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Post by Incognito on Jan 7, 2024 8:45:11 GMT -5
Incognito was completely in his element, and he would have to thank Nightcrawler later for giving him a scene in which he could really play with his powers.
Every move he made let him practice how seamless he could camouflage. It would still take him tons of practice to do it so well he would all but turn invisible, sure, but to try it out on a chaotic scene like a jungle was amazing.
Incognito eventually spotted Hydro below him and felt a little bad that his friend looked so out of place. He didn't think Hydro was one that was prone to panicking, but he definitely looked lost and maybe a little spooked if how he shot a bullet of water at a flock of birds was any indication. Hydro at the very least had good reflexes, so it would be a challenge not to get hit
Incognito took a deep breath and leaped down from the thick tree branch he had been on, landing in some brush that crackled and snapped with his weight. He didn't hesitate to move away, doing his best to stay on his feet or utilize trees and vines to keep away from Hydro and his water shots, blending in with the scene as well as he could.
With any luck, he'd be too fast and the jungle's setting would be too busy for Hydro to actually hit him.
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Post by Hydro on Jan 8, 2024 18:18:05 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 251 Hydro heard the snap of something landing on the jungle floor's brush, and he instantly turned to shoot a water bullet at it. It hit nothing, which wasn't terribly surprising, but it made Hydro refocus his thoughts.
He wasn't alone in a hot jungle. Incognito was here somewhere, somewhere close by to no doubt be annoying, and Hydro's focus would be to tag him with water so Nightcrawler would switch out this stupid scenery.
Incognito could move quietly when he wanted to, so Hydro's hearing wasn't helping. His gaze moved slowly, trying to see if he could discern an outline or something off about the scenery that would indicate that Incognito was close by. Every so often, Hydro would fire off another water bullet but it would miss the other recruit. He was almost out of one of his water bottles and Hydro knew he would need to figure out a way to conserve his fuel.
He could move and see if there was another virtual water source, but Hydro didn't want to waste the time, not when Incognito was most likely close by to him right now. Who knows how extensive the jungle scene Nightcrawler had created was, anyway?
Eventually, Hydro coaxed what remained of out of his first water bottle and shaping it in a whip. He held one end, the other hovering in the air until he occasionally tried to whip it towards wherever he thought Incognito was.
He was certain he wouldn't tag Incognito in this setting.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jan 9, 2024 8:30:57 GMT -5
Words: 319 Tags: Incognito HydroNightcrawler noted how the change of scenery made both of the students react. Hydro was clearly trying not to panic and was probably cursing out Nightcrawler for such a humid scene, while Incognito was playing right along with it.
In truth, Nightcrawler was a little surprised that Hydro very nearly used half of the water ammo that he had brought with him. Taking small sips here and there, Hydro had almost immediately broken one of the water bottles' seals to be sure he was hydrated when the jungle fully wavered into view and Nightcrawler wondered if Hydro even realized he had done such a thing.
Preparation was generally a good thing, but being over prepared could be considered wasteful or the beginnings of paranoia.
Still, Nightcrawler was pleased that Hydro was even willing to take the risk of using what remained of his first water bottle to try a different method of tagging Incognito. It was probably Hydro's last idea, a whip-like weapon, while waiting for the scenery to change.
Incognito, with all of his playing and stretching his powers to the fullest, was the clear winner of this round. Nightcrawler very much enjoyed seeing Incognito's actions throughout this jungle setting.
With a couple of buttons pushed and knobs twisted, Nightcrawler changed the scene for the third and final time. The jungle setting began to morph into an urban area, buildings and skyscrapers and even people milling about the sidewalks here and there. Vehicles drove lazily along the streets and there was a park nearby with a gaggle of children on the playground.
What would Hydro and Incognito do to find and stay away from each other amid a larger crowd? Would they throw caution to the wind, knowing full well this was all just a simulation, or would they play by the rules of the real world, doing their best to keep their powers under wraps during their game?
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Post by Incognito on Jan 10, 2024 7:32:49 GMT -5
Oh, shit. Change of scenery.
Incognito inwardly preened at not being tagged by Hydro during the jungle scene, but he soon found himself clinging to the side of a building instead of a tree trunk, and the building continued to grow high as a skyscraper as the hologram changed. Hydro was soon out of Incognito's sight, buildings and people interfering, and Incognito didn't move from his spot until it seemed like the Danger Room's simulation was done.
It almost seemed like Nightcrawler had teleported Incognito (and, presumably, Hydro) into the middle of Bayville's downtown area, but there were just a few things that seemed off with the scene. There was no park that looked like that in Bayville. The signs on the few storefronts Incognito could see were almost as if they were written in a foreign language. Strangers were moving about their business down the sidewalks and driving in their cars, but Incognito was sure he'd seen some of the same people going in circles or predetermined routes that they would just continue to repeat until the Danger Room shut down.
It was almost eerie, like a hazy dream.
Incognito glanced below him, being sure not to just drop down and cause a ruckus by accidentally landing on someone, and he did his best to keep his camouflage up. Like the jungle, the urban scene was chaotic, but unlike the jungle, the urban scene was always moving with background pieces. The city setting seemed to be a medium difficulty for the exercise Nightcrawler devised, one that didn't give either of the recruits an advantage.
Incognito's first line of business would be to try to sneak up and find Hydro.
He stayed as camouflaged as he could and stuck to the sidewalk, being sure to dart in and around people, not touching anything or anyone. Once Hydro was back in his sights, Incognito would need to keep an eye on both him and anything in their surroundings that could potentially give him away.
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Post by Hydro on Jan 11, 2024 8:22:25 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 162 Hydro sighed with relief when the scenery began to change, but he wasn't quite sure what to think of the cityscape itself.
Once the Danger Room started building the new scene and Hydro realized it was similar to Bayville itself, Hydro retreated to a small corner of a building, staying out of the way of the virtual people milling about and dissolving his water-whip to make it hover as a filled bubble behind him. Carefully, Hydro kept an eye on the virtual people to see if anyone would notice that he had a mass of water literally hanging around him.
When it became apparent that no one really noticed -- or cared -- Hydro joined the small crowd on the sidewalks. He walked onward casually, keeping his eyes open for anything that may indicate that Incognito was nearby.
There was plenty of scenery for Incognito to utilize his abilities, but there were plenty of moving pieces, too. Hydro should be able to find him.
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Post by Incognito on Jan 12, 2024 8:03:10 GMT -5
Hydro may have blended in with the crowd if he didn't have a water bubble thing following him around like a puppy.
Incognito himself was pressed up against the walls of the shops and buildings that created the cityscape, his multi-directional vision coming in handy as he tried to keep an eye out on the crowd and Hydro at the same time. Hydro was a few feet ahead of him, walking with the virtual people no doubt in an attempt to find anything that was out of place enough to be considered Incognito.
Incognito grinned to himself and climbed up the side of the nearest building, keeping pace with Hydro after catching up. When there was a chance and space in the sidewalk, Incognito dropped down to walk with the crowd. Once he was right behind Hydro, Incognito reached out to tap Hydro's shoulder.
He didn't stick around to see if Hydro turned. Instead, as soon as he tapped Hydro, Incognito leaped back up on the wall of the closest building, aiming to stay out of the way.
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Post by Hydro on Jan 14, 2024 9:36:34 GMT -5
Tag: Incognito ( Nightcrawler) Words: 194 None of the virtual people around him seemed to care about his water bubble.
Hydro continued to walk casually, but he did subtly test whether or not it was only the sight of the water that people didn't care about or if was extended to touch, as well. Mentally, he directed a few tendrils of water to reach out and try to touch some of the passersby, see if they reacted to anything.
That one didn't mind a tap on her shoulder. The next didn't react when the water tendril briefly curled around their arm. And the third kept on walking even when Hydro splash water on his head.
At least Hydro knew he could be a little reckless when it came to finding and tagging Incognito in this scene.
As such, when Hydro felt a tap on his shoulder, he pivoted on his heel and made a wide arc, directing his water cloud to sweep out much like it had during the first scene. He tried to mentally hold onto most of the water to draw it back, but his gaze was sharp as he tried to determine if his water tagged Incognito.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Jan 17, 2024 7:30:38 GMT -5
Words: 227 Tags: Incognito Hydro Notes: Figured we'll wrap this up considering how long it's been going on? But this was a great thread -- thank you both!Nightcrawler watched critically as Incognito and Hydro both tested the new scenery, using their abilities and common sense. He found it interesting that Incognito opted to avoid the virtual people, acting as if they were playing an actual game of tag in public, while Hydro slowly tested the capabilities of the virtual people around them.
Incognito snuck towards Hydro and tapped him, and Hydro swung around with a wide arc of water, heedless of the virtual people when he realized that they weren't programmed to care about the mutants themselves. While Nightcrawler was certain Hydro would never be that reckless in actual public with his abilities, he used the program to his advantage to try to get one last tag on Incognito. Incognito himself seemed to thrive when he could use his abilities legitimately in public.
Once Hydro performed his last attack, Nightcrawler began shutting down the simulator, figuring that three scenes was enough. He called the two students back up into the control panel and, with a fanged grin, said, "I'm going to count that last scene as a draw.
"You both did excellent," Kurt said. "I'm pleased with both of your progresses, and I hope you both had a bit of fun as well. Unless either of you have questions or comments about the session, you're both free for the afternoon. Well done, meine Freunde."
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