Avenger Assembled

Late January 2011 It was a cold day outside as Sharl slowly walked back and forth through Gina's upper floor. The novel physical sensations of existing in the 'real' world, the faint tingle as his feet sunk into the carpet, the way everything felt almost, but not quite real, was distracting enough to pull him away from the distracting spectacle of the snow outside. He hadn't asked about her plans to restore him to his home and family, right now he was fascinated enough by the world she was showing him that he was able to compartmentalize Tronik away in another part of his mind. He'd have so many stories to take home, and so many things he could tell his family. "This is really going great, Gina," he told her, looking over at where she watched him. On her screen, she could see that the projection system was running fine, the teenage program easily navigating the changes in his programming language that let him get around the house as part of the hard-light and magnetic holographic projection. "You know," he said, wandering up to the window and peering out, "I've been thinking. With all these modifications you're making so I can get around in your computer, could you tweak me enough so I could get around in other systems?" He shot her a curious look. "Like, project myself elsewhere? Or even send myself to other computers?"

Nullifying Acrobatic Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 16 (+3) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+13 melee) DEF: +13 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +16 Saves: 12 pp TOU +7 (+4 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +10 (+5 Dex, +5) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Acrobatics 15 (+20)* Bluff 11 (+13/+17)* Escape Artist 5 (+10) Climb 7 (+10)* Diplomacy 3 (+5/+9) Ride 5 (+10) Notice 10 (+12)* Feats: 28 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee 7 Attractive Challenge 2 (Accelerated Climb, Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Defensive Attack Dodge Focus 7 Evasion 2 Power Attack Takedown Attack Second Chance (Acrobatic Bluff checks) Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Notice) Ultimate Skill (Acrobatics) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 37 pp Circus Freak Array [21+3=24 pp] Strike 4 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty, Extras: Autofire and Penetrating on Strength and Strike) AP: Nullify 7 (all powers) (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire, Flaw: Range [Touch]) AP: Paralyze 7 (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire) AP: Stun 7 (PF: Improved Crit, Extra: Autofire) Leaping 3 (x10) [3 pp] Protection 3 [3 pp] Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp] Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Sure-Footed, Swinging) [6 pp] costs abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 15/60 + feats 28 + powers 37 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: So you’re a normal person in a place overrun by people with superpowers, many of whom are jerks who want to smack you around. It’s not an easy way to live, even, or especially, if you have connections that put you close to the most powerful people in the land. You need some way to defend yourself that you can carry with you wherever you go, even into the corridors of power. What do you do? Well, you train yourself to fight them on their own terms, using your fantastic martial arts training and command of chi to fight superhumans in hand-to-hand combat. It helps that you’re an amazing acrobat yourself, easily capable of competing alongside the best in the world, and a master of hand-to-hand combat. Yes, it’s Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Ty Lee as a PL 10 superhero. I think I’ve captured the character’s abilities decently well. She’d make a very effective chi martial artist in a superhero setting, with a special trick in hand-to-hand combat that makes her especially effective against many fellow superheroes. She can also paralyze normal people with a touch, or just punch them in the head. (I gave her the Strike to let her fight robots and things that wouldn’t normally be hurt by Nullifys or Will saves). She’s, for me, the most compelling of the show’s Quirky Miniboss Squad in the second season, largely because she’s a good demonstration of what happens to nice people when they grow up as parts of very not-nice societies. She’s a world-class acrobat, has a crush on every boy, and she can fight and win against just about anybody at her PL. If you want to make her friends, give lots of Throwing Mastery, or even a Blast with a Power Loss drawback to represent knife-throwing; or invest in lots of points and buy a powerful elemental controller who just happens to be a skilled martial artist in the background. As it is, I think this character could function well on her own. Play her as a reformed bad guy, one who’s worked with some pretty bad customers while trying to be an OK person herself, out to do good now that she’s had a chance to see evil up close and personal!

"Hah, no!" said Mark with a laugh as he got behind the wheel. "I'm not rated to drive the flying car, anyway. Ms. Harcourt and Mr. Summers make sure that only licensed pilots fly our school's aerial vehicles." In the passenger seat, Mrs. Harcourt hmmed at that, turning to keep an eye on the student as they headed onto the streets of Freedom City, answering his questions as they went. Mark was doing a lot of talking, the upperclassman seemingly eager to talk Brian's ear off about the details of every little place they were passing. He didn't give off the vibe of someone bragging, just someone who liked to talk. Soon they were at the school, a quiet blanket of thin snow on the ground on the cold January day.

There was much to do in the hours that followed: Edge and Wander helped reassemble the daka cage that held the Beast of Kilimanjaro, while Psyche, Phalanx, and Hellion returned from space with news of their successful placement of Adamant on a near-Earth asteroid that would hopefully pass well out of the Solar System: a grim exile for a grim monster, impossible to contain in any more safe or merciful way. After that was celebration and congratulations from the king and the people of Dakana: Young Freedom had saved the city, the nation, and perhaps the world from no less than two rampaging, unstoppable monsters. Again!

Edge spend an HP and seizes Initiative!

"Okay," said Sharl, taking his place on the towels. "Next time," he promised Gina with the full assurance that there would be a next time, "I'll do a better job out here." It wasn't that Sharl had given up on the prospect of going home, for all that he missed his parents: he knew Gina was working on ways to send him safely back through the hellscape of the Internet. But there was so much to do out here, and so many stories he could take home! As Gina pressed a few buttons, Sharl thought back to that grim scene, and decided to do more than just be a passenger this time. He wasn't just a load: he could actually learn something! And as he disappeared, he concentrated, reaching out with his fingers as he passed through that assaultive vertigo of nothingness... On the outside, Sharl's program disappeared neatly back into its partition. And as he did so, the contents of a full can of Mountain Dew splattered onto the floor, losing the shape of a human stomach as they hit.

"I think my work here is done," exclaimed Caradoc with false cheer. He was no scientist to function in the Lab, and what place did he have there? If he was there and a crowd was as well, his own secrets were at risk of being exposed. Still, alien technology was something he was curious about, especially if it might pose a threat to his adopted planet. "Miss Americana, the rest of you, I shall stay in touch." He studied the robot for a moment, then repeated "Welcome to Freedom City, Protectron. You will find it a welcoming place. Whatever you happen to be." And with that, he disappeared into the sky on a roaring column of what looked for all the world like dragon's breath!

"Well," said Sa-Ur, folding her hands delicately before her, her elbows just rising above the surface of the table so that she didn't actually touch anything. "I have always been...compelled to study your wars, I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "I've always found it terribly inhumane that your society makes so little use of superhumans in your armed conflicts. Millions of normal human beings die over several appalling years, when you could end the entire conflict with a few battles between champions." When the coffee arrived, she thanked the server and took it, raising it to her lips with a faint glow around her fingers. She took a drink, studied the cup, and said simply, "More." When Quo-Dis was at the counter, obeying her mother with a pinched look on her face, Sa-Ur gave Corbin a look and said suddenly, "Look, child, I don't want you to think I dislike you because of your species. I understand you may have a false impression about my people, and fleeting though it may be, I believe in the truth above all else. I have no objection to you pursuing a relationship with my daughter for whatever time you have available."

Outside, Jack asked his wife "Are you sure I'm welcome inside?" He gave her a wry smile, his skin very cold: it might be warm for Chicago in January, but that didn't mean it was that warm at all. "If you think I can come in, I will, I did say something about watching in the nursery. If not, JJ and I will be over in that Panera Bread." Jack wasn't happy about missing all the festivities, but between the holy ground and his personal relationship with Stesha, he certainly wasn't angry about it. The tension between them was not her fault, at least, not entirely. 50/50, anyway. Jack Jr. spit out his empty bottle and gave his mom a toothy grin, looking up at her with sparkling eyes. - "Oh man, this church is totally sweet," said Mark, heading joyously into the building, much as he did everything. He gave his usual speech about being a student of Dark Star's and Fleur's, for once showing discretion and not shouting "And so's Trevor! Go Claremont!" He knew his friend liked to keep things discreet like that, and he wasn't one to trifle with what Trevor thought was really important. "I bet all kinds of crazy super-stuff happens here! Did you know Chicago once had a fight between an archangel and an archdevil? It was back in 2005, a big battle fought here and in Texas. It was cool."

Screaming Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 40 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+13 Melee/+15 Unarmed) DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +9 Grapple: +18 Saves: 8 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+3 Wis, +4) Skills: 22 pp=88 r Acrobatics 15 (+20) Bluff 11 (+13/+17) Diplomacy 5 (+7/+11) Drive 5 (+10) Intimidate 10 (+12) Investigate 5 (+5) Knowledge: Streetwise 5 (+5) Languages 3 (Arabic, Japanese, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 10 (+13) Sense Motive 10 (+13) Stealth 5 (+10) Feats: 21 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee (5) Attack Specialization: Unarmed Attractive Challenge: Fast Acrobatic Bluff Dodge Focus 4 Improved Crit (Unarmed) Improved Initiative Luck (2) Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 27 pp Screaming Array [22+2=24 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2) 'Aaaaaa!' AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone, PFs: Reverse Progression 2) 'Eeeeee!' AP: Dazzle 10 (auditory) (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone], PFs: Longer-Lasting 2 (5 minutes)) 'Iiiiiii!" Protection 3 [3 pp] costs abilities 40 + combat 32 + saves 8 + skills 22/88 + feats 21 + powers 27 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: This is my build for a screaming hero, a character with a powerful sonic scream they can use to pull off a variety of effects. Versions of this character in comics include Black Canary II, Screaming Mimi, Angar the Screamer, and Tyroc the poorly thought out Legion of Super-Heroes character. (Obviously, I went with a version of the first for this build!) This lady just happens to be a world-class martial artist to go along with her sonic abilities, able to sweep through a room of goons with kicks and punches, then shriek the boss’s head right off with a powerful sonic blast. She’s also a good detective, a streetwise observer, skilled on her motorbike, and she’s pretty good to look at too! (I went with the version of the character who is not dressed like a prostitute: yes, non-comics fans, this is the non-racy version of this character’s costume!) How did she get her powers? Maybe she inherited them from her mother or another superhero parent; maybe she’s a cyborg who decided to get some technological help to upgrade her already formidable hand-to-hand abilities. Or maybe she’s a mutant! There are a lot of origins, and one that combines both formidable martial arts training and fantastic superabilities is one that’s going to give you a lead on a fantastic character. Maybe she’s part of a big super-team, or maybe she’s a gritty streetwise hero, perhaps accompanied by an archer sidekick...no, wait, forget the last part, he sucks. Maybe she’s on a team of fellow heroes, fighting the good fight. You could mix this character up a little if you wanted: maybe she shoots eye-beams rather than sonic screams, or maybe she’s a low-level elementalist in addition to her formidable physical abilities. Another version of the character might be like my recent Gazer-Beam build, where they’re all walking blaster and only somewhat competent at hand-to-hand fighting. Personally, I think it’s more fun to do both! Note that she doesn’t have to pay for a motorcycle under our equipment rules, but that if you want her to have a cool custom ride, you need to invest in actual equipment for her. Take a look at Push's sheet, or Midnight’s, for good tips, or check out the book Agents of Freedom!

In retrospect it was an obvious mistake to infect Grue tissue left behind after their most recent invasion with samples of Legion, the Mind-Virus, the incredibly infectious mind-stealing plague that once threatened to ensnare all the World of Freedom. But the promise of sending in a telepathic plague to permanently defang the potent Grue hivemind was a powerful temptation, and sometimes scientists are tempted by the promise of tomorrow. After all, what could possibly happen to prepared, watchful superheroes? What was born in that hero's laboratory was the Conquering Mind, a biological organism with fantastic telepathic and mind-control abilities, a merger of Legion's incredible infectious powers and the mind and cunning of a Grue. From one parent, the Conquering Mind inherited incredible power and the will to use it, from another, it learned cunning and deception, greatly expanded the finesse of its clumsy powers, and learned that it was the heroes of Freedom who were its greatest enemies. It learned something else, too. It learned how to have children of its own. That's right, folks, a Starro-expy for Freedom City. _Not_ looking for takers here, yet; just looking for ideas/suggestions.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Sharl, looking abashed. "I wasn't thinking about that! I thought..." How could he have been so stupid? He'd thought surely somehow his fake stomach would work just like a real stomach...but that was stupid. Too embarrassed to say anything further, he looked at his hands as Emerson scuttled upstairs and returned quickly with some fluffy white towels. When the robot returned, he dared to say, "It...it was really nice. I'm really glad you did this for me. It means so much to be able to walk out here, even though it's an alien place, and be part of it. Thank you."

"I did!" said Sharl, looking relaxed but still happy. "You have a beautiful house," he added. "Your yard is gorgeous, and your kitchen is really neat. You're really lucky to live in a place like this. I can't believe so many people here can afford to live in so much space." He smiled, walking back and forth and poking the wall occasionally. "You're a genius," he complimented her. "It really feels like I'm really here. I even drank a Mountain Dew and could really taste it!"

"Oh, wow..." Sharl breathed, staring out the windows in rapt fascination at the beautiful place where Gina lived. Just think! he exulted. She can go out there anytime she wants! It wasn't that he'd never grown up without seeing wild plants, of course; Tronik had plenty of pictures of the world they'd left behind, and expensive visits to one of the city's few arboretums were a family pastime. (His mother had treated the son of the owner for radiation poisoning, and so they could get tickets at no cost). But to see so many, and to know that Gina could walk into them whenever she wanted, do what she wanted there, and then leave when she wished. And that everyone else lived this way. This really is a wonderful place, he thought grandly. He walked around the kitchen, then decided to risk an experiment. If Gina had made him solid, why not? Cautiously, he reached over and took a can of Mountain Dew, remembering seeing Gina drink it as well as the ads for it he'd encountered on television and the Internet. Drinking fizzy beverages from cans was something he knew how to do at home, and he'd drunk Mountain Dew in the computer thanks to Gina's programming. The pop cap was a little harder to figure out, but eventually he cracked it open, if at the cost of losing the little rim inside the can. "Wow..." he murmured, before raising the can to his lips and drinking! He tasted the sweet fizz going down, and whooped! "I'm drinking real drinks!"

Wander leaped and landed safely, Edge clinging to her with great fervor and little grace, and just in time, too! With a mighty roar, the great beast came hurling after them, pounding up rocks and debris as it leaped a good quarter-mile to come crashing to Earth mere inches from Wander and Edge. The two heroes raced towards Midnight, pursued by the mighty monster of the mountain, the creature bellowing cries like something from a lost age. "Do it now!" Edge called to Midnight, trying to make his voice heard over the monster's ear-splitting bellows. "Do it now!"

Mrs. Harcourt led the way to the baggage claim, her voice full of practiced reassurance for the new student. "We've got a van waiting for us in the Adams lot, it'll take us all the way to Claremont. Normally we try and schedule multiple student pickups at the same time, but things are always different over the winter semester." She let Brian carry his own suitcase, since teenage boys were sensitive about that sometimes, and soon they were off outside. Freedom City in January was much cooler than Little Rock at the same time, for all that this was a strange year. Mrs. Harcourt and Mark were mostly quiet in the van, not wanting to pester the new arrival with lots of talk until he felt like talking.

Sa-Ur nodded her approval of the girl's plan, walking into the restaurant with the others as if she owned the place. She certainly had a regal bearing about her, if the viewer was inclined to be polite, something of the dignity and bearing that her daughter possessed that had attracted Corbin to her in the first place. "Yes, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not partake in your rituals." She took a seat between Quo-Dis and Corbin, and on closer inspection the teenagers realized she was not actually sitting at all, but rather floating a few fractions of an inch off the table. For her part, Quo-Dis shot Corbin a mortified look of apology as her mother studied Blake and Jessica. "Are you having-" "NO, Mother, they're not," said Quo-Dis, her pretty cheeks turning crimson as she hissed. "Please, they don't talk about that in public!" "Ohhhh." Sa-Ur nodded at that as if it explained a great deal, giving the two teenagers a look as her daughter ordered coffee for her. Meanwhile, inside Corbin's head, the teenager heard a voice. "I am SO SORRY!" thought an anguished Quo-Dis. "My mother thought my coming here was a bad idea, my father and I had to argue with her for AGES."

"I exist in a hermetically-sealed environment. I do not become sick," replied Caradoc elliptically. And it was true; his armor protected him against poisonous atmospheres and lethal contagions. He had personal knowledge of this. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor. Your honesty does you credit." Feeling a little guilty, he turned and studied the robot again. It is a robot no one seems familiar with, he thought. and neither am I. Though visions of burning robotic cities and incinerated mechanical champions were easy to find in his memory, he'd never seen anything like this before.

Sharl held up his hand, looked at Gina uncertainly, then decided to head up the stairs. "Okay, I won't go out of the kitchen," he promised, "and I'll yell and come back right away if anything strange happens. After all this work, the last thing I want to do is cause any problems." If she didn't want him to touch her, that was okay. Maybe she was worried he'd clip through her or shock her or something; either way, he didn't want to make anything of it. He slowly, carefully made his way up the steps, unconsciously clinging firmly to the handrail. He knew intellectually that if he fell here, he'd fall a long, long way, but it was still a natural impulse after a lifetime of being around things as real as he was.

TT, should Geckoman, Doc Titan, and Edge head for the fight?

Casting his eyes around, Sharl picked the wall. With a curious look on his face, he reached over and ran his hands over the woodwork, his eyes widening. "Oh, wow...I can feel it! I can actually feel it! I'm tingling just a little, and I can feel the wood underneath" He pressed harder, feeling his skin come into contact with the surface, and pressed hard enough to actually make the wall creak slightly. "Oh, wow! This is totally sweet!" He turned to Gina, a huge smile on his face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Walking around, his feet sunk into the carpet, his body responding to his environment as if he'd been there his whole life. When he was done, he was standing right next to Gina. "Can I go upstairs?'

Firefighter Hero PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 32 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 10 (+0) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 16 pp ATK: +4 (+10 Fireman powers) DEF: +10 (+2 flat-footed) Init: +4 Grapple: +9 Saves: 16 pp TOU +10 (+5 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +7 (+0 Dex, +7) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 9 pp=36 r Climb 5 (+10) Demolitions 5 (+5) Diplomacy 5 (+9) Drive 5 (+5) Knowledge: Physical Sciences 5 (+5) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 3 (+5) Feats: 13 pp Distract (Diplomacy) Dodge Focus 6, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ultimate Save (Toughness) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 64 pp Fireman Array 20 (PFs: Accurate 3, Alternate Powers 2) [45 pp] Drain Energy 10 (Extra: Ranged, PFs: Slow Fade 2 [5 minutes]) AP: Blast 10 (Extra: Autofire, Penetrating; PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any energy]) AP: Nullify 10 (any energy effect) (Extras: Targeted Area [burst], Effortless, PFs: Precise, Selective) Immunity 4 (environmental heat, radiation, suffocation) [4 pp] Impervious Toughness 10 (Flaw: Limited [Energy Only]) [5 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] Super-Senses 5 (Infravision, Vision Penetrates Concealment) [5 pp] costs abilities 32 + combat 16 + saves 16 + skills 9/36 + feats 13 + powers 64 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: This is a build for the Fireman, one of the iconic setting NPCs of the now-defunct Aberrantsuperpowered gameline published by White Wolf. (If you have a copy of the corebook, he’s the, uh, fireman on the cover). I’ve always liked the Fireman; he’s a genuinely good man who wants the best for everybody, in his personality he’s one of the closest things the setting has to a genuine superhero. He was one of the first people with superpowers to appear in public in that setting, saving the life of a busload of children trapped in a burning bus on the day that superpowers first began appearing in 1998. He’s one of the nicest, most personable guys in a White Wolf game, and I love that one of the canned adventures the PCs can take part in is assisting the Fireman’s run for the Presidency. Unfortunately for the Fireman, he’s a character in a White Wolf universe, and thus he’s in pretty serious jeopardy without the help of the PCs. And that’s if he _wins_. So why build this character? In game terms, because he helps me show “build for effects, not for power names”. The Fireman is an energy absorber built without Absorption, a power that’s not particularly well-put together or useful given that it breaks caps. He can absorb energy at a distance (I’d let him drain things like fires, electrical substations, and the like, as well as powers with energy descriptors), hold it in his body, and then fire it back at any target he likes. Mix Drain and Nullify to taste, depending your GM’s preferences. He can take some massive energy-based punishment thanks to his Impervious and Ultimate Toughness, letting him soak up a significant amount of damage. Structural fires and the like just aren’t going to do enough damage to get through his impervious. With his Immunities, he can walk into a burning building or a melting-down nuclear reactor and suck up everything there without a problem; he can also use his super-senses to _see_ inside a fire or a burning reactor without a worry. This guy actually would make a very effective fireman, and has been built with that philosophy in mind. He’s in great physical shape and very charismatic. If you like the power construction but not the concept, shuffle points around at will. His 20 STR could be spent elsewhere, for all that scores like that are pretty important for people with his job. He could use more feats and skills, certainly, and maybe you like him better as a brainy scientist type, or something else. Another idea would be to make his powers all Perception-range, which would certainly fit the concept of his power construction as well! OTOH, fires generally don't do a lot of dodging. If you stick with the fireman concept, there already is a superpowered firefighter in Freedom City, so maybe you guys can commute to work together! (She’s just immune to all fire effects, though, so she might get a little worried you’re after her job...)

Early January 2011 Brian wasn't sure what he'd been expecting at the arrival gate at Jordan International Airport, but the smiling African-American woman in the trim business suit and the cheerful fellow in the Claremont jersey who looked to be an upperclassman were certainly welcoming enough. The woman was holding up a "BRIAN HARRIS" sign, one she put aside as she caught sight of him. "There he is, Mark...Hello, Brian!" she said with a wave. "I'm Stephanie Harcourt, we spoke on the phone. This is Mark Lucas, he's one of our upperclassmen and he'll be assisting me on this tour. How was your flight?" she asked him cordially, steering them all out of the zone of exiting traffic so they could have a little more peace and quiet. "How much luggage did you bring?"

The flying Ultiman gave Corbin such a look, her eyebrows furrowing with anger, and he was conscious of a sharp look from his putative girlfriend as well. She did intervene on his behalf, though, when she looked at her mother and said aloud, "Mother, that's not fair. We're primates as well, and I happen to know that Corbin bathes regularly _and_ relieves himself indoors. And these are our friends Blake and Jessica, who do the same." I hope! she thought in that private part of her mind her mother couldn't read. "Very well," said the flying woman imperiously. She stared at Corbin's hand, then raised her own in the air in salute. "I am Sa-Ur, mother to Quo-Dis. May the blessings of whatever god-entities you worship fall upon you, Corbin Alphonse Hughes and Blake-Jessica. I shall speak in your language, in deference to your disability." "We weren't going to mate in the alley," Quo-Dis offered, sounding vaguely disappointed for a moment. "We were undergoing a mating ritual in the restaurant here, with Corbin and his friends." "Hmm." Sa-Ur frowned. "Very well, perhaps I was too hasty in my judgement. My apologies to you two. Neither of you are as...threatening as I feared. I wish to view this ritual."

Corbin arrived in the alley behind the restaurant just in time to see a glowing yellow circle in the air collapse into nothingness, revealing a hard-faced woman in black who looked down at Quo-Dis with folded arms. "...in a filthy alley, is it?" she finished a sentence that Corbin hadn't quite been able to hear. "This is why we send you to school? So you can...mate with them?" Quo-Dis stamped her foot on the ground hard enough to make the alleyway shake. "Mo-ther! For vril's sake, you need to let me have my own life! Why did you send me to Claremont if you didn't want me to live with the humans?" "I wanted you to learn from them!" Her mother fired back, still hovering in the air. "To learn about their culture and power, for the sake of our people! Not to mate with them in a barbaric alley! This place reeks of filth and decay, the squalor of a giant anthill! Why would you even want to be here in the first place?"