Iron Station Savage Masks IC II

[Roguewolf]

Market Place
Keith nods and chuckles a bit. "Yes ma'am."

His eyes do go wide at her description of the driver. "Definitely them then. Crap."

Lounge

Keith sighs and nods. "Glad it was good. Fair enough, saves more time." He just chuckles.

He can't help but keep the Cheshire grin on at Ryker and Sid's exchange. "It is a little funny, not that I could blame him for forgettin'. Probably would have too in the situation." Keith puts down his phone as it chimes again and starts typing. "It's kinda neat seein' ya with a regular problem John."

He let's out a laugh. "By the way, check your phone in a moment."

Spoiler: Text to Emi

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Sure thing, here's his number.

[mmdeforrest]

John glanced at Seraph and Stella as they leave, trying to read any sign of what their conversation might be and if the angel was disapproving of his decision to let Stella in on Raphael’s secret. It was, he knew, a bit of a gamble but he also knew that he trusted her and that his gut told him that it was the best thing to do.

Of course, he also had to admit to himself that he was not exactly thinking straight and hadn’t been for the last few hours — and that a girl’s or woman’s tears always worked on him.

Turning back to the room, he offered a sincere smile to Sidney. “Thank you, Sidney. I appreciate the support and the kindness. That said, I suspect I deserve more than a little bit of the laughter right now. While I was successful in getting Emi to agree to help you — a task she was inclined towards before we spoke, the fact that I am now up to three things I managed to forget to do when our conversation shifted into a kind of date.”

John caught himself glancing at Yuki. Montcrieff would be mid-facepalm right now at that nonverbal tell.

He was managing to suppress, so far, any nonverbal tells that his expressive confession was part real and part contrived. Sidney, especially, seemed to need a laugh after her encounter with Calvin. And while she had not joined in, her admission of her frustration did seem to have some cathartic effect, given the way she was snuggling into Ryker’s embrace.

Admitting to a little foolishness and a little laugh at his expense was worth making her happier and keeping her calm. While he had confidence in the defenses he had built within her mind, he also was not the kind of expert Emi was. As much as he felt they would hold, he had no desire to see them actively tested as whatever shard of her mind fed off her fight or flight response.

At Keith’s heads up, John raised his phone slowly as he composed himself, both anxious to see the message and on edge about what it might contain. Several worst-case scenarios began to play out in his head and he prepared to react to them — suddenly conscious that he was doing this in front of a live audienc

[HIDA]

Market
Ms. Vitello complains the whole time Calvin takes care of her, but he can see the appreciation in her eyes. “It’ll take more than this to put me down, boys,” she says.

“When the van went past, I saw a red haired woman in the driver’s seat. She had a man with her in the passenger seat, but he was slumped over. Like he couldn’t sit up straight.”

Market Place
Keith nods and chuckles a bit. "Yes ma'am."

His eyes do go wide at her description of the driver. "Definitely them then. Crap."

Calvin smiles at the older woman. "I'll bring in your deliveries for the day. Keith, can you grab these fertilizer bags out back and leave them just inside the greenhouse? I need to bring in there planters. He says, Hefting 4 stacked together and placing them gently in their usual spot.

Calvin does another quick check around the store and after confirming mentally nothing else needs to be moved or staged, he walks back over to Ms. V.

"I'm glad you're ok, please call Doctor Kim if your elbow gives you anymore trouble, ok? I'll be back to check on you guys next week."

Once they're out of the store, Calvin walks to where the van took off from for any clues or traces.

Spoiler: Notice

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14

[Roguewolf]

Calvin smiles at the older woman. "I'll bring in your deliveries for the day. Keith, can you grab these fertilizer bags out back and leave them just inside the greenhouse? I need to bring in there planters. He says, Hefting 4 stacked together and placing them gently in their usual spot.

Calvin does another quick check around the store and after confirming mentally nothing else needs to be moved or staged, he walks back over to Ms. V.

"I'm glad you're ok, please call Doctor Kim if your elbow gives you anymore trouble, ok? I'll be back to check on you guys next week."

Once they're out of the store, Calvin walks to where the van took off from for any clues or traces.

Spoiler: Notice

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14

Keith nods and walks out back to grab the bags of fertilizer. Certainly helped to get a secondary workout in since time was a factor today. He stacked them semi neatly just inside and out of the way in the greenhouse before making his way back inside.

"Glad you're alright ma'am, need anythin' else please don't hesitate to call!" He waves and follows Calvin back out to the alleyway.

"Ya know, I wouldn't be surprised if they had someone sittin' on the roof keepin' an eye out."

[InTheMachine]

Market
She looks over at Keith as he speaks. “Do you know those people?”

“Please, this is too much,” the old woman says as Calvin goes about her shop.

Once outside, Calvin can see tire marks, like the van slid to a stop to not hit the old woman, just outside of Ms. V’s shop, but not much else. There’s too much traffic in the street, and the alley has been blocked off by police tape and a uniformed officer.

Lounge
Seraph’s face gives away nothing as he follows Stella out of the door.

Sidney gives John a little smile. “Even if Ryker’s right, it doesn’t mean he has to be that much of an ******* about it. So I apologize on his behalf, John.”

Ryker shrugs and pulls Sidney tighter to him.

“I just…” Sidney sighs. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sidney,” Drake says as he fixes some of the silverware Keith has been bending mostly back into shape. “It’s my problem to deal with. Thank you for saying something for me though.”

John’s phone vibrates in his hand.

Spoiler: John: Text from Emi

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So have you noticed that we may have forgotten a few things?

[mmdeforrest]

John’s phone vibrates in his hand.

Spoiler: John: Text from Emi

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So have you noticed that we may have forgotten a few things?

John felt his face soften into a smile. While there was a hint of foolishness about it, is was mostly gentle, relieved, and what might best be described as a adoring. The part of his brain that remained rational, even at times like this, reflected at how interesting it was that even a text from her — devoid from her image (She was not, after all, in his contacts list yet.) — inspired this kind of reaction.

That same part of him registered that most, if not all, of the eyes in the room were on him.

The part that was smiling didn’t care.

He set his plate down and began to text.

Spoiler: John Texts Back

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I’m up to three items: 1) Our forgetting that you passing along the image of the warrior woman to me was the initial reason for the contact; 2) our not setting a schedule for helping Songbird; and 3) Not exchanging contact information. I will consider it a great success if we don’t hit five items before the end of the day. It is, at least, providing some comedic relief for the team.


I’d consider bringing an agenda to tea so that I don’t forget anything if I didn’t know that with one look from you I would forget that it ever existed.

John sent the text and looked up. He winced and went back to typing.

Spoiler: John Texts Again

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4) Are there any food allergies or the like I should be avoiding for tomorrow?

He saved her contact before he forgot to do even that.

[Roguewolf]

Market
She looks over at Keith as he speaks. “Do you know those people?”

“Please, this is too much,” the old woman says as Calvin goes about her shop.

Once outside, Calvin can see tire marks, like the van slid to a stop to not hit the old woman, just outside of Ms. V’s shop, but not much else. There’s too much traffic in the street, and the alley has been blocked off by police tape and a uniformed officer.

Market
Keith shook his head. "No ma'am, can't say that I do. But that one seems to be an associate of a friend." He had to control his own anger to keep his eyes from glowing.

As they reach the alleyway being blocked off, Keith looks around and turns to Calvin. "Gonna check that rooftop and see if anything was left behind. Back in a flash." He ducks into a nearby alley and wills on the suit to fly up to the roof he had noticed beforehand.

Spoiler: I am one with the Void andthe Void is with me!

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Stealth: 1d6o6 11 1d6o6 4

Lounge
Seraph’s face gives away nothing as he follows Stella out of the door.

Sidney gives John a little smile. “Even if Ryker’s right, it doesn’t mean he has to be that much of an ******* about it. So I apologize on his behalf, John.”

Ryker shrugs and pulls Sidney tighter to him.

“I just…” Sidney sighs. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sidney,” Drake says as he fixes some of the silverware Keith has been bending mostly back into shape. “It’s my problem to deal with. Thank you for saying something for me though.”

John’s phone vibrates in his hand.

Spoiler: John: Text from Emi

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So have you noticed that we may have forgotten a few things?

John felt his face soften into a smile. While there was a hint of foolishness about it, is was mostly gentle, relieved, and what might best be described as a adoring. The part of his brain that remained rational, even at times like this, reflected at how interesting it was that even a text from her — devoid from her image (She was not, after all, in his contacts list yet.) — inspired this kind of reaction.

That same part of him registered that most, if not all, of the eyes in the room were on him.

The part that was smiling didn’t care.

He set his plate down and began to text.

Spoiler: John Texts Back

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I’m up to three items: 1) You passing over the image that was the initial reason for the contact; 2) our not setting a schedule for helping Songbird; and 3) Not exchanging contact information. I will consider it a great success if we don’t hit five items before the end of the day. It is, at least, providing some comedic relief for the team.

I’d consider bringing an agenda to tea so that I don’t forget anything if I didn’t know that with one look from you I would forget that it ever existed.

John sent the text and looked up. He winced and went back to typing.

Spoiler: John Texts Again

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4) Are there any food allergies or the like I should be avoiding for tomorrow?

He saved her contact before he forgot to do event that.

Keith puts down his phone once more, knowing that at least Emi won't respond given she's talking with John and that Kylie was busy. No telling what Grayson was up to. Probably guitar practice. He turns to Ryker and Sidney as he keeps bending more silverware. "Just some harmless fun. Well comparatively. Honestly bracing myself for what Ryker will say depending on what response I get in a few days."

He does sigh at the response about Calvin though. "It's a whole mess. Sorry, Drake." He took a deep breath as he bent the next piece back into some sorta shape. "I really wonder if that armor affects his mood or somethin'. Granted the only people I could even ask for a comparison on that aren't here right now as far as I know."

He set down the next piece and pinched the bridge of his nose. Memories of being called a bad luck charm started to eat at him. Maybe you're the reason Kylie ended up in the hospital. HEY! You should change your hero name to Albatross! HAHAHAHA!

Great the voices were back. Could you just stop talkin'...... FOR FIVE! MINUTES!!!!!!

Awww what's wrong little birdie? Maybe if you just stop feelin' like I'm just a face underneath your skin, you'll learn that we're the same! Besides, why not cut loose a bit? You're boring me by just..... bending silverware? Holy **** that guy really tore this up.

Still pinching the bridge of his nose, Keith mentioned to John. "Don't forget to save her number."

[InTheMachine]

Lounge
It’s not too long before John’s phone buzzes again.

Spoiler: Emi’s text to John

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Quite the oversight from the two of us. To be fair though, I think we were both very distracted. I know I was.

Oh and I’m not allergic to anything, so don’t worry.

Market
Crowe dodges the eyes of the police as he floats up to the top of the surrounding buildings. One one that faces the left of the market, he finds where the edge of the roof had been recently disturbed. There’s scuff marks and smudged footprints visible, but not much else. Someone had obviously been laying down, looking over the festival.

[mmdeforrest]

Lounge
It’s not too long before John’s phone buzzes again.

Spoiler: Emi’s text to John

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Quite the oversight from the two of us. To be fair though, I think we were both very distracted. I know I was.

Oh and I’m not allergic to anything, so don’t worry.

John looked at the message. He knew all the words that were used and could even gather the import of the message — both the denotation and the connotation of the message. Nevertheless, he stood there, looking at it and not quite believing what he was reading.

She was distracted, too.

Somewhere in his brain, he could sense scenario plans being put together and alternate future histories being weighed — most of them incomplete and incoherent.

The rational part of him — which was strangely aloof from this ‘planning’ — observed that the contingencies for everything from street ruffians harassing her as she walked up to manipulating the weather in the case of a freak ice storm to having to answer the call from Raphael just as they leaned in for their first kiss to struggles agains the Great Old Ones as the stars fell into alignment were no less absurd than the two of them reacting this way after having met less than five or six hours ago.

And yet, there the message was, waiting for him to respond.

For a man whose power to change the world relied on him coming up with the right words in a different language, he found himself at a loss.

Spoiler: Message #1

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“I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow,” he watched himself type. “I hope you enjoy it here.”

He pressed send and watched himself type some more.

Spoiler: Message #2

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“As much as I keep wanting to focus on our time together, I should ask if you wanted to meet with Somgbird. (She’s volunteered to make the Jaffa Cakes and Jammie Dodgers. Her family operates one of the coffee houses nearby.)

“And if I am being unselfish and responsible for this moment — a state of mind I cannot guarantee to maintain, at least I can comfort myself with the thought of offering to take you to dinner at whatever restaurant here in Iron Station you have always wanted to visit, should I earn the right to ask you on a third date, by way of thanking you for helping her.

He watched his finger tap send, grateful to whatever part of his mind — some higher self, perhaps, that was managing to function.

He felt that gentle smile return to his face and heard the silence in the room. He glanced up, met Sidney’s eyes for the briefest of moments, then looked down at his screen again.

“I think I might have a chance with her,” John said quietly and shyly.

[Roguewolf]

Market
Crowe dodges the eyes of the police as he floats up to the top of the surrounding buildings. One one that faces the left of the market, he finds where the edge of the roof had been recently disturbed. There’s scuff marks and smudged footprints visible, but not much else. Someone had obviously been laying down, looking over the festival.

Crowe just smirked as he floated back up the building avoiding the police eyes, though he knew it would be a bit rougher getting back down.

He looked over the roof top and landed on the one that had the marks to take a look. Noticing the scuff marks, he started to keep looking around. He tapped his comm link to talk with Calvin.

"Hey Calvin, there was definitely someone up here. Not sure if it was just a lookout or a sniper ready to take a shot though. They cleaned up fairly thoroughly."

He took another look around just to see if anything might have been left or hidden.

Spoiler: Rolls, Mechanics, OOC

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Notice: 1d6o6 2 1d6o6 5
OOC: 4 and 7 if I get the bonus for looking for clues.

Lounge
Keith smiles as John makes his comments and nods. He was happy for them. "You got this man."

In these fee moments, Keith realized he couldn't focus on what might be in a few days, but just what might happen tonight. Emi probably would never forgive him if something happened to John tonight. There could be no mistakes.

[InTheMachine]

Lounge
Sidney looks up and John and smiles softly. “I never had any doubts.”

Ryker grins. “I’m sure she’s just as weird as you are, man. You’ll be fine.”

Seraph returns to the lounge, his plate empty. Stella hasn’t come back with him. “Would everyone mind migrating to the living room? Our guest should be arriving fairly soon.”

South Side gets up and Drake and Ryker pick up the rest of the silverware. Sidney grabs the cake and they all file out. Sidney, Drake, and Ryker make a stop by the kitchen, but everyone eventually gets settled in the living room where Stella is waiting in her usual chair.

They speak quietly, exchanging ideas on who the guest could be as they wait for everyone else to show up.

Spoiler: John’s 1st Text from Emi

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I’m looking forward to seeing you again too, John. It may be forward if me, but as much as I enjoyed our psychic date, I want to know what your hand feels like in the real world.

Spoiler: John’s 2nd Text from Emi

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I’m willing to meet with Songbird after high tea. Though it’s selfish of me, I don’t want to be tired or in pain while I talk with you, and I trust that the defenses that you placed in her mind will hold for an extra hour or two before I see her.

Market
Crowe doesn’t spot anything else of note on the roof.

[big teej]

Meanwhile... Elsewhere.... Earlier....

The Library is busy, for a Saturday. Which means there’s a triple handful of students scattered about the common areas, and two of the private study rooms are occupied… Rather than a single handful.

Cole Paine sits at a round table with enough room for five of his peers to join him and nobody need jostle for real estate. The scratched and scuffed expanse was completely buried beneath a backpack, a laptop, three different binders and two notebooks, open, and half a dozen textbooks. Index cards haphazardly filled in the remaining space not taken up by Cole’s terrible posture, hunched over the table.

He held his head up with one arm, the other dragging a pencil across a page in automaton-like script as his eyes darted back and forth between an open text, the prof’s notes from the lecture, and his own notes. Space Rock bleeds through his electric green earbuds.

His phone buzzes and flashes, drawing him from trying to sort out what the professor was trying to say in his lecture notes. The Screen flickers again, showing a woman made from stained glass.

Cole sits up straight, looking around the library to see how close other students are before tapping to accept the call.

“Yes?” He said, not entirely able to keep a current of trepidation running through his voice.

“Can you talk shop?” The amused voice on the line purred back at him.

Cole swallowed heavily, his throat dry. “Sorta.” he coughed, reaching for his water bottle. “I’m at the library.”

“Well, be somewhere else for a bit. I’ll wait.”

Cole frowned. This had better be good. He glanced around again, shrugged, and got up, leaving his piles of books and his backpack and marched out of the library, he glanced around and headed toward the science building. There was nowhere for anyone to sneak up within earshot there and back, and he’d find a way to extricate himself from the call before he returned to the library steps.

“I’m alone, go,” he said.

“I heard you’re going to a party tonight and was just calling to remind you to be safe.” The voice said, taunting.

Cole’s step faltered. “... No,” he said. “I’ve got this killer exam Monday, it’s worth like half our grade for the semester and I’m convinced I’m about to carpet bomb this sucker into the stone age after last time.”

“No, no,” the voice continued. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to a party, some rave over in Bywater. Very Wild. Very Fun. Very Illegal. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” The voice trails off in a suppressed giggle.

“I really can’t Vit— Ma’am,” Cole protests, eyes growing wide, glancing around again to reassure himself.

The taunting note leaves the voice. “Look Cole, Someone at AEGIS called in a favor. They own you for tonight. West Side Provisional has something big cooking and one of their heavy hitters got dusted this morning. The Dragonovs are going to be there. They need the extra muscle.”

Cole came to a stop, his lips pressed into a thin line. “West Side? Whoever called in the favor had better owe you one for this. And Me…. Maybe they could quit misspelling my name?” He adds as an afterthought.

“We’ll see.” The voice said, purring again. “Oh, by the way. Briefing for the op is at West Side’s HQ at 5. You should suit up and get over there. I emailed you directions.”

Cole glanced at his phone and opened the attachment. Seeing that he had less than an hour to get to the warehouse-turned-HQ for West Side Provisional.

“It’s still a party, Honey, I’m sure you’ll have a great time, maybe you’ll even be able to break that dry streak you’re on.” Lady Vitria laughs.

“Oh. Be sure to be professional.” The call ending cuts off her laughter.

Cole looks at the clock in the corner of his phone and estimated travel time. He blinks twice, doing a mental calculation.

He swears and turns on his heel, sprinting back to the library.

[Roguewolf]

Market
Crowe shakes his head not seeing anything new, but at least they had new info. He floats back down to the alleyway he came from and shifts back into his regular clothes before meeting back up with Calvin.

"We'll, We have some more info. Nothin' left behind this time. Anywhere else before we head back?"

Lounge
Keithbshakes his head at Ryker's comment and just chuckles. "If she found you interesting enough to have the mental scape date, you're pretty much set."

Keith picks up what he can, and places his phone back in his pocket before walking back out and stopping to place the rest of the silverware in the kitchen.

Keith takes a spot where he is sitting floating again. It was nice getting to just sit back and chill. He checked the download of the album and noticed it had finished. Now he just had to sit back and wait on this.

I wonder if there's anythin' else we could find on the Dragonovs before we get there. Gonna be a lot of prep time at least. His mind started to race again. Thankfully he could take solace in the knowledge that most of the team would be there.

[mmdeforrest]

Spoiler: John’s 1st Text from Emi

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I’m looking forward to seeing you again too, John. It may be forward if me, but as much as I enjoyed our psychic date, I want to know what your hand feels like in the real world.

Spoiler: John’s 2nd Text from Emi

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I’m willing to meet with Songbird after high tea. Though it’s selfish of me, I don’t want to be tired or in pain while I talk with you, and I trust that the defenses that you placed in her mind will hold for an extra hour or two before I see her.

John had slipped into a trance-like state by the time he finished reading the second message. He slowly walked to where he had set down his iPad Mini earlier, absentmindedly casting a spell with one hand as he started to text with the other.

Spoiler: Overkill

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Spellcasting: Matter Control (8 — Sufficient to manipulate one ton of material) Requires Materiel -2 = 6
Spellcasting: 1d10o10 6

The remaining bent silverware straightens itself out and, with their fellows, began to march off towards the kitchenas if they were part of the cast of Beauty and the Beast.

Spoiler: Texting Back

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I hope that my physical presence can live up to your expectations. I’ll let Songbird know to expect us at about 6, then. Be sure to chose somewhere special for your thank you dinner. Being new in town, I don’t know where to choose and would be at the mercy of online restaurant review pages.

For my next trick, I am going to try not to forget which room we hold meetings in.

John managed to only walk two steps past the door to the lounge before stopping, turning around, and coming back in. “Siren and I would like to know if you will be ready for us to help at about six tomorrow evening?” The shift to her code names, he hoped, would help him get his mind back on what he was supposed to be doing.

[InTheMachine]

Living Room
Drake watches as the silverware corrects itself and marches in to the kitchen. “…I could’ve done that,” he says, not quite under his breath as he sits on the couch. Yuki curls up next to him in her wolf form, so that she’s ready to share the image of the woman.

“I have nothing but time,” Sidney answers. “Whenever she’s ready is fine with me. I’ve felt perfectly normal all day. It’ll be nice to get this nullifier off though,” she says, rubbing at her neck.

Seraph comes into the living room with yet another cup of coffee clutched in his hands. He leans up against the wall in front of the group, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.

SESSION ENDS
Everyone gains 2 xp. All Moves refresh! Please go ahead and do your End of Session Masks things in your next post. I’ll update with new cards when I get home.

[ImperialTM]

William walks out of the lounge and meets Seraph in the living room. “Sir, I have a few private questions as well as a couple of concerns before this meeting starts.” William moves to the hallway or kitchen whichever is more private. “I do not think Sydney is necessarily a bad person but, I assume you are aware of her recent showings in the news. Are you sure it is the wisest decision to allow her to move around so freely?”

Spoiler: Second Question

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Will looks back towards the living room. “Sir, what exactly happened between Calvin and Drake? When I first arrived the mood was grim but that was just plain hostile. If we are expected to work together in a couple of hours on a delicate mission I need to know what we are dealing with.”

Spoiler: Third Question

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William pats his gun “Sir, I love my gun but for tonight I’m going to be on surveillance. Do we have any long range weapons with good long range sights?”

Spoiler: End of Session

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Grow into your own image of yourself: Explain how you see yourself and why, Shift one Label up and one Label down. - William is growing to understand more about this time as well as the team around him. He can see that people still need his help and that he has the power to help them.

William shifts Savior Up and Freak Down!

Benny Rolls - 6, 4, 1, 4, 1! Williams gains 1 EXP and 4 Potential! William advances! William takes Straight Up Creepin’ from the Beacon Playbook!

[mmdeforrest]

Living Room
“I have nothing but time,” Sidney answers. “Whenever she’s ready is fine with me. I’ve felt perfectly normal all day. It’ll be nice to get this nullifier off though,” she says, rubbing at her neck.

SESSION ENDS
Everyone gains 2 xp. All Moves refresh! Please go ahead and do your End of Session Masks things in your next post. I’ll update with new cards when I get home.

John smiles. “With luck, that will cease to be needed tomorrow evening. I promise to try and get so distracted that I lose track of time.”

From the hallway, he could hear Will consulting with Seraph. Taking advantage of the time, he stops before he walks past Stella. “Everything okay?’

Looking down to where she sat, John was surprised at how much affection he had for her. It was true that some if it might be borrowed from his feelings for his sister, but there was something more than that. He addressed everyone else in the base by either their code name or their full name. Stella, he did not. He had shifted from her code name to a diminutive form.

Very odd, that.

Perhaps it grew out of a kind of professional courtesy — something like the way he and Montcrieff used each other’s last names.

“Anything I can do for you before the meeting begins?”

Spoiler: End of Session Masks Things

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John feels like he has grown much closer to the team, in terms of being able to share his vulnerabilities and actively trust them to help and to support him. And while he is on the cusp of giving Influence to Sidney, it was Stella and his revealing to her Raphael’s condition that was the the most significant encounter of the session — at least in terms of determining his labels. While it is true that his encounter with Emi is more significant for him on a variety of levels and will echo forward over the next several sessions, he has no earthly idea how she sees him now or would want to see him in the future. As Stella already has influence over him, she gets to tell him how to shift his labels. John marks Potential.

He carries two forward for use when Emi is with him.

As his remaining Bennie does not convert, John does not advance in the Savage Worlds system.

[HIDA]

Market
Crowe shakes his head not seeing anything new, but at least they had new info. He floats back down to the alleyway he came from and shifts back into his regular clothes before meeting back up with Calvin.

"We'll, We have some more info. Nothin' left behind this time. Anywhere else before we head back?"

"That's all for right now. We should probably head back. Would look bad for you to be late to the Mission you planned." Calvin says looking at his grandfather's watch.

Lounge

Calvin finds his normal place leaned against the wall waiting for the briefing to begin.

Spoiler: End of session Clean-up

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Benny xp rolls Miss and miss 3,3 Both Misses are converted to potential
Calvin ups Spirit to d10
Recap Calvin Grew into his own image Getting back to his old stomping grounds and seeing Familiar faces made Calvin feel more certain of his role of protecting to powerless. Shifted Freak Up and Superior Down

[InTheMachine]

Will
Seraph follows Will out into the hallway and listens to his concerns. He takes a sip of coffee before he replies, “I don’t think that Sidney poses a danger to any of us. I’ve talked to Ryker about her, and I trust John when he says that he’s walled off the portion of her mind that was causing her fugue state. I also have Mimi watching her 24/7, and she’s been locked out of all rooms that have sensitive information. You may not trust her, Will, but trust me,” he says with a smile at the hero. “I have a sense about people, kinda comes with the territory of being what I am.”

“As for Calvin and Drake, I guess you weren’t here for the start of it. Calvin punched Drake in the face after Drake admitted he kissed Yuki, and ever since then, it seems like Calvin has it out for Drake. The night you came back, John had convinced Raph and Drake to put everything to the side and work with Calvin, but it seems that Calvin is determined to make that hard for Drake. Mimi showed me their most recent argument, and it really seems that Calvin is just out to antagonize Drake as much as possible after I gave them the ultimatum that they can’t fight again or they’re off the team. What you saw Drake do in the lounge was the culmination of the last two days of prodding from Calvin. I really need to talk to both of them, I just haven’t had the time,” he says with a sigh.

At his last question, Seraph smiles. “I’ll see if I can get you a sniper rifle. Give me an hour or two. I’ll have an answer for you before the mission tonight.”

Living Room
Stella looks up and John and seems to hold in a sigh. “It was just this morning that Raphael was standing behind me, right here, and declaring that he was going after the River King for my sake. I was hit with,” she pauses, searching for the right words, looking down at her lap before she gives up.

“It hurt. I keep expecting him to be there, right over my shoulder, and he’s not.”

[mmdeforrest]

Living Room
Stella looks up and John and seems to hold in a sigh. “It was just this morning that Raphael was standing behind me, right here, and declaring that he was going after the River King for my sake. I was hit with,” she pauses, searching for the right words, looking down at her lap before she gives up.

“It hurt. I keep expecting him to be there, right over my shoulder, and he’s not.”

John kneels down and looks at Stella. “I’m a pretty poor replacement, as I don’t loom as well as he does, but I can stand there if it will in any way help.

[ImperialTM]

William sighs and looks up at the angel “I want to trust you Seraph, I do. But I’m worried that should something happen I will be powerless to stop her.”

William listens to Seraph, giving a firm nod “I see. That will be problematic for tonight. If they can’t work together then I’ll have to sit them out for this mission.”

William smiles broadly “Thank you, sir. Thank you for addressing my questions.” William turns and heads back to the living room. Finding Keith William will quietly say “Let me take point of the briefing. I have some things I’d like to address for the meeting.” before finding a comfy seat.

[InTheMachine]

Will
“The nullifier has a built in suppression device, basically a taser, that Mimi can activate if Sidney slips and John’s defenses break,” Seraph says. “I really don’t want to have to use it on her, but its there if it’s needed.”

The angel considers his next words carefully. “I understand not taking both, but it may be best to take at least one of them. Both are capable fighters, and you may need everything you can get against the Dragonovs if it comes to a fight.”

Living Room
Stella gives John a sad smile. “As silly as it it, I think it would make me feel better. Thank you, John.” She shakes her head. “How do you always know the right things to say? Both you and Raphael. It’s a little uncanny.”

[ImperialTM]

The angel considers his next words carefully. “I understand not taking both, but it may be best to take at least one of them. Both are capable fighters, and you may need everything you can get against the Dragonovs if it comes to a fight.”

William shakes his head "I understand the risks involved, but I am more concerned with overall morale. If I take one then the other will feel targeted. Justly targeted, but targeted none the less. I need this to be a statement. If we can't trust each other than who can we trust to do the right thing when the time comes."

[Roguewolf]

William smiles broadly “Thank you, sir. Thank you for addressing my questions.” William turns and heads back to the living room. Finding Keith William will quietly say “Let me take point of the briefing. I have some things I’d like to address for the meeting.” before finding a comfy seat.

Keith turns and nods at Will. "Sure thing. Actually think you may be better suited to lead regardless. There's a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to prep either." He shook his head. "Honestly, at the moment I'm not in the best headspace. Everythin' with Calvin and Drake, then the stuff earlier with Kylie, then Raph. Gettin' caught in that mental whirlwind ya know?"

He was feeling odd about the briefing, it was the first time he would really take part in leading an entirely new team. He was actually thankful that Will wanted to take point given everything that had happened today.

Spoiler: End of Session Stuff!

Show

Keith gains 2 XP!
Benny EXP: 1d6 1 1d6 6
Marks Potential for missed Benny and gains 1 XP!

Keith feels he has grown closer to the team thanks to Will's encouragement and inclusion of him in taking part in the briefing, as well as making him feel like he can trust others in West Side more.
As Will already has influence over Keith, shift labels.

Keith clears Guilty Condition.

[mmdeforrest]

Stella gives John a sad smile. “As silly as it it, I think it would make me feel better. Thank you, John.” She shakes her head. “How do you always know the right things to say? Both you and Raphael. It’s a little uncanny.”

‘I took a correspondence course,” John joked. “But thank you, Stella. I appreciate you saying so. I’ll try to remember that observation when my mind is on the verge of falling apart at about 3:25 tomorrow.

“Besides: As practitioners aren’t we supposed to affect an uncanny air from time to o time? I thought I remembered something like that from the orientation session.”

John gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze as he moved into position, only realizing as he was doing so that he had done that to Kate and Stephen countless times over the years. He had picked up that act of reassurance from his mother.

John opened his iPad Mini and added a new page to his notes. Like Stella, he was struck when he saw the page from the morning — his mission notes in black, personal reflections in blue, and action items in red. The core of the list he put in for the requisition a short time after was there — rebreathers, sidearm and ammunition, special ammunition for demons — and a reminder to review his standard layout for his cloak’s pockets. It was a grim reminder of the stakes of each mission and the need to be ready to adapt.

He swiped a new, blank page into place. As somber as his thoughts were, he needed to focus on the briefing and add his own thoughts in order to minimize the risk to the team.

He looked down at the page, where the heading (PM Mission Briefing) and date and time looked professional. He double tapped the pencil and erased the note “T-22.5 hrs” he had made.

He took a steadying breath and began to center himself with a light meditation, waiting for Seraph to begin.

[big teej]

Kid Vitrian Enters the Fray!

Cole thanked his uber driver and hopped out onto the curb next to Bordeaux's and looked around, flipping his hood up to conceal his features. There were a few civilians around, but nothing crazy. He drew no undue attention, his baggy hoody and sweats adequately disguising his costume as just more workout gear.

He glanced at his phone to orient himself and began power walking towards West Side’s HQ; a rundown, unused warehouse to the casual observer. The streets emptied out as he walked. He pulled some of the glass threads woven into his suit out and flattened them out into a rudimentary form of his usual helmet. More a mask than a full helm. Two angled panes that reached from behind his ears down to his chin and then extending up over his nose, and then a slitted visor connected to a half-dome over his forehead.

He marched up to the door, glanced around one last time, and then tried the handle, finding it open. As he opens the door, he hears a digitized, female voice announce (much more loudly than He’d have preferred)

RECOGNIZED, KID VITRIAN

He closed the door behind him, pausing only long enough to hear the maglocks thunk back into activation before casting his gaze around.

“Hello?” His muffled voice echoes quietly. He shoves his hands in his hoody pocket and walks, looking for West Side.

[PK-Leon]

The high octane hero's expression darkens with each wave of info over comms. When Redline finally reaches the outskirts of the marketplace he hears Seraph call an end to the search and for everyone to return to base.

Redline idles at an intersection about a block away from Amity Market, his eyes fixed on the red light of the traffic signal hanging above the city streets. While his body was still his mind continued to race, attempting to piece together what little information he had to go on. In the span of two hours Raphael had vanished without a trace.

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. However the blood-soaked ground of Amity Market told a different story, one that Louis couldn't fully grasp. Who were Raphael's assailants? Where did they come from? Why were they targeting Raphael and for how long? All of these questions plagued Louis' mind while a sense of guilt slowly began to eat away at his heart. The two had enjoyed a homemade breakfast together just this morning and when asked if he wanted company Louis had foolishly declined. He wondered how differently the mornings events would have played out had he asked Raphael to join him, though he knew it was pointless to do so. Louis was too late to answer the call for help and now Raphael was...

The sound of an ambulance passing through the intersection pulls Louis from his thoughts. While there was nothing he could do that would contribute to the investigation efforts at the market, he could canvas the surrounding area in search of the people behind the attack. Louis spends the next few of hours combing the southeast quadrant of Iron Station for any signs of Raphael's assailants and his teammates whereabouts to no avail. The hero eventually finds himself putting holes through piles of scrap at Jake's Junkyard back on the southwest side of town as his frustration peaks.

Louis returns to West Side HQ at 5:05 PM and finds his way to the living room after leaving the duffle bag and it's contents with Mimi in the laboratory. "Sorry I'm late." He offers everyone in attendance.

(Note: I intend to come back and edit this post as there are a few details I want to incorporate)

Spoiler: Mechanics and End of Session

Show

Louis gains 3 XP!
Louis fails to convert any bennies into XP so he marks 3 Potential!

Louis takes another move from his playbook! (Be mindful of your surroundings)
Louis raises his Notice to d8 and his CCM to d6!

[InTheMachine]

Team
As Mimi calls out the newest hero’s name to enter the base, Drake gets up from the couch before Ryker can. “I’ll go get him.”

Ryker let’s put a small noise of disappointment, but stays seated.

Vitrian
As he slowly wanders the entryway, he hears the noise of someone coming down the stairs that he’d passed. It’s not long before a tall, athletic guy with dark hair in a faded undercut and white scar on his left cheek emerges from the stairwell. He gives Cole a quick once over before says, “You’re Kid Vitrian? I’m Drake Varga, South Side. Thanks for coming in on such short notice.” He gives Cole a small smile and offers his hand for a handshake.

Team
Once Drake and Vitrian arrive in the living room, soon followed by Louis, Seraph nods. “Everyone, as Mimi said, this is Kid Vitrian. He’s affiliated with AEGIS, and I called in a favor to get him on this mission tonight.”

Drake takes his seat beside Yuki again. While the room is full, there’s space along the wall for Cole to lean, or he can take the last spot on the couch, next to the wolf.

“Keith, Will, if you want to go ahead and go over any information you’ve found today?” Seraph asks as he moves off to the side.

[ImperialTM]

“This is it, time to go to work.” William thought. He had seen many mission breakdowns before, and on occasion, had to stand with his squad leader Russell a few times as he gave the run down to other teams. “It shouldn’t be that hard right?” The pit in his stomach spoke a different viewpoint. Everything seemed to be in order in his mind but there was just one thing… William stands up, takes two steps, stops and moves quickly to the kitchen. The group can hear cupboards opening and closing rapidly before Will exclaims in delight and makes his way back into the room.

William stands in the center of the room addressing everyone. “Alright, today Keith and I went to Bastion College to gather information of Ben Burnly. Ben Burnly was a kid who, until recently, did not have powers. Thanks to some questionable choices and our new friend Nova, Mr. Burnly has gained the ability to rust and control metal. What we learned at the college is that Mr. Burnly gained access to this drug at one of the various parties that students attend. Ben was offered Nova and the efftects seemed to not only give him powers but change his personality. We can assume that the man who was dealing Nova at this party was Kris Dragonov, the primary target of tonight’s mission. According to Ryker, Kris Dragonov is of taller height, strong physique, and had black hair that is usually pulled up.”

William’s tone turns serious “Listen up. The mission should be a simple intel gathering op. If everything goes to plan we should be in and out with no problems. Our main target is Kris Dragonov. He should have the information we are looking for on Nova. If we can find where this new drug is coming from we should be one step closer to finding our demonic friends. There is another party happening at a warehouse in the Bywater District tonight at 2300, and we can expect Kris Dragonov to be there.”

“Be careful. Kris will most likely not be alone. Expect his brother, Mirko Dragonov, to be close by. Mirko looks similar to Kris but thinner and more wild. While we do not know if Kris is powered, we do know that Mirko can control fire. He is also volatile, so take extra care when around them.” William sternly looks to each person “Should things go south and we can’t gain the information amicably, then we will take Kris into custody and interrogate him here at the base. If we are unable to take him into custody the inside team will try to plant one of these on either Kris or his brother.” William holds up a mint leaf showing it off to the group. “If you break the leaf, Yuki should be able to track them for a short while giving us a rough direction to search in.”

“First priority is information, if you can get the name of a supplier that is great. If you can somehow get a location that would be even better. At minimum try and get a sample of the Nova he is dealing. With that we might be able to work backwards and track where it was packaged or even produced.”

“That being said, if things get hostile, I want the majority of the team’s focus to be on civilian protection and evacuation. I will leave it to the team leads to determine who is on planting duty.”

“Now.” William turns his attention to Drake and Calvin. “I would like to go over the teams for this operation but I need to know one thing.” William looks first at Drake and then to Calvin. “Will we all be able to work together on this?” William says rhetorically. “This is a delicate operation and I need to be 100% sure that when things go belly up I can count on everyone to do their job. To be a hero. Yes, our mission is to gather information, but when the other shoe drops and civilians are in danger, your focus needs to be on protecting them. You will get in each other's way. You will be uncoordinated. In the heat of the moment you might not make the right decision. But if a team can’t work together, then how can we trust that team to do the work they signed up to do. To be the shield and stand between safety and danger. We are talking about men who are unhinged enough to kill for joy. When facing people like that no one is safe. So are you willing to step up to the task? Because if you are not, I will not hesitate to sideline you both for this operation. You can enjoy a relaxing night here at the base while the rest of us do our jobs.” William looks to Calvin “I understand you feel like you have something to prove, but don’t let this vendetta pull you away from your goal. If you’re ever going to be a hero you need to learn to put aside your differences. What would you do if Drake was in mortal danger and he needed to trust you. Could you trust yourself to do the right thing?” William looks at Drake “I understand that you are the head of your team? Can you say that you are ready to lead if one person gets under your skin so easily. To be a hero you need to do more than lead your team. You need to be able to lead those who don’t know that they need help. If someone is obstinate on not leaving an active scene, what are you going to do?” William looks back and forth between the two. “Do I have your absolute word that I can trust you on this mission? I’m not asking for you guys to be friends. I’m just asking for you guys to be teammates.”

Spoiler: MASK ROLLS

Show

William attempts to provoke Drake and Calvin into working together despite their disposition towards each other.
William Provokes Someone (NPC: Drake)! -5! William marks potential
William uses White Knight and Provokes Someone (PC: Calvin)! - 6 + 1 for Influence = 7!
Should Calvin not work with Drake, they must mark a condition of their choice!

[HIDA]

“This is it, time to go to work.” William thought. He had seen many mission breakdowns before, and on occasion, had to stand with his squad leader Russell a few times as he gave the run down to other teams. “It shouldn’t be that hard right?” The pit in his stomach spoke a different viewpoint. Everything seemed to be in order in his mind but there was just one thing… William stands up, takes two steps, stops and moves quickly to the kitchen. The group can hear cupboards opening and closing rapidly before Will exclaims in delight and makes his way back into the room.

William stands in the center of the room addressing everyone. “Alright, today Keith and I went to Bastion College to gather information of Ben Burnly. Ben Burnly was a kid who, until recently, did not have powers. Thanks to some questionable choices and our new friend Nova, Mr. Burnly has gained the ability to rust and control metal. What we learned at the college is that Mr. Burnly gained access to this drug at one of the various parties that students attend. Ben was offered Nova and the efftects seemed to not only give him powers but change his personality. We can assume that the man who was dealing Nova at this party was Kris Dragonov, the primary target of tonight’s mission. According to Ryker, Kris Dragonov is of taller height, strong physique, and had black hair that is usually pulled up.”

William’s tone turns serious “Listen up. The mission should be a simple intel gathering op. If everything goes to plan we should be in and out with no problems. Our main target is Kris Dragonov. He should have the information we are looking for on Nova. If we can find where this new drug is coming from we should be one step closer to finding our demonic friends. There is another party happening at a warehouse in the Bywater District tonight at 2300, and we can expect Kris Dragonov to be there.”

“Be careful. Kris will most likely not be alone. Expect his brother, Mirko Dragonov, to be close by. Mirko looks similar to Kris but thinner and more wild. While we do not know if Kris is powered, we do know that Mirko can control fire. He is also volatile, so take extra care when around them.” William sternly looks to each person “Should things go south and we can’t gain the information amicably, then we will take Kris into custody and interrogate him here at the base. If we are unable to take him into custody the inside team will try to plant one of these on either Kris or his brother.” William holds up a mint leaf showing it off to the group. “If you break the leaf, Yuki should be able to track them for a short while giving us a rough direction to search in.”

“First priority is information, if you can get the name of a supplier that is great. If you can somehow get a location that would be even better. At minimum try and get a sample of the Nova he is dealing. With that we might be able to work backwards and track where it was packaged or even produced.”

“That being said, if things get hostile, I want the majority of the team’s focus to be on civilian protection and evacuation. I will leave it to the team leads to determine who is on planting duty.”

“Now.” William turns his attention to Drake and Calvin. “I would like to go over the teams for this operation but I need to know one thing.” William looks first at Drake and then to Calvin. “Will we all be able to work together on this?” William says rhetorically. “This is a delicate operation and I need to be 100% sure that when things go belly up I can count on everyone to do their job. To be a hero. Yes, our mission is to gather information, but when the other shoe drops and civilians are in danger, your focus needs to be on protecting them. You will get in each other's way. You will be uncoordinated. In the heat of the moment you might not make the right decision. But if a team can’t work together, then how can we trust that team to do the work they signed up to do. To be the shield and stand between safety and danger. We are talking about men who are unhinged enough to kill for joy. When facing people like that no one is safe. So are you willing to step up to the task? Because if you are not, I will not hesitate to sideline you both for this operation. You can enjoy a relaxing night here at the base while the rest of us do our jobs.” William looks to Calvin “I understand you feel like you have something to prove, but don’t let this vendetta pull you away from your goal. If you’re ever going to be a hero you need to learn to put aside your differences. What would you do if Drake was in mortal danger and he needed to trust you. Could you trust yourself to do the right thing?” William looks at Drake “I understand that you are the head of your team? Can you say that you are ready to lead if one person gets under your skin so easily. To be a hero you need to do more than lead your team. You need to be able to lead those who don’t know that they need help. If someone is obstinate on not leaving an active scene, what are you going to do?” William looks back and forth between the two. “Do I have your absolute word that I can trust you on this mission? I’m not asking for you guys to be friends. I’m just asking for you guys to be teammates.”

Calvin looks at Will, goes to open his mouth, stops, and takes a breath.

"Yeah." He says nodding and pressing himself off the wall to walk towards Drake and the rest of the team "I can if he can." He looks confidently at Drake and offers him a handshake.