[Masks] The Royal City Show

[Kirjath]

The night air was cool, a far more tolerable experience than the sweltering heat from earlier in the day. The sky above Royal City was clouded over, though it wasn't as if a stargazer would be missing much that evening. Even on the best nights, when the desert wind carried the smog out and away from the town, the light pollution from just the Daimond Casino alone rendered all stars invisible. With the rest of the Strip included, the night sky may as well have been the home to only the moon. It was as if to say, "Hey! All the best stuff is down here!" And the Strip had a right to brag. Towering hotels, attractions covered in neon lighting, fountains, walkways, street performers, and even small-time capes worked to lure customers to their business. Of course, at this late hour in the evening, Royal City only got busier. Even on a weeknight, the hotels and casinos ran fully staffed. The sounds of laughter and money changing hands drifted out into the night, but none of this concerned you.

Tonight, you could ignore the usual commotion from Royal City's main attractions. Tonight, you had a mission.

As with most nefarious business in the city, it all started with a rumor. One particular rumor had been circulating lately. "Greenblood". You'd heard it randomly passed around the hallways at school, you'd heard shocked whispers from some of the older generation, but no one seemed to know what it meant. Well, only those who hadn't been invited had been left in the dark. You might've ignored it the first few times, until it became clear the rumors meant something. They pointed to an event, as always. Some sort of advertisement for the underground. Something big, and most definitely illegal. That usually meant one thing:

Someone was hyping a fight. A non-sanctioned Duel.

Fortunately, you managed to obtain an "invitation" to this one. Dromon provided intel, but wouldn't specify how she'd obtained it to you, Stoneheart. She wanted to close the books on one particularly clingy debt, and this meant doing a favor for someone you'd never met before. It meant bringing the team, only three months after your first real moment on the Strip; the first time you all fought together. It also meant staying up on a Thursday night and traveling to a small bar past the De Mille overbridge and seeing what was going down.

The bar itself was a sorry establishment. "Drop Daisy". Weird name, watery drinks, and surly clientele. No one went there for a good time, that's for certain, but the bar apparently did enough business to keep its neon sign flashing brightly every night. A flower, withering in a pint of beer. It wasn't a classy sign, and it attracted like-minded customers. People who weren't big on looks, or style. People who appreciated discretion and privacy. People who boarded up the windows on a "public" bar. It was likely going to be dark and musty inside, and there was no telling what kind of patrons you'd find there that evening. The mission parameters were simple: stop the fight, and bring Karbon back (whoever that was). Oh, and she made sure you were aware that there were probably going to be villains and illegal prize money. Just as a heads-up. Dromon advised caution though; the city didn't take kindly to the unprepared.

In this city, it always helped to be the one dealing the cards. Always.

You take the time to arrive on the scene in your own fashion. How does this look? What do you do, and what had you been doing? Of course, this is Royal City, so one question is perhaps the most important of all: How will you make your entrance?

[Comissar]

Conditions - None

Kaya took a slurp from her coke, kicking her heels against the side of the building she was perched on as she idly looked over the nearby rooftops. There was something calming about being this high above the buzz of the city. It felt good to just take a step back every now and again, get some perspective.

She shivered, her wings flittering briefly behind her as she did. It was just a shame that the distance came with strong winds and low temperatures. And she'd been up here too long really...

Setting her drink down, she dug a hand into one of her pockets, fishing out the earpiece and microphone Stoneheart had given to her. Slotting them into position, she got up into a crouch, then jumped clear of the building edge. Keeping her wings pinned behind her back, she grinned at the drop in her stomach as she fell. The sound of traffic and the general business of life below grew steadily louder as she dropped, just about audible over the rushing wind. Snapping her wings out to her sides, she peeled out into a rapid glide. After a few moments, she began to beat them to maintain her altitude. She'd have to slow down at the first turn, but for now she could just enjoy the raw speed that came from pulling out of a dive.

Heart still racing off her adrenaline-fuelled descent, she raised a hand to her earpiece to better muffle the sound of wind in that ear, "Hey Stoneheart, remind me why we're going to such a hole?" There was an upbeat note to her question, light-heartedness bordering on irreverence, "Can't Dromon find us villains that hang around uptown nightclubs?"

She flew steadily closer to ground level as she drew nearer. Once she was a street away, she settled down with her wings buzzing and arms raised. She rolled her shoulders, flittering her wings a couple of times to get them comfortably folded against her back, then pulled out a compact mirror. "'Cause I'm just saying, we could be doing this in a much classier setting."

A few quick checks, and a hair clip or two to get everything back where it should be, and Kaya took to the air again. This time, flying far slower to avoid messing up her appearance. Touching down a few doors from the Drop Daisy's door, she gave her wings another quick buzz, settling them to drape almost like a cape behind her. With an easy grin, she strode confidently toward the entrance, ready to meet her team.

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: None

It'a amazing what a full twenty four hours of prep time can afford. Sebastian had woken up to a hearty breakfast of day old doughnuts and two ice cold cans of Dr. Thunder. Some enjoyed the smell of fresh brewed coffee or the ritual of a nice steeping bag of tea but Sebastian couldn't turn down the burn of the day's first...or second...ice cold soda. Not the sweetness either or the caffeine buzz that jittered through his hands until his body acclimated to it. The apartment was empty which left him time to turn on a stereo and lounge for a few more hours, equal parts resting and simply loafing until the sun was a little higher in the sky.

Trecking through the outskirts of the city was easier after the morning commute into the Strip after all so he took his time sorting through a gym bag of clothing. He wanted to look his best for the evening after all it wasn't every night he was just allowed to go into a bar. It was going to be cooler, a scarf and vest would do though no amount of stretching and smoothing could remove their wrinkles from the dark purple vest or even darker black dress shirt and slacks though the former helped conceal the tools of his trade.

He stuffed them at the bottom of his bag, to the side, so no would find them. He'd had a long talk with Hastings but in the end the small 3D printer was made and the iconic Joker's Ebon Blades could be mass produced, if not the real deal, on the go. He strapped the device to his wrist, the gilded watch covering wrist straps for the larger device and he struggled with his shirt sleeve for longer than he'd want to admit just to cover it. The real blade was there, a giddy childlike glee running through him every time he saw it. It was almost religious at this point, taking the blade out. Cleaning it, letting his calloused fingers rasp over ebony wood before putting the near sacred relic back among filthy socks and underwear.

By the time he was finished it was noon and he had a lot of work to do before everyone else arrived. Two shuttle buses and a long walk later, he was within sight of the Daisy Drop. He wouldn't go in alone of course, not this early. Fights like the one they were meant to stop didn't happen until very late, the clientele would be set up at most. Useful but not what they needed to resolve their problem. The Grackle was across the street, a sleazy Irish pub with a quaint veranda he could scope who came and went. He had to get up now and then, move to other businesses or just the street corner when people started to get angry he was just squating on tables, not the best vantage points to be sure, but there was nothing for it. They were told it was dangerous and he had no back up. Not until later, at least.

It wasn't unusual for Joker to be the first person to arrive when they had their small meet ups, tonight is no different. He steps in next to Kaya, all smiles, as he tries to loop an arm in with her own. "I thought you were going to stand me up."

First roll of the game. First fail of the game?

[roll0]

Yeppers. First fail of the game. Marking Potential.

[Mr. E]

Stoneheart
Conditions: None
Potential: 0/5

Matias is late. Well, not strictly late, not just as early as he would have liked. He checks the clock one more time, then puts his glass down on the coaster with a clunk, standing up stiffly.

"Lo siento, abuelo," he says, with a regretful smile, tapping the face of his watch with one finger and spreading the other arm in a placating gesture. Today, however, the old man is in a mellow mood, and he waves his favorite* grandson away with a lewd remark about his girlfriend.

The girlfriend, of course, doesn't really exist, but attempts to explain that fact have usually foundered on the rock of dementia. Instead, Matias turns away, pushing through the plastic curtain that separates the grandfather's seat from the rest of the machine shop. He weaves between the pair of Nissan Skyline's currently having their suspension further lowered, steps over a box of tools left in front of the door, and bends down to pet the cat lounging on the steps.

Waving to Jenny**, who looks up from her phone briefly to wave back, he steps out into the street, one strap of the backpack slung on his shoulder. Swiftly walking down the alleyway, Matias pulls one arm out of voluminous hoodie, and runs his hand across the uniform concealed underneath.

Finding a loose buckle, Stoneheart pulls it tight, then reaches into one of his belt pouches, pulling out a slender black communicator. Sliding the earpiece in, he adjusts the mike mounted just inside his collar, and flicks the on button. A crackle of static sounds, followed by a chime, and the sounds of Kaya's voice.

"...villains that hang around uptown nightclubs."

Sighing slightly, he taps the button and the side of his earpiece and replies, with just a hint of testiness colouring his voice.

"As we've been over before, the kind of villains that hang around 'up-town nightclubs', are the kind that are rich and successful. We're not ready for that yet, not until we've got some more practice." Turning a corner, Stoneheart walks smoothly through a low wall, before, looking both ways, scurrying across a set of railway tracks and out the other side.

"I suppose I should be glad that you're early, for once," he can't help but add. The concurrent thought that he will not be, should he linger, is repressed, although he quickens his pace nonetheless. Weaving down another alleyway, Matias looks both ways before hurrying across a street, then slows his pace to walk up to the Drop Daisy at a lazy saunter.

He notices his teammates, as gaudy as ever, fooling around just down the street. Which is excellent for his purposes, admittedly. Unlike the purple dress shirt of Joker, or the flashy costume of Pixie, stoneheart is still wearing a baggy black hoodie*** over his costume, the only hint of vigilantism the unobtrusive black disc tucked into one ear. Anyway, in this day and age you could be forgiven for thinking that was just another set of fancy ear-buds.

Which suits him just fine. With those two attracting attention, he can keep a low profile while he scopes out the terrain. So as he strolls up to the 'hole', as Kaya terms it, he leans up next to Joker, close enough to talk, but not close enough to seem obviously in company.

Ostentatiously taking out his phone, he makes a show of fiddling with it, while casually asking a question to the ether.

"See anything interesting?"

*This is implausible, as he is A. not Great-Uncle Enrique's grandson, and B. the old man's other favoured term of address for Matias is known to be 's***face'.

**Jenny is theoretically the official receptionist of 'Lin's Auto and Custom Shop'. In practice, you either already know who to talk to, or you shouldn't be here, so she spends most of her time messaging her girlfriend (their tempestuous relationship comprises much of the shop gossip).

***A designer baggy black hoodie from a subtle, but fashionable brand, but a baggy black hoodie nonetheless.

I have not tried to write for this character in, like, a month, so he's a bit rusty, and I've definitely made a bunch of stuff up. Don't ask me who Great-Uncle Enrique is to Matias, I don't know either...

[Comissar]

Conditions - None

Kaya returns Joker's smile with a broadening grin of her own. She allows him to hook his arm through hers, laying her free hand on top of the arm he'd looped through. "And miss out on this little adventure..? I would never. Besides, there's only so many times you can be 'fashionably late' before you're just 'the one that's always late'."

She matches his pace as they make their way to the Drop Daisy. Spotting Stoneheart, she held back the urge to greet him. He was dressed in his unflattering hoodie, so he probably wasn't ready to be recognised just yet. Her suspicions were confirmed as he sidled up to ask Joker what he'd seen. Doing her best to not show him attention, Kaya took a sudden interest in the architecture of the buildings in the street. Or, as she looked at them closer, perhaps it would be more accurate to say 'assessing which needed a new paint job most'.

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: None

"Adventure? Well I do try, though next time I think we should go somewhere a little more on the strip." Joker kept his tone flirty, playful and most of all free of the agitation he was feeling as they got closer to their target. It was one big fat waste of a day with nothing to show for it now other than the typical facade. It didn't help that Stoneheart had taken the chance to slip in and remind him of just how little he'd managed to do with all the time they had.

"Oh look." he says, slim finger moving to point at some building across the street. "Do you remember the rave we hit up a few weeks back? Wasn't it in there?" Of course there was no rave in that building, there was hardly a rave at all. At least not one they'd been to of their own free will. Of the few missions between the fight night and this one, the rave had gone the worst. No intel, no direction, lots of music and even more villains. Another of their nightly sojourns into the underground fighting circuit. He hoped this one wouldn't go nearly as poorly though it started the same.

"You know the one, we went and one of my ex's showed up. Started throwing shade around...and fireballs." He was of talking of Firefly, one of the contestants of the aforementioned fight night. "The one I didn't know was coming because I was too stupid to check my messages? I sure hope that doesn't happen tonight, I forgot my phone back at your place. So here's hoping for a little luck. It got pretty ugly, I'd take the one whose always late over the one whose always bringing drama."

[Kirjath]

The scenery of the street is uninteresting on this particular evening. Most are either getting back from work late or already hitting the sack, dreading the following day's workload. You're off and away from the Strip, so traffic is limited at this time of night. Indeed, the only patrons who walk in and out of the bar while you ostensibly monitor it are of the usual sort: the kind who gets plastered on a Thursday. Nothing seems out of the ordinary for this odd bar in the middle of the street.

Nothing until a small figure breaks off from a quiet alley and heads with purpose towards Drop Daisy. In the evening light of the city, it's easy to make out a female figure, probably no older than her early teens wearing a colorful hoodie and striped shorts, striding across the street once it's devoid of oncoming traffic. Their gait is deliberate and purposeful, confidently approaching the place your kind are expressly forbidden from entry. At least until you're older, anyways. They reach the establishment in no time and with a quick yank they fling the door to the bar open and duck inside.

This isn't the oddest thing you've witnessed. The youth of your generation are most assuredly thrill seekers and do enjoy being the center of attention by and large; a trait exacerbated in a place like Royal City. What's strange is that the girl doesn't come back outside. There's no sound of altercation or the attempts of a reasonable authority figure to remove a delinquent from their watering hole. Instead, all is quiet. Whatever was supposed to happen, hasn't.

After that moment, patronage to the bar notes a surprising turn, with some disheveled figures leaving, but many more men and women begin to enter the bar at sporadic intervals. They emerge from various places nearby, always in twos or fours, all chatting excitedly and dressed far too well for the location. A number of them have entered what's likely to be far over the bar's capacity to hold by this time. Whatever's happening, it's bound to start soon.

[Comissar]

Conditions - None

Kaya gives Sebastian a thoughtful look, "... She was the one with the side-cut, right..?" She grins again, well aware of the ridiculousness of identifying a pyromantic meta by their hairstyle, "Don't worry, if we're unlucky enough to run into her again, I'm sure I can keep your dignity intact for you."

She pauses as she catches sight of the young teenager making her way into the bar, quirking an eyebrow as she watches her enter without difficulty. Her attention sliding over to the changing clientele entering the Drop Daisy, she comments "Well, what do you think..? A fashionably late entrance this time? Or buck the trend and find good seats early..?"

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: None
Potential: 1/5
Advances: 0

With the sudden increase of people, Sebastian's attentions are drawn away from his teammates. How'd he missed all this. He missed talk of his last "girlfriend" too though that conversation wasn't all for him anyway. "Good seats, I think." he mutters, eyes darting around a few more moments before he turns to Kaya. "You run on ahead, I'll pick up some snacks, don't forget we're meeting up with Matty and his squeeze too. So that's four seats." The number was important, their previous jobs being the fusterclucks they were, he'd tried to establish some type of tactic when they were walking in blind. Tactic Four was the most simple. Hostile territory, hostiles on all sides and no back up. Protect one another first, objective second.

With a squeeze to Kaya's hand, Sebastian untangled himself and hung back. The other two would figure out some way to "meet up", he had faith in the both of them. With so many people coming by ones and twos, there was bound to be some chatter and he had a burning desire to redeem himself.

[Mr. E]

Stoneheart
Conditions: None
Potential: 0/5

Matias frowns in the direction of warehouse, half-wondering whether someone's bothered to paint over the scorch marks yet. Hopefully this time would result in slightly less property damage. Dismissing the temptation to remind his teammate's whose fault that was, he sidles backwards slightly, eyes turning to track the new arrival*.

After the girl vanishes inside, Matias leans off the wall, sauntering across the street, tilting his head to activate the microphone of his communicator.

"I think, don't know but think, that that's side two of the fight." She certainly did not look like the grainy photo Dromon supplied, but you could never judge a hero by his cape, as the saying went**. "I'm going to go around back, find another way in. Kaya, save us some seats by the door this time, not right in the middle."

She knew that, of course, but there was always the temptation to get closer to the cameras, something Kaya was particularly prone to. Dismissing his irritable thoughts, Stoneheart sidles along to the back alleyway that runs behind the bar, aiming to slip up to the service entrance.

'There should be', he reasons, 'some kind of service professional lurking round the back. Probably Mexican, from across the border, on minimum wage. Exactly the kind of person who'd happily make a quick buck for some information.'

Casually strolling towards the Drop Daisy, Matias slides one hand into the pockets of his hoodie, feeling the twin pack of ciggies and the smaller bundle of notes in his pocket. One or the other should suffice, he presumes...

*Not him, of course. After all, unlike the rest of the team, Matias remains perfectly professional at all times.

**Or in this case, the cape by its hero.

[Comissar]

Conditions - None

Kaya grins at Sebastian, "Sounds good to me, pick me up something sweet..?" She walks ahead of Sebastian, turning as she walks to give him a wave and wink, briefly walking backward as she does, before she completes her spin to continue to the door of the Drop Daisy. She puts a little extra sway in her step as she approaches, fixing her best confident smile to her face as she draws closer. She strides inside confidently, ready to talk her way past whatever doorman may be present.

[Kirjath]

Stoneheart: In Search of Service

The alleyway between Drop Daisy and its neighbor, a diner that had long since closed shop, was empty of any unwanted company. Due to both adjoining stores having boarded up their windows, it was also incredibly dark down this path. Leaflets rustled in the evening breeze, and the usual amount of Royal City litter was scattered about as if it'd been specially dumped there. All in all, it was just a short, dark trip to the back of the bar. In front of the service entrance, there was a box truck parked with its cargo area open. Inside were a number of metal barrels, all more than likely containing alcohol in them. An odd hour for anything other than a special delivery, but the truck itself had no company name on it, and the license plate was more than likely fake. After a moment, the electronic whirr of a liftgate being activated filled the air as a man in a blue uniform stepped into view.

He was small, for a delivery driver, and he seemed rather lean for a guy that was supposed to be lifting heavy cargo for a day job. His skin was on the pale side too; it looked like he either made a lot of night time deliveries, or maybe he just didn't get out much. His arms were sleeved in rather intricate looking tattoos, though that wasn't a fairly unusual sight.

In any case, the liftgate quickly comes to a stop, and the worker disappears inside to move some of the barrels around. The service entrance seems clear for now.

Joker, Pixie: The Direct Approach

The bar door swings open without protest, clacking lightly against a door stop before swinging shut again. It's dim inside the bar, perhaps a bit too much even with more of those tacky neon lights, but it's easy to make out the number of patrons inside after a moment. Five guests are seated sporadically about the bar, heads dipped towards their drinks and not at all paying attention to the new arrival. One of them's probably asleep, though the bartender doesn't disturb their rest. Another patron is seated towards the back, next to a door marked "Management Only". Their eyes stare intently in your direction, though the rest of the onlooker is hard to make out. They're draped with a heavy coat despite the fact that it almost never rains in Royal City. And it's hotter than hell for most of the day.

Oddly enough, the bar seems much smaller on the inside than it should've been. And there's no sign of the earlier influx of patrons that should have been there.

Before you get more than two steps inside, a kindly looking lady behind the bar leans over the counter and gives the two new arrivals an appraising look. A glint of recognition is in her eyes as she spots Pixie, you can see it, but her eyebrows quirk as if she's trying to remember something. Whatever it was, she seems to give up after only a couple seconds.

"Are you kids lost?" She asks, her voice light and inquisitive despite the disparaging remark. "If you're tryin' to find Kindred Hospital, I think it's back across the bridge."

The hospital is indeed back beyond the bridge, though the way she said it sounded like a question. She waits hesitantly for a response, and even in the dim light it's easy to see the nearest bar patron hasn't taken a drink from their mug in quite a while. A little too long to be lost in thought.

"Hey...ain't you famous or somethin'?" She asks, her head tilting to the side in an attempt to process some information. "On the news or..."

Suddenly, her eyes widen with recognition. She steps back from the counter and snaps her fingers twice at the other patrons. Save for the figure at the back, the other five guests rise from their drinks, drawing various mundane weaponry from underneath the bar counter. You spot baseball bats and knives, and one even has a metal chain. None of them seem like tools of welcome and friendship. The bartender scowls at you as she crosses her arms.

"Listen," She growls, a much colder tone than before. "This ain't your ride, heroes. Turn back now, I won't ask again."

[Mr. E]

Stoneheart
Conditions: None
Potential: 0/5

'Huh,' Matias watches the faux-vampire delivery man disappear into his truck from the shadows of the alleyway. Sliding his phone out, he takes a photo carefully, trying to capture the man's pale face as he slides between the bar and the truck.

As the other gentleman disappears inside, Matias leans forward for a moment, before relaxing back into the shadows. It was tempting to rush into this, but he had time, didn't he? It was almost certain that the fight was not going to start for another half an hour*.

So Stoneheart stays lurking, eyeing up the truck and waiting to see if the man will reappear from inside, or drive off. There was no need to hurry - it wasn't like his teammates could have got into trouble already...

**Or, at least, so Matias confidently assumes from his expert knowledge of the underground fighting rings.

I think this is an assess [roll0]

Ah, well this'll end well, I'm sure :smallamused:

[Comissar]

Conditions - None

Kaya shakes her head as she's asked about being lost, then breaks into a grin as the beginnings of recognition dawn on the woman's face. She shakes her head again, hands up in the air as the atmosphere abruptly turns hostile, "Hey, whoa, no no no." She glances across the hostile faces, then back to the woman at the bar, "We only came here for some drinks! It wasn't even my turn to pick!" She shoots Joker a look, "Is this really your idea of a 'good place for a quiet time'?"

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: None
Potential: 1/5
Advances: 0

Things were already off to a bad start. Coming into the place might have been a good idea, he'd have known that all of this was a front. His mistake and not one he was particularly pleased about. It didn't help that they were spotted almost immediately. It was something else he really should have thought of and he was sure to kick himself in the head a few solid times once they got free of this mess. Because they were going to get out of this mess one way or another.

"I never promised a good place or a quiet time." He shoots back with usual dry tones, offering the least apologetic shrug a human could muster in their given situation. "Not that we'd get either of them with you around. Not that you want either, either." He glances to the bar and then draws one of many knives. "We're really not looking for trouble, how's about you just simmers down and we'll talk this through. We'll buy a few drinks, watch a few fights and tomorrow we'll all just laugh about this?"


Going for a Provoke. Or really a second Potential with my luck.

[roll0]


Yep...don't bother with the team unless you're all really feeling generous. I'll take what comes.

[Kirjath]

Stoneheart: In Search of Service

For once, in your storied history of stakeout training with Dromon, you don't have to wait long for something interesting to happen. The delivery driver exits back out from the truck, hopping off the lift gate and onto the dusty ground. He then turns to stare right in your direction. Not sorta-kinda in your direction, you could swear he looks you straight in the eyes. From that distance, it's surprising he would've even noticed you. Surprising, until a voice sounds directly behind you.

"Nice hoodie." The low, weary voice echoes as if emanating straight from the air. The bustling piles of leaflets quickly swirl into a small cloud and converge into the single form of a man. He looks exactly like the pale delivery driver, except he's not wearing a work uniform this time and his face has a rather sickly tinge to it. He's definitely older than you, but probably not by much. Early twenties perhaps, dressed in what looks to be a casual vest draped over a t-shirt that's way too long and pants that are looped way too low around his waist. His fashion sense is, in other words, atrocious.

A few things catch your eye immediately, the first is that the tattoos sleeving his arms definitely aren't for show. A number of them are now flickering in the low light of the evening, stretching and wavering as if they're trying to come to life. One looks like a pile of crumpled leaflets, and you quickly notice that the alleyway behind you seems much less littered than it was previously. Another is a tattoo that looks like a stick figure holding a box. The man from inside the truck smiles, gives a salute, and simply vanishes as if the night wind simply blew him away like dust. The tattoos both fade back into solid ink just moments later.

"Maybe wait a few years to start skulking around a bar, yeah?" He remarks casually, mimicking your posture of leaning into the shadows. A slow smile starts to creep into his sickly pale face as he relaxes against the outer wall of the building, but it's quickly interrupted by a small cough.

"You're not lost, not with how you've been scoping the back entrance out." He continues, sticking his hands in his pockets. "And you're definitely not one of them, so...you got tipped? Must've been some lousy info. Not a great start, yeah? Just go home, you're not ready for...whatever it is you're doing here."

Mark a condition, your choice.

Joker, Pixie: The Direct Approach

The bartender's eyes narrow at Joker's comments. She motions to the gathering thugs and they begin to encircle you. A couple of them start moving chairs and tables out of the way to clear some floor space.

"You think we're stupid, kid?" She jabs at the young thief from the safety of her bar counter. "You really look down on everyone else, don't you? Probably one of them prick hero types who thinks everyone's not as quick as they are."

"Well, I said I'd only give one warning."

The thugs charge at Pixie and Joker, swinging their weapons at an attempt to bring you down. They hold back, either due to some reticence to strike at young adults such as yourselves, or maybe due to some misguided form of chivalry, but their strikes are dangerous all the same.

All the while the patron in the back next to the door marked "Management Only" sits passively, watching the chaos unfold.

Both of you mark a condition, your choice

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: Angry
Potential: 2/5
Advances: 0

Well, ask stupid questions and expect stupid answers. "Yes." is all Joker has time to say before the thugs move in. Getting hit hurt and with a yelp he was quick to backpeddle closer to Pixie. Closing ranks, he'd have liked to think but really...he couldn't stand to watch either of his mates get hurt. Any other blows would have to go through him...not that he was eager for that. To wit, he'd have rather they just get on with getting on. "I think we all got off on the wrong foot." he tried, another knife appearing in his free hand to menace the two thugs.

[Comissar]

Conditions - Afraid, Insecure

Kaya lets out a surprised yelp, raising her arms up ahead of her face as she lurched backward, looking to try and shield herself from the worst of the incoming blows. She unexpectedly bumped into someone behind her, a glance over her shoulder giving her a moments comfort as she saw Joker beside her. Right. Time to be a hero. Shifting onto her back foot, she flared her wings up. "You know, you guys should really quit when you're ahead. Could've avoided all the hurt you're about to be taking."

Whirring her wings steadily faster, and feeling herself lift until she felt nearly weightless where she stood she abruptly darted forward at the nearest of the belligerent bar flies. Pushing off with her back foot, she swung around to land a roundhouse kick on him. A grin full of the confidence she didn't feel on her face, fading somewhat as she realised she'd mis-calculated her pirouette-kick. She was close, but she was going to land right next to the man she'd been aiming to lay out. Crap.

Rolling to directly engage, will edit the post once I have a result. Pixie will be marking Afraid from the condition the barmates inflict, and will also be taking Insecure to use Stage Fighting. Stage Fighting and Afraid are going to be cancelling out here :smalltongue:

Direct Engage - [roll0]

[Mr. E]

Stoneheart sighs, burying his hands deeper in his pockets. It was going to be one of these evenings, he could tell already. Hopefully the other two had had better luck getting into the building...

"You're criticizing me for s***ty intel, Mr. whatever-it-is-you're-doing-here?" Matias tries to sound more cocky than he actually is, while frantically racking his brains to remember anything about this guy.

"Honestly, I think you're just a fancy delivery guy. Tell me, Pizza Hut with the tats, if you know so much, what's really going on there? Don't say its just another fight, I'm not an idiot."

He rolls his shoulders slowly, feeling the concrete grind against his back. If he's going to do something this deliberately stupid, it's good to have his back against the wall, if only to make running away that little bit easier.

Stoneheart is going to go for the deliberately stupid approach, and try and Provoke this guy into giving him some more info: [roll0].

In addition, I think this probably qualifies for been reading the files: [roll1]. Let me know if it doesn't.

[Kirjath]

Team: 1

Stoneheart: In Search of Service

Of all the various records Dromon keeps on the riffraff of the city, you are perhaps least studied when it comes to Illusionists. Charlatans. At least, that's what you think this man is. It's hard to describe what his powers do in any other way than "probably magic", but nothing in your various searches comes to mind. It could be because he's young; he might not even have a criminal record yet. Or it could be for a thousand other reasons. Whatever the case is, you were woefully unprepared for this particular obstacle.

The man looks you up and down once more before cracking another smile. He rifles through his pockets for a moment before picking out his cellphone and checking the time. Seemingly satisfied, he stashes the phone and turns back to face you.

"Pizza delivery? That's funny, I actually used to do that. Hotel deliveries are a freakin' nightmare! Man I miss the tips though. Much better than this gig most nights. Cleaner conscience, y'know? Speaking of which, of course it's not 'just another fight'. This is Royal City, yeah?" He gestured lazily towards the distant light pollution from the Strip. "Everything's a show. Bigger, grander. More thrills, more money, more..."

Here he was interrupted by a small coughing fit. Whatever it was, it passes just as quickly.

"Anyways, I'm just one of the guard dogs." He remarks as he returns to lean against the brick wall. "A lookout, no one special. Just here to make sure no one messes up the competition and to wait for a few of the late 'guests' to show. Three of the hero types. Not sure why you wanna bust this kinda thing though, seeing as it was put together for your kind."

Mark potential for the miss on the Protege move. Otherwise, he has given you info from your successful provoke.

Joker, Pixie: The Direct Approach

It was quickly apparent that the thugs were at least not trying to kill you. Those with knives held them back and lashed out with their fists instead, the one with a baseball bat aimed mostly glancing blows for shoulders and thighs, and the one with the chain didn't even swing once. Of course, they don't get many swings in before the two heroes snapped into action. Unfortunately, Pixie unleashed a kick that was not at all practical in a bar fight. The intended recipient's eyes widened as he saw Pixie telegraph her attack, and he instantly snatched up a nearby stool to block the strike with one practiced swing. It seemed these men had more than just passing experience in this sort of thing, definitely not the usual bar patrons. Before he could bring the stool crashing down on the winged superstar however, Joker quickly flashed his own weapons at the encroaching assailants and for a brief moment, the chaos ceased.

The thugs paused, wary of closing the distance with the two heroes. None of them seemed eager to make a move. They were wondering how fast the knife nut was, wondering what the girl's powers were. It was one thing to rush in on a trespasser in a fancy costume. Those were a dime a dozen in Royal City, and half of them were just terrible actors in makeup. But the sudden display of Pixie's powers and Jokers own prestidigitation in producing a new knife made them suddenly shy.

"What're you kids even doing here?" One of the thugs broke the sudden silence as he growled at the two heroes. "Are you sidekicks or somethin'? Who's crazy enough to stick their nose in this kind of business anyways? If you don't want trouble, you can't be here tonight, alright? We gotta toss you out."

"Besides," he gave a have nervous glance over his shoulder towards the figure seated near the door marked "Management Only". "The boss is watching. Either you're out or things'll get real bad."

I'm having it as Joker's Defend stops the negative consequences from Pixie's miss in this instance. You're also given a brief respite to try another angle.

[Comissar]

Conditions - Afraid, Insecure

Kaya flashes Joker a quick grateful smile, internally cursing herself for being sloppy enough to need saving in the first place. The breathing space that had opened up after the first little scuffle got her mind racing, though. Wings twitching a little, she glanced to the thug who spoke up. With a quick shake of her head, she gave him a wry grin, "I'm nobody's sidekick, handsome. My name's Pixie, you might have heard of me, and if you haven't there are plenty that have." Ignoring the pounding in her chest, Kaya doubled down and kept rolling with her false bravado by jabbing a finger at the thug, "Now I know you've got your boss watching, but I'll be honest, I think we're above your pay-grade. So why don't you just let us speak to the manager and come to an agreement?"

Pixie's gonna roll to Provoke! Basically trying to get the thugs to back down and leave us be. Given the boss-guy the thug pointed to is still seated, I doubt she can provoke him currently, so she'll settle for the thugs just clearing out/getting out the way to give her and Joker a straight shot at the boss.

Provoking! - [roll0]

[Razade]

Joker
Conditions: Angry
Potential: 2/5
Advances: 0

Sebastian took a step back to smooth himself over, ever eager to look his level best. "Well, we're all kinda sidekicks if you think about it." he mutters, glancing around the room again as he takes another step closer to Pixie and close up ranks. "I think that sounds like a good idea. But what do I know, it might be the head trauma talking." The cool down gave him some time to think at least, not that he had much to add to the conversation at hand. They'd either listen or not.

Pixie's brand recognition was certainly good in its own areas but they might have avoided all this if they'd taken into consideration that it might also apply when trying to sneak past goons. They'd have to be clever about that in the future. Maybe a bag or something.

[Mr. E]

Stoneheart
Conditions: None
Potential: 3/5

Matias grins toothily as he leans against the wall, lips curling into a smile that threads a fine line between warm and predatory.

"Oh, you know," he says casually, "I don't really care, but business is business. You've gotta do what you've gotta do." Moving off the wall, Stoneheart strolls casually towards the charlatan. "And what about you? If its not about the pay, why bother? Some kind of medical deal, or gangs, or some other kind of s***? 'Cause, I'm just saying, we might be able to come to some kind of deal here..."

As he closes in, Matias focuses on the young man's face, eyes narrowing slightly. It's not that he would mind, particularly, if he had to beat the crap out of this guy, but he's ultimately not quite sure he could. On the one hand, he didn't seem that powerful, on the other, that was exactly Matias's own shtick*.

*Or so he likes to believe, anyway...

Sorry for the long lag. It was my brother's 21st this weekend, so I was busy celebrating instead of posting.

I guess this is a Pierce the Mask: [roll0]

Jeez :smallmad:

Anyone know where I can get a cheap goat? I think a blood sacrifice might be required...