The Normals (IC)

[prufock]

The Morning After
November 12, 2011, 10:11 am

You wake slowly. Your mouth feels like it's full of cotton balls, and the light streaming through the windows is like daggers to your eyes. Your head hurts. You don't remember how much you drank last night, but it must have been a LOT. If you weren't drinking... did somebody slip you a mickie?

You remember the celebration, vaguely. You had gone out to a club to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was an 11-11-11 theme party, which some crackpots had predicted would be the end of the world, with costumes, loud music, street pizza, loads of booze, dancing, lots of good looking people of your preferred gender. Everyone had a good time, from what you can remember, except for those two guys who started a fight after about their eighth beer.

You don't recall much about the end of the night, or how you got home. The last thing you recall is looking at your watch, phone, or a clock on the wall and seeing the time – 11:11 pm. You wake up exactly 11 hours later, still in costume (if you wore one).

Describe where you wake up, your morning routine, and what you want to do that day. It's a Saturday.

[The_Admiral]

Lee stumbles to his feet from the sofa, scratching the bald patch he shaved away for the costume, removing the lab coat and tie. letting them fall to the floor, he would pick them up later.

He then proceeds to drop right back into his chair for a good fifteen minutes, just staring at the wall as the rest of him woke up. Finally the shaver came to life as he removed the white dyed hair, scratching his nearly bald head, he would have to do a Buddha impression for a few weeks.

A shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes, they would have to put up with him more as he shuffled to the kitchen, just digging around for orange juice, something to cure that dehydration headache.


Who wants to be my room-mate?

[Illven]

Johnathan wakes up grumbling.

Wait.... where was he... He leaped out of bed..... Which was not good for his impending hangover

Ah dammit! I don't even drink usually He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Okay, okay what to do. In the case of a hang over he heard coffee and Mortin were the best bet.

And their they were on a tray.

Thanks Tana! He called out, earning another flash of pain.

***

Eventually he ate something to stave off the inevitable hunger pains, showered, and started to leave the apartment to get work,

See you at 8, Tana! He called out

[Kish]

"Blurg." Kelly closes his eyes again. What was in that soda? It didn't taste strange, did it? How tired was I to fall asleep with my clothes on?

Kelly throws his clothes in the laundry basket, showers mechanically, and pulls on a set of indoor clothes. This is annoying, I was really hoping to finish that project today. But I can do it tomorrow. Better let people know I may not be online, though. He swallows two Tylenol dry, an ability that used to seriously disturb his father, before he sets out to get breakfast and set it up in the place he spends most of his time indoors: at his computer desk. After his headache fades he'll spend most of the day on the Internet and working on his Visual Basic programming project. You can never be too far ahead in classes. If I can get all my homework out of the way, as much as possible before it's assigned, maybe I can make something for Diana this semester.

[czieg]

Christian Diehl slowly opened his eyes, then shut them again immediately. It was too damn bright. Why was it bright? 'Okay, I think I'm in my dorm, judging by the fact that I'm in a bed. Next order of business, why the **** does my head hurt?' Christian attempted to reach back into his memories of the night before to find... fuzz. 'What the **** did I do last night? Was I drinking? No, I don't drink. Did somebody slip me something? Why would they do that? Other then the fact that humans are basically *****. Maybe if I find my sunglasses I'll be able to see...' Christian felt around him, finding the edges of his bed, the wall... there was his nightstand. Glasses case was still there, but the wrong type of glasses, those were for reading. There, those felt vaguely like his plastic sunglasses. 'Now let's try seeing again.'

Once more, Christian's eyes cracked open. There, the sunglasses helped, but everything was still blurry. Why was it so bright in his room? Could it have been Lee? "Lee, why the **** is it so bright in here?" Christian shouted across the dorm he shared with Lee. He could probably have been more polite, but Christian was not the best of morning people, and this morning was especially bad. What day was it? Did he have classes? No, it was Saturday. He should probably get up, grab some Tylenol, then eat. Slowly he sat up. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing a shirt that said 'IRS' on it in bold letters. 'Oh yeah, costume party.'

[Tyeal]

Ryan groaned into his pillow, blinking against the dimmed light hitting his blinds. Slowly pushing himself up and rolling onto his back, he rubbed the hungover sleep from his eyes and forced himself to sit up. 'Christ my head. I'm normally a good drinker... Stupid peer pressure, getting to me even now.' he mutters inside his own head as he hauls himself to the bathroom. He glances in the mirror, running a hand over the thick black beard he had grown for his budget costume. His flannel shirt was slightly askew and heavily wrinkled, and his jeans looked like they had taken a few alcohol spills during the party. 'Kinda glad I opted for a prop ax after a night like that.'

Grabbing a hot shower and downing a couple ibuprofen, he made himself some breakfast to further banish his hangover. He had accrued some off-time from work, and opted to take a three-day weekend after being invited to that party. Belly full and head getting clearer, Ryan drops himself before his computer and wakes it up, planning on listening to a movie he had memorized while he took apart his handgun to clean. Something simple and methodical to help make sure his mind was focused again.

[Lizard Lord]

Frank


Frank woke up with his head aching. Am I hungover? I've never had more than two drinks in one day. And yesterday was...wait I don't remember. Did I have more for some reason? Was last night my first time being drunk? With these thoughts racing his head he looked at the time on his cell phone. Aw man. Why didn't my alarm go off? He had an opening shift at Dominos at 11:00. Sure the store was only a two minute walk away from his apartment, but Frank liked to take his time. Now he will have to rush things a bit. He changed out of his Luigi costume, took a quick shower and changed into his uniform. He then grabbed his phone, wallet, 3DS (because you never know when you may get a street pass), apartment key, and some lose change for the Coke machine in the back of the store. He saw he had a few minutes to spare so he browsed the internet a bit, looking at some webcomics that would have updated, before heading out for work.

[The_Admiral]

"Because it's 10 ****ing 30 in the morning!" Lee shouted back, yawning again and taking a sip of his orange juice.

[czieg]

"Because it's 10 ****ing 30 in the morning!" Lee shouted back, yawning again and taking a sip of his orange juice.

[OOC: Oh, this is going to be fun...]
'10:30? That can't be right. I always wake up around 8. What the **** was I doing last night?' Christian clambered out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans, as well as a shirt that 'Engineering it's math but BIGGER' in bold letters on it. Shambling out of his room, he looked for his roommate Lee. One thing that some people may know about Christian is when he is awake and alert, he is very polite and well-spoken, but when he is tired, the filter goes out the window. "You look like a bowling ball got attacked by a two-year-old with a sharpie."

[The_Admiral]

"**** you too buddy." Lee shoots back as he places the carton of juice next to Christian.

[czieg]

Christian nodded his thanks before grabbing a cup and tylenol, drowning the pills in juice, then while filling his cup again, "Sorry man, I know you want to, but I don't swing that way." As he sipped his drink, he thought back to the previous night. "We were at a party last night, right? I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, and judging by the fact my head feels like someone to a jackhammer to it, it was pretty fun." Christian began massaging his temples, god his head hurt. "Why is it when humans come together, they consume substance that makes any recollections of the festivities very difficult? Are we all so inherently negative that we intentionally block out joyous activities?" This was one of Christian's more interesting quirks, when he gets tired, he gets more philosophical then a philosophy/drama double major.

[The_Admiral]

"Not even a little?" he replied, feigning disappointment. Because otherwise we wouldn't do the things that make it fun, ie stupid stuff that everyone remembers despite that.... he continued after another sip.

[czieg]

"Sorry man, if you had asked when I was in high school, you might have had better luck. Now in what context are you using ie? Many people think it means 'in example' when in fact it is latin for 'id est,' meaning 'in essence.'" Christian gulped down the rest of his drink and put it by the sink to be washed.

[The_Admiral]

"Come on, I'll let you be on top, and the second seemed like it fit well, the heart of fun at parties is watching people do stupid stuff."
(OOC: THIS IS SO MUCH FUN)

[czieg]

"Which is why I don't drink, I enjoy watching drunks do stupid **** and being able to remember it. I think I got slipped something." Suddenly, Christian turned back to Lee and in the most joking manner he could manage. "You didn't do anything, did you?"
[OOC: Agreed, none of my friends are gay (or bisexual) but this is just how we mess around.]

[Drakeburn]

Brian woke up moaning, laying down on the bathroom floor. After struggling for a moment, he finally managed to get himself up.
He can't exactly remember how he ended up in here, or what happened last night. So, he got out his camera.
Thank goodness its still here.

He turned on the digital camera and went through the gallery of photos. The photos showed of Brian at some kind of party. The first several pictures had him with a lot of people he didn't even know. Then something caught his attention: A photo of him, dancing next to a young blonde haired woman in a shiny leopard patterned dress. He immediately recognized her as Ashley Jocelyn. They've been friends since their Freshman year at High School. She has been a homecoming queen, a journalist for the school newspaper, and somebody Brian had a crush on.

As he kept going through the gallery of photos, he saw his best friend, Dwayne, along with him and Ashley. He hadn't seen them ever since they graduated.
He couldn't help but to be infuriated inside. He was too chicken to tell Ashely how he really felt about her, and because of it that Dwayne and Ashley became a couple. But after they graduated, they went their own separate ways.
Brian couldn't help but to find it funny that they somehow came back together here in San Catherine.

[The_Admiral]

"If your *** isn't sore, then no, unfortunately" he replies, suppressing laughter.

[czieg]

"Well that's a relief, but do you usually leave your partners in pain? Seems like it would lower your chances for a follow-up." Christian looked around the kitchen. "How about I start some coffee then? See if we will remember anything from last night." Christian began rummaging around for the coffee mix and the various fixings at least he enjoyed in his coffee.
[OOC: This (B)romance is so very borderline, I love it.]

[The_Admiral]

"Only the ones I drug, are you sure this isn't a date?"

(He flirts with everyone :P)

[czieg]

"Not a date, but I have a bleeding ****ing headache and some coffee might help." Christian finished getting out everything and started the coffee maker. "Anything you want to do today, other then stare at my ***?"

[The_Admiral]

Without missing a beat he shot back, "suck your ****," an eyebrow raised he continued, "To be fair, you walked right into that one but in all seriousness, I'm an engineering student, homework, I always have more."

[czieg]

Christian brushed aside the comment, he had been expecting it, but at the mention of his greatest foe, he sighed. "I guess we are both trapped on that front, I'm electrical but I forget what you are focusing on." He moved over to the couch where his laptop was charging and brought it back to the kitchen area, balancing it on one arm and clicking with the other, bringing up his list of assignments and personal projects. "Need to do that, that, try to get to that by tonight. Doesn't seem like too much for a Saturday."

[The_Admiral]

"Mechanical, need to get into the workshop after this...." leaning back into his chair and yawning.

[czieg]

"You and me both, I promised my friend I'd be finished with a project I'm working on for him and have it ready for testing by the end of this week, so tomorrow. I'm glad it's just assembly that's left." Christian poured himself a cup of coffee, adding some milk and sugar to suit his taste. Taking a sip, he screwed his eyes shut for a moment before sighing. "Yep, that'll do the trick." Looking over his laptop, Christian ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Should probably shower off the party smell first though, and don't even begin to make a joke about sharing it, you know that is where I draw the line."

[The_Admiral]

"don't knock it till you try it.' he replied pouting exaggeratedly. Go ahead, I need the time to wake up anyway..... he continued, stumbling towards the coffee machine for a cup.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrW6JpeRc8Q

this just popped into my head for some reason.

[EclecticGuru]

Jim Andrews
November 12, 2011, 10:11 am
Apartment 315

Jim tried to go back to sleep, he was feeling sick; he hardly ever got hung over, it was an alien feeling to him. However, a pair of undersized fingers pried his eyelids open and he was forced to focus, blearily, upon the face of a cherubic five year old.

"Daddy. Daddy. Wake up, Daddy." Beth peered at him with almost clinical interest. "It's time to get up, Daddy."

He could tell his eyes were bloodshot; he didn't even have to look in the mirror. He pulled the sheets off himself, and saw that he was still wearing the roman-style gladiator costume from the night before -- it was his go-to halloween costume, and he and Lisa occasionally played around with it a little in the bedroom as well. He was pretty sure there wasn't any playing around last night -- but not 100% sure.

He stumbled out of bed, ending up on his knees, before pulling himself to his feet. Beth stood there, arms open, expecting a hug.

"Good morning, angel." He said, and gave his daughter a big hug. Though he felt like he was going to throw up, he didn't show it at all as he comforted his daughter. "Where's Mommy."

"She's in the living room."

He walked out of the bedroom, feeling woozy -- he needed some water bad. He saw Lisa on the computer in the living room. The TV was also on, and it was streaming something on the chromecast from Hulu Plus.

"Hey honey."

"Hey." One word response. Not a good sign.

Breakfast had been cooked. Cold toast. And worse. Cold eggs. Nasty. That's what he got for oversleeping like that.

"Can we go to the park today?" Beth was already angling for some fun playtime with Daddy. It was Saturday after all.

"You need to wash your face. Put your hair in a ponytail. Get dressed in something with legs and sleeves -- its chilly -- and then, if the weather is nice enough, I'll take you to the Farmer's Market with Mommy and then maybe to the park afterwards."

"YAY!"

Beth ran off. Jim fixed himself a sweet and light mug of coffee from the Keurig and stood at the kitchen counter, eating his cold eggs and cold toast.

"Farmers Market ended two weeks ago, Jim."

"$#!&."

It was just a regular Saturday, really.

[czieg]

[OOC: High-five for the RWBY reference! Guessing you checked my signature? I've been trying to keep myself from making references about the coffee maker.]
Christian flipped his roommate the bird with one hand, draining his coffee cup held in the other. Setting the mug down by the sink again. "Not in this century. I like chicks, not *****." With that, Christian went off to take a quick shower.
[OOC: Now we will answer an all-important question about Lee. Does he peep?]

[The_Admiral]

"hurry the **** up then!" he shouts from the sofa at the bathroom.

(Too tired to do so, right now.)

[3SecondCultist]

With a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh, Julian rouses himself from sleep. Examining his surroundings with an expression somewhere between curiosity and apprehension, he is both disappointed and relieved to find himself in his own bed. And in his own pyjama suit, no less! Prime.

I suppose it would have been too much to ask for for Sarah to come over last night. One of his numerous, numerous exes, she had been making a habit of staying over several nights a week. Besides, it wasn't like Kate was going to be calling, not after their fight on Monday. They'd barely spoken all week. He pushes any thoughts of his girlfriend out of his mind. If he''s being honest, she's likely to just put him in an even more unpleasant mood.

He doesn't need coffee - Julian detests caffeine in most forms, so he opts for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the fridge, along with a pair of Advils for the headache. Striding across the hardwood floor, he moves to the long window to stare out at the San Catherine's skyline. Any other normal city, and the sun would be streaming through 24/7, but he can usually count on bad weather to limit his view. And, to absolutely nobody's surprise, a low bank of fog lies across the city. What was the point of getting a 21st floor apartment again? He sits in his armchair and stares out the window absentmindedly, waiting for the medication to kick in.

"What did I do last night?" These words are aloud. After all, who is there to hear him? The first of the late morning's rainclouds is looming on the western horizon. It looks to be another dolorous day.

[czieg]

Christian takes a quick shower and comes out in blue jeans and a purple hoodie, drying his slightly-long hair with his towel. The cold was not the most friendly to his southern body, but he dealt with it fairly well. "Bathroom's free. When do you want to head down to the workshop?"

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Why does my head feel like an elephant just stomped on it? thought Alexander as he woke up. Despite having taken all the usual precautions, making sure to drink water and having a decent pizza before he started drinking, the hangover he was feeling trumped all other before it.

What time is it? He asked, as he looked over to his alarm clock. 11:11 stared back at him, almost in an accusatory fashion.

Oh the hell with this, I need food. Alexander got out of bed and went straight for the fridge, guzzling the milk in the fridge in a futile attempt to get rid of his headache.

Well, time for... well, I'll just chill here for the day.

[3SecondCultist]

Flipping through his phone - looking for pictures of a night he doesn't quite remember - Julian stumbles on something. A message, at the top of his inbox, from someone with the name RAVEN. That's... really odd. Definitely not one of my friends. Did somebody take his phone and input their number? He looks at the number: it's local. Frowning, he pulls it up and dials. Whoever is on the other end might know something more about what happened last night.

In his apartment, Lee's cell phone begins to ring. When he hears the line being picked up, Julian begins by saying: "Excuse me, but did you program your number into my phone last night? I have you down as Raven, which could mean a great deal of things. You might be a fan of children's programming, or simply an avid reader of Neal Stephenson. If this is a prank, please tell me now."

[The_Admiral]

"Was planning on...." he started to reply getting up and is cut off by his phone ringing.

Give me a moment, Lee continued, picking it up and answering the question blurted at him. "No, I did not, at least I don't recall doing so, not a prank on my end...."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vudQURQ7OFc
Such ringtone, what would you expect? He was dressed as Doctor Wily :p

[czieg]

Instead of speaking, Christian made a quick hand gesture. Those that Christian talked to often know that it was American Sign Language for 'Okay.' He often used it when multiple people were talking to him at once to show that he had heard them, and would get to them in a second. He grabbed his laptop and retreated to his room, putting various folders and assignments in an otherwise empty backpack for him to take to the engineering workshop. Finally, he scooped up a bag of many parts for his side project and set everything by the door, careful to minimize any sounds he made as to not disturb Lee's phone call.

[3SecondCultist]

"Huh. Then I apologize for the brusque tone. My name is Julian, and you are...?" He lets the pause hang expectantly, very clearly waiting for the other man's name. He was half expecting a girl to be on the other end, but such is life. He's hardly complaining.

[The_Admiral]

"Lee Kai Jie, just call me Lee, saves you the trouble of mispronouncing the rest of my name, who puts me down as Raven anyway?" he replies, giving Christian a thumbs up.

[3SecondCultist]

Lee can almost hear Julian's shrug through the cell phone line.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. I only thought it was a joke because I was out last night and someone put this number into my phone. Would it be terribly rude to ask you what your own plans were? I don't know you, but to be honest I don't remember much and any details would be much appreciated."

He does his best to be demure, polite. The voice on the other end is definitely young, likely around his own age. Hardly surprising: with such a large percentage of San Catherine's population enrolled in one university or another, the number of students per capita is practically off the charts. There seems to be the hint of an accent in Lee's voice that Julian can't quite place.

[The_Admiral]

"My plans were to dress up as Doctor Wily and go to a Halloween party, as you can tell, I don't really plan these things out, my memory of last night is as blurred as yours seems to be, though I do remember a fight between two idiots." he again replied, holding his phone between his head and shoulder and looking for clothes.

[3SecondCultist]

"A fight?" Julian pauses, focusing hard. There is something there, although it's rather indistinct. He carries no bruises or marks of his own, but he vaguely remembers watching some kind of brawl and laughing. He's always believed in loving before fighting although he has nearly as much training in the latter as he does expertise in the former.

"If I may ask, who or what is a Doctor Wily? Are you referencing the cartoon character?" He lets amusement color his tone. For some reason, he hasn't hung up yet. This Lee character doesn't seem to know all that much more than he does about last night's events. Unless...

"Do you know happen to know where this party took place?"

[The_Admiral]

"Some club I can barely remember, I'm an engineering student dammit, I don't pay attention to these things. And okay, you're telling me, you have never played a Megaman game? Ever?" he replied, rather confused sounding.

[3SecondCultist]

Another audible shrug. "Before my time, I suppose." There's really little else to say here. He doesn't really remember going out to any club last night. He had better try to retrace his steps, starting with his credit and payment history. Checking his wallet, Julian can see that he's $40 short, and any other purchases would have gone on his credit card - which he can track.

And there's another idea. "This might sound somewhat strange, but would it be alright if we met? I have little else to do today, besides working on a seminar proposal, but I find myself quite determined to find out what happened. I don't like not knowing what my body is out doing when my mind is... otherwise incapacitated." It wouldn't be the first time he had made life mistakes while under the influence, that's for certain. But he wasn't going to tell Lee that.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

"Okay, enough sitting around." said Alexander, having just washed his face for the day. "I wonder what happened to Christian towards the end of the night..."

Picking up his mobile and scrolling down the list of contacts, Alexander managed to find his tech-savvy friend's number and call him up.

"Hey, Christian! How'd last night go fo you?"

[The_Admiral]

"Sure, I'll be at the SCU's engineering labs in an hour, tops, work to do and all that. You okay with that?" he replied, finding a set of clean clothes.

[3SecondCultist]

"An hour, sounds good." He's about to hang up the phone, and then: "I'll be wearing a blue blazer. Look out for that." He almost says goodbye, but thinks better of it. Besides, it would be too awkward, now.

Once he's hung up the phone, Julian slowly rises from his armchair, leaving a small depression in the faux leather retread. Most of his furniture, he either bought with Kate or inherited from when his father downgraded to a downtown apartment several years ago. Nice stuff. Pulling the curtains shut on the dreary day, Julian looks up and his eyes catch on the photograph of sunset on the rocky shore. It's the view from his cottage deck, up north and far away. His features settle into a wistful smile, but he doesn't have a lot of time for wishful thinking.

Within the next half hour, Julian has showered, eaten a proper breakfast and found his clean clothes. Thankfully, his blazer just got back from the dry cleaners', and he slips it on over his white button-up and pleated khakis. His friends would recognize him straight away, and it's a fairly distinctive look for strangers as well. Once he's sure that his appearance is up to snuff, Julian grabs his wallet, phone and keys and heads for the door.

[czieg]

When Lee hangs up, he turns to see Christian smirking wryly with a cocked eyebrow. He had heard a male voice, and Lee saying where they would be in an hour. Christian didn't say anything, instead letting his expression tell all.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

After waiting for a minute or two, Alexander checks his phone and realises that he hasn't actually pressed call.

Okay... Let's try this again but actually doing it right this time, Alex.

Pressing call, Alexander waits for his friend to pick up the phone.

[The_Admiral]

"Apparently there was a cupid at that party and I'll be going to the labs early after all, Also, I think that's your phone." he replies to that look, ducking into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later he steps out in a T shirt and jeans, still somewhat wet, and grabbing his phone and computer bag, heads for the door, he could get some work done.

[3SecondCultist]

Stopping on his way, Julian buys a book on ancient Roman history. It looks fascinating, and he hasn't read all that much in the way of historical texts recently. Besides, it's never a bad idea to educate oneself, and there was a lot to learn (and quite a bit to forget) from the classical lifestyle. Walking to the university, he wishes he had brought his messenger bag.

Five minutes before the hour, he saunters into the computer labs and finds a seat not too far from the middle of the room. He wants to be seen, but not in anybody's way. He's not using a computer, after all. With his elbow patches and newly purchased book, he does not belong in here. One girl gives him a dirty stare, as if accusing him of wasting space as the noon crowd pushes in. He merely smiles and dips his head, as if to say 'go find another table' as politely as he can.

Every other minute, he stops what he's reading to look up at the sea of faces. Does anybody recognize him? The engineering labs are hardly his usual watering hole, and he isn't surprised that there are only strangers here.

[The_Admiral]

Ten minutes later, one of the heads at the lathes looks up and waves at him, it's way too loud for anything to be said.

[Tyeal]

Ryan

After an hour spent on the computer, he stepped away to stretch his legs and walk off whatever was left of his hangover. Grabbing a chilled bottle of water, his smartphone, wallet, keys, and multi-tool that was a gift form his father, Ryan headed out into the outside world. Popping his earbuds in, he fired up an audiobook on a fantasy novel he had been meaning to get around to reading but work kept cropping up. With the practiced, dulcet tones of the author playing in his head, he headed down to ground level and made his way through his apartment complex.

Taking his usual walking route along the inside streets, he waived and greeted his more sociable neighbors, seeing everyone going about their day. Secretly a little smug knowing that he had no work ahead of him for the next three days.

[3SecondCultist]

Seeing a man approaching who must be Lee, Julian stands to his full height and walks over. He finds that Lee is shorter than he is - most people are - and his appearance suggests an Asian descent of some kind. The older man smiles easily, extending his hand to shake Lee's warmly. All the while, his green-brown eyes never stray from Lee's own, assessing them. This is still a stranger he's meeting, and Julian has had several lessons in caution in the past. But no, this one doesn't seem harmful.

Over the years, Julian has become somewhat adept at reading social cues. The man in front of him still has wet hair, he wears informal clothes and seems more than at ease in a computer lab than Julian will likely ever be. Obviously, he even said he's an engineering student.

"Sorry for dragging you away from home like this, I'm just more comfortable talking face to face. I'm Julian Bowers." He already knows the man's name, but a formal introduction never hurt anybody. Now, where to begin? "Can I get you anything from the cafe? Something to eat or drink, perhaps? It's the least I can do, for your trouble." His smile is utterly mercurial.

Taking 10 on a Persuasion check, for a total of 17. +5 if Lee would be (or could be) attracted to men, for a total of 22.

[czieg]

"Okay, enough sitting around." said Alexander, having just washed his face for the day. "I wonder what happened to Christian towards the end of the night..."

Picking up his mobile and scrolling down the list of contacts, Alexander managed to find his tech-savvy friend's number and call him up.

"Hey, Christian! How'd last night go fo you?"
[Sorry, missed this.]

Suddenly, the opening sounds of 'Long Live the Queen' emenated from the front pocket of Christian's hoodie. He quickly pulled out his phone and answered it. "Hey Alex, this Christian, what's up?" when he had gotten Alexander's number, the first thing he had done was assign him a specific ringtone, a little personal secret.

[The_Admiral]

"Nice to meet you, it's perfectly fine, I had stuff I needed to fabricate anyway, sorry to turn down your offer of a date, but I have a machine to babysit." he replied, smiling back as he accepted the handshake.


and you will never know. :smalltongue:

[3SecondCultist]

Julian takes the barb in style. Honestly, he can't tell if this guy is kidding or not, so he simply laughs and chooses to accept the situation as it is.

"No worries, maybe better if we got started then." Pulling out his smartphone, Julian looks at his banking history and sees a transaction for several drinks at the Atlantic Club. A popular place for students and aspiring teachers alike, it's the slightly less trashy option in San Catherine's night life.

"So that's where we were. Did you track any of your other movements from last night? What's the last thing you remember?"

[The_Admiral]

"Sorry, I didn't do that, like I said, last thing I remembered was two guys punching each other out, don't have a credit card and I am missing exactly five overpriced beers worth in cash." he replied, somewhat distracted with keeping an eye on the CNC Mill as it cut out shapes.

[Drakeburn]

After taking some time to recover, Brian gets him ready for the day, he gets his stuff into his bag, and makes his way out of the apartment. His clothes were almost identical to that of Marty Mcfly's. It would've been cool if he could dress up like Peter Parker, or Jimmy Olsen.

[3SecondCultist]

Julian raises an eyebrow conspiratorially. "So you're a beer man? I wouldn't have pegged you as one, myself." Okay, enough with the flirting. He does his best at conjuring up a pensive face.

"So you remember going to a club, then? If you remember a fight occurring there, you would have to recollect the details of going out. Was anybody else with you?"

[The_Admiral]

"Yeah, my room mate, Chris, strange thing is neither of us remember much after that, Coffee did not help jumpstart our memories either, though what would you have pegged me as? Or would you just have pegged me?" he replied, his tone approaching cheeky near the end.

[3SecondCultist]

So he has a sense of humor after all. Returning the cheeky grin, Julian allows himself some relaxation. It's not entirely a conscious act, but he realizes even as he's doing it that he's lowering his own social defense mechanisms.

"I can't say for certain yet, I'm afraid." A pause, more genuinely contemplative this time. "So of the three of us, nobody remembered last night? And your roommate, was he alright this morning? Besides a headache, I haven't felt the effects all that much." Truth be told, he's a bit surprised the pain has lasted as long as it has. Normally, he tends to shrug off such effects relatively quickly. He chalks it up to his increased metabolic system and a high threshold for pain.

Not for the first time, Julian wonders why he's so adamant on finding out what happened. Maybe it was just a party that went out control. You were at a club, you were drinking. Briefly, he considers the possibility that it's an ego thing, that just because he didn't score, he's convinced himself that something is drastically wrong. Well... he's vain, but he's not that vain. No, there's something else. He isn't sure why he was so keen on investigating in the first place, but now that he knows more, this sounds like an even stranger occurrence. Then it strikes him.

"How did we get home, if none of us remember it?"

[czieg]

[Sorry if this seems a little out of order, I've been at my grandparents and have been dealing with a pair of very cute five-year-olds. Otherwise I would have put this up much sooner. I imagine the phone call would be over by now, so when Banjo responds, I will label my response as the phone call, and the workshop separately.]

Christian had been on the phone with Alex while he went with Lee to the workshop, having collected his bags on the way out. He had stayed out of Lee's conversation with his new friend, who was apparently named Julian. The two seemed to hit off fairly well, so Christian decided to stay out of it and work on his own projects. He chuckled as he listened to the two talk, Lee in his usual 'just below flirting' way. Maybe if he got it with this new guy, Lee would stop making comments about sharing a shower.

But when the new guy seemed to be confused about how they returned home, he spoke up from his work station, where he was currently soldering something for his electrical engineering class. "I can answer that, considering the amount of people that seemed to be at the party from what I recall, it is statistically likely that someone wasn't drunk or otherwise inebriated and lived in the same building as us. This kind soul probably made sure we didn't die on the way back to the apartment building. In fact, considering it seems I was just slipped something at the party, it may have been me if the substance was slow-acting enough."

Christian then set aside his soldering iron and turned it off, having finished what he was doing. He put the piece of equipment away and pulled out his laptop, opening it and pulling up a circuit simulation program. "My name is Christian Diehl by the way, Electrical Major and the person unfortunate to be Lee's roommate. I was at the party too."

[The_Admiral]

"Well, what he said, that was what I figured too, Unfortunate? You wound we Chris, you really do." he replies, clutching his chest exaggeratedly near the end.

[3SecondCultist]

"Okay, and that's certainly possible. But I don't remember anything, I was alone when I went to go out (I think), and I woke up by myself this morning. So who brought me back?" He does his best to look puzzled. In truth, he is curious, but he studies Chris out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't look like Lee, but I suppose if they share the same interests, I could see why they might become friends.

Julian brushes a stray strand of honey brown hair out of his eyes. It's been getting longer, recently. He has been thinking of having it cut short. Would Kate like it? He isn't sure, and inwardly he chastises himself for bringing her up right now. There are more interesting ways to put off working.

"Chris, nice to meet you. I'm Julian Bowers." He extends his hand to shake the other man's, accompanied by a well-oiled smile.

[The_Admiral]

A shrug is the only reply to his question as Lee's full attention is again focused on the CNC Mill, as he mutters under his breath for it to not mess up.

[czieg]

"Lee, if that wounded you, I would be in jail for murder by now." Christian took Julian's hand and shook it once "In all likelihood then, yourself. You may not remember the party or how you got home, but not many of us do, it seems. Even when drunk, people are surprisingly resourceful." Christian looked Julian over, seemed like a nice enough guy, well-dressed, admittedly his smile seems more rehearsed then natural, but some people are like that.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

"I was just wondering if I did anything stupid at the party last night. All I remember is drinking a little and then whoosh, nada. Please tell me I didn't do the Funky Chicken." Alexander replied over the phone.

Maybe he'd try and meet up with Lee and Christian later to see if they knew anymore about the party.

[czieg]

Christian didn't speak for a long moment, considering his options. He could say that Alex did do the 'Funky Chicken' and risk him calling his bluff in exchange for hearing his reaction, or admit he couldn't remember anything and lose this chance. "Tell me Alex, this... Funcky Chicken, does it involve a lot of strutting? If so, I may remember something along those lines." It was a general enough answer to probably scare him, and it was likely someone had done a dance along those lines, so others may be able to confirm his story.

[prufock]

Johnathan
After Johnathan finally crawls out of bed at 11:11 am, he scarfs down a quick breakfast, showers, and dresses for work. As he heads out the door, he glances at the clock – 11:14 am. Something’s wrong there, he’s eaten, showered, and dressed in three minutes? Maybe the batteries in that old clock are getting low.

Kelly
Despite the pain banging between his ears, Kelly finishes his homework surprisingly quickly. The programming goes wonderfully smooth, and in about an hour, he has caught up with everything. He hadn’t expected to have much free time today, but here it is, not yet noon. The rest of the day is his!

Christian
The walk to the workshop seems to freshen Christian’s body and mind. The fresh air, the light mist on his skin, the sunlight all serve to wake him out of his mild hangover. After a little time in the workshop, he begins to feel an urge to go back outside and enjoy the environment.

Brian
Throughout the morning, Brian repeatedly goes back to stare at the picture of Ashley. Something about it triggers his memory on an almost instinctual level. He stares at it, foreground and background, searching for some clue about what happened that night, but no clue appears. He has no pictures timestamped later than 11:11 pm.

Lee
The CNC mill grinds away, seemingly working properly. Halfway through his project, though, as Lee is tending to the equipment, a piece of metal flies from the machine across the room, leaving a puncture in the workshop wall. Those present have a moment of shock, breath and hearts catching in their throats. Lee hits the emergency shutoff and curses.

Julian
Julian has been feeling weak all morning. His glass of OJ, cell phone, and books all seem to take a little more effort just to lift. Walking to the lab seems to take more effort than normal as well, like wearing concrete shoes, each step sending a shudder up through his spine. How many times as he told himself “never drinking that much again”?

Alexander
Alex grabs another glass of water. Then another. He must be really dehydrated from last night, he seems constantly thirsty all morning. He also runs hot and cold, never able to get a comfortable temperature. Donning a sweater, he begins to overheat. Taking it off, he’s chilly. Has he caught a fever?

Jim
After a quick breakfast, Jim heads to the washroom to get ready for his day out with his daughter. His eyes are definitely bloodshot, and his reflection in the mirror catches his attention. He fills out this gladiator outfit better than he remembers.

Ryan
With Die Hard playing in the background, Ryan cleans his gun. He’s seen this movie a hundred times, and knows most of the dialogue by heart. Mouthing along to some of the words, even speaking the best lines out loud, he remembers why he loves this film. Wait, wasn’t that line supposed to be in German? But, it makes no sense. It’s jibberish. Huh. He’d never picked up on that before.

Frank
“Man, you feeling okay?” Frank’s coworker Tim asks as he trudges into work. “You look harsh,” he laughs, “Late night I assume?” Frank nods as he squints in the overpowering fluorescent light. He feels like he may need sunglasses to get through the day. The lights suddenly dim, giving him a little relief. Tim looks around in surprise. “What the hey? Hm, something wrong with the lights. I’ll have to call the manager.”

[The_Admiral]

"What the ****!?" he exclaims, moving towards the piece of metal to retrieve it. Putting some gloves on, he pulls it out of the wall, examining it casually as he moves back towards the computer to check his commands, he did something wrong, probably a mistyped number.

[3SecondCultist]

Julian fights through the pervasive sense of weakness that's been at the back of his mind all morning. He hasn't wanted to acknowledge it, but something strange is happening to him. Just walking here this morning was a labor.

But when a rogue piece of metal flies across the lab, Julian's eyes widen perceptibly. He's not easily rattled, but that's not the first thing out of the ordinary this morning. However, it might be the wierdest.

"What happened? Are you hurt?"

[Kish]

Well, that's better. Feeling an odd urge to get out of the apartment for a while, Kelly changes into a T-shirt and jean shorts before heading out the door. Maybe I'll stop by the library, or the game store.

Anyone who could realistically bump into him is free to treat this as a <tag>; I think there are a few people who aren't conversing yet.

[The_Admiral]

"No, I'm fine, it's probably my fault, coded something wrong..." he replied, too shaken to even consider flirting.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Alexander took a deep breath, steadying himself after the fever he's had all morning finally catches up with him.

"It's a... dance. Lots of flapping and waving of arms. Dude, I'm gonna call you back. I feel like total rubbish. If I feel better later, I'll.. I'll give you a call." He hung up as the fever, or whatever the hell is happening, weakened Alexander enough that he decided to lay down on his sofa.

Hopefully he would feel better soon.

[czieg]

Christian looks around, was he just having a really good morning or something? Because he felt awesome, that walk to the workshop felt good, he felt like he could run a marathon. If he was feeling this pumped up, maybe he should try. For his usual exercise he only attempted 5 miles, but today he just felt unstoppable.

Suddenly, he hears the shunk of metal imbedding in the wall. He instinctively ducks, despite it having already stopped. He looked to the piece of machinery just as Lee tore it out of the wall. "Man, we should go get some fresh air, you need a break from the coding before you take someone's head off. Maybe go on a run to really wake you up."

[3SecondCultist]

When somebody usually suggests exercise, Julian is all for it. Today though, when he hears Christian propose a run outside with some fresh air, he can barely suppress an exhausted moan. What is wrong with me today? The well dressed TA frowns to himself, as though he were in private.

"You'll forgive me if I don't join you, surely? My capacity for exercise isn't what it was yesterday, I'm afraid."

[Tyeal]

Ryan

He stopped and looked up at the video, setting his gun aside and scrolling back a couple minutes to see if his ears were failing him or not. He knew what the line was supposed to be, even in another language. Playing through it a few times, it sounded the same. Jibberish. Like he had grabbed some fan edit of the film and not the DVD rip he was staring at. "Strange..." He murmured aloud, guessing something may have corrupted during the rip. Shrugging, he resumed where he left off in the movie, going back to finishing up with cleaning his handgun before meticulously putting it back together.

[Lizard Lord]

Frank

Frank looks around shocked by the sudden and inexplicable power outage. When Tim mentions calling the manager Frank interjects. "I got it." He will pull out his cell phone and give Tony a call to let him know what has happened.

[Drakeburn]

As strange as Brian finds it that there are no pictures after eleven, he feels at the moment that his hunger is more important at the moment.
So he helped himself to a slice of leftover pizza he found in the fridge, and ate it as he made his way out of the apartment.

[Illven]

Crap. Tana, I think we need to replace the clock batteries. He replies Talk to you when I get home. He states, opening his smart phone to put a reminder in.

Saying hello to his neighbors, as he walks past, and the people on his morning route. He eventually gets to the store.

Another daily grind, he jokes to his co-worker.

[The_Admiral]

"Yeah, maybe I should, give me a minute," he replied to Christian, rubbing his eyes and retrieving the already cut pieces of metal.

[EclecticGuru]

Jim Andrews
November 12, 2011, 10:31 am
Apartment 315

After a quick breakfast, Jim headed to the washroom to get ready for his day out with his daughter. His eyes were definitely bloodshot, and his reflection in the mirror caught his attention. He filled out this gladiator outfit better than he remembered.

"#$%#." He said, quietly to himself. "I can't believe I'm still wearing this stupid thing." He started to take off the costume, in preparation of a shower. He posed for a moment in front of the mirror. Maybe it was the light in the bathroom. Maybe it was the fact that his eyes were redder than a fire truck. But he was looking pretty good at the moment.

Maybe it was the fiber supplements he had started to take (Jim was starting to worry about his colon health, after his grandfather had passed away from the cancer).

"Lisa?" He spoke loudly through the door. "Lisa!"

No answer. And then Beth's cute little voice said. "Are you ok, daddy?"

Jim looked in the mirror again, he was naked now, with the gladiator costume on the floor next to him. "I don't know."

He flexed and posed again. Something was definitely off. But there was no way he was going to have his daughter come in and look to see. No way at all.

He turned and ran the shower, then climbed in. While in the shower, he explored himself -- just how different did he seem to be?

[czieg]

"Yeah, maybe I should, give me a minute," he replied to Christian, rubbing his eyes and retrieving the already cut pieces of metal.

Christian nodded, he was already packed up and ready to leave and was taking the time to look over the machinery that Lee had been using, maybe he could see what went wrong. He had grabbed one of the sets of safety glasses and made sure the machine was off before examining it. Whatever had caused the projectile piece of metal, he didn't want it to happen to him at close-range.

Tech: [roll0]

[3SecondCultist]

Seeing Lee and Christian readying themselves to leave, Julian smiles a tighter smile than he is accustomed to. This is not his ideal situation, and truth be told there are better things to be doing. As tired and feeble as he feels, maybe lying down and doing some course readings will do him some good.

He nods to the pair deferentially, gathering his own things to go. The book feels like a weight in his hand. He's almost forgotten the original reason for his coming here: his desire to uncover what happened last night. But given the effects of his hangover, he can deal with this later.

"I wish you both the best of luck, then. Lee, you have my number if you want to talk again." Julian's grin is more lopsided now, wracked with discomfort. He gives them his address, should they wish to contact him again... for whatever reason. "I'll be seeing you, gentlemen."

[Drakeburn]

At a nearby cafe, Brian sits himself down to one of the empty tables outside, and looks around for anything worth taking a picture of.

Perception: [roll0]

[The_Admiral]

"Sure, you still do owe me a date after all." he replied to Julian, having recovered from the shock somewhat.

Nodding at Chris, he contained, "I'm ready," slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

[czieg]

"Alright, see you later Julian, c'mon Lee." With that, Christian led the way at a brisk pace out of the workshop and out to the glorious noon air. He still wasn't sure why, but damn did it feel good to be outside. "Let's go drop off our stuff at the apartment before we go for that run."

[The_Admiral]

"yeah yeah, just don't leave me in the dust." he replies to the suggestion, slinging his bag on his shoulder.

[czieg]

Christian chuckled, shaking his head. "I won't go full sprint, just a nice jog. Enough to get the blood pumping and the lungs working. Tell me if you think I am going too fast though." He set off at a very leisurely pace, barely faster then a power walk. He led them on their way to the apartment and dropped off his laptop and various stuff in his room, then grabs his water bottle. "Ready to go?"

[The_Admiral]

"Dude, my Aunt leaves me in the dust, and yeah I am." he replied, eyebrow raised and also mostly ready.


Yes she does,

[czieg]

"Dude, my Aunt leaves me in the dust, and yeah I am." he replied, eyebrow raised and also mostly ready.


Yes she does,


"Your aunt could be a trained runner for all I know, get your *** in gear and start jogging." With that, Christian started on jogging out the apartment and started on his normal route, he planned to just head to the nearby park and just do laps until he couldn't anymore.

[The_Admiral]

Lee rolls his eyes as he follows after Christian, lagging behind him as he barely keeps up with his speed, the first half a kilometre has him panting and by the time they reached their first kilometre he is slowing down, the gap increasing as his breathing grows more ragged.

[czieg]

Christian takes deep breaths as he jogs 'Dang, today just feels good! The air feels so clean, and it is nice and cold. I can smell winter just around the corner. Why can't everyday feel this good? Well, then it would become the usual and I wouldn't appreciate it as much, if it all. Perfection is boring after all.' He looks back over his shoulder to see Lee barely keeping up.

"Oi, you want to take a break? You are out of shape man. You need to start exercising more." He slows down to a stop, taking deep breaths to maximize the amount of oxygen he took in. "Remind me to take you on runs more often."

[The_Admiral]

Yes, and, how, about, no. he replies between ragged breaths, bent over, hands resting on his knees as his legs shake a little.

[czieg]

"Dude, you are a mess, and the exercise would be good for you, clear your head after being cooped up inside for so long." Christian let out a deep breath. "Let's grab some lunch, you look like you could use the re-fuel." Christian pulled out his phone, swiping through a list of local places. There was pizza, burger joints and more local stuff with fish, vegetables and potatoes.

[The_Admiral]

"Anything but Chinese, I can cook better than half these restaurants." he replies indignantly, pointedly ignoring the earlier comment about him being a mess. However, the panting is less frequent as he raised an arm to protest 'Chinese' restaurants.

[czieg]

"How about pizza? One of the most Americanized foods in the world and just about as not Chinese as you can get." Christian found a nearby 'Pizza Hut' on his phone. It was close by and Lee could probably get there without vomiting or passing out.

[The_Admiral]

"Pizza's, fine, lead the way?" he replies, finally recovering enough to not have to lean on his knees, his breathing slowly dropping to normal.

[czieg]

[OOC: Admiral, you are slipping a little. Try throwing in some thoughts if you want to.]

Christian looked over at Lee as he struggled to catch his breath and noticed a Domino's over his shoulder. "Well turn around then, there is a Domino's behind you. We can walk this time, don't want you passing out on me." Christian walked his exhausted friend to the restaurant and got a booth seat for them. "Better?"

[prufock]

Johnathan
Johnathan’s coworker Sam gives him a groggy nod and a noncommittal grunt. “Lots to do today.” With that, Johnathan sets to work stocking shelves, moving boxes, organizing items, and cleaning up. When he finishes, he figures he might as well pick up some batteries. As Sam rings up the item, he asks “Not taking a break already, are ya?”

Johnathan glances up at the clock. He’s only been on shift for 11 minutes, and he’s done a day’s work….

“You okay man?” Sam inquires. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

The guys both turn their heads as they hear a screech of tires and a crash outside.

Kelly
With his work out of the way, Kelly feels great today! He’s got loads of energy, and takes a long walk in the general direction of the library. Once into the downtown area, he sees a taxi driver run a red light and t-bone another car! Other cars swerve or brake hard to try and avoid the accident, but the result is a tangled mess of fender-benders and a traffic pile-up.

Brian
Brian stares out the café window, trying to get inspired to take some photos. As he’s sitting there, enjoying a cup of joe, he sees a taxi run a light and t-bone another car! A few other patrons jerk their heads up at the noise and look out the window, as traffic comes to an abrupt halt.

Christian & Lee
Christian lets Lee catch up, and they head to the nearest pizza place. Christian isn’t even hungry, but Lee sure looks like he could use something to eat right now. Christian pulls off his shoes and socks, opting to walk in the grass rather than the sidewalk, feeling the soil beneath his feet. The inside looks dark, and they aren’t sure it’s open, but there is an employee there on his cell phone. Trying the door, they find it unlocked and enter. Waiting for the guy to get off the phone – it sounds like he’s talking to his manager – Christian notices a mostly-dead ficus in the corner and starts smelling it. Lee gives him a strange look.

Julian
Julian trudges out of the lab and watches the other guys jog out of sight. At this point, he isn’t even sure he can walk home. It feels like he is carrying a load of bricks on his back. He drops his new book and it falls to the ground with a THUD. He bends to pick it up, noticing that it has actually cracked the asphalt where it landed! What the…? He tries to pick it up, but the thing won’t budge. At least he feels a little lighter not having to lug that thing. He'll come back for it later, when he's feeling better. He heads home.

Off in the distance he hears sirens.

Alexander
Alexander lies down on his sofa with a glass of water and a sense of regret. Too much to drink last night, he should know better. He picks up his water… weird, it feels warm. Hot, actually.
The water begins to bubble, seemingly boil in his hand. Is he hallucinating? The water reaches a rolling boil as the glass cracks, then shatters, and he drops it to the floor, water soaking his carpet. He stares at it for a long time, hardly breathing.

He needs to see a doctor NOW. He calls a cab and, boarding it in his robe, pajama pants, and slippers, tells the driver to head to the hospital. On the drive, he passes out in the backseat. He awakes with a jolt, a lot of noise, and some pain.

Jim
The warm shower works out most of Jim’s tension from the night before. He checks his body over. He’s definitely more muscular than before… abs more defined, arms and legs slightly thicker. How is this possible? When he gets out of the shower, though, he looks in the mirror again. His eyes are back to normal. Actually, he seems to be entirely back to normal. Was he seeing things?

Shaking off this weird experience as best he can, Jim get dressed and heads out with Beth for a little quality family time. Walking to the park, he has to quickly grab Beth and pull her back off the crosswalk as a cab runs straight through a red light!

Ryan
Ryan hears some people talking outside his window, something about a car crash, but going to have a look doesn’t see anyone or any accident. He hears somebody say something about the corner of 11th Street and Duck’s Avenue, but that’s several blocks away…. Something tells him he should check this out, and he pulls on his boots.

Frank
Frank’s manager Tony answers the phone just as two customers walk in. Frank gives them the “one moment” signal. “Hey Frank, everything going okay?” Tony asks as he picks up. After a brief explanation, Tony gives Frank the number to the store’s usual electrician.

There is a sudden loud crash outside. “Frank, what was that? Everything okay down there?”

[The_Admiral]

"Slightly," Lee replies, collapsing and leaning back into the chair as he enjoys the air conditioning, at least it wasn't a power cut, was probably just the lights.

Looking forward again, Lee stares at Christian perplexed, ".........Dude, why are you smelling that plant?" and he hears the car crash before Chris has a chance to reply. Stumbling to his feet, he continues, "Hold on, " stumbling tiredly out of the place and sees the car crash. He calls 911 as he approaches the two cars, attempting to look for survivors as he reported the incident.


If he has magnetic powers, they would be cool to activate right now. :P Also no idea how a 999 call goes.

[3SecondCultist]

What a shame, Julian thinks of the lost book. The next chapter was to discuss the impact of Roman troop movements on cultural trends in Asia Minor during the 1st century CE. He was rather looking forward to it, honestly. But he doesn't feel good, not in the slightest. His stomach seems to curl up into a ball, his eyes hurt and whenever he closes them, he can feel them weighing on his skull. In the throes of discomfort, the pleasures of the book are promptly forgotten. It's not like anyone without a crowbar can pick it up, besides. It felt more like a boulder than a book, in the end. He ruminates aloud.

"Did it weigh that much because of me? Did I... do something to it?"

That line of thinking is interrupted by the sound of the sirens. Julian follows the noise, until he gets to the site of the crash. He hangs back, about half a block away, content to watch and listen. In fact, Julian is more curious about the effects of the chaos a simple mistake like this can create than interested in helping. From a philosophical perspective, it's so much more than just a butterfly effect. It's human spontaneity and chance at work, an ever changing force that adheres to no code of behavior. Chance is... and it seems that chance is happening to him today.

[czieg]

[OOC: Well ****, something to do with either oxygen or plants. An engineer who gets plant powers. If that isn't irony, I don't know what is. Excuse me as I go look up very deadly plants...]

Christian walked with one hand carrying his shoes, enjoying the feeling of soil, grass and other small plants between his toes. Why the **** was he so happy to be outside? How the hell should he know, all he knew was today felt good. It was kinda weird that he wasn't hungry, even after such a short run. Meh, he could just make sure there was leftovers so he could eat some later.
[OOC: If he has plant powers, and isn't hungry... My god, he's becoming a plant! No food required!]
The electrical student sniffed the air experimentally inside the pizza joint. Not quite as... rich as the outside. It seemed to be lacking something the outside had, or maybe it was the abundance of pizza smell with other ingredients that was just making it smell off. Probably.

Wait... something was in the air that smelled good... He looked around, seeing the ficus, he locked on. Why the ****ing **** did it smell so good? Not caring, he just kept smelling. A loud crash interrupted his impromptu smell session. He turned around, looking for the source of the sound when he saw it. Twisted metal and gawking people. God people were stupid... He ran towards the crash, not really noticing that he was running on concrete with bare feet.

[Kish]

Ack. Kelly turns to look at the accident. Wow, that looked bad. Looks like they have enough people helping them already though. He turns to start on his way, then stops and looks at the newcomers. A lot of these people were at that party last night, weren't they?

"Hello," Kelly says, approaching one of the people who just ran up. "It's Lee, isn't it?"

[The_Admiral]

Lee stands around anxiously as he finishes the 911 call, he was irritated, unable to do anything, "Yeah, and you are?........" he replied, tapping his foot nervously and looking for the ambulances.

[Drakeburn]

"Oh my gosh!" Brian gasped as he got up from his seat.
Immediately he gets out his phone and starts dialing 911.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Alexander awakens to a flash of red hot pain lancing through his ribs.

Motherf- He thinks before the flash of pain hits him again. He looks down, seeing some moderate damage has been done to his chest.

He starts to scream. "Help! For the love of anybody, HELP!" The pain rushes through his ribs once more as he continues to cry for help.

He looks around, uncertain of whether he should move or not. His fever hasn't abaited yet, so his movements are frantic and uncoordinated.

He hopes that something happens to help him soon. He's not exactly sure what happened to the taxi driver but he doesn't look good...

[The_Admiral]

As he hears the shouting, Lee turns to the cab, rushing as much as he can, to the door, attempting to open it.

[Kish]

Seeing that, other than Lee, no one else seems to be helping, and cursing the bystander effect or whatever it's called, Kelly runs to try to help the screaming man as well.

[3SecondCultist]

As Lee and another man rush into the situation, Julian takes a few steps back to lean on a nearby wall. It's too late for him to step in now, even if he wanted to. In that enclosed space, adding yet another body would threaten to crush the proceedings. Besides... he thinks back to the book, and thinks about what might happen if it accidentally happened to one of the cars, or worse, one of the people in that mess. No, better he stay here and let professional rescuers do their part than try and act the hero and ultimately make things worse.

[Illven]

Johnathan sighed.

I just did my... He started rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

That's when he heard the carcrash right outside.

****! Sam call 911! Johnathan snapped into action, tossing Sam his cell phone, and running to the crash to see what could be done.

Hey good publicity is like working right?

[EclecticGuru]

The warm shower worked out most of Jim’s tension from the night before. He checked his body over. He was definitely more muscular than before… abs more defined, arms and legs slightly thicker. How was this possible? When he got out of the shower, though, he looked in the mirror again. His eyes were back to normal. Actually, he seemed to be entirely back to normal. Was he seeing things?

Shaking off this weird experience as best he could, Jim got dressed and headed out with Beth for a little quality family time. Walking to the park, he had to quickly grab Beth and pull her back off the crosswalk as a cab ran straight through a red light!

Jim Andrews
November 12, 2011, Sometime after 11:00 am
On the Street between the Apartment Building and the Park

"LOOK OUT!" Jim surged forward with the adrenaline surge that only a parent can experience and scooped up his daughter, stumbling back away from the cab as it sped right through the red light. He gripped his daughter tightly against his chest and cupped a hand around the back of her head, holding her there and rocking her from side to side slightly.

He kept her faced away from the speeding cab as he watched it careen into some kind of accident. His first instinct was to see if someone needed help, but it faded away under the more dominant urge to protect and comfort his daughter.

"Are you ok, Beth?"

"Uh huh." It sounded like a sniffle. She wasn't entirely ok, obviously. He continued to rock his five-year old girl into his big protective hug.

"I think they didn't see the red light. Do you know what red lights mean?"

"They mean stop."

"That's right!" He faked enthusiasm in his voice. If Beth noticed, it didn't stop her from playing along. "You're so smart!"

He set his daughter down, once it was clear there were no more dangers. He wasn't sure if someone was badly hurt. Jim also wasn't sure if it would be worse to walk away, or worse to risk exposing Beth to the sight of someone maimed.

"Someone could be badly hurt." He explained to his daughter.

"We should help them. When you get hurt ... find a grownup ... to help you feel better." She sang the familiar Daniel Tiger song.

"Alright, but if I tell you to stop looking, you need to stop and look down at the ground right away. Promise?"

"I promise daddy."

He took her hand, lightly and gently, despite the stress he felt, and walked toward the accident. He noted that there were some familiar faces from the Apartment Complex arriving around the same time on the scene.

When the screaming started, he spoke quickly to Beth. "Stop looking, honey." He pulled her close to his hip and held her there, turning slightly so he blocked her view. It looked like some people were already out there helping, so for now, Jim stayed on the sidelines.

Jim did take out his phone and dial 911 to report the incident though.

[Lizard Lord]

"There was some kind of car crash just outside. I'll have to call you back"

Frank hangs up the phone and starts to dial 911. A costumer in the lobby had started to do so but opted to run outside instead. Frank debates with himself over what to do as the phone rings and eventually hands the phone to Tim telling him to stay on the line and tell the dispatcher what has happened before running outside himself. Sure Tim, in Franks mind, may have been more useful helping people out of the car but Frank wasn't going to ask someone else do something potentially dangerous.

Seeing the costumer in the lobby already by the cab Frank will run towards one of the other cars and check on the passengers.

[Kish]

"He was at the party last night!" Kelly says as he gets a good look at the man in the back seat of the cab. "Alexander. This is quite the coincidence."

Lee doesn't remember me, and probably won't remember him; I'm used to people not remembering things.

[Tyeal]

Ryan

His ears perk when he hears voices outside his room talking about a car crash in town. It sounded bad, from what he was hearing, and hoped it wasn't anyone he knew. He pulled on his boots and shot a few text messages to the few people he tried to regularly keep in touch with, jumping into his car and heading to the corner of 11th and Duck's Ave. It was a short drive, and he pulled into a parking lot just a street away from the intersection, hoofing the rest of the way to avoid the build up of traffick that was starting.

[prufock]

To the Rescue!?

Johnathan
Anyone observing the accident notices a streak of colour and a breeze as Johnathan rushes up to the car. The cab was starting to burn from under the hood.
Take a bonus hero point for your initiative.

Kelly
Kelly tries to start a conversation with Lee, whom he recognizes from the party. Lee, however, is on the phone with 911, and seems very agitated. Lee hangs up, and runs to the cab; Kelly follows, wondering what they can do. Glancing around, he actually notices a lot of familiar faces in the area… all people from the party the night before.

Christian
Christian’s bare feet slap over concrete, but he stops short before running onto the broken glass scattered over the pavement. How did Lee manage to race him here? Lee was out of breath and slower even on a good day.
It’s up to you if you want to stop to put on your shoes. If you don’t, you’ll be running over glass and your speed will be reduced as you cut your feet.

Brian
Brian dials 911, giving all the pertinent information. He’s not sure there’s anything else he can do to help, but he does notice some familiar faces in the crowd gathering outside.

Lee
Lee dials 911 and rushes toward the crumpled cars, hoping to help. He notices a driver and passenger in the cab, and a single occupant of the silver Dodge Challenger that got hit. The Challenger’s driver-side door is completely crumpled, and the front end of the taxi looks like its toast. The passenger doesn’t seem to have buckled his seat belt.
He gives the state of the accident and the address to the dispatcher on the line and ends the call. As he does, his phone disappears.
Take a bonus hero point for your initiative.

Julian
Julian stands back, taking it all in, feeling a little helpless in the chaos. He sees Lee and Christian trying to lend a hand.

Alexander
Alexander’s day just went from bad to worse. The driver seems to be alive and moving slightly. His seatbelt is still buckled, and the airbag deployed. He’s very woozy though. Alexander notices some smoke coming up from the hood of the cab, then a few licks of flames. Not good.
Take a bonus hero point for the complication.

Jim
Jim dials 911, trying to stay calm under the stress of the situation. As it rings, he feels like his shirt gets tighter, constricting. That cab driver should have seen them, even if he didn’t see the light. His daughter could have been hurt from that idiot’s negligent driving! He can feel himself getting upset, and tries some deep breathing, but he’d really rather go wring that guy’s neck!

Ryan
Ryan pulls into the parking lot and rushes toward the intersection. He can see people gathered around, some gawking, some trying to help, several on their phones either to call 911 or to take photos. He can tell that some are worried or scared, some in shock or enthralled by the spectacle. It sounds like everyone is talking at once. Only one seems to be angry… the guy over there with the kid.

Frank
Frank rushes to the door of the crushed Challenger. While the cab hit the driver’s side, the passenger side door looks mostly ok. He can probably get it open and get the girl out before the fire spreads. The driver is out cold, and buckled in.
Take a bonus hero point for your initiative.

Everyone please make a Perception check in your next post, under a spoiler tag, along with any other pertinent checks. 

[Kish]

Kelly tries to open the back door of the cab on the side Alexander's on and help Alexander out, as quickly as possible. If he can do that, he'll put Alexander down on the ground and try to open the driver's side front door and get the driver as well.

I roll 1d20 and add my ranks+ability total, right?
[roll0]

[The_Admiral]

"What the ****?" Lee exclaims as his phone vanishes. Ignoring it for now, he tries to figure out how to get the passenger and drivers out.


Perception
[roll0]

Technology
[roll1]

[czieg]

Christian skidded to a stop and pulled on his shoes, ignoring his lack of socks. Sure, he would have blisters later but those cars were on fire, and that was not a good thing, now how to stop that fire. Fire needs 3 things, heat, oxygen and fuel. Maybe he could take the heat out of the equation, wait, no, too much heat already. Gas, is the fuel, which gets injected into the engine, compressed and sparked, causing a small explosion. This process is what makes the car move. How would a fire start when the cars hit? Maybe the sparker had messed up in one of the cars and ignited something. That could be the gas, but if it was, it would have caused an explosion. Unless the it hadn't reached the fuel tank yet. Where was the fuel tank? Bottom of the car, probably, can't reach that. Maybe smother the flames? No, too much surface area and it could be burning internally, can't stop that. 'C'mon, all those hours of listening to Car Talk on the radio and nothing is helping! **** **** ****'

Giving up on that train of thought, Christian sprinted for the non-cab driver side, it seemed like that girl was already was handling the cab, she seemed familiar, but he didn't have time to think about that, he had wasted enough time already. He grabbed the car door and pulled with all his might, setting his foot against the car to increase the amount of force if the initial pull didn't work. 'All that Tae Kwon Do training never prepped me for this!'

[OOC: And I forgot the rolls, I'll do it in the OOC thread.]

[Drakeburn]

I can't just stand here and wait for help to arrive! Brian thought to himself as he finished his 911 call.
I don't know what I can do to help, but I gotta try to do something!
With that, I put away his phone and rushed towards the scene. Getting there, he looks to see if there is anything he can do to help.

Perception Check: [roll0]

[Lizard Lord]

Frank will go through the passenger side to unbuckle the driver's seat belt and try to drag her out. Frank knows he isn't strong, so hopefully the women is light and adrenaline does its thing.

Perception: [roll0]
Strength: [roll1]

[3SecondCultist]

Watching all of these strangely familiar people careen into the middle of the crash, Julian hangs back. Or at least, he was going to, until he sees a man he recognizes trying to carry a woman out of the crash. Immediately, he thinks of something. What if things can get lighter, not just heavier? Besides, with two people carrying the body away, there's more of a shot of this going well.

Stepping forward, Julian wordlessly moves to help Frank ensure that the woman is safe, adding his own strength to the other man's.

[Illven]

Johnathan pops open the hood.

Okay, we should probably try smothering the flames. I'm pretty sure you don't use water on a possible gas fire. He thought

Upon seeing the woman being attempted to be taking out of the car. He calls out to the carriers.

Are either of you trained in CPR? Actually...

Is anyone here besides me, trained in CPR? John calls out, whipping his head around to address the group.



[roll0]

[Kish]

"No," Kelly calls back, wondering why the other man's voice sounds so strangely like his.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Oh now that's not good. thinks Alexander as the pain continues to flourish. The cab driver seemed to be in stable condition so he turned his attention towards getting out of the potential fire hazard.

Still dizzy and with his fever still challenging his focus, Alexander tries to see if there is anything he can do or anything he can see that will help him and the other occupant of this car. Seeing people outside the cab trying to open the door, he moves tentatively to the passenger door and tries to force it open.

A good shove should do it. That is, if my ribs don't decide to crumble to dust as I do it


Perception: [roll0]
Strength to open the door: [roll1]

[Tyeal]

Ryan

Coming to a stop, the intersection was a bed of chaos. He already saw several people trying to haul the car's passengers out of the flaming wreckage, torn between stopping them and getting away from it, and wanting to help. He scanned the many faces, hoping there was some EMT in the crowd, but everyone seemed to just be in shock and horror, or on the phone. Hopefully with 911. He stopped and his brow furrowed when he spotted one person unlike everyone else; What looked like an angry father with his kid. Seeing that he couldn't do much to help with the wreck, and knowing more hands could just make matters worse, he headed over to the guy and asked, "Sir, you alright? You seem kinda pissed off that this accident happened. You and your son aren't hurt I hope?"


Perception: [roll0]

[EclecticGuru]

Jim Andrews
November 12, 2011, Sometime after 11:00 am
At the Crash Scene

Jim dialed 911, trying to stay calm under the stress of the situation. As it rang, he felt like his shirt was getting tighter, constricting. That cab driver should have seen them, even if he didn’t see the light. His daughter could have been hurt from that idiot’s negligent driving! He could feel himself getting upset, and he tried some deep breathing, but he’d really rather go wring that guy’s neck!
"Honey ... Daddy is getting really frustrated. Do you know what frustrated means?" He spoke to his daughter, it was a way to remind himself that she was there, and that everything he did was an example to her. That she learned a lesson from everything he did. And he refused to lose his cool, especially in front of her.

Before she could answer him, Ryan approached and spoke to him. Jim looked at him. Jim's eyes were rimmed with red, bloodshot like they were that time he looked in the mirror, and his tendons were twitching a bit, indicating a restrained rage. Jim drew in a slow deep breath through his nose. It was clear he was going to respond, but he was trying to get it under control.

His jaw clenched, and he spoke between clenched teeth, but despite those signals, his voice was eerily measured and calm -- a well practiced tone that he used with especially troublesome students at the high school, and of course with his daughter when necessary. A tone to indicate his patience with the situation was reaching its limits, but that he wasn't hostile ... yet.

"The taxi almost hit my daughter." He thought he recognized Ryan. They were passing acquaintances in the apartment complex, and he was pretty sure he remembered Ryan from the party last night. That might be why he opened up a bit personally. "I think I'm sick or something. I haven't been feeling myself since I woke up this morning."

Beth smiled up at Ryan shyly.

Perception: [roll0]

[prufock]

Saving the Day!

Kelly & Alexander
Alexander pushes against the inside of the door, and Kelly pulls it open with ease, though it creaks and squeaks with the twisting of metal. The inside is beginning to get smoky, and there is a little blood on the back seat. Kelly helps Alex out, lifting him as though he weighed nothing, and moves him away from the vehicle, sitting him on the ground off the road. Alex moves to try and help the cab driver, but his ribs send a shock of pain through him and he can’t stand up on his own.
Have a bonus hero point for getting involved.

Lee
Lee sees that the guy who had approached him has sprung into action, and just about rips the rear door of the cab off the hinges to get the passenger out. As he’s trying to suss out the situation, the scent of gasoline strikes him. The tank of the Challenger is leaking, and the cab is already aflame. If those two meet, the blaze is going to get a lot bigger. He figures he’d better find some way to keep the gasoline from getting too close to the flame.

Christian
Christian’s feet slide out from under him as he grabs the door handle and pulls. Slipping to the ground he lands pretty hard, falling on top of a stick as he tries to catch himself. He curses, picking up the stick from under himself. He sees the woman getting pulled to safety, and stands, limping toward the grass.
You’ve twisted your ankle, give yourself a bonus hero point for the complication.

Brian
Brian rushes forward to help. As he does so, he feels something in himself change. A prehistoric urge in his mammal brain. Fire, fire is bad. He hesitates, but continues. He moves faster than he knew he could across the street. Those observing see him running on all fours… he seems almost feline.

Frank & Julian
Frank pulls open the Challenger’s passenger side door and fumbles with the seatbelt. As he does, dark tendrils appear and click the seatbelt open, and then disappear. The woman is out cold and dead weight, so he struggles to pull her across two seats. However, another man reaches in to give him a hand, and the woman suddenly feels much lighter. Together they pull her out and away from the car, placing her carefully in the grass on the side of the road.
Take a hero point for getting involved.

Johnathan
Johnathan reaches to pop open the hood, but a quick flash of insight makes him think better of it. The hood will be hot, the fire is contained, opening it will only make it worse. He needs to think fast before this gets worse.

Jim & Ryan
Taking a moment to cool down, Jim comforts his daughter and turns to Ryan; he’s quite a sight. Ryan notices that Jim’s irises have some red streaks running through them, but they fade away as he responds. Ryan also notices that Jim’s physique is not quite as impressive as it appeared from across the street – he’s in decent shape, but not the bodybuilder he had appeared to be.

Ryan notices one other thing out of the ordinary: there is a long patch of ice on the road behind the cab. It had rained earlier in the morning, but while the temperature was a nice crisply cool November day, it wasn’t below freezing.

[The_Admiral]

Muttering, "Screw it," Lee takes off his shirt and uses it to wipe the gasoline that's closest to the flames and stuff the hole in the fuel tank, hoping to high heaven that it won't blow up in his face.

[3SecondCultist]

As the body of the unconscious woman suddenly feels lighter, Julian's suspicions deepen. So I was right after all. He directs the other man to set her down a safe distance from the crash, before turning back towards the wreckage and see if there's anything more he can safely do to help.

"Where are the paramedics...?" He phrases the question aloud, under his breath. He doesn't know how to help this woman, and he's afraid of doing more harm than good here.

[Kish]

Kelly winces at the smell of gasoline as he turns to get the driver. "Stay down. I'll be right back," he tells Alexander. Where the hell's the fire department? Kelly is aware of the impending explosion, but he has no clue how to prevent it with the resources available to him, so his best idea for dealing with it is simply to get everyone away from the site before it happens.

[Tyeal]

Jim & Ryan
Taking a moment to cool down, Jim comforts his daughter and turns to Ryan; he’s quite a sight. Ryan notices that Jim’s irises have some red streaks running through them, but they fade away as he responds. Ryan also notices that Jim’s physique is not quite as impressive as it appeared from across the street – he’s in decent shape, but not the bodybuilder he had appeared to be.

Ryan notices one other thing out of the ordinary: there is a long patch of ice on the road behind the cab. It had rained earlier in the morning, but while the temperature was a nice crisply cool November day, it wasn’t below freezing.

Ryan

"I see." He replies simply, unable to really offer anything else. Nothing he could say could make that situation of a father saving his daughter any better. No doubt he was just glad she was safe, and understandably upset. He did pause and stare for just a moment when he saw red streaks appear in Jim's eyes, then slowly fade away as he seemed to calm down. 'What the hell...?' he thought to himself. Noticing another pair of eyes on him, he gave a smile back to his daughter, before turning back to the scene of the accident.

As he scanned the area more thoroughly, he spotted something glistening on the ground. Walking over, he ran his hand over it and was surprised to see it was ice. 'It's not cold enough for rain to freeze... Why is this here?' He pulled out his smartphone and snapped a couple pictures before standing back up and looking to the accident proper. Seeing if the good Samaritans were successful in their rescue mission.

[czieg]

Christian pulls with all his might, putting all he had and apparently nothing into his legs. As his footing slips out from under him, he only has time to think 'Well s***.' before he hit the ground. He climbs to his feet, wincing as he puts weight on his ankle. "D*** breakable human body." He half limps, half hops to the cool grass, taking off his shoe again to press the swelling ankle against the cold grass. 'Too d*** weak to fix anything outside of a workshop, why am I bothering with tae-kwon-do then?'

[Illven]

Johnathan seeing the woman pulled out, goes to check on her.

I have no idea where the paramedics are. I will have to suffice. He admits with a grimace.

He starts feeling for a pulse, and checking her breathing rate.


Treatment+awareness [roll0]

[Drakeburn]

When Brian arrived, one thing Brian immediately noticed that he was on his feet and hands. He got himself back up on his two feet, not entirely sure what drove him to do such a thing. He backs away from the scene of the accident as puts one hand on his head.
"What was that?" Brian asked himself.
What is happening to me?

[Lizard Lord]

Frank blinked at the sight of the tendrils but thinking it to be his stress-fueled imagination paid it no mind as helped drag the women out of the cab. He didn't really have any medical training, but he knew common knowledge stuff.

Frank then put two fingers to the women's neck to check her pulse and looked to see if she was bleeding anywhere.

[EclecticGuru]

Jim Andrews
November 12, 2011, Sometime after 11:00 am
At the Crash Scene

Jim took several slow deep breaths. Something had caught Ryan's attention and Jim watched him as he stepped forward to investigate. He almost reached out to stop him from getting close -- the fire, a potential explosion, it was all a very dangerous scene. But then Jim's eyes caught something shiny on the ground that Ryan was running his hand over.

Was that ice? He couldn't see it well enough.

Jim's eyes scanned over to everything else that was happening. If that gasoline hit the fire, it was going to spread quickly ....

He scooped up his daughter in one arm and ran into the pizza shop reached around the counter and grabbed the ABC fire extinguisher that was displayed in view upon the wall. Beth clung to his side tightly, trying to stabilize herself as Jim ran, stopped, spun, ran some more. Back out through the door.

"Daddy ... Daddy ... what are you doing?"

Jim didn't answer her.

"Ryan! Heads up!" Oh, Jim finally remembered his name -- whether it was an introduction at the party, or from the apartment complex though, he couldn't remember. It's amazing what adrenaline could do in a crisis. "Spray down the fire near that petrol leak with this!"

He tossed the extinguisher with a left-handed underhand toss toward Ryan, while keeping his distance with Beth.

[Tyeal]

Ryan

He turned at the sound of his name being called, seeing Jim lob him a fire extinquisher and catching it easily enough. While he wasn't too thrilled about having to go near a potential fireball, his mind reasoned with him that it wouldn't explode. THe mixing of fire, oxygen, and gas wasn't sudden enough to actually explode in his face. "Got it!" He shouted back, yanking the pin on the canister and unleashing the spray of foam at the line of fire, slowly following it from its furthest point back to where it first ignited.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Nope. Not sitting out of this one. Stupid, non-indestructible ribs... Feeling the pain in his chest blossom once more, Alexander forces down his instincts to flinch and groan and makes his body stand up.

Pain be damned, I'm helping him. Just gotta hope the ribs stay intact for that long. The pain is there, of that there is no doubt in his mind, but Alexander isn't about to let someone just die. Not while he can just... about... move...

Burning a hero point to cancel the dazed affliction.

[Kish]

"Stay down, you lunatic." Though Kelly doesn't turn away from opening the cab's front door to look directly at Alexander, he realizes he recognizes this man too. Were all these men at that party? Was the cab driver? Quite a weird coincidence if it's...

[prufock]

The Authorities
The entire group can now hear the sirens getting closer, and you see a police car pull in near the intersection, lights flashing. Two uniformed officers step out, surveying the situation before acting. One says something into his shoulder radio.

Brian
As Brian pulls himself erect, he looks at his hands that were slapping the ground as he ran to the accident. They are covered with short, fine hairs – some blonde, some black – forming dark spots. These fade quickly, and Brian wonders if he could be hallucinating.

Christian
Upon placing his foot in the grass, Christian digs his toes into the soil. Almost immediately, his foot starts to feel better. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he had first thought. An odd thing, though – as he’s standing there with his foot in the soil, the grass around him seems to get a little greener, a little longer, a little fuller. A few small flowers uncurl and bloom in the sun.

Lee
Lee is mopping up some of the gasoline with his shirt, trying to prevent it from spreading. It seems to be working, but soon his shirt is drenched and unable to absorb any more of the liquid. Attempting to cut off the source, he stuffs the shirt in the crack he finds in the Challenger’s gas tank.

Hands full of gas, he steps away from the cab’s flames, looking around for some way to wipe them clean. He is surprised to find that his hands are completely dry.

Jim & Ryan
Looking at the young girl, Ryan gets the ghost of a voice in his head. Is he here to help? Why is he looking at Daddy like that? Ryan gives a faint, confused smile and turns away. He sees that two of the victims of the crash are safely away from the damage, but one still remains in the cab, seemingly out cold.

As he pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of some suspicious ice, Ryan sees the police cruiser arrive and the cops jump into action. He gets the impression that one of them is relatively new, and the thought pops into his head First damn day on the job; I hope nobody’s dead.

Jim, meanwhile, dashes off into the pizza parlour to grab a fire extinguisher, rushing out of the store and tossing it to Ryan. With only a moment of hesitation, Ryan pulls the pin and tackles the flames on the cab.

Each of you take a bonus hero point for battling the blaze.

Johnathan & Frank
As Frank is checking the woman over, in the span of a blink there is another guy hovering around him. Trying not to get in each other’s way, Johnathan and Frank check the woman from the Challenger for serious damage. She is breathing and has a strong pulse. She has some scrapes, minor cuts that are bleeding a little, and some bruises, but she doesn’t seem to have any fatal damage. Better let the professionals handle this; there could always be damage below the surface that a cursory examination won’t show.
One of the cops steps up and asks them to move, kneeling to examine the woman.

Kelly & Alex
As Alex picks himself up and limps toward the cab, Kelly pulls at the cab’s door. The cab’s front end is crumpled more than the back end, and more difficult to open. Kelly grabs the handle and pulls with all his might. The door pulls surprisingly easy, and Kelly pushes it past the normal limits of the hinges, opening it a full 180 degree so that the door panel rests against the front wheel well. The metal creaks and squeaks as he does so.

One of the police officers approaches the cab, but stops short when he sees Kelly tear the door open. He stares for a second, mouth open, but then moves forward to do his job. “Step aside please” he remarks as he moves to help the cabbie.

The driver’s air bag has deflated, but the seat belt seems to be stuck. Kelly and Alex both see some water that the cabbie has spilled in the front seats pool together, then jump across onto the belt buckle. It then freezes. The cop pulls back, startled.

Kelly, however, reaches forward and hits the buckle with his fist, shattering the mechanism inside as the ice cracks. He lifts the overweight driver out with ease, and brings him to rest next to the others as the police officer looks on in confusion. “Ted, you’d better come have a look at this!”

Julian
Seeing the police cruiser pull up is a bit of a relief. Julian doesn’t feel quite so dragged down, like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He waves them over to help the woman, and steps backward, off of the curb. It takes a second before his feet touch the pavement.

[3SecondCultist]

"Okay, now that was strange." Realizing that he probably shouldn't be talking to himself in public, Julian adopts a puzzled smile. At the very least, this fiasco will be cleaned up soon. His concern for the well-being of those in the accident is secondary, however. Looking around, Julian recognizes many of the faces. All of these men... they were at the party last night. And there's Lee and Christian. I guess they never did get to finish that run.

But something else is going on in and around the cab. Why aren't the officers helping? Julian moves forward, ready to help. Whatever is happening to him now, he knows he doesn't fully understand it. There are things he can be doing to exercise this, though, and continuing to help might show him more. That in mind, Julian steps in behind Kelly and Alex. He watches the former lift the cabbie out with ease, noting the man's remarkable strength. There is little left for him to do here.

"How did you do that?" Perhaps Julian isn't the only one undergoing a change.

[Kish]

"I don't know. If there's going to be an explosion, we'd better all get away from it," Kelly raises his voice so that the police can hear it as well but, uncertainly, doesn't move to put it into action quite yet. He looks around curiously. He was at the party, and he was, and he was...don't think the cops were though. What was that? I'm strong, but not that strong.

[3SecondCultist]

Julian simply nods in agreement. He can see that the other man recognizes him, too. So there are other currents at play here. He really needs to figure out what happened last night. There are more imminent threats at play, though. Such as an explosion. His eyes widen by a fraction, as Julian motions for anyone close by to follow him. He isn't sure why, but his steps are feeling lighter now. I guess I might be affecting myself, as well as my surroundings.

[The_Admiral]

Lee stares at his surprisingly dry hands as he moves back from the wreck, there could still be a smaller fire hidden away in the engine.

[czieg]

Okay! So I have signal, but no wifi so I am on data. I am also on vacation with family so free time is few and far between. For posting, this means that while I can post, it will be rare and only if needed. So if you want to have a conversation with Christian, you want to wait until I am home from vacation.

So, Christian has plant powers? I guess he needs to find some pine trees then. (Fire-proof bark)

"Dafuq?" Christian stared at the flowers and leaves of grass that had suddenly sprouted around him. Hesitantly, he held out a hand to touch the new flowers, they were indeed real, not some illusion of his mind. Looking around him, he could see the difference in color from the grasses near him to those farther away. Had he passed out and was dreaming? No, he had touched the flowers. Unless it was a very lucid dream, he wasn't dreaming this.

Had he made those grow? No, that was impossible, plants needed nutrients to grow and he had no way to supplement this requirement or to accelerate the plant growth. In short, he wasn't some time wizard that could speed up localized time. Standing, he hobbled away from the anomaly. Wait, his leg didn't hurt as much anymore, he could walk much better now. He must have been overreacting to the pain.

[Lizard Lord]

Frank steps away from the women as the cops approach. No ambulance or fire truck yet though? For stuff like this 911 usually sends all three.

"So I have to get back to work, but if you need to ask me any questions I'll be in that Domino's. Just ask for Frank, okay?" Franks asks awkwardly as he points towards the store.

If the cops don't stop him Frank will walk back towards the Domino's to try and get the electrical company on the line as that freak power outage still needs to be fixed. Heck of a weird day today.

[Illven]

Johnathan winces as frank brings up work.

Yeah, I should also probably get back to work? Am I free to go? He asks the officer rubbing the back of his head.

[Tyeal]

Ryan

When the police finally showed up, Ryan returned the extinguisher to the store where Jim had gotten it from. He had finally remembered his name in that strange, brief insight when he was dousing flames. He took a seat in the grass nearby to collect his thoughts, closing his eyes to focus deep on his own thoughts. 'Did I really hear other voices?' he began, seemingly listening to the world around him to determine if he really heard the thoughts of other inside his mind. Or if he was finally detaching completely from reality and had succumbed to madness. 'I know I heard something. Normally it's the voices of characters I create, from my own mind. They don't speak of their own volition.'

[Drakeburn]

Brian stumbled back, really freaked out by what he saw on his hands. Or, what he thought he saw.

What is happening to me?!

As Brian steps away from the scene of the crash, he races explanations through his head.

Was it sleep deprivation? Am I sick? Is this a dream? Maybe somebody slipped something into my drink last night?

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

Okay, I just saw a man rip off the door to a taxi like it was paper and water act like it had a mind of its own.

Man, I really need to lay off the drinking.

Hearing the police officer shout to his friend, Alexander just stands there and nods. Looking over the poor man on the ground, he sees nothing that he can easily help with. Especially with his ribs the way they are.

Speaking of which...

"Hey, any chance there's an ambulance on the way?" He asks the police officer, indicating his ribs.

[prufock]

The Aftermath

You all can hear more sirens in the distance, getting closer. No doubt the ambulance and fire truck on the way. Ryan seems to have the fire contained with the extinguisher, and the threat of explosion has dissipated. The police officers make sure everyone moves away from the collision and check the victims for any fatal injuries. Finding none, they begin to take names, addresses, and phone numbers from all of you, as well as statements. They take particular interest in Kelly and Alex.

Anyone who wishes to slip away without talking to the police, please describe it and give me a Stealth check (or any other check that would be appropriate, depending on how you leave.

In your response post, please note the statement you give to the cops.[/quote]

The paramedics and firefighters finally arrive. Everything seems to be under control now, and the paramedics check over anyone who was involved in an accident. The two drivers are loaded aboard the ambulance and taken off to San Catherine’s Memorial Hospital. Other drivers are allowed to leave (several after calling their insurance companies or lawyers) and a tow truck pulls away the cab and Challenger.

Julian
Julian feels fine now, better than he’s felt all day. He gives his statement to police and tries to decide what to do with the rest of his day. Maybe he can get that book back. But there sure are a lot of familiar faces here.

[spoiler=Power] Environment 6: Movement -2 (increase or decrease gravity in the area) – 12 points

Kelly
Kelly isn’t sure what to make of his newfound strength. Looking down he can see the sleeves of his shirt are torn around his muscles, which appear to have grown dramatically.

Enhanced Strength 3 (permanent), Enhanced Stamina 1 (permanent), Enhanced Intellect 2 (permanent) – 12 points

Lee
Lee sees his cell phone sitting off in the grass and moves to pick it up. As he touches it, it disappears again, but reappears immediately just a step away. Fascinated, Lee reaches out and touches it with just a finger. It disappears, and reappears in his pocket. Digging into his pocket, he pulls it out and checks it over. It still works!
Concentrating, he finds he can make it disappear and reappear from one hand to the other, to his pocket, to the ground. He pockets it and picks up a pebble, and finds he can do the same thing!

Teleport 6 (touch range, small objects only) – 12 points

Christian
Christian pulls his feet out of the soil as he steps back in surprise! Something weird is definitely going on here. It doesn’t seem like anyone else noticed.

Healing 6 (plants only), Regeneration 5 (persistent, while rooted) + Immunity 1 (being moved or knocked down, while rooted) move action to take root – 12 points

Frank
The cops take Frank’s name and he returns to the pizza parlour. Frank notices two things: the lights are back up and the ficus in the corner looks greener and healthier than it ever has. He sets back to work, but as he’s making pizza, black tendrils appear to help knead the dough! Definitely not hallucinations!

Extra Limbs (shadow tentacles, projection, sustained) – 12 points

Johnathan
After giving his statement, Johnathan walks, then runs back to his job. He’s there in the blink of an eye. Sam stares, wide-eyed, as he rushes back into the store.

Speed 6 (120 mph), Quickness 6 (what would take an hour takes 1 minute) – 12 points

Ryan
As the crowd is dispersing, Ryan gazes around at the crowd, wondering what it is he’s hearing. As he looks at each person, he gets an impression of a voice that seems to have no source.

From the younger police officer: I know what I saw, even if Ted thinks I’m nuts.
From the older police officer: That kid is spooked from the stress. First day on the streets, rookies always panic. I remember when I was a rookie…
From a bystander: Whew, 6 more seconds and I could have been the one hit.
From Jim’s daughter: I want to go home now.

Mind Reading 6 – 12 points

Brian
As the spots fade, one of the police officers approaches to take Brian’s statement. Brian tries to compose himself.

Alternate Form (standard action, Strength 2, Low-Light Vision, Acute Smell, Perception +6, Stealth +6, Damage 2 {claws}) – 12 points

Alexander
Alex is checked over and loaded into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital overnight as a precaution. His fever seems to have come down, but he’s hurting from the crash. Doesn’t seem to be anything too serious, though.

Move Object 6 (water only, perception range) – 12 points

Jim
Jim gives his statement to the police. Beth seems to have calmed down now.

Enhanced Strength (linked to emotional state)

[The_Admiral]

EDIT: Police response.
"I went to get pizza after running with a friend, heard the crash, ran out and saw the crash called 911 and saw the tank leaking, I plugged it with my shirt." he stated for the report nervously, he had never done this before.


Walking over to his roomate, Lee asks, "Dude, you okay?" concern in his voice and not small amounts of confusion.

[czieg]

Christian's eyes widen even further as he has to forcibly pull his feet out of the soil. Why the **** was that so hard? He looked around to make sure no one had noticed his trouble. Lee seemed to be playing with a pebble off to the side, so he wasn't a problem. It didn't seem others were paying attention to him either. He looked down at his feet and saw that the grass was once again sprouting flowers around his bare feet. 'Maybe if I put on shoes, it will stop?'

With the hope of reclaiming control over... Whatever the hell he was doing, Christian pulled on his shoes. It seemed that without skin contact, it wouldn't work. Maybe he should start wearing sandals... Wait, no. His feet would freeze. But he would also be less restricted from nature! Why did he care about that?!

Shaking his head, he put a hand on the ground to help himself up, but also focused his mind. "Don't grow, don't grow, don't grow..." He stood and looked down at the area. There was indeed a distinct lack in spontaneously grown flowers. 'So I can control it.' Well, the best thing to do at this point was to go home and figure out what the hell was going on.


Walking over to his roomate, Lee asks, "Dude, you okay?" concern in his voice and not small amounts of confusion.
Christian turned to his roommate, sighing. Lee would probably be the first to learn, intentionally or otherwise. "Man, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

[The_Admiral]

"Try me." Lee scoffs in reply as he plays with that rock he just picked up, he could teleport objects, somehow, he's not sure if anything's weirder than that.

[Kish]

Kelly's mind races as he looks around. He cooperates with the police noncommittally, feigning less comprehension of the situation than he has. He doesn't volunteer anything that isn't asked for; his statement mentions that he's always been pretty strong, yes, but he didn't think he could tear off car doors, no. Maybe adrenaline? If anyone asks him about the damage to his shirt, he suggests it must have happened somehow while rescuing the driver from the cab, not letting on that he's thinking am I going to need to get my shirts tailored from now on? That's not really an expense I can afford.

When he can get away, he'll write nine versions of a note that goes, "Give me a call to talk about what happened here," and gives his cell phone number. He'll give copies of that note to each of the other men he recognizes from the party, starting with Alexander and then Julian. Then he goes back to his apartment. Something about that party. Probably related to whatever was in my soda. For me it could be just a variation on a steroid, but... He'll try to recall as many details of the party as he can, particularly if anyone seems particularly likely to have been in a position to put something in the drinks.

[czieg]

I can't tell if you are just unshakeable, or just not elaborating on how Lee thinks about his new powers. I mean his thought process is "I can teleport things, cool. I wonder how Christian is," or that is how I see it. He is literally super-human now, and he is brushing it off like it is nothing. Christian shook his head, "Not here, not now. I need to think first." Most of all, he needed to figure out the extent of his power. He had bonded with the soil somehow and made things grow. Could he do more? Where his powers just one aspect of a much more subtle ability? Was he going to become a male Poison Ivy?

[3SecondCultist]

Julian gives a succinct report to the junior officer at the scene. He's not sure why, but if the police pick up anything strange about his testimony, better to have it be attributed to incompetence and inexperience on the part of the interrogator.

"I was on campus, meeting with a friend, and was on my way back to my apartment when I heard the sirens. By the time I arrived, the crash had already occurred, and I thought it was my place to help save that poor woman's life." A white lie, but nothing an ordinary person wouldn't say. Julian hasn't given the woman a moment's thought since the ambulances arrived. Best to keep the details vague enough, though. And of course, he can't mention anything about the local density fluctuations. He points in Frank's direction, hoping perhaps that the officer will move on to him. "He was the man I helped. If anyone deserves credit here, it's him. He's the hero here, not me." The implication behind the words being, of course, that the officer doesn't need to ask for his name.

Once he's finished giving his statement - and is a safe distance away from the eyes of the police officers - Julian opens and reads the note. Eyes darting around the scene, he looks for the man who spoke to him earlier, the man who wrote the note. Not seeing him, Julian saunters away.

If necessary, here's a Persuasion and a Deception check for Julian's interview with the officer.

Persuasion: [roll0]

Deception: [roll1]

[The_Admiral]

Okay dream Christian was much less thoughtful, or worried than this, was he really dreaming or did he actually have these powers he wondered to himself as the abilities he had, or could have and its implications dawned on him. He could teleport things, that was physically impossible, or at least require a whole lot of energy. He didn't even feel a little drained from that act, could it be perfect mass energy conversion?

He pinched himself as he looked at Christian, "...........please tell me I'm dreaming and not standing half naked in front of you."




His thought process is more, I'm totally hallucinating right? It's a dream, I'll probably wake up without the power to teleport thing, just run with it, that's how dreams work. FIrst he's going to test it.

[czieg]

Christian rolled his eyes. At least Lee seemed normal, so he wasn't going insane. "I'm afraid you are, and your boy-toy is back that way. Since I'm clothed, either this is real life, or you have subconsciously given up trying to seduce me. Take your pick." The familiar sarcasm calmed Christian's nerves. This was normal, Lee was being gay, and he was turning down his roommate's advances.

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

"Yes, officer. I guess the door was just weakened by the crash.
"No, officer. I have no clue how the buckle broke.
"No, officer. I'd never met the guy before the party.
"I left the car because I did not want to burn alive. I made sure to go back didn't I?
"Listen, my ribs hurt like hell and my tone probably isn't going to improve today.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little rattled, y'know?
"How's the cab driver by the way? Oh. Okay.
"Have a nice day, sir. If you need anything more, you've got my number."

The pain in his ribs had lessened significantly but Alexander couldn't help reviewing the events of the day in his head. He lay on his bed, tossing thoughts around while just as quickly throwing them out.

What the hell was going on with that water? How did it move so quickly? How did it freeze?

Did... I do that?

No. No goddamn way could I do that. Not possible, nyet, nein. Disregard.

But the thought refused to leave the young man's head. The large glass of water on his bedside table seemed to ripple slightly. Was it him? Or was it simply the vibrations from outside?

Alright, fine. Let's see if I'm finally going crazy.

Holding out his hand, feeling... something? tingle through his arm, he raises his hand quickly.

The water in the cup flicked up with it.

HOLY SHI-

The water fell back down quickly into the cup, leaving no evidence that anything happened beyond the memory in Alex's head.

I need to get out of here. My ribs are fine. I need to get home right the hell now and figure out what is going on.

Getting out of bed and slipping on his boots, Alexander walks as quickly as possible out of the room while hoping to simply leave without any hassle.

[The_Admiral]

"****, please take a look at this for me," he says, rather panicked sounding as he pulled Christian into an alley.

Holding up a pebble for him to see, he, teleported it into his room-mate's pocket nervously saying, "Please say the pebble just dropped out of my hand and I'm hallucinating.........." what he was doing was flat out impossible, he didn't have a frame of reference for it.

[czieg]

Christian scowled as Lee dragged him into an alley. He did go with him however, eventually he would have time to fully investigate his powers without raising suspicion.

Lee held out a pebble "Look, if this is some cheap magic trick-" the pebble disappeared, and Christian felt a weight in his pocket that wasn't there before. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at his friend's open hand. "No, that isn't possible..." he reached into his pocket and brought out the pebble. "How the h*** did you do that?" Maybe he could talk to Lee right now after all.

[Lizard Lord]

Frank jumped a full three feet back when he saw the tentacles and screamed rather loudly. "Holy Frackity Frack!"

The tendrils disappeared upon Frank's minor freak out and looks around to confirm that no one else saw. He will then hide behind the oven so that no one can see him from the store window or lobby and tries to summon them again, which he does. He dismisses them again and gets back to work. He will need to show this to someone he trusts later, but for now he just needs to get through the day.

[Drakeburn]

"Well officer," Brian began to explain.
"I was in the cafe nearby when I heard the crash occur. I called 911, and after I made the call I came out to see the wreckage. I wanted to help, but there were already people there attempting to help those in the crash. But because I was at a party last night, I felt.... strange. So I simply backed away from the scene to pull myself together."

[Lizard Lord]

As Frank works he keeps looking over his shoulder trying to see the shadowy tendrils. Did they really go away? Well he is in view of the front window and someone would have noticed by now if they were still around so they must have. Maybe instead of telling some one he knows he will go see a doctor or something first. Would a doctor even really be able to explain this.

Of course it was tempting to just have the tendrils do all the work for him, but someone would definitely notice that and he would rather not announce this to the world.

[The_Admiral]

"Dude I don't ****ing know..............wait, ****, does this mean I have superpowers now?" Lee almost shouts, waving his arms in panic definitely needing the reassurance that his casual murder of thermodynamics wasn't going to bite him in the ass.

[3SecondCultist]

Leaving the scene behind, Julian takes out his smart phone and stares at it. His apartment isn't all that far away - everything in San Catherine's is more or less walking distance anyhow - and he could use the fresh air. As he walks, he does his best to focus on keeping everything around him constant, unchanging. For the first time in what feels like hours, he thinks of Kate. What would she be doing on a Saturday afternoon like this? Probably working on one of her assignments, or working out. She might be at her parents' place, or with her brother. For a long stretch of silent road, he considers calling her.

He doesn't. Instead, he types in the number from the stranger's note, waiting for the dial tone to indicate that the call is being put through. "Hello? You left me a note at the scene, back there. I'm Julian." A pause, and then: "You were at that party too, weren't you? I thought I saw a few faces there that I recognized."

[Kish]

Kelly is just beginning to go through his wardrobe when the phone rings and he answers it. "Yes, I'm Kelly. Most of the men there were at the party, which is quite an odd coincidence that we'd meet again at the site of that accident. But stranger things were happening there. Can we meet somewhere? This sounds paranoid, I know, but I'm a little concerned about the phone being tapped now. Maybe at...a workout center? Or if there's anywhere specific you have a reason to want to go, that would work, too."

[czieg]

"Dude I don't ****ing know..............wait, ****, does this mean I have superpowers now?" Lee almost shouts, waving his arms in panic definitely needing the reassurance that his casual murder of thermodynamics wasn't going to bite him in the ass.

Christian slaps a hand over Lee's mouth, looking around to make sure no one had heard his outburst. "I really recommend you don't saying anything out loud right now, anyone who hears you will either think you are crazy, or believe you and that would be altogether worse." Christian had always disliked the press. Yes, they had their uses, but they ripped people's lives apart at the drop of a hat, and he had no intention of letting that happen to him or anyone else he knew. He needed to re-read "How to Make Friends and Influence People" that book had taught him a lot, and he just might need it in the coming days.

"Listen to me, we are going to go back to the apartment and talk about this. Besides, you are still shirtless and that will draw some attention. Now, follow me and let's go." Lee had gain abilities too, this was troubling. How many others had gained powers? Statistically, it was just about impossible that if just two people got powers randomly, they would know each other. However, if you assumed that there was a cause, and not a random act of fate, it could be thought that there were others that were also affected. Christian's mind swirled, he was getting another headache trying to figure out what had happened.

He walked with Lee to their apartment, dragging him if need be. When they entered he immediately closed the blinds and turned on the lights. "Something very strange is going on. First the plants, now you are teleporting crap. Is there a limit you know of? Size or weight?"

[Priest_Of_Banjo]

So. I can apparently move water with my mind.

I'm a ruddy Waterbender now. That's fun.

Even in his own mind, Alexander still manages to be sarcastic. His pace quickens in response to his tumultuous thoughts.

What the hell am I gonna do? I can't keep this to myself, it's gonna come out at sometime. It's just too a big a thing to leave alone.

Dad can't help me here.

I really only know a couple of people here. Can I trust them?

Hell, is this even real? Am I just going mad?

Turning it over in his head again and again, Alexander decides to take a leap of faith and calls up Lee, hoping this will make him seem less suspicious.

Hopefully he'll sense the tone.

"Hey, Lee? Mind if you come over in about an hour or two? I... I kinda need to talk about something. It's important."

Pausing, he decides to add:

"If Christian is there with you, ask him to come along as well."

Walking with purpose throughout the labyrinthine halls of the hospital, Alexander attempts to find his way out while trying to stay out of the way of any hospital officials.

[The_Admiral]

Lee shakes his head rapidly, as he replies, "I did my phone on accident......." wondering just what was his limit on objects to teleport, too panicked to notice his ringing phone.

[3SecondCultist]

A workout center? That was certainly an odd request, but not one that Julian was willing to completely ignore. He hadn't worked out yet today, after all.

"Let's say the SCU Gym? I still have a standing membership there. I'll need some time to pick up workout gear from my place, but I should be able to get there within forty five." He would call Kate on the way to meet this Kelly. In his head, he was already editing the details of what had happened - no need to concern her with the details just yet.


* * * * *
Once he arrives at the gym in a white workout shirt and black shorts, Julian begins to stretch, eying the closest treadmill... and occasionally glancing at the very fine looking pair of girls on the elliptical machines nearby. He checks his watch. Kelly should be here any moment.

[Illven]

Johnathan looks at Sam strangely

"Um, what's wrong dude?" He asks rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly?

[Kish]

Kelly finds a shirt he can wear and pants appropriate for working out, looks up the address of the gym, and heads out. He's disappointed the phone hasn't rung before he reaches the gym. He takes a few minutes to arrange for the shortest possible membership before heading inside and looking for Julian.

"Hi. So. Do you have any strange abilities?" he asks. "Sorry, that was abrupt. I just--let me show you. This is why I wanted to meet here. I'm a lot stronger than I was yesterday, but I'm not sure just how strong I am." He heads over to the barbells and lifts a 100-lb one in one hand with casual ease. "Too strong for this test, anyway," he murmurs, picking up another one in his left hand.

"So." He lifts the barbells to shoulder height casually, frowning before he says, "They feel like they're soap bubbles. Has anything like this happened to you?"

[czieg]

Lee shakes his head rapidly, as he replies, "I did my phone on accident......." wondering just what was his limit on objects to teleport, too panicked to notice his ringing phone.

That's right, I am home from vacation, it is 2:00 am and I am tired as all hell, have a quick post before I collapse.

"Lee, your phone is ringing, answer it please while I think." 'So Lee can teleport stuff, alright. Why can't I? Does whatever is caused this have a random effect on people? I got plants, Lee get such a vastly different power? Could it be the same power, just we are manifesting it in different ways? Does it have something to do with what we consumed before being affected... That g**d*** m*****f****** party. That was why I had a hangover when I don't drink! I did get slipped something! And it gave me super powers? I've gone crazy, that's impossible. But then again, so is the idea that I can grow plants and Lee can teleport stuff.'

[The_Admiral]

"Alex? Why? Sorry I'm a bit busy right now....." he replied, sounding a little bit panicked. How the hell do I figure that out, OOooh yes, GPS, build a unit and teleport it, problem solve, it'll make you panic less. he thought to himself, not panicking as much now.

[Tyeal]

Ryan

Now he was starting to freak out some. He WAS hearing voices other than his own, and it sounded like they were coming from the officers at the scene, along with a few of the by-standers. He stayed long enough for the officers to take his statement concerning the accident and what he did, and left once given permission. He sat in his car and shoved the keys into the ignition, just staring at his hands on the wheel in thought. 'When in the hell did I get this.. power? Is it even real, or is my brain trying to f*ck with me again?' Ryan couldn't be sure, and opted to drive himself someplace quiet to think, and to do a bit of study.

He pulled into a parking spot outside a public library not far from his complex. He started roaming the shelves, trying to find books on Psychology, Medicine, Metaphysical Science, Mental Health, anything he could dig up on the mind and potential psychic powers. With his stack of books, he plopped himself down in one of the sound-proofed rooms this particular library had, and began to read.

[3SecondCultist]

Watching Kelly lift a weight that is no doubt in excess of what the man considers his 'normal' boundaries, Julian raises an eyebrow interestedly.

"We all received different gifts, I think. I can't speak for any of the others, but I certainly saw some displays of strangeness. As for my own ability..." He nods at the weights. "Try lifting them again, but be careful. I don't want you to crush yourself." Focusing, Julian tries his hardest to manifest his power in a radius around him, increasing the density of gravity to the point where the other man can barely move. As he does, Julian can feel the pressure mounting on his own shoulders, keeping him down as though being slowly pressed into the earth by an invisible boot.

[Kish]

Kelly sets the weighs down as Julian directs, then starts to lift them again; he hesitates as the floor under his feet starts making an ominous creaking sound.


WAG at how their powers would interact: that the weights, which started out way below Kelly's new lift limit, are still within his range to lift, but not so much within the range of the floor's tolerance for weight concentrated on a single point.

[prufock]

Leaving the Scene

Lee & Christian
Lee and Christian head out of site after giving their statements and talk excitedly amongst themselves. Everyone still at the scene hears Lee exclaim something about superheroes, but the onlookers pay him no mind.
Christian drags Lee back to the apartment where they can talk in quiet, discussing the limits of their powers, and the strangely different natures of the abilities the two of them now possessed.

Lee gets the idea to use a GPS tracking app with his cell phone to test the limits on his range. After downloading the app, he finds he is able to teleport the object around the apartment with ease, but not beyond the walls. “Maybe you need a line of sight?” Christian suggests. Opening the window, Lee gives it another shot. He concentrates on a point near the horizon, and the phone is gone.

Checking the GPS, the phone has appeared about a half-kilometer away! Seems like they have a bit of a trek to go retrieve it.

As they walk, Christian attempts to test the limits of his powers as well. While cutting through a park when he thinks no one is looking, he removes his shoes and tries his grass-growing trick again. Within moments, as far as he can see around the park, the grass doubles in length, in obvious need of mowing. Pulling his shoes back on as Lee looks on with raised eyebrows, the two get the heck out of there before someone notices.

Using Christian’s phone to track Lee’s, the guys notice the GPS pin moving. Someone must have picked it up. They follow for a while, and it stops just before they get there. It didn’t move much. When they locate the phone (on a sidewalk), they see no one around who might have picked it up.

On the way back to their apartment, they stop in at Alex’s.

Kelly & Julian
At the gym, Kelly and Julian test out the limits of their respective powers. Kelly is able to fairly easily lift as much weight as he can fit on the bar, over 900 pounds, and is sure he could press that over his head, if doing so wouldn’t draw too much attention. In fact, he’s pretty certain he could do that one-handed.

When Julian activates his power, the bar gets much heavier, and Kelly is barely able to stagger it off the ground. Removing all of the plates, with Julian’s power active, lets him lift the bar alone, but it’s still tough. Unfortunately, the floor doesn’t seem designed to hold that much weight on two points. Kelly feels the floor buckle underneath him, and hears a distinctive CRACK as the floorboards shatter. The pair catch a little flack from the manager about dropping weights hard on the floor, but otherwise manage to fasttalk their way out of having to pay any damages.

Alexander
As Alex slips through the hospital, he runs across one of the duty nurses. She eyes his taped-up ribs (nothing broken, just bruised, he’s told) and asks how he’s feeling. “You really shouldn’t be leaving yet. We want to keep you overnight for observation just in case you have a concussion or internal bleeding.” She eyes him a little suspiciously. “I feel fine,” Alex retorts. He goes to the reception desk and signs himself out, hesitating before calling a cab for the ride home. He hasn’t had much with cabs today. This one goes much more smoothly, though.

About a half-hour later, Christian and Lee knock on the door.

Frank
After the cops take his statement, the work day plods along as usual. It’s a busy one, but Frank has a lot of time to think while he’s making pizzas. Could other people see these tendrils? What was up with the weird lights? They still seemed to dim once in a while, like there was a load on the breaker.

Details of the crash keep jumping to mind. One of those guys seemed to rip a car door almost off the hinges! One seemed to be moving in fast forward. And was it his imagination, or did he see some sort of leopard or something?! It all made his head swim. Maybe he should try to get in touch with some of the others. He knows he recognizes them from the party last night.

Brian
The officers let Brian go nurse his “hangover.” The elder one muttering with a smirk “Kids….” Brian sees a white news fan show up on the scene, Channel 11. A reporter and cameraman get out. The latter starts setting up equipment while the former runs around asking for witnesses. Brian is the first one approached. “Excuse me sir, did you witness the accident? Would you mind telling me what you saw here?”

Here’s your chance to be on TV! You can give as much information as you want, or keep the details to yourself.

After his interview, Brian takes a few pictures of the scene, making sure to capture anything he thinks is unusual about the event. He goes back to finish his coffee and try to collect his nerves. He scrolls back through the photos he’s taken, trying to find anything that would help explain what the heck happened back there. He knows some of these people, but nothing really jumps out at him as weird.

Then he notices a spot of turf to the side of the road. The grass there looks like it’s had about a month’s growth. He knows he has a photo of this same area from his walk earlier. Comparing the two, it’s obvious that the grass has grown at least six inches! He isn't sure what that means, but he knows it means something!

Jim
Jim returns home with his daughter; she’s too shaken up for the park right now. They spend most of the day doing normal things to help her calm down – cartoons, tea parties, and Legos. It also helps Jim keep calm. Something was there, bubbling under the surface. Something dark that he didn’t want to think about too much. That wasn’t like him, having to rein himself back like that. He didn’t know what happened, but he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

And yet… the anger had made him feel powerful, righteous almost.

Ryan
At the library, Ryan attempts to block out the voices and sets to voraciously reading anything he can get his hands on that might help explain what was going on. He reads about Zener cards, Ganzfield experiments, twin studies, magic tricks, and ideomotor readings. Most of his research comes up negative, noting famous frauds and poor methodology. He begins to suspect that his thoughts are a pathology of sorts; it’s definitely making him a little paranoid.

The paranoia really hits home when he hears one of the mental voices remark “He’s acting strange, but no apparent physical effects as of yet, at least that I can see.”

Johnathan
“What’s wrong? I just saw you run out of here like a blur and get to the intersection in a second. You finished your day’s work in less than an hour. Are you on some crazy steroids or something? You’re freaking me out, man.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Screw this, I’m going home. Tell the boss I’m not feeling well.”

The rest of Johnathan’s day goes like any other, except he’s obviously able to complete more work than ever; in fact, he has to hold back not to do things at lightning-speed so as not to alarm the customers.

[Illven]

At the end of the day Johnathan texts Tana.


Hey Tana, did I seem to move particularly quickly this morning, or was it just me?

[Kish]

After getting away from the manager, Kelly says quietly, "That would tell us more if we knew exactly how much heavier you make things, but we definitely both have strange abilities now. Other than ascertaining the exact range of our new powers, I think our immediate priority should be to find out where they came from. It appears to be something that happened to a lot of men who were at that party last night; neither is exactly a moral criterion. Our powers don't seem terribly similar."

[Lizard Lord]

Frank thinks back on the accident. Between his tendrils and the accident himself Frank didn't think much else on what else he saw until now, and he had indeed seen some strange things. But there were a few bystanders watching and if he noticed these things than other people would as well. When he gets off work he will make sure to watch for word of the accident and news and browse the internet for any relevant info/theories (even if that means looking for seemingly crazy conspiracy theories).

He may also try to get a hold of these people later. He saw them at that party but Frank thinks he has also seen them around the apartment complex, though he isn't sure what room numbers.

[3SecondCultist]

Julian's smile dissipates as the manager disappears.

"You make a good point. It would seem that the simplest explanation is that we all got powers of some sort at that party last night. I wonder if we should get in contact with the others?" He glances at the other man quizzically. "Too bad my power doesn't seem to make anything lighter. I thought it did, but the applications aren't as broad as I might have hoped. The worst I can do is moderately inconvenience myself."

[Kish]

"I left a note with each of them, but you're the only one who's called me yet. We need to find out who did this, why, and whether there are side effects we haven't discovered yet, and everyone who was affected should be interested in that."