alderwitch

July 14th The OOC thread for when everything goes horribly, tragically wrong.

It was late morning when Phantom blipped into her apartment and shed her costume in favor of a shower and a cup of coffee. She'd been out in one of the distant dimensions dealing with a missing (and very precocious child) and it had already been a day. Actually, as she strolled out bundled in a robe and coffee cup in hand, it might have been more than a day as she glanced at the thirteen messages blinking away on her machine. One frantic check of the date later, she was skipping rapidly through her messages. Two missed days of work, okay, that would be hard to deal with. A late assignment, not a problem. The fact that yesterday had been family dinner night? Big problem. Giant problem. Huge bleeping problem. After listening to her mother's guilt-filled message three times, there was only one thing to do. Well, two, but she was already panicking. No. It was time for action. Time for... a giant lie that would distract her parents for at least a month. After pulling a handfull of odds and ends from her dimensional pocket, ('Where did I even get a yo-yo. How long has this been in here?') Phantom retrieved her cell phone and a slightly battered card. Please, please pick up. Pleeeeeaaase. "Avenger? Phantom. I need a favor."

Have a HP for the fiat end to the fight.

She flew backwards with a gasp of shock more than pain, the vase shooting up to spin over and over in the air. Still on her back, Bombshell caught the delicate glass then, with wide eyes, rolled to the side to avoid being struck by the masked crime-fighter. She twisted her body, somehow coming to her feet and slipped the vase behind her back as she nimbly danced out of the way. She laughed, "Well you can tell it's a different era, I'll say. No one's chosen that method to stop me before. Something to think about." Bombshell slid in again, this time leaving a lip-print as she pressed a kiss to the hockey-mask, "Time's up, luv. But, thank's for the dance." And with that, to add insult to injury, she vanished in plain sight using one of his own tricks.

Its cuz she's too pretty to smash into the pavement. RIght? RIght??

Alex trooped in after James and volunteered in the sort of detail that only someone with eidetic memory could today's events. After the blow-by-blow of the traffic, Summers cut in to ask pointed questions instead. Otherwise, Alex would have been in there longer than the twenty minutes that it did take her. When she stuck her head out, her expression was a subdued shadow of its usual sunny smile and she told the kids, "He wants to see us all now." As the kids trooped back in, Duncan Summers was standing with his back to them, behind the massive desk. He watched the children playing in the field and didn't turn around as they all trooped in and assembled themselves in a rough grouping infront of the desk. He was always a slightly imposing figure, but standing there backlit by the sun he seemed larger some how. A product of a bygone era. And when he finally spoke, it was to a dead silent room, "Today, you made a choice. You may not realize the full consequences of that choice for months. Even years. But you will remember that today was the day you made it. I can't tell you if the choice was right or wrong. Nor can anyone else. The only person, who will ever know if in the end you regret the moment, or cherish it... is you. :bat: " His voice rolled through the small room, deeper and far more serious than they've heard the headmaster before. "What I can do is see that you're as ready for the world out there that you can be. You'll start weekly trainings. If you are going to work together as a group, you're going to need guidance. A fair amount of it from what I've seen today. That we can provide. The rest of it, in the end, will only come from hard work and a single-minded dedication that we will both see if you're capable of. I can only hope that you are up to the task set before you." He paused for a long moment, his eyes searching the field and his hand clasped behind his back with his cane forgotten at his desk. "All I ask is that you do not forget in the immortality of youth, that we are always here to guide, to help or even to listen... Now, off with you. I'm sure you have homework to attend to."

Darn you and your strength. 1d20=12 You knock her down and she has instant up. The vase goes flying so shall we see who can catch it with a dex check? Highest gets the vase 1d20+7=25 I should go roll for my other characters with my current luck streak.

She met his eyes, looking wide and startled and downright delicate for a moment, capturing one full lip between her teeth. She looked down-right frightened of him. There may even have been tears. "Do you promise not to hurt me?" Her voice was soft and husky as she dropped one shoulder in the beginning of a surrender, then as she felt his fingertips loosen, she twisted into a roll to pull the vase out of his fingers and cushioned it with her own body as she tucked and rolled away from him, coming up to her feet at the crowd's edge with a husky laugh. "Catch me if you can, hero." And with that she was pelting away through the lobby and towards the front door.

She's going to try a trick action with bluff to trick you into letting go of the vase: 1d20+20=38

Resisted: 27 And yes, you can continue to do things without letting go of the vase. :)

Avenger's hand closed on the vase at the same time a slender black gloved one closed on the other side of the rim. He got to stare into a wide pair of pretty blue eyes who seemed just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. Around them, people continued to mill unaware of the erupting fight in their midst. After a half second, the woman's eyes narrowed and she threw a mean right hook with her free hand while yanking the vase free with her other. A small folded note came free from the bottom and floated to the ground in the midst of the scuffle over the vase. The woman in question was roughly five and half-feet tall and looked poured into the leather body suit that opened in a deep vee over her cleavage. Her blonde hair was loose down her back and fell over one eye. Her face was somewhat covered by a delicate domino mask but it more enhanced than concealed a heart-shaped face with wide blue eyes. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Scarab found herself breathless in an abandoned penthouse. There were small footprints back and forth in the carpet, and the first thing she noticed was the stop watch's cracked face. Well used to dealing with someone who has ESP, there was a note but it was folded up in an envelope and tucked under a book so that it would have to be opened manually and not have been obvious but for the small corner of paper between the books pages. The note read: 'tick tick tick... did you really think I'd risk people who weren't already part of the game? 555-1010 XO - B

1d20+7=14 Not much better than you. And you get a HP for your stealth being stomped on. You are both still concealed to everyone else though so no one notices the altercation.

Pathos: Alexandra Albright was a blessed child. Truly gifted. So gifted, in fact, that she discovered an unholy ability to manipulate people's minds with her very thoughts. Her parents were the first playthings in her life but by no means the last. It was when she was in elementary that her powers were noticed for what they were as it was much easier to notice the class of adoring thralls. She was quickly transferred to the Academy where things were actually difficult for Alex for the first time in her life. She discovered that she didn't like 'difficult', nor did she like the sensation of people able to dislike her. A quick study, she added more variations on her emotional manipulations, subtler that raw power and even more dangerous. Now, she's attatched herself to Mark and his little band. She's had her talons in Assault since childhood and she was quick to 'help' Singularity find her 'long lost sister'. She's very careful to keep her manipulations on Mark much more... subtle. After all, what fun is it to be the mean girl if you don't get to date the school's most popular boy. She aims to make certain that Mark's successful, and Alex always gets what she wants.

I'm gonna need a notice check from Avenger when he's gotten to the vase. Shaen, how fast is Scarab able to fly?

"If you do find a need to talk about today's events, I will remind you that I am available. If you have nothing more you need to discuss with me, you may rejoin your friends." He inclined his head to the younger man, not pressing him further. For the moment.

"Thank you. And, no, I don't need the elevator. You're correct," Alex looked around with a quiet but lively curiosity. The focus of her attention remained on Scarab but she took in her surroundings with wide hazel eyes. She followed Scarab's directions and ate a quick snack, although she didn't bolt her food either. Instead, she chose a combination of snacks that included fruits and a bottle of water as well as a sugary treat at the end. She cleaned her hands off afterwards and made use of the facilities. Alex expected they'd be tranced out for at least some portion of the morning and she made certain that she'd have no physical distractions of hunger nor any jitters from caffiene. Once she was finished, she followed Scarab's directions quickly, although she continued to examine all the different objects she passed. Alex always did love museums. She made a mental not to up her historical studies even as she presented herself to Scarab once again.

Alex launched herself at Mike's shoulders, laughing as she already knew it was a futile effort as she was rarely succesful at dunking her best friend. Still, she gave it her best, pushing down on his shoulders with her full weight.

Scarab's psychic search turned up no one wearing a costume like Bombshells. The costume itself was on a manniquin inside Natalya Browning's empty and ransacked penthouse, in the center of what had once been an elegant living room. Memories of Scarab's past life supplied a room done in whites and golds with plush furnishings before it faded out to the grey and dust covered wreck of what it had been. In two of the empty squares on the wall, the asylum paintings hung but the masterpiece, the one Avenger needed to find was no where in the city. There were fresh tracks in the dusty carpet and the costume was clean on the posed figure, complete with golden wig. In one hand the figure held a stop watch.

What you will get, just from Scarab's work is the following: From your own notes on Bombshell, the only other time she's left a replacement was with the theft of the vase in the late 60s. Her standard MO is outragous thefts, like stealing a necklace off a woman in the middle of a crowded party. This heist was on the easy end for her thefts. She's a thrill seeker, and a risk taker. She does adhere to a code of honor so if this Bombshell is anything like the one from the 60s, she'll stick to any deal she cuts. All of the books are in the hands of private collectors in the city. Two of the paintings are on rotation in the museums, a third is in storage here in Freedom. The tiara is in England on tour, but the necklace, tapestry and vase are all in Freedom. The necklace is with its original owner, the tapestry is in a museum and the vase is downstairs in the pyramid plaza's lobby. It was purchased at auction after Bombshell's arrest by the Rhodes foundation.

Alex gathered her things up quickly, an expression of concern on her face. She wasn't worried about being in trouble but she quickly hurried on the off chance there was a problem with her family. Relieved, Alex collected the papers in question, stowing them neatly in her backpack before she gingerly stepped onto the transportation device. "You'll make certain my roommate knows, sir? She'll worry if I'm gone for too long" Alex blinked and glanced around with an air of wide-eyed curiosity. When she saw Scarab, she broke into a wide smile and stepped forward to politely greet her host, "It's an honor, Ms. Scarab. Thank you for having me. You're welcome to call me Alex, if you'd like." She shifted her bookbag to the side and politely offered her hand to the armored figure, "You have a lovely Lair."

Headmaster Summers looked up at the new recruit to Claremont with a thoughtful gaze, "Would you like to talk to someone about the demons?"

Ah, well, there you go then :D

Highlights of Bombshell's career (1964 - 1970) Books 1st Edition Alice in Wonderland - successfully stolen, 1964. First crime in Freedom City attributed to Bombshell. 1st Edition A Study in Scarlet - (Sherlock Holmes) foiled by Scarab, 1966. Book was held in private collection. Folio of Da Vinci sketches - sucessfully stolen, 1967, from the Kirby museum. Paintings The Harlott's Progress - William Hogarth Stolen 1964 from an art museum. The Hireling Shepard - William Holman Hunt Stolen 1965, private collection. A Welsh Sunset River Landscape - Paul Sandby Foiled 1966 by Scarab, private collection. Salisbury Cathedral - John Constable Foiled 1967 by Scarab and Centurion. The first and last time Bombshell faced the Centurion. Whistlejacket - George Stubbs Foiled 1968 by Scarab, Kirby musuem. Death of Chatterton - Henry Wallis Stolen 1968 (same heist as Whistlejacket but this one she got away with) Ready for the Ball - Sophie Gengembre Anderson Foiled 1969 by Scarab. Misc 14th c. Tapestry of King Arthur - attempted twice, once in 1965, foiled by Scarab and Raven, and a second time sucessfully stolen in 1970. The last theft completed before arrest. 16th c. Sapphire necklace - sucessfully stolen, 1969. Private collection. Stolen during a high society party off the woman's neck. 18th c. Tiara - foiled by the Freedom League, 1969. The most valuable piece ever (known) to be attempted by Bombshell. 20th century blown glass vase - stolen, 1968. Not an expensive piece. Taken from a very low end import store. Sentimental value of some sort. One of the few times a fake was left in its place. Of the pieces stolen, the most valuable is the Madge Gill. The two other pieces are smaller works by inmates in Bedlam. The necklace was found in the wreckage post Blitz. Its a tin and silver locket of little value but historical.

Shaen, as Scarab has eidetic memory, I'm going to post Bombshell's career highlights. As Scarab died while Bombshell's estate was being restored to their rightful owners and its been 30 years, you will have to do some research to find out where they are all now.

Alex slanted Mark an amused glance, she gave Erin a quick wink over her shoulder so that her roommate was in on the game. Alex knew how little she liked surprises so she wouldn't dream of including Erin in the impending 'attack'. She caught Mark's hand under the water in order to include him in the blank space she projected, vanishing the two of them to all normal senses while the other boys were rough housing, a trick she hadn't demonstrated before although Mike would know of the ability.