Iron Station Savage Masks IC IV

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Marrow stomps the ground so hard it cracks the asphalt, making Mercury lose his footing slightly, before bull rushing the South Sider. He slams a bony fist into Mercury’s stomach, stabbing through his armor.

Mercury goes down to one knee as he coughs and gags, unable to get air back into his lungs.

Marrow turns, looking at Crowe. “You scared, kid? You should be,” he says as he backhands the hero. Crowe hits the ground again hard, bouncing off the street. “I’m gonna kill you and I’m gonna kill him—“

Suddenly a sleek black mech about as big as Marrow rockets down from the sky, landing about ten feet away in a rush of hot wind and street debris. Its shadow waver unnaturally as it raises one arm, aiming a machine gun at the villain.

The mech peppers him with bullets and Marrow stumbles back. He grits his teeth before he whistles loudly. The pixel bird above flies back down and explodes in a blinding light.

By the time everyone can see again, Marrow and the bird are gone.

Zephyr lands close to Crowe, helping him into a sitting position. “You okay?” she asks. “I saw you take some hard hits.”

Mercury seems to catch his breath and stands. He nods in appreciation to the mech before heading back over to the mangled car that he’d been protecting before, heedless of the wounds that he’s sustained.

The mech’s shadow stretches and wavers as it stands and forms into the shape of a woman. Darkness seems to drip off of her, revealing a blond dressed in a black bodysuit and a domino mask. She and the mech go into crowd control mode, keeping curious civilians away from the scene.

Initiative!
6s… Marrow goes! He Wounds Mercury x5, but he soaks 2
Initiative resets!
Jokers… Marrow goes again immediately! He attacks Crowe for 37 damage! As he’s out of Bennies, Crowe is Incapacitated! He draws a King thankfully, so he’s Down But Not Out: The hero picks himself up and carries on after the encounter is over.
Kings… Meteor and Penumbra enter the fray! Meteor wounds Marrow x2
Marrow and the bird retreat!
Combat Ends!

Crowe realizes his mistake in moving so Marrow could move a bit and has enough time to only have a single thought go through his head before the hand comes back over him. Scared of Marrow, not entirely, but of letting down everyone else. Leaving them all in danger, causing more of a problem, not being able to take down one villain when his help had been asked for. That scared him more than anything else. Made him feel useless.

As he hit the pavement and bounced back up landing nearby again, blacking out from the pain. Is this... it? Really not even being able to fight one guy, being so..... useless! He thought feeling bones crack and a wave of blood through his throat.

"No'rtu ye'rtu, yo'roonv vo'rae'd llo'rred." He heard a voice just before blacking out, missing what ever else happened. The last thing he saw in the real world was Zephyr fighting the bird, and what appeared to be giant wings enveloping him.

Spoiler: Translation

Show

Not yet, young void lord.

About a minute later, he's not sure how long, he opens his eyes back up and sees Zephyr standing nearby and takes her hand as she helps him sit up. He winces a bit sitting up but feels..... less pain than he had a moment before. He could have sworn he felt a good few bones break just then. and what was that voice a minute ago? They looked like Stolas's wings just...... bigger.....

He looked over at Zephyr and smiled a bit weakly. "Y-yeah, just a bit embarrassed. And sore." He shook his head. "Really thought that one blow would take him down. What..... happened?" He looks around and sees the mech and then the other girl in the bodysuit. He sees Mercury over at the car but can't see where Marrow or the bird went to.

Did...... Stolas protect me? His eyes go wide, and he looks back at Zephyr seeing how she was. She seemed perfectly fine but he still had to ask. "How about you? Are you okay?" He had genuine concern in his voice. Somethings never changed, he'd worry more about how everyone else was than himself at the moment. Especially since it appeared he was fine.

[PK-Leon]

Izzy stops by the table with Louis and Stella’s drinks before briefly heading back to the counter and grabbing an entire sliced chocolate truffle cake, along with small plates and forks for everyone.

She sits next to Louis, smiling at the high octane hero. “Alright I’m here. Who’s all in the… club?”

Louis sighs contentedly after taking his first sip of coffee. "It's... kinda complicated actually." He says, looking around at the familiar faces within the cafe. "I'll start with the mysterious beauty and the coffee starved beast beside her. Stella and Raph. You sorta met already but I can understand if it's all a bit hazy. Raph's one of the original members of the club and Stella's... still going through her initiation I guess?" He shrugs at the magician and smiles.

"Terrence and Sophia just signed up yesterday. If T looks familiar to you it's probably because he is. You're looking at Briarwood's starting quarterback. He's just taking a break to clear his head. The battle scarred redhead over there in the booth is Sophia. A little intense but that's honestly just my first impression. She was nice enough to treat complete strangers to a whole cake though so I'm a fan so far."

"And then there's yours truly, the only other original club member remaining." He says with a slight bow and self-satisfied smile. "Any questions so far?"

[Kvard51]

Splash Art Cont:

Raphael sits down with the group and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers not quite protectively over his drink.

He looks at Stella long enough for her and anyone else to notice before looking back to Terrence. "My day's been great. No Class, No homework, no Job."

He purses his lips, glancing around. "Well. Kinda."

He picks up his drink "What about the rest of you?" He asks as he takes a sip.

"Yeah, sounds nice. How do you rate?", Terrence asks. He responds to Raphael's question with a wry grin, "Mine's not been too bad, unless you consider keeping Drake and Sophie from killing each other before class as a rough first day."

Breakfast Club

Okay, maybe not the greatest opener but it's still salvageable.

"Likewise, well... officially anyway. I knew I recognized you from somewhere but it took me a little while to make the connection back to our team." He says somewhat amused as he turns back to Terrence. "And try not to worry about it. Your head'll clear up sooner than later. Ironically some practice might be just what you need if you wanna expedite the process."

Looking back at Redline intently, Terrence says, "Yeah, I kind of expected some practice already. When do we do that?"

Louis raises a brow at the accusation. "Non embêter here frère." The hero replies with a smile as he finds an open seat can claims a spot adjacent to it.

Spoiler: Translation

Show

"No tricks here brother."

"Good to know." Terrence says, a wry grin on his lips. "I thought we must be playing 'fool the newbie', kind of like sending me for a 'shelf expander' or a 'sky hook' my first day on the job."

[JoyWonderLove]

Sophia shared the look of surprise at the tea, and thanked the waitress – Quinn, ultra gay – for the kindness. Seeing her obvious crush patiently sipping one of her favourite morning drinks to hear out what set her relationship back a few months, it seemed like a mean spirited joke. I thought only bad guys made you dig your grave before execution? But it was hard to imagine the unworldly girl with Yakuza connections, so Sophia drew the full tall frothy glass filled to the brim with beige goodness closer by handle, but a quick touch of the body confirmed it was a little too hot. Only the cream, marshmallows and light dusting of cinnamon kept the steam from rising.

“How about the long and the short of it...? I really don’t want to lie to you, Yuki, or tear down someone you think is special. That’s like the opposite of stonewalling, only worse. So the truth is that there were no angels in our argument. He was insecure and possessive and kinda condescending, but I was sarcastic and angry and felt guilty because he wasn’t completely unreasonable, and then I overdid it. My mom warned me so many times that if I’m not strong enough to pull my punches, then maybe I shouldn’t be fighting. But when Drake said you were only being nice to me because you were desperate for friends, I got so angry that the best way to stand up for both of us...felt exactly like destroying him. It sounds horrible, but that’s what I tried to do.”

Sophia raised a fist. “It was three questions. Why was he so jealous, why you two didn’t hold hands, why he wasn’t talking to you about your feelings.” A finger protruded for every question revealed, and on the third revelation, she brought them to neck level, her hand making a swift sharp motion to indicate an execution. She placed her hands under the table.

“That’s it. It doesn’t sound so bad out of context, but I made sure to throw in a few comments before and after to give it that gorilla glue feel. So while I’m really happy I stood up for myself, and you, when I thought Drake overstepped, I’m not so selfish and stupid I can’t see it was too much. My screw up led you to feel worried and responsible when you’re the only innocent one here. And I intentionally hurt someone I should have known you would care about, if I had taken three seconds to really think. I’m sorry for making things harder for you when you deserve a lot better.”

Sophia looked down at the coffee table, already consigning herself to whatever came next.

“I promise I’ll apologize to Drake for the comments I made before classes tomorrow. It won’t solve everything, but at least it’s the start of something. Okay?”

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
John
“He is arisii,” Zylas snarls. “He’s always wanted more. More power. More status. He wouldn’t give a second thought about destroying others lives to get what he wants.” The furniture shivers from the venom in his words and the hidden wards in the walls spark muted golden light in displeasure.

After glancing at the wards, the demon takes a calming breath, and continues in a quieter tone. “I just hope that he hasn’t also revealed my sisters’ Names,” Zylas says, turning slightly to look back at John. “Lazka and Jerek have never seen eye to eye. While her contract would protect her from being summoned, if this Rin finds her, she could kill Lazka’s contractor and force her to submit to another, or die. And I don’t even know if Vrell is still alive if not. She isn’t old enough to travel on her own, so she was probably present for… the destruction of my House.”

Keith
Crowe sees a few cuts on Zephyr, two on her shoulder and arm, and one in her leg, but they don’t seem to be too deep. “I’m fine. That bird was… weird. It didn’t follow any of the laws of physics. I tried to mess with the air pressure on its wings and it didn’t seem to care, and it was way faster than it had the right to be,” the North Sider replies.

She glances over at the mech and the blonde girl in the mask. “I asked Liam to send a few on my team when I saw that it was Marrow we were fighting, so Meteor and Penumbra came to help. I think when he saw that he’d be fighting four heroes, Marrow decided to back off. He called the bird down and it exploded into a really bright light that blinded everyone long enough for him to get away.”

Over by the car, Mercury yanks off the back door of the mangled sedan and starts to help two twin girls that looks to be five or six out of the wreckage. A teenage boy around fifteen dressed in dark blue clambers out of the broken passenger side window.

Ashford’s
Izzy gives Stella and Raph a quick smile. “I remember them, well, I remember Stella and I kind of recognize your voice,” she says tilting her head to Raph. “Thank you again for saving me,” she says to the the two of them. “And it’s nice to meet you as well, Terrence. Good choice with the chicory coffee, by the way.”

The barista glances over at Yuki and Sophia’s booth. “What’s going on with her boyfriend and her? It’s weird not seeing the two of them together. They come and get coffee every Monday around this time.”

Over at the corner booth, Yuki takes in everything that Sophia has to say and thinks for a moment, sipping on her tea. “He was right. I had no idea why you were being nice to me, so I was nice right back. I wasn’t trying to… flirt with you, or anything. So I apologize if that’s how it came across.”

“The hand holding thing is my fault,” she continues quietly. “Back in Japan, doing anything in public, including holding hands, is a big deal. People don’t like it. I’m still getting used to Drake being more than just my Team Lead, so I had asked him to keep things in public proper between us. I know that it’s been hard on him, but he’s trying his best to make me feel comfortable. He has a lot more… experience than I do with dating.”

She looks up at Sophia, shifting her hands to hold onto her mug to warm them. “I also think being possessive just comes with the territory of being a man. My brother’s always been that way over his girlfriends. I don’t mind it. I kind of like it, actually,” Yuki says with a slight flush of her cheeks. “It’s nice to know that he cares for me that deeply, as long as he doesn’t take it too far— which he hasn’t as far as I know.”

“And as far as talking about our feelings goes, we’re still working on that, even after two years of knowing one another,” the shapeshifter admits with a sheepish look. “Drake doesn’t do well with that anyway, and I get nervous just thinking about it. He’s more of someone that prefers actions over words.”

Yuki smiles gently at the angel. “Thank you for the offer of an apology. When it comes to the team, Drake isn’t one to hold grudges.”

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Crowe sees a few cuts on Zephyr, two on her shoulder and arm, and one in her leg, but they don’t seem to be too deep. “I’m fine. That bird was… weird. It didn’t follow any of the laws of physics. I tried to mess with the air pressure on its wings and it didn’t seem to care, and it was way faster than it had the right to be,” the North Sider replies.

She glances over at the mech and the blonde girl in the mask. “I asked Liam to send a few on my team when I saw that it was Marrow we were fighting, so Meteor and Penumbra came to help. I think when he saw that he’d be fighting four heroes, Marrow decided to back off. He called the bird down and it exploded into a really bright light that blinded everyone long enough for him to get away.”

Over by the car, Mercury yanks off the back door of the mangled sedan and starts to help two twin girls that looks to be five or six out of the wreckage. A teenage boy around fifteen dressed in dark blue clambers out of the broken passenger side window.

Crowe smiles a bit in relief seeing that the cuts aren't too deep and that she is fine. His look turns a bit confused trying to figure out what was going on with it though. "That's...... really weird. Almost sounds like somethin'..... Probably our second meta dealing with here. The new guy, Augur is from the Palisades." Crowe shrugs. "I'll see if he's seen that one before."

He glances over at the mech and the girl in the black bodysuit. The blonde hair was about easily recognizable, but he had no idea about the mech. "Glad he could get a hold of them. And that they made it here when they did." He tilted his head. "They were both there the other day right? That mech is really cool."

He hangs his head a moment standing up thinking about the stupid decision he had made. Going into arms length of a stronger hand to hand combatant was not a good way to make an impression. He couldn't bring himself to look at Zephyr. She must have been so disappointed in just how smart he could seem, but making dumb decisions. It wasn't the first time in the past three days he had made bad decisions either. This was a wake up call that he would not be the hand to hand fighter his uncle or even his father would be.

He looks over at Mercury at the car and watches as he helps the kids get out. He doesn't see a sign of the dad. "Mimi, how far out is medical response?" He looks over at Zephyr, still feeling the weight of the world over him because the biggest fear now aside from Rin. Disappointing Maeve.

"I owe you big time, Zephyr. Thanks for the save." He says with a soft smile. "Guess I owe Meteor and Penumbra as well for when they showed." His look turns serious for a second, and slightly in thought. "I.... have to promise you somethin' to. Not going to do somethin' crazy like that again."

He taps the commlink after her response. "How are they looking Mercury? And how you holdin' up?" Mercury was sure to let him have it afterwards.

[mmdeforrest]

November 1st
John
“He is arisii,” Zylas snarls. “He’s always wanted more. More power. More status. He wouldn’t give a second thought about destroying others lives to get what he wants.” The furniture shivers from the venom in his words and the hidden wards in the walls spark muted golden light in displeasure.

After glancing at the wards, the demon takes a calming breath, and continues in a quieter tone. “I just hope that he hasn’t also revealed my sisters’ Names,” Zylas says, turning slightly to look back at John. “Lazka and Jerek have never seen eye to eye. While her contract would protect her from being summoned, if this Rin finds her, she could kill Lazka’s contractor and force her to submit to another, or die. And I don’t even know if Vrell is still alive if not. She isn’t old enough to travel on her own, so she was probably present for… the destruction of my House.”

“I gather arisii is a less than complimentary title, Dee observed.

John noted that the information he was receiving was beginning to affect him more than he liked. He had prepared himself for Zylas’ personal reaction to his brother’s betrayal. He had not prepared himself for him to move on to the threat this posed to his older sister and to a younger sister he had not yet spoken of.

“I did not know you had a younger sister as well,” Dee confessed quietly. “How old is Vrell?”

The shift had taken him off guard and John recognized that his own feelings for Kate and Stephen were coloring his response. Doctor Dee and Edward Kelley had warned him that such attachments could be both a bulwark against those who would seek to leverage his skills, talents, and powers but also a chink in the armor he would need to develop to fully embrace his role.

“Though it leave you vulnerable,” Dee had concluded, “It is better to be vulnerable than insensitive to the plight of those around you.”

He had been speaking of Emperors and other worldly potentates at the time. He could not be certain if the Doctor intended for John to apply the same vulnerability to the denizens of Hell.

“Is there anything we can do for her? Your recovery has clearly come a long way, based on the response of Seraph’s wards. I cannot imagine it will be easy to keep either sister safe from your brother or from Urvaan-set.”

Spoiler: John Pierces the Mask

Show

Pierce the Mask on Zylas: 2d6+3 12
Questions (implied or direct): What do you want me to do? What do you intend to do? What are you really planning?

[big teej]

Splash Art Cont:

"We're really big on 'on the job training' at West Side." Raphael deadpans at Terrence asking about training sessions.

"Baptism of fire, survival of the fittest, all that fun stuff." The vampire continues. His tone is flippant and cheerful, but has a single cord of bitterness running through it.

Raphael grins at Louis when he mentions being interrupted. "Some things are just more important than staying cooped up in the nerd room." He says loftily. "Or housekeeping."


Raphael holds a hand over his face when Izzy doesn't recognize him. "I was kinda dressed up for the occasion, I'm not surprised you don't recognize me."

He blinks twice and tilts his head to the side and muses. "It's probably for the best." he raises his glass in an imitation toast. "Let's make this our first memory together, it's a happier moment to look back on."

He perks up a bit more at Terrence's assessment and revelation of Sophia and Drake's interaction. The vampire glares daggers at the corner in suspicion before sighing and saying "Not this again..."

Raphael's humor returns with Terrence's next comment. "Aw, so you're saying there's no chance of getting you to restock us on elbow grease and headlight fluid?"

He gives an exaggerated sigh and slumps in his seat.

[PK-Leon]

End of the Line

Looking back at Redline intently, Terrence says, "Yeah, I kind of expected some practice already. When do we do that?"

"Normally there'd be group training sessions scheduled throughout the week but the past few week or so's been anything but normal. Just hasn't been time for it with all the chaos in the streets." Louis rubs the back of his neck with a free hand as he mentally reviews the teams availability. "I'll try scheduling something for tomorrow after class lets out. That sound good to you?"

I wish I was joking

"Good to know." Terrence says, a wry grin on his lips. "I thought we must be playing 'fool the newbie', kind of like sending me for a 'shelf expander' or a 'sky hook' my first day on the job."

"Would've been funny at first." Louis huffs in amusement. "Not so much the seventh time around..." He mutters, barely audible. His trademark grin absent for only a few seconds before returning as quickly as it had vanished.

Breakfast Club

The barista glances over at Yuki and Sophia’s booth. “What’s going on with her boyfriend and her? It’s weird not seeing the two of them together. They come and get coffee every Monday around this time.”

"Didn't know those two were regulars." Louis comments. "They're both members of a different club but we've been working on a collaborative project together with them for the past week or so." He informs the barista beside him.

"Any idea what that's about?" Louis asks the table as he eyes the booth. "Picking a fight your first day in Iron Station ain't exactly a good look for someone fresh of the bus. So if there's a reason for it we should probably know sooner than later."

He perks up a bit more at Terrence's assessment and revelation of Sophia and Drake's interaction. The vampire glares daggers at the corner in suspicion before sighing and saying "Not this again..."

"You don't think..." Louis starts to shake his head and stops. "Do you?" He asks Raphael.

[JoyWonderLove]

Doubt flickered in her eyes at claiming the flirting was entirely Sophia’s imagination, but she cast it from the coffee table she still looked down at, to the white hot chocolate, as though seeing her order wasn’t completely correct for the first time. She was reminded again of the bus conversation with the half-eaten apple, and made herself accept the truth of it. Lips pursed as she listened, her eyes drifted up to, and stayed on, Yuki. She nodded when the Japanese heroine shared that cultural differences really were a barrier to her relationship, and Sophia let the ember of envy burn in her heart when Yuki blushed over her boyfriend. A tiny pain to the scorn that never arrived.

A single marshmallow was popped into Sophia's mouth, the chewy softness somehow less sweet than the way the next Zodiac girl talked about her very slow burn of a romance. Okay, kittens adore balls of yarn less than you do him, I get it. Stop. It was a strange test of fate – she couldn’t get what she wanted without breaking them up, but that meant failing everything that she was, and insulting all that her legacy stood for. But Yuki and her had the world in common. Don't we? Are we really just meant to be friends? Drake didn’t even have the decency to make it easier to hate him, instead being a good guy. She mirrored Yuki's smile when thanked for the apology offer.

“He was sorta nice last night,” Sophia conceded reluctantly, when it was mentioned the VIP boyfriend rarely held grudges. “But I’ll remember he prefers actions over words. Any likes or dislikes I should know before apologizing?” she asked.

Sophia sampled the next marshmallow, this one pink to the previous one’s brown, but the flavour and texture were identical twins. “And while we’re talking feelings and figuring out how to turn it around...I’d like to suggest where to start. You’re nervous talking to him about how you feel, but you can’t really get better at something you don’t practice, Yuki. And Hannah taught me it’s hard to have a deep connection without it. So what about starting somewhere low stakes? If it doesn’t go perfectly, or you burn a bridge, no problem. You haven’t lost anything too important.”

Sophia looked at her dead on. “So start with me.”

Sophia had no choice but to admit she understandably meant little to the other legacy girl. They met one night ago, and had what felt like important things in common, but they were barely colleagues in a very important mission, acquaintances in class, and relative strangers that would sometimes share a bus ride. Nothing said would stop any of that, but improving beyond it would all take time.

“You said I just grabbed a couple months of progress with your VIP, and stuck it into a dumpster fire. And that’s way past okay. So why aren’t you angrier with me? How do you feel about it?”

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
Keith
Zephyr nods. “They were. Nova and Addi,” she tells him quietly. She looks a little confused by Keith’s promise, but goes along with it. “Happy to help, Crowe.”

“They are about 5 minutes away,” Mimi replies to Keith.

Crowe spots Mercury gently pull the two girls out and directs them to take a few steps back before he moves to the driver’s side door.

“I could actually use your help over here,” Mercury says. “Distract the kids. Their dad’s unconscious and bleeding. I don’t want them to see me pull him out.”

John
“Correct,” Zylas hisses in response to John’s question about the unfamiliar word.

The demon’s expression softens as he thinks about his younger sister. “In human equivalents, she would be around six. When I left for my last diplomatic mission, she had just discovered the first traces of her magic. She was so excited to show me her first successful glowlight before I departed.”

He demonstrates the magic to John, creating a small orb of soft, pale light at the end of his index finger before it blinks out.

“I… don’t know what you could do for her. I suppose the first thing would be to figure out if Vrell even is alive,” he says as his tail flicks gently between his ankles. “While I’m contained here, I cannot cast a spell that might find her. It’s been over a year since the fall of my House. I don’t know how she could have survived, unless her Idaj’ha, her guardian, Shern, also made it out.”

Spoiler: Pierce Zylas’ Mask!

Show

Zylas understands that he is still currently trapped and isn’t planning on breaking out or anything to find his younger sister. He’s still in a holding pattern until the ka’yal is completed.

[mmdeforrest]

November 1st
John
“Correct,” Zylas hisses in response to John’s question about the unfamiliar word.

The demon’s expression softens as he thinks about his younger sister. “In human equivalents, she would be around six. When I left for my last diplomatic mission, she had just discovered the first traces of her magic. She was so excited to show me her first successful glowlight before I departed.”

He demonstrates the magic to John, creating a small orb of soft, pale light at the end of his index finger before it blinks out.

“I… don’t know what you could do for her. I suppose the first thing would be to figure out if Vrell even is alive,” he says as his tail flicks gently between his ankles. “While I’m contained here, I cannot cast a spell that might find her. It’s been over a year since the fall of my House. I don’t know how she could have survived, unless her Idaj’ha, her guardian, Shern, also made it out.”

Spoiler: Pierce Zylas’ Mask!

Show

Zylas understands that he is still currently trapped and isn’t planning on breaking out or anything to find his younger sister. He’s still in a holding pattern until the ka’yal is completed.

Vrell was a child—a little girl, John thought as another part of him countered that she was a demon child. And a greater demon child, at that—one who, at six, had surpassed the magical control and power of eleven twelfths of the would-be AEGIS practitioners. Of those that remained, such a spell would be difficult and taxing tot he point that they would be better served using a flashlight.

Montcrieff was considered competent in such circles and she had only some minor wards at her command. John doubted she would be able to conjure a glowlight.

“What would be involved in casting such a spell?” Dee asked. “Rizaska Kisharha‘s work reminded me that there are acts and spells that are outside the bounds of what my own oaths and commitments permit. And ka’yal or not, you won’t be turning over to me your sister’s or Shern’s True Names—which is information I really don’t want to have.

“Nevertheless, if there is a way I can help, I will do so.”

Even, he suspected, if his ka’yal obligated him. If helping his sister was the first step down one wide road to Hell, John felt fairly certain that not offering to help a child in such conditions was merely exchanging one kind of step for another.

And from a practical standpoint—the one he would remind Seraph and Harbinger of if they had any questions about his approach at this moment: If Jerek was willing to sell out or use his younger brother, would he be willing to do the same for his younger sister as well?

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Zephyr nods. “They were. Nova and Addi,” she tells him quietly. She looks a little confused by Keith’s promise, but goes along with it. “Happy to help, Crowe.”

“They are about 5 minutes away,” Mimi replies to Keith.

Crowe spots Mercury gently pull the two girls out and directs them to take a few steps back before he moves to the driver’s side door.

“I could actually use your help over here,” Mercury says. “Distract the kids. Their dad’s unconscious and bleeding. I don’t want them to see me pull him out.”

Crowe looks back at the two newly arrived heroes and nods. "Thought I recognized the blonde hair." He responds quietly. He sees her confused look about his promise and goes to say something but is interrupted by Stolas projecting to the both of them.

"I think the young Master has a few wires crossed from this hits, Zephyr." Stolas chuckles a bit. "I do believe he is trying to say that, he promises to be smarter so as to not worry you. That said, I'm not built for combat in this world yet."

Crowe goes to say something and smiles a bit. "Thanks, Stolas. I'll get check out by Seraph when we get back afterwhile."

He was appreciative of the ravens intervention and hoped it would help smooth things over.

"Thank you, Mimi." He responds into the commlink. Turning back to Zephyr. And before he can say anything, he is called by Mercury.

He nods and makes his way over turning to Zephyr for a second. "Time to distract the kiddos. Hopefully this goes as well as yesterday." He said with a lopsided grin. "And seriously though, thank you. I owe you big time." He says with a soft smile.

As he makes his way over the the kids and Mercury, Stolas appears on his shoulder.

"Hey there, I'm Crowe, a friend of Mercury's." He says the the three kids. First he turns to the teenager. "Any injuries on you or your sisters? EMS will be here in about 5 minutes."

He turns to the twins, standing completely opposite of Mercury. "Can you all tell me your names? And if ya like birds, my friend Stolas here can do magic." He looks over at Mercury.

"Gonna try and get them over to the side for you. I owe ya big time." Crowe projects to Mercury using Stolas's powers.

"Why don't we step back a bit so Mercury can help your dad? I know it's scary right now but if we take care of y'all we can better help out when more help arrives. Can y'all do that for me?" He keeps his voice comforting and calm during the exchange.

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
Ashford’s (Sophia)

“He was sorta nice last night,” Sophia conceded reluctantly, when it was mentioned the VIP boyfriend rarely held grudges. “But I’ll remember he prefers actions over words. Any likes or dislikes I should know before apologizing?” she asked.

“To be clear, Drake himself prefers to use his actions. He is actually a great listener,” Yuki replies. “Like anyone, he doesn’t like it when someone lies to him,” she says with a shrug. “Other than that, he is a Team Lead for a reason.”

“You said I just grabbed a couple months of progress with your VIP, and stuck it into a dumpster fire. And that’s way past okay. So why aren’t you angrier with me? How do you feel about it?”

The shapeshifter takes another sip of her tea before looking back up at the angel. “What use is there in being upset or angry with you? Now that I know why Drake wasn’t acting normal, I’m hoping that I can mitigate some of his insecurity. I’ll just have to work up enough courage to talk to him about it. I’m hopeful that after this, our relationship will be even stronger.”

Yuki face turns a little pink again, which she quickly hides by taking another sip of her drink.

John
Zylas shakes his head. “To find them from this realm, you would need their True Names, unless they have been summoned.”

He starts to pace, clasping his arms behind his back. “There is a spell that you could use to at least see if she still lives,” he says suddenly, looking back over at at John. “Blood calls to blood, so you could use mine to at least see if she responds. If the spell fails, then she is… gone.”

“I will not ask you to do this for me,” the demon says. “The spell can be dangerous. Jerek or Lazka could hear you call for Vrell, and they could attempt to harm you.”

[mmdeforrest]

November 1st
John
Zylas shakes his head. “To find them from this realm, you would need their True Names, unless they have been summoned.”

He starts to pace, clasping his arms behind his back. “There is a spell that you could use to at least see if she still lives,” he says suddenly, looking back over at at John. “Blood calls to blood, so you could use mine to at least see if she responds. If the spell fails, then she is… gone.”

“I will not ask you to do this for me,” the demon says. “The spell can be dangerous. Jerek or Lazka could hear you call for Vrell, and they could attempt to harm you.”

“From everything I have seen and heard today,” Dee replied, folding his arms, “I expect Jerek and I will be crossing swords eventually. We may as well become acquainted with one another. As for your older sister, I trust you will pass along my apologies and explain the circumstances when you are at liberty to do so at some point in the future.”

Even if a six year old—or equivalent—demon was too small for a steady supply of ichor, it was clear that her safety was the kind of thing that could be held over Zylas’ head. In the coming battle, Dee did not like the possibility of Zylas being made to participate against him and his friends out of a concern for what his brother might do to Vrell.

Or what use the demon inhabiting Matteo Bourdreaux might put her to.

Dee considered his options and vulnerabilities. “How likely is it that they will be able to sense my precise location? I know of the spell you speak of but it is more theory than anything for me and the lore I have studied is mostly from human reports. Your description of the spell sounds much more practical in nature.

“If I am to discover if Vrell is alive or not, I would prefer to not reveal our current location to you brother.”

[JoyWonderLove]

Sophia looked at Yuki as though she had just shared a zen koan, her mind hitching on the barbed wire of the question asked about the use in being upset or angry. Even as the topic went on to communicating with her boyfriend, Sophia turned away a little to reach for the familiar comfort drink, somehow unexpectedly disorientated. The burning gulp was little tasted or savoured, her chat partner kept in the corner of her eye as the question repeated in her head again. It still didn’t make much sense.

Yuki was impossibly naive in reading others, and disturbingly mature in self-direction. Quick to make a friend, but slow in building her relationships. Trusted to protect a city, but unclear on threats to her private life. A Japanese shapeshifter to her core. Even growing up in a place as cosmopolitan as California, Sophia had quite literally never met another girl like her. She wiped away the sweet foam around her lips with a napkin as Yuki blushed again, for obvious reasons.

“Bet it will,” Sophia agreed quietly, but sounded certain, even happy. She was surprised by her own lack of resignation. “What’s the saying? Love is patient, love is kind. You got this.” She glanced over at the table with all the others, and they felt an island away. The little corner they were in could have been called intimate, if the circumstance was different, if she had somehow arrived months earlier, if she didn’t care about the legacy. But some things were more important than her own desires.

“I’ll make sure to do whatever I can to repair my side of the damage, apology aside. He must be special if you’re this into him. Besides, I gotta try putting in my name for chief bridesmaid from now, right?” she teased. She grasped her drink by the handle.

“You up to joining the others?”

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
Keith
Now that he’s closer, Crowe can see that the front of the driver’s side of the car has been crushed in. A bloodied man in his forties with dark hair and a close cut goatee is slumped against the wheel. Mercury is working carefully at the door and the frame of the car, trying to get it open without jostling the man.

When Crowe asks him about injuries, the teenager numbly shakes his head, however, the hero can see that his left sleeve is stained dark with blood.

One of the two girls is crying silently, and the other attempts to console her as Crowe talks to them. He can see a few cuts and scrapes on the girls, but nothing too deep.

The girl that seems to be taking it all in stride looks up at Crowe as he corrals them away from the car. “I’m Harper, and she’s Hadley, and our brother’s name is Hayden.”

Hayden’s eyes look watery as he sidesteps Crowe and looks through the passenger side window he’d crawled out of. “****. Dad!”

He holds his head in his hands as he squats on the street. “This is my fault,” he mutters, squeezing his eyes shut.

John
Zylas shakes his head. “There is nothing precise about the spell. They would not be able to find you. But they could attack your mind and spirit. The spell leaves you vulnerable because you are calling out using the ties between our blood as a focus point. Vrell would be able to talk to you if she still lives.”

[mmdeforrest]

November 1st
John
Zylas shakes his head. “There is nothing precise about the spell. They would not be able to find you. But they could attack your mind and spirit. The spell leaves you vulnerable because you are calling out using the ties between our blood as a focus point. Vrell would be able to talk to you if she still lives.”

“It will take me some time to gather the materials I need and prepare a space,” John replied thoughtfully. “That will at least give me an opportunity to see if Dr. Riviera has any recommendations about this—unless you prefer I not bring it up with her. In truth, I am not sure what I would ask her about this right now, should she and I meet in passing.”

He was pretty sure he did not want to bring up the topic while Emi was there. She had enough on her mind without worrying about her boyfriend inviting the possibility of an attack by not one but two greater demons—likely on the same day her ex arrived, given what he would need to do to prepare.

The good news—if any of this permitted his overlapping preparations to be called good news—is that he could begin some of the work and have it progress while he reviewed Dr. Issac’s notes (if Mimi had finished the translation) or assembled the Janus Mirror.

Given that he did not know when Grayson/Valèdeir would return, having the Janus Mirror completed sooner rather than later would be ideal. That, however, was set against the strain Seraph was under maintaining these wards.

Dee glanced up at Zylas. “I will begin preparing to contact your sister and we can draw what ichor we need from you once it is time. In the meantime, if you have any questions you would specifically like me to ask her, please write them out for me.

“Given the simultaneous preparations I need to complete to work on this spell, the curing of the hybrid, and the creation of a Janus Mirror in case I need to square off against what is, for all intents and purposes, a were-dragon, I should get back to work.”

Dee intentionally met Zylas’ eyes before turning for the door and did not flinch from them. “If I can help you in this, I will.”

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Now that he’s closer, Crowe can see that the front of the driver’s side of the car has been crushed in. A bloodied man in his forties with dark hair and a close cut goatee is slumped against the wheel. Mercury is working carefully at the door and the frame of the car, trying to get it open without jostling the man.

When Crowe asks him about injuries, the teenager numbly shakes his head, however, the hero can see that his left sleeve is stained dark with blood.

One of the two girls is crying silently, and the other attempts to console her as Crowe talks to them. He can see a few cuts and scrapes on the girls, but nothing too deep.

The girl that seems to be taking it all in stride looks up at Crowe as he corrals them away from the car. “I’m Harper, and she’s Hadley, and our brother’s name is Hayden.”

Hayden’s eyes look watery as he sidesteps Crowe and looks through the passenger side window he’d crawled out of. “****. Dad!”

He holds his head in his hands as he squats on the street. “This is my fault,” he mutters, squeezing his eyes shut.

Crowe looks at the teenager's arm and nods. He was obviously in shock. He'd need immediate attention from medics, the girls would need to be next.

Zephyr had nothing to say back to Stolas, so that stung a bit.

He smiled back at Harper as she explained their names and nodded. She was brave as hell to take it all in stride.

"So Harper, Hadley, and Hayden. Those are nice names." He says in a comforting tone. "That's very brave of you too, taking care of Hadley like that. It's all gonna be alright, Hadley. Can you be brave for just a few moments longer? You're doing so well!" He smiles at the crying girl.

When Hayden side steps him to look at the car, Crowe puts his arm in his path. "I get it man, had the same thought when it happened to my mom, but I need your help with you sisters. Mercury is gonna get your dad and he's gonna be seen right away."

He places a hand on the kids shoulder, granted he wasn't much younger than Crowe.

"Trust me, man. I know it's absolutely terrifyin', but this," he motions slightly. "This was because of Marrow." Crowe makes sure the girls can't see past him and leans to him and whispers.

"I don't know why you feel like it's you're fault, but you can tell me and it won't leave here ok? You have my word." He glances back at the twins. "Maybe a bit quietly though so we can keep your sisters calmed down too."

Spoiler: Pierce the Mask!!

Show

Pierce the Mask: 2d6+3 7

[Kvard51]

Splash Art Cont:

"We're really big on 'on the job training' at West Side." Raphael deadpans at Terrence asking about training sessions.

"Baptism of fire, survival of the fittest, all that fun stuff." The vampire continues. His tone is flippant and cheerful, but has a single cord of bitterness running through it.

...

He perks up a bit more at Terrence's assessment and revelation of Sophia and Drake's interaction. The vampire glares daggers at the corner in suspicion before sighing and saying "Not this again..."

Raphael's humor returns with Terrence's next comment. "Aw, so you're saying there's no chance of getting you to restock us on elbow grease and headlight fluid?"

He gives an exaggerated sigh and slumps in his seat.

End of the Line

"Normally there'd be group training sessions scheduled throughout the week but the past few week or so's been anything but normal. Just hasn't been time for it with all the chaos in the streets." Louis rubs the back of his neck with a free hand as he mentally reviews the teams availability. "I'll try scheduling something for tomorrow after class lets out. That sound good to you?"

I wish I was joking

"Would've been funny at first." Louis huffs in amusement. "Not so much the seventh time around..." He mutters, barely audible. His trademark grin absent for only a few seconds before returning as quickly as it had vanished.

Breakfast Club

"Didn't know those two were regulars." Louis comments. "They're both members of a different club but we've been working on a collaborative project together with them for the past week or so." He informs the barista beside him.

"Any idea what that's about?" Louis asks the table as he eyes the booth. "Picking a fight your first day in Iron Station ain't exactly a good look for someone fresh of the bus. So if there's a reason for it we should probably know sooner than later."

"You don't think..." Louis starts to shake his head and stops. "Do you?" He asks Raphael.

"I don't know the whole story. I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but it was intense." Terrence shakes his head and smiles ruefully. "It looked like Sophie was tearing Drake a new one. And I know she has the hots for Yuki." He looks at Louis and Raphael, "And I don't think she caught the very clear signs Drake was giving off that Yuki was his girlfriend." A grimace crosses his face as he remembers, "Anyway, it looked ugly from where I was."

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
John
“You seem to have a lot on your plate,” the demon observes wryly. “If you trust her, I have no objections to you bringing it up with the doctor.“

Zylas stares into his eyes, unblinking. Compared to when he’d first arrived, John can see the difference in the demon’s demeanor and the amount of latent energy he possessed. He was beginning to look healthy again. “Thank you. Your gesture of goodwill and charity means much to me.”

As John leaves, he gives the magician a formal bow from the waist. “I wish luck to you, Dee, on your endeavors today.”

Keith
Hadley sniffles, wiping her eyes with her hands as Crowe speaks to them. She nods as her sister gives her another hug.

Before he goes to talk to Hayden, Zephyr lands next to Crowe and introduces herself to the girls, ushering them over to the sidewalk. Harper especially seems to be excited to talk to the heroine.

Hayden suddenly stands, looking with wide eyes at Crowe. Several tears start to slip down his cheeks that he quickly wipes away with his sleeves. “You don’t get it. I did this,” he whispers. He gains volume as he continues. “I thought it would be cool to be part of the Rooks, so… I was trying to join— to get away, ya know, from my dad, my sisters.”

He looks away, back down at the street. “I take care of them all the time, when Dad’s at work and I was *****in’ tired of it. I thought that maybe if I was making some money too, he wouldn’t have to work so much, so I’d sneak out at night. I-I robbed a lady,” he chokes out, closing his eyes to ward off the memory.

“She didn’t want to give up her purse, so I slashed at her with my knife,” he murmurs, hand going unconsciously to his pocket. “I didn’t mean to actually hit her, but I did. There was a lot of blood. I don’t know where I actually got her, but I took her purse and ran. I-I didn’t know she was one of Lady Orchid’s girls.”

“I got a text yesterday from the Rook that I’d been talking to that the set had gotten wind of what I’d done, that I was basically dead. I ignored it, ya know? I didn’t think they knew me, b-but they did. They *****in’ knew everything.” He can’t help the tears now, and breaks down, squeezing his eyes shut as his entire body shakes.

Metal grinds as Mercury slowly pries open the door. He looks in and shakes his head, seeing how the man is pinned by the steering column.

I’m going to let EMS move him, Mercury lets Crowe know through Stolas. He’s way too badly injured for me to do anything for him.

[mmdeforrest]

West Side Base, November 1
Building the Janus Mirror
One way or another, John reflected as he worked, Zylas was getting ready to leave. It seemed strange to him that he almost regretted that coming change. They were about the same age and had similar interests. It would not take much to cross the line into friendship.

The leap of faith it would take to trust him enough for that and cross the line had grown short.

He wondered, trying to push the echo of the opening notes of the piano from his head, how Seraph would take that confession in their next One-on-One—if he would accept the truth about Zylas’ relatively good nature or if he would add possible Stockholm Syndrome to his growing list of psychological conditions.

The song was still there.

John could not have explained to anyone where he had heard any of Taylor Swift’s new album—although it being played in the background of any or all of the coffee shops he had stopped in while shopping for Stones of Vanuusha was the most likely explanation. He certainly did not recall anyone at the base professing an interest in her music or in the work of Bon Iver. Wherever he had heard it, “Exile” served as a good reminder of the kind of thing Emi and Grayson were living through at the other points of the triangle that was forming.

Mastroianni threatened to draw that triangle up into a tetrahedron.

John pushed that thought aside as he reminded himself that he stood a better chance of avoiding the dragon than he did avoiding Taylor Swift’s music while out and about.

“I can see you staring, honey,” Swift sang, “Like he’s just your understudy/Like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me.”

There but for the Grace of God….

He closed his eyes.

And there I may yet go, he reminded himself. Right now, if he could not assemble the Janus Mirror properly, his primary contingency plan centered on making Grayson a more viable suitor—a stronger rival. Depending on how things went, it was still a part of his branching contingency plans.

“Yes,” John recalled Grayson explaining in last week’s nightmare as he looked adoringly at Emi. “Without his arrival, I might never have been pressed into action. And without his kind words, I might never have found the self worth and courage I needed to complete this song and offer it to you.”

That threat was not just a jealously-fueled worst-case scenario dredged up by his subconscious.

Mr. Shaw had noted that potential.

Emi had confessed to having a soft spot for him.

John had seen the song he wrote.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he prayed. Please don’t let it be a prophetic dream.

His secondary plan, which had even worse potential outcomes, involved a combat that, no matter its outcome, threatened to give Mastroianni the opening to being a comforting, stable presence—someone who was there for her as she mourned one or the other of the current rivals for her affection.

Earlier today, he had promised Emi he would not let it come to that.

John raised the jeweler’s headband loupe he was wearing to help him with the detail work and pinched the bridge off his nose.

He needed better options.

He needed to figure this out for her.

He promised he would figure this out for her.

He set down his Dremel rubbed his eyes, remembering Kid Vitrian asking why he and Miss Menagerie couldn’t just magic away the problems they were facing before the broken rave mission.

That was part of the trick for him as well as for the performers who competed annually for a Merlin. He, like they, had to make it look easy because if all the pieces were not in place beforehand, it simply wouldn’t work. There was so much more required than just speaking a new reality into existence using Angelical. He needed to know the correct formulae so that he didn’t unbalance the forces involved and harm innocents.

He needed to be prepared. Always.

Like he hadn’t been with the Homunculus.

He picked up the oak dowel he had shaped into a handle. It had taken him a surprising amount of time to find the piece of wood that he sensed would be able to channel the forces he would pass through it without bursting into flame before his casting would be complete. At least picking up pieces of wood and inspecting them was normal for Lowe’s in a way that walking across the campus of Bastion with a picnic basket was not.

John turned the handle in his fingers, inspecting it again. He might have been able to improvise something in the field to channel those forces—either from what was at hand or by using his own power to focus the energy in a controlled manner. But it wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to attempt when a bloodthirsty, homicidally-inclined dragon was bearing down on him.

He set the handle back down and leaned back, stretching before looking at the alchemical equipment.

He liked Grayson. He didn’t want to kill him.

He looked down.

He was worrying the back of his left hand again.

He didn’t want to have to kill again, period.

He put the loupe back on and picked up the Dremel again, using his magic to help steady his hand. He guided its flexible extension into place and traced the glyph that would sit beneath the locking nut that would be beneath the cap nut.

He blew the sawdust out of the hole and tested the fit of the threaded rod that would run through the handle and secure the Janus Mirror’s loop. Once he secured the nuts in place, the glyphs he had scribed would draw the pieces together, tightening them more than was mechanically possible.

He carefully laid out the pieces of the framework. Just to its side, within a silk cloth, rested the mirror — alchemically silvered and ready to be set within its rotating frame.

“I gave so many signs,” Swift sang.

John didn’t like the ending he was seeing if this didn’t work.

And even if it did, the song left the issue unresolved. Yes, the couple within it had broken up but it remained a duet with both participants struggling with their regrets, just as Emi and Grayson had never gone on an official date but paired up on more than one occasion to go somewhere and do something together.

He didn’t want to consider their regrets.

But here he was.

“We always walked a very thin line,” Iver half protested and half pleaded as John fitted the mirror into its frame.

Even if it did, he thought as he began to assemble and hand tighten the pieces of the mirror, the ending was far from clear and there threatened to be more crying than all three of them could do.

And he was pretty sure he didn’t like the thought of being cast as the next guy who wasn’t funny.

He tested the motion of the mirror. It swung back and forth freely. With Kate’s makeup mirror back home, one side magnified while the other was normal. In this case, the two sides would capture and reflect more than an image.

The rare earth magnets were strong enough to hold the mirror it in place when their faces aligned with the supporting ring but not so strong that they prevented him from spinning the loop.

John focused his will and spoke Angelical, asking the cap nuts to tighten and pull all of the pieces together.

There was a quick flare at each of the connections as the metal tightened enough to fuse. For all intents and purposes, it was now a single object rather than an assembly of parts.

Given the power he was about to channel, he would sleep well tonight. At least that was what he hoped as he raised his hand and readied the spells that would transform the object that was, at his command, floating from the surface of his workbench and into the center of the circle at the heart of his workshop.

It might be the solution to fighting the dragon without fighting it that he needed. But given how much magic he would be passing through this particular Janus Mirror, there was no way he could test it before he took it into the field.

The spell would consume it.

It would be trial under fire.

It was a less than ideal option, but it was at least an option.

Not bad for just over 24 hours.

He didn’t even listen to this kind of music.

He tried to rub the blurriness out of his eyes.

So why couldn’t he get the song out of his head?

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Hadley sniffles, wiping her eyes with her hands as Crowe speaks to them. She nods as her sister gives her another hug.

Before he goes to talk to Hayden, Zephyr lands next to Crowe and introduces herself to the girls, ushering them over to the sidewalk. Harper especially seems to be excited to talk to the heroine.

Crowe offers a comforting smile as Hadley nods. "I know it's hard too, but you're doin' awesome." He exhales a bit in relief as Zephyr comes over and starts to usher the girls to the sidewalk. He could definitely understand Harper's excitement. He hoped he'd at least have another chance to talk to the heroine later.

"Thanks," He'll say quietly to Zephyr as he can.

Hayden suddenly stands, looking with wide eyes at Crowe. Several tears start to slip down his cheeks that he quickly wipes away with his sleeves. “You don’t get it. I did this,” he whispers. He gains volume as he continues. “I thought it would be cool to be part of the Rooks, so… I was trying to join— to get away, ya know, from my dad, my sisters.”

He looks away, back down at the street. “I take care of them all the time, when Dad’s at work and I was *****in’ tired of it. I thought that maybe if I was making some money too, he wouldn’t have to work so much, so I’d sneak out at night. I-I robbed a lady,” he chokes out, closing his eyes to ward off the memory.

“She didn’t want to give up her purse, so I slashed at her with my knife,” he murmurs, hand going unconsciously to his pocket. “I didn’t mean to actually hit her, but I did. There was a lot of blood. I don’t know where I actually got her, but I took her purse and ran. I-I didn’t know she was one of Lady Orchid’s girls.”

“I got a text yesterday from the Rook that I’d been talking to that the set had gotten wind of what I’d done, that I was basically dead. I ignored it, ya know? I didn’t think they knew me, b-but they did. They *****in’ knew everything.” He can’t help the tears now, and breaks down, squeezing his eyes shut as his entire body shakes.

Crowe's eyes widen and he nods, taking a shadowy cloth from his pocket and handing it to Hayden.

"To be honest, I understand more than you know. Not quite the same situation but pissed off a villain and they figured out who I was and all." It wasn't the full truth, but it was something he could equate it to.

"Gettin' one of the gang's members not knowin' who they were though. Seems like it would be very common so it could have just been who it was. And this was the other day? What's the name of the Rook as well, may know a guy that can help get to the bottom of this and try to get them off your back."

Crowe looks between the car, the teen, and the sisters before turning entirely back to Hayden. "In the end, you were tryin' to help your family. No one can fault you there. Harper and Hadley are gonna need you for a good bit. Give me the info you got, and what you know about who the woman was and I'll see what all we can dig up. Can talk about possibly getting a decent protective detail on ya too.

He taps the commlink for a second to talk with Mimi. "Mimi, is there a way we can get them in protective custody? At least while Marrow is still out and about." Crowe thinks for a moment and it seemed a bit overkill for Marrow to be after the kid. Given he was second in command of his set. Something did add up there unless he just wanted to.

He returned his full focus to Hayden. "Hey, Hayden, thank you for tellin' me this. And, as much as I know you're tired of it all, they're gonna need you now man. Your sisters look at you as their hero. They don't need to know this part of it, but you're their rock. And yeah, you already know this." Crowe offers a hand. "Be their hero a bit so we can get this situated and straightened out for ya. Gonna check up on the girl you mentioned and figure out if she's alright and who in that set she's connected to."

"And as promised, this stays here."

Metal grinds as Mercury slowly pries open the door. He looks in and shakes his head, seeing how the man is pinned by the steering column.

I’m going to let EMS move him, Mercury lets Crowe know through Stolas. He’s way too badly injured for me to do anything for him.

Crowe glances over at Mercury and nods, projecting back to him. "Hate hearin' it, but thanks for the update, Mercury. He still has a pulse and is breathing right?

He takes a deep breath. "I just found out why Marrow was after them too. The dad wasn't the target. At least not the primary one anyway. Know it's been a while but I wanna ask Ryker a few things about Marrow and the Palisades set. Tryin' to get a bit more from the kid about the why but, he was the target. Also askin' Mimi about setting up some kinda protective detail on the kids."

Crowe closes his eyes for a second. "Do you think Seraph would be able to heal him enough to get him out?."

[PK-Leon]

"I don't know the whole story. I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but it was intense." Terrence shakes his head and smiles ruefully. "It looked like Sophie was tearing Drake a new one. And I know she has the hots for Yuki." He looks at Louis and Raphael, "And I don't think she caught the very clear signs Drake was giving off that Yuki was his girlfriend." A grimace crosses his face as he remembers, "Anyway, it looked ugly from where I was."

"Must be something in the water back at the clubhouse." Louis says somewhat amused as he mentally parses the new information.

He cast a glance at the two heroes in the before looking back to the uneaten cake. "Well let's hope they can sort out... whatever's going on between'em without things getting physical, again." He sighs.

"Cake anyone?"

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
Keith
Hayden takes a few deep breaths and stands, taking the cloth. He wipes his nose before balling it up in one fist. “It was two days ago. The lady… s-she had long blonde hair,” he says, his voice still shaking. “Her eyes were a really pretty green. I… don’t know her name or anything. I-I threw her purse into a dumpster before I could go through her stuff. I couldn’t bring myself to actually take anything.”

The teenager hesitates when Crowe asks for the Rooks name. He looks at the ground and says in a soft voice, hoping to not be overheard, “The guy that was recruiting me goes by Gears. I don’t know his real name.”

He glances over at his sisters that are talking with Zephyr and slowly nods to what Crowe’s saying. “Yeah…”

“I’ve asked Detective Varga to send a unit over,” Mimi replies. “The children will be taken care of.”

Crowe hears a sigh in his mind. You think I didn’t check on him? Mercury says. He alive, but barely. I’ll contact Seraph and Harbinger and see if one of them can come help out, or maybe have them meet the ambulance at the hospital depending on the timing.

I’ve heard most of what the kid’s said. It sounds like he hurt the wrong one of Lady Orchid’s Flowers. I have Mimi looking through women admitted to the hospital two days ago that fit the description he gave. She should find something soon.

[big teej]

Breakfast Club:

"You don't think..." Louis starts to shake his head and stops. "Do you?" He asks Raphael.

"It's gotta be a short list, doesn't it?" Raphael mutters.

After Terrence confirms his errant suspicion, Raphael holds up a hand. "Have we seen Drake get bent over anything else?"

He shrugs and continues, unable to stop his gaze from swinging back to the corner before coming back to the group. "I confess I'm a little surprised miss high-and-mighty over there would get into it like that on the first day."

"Cake anyone?"

Raphael reaches out without looking and squeezes Stella. "Right here."

The vampire's eyes drops to plate of decadence in front of Louis. "Although that looks pretty good too."

[Roguewolf]

November 1st
Keith
Hayden takes a few deep breaths and stands, taking the cloth. He wipes his nose before balling it up in one fist. “It was two days ago. The lady… s-she had long blonde hair,” he says, his voice still shaking. “Her eyes were a really pretty green. I… don’t know her name or anything. I-I threw her purse into a dumpster before I could go through her stuff. I couldn’t bring myself to actually take anything.”

The teenager hesitates when Crowe asks for the Rooks name. He looks at the ground and says in a soft voice, hoping to not be overheard, “The guy that was recruiting me goes by Gears. I don’t know his real name.”

He glances over at his sisters that are talking with Zephyr and slowly nods to what Crowe’s saying. “Yeah…”

Crowe makes notes of it all in his mind, so at least Stolas would have them in his mind for later. More to check up on. "Two days ago, long blonde hair and green eyes. Shouldn't be too hard to get a profile. Especially if it was just the wrong place wrong time." He looks at Stolas for a second and motions for him to keep track of everything.

He nods hearing the codename of the Rook, and offers a comforting smile. "Hey, that's plenty to go on man. You've done amazing talkin'." He figured it would be best to not push the teenager too much more. He knew it was a member of Lady Orchid's crew, and the name of the recruiter. That should be enough to make a connection to Marrow and get what info he needed still.

He looked over at Zephyr and the twins, eyes lingering on Zephyr for a moment forgetting where he was. If only I were stronger...... He thought to himself. He looked back at the teenager and nodded. "You got this man. What say we go over and you give them a hug right fast?"

“I’ve asked Detective Varga to send a unit over,” Mimi replies. “The children will be taken care of.”

Crowe grins a bit, as he responds into the commlink. "Thank you, Mimi. We'd be lost without ya."

Crowe hears a sigh in his mind. You think I didn’t check on him? Mercury says. He alive, but barely. I’ll contact Seraph and Harbinger and see if one of them can come help out, or maybe have them meet the ambulance at the hospital depending on the timing.

I’ve heard most of what the kid’s said. It sounds like he hurt the wrong one of Lady Orchid’s Flowers. I have Mimi looking through women admitted to the hospital two days ago that fit the description he gave. She should find something soon.

Crowe winced a bit at Mercury's sigh and Mercury hears a sigh from Stolas. "N-nah just a force of habit. Sorry." He hung his head a bit, still ashamed. Nodded mentally so Mercury would see it in the link. "Thanks man. Almost a bit afraid one of the kids will have super hearing and notice any subvocalization."

He tilted his head a moment walking with Hayden to the girls, if he was ready to join them. "Good call. I was about to ask Ryker if he would know which might be connected to Marrow. Know it might be a bit of a long shot but he may be able to point us in a direction. The guy that was trying to recruit him goes by Gears." Crowe sighs. "Really though, I'm glad we were at least nearby."

He grimaced mentally thinking about the fight. "And that Penumbra and Meteor could get here when they did."

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
Ashford’s
Stella rolls her eyes playfully as Raphael grabs her shoulder. “Very funny, mon chéri,” she says.

Izzy looks between Raphael and Louis with an expression of great interest and listens to intently to Terrence’s gossip. “You guys are… complicated, huh?” she says to Louis.

“Bet it will,” Sophia agreed quietly, but sounded certain, even happy. She was surprised by her own lack of resignation. “What’s the saying? Love is patient, love is kind. You got this.” She glanced over at the table with all the others, and they felt an island away. The little corner they were in could have been called intimate, if the circumstance was different, if she had somehow arrived months earlier, if she didn’t care about the legacy. But some things were more important than her own desires.

“I’ll make sure to do whatever I can to repair my side of the damage, apology aside. He must be special if you’re this into him. Besides, I gotta try putting in my name for chief bridesmaid from now, right?” she teased. She grasped her drink by the handle.

“You up to joining the others?”

“He is, to me,” Yuki agrees softly. She looks back down at her drink, taking a moment to let her face return to its normal palette, before she nods. “Yes. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Sophia. And explaining.”

The shapeshifter and the angel return to the large table were Terrence, Louis, Izzy, Raphael, and Stella sit.

Yuki nods to everyone there. “Hi,” she says shyly. “Did we miss anything?”

Keith
Hayden follows Crowe over to the sidewalk to his sisters. Hadley immediately hugs him, while Harper continues to chat with Zephyr.

An ambulance comes wailing onto the scene, quickly followed by several police cruisers. The ambulance comes to a stop not far from the mangled car and two medics hop out. Mercury starts to work with them to get the dad extracted, pushing metal away from pinch points and using his strength to break pieces of the interior as needed.

Ryker will probably know something, Mercury agrees as the medics manage to pull the man out and onto a gurney. They quickly get him loaded up and the ambulance peels out back down the road. I’m glad you all showed up when you did too. I was in over my head.

A police officer comes over and introduces himself to the kids. He nods to the hero as he explains that he’ll take the kids to the hospital for now, while they figure out who they’re going to stay with while their dad recovers.

The three kids hop into the policeman’s SUV with a final wave to Crowe and Zephyr.

Another officer comes by and gets statements from the two heroes, before going around to Meteor, Penumbra, and Mercury.

“Well,” Zephyr says, putting one hand in her hip, “That was definitely an interesting first date. Text me later, okay? I gotta get back to school.”

The North Sider joins her teammates and takes off into the air with them, headed back towards Bastion.

Once Mercury finishes talking to the police he makes his way over to Crowe. His armor looks whole and unblemished, though he seems to be moving a little slow. He looks purposefully at a nearby alley and has Crowe follow him. “You mind?” he says, asking for some cover while he de-armors.

As his armor melts and gets sucked back into his skin, Crowe can see them at there are several bloody holes in his shirt around his stomach and right shoulder. Bright silver can be seen through the holes where he’s plugged up his injuries with his powers.

[mmdeforrest]

The shower had done him some good after his labors, John realized as he toweled off his hair. While not exactly refreshed, he no longer had that song running through his head and the hot water had worked the worst of the knots out of his right shoulder.

The bruises from earlier today, however, still dominated his left side, he noted in the mirrored doors to his closet as he reached in to get a off white Oxford button down shirt. His healing spell had accelerated the process but something as minor as a bruise required a different approach and, with everything he had accomplished today, he had not had the time to look up the healing spells that focused more on cosmetics than they did on injury.

He pulled on a pair of charcoal grey slacks before projecting. Even if he knew Emi old not be able to see him, it seemed a breach of propriety to contact her only partially dressed.

Good afternoon, Emi, John projected. Did you have plans this evening? There are a couple of updates and questions I had for Dr. Riviera and I hoped I could offer you and her dinner to make up for my imposition on your time. I would imagine that the update on the presence of a third greater demon has reached your father via official channels by now but I wanted to see if Dr. Riviera had any insight on the test results or a spell I am likely to cast tomorrow to confirm the location and condition of Zylas’ younger sister.’

As it is a little early yet, I thought I would reach out now so you…and she, of course…had the option of all of Iron Station, since Clea and I would have time to pick up from multiple locations.

He pushed away the thought that this evening would likely be the last time this kind of a question would be simple and straightforward.

He glanced to where his uniform rested on its valet, ready to be summoned. Safely inside one of the pockets was the completed Janus Mirror.

All this assumes you aren’t already busy with something, of course, or would prefer to be taken somewhere.

[InTheMachine]

November 1st
John
Imposition? comes Emi’s playful reply. John, you’re not imposing. I always enjoy seeing you. Let me have Nora ask Dr. Riviera what she wants. One moment.

Her next sentence is much more solemn as she realizes what John said earlier. He hadn’t told me about a third Greater Demon yet. How did you find this out? Is it your captive demon’s younger sister? Can you just find Greater Demons like that?

Dr. Riviera is asking for Don Santiago’s. It’s a small Mexican restaurant not too far from East Side. I’ll text you our orders.