[IC] Garuda, the Ringed City: Team Two

[Abbyqween]

Chimera
Potential: 3/5
Conditions: Guilty, Insecure, Angry

Spoiler

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

Chimera's eyes were partially turned back to their normal purple color, still holding some of the red that had been fully there just moments before. He was still angry, that was for sure. But now it was towards himself. He wanted out of this cycle, of getting angry at himself for lashing out, for taking back what he says about his family, only for it to get back to them anyway. If he was going to get punished for rightly lashing out at them, then he was going to double down on this, and not take anything back.

"Sorry for the outburst, I had some aggression I needed to let out and I targeted it towards you in a moment of weakness. I'm not taking back what I said, for that would make me a liar, but I will not act out again in your company. Thank you for the offer. If we ever have need of your help in taking down the Stranger, we will make contact." He was holding himself back, keeping himself contained for the sake of civility. But the moment he had privacy, the moment he could let everything out in front of people he trusted, he would. But not now. Now, he had to keep things together for his team, and for the sake of taking down the Stranger. The safety of the people was more important than his own feelings.

Spoiler

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I'm accepting the shift of danger up, superior down.

[Ramsus]

Facet Worst Scion Potential: 2/5 Spoiler Show Labels Conditions Marked Danger: +2 Afraid (-2 to directly engage a threat) [Run from something difficult.] X Freak: +1 Angry (-2 to comfort or support or pierce the mask) [Hurt someone or break something important.] X Savior: +1 Guilty (-2 to provoke someone or assess the situation) [Make a sacrifice to absolve your guilt.] Superior: 0 Hopeless (-2 to unleash your powers) [Fling yourself into easy relief.] Mundane: -1 Insecure (-2 to defend someone or reject others’ influence) [Take foolhardy action without talking to your team.] X Facet takes the card with a formal little, "Thank you Daniel." and puts the card away to scan once they're done and she's donned her helmet again. Facing Raven she says, "There is something I might need of the Court. Though it is probably more in the RMA's field than yours, I feel like the Court would be more inclined to assist given the relationship you wish to maintain with the heroes of the city. Firstly I would need what I imagine is several pieces of difficult to acquire information and then I would likely need assistance completing what I, with no specific knowledge to assure this is the case, assume will be a difficult and perhaps dangerous task. I imagine there would be something for the Court to get out of doing so aside from result of my goal, and given the nature of it I imagine the RMA would be tempted to in the process of achieving my goal do something the might make their help too high of a price for me to accept." At Chimera's words, Facet feels the urge to comfort him. She's not used to people just outright saying they had those kinds of emotional reactions. She moves to place a comforting hand on his, to show solidarity and empathy.... but then chickens out and just places it down on the table. She tries to think of something to say, and since people can see her face it's pretty clear that she's just struggling to get any words out at all and eventually just gives up and says nothing. Spoiler Show Another failure on Comfort/Support Chimera.

[Comissar]

Mercury
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 0/5

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Moves and Drives

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Straight. Up. Creepin'.

When you scope out a person or place, roll +Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

- What's my best way in/out?
- What happened here recently?
- What here is worth grabbing?
- Who or what here is not what they seem?
- Whose place is this?

On a miss, find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

No powers and not nearly enough training

You're always picking up new gear to keep yourself in the game. Whenever you pick up a new piece of gear, you can write it as a new ability if this line is empty (____________)

The first time you use each piece of gear to directly engage a threat, unleash your powers, or defend someone, you can roll +Mundane instead of the normal label.

Drives

Reject someone who tells you you shouldn't be here.

Earn the respect of a hero you admire.

Makeout with a teammate

Help a teammate when they most need you

Spoiler: Current Appearance

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Being asked for help was one thing, being told you were likely to be chosen for a hand selected team was entirely another. Sam found herself fidgeting in her seat, trying to dispel the energy building up in her at the thought. She needn't have worried, Stormwatcher's closing comment on finding the missing heroes brought her crashing back down to Earth.

She hesitates a moment, then nods, "Y-yeah, we'll do what we can to help. And of course, we'll try and find what happened to the people that disappeared."

She briefly glances to Milo as she makes her comment. If she was being honest with herself, she might've been over-promising there. While she herself could do her best to try and find the people that had gone missing, promising on behalf of the others might've been a step too far.

[The_Specialist]

Hex
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 0/5
Power: 4

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Form & Function

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Form One
Abilities: Dark Sorcery, Illusions, Elemental Control

Form Change: When you enter your Form, roll + unmarked Conditions. On a miss, your Form is sloppy or provides only a weak connection to your magical source. Hold two Power and take -1 forward. On a hit hold four. On a 10+, clear a Condition.

Crest:

• Wilds (Provides protection from harsh environmental and physical conditions, shielding you from the elements, the need for sleep, food or water. In addition, your passage cannot be impeded by natural barriers.)
• Mana (Your Crest is particularly well crafted, granting an additional Power whenever you assume your Form.)

Signs

• [ ] Mirror: Choose an NPC who you have Influence over. You may expend one Power to use a Move or Flair they possess. If you have Influence over no one you may instead pick another Sign to Mirror.
• [ ] Reflect: You may expend one Power when you’re under fire from an opponent. If you must mark a Condition from a Powerful Blow, inflict one on your opponent.
• [ ] Thief: You may expend one Power to take a possession from anyone you can see, even if you’re unable to see the item.

Milo appeared to be at least somewhat satisfied with the response Glyph and Stormwatcher gave. It seemed a lot would still be answered once they spoke with Shadewalker again. He wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t a little excited to suddenly have legitimate access to the Ruby Market. Though he could feel the weight in his pocket and the soft thrum of magic, he still slid a hand in to feel the runed ruby that had appeared there. He could make good use of that access, and he didn’t mind doing some actual work too. He might not have known Pep well but he didn’t like anyone thinking they could mess with him or his people. While he might not have been as invested in the politics as some, he could agree the Stranger should be stopped. Might as well be them.

When Sam looked his way, Milo gave her a nod of agreement and confirmation. Though his voice was still a bit gruff, he seemed to be more involved and resolute now despite the attitude.

“Glyph. Stormwatcher. Thanks for your future help. We’ll do what we can to sort this mess out.”

[Malexia]

Parliament Side Chamber, Early Morning

At one table, Daniel gives Chimera's apology with a respecful nod while Raven turns to Facet to say, "I'm sure the Court would be happy to help. Forward the information to us and we will get right on that."

At the other table, Glyph acknowledges Hex's thanks with a wide grin while Stormwatcher looks pained by Mercury's promise but slowly manages, "I... appreciate that."

Before either conversation can continue, All-Seer steps back into the room. "Time's up. The Houses have made their decision: the task force has been greenlit. Shadewalker will tell you the rest herself."

The telepath leads you away from your new contacts and down a few more halls, into a quaintly decorated room with a handful of couches, armchairs, and endtables. There's a table along one wall with a fresh pot of coffee, a hot water brewer, a box of tea bags, and plenty of disposable cups. All-Seer leaves you there, and just under a minute later the Aegis of the Throne emerges from a poorly-lit corner, using her namesake ability to shadow-step into the room.

Shadewalker immediately zeroes in on the refreshments table and grabs a cup of coffee, slamming back a frankly concerning amount of scalding liquid before setting the cup down on an end table and falling into an armchair. She lets out a deep breath, brushes back her hair, and glances around the room, taking you all in. "Ah, good, you're already here. Guess All-Seer was watching the show. That makes this easier."

"I'm not going to give you the fancy formal spiel because I just got done telling a room of egomaniacs and liars what they wanted to hear, and I just don't have the energy to paint any more pretty pictures over what's really going on. The Stranger is the biggest threat that Garuda has faced since before my time, and too many established powers here are more worried about protecting their own than dealing with the Stranger. You saw it with the Raptors, right? Sure, they gave you intel on Jackal, but they wanted you to undermine your own mission for the sake of getting their man back. That's not going to cut it. So I talked the Houses into forming a task force that can cut through red tape and make the powers that be cooperate."

She gestures at the four of you. "You did good work, you did it quick, and you're not entrenched enough in the scheming and the factions to let that get in the way of the job." She pauses, gives a specific look to Chimera and Facet, and adds, "I'm going to be trusting you to keep that up. To focus on the mission over your other obligations. Don't let me down, okay?"

"You're on the task force, so is All-Seer, and a couple others I've hand-picked. I'll have the others pushing and pulling on the few leads we have, and I expect to have another target soon. You won't be the only team out there hitting the Stranger, of course, but you're going to have an important part to play in all this. I'm hoping the Stranger will underestimate you, see you as children and not as threats."

She takes another long drink, sets it down, and spreads her hands. "So, any questions?"

[Comissar]

Mercury
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 0/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves and Drives

Show

Straight. Up. Creepin'.

When you scope out a person or place, roll +Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

- What's my best way in/out?
- What happened here recently?
- What here is worth grabbing?
- Who or what here is not what they seem?
- Whose place is this?

On a miss, find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

No powers and not nearly enough training

You're always picking up new gear to keep yourself in the game. Whenever you pick up a new piece of gear, you can write it as a new ability if this line is empty (____________)

The first time you use each piece of gear to directly engage a threat, unleash your powers, or defend someone, you can roll +Mundane instead of the normal label.

Drives

Reject someone who tells you you shouldn't be here.

Earn the respect of a hero you admire.

Makeout with a teammate

Help a teammate when they most need you

Spoiler: Current Appearance

Show

Sam rises from her chair as All-Seer returns to the room. She glances to her other teammates, not sure what she ought to say to them in the face of the announcement. She tries to match the pace of Facet and Chimera as they're led through the halls, "How'd the talks go on your end..?", she glances to Milo, "It, uh, was definitely... Interesting for us. The Ruby Market and the Lighthouse both want us to work with them." Despite her nerves, she can't quite keep the grin off of her face as she says that. Despite everything, it felt good to be recognised.

She finds herself not quite sure what to do on arriving in the new room. Fortunately for her, she's not left awkwardly milling around for very long as Shadewalker makes her appearance. Fighting the urge to jump in surprise at the Aegis' abrupt arrival, Sam does her best to pay close attention to the responsibility that was being given directly to them.

She finds herself starting to feel uncertain, however, as Shadewalker stresses just how much of a challenge the Stranger was going to be. Particularly given she seemed to have decided that they were, of course, the right team for the job. Which caused an entirely separate pang of guilt for Sam, was she letting the team down if she doubted their ability?

Hesitantly, she speaks up when prompted for questions, "Ah, umm, what, uh, what leads do we have..?"

[Abbyqween]

Chimera
Potential: 3/5
Conditions: Guilty, Insecure, Angry

Spoiler

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

A quick glance was given to the rest of the room as Chimera left, wondering what kind of talk the other group had. The question was only partially answered with Sam's similar question, but he was at least relieved that the talk didn't go almost as poorly as the one he and Facet had. "There was a bit of tension, but not enough for anything to happen. We had a similar proposition given to us by Raven and Daniel. Seems that the different factions are at least trying to work together to take down the Stranger."

With their entrance into the room, Chimera approaches the refreshments table and fills a cup with hot water, placing a teabag in the water. He moves out of the way when Shadewalker makes her way to the table, watching with a bit of concern with the chugging of very hot liquids, and sits down in an armchair facing towards the one she sat down on, occasionally taking a sip of tea.

"Thank you for placing your trust in me, I will do my best to not involve any of my relatives in this. They have their own agenda and plans in this, and I'd rather them not muck up the plan for stopping the Stranger." He waited for the end of Sam's question before proposing his own. "And what sort of team will we be working with?"

[Ramsus]

Facet Worst Scion Potential: 2/5 Spoiler Show Labels Conditions Marked Danger: +2 Afraid (-2 to directly engage a threat) [Run from something difficult.] X Freak: +1 Angry (-2 to comfort or support or pierce the mask) [Hurt someone or break something important.] X Savior: +1 Guilty (-2 to provoke someone or assess the situation) [Make a sacrifice to absolve your guilt.] Superior: 0 Hopeless (-2 to unleash your powers) [Fling yourself into easy relief.] Mundane: -1 Insecure (-2 to defend someone or reject others’ influence) [Take foolhardy action without talking to your team.] X Facet deliberately waits for Chimera to answer Mercury's question and then just nods in agreement as he summed it up well. She gives Shadewalker a completely blank expression, knowing that she probably can't promise any such lack of involvement of other factions or interests. Her mother at least will get involved when she feels like it and there's nothing Facet, or anyone else, can do to stop that.

[The_Specialist]

Hex
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 0/5
Power: 4

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Form & Function

Show

Form One
Abilities: Dark Sorcery, Illusions, Elemental Control

Form Change: When you enter your Form, roll + unmarked Conditions. On a miss, your Form is sloppy or provides only a weak connection to your magical source. Hold two Power and take -1 forward. On a hit hold four. On a 10+, clear a Condition.

Crest:

• Wilds (Provides protection from harsh environmental and physical conditions, shielding you from the elements, the need for sleep, food or water. In addition, your passage cannot be impeded by natural barriers.)
• Mana (Your Crest is particularly well crafted, granting an additional Power whenever you assume your Form.)

Signs

• [ ] Mirror: Choose an NPC who you have Influence over. You may expend one Power to use a Move or Flair they possess. If you have Influence over no one you may instead pick another Sign to Mirror.
• [ ] Reflect: You may expend one Power when you’re under fire from an opponent. If you must mark a Condition from a Powerful Blow, inflict one on your opponent.
• [ ] Thief: You may expend one Power to take a possession from anyone you can see, even if you’re unable to see the item.

Milo’s gaze snaps back to All-Seer when the man enters the room again, a brow arching slightly as the announcement is made. He’s not entirely surprised the task force has been greenlit, but he does reel silently behind the grumpy façade. He definitely wants to take on the Stranger, he just never really saw this path in his future. It’s definitely turned interesting.

Following along to the new room, Milo starts to make himself a cup of tea as well, pausing only briefly when he notices Alistair doing the same, before resuming with the slightest hint of a deeper scowl. He pauses a bit longer in awe or perhaps concern when Shadewalker enters and knocks back an entire cup of scorching brew. Silently he thanks the powers unseen that he doesn’t have her job.

Hex stays quiet as she gives them the short version, happy enough to be spared the formal rigmarole as well. He’s certainly curious about who else is on the task force, especially as he’s not entirely comfortable with his own ‘team’ just yet. But he keeps his mouth shut on that, thankfully not ending up copying Alistair again.

“Are we just supposed to hang tight until you throw us one of these leads? Or see if we can scope something out ourselves? And who do we report any findings to, if it’s warranted?”

[Malexia]

Parliament Side Chamber, Early Morning

Shadewalker sips on her coffee while she gives everyone a chance to speak. When the last question is fielded she sets the cup back down. "Alright, I'll hit that last one first."

"Your team has gotten this far by seizing the initiative. Your first op was a success primarily because you dug in and did the research, so I'm by no means censuring any further investigative work. Avoid undue risks, but if you find anything you can pass it along through a secure channel we're setting up. You all have phones, right?" The Aegis of the Throne reaches into the shadows and pulls out four identical wafers of what almost looks like sand, like sand dollars you find at the beach, but these are covered in complicated arcane patterns. She hands them out.

"Take that, crush it, and sprinkle the dust over your phone. The sorcery involved is a joint effort between the Ruby Market Authority and the Lion's Eye Assembly. The enchantment will let you access a private channel of communication that only other members of the task force can see. Shows up on your phone as a password-protected app, it'll let you choose the password but there's no reset function, so choose wisely." The Lion's Eye Assembly is the Ruby Market's heroic counterpart, though more secretive and esoteric. The organization is primarily composed of old magicians and alchemists pursuing the secrets of Creation, though every generation they let in a few new members.

"Now, as to what leads we have, that's a messier story. Arguably you found the most promising lead in your fight with Jackal James: the serpent rune. Runes like that are probably how the Stranger has been gathering so many allies so quickly; he's mind-controlling them all. A power like that, reproduced across so many victims, with such versatile effects... it narrows down the possibilities by a lot. We're looking into it from a magical perspective, a historical perspective, and plenty of other angles of research. We find how he can make those, we find the source of his power. Or at least, one aspect of his power."

"His luck, on the other hand, is something we've been chewing over since we first tangled with the Stranger. There are dozens of ways to mess with luck, but most rely on small shifts, minor displays. Using luck too blatantly tends to push up against some foundational laws of reality, or so the mages tell me. The way he burns through it, not even trying to pretend that what happens around him is probable, and the way he can seemingly distribute some of that luck to his minions? There's only a handful of powers in this world capable of that, and most are accounted for." Shadewalker takes another long sip of coffee, sighs, and clenches a fist. "Which leaves the Yama Kings."

The air seems to grow colder just at the mention of those abominations. Of all the spirits, elementals, and other entities that play at calling themselves gods, the Yama Kings are some of the most dangerous and the most horrifying. They prey on human weakness and feed on suffering and despair. They manipulate luck, karma, and other metaphysical forces to enrich themselves at the detriment of local communities, and they make bargains with the powerful to keep that status quo enforced. Entire cities have fallen to to the hunger of the Yama Kings, greedy businessmen and powerhungry politicians giving the Yama free reign over the lives of citizenry in exchange for greater profits and guaranteed elections, only realizing too late that the Yama never intended to stop at a few morsels. The Yama Kings have never managed to establish a foothold in Garuda, always held back by ritual and law and the effort of those with power... but if they really are backing the Stranger, then it would seem they've found a new avenue of attack.

"We can't be sure yet, but right now they're the most likely source of his luck abilities. Confirmation will come if he runs out and starts trying to drain more luck from parts of the city. Wards are going up in likely target locations, and the Assembly is watching carefully. If he starts something, we'll know. As far as his other targets, we're still trying to ascertain a pattern to his attacks. It's difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff here; most of his raids so far can be chalked up to recruitment, trying to get close to more heroes and villains to tag with his control runes. But those that can't be... those might tell us something of his real goals here in Garuda. Is he just trying to carve a foothold for his masters? Is there something in the city he's after? The mages are running through every formula, ritual, and cache of magic they know, looking for something that fits the attack pattern. If they find anything, they'll let us know."

Shadewalker polishes off her coffee, giving you time to digest that. When the last of the drink is drained, she rubs her hands together and gives you all half a grin. "So. Now for the better news: the people you'll be working with. You already know All-Seer, he'll be running comms and overwatch on necessary operations. The four you met just now are going to be faction liasons, forwarding us intel from the groups they represent. Lion's Eye is giving us Hierophant for research purposes. Finally, a second team of four will be utilized to perform operations simultaneously to your team, to make it harder for the Stranger to come down hard on a single group. That team will consist of Bleakfire, Exodus, Hedge Sorceress, and Iron Glaive."

Hierophant is a mystery, but the four in your counterpart team are all recognizable as villains of middling tier, only a bit higher than you in reputation after your success against Jackal. Shadewalker sees your recognition and adds, "I chose villains because this enterprise needs to be genuinely cross-faction, and I chose those four in the hopes that the Stranger will underestimate them, but still pay them more attention than your team. It's a delicate balancing act, what we're going to do, but I think it's necessary to take on a threat this dangerous."

She pauses once more, then adds, "And I'll be on the task force, of course. I'll be the one calling the shots. After today, parliamentary action is suspended for a minimum of two weeks to focus everyone on the crisis at hand. And I'm not one to let my hands stay idle."

[Comissar]

Mercury
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 0/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves and Drives

Show

Straight. Up. Creepin'.

When you scope out a person or place, roll +Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

- What's my best way in/out?
- What happened here recently?
- What here is worth grabbing?
- Who or what here is not what they seem?
- Whose place is this?

On a miss, find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

No powers and not nearly enough training

You're always picking up new gear to keep yourself in the game. Whenever you pick up a new piece of gear, you can write it as a new ability if this line is empty (____________)

The first time you use each piece of gear to directly engage a threat, unleash your powers, or defend someone, you can roll +Mundane instead of the normal label.

Drives

Reject someone who tells you you shouldn't be here.

Earn the respect of a hero you admire.

Makeout with a teammate

Help a teammate when they most need you

Spoiler: Current Appearance

Show

Sam takes the proffered wafer without comment, turning it over in her hands and examining it as Shadewalker explains what it is. She gave Shadewalker a questioning look at her instruction. Privately, she had misgivings about sprinkling sand and dust over a piece of electronic equipment. She might have to get a cheap phone for hero work, just in case it did damage it.

Pocketing the wafer for the moment, she continued listening to Shadewalker's explanations and answers. Sam found herself shivering involuntarily at the description of the Yama Kings. Going up against a mob boss with luck draining magic backing them up all while being functionally one step above powerless herself? Sure. This sounded fine.

And then they'd be working alongside villains..? That... Didn't sit too well with her. Of course, she also couldn't do anything to stop them working to the same goal, but she didn't exactly relish the thought of needing to watch her back against even more people while chasing down the Stranger.

Taking a breath, Sam gave the other three a quick glance to try and get a sense of what they were thinking, "... Without, uh, without wanting to sound rude... How do we know we can trust them..? Bleakfire and the rest, I mean?"

[Abbyqween]

Chimera
Potential: 3/5
Conditions: Guilty, Insecure, Angry

Spoiler

Show

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

Chimera sat in silence, listening to every word and thinking over everything said. The situation wasn't the best, if there was a chance the Yama Kings were behind the Stranger. And with the controlling runes, they would have to be as safe and guarded as they possibly could to make sure none of them were 'recruited' into his ranks. Having all the help they could get is something that they desperately needed, so if they had to work with villians, so be it. He would definitely keep an eye on the other team if they were ever around, though. He didn't need anyone's egos or personal goals getting in the way of this.

He finishes his drink, and speaks up after Sam. "The entire city is at stake in this situation, they will want to keep this place free from the grasp of the Stranger, too, even if it is for their own personal reasons or villainous goals. Compromising the situation isn't what any of us want, so it would be expected that there are precautions set up, just in case there is infighting in the group or a betrayal of some sort. Though there is a concern of outside forces moving us to places where we may be easily compromised. What kind of things are set in place to prevent that from happening?" He was mostly concerned about his family or Facet's mother doing this, but with the talk about mind control, it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to the entire group.

[Ramsus]

Facet Worst Scion Potential: 2/5 Spoiler Show Labels Conditions Marked Danger: +2 Afraid (-2 to directly engage a threat) [Run from something difficult.] X Freak: +1 Angry (-2 to comfort or support or pierce the mask) [Hurt someone or break something important.] X Savior: +1 Guilty (-2 to provoke someone or assess the situation) [Make a sacrifice to absolve your guilt.] Superior: 0 Hopeless (-2 to unleash your powers) [Fling yourself into easy relief.] Mundane: -1 Insecure (-2 to defend someone or reject others’ influence) [Take foolhardy action without talking to your team.] X Facet doesn't say anything. The others have valid questions and she doesn't want to interrupt Shadewalker from giving them their answers. She does think to herself that even if she assures them that the team of villains can be trusted, that it's not impossible the Stranger will find a way to turn them. So it would be best to do some research on them in addition to seeing what they can find out about the Yama Kings.