Gizmo

No objections here.

Nadia's admission of a history of crime didn't overly surprise Jack. It wasn't that the Russian's earnest demeanor suggested a desire for redemption to him; she was unapologetic enough about her past transgressions. Rather, she gave the impression of someone determined to balance scales and earn respect amongst her new peerage. Nor did the confirmation do much to alter his perception of her; Jack had never had the same vehement distaste for thieves that he did for legitimately violent criminals. He supposed it was simply a matter of the placement of his personal moral event horizon. As she hefted the swordsman to his feet, however, a different statement caused him to raise an eyebrow. " 'Good for dresses,' huh? Blinkie, you did not strike me as the junior prom type. Guess that's just another part of the whole 'thrill of the chase' thing." He made a mental note to suggest some sort of semi-formal party to Lynn, who had easily settled into a sort of den mother role on the team. 'Cause I look good in a suit, Jack smirked internally. I mean, I look good in anything, but still. Once he was off of the ground, Jack quickly steadied himself. Nadia's pin had aggravated the injuries he'd received in his one-sided beating at the hands of Captain Knievel, but it wasn't enough to slow him down perceptibly. He turned his attentions to the teleporter's question. "Ha, well, it's not like I've got a set schedule or anything, but I'm sort of a magnet for femme fatale-types. Y'know, one minute they're all sexy wiles and the next it's all poison-tipped hairpins and defenestration and puns about me not being so 'sharp'." He rubbed the back of his neck ruefully and gave Nadia a broad grin. "It's honestly given me what probably constitutes an unhealthy comfort zone with regards to the fairer sex. Still, better that than wrinkly old mad scientists or something. Remind me to tell you about Jaci o' Cups sometime." The grin fell into a frown as Jack considered the point. "Actually, I should probably tell the whole team about all of the other 'Jacks'; it's only a matter of time before one of them pulls something to draw me out into a fight."

Stupid laser whip... Blink's grapple is absolutely beastly. +30? Fuhgeddaboudit.

I can't remember; have I made a 'HiPS don't lie' joke already?

Timeline preserved! Is it just me or is Jack totally missing to point of 'moral high ground'?

Although his expression remained impassive, Jack seethed at All-Star's rebuke. His palm itched for a sword and he had to stop himself from reflexively pulling in the energy around him to form a blade. Courage? The meathead wanted to talk courage? How about hitting the streets every night despite broken bones and crisscrossing scars, all on the off chance you could make your neighbourhood a tiny bit safer? How about facing down villains you knew you couldn't beat, just to buy others time to escape? As far as Jack was concerned, the invulnerable showboat had never had to show real courage in his life. It was an insult the swashbuckler wasn't likely to forget any time soon. The only thing that stayed his hand was a stubborn refusal to sink to what he perceived Marcus' level. He'd tried to walk away, to postpone a confrontation, while the larger man had been petulant and demanding. In Jack's mind he had firmly held the moral high ground, and he wasn't about to give it up now. The best way to stick it to All-Star, he decided, was to be the bigger man. Conflict resolution through petty revenge, he mused darkly. Outwardly, Jack offered the others a tight-lipped smile. "Hey, I'm letting it go. It was an accident, right? It's not Sparky's fault if he's still learning to control all those powers. I'm sure he's doing his best." He gave Marcus a slight nod. "And, hey, he's not totally wrong; we'll probably find ourselves in plenty of situations were what we really need is a blunt tool. And this is the guy for the job, amirite?" He held out a hand to the bigger man. "We cool?" His tone subtly toed the line between sincerity and exaggeration.

Jack made a dismissive sound. "Mad? Please. I hadn't been knocked around by an attractive and dangerously competent woman all week; I was beginning to worry." He placed his hand behind his head, but made no move to actually get up from the floor. "And it wasn't really clever, it was bull." Jack sighed and gave Nadia a serious look. "Blinkie, you're an insanely capable fighter, but I'm guessing Spetsnaz didn't include fencing in basic training, because that would be stupid. There are way easier ways to put the hurt on somebody. Which is kinda my point." The swashbuckler looked back up at the ceiling, his expression reflective. "Even with my training and my powers, it takes a lot of effort and concentration to fight somebody with a sword. Anything I do with one of these," he said, gesturing the the foil lying beside him, "I absolutely mean to do. Guns..." He shook his head. "Anybody can pick one up and be deadly. All it takes is one moment of anger, one stupid decision. It's too easy. Hurting someone else should always be hard." There was a pause before Jack continued in a lighter tone. "That said, you and Colt have the training, the control to wield that kind of power responsibly. I can't say I like it very much, but I trust you guys." Rubbing his chin with exaggerated contemplation, the swordsman grinned broadly. "So, three questions. Alright, number one: what is your favourite colour? Um, number two: what do you actually do for fun, and number three: would you give me a hand up?" Jack winced. "Seriously, I bruised a rib in a fight a little over a month ago and never really gave it a chance to heal. Stupid laser whip."

Jack sat down on the floor heavily, letting himself fall backward to lay staring up at the ceiling. "Nobody likes a drama queen, Blinky," he scoffed with a grin despite his heavy breathing. He gestured to the floor beside him. "Sit." Placing the hand on his chest, he closed his eyes for a moment. "Whoof, teleporting grapple, huh? Good move." The swordsman moved his hands in the air above him, reenacting the match. "I was all like, 'Ha ha!' and you were all, 'Nuh uh,' then I was all, 'Oh snap!' "

Jack stepped around All-Star without acknowledging the presence of the larger man in the slightest. "I've been thinking about getting some sort of grapple-type deal myself," he continued speaking to Kris. "Something to make street-to-rooftop commute a little easier. Don't really know where you go to get something like that, though." Hands in his pockets, Jack's posture was relaxed and his tone airy. Having let the previous matter drop, he wasn't going to let Marcus bait him into a confrontation so easily. Of course, if being ignored pushed the the big man's buttons even more... well, Jack was alright with that, too.

Jack glanced from All-Star to Kris as the younger man positioned himself between the arguing teammates. Deliberately taking another few passes over his wet clothes with his fiery sword, Jack casually opened his hand and let the flames dissipate into the air. "No worries, Kris," he said with a grateful nod to Nadia as she finished seeing to his scrapes."Some of us are familiar with the concept of self-control." He considered pressing the point, but trying to explain responsible behaviour to Marcus was like smashing one's head into a brick wall repeatedly; it just wasn't likely to get one anywhere. Jack consoled himself with the knowledge that it only took a pound of pressure for a rapier to piece a normal person's flesh, and though All-Star wasn't a normal person, Jack didn't use normal swords, either. "So, you set up a workshop, huh? I was wondering where you got all those wonderful toys," he changed the subject.

Just to double check, the initiative order is: 24 - Jack 18 - Colt 14 - Blink 13 - Grim 11 - Razorwing 10 - All-Star 9 - Demons yeah?

Jack studiously avoided glancing over at the slight display of affection between Lynn and Colt as Nadia looked over what amounted to a few scrapes and bruises. He wasn't sure how obvious the pair wanted to be to the rest of the team, but the swordsman did live across the way from the more outgoing of the team's shapeshifters, and even with the shared bathroom in the way the walls weren't that thick. Considering that his nearest relevant experience was a perhaps overprotective attitude towards his sister concerning any potential suitors, Jack had been giving them as much space as he could without it being overtly awkward. The momentary reflection took the some of the wind out of his sails, but All-Star's flippant attitude put it right back in. Jack made an inarticulate sound of frustration. "Are you the last survivor of the Planet Stupid? Is that your secret origin? My head, man!" He pointed emphatically to the body part in question. "It's not even the bike. Seriously, it was ten bucks at a garage sale, and thanks to all this," he said gesturing to the underground base all around them, "I find myself in the wholly unfamiliar position of actually being able to afford to replace it. The point is that not everybody is a trained acrobat who can sense the residual plasma blast on a chunk of giant robot before it rearranges their face! Most people? The word of the day is 'squished'." As he spoke, Jack flipped his lighter out of his pocket and quickly formed a fiery sword. Using the blade's heat to dry off his clothes, he used his free hand to jab an accusatory finger at the slightly battered powerhouse. "You got so lucky today."

Well, not over the bike, but All-Star did mess up his hair. His hair, man. I kid, I kid.

Yeah, good call. I was hoping things would get sorted out, but there's no point just waiting around. Hurr, trying to remember what I posted the first time...

A series of progressively louder clangs and thumps preceded a fuming Eric as he lugged the mangled remains of a bicycle through the underground base to the garage. With a grunt, he tossed the twisted frame to the floor. Large portions of the tubing had been flattened and the spokes of the front wheel had been snapped in several places. Jack's clothes were dirty and drenched along his right side, and he flicked his wet sleeve in annoyance. The young man let out a sound that was part groan and part scream. "Nrrgh! So, I'm riding downtown, just trying to get some stuff done," he vented exasperatedly, "when some maldito idiot starts throwing chunks of giant robot all over the place. So, first off, y'know, what, right?" He threw his hands into the air and continued his ranting. "But more importantly, who does that? I was like, two city blocks away, and there's scrap falling on my head! I felt like Endor at the end of Jedi." Jack gestured with his thumb and forefinger. "I was this close to getting pancaked. Ended up in a flippin' puddle, and my bike got..." Struggling to find words strong enough, the frustrated swashbuckler settled on another groan. Jack leaned against the garage wall and let out a long breath. He blinked as he realized just how many people were in the room and allowed his disgruntled brain to process as he blew a dripping lock of hair out of his eyes. "Huh, garage party. What happened to you?" he added, glancing at the jubilant All-Star with a raised eyebrow.

Jack opened his hand, letting the sparks dissipate like sand blowing away in the wind as he walked to the switch and flipped the lights back on back on. Leaning against the end of the couch Colt had landed on, the swordsman regarded the 'mild-mannered' All-Star dryly. "Please tell me you didn't steal that from a bunch of kids, Sparky," he drawled. Rolling her eyes, Jill picked up her brother's sombrero from the kitchen counter and casually whipped it across the room at his head. The hat flew unerringly like a discus until Jack, without looking over, snagged it out of the air by its brim and donned it in a single fluid motion. Tipping it rakishly, he grinned at his sister. "Thanks, hermana." Jill folded his arms across her jumpsuit and scoffed. "I swear, if he had to give up food or showing off..." she noted to Lynn, taking a moment to find where Nadia was now standing, just behind her. The younger of the siblings nodded slightly in the direction of the two new arrivals. "So... is that really... I mean..." She bit her lower lip nervously and lowered her voice. "That's actually the actual Dr. Archeville?"

Jack doesn't really have much in the way of stuff, and he'd probably prefer being closer to the rooftop and the street, so I guess he'll claim the last room on the third floor. It's not like he's not used to sharing a bathroom with his sister, anyway.

As Kris tossed the match and filament into the air, Jack flipped backwards, his feet briefly making contact with the edge of the kitchen counter before he launched upward, arms spread outward. As he sailed through the air the sparks around him stopped falling and flew towards his outstretched hands in streaming spirals. The winding trails of sparks grew tighter the closer they got to his palms until the formed thin pillars of light following the extension of his arms. In the darkened room they took on the appearance of swarming fireflies. Body rigid, he twisted in the air to land softly next to the young vigilante. He paused for a moment, a wire of red light balanced over his right hand while another of pure white hovered over his left. With a cocky grin, Jack brought his hands together before him with with a great clap, and the lines of sparks wrapped around each other and flared brighter. When his hands parted, the swashbuckler was holding a dazzling rapier of scintillating light in his right, clearly defined even as its component sparks traveled up and down the blade. Tendrils of glowing energy extended from the pommel around his closed fist, creating an intricate hand guard. Jack flourished the sword with a grand flick of his wrist, tracing patterns in the air. "And that," he smirked, "is how you do that."

Rock on, gettin' the band back together! Jack still needs to get to know most of the team as well. He presumably knows the West End better than the others, so he might be showing them around, in or out of costume.

I'm having the same problem. Also, I could have sworn that the last post for this before everything went kablam was Nadia reintroducing herself after Jack told her to take a seat. Am I imagining things?

Jack's eyebrow quirked, and for a moment his expression was a jumbled mix. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh. Oh man," he managed between chuckles. "This place doesn't have electricity let alone the internet, and I'm still getting Godwin's Law-ed. That's precious." The swashbuckler smirked and folded his arms. "" Jack turned one palm upward casually. "

So, giving Miss Special Forces a hard time was a bad idea, Jack thought dimly. I am totally surprised. This is my surprised face. Actually, he was pretty sure it was his 'that doesn't bend that way' face as the teleporter promptly immobilized him and began placing painful pressure on his elbow. "I know some cultures are more physically affectionate," he managed to grunt through clenched teeth, "but we usually just shake hands after a match.'

"" Jack called up to the restrained Angel in Spanish, gambling that the 'locals' wouldn't be able to understand him. "" The swordsman briefly rubbed his eyes in frustration. "" He turned to Archeville and continued in English under his breath. "That said, how much you wanna bet this Omega's pulling the 'secretly evil royal adviser' shtick?"

"Some people think that's a weakness, but I like to see it as a sign of clarity of mind,"Jack continued breezily, tapping Nadia lightly on the top of the head with his foil as she attempted to recover from her aggressive attack. "Like, the ability to do more than one thing at a time, y'know?" The swashbuckler began to take a step back, as through regrouping in preparation for her next attack, but instead pushed off with the moving foot, lunging forward with a burst of energy and striking once more on the teleporter's shoulder. "And that," he said with a bow and flourish, "would by three." Though slightly flushed from the exertion, Jack was grinning broadly, and Nadia noticed that his body language was in fact more relaxed now than it had been earlier in the hallway.

Alright, so Jack automatically beats that Acrobatic Bluff. He's going to attack first: (1d20+15=20). Next, he'll try another Feint as a move action. (1d20+16=24) Blink get's a +1 bonus to save against it, since he tried that earlier. Finally, he'll use extra effort to grain a second standard action for the round, attacking again: (1d20+15=20)