Thevshi

Okay, Veronica will try to put a force construct around Electrum Eagle to try to cut off his view of the gate to hopefully disrupt his spell. DC 20 Reflex save to avoid being trapped.

Veronica "A beach trip sounds like a great idea." Veronica replied in response to Selena’s suggestion. "I have often wanted to give surfing a try." When the other girl suddenly stopped herself to clarify about Veronica's statement about translating hieroglyphics, Veronica gave a small grin. "Yes, during my first visit to Eygpt, I watched my mother working with some other experts on translating some of the writings on the walls of a newly discovered tome we were working at. Been an interest of mine ever since." When Corinne spoke up about her father, Veronica looked over at the older teen and gave a small nod. "Asad? Yes, I have certainly heard of him." She responded. "I suppose it should not be a surprise that you are here then."

Megan Megan gave a bit of a dismissive smile at Lulu’s comment about "royalty." "Well, nobility really. But I just married into it. But yes, it does create some obligations for Robert. Plus, during the right time of year, the English countryside can be very lovely. We will get you over there with us sometime." She added with a smile. As Lulu asked about going to another store, Megan gave a wide grin. "Only one more store? If you are sure." Standing up, she picked up her drink and began helping Lulu gather the various bag. "But new shoes are always good, and it never hurts to have a pair of boots on hand. I should be able to find a few things for Lawrence there as well."

Veronica "So very nice to meet you Louise." Veronica replied, her accent deepening slightly at her very French pronunciation of Lulu's name. The teenager moved confidently into the room and took a seat on the bed across from the other teen, leaving room for Janus, if they wanted to join as well. "Oh, thank you no, I am fine. Though it is always a good idea to stay hydrated." The Danger replied as Lulu offered some water and snacks. At Lulu's question, Vernoica gave a small smile. "Well, I guess that depends on how you define 'from.' I was born in the south of France, but I have only spent a little time there over the years, same with here in Freedom City. Otherwise I have spent most of my life traveling the world with my parents. Just this summer we were in parts of Turkey and Istanbul. How about yourself?"

Veronica The southern teenager had not been lying down long when she heard voices out in the hallway and there was a knock on her partially open door. Another teenage girl appeared in the doorway, smiling as she quickly focused on Lulu. The attractive girl appeared to be Lulu's age, with long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed in a brown T-Shirt, over which she wore a thin linen Khaki short sleeve shirt, olive green cargo pants and a pair of well worn-in hiking boots with thick socks. On a necklace and several bracelets she had several dozen small silver charm-like objects. "Hi hope I am not disturbing you, just starting to make some rounds on the floor to meet some fellow students." The other teen stated with a trace of what sounded like a French accent. "I'm Veronica Danger and this is my cousin Janus." Veronica said in way of greeting, indicating another figure just behind her.

The character looks pretty straight forward mechanics wise, which is often a good idea for a first character. So, looking to help shave some points, there is one clear area where I can see a place to allow you to save a few. I would put the Speed and Leaping into an array, so like this: Movement Array Base Power: Speed 4 (1 alt power) (5 PP) Alt- Leaping 4 That saves you 2 points and even allows you to have one extra rank of leaping. As for other possibilities, I am afraid that it mainly will be down to making some potentially tough choices. Skills might be the first place to start. With +10 strength bonus, you probably do not need 12 ranks in both Climb and Swimming, so I would consider cutting at least 4 ranks in each. You probably will need to shave a few points here and there for the rest. One minor thing to note is you do not have any Languages selected, you likely will need at least one point in Language for English (as Utopian would be her native) You might have to consider dropping some points in your Will and Reflex saves. Another possibility is dropping a couple points of Impervious Toughness to start. You could drop it to 8 or even 7 and she would still be bulletproof and immune to most normal attacks.

Megan As the pair began clothes shopping, Megan was glad to see Lulu's mood improve. Megan was happy to offer advice, ensuring she was not making suggestions that would be drastic changes to Lulu's style, at least not unless Lulu indicated she was willing to deviate from her preferred styles. As the talked, Megan noted the signs that Lulu's past education had been lacking in some respects. The older woman did not bring up the issue now, not wanting distract from the present. But she made a mental note to discuss it with Callie and locate some potential tutors for Lulu to help get her caught up and help ensure her success going forward. She would wait a bit to discuss the potential need for tutors with Lulu and perhaps give her the option of just starting to work with tutors or wait to see how she felt after a week or so of classes. She certainly did not want to start appearing to be judgmental about the teenager and would rather present the idea as a positive, rather than a negative. Before they left the Gap, Megan had Lulu help her look at a few possibilities for Lawrence and then they had made their way out to Starbucks for some coffee and a small break before hitting some more stores. At Lulu's question, Megan nodded as she took a sip from her iced drink. "Oh yes, we tend to go back to England a couple of times a year to visit. Robert typically travels back at least once a month. He has a number of responsibilities he needs to attend to relating to the title he took on when his father passed a few years ago."

Veronica When the school headmistress arrived on stage, Veronica looked up from a small, worn book on Sanskrit that she had begun to study to try to help pass the time. Closing the book, she quickly returned it to her pack and the focused back up on the stage as she gave Kam a small nod in agreement to his final statement. As she watched the headmistress, Veronica was struck by the similarities with her Great-Aunt Rachel. Headmistress Summers was younger than the Danger matriarch, to be sure. But she certainly was possessed of a similar force of personality and bearing. Well, seems they were going to find out more of the headmistress in short order.

Megan Megan smiled as Lulu talked about her home and what people generally wore, while guide the pair through the mall crowd. She figured the Gap seemed a good starting place and was headed in that direction. "Well, there would be weeks where nothing would happen here if we let a little snow stop everything." She replied with a grin. "So, I expect there will be a couple of months in which you will truly learn to appreciate heavier sweaters." But then at teenager's question about the holidays the older woman's smile faded slightly as she gave a small sigh. "I am afraid the answer is somewhat complicated Lulu, and not something I can definitively answer right now, one way or another." Megan looked over at Lulu. "I hope you understand that your case workers and the judge down in Alabama do not want you having contact with your father or some other members of your immediate family. They do not necessarily want to cut you off from your extended family, but there will need to be guarantees that if you do go back to visit members of your extended family, there will not be contact with ones that contact is supposed to be cut off from." "I think if things go well over the next couple of months at Claremont, you will be in a good position to seek to have some time to visit with your extended family, and we will certainly be willing to help advocate for that as well. If for some reason things do not work out for you this year, we would absolutely love to have you spend the holidays with us."

Tsunami Giang gave a small nod in response to Murk's question about calling a cab as she followed alongside him through the hotel's hallway towards the front exit. She was primarily focused in thought on his explanation of why he sought out immortals, such as he claimed she was. "I could understand how one that is immortal could possibly come to be shaped more by such darker emotions. But from my own experience, family is not always dependable safety. I cut myself off from the majority of my family because I could not abide to join them in furthering their criminal enterprises."

Megan Megan gave Lulu another reassuring smile. "Being a teenager is often tough. Being a teenager with powers is generally even tougher. But you will have plenty of resources to help you if you needed it. If I can't help you or the school is unable to for some reason, between Headmistress Summers and I, we can find someone who can." As the teenager turned her attention to what she might be needing in terms of clothes while in Freedom City, Megan's smile widened. "Some good sweaters are often a good choice as well." She began, getting up from the table. "But you will certainly want some jackets. But there is still a bit of time before the cold will truly set in. So we can likely wait to around Thanksgiving to look for warm coats and heavier sweaters. Most stores will not have a very good selection for those right now anyway." As the two started back toward the central part of the mall, Megan glanced over toward Lulu. "So, I will admit that denim has never been a significant part of my wardrobe. But, I am sure we will be able to find you some good selections to choose from."

Veronica The young Danger smiled slightly as Janus commented on how different the school was so far her experiences at home. She had heard a number of stories about Janus' mother holding court and the formalities of it over the years. And like Janus, Veronica expected Kam could understand that sort of environment. When Janus turned to the question about Claremont and whether the school would be able to keep them too busy to get into any trouble, Veronica looked back toward her cousin. "Well, so far they are not doing all that good of a job." She replied. "But, it is just the beginning of the first day, so, perhaps the pace for a normal day will be quicker?" Veronica could understand her cousin's restlessness. While not used to quite the structure that Janus was, Veronica was used to having days that were filled will activity. Even on the DI humanitarian missions she had gone on with her parents, there was always plenty of things to be done, and by this time in the morning she would have already been on her feet for a couple hours.

Megan Megan sat patiently as Lulu worked out what she wanted to say (a harder feat than one might realize for the blonde). When Lulu finally began to talk, Megan quickly processed what the teenager had to say. Some of it was things Megan had been thinking about over the last few months after she had first started talking with Callie about taking Lulu in. Still, it was different now that Lulu was sitting in front of her, expressing them herself, with the emotion one would expect. Reaching out with one hand, Megan put it over one of Lulu’s on the table between them. "Lulu, what you did not deserve was to have those you trusted and relied upon make or mislead you into using your powers to hurt others and benefit them. Perhaps you could have done something to stop it earlier, perhaps not. But eventually you did put a stop to things, or at least to having your powers misused." "Now, whether or not you are getting 'rewarded,' I believe the amazing new life you are being given is the one you should have had to begin with, having people that care about you and want to support you in finding your way in life and being the good person you are. The money and other things that may come with this new life are just trappings, they are nice and make some things easier, but are not what is truly important." "Just the fact that you are so upset about whether this is deserved and fair tells me that you do in fact deserve this new start. If you just casually accepted all this and had no regrets over how your powers had been used, then I might have some concerns."

Megan Megan nodded when Lulu suggested a couple of stores and had just started to scan for them on the map when the teen came closer and asked about finding someplace to talk and wanting to sit down. Glancing back at Lulu, Megan could see she was appearing a bit unsettled. "Of course dear." Megan replied with a sympathetic smile. A quick of the map reveled a few options and Megan chose the closets, leading Lulu over off away from the main rows of stores and down one of the smaller, side passages of the mall. Off in that wing were several food places, several of which had not yet opened for lunch, so the area was much less crowded that the main parts of the mall near the shops. There were also lots of tables set out and Megan led Lulu over toward one away from any other people. Taking a seat, Megan looked over at the teenager, concern evident on her face. "I understand things are probably overwhelming for you. So many things have happened over the last few months. I am always here to talk when you feel the need."

Veronica Veronica smiled broadly as well at Kam's playful teasing and nodded in agreement with Janus' response. As the conversation turned to what could be covered during the assembly, Veronica nodded in agreement with several of the possibilities listed by her cousin. "There is also the possibility that there have been some sort of recent changes that were not able to be included in the printed materials soon enough." She added. "And of course, it is also very likely that any sort of welcome speech, or speeches, could be more for motivational purposes, rather than just providing or reinforcing information. I sort of expect it will be something of a combination of the two."

Megan Megan could not help but give Lulu a bit of a sympathetic look. She understood that the teen was feeling overwhelmed by things. Freedom City was a major metropolis, a far, far cry from the small town Lulu had grown up in. She expected that her and Robert's lifestyle was not helping in making things more comfortable for the teenager to settle in. Hopefully that would fade some with time, but right now there was a bit more immediate of a concern, making sure Lulu was ready for the start of the Claremont term in a few days. "Well, there are certainly some factory stores out in the suburbs, but don’t worry about that right now." Megan replied with a slightly dismissive waive of her hand as she turned and started away from the escalators. "We have happily chosen bring you into our home, which includes taking on responsibility for you. I would hardly be doing that to my best if I did not make sure you were ready for the start of the school year." "Now, if you were like I was at sixteen, you might have reached your full height, but that is still no reason to not take an opportunity for some additions to your wardrobe." Megan walked a short distance to a mall directory, stopping in front of the map and looking back to Lulu. "So, is there a place that you have ever thought about wanting to go to look for clothes, but were never able to?"

Midtown, Freedom City, New Jersey Saturday, September 1, 2018 10:05 AM The Labor Day weekend had begun, and for malls such as Millennium Mall, that meant sales designed for those going back to school. That was why Megan Howell-Harrow was at the shopping center this morning, although not all that long ago she would hardly have needed an excuse to be at the mall. The last few years had seen her out getting school clothes for her son Lawrence as he began a new year at school, though this year he had really pushed to just stay home, as shopping was far from his favorite pastime. But that was hardly the biggest change this year from previous. Toward the beginning of the summer, Megan had been contacted by Callie Summers about a new student coming to Claremont that had been removed from her family in Alabama due to criminal activity by some of her family members and who needed a foster home while attending Claremont. Megan had never really thought about being a foster parent before, but after reading over the girl's file she realized there was likely a lot she could do to help the teenager find herself a new path as she started over at Claremont. So, she and Robert talked things over with Lawrence and the decision was made to bring Louise "Lulu" Beaumont into their home. Megan turned back to look up behind her on the escalator from the parking garage at the redheaded sixteen year older standing behind her. Lulu had only just arrived in Freedom City the day before, so Megan figured that this outing would give her and the teen a bit of time to get to know one another away from Robert and Lawrence. "So Lulu, do you have any particular places you want to look at first for clothes?" She asked with a warm smile.

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GM The pirate took a couple of glances over his shoulder as he continued to try to push his vehicle to its limits to outdistance the space hunter. But Starshot had managed to get the hang of the unfamiliar controls, allowing him to start to slightly being to close the distance. Firing several quick shots as he crested a dune, Starshot sent a shower of dust flying up in front of the pirate, who made a sharp correction to try to avoid the debris cloud, partially succeeding, but still getting a face full of sand and slowing slightly as a result. This allowed Starshot to close even closer, as he managed to cut the distance between them in half. Glancing back over his shoulder once more, the pirate reached down to try and pull out his pistol....

This time the pirate only gets a 18, I rolled a 20 for Starshot’s attempt to distract/slow down the pirate, so will say that gives him a -2 to his roll, meaning Starshot halves the distance between them. So, strategy for next round? Continuing to Take 10?

Tsunami Giang was quite for a moment, seemingly in thought at Murk's suggestion of leaving for someplace more private. As a young woman, it was always prudent to consider risks associated with such a suggestion, and as harmless as the older gentleman appeared, Giang knew full well appearances could be deceiving. But then, she was also more than capable of handling herself in a wide variety of situations. "Well, I know from experience that there are those that are far more capable of harm than they outwardly appear." She finally replied, her tone neutral. "But, I am willing to take your statement that your intentions are benign at face value." She then added, gesturing towards the exit from the hall.

Paradigm Even at a distance, Paradigm was able to hear the words exchanged between Hyperslice and the Annointer. Frowning slightly at Hyperslice's claim that she was the leader of the group, the Naram did hear enough to recognize the need to slow her flight some as she drew near, so as not to appear as if it was an attack. But even at a slowed pace, it did not take long for the Praetorian to close the distance to the pair, landing a short distance away from them so as not to appear as if she was hostile. "Greetings Annointer." She stated, looking at the figure as best she could through the bright light surrounding him. "I am Paradigm." "While you seem to offer those within the city behind me a fair opportunity, I believe the next question is what happens after they surrender?"

Veronica Veronica gave an agreeing nod as Janus responded to Micah’s question about whether she had meant the Danger family. She then turned her attention to the tall newcomer who had rolled over on a skateboard. "Hi, Veronica." She said by way of introduction. When Selena asked about hobbies the teenager smiled. "Well, I am not really here to learn how to break people in half, but hobbies? I have a few. Rock climbing, base jumping, riding, SCUBA diving, spelunking, hiking, translating hieroglyphics, and stargazing, among others. How about yourself?"

Veronica Veronica started slightly at the bang of the door to the auditorium as well, but she did not start to reach for a weapon as Janus had (for though she had a survival knife back in her dorm room, she was not carrying it around with her), instead, her left hand had gone up to where her bronze medallion was underneath her T-shirt. But she then relaxed as it was clear that it was nothing but someone being overzealous with the door. As she relaxed, she focused her attention to Kam, giving him a friendly smile in greeting, chuckling slightly at his joke about Prudence attending the assembly in place of herself and Janus. "We might just have to try a bit harder next time." She added to Janus’ response. She then shrugged slightly as Janus added to their previous conversation. "Well, perhaps not, but still, would not want to leave you all adrift out here on your own for the first day." She stated with a playful smile before she turned back toward the front of the auditorium to await the start of the assembly, glancing around them from time to time at other arriving students.

Veronica When Danica offered a tour for anyone that was interested and Janus offered to take Veronica's things up to the room, the teenage Danger shook her head slightly. "I appreciate the offer Danica, but I should finish getting my things up and maybe unpack a bit before I start exploring the campus." She replied, giving Janus a small smile as well. With a brief wave to those who started off immediately with Danica, Veronica then turned her attention to Micah. "Hello Micah, I’m Veronica Danger, so very nice to meet you." She said in greeting with a friendly smile. As Selena talked about her difficulties when she first arrived at Claremont, and in particular her language issues, Veronica gave a small understanding nod. "Overcoming a communication barrier certainly can be difficult at the start when you are some place new. Your English certainly benefited from the experience."