Masks: A New Generation [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

gremlin-pult

2016-04-26, 04:05 PM

"Good thing I was already in costume..." Vigil muttered to himself as he zip-tied the two unconscious thugs to a drain pipe, while listening to the nearby sounds of screaming and destruction. Looking to the other side of the alley, he gazed at the elderly man he'd just saved from a vicious mugging. "Sir, I hope you will be alright. I would suggest calling the police to get these two, and to drive you home safely." He said in a soothing voice. In hindsight he knew that his choice of mask design wasn't exactly comforting, so he kept his hands hanging by his sides, and talked softly to calm the man down.
He then gave the man a nod, and jogged to the end of the alley, where he quickly climbed up the fire escape. Once on the roof, he took of from building to building in the direction of the chaotic sounds.
Gotta love the guy who figured that raising all the buildings so close to each other. Bless him and his hero-friendly architecture. He thought, leaping between two buldings.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Crouching on top of the building closest to Halcyon HQ, Vigil stared at the ice dragon rampaging around, and the annoyingly chipper maniac on it's back. His brows furrowing behind his mask, he clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Damn, that's big..." He muttered. "No way am I taking that thing down alone, or getting to Cryosaur without either help or a big distraction. Gotta call in backup... Geez, I hope Julia ain't busy..."

Pushing a small indent on the side of his mask, Vigil activated his built-in hands free phone. "Send Instant Message, Arcana." He said "Dictate: Arcana. Halcyon HQ. Ice villain, Cryosaur. Enormous cohort. Firepower needed. Vigil."
He waited a second for the ping confirming that the message had been dictated, and then said.
"Send."

"Guess all I can start with doing is scope out the layout... Jump in if the opportunity arises." He mumbled to himself, before observing the area. He kept a lookout for advantages against the dragon, but mostly looked for any civilians in immediate danger as he climbed down the fire escape toward the ground. "I hope she hasn't let the phone run out of battery, like last time..."

As is said in the IC part, Vigil keeps an eye out for any opportunity to get close to the dragon, and if possible onto it's back so he can get to Cryosaur. But mostly he watches for civilians in danger.

Anyr

2016-04-26, 05:09 PM

In one of Halcyon City's many parks, a girl sat meditating. Her breathing was smooth and relaxed. For once, the raging torrent within her had subsided.

"All is peace. All is calm. All is-"

Then her earphone got a message. As it played, Julia's tranquil expression grew increasingly forced. She tried to get herself back under control; Only to feel droplets of rain bombarding her. A freak thunderstorm had suddenly appeared over the park. As people around ran for cover, an increasingly damp Julia stood up. With a sigh, she went off to assist her friends.

A minute later, Vigil would see a cloaked figure landing on the rooftop beside him. Julia/Arcana's costume consisted of voluminous blue robes, which concealed her entire body. It was topped with a hood whose opening revealed only blackness. She gazed down at the rampaging monster, and its creator. Normally, her 'hero voice' was very businesslike; But since the only one within earshot right now was her childhood friend, the tone this time was much warmer. Arcana certainly didn't blame Vigil for this mess.

"Looks like we don't have much time to talk. Where do you need me?"

Razade

2016-04-26, 05:23 PM

Sebastian wanders the city, on one of his many shopping trips for the team when the screaming started and chaos erupted in the streets. He heaves a sigh, quickly chowing down on what remains of a bahn mi as he weaves through the crowd delicately on his path towards the looming tech building and the plaza before it. "Ruining my lunch...gonna have to store this junk somewhere...everything's gonna melt if it doesn't get stolen." he grumbles, finding a nice set of manicured bushes to shove several large bags into.

- - - - -

Once on the scene he quickly catches on with what's going down what with the cackling villain and giant living ice sculpture. Someone was sure to have got a memo out about this, only thing left to do was stall until backup arrived. "Hey big guy!!" he shouts, leaping into the plaza as he lifted his hood up about his face, marching to stand firm before the beast. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

gremlin-pult

2016-04-26, 05:29 PM

"Hey. Sorry for disturbing whatever you were doing." Vigil answered, his voice warm as well. This really was the best way to do this, together with a trusted friend. "We've got Freezer face there, and since his powers are what's created the dragon, I'm hoping that taking him down will make it stop as well." He continued, pointing at Cryosaur.

Taking in the sheer size of the dragon, he sighed lightly. "As you very well know, I wouldn't stand a snowballs chance (Heh) against that thing, so I'm thinking that you distract it with some serious heat. It might even damage it or slow it down. Then while you do that, I'll get on it's back and kick some..." Vigil was interrupted mid sentence by the appearance of Counterspell.

"Hey big guy!!" he shouts, leaping into the plaza as he lifted his hood up about his face, marching to stand firm before the beast. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

"...Aaaand he's here, yelling at it. Great. Ok. You distract it together with Counterspell, and for Gods sake both of you be careful and don't get hurt. I'll climb it and punch Cryosaur in the face a time or ten." He said in a deadpan voice, before quickly moving down to the ground, and towards the Dragon from behind it. Looking around for a good spot to jump onto the dragon from, like a truck or something, He tried to keep out of it's line of sight.

rooster707

2016-04-26, 05:40 PM

"Seems pretty quiet today," Joseph thought, as he sat perched on a rooftop overlooking the city. Aside from a few muggings and such, and one cat up a tree, he had hardly run into any trouble on patrol. "Time to head home, maybe...? Or not." His mask's HUD blinked, notifying him of a superpowered threat downtown. Pulling his grappling hook out of a pocket, he dove off the rooftop and started making his way toward the disturbance.
---------
A few minutes later, he arrived at the building, dropping to the ground next to Counterspell. "You want some help with that?" he asked, drawing his stun pistols.

Anyr

2016-04-26, 05:52 PM

"Got it. Stay safe."

Arcana was good at distractions. She usually left a trail of them, whether she wanted to or not. Time to create one on purpose for once. Her feet parted ways with the rooftop, and she flew over the scene. A flickering flame appeared in her hand; And rapidly expanded into a giant sphere. Arcana could feel it trying to grow even larger. She had to concentrate to keep it at the right size. Large enough to be a threat to Cryosaur; But not enough to risk hitting anyone else.

Arcana didn't need to yell out "Hey you!". Cryosaur and his puppet would feel the heat emanating from above. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the fireball hurtling downwards.

Is this a 'Directly Engage' move? I'm aiming to (as one of the options for that move says) create an opportunity for my allies.

Sangenkai

2016-04-26, 06:08 PM

@Anyr: Had nothing else happened, I'd say its not really Directly Engage since it seems, from what you've described, you're trying to distract Cyrosaur, and from an indirect angle.

However, since Counterspell aced his other Move, all of this adds up into a super-effective tilt...

The frosty reptilian whipped its head around at Counterspell's shout, even as the ice dragon underneath it continued smashing its way through the glass-and-steel facade of the Titan TransNational Building.

"What's thissss?" it hisses. It squints and finally gets a load of Counterspell and Squire standing there... and it throws back its head and laughs.

"Little mammal cubsss!" Cyrosaur laughs, pointing with a claw. It looks like its going to say something else but it is interrupted by a roar from the ice dragon below it. Seemingly annoyed by this, Cryosaur says "Stop that!" and the ice dragon quite literally freezes in place, mid-strike, its glacier hard claw inches from the battered Titan TransNational edifice.

Here's your opportunity - the ice dragon has stopped.
And also, here's your flaw - it seems like Cyrosaur has to verbally instruct the ice dragon what to do.

Cryosaur opens its jaws again, apparently ready to launch more verbal abuse at Counterspell and Vigil... when it, in surprise and sudden fear, jerks its head up, eyes wide, at the massive fireball hurtling down at it.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" it screams, before leaping from the back of the ice dragon, down nearly 20 feet, to escape from a fiery fate. The fireball smashes into the top of the frozen ice dragon, exploding and blowing its head and half its wing away in icy shards.

And there's your confusion; falling down that far probably is gonna rattle up the ol' lizard brain. And taking Anyr's attack pretty much cripples the ice dragon, which is still following orders to stop.

Good start. Let's hold up a bit so that Scion can make an entrance too.

Zen Gypsy

2016-04-27, 05:03 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)

Ever since the Praetorian attack on Halcyon High, Galan had realized that he had been taking his powers, his abilities, for granted. He knew he was strong, fast, durable, and could fly, but what he had seen the Praetorian's do far exceeded his own capabilities, and he'd never ... pushed himself. He almost chuckled at that last thought, perhaps Hardison's lectures were rubbing off on himself. He was eager to test his flight speed, so he had tracked a course, Halcyon to New York City and back again; he figured he could track his way back with the GPS in his phone, and use that to track his speed and progress. Once he calculated that, he'd have a base line and he could begin to push himself, see how far he could fly before he began to feel fatigue, how fast, all things he would like to know before encountering them in the field, when lives were on the line.

Ahhh, there it was, TransNational, highest building in the downtown core, now he just had to bank ... what the hell? Was that a ... dinosaur. He checked his phone, no messages, the team hadn't ... wait! The flare of Arcanum's fireball caused him to avert his eyes, for a second, and then race with renewed vigor to his friends aid.

He watched as the lizard looking guy dropped to the ground, soared high above the the icy dragon and then pushed himself downwards in a power dive, fists extended, his arrival was preceded by a flash of white and red, and a sonic boom that shattered most of the glass in the Office complex. As dove towards the great glacial wyrm, the beast roared ferociously, and exhaled a stream of razor sharp ice shards tore into Scion.

Unable to reverse his momentum fast enough to pull out of the dive, he landed in a classic three point landing, knees bent, single hand down in front, with his left holding his cape. The brutal barrage of ice left long tears across his chest and shoulders, his cape now just a red torn rag, he looked up and a single drop of blood ran from his scalp. His brow furrowed, his eyes darkened as his Praetorian nature rose to the surface. He threw himself at his foe, "You." A thunderous punch across the beasts jaw, "Think.", his super humanly strong arms grasped the beast by it's neck, "Ice." He twisted, grunting audibly, testing his strength against the dragon's might, "Can." With a roar he hurled the beast over his shoulder by it's neck, forcing it to the ground with a thunderous crack, "Stop." He stepped back panting, relishing the shocked look on Cryosaur's face, he grinned through bloodied lips, "Me."

Despite his show of force, he was shaken, short of the assault by the Praetorians, he had yet to face an opponent who could make him bleed.

OOC: Went with Directly Engage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20715138&postcount=103), with an 11, I chose two; Create an Opportunity for your Allies (Dragon is Prone), and Impress/Frighten your Opponent (Cryosaur is Shocked that his mount got wrestled down). Dragon must resist a Powerful Blow, my check was a 9 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20718053&postcount=114). Ouch! I will choose Struggle Past the Pain, and mark two conditions, Angry, and Insecure.

Razade

2016-04-27, 09:34 PM

Sebastian continues to stand firm even as the unholy hell opens up on the ice dragon and super villain animating him. "I think we're good...you guys can handle the rest. You guys got here fast, what the hell were all doing?"

gremlin-pult

2016-04-28, 01:42 AM

Ok, time to end the ice capades early. Vigil thought as he saw with some satisfaction how Scion ripped through the dragon.
He grabbed the hot dog wagon, disengaged the breaks, and started pushing it toward Cryosaur with all his strength. As he pushed it, he removed the lid from the tank of boiling water, to make it easier for it to spill out.
When close enough, he gave the wagon one last push, tipping it in the direction of the villain. If all went as planned the boiling water should confuse and hamper Cryosaur something fierce, along with soaking him completely. Now for the finishing touch.

As soon as it tipped Vigil let go of the wagon and moved back.
"Squire, He's soaked. You know what to do!" He exclaimed, signaling for his companion to use those wonderful stun guns of his.

rooster707

2016-04-28, 08:33 AM

"Thanks, Vigil," Squire called to his teammate. He activated his suit's targeting systems, locking onto the villain. "...Where'd that hot dog cart come from, anyway?" He fired, sending tiny dots of blue light flashing towards the enemy. Cryosaur, unfortunately, seemed to have been expecting this, and responded by flinging large amounts of ice in the general direction of his attacker. Squire dodged most of them, but a large chunk caught him on the leg, damaging his suit's exoskeleton. He stumbled and fell to the ground as part of the suit shut off, locking his leg in place. "Argh! Why does that always happen at the worst possible moment!?" he complained, already working on repairing the damage.

Still confused about the rules. Going with what Anyr said for now because I'm too lazy to edit it again.

Not sure how much of this I'm supposed to narrate. I can add more if I need to.
Also... "ice capades?" Really? :smallsigh:

CoreBrute23

2016-05-25, 07:53 AM

Cryosaur stops mid-flight as he watches Squire stumble. He starts laughing in a high pitched voice.

"Pah, pathetic human technology will never surpass the might of Glaciological Reptilia!" He clicked his tongue, making an odd sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-86omJoRN0), familiar to anyone who saw Jurassic Park.

Scion stands panthing over the collapsed form of the icy dragon, a small trickle of blood on his fists. It looked defeated. Then, as the sound echoed, the ice itself seemed to echo the sound. Then the form began to shake, and it's eyes opened wide.

"Freeze all the humans!" Cryosaur commanded. With a flap of it's wings, it tossed Scion off, before taking to the sky. It began to blow it's icy breath around wildly, causing civilians to flee, panicking, to avoid being frozen.

"Now," Cryosaur taunted the heroes in front of it. "face my most ferocious and essential ability," Cryosaur continued. "One I have been concealing till this very moment. Fear this power evolution has granted me!"

Before suddenly turning around and legging it.

"Raptor legs don't fail me now!" You can hear it exclaim.

So Cryosaur is making a break for it. His ice dragon pet seems to be on an uncontrolled rampage, endangering civilians.

What do you do?

gremlin-pult

2016-05-25, 09:10 AM

"Ahh crap, that's bad..." Vigil sighed belatedly as he watched the ice dragon go berserk. "Oh, hell no!" He then added when Cryosaur legged it, and immediately ran after him.
"Arcana, Melt the dragon! Scion, smash the dragon! Counterspell, try to limit the dragons collateral damage! Squire, protect any civilians and get them out of here!" He snapped out loudly as he ran, before focusing on his own lizard.

Taking a deep breath, he roared at the top of his lungs after Cryosaur. "HEY, SUPER-SKINK! WHAT, YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A SUPERIOR BEING, BUT YOU'RE RUNNING FROM A NORMAL GUY IN A MASK? OH AND BY THE WAY, RAPTORS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FEATHERS, YOU LOW-BUDGET HACK! COULD YOU ONLY AFFORD THE KNOCK-OFF VERSION ON YOUR LEG TRANSPLANT? THOUGH I CAN SEE HOW BIRDS ARE DESCENDED FROM DINOSAURS, WHAT WITH YOU TURNING ALL CHICKEN!" He yelled, hoping the idiot would take the bait.

Basically, Vigil tries provoke Cryosaur into turning around and fighting him mano-a-dino instead of fleeing.
So I guess I'll make a Provoke check.

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-05-25, 09:24 AM

"What? How dare you!" The frosty dinosaur called out. He actually stops running."I'll have you know that I am no mere raptor, for they were foolish, dumb, idiot chicken babies. I am a superior being designed to survive the tepid climates of my home-wait hold on you're trying to trick me!" Just as you were about to grab him, he turns around and resumes sprinting.

"You trechery is practically reptilian in nature-I can respect that." He admits as he runs ahead of you. "Have you ever considered joining the Glaciological Reptilia? We have the means to make you better, faster, less of a hairy monkey."

He overreacts to the wrong words. Gain influence over Cryosaur.

Now let's see some of the other PCs, and see how they react to your orders, or if they even follow it. Remember heroes, there's 1 point in the Team pool at the start of ever session, if you need it.

Anyr

2016-05-25, 10:27 AM

"I'll try! But this thing has some seriously fast regeneration!"

A few seconds ago, Arcana had blown the dragon's head clean off; But now it was back, and breathing ice upon the populace. That wing she'd destroyed had regrown as well. Obviously, destroying the enemy piece by piece wasn't going to work. She needed to get it all at once. Reluctantly, Arcana allowed her power to surge a little higher. She could feel it trying to escape, and lay waste to all that dared oppose her. If she wasn't careful, the Cryosaur would be the least of everyone's worries.

"Okay, how about this?"

She concentrated. The air around the construct began to rapidly heat up. Within seconds, the flying menace would be within its own invisible oven. Could it handle a sustained assault against its whole body?

I'm not sure whether this is an Unleash Your Powers, or a Directly Engage. Either way, the modifier is the same:

[roll0]

Edit: Sorry, rolled the wrong dice. Real roll incoming.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-25, 11:46 AM

As a shimmering heat aura surrounded the ice dragon, it began screaming, thrashing around wildly. Droplets of water began to drip off of it.

However, the spell did not stop there. Squire and Counterspell, you feel the heat from the flying beast all the way from the ground, causing you to sweat. Even Scion, with his Ultima Physiology begins to feel uncomfortable.

And then the civilians start screaming, even louder. Some of them are tossing off their jackets which have spontaneously ignited. Others are rolling on the floor, trying to put out the fire on them.

All the while the dragon blasts it's freezing breath, which turns into boiling water before it reaches it's targets, narrowly missing civilians.

Counterspell, Squire, Scion, the heat coming form this dragon is endangering any civilians it's close to, and it's regeneration means it's taking longer to melt than normal. Waiting is not a good option. What do you do?

I'm treating this as Directly engage a danger, since you were trying to destroy a threat. However you failed the roll. So mark potential for the miss.

And in the words of Telltale games, people are gonna remember this.

Razade

2016-05-25, 01:56 PM

"Oh for...come on man give it up!" Sebastian shouts, a pair of large shimmering revolves sparking in his hands as he starts to try and blast the ice dragon apart into smaller pieces so it melts faster.

I guess this is a use power roll?

rooster707

2016-05-25, 03:10 PM

Counterspell, Squire, Scion, the heat coming form this dragon is endangering any civilians it's close to, and it's regeneration means it's taking longer to melt than normal. Waiting is not a good option. What do you do?

Finishing his repairs, Squire leapt to his feet just in time to hear Vigil shouting at him. "All right, all right, you don't have to... aw, crap." His insulated jumpsuit protected him from most of the heat, but the civilians weren't so lucky. Grabbing a miniature fire extinguisher from his pocket, he dashed towards the nearest group of people, spraying chemicals at the flames. "Don't just stand there! Go! Get out of here! We can handle this!"

[roll0] to defend.

Edit: Nice, 11! Since I don't have any conditions to clear, I'm going to choose "add 1 team to the pool."

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-25, 08:00 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)

He wanted to pound this thing into little shards of ice, it had pissed him off, it had hurt him, and more importantly it was now threatening the lives of everyone within the area. His fists tightened, his jaw clenched, he prepared to hurl himself into the fray. His first thought was grab the little $h!t and throw him into orbit, he took a deep breath and raced forward.

He heard his mother's voice, rational, and calm. You don't have to use your fists, that wasn't the way your father solved problems, and that's not the way that you have to solve them either. Use your brain, assess, analyze and execute. His speed allowed him a moment of clarity, the civilians fleeing seemed to stop as his perceptions shifted, he noted the hole in the exterior of the Transnational, the shattered concrete, the jagged pieces of re-bar throughout.

Re-bar ... metal ... heat ...

Outside observers would note a blur of red, white and gold, zipping from wall, to rubble and back again, suddenly Scion appeared hovering in front of the dragon-like ice sculpture, a bundle of rebar in his hands. He rapidly began hurling them at the dragon, an almost mythical figure, Zeus raining down bolts of lightning against his foe.

"ARCANA! HEAT THE METAL! LETS END THIS BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT!!!"

Not really sure what this move is, I am trying to make him Vulnerable to Arcana's heat attack as he will be riddled with heat conducting re-bar. That being said, I'll just make a base roll, and you can adjust it with whatever stat you deem appropriate. [roll0]. Let's hope this doesn't suck. >.< If possible I'll use something from the Team Pool, but not sure how that works, as I said originally I am new to the entire system. Heh!

CoreBrute23

2016-05-25, 09:20 PM

Counterspell
Your attack breaks off shards of the dragon, causing it to cry out in pain, before turning it's attention away from the civilians towards you. It begins to fire it's scalding hot water at you.

Actually you aren't doing anything unusual with your powers, it sounds like you are directly engaging with the dragon. Which is good, cause that makes your failure a success at a cost, aka a 7. You trade hits. Which option do you pick:
● resist or avoid their blows. (if you do not pick this, roll to take a powerful blow)
● take something from them.
● create an opportunity for your allies.
● impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition.

Also, Cryosaur, who represents both him and the pet, takes another condition, in this case Hopeless.

Cryosaur hears the cry of his pet, and turns his head around to look, still sprinting full speed.

"Snowy no!" It calls out pitifully. It glances around nervously before seeing a sewer grate. It tosses a ball of ice at the grate, and then crashes through it, calling out, "I will avenge you Snowy!"

Cryosaur has leapt into the sewers. You can follow him if you want, but that means leaving your team behind. What do you do?

Squire
Your fire extinguisher makes quick work of the fire. The civilians, grateful for the assistance, follow your orders and run to safety.
"Thank you for saving us." One calls out. "You rock Kid Paladin!" Another says.

Regardless of how your nickname makes you feel, the civilians are no longer in danger of the Ice Dragon or it's heat.
You defend successfully with no cost. Choose one of the following options:
● add a team to the pool (the pool is currently 1, check out Scion's post below for why this might be helpful)
● take Influence over someone you protect
● clear a condition

Scion

You're a blur as pieces of rebar stick in the dragon's side, causing it to cry out in pain. The effect seems to be working, given how the dragon seems to be in even more pain. However, before you can put in the last piece, it's jaws open wide as it attempts to swallow you whole...

I'm treating this as an unleash your powers, since Scion is being creative with your super speed, setting things up. Currently you have a roll of 5, that's including the +1 from your Freak. That would fail.

However, there's 1 dice in the team pool. Depending what Squire chooses for his defend, there might be 2. If there is 2, then two of your team mates can spend 1 team pool point each to give you a total of +2. That would make it a success at 7.

So the question is, Squire, do you add a point to the team pool? If you don't...well failure is always a fun time.

Squire edited above that he did put a point in the team pool, so there are 2 points to use.

Also, who would like to assist Scion in this, potentially final move? I need two volunteers (or I guess, the first 2 to post). I think anybody could be justified as supporting Scion in this scene, except possibly Virgil, since he's so far away (unless he's got some ranged attacks we don't know about).

If you want to assist, you don't need to roll, just describe in the fiction how you help Scion. Maybe you distract the dragon, giving him time. Maybe you blast the rebar, speeding up the melting process. Maybe you do something even more creative I couldn't even imagine.

Razade

2016-05-25, 09:30 PM

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 03:27 AM

So I just read Squire's post again. It seemed he was smart enough to include what he wanted to do with his team victory in an edit, but I was not smart enough to read.

So yes, there are 2 points in the team pool. So the question is, who wants to help Scion? I need two volunteers, the first two to respond. Vigil, you could help, but that means abandoning your hunt for Cryosaur.

Anyr

2016-05-26, 03:46 AM

"ARCANA! HEAT THE METAL! LETS END THIS BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT!!!"

Beneath her concealing robes, Arcana's brow knitted. She was already struggling to contain the heat she'd summoned; And now Scion wanted her to add more? Well, all right then. With extreme care, she focused on melting the chunks of rebar. Had Arcana been able to see the situation far below, then she'd never have risked this. But since all her focus was on the dragon, she hadn't noticed how much collateral damage her heatwave was causing.

Razade

2016-05-26, 03:58 AM

Guess I'll volunteer for the second team slot. Hopefully that's ok with everyone and I'm doing this right.

Sebastian shrugs out of his now soaking wet hoodie, tossing away his shades with a grumble as the team seems to get the giant ice dragon under control. That is until he notices the Dragon going in for some Moby **** action on Scion that is, his eyes narrowing as he slowly brings the beast to a halt, sapping its momentum and energy so it can't swat Arcana out of the air or swallow Scion whole, his whole body tense from the exertion.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 04:05 AM

Works for me. So Counterspell and Arcane spend a team pool point each to give Scion that elusive 7. The pool currently has no points left in it.

Since this is an unleash, Scion you need to choose one of these options:

mark a condition (your choice)
the GM will tell you how the effect is unstable or temporary.

Once I know what you pick Scion, I can narrate what happens.

Snowy the dragon freezes in place, it's jaws almost encapsulating the flying powerhouse. It tries to release a blast of frost, but the heat is too intense-it barely manages to release it's steamy death throes at Scion.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-26, 04:16 AM

Glancing back over his shoulder, Vigil feelt his heart leap up into his throat as the dragon goes for Scion.
After wrestling with indecision for a splitsecond, he decided to trust his team.
Jumping after Cryosaur into the sewer, he turned on the heatvision and little lamp built into his mask, so he can see where he's going. He started moving after Cryosaur, while sending a quick message to the others.
"Send instant message, Team. Dictate: Going after Cryosaur. Sewers. Meet up later. Good work. Vigil." He said, waiting for the confirming beep and then saying "Send."
He followed the sound and movement of Cryosaur throughout the sewer, relying on his enhanced senses to guide him.

Yeah, I'm following Cryosaur. If we only stop the dragon, he'll just make a new one somewhere else, after all.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 04:49 AM

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the sewer, is the smell. It reeks in here, all the more painful because of your enhanced senses. You are grateful your mask covers some of it at least.

Looking around, you see no obvious sign of the blue dinosaur. You do feel-no hear a slight ringing in your ear. You're not sure a normal person would have noticed it, but your trained senses can tell there's something wrong. However, it's not entirely clear where the sound is coming from.

What do you do?

gremlin-pult

2016-05-26, 05:00 AM

Looking around, Vigil cocked his head to the side slightly, closing his eyes as he focused on the sound. He tried to close out the smell, and point his senses in only one direction for once.

So, Vigil is trying to use his heightened senses to locate the sound. I'm guessing that's an Unleash your powers check, since he's focusing them even more than they are normally.
So a roll+Freak, then. Joy...

[roll0]

Although, now that I think about it, would the +1 I get from having influence over Cryosaur come into play here? I mean, assuming that he's the one making the sound.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 05:12 AM

Vigil
It would, but in this case, he's not technically producing the sound. What do I mean? :smallwink:
As you tried to focus on your hearing, you suddenly find yourself stumbling-not from disorientation, but from sheer dread. You grab your chest-you aren't sure what's causing this but your heart has never beat faster.

You try to stand up, but your eyes stop when you see something in front of you that causes pause. It's a memory you never wanted to relive, something that haunts you-play out in front of you. And that's the last thing you see before you pass out.

What do you see Vigil? What is your most traumatic memory, and how does it play out in front of you? Are you physically taken there? Do ghosts appear in front of you, re-enacting this memory? You've got narrative control here-besides the whole passing out thing.

Everyone Else

The dragon roars out it's last cry of pain, as Scion stabs it with the last rebar, before it collapses on the ground. Like a sundae in summer that's , it practically dissolves on the sidewalk.

There is a pause of relief, as you wait to make sure the ice dragon has been truly defeated. But it's clear the creature's regeneration won't save it today.

Before you have time to celebrate however, the people who Squire helped flee before, start returning en-masse. Scion spots some news vans driving towards them, including some police officer. There is something that's clear however.

Most of the people coming back are angry. And they are all pointing and yelling at Arcana.

What do you all do?

Razade

2016-05-26, 05:24 AM

Everyone Else

The dragon roars out it's last cry of pain, as Scion stabs it with the last rebar, before it collapses on the ground. Like a sundae in summer that's , it practically dissolves on the sidewalk.

There is a pause of relief, as you wait to make sure the ice dragon has been truly defeated. But it's clear the creature's regeneration won't save it today.

Before you have time to celebrate however, the people who Squire helped flee before, start returning en-masse. Scion spots some news vans driving towards them, including some police officer. There is something that's clear however.

Most of the people coming back are angry. And they are all pointing and yelling at Arcane.

What do you all do?

"You three need to leave." Sebastian quickly grumbles, slowly moving to pick his damp clothing off the ground. "I'll take the heat, now go. Not much they can do to me. Hey you slack jawed idiots!" he shouts at the crowd, waving his shirt. "You leave the lady alone, you stupid or something? Come on yeah? Ya'll couldn't fill a bucket if spit were sense! Yeah yeah, we only just saved your life and all from a giant ice breathing dragon. Forget that, gotta yell at some people. Get lost ya !@#$kickers."

gremlin-pult

2016-05-26, 05:35 AM

As the oppressive feeling fell upon him, it was as if all sound and sight around him disappeared, leaving only darkness.
"Wha..." Vigil managed to stammer, before a sound pierced the abyss.

Sirens. Sirens, getting closer.

He was standing in an alley, an alley that seemed familiar as he looked around frantically. The sirens. The grafitied walls. The slow, loud dripping sound of...
"NO!" He exclaimed as he recognized the time and place. "Oh god no... No no no no no.... Not again, please..." He muttered, falling to his knees and clutching his head.

*cough* *cough*

"A..nton... Whe..."

At the sound of the weak voice, Vigil looked up, trembling as he knew what he was about to see. Yet he couldn't look away.
Right there, against the wall. Nico. His leg broken, the bone sticking out. His arm, bleeding from multiple lacerations. His face, puffed up and red from the beating. His breathing was ragged. And his eyes...
The pain. the fear. But most of all, the accusation that radiated from that gaze made Vigil cringe.

"Whe... Where were you...?" Nico gasped, before breaking into another coughing fit. "They... They said *cough*, that it w... was your fault... For attacking them fir *cough* first..."

"I'm sorry, Nico..." Vigil said, ripping of his mask and revealing his tearstained face as he gave his little brother a pleading look. "I'm so, so sorry... I tried to help a guy. I just wanted to help, but I didn't think... I didn't think they'd go after you..." He stammered, his voice falling into a whisper in the end.

"Why...? Why me? You're not a hero *cough cough*... You're just an idiot... If you were a hero... You'd have... Been here..."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm trying to do better... I'm so sorry Nico..." Anton kept on muttering, hugging his knees, tears streaming down his face. When unconsciousness finally took him, it was a mercy.

Read it and weep, fellows. :smallamused:

I imagine that the Guilty or Insecure conditions would be appropriate after this ordeal. Perhaps even both.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-26, 05:44 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)

"STOP!" His voice boomed as he hovered above the crowds head, he could see some of the news crews moving to the roof of their vans. "We're glad we were able to stop this threat, and that there were no major injuries." A perceptive observer might even her the chime of his cell phone as he continued, "Even now Vigil is tracking down this loser lizard, before he strikes again. What we ...", Scion hangs his head a moment, before squaring his shoulders and turning towards the camera, "what I didn't expect was the toughness of his glacial guardian, and I apologize, my actions here put a lot of you in harms way, I focused on the threat, and not containment. Thankfully the rest of our team were able to cover my @$$ and keep you all safe."

"James Duggan here, MSNBC. Scion isn't it? Your little club here, what did you call yourself after the attack that leveled a local high school? Epic? Elite? Why get involved, why not let Paladin and the Guardians handle this? How do you intend to repair the damage that you've caused here. Do you have a lawyer? Insurance? Are you even old enough to drive?"

Scion hovered over to the man, a red haired reporter, wearing a crumpled suit who smelled of stale cigarettes, "Listen here, Mr.," he paused a moment, his fists clenching and un-clenching, "we did the best we could ... here and at the high school. If you want us to wait around while jokers like that Cryosaurus put innocent lives at risk, it's not going to happen. If the Guardians want to ground me, they can try, but let me ask you, where were they today? Saving the world again? Another dimension? An alien invasion? Sometimes you need to do it for yourself, even if you screw up, you pick yourself up, you dust yourself off, and you try again, or do you want us to quit. To walk away, and let the bad guys do what they want? You want me to say I screwed up, yeah, I did, but THEY," he turned and pointed towards his friends, "saved your damn lives. You want to hate on someone, hate on me. Not them!"

With that said he soared up a moment, those paying attention could likely see the tears in his eyes, and with a quick turn he shot straight up, the velocity of his ascent causing a sonic boom, knocking the intrepid MSNBC reporter onto his can.

Anyr

2016-05-26, 06:12 AM

Only when the Cryosaur's death had been confirmed, did Arcana let the heat around it dissipate. The sound of angry voices finally prompted her to look down; And as she did, her feeling of triumph was replaced by grief. Her heat spell's aftermath was plain to see in the streets below. Yet again, she'd proved almost as big a menace as the threat she'd been trying to stop.

Her loyal teammates did their best to cover for her; But she knew the truth. Most of the collateral damage down there was her doing. The citizens had every right to be angry. Much as she wanted to stay and apologise, experience had taught her that it wouldn't do any good. Best to just disappear. With a sigh, she shot off after Scion. The robed girl drew up alongside him in midair.

"You didn't need to take the blame. We both know who really deserves it."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 06:41 AM

At the end of this little flyby with Arcane, you can clear guilty.

Squire & Counterspell
As the two flying heroes soar away, the reporter James Duggan, looks around frustrated. Counterspell's actions however naturally draw attention to himself. The reporter leans close, putting the mic in his face.

"So Counterspell, if that's the pseudonym you are going by now, you believe that just because you have power, you are not to be held responsible for your actions? Some of the people present have said that her reckless misuse of her powers caused them to catch on fire. Are you saying she is not at fault, or that she is above responsibility? Are you saying you are?" You feel the attention on you, as the scrutiny of the press is on you.

The reporter is trying tell you who you are. Specifically that you are irresponsible, and too imature to accept responsibility to your actions. If you accept what he's saying, shift your labels, increase Freak and decrease Savior.

If you don't, roll to reject influence.

Also, the public knows your real identity right? Your face was plastered everywhere right? Or do people not know Counterspell and your civilian identity are one and the same.

Squire you find yourself surrounded by civilians as well-but these ones are shaking your hands.

"Thank you so much." An older woman remarks, shaking your hand furiously. "You really saved my ass." A young punk kid adds sheepishly. There is several voices of acknowledgement.

Suddenly you feel a pair of small arms wrap themselves around your leg. "Tank you for savin me Kid Paladin." A little girl says, smiling through the gaps in her baby teeth at you. "You're my hero!" She rubs her face in your leg adorably.

Whether or not you enjoy this attention, you suddenly get an alert on your personal comm. The one from your mentor.

Squire, debriefing at the Armory. Proceed ASAP.

The Armory, his name for the special base he gave you access to. Before you can respond, you receive a second message.

Bring Counterspell before he says something idiotic. Again.

You could leave now. On the other hand, you are getting a lot of positive attention. Is this a new sensation for you? What's the harm in sticking around a little longer? Maybe saying a few words? How angry would Paladin really get? :smallamused:

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-26, 07:04 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 2; Angry, Insecure

He slowed his ascent as Jules soared after him, as she spoke he turned and looked at her, his initial burst of speed having cleared the tears of frustration from his cheek. "Yeah! We do!" He almost snapped, he pointed towards the melting remains of Cryosaurus' glacial construct, "The blue freekin' lizard! If we hadn't come along it woulda collapsed their damn building, turned them into icicles. You melted the damn thing all by yourself, and because it made them sweat, they wanna take a piece out of you, outta us?!?"

He slammed his hand into his fist, "Not on my watch. Short of my mom, you guys are the closest I got to family and that jack @$$ Duggan want's to blame someone, he can damn well blame me. And if they," a sweep of his hand indicated the whole of Halycon City laid out beneath them, "want to believe that idiot, then they're the ones to blame not us." His face softened, and for a moment he looked both vulnerable, and very, very alone, "Not you ..."

As per a PM with Core Brute, I have cleared my Guilt by sacrificing myself, and taking the blame in front of the press and the public for our actions. As such I am left with two conditions, both of which I love for the Bull, as they can be cleared with either Foolhardy Action, or Breaking something, or someone, important. Heh. Fitting!

As his phone chimed from pouch sewn into the small of his back his armor fell back in place as he checked his emotions, "$hit, it's mom." He swiped down and read Vigil's message ...

"Send instant message, Team. Dictate: Going after Cryosaur. Sewers. Meet up later. Good work. Vigil." He said, waiting for the confirming beep and then saying "Send."

"Hey, lets hook up with Vigil see if he needs a hand tracking down this cryosaur guy." He looked at Jules with a smirk, "'sides punching someone is therapeutic." As he spoke, he scanned and found a storm drain that drained into Halcyon Bay, figuring he could access the sewer from there he dove towards it.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 07:12 AM

Would you mind holding off on that part about your phone beeping? I want to see a bit more interaction between you and Arcane before you start checking sewers.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 07:24 AM

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to make sure Scion saw this.

Rereading your post, it sounds like you are trying to Comfort or Support Arcana. Roll with mundane. If you get a hit Arcana has the option to either:

they mark potential,
clear a condition (Not one of yours sadly, one of Arcana's her choice)
shift labels

However, this only happens if she opens up to you.

If you roll a 10, you (Scion) have the option to either:

Clear one of your (Scion) conditions
Add a point to the team pool.
Sorry for the confusion. Let's resume play!

OK Arcana, Scion got a 10. That means you can choose one of the options, IF you open up to him. If you do so, Scion can also pick one of his options.

rooster707

2016-05-26, 09:11 AM

Squire you find yourself surrounded by civilians as well-but these ones are shaking your hands.

"Thank you so much." An older woman remarks, shaking your hand furiously. "You really saved my ass." A young punk kid adds sheepishly. There is several voices of acknowledgement.

Suddenly you feel a pair of small arms wrap themselves around your leg. "Tank you for savin me Kid Paladin." A little girl says, smiling through the gaps in her baby teeth at you. "You're my hero!" She rubs her face in your leg adorably.

Whether or not you enjoy this attention, you suddenly get an alert on your personal comm. The one from your mentor.

Squire, debriefing at the Armory. Proceed ASAP.

The Armory, his name for the special base he gave you access to. Before you can respond, you receive a second message.

Bring Counterspell before he says something idiotic. Again.

You could leave now. On the other hand, you are getting a lot of positive attention. Is this a new sensation for you? What's the harm in sticking around a little longer? Maybe saying a few words? How angry would Paladin really get? :smallamused:

"Uh... no problem, just doing my job..." Squire replied awkwardly. He paused for a moment as he received the message, then began to gently pry the little girl from his leg. "Sorry everyone, duty calls." He walked over to where Counterspell was being interrogated by the reporter. "Excuse me, sir? Counterspell and I are needed elsewhere. Do you think you could, ah, stop your interview here?"

Anyr

2016-05-26, 01:52 PM

He slowed his ascent as Jules soared after him, as she spoke he turned and looked at her, his initial burst of speed having cleared the tears of frustration from his cheek. "Yeah! We do!" He almost snapped, he pointed towards the melting remains of Cryosaurus' glacial construct, "The blue freekin' lizard! If we hadn't come along it woulda collapsed their damn building, turned them into icicles. You melted the damn thing all by yourself, and because it made them sweat, they wanna take a piece out of you, outta us?!?"

He slammed his hand into his fist, "Not on my watch. Short of my mom, you guys are the closest I got to family and that jack @$$ Duggan want's to blame someone, he can damn well blame me. And if they," a sweep of his hand indicated the whole of Halycon City laid out beneath them, "want to believe that idiot, then they're the ones to blame not us." His face softened, and for a moment he looked both vulnerable, and very, very alone, "Not you ..."

The hood of Arcana's robes faded like morning dew: Revealing the face of his friend, Julia Gates. She gave him a soft, sad smile.

"Poor, stubborn Galan: Always defending people who don't deserve it. What do I have to do to make you stop believing in me? There's never a trace of doubt in those eyes of yours.

...Maybe that's what I like best about you. Your faith in me is completely wrong; But knowing you feel that way has helped me out of so many dark places. Now come here, you trusting soul, and let me return the favour."

Then she opened her arms wide, and hugged him. The two of them had a weird relationship. For reasons still unclear to Julia, Scion felt comfortable telling her his darkest secrets. The least she could do was be there for him when he was feeling low.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 02:23 PM

Ooh, nice. Scion do you consider this opening up enough? If so, both you and Arcana pick one of the options provided for you.

Then finish off this roleplaying however you like, before telling me where you are going.

If you say the sewers, tell me where each of you goes after you don't find Vigil in the nearby sewers. (Yeah he's not there anymore. Where is he? Wouldn't you like to know? Bwahahaha!)

Squire & Counterspell

The reporter pays Squire no mind, as he continues to put his mic in Counterspell's face, trying to get a candid answer from the young man.

Just being polite is getting you nowhere with this reporter. You'll need a new approach if you want to get him to stop interviewing Counterspell.

You've got at least a few options. Assess the situation, Provoking him is a solid way to get him to move, even Piercing the mask could work.

And that's even without threatening him with your powers.

So, what do you do Counterspell?

Still waiting on your response, don't worry you'll get a chance to react before Squire.

Razade

2016-05-26, 03:42 PM

Squire & Counterspell
As the two flying heroes soar away, the reporter James Duggan, looks around frustrated. Counterspell's actions however naturally draw attention to himself. The reporter leans close, putting the mic in his face.

"So Counterspell, if that's the pseudonym you are going by now, you believe that just because you have power, you are not to be held responsible for your actions? Some of the people present have said that her reckless misuse of her powers caused them to catch on fire. Are you saying she is not at fault, or that she is above responsibility? Are you saying you are?" You feel the attention on you, as the scrutiny of the press is on you.

The reporter is trying tell you who you are. Specifically that you are irresponsible, and too imature to accept responsibility to your actions. If you accept what he's saying, shift your labels, increase Freak and decrease Savior.

If you don't, roll to reject influence.

Also, the public knows your real identity right? Your face was plastered everywhere right? Or do people not know Counterspell and your civilian identity are one and the same.

"Yeah, it is and what of it? Get those cameras out of my face or you're going to regret it !@#$heel." Sebastian growls, glancing about as he pushes the mic from his face with a dark glare. "You idiots...you think you've got all the answers, if you're recording...no Squire shut up..." he snaps as Squire tries to pull him away. "These people won't ever understand what its like to have powers like us. They're afraid and thankless. Arcana is more human than any single one of you heartless greedy monsters. If there was even one more Squire or one more Scion in this world it'd be a far better place if it means they took your place. Mr. Duggan. Now for real, you get that camera out of my face or I'l break it in half and make you eat it. You miserable !@$#."

Sure sure, we'll see how this goes

[roll0]

And yes, everyone knows Counterspell is actually Sebastian Haehyun, one of three survivors of an incident that almost sparked off the Korean War.

rooster707

2016-05-26, 04:57 PM

Squire grimaced and took a step back, simultaneously tapping out a message to Paladin on his keypad.

Too late.

He glanced around, trying to find a way out of the situation that wouldn't just make things worse.

Assessing the situation: [roll0]

Edit: That's two questions, thanks to Be Mindful of your Surroundings. I'll ask:
How could we best end this quickly?
What here can I use to keep things from escalating any farther?

CoreBrute23

2016-05-26, 09:34 PM

Counterspell

Duggan continues pressing the mic forward. "So just to confirm, you are admitting that you want more superpowered people to replace non-metas? Sebastian is this the start of some new manifesto, advocating some powered clensing, or are you just saying you want to segregate the powereds, perhaps in some form of slavery? Do the rest of your team support your plan, and if not why have they not acted to stop you?"

The other news reporters, smelling the blood in the air, lunge at you like vultures, trying to get more snippets from you. You realize that not only have your opinions been taken wildly out of context, you've brought your entire team into suspicion as well, as potential Powers first extremists.

Ok, so you marked guilty as your condition. In addition, since you failed to resist his influence, shift your labels. Increase freak by 1, and decrease Superior by 1. Remember to mark potential for failing a roll.

Squire

As you see Counterspell get more and more surrounded, you remember that in your belt pouch you have a portable EMP. You could use it to disable all the cameras and mics near Counterspell, preventing them from interviewing him further.

In addition, you think that if you just grabbed Counterspell and ran, you could probably make it to one of Paladin's hidden teleportals before anyone could follow you, ending this quickly.

Vigil

Your eyes slowly open, still a little disoriented from...whatever it was that hit you. You blink from the harsh light hitting you. You turn, grabbing the blanket from under you to shield your eyes.

It's at that moment you realize two things.

You are on top of a bed, in what seems to be a teenager's bedroom. You are next to a window which has been smashed in from the outside. There are no glass shards around you that you can see though.

Second you realize you aren't wearing your mask. Quickly grabbing your face, you realize it's been taken-in fact you aren't in your costume either! You seem to have been wrapped in a towel.

"Oh you're awake, thank heavens." You turn your head to see an attractive older woman walk into the room, carrying a first aid kit. "I was terribly worried." Dr Jessica Westgate smiles at you. "How are you feeling Vigil?"

Vigil, have you ever met Dr Jessica Westgate before? Are you aware this is Scion's mother?

Scion, why not tell us what your room looks like, since Vigil is currently sitting in it, in a towel? Also, describe your mother to us-what does she look like?

Razade

2016-05-27, 01:24 AM

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 01:44 AM

Let's hold off on rolling. Your actions still stand, you are trying to smash cameras, but currently it's ineffectual. Although it is being broadcast, so there is that.

Maybe that will change after we see Squire's action. Depending on what he does, I may ask you to roll. Until then, stay strong young hero. Stay strong.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 06:13 AM

Vigil

Your eyes slowly open, still a little disoriented from...whatever it was that hit you. You blink from the harsh light hitting you. You turn, grabbing the blanket from under you to shield your eyes.

It's at that moment you realize two things.

You are on top of a bed, in what seems to be a teenager's bedroom. You are next to a window which has been smashed in from the outside. There are no glass shards around you that you can see though.

Second you realize you aren't wearing your mask. Quickly grabbing your face, you realize it's been taken-in fact you aren't in your costume either! You seem to have been wrapped in a towel.

"Oh you're awake, thank heavens." You turn your head to see an attractive older woman walk into the room, carrying a first aid kit. "I was terribly worried." Dr Jessica Westgate smiles at you. "How are you feeling Vigil?"

Registering the woman in front of him, Vigil immediately went through his three-step program for waking up from unconsciousness.
Step 1. mask. He thought, reaching up and touching his face. Crap. He then added when he found his face bare.
Step 2. Location. He continued, looking around. Unknown room in an unknown house. Crap.
Step 3. Physical state. He went on, looking down at himself with some trepiditation. Gear gone. Wearing nothing but a towel. Very disturbing... He thought, his frown deepening. ...Crappeti-crap-crap-crap. He finally added, for good measure.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his head to meet the unknown womans gaze. He turnd his head slightly to the side, to make his burn scars less visible, however. "Considering the circumstances, ma'am, I'm fine. I'd like four questions answered, however. Who are you? Where am I? What do you want from me? And where is my gear?" He said in as calm a voice as he could muster. To himself it mostly sounded like a teenager trying to make his voice sound deeper to seem older. How annoying...

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 06:32 AM

Vigil

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. You must be a little disorientated." The older woman remarks. "I am Jessica Westgate. I am a doctor-well not a medical doctor, but, well, you wouldn't be the first super I'd had to look after.

"as for where you are, this is my son's room. He's...out with his friends." She smiles at you broadly. Why is she acting so familiar with you?

She suddenly raises an eyebrow.

"Doing here? You're the one who came in through that window." She points at the pane of glass behind you. "Crashed through would be more accurate. I found you on this bed unconscious and bleeding from your ears. I had to take off your mask and costume to make sure you didn't have any injuries or head trauma. Speaking of which," She holds her finger in front of your eyes. "Please follow my finger." She's satisfied after a seconds of this. "No obvious signs of concussion, but you might want to go to the hospital to be safe."

She reaches into her jacket and pulls out something wrapped in a cloth.

"I washed off the blood." She unwraps the cloth, revealing your mask. She then points to a chair in the room. "the rest of your costume is over there." You see your clothes in a pile on the chair.

"Now I have a few questions of my own. What happened to you? And why did you come to my house?" She asks. "Did Sy-someone tell you to come here?"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 06:43 AM

"I- I'm not sure..." Anton answered uncertainly, still not sure whether the woman could be trusted. Grabbing his mask, he put it on and breathed a small sigh of relief. Vigil then thought about the situation. She knew who he was in costume, and she'd seen him without his mask on. Nothing could be done about that. And he would gain little from keeping the events leading up to it, since it would be on the news soon enough. "I was fighting Cryosaur with my team in front of the Halcyon HQ. We got him on the run, and I went after him while the others took out his pet. I followed him... Into the sewer..." He halted somewhat in his explanation at that point, struggling to make heads or tails of what had happened. "Down there... something happened. I heard a sound, like a ringing. Then I was hit by some kind of hallucination. Must've been some kind of mental attack. Then I passed out. Next thing I know, I woke up here." He finished.

After a moment, he looked up at the doctor again. "You say you've dealt with supers before. The ringing sound, the hallucination. Does that mean anything to you?"

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 06:45 AM

Vigil

Jessica frowns, as she taps her chin thoughtfully.

"ringing sound, hallucinations..." She says thoughtfully. "Maybe. What kind of hallucinations? What did you see exactly?"

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 06:54 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

As Jules started speaking, Galan scratched his head and looked awkward, hell, if they hadn't been hovering about a mile above Halcyon Bay he probably would have shuffled his feet too. When she threw her arms around his broad shoulders and comforted him, his eyes went comically large before he too returned the hug.

He thought about his mother, and how she had always said when she first met Galan, his dad, despite their differences, she knew. When he had picked her up and flew her back to Utopia's hidden entrance she just knew. Galan had always just assumed she still felt the loss of his father, and was romanticizing the moment, the feeling, until know he hadn't ever realized what his mother was talking about.

They two youths hung there, suspended in the air, above their worries, above their cares, but only for a moment before their responsibilities dragged them back to reality. Galan's phone chimed from where he kept it secured, in a pocket at the small of his back. "Uhhhh, that's a message from Vigil." He withdrew from Jules embrace, with a smile, but a concerned look, and swiped down on his phone, and played the message so Arcana could hear.

"Send instant message, Team. Dictate: Going after Cryosaur. Sewers. Meet up later. Good work. Vigil." He said, waiting for the confirming beep and then saying "Send."

"Hey, lets hook up with Vigil see if he needs a hand tracking down this cryosaur guy." He looked at Jules with a smirk, "'sides punching someone is therapeutic,"a pause, "for you AND me!" As he spoke, he scanned and found a storm drain that drained into Halcyon Bay, figuring he could access the sewer from there he dove towards it.

Meanwhile ... at the Westgate Residence ...

The woman who stood at the foot of the bed had a square jaw, long black hair that fell past her shoulders. She studied her patient with a concerned look, she had a strong jawline, and piercing grey, blue eyes. She was an attractive woman, most likely in her forties, her brow was furrowed with honest concern.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Westagte%20Scions%20Mom_zpstx6cs2cg.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Westagte%20Scions%20Mom_zpstx6cs2cg.jpg.html)

As Vigil took stock of his surroundings he noticed the room was adorned with an eclectic sense of style. A topographical map of the Antarctic, movie posters for Pacino films like Serpico, Carlito's Way, Heat and Ronin. A lap top was open to a biography of Freedom Flight, the first of the Golden Age heroes who inspired a generation. An iPod with tangled earbuds lay on the night stand, beside that an unusual looking piece of technology, a small cube with a hologram of a man above it, the man appeared to be of an average height, with stark white hair, an intelligent, almost mischievous look to his eyes, and a lopsided smile.

I will use my success to clear my Insecure condition, I purposefully made my mom the ever attractive Claudia Black, because Scion's still Angry, and Vigil telling him my mom's hot, would make me hit him, and then I could clear my condition! :D

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 07:03 AM

Arcana and Scion

I will use my success to clear my Insecure condition, I purposefully made my mom the ever attractive Claudia Black, because Scion's still Angry, and Vigil telling him my mom's hot, would make me hit him, and then I could clear my condition! :D

You are doing God's work my friend.

You and Arcana see a sewer grate that looks partially frosted over. Heading inside to check, there is no sign of your team mate. Neither of you hear anything strange either.

Scion your phone starts beeping, as a message arrives. It's from your mother.

Hi sweetie, I just wanted to let you know that Vigil is here in your room. He's unconcious, but there aren't any critical wounds.

Also, while I am thrilled that you've become so close to your friends that you are willing to share your secret identity, it would have been nice if you had given me some heads up he was coming. Something to think about in the future.

XOXO Mom.

P.S. And in the future, please tell him not to break anymore windows.

What do you two do?

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 07:19 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

Scion answered his phone, his face going from annoyed, to concerned, to amused, to confused. He looked up at Jules in the dim light at the entrance to the storm drain, "So, uhhh, Vigil's ok, he's at ... my house." A pause, a shift, a perplexed look, "Apparently he smashed through a window. I, uhhhh, guess we should go check on him?"

"Any chance you could ...," he lifted both hands and wiggled his fingers, "... us back into our civies? I guess we could hop the cross town bus and go pick him up, not sure I want to just fly through my bedroom window." An awkward laugh, "So, uhhh, ready to meet my mom?"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 07:49 AM

"The hallucination..." Vigil muttered "...Let's just say that I saw the worst day of my life, replayed in front of me. Something I never wished to see again. I won't say what." He continued, his voice adamant on the last part. "I can't say if it's the same for anyone else hit by it, but I think we can assume that it dredges up traumatic memories in people. That's what it did for me, anyway..."
Looking around once more at the room, Vigil narrowed his eyes in thought. Why had he come here, of all places? Was it really a coincidence? Something wasn't adding up...
He took in the doctor, the room that looked like a place a teen would live, The hologram on the table... His eyes widened behind his mask in shock. She's used to supers, there's an advanced hologram of an older, white haired man on the table, a biography about Freedom Flight, the very first poster child of flying crusaders everywhere, and this is obviously a teenagers room... Also, she acts like she knows more about me than she should... No way, it couldn't be... That'd be way too far out...

After thinking on it a moment longer, he eventually abandoned that line of thinking. Nah, that's just stupid. he's not the only white haired super in town. No way the universe would have that much of a hate-boner for me...

"Setting the rest aside for now, ma'am, I'd like to ask you a favor. I'll pay for the window repair, of course, that's the least I can do for the trouble I've caused. But since you're a doctor, I'd like to ask for your word that you won't tell anyone about what happened today. Not about my identity, or the things we're discussing. It's very important to me that it stays secret. So please, don't tell anyone." He said politely, stressing the last word.

He then happened to glance down at himself, still only covered by a mask and a towel. "Oh, and, uhh... Could I please have some privacy to get dressed?" He added in a slightly more subdued voice, fiercely happy that the mask hid how much he was blushing.

Anyr

2016-05-27, 08:26 AM

Julia broke the hug in a much better mood than when she'd started it. She was glad to see Galen looking happier too. The two of them were good for one another. She reflected once more on how lucky she was to have such a friend: Unaware that said friend's feelings for her went so much deeper than that. She returned his smirk with gusto, and followed him towards the sewers...

...for about three seconds. Their journey was cut short by a message from Scion's mother: The contents of which made Julia raise an eyebrow. Vigil was where? Weird. Well, better go get some answers from him.

"Any chance you could ...," he lifted both hands and wiggled his fingers, "... us back into our civies?"

She nodded. Wardrobe manipulation was an easy trick, that even a liability like her couldn't mess up. With a wave of her hand, the two of them were back in ordinary clothes. Julia got an actual outfit summoned from her house; While Scion got a conjured copy of clothes she'd once seen him wearing. Close enough for jazz.

An awkward laugh, "So, uhhh, ready to meet my mom?"

Julia giggled at the unintended (or so she thought) meaning of those words. Galen would need to take better care around his mother; Or she might get the wrong idea. His suggestion about taking the bus met with a shake of the head.

"No need. I know a shortcut."

Julia still had some excess 'burn' left over from that last fight. Might as well use it up. She took her friend's hand, concentrated, and moved. The next instant, they were standing outside Scion's house.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 08:53 AM

Vigil

"Most traumatic memories... how horrible for you to have to endure, when so young." She shakes her head in dismay. "Someone so young shouldn't have to go through that. Someone so young shouldn't have such horrible memories to begin with." She stops and stares at the cube next to you, specifically at the hologram of the man with silver hair. She then quickly turns back.

"I can ask any supers I know if they've dealt with this in the past. And you shouldn't worry about your identity-I have seen your face, but I don't know your name. And I understand a superhero's need for privacy believe me.

"But, I feel it would be remiss of me not to say this," She hesitates before continuing. "Maybe you should leave this to the others. Not to say you aren't capable," She adds quickly. "I remember seeing you help rescue the mayor.

"But, in all honesty, you have the opportunity other superheores don't-the opportunity to be a kid. To enjoy your childhood. You don't have powers compelling you to take responsibility. Or to keep you safe if things go wrong, like they did today. What if you hadn't made it here?" She asks. "What then?"

She is using her influence to try and tell you who you are. She is an adult so she automatically starts with influence over you. She's trying to tell you to be a normal kid, and not live such a dangerous lifestyle.

In gameplay terms, if you accept her influence increase Mundane by 1, and decrease danger by 1. Which is a problem, since I think your mundane is 3. If you don't reject the influence in some way, you are taking another condition.

Arcana & Scion

The two of you appear in front of the house. Thankfully no one seems to have noticed your little magic trick. You can see the broken glass window by Scion aka Galan Marrus' bedroom.

You two doing anything before heading up, or just going straight to meet mom?

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 09:13 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

Galan looked around nervously as they appeared on the street in front of the modest two story home his mother and he shared. Thankfully the big oak out front had concealed their sudden appearance, he squeezed Jules hand in thanks and then released it walking through the front door.

He looked towards her as he held the door for her, "Shoes. Mom hates that, and you DON'T want to get on her bad side," he adopted a mock British tone, "Galan. You weren't raised in a barn, take your shoes off, and close the door!" He smiled, and it was obvious, despite his mocking his mother that he loved her dearly, he turned and looked up the stairs, apparently towards his room, "MOM! I'm home, and I brought ... another ... friend. Everything OK?"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 09:17 AM

Vigil

"Most traumatic memories... how horrible for you to have to endure, when so young." She shakes her head in dismay. "Someone so young shouldn't have to go through that. Someone so young shouldn't have such horrible memories to begin with." She stops and stares at the cube next to you, specifically at the hologram of the man with silver hair. She then quickly turns back.

"I can ask any supers I know if they've dealt with this in the past. And you shouldn't worry about your identity-I have seen your face, but I don't know your name. And I understand a superhero's need for privacy believe me.

"But, I feel it would be remiss of me not to say this," She hesitates before continuing. "Maybe you should leave this to the others. Not to say you aren't capable," She adds quickly. "I remember seeing you help rescue the mayor.

"But, in all honesty, you have the opportunity other superheores don't-the opportunity to be a kid. To enjoy your childhood. You don't have powers compelling you to take responsibility. Or to keep you safe if things go wrong, like they did today. What if you hadn't made it here?" She asks. "What then?"

She is using her influence to try and tell you who you are. She is an adult so she automatically starts with influence over you. She's trying to tell you to be a normal kid, and not live such a dangerous lifestyle.

Vigil stood in silence for a moment, considering her words. Can I do this? He thought. I have no real powers. Well, nothing that could really be called truly extraordinary, anyway... And Nico only got hurt because I wanted to play hero...
Pondering the question, he moved over to the chair where his suit was laid out. moving the chair so it was between the woman and his... body... he managed, somewhat awkwardly to get the pants and boots of his suit on without exposing himself. As he held the upper part of the suit, he looked at it intensely.

Imma try to reject her influence.

[roll0]

rooster707

2016-05-27, 09:28 AM

The scowl on Sebastian's face only continues to grow as the reporter continues to prattle on and he's further surrounded by a mess of people. "I warned you. I did. Told you to get that arsing camera out of my face but you're too much of a slimeball to listen. Alright then. Here's my full report." snarls the furious teen, reaching for the nearest camera. "Take your tabloid trash, and shove it." he exclaims, trying to smash what ever he's managed to get in his hand against the ground.

"Aaaaaand that's enough of that." Squire grabs Sebastian's shoulder with one hand, reaching for his belt with the other. In the same motion, he triggers the EMP device hidden there, grabs a smoke grenade, and hurls it to the ground. (Hopefully) before anyone can react, he activates his grappling hook, pulling the two up towards a nearby roof.

Not sure whether or not this counts as Unleash Your Powers. If so:
[roll0]

Anyr

2016-05-27, 09:37 AM

Julia took off her shoes the old fashioned way. She looked expectantly up at the stairs. It'd be interesting to finally meet Scion's mother. If the stories he told were even halfway accurate, she sounded like an extraordinary woman. And then, of course, there was Vigil. Julia really wanted to know how he'd ended up here.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 09:40 AM

"Maybe you're right." He finally said. "I may not have enough power to rightly be called a real super. I might not have strength, speed or lasers. I don't have some grand destiny, or a legacy to live up to."
He raised his head and looked straight at her. "But I do have drive. And I do have compassion. I can't stand by when the world throws one tragedy after another at the people of this city, be they supers or civilians. Not if there's even a miniscule chance I can make a difference. You don't need powers to be a hero. And having powers don't make you one. If I'm not strong enough, I'll train until I am. If I'm not fast enough, I'll run until I am. And if neither works, I'll find another way to solve the problem. Besides..." He hesitated, looking down at his suit again. he smiled softly behind his mask. Julia had helped him pick the color. "... Besides, I have a team. They're so great, and have so much potential, both with their powers and as people. But they have issues, issues they can't always face alone. Sometimes they're their own worst enemies. I dunno if I can help them, or if they need me. I dunno if they depend on me for anything, or would even want to. But I DO know that they deserve the help they need. And I can't count on the world doing that, so I'm gonna stick by them until they tell me they don't want it anymore."
Laying his shirt and armor on the bed, he rose to his feet and stood tall, his back straight.

"When I wear this mask, I am Vigil. I'm not a hero, not yet. I don't know if I'll ever be worthy of that title. But I will never stop trying to protect people!" He exclaimed, feeling more sure of himself than he'd done in a while. He still felt bad for his brother after the reminder in the sewer. But his brother was healthy now, and Vigil would make it up to him, someday. Right now, he truly believed he could.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 09:46 AM

Squire & Counterspell

As you activate the EMP, suddenly all the cameras beep as they turn off. A couple of people complain that their cellphones have stopped working. Before anyone can react, you and Counterspell have grappled your way to safety, on top of a nearby building.

"Hey where did they go?" The reporter James calls out, confused by the smoke bomb. "Damn we missed the scoop!"

You can easily get to the Armory from here. How does the armory's teleportal system works? And what does the Armory look like?

You two can still talk on the way to the Armory if you've got stuff to say, or want to get anything off your chest.

Vigil, Arcana and Scion

You reject her influence. Choose two options:
● Shift 1 label up and 1 label down, your
choice.
● Cancel their influence and take +1 forward
against them.
● Clear a condition or mark potential by
immediately acting to prove them wrong.

As you say those words, costume in hand, Jessica looks up at you with wonder, maybe...nostalgia? Longing?

"I, I understand what you mean. I knew someone like you once," Her hand reaches forward unconciously towards your chest. "Very much like you..." She smiled sadly at you.

At this moment Scion and Arcana walk into the room* see Jessica Westgate sitting close to a shirtless Vigil (whose wearing his mask), her hand almost touching his abs, a strange look in her eye.

In fact from Scion's perspective, it's not clear if Vigil is putting his clothes on...or taking them off.

"Oh honey, I didn't know you'd get here so quickly." She stood up quickly, looking embarrassed. "Ah another friend, lovely to meet you. You know-have heard of Vigil right?"

Yeah you said you called from downstairs, I may have done a bit of GM fiat to say she didn't hear you until you came into the room. Definitely with the intent of just speeding things up. Not cause I crave unnecessary drama or nothing.

So what do the 3 of you do? Feel free to chat away or something.

*cough* excellent opportunity to clear that Angry condition with a misunderstanding *cough cough*.

Anyr

2016-05-27, 09:59 AM

"It's nice to meet y-GAH!

A crimson blush spread across Julia's face. Her beloved childhood friend was standing shirtless in front of her! She hurriedly averted her eyes from his (rather impressive) form.

"Vigil, what the hell?!"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 10:06 AM

Vigil looked from his two teammates, to the woman almost touching his chest, and then back to his teammates. For once, he had absolutely no idea what to say. "Uuuuuh... Hey guys." He said. "Listen, I know this looks weird but there's a reasonable explanation for all of it..." he added, not sure which one of them he was trying to reassure more. He couldn't help but feel that it wouldn't help at all.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 10:12 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

"THE HELL ...", Scion literally flies across the room picking up the wiry Vigil underneath the jaw and slamming him against the wall, knocking his lap top to the floor, "... YOU CAN'T TRUST ME, BUT YOU CAN FOLLOW ME TO MY HOUSE, IN MY ROOM, AND MAKE EYES AT MY MOM!"

THOOOOO-M!!!

Scion's fist slams into the drywall, hitting a stud and shattering it to so many splinters. He hangs his head, releasing his grip on Vigil, he almost whispers, visibly shaking, "I thought we were friends man." A pause, a deep breath as he regains control, "Get out. Before I do something I regret."

Annnnd with that I am out to a charity lunch! :) Tune in at three for more teen drama!

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 10:36 AM

Vigil got the air knocked thoroughly out of him when Scion slammed him against the wall. His whole back exploded in pain from the hit, and he gasped for air. His first reaction was close to panic.
****, crap, **** on sidewalk, this is bad! What do I do, what do I do!!?

As he was held up by the raging teen, Vigil thought furiously about what the hell was going on. The guy knew him... Waaiiit a minute, I was right! She IS related to Scion! And the dude thinks I put the moves on her!
When Scion let go of him, he fell to one knee, and clutched his chest. As his friend's words registered with him, he felt righteous indignation bloom inside him. I've just gone through hell blindfolded, relived the worst part of my life, and had control of my own goddamn body stripped from me by some hallucination making *******! No way am I just gonna roll over and walk out to appease his overactive 'roid addled imagination!

Getting on his feet, he took a ragged breath. "No... way..." He wheezed. "This is not... What you think it is, and we've... Got more important things to do, so... You're gonna calm. The ****. Down... And listen to what I'm about to say... Because we ARE friends."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 11:03 AM

Sounds like you are trying to provoke him, by playing the friend card-making him let you stay and listen to reason.

Roll +superior, and if you get a hit choose an option from the PC list.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 03:59 PM

Vigil

You say the words, but as you speak you hesitate, not out of exhaustion, but fear. You can see this man, this friend of yours could crush you an instant. Whatever you say, it rings hollow as it's lined with your terror at this impossible power.

Yeah, big fail there. Take the afraid condition.

Scion

Why won't he leave? You gave him an out, you were gracious about it. But still he stands there, having the audacity to give your orders. After what he tried to pull with your mother. Where is the respect? You really need to teach him a lesson, show him whose the real boss.

To clear your anger condition you need to do one of the following things. None of these require a dice roll on your part:

Severely hurt Vigil, physically or emotionally.
Break something in the room that's precious. It doesn't need to be precious to you. Feel free to improvise here.
Describe how you hurt someone else in the room, probably your mom, as they try to protect Vigil, the target of your wrath.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 04:25 PM

Razade

2016-05-27, 04:34 PM

"Aaaaaand that's enough of that." Squire grabs Sebastian's shoulder with one hand, reaching for his belt with the other. In the same motion, he triggers the EMP device hidden there, grabs a smoke grenade, and hurls it to the ground. (Hopefully) before anyone can react, he activates his grappling hook, pulling the two up towards a nearby roof.

Not sure whether or not this counts as Unleash Your Powers. If so:
[roll0]

Sebastian is about to unleash another diatribe before he's yanked away, sputtering in impotent rage as he tries to struggle from the grip. "Squire?! SQUIRE YOU SET ME-AHHHHHH!!" he shouts as they're ziplined up onto a nearby roof, trying to shove the other young man away from himself with a snarl. "Don't touch me!" he snaps, hands balling into fists.

Anyr

2016-05-27, 04:40 PM

"STOP!"

Julia's cry echoed through the room, in a way that defied auditory physics. She was staring at the scene with a look of sheer horror. The young Mage could barely believe her own senses. One of her two closest friends had just smashed the other into a wall! She knew that she should already be rushing forward to intercede; But her body wouldn't move. Her voice, though, worked just fine.

"W-what are you both doing?! This is insane! Both of you, back down right this instant!"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 05:43 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

"Friends?" He paused, pulling his fist from the wall, a shower of white drywall dust landing on Vigil, "Friends trust one another, friends respect one another," he panted as he continued, "I trusted you, even when you turned your back on me! The Skull threatened your family, I offered to help, but you were what? Scared of what I am? What I could become? So because you can't trust me, you what? Spy on me? Spy on my family? Why? Because you're a coward, and you wear that god damn mask because you can't stand to look at yourself in the face!"

I'm going to just go ahead and assume that Galan didn't hear Vigil's awesome speech, really man, that was awesome, when he came upstairs. He's pissed off that the ice thing kicked his ass, he's pissed off that the crowd turned on Jules, and he's pissed off to learn that the guy who wouldn't let go of his pride so that Scion could help protect his family, has spied on him to find out where he lives.

So the pissed off attitude is entirely in game, I, as a player, am enjoying the hell out of this.

Forcibly keeping himself from visibly shivering at the sight of the, at the moment, monstrous being in front of him, Vigil took a deep, shaky breath. "Ok. Fine. I'm done here. There's no talking to you." He snapped. Walking past Scion without looking at him, he grabbed his stuff, put it on, and gave the doctor a nod. "I appreciate your help, ma'am. I'll make sure a guy comes by and fixes the window." He said, more calmly. He glanced briefly at Julia out the corner of his eye. He considered saying something to her, but changed his mind. Instead, he stopped in the doorway of the room. "Scion... You're right. You're damn right I'm scared of you. You have the potential to flatten this whole city. It's the human condition to be scared of anything bigger or stronger than yourself. But that's not why I don't trust you. I don't trust you because you don't think. You just spit out whatever's on your mind. I can't trust someone like that with the safety of those I care about. That would still hold true even if you had no powers whatsoever... But I didn't spy on you." He said in as level a tone as he could manage. Which wasn't easy, considering every instinct inside him screamed for him to run before the beast got agitated again.
After saying his part, Vigil walked left the house without a backwards glance.

Anyr

2016-05-27, 06:11 PM

For a few seconds, Julia's gaze flickered between Scion's enraged face, and Vigil's retreating back. Then, with one last glance at Scion, she too left the room. Julia cared deeply for both of them; But she'd known Vigil for much longer. Forced to choose which friend to follow, she went with the one who'd built treehouses with her as a kid.

Despite leaving first, Vigil would find Julia waiting on the street ahead of him. The deep concern she felt for him was plain to see.

"Y-you wanna talk about it?"

gremlin-pult

2016-05-27, 06:25 PM

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 08:10 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

Vigil stalked out of his room, as he turned Jules shimmered and disappeared. He knew they had a history together, but he couldn't guess what it was, Vigil wouldn't open up to him, and Jules wouldn't talk about it out of respect for his privacy.

He looked to his mother, saw the tears in her eyes, "I ...". "No. I know you are hurting right now Galan, but your friend was right. You need to think before you speak, we'll talk about this tomorrow, but you need to cool off." He nodded mutely, sat on his bed, his head cradled in his hands, as she closed the door behind her, she looked back one last time, "I love you Galan, you know that, but you need to be more careful. There are going to be consequences to this ... think about that."

A soft click as she closed the door.

He sighed, leaned over and picked up his lap top, set it on the bedside table and gently blew the drywall dust from the Utopian datacube. He couldn't believe this afternoon, he'd set out to push his abilities to their limit, to test his speed, to push himself. Then the whole thing with Cryosaurus, his pet dragon, the public turning on Jules, their hug, and then the disastrous fight with Vigil. She would be pissed with him, and rightly so, what hurt the most is that he didn't know if he'd be able to repair the damage he'd done.

The hole in the wall stared at him, a stark reminder of his anger, his rage. He got up, and changed back into his cape and spandex. He hoped that the dusk would mask him, most people rarely looked up anyways, and he soared out of his broken bedroom window. He flew across the city, about a mile out over Halcyon Bay. He dove straight for the water, a split second before impact he took a deep breath, and then let the cool water of the Bay embrace him. His speed propelled him towards the murky depths, as he approached an eerie green light filtered through the water, silhouetting the sleek, bird like hull of the Utopian scout ship that attacked their high school so late last year.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Utopian%20Scout%20Vessel_zpsgbxrbkbm.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Utopian%20Scout%20Vessel_zpsgbxrbkbm.jpg.html)

As he approached the hull, he felt a familiar tingle at the rear of his skull, and the airlock cycled. He floated inside, the hull sealing behind him, the water drained out, and the interior door opened allowing access to the main console and control area. He walked through the hallway, tracing a finger over cool metal, it seemed to react to his presence dim emergency lights illuminating a path towards the navigation controls at the front of the vessel, he sat in one of the oddly shaped chairs, and withdrew the datacube from behind his cape.

"Sorry dad, guess I'm kind of a let down eh?"

rooster707

2016-05-27, 08:56 PM

Sebastian is about to unleash another diatribe before he's yanked away, sputtering in impotent rage as he tries to struggle from the grip. "Squire?! SQUIRE YOU SET ME-AHHHHHH!!" he shouts as they're ziplined up onto a nearby roof, trying to shove the other young man away from himself with a snarl. "Don't touch me!" he snaps, hands balling into fists.

"Look, man, I know how you feel, okay?" Squire said, stepping back out of fist-range. Well... I can guess, at least. Being associated with someone like Paladin means I tend to get a lot less of that kind of crap.

"But yelling at everyone, breaking cameras and stuff? I... really don't think that's gonna help. Chances are it'll just make things worse."

Razade

2016-05-27, 09:02 PM

"Look, man, I know how you feel, okay?" Squire said, stepping back out of fist-range. Well... I can guess, at least. Being associated with someone like Paladin means I tend to get a lot less of that kind of crap.

"But yelling at everyone, breaking cameras and stuff? I... really don't think that's gonna help. Chances are it'll just make things worse."

"Maybe it needs to be made worse! You heard them, you saw how they looked at us. At your friends! Like we're...like we're freaks! We could have died and it wouldn't have mattered to them." Sebastian continues to growl though slowly relaxes his shoulders. "Now get me off this damn roof, I need...I need to go pick some stuff up." he sighs, running a hand through his electric blue hair. "I won't cause any problems with the news people."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 10:56 PM

Forcibly keeping himself from visibly shivering at the sight of the, at the moment, monstrous being in front of him, Vigil took a deep, shaky breath. "Ok. Fine. I'm done here. There's no talking to you." He snapped. Walking past Scion without looking at him, he grabbed his stuff, put it on, and gave the doctor a nod. "I appreciate your help, ma'am. I'll make sure a guy comes by and fixes the window." He said, more calmly. He glanced briefly at Julia out the corner of his eye. He considered saying something to her, but changed his mind. Instead, he stopped in the doorway of the room. "Scion... You're right. You're damn right I'm scared of you. You have the potential to flatten this whole city. It's the human condition to be scared of anything bigger or stronger than yourself. But that's not why I don't trust you. I don't trust you because you don't think. You just spit out whatever's on your mind. I can't trust someone like that with the safety of those I care about. That would still hold true even if you had no powers whatsoever... But I didn't spy on you." He said in as level a tone as he could manage. Which wasn't easy, considering every instinct inside him screamed for him to run before the beast got agitated again.
After saying his part, Vigil walked left the house without a backwards glance.

Scion would you say your rival has swapped from Squire to Vigil at this point? If so, Vigil has influence over you. And it sounds like he's telling you who you are.

Scion, if you believe Vigil has influence over you as a rival, then either accept what he says (Essentially you are reckless, and put people's lives in danger) or roll to reject it. If you accept it, increase Danger by 1, and decrease Savior by 1. Which would be bad since you've got Danger +3.

but Scion, if you don't think Vigil is your rival, then he lacks influence over you and you don't need to deal with his influence at all.

For a few seconds, Julia's gaze flickered between Scion's enraged face, and Vigil's retreating back. Then, with one last glance at Scion, she too left the room. Julia cared deeply for both of them; But she'd known Vigil for much longer. Forced to choose which friend to follow, she went with the one who'd built treehouses with her as a kid.

Despite leaving first, Vigil would find Julia waiting on the street ahead of him. The deep concern she felt for him was plain to see.

"Y-you wanna talk about it?"

Arcana sounds, based on how Vigil is opening up, you are Comforting or Supporting him. Roll with Mundane.

"Maybe it needs to be made worse! You heard them, you saw how they looked at us. At your friends! Like we're...like we're freaks! We could have died and it wouldn't have mattered to them." Sebastian continues to growl though slowly relaxes his shoulders. "Now get me off this damn roof, I need...I need to go pick some stuff up." he sighs, running a hand through his electric blue hair. "I won't cause any problems with the news people."

"Look, man, I know how you feel, okay?" Squire said, stepping back out of fist-range. Well... I can guess, at least. Being associated with someone like Paladin means I tend to get a lot less of that kind of crap.

"But yelling at everyone, breaking cameras and stuff? I... really don't think that's gonna help. Chances are it'll just make things worse."

Normally Counterspell's words would constitute a telling you how the world works but he lacks influence over Squire, so his words have little effect.

Squire, it sounds like you want to comfort him, but I need a little more than that. A bit more heart, maybe some big gesture, something to show you are really trying to comfort him. If you do that, then you can roll.

Counterspell where exactly are you trying to run off to? Just so I can prepare, incase you don't go with Squire to the Armory.

Keep going! Keep roleplaying, it's great stuff!

Scion

A lot of this place was badly damaged when it crashed, and during the battle. Some parts, actually broke off and if not for some fortunate forcefield tech and intelligently reactive airlocks, this place would be flooded. Thankfully most of the command area is intact, if inactive.

That is until, the console in front of you lights up. The metal console moves like quicksilver, forming a square indent. Said indent is big enough to hold your datacube perfectly.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-27, 11:08 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: 1; Angry

Scion & VigilScion would you say your rival has swapped from Squire to Vigil at this point? If so, Vigil has influence over you. And it sounds like he's telling you who you are.

Scion, if you believe Vigil has influence over you as a rival, then either accept what he says (Essentially you are reckless, and put people's lives in danger) or roll to reject it. If you accept it, increase Danger by 1, and decrease Savior by 1. Which would be bad since you've got Danger +3.

[roll0]. A hit! I like the idea of Vigil & Scion being Rivals at this point, especially with Jules between them, so I won't cancel his Influence on me. I will however shift my Labels as I see fit, I will Decrease my Danger to +2, and Increase my Savior to +0, as he is now determined to prove Vigil wrong, and ensure that he doesn't harm those he cares most about.

He looked up as he heard the console in front of him shift. It hadn't had power since the initial engagement, and Squire had worked on it for an entire weekend when they first discovered that the vessel was mostly intact. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the holocube carefully, "I swear, if you activated just to give me a lecture on how much I suck ..."

He lowered the cube into the indent and watched hesitantly.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-27, 11:48 PM

Scion

The cub sinks into the console smoothly. The lights on the cube start to glow, before flickering. As you wonder what's going on a masculine calm voice echo around you.

"Automated intelligent response recording for designated recipient, offspring of Galan, head of Scholar caste and Dr Jessica Westgate. Engaging." There is a flash of light, and suddenly a figure stands behind you.

"My child..." Turning around you see him. The man from your hologram. The man whose story you know so well, but whose voice you've never heard before.

"I am so happy to see you for the first time." Your father says, his voice trying to hold back emotion.

Anyr

2016-05-28, 12:30 AM

When Julia appeared in front of him, Vigil wasn't really surprised. She was always there for him. He was happy about that, but also knew that he'd just forced her to choose between two friends. After a moment he sighed heavily, and motioned for her to walk with him. As he gathered his thoughts, he glanced down at his hands. They were still shaking. "God, it's never really sunk home before... Scion's incredibly strong. he could snap me like a twig just by sneezing at me. And he's not nearly the strongest one out there..." He muttered.

Julia couldn't really offer any insight here. Worrying about being too weak was the opposite of her own problem. What was she supposed to say? "Don't be scared of Scion"? That'd be seriously hypocritical. Julia didn't even understand why Vigil wasn't scared of her. The only comfort she could offer was a simple promise:

"You're right: He's not the strongest one out there. I am. If Scion ever tries to hurt you again, he'll have to get through me. And spoiler warning: That's not gonna happen."

Probably not what Vigil wanted to hear; But it was the best she could do.

He then shook his head. The matter with Scion wasn't the most important issue right now. They could figure it out later. Besides, he really, really didn't wanna think about it anymore.
"Never mind what just happened, Ju-Ju." He said, adopting the nickname he'd called her since they were kids. It always cheered him up how she pretended to be annoyed about it. "What's important is, there's something, or someone dangerous out there. I was pretty much mind-****ed before I woke up at Scion's place. It was when I followed Cryosaur. I lost him in the sewers, and something..." He hesitated sligthly, to find the right words. "Something made me hallucinate, Ju-Ju. It made me relive the day Nico was attacked by those guys. You know, the ones I beat up to save a friend, who then promptly turned on me and told them about Nico?" His voice caught at that part, and he had to take a few deep breaths. Just mentioning it brought the sight of his brother back to him, clearer than ever. "Afterwards I passed out... And woke up where you found me. Which apparently is Scion's bed."

Julia managed to muster a joking glare at the nickname; For old time's sake. What little cheer she still possessed faded, though, as Vigil told his story. The threat he described was enough to curdle her stomach. Something that made you relive the most painful moments of your past? That was a seriously terrifying trick. Nonetheless, Julia wouldn't run from it: Because she wasn't alone. That was what they all needed to remember.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. But whatever you met down there, it made a serious mistake in tipping its hand. Next time, you'll be ready; We'll be ready. Squire will use his files and knowhow to work out exactly what we're dealing with; Counterspell will lure it into the perfect trap; And then you'll look it straight in the eye (if it has any) and make it regret ever messing with you."

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-28, 04:56 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Galan got to his feet as he heard the automated voice echo through the flight deck, as the image flickered to life he stumbled backwards, tripped over the nav-console and lost his balance. Collapsing to the floor he muttered, "... whoa ..." and stared up at the figure before him.

It unnerved him, he tried to rationalize that the image was just a larger projection, but then it ... he? ... spoke, and there was raw emotion in that voice.

"I ... err ...," he was truly at a loss for words.

I am assuming that with the successful rejection of Vigil's attempt to Tell me who I am and the subsequent Label shift from Danger to Savior, that Scion has cleared his Angry Condition. If that isn't the case let me know. Also, is it possible that despite the shift of Rival's from Squire to Vigil, that Squire still has Influence over Scion, or does that that shift as well? Just curious.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-28, 06:15 AM

Julia couldn't really offer any insight here. Worrying about being too weak was the opposite of her own problem. What was she supposed to say? "Don't be scared of Scion"? That'd be seriously hypocritical. Julia didn't even understand why Vigil wasn't scared of her. The only comfort she could offer was a simple promise:

"You're right: He's not the strongest one out there. I am. If Scion ever tries to hurt you again, he'll have to get through me. And spoiler warning: That's not gonna happen."

Probably not what Vigil wanted to hear; But it was the best she could do.

Julia managed to muster a joking glare at the nickname; For old time's sake. What little cheer she still possessed faded, though, as Vigil told his story. The threat he described was enough to curdle her stomach. Something that made you relive the most painful moments of your past? That was a seriously terrifying trick. Nonetheless, Julia wouldn't run from it: Because she wasn't alone. That was what they all needed to remember.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. But whatever you met down there, it made a serious mistake in tipping its hand. Next time, you'll be ready; We'll be ready. Squire will use his files and knowhow to work out exactly what we're dealing with; Counterspell will lure it into the perfect trap; And then you'll look it straight in the eye (if it has any) and make it regret ever messing with you."

Vigil chuckled lightly at his friend's words. "Yeah, I know. You're always there for me..." He said, leaning over and wrapping an arm around her in a hug. He leaned down, resting his forehead on her shoulder and just enjoyed the support he knew he could always count on. "I don't want you to fight him, of course. Not ever. But thanks."

After a moment of quiet contemplation, he eventually raised his head and looked out at the street. "Yeah... We're gonna figure this out. We're gonna find whatever's making mental attacks on people and take it down. Hard." He said

"Oh, and we're gonna find and capture Cryosaur, too. Because **** that prehistoric deuchebag for starting this whole mess. Seriously, I can't stand that guy!" He added as an afterthought.

Anyr

2016-05-28, 06:41 AM

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 07:07 AM

Scion

Yeah, sorry if that wasn't clear. Your angry condition is cleared. In regards to Influence, the rules say you can give someone influence over you whenever you want-but it's harder to take away influence. So i'm gonna say both Squire and Vigil have influence over you, but only Vigil is your rival, for move purposes.

Your father continues to beam a smile at you.

"You are so much older than I remember-well that is because the last memory I have of you is an Ultima-ray scan of you in utero. I hope I managed to be with your mother during your birth. I planed to leave with her after making this memory cube." He glanced around, marvelling at the ship.

"A Stymphalian Mark Scouting ship. It's a recent model too, made after this cube's creation." He turns to you and smiles again. "I am so happy to see that Utopians and humans have been able to come together-that my people are willing to share technology with humans.

"I can only assume it was thanks to you, setting such a shining example to both humans and Ultima, that together we are more than the sum of our parts." He notes with pride, completely unaware the real reason you are in possession of this ship. That it wasn't a gift. "I was afraid that the Praetorian may have tried to hurt you or your mother in his obsessive crusade for isolationism. Glad to see I had nothing to worry about."

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-28, 09:03 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

As the projection, recording?, spoke it shattered the illusion that is was, in fact, his father. Still, he had no idea how the thing worked, and it felt good to talk to someone, something?, that wasn't disappointed in him. "I wish ... no, the media dubbed this thing a 'Warbird' because of the attack on my high school last year. I'd helped out Paladin and Squire take down Mecha-Mayham on the Peace Bridge, apparently it drew the Praetor's attention, so he sent out this thing," he thumped the deck plate as he spoke, "and a squad of his Utopian thugs. They leveled my school, but with the help of Squire and some friends, we routed them."

He paused again, tried in vein to reign in his emotions, clenched his jaw, "'least I think, some of them, are still my friends. The ones I haven't chased away ..." He looked up at the shimmering image of his father, "It's been a bad day dad ..."

rooster707

2016-05-28, 09:11 AM

"Maybe it needs to be made worse! You heard them, you saw how they looked at us. At your friends! Like we're...like we're freaks! We could have died and it wouldn't have mattered to them." Sebastian continues to growl though slowly relaxes his shoulders. "Now get me off this damn roof, I need...I need to go pick some stuff up." he sighs, running a hand through his electric blue hair. "I won't cause any problems with the news people."

"I... maybe you're right, I don't know." He turned to look down at the still-confused group of reporters. "But... It doesn't really matter what they think. Whatever people say, we're still helping people, and... that's what really matters, I think." He walked over to the other side of the roof, and one zipline later, they were both down on the street below. "I need to go check in with Paladin; see you later." He swung off down the street, landing next to the teleporter a few moments later. Stepping inside the phone booth, Squire inserted his access key into the coin slot, punched in a few numbers, and watched as the world around him dissolved into blue light... then reformed into the familiar near-darkness of the Armory.

Wasn't really intending to do a comfort n' support, but if that's what it is: 2d6
Edit: Eh? Roll's messed up. Huh. I can roll in OOC if you need me to, I guess.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-28, 10:37 AM

Julia returned the hug warmly. She savoured this moment of closeness with her lifelong platonic friend.

Then she remembered the sight of him shirtless. Damn hormones! Forcibly pushing such impure thoughts from her mind, she focused solely on being there for Vigil.

"That's the spirit! No matter what this world throws at us, we'll find a way to handle it. And once Scion calms down, we'll smooth things over with him too. It's not as if you were actually hitting on his mother...were you?"

That last question was a joke; Mostly.

"Yeah, I know. Scion can be an ass, but I know he has a lot on his mind. I'm sure we'll figure it o..." Vigil said, stopping mid-sentence when the last thing Arcana said filtered through his mind. "What!? No! Of course not!" He exclaimed, frantically waving his hands in denial of the allegation. "First of all, no. Don't even go there. While I'll admit that she's an attractive woman, which Scion must never hear, I DO have a type. And she's not it. Second, I honestly had no idea she was Scion's mother until he showed up. I haven't researched his family, besides what I've managed to scrape together about the Praetorian. Which is more or less useless, but still kinda relevant, after his attack. And thirdly, I would never go behind a friends back like that, even if we have issues with each other." He finished, praying to dear lord that he sounded convincing. A reputation as a womanizer with a taste for older women? Not something he needed. At all. Besides he really did have a type, not that that was anyone else's business...

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 10:58 AM

Scion
Your father(?) tilted his head. "Paladin? Squire? Mecha-Mayhem?" His confusion quickly turned to dismay. "Oh no, it's as I feared. The Praetor did send forces to attack you. I am so terribly sorry my son. I tried to do my best to keep you safe from his grasp, but I clearly failed." He listens intently as you speak.

"Why don’t you have something to drink?" He waves his hand and a mechanical disk floats down from the ceiling above. A small chalice materializes above the disk, before the disk floats in front of you.

"It's Polar Paanee. It's like...chilled sweet water I think might be closest, even though there's very little H2O in it. Your mother enjoyed it." The chalice is real, and there is a shimmering white liquid in there. If you try it, it does taste sweet, a bit like the best parts of lemonade and milk.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He offered, referring to your ‘bad day’. "I may be a recorded memory, but I can listen and respond." He gave a small comforting smile.

Squire
The blue light fades to reveal a large metal chamber. Various weapons, from medieval to futuristic, line the walls. A long bronze table stands in the center, with seats for 12 people. Which is strange, because Paladin has never brought anyone into the Armory for as long as you’ve known him. Besides you of course.

You're quick to remember how hot it is down here. There is the sound of smelting iron, and some banging in the distance, down one of the caverns. Paladin must be working on something in one of the many smiths. After a moment there is the quick sound of steam being made, and Paladin soon walks into the room.

He wears his familiar silver metal helm, that conceals his face entirely. While it looks like something from the middle ages, you know it is one of the most advanced pieces of hardware you’ve ever seen, with more features than you can even fathom. Besides that, he is wearing full leather armor (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4a/ff/b9/4affb9ccf40cde1b4d59dbb5e4266807.jpg) most likely because his advanced power armor would get in the way of his forging.

He wrings his hands before calling out, “Squire, you’ve arrived.” He looks up at you, before scanning the room.

“I told you to bring Counterspell.” He notes stoically.

Anyr

2016-05-28, 11:33 AM

Julia couldn't help but smile. She derived way too much amusement from seeing Vigil panic like this.

"Relax, relax. I was just joking around. I know you're not that sort of person."

She was glad that his tension seemed to be easing. He'd gone from worrying about death and mysterious enemies, to worrying about his romantic reputation. A great improvement. Of course, Julia had thought something similar about Scion's mood: Right before he'd smashed Vigil into a wall. Maybe she wasn't the best judge of such things. She'd better throw in a little extra teasing, just to be safe.

"Aaaannnyyyywaaayyy, what's this about you having a 'type'? Do you perchance have your eye on someone special?"

Her curiosity wasn't entirely fake. She really hoped that he would find the right girl (or guy) one day: Someone kind and understanding, who wasn't put off by the...the scarring...

...And iiiinnnn came the guilt. It always returned sooner or later. Julia did her best to keep it from showing on her smiling face. The last thing Vigil needed right now was a dose of angst.

rooster707

2016-05-28, 11:42 AM

Squire
The blue light fades to reveal a large metal chamber. Various weapons, from medieval to futuristic, line the walls. A long bronze table stands in the center, with seats for 12 people. Which is strange, because Paladin has never brought anyone into the Armory for as long as you’ve known him. Besides you of course.

You're quick to remember how hot it is down here. There is the sound of smelting iron, and some banging in the distance, down one of the caverns. Paladin must be working on something in one of the many smiths. After a moment there is the quick sound of steam being made, and Paladin soon walks into the room.

He wears his familiar silver metal helm, that conceals his face entirely. While it looks like something from the middle ages, you know it is one of the most advanced pieces of hardware you’ve ever seen, with more features than you can even fathom. Besides that, he is wearing full leather armor (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4a/ff/b9/4affb9ccf40cde1b4d59dbb5e4266807.jpg) most likely because his advanced power armor would get in the way of his forging.

He wrings his hands before calling out, “Squire, you’ve arrived.” He looks up at you, before scanning the room.

“I told you to bring Counterspell.” He notes stoically.

Squire pulled off his mask, walking over to one of the armor racks. "He was pretty... worked up. I don't think dragging him down here would've been a very good idea." He began to carefully extricate himself from his exosuit. "I did manage to get him away from the press, though. Don't think he'll be anything too stupid now." Out of the suit, he detached the damaged leg and took it to a nearby workbench to begin repairs.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-28, 11:57 AM

"Huh? I, Uuuuh..." He answered, mentally kicking himself for even mentioning types. "It's, uhm, not really something I think about that much, I mean we usually have so much going on, what with hero-ing and stuff. And my normal routines of working and watching Nico..." He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I haven't really thought about anyone in particular, but I guess it would have to be a girl who was, you know, kind, intelligent, with a sense of humor... And around my own age! Let's just establish that fact right away, ok?" He added. "And it would have to be someone who... didn't lose her appetite everytime she saw my face. You know, the usual stuff. People are usually pretty good about at least not showing their discomfort with it to my face, but those who really don't mind? a bit harder to find. Meh, anyway it's not important right now. Finding some girl I like, who can stomach my face AND be trusted with my double life isn't really necessary. I have you, and that's all I need." He finished with a smile. Not that she could see him smile through the mask.

A moment passed before he sat up straight. "I-I mean, the team! I have you guys on the team! My friends! Not just you of course, that'd just be awkward to say something like that to an old friend all of a sudden, r-right? Always important to remember how you phrase things, hehe..." He exclaimed wildly, looking everywhere except at Arcana.
He desperately tried to get his racing mind back under control, blushing furiously. Once again, he was immensely thankful for the fact that he was wearing his mask. What. The. Hell. Did I just say!!? What's wrong with me, getting so friggin emotional. Sure, I guess Ju-Ju fits the criteria for my type, but still... Wait, is it actually my criteria that are shaped around her? Oh my god, nonono, this is baad... Ok, easy Vigil, take a deep breath. A lot happened today. You're just having some slight self control issues. Everything will make sense, and get back in order later...

"So anyway, we should probably get a move on. I dunno about you, but I need to get home and make sure Nico eats some real food instead of pizza before I take him to soccer practice. I swear, the little runt bitches and moans about his dream of playing soccer, and a month later I have to personally take him there to make sure he doesn't skip practice! Boring sport my ass... He's gonna keep it up for at least half a year before he gets of the hook." Vigil said, having regained most of his usually calm and poised manner.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 12:11 PM

Squire
"Making your own informed decisions about the situation, without being told to do so?" Paladin notes, while he watches you as you head to a work bench. "Where was this initiative earlier in the battle?" He asks, his tone emotionless, almost robot like.

Suddenly a voice is heard on the speaker system.

"Arcana, Melt the dragon! Scion, smash the dragon! Counterspell, try to limit the dragons collateral damage! Squire, protect any civilians and get them out of here!"

"I was able to record most of the battle though your helm, including the sound. I was also able to craft a playback of the fight using your recorings, nearby CCTV and posted videos of the event." The large screen by the table turns to show the fight against Cryosaur and the ice dragon from multiple angles.

"As you can see, you are very good at following orders, as expected of a dutiful Squire." He walks towards you, hans clasped behind his back. "But a Paladin, is more than just a follower. A Paladin must be able to make decisions on the field, to inspire and lead." He stands right behind you, his voice almost sinister, yet still without emotion, through his metal helm.

"Perhaps you are too meek to take after me after all."

Paladin is using his influence to tell you who you are. He's saying you lack leadership qualities, and are far too meek. He's raising your Mundane and decreasing your Superior. If you don't accept what he's saying, roll to reject Influence.

Hey you said you wanted drama man!

Razade

2016-05-28, 12:52 PM

Sebastian flips Squire the bird all the same once he disappears, glancing about to re-orientate himself before trucking back to the small manicured island of bushes and greenery near Halcyon HQ. "Zipping of when we don't even know where everyone is." he mutters to himself as he checks the series of grocery bags, making sure nothing to important is missing, "Have a mind to give him a piece just for that..." he continues as he moves to the nearest teleport to their makeshift base.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 12:59 PM

Counterspell

Your groceries are where you put them, safely.

When you teleport back to 'The Warbird', you hear the sound of Scion talking to someone in the command center, echoing down the hallway you are standing in. An older voice you don't recognize. You can make out most of the words from where you are.

"It's been a bad day dad..."

"Would you like to talk about it?" "I may be a recorded memory, but I can listen and respond."

You could creep closer, try and see to find out what's going on. Or just barge right in, and interrupt. Or give them privacy.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-28, 01:04 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He took a sip of the cool, milky liquid, looked up at his dad, the recording, and began, softly at first. "It's just, all turned to $h!t. I mean it started off with some cryo-creep and his ice dragon pet attacking Titan Trans National, the others, Squire, Counter, Vigil and Jules were already on site, I dropped in, got it's attention, it smacked me around pretty bad. P1$$ed me off, then Jules, she summons focuses her magic, tries to melt the thing, she pours it on too much, things start going bad for the civvies, so I fill his ice pet full of metal and have Jules focus on that, let it conduct the heat deeper into the ice."

He stopped, turned the chalice around in his hands, studied it a second, took a deep breath and continued. "Cryo-creep takes off, Vigil takes off after him, the people, they turned on us dad. We just saved them, and they start to blame us for it all. So I give them a piece of my mind, I call them on their bull$h1t and take off. Like I said, I was p1$$ed, then Jules so takes off after me. Tries to calm me down, gives me a ...", his breath caught, a smile, then anger again.

He threw the chalice against the wall.

"I love her and I screwed it all up!"

Queue the tele-portal and Counterspell walking into the scene! Ahhhh, drama! :)

Razade

2016-05-28, 01:11 PM

I like how you lay your post out Zen, I'm going to copy it.

Counterspell
Conditions: Angry, Guilty, Insecure

Sebastian appears in the Warbird with what ever sound, if any, accompanies the Teleport function, arms heapd with gocery bags most looking a little worse for wear. "Talking to yourself again are you Scion. One of these days that's going to get you in trouble." he shouts, making his way to what ever serves as a kitchen for the team.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 02:08 PM

Vigil

Back at your place, you quickly realize that your brother is going to be late for practice. You were supposed to take him there 15 minutes ago. However when you come inside, you can hear the sound of heavy metal music playing from upstairs.

"We're gonna robo-roll all night long!" You hear the pre-bubescent voice of Nico, your little brother call out from above. It seems he's listening to Mecha-Mayhem* again. They are the latest outpouring of the genre 'Super-Max rock', and are a group of supervillains, who were all reprogrammed war droids from different creators. Their manifesto is to destroy the world in the name (and style) of rock and roll. in the words of their lead guitarist Auto-Botto 44 "die young and leave a beautiful chasis dude."

Your brother has been really into all kinds of Super-max rock and other supervillain based music recently. Unfortunately he's locked his door, as he sings the songs badly.

"All you non-meatbags, we're gonna roll out tonight!" Really badly.

See Issue 03 of the Epic Prequel series, to discover how Squire and Scion worked together to beat this 4 man band of mechanical evil.

rooster707

2016-05-28, 02:08 PM

"As you can see, you are very good at following orders, as expected of a dutiful Squire." He walks towards you, hands clasped behind his back. "But a Paladin, is more than just a follower. A Paladin must be able to make decisions on the field, to inspire and lead." He stands right behind you, his voice almost sinister, yet still without emotion, through his metal helm.

"Perhaps you are too meek to take after me after all."

Paladin is using his influence to tell you who you are. He's saying you lack leadership qualities, and are far too meek. He's raising your Mundane and decreasing your Superior. If you don't accept what he's saying, roll to reject Influence.

"Vigil's plan was effective, so I followed it." Squire said, keeping his eyes on his work with some effort. "And it worked, didn't it? Just because I can be a leader doesn't mean I should be in charge all the time."

Hey you said you wanted drama man!
I should really learn to keep my mouth shut.

Rolling to reject influence. [roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-05-28, 02:20 PM

gremlin-pult

2016-05-28, 02:23 PM

Knowing that his brother at least hadn't left the house, Vigil took a moment to switch into everyday clothing, and put his costume in a backpack, covered with some other clothes in case someone decided to glance into the pack.
"Nico!" Anton yelled over the sound of the music, banging on the door. "Turn that crap of and get into your practice clothes. We're running late!"He listened closely for the sound of his brother's window opening. Since the brat had snuck out the window a month ago, Anton had made sure to tinker a bit with the windowframe so it sat a bit askew. It made it a bit harder to open, and more importantly, it made an ungodly loud screeching noise when it was opened wide enough for someone, for example a 12 year old kid, to squeeze through. "Don't even think about trying anything. I'm not in the mood for any bull today, and you know I'll kick down the door if I have to."

Anyr

2016-05-28, 02:41 PM

Julia blinked. She hadn't expected her teasing to get that much of a reaction. Things suddenly felt a bit awkward.

"Um, okay? I...guess I'll see you later."

Not knowing what else to say, she waved goodbye to her departing friend. Damn it, she shouldn't have joked about romance. It'd just reminded Vigil of his scarring. That had to be what had got him so agitated. With a sigh, Julia faded from view. It'd all been going so well.

Seconds later, she reappeared in her tiny apartment. Julia had moved out of her parents' house at an early age: Ostensibly because she wanted her own space. In reality, though, she was afraid of accidentally hurting them. Better to keep her distance. Julia floated aimlessly around the room for a while: Eventually coming to rest on the ceiling. Now that the excitement was over (for now), she didn't have anything to do. It was way too early to approach Scion again. Maybe she should give Counterspell a call...

rooster707

2016-05-28, 07:07 PM

Squire
You failed the roll. Mark potential, then shift your labels as I said before, and mark a condition of your choice.

"It's on thing to say you can be a leader. But it rings false if you never prove yourself." He walks away and heads to the table.

"But that is not what I wanted to speak to you about. And it's also why I wanted Counterspell here." The tv changes to a picture of a deranged looking woman in black leather holding guns.

"This is Margret Cho, aka Railgun, a super powered mercenary and occasional assassin. She recieved her powers from the same event that gave counterspell and Converter their powers." [/COLOR]Several CCTV screen shots appear on the screen.

"There have been reports and sightings indicating she's come back to Halycon city. I wanted to find out what he knew about her, in the hopes it may reveal a lead on her target, or objective." He turns to look at you once you finish your repairs.

"What are your thoughts Squire? Any ideas spring to mind? Anything that Counterspell might have said, that could be useful?"

Squire paused for a moment, considering his mentor's words. Maybe he's right. Maybe I don't have what it takes to be a real hero. Maybe I'm just a stupid kid, pretending to be something I'm not...

Focus. Plenty of time for that later.

"Not much. Just that he knew her before they got her powers. Magnetic fields, wasn't it?" Finished reattaching the leg, he joined Paladin at the table. "I'll ask Counterspell about it, but for now..." He accessed the Armory's computer and set its information-gathering protocols to work, looking for data on Railgun in databases around the world. He set it to upload the file to his visor once it was finished, then logged out and began putting his armor back on. "If we're done here, I need to go check in with the team, see what happened with Cryosaur."

Decided to mark Insecure.

Also... wow. Paladin's a lot... creepier than I was imagining him.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-29, 04:14 AM

Scion & Counterspell
As you pull out the cube, your father instantly vanishes. The little drone from before flies back into the ceiling. The chalice is still there however, along with whatever of the drink is left.

One of you guys describes what your makeshift kitchen looks like, since you guys are apparently there.

Arcana
As you stare into the ceiling, your phone rings. If your phone has a caller ID function, or it's your mobile the caller is:
Your Father.

What do you do? Ignore him? Call up Counterspell? Do something else?

Squire
Paladin is quiet as you log the files. Once you put your armor, he calls out, "Here." He tosses you something which you easily catch. It's a portable extinguisher, like the one you used earlier. "13." He states.

"Remember, you saved 13 lives today. It's easy to lose track of that number. Most heroes only remember the other number." He says, his voice actually sombre, maybe a trace of emotion.

He then turns and heads back to the forge.

"Proceed to deal with Cryosaur as you see fit. I expect your judgement to be sound, if you choose to use it."

Vigil
You hear your brother swear. Then you hear the music turn up.

"Post Singularity, filthy humanity will be a rarity," Johnny Crank raps out from the speakers. Suddenly you hear a loud SQUEEEEK sound from his room.

"Blasted window!" Your brother calls out. "Meatbag, you'll never take me alive!" The squeeking continues as the window opens.

Anyr

2016-05-29, 04:38 AM

Julia levitated the phone from her pocket, and glanced at the screen. Ah, Dad again. Her parents made a point of calling often. They liked to catch up, chat, and cajole her into visiting more often. She loved them both very much: Which was exactly why she stayed so far away. After taking a moment to compose herself (and put on her hands-free earpiece), Julia answered the call.

"Hi Dad! What's up?"

CoreBrute23

2016-05-29, 05:11 AM

Arcanan
"Oh Julie Berry, thank God. It's ok she picked up!" You hear your father call out relief.

"I told you she was fine, stop being a worry worth." You hear your mother call from the background.

"I was being a worry worth, I can't help it when it comes to my Julie Berry." You hear your father admit. " Are you ok honey? I heard from one of my co-workers that you and your friends fought off a supervillain near Titan TransNational. He'd been taken away to the hospital to be treated for some burns. He didn't mention what sort of fire villain were you facing, and I was worried you might have been burnt too." He asked concerned.

"Was it the Bloody Pyre? She once caused a bonfire in downtown, when she lost control of her powers. Did she break out again?"

Anyr

2016-05-29, 05:21 AM

Julia froze. For a while, her end of the line was silent. Then, finally, she spoke.

"...It was an ice villain. The fire was mine."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-29, 06:33 AM

Arcana

"Oh...oh honey I'm sorry, I didn't know." Your father says confused. There is some fumbling on the other end, before your mum speaks.

"Julia. Stay calm. This was not your fault." Your mother says cautiously. "I know you still have difficulty controlling your powers, so please do not get upset. However," There's hesitation as she cautiously asks, "Do you feel that your friends are actually helping you, control your powers?" You can hear your dad in the background say,

"What are you talking about? You don't mean-"

"Julia, there's a school in the city. A private school. They are well known for being able to teach students with...abilities. Do you think, something like that might be something you could be interested in?"

Anyr

2016-05-29, 07:15 AM

Not her fault? Of course it was her fault. Despite her mother's urging for calm, Julia could feel her breath quickening. The memory of those burnt people refused to vanish. The ceiling on which she sat started to ripple, like the waters of a lake. With an effort, Julia willed the surface back to solidity. She needed to be careful.

"Mom, we've been over this before. My friends have been a huge help. I'd be ten times worse if it weren't for them. Being caged up in some school wouldn't solve anything. I'd just end up smashing the cage..."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-29, 07:28 AM

Arcana

"I know honey, but this is different. The school isn't a boarding school, you could still live in your apartment-"

"Or come home anytime you want honey!" Dad quickly interjects.

"Would you please at least speak to a representative? I met her while doing some research, and she mentioned how much the school could help. Would you please consider it?" Before you can respond she adds, "Oh I'm sorry, we've got an appointment, I'll text you her number, just please consider it?"

"Love you Julie Bean!" You hear your father say before the phone clicks off.

The telephone number pings into your inbox within a few moments.

What do you do?

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-29, 07:37 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Scion's face shifted quickly as he walked through the dimly light corridor towards Epic's makeshift mess hall. He was used to bottling up his emotions, there were very few people who could really get through his thick skin, and while Counter's nature made him infuriating to be around, at times it could be fun.

He just hoped that Sebastian had been far enough away not to hear his discussion with his dad, hologram? Or his mention of Jules and their ... his facade almost wavered, he took a moment and by the time he rounded the corner he was his old self again.

They had never really discovered the true nature of the room they used as the kitchen, there was a large clear topped table, with six chairs around it, the walls of the room contained large holo-screens that Squire had jury rigged, he had removed some of the comm panels to accept human standard media devices. So they had access to news stations, and could run movies through the Blu-Ray on the P.S. 4 that he had hooked up for them.

They'd set up a microwave and mini fridge, and connected it to the power cabling that ran through the panels, and those were at a work station of some sort in the far corner. He saw Seb putting away some grub, but his eyes went wide when he saw the steaming box at the center of the table. "Seb, my saviour! Pizza Planet?" He walked over lifting the lid of the pizza box, "Triple Cheese, Pepperoni, and Banana Peppers? Hell yeah! Toss me a Power Boost man?"

He clicked on the cable unit that routed Network transmissions to the Warbird ...

...outside the Trans National Building, the scene of a conflict between Cryosaur, his Cold Constructs and the teenage terrors known as Epic. Paladin and the Guardians have yet to comment on the disastrous battle which left ...

... <click> ...

He hit the power on the PlayStation.

"So, wanna go a round in Mutant Mayhem, you whipped me last time, but Sluggo is back for revenge?"

Anyr

2016-05-29, 07:52 AM

"Love you too..."

Julia sat in silence for a minute. That call hadn't exactly eased her stress level. Glancing down, she noticed that the TV screen had several new cracks in it. There was a reason why she only bought cheap appliances. Once she'd gotten herself back under control, Julia picked up the phone again: Though not to call that school representative. That particular number would probably sit unread in her inbox forever. No, Julia needed a different kind of therapy right now.

Elsewhere, Counterspell's phone would get a text message.

[Really need to unwind. Wanna do something?]

Razade

2016-05-29, 02:20 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Scion's face shifted quickly as he walked through the dimly light corridor towards Epic's makeshift mess hall. He was used to bottling up his emotions, there were very few people who could really get through his thick skin, and while Counter's nature made him infuriating to be around, at times it could be fun.

He just hoped that Sebastian had been far enough away not to hear his discussion with his dad, hologram? Or his mention of Jules and their ... his facade almost wavered, he took a moment and by the time he rounded the corner he was his old self again.

They had never really discovered the true nature of the room they used as the kitchen, there was a large clear topped table, with six chairs around it, the walls of the room contained large holo-screens that Squire had jury rigged, he had removed some of the comm panels to accept human standard media devices. So they had access to news stations, and could run movies through the Blu-Ray on the P.S. 4 that he had hooked up for them.

They'd set up a microwave and mini fridge, and connected it to the power cabling that ran through the panels, and those were at a work station of some sort in the far corner. He saw Seb putting away some grub, but his eyes went wide when he saw the steaming box at the center of the table. "Seb, my saviour! Pizza Planet?" He walked over lifting the lid of the pizza box, "Triple Cheese, Pepperoni, and Banana Peppers? Hell yeah! Toss me a Power Boost man?"

He clicked on the cable unit that routed Network transmissions to the Warbird ...

... <click> ...

He hit the power on the PlayStation.

"So, wanna go a round in Mutant Mayhem, you whipped me last time, but Sluggo is back for revenge?"

Sebastian is quietly putting food and general supplies away as he tidies up the makeshift mess hall, only offering a glance back at Scion as he hurries his work though at least complies with tossing a large can of soda at the Utopian. He seems about to say something until the news clicks on, and then promptly off, finally turning to lock eyes with the other super as he rests back against a makeshift counter. "Why'd you not take Squire with you when you left?" he asks softly, even calmly, as he levels his usual intense gaze on Scion. He's about to continue before a musical trill echos from his jacket, the practiced hand reaching for his phone, eyes darting down at the screen only for a moment.

Elsewhere, Counterspell's phone would get a text message.

[Really need to unwind. Wanna do something?]

"Huhh...I thought you'd be with her..." he offers, lifting the screen with an almost unnaturally pleased smirk. "How about we play a different game....Sluggo..."

gremlin-pult

2016-05-29, 03:02 PM

Vigil
You hear your brother swear. Then you hear the music turn up.

"Post Singularity, filthy humanity will be a rarity," Johnny Crank raps out from the speakers. Suddenly you hear a loud SQUEEEEK sound from his room.

"Blasted window!" Your brother calls out. "Meatbag, you'll never take me alive!" The squeeking continues as the window opens.

At the sound of his brother's escape attempt, Anton breathed a deep, weary sigh. He then sprinted to the end of the hall, opened the window, and jumped down the side of the house. At this side of the house no one would see him jump, and he would reach the ground a damn sight faster than Nico. He ran around the corner of the building, just in time to grab his brother by the scruff of his neck as he finished his climb down.
"That was a gutsy move, lil' bro. But perhaps not the wisest." He said, smiling at the boy and talking in a deceptively mild voice. Nico knew very well that the calm voice was not a good sign.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-29, 04:22 PM

Razade

2016-05-29, 04:36 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

As Sebastian asks about Squire, Galan drops the 2nd Player controller on the table, "I was in a pretty p1$$y mood, I mean Cryosaur's ice sculpture took a chunk out of me, and then when Jules melts the f^%#3r, the press turn on us like we're the bad guys. It was messed man, so I just took off to clear my head." He paused, looked a Seb carefully, "Why you askin'? He p1$$ you off again?"

Unconvincingly Galan tried to pretend that he didn't hear the comment about being with 'her', though he was wary when Seb got that $h1t eatting grin. "What kind of game?" He asked cautiously ...

"Oh, only stopped me from putting those jerks in their place. Nothing major." Sebastian slowly stands straight, tucking his phone away. "Real simple game buddy. Why you look so worried! Come on pal." he laughs, holding up his now empty hands though the grin persists. "Julia seems pretty stressed, I think we're all worried when that happens. I was thinking I'd take her to this noodle place, real out of the way. But what if I took her somewhere you could find easily. Ya know, set up a nice little quiet date for you. Course...my services ain't cheap buddy.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-29, 05:11 PM

Razade

2016-05-29, 05:30 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Suddenly Scion looked self conscious, nervous even, for someone who was able to toss a car a mile our more out into the Bay, and was virtually impervious to gunfire, it was an odd look for him. "I, uhhh," a long pause, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I mean, I kinda, put Vigil through a wall." He looked around, like a man looking for an exit from a difficult situation, "Yeah, it was a $h1t day all around ..."

"Did you? Pushing your squeeze's best friend through a wall doesn't sound like the best way to woo them now does it?" Sebastian lowers his arms, still seeming much too relaxed for his usual self. "You don't have @#$! to worry about, I'm not going to tell Julia you wanna...do Utopians do it like us lowly humans? You don't have like mandibles down there do you? That seems more a hurdle than a scuffle. Guess it doesn't matter, I don't really wanna know. I'm going to go get some noodles with Julia though. Tub of ice cream in the fridge, it's all melted but if you wanna watch some chick flicks and cry give it an hour to set. Unless you got something else to say, I'm gonna head out."

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-29, 06:03 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

As Seb segued into a crude comment about Utopian Human relations Galan crinkled his nose, "Seriously? Get out. Have fun. Whatever." As Seb turned towards the tele-portal, Galan softened slightly, "Just, make sure she's ok, alright?"

Checking to see that the holo-cube was still secured he grabbed another slice of Planet Pizza and scarfed it down by the time he hit the airlock. He let the cool waters of the Bay surround him, once clear of the Warbird he shot upwards through the water, breaking the surface, and rapidly climbing into the evening sky. By the time he landed by the big oak at the rear of the house he was already dry.

He opened the back door, took his shoes off, and called out tentatively, "Mom? I, uhhh, could we talk?"

Razade

2016-05-29, 06:20 PM

Counterspell
Conditions: Angry, Guilty, Insecure

"You need to lighten up Scion." Sebastian quips as he steps onto one of the teleportation plates, disappearing in the blue light back to...well where ever those sorts of things generally place them. He quickly pulls out his phone, typing away.

[Know a cool little place, real low key. E-mailing you address. Will meet you there.]

He quickly sends the message before walking out into the city towards the aforementioned restaurant.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-29, 10:23 PM

Vigil

As you grab your brother he starts figeting. "You can't stop a rock star!" Then you start speaking in your cool calm voice, and he immediately freezes.

"Mom said you weren't allowed to use the serial killer voice with me." He said meekly.

He eventually gets dressed in his sport gear, and you take him to soccer practice. You see the training seems to be in full swing, all the other kids are running up and down the field. Nico blanches at the sight of it. Then a familiar voice sneers behind you.

"Well well, how gracious of you to join us." You turn to see the smug face of your arch rival Cryos no worse than that.

Marty Richardson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8voV8mV3Zk&feature=youtu.be). With a whistle around his neck, he appears to be coaching the kids. "And Anton, what a unexpected delight to see you." He notes in a tone that implies it is anything but.

"Anyway, i think you should take young Nico home. I do not appreciate tardiness in my athlethes." Nico frowns.

"Wait, but I came, I came! Come on assistant coach!"

Counterspell and Arcana
You both arrive at about the same time at Squiggle's Noodles, a fairly off the beaten path noodle bar. There are a few people inside, enjoying the specialty noodles, special because most of the ingredients are imported from Alpha Centuri. the owner Squiggle apparently is trying to continue his galactic wide franchise here on earth. He claims it's step 15 in his plan for domination of the universe, but so far all he's done is make really good noodles.

Squiggle himself greets you at the door. He's a yellow 4 armed blobular fellow dressed in a chef's outfit, and holding two spatulas.

http://indiehaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/chef-300x200.jpg

"Oh Bonjour Hello little earthlings! Aren't you a lovely couple. Please have a seat, have seat." He takes you over to a table near the window, which is also across to the flat screen TV. Currently it's showing some alien music show. You think it's a music show, although it just seems like the judges are setting the contestants on fire.

"What can I get you? The special? Special is very good. Yes I'll get special indeed." And he leaves you two alone, already hurrying to make your specials.

Scion

You arrive back home and see your mother is on the couch, lying back exhausted. She looks up as you walk in and stands up quickly.

"Hi honey." She sees the look on your face and says quickly, "Of course Galan. You can tell me anything."

Scion

Where you heading? It's a bit later in the day, and no one's in the HQ.

Razade

2016-05-29, 11:47 PM

[SIZE=5]Counterspell and Arcana
You both arrive at about the same time at Squiggle's Noodles, a fairly off the beaten path noodle bar. There are a few people inside, enjoying the specialty noodles, special because most of the ingredients are imported from Alpha Centuri. the owner Squiggle apparently is trying to continue his galactic wide franchise here on earth. He claims it's step 15 in his plan for domination of the universe, but so far all he's done is make really good noodles.

Squiggle himself greets you at the door. He's a yellow 4 armed blobular fellow dressed in a chef's outfit, and holding two spatulas.

http://indiehaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/chef-300x200.jpg

"Oh Bonjour Hello little earthlings! Aren't you a lovely couple. Please have a seat, have seat." He takes you over to a table near the window, which is also across to the flat screen TV. Currently it's showing some alien music show. You think it's a music show, although it just seems like the judges are setting the contestants on fire.

"What can I get you? The special? Special is very good. Yes I'll get special indeed." And he leaves you two alone, already hurrying to make your specials.

Counterspell
Conditions: Angry, Guilty, Insecure

Sebastian offers a quick greeting to Arcana when he spots her, slipping into the restaurant after her. "This place is kinda eccentric." he whispers softly before they're greeted by the alien, only offering Arcana a sheepish glance as they're sat, fidgeting with a pair of chop sticks as they seem to be wrapped up in the being's pace. "You wanna beer? Can probably trick him into giving us a couple."

Anyr

2016-05-30, 12:00 AM

Razade

2016-05-30, 12:05 AM

Julia had never eaten Alpha Centauri noodles before. See, this was why she hung out with Sebastian: He was always introducing her to interesting new things. She sat down beside him, and drank in the local atmosphere. The offer of a beer got reluctantly waved away.

"I'd better not. The first and only time I got drunk, it...well, let's just say it went badly."

"Then do you mind if I drink for both of us? Today is a drinking day I think." Sebastian asks with a hopeful smile, leaning back in his seat as he seems to finally unwind and relax. "I don't want to leave you alone with a slobbering drunk is all. I'll behave myself promise." he murmurs, continuing to fidget with his chop sticks as he discreetly tries to give Arcana a once over to make sure she wasn't actually hurt in the fight earlier that afternoon. "I uh...got a couple new CDs I think you'd like to listen to, didn't have a lot of time at the bird before you texted me."

Anyr

2016-05-30, 12:22 AM

Razade

2016-05-30, 12:31 AM

"Be my guest. I'd hate to spoil your good time."

Julia wasn't worried. Despite Sebastian's reputation as a troublemaker, she'd found him to be good company. He could be remarkably considerate when the cameras were pointed elsewhere. Julia could already feel her stress diminishing. It was nice to just talk and hang out with a teammate. No drama, no weird feelings: Just good food and good company; And good CDs, apparently.

"Hey, thanks. The last ones you gave me were really relaxing. So long as I have music like that, the world is safe for another day..."

"I don't want to spoil your good time either." Sebastian laughs, trying to flag down someone to see if he could talk them (nicely) into a few beers. "Oh ya know...I could give you a lot more if you didn't worry so much..." He quickly points his chopsticks at Arcana, a frown threatening to form. "No. No. You stop that right @#$!ing now. You're not a danger to anyone but yourself if you keep thinking that dude. I'm not going to sit here watching you beat yourself up, could have stayed with Squire after the fight if I wanted that."

Here goes nothing. Trying to Comfort Arcana.

[roll0]

Anyr

2016-05-30, 01:19 AM

Razade

2016-05-30, 01:25 AM

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. Feel free to hit me with a rolled up newspaper if I do that again.

And please, don't go. I know it may seem like we're not all that close; But you give me something that the others don't. Scion always pulls me into the heavy stuff; And Vigil and I have a...complicated relationship. But you and me? We're just a couple of idiots who like to hang out. You have no idea how much I need that sometimes."

"I wasn't...it was just a figure of speech." Sebastian huffs, wagging the chopsticks at Arcana again in mock-menace. Of all team she was the only one he actually felt he knew the best, even more than Vigil. They also had the most in common, in his mind at least, even if he never dared bring it up. He listens all the same, nodding a little though can't help an inward smirk at the mention of Scion. "I'm always just a phone call away man. I uh...I know I don't always show it but I do care ya know? Boys are dumb, we're both better off without them. Now I am going to insist you share a beer with me and take one step towards...towards just forgiving yourself and having fun. You hear me Miss?"

Anyr

2016-05-30, 01:36 AM

A smile spread across Julia's face. Yes, this trip was exactly what she needed right now.

"...Okay, one beer."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 01:39 AM

As if on cue, Squiggle appears quickly, putting some plates of tantalizing noodles on the table.

"On my planet, drinking starts as zygote." He says, one of his eye stalks winking at Counterspell, before weaving around and winking at Arcana. He then puts two beers down in front of you, some local brew. "Just saying." He turns and hurries back into the kitchen.

As you guys enjoy the noodle, Counterspell you notice a couple of girls on the table nearby look at you before whispering to each other. They look down at their phones, before looking at you with fear, and maybe disgust.

"Yeah that's him, that meta supremacist."

"Let's move Shelly, before he sees us, or gets one of his 'Epic' friends to set us on fire." The two stand up to head to a different table.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-05-30, 01:57 AM

A smile spread across Julia's face. Yes, this trip was exactly what she needed right now.

"...Okay, one beer."

"THAT'S what I'm talkin 'bout!!"

As if on cue, Squiggle appears quickly, putting some plates of tantalizing noodles on the table.

"On my planet, drinking starts as zygote." He says, one of his eye stalks winking at Counterspell, before weaving around and winking at Arcana. He then puts two beers down in front of you, some local brew. "Just saying." He turns and hurries back into the kitchen.

As you guys enjoy the noodle, Counterspell you notice a couple of girls on the table nearby look at you before whispering to each other. They look down at their phones, before looking at you with fear, and maybe disgust.

"Yeah that's him, that meta supremacist."

"Let's move Shelly, before he sees us, or gets one of his 'Epic' friends to set us on fire." The two stand up to head to a different table.

What do you do?

Sebastian quickly thanks Squiggles with a low bow of his head, raising his glass once they're left to their food. "A toast, for the sad mother!@##ers who aren't expecting us tonight!" he hoots, clinking glasses with Arcana loudly before taking a long drink, pausing only when he hears the girls speak. Where this any other night, one without Arcana in company, he'd be the first o uproot a table and probably do something disastrously stupid. That wasn't this night and it certainly wasn't the disaster he was going to cause, merely chugging the rest of the beer down in an impressive two gulps. "Another!" he shouts a little tersely despite himself, his ears blushing even as he ties to keep himself restrained. "P-Please...O-Oh...Arcana...I should warn you the uh...the special is really spicy so...just take it easy..."

Figure since Counterspell already chewed Arcana off and blew off the remaining steam, he's left with just Insecure and Guilty...and doesn't wanna stick his foot in it. He'd have probably done something stupid if he hadn't cleared Angry

Anyr

2016-05-30, 02:14 AM

Razade

2016-05-30, 02:19 AM

Julia likewise had to restrain herself. The urge to pull some magical prank on those girls was strong. But as always, the image of Vigil's scarred face kept her on the right path. No more pranks, ever. Instead she just clinked glasses, sipped her drink (since it was the only one she'd get), and tried to relax. The sight of Sebastian getting drunk certainly helped in that regard.

"Warning duly noted. And please, call me Julia; Or Julie; Or Jules; Or one of the dozen other variations out there. Everyone seems to have their own."

"O-Oh I..wouldn't want to be rude. The rest of you guys have normal lives ya know? Still trying to figure out which of you all try to keep it seperate. I-I'll work on it, Julia. We should really do this more often, there's a club on the waterfront that uh...well you'd probably think it's too racy but I'm marking it as my mission to get you there now. They paint everything with UV paint, it gets pretty wild." Sebastian, for what it matters, seems to handle the special Alpha Centuri noodles with surprising fortitude even as sweat starts to bead at his brow as he slrups his food up noisily as is typically his costume with such meals.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 02:29 AM

Counterspell

As you struggle past the unusual, yet powerful spice, the world feels like it starts to slow down. For a moment you wonder if Squiggle had put something in your noodles again, but then you realize what's going on.

Your adrenaline is pumped up, and you sense powerfull kinetic charged projectile hurtling straight to your direction, from somewhere outside the restaurant, through the window. More specifically, you think they are heading straight at Julia.

You only have a moment to act.

If you want to protect Arcana, roll Defend, which is Savior I believe. Or if you just want to keep yourself safe, with no concern for Arcana's safety there's no need to roll. Just describe how you duck out of the way.

If Counterspell fails to get a hit, or chooses not to save you, roll to take a powerful blow.

Razade

2016-05-30, 02:37 AM

Sebastian bursts into action in the split second he needs to figure out what's going, suddenly diving across the table towards Julia to knock her down. "God dammit!!"

I was one week from retirement!

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 02:42 AM

Safe! ish.

So do you

expose yourself to danger
or escalate the situation? (Probably means using your powers)

Choose one of these options:
● add a team to the pool
● take Influence over someone you protect (That would be Arcana, influence you don't have)
● clear a condition (I think you can clear your own Counterspell)

Anyr

2016-05-30, 03:10 AM

"Ha, good luck getting me into a place like thaaagh!"

One moment, Julia had been enjoying a nice drink with her teammate; And the next, said teammate decided to hurl himself at her. Julia and her chair fell backwards, in a flurry of flailing limbs. They were followed down by Sebastian, and a torrent of cold beer. The stunned Mage found herself horizontal, soaking wet, and pinned beneath a guy who was way too heavy.

"Wha-wha-wha-What?!"

Razade

2016-05-30, 03:29 AM

Counterspell
Conditions: Guilty

Sebastian lets out a loud grunt as they hit the floor, glancing down at Arcana with a shrug. "Anyone ever tell you you've got real pretty eyes?" he quips though is quickly on his feet and in a defensive position. "You need to run Arcana. Get everyone out the back, even Squiggles. Now."

Anyr

2016-05-30, 03:54 AM

Arcana's confusion quickly faded. Sebastian hadn't spontaneously decided to test out his football tackles on her: They were just under attack by a supervillain. Same old, same old. This situation was depressingly familiar to the Supers of Halcyon City. It seemed as if every casual outing had a 50/50 chance of turning into a fight scene. Arcana prepared to destroy whatever villain had dared to damage such an exemplary noodle restaurant: When her teammate stopped her. She gaped at him.

"I need to run? Shouldn't you be the one-"

She stopped. No, Counterspell was right. This area was too confined and populated for her brand of fighting. She'd just end up causing yet another disaster. With a reluctant nod, Arcana ran towards the rear exit. Her voice called out to any lingering civilians.

"Come on people, let's go! Everyone follow me!"

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 04:22 AM

Counterspell

As the inhabitants of the noodle bar flee, (including it's chef who keeps tittering, "Those supervillain insurance premiums pay for themselves") Counterspell finds himself alone in the restaurant, as a familiar voice calls out to him.

"Sebby? My how you've grown." Railgun smiles as she flips down from her rooftop, landing neatly on the ground, before casually walking towards you, her guns in hand.

"It's been so long, did you miss your Aunty Margret?" Then with a fast movement she pulls out one of her gun and fires. You dodge easily, before realizing it wasn't for you. Her kinetic energy bounced the bullet through the kitchen window.

Suddenly a massive explosion from inside sends you sprawling on the ground, luckily mostly uninjured.

"Oh no need to get up. I'm just here to grab that little battery with the pretty legs. You mind telling Aunty where it is?" She has her gun pointed towards you nonchallantly, and isn't holding the trigger, but you know that could change in an instant.

Arcana

You manage to get the restaurant goers outside. Just as you do, you hear the explosion from inside. The others look scared.

"We need to, to I don't know call the police, call the Guardians, call the army!" One of the girls who bad mouthed you starts panicking. You feel a comforting blobular arm on your shoulder.

"Do not worry miss." Squiggle states. "Your love mate is a, oh what did they call them on this planet? A bad Mother Clucker. He has blown up 3 of my restaurants before, he will be fine."

Razade

2016-05-30, 04:30 AM

Counterspell

As the inhabitants of the noodle bar flee, (including it's chef who keeps tittering, "Those supervillain insurance premiums pay for themselves") Counterspell finds himself alone in the restaurant, as a familiar voice calls out to him.

"Sebby? My how you've grown." Railgun smiles as she flips down from her rooftop, landing neatly on the ground, before casually walking towards you, her guns in hand.

"It's been so long, did you miss your Aunty Margret?" Then with a fast movement she pulls out one of her gun and fires. You dodge easily, before realizing it wasn't for you. Her kinetic energy bounced the bullet through the kitchen window.

Suddenly a massive explosion from inside sends you sprawling on the ground, luckily mostly uninjured.

"Oh no need to get up. I'm just here to grab that little battery with the pretty legs. You mind telling Aunty where it is?" She has her gun pointed towards you nonchallantly, and isn't holding the trigger, but you know that could change in an instant.

Sebastian rolls onto his stomach with the explosion, slowly bracing his hands down against the ground. "Oh look at you, big tough gal." he spits at Railgun's feet, eyes glaring up with fury. "Yeah, I know where she is. She's right behind you and she's pretty damn mad at you."

Can I use a move? If so I want to use Are you Watching Closely.

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 04:35 AM

"What, damn teleporting witches," She turns around in an instant, gun out. "Huh? What invisibility too? That's just op."
It works! Choose 3 of the options from the playbook.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-30, 04:35 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He was a little nervous, he had expected a lecture, something like that, perhaps he even wanted one. "I, just, it's been a weird day." He slumped down on the couch beside his mother, he started softly, "I got a piece taken out of my by Cryosaur's Kyurem-looking buddy, the press make us look like a bunch of idiots and start blaming Jules for everything, I tell 'em off and leave, she follows."

He looks at his mother, she's her single eyebrow arched dangerously, "Oh, yeah, that was Jules that I told you about."

"I gathered." She left a long pause, so her son continued.

"She seems happy sad, but she gives me a hug that just ... wow." A long pause, a goofy smile, "That took me by surprise, I totally wasn't expecting that. Then, then we get your text and come back here ... and ... and ... I lose it on her best friend." She notes the pain on her sons face.

"His words hurt didn't they?" He nodded, silently, "Because they were true?"

He sniffed, "Maybe?"

"Then prove him wrong Galan. You can be the better man."

He nodded, tried to blink away the tears, his mother's rock solid faith in him always amazed him. "Dad thinks so too."

Just taking some narrative control with the conversation, up to the mentioning my dad moment. You seem to be ok with that to a point, let me know if you'd like me to edit the scene.

Razade

2016-05-30, 04:42 AM

"What, damn teleporting witches," She turns around in an instant gun out. "Huh? What invisibility too? That's just op."
It works! Choose 3 of the options from the playbook.

"Yeah..." Sebastian growls darkly as he lifts to his feet. "I hang out with some real !@#&ing monsters. I'm almost not the scariest one of the bunch, small margins. She's escaping down the main road, if she meets up with the rest of the team you're down for the count, you better get going Auntie. You don't want to meet our tank. If you think me dropping a building on you was a bad day you're in for a real nightmare. But lets catch up some time real soon, there's this cute boy with a butt like a heart I am just gushing to tell you about. Was about to tell my friend but you sort of threw a...was that a jeep? Anyway, I know it's no use running. I'll be a good boy and stay right here if you wanna kill me."

Going to take

Confuse them for some time
Avoid further entanglement
Get an opportunity

Anyr

2016-05-30, 04:43 AM

"Do not worry miss." Squiggle states. "Your love mate is a, oh what did they call them on this planet? A bad Mother Clucker. He has blown up 3 of my restaurants before, he will be fine."

Oh, so the owner didn't mind? That was one less problem to worry abou-Wait, 'love mate'?!

"Oh no, don't get the wrong idea about us. We're just friends!"

Arcana belatedly realised that now was not the time to be talking about this. She gestured to her 'fellow' civilians.

"B-but never mind that! We need to keep moving. Everyone, get as far away from this mess as you can!"

So saying, she ran for the nearest alley. Of course, this was just a ruse. Once the others lost sight of her, she'd don her costume and teleport back to the restaurant. Counterspell might need backup.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 06:11 AM

Are you trying to provoke Railgun into running away? If so, roll Superior.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-30, 07:59 AM

Vigil

As you grab your brother he starts figeting. "You can't stop a rock star!" Then you start speaking in your cool calm voice, and he immediately freezes.

"Mom said you weren't allowed to use the serial killer voice with me." He said meekly.

He eventually gets dressed in his sport gear, and you take him to soccer practice. You see the training seems to be in full swing, all the other kids are running up and down the field. Nico blanches at the sight of it. Then a familiar voice sneers behind you.

"Well well, how gracious of you to join us." You turn to see the smug face of your arch rival Cryos no worse than that.

Marty Richardson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8voV8mV3Zk&feature=youtu.be). With a whistle around his neck, he appears to be coaching the kids. "And Anton, what a unexpected delight to see you." He notes in a tone that implies it is anything but.

"Anyway, i think you should take young Nico home. I do not appreciate tardiness in my athlethes." Nico frowns.

"Wait, but I came, I came! Come on assistant coach!"

"Listen here, I am not in the mood you pompous..." Anton started, but then stopped himself. raising a hand and taking a deep breath, he calmed himself before continuing. "Ok, Richardson. For one, being late today was my fault, not his. I got into some trouble earlier today. Second, we pay good money for Nico's lessons, just like everyone else, and you and I both know you don't have the authority to exclude him from practice without a better reason than tardiness. So you're gonna let Nico play, I'm gonna leave and find something to do until it's time for Nico and me to go home, and you're gonna keep the little hateboner you have for me far away from my brother. Understood? Good." He said.
He then locked gazes with Nico, and sent him a little smile. "Ok, I'll see you later, tiny. And just so you know, we ARE gonna have a talk about the kind of music you listen to."

I figure that making Marty let Nico play is a Provoke attempt, since I'm basically browbeating him into stopping his deuchiness against my brother. So I'll roll one.

[roll0]

As he walked away from the thoroughly out-worded Marty, noting with great satisfaction how he could only sputter angrily because He knew Anton was right, Anton stretched his arms above his head. That made him feel quite a bit better.
Seriously though, I can't believe Nico listens to that rebellious robot crap... He thought idly, then chuckled to himself. Well, at least he has no clue about my music career. If he knew I not only listened to that music a few years back, but performed it too, AND got quite popular... He'd never listen to any of my instructions again. The Burning Beasts... Man, our naming sense sucked! Then again we were 14-15 and full of piss and vinegar.
He thought back to the music days with a mix of fondness and irritation. He could see now what a bunch of pretentious deuchebags they'd been, but the gigs had been fun. They'd played inquite a few local clubs, wearing their ridiculous costumes. He worn a ragged robe, and a stylized opera mask that covered the non-burned side of his face. After all, he'd been the Burned Boy, lead guitar and singer of the band. He'd only stopped when he decided to take up the hero career, since the whole idea for him was that his normal identity did not get much attention.
Hah, those were pretty good times. I wonder what those crazy bastards are up to these days...

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 08:21 AM

Scion

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He was a little nervous, he had expected a lecture, something like that, perhaps he even wanted one. "I, just, it's been a weird day." He slumped down on the couch beside his mother, he started softly, "I got a piece taken out of my by Cryosaur's Kyurem-looking buddy, the press make us look like a bunch of idiots and start blaming Jules for everything, I tell 'em off and leave, she follows."

He looks at his mother, she's her single eyebrow arched dangerously, "Oh, yeah, that was Jules that I told you about."

"I gathered." She left a long pause, so her son continued.

"She seems happy sad, but she gives me a hug that just ... wow." A long pause, a goofy smile, "That took me by surprise, I totally wasn't expecting that. Then, then we get your text and come back here ... and ... and ... I lose it on her best friend." She notes the pain on her sons face.

"His words hurt didn't they?" He nodded, silently, "Because they were true?"

He sniffed, "Maybe?"

"Then prove him wrong Galan. You can be the better man."

He nodded, tried to blink away the tears, his mother's rock solid faith in him always amazed him. "Dad thinks so too."

Just taking some narrative control with the conversation, up to the mentioning my dad moment. You seem to be ok with that to a point, let me know if you'd like me to edit the scene.

I actually get fairly distressed when players start co-opting the NPCs, and control them without my permission, especially when you are making them say things. It's difficult enough for me to give personalities when I didn't originally create these characters, but it becomes harder when I can't control what they say.

Please don't do this again. Leave it as is for now, I'll make it work this time, but don't speak for the NPCs in the future.

Your mother looks like she's about to say something, when your words stun her.

"Your dad?" She stands up quickly. "What do you mean your dad said-ooh." She starts to stumble, and falls to her knee. "I feel light headed suddenly. I must have lain down too long." She looks around, as if confused. "What were we talking about?" She stands up again.

"Right. Your team mates. Specifically Vigil. You could have killed him Galan." She gets up in your face, her hands on her hips. He is not as strong as you, and you should know better. Lashing out is not how I raised you. You need to be more considerate of others. You can't just think about your own feelings alright?"

She is using her influence on you, to tell you who you are (technically should be). Increase Mundane by 1 and decrease danger by 1 if you agree. Or roll to reject.

Vigil

Marty glares at you through clenched teeth, frustrated that he can't argue against him. Nico sticks his tongue out at Marty, which causes the coach to glare at him.

"Why you so smug? For the next 45 minutes, you're in my kingdom pawn." Nico's face drops in fear. "Now start running, you've got a lot of burpies to do to catch up with the others!" Nico runs onto the field, sweating with fear. Marty doesn't look at you, but says as an aside,

"You needn't worry. I know how to separate my feelings from my work Anton. You should know that by now, it's one of the few things we have in common." He pulls out his whistle. "come on you punks move."

Does Marty have influence on you? I sincerely doubt he does, since you are the same age, but it's your call.

If he does have influence, he's trying to tell you who you are, raise your superior by 1 and reduce your mundane by 1, unless you roll to reject.

The practice if about 45 minutes long, what you going to do to pass the time?

Ok so you are walking off. Tell me more about your band. Who was in it? How many of you were there? What instrument did you play?

gremlin-pult

2016-05-30, 08:55 AM

After walking for about 10 minutes, Anton found himself in a small park, where he sat down on a bench.
"Now what am I gonna do for 30 minutes...?" He mumbled to himself. Stretching a bit, he noticed how comfortable he was on this particular bench, and smiled. "Well, I guess I could just sit here and do nothing. Not very often I get the chance for that these days... And maybe think about why I'm talking to myself. That could be something to worry about..."
He sat there, just enjoying the nice day and the light breeze, and eventually ended up singing one of his bands' old songs in a low voice. It was one of the calm ones, from those rare weeks where they decided to sing about something nice instead of war and changing the world. While he'd enjoyed all their music, even if he didn't agree with many of the texts, he'd always enjoyed writing the calm ones the most.

rooster707

2016-05-30, 09:16 AM

"Computer, ready teleport; destination: crashed Warbird. Engage." The blue light enveloped him again, and within moments, he was standing inside the team's makeshift hideout. "Guys? Anyone home?" Squire looked around. "Guess not..." Ooh, pizza! He grabbed a few slices and sat down at the table. Might as well eat before I go back out on patrol...

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-30, 07:01 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

As he mentioned his father, he watched, concerned, as his mother stumbled, almost feinted and was at her side in an instant. Steadying her, she took a moment, recovered and then turned to face him, her disappointment written clear on her face.

"Right. Your team mates. Specifically Vigil. You could have killed him Galan." She gets up in your face, her hands on her hips. He is not as strong as you, and you should know better. Lashing out is not how I raised you. You need to be more considerate of others. You can't just think about your own feelings alright?"

Galan shrugged, looked down at his fight, mumbled an affirmative, "You're right mom, we both know it, I was just so ...," he looked at her again, he had never known her to feint before, he grew concerned, "Look, I'll try harder, I have to, to grow into the man that you and dad always thought I could be right?" He paused a moment, then with a hand on her shoulder he spoke again, "Hey mom, why don't you sit back down, you look real tired."

Galan is real tired of fighting people he cares about today, he'll accept her Influence and shift his Danger down and his Mundane up. What I will do is use Assess the Situation, as I have a feeling all is not well with dear old mom. [roll0]. Aaaand a Miss! I'll mark Potential.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-30, 11:51 PM

Scion

She tries to wave you off half heartedly. "Don't think you can change the subject-" She starts wavering, "You know maybe a lie down might be the ticket." She lies down on the couch. "I really don't know what's wrong with me, my head feel so cloudy and unfocused." She looks up at you and gives a weak smile. "Galan would you mind making me a cup of tea? I think it could do a world of good."

As you turn around to get the tea, you catch a glimpse of a hooded figure looking at you through the window. It sees you, and jolts back, startled. Then you hear a strange sound, before falling to your knees as your most traumatic memory plays out in front of you.
Describe your most traumatic memory. Again it can be done with ghosts like Vigil, or a full on flashback. Since this is the past, you have full narrative control of the sequence. Afterwards, mark as many conditions you feel appropriate to the flashback, minimum 1.

Your eyes finally open to your mother looking at you worried. You're lying down on the floor.

"Galan, honey, thank goodness you are awake. I was so worried." From your position, you can see the hooded figure is nowhere to be seen.

Squire
You are suited up and patrolling around what man call, the cultural district of Halycon City, a large area comprised of art galleries, artistically geo-formed parks, and a variety of museums. Many long running superheroes, or those who have saved the world have their own museums dedicated to their honor, including Flying Freedom and Nucleon.

You remember hearing that Paladin, as one of the top 3 solo heroes currently active in Halycon City, was offered a museum in his honor. Do you remember whether he took them up on the offer?

Regardless you know these museums are constantly under attack by old nemeses, jealous rivals, or the frat monkeys of dimension 25 (those crazy primates will do anything to avoid having to study for their finals).

While you are certain any hero whose museum is targeted will come running, it's important to make sure civilians are safe if an attack occurs.

As you gaze falls past the Halycon Museum of ancient history, suddenly you see a distortion on your monitor. focussing on the museum, you see that the more you stare at the museum, the more distorted your sensors get. It's like something from the museum is distorting electronic sensors.

Which is exactly the kind of thing someone would do if they didn't want to be detected by surveillance cameras.

Vigil
As you relax in the park, thinking of your old rockstar glory days, and start humming you find your voice suddenly cuts out. It's not like you stopped singing, you are still singing. It's just no sound comes from your lungs. The moment passes almost as fast as it came, and you can sing again, but you're paying attention now.

Turning around, your heightened senses notices spots where people's conversations, or the sound of dogs barking or even a hose, become silent for a moment. And it's all connected to that-

Yes you caught it! It's very faint, but there's a shadow on the floor, moving like an eel. Anywhere it touches loses their sound for as long as it's in contact. Most don't notice because it's only for a moment, but you see it.

You see the shadow scurry into the Halycon museum of Ancient History.

Counterspell and Arcana

Railgun turns around to face Counterspell, and smiles.

"Sebby darling I'd love to hear all about that butt, but," She giggled maniacally at her own joke. "Aunty's got some work to do. Thanks for telling me where the battery is by the way." She points her guns at the floor and jumps, before pulling the trigger. Suddenly she shoots up in the air, landing on a roof overlooking the road where Arcana ran off too.

"Now where is it?" She wonders aloud, glancing at all the fleeing civilians, but doesn't seem to have spotted Arcana yet.

You've had time to separate from the civilians and change. Also I saw your charge up roll, so we'll use that. You rolled a 7 I believe, but you already marked guilty according to the OOC which i've noted.

What do you do?

Just for clarification what she threw were multiple very small objects, going at high speed, similar to bullets. She didn't throw a large object.

So she's not paying anymore attention to you, just looking for Arcana.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-05-31, 12:23 AM

[SIZE=5]Counterspell and Arcana

Railgun turns around to face Counterspell, and smiles.

"Sebby darling I'd love to hear all about that butt, but," She giggled maniacally at her own joke. "Aunty's got some work to do. Thanks for telling me where the battery is by the way." She points her guns at the floor and jumps, before pulling the trigger. Suddenly she shoots up in the air, landing on a roof overlooking the road where Arcana ran off too.

"Now where is it?" She wonders aloud, glancing at all the fleeing civilians, but doesn't seem to have spotted Arcana yet.

You've had time to separate from the civilians and change. Also I saw your charge up roll, so we'll use that. You rolled a 7 I believe, but you already marked guilty according to the OOC which i've noted.

What do you do?

Just for clarification what she threw were multiple very small objects, going at high speed, similar to bullets. She didn't throw a large object.

So she's not paying anymore attention to you, just looking for Arcana.

What do you do?

Sebastian only gives a thumbs up to the raving psychopath before she's gone, immediately taking off and pulling his phone free. "You better pick up." he huffs as he legs it out the back where Arcana and the others did, dialing Samantha Hasting's aka Converter's number as he casts about to see if he can find his team mate all the while singing the mantra of "Pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 12:46 AM

Razade

2016-05-31, 12:59 AM

Counterspell

After a couple of rings a male voice answers.

"I am terribly sorry, but miss Hastings is currently busy with an interview." It's her posh sounding, long suffering assistant Theodore. "She also has the rest of her day taken up, so she is certainly too busy to bail you out again Sebastian."

"You listen to me Theo or next time I take your vette for a spin I'll crash it into the god damned ocean! I need to speak to Converter. Now." Sebastian snarls, only barely restraining just throwing his cellphone at a wall. He keeps his voice down but his tone is, perhaps for the first time anyone in recent memory has heard, boiling over with terror. "And then I'll take a dump on your bed. Or something. Just get me Samantha or lots of people are going to die."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 01:24 AM

Razade

2016-05-31, 01:30 AM

You might want to check in the spoiler in the last post, I added something in the edit, about why is Theodore so pissed at you, but it doesn't change this scene. Or your response probably.

"Why I never!" There's silence on the phone, and you worry he's hung up. Then,

"Sebastian what's wrong?" It's Converter. "Theodore said that you said people were in danger. He also said that you threatened his vette which is not nice, and his bed, which is ugh!"

I just rolled with it. Sebastian likes to wreck Theo's cars and generally try and knock him down a peg.

"Ya...you're never going to put the moves on Sam that's for sure." Sebastian grumbles into the silence as he continues to keep his eyes peeled for Arcana. "Oh hiii!" he chirps when Converter actually comes on the line, moving slowly and keeping low profile. "I just wanted to see how your interview was going. Catch up, you know. Girl things. Oh, speaking of which I ran into an old friend of yours. You remember Margret? Yeah, she's in town trying to kill my best friend and me and I could really use your help! Or anyone's help. Ya know, just...throwing it out there!"

Going to try and assess the situation, see what Sebastian can do.

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 01:46 AM

Counterspell
"Sebastian, now's not the time to catch up, I have important-wait Margaret? Railgun is there!" Her tone becomes agitated, even nervous. "What did she say? Wait, never mind. Where is she?" You hear Theodore in the background say,

"Samantha what about your interview-"

"Goddamn it Theo, I keep you around for your ass, not that lip!" Once you tell her where to go she responds, "I'll be there as fast as I can. Keep her busy and don't listen to a word she says." Then there's a click, as she hangs up.

You try and wander around, to get a good read on the situation, but you are distracted by the hot fire of the burning restaurant. And that sweet smell, almost like Soy sauce...

"No! My Jinhau-X surprise!" Squiggle calls out from across the road from you. "It's part of my special noodles today, imported, very tasty when cut properly. But in it's natural uncut form it's slightly, a bit, kinda, very, itty bitty plutionium esc. But only when exposed to intense heat!" You both pause, and stare at the fire belowing in the kitchen.

"Mr Sebastian, do not worry I will not press charges. I can trust a bad mother clucker like you to handle this. It's in the fridge in the back, it's a purple cube covered with pimples and feathers. Free noodles for life when you succeed!" He then turns around.

"Unrelated topic, I hear Singapore is always looking for good noodles." And the chef starts waddling off.

Razade

2016-05-31, 02:00 AM

Sebastian quickly glances down at his phone, pounding out a swift message to Arcana

[U ned 2 go 2 Base. Ur *bean emoji* hntd. Get Team.]

"And make a statue of me and the galaxy sized balls at the center of town after I die." Sebastian dashes back to the flaming building despite any sort of better judgement, but he wasn't the team member who people needed for judgement. He doesn't bother hiding his weaponry at this point, two high calibur pistols in hand as he crashes back through the back door.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 02:11 AM

Counterspell
It's a shame I don't think you have any conditions left, because this action alone would probably clear Guilty and Insecure.

Inside the burning restaurant, you need to shield your eyes from the fire. You can see the kitchen door has been blown off it's hinges. Wandering inside you can see the exploded remains of the stove, and almost trip on the soup that has fallen on the floor. In fact you think some of the noodles are making a break for the window. Guess it was too spicy even for them.

You see the large metal door, which conceals the walk in fridge. This must be where the Jinhau-X surprise is. Even if you'd think the door itself could withstand the fire, you notice there are two large holes in the fridge. You quickly gather they must have been caused when the stove exploded, which was caused by Railgun's shots in the kitchen.

The heat will definitely get in through the holes, and if you don't act fast, a large part of Halycon City is gonna start looking like a Fallout LARP.

What do you do Counterspell?

Razade

2016-05-31, 02:13 AM

Anyr

2016-05-31, 04:51 AM

Arcana was just about to teleport, when her phone beeped. The villain was specifically hunting her? And Sebastian wanted her to go get backup? Damn it, that went against so many instincts. She should be charging towards her beleaguered teammate; Not away. But in the end, she decided to trust his judgement. There had to be a good reason why he didn't want her around. With great reluctance, she teleported back to base. A message would soon flash up on the phones of her remaining teammates.

[Counterspell under attack. Villain hunting me. Need backup at <address>.]

So, what now? Was she supposed to just stay here, out of the villain's reach? There had to be something she could do to help!

Spending 2 burn to teleport.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-31, 05:45 AM

Vigil
As you relax in the park, thinking of your old rockstar glory days, and start humming you find your voice suddenly cuts out. It's not like you stopped singing, you are still singing. It's just no sound comes from your lungs. The moment passes almost as fast as it came, and you can sing again, but you're paying attention now.

Turning around, your heightened senses notices spots where people's conversations, or the sound of dogs barking or even a hose, become silent for a moment. And it's all connected to that-

Yes you caught it! It's very faint, but there's a shadow on the floor, moving like an eel. Anywhere it touches loses their sound for as long as it's in contact. Most don't notice because it's only for a moment, but you see it.

You see the shadow scurry into the Halycon museum of Ancient History.

Anton looked in the direction where the shadow disappeared, then glanced at his watch. 22 minutes until Nico's practice is over. "Ugh, I shoulda stayed in bed this morning... This has long since turned into a crap day." He muttered to himself.
He then scurried over to the closest public bathroom, where he quickly switched to his costume, after checking that no one else was in there, or that any eventual security cameras could see him.
With his mask covering a very dissatisfied expression, Vigil stormed out from the bathroom, and ran towards the museum. He briefly considered calling the others. Nah, they deserve a bit more relaxation. Besides, no reason to sound the alarm without knowing what this is...
Just as he got to the entrance of the museum and was about to run in, the phone in his mask beeped at him. Pressing the indent on the side, he listened as the mechanical voice of the phone read out Arcana's message in it's monotone way.

[Counterspell under attack. Villain hunting me. Need backup at <address>.]

"Oh for God's sake..." He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in annoyance. "What is this, National Villain Day!?"
He considered what would be the best thing to do, and could only come to one horrible conclusion.
With a groan, he activated his phone once more, and dialed 911. As soon as his choice of emergency services where listed he pressed 5, the hotline for contacting established hero teams. A recorded voice informed him that he was number 9 in line, and that he could instead leave a message if he wanted. "Of course they're impossible to get on the phone... Friggin' useless." He muttered angrily, before pressing the message option. "This is Vigil, unaffiliated Hero. There's currently an attack from an unknown assailant at one of my teammates at <adress>. There is also an unidentified but highly suspicious shadow-thing inside the Museum of Ancient history. It's purpose and powers are unknown, but it somehow interferes with sound with it's presence alone. So if any of you White collar heroes wanna save the day, those are the two places to be."

Vigil ended the message, then sent a quick beep towards his team.
[Message, Team. Suspicious activity at the Museum of Ancient History. I'm right in front of it. Get Counterspell out of there, and try to stay safe. Other heroes have been notified of the two situations. Sorry, but We're spread out and haven't had a good day so far. I made a call, and assume responsibility. Once again, stay safe all of you. Vigil]

Finally done with the administrative part, Vigil could now only trust his team, and thus went in after the shadow.

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 05:45 AM

Arcana

You arrive back at The Warbird, but you appear to be the only one there. There's some pizza and snacks in the kitchen, someone must have done some grocery shopping. The TV is currently turned off.

Squire, Scion and Vigil

As each of you consider what you're doing, you recieve a text message from Arcana.

[Counterspell under attack. Villain hunting me. Need backup at Squiggle's noodle bar near Gastronoma street.]

Squire, Vigil, that's in the cultural district. You could get there in a few minutes if you really sprinted.

Scion, you can fly fast enough that it's a non-issue.

What do you guys do?

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-31, 06:32 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Insecure.

As the floor rushed up to greet him, unconsciousness took hold. Galan slumped to the floor, to his mother's shock, as she rushed to his side he was already lost to her, murmuring softly, lost in his own memories.

~

He was in the cargo bay of what he now knew was a Stymphalian Mark Transport. Before him stood three Utopians, a woman, raven haired and murderous eyes, a slim, wiry soldier that looked like a veteran of a hundred wars, and a tall, hulking brute who emanated strength and violence.

"The youngling is ours," the wiry commander spoke, "we return to Utopia."

"Grath," murder eyes addressed her commander, "we have drawn the attention of the human authorities, shall we engage."

He shook his head, "No. Revive the youngling, the glory should be his, he has been among the humans for too long."

Alissa nodded, placed a small silver unit to Galan's temple, with a shimmer and a soft hum, his eyes snapped open. He quickly surveyed the cargo hold, eyes noting the woman, the brute, and the commander, he mumbled, "Wha ... who ..."

"We are your saviors youngling, come to rescue you from a life of mediocrity and servitude. Those you have lived among, are not your people, neither your equal, nor will they ever be."

Still on his knees, Alissa beside him, restraining him, "The hell you talkin' about man?" The small bay echoed with the sound of her slap, it would have broken his jaw had he not been a Utopian.

"The humans may tolerate such insolence, neither Commander Grath, nor I, will." She licked his blood from the back of her hand.

The wiry man continued, "Genetic samples have confirmed that your genes, though corrupted by," a sneer of disdain passed over his face, "human dna, are primarily that of the warrior caste, you are a conqueror, and could very well be the savior of your race. Your true race."

He spit a gob of blood from his mouth, it was frightening, he was super humanly strong, fast, she was both stronger, and faster. "Still don't know what you're talking about, man."

He stepped forward, mere inches now from the restrained young man, "We are Utopians, and we have watched humanity since they first exited their caves and discovered the wider world. These people, their civilizations are nothing compared to the achievements of our," a pause, "of your society." He paused again, reverence and concern flickered across his face, "We are a dying race. Your birth brings us hope, for if we use humanity as breeding chattel we can restore our race, our civilization to glory."

"Conquer, breeding, glory ... you sound like a nazi."

This time a punch that drove him to the floor, "Silence!", she screamed as she lifted his head from the deck plate.

"Alissa, please. I do not believe his human captors have educated him in regards to his true heritage."

"My father was a hero!"

A laugh, his face hit the cold, metallic deck with a thud!, as Alissa released his head, laughing.

"A hero! Your father betrayed his people and their ideals! Your father was weak! Your blood is tainted!"

"Alissa!", Grath snapped, "Praetor Rex has issued his decree. The conquest of humanity begins today, and Utopia's last scion shall set us on the path."

She tossed the crumpled form to the brutish Utopian who caught the young man with ease, he lifted his head weakly, "I won't, I ... betray ... my ..."

Grath stepped forward, his face mere inches from Galan's. "YOU ALREADY HAVE! We," a sweep of his hand included the two other Utopians, "offer you redemption! For WE are your PEOPLE!"

The brutish man holding him whispered in a deep voice, "You are a warrior boy, a conqueror, when your blood races, when you throw yourself into battle, when your foes lay broken, only then will you feel alive."

"NO!" He struggled futilely against the vise like grip of the brutish Utopian.

Grath smiled, leaned close, his breath hot in Galan's ear, "We are a long lived race, centuries lay before you Galan. All that you know, all that you love will wither, will die, generations of humans will come and go and you will remain unchanged. Join us, take your place among your peers, at the Praetor's side."

The ship rocked with the assault of his friends, it took them some time to re-group after the Utopians initial assault on Halcyon High, but they were coordinating their assault now.

Through split lips Galan glared at Grath, "My friends ...," he spit another glob of blood as Alissa drove a kick deep into his midsection, the brute's grip didn't even waver, "... will save me."

"FOOL!", Grath turned his back, strode out of the bay, "Alissa, deliver the Praetor's message as you see fit. Draevis, leave him, two humans have managed to gain entry to the command center."

The brute released his grip and joined his commander, Galan began to slump to the floor until Alissa lifted him by the chin, "Your friends?" She drove a single knee into his chest lifting him from the floor with enough force that he crashed into the ceiling of the bay before falling, sprawling back to the deck. She chuckled, "The Praetor has given you a year, as your precious humans measure time, a year before we return." She drove a fist into his cheek bone, shattering it, the force of her blow dropping her to one knee, "A year to conquer this city, or when we return we will make your decision for you." The vessel rocked, the bay walls seemed to shimmer then began to discorporate at a molecular level revealing Jules, hand to her temple, arm extended towards the Warbird, Vigil sprang forward rolled through the entry point Arcana had crafted for him.

Alissa smiled, picked up Galan, held him in an almost intimate embrace, "If forced to return, we will eradicate this city, and every one in it, not a single building will be left standing, and the only ones left drawing breath will be Utopians."

Vigil tucked forward, swinging his right leg around in a sweep that would have shattered a grown man's leg, he grunted as the maneuver didn't even unbalance the woman. Though the vessel itself began to spiral as Arcana continued her mystic assault on the ship itself. She kissed the young man's cheek, "One year Galan, use the time wisely," she then headbutted him with such force that it shattered his nose.

She threw him towards the hull breach, Vigil leapt towards his friends unconscious form, the impact cracked two of Vigl's ribs, and drove them into the clear sky over Halcyon Bay. The damage done by their co-ordinated attack on the vessel's control surfaces, Squire and Counterspell lept clear of the plummeting vessel.

As he lost consciousness, he felt gravity slow around him and Vigil, he heard the splash of the Warbird, and watched as the three Utopians flew off under their own power.

Her voice echoed in his ears ...

One Year.

~

"Galan, honey, thank goodness you are awake. I was so worried."

Galan groaned as he struggled to a sitting position, the last thing he remembered was that high pitched whine, and whatever it was it had dredged memories that had haunted him for weeks, and it had shaken him. Badly. He'd tried to block the whole thing from his mind, to write it off as standard villain fair monologuing, but knew, somewhere deep down, it was likely a very real, very deadly threat, and it ate away at him knowing he'd been too afraid to tell anyone about it, too afraid of being judged. A traitor, a coward, and worse.

He looked at his mom, was about to mumble something like 'Everything's fine.' and shoot off to his room, anywhere to escape the gnawing fear and doubt he know felt. His phone chimed, he pulled it out, avoiding the conversation with his mother, it was a message.

[Counterspell under attack. Villain hunting me. Need backup at Squiggle's noodle bar near Gastronoma street.]

She was pissed at him, he didn't want to talk to her, not yet. But if she was in danger, he'd put an end to that. Hard.

"S'all OK mom, gotta fly. Jules is in trouble." He paused, looked around the house, "Lock the doors and go to bed, I'll be home soon."

Going to the Noodle Shop post haste, figure Seb and I hung out there once, after all Squiggles can get beer, and I think Seb likes that. Once I am on site, I will make an Awareness check to see if I can spot Railgun. It's Superior right? 2d6+1.

Anyr

2016-05-31, 06:35 AM

Arcana despondently helped herself to some pizza. This felt so wrong. What if the team needed her? She just wanted to do something! Her silent prayers were answered when her phone beeped once again. It was Vigil this time; And praise be, he'd found some trouble too!

...Actually, that probably wasn't a good thing. Regardless, she hurriedly tapped out a new message.

[Need help? Counterspell doesn't want me near the hunter.]

gremlin-pult

2016-05-31, 06:41 AM

[Need help? Counterspell doesn't want me near the hunter.]

[Yes. If he wants you to stay away, you should listen. And I have no idea what I'm dealing with.] He messaged back after a moments thought. Better to have her here and helping than close to whatever the other thing was, if it was after her.
[I'm in the museum lobby.] He added in a second message, and waited for her to arrive.

Anyr

2016-05-31, 07:00 AM

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 07:31 AM

Scion

Your roll didn't take. Roll in the OOC thread please. Also, from the sound of that memory, mark afraid.

rooster707

2016-05-31, 08:31 AM

[Counterspell under attack. Villain hunting me. Need backup at Squiggle's noodle bar near Gastronoma street.]

"Crap," Squire breathed, glancing back and forth between the museum and the noodle bar. "Crap, crap, crap, crap-"

*ping*

[Message, Team. Suspicious activity at the Museum of Ancient History. I'm right in front of it. Get Counterspell out of there, and try to stay safe. Other heroes have been notified of the two situations. Sorry, but We're spread out and haven't had a good day so far. I made a call, and assume responsibility. Once again, stay safe all of you. Vigil]

"Ah. Right on time." he muttered, grinning. Diving off his rooftop perch, he sent a message to the team, simultaneously maneuvering through the streets towards his destination.

En route to noodle bar, ETA 3 mins.

On arrival, he hung momentarily from a nearby windowsill and took stock of the situation before dropping to the ground, pistols at the ready.

Assessing the situation: [roll0]
EDIT: Thanks to Be mindful of your surroundings, that's two questions.

What here can I use to contain the fire?

What here is in the greatest danger?

gremlin-pult

2016-05-31, 10:51 AM

Excellent! Arcana gulped down the last of her pizza, and rushed to the ship's teleporter. Not having been to the museum before, she couldn't just snap her fingers and arrive there. Warping space without a firm target was not a good idea. She'd learnt that lesson the hard way. Soon enough, a voluminously robed figure would float into the museum lobby. The overall effect was nicely mysterious: At least, until she gave Vigil a friendly wave. As always when alone with him, she didn't care at all about looking cool.

"Help has arrived! What's our first move?"

Vigil let out a tiny sigh of relief when Arcana arrived and acted like normal. Good. I didn't make things awkward earlier. He thought, and then put it out of his head for the moment.
Looking around the lobby, he found himself at only one conclusion. "Honestly, I have no clue. I don't know what we're dealing with, or if it's even anything dangerous or criminal. All I know is that it looked like some kind of living shadow, and when it passed by someone, including me, it cancelled out all sound. Pretty freaky. Anyway, I didn't wanna take any chances. Of course, then I got the message about your and Counterspell's trouble. What was that about, by the way? Should I be worrying and getting this done as quick as possible, or can the others handle it?"

Anyr

2016-05-31, 11:48 AM

"Living shadow? Sounds like something from Ari's stories. As for the other thing, I honestly don't know much more than you. Some villain took a shot at me out of nowhere. Counterspell made them miss, and then sent me away. I really didn't want to leave him; But he must have had a good reason for wanting me gone."

The worry in Arcana's voice was obvious. She really hoped that Counterspell knew what he was doing.

gremlin-pult

2016-05-31, 12:02 PM

"Well, while there's a lot of things the guy doesn't take seriously, He's no idiot. It just means that when he actually gets serious, it's smart to listen to him. He probably had a good reason for needing you out of the battle, and if he ends up needing help we're not that far away. Besides, the others'll be with him any minute now." Vigil said, patting Arcana on the shoulder.
He looked around again, still trying to figure out how in the world he would handle a living shadow. And how to find out if it was even necessary.
"Hmm, the pro of this situation is that if it IS some kind of shadow, it's probably not very good with bright light. So you dropping by might be even better than we thought. The con is, of course, that we have no information on what's going on whatsoever... I guess we could try and locate it. Maybe by looking for silent spots. If the whole noise-cancelling thing is something it does a lot, we can use that to figure out when we're nearby it."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 01:54 PM

Arcana and Vigil

The museum lobby is fairly spacious, some would even say grand, given the large statue of it's founder, The Roguish Archaeologist, that stands in the center. Since it's founding in 1949, the Halycon Museum of Ancient History has held various exhibits, many outlandish by the standards of other museums. ("I don't care what the carbon dating says, I refuse to believe the Mesopotamians worshiped turtles that wore bandannas!") It contains artifacts from lost worlds, forgotten cultures, and a lopsided amount of Nazi artifacts (which Iron Skull has tried to get for himself, claiming that the museum is stealing his heritage, but the courts have stopped listening to him a long time ago).

The lobby itself is quite empty, besides a tour guide taking a group of elderly guests down one section. It takes vigil a moment, but he just sees the shadow scurry down the path to the Ancient German History exhibit (which is a separate section from the Nazi section, to avoid offending any German visitors).

One of the security guards, a large woman in a blue uniform and beret comes running up towards you too.

"Hey, what's the big idea? What are you kids doing here, dressed up like superheroes. You're gonna cause a panic, if people start seeing spandax. Go hit the road you kids." She tries to shoo you two away.
Squire

As you look down from the windowsill, your hand reaches for your belt. Your topped up portable suppression equipment would be ideal for a situation like this. If you could get close enough to the source of the fire, and toss the device in, you are certain the fire could be contained.

Your sensors start giving off a strange reading. You zoom into what you can only imagine is the kitchen, and your sensors respond as you thought.

Warning, a slightly, bit, kinda, very, itty bitty plutonium esc substance has been detected. Note, highly flammable.

Your infra-red is kinda scattered by the intense heat, but you just glimpse the outline of Counterspell, standing in the middle of the fire, right next to the explosive substance. What is he doing, he's in so much danger!

Scion

Your mother just nods at you as you fly off to the rescue. You hear the sound of fleeing civilians, and aim towards there. Glancing around there doesn't seem to be any sign of your team mates, and especially not Julia. But as you look around, a disquieting cheerful voice calls out,

"Ooh, a boy scout. I was just looking for some assistance." You turn around quickly...or you try to. Your movements suddenly feel very sluggish and slow, like your swimming through quicksand.

"No no no, that won't do at all. I need you to stay right where you are." You hear heels click behind you as Railgun speaks from somewhere behind you. "I've seen you on the news. You're that battery's little boyfriend right? Scion right? Be a good boy and tell me where she is, so this doesn't get painful."

Directly engaging her physically is not really possible for you from your position. If you try to free yourself with brute strength it's Unleash your powers. Although you could try to verbally try to engage with her, it's your call.

You can post whenever you feel up to it.

Zen Gypsy

2016-05-31, 02:15 PM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Insecure.

Galan struggled against the increasingly strong grip he was in, not a grip precisely, it was almost like gravity was being increased around him. As he struggled and strained he spoke to the woman's voice, somewhere behind him.

"I've got no idea who you are lady, I've got no reason why you're after Arcana ... but let me tell you something!" He pushed himself, he could feel the sweat building along his brow, he clenched all his muscles as tight as he could. "All day people have been telling me what I am, that I'm a threat, that I'm a danger, that I'm a beast!"

He tried to spin on the vertical axis, alot of people thought his strength was physical, but he could FLY! He could move with no visible means of propulsion, he just willed it to happen, like now as he slowly rotated his field of view.

"AND I AM!"

Alright, dice don't hate me now! Rolling Freak, [roll0]. All that work up for nothing. Bleh! Potential!

gremlin-pult

2016-05-31, 02:45 PM

Arcana and Vigil

One of the security guards, a large woman in a blue uniform and beret comes running up towards you too.

"Hey, what's the big idea? What are you kids doing here, dressed up like superheroes. You're gonna cause a panic, if people start seeing spandax. Go hit the road you kids." She tries to shoo you two away.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we can't do that. We're here because the museum might be in trouble any minute now. We're following a..." Vigil started to placate the guard, but stopped midsentence when he realised exactly how made up it would sound if he told her they where following a suspicious shadow. On a hunch, no less. He tried to come up with a better explanation for a second. "...A suspicious creature. We observed it outside where it interfered with it's surroundings, and then it came here. I've notified others about it, but I can't let the creature out of my sight until we know what we're dealing with." He continued, hoping that sounding suitably professional would at least make her pause long enough for them to follow the shadow.
With that said, Vigil gestured for Arcana to follow, and walked quickly towards the Ancient Germanic section before the woman could get a word in edgewise.

Anyr

2016-05-31, 03:06 PM

Arcana shot the guard an annoyed look (which of course wasn't visible), and floated after her teammate. She told herself that the woman was just doing her job. Somehow, though, she doubted that an older, established hero would have been accosted like that. 'You kids', indeed! Arcana could manipulate the very fabric of reality to her whim; And yet in the eyes of so many adults, she was still just a little girl. No wonder Scion and Counterspell kept losing their temper with the media...

Razade

2016-05-31, 03:22 PM

rooster707

2016-05-31, 04:32 PM

"Why would you even leave it out like that! You stupid octopus." Counterspell growls as he kicks open the freezer door and dashing inside to grab the Jinhau-X Surprise, quickly shedding his hoodie to wrap it up before, hopefully, dashing out of the flaming building.

"We have got to stop meeting like this!" Squire quipped, dashing into the flaming building. "Back in a second." He set the extinguisher to full power and dropped it on the ground in the middle of the restaurant.

Unleashing my powers, I guess. [roll0]

Edit: It's about time I got some misses. I want to level up, darn it!

Razade

2016-05-31, 05:26 PM

"We have got to stop meeting like this!" Squire quipped, dashing into the flaming building. "Back in a second." He set the extinguisher to full power and dropped it on the ground in the middle of the restaurant.

Unleashing my powers, I guess. [roll0]

Edit: It's about time I got some misses. I want to level up, darn it!

"It's like we're in some kind of Frost poem." Sebastian returns, glancing at the extinguisher as it falls to the ground. "How about we just run like hell and forget the building? There's a psycho running around looking for Arcana. I called in some back up but I'm not going to stand around and wait for it to get here. So plan. You take this...thing to that stupid octopus. I run out and shoot the lunatic in the face until the screaming stops."

rooster707

2016-05-31, 05:57 PM

"It's like we're in some kind of Frost poem." Sebastian returns, glancing at the extinguisher as it falls to the ground. "How about we just run like hell and forget the building? There's a psycho running around looking for Arcana. I called in some back up but I'm not going to stand around and wait for it to get here. So plan. You take this...thing to that stupid octopus. I run out and shoot the lunatic in the face until the screaming stops."

"Don't worry, I've got the building handled," Squire said. "3... 2... 1..."

Nothing happened.

"Crap, that was all I had." He tapped the side of his mask. "Computer, summon authorities. Situation: Fire. Location: here." His HUD pinged in response. "You're right, there's nothing else we can do here. I'll get these contained, you go after whoever did this. Nonlethally, if possible." He carefully took the (highly illegal and ridiculously dangerous)... noodles!? from Sebastian, then took off towards the nearest teleporter. "By the way," he shouted over his shoulder, "watch out for Railgun, Paladin says she might be in the area!"

Razade

2016-05-31, 06:02 PM

"Don't worry, I've got the building handled," Squire said. "3... 2... 1..."

Nothing happened.

"Crap, that was all I had." He tapped the side of his mask. "Computer, summon authorities. Situation: Fire. Location: here." His HUD pinged in response. "You're right, there's nothing else we can do here. I'll get these contained, you go after whoever did this. Nonlethally, if possible." He carefully took the (highly illegal and ridiculously dangerous)... noodles!? from Sebastian, then took off towards the nearest teleporter. "By the way," he shouted over his shoulder, "watch out for Railgun, Paladin says she might be in the area!"

Sebastian only gives a nod, tossing the "noodles" at Squire though only gapes after him. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? I am going to kick your butt if I survive!! Tell them to make a statue for me otherwise!!" he shouts, taking off running to the front of the store and into the street disregarding any of the burns or smoke as he bursts out of flaming building.

rooster707

2016-05-31, 08:56 PM

Sebastian only gives a nod, tossing the "noodles" at Squire though only gapes after him. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? I am going to kick your butt if I survive!! Tell them to make a statue for me otherwise!!" he shouts, taking off running to the front of the store and into the street disregarding any of the burns or smoke as he bursts out of flaming building.

"Good luck!" Squire called, just before rounding the corner. "Computer, Google containment protocols for..." he peered down at the package, "'Jinhau-X' noodles."

CoreBrute23

2016-05-31, 10:54 PM

Scion

As you push on a burst of speed, you think you've broken through her kinetic control. You are around in a blur, and bring your fist to strike her.

And she just casually catches your fist in her hand, before slapping you across the cheek. Suddenly all the impact behind that punch, strikes you, sending you flying across the street into a wall.

"Boy you just don't get it do you?" She casually walks towards you, guns holstered. "I've fought a lot of tough guys in my day, who just swung at me, thinking cause they were big, or manly they'd get to be on top. And you'r not even that big yet, just a baby super." She crosses her arms in front of you.

"Now, where is the battery?"

You seem to be completely outmatched. You haven't been hit this hard since 9 months. Mark hopeless (unless you've already marked it, then mark afraid instead). However she's not restricting your movements anymore. So you can make whatever action you like.

Counterspell and Squire

Counterspell you've got the purple surprise in hand-easy to see since it was on a pedestel surrounded by the words 'DO NOT TOUCH' in several different earth languages, including hieroglyphics. Before you can leave however-

Squire as you toss the extinguisher on the floor, it seems to work as planned, spraying the source of the flame with your specially designed fluid, mostly extinguishing it. And then it reacts with the soup on the floor-the strange Alpha Centuri soy sauce.

A green gas comes out, like steam. You both start choking-it's so strong it hurts through Counterspell's mask, and Squire's doesn't cover his mouth.

Both of you roll to defend against a powerful blow, aka this alien poisonous gas. If you are both still conscious afterwards, continue with your post kitchen plans.

Arcana and Vigil

As the two of you simply brush past the guard, she calls out in helpless outrage.

"Hey! Stop it you stupid little freaks. You think the same rules don't apply to you just cause you can float!"
She's using her influence as an adult on both of you, telling you who you are. If you accept, step up freak and step down savior. Otherwise, roll to reject.

As the two of you move onto the Ancient German history section, you see a lot of old Gaulish runes and recreations of old settlements. There seems to be a whole section dedicated to the 'authenticity' of certain old fairy tales, which are pretty gruesome even by Grimm standards.

You see the shadow stop in front of what looks to be a large coffin, decorated in strange runes. The shadow starts to congeal into a physical form, turning into a tall person in black powered armor, with strange dark blue gems embedded across the joints. There's a long sword sheathed across it's back.

http://orig08.deviantart.net/bd3c/f/2008/248/b/1/elemental_powered_armor_by_shimmering_sword.jpg

"This was easier than I expected." A mechanized and undistinguisable voice notes from inside the armor. She suddenly stops and turns around. "Why do I always jinx these things?" The figure then looks at Arcana.

"Wait you're here? This just makes things a lot easier."

What do the two of you do?

Razade

2016-05-31, 11:03 PM

Rolling for powerful blow! I think I cleared Guilty? If not not hard to add a +1 to what ever I roll I guess.

[roll0]

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-01, 04:24 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

The slap split his lip, it drove him back through a wall, knocking the air out of his lungs, he landed hard. Everything he tried, she had a counter for. She was going to beat him, she was going to hurt him, and then she was going to find Jules, and once she did that.

He hung his head, shaking it trying to clear the cobwebs.

Jules was powerful. Jules could change the world if she had a mind to, but if she didn't see the danger coming, she was just a ...

That's it!

This chick, whatever her name was, her powers made her strong, but she had to see it coming. Think Galan! You're smart! Think!

He got up, slowly, painfully, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You're right, I should just give up." He took a step forward, "You've fought tougher, stronger, faster." Another step, "Thing is your threatening my friend. And I'm not about to let that happen."

He thought about Alissa, her speed, her power, her strength, it was frightening, terrifying, but the thing was she was a Utopian. HE was a Utopian, he had that same terrifying physical power as well, he just needed to tap into it, to use it.

"You are a warrior boy, a conqueror, when your blood races, when you throw yourself into battle, when your foes lay broken, only then will you feel alive."

Draevin's dire prediction about his true nature flickered through his mind, and at this moment he wanted for nothing more than it to be true.

Summoning all of that fear, all of that anger, he wrapped it around his desire to protect Jules and he drew his hands back full breadth.

"Ever."

This last word was drowned out, as he brought his hands together, with such speed, such force, that it created a sonic boom.

Alright, trying this again, though Hopeless really makes it unlikely to work, though MAYBE it will give my team an opening. Realizing her powers are not physical in nature I hope to stun her, disorient her, so I can go beat the $h1t out of her next action. So, as they say in Street Fighter, Sonic - Sonic BOOM! Unleashing my Powers, using Freak with a -2 Penalty from Hopeless, [roll0]. Now, IF I use a Team Pool, while acting Selfishly, by acknowledging my Utopian Heritage, and giving in to that brutish nature as espoused by Draevis, and IF I am allowed a +1 for Defending my Love. I will mark a Hit.

CoreBrute23

2016-06-01, 04:48 AM

Scion
Seeing your hands move, she nonchalantly prepares to absorb what she assumes is a two handed strike-but her eyes widen when she realizes your actual move.

"Wait no-" The sonic boom does more than disorientate her. It sends her flying, causing her to crash several meters away.

"Oww." She braces herself as she gets up, but stumbles a bit. "Can't-can't hear anything!" She holds her head, distracted by the pain of being so close to a sonic boom.

Anyr

2016-06-01, 05:01 AM

Arcana didn't contradict the guard. She basically was using her superhero status to ignore the rules. The 'threat' they were chasing might not even be dangerous; No wait, scratch that. An armed figure in black power armour had just congealed from shadow. Pretty safe to assume that this was a villain. Despite the newcomer's ominous appearance, Arcana was relieved. She'd been bracing for some kind of extra-dimensional shadow beast; But instead, it was just an armoured goon.

The thief(?) clearly hadn't expected Arcana to be there; And yet they actually seemed pleased to see her. Wait, was this villain working with that one from the restaurant? Why was she so popular all of a sudden? Questions for later. For now, she addressed the villain in her best 'aloof mage' voice.

"If you know who I am, then you should also know how outmatched you are. And what's more, I'm not alone. The only way this situation gets 'a lot easier' for you, is if you surrender."

gremlin-pult

2016-06-01, 05:25 AM

Arcana and Vigil

As the two of you simply brush past the guard, she calls out in helpless outrage.

"Hey! Stop it you stupid little freaks. You think the same rules don't apply to you just cause you can float!"
She's using her influence as an adult on both of you, telling you who you are. If you accept, step up freak and step down savior. Otherwise, roll to reject.

Vigil stops dead when she makes that outburst, then slowly turns around. I guess it doesn't really matter whether it's powers, or danger or anything like that... As soon as you look different, you're a freak. He thought, his eyes narrowing behind the mask's lenses as he glared at the guard. I can do freaky.

Stepping over so he stood with only an inch or two separating them, he leaned into her face, his expressionless mask almost touching her nose. "You know, people like us risk our lives daily to help others. We don't care whether you're thankful or not, we help because we can, and because it's right. But you... People like you make me wonder why I help you. Little upjumped pissants like you, drunk on the pathetic excuse for power you hold in these halls... You make me sick. I don't have powers. I'm just a guy in a suit. My friend here, who is the kindest, most generous and most selfless person ever, uses her powers in spite of the risk to herself, and struggles daily to ensure that they can be of use to the world. And then a little bitch like you comes along and calls her a freak. Now I'm gonna tell you once. We're gonna investigate the suspicious activity that led us here. Then, when it's solved, we're gonna leave. You're gonna leave us alone, and if you ever... EVER. Call my friend a freak again... I just might show you how freaky a normal guy can get when his friends are hurt."
Vigil delivered his little speech in a cold, flat voice, not overtly threatening, but leaving no doubt that he meant every word he said. He then turned and walked back to arcana.

I imagine that's a provoke on the guard. He's pretty much intimidating her into leaving them alone.
[roll0]

Touching her shoulder slightly, he murmured. "Don't listen to her. Having powers doesn't make you a freak. It makes you a person with powers. Whether you're a freak or not is your choice. And a little bit mine, since I'm not about to let my dearest friend go around feeling down because of some bigoted hag. You're a wonderful person. We both know that. Embrace that you are a kinder, more loving person than anyone I know. If they can't see that, THEY'RE the freaks for having a weird worldview."

And this would be an attempt to comfort Arcana, I'd say.
[roll1]

As the two of you move onto the Ancient German history section, you see a lot of old Gaulish runes and recreations of old settlements. There seems to be a whole section dedicated to the 'authenticity' of certain old fairy tales, which are pretty gruesome even by Grimm standards.

You see the shadow stop in front of what looks to be a large coffin, decorated in strange runes. The shadow starts to congeal into a physical form, turning into a tall person in black powered armor, with strange dark blue gems embedded across the joints. There's a long sword sheathed across it's back.

http://orig08.deviantart.net/bd3c/f/2008/248/b/1/elemental_powered_armor_by_shimmering_sword.jpg

"This was easier than I expected." A mechanized and undistinguisable voice notes from inside the armor. She suddenly stops and turns around. "Why do I always jinx these things?" The figure then looks at Arcana.

"Wait you're here? This just makes things a lot easier."

What do the two of you do?

"Whatever you're planning, stop it right now." Vigil said with as much authority as he could muster. "Identify yourself and your purpose, and if your purpose is criminal, surrender yourself immediately."

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-01, 05:39 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

A cruel smile formed on Galan's lips as his opponent impacted into a car across the street, he and struck a resounding left hook while she was staggered, then landing beside her he grabbed her pulling her prone form to a sitting position, rearing his right hand back for a devastating blow.

"You may have faced strong enemies, tough enemies, fast enemies. But I'm not even human! I'm a UTOPIAN!"

Using Danger to Directly Engage a Threat, but, if possible I will use my Punch Everyone, which requires me to charge into a fight without hedging my bets, to shift my Labels, putting Danger up to +2, and sacrificing my Mundane down to -2. Initial roll is at +1, -2 for Afraid, net total is -1. [roll0]. If Punch Everyone applies increase the total by 1.

rooster707

2016-06-01, 08:53 AM

Razade

2016-06-01, 01:59 PM

Squire coughed uncontrollably, feeling the gas burning his lungs. "Remind me... to bring a gas mask... next time..." he wheezed, collapsing on the ground.

Going to provoke Counterspell into going after Railgun. [roll0] EDIT: And I think I'm the one to choose this: add a Team to the pool if you do it.
And I'll mark two conditions, Angry and Afraid.

EDIT AGAIN: Just gonna pass out. It's much simpler.

Sebastian quickly moves to catch Squire, dragging him out back behind the building. "Yeah...yeah I'll do that if you remind me not to run into a burning building alone. Wouldn't have come to this if I'd waited but ya know...bomb and all." he mutters, making sure Squire is in a safe place before rushing back out to the main street. The sonic boom makes it easy to find the actual combat. "Don't count us humans out just yet a-hole!" he shouts, a very large rifle appearing in his hands as a giant blast emminates from his position screaming at Railgun.

Going to do a Wield your Powers Roll here.

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-06-02, 01:06 AM

Squire

You are left in a trash heep along with the highly volatile and slightly plutonium Jiangu X surprise, while Counterspell hurries with the large gun that just materialized in his hands. As you descend into unconciousness, you see a large shadow tower over you, before you pass out.

The scene is ending soon, you won't be knocked out for long, i promise.

Scion & Counterspell

Scion you strike with all your great Utopian might. How dare this puny human think they could stand against you! You send her through a car, and smash her with an uppercut. Holding her limp body you see the blood dripping down her face, as her eyes stare up at you. With fear. A fear you remember, from when a powerful Utopian made you powerless.

Counterspell, from where you stand, it looks like a god holding a broken doll. Her legs look broken, and she doesn't seem to be breathing properly. You know without her powers, Railgun is only human. Like you, a mere human cannot stand against a Utopian.

As Scion holds his hand back, looking like he's about to land a final punch, a bright explosion appears next to his face, sending him flying backwards again.

"Utopian!" Looking up you see a stunning blonde woman float down from above, dressed in a multi-color spandax outfit. She glows with multi-colored energy.

"I should have known we couldn't trust you. You're the same as the monsters who almost destroyed Halycon city!" Her hands glowed with balls of energy. "I'm going to have to put you down for good."

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/square_small/11/117763/2539233-nugent.jpg

Counterspell you see Railgun struggle to crawl away, her face grimaced with pain and determination. Converter quickly looks back and sees you.

"Ah Sebastian, you're here. I'll deal with the Utopian, you finish off Railgun." The gun you've created in your hand feels really heavy all of a sudden. You could fire from where you are, absolutely. Railgun would go down, she's not focussed enough to use her powers to defend against it. But you aren't sure if she'd ever be able to get up again.

What do you do?
What do you do? If you want to shoot at Railgun, we'll use your roll from before, treat it as directly engage a threat rather than unleash, which is fine cause your danger and freak are the same.
If you want to do something else...well let's see what you do. :smallbiggrin:

Arcana and Vigil

The masked figure looks at Vigil, tilting it's head confused. "Who are you again...oh right!" The armored being clicks it's fingers. "You're the one she," the figure nods at Arcana. "keeps staring at in the middle of fights."

However the two of you take in this surprising knowledge, the figure raises it's hand and chants. "Shara-kar Mor-Tarnosar!" Suddenly the mysterious shadow appears under her feet again, before lunging at Vigil.

The impact sends him flying up to a huge statue of Tiamat the fairy queen. As you land, the shadow morphs into a set of chains, tying you to the statue.

"There, now I can have all your attention." The figure chuckles through it's modulator.

I don't know what you can do! These chains are tight, super tight! You'd have to be some sorta, i don't know, master contortionist to escape. Maybe you should just ask for mercy?

What do you do?

Razade

2016-06-02, 01:53 AM

Scion & Counterspell

Scion you strike with all your great Utopian might. How dare this puny human think they could stand against you! You send her through a car, and smash her with an uppercut. Holding her limp body you see the blood dripping down her face, as her eyes stare up at you. With fear. A fear you remember, from when a powerful Utopian made you powerless.

Counterspell, from where you stand, it looks like a god holding a broken doll. Her legs look broken, and she doesn't seem to be breathing properly. You know without her powers, Railgun is only human. Like you, a mere human cannot stand against a Utopian.

As Scion holds his hand back, looking like he's about to land a final punch, a bright explosion appears next to his face, sending him flying backwards again.

"Utopian!" Looking up you see a stunning blonde woman float down from above, dressed in a multi-color spandax outfit. She glows with multi-colored energy.

"I should have known we couldn't trust you. You're the same as the monsters who almost destroyed Halycon city!" Her hands glowed with balls of energy. "I'm going to have to put you down for good."

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/square_small/11/117763/2539233-nugent.jpg

Counterspell you see Railgun struggle to crawl away, her face grimaced with pain and determination. Converter quickly looks back and sees you.

"Ah Sebastian, you're here. I'll deal with the Utopian, you finish off Railgun." The gun you've created in your hand feels really heavy all of a sudden. You could fire from where you are, absolutely. Railgun would go down, she's not focussed enough to use her powers to defend against it. But you aren't sure if she'd ever be able to get up again.

What do you do?
What do you do? If you want to shoot at Railgun, we'll use your roll from before, treat it as directly engage a threat rather than unleash, which is fine cause your danger and freak are the same.
If you want to do something else...well let's see what you do. :smallbiggrin:

"Wrong target nit-wit! He's one of the good guys can't you see how screwed up Margaret is?!" Sebastian snarls, leveling his rifle at Railgun though seeing her in such a state gives him a moment of pause. He absolutely wanted this woman dead, with every fiber of his being he wanted her buried and forgotten but not in front of a team mate and certainly not in front of Converter. Considering this he lay out a spread of shots around the prone woman, asphalt turning to dust from the impacts, before whirling on Scion and Converter, trying to place a shot between them. "STOP IT!"

Going to try and defend Scion from Converter. With a -1 what could possibly go wrong?!

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-06-02, 02:19 AM

Counterspell
As you fire the shots, Railgun falls back, and winces. She turns to look at you, an offended expression on her face. "Et tu Sebby?" She asks. But she doesn't look like she'll make a break for it-not unless the situation improves.

As you fire a shot between Converter and Scion, your blast stops in the middle of them, before turning into harmless light. Converter turns to you and glares.

"You didn't see what I saw Sebastian. The bloodlust in his eyes. The Utopians are dangerous, bred for murder. He is no different. Just let me handle this." Railgun starts laughing.

"Oh just like you handled things back in the lab?" Converter's eyes open wide, they glow brightly.

"You stay quiet!" She yells back, not taking her eyes off Scion.

"No, I'm tired of the quiet. You've had 10 years of being quiet, of not telling Sebby the truth about what happened back then."

"I will shut that mouth myself Margaret!" Railgun looks completely serious.

"He deserves to know!"

This back and fought is making you feel really insecure, not only because Converter just stopped your blast without a sweat, but because her conversation with Railgun is very confusing to you. The truth?

Razade

2016-06-02, 02:41 AM

Counterspell
Conditions: Guilty, Insecure

"What part of shut up don't you understand! I told you she was attacking my friends and you come swinging?!" The pain and fury in Sebastian's voice is pallpable as he stands fists clenched and wound like a spring. "Sam, so help me, if you don't get rid of this !@#$ right now and get out of my sight...I don't even know what I'll do but you won't like it. And you!" He whirls on Margaret, voice a barely controlled mix of sob and snarl. "If they hadn't been here I'd have chocked the life out of you. I don't even care why you want my friend, I'd have bashed your brains in and not thought twice about it! Now whose the monster Sam?! Me or Scion?!"

Well, here goes a roll for Provoke. Does Sebastian get to mark an Advancement?

[roll0]

Apparently I can edit posts with rolls now? That's totally new. That's a 7 so I am going to take "They err: Gain a critical opportunity"

CoreBrute23

2016-06-02, 03:02 AM

Counterspell & Scion

The energy formed around Converter's fists power down. Samantha glances at you, sadly.

"Sebastian, I didn't..."She seems to struggle with her words.

Scion, she is distracted right now. This is your moment to act.

Actually on provoke, the NPC gets to pick which of the 3 options they choose. After all, the can pick to follow your desire even on a 7-9. But I was gonna pick that anyway. I'm giving the critical opportunity to Scion though. Let's see what he does.

Converter's not leaving you alone yet, butyou has the opportunity to act, either aggressively, diplomatically, or even to flee. Whatever you want.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-02, 04:56 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

He looked down at Railgun, he restrained himself, his hand quivering ready to strike.

ploop!

A droplet of her blood rolled off of his knuckles.

"Scion... You're right. You're damn right I'm scared of you. You have the potential to flatten this whole city. It's the human condition to be scared of anything bigger or stronger than yourself."

blorp!

"You could have killed him Galan. He is not as strong as you, and you should know better. Lashing out is not how I raised you."

Converter prepared to engage, a blinding flash as Counterspell's warning shot exploded between them.

"Utopian! I should have known we couldn't trust you. You're the same as the monsters who almost destroyed Halycon city!"

ploop!

"If forced to return, we will eradicate this city, and every one in it, not a single building will be left standing, and the only ones left drawing breath will be Utopians."

He lowered his fist, looked at Converter, approached slowly, his eyes wide, fear, doubt, fatigue mirrored there.

"I can only assume it was thanks to you, setting such a shining example to both humans and Ultima, that together we are more than the sum of our parts."

I'm trying dad, I'm trying it's just so ...

His voice quiet, almost a whisper, he laid Railgun down, gently. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't of threatened my friends, but you didn't deserve ..." He looked up, towards Converter, "You're right, I am a threat, I'm a danger, but I'm not like them," images of Grath, Draevis and Alissa flickered through his head, he felt fear, and revulsion, "I'm human too. Like you," with some shame he looked towards Railgun, "like her," he glanced over his shoulder at Seb with a sad smile, "even like him."

He thought of Jules, and how much she struggled with the fear of her potential, the burden of responsibility, the absolute control she must exhibited all the time. He saw her in a new light. "Which means I can be learn, I can change, I can hope to be a better person."

He hung his head, exhausted, extended a hand towards her.

"I just need help."

My mundane is -2 right now, BUT, I'm not Angry so it won't be at a further penalty. I am trying to Pierce the Converter's mask, as he truly is repentant and desires help. Depending on my roll, my questions are, in order of importance: How can I get your help? What do you want me to do? What do you intend to do? [roll0]. Annnnnd, she is unreadable. :(

CoreBrute23

2016-06-02, 05:32 AM

Scion
Converter expression is completely stoic-which is a step up from her righteous fury a moment ago. Finally she says,

"I want to believe that. I really do. I want to think everyone has the potential to make up for their mistakes." She makes a conscious effort not to look at Railgun. "But you are still dangerous. We need to determine how much, and that will require...precautions." She looks you dead in the eyes.

"I need to bring you in. To Alpha-max." She seems to be studying your reaction closely. Both of you have heard of Alpha-max. It's a special prison designed by the Guardians, and located under their head quarters.

Alpha-max is designed to hold some of the most dangerous creatures in the Multiverse. Things that normal super prisons cannot hold. World Destroying aliens, Forgotten Gods, Mirror Men. And now you Scion.

Since you failed, I'm gonna have Converter ask you a question: How could I get your character to come to Alpha-max and be placed in a cell, peacefully?

What is your answer? You can respond in character, or have the answer be on your face (but put the response clear in the OOC response). You can't lie here. You can lie in character, but because she's piercing the mask, she will know the truth.

Thoughts? Responses?

Anyr

2016-06-02, 05:47 AM

The masked figure looks at Vigil, tilting it's head confused. "Who are you again...oh right!" The armored being clicks it's fingers. "You're the one she," the figure nods at Arcana. "keeps staring at in the middle of fights."

Beneath her concealing robes, Arcana turned an interesting shade of red. Just what was this perverted villain trying to imply?!

"I watch all of my teammates! W-we're supposed to look out for one another! There's nothing weird about it at all!"

However the two of you take in this surprising knowledge, the figure raises it's hand and chants. "Shara-kar Mor-Tarnosar!" Suddenly the mysterious shadow appears under her feet again, before lunging at Vigil.

The impact sends him flying up to a huge statue of Tiamat the fairy queen. As you land, the shadow morphs into a set of chains, tying you to the statue.

"There, now I can have all your attention." The figure chuckles through it's modulator.

"VIGIL!"

Arcana cried out when she saw Vigil get hit. Her panic faded quickly, though, when the chains appeared. Restraints? Fat chance. He'd be out of those in no time. Trying not to worry, she returned her attention to the enemy. It was almost time to fight. But first, she needed to eliminate a few more distractions.

"Oh, you've got my attention all right. In fact, let's make sure that nothing can interrupt us. Frozen moment!"

She snapped her fingers. The seeming ease of that gesture belied the difficulty of her next spell. In an instant, all colour drained from the surroundings. It was as if the museum had suddenly become a greyscale photo. Only the three Supers were unchanged. Arcana experimentally pushed one of the loose ropes around an exhibit: It remained unmoved. She nodded in satisfaction.

"This little arena of ours is now suspended in time. Nobody can enter, leave, or affect any object within. There'll be no collateral damage, no bystanders...and no escape."

Arcana hoped that the confidence in her voice would mask the stress behind it. No matter how effortless she made it look, a spell of this complexity was far from easy. She'd had to push herself a lot further than usual. But if it prevented the destruction of who knows how many priceless artifacts, then all the backlash would be worth it.

Arcana uses Overcharge to Unleash her Powers with an automatic 10+. She also marks the Angry, Guilty, and Insecure conditions.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-02, 05:54 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

Alpha Max? He wanted to run, he wanted to fly as far, and as fast as he could, he wasn't the bad guy. He turned around, and surveyed the street, the pavement was cracked and shattered, shattered glass sparkled in the flickering light of the fire, a car was bent and twisted from where Railgun's body had impacted.

The truth hurt. He was a danger.

He nodded his head, looked up at Converter.

"How long?"

It was written on his face, clear enough for her to read, his desire to protect his friends, his family, but there was something else.

He whispered, quietly, defeated.

"They're coming back ..."

I failed the Pierce the Mask which would be my 5th potential, so I'll need to think about that while at work today. As for her attempt, well, she'd need to promise to protect his mom and his friends. He also sees himself as a danger not a criminal, he doesn't want to be locked up like one of them. Aaaaand there is a time constraint he really wants to get off his chest ;)

gremlin-pult

2016-06-02, 06:56 AM

Vigil looked around with interest as the color disappeared around him. Huh, haven't seen that one in a while... He thought, then looked at Arcana, standing tall and proud as she faced down the villain. Atta girl, make sure we can take him on without worrying about property damage, and remain confident when facing him.
He smiled to himself, then proceeded to find the best way out of the chains.
Nothing up my sleeves... He thought as he popped his hand and fingers out of their sockets, allowing him to pull them out of the tight chains, something he'd never be able to if his digits were in their normal positions. With one hand free he worked it around with sharp flicks of his wrist until they settled back into place with almost inaudible pops. With his hand now free, he reached out and grabbed his other arm. With a pull and a twist he popped his shoulder out of it's socket, suppressing the small groan of discomfort that almost came out when he did it. With his arm now limp, he got it out of the chains with some wiggling. with both his arms now free, he popped the shoulder back in it's socket, and then turned his attention to his legs.
Ugh, that's annoying... He thought as he looked at them. He could get them free, but it meant having to pop both his knees out of their proper alignment. Not something he had problems with, or couldn't put back in place in a second, but it always felt so weird for a few days after doing it. Like his legs were slightly out of sync with the rest of his body.
Oh well, gotta break some legs to make omelette... Hang in there Ju-Ju, I'll be with you in a sec. He thought, before starting to work on his legs.

I figure it'll take him a moment or two more to get completely free of the chains. I dunno if I have to roll a check of some kind to do it, or what. Anyway, He'll be jumping the deuche-knight in a moment. And yes, he only does the lame banter in his head, or on special occasions. Outwards he remains stoic. :smallbiggrin:

CoreBrute23

2016-06-02, 01:51 PM

Arcana and Vigil
The armored figure whistles. "A space-time marble spell-or a freestyle variation at least. Very nice-it takes me about 5 weeks to prepare one. But then," The figure pulls out it's sword from it's sheathe. "I don't end up nearly so drained."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b302/RaymondRidge/DamonsKeyblade-2.jpg
The black sword glitters with with red energy along it's ornately desgined blade, the top of which looks like some winged phoenix. The hilt has the face of a dragon, with gems for eyes. The gems glow bright red for a moment.

Suddenly the figure moves in front of Arcana in a blur, trying to slash her with it's sword, just missing you. But just as it looks like the figure is about to land on the floor, a glowing sigil appears under their feet, causing them to rebound up again for a second swing.

How do you respond to her attacking you? Note I'm not asking you to roll to take a deadly blow yet.

Vigil you think you're well on your way to escaping. But just as you pop one finger, you suddenly feel the chains tighten. You look to see if the thief was the one doing it, but they looked distracted attacking Arcana. Then you feel the chain move again. The shadow chains are sentient! And they don't want to let you go.

If you want to get out that way, you'll need to roll Unleash powers, to get past these chains. Although the chains are sentient, so make of that what you will.

Scion & Counterspell

Converter nods understandingly, at your unspoken remark.

"We do not hold your team mates responsible for your actions, nor defending you. They are in no danger from us." She pauses, as if in thought. "If you have any family, any human family that is," She quickly corrects herself. "Trust us we don't want them to suffer any harm either. We want to protect them as much as you do.

"And the best way to do that is to come with us."

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
"How long?"

Converter nods. "Perhaps not long at all. Just so we can have a real chance to question you, to learn what we can about the Utopians, on the off chance they ever return-" Your next words catch her off guard.

[B][url=http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5]
It was written on his face, clear enough for her to read, his desire to protect his friends, his family, but there was something else.

He whispered, quietly, defeated.
[SIZE=1]"They're coming back ..."

"I-I'm sorry whose coming back?" she asks. And suddenly,

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Railgun has started bursting into hysterical laughter, holding her sides in either joy or pain. Maybe both. "We're so f**ked! Can't you even see that you stupid bimbo?" Converter turns to glare at Railgun.

"What are you talking about?"

"They're coming back! We don't stand a chance!" She's holding her sides laughing again. And are those-tears coming from her eyes. "Christ might as well kill me now." She blurts out, with resignation.

Converter looks at you, Scion, for confirmation.

What do you guys do? How do you guys react?

Squire

You feel like you're in a haze. You feel strong arms holding you, but you keep drifting out of consiousness. You look up momentarily and see a big red light. And then you pass out again.

And then you start to dream. You start to dream a terrible nightmare. A memory, of your worst tragedy.

Hah! You thought I'd forgotten you! Never. Describe your most tragic memory, and how it expresses itself in a dream form. HOWEVER, do not mark a condition yet.

Razade

2016-06-02, 01:54 PM

Anyr

2016-06-02, 02:27 PM

In retrospect, it was no surprise that the enemy's first attack missed. The reason for this would be clear to anyone who looked at Arcana's left hand.

"You can't be much of a spellcaster if you need to use this thing. Nice design, though."

She held up a sword exactly like the one wielded by her enemy...Or rather, like the one they had been wielding, until a few seconds ago. Arcana casually dodged the second blade attack, the same way that she had dodged the first: By virtue of her opponent not actually having a blade any more. In another blink of the eye, Arcana's new weapon had been absorbed into her voluminous robes. She didn't need a pointy stick to aid her.

"And for your information, pushing myself too far doesn't drain me: It makes it harder for me to hold the power back."

[Please hurry, Anton. I can't keep this up much longer...]

Arcana uses Snatch to take the woman's sword.

gremlin-pult

2016-06-02, 02:51 PM

Vigil stared with consternation at the tightening chains. That is so not fair... He thought, before his attention returned to Arcana and the thief. A sword. great... I gotta do something fast. She can't keep this up much longer.
Shifting his shoulder slightly to reaffirm that, yes, the chains did indeed react to his movement as if they were alive, he came to an uncomfortable conclusion. My legs are less tightly bound than my arms... If I'm gonna get out, I'll need to pop both my shoulders, both my wrists, AND one of my knees out at the same time. Then I can slide down and out of the chains if I'm quick enough. Of course, then I need to snap my leg back in it's socket before I hit the ground, so I can actually charge in and dropkick Sir Jerk-a-lot... He thought, his enthusiasm dampening as he contemplated doing it. Sure, he'd popped all those joints out of their sockets before plenty of times, but that was individually. At the same time? That would take coordination and timing the lieks of which he'd never achieved before. ...Welp, Ju-Ju needs me, and it is, maybe, perhaps, physically possible for me, so... I guess I'm doing it.
With his mind made up, Vigil took a deep breath, then promptly attempted to pop the designated joints.

I've read up on the moves I have access to, and I'd like to use the Janus move called Game Face, to gain a +1 to my rolls to stop this thief, since he/she is trying to do something to Arcana. I'll mark the condition Insecure to activate the move, since even though Vigil wants to stop the thief, he is a bit doubtful about whether he actually can.

Unleashing powers: [roll0]

rooster707

2016-06-02, 03:42 PM

Squire

You feel like you're in a haze. You feel strong arms holding you, but you keep drifting out of consiousness. You look up momentarily and see a big red light. And then you pass out again.

And then you start to dream. You start to dream a terrible nightmare. A memory, of your worst tragedy.

Hah! You thought I'd forgotten you! Never. Describe your most tragic memory, and how it expresses itself in a dream form. HOWEVER, do not mark a condition yet.

It was the middle of the night. Raining, too. Of course it was raining. Joseph stood in the shadows, with his back against the wall and looked around the corner at the pawn shop. The door lay in pieces on the ground, and he could see someone moving around inside. Okay, he thought. No problem. Wait for him to come out, then knock him out and call the cops. Same as always. A man appeared at the door, and Joseph tensed, preparing to attack. The man had a backpack slung over one shoulder and held a baseball bat in one hand. No problem. As the man walked past the alley where he was hiding, Joseph sprang into action, knocking him to the ground. The man grunted in pain, and before he could react, Joseph kicked him in the stomach, hard. "One chance," he said, glaring down at the thief in what he hoped was a menacing manner. "Put that back, and leave. I won't say it again."

The man gasped, spat some blood out on the ground, and... laughed? And now he's going to... Suddenly the man vanished, and Joseph was thrown back against the wall. Why does this all feel so familiar...? Joseph looked up to see the thief had reappeared a few feet away, brandishing his baseball bat. Oh.

Please, no, I don't want to see this again, no... Joseph tried to shut his eyes, but couldn't. He watched, helplessly, as he charged toward the man, who vanished again.

Crack.

There was a blinding, nauseating flash of pain, and suddenly Joseph was on the ground, clutching his head. He saw the thief out of the corner of his eye, standing over him. "Stupid kid."

Crunch.

"What do you think you are, some kind of hero?" He paused for a moment, and Joseph somehow managed to whisper through the pain, "...Why?"

The man leaned down, until Joseph could feel his breath on his face, and whispered in his ear, "Why...?" Just a few more seconds. Paladin will be here soon... "Why not?" Wait, that's not supposed to...

Snap.

Thunk.

The man began to chuckle softly. Joseph lay there, broken, bleeding, unable to do anything but listen, as the sound faded away into the night.

CoreBrute23

2016-06-03, 01:00 AM

Arcana

As the sword disappears into your robes, the masked figure laughs.

"Thank you for making things so much easier for me." Suddenly you feel a biting sensation, not physical biting though. More like something is piercing your aura, your chakra, whatever you call your magical essence. Then suddenly you feel the pent up energy you have drain away, like you've just cast a powerful spell.

"There's a reason I brought the Hungry Demon Blade to this fight. It feeds on magical energy, and it's insatiable. Then you just had to put it next to the buffet." It's difficult enough to force the energy to hover. You feel like your time marble might crack at any moment.

The large coffin the thief came in to steal starts glowing with red energy.

just to be clear I'm not taking away your charges or flares or anything. You are just finding your magic harder to control, (not because it's too much, but because it's slipping away from you) and adding a time element to the situation, since you can't maintain the marble permanently.

What do you do?

Vigil

You strain yourself with all your might, and eventually you pull yourself free. As you tumble down, you feel something taught in your body snap. As you land, you pat yourself over, worried it was a tendon or your achilees heel. But you don't feel any pain or discomfort that would constitute that.

"Looks like you left something behind." The thief points at the statue where you just fell from. Glancing back you see the chains are still wrapped around something. Your shadow. If you glance down you see your shadow isn't tracking your movements. It seems to be struggling in pain.

"Miokra Ansem Diyara Aniformatum!" The figure chants. suddenly the chains that surround your shadow begin to merge with your shadow, mixing with it while the shadow struggles. After an agonizing long moment your shadow drops to the floor.

Before standing up again, 3 dimensional. It looks like you, but with chains wrapped around it's wrists, and glowing golden smoke from it's eyes.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EhkTffl-vaA/hqdefault.jpg

The shadow Vigil lunges at Vigil, swinging it's chain as it does so.

"They used to be so close you know?" The thief sighs before charging towards Arcana, twisting it's body for a roundhouse kick.

What do you do? You don't need to roll take a powerful blow or defend to avoid this chain attack by the way.

Counterspell and Scion
Converter turns to you Counterspell, with all the serious and gravitas she can manage.

"You just don't understand Sebastian. If Scion is saying what i think he's saying, the situation is more dire than we could have ever managed." Railgun hollers from behind you.

"Ring the bells! The Utopians are coming! Ring the bells! The Utopians are coming back!" She holds her chest in pain but can't hold back her tears of laughter. Converter ignores her.

"If that's the case, we need to find out everything we can from Scion. And if he's been hiding this secret for 9 months," She looks at Scion. "Can we really trust his word? We need to get Inspired to confirm what he knows." Inspired is one of the founding members of the Guardians, and zie is one of the most powerful telepaths in the world. "And if he can be trusted. If Scion can, he'll be out of Alpha-max by tomorrow." She doesn't mention what will happen if Scion can't be trusted.

Converter turns to Scion. "Well Scion? Will you come peacefully?"

What do you do?
What do you do?

Squire

"No come on, come back Squire, you can do it." You hear a concerned voice call out for you from the darkness. "Please. I can't do this again." The familiar male voice sounds like it might break down. Just as you slip into darkness, you hear a final shout, in a non-mechanized voice. "Joseph wake up!"
...
Your eyes open slowly. Your mask is off, first thing you notice. The second thing you notice is how hot this room is.

Glancing around you see that you're in the Armory again. There's an IV drip next to you. The upper part of your armor has been removed to make room for it.

"You're up." You hear Paladin call from behind you. Looking you see he's dressed in his leather armor from before, but still has his metal mask on. "The Turopian Manx gas you inhaled has been extracted. Your voice will be a little hoarse for a while, but you should be fine." He speaks in his familiar calm tone.

"...How are you feeling?" It almost sounded like concern, which is disconcerting giving his mechanical voice.

Is it normal for him to show concern for your safety? Or his cold expressionless nature his normal? What's his normal character, and has he been acting that way recently?

Razade

2016-06-03, 01:24 AM

Counterspell and Scion
Converter turns to you Counterspell, with all the serious and gravitas she can manage.

"You just don't understand Sebastian. If Scion is saying what i think he's saying, the situation is more dire than we could have ever managed." Railgun hollers from behind you.

"Ring the bells! The Utopians are coming! Ring the bells! The Utopians are coming back!" She holds her chest in pain but can't hold back her tears of laughter. Converter ignores her.

"If that's the case, we need to find out everything we can from Scion. And if he's been hiding this secret for 9 months," She looks at Scion. "Can we really trust his word? We need to get Inspired to confirm what he knows." Inspired is one of the founding members of the Guardians, and zie is one of the most powerful telepaths in the world. "And if he can be trusted. If Scion can, he'll be out of Alpha-max by tomorrow." She doesn't mention what will happen if Scion can't be trusted.

Converter turns to Scion. "Well Scion? Will you come peacefully?"

"Stop telling me what I understand and don't! We beat he Utopians once! It wasn't just Scion and Arcana, it was the whole team! They're not invincible, they're not gods! I don't care about your Inspired and I don't care about the Utopians, Scion's one of us and I'm not going to just let you take him because you're scared." The word is practically spit out through his teeth as he tries to physically place himself between Scion and Converter. "If you want him, you have to come through me."

One more chance to Defend someone!
[roll0]

Well that's a 2.

CoreBrute23

2016-06-03, 02:01 AM

Counterspell

Converter sighs and floats in front of you, before landing. Her eyes look down on you with the pity of an elder.

"You just don't understand Counterspell. You're still a teenager. You aren't thinking like a hero." She puts her hand on your shoulder and squeeze. "But this is out of your hands now."

Mark a condition. She's also using her influence on you to tell you who you are-a kid, not a hero. If you accept, increase your mundane by 1, and reduce your savior by 1. Otherwise, roll to reject.

Razade

2016-06-03, 02:07 AM

"No you think I'm a kid, arresting innocent people isn't what heroes do. Get bent Sam." Sebastian growls, still trying to butt between Converter and Scion. "But you're right, you win this time Sam." He then turns hard on his heel, placing his hands up and palms out as he walks away from the trio. "I'm going to go get a coffee and call the Colonel." he shouts over his shoulder, hoofing it to the nearest coffee shop.

Can I get four Conditions? Bet you I can! Rolling to reject!

[roll0]

Going to clear Hopeless as well.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-03, 04:30 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

Galan looked at his friend with tired, sad eyes, slowly walked forwards, clasped him by the shoulder. "You're right Seb, she is afraid, she should be." He sighed, then continued quietly, "We didn't beat them, they delivered their message," a pause, "their ultimatum and left." He leaned forward, stumbled, fell, braced himself against Seb as he did, pressed a hard square into his hand, blocking Converter's view with his body, whispered so low Seb had to struggle to hear it, "Take it to the Warbird, main console, ask him for help."

He turned, looked towards Converter, "You're wrong though, I didn't keep it from anyone, while that b!tch Alissa was delivering the Praetor's message, she nearly killed me. My friends got me out, but I was unconscious. My mom told me I had hemorrhaged in my brain, that the normal procedure involved an incision, to drain the fluid, relieve the pressure. The doctors couldn't do that, she couldn't bring me to Paladin, or the Guardians, because you'd throw me in the Alpha Max," another pause, a fleeting half-hearted smile, then softly, "ironic, eh? I'm volunteering to go now."

"The thing is Converter, until this afternoon I didn't even remember anything about that day, not really. I remember the Warbird, I remember the Utopians attacking the school, then I remember waking up in a hospital bed, my mom crying." A another pause, he had to swallow, hard, to avoid tearing up. "I didn't remember any of it until that guy mind r@ped me this afternoon, then it all came rushing back."

He shrugged, held up both his hands towards Converter, "I'm ready to go."

Anyr

2016-06-03, 05:51 AM

gremlin-pult

2016-06-03, 07:27 AM

"gah! This is such a foul move!" Vigil exclaimed as he dodged the chains swung at him by his doppelganger. When he sent a kick back in return, it was easily dodged by the shadow. Great. It's moves are as good as mine, and that's without counting the chains or any other tricks it might have... He thought as he and the shadow wove back and forth, both trying to get a solid hit on the other.
When Arcana started yelling something about a sword, Vigil desperately wanted to go to her side, but the shadow just kept too much pressure on him. So when she appeared by his side and pushed a stylized sword that looked like some LARP'ers wet dream into his arms, he was surprised to say the least.
"Whu...?" He said, not sure what to do with the sword.

"Take this! It eats magic!"

"Huh? Ooooh, I get it!" he exclaimed, before turning to the shadow with a wicked smile. "Ok Rattlechains..." He said, flourishing the sword and familiarizing himself with it's weight. "... Let's dance!"
With a sudden lunge, Vigil surged toward the shadow. He hadn't exactly had a lot of training in swords, but he figured that if it really ate magic, he only needed to touch the shadow with it.

Imma try to Directly engage the shadow. With my new badass sword!

[roll0]

rooster707

2016-06-03, 08:21 AM

Squire

"No come on, come back Squire, you can do it." You hear a concerned voice call out for you from the darkness. "Please. I can't do this again." The familiar male voice sounds like it might break down. Just as you slip into darkness, you hear a final shout, in a non-mechanized voice. "Joseph wake up!"
...
Your eyes open slowly. Your mask is off, first thing you notice. The second thing you notice is how hot this room is.

Glancing around you see that you're in the Armory again. There's an IV drip next to you. The upper part of your armor has been removed to make room for it.

"You're up." You hear Paladin call from behind you. Looking you see he's dressed in his leather armor from before, but still has his metal mask on. "The Turopian Manx gas you inhaled has been extracted. Your voice will be a little hoarse for a while, but you should be fine." He speaks in his familiar calm tone.

"...How are you feeling?" It almost sounded like concern, which is disconcerting giving his mechanical voice.

Is it normal for him to show concern for your safety? Or his cold expressionless nature his normal? What's his normal character, and has he been acting that way recently?

"I'm... I'm fine." Squire rasped. He was distracted for a moment by his mentor's voice - it was unusual for him to show this much emotion. Suddenly he sat up, remembering why he had been unconscious in the first place - "The team! What happened to the team!? Is everyone okay? Did you get the... uh... the noodles?"

CoreBrute23

2016-06-03, 11:59 AM

Squire

Paladin looks at you, tilting his head solemnly. "Noodles? There were no noodles. I found you collapsed next to the phone booth teleportal. You didn't have anything on you." You realize the phone booth he's talking about is several miles away from the culture district. It's actually closer to where you fought Cryosaur earlier today, and the one you used this morning.

"About your friends." He stops and sits down next a pew. "You should sit down Squire. It may not be easy to take in."

[Cue epilogue]

Counterspell and Scion

Converter picks up Railgun and slings her over her shoulder. She then takes Scion by the hand gently. "You are doing the right thing." She glows again and floats off, leading Scion away.

Counterspell as you head to the coffee shop, you can see them fly towards the Guardians head quarters, directly above Alpha-Max, their personal prison. You then look down at the cube in your hand. A strange, beautiful cube. Why would Scion give this to you?

[Cue epilogue]

Vigil and Arcana

"Haven't you figured it out yet little witch?" The thief mocks. “Causing you to let loose is all part of the plan.” The thief turns to the shadowy clone you’ve created of it. “I know imitation is flattery, but I had hoped one of the conduits would be more creative.”

“Still,” The thief flicks it’s wrists, and two flat blades stick out of her wrists. “Nothing like a little shadow boxing.” Before lunging at your construct, who charges forward arms pulled back for a punch.

Arcana as Vigil takes the sword, you feel a tug, as if the sword doesn’t want to leave, before it’s taken away by Vigil. But the pressure coming from within yourself is overwhelming-it’s like holding back a flood with sheer will.
Vigil as you hold the sword, you find it heavy in your hand, a little unwieldy, but you chalk it up to lack of experience. Still you lunge with all your speed, easily ducking past the chains coming at your head.

In one easy movement, Vigil stabs the shadow copy through the chest, causing it to gasp. Right before you also gasp. There’s an icy coldness in your own chest, but there’s no wound.

The shadow Vigil cries out. It’s chains leap as if with their own will, and wrap themselves in around your wrists, around the sword’s hilt. Shadow Vigil dissolves into black smoke, which is suddenly sucked into the sword itself. You feel like you can’t control your body, like you’re paralyzed in that spot, as the icy coldness spreads up your arms.

The chains disappear into the sword as well, but as it does so, the sword moves of it’s own volition, into your chest, hilt first. You feel it take refuge in the emptiness inside you, before vanishing. You fall to the floor, exhausted beyond belief.
“My word, you are cold Arcana.” The thief remarks as it knocks the construct aside, smashing into the wall, which causes a crack in the time marble. The construct struggles to stand-it doesn’t have much fight left in it. “You just made him kill his own shadow. Don’t you know that’s where the soul hides?”

The construct can still go for a bit, but your time marble could crack at any moment. What do you do?

I want you to add to your sheet, a new ability. Magic Eating Sword [Tiring]. You can summon it in the future from your chest, but you don't know that in character yet. However, you no longer have a shadow.

What do you do?

So, I'll be writing up an epilogue for everyone, just as soon as Arcana and Vigil finish their scene. But i need to know, for Squire and Counterspell where do you see your characters in 1 hour? Scion, you are heading to alpha Max, so you don't know.

But for the others, I need to know, where do you head, to reminisce about the day, think about what's been going on. Coffee shop? Home? The Warbird? A bar?

gremlin-pult

2016-06-03, 12:16 PM

"You... Stay away from... Her... You Bastard..." Vigil said, trying in vain to stand up, his voice dropping to a mutter before he could even finish the sentence. So tired... What did he say about a soul?.. I can't... Think straight...
As he lay there, too tired to move, Vigil struggled with all his willpower to stand up, to stop the thief, to save Julia. But he couldn't. Once again, he could do nothing.
"Arcana... He only wants you... Run away. Get... the others..." He forced out, struggling for breath as if he'd just ran a marathon.
"If you touch her..." He continued, looking straight at the thief. "I swear to God, I will... Make you regret ever being born... I will... Kill you! You hear me, you crazy ****!?"

Alrighty, I'll write the new ability on my sheet. Is there anything I should write about the ability, besides it's name?
And what exactly does it mean that the sword is [Tiring]?

Anyway, an hour from now, I see Vigil gathered with the rest of the team in the Warbird, trying to piece together the wreckage that the day has become. He'll probably want to be alone to think and rage out, but since he knows that the others will feel the same, he'll take it upon himself to keep them together and try to steer them towards fruitful solutions instead of moping. Not that it'll be easy, since he'll want to do the same.

Anyr

2016-06-03, 01:26 PM

Arcana was there to catch Vigil as he fell. She cradled him in her arms with the utmost tenderness. All pretence of stoicism was gone now. The armoured figure's words echoed deafeningly through her head. Though her face was still shrouded in darkness, anyone could guess its expression: She was crying.

"Y-you're lying. You have to be lying. I can't have...I c-can't have..."

His soul. She'd helped to take his soul. And yet, what were the first words he said?

"You... Stay away from... Her... You Bastard..."

Concern for her. Arcana didn't know what she'd ever done to deserve such a friend; Or what he'd done to deserve a blight like her. Right now, Arcana only knew one thing: She needed to save Vigil. Defeating the enemy? Stopping the theft? These were all trivialities now. Vigil was all that mattered. Arcana didn't wait for the frozen moment to break; She did it herself. Colour and motion instantly returned to the surroundings. And in that same instant, the two teenagers were gone.

They reappeared in the base's medbay. If Vigil was still conscious, he'd hear a stream of half-cried words pouring from his friend. The two of them were alone; And yet, it sounded as if she were pleading with someone. These were the ramblings of a mind on the verge of collapse.

"Please let him be okay please let him be okay please let him be okay. I'll do anything. I'll die in his place. Just save him. Just save him..."

Arcana uses Move to teleport back to base.

gremlin-pult

2016-06-03, 01:35 PM

When they reappeared at the base, Vigil looked around with a tired glance. He felt more or less lucid, just very, very tired.
Looking up a Arcana, he reached up to his mask and unclasped it. With a grunt of effort he took it of, revealing a drawn and pale face. He gave her a tired smile, then reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Shhh, don't worry Ju-Ju. I feel fine. Just a bit tired s'all..." He said. "Now I'm gonna need you to stop bawling for a second. I'm gonna be fine, and he didn't manage to do anything real bad to you. We're ok. So please stop, you know I hate seeing you sad."
He thought a moment about something he could occupy her with.
"You know, I really wouldn't mind a glass of water. So if you could get me that, and maybe turn the TV on for the news, It'd be great. After I think it would be good to maybe get a message out to the others, hear how they're doing..."
Vigil said the last part a bit incoherently, what with him being so tired. He didn't let his gaze leave Arcana, however, or the smile leave his face.

Anyr

2016-06-03, 02:00 PM

Arcana's robe faded into nothingness. All that remained was a crying teenage girl, clad in t-shirt and jeans. Arcana Julia barely seemed to hear her friend's words. Between the magical disruption and watching him suffer, her psyche was barely coherent. When he asked for water and television, she didn't move: But nonetheless, a glass of water was suddenly beside him; And the sound of the TV could now be heard. Elsewhere, the other team members (those who were conscious, anyway) would get the momentary sense that someone needed them. Julia's magic was still seeking an outlet. And with her so hyper-focused on Vigil right now, the slightest request from him might trigger a spell.

Julia, meanwhile, just continued to weep and plead. She was beyond the reach of comforting words now.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. For everything."

gremlin-pult

2016-06-03, 02:16 PM

"None of that. You have nothing to apologize for." Anton said, frowning slightly. taking a sip of the water, he glanced at the news for a second to see if there was mentioned anything about the others, then turned his attention back to Julia. "Listen... We don't know half of what's been going on today. And the other half we barely understand. It's becoming more and more clear that the museum and the attack on you and counterspell is somehow connected. Maybe everything else, with the hallucinations and stuff is connected to it too." He said, picking his words carefully.

"There's definitely something big going on, and we're involved in it. Everything that happened may very well have been part of someone's plan. Which means we've been led around by the nose. Not just you, all of us. And we need to figure out what it is. I'm not in the middle of dying right now, so looking me over can wait 'til the others get here... I'm not saying you should stop being sad, Ju-Ju. This situation isn't easy for me either. But you're more competent than you think. And we're gonna need you. You need to be strong. Don't ignore your sadness, but you can't afford to break down right now. I promise you, I'll be fine, and we WILL figure it all out. I need you to be strong right now. Can you do that for me?" He asked giving her an imploring look.
He dearly hoped he could get her to pull herself together, even a little, or he might not be able to keep it together either. His self control was frayed by todays events as well.

Welp, despite Vigil having a bad day himself, he's gonna try and comfort Arcana, since he is very much about the whole "putting others before himself" thing.

[roll0]

CoreBrute23

2016-06-03, 02:29 PM

Arcana and Vigil

As the TV is turned on you hear a report. "This is James Duggan from MSNBC, we are reporting live at the Guardians HQ, where Converter is bringing in two dangerous super criminals to be placed in containment. One is the infamous mercenary Railgun and the other is," You both don't need to hear his name to recognize the person floating next to Converter, head hung with shame.

"Scion, of team Epic. More as the case develops at 6."

Epilogue-Vigil, Arcana and Squire

The three of you are at The Warbird, after Vigil called you into discuss what's happened with Scion. You haven't heard back from Counterspell yet, so you don't know if he's coming.

Write your last post for Issue 1 of Epic-A deep chill!
Time for End of Session moves.

Essentially, how has your character grown this session?

Choose one:
• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that
character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift
one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you
away from another character.

Counterspell

"Sebastian, Samantha has clearly gone out of line." You hear the familiar gruff voice of Colonel* Hastings over the phone.

"I saw the reports of his injuries after the Utopian attacks-no way an invader would harm their own operative to that extent. Meet me at home and we can discuss how we can knock some sense in that diva of a daughter of mine." His call hangs up. You look around at the coffee shop, with the beverage of your choice in front of you. And you feel the heavy weight of the cube in your pocket.

You know Vigil called a team meeting back at the Warbird. But Hastings says he wants to work with you to help Scion. Could he be more effective then your team? Or maybe you just want some space right now?

Hey is Hastings a Colonel or a Corporal? You've got it down as both on your sheet.

So, where are you ending this session? Alone? With hastings? With the team?

Also answer the end of session move question. How have you grown this session?

Choose one:
• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that
character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift
one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you
away from another character.

Scion
"Hey hey, check out the fresh meat!" "Whoa, how many worlds you think he killed?" "Bah, pipsqueak like that, bet he's just a serial killer that general pop has run out of room for!"

As you walk down the long hall, you see these large wide cells, each holding some dangerous being. an aligator headed being dressed in Egyptian themed Tron wear snarls at you. One multi-tentacled monstrosity bulges against it's wall.

"Hey man, want to make a wish?" A creepy red creature, whose legs burn with fire, leers at you as it talks. "Got a great deal, 3 wishes for the price of one! Just give me a rub!"

"Ignore them Scion." Converter states as she walks alongside you. You are un-handcuffed, by Converter's insistence. The red creature continues to yell as you walk away.

"The food here is awful! Why not wish for some of mama's apple pie! Or pop in that girl from your fantasies, right in your cell, do whatever you want! Come on man, I just need 1 rub, and I'll give you whatever you want!"

Finally you come to a large empty white area, seperate from the other cells. There are no bars around this slightly raised plateu. Just some furniture, a bed, and little selection of books.

"Step inside Scion." Converter insists. When you get in, by agreement or force, hard light walls pop in around you, cutting off your means of escape.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/5j62rQ2dIK1UY/200_s.gif

Converter looks at you from outside the walls. "Inspired is out on a mission to Mars currently. Zie'll examine you when zie gets back, which should be in a couple of days." She nods at you. "I want to believe you can be trusted. We'll have to see though." She turns and walks away, leaving you in your cell.

Write your epilogue here. Also, time for your end of session move:

How has your character grown this session?

Choose one:
• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that
character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift
one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you
away from another character.

Mystery Epilogue

Deep in the sewers, a soft hand with disgustingly long nails holds up a purple cube, the Jiangu X surprise. It glows with it's slightly plutonium energy, which reflects the red light that comes from near the being's face.

"Her tears." The being mutters in a sad broken voice. "Stop it-her tears." It mutters to itself, as it sits in the darkness.

And that's the end of Issue 1 guys! Post your responses guys, but leave it to 1 post each. You'll have a lot of time to hash things out in Issue 2.

Anyr

2016-06-03, 03:10 PM

There was a long pause. Then, gradually, something changed in Julia's eyes. She actually seemed to be looking at Vigil, rather than through him.

"...I can. For you. If you want me to be strong, then I'll be strong."

Her hand found its way to his own. She clasped it as firmly as she could manage. Right now, he was her anchor.

"We'll get through this; Together. Always together."

Yes, that was right. She couldn't break down yet. That would just hurt him more. She needed to stay; And make amends for every crime. She'd do whatever it took to make things right.

Julia chooses 'Grow closer to Vigil' as her move. Between that, the Comfort and the running, she also clears Angry, Afraid, and Hopeless.

Epilogue-Vigil, Arcana and Squire

The three of you are at The Warbird, after Vigil called you into discuss what's happened with Scion. You haven't heard back from Counterspell yet, so you don't know if he's coming.

Julia sat quietly next to Vigil. She'd given as coherent an account of events as she could manage, under the circumstances. But there was no chance to truly process it all: Because the tragedies just kept piling up. Scion was in prison, and Counterspell was missing. It wasn't just her and Vigil. The whole team was suffering. She spoke three simple words.

"What's the plan?"

Julia herself wouldn't be doing the planning. Almost every decision she'd made today had been wrong. Best to stay out of it, lest she accidentally get Scion the death penalty. When the team had need of magical assistance, she'd be there for them. And then, once all of her teammates were safe, they could start settling some accounts...

gremlin-pult

2016-06-03, 04:00 PM

"...I can. For you. If you want me to be strong, then I'll be strong."

Anton's smile widened as she took his hand and answered him. It wasn't exactly answer he wanted to hear. He wanted her to be strong for her own sake, not for someone else. But it was good enough for now.

"We'll get through this; Together. Always together."

"Together." he answered, squeezing her hand in return.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue

Vigil stood at the end of the table in the Warbird's meeting room, looking at the people around it. His companions. His teammates. His friends.
Leaning in over the table, he placed both his hands on it and looked at the others in turn. "We lost today. There's no denying that. We got lead around by the nose, we were tricked, and we were beaten in battle." He started, his voice level. He wasn't placing blame, simply stating a fact.
He took a second to gather his thoughts and let his words sink in.
"But we are not destroyed. We're still here. We may be wounded, we may be split up, and we may be disheartened. But we are NOT!... Destroyed." He continued, slamming his fist on the table to underscore his words.

"We will find out how all the events of today fit together. I'm not sure how yet, whether we'll find clues, or ask for help from more established heroes, or do a third thing. But we will figure it out. Each one of you is powerful in your own way. If we stand together and keep our spirits up, we will never be defeated by the same tricks again. We will find out who's behind all of this, we will find out why they want Arcana, and we WILL bring them to justice!"
He paused again briefly, this time mostly because it felt like the right time to do it.
"We've been pushed and pulled around all day. All we've been able to do is react to whatever happened. No more of that. We're gonna start being proactive. We're gonna go on the offensive."

As he talked, Vigil started pacing back and forth in front of the table. He ended up where he started, in front of the table. Resting his knuckles on on the tabletop, he took a deep breath.
"First order of business..." He said.

"...One way or the other, we're gonna get Scion out of prison."

Razade

2016-06-03, 04:29 PM

Counterspell

"Sebastian, Samantha has clearly gone out of line." You hear the familiar gruff voice of Colonel* Hastings over the phone.

"I saw the reports of his injuries after the Utopian attacks-no way an invader would harm their own operative to that extent. Meet me at home and we can discuss how we can knock some sense in that diva of a daughter of mine." His call hangs up. You look around at the coffee shop, with the beverage of your choice in front of you. And you feel the heavy weight of the cube in your pocket.

You know Vigil called a team meeting back at the Warbird. But Hastings says he wants to work with you to help Scion. Could he be more effective then your team? Or maybe you just want some space right now?

Hey is Hastings a Colonel or a Corporal? You've got it down as both on your sheet.

So, where are you ending this session? Alone? With hastings? With the team?

Also answer the end of session move question. How have you grown this session?

Choose one:
• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that
character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift
one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you
away from another character.

Sebastian gently places the phone away, sipping at the large black coffee while staring out at the street. Something had come up with Vigil but he certainly couldn't go help after everything, it was probably nothing anyway. The news report wasn't helping, calling Scion a criminal...there was no chance he was going to be able to hide this from the team this...failure...and then there was the issue of Squire who absolutely wasn't where he put him safe and sound. Going back to base was probably not the best call if he wanted to avoid an argument and he absolutely did, his emotions frayed and raw as they were. He wasn't going to go back to the Colonel either, not tonight anyway but it was nice knowing there was an ace in the hole. Looked like it was going to be another night wandering the streets of Halcyon City, crashing in greasy spoon for a few hours and then maybe back to base when everyone had a chance to get some rest. But silver linings, Arcana and he had almost had a decent dinner and they'd beaten some baddies about. Small comforts, not that they'd keep him warm while he wandered though.

Well, I certainly want to take Closer to the Team after Arcana said she needed Sebastian but she's already got Influence over him. So does that still work?

And whoops, it's supposed to be Colonel, he's just below becoming a General. But Sebastian remains alone.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-04, 04:57 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

As Galan watched Converter walk away he felt, betrayed, he'd always tried to protect other people, when she mentioned Alpha Max he'd assumed she meant a containment cell, solitary, something like that. To be paraded down a hallway full of criminals, psycho's, and worse, it was ... he shivered.

And his mom, she hadn't even let him call his mom, she was going to wake up in a couple hours and he wouldn't be there, despite his promise.

He sighed, resignation crept in, all he could do was hope.

Hope that someone would be there to tell his mother, hope that the Guardians would listen to reason, hope that Sebastian would remember the holocube, hope that his father could come up with a plan, and hope that he still had a team that could carry it through.

He paced his cell for about an hour, then he tried something he'd never tried before. He floated above the floor, his legs crossed uncomfortably in something she called a Lotus position, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts, to push all the turmoil, the fear, the doubt, the anger, push it aside. To seek his center, a place of peace.

All he could see was her face. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep his mind from coming around to her.

Jules ...

And with that thought a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Ok, so for Epilogue stuff, I feel Scion grew closer to Sebastian, and while I am scared to give him Influence over me for fear of what he'll make me do, that scene where he said over my dead body gave me chills. Soooooo there's that. I'll mark Potential, as I can't really see clearing conditions in Alpha Max, and I am going to take In a China Shop as my move, it's my own playbook, but that street fight with Railgun, I want to play up that aspect of superhero fights, though the term significant is kind of scary. We'll see how it plays out ...

Also, I think everyone should give themselves a pat of the back this has been AWESOME!

CoreBrute23

2016-06-06, 11:00 AM

Issue 2-Visiting Hours

On the cover is Scion, in full costume, floating in the lotus position, while his downward looking expression is hidden by shadows of the dark room prison cell he is in. Burnt into the wall behind is the word Scion, still glowing red from intense heat.

Team pool gains 1 point. Team Pool is at 1 point currently.

Arcana, Counterspell, Squire, Vigil

The page turns past the recap to a full spread of the Warbird, sitting at the bottom of Kane Lake, almost as if it hadn't crashed but was simply biding it's time, before it would fly again.

Cut to the kitchen area inside where normally the Epic teens might be having a snack while playing video games between missions. However today there wasn't any levity to be found in the room. Squire and Vigil were there discussing their friend's incarceration. It had been a few hours since Scion had been taken to Alpha Max, and it was getting late.

What did you tell your parents (if anything) to explain why you are out so late?

You are scheduled to go on patrol with Paladin tonight, to investigate some robberies in the Port district. He's offered to handle it himself, to give you time with your friends. Did you take him up on that offer or are you still planning to meet up with him?

In the hallway, Arcana has her own little conundrum to deal with. She was currently dealing with a call from Galan's mother, who was using Galan's phone that he left behind. She found the name Julia and was trying to find out what she can about her son's situation.

"Please, Julia right? You don't have to pretend, he's told me about you, (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20835096&postcount=143) I can put the dots together. Just tell me why they've put my son in Alpha Max! Please, they won't tell me anything!"

How do you respond to her pleads and claims she knows who you are? Did you pick up the phone, or are you listening to a voice mail?
While I don't think you personally have met her in costume, since you said 'nice to meet you' first time you met, Galan's kind of spilled the beans to her already.

Just then the automatic door to the kitchen opens, and in walks Counterspell. This is the first time any of you have seen him since the noodle bar.

Where have you been since the noodle bar? Why are you so late, even though Vigil called the team to the Warbird hours ago?

Scion

The constant lights of your glowing walls makes it difficult to tell how much time has passed. You are sure it's been at least a few hours, but you can't be certain. Concentrating on your lotus position is difficult, and not only because od the noise. Besides the normal shouting and cursing of the inmates, someone keeps stringing a guitar poorly, cause it keeps snapping with a loud thwack.

No the reason you haven't been able to focus is because of your neighbour. Despite being on an elevated platform, and not directly next to any cell, you can see a cell on all 4 sides of you, not more than 10 feet away. Three appear to be empty, but the inhabitant of the one in front of you terrifies you.

Tell me about the prisoner in the cell in front of you. Why do they frighten you to such an extent? What is it about them? Have they said anything to you? And of course, how are you feeling?

Razade

2016-06-06, 11:52 AM

Just then the automatic door to the kitchen opens, and in walks Counterspell. This is the first time any of you have seen him since the noodle bar.

Where have you been since the noodle bar? Why are you so late, even though Vigil called the team to the Warbird hours ago?

Sebastian had spent the night, as he spends most nights, wandering the city and crashing in various venues that were open all night and wouldn't kick him out. He'd not really bothered to tell anyone he was kind of living out of the Warbird since they'd set it up as their base and considering that seemed the most likely place the team was going to be at least for a good portion of the evening it just seemed better to go back to being a street rat for a day or two. With little sleep and with even smaller reserves of patience he drug himself to the large military base that sat just outside of Halcyon City. No one really stopped him, he'd only been coming to the base for seven years or so. Everyone knew him and everyone knew why he was there. He even tried to look a little presentable despite still being in the same clothing from the night before as he sat in the Colonel's office, glaring at the receptionist.

Anyr

2016-06-06, 11:56 AM

Razade

2016-06-06, 12:00 PM

Julia didn't bother lying about her identity. She just focused on being there for Scion's distraught mother: No easy feat, since Julia was pretty distraught herself. The events of today had taken a heavy toll on her.

"I really don't know much more than you do. The last I heard, Galen was being called in as backup for a fight. We're doing everything we can to find out what happened."

She thought back to that scene at Galen's house. Had he let his anger get the better of him again? No, that didn't explain this. Alpha Max was a dumping ground for the worst of the worst. The Galen she knew couldn't possibly have earned a cell in that place. This had to be some kind of misunderstanding; Or the twitchy authorities overreacting.

"I promise to call you as soon as we know for sur-hold on a second.

Counterspell?! Where the hell have you been?!"

Sebastian continues to walk through the assembled to a small corner of the Warbird, no real concern it seems with his friends as he starts to tug out clean clothing from a large box in one of the cluttered corners. "Military base." he grunts as he starts to strip, also not seeming too worried whose present as he gets down to buff before tugging clean clothing from the box. Perhaps not for the first time, the team is presented with the host of Sebastian's tattoos, a litany of names in various languages scrawled in between images of vague animal shapes and esoteric symbols. "Breakfast?" he asks as he busies himself dressing, the question left to those present if he means if they want breakfast or if there is breakfast to be had.

gremlin-pult

2016-06-06, 12:13 PM

Vigil tapped the side of his mask, sending of the message to his parents that explained how a friend of his had gotten in trouble and needed some moral support for the time being. One of the good things about being a dutiful and hardworking son was that your parents generally didn't question what you did with your free time, and gave you a lot of space.

He then turned to Squire. "Has Paladin mentioned where he stands on this whole situation? I don't like it, but we might have to reach out to some of the more established heroes to get help for Scion. I honestly don't have much of an idea yet on how we could get him out..." He said, his frustration at the situation clear in his voice.
He still felt weirdly tired after the ordeal at the museum, and he was not exactly comforted by his lack of a shadow. It was odd how he was still tired, even though he'd passed out and gotten a few hours between the meeting and now.
But there was no time to dwell on that. He was interrupted just as he was about to continue, by Counterspell entering the room. "Ah. Good, you're here." He said earnestly. While he wasn't thrilled that Counterspell had just disappeared for the last several hours, it was another thing he couldn't dwell on. They couldn't afford to get into arguments now.
"Seriously, if anyone has an idea on how we can help Scion, speak up. I got nothing, besides maybe asking other heroes for help. And that should only be our plan C, in case we can't come up with something better."

CoreBrute23

2016-06-06, 12:15 PM

Razade

2016-06-06, 12:30 PM

Counterspell

-Flashback-

The soldiers on duty recognize you, and let out a sigh of resignation. "Christ he smells like a dilapidated brewery." You hear one mutter as you walk past, but no one stops you. "That's the Colonel's kid, shut your mouth before Hastings sews it shut!"

As you walk through the base you know to head to Hasting's office. You stop at the utilitarian wooden door, with Hasting's full name and title. You can hear him through the door.

"No, I definitely need to speak to Samantha right now-no it cannot wait! I don't care if she's having crumpets with the first lady herself-wait she is? The first lady actually eats crumpets? No don't answer that!"
Do you enter now, or wait for him to finish the call? And what does Hastings look like when you walk in? I still have no idea what he looks like, or how old he is. What's he normally like, is he always this angry?

Counterspell (Flashback)
Conditions: Guilty

Sebastian slips into the office quietly as the Colonel speaks over the phone, simply finding a place to sit and drape himself over while he waits for the call to be concluded. "Colonel." he simply says when the man is off, keeping his gaze off the man and showing not even a lick of respect for the man's station. "Maybe she just needs a spanking or two. And not from Theodore."

Oh, I didn't really have any ideas. Older? Just your general stereotypical military brass looking guy? Bushy gray beard, hard age lines, etc. Dude's a Colonel, fairly high position in the U.S Army. And sure, angry... stern. A hard man. But not unkind or cruel. Just a military man through and through. Seen a lot of crazy stuff. Old School.

Anyr

2016-06-06, 01:27 PM

Julia hurriedly turned around while Counterspell changed. She did her best to follow Vigil's example, and contain her anger. Judging from the fused remnants of phone now in her hand, she didn't quite succeed.

"Never mind breakfast! Scion's in jail, and Vigil lost his shadow! What happened to you? Why didn't you come back? Do you know why Scion got arrested?"

rooster707

2016-06-06, 01:29 PM

"Seriously, if anyone has an idea on how we can help Scion, speak up. I got nothing, besides maybe asking other heroes for help. And that should only be our plan C, in case we can't come up with something better."

"I don't know... Paladin wants me on patrol with him tonight, I'll ask him about it then, but other than that..." Shaking his head, he stood up and walked to the freezer. "Oh, and Sebastian? I think you saved my life last night, so... thanks." Grabbing a box of frozen pancakes, he tossed it over his shoulder at the hopefully-dressed Counterspell. "Your reward is: pancakes."

CoreBrute23

2016-06-06, 01:55 PM

Actually he saved your life earlier this afternoon. The whole noodle thing, and the museum robbery happened in the late afternoon.

Counterspell (Flashback)

Hastings slammed phone down on the reciever. "That little Fa-" he stopped himself quickly enough, and shook his head. "sorry. Little f*cker hung up on me. Still..." The Colonel sighed before sitting down in his chair. "Spanking-the ****'s wrong with you boy? That's still my daughter, even if she's acting crazier than a bureaucrat in a straight jacket."

Hastings leaned back. "I've tried to use some influence in the army to get the Guardians to offer proper justification for holding you're friend Scion. Problem is, not only are most of them off world so they couldn't give a statement if they wanted to, but Scion apparently volunteered to put himself in prison. So we can't even claim unlawful internment." He stared at a picture on his desk wistfully, but it's facing away from you. Eventually he continues.

"I'll try to speak to the Guardians' liason with the government, I served with her. Smart lady, tough as ****. It'll be like wringing water out of a cat, and make me go gray early but I'll get it done." He looks you in the eye, even though you look away.

"What about you son? How are you feeling? Seeing Railgun after so long, it must have been tough. Then all this with you friend...well it hasn't been a good 24 hours has it." He stops hesitantly. "Do you want to talk about it? I know I ain't half the listener your daddy was, but..." He doesn't seem to know how to continue.

Razade

2016-06-06, 02:15 PM

Counterspell (Current)
Conditions: Guilty

Sebastian catches the pancakes with one hand, proceeding to then promptly wing them against the wall. "Always time for breakfast." he returns, pulling a long fur lined jacket over an arm as he turns to look at the team. "S'that all? No shadow Vigil? Slimming." he then slowly takes a seat at the table, uncharacteristically soft spoken as he props his feet up on the table and leans back in his chair. "Scion didn't get arrested. He went to Alpha-Max willingly. See though, I don't think that's our most pressing problem. Well, not the only most pressing problem. That little scene at the restaurant? You're being hunted Arcana and not by someone who isn't willing to spend a dime to get you. So now we've got three problems. Who or what wants you. Vigil's not going to be able to play Peter Pan in the next Tr-County Super Hero Jamboree and Scion has willingly incarcerated himself because a few people, him included, are afraid. Afraid the Utopians are going to come back. Afraid Scion's some kill drone or something.

Spent some time thinking of a few plans. Most of them were just "break into the highest security prison and then break out again" but that doesn't seem like it's going to help anyone least of all Scion. So I went and took a trip to talk to some people. It...may or may not help." he shrugs, rocking back and forth in his seat. "Now we're all very upset" says the one who seems least upset of all "that Scion has been thrown into a prison cell. But I think we need to look at the big picture here. More's going on then we know and that's not a great place to sit in. So. I suggest Vigil and Squire go and figure out what the hell is going on while Arcana and I go bust Scion out of the clink. After breakfast, man I am starving. Is anyone else starving? I know a diner, open all night. Food's awful but they have the best view of the city at night."

Counterspell (Flashback)
Conditions: Guilty

"You wanna list?" Sebastian asks softly, finally turning his gaze on the Colonel. "We'll be here by sun up if we start now." He absent mindedly rubs a hand over his chest, about where his heart would be, at the mention of his father though it only earns the older man a deep scowl. "The only thing my dad talked to me about was not petting strange dogs or taking candy from weird people. Didn't have a lot of time to talk to me about much else sir. But no. No it hasn't been a very good day. It hasn't been good for ten years, sixty five days and twenty seven minutes." he shifts, sitting straight up in the chair. "Now, I'm liable to just go to Alpha-Max, beat the doors down and drag Scion out of prison all on my own but that's not very clever is it? Can't cause a scene can I?" His voice only grows angrier with each word. "I don't want to talk about it. I want my friend out of prison. I want to choke the life out of Railgun while the entire viewing audiance can watch and I want..." he grows silent, teeth clenched and hands white knuckling the arms of his chair. "I want your help. Sir."

gremlin-pult

2016-06-06, 03:50 PM

"Ok, ok, Let's... Let's take a little time to gather what we actually know, precious little that it may be." Vigil said, rubbing his temple as he sat down at the table.
"we know that both the villain in the restaurant, and the one in the museum wanted Arcana, for some reason. Do we have an idea why? I remember the one in the museum... Let's call him a knight, since he was wearing armor... calling you a, what was it, a Conduit?" he continued in a tired voice, looking at Arcana. "Any idea what that means? I gathered that the things he did was magic, which is your area of expertise more than anyone else's."

he then turned to Counterspell. "And if Scion went to the prison willingly, I don't think busting him out is the smartest course of action. We need to know more about the situation before we do anything rash. Anyway, do you have any idea why the attacker at the restaurant wanted Arcana? Could that one and the knight be working together? I think it's too big a coincidence that the two attacks happened now for them to be unrelated..."

Ugh, the whole day turned into one big cluster****... As if it wasn't bad enough with the bastard that invaded my mind with the memory-hallucination thingy..." He groaned, resting his head on one hand.

"Oh, and while I remember, Arcana, what exactly would it mean to not have a soul? I mean, sure, I don't have a shadow anymore, but besides being tired I don't really feel that different. Do you know about that stuff, or know someone who might know?" He added after a moment.

Anyr

2016-06-06, 06:11 PM

"Ok, ok, Let's... Let's take a little time to gather what we actually know, precious little that it may be." Vigil said, rubbing his temple as he sat down at the table.
"we know that both the villain in the restaurant, and the one in the museum wanted Arcana, for some reason. Do we have an idea why? I remember the one in the museum... Let's call him a knight, since he was wearing armor... calling you a, what was it, a Conduit?" he continued in a tired voice, looking at Arcana. "Any idea what that means? I gathered that the things he did was magic, which is your area of expertise more than anyone else's."

Julia took a deep breath, and refocused herself. Vigil was right. They needed to discuss this thing like calm, reasonable people: Even if none of them really felt that way.

"I've never heard anyone call me a 'Conduit' before; But the term is pretty accurate. I'm a living path, that channels magic into the world. Other Mages don't work that way. They have to carefully tease ambient mana into the shape they want. Remember how the figure talked about it taking five weeks for her to 'prepare' a time stop? Chances are, nearly all of her tricks were set up in advance. Whatever her plan was, she knew exactly what tools she'd need to pull it off.

And one more thing: She said 'one of the Conduits'. Maybe I'm not as big an exception as I thought..."

"Oh, and while I remember, Arcana, what exactly would it mean to not have a soul? I mean, sure, I don't have a shadow anymore, but besides being tired I don't really feel that different. Do you know about that stuff, or know someone who might know?" He added after a moment.

"T-that's not really my area of expertise. Sorry. We'll just have to play this by ear."

She was lying. Vigil would sense that easily. For whatever reason, Julia was holding something back.

that, then I'll fix it; Whatever it takes.]

Razade

2016-06-06, 06:27 PM

gremlin-pult

2016-06-06, 07:54 PM

Counterspell (Current)
Conditions: Guilty

Sebastian raises his hand, continuing to rock in his chair. "Excuse me? Yes hello, this is Sebastian. How ya'll doin'? I'm not offering some rash plan here. Your lack of shadow...and soul apparently...aside. You and Squire are the best at finding out information, and Squire needs to go play dress up with Paladin yes?" He looks to Squire for confirmation. "Arcana is being targeted, where's safer than Alpha-Max? We split up. Make it harder for them to hit us if there's more. Railgun, one of the attackers, is in Alpha-Max and...Arcana might be able to get info out of her too. It's certainly not a coincidence that two people were looking for Arcana and...what's this about hallucinations?" Sebastian sets his chair down with a loud *thunk*, sitting up. "Now that's a new wrinkle. Was this before or after Scion put you through a wall? You know, head trauma and all that. Just checking."

Vigil gave Counterspell a long, hard look, before sighing in defeat. "I see your point. It's not a bad idea, the prison does have the best anti-villain measures one could wish for... But please, don't just try to bust Scion out with force, okay? Nevermind that we wouldn't have a snowballs chance in Sahara of succeeding, it would also put us in every hero's crosshair, which is kinda the opposite of what we're working towards. I just want to be sure we're on the same page here." He said calmly.
"As for the soul thing, I don't know anything about it. For all we know the knight may have been lying through her teeth about me losing my soul." Vigil glanced at Arcana as he said that. It was plain to see that there was something about that subject she wasn't telling. But that could wait, for now. "And no, the hallucination didn't happen after my close-up with the wall. I never got around to telling you guys about it with all that happened, but Something or Someone mind****ed me when I went into the sewer after Cryosaur. I dunno how, but somehow the attack dredged up a hallucination of my most traumatic memory. Then I passed out, and woke up in a bed, in what I then found out was Scion's house. I have no memory of going there, and Scion's mother said I smashed through a window and then just keeled over. But the last thing I remember of it was the sewer. So no, it wasn't headtrauma that caused it."

rooster707

2016-06-06, 09:48 PM

Vigil gave Counterspell a long, hard look, before sighing in defeat. "I see your point. It's not a bad idea, the prison does have the best anti-villain measures one could wish for... But please, don't just try to bust Scion out with force, okay? Nevermind that we wouldn't have a snowballs chance in Sahara of succeeding, it would also put us in every hero's crosshair, which is kinda the opposite of what we're working towards. I just want to be sure we're on the same page here." He said calmly.
"As for the soul thing, I don't know anything about it. For all we know the knight may have been lying through her teeth about me losing my soul." Vigil glanced at Arcana as he said that. It was plain to see that there was something about that subject she wasn't telling. But that could wait, for now. "And no, the hallucination didn't happen after my close-up with the wall. I never got around to telling you guys about it with all that happened, but Something or Someone mind****ed me when I went into the sewer after Cryosaur. I dunno how, but somehow the attack dredged up a hallucination of my most traumatic memory. Then I passed out, and woke up in a bed, in what I then found out was Scion's house. I have no memory of going there, and Scion's mother said I smashed through a window and then just keeled over. But the last thing I remember of it was the sewer. So no, it wasn't headtrauma that caused it."

Joseph turned to Vigil, eyes widening in realization. "Wait - I think the same thing might have happened to me. I assumed the gas caused it, but... Paladin said he found me at the phone booth teleport, and there's no way Sebastian could have dragged me that far and got back to the fight in time." He twisted around to look at Counterspell, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you can fly or something, and you never told us?"

Razade

2016-06-06, 09:52 PM

Joseph turned to Vigil, eyes widening in realization. "Wait - I think the same thing might have happened to me. I assumed the gas caused it, but... Paladin said he found me at the phone booth teleport, and there's no way Sebastian could have dragged me that far and got back to the fight in time." He twisted around to look at Counterspell, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you can fly or something, and you never told us?"

"I dumped you on the street away from the fire and got back to the fight, you were covered for the most part. Figured you'd be safe...Paladin found you." Sebastian admits with a shrug, standing slowly. "Now we have a fourth stick poking us and I bet you that all four of these things are related. So it's decided then, Vigil and Squire will figure out what is going on and Arcana and I will work out how to get Scion out of prison. Then we regroup when we're all together, beat the crap out of who ever is behind this and go get breakfast. Or dinner. Or what ever. Shawarma?"

CoreBrute23

2016-06-06, 10:39 PM

Razade

2016-06-06, 11:00 PM

Counterspell-Flashback-

As you pour your heart out, you suddenly find Hastings on your side of the desk, kneeling next to you, clasping your shoulder.

"Sebastian," He says slowly but with conviction in his eyes. "I promise I will do everything I can to help you and your friend. It'll take a little time. But," He pauses and takes a breath. "I need your assistance.

"Did Scion give you anything, before he was taken away? Some information about the Utopians, or a piece of tech?" You are immediately reminded of the square cube in your pocket, the one Scion gave you before you left. "Anything like that, if you share it with me, I can use it as a sign of good faith on Scion's part, that he truly wants to stand against the Utopians and help expedite his release."

So what do you do?

Sebastian flinches away from the touch, he was never really fond of personal contact since the accident, though moves a hand up to steady himself. The question does little to displace the deep scowl however as he stares up at the aged military man. "That information is confidential pending investigation. Colonel." he intones, jaw set stubbornly. It was a phrase he heard often from the man. Where was his mother? Confidential. What happened at the Power Plant that day? Confidential. How much did the government owe him in place of his father for the pension? Confidential. He sure as !@#% wasn't going to just give up something Scion trusted him with at the drop of a hat. "I know..." he starts, his gaze wavering slightly towards the ground. "I know I'm not always the most trustworthy. But you have to trust me on this. If I did have something, if Scion did give me something I'm not sure it'd help us if I just gave it to you. I need...I need some time. To meet up with my people. Let me...let me meet this liaison to the Guardians. All I need is some backing and I can do this. Just...a little extra back up if things go sour. Like they always do."

CoreBrute23

2016-06-06, 11:15 PM

Razade

2016-06-06, 11:22 PM

Counterspell-Flashback

Hastings shakes his head before standing up. "I'm sorry son, but it's probably not the best idea for the liason to meet with you. She is somehow under the impression you are some sort of meta-supremacist, and I can't think of any way to dissuade her." He heads back around the table. "I'm not going to press you on...whatever is confidential," His stern expression implies that he really wants to thought. "But you are making things difficult. If you don't trust the government or the military, how are they supposed to trust you? Or more importantly, trust Scion?

"You go meet with your friends. I'll try and work on the liason myself." He sits down on his seat, and picks up the phone. "Stay safe Sebastian."

"Can you knock over a reporter then? That'd help loads too." Sebastian brushes his hair from his face, finally offering a shrug as he stands. "Look...when I know what I need to know you'll be the first person I call. I...I appreciate that you're trying to help. Sir. You know I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't really important. But I think the mountain of bodies I'm standing on would give you people some reason to trust me even if it gives me no reason to trust myself. We both know I'm not going to be safe though. Don't we. And we both know I don't deserve to be safe either." He then turns neatly on his heel, back straight with a perfect march as he swings his arms crisply at his side. "At ease soldiers!" his shouts can be heard ringing off the walls as he makes his way off the grounds and back to the Warbird.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-07, 06:28 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Hopeless, Insecure.

Several hours ago Galan had walked down the corridor, following Converter, assuming that he would be meeting with the Guardians, answering questions, resolving the looming Utopian crisis. Instead he had walked past cells containing the most dangerous sentient beings that humanity had ever faced. Would be overlords, dictators, and genocidal maniacs; beings of immense powers, towering intellects, and depraved passions.

After being sealed in his hard light cell, tried to calm himself, his fear, his anxiety, using meditation techniques that Jules had shared with him months ago. All the while she, had been watching, it was unnerving. He had seen alien physiologies, grotesque augmentations, other dimensional beings, tentacles, gaping maws, auras of menace and power, and it was Tayor, M., #23765-A01 who scared him the most.

"We're sorry that you feel alone Galan, we would never abandon you, unlike your friends, your family," a pause, a tugging towards the base of his skull, "like Julia." His eyes snapped open, she hadn't spoken, but her voice echoed in his brain.

"Wha-who?"

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Unity_zpsx4ckgoaf.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Unity_zpsx4ckgoaf.jpg.html)

A young girl, wide eyes, narrow jaw, pouting lips. "You would never be alone Galan, you would make us strong, and we would give you purpose, direction, clarity. We would love you, and cherish you, always," again a pause, a tickle, "they took us away, they put us in this place, they," was that, sadness? "Made us, a me."

"Oh jesus, hell no. It can't be. Unity." He remembered reading about Unity, it was a township in Ohio. Something happened there, the township closed itself off, at first the government suspected a cult, they sent in the nation guard, the guard never came back out, the Guardians figured it out. A collective, a psychic collective, this girl ...

"Yessss ... you know us. We are Unity, join us Galan, let us be Unity again."

CoreBrute23

2016-06-07, 07:23 AM

The Warbird

As the four of you continue your discussion, Counterspell's phone starts ringing. Once again, the Warbird has excellent reception, despite being deep under water. Looking at the phone, it's Colonol Hastings. After you pick up,

"Sebastian, I just spoke to the liaison. Man she's a harder ass than I remember, but I managed to get some good info out of her. Remember how I said we couldn't do anything because Scion had voluntarily submitted himself to the Guardians? Well that's what I confirmed with the liaison-Converter is not an official guardian. She's a registered ally, and can be called upon in certain situations, but she's an independent hero.

"That means that technically Scion's statement that he would be willingly contained, can't be verified. Only official Guardians' testimonies can be accepted without further evidence. So all we need is testimony from Scion that he was coerced into being contained, or that he didn't willingly give himself up." There's a moment's pause where you can share this with the others. "However that's where the good news ends.

"They've locked up Alpha Max tight, no one, not even government can get in without Guardian approval. And they're all off world. We can't get in contact with any of their allies either-none that want to speak to me anyway." There's a sigh of resignation. "The only thing I can think of is waiting for them to come back from the moon, which could take a couple of days. Unless they're on one of Jupiter's moons, then it could be a while."

What do you guys do? How do you respond?

Scion

Unity stares at you through the glowing lights, sparkling off her eyes that saw infinity.

"It hurts to be alone in the world? to be different doesn't it Galan? I just wanted the world to see it as I did-to be together with everyone. That's all I wanted-to not stand apart." She raises a hand to the wall. There is a silver tattoo on it, in a strange sharp design you don't recognize. "Work with me and we could be so happy. The world could be so happy." You feel another tug at the back of your skull.

"With Unity, Utopians and humans wouldn't stand apart. We would be united as one species. There would be no war on the horizon, only peace for eternity."

She's using the influence she gets from her limited powers and your own thoughts, to tell you who you are. You are one of many, you were made to belong together, in Unity. If you accept, step down Freak by 1, and increase Mundane by 1.

Zen Gypsy

2016-06-07, 08:57 AM

Scion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20698936&postcount=5)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Hopeless.

"With Unity, Utopians and humans wouldn't stand apart. We would be united as one species. There would be no war on the horizon, only peace for eternity."

It seemed so, it made sense, if Unity could help bring peace ... stop the war ... the Utopians. He looked at her eyes, so wide, so dark, so innocent. He shook his head, there was a shadow there, like a shark swimming beneath the seemingly calm surface, something ancient, intelligent, patient, and infinitely dangerous.

He fists hammered against the solid light walls of his cell, "Get." Tho-ooom! "Out." Ka-ThoooOM! Each word was punctuated by a two fisted blow against the barrier, with such force, such power, that the lights dimmed, if only for a microsecond.

He turned his back to the creepy young girl, breaking eye contact, Jules had told him that once. It didn't always work but it made it more difficult, and by god, he hoped that the psychic dampeners held, because if she had that kind of power while her abilities were supressed. He shuddered.

I will choose to reject Unity's Influence, [roll0]; once the result is in, I will post an appropriate IC response. Eeeek! Another Potential, but also a 4th Condition. I need to clear these, but I can't exactly Flee the Situation (Afraid), Punch Someone or Break Something (Angry), Fling myself into Easy Release (Hopeless), or Take Foolhardy action without Consulting the Team (Insecure). Hrm ... would surrendering myself to Converter be considered Foolhardy as I didn't talk to anyone in the team about it? Just a thought ...