alderwitch

I could see tossing Talya into this! Social is her bag, really!

"Dimitri, and I work so hard to get people t'think I'm not gonna set them on fire," Leilani replied evenly, her tone bemused as she turned to smile at the thermovore. Turning back towards Pax, she tipped her head to the side, "What's the catch?" She wanted to know, "If a bit of thumping was gonna work, you'd have probably started there rather than throwin' rocks through windows in a totally different town. Doesn't really add up." She tipped her head towards Bonfire and Frost then, including them in her questions, "An' you mentioned blogging earlier. On the computer, but now you're on the street? Don't make sense." She frowned, folding her arms up over her chest, as stubborn as the rock she molded, "I'm not going anywhere until we got more'n a bit of cryptic sentences of what all's going on."

Nighthawk's nod was all business but her sidelong smile at Woodsman was as brief as it was warm. "Nor ours," she agreed with Nevermore under her breath. She took a few steps back from the edge before sprinting into action to follow Nevermore's path, making sure that any one who went down was going to be out of at least this fight.. As the radios began to static up, she changed her pattern. Nighthawk was well aware that it was her job to get hit if someone was going to. So, rather than cover, she launched herself straight from the rooftops edge into a knot of guards. "Hey, wanna dance?" She asked, the words muffled under yelps and bursts of gunfire shot harmlessly off towards the sky. Nighthawk's fist struck out, chopping one man in the gut and then then jaw with just enough force to send him to the ground. As she turned to sweep her leg out. "Gonna play the distraction, boys, while you find us an opening to the target."

"No, don't-" Volcanic's warning as hands reached for her was swift but not swift enough. "Kimo, boat's stable, take care'a the kiddo, yeah, and settle the waters? Not as good as earth, but I don't need to see with my eyes." Of course, to grab anyone with hands and arms, she'd have to drop back to flesh and blood that still needed air to breathe but she'd been a strong swimmer before the incident and had much more to work with. "Jane Brook," she added, trying to enforce some sort of authority through her tone. The god thing gave her great pause but it was a low priority at the moment. "Chat later, save now. You follow Kanunu's lead. Got the same kinda powers, close enough." With that said, Volcanic dove from her seamount, pulling her heat in as tight as possible although she hit the water still with an audible sizzle as she sliced her way to the seabed floor and stretched out the senses through the soil and rock. Fortunately, she'd already touched and shaped this earth extensively. It knew her, and part of her suspected that it even welcomed her. Help me, she thought, her senses stretching out as her memory fell back through what to her had been months, but to the world had been decades. The dark of the ocean closing above her and the way her chest burned. Drowning is no way to die. Please. Help me. Reaching out her hands, Volcanic swore she felt the sea bed pulse in time with her heart beat. There. There was one person still fighting the water's grasp. She dove in that direction.

Talya settled in as instructed, scooting back on the parka. In between the pains, she grimaced, "This is ever- so- much worse than throwing up on your boots." Talya's humor was a thin veneer, and for once easily recognizable as such. Not even her training could account for poise under these particular circumstances. It wasn't often that Talya felt fear, but it had been a constant companion during the war and Dimitri would see its ghost under the pain on her aristocratic features. "I'm told that eventually the memory of this unpleasantness fades and the experience becomes palatable once more. Do remind me of these moments in the future..." In the face of the many indignities of labor, though, and another round of pain had her adding, in her native English with what humor she could muster, "Actually, lets not speak of this ever again."

Although she was far too young to have been in the military, or anything of the sort, there was definitely something in her stance that reminded Mike of the police academy - that at rest but prepared to stand for as long as things might take, the squared shoulders; even the short, sharp nod she gave in response to his question. "Sure," Robin agreed, relaxing minutely as the conversation shifted away from her at least in part. She'd much rather hear about his school friends and days than talk about her own life. "At Claremont?"

Nighthawk: 1d20+10=22

11:45 am Erin climbed back over the balcony and into the brightly-lit third floor salon that had been appropriated for the bridal party’s use today. Her own bedroom (the one she’d used before she and Trevor started sleeping together full-time, and where she still stored much of her old school stuff) had been deemed too small and too dark for any serious wedding preparations, so instead this sun-washed room had been adorned with a dozen mirrors and nearly that many chairs and couches. It smelled like potpourri and hairspray, a smell that made her nose wrinkle as she walked in. “I’m back!” she called, hoping to head Alex off at the pass. “And it’s not noon yet, I’m not late!” She surreptitiously poked at her hair to make sure it was still all glued into place. “It’s your wedding,” Alex replied with patient amusement. “If we were doing some sort of fundraiser for AEON, I’d have room to scold.” The petite psychic remained as carefully put together as she had been right after finishing with makeup and hair, to the degree that she was probably using a little of her potent abilities to ensure she remained put together. She floated up enough to take over the job of ensuring Erin’s hair was all in place with more delicate fingertips. “You look lovely, and everything is going to be just fine.” “No, don’t touch it!” Erin batted lightly at Alex’s hands, grinning. “You’re gonna make it all tickly and I can’t scratch my head for another nine hours. It’s why I made them put me last in line for makeup, so I can at least rub my face for another forty minutes. Unzip me?” With Alex’s help, she shimmied out of the green dress, then tossed on a puffy terrycloth robe that reached to her knees. She wasn’t quite ready to put on the dress yet, and Frank wouldn’t arrive till shortly before picture time anyway. Instead, she paced the room with long strides, careful not to tip over any of the hair and makeup stuff that was pretty much everywhere. “Ugh, I can’t settle down. Do you think there’s gonna be enough food?” “There’s going to be plenty of food and if we happen to run out, you have at least two people in the bridal party alone that can make food appear in an instant with a very minor misuse of powers.” Alex replied patiently, turning her attention from the bride to tidying the room even if that might be a futile task in the face of the chaos of a wedding day. “And, really, even if everything went wrong, you’ll marry Trevor today and that will be all that really matters, right? That’s going to happen no matter what, so, the day will be perfect regardless.” “Yeah…” Erin scrubbed both hands over her face, perhaps just because she could. “Yeah, that’s the bottom line. I just gotta keep that in mind. But the backyard is turning into a fairytale forest, and some of the Claremont kids and Stesha just killed a bunch of evil trees out by the pond, and I just finished dealing with the Ghost of Erin Past, and I think my head might explode just a little. I see why you guys want to do your wedding small. That sounds really good right now.” “Minimizes the chance of another T-baby protest,” Alex agreed with a faint smile. She gave a slight shrug of her slender shoulders, “Mike’s secret identity is pretty fragile at this point, honestly, and large crowds remain a little exhausting for me to filter out. Besides, I don’t think we have the same super-hero connections to address. My PR person at AEON would love for us to do a big thing but I regularly disappoint her in my life choices.” Alex’s smile was impish before she added, “But everything’s going to be fine. If nothing else, Mark’s powers will ensure that it has a happy ending.” “Yeah, Mark’s a little scary sometimes, but he does love weddings.” Erin agreed. “I’m surprised he and Nina haven’t made it official yet, except that her dad is pretty intimidating. But then, compare him to Rick Lucas… okay, maybe it’s not totally surprising that he’s okay with just living together,” she admitted. Walking over to the minifridge, she pulled out a bottle of water and opened it, then just held it for a minute. “Tell me I’m not going to hurt him,” she murmured, keeping her face down, and it was obvious she was no longer talking about Mark. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, but am I just being selfish? This is gonna work out, isn’t it?” “I can’t tell you that,” Alex said, her voice very gentle. Out of long familiarity, she stood near at hand but not actually touching Erin; a palpable comforting presence without invading Erin’s personal space. “Sometimes love is hard. I can’t tell you it won’t ever be hard, or hurt, but I can tell you that the two of you love each other enough to get through the hard things together. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, too, and Trevor knows that.” Alex said, with not only a psychic’s confidence, but a steadfast friend’s. “This is anything BUT selfish. If it was selfish, Erin, it wouldn’t feel so big and scary.” Alex paused, letting a touch of humor slip into her tone as she added, “And if Trevor ever forgets how lucky he is, there will be a line of us there to remind him with me at the front of it.” She leaned her head in until her red curls touched Erin’s, “Freedom forever, right?” “Right,” Erin agreed with a small smile, reaching out to clasp Alex’s hand for a second. “Hey, if anybody ever has to beat some sense into Trevor or me, you’re definitely the first one I’d nominate. You’re like my tiny, scary, twenty-three year old grandma when it comes to laying out truth for the clueless. And that’s why I need you here talking me off the ledges. But hey, four hours from now it’ll all be a done deal. I can handle four more hours.” She took a long drink of the water. “Anyway, Frank’s gonna be here soon, you gonna help me get into my dress-slash-parachute-slash-concealed body armor? He’s very proud of it.” “Unlikely it would ever come to that. Your husband-to-be is a smart man, and loves you to distraction,” Alex said with a chuckle and squeezed Erin’s hand briefly in return. She turned towards the vanity to start clearing it in preparation. “Of course I am. I’m pretty sure that’s in the Maid of Honor contract, you know?” Alex paused then in her tucking of the makeup back into the bag. She turned her head towards Erin, her expression softening slightly and her words almost hesitant. “I love you, Erin, you know. I’m really glad I get to be here today with you. I know…” Alex paused, uncharacteristically struggling to find the words; a habit that only tended to crop up when she was restraining the urge to share her thoughts and emotions telepathically. “I know you had a little sister, and I’m not trying to say that it’s anything like this, for you, I mean. I know that you wish she was here today. I wish she was here today too.” Alex paused, tucking the lipstick neatly away in the bag, “But, for me, you’re like the sister that I never had, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. I just, I want you to know that, that’s all.” Erin was quiet for a minute, then made a noise suspiciously like a hiccup. “Dammit, Alex, you’re just lucky I haven’t put on my makeup yet,” she muttered mock-angrily as she swiped at her eyes. Taking two impulsive steps forward, she swept Alex up in a hug, nearly taking her off her feet in the process. “I wish she were here,” Erin admitted, “but I’m so glad you’re here with me. I don’t know if I could do it without you. Now don’t make me cry anymore, you’ll get me in trouble,” she commanded with a slightly watery grin. “I’m supposed to be radiant by 1pm at the latest.” Alex snuffled, as she was picked up and squeezed. “I already put on my makeup.” Alex admitted with a watery laugh. “But I’ll redo it. No one’s going to be looking at me anyway.” She flung her arms around Erin’s shoulders, taking the opportunity to hug the taller woman back before she retreated before she could get any tears on the bride. Pulling out a handkerchief, Alex carefully blotted away her tears before they could hit her dress. She’d thankfully had the foresight to go for the waterproof mascara. “I’d say you’re already radiant - and I think the groom would agree even if you showed up in your work uniform - but let’s get you ready for Frank’s handiwork then.”

Robin hesitated, her grey eyes glinting with a suspicious moisture. She didn't cry easily, not any more, but it was a lot easier to bottle up the anger in the face of other reactions. A genuine, heartfelt apology wasn't on her list of responses. Robin broke eye contact first staring down at her dusty sneakers. This pair was starting to wear through, part of her noticed absently. "I let people care about me," Robin mumbled, shoving her hands into her jean pockets, her head ducked down, "I'm just not really good at it. I mean, no one's cared in a few years. I mean, I had foster parents but they just... they had too much else going on. There's a lotta kids that have needs and I'm good at taking care of myself." Robin paused before admitting slowly, "I have a few friends, though, a roommate." She paused and then added, "An' a boyfriend."

"My mother didn't talk much about Sweden," Robin said tightly, her brow creasing at the stream of unfamiliar words. She wasn't familiar with her heritage at all, but it showed in the tightly coiled, almost military stance that she'd almost certainly gotten from her mother. "I know she was an immigrant - my father was too, but I was born here - in Freedom City were they met. I don't know anything about any of that and the school hasn't been able to figure out why I'm stronger than normal. I don't register on their typical scans and stuff for common mutations and all." There was more to it, of course, but Robin's Ultima heritage had integrated so seamlessly into her human physiology that she had none of the more showy cosmic powers, at least none that had manifested, and her intellect and information retention had mostly simply masked the lack of proper education for the last few years. "She liked how hard I worked at gymnastics," Unbidden, a lump rose in Robin's throat at the memories of happier times, of her mother's quiet smiles and maternal pride. Ruthlessly, she suppressed the emotions and her voice turned harsh unintentionally, "But my mom didn't have any powers or anything. She cleaned houses - she worked hard at it."

Its true, Volcanic didn't have the city memorized, but she'd gotten good at judging soil density and composition and she was starting to get a feel through the soil for what lay beyond. It was good practice, really. "Going up." She warned as the tunnel slowed before erupting up in an out of the way park. As the dirt under their feet shifted, it did leave a circle in the grass - she didn't really do vegetation - but it was healthy fresh soil, at least. Probably healthier, really, than what was under the rest of the scrubby grass in the tiny park. "Hah," the noise was soft but she shot Frost a particularly pleased look for having managed that little feat without accidentally roasting anyone in the tunnel along the way. Earth, really, was easy. The fire, though, it did like to burn. Going quiet so that Pax could provide whatever motivation for the earlier nonsense, in Leilani's estimation, the elementalist focused for a moment on pulling the heat back in. The rock plates dropped away as her body cooled, reforming into flesh and blood rather than fire and stone. The civilian clothes had not survived Leilani's transformation though and she was left with the sleeveless wetsuit that had been treated with unstable molecules. "Another perfectly good sundress gone." She sighed, brushing the dust from herself absently. Turning her head, she belatedly answered Bonfire's question, "You'd be surprised how many creatures live under the soil - I mean sentient civilization sort of thing. I keep tripping over 'em."

"Hnh," Nighthawk grimaced but she was surprisingly willing to give the other student the benefit of the doubt, "Archer's at it again, probably. Pretty sure he's flagged our names to do all sorts of things when they're stuck into the scenario generator." She made a face before her jaw steeled. Flexing her fists, she scanned it, "Though, I do like smashing through his expectations. We can cut the scenario if you wanna, Nevermore. No need for you to have to deal with this kinda' crap if you don't wanna. Woodsman and I are up for it, though," she gave her partner a sidelong look to gain his agreement there, as although Nighthawk trusted they were on the same page, she wasn't going to run roughshod over the archer's wishes. She bumped Woodsman's shoulder, the gesture as subtle as it was reassuring, where she stretched out along side him in the hide-y hole. "Won't be my first time bruised up in a danger room session."

Leilani hummed thoughtfully at the conversation. "It's a good thing to have languages stay alive," she commented to Klara, "Was a biiiiiiig point of contention 'tween my parents growing up. My dad wanted us to speak English 'cuz it meant that we'd be more likely to have jobs and what all - English is whatchu speak in schools and all - but my momma, she wanted us to learn to speak Hawaiian." She chuckled a little, giving a small shake of her head, "So we kinda had one parent talking to us in one language and th'other talking English only. Then when my brother born, he was full on deaf, so everyone gotta learn how to sign." It was more than Leilani typically volunteered about her family, but talking about her childhood didn't have the same sharp pang of grief that she suffered when facing the likely ravages of time. She slanted Dimitri a side-long sort of smile, "Perfect English is overrated," she teased as Leilani was well aware that she often fell into the rhythms of pidgin automatically.

Time was of the essence, paused though the demon might be it wouldn't last for very long, not with that sort of unholy power. Renegade straightened from where he'd bolstered Roman for hopefully just long enough. Reaching up towards the tattoos that writhed along his bare shoulders, the angel pulled brilliant chains from his own flesh and flung them outward towards the frozen demon. The speedster's plan was sound and Ray wasted no time in acting on it. Tightening around the false angel, Renegade ignored the way the chains popped and sizzled as holy and unholy energies came into direct content. The mystic chains moved under his direction, still connected to Renegades back and shoulders, and the blonde angel heaved with everything he had. "Keep him out," Ray's words were almost drowned under the crash as he flung the Angel of Death out the window in a shower of glass.

Durf wanted to know if I could instead stand in place and grab and throw him out the window with my move instead so he has something more to do on his post than wait to catch him

"You fo' real?" Volcanic complained at her nephew, twisting towards the boat as the large man dove deep in the water. Automatically, she let the heat that never seemed to stop burning deep inside erupt outward. Skin became molten, sheathing her in black obsidian rock until only her joints betrayed the heat that she was putting out. The flames under her feet cut out at her command, dropping her literally like a rock through the water until her feet hit the raised seamount with a thud. It was always easier to move the ground when she was connected to it. Riding a pillar to the surface swiftly, Volcanic gestured upwards, short and sharp as the rock flowed swiftly under her command to steady the boat before it could tip over. Grimacing, Volcanic poured her focus into maneuvering the stone as deftly as possible as the last thing she needed was to punch a hole in the second boat."Hol' on."

"You're going to want to brace yourselves. It takes a bit of getting used to. Also, hope no one's claustrophobic," Volcanic hoped her commentary didn't betray that she'd never actually moved four people through one of her tunnels. The ground beneath them shifted as the elementalist's hands came up with a surprisingly graceful gesture. As her palms turned downward, the circle of pavement they'd been standing on started to lower under her command. She kept it slower than usual, well aware that it was not just one of her practice runs with a Leaguer in tow. "Or, you know, don't do crimes," she added absently turning to close the tunnel with another wave of her hand. She'd learned well enough that the best way to travel was to drop low enough to not accidentally punch through piping or sewer lines and then come up straight once they were at the destination in question. For those unused to Leilani's method of transportation, it was certainly an unusual experience as the earth flowed under their feet, pushing those standing on it forward. Frost would be well aware that she was keeping the speed far below the clip that she traveled alone. Above them, and behind them, the tunnel sealed itself as they moved below Freedom City's surface. Volcanic muttered under her breath, her hands moving to shape the earth, "Let's hope I don't piss off the under-dwellers again today."

Talya settled herself in the seat, taking up one of Ace's hands in her own. Her brow creased faintly, her expression pensive, "Dearest, I know - we all know - how hard it is to face the death of a loved one. It's better to have a chance to say your farewells, though it might not feel like it at the time. Pain subsides but the regrets linger on of things unsaid, paths untaken." She sighed, squeezing the immortal adventurer's hand once before she released him to lean back in her seat. Talya laced her hands atop the swell of her stomach, all too aware that there was no way of knowing if one day she'd watch her own children grow old and fade. "You have to stop running, Ace. I'm so very sorry." Never did immortality feel a heavier a burden than days like this.

Renegade will use his move action to clear the way through the window since he already has his wings out. He'll switch his array to its move object effect and see if he can drag the paralyzed Helixa with a surge I think? So you need a to-hit and then a grapple check, right? To hit: d20+10 = 29 Grapple Check: d20+20 = d20+20 = 40 I have never rolled so well in my life!

Leilani's shoulders had relaxed under Dimitri's arm when it dropped around her. Crowds had never been a problem before her unplanned sleep under the waves, but she'd not burned hot enough to melt rock before then as well. With the arm around her shoulders came the certainty that any lapse on her part would be well contained before it rippled out to other, more flammable, guests. She tipped her chin up to offer a quiet thanks, only to be startled by the kiss that landed on her. The soft whoosh of heat, however, was well contained by the thermavore's nature thankfully, leaving her blush the only outward sign. "Haaah," the elemental mumbled eloquently before recovering enough to offer Dimitri a lopsided smile, her cheeks pink under her tan. It wasn't entirely unexpected, Leilani had been aware enough to recognize the timber of the Russian's affection over the last few weeks, but it wasn't certainly anything she felt comfortable moving on while so dependent on the Freedom League. Really, that had been one more reason for her internal push to stand on her own two feet in the strange city. "Maybe we'll get you on a board yet, hm? Do you have words for surfing in Russian?"

This was not the soothing and peaceful experience that had been planned, but Talya would have to save her fears and frustrations to be dealt with later. At the moment, there was work to be done. Fortunately, Talya's training was very good for focusing on the task at hand. "I'm not worried for myself," Talya's Russian was usually flawless but for once, the faint flattening and rounding of her native tongue creased the edges of her words. She had little desire to lay down but couldn't argue the truth of his words. Lowering herself to the ground carefully, Talya cast a glance towards the doors and whatever unknown foe lay behind it, "Nor for Erik and Min. My mother had twins at home, you know. Miracle they all lived. Promise me, Mitya. No matter what, the babies live. Whatever that may take."

Thanks for the options! I went with A and B, so one to represent her software ability and one to represent her crafting speed and then stuck them all in a container so she can stunt off of that if needed. To round out the container, I gave her speed reading as well to help explain her abilities and a feature as a video game buff. To get the extra two points, I dropped two PP from her saves, dropping reflex and fortitude to 7 from 8

"Not so much 'cool'; more hot to the touch," it wasn't exactly easy to read the harsh lines that the obsidian plates of Volcanic's features, nor the crackle of her inhuman voice but her words were good natured. "My 'heart' is above nine hundred degrees. Takes some getting used to, for sure." Scuffing her foot over the indentation, Volcanic patched the small hole absent-mindedly as Frost rejoined them once more, letting the senior hero take over things like pep-talk and information gathering. Dimitri, at least, had seen Leilani's armored form on enough occasion to recognize the shifting of her features and the way her flames flickered as a smile in return before she turned to answer Bonfire, "Comrade Frost is the professional, really, but I'm sure you can learn a lot from him. You need someone to take your clothes or do they go smokey with you?" She tipped her head then towards Dimtri, "We're not taking the car, right? Do you want a tunnel?"

Whoops! Yes, that's from a previous iteration of the sheet. She used to have a higher strength. As to the quickness, I thought about flawing it to mental tasks only but there's a few others I want to use it, such as crafting devices and such and basing it more on how she goes about it than flying fingers. Rather than flawing it down or adjusting, I have it up and am going to not get full use from the power the way a speedster would if that made sense? Like, she can get a car fixed up fast but she does it by knowing what she's doing and being effective. The final car wouldn't look all that pretty but it'd have the stats based on her abilities, if that makes sense?

"Just calm down," Robin said as she took another step forward, her hands coming up into fists and her posture protective as she interposed her body between Fred and the new comers. "Just keep working at it," she told Fred over her shoulder, before directing her attention forward to the other students, "Something's wrong with Mr. Archer an' we need some actual adults. One of you go get more help." It was a more politic statement but, like Riley, she didn't want these students closing with Mr. Archer until things could be verified. "Much as I wanna hit something tonight, fighting's not going to help with whatever's going on. Hopefully its just Archer, but...." Then why couldn't they reach anyone else? Her gaze narrowed suspiciously at the other students but she didn't repeat Riley's demands to turn around.