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  1. - Top - End - #181
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by big teej View Post
    Double Date:

    Raphael turns his gaze towards Emilia. "A fellow Castle-Maniac eh?"

    "Well. Now I'm feeling motivated." He says, making a show of cracking his knuckles. He says, rolling his eyes.... Which drops his gaze onto Stella and Cassie. His eyes bore into Cassie's back before he catches himself and turns his attention back to the conversation.

    "I'm sure it's not all glowing, but it must be nice to have the media say nice things about you." Raphael says with a chuckle.

    He follows John's gaze back to the stairs and tenses up. But it quickly bleeds out of him as he watches Feris purposefully guide Cassie away from Stella.

    Raphael takes another sip of the cerulean bilge-water before answering his teammate. He looks John in the eyes and says "Part Owner, I think."

    The vampire's eyes tell John that the newcomer is exactly what he thinks he is.
    “From what I remember of my time bussing tables and bar backing, owners and managers get very little time to relax,” John observed. “We’ll have to make a point of not disturbing him and his companion. Momma Giorino May have made a point of making time for her bambini, but there was no question that she was the one pulling the most hours there — especially since so many of them were off the clock.

    “The cooks both loved and hated the fact that she lived in an apartment just upstairs,” John said, looking into Emi’s eyes as long as he dared. “They hated that she would come downstairs and tell them that they were messing up what they were preparing but were grateful that she was always there to fix it. The Johnson and Wales students who would work there said they learned as much from her in two weeks as they did in some semesters.

    “I didn’t know you favored the Castle as well,” John continued as he turned back to Raphael in an attempt to maintain coherence of thought. “Watching Emi play that Kaiju against Drake made me glad she had not used it against me and glad I did not inadvertently choose it when selecting the one I played. I should probably spend some time trying the others out, if there is going to be a tournament. I’m not convinced the one I chose matched my play style well.” He turned to Emi. “Unless it is one player per Kaiju. Can you have two of the same fight one another in tournament play?”

  2. - Top - End - #182
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Keith
    Crowe sees a portion of tunnel that he recognizes, and he manages to lead Paradox to the surface. She easily climbs the ladder, despite having Aeryn draped across her shoulders. Once topside, she gently sets him against the wall of the alley.

    The alien’s eyes slowly open a little and he smiles slightly at the two of them. “What happened?” he asks in a strained voice. He touches the back of his head and his hand comes away covered in dark red-purple blood.

    Manny
    Izulu makes his way down the rest of the tunnel and comes out in another large space. Wolf and Zodiac have torn apart many of the smaller centipede demons.

    Zodiac crunches down on the head of the last moving demon before she looks up at Izulu. “Did you kill the big one? Where is… everyone else?” she asks him.

    Louis
    Q&A
    Detective Kreiger smiles. “That’s what they normally pick.” She gets up from her desk and makes her way to the back office and talk to the occupant before waving Louis in. “He’s gonna take over, if you don’t mind,” she says Louis. “I have a lot of work to catch up on.”

    The glass next to the door is etched with the words, Detective Gabriel Varga.

    Seated behind the desk is a Hispanic man with a short beard that Louis recognizes from the Volta Memorial. He nods to Louis and introduces himself as Kreiger leaves and closes the door behind her.

    “You done some of these before, right?” Varga asks as he pulls out a small recorder that he sets on his desk.

    OOC: Detective Varga gains Influence over Louis!

    Back at the Hospital
    Ryker looks over at Louis in confusion when he mentions the color shirt the hospital’s given him. “Why?”

    He rubs the healed wound over his eye. “Mostly. I ain’t bleeding anymore, at least. Everything else is gonna take a little longer to heal. Snowblood’s great at her job, but she’s no angel.”

    Iris puts her phone back in her purse. “Do you mind dropping me off at the Wendy’s a couple streets over?” she asks Louis quietly.

    Double Date
    Spoiler: Meanwhile: Across the Room
    Show
    Cassie pouts as Alex leads her to a table. His grip on her elbow is firm, but not hurtful. He was always very mindful of how much more delicate she was than the Kindred. She sits with her back to the band while Alex takes his seat across from her. She can tell that he wasn’t upset; he didn’t have that slight look of annoyance that she sometimes saw when he was speaking to some of his subordinates.

    His gaze is heavy on her as he waits for her to say something. He would wait all night, she knew.

    She fidgets, looking down at the table as she plays with a loose thread on her sleeve. Her indignation at having been dragged away slowly turns to embarrassment. “I didn’t know who she was, Alex,” she says finally. “I’m sorry.”

    The vampire sighs as he leans back in his chair, crossing one ankle over his knee. He waves the waiter away as he comes up to take their order before he replies, “I know you didn’t realize who she was. But please, Cassie, you need to be careful. You know we are… territorial. While I can protect you from anyone else here, I would not want to fight Raphael. I’m very glad he didn’t take what happened as a challenge.”

    She’d known that the other vampire she’d seen earlier was important, but she hadn’t realized that he was a match for Alex. It was a mistake that could’ve cost her life. She was still learning to navigate the politics and eccentricities of vampiric society and felt lucky that Alex had been exceedingly patient with her over the last few months.

    Stella had drawn her over though. Cassie could feel that they shared something. She wasn’t sure what, but she had felt the need to go talk to the other woman. It was too bad those other young vampires had interrupted their conversation before Alex had come to scare them off.

    “He doesn’t look like all that,” Cassie says in a small voice. She was more than a little abashed that she’d caused Alex any kind of embarrassment.

    “He’s young,” Alex says, “but in terms of raw power he’s probably the strongest of us on the Eastern seaboard and he’s not bound to any Clan. As much as I don’t want to admit it, he’s dangerous. Miss von Stein is eager to have him on our side.”

    Cassie swallows as her gaze returns to the table. It was an even greater mistake than she’d thought. The possibility of being able to repay the vampire for his generosity grew slimmer every time she had a mishap like this.

    “You meant no harm,” Alex says gently as he watches her spiral downward. She knew if they’d been alone he would have reached out to take her hand to reassure her. “Just be more mindful in the future. Now, I’m sure you’re hungry. I believe Colleen is working tonight, and her lamb is always exceptional.”


    “He’s always been my favorite,” Emi replies before she watches the vampire descend the stairs and make his way over to the bar and then take the other dark haired woman to a table. She shakes her head ever so slightly before she returns her attention to John.

    I’m deciding to enjoy our date for now, Emi projects to John. We have some more to talk about after though.

    “We can do the same characters if someone wants to,” she says. “They’ll just be palette swaps is all.”

    Stella returns to the table with a tall glass full of dark liquid. “Thaddeus says hi,” she tells Raphael before she quickly glances up at where the vampire and Cassie have sat down. “That was… odd. He knew my name.”

  3. - Top - End - #183
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    Crowe sees a portion of tunnel that he recognizes, and he manages to lead Paradox to the surface. She easily climbs the ladder, despite having Aeryn draped across her shoulders. Once topside, she gently sets him against the wall of the alley.

    The alien’s eyes slowly open a little and he smiles slightly at the two of them. “What happened?” he asks in a strained voice. He touches the back of his head and his hand comes away covered in dark red-purple blood.
    Crowe stand back as Paradox goes first just in case they were followed. They weren't kidding when they said she was super strong..... Wonder how many times she's had to carry someone like that? He found himself thinking seeing how easily she had climbed the ladder. He floated upwards not too long after.

    Crowe already has his fingers on the commlink to call Mimi as Aeryn is set down. "Mimi? Is Seraph available? We have a serious injury and potentially inquired hostages. There's a Raeksha as well."

    He turns after and grins at Paradox. "Don't get to see many doing that sort of carry and climbin' anymore. Saw a lot of it back home at military training bases." He then turns and smiles when Aeryn opens his eyes.

    "Just relax man, we got the big one. Or at least scared it off for now. You took a heavy hit and went down, so we got you back up here to call Seraph. Comms are down while we're in there." He grimaced a bit. He was still curious of the actual blood color of Aeryn's people. It would be something to ask about later, now was definitely not the time. "We'll get you to the UV lamps as soon as we get out of here. Izulu went ahead to help out Zodiac and Wolf."

  4. - Top - End - #184
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    “He’s always been my favorite,” Emi replies before she watches the vampire descend the stairs and make his way over to the bar and then take the other dark haired woman to a table. She shakes her head ever so slightly before she returns her attention to John.

    I’m deciding to enjoy our date for now, Emi projects to John. We have some more to talk about after though.
    Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, John thought to himself as he rubbed the triangle on the back of his left hand. He would have to ask Raphael why he had recommended this place to him as a safe date location rather than warning him away from it sometime later this evening.

    After Emi got to ask him her questions.

    He could all but predict them. After all, she would be able to recognize the elder vampire who descended the stairs for what he is — if not directly than based on what she knew of Raphael from this evening and from the encounter at Amity Court and their discussion of Darkwatch. If she had been curious enough to work out the language he spoke, she certainly would have thought through the scene they had seen.

    At least, he hoped that she would say that it was Emi asking and not Siren, provisional hero of Myriad, or Emilia, daughter of Mr. Shaw.

    He wanted to avoid that disaster.

    I don’t suppose you would care to offer any hints on how to make it more enjoyable for you? John projected back carefully. I had not anticipated having to navigate a lair with you this evening — especially while I am trying to make sure Harbinger has a good night’s sleep — so I’m open to suggestions. The grilling I would get from Kate, Jefferey, and Mom as to how I messed things up is not an encounter I would relish.

    He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he projected, searching for any hint of a reaction. He was observant — his parents and his own inclinations had sharpened those skills. He had already determined, however, that Emi’s poker face was incredibly good and he doubted she would reveal anything.

    Spoiler: Okoros decides to play with John.
    Show


    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    “We can do the same characters if someone wants to,” she says. “They’ll just be palette swaps is all.”
    “It there one of the Kaiju that has a more defensive profile than the others?” John asked.

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Stella returns to the table with a tall glass full of dark liquid. “Thaddeus says hi,” she tells Raphael before she quickly glances up at where the vampire and Cassie have sat down. “That was… odd. He knew my name.”
    Thaddeus, John noted. Name changes over the years might be something vampires do but it is the kind of thing that requires practice and training — a point Montcrieff pointed out when discussing undercover work with him. “Always choose a name close to your own at the beginning,” she had warned him. “At least, that is, until you have developed the habits of mind that are part of undercover work. “Even when I used ‘Gretta’ during training, I was close to being too slow in my reactions. In life or death situations, you need to react instinctually.”

    The scene she showed him from the end of The Great Escape illustrated the point well enough for him to decide he would avoid such work, if he could.

    Still, it was enough to begin an investigation.

    He glanced back at the table where the vampire and the young woman, who appeared just a few years older than Stella, sat talking quietly. She appeared nervous, glancing down and not meeting the vampire’s eyes. He, in contrast, held himself in a relaxed manner — not one that carried a sense of threat or condemnation. It was more as if she were recognizing some failing in herself — one she felt worse about than he did.

    Her profile struck him as she looked up and spoke. She hesitated a moment before speaking, closing her eyes and preparing herself to speak. Where had he seen that befoo-o-o-ohno.

    Spoiler: Just when you thought things could not get more dramatic.
    Show


    Oh, no.

    Jesus, Mary, and Joseph: Please no.

    Spoiler: Flashback!
    Show
    He remembered: They stood on the roof of their base. They had just returned from Amity Court.

    Merde,” John recalled Stella whispering to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. He recalled her letting out a shuddering breath before taking another. “Yes John, tell me. I need to know.”


    He felt his eyes go wide for a split second and he glanced back and forth between Stella and the mystery woman before the surprise was replaced by the mask he wore as Dee.

    Their profiles were too close to ignore. Their hair color was the same. Their movements harmonized.

    Stella eyes were blue while the other’s were dark.

    Like Matteo’s.

    Her mother used to visit here when they were younger.

    Thaddeus knew her name.

    Sisters? Half-sisters?

    John observed himself lifting a shell out of the ice. As he deliberately spooned some horseradish onto the oyster, he projected steadily to Emi as the higher order parts of his mind suppressed the part that was scattered at the thought of her.

    This evening appears to be one of more surprises than either of us anticipated and that only appears to be accelerating. However things turn out, I want you to know that the last few days have been the most wonderful of my life — even when it was just the thought of of you accompanying me, I have been happier and lighter than I have ever been. Even if it all spirals out of control as the evening progresses, I want you to know how much than has meant to me.

    He tipped the oyster up, consuming it. The less steady parts of his mind were concerned about the old advice about only ordering neat food early on in dating. That advice seemed a distant concern now.

    He swallowed.

    I had planned to ask you later — when we got to your questions — who I was speaking with: Siren, Provisional Hero of Myriad, or Emi Shaw? I will respect it if it is the former, but I…”

    John turned and looked.

    He faltered at the sight of her eyes. The nervous kid from Providence returned.

    I…I really hope it is Emi I will be speaking to — then and now. Because I may need some help in figuring out what to do and say and I could use a partner in this.
    Last edited by mmdeforrest; 2022-10-13 at 01:06 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #185
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post

    Manny
    Izulu makes his way down the rest of the tunnel and comes out in another large space. Wolf and Zodiac have torn apart many of the smaller centipede demons.

    Zodiac crunches down on the head of the last moving demon before she looks up at Izulu. “Did you kill the big one? Where is… everyone else?” she asks him.
    "It went back into hiding after we thrashed it but Aeryn's in rough shape, so I had Paradox and Crowe take him back topside while I came and checked on you guys. I ran into a couple of the smaller ones and they're definitely dead." Izulu says, starting to favor his injured arm. "You seemed to have tidied up here nicely. Did you find the hostages?"
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-12 at 10:11 PM.

  6. - Top - End - #186
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NinjaGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Q&A

    Detective Kreiger smiles. “That’s what they normally pick.” She gets up from her desk and makes her way to the back office and talk to the occupant before waving Louis in. “He’s gonna take over, if you don’t mind,” she says Louis. “I have a lot of work to catch up on.”
    Redline offers Kreiger a small wave as she leaves him with the new Detective.

    The glass next to the door is etched with the words, Detective Gabriel Varga.

    Seated behind the desk is a Hispanic man with a short beard that Louis recognizes from the Volta Memorial. He nods to Louis and introduces himself as Kreiger leaves and closes the door behind her.

    “You done some of these before, right?” Varga asks as he pulls out a small recorder that he sets on his desk.
    "More than a few." The hero sighs through a half smile thinking back to his time working with Red Light.

    "So where should I start Detective?"

    Back at the Hospital

    Ryker looks over at Louis in confusion when he mentions the color shirt the hospital’s given him. “Why?”
    "Because you came crashing through that wall so hard earlier that it reminded me of those really old commercials with the kool-aid guy." He finishes laughing.

    He rubs the healed wound over his eye. “Mostly. I ain’t bleeding anymore, at least. Everything else is gonna take a little longer to heal. Snowblood’s great at her job, but she’s no angel.”
    "It's kinda hard to compete divine intervention dontcha think? At least you're able to walk out of here. She said should probably take it easy for a day or so while you recover."

    Iris puts her phone back in her purse. “Do you mind dropping me off at the Wendy’s a couple streets over?” she asks Louis quietly.
    "No problem." Louis says looking over to Iris. "You sure about Wendy's though? We can give you a ride anywhere in the city if you need it. It's the least we can do," he offers.
    Last edited by PK-Leon; 2022-10-14 at 10:05 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #187
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Manny
    “I hope he’s okay,” Zodiac says before pointing her head to another tunnel and padding toward it. “They’re down here. Wolf and I were in the middle of pulling them out when the babies started crawling out of the ceiling. If you got the two that got away from me, I think they’ve all been dispatched.”

    She leads him down the tunnel that ends in a dirt pit that’s about ten feet deep. There’s three people standing at the edge and four more that are still at the bottom.

    Wolf emerges from another side tunnel. His muzzle is covered in the centipede demon’s thin, dark blood and he has several rapidly healing wounds that score his back and shoulders.

    The people milling around look frightened of both Wolf and Zodiac, but can’t figure out how to get the other people out.

    “What’s wrong?” someone asks from the pit.

    Keith
    “Seraph is on his way,” Mimi replies.

    Kenzie shrugs. “It’s not like I was carrying Drake. That would’ve been just a little more challenging,” she says with a slight smirk.

    “Uh, guys?” Aeryn says, his voice on the edge of panic. “I feel… cold. My hands are all tingly.”

  8. - Top - End - #188
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Manny
    “I hope he’s okay,” Zodiac says before pointing her head to another tunnel and padding toward it. “They’re down here. Wolf and I were in the middle of pulling them out when the babies started crawling out of the ceiling. If you got the two that got away from me, I think they’ve all been dispatched.”

    She leads him down the tunnel that ends in a dirt pit that’s about ten feet deep. There’s three people standing at the edge and four more that are still at the bottom.

    Wolf emerges from another side tunnel. His muzzle is covered in the centipede demon’s thin, dark blood and he has several rapidly healing wounds that score his back and shoulders.

    The people milling around look frightened of both Wolf and Zodiac, but can’t figure out how to get the other people out.

    “What’s wrong?” someone asks from the pit.
    "Everything's Fine. We're heroes with AEGIS and we're here to get you out." Izulu says to the people. "No need to be frightened. Unless you're all aware of something I'm not, we should have you out of here in a few minutes. Anyone down there too hurt to carry themselves?"

    Spoiler: Come with me (and the Monsters) if you want to live
    Show
    Persuasion: 8
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-13 at 05:46 PM.

  9. - Top - End - #189
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    “Seraph is on his way,” Mimi replies.

    Kenzie shrugs. “It’s not like I was carrying Drake. That would’ve been just a little more challenging,” she says with a slight smirk.

    “Uh, guys?” Aeryn says, his voice on the edge of panic. “I feel… cold. My hands are all tingly.”
    Crowe sighs in relief. "Thank you, Mimi!"

    At Kenzie's comment, he can't help but try to stifle a laugh in the tense situation. "I have to give you that one. Airport security must be a pain for him though, could only imagine! Or really anywhere with a metal detector." He thought about it for a moment and wondered what would have happened had Drake joined him and the others at Innovatech. Well, his cover would have probably been blown too. But how would he have explained the metal detector going off?

    As Aeryn's voice starts to sound panicked, Crowe kneels down beside him. He takes off a glove and feels part of Aeryn's exposed arm. The blood was a big problem too, if his natural color was red, then he probably had a ton of internal bleeding.

    "Definitely thinking blood loss, but it shouldn't be.... ****, Seraph's on his way. But no idea how far out he is." Crowe looked back up at the sky in a slight panic and then back to Aeryn. He took a deep breath to compose himself. It wouldn't do to get in a frenzy right now. That wouldn't help anyone.

    "What color is your blood normally? A hit like that you'll have a lot of internal bleeding and you'll be going into shock." He was cursing internally. He didn't have any proper medical knowledge on how to heal something like this. Only what could potentially happen.

    Spoiler: Aeryn, what's going on with your eyes?!
    Show

    Notice: 1d6o6+2 7 1d6o6+2 6


    Crowe notices that Aeryn's skin feels cold, then again, he hasn't actually felt what his normal tempt would be. Then again, the fire powers would probably cause him to be warm, but..... he still didn't know. More worrying were the eyes. They weren't their normal bright red, just dull and dark like he was..... Crowe gulped.

    He can't be dying, not yet!

    "Aeryn, hang on with me brother!" He turned to Kenzie, face on the verge of panic. He taps the commlink again. "Mimi, how far out is Seraph? Aeryn's in really bad shape."

    Spoiler: Unleash something!
    Show
    Unleash Powers: 2d6-2 4
    Keith Marks Potential!


    His eyes start to glow as he holds a hand over Aeryn and his necklace starts to vibrate, dying down soon after. NonononononoNO! ****!

    He thinks again for a moment. Suddenly he remembers that Aeryn was bathed in flames by Yuki and he had absorbed some of them.

    "Paradox, do you have a lighter or something? if we can get a decent enough fire going we may be able to get him going long enough for Seraph to get here! I saw him absorb flames that Zodiac sent his way."
    Last edited by Roguewolf; 2022-10-13 at 05:58 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #190
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Post Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Louis
    Q&A
    Spoiler: Notice TN 4
    Show
    Looking around Varga‘s office, Louis spots several photos of Drake and a dark haired woman. A few of them are from several years ago when Drake was a child. There’s also a picture of Varga in full combat gear with three other men in the middle of a desert.


    “Let’s start with where you got the information, then where you went from there,” the detective says as he pulls up something on his computer.

    Back at the Hospital
    Ryker smiles a little, breaking through whatever funk he was in, and lets out a short laugh. “That’s pretty good, Louis.” He gives Iris a quick glance before his gaze darts away. “Yeah, I’ll try to take it easy. No promises though.”

    Iris doesn’t seem to notice Ryker’s gaze. “Yeah, the Wendy’s is fine. I have someone coming to pick me up and I think we’re gonna eat something real quick too.”

    Manny
    Two people in the pit slowly raise their hands. “We got hurt when that thing threw us in here,” the woman says. “My ankle’s messed up, and his knee is hurt.”

    The people already out of the pit seem to gravitate toward Manny.

    “I was in the middle of getting them out when I sensed more of the demons,” Wolf explains. “Do you wish for me to continue bringing them up? Or do you have a better idea?”

    Keith
    “He has a card from the government that says he’s a meta and can’t go through metal detectors or other security like that,” Kenzie explains. “Kinda like people that have pacemakers, he usually just gets a pat down from security. He’s never told me he’s had any problems with it.”

    As Aeryn and Keith start to panic, Kenzie kneels next to Aeryn and feels his arm as well before she shakes her head. “You’re gonna be fine, Aeryn. Just hang on, okay? I don’t have a lighter, but there’s a corner store right down the road. I’ll be right back,” she says as she gets to her feet and takes a few backward steps before turning and quickly jogging down the alley.

    Aeryn looks at the blood on his hand and then back at Keith. “It’s usually this color. Maybe… a little bit of a brighter purple.” His breathing is shallow; he coughs again and clutches the right side of his abdomen with his hand as his jaw clenches in pain.

    “Seraph should arrive in ten minutes and forty-seven seconds,” Mimi replies.
    Last edited by InTheMachine; 2022-10-15 at 07:07 AM.

  11. - Top - End - #191
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Manny
    Two people in the pit slowly raise their hands. “We got hurt when that thing threw us in here,” the woman says. “My ankle’s messed up, and his knee is hurt.”

    The people already out of the pit seem to gravitate toward Manny.

    “I was in the middle of getting them out when I sensed more of the demons,” Wolf explains. “Do you wish for me to continue bringing them up? Or do you have a better idea?”
    "I agree. Wolf will help everyone out of the pit." Izulu announces To all in the room. "Once out, Wolf will guide us out and Zodiac and I will guard the group. Those of you who can help the injured along, do so. We're all getting out of here, understand?"

    Spoiler: Taking Charge
    Show
    Persuasion: 17
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-14 at 03:06 PM.

  12. - Top - End - #192
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    “He has a card from the government that says he’s a meta and can’t go through metal detectors or other security like that,” Kenzie explains. “Kinda like people that have pacemakers, he usually just gets a pat down from security. He’s never told me he’s had any problems with it.”

    As Aeryn and Keith start to panic, Kenzie kneels next to Aeryn and feels his arm as well before she shakes her head. “You’re gonna be fine, Aeryn. Just hang on, okay? I don’t have a lighter, but there’s a corner store right down the road. I’ll be right back,” she says as she gets to her feet and takes a few backward steps before turning and quickly jogging down the alley.

    Aeryn looks at the blood on his hand and then back at Keith. “It’s usually this color. Maybe… a little bit of a brighter purple.” His breathing is shallow; he coughs again and clutches the right side of his abdomen with his hand as his jaw clenches in pain.

    “Seraph should arrive in ten minutes and forty-seven seconds,” Mimi replies.
    Keith nods and shrugged. "That makes sense. Glad he hasn't had any problems with it too. Don't really know what I expected." He chuckled a bit to try and lighten the mood.

    As Kenzie gets up to run to the corner store, Keith nods and half waves. "Thanks a ton!" He calls out before turning his attention back to Aeryn. She had the right idea, if they all panicked, nothing would get solved and Aeryn would be in even more danger. In fact, he felt like an idiot for making the comments that could send him further into a panic.

    He focuses on Aeryn's blood for a moment and then nods. So it is different. Still worrisome but that does help. He grins for a second and winces seeing the pained coughs, torn from thought by Mimi's response to him.

    "Thank you again, Mimi! Seraph's on his way now, should be about 10 minutes." He looked back up the alleyway. "Though, we may have a good fire going before he gets here. So it's normally a brighter purple?" He continues turned back to Aeryn. "Good to know for future reference! What can I do for you man? I'm sorry I'm not much of a healer."

  13. - Top - End - #193
    Troll in the Playground
     
    BarbarianGuy

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    Double Date:

    "Mirror matches suck." Raphael says flatly before grinning at Emilia, "But for you, I'm willing to make an exception."

    He grimaces at John's question, "If you really wanna start practicing blocking that much, I'd recommend 'Snievlak's Idol' It's the giant snake monster made of snakes. If you wanna just play a brick with a ton of HP, I'd recommend Aquagon - He's the squiddly dude. well. Kinda. It looks like a turtle shell, big shark face in the belly, and instead of a noggin there's some squid tentacles, and instead of arms and legs he's got eels and crab bits.


    Originally posted by Estella Boudreaux aka Miss Menagerie
    “That was… odd. He knew my name.”
    Raphael perks up and glances at the bar, "Thaddeus, or Blondie over there?"

  14. - Top - End - #194
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Double Date
    John spots Emi’s eyebrows quirk up ever so slightly in surprise and draw down as her gaze darts briefly over at her boyfriend. John, if I sounded upset, my tone was harsher than I meant for it to be. While I have been… surprised by a few things tonight, you’ve never spoken to anyone other than Emi. I am enjoying myself. Raphael and Stella are a nice change of pace from my normal acquaintances, and I am very much looking forward to my food after how good these scallops have tasted.

    Under the table, she reaches over and squeezes John’s thigh. Whatever you need help figuring out, I’m here for you, John. Nothing has changed. If it wasn’t obvious after I rushed back to base to see you for all of ten minutes earlier today, my feelings for you are strong. A little overwhelming at times, she admits. Surely, you don’t think I’m that fickle?

    Emi smiles at Raphael as her competitive side emerges. “I’ll be sure to give it my all. We’ll see who the better Castle player is by the end.”

    “The blonde one,” Stella replies to Raphael. “He said to give you his regards too before he pulled Cassie away.”

    Lana returns with a large tray full of their orders and sets each plate down carefully. “Enjoy,” she says after making sure no one needed anything.

    Keith
    Aeryn gives Keith a small smile once the pain mostly passes. “You’ve already helped a lot. Thank y—” he’s cut off by another cough. He takes another few shallow breaths before he passes out completely.

    Manny
    Wolf jumps back down into the pit and the people cower away for a moment before the bravest of them steps forward and lets the chimera pick him up and jump and claw his way back to the top to drop the woman off. He repeats this until everyone is out of the pit.

    Zodiac’s ears twitch a growl builds in her chest. She quickly stifles it when the people look nervously over at her. “I can hear the Raeksha,” she says to Manny. “We need to get out of here. Quickly.

  15. - Top - End - #195
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Double Date
    John spots Emi’s eyebrows quirk up ever so slightly in surprise and draw down as her gaze darts briefly over at her boyfriend. John, if I sounded upset, my tone was harsher than I meant for it to be. While I have been… surprised by a few things tonight, you’ve never spoken to anyone other than Emi. I am enjoying myself. Raphael and Stella are a nice change of pace from my normal acquaintances, and I am very much looking forward to my food after how good these scallops have tasted.

    Under the table, she reaches over and squeezes John’s thigh. Whatever you need help figuring out, I’m here for you, John. Nothing has changed. If it wasn’t obvious after I rushed back to base to see you for all of ten minutes earlier today, my feelings for you are strong. A little overwhelming at times, she admits. Surely, you don’t think I’m that fickle?
    No, John yips as Emi’s hand reaches his thigh. Ahem. No. I don’t find you fickle at all. But I suspect you have high standards for me to meet and I want to make sure I meet them.

    He pushed the memory of Ian telling him the last guy had not lasted a week — along with the detail that they had been dating for less time than that — to the back of his mind.

    Given all of the unexpected twists that have come along today, I think I have gotten a little jumpy and it’s beginning to affect me. I mean, the two vampires at the bar did give me some pause and the arrival of another whose age is likely measured in centuries rather than decades made me sit up and take notice. But when I noticed that Stella appears to have met her haf- or full sister, who appears to be the thrall of a centuries old vampire, for the first time at the bar, it struck me as the kind of thing that could end up complicating or derailing the evening.

    I keep finding myself in increasingly absurd good new-bad news jokes with her. ‘Hey, sorry about the greater demon slowly destroying your brother’s soul but good news! You have a sister — who happens to be an elder vampire’s thrall.

    At least they’ll have something to talk about.

    For what it is worth, I’m, um…I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at the though of you as well — much, I suspect, to the amusement of your father. And my experience with relationships is somewhat limited.


    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Emi smiles at Raphael as her competitive side emerges. “I’ll be sure to give it my all. We’ll see who the better Castle player is by the end.”

    “The blonde one,” Stella replies to Raphael. “He said to give you his regards too before he pulled Cassie away.”

    Lana returns with a large tray full of their orders and sets each plate down carefully. “Enjoy,” she says after making sure no one needed anything.
    “Cassie?” John asks Stella with a hint of surprise as he waits for the ladies to lift their forks. “I gather you knew the young lady you spoke with at the bar, then?”

  16. - Top - End - #196
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Double Date
    There’s a light chuckle in John’s head as Emi’s hand climbs just slightly higher before she pulls it away. Please, John. Relax. You’re doing exceptional. I’m also very new at this, and I want to apologize if I caused you distress with what I said earlier.

    Emi glances over at the vampire and Cassie. I can’t hear either of their thoughts, she says. You think that she’s been enthralled? And that the woman is Stella’s sister?

    Stella shakes her head as she puts her cloth napkin in her lap and picks up her knife and fork. “No, Thaddeus said her name when he asked if she wanted a drink.”

  17. - Top - End - #197
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Manny
    Wolf jumps back down into the pit and the people cower away for a moment before the bravest of them steps forward and lets the chimera pick him up and jump and claw his way back to the top to drop the woman off. He repeats this until everyone is out of the pit.

    Zodiac’s ears twitch a growl builds in her chest. She quickly stifles it when the people look nervously over at her. “I can hear the Raeksha,” she says to Manny. “We need to get out of here. Quickly.
    Izulu's brow furrows at Zodiac's message.

    Getting the people out is top Priority and if the only road block is a single threat I believe the best course of action is distracting the demon while evac is happening. Hmm...

    "Wolf, Zodiac." Izulu says, voice low and deadly serious. "I think our best chance of getting everyone out safely is distracting the Raeksha before it assaults the people in a place where we can't protect them. Zodiac, if you feel confident leading them back out of here please handle that while Wolf and I take out the Raeksha. Once topside, if ambulances haven't been dispatched do so and have any heroes who can fight join us." He nods to both of them before addressing the crowd.

    "Alright everyone. Let's get ready to move. Help each other, stay quiet, and keep moving until you can see the sky plainly. Zodiac will lead the way."
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-15 at 07:30 PM.

  18. - Top - End - #198
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Double Date
    There’s a light chuckle in John’s head as Emi’s hand climbs just slightly higher before she pulls it away. Please, John. Relax. You’re doing exceptional. I’m also very new at this, and I want to apologize if I caused you distress with what I said earlier.

    Emi glances over at the vampire and Cassie. I can’t hear either of their thoughts, she says. You think that she’s been enthralled? And that the woman is Stella’s sister?
    Thrall in a broa-hauder sense of the term — a helper or companion rather than one whose mind has been overwhelmed, although that is entirely possible. As to their familial relationship… John projected images of Cassie and Stella making the same movement then rotated their faces to show the similarities in their profiles. They could be close cousins, of course —where Stella’s mother and a sibling married into the same family, for example. But the two move the same and have very similar appearances. While Stella has blue eyes, her bother’s are darker, like the lady’s in question.

    I don’t know as there is anything we need to do right now. I will try and confirm things with some research later this evening. Assuming, that is, that the memory of your touch does not blow out all semblance of thought from me.


    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Stella shakes her head as she puts her cloth napkin in her lap and picks up her knife and fork. “No, Thaddeus said her name when he asked if she wanted a drink.”
    Odd — but not quite odd — that she would instinctively use Cassie’s name and not feel the need to clarify the reference, John considered — still only just able to focus as large sections of his mind were still focused on Emi’s touch. Perhaps she has an instinctual, subconscious recognition.

    However, it did mean he had a full name to begin his search: Cassie (perhaps Cassandra) Bordreaux.

  19. - Top - End - #199
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    Aeryn gives Keith a small smile once the pain mostly passes. “You’ve already helped a lot. Thank y—” he’s cut off by another cough. He takes another few shallow breaths before he passes out completely.
    Keith smiles and nods. He was about to say something after Aeryn finished up but on passing out, Keith's eyes go wide with panic. "Aeryn, stay with me buddy!" Keith places his index and middle finger on his neck to try and locate his pulse. Then he starts to wonder if that would even work for the alien.

    "I really need to ask a lot more questions about medical stuff for you..." He says mostly to himself.

    Spoiler: Ok where is the pulse?!
    Show
    Notice: 1d6o6+2 11 1d6o6+2 6


    He glances back up the alleyway to see if Kenzie has made her way back, and decides to go ahead and takes his cloak off. If they needed to coat something in fire, that would be one of the best things to start with. Not like he couldn't get another one anyway.

    "You really want to save your friend here don'tcha? Don't think you've ever had to go this far for anyone at East Side." White mused in the back of Keith's mind.

    Yeah, a lot of them were really lucky over there.

    White nodded. "It's only going to get harder from here. And that Raeksha is still out there. After Kenzie gets back with a light, if you guys manage to save Aeryn, go in there and send it back to where it came from."

    Keith just nodded. "It won't get away from us again. Just a little longer. Either Seraph gets here first with healing magic, or Kenzie gets back and we go for the Hail Mary play." Keith keeps a check on Aeryn's pulse if he was able to find it the first time. If he sees Kenzie coming back, he'll try to wake Aeryn back up.

  20. - Top - End - #200
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Spoiler: Meanwhile: Back at Base
    Show
    “Mimi,” Ryker says as he walks up to the garage door, “lemme out.” He’d thought briefly about taking his bike, but thought better of it after he actually needed to use the railing to get down the stairs without falling.

    The AI is silent for a moment. “You know I can’t do that, Ryker.”

    “I’m not goin’ out there to start trouble,” he retorts. He’d done a lot of thinking in the past thirty minutes and now he was eager to act on what he’d decided. “I need to find Sid before something happens to her. I get that she probably doesn’t wanna see me right now, but I can’t leave her out there alone. She’s my girl, Mimi. Please.”

    He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to find her, but he had a few ideas as to where she might go. While Louis’ presence would’ve been helpful to check the harder to reach spots, Ryker wasn’t about to ask him for his assistance again. He’d already helped him out once today. And while it would be good to have a second set of eyes out there, Drake could only check the ground floors. He’d apparently also been messed up today, so Ryker wasn’t inclined to ask him for help either.

    Ryker stubbornly waits. After he realizes that Mimi is refusing to open the door, he warns, “Don’t make me melt the goddamn door down. You know I’ll do it.”

    “You’ve been drinking,” Mimi says. “Over half of the bottle is gone. While I do not know how high your tolerance for alcohol is, that is enough for most men to be considered highly intoxicated. Please don’t make me wake up Harbinger.”

    It was true that everything felt a little fuzzy. His insides were numb, like he’d wanted. The last time he’d been this drunk he’d blacked out and ended up kissing Sidney for the first time. Even through the alcohol, that thought stung a little. It was something that she would remember that he couldn’t— one reason he didn’t drink.

    “What? You want me to just… wait?” he asks the AI. The room sways and tips, but Ryker manages to catch himself on the door before he falls over.

    “Yes,” Mimi replies.

    Ryker glares up at one of the cameras. “Fine. Whatever,” he mutters. He looks around for a moment, trying to figure out what to do, before he carefully heads back upstairs to the bottle of Fireball.


    Manny
    A taller, middle age man looks at Zodiac for a moment before shaking his head. “You want us to follow some demon tiger? No way man. I’m not doin’ it. That thing could be in league with that bug!”

    At his refusal, several other people nod in agreement.

    “I would speak to them,” Zodiac projects to Manny, “but I think that may make them more afraid. You should lead them. They seem to trust you.”

    Keith
    Keith can feel Aeryn’s pulse very faintly on his fingers. It’s very fast, faster than any human heart could beat. His skin is even colder now that it was a few minutes ago.

    Kenzie turns the corner and rushes back down the alley with a small plastic bag in her hand. She sees that Aeryn’s unconscious a quickly sets down the bag. “Help me get his jacket off. It’s fireproof.” With Keith’s help she strips the alien of his top layer, leaving the t-shirt underneath, then grabs Keith’s cloak. “You’re fine burning this, right?” she asks as she wraps it around Aeryn.

    She then douses her teammate with lighter fluid and pushes Keith back with one hand before she strikes a match and throws it onto Aeryn’s chest. Flames burst into life for several seconds before they start to get sucked into Aeryn’s skin. After a full minute of being aflame, the alien takes a great, gasping breath and his eyes open again— this time a dull orange instead of almost black.

    Double Date
    She does look quite infatuated, Emi replies after another quick glance over at the two across the dining hall. She pauses after seeing what John had showed her, taking a bite of her salmon. Both of them are quite similar— even so far as having fallen in love with a vampire. Would you categorize Stella as a thrall as well? She obviously has her free will intact, however, she is intent on assisting Raphael in whatever way she can, it seems.

  21. - Top - End - #201
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    She does look quite infatuated, Emi replies after another quick glance over at the two across the dining hall. She pauses after seeing what John had showed her, taking a bite of her salmon. Both of them are quite similar— even so far as having fallen in love with a vampire. Would you categorize Stella as a thrall as well? She obviously has her free will intact, however, she is intent on assisting Raphael in whatever way she can, it seems.
    No, John projected slowly as he eased a flake of his fish off the filet. No, I don’ think so — at least not as I understand it. While there are pulse points, John observed as he felt himself beginning to blush, that are not as visible as the neck and wrist, there are no obvious signs that Stella has chosen to share her blood with Raphael yet. Of course, she knows healing spells powerful enough that any visible scars would have disappeared. Nevertheless, their relationship appears to be founded more on equality and mutual devotion rather than devolving into something that requires her to become subservient to Raphael. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but a relationship based on one of them being subservient to the other seems out of character for the two of them. And even in a state of extreme distress, Stella possessed a greater sense of confidence than her counterpart is projecting right now.

    “Is the steak as good as you remembered, Raphael?” John asked. “The fish is excellent.”

    That said, you are correct in pointing out that I am likely extrapolating too much from one data point: The manner in which he took her arm and led her firmly away from Stella after scaring off the lesser vampires.

    At least I have provided you with plenty of examples of how one appears when one is infatuated, he observed affectionately. So we can be more certain of that data point.

    Oh, he added, my congratulations on correctly assessing Raphael’s state. While it is perfectly clear in retrospect, the world we live in does grant enough plausible deniability and alternate explanations that the majority of the base does not know or even suspect, given that I was the only one who went looking for his coffin. Seraph, of course, knew but Stella had to be told — and if she hadn’t figured it out, given how close they are, he hides it well. I doubt I would have been able to determine he was a vampire as quickly as I did without Montcrieff having included her own guesses about him prior to my arrival.

    John paused. Would it be wrong to say I am proud of you for having determined he was a vampire? The whole “That’s my gal” thing feels a trifle paternalistic or possessive, somehow, but I can’t come up with a different word to describe it.

  22. - Top - End - #202
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    Keith can feel Aeryn’s pulse very faintly on his fingers. It’s very fast, faster than any human heart could beat. His skin is even colder now that it was a few minutes ago.

    Kenzie turns the corner and rushes back down the alley with a small plastic bag in her hand. She sees that Aeryn’s unconscious a quickly sets down the bag. “Help me get his jacket off. It’s fireproof.” With Keith’s help she strips the alien of his top layer, leaving the t-shirt underneath, then grabs Keith’s cloak. “You’re fine burning this, right?” she asks as she wraps it around Aeryn.

    She then douses her teammate with lighter fluid and pushes Keith back with one hand before she strikes a match and throws it onto Aeryn’s chest. Flames burst into life for several seconds before they start to get sucked into Aeryn’s skin. After a full minute of being aflame, the alien takes a great, gasping breath and his eyes open again— this time a dull orange instead of almost black.
    Keith grimaces at Aeryn’s temp and shakes his head. “At least you’ve still got that pulse. But dude, you’re startin’ to really worry me here.”

    When Kenzie gets back, Keith nods at her orders and helps her get Aeryn’s jacket off. He then helps wrap the cloak around him. Just nodding as she makes sure he’s ok with burning it.

    “Yeah, just glad it didn’t get entirely destroyed so we can use it for this.”

    He steps back when she pushes him back and watches as she lights the flame. He wondered how many times they had to do this for him during his time at South Side. Then again, did Kenzie know about it before Keith remembered? Maybe they were all a bit in shock at trying to figure out what to do. He still wanted payback though, and the others would still maybe have to fight that Raeksha again if it came back around.

    “Hey, thanks for helpin’ me keep thinkin’ straight. Also, what do I owe ya for the matches and lighter fluid?” He chuckles a bit.

    After a minute of burning and hearing the gasp from Aeryn, Keith sighs in relief. Good thing that worked! He just has a wide grin on his face.

    “Glad that helped out a bit. How ya feelin’ bud?” Keith checked his watch, it shouldn't be too much longer for Seraph to get there. Then he glanced back at the sewer entrance.

    “Wonder if they’ve found everyone yet….” He thought aloud.

  23. - Top - End - #203
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post

    Manny
    A taller, middle age man looks at Zodiac for a moment before shaking his head. “You want us to follow some demon tiger? No way man. I’m not doin’ it. That thing could be in league with that bug!”

    At his refusal, several other people nod in agreement.

    “I would speak to them,” Zodiac projects to Manny, “but I think that may make them more afraid. You should lead them. They seem to trust you.”
    "Fine, It'll make the trip easier if there's less of you anyway. You'll be the distraction while the rest of us go free. What makes you think we'd come down to this wretch-inducing pit just to kill you anyway when the Bugs we're already had that covered. You're really think that you are special enough to not die here? " Izulu says, anger bubbling over and the electric arcs starting to form on his skin again and getting in the face of the Middle aged man.

    "You think any of you gets to decide who's coming to save your life? If you're so concerned with the look of your hero then I'd suggest you stop watching Marvel Movies and understand that the people here have just as much to live and die for as anyone else and If this somehow seems incongruent with your current notion that all heroes need to look like models in order to feel safe, then You can make your own way and see how far you get alone." Izulu says before walking to the entrance of the room

    "Any who feels brave enough to be rescued, come along. Everyone else, Good luck."
    Spoiler: OOC Conditional Clearance
    Show

    Attempting to clear the Insecure condition.
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-17 at 11:39 AM.

  24. - Top - End - #204
    Troll in the Playground
     
    BarbarianGuy

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    Double Trouble:

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Double Date
    “The blonde one,” Stella replies to Raphael. “He said to give you his regards too before he pulled Cassie away.”
    "Smart Guy." Raphael says, somewhat dismissively, "That's Feris." Raphael says as he sets about cutting into his steak. "He's who I was here to see."

    Raphael's eyes grow distant for a moment and a cruel smile briefly twists his features before he shakes himself free of the unspoken sentiment and focuses on his steak.

    Quote Originally Posted by mmdeforrest View Post
    “Is the steak as good as you remembered, Raphael?” John asked. “The fish is excellent.”

    "After the week I've had? This is way better than a memory." Raphael says after savoring the first bite of his steak.

  25. - Top - End - #205
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Keith
    “That was good thinking, Crowe,” Kenzie says as Aeryn regains consciousness. She kneels by her teammate’s side as the fire is completely consumed.

    Aeryn looks between Kenzie and Keith for a moment before he give them both a tired smile. “Better now.”

    “You scared us, knucklehead,” Kenzie mutters as she offers the alien his jacket back. “You haven’t needed to be set on fire like that for a while.”

    “Sorry I scared you guys,” Aeryn says, his gaze darting to the ground.

    Kenzie gives him a light punch on the shoulder. “Just be more careful in the future, ‘kay?” She helps him back into his jacket before she looks back over at Keith. “We weren’t too far away, I’m sure Wolf and Zodiac found them. I’m sure they’re moving slow with civilians.”

    Manny
    The man sneers at Izulu’s back. “Says the guy that looks like a model,” he mutters under his breath. He takes another look at Zodiac before moving to follow.

    Zodiac’s ears flatten as Izulu finishes his tirade. “Manny, that was uncalled for. While I appreciate you defending me and Wolf, these are civilians— they’re scared. You shouldn’t let your anger get the better of you, especially when Wolf and I didn’t find it offensive.”

    OOC: Manny clears Insecure!

    Double Date
    The clues were all there, Emi replies. Especially after doing some more research on the Darkwatch and meeting him in person. His thoughts are hidden from me as well, similarly to Harbinger or Seraph’s. It was obvious to me when he came down the stairs that he wasn’t human.

    She glances over at John and smiles just a little. I don’t mind you saying that. Besides, you’re supposed to feel a little possessive over your girlfriend, aren’t you?

    Stella cuts into her lamb and finds it perfectly rare. “Had you met him before?” she asks carefully.

  26. - Top - End - #206
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Manny
    The man sneers at Izulu’s back. “Says the guy that looks like a model,” he mutters under his breath. He takes another look at Zodiac before moving to follow.

    Zodiac’s ears flatten as Izulu finishes his tirade. “Manny, that was uncalled for. While I appreciate you defending me and Wolf, these are civilians— they’re scared. You shouldn’t let your anger get the better of you, especially when Wolf and I didn’t find it offensive.”

    OOC: Manny clears Insecure!
    Offended or not it's ungrateful as we're rescuing to complain about being helped. Izulu mentally retorted not sure if her power even worked that way.

    Once everyone is rounded up and moving Izulu tries keep out an eye for any trouble, but the pain in his arm and poor customer service is bothering him.

    Spoiler: poor upon poor
    Show
    Notice: Bad
    Last edited by HIDA; 2022-10-17 at 10:09 PM.

  27. - Top - End - #207
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    OldWizardGuy

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    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Double Date
    The clues were all there, Emi replies. Especially after doing some more research on the Darkwatch and meeting him in person. His thoughts are hidden from me as well, similarly to Harbinger or Seraph’s. It was obvious to me when he came down the stairs that he wasn’t human.

    She glances over at John and smiles just a little. I don’t mind you saying that. Besides, you’re supposed to feel a little possessive over your girlfriend, aren’t you?

    Stella cuts into her lamb and finds it perfectly rare. “Had you met him before?” she asks carefully.
    Girlfriend, John thought giddily. It sounded incredible when she said it — so incredible that he almost missed the name — Fenris. No, wait: Feris. Fenris was the wolf-child of Loki, scheduled to consume the sun during Ragnarok. Feris was the centuries old girlfriend. Vampire.

    Feris. It was unique enough to stand out but perhaps not so unique to be easily found. Still, it was a start.

    So I’m told, John replied. Determining what counts as a little and what counts as too much seems like an important distinction to learn from one’s girlfriend.

    Would I be correct in guessing you are East Side’s primary investigator, then? In between determining I speak Angelical and Raphael’s undead status, you appear to have uncovered a good bit after our initial meeting.

  28. - Top - End - #208
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Chimera

    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Albemarle, NC
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Double Date
    Emi glances over at a John again. I’ll be sure to let you know if you go too far.

    It’s usually Grayson and I, Emi replies. He’s quite good at figuring out how to ask the computer the correct questions to find the answers we want, then we’d usually sift through information together. He’s actually already found something on the name Raphael just gave us. I’m going to connect him briefly to our conversation, if you don’t mind.

    Uhh… hi John, Grayson mumbles into John’s head. I found the name Alexander Feris attached to a hedge fund, SilverMillennium Investments. He has a picture up on their website that matches what Emi showed me. Looks like he’s a manger there. That was my only real hit though. I can dig deeper, but I doubt we’ll find much on this guy.

  29. - Top - End - #209
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Earth
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Keith
    “That was good thinking, Crowe,” Kenzie says as Aeryn regains consciousness. She kneels by her teammate’s side as the fire is completely consumed.

    Aeryn looks between Kenzie and Keith for a moment before he give them both a tired smile. “Better now.”

    “You scared us, knucklehead,” Kenzie mutters as she offers the alien his jacket back. “You haven’t needed to be set on fire like that for a while.”

    “Sorry I scared you guys,” Aeryn says, his gaze darting to the ground.

    Kenzie gives him a light punch on the shoulder. “Just be more careful in the future, ‘kay?” She helps him back into his jacket before she looks back over at Keith. “We weren’t too far away, I’m sure Wolf and Zodiac found them. I’m sure they’re moving slow with civilians.”
    Keith nods and chuckles. "Thanks! Oh right, never introduced myself past Crowe. Name's Keith, and good to meet ya again." He kneels down on Aeryn's other side as he wakes back up.

    "Glad to hear, brother." His head tilts to the side. "Wouldn't want to do another burn like that for a long while."

    At Aeryn's apology, Keith places a hand on his shoulder. Guy had just about died and was more worried about them. It really showed his character, and for Keith showed his nobility through his personality. At least, what Keith thought of as noble.

    "Hey, what matters is that you're alright." He looks back at Kenzie when she mentions how the others must have found the hostages and be on their way back now. He nods and smiles, before his look turns serious.

    "You're probably right, just worried now about them runnin' into the Raeksha again."

  30. - Top - End - #210
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Feb 2022
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

    Quote Originally Posted by InTheMachine View Post
    Double Date
    Emi glances over at a John again. I’ll be sure to let you know if you go too far.

    It’s usually Grayson and I, Emi replies. He’s quite good at figuring out how to ask the computer the correct questions to find the answers we want, then we’d usually sift through information together. He’s actually already found something on the name Raphael just gave us. I’m going to connect him briefly to our conversation, if you don’t mind.

    Uhh… hi John, Grayson mumbles into John’s head. I found the name Alexander Feris attached to a hedge fund, SilverMillennium Investments. He has a picture up on their website that matches what Emi showed me. Looks like he’s a manger there. That was my only real hit though. I can dig deeper, but I doubt we’ll find much on this guy.
    It’s good to speak with you again, Grayson — although I would much rather be hearing you speak about the stars than attending to this. It would not surprise me if you would not find out more by tracking back the history of the hedge fund and its backers rather than trying to track him specifically. That said, I would be cautious about too many associated searches. Given who we are researching, he likely has a good bit of experience in not only covering his tracks but in watching for when his tracks are being followed.

    I may know some people who can conduct such an investigation and it will appear as normal due diligence. That will raise fewer red flags.

    So long as Feris doesn’t trace such an investigation back to him.

    Don’t panic about the fact that Emi has been chatting with Grayson while she has been on a date with you, John thought to himself as he noted his pulse elevate slightly before it began to settle back down. The appearance of a centuries old vampire is a very different situation than having decided the food is good and your feeling the need to touch base with your really good friend who you have gone out on quasi-dates with to tell him all about it.

    He has been her friend and research partner for some time and she knows she can trust him and call on him for help at times like this. He’s an asset to your investigation and, in case you have forgotten, you liked him. And she is trusting you enough to know that she has been speaking and working with him.

    It’s okay, John. This isn’t the ultimate, worst-case-scenario instance of things going south at the end of a day of situations going south on you. Everything is fine. We’re all fine here.

    How are you?

    Focus, John.

    It is interesting to note that Grayson’s stutter either does not translate to telepathy or he has gotten comfortable enough with you that he is not stuttering — even when speaking with you while you and Emi are on a date. It’s probably best not to make that observation now, as you don’t know if he will hear you make that observation or not.

    He was also somewhat concerned that this unofficial investigation was an inter-agency operation. AEGIS might know about Raphael but he could not be sure Myriad did. And if Grayson — or whatever AIs were monitoring Grayson — were able to piece together the fact that Feris was a vampire, it might connect back to Raphael.

    It was one thing for him to have sketched out a contingency plan on how to address Raphael should he succumb to blood lust. He was pretty sure none of West Side wanted that as an off-the-shelf plan in Myriad’s database — even if there was likely already one in AEGIS’ databases.

    He didn’t want to consider how many individuals, groups, and entities had developed such plans to try and counter or neutralize him. And he really didn’t want to add Iron Station’s vampiric community to that list.

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