Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

[InTheMachine]

Welcome to Thread III! You may read the second thread here!

Keith
“I still can’t believe that Matteo’s been possessed,” Ryker mutters, looking down at the floor. “I just hope that he’s still in there somewhere and that John and the angels can figure out how to get rid of that damn demon and save him. He’s a real good guy. I miss watchin’ M3A with him.”

Hearing Keith mention KMB, Ryker grins. “I saw Siren play against Drake Sunday. She’s good. That’ll be fun.”

“Burnout agreed to one date? Like specifically one?” Ryker shrugs. “That sounds weird to me, but you’re into this chick, so go for it.”

Manny
“Accident?” Drake asks.

He raises an eyebrow at Manny downing and grabbing another beer, but doesn’t say anything else.

Louis

Louis shakes his head slightly. "Nah, I think I've asked for enough favors today. Wouldn't wanna hold you up any longer than I already have." He pauses in thought. "Do you... need a ride back to base? I know you have your 'friends' but I'd imagine they're not the best for keeping a low profile?"

“I’ll be okay. I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” Stella says with lopsided smile. “See you later.”

"You know you didn't have to help us with any of this today?" He says looking over to Iris. "I imagine things would've played out differently if you called for help after seeing us, but you didn't. Don't know what your reasons were but I appreciate it. Is there... anything I can do for you? I definitely feel like I owe you for all of this."

Iris shrugs and gives Louis a faint smile. “I couldn’t let Izzy stay there, and you guys were there to help her. And seeing Ryker…” She narrows her eyes, looking down at the floor. “However much of an ass he was to me then, I can’t help but still have feelings for him. Call me stupid, or naive, or whatever, but I’d always hoped—“

She falls silent as an officer trots past the door and shoots a curious gaze at Louis before getting up and poking her head outside to see what the commotion’s about before she curses under her breath. “That idiot,” she hisses before she walks out, following the officer.

Spoiler: If Louis Follows Iris

Show

As Louis follows her, he spots Ryker at the end of the hallway with several nurses surrounding him. He’s covered in blood from hands to elbows and his shirt is in tatters. The cut on his head has been bound up, but blood is starting to leak through.

“Sir, please,” one of the male nurses says as he tries to bar Ryker’s way. “We can’t let you leave, not even AMA. Your record shows that AEGIS has to approve, or an attending doctor.”

Ryker stops as he sees the cop, with one hand on the butt of his gun, and Iris on their way toward him.

Iris sighs and shakes her head as she slips around the cop, even as he protests. “Ryker, what the hell are you doing? Let these people do their job.”

“I ****in’ told them I don’t want drugs,” he growls as he stares daggers at the nurse in front of him. “And what do they do as soon as I’m not payin’ attention? Try to give me ****.”

“I would too if you’ve been acting like this the whole time,” Iris says. She looks at the head nurse. “Can you treat him without anything?”

The nurse nods, not taking his eyes off the former villain. “If he calms down, we can. Dr. Snowblood should be down in ten minutes or so. We were just trying to make it safer for everyone involved.”

“C’mon Ryker,” Iris says. “Give them ten minutes. I’ll sit with you and make sure they don’t give you anything. Does that work for everyone?” she asks, looking at all the nurses and the cop.

Ryker shifts his gaze to Iris for a long moment before he lets out a short breath and turns around to head back to his room. The nurses send her grateful looks as they follow him and Iris falls in step behind.

[big teej]

Roadside Chat:

Nightgaunt sucks in a breath through his teeth and runs his hand through his hair again. "If I'm honest? Me on the verge of being out of control." He pauses a moment before nodding to himself. "That's the simplest answer, at least."

Nightgaunt follows Redline's gaze skyward. "It's something I've always been able to do and just... refused to, at least until. You know. Couple days ago at the market."

[Roguewolf]

Welcome to Thread III! You may read the second thread here!

Keith
“I still can’t believe that Matteo’s been possessed,” Ryker mutters, looking down at the floor. “I just hope that he’s still in there somewhere and that John and the angels can figure out how to get rid of that damn demon and save him. He’s a real good guy. I miss watchin’ M3A with him.”

Hearing Keith mention KMB, Ryker grins. “I saw Siren play against Drake Sunday. She’s good. That’ll be fun.”

“Burnout agreed to one date? Like specifically one?” Ryker shrugs. “That sounds weird to me, but you’re into this chick, so go for it.”

Keith shakes his head and looks at the ground for a moment. It would be odd seeing Matteo, if they could save him, after all this. "I really hope that Seraph was right and that ****er is keeping him around in there. Would see if we could get some books from the Empire but they never really dealt with demons directly before."

He lets out a sigh. "That occult expert with Myriad might have some ideas though. John is going to try and stay in contact with them and see if a plan can be made." He tilts his head to the side. They probably could have asked the skull earlier if she knew of anything that could help. If only he had thought about it at the time. Guess John isn't the only one caught in distractions now.

He then smirks thinking about the tournament. "Seriously hate I missed that. It's going to be a good time. No doubts I'll get knocked out by either you, or her, or Draconian, or Esper, but will be cool seein' you give them a run for their money." He grimaces a bit. "That will be a fun, and terrifying match to watch. You and Esper, think we'll need a buffet for that."

He nods at Ryker's shrug. "Yeah, a bit weird. She said mostly agreeing to one since she wants to give me a chance and possibly another if she feels something on it. Suggested a concert Saturday night and now just trying to pick a place for us to eat nearby. John gave me a list of places to check out. Well.... his car Clea did. Read some of the reviews on Yelp for a few places while in the gym."

[InTheMachine]

Keith
As Keith talks about his date plans, Ryker’s gaze gets a little distant. He opens his mouth to say something and seems to think better of it before he stands. “You mind comin’ with me to the roof? I need a smoke.”

He grabs his pack of cigarettes and lighter from his desk and heads out of his room. Once on the roof, he looks at all of the patio furniture before deciding to take a seat on the edge of the roof facing Aubrey Park, letting his legs dangle over the side.

The sun is just starting to set, making the Iron River sparkle as the water runs South. Ryker lights a smoke and takes a drag before offering the pack and lighter to Keith.

[PK-Leon]

Intermission

Iris shrugs and gives Louis a faint smile. “I couldn’t let Izzy stay there, and you guys were there to help her. And seeing Ryker…” She narrows her eyes, looking down at the floor. “However much of an ass he was to me then, I can’t help but still have feelings for him. Call me stupid, or naive, or whatever, but I’d always hoped—“

She falls silent as an officer trots past the door and shoots a curious gaze at Louis before getting up and poking her head outside to see what the commotion’s about before she curses under her breath. “That idiot,” she hisses before she walks out, following the officer.

"No idea what's going on but this can't be good..." Louis says as he casts looks over to Izzy. "Hey, I kinda have to see what's going on there but I promise I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere okay?" He flashes a playful smile before slipping through the door, making sure to leave it ajar as he exits.

As Louis follows her, he spots Ryker at the end of the hallway with several nurses surrounding him. He’s covered in blood from hands to elbows and his shirt is in tatters. The cut on his head has been bound up, but blood is starting to leak through.

“Sir, please,” one of the male nurses says as he tries to bar Ryker’s way. “We can’t let you leave, not even AMA. Your record shows that AEGIS has to approve, or an attending doctor.”

Ryker stops as he sees the cop, with one hand on the butt of his gun, and Iris on their way toward him.

...

“C’mon Ryker,” Iris says. “Give them ten minutes. I’ll sit with you and make sure they don’t give you anything. Does that work for everyone?” she asks, looking at all the nurses and the cop.

Ryker shifts his gaze to Iris for a long moment before he lets out a short breath and turns around to head back to his room. The nurses send her grateful looks as they follow him and Iris falls in step behind.

Louis can't help but be impressed as he watches Iris defuse the situation from his end of the hall. In the short amount of time they've spent together Louis had come to understand that Ryker was a person fueled by his emotions, which made it hard to get through to him at times. However with the right words, coming from the right person, he could occasionally be swayed without force. So what was it about Iris that caused the normally obstinate Ryker to yield? The answer eluded him. Regardless there was one less problem for the Louis to deal with today and he was grateful for Iris' timely intervention.

The tired hero retraces his steps down the hallway and makes his way back into Izzy's room. "So... what'd I miss?" He asks with a smile, as he pulls up a chair to her bedside and rocks foward in it with the back facing the bed.

Roadside Chat

Nightgaunt sucks in a breath through his teeth and runs his hand through his hair again. "If I'm honest? Me on the verge of being out of control." He pauses a moment before nodding to himself. "That's the simplest answer, at least."

Nightgaunt follows Redline's gaze skyward. "It's something I've always been able to do and just... refused to, at least until. You know. Couple days ago at the market."

"I think that's something we can all relate to. Losing control. Happens to everyone with powers at some point in their lives right?"

Redline pauses.

"So you've always been able to things like that? Like whatever trick you used to get us home back at the clocktower?"

[Roguewolf]

Keith
As Keith talks about his date plans, Ryker’s gaze gets a little distant. He opens his mouth to say something and seems to think better of it before he stands. “You mind comin’ with me to the roof? I need a smoke.”

He grabs his pack of cigarettes and lighter from his desk and heads out of his room. Once on the roof, he looks at all of the patio furniture before deciding to take a seat on the edge of the roof facing Aubrey Park, letting his legs dangle over the side.

The sun is just starting to set, making the Iron River sparkle as the water runs South. Ryker lights a smoke and takes a drag before offering the pack and lighter to Keith.

Keith looks up at Ryker and sees him about to say something, and is a bit curious. He just nods when Ryker askes about the roof.

"Anytime man. Just say the word." He offers a smile and walks out with Ryker.

All the furniture there was still a bit shocking. It was certainly one way to make an impression but could be a bit overboard. Then again, it was John trying to impress Emi. That and they all had a nice area to just relax in.

He followed Ryker over to the spot he had taken the last time they were out, and took the pack and lighter. He took a drag before handing them back to Ryker.

"Thank you, Ryker." He looked out over the city scape and shook his head. "Also, just realized I shouldn’t have gone so crazy on the date plans. Thinkin’ about it, wonder if we could get a day pass ro something for y’all to go somewhere.”

He takes another drag. "So what happened with the Rooks?"

[big teej]

Roadside Chat:

Nightgaunt leans forward, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. "Yep." He says in a resigned tone. He reaches down and jams a finger into the crack in the pavement. He drags his finger toward him, his razor sharp nail leaving a groove in the asphalt. "I can tear reality apart just as easily as this."

He withdraws his hand and flicks off an ant that had clamped on. "Something like inertia makes everything snap back, eventually. There's some other tricks I've been refusing to use that are..." Nightgaunt trails off, unsure how to describe the full repertoire of abilities he's uncomfortable having, much less using.

He holds up a hand, palm up then drops it. "Less readily applicable."

He leans over and stretches out and grabs his helmet from where it had rolled to a stop and examines it, wiping off the worse of the grit and grime from the battle.

[InTheMachine]

Louis
As Louis returns, Izzy gives him a sleepy smile. “Everything okay out there?”

A nurse comes in and checks Izzy’s vitals before she takes a few tubes of blood. “How are you feeling?”

The Latina shrugs. “Hot and cold. Dizzy, but that’s getting a little better.”

“I’m going to take this blood to the lab and we’ll see exactly what they gave you, but for now, we’re gonna keep giving fluids to help flush everything out.” The nurse turns to Louis. “Are you her boyfriend? If not, I’m gonna need you to leave so I can do a physical exam and ask her some personal questions. It’ll take 10 to 15 minutes. There’s a couple vending machines down the hall and a small waiting area. I’ll come find you there when we’re done, okay?”

Keith
“Like that’ll happen,” Ryker scoffs quietly. “She still a wanted criminal and I’m under house arrest.”

“The Rooks were lookin’ for me and they kidnapped a girl to draw me out. Louis and I got one of them to tell us where they were keepin’ her. We headed to the safehouse and fought with the second-in-command of the Belcaro set, Leo Scardino, and couple of his boys with Raph and Stella’s help. Leo messed me up, but we saved the girl… and another girl that was there.”

Ryker sighs and shifts uncomfortably, taking another few drags.

[PK-Leon]

As Louis returns, Izzy gives him a sleepy smile. “Everything okay out there?”

"Uhhh... yeah I think so?" He replies somewhat unsure of his answer. "This guy was about to start a fight with the staff in the hallway. I think he was afraid of needles or something but they managed to talk him down by bribing him with a lollipop."

A nurse comes in and checks Izzy’s vitals before she takes a few tubes of blood. “How are you feeling?”

The Latina shrugs. “Hot and cold. Dizzy, but that’s getting a little better.”

“I’m going to take this blood to the lab and we’ll see exactly what they gave you, but for now, we’re gonna keep giving fluids to help flush everything out.” The nurse turns to Louis. “Are you her boyfriend? If not, I’m gonna need you to leave so I can do a physical exam and ask her some personal questions. It’ll take 10 to 15 minutes. There’s a couple vending machines down the hall and a small waiting area. I’ll come find you there when we’re done, okay?”

The nurses questions throws Louis off balance for a moment. He opens to his mouth to speak on impulse but thinks better of it. His eyes quickly dart to Izzy then back to the nurse. A number of appropriate responses run through his mind but his overconfidence gets the better of him in the end.

"Not yet." He answers with a bit of playfulness to his tone. "But I'm starting to think the hospital wasn't the greatest choice of venue for a first date." He shrugs comically before getting up from his seat and walking into the hallway. "Thank you for everything. I know we probably caused a lot of trouble for you guys today" He says to the nurse before finding his way to the waiting area.

Louis finds the remote to the wall mounted TV and sits down an empty seat across from it. He flips through several channels until he lands on the local news station and watches the latest headlines until the nurse comes to retrieve him.

[mmdeforrest]

You’re still nervous about things because not only she stunningly beautiful, hyper intelligent, out of your league and this is your first serious relationship and it has been less than a week since you started dating — leaving you well within any standard return policy, John thought to himself as East Side base came into view. And after all the excitement today, it was only natural to be a little keyed up — even more than one might expect at the thought of seeing one’s stunningly beautiful, hyper intelligent, out of your league girlfriend.

“So, how was the rest of your day” wouldn’t be the kind of thing he would be able to discuss with her at the restaurant. It would be fair game for her to talk about her superheroic life. He would have to stick to talking about the papers he was still theoretically writing and the Foundation quarterly report that he only had a few more days to review.

He could get into the finer points of charitable accounting.

Gripping conversation.

Okay, John. Stay calm. You can talk about the superhero part of your day in the car on the way there and, over dinner, talk about the cities you have been to recently — London and Geneva, for example. You haven’t even talked about the pied-à-terre you have there overlooking the lake because of your position with the Foundation. Of course, given her family home in Knightsbridge, that would hardly be an impressive address, but she should know that it would be available to her if she were in the city.

And, of course, there was Kate and Jefferey’s requests. Well, Jeffery’s anyway. He’d have to ask about Kate’s request for a call as they were getting into Clea.

Come on, John — he thought as he engaged Clea’s turn signal. Keep reminding yourself that she likes you. It will be fine.

And, as Seraph said, try to take the night off.

It’ll be delightful — just the two of you.

[InTheMachine]

Louis
Izzy grins as a blush spreads across her cheeks. “Yeah, delivery boy. Most girls would be fine with going out after work for dinner or something. This is a pretty serious plot to get me some time off from work,” she says in a teasing manner before Louis heads out of the room.

He finds the normal news for Iron Station. The current headlining story is that Coldfront confronted Exodus today while he was attempting to break into a bank in the Northeast part of the city. Unfortunately, Exodus is still at large.

John
As John pulls into the East Side garage he spots Zack leaned over and elbow deep inside the engine bay of an old black muscle car. Kylie sits in a beat up desk chair with missing arms behind him and off to the side next to a five foot tall metal toolbox. The drawer full of sockets is open, and she picks through them before handing one over to Zack.

90’s rock plays on a small Bluetooth speaker that sits on top of the toolbox.

Kylie waves at John as he pulls in.

[HIDA]

Manny
“Accident?” Drake asks.

He raises an eyebrow at Manny downing and grabbing another beer, but doesnÂ’t say anything else.

Manny pops the cap off the beer and takes another swig. "Yeah. at least that what my father says." Manny can feel himself getting into a foul mood and takes a deep breath.

"Anyway. We shouldn't keep our teammate hanging on. Let's get a move on shall we?" Manny says, smile plastered back on his face.

[Roguewolf]

Keith
“Like that’ll happen,” Ryker scoffs quietly. “She still a wanted criminal and I’m under house arrest.”

“The Rooks were lookin’ for me and they kidnapped a girl to draw me out. Louis and I got one of them to tell us where they were keepin’ her. We headed to the safehouse and fought with the second-in-command of the Belcaro set, Leo Scardino, and couple of his boys with Raph and Stella’s help. Leo messed me up, but we saved the girl… and another girl that was there.”

Ryker sighs and shifts uncomfortably, taking another few drags.

Keith huffs a laugh and grins a bit. "Could maybe pull it off with a good enough illusion. Then again that would mean havin’ someone there for most of it unless John’s magic is just that strong”

He grimaced while taking another drag as Ryker explained the situation. It shouldn’t be surprising that Ryker went up against someone from the Rooks, but he seemed a bit too down.

“Savin’ two people and beatin’ down the Belcaro set? Man you’ve had a busy day. The hell kinda powers did Leo have to do that kinda damage though? Seems like part of it’s eatin’ ya.”

After another drag, Keith sighs. “Don’t know what went down but, whatever happened, remember that you saved two people today yeah?” He glances over at Ryker. “Three if you count yourself there too. Confronting a past is sometimes the best way to move forward. It’s confusing and uncomfortable, but a necessary evil.”

He looks over the city scape again right fast. “Told ya before there would be no judgment from me for anything. Somethin’ comes up you wanna discus or even just get out, just say the word.” He chuckles a bit. “Even if it’s just a sparring match, I’ll see about getting a bit tougher so you can go a bit harder for that.”

“Honestly, it’s the hardest thing to do. Sometimes it feels like there’s a voice in the back of my head telling me I’ll never be more than a villain's kid, and that’s all anyone will see. But confronting our past,our demons, shows us just how we’ve grown. Do know that if anyone says anything, or has a trust issue with you, I got your back.”

[mmdeforrest]

As John pulls into the East Side garage he spots Zack leaned over and elbow deep inside the engine bay of an old black muscle car. Kylie sits in a beat up desk chair with missing arms behind him and off to the side next to a five foot tall metal toolbox. The drawer full of sockets is open, and she picks through them before handing one over to Zack.

90’s rock plays on a small Bluetooth speaker that sits on top of the toolbox.

Kylie waves at John as he pulls in.

“Clea:” John asked as they pulled into the garage, “Will you ask Nora to let my particular friend and her father know that I have arrived? They are almost certainly aware of that but it is the polite thing to do.”

“Message sent,” Clea replied. “You could telepathically let her know, of course.”

“The etiquette books I have read are somewhat silent on telepathically announcing oneself,” John bantered back as he observed Zack and Burnout. “I thought it best to err on the side of caution, lest that be be psychic equivalent of pulling up to the front door and honking your horn.”

“That would be quite gauche, now that you mention it. I am glad to see you treating our particular friend with the respect she deserves.”

“One tries,” he bantered back as he put Clea into her standby mode. It was odd to think of her as never being fully off and that she was sensing the world around her. Getting out, he wondered when she had shifted her hue slightly so that she, once again, wore the black-and-white equivalent of Emi’s Porche’s color.

That shift in the color, as well as Clea’s comment about respect, here two more pieces to an oddly shaped puzzle that was beginning to come together in his mind — one that did not want to lay flat upon the table and his mind kept shying away from. Likewise, there was something about the two East Siders that teased at his perceptions — although he had to concede that could be the result of a long day and Keith’s coltish anxiety about his upcoming date with Burnout.

Not that he was in any position to cast aspersions.

Still, he wondered.

“Good evening, Zack,” he said as he closed the door before turning to Kylie and smiling and inclining his head. “I don’t believe we have been informally introduced, Burnout. When we last met, I had my hood pulled up and Keith introduced me to you as Dee. I’m John Kelley, late of Providence and London. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.

“Are you an automotive aficionado as well? I’m afraid my knowledge is somewhat limited and I risk embarrassing myself if I were to try to say anything more about this vehicle than it is a black Ford Mustang — a Boss 429, if I am not mistaken.

“Of course,” he admitted somewhat conspiratorially as he walked around the car and approached the two of them, “I only can guess that because it is written on the side of the car. Don’t tell Emi, though. I may foolishly try to impress her with an offhand comment like that later. I am, however, fairly confident about my assessment of the color.”

[InTheMachine]

Keith
“The guy can make whatever touches his palms explode,” Ryker says. “He’s probably stronger than me, too, and just as tough.”

He looks over at Keith as he speaks and then back out over the park toward the river. “You’re right about Izzy, one of the girls,” he says quietly. “I don’t mind fightin’ Rooks. It was bound to happen eventually.” He starts to say something else, but he bites it back before he smirks at Keith. “You got a long way to go before I can go all out on you.”

John
Zack nods a greeting and wipes his hands on a towel as Kylie stands and reaches out to John for a handshake. “Kylie Thomas. Nice to informally meet you, John.”

She shoots the magician a lopsided grin. “Not an aficionado, though I do like them. I know my tools though. I grew up on a farm in Texas and spent a lot of time helping my daddy fix old trucks and tractors.”

“She’s been a huge help,” Zack’s says as he gets out his phone and pauses the music. “Ian and Emi got this car for my birthday over a year ago and I’ve been working on it when I had time. She’s great company, and like she said, knows her tools. Saves a lot of time when I can ask for a 1/4” socket and she puts the other one back in the right place. She’s also been helping pick out replacement parts.”

“And despite that, we still haven’t gotten it to run right yet,” Kylie says with a rueful smile at Zack. “Boss Betty here sat in a barn for like 40 years. He just finished installing the new radiator that came in today though, so maybe it’ll be a little better.”

“Ian and Emi did a great job picking this thing out,” Zack says, gently setting his hand on the roof. “I don’t wanna ask how much they paid for her, even though she’s original and unrestored. Under 2000 of these were made back in the day. I still can’t believe that I get to work on something this rare. When they asked me if I could have any kind of classic car to work on, I said a Boss 429 as a joke,” he says with a chuckle. “I never expected them to actually go find one for me.”

Hi, John, Emi says inside his mind. I’ll be down in about 10 minutes. I’m still getting ready.

[mmdeforrest]

Hi, John, Emi says inside his mind. I’ll be down in about 10 minutes. I’m still getting ready.

Take your time, Emi, John projected. I’m trying to pick up enough information about cars from Zack and Kylie to impress you later. So far, I have learned that the pretty black car with the silver horsey on it that you and Ian got him is rare.

Stop me if I am getting to technical for you, he added impishly.

“I can appreciate the need for a neat tool box,” he observed. “There’s nothing worse than knowing you have the correct tool but can’t find it. My skills are all DIY stuff for around the house and basic bicycle repair and maintenance. But the work you two have done is impressive. I never would have guessed this car had sat in a barn for that long. You two must have spent quite a few hours working to get it into this shape.”

More time, he suspected, than Keith would have liked.

“Where did you pick up your skills, Zack? Are you from a farming family as well?”

[InTheMachine]

John
Emi laughs a little. Don’t tell Zack, but that car was just as much of a gift from Kylie as it was from us. As soon as she heard that was what he wanted, she scoured the internet for one that he could work on that wasn’t a total rust bucket. Ian and I just provided the funds.

“The exterior and interior is in great condition,” Zack says. “There were only two or three little spots of rust under the passenger floorboard that we found when we stripped it to clean everything that were really easily ground out and painted. The engine’s what’s taken the longest. It needed a lot of love. We’ve probably spent… I dunno, a few hundred hours down here over the last year or so?”

“Sounds about right,” Kylie replies. “I don’t know how you would’ve done it without my expert tool handing and flashlight holding skills,” she jokes, knocking his elbow with hers.

Zack smiles and nods. “Both very important and helpful skills, along with your amazing renditions of Red Hot Chili Peppers songs when the speaker dies,” he says looking over at John while shaking his head conspiratorially. “She’s finished a whole song without realizing the music was gone one time.”

“That’s nice of you to say, Zack,” Kylie mutters as she punches him not so lightly in the shoulder.

“The fact that your dad knows some guys with a resto shop in Amarillo that’ll ship stuff to us helps too.” Zack shrugs with a sideways smirk at his teammate before looking back over at the magician. “Don’t let her fool you, John. She did a ton of work on the interior and did paint correction and a ceramic coat on the outside.”

The speaker chirps a text tone and Zack pulls out his phone. After reading it, he scoffs and puts it back in his pocket.

“What was that about?” Kylie asks.

“Amber. My ex,” he explains to John.

Kylie’s eyebrows raise. “Ex?”

“I broke up with her a couple weeks ago. This time for good,” he says firmly. “She’s gotten really toxic over the past few months. Like demanding to go through my phone and stuff. We fought over a picture I posted on Instagram of Boss Betty. She saw Kylie’s reflection in one of the mirrors and insisted that I was cheating on her. So yeah, I’m done with her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kylie asks.

He shrugs. “Never came up I guess. I thought you didn’t like hearing about Amber anyway.”

“To answer your question though John, I grew up in Clearwater, Florida. Not a farm in sight,” Zack says. “When I was about twelve my grandpa came to live with my family after my grandma died. My dad bought him an old Corvette Stingray to restore to give him something to do and he taught me everything I know. This Mustang is his dream car, so I’m trying to finish it by December to give to him for his 75th birthday.”

Kylie, looking slightly lost in thought, glances up at the two boys. “Emi’s asking me to help with her hair. Be back in a few.” She heads upstairs into the base.

Spoiler: Notice TN 6

Show

Zack watches her go, staring at her butt as she heads up the stairs.

[Roguewolf]

Keith
“The guy can make whatever touches his palms explode,” Ryker says. “He’s probably stronger than me, too, and just as tough.”

He looks over at Keith as he speaks and then back out over the park toward the river. “You’re right about Izzy, one of the girls,” he says quietly. “I don’t mind fightin’ Rooks. It was bound to happen eventually.” He starts to say something else, but he bites it back before he smirks at Keith. “You got a long way to go before I can go all out on you.”

Keith's eyes widen as Ryker explains Leo's powers and then he takes another drag on the cigarette. "Just as tough as you and makes explosions? ****in' hellfire. Least he's gotten taken care of a bit."

When Ryker explains about Izzy, Keith tilts his head. Ryker mentioned two girls though earlier, so why was he only talking about one? Was it something he would rather not talk about, even though he kind of seemed like he wanted to? Not everyone would be as forth coming with the information either. Considering.

Keith shrugged. "Fair enough, bound to happen. And true, I got a long way to go for that. Maybe if I could learn to use my shadows to dissipate some of the damage when I get hit, could take harder hits."

He looked back over at Ryker for a moment. "What happened with the other girl, if you don't mind me askin'? She end up alright?"

[mmdeforrest]

“To answer your question though John, I grew up in Clearwater, Florida. Not a farm in sight,” Zack says. “When I was about twelve my grandpa came to live with my family after my grandma died. My dad bought him an old Corvette Stingray to restore to give him something to do and he taught me everything I know. This Mustang is his dream car, so I’m trying to finish it by December to give to him for his 75th birthday.”

Kylie, looking slightly lost in thought, glances up at the two boys. “Emi’s asking me to help with her hair. Be back in a few.” She heads upstairs into the base.

Spoiler: Notice TN 6

Show

Zack watches her go, staring at her butt as she heads up the stairs.

Spoiler: Ouch. Poor Keith….

Show

A Notice Roll he doesn’t want to make because all he really wants is to go to dinner and be alone with Emi….: 1d10o10+4 10 1d6o6+4 5

“If my sister’s supplies are any measure of things,” John observes to aid Kylie in covering her retreat, “I think the beauty industry has hardware beat hands down.”

You have incoming. I hope your hairdo is complicated enough to cover for Kylie using your asking for help with it in order for her to leave after finding out that Zack has broken up with Amber ‘for good.’ John projected as narrowly as he could in the direction he had sensed Emi’s thoughts coming to him from. Or that Zack doesn’t notice such things — especially the fact that a lady who can assembly puzzle pieces by telekinetic touch likely wouldn’t need assistance with such a task. Given her work on finding the car and her reaction, I gather there are more complications to Keith’s date than I knew five minutes ago?

It was an interesting data point. Kylie appeared to be socially adept enough to manage a potentially awkward social situation both in advance and on the fly. There was no way of knowing if she was aware Zack would be distracted by her physical form as she left, if he was not aware on that level — perhaps due to the absence of a sister of the right age, or if she was desperate and grabbed any excuse she could.

Her poker face was good enough to mask her reactions with any certainty. That Zack had picked up on her dislike of conversations with Amber meant that she sometimes dropped that mask or that she had made her feelings about the woman she appeared to view as a rival clear sometime before today.

“Clearwater’s on the Gulf Coast, isn’t it?” John asked, discretely looking into the engine and for any part, other than the radiator and battery that he might be able to identify by sight. The belts were obvious but he would not know any of their names — even if some of their functions appeared obvious enough. “Is rust as big a problem down there as it is in Rhode Island or does the lack of salt on the roads keep that at bay?”

[InTheMachine]

Keith
“Raph took care of him all right,” Ryker replies, shaking his head. “Damn near tore out his throat.”

He grinds the remains of his cigarette into the concrete beside him before looking over at Keith. “You heard’a Lady Orchid?”

Spoiler: Streetwise TN 4

Show

Lady Orchid is one of the Big 4 of the Rooks that runs The Flower Garden, an underground brothel/escort agency that services some of the upper echelon of Iron Station.

John
Ah, Emi says. Yes. Kylie has had a serious crush on Zack for quite a while, but he’s been dating Amber since he joined the team two years ago. I‘m sure my hair will look fancy enough to Zack— no need to worry.

”At least tools last,” Zack says, glancing over at the large toolbox. “Some of that stuff in there is my grandpa’s from 50 years ago. I doubt the girls have stuff that’s more than a couple years old, if that.”

He shrugs, watching John observe the engine. “Yeah, it’s Gulf coast, Tampa Bay area. It’s not as bad down South, but Clearwater’s right on the coast so you gotta look out for the saltwater. Most of the damage to cars down there actually comes from the sun. It can crack your dash, destroy your paint. But as long you wash and wax your car every few weeks, they’ll last longer than they would up North.”

“We don’t have to talk about cars, ya know,” he says after a moment. His phone chimes again and after reading the text he shakes his head and sighs. “Sorry.”

Manny
Drake’s eyes narrow slightly but he shrugs. “Sure.”

He turns toward the oven as it beeps and looks down into the appliance as Aeryn floats into the kitchen.

“It’s a little early for dinner, isn’t it?” Drake asks as the alien pulls out two pans full of creamy sauce and chicken thighs out of the oven and sets it on one side of the stove.

“It’s for the demon,” Aeryn says as he heads over to the fridge and pulls out a bag of spinach. “I made enough for everyone else though, if they want some. It’ll be ready in about 10 minutes after the spinach wilts and I get the pasta cooked.”

He puts the greens in both pans before covering them with tin foil and then fills a large pot with some water and salts it.

“Was that Tuscan chicken?” Drake asks. “That was great the last time you made it.”

Aeryn smiles. “Thanks. No tortellinis this time though. They only had some hollow pastas… I don’t remember what they’re called.”

[Roguewolf]

Keith
“Raph took care of him all right,” Ryker replies, shaking his head. “Damn near tore out his throat.”

He grinds the remains of his cigarette into the concrete beside him before looking over at Keith. “You heard’a Lady Orchid?”

Spoiler: Streetwise TN 4

Show

Lady Orchid is one of the Big 4 of the Rooks that runs The Flower Garden, an underground brothel/escort agency that services some of the upper echelon of Iron Station.

Keith raises and eyebrow and his jaw about drops hearing Raph nearly tore Leo's throat out. "Holy ****......" He took one last drag before grinding the remains into the concrete. "He's gotten insanely powerful in such a short time...."

Spoiler: Lady Orchid? THAT Lady Orchid?!

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Streetwise: 1d6o6 7 1d6o6 2

As Ryker mentions Lady Orchid, Keith tilts his head to the side, stopping his field stripping of the cig filter. Wait does he mean that Lady Orchid? Wait she was there?! It was a bit confusing hearing that one of the Big 4 may have been there, more likely it was someone under her. He just nods when it hits him.

"Yeah, she's one of the Big 4 if I remember right. The Flower Garden?"

[mmdeforrest]

John
Ah, Emi says. Yes. Kylie has had a serious crush on Zack for quite a while, but he’s been dating Amber since he joined the team two years ago. I‘m sure my hair will look fancy enough to Zack— no need to worry.

”At least tools last,” Zack says, glancing over at the large toolbox. “Some of that stuff in there is my grandpa’s from 50 years ago. I doubt the girls have stuff that’s more than a couple years old, if that.”

He shrugs, watching John observe the engine. “Yeah, it’s Gulf coast, Tampa Bay area. It’s not as bad down South, but Clearwater’s right on the coast so you gotta look out for the saltwater. Most of the damage to cars down there actually comes from the sun. It can crack your dash, destroy your paint. But as long you wash and wax your car every few weeks, they’ll last longer than they would up North.”

“We don’t have to talk about cars, ya know,” he says after a moment. His phone chimes again and after reading the text he shakes his head and sighs. “Sorry.”

Fancy enough for Zack not to notice may result in a decrease in coherence from me. I’ll try to prepare myself as best I can. It was quite generous of the two of you to support her in that way.

Sadly, he thought, there would be no way to prepare Keith for this turn of events.

“No apologies necessary,” John offered sympathetically. “It can’t be easy for you to walk away from a relationship — even if she was driving you away.”

Nor, he thought, was Zack entirely reconciled to doing so. Blocking someone was a fairly trivial exercise on a cell phone — even it it took some trial and error, given the intertwining of voice and video calls, instant messaging, social media. With a little trial and error, thought, one could lock all of that down. The only reason one would not is if one was not entirely ready to let go.

“Your grandfather must be quite the gentleman, given the amount of labor you two have invested in restoring this car for him. Are you his only grandchild or just the one about to become his favorite after he lays eyes on a car like this?”

[InTheMachine]

Keith
Ryker nods. “That’s her. So… the other girl that was there… works for her,” he says slowly. “I feel like it’s my fault that she ended up as a whore.”

He shakes his head as he bows it. “****,” he mutters under his breath as he runs a hand through his hair.

John
Don’t forget that Zack is also Ian’s best friend, and Kylie is mine. Kylie did almost all of the work anyway. We paid for it and arranged transport. Emi giggles. It’s just a few braids, John.

“I mean, she’s made it pretty easy,” Zack says. “We’ve broken up a couple times before and gotten back together, but she’s never been so… toxic before. This is the first time she’s texted me since last Friday and it’s mostly just to cuss me out. She’s probably drunk.”

He looks back over at Boss Betty. “My grandpa’s a pretty great guy. He’s always been patient with me, even when I was a little **** growing up. The time I spent with him taught me a lot and kept me out of trouble before I got shipped out to Myriad training and then here. But now that you mention it, yeah, I am his only grandkid.”

[mmdeforrest]

John
Don’t forget that Zack is also Ian’s best friend, and Kylie is mine. Kylie did almost all of the work anyway. We paid for it and arranged transport. Emi giggles. It’s just a few braids, John.

“I mean, she’s made it pretty easy,” Zack says. “We’ve broken up a couple times before and gotten back together, but she’s never been so… toxic before. This is the first time she’s texted me since last Friday and it’s mostly just to cuss me out. She’s probably drunk.”

He looks back over at Boss Betty. “My grandpa’s a pretty great guy. He’s always been patient with me, even when I was a little **** growing up. The time I spent with him taught me a lot and kept me out of trouble before I got shipped out to Myriad training and then here. But now that you mention it, yeah, I am his only grandkid.”

Best friend. Such an odd turn of phrase, John reflected. That ‘best’, of course, was a particular category — one that usually excluded particular friends from the rankings. Few — even in the most committed of relationships — would think twice about hearing their lover refer to their best friend as someone else, even if everyone knew the partners were actually each other’s best friend.

Were he forced to name one, Montcrieff would be the closest thing he had to one, unless partners (not that kind — an identical exclusion, now that he thought of it) didn’t count. If so, it would have to be Jeffery, oddly enough. Family (perhaps that’s why particular partners were excluded) were never counted as well and he was as close to that as one could get — outside of particular partners, of course.

It was more than an odd association game or philosophical question for him — even if it were for others. Names and naming resonated so powerfully in Angelical and in his form of magic. In that use of language, such things mattered and each moment of understanding or revelation — even as minor as this — opened new understanding for his work and Work.

‘Only’ doesn’t apply to you the same way it does to others, Emi, he projected gently, if somewhat besottedly.

“I’m sorry you are having to deal with that, Zack. It can’t be pleasant for you.”

“How long did it take you to really understand all of this,” John said, waving his hand across the engine. “From what I understand, this is a lot simpler than a contemporary engine but to an untrained eye, it’s a bit opaque. If you gave me the numbers, I could calculate the amount of work and horsepower this thing would generate but I really have no sense of how those numbers would be created. I know there are pistons in there someplace that contain explosions and turn a crankshaft but I would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between the crankshaft and the driveshaft even if you dropped them on my head.”

What was it about East Side that always produced the image of vehicles and their parts being dropped on his head?

“If I had to use magic to make this thing run, I would have an easier time summoning a pair of mustangs to draw it than I would to try and tell which parts to start moving without causing it to work against itself.”

[Roguewolf]

Keith
Ryker nods. “That’s her. So… the other girl that was there… works for her,” he says slowly. “I feel like it’s my fault that she ended up as a whore.”

He shakes his head as he bows it. “****,” he mutters under his breath as he runs a hand through his hair.

Keith shudders a bit. It wasn't that he resented the work, but more so the thought of tangling with one of the Big 4. Then again he did think about taking on the Dragonovs. Might be slightly different though either way.

"Oh ****..... That certainly complicates things." He sighs looking back over at Ryker.

"Don't see how it's your fault though man. But do get where you're comin' from. Leading someone we know somewhere, even if it ain't our fault it's rough. Seein' them go a direction you tried to keep them away from, it sucks."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Maybe not a direct way, but you probably still managed to help her out too. Even if it's just a little bit."

Spoiler: Keith attempts to Support Ryker.

Show

Comfort/Support: 2d6+1 8

He looks back out over the city. "Who was she? And should we try to help her out again?" Or are you worried that she is going to inspire John to invite her back so he can build on a wing and establish a reform school for wayward women and greater demons?”

Spoiler: Pierce the Mask!

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Pierce the Mask: 2d6+1 6 +1 =7 (if the selfish use goes through)
Keith attempts to insult John and use comradarie selfishly by commenting on John's continued efforts to invitenothers to the base and reform them.

[HIDA]

Manny
Drake’s eyes narrow slightly but he shrugs. “Sure.”

He turns toward the oven as it beeps and looks down into the appliance as Aeryn floats into the kitchen.

“It’s a little early for dinner, isn’t it?” Drake asks as the alien pulls out two pans full of creamy sauce and chicken thighs out of the oven and sets it on one side of the stove.

“It’s for the demon,” Aeryn says as he heads over to the fridge and pulls out a bag of spinach. “I made enough for everyone else though, if they want some. It’ll be ready in about 10 minutes after the spinach wilts and I get the pasta cooked.”

He puts the greens in both pans before covering them with tin foil and then fills a large pot with some water and salts it.

“Was that Tuscan chicken?” Drake asks. “That was great the last time you made it.”

Aeryn smiles. “Thanks. No tortellinis this time though. They only had some hollow pastas… I don’t remember what they’re called.”

"There's quite a few: Ziti, Penne, Rigatoni, Macaroni, Mostaccioli, Chifferi, Ditalini." Manny says, feigning an increasingly Italiain accent as he moves through the list.

"I didn't think Demons ate human food. Sure they eat humans as food, but this seems surprisingly refined for a demon palette. Then again what do I know. I'm no demonologist." Manny says before a swig of beer.

"Mind if tag along when you present your fare to the captive? I'd rather like a chat with them if its possible."

[InTheMachine]

Keith
Ryker takes a deep breath, still hanging his head. “She… Aria… she’s my ex girlfriend. I dated her through high school, until another Rook, Haze, threatened to kill her.”

“I’d kept Aria away from all the Rooks stuff as best I could, and that ****ed Haze off,” he says. “I knew I couldn’t protect Aria from her, so I said a lot of **** to her to get her to break up with me. I thought that was that. We could both move on, ya know? I felt bad about it, but at the time, I didn’t know what else to do. I guess I could’a gone to Jesse, but it seemed like a kinda stupid reason to bother him when he has so much other **** to take care of.”

He sighs again. “Long story short, somethin’ happened and she ended up using a connection she’d gotten from a party I took her to to get in touch with Lady Orchid and start workin’ for her. If I’d been around, I could’ve kept her out of that. We could’a found a way to make money elsewhere, without her needin’ to… ya know. I just… I feel like an absolute piece of ****. And yet, she told me today when we were at the hospital that I’m the one she thinks about when she… works. She still ****in’ loves me after everything I said to her and even though I wasn’t there for her when she needed me.”

John
“It’s whatever, I guess,” Zack says before looking at the Mustang’s engine. “Once you get the basics, it isn’t too hard. You seem like a real smart guy, John, so you’d probably be able to get all of this down in a year or two. Of course, having a good teacher helps too. But, doing a full engine tear down isn’t a walk in the park. I read a lot of stuff on the internet and watched a ton of videos while I was working on this. Kylie and I also did some video calls with her dad when I wasn’t sure I was doing to the right thing. I’d be a lot more confident on any other car, but trying to restore something rare makes me nervous.”

“Basically, the crankshaft is what the pistons turn at the bottom of the engine,” he says with a grin. “It transfers power to the transmission and then into the driveshaft, which is under the car, and that delivers the power to the rear wheels.”

“Kylie would love that,” Zack says as John mentions summoning a pair of Mustangs.

Manny
Drake grabs one more beer from the fridge. “You two have fun down there with the demon, I guess. We’ll wait for you to start the movie,” he says as he makes his way to the living room.

Aeryn tilts his head. “You think he actually eats people?” he says in a horrified manner as he grabs some pasta from the pantry and dumps it into the boiling water.

[HIDA]

Manny
Drake grabs one more beer from the fridge. “You two have fun down there with the demon, I guess. We’ll wait for you to start the movie,” he says as he makes his way to the living room.

Aeryn tilts his head. “You think he actually eats people?” he says in a horrified manner as he grabs some pasta from the pantry and dumps it into the boiling water.

Manny finishes his beer and grabs the last one from the pack "He might." Manny says, grinning a bit more freely. "I'd be interested to see everything a demon finds palatable. Who knows? He may be interested in more exotic fare." Manny says, eyeing the alien suggestively before cackling. "What is he finds your flesh delectable, Hmm? Even moreso that your cooking? You'd best be careful, Aeryn. You could be next on the menu. mwahahahaha." Manny says the last sentence dripping with sarcasm and laugh cartoonishly evil.

[InTheMachine]

Manny
Aeryn shudders as he stirs the pasta, either not seeing or understanding the sarcasm. “You don’t think he would really do that, do you? He seemed nice enough when I brought him some food earlier. Not any different from any one of us.”

“I mean, it is a little scary that Seraph’s so on edge, but you know, I’d kind of expect that, considering what the two of them are,” he says as he grabs a colander and strains the pasta.

[HIDA]

Manny
Aeryn shudders as he stirs the pasta, either not seeing or understanding the sarcasm. “You don’t think he would really do that, do you? He seemed nice enough when I brought him some food earlier. Not any different from any one of us.”

“I mean, it is a little scary that Seraph’s so on edge, but you know, I’d kind of expect that, considering what the two of them are,” he says as he grabs a colander and strains the pasta.

"True, they are opposed diametrically. So I can understand the concern." Manny says, after another confident swig. "What do you know about the demon? You said he didn't seem much different from any of us? Did you get close to him?"