Princess: The Hopeful (IC)

[Inedible]

Princess: The Hopeful
New York City, 10/03/2013, 8:23 PM

The E Train of the New York City subway travels between Queens and Manhattan, back and forth, 24 hours a day. The rhythmic, rattling sound of the cars as they travel down the dark tunnels underneath the city is a familiar noise to those native to the city, a constant companion on a late Saturday evening as all four of the girls are traveling home.

The three Nobility share one car, and the Nakama probably one purpose for their. Several disappearances have been happening in and around Queens lately, enough that bear investigating. They've been able to find one or two mindless darkspawn roaming the streets, easily taken care of threats that give no hint toward any larger danger. For tonight, at least, their work is over.

Georgia is on the next car forward, returning from whatever she might have been out and about doing. Both cars are moderately populated, as are others further in front and back, people shuffling on and off at each stop. In the Nakama's car there's a scraggly looking homeless man sleeping on a pile of newspapers in a seat, snoring loudly. Georgia's car contains several businessmen, and a nervous looking seated woman that seems to be busy scratching on a notepad.

The next time the doors slide open several rough looking young men enter both cars, two on the car with the three Hopeful, one on Georgia's. They're wearing heavy jackets and heavily tattooed, with marks on arms and faces. The two in the back glance around the car before one moves back toward the homeless man, extending a foot to nudge him with a sneaker.

"Hey," The punk grumbles, "You're taking up all the seats." When the sleeper doesn't respond the man above him nudges harder, pressing his shoe into the homeless man's side. The man on the bench begins to start to wakefulness, in time to let out a sputtering protest as the young man nudges him more firmly.

[RdMarquis]

"Oh, relax." The speaker brushed away the long bangs covering the left side of her face. She had grown them out as part of her new image. Molly dozed off, as well. At least until the punks got on the train. "It's late, and everyone's tired. Here." She was, at any rate. And not enthusiastic about the idea of another confrontation. She got up and slumped against one of the hand rails. "Go ahead." Molly indicated the vacated seat. Of course, his friends would want to sit down, too. "Guys. Do you mind?" she asked the other nobles.

[magicswordsman]

"Not at all! Like, if they're desperate enough to deal with that old guy, they must need the seats way worse than us!" Deja bounces to her feet, following Molly's lead and acting more peppy then she felt.

[jamieth]

"Oh, but of course!" Laura said, loud enough for the punks to clearly hear, "He can have my seat any moment-" she started rolling towards one of them, keeping her eyes on his pockets - from her height, it wasn't hard to do inconspicuously.
Dice stuff is here:http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16799940&postcount=3
In case the first roll indicates the presence of something, read the following:

Noticing what she looked for, Laura gave a wheel of her chair another push, bumping into the punk slightly, "Oh, sorry!", just as her hand slipped into his pocket...

[Ecksdee]

As the train jostled its occupants back and forth, Georgia sat slouched down in her chosen seat. The normally unperturbed teenager was actually in fairly good spirits. Then again, visiting her grandmother often did wonders in that department. Right now she was clutching a metal tin of cookies she'd been given to take home and snack on to her heart's content. Her grandmother had said to share them with her father... but given his work schedule Georgia didn't foresee that happening anytime soon.

She paid the guy that entered her car no mind, instead focused on sending off a text message to Ash asking if he'd be up for hanging out tonight. With her dad not expected home until the early morning hours Georgia pretty much had free reign. The emotional distance between the two of them did have some perks...

[Inedible]

The two men in the back car turn when the girls behind them speak up, their attention temporarily taken from the homeless man scrunching back against the seat. The young man gives the bum one more forceful nudge with his heel before he turns, sinking down into one of the seats at the girls have given up.

“That’s better,” He says, getting comfortable. “You don’t have to go anywhere though, you can come sit right here.” The punk gestures between Molly and Deja, and indicates his lap. He says something in Spanish after it, which gets a laugh out of his compatriot. Judging by the face the punk is making, it’s probably best left translated.

As the other man moves to join him, Laura can spot that he is, in fact, armed. What looks like a switchblade rests in his jacket pocket. When she reaches for it she manages to get a finger on it before she snags his jacket on the way by, and one of the young man’s hands reaches down to grab the girl’s wrist. “What the hell do you think you’re doing,” He snarls.

Opposed roll: 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16801853&postcount=4)

The punk on Georgia’s car, meanwhile, is causing less problems. As she gets an affirmative text back from Ash on her phone the man is scanning the seats with his tattooed face, finding a place next to the woman with the notepad and hunkering down there to get comfortable. He must jostle her when she sits, because the notepad in hand falls from her shaking fingers with a gasp of surprise.

The punk reaches down to pick up the notepad, but as soon as he touches it the woman snags it from his grasp and clutches it in a white knuckled grip.

“No!” She hisses. “It’s not done! You’re going to ruin it!” She glances down at her work, her works coming in a whispered torrent. “It’s not good enough yet. It’s never good enough. It’s not done, what are you doing?” She reaches out to grasp the young man’s jacket, demanding, half-sobbing, “I have to start over now! Why did you look at it?”

To his credit, the gangster allows her to jostle him for a few seconds before one of his large hands grips her by the throat. "Bitch, you need to calm down." His other hand raises above his head, in warning of his intent to strike her.

[magicswordsman]

Deja steps forward to try and help Laura out by defusing the situation, spending a Wisp to use her Practical Magic.

Manipulation + Persuasion + Striking Looks + Practical Magic - 2: Failure (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16803135&postcount=5)

((ahahhah sorry everyone... I'm gonna turn the failure into a dramatic failure for a beat! assuming that's okay with Inedible.))

"Get your hands off her, jerkface!"

-1 Wisp, +1 Beat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16763209&postcount=32)

[jamieth]

"Don't worry", Laura raised her free hand towards Deja, "We're fine here!"
Then, turning back towards the punk, "Sorry! I... just thought I'll fix your handkerchief, since it was about to fall out, you see..."
I won't even bother rolling - that's not the kind of bluff that can really work against a prejudiced opponent. Mostly testing the water here, trying to check his general attitude.

[Ecksdee]

Georgia peeked up and over at the commotion taking place. The woman was freaking out over... a notepad? Apparently something very important was on it, and the tattooed guy had "soiled" it. Of course, he didn't take too well to being manhandled by the woman, and Georgia found herself sucking in a wary breath when he grabbed her by the throat, hand raised as if fixed to strike her. Great.

She really did want to stay out of it. The whole thing was none of her business. And usually keeping to herself would've been easy. But... today is different. Setting her tin down as she got up Georgia made her way over to the pair, reaching out to grab the guy's hand.

"Hey buttmunch, like, chill out." Probably not the best choice of words to use in defusing a heated situation...

[RdMarquis]

"I'm good." Of course, she had a much less polite reply in mind. That would have defeated the purpose of giving up her seat, however. Molly switched to a leaning position and settled in for the rest of the ride. She hoped that would be it.

Hoped in vain, as it happened. Molly gave her "profession" a sneer as the young man grabbed Laura's arm. Whoever said there's no rest for the wicked never met a good guy. Well, she was trying to be good. "All of you," she said firmly, "back to your corners." Admittedly, she only wanted the punk's attention. Molly spoke in a more calming tone as she focused her attention on him. "Will you cool it? She was only trying to help."

[Inedible]

Molly might have been drying to defuse the situation, but Deja's attempts to help don't turn out as well as she hoped. The girl's demand only seems to irk the thug, and Laura's claim earns a glare in response.

"You need to tell your friend to keep her hands to herself." And then he slaps Laura. Perhaps he's showing mercy by not using a closed fist, but it still hurts. He draws back after the sting is delivered, content that he's given the girl something to think about.

Attack:
Slap!: 1 success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16809775&postcount=6).
No damage, but that's probably a little humiliating.
In the car ahead the thug turns his attention over to Georgia, his lips curling into a frown. "Get out of here." His grip at least loosens on the woman he's holding. He looks like he's about to say something more to Georgia, but he's interrupted when the woman he was holding drives the point of her pen through the back of his hand. Her eyes are wide, her hands shaking, and her whispers are unintelligible murmurs.

The thug, however, is not so quiet. He yells when the pen is jammed into his hand, the utensil having been driven with such force that it enters one side of his hand and protrudes out the other. Then he draws the switchblade from his pocket, pain and rage flashing across his face.

The three girls in the car behind can hear the screams from Georgia's car. The two punks can too, and they turn from the confrontation to glance in the direction of the car ahead.

[Ecksdee]

Getting the thug's attention off of the woman was Georgia's plan so... mission accomplished? Though she didn't count on the woman reacting as violently as she does. Georgia watched the pen go through the thug's hand, eyes widening as she jumped back. "Holy..." Well, it served him right for grabbing onto her like that. This lady was no scared little mouse!

Unfortunately, that act had the side effect of pissing him off royally. Imagine that! And as he whipped out his switchblade, Georgia found herself springing into action with a swift punch delivered to the back of his head. "Run lady!" She yelled at the woman, hoping to buy her some time to get away before he carved her up like a freshly cooked turkey.

Unarmed Attack Roll for Justice!
One Success! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16810153&postcount=7)
Wasn't sure if I got any bonuses for him being distracted by the pen wound, so I'll leave that to you to determine! :P Though I would think this would count as a surprise attack, which means his Defense wouldn't apply.

[jamieth]

Laura let out a gasp; partially it was caused by physical pain, no doubt, but at least as much, if not more, it was a result of a sharp guilt that turned her other cheek every bit as red as the one slapped. She didn't have much time to dwell on that guilt though, as the scream pierced the car; suddenly free from the hold, the girl, however, made no effort to get back. As soon as the scream went silent, she started speaking very fast, "Please, let me pass! I'm sorry, what I did was stupid, I'll make up for it later, but right now, what happened there is more important, someont might be really hurt!"
Breaking point roll: 4 successes (http://http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16810985&postcount=8); it was so close...
Persuation roll: 1 success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16811491&postcount=9).

Willpower left: 5;
gained Guilty condition;
got a Beat.

[RdMarquis]

"The hell with this," Molly muttered. There was no point in trying to be nice to these guys if they were just going to take it as an invitation to slap girls around. Girls in wheelchairs, no less. "What I need to do is-" knock your teeth right out of your ugly face. But before she could finish the sentence, Molly was interrupted by the screaming from the next car. "It never ends," she sighed.

One thing was for sure, she wasn't about to wait for either thug to give Laura permission to leave. Molly grabs the handles of the wheelchair, hauling the girl with her as she headed for the next car. And just let the one who had slapped her try anything. "Get the door," she told Deja.

[magicswordsman]

"G-got it!" Deja darts ahead and hauls open the door, apprehensive about what she'll find behind it.

[Inedible]

Georgia's fist collides with the side of the punk's head, the young man jerking back with another hiss of pain. He jerks toward her, the blade rising in the girl's direction, away from the woman sitting next to him. It makes it halfway to her before the woman next to him reaches out to grab his hand. Georgia can see his grip twist and flex under her slender fingers for a moment, and then with more force than the woman's slender arm seems like it could possibly allow she twists the blade and slams it into his throat.

Georgia
Georgia, this is pretty terifying. Being that you're a regular old mortal, this is probably a breaking point for you! So you should roll that.
Most of the bystanders, those not frozen in shock, begin to make a hasty exit. They spill out into the other cars before Deja can even get to the door, trying to get away from the scene as fast as possible. The two thugs harassing the Nakama cease paying attention to Laura and the others, ignoring her plea and similarly beginning to push their way to the car ahead.

Once the three Hopeful shove their way there they spot Georgia standing next to the a disheveled woman in her twenties, seated, her hands burying a knife into the throat of another gangster seated next to her. The two thugs stop at the door, staring inside, trying to formulate what to make of this.

Laura, Deja, Molly
You all see a man getting his throat torn open! Although it's a little hard to see now, it'll be obvious within a few seconds. That's a Sensitivity check.

[jamieth]

Suddenly, it appears that seeing someone stabbed in the neck is no less painful than actually being stabbed would be... or so Laura feels. OK, maybe a bit less painful, but still to much to just watch... With a scream of "STOO-OOP!" she pushes the wheels, aiming to ram the woman's hand...

I'm not sure what to roll here; I stand than controlling the wheelchair is Drive, but Athletics can work as well, I suppose. Not Brawl, since I'm not aiming to harm, just push away. Also, Molly certainly has a chance to stop Laura... Doubly also, I would say it counts as fulfilling my Vice?

[Ecksdee]

Georgia intended to draw the thug's entire aggro in order for the woman to run off to safety. A noble act. Funny though how quickly things can go south. Things seem to slow down as the woman grabbed the thug's hand, jerked it around, and proceeded to jab the dangerous silver blade right into his neck. The blonde teenager's eyes widened, mouth agape in what was likely a silent scream. She can't say or do anything -- not even as Laura sprung forward in her wheelchair to intervene.

'No no no no no no no...'

Roll Result for Integrity (Belief): Four Successes! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16818282&postcount=11)

Also, I'll be taking the Guilty condition for Georgia. She did after all hinder the thug with that punch which gave the crazy lady an opening to stab him... Oh boy what a slippery slope! :smallbiggrin:

[RdMarquis]

Jack had gone about his own violent act in a disturbingly artful way. While the rest of the group cornered their victim, Molly's twin forged a bagful of sand into an glass blade. For her, it was like watching Jack commit that murder all over again. Molly stood there numbly, oblivious to the fact that Laura was rushing the woman. Though, with the wheelchair moving, she lost balance and fell to her knees. "No, no. W-Why...?"

Maybe a few seconds passed before she recovered. It felt longer. Weighed down by a burden both psychological and physical, Molly hauled herself to her feet. As she stepped forward to attack the woman, she was stopped by the rational part of her mind. The young man's throat wound would probably be fatal. But causing the knife to come out would guarantee that. "No!" Molly lunged to stop Laura before she struck the woman.

[magicswordsman]

I'm going to assume that as the team's mender Deja has some sort of first aid kit, probably in her purse.
"Oh, god..." Deja sees the carnage in the next car and takes a step back.
Sensitivity: 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16819742&postcount=15) + 0 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16819753&postcount=16) = 1 Success; Acceptance Haunting
With shaking hands Deja scrambles for her first aid kit. She almost forgets about the woman as she tries to gauge the severity of the wound from afar.
Wits+Medicine: 3 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16819742&postcount=15) Successes!

+1 Bashing Damage, +1 Shadow, Gained Haunted Condition (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16763209&postcount=32)
http://i.imgur.com/03WjJui.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/wig0t9J.png

[Inedible]

"I understand." The woman's voice is a whisper, her eyes on the blood that stains her hand. "This is what it was missing." Her words take on an almost reverent quality. "Thank you." She draws the knife back, clutching it tight. The thug it was just inside is grasping at his throat, the man falling to the floor as the woman begins to rise to her feet. Her wide blue eyes turn to Georgia, looking at her as if some great new truth has been revealed to her. Then she begins to move toward her.

The two tattooed young men soon recover from their shock, glancing between each other for an instant before one of them jerks out his own switchblade and rushes forward. The other begins to make a bee-line for his wounded compatriot, snarling in Spanish as he does.

Both Deja and Molly can tell that the wound left by the knife isn't something the thug is probably going to live through. The knife has dug a wide gash across his throat, and it's unlikely he'll be able to breathe much longer. If there were paramedics and equipment on the scene he might have a chance, but it looks like a grim prospect.

By now the regular passengers have all fled, the shock wearing off and terror setting in. They go running in either direction, leaving the scene to play out on its own.

Initiative
As sad as it is, I think initiative will be important for this. So here's a list:
Laura
Molly
Deja
Thugs
Georgia
Knife Lady

Laura is first.

[jamieth]

From the look on Deja's face, Laura gets everything she needs to know about the wounded thug's fate. Still... maybe there's still a chance. Of course, this chance relies on Silver Flare. And that would require... First of all, that would require handling the woman. No chance the thugs can be convinced to look the other way while she's still active.
"Flare, get ready to do your stuff! We'll take care of the witnesses!"
Reaching into a bag fixed to her wheelchair's side, she pulls a small bright colored ball out and weighs it in her hand for a moment. There will likely be only one chance, so she's got to make the most of it... half a second later, the ball flies towards the woman's head with a swiftness that could hardly be expected from someone Laura's size.

Since juggling balls are specifically not really hard, I guess it would be a +0 bashing damage? I aim for Stunned tilt, not the damage, anyway.
Attack as follows: 4 Dexterity + 4 Athletics + 3 Willpower + 2 Practical Magic - 3 Called Shot to the head; Stun on 4+ Damage.
[roll0]
Explosions:
[roll1]

upd: Yeah! 4 damage exactly! Unless, of course, the woman has more than 2 Defence, which isn't unlikely, honestly speaking.

Also, if attacked this round, Laura would overturn the wheelchair, blocking the strike wit hit's body and, thus, retaining her Athletics to Defence. Of course, that'll make her almost immobile the next round...

[RdMarquis]

The problem was, they had more witnesses than just the tattooed punks. Molly yanked off her jacket and climbed on the nearest seat. There was a camera on the ceiling Even if no one could recognize them, just imagine how people would react to a girl with magical powers. Carefully leaning over, she held the jacket in front of the device. "I've got the camera! You're clear!" Molly set about trying to pry the thing loose with a free hand. Next time, she would bring a tool kit along.

[magicswordsman]

The only thing on Deja's mind is trying to save the dying punk's life. Regardless of anything he might have done in his past, he didn't deserve to die here. And regardless of whether or not she would actually be able to help, she needed to try. Hopefully her friends would distract the woman from finishing the job or coming after her.

Deja yanks out her first aid kit and hurries to kneel by the bleeding man. "Help me!" She gasps at the punk who went for his fallen friend.

Since it's well within her Resources Merit, I'm going to assume that Deja has the +1 version of the First Aid Kit (availability 2). She'll also spend a point of Willpower on the roll. Also maybe on his turn the punk will assist? Though I don't expect him to be trained in Medicine.

Dexterity+Medicine+Equipment+Willpower: 4 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16826209&postcount=21) Successes

-1 Willpower (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16763209&postcount=32)

[Inedible]

Deja doesn’t have what she needs to fix the wound, but she can seal it, and at least provide the cut young man a little bit of air. It’s fairly clear he’s gone into shock, though, and he won’t last very long even with the measures she’s taken. The punk next to her doesn’t seem much in the way of help, but he at least helps hold his friend down while the girl works.


The other tattooed man snarls as he lunges toward the woman with the knife, his own blade rising and falling, cutting a gash across one of her arms. The woman hisses in pain, but her eyes are still wide, and it only registers for a second.

Georgia, you’re up! I’ll give you a choice. If you want you can blossom and transform, or you can wait. There will be an opportunity to do so later if you don’t now.

[Ecksdee]

Everything was spiraling out of control. Georgia flinched when the woman came her way, but didn't make any movements to get out of the way. The pissed off thug served as a distraction for the knife-wielding female, likely seeking vengeance for his mortally wounded friend. Georgia turned stiffly to look down at the dying man, who was being treated by a girl with a medkit. There were two other girls present, both of them seeming to be acting in some rash attempt to stop anyone else from getting hurt.

Her eyes slowly flicked from them back over to the downed thug. There was no way he was going to make it. Anyone who got stabbed like that only lasted minutes without proper medical care. What had started out as a simple altercation had escalated to homicide. And she had inadvertently played a hand in sending someone off to an early grave. It wasn't right... Not at all.

Something began to stir inside of her -- something akin to flames of white hot passion. She wanted to make this right. She needed to make this right. If anyone was going to do it, it had to be her. Taking a bold step forward she go of her inhibitions and let instinct she didn't know she possessed take over. In a bright flash of light she became completely engulfed in flames, body visibly twisting and turning into a new form. The fire extinguished itself rather abruptly moments later, and standing there still smoldering was a freshly blossomed Georgia, decked out in heroic garb and looking mighty fierce. She cracked her gloved knuckles and smirked for good measure, feeling a surge of confidence unlike any other.

Oh yeah. She's totally got this.

Without saying anything she moved toward the knife lady, forming her hand into a fist and jabbing forward towards her stomach. If she could merely incapacitate her long enough then maybe the switchblade can be taken away from her...

Alright. Spending 1 Wisp to add a die to Strength for the purpose of getting a better unarmed combat pool: Three Successes! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16828700&postcount=23)

[Inedible]

The ball bouncing off the woman’s head and the blow to her stomach cause the woman to double over, her legs buckling for a second before she manages to catch herself.

“Don’t you understand?” She hisses through clenched teeth. “This is what it needs!” She lunges, throwing herself at Georgia with a scream. The blows seem to have disoriented her, and her hand goes wide when she attempts to plunge her knife into the newly transformed girl. She barely manages to remain upright after her failed lunge, reaching to grab at the wall to balance herself again.

Attack vs Georgia: 0 Success. With her wound penalties she would have missed that.

Also, Ecks, I don’t think you accounted for the -3 defense of the knife lady, so that gobbles up one of your success. The one that would have exploded, unfortunately.

Laura is up.

[jamieth]

Oh well, so long for the attempts for subtlety. Well then, it's time to go all out too! Laura literally jumps out of the wheelchair, her body staring to glow does a double somersault, almost hitting the car's ceiling, and lands lightly on the wheelchair's seat, now clad in a purple-and-cyan full-body tights decorated with golden stars, with a jester's cap to match. Around her, three juggling clubs spin through the air without any visible support. "Sorry, Molly, but I'm afraid you'll have to take care of the cam for a little more... I'll try to be quick, I promise!"

2 successes on transformation roll (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16833086&postcount=29)

[RdMarquis]

"Yeah, sure, no big." Molly shifted her weight awkwardly as she tried to get her foot behind a seat for balance. She reached under the jacket to tug at the camera again. This was taking too long. Not to mention, if she fell, their cover would be blown. Time for a drastic solution.

On Molly's right index was a silver ring, decorated with a pair of folded wings that formed a heart shape. When she pressed it to her lips, they grew and flapped to life, filling the subway car with glistening silver down. The gale faded as suddenly as it appeared, leaving Molly's black clothes replaced by an immaculate white outfit. The twin wings had intertwined behind her head, forming a mask with a vague, birdlike shape.

"Now then..." Lohengrin flicked her wrist, extending the length of razor sharp thread from her glove.

[magicswordsman]

Deja, pretty she can't do anything more for the guy, notices the transformative flashes around her. "I guess it's just me left, then! Hang on, guy."

She springs to her feet and strikes a pose as miniature fireworks begin to go off around her. As her jeans morph into a pleated skirt and her top shortens and changes colors, more and more fireworks go off by her hands and hang in the air, coalescing into a pair of shimmering pom-poms.

"Alright lady, let's make this Q! U! I! C! K! Quick!"

Transformation roll: Success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16842070&postcount=31)!

[Inedible]

The thug kneeling next to his injured companion goes wide-eyed as all of these teenage girls start wreathing themselves in flashes of light or bursts of flame. He doesn't seem to be able to comprehend the situation completely, nor have any idea of what exactly he should be doing at the moment.

The other one, though, is too caught up in his frenzy to recognize the magnitude of what's going on. He strikes at the woman with the knife again, this time plunging the switchblade into her stomach. She screams when the small blade buries itself in her skin, a mix of pain and anger contorting her face. Bruised, cut, and bleeding, it seems like a miracle she's even still managing to stand at this point.

Thug vs Knife Lady: 1 Success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16842337&postcount=32)

Georgia is up.

[Ecksdee]

The knife being plunged into the woman's stomach makes Georgia growl. Sure she was crazy and trying to kill, but she didn't deserve to be killed herself. Her vision was starting to blur as she focused solely on the two combatants. The others present weren't paid any attention to. Even if they were her allies in this fight.

"That's enough!" She bellowed aloud, reaching out in an attempt to grab the thug and yank him backwards enough to send him flying away from the woman. "Lady! Don't make me hurt you!" She then screamed at the knife lady. "I want to help you but you need to calm the hell down!"


Ack, One Success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16844990&postcount=33)!

[Inedible]

The thug brushes off Georgia's hand, elbowing her aside with a snarl of his native language. The brief distraction doesn't keep him from moving out of the way when the woman with the knife makes a final lunge for him. She wobbles, slicing at only air, and then pitching to the ground. The knife clatters to her side, and she lets out a hiss of pain as she slumps against the floor of the subway car.

The thug looks like he might just finish the job he started, judging by the anger in his face and his frenzied assault so far.

Defense of the thug eats Georgia's success. Laura is up, and the lady is down.

[jamieth]

"Oh, come on!" Laura calls the thug, "You saw what happens when you swing these toys around! If only I was a tad more careful then... oh well, this time I won't miss - though, sorry, it might hurt just a bit!"
Throughout her speech, she held a hand behind her back - and, with the last words, she grabbed one of the clubs as it was floating by and launched it towards the thug... towards the thug's arm, knocking the switchblade out - and, (unfortunately but unavoidably), leaving his fingers limp for the foreseeable future...
Called shot to the arm: 2 successes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16850012&postcount=35), for a total of 3 bashing damage.
Wisps left: 4
Levinbolt Charges left: 2

[RdMarquis]

Lohengrin supposed the thug's reaction was to be expected. It didn't look like his friend was going to survive that wound. But they couldn't let him kill that woman. Another death would just make things worse. She moved her arm in a slashing motion, hurling the thread at the camera. After making sure there is no more danger of anyone being caught on film, Lohengrin jumps down from her perch. "Enough. Stop this," she warns the recently disarmed thug, "before we have to make you."

Three successes. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16852630&postcount=36) And if it helps, this Kensai has Armor Piercing 1.

[magicswordsman]

"Well, I guess that was acceptably quick! But we can't have you dying, either. A mender's job is never done!"

Flare checks how badly injured the woman is. If she needs it, Flare will also patch her up.


Diagnosis(Wits+Medicine): 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16857975&postcount=37) + 1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16857990&postcount=38) = 2 Successes
First Aid(Dexterity+Medicine+Equipment): 3 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16857975&postcount=37) + 0 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16858029&postcount=39) = 3 Successes

As much as I'd like to fulfill my aspiration and use Balm on her, it's probably better that she's unconscious, lol.

[Inedible]

The Silver Flare can bandage up the cuts, but it becomes quickly apparent that while the Nakama hasn't been kind to her, the knife jammed into her especially wasn't. She's bleeding fairly heavily, staining the floor of the car and Deja's hands while she works. She, too, will probably need medical aid fairly soon.

The thug with the knife lets out a howl when the club smashes into his hand, his fingers flexing and releasing, letting the knife clatter to the ground. He rounds on Laura, aiming a fist at the girl, a blow she'll easily be able to dodge.

The kneeling thug is trying to take the whole mess in, demanding, "Who the hell are you!?"

Attack vs Laura: 0 Success. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16858326&postcount=40)

Georgia, if you can deal damage to the attacking thug I'll say he's beaten down, for expediency.

[Ecksdee]

Only when the thug's hand is smashed by what looks like a club does Georgia realize she's not alone. Turning to look at the other transformed girls she blinked. "Oh. Hey guys..." It didn't take her long to recognize them as allies. Call it a weird, inner feeling that manifested on account of her blossoming. She gave them each a smile before whirling around to focus on the punk again. "Time to take out the trash!"

Winding her arm back, she aimed a hell of haymaker right at him.


Result: One Success (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16860451&postcount=41)! Again. Jeez.

[Inedible]

The punk, occupied with Laura, still manages to avoid Georgia's blow. The punch glances off his shoulder as he moves to the side, luckily managing to avoid the girl's strike.

Laura is up. Same rule, if you hit I'll say he's out..

[jamieth]

As the thug swings his fist, Laura, bending back and letting the strike to fly above her, goes into a walkover and sends the second club at him, from a one-handed handstand... such unnecessary acrobatics quickly preving unwise as the club flies right past the thug and smashes into the already downed woman, missing Deja by inches.
Really, simply hitting is too easy in this case... I hope. 5 Dex + 2 Firearms +1 Speciality for 8 dice...
[roll0]
Yeah, right... assuming his Defense eats up my success (he's currently on 3, right?), I'm degrading it to a Dramatic. Feel free to invent who or what I hit. Rickoshets are possible :-)

[RdMarquis]

Molly bit back a curse, though she couldn't quite hide her shock at the misfire. Was the woman still alive? Maybe Deja could help with any wounds, but not with that thug still trying to kill her. Molly retracted the wire, readying it for another throw. It was all up to her, then.

One success. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16871996&postcount=45)

[Inedible]

The wire zig-zags out to slice across the the standing thug's legs, binding and tripping him up. He stumbles forward, keeling over and smashing his head into one of the bars. He drops to the floor, put out of commission for the moment. The remaining thug presses his back against the seat, his eyes moving between the four girls. He doesn't seem to think it's a good idea to mess with them.

As for the woman on the floor, the juggling implement has torn open one of her knife wounds, the impact in her stomach causing blood to flow once again.

The rest of the passengers have retreated into the far front and rear, leaving the cars immediately around deserted. The rattle and noise of the subway becomes apparent once again as the chaos dies down, an oddly peaceful and familiar noise.

Combat over. You may post freely until something else happens.

[RdMarquis]

"Everyone alright?" With the fight over, Lohengrin finds herself breathing heavily and exhausted. Not surprising, as that had been their second time leaping into action in so many hours. She makes sure her weapon is stored back in her glove before hurrying to check on the injured woman. But she wasn't the only one Lohengrin had to worry about.

Molly glances at the two punks. The unconscious one didn't seem critically injured, which was more than could be said for his friend. She decided to leave them be for the moment. Her sigh is muffled by the mask. What a mess. And there was little they could do to fix it besides quickly trying to help anyone wounded. Someone had probably called the police, so they couldn't stick around.

Struck by a sudden thought, Lohengrin carefully searches the woman for identification. This incident might be worth following up on, if only to learn why the woman suddenly became so violent. And who was the woman talking to? Then again, she might "only" have been mentally ill. It didn't take the supernatural to cause pain and suffering.

Lastly, she turned to address the fourth Noble. "Hi." She paused, a little unsure of what to say. "I'm, um, Lohengrin. What do you call yourself?"

[jamieth]

"Eh, not to interrupt, but the next station's getting closer every second... we need to wrap it, pronto", Laura crouches next to the still-conscious thug and says, "Eh, you'd better call the ambulance... oh, and keep what you saw to yourself, would you? I mean, if you tell anyone, they'll think you're either high, or insane... you don't want that, right? Ciao!" she stands up, snaps her fingers and becomes her normal self again. The next moment her legs give way and she collapses to the floor, "Oh. I really need to remember to sit before doing it..."
Should anyone attempt a Medicine roll before my next post, Laura would assist (assuming someone gets her into her chair, of course), giving the primary actor a [roll0] +1 to their check. Also, dice hate me.

[magicswordsman]

"I've got it!" The Silver Flare prances over to Laura's wheelchair, then pushes it over and helps the disabled girl in before detransforming. "And Laura, You really gotta watch where you're tossing those club things! You gotta follow through!" Deja lectures as she unnecessarily demonstrates follow-through to a professional juggler and acrobat.

Resolving the Haunted Condition, +1 Beat and -1 Shadow for doing so. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16763209&postcount=32)

[Ecksdee]

With the thug taken out and the woman... bleeding profusely to death on the subway car's floor Georgia began to come down from the adrenaline high she was on. And with that came the realization of everything she'd just taken part in. Blinking, she paused to look at her reflection in one of the windows.

"Holy ****... HOLY ****." It's not everyday you transform into a magical girl and battle knife-wielding crazies. Georgia was more than justified to react the way she did right now. When one of the other costumed girl approached her to introduce herself and query as to what she called herself, the blonde teenager could only shrug.

"Hell if I know. I'm totally new to this. Err... How do I..." But before she could finish that sentence there was a flash of light and... she was her normal self again. "Hah... Nevermind. Figured it out, apparently."

[RdMarquis]

"Yeah, I reacted in just about the same way." Molly's expression might have been concealed, but the amusement in her voice wasn't. But it faded when she remembered the events that followed. "You can come up with a name after we've gotten clear of this train, then."

When she is finished checking the woman's wounds, Molly will call Deja for help. "Can I have that first aid kit?" She made a mental note to make sure she was properly equipped next time. As the girl places a hand on her mask, the wings behind her head unclasped. Similarly, her white outfit gave way to black clothes.

Guiltily, she regarded the remaining thug. "I'm sorry that this happened. She's right. Chances are, someone has already called the authorities, but you should make sure an ambulance is on the way." If there is time before they have to leave, Molly will check on the unconscious young man.

Two successes to check her condition. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16884085&postcount=46)

[Inedible]

When Molly moves to check on the woman she can easily find her purse, the small bag still near where she was once seated. Inside she can find a wallet with ID, credit card, and a few other odds and ends. Her drivers license lists her as Leslie Pender, age 23, native New Yorker. Two other items of note are a crumpled up letter inside of the purse, and what appears to be a small beige ticket for admission to something called the SculptureCenter.

The notepad the injured woman had been holding has also fallen to the floor, face up. There's an image on the crinkled yellow paper, a hastily-sketched outline of a human figure. It's a woman in a dress, the garment bell-shaped and ragged. Not much more than a few ragged lines provide detail to any part of the figure except for one of the eyes. The right eye is drawn unnaturally large and wide open, a black pupil staring out.

All of the girls except Georgia soon notice a small commotion from the front side of the train. They can see through the small windows of subway doors there are figures pushing their way through the crowds at the far end of the car, what look like flashes of blue that are probably transit cops trying to get to the source of the problem.

The remaining thug is still crouched next to his friend, staring at the four girls in front of him. He doesn't have much to say to Molly's request, but there might be a tiny bit of a nod.

The PA system dings once, announcing: Now approaching: 5th Avenue and 53rd street.

[jamieth]

"Rubbing salt into my wounds, do you?" Laura smiled apologetically to Deja's demonstration, "I know I can't afford to miss like that anymore... need to train more, I suppose...Oh, I'll let you a hand", she rolls closer to Molly and the woman, "have to at least help controlling the damage I've done..."
In the tight space between the seats, though, there is little she can do besides holding the first aid kit and handing Molly the tools - on the other hand, it lefts her free to talk. "So..." to Georgia, "Welcome to the ranks of the Radiant - eh, I'm sure you have tons of questions right now... don't worry, you'll dream up the answers soon, trust me - everyone does - but if you're not in a particular hurry, we could give you a short version... Wait! someone's coming, we'd better cut down on this topic for now."

[RdMarquis]

"Thank you." When she has done all she could with the first aid kit, Molly pulls out her phone and takes a few pictures of the woman's possessions. "Creepy." She makes a face at the picture. "Wonder what it means? ...Uh oh." The girl hastily replaces everything as she spots people approaching the car. Molly backs away and whispers to Georgia. "I can say this, at least. You're, um, we're a part of something big. Something pretty serious. But not all bad." At least, that was what she hoped.

[Ecksdee]

"The Radiant?" Georgia made a face as she repeated the term. But she couldn't shake the "rightness" that came with it. And then there was mention of dreams holding answers and her now being part of something grandiose.. "Ugh. This is crazy."

Well, things were going to be a lot stickier if they got caught by the rapidly approaching transit cops. "Oh hell. I guess I'm running the hell out of here with you guys. This isn't even my stop..." But there was no way in hell she was going to stick around and try to explain this to the authorities.

[magicswordsman]

"You're new?" Deja squeals, a little late, "Eee, that's so exciting! We can be in the same nakama and- say, I recognize you now! You go to our school, don't you?"


To recognize Georgia: Wits + Socialize: 2 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16900630&postcount=50) + 0 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16900636&postcount=51) = 2 Successes

If and when the group decides to sneak away, Deja will follow.
Stealth in a crowd: Wits + Stealth: 0 Successes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16900630&postcount=50) :(

[RdMarquis]

"Hey! We can get to know each other later." Molly pulls open the door to the car behind them. "Right now, we need to get out of here before the cops find us." She looks into the next car. "Everyone's run to the very back of the train. So we can go down a couple cars and hide until the train stops. Then we'll make a break for it. Even if that doesn't work, we can say we were to far away to see anything." It would be less suspicious than standing around a crime scene.

[jamieth]

"Agreed", Laura nods, "best not to get involved with the police... won't it be better to mix with the crowd, though? Not a lot of places you can hide in an empty car..."

[RdMarquis]

"Maybe..." Molly heads through the door, holding it open for the others. "But someone might point out that we showed up after all the other passengers. Though, I guess that wouldn't be a huge deal if we keep to ourselves and get out as soon as the doors open." She bites her lip. "Let's just get clear of this car, first. We can talk about it on the way."

[Ecksdee]

Georgia takes another look at the approaching cops and then makes a beeline for the door that is being held open. There would be time for answers after they got the hell out of dodge.

[Inedible]

The remaining gang member remains in the car as the girls flee backward, and they can hear the transit policemen begin shouting and demanding that he remain still as they arrive on the scene. The rest of the passengers near the back look warily at the four girls, but since none of them are particularly threatening they don’t object to their presence. A few demand to know what’s happening before one of the officers from the front arrives to inform everyone that everything is under control, and all passengers will need to wait at the station.

A few minutes later when the train pulls into the station there are several more police waiting, the people in the waiting area having been moved to the side. As people begin to exit the train police officers attempt to direct them in various directions, stopping some for questioning, preventing them from getting too far away.

Okay, now it’s time for stealth checks if you want to try and sneak out of the station. Or you could do something else! The longer you hang around the more likely it’ll be that you get pointed out.

[RdMarquis]

Molly watches the line slowly move. Like it or not, they would have to wait. Making a run for it in this crowd was a losing proposition. Molly frowns with the realization that she almost led the others into trouble.

Considering how the evening had gone, perhaps it was inevitable they would get singled out by the police. Or some passenger had pointed them out. In any case, Molly denies that she and the other girls had any involvement in the fight. "...When we saw that woman stabbing someone, we ran from the car. But then my friend's wheelchair tipped over." She indicates Laura. "And we had to stop and help her. It looked like a pretty nasty fall. After we got her up, we hid in the back of the train with everyone else."

It was easy to look scared. She was still a bit shaken from from the fight.

[jamieth]

Laura, playing along, adopts the "scared herself, but trying to cheer others up" role - which, admittedly, isn't far from how she really feels. "Oh, come on! Don't let her mislead you, officer - twenty feet from the trapeze is a nasty fall, twenty inches from the wheelchair is nothing. The rest is just as Molly said, though... I'd have a tough time setting it straight if the girls didn't stop to help me."

[Ecksdee]

Georgia too was keen on playing along with the charade. Look frightened. That's what fifteen year old girls typically did when confronted with something as traumatic as a brutal stabbing.

"Yeah everyone was minding their own business when she like, snapped. Something wasn't right with that lady." Georgia shivers for added effect, even tossing a wary look back at the subway car it all went down in.

[magicswordsman]

Deja looks down and grimaces. "I- I don't really know what happened after that... Everything kind of narrowed to getting Laura and getting out. I don't want to think about what would've happened if we hadn't been there..."

[Inedible]

The girls are pulled aside, and the officers nod when Molly explains herself, as the others do. There's a few minutes mulling over it, but eventually all four of them are released once a few preliminary questions are asked. They're allowed to take the stairs up to the subway entrance, to either find another way home or wait until the mess is cleaned up to take the next train.

It's near 8:00 PM once they reach the surface, the city now entirely lit by windows and streetlights. Disgruntled people mill around the entrance, some moving to call cabs, others waiting around for something else.

You're out! Now what do you do? Everyone except Georgia would be expected to be home at a reasonable hour, I imagine. Discuss IC and figure out what you want to do.

[jamieth]

Laura stretched, taking a deep breath, as the group finally got some fresh air. "I really think fighting Darkspawn is easier... the worst they can do is kill us, after all. But police - they can get us in trouble with our parents... all's well that ends well, though." she looks at the phone, "Oh, it is that late already... what's everyone's curfew? Me, I have an hour left, tops... and I don't really fancy getting back underground, so getting home would take half of that. Still... what would you say if we throw just a tiny little welcoming party for our new comrade? That is", she turns to Georgia, "if you don't mind, of course."

[RdMarquis]

Molly was expected home before nine-thirty. Which meant if she wanted to be back on time, she would have to leave now. However, meeting curfew wasn't a huge concern for her. And Molly's home wasn't as welcoming to her as it once was. Rather, she was trying to decide whether or not it was part of the dangerous world she found herself in months before.

She smiled at Georgia. "I've got some time. What do you say? We can pick out your Name, at least."

[Ecksdee]

Georgia was relieved when they were let go. Checking the time she groaned. Ash was totally supposed to be meeting her at home for junk food and movies. But now those plans would have to be put on hold. Turning to look at the three girls she felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie. She could trust them with her life -- somehow she just knew that. Slowly, a smile slid onto her face.

"Yeah sure, think we can find a diner with a booth in the back to hunker down in? I'm starving..."

[RdMarquis]

"Cool." Molly started down the street, slightly quicker than her normal walking pace. She wanted to put some distance between herself and the subway station. "So, what's your story? Was that your first run in with stuff that's...different?" Molly keeps an eye out for a good meeting place. She enters the first diner she spots.

[Inedible]

The group manages to find a small dinner to take a seat in, a relatively quiet place to eat on this particular evening. There's a TV in the main dining area, which relates the evening news stories as they do so.

Of note are two breaking news stories, both of which are currently developing. The first a shooting in Queens are a restaurant, four dead, including the shooter who took his own life afterward. The second also occurred in Queens, and seems to be another violent incident in which a man beat and severely wounded another before passerbys interceded and he was taken into custody.

[Ecksdee]

"Different? Yeah, I guess so." Georgia shrugged as they made their way to the diner. Once inside she made sure they got one of the isolated booths, sliding in to take the window seat. At the same time the report on TV caught her attention, and a deep frown tugged at her lips.

"The hell. People are nuts these days. It's like an epidemic."

[RdMarquis]

Molly takes a seat across the table. "It might be." She doesn't look at the television again. "I mean, people are people. We can be saints or psychopaths. But that? It might be part of something bigger and even worse than random violence. Which brings me to the reason we're here, actually." Better that they told Georgia as soon as possible. Molly takes a glance around them before starting in a whisper.

"First off? You're a Noble. Or a Princess, as most of us are girls and women. And we're here to save the world." As her patron had done, Molly paused for laughter or incredulity. She viewed the big reveal as one of those first hurdles everyone had to get over. The Queen of Spades just loved watching how new Nobles reacted. "Crazy, right? But just look at what happened. What you could do when you transformed. We get our powers from the Light. I think someone could explain it better, but for now, just remember that it's a force for good."

There was another quick pause. "You with me? Obviously, for the Light, there's a Darkness. A force for bad. It comes from the evil we do, and makes more of itself by tempting people into evil. It can spread like fire if left alone. What you saw earlier? Now, even? Those people might have been corrupted by the Darkness. Or just been lunatics to start with. Hell, both. The Darkness also spawns monsters who cause all kinds of destruction." Molly gave Georgia a slight, sympathetic smile. "Let me know if you need me to stop. This is...a lot to take in."

If the other girl allows her, Molly will continue. "We might be the only ones who can stop the Darkness. That's why we're out here, almost every day and night. Now, you're not getting drafted into a war, here. What you do with your powers is up to you. But we could use your help." While she waits for a reply, Molly turns to the others. "Chime in anytime, guys." She probably missed an important detail or two.

[jamieth]

Laura mostly keeps silent through the explanation, just nodding and inserting some off-hand comments now and then.
"Well, about being a Princess... actually, I prefer to think of myself as more of a court jester - then again, with our Queen it's sometimes hard to tell the difference", she giggles lightly, remembering typical antics of the Court of the Four Winds.

[magicswordsman]

"It's not just about fighting, though, it's about healing, and helping, and leadership. We're all called toward different paths." Deja adds. "I guess the way I see it is that the world is sick and that I'm--we all are--the cure."

[Ecksdee]

Molly launched into detail, and Georgia sat there taking it all in. She... was a Princess now? But there was nothing delicate and lady-like about her -- how could she be a freakin' noble now? She sat back in the cushioned seat of the booth, eyes widened as she let everything that was just laid out wash over her. They were the light trying to beat back the darkness. It really did sound like some kind of cliche movie. Except now she was going to be truly living it.

"So there are others like us then? All out there fighting the good fight? Why don't we all just band together and beat the living hell out of the bad guys? But that'd make things too easy I bet..." She trailed off with a grunt. "You mentioned Queens? What are they like?

[RdMarquis]

If Molly were to be honest with herself, there she had no definite answer. "Dunno. But I've got a few guesses. I mean, we've got lives. Families. Like I said, this isn't a war. We can't just give up everything to fight, even against the Darkness." Though Georgia was taking this well, Molly saw no reason not to ease her into things and reassure the other girl she could keep her old life, mostly. It was also the reason she didn't mention their lack of a way to finish off the Darkness for good. Besides, Georgia's Queen, whoever she would be, was more qualified to talk about their main enemy. But there were a couple bits of bad news Molly knew she had to share.

"Plus..." she glances outside the window. "We might be outnumbered, even if we could gather an army. We've got other enemies besides the Darkness. You saw magic today. Plenty of other things are real, too. Vampires. Wizards. Yeah, we aren't wizards or witches. Their spells are different. And really dangerous." She seemed to retreat behind a curtain of hair as she continues. The topic was bringing back some bad memories. After watching Jack commit a murder with magic, Molly was convinced there was no one to oppose the evils of the world, save the Nobility. That mindset led her down a dark path.

"All of us oppose the Darkness, but not all of us are good. Some Nobles don't care who gets hurt, as long as a monster gets hurt with them." She is more than glad to change the topic. "The Queens are our teachers, basically. Each of us learned about our powers from one of them. I don't know about the others, but the Queen of Spades doesn't look much older than us. And acts like it."

[jamieth]

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it's an act", Laura smiles, "But that doesn't mean it isn't real. You see, the Queens are very different, but one thing they have in common is - they're all really spectacular. Larger than life. Of course, I've only ever saw two Queens in person, and only talked to the Spades... we're all kinda new to this business ourselves, you see?"

[Ecksdee]

Vampires and wizards, eh? Georgia scoffed lightly. Of course those were real too. Werewolves and other mythical creatures may as well be thrown into the mix too. Crazy. But this would be her life now so... yay.

"Well guys, I'd love to keep chatting with you but it's getting pretty late." She frowned when she realized they'd never gotten waited on since entering. Bleh. Can't even get good service these days. "I guess we should like, exchange contact info so we can continue this all later. I'm free... tomorrow, I think. Maybe we could meet up somewhere?"

[RdMarquis]

"Yeah." She had to go home sometime. And they didn't even get to the contents of that woman's purse. Molly was glad she had taken pictures of everything. She brings up her number and shows it to Georgia. "Where do you want to meet? Is your school anywhere close by?"

[jamieth]

"Well, tomorrow's Sunday, so I'd guess everyone'll be free, more or less", Laura brings up her own phone number, "I've planned visiting the kids, but that's only till two in the afternoon... three at the latest."

[Inedible]

After a meetup place is decided and contacts are exchanged each member of the Nakama has to find a way to travel back home, arriving at various times late in the evening.

Georgia will find that Ash has taken off, leaving a text to indicate that he got bored, and hungry, and both were pretty lame. Her father is likewise not at home, having been called in to work. So she's left to her own devices for the rest of the night, and the morning afterward.

Molly's family is fairly distant, and seem to pay little attention to the hour she arrives at. Both Deja and Laura earn somewhat more concern, especially with all the dangerous things happening this particular night, but neither walk away with anything more than a brief chiding.

The next morning, Sunday, there are several updates on the activities of the previous night, along with the addition of the event that the four girls took part in. Both the woman and the three gang members involved in the altercation are in custody, two in critical condition and the other being held for questioning. No other witnesses have been named.

Okay, everyone please describe what you plan on doing Sunday, if you're doing anything special before you meet up. Also decide where you're meeting up and drop that in the OOC thread.

Once I know what everyone is doing I'll throw in anything I need to.

[Ecksdee]

When Georgia woke up Sunday morning, she was immediately hit with the events of the previous night. As much as it had seemed like a dream, it was so totally anything but. She laid there staring at the ceiling for awhile before sighing and getting up upon realizing no further sleep would come. The trek downstairs was filled with eye rubbing and stumbling, but she managed to make it into the kitchen.

Her dad still wasn't home -- which wasn't a shock at all per usual. Shuffling to the fridge she opened it up to grab milk and cereal, shutting it with her foot before moving over to the counter to set everything down. As she reached for a bowl she thought more about her newly-discovered role. If anything it would be a good distraction from things. Hell, maybe she could even end up doing a whole lot of good in this godforsaken world. Either way, it was going to be quite a trip.

Perching herself on the nearest stool she dug into her breakfast, pausing momentarily after a few bites to reach for the remote and turn on the small tv they kept in the corner.

[jamieth]

Laura didn't remember if she had any dreams that night - either way, it wasn't the most fulfilling sleep... good to relieve the body of fatigue, but not enough to clear the mind. Well, for that, she had plans, too.
Cheering up a bit as the news reported everyone hurt in the yesterday's incident was alive, if not necessarily well, the girl quickly finished her breakfast, kissed her parents goodbuy and headed to the hospital, as she did almost every weekend - though lately her Radiant duties sometimes interfered with that.

She was let in without any formalities, being familiar to nearly everyone in the building, and spent the next couple of hours making the lives of the hospital's youngest patients slightly more brigt and cheerful.
"Now, pick a card..."
"Jake, be a good boy, fetch a couple more balls from my bag, would you? Oh, right, I lost one yesterday..."
"No, no, Ashley! For a proper cartwheel, you have to kick at the moment your hands touch the floor! Oh, and don't let the doctors see you practicing, or we'll both be in trouble, OK?"

Two hours went in a flash, and when Laura left the ward, she felt much more ready for the upcoming meeting.

Rolling for Wisps regain: Dexterity 4 + Larceny 3 + Speciality in Stage Magic + Mandate 2 for a total of 10 dice:
[roll0]
Rerolls:
[roll1]

That's 5 wisps gained!

[RdMarquis]

After a halfhearted greeting to whoever was up at the time, Molly retreated back to her room. Alone with her doubts. She stared at the white haired girl in her mirror, wondering if she had done the right thing. Despite what Molly knew, coming home to someone worrying about her would have been nice. She could pretend everything was normal. That nothing was overly strange or dangerous about her family.

What was she going to do?

The next morning brought no answers to that question. Molly felt more hopeful about a few others. Breakfast was marginally less awkward than her arrival home. After some small talk and a bagel, Molly headed to the mall to kill time until she heard from the others.

[Inedible]

The group convenes in Central Park, eventually coming together in one of the secluded, grassy areas amidst rows of trees. Walkers pass by in the distance, sticking to paths and winding their way through the park, leaving the gathering of girls to their own business.

Once the girls have assembled and had a chance to get settled, their visitor arrives. The bird flutters between the shadows that the trees cast in the afternoon light, hopping and ducking between branches with an audible flap of wings as it heads toward them. It soon becomes obvious the bird is an owl, a fat looking, brown eyed creature that touches down on the edge of a picnic table. It ruffles its feathers, and then goes still.

[jamieth]

"So... how was everyone's night?" Laura asked, laying on the grass, gazing at the clear sky, oblivious to the feathered visitor, "Met your Queen?" she added to Georgia in particular, reaching for some fruits she bought for the picnic and absent-mindedly starting to juggle them.

[Ecksdee]

Georgia merely shook her head. "No dice on that front. Maybe she doesn't like me?" She joked, chuckling softly. "I figure it'll happen when it needs to. Still trying to wrap my head around all of this, really. Suppose I should start getting some questions ready to ask her..."

That's when she spotted the owl, which was watching them with an alarming amount of curiosity. Georgia stared back. She wasn't spooked. Honest.

[RdMarquis]

"Oh, the usual," Molly shrugs. Even if she wanted to, there wasn't much to say about her home. "Still thinking a lot about the train, though." She pulls out her phone. "I'm stating the obvious here, but there was something not right about Leslie. That lady, I mean." Molly shows the pictures she took yesterday. "She was carrying some weird stuff. Dunno what the hell her creepy picture meant, but I think we should look into this ScultureCenter thing at some point."

She stares at Georgia, then the tree. "What are you looking at?"

[Inedible]

The owl stares back at Georgia for just a second, and then abruptly bends its neck around to bury its face into its wing. "Ahm. Eerrhm. Don't look, don't look." It speaks in a quiet, gravely sort of voice. How it does isn't entirely clear, but it definitely does. "Don't stare." The creature fidgets back and forth on it's perch, waiting several seconds for the presumed staring to stop before it's had slowly peeks back out from underneath it's wing.

Large, golden eyes peer out at the gathering. "Ahrm. I have a message. For Georgia. And whoever is with her. The Nobility, from Her Majesty. I'm here to deliver it, and help you. Yes. That's what I'm here to do."

[magicswordsman]

Deja's eyes go wide at the owl's introduction, completely unable to comply with its request.

"You... are... so CUTE! Ooohmygod! Georgia! Who's your friend!?"

[RdMarquis]

"Shhh! Deja. Don't." Molly whispers. She was far past the point of being surprised by a talking owl, but the same probably couldn't be said of any passerby. She looks down at her hands. "So, what's the message? Oh, and who are you?" Admittedly, if she were to be honest with herself, the owl was pretty cute.

[jamieth]

Laura was a bit shocked when the bird strted to talk, admittedly, but it was a pleasant surprise. Or, at least, an amusing one, which was just as good. "See?' she chuckles, "I sometimes wonder if all the Queens are actually spend their entire lives messing with their followers' heads and defying expectations. our certainly does; that's what I like about her. But where's my manners..." obviously unable to curtsey, she at least lifts her - non-existant - hat and acknowledges the messenger with a slight bow, "Would her Majesty's messenger be so kind as to join our humble feast?"

[Inedible]

Deja's reaction causes the owl to instantly bury its face again, it's wide yellow eyes hiding themselves before she can look at it too long. It fidgets back and forth for several seconds, clawed feet curling and uncurling on its branch as it moves around.

"Mmm. Hrmm. You're stilling looking. Don't look." This doesn't deter it long, but it keeps its face hidden when it continues. "Her Majesty, the Queen of Swords, says I'm to assist you in whatever you need. She sends word that her vassals are dreaming of this city, and in their dreams they see a sickness. Something dark is taking root here, and she needs you to stop it. She has nobody else who will do, so it's you." The owl peeks out for just a second, then hides again. "Hmm. That's something like what she said. I'm supposed to keep an eye on Georgia. That's one of you, isn't it?"

The own pauses, then slowly begins to peek out again. "That's what I have to say. Hmm. Any questions?"

[RdMarquis]

Molly's eyes remain on the table. "A couple of questions, yeah." The news wasn't surprising. The Darkness had been relatively inactive lately, but she knew it couldn't remain that way forever. She wasn't overly disturbed to hear that it was up to them to stop the looming disaster. Her thoughts returned to the previous night and the subway. Was that the first sign of what those dreams foretold? No harm in asking. "Did she say what this sickness was?" Molly was pulling out her phone when she realized how ridiculous showing the owl her pictures would look.

She grabs a ketchup bottle and a french fry. If anything, her attempt at Pender's drawing looked even more crude than the original. Molly ate her improvised brush. "Does a picture of a woman with a huge eye mean anything to you?"

[Ecksdee]

Georgia remained quiet as the owl spoke. Seriously. An owl was speaking to them. Using plain English. Not... "hoots" or whatever it is they did. She blinked, then blinked again as her brain processed everything.

"I'm her." She said after a moment, stepping forward with a nod. "Can't believe the Queen sent me my very own Hedwig. That's... spiffy." She wasn't sure if the owl would get the reference. "...Do you have a name? Or... do I get to name you myself?" She didn't know how this worked.

[magicswordsman]

"Wow, cool! An assignment from the Queen of Swords herself! First day on the job and already the newb is getting attention from the higher ups!"

Deja turns back toward the owl and fights to control her expression when she sees it peeking out shyly from behind its wing. She strains to avert her eyes. "You're supposed to assist us? Like, what kind of stuff can you do?"