Gizmo

Avro leaned forward from Kimber's shoulders and sniffed Koshiro's fingers curiously. Evidently the origami artist passed the rigorous inspection because the small creature craned his neck to rub the top of his head against the extended digits, quietly purring with a surprisingly brassy tone, like a low, rattling note being held on a trombone. "Oh wow! He really must like you, he usually tries to bite new people!" It wasn't until Indira's offhand comment that anyone noticed the oddly prehensile way his tail was shifting about, coiling and draping itself over the poltergeist's opposite shoulder. "He's not really just a cat," she whispered conspiratorially, giving Koshiro a terribly obvious wink and motioning for quiet. Giving the leery dog and apologetic look as she rose, Kimber gave Sharl a broad smile. "I love traveling, you know that!" she confirmed enthusiastically. "I was working on a book report, but that can so totally wait!"

"Simple?" Erik repeated, a bubble of brief laughter escaping his lips and he knelt down on the opposite side of the bed from his sister and took Willow's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Asks my immortal, plant-controlling babymama. Yeah, we don't see simple around here so much." Turning his head hesitatingly as though reluctant to break eye contact with the white haired guardian, he looked to Ellie. "So...?" "So luckily I'm not one of those super-healers who don't know what they're doing without powers," the younger Espadas retorted shortly, business like as she went about her work, sparing a softer glance in the direction of Mara and Yolanda. The inventor was one of the most genuinely caring people she had ever known but she realized there was a very specific reason Mara had so quickly known what the small refugee had needed to hear. Fighting off a stabbing urge to go over to them, she carried on quickly. For her part, Yolanda slowly unfolded from her huddled pose at Mara's gentle prompting, looking at the heroine with big, serious eyes. She let Mara finish talking then took a beat to marshal her courage, nodding in hesitant agreement. She wrapped her hand tightly around two of the engineer's fingers as she stood and led them toward to kitchen.

As of July, the Espadas School of Self-Defense and Swordsmanship (!) is officially open for classes!. They have a surprisingly well put together website (apparently the proprietor knows a graphic designer and a crackerjack sysadmin), flyers throughout the city and decent word-of-mouth. It can be a rough world out there and anyone looking to brush up on their close quarters combat skills might well be interested in stopping by. If you have a PC interested in taking some classes, drop a post here with a little info about what they're looking to learn, where their skills are now and any specific motivations for improving themselves. Depending on who's up for it, I'll be arranging a few threads of manageable size set at the school. The goal here is to give characters a satisfying reason to bump up those combat stats and a chance to see the West End and meet some other characters you might not otherwise! As a sidenote, any characters who already know Erik Espadas in his civilian identity and would be interested in being a guest instructor, that's worth suggesting, too!

Alright, I'm not going to actually use twelve different builds for this, but we do have some variety. Specifically, an Immortal Swashbuckler, a Pirate, a Zorro and a Barbarian Champion, all with tweaked descriptors, naturally, along with ten bog standard Ninjas Swordsmen from the Core Rules. Oh, and that red glow on the rooftop a ways off? That's a Hexcrafter on loan from the House of Staves and an Atlas of all Blades watching her back. Chris does get an HP for the inconvenience of his electrical stuff not working for him. If there are any other Complications you want me to consider, now's the time to remind me! 25 - HoS Zorro - Uninjured 24 - HoS Swashbuckler - Uninjured 23 - HoS Pirate - Uninjured 16 - HoS Barbarian - Uninjured 15 - Fulcrum - Uninjured, 1HP 14 - Geckoman - Uninjured, 5HP 14 - HoS Hexcrafter - Uninjured 7 - HoS Atlas - Uninjured 6 - HoS Swordsmen (x10) - Uninjured Woof, haha. Tell you what, I'll give you guys a chance to decide if you want to spend an HP to reroll Initiative or delay or whatever.

Sorry for the delay after all of that, guys; just bad timing with real life stuff. I'll have the IC and OOC up soon, just need a chunk of time to do it properly. Darius, if you want to delay until after Geckoman, that's fine, although I wouldn't honestly worry about it.

Kimber took the folded box in both hands, cradling it carefully and blinking for a moment before her expression lit up. "Oh! Just like you used on the gloopy hag that one time! That's fantastic! Thank you!" Tucking the origami into her pocket she bounced forward to wrap her arms around Koshiro in a bear hug, the force indenting his slightly viscous sides a bit as she stood on her tip toes to give him a brief peck on his half-formed cheek. The expression she made as she stepped away suggested she immediately regretted it, however. "Bleuh, metally..." she grimaced, rubbing the sleeve of her hoodie across her mouth before clapping her hand together and exclaiming with her tongue sticking out, "Hey, tathe 'uds! Ohmigoodness. Pancakes. Wraith, I've got to show you pancakes! So much better than eating metal, you don't even know, seriously." Indira was a little busy to defend her usual consumption habits tracking the faint trace of Professor Fathom's oddly liquid mental echo on the Quantum Bauble. The human minds she could hear whispering about her were alien enough without whatever changes had been made to the Factor Four by the Prime Elements but with Eve's help she was able to get a good sense of the artifact's position. It was moving along with the current of the river toward the bay, just as Papercut had suggested, and quickly.

Indira led the boy into Riverside and to a coffee shop with signage proclaiming it the Black Petal Cafe. Inside the cozy little shop they found the expected number of young people chatting over lattes or typing away on laptops while munching absently on biscotti. In the far corner, tucked away from any of the large windows, Kimber sat with a full coffee on the table in front of her, long since cold, and a russet and burnt sienna tabby perched on her shoulders dozing. Affecting the appearance of a living girl, her matching denim jacket and jeans paired with a neon pink top with abstract shapes strewn across it didn't do the best job of blending in, but nobody seemed to suspect that there was a ghost in the room. Although she had a worn paperback next to her drink, she was much more interested in watching the people around her and so immediately noticed when her friends appeared in the doorway. Jumping up, she waved one hand over her head excitedly. "Hey guys! Over here!" The sudden movement roused the cat on her shoulders, who adjusted his balance and butted his head into her cheek reproachfully. Lowering her hand to scratch him about the ears, she began to rush forward but pulled back when her free arm wandered into the path of a sunbeam streaming through the window and was immediately revealed in its true, translucent blue-tinted form. Cringing and looking about quickly, she grabbed her umbrella from the table, its handle sliding towards her palm just before she actually grasped it, and raised the black shield between her and the light. Hurrying over the others once she was properly concealed, the poltergeist's eyes lit up at Sharl's new companion. "Ohmigosh, puppy! Hi!" Crouching down with her hands on her knees she beamed at the German Shepard. "Oh, you're gorgeous, yes you are! What's her name?!" The tabby still resting on her jacket's shoulders sniffed cautiously in the dogs direction, leaning closer. "Mrrrowr," he decided definitively, the hair about his neck sticking up a bit as he raised his haunches to appear larger and attempted to stare down the larger animal. "Avro! Be nice," Kimber chided, wagging a finger at the feline and giving him a stern look.

Ghost Girl 3PP - 12 ranks of Skill +2 Bluff +2 Diplomacy +2 Intimidate +6 Knowledge [Arcana] 8PP - Minion 8 - Avro the Manitcore Kitten 11PP - Friendship is Magic Array 4 (8PP, Power Feats: Alternate Power 3) [11PP] Base: Anatomic Separation 2 (Extras: Action [Free], Variable Split) [8PP] (Dead Head’s Dismemberment) AP: Obscure 4 (Visual Senses, 100' long, icy fog; Extras: Action [Move], Area [Cone, +0], Independent [+0], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [8PP] (Siobhan’s Shroud) AP: Super-Senses 4 (Detect Death [Mental]; Extras: Extended 1 [100'], Radius, Ranged) [4PP] Super-Senses 4 (Postcognition; Extra: Affects Others, Flaw: Limited [Moments of Death]) [4PP] (Nick’s Necrovision) AP: Telekinesis 2 (Rank 4 Total; Extras: Affects Corporeal, Range [Perception]) (Heavy Load: 400 lbs Total) [8PP] (Eve’s Elevation) [b][u]Players Name[/u][/b]: Gizmo [b][u]Power Level[/u][/b]: 13 (201/201PP) [b][u]Trade-Offs[/u][/b]: None [b][u]Unspent PP[/u][/b]: 0 [b][u]Progress to Orichalcum Status[/u][/b]: 45/150 (Impervium status earned by [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2517]Jack of all Blades[/url]) [b][u]In Brief[/u][/b]: Teenage poltergeist with an upbeat personality and chilling powers. [floatr][img=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/wiki/images/f/fd/KimberHFHuman.png[/img][img]http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/wiki/images/c/cd/KimberHF.png[/img][img]http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/wiki/images/0/0a/KimberHFGhostGirl.png][/floatr][b][u]Characters Name[/u][/b]: Ghost Girl [b][u]Alternate Identities[/u][/b]: Kimber Storm [b][u]Identity[/u][/b]: Public [b][u]Birthplace[/u][/b]: Thunder Bay [b][u]Occupation[/u][/b]: Student [b][u]Affiliations[/u][/b]: Claremont Academy, Young Freedom, Midnighters [b][u]Family[/u][/b]: None [b][u]Description[/u]:[/b] [b][u]Age[/u][/b]: 16 (DoB: August, 1979; DoD: January, 1996) [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Female [b][u]Ethnicity[/u][/b]: Deceased-Canadian (Caucasian) [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 5’7†[b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: None [b][u]Eyes[/u][/b]: Ice-Blue (Sea Green) [b][u]Hair[/u][/b]: Ice-Blue (Chestnut Brown) In her natural state, Kimber appears as the image of teenage girl rendered in frosty, luminous blues, slightly translucent and floating a few feet off of the ground as though she were swimming through the air. Long hair drifts about her face, carried by an absent wind, while the faint chill of fresh snow surrounds her. The disturbing sight is considerably softened by her perpetually chipper expression and broad, friendly smile - even if she still had bones, none of them would be mean. Expressive and given to animated gestures, she tends to flit about a room, chattering excitedly. Her phantasmal abilities allow her to take on a more lifelike appearance, returning colour to her flesh and bright green eyes while dropping dark drown hair back to fall between her shoulder blades. Although she can appear as almost anyone she likes, direct sunlight reveals her true form, making it impossible for her to maintain the day-to-day illusion of a normal life. In her heroic identity as Ghost Girl, she shrouds herself in a long, tattered reaper's cloak of the same pale blue, its hood and a simple domino mask concealing her face. [b][u]Powers Description[/u]:[/b] Kimber's ghostly nature renders her both completely incorporeal and translucent to a degree. Keeping the aura of cold that perpetually surrounds her to a barely perceptible minimum takes considerable concentration on her part; if she is distracted the temperature about her rapidly drops to well below freezing. She is also able to render herself completely invisible, though telepaths may sense her as a mental echo and electronics equipment will hiss with static at her passing. Not being restrained by any actual physiology, Kimber has a considerable ability to alter her appearance, from her clothing and apparent age to disguising herself as other individuals. The most extreme application of this sees her taking on an aspect that combines heartbreaking beauty and the sheer, existential horror of piercing, for a moment, the veil between life and death. The more paranoid might wonder if this is, in fact, her [i]true[/i] nature revealing itself. [b][u]History[/u]:[/b] Kimber's life before her passing is largely a mystery. Her own memories are few and indistinct - she could tell you who the Prime Minister was when she was alive or what her favourite brand of cereal was, but she has little actual context for any of that information. Even after her death, she lost several years, punctuated by infrequent but steady reports of strange, terrifying activity surrounding a particular log cabin in the camping grounds near Thunder Bay. Trespassing teenagers related tales of horrible faces in windows, dishware smashing itself against the walls and an unearthly chill that defied campfires and generator-powered space heaters alike. Eventually the stories caught the attention of Daniel Storm, an outdoorsman with no small amount of experience with the sorts of supernatural hazards that become more frequent the further north and away from large settlements one travel. A terse, unsociable sort, Storm wasn't typically one to get involved, but for whatever reason, his interest was piqued. Despite the poltergeist's repeated attempts to drive him away, he eventually found the long dead remains of a young woman in the woods. What little cooperation the admittedly suspicious Storm was able to get from the local authorities pointed to the winter of 1996, one of the coldest on record, as the time of death. Taking it upon himself to give the Jane Doe a proper cremation should have put the ghostly apparition to rest. Instead, Storm found himself face to face with the floating but quite distinct image of an alarmed girl. Although understandably distressed as she came to understand her situation, the phantom adapted with surprising speed, taking the name Kimber because, "I just [i]feel[/i] like a 'Kimber', right?" Storm did his best to fill in as many blanks for her as he could over several weeks, and contacted various occult peers when it became clear that the situation fell well outside his personal experience, not just in terms of supernatural phenomena, but also dealing with a teenage girl! Eventually, through friends of friends, he was put in touch with Duncan Summers, a gentleman with no small expertise in helping teenagers of unusual natures. Nonchalantly suggesting that she might as well use his last name for the resulting paperwork, he sent the heroine-in-training out into the world for a second shot at life! [spoiler]In life, Kimber was Rebecca Stone, a Thunder Bay native born in 1979. Observant and astute, she was otherwise mainly notable for her energetic disposition, growing into a happy if largely unremarkable teen. Becca had little connection with superheroics; the Mulroney administration saw government funding of super teams heavily reduced then cut altogether, and North American opinion remained for the most part negative towards costume vigilantes until the Terminus Invasion in 1993. The newly elected Liberal government under Chrétien rode the rocketing popularity of superheroes that resulted, and the band posters in Becca's room were replaced with images of national heroes. In 1996, Becca and several friends went on a winter camping trip, despite the weather that was frigid even by Northern Ontario's standards. The group camped out in a log cabin, but while out hiking through the wooded trails, Becca became separated from the others and lost her way among the twisting paths. Heavy snow hampered any search efforts, eventually forcing the police to note her as missing and presumed dead. The details of her case were unfortunately among those lost in the move to a digital database.[/spoiler] [b][u]Personality & Motivation[/u]:[/b] Despite her regrettable situation, Kimber retains a surprisingly upbeat attitude. She tends to react to any new situation with curiosity and enthusiasm, asking lots of questions and rapidly jumping from thought to thought. Looking oddly doesn't seem to particularly bother her, but a surprising talent for reading people makes her acutely aware of how disturbing her undead nature can be for some. As a result, she may compensate with an even cheerier manner or make reassuring attempts at humour. Death has done nothing to dull Kimber's sense of empathy - if anything, it's given her a greater perspective on the preciousness of life. Despite her positive mindset, she considers herself to have very little to lose, or at least to be in very little danger of true harm, and so is quick to lend whatever aid she can. The adventure and romance of the superheroic lifestyle certainly appeals to her as well, though her notion of it is more than a little idealized. After all, people might be scared of a ghost, but who could be scared of the marvelous Ghost Girl! [b][u]Powers & Tactics[/u]:[/b] Kimber's main offensive ability is a bone-chilling ethereal touch that drains the strength from her target's limbs, eventually leaving them helpless and shivering. Although reluctant to engage in violence in the first place, particularly given how little threat convention weapons pose to her, when her teammates are put at risk she moves to disable their opponents as quickly as possible. She takes advantage of her unhindered mobility, but is [i]not[/i] entirely beyond being hurt, and her sense of invulnerability can get her into trouble. Her incorporeal nature, along with her powers of invisibility and disguise, make Kimber an ideal scout and infiltrator. A side-effect of her concealment scrambles radio signals in a small radius, a handy trick for disabling nearby communications even as it serves as an unfortunate tell for those who are familiar with spirits and their ways. Although she cannot truly touch physical objects, she is able to manipulate them with a minor amount of telekinesis. [b][u]Complications[/u]:[/b] [b]Amnesia:[/b] Kimber's memories before her untimely demise are foggy at best. [b]Avro:[/b] A pet manticore kitten is a big responsibility, missy! [b]Naive:[/b] Kimber's a naturally trusting sort inclined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. [b]Pyrophobia:[/b] Intense heat and fire are one of the few things that can actively harm Kimber, and she's understandably hesitant around either. [b]She's Dead, Jim:[/b] It's a living man's world, Kimber's just haunting in it. [b]Truly, Truly Outrageous:[/b] Kimber missed out on a lot of pop culture and world history after her death, though she's been quickly catching up. [b]Untouchable:[/b] Kimber has no physical form. [b]Young Freedom 2.0:[/b] Kimber's friends are pretty rad. [b][u]Abilities[/u]:[/b] -10 + 6 - 10 + 0 + 6 + 2 = -4PP STR: - (-) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: - (-) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 16 (+3) CHA: 14 (+2) [b][u]Combat[/u]:[/b] 16 + 12 = 28PP Attack: +8 (+12 Ghost Array) Defense: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Grapple: +6 Init: +3 [b][u]Saves[/u]:[/b] 2 + 7 = 9PP Toughness: +12 (+12 Protection) Fortitude: - Reflex: +5 (+3 Ref, +2) Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7) [b][u]Skills[/u]:[/b] 18PP = 72R Bluff 6 (+8/+12 Attractive) Diplomacy 13 (+15/+19 Attractive) Intimidate 10 (+12) Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 10 (+10) Languages 1 (French) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+11) Sense Motive 12 (+15) Stealth 12 (+15) [b][u]Feats[/u]:[/b] 20PP Dodge Focus 6 Luck 2 Minion 8 Power Attack Second Chance (Diplomacy) Startle Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) [b][u]Powers[/u]:[/b] 30 + 11 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 30 + 21 + 12 +7 + 3 + 10 = 133PP [b]Ghost Array 13[/b] (26PP, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 4) [30PP] [array][b][u]Base[/u]: Concealment 8[/b] (all visual, auditory and olfactory, [i]Extra:[/i] Linked, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Close Range, Selective, [i]Drawback:[/i] Power Loss [Detect Ghosts/Undead, Necromantic Awareness]) [17PP] (invisibility) [device]+ [b]Concealment 2[/b] (all mental, [i]Extra:[/i] Linked, [i]Flaw:[/i] Displacement) [2PP] (mental echo) + [b]Obscure 4[/b] (radio, 50' radius, [i]Extras:[/i] Action [Free, +2], Linked, [i]Flaws:[/i] Partial, Range [Touch], [i]Power Feats:[/i] Reverse Progression 1 [Area, min 25']) [5PP] (radio static)[/device] [b][u]AP[/u]: Damage 12[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Affects Corporeal, Autofire, Linked [Drain], [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronics], [i]Power Feats:[/i] Accurate 2) [14PP] (disrupt electronics) [device]+ [b]Drain Toughness 12[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Affects Corporeal, Affects Objects, Linked [Damage], [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Objects], Limited [Electronics]) [12PP][/device] [b][u]AP[/u]: Drain Strength 12[/b] ([i]Extra[/i]: Affects Corporeal, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Accurate 2) [26PP] (chill of the grave) [b][u]AP[/u]: Emotion Control 12[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Area [Perception, +2], [i]Flaws:[/i] Range [Touch, -2], Sense Dependent [Vision], [i]Drawback:[/i] Power Loss [In Sunlight, -3]) [9PP] (beautiful terror) [equip][b]Morph 6[/b] (Any Humanoid, +30 Disguise, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Attractive, Fascinate [Diplomacy], [i]Drawback:[/i] Power Loss [In Sunlight, -3]) [11PP] (terrible beauty) [b]Super-Senses 6[/b] (Detect Fear [Mental], [i]Extras:[/i] Acute, Analytical, Radius, Ranged, Tracking) [6PP][/equip] [b][u]AP[/u]: Snare 12[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Affects Corporeal, Area [General, Cone], [i]Flaws:[/i] Action [Full Action]), Range [Touch], [i]Power Feats:[/i] Progression 1 [Area, max 275'], Reverse Progression 1 [Area, min 100']) [26PP] (ice breath)[/array] [b]Friendship is Magic Array 4[/b] (8PP, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 3) [11PP] [array][b][u]Base[/u]: Anatomic Separation 2[/b] ([i]Extras:[/i] Action [Free], Variable Split) [8PP] (Dead Head’s Dismemberment) [b][u]AP[/u]: Obscure 4[/b] (Visual Senses, 100' long, icy fog; [i]Extras:[/i] Action [Move], Area [Cone, +0], Independent [+0], [i]Flaws:[/i] Range [Touch]) [8PP] (Siobhan’s Shroud) [b][u]AP[/u]: Super-Senses 4[/b] (Detect Death [Mental]; [i]Extras:[/i] Extended 1 [100'], Radius, Ranged) [4PP] [equip][b]Super-Senses 4[/b] (Postcognition; [i]Extra:[/i] Affects Others, [i]Flaw:[/i] Limited [Moments of Death]) [4PP] (Nick’s Necrovision)[/equip] [b][u]AP[/u]: Telekinesis 2[/b] (Rank 4 Total; [i]Extras:[/i] Affects Corporeal, Range [Perception]) (Heavy Load: 400 lbs Total) [8PP] (Eve’s Elevation)[/array] [b]Comprehend 1[/b] (Spirits) [2PP] [b]Enhanced Feats 1[/b] (Quick Change) [1PP] [b]Environmental Control 3[/b] (Extreme Cold, 25' radius, [i]Extra:[/i] Duration [Special], [i]Flaw:[/i] Range [Touch]) [3PP] [i]This power is always active by default, but can be 'turned off' with a free action and a sustained duration. If Kimber is unable to take the free action required, it automatically reactivates.[/i] [b]Flight 1[/b] (10 MPH, [i]Extra:[/i] Duration [Continuous], [i]Flaw:[/i] Permanent, [i]Power Feat:[/i] Subtle) [3PP] [b]Immunity 30[/b] (Fortitude effects) [30PP] [b]Insubstantial 4[/b] (Incorporeal, Affected by Fire/Heat, [i]Extra:[/i] Permanent, [i]Power Feat:[/i] Innate) [21PP] [b]Protection 12[/b] [12PP] [b]Regeneration 7[/b] (+0 recovery bonus, Resurrection 2/one day) [7PP] [b]Super-Senses 4[/b] (Counters Concealment [Visual, [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited (Undead)], Darkvision) [3PP] [b]Telekinesis 2[/b] ([i]Extras[/i]: Affects Corporeal, Range [Perception]) (Heavy Load: 100 lbs) ([i]PFs[/i]: Precise, Subtle) [10PP] [b][u]Drawbacks[/u]:[/b] -3PP [b]Vulnerability ([/b]Fire/Heat, [i]Frequency:[/i] Common, [i]Intensity:[/i] Moderate [x1.5 DMG][b])[/b] [-3PP] [code]DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Disrupt Electronics Touch DC22 Fortitude Drained Toughness Touch DC27 Toughness [Autofire] Damage Drain Strength Touch DC22 Fortitude Drained Strength Emotion Control Perception DC22 Will Emotion Snare 100' Cone DC22 Reflex Entangled Abilities (-4) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (18) + Feats (20) + Powers (133) - Drawbacks (-3) = 201/201PP Avro the Manitcore Kitten Business finished by trollthumper.

(20:46:25) AvengerAssembled: Hey T-K, are you actually here? (20:46:41) Thunder_King: me? (20:46:57) AvengerAssembled: ...no. (20:47:05) Gizmo: Couldn't be! Then who? (20:47:18) Fox: ELECTRA stole the cookie from the cookie jar! (20:47:30) Electra: I bought the damn things, I'll eat them if I want to! :argh:

There was a moment's pause as Midnight quickly assessed Wander's condition, a fraction of a heartbeat before he was abruptly several steps forward with his arms wrapped tightly around her, his masked face buried in the top of her auburn hair. Trevor only released his grip to bring one hand to Erin's cheek and use the other to unfasten his mask, the light of the fountain behind her illuminating the lines of his face as the as the last faint wisps of mist stopped rising from the back of his neck. Leaning down, he kissed her with the intensity of desperate relief, pointedly aware of the warmth of her skin after the deathly chill earlier. Finally breaking away, he left his forehead resting against hers, quietly murmuring, "Close one."

LaMarr made a deep, guttural sound of approval as Temperance nixed the notion of designer meta-steroids. With more and more people giving themselves superhuman abilities on purpose these days, the teacher was off the opinion it was better the ask up front. The grunt he made when she mentioned the ruler of Socotra was considerably more derisive. "Hmph, Typhoon. Don't even get me started on that joker. Girl, you ever take work from a man who owns a country, do yourself a favour and get paid up front." He ordered himself a plain coffee, and sat carefully down, still supporting most of his surprising weight with his legs. Stroking his grey streaked beard with one hand, the aging her thought back. "Well, most of the capes and tights crowd running around these days look like teenagers to me," he admitted with a small smile, "but I've met my share of folks new to the game. What with secret identities and such, most of the players my age are off the grid, so kids looking for advice turn up on my doorstep now and then."

Initiative. (1d20+5=8) Sigh.

Ecal, Darius, hit me with an initiative roll. We're going to play things a little loosey goosey between the action outside and inside. Characters still inside can post as they will within reason, without worrying about rounds. When a character goes to join the fighting, you can post IC with them exiting the house or making their intent to do so clear, then post initiative here in the OOC. That character will join to initiative order on the next round, which is to say once we get back to the highest initiative count. I want to get this back up and running at a good clip but I do understand schedules have been rough. If you're up in the initiative things are being held up, I'm going to be operating on a policy of one warning then you're passed by. If I have to fiat a character out of combat entirely to keep the thread moving, I will, but I'd like to at least give everyone fair notice before it comes to that.

That'll do it, for sure! Do you want the info here in the OOC or worked into a GM post in the IC thread?

--Wasn't asking you, either, Templar,-- Midnight responded quickly across the mental link, and if the rebuke was a little terse even for the dark haired young man, particularly toward someone he had no call ordering about, perhaps he could be forgiven given the circumstances. "Going to be fine," he insisted to Erin as she squeezed his hand, glad his expression was hidden and unable to undercut his assurances. He followed along with the healers, making sure to stay within arm's reach of Wander at all times, a roiling trail of mist spreading along the floor where he tread.

Travis appeared in the doorway to the porch, leaning heavily on his cane and looking a little frailer in the white cotton shirt and tan shorts necessitated by the heat than his preferred darker, longer clothing. Age had evidently tempered the original Midnight's resolve with a measure of practicality that his protege had not yet embraced. When Mark mentioned his mother dating, Travis' mouth compressed to a thin line framed by his immaculate goatee. With a soft sigh, he turned about and headed back inside. "I'll mix you some sedative tea to take home with you," he called over his shoulder without further comment. Catching the tossed bottle, Trevor only exchanged a look with Erin and cleared his throat uncomfortably as he turned down the heat on most of the grilling surfaces, covering them while he piled what was ready to eat of a generously sized plate. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to hear that Mark's mother was doing well; she'd certainly had a rough few years in the time he'd known her. Dating an enthusiastic fan just seemed a little unhealthy for a woman who wasn't a paragon of stability to begin with. He tried not to judge but the part of him that actively anticipated problems and prevented them cringed inwardly. "Who's having what?" he asked.

"'Weakened'? Encouraging," Midnight grumbled flatly through his featureless black mask, leaving the Night Cycle where it was for the time being to allow Redbird time to recuperate. While they hadn't been overly canny opponents, the goons in the glowing armor had taken a significant amount of punishment before going down and hadn't failed in handing out their fair share of blows either. That didn't bode well with regard to their master and the undiluted source of their power, but the vigilante was looking for a little payback regardless, petty though it may have been. "Avarice by way of safeguarding... Expecting a horde? Would explain reliance of agents."

"If they've got an electric fence or something I'll just do that 'on the fritz' thing Sharl hates so much," Ghost Girl assured her roommate from the backseat, where she's telekinetically arrayed a half dozen fashion magazines featuring outfits a little more current than her usual style. "Maybe I should be old? Nobody pays attention to old people!" the phantom mused aloud, taking on the appearance of a bespectacled elderly woman with a jutting chin. "Hrmm... then again, old people all know each other so that might give us away." Even as she said it, she was looking like herself again, only perhaps two or three years older than usual and wearing a tasteful but not too striking midnight blue dress. It was tough to reign in her natural exuberance, but she supposed there was a line to be walked between being stylish enough to fit in and standing out too much. The poltergeist briefly considered some additional changes to her features and build but that brought up way more self-consciousness than anyone without an actual body should have had, teenage girl or not.

Toughness Save vs. DC 28. (1d20+13=16) Yikes. Toughness Save vs. DC 28, HP Reroll. (1d20+13=26) That's still a bruise.

"Sure," Wail allowed, his voice a touch softer as he gestured for her to lead the way to the shop. "Now, I'm not expecting you to lay out your whole origin, girl; if you have things to keep a lid on, I can dig," he assured her levelly, opening the door. A tinkling bell announced their entrance but it didn't seem to particularly rouse the bored looking middle aged woman behind the counter any more than the battle outside or the unusual patrons. "But I tell you right now, if this is some meta-drug thing, I will not stand for it. I've seen grown men turning themselves into sharks and I'm not having it in my classroom."

Letting out a breath just barely loudly enough to qualify as a sigh, Trevor took Erin's hand and stepped into the cylinder. With barely any momentum to drive him forward, he floated there next to her, looking about cautiously as he strove to maintain awareness of both relative up and down and the positions of the others as they bounced about. Moving his free hand about in small, careful movements, he looked to Erin askance. "Not... sure about this," he admitted in a low voice, his expression attempting to brood in weightlessness and finding it difficult.

"Not planning to ask," Midnight told Wander aloud, his voice steely even through the filter of his mask as he squeezed her shoulder with one gloved hand. Everything Redbird had told him about the Furions had been glowing praise and his own experience with Red Falcon had been nothing but a positive first impression, but this was not a situation in which he was open to debate or delay. --Thank you, Miss Maher. Furions should be willing to help; we've earned a favor,-- he sent across the mental link to the group as a whole. --If not, I'll insist. Comes to that, Templar will have to get the rest of you clear.--

Wail stepped past Glow, placing his considerable bulk between the floating head and the receiving desk and more importantly between the Australian teenager and the possibly cornered sergeant. "You'd best listen, sister," he intoned, lowering the volume of his voice but deepening it into a bass register of which most average humans wouldn't have been capable, one that was felt vibrating in the listeners chest as much as heard with their ears. He leaned over the desk just enough to look directly in Danson's eyes, evidently not put off by her wheelchair. "This thing busted into a damn school and put the students there at risk. My students. You oughta believe I'm looking to bring the hammer down, and neither forty year old bell-bottoms or a shiny badge are likely to dissuade me." LaMarr might not have known the first thing about robotics or artificial intelligences, but if the sergeant really was Donna's daughter, the dots were quickly beginning to connect. He might not have considered himself a modern day Sherlock Holmes, but you didn't run a private investigations and security team for decades without a few things sinking in. "And I do not care to be stalled. Start talking."

"Oh, of course!" Kimber replied, distracted from her hunger pang as she jogged over to Koshiro and patted her pockets until she found a stack of unfolded sheets, handing him one once she was sure his newly reformed fingers had a solid grip. "So, um, thanks for helping me get down there," the brunette continued in a quieter voice but with a grin that was no less sunny than usual. "And you look, y'know, good!" she added encouragingly, giving him a thumbs up and feeling a little guilty that she'd apparently inherited his solidness. "If we run into any Kinigosi girls, they'll totally be all, 'heeeeey!'" The former phantom wisely decided this wasn't the time to mention that Indira's people didn't really have genders as such. Hopping up and down a bit, she turned her energetic chattering in Corbin's direction. "You'd for sure be fine, Cee Tee, you're dead!" Evidently not realizing that that prospect might have been at all disturbing for the temporary ghost, she began ticking off fingers. "You can walk right through stuff and be invisible and you don't have to eat or sleep or breath or--" Stopping abruptly, the Canadian teen blinked a few times, then brought both hands to either side of her head with a yelp. "Oh jams, I can't stop thinking about breathing now! Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, ahh!"

"Wasn't sure what everyone would want," Trevor admitted fiddled with dials with one hand and checked to make sure the gears weren't catching anymore on the device rotating several long skewers. He wasn't really used to entertaining company and had defaulted to his policy of all-encompassing preparation and redundant back-ups. Now that he was actually looking at all of the food in front of him it was clearly excessive but he was stubbornly determined to cook it all to the best of his ability. "Hmm. Probably a good idea," he nodded to Erin, looking over his shoulder toward the house for a moment before quickly turning back as a sudden burst of flame belched from one of the grill's segments.