4nations | Enigmatic shadows [OPEN]

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Enigmatic shadows [OPEN]

Who: Enigma and OPEN
Where: somewhere on Dai Li, trying to find a replacement staff
When: Sunday afternoon

They had given him some tests. They said he could control fire. He wanted nothing of it. He had enough of magic already with the entire Trinity ordeal. He just wanted to resort to his technology and nothing more. To fix things. To finally be happy with his daughter.

And yet he was here somehow. They were telling him things he didn't believe. He'd been mistaken for other people before, often purposefully, but this time, it just felt weird. And so he did what he did best: slipped into the shadows and fled. He'd lost his shadow form. He didn't have his staff. He needed out.

Enigma stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the population. Long green jacket with white piping, green pants, and a metal plate covering the left side of his face. Totally sticking out. He just wanted to blend into the background, observing the people, seeing what they were like, how they ticked or act. He couldn't observe them when they kept looking at him.

So he walked. It was strange. Before he walked everywhere, but when he gained that other form, he simply whisked himself to where he wanted to go. Not the case, so he walked.

First order of business, before anything else, he needed a staff. It was part of him, an extension. Not having it felt strange and weird. The taller the staff the better. Preferably metal, but he would take what he could get.

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"Yeah, I planned on finding some quick work to make money. Maybe farming? It's not exactly what I want to do with my life, but it is a way get supplies." He figured it was the best thing he could do right now.

"They wouldn't even tell me where they found me at. I was hoping to get some answers from looking around the area." He stood up and brushed himself off.

"Alright let's go find a big tree. I'm sure if we put our heads together we can make you a staff."

"I know little of farming," Enigma noted. He knew about technology and sciences. He was an inventor and scholar. But if it came down to it, he'd simply have to get his hands dirty.

"These people tell you little that's actually useful," Enigma added, observing a couple who walked past them. "Observations will tell us more."

Judging by their garb and their hair, they seemed Chinese. Now that he was observing it more, the buildings seemed traditional Chinese, or at least what he'd studied of positive-matter Earth's history. Briefly so, but it was enough to recognize it. "Hm."

He stood up as well, straightening out his tunic. "That will do," he agreed. For now, at least. He'd build himself a new crooked staff. With this weird fire ability, chances were he'd accidentally light the staff on fire, but he'd see how long it took before that happened. Hopefully never, but as he'd never had magic, only utilized it in technology, it was still a rather foreign experience.

"Neither do I, but you just do whatever the farmer tells you and it will work out."

He nodded "I am under the impression they really do think we're amnesiacs though. Maybe only the grand poobah of this place knows what's really going on."

"Alright since it's your staff you can pick our direction and the particular limb."

Well that seemed easy enough. "Simple. Perhaps that is a temporary option." Something to make money. Surely his fast pool of resources wouldn't reach here, so he'd have to improvise. It would be the only way to amass a collection whatever primitive technology the place had to offer.

"That seems to be the case," Enigma agreed, observing the surroundings for any sign of a large enough tree. The staff had to be close to his height, maybe 5-6' tall, and strong enough to lean on and carry about. "They are thoroughly convinced I had some sort of bad dream." Though at times, it did seem like a bad dream. The bad decisions he's made, the destruction he caused. It corrected itself, perhaps made things a little better on both sides, but it was still something that haunted him.

"I know nothing of this land," he shrugged. "But it looks like there's a large tree in that direction." He pointed off down the street. Something definitely peeked out from behind the buildings, though how strong the branches were in such a tree was still unknown.

"I just hope the guard I talked to takes my warning to heart. I warned him about Owlman on the off chance he shows up." It was the only kindness he could give to the guard.

"Alright lead the way." He would followed beside Enigma. He figured between the two of them they could get a staff made. Jokester at least knew if a branch soaked in water you could strip off the bark

Enigma narrowed his eyes at the mention. If that monster showed up, this place might be flattened. His bloodlust knew no bounds. Yet there would be people to oppose him. Enigma was done hiding. "Let's hope that won't happen."

He shook the thought from his mind before continuing on, taking off in one direction, observing the people as they passed them. More ancient Chinese garb and hair styles. Surely this wasn't a coincidence. "I wonder, have we traveled through time to get here?"

"Yeah, but we'll be more ready than him this time at least." He figured he had to be the optimistic one in this situation.

"I think we just traveled over Earths. I did some Earth hopping myself. It's that Deus ex machina I mentioned. A few oddly dressed people showed up and I was able to hitch a ride through one of their portals."

"Why we're suddenly able to move these four elements though I've got no clue."

"And I won't be alone. It won't be just Stephie and me." There was a positive point, one he was almost surprised he'd said himself. It was truly nice not to be alone. It had been just him and Stephie for so long. he'd made few alliances since his team was slaughtered, most bad, though one was good. He did offhand wonder what happened to Xor.

The idea that another had world-hopped was intriguing. "You traveled worlds as well?" Very surprising, as few seemed to be able to do it. He was the only one of his world who'd managed to transcend the barrier between realities. "Interesting. Though perhaps you're right. Perhaps this world simply feels like Ancient China."

"Stephie?" The name didn't ring a bell at all, so he was a bit curious. "But no you won't be alone. I can't let you have all the fun."

"Oh you did too? Huh small multiverse." He cackled a his own joke. "Yeah I got that feeling too, but we would of heard about this bending stuff if this was just another time period for one of our universes."

"Stephie is my daughter." Well what's left of her. She was a soul imbued in technology, but she was still his daughter. She had stayed by his side, even with his bad decisions.

"It would be very boring alone." Not to mention, very difficult. Strategically having a teammate was a great idea, but there was a part of him that longed for the team he used to have. While Jokester hadn't been part of his team, he had an understanding and common goal. And he seemed rather intelligence, if not just a bit off his rocker.

"I have only traveled to the positive-matter universe, though I have researched other worlds, none quite like this." It was a strange world indeed.

A visible look of surprise showed on his face. He didn't think this Eddie would have a daughter, but he did.

"Yeah all the other ones I saw looked more or less like Earth. This place doesn't have anywhere near the right geography." He pouted, "Pity I was hoping to go to Hawaii."

Eventually they managed to get to the tree. "Alright just point out a branch and I'll break it off."

He seemed unfazed by the reaction. He used to have a whole family, but after the Society attacked, Stephie was the only one who had survived.

"Hawaii would be nice right now." Wasn't entirely the place he wanted to be, as he only wished to be back on his backwards homeworld to help fix things. But Hawaii did sound nice, especially the positive-matter Hawaii. Maybe he'd phase worlds and take Stephie there one day.

Enigma looked up at the tree. "Are you planning to climb up there?"

"Well unless I sprout wings I think so." He laughed a little.

"I figure if I climb up there and kick my hardest I can get a branch or two to fall."

He looked to Enigma "Do you have any other ideas?"

Enigma frowned at the branch. For a genius, this should be easier. But somehow it was not. Perhaps he'd come to rely too much on technology. He looked at his hands for a moment.

"Pity this bending won't do me any good. I'd sooner light the tree on fire." He didn't particularly want anything to do with it anyway. He'd had enough of magic and destruction thanks to Morgaine. But then it occurred to him. The people at the hospital mentioned 4 elements. Right now, probably anything was more useful than fire. "Unless you have some more useful skill."

"Oh you're one of the fire guys. Apparently I'm a windbag." Another cackling laugh.

"Well we're burning daylight. You should probably pick a branch so we can have a staff cobbled together for you before night time."

"Interesting names," Enigma noted. Fitting, yet nothing less than he expected from his accomplice. He returned his attention to the tree, pointing out a lower, reasonably strong-looking branch with a crook in it. "That one looks marginally like a question mark."

"You got it." It wasn't hard for Jokester to climb up the small distance it took to get to that tree. He climbed buildings, so this wasn't exactly hard work with no time crunch. Once he got to the branch he looked it over trying to decide how best to go about breaking this branch.

"Look out below!" He grabbed onto the nearest other branch in the case the target branch actually did fall as he started to deliver quick full-bodied kicks to it.

Enigma watched the Jokester climb the tree with ease. So strange to see someone so nimble, but perhaps he knew parkour or something similar. Or perhaps it was a good way to just get away from the Syndicate. Enigma knew how to get out of site pretty well. It was entirely possible.

He stepped out of the way in time to see the branch come crashing down. It certainly was a fine specimen of a branch. "This will do nicely."

Jokester was able to catch himself on the branch he was holding onto. He laughed a bit looking down. "Well I'm glad that actually worked. My next plan was to see if it was possible for me to create a tornado."

With that he allowed himself to fall down to the next branch where he was able to get a better grip on things and make his way down to the ground.

"So I'm not entirely sure how to make a staff, but I know how to strip the bark off at least."

It was a good size, a very smooth break as well. The thought that the locals would get angry did cross his mind, but he hadn't seen anyone come running with torches and pitchforks, so they were probably fine.

He picked up the branch, observing it. The crook in the branch came up around the 5' mark, a perfect height. The offshoots stuck to it were a bit difficult to pry off, however. "Do you have a knife on you?"

Jokester assumed they didn't mind since it was a tree and they had only taken one branch. After all it didn't harm the plant.

He shook his head at the question "No, they stripped me of every weapon I had. Even my titanium belt buckle."

Enigma frowned sharply, wiggling the branch back and forth until it finally gave way. Enough of this wiggling and he'd probably get all the stray offshoots to break off. He'd find a good way to sand it down later. "They took mine as well. I'm rather fond of that staff."

"I figure they took anything that was slightly weird to them since it could be dangerous. Though I'll have to find out which one of them got into my trousers. I have to demand dinner after all." He smiled.

"So what now? Want to start stripping off the bark or get the place ready to sleep for the night?"

Enigma wiggled another offshoot off, mindful not to smack himself in the face with the leaves. He did have a faceguard, technically, with that metal plate of his, but he'd rather avoid branches in the face. He discarded the offshoot behind him.

"Finding this boarding house before nightfall would be a wise idea," Enigma nodded. "Perhaps they have a knife to make this process easier." He wasn't the type to turn in quite yet, being the nightowl he was, but finding the place before nightfall would make it easier to find again.

"Well it's barely a boarding house from what I was told." He frowned "It seems they're suggesting we stay in an abandoned school building or something like that." Jokester wasn't the type to sleep a lot at night either, but today was a rather full one and they didn't really have any villains to deal with here.

Even Jokester wouldn't of tried fighting a bending villain while unequipped anyway. Unless he saw the crime going on.

"Off we go then." Jokester headed in the direction he was told it was at.

Enigmatic shadows [OPEN]

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