alderwitch

"Hepcat? The magic-by-music hero?" Taylor's voice preceded her into the kitchen. The ghosts were conspicuously absent from the area. They were always less active during the day but usually there was one or two around to at least say hello when the arguably more living members of the household returned. She eyed her son for a moment, taking in the black eyes as she crossed over in front of him to peer at him with all of her mystic senses. Huang was steadily approaching his father's height so Taylor had to reach up to press her thumbs to either side of his temples. "He's alright, Jack," Taylor reassured her spouse over her shoulder, although the bulk of her concentration was on summoning magic to her fingertips. The healing spells Taylor knew were familiar to Huang as he'd been the recipient of them many times in the past so the warmth of his mom's fingertips was a familiar one whether or not he followed along with the spell. It took more effort than usual as it wasn't something so simple as a scraped knee this time. As the black cleared from Huang's eyes and his vision refocused on just this dimension, Taylor's shoulders sagged slightly, "There, let's just have one world to look at instead of all of them, hm?" Taylor stepped back then towards Jack, leaving the teenager to reestablish his space, her fingertips twisting the amulet on the chain thoughtfully. She'd had time to think, at least, since the phone had hung up. There was thus far no shouting nor threats of grounding from everything forever. That had failed to prove successful, "Alright, so, let's have a conversation about today." She reached out to lightly touch Jack's arm, "There was something you said that I think we ought to talk about first and we can get to, well, the rest of it later. You seem to think that your father and I don't have faith in your ability to handle yourself, which, perhaps warrants a deeper conversation. There is a very large difference between what we think you are capable of and what we want you to have to deal with." Taylor's gaze turned up towards Jack, a question in her dark eyes as she included him in the conversation, "We were adults - adults who made choices to pick this kind of life but you were born into it. Your father was an adult when he was made a vampire and had a few years of that life before he became Avenger. I had training with the keepers before I became Phantom full time. Sure, honey, we've told you stories about it but..." Taylor hesitated and then carried on into new territory, "...But not all of it. Not of how scared I was the first time I was out there alone. Or the many, many times I came home bruised and battered to my college apartment to wait for things to heal, or worse. Do I think you can handle some of the things I dealt with? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I want you to."

"Then you'll have to find a way to manage it. There's a reason that many keep something private and it isn't just for those that have vulnerable dependents," Talya offered with a nod of her head. She was well aware by this point that her style of coping was not for everyone. There even could have been an argument made that it wasn't even entirely healthy for her but some habits were ingrained bone deep by now. Talya rested her chin on her hand and eyed Eric for a long moment. "For one, if you are always you, how do you decide when to rest? There is someone, without question, needing help at all times of the day - day in, day out. Right now, I imagine there's any hapless civilian being accosted in an alley somewhere - just in Freedom City." Talya offered, her gaze thoughtful, "It is very, very easy to run yourself mad trying to even the tally marks. Do all the good you can without break or respite. And it is a Sisyphean task, my friend, nothing actually wipes the slate clean, you know."

Talya watched the once-comrades re-unite with the expected, and in Frost's case literal, chill in the air. Her blond head cocked to the side with some mild interest before Mary drew her attention with a question, "Hm? Oh. There's no feud quite like a Russian feud - especially if it involves opinions about service to the Motherland and ideologies," Talya replied, giving an absent minded wave of her hand, "I wouldn't worry, much, there might be shouting but no one's going to damage a memorial. There's not going to be a fight. Well, unless someone suggests taking things 'outside'. Then it might be reasonable to grow concerned that things might turn physical. On the plus side, that would make for an entertaining afternoon!" She gave Mary a small, bemused smile that failed to convey whether her last statement was meant to be a joke or not and then turned to Dimitri, "Well, as your people say, Будем здоровы!*" For the Russians, Talya's mastery of the language was flawless down to having the faint inflections of intonation indicative of a native of central Russia. She took Dimitiri's arm and the promise of vodka, despite the chill he emanated and offered the other veterans a friendly smile, "Klara, we must catch up sometime. It's been ever so long since I've stepped foot on British shores. Soon!" Russians, in Talya's experience, always brought the best vodka to a party.

Touching Robin's shoulders wasn't unlike touching a statue made flesh, her muscles were locked and too rigid to the touch. In vain, her hand tightened around the vanishing ring as the hard light simulation turned into the nothing that it was. Still, she had to look down at her palm nonetheless, opening her hand slowly even though she knew it had faded like the cruel trick it was. "My mom's ring," she answered Riley's question, the words remote and wooden. "The diamond wasn't worth that much but enough to steal, I guess. I've looked and looked--" Her voice cracked and her shoulders heaved with a sudden intake of a shaky breath as Robin wrestled her emotions back down into the little box she preferred to keep them in. She gave a short, sharp shake of her head to Raina then. She touched Raina's elbow, the gesture quick and hesitant but appreciative. "I'm okay. Sorry. I didn't expect it. It was just a dirty trick." She accompanied that with a, perhaps undeserved, dirty look at Dauntless. Robin turned to head back to the observer area with Riley and Raina, still a little raw and also uncertain how to feel about people jumping to her side. That was... that was worth pondering. In a very soft voice that didn't carry very far and sounded far more hesitant than usual, Robin added quietly, "Thank you."

"We are - some of the few left alive, at least," Talya inclined her head to the Solar Sentinal, the gesture regal. She offered her hand to him first and then Mary, "The good Comrade and I both served in the Allies for a time. The gave me the codename Bombshell as they weren't terribly original sorts. I kept it, because I happen to be a stubborn sort. Natalya, if you prefer. I was in the SOE, British forces. Western front mostly, though much of my work was, politely put, in espionage." As Talya rattled off her own particular part, some of it route, her accent sharpened, crisping up almost absentmindedly as she referenced her time serving Queen and country. Her gaze transferred back to Mary then at her commentary about resurrection. An amused smile quirked Talya's lips but all she offered was, "Quite. It does take some significant luck, doesn't it? Regardless of the how, it is nice to see that you've rejoined those of us still ambulatory. Drinks would be lovely. All museums should offer a stocked bar, don't you think?...It would certainly make some of this more palatable." Talya added the last in, half under her breath as she took in the requisite Ace Danger little display with vague aggravation. Her fingers tightened slightly on her clutch purse as she repressed the urge to perhaps pilfer things from it. Possibly to mail back to the international man of mystery. Talya was still vexed with Ace.

"You don't - at least, I don't, but then our situations are a little different. The darkest things I've done were all on the side of the angels," Talya said, her thumb rubbing along the delicate glass of her goblet. Her gaze dropped to the movement, thoughtful as she sifted through years and years of memories. "Most of my official 'crimes', I can't honestly say I regret. I stole things from very rich people that failed to appreciate them. I can't say that my personal moral compass finds that problematic. Some people say it's a flaw in my character." She smiled faintly, her gaze flicking back up, "But the war. Oh, the war. Yes, I've hurt people and had to look into their eyes afterwords. That fades with time but the memories... the memories you keep forever." Talya flipped one hand up, the gesture elegant, "For the short term, you build a public facade that is utterly rock solid. You keep your answers short and you come up with them long before the questions get asked. You make that facade as natural as the real you. More, in some ways. Then you let that be the buffer between who you are and what they need you to be."

"My war didn't make it into any history books, Dimitri. That was rather the point of my division, at least," Talya replied, the words arch as she turned back towards Comrade Frost and away from the statues she was eyeing. Talya, certainly, was easy to place as she had dressed - most likely deliberately - in a dark skirt and jacket that was near identical to one of the pictures from the British display. The incomparable Bombshell might be cool and composed but her smile was a little too sharp and the look in her bright blue eyes was distinctly dangerous. She never enjoyed this particular trips down memory lane but every year there were less familiar faces. Talya had lived long enough to know the discomfit of memory was a price she was willing to pay. "But I do see a few familiar faces in the memorials." Her heels clicked on the floor as she turned away from the statues, and towards the young woman that had approached Comrade Frost. Her smile curved faint and bright red, "Time is kind to no one, I'm afraid. Perhaps heroes least of all. But some of us show it less than others, it's true." Talya didn't touch the discussion of the 'ugly' parts of the war, although she did arch one brow. See, she could avoid dragging the conversation to dark places if she tried.

"You're Schrodeinger's grey, my darling, grey assumed until you prove otherwise," Talya offered back, smiling over the rim of her water glass. The endearment in her clipped British accent was clearly an affectation although her tone remained cordial. "I am a decent judge of character. You turned yourself in. You were clearly chosen to be the poster child of this reformation process which means that they have a great many evaluations that say you're unlikely to blow up large chunks of the city in the very near future. Now, evaluations can be faked, of course - I certainly have misled any number of people over the years. You're very bright, clearly, so it's something you could do." She paused, touching the waterglass to her red, red lips before setting down, "But you did call me. Anyone engaging in a sham for the masses is unlikely to have thought of that." Talya spread her elegant hands wide, the deceptively delicate knuckles of her hands bare of rings or jewelry, "Which means you have either come to test me out to see just how deep my reformation goes - unlikely. You're not in need of any of my skills. So, I have to assume that you've called for the only other possible reason." Her blue gaze was very direct then, the keen understanding of the woman that had played cat and mouse with the Reich and won more often than not. It was the sort of gaze she usually hid behind flirtation and verbal fencing - a direct gaze but not one without empathy, "You're trying to find someone - anyone - who's been where you are. The blood on your hands. Life after life inside a cage. Understanding, not absolution. Am I close?"

"We go to a school for kids with 'special abilities'," Robin said, lifting her hands to make the quote fingers around the special abilities. Her hands slapped back down on her thighs, "Cathy can control cold and snow and ice - and make it - and Hannah has this nifty light thing she does that you've seen. Raina does actual magic." Robin provided, gesturing at each girl in turn. Her sigh was soft, "And I'm Robin, if I didn't say so already. I spend my time punching bad guys in the face in the bad part of town and have survived it so far." Her smile turned up slightly, tugging at the healing split lip. "Though, in Hannah's defense, she probably feels pretty regular. Some of the kids at our school are pretty out there. Like, kids of gods and stuff."

Taylor's hiss was audible through the phone. Bringing up Olympians and canoodling in the same breath was certainly a short ticket to Taylor's temper showing up. This time, Taylor's pause was all about counting to ten before she started shouting, likely in multiple languages. "I'll see if Stesha will watch JJ so we can deal with this," Taylor said which was perfectly sound and reasonable although the words were testy. "Hopefully the worst of it will have run its course by the time you're home I can figure out exactly what sort of affect its had on his physiology. Yes, Set and Sehkmet were the ones I met the other day at the park. Actually..." Taylor paused and sighed, "I gave Set our son's number as they're not the sort to call on more authoritative figures like me but I never thought it would turn into this, clearly. I don't know what his professors are thinking. You're welcome to call and read who ever you'd like the riot act when you get home, honey." That, right there, was tacit apology for Taylor's failure to mention she'd given Set their son's number. Taylor almost never washed her hands of Jack terrifying people in their social circles these days. It also helped that Taylor, too, was irritated at the school. But mostly it was apology.

Robin's world narrowed down to the ring sitting in the midst of the stolen haul. She stood, frozen and rigid before marching stiffly towards the satchel. Her fingers shook visibly as she reached to pluck the ring from the rest of the 'treasure' and turn the inscription towards the dim light to better read it. She paused and then reached under the top of her uniform top to fish out the chain she wore without fail and the two slim gold bands that dangled from it. Taking the smaller band, Robin very carefully held it up to the ring to check the sizes matched. When they did, Robin's hand clenched around the rings tight enough for the diamond to dig into her palm. "Turn. It. OFF." For once, Robin's defenses were stripped bare and all that was left in her voice was raw, naked anguish.

There were few curses that Robin hadn't heard by now thanks to her 'unique' eduction. She sidestepped into the path of the fleeing thug, putting his body between her and the gunman. Sure, that might get him shot but he'd made the choice to turn to a life of petty crime. That was sort of the risk inherent. Oddly, Robin fought like someone who didn't have any powers although she clearly had control over her strength and Raina, certainly, had seen her take Winifred's punches to the face. Still, it wasn't unsound strategy as she stepped in to catch the thief that was trying to flee and use his body to block. She closed her fists into the fabric of his jacket and then pivoted and turned. There was the supernatural strength as even leverage couldn't account for the way the girl threw someone inches taller and pounds heavier at his armed compatriot, end over end. Really, though, Robin fighting looked more or less exactly like an altercation on tv except there were no special effects to blame the defiance of physics on.

Talya inclined her head, the gesture oddly regal as she accepted the compliment with a quiet, "Thank you," before accepting the gesture of being seated. Rather than lift the menu, Talya crossed her long legs and turned her full attention on her erstwhile companion for this meal. "It takes time to adjust. Even if you happened to be in the habit of taking more day trips than was, perhaps, entirely sanctioned by those in charge." A faint, sardonic smile curved Talya's lips. It was, after all, very difficult to keep the thief a place she wasn't willing to be for very long. Finally breaking eye contact, she lifted her slender shoulder in a negligent shrug, "You owe me no thanks. I've seen the news - I imagine that you have few things in life right now going smoothly or pleasantly. I am happy to provide a respite in that. I wouldn't say that EVERYONE deserves a second chance - I'm not that altruistic - but I don't live in a world of black and white. My world has always been grey." She lifted the water glass then to her lips, only to add, "And please, call me Natalya."

Robin's inhalation was startled at the depth of the environments. She'd seen the hard-light technology used for more basic simulations before but this was uncanny. Shaking off the surprise, she refocused to get her head in the game. It seemed simple enough, really. It wasn't unlike a normal weekend in the Fens for her but unease tightened her stomach. Hey, maybe it was going to be a simple warm up. That could happen. Right? As Robin charged through the door, she was entirely willing to take advantage of her surprise. Arturo's image, too, was uncanny as he cowered behind the plexiglass and bars that kept him 'safe' from the clientele, but Robin didn't spare the bystander much attention as she came up from her crouch. Twisting, one foot lashed out to crumple the back of his knee before she used his momentum to bounce his skull off the ground. It was done with a brutal efficiency but no more force needed than to make sure the man stayed down for the count. "Hey, chuckles. Who wants the next dance?" The growl was only semi recognizable as Robin's and held more menace than showmanship. It was a carefully leashed anger that drove the Fens vigilante and the simulation was accurate enough to push those buttons.

Natalya Browning was easy enough to get word to. The once-thief had a very public face that she presented to the world. Considering her assorted history, that was likely just one facet of many but at least it made contacting her easy enough. That she'd agreed to meet wasn't all that surprising. Talya had nothing but time on her hands lately, and there weren't all that many villains looking to go straight. Fewer of them maintained the course. Perhaps Talya merely wished to see which side of the aisle the one-time Malice might fall on. Regardless of her reasons, she showed up exactly on time, cutting an elegant swath through the dining room in her traditional black. The dress brushed the floor but a slit up the side ensured mobility in case things went significantly south. Hopefully it wouldn't as Talya was very fond of the pair of high heels she was wearing. "Mr. Michaels," Talya said as she reached the edge of the table, offering one hand. Her voice was low, husky and a slow smile curved Talya's lips, "How do you do?"

Player Name: alderwitch Character Name: Power Level: 10 (12) (180/180PP) Trade-Offs: -5 Defense / +5 Toughness, Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: In Brief: Residence: Base of Operations: Freedom City Catchphrase: Alternate Identity: Identity: Birthplace: Occupation: Affiliations: Family: Description: Age: Cosmically ancient (pre-dates the Earth) Apparent Age: mutable (polymorph) Gender: gender fluid androgyne (polymorph) Ethnicity: Preserver (alien) Height: mutable (polymorph) Weight: mutable (polymorph) Eyes: mutable (polymorph) Hair: mutable (polymorph) Power Descriptions: History: Personality & Motivation: Powers & Tactics: Complications: Complication: Text Abilities: 0 + 0 + 0 + 30 + 0 + 0 = 30PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 10 (+0) Intelligence: 40 (+20) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +5 Melee Grapple: +15 Defense: +5 (+5 Base), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0 Saving Throws: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24PP Toughness: +8 (+0 Con, +15 Protection) Fortitude: +8 (+0 Con, +8) Reflex: +8 (+0 Dex, +8) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8) Skills: 0R = 0PP Feats: 0 PP Powers: 16 + 61 + 15 + 12 + 0 + 0 + 0 = PP Morph 4 (Cosmic, Extras: Duration: Continuous) (Cosmic) [16 PP] Transform 10 (Anything, Extras: Duration: Continuous, Flaws: Range: Touch, Power Feats: Precise) (Magic; Imbued) [61 PP] Protection 15 (Cosmic Resilience) (Cosmic) [15 PP] Immunity 10 (Life Support, Aging, Sleep, Food) (Cosmic) [12 PP] Regeneration (Feats: Regrowth, Persistent) (Bruised/No Action, Injured/1 Round, Staggered/No Action, Disabled/5 Minutes, Resurrection/5 Minutes) (Cosmic) [0 PP] Drawbacks: (0) = 0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 15 Toughness Damage (Physical) Sneak Attack Touch DC 17 Toughness Damage (Physical) Baton Touch DC 19 Toughness Damage (Physical) Baton-Sneak Attack Touch DC 21 Toughness Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (44) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (1) + Skills (31) + Feats (21) + Powers (55) - Drawbacks (4) = 180/180 Power Points

Robin nodded slightly, the expression understanding although she moved her shoes a little away from Winifred just in case. She didn't have another pair of them, after all. "Do you want me to carry you outside? You really don't weigh that much. It's no trouble." She offered as she glanced down to the blood still flecking her shirt. Frowning, Robin gave it a half hearted swipe. Well, hopefully she could soak that out later. She was pretty good at soaking out bloodstains and most of her clothes, at least, were dark in color. "Well, its twenty-fifteen, now. September. We're all students. I'm sure a professor will show up, though, and if anyone has some sort of plan in place for what to do about your predicament - its Claremont. Some of the kids are from, like, other dimensions or alien worlds. Freedom City's a funny place like that." That was said with just a little bit of native pride.

Taylor did not have supernatural hearing but she was practiced at picking out Jack's deeper voice from the noise of youthful complaints at this point. There was a long pause from the phone which was never a good sign. Taylor - or Phantom - had the pregnant pause down to a fine art. It wasn't hard to picture the thousand yard stare that was wasted on a cell phone. "What?" She finally said, although it was less question and perhaps more prayer. Taylor had such a nice afternoon planned. This was not that nice afternoon. Still, start with the easy task, "Oh, Heshem's teeth, Huang. I didn't even say anything ribald to your father. There are worse things than having two parents that are still together and affectionate. And you, my son, have little room to throw stones today. You snuck out of class to fight cultists? Do you have a death wish?" The hollow boom of Phantom's voice didn't quite translate through the phone's speaker but it was clear enough. "And Set?" There was a sudden pause, this one different than the former, before Taylor finally managed, "Hrmmmm." Now, Taylor had many 'hm's, like any good mystic. That one, at least to Jack's ear, had the distinct timber of 'I have something I probably should have mentioned but failed to do so'. It wasn't the worst of 'hm's but it was not a GOOD one either.

"Hey, honey. One second," Taylor's warm voice floated out over the car's speakers, cheerfully ignorant of any hijinks currently unfolding. In the background, heightened senses could certainly pick up the faint hiss-pop of a gate snapping open and beyond that, faint outrage in a language that wasn't English. Taylor paused, putting one gloved hand over the mouthpiece of her phone as she pushed the artifact back into its proper dimension. Her phone crackled as she teleported - no reason to rack up international minutes if she didn't need to, after all. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to call. Did your meetings finish up early? Want to come join me for a bit before picking up JJ? We could break out your old costume," Taylor suggested, clearly having far more pleasant activities in mind for the afternoon.

"We're good," Taylor confirmed, the words quiet and she gave a slight tip of her head to indicate that she'd heard the unspoken question. "Good enough. Although, the older version of JJ you've met isn't, as it turns out, that much older. So we have an angry teenager around the house. Which is endlessly exciting, let me tell you. The kids have been safe, though, perhaps a little too safe in some ways." Taylor gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders. It was a little hard to impress consequences on the whole 'I'm teenage so I'm immortal' thing when everyone in the house was, in fact, immortal. Taylor would have gone on to say more when she realized the uncomfortable uncertainty that Ellis had about secret identities, "Oh, sorry, Elis. He's just come into things a bit abruptly. I knew his wife - she was in a line of work not all that dissimilar from what I do - which Elis has taken over." Taylor said, apologetically as she delicately maneuvered around his deceased predecessor and spouse. "But you know mystics. We tend to end up working alone and it's not always so great so I thought a few introductions might not be amiss." Taylor paused and then added, helpfully, "I teleported into his car in costume. Perhaps not my most subtle of moments." She still failed to look entirely apologetic.

Sounds good!

Phantom would be the type to be confrontational if she ran into him but is unlikely to seek him out. But I think Bombshell is probably the more interesting one if you're going to pick just one. I am good with whichever or both!

"Thanks," She squeezed Riley's fingers back gently, also startled by the outcome and a little less certain of what, exactly, they were going to be doing down here. Robin, too, had gone quiet - watching the display with curious eyes. "Hunh, that wasn't what I was expecting. All of my stuff has always been about dealing with a fight. But my skills are probably a whole lot narrower. Good job." She offered to Raina as she straightened from her casual slouch to offer a high five on her way past Dauntless. Stretching, Robin laced her hands together and extended them above her head until her back cracked. She let them fall to the side then, her posture falling into an easy, loose limbed stance. "Okay, ready?" Robin asked as she lifted her hands up slightly in front of her. "Sorry, I mean, I'm ready."