Electra

Stesha gravitated to the manor early on in the invasion. She hadn't known where to go or what to do, so she'd headed for the light, and been glad to find a friend. When she'd learned that the manor was a safe place, at least for the moment, she'd started helping to ferry people in from the areas closest to the invasion, sometimes snapping them up without so much as a by-your-leave when the demons were getting especially close. She'd never used her powers so much or so broadly before, and within a few hours, her head was aching from the strain. There wasn't time to stop, though. Between her efforts and those of other heroes, the manor began to fill up with people, many of them injured, and lots of small children. Stesha turned her attention there, getting those too wounded for the infirmary packed off to the hospitals furthest away from the epicenter, especially the Catholic hospitals near the suburbs. No place would be safe if they lost, but at least she felt like she was buying them some time. She used most of her supply of medicinal herbs on a few grievously wounded people who'd been pulled in from Riverside. They'd gotten better, at least. As the fighting went on, it became impossible not to notice that the beacon in the sky was starting to dim, pounded by countless demon hands. They couldn't go on like this indefinitely. Stesha went to find Ace. "What can I do?" she asked anxiously. "We've moved most of the wounded who need it, but how long are we going to be safe here?"

BTW, it's just Wander, no second "er." ;-) Anyway, her impervious protects her from the non-crit, she shrugs it off. DC on the crit is 27, so she has to save against that. Mark's inspire is currently on, giving an extra bonus to the save. She rolls a 31, saving herself, and earning Invisible Castle a big sloppy kiss for once.

Initiative is 18. Pleh, hopefully that gets a low roll out of the way for later.

When the phone rang, Erin looked up from the bank of monitors she'd been watching helplessly. The past ten days had been horrible, full of guilt and fear and second-guessing, all of which was now coming to an end. It wasn't much of a relief, though. She'd already seen one world die, and it was starting to look very likely that she might get an encore presentation. She was desperate to go out and help, do something, anything, even if it it was just throw herself into the advancing horde and fight, but cooler heads had prevailed. All of them would be needed, and if sacrifices were going to be made, she didn't want it to be in vain. She listened to Phantom's terse explanation, her hand going to the bat on her belt. "What do we need to do?" she demanded, loudly enough to carry. "How do we close the gate? How do we stop him?"

[floatr][/floatr] Players Name: Electra Power Level: 15 (210/250PP) [274] Trade-Offs: -5 Attack / +5 Damage Unspent PP: 40 Progress to Orichalcum+ Status: 169/210 (20 earned pre-bump, 149 earned post-bump; Orichalcum Status earned by Wander) Characters Name: Stesha Madison Alternate Identity: Fleur de Joie Height: 5'3: Weight: Curvy, just leaning towards Heavy Hair: Green Eyes: Blue Description: Stesha is an engaging and friendly-looking young woman, small in stature with a curvy body and five pounds she keeps meaning to take off with extra exercise. She smiles most of the time, and always smells like flowers. Her most striking feature is probably her curly green hair, which she usually keeps pinned back and decorated with seasonal flowers. Overall, she's not much of a hero archetype, but she's pretty darn cute. History: From the time she was a little girl, Stesha Madison loved plants. At a very early age, she put away her tea set and equipped her dolls and bears with little rakes and shovels so they could help her in the garden. It helped that she grew up in a family that was very big on gardening. Dad taught botany at the university, and Mom was a complementary medicine practitioner and midwife who grew most of her own remedies. Mom always that they met on the opposite sides of a campus protest in the sixties. It was true that they argued a lot, but in the way of people who liked to argue. Stesha's older brothers and sisters liked to argue as well, and so did she, up to a point. But mostly she liked to garden. There was always something that needed to be done, and every day brought new growth and new beauty to look at. It was hardly a surprise, then, that Stesha followed her dad into the university, majoring in botany. She did well, devouring all the information that was presented to her, but it wasn't her cup of tea. Studying flowers and plants too hard took the magic out of it. Once you'd dissected a rose, it wasn't beautiful anymore, it was just broken and sad, no matter how much you learned. She was more interested in the joy that flowers could give. Her parents were very proud when she graduated with honors, even if her father was a little disappointed that, instead of joining her in the lab, she decided to go to work at a florist. It wasn't just any florist shop, mind you. Chicago had some very exclusive floral boutiques, and with the contacts both her parents had, she got a job in one of the best. Soon she was doing society weddings, making bouttonires that cost more than her entire prom dress had, and putting together elaborate birthday and anniversary bouquets that would gladden the heart of anyone who saw them. It was a great life, despite the occasional Bridezilla, and she loved it. She'd have been happy to go on that way indefinitely, if everything hadn't changed in a most unexpected way. It all started with a very unusual piece of window dressing. Even with her degree in botany, Stesha had never heard of the Fleur de Joie blossom until the day her boss brought it into the shop. A very rare, extremely exotic bloom, it flowered only once every hundred years, and this one was set to go soon. "I had to call in a hundred favors," Amy, her boss, enthused, "but this sort of opportunity comes once in a lifetime. Front row seats to history!" That was why Stesha liked Amy, they shared the same enthusiasm for plants. The Fleur de Joie was placed in the front window and monitored like an expectant mother. As its pistils swelled with the coming bloom, Amy began stationing employees to watch it at night, just to make sure they took plenty of pictures and didn't miss a thing. No one knew for sure if it was a day or evening bloomer, and they weren't about to miss out. After a few days and nights of anxious watching, Stesha's turn came up in the rotation. She staked herself out just a few feet from the plant to make sure she would catch so much as a twitch, then started reading a catalog. A sudden motion caught her attention, and she saw a leaf begin to curl back. Eagerly, she called Amy and told her something was happening, then got ready with the digital camera. As the petals began to uncurl themselves, revealing a beautiful mother-of-pearl color the likes of which Stesha had never seen, she leaned in with the camera and began to take pictures. Suddenly, when her nose was bare inches from the flower, it released a large puff of pollen into the air, right into her face, right into her open mouth. "Yie!" she yelled, reeling backwards in surprise, trying to wipe her face. The whole room seemed to take a long, lazy twirl, and then she passed out. She woke a few minutes later, sputtering at the glass of water Amy had upended over her head. The flower was still there, huge and immensely beautiful, and Stesha was still covered with pollen. "What happened?" Amy demanded. "Are you all right? Did you see it open?" "Yeah," Stesha replied, dragging a sleeve across her wet, powdery face. "It was beautiful! And I think I'm allergic," she added wryly. They took hundreds more photos from every angle, and so did the newspaper, and the local news channel. It was a cute local interest story that brought publicity to the shop, just as intended. After a few days, it closed again, and Amy returned it to its owner, and things seemed to settle into their normal routine. Only it wasn't exactly normal. Stesha started noticing that things were getting a little strange around her. Plants seemed to... respond to her in a way they hadn't before. Her African violets grew to twice their normal size in a week, and the rest of her houseplants quickly followed suit. After that, it was the potted plants in the shop. Soon, rosebuds were blooming at her touch. Something very strange had happened to her, and it all had something to do with that plant. She was afraid at first, but that passed quickly. All of her powers seemed good, seemed helpful, and they let her do what she loved better than she ever had before. She started small, learning to control the growth of plants around her, making sick ones healthier, growing seedlings into mature plants with a thought. It was cool. As Stesha's control grew, so did her boldness in experimenting. She began to try more things, more heroic things, and found she could do a lot more than she'd thought. When she concentrated hard enough, she could sort of become one with the plants, seeing through their flowers and leaves, even traveling along their vines and coming out somewhere entirely different. (The first time she did that, she nearly wet her pants, but the fear soon passed.) She could even make first dirt, then ceramic pots full of dirt, in which to place her plants. One memorable day, she even managed to snake out a vine and trip a purse-snatcher in Grant Park, sending him flying and letting the victim reclaim her belongings. She was like a superhero! She found that she needed to eat and sleep less, and that just laying in the sun made her feel totally refreshed in ways it never had before. It wasn't entirely without its drawbacks. One morning after an especially exciting evening of practice, Stesha woke up to find her hair had gone entirely green. Since that wasn't something she could hide, she decided to flaunt it, curling it up in a bun and sticking a wreath of flowers on it. Amy was a little skeptical, but the customers thought it was adorable, so she didn't give her any trouble. Stesha hadn't figured out a way to tell Amy about any of this. It just seemed so unbelievable. As she mastered her powers, though, the florist business began to seem very small. She still loved it, but she felt like she could do more. She wasn't up to the standards of, say, the Freedom League, but she could be a small superhero, she was certain. Moving out of Chicago was a real leap of faith. Amy was sorry to lose her, but she gave her a great recommendation that landed her a job in downtown Freedom City at another exclusive boutique shop. Stesha took some time to settle in and get the hang of her job and her neighborhood before she tried anything else. After a few months, though, she knew she was ready. Stesha thought about donning a domino mask, but in a city full of costumes, it seemed like it might be asking for trouble. She came up with a name for herself, Fleur de Joie, after the plant that had made her and the idea she had in mind, and set out to make the world a more beautiful place. Personality & Motivation: Happy and optimistic, Stesha firmly believes that beauty makes the world a better place, and there's no better way to express that than through green plants and flowers. She wants to spread happiness to people first and foremost, by brightening the world in which they live. She's getting gradually better at this heroing business, but even so, she's more likely to fight a bad guy because one of them was in the wrong place at the wrong time than because she's eager to mete out justice. Powers & Tactics: Most nights, Stesha contents herself with scattering flowers in parks, healing peoples' sick windowboxes and gardens, and putting the occasional pot of flowers on someone's doorstep. If she gets in a fight, though, she can call the plants to her defense, using them to trip, snare, and incapacitate the bad guys, hopefully before they can hurt her. Her favorite technique is to hide behind something and attack from a long range, trying to immobilize the bad guy long enough to shove him into a plant and take him to the police station. Complications: Compassion: Stesha will safeguard all lives, even those of villains, whenever possible. Day Job: Stesha works 9-5 and weekends as a florist's assistant at an exclusive boutique. They do not know about her extracurriculars, and would not be happy if they did. She cant' afford to lose her job. Interfering Family: Stesha has a big extended family, mom, dad, four siblings, grandparents, and many, many aunts, uncles and cousins. They sometimes come visit this neck of the woods, and they do not know about Stesha's double life. Love: There is not much she wouldn't do for her boyfriend Derrick, and few lengths she wouldn't go to to help or protect him. Phobia: Jack Faretti. Whenever he's anywhere she is, she wants to leave immediately. This raises problems in "ally of my ally" situations. Responsibility: Helping her new friends Divine, Ace Danger and Phantom if they ask, keeping her family safe. Abilities: 2 + 0 + 14 + 2 + 2 + 6 = 26PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 24 (+7) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 10 + 16 = 26PP Initiative: +4 Attack: +5, +7 Ranged Grapple: +6, +25 Move Object Defense: +12 (+8 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -7 Saving Throws: 5 + 10 + 9 = 24PP Toughness: +14 (+7 Con, +7 Protection) Fortitude: +12 (+7 Con, +5) Reflex: +10 (+0 Dex, +10) Will: +10 (+1 Wis, +9) Skills: 84R = 21PP Bluff 10 (+13, +17 Attractive) Concentration 8 (+9) Diplomacy 10 (+13, +17 Attractive) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 8 (+9) Medicine 8 (+9) Notice 12 (+13) Profession (Florist) 6 (+7) Search 4 (+5) Sense Motive 12 (+13) Stealth 6 (+6) Feats: 20PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (Ranged) 2 Attractive (Cute) Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 6(9) (45EP) (+3 Veteran Reward) Improved Initiative Luck 3 Skill Mastery 2 (Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge [Life Sciences], Medicine, Notice, Profession [Florist], Sense Motive, Stealth) Powers: 2 + 56 + 5 + 2 + 0 + 7 + 6 + 17 = 95PP Features 2 (Can instantly differentiate between types of seeds; Can instantly make flowerpots from nothing) [2PP] Flower Power 22 (44PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 12) [56PP] Base Power: Snare 18 (Feats: Indirect 3, Obscures Senses 3 [Visual + Audio], Reversible, Subtle) (Entangling Vines) [44PP] Alternate Power: Disintegration 13 (Extras: Range [Perception], Flaws: Limited 2 [Plants], Feats: Incurable, Precise, Reversible, Split Attack, Subtle) (Dissolve Plants) [44PP] Alternate Power: Dimensional Pocket 5 (Extras: Duration 3 [Continuous/Lasting], Range [Ranged], Feats: Indirect 3, Progression [Cargo] 10 [1,000 tons], Subtle) (Inside Magic Flower) [44PP] Alternate Power: ESP 8 (Visual + Audio Senses, 2,000 miles ["Same Continent"], Extras: Duration [sustained], No Conduit, Simultaneous, Flaws: Action [standard], Feats: Dimensional 3 [Any Dimension], Subtle) (Looking/Listening Through Plants) [44PP] Alternate Power: Healing 13 (Extras: Action [standard], Total, Flaws: Distracting, Feats: Persistent, Regrowth, Stabilize) (Medicinal Plants) [42PP] Alternate Power: Healing 13 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst, 65ft radius], Range 2 [Perception], Total, Flaws: Distracting, Limited 2 [Plants], Feats: Persistent, Regrowth, Stabilize) (Fixing Up Plants) [42PP] Alternate Power: Move Object 18 (STR 90 [Heavy Load: 3,200 tons], Feats: Improved Critical 2, Indirect 3, Power Attack, Precise, Subtle) (Moving With Vines) [44PP] Alternate Power: Nullify 10 (All "Air" Powers, Extras: Area [General, Burst], Effortless, Selective, Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats: Progression [Area] 3 [500ft radius], Subtle) (Make Plants Produce Lots of O2) [44PP] Alternate Power: Stun 18 (Extras: Range [Ranged], Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Improved Critical 2, Indirect 3, Reversible, Sedation, Subtle) (Stun Flower) [44PP] Alternate Power: Super-Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3 [Any Dimension], Extras: Duration 2 [Continuous], Portal 2, Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Progression [Portal Size] 5 [250ft x 250ft], Turnabout, Subtle) (Stepping Through Plants) [28PP] Alternate Power: Teleport 9 (900ft per Move Action, 20,000 miles per Full Action ["Anywhere On Earth"], Extras: Accurate, Affects Others, Flaws: Medium [Plants], Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Progression [Cargo] 12 [500 tons], Turnabout, Subtle) (Stepping Through Plants) [44PP] Alternate Power: Teleport 9 (900ft per Move Action, 20,000 miles per Full Action ["Anywhere On Earth"], Extras: Accurate, Linked [super-Movement], Flaws: Medium [Plants], Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Progression [Cargo] 14 [2,500 tons], Progression [save DC] 5 [DC24]) [40PP] + Super-Movement 2 (Dimensional Movement 1 [To/From Earth-Fleur], Extras: Affects Others, Linked [Teleport], Flaws: Medium [Plants]) [4PP] (Stepping Through Plants) [44PP] Alternate Power: Transform 10 (Alter Maturity/Size of Plants, 1,000 lbs., Extras: Duration [Continuous/Lasting], Feats: Innate, Subtle) (Growing Plants) [42PP] Doctor Archeville has approved this construction. This is how it works: it lets Fleur de Joie grow plants out of seeds and saplings, using the seeds and saplings as the base weight for her Transform. She can grow them to any size, including sizes they could not naturally gain. Immortality 1 (5PP Container) [5PP] Immunity 3 (Aging, Disease, Poison) [3PP] Regeneration 2 (Resurrection 2 [48 hours], Extras: True) [2PP] Immunity 2 (Critical Hits) [2PP] Immunity 1 (Suffocation [CO2], Extras: Affects Others) [0PP] Stesha takes in carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, like a plant. She will suffocate from lack of CO2 rather than lack of O2. As a side effect, her own respiration creates enough O2 to sustain one other person. Protection 7 [7PP] Regeneration 10 (Recovery +2 [+9], Recovery Rate: Bruised 3 [No Action], Staggered 1 [20 minutes], Injured 2 [5 minutes], Disabled 2 [1 hour], Flaws: Source [sunlight], Feats: Regrowth) [6PP] Summon Plants 3 (45PP Minions, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Horde, Range [Ranged], Feats: Progression [Minions] 2 [5 Minions]) [17PP] Drawbacks: (-1) + (-1) = -2PP Power Loss (Hair, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor) [-1PP] Having her hair cut to a length of less than six average inches (shave head, chop off braid, stylish summer cut) will remove her ability to photosynthesize (immunity to starvation and thirst, immunity to sleep) and regenerate until it regrows. Regrowing to useful length takes 72 hours, including 24 total hours of sleep if hair is partially removed, or 168 hours with 56 hours of sleep if totally shaved. Without sufficient rest, growth will be delayed. Weakness (Hair, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor) [-1PP] The last six inches of Stesha's hair are dead and inactive cells, like normal hair, and can be trimmed normally. The rest of her hair is much more alive than normal hair, and hurts if it is damaged. Cutting or burning her hair provokes toughness saves as though her body had been attacked. DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage Dissolve Plants Perception DC23 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness Perception DC28 Toughness (Staged) Damage Entangling Vines Ranged DC28 Reflex (Staged) Entangled/Bound Grow Plants Ranged DC20 Fortitude Transform Magic Flower Ranged DC20 Reflex Dimensional Pocket O2 Burst Ranged/Area DC20 Reflex 1/2 Effect Ranged/Area Contested vs Power Rank or Will Nullify Step Through Plants Touch DC24 Reflex Teleport Stun Flower Ranged DC28 Fortitude (Staged) Dazed/Stunned/Unconscious Vines (Thrown Object) Ranged DC33 Toughness (Staged) Damage Abilities (26) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (24) + Skills (21) + Feats (20) + Powers (95) - Drawbacks (2) = 210/250 Power Points

No sooner had Erin felt the effects of Psyche's calming presence start to fade from her mind than she was attacked by another psychic force! This one had a very different feel to it, pleasant and entirely unfriendly at the same time. She mustered the adrenaline that had gathered when she saw the zombiefied people, and put it and everything she had into resisting the force trying to invade her mind. It receded, at least for the moment, but it didn't seem like all her teammates might have been so lucky. Looking up at the glowy thing that had just appeared from the ruins of the slide landing, Erin grabbed the only thing left from the little relaxation island she'd just denuded, the tall fake palm tree that had shaded the bench. Real palm trees probably didn't do so well in Freedom City weather, but this one came up and out of the ground relatively easily. Leaping straight into the air once more, she hurled the tree, trunk first, right towards the torso of the creature that had just appeared.

Wander fails her first will save, but is feeling unusually heroic what with all the zombies running around, so rerolls. She succeeds. Since the no touching rule remains in effect, she will continue to chuck the scenery at the new apparition, this time with a fake palm tree standing in for a spear. Full five point power/all out attack, which keeps her ranged attack at +6, raises her damage to +15, and drops her defense to +5. First roll is spectacularly awful. Spending another HP (which leaves her with one remaining). Result on the second is a 21. If that hits, it's a DC 30 check.

The best way to start a fight is always with a bat to the head of a demon. ;-) Erin is doing a three point power, three point all-out attack, which sets her attack at +10, damage with bat at +15, and defense to +7. On her attack, she rolls a 23. If that hits, it's a DC 30 save.

Erin paused at the edge of the cemetery just long enough to get her bearings and drop Mark from her shoulders. It looked like there was some sort of acid spraying from the sprinkler system, or something that acted like acid, anyway. She wasn't worried for herself particularly, it would have to be strong enough to dissolve stone and melt into the ground before it could do her serious damage, but it was doing terrible things to James. "Stay out of the sprinklers," she told Mark and Alex, "and try to keep those big demons off us." She looked to Mike. "I'll try and take down the demon holding him, you grab James and get him out of here. He can't heal himself if he's unconscious." Not bothering to wait for agreement or discussion this time, Erin opened her bat and leapt forward, aiming a heavy blow at the head of the demon holding James.

Erin met them on the roof, wearing her Claremont training uniform, her bat strapped to her hip and her beacon, like the rest of them, doubling as a belt buckle. She gave Mike a second look and a raised eyebrow for his new costume, but didn't take the time to comment. Gesturing for Mark to get on her back, she said tersely, "We'll go by rooftops, you go by air. If you see anything, keep in touch. Otherwise, let's try and meet up across the street from the church so we can get a look at what we're facing, and whether anyone's even there. Good?" she asked, pausing a moment before taking off.

Erin nodded. "Traffic will be messed up tonight, with it being Saturday and trick or treaters being out. We should go on foot, or by air." She looked over at Mark. "I know you're not crazy about it, but if you go piggyback with me, we'll get there a lot faster than trying to go in a car. We can grab our stuff and meet up on the roof in five minutes." She looked around once more and then, unless there were any objections, raced back to her room for her costume and bat. It didn't seem like a good night to wear flammable clothes.

"Sounds good," Erin told him. "I'll see you guys later." She glanced over at him once more, then tucked her hair behind her ear and turned back to her history book. That had been terribly awkward, but she supposed it could've been worse. She'd have been happier if she had managed not to let on that she might have liked things to be different, but at least she hadn't admitted to the little scrap of actual jealousy down in the very bottom of her heart. Now everything could just go back to being like it had been before, and that was okay.

"It's okay, this is going to take me awhile," Erin told him. "And I think Alex might head straight to the caf anyway. I'll catch up with you guys later." She scooted her chair back in the direction of her desk, clearing a path to the door so that he could pass by easily. "And tell Mark that I hear reading those things will rot your brain," she joked. "If you think it won't get a light fixture dropped on your head."

"I'm not really sure that Mark's luck always takes Mark's opinions into account," Erin pointed out wryly. "But I'm glad you guys worked things out. You only have so many possessions, after all." She looked back to her history book. "I need to finish another chapter before I can head to dinner. You eating in the caf tonight?"

Erin wasn't entirely sure about that, but since when did she care about gossip, anyway? She was pretty much a social nonentity in the school hierarchy, so it wasn't like she had a lot to lose if people got bored enough to start speculating on life at the bottom of the ladder. Her counterpart, she thought ruefully, would be appalled at that attitude. In any case, she'd known the score with Mike and Alex before she'd ever gotten into this, and she wasn't going to let one of her few friendships go because of impossible might-have-beens. "Yeah, that sounds good," she agreed. "We can put it through its paces, and if it works, maybe invite some other folks down to try it." She cracked a smile. "At least in the simulator, we can do stuff as a group and only get into a fight if we want to."

"Yeah, well..." Erin leaned back in her chair, folding one leg over the other. "I know there are some people around here who can do crazy stuff with computers. If I can't find a good simulation, I'll see if I can get one of them to cook something up. Winter's coming, maybe everybody will be more bored than usual. But I'll let you know when I find something that'll let us actually play through that whole game. Maybe you can bring Alex along," she suggested. "She's not a hard hitter, but I'm sure she'd have fun."

"It wasn't like that," she told him, looking up with an effort from his hand to meet his eyes. "I mean... it wasn't pity. I knew you and Alex had this thing going, and I know I'm too screwed up right now to be starting anything with anybody, but I didn't go just for you, or to make you feel better. Maybe if everything were different..." She broke off then, suddenly looking anywhere in the room except at him, in a moment that had gotten both more sincere and more intensely awkward than she'd planned. "Anyway, we are who we are, and you're still my friend. And we still need to finish that game," she finished, with a passable attempt at returning everything to normal.

Erin rubbed a hand over the back of her neck uncomfortably. She could play dumb and drag things out a little longer, but there didn't seem to be any point to it, besides making them both feel even weirder about the whole thing. "Well... we're friends, right?" she finally said. "We went out and played baseball and talked and toured the city. It was a lot of fun, and I'd still like another game sometime if we can find a better program." She noticed that the protractor she'd been playing with was developing fine cracks in its clear plastic surface, so she set it down before she snapped it.

"Sometimes things are a lot less obvious to people who have lived with them a long time than to people who see them all of a sudden," Erin told him, trying to be charitable. "Like if you don't see someone for a long time, then all of a sudden you see them again, they notice right off that you've gotten tall or lost weight or whatever, even if you didn't notice it happening. I know you love each other, but it's up to you guys to decide what you're going to do about it, or if you're going to do anything about it right now. From the way Zoe tells it, you've got plenty of time to think about it," she said with another shrug.

"Yeah, I guess," Erin agreed, picking up the protractor from her desk and turning it over in her hands as she chose her words. "From Daisy's point of view, that was about Mark too, and she won because they broke up, but I don't think he'll take it too hard for very long. Mark's broken up with girls before, and I think he and Alex were both just having fun. It hurt his feelings a little, I think, but he'll get over it. And everybody else basically knew how things were already," she added casually.

"Thanks." Erin hung up the phone and tossed it back to Mark. "Phantom says that the likeliest place to find James is at an old church in the city, someplace that's likely to be holy ground," she reported to the group. "And she agrees that we're going to be facing down demons. Holy objects are good, if you have one and believe in God, otherwise anything except fire should work. And since fire is pretty much James' big power, he might be pretty screwed. I know it's dangerous, but if we go in a small group and as fast as we can, I think that's our best bet to help before it's too late. You guys in?"

"From what I hear, it was pretty much about Mark," Erin pointed out. "Everybody knows how he and Ray Gardner hate each other, and Daisy's practically throwing herself at Ray's feet. I'm sure she saw an opportunity to cause trouble for Mark and jumped all over it. She didn't really care about Alex because Alex doesn't play social games, and you were just the vehicle. I'm sure she didn't know about Zoe at all." Erin leaned back in her chair. "Not that it's probably much consolation."

Erin bit her lip and jotted notes as quickly as she could while Phantom was talking, scrawling nearly illegibly across the paper to try and get everything down. "Alex, have Mark help you look for old churches in Freedom City," she said tersely, looking away from the phone for a moment. "James should hopefully be at the one Mark picks out." Putting the phone to her ear again, she told Phantom, "Okay, I think I've got it. Holy symbols and hitting them, no fire, and run away from gorgeous people with extra deep shadows. That should help." She hesitated just a moment. "If we get there and it's too late... what do we do? Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm fine," she told him with a one-shoulder shrug. "I should be asking you that, I guess. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you guys anything. Zoe let me listen in on her conversation with Summers, but she made me promise not to tell. I knew you guys would find out anyway, but I hoped she'd tell you herself before that. I didn't count on Dirty Daisy coming along. She'll get what's coming to her, eventually."

Stesha took her drink and worked herself around so that Taylor and Derrick and Lynn were all between her and Jack, just the way she liked it. "Sort of," she answered Lynn's question, "though I mostly just freelance. And I've put together some flower arrangements for her from time to time." Stesha's green hair, which today had tiny yellow flowers braided into it, was not a bad clue as to her general line of "work," for those in the know. "How about you?"