Avenger Assembled
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Eira smiled fiercely, like a cat baring its fangs, teeth white against her lips. "Well! You have certainly been eating your beets, yes?" Davyd had indeed come a long way since their trip to Scotland at the beginning of summer. Perhaps he too was being held back by being forced to act as a child. She considered her response to Davyd's words carefully as she took a long, long moment to sip her soup, perhaps a bit more noisily than she needed to. "If you think you can penetrate Rurland's information network better than I, feel free to try," she said easily. "I do not think you will get far enough to be in any danger." She leaned forward and smirked at Davyd. "As for my ego, well. You know what I can do, Davyd, and what I have done. You can even see what I look like, all designed by myself. Personally...I think I am rather modest, yes?" She took another long, noisy sip of soup before she went on more seriously. "But if we are going to undertake this journey, we must be partners. So. No more experiments on my mind - and I will undertake none on yours."
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Eira had been sitting bolt-upright, eyes open and staring at the door, when Davyd entered, but she reacted to him once he actually began speaking. She had been about to say something very cutting to Davyd when he returned, perhaps about how he had better remember that machines had far better ears than he did and not do anything stupid, but the food he brought he was surprising - and disarmed her blunt response. Perhaps it is fitting that a shapeshifter be mercurial. She closed her fingers, datacable snapping back into position, and said "Vegan primarily. But vegetarian is acceptable if there are no alternatives." She settled on a cup of hot turnip soup and nodded approvingly when she raised it to her lips to sip. "Thank you." "There are people who are afraid of Rurland and what it means," she said softly. "Are you one of them, Davyd?"
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Notice: Owain: 30! (that's a nat 20) Neko: 24
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"That is one figure Talos does not share with foreigners such as myself," said Eira wryly. "I know that their numbers grow among organics who serve Talos loyally - though most abroad believe that it is impossible. If it were suspected abroad that Talos had perfected the means for organic immortality through the machine, organic people would come and take it for themselves." It was a reality she herself had considered, and had seen demonstrated a few years earlier on the other side of the continent. She considered a moment, her dataspike coiling loose and down her body towards the nearby outlet, like a snake with a mind of its own. At least it will not be so long with European outlets, she thought. "It has been done. I have seen emulations of organic brains at work there."
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ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
Because they killed my father in cold blood for no reason at all. Because otherwise a goddamn neo-Nazi was going to run around wearing the flag. Because somebody had to do it. "I did work in traditional law enforcement for a number of years before taking this position," said Ashley evenly, not saying anything she hadn't said in previous interviews. "I'm classified as an agent of the...US Secret Service when acting as the Patriot." It was a masterful bit of hiding in plain sight, especially with the slight hesitation, if Ashley did say so herself - no one who would be likely to go looking for the Patriot's true identity would think that she was just an actual Secret Service agent before turning superhero. "As to why I have this particular job - " She considered her response, then said: "When my grandmother was...oh, about the same age I am now, she showed up for work at her father's store and found men from the government putting people in trucks. They were rounding people up for work camps in the jungle, and because they were Chinese and because they owned a business, her family was on the list. She never saw her father or my great-uncles again." She sipped her tea again, thinking of "Bà-ma"'s stories about the Old Country and how her father had made sure she learned every single one of them. "My father was born on a boat trying to get to Indonesia about a year later. This country took in my family and gave them a home, gave them a place, where they never had to worry about a knock at the door again. That's...one of several reasons why I'm the Patriot." -
"I see no need to haggle with some hard-working clothier who must surely have better things to-" Owain made eye contact with Neko and made a very big-brotherly noise before he said, "Very well." - On the walk to the mall, Neko walked around with her head up, watching the buildings they passed with undisguised fascination. She had stopped to change before they left and between that and some judicious use of her abilities she appeared almost normal; an Asian girl with jet-black hair, wearing a poofy black skirt that went all the way down to her shins and a black jacket emblazoned with disturbing art that she identified as being the work of "Junji Ito! I like him best" - this was only technically true, as Junji Ito was the favorite artist that she'd encountered in the 'present', but there was no reason to dwell on that in more detail. For his part, Owain was a bit quieter, hands in his pockets as he walked along with the other boys. "Say fellows," he said suddenly. "When you leave your schooling here - what will you do?"
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"Eh? Ah, yes, if there is particular one who is trouble for you..." Frost had been watching Leilani admiringly, his skin visibly pinkening as the air around them warmed, but he snapped to attention when the boy directly addressed him. What the Hell, help out this small child, see if you can do someone a favor for once..."Point it out to me," he said, net over his shoulder with almost military discipline. When prompted, he advanced slowly on the singular imp, leaving icy footprints behind him before he brought down the net with great speed.
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"This is PNG," said Eira, pronouncing it "Ping", looking up at her hairline as the spider crawled down to rest on her forehead, her eyes automatically crossing as she looked at the little robot. "Ryder made him for me as a graduation present. He is a very clever smart system, and so darling, yes?. It is very valuable to have an extra four pairs of eyes for many situations." She smiled as the spider crawled down her face and disappeared down the neckline of her shirt, then grew more serious as she studied Davyd. "I would be more offended if you ate rare steak in front of me," she said firmly. "It is not a question of preferring metal to flesh." She flexed her right hand and the familiar sight of her long, silvery dataspike came creeping out from under her sleeve. "If you want to eat, I will charge here for the night. Nothing has changed in my life since we last spoke."
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ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
"If my predecessor pops back up and calls himself Mister Patriot, we'll talk," said Ashley with a faint smile, making an implied promise she knew from personal experience she would never have to keep. "But right now there's only one Patriot." She sipped her tea, thinking about the terrorist-imposter who had already claimed that name for himself. Well it wasn't like they could sue him for copyright infringement given the legal trouble the former government metahuman was already in. Okay, so far, so good...she thought to herself. -
Owain considered what to do, then snapped his finger. "Methinks I have a plan," he whispered urgently. He strode to the room's garbage can, a rusted old metal basket that had seen better days, and with a disgusted expression picked it up and flung it at the window with great force. There was the sound of breaking glass as the small-frosted-over planes broke, and then he turned and ran quickly to the two women. Taking their hands, he spoke a quick word "anweledig" and the air around them seemed to grow fuzzy and indistinct. "They should not be able to see or hear us," he murmured as the door came open. "If they can, we must be ready to fight..." Just as the door came open, Neko stared balefully at the broken window, where outside 'Chimera' was now standing, her clothes covered in bits of glass and metal as if she'd just crawled her way out of the window somehow. In a good simulation of Jennifer's own voice, it called "You will never catch me, Yankee fools!
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ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
And so it was that the brand-new symbol of American patriotism sat down opposite the brand-new DNN reporter for their first televised interview. This was by no means the general public's first look at the new Patriot, of course, but it was the first live interview she'd ever given. Ashley did her best to relax, making eye contact with Daisy through the helmet's eyepieces to reassure her that everything was all right, but it wasn't easy. But reassuring someone else actually helped Ashley herself stay cool, memories of Judy and her other sisters in her mind. Luckily she had been trained at composure from an early age by some very good teachers, so when the cameras came on and the AD gave the signal that they were rolling, she was a poised, cool professional, sitting with her hands on her lap and a steaming cup of hot coffee close at hand. -
"That is the wisest way to handle the situation," agreed Eira as the spider crawled along her shoulder, up her neck, and up into her hair, where it rested on the top of her scalp as it continued to watch Davyd. "If you treat them as an enemy, they will respond with force. If you treat them as if they are fools, they will let you think you have fooled them - and then respond with force. And if you treat them as gods..." Rarely, her voice trailed off as she took a moment to think. "I would not advise following such a course." As she spoke, her eyes seemed to unfocus as she stared off into space for a barely perceptible moment - "The Minister of Culture will meet us at the central airport tomorrow morning. You would know her as 'Kay'; the English girl who was uploaded as a small child. She has...done quite well for herself in Rurland," Eira added with a faint grimace. "Have you eaten tonight?"
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"...Kid Gawain!" said Neko suddenly. "I need you!" And with that, Neko's wolf stood up on two legs and became a boy; or rather a young man of perhaps 16, tall and lanky, with the promise of a build that would be solid muscle once he had a few more years to grow into it. "Ho! Your pardon, my good lady," he said with a nod to Chimera, "but the disguise was necessary that I might join my companion without being discovered." The two had a quick exchange in Japanese before Owain said, "The arena below seems to be a great...sink, drawing upon the souls of every poor unfortunate in the audience." Never mind that he and Neko had been among the audience members not long earlier. "It is a fell place; no doubt powered by the worst of magic. And its guardians know something of you," he said. "What brings you here?" For her part, Neko walked slowly up to the closed restroom door and concentrated, laying her hands on the cool metal surface. Outside, an OUT OF ORDER sign appeared, hanging off the metal surface, as if it had always been there.
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ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
"No politics, no religion, no endorsing corporations - not even your boss," said Ashley with a little humor in her voice. "I don't want people saying the Patriot told them this or the Patriot told them that. That's garbage." "And nothing about her identity," said Daisy smoothly, with perhaps a bit more polish than her boss. "She's happy to discuss her biography and personal life in general terms," getting a nod from the Patriot at that. "But her identity is confidential." "Honestly, I don't really have anything to add besides what you people already have in your files," said the Patriot, "I'm just here so people can see I'm not some stupid poseur." "If you still need a minute," Daisy offered her boss, "I can walk with Ms. Dobrhora out to where they're shooting." Once they were outside of the trailer, and notably out of eyeshot of anyone else, Daisy put her cold hand on Olivia's. "Listen, Olivia," she said, her tone suddenly sharpening like a knife. "I don't know what your story is, but I have worked very, very hard to get this job, and if you do anything to hurt my boss tonight, I am going to eat you alive." She smiled as the Patriot came out of the trailer behind them. "And that's a promise." -
"That depends on what you desire," said Eira equitably, pulling up a hotel room seat and sitting opposite Davyd's position on the bed. "We can go in as tourists. There is the reactor still, and part of the nature preserve. Talos likes to show the world that he can care for biological life just as much as synthetic. You will have seen the Youtube videos, yes?" As she spoke, she slid something back and forth on the back of her left hand and a spider crawled out. There was no other word for the translucent spun-glass thing that scuttled up her arm as she talked, even though it was clearly artificial from the silver lines inside its glassy body. Well, clearly, since it came out of a robot. "I can arrange things for you to meet the leadership. I have some...personal ties to draw on." By now the spider had crawled up on her shoulder and was distinctly watching Davyd with eight silver eyes. "Perhaps not Talos himself but certainly some of those close to him. You would have to prepare yourself," she said, "they are - sharp. You know." She smiled, white teeth against her yellow lips. "I would advise against simply sneaking across the border. It is not worth the risk to your life. They could kill a Grue who had intruded on their territory with very little comeuppance."
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"Oh he good boy," said Neko distractedly, her accent thickening from the stress as she looked around for the ladies water closet. She had very little experience with big venues like this and was obviously thoroughly lost by the time they had made their way out of the stands and down one of the corridors of the facility. "This not good place," she told Chimera distractedly, getting a hard tug from Owain's leash in acknowledgement of that as they finally started making their way towards a bathroom. "You should not be here. Not safe," she added firmly, her eyes flicking back to the goons moving not-so-subtly in pursuit of them.
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The robot got the location from Davyd, its front limbs waving, then texted back SEE YOU SOON. The spider-robot scuttled away and Davyd had a quick glimpse of it going back where it must have once come, zipping quickly and quickly up Eira's bare legs before disappearing underneath the line of her skirt. Eira wound up using an illusory taxi to escape from the Ukrainian well-wishers, disappearing around a corner of the square before she found a quiet alley to change her clothes and hair. The blue and gold jacket and slacks she was wearing were cheap, but nobody looked at the blue-haired girl and thought 'Angelic' as she headed for Davyd's hotel, which was exactly the way she liked it. She was dressed lightly enough to pass for a local with a good fashion sense, which was just the way she liked it too. The sun had set outside by the time she knocked on Davyd's door, and the hotel's halls were quiet in that way respectable hotels can be at a certain hour of the evening between the families and the drinkers.
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ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
Daisy fixed her gaze on Olivia, silent as her boss talked with the reporter, seemingly oblivious to her true identity. "Sitting is fine," said Ashley equitably, "that little stage the crew was setting up outside sounds fine." The Patriot sounded not so much annoyed or bored at the effort expended on her behalf - but fatigued. She reached over and pulled her jacket off the rack, the badges on the front clinking a little; the latest one revealing itself to be the face of Patricia Danger, a rare Danger family symbol that didn't constitute any sort of corporate endorsement from a US government employee. "So, this must be high-pressure for you," she said conversationally. "Am I supposed to be a lowball for the new girl, or did they throw you in with the sharks your first week?" -
ic Patriot Games (IC)
Avenger Assembled replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Grenville and Ashton
Daisy took her straw out of her mouth and eyed the new arrival suspiciously. Daisy herself looked a little too young to be the Patriot's secretary but her ID had put her at close to thirty; and plenty of people in the superworld didn't look their own age. "Hi, I'm Daisy Gibbons, I'm the night manager around here," she said with a sharp smile that seemed just a little wide to Davyd's actor's eye. "They didn't give us your name," she said, taking Davyd's hand in a cool grip. "The Patriot is inside." Standing in front of the door to the Patriot's trailer, she seemed to be waiting for Davyd to introduce 'herself' before a voice from inside called "It's fine, Daisy, let her in!" With a faint sigh, Daisy smiled tightly and opened the door, admitting Davyd into the company of an already-costumed Patriot. Ashley hesitated at the sight of the new arrival for just a moment, already standing by her makeup mirror as she fastened her gear around her armored torso, then said, "Hi. Guess I don't need to introduce myself, do I?" Her handshake was very firm. -
"Tarian." A shield appeared in Owain's hand, a curved symbol of a green ax set amid a field of wood, and then the duel was begun. Owain's fighting style lacked the flashiness of men trained in the martial arts; something that had actually taken Erik by surprise (for a short time) the first time they had dueled. Most young men who fought with swords in the old European fashion had been trained in expensive schools by swordmasters who had the goal of teaching how to look good with a blade. Owain had been taught how to pick up a sword and strike another man dead with it. It sometimes meant he was willing to try surprising things in battle. He circled Utsawa, his hips cocked just so to support the weight of the shield, and struck experimentally with his blade, slashing against the other boy's katana. Why must such a striking young man carry such a terrible curse? he thought irritably. It seems dashed unfair. Neko had at some point in the early stages of duel replaced her cats. She was sitting in a chair by the training mat, a large white cat in her lap, a swirl of illusion magic around her as always as she watched the boys with wide, yellow eyes, her gaze seemingly fixed on Utsawa in particular.
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Looking at Eira as she handled the crowd, it was hard to forget this girl was only eighteen. Davyd had seen her post-Claremont self before, of course, but up close it was striking how she'd obviously gone for a full 'adult' body. She looked closer to twenty-five than twenty, her smile ready and her handshake firm as she posed for pictures, signed a few autographs, and answered the questions of people who spoke English or Swedish. Surrounded by civilians, she didn't have the 'edge' that he'd often seen her display around their peers - she was downright friendly. Of course, this meant the crowd lingered longer than they might have otherwise, the snow falling thickly now down on them all. Eira was obviously scanning the crowd herself, but her standard sensor loadout didn't allow her to detect Grue. (So she said, anyway.) Eira was waiting for her greeting and the code phrase while she sorted out her latest project, a cybernetic spinal implant that would allow for remote muscle activation even by a user completely 'locked-in' by stroke, listened to Arch Enemy in her internal speakers, wondering if Pan would ever ask her to marry him, debating what it would be like to rebuild herself two and a half meters tall - and after a moment, she deployed another way of reaching Davyd. Davyd first became aware of the robot when his cellphone buzzed. HELLO. I AM HERE. LOOK DOWN. Looking down, he could see something almost invisible in the snow, a scuttling form of spun glass and metal that was half-buried in the snow and had eight distinct legs... DO YOU HAVE A PLACE? his phone buzzed again. Nearby, Eira was telling a little girl about the wonders of Science...
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Eira was notably solicitous of Pan today, escorting him personally to the breakfast table and watching him with concern, but somehow seemed just a little smug in the bargain as well. She made sure to help Pan down from the bus, checking on his welfare before she looked up at the castle and said "It is a real castle, yes?" She smiled, her teeth white against iridescent gold lips. "Better than a country home built by some Georgian aristocrat with more money than good taste." "Oh my gawsh look at it!" said Judy excitedly. "A real castle!" She took Micah's hand and practically ran towards the place. "Race you there! No cheating!" She ran fast and low, pumping her arms at her sides as she went, sneakers scraping against the dust as she went.
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He wants to save people, does he!? thought Neko, her mind whirling with boiling anger and suppressed terror. "I show you!" she hissed suddenly and with great effort took her hand and placed it on the side of Ghost's head, presenting him with an illusion that was meant for him and him alone. "Quiet." A man leads you into a room where another man is strapped to a chair. The other man is obviously a victim of torture; his fingers are bloody ruins at the tips, cigarette burns dot his face like markers on a roadmap, his filthy uniform is torn to rags around him. You turn your head and see yourself, a girl in a Japanese sailor suit, a fiery crown burning above your white and brown pointed ears. The first man speaks again; his voice muffled by his mask. On closer inspection he's dressed in a strange hybrid of a ninja's costume and a samurai's, the rising sun of wartime Japan emblazoned across his crimson chest. "Our English guest refuses to speak. Loosen his tongue." You stare at the man in the chair, who looks at you uncertainly. Then your hands tighten into fists and you do things to him; and he smiles as he stares at nothing, exclaiming "Yes! Yes! Get them, lads! Yes!" Time passes as he is cut free of his bonds and rises to his feet, marching in place. "I thought for sure I'd had it, lads. No, the plans are still safe. Where? Oh, in the compartment of my traveling bag-" The man's eyes widen for just a moment before the Crimson Katana draws his blade and with a single strike slices off his head. You watch, mesmerized, as the head falls to the ground, and then feel a wet copper spatter on your face that you realize is the blood pumping freely from the dead man's neck. The Katana's hand is on your shoulder. "Yes! Very good - Neko." When the illusion vanished and Ghost was once again standing in the quad - there was no sign of Neko, save a single Siamese cat that was looking up at him with cool blue eyes.
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"Panties," agreed Neko. "They are very nice!" she said with great feeling. "But I mean trousers, yes." She had been to about to clarify that she just meant that girls everywhere seemingly walked around in pants except for formal occasions, something that would have seemed terribly bizarre to her not so long ago. Zubon were for city girls who were probably all smoking cigarettes and whoring around, at least according to her mother when she was particularly in her cups. The fuku she'd worn to high school had been scandalous enough in her parents' eyes - an outfit she would never wear again - much less what American girls wore all the time now. But that was simply something bizarre, not scandalous - and then she walked into the store. In Hot Topic, Neko's eyes got big and a smile broke out across her face. The colors, the sounds, the music, the clothes - and best of all, Tori was paying for all of it. She wasn't too proud to take money from a noble girl, especially when all she seemed to want was friendship in return. She walked first up to a big black shirt that bore a striking black and white image of a girl's face with rolled-back eyes floating on a pool of water. "Junji Ito," she murmured to herself, reading the gruesome text. "Oh..." She smiled. Inside the store, Neko was happier than Danica had ever seen her in their few days of living together - certainly more excited. The store's fashions definitely fit her aesthetic, all blacks and bright colors, particularly the clothes with creepy art and designs on them. The Japanese art she looked at too, her face a little wistful, but luckily Hot Topic sold plenty of things that were both. She was eager to get her friends to try on new outfits too, admitting out loud that she had never had a chance to do this with friends before!
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Winter 2021 Kyiv It was a grey day in Kyiv, grey and white as heavy snow fell on top of what was already a heavy snow cover. But the people of Ukraine's capital were used to this, along with the various new super-coming-and-goings that the recent creation of Rurland, the robotic homeland, had brought to the region. But even so, the Ukraine was not Freedom City, and when Angelic dropped out of the cloud cover there were excited exclamations and snapping pictures. Eira liked that, so she flew a little slower as she circled Mykhailivska Square before coming in for a landing on front of its statuary. It was definitely cold, somewhere below 1C by her internal sensors, but she was comfortable in her cape and shorts combination. A few passersby wanted pictures, a few autographs, and with a smile the beautiful golden-haired goddess went about her work, snapping open an electric pen from her pocket. It was nice to be appreciated.