Racoon City Heroes [IC]

[JNAProductions]

OOC Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?641983-Racoon-City-Heroes-OOC)


Marcy and Nathaniel have just finished a rousing game of some type of cards in Majesty's lab. Nathaniel is the victor, though both of you know it's just a game for fun. You take some time to clear the table, and head out, back into the sewers. You start your way through the maze of old tunnels and fetid garbage, when Nathaniel hears something. He motions for Marcy to move quietly, and creeps towards the sound. It sounds like... Singing?

Up above, Whisper and Steelheart are dropping off a mugger-they might not be officially registered Masks, but they've got at least enough clout to stop active muggings and deliver them to the good guys. The mugger is manacled, thanks to a pipe that was lying around and Steelheart's prodigious mechanical strength. He's ready to leave, when the cop who came out to get the criminal coughs expectantly. "The pipe?"
Lucky for him, his face is under a mechanical mask. But he does hold the mugger's hands while the cop gets a much less improvised set of handcuffs on him, and then bends the pipe enough to slip the mugger's hands out. With that little incident taken care of, the two of you start heading out, when you see something... Odd. Not harmful odd, just... Weird, even for you. There's a woman dancing on top of a manhole-and not a little dance either, full-on popping and locking.

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy looks to Nate, then back in the direction of the singing. Then back to Nate. Then back to the singing. Their lives haven't been normal for a while, but this goes almost beyond surreal. If her fellow crimefighter wasn't also aware of it, she'd have been inclined to write the whole thing off as a hallucination.

"You ever think we've been down here too long?" She opines at her old friend with a sigh. This could be an acoustic quirk. Or a monster. Or a particularly adventurous drunk. There was no way to tell how this was going to go. This was the sort of situation that, once upon a time, Marcy would've advised a cautious analytical approach for - a slow approach, careful listening and trying to make a judgement.

The young hero tightens her domino mask and checks the pockets of her voluminous greatcoat before stepping forward into the sewers, walking right towards the strange sound. They've spent quite enough time relaxing, and she's in no mood for delicacy. Unless Nate says something, she's quite ready to walk straight towards whatever this is - trusting in her new powers to protect her.

[Kaworu]

Nate wasn’t sure if coming all-front was the best idea, but he also didn’t want to argue with Marcy. So he just closed his eyes and focused his senses on the weird, unexpected singing. How many people there were? Were they heavy (he could tell as their movements would cause vibrations he would be able to detect)? Was there a faint scent of them in the air he could catch with his sensitive nose? Was there any other sound he could listen to and analyze?

He trusted that if they would be enemies, Marcy would be skillful enough to deal with them, but as yet they haven’t meet, he wanted to gather as much data as he could.


I am rolling for Unleash Your Powers to use my ability Supernatural Senses.

ROLL:

[roll0]

[2d6 - 1] [FREAK]

[JNAProductions]

Listening closely, Nate isn't able to make out more details from this distance. As you creep nearer and nearer, the singing takes more form, that of a pleasant alto voice. Unfortunately, with how dense and complex the tunnels are, you aren't fully sure how distant the singer is-they could be a few bends away, or an echoy mile.

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy grits her teeth, taking a second and letting Nate catch up before muttering to him. "We could be doing something more productive. We should be. But if this is something important..."

The young hero sighs. She takes a second to settle into a runner's stance, finding her center on the sewer path before ploughing straight ahead at a vastly greater speed. It's hard to even follow her legs moving - you can hear the rapid patter of feet, but to the eye Marcy almost seems to fly as she sprints towards the sound, arms raised, ready for whatever she might find.

Super strength and speed! Marcy's not Directly Engaging The Threat because she's not sure there is a threat and isn't going to come in swinging fists, but distance and barriers shouldn't be much of an issue if she's willing to use her powers.

[Kaworu]

- It's worth checking, at last - was all Nathaniel told Marcy. Then, he started running after her. It was not possible for him to catch with Majestry, of course, but he could be as close as his own body could allow him - and he was pretty much in shape, it should be underlined.

[roko10]

David - uh, THE INDOMITABLE STEELHEART! - approaches the lady as confidently and as non-threateningly as he could, before talking to her. "Swood moves, dear citizen, I am very much impressed! I do have to say that you're currently dancing on top of a manhole, however, which can hinder public servants of the city! It might be perhaps a good idea to dance somewhere else, perhaps in a more crowded area so more citizens could appreciate your sweet dance!"

[JNAProductions]

I am laughing SO HARD at that post. I love it. I love it so much.

The woman does not answer-her eyes are only half-open, flickering, like in a deep sleep.

[truemane]

Whisper smiled and shook her head as she watched as Steelheart approached the woman in his very.... unique.... way. As he engaged her (or rather, tried to), she used her telekinesis to lift herself into the air about twenty feet and check to see if there was anything else going on.

At the same time, she reached out telepathically to see if she could get a better sense of what was going on with the woman.

Let me know if I should roll either Assess the Situation or Unleash my Powers.

[JNAProductions]

Whisper reaches out, mentally, and touches the woman's mind as she floats herself up. The surrounding area is clear-it's late, and this is some sewer maintenance plant, so no one much is about. In the woman's surface thoughts, you get about what you'd expect from someone in deep sleep-a bunch of strange dreams, thoughts about the day before, worries about the future, all mishmashed together in an incoherent jumble. But behind all that is a constant-a simple melody, playing endlessly, in every thought.

[truemane]

Whisper double tapped the communicator device pinned to her costume. "Steelheart," she said, "She thinks she's asleep. But there's some kind of musical signal influencing her thoughts. Can you scan for radio signals, or transmissions of any kind?"

She liked Steelheart, and they worked well together, but she was still getting the hang of what his suit could do and what it couldn't.

[roko10]

"I shall try to scan for radio waves now, Whisper!" Steelheart bombastically exclaimed, before saying "Hey Doddle, do you scan any radio waves in the area" in a far more subdued and sheepish manner. He's not sure how well the various extra and warranty-breaking features he had added on Doddle would work, but no time like the present to find out, right?


Doddle being basically knockoff Siri, albeit one that's been modified by Steelheart to have more functions. Whether it works well or not, though, is another question; it's not exactly Jarvis considering it's running on a smartphone processor.

I'm guessing this qualifies as Unleash Your Powers, so
Freak:[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

"Scanning... Scanning... Scanning..." Doddle says in Steelheart's helmet. It begins to list various radio stations that operate in Racoon City, but Steelheart quickly specifies for Doddle to search for unusual radio waves.

"Oh. Okay. Scanning... Scanning... Oddity detected!" Doddle adds, finishing the search. Steelheart is the only one to notice a shift in Doddle's tone. "Playing 'Tunes For The Dead', track eighteen."

Without saying a word, Steelheart smashes the manhole open as track eighteen's gentle melody bewitches him. The dancing woman falls in, with Whisper feeling a sudden spike of wakefulness and panic as the motion of the fall wakes her up. She lands hard, cutting off the mental link with the burst of pain. Steelheart starts to lower himself in, before he realizes Wait-this isn't right. He has just enough self-awareness to mute Doddle, and finds himself back in control of his own body.

The woman's screams are already growing fainter.

A decent distance below the surface, Majesty and Sewer Rat here a massive BANG! of a manhole being blasted open. The music doesn't stop, but they hear a deep, swarthy chuckle. "Ah, perfect!"

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy's pace only intensifies as the blast rings out. That did not sound good, and they couldn't take this slower. "Let's go!" Any remaining obstacles in her path are batted away or pounded down by a super strong fist as Majesty charges straight for the chuckling sound. Whatever was going on, it's already in motion. They need to go in hard and fast.

[roll0] Danger to Directly Engage A Threat.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat just followed his friend. He kinda did not know what to think of it all - it was happening all too fast, he hadn't had time to think - but just going after Majestry shouldn't be a bad choice, right?

[roko10]

The second David breaks out of the music's control, he immediately starts to panic over what he has done. "Oh no. NonononononoNO!" He turns towards Whisper, and in a very non-hammy way says "I'm going in! I have to save her!" before jumping into the manhole and running in the direction of the woman's screams.

[JNAProductions]

Majesty and Sewer Rat run ahead, and encounter a man in fine purple robes. He's tall, though not exceptionally so, and is humming and dancing along to an old record player. Dancing with him are gaunt, contorted bodies-barely any thinker than skeletons, but with just enough muscle to keep it going.

If either of you are up-to-date on Mask history, you'll recognize this as the Necrodancer-a mystical chemist who uses the power of song (and copious drugs) to make the dead rise. No one's quite sure how much is magic and how much is science of what he does, but at a minimum, he's lived far longer than he has any right to-he was in his 60s when he started in the Golden Age.

Choose which option you'd like for Directly Engaging, and narrate accordingly.

Steelheart drops down, and crashes through an old walkway, leaving him thoroughly soaked in sewage. He ignores that, though, and focuses on the woman-she's being dragged away faster than the current has any right to be moving, and Steelheart can see small ripples of something tugging her along while swimming.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat wasn't putting a lot of thinking in what he did. He saw the Necrodancer, he rushed at him with his powerful blows. It was obvious to him that he was controling his victims due to his singing. But, if his throat could get clenched... no singing, no mind-puppets. Easy like that.

With this somehow consoling thought, he spread his arms, aiming at the enemy.


DIRECTLY ENGAGING A THREAT:

[roll0]

(Danger: 0)

EDIT: 10! Yay! :3

Okay, so I avoid his blows and I take something away from him - the ability to sing.

EDIT2: Okay, silly me ^^ Is his singing the source of the control, or the music player? Maybe I am aiming at the player instead?

Sorry, I got lost xD

[Inspector Valin]

Nice Kaworu!

JNA remember - we're Trading Blows as well as the option, so the Necrodancer takes a condition and Marcy either takes one, or is set up to Take A Powerful Blow (Unless I choose to dodge). That choice is on you, GM. :smallwink:

For my part, I'd like to say Marcy makes a good impression. Necrodancer's weird, but he does things no one else can - that's impressive to Marcy and she'd like to know more about him. As such...

Majesty is, of course, right there with her friend. Moving in time with the beat, she ducks and swerves around the dancing zombies: coming close to the leader of the dancing zombies without missing a beat. "Nice to... meet an old pro." She gives the strange chemist a tip of the head, a bow of honest respect before lunging forward, ready to go blow for blow with the curious villain.

[JNAProductions]

Majesty, Take A Powerful Blow.

It is the music in general that works with the minions, but since stopping him from singing would be something like tearing his vocal folds out, let's just hit the record player. :P

Majesty is the first one in, and she gives her compliment alongside an attempted pummeling. The Necrodancer weaves and bobs, just as in-time with the music, getting a touch roughed up in the process. "Dance, my minions!" he crows, and a half-dozen skeletal things leap at Majesty, tearing her away from the villain.

He turns to face her, preparing a gloat, when Sewer Rat drops in and punts the record player against a wall. It breaks, spilling some kind of toxic fluid onto the ground, and the music grinds to a halt. "You-" the Necrodancer starts, before eating a fist.

The minions haven't stopped their attacks on Majesty, but you can visibly see them working in a less coordinated fashion-without the music, they're a little sluggish, and a lot confused.

[Inspector Valin]

"Nice work, S. R!"

Marcy shares a grin with Nate before turning her attention back to the minions. She's tough, but there's a lot of them, coming at her at once. A few quick bars of motion have Majesty on the back foot, block after block as the group begin to encircle her. One of the dancers lunges forward, aiming right at her back...

And its clawed hands don't even manage to scrape her chitinous skin. Marcy swats the errant zombie away with a powerful backhand, batting it into another opponent as she starts to get back on the offensive.

[roll0] Take a Powerful Blow

[JNAProductions]

"You ruined my concert!" he shouts at Sewer Rat. "Control your minion, woman!" he adds to Majesty.

[Inspector Valin]

"My minion?" That turn of phrase got a chuckle from Majesty. After all, they started out more the other way around. Perhaps it was the scrap of humour, perhaps it was the prospect of conversation, but either way she raises a hand. "Give me a second, Rat?"

If her partner in crimefighting seems agreeable, Marcy turns back to the elderly villain with a raised eyebrow. "Necrodancer, what are you even doing down here? The sewers aren't known for their acoustics. We assumed you'd come down here to attack us, but if that isn't it..." she beckons, inviting the old guy to comment.

[roll0] Trying to Pierce the Mask on Necrodancer. Marcy's not sure what he's up to, and since he's a bit of an oddball, maybe a better understanding of the guy can help with that. He did attack them when they showed up, so he was probably up to no good in some way, but... he's an old guy wandering around the sewer alone. It's worth checking to make sure he is evil and not just a bit confused.

EDIT: So that's a success! 'What are you really planning?' seems like a good way to frame what Marcy wants to know.

[roko10]

"Halt, evildoer! In the name of justice, I'll stop you from going any further!" Steelheart sprints as fast as he can towards whatever is dragging the woman along, pushing his suit and himself to the limit to save her from its vile clutches.


[roll0]

EDIT: Phooey, that's a real good roll. I'll choose to add a Team to the pool.

[JNAProductions]

Steelheart rushes onwards, and smacks the weird, gross, emaciated corpse dragging the woman. The body shrieks, and tries to hit Steelheart to no effect, but it gives him enough leverage to shove it off the woman.

He lifts her from the sewage, eliciting a yelp of pain as his metallic gauntlet brushes her broken bones, but she's at least not in immediate danger. For the moment.


"Why would I care about your little home down here? You're a subdweller who barely interacts with society," he says, seemingly oblivious to the offensiveness of his words. "I am working to bring back the proper way of life to society! Where men were men, women were women, people knew their places!"

From his words, and your general knowledge of him, you'd have to think he's trying to revert society. Not to the stone age or anything-but he's old. He's set in his ways. He remembers what life was like before heroes, before... Well, a lot of good progress. But he's a crochety old white man, and he thinks the old days were better, so he's trying to get those rose-tinted glasses working.

What exactly that has to do with him here in the sewers, though, you've got NO CLUE.

I want this to be a fun game. That means that, if anyone here has real-life experience with racism, sexism, bigotry of any kind really, or just plain don't want that in this game for whatever reason, let me know.

The Necrodancer hasn't been so established that it'd be weird to retcon anything, so up front, let me know how real-world bad I can get.

[Inspector Valin]

"And you're doing that in Raccoon City?"

It's almost enough to get Majesty to double over laughing. The domino-masked daredevil has to stifle a chuckle all the same, as she waves a hand upward. "This place suffered unparalleled destruction, a death toll that still reaches into legend, rebuilding work that's still going to this day. And none of that was because people didn't know their place - it was because those in charge cut corners, ignored safety warnings and put profit over people's lives. None of that's some new change to the system - it's how power structures historically have always worked."

That thought does make Marcy look a touch bitter. She wouldn't have had that take on her city's past a few months ago. She takes a deep breath before returning her focus to the villain. "You've lived in this city a long time, Necrodancer. You were here back in the day. You have to have lost someone to The Incident, correct? A coworker, a friend, someone you just used to see on the street..."

I don't want to make a move just yet - this is for continuing RP and banter, but I'm passing the spotlight here to Sewer Rat so Kaworu can get an action. If he doesn't want one, this can set up a move for Marcy with my next post.

[roko10]

Having caught the woman, David's first priority is to vehemently apologize to the woman for what he accidentally did. "Ma'am I'm so sorry I'll bring you to safety now I promise!"

Steelheart then looks for the nearest sewer exit; he's pretty sure he's far away from where he first entered the sewers, but maybe there's another manhole nearby that he can use to safely bring the woman to the surface and then call 911? Man, my allowance can't come any sooner, I really need the smartglasses, huh...


[roll0]

...Well, that was a miserable failure. At least I got potential out of it?

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat just allowed Marcy to talk with the Necrodancer, crossing his arms and trying to look menacing. He wasn't sure if talking with this guy was the best option - personally, he would just like to hit him really hard - but maybe Majestry had something on her mind? Well, let's her work her magic - perhaps the villain will see some reason?

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy doesn't need much persuasion to keep talking. She's getting more passionate as she goes, her words coming from the heart. "This city is strange. Special. And it's special in part because we move on, even in the face of tragedy. We look to the past, we learn from it but if you just repeat what came before, cling to a vision of the old Raccoon City..."

She shares a sad chuckle with the Necrodancer, as she gestures around the sewer. "You end up where the wreckage of old Raccoon City did. Down here, with rubbish like me."

Oh how I do love a flexible system

Directly Engaging the Threat - with words! :smallbiggrin: Trying to persuade Necrodancer he's being wrong headed. Though I figure if this doesn't work, Necrodancer probably attacks Marcy on his way out. I might be going emotional, that doesn't stop him going physical. [roll0]

Edit; Okay, woot! JNA, do you have a preference for what options I take here? IDK if you want Necrodancer to run while rattled or this potentially to be a social encounter Marcy and Nate might win - how you want the scene to play reflects what options I'd go for.

[JNAProductions]

Near the surface, the woman clings to Steelheart's suit. "Thank you," she says as Steelheart searches for a good way out. It wouldn't be too hard to make it back to where you came in-though while you could get the woman out with relative ease, the crumbled manhole area would make getting the mechsuit out rather difficult.


The Necrodancer shakes his head while Marcy talks. "You're wrong, wrong, wrong," he says, though he doesn't sound so sure. "If people knew their places, it wouldn't've had to be this way! If they did... I'd still have her..."

The gaunt minions have regrouped, but with a whistle and a quick tune, the Necrodancer calls them to heel. He looks distraught, confused, and a touch angry-but it's not directed at you, at least. He moves, humming to himself, towards the wreckage of the record player. "This was an antique, nowadays-I bought it in New York, in one of the first record shops. They make new ones, of course, but they're not the same. They don't have the history these do."

[Inspector Valin]

This remark gets a somber look from Marcy. She nods, "It's the Ship of Theseus. Replace every working part, with a copy so close as to look identical, and it's still somehow not the same." Majesty takes a long look at her own gloved hand following those final words, lost in silence briefly. Perhaps it's her curiosity, perhaps it's her empathy but all of a sudden she doesn't feel that far removed from the Necrodancer. A loss you can't get over, lashing out...

No. This sounds more specific. Regardless of his mental state, blaming 'kids these days' for the loss of a loved one is an odd leap. Unless he was somehow...

The man is a scientist, his powers aside. And has been around a long time. If he does have actual knowledge of the relevant history...

Majesty threads her fingers as she begins speaking, looking contemplative. She needs an idea to try and smooth this over a bit, and while it's not an easy sell, she just might have one. "You know... there might be another nearby. How well do you know the northern suburbs?" She waves a hand towards the ceiling, indicating the rough direction. "If you go far enough, around Arkley county, there's a bunch of old construction. Hollywood mansions, ghost towns, all sorts of things dating back decades. A lot of it got abandoned after the Incident - no one wanted to be within a hundred miles of Raccoon City after that, and apparently the area was one of the worse hit outside the city center."

It was always rural, so not much may have changed. Marcy'd already picked up an old map and had it open in her lab, marking out spots of interest. "I'd been thinking about heading out that way with S. R. and our friends, see what we can find if they're down for a trip. Best part of this 'official hero' job, investigative authority." She withdraws one of the badges Avi had shared with the team, showing it to the Necrodancer and Nate with a grin. "We could keep an eye out for a matching model? Even see if there's a collection to go with it. Long shot, but if we're going over the area anyway it's at least a chance. There's a lot of old, rich spots out there that ended up abandoned due to B.O.W. fears: rich people love to make things look old, so they'd snap up classic record players if they could find them."

JNA, if I'm going too far with the fluff here, please shoot me down. I'm just trying to improv forward rather than checking and then writing stuff - happy to edit/cut this if you have different thoughts on what the area should be like.

[JNAProductions]

He pauses a moment. "I... Appreciate that. It's not needed, though-I do have more record players," he says. "Why are you being so kind? I'm a criminal-a villain. Hell, if I walked the streets above, I'd be arrested! I don't understand."

The incident wasn't that long ago-but Racoon City could have old stuff there. Let's let it stand.

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy smiles, shaking her head at the old man's remark. "Heh. I'm a runaway. If I'm seen out of costume up top, I'll get brought in just as fast."

The hero chuckles. Seemingly content for now, she leans back against the outer wall, closing her eyes for a brief second. "You're working in the sewers. You're tired, alone, stressed out and trying to make the world make sense. I can relate to that."

And isn't that the truth. Refocused, Majesty meets the Necrodancer with a heartfelt look. "I think you've pushed yourself too far, that you're not thinking this through. Trust me, being isolated and desperate can lead to you making bad decisions. If you start some 'dancing zombie invasion', we'll be back to fighting. But that doesn't mean I want to fight. I'd rather we end it like this. Maybe you come back to my lab, we make some tea, talk morphology in modern viral bioengineering, or reminisce about Raccoon City's better times."

Maybe that is wrong. Maybe this old man's done terrible things. But... he's old, tired, desperate and can maybe help her. Marcy wants to believe that empathy is driving her onward, this is very relatable ground to her, (and who wants to beat up an old man?) but that little trace of self interest in the back of her mind is nagging at her. How do we know where our own feelings start and stop?

Either way, she gives the old villain her best smile and offers her hand. If this ends the fight, it ends the fight. This feels like it'd be win enough for her.

[truemane]

From her tactically superior (if somewhat suboptimal in terms of actual engagement) Whisper hears the sounds (and sense the emotions) of conflict below. A couple of times she thought maybe she'd just swoop on down there and see what was happening, help out if she could. But she figured someone had to watch everyone's back.

Plus she didn't want to be too bossy.

Plus it was gross down there. Really gross. Fighting crime was one thing, but sewers are.... gross.

Really gross.

As the sounds and sense died down, she lowered herself to the street. And she called out, "Is everything okay in there?"

[JNAProductions]

Necrodancer takes her hand. "You've got a lab down here?" he asks. "I wouldn't mind seeing it."


Up above, Steelheart trudges back with the woman. He helps her out, with Whisper helping him get her out safely. The two of you help get her as comfortable as possible in Steelheart's metallic grip, and he speeds off towards the nearest hospital. He doesn't charge as much as an ambulance.

End scene? I think end scene.

Also, does Avi know of Sewer Rat's identity NOW, or is she still in the dark? I had written half a scene of y'all in civilian clothes, before I realized that's not been established.

[roko10]

Steelheart responds to Whisper's probe with a "INDEED, WHISPER! I have successfully saved the lady from whatever tried to drag her away! Seems like his boisterousness has been mostly restored.

Steelheart climbs out the sewer not long after, though perhaps with some telekinetic aid by Whisper. Hard to climb up a ladder when you're wearing bulky armor and are trying to carry a woman as gently as possible, after all. The woman's request of being carried by Steelheart to the hospital raised some questions, but he obliged nonetheless. It's the least he could do, especially considering he was kind of responsible for her broken bones in the first place.

After safely dropping off the woman in the hospital, Steelheart (though maybe with a bit of David talking) turns to speak to Whisper. "So! That was somewhat ludicrous, citizens shouldn't have to pay for an ambulance, especially in Racoon City... But regardless! I have found that there was something skulking around in the sewers and who dragged around that poor woman. Mayhaps we should check in on our compatriots in the dark* to see if they have found any clues to who it is?

*Majesty and Sewer Rat.

[Inspector Valin]

"Sure! I've been stocking it back up. Got some... long term work to do down here."

Marcy doesn't seem reserved about that. Everyone learning the location of her lab would be a problem, but since at least one monster knows of it absolute secrecy isn't a priority. She turns, ready to lead the pair back the way they came. "S. R., want to see if you can go two for two at poker? He beat me before we started patrol, now you've got a new opponent."

[JNAProductions]

Majesty and Sewer Rat lead Necrodancer to her lab. He forgets about your invitation to poker, as he starts to go over all the equipment. You hear a mixture of "Hm"s, some of approval, some of disdain, but he's a polite enough guest to not go all out on bashing your cobbled lab. One of you gets a text from Steelheart, checking in and explaining what just happened to him and Whisper, and asking if you want to meet up top-side to discuss. After spending around ten minutes settling Necrodancer in and making sure he'll behave himself, you head up. To...

The Plush Pony! A small ice cream parlor near the reconstruction zone, it's owned by Matthew McGee, a blind and kind man with excellent taste in creamed ice. He's usually the only one working, though he does have a few employees.

It's here that you meet, a few hours down the line. You order your treats, and catch up on school and such while the ice cream is prepped, as well as while the other few patrons start to head out. "Avi, your order's ready!" Matthew calls from the behind the counter. He sets the cones and sundaes on the serving counter for you to grab, and two of you head over to bring it all to the table.

As you're about to dig in, Avi gets a call, from Aleksandr. "Avidhayya. I read an online article today, titled 'Dancing Woman Saved By Steelheart'. I would like to talk to you about it."

You look around, checking to make sure you're private enough to talk in the parlor. Luckily, you are. You're also a little surprised that there'd be something up already-Steelheart tends to get noticed, of course, but that's some fast turnaround for an article.

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy looks... almost unrecognizable to those who knew her prior to becoming Majesty. Which of course is intentional - she can't be seen above ground after all, and spending time with others is a good way to get spotted. Today she's opted for a band hoodie with the logo of Silent Goddess, dark grey denims and has quickly dyed her hair an electric blue. She takes the inner corner seat of the table, tapping away at a tablet while occasionally interjecting her two cents into the conversation. She's here, she is Participating, she's a member of the team, she's just multitasking. Being productive.

Aaand this is usually a bit less awkward than face to face conversation with Avi, since they... since she... even the thought is enough to make Marcy blush a little and resume furiously tapping away at her research notes.

[Kaworu]

Nathaniel went back home, changed his clothing – his superheroing black suit and mask into blue jeans and some random t-shirt – and went out with his friends.

It was nice to be out with them, to grab some ice-cream and chat with the folks. Really nice.

- Something wrong? - he asked Avi, when she received her phone.

[truemane]

Avi smiles a strained smile and gives her friends an apologetic look and scuttles to a the private-est corner she can manage, given the surroundings.

"Hey! Aleks! That... uh.... article went up fast, yeah? I bet the copyediting was atrocious."

Sometimes you could distract Aleks with a good ole fashioned 'the kids these days.'

[roko10]

It took David a good long while for him to run back home, stow away the Steelheart armor, and then get to the Plush Pony, but he does make it... eventually. After ordering the usual (chocolate-vanilla-chocolate ice cream!), he walks to the rest of the team (wait, they didn't have a name yet, right? That should kind of be amended ASAP) and plunks down the seat.

"So, what have you guys been up to? There was this dancing lady who was hypnotized in doing so by a music track, and when I tuned in I kinda broke the manhole lid she was dancing on, so she kinda fell into the sewers," He laughs awkwardly, most likely due to his nerves. "I mean, I did save her from a something that was dragging her deeper and brought her back up, but I still feel kinda guilty... Anyway, considering she got dragged into the sewers, I have a sneaking suspicion that someone there is behind the weird mind-controlling music, which led me back to you two. Do you guys have any leads on who's responsible?"

[JNAProductions]

"Da. It was atrocious! Written by an amateur, for sure. But," he says, "I fear for what this means. I have told you stories, of my work-and of the villains I dealt with. One was a strange man-musical, smart, and old. He called himself the Necrodancer, and this sounds like something he would do. If you find him, tell me-I have some words I should say to him, as well as advice on how to beat him."

His tone is measured, even, and to the unobservant or ignorant, completely calm. But Avi can, underneath the outside layer, hear that her mentor clearly has bad blood with this villain.

[Inspector Valin]

David's story got a wince from Marcy at the part about breaking the manhole cover. Still, at his question she does look up, seemingly a little curious herself. "That might've been the old guy we ran into today. He was ranting a bit about the city, had some BOWs animated that looked like they were responding to his music. I didn't think it'd reach above ground, but..."

She shrugs - hard to measure something like that without test data. Regardless, she should probably finish the story for the other. "He wasn't much of a threat. Nate broke his record player, and I talked him down afterwards. He was just desperate, lashing out rather than thinking things through. We left him in my lab with a hot drink to try and give him some space and time to feel better." Marcy chuckles, leaning back and bringing her tablet back up. "I know I'm glad Nate gave me that. Need to pay it forward."

[roko10]

David frowns upon hearing what Marcy was saying. "Marcy, he hurt people, and you're just going to let him off with a slap on the wrist? Seriously? I mean, setting aside what he really intended, there were at least a few people that got mind-controlled or worse with his tunes. Sure, I saved one lady that got controlled by him, but what if there were more that got caught in the crossfire?"

[Inspector Valin]

"From what you're saying, the woman you ran into was more at risk from you than the music."

Marcy usually keeps her comments on Steelheart's ineptitude to herself, but this hit a bit too close to home. She has a bias here, she knows that, but all the same... she fixes Dave with a steely gaze over the upper rim of her tablet. "Nate smashed the 'dancer's record player as soon as we found him. If there was a danger to the city it ended there - he wasn't an active threat. So what you're saying is that we should've physically incapacitated a sixty year old man because of something that might have happened? Had him locked away for potential future danger rather than... trying to talk him through his problems and giving him a chance to heal?"

The young Kline sighs, placing her off hand to her forehead. "The only reason I do this is to help people. Beating up a chemist whose older than my dad is not 'helping'. Nor is chucking him in a cell so the R.C.P.D. can up their quarterly budget."

[Kaworu]

Nathan hold up his hands, trying to calm down his two friends.

- Please, do not argue, okay? - he asked, in a tranquil voice - Whatever we did, I am sure we had not caused any disturbances. And I am sure, Steelheart, you too did not do such a thing. So we are all fine, aren't we? - he inquired.

[roko10]

"Look, Marcy, I was mind controlled into doing it!" David responds defensively. "Avi asked me to scan for radio waves, which I did, and then my body just went on autopilot!" He sighs. "Look, I get what you're saying here, but please don't blame me too much, okay? It's not my fault I was completey blindsided by mind-controlling music, I'm not exactly immune to hypnosis...

Taking a spoonful of his three-stacker icecream, he then continued, being far calmer than he was before. "Yeah, we're fine, Nate. Don't worry. I get why you guys don't want to slug a sixty-year old, it's just... he kinda had a bit of a reputation, so I just assumed the worst. But, if what you're saying is correct, then the Necrodancer probably isn't the reason why me and the lady got mindcontrolled. I mean, I kinda thought he was finally using newer tech and live-streaming his music, but you said that he was only using an old record player when you encountered him, so that's out of the question. Plus that would kinda be out-of-character for him to do, so yeah. Sorry about jumping to conclusions."

David takes another spoonful, while speaking at the same time. "Still, this means that there's probably another supervillain dwelling down in the sewers and kidnapping people with the power of music. I mean, I did smash the manhole lid, but I'm pretty sure she'd get shoved down there and dragged away even if I wasn't there. I mean, why else was there a B.O.W at the ready to drag her deeper in the sewers the moment she fell? It's just... kind of alarming, that's all. Were there any mysterious disappearances in Racoon City lately? Because I feel like that might be linked."


Shift Freak down, Mundane up: David basically points out that he got completely blindsided by the ghost signal and didn't really have any powers that could make him immune to it.

[Kaworu]

Nate got silent, thinking about what Dave had said. He was eating his own ice cream (big chocolate one with a lot of toffii topping and fresh nuts on that - yummy!), getting lost in his own mind. It was true that Necrodancer controlled bodies through music... but from an old record player Nate himself destroyed. And the signal that controlled the lady was broadcasted in some radio frequency. This was a logic conclusion that there's been two sources of "dark magic music", while the second - them radio waves - was probably more technological than magical (nobody knows how to classify Necrodancers'... stuff).

Does that mean that the main culprit was still at large? Nate asked himself, eating his ice cream with a grave face.

[truemane]

Avi could hear Marcy and Dave arguing in the background and she felt like she needed to get over there and intervene and play diplomat between them. But she couldn't just hang up on Aleks. Her jaw tensed and her heart sped up.

"Aleks?" she said, her voice low but tense, "You wanna tell me what you're really trying to say?"

She didn't want to tell him they'd already made friends with the guy. But she didn't want to keep it a secret either.


Piercing the Mask!
[roll0]

EDIT: "What do you want me to do?"

[JNAProductions]

He wants a few things.

He wants you to stay safe-he cares about you!
He wants you to continue along your heroic path.

But, right now, what he really wants is an excuse to come and show Necrodancer exactly how he feels, or at least see him brought to justice by you. There's bad blood between them.

There's a pause on the phone. Aleks is silent for a second, then a few more. "I want you to find him, and take care of him. Send him to prison-lock him up."

[Inspector Valin]

Marcy does keep her mouth shut as Nate steps in to try and quell the argument. She's silent as Dave gives his side, finally taking a breath before offering her own. "You know, if you'd told me you were under mind control, I wouldn't have called you a danger to her. You assumed fault when none was warranted. Next time, lead with that."

Not quite an apology, but it's at least some acknowledgement that her initial assessment was wrong. Seemingly viewing this coupled with her comrade's words as a resolution of the matter, Marcy plows onward. "That sounds like an accurate assessment. There's also the fact that we heard his music from some distance out. It didn't affect me or Nate, despite having plenty of time to do so. And I don't think either of us are more immune to mind control than you."

She takes a second at that to reconsider her words - both of them are metahuman (now) so that might be an actual factor... Marcy makes a mental note to bear that in mind, before returning to the immediate. "So you're right - we need to actually investigate this. Two musical threats in close proximity is an unlikely coincidence. And the one who targeted you could very well still be out there." She taps a finger on the rim of the table, pondering the best next step for a second before looking back to Dave. "Do you still have the frequency of the broadcast saved on your suit?"

[Kaworu]

- Well - Nate interrupted - if it is not a coincidence, we can always ask Necrodancer. He is a friend of ours now... I hope - he finished somehow awkwardly - If it is really a coincidence, then we can always do something else about that. I am sure that the uncatched villain will be broadcasting his song again, and then the radio signal can lead us to the source. Whatdaya think?

[roko10]

"I have the frequency recorded in my helmet, yeah, but the Steelheart suit is in my secret hideout*, so..." David replied. "It's probably best if we track the source down and stop the villain as soon as possible, who knows how many innocents can get dragged down by the ghost frequency?"

He nods approvingly to what Nate says. "Nate makes a really good point here, we can probably ask the Necrodancer for help. Even if his tech... magic... whatever works differently from our new rogue, he could help us in tracking them down or in creating some countermeasures for him."

*In a shed behind David's house.

[truemane]

Avi's heart jumped again and she felt the pressure of indecision tighten her temples. She was going to get one of her headaches. She could just feel it.

"Um, Aleks," she said, not even sure what she was going to say, "I'll... uh... have to call you later."

And she hung up.

Now she felt like a liar and a coward.

She walked back to the table at a much lower energy level than she left it.

"Dave?" she asked, "I know you're a buff about this stuff. Do you know anything specific that went on between Goliath and Nerdomancer?"

Her cheeks blushed a bit. She really didn't want to lie to her teammates. And she hadn't. Not yet. But this was all perilously close.

[roko10]

David's eyes light up when Avi asks him about what happened between Golliath and Necrodancer, as is the case whenever he gets to talk about capes. "Oh, I know tons! Well, there was this time in the Silver Age where the Necrodancer somehow managed to get the rest of the East Coast Masks under his control in addition to his undead minions, and almost made them all dance to death had Golliath not interfered and snapped them out of it with his world-class telepathy! There's also the time that the Necrodancer literally tried to bring "disco back from the dead" and somehow revived the actual spirit of Disco, who then gave Golliath a hell of a time while also reminding him of... well, darker times. I mean, no offense to Mr. Rahmanov , Avi, he's super cool and awesome and one of the greatest heroes of all time, but his fashion sense during the 70s..." David shudders at the very thought, which also doubles as a convenient way for him to catch his breath for a bit.

Anyway, that was it for major Goliath vs. Necrodancer events, unless you count that one time that the Necrodancer kind of revived his dead parents... in front of him... and forced them to dance a silly jig... all just to humiliate him. In his first month of superheroing. David falls silent once he realizes the gravity of the thing he mentioned. "Uh, guys? No offense, but I don't think Mr. Rahmanov would be very happy to know that we're now pals with one of his personal nemeses."

[Kaworu]

Nate was still eating his ice cream (this time to make him a little bit happier), but was quiet. Was it really a good idea to offer Necrodancer their help and support? Of course, he could help Marcy - and this was enough reason for Sewer Rat - but what if... they made some kind of error? Plus fact, Goliath would be furious if he only knew. And he was important for Avi.

This all was very complicated and it seemed like there was no right choice. So he just put a bit of chocolate iced cream in his mount (nuts were crunchy, and the toffii topping just delicious) and was silent for a moment.

[truemane]

Avi listened to everything Dave said with increasing dread. A small spike of pain set itself in her temples and started to press against the inside of her brain. She put a hand to her head and her brow furrowed.

"Oh man," she said, her voice a pale reflection of her normal confident tone, "This is bad. Aleks.... Goliath... Mr. Rahmanov... knows about this whole tussle. And he wants us to send Necrodancer directly to jail."

A pause. A shrug.

"And he knows best, right? We're just kids."

[Kaworu]

- I am not so sure - started Nate with a small voice - I'm not into necromancy myself, but we have reached our hand towards him and extended our aid. It would be... unseemly to back down now. Plus he might be a necromancer, but he is just a old guy. With a knack towards science. I mean, if he will start... misbehaving - he got lost for a moment, trying to catch the right word - then we can put him in jail. But only then - he stressed that.

- Also, I am not sure if your mentor is the right kind of person to make judgement. Since he has personal history with Necrodancer, he might wanna... well, get a revenge. Which is easily confused with justice, but the actual difference is enormous.

- I know - he continued - how you value Goliath. And I know that Necrodancer had made him suffer in the past. However, I would like for all of us just to give him a chance. At least because of Marcy's condition. So as long, as it won't be absolutely necessary, do not tell your mentor about Necrodancer, okay? I do not ask you to lie to him outright... most of the time - Nate said awkwardly - just to withold some information. Because of the moral context. Can you do it? - he asked, smiling slightly at his friend.

[JNAProductions]

The phone rings again-Alek's number.

[Inspector Valin]

"That's..."

Marcy seems to have trouble contributing much to the conversation since Avi came back. She's visibly tense, glaring at Dave through his trip down super-villain historica. She wants badly to argue, to contest this likely fancified and half fabricated account but...

But it's Avi. Her mentor's request. Her aspirations and future. It's important, she can't just swat that aside. She needs evidence, proof, a solid argument. She needs...

Something she doesn't have just yet. Instead Marcy seems to deflate a little. She puts her tablet to one side, taking a hefty portion of her sundae before slowly sharing her honest feelings with the group. "Necrodancer's a good chemist. And I can talk to him. I..."

She looks away from the group, staring into her chair as she mutters the final words. "I really could use his help. And he seems like he'd be willing to help me." Marcy winces as she hears the ring tone, but doesn't react. She needs a minute.

[JNAProductions]

The phone eventually stops ringing. Then, a single ding of a text notification from Alek.

Good luck, Avidhayya. I know you'll do the right thing.

[Kaworu]

Nate reached out his hand and hold within a grasp one hand of Marcy. She was his friend and she needed him.

[truemane]

Avi listened to Marcy and, torn with indecision, held the ringing phone and stared at it until it stopped.

She put one hand to her head and winced. It was going to be a bad one. She read and re-read the single line of text, saying it in her mentor's voice over and over trying to divine tone, intent, whether it was sent with confidence or disappointment.

"Some psychic I am," she muttered.

She looked at her team and nodded. She looked resolute, but nowhere near as happy as she did earlier in the evening.

"Okay," she said, as though trying to convince herself, "Okay. Marcy. We won't bring Necrodancer to jail. Not yet anyway. If you can use his help, then let's use it. And let's keep an eye out for any trouble. Okay?"

Her heart sunk when she thought of the conversation she was going to h ave to have with Aleks later.

[JNAProductions]

You finish your ice cream. The mood is a little more somber than it was originally, especially for Avi, but at least the treats are tasty. Once you're done, you thank Matthew, bring the utensils and cups to the counter, and head on home.

Majesty, when she returns to her lab, finds the Necrodancer fast asleep. He's set up some of your equipment to play smooth jazz, which permeates the lab with its gentle melodies and sultry sounds.


The Next Day
It's a bit of a cloudy day when you guys awaken. It's Saturday, so no school-but as a hero, you don't get the luxury of a proper weekend. Nathaniel has a big test coming up, and is supposed to see Stephen for breakfast.

Marcy, meanwhile, is waking up the Necrodancer, who is a very sound sleeper. When he's finally roused, she offers him some breakfast (granola bars and dry cereal), which he takes a small bit of. "Who was your cohort?" he asks. "The one who... You know," he adds, not wanting to get too angry about his record player.

Avi looks at her phone when she gets up, and doesn't see anything from Aleks.

And David, after he munches on some breakfast, puts on his helmet (for the voicebox) and calls the hospital he left the woman at. He asks if she's alright, if they can tell him, and is told "I can transfer you to her room, but she'll have to choose to answer."
There's about a minute of hold music, and then she answers. "Hello there? Who is this?"

[Kaworu]

Nate got up, brushed his teeth and smiled a beaming smile in his reflection.

A breakfast WITH STEPHEN! It was so long since he last had a chance to do that... or had he? It was hard to tell, the crazy life he was leading nowadays. Was it days or weeks since he had done so last time? Hm... kinda hard to tell.

Either way, he smiled even bigger smile up his reflection. "It is going to be a nice day!" - he told himself, getting his hair broomed.

[Inspector Valin]

"Sewer Rat. He's a hero who helps people who can't rely on the R.C.P.D. "

The answer comes easily to Marcy, and Necrodancer can hear the note of pride in her voice. Talking about Nate and what he does helps put her at ease, she takes a seat beside the old villain, joining him as she continues to explain. "I used to be his technical advisor. Make sure he could get through sealed doors, identify B.O.Ws he ran into, try to find weaknesses in his enemies. I still do that but now..." 'Now I'm suffering from a deadly illness and might be turned into a monster any day and I really need your help...' the words jumble up in her head, a mess that ties her tongue just at the first attempt to speak them.

Marcy looks back to some of her research notes, taking a few bites of her own cereal before trying to smile to Necrodancer. "Well, I have my own projects that need attention. And now I can help him more directly."

[JNAProductions]

"Is he the only one you work with?" he asks. "It's been a while since I've been here in Racoon City."

[Inspector Valin]

"No. We started out as just a duo, but we've got some other friends now, Whisper and Steelheart. Four's enough for a team."

A very confused look briefly plays across Marcy's face, love and affection mixed with worry and concern. Dealing with Avi is putting Necrodancer at risk, dealing with the Dancer puts Avi and her relationship with her mentor in jeopardy. Trying to associate with both of them is not a good idea, but pushing either away...

She crunches on her cereal, taking a breath and refocusing herself before smiling at her guest. "We're still getting used to hero work. I think I'd stay down here all day if I could."

[JNAProductions]

Necrodancer ponders the names for a few moments. "Never heard of them," he finally says, putting his spoon down with a bit of milk left in his bowl. "I suppose if I'm going to be your guest, you should introduce me to them. Will they be discrete?"

[roko10]

"Good morning, good citizen!" David-as-Steelheart says in a surprisingly reasonable tone of voice (he doesn't want to wake up the rest of his family, after all!). "I wanted to see if you were alright after the events of yesterday. How are you doing?"

[truemane]

Aleks didn't call or text every day. But he did most days. And the eerie silence after their talk last night felt heavy and thunderous. Like a massive empty warehouse with a single fan blowing somewhere in the darkness.

She got up. Looked at her phone again.

Should I call him?

She put her phone away.

She distracted herself as best she could. She had enough to do. She went downstairs and did her chores and then came back up and did her homework, all with a speed and intensity that made her family watch warily from a distance.

Then she went to the garage for TK training. An hour, two hours, she practiced. Lifting things, throwing things, delicately manipulating tiny objects and complex objects and as many objects as she could manage. By the end she was drenched with sweat, her chest heaving and she felt like someone had sucked out all the energy from her brain.

Checked her phone.

Nothing.

She felt like crying.

She sat down on the dirty ground, a splatter of droplets cascading to the concrete around her. She didn't want to sleep. Didn't want to rest. Was too scared to call Aleks. Was too ashamed of being afraid to call Marcy.

What then?

She got up. Picked up her duffel. Changed into her Whisper costume. Went outside. You're too tired for this, this is crazy, at least go have some Gatorade or something.

But she was too agitated to listen to her reasonable voice, too focused on not stopping or thinking.

So, at the edge of her mental and physical endurance, she concentrate a moment as small whirls of dust rose into the air around her, and then she launched herself into the sky and went flying over Raccoon City, looking for trouble.

[JNAProductions]

"Oh! I'm honored, Mr. Steelheart," the woman says. "I'm doing fine. They scheduled me for some mental health tests, but I don't think I'm in shock or anything. And my leg has been set-luckily I work an office job, so I can keep working as long as I can get transport, once I'm out of the hospital."

You hear her giggle a little on the other end. "I can't believe I'm talking to a real hero! This is... This is honestly really cool. I can't thank you enough. If you need anything-a statement, or information, or anything like that-please let me know, okay?"


Avi takes the skies, and flies over the cityscape. She throws herself into her hero work-searching for something, anything to help calm herself and focus her energy into something productive.

It takes a while-a while alone with her thoughts in the air-until she scours the reconstruction zone. There, she finds a couple construction workers, running from some kind of shambling mass of ooze and tentacles splooching its way out from underground. It might be more dangerous than she can handle on her own, given that half her powers (the telepathy) might not work to any reasonable degree. But it's worth the risk-maybe.

[JNAProductions]

Nate got up, brushed his teeth and smiled a beaming smile in his reflection.

A breakfast WITH STEPHEN! It was so long since he last had a chance to do that... or had he? It was hard to tell, the crazy life he was leading nowadays. Was it days or weeks since he had done so last time? Hm... kinda hard to tell.

Either way, he smiled even bigger smile up his reflection. "It is going to be a nice day!" - he told himself, getting his hair broomed.

When Nate gets into his shower, about a minute in, he starts hearing his phone go off. You rush to finish the cleansing, and heads back to your room, wrapped in a towel, to answer it, just in case.

It's Stephen. There are three texts, two missed calls, and one call ringing when you arrive. You answer it, and hear Stephen's deep bass on the other end. "Hey, Nate? I got some bad news. I don't think I can make it to breakfast today. See, I'm in the car with dad right now, and we're heading to the hospital. My mom had some kind of accident-she sounds okay, but we're gonna have to check just to make sure, you know? It's supposed to just be a broken bone... I'm just worried sick."

[Kaworu]

Nate listened carefully to Stephen - Oh? Im so sorry, sweetheart - he said, when he got a chance - Of course, go to the hospital and do not worry, we can postpone the breakfast - he explained - Call me if you need something, okay? - he didn't press the red button yet, just in case Stephen would want to say something.

[JNAProductions]

"I mean... I was kinda hoping, you'd, you know... Want to come to the hospital?" he says with a touch of nerves. "I know, I know, not a very good date... But we haven't properly seen each other in a while, and I miss you. You'd have to get your own ride, but... If you want."

[Kaworu]

- Of course I want! - said Nate enthusiastically - I just thought that... you know... you might wanna some time alone with your family? And I did not want to make a crowd. I mean, I thought your mother might appreciate some privacy... but of course, I will be there with you if you want that - he admitted - Actually, I kinda jumped out of shower. I need to dry myself and clothe, you know? And maybe grab at least something to bite. Maybe a few slices of bread with butter. I'm kinda at run right now. But I will be there, I swear. I just need a couple of minutes to get everything around and take some ride to the hospital.

- Is there anything else you wanna talk with me about? - Nathaniel asked Stephen.

[JNAProductions]

"Nah, nothing right now. I'll text you the address-see you soon, cutie!" he tells you.

You get dressed, grab some toast, and practically blitz your way out the door. Traffic is a little rough, but you arrive not too long after Stephen does. You text him to find out where you need to go, and get some directions from a helpful desk worker.

Soon, you arrive to a small lobby area on the fourth floor. Stephen waves you over, where he's sitting with his dad. "Hey Nate!" he says, standing up to give you a big ol' hug. "My mom's spending some time with a psych doctor, so we got kicked out for a bit. But she seems like she's doing okay."

His dad smiles at the mutual affection. "We'll be heading back in as soon as the doctor's done. Good morning, Nathaniel-how've you been?"

[Kaworu]

Nate bought milky chocolate and a Newsweek in the hospital shop as a gift for Stephen's mother - maybe flowers would be more appropriate, but he had no time to find any in all the rush. Then, he went to meet his boyfriend.

- Hi, sweetheart - he said, hugging him back - Good day, Mister Lovelace. May I ask how is Ms Lovelace? I hope she is not in pain? Do you have any idea when she might go back home? - asked he. He hoped it was nothing serious... but actually had no idea why Ms Lovelace was there. However, the mood did not seem too groom to him. I was a good indicator, right?

[JNAProductions]

Stephen's dad says "She had some kind of run-in with... Well, we don't know exactly. Some kind of villain. Her leg's broken, but Steelheart managed to keep her from dealing with anything worse."

"He's a cool hero! Although I'm not sure his fashion is as cool as the man under the suit," Stephen adds with a chuckle. "But mom's doing fine! Her leg's gonna take a while to heal up properly, but she'll be walking again once it is."

[roko10]

"Oh! I'm honored, Mr. Steelheart," the woman says. "I'm doing fine. They scheduled me for some mental health tests, but I don't think I'm in shock or anything. And my leg has been set-luckily I work an office job, so I can keep working as long as I can get transport, once I'm out of the hospital."

You hear her giggle a little on the other end. "I can't believe I'm talking to a real hero! This is... This is honestly really cool. I can't thank you enough. If you need anything-a statement, or information, or anything like that-please let me know, okay?"


"Think nothing of it, citizen! Saving lives is just part of the job, after all." Steelheart humbly responds. However, behind his phone and his helmet, David has a huge smile plastered on his face. A REAL HERO! She actually called me a real hero! Take that, sis!

[Kaworu]

- Oh? - was all Nate asked. He felt kinda surprised here... but also very happy, because Steel was his friend and now he had a reason to feel proud.

- This is nice, I think - he admitted - Anyway, now that she under proper care, there's nothing to be worried about, I believe - he smiled slightly.

[JNAProductions]

"I gotta go-my family's arriving. Thank you again, Mr. Steelheart!" she tells you.


The doctor that had come to check on Mrs. Lovelace arrives in the lobby area. "Visitors for Mrs. Lovelace? You can head back in."

You all head for her room, and Stephen's mom sets her phone down as soon as you come in. "Doctor says I'm doing alright-no shock, no lasting trauma, so that's good. Oh! And hello Nate, I didn't expect to see you here."

Right, I feel like we're kinda treading water instead of diving in right now.

Should I move on ahead, or throw a bad guy in, or... What?

[truemane]

Avi takes the skies, and flies over the cityscape. She throws herself into her hero work-searching for something, anything to help calm herself and focus her energy into something productive.

It takes a while-a while alone with her thoughts in the air-until she scours the reconstruction zone. There, she finds a couple construction workers, running from some kind of shambling mass of ooze and tentacles splooching its way out from underground. It might be more dangerous than she can handle on her own, given that half her powers (the telepathy) might not work to any reasonable degree. But it's worth the risk-maybe.
Despite the fact that two-thirds of her power-set are useless against it, the thought of letting off some steam on something she didn't have to have instant empathy for sounded right as rain to Avi. At the very least she could maybe get those two guys out of danger. Do some good and chip a nick off the ole patriarchy while she was at it.

Take your victories where you can, she thought.

She swooped down and circled the area, getting a sense of her best way forward here.


Assess the Situation: [roll0]

EDIT: How could we best end this quickly?

[JNAProductions]

Looking at the mess and the area, Avi quickly determines that the thing doesn't look very vertically inclined. If she can lure it into some kind of pit, it won't be dead or anything, but it won't be much danger, and she'll have ample time to take care of it. Luckily for her, there is a nearby foundation in progress-not a perfect trap, but good enough.

[Kaworu]

- Hello, Ms Lovelace - Nate greeted the woman nicely - I have a chocolate and a newspaper for you - he explained, handing her his gifts - I am also happy to see that you will not spend a lot of time in a hospital. It is always nice - he admitted.

[JNAProductions]

"Oh thank you! Stephen, he's a keeper," she replies, taking the gifts and setting them on the bedside table. "Are there any nuts in the chocolate? I'm allergic-not terribly so, but I don't want to make things any worse while I'm here in the hospital."

As you talk, a nurse comes in, saying "Don't mind me, just have to take her vitals. If you could scoot over a little... Thank you."

[Kaworu]

- It's a regular milky chocolate. I am afraid they had nothing better in this shop, but it is even better, it turns? - explained Nate - I do not want to be rude... - he begun kinda cautiously - But could you describe in detail what had happnened to you, Ms? I know there was Steelheart involved, but not much more than that - he asked, mostly because he was a superhero.

[JNAProductions]

"I was walking to the bus stop, and next thing I knew, I was in the sewer, being pulled by something," she tells you. "I didn't get a good look at it, but Steelheart came down and got me away from it." She ponders a moment, and adds "There was some kind of music just before I woke up. I don't know if that was at the start or end of that period, though."

[roko10]

As soon as he finished the call, David immediately rushes to the shed and put his Steelheart suit on. He didn't have anything going on today, and he didn't have enough money to check the scrapyard, so why not do a quick patrol?

Soon after THE MIGHTY STEELHEART! took to the streets, however, he encountered his first threat of today- the same tentacle-ooze monster that's terrorizing two construction workers, and which Avi's currently preparing to square up against. "Whisper! Mind if I give you a hand?" he shouted in a booming voice.

[Kaworu]

- I see... - said Nathaniel. What she told him was very, very interesting, even if she didn't fully realized that. Something was definitely smelly there, but there was not enough data to tell what.

His brows united, when he was thinking rapidly, but then he stopped. No reason to get overworked over something like that. When being Sewer Rat, he will definitelly get to work on that and do some research, but now he was Nathan, so he should enjoy time with his boyfriend and his family.

- Well, at least it's all over now, innit? - he asked, beaming.

[truemane]

Looking at the mess and the area, Avi quickly determines that the thing doesn't look very vertically inclined. If she can lure it into some kind of pit, it won't be dead or anything, but it won't be much danger, and she'll have ample time to take care of it. Luckily for her, there is a nearby foundation in progress-not a perfect trap, but good enough.


Soon after THE MIGHTY STEELHEART! took to the streets, however, he encountered his first threat of today- the same tentacle-ooze monster that's terrorizing two construction workers, and which Avi's currently preparing to square up against. "Whisper! Mind if I give you a hand?" he shouted in a booming voice.

Whisper sped up and started circling around the area, scoping out the best way to knock that thing into the nearby pit. She'd have to be quick and careful. Her usual trick(s) of clouding minds with fear and/or influencing them telepathically would not be very effective here (she assumed).

Just then Steelheart contacted her. She wasn't... upset that he showed up. But this little outing was as much to clear her mind as it was anything else. And so having someone else do the work (and, truth be told, he was much better suited) was sort of counter-intuitive.

But, she reminded herself, there was a for real person down there terrified, and who doesn't much care about my domestic squabbles.

"Steelheart!" she called out, as cheerfully as she could manage, "Glad you're here! I'm not so good at messing with things that don't have minds. So, yeah, I'd love your help. I'm thinking we can herd it into that construction pit over there. You see it? You push and I'll come nudge?"

[JNAProductions]

Mrs. Lovelace smiles. "It is-although I think a certain someone should rearrange their schedule to help drive me instead of making me take public transit."

"We'll figure it out, sweetie," Mr. Lovelace says, and holds his wife's hand.


The tentacular horrors split, one moving towards the thundering ground caused by Steelheart, the other trying to reach up for Whisper. She bobs herself up, dodging a surprisingly-long tentacle that almost wraps around her ankle.

Blobbing across the construction site, the horror aiming for Steelheart shoots one of its inky pseudopods out. It bashes into the young man's shoulder, knocking him only a little off-kilter. They're strong-but not THAT strong.

[Kaworu]

Nate smiled kindly, and also hold out for Stephen hand. He kinda didn't know what else he could say, but, maybe, there was no need for it?

[JNAProductions]

There's a few quiet moments in Mrs. Lovelace's room. Stephen sneaks a quick kiss onto Nate's cheek while his parents are distracted, and life is good. For those few moments, in your boyfriend's arms, surrounded by family and love... It's hard to see how anything could go wrong.

That's when the screams start.

[truemane]

Whisper recoils when the tentacle thing reaches out and almost grabs her. She is struck by the thought that Goliath would have no trouble with this thing. Aside from being one of Halcyon City's most powerful psychics, Goliath was also super big and super strong.

No wonder everyone thinks he's always right, she thinks, bitterly, aware it's unfair even as she forms the thought, No wonder *I* think he's always right.

Goliath, of course, had the privilege of being direct. Direct combat. Meet foes direct. Be direct with his protege. Fine enough for him to just call her up and tell her how to be a hero and tell her what she can and can't do. Easy for him. His whole life has been just one long strong of meaty fists into faces for years and years. Avi was not so lucky. Avi was smaller. Avi was less. Avi had to be heroic in the margins. Avi had to be a hero more carefully.

By the time she even realized what she was doing, she'd already slowed and banked and started a quick, sharp dive toward the tentacle thing. She had just enough had time to wonder if was doing this to spite Aleks or impress him, before she struck the horrific creature with her telekinetically shielded body and tried to push it toward the edge.

Directly Engaging a Threat!
[roll0]

Edit: Oh Avi, you dope, never superhero angry.

[JNAProductions]

The tentacled mass is hurled back by Avi's speedy body... But the tentacles are long, sinuous, and have no trouble wrapping around her, stopping her from escaping the slimy, faintly acidic tendrils. The creature is teetering on the edge of the pit, but quickly regaining ground, and Avi is stuck, plain and simple.

Did you account for your +1 for acting on your Assessment? It wouldn't matter, but might for future rolls.

Also, lemme know if you want to actually TRY telepathy, or just gonna stick to telekinesis.

[Kaworu]

Nate got up immediatelly, hearing screaming.

- Please, stay here! - he ordered the Lovelace family, and then went out immediatelly. Whatever it was, he needed to take care of that - process more complicated, because his disquise could get blown up in from of his boyfriend. Dang it!

[JNAProductions]

Mr. Lovelace stands up, moving protectively over his wife. Stephen stands too, and seems ready to follow you. "Nate, what are you doing?" he asks.

Outside, you can hear nurses and doctors talking to patients, telling them all to stay in their rooms, and that nothing is the matter, everything is fine. They're lying, but they're at least trying to stop a panic that could get more people hurt.

[Kaworu]

- I-I-I... - begun Nathaniel. Quick, he needed a lie! - I am gonna check the security office! And maybe press the fire alarm! I do not know, it's all happening too quickly. You stay here, you will be safe! - he shouted before running forth.

His first stop was the men's toilets. Here, he went to a cabin and quickly changed into his black bodysuit and rat mask. Then, stuffing his civilian clothes in his backpack, he went out, trying to understand what was happening there, exactly.

[JNAProductions]

Stephen tries to keep pace, but you outrun him, getting down a flight of stairs in record time and changing just as fast. The screams continue, getting a bit quieter-more distant?

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat went to the first person that seemed to know what was happening - Please, tell me what had happened? Some villain? Are there injured? - he asked them.

[JNAProductions]

You make your way further down, and see an injured attendant, a young man, outside a room labeled "Morgue". Given how dangerous the city can be, most hospitals have at least a small space for the dead.

"It... It started moving," he says. "And then... Then... Oh god, it just exploded into these black tentacles..." He takes a deep breath, trying to settle himself, but bursts into tears. "It went into the vent! I don't know where it's gone..."

[truemane]

The tentacled mass is hurled back by Avi's speedy body... But the tentacles are long, sinuous, and have no trouble wrapping around her, stopping her from escaping the slimy, faintly acidic tendrils. The creature is teetering on the edge of the pit, but quickly regaining ground, and Avi is stuck, plain and simple.
One of the differences between Avi and Aleks was that Aleks saw his TK as a sort of invisible hand and arm he could reach out with and manipulate things. Whereas Avi saw hers more like a disembodied push or pull along a given vector. This difference was not academic. For example, because he saw himself as the source of his own TK, Aleks couldn't fly. Whereas Avi had trouble with fine manipulations because there was no 'hand' involved, only lines of force. Neither of them really knew if this was a genuine difference in the way their powers worked, or just a kind of mental block.

So Avi took some comfort from the fact that, while Goliath could have just bounded down here and TK-super-punched this thing into smithereens, had he tried to 'push' it into the hole, he would have been dragged along with it by his mental tether.

Whereas Whisper, wrapped in slimy tentacles (acidic tentacles! she could already smell the burning fabric), and stuck pretty good, had other options. She'd thought about this before, but had never gotten the chance to try it. If her TK was a 'line of force' - then could she control its width as well as its direction? Could she focus it to the size, say, of a needle, and use it to pierce something rather than push it? Or could she draw a narrow line across something and cut it instead of pushing it, like a razor?

Still resisting its pull, she tried to use her TK to 'push' the tentacles. But to 'push' the smallest possible amount. A monofilament of force, in a line, across them all.


Did you account for your +1 for acting on your Assessment? It wouldn't matter, but might for future rolls.

Also, lemme know if you want to actually TRY telepathy, or just gonna stick to telekinesis.
I did not! Thank you. And I will absolutely let you know if Whisper tries Telepathy.

I'm going to Unleash my Powers to 'Remove an Obstacle.' Please let me know if I'm making too many Moves. Also, I'm adding the +1, as above. Let me know if you feel that's appropriate.

[roll0]

EDIT: I'll mark Angry, unless you wish to mark a different one and/or do something else :)

[JNAProductions]

There's a slight noise, barely a whisper of force. And the tentacles fall cleanly from the horror's body. They still wriggle and writhe and grab, but without the anchoring mass of the main body, Avi can fly back up-and beyond that, with the snipped leverage, the monster falls into the pit, bleeding some foul-smelling liquid.

There's one left attacking Steelheart, so halfway done.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat thanked the man with a little nod. He had no time to cater to his wounds, and besides, the monster was on the loose. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his super-senses of hearing to get some idea where the monster was and where the shouting was the loudest. The hospital was a big building and trying to find the zombie otherwise would be counterproductive.



ROLL for UNLEASH YOUR POWERS (extending senses)

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

You seem to be in luck-the creature has vanished into the air vent, and is going down, going away from the hospital. You almost sigh in relief... Until you realize that there are screams right along with it. It grabbed someone, and is dragging them with.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat was thinking for a few seconds. Should he jump into the air vent? Probably not a good idea, too little space to move freely. Instead, he followed the screams, using the rooms, corridors and halls. The monster will probably need to leave somewhere, and then he will be ready to strike.

[JNAProductions]

He keeps pace, drawing no small amount of looks from the people still in the halls. But the monster isn't going out-it's going DOWN.

[Kaworu]

- Damn - muttered Sewer Rat to himself. No chance of fighting in the open with the monster. He went to the closest air vent and moved inside, hoping to find the zombie and their victim in there.

[JNAProductions]

You wriggle your way into the air vent-it's cramped and uncomfortable. But, you're young and limber. If you were much bigger, you'd probably not fit-which does mean that actually FIGHTING the thing in here is a terrible, terrible idea.

As you pursue, you're able to focus on the screams-they sound young. If you had to guess, a little kid was snatched. This only makes you further determined to do your hero work, and you plunge heedlessly towards the screams.

A few tense minutes go by. There's a wet plap sound, like something squishy falling a bit. Not long after, you drop from the vent, just ten feet or so, onto an old stone walkway. The tentacles are retreating down it, towards some kind of high-tech door. And in their grasp, a young girl, not more than six years old.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat swore under his breath. At least he was out of the air vent and had a change of fighting. He rushed as fast as he could after the monster, praying to help the little girl before something will happen to her.

[truemane]

There's a slight noise, barely a whisper of force. And the tentacles fall cleanly from the horror's body. They still wriggle and writhe and grab, but without the anchoring mass of the main body, Avi can fly back up-and beyond that, with the snipped leverage, the monster falls into the pit, bleeding some foul-smelling liquid.

There's one left attacking Steelheart, so halfway done.
It worked! She cut the damn thing with the razor blade of her mind! She felt exultant and powerful. And her first thought was I can't wait to tell Aleks and then the whole reason she was out here in the first place crashed down on her and suddenly She. Was. Ticked.

Stupid Aleks and his humblebragging, and his slumped shoulders and sad voice and Everyone is Equal virtue-signaling. No one is ever better than anyone else, Avi. Everyone has their story, Avi. Perspectives are infinite, Avi. You have no right to judge, Avi.

Except him of course. No one gets to judge anyone except him. Aleks can judge all he wants. He can call her up and tell her what to do and then give her the silent treatment when she has the temerity not to bow to his wishes like.... like.... like a dutiful daughter. Like a good little girl.

Her eyes blazed. A whirlwind of grit and dirt rose around her. The air filled with a low, insistent hum.

She'd show him.

She'd show him.

The intensified, and Whisper launched herself at the remaining tentacle thing, TK-blades shimmering in the air around her.


Does the creature count as a threat? If so, then I'll use my Venting Frustration Move to roll with Superior instead of Danger.

If not, then I'll just slice it into ribbons with my TK razor-blades.

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

I'll say that with the two of you working in tandem, it's not a threat.

I'll also say this-scary! You just learned how to use telekinetic razors and you're already starring in a slasher film. :P

Avi rushes towards Steelheart and his enemy. Steelheart shoves it off, and watches as Avi's psychic blades rip it to shreds. It's gruesome, leaving behind piles of wriggling little tubes of black and brown meat. The ground is stained, dark with the ichor from the creature.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat ran, his powerful body carrying him forward. When he went to the monster (which was, apparently, not so fast?) with a few well-aimed punches ha was able to libarate the kid from his grab. With one hand still striking at the zombie, and the second grabbing the kid, he was able to carry her a little distance away, using his own body as a shield.

- Can you move? - he asked, not looking at the girl - the danger was to big to let the monster go unsupervised - Stay behind me, I will protect you.

[JNAProductions]

The monster is fast-but the door takes a while to open. A few tentacles are crushed beneath your fists, letting you snag the girl. She mutters a "Yeah..." when asked if she can move.

You start a fighting retreat, fending off the strikes and flurries from the monster. You make it some 20' back, when the door finally begins to open. As soon as it does, the monster darts towards it, slipping in. The door doesn't close-but you've a moments reprieve. It'd be a good idea to take advantage of it.

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat got kind of lost. What should he do? Try to close the doors, so the monster (and a few more?) will not attack? Run with the girl? Maybe take a little peek into the doors? But wouldn't that get the little girl in a dangerous situation?

For now, he was standing between the doors and the girl, pushing her a little bit away, but the most of his attention was focused at trying to decide what he should do next. It was important, he felt. No false steeps. It's crucial now.



ASSESS THE SITUATION

[roll0]

EDIT:

Okay, I am asking this: how could we best end this quickly?

[JNAProductions]

Run. Run fast. Get out before whatever the tentacles went to shows its face.

[truemane]

Avi rushes towards Steelheart and his enemy. Steelheart shoves it off, and watches as Avi's psychic blades rip it to shreds. It's gruesome, leaving behind piles of wriggling little tubes of black and brown meat. The ground is stained, dark with the ichor from the creature.
Spent now, Whisper pauses to catch her breath. Her chest heaves and her throat is dry. She is simultaneously so wired she could barely stand still, and so dyed-in-the-wool exhausted she could sleep for days.

All the same, that thing was gross. She toes its corpse idly.

"What do you think that even was?" She asked Steelheart. "That's weird, even for Raccoon City, no?"

She then looked around to see where the woman was who was being chased. Was she okay? Was she still around?


I'll also say this-scary! You just learned how to use telekinetic razors and you're already starring in a slasher film. :P
It is a dark turn, for sure! A few more of those and she'll be a fully-functioning anit-hero!

[Kaworu]

Sewer Rat lifted the little girl, carried her in his arms, and started running as fast as he could. No doubt that would not be the end of this, but he wanted to gain distance... and time. It was possible that the monster would come back, but he wanted to give the little kid as much chance as he could.

[JNAProductions]

You head back to where the stone meets the vent, and lift the girl up. She clings to you as you wriggle into the vent yourself, and whispers "Are we gonna be okay?"

[Kaworu]

- I hope so, little one - Sewer Rat whispered back. He wanted her to be safe and sound, but he also realized that he had left monster(s?) behind his back and they could go back at any time. Better to be fast, he thought, pushing forward with the girl.