New Freedom City: Shadows in Southside

[Nintendogeek01]

Geek's Freedom Comics - New Freedom City:
Shadows in Southside


There is an atmosphere of class and sophistication as the well-dressed waiter carries out a bottle of wine, past tables where men and women dressed in their best carry on glorified conversation and feed themselves on pasta, seafood, or steak with fine cutlery. As elegant music wafts through the air the waiter reaches his destination, a round table where three men sit, menus in hand; the waiter pours the wine into their glasses, takes their orders, and takes their menus with all due courtesy before he leaves, promising to return soon with their appetizers.

"It's been too long since we've all spoken face-to-face," the largest man at the table, one who must be in his early-to-mid fifties in a dark suit, begins with a voice deep and commanding. He sports short black hair that is slicked straight back from his forehead and while his closely trimmed mustache and goatee add to the definition of his face it is his bushy eyebrows that grab your attention, leading anyone's gaze to the man's own intense blue-grey eyes. "Tell me Oliverti, How's the family business?" he asks one of the other men.

The man who was just addressed looks up at the man, clearly the youngest of the three, mid-to-late twenties, with dark hair and a brown suit, his brown eyes show a keen, analytical gaze as he opens his mouth to speak, "There have been a few setbacks, but business is steady right now," he answers with a thoughtful inflection.

"And your brother..." the large man gestures as though trying to recall something.

"Tommy..."

"Yes Tommy," the man says, "I trust he's keeping well?"

"He is, he's been good for the family business," Oliverti answers.

"Good, it's always good to hear," he adds before turning to the last man at the table, a man in his 40s with receding brown hair, a pencil thin mustache, and wearing a double-breasted pinstripe suit, "Though speaking of business, Tonifanni, I haven't heard word of a particular bit of business being finished."

"Boss Driogano..." the man, Tonifanni, replies with a Brooklyn accent, "If these were any street punk administering their street justice it'd be taken care of, but these costumed types are a different breed," he explains to the large man.

"They're a problem Tonifanni," Driogano says, looking Tonifanni straight in the eye, "And you have always said you were good at taking care of problems, and yet the likes of The Silencer and Foreshadow still show up like boogeymen and disrupt operations."

"It won't last," Tonifani replies, "Every made man, and every associate knows to look out for them, and everyone knows what the reward is."

"They try to undermine us all, but they will get what's coming to them," Oliverti chimes in, his tone more determined than before, bristling with a hint of anger.

"Oh they will..." Driogano agrees, "And whoever delivers them to me will be a very well-rewarded man, and they, and anyone who thinks they can follow their so-called example, will be served to me on a silver platter," Driogano finishes shortly before plates arrive with the feast of these dons.


Freedom City, home of the Freedom League since its inception. Certainly there was that period of time when the former Mayor Franklin Moore outlawed costumed heroics, leading to one of the most infamous periods of Freedom City's history where crime and corruption were the norm, where the ones once called heroes were now outlaws who fought back with as much brutality as the criminals they opposed. All of that ended after current Mayor Michael O'Connor took office, and after the Terminus Invasion forced heroes to return. After the Centurion gave his life to stave off the end of the world the new Mayor kicked his policies into high gear, working to reverse the corruption in Freedom City that had festered under Moore's policies. Within a year the Freedom League had returned, organized crime lost a lot of influence on the city's government, and many neighborhoods were restored and rebuilt better than ever.

Not all of it is perfect however, crime and corruption were beaten back but not eliminated. Neighborhoods were restored but not everyone's life has done a 180. Freedom City is a large city, and every such city has an element that slips between the cracks despite the best of intentions. Money pours into the casinos and hotels of the boardwalk, while the northern half of Southside is slowly eaten away by organized crime, and the Southern half barely staves it off, and Lincoln continues to be home to youth who think that gangs and a life of crime are a way into money.

Tourists will almost never notice it, but the locals to the south of South River know that the Freedom City mob is still strong, still powerful. Gone are their heydays under Franklin Moore's corrupt administration, but the police can barely stem the tide to maintain the status quo, the heroes of the Freedom League have to save the world while the mob adds more money and illegal supplies to their coffers. Luckily there may be a chance to strike at the mobs, elements such as Foreshadow and Silencer continue to be a thorn in the side of the bosses, and the mob may have other enemies yet. Do not think that the mob will just sit there and take this though, so tread carefully those of you who would see justice done, because powerful men have tried, and the mob does not take any threat to their power lightly.

Issue #1 - Looming Danger

It is 2002 early fall, and the days are starting to get colder, though far from intolerably so, in fact some people are still forgoing wearing a jacket. It's almost too bad that the day is overcast currently and the weathermen are calling for rain anytime between now and the evening, but who knows. It certainly hasn't stopped life in Freedom City as the news makes readily apparent.

The News from various sources

"Earlier this afternoon the Freedom League engaged the wanted mercenary group, The Power Corp, resulting in damages in Midtown. Luckily the Freedom League successfully captured most of the Power Corps, and Dr. Metropolis quickly repaired the damage. The objective of the power-armored mercenaries remains unknown at this time."

"Animal-rights activists thought to be in league with the infamous super-criminal Dr. Simian recently broke into ASTRO Labs and “liberated” a dozen chimpanzees and an orangutan. In response, Dr. Simian has posted a recorded statement online denying any involvement. Authorities have merely stated that the investigation is ongoing, and they are neither dismissing his statement, nor ruling out the possibility of his involvement."

"Today the Atom Family confirmed the recent disappearances of work crews in Brazil’s Amazon rainforests were caused by the super-powered eco-terrorist, the Green Man. The heroes reunited the missing workers with their families and assured authorities the threat was over, at least for the time being."

"In Today's issue of the Freedom Ledger, Julie Streeter shares her experiences with folks like you in "Where were you when it happened?" the stories of the survivors, the stories of those who remember the Terminus Invasion of '93, the day the Centurion died, and the day Freedom changed forever."


It is late afternoon now, and all of you are doing what you do before evening falls.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn35/nintendogeek01/Game%20Maps%20and%20other%20Maps/Southern%20Freedom%20City_zpszo2n1lhn.jpg

Be careful about what you assume you know. If you want to be certain your character knows something don't forget expertise rolls. Even if you don't have a required expertise for something about basic life in Freedom City you can still roll for it, you're a local after all. Just again, be careful about assuming what you know.

[John Cribati]

Man am I glad my mom couldn't send me to high school.
Joseph Clark was one of his favorite feeding spots. He just had to park himself on top of the building for a few minutes, to gain access to a well of discarded emotion, the majority of it negative. Sure, countless couples (and occasionally more) had made out on the roof, in closets, or under staircases, and there were general feelings of success abd wellbeing, but the main feeling that radiated from the place was stress. The bathrooms were full of fear and embarrassment. The classrooms simultaneously scenes of triumph and defeat.

It was a smorgasbord.

He meditated, eating his fill. And then some.

He wondered if that other empath had to feed like he did. They had to get that energy from somewhere if they were messing with so many people's heads at once.

Did they frequent that bar? Was it their hustle?

He found himself pondering the mystery person. If only because of the impression they'd made. If he hadn't realized what was happening he probably would have dumped his entire wallet in the tip jar.

It was admiration, of course. He wasn't willing to admit that maybe it could be a crush in the making.

Ooh, someone did more than make out in the cafeteria bathroom today...

[Red_Jenny]

"Flowers? Closing up for the evening, everything's on sale! You sir, flowers? I know someone in the doghouse when I see 'em! All colors, all types, come on in! Take something beautiful home tonight, make life a little more colorful!"

Kate King chattered at every passerby like she was selling peanuts at a ballgame, wandering about and occasionally handing out "free samples" to those who looked like they could use a pick-me-up as she packed up the sidewalk display in front of her store for the night.

http://i.imgur.com/Dcch6SE.jpg

Royal Flowers was a bright, perky little shop in Riverside. Every surface (and much of the walls) was given over to various floral arrangements and rows of plants. Though pleasant and popular, ultimately it kind of blended into the rest of the bright, perky, little shops that were rapidly populating and revamping Riverside. Cheery anonymity. Just how Kate wanted it.

"Hey, you with the cute scarf! Here! Hate to see something so pretty go to waste, and the flowers are nice, too. Oh no, no charge, unless you want to buy me dinner later?"

That earned her an embarrassed grin, red cheeks, and a phone number. Hurray! Normally, with the weather as it was, she'd head up to the little apartment above the shop that she called home and enjoy the rain, or maybe try her luck with the new number, but not tonight. Tonight, she had business across the river. Quiver Queen was going rat hunting. As she wheeled a display inside, Kate slipped behind the counter, the bubbly front dropping away momentarily as she carefully went through the duffel bag half-hidden underneath, bow, arrows, and costume tucked away inside. Everything looked to be in order.

Now, where were we? Ah yes, the store. Hmm... Pumpkins! I should do the place up for for Halloween! Orange flowers, Fall wreaths, I've got all sorts of decorations boxed away. Let Kiki come downstairs, get her a little Jack-o'-Lantern bow. Little black witchcat on the counter. People will eat it up!

Sometimes, she had to admit, this "normal life" stuff was all right.

[Chivy]

‘No thanks girls, I need to finish the Makashi translation before mister Johansson needs it in the morning.’ Alana Kobayashi answered her coworkers’ invitation to join them for drinks.

‘You work too much Jessica. If he wanted the thing done today he should’ve learned Asian himself.’
Tracy was a sweet girl, but didn’t understand, or care, that there were a lot of languages spoken throughout Asia; in this case Japanese. Like all her colleagues Tracy knew Alana only as Jessica Lee and didn’t suspect that she was a mutant who could read minds and play with emotions. They definitely didn’t suspect their coworker had been flayed alive by the Freedom City Mob as an example not to use abilities to cheat in their casinos.

‘You girls go. Have fun and drink a cocktail for me.’ Alana said with a smile while waving her coworkers towards the door. They left still expressing their sympathy. They were nice girls, accepting ‘Jessica’ as one of them almost instantly when she was hired, and part of Alana wanted to go out with them, but work comes before play.

Not that she had to do anything at work at the law firm, she had finished the Makashi translation early this afternoon, but she needed an excuse to get out of the invitation. Alana had already planned to go out tonight and try and find out more about the FCM’s power structure. You needed to know your enemy before you could destroy him. She had read that somewhere. Or somewheres. She was just debating how she would dress; incognito or as a girl on the town. She also needed to decide where she was going to go to find somebody’s mind to mine.

‘You’re just stalling because you’re scared.’ She muttered to herself in some sort of self-narration; a habit she had picked up during her recovery. With a grunt of annoyance at herself she fished a packet of Lucky Strikes from her handbag.
‘ You know you can’t be seen now that you’ve told the girls that you’re working. So you need to dress up and hide your identity.’ She continued telling herself as she flipped one of her cigarettes out the pack and into her mouth in one smooth motion. Her lighter set the end on fire with practiced ease and the first drag calmed her nerves slightly.

Alana then looked at the packet again, specifically a cigarette which sat towards the left end of the packet. She had hollowed it out and filled it with five white pills this morning. It now only held two. The skin on her left arm had been particularly painful today so she had taken one every three hours instead of every four. She looked at her watch. It had only been two hours since she had taken one, so she knew her arm couldn’t hurt this much already. The pill’s effects couldn’t have worn off yet. Her arm didn’t agree with that assessment and twinges of pain shot from the damaged nerves in her skin.

With a herculean effort Alana closed the pack on the pills which would dull the pain again and put it back in her handbag. A sort of socially accepted vice, smoking left her a handy place to hide her pain pills from those with prying eyes and too many questions. Plus the nicotine calmed her a bit when she was planning on risking her life again. What she was going to do when those anti-smoking laws were passed she had no idea. Probably get tins of sweets or something.

‘You’re stalling again.’ Alana berated herself. She hated when she was being all ‘reasonable but firm’ with herself. Realizing she was already carrying on for a while she then looked around to make sure nobody was in that part of the office to hear her talking to herself. She had to get that under control before people started asking questions. Visibly gathering herself she snuffed out her cigarette, closed off her office computer, packed her things into her handbag and pulled on her coat. Then left the building determined to head down to Southside and find the information she craved.

Alana caught her reflection in one of the many mirrors in the hallway leading out. A Japanese-American legal professional in a skirt suit looked back at her. She was still getting used to the way she looked and missed the familiar blend of her Japanese father and American mother’s features which used to look back at her. It drove home the fact that she could never allow herself to be found out again. Jessica Lee had no living relatives, so they’d go after her coworkers this time. She had prepared for this. She had already discretely purchased a black cat suit type affair, some high-tech armour which she could easily wear underneath it, black combat boots, gloves and a black ski-mask. It would at least keep her incognito, but she’d stand out like a sore thumb if she was seen. She might as well wear a neon sign telling people she was up to no good. How did vigilantes move around without everybody pointing at them and following them anyway?

Home first, then change into something more identity hiding. Then find somebody to learn something from. Alana finally said, finding comfort in the conviction she heard in her own voice.

Excuse the wall of text, it just kept coming. I'll keep it shorter next time.

Alana will use her Expertise: Freedom City Mob to try and think of a mob controlled location where she could get into line of sight of at least a midlevel mobster, while still keeping a distance so she can mind read him/her and gather his/her knowledge about the FCM’s structure.

Expertise: Freedom City Mob - +5 (+4 Intelligence, +1 Skill points, +0 Additional Modifier) Possibly adding Eidetic Memory – p.135 – [roll0]

edit: oe low roll right off the bat. Let's hope that's not an indication to how I'll roll. Think that's a 7 or a 12 if you count Eidetic Memory.

[Silent_p]

They're not gonna do it. Alyssa kept a polite smile on her face and tried not to sigh. She was finishing up a brief consultation with the manager of a poorly maintained restaurant. They'd been warned by the local Health & Safety rep and were 'attempting' to follow through on the recommendations. Just a box ticking exercise, isn't it? Well, 'least it's not a complete death trap. The manager turned to lead her out. Wouldn't chance the food, though... They shook hands and Alyssa made a mental note to follow up on her invoice within the week.

Finished for the day, she zipped up her windbreaker and started walking back in the direction of the bus stop. Few more years til I can afford the chauffeur. Wasn't cold but she figured rain was on the way, something that invariably made her nights miserable. Not enough that she had to wait for lengthy periods before being sure of an all-clear to investigate a suspicious warehouse, she had to do it damp too. Thinking of which, she'd need to find a payphone to see if her source at the paper had any leads.

First, though, a curry seemed like a great idea. She glanced around. Is there a place around here...?

Investigation: [roll0] Quick call to see if there's any rumours floating around in the media about mob activity or potential hotspots

[Nintendogeek01]

Alyssa

You dial up your source at the Freedom Ledger, Freedom City's biggest newspaper, as you begin your hunt for some curry. The ringback tone goes for about three rings before someone picks up, yep that's Jeremy on the other end, "Yeah Alyssa? Listen, I got something for you but... well it's not my story and I'm worried about being overheard right now, still at work and all that and I'd rather not get chewed out. Can we meet up later tonight? Erm... preferably early in the evening, I don't know about you but I'd rather not stay in Southside at night for too long." he requests of you.

Alana

Unfortunately you haven't heard of anything in particular going down tonight, but just because you hadn't heard doesn't mean someone else hasn't. Throw a rock down an alley and you're bound to hit an associate sooner or later, maybe they will at least know about something going down with a mob soldier.

Everyone

Evening creeps closer until the stars one by one begin to pierce through the atmosphere. Sure the police cars haven't stopped but even so the streets are dark and that's the best time for crooks to come out and play. As Freedom City residents also know, it's time for the masks to come out and play too.

[Red_Jenny]

As the last bits of daylight fade away over the horizon, Kate King bikes across the Pramas Bridge and down into Southside, just another shlub in the throng heading home.

Near the "border" between Bayview and Southside, Kate stashes the bike in a sidewalk rack and slides into a promising nearby alley, too well-lit to be filled with criminals, too narrow to be filled with homeless. One well-practiced quick change later, and it's Quiver Queen who pokes her head back out to make sure the coast is clear.

The first order of business is to clamber up a fire escape, get the lay of the land. She had no grand plan tonight, one of the biggest changes between villain and vigilante. Kate had found she rarely needed one. The city will tell you where the action is, if you know how to listen. Quiver Queen did. Settle in, enjoy the cool breeze as it picks up off the river, and watch and listen. The little fish were not subtle. Kate knew. She'd been one, after all. They were loud, stupid, desperate, and sound carried up here. (Also, it looks dramatic to gaze out across the rooftops, and that's important too.)

Expertise (Streetwise) to figure out where she might find trouble in Southside. Not necessarily looking for someone big or important, just a street corner or dive bar that might have a couple wannabe tough guys pop up (or something similar). [roll0]

[Silent_p]

Another reminder that Southside had problems. It rankled and Alyssa'd like to be able to call him out and say that it wasn't that bad but she knew he had a point. What she did most nights was bound to pay off over time and improve the situation. It had to. Just, baby steps.

She checked her watch. "Alright. I can meet in thirty minutes," she replied. "Kissinger, near the Botanica. There's a bench." Food could wait a little - besides, there was a decent curry house less than a block from there. Arrangements made, she ran for the bus that was just pulling up.

Going out to meet in public was always a risk. It was unlikely that anything would happen or she'd be recognised but there was the chance, however small, that they'd be spotted together. A piece in someone's puzzle if they're tryin' to catch me. At the same time, it was an acceptable risk. She trusted Jeremy; he'd given her good info in the past and the fact that she was still free and alive meant he hadn't turned her in to anyone. Usually, though, he'd give her a tip over the phone. "Not his story." Hmm. Idly, she mulled over possibilities that began to grow outlandish. Aliens are not invading, Alyssa.

She made good time and, having bought a takeaway coffee to 'relax' with, seated herself on the bench, awaiting Jeremy's arrival.

[Chivy]

Public transport always was a double edged sword for Alana. It brought her from her work to her apartment and back easy enough, but she had trouble keeping from peeking into the minds of the people travelling with her. She owned an SUV, the obligatory vehicle for a professional woman on the small-ish size, but had quickly found out that the morning traffic made the commute almost double the time it took the city’s public transport. So she suffered through keeping her nosiness in check and only adjusted one kid’s emotions to happy instead of sad when his screeching cries almost made her fillings pop out. Not that she had fillings, but still the relief from her fellow passengers was palatable when he stopped.

She reached her apartment less than an hour later. It was a nice one on the seventeenth floor in a large apartment complex; her job paid well and she played the market a bit. (Which was easy enough if you joined your colleagues once in a while when they went to the bars where people who worked in suits frequented. (And you could read minds.)) In short; she was well off moneywise.

Her two Siamese cats, Miyamoto and Musashi, greeted her with their customary demands for food and attention (The food part was playacting, Alana used one of those timed cat feeders which dispensed food at intervals). Alana gave in anyway stroking each in turn and feeding them some tuna from a can while her own food warmed in the microwave. When she scooped the steaming lasagna from its packet onto a plate she reflected on her unappetizing meal-for-one and her cats, who had taken up position on her lap and shoulder.
‘Only three steps removed from being a crazy cat lady.’ She told them wryly as she shoveled in the wet cardboard which pretended to be food.

Alana finished her ‘meal’ with another cigarette and finally allowed herself to take another pain pill. ‘Three hours thirty-seven minutes since the last one. Not bad eh?’ she asked her cats, the bitter taste of the pill spreading through her mouth after she had chewed it up. She knew that the doctor’s said that the pill wouldn’t take affect any quicker when she chewed it, but it always felt like it did. She relished the taste in her mouth, it meant relief would soon come.

A few minutes later Alana put the cats back on the ground and stripped of the trappings of Jessica Lee methodologically. Skirt suit, high heels and jewelry were removed and put in closets, make up and perfume was scrubbed away. For Alana it was like shedding the Jessica persona she donned every morning. She then put on the mesh-weave armor, black cat suit, black combat boots and black gloves she had acquired for this evening. She then walked over to the mirror in her bedroom to take a look at how bad-ass she must look now.

‘Great. This looks like an angsty fourteen year old put together a superhero costume.’ She complained to her cats, before pulling on the black ski mask which hid her face.
‘and then rejected it for being lame, before selling it to me.’ she finished as lamely as she thought she looked.

‘I can’t go out like this.’ She told her cats, her well-honed fashion sense rebelling at what she was wearing. Miyamoto and Musashi just looked at her in a disapproving manner. Alana sighed, knowing her cats were right. She wasn’t in it for herself. She was doing this for her brother and her parents. She was going to make things safer for everybody. And make those bastards suffer for what they had done.

When she passed another mirror in the hall it took her a moment to come to grips with that she didn’t look anywhere near as stylish as the known superheroes and vigilantes. Then she flung a long dark brown trenchcoat over her shoulders, pulled off her ski mask and stuffed it in a pocket together with her keys and cigarettes before turning to the cats who had followed her.
‘Wish me luck. Hopefully I’ll find out more about those bastards tonight… And yes I know, cats looking at you disapprovingly... That’s only two steps away.

Alana left her apartment and walked the few blocks to the bus heading for Southside. The trip was as uneventful as any other, excepting her screaming nerves, and she got out at the second stop after the bridge. She quickly lit another cigarette to calm her nerves a bit and walked down the street semi-casually until she found an alley which she ducked into. A quick look around told her that the alley was empty so she pulled the mask from her pocket and put it on, making sure that it covered her face and hair completely.

Alana looked around and realizing that the alley ending in a street on both sides she stood there baffled for a moment.
‘How the hell do vigilantes get around without being seen?’ She asked of nobody in particular looking left and right.
‘Great planning this. Really, this’ll work out just fine. Where could this go wrong?’ She sarcastically muttered before choosing the street with the least amount of traffic, pulling up her coat’s collar and walking from the alley.
She tried to blend in, while making herself inconspicuous and trying to find anywhere or anybody she could safely probe for more information.

So yea, didn’t really hold to my shorter post idea, but she suddenly had cats in my mind so I needed to write a bit about them.
In any case a few newbie mistakes here, but Alana will try to blend in while keeping her eyes open for wrongdoing/doers.
Stealth - +4 (+2 Agility, +2 Skill points, +0 Additional Modifier) – p.126 – [roll0]
Perception - +10 (+6 Awareness, +4 Skill points, +0 Additional Modifier) – p.123 – [roll1]

[John Cribati]

As his senses swept over the high school, one trail of Aura in particular caught his attention. He stops perceiving the entire school and tightens his focus on the hallway. The trail started at one of the side entrances, and ended in front of a locker a few turns in. It was fresh, maybe left in the morning, and was laced with panic. The other things in that locker contained the same person's aura (for the most part), meaning they were likely a student, but they hadn't been in the rest of the school that day. Like they'd come, grabbed whatever from the locker, and left.
Could they have just been playing hooky? Cyrus wondered. It didn't seem likely.

He searches for more clues.

Postcognition check for any other auras that may have interacted with the panicked person [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Alyssa earlier in the day...

"No I can't do thirty minutes I'm still at work, look evening at around..." eventually though a time is agreed on, "See you then."

Quiver Queen

From the rooftop perch you hear voices in a nearby alleyway. Peeking over the edge of the roof you see two figures standing over a third figure who is slumped against the wall, it's a bit far and a bit dark to make out any details of the three, but the figure slumped against the wall must be in bad shape. The only words you make out in detail from one of the two standing figures is "... 'Bron'd get back here already! I got places t' be if I'm gonna get in on that score!"

"Hey keep your voice down!"

"Sorry..." and he lowers his voice out of your hearing range.

Alana

You can't make out words too clearly at first but you do hear voices, and luckily whatever those two voices are talking about is apparently too stimulating for them to even be mildly aware that someone else is in the ally with them. As you make your way to a dumpster that serves as adequate cover from the talking men you think you see a head peeking out from the roof above the men, but if the head noticed you it hasn't given any indication that it has. Now that you're behind cover only about ten feet from the men you can hear them talking.

"This punk thinks he can take our cut for himself."

"Yeah I bet you learned your lesson now ain't ya?"

"But man I wish 'Bron'd get back here already! I got places t' be if I'm gonna get in on that score!"

"Hey keep your voice down!"

"Sorry... just sayin' this could be our chance to get in good with the mob."

"Yeah... yeah I hear ya." They stop talking after that.

Based on both of your rolls, plus a secret stealth roll I rolled for Quiver Queen; neither crook notices either hero, Alana notices the figure of Quiver Queen (though not enough details to recognize anything more than a hood), but Quiver Queen's perception roll did not detect Alana. Keep this in mind going forward.:smallamused:
Cyrus

You wait at the school for hours after closing. A bit unusual since there's not that many people to "aura scan" after hours but your picking up of the unusually tense aura does compel you to stay. Eventually the building empties of everything but, from your best guess, cleaning staff and maybe a token security guard, based on the irritated auras around the building.

The locks on the school are a little better than a basic home security system, but they should probably consider getting some better ones. But hey it works for you this time as you have little trouble picking your way past them to get to the lockers until you can get to the locker where that panicked aura was the strongest. You close your eyes and after a few moments of concentration you can "see" different auras painting a silhouette of three other figures around the panicked one. Two of the three are feeling pretty happy about something, the remaining aura is more more mixed, definitely traces of happy but more calmed with a trace of anxiousness over the surface. The three auras then leave the panicked one, who apparently bolts soon after. You could probably follow that aura trail if you tried.

click...

You hear the sound of a door swinging open. Good thing you heard it, while your senses can detect different auras even through walls unless you're looking at the person with your own two eyes you can't tell where they're at exactly, though you have been able to guesstimate whenever your focus is on point. You think you can hear the figure grumbling something. "... always 'Bron do this, 'Bron do that... jerks better not ditch me and leave me out of that big score..."

It's dark enough that he apparently hasn't noticed you yet so you still have time to hide... although... while hanging around lots of emotive teenagers can distract you from the hunger... you do have yet to properly feed tonight... but what is that he's talking about?

Even non-inner-city schools lock their doors after hours you know. But I decided that the DC was low enough that your technology check could routine it anyways so it's good... this time. Bear this in mind next time you want to enter a building after hours. Oh and good job on that secret perception roll I made for you, it was a nat20.

Anyways, double-checking your sheet you don't appear to have any sort of range on your drain power so bear in mind that if you ACTUALLY want to feed you'll need to touch someone. But it's the start of the story I'm not going to be so mean as to say you're already hungry. You're still good. :smalltongue:
Alyssa

Eventually the dirty-blonde hair styled to stick up comes into view, that's Jeremy alright. Apparently he decided not to forgo the jacket either, wearing it over that... ugh did he have to wear that graffiti artist shirt? Soon enough Jeremy joins you at the table. "Hey Alyssa, eh... cab's waiting so let's keep this short. You know Julie Streeter right?"

Julie Streeter is one of the star reporters at the Freedom Ledger. Her coverage of the Centurion's death won her and the paper a Pulitzer.

For the sake of a scoop she's fearless to a fault; no super-brawl or super-crime is too dangerous to keep her away, much to the chagrin of her editor's peace of mind.
"Anyways she's been doing her damndest to score an interview with that vigilante who's been operating in this part of town, Foreshadow."

Foreshadow is a superhero who appeared roughly a year ago, who mainly operates in Freedom City's southside.

Foreshadow is a superb detective and trained in martial arts.
"Julie's had no luck so far but she's... eh... I happened to be listening into what she's got in mind and... well like I said it's not my story. At best I get chewed out for eavesdropping and at worst I get a reputation for horning in on someone else's scoop. Here," He passes you an envelop from inside his jacket. "Look, I wrote down the rest of it, I should really probably go," he tells you.

[Red_Jenny]

With great care and enthusiasm, Quiver Queen looked through her namesake, searching for the perfect weapon to unleash on these mooks. And mooks they were, she had no doubt, petty, violent men squabbling over a score. She was curious just what score that might be. That meant questioning, and that meant not using anything too pointy. Not that she had been planning to kill anyone, of course, but the pointy arrows were still... messy, and Quiver Queen had found that interrogations were more productive when people weren't screaming and bleeding.

"Ah, perfect."

The arrow in question had a glass vial in place of an arrowhead, filled with two liquids, a bright green substance and a murky rust-red one. Apart, they were relatively harmless (though not things you'd want to drink or anything), together, they were a mild but very swift anesthetic, a sleeping gas.

Kate gave the arrow a little rap against the roof ledge and sent it hissing toward the sidewalk, where it burst into a sickly grey-green cloud.

"Say good night, kids!"

Trying to catch the two active goons with Sleeping Gas Arrow. DC 17 Fort save. Area attack, so DC 17 Dodge to halve as usual. It's a cloud, so it will linger for a turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

Quiver Queen & Alana

Alana can now make out a feminine silhouette in a hood wielding a bow.


... gave the arrow a little rap against the roof ledge and sent it hissing toward the sidewalk, where it burst into a sickly grey-green cloud.

"Say good night, kids!"
"What the-" one of them reacts immediately to sound of Quiver Queen's voice and backs away a few feet from the impact point while covering his mouth with his arm. For what good it does him.

*cough* *hack*

"Uuuuuhhhh..." both criminals pass out on the ground with a thud, you even hear a snore from the third figure, as the gas continues to expand slowly but surely creeping around the dumpster that Alana is hiding behind.

One crook surprisingly succeeds the dodge check despite being surprised, but he still fails his fortitude save. As for dear Alana Kobayashi though, she now has to contend with a DC17 dodge save followed by a DC17/13 fort save vs. fatigued>exhausted>asleep. Your cover behind the dumpster does give you a +5 circumstance bonus against the initial dodge save though.

[John Cribati]

Oh damn.
Cyrus weighs his options. He's technically The Hood right now, but even then, his 'costume' is really a pair of tough pants and a slightly baggy plain red hoodie, with a bandana tied over his nose and chin to hide his face. (the body armor underneath is a different story, but nobody sees it anyway). He stuffs the bandana into his hoodie pocket and alters his own presence. Usually he'd do it to blend in and get lost in a crowd, but he often got into places he couldn't normally access once he figured out that he could make himself nondescript and act like he belonged.

Hey, he waves at the guard/janitor. Don't mind me, just getting stuff out of my locker...

Deception: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Hey, he waves at the guard/janitor. Don't mind me, just getting stuff out of my locker...
As it turns out it was neither a guard or a janitor. It's a teenager whose aura also happened to be irritated; though your presence causes that to change to alarm pretty quickly. His hand reaches into his pocket but he stops moving after you say your piece, "Yeah... yeah..." he pauses and yes you up and down a bit, turning his face a bit away from you and pulls down his cap to try and hide it from your direct view, "Well... just get your $#!% and go already then, not my business what you'd break into school for," he says, the nervousness radiated by his aura is plainly apparent.

[Chivy]

Jackpot!
A triumphant grin spread under Alana’s ski mask. She had found exactly what she had been looking for. These wannabees had probably worked together on something, but by the sounds of it this Bron guy was probably their link so he’d know the most about the Mob’s structure. Alana decided to settle in and wait for the fourth, or probably now third, member of the thugs’ group, all the while keeping her eyes roving around the alley to make sure she wouldn’t be surprised when he showed.

Rooftops.. That’s how they do it. Was Alana’s first thought when she saw the man’s silhouette on the roof. Her next questioning thought would’ve been But how do they move from rooftop to rooftop with these huge alleys? Or across the streets?, but that thought was interrupted by the realization that the man on the roof had her completely outflanked. She had nowhere to hide if he had seen her and he could have anything up there. Knives. Swords. Guns. Grenades. Rocket launchers. A bloody tank. Her imagination quickly conjured up increasingly absurd threats. Then again, in this town very little would be considered absurd.

Not for the first time in her life she wished she was more like the Japanese stereotype in every movie ever. But while she’d had a little Aikido training when she was young, she just never took to it. And here she was now, completely unarmed and outflanked. Panic started to take hold, until it registered that the man hadn’t made a move to blow her up yet.
Maybe he’s not a criminal, just some sort of peeping tom. Alana thought. She then changed the he to she when the silhouette stood up and her voice matched her figure.
"Say good night, kids!"
That should’ve been a warning for Alana, but only when the greenish grey cloud started to engulf the dumpster did she realize her peril.
”Owh crap!” she squeaked as she tried to get out of the way of the gas before taking more than a lung full.

Starting with the dodge check – Dodge +4, +5 circumstances – [roll0] vs tn 17
Then the fortitude check - Fortitude +6 – [roll1] vs tn 17 or 13 if Alana makes her dodge (fatigued>exhausted>asleep)

Is ‘female silhouette with a bow’ enough for an Eidetic Memory – Expertise: Supervillains/Superheroes roll to see if Alana remembers any female superhero/villain/vigilante with a bow? If yes then – Int 4 so [roll2]

[Silent_p]

Alyssa watched Jeremy approach, grateful that it hadn't started to rain. Might just dodge that particular headache. She did her best to ignore the horrific t-shirt - Ugh - and took a sip of her coffee as he sat down. Neither of them being much for pleasantries, Jeremy launched straight into things.

Listening along, Alyssa remained quiet, merely nodding on the odd occasion for Jeremy to continue. Julie's name was familiar but she couldn't quite place it. Foreshadow she hadn't heard of, or didn't recall, at any rate. Mildly irritated with herself, she was reluctant to admit her ignorance and keen for him to continue. She waved him on both times. 'Kay. Need to brush up on current affairs. He finally started to wind down and handed her an envelope. She nodded, considered what she'd heard so far.

She gave him a tight smile. "Alright. Thanks, Jeremy. I'll look into this and let you know." She might have more questions but they could wait until she'd at least reviewed his notes. Standing, she said goodbye and let him get back to his taxi. Darkness was falling rapidly and she needed to get home. Wary of being seen spending too long in his company, she hailed a separate taxi to get her back to her apartment.

On the way, she spent a little time reading Jeremy's notes.

Investigation [roll0] to see what, if any, clues/info Alyssa can glean from she's been given.

[Red_Jenny]

The question of how "they" get from rooftop to rooftop is answered as Quiver Queen fires a grappling hook tipped arrow across the alley and swings down to ground level, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Easy pickings. I almost feel sorry for... What th...? Hey, don't move! I'll- Oh God... Ah, ****! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Finally spotting Alana scurrying away from the dumpster, Kate grabs an arrow and aims it, slowly lowering her weapon as she judges that whoever the masked intruder is, they don't seem like much of a threat.

"Hey, hey. Umm, right, hold your breath if you can. This stuff clears out pretty fast."

The figure from the roof is tall and lanky, her expression somewhere between wary and worried as she tries to figure out what to make of Alana. She has a black bodysuit on, some kind of microweave, with a yellow hood and a domino mask partly covering her face. A shock of straw-blonde hair sticks out above the mask. She has on yellow gloves and combat boots, and a yellow crown insignia on her chest. Bow, belt and quiver are all red.

It's a clear enough picture to spark a faint memory. The Quiver Queen, a trick archer with a royalty gimmick who was active a couple years back. Had vanished abruptly, and nobody had seen a hide or hair of her until, well, now. Flashy and swashbuckling, probably got a little more press than her exploits deserved. Master thief, cat burglar. Supervillain.

"So, I'm guessin' you're not with them, huh?"

[John Cribati]

Cyrus rolled his eyes mentally. Yeah, that's not suspicious at all,

Still, he didn't want to outright confront someone who so readily shoved a hand into a pocket. He shoves shoves something from the locker into his pocket to keep up appearances- he could return it later- and sinks away around a corner, out of sight of the teenager but still able to sense him. After waiting for fifteen minutes, he starts two track the teen's aura.


Perception(?) Check for Track: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

The Hood

The Hood follows the aura trail out and to the school's bus stop, and judging from how the aura trail fades here he probably used it. Damn... how are you going to... oh wait... well isn't that a stroke of luck? Looks like he doubled back at some point in the day and went down that alley. Same aura and everything.

Alyssa

The taxi ride is smooth and quiet, letting you read the notes in peace.

The Note

Okay, sorry for not giving the details in conversation, in Southside you can't be sure who is listening, mob or not. Plus what Julie's getting into may not be necessarily legal, not to mention dangerous for her. See since Julie figured that trying to find Foreshadow himself isn't working she decided instead to go after what he goes after, and since all of his purported activity is in Southside she figures that if she follows the crooks, she'll find Foreshadow. That much is no secret around the office. Chief's tearing his hair out over this idea though and told her to stop, but as always she never listens when the scoop's got too much promise.

Now here's what I happened to find out, Julie was writing a note to herself but she got distracted while writing it and I saw what she wrote before she tucked it away. It was shorthand but I'm positive it was along the lines of "DeCosta site @ 12"

Thing is, DeCosta does a LOT of construction and repairs around Freedom City. That they'd have a few worksites in Southside isn't surprising, Julie might've already known which one to go to but she didn't write that down in her note, or if she did I didn't see it. Not sure what she's going to find when she gets there but if it's mob related she'll only think to call the police after she's made sure Foreshadow isn't there, y'know, too late to avoid being taken hostage or killed if something goes wrong! So maybe you can find out if anything mob related is going down there if you like just whatever you do try and get Julie out of trouble if she finds herself in it. This is the best I've got, good luck.


The Hood

Seems went around this building.

Quiver Queen & Alana

Geez... that was a close one, ugh... that wasn't pleasant but Alana managed to stay conscious and the gas is fading true to Quiver Queen's words.

The Hood

Huh... the aura trail turns a corner here, but wouldn't that just send him full circle around the building?

Quiver Queen & Alana

Alana's lungs and throat have cleared enough for a response to Quiver Queen; after which a third figure appears just past Quiver Queen. A bit hard to make out details in the darkness but he's definitely a male in a hood, his head faces the beaten figure against the wall before he faces the two of you.

The Hood

The aura trail's panic spikes very suddenly as it rounds this corner and you can probably take an educated guess as to why, the trail of this aura ends at a beaten and bloody teen slumped up against the alley wall, snoozing away. There are two other unconscious teen gang-bangers, standing above them is a feminine figure in a hood and mask wielding a bow, and standing past her and a dumpster is another feminine figure in a ski-mask.

Now three masked vigilantes stand in the same alley, standing over three unconscious figures.

[John Cribati]

Cyrus blinks at the two masked women- one of whom was the freakin' Quiver Queen. Even though the hoodie and jeans were meant to be nondescript, he feels a bit underdressed.

He doesn't even belong here, really.

But, unconscious as these three guys are, they've still got plenty of emotion-tainted aura. And they're asleep. It wouldn't even hurt them...

... Sup? He edges up to the teen he was following, placing a few fingers to his neck as if checking for a pulse, and sates his hunger. Uh... I was tailing his one, so someone probably owes me for KO-stealing...

[Silent_p]

It turned out that there wasn't a huge amount of material to review and, having read the note twice during her taxi journey, Alyssa was left with time to consider what it said before she got home. So, Julie's a reporter, good to know. Proactive, too. She spent a few minutes looking out the window, getting her thoughts into order.

Alright. First: get home, get ready. Second: I need to find a DeCosta office, get in and see what their documentation can tell me. She pursed her lips briefly, frowning. She would be taking the company's potential duplicity on hearsay but it didn't look like it could be helped. If they're dirty, it'll be another lead. If they're not, well, I'm not stealing anything... right? Pushing the doubt from her mind, she looked over the note again.

"At 12" could mean a couple of things. Most likely was time; darkness and crime going traditionally together suggested midnight. It could be an address; number 12 on a certain street or even 12th Street over in Lincoln - though the focus being on Southside made that unlikely in Alyssa's mind. She sighed quietly. No point getting too attached to any theory just yet.

It didn't take much longer to arrive at her apartment building and, having paid the cabbie - including a modest tip for giving her the space to just think - she quickly made her way up to her fourth floor home. She'd neglected to check her mail on the way in but figured time could be of the essence if Julie was in any trouble. Need more information, fast. A brief check that the blinds were down and she retrieved her costume and gear, putting them in a non-descript backpack. That done, she flipped through her phone book to find an address for DeCosta Construction in Southside. Hmm. Few blocks from the college.

She did a brief tidy to avoid leaving any major clues as to her activities, then straightened and closed her eyes. She stood still and carefully controlled her breathing. You can do this. A few slow, deep breaths later, she opened her eyes, picked up her backpack and left. Catching a taxi outside, she directed the driver to take her to the college.

A final thought lingered in Alyssa's mind as she watched the streets go by: Why is Jeremy so concerned with being overheard? Paranoia or something more? Hmm.

[Chivy]

Alana tried to get away from the gas, but moving from sitting on your knees to.. well moving turned into a badly executed judo roll. A second later she was hacking, coughing and wheezing while she crawled away from the stuff.
Very dignified entrance Kobayashi. the self-narrating part of her mind, which had decided that sarcasm was the way to handle things, told her when the silhouette apparently stood only a few feet away apologizing and telling Alana to hold her breath.

"So, I'm guessin' you're not with them, huh?" the woman with the bow, bowwoman?, asked.
Alana held up her right index finger to signify that she needed a moment, then wheezed a few times to try and clear her lungs. They didn’t really need clearing anymore, but it gave her a chance to get a good look at the woman, as well as the thugs drooling or snoring, or both, behind her. Alana started to wonder if her healing had kept her from drooling on the pavement with them or that the gas had been diluted in the air.

Now, that was a costume! Bowwoman looked good! The colors worked together, the material was well made and it didn’t look like it bunched anywhere leaving her free to move. The girl had obviously put some serious thought into her costume. Alana quickly squashed the jealous spark rising in her throat. If she wanted something like that she would have to put in the time and effort to get something like that. She then noticed that the woman was probably waiting for an answer, her bow lowered but an arrow still nocked and ready to draw.

Be cool and answer her.
“L.. look, I don’t want any trouble.” Alana stammered, followed by another small cough.
Owh yea, that was smooth, professional and you totally impressed her.
“I’m not with them.” she said after standing up a little straighter and reminding herself that below that costume there was a person and she had always been able to make nice with people. Mostly.
“So how about you holster mister pointy there.” she continued with a nod at the Bowwoman’s arrow, a little more confidence returning in her stance and her grin audible in her voice.
“Then we can each get what we need from them and go our separate, peaceful ways.”

Before she could continue another person walked into the alley, also looking like some kind of vigilante or villain. Though he had done even less costume wise than Alana had. His matter of fact attitude almost made her think costumed types ran into each other by mistake on a daily basis. Maybe they did. Alana didn’t have a glib retort to his statement of KO-stealing, she was about as glib as rice pudding right now (no, that thought made no sense to her either), so she just watched him to make sure he wasn’t a new threat and waited to see how Bowwoman would handle him.

When the newcomer started draining the unconscious guy, Alana’s eyes popped open wide in surprise. Whatever he was draining couldn’t be good for the unconscious guy.
“Uhm you might want to stop him if you want anything from mr. Sleepy. He’s draining him of.. something.” She said loudly enough to be heard by both the man and the woman in the alley with her.

[John Cribati]

Oh, come on.... Look, I'm just... How does one word this sort of thing? He'll be a bit out of it when he wakes up. It'll be harder for him to lie to us.

[Red_Jenny]

"Fair enough." Kate spun the arrow off the string and gave the stranger an approving half-grin. Whoever she was, she had guts. "You're sure you're OK?"

As yet another masked figure arrived, Quiver Queen groaned internally and considered just bugging out. Idle curiosity wasn't worth the risk. She turned, regarding the newcomer with much more suspicion, an eyebrow raised at Alana's warning. "Is he now? And just how do you know what he's doing?" Never the less, Kate seems to believe the advice, perhaps because the newcomer managed to seem sketchy even to a supervillain.

"Evening, friend. He's not dead, so you can back away, stop pretending you care, and start explaining yourself, or I'm gonna put Mr. Pointy through your knee and let you limp to the hospital by yourself." The words have very little emotion behind them, just a statement of fact, even though the woman speaking them is bursting with it.

[Chivy]

"You're sure you're OK?"
A quick nod answered the Bowwoman’s.... Bowgirl’s concern with an almost believable nonchalantness.
Arrowwoman? Arrowgirl? Miss Pointy? with a costume like that her name would have to be awesome.

"Is he now? And just how do you know what he's doing?" Bowgirl was obviously wary and Alana suddenly appreciated her choice of a ski mask as it at least partially hid her gaping like a fish. She had really talked herself into a corner there.
“…bwha... ...”

It annoyed Alana to have to suppress the urge to just take a quick peek into both the other masks’ minds, but she just couldn’t risk it. Especially not with a.. well.. whatever the male hood’s abilities were; he used mind powers. No telling what he could do. No telling what either of them could do...

“Look, we don’t know each other Birgitte. So I think I’ll keep my secrets mine.” she said when she had another few seconds to order her thoughts.
“Maybe we should all play nice and not make more holes in each other than we naturally have and not suck the life out of defenceless people.”

She was quiet for a moment, before saying
“So... Who are you and what are you after? Maybe if we work together we can help each other out and leave here without bleeding, being drained or... worse.”

[John Cribati]

"Evening, friend. He's not dead, so you can back away, stop pretending you care, and start explaining yourself, or I'm gonna put Mr. Pointy through your knee and let you limp to the hospital by yourself." The words have very little emotion behind them, just a statement of fact, even though the woman speaking them is bursting with it.



“So... Who are you and what are you after? Maybe if we work together we can help each other out and leave here without bleeding, being drained or... worse.”

Cyrus doesn't detach himself yet, but takes a deep, annoyed breath.
I feed off emotion, think of it like I'm a parasite. When I'm feeling a bit peckish, I go out, knock a few criminals' heads in, and suck on 'em a little bit on the way to the police station. If you put an arrow in me, I'll heal myself, almost instantly, likely shrugging off whatever toxin you dipped it in first. At which point, I'll move from "peckish" to "ravenous," and have little choice in the matter as to who I do this... He gestures with his free hand, to, and when I can stop. I've got 80 pounds on her, and you're an archer in melee range. So how about you let me finish up while I have enough control to stop before he stops breathing. Not that that had happened before, but it had felt like a possibility when his father had fed on him.

[Red_Jenny]

"Playing nice?" The phrase elicits a giggle from Kate. "I suppose we are!"

She slid the arrow back into the quiver but kept hold of the bow, just in case she had to smack someone upside the head, and rolled her eyes at Cyrus.

"'Vampire with none of the cool bits.' See, that was shorter. You really need to work on your threats, too. Strong and silent type for you, I think? You know, a good one-liner? Hmm. Or just be friendly, of course. It doesn't cost anything to be nice, and it throws people off, even if you're genuine. You ended up in the middle and came up with an angsty 14 year old trying sooooo hard to be tough. And your costume, for that matter. Commit to it, or just go with full street clothes, you look like lazy cosplay of a character nobody likes." If Cyrus wanted to feed on petty exasperation, Kate was practically a buffet. "See, she's on the right track." Quiver Queen pointed a thumb at Alana and nodded approvingly. "That's pretty much what my outfit looked like before I stole this stuff. Military-grade micromesh. Totally worth it if you can swing the price, or, uh, you know, acquire it some other way. I mean, there's stuff that's better, but that's getting up into Freedom League territory. For performance and availability, this is really your go-to. And it doesn't ride up like spandex or leather, and believe you me, that's important."

Kate seems to suddenly remember she's been asked a question, and perks up. "Oh, right, who am I? Well, you may call me Quiver Queen, or her Royal Highness, or her Majesty, if you really want. I don't mind." Kate made a low sweeping bow.

Oh, that was meant to be funny and it came out crazy. Great...

"I know, I know, I've got a bit of a reputation. Thief, burglar, bandit, villain, all that. I prefer larcenist. It manages to be both ridiculous and professional. I love it. Now, despite what you might have heard, I promise I'm not here to do anyone any harm!" The promise would probably hold more water without the broad, cheesy, used-car-salesman grin that accompanied it. It was difficult to tell which parts of the spiel were genuine and which were a joke. "Quite the opposite! I missed all this, but, well, let's say my former occupation is no longer an option. So I've decided to try my luck on the side of the angels."

"I'm not after anything, and more's the pity. Just stretching the muscles, knocking the rust off, if you like? It's been a couple years, I haven't been back at this very long. Aaaand, well, I happened across some very foolish little boys doing something very bad, and put a stop to it. I didn't know you were there. If I had, well, I could say I'm sorry again, I guess? I really am. I am curious, though. Call it professional interest, or nostalgia? They mentioned a score. I wanted to know just what they were after, thought I'd ask some questions. Buuut... unless I've missed my guess, you wanted them for something a little more important? You should get first crack at questions, then."

"So, as I'm a bit out of the loop these days, let me flip that question around; Who do I have the honor of sharing this alley with, and what brings you to this lovely bit of town at this hour?"

[Nintendogeek01]

We'll just let the other three go about their business for now, let's get to Alyssa.
Alyssa

Eventually the taxi leaves you near Freedom College, the city's "party college" as opposed to Freedom City University.

Freedom College is the oldest college in Freedom City, but it unfortunately has not withstood the test of time terribly well, hence its current "party college" rep. On the bright side it is involved heavily in college sports and its tuition is more affordable than other colleges in the city.

Criminal elements seem to offer their services to students, though it's impossible to say how many are aware or care that their purchases may not be strictly legal.

There are rumors that the mob families may also have some fingers in Freedom College's athletics program.
There are some blocks between here and your destination, but should you go straight there you'll find a sign clearly labeling a renovated Brownstone building as the right place. "DeCosta, Building Freedom."

DeCosta construction is a local success story founded by Frank "Buddy" DeCosta. A family man with only a high school education DeCosta has turned this construction business into Freedom City's largest contractor that is popular with the blue-collared community for the jobs it provides.

DeCosta Construction has been accused of having ties with the mob. But police investigations have turned up nothing, and such accusations are known to set off DeCosta's temper. Buddy DeCosta is largely considered a straightforward and hard-working guy in the Southside community.
The smaller text on the sign does indeed clarify that these are the offices for DeCosta construction, considering the taxi rides back and forth from your place it's hardly a surprise that the building looks closed for the evening. Now Alyssa is in the neighborhood, and there is work to be done.

[John Cribati]

Cyrus purposely waits a few seconds, pretending to startle awake. Oh, are you done? Sorry. He stands up, having had his fill for now. I kind of skimmed all that, but in order of importance: One, I'm The Hood. Bounty hunter, sometimes private investigator, but definitely not a superhero. Two, I was following this guy because he was acting shifty. Three, I was stating facts. You'll know when I'm making threats. Four,He lifts his hoodie and T-shirt for a second to reveal his own armor. Kevlar, Nomex, Mylar, and Teflon nanoweave. Bought, not "acquired."

[Silent_p]

The cabbie on this occasion was more talkative. Alyssa wasn't really in the mood but figured being polite might make her a little less memorable. From what she could gather, he was largely worked up about some temporary diversions backing up traffic and making it trickier to get customers. She made sympathetic remarks and asked an innocuous question or two but was content to let him do most of the talking. They'll be gone in a day or two. Relax, man.

On arrival, she made a show of checking for something in her backpack while waiting for the taxi to pull away and leave. She walked slowly toward the campus until she was confident she was largely alone. Turning, she shifted her backpack into a more comfortable position. Alright. Couple of blocks that way. Need to keep an eye out for some privacy. Walking in the direction of DeCosta's office, she carefully - though hopefully not obviously - kept a look out for other pedestrians, drivers or even more unsavoury characters.

Once she was certain no one was watching, she walked into a dark alley near DeCosta and, ghosting, drifted to the roof - hugging the shadows as far as possible. Once settled on the rooftop, she quickly checked for observers before using the available cover to change into her costume. Hiding the backpack with her civilian clothes out of sight, she walked to the edge and eyed the street briefly before ghosting again and drifting in the direction of DeCosta Construction.

There was a sign clearly labelling the building. It was dark and, given the time, she assumed empty. Good. Still drifting at rooftop height, she made her way to the DeCosta building rooftop before solidifying and looking around for security features and a possible entry point - though a window would do just fine.

Perception to check if she's been followed/observed: [roll0]
Stealth to reach the top of the building and change unseen: [roll1]
Stealth to get to the DeCosta building unseen: [roll2]
Perception to see about security and note any guards: [roll3]

Hope I'm not taking too much liberty with the amount of actions based on those rolls - let me know if that is the case.

[Chivy]

"Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry, my... ex’s farts had a similar effect on people. So I’m probably immune. Over exposure and all that. "
Quiver Queen’s (almost) prattling brought a grin to Alana’s face and actually made her feel more comfortable. She was rapidly finding her bearings now that she was getting a handle on the people in the alley's intentions, even without reading the other's minds.

Quiver Queen sounded a lot like one of her colleagues; Jennifer, she had no filter between her brain and mouth either (and Alana would know, hearing her voice echoing Jennifer’s mind). Alana loved people like that. Even if the archer had skimmed over that she used to be a villain, there wasn’t anything overly threatening about her. Heck she was actually friendly. The man naming himself Hood, not so much. Then again, having to suck other people’s emotions would seriously mess up social skills.

“My name is M..hgrrrbbl” Alana covered what would have been her name in a muttering and faked cough. Her smile and confident stance then sagged slightly before she confessed
“Alright.. I don’t actually have a secret identity type name. ” She squirmed a bit admitting it and felt the need to explain
“You know how hard it is to think of a good original one? Most of the good ones are already taken and the rest are either stupid, lame or way too pretentious... ”
Alana was silent for another moment, studiously looking around the alley and not commenting on anybody’s chosen names. She then quickly changed the subject with a nod at Snoozy, Snory and Drooly.
“Anyway, I heard them talking about a score that they had to get to. It would be their chance to get in good with the mob. They were just waiting for someone named Bron. I, for one, would like to know what this score is and who their contacts in the Mob are. ”

Alana didn’t like the idea of ‘coming out’ to people who she had only just met, no matter how likable one of them was, so she using a grin to disguise her fishing for information then said
“So.. Hood... Can you suck out information as well as emotions? Or control them to tell us what we need to know like Dracula can? Or do you have some kind of truth serum in that bundle of joy, your majesty?” she finished off with playful sarcasm and a small bow, imitation the Quiver Queen’s (badly).

[John Cribati]

Obvious fishing for information is obvious. I can alter my own aura, and people can subconsciously pick up on it and perceive me a certain way because of it, but I can't control people like certain others can. Like... I went to this little Japanese-named bar about a week and a half ago. They have a psychic, presumably on payroll, who makes people happier and more likely to tip big. He levels a slight glare at the black-clad woman, following the itch of recognition in the back of his mind.

[Chivy]

Yea, I know of at least a handfull of fullblown psychics in town, and, not counting me, one person who can detect mental powers. I'm not sure if all mind power people can detect them though. Can you? Alana offered up some information about herself hoping to ilicit more from the Hood, even if he probably could've deduced it himself after she called him on his feeding. She kept her wording very specific on the off chance he could detect a lie.
It was also hard to keep her anger in check when she talked about that night she had been found out in the casino. She'd gotten better at keeping her powers quiet since then, but shame, fear and anger were natural reactions when she thought of the worst night in her life.

[John Cribati]

Yea, I know of at least a handfull of fullblown psychics in town, and, not counting me, one person who can detect mental powers. I'm not sure if all mind power people can detect them though. Can you?

Well, the short answer is "Sorta, in a heavily roundabout way." Not sure if Athena over here would care for the long answer.

[Red_Jenny]

"Well, that's no good! We're gonna have to get you one, aren't we?" Quiver Queen is perplexed by Alana's lack of codename. "Sure, it's hard to pick, but even Not-a-Superhero over there has a good name." She gives Cyrus a cheeky, but at least slightly sincere thumbs up. "Seriously, the Hood? That's classic. Excellent choice." If Alana's comment about certain names being pretentious registered with the Queen, she doesn't show it.

"The mob? Ooh, gunning for the big fish, eh? Well, I was going to have to get my hands dirty eventually... Alas, no truth serum on me, sorry. Don't usually need it with these sorts. You can usually talk it out of 'em one way or another. Just... I dunno, pick one, and give him a good slap. The gas doesn't cause any permanent damage, um, so far as I know."

Kate stands back as the pair quibble about psychic abilities. Such things were outside her wheelhouse. Explains why the lady in the ski mask is unarmed, she doesn't need to be.

Quiver Queen shakes her head. "Artemis. Athena is the goddess of war and wisdom, she's usually dressed as a hoplite; heavy armor, helmet, carries a shield and spear. Artemis is the fleet-feeted goddess of the moon and the hunt. She carries a bow."

"If any of you actually want to help me get info out of these jokers, that'd be grand. You can trade accusations and compare brain sizes later, this stuff only puts you out for a minute or two. They're going to wake up soon anyway."

[John Cribati]

Greek Mythology wasn't part of the GED curriculum. In any case, how do you want to run this? Leather's probably better at lie detection than I am, so... good cop or bad cop? I'm versatile.

[Chivy]

We? Alana though and was already beginning to shake her head, then she stopped as she thought things through. Quiver Queen was obviously a lot more experienced with this kind of thing than Alana was (Rooftops! Genius!), and the Hood was comfortable enough in this situation that he had to have a fair amount himself. The notion of working together, if only for the evening, suddenly felt very appealing. She could learn a few tricks, hopefully get some information from a couple of mobsters and having an obvious weapon pointing at people would be a lot more intimidating than the stern glare that preceded her own abilities. Plus if somebody was watching her back, she'd be much more likely to keep her brother safe and get a slow and painfull revenge. It would be a good idea to team up, or at least a good idea for Alana. A little of the wariness fled her with the descission and Alana settled into the conversation with a bantering tone of voice.
She's right, if you're commenting on her bow that is. But it's hard i guess, most famous bowmen are.. wel men. With manly names that don't fit her. I'd of gone for Robin if i were you. It's a gender neutral name, a famous archer and with your own name it becomes hilareous. Works in a lot of ways that.

Alana joined the Archer next to the three thugs, but didn't make any attempt to wake them.
You're obviously a lot more experienced than I am in this type of thing, but if you have no way to force them to talk, I prefer to have Snoozy, Snory and Drooly do just that.
Now if you're suggesting we work together for the evening to prevent the 'score'? or brush up on our skills? maybe even feed on the guilty?
Count me in. I'm not a fisticuffs kind've girl, but allow me allow me to bring something to the table.
She went to one knee beside the first of the thugs and lightly placed her fingers on the side of his head. She had no need to actually touch those she wanted to read, but spilling all her tricks in the first five minutes of meeting each other would of been reckless. Plus the vulcan mindmeld grip was a clasic, and it seemed like at least one of the others found that kind've thing important.

Alana will try and dig into her target's mind and get any information she can. This being my first time using this, hope i'm doing this right;
Mind Reading, Cumulative, Subtle, Sensory Link
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Sustained
Base rank: 5
Going for 3 levels of contact so Alana can mine his mind for information about the score, Bron, the mob and his most painfull emotional and/or physical experience.
If she fails to get in or has gotten all he knows, she'll move on to the next thug, so i'll make a few rolls.
Attempt 1; [roll0]
Attempt 2; [roll1]
Attempt 3; [roll2]
Attempt 4; [roll3]
Attempt 5; [roll4]
Attempt 6; [roll5]
Attempt 7; [roll6]
Attempt 8; [roll7]

[Nintendogeek01]

First time it's happened guys so it's good for this time, but from here on try to limit yourself to one roll per action type. (If you're not sure which skills take a standard/move/free action ask me or check the rulebook/SRD).
Vapor

You drift up the side of the Brownstone and can easily find a window to slip through in your gaseous state. You're alert enough to spot the security devices you can spot, and you manage to slip past them to avoid detection as long as you move carefully you should be able to investigate the office properly.

The Others

Alana's mind-reading puts together the story of what happened up until the arrival of the vigilantes. Tim, the one who was beat up before you arrived here, is with the other two and their missing fourth member, 'Bron, as part of their own little gang that haven't even graduated from Lincoln High School yet. They'd done a bunch of small-time stuff together and got word that a mob soldier (apparently there's some confusion among the four what they're actually called) is offering a cut and, more importantly, a chance to make a good impression on the mob.

The soldier is known to the group as Carl "Dice" Desanto, been a made man for a long time and he has quite the reputation for beating the rap, and as a sort of test of their capabilities they're supposed to bring some money to another helper of Dice's who will take them to the job site proper. Apparently Tim got greedy and decided to take the money they'd gathered for the test and go see Dice's helper himself and leave the others out of it, which is why they found him and beat him up. 'Bron apparently went to check out Tim's locker to see if he hid the money there.

Where Tim hid the money was the one thing that you could not gather from Tim's mind, though given the state Tim is in his resistance is probably more due to too little cognizant activity rather than an act of will on his part. However you did manage to figure out where the guy they need to bring the money to is at, the guy who knows more about what's going down tonight.

I took the first three mind-reading rolls, you got one degree of success on Tim and one of the others, but the last guy rolled poorly on his resistance roll.

[Chivy]

.... That's it. Alana pulled her fingers from the last schoolkid's face, before taking a moment to steady herself. While reading their minds she had spoken almost everything she was seeing out loud so Quiver Queen and Hood would be up to date without her having to waste time by repeating it. The only thing she had ommitted was every scrap of pain and suffing, mental and physical, that she had been able to find in their minds. This she stored away in what she considered her 'weapon vault'. A place in her mind dedicated to harvesting the hurts done to people by the Mob. A place she would unleash on those responsible for all that suffering....

And now she had a name. A starting point. Mentally she filled Carl 'Dice' Desanto's name in on a mind-map/family tree type affair she had been preparing for a while. Most of the cells were empty, and there were two names floating outside of the grid. Concetta Fiscella and Acuto, which she now knew meant Sharp, hung in the grid's void. Waiting to be put in their place.

Alana stamped down on the regret, sadness and rage building inside her at the thought of those two and finally got to her feet. She looked at the other two Masks, trying to judge their reaction to her being able to read minds. Trying to judge if they would take a flimsy lead like this and run with it. Trying to suppress her urge to just dive into their minds as well and find the answers to those questions. She hoped that the Hood realy couldn't read minds.
Well? she said, waiting to see what the others thought. Or at least said they thought. Why didn't she just dive in? It would make things so much easier.

[John Cribati]

Tracking the money shouldn't be too much of an issue. Tim over here was pretty excited and scared about the whole thing, so his aura would be all over it for a while. But, see, that's the thing. Not to be selfish or anything, but you're emotionally invested in this in ways that I'd rather not try and entangle right now, and Speedy is in this to stretch her legs. Me? This is literally my job. I'd be better off finding a lost dog or going after someone with a bounty.

[Silent_p]

Having made it inside, Alyssa took a moment to simply look around. It had been fairly straightforward so far - How long will that last? - and, while time was still crucial, rushing headlong into a search was foolhardy. Plus, there was no absolute guarantee she'd made it this far undetected. She'd simply have to hope she'd done enough.

First, she decided on taking a look over whatever the office staff might have left lying on their desks. People got sloppy and, though anything especially incriminating was unlikely, there was a chance that something could suggest a future line of inquiry.

That done, she moved to look over the shelves. The darkness made the search slow as she had to rely on the light from the street outside.

Having review the shelves, she eyed the filing cabinets. No time to break them open. She tried the handles to see if any were left open.

The whole process was slow and, though she was somewhat used to that, her stomach growled briefly. Never did get that curry...

Stealth roll to move around the office carefully: [roll0]
Perception roll to note any documents/post-its lying out in the open: [roll1]
Investigation check to look for clues relating to "DeCosta @ 12": [roll2]

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen holds up a finger in recognition. "I know that name, or of him, at any rate. Desanto's a mob soldier, a made man. Been one for a long time, more than a decade, at least. Not exactly a ladder climber. Lucky bastard, though. Real lucky. So far as I know, nobody's ever managed to put him away. Nothing sticks to him. I don't just mean 'mobster with connections' slippery, I mean, well, they call him 'Dice' for a reason, yeah?"

She shrugs at the Hood. "There's your money, if you're looking. The number of charges he's dodged? There's got to be a reward for Desanto. DA'll probably build you a statue."

Kate grins at the question Alana left hanging in the air. "I'm game. I've been knocking around small-timers like our friends here for a couple weeks. I mean, it's fine and dandy, but it doesn't really do any good. If I'm going to give this hero thing a real shot, well, hey, no time like the present."

[John Cribati]

Dodged how, exactly? Never been brought in, or been brought in one or more times and never got a charge that stuck? Because one of those means spending a sizeable chunk of the earned bounty on skipping town so I don't come home to find my mother strapped to a Medieval torture device. [/QUOTE]

[Red_Jenny]

"The latter, I think. This is all second-hand, I've never met the man myself. But, going off what I've heard, the nickname is for beating the rap, not for avoiding it." Kate shrugs. "I get not wanting someone coming after you, belieeeve me. It was just a thought."

[Chivy]

Alana had started to object to Hood’s assessment of her emotional involvement in what she was doing, but quickly realised he would have smelled her emotions while they talked. It was hard being the one who had a disadvantage because others could read her, instead of her reading them and the urge to go mind-snooping raised a notch.

She returned Quiver Queen’s grin when she said she’d help, but didn’t speak until the Hood mentioned torture. Her eyes narrowed. That was twice he had said something that could be about her and her family. And he probably could read every emotion he was invoking in her. Who was this guy?
“You protect your family and friends with the mask. That’s what it’s for. Even I know that.” She told the Hood through gritted teeth. Now. I know now.

“If you’re scared of your family being t....” She swallowed before continuing, trying to force the pain and anger from her voice.
“Hurt... You know there are people out there that hurt people. Innocent people. They need to be stopped. If.. if all your after is money, I guarantee that that Dice bastard has more than you will earn in a month of finding dogs. If you’re scared he’ll come after you. Make sure he doesn’t.”

Alana then took another moment to get herself under control. She hadn’t thought she could still be affected by what had happened to her this easily. Maybe actually starting this had opened old wounds. She hoped she hadn’t put off Quiver Queen with her outburst.
“I’d be glad to have you with me Quiver Queen. In any case, if anything is going down tonight, we’ll need to find this Dice’s subordinate and get him to talk. Sooner rather than later.
Maybe you can show me how to travel in a mask without attracting too much attention?”

[John Cribati]

“You protect your family and friends with the mask. That’s what it’s for. Even I know that.” She told the Hood through gritted teeth.

What, you're actually pretending that her mask protects her from us? He points over his shoulder at Quiver Queen. Or that anything I can do protects me from you? You're at least half as powerful again as I am. The two of us might as well be naked as far as you're concerned. If Dice has a more powerful psychic in his corner, there's nothing any of us can do.

[Nintendogeek01]

Alyssa

As you quietly move about and look around the room you find some keys hidden behind a potted plant in the corner. After spotting that it's time to actually get in and inspect the desk's contents beyond just looking at the table surface. No official documents have been left out by the staff, most everything you find on the desk are old memos or notes likely written as reminders. After a bit of searching Alyssa finds one folded up note on a desk.


Tim, we can't call Buddy just yet; he's still on that weekend getaway with his wife and kids, and do YOU really want to be the one to interrupt that? Poor guy needs this time with the family, the work in Southside has been bad enough without the rumors and police scrutiny (and I'd eat my hat if those rumors were true). So no I'm not going to call and tell him about one lot having trouble and neither are you.

What we ARE gonna do is call our usual guys to inspect the ground on the lot first thing tomorrow and if what they find indicates that these "Safety inspectors" were completely unjustified in "re-inspecting" the grounds we can sue these guys for obstructing our business and closing off one of our work sites. With luck they'll prefer to settle out of court, as I'd rather a law suit not be the first thing Buddy comes back home to but regardless we can't let people just do what they want and let them think that we can be stopped from doing our jobs this easily; otherwise we lose contracts or worse actually get mobsters thinking they can get away with threatening us.

So before you leave tonight call our usual inspectors and have them ready to go first thing in the morning. Remember, the lot we need them to look at is lot number...


You have a lot number to find now. Best bet is going to be those filing cabinets.

Everyone Else

The Hood's fear of telepathy isn't unjustified; but that said, on a moment's reflection there is the fact that even in this city of superheroes there are probably fewer telepaths than you can count on one hand excluding the ones in this alley. Before anyone can get the next word in another voice crops up, "Hey guys I'm back an- what the %@$&!?" you all turn to see another teen gang-banger looking at the three of you, his gun pointed in the direction of Alana; Alana recognizes this guy from the mind-reading as being 'Bron while The Hood recognizes this guy as the kid he ran into back at that locker in Lincoln High School. "Okay, whoever you three are I swear if you say or do ANYTHIN' other than back away and get far from this alley, I will bust a cap in yo' ass!" he threatens.

[Red_Jenny]

"Yeah, and the Crime League might be having their weekly poker game next door. You know how snippy they get about interruptions." Quiver Queen heaves a truly impressive sigh.

"Look, you don't want to come, don't come, that's fine, I respect that, but don't make up bogeymen because you're afraid of things that might exist."

Kate chuckles as she points at the bright yellow and red highlights on her costume. "I'm not exactly an expert on staying hidden, but sure. Stay high, if you can. Rooftops, fire escapes, that sort of thing. Your average Joe on the street, he's lookin' at his feet most of the time. You can go low too, but that's dicier and you run the risk of ending up in the sewers and that's a bad time for everyone. You'll want- ahh, wonderful." Quiver Queen responds to the threat with the sort of tired smile one might give a small yappy dog.

"That's not a real good idea, kid. I've already called the cops. Your friend here needed help. Don't think they'd really take kindly to someone wavin' a gun around on camera, do you? She waved a hand out across the street, toward the shadows. There wasn't actually a camera, but you know, details. "Keep it in your pants, 'Bron. I don't want to have to hurt you, and you look like a smart guy, you don't want to hurt me. That won't turn out good for you, and you know it. So why don't we all cool down?"

Deception vs 'Bron: [roll0]

[Chivy]

A small smile returned to Alana’s lips when Quiver Queen’s sarcasm and sigh reflected her own feelings perfectly, even if the sigh could be seen as a bit theatrical. Ok, it probably was theatrical looking at the way she talked, walked and dressed, didn’t make her any less entertaining or right on the money.

Leaving the Hood to make his own descission she listened to Quiver Queen explain her methods of moving around. Having been slightly pre-occupied with getting away from the knockout fart, she had missed Quiver Queen’s descent into the alley, so Alana had a few burning questions like
‘So you just run up and down the fire escapes? and How do you move around between the alleys and streets up there?’ but actually asking them was interrupted by the young criminal and the business end of his gun pointing at Alana.

Alana’s eyes opened in shock, going from friendly banter to being the target of a lethal weapon wasn’t exactly something she was used to. She’d never liked guns much, always voting for more gun control, and was now certain that she hated being on the wrong end of one. Her thoughts raced
Will he shoot? Can I heal a bullet if it hits me? What if it hits me in the head? Owh crap. I need to do something. Fear? No, he’s scared enough. Ange.. yea let’s get me shot. So happy might work, but sad.. that might be better.

Alana slowly raised her hands in surrender as Quiver Queen spoke and took a step back, all the while trying to come across as non-threatening and doing what he told them to do.
We're all friends here. You don't want to hurt your friends do you Bron? Look at how hurt Tim is, now why don’t you point that thing somewhere else. she said soothingly while she tried to find any kernel of sadness in him and used her abilities increase it beyond reason.

Using emotion control to make him sad. Hopefully it’ll get some traction and he’ll be bawling his eyes out instead of putting a bullets in Alana's.
Emotion Control
Perception Ranged Cumulative Affliction (Impaired, Compelled, Controlled), Resisted and Overcome by Will, Subtle, Variable Descriptor (Emotions)
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Instant
Base rank: 5
Rolling: [roll0]

Oe.. well that's horrible

[Silent_p]

Though it had taken some time, between the memo and the keys, Alyssa was pleased. Best lead I've got, linking it to Julie's info. There was often a sense of pride to be found in one's meticulousness being rewarded. Can't let it distract me too much, she thought, sobering a little. She headed back to the filing cabinets, keys at the ready and began her search.

Snippets of the note went through her mind as she worked, adding pieces to the overall puzzle. It seemed that any ties with the mob either weren't widely known within the company or just plain didn't exist. If DeCosta was really dirty, I'd suspect even the clean employees would dance around the subject. Not to say there's nothing there but I'd need something more concrete to dig too much deeper.

She paused for a moment in her search. Ha. 'Concrete', 'dig'. Shaking her head at the poor puns, Alyssa opened another filing cabinet. Information on that lot number had to in there somewhere. Once she had it, she'd put as much back in place as she could, then high-tail to the address.

Investigation roll to find that elusive lot info: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Alyssa

Okay, you've got an address, you have a time. Now it's time to-

"Is someone in here?" A man dressed like a security guard enters the room and turns on the lights! He looks over towards the filing cabinets but you've managed to duck out of view. This isn't one of those cubicle offices, a bit more homey really now that you look at it under the overhead lights, so you're going to have to stay low. You can hear the footsteps of the guard approaching the filing cabinets you were just at. "If anyone's in here come out now!"

Everyone Else

"Yeah right!" Is 'Bron's first response to Quiver Queen, "I know who you are! No way you'd call the cops! Now..." he strangely seems to choke up as he talks, "... back away from them! And don't you talk to me about friends you masked... huuuuaaah..." he takes a deep breath as tears well up in his eyes, "... don't talk like you know... what do you know...? You think you're better than us? Just 'cause we stuck in Lincoln? Is that iiiiiiit...!!!" And he is now absolutely bawling, his speech reduced to inelegant blubbering, "Man what're we supposed to do huh? No one cares about Lincoln... or Southside... we don't got an out for this life besides this y'know! Why can't you just go and leave us alone!?" What was previously three vigilantes and three unconscious crooks, is now that plus a guy who is too sad and depressed to do anything to stop you from pursuing your best lead.

He rolled 15 to oppose Quiver Queen's bluff, but then he failed to resist emotion control and now he's too sad to do much of anything.

[Chivy]

'He'll be like that for a while.' Alana said soft enough to just be heard by the masks, her voice slightly strained.

She had the urge to smack Bron around, beat it into his head that hurting others wasn't the way to make something of yourself. That carrying a gun and pointing it at people would get you killed quicker than... Her train of thought slowed down when she noticed that she was just anoyed at having a gun pointed at her. That if she hadn't been able to turn him into a pathetic wretch, she might've been forced to unleash all the pain she had collected into him. She was pretty sure that he'd not be strong enough to keep his mind from shattering if that happened. He'd be nothing but a drooling vegetable and she didn't want to do that to a kid. Even if he was a stupid little wretch.

'Shall we find Dice's lackey?' She said with a sigh before turning to look for a fire escape to climb. At least she could learn this rooftop thing.

[Silent_p]

Damn, so close! Alyssa didn't have much time before the guard would be able to spot her. The room was functional but not what she'd expect from a modern office. With the lights on, hiding spots seemed to be at a minimum. There were probably several indications that someone had been snooping around but not much she could do about that any more.

There was no telling if the guard was crooked or not so she had to assume good faith. Just doing his job. Violence was an absolute last resort, particularly since her ability was so well suited to evasion.

Irritated at herself for being even this sloppy, she ghosted and - carefully timing her movement - tried to slip behind the filing cabinets as the guard neared her. Need to get out of the room. Hoping she hadn't yet been spotted, Alyssa kept behind the cabinets and any other furniture, intending to make her way towards the nearest exit she could spot and approach at least somewhat covertly.

Internally she was cringing. Gonna see me any second now...!

Stealth roll to hide behind the filing cabinet: [roll0]
Perception to ascertain the nearest exit and a possible covert route to same: [roll1]
Assuming she hasn't been spotted, Stealth roll to make for that exit: [roll2]

[John Cribati]

Cyrus jumps, and nearly flinches, at the mental assault, looking at the newcomer in a new light. He'd severely underestimated how powerful she was in comparison to him.

Then he was overwhelmed by the crushing depression that was coming from the teenager.

He finds himself approaching the boy, taking a knee. He doesn't want to touch him- fake as the emotions are, full as he already is, he still isn't sure he could touch him without sucking him dry.

He knew on a level it was artificial, but on a deeper level, it was real. Amplified, not afflicted.

Damn being an empath. Sometimes... he had too much empathy.

I care. I know what this feels like. I've been where you are. To be honest, I'm not better than you at all. You've at least got the guts to throw yourself into the thick of it. I... I never chose a side. I'm still scraping my way up. But Dice's way is an empty promise. You go down that road, you lose what makes you better than this place. Don't... don't do that to yourself, Bron. You have a good heart. Better than mine by miles. Money's important for taking care of the people you love, but when you focus too much on the money, you tend to forget about the people in the process. He stumbles at his own advice. Doesn't he do this to help people? To do more good than the harm he's required. Why should he let the mob continue to harm families for the wake of keeping his own safe? Sighing, he approaches the two women as they're about to set off. Guess I'll use the money to send my mother on a long cruise, yeah? But someone’s gonna have to explain this whole rooftop thing to me.

[Red_Jenny]

The Hood's heartfelt words draw a sad smile to Kate's face. So, there was a soul under that mask after all.

"Been down that road myself. Was a lot like you when I started out. He's right, you know. No matter how good that path out looks, it doesn't go anywhere you want to be. I'm only alive because of luck, kid. Don't let it get that far."

"Get your friend to a hospital. The gun and knife club docs don't ask questions, they'll get him patched up, and it's a good place to clear your head."

"Oh, it's simple!" Quiver Queen perks up as they move away from 'Bron, perhaps affected by the waves of sadness radiating off the teen herself. She takes the stairs two at a time and slides to a stop at the roof's edge.

"I'll let you borrow my gear if you won't have anything up your sleeve. I know it's thin, but don't worry, it's very sturdy stuff! Someone can even swing across with me, Tarzan style, or we can take a ride!"

That statement makes more sense as Kate draws and fires her grappling hook arrow across the alley, this time snaring the other end of the cable on a rooftop AC unit to pull it taut, and zip-lines across on her bow as naturally as can be. Best part of this super-business, right here.

She grins back at Alana and sends the bow buzzing back so her companions can grab on. "You're our guide. Where we headed?"

[Nintendogeek01]

Alyssa

Your gaseous form is easily able to fit between the space that separates the back of the filing cabinet from the wall. You hear the footsteps of the security guard approach and stop dead in front of the filing cabinet. "No way they would've just left this... someone was definitely here," you hear the jingle of keys and footsteps turn around. Your slither along the wall and sink to the floor as the guard turns to face the other way, "Yeah police? Security over at the DeCosta Construction offices, someone has definitely broken in here, I'm certain they're still in the building," his voice makes it clear that he's still on the move but his talking makes it easy for you to figure out where he is and stay behind the desks until you slip out the nearest exit under the office door and into the hallway.

Ascertaining your surroundings you're in a small wooden hallway and stairway, the kind you'd find in a brownstone like this one. As your whole being finishes slipping under the door to the other side you hear a siren, and soon enough a megaphone amplified voice from outside, "This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" crap, they're bound to come in soon enough.

Both stealth rolls beat the guard's perception rolls of 19 and 21. Now you've got a guard in one door, and police outside the building.

Everyone Else

After some roof hopping under the... erm... careful direction... of Quiver Queen our three vigilantes eventually find a street with a number of cars lining the sidewalk. You find one car whose back bumper is illuminated by a street light, making its dark, almost black, blue color a bit more plain. Alana can definitely identify this as the car that the others were going to be looking for. Inside two figures are visible, though not distinct at this distance, and you think you can see a pizza box sitting on the dashboard.

Feel free to tell us how your first experience of "roof-hopping" went. :smalltongue:

[Silent_p]

Oh, come on! Alyssa was still moving when she heard the sirens outside. Were they just waiting down the block for the call?! And they can't stop more actual crimes?! She was distantly aware of her own hypocrisy - she was guilty of breaking and entering, after all - but too angry at the situation to acknowledge it. She flew quietly down the hallway to the rear of the building; she'd have a limited window to escape before they attempted to surround the building.

She searched for a window, intending to exit at the back of the brownstone before flying away at rood height. Response time was way too fast, she groused to herself. She'd worked with cops on enough occasions. Either they were literally just passing by or... Her thoughts paused as another possibility crossed her mind. Or they really were just waiting nearby. Pure supposition but, if DeCosta was dirty, they might just have cops bought off to keep an eye on the building. No proof, though.

Stealth roll to sneak down the hallway and search for a window or other potential exit: [roll0]
Perception roll to spot said exit: [roll1]
Stealth roll to escape via that exit: [roll2]
Stealth roll to fly away from the building unnoticed: [roll3]

[John Cribati]

In ten minutes, these women have learned more about him than anyone else, barring his mother, knew.

The first was obviously the craving that came along with his powers. Even his associates figured he hung around graveyards, abandoned buildings, and allegedly haunted houses for the sake of aesthetic.

The second, that despite how he carried himself, he was a huge softie. His experiences as a child had made him more compassionate to the plight of the youth, and even if 'Bron was a would-be mobster, Cyrus couldn't just leave him to stew in his depression.

The third, and most important in this context, was that despite being six foot, three inches, 210 pounds of muscular, threatening, baritone-voiced man... had a higher-pitched shriek than either of theirs.

He didn't need his powers to know how much laughter they were holding back.
I humbly request that anything Steen or heard on the rooftops, stays on the rooftops. Back on solid ground, he points at the dark blue car parked on the sidewalk. Two guys. Might be asleep. Wanna help me confirm, Phoenix?

Perception (Empathy) roll to confirm if either of the two men in the car are awake:
[roll0]

[Chivy]

Making a mental note not to use her abilities to turn any wannabe gangster into a blubbering wretch again, Alana followed Quiver Queen to the roof, matching her two step at a time stride. She then joined Quiver Queen on the roof and watched her zip-lining to the next roof. The bow returning to their side of the alley and Quiver Queen’s grin was an obvious invitation. Swallowing back her trepidation, she took the bow, held on tight and pushed off. The ride had her holding on for dear life, but was over before she really could make up her mind if she liked it. Quiver Queen was obviously enjoying it, she looked like she was enjoying this whole evening. A lot.

"You're our guide. Where we headed?" Quiver Queen said, her infectious grin doing more to banish Alana’s guilt about turning the kid into a blubbering wretch.
“Couple of blocks from here.” She said pointing in the direction the thugs were intending to travel.
“That way. Guess we’ll do some more roof travelling.” Alana finished. Her tone of voice turning bantering again. If the most experienced one out here was going out of her way to enjoy things, Alana might as well enjoy things as well.

I humbly request that anything seen or heard on the rooftops, stays on the rooftops. the Hood said after his less than manly exclamations.
“Well you could always star in slasher movies if your finding lost things doesn’t pan out. Scream Queen and Quiver Queen, would work.. would work..” Alana’s playful nettling trailed off into obviously fake musing.

Where the first trip across the roofs had been quick and not much more than an experience to hold on tight and puckering up. The second had Alana enjoying it more. The third had her more comfortable and by the forth she was almost squeeing when she landed. She had to get herself one of those grappling gun things. She pulled herself together when they reached their destination. Playtime was over.

Two guys. Might be asleep. Wanna help me confirm, Phoenix? Hood said, though which one of them he was speaking to was a mystery to Alana. Neither costume fit a phoenix and there was no fire, flames or rebi... Her eyes narrowed suspiciously again, but decided to answer anyway
“ They’re waiting for cash to be delivered to them. Or at least it’s what the idiots thought they’d be doing. I doubt they would be asleep down there. They also might not be alone.” she finished taking a long look around the street to see if she could see sentries or other conspicuous people excepting herself and her two companions. She also decided to keep a very close eye on Hood while they did this.
Perception to scan the street Perception - +10 [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

By the time they arrive, Quiver Queen is practically beaming with delight at the reactions of her new companions. "I told you its fun! And don't worry, our little secret, Hood. Everyone who heard you probably thought it was a siren going by anyway."

"How do we want to do this?" Kate asked, peering suspiciously at the car. "Can you masters of the mind get what you need from here, or are we going for the fun way? I'm not equipped for a car chase, but I can make sure they're not either. I can probably disable the car without too much noise, and without harming our new friends. Or I can just put one through a window and scare the **** out of 'em." She pulls free a standard shaft with a small, diamond-shaped head and takes aim as they deliberate. "Tires, gas tank, windshield, door, windshield, door..." she hums, to the tune of "Head, shoulders, knees and toes."

Taking the Aim action with Bodkin Point Arrow.

[John Cribati]

Miss Martian is the only one who can actively do things to people. My abilities are more passive.
Plan A is to let her figure it out. Plan B...
I take a walk around the block, and when I'm almost to the car, you blow out the windshield, and I use this pepper spray. He pulls a small metal tube out of his hoodie pocket, tosses it into the air, and catches it again.

[Chivy]

Alana quirked her eyebrow at Hood before realising, again, that he wouldn’t be able to see it. So she cocked her head to the right. His nicknames are getting worse.
"Waiting to collect money? They'll have guns. So unless you're bulletproof I wouldn't go near there while they're up and about." She said forestalling anything rash he might do.

"Most of my abilities aren't exactly offensive and the one that is will leave them... worse than dead. I'm saving that one for somebody else. I could probably read their minds, but that's no guarantee I’ll get everything we need. Phones, paper or anything without a mind. I won’t be able to mind read those things." Alana elaborated on her own abilities. If they were going to work together she'd have to open up at least a bit.

"Hhmmm.. If we can get a door or window open.... We could toss something from up here at their car to get them to open a door? Could you get another fart arrow in the car and gas them Quiver Queen? If you're dead set on being down there Hood, a little muscle might not be bad if they run from the car."

[Red_Jenny]

Kate tilts her head back and forth, weighing the Hood's suggestion. "That might work, I can do it, but... eesh, there's got to be a version of this that doesn't put you five feet from the guys with guns."

Quiver Queen laughs at "fart arrow" and nods her agreement. "Yeah, I've got a few more tucked away if we want to give that a shot. I'm game. As for how to get them to open the door, I dunno. Throw a rock?" She suggests, only half joking, while looking around for a loose brick or bit of concrete that might do the trick. "Anything too fancy or weird, they might drive off. If they think it's some local kid being a punk... I dunno, just thinking out loud."

[John Cribati]

I got a better idea. I, Joe Shcmo regular guy, am going about my business, just walking down the sidewalk, when suddenly, a car windshield shatters, right next to me. He gestures to Quiver Queen, in a "that's your job" sort of way. Good Samaritan that I am, I get up and check on the two citizens who've just been shot at. They'll be so distracted with me that they don't see you two coming in for the takedown. The other psychic in the alley can switch roles with me if she's so inclined.

[Chivy]

If you want to put yourself in the line of fire like that, I'm not going to stop you. Alana responded to Hood Kind've reckless though. They'll have guns. And if the window shatters they'll be looking for threats and trust me, they'll shoot before they think 'good Samaritan'.
She let that sink in for a moment before continuing
How about a compromise between the plans then?
Hood walks up on this side of the car. He knocks on the window if they don't open the door. As soon as it's open, Quiver Queen sends in a fart arrow to take them down. Hood ducks and covers. If one of them doesn't go down because of the stink, I'll... I'll take him down before he can hurt ya... too much.
She looked around, noticing that Quiver Queen would be on the roof for the right vantage and Hood would be on the ground. She could be either on the roof or on the ground, but that'd still keep them split up.
I can keep us in communication telepathically. If you two are comfortable with that.

Or... We could toss that brick at the car and quiver queen gasses them as soon as they open the door to check it out. she nodded towards a loose brick laying on the roof with them.

[Red_Jenny]

"This night's weird enough. I don't mind adding another voice to the ones already in my head. Just... don't go rummaging around in there, OK?" Kate's laugh is much more nervous than those than have come before. She was a gregarious sort, and her new companions seemed like good(-ish) sorts, but she had a mask on for a reason.

"If you're going to insist on running into danger, the compromise works for me. It's a good idea to have someone close, anyway, in case one of 'em makes a run for it. I promise not to knock you out, Hood. And if I do, I promise to apologize. Like I told..." Quiver Queen looks sideways at Alana. "Hrm, you know, if we're giving you nicknames, we might was well try to come up with a real one. Psyche? Mindwalker? Clairvoyant? Brain Girl? Eh, no, that's more 'evil genius'... I know they're not all gems. Don't worry, I've got more! I keep a notebook for this sort of thing at home."

"Oh, uh, like I said, hold your breath. The gas takes a few seconds to dissipate."

Quiver Queen rummages in her namesake and comes up with another vial-tipped arrow, sliding to the roof's edge. "All right, ready. Let's do this."

[Chivy]

I wouldn't... Alana started to tell Quiver Queen that she was not that kind of telepath, but honestly; she was. She'd wanted to take a peak behind the mask since they'd met. She was a very inquisitive person when you got down to it, and she reeeeeeaaaaaly wanted to know who this person was behind the mask. What made her tick. What made her out on the mask. What this thing was why she switched sides. If she even had switched sides or if she just wanted to scout the competition. Sooo many questions. Taking a peak had become a reaction whenever somebody seemed interesting or dangerous. Alana was doing her damnedest to keep those ingrained reactions in check.
That's a lie. I would. But I haven't read your mind and I won't. Unless you give me permission or cause to that is. But that's not much different from that you wouldn't shoot me unless I give you cause, right? Besides I haven't figured out how to both communicate telepathically and read minds at the same time. Completely different part of the brain that. It's harder than you'd think. The mindread part has your memories, think of it like a bookshelf and picking out a book to read. The telepathy is like a phone which you call and speak to each other by thinking to each other. You can't phone a bookshelf or open a phone to read the inside right? Unless you get one of those new mobile phones with the organiser inside, but that's still not a book. I'm rambling. she finished when she realised she was.

Alana sighed, it was human nature to fear having your secrets come out in the open. And having somebody who could simply start mining through your memories, taking every secret they wanted without you being abke to put up a fight. That was understandably scary and the main reason she usually kept her abilities to herself. When there had been no real reaction to her reading the thugs minds and adjusting Bron, she figured capes might be less affraid of that kind of thing, but when she realy thought about it they would be extra carefull with their secrets. The very nature of putting on a mask meant they had something to hide.

Let's get this done. She then said forstalling anything she might say to make things even worse. She walked over to the loose brick and lifted it in one hand.
Might as well have somekind of weapon for if things go pear-shaped. she said before turning to Hood.
Go do your thing.

[John Cribati]

I'm not against this mind link thing, but I should mention that if you pull me in, there's no doubt I'm gonna recognize either of you if we ever bump into each other out of costume. He shrugs. I mean, there's a good chance of that already, but this would make it a certainty. So it's your choice whether to link me up or just kind of... He trails off, unsure how exactly to continue. Wing it? Hope they can hear what's going on? He sighs, whipping off the bandanna he uses as a mask. It's not exactly like he could approach wearing it, anyway. Y'know what? Fair's fair. Link it up.

[Chivy]

'Don't work that way.' Alana said while shacking her head.
'You communicate with me. I can't link two people to speak with each other. I can telepathically contact any number of people person anywhere in the city or even simply blanket a very large part of the city at the same time, but can't make them talk to each other. Guess I need to know at least one of the brains doing the talking very well. I can pass on messages at the speed of, well.. thought. she clarified, before handling the grenade Hood just pulled the pin out of. Alana didn't feel like making threats would help the situation so she simply said:
I know this goes without saying, but I suggest you don't recognize me out of costume.

Now, we're waiting on you. So let's do this.

[John Cribati]

Whatever you say, Doll. Keep the brick on standby. He makes his way down a fire escape, around the corner from the goons' car; if either of them saw him coming, it would ruin the surprise.

Not that he wanted to surprise the new tenant in his head. Something told him that would be a bad idea. Hey, uh... Doll? I'm not sure how our powers will mix, but just a heads-up, I'm gonna be projecting a lot of anxiety.

With a deep breath, he causes subtle vibrations in his aura that, to the subconscious mind, would make him appear frightened. He then increases the pitch and tempo until he feels satisfied. Then he dashes around the corner, gasping and stumbling. He frantically runs up to the car, nearly colliding with the windshield, then scrabble over to the passenger side and locks eyes with both of the men momentarily. Yo! They know about the job! We gotta warn Dice! Open the door, open the door!

This is a Fascinate check. Technically you could make a case that this could be any of the three possible skills, but he's banking on them being too shook to question him, so we'll call it Intimidation.

[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Vapor

You whoosh down the hallway and in your hast you stir up just enough of a breeze to make a very wobbly coat-rack fall right over!

CLUNK

Right onto the floor, and soon afterward the security guard rushes out of the room turns down the hall and shines his flashlight down the hall! "What the hell!?" he rapidly advances down the hall with quick and heavy steps, getting closer and closer to your position! He then stops and picks up the coat rack and sets it back correctly "Geez that thing's unstable," he sighs in exasperation before he proceeds to walk right by you and down the stairs, flashlight still in hand.

I honestly expected him to see you, but miraculously for you he only rolled a 7 on his roll to spot you.
You spot a nearby window you could probably use to slip away.

Okay NOW I'll accept a stealth roll to escape the building itself.

Everyone Else

The two men don't even see the, currently unmasked, Hood coming they're so wrapped up in conversation when you suddenly bang into their car! "Whoa %@$&!!!" The guy in the passenger seat jumps and is the first to scramble out and has a jittery Saturday night special shoved right in your face!

"Hey hey hey don't shoot you idiot!" The driver shouts as he gets out, trying to steady his own breathing as his passenger puts the gun down, "And you!" He addresses the Hood, "Are you out of your damn mind!? This is Southside at night! You go around trying to give people heart attacks and you're practically asking to get shot numb-nuts!" he asks, taking some deep breaths, "Now back up, who the hell are you?"

Yep they're nervous, and more important to the fascination advantage, you have their undivided attention.

[Chivy]

It was like a flowerbud blossoming and... Wow either Alana had a hidden theatrical streak or she was enjoying having an audience a little too much, even her self-narration was getting slightly grandiose.
They were always there, around her, like stars... She shook her head to clear the hammy thoughts and simply picked out the two minds closest to her and slipped in.

We're connected, if you want to speak to me, remember to think at me. it might not be entirely the correct way of putting it, but she had to make it quick and clear enough to make things easier for them all. Plus this initial contact would hopefully make them a little less skittish when they heard voices in their head.
She made certain to relay everything that was being said, thought, between them. Hopefully making this easier, natural or more comfortable.

Don't worry I have a fair amount of anxiety myself right now. she thought back at both her allies after relaying Hood's message to Quiver Queen. She couldn't resist following up with a mentally grinning
So if your head blows up because of a feedback loop. My bad.

She hefted her brick into something resembling a throwing position as Hood approached the car.
He's moving in. Get ready with mister stinky. She'd probably stated the obvious, but she couldn't feel bad about making sure.

Alana is using her telepathy;
Mental, Subtle, Area, Selective
Action: Free
Range: Rank 3 (Long range: statewide or across a small nation)
Duration: Sustained
Base rank: 3
Cost: 1+6/rank.

To form a crude network between the three of them.
Not sure if it needs a roll, i don't think so, but i'll do it anyway so it doesn't slow things down. [roll0]

[Silent_p]

In her haste to leave and avoid the police, Alyssa was a little careless. Her heart dropped when the coat rack wobbled. With no time to solidify and catch it, she quickly opted to spread herself as thinly as possible against a slight inset in the wall. Breath held, she heard the guard rush out, pick up the rack and... then watched him walk past, oblivious. Holy hell but that was close! I used to be better at this...

Waiting for a few more seconds until he was out of sight, she drifted carefully toward a nearby window and then began squeezing herself through. If she made it through, she'd need to stay above roof height for a couple of blocks, moving directly away from the building. Only way to be sure I'll miss those cops.

She kept a careful ear and, when possible, eye out for either the guard or the officers.

'Kay. Clearly dodged a bullet there! This has gotta be a better roll...
Stealth to escape the building: [roll0]
Perception to notice the guard or the cops: [roll1]

[John Cribati]

Cyrus pretends to start at the gun,but not too much. He begins a shaky explanation, his aura becoming less erratic as he speaks. I'm Cy. A mutant. I do mind... stuff. I was at the school, and, uh, learned about 'Bron and his crew doing the money drop, and I tail him. I was thinking about taking the money, y'know? But oh my God, when I got there, his crew was already lying in the alley out cold!
None of this was a technical lie, but between fudging the chronology and how he worded certain things...

He takes a deep breath and holds it, pretending to shudder at a bad memory. He thinks hard at his mental accomplice. Uh... fire at will?

Still Fascinating but now doing it with Deception

[roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Well, that could've gone better." Quiver Queen mutters under her breath as the passenger gets out and immediately starts waving a gun around. Their luck holds, though, and soon enough the men have their guard down, absorbed in the tale the Hood was spinning, close enough together to take a nice deep breath of...

I don't think his name is Will, but OK! Kate mind-quips as she fires across the street, capsule breaking against the car, just behind the driver.

All right, Sleeping Gas Arrow, centered on the driver. Cloud Area, DC 17 Fort save. Area attack, so DC 17 Dodge to halve as usual.

[Nintendogeek01]

Vapor

Vapor's gaseous form slides right on through space in the window-sill and it appears that she's home fr-

BANG BANG

Two bullets whiz right through Vapor's form and looking down towards the source she sees a single cop with his gun out! "Don't move and put your... uh... hands... whatever put them up now!"

The dice have a sense of humor, the cop rolled a 21 on his perception check. Of course ordinary bullets do absolutely nothing to your gaseous form so Vapor is unharmed, just spotted. :smalltongue:

Everyone Else

"A mutant!? Mind stuff!?" The two guys quickly look at each other and nod, looking as though they're about to do something; but before they do the gas arrow impacts the ground behind them and releases the foul-smelling gas. The driver begins coughing and wheezing and almost immediately collapses, the guy with the gun hits one knee and coughs a bit trying to aim his gun at Cyrus but ultimately succumbs and also falls face-first into the pavement. They are now both unconscious.

The guy with the gun was literally one number away from making the fortitude save but he still failed and these two are both subject to minion rules. Anyways you now have two unconscious crooks!

[Chivy]

Ugh... Alana cringed at the 'fire at will' joke
I'm sure horrible telepathic jokes can cause brain damage...

She gave a little squeak of excitement when the gas arrow smoothly engulfed the mobsters and finally dropped the brick from her 'throwing position' when she saw that both of them had gone down.
Nice shooting QQ. Let's go check out what we found.

Alana took the fire escape down to the street and made her way over to the car and unconscious mobsters. While walking she checked the street up and down for people taking an unhealthy interest in them.
You guys check their car and pockets, I'll find out all they know about Dice and the rest of the mob. she said using her real voice echoing her telepathic one, then retreated from their minds.

Alana knelt beside the driver, picking up his gun and jamming it in one of her trenchcoat's pockets. Might as well have a weapon that's a bit more intimidating than a glare or a brick. She then tapped one of her cigarettes out of her pack of Luckies and stuck it through the mouth hole in her mask before lighting it. She took a deep drag, savoring it then belatedly offered one to her companions. Making sure that she placed a finger over the one holding her pills, so they couldn't take that one.
This might take a while. I want to get as much as I can. she told them before placing her fingers in the one handed vulcan mind-meld position and then working through the man's mind.
perception check to keep an eye out for anybody in the street.
Perception - +10 - [roll0]

Mind reading the driver
Mind reading - +5 - [roll1]
Mind Reading, Cumulative, Subtle, Sensory Link
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Sustained
Base rank: 5
Cost: 1+4/rank.

[John Cribati]

Cyrus waves off the offered cigarette. Smoking kills your brain cells. Well, most of your cells, but it's the brain ones I'm concerned about for... obvious reasons.

He shrugs, noting that that was becoming his standard interaction with her. You do you, though don't let me stop you.

He goes to the other guy and starts rummaging through his pockets.

Investigation Check to search his pockets:

[roll]1d20+13[roll]

[Silent_p]

Alyssa scowled behind her mask, floating in the air. What the hell?! This is insane! The officer had clearly fired without provocation: she hadn't been threatening anyone and he hadn't issued a warning first. Don't have time for this! Dismissing him, she began flying away, across the rooftops - not directly towards her destination but several degrees off of it.

Once she was sure she was out of sight, Alyssa altered her course, intending to get to the address she'd noted. Time was passing quickly and she had to be ready. So: they were waiting down the block; came the instant a call was put through from the guard and opened fire immediately... She considered the events, still fuming quietly. Either it was pure chance and recklessness or they'd been bought and paid for. Not sure which is worse.

Stealth roll to finally escape once out of sight on the next rooftop: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Hey, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Quiver Queen grinned as she dropped down to street level. "I have far worse puns at my disposal. Muahaha." Kate seems more surprised by the generosity, but waves off the cigarette as Cyrus did. "Oh! Thanks, but I'll pass. That **** killed my grandad. Not gonna let it get me."

"All right, back to business. Checking the car. Sounds like a plan. What do we have in here?" She slides into the driver's seat and busies herself checking the car for anything of use, starting with the pizza box. "Anyone hungry?"

Perception, checking out the car: [roll0], and Expertise: Criminal, just in case, to make sense of anything she finds: [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

Vapor

As you float away over a roof you can still here the officer yelling in a panic into his radio, "Come in! Flying... gas... thing just flew out of the building! I don't know what it is... oh it's gone!"

Now that you're finally away from imminent danger it's time to make your way to the address you'd gotten from the office.

You got the intel, and avoided being spotted up until you left. Vapor is awarded 1 power point!

Everyone Else

Certain that no one else is nearby, Alana gets to checking the thoughts of the driver and is able to get past the man's silly surface thoughts (you do have to wonder how he plans to survive doing a swan dive into a pile of gold coins when he is clearly not an elderly duck in a top hat) and you can read from him directions to a location, a construction lot from the looks of it with the label for DeCosta construction in front of the lot. All the while you see digital looking numbers that read 12:00 AM flash at the forefront of this location, you then see images of how the man would've driven from here to get to there. You've got it, if all of you go now you should make it shortly before midnight or right on time.

Luckily the more mundane searches of the other two prove more fruitful. In the pockets of the perp Cyrus searches he finds his wallet and a folded piece of paper with a street written on it while Quiver Queen finds a map in the glove box of the car, and that the pizza box is sadly empty. The map has some "X's" marked on various locations in Southside, unfortunately there are a number of these "X's" that could mean a lot of things and Quiver Queen isn't able to make a connection on what exactly they're for.

The one guy's will save tied your mind-reading roll but you had the better modifier so you won. Your mind reading saved the group one step in finding out the location so now I can proudly say...

Quiver Queen, Alana, and the Hood have earned 1 power point!

[Chivy]

Alana put away the pack of cigarettes after both of them waved her off and took another drag.
We each have our own addictions and vices. She answered Hood's lecture. She was planning on making a joke or something, but with Quiver Queen's answer it would be in bad taste.
I'm sorry about your grandfather. Thankfully it's not a problem I'd have.
She made no other comment about it. Neither did she have the urge to make promises that she'd try and quit or something along those lines. Nor did she put out her cigarette like most smokers would. She simply continued enjoying her cigarette while plundering the man's mind.

Something's going down at a DeCosta construction site at midnight. It's a ways to go, so we'll have to hurry if we're going to try and make it in time. Alana told her compagnions as she pulled away from the mobster.
What do you want to do with them Hood? She then asked nodding at the unconscious men.


They saw your face.

[John Cribati]

See, yes. Perceive, not so much.
He taps his cranium. I've been projecting mental white noise for a good while; I bet they'd only get as far as "Tall Black Guy."
He pauses, eyes scrunching. Buuut... just to be on the safe side, Q, you have any spare cord? We can tie 'em up in the alley and I'll come back for them later.


He starts emptying both mens' pockets.

Given that Cyrus hasn't been in a position that would have prevented him from taking free actions, can we just retroactively say he's been Sustaining his Morph the whole time? I mean, Cy is going to come back for them anyway, and if anything he might Intimidate them into leaving him alone.

Also I don't think you need a Stealth/Sleight of Hand check to empty an unconscious person's pockets.

[Red_Jenny]

"Why, I have no idea what you mean." The supervillain clutched her chest in mock indignation. "I am as pure as the driven snow, as viceless as a newborn babe!" Giggles soon follow. "Thanks. Gramps was a good egg. He'd've liked you guys."

She nods at the Hood's question. "Sure. Trade you?" Kate holds up a pair of spare bowstrings and points to the scrap of paper Cyrus fished out of the thug's pocket. "Just for a second. I want to see if that address is one of my X marks the spots, try and make sense of this thing." Once the map check is complete, Quiver Queen helps drag the goons into the alley.

"Anyone come up with a set of keys in their rummaging? Why don't we head to this construction site in style?"

Assuming, of course, they're not just sitting in the ignition. :smalltongue:

[Silent_p]

Seemingly in the clear, Alyssa drifted across Southside, now heading for the DeCosta construction site. It had been a bumpier night than she'd both hoped and expected. The guard hadn't really been an issue and the mess she'd left behind was largely her own thoroughness - she'd need to work faster. The police, though... Trigger-happy cops. Gonna have to look into that at some point. She might even be able to gain some clues at her next stop, particularly with regard to DeCosta's possible mob ties.

Still, police response notwithstanding, it had been reasonably successful. She'd followed up on Julie Streeter's cryptic message, gotten a solid lead and was headed right there to investigate and intervene should that become necessary. Not a complete washout.

Unsure what to expect as she neared her destination, she angled for a nearby rooftop and solidified carefully to try and take stock of things. So, any armed goons or journalists in trouble...?

Stealth roll to hide on the rooftop: [roll0]
Perception roll to see if she can spot anyone at the site or the signs of any trouble: [roll1]

[Chivy]

Check if one of those X's is the DeCosta construction site. Alana said when Quiver Queen started matching up adresses. She made a mental note to memorize the map herself.

Alana then reached into the car and popped the trunk.
Traditionally a storage place for the spare tire, groceries, construction equipment, weapons, kidnap victims and unconscious mobsters that you realy don't want contacting people while you're spying on their operations. Might be a better place to hold them than the alley. Your call Hood.
It might be a tight squeeze but she'd prefer knowing where they were to leaving them laying in an alley where all that needed to happen to set others on guard was for them to wake up and make a phonecall. She checked the trunk and made sure that there weren't any weapons or things they could use to get out before leaving the choice to Hood if he wanted to use the alley or trunk.

When Quiver Queen mentioned using the car Alana nodded
Sounds good. Either of you have your licence or should I drive?
perception for checking the trunk
Perception +10 - [roll0]

[John Cribati]

Hm. Trunk is better, I guess. Must have been channeling Spider-Man a little too much. Still gonna tie them up, though.
He 'trades' his slip of paper for a bundle of cord from Quiver Queen, and begins to binds the mobsters' hands behind their backs, before putting them together chest-to-chest. and winding the remaining cord around the two of them.
... And I'm still working on my permit, so one of you should do the driving I figure.


Dexterity check to tie up the Mobsters

[roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"I can't tell. The map is short on specifics unless an X is next to some big landmark. Hood's address is on here, though. We'll have to see if that's our construction site." Quiver Queen points it out to her partners.

"I'll drive if nobody wants to. Otherwise, I call shotgun!" Kate announces as she helps dump the mobsters in the trunk. "They're gonna make a lot of noise back here, you know. This'll wear off soon enough. Still, I suppose it beats having them run off and raise the alarm."

"All right, everyone set? Let's go find some more trouble."

[John Cribati]

Cyrus slips into the back with the phone he recovered from the driver. It's a simple affair to bypass the screen lock, and he scrolls through the contacts. While you two figure out who's driving, I'll be getting some names and numbers. Just the obvious ones for now, but maybe Doll can get more info out of these two later.

Cyrus takes 20 on an Investigation check to search for mob-related names in the phone book.

[Chivy]

'Don't you mean 'I call shortbow''? Alana grinned
'If your allowed horrible jokes, so am I. I'll drive, then you can hang out of the window firing at our pursuers in the inevitable carchase.

Doll? Ugh.. There has to be something better than that.'

She slid into the driver's seat, pulled it up so she could comfortably reach the pedals, adjusted the mirrors and put on her seatbelt. She then waited for both Quiver Queen and Hood to step in the car.
'Now remember kids; no fighting or screaming or I'll turn this car around. And no bohemian rhapsody. Can't pull it off without taking off the mask. Owh and seatbelts.'
She then slammed the car into gear and pealed off into the street, flicking on it's headlights. She made a point of driving just over the speed limit and if and when the trunk started making screaming sounds, to find every pothole and speedbump on the way to their destination.

'Will stop a few blocks from where we need to be, we can take the rooftops from there.' She said when they left the street they were in.
'So either of you have any idea where I'd be able to find a grapple gun or something like that? I like the rooftop thing.'

don't know if it's required but I'll roll a vehicle test - [roll0]

[John Cribati]

'Doll? Ugh.. There has to be something better than that.'


You didn't give us anything to work with, and my comic book references just made you equal parts confused and suspicious.

[Nintendogeek01]

The Vigilante Trio

As the car drives down the Hood gives the phone a look through to see if any names jump out at him. Only one that jumps out immediately is Carl Desanto, Dice's real name. Well that and the numbers for local food delivery places. When you're not riding in a car and when whatever is going down tonight is dealt with you'll probably have more time to look into these names and numbers and check who's who.

Eventually the group parks around the corner from the DeCosta construction site. Right now only the bare skeleton of a building jutting up from sandy and dusty ground a few stories tall that extends down the block. From the sign out front it looks like it's going to be new apartments. Beyond the gate you can see a few trucks, and some boxes, crates, and containers, the only thing that seems unusual for a construction site at a glance are the number of trucks.

Vapor

Vapor's vantage point lets her see that every now and again someone looks out the gate on a patrol walk before continuing their patrol and disappearing among the construction yard's many obstacles and shadows. Unfortunately no sign of a reporter anywhere, best case scenario she's not here and won't show up but tonight hasn't exactly been a lucky one for Vapor. As if to reinforce the stroke of luck she has suffered tonight she does see a car park itself around the corner from the site. Looking at it she sees three masked occupants, two of whom she doesn't recognize, but the one in the passenger seat she does recognize, it's that super-villainess the Quiver Queen!

[Chivy]

'True enough.'Alana answered Hood, realising who he had meant with phoenix 'But in my defence I'm not a telekinetic, so Marvel Girl or any variation thereof wouldn't fit. Plus using a comic book character's name just feels cheap. I want something special. Something that fits. Just don't know what.'

She parked the car and then looked at the others.
'That'll be twenty-seven fifty please and thank you for choosing insert name here taxi services...

Any ideas on how to handle this?'

[Silent_p]

Hmm.

Concealed as best as she could manage on a nearby rooftop, Alyssa spent some time watching the DeCosta site. There didn't seem to be much happening but that didn't mean that nothing was going on. Another guard seemed to be present hinting at there being something of worth there. Could be just expensive gear. The lot was not revealing its secrets readily.

As she was deciding to move in for a closer look and attempting to time the guard's patrol, she noted a car pulling up nearby. Alyssa froze, eyeing the new arrivals. Masked and... is that whatshername, she drew a momentary blank. Quiver Queen? This new development caused her to reassess. Resolving to stay put and see what the newcomers were about, she carefully settled down again and watched.

So: accomplices, or rivals...?

Guess what? Stealth roll! (To re-hide from the tremendous trio) [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"So no Professor X, got it. The search continues!" Quiver Queen pretends to rummage through her pockets. "You know, I left my wallet in my other supersuit. Can I give you an IOU?"

Her attitude turns marginally more serious as she gazes out at the construction site. "If we weren't here for a meeting, I'd say just get out and poke around. And why are we here for a meeting? If it were the people in charge that mattered, you could show up any time during the day and chat. Carry a clipboard, wear a hardhat, and nobody'd give you a second look. So maybe some kind of neutral ground, or it's got something to do with the site? But the site's nothing special. It's just a bunch of concrete that's gonna be apartments in a few months..."

"Well, whatever's up, we're gonna need to be on the other side of that fence to hear or see it. I'd suggest using the building shell for cover, but that might just be me and my catlike need to be on top of high things. Still, it's big, it'll have corners to hide in, gives the best view of the site. Far as my thinking takes me. You guys have anything?"

These musings are probably closer to Streetwise than anything. Might as well toss in a roll for fun. [roll0]

[Chivy]

'Well as long as you control the catlike need to twist between legs to trip people or cough up furballs, I'm fine with trying to get up there. Do you have anything which'll get us up there in that kit of yours?'
Alana said while taking a good look around to see if there were better vantage points or an easy way to make it to the building still under construction.
'If we can catch sight of one of the people I could even tap into his senses and we might get an idea of what's going on inside. That was my initial plan when I came out tonight, before you guys made it easier and more rooftopsurvival.'

perception to see if there is a better vantage point or an easy way to make it to the building still under construction.
Perception +10 - [roll0]

[John Cribati]

Well, let's see who's out and about, then... He closes his eyes and concentrates, scanning the site for guards and others.

Perception roll, to detect any people within 300 ft. (-3 Penalty)

[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Alana notices a building right across the street that might give you a more immediate view of the lot unobstructed by the gate. Meanwhile the Hood detects about six auras in the lot itself, a bit small considering others were expecting this to be a big job, though looking at the time in the car or on the phone you did end up getting here a little sooner than you expected to. Besides the auras from the building interiors the Hood can detect one aura that has the tinge of panic creeping up on calm and determination, an aura combination usually indicative of someone on alert, from the building across the street. By focusing in you can approximate that aura being near or on the roof of the building across the street

[Chivy]

'Could head over to the roof of that building across from the gate.' Alana said pointing at the building, while waiting for Hood to do his thing.
'We'll have an unobstructed view and if you can get a rope-arrow into the frame of the building they're building, then we could use it to zipline in over the guard's heads.'

[John Cribati]

There's anywhere between 8 and a dozen guys in there. Probably some kind of guard rotation. Also, someone's already stole your idea about higher vantage points. He looks up to see her pointing. Aaand now they know we know they're there.

[Chivy]

'Crap.' Alana swore, quickly finding whoever was up there and extending her powers to find out who it was.
'Can't get a read on him. Whoever he is, he's got a mind like teflon.' She said obviously annoyed after her mindreading attempt was thwarted.

perception check to try and find who's up there (unless my previous one already caught her)
Perception +10 - [roll0]
was just informed that the last perception caught her.
If she catches sight of whoever's up there, she'll try and find out who it is.
Mind Reading +5 - [roll1]
Mind Reading, Cumulative, Subtle, Sensory Link
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Sustained
Base rank: 5
Cost: 1+4/rank.

[Silent_p]

Her attention on the trio in the car, Alyssa started when the driver pointed up at her, followed by someone in the backseat. Damn! So much for stealth. She continued hugging the roof, eyes darting from the car and its occupants to the construction lot. No one's made a move yet and I should be able to see them coming from here...

She weighed her options. One: stay put, see what they do next. Two: retreat, lose them and circle around. Three: go down and confront them. A direct confrontation against several opponents - one of whom was a supervillain - seemed least desirable. Retreating would also put her at a slight disadvantage. As things stood, she knew where they were, could see them move and high ground provided cover. Grimacing faintly, she decided to stay and wait. Watch and learn, Alyssa.

She remained unclear how they'd spotted her so quickly. Hmm. Someone might've called ahead, warned them I could be snooping around. This has not been a good night but, if Julie's in any trouble, I can't leave things here.

Perception roll to keep an eye on as much as possible (vigilante trio plus construction lot): [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen mumbled under her breath as the situation revealed itself. Something about this was off. "Hrm. Why don't we go say hello? They've already spotted us, yeah? If this person's a watchdog, they're in a bad place to call for backup. Take 'em out quick. If they're not, they're the sort of person who skulks around on rooftops near midnight mob deals, and I've had good luck with that tonight." She hops out of the car with a grin.

[Chivy]

Alana blinked at Quiver Queen’s blasé approach to confronting possible threats, taking a second to process it. Then she mentally shrugged.
‘Might as well.’ She said joining Quiver Queen in getting out of the car, just after she smoothly placed the key behind the driver’s side sunscreen and making sure that both her companions had seen where she had placed them.
‘But how about we make sure he doesn’t run to his bosses as soon as we approach. Telepathy incoming.’ She warned, ensuring the others wouldn’t be surprised.

‘‘Raise your hands above your head and make sure they are empty. We have you covered. You won’t be harmed if you cooperate. Try to run or warn anybody and you will be hurt.’ She telepathically broadcast to Quiver Queen, Hood and the figure on the roof.

Don't think it requires a roll, but just to be sure;
Communication - [roll0]

AE: Communication:
Alana is able to initiate mind to mind contact with anybody she knows in a vast area.
Mental, Subtle, Area, Selective
Action: Free
Range: Rank 3 (Long range: statewide or across a small nation)
Duration: Sustained
Base rank: 3
Cost: 1+6/rank.

[Silent_p]

This time, Alyssa did jump. When she heard someone speak, she ghosted immediately and quickly rose to her feet. Damn, too focused on the street! She scanned the rooftop looking for the speaker. There didn't seem to be anyone. Thoughts a whirl, she rapidly cast her mind back: Don't think I heard anyone move; can't see anyone.

She glanced back down at the street and saw some of the occupants now outside the car. They appeared to be waiting. For me to be caught and brought down there? Drifting carefully across the rooftop, Alyssa continued looking for whomever had spoken. No one. Confused, she gave another look around. Definitely heard someone... right? She flew up several metres, taking in the roof as a whole. Hmm. Invisibility? Or maybe... She turned to study Quiver Queen's group again. Telepathy...?

Frowning, she began drifting down into the alley next to her lookout building, keeping out of sight from the construction lot gate. Really hope not. After a moment, she reconsidered slightly. Still, they know I'm here and haven't shot at me - given tonight, that's a definite point in their favour. Let's see what they want...

Right, hope I haven't taken too much liberty with saying the roof's empty - if so, I can amend the post. (*crosses fingers* :smalltongue:)
The initial, slightly panicked search would probably be visible but I'm gonna roll Stealth for the attempt to sneak down into the alley: [roll0]
Also, apologies to Herpestidae if I've jumped in before Hood gets a chance.

[Red_Jenny]

"I suppose someone should actually get up there and cover them." Quiver Queen muses. Kate makes a dash for the building, and then up the building, leaping from ledge to ledge and taking the stairs three at a time.

The archer arrives at the top in record time, only to find nobody there to greet her. So, um, nobody's home. Anyone want to point me at their aura or mindwaves or whatever it is you lovely people can keep track of? Can't have gotten far.

Athletics, DC10, to increase movement speed. [roll0]

Acrobatics, to do it in style: [roll1]

(I'm assuming there are stairs or a fire escape or some other way to get up to the roof. If not, these rolls are for climbing instead. :smalltongue:)

[John Cribati]

On it.

Perception (Aura Sense)
[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

The Hood is capable of feeling an aura... float? The fearful aura, panicked fear that slowly gives way to a cautious and not quite as overpowering fear, seems to move almost straight down. If you didn't know it was already on the roof it'd be a bit more confusing to picture but no it definitely moved straight down, you're reasonably certain that whoever it is just went straight from the roof to the alleyway.

[John Cribati]

It feels like... they just moved from the rooftop directly to the alley. Either I'm bugging out, or we've got a flier on our hands.

[Chivy]

'Seriously?!' Alana muttered when the person on the roof made a break for it. She then made sure that the messages between Hood, Quiver Queen and herself were relayed.

'You can fly? Nice!' she broadcast to the unknown person as well as her comrades, when Hood said the person could probably fly. She might've been channeling one of her comrade's usual excitement before remembering that they were still in danger.
'Ahum... Now you ran after me telling you you were covered, so I'll make this very clear. You might've guessed that I'm telepathic as I'm talking to you from the other side of the street. It means that as long as I can detect you, I can make things very very painful for you. I'm talking about 24/7 karaoke in your mind and I know the entire Grease soundtrack by heart as well as Meat Loaf's best of album. So how about you stay where you are, don't warn anybody or try and run or fly away and we can talk. Just think at me and I'll hear or we'll come over there and talk in person. The other choice is always an option...

I've got chills they're multiplying...'
She was definitely enjoying herself. Alana had expected this to be a horrible chore. A job where she would do things she disliked or hated to eventually get her revenge. She realised that the task she had set herself was daunting, but after playing around (yes it was playing around) on the rooftops she had found out that she could actually enjoy herself as well.

'Too harsh?' She asked Quiver Queen and Hood

[Red_Jenny]

"Aaaand I'm losin' control..."

Hmm. You know, if we're gonna do this right, it should be a proper duet. You want Danny or Sandy? Those clued in to the telepathic communication can practically feel Kate's grin.

Quiver Queen slides to the edge of the roof, looking down into the alley where their mystery flier had apparently gone.

"Hi? Don't want to shoot you, just want to talk. Getting the feeling you're not a mob goon. Did I miss my guess?"

Perception, to spot Vapor, if we want to do this by the dice: [roll0]

[John Cribati]

This is the song that doesn't end

Yes it goes on and on my friend...

[Chivy]

‘You're right! ’ Alana's grin was almost ear to ear when she answered Quiver Queen (as well as sharing the communications between the four of them).
‘We should probably practice a few times as well. I know a great karaoke bar, they might even ignore the masks! ’ She practically giggled at the thought.

‘Ugh...’ she grunted at Hood’s singing.
‘Just so you know; I don’t forget things. Haven’t since I got my abilities. I’ll have to remember you singing that for the rest of my life.’

She then looked around and started moving towards the alley.
‘In any case, standing in the street, wearing masks, in front of a place occupied by the... Well we’d best get over to the alley and out of sight.’

Alana still relays communication between all of them.
Going to roll a stealth to keep to the shadows while moving to the alley.
Stealth - +4 - [roll0]

[Silent_p]

Alyssa did her best to fight down a sense of rising panic, trying to combat it with reason. Alright. Ok. Fine. Telepathy. Great. And there's Quiver Queen, no telling what kinda tricks she's got. Marvellous. No idea about the other one. Fantastic. She had come to a halt in the alleyway and solidified as she tried to get her bearings.

They knew she could fly and, to be honest, were pretty flippant about it. Clearly comfortable with powers. Then there was the threat to flood her mind with an eclectic selection of music. Doesn't scream 'mob' but could be some kinda contractor... maybe? It didn't sound too convincing, though. There was always the possibility that the group wasn't connected to the mob at all. Freelancers or even vigilantes.

Having worked through various possibilities and settled on an approach, Alyssa felt calmer and a little more centred. Alright. She moved so that she was clearly visible to the two still in the street. She wore an all-grey outfit with a ski mask and goggles, sturdy army surplus boots and gloves on her feet and hands respectively and a nightstick attached to her belt.

She spread her arms wide and waited.

[Chivy]

'It was the threat of "Paradise by the dashboard light" wasn't it? Always get's em. It was apparently the plot of 28 days later, people recovering after a Meat Loaf concert, but they made it nicer in the rewrite. Zombies and a good portion of the UK destroyed I believe. Anyway I think we coulda pulled the duet off QQ, probably could've even made it a tercet. H making a few off-colour grunts that could pass as singing in some cultures.' Alana was almost skipping as she entered the alley, broadcasting her banter to the other three.
When she got close enough to speak normally she cut out the flying one and purely directing her thoughts to Hood and Quiver Queen.
'I'll not be transmitting to hi.. her. ok, to her anymore and I'll keep this line open for if either of you want to talk without alerting her.'

She gave the woman in the ski mask a small wave.
Hi. she said out loud and then held her finger up forestalling any questions. Taking a look up the building (or to wherever their archer had been) and behind her to where she expected hood to be following her into the alley.
'Let's wait until we're all here so we're all in the know, ok?'

[John Cribati]

I'll have you know that I have a delightful singing voice. Not that you'd get a chance to hear it, since I'm going too be pretending not to recognize you out of costume or whatever... Anyway, She's calmed down now, so let's not scare her anymore.

He ducks into the alley, his aura taking on a soothing, calm tone. It was the best empathic equivalent of a smile.

Yeah, hi. Uh, I'm The Hood. Quiver Queen is somewhere behind you, but i think you know about her already. Don't worry, she's a good guy now, or at least claims to be. Beside me is, uh... She hadn't decided on a name yet, but I've taken to calling her "Doll." She's been doing all the mind stuff. And you both like the ski mask look, so I bet you two'd get along like a house on fire."

[Chivy]

Alana groaned, sounding like she was in pain when Hood introduced her, outwardly momentarily ignoring the fact that there was a stranger present in their group of... well... strange sorta strangers.
'We're still on that "doll" thing, that's only a step away from being called muppet. A very small step. And bonding over a ski-mask? How am I supposed to work with that?' She told him, before turning to the new girl.
'So... I haven't chosen a cape-name yet.... But enough about me, who are you and what would you be doing on a rooftop across from a building site where there may or may not be something going down at midnight on a fine night like this?'

[Silent_p]

Alyssa stayed silent as she was approached by the two figures from across the street. Starting to think we might all be in the same boat here... They were both masked and weren't trying to be intimidating. Since they appeared to enjoy talking - Nervous? Excited? - she was content to listen for a few moments.

The Hood introduced himself and his companion who did not appreciate the appellation. Can't blame her there. Alyssa wondered briefly if she was in Quiver Queen's sights. Would make sense to have someone providing cover. Not thrilled I can't see her, though. The Hood's assertion that the villain was reformed - or reforming, at least - was interesting but the woman in black's question regarding the DeCosta site and the time got Alyssa's attention.

The two were focused on her and seemed to be waiting on a reply. She was reluctant to give too much away just yet and settled on addressing the woman. "What's happening at the building site?" She asked, voice pitched low and a little raspy.

[John Cribati]

Something...? I don't think we actually confirmed what shady, potentially mob-related event was going down. I assume we'll know it when we see it.

[Red_Jenny]

"Hello." Quiver Queen waved down at her companions, and after a moment, arrow-swung her way down into the alley. She didn't put her bow away, but her body language was relaxed and languid, nonthreatening. Kate gave the newcomer a contrite smile.

"So... I know, I know, I know. I make this all look really suspicious, so let's get this out there right off the bat. Hood's right. I'm not a supervillain anymore. Quite literally the opposite. I missed all of... this" she waves at the rooftop and mysterious mob meeting. "More than you would believe. But, well, let's just say that continuing with my old line of work wouldn't have been good for my health. So, I'm trying to do some good."

She glanced at Alana and the Hood. "This was easier with you guys. Did I sound this sketchy the first time?"

Put a few cards on the table? It's pretty clear she's not with the mafia.

"Yup. Mob get-together of some sort, involving a soldier with an interesting reputation. You happen to know the name 'Dice' Desanto? He's the end of the trail of breadcrumbs we followed to get here."

Quiver Queen looked Vapor up and down and nodded. "What's your story? That's not the outfit of someone on their first night out. Not that you can't look good on your first night, mind you." She added hastily, with a wink to Alana.

[Chivy]

'Not sure really, think getting gassed kinda surpasses sounding sketchy.' She answered the ex-villain with a laugh, she then turned to fly-girl and said
'Don't worry about her Majesty. Not really into all this superhero and villain stuff, so aren't sure what she did in the past, but I've known her for... a good couple of hours.. and.. she seems nice... ' She finished lamely
'Sorry, that started out a lot more confident than it ended. What I mean to say is that if you're not a mobster, mobby? mobine? female mob employee, you have nothing to fear from us.'

[Silent_p]

Alyssa wasn't really sure what to make of the trio. Clearly they were making themselves out to be vigilantes much like herself but they were so... chatty. Maybe I've been on my own too long. She listened quietly as each added their thoughts on what was happening or due to happen. There didn't seem to much more than she knew. Dice Desanto. Hmm. Looking around the group, she wondered how far she could afford to trust them.

Still haven't attacked me. They've offered more info than I have - though telepathy might just make that a moot point. No serious threats of bodily harm. Take a chance, Alyssa.

"I go by Vapor and no, I'm not with the mob," she replied, quietly but firmly. "I got a tip that something might happen here tonight." There was no sense being too forthright, the embarrassment of the office escapade wouldn't do anything for her rep. "I'm here to ensure that nothing happens to an overly enthusiastic journalist and, if possible, disrupt whatever the mob's up to."

Once finished, she watched the others carefully to see if she'd provoked any adverse reaction.

[Chivy]

Alana had started the evening with dark and serious thoughts. Revenge and hate foremost in her mind, but somehow somewhere along the way (probably during the rooftop slides) she'd started having fun. Off-colour jokes, good natured ribbing, horrible horrible nicknames and the excitement of the danger they were swaggering into. It al combined to the most fun she'd had in years.

'Marvelous! It's nice to meet you Vapor. Especially since it looks like we're after the same thing. I think our ad hoc trio just became a quartet.' Alana said with a grin, then she momentarily looked thoughtful (as much as she could in a ski-mask)
'Beside the very valid point that it's pretentious, that's actually not a bad cape-name. Pretentious seems to work for some in a mask. I'd have to completely re-do my costume, which I needed to do anyway after seeing what it could be, so that's not so bad. Wonder why I just thought of it... What do you guys think? Anybody living dead or in a comic already taken that name?' She asked Quiver Queen and Hood telepathically, her excitement obvious.

Alana then smoothly transitioned into speaking to Vapor, her grin if possible even wider as she asked
'So before my mind takes a turn to the smelly fart arrow side, your name have anything to do with you being able to fly?

You can fly right? or was Hood pulling our legs?'

edits; that block of text was supposed to be up to, so I moved it. Posting from phones is anoying.

[Red_Jenny]

"It's... one of my tricks. Knockout gas. It'll make more sense if you see me use one." Quiver Queen points a thumb at her quiver as an explanation for "smelly fart arrow," internally facepalming.

Marvelous? Oooh, that's got a nice ring to it. I don't think you're stepping on anyone's toes, either. Furthermore, her Royal Highness decrees that having a pretentious cape-name is a vile impossibility, and banishes the traitors who spread such seditious nonsense from the realm forevermore.

Kate shrugs apologetically at Vapor. "I haven't seen anyone out of place, er, except for you, but we haven't exactly gotten to do a full sweep. I'll keep an eye out for your journalist. But enough of that, the important stuff! You can fly?"

[John Cribati]

I named myself after a pun, and the thing I wear over my head. You clearly don't want advice from me on that front. But there is a Captain Marvel already, for what is worth.

She didn't pass Q on the fire escape, and the only other way to get from the roof to the alley so fast would have made a bit of noise, if not a stain on the concrete.

[Silent_p]

Smelly fart...? Not sure I wanna know. The matter was quickly clarified by Quiver Queen who added her own query about flight to her companion's. As the Hood joined them, Alyssa figured the quickest approach would be just to demonstrate. Can't spend forever in this alley.

She ghosted and drifted several feet upwards. She hovered there for a few seconds to give them a chance to observe - from past experience she knew they'd see her as a smoky, slightly translucent figure in mid-air.

Once she felt they'd had sufficient time, she solidified and landed gently on the ground. "More time for show and tell after checking the construction site," she said in a low voice, nodding in that general direction.

[Chivy]

‘Owh wow… Smokey.’ Alana said when Vapor vaporized, obviously impressed.
‘So how did that happen? Mutation? BBQ gone wrong? Barrel of toxic waste? One of your parents from the elemental plane of smoke?’

Unless it compromises your civilian identity of course.’ She quickly added when she realized that asking might be a cape-faux pas.

‘So Marvelous hasn’t been taken yet? That’s… Me!’ She telepathically sent Hood and Quiver Queen, followed by a telepathic girlish giggle. She already started a mental list on the different wordplays and puns she could make with her chosen name. She had chosen well.

Alana nodded when Vapor tried to get them back on track.
‘The plan was to get a look from the roof and see if we could get into the frame of the building they’re constructing.’ She said with a quick wave towards the construction site.
‘Finding you got us sidetracked for a moment, but we might as well get to the roof and get a better look at what we’re dealing with. Maybe this’ll make things easier. Can you fly with other people? And who is this reporter, or more to the point; what does she look like?’

‘Sidenote. Starting fifteen seconds ago, I go by Marvelous. Will give you something to call me that’s not “Hey You” or “Muppet”.’ Marvelous said then started making her way to the fire escape.

[John Cribati]

Cyrus observes the woman as she dissolves into smoke, noting the possibility of a rather inappropriate comment involving Marvelous's smoking habit (one that he'd rather keep to himself given the amount of setup it would require and, well, the fact that it would most likely be sexual harassment).

Even if she could carry us, I'd rather be supported by something more substantial than a puff of smoke. No offense, he quickly amends, turning to Vapor.

He heads up to the fire escape and begins scaling it... if one could call hoping onto a ladder and climbing some steps "scaling."
Athletics Check to climb the fire escape:
[roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Oooh." Quiver Queen's response to Vapor's reveal is impressed admiration. "It doesn't hurt or anything, does it? Because that's pretty amazing." Moments like this were one of the reasons she hadn't been able to resist putting the mask back on. "You're right, we've got mobsters to monitor, but once we're done here, I really want to hear this tale, if you're up for telling it."

Kate makes her way back up the fire escape, following the Hood. "I for one wouldn't mind a ghostly guide, if it's an option. If not, I can get us into the building shell the old-fashioned way, don't you worry."

[Chivy]

'Vapor, this might be a little late, already been yakking at your brain, but do you mind telepathic communication? That way I can keep us in communication even if we're out of earshot of each other.'
Marvelous asked their new recruit.
'I already explained it to Hood and Quiver Queen, but just so you know: I can't read your mind or thoughts while communicating telepathically, if you want to telepathically speak to me you'll have to think at me. I think it has to do with different parts of the brain being used for communication and memories. If you agree I'll relay everything you think at me to the others and what they say to you.'

'Telepathy network is up, just think at me and I'll relay it to the others in almost real-time.' She broadcast to her three companions.

She then made her way to the roof with the others to get a good look at the construction site.
Stealth to make her way to the edge of the roof
Stealth - +4 - [roll0]
Perception to get a good look at the construction site
Perception - +10 - [roll1]

[Silent_p]

The others represented an odd collection of potential allies. Maybe a silver lining to the DeCosta office fiasco? She certainly hadn't planned for or expected this turn of events and, though somewhat wary, was cautiously optimistic about it. Fingers crossed this doesn't come back to bite me.

While Quiver Queen and Marvellous seemed eager to learn more about her, Alyssa wasn't keen on sharing that kind of detail. More of a 'third date' kind of discussion. Sidestepping that inquisitiveness, she focused on their other questions. "It's painless but I can't carry much while flying, so no passengers." She shrugged at the Hood's comment. "None taken."

The idea of having someone interacting directly with her thoughts wasn't a comfortable one. Telepathy. Life's built on secrets, right? If someone knows us to that degree, who are we anymore? Hmm. Not the time, Alyssa. She seems to be on the level but it's... unsettling. After a couple of seconds deliberating, she decided on a practical approach. Gotta trust someone. Plus, the others are linked in... Despite lingering doubts, Alyssa nodded to Marvellous. "Alright."

As the others began climbing for the roof, she ghosted and drifted up alongside them. Hesitantly, she tried thinking at Marvellous. 'Couldn't see much when I was up there. Might be you guys are capable of more.' She frowned at Quiver Queen's suggestion. 'Ghostly guide?'

[Chivy]

‘Coming in loud and clear.’ Marvelous answered Vapor (and the others) after passing along what she had ‘said’.
‘I don’t have any special ways to see more than normal people. If I can catch sight of somebody in there I can ‘ride’ their senses and see and hear using their own senses, but my own are tuned out while I’m piggybacking and it’d mean dropping the telepathy. Never really had cause to practice keeping up communication and mindriding at the same time. Thought I'd be doing this alone. Guess that assumption was a mistake.


This is better.’

Alana will keep passing on any message between everybody as fast as she can. If she can she'll use the memory of their voices or something like that to send the message in the voice of the person. If not she'll start everything with Q said; H said; V said; etc.

Guess I'll be looking at going dynamic with a few powers and maybe looking for a way to enhance a the communication powers to give everybody telepathy in out little network. Affect others or something like that?

[Red_Jenny]

"Well, I was hoping you could Vapor-ize or carry other people. My way of moving around makes noise. Not much, but hey, none would be better." Kate hastily explains her choice of words. "But since that's out, let's go for a ride!"

Quiver Queen fishes out her specialized cable arrow and hooks one end into a rooftop air vent, then fires the other end into the side of the unfinished apartment. "If the coast is clear, I'll send the bow back and you guys can come on over. If the coast isn't clear, you'll know because there'll be yelling and explosions."

With that, Kate swings across into the empty shell, aiming for what she hoped would be a suitably shadowy corner to skulk in.

Spending a Hero Point to make the "zipline" version of Swinging an official power stunt, so Hood and Marvelous can follow.

On GM's request, Stealth: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

No one seems to notice as Quiver Queen sticks her landing on a beam above the site proper. Everyone else can probably now make the attempt, here's hoping they can do it quietly.

I'll give details of the site once everyone's there, make your stealth rolls as you enter and hope no one sees you. Oh and of course due to Vapor being able to fly she doesn't necessarily have to use the zipline.

[Chivy]

My turn. Marvelous grinned when she took hold of the zip-line equipment and clipped herself in. She took a moment to make sure that she couldn’t see any guards looking right up at her and then pressed off of the roof.
The trip was even more exhilarating than the previous ones; probably the added danger of being spotted coupled with a significant distance. It was a monumental effort on her part to keep her glee contained as she landed on the other side as quietly as she could. As soon as she had her footing, she unclipped herself and stepped aside to allow Quiver Queen to send the zip-line equipment for Hood.
Marvelous then took a good look at what was below them, trying to pick out any threats or any sign of a reporter.

Can you just buy stuff for zip lining in a store? I’d love to get some for myself. Quiver Queen, if you have time after this, I’d love to get some advice on costume and essential gear.
Stealth Roll – [roll0]
Perception roll – [roll1]
au, that's a horrible stealth roll. owh at least she'll probably see them pointing their guns at them.

[Silent_p]

Alyssa suppressed her slight disappointment that the others were not able to see more than her. Hardly fair. She shrugged briefly at Quiver Queen's explanation - Guess disappointment goes both ways - before watching the woman zipline across the street flawlessly. Impressed, she waited to see how Marvelous fared before making her own way across. Hmm. Friendly and competent. This is not looking terrible.

Still drifting, she rose a few metres higher as she flew, then dipped down to join the other two women as they awaited the Hood's crossing.

Stealth roll for the crossing: 1d20+8

[John Cribati]

Cyrus approaches the zip line cautiously. He could do this he knew what to expect. He just had to get himself ready.

He can't calm his beating heart, but he manages to still his aura and focuses on that. He couldn't use his empathy on himself, because how would that even work, but he meditation and focus were part of how he learned to use his... gift.

Deciding he spent enough time calming himself, he sets up and makes the leap.

Hopefully he won't yell.

Stealth: [roll]1d20+8[roll]

[Nintendogeek01]

The Hood and Marvelous zip down the zip-line, The Hood in particular must have been feeling pretty good about resisting the urge to yelp. Though everyone's stomachs dropped when the Hood and Marvelous landed on the metal beams making up the building's skeleton with a very audible CLANG!

"Hey what was that?" everyone can hear a distant voice from below ask. Each of you see the metal beams light up with the tell-tale spotlights of flashlights, you hold your collective breath as the beams dance closer and closer.

The lights then vanish and you all hear "Must've been a bird," and no one cries out in alarm.

That's right... despite all around terrible rolls, all of you are SOMEHOW safe. This is hilarious.
From the top down view you can see the sandy ground and four people all wearing jackets labeled on the back that read "inspector," patrolling the lot and not actually doing a whole lot of inspecting from where you're perched. Instead they're busy looking behind the assortment of barrels, crates, packages of blocks, trucks, and metal beams that are still stacked and bound. As you creep around the beams behind tarps you carefully watch what's below you when you see the shine of headlights shine through the gate. One of the patrolling people goes to the gate and opens it up. A sleek, shiny, and new looking deep blue car pulls in followed by two more white vans. Out of the vans step out more than a dozen new people, most of them wearing leather jackets and looking like they've just been picked up off the street, there are probably now twenty people down there excluding one more...

From the car steps a man in his late 30's or early 40's with faded black hair that would be just long enough to reach his eyes were his bangs not combed aside. He has a mustache that led down to a somewhat shaggy goatee. He is wearing a nice brown jacket over what appears to be a dress shirt going into dark pants leading down to shoes that would probably shine were it not for the sand he's now walking in. You can see him fiddle with something in one of his hands before stowing it in his jacket pocket. "Alright everyone, the moon's out and time's a-wastin'," he begins addressing everyone present, "You're all probably waitin' to know why you're here, am I right?"

[Red_Jenny]

I suppose. Those extreme sports places must get it from somewhere. Couldn't tell you now much it costs. I didn't buy most of my gear. What I didn't make I um, acquired. Y'know, without paying. Or permission. Quiver Queen includes the telepathic equivalent of an uncomfortable cough and staring at her shoes in her mental message, but it's quickly overshadowed by her enthusiasm. Um, but sure! I'd love to! That sounds like fun! Kate winces and hold stock still as the others come clanging in, but there is clearly some sort of just and loving deity on their side at the moment, because the mobsters actually pull the "it's just a bird" and wander off. She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. If I saw that in a movie, I wouldn't buy it. These guys are dim bulbs. Unless you see the bird, it's never 'just a bird,' or a cat, or the wind or whatever.

Kate's devil-may-care attitude reasserts itself as the VIP arrives. All right, now we're getting a crowd. What are we up to? Let's hear the speech, big boss. I need an audio recorder. I'm betting this is going to be chalk full of incriminating goodies.

[John Cribati]

This phone we jacked from the goons in out trunk should have a sound recorder. Lemme just...

Technology Roll to find and use the phone's voice recording program

[roll0]

[Chivy]

'It's a date then!' Alana anwered Quiver Queen, her exited tone matching the ex-villain's.
'And don't worry, I'll not judge. We all do things.' Marvelous then said. She liked the way she framed that. Not using innane expressions like 'bad things' or 'things we're not proud of' or anything approaching judgement. They were breaking laws left and right all evening. Tresspassing, Grand theft auto, kidnapping, assault with deadly shoarma aftermath...
Most people would consider having their emotions toyed with or vampired or minds invaded and ransacked for information a lot worse than nicking some equipment. Plus, if she had gotten any sense of 'Her Majesty', the 'ashamed to admit she had nicked some tech' act was just that; an act. She was probably extremely proud of some borterline insane caper she had pulled off to get her gear.

Marvelous nodded as if she had known that little tidbit all allong while she relayed Quiver Queen's message about the birds, quickly making a mental note to check and never assume herself. Not recognising the type of phone Hood was playing with she turned her eyes and ears to the assembled people below her, trying to absorb every iota of what was happening.

'Vapor, any one of them your reporter friend?' she 'spoke' the thought when she realised that the reporter was either one of the people down there or she might be hiding out nearby.

[Silent_p]

Despite the near miss of being discovered - again - Alyssa was feeling cautiously upbeat. At least, she was until the site below them began to fill up with a large crowd of what she assumed were members of the mob. There appeared to be a couple of dozen there now with the possibility of one or two more elsewhere on the site. The odds were not good for a confrontation.

While she was faintly amused at Quiver Queen's assessment of the lookouts competence, the fact that she was hearing the woman without actually hearing her was still somewhat disconcerting. Definitely useful but really weird...

Hoping the Hood would be able to record the speech, she looked over the group below as a well-dressed man began addressing the others. 'Not seeing her, no,' she thought at Marvelous. 'Only have a name to go on, I'm afraid: Julie Streeter.' Wary of pushing her luck, Alyssa settled down where she was to both listen to the apparent mob leader and keep an eye out for the journalist.

Perception roll to keep an eye out for Streeter: [roll0]

[John Cribati]

Well, if Julie isn't here, I can track her down for you once everyone clears out. Though I'm obligated to warn you of the privacy issues that would come with that. Also, no dice on the sound recorder. This guy needs to rethink his mob career if he can only afford this piece of sh... garbage.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Now we do seem to be missin' a few guys..." the man continues, you see him once more fiddling with something in his hand as he approaches one of the wooden crates, "Well if they're late that's their loss, because this boys, is your lucky night," once he's in front of one of the crates small objects roll out of his hand onto the top of the crate. You're a bit high up to be 100% certain, but you're sure those objects he rolled are a pair of dice. "Tonight you go from snatching purses and knocking over liquor stores and just being another gang-banger, to a genuine friend of the mob," he scoops up his dice and one thug hands him a crowbar.

Most of you watch as the man, who you are almost certain is Dice, pry open the crate; however Vapor's eyes wander elsewhere, behind some crates you see a shadow lurking with a small object, and the way they're holding it leads you to guess it's either a camera phone or a camera. Luckily whoever it was was smart enough to not have a flash on the damn thing. Looking back down at Dice you can see the crate he is standing over is now open and a few awed "whoa's" can be heard from the criminals huddled around it. You see neatly arranged rows of small white packages.

"And that's just the surface," Dice moves a few packages and a few of the boys huddle closer and you all hear more impressed chatter, "Pipe it down, pipe it down," Dice insists, "The rest a' these crates over here contain even more goods than this, tonight's job is simple but important; some 'friends' from overseas went to a lotta trouble to smuggle these in, and a few more friends at the yards went to a lot of trouble to make sure that these guys got their 'materials' shipped to them. However, as we were... 'inspecting' the premises, we've determined that these need to be shipped elsewhere for... further inspection."

"That's where we come in Dice?"

"That's where you come in," Dice replies, "You boys get a cut, and even better, you can call yourselves our friends from here on out," there are a few excited murmurs, "And if you haven't figured it out yet, calling yourselves our friend is just the first step to makin' somethin' outta yourselves," the murmurs increase in volume before Dice once more calms them down a bit, "Alright drivers come with me and I'll tell ya where to take 'em. Everyone else you got crates, and trucks to load 'em in, hop to it!" Dice and four guys walk off to the side near some concrete bricks that are bound and stacked to one side and they begin talking softer.

Your vision literally becomes washed out with red for a moment, and your head begins pounding like a heartbeat. You've never before felt such raw... seething hatred before, it feels like your head is in a vice and it takes a few moments before you can see other auras again; but even as you do begin to perceive other auras normally again everything, from auras to the people with the auras, to the everyday objects has a shade of red... tainting it for want of a better word. Whoever is the source of this overwhelming aura is impossible to narrow down beyond "somewhere in this lot."

OOC: The Hood gains 1 hero point.
You could swear you saw a tarp hanging behind the stack of bricks Dice is in front of just moved.

You hear the sound of hissing air.

It's only for a moment before it leaves your line of sight again, but you see a figured cloaked in the shadows of the construction field move behind the bricks that Dice and his four goons are standing in front of.
As the goons begin their job you notice that whoever called for rain was right as there is now a very light drizzle.

[Chivy]

'Wow.' Marvelous whisteled telepathically when Vapor mentioned the reporter's name.
'Connected to the right people huh? But that does raise a rather big question; what's a pulitzer prize winner doing out here tonight? Or more specifically; what's so interesting that would bring someone of her caliber down here?'

'In any case, this probably is a lot more...' she trailed off when the man continued speaking.
Intently she watched and listened. She got the sence the man liked the theatrical, strutting around like he was the main antagonist in some broadway production. Tossing aroudn his namesakes. She could also take a good guess as to what the white packets were. With the amount in those crates, it would come down to millions of dollars. A huge bloody nose if they could somehow destroy it. Her eye caught the tarp moving slightly and she began to dismiss it as just the wind, before she recalled Quiver Queen's admonishment only moments ago.
'Did you guys see the tarp behind those bricks just to the left of Dice move? Maybe Streeter got even closer than we did?' She asked her compagnions.
'If we're going to interupt this party make sure to not get anything harmfull near the tarp. So the napalm arrow in drugs and run plan is out. Sadly.

That's if we're crashing this party. Any idea's on what to do?'

[Silent_p]

Though the well-dressed man, Dice, had started speaking, Alyssa continued her lookout for Julie. She considered Marvelous' question for a moment. 'I have made a few contacts over the years. Don't know her, though. And no real idea what brought her here.' She was wary of giving too much away and distantly concerned about just how much the telepath was able to pick up. Still, they had forged a loose alliance so there was little point in saying nothing.

There was something... Hmm. Watching some crates off to the side for another moment, she was sure she saw someone skulking there. Gotta be her, right? Given how unlikely anyone else would be, she focused her thoughts back at the others. 'Think I've spotted her. Off to the side behind the crates with what looks like a camera.' Alyssa did her best to mentally point in the direction she was looking.

Before any action could be taken, her attention was drawn to the crate opened by Dice. That's a lot of drugs. A part of Alyssa was impressed just at the sheer volume and the audacity of their apparent plans. Most of her, however, was increasingly angry. Flooding my city with this garbage?! No. As Marvelous echoed some of her sentiments, she briefly assessed the group below, reining her emotions in somewhat.

'The numbers don't favour us in a confrontation.' She paused, glancing at the other three. 'I'm not certain what your plans are here but I'm focused on ensuring Julie's safety, should it be necessary.'

[John Cribati]

Cyrus missed a rather large chunk of the speech after the drugs were unfurled, mostly due to what he figured was the empath equivalent of an aneurysm.
He manages not to groan too loudly or drop the phone, but still collapses onto his side, holding his head and grinding his teeth to keep from yelling out.
The pain is surreal, the bright red of rage tinting his vision, even with his eyes closed. He can feel it, taste it, not even knowing who it came from or where they were. He has no choice but to ride it out, but it thankfully only lasted a few seconds.
He opens his eyes. Still dark out, but everything is so... red.
What the hell? Who was that? It direct even cross his mind to keep his thoughts to himself. His nose is wet. He rubs at it
Am I bleeding?
He looks around, confused, and pops his head up just in time to think he sees some aura or other- still tinged in red- flit behind the tarp at Dice's back. Something hisses, like eat being released. Or... sucked in?
Am I the only one hearing that?

[Red_Jenny]

"Hood, you all right? You look like you're about to keel over."Kate doesn't bother to keep her concern in the mental channels. "I didn't see or hear anything. What happened?"

As Cyrus pops back up, Kate tries to focus back on the worksite, catching a flash of movement. Yeah, I saw the tarp too. Quiver Queen nods. We can't let 'em walk, if we try and track them down one by one we won't find a tenth of this **** before it's sold and used.

So, plans. Well... Hmm hmm hmm. Ah! Kate holds up another vial-tipped arrow, this one holding a clear liquid that burbles and bubbles ominously. Acid arrow. Proof that I'm a second-level wizard. No big splash or explosion on this one, but if their drugs start melting away, I bet these goons will panic something fierce. Then we pick 'em off. By the time they get their wits back, it'll be a fair fight, and fair fights are for suckers.

[Nintendogeek01]

The drizzling causes the beams our vigilantes are perched on to gradually grow more slick, and the outer layer of everyone's clothes shows droplets of water that are taking their sweet time soaking into the clothes. Dice and the four goons that followed him continue to talk, but then Dice looks away from the group towards the crates that Vapor spotted someone behind earlier. Dice fiddles with the dice in his hand once again before stuffing them back into his pocket and he begins to walk towards those very crates.

From your elevated view you could swear that those bound stacks of cinder blocks are shifting ever so slightly, but by the time that your brains fully register that they are indeed moving do you realize that the top bundles of blocks are falling over!

"AH!"

"%@$&!!!"

"What the..." Dice wheels around just in time to see the bundles of cinder blocks fall over past him mere centimeters from his body, and also in time to see four hapless thugs get buried underneath them with a sickening crunch! "There's someone here!" Dice shouts out, prompting everyone to stop what they're doing and reach for their Saturday Night Specials and flashlights! A few of them immediately gawk at their crushed and likely dead or dying buddies under the cinder blocks, others shine their flashlights to inspect the area around said blocks, others immediately set to searching all over the place!

Going to need two things from you guys. Stealth rolls, and initiative rolls. I run by block initiative in this game, if anyone needs an explanation ask and I'll post it in the OOC, and this is an opportune time for a surprise round! ... if you succeed at stealth that is.

Now I'm not saying you strictly HAVE to fight, in fact a straight-on fight may not be in your specific character's best interest depending on how lucky you feel against sixteen armed thugs plus Dice. Of course no one said anything about this being having to be straightforward. Anyways up to you how you guys accomplish your objective(s) here but either way the crooks are going to be on the lookout so let's roll initiative to see where it goes.

Now let's get a map of the lot itself. Note that this is not necessarily to scale, this is just to give you a rough impression of how the layout looks. (Note the "tarp" on the far right is actually the openable gate. Remember the lot itself is surrounded by a fence.)

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn35/nintendogeek01/Photos%20for%20my%20games/DeCosta%20Lot%20Map_zpsfvt7dvtb.jpg
There is a third level that's about the same as the second level but lacks solid platforms entirely right now. This map does not show enemy positions (most of them are around the vehicles while Dice is to the left of the fallen blocks. Vapor's hidden figure is to the left of the three misc. crates not too far from the drug crates.

Lastly, if you plan on moving around on top of the beams that make up the majority of the second level (save for those supported platforms on the top right and bottom left) I'll require a DC12 acrobatics check (DC7 if you don't mind being vulnerable). If you have enough skill ranks in acrobatics I'll allow this one as a routine check unless you get attacked (check made at the time of being attacked). If you aren't trained in acrobatics you may still roll for it (same DC's) but you may not routine it.

[John Cribati]

"Hood, you all right? You look like you're about to keel over."Kate doesn't bother to keep her concern in the mental channels. "I didn't see or hear anything. What happened?"

Someone around here is so angry that I've got that thing where you see sounds and smell colors. Not an exaggeration, mind you, I can't even feel you guys anymore! It's like my powers moved to my eyes except I-

His thought is interrupted by the crash of bricks, and, while he had experienced the waning aura of the dying... He'd never seen it before.

It's horrifying in all the right ways.

Then the lights start shining, and he realizes that as cool as playing around with this vision thing could be, he needs his other sense back. He wouldnt be able to fight, or find anyone, or make himself appear as what he wasn't, and it seemed like he would need to do one or all of these within the next few critical seconds. One final visual sweep of his ragtag team, and he closes his eyes, hoping for the best.

He was in someone's good books because as soon as his eyelids fall, the not-quite sounds and not-quite smells with which he was familiar return. Including the not-quite melody of his own aura, which he could play not unlike an instrument, and immediately strummed to the tune of "white noise" as he lay flat, trying to put as much beam between himself and the mobsters as he could.

He prepared to fight anyway, just in case hiding didn't work.

Stealth: [roll0]

Initiative: [roll1]

[Silent_p]

Things started happening quickly: the Hood seemed to collapse from something; the others noted something else behind a tarp and a third something led to a pile of blocks falling on some mob stooges. Not a fate Alyssa would wish on anyone but a part of her brain reassessed the odds nonetheless. They were more alert now and actively looking for trouble but were also disorganised.

'Hood, you with us?' He hadn't looked good but seemed tentatively back in communication. 'Doubt we'll be able to hide up here for long. I figure we go with Quiver Queen's idea: hit the drugs with acid, cause some more confusion, maybe panic. I'm going for Julie - pretty sure she's over behind those crates. After that, I'm guessing we've got a fight on our hands...'

While open to any suggestions from the others, Alyssa ghosted and readied herself to drift quickly along the beams and then down to Julie's supposed position.

[Chivy]

'You're not bleeding. Are you okay?' Alana added her own feelings of concern while relaying her compagnion's messages to Hood. She was focussed on Hood and trying to sence what was attacking him when the blocks went over and everything turned to chaos. It shocked her back to what was happening.

'Q is right. W..we can't let them escape.' Marvelous said, her nervousness easily detectable in the psychic message, as she went to one knee and pulled the gun she had taken from one of the thugs in the car from her belt. Her hand slightly shacking.
Pull back the slide. Safety off. Aim across the sights. Keep both eyes open. Breathe slowly. Don't think of it as shooting a person, but as knocking him down.
She remembered at least two dozen movies where people were taught to shoot and she simply followed the majority of advice given to those fictional characters and their fictional guns. She winced at the loud sound the weapon made when she pulled back the slide and it was returned by the sping.

'We need to take out as many as we can.' She swallowed back her nerves, hoping that the others were a lot more combat savy than she was.
'I'll keep communications open as long as I can, but if I need to focus use my abilities on anything else I might need to drop it for a few moments. I'll try and give some warning.'

[Red_Jenny]

Holy ****!

Quiver Queen's reaction to the falling blocks (and squished mobsters) gets broadcast through the mental network like she used a megaphone. She stifles a burst of disbelieving, strained laughter, her brain unable to come up with a more appropriate response in time. She snaps back to attention as the lights and guns come out, shifting about on the beam with more concern for stealth and getting an open shot than her actual protection.

Right right, let's get this show on the road. Nobody breathe the stuff that's about to come out of that crate, it's probably not good for you! Kate pulls her bow taut and lets fly with her caustic payload.

Making an attack using All-Out Attack (+5/-5), so I can hopefully get that lovely auto-crit for attacking an object. Kate's defenses are lowered to +5/+3 until her next turn. [roll0] Acid Arrow is Weaken Toughness 7, and it affects objects, so the drugs autofail a DC 17 Fort save (or 22 with the crit). Since there are a bunch, just to be explicit, Kate is aiming for the drugs in the crate Dice opened and showed off.

[Nintendogeek01]

From their positions around the lot Dice and the street criminals picked for this operation look around, Dice looks up first towards the upper level of the beams, and that glint in his eyes makes it crystal clear that he sees you up there, "Up there!"

"I see 'em!" one of the larger guys yells as he, and a few others, looks up and get their guns ready while most of them still fumble around a bit. Unfortunately four of them could've done to pay more attention to what was going on above as the arrow released by Quiver Queen hits the drug crate that Dice had opened earlier!

Soon a cloud of noxious chemicals is released from the crate and all four begin coughing. Two of them seem to bear it while one passes out immediately, and the last one not only falls to his knees doubled over, but he also begins coughing up blood!

It seems the goons are still gathering their wits, The Hood notices, so the time for him to act is now!

Surprise rounds are a bit tricky to figure out when doing block initiative but I do believe I've got it. First how the turn order is going to play out during the surprise round and the first round.
Quiver Queen, The Hood
Dice & Street crooks x 16
Marvelous, Vapor (last surprise round actions)
The Hood, Quiver Queen
Other figure
Dice & Street crooks x 16
All players

Quiver Queen has already given her action for her turn so it'll just be the Hood now.

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Quiver Queen - Your arrow strikes home and catches the four "criminals" in a 15ft radius cloud around that crate you shot (it will last this round and 1 more round). With respect to your power level we'll go with rank 8 on this cloud. The dodge saves are 16, 7, 15, and 15 while the fort saves are 20, 17, 21, and a nat 1 for the last one. Two of them are lucky enough to stay conscious this round, one is incapacitated, and one is dying (17 on his first fort save so he's stuck on dying for now).
The Hood - Just waiting on you. :smallsmile:
Marvelous - Now now, wait your turn.
Vapor - You too.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - He nat 20'd his perception check so is not surprised this round, and may in fact take an action (Once Hood has gone).
Criminals - These guys get 14, 11, 9, and 12, so they are vulnerable to everyone except for Marvelous. Two of them are down now (though seeing as they can't move the standing ones will have to do this song and dance next turn again).
Thugs - These guys get 13, 2, 10, and a nat 20! One thug is vulnerable to everyone, two thugs are vulnerable to everyone except Marvelous, and one thug is vulnerable to no one and is able to act this surprise round (once Hood has gone).
Goons - These guys get 9, 1, 7, and 13, I'm too lazy to do tie-breakers for minions this time around so... two goons are vulnerable to everyone, two goons are vulnerable to everyone except for Marvelous.
Toughs - These guys get 9, 13, 21, and 19, again I'm too lazy for tiebreakers this time around so... two toughs are vulnerable to everyone except for Marvelous, one tough is vulnerable to The Hood and Vapor, one Tough is vulnerable only to Vapor.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal - HP: 1
Vapor - Normal - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 2
Quiver Queen - Normal - HP: 0

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal
Criminals - 2/4 (1 is dying)
Thugs - 4/4
Toughs - 4/4
Goons - 4/4

Other
Other Figure - Normal

It's time for some drug/mob-busting! The Hood may now act!

[John Cribati]

Cyrus, while not a coward, would have been perfectly content to stay safe in hiding and leave the combat to the more powerful folk. That they were all women didn't bother him- any sense of machismo was thoroughly beaten out of him as he watched his mother work moracles to make ends meet. Feminism would march on whether or not he contributed.

But alas, he'd been spotted, and he wouldn't be a sitting duck.

Didn't mean he'd jump into the fray, either.

He focused his power and found a small group of auras, stragglers from the main group. Two, maybe three, headed away from the general ruckus, thiugh not toward the exit. Maybe they would try to hop the fence? In any case, he made them the target. And whatever guns he had trained on him would have to aim through the beams.

Slipping on his dusters, Cyrus slides down a beam, jumping off at a height where he figures he wouldn't hurt himself, and just as the two thugs are passing by. He doesnt exactly land in front of them, so he flares his aura dangerously to catch their attention, his hood over the top of his face so that all they can see is his predatory grin.

Hey there.



Athletics to maneuver to the ground: [roll0]

Intimidate to startle the goons: [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

"Ah...!"

"$#!%!!!"

The two crooks that the Hood jumps in front of fall backwards and scramble to their feet, barely able to hold their guns as they look at the hooded terror who just appeared before them, looking ready to eat them or something!

"They've seen what's goin' on here don't let them leave!" Dice shouts, now quite plainly looking at each of you and is fully on his guard.

"I got the arrow chick!" the larger one from earlier shouts while firing off a shot that flies by Quiver Queen and bounces off of a metal beam! Meanwhile the poor saps caught in the drug crate gas have all stopped coughing and passed out... except for one poor bugger, who looks deathly pale and is still hacking hard enough to send droplets of blood onto the sand though he's still hanging on. Luckily for him the gas has stopped fuming about everywhere.

Most of the thugs are coming around to the danger now, if Marvelous is fast she might still be able to catch a few unawares, while Vapor herself has remained largely unnoticed, yes she definitely has an opportune moment here.

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
The Hood - One of them gets a 6, the other a 4. They are both have the disabled condition until the end of your next round!
Quiver Queen - We'll take this time to check on the criminals you gassed (in a manner of speaking). The two that were still standing finally pass out. As for the one that's dying he's just shy of pulling out of dying with a 19, but he needs a 20 to stabilize so he's still gonna be touch and go for a bit, I don't remember if anyone in the group had treatment but if they are so inclined I feel obligated to remind you that treatment DC15 can stabilize someone. Oh and the gas is now gone.
Marvelous - So I guess you guys can go.
Vapor - Oh but let's see what the few villains who can act get to say.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Dice doesn't really seem to do anything other than shout.
Criminals - These guys are out of commission, one is still dying though.
Thugs - Three thugs are vulnerable to Vapor (one of said thugs is now disabled); as for the one thug who can still take an action he shoots at Quiver Queen but will miss on an 11.
Goons - Two of these guys are vulnerable to Vapor and Marvelous, two of them are vulnerable only to Vapor.
Toughs - All of these guys are vulnerable to Vapor, one of them is even disabled thanks to The Hood.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal - HP: 1
Vapor - Normal - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 2
Quiver Queen - Normal - HP: 0

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dying)
Thugs - 4/4 (1 is disabled)
Toughs - 4/4 (1 is disabled)
Goons - 4/4

Other
Other Figure - Normal

All Players may now act! Vapor and Marvelous are still within the surprise round and the targets vulnerable to them have been highlighted above.

[Silent_p]

They'd been spotted. Too risky to move to Julie, I'd only draw attention to her. Alyssa took a couple of seconds to assess the situation. Quiver Queen's arrow struck home, raising a cloud that left several men incapacitated - including one who appeared in a bad way. Need to check on him once the gunfire dies down. The Hood jumped down to confront a couple more of the thugs, taking them by surprise.

Now was the time to act. A final scan for a place to start and Alyssa flew down, drawing her nightstick. 'I'm gonna take out a few of the outliers, then work my way toward Dice. Should draw some of the fire away from you guys.' That said, she picked one of the toughs who hadn't noticed her and approached. With practiced ease, she solidified her lower arm, hand and weapon, swinging for the back of his neck.

Vapor is aiming to take out a tough fairly near her starting position.
Partial solidifying as per rules for Precise Insubstantiality (p. 115)
Attack roll: [roll0]

[Chivy]

Marvelous' heart jumped up her throat at the first shot aimed at them. It went wide, but it hammered home that this was serious. Life and death serious. And that she was woefully underequiped for anything resembling a standup gun fight. Both in actual equipment and in practice. She sighted her acquited thug's pistol at one of the closer criminals and she squized the trigger.

Knowing that she had just made herself a target, she tried to navigate across the beams to some cover where she could keep up her assault.
Marvelous will be shooting (at) one of the closer thugs. She doesn't have a ranged combat skill so it's d20 + dex right?
[roll0]

She'll then make her way to something resembling cover, one of the vertical beams of the building's skeleton or something like that.
No acrobatics, so d20 + agi right?
[roll1]

[Red_Jenny]

"How dare you!" Quiver Queen reacts to being shot at like it was a terrible insult, not a lethal matter. "You miserable, fat... ooh! I'm gonna turn you into a pincushion... Wait, no, no. Ah!"

She pulled out a hefty-looking arrow with a flared, bulbous, round head with a large, flat striking area. It looked like a billiard ball cut in half (because it was). "I'd make a brain damage joke, but I don't think there's anything to hurt!" Kate swung around and aimed right between the goon's eyes.

Aiming for the goon near the car (the one that shot at Kate): [roll0] with Stun Arrow. DC 17 Fort save if it hits vs Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated.

[John Cribati]

Smirking inwardly at the stumbling men, Cyrus rushes at them, grabbing one by the collar and swinging him round, launching him at his compatriot. For all his effort, though, the throw was off, and instead of the two men colliding, Cyrus basically ended up tossing one man past the other, to land with a heavy thud. Thankfully, he could think on the fly. Eyes still covered, he licks his lips on a vaguely sensual manner.

Eh, he was too skinny. You'd make a much better meal, I think.

Deception check to Taunt (Denoralize):
[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

"Where are th-DOH!" One tough guy shouts in panic before Vapor's misty form descends on him, solidifies her arm and then swings her nightstick across the side of his head, sending him falling to the ground!

"Ah!" One of the larger guys screams in pain as Marvelous uses her purloined pistol to shoot him in the shoulder, sending him rolling to the ground, clutching his bullet wound in pain!

Meanwhile it seems that Quiver Queen might still have material to make a hard-headed joke, as the blunted arrow bounces off the guy's forehead and his only reaction is to take a step back and rub his forehead in pain, "Ow! That hurt bitch!" he shouts back while he and two other guys fire their guns at Quiver Queen. Two of the shooters miss by a mile but the biggest shooter hits Quiver Queen's hood, tearing a hole in it!

"Whoa hey let go!" The Hood meanwhile has picked up a fairly large man, and then heaved him towards his other poor victim! "Aaaahhh...!"

"Whoa!" His friend managed to duck under the flying man, instead sending him flying into one of the vertical beams on the ground with a clang before falling to the ground in a pained groan. "Wait did you say meal!?" the other guy shouts in panic before taking a shot that hits the ground way to the Hood's side!

"Only one gettin' eatin' is you wise-ass!" Hood turns around to see one of the four largest guys in the lot rush in and take a wildly telegraphed swing with his fist to try and hit the Hood, but the Hood easily gets out of the way of that attack. The rest of the crooks by now have their flashlights shining in the right places to target our heroes, as demonstrated when two crooks try to shoot Marvelous, both shots zipping past her cover! One shooter aims for Vapor, who jerked her still solid arm upward as a reflex!

That's when one of the four largest guys clasps both hands together and slams them down right on top of the inside of Vapor's arm-joint!

While all of this is going on Marvelous can plainly see Dice breaking into an impressive sprint clear for the other side of the lot! Disappearing behind the tarp hanging on the far end of the lot.

All the while the one criminal is still coughing and hacking away, still on his hands and knees trying hard not to keel over. He looks weakly towards the vehicles and points a shaky hand in their direction, "Hey... guys..." his call is interrupted by shouts gunfire and coughing.

You still managed to make out what the sickly guy who looks ready to keel over is saying, "The tires... guys the tires..."

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Vapor - The Tough you target goes down due to getting a 9 on his toughness save. We'll treat you having your arm solid but the rest of you insubstantial as having partial cover in melee and total cover at range (-2 and -5 penalty to attack checks respectively, same as it goes for disarm). Also given the descriptor of your armor we're going to say you still have defensive roll but the armor does not cover your arm. Seems an appropriate trade-off.
Marvelous - You hit the Thug and he gets a 13 on his toughness role and as such goes down!
Quiver Queen - First he gets to act in the surprise round, and now he manages to get a 17 exactly to resist your stun arrow, this guy is currently the luckiest thug in Freedom City (Dice doesn't count... he's a mafioso, step up the criminal hierarchy there. :smalltongue:).
The Hood - You had a thug and a tough, there is a difference in this case. But anyways you called it correctly, you grabbed the thug just fine (close one though, he had an 11 to try and resist your grab) and threw him but you missed the tough. Also note that you do not have to roll damage, damage ranks just set the difficulty your opponent has to beat on a toughness save. Your thrown thug only gets a 12 and is thusly out. Also note, social skills take a standard action (intimidation and deception may be attempted as a move action at a -5 circumstance penalty), and given it would've taken a move to get close to the thug to grab him this time I can't accept your taunt.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Dice gets a nat 20 on an athletics check to improve his ground speed by 1 rank for the round! He goes behind the tarp beyond what you guys could perceive after making it to the other side of the lot.
Criminals - The dying criminal continues to just barely hold on to life with a 15 on his fort save.
Thugs - Thug that Quiver Queen is engaged with rolls a 15 to miss with his gun. Thug misses Marvelous with his gun at a laughable 4!
Toughs - Tries to aid a goon in hitting Hood but he only gets a 4 and thus doesn't help. Aids a goon to attack Vapor, and he gets a 22 to give the Goon a +5 bonus to hit! Shoots at Quiver Queen and misses laughably with a 9.
Goons - One goon accurate attacks Quiver Queen at 19, narrowly missing. Another goon misses Marvelous with his gun at 10. Goon gets a 21 to smash Vapor's arm! Vapor must make a DC20 toughness save! The last goon moves to attack The Hood... but he probably would've missed even if the tough's aid check had helped... he only got a 8 on his attack check.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal - HP: 1
Vapor - Normal (Pending DC20 toughness save) - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - Normal - HP: 0

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dying)
Thugs - 2/4
Toughs - 3/4
Goons - 4/4

Other
Other Figure - Normal

All Players may now act! Vapor and Marvelous are still within the surprise round and the targets vulnerable to them have been highlighted above.

[Chivy]

The Telepath flinched with every shot that shrieked around her cover.

Somehow the thought of being shot at hadn’t actually registered when she had been planning her first foray. When the thought of guns had crossed her mind, she’d decided that she probably wouldn’t have been able to shoot anybody, so she’d dismissed them as an option.

Aim across the sights. Keep both eyes open. Breathe slowly. Squeeze don’t yank....

Don’t get shot.

The second shot rang out of her pistol, aimed at another of the criminals shooting at them. Apparently her qualms about shooting people were easy enough to set aside when those people were shooting at her and her fr... companions.

'Dice just ran for it. He ducked behind the tarp in the back there.' Her telepathic voice was steadier. Repeating the mantra of firing a gun had at least partially calmed her down, even if every time a bullet came close, her voice rose an octave at least.
'Mister Wheezy is trying to warn the rest of the idiots that something’s up with the tires...'

Warn them... she mused for a moment before settling on a course of action.

‘Going to try and freak them out. Ignore it.’ Marvelous informed the rest of the group before releasing more of the restrictions she had layered over her telepathy. She started indiscriminately broadcasting to everybody within the construction yard.

'Dice ran..'

‘He’s leaving you to die..’

‘They’re betraying you..’

‘You’re alone’

‘BEHIND YOU!’
Trying to shoot one of the criminals shooting at us. [roll0]

Don’t know if this is needed or would work; but using a Deception or Persuasion (both are +11) as a move action (for a -5) to try and get the mooks to cut and run, turn on Dice or just plainly do something stupid.
[roll1] (don’t think attractive will help, but if it does: add a +2)

[Silent_p]

Alyssa's swing connected well and the guy dropped, apparently unconscious. Might not stay that way for long. She recognised the need for them to continue hitting hard and fast before the situation got completely beyond their ability to control it. 'Keep them off balance if you can. There's enough of them to get in each other's way if we play it right.'

With the hectic melee, several gunshots caused Alyssa to jerk despite herself. Unfortunately, the movement opened her up to an attack from a burly goon. Going with the blow, she managed to blunt the majority of it, saving herself from most of the injury - she'd likely feel it a bit tomorrow, though. Sloppy, she groused at herself. Ghosting her arm, she solidified her leg and, as she rolled with the attack, swung out in an attempt to knock down her attacker.

Catching the tail end of someone's gasp, Alyssa frowned and cast a quick glance at the vehicles. What about the tires?

Trip attack (no penalty with Improved Trip): [roll0]
If successful, trip opposed check - Vapor's Athletics vs opponent's Acrobatics (as per Improved Trip): [roll1]

[Red_Jenny]

Hmm? I didn't hear anything? What's this about tires? Distracted and astonished by her ineffective arrow and the hard-headed thug, Quiver Queen didn't notice the ailing criminal's warning or the goons aiming at her until it was very nearly too late, feeling the bullet a hairsbreadth from her skull, tugging at the fabric of her cowl as it zipped by.

She sucked in a breath of alarm and made a noise that would probably have been several very creative swear words had she been more coherent. This... is not OK.

Scanning the yard with a practiced eye, Kate's mouth split into an evil grin as Marvelous made her broadcast of terror.

Oh, yes yes yes! I can do more than keep them off balance. Set them up, I'll knock them down!

Quiver Queen grabbed a great fistful of arrows from her back and actually stood up, ignoring the potential danger.

"I tried to be nice. I warned you. Now you miserable little pawns are going to learn what happens when you fight the Queen."

A flurry of arrows zips madly into the night, Kate sighting down her targets and firing as fast as she can draw the string taut, one after another, a pointy present for every thug she can see. "Ahahahaha!"

*Checks sheet* Oh yeah, I gave Kate Takedown 2. :smallbiggrin: Using Bodkin Point Arrow. I'm unsure on how many of the thugs she can see, so ignore as many of the rolls as necessary.

All-Out Attack(s) (+5/-5).

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

DC 22 Toughness checks for everyone who gets hit.

[John Cribati]

Jeez, what'd your mama feed you?

He quickly dances away from the big man's blow, palming the canister of pepper spray and running up on the human who, despite being smaller, still had a gun, and was thus the more dangerous enemy. He swings a telegraphed uppercut, coming up short on the punch to blast him point-blank in the face.

Close Attack with Pepper Spray:

[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

As the only one on ground level close enough to the vehicles to tell, you see a number of metal studs, much like those of tacks or small spikes, are sticking out of some of the vehicle's tires. At least least one tire on one of the trucks has been slashed open by something. These vehicles would be haphazard to drive at best with this kind of damage.
That hateful red that's been saturating your vision is beginning to fade, it's still there but color is starting to normalize once again.
"Whoa! Umph!" The huge guy that attacked Vapor suddenly finds himself on the ground while a gunshot from Marvelous goes wide and only hits the dirt.

So instead, Marvelous tries to frighten and demoralize the group with her powers, "Gah!" A number of the crooks visibly jump from Marvelous' mental shouting, "Wait did Dice actually bail!?"

"Where'd he go? AUGH!"

"Dwah...!"

"Argh...!"

"Aaahh...!"

"Son of bitch!"

"Ahahahaha!" Quiver Queen punctuates her arrows with maniacal laughter befitting a super-villainess, or ex in her case... right?

Eventually there's only five crooks left, six if you count the guy still coughing and managing to stay on his hands and knees, barely hanging in there. Unfortunately, four of the five standing ones were all easily the largest and toughest guys of the bunch.

"This bitch is crazy!" One of them, clearly rattled by the mental shouting and Quiver Queen's display, fires a shot at Quiver Queen that manages to connect! "Ha! Take it!"

"I got this one!" A goon shouts while shooting at Marvelous!, managing to graze her on her arm!

"Grrr... screw Dice! And screw you!" The goon that Vapor tripped earlier stands back up and absolutely thrusts all of his weight into a heavy stomp on Vapor's solidified foot!

"Whoa..." the last tough dives away from the Hood and his pepper-spray, scrambling back to his feet as his really large friend catches up to the Hood to try, and fail, once again to punch him! "Hm? Well well... what do we have here?"

"Uh oh..." The tough heads behind the barrels and pulls out a woman from behind them, holding a camera phone and dressed in somewhat dark clothing that isn't too terribly formal but certainly not casual enough to be considered street clothes! "Hey let go!"

"Not so fast little lady! Hey smart guys!" The tough calls out to the vigilantes while holding a gun to the woman's head! "Here's how we do this! First, any of you still up in the rafters are comin' down right now! Next you're gonna stay where you are, and take the beatin' that's comin' to ya! If not then this lady gets a bullet! Got it!?"

"Your operation is over already! Just give up now before it gets worse for you!" The woman snaps back.

"Shut up!" he retorts with all the wit you'd expect of a common crook, by being loud and by shoving the gun barrel against her head!

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Marvelous - Your gunshot misses, you manage to disable three guys with your intimidate action... and one of the goons is only impaired... you know what that means?
Vapor - The Goon you trip-attacked got an 8 and is prone!
Quiver Queen - You could not get a clear shot at the tough and goon fighting Hood, but otherwise you down everyone you shoot at... except for the goons because surprise! They aren't actually minions! (mechanically speaking... if we're being quite literal yes they're totally acting like minions).
The Hood - Your pepper spray misses the guy.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - You don't know...
Dying Criminal - Dear lord this punk is holding onto life as tight as his poor fortitude score is letting him, he got a 16 this time. Still not enough to get him stable, but enough to where he still hasn't accumulated any failures.
Thugs - They're down.
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Manages to shoot Quiver Queen with a 19! Quiver Queen must make a DC18 toughness save!
Goon (Vapor) - Uses a move action to stand from prone. And rather angrily slams his foot down on yours! Lucky the Goon (man I should make that his name), managed to power attack you on a 17! DC20 toughness save to try and pull your foot away from getting shattered (remember, you still got def. roll, just not your armor for these limb scenarios).
Goon (Marvelous) - Narrowly manages to hit you with a 15, make a DC16 toughness save!
Goon (Hood) - And finally the dice turn against the goons! This Goon misses The Hood with a 9
Toughs - The last one gets behind the barrels and grabs the woman who was hiding there hostage! He's also doing his damnedest to use her as cover from your attacks (-5 penalty!). Worse yet if you miss within said -5 penalty you'll hit the woman instead!

Other
Woman - Yup... we just went there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal (Pending DC16 toughness save) - HP: 1
Vapor - Normal (Pending DC20 toughness save) - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - Normal (Pending DC18 toughness save) - HP: 0

Marvelous and Quiver Queen, don't forget the acrobatics checks to stay on the slippery beams after getting hit! DC12 will keep you up there no problem, DC7 will keep you up there but at the cost of being vulnerable while up there. If you fail either one you will fall for a second DC17 toughness save, and are prone; if you fall but are trained in acrobatics you may make an acrobatics check to reduce the damage (every multiple of five reduces damage -1, and if you reduce the fall to 0 damage you'll tumble back to your feet safely as a free action)

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dying)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 1/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Impaired
Goon (Vapor) - Normal
Goon (Marvelous) - Normal
Goon (Hood) - Normal

Other
Woman - Normal... for now... mua ha ha ha ha...!

Yeesh, the dice were just LOVING the goons this round. And now they have a hostage too! Good luck everyone!

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 0
Cond: Vulnerable, -1 toughness

Kate hissed and grabbed at her side as the bullet made contact. It hadn't pierced anything vital, thanks to her costume, but the bruise would be spectacular. She managed not to go pitching off the beam, but her flailing footwork left her an easy mark.

Quiver Queen's mouth curled into a snarl as the goon shouted out his orders and pressed the gun to the mystery woman's temple. From her clothes and camera phone, Kate figured this was their journalist, but there would be time for proper introductions later.

I've got an idea. Be ready.

Pulling an arrow taut as if ready to keep resisting, Kate sighed theatrically and let it fire off seemingly randomly into the darkness. "Yeah, all right. We'll cooperate." The cunning smile on her face sure didn't look like the expression of someone giving up, though.

Off the column, off the column, car, car, and right back through the trigger guard...

Oops, that posted early. Lemme fill in the blanks. :smallredface:

Rolled toughness and Acrobatics elsewhere.

Using Homing Arrow to try to disarm the goon with the hostage with a surprise Ricochet. If it counts as a surprise attack is up to the boss, but either way it's resisted by ST.

Visualization of what the arrow is doing.
http://i.imgur.com/OfxZDrl.jpg

[Nintendogeek01]

"What're you smilin' for?" The tough asks just before Quiver Queen releases her shot.

With a distinctive 'pwink'-ing sound preceding each ricochet, the arrow bounces around the lot, the big goons even stopping a moment to turn their heads perfectly in sync to follow the trail of the arrow until it hits the gun in the crook's hand!

"Ow!" he shouts as the gun falls from his hand and hits the dirt!

I don't always do this, but sometimes an action seems enough of a game-changer that I feel I ought to post to update early, but don't worry, no one's turn has been skipped.

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Quiver Queen - Your shot hits, and the tough only got an 8 to resist your disarm action! He is now thoroughly disarmed! For pulling the hostage out of immediate lethal danger, Quiver Queen gets 1 hero point!
Marvelous - I'm still waiting to see how gracefully, or not, she falls from her beam. :smalltongue:
Vapor - Oh and here's hoping your foot doesn't get broken. :smalltongue:
The Hood - As for you... actually you're all good. :smallwink:

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Well I've rolled one a lot lately... oh you mean the person. He's still out of sight.
Dying Criminal - I'll roll for him next crook's round... but yeah no he's still sitting there.
Goon (Quiver Queen) - One thing's for sure...
Goon (Vapor) - They were feeling pretty smug...
Goon (Marvelous) - Then Quiver Queen pulled her shot...
Goon (Hood) - And now they are all...
Toughs - Thoroughly baffled.

Other
Woman - Though she is still being held.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal (Pending DC16 toughness save) - HP: 1
Vapor - Normal (Pending DC20 toughness save) - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, vulnerable - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dying)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 1/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Impaired
Goon (Vapor) - Normal
Goon (Marvelous) - Normal
Goon (Hood) - Normal

Other
Woman - Normal... for now... mua ha ha ha ha...!

Okay you guys may resume your turn

[John Cribati]

Well that turned around rather quickly.

Now that the deep, penetrating anger wasn't bouncing all over the place, Cyrus started to miss it. Not that he was particularly hungry- it had only been a few hours, really- but the aroma that had been wafting about the place left him feeling hollow in its absence.

And there these two guys were, their confusion and fear calling to him...

He feels his predatory instincts taking over and, with a final burst of logical thought, aims himself at the guy with the gun, because getting shot while feeding would be more devastating-to himself or to others, he isnt sure- than getting punched.

He pounces. He grabs.

He manages to hold himself back from feeding. He was even self-aware enough to note that while he often considered stories about vampire lineage a myth or tall tale, he did have a tendency to go for the neck when he fed.

He then remembers that there's another guy poised to attack him. He should probably discourage that. He flares his aura to the often-played tune of "fear me mortal."

I wouldn't get any closer to me if I were you. You’re not gonna like what happens to him.

Intimidation Roll to Startle. [roll0]

[Chivy]

Alana momentarily felt like a cartoon character who had walked off a ledge when her feet no longer connected to anything solid. The Marvellous Wile E Coyote.

The thug’s bullet had clipped her right arm, where her armour had done its job and spread the kinetic energy from a very small area to a vastly larger one. This had the fortunate effect of preventing the tiny projectile from blowing through her arm, but the unfortunate effect of being hit by the metaphorical equivalent of a battering ram. Some latent reflexes to spin with a blow learned in the occasional self defence class combined with the battering ram and sent her spinning off the beam.

Arms flailing, Marvellous dropped like a stone, a squeak of both pain and shock escaped her before she hit the ground. She actually bounced once, with the accompanying cry of pain, before she settled in a crumpled heap.

She had fallen badly, wrenching her left arm and somehow jamming her own elbow into her sternum. With the unexpected pain and fall, it took her a moment to reorient herself to what was happening. The hostage taker’s threat kept her from getting to her feet again, better to leave them wondering if the shot and fall had put her out of commission, but when Quiver Queen’s arrow disarmed him, she knew she needed to act.

Marvelous took the fresh influx of pain the bullet and fall had given her, plus a couple of dozen additional instances of both emotional and physical pain from people she had mind read, then simply showed the ‘shard’ into the hostage taker’s mind.
'Suffer the pain you and those like you have caused.' She couldn't resist uttering the venomous whisper.

So this is round 1/5 to regenerate (Regeneration 2) that bruise, right?

Taking out the hostage taker with;
AE: Mental Blast:
Dredging up all the pain Alana, or anybody she has deeply mind read, has suffered she can project this straight into a person’s mind causing it to rip itself apart.
Perception Ranged Damage, Alternate Resistance (Will), Subtle
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Instant
Base rank: 5

This means there's no more telepathy!

[Silent_p]

Despite being forewarned, Alyssa was spooked by Marvelous' broadcast. Definite adjustment required. Thankfully, it did little to prevent her leg sweep from taking down her attacker, who dropped to the ground.

Risking a glance at the vehicle tires showed her that they seemed to have been sabotaged. 'Vehicle tires out of commission. Not sure who did that...' Her confusion only served to give the burly tough guy an opportunity. Back on his feet, he slammed a foot down on her still solid leg.

Whatever happened next was lost to Alyssa as the pain hit. Unable to help it, she gave a sharp cry. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through it and had the presence of mind to ghost herself completely. Not knowing if the limb was broken, all she could think to do was drift away from her assailant, gasping.

Vapor is Staggered (Dazed + Hindered) and has -1 to Toughness rolls!
Ouch. :smallfrown:

[Nintendogeek01]

While shaking his hand from having his gun forcibly knocked out of his hand the Tough finds the Hood reaching for him! "Get the hell away from me!" He does manage to push the emotion-vampire off of him however, but as he stumbles back away from the Hood he suddenly starts clutching his head, "Auuuuuggghhh..." he then falls backwards and passes out, twitching a little bit before settling into full unconsciousness.

"Gah!" The Goon charging at the Hood backs away in surprise after, apparently, seeing that the Hood lived up to his threats. "Oh yeah? Well... well how about this!?" he pulls out his gun.

"Yikes..." the woman behind the Hood once more gets behind cover just before the goon fires his pistol in Hood's direction! Missing him fortunately.

"You're mine bitch!" One Goon is still enthusiastically shooting at Quiver Queen, this time planting a shot that could potentially hit a lung!

"Hey get back here! Turning into smoke ain't fair!" The Goon who was attacking Vapor yells as she drifts out of reach.

"Forget her man, one of them's on the ground!" The one who was shooting Marvelous shouts, running full-boar in her direction.

"Oh hell yeah! Let's get 'em!" he replies excitedly as they both run in Marvelous' direction! The first one stomps towards Marvelous, who rolls out of the way just in time to avoid a stomp that kicks up a small cloud of dirt around his foot, but unfortunately the other one is right on point by planting a boot straight into Marvelous' gut!

"Hwah... uuunnnggghhh..." the criminal who was coughing earlier is wheezing more desperately and can't even muster the strength to stay on his hands and knees anymore. His eyes can't focus and he looks ready to pass out, maybe for good if he closes his eyes.

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Quiver Queen - We covered your action already...
The Hood - Bad news first, the Tough rolled a 18 to escape your grip. The good news though is that the Goon is vulnerable to your next attack until the end of your next turn.
Marvelous - 18 seems to be the Tough's lucky number, but it's not enough to resist the mental blast and thus as a minion he goes down! You're no longer dazed but since you're on the ground (and without the prone-fighting advantage) I don't think it's really possible to "roll with an attack" so no defensive roll while you're down there.
Vapor - "Close your weary eyes and drift a~way... it's al~ri~ght..." (man I need to see if I still have that song).

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Somewhere there is a universe where you know exactly what he is doing. But this is not that universe.
Dying Criminal - He's finally losing his fight! The criminal rolled a 7, earning him two degrees of failure towards dying. His next failure WILL kill him. Dun dun dun...
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Going for the chest! This guy power-attack's for an unnatural 20! DC20 toughness save, acrobatics check as before.
Goon (Vapor >> Marvelous 2) - Not having Vapor to hit he turns his attention to the prone vigilante on the ground. Due to your prone condition he can power attack you rather easily with a 19! DC20 toughness save!
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Good news is that their attempted team attack didn't pay off as the other one narrowly misses you with an 11!
Goon (Hood) - Well vulnerable or not he's still gonna try for you. He uses his move action draw his gun, and his standard to shoot at you from where he's at (away from you). He misses on an 8 though.
Tough - He's probably contemplating his life choices that led him to this point... or maybe he's just unconscious.

Other
Woman - Now ducking out of the way!

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 1 bruise, prone (Pending DC20 toughness save) - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, vulnerable (Pending DC20 toughness save and DC12 acrobatics to avoid being vulnerable) - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is 2/3 of the way dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Normal
Goon (Vapor >> Marvelous 2) - Normal
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Normal
Goon (Hood) - Vulnerable to Hood

Other
Woman - Normal

Whoo! Now this is a brawl! Not a super brawl but a brawl nonetheless. All players may go!

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 1
Cond: Dazed, -2 toughness

"AH!"

The noise isn't really a scream, more a yelp, a bark, a short, sharp, feral noise of pain. She touched gingerly at the wound. This one had pierced the mesh. Not deeply, but there was blood and probably a cracked rib.

Kate's muscle memory took over, letting her skate effortlessly along the beam even as she clutched at the fresh wound. In a daze, she looked around. The fight was a mad mess now, a bunch of different brawls and shootouts. Marvelous had taken a bad fall, and looked to be getting the worst of it.

Gotta help... What did she have that could keep the goons off while not hurting her new friend? She fumbled for her quiver, eventually pulling out an arrow that had an old military surplus flash grenade in place of a head. Close enough. That'll do.

"Marvelous! Shut your eyes!"

She pulled the pin and let the arrow go with a bloom of blinding light.

Aiming for the two Goons attacking Alana. If there's a way to catch the goons without catching Marvelous in the area, y'know, definitely do that. :smalltongue: Flash Arrow, Ranged Burst Area Affliction (Visually Impaired, Disabled, Unaware), Resisted by Dodge, DC 17, and Cumulative, if I or anyone else tag them again.

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 2 bruises, prone, visually impaired
Regeneration (2): 3 rounds until next bruise is healed


The impact of the thug's boot sent Marvelous rolling away from him. Somehow she was able to leverage the roll into something resembling a smooth transition to her feet. A discerning observer would easily recognize it as a move born out of desperation and could probably guess at the complaints her muscles would voice in the morning.

Alana was just happy to be on her feet again and (momentarily) not being pummelled. She was taking a moment to formulate a plan, two against one wasn’t exactly a normal for her, when Quiver Queen yelled
"Marvelous! Shut your eyes!"

Marvelous spun away from the thugs, bringing up her left arm to cover her eyes in reaction to Quiver Queen’s warning but her battered arm was just too slow.
‘Aagh!

Nanda!’ Her eyes felt like they were on fire and like many multi-lingual people she defaulted to the first language she learned when in pain and shock. In her case; Japanese.

They were in a bad situation, she knew it. Before her warning Quiver Queen had been hit, Vapor had sounded like she had been hurt as well. They had to end this, quickly. She scrubbed her eyes to try and clear them, but all she got was a blurry image of her opponents, so she lashed out at the first one she saw with a shard of compressed pain and suffering.
Lashing out at the uhh 1= right one, 2 = left one - [roll0]
AE: Mental Blast:
Dredging up all the pain Alana, or anybody she has deeply mind read, has suffered she can project this straight into a person’s mind causing it to rip itself apart.
Perception Ranged Damage, Alternate Resistance (Will), Subtle
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Instant
Base rank: 5

[John Cribati]

You really shoulda run, man.

Robbed of his intended meal, he runs toward his other foe and pounces.

Close Attack with Emotion Drain: [roll0]

[Silent_p]

Despite the pain, Alyssa was determined not to simply give up and flee - tempting as that might have been. Having drifted several metres, she did her best to focus on the situation.

While the others, and Quiver Queen in particular, had done an excellent job of evening the odds, things were still not looking great. The guy from whom Alyssa had fled had joined another was now after Marvelous, the Hood was contending with a goon of his own and Quiver Queen seemed to be favouring her side somewhat. Plus, Dice was nowhere to be seen. At least Julie's in the clear. She grimaced. For now.

Reaching a decision, Alyssa gritted her teeth and began drifting back towards her assailant. "Hey! We're not done!"

Still staggered, Vapor's not gonna make it very far. The shout at the end is an attempt to get the goon's attention, no social skill involved.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Huh?" The two goons beating on Marvelous turn around just in time for the flash-arrow to go off in their faces! "AUGH...!!!"

"I can't see!!! ARGH...!" Though one of them stops having that particular problem, as he soon finds himself clutching his head, running around until he runs into one of the beams holding up the structure and passes out on the ground!

"What was that!? If that was you smoke bitch I'll get to you in a minute!" The nearly blinded goon still standing shouts back at Vapor as he swings wide with his arm and still manages to hit Marvelous, probably more due to luck than anything.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" the goon that the Hood pounces after tries to back away but is too startled to move very wisely and soon enough the Hood manages to catch him and is slowly draining him of... something the goon can't really describe, "Uuuunnhhhh... wh-what did ya do ta me ya little... ungh..." he tries to ask before lethargy makes his question, and his pathetic attempt at attacking the Hood, go unfinished.

"Huh? Hey!" The goon that had been shooting at Quiver Queen goes over to the criminal who had been, until now coughing. "Hey man, c'mon you can sleep this off later right?" There's an uncomfortable beat, "Right?" still no response from him, "No... no no... you!" He points back up to the beams where the Quiver Queen had been perched, "You killed him! You actually killed him you psycho bitch!!!" He yells in a rage before firing his pistol at him, both shots zipping by Quiver Queen to bounce off of the beams!

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Quiver Queen - Goons 1 & 2 fail their dodge/dodge saves at 13/9 and 5/7 on the other, leaving both visually disabled.
Marvelous - First before we cover anything else, make a DC17 fortitude save to overcome the blinding effect (I know it's not listed what it's overcome by... but it doesn't make sense to overcome something that already hit you with a dodge save, and fortitude makes sense for this). And yes overcoming affliction is based on their base rank regardless of what the modified rank was when it hit you (this has pros and cons but it's the most balanced pro and con from my personal experience). Now then... your target Goon was knocked right out by your Mental blast thanks to his will result of 3.
The Hood - Your startling the one goon last time ended up being a good call, as you manage to hit him! He gets a 3 for disabled & exhausted... though disabled supersedes the impaired portion of exhausted. But he's still at less movement than he was earlier.
Vapor - You move.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Yeah they've been rolling poorly for the goons this round. Oh and I think "Dice" DeSanto has bolted by now.
Dying Criminal - He rolls a 14, his final degree of failure... ever. He's dead.
Goon (Quiver Queen) - In a rage he tries to shoot Quiver Queen not once but twice! He misses both times on 16 and 7.
Goon (Marvelous 2 >> Marvelous) - Despite being close to blind he still gets a lucky attack on a 17! DC18 toughness save!
Goon (Marvelous 1) - He's gonna want an aspirin for that headache.
Goon (Hood) - Yeah he's not gonna hit you with an 11.

Other
Woman - Still hiding there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 2 bruise (Pending DC18 toughness save), vision impaired (pending DC17 fort for recovery) - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Fatigued
Goon (Marvelous) - Vision disabled
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - Disabled & exhausted

Other
Woman - Normal

Welp... he's dead Jim. All players may go!

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises
Regeneration (2): 2 rounds until next bruise is healed


The spots were just fading from her eyes when the second wannabe hit her with a wild punch. She felt her lip split under the pressure of his filthy knuckles and her teeth clack together loudly when her head whipped to the side. Alana was starting to feel like a piñata and found out it wasn't a feeling she liked. Probably one of the reasons that she wasn't a professional boxer.

Breathing heavily, it slowly registered what the Queen's dance partner was saying. Marvelous was momentarily baffled. There was no way that this idiot thought he could be part of the Mob, carry guns, deal drugs and shoot people and be exempt from harm while doing it. Was there?

She didn't know Quiver Queen very well, but somebody who appologises for almost a minute straight after spraying some stink on somebody, might easily react badly to accidentily killing somebody. Even if it was a lowlife.

All Alana had to do was remember what the Mob had done to her parents and her and she was pissed enough to easily step over the fact that they had just killed somebody who had been part of that organisation. But the others might not be as coldhearted when it came to lowlifes, so shutting that guy up was suddenly a higher priority than taking down the one massaging her with boots and fists. She could take a few more punches, she wasn't sure the others could take the verbal pummeling.

'You can't screw over and shoot people and then call foul when you're on the receiving side.' She shouted over gunshots and anymore of his inane rantings.
'Have a taste of what you've done to others!'

For the third time that evening she formed the shard. Again bringing pain and humiliation from the recesses of a memory that remembered everything perfectly. It was almost like experiencing it all again, even the pain that she hadn't experienced herself only mined from other people's minds. It left her panting. Raw. Angry. Well even angrier.
'GRWAA!' Marvelous roared, used her anger and lashed out with it. Slicing into the thug's mind and unleashing wat she had brought forth.

going for the thug taunting and shooting (at) QQ.
AE: Mental Blast:
Dredging up all the pain Alana, or anybody she has deeply mind read, has suffered she can project this straight into a person’s mind causing it to rip itself apart.
Perception Ranged Damage, Alternate Resistance (Will), Subtle
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Instant
Base rank: 5

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 1
Cond: -2 toughness

"I... I didn't..." Quiver Queen fumbles for a moment, looking down at the goon with a look of utter distress.

She had killed before, this was not her first brush with mortality. Those had been while running from August Roman, self-defense in the strictest sense - either they died, or she did. The act still disgusted and frightened her, and it was a point of more than a little pride that in all of her villainous exploits, she had never needed to kill anyone (wanted, sure, but that was different). Now here she was, on her first proper night of being a "hero", and she'd taken a life, not out of necessity or rage or revenge, but carelessness. She'd used a weapon without considering the collateral consequences, and someone else, an utter stranger, had paid the price.

The bullets pull her out of her funk in a hurry. This guy was just as stupid and violent as the rest of them. He had no point to make. She could give this the time it deserved when others weren't in danger.

The mob numbers were dwindling, and if the pathetic whimpering coming from the Hood's corner of the battlefield were any indication, he had things in hand. There were still threats to deal with, though, like the goon threatening Vapor and attacking Marvelous. Sidestepping on the beam, Kate pulled free an absurdly fat, front-heavy arrow, little more than a canister with some fletching, and sent the thing wobbling toward the crook. It didn't need to reach its target, though, bursting open in midair and revealing a weighted net that wrapped itself around the goon. "You need to shut up."

[roll0]

Net Arrow: Ranged Affliction 7 (Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless, Resisted by Dodge)

[John Cribati]

Somebody just died.

He'd seen four people die today, literally, but he felt one melody just... stop.

He takes a second to ensure that the three people he came with are still ticking- all of them a bit more slowly than they should- and then returns to the task at hand.

He scoops up the the Goon by the collar and slams his dustered fist against the man's temple, going for a knockout blow.

He stumbles, but doesn't go down.

Cyrus can only stand there, slackjawed.

Jeez, what do they feed you in the mob?

Welp I've edited.

[Silent_p]

Still drifting sluggishly towards Marvelous and the goons, Alyssa swiveled her head as a commotion started up nearby. What? He's... he's dead? Horrified, she took a moment to watch the body. I-I wasted my time going after some punk! I knew that guy was in trouble but... Had they, had she crossed a line? It was an accident, surely - did that count for enough, though?

She was shaken from her thoughts somewhat as the man who'd made the discovery unloaded his pistols at Quiver Queen. More time to consider later. Turning her attention back to her target, she noted that the Hood seemed to be checking on Julie, Marvelous was fighting back defiantly and Quiver Queen was getting back in the game too. A hard look passed over her face. Time to stop being useless.

Digging deep, Alyssa flew the remaining distance to her target and, solidifying her arm and weapon, swung for his head.

Spending a HP to recover from being dazed.
So, half move toward the goon, free action to solidifying, standard action to attack. (Hopefully, given the couple of turns spent moving, a half move is enough to close for melee. If not, I apologise and will edit as appropriate.)
Attack roll: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

The rain is beginning to pick up in intensity ever so slightly as Marvelous unleashes another mental blast at a goon! "ARGH~!!!" Marevelous' mental blast certainly gets to the Goon as he stops firing long enough to clutch his head. His legs look as though they aren't going to support the big guy for a moment but he pushes through it and stands back up, "Don't get high n' mighty with me bitch! You talk like you so big but you're no better than us!" he continues to fire shots at Quiver Queen, just after the latter fires off an arrow that expands into a net to ensnare another goon she feels the impact of one bullet against her chest! "Forget this job and screw the mob! This is for Jim!"

The rest of the goons are, perhaps understandably, a bit preoccupied with their own problems to notice the shouting over over the gunfire and the rain. "Gah, get this thing off of me! Ungh!" While the already near-blinded goon struggles with the net that he finds wrapped around him he feels the weight of Vapor's nightstick strike him in the back of the head! "Grrr... when I get out of this...!" the goon angrily swings his fist wildly, but fortunately Vapor can easily pull her arm away from the blow.

"Ow...!" the goon struck by the Hood stumbles back from the blow to his head, he takes a rather half-assed swing at the Hood, which the hood easily steps away from. "Uunnngggh..." the Hood can feel the guy regaining a healthy amount of ego once more as he shakes his head; in fact his face and his aura are quite plainly showing that he's pretty pissed now, "Man I dunno what they eat! The whole point of takin' Dice's job was to get in good with 'em! And now you guys came along and ruined it! But at least I'll get to pummel your face in!"

You hear the sound of a car engine really booking it. Someone was in a hurry tonight.
Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Quiver Queen - Goon gets a 12 on his dodge save and is now hindered & vulnerable.
Marvelous - Your target goon gets a 7 for 1 bruise and staggered!
The Hood - Well he gets to add a new red spot to his head with a 20. 1 bruise!
Vapor - You beat on this goon while he's already nearly down! Anyways he gets a 4 for 1 bruise and staggered.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - It's possible he took the sage wisdom of Bugs Bunny and actually took that left turn at Albuquerque... but hell if you guys know.
Goon (Quiver Queen) - He's still raging! With another dose of extra effort he shoots at Quiver Queen with a 8, missing, and a 21! Hitting Quiver Queen for a DC20 toughness save!
Goon (Marvelous/Vapor) - He tries to swing his fist wildly to hit Vapor but misses on a 7. Fails his fort recovery at 16 and damage recovery on the net on 11.
Goon (Hood) - Closer than last time in spite of being disabled, 15. Still a miss though. Though speaking of disabled he actually manages to shake off the affliction with an impressive roll of 16.

Other
Woman - She's snuck a little further away from the action. If you want to know exactly where she wound up give me a perception check.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise (Pending DC20 toughness save), (pending DC12 acrobatics check for vulnerable) - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - 1 bruise, staggered, (exhausted next round)
Goon (Marvelous) - 1 bruise, staggered, vision disabled, hindered, vulnerable
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - 1 bruise

Other
Woman - Normal

They're persistent... but you're... persistent-er! All players may now post

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises
Regeneration (2): 1 rounds until next bruise is healed

Ignoring the netted man in front of her, except to give Quiver Queen a small wave of thanks, Marvelous kept her eyes on the man with the gun.

He was tough, the last shard had affected him, but he had been able to power through. Too close to his own experiences. Too many calluses there. Alana guessed, surprisingly calm after she had expended some of her anger when she flung the last shard at him. She then plunged deep, bringing more memories up. Memories of being powerless. Humiliation and fear, but from a girl's perspective. Things he probably would have no experience with. She used them to create another shard and sent it flying into the gunman wordlessly.

'Someone... just... drove... off... Fast.' She said as loud as she could, her sentence broken up by heavy breathing and what might of been suppressed sobs. She had her own calluses where physical pain was concerned, emotional every day stuff affected her more when she summoned it up.

Short quick one, don't have much time today; going for the thug taunting and shooting (at) QQ. Hopefully his luck will run out this time.
AE: Mental Blast:
Dredging up all the pain Alana, or anybody she has deeply mind read, has suffered she can project this straight into a person’s mind causing it to rip itself apart.
Perception Ranged Damage, Alternate Resistance (Will), Subtle
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Instant
Base rank: 5

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 1
Cond: -2 bruises

"Yeah. Um, that was our car. They popped the trunk. Sooo, probably got some more backup on the way." Quiver Queen rubbed the back of her head and sighed.

Eyes on the rapidly retreating car, Kate inadvertently bats the raging goon's bullet aside, watching it go pinging off her bow with a "Welp, couldn't do that again if I wanted to" expression on her face. This guy needed to be dealt with, now.

"I could put one through your piggy little eye right now, but I'm not going to, because I'm better than you are." It's equal parts taunt, warning, and convincing herself, as she let fly with another knockout arrow.

Stun Arrow, vs the goon who keeps shooting me. [roll0], DC 17 Fort. (Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated)

[Silent_p]

With the goon thoroughly caught in Quiver Queen's net and only capable of flailing wildly, Alyssa relented her assault. Not a priority.. Like the others, she heard a car peel off from outside the lot. With the current state of affairs, there wasn't much they could do but finish things quickly before any reinforcements could be gathered.

Fully ghosted again and drifting slowly toward the gunman shooting at Quiver Queen, Alyssa cast another look over the lot, keeping an eye out for Julie. Can't have her hurt after all this.

Perception check to see what Julie's at: [roll0]

[John Cribati]

Yeah well-- he's interrupted by the squeal of tires.I'm pretty sure the guy you were trying to "get in good" with just hung you out to dry. If we'd been cops actual cops and managed to arrest you, you think he'd use any of his luck in court to help you out? You threw in with the wrong guys, man. These guys are just as heartless as everyone else. You might as well stop fighting for them.
He wants to flash his aura in the smooth, deep melody he often uses to get people to take his side, but he can already see that this one had come too far. There would be nothing but violence from here on out.

Something to think about while you nap.

He throws another strong punch.

Persuasion Check to Fascinate:
[roll0] That totally didn't happen.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Augh!" The goon that's been shooting at Quiver Queen once again has a pained look on his face as Marvelous' blast tries to fell him; unfortunately he weathers it much better than the last one, as indicated by how readily he levels his pistol to shoot at Quiver Queen again, "Bitch what do you keep doin' to-DOH!" Quiver Queen's heavy blunted arrow strikes him in the head as he pulls the trigger, sending his shot way off course!

"I'll get one of you bitches eventually!" the netted and nearly blinded goon shouts as he starts swinging wildly! Unfortunately for Marvelous he called it correctly and one meaty arm swings right into Marvelous! "Ha! What'd I tell you!? Oh hey! I can finally see!" True to his words he's looking around with much greater focus than before. At that point he grips different parts of the net and then rips it apart! "Yeeeeeaaaahhh...! Try and stop me!"

"Ungh!" The Hood strikes his target across the cheek! The cheek is noticeably bruised and the goon has to stop a moment to spit out some blood! Though he's less steady on his feet than he was he's still as pissed as ever! "Raaaaaahhhh...!!!" Throwing caution to the wind the big guy charges in, steps in and throws his weight into a low blow that rams into the Hood's stomach just above his torso like a large flesh and bone battering ram! Even lifting the Hood up off of the ground for a few seconds! "You first!"

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Marvelous - Your target goon gets a 18 for 1 bruise. He's hangin' in there!
Quiver Queen - Goon gets a 15 on his fortitude save, for a daze that is completely redundant thanks to staggered.
Vapor - The woman that you're certain is Julie has moved behind one of the supporting beams, still leaning out to peek at what's going on but well out of the way of any crooks who'd get any bright ideas with her.
The Hood - This time he gets a toughness result of 8. 1 bruise & staggered!

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - So~mewhe~re... o~ver the rai~nbow...
Goon (Quiver Queen) - A lousy 8 will not allow him to hit you.
Goon (Marvelous) - He actually hits Marvelous with his fist on a 17! DC18 toughness save Marvelous! Might have something to do with making his fort save to recover from being blinded with a 23 and then he manages to rip a hole in the net with a 22!
Goon (Hood) - The previous goon is not the only lucky goon this round! He steps in and absolutely drives his fist into your solar plexus with a nat 20!!! Hood must now make a DC25 toughness save!

Other
Woman - Still there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise (Pending DC18 toughness save) - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal (Pending DC25 toughness save) - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - 2 bruise, staggered, exhausted
Goon (Marvelous) - 1 bruise, staggered, vision disabled, hindered, vulnerable
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - 2 bruise, staggered

Other
Woman - Normal

Wow! Two of the goons are on fire this round! Good thing for them it's raining. :smalltongue: All players may now post

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises (was 4 but 1 regenerated this round), Dazed
Regeneration (2): bruise is healed this round.

Marvelous had felt some of the tightness and bruising in her arm and chest heal itself over the last thirty seconds or so, and was happy to have confirmation that whatever had healed her before was still working. The punch from the brute in front of her reversed any relief she had felt though. It connected with her left side ribs, driving the air from her and she staggered a bit to the right.

Alana quickly looked around, wheezing and holding the side of her chest. Trying to get her bearings of what was happening. The others were hurting as well and there were at least three of their opponents still up. They needed to coordinate more. Foregoing the direct approach she opened up her mind and quickly connected to the other three again.

'We need to work together.' She told the others, her telepathic voice a lot stronger and clearer than her real voice would be with her trying to pull in air to her lungs.
'QQ, V, can you take out the bastard shooting at QQ? After that focus on the guy hitting Hood. Then all of you come and help me. I... heal a lot faster, so whatever he does I can probably weather it a lot better than you can.'

Wheezing she focussed on her attacker, watching him for any move he made, ready to move out of the way.
'You.. hit.. like.. a girl.' she gasped at him, hoping to keep him focussed on her.

Doing the defend action thing.
Then activating the telepathy network again (jeej for free actions).

[John Cribati]

The punch lifted Cyrus clean off his feet, and the angle of the punch, combined with his weight, sent the force past the protection his armor would have otherwise offered.

Right into his heart, by the feel of it.

Objectively, Cyrus knew that it was the solar plexus- a cluster of nerves that evolution decided to not protect very well for whatever reason- but the last time he'd been hit there was years ago, under his father's tutelage, and while it had been more than a love tap, it was nothing on what this guy was packing.

When he landed, it took everything he had not to crumple to the ground.

His body screamed at him to let it right itself, let the aura flood and rake away the pain, but he knew better. If he healed himself now, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything but feeding, and unless he wanted to scramble away to one of the downed goons and leave himself exposed.
No, he had to knock this guy out right now.

Nanoseconds before that decision became sure in his mind, he heard Marvelous's voice in his head. Help was coming.

For the record, I had this bastard on the ropes until he got in a single, lucky hit. And I can heal fast too, but I don't think you'd want to deal with the starving not-really-a-vampire it would make me.

That was too much information. Maybe he's a little punch drunk?

Didn't matter. All he had to do now was hang in there. He looks the goon in the eye, ready to read him for any sign if attack.

Hey, that one actually hit. You're doing better.

Taking the Defense Action

[Silent_p]

Alyssa finally closed the distance with the gunman shooting at Quiver Queen. Her leg still ached, making the entire process lengthy and frustrating. Sparing a glance for her colleague, she set her jaw. 'Hang in there, Marvelous.' She noticed the Hood on the receiving end of a nasty blow. Fortunately, he seemed to still be in the fight as he spoke up. Vampire? Gonna have to file that away for later.

A quick look over her opponent and she settled on an approach. Prioritise. Solidifying her arm and weapon, she struck out at the goon's wrist, attempting to knock the gun from his hand.

Disarm check - no penalty with Improved Disarm: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 1
Cond: -2 Bruise, Fatigued

You got it. Kate was hurting and breathing hard, but the others seemed like they were worse off. She pushed herself up and drew back as far as the bow would let her. With the goon proving irritatingly resistant to her usual tricks, Quiver Queen falls back in Plan B - turn him into a pincushion. "This is gonna sting, buddy boy!"


All-Out (+5/-5) Power (+5/-5) Attack with Bodkin Arrow. DC 22 toughness if it hits. [roll0]

Extra Effort: Same thing! [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

"I'm gonna... get you sooner or later..." the goon that had been shooting at Quiver Queen manages to breath out as Vapor's arm appears and thwacks her stick across his hand, "Ow! Bitch!" despite his hand being noticeably red though he's holding tightly to his gun! "I'll get you too-AUGH!" That's when a pointy arrow from Quiver Queen flies in and hits him in the shoulder! "It'll... take more... than... augh!" And this time it's his leg! Causing him to fall over clutching his injuries until the pain and exhaustion catches up with him, leaving him to pass out on the ground.

The other two goons are similarly luckless right now, as both of their respective vigilantes are paying more careful attention to how their opponents are attacking, allowing them both to dodge out of the way of attacks from the big goons! What started as a lot full of crooks and criminals has now been whittled down to two! The vigilantes are hurting but still going, now is the time for them to finish this fight!

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Marvelous - You are now actively defending.
The Hood - Thou art also actively defending.
Vapor - You hit the Goon's hand successfully, but he hangs onto it with a 16 on his strength roll.
Quiver Queen - Both shots will hit! I think you meant DC27 thanks to Power attack btw. Anyways, Goon gets an 18 on the first one for another bruise and daze, and then rolls a 16 for a second bruise and staggered and thus he's out!

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Follow the yellow brick road! Follow the yellow brick road!
Goon (Quiver Queen) - "And you were there, and you and you!"
Goon (Marvelous) - In his attack check of 14 vs. your active defense roll of 20 he misses!
Goon (Hood) - His attack check of 22 does not surpass your active defense roll of 26!

Other
Woman - Still there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise daze - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, fatigued - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Incapacitated
Goon (Marvelous) - 1 bruise, staggered
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - 2 bruise, staggered

Other
Woman - Normal

Another one bites the dust... another one bites the dust... and another one gone, and another one gone... another one bites the dust! :smalltongue: All players may now post!

[Silent_p]

The goon shrugged off her attempt to disarm him. Yep. Stellar performance tonight, Al. Irritated at her mistakes, Alyssa watched as two arrows quickly sprouted from her target. The hits took the goon out of the fight but left her with an uncomfortable feeling. Already have one dead...

She spared Quiver Queen a look as she turned to assist Marvelous. Might not be a villain anymore but maybe the old instincts are still there? Need to tread carefully. Fully ghosted, she drifted towards Marvelous' goon. Still somewhat hobbled by her injured leg, she eyed the two remaining mob flunkies.

"It's over!" She called out, hoping there was more confidence in her tone than she felt. "Two against one, just save yourselves some pain, yeah?"

Gonna try a wildly optimistic persuasion check :smalltongue: : [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 1
Cond: Bruised x2

He'll be fine. Well, not fine. You know what I mean. Quiver Queen grouses telepathically under Vapor's accusing glance. Just some scars and a little hospital time.

All the same, she selects a less bloody option, aiming down at the next raging idiot with one of her blunt-headed arrows. "Three against one, but this one's too dumb to understand, Vapor! Just a toy for other people. Wind him up and point him forward. Not smart enough to ask why he's getting his ass kicked for people who don't give a **** about him. Dice is long gone, pal. Why are you still here?"

Stun Arrow, because hey, this has to work eventually, right? :smalltongue:[roll0], DC 17 Fort Save.

Using Taunt to try to demoralize Marvelous's goon as a Move action: [roll1], resisted by Will, Insight, or Deception.

[John Cribati]

Aaand now you're back to sucking. The way nature intended.

His hood still covers the topic of his face, but he cracks a wider grin.

[S]Continue Defending.

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises
Regeneration (2): 5 rounds untill the next bruise is healed

'Yeah!' Marvelous' telepathic shout of triumph was enthusiastic to say the least when one of their opponents was porcupined and finally went down.
'Keep it up QQ, we'll make em stop bleeding when they stop fighting, time for talking was about five minutes ago. Two or three more.' she followed up, making an obvious jibe at Vapor's tactics, while keeping an eye on what her opponent was doing.

keeping up with the defend action thing.

[Nintendogeek01]

"You'll get your turn later!" The goon in front of Marevelous shouts at Vapor, "And I ain't doin' this for Dice anymore! I'm doin' this for m-UNGH!" At that point Quiver Queen's arrow strike him square in the face and causes him to stumble around dazed, "Unnnnhhhh..." he gets weak in the knees, kneels in the rain-soaked dirt, "D-doin' this ffffoorrr..." he groans as he begins to tilt forward.

"Hold still dammit!" The one attacking the Hood continues to recklessly swing at the Hood!

The goon hit by Quiver Queen's arrow then stops himself from falling over, standing back up while shaking his head to shake off that nasty blow to the head.

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Vapor - It's like you're speaking... words or something. Weird.
Quiver Queen - Gets an 11 on his fortitude and an 18 on his will, so he's stunned and impaired (the latter until the end of your next round).
The Hood - Thou art also actively defending.
Marvelous - You are now actively defending.

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Off to see the Wizar~d! The wonderful Wizard of O~z!
Goon (Marvelous) - Due to being stunned he loses his actions this round... and at the end of his turn he gets an 18 to shake it off.
Goon (Hood) - His attack check of 20 fails to land against your roll of 24!

Other
Woman - Still there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, fatigued - HP: 1

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Incapacitated
Goon (Marvelous) - 1 bruise, staggered, stunned, impaired
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - 2 bruise, staggered

Other
Woman - Normal

My d20 seems to like these guys... hm... interesting. All players may now post!

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises
Regeneration (2): 4 rounds untill the next bruise is healed

'Bloody hell they just don't stay down.' Marvelous griped when the thug facing her shook of the blunt arrow to the face and stood up again.

'no telling what reenforcements the guy or guys that drove off are going to bring back. Or what police have been called because of the gunfire, so we better finish this sooner than later.' she advised her better-suited-to-combat-comrades as she quickly jabbed at her oppenent, still keeping an eye on what he would try to do with her next.

doing the defensive jab thing.
Close Combat: Unarmed - +3 (+1 Fighting, +2 Skill points, -2 defensive fighting) – [roll0]
Strength 0, so dc 15 if she hits (if i'm right)
And +2 to my defences.

[John Cribati]

Cyrus jaunty skips out of the way of the next swing, putting on an even bigger grin to hide his concern at how close it was.

I also vote to get the hell out of here. Which basically means get this guy off me please?

Still defending

[Silent_p]

Her suggestion failing to gain traction, Alyssa continued moving. Worth a shot.

A blunt arrow took Marvelous' goon in the face but, despite the hit, he was still in the fight. The fight was becoming tiresome and Alyssa was still concerned about the fatality they'd caused. Not how I wanted this to go. Nonetheless, they were where they were and Marvelous was right, they needed to finish it. 'If you can pummel the Hood's goon with a couple of arrows, I'll try taking this guy out.'

In anticipation of Quiver Queen's agreement, Alyssa once again solidified her weapon and struck at the guy attacking Marvelous.

Standard attack: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen
HP: 0
Cond: Bruised x2, Fatigued

I don't think this is how any of us wanted this to go. I'm on my way down, Hood.

Alas, Quiver Queen's foot hits a wet spot as she leaps down from the beam, turning her graceful descent into a flailing tumble!

"AAAAA!"

Kate manages, by way of a very rough rolling landing with limbs going everywhere, to avoid pancaking herself when she hits the ground. Rising to her feet bright red with embarrassment and stained with mud, she fires off the promised arrow at the Hood's foe and issues a hasty mental order.

All of you please pretend that never happened.

Standard attack with Bodkin Point vs Hood's Goon. DC 22 toughness. [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

"Ha!" The Goon that had been attacking Marvelous scoffs at Marvelous' rather defensive minded attack, "You miss-UNGH!" As he says that Vapor lands a solid blow on his head that he rubs in reaction, "Dammit!" He turns around while swinging an outstretched arm, managing to slam it into Vapor's arm! "I'll take you all on if I have to!" He shouts as he tries to regain his balance from his sudden spinning.

"I'm gonna make you regret coming here!" He shouts at the Hood apparently oblivious to the archer who just fumbled to the ground firing her bow at him. "AUGH!!!" But that ended when an arrow hit him in the shoulder from behind, causing him to fall forward to the ground trying in vain to reach the arrow before passing out!

Action Breakdowns
You Guys
Marvelous - Yeah that isn't gonna hit even this clod, at least you still got your +2 defensive bonus.
The Hood - Active defending...
Vapor - You hit him and he gets a 14 for 1 bruise!
Quiver Queen - Your 11 actually landed a hit, and he got a 9 on his toughness save for his second bruise and staggered... he's out!

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - We hear he is a wiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was!
Goon (Marvelous) - He attacks the smokey lady who attacked him and hits her arm with a 23! So Vapor needs a DC18 toughness save (remember, no armor for the limb shot).
Goon (Hood) - We threw him on the groooooound...!

Other
Woman - Still there.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise (Pending DC18 toughness save, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, prone, fatigued - HP: 0

Dice & Street Crooks
Dice - Normal (out of sight)
Criminals - 0/4 (1 is dead)
Thugs - 0/4
Toughs - 0/4
Goon (Quiver Queen) - Incapacitated
Goon (Marvelous) - 3 bruise, staggered
Goon (Marvelous 1) - Incapacitated
Goon (Hood) - Incapacitated

Other
Woman - Normal

d20 is still liking the last guy, but he's the last guy! All players may now post!

[Chivy]

Marvelous
HP: 1
Cond: 3 bruises
Regeneration (2): 3 rounds untill the next bruise is healed

'Nice shot...' Marvelous said when Quiver Queen downed another of the lowlifes. She started to make a joke about being unable to ever forget about the Queen's gracefull dismount, but it died before it could form. It just didn't feel like humor fit after being shot at and returning fire, Dice getting away and the casualty.

Alana winced when Vapor took another hit, this had to end; quickly.
'Let's take out this last one, then we can finish up here.' she said, interlocking her hands. With her opponent turning to face Vapor, she decided it would be worth the risk to try a more agressive stance and brought up her interlocked hands before bringing them down in a haymaker type attack.
Going the power attack route
Close Combat: Unarmed - +1 (+1 Fighting, +2 Skill points, -2 power attack) -[roll0]
Strength 0, power attack 2, so dc 17 if she hits (if i'm right).

[Nintendogeek01]

"Doh!" The goon received a nasty right hook from Marvelous falls back and hits the ground with a thud!

Vapor's toughness save results in 1 bruise and dazed, but fortunately the final Goon gets a 5 on his toughness save for his second staggered, taking him right out of the fight!

For clearing this fight all players get 1 Power point! let's wait on spending these right away though.
The vigilantes pick themselves up and dust off, the rain maintaining it's light but noticeable intensity. They look about at their handiwork, twenty crooks of different shapes and sizes, four of them particularly flattened under bound stacks of cinderblocks that the vigilantes know they weren't responsible for, and one dead from toxic fumes, while the remaining fifteen lay strewn about unconscious and getting soaked by the rain. Besides the unconscious/dead bodies there is also the large stash of drugs, and the vehicles. Lastly there is one other fact; this lot started out with twenty-one crooks in total, but one is unaccounted for...

Carl "Dice" DeSanto.

"Excuse me!" The woman from earlier, now holding a small umbrella just big enough for her, approaches all of you holding a voice recorder, "Julie Streeter from the Freedom Ledger! Thank you for the rescue," she introduces herself, "So who am I speaking to?" she asks invitingly.

You guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 2 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - 1 bruise, staggered - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

From here on danger is more likely to be ever-present in this game, so I will be keeping track of you guys' status for a while yet even while not in combat, as remember, combat is not the focus of this game. For now you'll retain your bruises and I'll tick them off very loosely based on how things progress in-game time. So yes the bruises will fade but maybe not as fast as they normally would out of combat for dramatic purposes. I do not promise pinpoint accuracy on how quickly your bruises and other injuries will fade, only that while I aim to make things more dramatic I'm also not going to try and actively screw you (Or will I...? Mua ha ha ha ha...! No seriously, wouldn't be fun if you didn't have a chance to struggle after all :smalltongue:)

As for now, feel free to use perception and investigation rolls. I will allow perception rolls to "aid" investigation checks. Just remember, perception might let you spot something odd, but investigation is what lets you figure out how it might be related.

[John Cribati]

The second the goon falls unconscious, Cyrus drops to his knees, his aura burning hot enough to be visible for a few seconds, before the blood-red light coalesces into a tight ball near his chest. The pain is momentary as the injury starts to set itself right, and he's only aware of the woman near him because of how suddenly hungry he is. His eyes begin to glow like coals, two red spots on his half-covered face, as the turns to her.
Not to be rude, but highly suggest that you stop being the only conscious person within ten feet of me right now. Ask one of them.

[Chivy]

Marvelous checked that the thug wasn't faking unconsciousness by giving him a quick poke with her boot, then she took out a cigarette and lit it with practiced ease. Well almost practiced, her hands throbbed. Hitting people hurt.It might be the wrong time to smoke, but god she needed one after that. She took a drag and breathed in deeply. It helped.

'Everybody alright?' Alana started before realising that every one of them was at least hurting.
'Well.. I mean still able to move around?' She amended herself. She waited for her companion's assent before kneeling down and starting to remove the unconscious thug's shoelaces. She then flipped him onto his chest and used the laces to tie his hands together behind his back, her chest and arm telling her, in no uncertain terms, that getting hit also hurt.
'We should tie them up, then maybe use some gas to drench the drugs and their guns, so we can burn them when we're done here.

Any one of you want to explain to Miss Streeter that we're short on time or should I do it? Vapor? She's your rescue-e...' she let the question hang there while she continued her work, ignoring the reporter untill they had at least made sure that if one of their opponent's clawed his back to consciousness they weren't in a position to pose a threat.

Alana glanced at Hood when he started pulsing with mindpowers.
'Hood? You ok?' She asked, a little worry creeping into voice.
Marvelous will start by tying up the thugs using belts, their own shoelaces or anything else ropey. She'll then search them for anything she can find. Weapons get tossed towards the crates. Finally she'll drag them away from where she expects a big blaze will be forming shortly.
Perception - +10 - for clues on the people she's tying up and searching -[roll0]

[Silent_p]

Alyssa was relieved when Quiver Queen and Marvelous were able to finally fell the remaining goons. The fight had gone on much longer than she'd expected and the apparently higher-ranking Dice had escaped. Needed to catch him; the rest are just small fry. Despite her irritation, she acknowledged that they'd more or less secured the drugs, prevented any harm befalling Julie and shown the mob that not everyone would take their crimes lying down.

She was momentarily disturbed by the Hood pouncing on a fallen criminal but, noting no immediate injuries being inflicted, she nodded slowly at Marvelous' suggestions. 'Good ideas. Yeah, I'll have a word with her.' Solidifying, she turned to the reporter and carefully placed some weight on her leg. Wincing, she glanced at the others. 'I'll run the questions past you all if you want me to add or not add anything.'

Doing her best to hid the pain, she limped over to Julie. Gesturing for the woman to follow, she spoke quietly, heading for a point a little away from the others. "Ms Streeter, I'm Vapor and willing to hear some of your questions - though I hope you can appreciate our desire for some discretion."

Vapor will automatically circulate Julie's questions to the others over the telepathy network (the telenet? mindnet?).

[Red_Jenny]

I'll be OK. Gonna have some pretty bruises in the morning.

Quiver Queen stretched experimentally, wincing as the adrenaline wore away. And maybe some stitches.

None of the good guys are dead, got the drugs, and small fish are still fish. Maybe a real bad night like this will steer some of these guys away from the mob. Woulda worked on me. Half a win's still better than a loss. The dead crook was left unmentioned. My fault. Damn it all. Didn't need to kill anyone as a villain, didn't need to kill him. I'll do better. I have to.*

She set about helping Marvelous with her tie-up work and re-gathering arrows. If they weren't buried too deep in someone's ribs, they could usually be salvaged.

Kate taps her bow and waves at the reporter. "Quiver Queen. I'm, er..., in the archives already, Ms. Streeter. Normally I love showing off for you guys, but this is a bad time and place for that, and I'd rather not make a big splashy return just yet. 'Unknown vigilante' is just fine. But, um, I'm not a supervillain any more. That's important!"

Before they split, there was a mystery that needed looking into. Someone popped all their tires, dropped a literal ton of bricks on four dead men, and set off some kind of anger wave that made Hood go slackjawed. Probably worth looking into, yeah?

Before she can go clue hunting, Kate stops short, looking at Cyrus in alarm. "Uh, Hood? You're glowing. How do we help?"

*This bit is just thinking, not mindnet communication.

Perception, to look for the handiwork of the mystery person: [roll0]

[John Cribati]

You can help by being a little quieter. Trying really hard to be a scavenger, not a predator, if you catch my drift.

Fighting like this always got his blood racing, created an instinctive drive to hunt that he always tried to stamp down. The unconscious man on the ground just seemed less palatable than the four able-bodied women (well, one able-bodied women and three women in various states of "scuffed") mere yards away.

But he couldn't attack them, mostly in the literal sense. Hungry as he was, he probably couldn't see straight enough to throw a punch, much less cheat his way through a fight with two metahumans- one of whom he probably wouldn't be able to drain anyway and the other more powerful in the mental abilities department than he could ever be- and a walking arsenal.

Not feasible, he thinks to himself, in his father's voice for effect. Now be a good parasite and eat what's in front of you

And he does. It's not as much of a light show as healing himself was, but as his hands press against the downed man's temples, glowing white aura flows from the man into him, settlling mostly around where his stomach would be, with some of it going up to his ears, nose, and eyes.

And then it's over.

He springs to his feet and approaches as nonchalantly as possible.

What'd I miss- daamn, you guys got Fu... messed up.

[Nintendogeek01]

Not to be rude, but highly suggest that you stop being the only conscious person within ten feet of me right now. Ask one of them.
"Okay... yeesh..." Julie replies as Vapor approaches her.


Doing her best to hid the pain, she limped over to Julie. Gesturing for the woman to follow, she spoke quietly, heading for a point a little away from the others. "Ms Streeter, I'm Vapor and willing to hear some of your questions - though I hope you can appreciate our desire for some discretion."
"That we can work with," Julie readily agrees, "The police should know about what nearly happened here, but... well you're not the first new masks I've seen and a lot of them take some time to get used to the fact that the bad cops are the exception, not the rule now," she moves the recorder closer to Vapor, "Or do you disagree Miss...?" clearly edging in a request for your codename along with her question.

OOC: We'll assume that this is what Vapor is dealing with while the others are doing their thing on the lot. As per silent_p's request the rest of you will be fed these questions over the mental communication, and you may choose to answer or not. Of course depending on your answers she might have a few more.


"Are you affiliated with or know other known vigilantes in the area such as Foreshadow? And... off the record if so how I might get in touch with him?"

"A bit of a standby question but maybe if you answer me future reporters might not ask it to you again, why put on the costume when others, some who even have powers, are content to go about everyday lives?"

"Is this your first night crime-fighting? Has it met your expectations?"

"What are your powers or equipment? You don't have to share the details if you don't want to, but maybe you'd like to set the record straight before someone else tries to guess?"

"Do you have any enemies?"

"Is that woman the rumored Quiver Queen?"

"Do you expect to do this for a while?"

"Criminals died here tonight, from where I was sitting I don't think you did it, and no sorry I didn't see who did, but what are your thoughts on this incident? Do you feel you could have or should have prevented this?"
As Marvelous goes about tying up baddies and searching them she begins stockpiling their weapons for destruction. She also takes the time to search their belongings, thoroughly. She finds lots of wallets that can be used to ID them, some have some nice wads, though nothing even remotely mind-boggling, but most of them don't have anything impressive in their wallets. A few of them have cell-phones, nothing fancy, and a few key rings with a small number of keys.

Quiver Queen on the other hand sees what Vapor was talking about earlier, the tires on all of the vehicles have been in some way damaged. Either slashed open or have small spikes stuck in them. Looking around a bit helps her to figure out where the spikes came from, a few of them are just outside the gate where the vehicles would've had to pull in; hard to see in the dark, especially since the rain isn't helping illumination a bit. Looking behind the cinder block stack that crushed four hapless, and definitely dead, criminals there is a tarp and what looks to be a small scaffold that provides a ramp up to the second story of the building's framework, you didn't see it before due to the tarp but now that you have more freedom of movement... well there it is.

That's what perception and no investigation will give you. I think it's enough of a springboard that I'll give any of your partners a circumstance bonus to investigation; how much I haven't decided since this perception wasn't done as a straight-up aid check... role-play it for me and then I'll decide, :smalltongue:
Now that the Hood is properly fed he notices two things. First is that the red of hatred is still here, nowhere near as strong and overpowering as before, but definitely lingering like many auras of people who were in a location previously. Second thing is that one lingering aura stands out, one that had the tinge of fear that comes from being startled but was replaced with a more cautious fear that was, for the most part, covered by sheer confidence. This aura is lingering right next to the fallen cinder blocks before it bolts in the same direction as Dice did... where it went you'll need to focus to be sure.

Dare ya to try and track it! Of course... it could wait a bit after all that aura's not going to vanish next time I make an IC post.
You Guys' Status
Marvelous - 3 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 2 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[Chivy]

Marvelous finished up securing and dragging the thugs away from where the drugs would go up in smoke soon. She made sure she had a good look at each of the unconscious men’s licences and ID’s. She’d remember those names and addresses, probably forever.
‘They have a fair amount of cash with them.’ She said when she piled up the bills she had found.
‘I’m pretty well off out of costume and keeping me effective doesn’t cost anything so you guys should split this cash between you and keep yourselves outfitted. I think whatever chemicals QQ used in her fart arrows will of cost something and Hood was talking about needing to earn money. Don’t know if you want any of it Vapor, but if you do; take it. If nothing else I like the thought of the Mob paying for the things that’ll take them down.’
She then held out the cash for one for the others to take and divvy up.
If none of them take the cash, Alana will stuff the wad into her coat pocket to divvy up later. No use wasting it.
‘I go by Marvelous and in part I’m a telepath as you might have noticed when I was yelling in everybody's minds.’ Marvelous told the reporter when she had dragged the last of the thugs away from the area and was walking past on the way to the crates.
‘Now that you have a few names, how about you give us a good reason why we should answer your questions and potentially have the enemies we just made learn more about us?’ She telepathically continued without breaking stride in both conversation and her gait. She had always been comfortable with her abilities, but finally exercising her mental muscles almost continuously was exhilarating.

She then opened the crates, checking that what they were about to burn were indeed drugs, before starting on checking the cars for anything useful. Relaying all she found via the mental net to the others.
perception check to check the drugs and cars [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"I already answered that! Yes, I'm really me! Hmph. 'Rumored', my ass. Infamous, maybe. Notorious. Rumored, psh... I'm not an alligator monster in the sewer, I made the front page of your paper, pal..." Kate grumbles as she makes her rounds.

Found where the spiked tires came from. Right outside the gate. Dice and his buddies probably all drove right through them when they arrived. And some of these are slashed, like with a knife, so our mystery attacker set their trap, and finished up by hand. Now where were you hidin... ah, hello! Kate clambers up the scaffold and waves down at the others. And found where the cinder blocks came from.

You have their cash? Yes please. Quiver Queen's response is just a little too fast, a little too eager. Er, I mean, I work a day job, but yeah, you're right, the arrows aren't cheap. Now that I'm paying for them, anyway.

[Nintendogeek01]

‘I go by Marvelous and in part I’m a telepath as you might have noticed when I was yelling in everybody's minds.’ Marvelous told the reporter when she had dragged the last of the thugs away from the area and was walking past on the way to the crates.
‘Now that you have a few names, how about you give us a good reason why we should answer your questions and potentially have the enemies we just made learn more about us?’
"Whoa now, if you feel any information might be incriminating you can always just not answer," Julie replied, "All I'm here to do is get to know those who saved my life, and more importantly let Southside know that they have not been overlooked, that there are people out in these streets watching over them, saving and preventing them from being made victims of any more than they already have. Superheroes are more than just masks, gadgets, and powers Marvelous; they're a symbol that give the downtrodden a shot in the arm when they need it most, and they have a right to know who they're looking up to."


"I already answered that! Yes, I'm really me! Hmph. 'Rumored', my ass. Infamous, maybe. Notorious. Rumored, psh... I'm not an alligator monster in the sewer, I made the front page of your paper, pal..." Kate grumbles as she makes her rounds.
"I'm sorry, enigmatic may have been a better choice of words," Julie begins, "For you see after your crime spree you just disappeared. Were you incarcerated and have served your time? Hoping instead to now give back to the community? Or was there some adventure that the authorities felt was enough service to pardon your activities?" Julie asked.

While Quiver Queen is put on the spot the Hood begins inspecting the cinder block bundles that fell over. The stacks are tall enough that anyone who gets exercise could probably push them over easily enough, but that seems a safety hazard. Ah... unless they are bound together normally. And looking behind the bottom-most cinder blocks that were previous supporting the toppled ones you see bindings that would most definitely have secured them. Except that on closer inspection it looks like they were cut. Whether they were cut before you arrived or cut by your mystery man while you were in the beams above is impossible to say. So in order to pull this off and escape without notice the attacker must've been behind these blocks waiting for someone to get in front of them, pushed the blocks over to crush them, and then ran up the scaffold ramp behind the tarp.

Marvelous for the most part does not find anything interesting in the vehicles; at least until she gets to Dice's car. Certainly a nice car, but what really catches her attention is a hidden compartment well concealed beneath one of the back seats. Though the latch seems stuck she does manage to eventually yank it open like a stuck drawer! As she does she notices a strange looking box sliding with the force of the opening until it clacks against the wall of the compartment drawer. And the moment it clacks Marvelous notices some sparks flicker on it a bit, then a digital timer with blank spaces flickers on and off as though on the fritz.

Meanwhile everyone else is back towards the cinder blocks when suddenly Dice's car explodes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhZs3ALdL7Y)!!! "Ah!" prompting Julie releases a quick squeal of fright at the sudden flames!

Marvelous needs to make two saves! A dodge save of DC18 to get as far from the blast (and launched vehicle parts) or else suffer dazed & impaired >> stunned & prone >> dying!!! Along with a DC23 toughness save.
You Guys' Status
Marvelous - 2 bruise (Pending a few things) - HP: 1
Vapor - 2 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 2 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[John Cribati]

You can put me down as Nosferatu. I also refuse to answer questions, except anything related to The Mob, to which I respond, and you can quote me, 'F*ck the mob.' I'm also not about to turn down cash, either.
He moves over to the upset pile of bricks to survey all of the auras that had been out and about.

I was considering the idea that Mr/Mrs. Anger Bomb was something like the Incredible Hulk, but the way these cinderblocks were set up, a regular dude could still probably push 'em over without too much trouble. They seem to be either tailing Dice, or predicting where he's going, though jury's out as to whether or not that's a good thing. I can set up to track him once we're done h-

His thoughts are cut off by a loud explosion, from the general direction that Marvelous was in.

Well. Good thing she can heal.

He doesn't think it 'out loud,' but from a purely utilitarian standpoint, it was hard to argue. Assuming she hadn't been reduced to the consistency of chunky salsa, at least.

[Silent_p]

Alyssa spent time feeding the reporters questions to the others who were out of earshot, relaying the replies that Julie would not be able to hear on her own. She refrained from adding any of her own commentary on their replies, saving her personal opinions until she was reasonably sure the others were satisfied.

"Personally, I'd rather not give much information away, Ms Streeter. I'm doing this because I have the ability to do so and because the mob's stranglehold on this city needs to be removed." Her voice was quiet but firm, though it could easily be noticed that she was still favouring her leg. "This is not my first rodeo and, yes, I very much intend to continue." Alyssa paused somewhat at the question regarding the deaths of mob flunkies. It wasn't that she wanted anyone to die and did not intend for it to happen but... did she regret it?

As she searched for the right way to express her thoughts, Julie addressed some of the other comments before, out of nowhere, an explosion tore through the lot. Thinking fast, Alyssa did her best to put her body between Julie and the source, trying to knock the woman to the ground. 'Anyone hurt?!'

Attempt to knock Julie to the ground using an improved trip attack; athletics vs acrobatics: [roll0]
Athletics roll, if successful: [roll1]
Yeah, I know but it's expedient! :smalltongue:

[Chivy]

Alana handed Quiver Queen the cash, an evil glint in her eye.
‘With your rumoured nefarious background, you’re probably best suited to divide the loot and pay off the minions... GatorGirl.’
Her wicked grin was enhanced by the blood on her teeth and cigarette hanging from her lips.

Well Miss Streeter, if you want to thank your rescuer; Vapor’s the one you’re looking for. The rest of us didn’t even know you’d be here. She answered the reporter, feeling slightly mollified by her answer. Then decided to answer at least a few of her questions, while she searched the cars.
In answer to your other questions: this is my first night out and it’s nothing like I expected. It’s better because I met these charming people and we at least stopped those drugs from hitting the street. Worse because... well being shot.
I’m not into this cape stuff, so I have no idea who Foreshadow is. These three are the only capes I’ve met.
I... I’m doing this because these bastards are hurting and killing people and getting away scot free. I’ll be doing this until I’ve taken them down and no, I don’t give a crap about these f*ckers getting themselves killed. They or those they work for have done worse to people. Hell most every one of them were trying to kill us here. I’m fine with killers or wannabe killers dying.

You can take that or paraphrase it any way you want to give your readers hope, but I’d lay of the ‘superhero’ angle. That’s just not me.

She finally got to the nicest car and started searching it. If there was anything in these cars, this would be it.
‘Hhhmm, drawer here. Marvelous said when she found the hidden compartment. Then she tried to open it, finding that it was stuck. She then janked the drawer, not unlike she had pulled open her own sock drawer at least a dozen times. When the box hit the side of the drawer, the blinking numbers telling her that she had just royally screwed up.

Sh*t.

‘GET DO...’ Marvelous started to warn the others as she flung herself from the car, but she was cut off when the blast turned her jump into a launch, sending her crashing to the ground half a dozen meters away. She felt like she bounced a few times before skidding to a halt, face down in the muddy construction yard.
‘Gha.. wa..’ she groaned.

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen looked blankly at Streeter for a moment before simply shaking her head. She'd sold plants that could read people better than this woman. How did she manage to win a Pulitzer?

"Yeah, no. I don't even want you publishing my alias, I've got no idea why you'd think you're getting that story. Look, I've got skills most people don't, and I'm trying to do a little good. That's all."

Kate smirks mentally (and physically) as she starts dividing up the money. But of course! Though I don't have a tail, and I never used minions. Besides, I think we're closer to henchmen.

Any further thoughts are interrupted by a big boom. Ah ****, that's a bomb. Kate manages to get behind cover, but she's not worried about herself.

Quiver Queen dashes over to Alana, fighting off the reflex to pull off her teammate's mask to check on her. "Marvelous!? Please say something. Please say you're OK."

[Nintendogeek01]

‘GET DO...’ Marvelous started to warn the others as she flung herself from the car, but she was cut off when the blast turned her jump into a launch, sending her crashing to the ground half a dozen meters away. She felt like she bounced a few times before skidding to a halt, face down in the muddy construction yard.
‘Gha.. wa..’ she groaned.
Julie runs over to where Marvelous skid to a halt and holds her umbrella over the vigilante to keep the rain off of her, "Are you alright!? Please... say something," almost on cue with the concerned reporter's voice sirens can be heard in the distance. Not entirely clear how far they are but if the authorities weren't on there way before they sure as hell will be now.

To shake off the affliction you're gonna need a DC18 fortitude save. If not... well here's hoping someone's generous enough to carry you. Hey at least one of you guys has a strength of 2 right? :smalltongue:

[Chivy]

‘Ugh...’ Marvelous groaned as the world slowly started to make sense again. She checked herself to make sure she wouldn’t make anything worse before flipping herself over, groaning again for good measure.
‘Au... I’m taking a sick day tomorrow...’

She then slowly flexed her different muscle groups to make sure nothing was broken and patted herself down. The worried looks around her finally registered as she was patting down the top of her head.
‘Don’t worry my hairdresser is great with that burnt dog look...’ Alana said with a self deprecating grin. The ringing in her ears had abated slightly and was replaced by sirens. Working in a law firm, she had a good grasp of how a superhero stood in the eyes of the law. They could probably get out of here with a minimum of fuss, or at least they probably would have been able to if there hadn’t been a casualty... and if Quiver Queen didn’t still have a reputation as a villain.

‘We’d best get out of here.’ Marvelous said while getting to her feet, groaning at the contusions which hadn’t healed themselves yet and the new ones she had received by hugging an explosion.
‘At least if we’re going to track Angry tonight and don’t want to get bogged down in answering questions about what happened or explain her Majesty’s one-eighty.’
She took another look at the drugs that they were planning on burning then asked
‘What do you guys think? Leave the drugs for the cops as evidence or burn them?’
A mischievous glint then appeared in her eyes and in a sweet voice she asked
‘Owh, and for my own piece of mind I have to ask; you aren’t using explosive arrows are you, Q?’
Don't think i have to roll for it, but for completeness sake;
Expertise: Legal Secretary - +12 (+4 Intelligence, +3 Skill points, +5 Eidetic Memory) vs DC10 - [roll0]

[John Cribati]

Cyrus had approached Marvelous while she was down, but thr amount of concentrated emotion had been tickled at his senses- Just because he wasn't hungry, didn't mean he wouldn't want a taste of what was in front of him- and he'd backed off a few paces.

But now that the cops were about to be here, they could get moving and he could ignore his nature for a bit longer.

I say we leave the drugs. This place has Dice's last name on it; assuming the cops aren't dirty, this'll be some evidence against him. If they are, they still have to take it in as evidence before they try to move it, because a couple hundred pounds of product can't all mysteriously vanish at once.

He turns to the reporter.

Ms. Streeter. First of all I'd like to apologize for being so hard with you earlier. You know how it is when you're hungry and don't want to deal with people, right? He offers a good-natured chuckle. My associates have been referring to me as "Hood," but I'd rather not be referred to as such in your article. See, this persona is more or less the mascot for a Private Investigations business, among other things, and I really don't want whatever enemies I make from being involved in all this... he gestures about the lot, to interfere with that. So... if you could be so kind, you can just call me Nosferatu or something like that.

[Red_Jenny]

Quiver Queen exhaled, a relieved smile crossing her face as Marvelous came to. The smile faded a little as the sirens began to wail. "Hey, you're alive, and just in time to be somewhere else."

"I vote leave the drugs. If the cops are close enough we can hear 'em, leaving them a fire might look bad?" Caring what the cops thought was uncharted territory for Kate. It was basically a guess, though she figured (and hoped) they'd be more concerned about the dead crooks than the drugs.


A mischievous glint then appeared in her eyes and in a sweet voice she asked
‘Owh, and for my own piece of mind I have to ask; you aren’t using explosive arrows are you, Q?’

Cheeks flushing red at the memory of how much of Marvelous's bad night had been her fault, Kate grins and shakes her head. "I swear this one wasn't my fault. My explosions are completely different." Quiver Queen reaches back and pulls out an "explosive arrow". "See?"

It's literally an arrow with a stick of dynamite duct-taped to it, like something Wile E. Coyote would dream up.

As the sirens get louder, Kate heads for the gate. "Where'd our mystery vigilante head? Seriously, you guys can stick around if you want, but I'm not up for a chat with the police. That fancy secret identity stuff doesn't apply to villains."

My superheroes and the law roll, probably at a penalty. DC 10.
Expertise: Criminal [roll0]

[Chivy]

'Yea I figured, but it would've been a logical escalation of what a cape's life entails. Gas, flashbang, exploding car...'

'You don't have napalm or a nuke in there do you?' Alana said in a teasing tone of voice, then made sure to catch the Archer's eye and give her a wink to show it was all in good fun.

It wasn't that she actually wanted to pull her leg, or felt particularly funny at the moment. It was more that she had to do something that was not dwelling on what might have happened in that car. If she had been a smidge slower... An involuntary shudder krept up her back at the thought. She covered it up by stretching her muscles again and giving a slight groan. Knowing that if she'd dwell on it too much she might break down. She briefly wondered if Hood could smell the fear she was trying to hide.
Nothing I can do about that. She thought to herself, then pulled out her pack of cigarettes and after a moment found one that was not damaged when she flattened the packet in her fall. She quickly lit it, coughed twice and then took a deep drag. It almost had it's usual calming effect on her.
If you act like you're fine, you'll be fine. Fake it well enough and It'll not be fake anymore. Words she had read in some self help article in some gossip rag a few years ago. She then briefly wondered if the others were doing the same, but stopped herself before she could take a peek in their minds. She then wondered if she had a concussion, she was wondering a lot.

Sidenote; almost being blown up. Also not what I expected from tonight. Also; not fun. Don't recommend it. You can quote me. Trashed my costume, that's for sure. I'll never get that smell out. Marvelous said around her cigarette, maybe trying to sound too blasé about it. She coughed again before continuing
'Anyway leaving the drugs for the cops. I'll bring back the grid, then I guess we follow Ho.. Nossie.'

'That is.. if everybody is good with getting this s.o.b.?'

[John Cribati]

I picked up Dice's scent while I was over there. It'll be a little weird to track him by car, though... you sure you're okay to drive, Doll?

[Chivy]

'Yea. Most of the beatdowns should have healed itself in a few. I hope.' Marvelous answered after rolling her eyes at Hood's use of 'Doll'. She then remembered Quiver Queen saying something about their car being taken.
'Question is: do we still have a car?'

[Silent_p]

Unconcerned about any potential danger, Julie ignored Alyssa's attempt to shield her, instead running to help Marvelous. Well, can't fault her courage, she thought, slowly trailing after the reporter in ghost form. Despite the destruction, Marvelous seemed to be in one piece.

Alyssa stayed quiet as the others decided what to do about the drugs. She had little to add and was largely concerned with getting away before the police arrived. Definitely not interested in giving a statement. She waited for a lull in the discussion. "Not sure I'm in the best shape for a chase but avoiding blue tape wouldn't be unpleasant," she said, gesturing in the general direction of the sirens.

She turned to Julie. "I'm glad you're alright, Ms Streeter and I think we'd all be grateful if you could let people know what the mob are up to." Giving the woman a quick nod, she glanced at the others before starting to leave.

[Chivy]

'Yea. We're all pretty beat up.' Alana started nodding, thinking that it might be best to call it a night. Then she realised that they might never have a better chance at getting Dice and finding out what he knows.
But he's one man on the run. His bodyguards are splattered underneath those cinderblocks and we're probably not the only vigilantes tracking him. Anything that could give us an eye in the sky would be a big help, even if it's just for somekind of overwatch.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Don't worry, that's part of what I came out here tonight to do! Good luck!" Julie calls after the vigilantes as, following the Hood's lead, they head to fence that Dice apparently climbed to escape the fighting. Whether under their own power, or by helping one another, the four of them surmount the fence and continue on the trail.

In a bizarre act of mercy on my part, I decided it'd be much better for the story to bypass the athletics check climbing this fence would normally take. But yeah, so you know, climbing ordinarily requires athletics.
The Hood notes that the aura most likely left by Dice meanders a bit, the color indicates some degree of panic in those moments, but they never fail to give way to confidence once more. The Hood continues to note this pattern as the vigilantes follow him as the Hood follows the trail through some back alleys across the street from the construction yard. While the other three are left noting that the rain has once more picked up in intensity, the Hood additionally notes one other, all-pervasive phenomenon; the permeating hatred has not left once this whole time while following this trail. Everywhere the Hood looks that red continues to shade nearly everything he sees.

Eventually Dice's aura trail stops receding back into confident; as the group wanders into what looks to be the back alley garbage dump for a restaurant or something the Hood notes that Dice's aura gets increasingly worried, and then afraid. The red of hatred intensifies as the group follows the Hood around a dumpster, they notice that the Hood has stopped moving; just standing there looking at something, and it doesn't take long for the rest of the group to find out what.

Slumped against the concrete wall of this building is Dice himself, and looking past his slumped head one can make out a massive bloodstain over his chest. The Hood feels no aura from him now.

I have been really bad about remembering to do this every post.

You Guys' Status
Marvelous - 1 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[John Cribati]

Crap. Or, should I say... Craps? Looks like Anger Point got to him before we could. Though I do wonder...

He stoops near the corpse, examining the wound for any peculiarities.

Investigation to check Dice's wound: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Under the rainy conditions and without proper forensic tools you can't be completely certain, but carefully peeling away torn clothing, and flesh, the Hood has a pretty good feeling that the chest wound was actually the result of someone tearing away at Dice's chest multiple times; they weren't going for a quick kill, even if Dice did die immediately the attacker just wasn't satisfied until he tore that chest apart. The exact methodology of the chest tearing, and how long Dice remained alive for the attack are impossible to determine under these conditions.

The chest wound is the only visible wound on Dice, his face doesn't even look disturbed, all the easier to identify him with. You notice that his pockets have been turned inside out, his keys are resting right next to him, but his wallet and phone aren't around the body. The last objects of note you find on Dice's person are a knife, clean and unused recently, and a gun; the barrel is still a little warm, and examining the chamber reveals that two bullets are missing.

Unless I happened to forget something, which is possible, that's all I've got for the body itself.
You Guys' Status
Marvelous - 1 bruise - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Normal - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[Chivy]

'Ahoka.' Marvelous muttered when it was clear to her that she wouldn’t be able rip the entire Mob’s organisational structure from Dice’s mind.

‘F*CK!’ she repeated louder and more empathically.
‘He knew the mob’s structure. Their fronts. Schemes.. More than we.... F*CK!’ She almost growled in frustration. Being so close to what she needed to get a sense of her enemies. If only she hadn’t tried to keep it a secret that she could Mindread from a distance. She should’ve just dived in and taken what she needed as soon as she saw him.

‘Any ideas? ’ She asked the others, still frustrated and getting slightly annoyed that in this rain she wouldn’t be able to light up another smoke.
‘In any case we better make sure his corpse is picked up before someone stumbles on him in the morning. I can let Streeter know where he is, so she can let the cops at the construction site know. Just need to know what we’re going to do.’
Miss Streeter, this is Marvelous. We found Dice, but someone already got to him. Killed him. No use in some kid finding his body in the morning, so would you be so kind as to inform the nice officers with you that they can find his body in an alley off... she finished with the street the alley was connected to.

[Red_Jenny]

"Well, ****." Kate was taken back by the ferocity of the wound. Gunshots, or a clean stab, even a brick to the head, those all fit "mobster-hunting vigilante" in her head. "Torn up by a movie monster" didn't.

"Can't go back in time, at least not without calling in a really big favor, so we work with what we've got..."

"Why would you take his wallet but leave his keys?" Quiver Queen's voice was quiet, half talking to herself. She picked them up and began thumbing through. "Our killer's not a thief, that's for sure. These all open something. So what do we have here?"

Expertise: Streetwise to see if QQ can identify where any of Dice's keys go: [roll0]

[John Cribati]

I can't believe this was all one dude with a knife. I mean, good riddance all the same, but still...

He's interrupted- and very distracted- by Marvelous's outburst. Between the mix of emotions- rage, grief, shame, hope savagely crushed- and Marvelous's own psychic powers, Cyrus could tell that whatever the mob had done to her (he'd been serious when he'd called her out on her emotional investment in this case), it had left a deep, festering, painful mark on her aura, and just being close to her tempted him, as much as it, strangely enough, made him want to comfort her. He had to remind himself that 1) he wasn't even really hungry and 2) she was the bigger fish. Solving this case would help in whatever recovery she needed, so he'd do what he could. And then probably send her a bill. She had said she wasn't hurting for money.

With that, he steeled himself, putting on a mask of professionalism, focusing instead on the details he might have missed.

And one practically slapped him in the face.

Dice was going somewhere. He probaby didnt know he was being followed till about there. he points to the entrance to the alley, where Dice's periodic bursts of confidence gave way to pure terror. He couldn't have just been running about randomly. He had a destination in mind, probably a safe house or hideout. And if he used it often enough, his aura would stick to it, and I could find it if I dig a little.

[Silent_p]

Trailing slowly behind the others, Alyssa watched in frustration as they investigated the body. "If we're all finished contaminating the crime scene," she said, an edge of anger in her voice, "I might be able to get a hold of the ME's report and maybe even a copy of the case file later on." She remained several metres away from the others and the body, floating gently. She knew they were trying to move quickly and get clues but their apparent lack of knowledge regarding securing and handling a scene grated on her after the night she'd had.

Sighing heavily, she nodded resignedly at the Hood's suggestion. "Sorry. Long night." She eyed Quiver Queen's rummaging briefly and gave a brief start at the vehemence in Marvelous' voice. "If there's a lead to follow, we'd better not let it get cold."

[John Cribati]

Disclaimer: I have never actually tried to do something like this before, so it's highly theoretical and... might not even work the way I think it will.

With that, he moves out of the alley somewhat, finding a place where Dice's aura felt more confident and sure, and presses his palms to the ground, digging past layers of old aura to find it again, pushing his empathic sense as far as it can reach.

Power Stunt: Postcognitive Tracking

Postcognition

Limited: Can only know information about locations a certain aura has been within range of effect.
Extended 3 (Increase range of effect past the immedate area, -1 to Perception check per 10,000 ft.)

Perception Check for Postcognitive Track, -2 for a range of 20,000 feet
[roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

The Hood feels for places where Dice's aura particularly saturated the location, someplace he was prone to hanging around. He can feel Dice's aura in a few locations lingering around Southside, near as he can guess anyways, until finally he finds a place covered in Dice's aura. It's far... a few miles away. North/Northwest. That's as exact as the Hood's sensibilities for auras will allow him to be, but at the very least he's certain that Dice frequented somewhere in the Fens, North across South River; while Southside has its problems, the Fens is definitely the worst neighborhood in Freedom City, full of cheap housing, waterfront bars, sleazy porn theaters, and adult book stores. There is talk that police are starting to increase their presence in the area but time will tell how effective that is.

Besides the distant lingering aura the Hood notices two other smaller auras that belong to dice lingering on something else. Beneath the dumpster Dice's aura lingers on something small that's already beginning to lose that aura, but close to the Hood he feels something is absolutely saturated with Dice's aura. Looking towards the source of that aura the Hood can see a pair of red six-sided dice sitting on the ground displaying, morbidly amusing enough, "snake eyes." The dice appear to have been dropped on the ground a few feet behind where Dice's aura became permanently fearful. At least before he was killed.

Your result is enough for a neighborhood to search, and to find a few other clues immediately around you that might've possibly found with a little bit more mundane methods like... oh I don't know... searching more than just the body. :smalltongue:

Anyways you still don't know what exactly is under the dumpster as it's not in plain sight, you merely sense something with Dice's lingering aura is still under there.
You Guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Fatigued - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[John Cribati]

Cyrus flops over onto his back and takes a deep breath.

Well, the good news is I have a lead on where he might be hiding out. The bad news is that it's in the Fens. Miles away from here. Looks like he was just running, after all. The Neutral news is that a couple things rolled out of Dice's pocket. One of them is underneath the dumpster, and the other...

After a few more breaths, he gets up, picking up the set of dice.

He was messing around with these before, wasn't he?

Out of curiosity more than any kind of logic, Cyrus shakes the two cubes around in his palm and let's them roll to the ground once more.

[Chivy]

'Nice work.' Marvelous said, a lot less agitated now that their dead end might only be dead, and not an end.
She then went down on one knee and looked under the dumpster.
'What did you leave for us....'
Perception check (if needed) +10 [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Oh good, I really wanted to visit the nice part of town." The discovery of where Dice's hideout was wasn't surprising, but the Fens was just... slimy, and brought along memories of her days on the street as a kid the ex-villain wasn't really in the mood to relive. "Still, nice job. That doesn't hurt or anything, does it?" The Hood's efforts seemed to have taken a lot more out of him than what she'd seen before.

Quiver Queen jangles the keys before tucking them in a belt pouch. "I was hoping there'd be an etching of an address or something on one of these, but well, no dice." She grins, overly pleased with her wordplay. "One's his car key, but that's not exactly useful any more."

"Onward to the wretched hive of scum and villainy, I suppose?"

[Nintendogeek01]

Looking under and reaching under the dumpster Marvelous' hand runs over what feels like, and once pulled out looks like, a wallet and a laminated card. Looking at the wallet is... weird though. There's money inside but all of it is paper bills and what's left of them have been torn to shreds, and looking at the ground at the foot of the dumpster there's probably what remains of them soaking in the rain soaked ground. There are credit/debit cards and an ID, but they've all been torn/snapped in half, heck the ID only has Dice's picture on it. Just when it looks like this was a complete bust Marvelous looks at the laminated card, a business card. "Lucky Liquor - your lucky stop for liquor and adult entertainment." There's an address printed on it, if you remember your streets like you think you do that's in the fens!

The Hood watches the dice roll around the wet pavement before settling in a minor puddle that doesn't even come halfway up the small dice. A one and a six, hey lucky seven! Oh and it looks like Marvelous and Quiver Queen are eager to go. The Hood's next movement, much to his bewilderment finds his foot stepping on the dice, and the puddle beneath them sliding the dice and the Hood's own foot out from under him! The others turn to Hood to notice he's about to fall back on a garbage bag that has glass sticking out of it!!!

What hellish fate have you wrought on yourself? Why this good sir! Make a DC23 toughness save, and then a DC18 dodge save vs. hindered & impaired (suffer very painful and distracting cuts on your legs) >> prone & disabled (fall on them but it could've been worse cuts) >> dying!

Mua ha ha ha...!
You Guys' Status
Marvelous - Normal - HP: 1
Vapor - 1 bruise, hindered - HP: 0
The Hood - Fatigued (pending a few things) - HP: 1
Quiver Queen - 1 bruise, fatigued - HP: 0

[Silent_p]

Alyssa moved forward as the Hood collapsed. Whatever he'd just attempted clearly took a lot out of him. She nodded slowly as he elaborated, trying to picture the area he mentioned. Not great for a Sunday drive. She hovered a moment longer but he seemed to be catching his breath well enough.

Quiver Queen outlined what she'd noticed about the keys which, sadly, wasn't a huge amount and Marvelous was already looking under the dumpster. Alyssa drifted over to her. "Anything?" She asked, leaning down, just as the Hood seemed to trip on something small. Already straightening, Alyssa cursed her inability to move quickly as the vigilante fell.

[Chivy]

‘Hood you alright?’ Marvelous asked after Hood had tripped, concern obvious in her tone. He had taken more out of himself tracking down Dice's place than she thought. She then quickly moved to Hood's side and kneeled to lend any help she could.

While supporting him she took a moment to get a good look at each of her compatriots. Tired, battered, bruised, bleeding and breathing hard. She flexed her own muscles and checked the bullet’s graze on her right arm. Nothing. No graze, not even a scar. Just smooth skin. She felt as well as she usually did, maybe just a bit hungry. Were they up to following the next lead?

'A business card in Dice's wallet is from the Lucky Liquor, I think it’s in the Fens. Possibly the same place Hood sensed.' Alana told the others what Hood's power had allowed her to find, before looking at each of them in turn.
'But you all look a little worse for wear. Are you up to going to Mos Eis... the Fens tonight?'

[John Cribati]

Whoop!

Of all the things Cyrus could have been thinking about as he made his way unceremoniously back to the ground, his mind had decided to focus on how much like a cartoon character he sounded. Really, he had to learn how to control the pitch of his voice when he was surprised.

Of course, when he landed, all he could think about was finding out who'd left so much glass in a plastic bag.

And then, of course, the fact that there was glass in his arms.

He slowly got himself up, picking out some decent-sized shards of glass from his skin.

His body armor protected his torso and hips, and his jeans had taken the brunt of the shredding, though he did have a few scratches on his legs. But his arms were fair game for most things, and it seemed they'd attracted a noteable amount of glass.

F**k, he muttered, more out of embarrassment and annoyance than pain. I'll be alright in a few... hours. Unless someone offers to let me snack on them? He's not entirely sure that he's joking. Or we can stop at a pharmacy and use my share of the money to get a first aid kit? Wonder how that'll go over?


DC 18 Fortitude:

[roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Not my first night getting shot at. If something's wrong, I'll let you guys know. I'm good to go." Quiver Queen's cheer is about 80% genuine.

Kate's response to Cyrus's tumble is a noise somewhere between a yelp of alarm and a giggle that quickly fades when it's clear how bad the Hood's landing really was.

"Aw, hell. No healing arrows, sorry. The first aid thing would probably work. Doubt the clerk would even blink. It's Southside at night. You're not the first person to take a header onto a bottle in an alley. Probably wouldn't even be the first superhero to wander in and buy something."

"What would... snacking entail?" Quiver Queen was not short on emotion, but the idea of using it to fuel her new teammate was a bit daunting.

[John Cribati]

"What would... snacking entail?"

Physical contact that may or may not be painful, but will remain within professional, platonic bounds unless you'd prefer otherwise, a spot of wooziness, and a state of emotional disconnect that may last anywhere from seconds to hours depending on your level of mental fortitude. Also I've been known to pick up on things subconsciously and start saying stuff that hits all kinds of hot buttons.

He flinched as he pulled a piece of glass from his shoulder. It, and a few others, had gone a lot deeper than he'd thought. Sime of the wounds were even still bleeding, though hidden by his red hoodie.

But... I'm not even sure I can heal all of this in one go. Miiiight actually be better to call it a night.

[Chivy]

Marvelous unconsciously shook her head when Hood mentioned calling it a night.
'If we don’t go tonight, whoever’s over there will learn about what happened to Dice, his shipment and his lackeys. They might get it in their heads to clear out of everywhere Dice his mitts on. '
She shook her head again, this time because of her own pigheadedness, realising that she might be asking too much of the man and women she only just met.

'Vapor? Do you feel up to going to the Fens? If you are, and snacking on some emotions will get Hood fixed up enough to come along...' she hesitated for a moment before forging on
‘Emotion manipulation was the first thing I manifested, so I’m the logical one to offer up some emotions, not you Q. I have enough. Plus you’re already hurting and I probably have everybody here beat on the mental fortitude side of thing...’
I was reading Alana’s character sheet and found out she has Well Informed (p.141); fluffed to her constantly reading other people’s minds.
So will be using that for anything she might know about the Lucky Liquor - Investigation - +8 – [roll0]

[Silent_p]

With Marvelous helping the Hood to his feet, Alyssa came to a halt. She listened as he suggested 'snacking' on someone's emotions. The earlier comment about vampirism popped back into her head as she considered the vigilante. He'd done his best in the brawl - arguably contributing more than Alyssa herself - and, though capable of being incredibly intimidating, seemed genuine in his desire to go after the mob. Still... leeching from her psyche? Feeling somewhat cowardly, she was relieved when first Quiver Queen and then Marvelous seemed more willing to undergo whatever it was the Hood did. The psychic powers they were discussing seemed so far beyond her.

The Lucky Liquor in the Fens. There seemed to be a consensus that striking while the iron was hot would be the best approach. Alyssa took a moment to consider. She was still in one piece and, the Hood not withstanding, the others seemed capable of going. If they were able to get him patched up - conventionally or otherwise - then maybe the excursion would be worthwhile.

Slowly, she nodded at Marvelous' question. "I'm not one hundred percent but I agree, best keep whatever momentum we have going." She eyed the others, settling her gaze on the Hood. "So. How are we handling the, uh, first aid?"

[John Cribati]

Your call. Finding a pharmacy or hospital is safer- both physically and in terms of identity and privacy- but if you're more concerned about getting where you're going fast...

He trails off, trying to appear nonchalant.

In truth, emotions just tasted better when they came from someone he knew. And while they weren't exactly friends, he could feel enough of an attachment brewing that any of them would taste better than some random stranger...

Then again, he's better off not thinking about how these women may or may not taste.

[Chivy]

‘Allright.’ Marvelous said, starting to help Hood to his feet and supporting him if he needed it.
‘We find an all-night store where we can find medical supplies, and we’ll see if we can patch you up.’
She looked at the others for agreement.
‘Any of you know one near here?’

‘Hopefully we can get you patched up enough that all you need is to suck on a mobsicle when we find another one. If we can’t patch you up the normal way, maybe I can try and either fix you using my abilities or you can drain some of my emotions to get the same done.’
She then started to lead Hood out of the alley.
‘We might want a vehicle as well.’

[Red_Jenny]

"Works for me. How legal do you want the vehicle?" It's said with Quiver Queen's usual irreverent cheer, so it takes a moment to sink in that's she's semi-serious.

"I mean, I'm trying to get away from all that, but we did just pass a parking lot, I can be back in five minutes. Or, I can try and call in a favor. Might take a little longer, might not work. Would not involve grand theft auto. I only ask because technically we've already committed that tonight."