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Colby gave her a grateful nod, making a small attempt at stretching out his aching arms; Even though it had been agility which had been enhanced, which by it's general definition usually meant in involved running, the aftermath always seemed to affect most of his muscles, regardless if they'd be used wholely directly or not. There were varying levels of course, but it always seemed worse when teamed with high adrenaline... Which it nearly always was. He was brought from his thoughts by a ruffle of hair, pouting in a childish fashion as it was turned into wild unkempt flicks, raising an eyebrow slowly at his sister in a questioning fashion. "And NOW my perfectly crafted hair is a mess, thanks a bunch Lulu," He mockingly scolded, his gaze bright as he tried to flatten it back down with both hands. "I'll have to use up as much fancy coffee as I can for that. Prepare for one very highly strung young adult."
His lips turned up in a thankful smile as he got to his feet, snapping a quick glance over towards the door he'd so unceremoniously burst through; There was no sign of the gang, and he could only hope he didn't happen to cross paths with them again. No doubt his face was going to be on the idiot thug's "wanted" list for a few weeks. He blinked rapidly as he pulled out a key, taking it in hand with a further apologetic sigh. "... I really do owe you for this. I promise to, you know, try not to be so grandly heroic in future, although I make no promises. It just comes so naturally to me." He then moved to head towards the door which led into the staff area, a small haven from the loud hustle and bustle of the club. He cast a look back towards Luxanna, one hand on the handle, his bright expression softening. She really did so much for him... More then she should. More then he felt he deserved at times. He smiled, and opened the door into the respite beyond.
As soon as he'd suggested it Colby knew it was relatively out of the question. Dodging the issue, yeah, that was still an option he'd consider, but full out lying... He didn't have it in his heart to do that to their Dad, despite the obvious parental disapproval he was going to face. He may not have seen disappointment in her eyes, but he heavily expected it from their Detective Father. Still, maybe if he casually slid in through the front door, made a bolt for his room, made sure their Dad didn't catch his face for the next few days until it healed up- ... Yeah. Like that was going to happen. He sighed, defeated. "... This is going to go down real well," He grinned uneasily down at his injured hand. "...Although maybe I'll be let off on heroic grounds? I can hope, right?" His smile then faltered slightly as Luxanna so easily dismissed his apology, raising his blue eyes to meet hers.
Colby couldn't shake the guilt, despite knowing his sister was more then happy to prioritise him. Of course it made him feel like an ass, getting himself into trouble then relying on his older sibling to shield him; He knew now, as the adrenaline calmed and gave way to a dull ache in his muscles, that perhaps he could have handled the situation better... But that didn't mean he felt the guy didn't deserve the no doubt broken nose he was going to have to go home with. He shuffled a little uneasily, flexing his hand a little more as the sting ran down the back of his hand; He didn't want to put more unnecessary stress onto Lux, but he also didn't think venturing beyond the bar on his own was going to be a good idea for his physical wellbeing with the group of boys he'd pissed off most likely hiding round some corner or other waiting for him to emerge. "... You know you're the best, right?" He grinned, although his expression held an element of sad apology. He pulled his hand away from the dulling touch of the ice, flexing it fully with a slight flinch as it looked it over; Thankfully it had stopped bleeding. "...Ouch. Heh. Sooo... You guys still have that really fancy coffee machine back there?" He moved to get up, giving a small grimace at the pain from his wounds. He was trying to be lighthearted, trying to avoid thinking about the situation he was going to have to face back home. Safe to say, Detective Cross wasn't going to take this well.
Colby blinked rapidly at his sister, before sticking his chin up slightly with a wide grin. "Oh I dunno, maybe she'd think the lip and hand ware like... Battle scars? Maybe she likes rugged men?" He almost laughed at his own comment; Since it was very much clear he was far from a traditionally "rugged" looking figure. Colby knew Lux barely mused on such notions, but he always appreciated her interest and discussion even if she had little personal understanding.
His pleas were not outright declined, but Colby hadn't expected her to agree to the idea either; It was her kind of being diplomatic, showing her clear dislike of his suggestion while at the same time encouraging him not to lie without outright saying no, leaving Colby to make the final choice. The boy puffed out his cheeks in thought, gently flexing the fingers of his injured hand; As predicted, despite the dulling of the ice, they still stung like heck. "... Ah... ...Well, you ARE a pretty bad liar..." He teased, before sighing, running his free hand through his brown hair with an uneasy chuckle. "... Which kinda runs in the family. He'd know I was lying right off without even trying. Must be a police thing." He trailed off, falling quiet, his eyebrows knitting together a little; It was looking like going home tonight wasn't going to exactly be fun. He tugged at his jacket sleeve again.
"... Hey, Lu? ... I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to storm in here like this. Kinda ruined your shift now, huh?" He cast her an apologetic smile. "At least you can't say I don't keep things interesting."
Colby awaited her reply with impatiently held breath, and when it came in the form of a hair ruffle he grinned and batted her hand away playfully with his uninjured one. He was relieved; She hadn't given him that all too familiar look of saddened disappointment. "You bet, and I'm sure if I see her again she might be inclined to maybe say yes to a date offer from her oh so valiant hero?" He joined in with the banter, releasing a breath in a gentle sigh he hadn't realised he'd been holding; All he wanted was for this little incident to be blown over now with out further- This reprieve however was short lived, as her next comment was one he'd kind of hoped he'd he able to skip over. His smile wavered, his expression replaced with a far more pleading one. "Aww, Lulu, can't we just... Say I fell or something? I'm pretty clumsy, so it's not entirely unbelievable..." He trailed off, and gave a breathy sigh through his nose with a soft pause; He tugged uneasily at the sleeve of his jacket. "... Do we have to?" This remark was devoid of his usual playfulness, and was more a straight up request.
Their Dad... Well. He was a police Detective, so safe to say this was unlikely to be swept quickly under the carpet.
Colby kept darting his gaze upwards towards the other bartenders, sighing audibly with relief when it clear they'd managed to send off the rather pissed off gaggle of testosterone. A polite thumbs up from one of his sister's coworkers confirmed it, and he replied with a thankful smile. The younger Cross child gave out a low hiss with a bite of his bottom lip as the shock of ice pressed against the growing sting of his burst knuckles; As the initial rush calmed to a dull throb, he finally allowed his stance to relax ever so slightly, averting his eyeline with an uneasy expression. Of course she was going to ask, and while he believed wholeheartedly that his reasons had been valiant, quite gentlemanly even, that didn't mean she'd think his actions had been; And one of the worst things had always been seeing disappointment in her eyes.
It reminded him of their-
He shook his head lightly, shrugging as he cast her a sunny smile. "... Nothing, really. Honest," He replied brightly, knowing that was clearly not going to be enough to satisfy her. He sighed, bringing his free hand to his injured lip, tentatively touching it to judge how sore it really was. "... I just... They were bothering this cute girl. At first I kinda thought it was just some guys she knew or something but then-" He flinched a little from his lip, bringing his hand away as though it had burned him, lowering his eyeline as his smile dropped. He gave an uneasy shrug; He could feel a dull ache forming more steadily now in his muscles, a lovely little aftereffect of his mutation. "... She looked real uncomfortable, Lu, so I casually walked past and... I heard some less then polite things about... You know. People like us. Next thing I know, one grabs her arm and-" He caught her gaze now with his own blue eyed one, his playful smile returning. "Well... You know the rest." He indicated towards his poor hand with a small nod of his head. "...Personally, the guy deserved it. Asshole." He mumbled the last word under his breath, clearly the insult meant for the guy whose face had met his fist.
"Me?!" He pouted, as though the very idea of him being involved in anything remotely unsavoury was unthinkable; This comment was followed by a sharp flinch teamed with an intake of breath. The cut to his lip was still very much raw. He gave a small nervous laugh, averting his gaze from her as he cast an uneasy look towards the dance floor. Thankfully, it seemed the bar was providing an excellent barrier."...Hey, It wasn't exactly MY fault...." He ran his tongue over the injury to his lip in an effort to soothe the sharp soreness, his awkward grin failing him as Luxanna took hold of his injured hand; The last thing he wanted was to get her in trouble, and here he'd brought it right to her doorstep and she, as always, was more concerned for him. "... Hey Lu, it's not that bad, I've had worse..." He mumbled in a softer tone, his bright eyed playful bravado falling away at her concern. He hadn't had the chance to really take in the damage in the few minutes the whole ordeal had been, his blue eyed gaze now dropping to the red, raw splits in his poor bruised knuckles. When the adrenaline calmed, it was going to sting like heck. Colby then shot his eyeline upwards, to where the other bartenders were being very impolitely attacked with verbal demands regarding to Colby's whereabouts. The boy pushed himself back up further against the bar, pulling his legs closer to his form, hoping none of them thought to lean over. He mustered up another sheepish smile, mouthing silently, "Sorry" to the green eyed bartender.
Colby didn't go looking for trouble. Honestly, he didn't. But trouble seemed to have it out for him. He could have avoided it, in all honesty, but ignoring the situation he'd been at first a mere witness of would have played on his soul far longer then any injury he endured while engaging it would have done. Now he found himself running, thundering down pavement, the sound of rapid footsteps pounding after him. He almost tripped over himself as he skidded to a halt, throwing the weighty door to the club open with a forcible shove from both arms. The afternoon had only just crept into early evening, meaning the popular night venue was far from at it's typical capacity; Still, with his heart still pounding somewhere in his throat, the boy paused, casting a nervous glance back towards the door before rapidly manoeuvring through the few patrons to head directly towards the bar. He spotted an all too familiar spill of brown waves, his sister sliding a glass of brightly coloured alcohol across the bar as Colby stumbled to a breathless halt before her. "Hey Lulu," He grinned between intakes of breath, flinching slightly from the sharp soreness of a cut lip, bringing a hand to it before running the same hand sheepishly through his own brown hair. "...You... er... Mind if I hold out-" He then flinched suddenly, shooting the club doors a look as they were suddenly thrown open; Shortly followed by a small group of very pissed off college kids. Colby darted behind the bar, ducking under the barrier which separated the working floor from the dance floor, dropping down low as he then pressed his back against it, sitting himself down on the floor, his gaze pleading up at his sister not to reveal his hiding place. He could still feel the electricity of adrenaline pulsing through him, the ache which typically followed whenever his ability deamed fit to fire into action already starting to settle in. The small smear of red from his cut lip was leaving a distinct taste of metal, Colby wiping it hurriedly with the back of his hand before it dripped onto his shirt, as he tossed an awkward, embarrassed grin at his sister. He put one open hand to the side of his mouth, as though he was whispering a secret; His knuckles clearly partly split. "... The other guy looks worse."
AGE: 18 GENDER: Male ORIENTATION: Bisexual POSITION: College Student @ Bellefonte. Also occasionally works as a waiter in the same place as his sister.
♦ THE ABILITY ♦
POWER: Adaptive Enhancement and Adaptive Regeneration
Colby's body can adapt to deal with immediate situations, enhancing particular physical attributes within the given time of need. Unlike Reactive Adaption, which can last beyond the initialstimulus and can often develop fortitude or strength after the fact (such as an increased IQ after a test), Colby's only reacts within the given moment, and only lasts as long as the stimulus remains. Once this has passed, Colby's attributes return to normal.
Colby can also adapt and regenerate in regards to self healing. It's this factor which seemingly prevents his cells from being damaged in the same manner as his sister; Any cells damaged during an enhancement are then rapidly healed by this sub ability. It also allows him to heal faster then the average human, growing increasingly apt at healing injuries and illnesses. For an example, the more colds Colby has, the faster his body adapts to fighting them, so he recovers faster.
LIMITATIONS:
Colby's ability cannot be controlled. It is mostly triggered by adrenaline, during which his ability will enhance a physical attribute which he requires in that given moment (such as enhanced speed when running from danger). Colby cannot pick and choose what gets enhanced.
Colby's abilty cannot adapt, it merely enhances. For example, while his sister Luxanna could gain the ability to breathe underwater, Colby in the same situation would only get enhanced strength to aid him in swimming to the surface.
It only enhances physical attributes, it cannot make him smarter. So far, it has included speed, strength, dexterity and healing.
Colby's ability only lasts as long as the stimulus lasts. For example, when running from danger, as soon as he stops running and feels safer, his speed will return to it's natural state.
Colby's enhancements are not on the same level as someone whose mutation is specific to that area; For example, his enhanced speed is not on the same level as someone whose mutation is specifically enhanced speed. Each "enhancement" is still within the capacity of a human. (So while Colby could run as fast as a trained sprinter, he could not run as fast as someone with a speed mutation).
Colby's healing adaption is a slow process. While his body is used to having to fix up his cells since it happens so often (each time he uses a physical enhancement), suffering with flu for example or getting badly bruised are events which are far fewer and far between; Meaning his ability has not had able time to learn to adapt and heal these aliments faster. Injuries and illnesses must occur multiple times over periods of time in order for his body to adapt and grow more efficient at healing them.
SIDE-EFFECTS:
After an enhancement, Colby typically suffers with painful aches and muscle pain depending on the exertion he performed during it and how long it lasted. For example, lifting heavy weight will cause more after aches and pain then running.
Fatigue and fainting, with dizzy spells more frequent depending on how long the enhancement lasted and how often it's triggered during a day.
Colby's ability includes enhanced healing, giving him a very strong immune system; it's suspected that after an enhancement, any cells damaged during the forced physical boost are repaired at a rapid rate; This seems to be what had prevented him from him suffering with the same issues as his Mother and sister.
♦ THE CHARACTER ♦
HEIGHT: 6"0 HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Blue
MISC: He got himself the same tattoo as his sister. The words "amor vinvit omnia" run along his right forearm.
PERSONALITY:
Colby is friendly, bright and a fierce protector of those he cares about. His family mean everything to him, especially his sister, his over protectiveness has gotten a little worse since the death of their Mother.
He's overly confident, flirtatious, and very out spoken. He means well, and little is ever done with any true malice, although his emotions often get the better of him which can lead to trouble; He's gotten into a number of fights at school for that reason. He will not back down, even when getting into a fight with someone far bigger then himself.
Colby is more intelligent then he gives himself credit for, able to work out problems and find solutions fairly quickly. He's generally an excellent judge of the character of others, but in the heat of the moment can be blinded.
SECRET(S): He's desperate to try and get good grades in college, with the intent of becoming a doctor in the hopes he can find a way to use his own mutation to aid his sister.
♦ THE HISTORY ♦
Born and raised in Kalispell, as the second born child to the Cross family. As with his sister, both mutant parents were concerned that either of them could develop their Mother's life threatening affliction. When he was eight years old their fears however became reality, when Luxanna displayed the exact same mutation. She was quickly sent to Bellefonte, and although she lived at home and while their parents seemed to be putting on a brave face, the strain on the family was increasingly evident. Their parents attentions seemed focused on Luxanna, and Colby grew weary of his own highly likely mutation; He was scared, not only for his family, but for himself. But with the focus on his sister, he didn't want to worry them further.
As age 11 loomed Colby grew increasingly anxious, acting out more in school as the age Luxanna had been handed, in his mind, her death sentence, grew closer. A few days after his birthday, he thought his fears had been realised, until a lengthy discussion with a Bellefonte recruiter revealed otherwise. He was like her, but not. His body would enhance, then fix itself up. He would LIVE. But she wouldn't. The reveal was a dark relief.
Life in Bellefonte was good; He enjoyed his time, generally well behaved but getting into fights, increasingly after the move by the school was announced. He grew quiet as his Mother's mutation further took it's toll on her, dying a few weeks after the announced move. Her death hit Colby hard; He didn't just see her, but Luxanna as well. She would have to suffer all too similar an outcome... And it wasn't fair. But life rarely is.
Colby now had a new focus; Before, he'd been trying to ignore the impending finality of his Mother and sister, pushing those thoughts far from his mind. But now in college, and with a greater understanding of his mutation, Colby strives to become someone prolific in the medical field; With the desired outcome to save his sister.
♦ THE PLAYER ♦
USERNAME: Gas! AGE GROUP: Wouldn't you like to know. EXPERIENCE: A lot. WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Mel led me here with the promise of good times.
