alderwitch

Robin smiled slightly, "Fred is my partner and she's an alchemist. We run a private investigation firm here in the Fens. I can't exactly become a cop..." Robin lifted up the bionic arm once more. Even if she'd been able to keep her supernatural gifts under wraps, the prosthetic was clearly beyond what was available to most people. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with it and it showed as she reached up to rub her fingers over the metal wrist. "Besides, most of the cops who patrol the Fens aren't locally born and bred. Too many of them think we're all just criminals waiting for opportunity. This is my neighborhood; I was born here. I do what I can to keep it safe. I'm Nighthawk. You can call me Robin, though. I lost my ability to keep a secret identity when I lost the arm." Robin sighed and glanced down at the car's contents. "They cut cocaine with it. Levamisole is rumored to increase the high and its a stimulant. It'll also blow your immune system out super fast. It could be any of a half dozen gangs that they're working with." She turned back to her beat up car to toss the guns in the back and fetch her camera. Taking a few snaps of the plates, Robin turned her attention to the lot numbers on the boxes, taking photos of those as well a small sample in an evidence bag. That Robin understood the basis of police work was clear. Her lessons at Claremont had been very thorough. "Veterinary medicine is tracked; each case will have information about the distribution center and lot numbers. You can use that to track back the theft."

Robin heaved a sigh at the new costumed vigilante in her neighborhood. "You're not from around here." Robin commented before raising her hands to cup around her mouth. She directed her shout towards the motel behind the newcomer, her projection clear and crisp. "Hey, it's clear. I scared them off for tonight. Go on back to bed, folks." She jerked her chin towards the window and the too small face that popped up to draw Red Lynx's attention that direction. Robin offered a smile and a wave before she let the bionic arm drop to her side. "The Riverview is one of the few places that doesn't ask questions or ask for ID to book a room. Makes it a popular place for crap like this to happen but its also the only home for about a half dozen families with kids. Those guys are new, they're not locals, and if you spooked them, these guns would have blown through the walls and windows like tissue paper. Yeah, I let them go for now. Bigger picture, kid." Robin padded over on silent feet to glance over the trunk but first she stopped by the discarded weapons. Robin covered her left hand with a glove before picking them up and flicking on the safeties. "I'll bring these back to Fred. We'll get some prints and check the guns against our records. They're green. Finding them isn't going to be difficult. What's your name?"

Intimidation: 18 Init: Also, 18!

Taylor had nodded towards Huang, opening her mouth to comment when a familiar voice cut through the general din. She hadn't heard that voice in a long time. Taylor started and then whipped around, pushing her hood back to see better. For once, Taylor's features weren't in the shadow of her deep cowl and a bright smile lit her features, wide enough to show the dimples in both cheeks. It made the familial resemblance between mother and son more striking. "Oh my stars, Burt!" Taylor exclaimed and she took a few steps away to hug the walking corpse, her cloak billowing out behind you as she beamed up at her former teammate, "It's been an age. Jack's around but... well, you know Jack. We'll see him when he wants to be seen. Come over. Huang, you remember your uncle Burt? JJ is at the manor with his nanny but you have to stop by. He's just finished third grade, if you can believe it. Oh, and I have to introduce you to Abby..." Taylor cast about for 'her' children, as she'd absolutely claimed Eldritch's daughter as part of her flock. She had to crane her neck - the Master Mage was not a tall woman - as she was corporeal and actually standing on the ground for once. She turned a pointed expression to her too-tall son. "Wave Abby over, would you, honey? I don't want her to feel lost."

"Hell, you assholes really are new in this part of town, ain't you?" Robin drawled as she took a step forward. Her grey eyed gaze shot to their guns and the loose grip before she took in their features. She lifted up her bare hand - the one still made of flesh and bone before she reached out to the nearby bike rack. Closing her fingers over the steel piping, Robin pushed down on the metal until it bent with with a loud 'crunch'. Lifting her prosthetic, Robin wiggled the silver fingers. "Just think what I can do with this hand. Now, let me make the suggestion one more time. Walk. Away." That was - in part - a bluff. Her prosthetic was no stronger than her other hand though arguably more impervious to bullets but it really didn't need to be. She was more than strong enough to back up her threats. "I'm still Nighthawk and these are still my streets."

"Dammit," Robin muttered under her breath. Well meaning hero though the near silent visitor might be, there were kids and families with no where else to go also taking advantage of those motel rooms. If the would-be-hero attacked, they might be fine but the spray and pray of these fine Fens natives might hit an innocent bystander. Regardless, she wasn't going to get the money shot tonight. Robin hissed another curse under her breath and shoved her camera onto the passenger seat. She didn't bother to grab her jacket as she opened the door and stepped out. The silver metal of her bionic arm caught the lamp light with a dim glint. She slammed the car door with a deliberate bang, meant to draw attention and took a step away, turning her back towards the street. "Bad parking lot to pick tonight. Tell you what. I'm feeling charitable. You drop the guns and the goods on the ground and I'll let you walk home on unbroken legs."

Talya slipped her arms around Erik's waist when he went to turn. Her smile was brilliant red and sharp as a knife's edge. "Well, you know that I'm just as happy when you wear nothing. Happier, really, but it would be a little breezy for a party, and chances are good we wouldn't even make it to the front door. Having all four children ambulatory does not make for the sort of antics we used to get up to." She brushed her lips against Erik's cheek before moving past him to bend over the options on the bed. "I vote for highway man. Black coat, black hat, black mask but very Jack of All Blades as an ensemble. I'm positive we have a pair of black leather pants just a shade too tight..." Talya drifted past him and into the cavernous space that she called a 'closet'. "I know I bought some for you... Ah, here we go." It was probably best not to ask WHY Talya bought those. She took great delight in shopping for Min and Erik, both. Erik was now the owner of a tailored tuxedo 'just in case' he needed one. Talya thrust one gloved hand out with the pants. "Here, try these?"

Phantom ghosted through the refreshment table to catch up with her too tall son. Huang had gotten his father's height which meant when Phantom's booted foot touched the ground, the top of her cowl barely came up to his shoulder. Underneath the shadow of her hood, Phantom's mouth curved in a fond smile for her long suffering son. It was hard to make a name for oneself in the shadow of famous - or infamous - parents. "Don't slouch, Huang," Phantom said as she turned solid, her feet landing softly on the ground. Gently she reached out to snag his drink and replace it with a goblet with wine that was very dark, very red and maybe just a little too thick. "Just one glass, though," she told Huang before turning her white eyed gaze towards the gathering crowd with an expression gone thoughtful. The Eye of Heshem glittered darkly at the hollow of her throat. "Have you seen Abbey yet?"

Any mystically inclined characters can cross the barriers though this invitation and gathering was more aimed at those who practice magic rather than those who ARE magic. Feel free to have the message show up to your character in the manner most appropriate for their magic. (Brought by a spirit, visions, card readings... scroll appearing out of thin air.... Being told you have to go by your mother! That's probably just Huang and maybe Abby though)

While it was known that the mantle of Master Mage had changed hands, the woman herself had been difficult to find for even the most skilled practitioners. In Phantom's defense, she had been very, very busy adjusting to her new role and making certain that her previous duties were still taken care of. That said, just because Taylor had the title and power, it didn't make her any more eager to leave her library for social engagements. Still, she knew that it was important to engage in the community. Not only would people have need of her skills, but she would doubtless need theirs. Apocalypse events were all too common for Earth Prime and when things hit the fan, it was critical for magic users to work together. A few social engagements went a long way towards easing tensions. The mystically inclined, inside and outside of Freedom City, found themselves informed that a gathering would be held on the summer solstice at the Elder Sign in North Bay. There were no instructions on how to navigate the wards included in the brief invitation. The Elder Sign had enough protections on it to keep random individuals from wandering into it. On the night of the event itself, from the exterior, the sign looked much as it always had but once across the ward lines, the actual event flickered into existence. Musicians played acoustic instruments on a stage at one end of the sign and the entire area was lit by witch light. The waitstaff were ghosts brought from the Farretti estates and who seemed quite pleased with a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery. Refreshment tables held food of all kinds with small handwritten labels in front to help nudge the unwary away from the more esoteric of offerings.

Life as a spy meant keeping parts of her life in neat little boxes. It was surprisingly useful in superhero work as well, it turns out. Talya had her life as the costumed crimefighter Bombshell and the domestic side of her existence with Willow and Erik. Unfortunately, though, there was a third box to keep up in the air; Bombshell was known as Talya Browning, after all, which meant she had a public persona to keep up appearances for as well. That's where things got tricky to juggle. While Talya didn't mind making those necessary appearances alone - it certainly was in keeping with the public perception of Natalya Browning, thief - it was a rare treat to have one of her spouses on her arm for an engagement. "Should be a relatively boring evening, really. It's just a fundraiser with some of the more... ah, well let's go with 'shady' upper crust of Freedom City. I know, you'd think with so many heroes, they wouldn't be nearly so blatant but they're not super villains. Probably. Most likely," Talya offered over her shoulder as she finished her makeup in the mirror. "Super villians have their own secret identities so while I wouldn't be terribly surprised if one crops up, I don't know of any who have RSVP'd." A masquerade, however, meant that she had a little leeway in keeping the boxes separate which meant she had a date for the evening. Willow was content to stay home with the children; a boring evening party with potentially rude people she wasn't allowed to smite was not high on the dryad's list. Honestly, she had to remember exactly how she did her makeup to go with this outfit. Talya hadn't worn this costume since the nineteen sixties after all. Hard to believe that she'd made a name for herself scaling buildings in a black minidress and go-go boots. It had really been a different era. At least the hollow heels had space for lockpicks and a few other emergency odds and ends. The black domino mask still sat on her vanity as Talya stood up and slipped the dress over her shoulders before padding out barefoot to find Erik. She turned around, presenting her back to be zipped up. "You truly don't mind coming with me? Your reputation is far more sterling than mine. Being on the same team is one thing but fraternizing is another." It was a testament to how much their relationship had grown that rather than cavalier, Talya's tone was at turns wistful and sardonic. That she made no effort to hide her emotions, at least in their bedroom, was real growth on the part of the former spy. That she both wanted the company and that she worried for any gossip or rumors, entirely on his behalf was quite clear.

"Shan't be me," Janus said with easy acknowledgement. They were well aware of where their skills did and did not lie. Stealth was not so much Janus' strength, after all, but that didn't bother the Danger in the slightest. They hadn't moved from an easy slouch while Kam got ready, hands in their pockets and posture relaxed. Janus offered a lazy elegant wave to demure any supplies needed. They were, after all, always armed. "Though if you need a distraction - which I doubt, I shall be more than happy to offer my services." As Kam rejoined the group, Janus finally pushed away from their perch to stretch and stand fully upright. Janus had been quiet for much of the school year; training hard but not exactly socially engaging with others. Depression didn't exactly manifest 'normally' for Dangers but it was no surprise that Ace had made plans to keep his nephew's child busy for the summer. A bored, depressed Danger did not make good life choices, to say the least.

Janus snagged their jacket, swinging it over their shoulders and making a few adjustments. It might have looked like primping to a more casual eye but in reality, Janus was adjusting from casual lounging to deliberately playing the foreign princeling. Even if the specifics of Fortuna royalty didn't track to Prime, enough of the carriage and bearing carried through. Janus straightened their jacket and adjusted the dagger strapped to one thigh before quickly redoing their hair so that while it remained braided back from their face for a fight, enough of it was loose to catch the wind like a brightly unfurled banner. "I can be the perfect gentleman," Janus pointed out to Kam before they gave Àjàṣorò the classic Danger grin. Janus winked, offering their arm. "Though, really, where's the fun in that. Shall we make a scene, princess?"

Janus leaned against the railing in an easy slouch, their eyes glittering behind the dark lenses. Despite the temperature, the teen wore another long sleeve shirt though they had pushed the billowing sleeves up past their forearms. Behind the lenses of their glasses, Janus scanned the beach with lazy interest. "Am I the distraction?" Janus asked, arching one rose red brow up towards their hairline. "Because blending in is not exactly in my wheelhouse." True, at almost six feet of height, Janus pale skin and brilliant hair would have stuck out like a sore thumb even if they were inclined to change their preferred dress. Janus had long ago learned, though, that sticking out could be just as useful as blending in. "Give you stealthy types the chance to do what you do best?" That was said with a slight smile and a tip of their head towards their cousin and the prince before Janus straightened from their slouch and bowed with elaborate formality and only a hint of a smirk for Dakana's crown princess. "I am happy to keep all on eyes on me. It's easy enough especially with a princess to escort about the marketplace?"

Janus lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. They looked surprisingly comfortable in tight leather pants and a loose poet's shirt. It gaped enough to show the edge of the binder that Janus had taken to wearing. "Of course," Janus agreed, nodding their head and flicking the thick braid back as they rolled to an easy sitting position. "I'm here most of the summer. Grandfather has me staying with our cousins here. He thinks that my Dakanan has grown woefully rusty after a year at Claremont and he's not exactly wrong. Frankly, though, I rather think that he simply wants me out from the Manor for the summer. Nothing cures the doldrums like a little bit of danger, or so I am told." Rolling the rest of the way up with loose limbed grace, Janus stretched before lacing their hands behind their head. "When do we leave?"

Janus Red Sky at Night = 2 Posts Last Gasp of Summer (IC) (Open) = 2 Posts And Carnal Forbearance (IC) = 1 Posts Flash of the Blade = 1 Posts Bombshell S.H.A.D.O.W. of Doubt = 1 Posts Guide PP to Bombshell please

Janus hesitated for just a moment once Erik switched it up. Both Ace and Erik were skilled enough to clock the moment's pause for what it was although a layperson probably wouldn't have recognized the heartbeat of a hiccup before Janus adjusted. Rather than chase after Erik or fall back on trying something ranged, Janus slipped into a strike and run sort of tactic. With the sort of lean and limber athleticism, Janus probably could have thrown in acrobatics but the dojo was not familiar stomping grounds to Janus and they really had no desire to fall on that trim butt in front of the first promising teacher Janus had seen on Prime. Whirling, Janus blinked those pale violet eyes once at the request and gave a little bow of their head. "I shan't aim for Master... for Erik's jewels, Grandfather." Janus promised with wry amusement. Quickly wiping down the training sword before setting it back on the equipment roll, Janus unbuckled the leather buckler as well. "I've spent most of this summer watching all of the classics," Janus explained, "I may have visited this earth a few times a year but I didn't want to be woefully unprepared for popular culture references going into high school. Of course, it IS Claremont so..." Janus gave a little wiggle of one hand as if to say 'everyone's a little weird'. With their practice weapons safely away, Janus flexed one hand and then reached those elegant fingers up towards their sternum. The dimensional barrier rippled a little, like disturbed water, as Janus' fingers closed around the raw magic of Fortuna that pulsed around their heart and drew the crackling power from deep within, shaping it into physical form. The magic hidden under Janus' skin surged and sang - not audibly - but to mystic senses as it was tapped by Fortuna's native son. Touching their opposite hand to the blade, Janus drew off enough humming magic to surround their off hand with a buckler made of glowing light that pulsed in pink to rose hues. "It's something my father brought to Aruivia," Janus said softly, their gaze downcast on the weapons made of light and magic as if they could feel their home just a little bit closer with Fortuna's magic humming in their hands. It was a bittersweet feeling and the flicker of homesickness flashed across Janus' fineboned features once more. "I don't, entirely, know how it works other than the obvious - I mean - I can use it but the metaphysics of it never mattered at home. I do know that my story shapes the magic.. Grandfather?" Janus glanced over their shoulder towards the immortal adventurer as Ace probably knew more about that aspect of Fortuna than Janus happened to. It had never mattered to Janus before leaving for Prime.

Its me! I'll be getting a post up tonight.

Janus nodded their head politely to Masque, committing the codename to memory. "My family doesn't typically take part in secret identities or code names and I'm no exception. Just Janus remains perfectly fine," the teenage swordsman agreed although they'd neglected to volunteer much in the way of their abilities. Janus grinned at Kam, amusement lacing their tone as they added a polite nod of their head to the royal Dakanan teenagers, "Does that mean that we are foregoing the farce of having not met each other while in squad activities? That's a relief. Espionage is not my forte, personally." Pushing away from the wall, Janus absently stretched one arm over their head, pulling it slightly to work out the kinks, "So what's the exercise that you had in mind as an ice breaker, Gauss?"

Janus padded down to the Danger Room, looking around with interest but a distinct lack of awe. The downside of growing up Danger, Janus' experience tended towards being used to, if not expecting, this sort of thing when doing super-hero things on Prime. They weren't wearing anything much different from normal, well, normal for Janus. Which meant, poets shirt, leather pants that might have been painted on, boots that laced up over the knee, and a very bejewelled jacket that caught the light. "It's a good idea," Janus agreed with Gauss as the long limbed Danger teen followed Elizabeth into the room. "And we really don't need to turn anything into a bragging match. I'm sure we all bring something special to the table. The point of working as a team is to help each other refine what those skills are. The whole greater than the sum of its parts and all that." Reaching up, Janus caught their long hair and with deft fingers began to braid it back into a thick rope so it would stay out of their face. "Elizabeth, do you have a code name you prefer?"

Janus simply nodded companionably, leading the new Lady Liberty to a comfortable distance away from the crowd, letting part of the hill provide a visual break from them and the other teenagers. There wasn't that much there that was actually needed, other lawn games that were less likely to be played by the cluster of teens. Janus waved one elegant hand towards a seat that Monica could take if she wanted. "I understand, at least, in some ways." Janus smiled, a wry, weary smile that kicked up one corner of their mouth into a cynical smile that sharpened the resemblance between Janus and Ace. They gestured vaguely towards the sleeveless swimshirt, "I don't usually wear this to swim in. I debated wearing it. I'm still debating wearing it." Janus shrugged then, crouching down to collect enough things to bring back something when Monica decided she was ready to walk back, "Just take your time and if you need another break, you can flag me down. I'll make up an excuse and you can take little breaks. Sometimes just knowing you can take breaks is enough." Having collected a small mesh bags of balls and bats for the beach that no one would probably even look at, Janus leaned one hip against the bench. They were clearly willing to sit there and wait - talking or not - until Monica felt up to facing the knot of students. "I don't know if it helps, or not, but you know that everyone out on that beach has something they're self conscious about, or that they're working through. Even Corrine." Janus' mouth kicked up in that little half smile, "Maybe even especially Corinne. From what I have gathered, it appears to be the natural teenage state to be a little out of sorts in a world that's not quite shaped for you."

Guidepoint to Bombshell please! Bombshell S.H.A.D.O.W. of Doubt = 2 Posts Janus Danger And Carnal Forbearance (IC) = 7 Posts First Day Jitters = 8 Posts Flash of the Blade = 6 Posts Assemble! = 5 Posts (IC) School Daze = 14 Posts Nighthawk Knight Errant, LTD. = 3 Posts Lovelace The Black Luck Job = 1 Posts Phantom And the Moon Is In Shock [IC] = 1 Posts Stay Local(IC) = 1 Posts

The 20 will hit and you will KO him, TK, go ahead and get your IC post up.

Janus' laugh was warm and easy at Nicole's banter and they winked the one eye surrounded by the starburst scar. Janus held up their hands, elegant as they spread their fingers wide, palms turned outward in a gesture of innocence. "I'm not trying to peel you off from the pack, I assure you. I endeavor to be more of a gentleman than my reputation might purport. Dangers, I know, the reputation proceeds us." Shaking back their ponytail back over one shoulder, Janus pointed one muscular arm towards an inlet, "We do have the ships and either Veronica or I can pilot most any craft that we have access to, but no. There are a few individuals who have less experience in the water than others so we've created a smaller section of shore that's a bit more cordoned off with temporary bluffs to keep the water smoother than the rest of the shoreline. I have no doubt that we can get you whatever tech you might need to feel safe in the water with what all is laying about the manor. Just... ask if there's anything you need." Janus offered Nicole a friendly smile, glancing over at those that seemed discomfited in some way while Janus had been focused on checking in with the other teen and then nodded their agreement to Kam's suggestion, wincing a little at the crash from Adam and laughed, "It's alright, Adam. The 'Danger Beach' has survived rougher antics. Several invasions of one sort or another if I don't misunderstand Grandfather's tall tales. Make yourself at home. I'll be right over there, Kam. Give me two minutes." Their careful scan had marked Monica's discomfort and that, Janus understood, all too well. "Hey, Monica... right? I'm Janus." The Danger offered before cocking their head towards the manor in subtle invitation for the escape that Monica had been looking for. "Want to help me fetch the sports equipment?"

I'm sorry, H, I rolled really well for once. He'll shake off her efforts with a 27