. She would try, after all that was this was all about.

Kemp:

"Try. If any significant danger presents, Mariel will bring me out of phase which should break contact. I am fairly confident that, in this one case, my ability and yours are a fair match."

Anne

She approached the man almost walking on her toes, like she was sneaking up to him. Even though there was no other overt effort to hide or even move quietly.

She she got close she tentatively stretched her hand forward and grasped his. With a touch it woke, it was a creature of it's own will. Yet maybe because she had it active, or maybe because she wasn't as damaged as a couple of nights before. To Anne the power didn't seem as greedy as it has been in the past. She sent her power and tried to gather energy from him. If she was able to, she took it in, and circulated it enjoying its power. Then she would reluctantly return the power back to him. At least that was the plan.

It was very hard, and not efficient ... but she did actually feel SOME small flow going back the other direction. And then Kemp gets phased breaking the connection.

And she feels about as healthy as she has in her entire life.

Anne

Her eyes are wide, her face almost smiling at the influx of energy. It was more vibrant, more everything than all the life she had ever taken. Kemp had told the truth, his body wanted to live. That felt good.

She couldn't hide her smile when she asked "are you alright? I have never felt anyone, I mean anything like that. You do have more life than others that is very clear. I haven't felt this good in a very long time."

Kemp

“I can’t say I felt the best I have ever felt, but I’m still good, still ticking. Me ... and perhaps Norton are your inverse here. More importantly, we were able to get some readings and some looks at your power in action. I think we have enough to classify you for registration.”

Anne

She nodded, and closed her eyes putting the energy back down inside the chest, and using the ornate key to lock it away again. It wouldn't protect most people, but she felt like she was trying to do something to help.

"I am sure that you are less vibrant than you have been. That is exactly what my power does. Like your healing, it is just something that is. Subconscious expression and primal instinct. I imagine it keeps me alive all on its own if given an outlet."

She stepped back and considered "at least we know I am more than just a killer."

Mariel:

“Oh, I knew that late the other night, when kemp retrieved you from the wreckage of that building.”

Anne

"I wasn't so sure then. I am not so sure now. But positive self image right?"

Grey:

“A self image which is positive. Nyx has a strong self image. Be Anne. Let Anne grow, let Anne make decisions, let Anne decide the direction of her life. It will be difficult, but it is, in fact, your decision. I think we can classify you enough for registration - in a few days the Registration will be viewable by you. Do you have any questions about the process?”

Anne

She shook her head, to what, wasn't exactly clear.

"I have no idea how the process works, or even what it means? All I know is it is part of the game I have to play to avoid The Hole, and certainly that is high on my list. So I will do what I need to.

"I completely agree with choice in life. Till two nights ago I wasn't sure I had a choice. When I did choose, the world came crashing down. I have no idea how many people actually died. I can't even say if I am responsible for killing some of them. What I do know was when Nyx said to kill. I said no. That was painful, but it was my choice."

Mariel:

“And we will help you with the rules to the game.”

Anne

"I know I have no choice in regard to registering. But I have to wonder what it really means. As I said, this is much better than being under my mother's thumb. I also feel it is better than The Hole, even though I have no experience with either. So when you are done, I would love to know what it means, who gets to see it, anything else pertinent.

"To me it seems a lot like a drivers license. In this instance it is a right to live, not drive. If that makes any sense at all. Naive I know, but it is all I have.

"I am relying on you for more things than I can say. Not the least of protection should my mother come knocking. I just don't believe she is dead. She is far to crazy to die that easily." She shrugged.

"I know you will get tired of talking to me at some point. But I will be asking you a lot of questions."

Mariel:

“Close. It’s potentially a right to live free, for whatever value of free you can muster and grab your own place in the world. I don’t believe she is dead either, Anne. And believe me, we are taking both that and Alchemy very seriously. I take that responsibility to you, to All of you, very seriously.”

Anne

"I thank you. But if it comes down to it, don't get in her way. It isn't worth it. I don't think she will kill me, though she might. I am sure she will kill anyone else that gets in her way."

Mariel

“Anne, there is something you will have to understand about me. I am not them. I do share some things however, I am one stubborn lady, and I will extract my pound of flesh. I wasn’t called ‘trouble’ because I liked playing silly pranks, and my ethics are not for sale to personal safety.”

Kemp

“I’m afraid she’s right. Our Mariel is her own brand of stubborn, and I’m afraid the rest of us aren’t much less. You are going to have to put up with the protection, if it comes to that.”

Anne

"I can fight too. I just know my mother. Potentially better than myself, well at least the application of her powers. I can't say that I really know my mother at all. I have learned more about her, myself, and my linage in the last twenty-four hours than I had in all my years before. For that I say thank you.

"As far as the future, I will do what I must do."

Mariel

“In the future, Anne, if you want to know more about your grandfather and others, I am open to talk.”


(When you feel this is down let me know, I’ll start either prepping a thread or move you to the common room to do a bit of free form.)

Anne

"Thank you for that. When things have settled a bit and you have time I would like that.

" Is there anything else you want me to do? I think being fully healed will help me control my power. But I can't be sure." She frowned just a little bit.

[OOC: I am good at this point.]

If you like, you can be in the girls room or,any other sort of room you prefer, I’ll set things up there, and your,particular testing occurred before cadences.

I am back near a computer. I will post in the girl's room and you can direct from there.