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  1. - Top - End - #121
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    The_Specialist's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    The Surface of the Sun

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Tsunami
    Conditions:
    Potential: 4/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: -1
    • Savior: +2
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
    • [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
    • [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.


    After the less than satisfying meeting with The Smith and once the word has been sent out to the others, Max sequesters himself away in his own forge. Though the doors are kept closed to keep the sound from disturbing the rest of the base, they are not locked. If anyone was keen to speak with him, Max doesn’t turn them away.

    Tsunami is quick to inform the others after the call comes the next day, eager to move forward. While he’s somewhat uneasy not having Hikari able to join them, they are otherwise a full team, and essentially it is simply a meeting. A chat. But given the nature of everything surrounding the situation from the moment they intercepted Coyote Knight, he’s unable to relax. The Smith was afraid. They still don’t know who else they can trust, or what The Wave is. With luck, this meeting will shed some light into that, but he isn’t optimistic that more knowledge will make the situation any less nerve-wracking. Hopefully, further understanding will at the least leave them better equipped to act, however.

    In the absence of Hikari, Tsunami takes an informal lead, requesting to have everyone arrive at the base first, before departing together as a group to Monkey Island. Once there and greeted by the towering Miss Shu, Tsunami is on the quiet side, his demeanour overly serious to the point of coming off a touch stand-offish. Still, he tries to be polite.

    The elevator ride down is an awkward one for him, trying not to be irritated by the jaunty tunes, and strongly aware of the cameras watching them and just how deep inside heavy security they are. He assumes this makes most guests feel safe. It just makes Max more anxious. Not that he’s expecting a fight, but he feels he has to assume everyone is not on their side, currently. That the elevator speeds down is another slightly unexpected element which gives him more to silently agonize over. He doesn’t enjoy the fictitious scenarios playing through his head.

    Stepping out into the vault like hall, Max glances towards the additional guides waiting for them, mirrors of Miss Shu in different hues. He doesn’t enjoy this either, but keeps his expression stony rather than showing it blatantly.

    “That’s... alright. Thank you for your assistance,” He answers Shu softly as she apologizes for their employer not being there in person. As she informs them that they will only be allowed to visit the Hierophant two at a time, Max is somewhat taken by surprise, as much as he can be. He absolutely loathes this particular turn of events. Shifting slightly to glance at his team mates, his gaze flickers first to Ronin, and then returns to the strange three guides. “...Right. Give us a minute? Thanks.” He murmurs, turning around and away from them and gesturing as casually as he can for his team mates to form up in a loose circle to discuss.

    “Thoughts?” He invites them to speak their minds, lowering his own voice as much as he can. “It’s a little... odd, right?" He doesn't specify what exactly, but it applies to so much. "If we have to split up, I’d personally like to see Ronin and GZ on separate teams. You both probably understand the most about what we’ve... learned... so far, so we should probably take advantage of that and make sure we get as many shots as possible to ask pointed questions and improve upon that. I guess maybe I could be separate from both of your teams as well, since I played assistant to Ronin... not that it really compares, but eh. GZ, any interest in being the first team to say hello? Maybe you can tell us right away if our contact is... familiar to you, at all,” He tries not to include any direct or obvious clues for other listeners. “I suppose this is all assuming we’ll get to reconvene in between meetings... I guess we can ask that, too. Anyway. I’m open to any and all suggestions.”

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Max wound down and cleared his mind with a session at his forge. Clearing Hopeless as a condition.
    Last edited by The_Specialist; 2019-07-31 at 12:22 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #122
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    No thanks
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    The Lion
    Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Insecure (-2 to reject)
    Potential: 2/5
    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +1
    • Danger: 0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: -1
    • Mundane: +2
    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
    • [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

    After letting the argument die in its infancy, Mosi spends hours toiling away in the sterile hospital room alongside his sister, now a tradition of its own for the two siblings. We get several panels of him and Asha playing various card games before ending up on opposite sides of the room -- texting each other as well as their seperate friends. Mosi wonders what Ground Zero meant when he messaged about a 'Tempest heading his way'. Well, he knew who he meant, that Tempest* -- she and Benghani had met once or twice, so Mosi knew her by reputation, if not personally -- he just didn't know the how, or the why, or the what of whatever it is she must want from him.

    Yet another burden to shoulder. Sekhmet, I sound like a whiny brat... He thinks to himself. We see the hospital ceiling fade to his bedroom ceiling, covered in Glow in the Dark Star stickers -- a reminder of home, and of the light flanked by darkness at every side. The Lion drifts off to sleep, his phone on his chest and shining brightly up into the artificial night sky.

    The next day in the Lion's Den is busy as the two ladies of the Lion family tear through the house -- each needing to get ready for their respective lives more urgently than the other -- and a half-dressed and sleepy looking Mosi tries desperately to serve some of the breakfast and coffee he's painstakingly made for them to have as a family. Soon after, Mosi is left alone in the house. Silence.

    The refugee prince is elated when he gets the call from Tsunami to go to the base. Now in costume, the Lion lets the somewhat quiet, broody vibe amongst the team stand until they arrive at Wukong to be escorted by a giantess to a mysterious meeting -- the tension becoming too great for the young man to bear. While he's equally perplexed as the rest of the team to see Hikari absent, again -- and likely just as on-edge because of it -- he'd rather lift the mood than let it fester on yesterday's events, or what could and would inevitably go wrong today.

    "So, where's our fearless leader gone off to this time? Oh well. Tsunami -- that means you're in charge. Then it's Ronin, of course. Then, Me and Moonshadow. And last, but not certainly not least; Lanuola." He looks around, seeing if anyone got left out. Nope, no one. He grins a little, hoping that his ribbing GZ will help ease the tension in the elevator amongst the group as the six young heroes go closer and closer to what could very well be a major turning point in the Yojimbo's path. If no one responds, he simply starts whistling and tapping his foot in tune with the elevator music, until...

    The door opens and Mosi sees several copies of the giantess who was currently escorting them. He hears the one tell them that they have to meet... whoever, or whatever a Hierophant is in two-by-two formation. This is not -- can not -- be good. So, Mosi is glad, but unshocked, to see Tsunami pull the six present members of the team together to discuss strategy. Although he's not sure he's keen on sending loose(r) cannon Ground Zero in before anyone else is the best idea, but... if Max is by GZ's side -- well, he trusts Max.

    "Whatever you think is best, Tsu'. I meant what I said in the elevator. Mostly." He gently punches GZ on the shoulder. "Except for about you, Zero. No need to get in a tailspin." He adjusts his stance to look at Ronin, his pale blue eyes darting around the eyeholes of his mask to meet her face before quickly dipping away -- a little awkward.

    "Ronin, you have any thoughts on how we do this? Er, actually though, before you answer... if it's okay with you..." He scratches an arm at his helm's mane, closes one eye, and make a faux grimace before breaking into a grin as he asks. "... Would you mind terribly if the two of us were to partner up for this one? I-I would appreciate your company, and I promise I won't be a burden." He faux sighs a little bit after the last part, trying not to think of yesterday's events, before quickly trying to make it clear he is in no way unexcited at the prospect of teaming up with Miho with a hearty, self-deprecating chuckle.

    *Of Glavnos, presumably. Mosi refuses to think of her using such a pretentious monicker, the same way he wouldn't want any of his titles used. Hopefully ever.
    Last edited by Hans Free; 2019-07-31 at 10:54 AM.

  3. - Top - End - #123
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ground Zero
    Conditions: none
    Potential: 4/5


    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    Freak: +1
    Danger: +3
    Savior: -1
    Superior: +1
    Mundane:-1


    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
    Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
    -Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.


    As the team descended into the depths of Wukong Industries, Kai thought back to the events after his run-in with Tempest. He hadn't stuck around long after his work was finished, quickly sending a message to Sunburst that he had a cool story that he would tell back at the funhouse (the name he used for the team's base, regardless of Tsunami's protests).

    Upon arriving at the fun house and changing into a spare shirt and jacket he had stored there, his excitement at the prospect of gloating about how he got to meet a world leader, quickly died when Ronin briefed him on the item they had found. An Elemental Repository. That, combined with the Smith's warning, and final words of a dying girl that mentioned a wave coming, start to paint a terrifying image in Kai's mind.

    Talk of the Tempest is benched as he tells those assembled in the funhouse what he knows about the mysterious device. He had previously talked to Ronin about his experiences in the Cacophony, but that had mostly been vague descriptions and generalisations. But now he does his best to recall anything and everything he knows about the repositories and those that make them.

    High-Grade Elementals. The top of the food-chain in the cacophony. Vaguely humanoid creatures, with an on-par intellect, that radiat enough elemental power to annihilate a normal human that dared to get close. And repositories like the one Tsunami found, is their way of communicating with people that would otherwise be destroyed by their presence, and a Hierophant, was a type of High-Grade Elemental.

    Fortunately for them, Kai explained, Hierophants were among the more social of the High-Grades, and were the ones that most often made Elemental Repositories. They've also been known to, on occasion, act as an intermediary between humans and the more volatile High-Grades. They also respond well to flattery, though it should be noted that they are the most socially aware of the High-Grades and will know that flattery is all it is.

    Back in the present, Kai watches as Tsunami take the lead in talking to their guides. The guy is probably doing a better job as spokesperson and temp-leader than Kai could, but in his pauses and quiet questions he makes his lack of experience in the roll clear. In doing so reminding Kai why they usually leave this stuff to Hikari, and that Hikari had ditched them.

    Kai is about to respond to Tsunami's suggestion for pairs when Lion beats him to it. Agreeing to Tsunami's judgement and making a throwback comment joking about Kai being such a poor choice of team leader that he wasn't even in the list of succession. Though in Kai's opinion, the two of them should be switched, as he wasn't the one that dived into a hostage situation without a plan, and then threw a teammate that couldn't fly several stories into the air.

    When Lion finishes talking, Kai speaks up. "You know, you may have missed this, considering you weren't at the base yesterday, but this is some pretty heavy **** we're about to walk into, so maybe wait till we're done here before asking Ronin out."

    Looking to Tsunami, he continues. "I got no problem being the one to break the ice. Makes sense since I got the most experience with these things. In fact, Lion," Kai turns to the prince "maybe you should be teaming-up with me for this. I can get you up to speed on the way, and when we get there, I'll handle all the talking, so you can just stand there and look stupid. How does that sound?"

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Custom move - Elementary, My Dear Tsunami: Rolled +Superior. 12. On a 10+, I have a clear memory of Hierophant culture from my time in the cacophony.

  4. - Top - End - #124
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    PirateGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ronin
    Conditions:
    Potential: 2/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: +0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
    • [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.
    • [X] Always Prepared: When you have a chance to restock your supplies, hold up to 2-gadgets. When you unleash your powers by producing a brand new minor invention or gadget from your supply, spend 1-gadget and roll + Superior. When you reach 0-gadgets, mark a condition.


    The after-Forge debrief with the others to bring them up to speed had been a bit of a tense affair; when laying out just what sort of thing they were up against and Smith’s rather dismissive dismissal of their chances...well, it hadn’t exactly been the most inspiring thing.

    In an attempt to shake that mood, Miho had extended an invitation to anyone interested to come back to her (hopefully still) quiet suburban home for a pizza and cheesy sci-fi movie night to try and get out of the negative mindset. As for herself, in the wee hours after food and entertainment wrapped up, she had spent a little time in the lab piecing together a few gadgets that she hoped she wouldn’t need but might come in handy.

    Here and now, with the discussion going on in the bowels of Monkey Island, her thoughts touch on those preparations again before focusing on the issue at hand. She’s not at all whelmed with the prospect of being limited to pairs when having an audience with the Heirophant, but she assumes there’s a practical reason for it, at least.

    The triplet liaisons are a little unsettling, but not incredibly worrisome; if any two of the team can’t handle one of them, they need to drastically overhaul their team tactics!

    Max brings up valid points about the distribution of people who’ve had the most...exposure...to the situation – although considering she’s played back everything she managed to record for the others, there’s not a whole lot of difference now.

    Mission-focused, she merely nods at Moshi’s suggestion as a viable one...until the ongoing low-grade pissing contest between Kai and Moshi prompts the former to recast the latter’s suggestion in a very different light.

    ”Buh...I, oh, we are so not letting the pair of you wander around without a nanny,” she replies, getting her feet back under her again, metaphorically. ”You’ll end up starting a war or something,” she adds, with subtle emphasis to remind them all of the stakes.

    And, without really realising what she’s doing, Ronin takes charge.

    ”Zero, I’ll head in with you; between your knowledge and mine and Chisei’s propensity for questions, hopefully we’ll be able to get some helpful answers,” she lays out, privately requesting her AI to record what he could of the upcoming proceedings. ”Assuming we get a chance to pass on what we found out, the next pairs can work on refining what we need to know.” The tall armoured figure shrouding the slightly built girl within gestures with one arm, inviting Kai to precede her.

    Spoiler: CRUNCH
    Show
    Unleash: Machine Control (recording visit’s events) 3 Recording Potential

  5. - Top - End - #125
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    No thanks
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    The Lion
    Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Insecure (-2 to reject)
    Potential: 2/5
    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +1
    • Danger: 0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: -1
    • Mundane: +2
    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
    • [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

    "Geez, sorry, GZ. I surrender! I said it was just a joke, but... You guys are probably right..." The Lion shifts his hands up above his head -- as his eyes darting over to GZ before the other teen pulled away by an all-business Miho. "...Guess I am being an idiot, just like usual, huh?"He chuckles, nervously trying to hide the quivering of his voice as he tries to reclaim some semblance of emotional control in the situation, still recoiling a bit from being called a stupid child.

    "Don't mind me, I'll just be over here, doing my job, and... shutting up now." He sighs as he looks over to Miho, who didn't even bother to respond to his question directly. He can't blame her. His words certainly did not come across the way he had hoped they would. Figures -- Mami was right. As usual.

    Someone as dumb as you shouldn't be speaking at all. The Lion tries to shake off the imagined, disembodied words. He paces back and forth, continuously staring up at the ceiling as Tsunami directs the team -- imagining how things will probably play out, with him and Tsunami teaming up -- and more content than ever to let others make the decisions from here on out and just stay silent. He just hopes his time in the hallway will be as short as it was painful.

    Mosi rests up against a wall in the small hallway. We get a click, as the panel border splinters around the Lion wiping at his eyes through his mask -- before he pulls them up, now glowing GOLD and slitted like the eyes of a hunter cat. He hopes that at the very least he can harness the power of raw embarrassment into some form of cover, hoping the teen drama will shield his likely very blatant attempt to read through the steely walls of one of their escorts, Miss Wu -- before and after GZ and Ronin presumably leave together.

    Spoiler: Crunch
    Show
    I pierce the mask of one of our escorts, Miss Wu. Roll MUNDANE at +2. And... got a 6. Yikes. And that was Mosi's good stat, too. I mark potential, unless anyone wants to spend our only team to assist Mosi...?
    Last edited by Hans Free; 2019-08-01 at 03:27 AM.

  6. - Top - End - #126
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    The_Specialist's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    The Surface of the Sun

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Tsunami
    Conditions:
    Potential: 5/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: -1
    • Savior: +2
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
    • [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
    • [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.


    Tsunami had dipped his head slightly in a subdued gesture of gratitude to Lion for reaffirming he had faith in Max. He wasn’t going to puff his chest out or anything, but it did mean a lot that anyone had some faith in him. Something in Mosi’s request to be in Ronin’s team struck Max, but before he could fully process it, things had quickly deteriorated, Tsunami blinking rapidly as his gaze shot between Lion and GZ as the pair semi-argue and ‘tease’ each other. He didn’t blame Kai being mad, it really wasn’t the time for teasing, but it also wasn’t the time nor place to be squabbling.

    “Stop...” Tsunami lifted his hands in a staying gesture, his tone firm but not harsh, urging sincerely rather than ordering. His expression was subtly anxious, becoming faintly exasperated by the time Kai’s words seemed to send the Lion backpedaling, though Ronin began to speak. He made no attempt to stop her or speak over her; while his natural instincts made him want to take charge, he also wasn’t completely comfortable with flexing that muscle over the team. They hadn’t chosen him, after all, and in the back of his mind was always the worry of coming off as an over eager a**hole. But there was less room for teenage fretting now. Still, he valued Ronin’s opinions and inputs, offering no protest as she took charge and asserted herself into a team with GZ instead.

    When prince began to self-deprecate and retreat in response to GZ’s scathing retort, Max reached out a hand towards Mosi’s arm, not quite touching, though somewhat silently asking him not to completely leave. “This really isn’t a laughing matter,” He explained patiently, his tone still quite serious but not outright scolding. “I wish it was, I really do. You’re not a burden, Mosi. And Kai’s been extremely helpful with his knowledge. So whatever’s going on between you two, I need you to stow it for now, both of you, and be brothers.” Tsunami continued in the same patient manner that was somehow gentle but also brokered no argument. “We all need to really be a team, right now. This is so much larger than us. I need everyone to know they can count on each other. I do believe in every one of you,” He finished, turning his attention onto Ronin and GZ.

    “Right. We’ll really be counting on you two to lay the groundwork. Good luck,” He spoke a touch stoicly, before turning towards Moonshadow and Sunburst. “I’m not going to break up the sister squad unless you want to, so I’m going to consider you two a team. We can decide who goes next in a bit.” He nodded simply, suspecting it was safe to assume they would be a team, finally moving away to take himself over to the brooding prince.

    He didn’t make eye contact as he approached, playing it cool. One hand lifted to punch the Lion’s shoulder in a friendly manner once he reached him, far gentler than it appeared. Tsunami rarely exchanged in many affectionate gestures, brotherly or otherwise (as Moonshadow has previously concluded, he wasn’t big on lots of touching) and those gestures were usually reserved for when one on one with the potential recipient. No witnesses. No one getting the idea he wanted hugs. He and Mosi had both drug each other back to the base more than once in the past however, after diving into fights that were a little too much for their headstrong natures.

    “Hey,” Max grunted, quieter now, a private conversation, and leaned himself on the wall next to Lion. “You know you’re not an idiot, right?” Hazel eyes finally swiveled towards his towering team mate after a pause, seeming genuinely concerned. “I mean, none of us are Ronin...” He made a weak attempt at humour, though he was never really a joker and especially after yesterday he was struggling to find light in the situation. But he could tell something was bothering his team mate, even if he wasn’t sure exactly what was eating at Mosi, and he wanted to help however he could. Max had never been as good at navigating and fixing emotional problems though, of his own or otherwise. “But I’d take you on my team any day of the week. I’m no Ronin either, but if you want to talk, I’m always open,” He offered quietly, starting to stand up away from the wall, unable to fully relax. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned to face Mosi. “...I have a feeling things are going to get pretty sh*tty from here on out. I’ll fill you in, what The Smith told us, and everything. It’s not good though. Sorry in advance. We need all hands on deck though. We can only do this if we’re all in it together. And I want you beside us. Are you going to be alright?”

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Rolled a 5 to try and Comfort/Support Mosi. Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż Damn.
    Last edited by The_Specialist; 2019-08-02 at 01:21 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #127
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Sunburst
    Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
    Potential: 3/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Danger: +1
    • Freak: +2
    • Savior: +0
    • Superior: +0
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Burn and Flares
    Show
    Held Burn

    0

    Shielding

    You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

    Moat

    Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

    Reality Storm

    You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

    Snatch

    Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.


    There's a cut back in time to Lanuola and Cindy walking back home from the Kintsugi meeting. The panels have no dialogue boxes, despite it being clear that the pair are talking. The tone looks to be light, perhaps at Lanuola's expense given her embarrassed look, as smiles are seen on both sister's faces. There's some hesitation as they reach the door to their home, however, and Lanuola shares a glance with Cindy before the door gets pushed open. A flurry of panels follow, entirely from Lanuola's perspective. She's being held in an embrace by her worried looking mother, then sitting uncomfortably in the corner of the living room as she watches a terse exchange between her sister and father, then an uncomfortable looking meal, and finally lying on her bed with headphones on and scrolling aimlessly on her phone. This final panel is repeated, a sound effect indicating a text has been received. A smile is playing on Lanuola's face as she reads it. We hold on the same angle of Lanuola's bed, but Lanuola herself is rising out of frame, exiting with her phone in hand. Its screen is angled toward the reader, revealing the text to be from Kai.

    Got a cool story to tell you, meet at the funhouse?

    We move to a panel of Lanuola knocking at Cindy's door, leaning in through the doorway to speak unheard words. There's then a clear jump in time with the pair walking through a darker street. Though subtle, it appears that Lanuola's tried to make sure she looks more presentable than she had been, and she carries Kai's jacket folded over her crossed arms. The efforts clearly haven't escaped Cindy's notice, and she appears to once more be teasing her beleaguered sister.

    Once at the forge, however, we see that Lanuola's sitting with a look of mingled surprise and worry. Ronin, Tsunami, and Ground Zero are taking turns speaking, elaborating on the threats that they could be soon facing.

    Cutting to the present, Lanuola is standing awkwardly amongst the others as they talk about how to divide the teams. If she's disappointed at not being paired off with Kai, she doesn't show it. This mission sounds far too important to be worrying about who she could be spending time with. She does, however, look a bit embarrassed at being called a part of the 'Sister Squad'.

    "Umm..." Lanuola hesitantly speaks up, "I think, uh, I think if Cindy and I are going together, maybe we should be last to, uh, to speak with the, uh, the person we're here to meet..? It sounds like you guys know more about what's, uh, what's going on..?"



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

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  8. - Top - End - #128
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    The Team: Monkey Island

    "Your friend speaks well." Miss Wu offers, stepping forward with a bow. "The being beyond will feed upon your reservations and fears. Wukong Industries has its own reservations allowing you all to speak with our guest. You most of all, Prince Mosi. You play at the insecure but what are your motives here?" She then motions towards Tsunami. "If it were not for The Smith and her contributions to our company, we would express reservations for you as well. It it fitting you both will be together. The Smith promised you would repay us for our time. If your friend wishes for her group to be last, the three of us should be on our way. You will follow me." She pivots on a single foot, moving back toward the elevator with a beckoning motion. Time is of the essence it would seem. The Smith made no mention of this of course but it's very much like her to find ways to make Tsunami work, especially when there are frustrations between the two of them. The elevator, once you're both on it, lurches swiftly to life. It took a long time going down and while there's more space...it takes much longer going up. Might be some time for a chat? When you feel you've said your piece, the doors swing open to a lavish floor. Oak floors spread into the open space, glass making up much of the walls so you can see the storm coming from the ocean. "The Smith indicated you've some talent with her tools."

    Miss Wu steps out behind you, the doors closing and blending seamless with the onyx wall that houses the elevator shaft. The room..really a whole floor, seems to be a workshop though one of a very high tech level. Ronin no doubt would adore it all. Holographic displays, large tables filled with half built technology. Fairly noticeable are several of The Smith's own hammers and chisels and other simple tools among the mix. "You've until your first group is finished. I will be nearby if I am required." With a bow Miss Wu clips off back towards the elevator. Outside, lightning lances the sky.


    Back below, Miss Shu steps forward once more, motioning to Ronin and Ground Zero. "If you will come this way?" Clipping into the darkness, lights beneath your feet follow you as you traverse the gloom. Miss Shu's long strides swiftly lead to a large series of stairs though with a flick of a switch nearby they collapse into a ramp. You descend further as a glowing orb of light races from the central column to illuminate your path though it seems a futile effort. The further you descend the brighter it becomes in hues of dark purples and vivid pinks. The ramp itself breaks from the column it was wrapped around as it goes from dark granite to bright glass filled with a nebula of light. What the ramp attaches too now is left in the shadows above. When you reach the bottom, the room is cramped save for the towering monolithic glass tube, strange shapes flitting through what moves like water. Miss Shu gives a bow before moving back up the ramp and with her the light. Even if it couldn't compete with the other wordly display, the shadows in the cramped space are deep and the light is cold. A single large hand splays out upon the glass, easily as tall as you just by the palm. Fingers like willow branches rap against the sturdy glass. "Strangers." A voice peels through the room, music on every syllable. "One not so strange, you've roamed far. Another. Broken." The hand slips back into the astral waters, soon replaced by a large head. Shadows of octopus, vents breathing bubbles, of tribal masks of a thousand different cultures the color of bleached bone, six eyes filled with light. Harps and violins, great bassy trumpets and rich rumbling drums echo through your mind. "Speak." The last words hang on the last panel before the scene changes.

    Miss Wei remains with Sunburst and Moonshadow, at last stepping forward when the sounds of the away team can no longer be heard. "You both are under no obligation to assist us here, we have set aside a room above for you to wait and be comfortable if that is your wish. However in our research of your team we came across several holes in our data. If you would both be so kind as to follow me to our Archives? We would be grateful if you could perhaps fill those spots in? Voluntarily of course, we will also redact any information you would like."

  9. - Top - End - #129
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019
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    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    The Lion
    Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash), Insecure (-2 to reject)
    Potential: 4/5
    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +1
    • Danger: 0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: -1
    • Mundane: +2
    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
    • [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

    Mosi smiles politely, letting out a little chuckle when Tsunami punches his arm. But when the other boy tries to comfort him, asking if he's going to be all right in front of the entire team and their escorts -- The Lion's grin turns. Truthfully, Mosi wants to scream at him. At the team. At everyone in the hallway with him. Fortunately, Miss Wu cuts in before the Lion can erupt and further embarrass himself.

    She says he's playing at insecure, questions his motives for being here. And honestly? So does he. The prince is silent, his gaze shot to his navel, as he tries to keep his eyes from meeting hers -- which probably looks far more suspicious than what it really is -- a teenage boy trying not to show how hurt his pride is. Mosi hoped that they could have just moved on, only to have everyone call him out. Again.

    As she explains to Tsunami what basically amounts to a temporary work-release, Tsunami's "payment" for the meeting, Mosi looks around the hallway -- to see Lanuola with GZ's jacket still draped on her arm. His heart sinks a bit knowing that he has essentially inflicted his fate onto her as well, without any sort of culpability on her part and after she saved him yesterday. Sekhmet. I just want to die; I'm an awful human being.

    That was always a given, because in truth, you are born to sin -- an old sin, but one that still stains every part and permutation of you and anything to which you could ever hope to amount. One that will kill you. And kill your children. And their children... And...

    Mosi taps at the mask, trying to shake the sinister thoughts out as they continuously rush into his head. Tsunami and Mosi probably meet eyes one last time in the hallway before the two are led to the elevator, in order to confirm if Mosi is, in fact, all right. The Lion hesitates, then nods his head with a notable SIGH.

    CUT PANEL to the elevator; the ride up now much slower than the one down and, as if on queue, the speaker HUMS out a slow and sad PIANO DIRGE accompanied by a simple BLUES GUITAR riff. Mosi sits in the corner of the elevator, his arms wrapped around his knees; his knees tucked into his muscled core -- it's pretty pitiful.

    "That's the thing about me that no one gets... because, what do you mean that this isn't the time for jokes? It's never the time for jokes... and yet, it always is... Because... life is a joke, Tsu'... this world is cruel and miserable and it just takes and it takes and-- Why won't it just stop TAKING things from ME!? What--" He hushes himself, dropping his voice.

    "What kind of justice is that...? We live in a world of heroes, in a city of so-called-'heroes' and not one of them came to my family's aid when we lost Imam. Even the ones who could reach it. None of them helped. When... my brother... when my Brother Beast fought our family, we fought him completely alone --- when he... when my own brother crushed both of my arms... I was the only person who was there to help me." Mosi follows this up by seemingly showing off his perfect, sculpted arms. It take a minute to understand what it is exactly that Mosi sees on them: Nothing. There is no scarring whatsoever; his powers having robbed him of all physical evidence of his life's most traumatic event.

    "It makes me want to just let this whole city rot away into the same nothingness that it occupied before I had ever even heard of it. Before my parents deceived me, telling me legends of heroism and about how great this place could be -- but it was all wrong, wasn't it, Fisher? Yeah. I've heard that one too. I thought I would come here and I would receive a hero's welcome, but I was wrong. Everything and everyone in the city seems aligned against me, against my family. And against us. The team. Even as we fight to save it. Like it's destiny. Just like with Benghani... None of us have a choice. And I HATE it. So everyone and everything in this city is my enemy now. I'll just have to save them from themselves, even if they end up despising me for it. No, especially if they do." Mosi's jaw clenches, his eyes burning ever-so-slightly with a sense of pure, nihilistic determination, as if letting out some of the overwhelming amount of despair that had clouded his mind had lifted a weight off his rippling shoulders.

    "So yeah, I'm here for the mission, presumably until the bitter end. But things aren't going to be all right, yeah? And I'm not all right. But, I guess... that's all right though because that's just how life is, isn't it?" He asks Tsunami, knowing that even though they had often partnered up and talked on their missions, Mosi typically kept the scope of his discussions about his legacy limited to the practical and the hopeful, seldom revealing just how burdened he felt by it, and its strained relationship with San Fransapporo. Still, he smiles now, a little more secure in himself having opened up to Tsunami (and... Miss Wu) in the elevator -- even if the situation itself hasn't changed and he didn't truly feel any more optimistic about the many things in his life he had no power over.

    After Tsunami responds, and after a long pause of SILENCE in the elevator, the doors swing open to a lavish workshop with oak floors and high tech equipment, as well as some of The Smith's tools. Miss Wu leaves, before giving them a time frame for their time in the workshop -- until the first conversation with the Hierophant is over. But how long would that be? Minutes? Hours? Mosi rolls his eyes as he wanders the workshop, seemingly just as out of place here as he seems to be anywhere in the city. He walks over to the glass window inspecting it for openings, as lightning lances the sky behind his tall silhouette, his mind turning to one thought:

    How much trouble can I get up to in the limited time I have available to me?

    Spoiler: Crunch
    Show
    Mosi is sharing a vulnerability or weakness with Tsunami, opening up to him about how abused he feels by the world. I told him a secret about my legacy (including my own true feelings about it); that none of the heroes of San Fran reached out to help the Lion family, even privately and about how angry that made Mosi at San Fran. I'd like to clear my insecure, as Mosi stabilizes somewhat emotionally, without losing his trademark sense of hopelessness. XD. As my sharee, I need to give Tsunami influence over me -- so he gets to shift my labels!

    I also want to roll to assess the situation in the workshop once we arrive there, to look for possible exit points, or points of interest for Mosi to interact with, because, uh, he's not the best at craft day -- and he wants to do something useful (good luck with that assess). Rolled Superior at -1 for a grand total of... 5. Blegh. Added 1 Potential for my last failed roll and 1 for this one. Hey, almost at an advance!
    Last edited by Hans Free; 2019-08-02 at 09:49 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #130
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    PirateGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ronin
    Conditions:
    Potential: 2/5

    Spoiler: Labels
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    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: +0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
    • [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.
    • [X] Always Prepared: When you have a chance to restock your supplies, hold up to 2-gadgets. When you unleash your powers by producing a brand new minor invention or gadget from your supply, spend 1-gadget and roll + Superior. When you reach 0-gadgets, mark a condition.


    Ronin gets the sense that everyone isn't entirely pleased with how things have fallen out – but she isn't here to make sure everyone ends up with fluffy good feelings, but rather to prevent death, destruction, and war coming to her city. So she can live with it.

    The being beyond will feed upon your reservations and fears. She can't be certain if that's a warning...or merely information regarding the price of an audience with the Heirophant. Either way, they need what information the being beyond can provide, and if that requires offering up her less pleasant emotions for sustenance then she's not going to hesitate now.

    Accompanying Miss Shu, the small 'THUMP', 'THUMP' around Ronin's feet in each panel indicate that she's not nearly as delicate on them as their guide is. The appearance of the ramp leaves her a little nonplussed, and she hesitates a moment; frankly, with how the armour's ankle articulation works, it would actually be easier to downshift to chair form to transit it.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, she declines to do so and treads carefully if a touch unsteadily down the ramp to the lower level. She regards the mobile light source with scientific curiosity, and exchanges a few theories back and forth privately with Chisei while they descend.

    The giant tube that dominates the centre of the room rightly gets a splash panel, establishing the massive scale with the two figures approaching it so diminished in the foreground. Already uneasy in the presence of such an unusual piece of engineering, the huge form of the Elemental, inhuman both in appearance and in presence, rocks Ronin back on her heels.

    It is one thing to know to expect something so...different...but yet another to actually encounter it face to face – even with a couple of separate containment units interposed between.

    The Heirophant's words are unsettling as well. Kai is recognized as someone who has spent time in realms where such as this originate in the first place; whether that will prove for good or for ill will have to be determined. Herself, as being broken....

    Steeling herself, she steps forward to address their unusual host.

    ”Broken. I cannot deny this,” she replies, the Ronin armour amplifying her voice to approach the scale of the being she addresses. ”Among my people there is a practice, however, called Kintsukuroi,” she goes on, speaking levelly. ”It states that the practice of repairing something that has been broken can result is something greater than the unbroken piece had started as.” She had, in fact, seriously considered calling herself Kintsugi when first working up her heroic identity, but had decided that Ronin was more true to her message.

    ”Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Great Heirophant,” she goes on, getting to the matter at hand. ”Yesterday we encountered someone who died to bring us a warning. She passed on an Elemental Repository, which contained a message.” She has Chisei project the message on her HUD again to ensure she recites it correctly, making a note that she will have to work on some sort of projector to handle the apparently common situation of being in odd places with no display screens of any sort in sight.

    ”We are told this is a portend of war,” she concludes once she has recited the message in its flaming entirety. ”And there are those of great power who will oppose our involvement in this.” She spreads her hands, and the last panel of the page focuses in tight on her helmeted face and the words she speaks.

    ”We ask your assistance in translating the meaning of this warning, that we might decide our own fates, and intercede on behalf of the citizens of this city.”

  11. - Top - End - #131
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Sunburst
    Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
    Potential: 3/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Danger: +1
    • Freak: +2
    • Savior: +0
    • Superior: +0
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Burn and Flares
    Show
    Held Burn

    0

    Shielding

    You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

    Moat

    Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

    Reality Storm

    You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

    Snatch

    Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.


    Lanuola watches as each of the other groups are lead off in turn, a contemplative look on her face as they're lead to their respective destinations. She's pulled from her thoughts when Miss Wei steps forward to address them. She's hesitant at first at the lady's request. But then... Was there a reason she should be..? It wasn't like they'd been trying to hide anything, and they were even comfortable not recording anything that she or her sister didn't want to talk about.

    She glanced to her sister briefly, a hesitant look on her face, then back to the lady standing before them. "I... I guess that'd be ok..? What, uh, what kind of things are you wanting to know..?"

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Lanuola will also be trying to figure out why Miss Wei wants to expand the info they have on the team, which I believe is a pierce the mask..?

    Pierce - (2D6-2)[8]

    Will edit a question in pending results.

    Edit - An unexpected pass! Lanuola wants to also ask 'What do you intend to do with the answers we give you?'
    Last edited by Comissar; 2019-08-03 at 06:48 AM.



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  12. - Top - End - #132
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    The_Specialist's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    The Surface of the Sun

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Tsunami
    Conditions:
    Potential: 5/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: -1
    • Savior: +2
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
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    • [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
    • [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
    • [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.


    Tsunami’s eyes narrow slightly when Miss Wu seems to poke at ‘Prince Mosi’, unsure and untrusting of her intentions, but not wanting to appear overtly hostile. They are guests, after all. When she turns to him and explains they would have had reservations for his presence as well, if not for his mentor’s good word, he is a touch surprised, and superficially offended. He tries not to lean into it, now is not the time to be needlessly angry, but it’s always been easy for him to slide into anger. He’s distracted from that moment however, by the announcement that they have been promised to repay Wukong Industries for their time. Now the anger solidifies into actual indignation.

    Why should The Smith owe them anything? And us by proxy? It’s just a meeting! Surely she does plenty for them! She said nothing about us paying a price for the aid. Surely trying to save the city is more important? Too important for this!

    He starts to wonder if this is punishment for defying his mentor and the suggestion that he stay with her at The Forge. She has had a propensity for making him work extra hard whenever they’ve butted heads in the past, but to him, this is a different situation entirely. Surely she isn’t that petty. He won’t accept that it is merely a punishment, not when things are so dire. So he is forced simply to wonder and follow, resigned to an impromptu work study, it would seem. Maybe more will be revealed when they get there.

    Tsunami was willing to let his team mate keep his troubles to himself, even though he isn’t entirely convinced that the Lion was quite ‘okay’. It isn’t like Max is particularly good about talking about his problems either, so it certainly isn’t his place to force the matter with Mosi, especially when this isn’t the most conducive location or timing for a heart-to-heart. Mosi had given him a confirming nod when he’d made one last visual check, and even if the following sigh had left some skepticism remaining, Max would have left the matter to rest if that had been all.

    When the other young man just sits down in the corner of the elevator however, Max can’t help staring at him. Even as someone who was socially cumbersome, Max can clearly read that everything is certainly not okay. Mosi looks downright miserable, and for a moment Max is uncertain whether to push the matter, unsure if it is more unacceptable to ignore the obvious or to badger his team mate in front of the strange adult they are trapped in a very slow elevator with. Thankfully, Mosi speaks first, removing the responsibility of that decision from him.

    There is quickly surprise evident in Tsunami’s eyes, and he moves closer so that the ensuing conversation can be as private as it can be. Tsu drops down to sit on his knees, fixing the Lion with an alert gaze, giving the other boy his full attention.

    He is surprised, because he’s never honestly considered the reasoning behind the Lion’s joking nature, taking it at face value. Mosi has always been the lighthearted one, always trying to crack the tension in the room and brighten everyone’s mood. Max has always assumed this is simply his nature, admired his resilience, never stopping to wonder if it is also... a coping mechanism. Perhaps that has been naive of him. He’s been well aware that the Imam have suffered, could easily assume that Mosi is under quite a deal of pressure being the Black Lion in the wake of that, but still he never suspected that beneath the smile, the Lion was this troubled.

    But the look of initial surprise in Tsunami’s eyes does not continue to increase exponentially as Mosi continues, instead it remains a steady, subdued, constant. It is news to him, certainly, that the Lion feels this way. But the dark sentiments in and of themselves do not seem to leave Tsunami shocked nor horrified. There is almost a sort of recognition in his eyes, maybe even agreement at times, but not resignation.

    “It isn’t justice. It isn’t fair.” Tsunami confirms matter of factly, if a bit stoic. “Yeah, this is a so called ‘city of heroes’. I find that to be pretty damn embarrassing sometimes. Or downright disheartening. That’s why we have to toe the line. Someone has to. Because yes, the world is cruel, often, and pretty f*cking miserable, sometimes. At some point, misfortune comes for everyone. It’ll take whatever it can get its wretched little claws into. I never even knew my dad. But f*ck the world for trying to take yours.” He asserts sincerely, not intending to play Victim Olympics. His tone shifts slightly then, equally genuine but a little less harsh. ”And thank whoever you want to thank, that it didn’t take the rest. Thank whoever you want to thank, that you still have the power to fight, to make change. Do be thankful, love what you have, not to focus on the hate. It could always be worse. We can try to make sure it isn’t. The world isn’t over, yet.”

    There is something a little grim about those last words, as if it is more than just a figure of speech. Because he’s trying not to think about The Smith’s warning. Taking a breath, he forces himself to continue, because given just how bleak Mosi’s outlook seems, there is more Max wants to press on.

    “...You just have to keep getting up, when you get knocked down. The world will try it’s hardest to beat you down, break you, force you into submission; into despair, or apathy, or even more cruelty. That’s just the way life is. Yeah. It’s never going to stop trying to take things from you. You spit in its face by surviving. But don’t let it just be spite that gets you back on your feet. I thought that was enough, once. But it can’t be.

    “You win, by not letting the world make you hard.”


    This seems particularly important to Max, as he stares Mosi down, his tone entirely serious but with a particular urgency, that Mosi hears him.

    “Or cold.” The way he speaks is purposeful, his tone even and confident in what he says, but ever patient and gentle with just a hint of pleading urgency. He’s not trying to scold Mosi, or imply the other boy is bad for feeling as he does; Max just genuinely wants to convince him to maintain empathy despite the vulnerability it leaves, to maintain hope, even if he has to make it for himself. “Everytime you see the worst of the world, the worst of someone, you have to lift your chin up and say ‘I don’t buy that’. This isn’t all there is. Because cruel as the world may be, it’s not all of it. Not always. Not everyone. Don’t accept it. Just because it seems to be the status quo for so many, doesn’t mean it has to be yours. Don’t be content to let the city rot away. For all its flaws, there will always be people worth knowing, worth saving, worth giving a second chance.

    “For years in Halycon, no one wanted to give me even one chance. I couldn’t understand why the world hated me, so I hated it back, with a vengeance. But there is always someone. Someone worth caring about. Worth saving. Someone I didn’t even know that well at the time, drove me all the way across the country, when he didn’t have to. It wasn’t soon enough to escape a whole lot of misery, but he helped me escape plenty more, without a doubt. And sure, this place wasn’t much better on second glance... But I was so grateful, for just one person on my side. I’d fight the world for him any day. And in time, I met you. And Miho. And Hikari. And Cindy. And Lan. And Kai. And The Smith. That’s a lot of people, starting from only one. I’d fight the world for any one of you, too. You’re worth it. And if you are... then maybe the world is, too.


    “So don’t let the worst parts of the world win. Don’t let the hurt make you hate. It’s so easy to hate too, I know. I know, okay? My pain isn’t yours, but I know the hate it brings. Please, please, don’t let hate steal your heart. You have to fight it. I know you’re strong. I know you’ve had to fight a lot to get here. Please don’t stop now. Don’t hate everyone. Pity them, if you must, for not having the strength to stand up and do what is right. Probably for some of them, I imagine the world wore them down, and at some point they gave up. Maybe they never had a chance. Maybe they were born into misery and never saw a reason to try. It’s easier not to care. It’s easier to hate everything, every one. But that will always give way to cruelty, eventually, even if you think you’re saving people. It will always feed back into itself. You can’t save everyone, you can’t save someone who truly doesn’t want to be helped. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but don’t let it drag you down with them. You’re no tyrant, Mosi. We just need to be the examples we wanted to see. And have a little faith.

    “No one was there for you when you needed it most. No one can change that. But despite all odds, you’re here. And you still have strength. Maybe it’s not the life you wanted, maybe it’s not the one you deserve, but you can be there for someone who has no one else. Someone who no one has given a chance. I promise you, sometime in this last year, there have been people thanking their gods that you were there when you were. Somewhere, someone has their father, brother, mother, sister, still, because you were there. You may never know the whole story, just like so many don’t know yours. But you have to have a little faith, and a little hope, no matter how hard it gets. I know that won’t bring back everything you’ve lost. But take pride, and joy, in the victories. In adding a little light back into the world. We can be the people we needed. We can stop someone else from feeling that despair. And maybe, they’ll have the strength to share a little light to someone else. Someone has to start the chain, to pay it forward. Why not us?

    “You don’t have to be alright. I’m not alright. Everything is not ‘alright’, right now. Just don’t surrender. Don’t surrender yourself. And don’t forget that you’re never alone. You have people to lean on, when you’re not alright. It doesn’t matter what the city thinks. If we stick to our morals and our mission... they’ll see the light eventually. We’ll be the beacon.”
    He stands and offers a hand to pull Mosi up as well, if he’ll take it, committed to unraveling and replacing some of that nihilistic determination with a different sort.

    It’s possibly more than Max has ever spoken to anyone in the team over the course of their entire tenure together, and definitely more than he’s ever said in one sitting. But Tsunami grows quiet as the elevator doors open to reveal a new lavish location. He can’t help but be somewhat intrigued with the elaborate workshop, despite his earlier reservations, and he’d be lying to claim he isn’t even slightly interested in getting to use some of The Smith’s own tools. But he's distracted, thinking about his team mate's situation. Slowly, he steps further in, moving towards one of the tables with half finished projects, though his pace is almost cautious. Hazel eyes lift to follow Mosi however, as the prince moves towards the windows.

    “We should always be prepared for the worst, sure, but hope for the best. Be aware that the world is a miserable place, by and large, but also be conscious that there is always beauty left to be found, and worth protecting. If you give up on that, the darkness wins, no matter your intentions. Keep hope alive, that this time will make a difference. Even in just one person’s life. You never know what that will lead to. It’s a bittersweet balance, but don’t let bitterness win. Take pride, in not letting the worst parts of the world win, in not letting it defeat you. Do not surrender. Don’t let it take away what makes you... you.”

    He’s been called an idealist before. But Max is hardly an optimist. He’s just too stubborn to accept ‘fate’, even when it seems dire. He’s too stubborn to let anyone tell him it’s futile to try and do good. For him, or anyone else.

    Clearing his throat a touch awkwardly now that he’s done speech-ing, Max starts to flick through a few of the holographic schematics that are being displayed. Several, predictably, appear to be some sort of weapon, but not all. “Any… uh… interest in helping me out with a project?”


    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Max is saying that he thinks Mosi is heading down a dangerous road with his nihilism, so raise Danger by 1. He thinks Mosi’s losing sight of what it means to be a hero (at least in Max’s eyes of what a hero is) in his pain and needs to be reminded, so lower Savior by 1.
    Last edited by The_Specialist; 2019-08-05 at 04:18 PM.

  13. - Top - End - #133
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Moonshadow
    Conditions: Angry, Hopeless
    Potential: 3/5

    Cindy has been uncharacteristically quiet, trading her usual jittery energy for unnerving stillness. Both hands stuffed in her pockets, she says almost nothing, hunched in a corner as her team fights*. She grunts in response to Tsunami's question, with her eyes fixed on toes, only lifting her gaze to watch the rest of the team leave.

    With Ms. Wei asking a question, Moonshadow shrugs in response to her sister's unspoken query, before sullenly responding.

    "Yeah, what do you want to know? Me and sis aren't really the boss of the team, so we can't really tell you, y'know, much..."

    *Her sister would recognize this posture as a classic after-fight-with-the-parents sulk, if she had by some chance missed all the other hints

  14. - Top - End - #134
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    Sunburst, Moonshadow, Miss Wu: Monkey Island Basement 001

    "We were not aware your team had a formal hierarchy." Miss Wei's tone is, as usual difficult to pierce but she continues "It was you and your sister who brought the team to help us when The Iron Devil attacked one of our labs and while you destroyed the location in question, the villain did not gain what he was searching for. As such your team is marginally connected with our operations within the city. Other parties may well be interested in your activities. They will eventually come here, we will be required to produce what information we've compiled on you. The Company has determined that your assistance with The Iron Devil has provided you some small space to" she trails off, the mechanical tone faltering for even just a moment. "The Company has determined that your information should be handled by your team, we will provide you the time to amend whatever it is you wish and to answer any further questions you might have while you are here."
    Last edited by Razade; 2019-08-05 at 07:45 AM.

  15. - Top - End - #135
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ground Zero
    Conditions: none
    Potential: 4/5


    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    Freak: +1
    Danger: +3
    Savior: -1
    Superior: +1
    Mundane:-1


    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
    Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
    -Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.


    Kai lets out a "Tsk," as his suggestion to team-up with Lion, one that was half joke, half serious, is shot down and Ronin puts herself forward as his partner in meeting the Hierophant. He's not against the idea of teaming-up with Ronin, in fact he considers her one of, if not the most, reliable people on the team, and as such an ideal person to have by your side in a situation like this. His irritation is that Lion did need to get a grasp of the severity of the situation, and while it might be a bit of a mean trick, Lion's lack of knowledge would make his surprise at seeing the Hierophant greater, and that emotion in turn, would make for a better 'offering' for the elemental.

    Kai glances back as Lion apologises, and he feels a spike of irritation. What the f*ck is with that meek atitude? This guy is my Rival for crying out loud! When he acts so pathetic, it reflects badly on me, and I have a reputation to keep! His irritation gets the point that he's just about to go over at smack some sense into the guy, when Tsunami reaches out to Lion. With Ronin waiting for him to take the lead towards the Hierophant and Tsunami on Lion's case, Kai makes to follow their guide. But not without a glance backwards and a wave towards Sunburst.

    The descent is quiet save for their footsteps, and Kai is left alone to his thoughts. He thinks of his time away from this world, of what he saw. He'd hoped to prepare and calm himself, but as he focuses his recollection, he only feels a sense of anxiety building within him. Breathing techniques the Old Man taught him help get these emotions under control and he pushes the anxiety down as they reach the bottom of the ramp.

    Then the Hierophant makes its appearance and Kai is momentarily freezes up as he takes in the scale of the elemental before them. It recognises him for what he is, and calls Ronin broken. And while he hesitates, she steps forward and challenges the Hierophant's judgement. She explains how the experience of being broken, and then repairing oneself, can make one stronger. As she talks, Kai looks down at his battered hands, marked with scars from before he had learned how to protect himself. The last 'broken piece', left over from being remade into the person he is now by his time in the Cacophony.

    Ronin Finishes asking for insight into the warning, and Kai takes it as his cue to talk. "You're right, I have traveled far. And in my travels I learnt much about the Hierophants. I know they are the greatest builders of repositories, and the favored contact of those seeking the wisdom of those who dwell in the Cacophony. But in all my travels, I have never seen a Hierophant of such... grandeur. So while I feel it would be something of a pointless effort to ask this of a lesser Hierophant, I feel I can ask you with some degree of hope; do you know of someone, other than us obviously, that has come seeking the wisdom of the Elementals? Or inversely, someone the Elementals have been trying to contact?"

  16. - Top - End - #136
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    Ronin, Ground Zero, The Hierophant: Monkey Island Basement 003

    The great creature listens, lids closing slowly in time with breathing that seems to fill the empty spaces of the room with lilting notes. "An Epitaph." The words ring about the cramped space, the colors changing from purples and deep blacks to bright crimsons and stark oranges. In the spaces between organs of a mighty creature pulse as the vast head swings about to see the message. "The warning is a warning past. Inscribed here. A tomb. The Wave Rose. The Wave Crashed and like all Waves, Rises once more."

    The hologram shivers and fractures, more words following after.

    The whole cannot be changed.
    We have already lost that chance.
    Because the time left to us was short,
    We were mistaken in our path.
    But now do we realize,
    We should change not the whole,
    But the parts.

    "This one does not have your answers. A Wave like War cannot be averted. A history lost will return yet a prisoner does not know a prison if it cannot see the bars. Magic wrought by many hands holds this world in its grasp. To destroy the Dark, the Light would deny the Shadow and claim honor in the act. Yet a prison has doors, locks, keys. Find one who saw with their own eyes the battle this tomb enshrines. Only in the City of the Dead will your answers be revealed."

    Ground Zero's words brings the mighty creature's focus on him in turn. "They shone like the sun, Oh Flatterer. This one told them what this one has told you. You are already too late. The key is in their hands."

  17. - Top - End - #137
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Sunburst
    Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
    Potential: 3/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Danger: +1
    • Freak: +2
    • Savior: +0
    • Superior: +0
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Burn and Flares
    Show
    Held Burn

    0

    Shielding

    You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

    Moat

    Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

    Reality Storm

    You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

    Snatch

    Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.


    Lanuola glances to Cindy briefly as her sister finally breaks out of her funk enough to speak. She waits a moment to see if she had anything else she wanted to add. When it becomes apparent that nothing more is forthcoming, Lanuola turns her attention back to Miss Wei, shaking her head a little, "Well, uh, Hikari, Lion, Tsunami and, uh, and Ronin all kinda act like the leader at different times." She gestures between herself and her sister, "Neither of us have really, uh, lead a fight, or a mission."

    "So, uh, you want to know more about us in case, uh, in case other people ask about us..?" She's hesitant, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind making her feel like there should be some reason not to speak, but no real reason was forthcoming in her mind. After another pause, she shrugs, "Umm, sure, I guess there's no harm in it..? What, uh, what do you want to know..?"



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

    Spoiler: Alternate Avatars
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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  18. - Top - End - #138
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    PirateGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ronin
    Conditions:
    Potential: 2/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: +0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
    • [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.
    • [X] Always Prepared: When you have a chance to restock your supplies, hold up to 2-gadgets. When you unleash your powers by producing a brand new minor invention or gadget from your supply, spend 1-gadget and roll + Superior. When you reach 0-gadgets, mark a condition.


    Ronin stands stock still for a long moment, her armour’s natural tendency to mask small movements amplifying this into a statue-like stillness. All of what had been said was...clear enough, as such things went. The scientist in her objected to the usage of phrasings like ‘magic’, as always – there were rational explanations for what the more ignorant called magic, even if they hadn’t been reasoned out yet – but she knew this wasn’t the time or place to argue about that.

    The claim of the...inevitability of what was to come was chilling, and the revelation that others are already ahead of them – others like Lightbringer, from the sound of it – is cause for concern.

    ”Thank you for your wise council, Heirophant,” she replies, her armoured form coming to life once more. ”How might one gain access to the City of the Dead in a manner that will allow us to find one who witnessed this battle?” she asks. She’s hoping a positive answer will be forthcoming; ‘dead’ is a pretty hefty barrier, and she can’t imagine how they’re supposed to retrieve information from someone who’s been interred in a graveyard.

    Well.

    Unless there’s something for the premise of cellular memory after all. Biology isn’t her field of expertise, but there was an article in that one scientific journal she’d seen oh, about a year ago. If they had an appropriate tissue sample, it might be possible with the application of....

    Chasing a thought down the rabbit hole of inspiration, she’ll hopefully hear the answer to the question she asked.

  19. - Top - End - #139
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Moonshadow
    Conditions: Angry, Hopeless
    Potential: 3/5

    Cindy frowns, folding her arms across her chest. "We're not saying that we'll answer everything," she adds to her sister's comments, trying to reshape Lan's comments into something less dangerously open, "but we'll listen. We're not really, y'know, allowed to tell you much," Moonshadow says, directing her remarks to her sister as much as to Ms. Wei. Cindy has never claimed to grasp the finer realities of city politics, but even she suspects that the arms dealing corporate are probably people that the team should give their darker secrets to.*

    "So, yeah, what do you want to know?" She says, arms still firmly crossed across her chest, a shield against any prying questions, and brows still furrowed in the center.

    *Also, like, Tsunami and Ronin would kill her**
    **Well, not actually. That's more Hikari's speed

  20. - Top - End - #140
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    Sunburst, Moonshadow, Miss Wei: Monkey Island Basement 001


    The towering attendant makes a face, not quite certain what to make of either of your responses it would seem though like the other two she's not outwardly off center long. "I believe we misunderstand one another. We are offering your team a chance to tell any would be investigators what ever you'd like them to see. We won't be asking you questions, you'll be answering whatever questions you want them to see." This is all said in an even, patient tone but you can tell she's utterly baffled by the both of you. It's in her eyes as she gives you one more once over. "If you'd like to wait for the rest of your team however...we have other accommodations for you. A waiting room is already prepared for you, our humble guests. I would be happy to make sure you've settled in, if you feel it more appropriate.""
    Last edited by Razade; 2019-08-09 at 04:38 AM.

  21. - Top - End - #141
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Moonshadow
    Conditions: Angry, Hopeless
    Potential: 3/5

    "Well, why didn't you just say that, rather than adding in all the extra stuff?" Cindy replies to Ms. Wei, paving over her embarrassment with irritation. She glances around at the walls, feeling claustrophobic, a fish in a steel bowl. One hand comes to smooth away the wrinkles in her forehead, as she reminds herself not to growl at their hosts. "Sor- I mean, yeah, that'd be good. Thanks."

    Moonshadow pauses awkwardly, glancing around again. "So, uh, lead the way?"

  22. - Top - End - #142
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2019

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ground Zero
    Conditions: none
    Potential: 4/5


    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    Freak: +1
    Danger: +3
    Savior: -1
    Superior: +1
    Mundane:-1


    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    In a China Shop: When you directly engage a threat, you can cause significant collateral damage to your environment to choose an additional option, even on a miss.
    Physics? What physics: When you unleash your powers to barrel through an insurmountable barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
    -Defender: When you leap to defend your love or rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior to defend them.


    Kai is left scratching his head at the Hierophants' answer to Ronin's question, and is left feeling like most of it went over his head. He never really was a fan of riddles. Luckily Ronin seems to grasp the words and it isn't long before she has a follow up question, asking about a City of the Dead. However it's the Hierophants' answer to his own question that gives him pause.

    "They shone like the sun"

    There's only one person that springs to mind when he hears that. Well technically two, but only one worth seriously considering. Light-Bringer. If she was involved in what was happening, then the Smith's warning was on point. This was going to be a lot of trouble. But if they pulled it off, no-one would ever forget them. One question above all still bugged him though

    "What is the 'Wave'? It can't be a literal, like a Tsunami or a Tidal Wave, that wouldn't be a threat to a city of superheroes. So what exactly is it?"

  23. - Top - End - #143
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Sunburst
    Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
    Potential: 3/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Danger: +1
    • Freak: +2
    • Savior: +0
    • Superior: +0
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Burn and Flares
    Show
    Held Burn

    0

    Shielding

    You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

    Moat

    Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

    Reality Storm

    You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

    Snatch

    Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.


    Lanuola folds her arms around her waist at Cindy's indirect chastisement, feeling herself start to glow a bit as she feels a twinge of embarrassment. Her sister was right, of course. Freely answering any question was a quick way to get into trouble. She'd apparently have to try and strike a balance between the honesty needed for Kintsugi, and the practicalities of the real world.

    Miss Wei's response, however, catches her off-guard. She finds herself blinking in confusion as she tries to make the necessary mental gear shift to understand what their host was getting at. She was gratified, at least, that Cindy had apparently also missed the hidden meanings. Rubbing behind her neck, she nodded her agreement with her sister. "Umm, yeah I, uh, I wouldn't mind going to the waiting room. I think, uh, I think we'd need to think about your offer a bit."



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

    Spoiler: Alternate Avatars
    Show


    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  24. - Top - End - #144
    Orc in the Playground
     
    DreadPirateH's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Silk
    Conditions:
    Potential: 1/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +1
    • Danger: +3
    • Savior: -1
    • Superior: +1
    • Mundane: -1

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] Devil or Angel on My Shoulder: When you provoke a teammate to violent action or drastic measures as your Hero Persona, roll with your Alias Label. When you discourage a teammate from going overboard or making an action they can’t take back as your Alias Persona, roll + your Hero Label.
    • [X]Save the Light: When you step in to intervene, help a civilian, or stop a threat roll + your Hero label. On a miss, you’re made to look the fool. Mark a Condition and give ground. On a hit, you’ve got someone’s attention. Use it as an opportunity or provoke them to action. On a 10+ your foe must respond in kind or flee.


    The panels snap back to Silk and the others. The angle is pulled back, showing the scope of the cavernous room. It's very poorly lit, appearing to be filled with crates and containers full of who knows what. Materials storage? Product waiting to be shipped? Or things better left under wraps?

    Silk stands in the darkness, peering out at it, Tiger Shark and the Huntsman behind her. The panels show a close-up of Silk's face with the others framed over her shoulder. Despite the white porcelain mask covering the top half of her face, the quiver tugging at the corner of her mouth betrays her annoyance. "No one's going to find anything if you can't keep your mouth shut! Give me, like, 10 seconds of actual quiet here."

    A progressive series of panels shows Silk as she takes the ends of the unassuming red scarf wrapped around her neck and unwinds it purposefully, then reties it around her head, covering both her masked eyes and her ears. The panels pull back out to show a side profile of Silk, the others, and the rest of the room. Another panel shows the same angle, but the backgrounds and physical objects are less distinct and fading. One last panel shows the same scene in photo negative, with the black and white flipped.

    The next page is a full two-page splash, a low perspective looking up. Much of the Monkey Island skyscraper can be seen, walls, floors, and ceilings drawn as thin, barely-perceptible sketches like most other physical objects. There are silhouettes of people speckled about. Most are featureless black, but some are colored and stick out more prominently. Silk's lines and features are soft like everything else, but she's picked out in purple. Tiger Shark and The Huntsman are gray. On the same level, three other figures are discernible: Sunburst, Moonshadow, and Miss Wei. Tsunami, The Lion, and Miss Wu are higher up in the building. and there are two other gray silhouettes farther up as well. Near the very peak of the skyscraper is a nearly featureless speck of gold.

    The following page after that is another two-page splash, this one from a higher angle looking down. Again we see Silk, Tiger Shark, and The Huntsman. But about two floors below them, the entire level (and bottom of the page) is blocked out. Nothing can be seen save for thick swirling cosmic nebulae of
    whites on a dense field of dark purples and blacks. Clearly, there's something there.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Rolled 11 to unleash to extend her senses.

  25. - Top - End - #145
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    Sunburst, Moonshadow, Miss Wei: Going Up

    Miss Wei gives another bow, motioning to the elevator you arrived on. "This way." The elevator trip, long on the way down, is longer on the way up as the numbers go from the aughts to the high twenties. The building is, owing to the swiftly approaching dusk, fairly empty. The few workers who remain pay you no mind as you're brought to a room your whole family could live in with room to spare. Greenry splashes the panels as vines grow about them, the rich smell of earth and rain saturate the open room and a small waterfall dominates the center of the space. The water plays a merry tune on a series of tubes that run through the instilation and a large balcony opens to the outside with several cherry blossom trees to provide shade.

    Beneath, the city is alive.

    You're more than twenty stories up now and the world below is small. Only the Monsoon, the ever present giant, looms larger than you now. Cars blur by through the highways and byways of San Fransapporo and to the north the mighty Sleeping Giants, redwood trees of epic size, sits as a gentle shadow in the hectic splash of neon greens and blues and reds that dominate the active city. To the south west, your small home is buried in the riot of colors. Your family too, tucked away in the ever growing expanse that is San Fransapporo. The skies above remain the steel colored sheet of clouds not yet full enough to rain, the drizzle from earlier persisting even now. Birds sing in small hovels built into the sides of the building, lush canopies of trees block the view to other floors below and swift movements from squirrels disturb the branches.

    Above, the city is alive.

    Miss Wei's small voice brings the panels back to the room, motioning to a large refrigerator. "We've supplied you with snacks for your wait, if you find yourselves hungry. Is it your intention to go next?" There's no telling how long Tsunami is going to be with Miss Wu, or if they'll even come down until you're all done. You could cut in line if you felt that team would be next. Of course, there's a large TV and some of your personal favorite foods to throw yourselves into. Someone's clearly been doing research. Maybe Ronin and Ground Zero've done all that needs done and this will be an otherwise easy night out? "Or, if you feel it appropriate to go last, your other team members might require your aid in the previous task. No matter, there is a phone to reach us when you've made up your mind. We will be calling when your friends have concluded their meeting." With another bow, Miss Wei excuses herself.

    Regardless of when you're going maybe it'd be a good time to discuss what you're going to ask this thing? See what needs to be said, in case the others missed it? There's always the topic from the previous day, boys being boys. Either way, there's time for you to talk. What do you do?

    Silk, Tiger Shark, Huntsman: Basement 001

    The panels show more, the light show pinging several other areas of the looming skyscrapper. Near the top, near enough to between where Sunburst and Moonshadow have moved and where Tsunami and The Lion have settled, your prize awaits. You've seen it before, that fateful night with The Iron Devil. The Imperial Key. It shines with a multi-colored light that casts the numerous black silhouettes even more starkly against your vision than the rest. Heavily guarded is an understatement and there's no telling who those people are or what they're carrying. Not to mention what else might be in there you can't see. This will be no easy task though you see the other two gray images working their way closer. The plan is going even now.

    Your attention however is brought back to the here and now. If the prismatic display from above draws you upward, the nebulous energies from below drag you down to meet your expanding senses. A maw of pristine light, the sound of waves, of your "team" breathing, of the air condition's rattle, and music. Its attention isn't immediate of course, you asked for ten seconds and you get about nine of them before whatever it is finds you. The tenth second is consumed by the smattering of blacks and violets, violins and piano and a voice that pierces the darkness.

    "Little shadow. This one sees you."
    The piano and instruments drown out any other sound. There is only in this moment you and the voice and the presence. All around you, suffocating like a wave that's pulled you under. You've felt this before. Fighting ghosts in Karakuri, struggling and bleeding before you found it. The sash. Before it found you. The Chickadee's words ring in your mind unbidden.

    "You weren't but a child when the waves struck. Karakuri Town was to be a jewel of the city. A beacon, a safe haven for the poor. Stormsoul changed it with a snap of his fingers. He was just some...minion. A lackey...but he found the spear there. Like it was waiting for him.

    It's been a year since then. Before you walked in the hollowed out remains of a bloated and dead city. Ghosts and worse and there among it all was the sash. You can feel it around you and you can feel the pull of whatever it is through it even stronger than its mere presence around you. Lance, Stormsoul, found the Spear in the ruins of Karakuri Town. A key to an Elder force of storms. Karakuri Town where The Storm King was fought and vanquished. Here now, something similar stands before you. Where the ghosts and specters of the long dead were filled with malice and rage, this thing...it...is filled only with curiosity. "Another like you was here before. Little Shadow. Others now, like you, are here as well. You will not find what it is you have come here for. This one has seen it. The Key has gone beyond your reach, and theirs."


    Ronin, Ground Zero: Basement 003

    For a moment the Hierophant seems distant, if a thing like this can seem anything more than what it is. The mask in the tank shifts but is brought back to the question in a moment. "The one who bares the history on their shoulders is no longer in the City of the Dead. It is merely there that the war began. It is there the war ended. This one has no answers, the spell wrought barrs all who look upon it. Only the one remains, to have seen it. To remember. Her punishment. To find the City of the Dead, you need only a boat. It sits across the waters, a scar on the Isle of Bears. There you will only find despair and ghosts. To tread in the City of the Dead, you will surely be among them." The music rises but the creatures tone remains steady. "The Wave."

    As if to answer Ground Zero before he even asks. "Rises. A prison wrought will in time be worn away. Malignant is the poison that seeps into the soil. A dream will end and the history lost shall return. Those who forged the prison saw this, those who beat the irons to shape fear this, those who wish to banish the Dark await this. One cannot banish the Dark, it is in all of us, in all of you. Humans. Such fragile things, to live where Light meets Dark. This one has no more answers for you. That Which was Broken, better by its Brokeness, Oh Flatterer. There is naught but death in these halls. You are not prepared. Best by the Light, drowned by the Dark, a Rogue's men will find you. This one has seen it. This one sees you. There is no escape from this end. You too are in the prison yet do not see its bars."


    After Dark: Insert 3


    “He wasn’t much to look at. Scrawny. Scared. But he had such a presence in the meeting room we’d all been drug into. He radiated calm and with all the things going on in my life, I needed that. The rest of the team, Phantom...Turbulence…they bullied him a bit but Eibon just persevered. I wasn’t sure if he had any powers really, like Miss All Sunday, and I doubt anyone else on the team knew either. One day he just...whips them out. We’d been separated from the others, fighting some minions of The Viper Queen, and I was just pasting them into the floor and against the walls. Really brutal stuff, no one was there to temper me really and I’d had the worst argument with my parents to date. I remember it vividly.”

    Impact closes her eyes, her body shivering. “I remember it all, like still photos. I’d been using my powers to move laundry carts for my father and in walks my mom. I was doing twice the work without even trying, my parents were getting old, they needed the help. I spent a week living on the streets after that until my parents were willing to just forget it. Gloss over it. I wasn’t ever allowed to help them with the laundry carts again. They were willing to just forget everything, to overlook it if it meant we could keep our standing in the River District’s community. There were days we almost seemed normal to everyone looking in but I knew the truth. It itched under my skin, burned away at me. I grew to hate them and that hate just made me stronger. I fed on it, I’d use it to train and to pummel people and to bully people and so much more. For every fight I’d get in, every ripped shirt and bloody nose they’d just yell for a day and by the next...breakfast was normal. I’d do even crazier things, daring them to step over it. They did every single time.”

    She shakes her head. “It ate them up though...until they forgot that too. The prison, I told you. In the end they forgot they even had a daughter, when the dust settled. They forgot but I remembered every lecture. Remember every lecture. Like it was yesterday. A good girl should be studying. A good girl should be looking to give them grandchildren. Oh how they went on about that particular subject. First period and they were already…”

    “Impact, please.” Master Sun cuts in, a handkerchief over his mouth and nose. “I believe you’re getting off topic. You were discussing Eibon and your fight against the Viper Queen?”

    Impact opens her eyes, giving a smirk to the pale Sun. “Oh right. We’ll circle back to all that later. We haven’t gone over the pimple years or the braces. Anyway, a few of the Queen’s men got the jump on me. Had me held down with magnetic cuffs and were just wailing on me. Out of nowhere Eibon, who they’d cornered, sent them flying. I couldn’t see at first but after that the rest of the mooks just...disappeared. Sucked into shadow. He’d just...willed the Dark to do his whim. He’d corralled it, coerced it. We didn’t speak for almost a month after that. Not for lack of trying. He avoided me like a plague. Went on missions alone or with others but not me. I didn’t tell anyone then, I probably should have. I guess the Guardians always knew, knew what he was. What he was capable of.”

    Master Sun raises a hand, waving the handkerchief about like some small flag. “What exactly was he capable of?”

    Impact’s gaze is unwavering as she stares down Master Sun. One could very well, the setting nonwithstanding, think that the latter was the prisoner and Impact the one in control. “I don’t think he was born with them mind you...we’d never discussed that...but he was a smart kid, remember? Too smart. He found a Repository, he never told me how, and that just set the ball rolling. He had a hundred of them, more, by the time he showed me his collection. Spellbooks and ritual scrolls and Repositories and treaties on meditation and medical books about Metagenes. He taught himself to be a Metahuman and then he just kept going. That much knowledge...it has a way of changing you. The Sorcerer, The Storm King, half a dozen other nightmares roaming the edges of our world...I’ve cataloged them all now. After I lost Sam.” A shiver runs through Impact’s form. “Most of them are happy to remain there, outside our little bubble, gnawing on the edges of reality or whatever it is they are disposed to do now that they’ve changed. Some aren’t. The Storm King wanted to drown our city for the actions of the Weather Report. They locked him away, they made him become one of these things but most did it willingly...or at least not against their will. Somewhere in their delusion they might not have wanted it but they weren’t themselves long before they hit this stage. The Guardians owed the city the chance to put Eibon down. They knew, they saw it plain and they said nothing. They could have avoided all of this but they wanted to see where Eibon would go.”

    Another shiver runs through Impact’s form, her head falling slowly as she once more closes her eyes. Tears well in the corner of her wrinkled face. Most would forget that Impact is almost in her mid sixties by looking at her but in this one shot the weight of all those years are practically hewn into her through all the pain, the guilt, the toil and lonely nights. The panels pull out to frame Impact in her prison, the otherwise normally black space filled instead with a montage of a legion of other characters. The mini-panels are small for many, the Junior League and the Guardians West of course. Further up a large number of former villain teens turned heroes. At the top Hive and the former Bruja. All of those small panels shatter, the darkness returns save for two baleful white orb like holes behind Impact. Her tattoos writhe.

    “He killed everyone.”
    Last edited by Razade; 2019-08-12 at 06:44 AM.

  26. - Top - End - #146
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    The Lion
    Conditions: 2, Hopeless (-2 on unleash)
    Potential: 4/5
    Spoiler: Labels
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    • Freak: +1
    • Danger: 0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: -1
    • Mundane: +2
    Spoiler: Moves
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    • [X]Words of the past: When you seek the guidance of one of your elders or a member of your legacy, tell them a problem you face, and ask them a question about the problem. They will answer it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, mark potential.
    • [X]Never give up, never surrender: When you take a powerful blow from someone with far greater power than you, use this move instead of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a condition.

    "'I don't buy that...'" Mosi says under his breath, repeating Max's words, as the two boys express their feelings to each other in an elevator. Below his Lion-shaped helm, Mis's cool blue eyes seem unmoved by Tsunami's speech. Compelling though his words are, they are little match for a perspective hard-wired in over 17 years of privilege, hope and sudden and crushing despair. Still, there is no one on the team that the Lion trusts more than Max, except maybe Hikari. And that was different, it was more like... admiration than the hard-fought camaraderie that Max and Mosi had built with one another over months of fighting as a pair, the two 'outsiders' carrying each other back to the Surf Shop battered and bruised in equal measure. So, rather than simply lashing out, the refugee prince takes in Tsunami's words. All of them. And then he takes Tsunami's outstretched hand, eager to pick himself up off the floor. Mosi uses his other palm to help thrust himself up -- a feat that unintentionally stalls the elevator for a second, before it clicks back into movement.

    "It's an interesting philosophy, hahaha! Don't worry, I told you that I wouldn't leave you hanging. 'Til the bitter end." Suddenly a grin rushes across Mosi's face, realizing he needs to deflect from the fact that he probably doesn't come off as overtly reassured. "You know, 'Tsu, I'm pretty sure this is the most I've ever heard you say... like... ever! But I like this side of you, you should show it more often! You know, that's why I voted you for you for leader. Not that I don't love Hikari... Wait, not like that. Sekhmet! You know what I mean." He rolls his eyes, gives a perfect smile, the giant of a boy suddenly acting like himself again.

    "Anyway, I'm not about to go all Lightbringer on you, so don't even worry about that... I think... I think that I just needed to vent a bit. I'm not about to stop keeping the faith. Hikari brought me into the team for a reason, and it wasn't to be an anchor weighing everybody down." Mosi says, though he doubts that isn't an accurate description of his current status on the team. Tsunami had reacted so intensely, The Lion was quite sure if it was out of distrust for the Lion, or because of the trauma they had suffered both apart and together the day before at the hands of a hero who had turned decidedly unheroic. Suddenly, Mosi realizes that the two superheroes have had what turned out to be a pretty deeply personal chat in a very small, contained space with a almost entirely silent stranger. Awkward...

    "Sorry about this, Miss... Wei, was it? I swear we are normally the quiet ones!" Whether she looks skeptical or not, he quickly adds in with a head-scratch. "Well, Tsunami is, I'm always this annoying, it seems. At least, according to Ronin and Zero." He quickly glances to Tsunami, worried his self-deprecation will set the other boy off again. So the Prince leans his stubbled jaw in close to Tsunami, whispering into his ear. "Hey. Thank you, 'Tsu. Seriously."

    If Miss Wei has nothing to say about their interaction, we turn the page to a splash of the modern-esque workshop; Mosi looking out of window with an eye for trouble as a lightning strike behind him, and Tsunami, distracted from his task to try to comfort him.

    "Sekhmet, Tsunami! I appreciate all the support, but I'm not exactly Liddle Mosi anymore! You needn't coddle me so much." The Lion groans audibly. He realizes he might be coming across as a little ungrateful given all that Max had said and revealed in their conversation to try and make him feel better and be better. "I was just wondering if I could get some fresh air, was all. Nothing to get worried over. I'd be proud to contribute to the project in any way I can, though I don't see myself being all that useful outside of grunt labor. But I'm happy to to provide that if you'll take the lead." He pulls his arm in, and tuts his head into a loosely formal bow, half-joking, but it's an action that anyone on the team could observe was usually a sign of deep respect that the Lion reserved for orders from the team's stalwart leader.
    Last edited by Hans Free; 2019-08-12 at 12:16 PM.

  27. - Top - End - #147
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

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    Jan 2012

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Sunburst
    Conditions: Guilty, Hopeless, Angry
    Potential: 3/5

    Spoiler: Labels
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    • Danger: +1
    • Freak: +2
    • Savior: +0
    • Superior: +0
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Burn and Flares
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    Held Burn

    0

    Shielding

    You call up a fast protective field to stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone else from an immediate threat, rolling +Freak instead of +Saviour.

    Moat

    Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that will hold back threats as long as you keep your attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend another burn if the barrier is threatened by particularly powerful enemies.

    Reality Storm

    You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling +Freak instead of +Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another burn.

    Snatch

    Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize any one object up to the size of a person from someone within view.


    We cut to Lanuola's perspective as she stands in the elevator, patiently waiting for them to arrive at their destination. Her posture is faintly uncomfortable, looking as though she'd really rather be somewhere else. The next panel shows her eyes looking up, a look of surprise on her face as the elevator's doors open, the splitting doors creating twin shadows that leave a strip of illumination that cuts through the centre of the panel. Then the panels shift out into the room itself, showing the trio stepping out into the waiting room. The angle makes them look small, almost dwarfed by the room they find themselves in. Lanuola herself is looking up toward the plants and flowing water, her body language loudly expressing her wonder.

    Cutting close to her, we see that she is smiling broadly, her skin illuminated from within as her amazement shines through. She claps her hands to her mouth, unintentionally laughing a little. "E manaia iinei...*"

    She all but jogs over to the waterfall, planting her hands on the rocky sides of the decorative plunge pool as she gazes up at the dramatic feature. As distracted as she is by the splendour of the room, she almost misses Miss Wei's questions and suggestions, only belatedly remembering she wasn't here to sight-see. Giving an embarrassed rub behind her neck, she straightens up, turning back to their host. Before she can say something to come to a decision, Miss Wei is already excusing herself. Returning the bow with a bob of her head, Lanuola waits for the woman to leave. As soon as she has, she runs over to Cindy with a massive grin on her face.

    "Vaʻai i lenei nofoaga!** It's incredible!" She half turns away, looking out over the city. Her reflection is clear in the glass opposite, illuminated by her own inner light, "I almost don't want to leave..."

    Translator's notes - *"It's beautiful here..."
    **"Look at this place!"



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

    Spoiler: Alternate Avatars
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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  28. - Top - End - #148
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2014

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Pool: 1


    Tsunami and The Lion: Research Bay


    With that done and concluded, attention can be given to the room and its environs. The glass walls are multi-function it would seem, not only allowing you a good view outside but also to shield whatever goes on here from the world beyond as well. Breaching the glass would be nothing short of impossible without breaking it, no real latches or other methods of escape seem present. There's probably some method to get out and to a balcony just below in the room, but when you get past the main entrance the daunting task is made clear.

    With more time to glance over the work bay, the tools seem set beside what must be the task ahead. Casings of brilliant metal gleam under the cool light, wiring and other arcane materials litter the station. Blueprints hover nearby and while they display what needs done on a technical level...whatever this stuff is? What it's function might be? That eludes even you Tsunami. More casings of the silvery metal lay nearby, the display showing a completed form of what might well be an awl though much too large for a human hand and with no wooden grip in sight for them to be attached. Further instructions scrawl by when you start to look the blueprints over. There is materials enough for six such items, and more if needed. The Smith at least giving some kind of help even now so you won't mess this up too much. Notes indicate that any of the remaining metal can be taken back to your base. If there is any.



    Spoiler: The Lion
    Show
    You made an assess a long while ago. It was a miss. Mark a Condition.

    Spoiler: Tsunami
    Show
    Time to ra-ra-roll.

    Tinker, Tailored: Roll + Superior to complete the task ahead. On a miss, the number of "spikes" that the Smith wanted can't be completed with the materials presented. Mark a Condition, there are no remaining materials to be had. On a 7-9, you make all six but have to use any extra materials presented. On a 10+, no surprises here. You make all six with metal to spare. Take a goodly portion of Mithril back to base when you get there.

  29. - Top - End - #149
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    PirateGuy

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    Dec 2012
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    Male

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Ronin
    Conditions:
    Potential: 2/5

    Spoiler: Labels
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    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: +0
    • Savior: +1
    • Superior: +2
    • Mundane: +0

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] I'll Show Them: When you defend someone who doesn’t believe in you, you can always take Influence over them, even on a miss.
    • [X]All The Best Stuff: You’ve compiled access to caches of equipment and weaponry other supers have hidden in the city. When you access a cache, say whose cache it is. If it’s a hero’s, roll + Savior. If it’s a villain’s, roll + Danger. On a hit, you find a tool or intel useful to your situation; the GM will detail. On a 7-9, you leave evidence that you’ve been here. On a miss, you tripped an alarm and they’re coming; prepare to explain yourself.
    • [X] Always Prepared: When you have a chance to restock your supplies, hold up to 2-gadgets. When you unleash your powers by producing a brand new minor invention or gadget from your supply, spend 1-gadget and roll + Superior. When you reach 0-gadgets, mark a condition.


    It's clear their time with the Hierophant has drawn to an end, and Ronin believes they have received some helpful, albeit cryptic, information.

    As well as an unsettling warning, if she is interpreting the being’s words correctly.

    ”Our thanks for your time, your information, and your warning, great Hierophant,” she replies, glancing aside at Zero. ”We two might come up wanting, but there are more of us than that here this night.” Untangling her pattern of thinking from the convoluted mode speaking with the Hierophant had thrust upon her, she jerks her head at Zero toward the ramp and turns that way herself. The panels sound effects once more show the echoing ‘thump thump’ of her footfalls, and she has Chisei check for cell signal while they wait for their guide to return.

    No dice – not that she’s particularly surprised. She’s going to have to get to work on a decent communications suite, it seems.

    ”Sp, little problem,” she tells Zero quietly, glancing up the ramp. ”Beset by Light? Drowned by Dark? Rogue’s men? I don’t know how the Rogue got some of her celestial goons down here, but apparently we’re due to run into them, if the Hierophant is to be believed.” Not that she’s sure how it’s coming up with those sorts of predictions; perhaps some really good security hookups and advanced predictive modelling?

    ”We need to get back to the others,” she continues in her low tone. ”There might be more down here than we can handle just the two of us, but I doubt they managed to sneak enough in here that we can’t manage with the whole team,” she adds with a fair degree of certainty.

    Well. The whole team, minus Hikari.

    Looking back to Zero – to Kai – she looks him over to see how he is handling the aftermath of this encounter.

    ”How are you holding up?” she asks, almost hesitantly. She's not so good with the whole 'feels' stuff, but she's the only one here for him right now. ”I can't imagine that was all that easy, considering...well, considering. You...need anything?”

    Ack. Thank goodness it's just the two of them at the moment....



    Spoiler: CRUNCH
    Show
    Comfort/Support GZ. 11. Bam! +1 Team to pool.

  30. - Top - End - #150
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    The_Specialist's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    The Surface of the Sun

    Default Re: [Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

    Tsunami
    Conditions:
    Potential: 0/5

    Spoiler: Labels
    Show
    • Freak: +0
    • Danger: -1
    • Savior: +2
    • Superior: +3
    • Mundane: -1

    Spoiler: Moves
    Show
    • [X] Been Reading the Files: You’ve learned about the superhuman world through your mentor’s resources. When you first encounter an important superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll + Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM will tell you what, if anything, seems different from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. On a miss, the situation is well outside your base of knowledge; the GM will tell you why.
    • [X]Be Mindful of Your Surroundings: When you assess the situation before entering into a fight, you may ask one additional question, even on a miss.
    • [X]Venting Frustration: When you directly engage while you are Angry, you can roll + the label your mentor denies (Mundane) and clear Angry.


    Max does feel a bit embarrassed, having rambled on quite so much, when Mosi points out it’s the most he’s ever heard out of him. But he has a strong, if particular, set of morals, and cares deeply for his team. When those two things combine, apparently it is a recipe for a forceful reaction. Tsu nods his head slightly in acknowledgement; Mosi’s vote had meant a lot to him, at the time. He’d still conceded to Hikari’s leadership without protest, but even the one vote had meant he had done so without being entirely ashamed.

    Tsu for the most part pretended as if Miss Wei hadn’t been there the entire time, not reacting when Lion was quick to apologize to her for being privy to what really should have been a private conversation. He’s not entirely sure if he did his job to revitalize his team mate, being that he’s obviously believed Mosi’s jovial mask and taken it for granted in the past. But he hopes.

    “It’s not coddling...” Max insists once Miss Wei has left the immediate area, a bit tersely, though not abnormal for the often gruff sounding boy. “I have a feeling this project might be a little frustrating, is all... The ones The Smith throws my way usually aren’t without a grunt labor aspect, either. Have to make sure it’s a chore, you know?” He explains, still not entirely understanding what he’s seeing in the blueprints. However, he does a double take at the silvery metal after a delayed pause, his eyes slowly widening as he at least realizes what he’s meant to be working with. It’s a look of genuine shock and anxious concern that Tsunami is rare to display. “...Holy sh*t.”

    Mithril!

    There’s a split second where he’s immensely excited to be able to touch and work with Mithril. But then reality comes crashing in, as it always does. This isn’t just some lesson where he gets to experiment with The Smith’s scraps and zero consequences. This is a project he’s meant to take on essentially professionally, to pay back a favour for both The Smith and Wukong’s efforts. With a very special, expensive, rare material he’s never actually used.

    ...This is above my paygrade, and I’m probably going to mess it up, help or none. Maybe I should take the fall on my own. Tell Mosi to get out of here.

    “I... must have really made her mad...” Max breathes, slowly letting out a tense sigh as that brief flash of excited shock crumbles to something even rarer. Resignation. Defeat? Max lifts his arms, running his hands over the top of his head in a somewhat anxious gesture.

    Rally. Rally. It’s too soon to give up.

    The gesture changes, Max’s hands beginning to fidget instead, making sure all of his hair is pulled out of his face. He then hastily lowers his arms again and starts pulling his gauntlets off, almost a little frantically. On one hand, he’s going to need to be careful in tackling this project. On the other, he needs to get started immediately and figure out how to pull this off. It's something like a surprise exam almost. He's been working towards something like this, but he's still not sure he's ready. The Smith must think there's a chance, if she put him up to it.

    “...The only way I’m going to be able to make all... six of these in... any conceivable amount of time, is with help. Even then...” He trails off, though shakes his head, trying not to be so pessimistic. He has to believe he is up to the challenge. Pausing briefly, he glances up at Lion again. “Forget ‘coddling’, I really need you, buddy. I don’t know if we’ll be able to take a turn talking to the Hierophant, even with the both of us working on this. I could just phone it in... But I’d like not to. And just trust that Ronin and GZ got the bulk of the answers we need. This could be really useful for us, if we could save any of this metal. And you know... not having Wukong Industries and The Smith annoyed with us would be great too. We need every advantage. Sorry about this. Ready for a crash course in smithing?”

    Max starts to grab tools and lay them out on the workspace in the order that he thinks he’s going to need them per the instructions, pointing towards one of The Smith’s hammers, one that seems a little comically large in most other people’s hands. “Will you bring that over? Always wanted to use it. Didn’t exactly see it like this in my head though...”

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Rolled a 5 for Tinker, Tailored. Going to spend 1 Team selfishly to boost the roll, ignoring the narrative (rather than the team) and forfeiting a chance to talk to the Hierophant, with Raz's permission. Preemptively counting on a confirmed +1 from Mosi in aid, so that’ll boost it to 7 and (just barely) a success! Raising Superior by 1 and lowering Mundane by 1.
    Last edited by The_Specialist; 2019-08-17 at 11:34 PM.

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