[Masks] San Fransapporo: After Dark

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 4 (not Afraid); -2 to Everything but Directly Engage
Potential: 3/5

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.

And on his mention, we cut to a panel of the Lion himself, unconscious as he ragdolls through the air before plummeting into the depths of San Fran's city streets -- his mask willfully clinging itself to his face as his spear continues to impale his chest. Were it anyone other than GZ and himself, they would likely be dead from the fight they took on. But as things stand its looking more and more likely than not that Mosi will, in-fact, soon be dead himself as long as the situation remains unchanged. And just like that, with a click, the Spear of Sekhmet loosens its grip, shrinking from his chest and suddenly we hear the powerful beating of a heart pumping blood. An errant claw instinctually reaches out for steel, brick, glass... anything that'll slow his descent until--

~~

Time in the ambulance is measured in the hills passed, under the ambulance's tires on the way to the hospital. Mosi awakes for just long enough to hear the gossiping of the people; the embarrassing tales of his "exploits". All echoes and fragmentations of his entirely-too-well deserved negative reputation. I used to be known as the peacemaker of the family. He laughs bitterly at himself, before coughing up. Bloody. How far I've fallen. Sekhmet, literally.

Then the old fear crosses his mind. The thought of Polaris causes him to spring up, sending alarms off and beeping in the 2-ton steel rocket as he desperately grabs at the scrubs of one of the EMTs.

"W-where is my team!?" All light strips from the tiny room as he passes out seconds later.

~~

The next time the Lion wakes up he sees his father laying in the hospital next to him, smiling proud at his youngest son. But that expression doesn't move or shift. Its just the face Mios seems to be frozen in. Mosi's eyes well up.

"What would you do, Dad? Do you think... Do you think the team'll even want anything... anything to do with me anymore?" Mosi looks away from Mios. "No... No, probably not. I-- I let everyone... I let everyone... down... I let everyone down..." He chokes up and starts to sob, still only half-awake and unaware of his surroundings.

"I'm not really a hero at all." And just like that his mask clicks itself off of him, dropping onto the floor next to him. Mosi doesn't even bother to pick it up. He's not even sure that he really would want to keep being the Lion if he did. This... this wasn't what he had chosen, and that's making the assumption that he had ever even chosen at all. Which I haven't.

"Self pity isn't a good look on you, Mosi."

That made Mosi's chest tighten, but the anger won't subside this time and he throws a glass on his nightstand at the wall, letting it shatter.

"Fine then. Fine! Fine! Fine! If you want me gone then... you win, I'm gone... I quit, I quit, I quit. So get out of my head! I'm so sick of calling myself a hero and then it means nothing! I just fail, over and over again -- watching from the sidelines as all those around me suffer and die? Is that all I'll ever get to be!? Well, is it!?" But only silence answers the young prince. He shakes his head and smiles crookedly. Of course now you're quiet.

His ceremonial dreads down and as deflated of life as Mosi himself; the boy who used to call himself the Lion of San Franscapporo lies alone in the hospital room with only the TV and his comatose father for company. He switches the TV to the news and instantly winces in hurt and discomfit as the words "Wukong Island incident" pass by in a graphic we only see in a partially faded out panel.

It's not long before the boy who calls himself the Lion has put his face into his arms. And he sobs in agony.

Spoiler: Crunch

Show

Clearing Afraid. Nothing else right now. Feels bad man. If its okay, I am gonna work my End of Session into next post. Didn't feel appropriate to Mosi's personal reaction right now.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: Insecure and Guilty
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +0
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +2
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 sees flickers of memories. He sees himself hurtling out towards the city, flung by far by his own abilities. He sees a glimmer of gold in the distance sky and a part of him registers that that must be Mosi, flung similarly far but in a different direction by the destructive wave.

Then he's waking up in his own bed. The cuts he received from Tiger Shark's scythes are wrapped up in thick bandages that make his initial attempts to move and sit up feel stiff and awkward. Then the muscle pain and headache register and he falls back down to the bed with a groan. One positive to the sudden pain was that it was one hell of a wake-up call.

With his senses coming back to him, he looked around his bedroom. The morning sun was bleeding through the blinds, illuminating a messy affair, with dirty clothes strewn about every surface, but that was par for the course for Kai. What was different, was that the shattered remains of his phone lay on his desk, and Gray, Kai's caretaker since he came back from his jaunt in the Cacophony, was passed out in his desk chair, with a roll of bandages on the ground that looked like it had fallen out of the old man's hand while he slept.

It wasn't hard for Kai to deduce that, just like when he'd had a seizure post escaping the Cacophony, Gray had likely heard his psychic 'scream' and once again come and saved him. He really was going to have to do something to pay the guy back, Kai concluded. For now though, he had much more pressing issues. Those being the state of his team.

Gritting his teeth against his the pain and doing his best to not let out any sound, Kai sat up and pulled himself off the bed. Before leaving his room, he picked up a blanket from his bed and draped it over the still sleeping form of Gray. Then painful step by painful step, he moved into the living room and turned on the tv and switched it to the news, lowering the volume as he did so, so as not to disturb his caretaker.

He then pulled himself over to where an old landline phone hung off the wall. After taking a moment to remember the number he wanted past the headache pounding inside his skull, Kai picked up the phone and dialed Lanuola's phone number. As the dial tone rang, he put together an order to call his teammates in order to check if they were alright:
1. Lanuola (+ Moonshadow)
2. Miho
3. Mosi
4. Max
5. Hikari

[Razade]

Pool: Cleared


After Dark: Final Insert

"The Light?" Master Sun sounds incredulous, verging on furious really, as he takes a step back. "And what" he continues, rallying into snide self confidence "does that mean exactly? That The Light animated the body of a dead hero, formed a copy and thought no one would notice? Do you truly expect me to believe all of this? I'll have the truth from you, Peryton, you're up." A figure pulls from the shadows, beckoned by Master Sun. Gaunt, skeletal and dressed in an immaculately pressed suit, Peryton practically slithers into frame.

Impact smiles, shrugging her shoulders or tries to considering the restraints. "Believe me, don't believe me. All part of my plan. Once you put a mark on my back, I had to start thinking fast. Asked around, did some digging. On you."

Master Sun and Peryton come to a pause, the former perking a brow as the snide smile stretches across his face. "On me? While I'm flattered, I don't think it has done you much good Impact. I will however give you one more chance. The truth, now."

Impact gives another wiggle in her restraints, perhaps testing them to see if she can get free. Perhaps another shrug. "The Mandate, to see all that occurs beneath the Heavens and a peach from the Gardens of the Jade Emperor himself, to live long enough to push the planet through the mighty rivers of fate. You're a powerful man, Master Sun, and it took a lot to get what information I could from you. So I'll play nice. All of it's been true, whether you believe me now or not. The reason no one's noticed is because when the dust settled and Eibon was beat...well. He was something beyond human. All those others I mentioned? The Storm King, The Sorcerer? They're beyond us, they're beyond this plane of existance. We can't bind them with iron or walls. Not forever, not even for months.

Eibon had become like a cancer, his madness was spiraling out from the city. People did unspeakable things and they were only getting worse. The Light, inside Lightbringer, proposed we call on others to craft a prison to keep Eibon and any other horror that tried to take our planet. We called the Smith. She could make the prison, she said, but she needed help. Mithril for the bars, the heart of an ancient elemental for the spells, even more exotic ingredients for the tethers to hold the prison in place and a way to pay for all of it. The Elementals were the hold outs, slaying one of their own simply wouldn't do. Others, creatures from the planes and beyond, followed suit. The spells were too vast. All the while I waited in a cell, watching Eibon claw through his. I'd betrayed him, in those final moments. With the powers he'd given me, I'd struck him down, gave Carmine enough time to get the final blow."

Peryton glances at Master Sun who barely even seems to breath, his eyes wide and spit flecking the edges of his lips.

"Finally caught up to you huh?" Impact chuckles, watching as Master Sun falls to his knees. "So one night Lightbringer comes to our cell. Explains the situation. All the parts are in place except for two things. My punishment and the price to be paid for locking Eibon away for good. It says its got the perfect solution. Two birds, one stone. Wipe the slate clean of the whole sordid affair. The world over will just forget the whole thing happened. All those lives lost, buildings destroyed, they'll be glossed over. The memories of every living person will be rewritten, history itself Lost, tied to the spell so that it might never wane. So the truth of their deeds, burying the awful history, of Eibon and his madness, would never come to light. Then there was me. I wouldn't get to forget. Ever. The world around me, all that pain and suffering...I'd have to live it every single day. Knowing that all the people I loved were gone, unable to tell anyone. I tried, tried to tell Carmine and so many others...but the spell. It erases memories after I say them. Your friend Pertyon over there." She nods over at the looming ghoulish man. "He knows we've had a conversation, his mind is filling in the blank spots. But you."

The panels focus solely on Master Sun now, Impacts words small text boxes. "Your power didn't see it because the spell was beyond the Heavens. The spell fooled you all these years, a blind spot for your power. But now I've told you. Now you know the truth, a loop hole. Unlike me though, the spell will gloss over your power. That's what I'm banking on anyway. The true path will be there, lurking even while you forget about it. It will confound you, force you to see the world as it isn't...or is it? You should thank me, Sun. How long has it been since you were uncertain of anything?"

Master Sun's eyes slowly return to focus, though he still seems in grave distress. "Do." the first word takes a panel. "It." a second.

The next two pages are a single splash of the insert shows Peryton loom over Impact with blinding speed, a hand coated in dark magic before plunging into her chest. The final page shows a beating heart, encased in a glass like substance. The date is marked in the last text box.

"Sunday, May 26th: One Week before the Dockside Demo"

Issue One: End

[Razade]

Issue Two: Whispers in the Dark

Issue Two opens on a small hospital room, crammed with what can only be described as a Anime Main Character Convention. The number of brightly haired people numbers six, one of which is familiar as Polaris, one of the Rogue's Constellations. He's in a hospital bed with all sorts of machines beeping and booping around him, the other five are handily named. With long green and braided hair is Kaylee Harper, code name Sirius. Next with dusky skin and lavender hair is Lyra Saaraf, Vega. Both sit off to the side, watching Polaris's chest move shallowly. The fall, a small panel showing Silk throwing him from Monkey Island, has obviously not done him any favors.

The other three crowd near the door, late comers it would seem. Maia, bright pink hair and a gothic style dress, heads up the other two strapping teenagers. Cervantes, with electric blue hair that moves to almost frost like blue to their tips and Altair, whose flaming red hair would make any corvette blush, are both in Halcyon High Letterman's jackets. The latter is the first to speak.

"So...we gonna go after them?" A question that, knowing the medium, needs no answer. Not that he gets one either, outside of looks of teenage petulant disgust as Maia moves to the side of Polaris's hospital bed.

"I think it'd be good if we got up to speed here. Everything's been all thrown together these last few weeks. Now that we're all here." Vega chirps, happily ignoring her fellow Constellation. "Kaylee?"

The aforementioned teen merely rolls her shoulders, motioning to Polaris. "He went to take down the...whoever they are. Ronin's team. Things got messy, the moron fell from the roof without finishing Ronin's people off. The Huntsman is on the run and Tiger Shark was taken to the Chill after they managed to get her out of whatever it was that took her over. The Elemental. The Koto got the Key but they're holding on to it while the heat is on, Lightbringer and her people have practically taken over the streets."

A few more shots of The Authority and their fairly harsh method of taking down villains. It's been two weeks since the Monkey Island debacle and the city has only slipped closer to the edge of all out street warfare. The Guardians West have done their best to keep the peace but to call it fragile would be underselling the tense atmosphere in the city by quite a lot.

"Still no sign of the Repository but it doesn't seem like we need it anymore. Not with the Key in hand...when we get it in hand. Mission is still to take out Ronin's people, they have the Repository for sure. Lightbringer thinks so, her people think so, even Cindersnap and her crew think so."

Cervantes snorts loudly, finding a clear part of wall to lean against. "Fingerbang can think what she wants, Vega took their spy out before Coyote could secure the Repository herself. Wish we could just do this the old fashioned way, hunt'em down when they're all out in the open and merc'em. If anyone's asking that's my suggestion. Wait for'em to show their faces and just go hard."

Silence again greets the more flippant youth's bluster. After some time, Kaylee speaks up again. "Maia and Vega can take care of this. I'd just ask them nicely for the Repository and let bygones be bygones if it were me though. The city is about to be awash in blood, might save us some time with Polaris down. I'll handle the Koto with the rest. Dismissed."

The panels then move on to the Team.

Sunburst

It's not gone particularly well for you has it? First there was Monkey Island and the fustercluck before that, then there was the clean up after that mess which...didn't go your way either. Detail how you screwed everything up. Regardless of the how, there's only really one thing for it. Kintsugi has scheduled a few extra chores for you later this evening. With the other trouble makers.

Ground Zero

Tempest's people are tough but you're tougher. Forget the absolute disgrace of fleeing from Tiger Shark only days before your duel or the absolute PR nightmare as the fight is shared on social media across the city and how furious your boss is or various calls from the Guardians West for some kind of apology for wrecking Monkey Island. You won the fight that matters, at least enough to get a meeting with Tempest who as far as you know hasn't a care of your growing infamy. In the few texts she's shot you in setting up your "date" she actually seems to be more eager with your meeting than before.

Give us some details of your fight.

The Lion

You've been having some not very good days, but nothing a little work won't fix. You're Legacy has always worked with the city and with the crackdown on its streets your help has been needed more than ever. The Guardians are happy to assign you to one of their peace force for a week of missions outside your own obligations to the team. Who was the leader of this team and give us some details on how the week went, how you diffused some close calls between the Guardians and The Authority most important of those events.

Hikari

You hid The Key...or whatever the heart was...as instructed. Koto-Sensei has suggested that perhaps, between you maybe probably putting Polaris out of commission and the sensitive nature of the city streets, give Silk a rest for a little bit. The Warlords aren't going anywhere, your team's certainly going to need you. Give us some info on what you were up to over the last two weeks, both as Hikari and as Silk.

Ronin

You got to go to Hexxen, an event in itself. For a tour, by Sidis himself. Big event. The event went well, tell us about it. How did Ronin get a dinner date with the William Sidis and why does it have to be tonight of all nights?

Tsunami

Working has always been a head clearer for you and boy have you needed it. We've all talked at length about how bad things went a few weeks ago, so there's been lots of reasons and time to work. You built some new toys for the team and the base. Why not tell us about those. You also managed some personal work for yourself, what did you build? There's only so much head clearing you can do though. The overdue talk with Hikari looms like a thundercloud in the distance and, perhaps worse, you haven't heard from Tumult since the conflict at Monkey Island. That's not just unusual, that's unheard of.

The Debrief

The following information is general knowledge that everyone in the team should assume to know.

- The events with Coyote and her team led to finding the Repository.
- The Repository is an Elemental creation, detailing a prophesy or some other information of an upcoming catastrophic event.
- A Hierophant, an ancient and powerful Elemental, did little to clarify the message. Speaking in riddles the Hierophant revealed that Karakuri Town was the epicenter of some catastrophic event whose aftershocks are involved with the coming Wave. This can be presumed reliable as the Hierophant predicted Polaris and his men fighting the team. The only lead gained from the Elemental was that there is a singular person of interest that the team should find. Someone who "bares history on their shoulders".
- The fight in Monkey Island was not a good showing for the team. Between Silk fleeing with her goal and a general defeat for the team, public opinion has soured for the team in general. Sunburst and Ground Zero specifically.

Issue Events

- Further investigate the Hierophant's leads.
- Deal with the growing tension in the city.
- Defeat or survive the next attack by the Constellations.

- - - - - -

The next panels, after the team has given their week's activities, finds us once again on the streets of San Fransapporo. Several members of the Guardians West stand before a high rise, easily recognized as junior members in their highly stylized black and red kimono. A crowd has formed behind them, several civilians lay out across the road bleeding. The reason is clear, several large guns peak from the top floor of the building and a number of chunks are ripped out of the sidewalk. Obvious bullet holes.

The situation is dire. The villains within have the entire building in lockdown and with numerous hostages. The most important is the leader of the assembled Guardians. (Roll a 1d6, highest roll names the hero). By the wounded on the ground, and a statement from the villains inside that there are more such wounded with them, it's clear these menaces mean business. Second highest roll names the villain calling the shots.

There were plenty of people that could step in to solve the problem but you're all near enough to lend a hand. What were you all doing today, how does this impact your plans for the evening. Either way, it seems fairly clear what needs doing.

- Minimize casualties and wounded.
- Get the hostages out.
- Collateral is going to make matters worse, if not just totally blow the operation.
- Capture the villains, or at least incapacitate them for someone else to capture them.

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Hopeless
Potential: 0/5

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.

Moves

Wish I could be - When you comfort or support someone, if you tell them what you most envy about them, you can roll +Freak instead of +Mundane.

Unstoppable - When you smash your way through scenery to get to or get away from something, roll +Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose one: mark a condition, leave something behind, or take something with you. On a miss, you smash through, but leave devestation in your wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM's choice.

The panels pan to Lanuola, walking through a crowded street. All around her people are laughing and joking with one another, the stream of traffic running counter to the direction she's walking. In contrast, she's dressed in drab greys and browns, her gaze downcast and shoulders hunched as she tries not to catch anyone's attention. She'd hoped that she could at least slip back into obscurity after the debacle of the last time she'd worked with her team. That, of course, hadn't really worked out for her. As she walks, the panel around her head begins to shatter and fragment, taking on the slightly sepia tint of memory.

They start fairly regularly shaped, if off-colour. She's depicted in relatively hardy clothes, arriving at a construction site. A reverse shot shows this to be the same building she partially demolished just a few short days ago. A series of panels follow, Lanuola is introduced to the foreman by a Kintsugi representative, handed her protective equipment. The edges gradually grow more unsettlingly jagged as they progress. She's shown extremely basic techniques, in the background a number of workers mutter to one another, gesturing directly at her. She struggles with a cement mixer, an uncaring supervisor stood back and watching her efforts. Then she's moving bricks and mortar between sites, a trio of construction workers step out to block her way. Their leader, a surly looking woman, confronts the bewildered Lanuola, gesturing angrily about the site and at Lanuola. A flurry of panels follow, showing Lanuola increasingly isolated and alienated as she tried to work, until a final panel shows her finally breaking down. The panels grow larger, lending greater detail to the scene.

Lanuola is alone, trying to shovel concrete out of a mixer and into a wheelbarrow. She's clearly exhausted, her knuckles white as she grips the shovel. With the wheelbarrow about half full, the shovel slips from her grasp, knocking the barrow over and spilling concrete mix onto the floor of the room. Her face becomes a mask of panic. Taking a couple of steps back, her hands rise to clasp at the sides of her head. In a moment of desperation, she glances around herself then points her hands at the floor and the steadily settling sludge. "N-nobody needs to know. I-I can just start again."

Light abruptly bursts from her outstretched hands, vaporising the concrete spill, but also taking a chunk of floor and wall as well. The panels hold on Lanuola as the realisation that her accident just turned into a much more serious mistake settles in. The flashback panels shrink back down, gradually fading to black as she's forced to face up to the consequences of her actions, both with the extremely angry foreman and a very disappointed looking Theurge.

The colours return to normal for the panels, bringing the focus back to the present. Lanuola's introspective reverie is broken as she hears the sounds of low-flying helicopters passing overhead. Glancing up, she realises they're news copters. She slows her pace, a fresh sense of concern settling over her. Pulling her phone out, she hesitates for a long moment. Then finally sends a message to the team group chat.

I think something's going down in town. Lots of news flying around. Anyone know if we should be there..?

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Side panels will be edited in at a later date

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 4/5
Gadget: 2

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +3
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: -2

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.

Miho…has had a busy several days. One of her top priorities, of course, had been repairs made to her suit to get it functional again, and it had taken a few days of fairly intensive work to make that happen even with the fabrication setup she has in her garage. Well worth the time, however, and she had taken the opportunity to make a few improvements that had come up in the process of the team’s extensive…field testing.

She hadn’t blamed Sunburst for the damage caused; none of them had had any causer to suspect that she could actually loose an EMP like that, and it certainly isn’t like she’d done it on purpose. Miho had, in fact, gone to brace the other girl at her home to discuss just that....

-= * * * =-

Miho takes a deep breath, holds it, and lets it out in a rush. Facing down supervillains, diving into thorny technical problems, those things are all, relatively speaking, easy.

But this? This is hard.

The faint evening breeze ruffles at her hair, and she looks up at the short few steps that lead to the innocuous door. As if she doesn’t have enough mental obstacles to the task she’s set for herself, she has to deal with the usual physical ones as well.

Still; no excuses. Lanuola deserves a proper apology from her, and that means doing it in person. Such is why she finds herself outside the family home in her chair, mustering up the fortitude to go do delicate social interactions.

“Chisei, can you find a way to ring the bell for us?” she asks her companion AI. Yes, she can always text her teammate, but that would just lead to the temptation to do it all that way to avoid having to look her in the face.

No, and no.

ONE MOMENT, MIHO, her friend replies, and after a short moment of accessing wireless signals and checking peripherals, the doorbell sounds inside the dwelling.

Here we go....

Lanuola was sat curled up on the living room sofa, her attention fixed on her phone as she mindlessly scrolled. The simple act was, while not exactly a healthy way to spend an evening, at least distracting enough that she didn't need to think.

Her sister had closed herself into her own room. The fallout between Cindy and their parents after the fight at Wukong had been unpleasant to say the least. And, frankly, she didn't blame Cindy for trying to avoid them.

From the kitchen, if she tried, Lanuola could just about make out the quiet conversation between adults, pitched at the awkward volume where they hope it's quiet enough that nobody could overhear it without quite managing to succeed. As the volume rose slightly, Lanuola redoubled her focus on her phone.

And then, abruptly, the doorbell rings. The hushed conversation in the kitchen pauses only briefly, and the lack of movement upstairs tells her that Cindy wouldn't be answering. After a few moments hesitation, Lanuola rises softly to her feet and pads over to the door.

She experiences a moment of confusion when there's nobody directly in front of it and shifts her gaze down to the visitor. Who turns out to be Miho. A sense of anxiety settles on Lanuola, her chest clenching even as her cheeks light up softly. "Uh, hey, Miho. Umm, I, uh, I wasn't expecting to see you!"

Casting a glance over her shoulder back toward the kitchen, Lanuola found herself feeling absurdly aware of the fact that she was dressed only in her pyjama's, the sense that she ought to be wearing street clothes when speaking with her teammate rankling in the back of her mind.

Looking forward again, she asked, "Is, uh, is everything ok..? H-has something happened?"

Miho realizes immediately the flaw in her plan that she should have spotted immediately. Without messaging ahead to warn her teammate she was coming, she had inadvertently caught Lanuola in her pyjamas!

Cheeks heating, she desperately tries to rally herself and forge on.

"Happened? Oh, no! No, nothing else has happened," she hastens to assure the other girl; she's too much of a stickler for technicalities to be able to say that everything is okay, though. "I, um, just wanted to talk with you, but I should have let you know that I was coming first, because it looks like I caught you at a bad time and I can totally go and come back—

MIHO. Chisei prints on her glasses, interrupting her. BREATHE. AND YOU ARE NOT LEAVING NOW, OR YOU WILL BE ANGRY WITH YOURSELF.

Ruthlessly throttling her tendency to ramble when nervous, Miho does indeed take a deep breath before starting again.

"…sorry," she apologizes. "I can...babble...when I get stressed. Do...you have time to talk? Or later, if this isn't a good time."

Lanuola shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. She felt like she could tell where this was going. The sinking in her gut getting worse as she once again glanced back into the house behind her. She wasn't sure she wanted her parents to have a chance of overhearing this, and she definitely didn't want Cindy to.

Nodding a little to herself, she quietly steps forward, pulling the door almost completely shut behind her then turns her attention back to Miho. "U-uhm, sure. I-I, uh, I-I can talk. U-uhm... What, uh, w-what did you want to talk a-about..?"

Lanuola’s willingness to talk is good, although she appears particularly uneasy. The fact that she stays atop the steps is...not so good, meaning Miho has even further to look up than she usually does from her chair.

So be it.

“I....” Damn, this shouldn’t be so difficult. “I...need to apologize to you,” she forces out. Admitting that she is wrong is near the bottom of the list of things she likes to do, but sometimes, damnit, it’s necessary.

“The other day, at the...well, you know,” she goes on, gesturing vaguely in the direction of their most recent debacle. “You were feeling guilty about stuff that wasn’t your fault, and I did a horrible job of telling you just that – it wasn’t your fault.” This, at least, she can get out with solid assurance.

“Things went wrong, sure, but we all made mistakes there, and no one person is to blame for what happened. I...I just had been really excited about the opportunity they were giving us to spin our own PR, and that had just all gone to hell.”

This part isn’t going to be very easy, either.

“I’m just...worried,” she says with a sigh, seeming to deflate a little as she casts her gaze into her lap. “The team is already viewed with some suspicion because of the member with ‘confirmed Warlord connections’, and after that debacle I’m sure there’s going to be speculation that I was working against the team rather than with it. I’m...afraid I’ll do the team more harm than good, just because of who my family is.”

She looks back up at Lanuola again. “I...just hope you won’t hold my reactions against me, if the accusations -- when the accusations start coming. You know I’m trying t be one of the good guys, right? You’ll tell them that?” It hurts to have to share that fear, but she owes it to her teammate, doesn’t she?

Lanuola blinks in surprise as Miho starts with an apology. This... Wasn't at all what she'd expected. As Miho continues to speak, she moves to sit on the top step of her porch stairs, pulling her knees to her chest in a hug as she did. She's silent as she listens, but pulses of light flicker across her skin in time with her doubts and worries.

Her gaze lowers as Miho pleads for her support, and she finds herself fidgeting her feet. She remains quiet for a time after Miho's finished, the only thing separating her from a very lifelike statue being the gentle breeze plucking at her hair and the light that continues to dance across her as she tries to figure out what she could possibly say in the face of such uncertainties.

Letting out a slow breath, Lanuola hugged her knees just a bit tighter, "... M-Miho... I-I don't really know what, uh, wh-what I can say. U-umm..." She lets go of her knees with one hand, rubbing at her temple instead, "I-I, uh, I-I've a-always trusted you..? U-umm... I, uh, I don't, uh, I don't think you've, uh, you've got a-anything to worry about. You, uh, you always try, uh, try really hard to, uh, to do the right thing. U-umm... I think, uh, I think that's obvious to anyone."

She returns to hugging her knees with both arms, "A-and... A-and it's really obvious you, uh, you care. I-I mean, if you didn't, you wouldn't, uh, wouldn't be, uh, wouldn't be here now. A-and you wouldn't be worrying about, uh, about how your family might, uh, might affect the rest of us..."

Miho feels the twisted knot of anger and guilt that had burned in her stomach since the encounter with Silk...ease, somewhat. Being angry at everyone isn't fair, not the least because even after the way she treated Lanuola, the Polynesian girl – clearly in distress herself – is still willing to see only the best in her. All isn't lost, she can still prove herself to the world.

All she's left with is the roiling guilt at the aforementioned way she treated her teammate, and a distinct awareness of just how bad her people skills are.

Chisei prints something in a weird, blurry font across the HUD of her glasses, which resolves itself when she blinks her eyes rapidly a few times.

I AM UNAWARE OF ANY OUTSDANDING WARRANTS, her AI companion asserts. DOES MISS AUVA'A HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE ONE WILL BE ISSUED? There's no tone to the text, of course, but the impression of skepticism still comes across.

Miho blinks. Chisei is right; Lanuola had said something about being locked up, hadn’t she?

“Wait, what do you mean, locked up? You haven’t done anything criminal, nobody is going to lock you up. ...yes, there’s been some property damage,” she admits reluctantly, “but you didn’t do anything with malicious intent. You do know that, right?” Miho asks, doing her best to be here for her teammate, her...friend?

(Comfort/Support: 2)

Lanuola finds herself unsure of what to do when Miho lapses into silence for a few moments. And then she again finds herself unsure of what to say when Miho calls attention to her insecurities and fears.

She shuffles her feet uncomfortably, tightening her grip around her knees, "... Miho... I-If, uh... I-If we, uh, we found, umm... A, uh, a bomb... I-if we found a bomb, even if it wasn't, uh, wasn't active, you'd want, uh, want to get rid of it, right..?"

She gives Miho a pained look, "... I-I don't think it matters what I meant to do..."

OH DEAR.

Miho has to concur with Chisei. That is not a healthy outlook.

“Oh, hey, you’re not a bomb,” the chairbound inventor protests. “Look, I know you’re feeling guilty about stuff, but you are an asset, and nobody wants you gone. You...should talk to someone about this, Lannie. Not me, I’m the ****ing worst at it,” she says wryly, using stronger invective than she usually feels is required...or allowed.

“You don’t need to be put away, and we all want you around. If you need better control, then you get it! Nobody can stop you from trying except for you.” Miho really wishes she was a better motivational speaker; but this is the best she’s got.

A smile twitches on Lanuola's face as Miho swears. She couldn't remember ever hearing her do that before.

An asset...

Lanuola's eyes fall back to her feet, "Y-yeah... Y-yeah I-I, uh, I-I guess you're right..."

Something useful...

"I-I mean, uh, I go to, uh, to Kintsugi, uh... But..." She gives a small shrug, "I guess, uh, I-I guess it'd, uh, it'd make sense to, uh, to speak with someone else, too..."

From the look on her face in a close-up panel, Miho definitely realises she's the worst at this sort of thing. Time to do the only smart and logical thing; break this off before she makes things worse.

It’s not cowardice – it’s sound tactical maneuvering.

Quit looking at her like that.

“Uh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” she agrees, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “Look, you weren’t expecting me, I don’t want to take up any more of your time than I have to,” she apologizes. “Don’t, uh, don’t hesitate to text me if you need anything. Or Chisei, for that matter,” she adds with a flash of inspiration. “He has a surprising insight in some things.” And it might be easier for the poor girl to talk to someone who was a little less...there.

“I’ll...talk to you later?” Miho adds, ducking her head slightly and letting a smile quirk out onto her face. She hopes that someone can help Lannie feel better about herself. Heavens knows she’s not suited for the task....

Lanuola nods slowly as Miho stumbles her way through excusing herself for the evening. "Y-yeah, ok... I, uh, I won't keep you if you're, uh, you're wanting to go. U-umm, but, uh, but I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if, uh, if you wanted to hang out some time."

She loosens the grip she has on her knees as she continues, letting one foot slip down to the next step down, "And, uh, Miho..? Umm, seriously, I don't think you should worry about being arrested. Umm, you're always trying so hard to, uh, to do the right thing. If that doesn't count for, uh, for anything, then that's just really unfair."

Miho shrugs. “Guess that’s what we get for living in a world that’s not always fair, huh?” she replies, fairly certain that she’s somehow managed to make things worse rather than better. “I’ll see you around. We’ll kick butt together, do some good,” she adds with assurance. That, at least, she’s sure they can manage.

As she wheels away, she muses that it’s the more delicate things they all seem to have issue with....

-= * * * =-

Coming back to herself, Miho shakes her head at the recollection, a faint flavour of distaste in her mouth. She...most definitely isn’t a people person, and isn’t good at relating to people at a humanitarian level. However, being the sort of person that she is, she is of course taking steps to try and compensate for that.

She doesn’t let a lack of functioning legs stop her, why should she let a lack of functioning empathy do so?

Surprising as it would be to many, however, it hadn’t been her engineering feats with her armour – not to just simulate walking about but actually function on a super-heroic level – that had lead to this evening’s events. Those were impressive, admittedly, but it had been her earlier, and far more important creation in her opinion, that had caught the attention of the inestimable William Sidis....

-= * * * =-

Miho was excited; this, as much as the need to maintain her heroic activities, is why she had worked so hard to get her chair/armour functional again.

The Hexxen tour.

Miho...was fairly well off. Not 'obscenely wealthy' or anything like that, but she did own her own house, and of course fabrication equipment and materials for her armour didn't exactly come cheap. Chisei handled her investments for her, and the AI could put together a staggering amount of data to predict trends. And did it under the limitations she requested that the majority of the money went to companies whose mission and product she could support.

Which is how she came to be a 1.3% shareholder in Hexxen Industries.

Sure, that's not a big number; but when held by a single investor, it’s enough to make her a V.I.P. investor, who gets the occasional perk like invites to a tour of the facility by the top R&D scientist employed there.

Or anywhere, by her estimation.

Sidis was...incredible. Miho knew she was smart. Her team thought she was amazingly smart, which was flattering. But she knew that compared to an actual genius like Sidis, she was merely bright. The man's IQ was just shy of 300, he was fluent in two dozen languages, had been accepted to Harvard at the age of eleven. He had been at the forefront of a large percentage of the innovations that had emerged from Hexxen in recent years, and he was just...inspiring.

Partway through the tour – the V.I.P. group consisting of half a dozen substantially older and substantially more male investors as well as herself –she’d received a pointed lesson in just how brilliant this man was.

In the wake of a comment from Chisei printed across her glasses, she found herself at the focus of her idol's attention.

“Beg pardon, Ms. Tohya,” he said politely, “but may I inquire as to who you are speaking with?” He gestured helpfully across his eyes, and she realized that he not only noted her eyes moving in a manner of one reading, but had caught the cadence of a conversation.

Incredible!

And incredibly embarrassing.

“Oh, uh,” she stammered, caught off guard. “Sorry, we weren’t meaning to be rude. My friend and I were discussing some of the ramifications of what you’ve shown us so far. It’s all very fascinating,” she told him sincerely.

Sidis nodded. “Yes yes, we all do like our work in here,” he agreed. “A more pointed aspect of my question,” he went on in the face of definite confusion on the behalf of the rest of the investor tour, “is how are you conversing? As mentioned a short while ago, this portion of the building is shielded from all outside signals. Or so we believed,” he added with mock sternness.

At least, she hoped it was mocked.

“Ah, that...would be because the signal isn’t coming from outside the area,” she admitted, realising she should come clean. And, partly, because she wanted to tell of her accomplishments to this paragon of inventiveness. “Chisei is right here,” she explains, patting the arm of her chair. “He’s not only my best friend, he’s my A.I.”

If it was possible for a man’s ears to go on point like a hound’s, Sidis’ would have done so.

“You...have an Artificial Intelligence housed in your chair, Miss?” he asked with barely contained curiosity.

Miho nodded. “Yes,” she confessed. “I cribbed the core algorithms from other works, but it was still a hell of a lot of coding to get him to the point of bootstrapping.” She didn’t like having to admit she’d stood upon the works of others to get there – but she wasn’t going to duck giving credit where due, either.

Sidis’ eyebrows went up. “You coded an A.I., and named it ‘Intellect’?” he repeated, not as if he doubted her – more like he just couldn’t believe it. “Are you aware of just how impressive a feat that is, Miss Tohya?”

Miho couldn’t help the wide smile that broke across her face. “I am very aware of just how impressive he is, sir,” she replied quietly, spots of colour forming high on her cheeks. “No matter what I build with engineering, I consider my friend’s creation my greatest accomplishment.”

They had gone back and forth for another minute or two until Sidis visible reined himself in and continued the tour with an apology to the rest of the investors. At the end of the tour, however, he had extended a private invitation to her to discuss her works further at another time, over dinner.

-= * * * =-

A dinner that she is on her way to at this very moment, one she is going to be late for if traffic doesn’t start moving.

”I knew I should have flown,” she mutters to herself before raising her voice to address the driver of her mobility lift. ”Do we know what the delay is?” she asks, keeping her voice pleasant.

Upon discovering that traffic is backed up due to an incident ahead, with emergency services and Guardians on scene, she sighs and resigns herself to being late.

”Just let me out here, please,” she instructs the driver, and while he fights his way over to the curb she has Chisei send William Sidis – William Sidis!! – an apology that she may be delayed.

Once out on the sidewalk, in amongst the moving foot traffic, Miho ignores the vague feeling of claustrophobia that always accompanies being in a crowd of people when in her chair, and maneuvers out of the flow until she is next to the grimy wall of the nearby building. Pedestrians flow by in both directions, vehicles move by slowly on the obstructed streets, and no one pays any attention to her.

Initially.

”Chisei – Launch!” she gives the activation command, and with a faint whine of servos and clatter of shifting technology, her chair stands her up and reassembles itself into the shining Ronin armour. A ripple of reaction spreads out in a half-circle toward the street as people notice the transformation, but there is insufficient time for anything to get started – panic or otherwise – before Ronin crouches and kicks in the EM-drive, launching herself into the air.

The disturbance in question is only a couple of blocks ahead, and is easy to spot due to the emergency vehicles and the red-and-black clad forms of a couple of Guardians apprentices. Chisei catalogues and analyses assorted injuries and weapons damage, and it isn’t difficult to track back to sniper nests visible from above.

A close-up panel overlaid by the armour’s HUD shows a black and grey figure in tactical clothing and body armour, a full helmet with a red demon face (👹) blazoned across the front, a military grade sniper rifle at the ready.

No...not a demonic face. An Oni.

”Oh, crap,” Miho says quietly.

A chat window, prefaced by the Sunburst chibi icon, pops up in her HUD:

I think something's going down in town. Lots of news flying around. Anyone know if we should be there..?

Yeah. All hands on deck.

”Group text: I just came across the scene, everybody scramble. Add our location please, Chisei,” she requests of her friend, staying high and making a circuit of the building to give herself the best chance of spotting all the riflemen.

”Group text: The building is on lockdown by a mercenary group known as Dēmonrōdo, lead by one who calls himself Hannya,” she reports, letting Chisei convert her words to text to send to the rest. ”His men are all former military snipers, and he has red Oni mask which is a focus, allowing him to call upon members of an entire clan of steel Elementals.” Once she wouldn't have phrased it that way, but it seemed to be the idiom that the rest of the team preferred, so she would work with it.

”Group text: They're professionals, so if they've publically locked down a building like this, they're being paid to do so. Something's definitely screwy here.” She's definitely going to wait until the rest of the team can scramble; the steel elementals are hardy foot soldiers, and not to be trifled with.

She is definitely going to be late for dinner.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +0
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +2
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.

Walking up the beach after a relaxing swim, Kai stretched his arms, trying to work out some residual stiffness and muscle pain. The fight with Tiger Shark on Monkey Island had stung, and going straight from that into a fight against Tempest's bodyguards hadn't done wonders for him either. That second fight had been closer than he would have liked, and he couldn't help thinking he could have done better if Monkey Island hadn't been such a screw up.

That said, it hadn't been a bad showing. His opponents were tough, as expected of bodyguards for a Head-of-State, and the four of them that he fought had strong teamwork that made him wish his own team could be that coordinated. The bodyguards had a mix of force-fields, lasers, terrakinesis and super-strength/durability. Abilities well suited to protecting a VIP and counter-attacking without having to moving away from said VIP. However none of them had a proper counter to his superior mobility, and the fact he hit as hard as the strongest of them.

With a thought, he pushed the water off of himself, drying in an instant as he approached the bag he's left his stuff in. Hearing his phone going off, he pulled it out. There was missed calls from his boss, the Guardians West, a message from Tempest herself, and a few messages on the team's group chat. Unlocking the phone he opened up the group chat, ignoring the other notifications for now.

The first message came from Sunburst: "I think something's going down in town. Lots of news flying around. Anyone know if we should be there..?"

This was quickly followed up by a message from Ronin and included a GPS marker: ”I just came across the scene, everybody scramble."

He skimmed the text wall of information that came after that before quickly tossing on his shirt and picking up his bag. He quickly types up a message and send it to the chat.

"Making my way over from the beach, be there in a bit. How do we wanna do this?"

With that he took off towards the location Ronin had given, and as he flew over the top of the city, his thoughts drifted to Sunburst and a conversation they'd had over the phone the day after the Monkey Island incident.

-= * * * =-

Lanuola is still lying on her bed when the call comes through. Light was streaming in through her window, her parents had given up trying to call her down for breakfast, and she couldn't bring herself to do anything more than stare blankly at the ceiling above her.

It happened again... I lost control again, and I blew up a building again ...

The same thoughts tracked over and over through her mind, refusing to give her a moment's respite. Sepia tinged panels give an insight into her thought processes, showing an exaggerated scale of damage that she'd produced, showing her looking small amongst the nearly overbearing height and presence of her older teammates. Further thoughts are cut off as a slightly jagged-edged sound effect cuts into her thoughts. Her phone was ringing, buzzing softly as it vibrated against her quilt.

She watched it blankly for a few moments, then reached over to flip it over. It was Kai. Her hand pulls back from her phone a little, her reticence to speak at all keeping her from answering.

Slowly, she shifts to an upright position, pulling her legs in to hug at her chest even as she watches her phone continue to ring. And then... It starts to go to answer phone. Lanuola hesitates just a moment longer, then her hand darts out and she accepts the call.

"H-hey..."

Kai lets out a sigh of relief when he hears Lanuola's voice come through the phone and he leans against the wall next to the landline, letting it support the weight of his exhausted body.

"Thank God you're alright," Kai blurts out. "I mean you are alright, right?"

"I-I... Uh..." Lanuola pinches the bridge of her nose, "Yeah, uh, yeah... I'm not hurt... A-are you ok..? What h-happened, I... I-I didn't see where, uh, wh-where you went..?"

"That's good. That's really good to hear," Kai says with a small smile.

The smile falls away as he begins his recount of the events of the previous night. "I ****ed up Lanuola. I lost control in a big way. Took myself out of the fight and threw me and Lion back into the city."

He puts his back against the wall and let's himself slide down until he's sitting on the ground with the cord of the landline at full extension. "I'm so sorry. I tried to get back to you, Lion even told me you were all in danger."

There's a moment of silence before Kai continues, and when he does, his words are barely more than a whisper. "But I wasn't strong enough."

Lanuola feels the pit in her stomach grow even deeper at Kai's description of what had happened after he left the building. And then he was apologising, seeking support from her. And...

She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she grappled with what to say. "I-It's ok... W-we, uh, w-we managed t-to, uh, t-to win. A-are, uh, a-are you and, uh, and Lion ok..?"

"It's nothing a bit of rest won't solve for me," Kai assured, a little bravado slipping into his voice. "I'm not so sure about Lion though. I'm planning on tracking him down later and seeing how he's doing. That said, between his healing powers and his stubbornness, I don't think there's anything that can keep that guy down."

"Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm going to rock up at his house to see him benching a battle tank and calling it an easy workout." Kai didn't believe the words he was saying. Last he saw him, Lion had been in a bad way. Easily the worst Kai had ever seen the guy. No-one could just walk away from something like that.

"What about you? You said you ain't hurt, but that's not the same as being ok. There was some seriously intense **** going on back there, and I just want to make sure you're not... I don't know...shaken up by it? Or if you are, well... I want to know if there's anything I can do to help."

"..." The tears start to come faster, Lanuola's memories of the previous night vivid, excruciating, "K-Kai... I-it happened again... I-I lost control again..."

Kai is silent for a moment as he tries to think of what to say.

"Was anyone hurt?"

Lanuola shakes her head silently to herself, "I-I don't know... I-I... I-I think Miho... Her suit, I-I think I... I-I think I broke it... I-I don't know if anyone else..."

"Miho's tough, she'll be alright. Just you watch, she'll have that suit patched in no time at all, and when she's done I bet she'll be dropping by to thank you for helping her run a limit test or whatever on her suit," Kai tried to reassure. "In a way that's what this was for all of us. A test to see how far we could go, and how much we can take. Now that we know our limits, we have the chance to take the time to focus on improving so next time we can, no, will do better next time."

Lanuola gives small nods as she listens to Kai. His words helped sooth her, easing her guilty conscience, calming the anger she felt toward herself and her lack of control. Letting out a juddery breath after her friend stops speaking, she manages to respond. "Th-thanks, Kai... That... That really helps... I... I-I like the idea of using it a-as a learning experience..." She's quiet for a few moments, simply holding the phone to her ear whilst her room danced in the reflected light shimmering across her skin, "... I-I really wish I could stay a-as grounded as you do... Y-you always seem to be able to see things simply. I-it's a great help, thankyou..."

"Well I have 'ground' in my name for a reason, just don't ask about the 'zero'," Kai said with a laugh that turned into a wince as it pulled on something sore. As much as he joked, Lanuola's words really helped. After last night's failure, hearing someone say that he helped them was something he didn't know he needed until he heard it. "I uh, I gotta call up the others, make sure their all doing alright after last night. If you need to talk... well I was gonna say just give me a call but my phone's a pile of scraps at the moment. But I'm gonna get that fixed up soon, and when I do, if you need me, just call."

-= * * * =-

Shaking the memory from his head, Kai focused in on the situation at hand as he closed in on the location Ronin had given.

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 4 (not Afraid); -2 to Everything but Directly Engage
Potential: 3/5

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.

White text on Black Panel.

“Look, Mosi. You’re still a minor. So I’m not supposed to talk to you without your mother present, but… you’re your father’s son and still a hero -- despite what the news might be saying right now -- so I thought you’d want to… I thought you’d deserve to hear this first. Maybe take some time to process it alone.

...Even by Mios's lofty standards, you’re acting far too recklessly. You pushed your healing factor to its breaking point and you've paid a price for it. A small one, but still. And you got off easy. It’s your dad who suffered the brunt of the physical trauma. The truth is that his condition is still in decline... no matter what we’ve tried. He told me himself, when he was still operating as Black Lion, that he would be past the point of no return by this point. That said; one or two more pushes like this, Mosi? And your father’s mortal body…” The Lion Family Doctor’s words trail off.

"I-I know..."

-= * * * =-

After the… incident at Wukong Island, Mosi had refrained from using the Smith’s teleportals — not a protest towards the group, so much as it was a form of self-imposed exile. He hadn’t the stomach to face the rest of the Yojimbo until something major blew up and needed his attention. Not the healthiest way of dealing with their problems, but being in the spotlight the way he and the team were had been a new experience for the ex-prince of Imam; sandwiched as he was between two talented and turbulent siblings, he had always managed to be able to make himself scarce, even at home. But the gnawing pit he had felt growing in his gut these last two weeks suggested to him that he was probably, really, letting down the team by not being present for them, the same way he had let down his family. The way he had let down Benghani…

But self-awareness and self-improvement aren’t the same thing.

So Mosi had been keeping himself distracted, running missions with a Guardians West Peace Force under heroic yet eccentric, ex-villain team-leader HIBIKI; a connection afforded to him by his privilege. Just another fact that made him feel guilty in the wake of the ever-encroaching reality that the other Yojimbo were probably being forced to perform the actual, serious reparative work. On the other hand, being seen working under the Guardians seemed a good enough way of both putting himself in the crowd of non-Yojimbo heroes of San Fran, afforded him transportation when he couldn't (or wouldn't) otherwise take it and could maybe even result in him being seen publicly atoning for some of his and the team’s failings. That'd be nice. The thought of which immediately made Mosi felt terrible, selfish and unheroic. But what else is new?

-= * * * =-

A cramped panel of spandex’d skin, silk robes and costumes of all colors overlapping like a rainbow. In the center foreground is Mosi, our Lion, the only one in civvies; ath-leisurewear, drop-crotch shorts and a sleeveless, low-cut hoodie. The edge of the swoop neck hints at the light-colored scar that remains over his solar plexus. He’s curled up in the fetal position and tucked into a seat, his unmasked head pushed up against the window of the subway car as it barrels its way through San Fran’s Under Rail. He stares intently down into his lap, into the eyeholes of his mask as it looks vacantly back.

We pull out to see the background behind him, showing us that he’s the only one sitting down — the SUBWAY CAR is filled with HEROES, all about to come to BLOWS. The Guardians West, a smattering of Independents and… the Authority, still making use of city’s hero-centric transportation system. And given the state of things, the Guardians West were hard-pressed to make the argument that any large enough group of heroes could be restricted from vital transportation no matter how extreme their methods.

We spin around the train car to see a battle-scarred, near-shirtless man in his forties with an angel-face, passionately arguing in the very center of the crowd — his head darting back and further between members of the Authority and other, senior members of the Guardians West. His long, silky black hair drifts regally around his waist, only tied at the very bottom. He looks like a serene, battle hardened samurai warrior. An image that is immediately, and starkly contrasted by the neon orange, stylized-E safety vest and hardhat he wears without a trace of irony.

This is HIBIKI, also known as EVERYMAN, the leader of the Guardians Peace Force team that Mosi has been working under. He has the power to temporarily manifest his body, or parts of it, through non-powered people nearby; meaning civilians, police officers, and non-powered criminals. It is and was as powerful and horrific as it sounds.

An ex-villain and victim/perpetrator of San Fran’s Warlord system, turned beacon of justice and defender of San Fran's public transit system despite his unusual powers and eccentric personality. Rigid and obsessed with following the letter of the law, he is also highly-empathetic and willing to break any rule, owning the consequences himself to help others, with a reputation for getting heroics done without running up the colateral. Unfortunately, his criminal past and his commitment to active, on-the-streets work prohibit him any real organizational authority in the Guardians.

Over the past week he's been running Mosi ragged every chance he can. Shift-after-shift of manual patrol, or guard duty on the Under-Rail. No one's definition of glory work, but a good opportunity to listen, watch and learn. And in his recent influx of time spent in the hero-centric subway system, Mosi has seen the Guardians and Authority's relationship go from a low boil to about-to-bubble-the-Duat-over in the span of less than a week, echoing the rapidly growing chaos of lockdown above them on the city streets. And in that time, Mosi had managed to keep good on his word of trying to strike a balance between the people of San Fran. Or at least its two heroic factions. The Lion served as mediator to junior and even senior members of the organization, settling on-the-street disputes after-the-fact and keeping them from coming to blows and disrupting the Underrail's service -- which could prove potentially devastating to the city if it were shut down for even a few hours.

-= * * * =-

Suddenly the subway car goes above ground. We flip perspectives to see Mosi, unmoved from his position on the seat, now alone in the car as a beautiful vista of San Fran glides through the window behind him. Sharp readers will notice the presence of the his phone goes off. First, Sunburst. Ronin. GZ. Mosi's eyes glide over the texts.

"Destiny beckons you forth, Supposed Prince of Imam. Remove yourself from this steel abomination; you cannot afford to miss this."

Mosi's eyes go wide as he hears the voice of his mask speaking to him for the first time since the incident.

"You! What. Do. You. Want from me!? Huh...!?" He sighs. "No answer... Figures. Just... stay out of my way, You. I've got duties to perform." He defiantly flips the silent mask on over his head and pops the chin strap, his blue eyes looking FIERCE below the mask. His familiar mane trails out behind him, drifting like a cloud over the setting sun as he bounces a foot from one wall to the other before popping out through the emergency entrance on top of the train car. Just in time to almost hit the concrete top of the tunnel the car is about to go into... Nice. The Lion's eyes go wide and he throws his spear upwards, a leather strap on the end tied to his arm sending him FLYING up into the air with it and pulling him unwittingly towards his location. Or towards the shooting. Undoubtedly, in true Lion fashion, he likely lands somewhere obtuse but doesn't immediately realize it -- so Mosi pulls out his phone and thumbs out quickly.

”Group text: On my way to location. Gonna scout and wait for team. Hikari, plan?” He erases and rewrites the text several times as he goes through variations of more and less formal until he settles on something just good enough and hopes that it won't be misinterpreted.

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +3
• Savior: -2
• Superior: +2
• 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 open on a view of the city, a hospital climbing into the sky directly across the street. Its sides are studded with terraces wrapping around corners all the way up, glass hothouse gardens filled with verdant medicinal plants. Hikari mills about on the street, looking up at the building where two of her teammates are laid up. I hate hospitals. Uncharacteristically, she hems and haws about, never quite getting up the nerve to go in.

Shrugging her shoulders, she gives it up for lost and stalks off down the street, ducking into a nearby gift shop. She wanders aimlessly through the aisles of stationary and cards, flowers and candles. As she passes a shelf of stuffed animals, a couple of them catch her eye: a bear with bandages around its head and a cast on its arm, and a lion with a 'Get well soon' shirt. She'd never admit it out loud, but they're adorable.

Grabbing them, she shuffles back up to the counter and pays for them. Noticing a small tag on the bear for personalizing, she grabs a pen from a cup on the counter and jots down a quick note. The panel lingers on the message: What have we learned? Hikari's voice bubble from off-panel asks the man at the counter, "Do you deliver?"

-= * * * =-

Alone in her own apartment, Hikari practices the splits between two chairs. She's sweating into her heather gray A Banditry sweatshirt, a conspicuous brown paper bag sitting across from her on a futon, mocking her.

Hide it? She'd gone through all the trouble of stealing this mysterious key - twice, even - just so she could go stash it someplace else? Koto-sensei could be an infuriating mistress at times, worse than Jin even. But the dragon lady brooked absolutely no dissent in her ranks. When she said "Jump", you didn't ask "How high?" You just jumped, and prayed to whatever god would listen that it was high enough.

Whatever this key thing was, if Koto-sensei wanted it hidden, it was less about having it herself and more important to keep it out of the wrong hands. And this wasn't the kind of thing you stashed in a hollowed-out book on your shelf. Better to take it somewhere far away and stick it in a whole in the middle of nowhere. Grimacing, Hikari rolls forawrd out of the splits and into a handstand and a walk-over before finally standing up straight. Reaching for her phone on the counter, she dials a number and holds it pressed to one ear. "Chelsea, it's me." Speech bubbles issue from the phone, but the other end of the line is muffled. "Yeah, I know it's been awhile. Listen, I need a favor. A ride. Anywhere, as long as it's far away from San Fran. Just me, and no questions asked. A trade? Since when does Jin let A Banditry call in outside help? Fine, I won't tell him if you won't. What's the job? Weather cult in Miami? Yeah, that sounds like the Storm King. I'm in. I can be ready in an hour."

Ending the call, Hikari opens up the Veil messaging app, starting a conversation with Sunburst.

Hey

Something came up

Can't make community service

I'll make it up to you for ditching

Promise

-= * * * =-

One Week Later

When Max firsts sees the teddy bear beside his hospital bed, he assumes it is from Tumult, because something cutesy-but-also-maybe-poking-fun at him seems like something the redhead would do. His surprise is only surpassed by miserable anger when he reads the attached note, from Hikari instead:

“What have we learned?”

After recovering from his disbelief, Max growls and throws the stuffed animal across the room, where it thankfully bounces harmlessly off a blank spot on the wall. He immediately regrets the movement however, a number of mystery aches and pains flaring to life as a result, and earning him a scolding from the nurse that just walked in the door.

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

“We need to talk. I’ll be at the base, whenever you have time.” Is the text Max leaves Hikari, once he’s out of the hospital. The teddy bear makes it ‘home’ as well, sitting up on a shelf near his forge. Still freshly released, Max has his right arm in a sling to encourage him not to use it. That hasn’t stopped him from immediately hopping into work however, and he’s actively fiddling with a panel for the new blast doors that stand ready to close off the entry corridor from the rest of the base. Numerous boxes, tools, parts, are strewn about the base itself.

Half a week passes between Hikari receiving the text and her return from Florida. But once she's back, there's no point in putting it off. Besides, it's convenient enough to teleportal to the base from where the A Banditry pilot drops her off.

She appears at the portal carrying a duffel and wearing comfortable travel clothes - compression pants, a heather gray A Banditry sweatshirt, sneakers, her hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. Walking in, she drops the duffel on one of the few countertops that aren't cluttered with materials. Max is hard at work, his back to her and one arm in a sling. "Taking it easy, I see."

A sensor somewhere blips when a team mate enters the portal, but Max doesn’t immediately stop what he’s doing to check who it is. Only when Hikari speaks does he glance towards her, almost appearing slightly surprised.

“Of course not,” He answers wryly, trying to keep his tone even as possible. But he’s already angry, and the casual almost teasing greeting from Hikari did little to soothe that.

He tries not to jump to conclusions, knowing his temper can become a run-away train quite easily. It almost looks like she just returned from vacation though, and that would make him fairly upset.

“Were your travels safe?”

Hikari flashes Max a half-smile. "Good. I'm glad it takes more than that to keep you down. You had me worried for a moment." Looks like they were going to play faux-casual for now.

Fetching herself a glass of water, she responds over her shoulder, "Travel was fine. Had a near miss or two, but nothing too serious. I trust things have been quiet here."

The half-smile goes unreturned, though that isn’t entirely unusual; Max isn’t the type who smiles much, even just to be polite. Her words wash over him and immediately slide off, and for the life of him he cannot gauge their sincerity. He wants to believe Hikari. He wants to trust his leader. But old instincts, stubborn and cautious, are set on finding the sentiments to be disingenuous platitudes.

That much he can dismiss without taking offense, he expects such things from people. His own inquiry was perhaps faux-casual, so he can't blame her for returning the favour. It’s the final comment that gets him, though. ‘I trust things have been quiet here.’

“You know they haven’t been!” Max snaps finally, noisily setting down the tool he’s holding on the nearest surface as he turns away from his project finally to face Hikari with an intent stare that is magnified perhaps by the bruising around his eyes and nose. “How can you be so cavalier?” He continues in a raised tone, not quite shouting but blatantly upset. “What was so important? Where were you? And after?” He gestures vaguely towards her duffel bag. Now looking at her straight on, he finally notices the A Banditry sweatshirt as well, and it surprises him how much it stings him.

Hikari blinks once, hard. "Obviously I meant since Monkey Island." She frowns then, opening her mouth to say something, but instead she pauses, her face softening. It had been some time since she'd had to answer to anybody else except Jin. And now Koto-sensei. But maybe, at least this time, she had something to answer for. "I couldn't make it. I have responsibilities at the orphanage, Max. I can't always drop them just because something comes up. I can't be everywhere at all times. That's why I have the team. It's why I have you."

"After that I was in Florida with A Banditry. A favor for an old friend. There was a Storm King cult trying to create a tsunami big enough to wipe out the eastern seaboard. We stopped them."

Max maintains a stubborn scowl. It’s not immediately clear if he actually misinterpreted her statement (as once angered, he often struggles not to slide down the Tunnel Vision Express™️) or if he was intentionally trying to provoke her, or even just simply lashing out. He lets her speak her piece without additional outburst, though his gaze leaves her momentarily when she points out she has him to help when she can’t be there.

“This didn’t just ‘come up’ at the very last minute, we planned going in. Two people were killed the day before Monkey Island, for- whatever the hell is going on here! That didn’t make it important enough?” Max insists, his voice a bit elevated still. “Would the orphanage really not understand? For one little meeting?” Even as he holds up a finger abruptly in numeric indication he almost winces, and he seems to quickly reel himself back, pausing for just a split second while his lips press into a thin grim line.

“It was supposed to be just a meeting, I know. No combat should have been necessary. But you were there at The Forge, you heard what The Smith said. Things are dire. It was going to be important,” His tone has softened, though still urgent, and while his expression is still rather tight his volume has reduced as well. “Maybe you felt like you could trust me with this, and honestly... I... I thought I had it in me. I want to be able to do that for you, for the team,” He takes a deep breath only to release it as a sigh. “...but I wasn’t even close to having a handle on things...” His stomach twists, the guilt still thick and sickening; it’s an uncomfortable admission but not something he’s going to pretend he doesn’t see. His demeanour tempers a touch finally, shoulders sinking instead as the tension eases from anger to partial resignation.
“I’m glad you and your friends were able to succeed out there on the east coast. I am. I’m just real sorry we weren’t able to. And honestly I don’t know if I’m more angry at myself, or you, but it’s both. I just... don’t know why we couldn’t be the priority.” He confesses finally, a hint of vulnerability creeping out. “I’m scared, Hikari. We only just started working on this thing and-... We need to do better. And we need you, one hundred percent of you.”

"I...I can't do that. Not one hundred percent. It's not about me, Max. Or the rest of you. It's about the life. I didn't choose it. I was twelve! I..." Hikari's normally calm and collected exterior begins to crack. Traces of emotion seep into her eyes as she gets dangerously close to being a person. "I need ice cream."

Making a tactical advance to the rear, Hikari digs around in the freezer, pulling out a carton of vanilla bean ice cream. "You want any?"

Sitting on a stool, huddled over her bowl of ice cream, Hikari finishes her thought between spoonfuls. "There has to be more to life than the life. I've seen what happens when heroes have nothing to live for. These kids at the orphanage, a lot of them are like me. Caught in the crossfire. Others, their parents were heroes too. Or police, or firefighters. And they need somebody who can be there for them, not somebody who's going to throw their life away in the line of duty at the drop of a hat."

"I want to take down the Warlords, more than anybody! But when it's all over, when the Warrior and the Rogue and all the others are finally locked up in The Chill where they belong, I want something to come home to. Something else to live for."

"Maybe the orphanage would have understood. But where's the line? When is it enough to let somebody else's problem be somebody else's problem? There will always be problems in the world, Max."

Hikari sighs deeply, deflated. This is more talking than she's done outside of therapy in a long time. Having feelings is exhausting. "It's not your fault. It was supposed to be a simple meeting. Nobody was expecting the attack. It's not like Wukong security did any better. But that doesn't mean it couldn't have gone differently. I can tell you've been thinking about it. So tell me. What have we learned?"

Max’s brows furrow at Hikari’s immediate refusal, though more so because it comes with more hints of emotion than he was expecting, and some of the wording is particularly unexpected. He’s still standing there at first, contemplative and unmoving, as Hikari makes her evasive maneuvers for ice cream, though eventually follows. Stepping up to the tub of vanilla bean as Hikari begins to speak again, the corners of his mouth edge into a frown.

He reaches for a bowl eventually and slowly starts to scoop himself some while he listens thoughtfully. Neither of them tend to be the sort to share the depths of their thoughts and feelings easily or freely, and so heart-to-heart chats are few and far between. He recognizes it is a rare opportunity to hear more from Hikari, and is quickly grateful for it.

Moving around the counter, he pull out a stool next to her and takes a seat. The anger seems to ebb, soothed by ice cream and understanding perhaps, Max returning to a quieter state that is more common.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I admire it, honestly, that you can split yourself like that. That you have the wisdom to... know you need something outside ‘the life’, something long term. I just...” He trails off briefly with a shake of his head, taking a spoonful of ice cream to gather his words. “...I guess I was just a little shaken. Am. This is all I have, and for a moment I could see how it could all end,” He finishes a little quieter.

‘There has to be more to life than the life. I've seen what happens when heroes have nothing to live for.’
‘The life’ is all he lives for. Losing the ability to continue it would leave him aimless. Losing a team mate would crush him. Looking more closely, he realizes he may be taking it too far. Hikari is right, it’s not entirely healthy. But he’s not willing to change just yet, though he can at least accept he shouldn’t be expecting or wanting his team mates to be the same.

“I guess I’m still learning, that we have to pick what problems we tackle, which battles we fight. We can’t take be there for them all,” He answers. The question from her doesn’t enrage him, this time. “But I still can’t ignore that the entire city might be in danger, and we might be the only ones who know and care to help. But beyond that... I... I’m still processing.” He slides the bowl away with his good hand before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve learned I’ve made a lot of assumptions, and that I need to get to know the team better, still. I need to get better at trusting them in their abilities, and at finding ways of working alongside them,” He contemplates, before glancing towards Hikari fully.

“Or did you wanted more of an actual traditional debriefing?”

"Well, somebody needs to explain how Lion impaled himself..." As the two discuss over their bowls of ice cream, the panels fade out.

-= * * * =-

It's a sunny day back in San Fransapporo, a stark contrast to last week's hurricane weather in Florida. Hikari zooms through the city streets on Sakura, whipping up a discarded newspaper. As it flutters past, the headline visibly reads, "Weather Cult Foiled, Tsunami Averted"*. Sakura's display shows a map, Sunburst's chibi head located only a couple blocks away.

INSERT HIKARI/SUNBURST SIDEPANEL

*See Hikari Special #1

-= * * * =-

The week in Florda had been good for Hikari. It was nice to get out of San Fransapporo, away from the internecine warfare between shades of gray. It was nice to just get to play hero again, even if she was partially there for Silk business. And it was nice to be part of a functioning team again, too. The trip had stirred up old memories for Hikari, her days training under Jin with the Weather Report, leading A Banditry on missions. The strict military efficiency that A Banditry operated with was like night and day compared to the free-wheeling brawling the Yojimbo devolved into at every opportunity. If it had been A Bandtiry at Monkey Island instead of her band of misfits, Silk wouldn't have stood a chance.

But wasn't her team's sloppy style really on her? A Banditry was effective because they had been trained by Jin, just as she had been. The Yojimbo had no training. Really, the only thing they had in common at all was that they didn't fit neatly in the lines drawn by the Guardians, the Authority, or the Warlords. They were all orphans of a sort, but her little misfit family had a long way to go. And if she was going to help them get there, Hikari would have to do a lot more than hang back and play shot-caller.

As they say, no time like the present. As Hikari rides through the city on Sakura, a burst of messages on the display breaks her from her reverie.

I think something's going down in town. Lots of news flying around. Anyone know if we should be there..?

I just came across the scene, everybody scramble.
Map pin attached

The building is on lockdown by a mercenary group known as Dēmonrōdo, lead by one who calls himself Hannya

They're professionals, so if they've publically locked down a building like this, they're being paid to do so. Something's definitely screwy here.

On my way to location. Gonna scout and wait for team. Hikari, plan?

Pulling up the map location from Ronin's message, Hikari quickly reroutes to head toward the scene and switches to hybrid call/chat mode.

"I'm on my way. Nobody engage until my signal, repeat, nobody engage. We don't know what this is yet. Ronin, you're on-scene? Can Chisei throw up a private stream on Veil? I want eyes ASAP. Lion, rendezvous with Ronin, scout the places she can't see. GZ, can you do an aerial sweep? Tsunami, what's your 20?"

Pulling up the newsfeed in one corner of Sakura's display, the anchor's chatter filters into her left ear and a photo of a costumed hero appears in one corner of the screen. Hikari recognizes the hero as White Sparrow, a mysterious amnesiac girl with control over life and death itself. Apparently she gave herself up to the villains to treat the wounded inside, which explains why the other Guardians are sitting around on their hands gaping up at the building like civilians.

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 4/5
Gadget: 2

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +3
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: -2

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.
• [X] Damage: You get an additional condition called Damaged. While marked, take +1 to take a powerful blow. To clear the Damaged condition, you need time, external help, or special equipment or abilities.

Knowing that everyone is inbound is a reassuring thing; Ronin is, of course, willing to go at this using the Junior Guardians as support if she has to, but knowing her own team is inbound feels more...reassuring. Despite their occasional issue with meshing properly, she'd rather have them any day over a pack of party-line strangers.

Rather than replying, she directs Chisei into action. ”All right, buddy, let's get some eyes inside. Hack whatever wifi is in range and tap into cameras that might tell us something; security feeds, webcams, cell phones, whatever. Don't worry about the legality, we'll beg forgiveness later if we need to; lives are on the line. Monitor anything that seems relevant, throw up the feed from the helmet cameras into a private Veil stream and send the link to the other. Please and thank you,” she adds, always conscious that she's making requests of a friend and ally, not giving orders to a dumb machine.

I ALWAYS DO ENJOY A CHANCE TO STRETCH MY LEGS, Chisei replies before bending his formidable processing power to gaining access to electronics within the building.

Ronin, meanwhile, keeps the armour at a non-threatening altitude as possible while allowing Chisei to do his work, keeping an eye on what's occurring on the building's exterior. There's several snipers in evidence, but no sign of either their masked leader or the Elemental warriors that heed his commands.

Odds are, that means they're currently occupied with something within the building – which doesn't bode well for whatever that something might be.

Spoiler: CRUNCH

Show

Unleash Machine Control to tap into and stream relevant data from systems within the building: 10

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +3
• Savior: -2
• Superior: +2
• 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.
• [X]Captain: When you enter battle as a team, add an extra Team to the pool and carry +1 forward if you are the leader.

Weaving through traffic on Sakura, Hikari glances down at the display to try to make sense of what she's seeing from Ronin's feed. "Nice work, Ronin. And, uh, Chisei." However, it's difficult to pay attention to while driving, and after a near-miss with some idiot on the phone who never learned how signal she gives it up for lost. Eating up the pavement, she soon arrives on-scene. Throwing Sakura into park, she pulls off her helmet and retrieves Chidori and Honoo. Motioning at Ronin, she makes a beeline for the Junior Guardians lined up like fish waiting to be grilled.

"I'm Hikari Watsuki, this is Ronin. You got anything useful to tell me I haven't already gotten from the talking head over there?" She jerks her thumb over her shoulder at the news reporter.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I rolled a 6 to assess the situation on the Discord. As far as I can tell there's no team to be spent yet, so I'm marking potential.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +0
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +2
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.
The gossip mags: When you tap into the gossip and rumor of the celebrity industry for information on an important city figure, roll + Superior. On a hit, you can ask the GM questions. On a 10+, ask three. On a 7-9, ask one:
- What are they up to?
- What or who do they most care about?
- What allies do they have? Enemies?
- Where and when can I find them?
- How could I make them vulnerable to me?
On a miss, ask one anyway, but they hear about your interest in them.

Having gotten his earpiece in mid flight, GZ hears Lion's reply to the group-chat via text-to-speech. Even then it feels overly stiff and formal for the lively prince, and GZ can't help but feel a pang of guilt at his contribution to the failure that must be waying down on the guy.

The thought brings down his good mood from earlier, and when he hears Hikari's voice come through his earpiece he finds himself muttering "Look who actually decided to show up this time," under his breath. Then louder and clearer "Yeah I can get us a bird's eye view. I'll get my phone out so Chisei can use it to give you guys a visual."

As the building in question comes into view, GZ flies past one of the hews helicopters, giving the crew inside a wave before going into a series of wide loops around the building. He knows he'll be seen doing this, so he makes sure to keep enough distance that the gunmen inside shouldn't feel immediately threatened.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled to Assess the situation. Got a 9. Going to ask "how could we best end this quickly?"

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 3/5
Gadget: 1

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 didn’t entirely recall the full details of his trip to the hospital following Yojimbo’s less than ideal performance at Monkey Island. His first clear memories after the fight were waking up in a hospital bed, the rest a touch blurry. The concussion he suffered was likely adding to that; he did vaguely recall a nurse explaining he had one, at least. Max also remembered checking his phone at some point and finding a missed call from Kai, from the day before, and general messages exchanged between the team checking on each other. His stomach had twisted uncomfortably when he discovered that Mosi had also been taken to the hospital, although it was more difficult to find out precisely why. In the end the why didn’t matter so much- Max had failed in being an effective team mate there as well. He should have kept track of Mosi, especially as they’d been specifically paired up...

He’d made sure to answer the role call, in any case, and keep the others apprised of his location. The hospital had to keep him long enough to determine conclusively that he wasn’t suffering any bleeding in the brain or otherwise, given the brutal blow he’d taken. The other injuries were things that could heal at home for the most part. They’d sewn up all the lacerations spread over his right arm and shoulder thanks to the shadow wolves’ teeth. Fortunately his nose wasn’t broken from falling face first after the shadow golem had b*tch-slapped him across the room, likely thanks to his mask. It had cut into the bridge of his nose quite noticeably instead, and he had a pair of shiners courtesy of the various impacts. What was broken however included a pair of ribs. No organs punctured, so he was free to ‘heal’ up at home once that was concluded. A few hairline fractures suspected in his shoulder as well, and so he was under strong encouragement not to use the limb for anything strenuous for a time...

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

While Max ‘enjoyed’ a relatively short stay in the hospital, any amount of time out of commission is too long for his tastes. The Smith promised aid, however, so long as he promised not to make a break for freedom before the doctor deemed him ready. Perhaps she had accepted that she’ll not be able to talk Max out of the seemingly futile quest to save San Fran, and might as well leave him a few more tools to keep him living longer. Or perhaps the aid is given in the hope that her apprentice will more quickly understand the futility of said quest, when failure comes even with such things at his disposal.

Either way, the gifts are not without some assembly required, and Max is hard at work almost immediately upon his release from the hospital, ‘bum’ arm and broken ribs be damned. It’s the only way he knows how to work through troubling emotions, which are much worse than physical pains. Guilt dominates: from being unable to assist or guide the team in any meaningful way, forcing Sunburst to rescue him, and losing track of Lion and learning ultimately that the Prince was gravely injured. There is plenty of anger to go along with those feelings, as he does not suffer guilt well. While largely frustrated with himself, there is also a good portion reserved for Hikari’s absence from the event. Their talk does a world of good to calm some of these feelings, though it doesn't stop him from working feverishly.

He also harbours a not insignificant amount of concern regarding Tumult’s radio silence, and an ill feeling given the way they last parted. The vindication of feeling that he is focused on saving the city doesn’t entirely quell it, either.


12 Days Ago

Did you get out?

I got out. So did team. Thank you for warning me.

Are you okay?

10 Days Ago

I’m sorry if I was harsh on the roof. Can we talk?

8 Days Ago

Just let me know you’re okay?

Max doesn’t particularly enjoy the sense of appearing desperate, but regardless of what their relationship might be currently, Xiua, ‘Tumult’, has been one of his only true friends and certainly the longest lasting thus far. He can’t simply let it rest on silence, given the circumstances of their last meeting. That, and he’d rather be desperate assuming Xiua is simply beyond pissed at him, than acknowledge the possibility that something terrible has happened to the redhead, instead. Because Max is not mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with that on top of everything else, and he has no way to find Tumult if something is wrong.


5 Days Ago

Xiua, please answer...

4 Days Ago

You can hit me if you want.

3 Days Ago

I’ll take you to dinner if you talk to me.

That fancy place.

Please.

In the mean time, anyone that swings by the base during these two weeks will be immediately aware of some of the additions. Most notably, both the teleportals and physical entrances to the base are now monitored by security cameras and guarded by pillars that Max is calling ‘shock pylons’. A set of improved blast doors protect the actual physical entrances, ready to seal it off if needed. Despite the massive upgrade in security, Max seems to remain surly, dissatisfied, and even a touch paranoid should anyone talk to him about it.

The rest of the improvements come afterwards, firstly in the form of a Fabricator and a small army of drones that can be used theoretically to transport items made by the fabricator to team mates in the field, which Max hopes Chisei could coordinate for them. The last resource gifted by The Smith and requiring no assembly is a supercomputer, which Max expects largely to be utilized by Miho and Chisei. Such will have been communicated either in person or text, although the former would have been largely welcomed and encouraged if Miho had time in the last two weeks.

On top of installing all of this, Max has found time for a personal project as well. After the beating he took, his armour needs repairing any way, and so he takes it upon himself to rebuild much of it instead. The new improved set covers more of his body to start with, and while possessing the same function of the predecessor of using his steam creation to absorb or enhance impacts, this new set represents Max’s further experimenting with magitech armourings. This armour set can be triggered to detach and withdraw from Max’s body, the individual plates rapidly interlocking together to form into a solid wall of protection to cover multiple people at once. The functionality for the pieces to return to their original configuration is still in development, unfortunately, making it likely a one time use currently.

All in all, it is a miserable two weeks for Tsunami, spent utterly hermitted away in the base, essentially working himself to the point of exhaustion each day, so that he doesn’t have the energy entertain emotions that might prevent him from sleeping. Max happens to be looking at his phone, considering another futile message to prod his silent friend, when instead a new message pops up on his screen but from Sunburst. He immediately starts moving to collect his combat gear, and before long more messages have joined in the group chat to confirm trouble is afoot.

There in 5.

Max types to the group chat manually before placing his ear piece in and fitting his mic’d mask over his mouth as he steps out the door. He’d been kindly informed by the hospital staff that 6 weeks was the magical time required for ribs to heal, and he’d kindly pretended he understood and would oblige. That much time recovering was simply not an option.

”Where do you want me?” His voice grunts over the ear pieces as he gets closer.

[Razade]

The team assembles quickly, as to be expected at this stage of your time together. Many argue that it was this quick get to it attitude that saved as many civilians in Coyote Knights attack a month ago as you did. Others point to this almost overzealous frantic dash to be on the scene as the cause that blew a hole in the side of a building and a rampaging water monster that other heroes had to take down. Six of one, half a dozen of the other as many are saying on the media now. Your arrival is thus somewhat soured by the crowds more tepid response as you filter in.

With Lion, Tsunami and Sunburst in the wings waiting for more information, the rest of the panels unfold to fill in key details. The most important and relevant that you can all see is just what building is the scene of the hostage crisis. An up and coming “apartment of the future” as the city likes to claim, the high rise is a sprawling multi-level affair built with the aesthetics of the city in mind. Solar panels are hidden by clever building design, maximizing the light they get while keeping them from souring the exterior architecture. Large gardens and plazas ring the housing complex and the occasional patio overgrown with cherry blossom trees and creepers gives the whole affair the look of nature and invention in a near perfect blend. This style has grown increasingly popular in the city with the Monsoon as a template, the wave moving from downtown and out in a verdant wave. This apartment, being the standard bearer for the movement, is home to a number of high profile individuals.

Hikari

The assembled Junior Guardians are noticeably uncomfortable as you, Hikari, come into the scene looking for answers.

The first to reply, after they gather themselves, steps forward. “Snow Fox” he offers from the white fox shaped mask that covers his face, the only real flair Junior Members are allowed to possess. “White Sparrow went in a few hours ago after they started sniping the police line.” He motions to a number of downed officers, bleeding but breathing through the slowly inching trail of injured indicates that is where they’ll remain until this is over.

“They were talking with a Negotiator until...well. We’re not really sure. We’d love to ask him but he went in with White Sparrow and even though they promised to send him back out once they secured her, that hasn’t happened. Dēmonrōdo seemed really agitated last message I heard. Like what they came here for wasn’t happening fast enough. I think this is like Coyote’s attack a while back, just spiraling out of control. Which is why we’re not letting you guys anywhere near this. We’ve got Guardians on stand by, as soon as Dēmonrōdo and his band leave, we’ve got them.”

Ronin

You’re preoccupied with your search. There are a few security cameras in the building and the story they tell isn’t great. In the deepest of the many open air gardens, Dēmonrōdo has all the high profile hostages lined up and under guard. Along with this is White Sparrow who is tending to a large number of wounded. The two large glass doors on either side of the are flanked by several Steel Elementals and at least several of the guards have high powered rifles. Snipers embedded in the ranks. Not only are they prepared for flyers, they’re ready for just about anything. One false move and this is a blood bath. Dēmonrōdo is barking orders, though you can’t hear him, through a walkie talkie. There are obviously other people in the building doing what the wants not to mention the cadre of Steel Elementals running about.

Ground Zero

From the sky you see much the same thing. The villain and his men are assembled along with a number of fairly important people and the lead hero for the assembled Junior Guardians below. White Sparrow seems to be in fair condition though tired, probably because of the number of former and current wounded assembled. You could just fly down there and let loose. You’ve got the power, you’ve got the skills and all they’ve got is guns. The villain is the head of this beast, barking orders through a walkie talkie.

Spoiler: Team, Esemble

Show

You’re about to face down a dangerous foe. Time to calculate how much Team you get. We start at 2.

Does everyone agree that Hikari is the leader here? If yes, add a Team to the pool. If someone objects, don’t.
Does Hikari have Influence over everyone? If no, remove a Team. Hikari can mark a Condition to skip that.
Does everyone have the same mission, I presume to help the hostages and take down Dēmonrōdo? If no, remove a Team.

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Hopeless
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

Show

Held Burn

3

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.

Moves

Wish I could be - When you comfort or support someone, if you tell them what you most envy about them, you can roll +Freak instead of +Mundane.

Unstoppable - When you smash your way through scenery to get to or get away from something, roll +Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose one: mark a condition, leave something behind, or take something with you. On a miss, you smash through, but leave devestation in your wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM's choice.

Lanuola reads the chain of messages with a sinking sensation in her chest. Looks like she'd be getting involved with the fighting again. With a furtive glance up at the circling news helicopters again, she hurried into an alley close to the action. The large crowd presence wasn't helping to allay her concerns. Far too many people ready to see her mess up and lose control again. Trying her best to quash her anxieties, she closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing. The panels close in on her face, her hair just about making it inside the panelling. A frown furrows her brow as she concentrates, and then a third panel shows her abruptly bursting into light, her hair streaming away from her as though blown by a strong wind. The glow dies down as the panels pull away again. Her skin has a glow beneath it, and her eyes stream light as she opens them again, but she no longer shines like a beacon. Reaching for her phone, she plugs in her earpiece. "I-I'm ready. L-let me know where you need me."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Rolling to Burn! - (2D6+1)[11]

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +3
• Savior: -2
• Superior: +2
• 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.
• [X]Captain: When you enter battle as a team, add an extra Team to the pool and carry +1 forward if you are the leader.

Is this guy for real?

Hikari fixes Snow Fox in her cold, hard, extremely unimpressed gaze, taking his measure. "You've got them. As soon as they...leave? The encamped hostage-takers with snipers. And hostages. Including your negotiator. Sounds like you're making the Guardians proud. Tell you what, let's see what we can do about getting the injured victims to safety and we can go from there."

With a hand to her earpiece, Hikari calls in the team. "We've got people to save. Tsunami, how's the new armor? We've got snipers taking potshots. Sunburst, can you provide cover? I want a lightscreen between us and the snipers. Everybody else, let's get these people to safety."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled a 7 to pierce the mask on Snow Fox. Question: How could Hikari get Snow Fox to let Yojimbo help?

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Hopeless
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

Show

Held Burn

2

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.

Moves

Wish I could be - When you comfort or support someone, if you tell them what you most envy about them, you can roll +Freak instead of +Mundane.

Unstoppable - When you smash your way through scenery to get to or get away from something, roll +Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose one: mark a condition, leave something behind, or take something with you. On a miss, you smash through, but leave devestation in your wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM's choice.

Lanuola nods to herself at Hikari's instruction, a measure of relief passing through her at the knowledge that she wasn't being asked to be destructive. "O-on it."

She hesitates a moment before stepping out to face the building. She was, after all, being asked to step out in front of snipers. But then... They weren't shooting the crowd, right..? She walks out of the alley with a wary eye on the building. The scene in front of her was unpleasant now that she stopped to look at it properly. It seems they were shooting the crowd, at least members of the crowd that got too close. Fortunately, she didn't need to be close. She stood herself a little way back from the rest of the crowd, amongst those less willing, or less able, to get close to the junior guardians and Hikari. Her lips twitched into a slight smile as she notices Hikari's presence, it was reassuring to know that they had everyone on hand.

Shifting her attention back to the building, she let out a slow breath, slowly raising her arms as she did. Once they were outstretched fully in front of her, light pulsed outward from her core and along her arms. At the same moment, a wall of light erupts from the ground, splitting the building off from the rest of the street at the pavement. The light stretches up beyond roof level, swirling tattoo-like patterns just about visible in the shimmer. Once she was confident she could hold it, Sunburst reaches for her earpiece, "Should be safe, Tsu."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Spending 1 Burn to create a moat, splitting the building and everything else.

[Hans Free]

The Lion
Conditions: 4 (not Afraid); -2 to Everything but Directly Engage
Potential: 3/5

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.

A speech bubble creeps in from off panel, just above Hikari and the crowd:

"Tchh! Snow Fox! I'll remind you that said 'Coyote attack' was basically going swimmingly for us until a Guardian, wait... Sorry, ex-Guardian, 'cause there's gotten to be so many of them it's hard to keep track now, showed up and... Well! You probably know the rest."

We pan up to Mosi. He shrugs, as he sits comfortably on a fire escape on the building opposite the high rise -- having accidentally landed a floor or two above the sidewalk where the crowd, the Guardians-lite, Hikari and Sunburst have all gathered -- forcing them and the crowd to look back to him as he speaks. "Point is, there's more than enough blame to go around on all sides of this city right now, and normal people are getting caught in the crossfire! We're here to help. If you can't see something so obvious and take advantage, you might as well pack it up and just go home. Hand the situation over to our team. Because... at least Hikari's bringing solutions to the table." He finishes mid-drop, and begins to part the crowd as gently as possible being the mass of demi-god muscle that he is. He slows his walk as he nears the too-oft absent leader of the Yojimbo, and grins, in what seems like a return to form of sorts for Mosi.

"Anyway, Oh Fearless Leader, you won't hear me complain about getting to be a shield rather than a weapon. At least this time, I'm more than happy to be put on rescue and recon duty. Oh, and, uh, by the way... it's... it's good to be by your side in the field again, Hikari. It's been too long and... I'm... well, I'm..." His baby blue eyes finally make an apologetic and deferential contact towards the team leader, nervously peeking out from under his mask. Sorry. Say you're sorry. Ugh, you idiot. He gingerly puts a hand on her shoulder and sighs. "Well... You know."

Suddenly, he bounds off with some increased measure of perhaps-unearned confidence, before glancing back at the person he probably admires the most in the world (not too high of a pedestal to put anyone on, no pressure, don't screw it up) with a sincere smile. "Oh, and, uh, thanks for the, uh, gift. I really, well, that is to say that I wasn't really, which to say--" He tries to casually salute her, mid-backwards walk and talk until he accidentally missteps, falling backwards off the curb in comedic fashion. The Lion catches himself and does an about-face spin; he keeps forward, avoiding showing his now quite-embarrassed face as he begins to address the younger of his two teammates loudly and perhaps a little too publicly. He's more than happy to default to the typical song and dance of the Lion's typical exuberance, if only to move along from the awkwardness of his gaff.

"Lanni! So... how're you on this fine eve? Looking quite... er... glow-y, there! I know I'm not quite Tsu... or Zero, hahaha! But I'm happy to be of service, all the same. And uh... how's the sis? Is... she... is she doing... all right, I, er, hope...?" He waits for a response and once Lanuola's had a chance to say her piece, he speeds ever-so-slightly in his efforts to hoist the police in a pile onto his shoulders -- it's becoming clear that as Mosi's started to come into the full breadth of his powers, what used to be a challenge for him last issue is now something he can do whilst carrying on a brisk conversation. Hopefully there's no connection to his father losing power. "So... I guess that this all makes us, what...? Second responders? No, that's just silly. Anyway. Glad we'll be leaving the rough stuff to GZ and Ronin for now. I'm just lucky I get to have you here, keeping me safe while I pal around. Yet a-gain." He clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes at her, before breaking back out into a smile, a hefty hint of faux-annoyance and attempted levity in his tone as he play-acts the fool. Suddenly and swiftly, he's carried at least a large number of the first responders off the street and past the crowd, past Lanuola and out of the line of sight.

"Make way. Make way! I doubt any of you fine folk truly wish to wind up like these poor men and women of duty, as... fascinating... as all this..." He grunts and starts putting down officers. "...Must no doubt be." He groans as he gets ready to walk back through the crowd, who are likely oblivious or uncaring towards his irritation with them.

You'd think in a city with so much super trouble, people would learn to get out of the way. Maybe it's just a lesson in human adaptability. He tries to stay positive about the whole thing, but the sneaking suspicions began enter his mind. Is this really all the villains have planned? What? Hole up and defend themselves until...? Things had seemed simple with Coyote, and so was it again with with Polaris. But the truth itself, as they unraveled it bit by bit, couldn't have been made less obvious; obfuscated as it was through layers and layers of deceit crafted through the schemes and machinations of the city's many ne'er-do-wells. And each time they assumed they had everything under control, the rug was pulled out from the Yojimbo.

And so the Lion couldn't help but get the feeling that what was going on here was really anything but simple.

Spoiler: Ooc

Show

He's happy to defer to Lanuola and Hikari and play the comedy sidekick, she needs a reminder of how powerful and useful she is... and to avoid making a mess of things in trying to infiltrate a building he'd most assuredly set off all kinda of alarm bells in. But hey, surely nothing'll go wrong down here.

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 4/5
Gadget: 2

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +3
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: -2

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.
• [X] Damage: You get an additional condition called Damaged. While marked, take +1 to take a powerful blow. To clear the Damaged condition, you need time, external help, or special equipment or abilities.

Forewarned by the chatter on their communications line, Ronin is prepared when Sunburst erects a staggeringly massive wall of pure energy around the building. Regarding the incredible display of power with eyes and sensors both, she can’t help but compare what she herself is capable of with her hard-won skills and laborously built armour, versus the seemingly effortless power of her teammate.

Guilt prods her at that thought, and she has to admit that nothing about her powers come easily to El, most especially making sure they don’t get out of control. She stands by her awkward words before the steps that day; she is glad that Sunburst is on their team.

Without a word, she stoops in a controlled dive to slam to a landing beside the injured closest to the concealing wall, with the presumption that the closest are the first injured.

”Let’s get you out of here,” she says brusquely, crouching to carefully slide her armoured gauntlets under the injured officer. ”We’ll make this fast, hold on,” Activating the EM drive, she flies them rapidly to the outlying cordon and the EMT vehicles outside it.

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 3/5
Gadget: 1

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.

“Nice, Sunburst...” Tsunami breathes as he sprints up towards his team mates on the ground, half skidding to a halt as the wall of light bursts up from the ground and stretches high. His gaze follows it upwards, before returning to acknowledge everyone present with a brief nod of greeting; Mosi gets a brotherly punch on the arm as well. Hikari gets a slightly longer look, though it seems to be one offering unspoken confirmation of renewed confidence. He’s very glad to see everyone again after Monkey Island and hermitting himself away, on their feet (albeit figuratively, for Ronin and Kai still flying) and lively.

Tsu quickly switches gears and marches forward, following Ronin’s notion of gathering those closest to the shield and building first, and kneels down to lift a wounded woman, gingerly, both for her sake and his own. For just a split second, the feeling of blood on his fingers brings forth a rush of memory and emotion, of holding the dying Knight. He can't allow himself to be distracted and frazzled again. Max focuses on Hikari's question, to keep himself in the present, and physically pushes himself through the involuntary pause that tries to freeze his muscles. He might not be on a winning streak lately, but that doesn't mean today can't be different, and getting wrapped up in past guilt won't help. “Solid. Got some new frills, still experimental though, unfortunately,” He answers Hikari, “Might be able to make some emergency cover for us if we end up in a tight spot, no guarantees it’s good for more than one use though. Sunny’s got this good for now. Let me know how the shield holds, Lan,” He adds, though from his tone he is confident in her abilities.

"We have any idea what these clowns want? What is that building?" A carefully controlled jet of steam carries him faster, so he can join Ronin near the EMT vehicles, offering her a quick and serious nod in greeting now that she’s on the ground, in between passing off his charge to the nearest helpers. He’s certain he can learn from her as well as Hikari, and the way they she keeps such a cool head in crisis.

“I might be able to give us a smoke, er... steam screen... maybe, if needed. Could we use something like that along Sunburst’s shield to sneak in?” Tsu asks as he turns back for the next round.

[Catastrophic_B]

Ground Zero
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

Freak: +0
Danger: +3
Savior: -1
Superior: +2
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.
The gossip mags: When you tap into the gossip and rumor of the celebrity industry for information on an important city figure, roll + Superior. On a hit, you can ask the GM questions. On a 10+, ask three. On a 7-9, ask one:
- What are they up to?
- What or who do they most care about?
- What allies do they have? Enemies?
- Where and when can I find them?
- How could I make them vulnerable to me?
On a miss, ask one anyway, but they hear about your interest in them.

GZ gives a the building a few more passes. He knows he can take that Demon-road guy down, but know matter which way he thinks about going about it, he can't think of a way to do it that isn't going to end badly for the hostages. Giving it up and deciding to leave the planning to the big thinkers in the group, he sets his feet down on a rooftop across the road from the target building, just as Sunburst's light-wall goes up. "Not bad. I like the patterns too, it gives it a real personal touch," he says as he holds his hands out in front of him, using the thumb and pointer-finger of both hands to form a rectangle that he admires the light-wall through.

And then Lion starts talking.

And talking.

And talking.

And taaaaaaaalking.

"Hey Lion, ever hear the phrase 'Silence is golden'?" GZ says over the Lion once the stream of words eases up. Then adds in a near whisper "I'm glad you're alright." He never had gotten around to checking on the guy after Monkey Island.

Then, with both hands in his pockets, GZ leans forward, falling of the roof of the building. He lets himself freefall for a second, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past before he engages his powers and flys over to where the rest of the team is at work moving the injured. Gently landing between two of the injured, he reaches out, carefully placing a hand on each of them, just enough for his powers to take hold. He stands back up, and the injured rise with him, his telekinesis holding them completely still so there's no risk of further injuring them. He may or may not have done some research into first-aid, just incase he ever runs into someone who had done something crazy, like getting a spear through their chest for example, then he would have some idea what to do.

As he starts to glide the injured towards an ambulance, he looks up to see Lion walking with a pile of injured on his shoulders, and it's only the fact that both his hands are supporting an injured person that stops him from face-palming at the spectacle.

He looks over to where the Junior Guardians are lined up and calls out "Do you Guardlings feel like being useful for a change and taking some of those people of Lion's hands?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled to provoke the Junior Guardians to deconstruct the first-aid disaster that is stacking people with bullet wounds on top of each other. Got a 6. Marking potential.

[Razade]

Pool: 3

The tower pillar of light that surrounds the building certainly gets a few reactions. Both from the onlookers and the snipers inside as a few powerful shots ring out against the bright monolith. Then a few more further up the building as Ronin and Lion scream in to rescue the downed people. The barrier holds against the assault of course but you can feel the power surging inside of you Sunburst as another volley sounds off as Tsunami and GZ enter the fray. Between the three of them the downed police, and a few bystanders among them, are out of danger.

Snow Fox just looks on, before turning back to Hikari. "We don't know what they're looking for or if they're looking for anything. The person talking to them went inside so we don't really know anything. Someone pulled an alarm in there, one of the top floors so someone important. When they started shooting at the police White Sparrow and I got called over. They said they had wounded...Sparrow went inside to help heal them. That's the last we've heard from them. The Guardians issued their orders and we've been waiting. It's not ideal but it's all we can do in the moment. We suspect they've got twenty people or more in there plus the Elementals. It'd be a bloodbath to go marching in."

Ground Zero's quick side comment gets Snow Fox's attention next, the young hero turning with a sneer. "You don't order us around, free-lancer. Why don't you jog off, this requires a delicate touch which is probably a little too advanced for your "punch first and hope the rubble has answers" style of heroing." He then turns back to Hikari and the rest of the assembled team, jerking a finger at Ground Zero. "He's a liability, pure and simple. If he goes in I'm calling Tough to pull him out." The name is familiar. One of the more hardline members of the Guardians, it was a surprise when she expressed her desire to remain in the organization. Many, Lightbringer included, felt she would break ranks with the rest of the Authority. No one really knows why she didn't, when she even indicated that it was likely. Her being on the scene would not be great.

Ground Zero's comments at least prompt some to gather up the wounded though they were already more than eager to do so. There won't be any deaths among them this day though the people in the building are still in the fire.

What do you guys do?

The panels then move inside, crawling up to where the villains have made their base of operations. A voice crackles over the radio.

"It seems more heroes are on the scene. Sunburst and the rest from the Monkey Island incident. They've erected a barrier around us, how do we proceed? Over."

Dēmonrōdo is still pacing though the transmission gives him pause. Though it's hard to tell, what with the mask and all, where his line of sight is, his body moves to face White Sparrow as she continues to work over the slowly decreasing number of wounded. He brings the speaker up to his mouth, panels following his finger as he pushes the button in. "I want the snipers to stay in position, if that barrier goes down I want them to open fire on the crowd. Give them something to consider. Target civilians. I'll move the Elementals to the stairs and elevators. I want the rest of you doing sweeps of each floor. We packed heavy, so use what we've got. Keep in contact and for the last time, use the call signs I gave you. Mask1, Over."

He lets out a sigh before tossing the walkie talkie to White Sparrow before motioning to one of his men. The henchman is quick to pull a well dressed but ruffled older man from the group of hostages and press a walkie talke into his hand.

"I'll keep the girl. Escort our friend out to our new arrivals shall we? If he talks out of line, shoot him." The henchman nods, dragging the man behind him.


The panels break back to the team, the front of the building. The crowd goes into a frenzy as they see the front doors of the building open, the negotiator shoved against the barrier. The door remains opened enough to see a rifle aimed to his head. The older man waves the walkie talkie at you, heroes. What do you do?

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 4/5
Gadget: 2

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +3
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: -2

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.
• [X] Damage: You get an additional condition called Damaged. While marked, take +1 to take a powerful blow. To clear the Damaged condition, you need time, external help, or special equipment or abilities.

With the team working together...for once...the wounded are swiftly evaced from the danger zone. As they work, Ronin and Chisei keep an eye on the video feeds as well.

”They're redeploying,” she reports to the others as movement kicks off inside. ”Moving a number of their elementals, and...looks like they're bringing a hostage down.”

Indeed, a minute or two later said hostage appears at the door, life threatend and communications method in hand. Ronin studies the situation for a moment, then nods.

”You think you can punch through the interference the wall is making and find the right frequency for that radio?” she asks her best friend.

IT WILL NOT BE A SIMPLE MATTER, WITH THE DISTORTION BEING PUT OUT. DONE. A new communications frequency pops up on her HUD.

”No one likes a smartass, Chisei,” she says dryly.

INCORRECT. EVERYONE LOVES A SMARTASS, AS LONG AS IT IS NOT DIRECTED AT THEM.

Shaking her head ruefully, Ronin toggles the new channel. She knows she can rely on Chisei to handle the audio feeds, allowing her to communicate with the mercenaries and the team to hear, and the team to communicate with her without bleeding over into the negotiations.

”This is Ronin of Yami no Yokimbo,” she says, speaking calmly and clearly. ”We don't want any more violence that can be avoided. What are your demands?”

Spoiler: CRUNCH

Show

Unleash Machine Control to cut through the Solar Moat interference and find the radio frequency: 12

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions:
Potential: 5/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +3
• Savior: -2
• Superior: +2
• 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.
• [X]Captain: When you enter battle as a team, add an extra Team to the pool and carry +1 forward if you are the leader.

Hikari's mouth turns up in a rare smile as her team gets to work rescuing the injured. It was a small thing, but it was more than anybody else had managed so far, and it would make all the difference in the world to the injured.

"Good work, everybody! Sunburst, how long can you hold that barrier? They've shot at the crowd once already, let's not give them another chance."

After Snow Fox says his piece, Hikari wheels on him. "The only liability here is your piss-poor leadership. If you've got people to call, get their asses in here instead standing around with a thumb up yours! Otherwise, you can pipe down and work with us instead of against us."

The sudden action on the other side of Sunburst's shimmering lightscreen grabs Hikari's attention. When she sees the walkie-talkie, she glances over at Ronin who's already working on the solution, and she can't help but smile again; there's no better feeling than when the team is operating smoothly.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I rolled a 1 to defend Ground Zero from Snow Fox's insults. Markig Potential for my first advance!

[Razade]

Pool: 4

Ronin, Negotiator Bate: A Solid Wall of Light

Hannya's voice crackles back over the walkie talkies after a few moments. The video shows the looming villain actually do a double take. "Why this is a surprise. I was really hoping to see that barrier down. Ronin you said?" The villain motions to the guards remaining in the room to the windows, you can see the flashes of light off their guns as they peer down to the street. "That's a very good question, one I really hope you can help me with. The negotiator wasn't very good at listening. Sparrow here is much better but she doesn't like games. I hope you like games Ronin. How about twenty questions? I'll ask one, you be honest with me, then you get a turn and I promise not to lie to you. I'll start."

This is a stall of course. The orders given previously seem to be taken in...far too clinical and methodical a manner of some ragtag group of mercenaries and villains. One might even argue that Hannya has found himself some paramilitary organization. Certainly more weaponry than the foreign villain has brought to the city in the past. Whatever he's here for, he came much more prepared than the few times he's tried to snake his way into the power structure. Almost like he was anticipating a few larger response from the Warlords. "As you know." his voice finally crackles. "We're not from around here, my pretty friends from the Mask and I. So we did the touristy thing and looked into some stuff to plan our trip. Do I have the honor of speaking to the Ronin, granddaughter of the Warrior?"


Hikari, GZ and the rest: An Argument

Snow Fox's body language changes almost immediately as he, and by extension the Guardians, are called out so bluntly. There is some murmuring among the other Junior Guardians but it's quickly quieted by Snow Fox's rally as he puffs himself up. "I am so sorry that you dislike our protocol but last I checked we didn't damage Monkey Island with our reckless actions. I don't recall the Guardians being at fault for any of your mishaps with Coyote and her Knights either. Remind me, Hikari, how much collateral damage did you and your friends cause? What protocol do you people even use? If there's a building standing, you messed up."

The angry hero jerks a finger at Sunburst and Ground Zero then back to you, Hikari. "Is this how A Banditry operates? I suppose not! Otherwise you wouldn't have been kicked off Jin's merry mercenary band. The whole city knows it, former Apprentice to the Summer Court. You have no jurisdiction here, if you want the lives of all the hostages on your hands be my guest and go in like you normally do. Let your one man wrecking ball and nuke walk in and solve the situation but unlike you rogue agents I have orders. Orders I swore to follow as a member of the Guardians West. I won't be spoken down to by a pack of rabid dogs and their glory seeking over glorified pet walker."

The gasps from...really everyone ripple across the crowd. Most of the other Junior Guardians even clear out as Snow Fox places a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Every one of you is a liability. Don't move where I can't see you or I will call my bosses. To arrest you."

Spoiler: OOC!

Show

NOW Ground Zero can shift his Danger up and Savior down or roll to reject. In addition, so can Sunburst and Hikari! YAY! Also Hikari, Mark a Condition for the miss on your Defend.

[Comissar]

Sunburst
Conditions: Hopeless
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Burn and Flares

Show

Held Burn

2

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.

Moves

Wish I could be - When you comfort or support someone, if you tell them what you most envy about them, you can roll +Freak instead of +Mundane.

Unstoppable - When you smash your way through scenery to get to or get away from something, roll +Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose one: mark a condition, leave something behind, or take something with you. On a miss, you smash through, but leave devestation in your wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM's choice.

Out of reflex, Sunburst flinches as the shots begin to hammer into her barrier. And then... She realises she can hold it. Her lips twitch into a smile at that realisation. Her heart leaps along with that of the rest of the crowd as she sees one of the hostages being brought out. For a brief moment, she considers letting her barrier drop so that he can escape the situation safely. But the sight of the gun trained on him brutally reminds her that that wasn't an option yet.

She nods absently at Hikari's praise, and replies with "A-as long as you need me to."

With everything running so smoothly, it catches her off guard when Snow Fox loses his temper. She blinks, unable to believe that he'd try and arrest the people here to help him. A new realisation settles. Snow Fox was fixated on entirely the wrong thing, he was wrong. Catching Hikari's expression, she speaks up, "Hikari. I-It's not important. What he's saying, it's not important. There's people i-in danger, let's focus on that. Get them safe first."

Spoiler: DarkGreen

Show

Rejected Snow Fox's influence with a 10, clearing hopeless, cancelling his influence, and taking +1 forward against him!

Also going to spend a team to boost Hikari's own reject by 1

[Captain Jak]

Ronin
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 4/5
Gadget: 2

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +0
• Danger: +0
• Savior: +3
• Superior: +2
• Mundane: -2

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.
• [X] Damage: You get an additional condition called Damaged. While marked, take +1 to take a powerful blow. To clear the Damaged condition, you need time, external help, or special equipment or abilities.

A stall indeed, despite the on-point unbalanced villainous banter. Ronin thinks furiously as to options as to what they are buying time for, but without more data it's largely speculation.

Well. There's one simple way to gather data, plus or minus the likelihood of the truth actually being adhered to. Still. She is game to play.

”I listen quite well, Hannya, and I'm always up for a good game,” she replies. I'll bet you wanted the barrier down 'just to talk'.

”I give greetings to your arrival in our city, but you will have to forgive me for not offering you welcome,” she goes on. From the bits and pieces she can hear over the comms, it seems that Guardian Junior has said something uncomplimentary to part of the team, who don't seem to be pleased in return.

Leaving the other to hash out jurisdiction, she deals with the actual process of information gathering. ”I do indeed happen to have that liniage,” she admits. Unfortunately. ”We're off to a good start, although you could probably have just surmised that instead of using a question on it.” There weren't two armoured Ronins in the city, and it wasn’t difficult to determine her parentage.

”My turn,” she continues, having thought of her first question. ”This kind of move, so blatant and attention-grabbing, isn't your style. Who, to the best of your knowledge and reasoning, is behind your actions here today?”

They will start with who, and move on to why and so forth, and see who gets more information teased out while under a deadline.

[Razade]

Pool: 3


Ronin, Hannya: A Conversation

The negotiator stands rigid, obviously hearing the entire conversation as you make pleasantries with the villain ostensibly holding him at gunpoint. "Honest too, a test. I suppose I should be honest too then." comes the reply. Everyone inside seems to fall into place, at least as far as you can see through your hacking. "That's a hard one to answer though, no one's behind this that isn't here currently. People change, Ronin. Our previous attempts to find a nice quiet corner to set up business in this town hasn't gone well so we're taking a new approach. Loud and proud. You wouldn't imagine the number of people who want to see your Granddad dead. Made it easy to make new friends. My turn again, what else are you hacking Ronin? I'd like to think we can trust one another but if this is just a stall to get into the security systems I'm going to have to get aggressive."

The negotiator doesn't look thrilled about that.

[DreadPirateH]

Hikari
Conditions: Angry
Potential: 0/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Freak: +1
• Danger: +3
• Savior: -2
• Superior: +2
• 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.
• [X]Captain: When you enter battle as a team, add an extra Team to the pool and carry +1 forward if you are the leader.
• [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.

As Snow Fox unleashes his tirade on Hikari, she stiffens. A panel show her eyes hardening in anger, blood rising. Low blow after low blow, he makes it personal bringing Jin into it. Fantasies of defenestrating him pass across her vision, and when he touches his sword, more fantasies of disarming him. By removing his arms.

Sunburst's words cut through the cloud of fury like rays of light. And she has a point. The hostages were what mattered, not her ego. Not Snow Fox. His repetitive threats to call in a Guardian ring hollow. The only way he would surrender control of this crisis was if he needed to blame the outcome on somebody else. It's clear that no reinforcements were coming.

Hikari closes her eyes and takes a long, slow breath. Opening her eyes, she looks Snow Fox in his.

"You want this one? Fine, it's yours. This is your moment, Snow Fox. All eyes are on you. You have a crisis on your hands. Now do something about it."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'll mark Angry from failing the defend roll. I rolled a 6 to reject Snow Fox's influence, Sunburst's use of Team boosts it to a 7. I will take Snow Fox's influence over Hikari away and take +1 forward against him.

I rolled a 7 for Been reading the files on Demonrodo. From her previous dealings, Hikari knows that Demonrodo aren't native to San Fransapporo; they're an outside mercenary group with no known interests in San Fran. They're not on friendly terms with the Warlords and have resisted the Warlords' influence within San Fran when they have done work here. The GM has indicated that they don't usually use snipers, so that's different.

Lastly, I rolled an 11 to provoke Snow Fox into...well, action really. Something, anything besides not doing anything and preventing us from doing anything.

[The_Specialist]

Tsunami
Conditions: Guilty
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X]Fireside Chat: When you seek advice from your mentor, roll + the Label they embody. On a hit they will tell you what to do. On a 10+, mark potential if you follow their advice, and take +1 ongoing to follow through. On a 7-9, you get +1 forward to see it through if you do it their way. On a miss, they don’t have time for you because something big has gone down; mark a condition, GM’s choice.
• [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.
• [X]Before We Get Started: When you take the time to closely observe your opposition before a battle, roll + Savior. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, hold 1 and mark a condition. During battle, you can spend your hold 1 for 1 to name a character you observed and...:
  
  • ...redirect their attack to another character or nowhere—into a wall or the sky.
  • ...cross a distance between them and you.
  • ...disarm them.
  • ...ignore all harm to yourself from one of their attacks.
  • ...escape any bindings or restrictions they attempt to place on you.

Having successfully delivered all the wounded to the evac location with the help of his team mates, Tsunami tries not to be too pleasantly surprised. They’ve only just started on tackling the problem, after all, but it is nice to have team work pay off, and having the injured off the playing field is a weight off his mind. He’s thankful for Sunburst’s barrier, well aware that another volley of shots seemed to ring out each time one of his team mates entered the arena to assist. It’s not the first time she’s kept him safe from certain harm, and handily so. More than that, it affords him an opportunity to observe the way the Dēmonrōdo are moving, once the wounded have been moved to safety. As much as he can see, from outside, at least. The rest he tries to garner from Ronin’s reporting.

Tsunami keeps somewhat off to the side after having finished moving everyone, allowing his other team mates to have center stage and hopefully more attention currently, while he tries to gather anything he can from watching and listening silently.

Hannya seeking confirmation of Ronin’s heritage does irritate him, as if that is the most notable thing about her. Such an insinuation irks him greatly. As much as it makes him want to correct that it is Ronin of Yami no Yojimbo, though Ronin has already introduced herself, he recognizes that it is obvious baiting on Hannya’s part, and such an interjection would only be rising to it. He knows that Miho isn’t easily flustered in any case, or he has come to assume as much, so he keeps quiet on the matter but remains attentive.

His eyes narrow however as through his inspection, he becomes aware of the increasingly chilly words being traded to and from Snow Fox, and though his scowl is hidden behind his mask, Max’s own stare is quite icy as it turns towards the Junior Guardian. While his general feeling tends to be that there is too much talk going on already, and none with very productive consequence, he’s not completely ready to let Snow Fox just trash talk his team and leader. Before he can get close enough however, Sunburst pipes up as the voice of reason, with the most important sentiment. There are bigger things to worry about...

That said, Hikari soon follows up with a challenge for the Junior Guardian, a worthy one, in his mind. While Tsunami is vaguely insulted by the bold threat of being arrested, it isn’t a threat that will stop him from acting to help people, should he find a good opportunity to do so. But the Junior Guardians were here first, and he’d be more than happy to see them do something useful.

“Sorry, I hope all my moving and getting people safe didn’t spook you. I’ll stand still now where you can see me.” Tsunami assures dryly as he closes the distance, not even gracing the hand on Snow Fox’s sword with a glance. His own improbably large weapon remains hooked to his back, untouched. Max doesn’t always stoop to making petty comments, but he’s currently content to make an exception while he waits for Snow Fox’s next move. That, and he wants to make sure everyone is reminded of who just actually helped the situation.

Standing behind and to the side of Hikari, Tsunami takes up a somewhat defensive flanking position. Not actively hostile and not intending to provoke the Guardians, but definitely backing Hikari up. He merely folds his arms across his chest while observing Snow Fox with a calm if expectant stare.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled 11 for Before We Get Started, for 3 hold!