Choosing Grounds (AU/UC/XO/ADULT) Xander and Maria needed

[isabelle]

*Quixote*

I watch the strange an beautiful woman carefully. She seems to travel as I do, appearing and disappearing at will. I'm most curious about this.

"I'm going to help you learn about who you are, Quixote. But, in turn... you are going to help me. Speak all the riddles and play all the games you want down there with them. I'll even give you some hints to give them from time to time."

"You think you know how Quixote's grown? That's a secret none have known," I say, keeping my voice light, although in truth it is one thing I would like most to know. There is much I've guessed and I've done a lot to learn more but there has been nobody here to play the game with me.

She doesn't seem to be bothered by my riddles or skepticism. "For now, I believe it's time that I give them a slight introduction. I don't want my pawns killing each other yet." She laughs. She gives me three sheets of paper with notes for the three she's currently watching. It is funny to watch them. They're all so confused. The notes Medina gives me explain very little but that doesn't bother me.

"Alright, deliver these for now. Then do what you wish down there for a while. When I'm ready for you, I'll call you back."

I spin around gleefully. A new game and I didn't even have to set it up. This will be fun. I hope Zeus enjoys it, too. "Ring around the Rosie and Duck, Duck, Goose," I say, grinning.

In an instant I arrive at the UFO Center where the three oldsters are still facing off against each other. I dance between them singing an ancient song. "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold!"

"What? Where did you come from?" The boy demands.

"Red on top means stop. Green below means go," I remind him as I hand off the note with his name on it. There are rules here and everyone has to play fair. I give the other two to the women, Liz and Isabel. "Kissy kissy!" I tell them. Medina wants them to be friends.

With that I spin around again and disappear. In a heartbeat, I'm at the mall where I stand watching the dark-haired man called Kyle is wandering around. I put on a false frowny face while my eyes twinkle at him. "Little boy blue is all alone. He doesn't know he's far from home."

[madroswellfan]

Deleted

[Anna-Liisa]

Kyle

I got startled by seeing someone all of sudden and let out a small sigh. First there's no one, then there's someone. Even if it's only one. I looked at the person.

"Little boy blue is all alone. He doesn't know he's far from home," she said, looking sort of frowny..or that's what she probably wanted my to think that way. But her eyes were twinkling.

"Who are you?" I asked, sounding more suspicious than I had meant to. "What do you mean 'far from home'? I'm still in Roswell aren't I?"

I had met someone - which was a relief - but she turned out to be a bit...odd. Talking a bit confusing way. Besides I wasn't a 'little boy'. And not alone...Well at the moment I was but when I got home I wasn't alone.

'Maybe she's just lost...Or then she's just playing lost..or then..I'll just wait for her to answer...if she answers' I though, still staring at her.


*

So sorry for posting so short posts, It's jsut the start. I'm always like this (as many of you know).

[isabelle]

*Quixote*

I have to giggle at the old man's suprised expression. He looks like he's in his mid twenties already. He'll be coming down with PAS any day now, probably.

Or not. This is a different world with different rules. I'm not sure what Medina has in mind.

"I'm Quixote. I'm a girl," I announce, grinning. I take a step closer to him and suddenly catch a glimpse of myself in one of the glass storefronts. I have breasts! Not big, but they're there. And as I turn, I see that I have a narrow waist and hips, too. I'm definately not a child any more. I guess I don't need to announce that I'm a girl, anymore.

I get control of myself and turn back to Kyle, trying to remember what I was going to tell him. There's no need to tell him that he's not in Roswell. He'll figure that out easily enough. But he is all alone. I know his friend Maria is at the alien restaurant, but sending him there would be too easy. Besides, there are people nearer to him than that.

"If there are more you'd like to meet, perhaps you should find something to eat," I suggest, gesturing towards the food court. There are two there and I'm sure it will be fun to see how he gets on with them.

[madroswellfan]

~~~~~MARIA~~~~~
I knew I shouldn't stau out in the open. Maybe this was another skin attack. Last time we had went in the UFO museum as there was fewer exits....maybe that would be a good place to go now.
I run back to the UFO centre and push open the doors. I run down the steps and see Liz, Max and Isabel.
"What the hell is going on!" I cried out. "Wheres my fiancee?"

[StormWolfstone]

OOC: Just a note..... the streets are NOT completely empty.... if one noticed, they would see that I stated there are some people outside... just those that were chosen to be taken to the Choosing Ground....

thus.... Maria has just passed two such characters.... just pointing it out.


And had a reminder (*grins at Isabelle*) that Liz too passed one of them. However Kat, you don't need to redo your post, if you simply want to mention something about having seen a sleeping girl.... Liz of course was busy trying to locate Isabel, so I wouldn't expect her to stop when she's concerned for her friend.

[madroswellfan]

Sorry :S woops my bad
well i changed it

[KatnotKath]

OOC: Ooops, sorry guys, didn't notice the location of TiaSan, going to do a little edit now

~Liz~

“This isn’t some kind of dreamwalk…?”

His continued refusal to admit he’s not Max throws me to an extent, having expected an attack by now already… As his widow, I want more than anything to believe that it truly is him, but as the leader, I can’t… I can’t indulge myself in fantasies which are obviously false…

What if he’s just stalling us…keeping us here for someone else, or even worse, keeping us away from somewhere else…? Immediately Michael, Maria and Alex and Kyle spring to mind. I still haven’t received an answer from the only one in that number who I can contact at present, and that’s not like him…

*Michael??* I try again, but to no effect.

The figure in front of us says more, speaking in such a tone that my instinct is to lower my hand, to accept he’s not an enemy… I won’t do that though, I won’t put Isabel in danger from being too trusting… We made that mistake once before, with Tess, and it won’t be repeated…

I continue to watch him as he insists that he would never work with Khivar, and then, to my amazement, turns his back slightly to us. As he lifts his shirt, I suddenly realise what he is doing, and nod slightly as he displays there is no flap. There’s no wounds either…unlike the last time I saw him…

The thought enters my head, and I very nearly drop my hand before catching myself just in time. This isn’t Max, it can’t be! I tell myself firmly, refusing to be taken in. “So you’re not a skin…that doesn’t prove anything…”

My response is cut short as the man in front of me now begins to ask more questions. His death, my powers…

Isabel takes the floor as she answers, and I’m more grateful than she could imagine I’m sure… Speaking about it…it’s still so hard… Even as I hear what happened, I find myself closing my eyes, squeezing them shut for a moment as I fight to keep from crying. I lost so much that day…we all did… I continue, because that’s what Max would have wanted, and because the others need me, but in truth, I feel like Max wasn’t the only one who died that day…

As Isabel now mentions vaguely the changes which took place in my body, I open my eyes, and begin to really study the man in front of me. He’s older than my husband was the day we lost him…and yet in his eyes, there’s those same amber orbs which I could quite easily find myself getting lost in…if I allowed myself…which I don’t, and won’t!

Snapping myself out of it, refusing to allow even one brick of my iternal wall to fall, swallow and silently allow my energy to build. Just because he’s not a skin doesn’t prove he’s not with Khivar…

“If you aren’t a skin, then you’re a damned shapeshifter. That’s got to be the only explanation here.”

I feel Isabel place her hand on my shoulder as she says this, nodding slightly to acknowledge I know that she’s there.

Yet despite her actions, she tells me silently, in my head, that she doesn’t think he’s a danger to us… That’s after she mentions Michael of course, and when I hear she’s not been able to contact him either, I can’t help worrying. Michael can certainly look after himself I know, but what might have happened to him…

I narrow my eyes, watching this image of ‘Max’ again as my grip around my ring tightens. I refuse to let myself wear it on my finger, but it never leaves my neck…I never take it off…

While keeping my aim on him, ready to let another blast if necessary – it might be hard, but I’ll do it if I have to… - I quickly try to go over in my head the things that have been said. He sounds genuine I know, speaking almost as one of us at the mention of Khivar…

And yet what if this is all a ploy, a trick…? A skin no, but a shapeshifter…or some other sort of alien we don’t even know about, it’s far from being impossible, and I can’t just accept the easy explanation. A shapeshifter…an alien… He was speaking about things that never happened, and then yet he knew about Max changing me… Khivar’s followers know I was changed of course, I wasn’t one of the original four, and yet now I bear the seal – I was a normal human, but now I’m something more… None of them have known how to date though…

“Who’s Ava?”

Isabel’s question catches me and I wait in silence, refusing to make a decision as to whether to trust to him until I hear the answer.

He ignores the question, only reinforcing my doubt as he begins to say that we got away from Copper Summet, and even worse, that Tess actually saved us… I shake my head in disbelief. “Tess deserted us…she set the trap, and probably watched us struggle to fight!”

My tone is tight and I don’t bother trying to hide the hate in my voice as I speak about the girl that destroyed by family.

"Ava is Tess's dupe… From the other set. They made two groups of us and -- Wait. That's it. You're not Isabel, are you? You're Lonnie."

Tess’ dupe…two groups… I don’t understand, and yet I want to believe, not only because I want so much to believe its Max, but more because there’s something about his manner, the way he talks… The more I watch him, the more I note the similarities (even if they come with differences), the more I believe…

Then suddenly, as he begins speaking of this Lonnie – whoever she is, he raises his hand and my resolve strengthens. He won’t hurt us…I won’t let him…

"You think I'm Zan."

Zan…Max’s name before…

I’m less than a second away from acting, when suddenly a younger girl appears, dancing around as though she has no cares in the world, and speaking in riddles as she refuses to answer the question of who she is, and simply hands each of us a note…

Slowly, I release my hold on my chain, dropping my hand to open the note carefully although still never dropping my guard.

Welcome to the Choosing Grounds, Welcome to the Service of Medina. Once everyone has met and come together, I'll greet you face to face. For the moment however, enjoy the second chance from fate. Or.. better yet a second chance given to you by a Goddess.

Medina


I read the words and look up at Isabel, wondering if hers says the same. Choosing grounds… Service of Medina…a Goddess… It would all be so incredible and impossible if normal standards were applied, but then my life has never been normal since that day in the Crashdown, so maybe I should forget those standards…

A second chance from fate… I swallow and turn back to the man in front of me, finally lowering my hand as comprehension settles over me. “You are Max…or a version of him…” I comment softly, half to myself really…

[AntarPrince04]

Ok just an update, Im not skiping out but I cant post again yet. Storm knows why

[StormWolfstone]

~Moon~


"Hey!" The guy shouts and steps back. I observe him, clutching the knife protectively before me. He put his hands up as if to say he wasn't any harm, but I wasn't about to trust that. "I just wanted to know where this place is. Is this the way you treat all your guests?"

"This isn't my place, I don't even know how the hell I got here." I tell him and shrug, "You go back to your business and I'll go back to mine. Just stay away from me." I wanted to go back to what I had been about to do, wanted to be left alone, but I didn't know whether it would be a good idea to take my eyes off of the stranger.

I glanced down at the knife in my hands, my mind picturing the blade sinking deeply into my wrist. I'll never have to be a victim again. Never a victim again, never again. I keep repeating those words to myself as I stare at the blade in my hand. I can't keep from looking at the blade and as I do, I find myself releasing my hold with my left hand while I hold that hand up, wrist facing upwards, while my right hand with knife held tightly simply holds the blade.